Brandon walked away from the school until he found himself near the edge of town. Once he was out of sight, he began checking his surroundings to make sure no one was watching. What he was about to do next would draw lots of attention so he needed to make sure the coast was clear.
Positioning his feet he disappeared in a blur of motion as he raced back home. The practice he did the day before had come in handy allowing him more control on his speed. Slowing down was still sort of an issue but he figured out that as long as he kept at a certain pace and didn't go too fast then it was manageable.
After running through the forests he finally began seeing his family's corn fields letting him know he reached home. Slowing down he paused to catch his breath and composed himself.
Sniff sniff
'What's that smell? It's like rubbers burning' Looking around he didn't find anything wrong until he felt a comfortable warmth coming from his feet. Realizing that this wasn't normal he quickly glanced down and saw his shoes or what was left of them… They were literally just strings and pieces of rubber left with burn marks.
'Shit mom is gonna kill me if she sees this!' His shoes got a little scuffed the day before but nothing as bad as this. It must be because of how long he spent running that his shoes ended up this way.
Reaching down he peeled them off with a dejected expression. 'Sigh looks like I have the same problem as the flash when it comes to wardrobe.' Too bad he doesn't have a team of scientists to just whip something up. He's a farm kid for crying out loud. "Guess I'll just run barefoot from now on" He muttered before glancing back at the farm.
Brandon did a quick once over as he scanned the farm and didn't see anyone and his hearing didn't pick up any other noise besides animals. Perfect this must mean his parents were out of town giving him the opportunity to check out his ship again.
Heading over he reached the barn and approached the hidden latch that concealed the ship. He opened it and stared at the vessel that had brought him to this world. Its sleek, alien design seemed both familiar and foreign, reminding him of the overwhelming events of the previous night.
Before proceeding, Brandon realized that attempting to interact with the ship here in the barn wasn't the smartest choice. He may have gotten away with it last night but now it was broad daylight. Who knows when his parents would come back.
Not just that but he didn't know how the ship would react to the key. Too many things could go wrong, and he couldn't risk damaging the property or drawing unwanted attention. He needed a more secluded spot.
He bent down, carefully wrapping his arms around the ship's base. With a grunt, he lifted it effortlessly. The ship was surprisingly light in his hands, a testament to his super strength.
With a deep breath, Brandon began the trek to the forest where he had practiced his abilities the day before. He moved swiftly, yet cautiously, making sure not to be seen by anyone. The weight of the ship was negligible, but its size made it awkward to carry. Nonetheless, he managed to transport it without incident.
Once he reached the forest, he found a secluded clearing and gently set the ship down. The dense trees and underbrush provided ample cover, ensuring he wouldn't be disturbed. He took a moment to survey the area, making sure it was safe and secure.
Satisfied with his choice of location, Brandon approached the ship once more. The key he had found the previous night weighed heavily in his pocket. He pulled it out, staring at it for a moment before inserting it into a slot on the ship's hull. With a soft click, the ship began to hum with energy. Similar to the night before the ship began releasing a red light that pulsed eerily until out of nowhere it just turned off confusing Brandon.
"Huh is this thing out of juice or is it mad about last night" Walking around he began checking to see if he was missing something but found nothing unusual and was about to give up. When suddenly an extra section appeared that released a red light that began to take shape. 'A hologram'.
The process was fast but for Brandon's enhanced vision it appeared slow giving him time to take in every detail of the figure before him. The hologram was of a tall man that gave off the feel of authority and power but most of all there was a sense of familiarity. He had dark hair, a goatee, and sharp eyebrows with a matching pair of piercing eyes that seemed to be evaluating him.
[Image]
"Who are you?" Brandon asked curiously about the man standing before him. There was a chance that he was his father but at the same time he could have just been another important figure integrated into the ship so establishing identity was important.
"Is it not obvious my son? Or have you completely rejected that in favor of this world" The man said with a scoff as he began looking around. Visibly irritated as if everything bothered him.
