Chapter 21: Kal-El or Clark Kent

In the empty room, there are several beds, which Barry has transformed into a makeshift Med Bay. Two of the beds are occupied—one by a humanoid alien and the other by a green-skinned alien. Barry is seated on the edge of another bed, facing them.

Suddenly, the green alien jolts awake, immediately on high alert. Despite finding himself in a different place without restraints, he remains tense. His gaze locks onto Barry, who meets it with a reassuring smile. Without conscious effort, the alien delves into Barry's mind.

'Nice to meet you, Martian,' Barry's voice echoes in the alien's thoughts.

The Martian's apprehension heightens, and he retorts, "What do you want from me, disgusting human?"

"Whoa, easy there. I'm not like those who experimented on you. I'm the one who brought you here safely," Barry replies calmly before the Martian can inquire further. "Let me introduce myself." Barry rises from the bed frame. "My name is Barry Allen. I am The Flash—my superhero name. What's your name, Martian?"

Sensing Barry's sincerity, the Martian, known as J'onn J'onnz, acknowledges, "My name is J'onn J'onnz. I'm from Mars."

"So, I'm curious, how did you come to Earth? I know you're strong, but how did you get captured?" Barry inquires, pulling up a chair and seating himself a few meters away from J'onn.

J'onn gazes at Barry for a moment, weighing whether to trust him or not.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me, but you're going to stay here for a while, just like the Kryptonian next to you," Barry assures him.

"Kryptonians still exist?" J'onn expresses surprise.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. I thought they were extinct, but he may take a while to recover," Barry responds.

J'onn then asks, "How do you know all this knowledge about extraterrestrials?"

"I've read about your races, but, J'onn, there might be humans walking around. I need you to change your appearance so you don't scare them," Barry explains.

"Aren't you scared of me?" J'onn inquires.

"You might look intimidating, but you're cool, so it's fine. Get some rest and lay low for a bit. I'm sure you know who's searching for you. Send me a telepathic message if the Kryptonian wakes up," Barry instructs.

Barry exits the room, embarking on his next task of enhancing Star Labs. With the materials promptly delivered, Barry sets to work repairing the damaged sections of the facility caused by the explosion.

Once completed, he shifts his focus to repairing the particle accelerator.

Confident in his abilities, Barry diligently follows Gideon's guidance, eager not to waste any time.

Meanwhile, Cisco is strolling, having stepped out for a drink, when he bends down to tie his shoelace. Inadvertently brushing against the pavement, he experiences a sudden vision.

In his mind's eye, Cisco witnesses The Flash's head being slammed into each passing car before the vision abruptly ends, leaving him with a pounding headache.

"What was that?" Cisco clutches his head. "I need to head home. I must be too drunk if I'm having visions like this."

On the other side of the city, Ronnie engages in a conversation with Professor Stein.

"Professor, please, I need your help. I want to avenge Dr. Wells' death," Ronnie pleads.

"I can't, Ronald," Professor Stein responds firmly.

"Why not?" Ronnie questions.

"Because he's the one who killed our savior's family," Professor Stein reveals.

"What do you mean?" Ronnie is taken aback.

"Dr. Wells has been proven to be responsible for Barry Allen's mother's death," Professor Stein explains.

"Huh?" Ronnie is utterly bewildered.

Professor Stein presents an article detailing Dr. Wells' history as a murderer, with one headline declaring his demise as well deserved.

"What?! Is this true?" Ronnie asks in disbelief.

"Yes, you should talk to Barry for more confirmation," Professor Stein advises.

"I will," Ronnie affirms.

While all this is unfolding, Barry remains focused on fixing the pipeline, with Gideon providing assistance.

"It should work now, right? I've checked everywhere. Gideon, do a final search for me and take control of Star Labs," Barry instructs.

"On it," Gideon confirms, initiating a thorough search. She then announces, "Barry, Star Labs can now resume normal operations."

"Excellent, activate it," Barry commands, stepping away from the pipeline and sealing the vault shut.

"Particle Accelerator is coming online in three, two, one," Gideon counts down. The building trembles briefly before stabilizing. "Status: normal."

"Nice," Barry remarks with satisfaction.

Suddenly, J'onn sends a telepathic message: 'The Kryptonian has woken up.'

Barry rushes to the Med Bay, finding the slender male Kryptonian sitting up on the bed with vacant eyes.

"Are you okay?" Barry reaches out, but J'onn stops him by grabbing his wrist.

"Don't touch him. He might attack you. His mind is like an empty husk," J'onn warns.

"How does that even make sense?" Barry questions.

"I do not know," J'onn admits.

Then, life flickers back into the Kryptonian's eyes.

"Human!" The Kryptonian rushes toward Barry, phasing his whole body and causing him to fall to the ground.

"Kal-El, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you like the others," Barry assures him.

The Kryptonian stops moving, surprised that a human knows his name.

Kal-El gets up, using the bed beside him as support. "How can I trust you? Your race kidnapped me, killed my only family, and experimented on me!"

"Oh, you lived with the Kent family?" Barry is taken aback.

"How do you know that?" Kal-El demands.

"Well, I have my secrets, but can I call you Clark? That's the name your adoptive family gave you," Barry suggests.

"No. They're not adoptive. They are my real parents," Kal-El corrects him.

"I don't want to complicate things further, but your DNA, including yours, J'onn's, may have been used in the creation of clones," Barry explains, sighing.

"I'm going to kill that bald man," Kal-El declares, his eyes glowing red with anger.

"Why jump to that conclusion?" J'onn inquires.

"Because that man is the smartest man alive. We can't just attack him; I'm sure he has high-tech security that can stop us," Barry reasons.

"Do you trust him?" Kal-El looks at J'onn before turning back to Barry. "I still can't trust you."

Barry merely smiles at Kal-El's hostile reaction.

"I have no choice. Barry Allen here is the one who saved us from the experiments," J'onn interjects, explaining the situation.

"Kal, you may need to absorb solar energy to restore your body to its normal state. But I have a faster way," Barry suggests.

"Restore my body? I'm not a solar battery. I know I'm Kryptonian, but I don't have that kind of ability," Kal-El objects.

"You do have it, but tell me, what year was it when you were kidnapped?" Barry inquires.

"2008. Why do you ask?" Kal-El responds.

"Kal, you're in 2014," Barry reveals.

"2014? I've been missing for six years. Do you know what happened to my family farm?" Kal-El asks.

"Gideon shows me the Kent farm in Smallville," Barry commands.

Then suddenly, a voice interrupts, causing J'onn and Kal-El to tense up. "Kent farm doesn't exist anymore, as someone bought it after the deaths of Jonathan and Martha Kent. Do you want more information about it, Barry?"

"No, that's enough," Barry responds.

"Understood," Gideon acknowledges before her voice fades away.

"What was that?" Kal-El asks, still on edge.

"My AI," Barry explains. "So, we can conclude that both of you are in danger, as someone is collecting aliens for their experiments."

Barry sighs. "One problem settles, another one arises."