Leaving Clark's house, Azuma Shoyo turned to him. "If anything comes up, call me. I'll be here in a flash."
"Don't go it alone, got it? Strength in numbers!" he added.
"Yeah, I'll call you if it comes to that," Clark nodded.
"Then I'm off."
With that, Azuma Shoyo gave a BOOM! and rocketed into the sky, vanishing under the starry night in the blink of an eye.
Once he was gone, Clark turned back into the house.
He still needed to think about whether to turn himself in.
But running?
That wasn't an option.
He'd never been a coward!
…
The next day, around 9 a.m. on the American side:
Lois Lane had a rough night—nightmares galore—which meant she overslept. Luckily, as a renowned journalist, she didn't have to punch a clock like a regular reporter. Her schedule was flexible; no such thing as "late" for her.
Right now, she'd just brewed herself a coffee. Stirring it with a spoon, she watched the morning news on TV.
A familiar figure popped up on the screen, and just as Lois sensed trouble brewing, the jerk on TV sold her out—right on cue!
"Shit!" she blurted out.
Her phone rang.
Lois dashed over and picked it up.
"Lois, can you hear me? Get out of there—hide! They're coming for you!"
It was Perry White, her editor-in-chief at the Daily Planet.
Lois rushed to the window and peeked outside.
Sure enough—several black full-size SUVs had just pulled up downstairs. Armed FBI agents poured out of them.
She cursed under her breath.
"Thanks, Perry!"
She thanked him quickly, hung up, grabbed her jacket, and bolted for the back door.
Too bad for her—they'd already anticipated that move.
The second she stepped out, multiple guns trained on her.
"Don't move! Hands where I can see them!" one barked.
Lois threw her hands up high, showing she was unarmed.
A car door opened from the lead vehicle.
"Miss Lois Lane, we need you to come with us regarding the alien situation," Colonel Hardy said, eyeing her as she was apprehended.
Lois glared daggers at him.
"You won't get a damn word out of me!" she shouted.
The FBI agents cuffed her and hauled her into the car.
…
Kent Farm:
Azuma Shoyo arrived the moment he got Clark's message.
"You've decided?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm choosing to trust humanity—just this once!" Clark said, his face set with determination.
He'd thought it over all night. Zod couldn't be trusted, he knew that—but humanity didn't.
If he didn't step up now, Zod would attack. With their tech outmatched, what chance did humans have?
So, he had to act.
For humanity! For his mom! For himself!
"Alright, I'll stay here in case Zod's crew pulls something shady," Azuma Shoyo said.
He knew that after Clark surrendered, Zod would come straight to Kent Farm looking for the Codex.
What Zod didn't know?
The Kryptonian Codex was already fused into Clark's body.
Clark was the Codex—not some trinket in his little spaceship.
"Great. I'm counting on you to keep my mom safe," Clark said with a nod.
"When are you heading out?" Azuma Shoyo asked.
"Right now."
Clark ripped open his shirt, revealing the iconic Superman suit underneath.
In a swift motion, he shed the outer layer and began to float upward.
"I'm off. Take care of things here!"
With a BOOM!, Clark accelerated to supersonic speed, streaking off into the distant sky.
Azuma Shoyo watched him go, then turned back. "Time to gear up."
He opened the case he'd brought, revealing a white-and-gold-trimmed battle armor.
Stripping off his outer clothes, he exposed the black Kryptonian undersuit he wore beneath. Then he donned the armor, its snow-white cape snapping in the breeze. The white-and-gold design gave him an almost divine aura.
Martha Kent stepped out of the house just then.
"That's a beautiful outfit!" she said, admiring his armor. Then she looked to the horizon. "Clark's grown up. Maybe today's the moment Jonathan always talked about."
Jonathan Kent, Clark's adoptive father, had always believed the world wasn't ready for someone like Clark.
But today?
With Zod's war threat hanging over humanity like the Sword of Damocles, it was the perfect time for Clark to announce himself to the world!
Now, the world was ready to accept him.
Ready… for Superman!
Outside a military base:
Clark descended like a god, hovering midair, gazing down at the countless guns and tank barrels now aimed at him.
"I'm Kal-El. The one they're looking for," he said calmly.
As he touched down, the surrounding soldiers flinched back a step.
This was an alien—a living, breathing alien!
And he could fly!
For the first time, humans laid eyes on an extraterrestrial—and realized they looked just like us!
"I'm General Swanwick, in charge of this base," a Black general stepped forward, addressing Clark.
"General, maybe we could talk somewhere else," Clark suggested.
"Fine," Swanwick agreed.
Two soldiers approached with handcuffs, trembling as they eyed Clark, unsure whether to proceed.
Kindly, Clark extended his wrists, putting them at ease.
The soldiers exhaled in relief.
This alien… seemed pretty decent!
Meanwhile, back at Kent Farm:
Azuma Shoyo stood ready in his armor, prepared for whatever Zod might throw their way.
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