"Who are you?" Clark's voice carried steel beneath its measured calm, every muscle in his powerful frame coiled with tension. His stance suggested a man ready to move at superhuman speed at the first sign of hostility, though worry flickered in his eyes alongside the wariness.
Ben recognized the profound uncertainty radiating from the Kryptonian. This was Clark Kent at his most vulnerable moment, caught between worlds, struggling to accept his alien heritage while fearing what that truth might mean for the planet that had raised him. The weight of his extraordinary abilities frightened him almost as much as the isolation they created.
Clark's mind churned with impossible questions. Was he truly alone among Earth's population, or were there others like the shapeshifting being before him, walking undetected among humanity? If this stranger was indeed one of his people, what were their intentions toward Earth? Would first contact bring salvation or devastation?
Jonathan Kent's words echoed in his memory: "Maybe, but maybe you're here for a reason. Maybe you're meant to help them." But help required readiness, and Clark wondered if either species was prepared for what that help might entail.
"You can call me Ben Parker," Ben said, raising his hands in a universal gesture of peace. "I'm from Earth too, just a different universe's version. I ended up in your reality by accident during a particle collision experiment." His tone remained steady and reassuring. "I'm not here to cause trouble."
Ben saw no reason to hide the truth from Superman. With his current power levels, the immediate threats to this Earth, General Zod, Steppenwolf, even Darkseid, represented manageable challenges rather than existential crises. Zod would be easily handled, while the New God forces could only project shadows of their true power across dimensional barriers.
If Bruce Wayne stood before him, Ben might have chosen deception. The Dark Knight's paranoia and contingency obsession made him dangerous to allies and enemies alike. Batman's "prep time" was essentially a conceptual superpower that could somehow neutralize beings thousands of times more powerful than himself. But Superman operated from a foundation of trust and hope, qualities Ben could work with.
"You claim to be from Earth, but I've never seen a human with a tail," Clark replied, his guard remaining firmly in place.
"Tail? Oh, you mean XLR8." Ben immediately understood that Clark's X-ray vision had penetrated the ice layers, revealing his transformed state before the descent. Without hesitation, he decided to demonstrate rather than explain.
The Omnitrix's green flash illuminated the ice cavern as Ben cycled through several transformations in rapid succession. "XLR8, Diamondhead, Heatblast..." Each change was brief but dramatic, giving Clark glimpses of the device's incredible versatility.
The ice beneath Ben's feet began melting when he briefly accessed Heatblast's thermal powers, superheated water bubbling up around his boots. Clark's eyes widened with genuine amazement as he witnessed technology that defied every law of physics he understood.
Ben quickly reverted to human form, using Ultimate Heatblast would have flash-boiled the entire Antarctic ice sheet and potentially destabilized global weather patterns.
"This device is called the Omnitrix," Ben explained, gesturing to the alien watch with something approaching reverence. "It's designed to preserve the genetic heritage of intelligent species throughout the universe, essentially a space Noah's Ark. If civilization-ending catastrophes threaten to wipe out entire races, the Omnitrix ensures their essence survives."
Facing the greatest symbol of hope in the DC Universe, Ben chose to emphasize the Omnitrix's noble purpose rather than its combat applications. The description wasn't entirely accurate, in his hands, the device had become primarily a weapon, but the original intention behind Azmuth's creation remained valid.
"Speaking of preservation," Ben mused internally, "I should probably establish some kind of conservation program in Genesis. The Nine Realms contain countless extinct species that could be restored..." The logistics would be challenging, but with his expanded dimensional authority, biological resurrection was certainly feasible.
Clark felt a complex mixture of relief and disappointment wash over him. Learning that Ben wasn't Kryptonian answered one question while raising dozens of others. But when his enhanced vision focused on Ben's wrist, every other concern vanished into irrelevance.
"That watch... I can't see through it," Clark whispered, genuine shock coloring his voice.
In twenty-three years of life, nothing had ever blocked his X-ray vision completely. If he concentrated, he could peer through the Earth's crust to observe the opposite hemisphere. Mountains, buildings, even lead-lined vaults eventually yielded their secrets to his enhanced sight. But the Omnitrix existed in a visual void, its internal mechanisms completely invisible despite their obvious complexity.
Level 20 technology was apparently beyond even Kryptonian sensory capabilities.
"Since we're being honest," Ben said, cutting straight to his objective, "you're not from Earth either, are you? Would you mind if the Omnitrix scanned your genetic code?" He kept his tone casual, but internally he was calculating the optimal approach for DNA acquisition.