'Father? I really am a lot more like Kal-el than I thought. I even have a dad stuck in my ship. The only difference is this guy doesn't seem to be happy. He must know that I rejected the ship's influence last night.' This was the conclusion that Brandon came to with how his father reacted.
"If you call favoring this world not enslaving them and ruling like a god then yes that is the choice I've made"
His father paused his walk and looked back at him with slight anger "Pathetic!" Rushing over he stood over Brandon like a giant "You were meant to be our hope. A chance that our people might one day return to the stars. Yet you refuse?"
Brandon remained silent. He understood the man's anger but he was not the original Brandon. He would not sacrifice one species for the success of another. Especially when he happened to be a human once.
Strengthening his resolve Brandon happened to remember a quote from his old life as he met his fathers gaze. "I am who I chose to be… and I chose to become this worlds champion!" Brandon said with his voice firm and unwavering.
He had already thought about this before and he already knew he'd become a hero. How could he not? He had these powers, these gifts that could change the world! It would be a waste to not use them.
His father stood frozen with his face unchanging before he lifted his hand to cover his face releasing a slight noise before laughter rang out. "Hahaha to think my own flesh and blood would turn out like this. Then what was the point of me killing you Jar-el? In the end I failed!"
'Wait! Did he just say Jar-el?' Looking at the man intensely Brandon began to put the pieces together. He knew that he recognized the symbol on that key! And the man before him may look different from the actor in the movie but there were many similarities.
"Father, may I ask your name and what our world was called?" Asking this Brandon felt his heart quicken in anticipation.
"To think you don't even know this… it must be because you resisted the ship's mental training. Very well I'll humor you. I am Dru-Zod, leader of house Zod of Krypton and your real name isn't whatever these bugs may have called you. You are Lor-Zod a Kryptonian Warrior"
Those words set the nail in the coffin. Everything was now confirmed Brandon wasn't just like a Kryptonian nor was he some sort of rip-off in a movie. He was the real thing! But this didn't make sense; those movies and universes were completely separate entities. Focusing his thoughts he realized that there was only one potential perpetrator for this change and it was most likely the system that sent him here. As for why it added this change he was unsure but this revelation was actually good at the end of the day.
A Kryptonian upper limit is higher than most other species in the universe. Yeah, there is kryptonite but one weakness doesn't automatically make every other strength worthless.
'Speaking of Kryptonite, why does my ship's metal cut me? Could it be a special alloy as well?' He was unsure but he stopped himself from continuing that thought process. He was already drifting off from where he started.
.
.
.
Seeing Brandon frozen in thought only served to irritated Zod further. 'Just what had gone wrong? Everything had gone according to plan so far. So why was it that at the point where the plan would flourish did everything go wrong.
Glancing back to his son he saw that the boy's attention had returned to him, temporarily putting aside any thoughts he might have had.
'Well at least the boy knows how to control his own thoughts, understanding that now isn't the time to think about things. Timing is the mark of a good soldier and this shows that he at least has that.'
Observing his son once more he recognized that his demeanor isn't the only thing that showed that he was a warrior but so did his physique. Surely the genetic programming had been successful leaving him even more confused by the boy's choices.
In reality the old general was in a state of denial. His purpose was to serve Krypton and this was a shared purpose among all Kryptonians. So the idea of a kryptonian sharing his own flesh and blood rejecting that purpose was simply impossible in his mind.
'Not even that fool Jar-El would do such a thing.' For all their differences in beliefs their goal in saving krypton was one thing they strongly agreed on even if they went about it in different ways.
'My son didn't complete his mental training. Maybe if he understood more about his people then he'd be more willing.' This idea seemed plausible to Zod and he decided to take his chance on it. Perhaps all hope wasn't lost.
"Lor-Zod…" After this he proceeded to explain their heritage in greater detail. Hoping to not only fill in any gaps he might have in his training but to also in hope that it might make his son more inclined to continue his mission.