The question hit Clark like a physical blow, his already turbulent emotions threatening to overwhelm his mental defenses. Before he could formulate a coherent response, Ben had already moved, the Omnitrix's scanning interface making brief contact with Clark's neck.
The cold touch of alien metal against his skin triggered Clark's defensive reflexes. He backpedaled several feet, putting distance between himself and the potential threat while his mind raced through worst-case scenarios.
'I don't know if anything he's told me is true,' Clark thought frantically. 'This could all be an elaborate deception to steal my abilities.' The fear of his powers being replicated and potentially misused had haunted him since childhood.
But Clark's caution came too late. The instant the Omnitrix had touched his skin, its scanning protocols had completed their analysis. Yellow light pulsed through the device's core as it processed and catalogued Kryptonian genetic information with impossible speed.
Ben felt a surge of excitement as the scan completed successfully. While the scout ship behind Clark contained the remains of long-dead Kryptonians, their genetic material might be specialized for specific societal roles. Krypton's artificial breeding programs had eliminated natural reproduction centuries ago, instead encoding predetermined career paths into each infant's DNA, warrior, scientist, laborer, administrator.
The genetic templates for different castes weren't identical, as evidenced by similar variations in the Omnitrix's existing database. Diamondhead and his subspecies Chromastone belonged to the same Petrosapien family but had evolved distinct capabilities. The Vaxasaurians had branched into multiple variants, Humungousaur represented the balanced form while others specialized for different environmental niches.
Superman's genetics were fundamentally different. As one of Krypton's last naturally conceived children, he carried the complete Codex within him, essentially a genetic encyclopedia containing the hereditary information of every Kryptonian bloodline. He represented unlimited potential rather than programmed specialization.
Clark noticed the yellow glow emanating from Ben's device but couldn't interpret its significance. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable with, "
His refusal was interrupted by another green flash as Ben activated his newest transformation. Where a human had stood moments before, a figure of classical heroic proportions now hovered above the ice.
The transformed Ben retained his facial features, but everything else had changed dramatically. His height had increased to nearly six and a half feet, while his physique had developed the kind of perfect muscular definition that belonged on ancient Greek statuary. Every aspect of his physical form radiated power and nobility, the idealized embodiment of heroic virtue.
More importantly, Clark could sense that this wasn't merely cosmetic enhancement.
"With just that brief contact, it analyzed my entire DNA and successfully integrated it with its own?" Clark struggled to process the implications.
Ben was equally surprised by the transformation's completeness. He'd expected to acquire basic Kryptonian physiology that would require solar charging to manifest superhuman abilities. Instead, the Omnitrix had apparently analyzed the quantum mechanics of Clark's power storage and replicated his current energy levels directly.
Testing his new capabilities, Ben allowed himself to rise slowly into the air, his body naturally adjusting to three-dimensional movement. Gravity became a suggestion rather than a law, his enhanced proprioception adapting to aerial navigation with instinctive ease.
"You haven't tried flying yet?" Ben asked, noting Clark's amazement at the demonstration.
The question highlighted Clark's fundamental relationship with his abilities. Despite possessing godlike power, he'd spent years suppressing and hiding his capabilities. Fear of exposure, of accidentally harming others, of becoming something that humanity would reject, all of these concerns had kept him earthbound in more ways than one.
"Flight is just one application of your gravitational field manipulation," Ben explained as he descended to ground level. "Your powers are impressive, though not the strongest I've encountered recently."
Henry Cavill's cinematic Superman was formidable, but Ben's recent space adventures had recalibrated his perspective on power scaling. Ultimate Heatblast, Alien X, Celestial Waybig, and his other god-tier transformations operated on scales that dwarfed conventional superheroics. Still, Superman's growth potential remained enormous, even Ben's limited comic knowledge included references to Silver Age and Golden Age versions with reality-altering capabilities.
Ben examined his new costume with mild disappointment. The yellow and red color scheme felt garish compared to Henry Cavill superman design. "I'll need to requisition one of the black suits from the ship and modify it with Plumber insignia," he decided.
For his transformed identity, the name came naturally: Solarion.
Clark remained focused on more immediate concerns. "Who are you really?" he repeated, his wariness undimmed by Ben's demonstration.
"I told you, Ben Parker, interdimensional traveler," Ben replied patiently. "Also King of the Fourth Galactic Empire, Lord of the Nine Realms, founder of the Plumbers organization..." He paused, realizing how many titles he'd accumulated. "The point is, I'm not a threat to Earth. If anything, this ship is the threat."
With Clark's genetic template secured, Ben felt confident enough to reveal more sensitive information. "The Omnitrix confirmed your heritage, you're Kryptonian, from the Planet Krypton." He used the device's analytical capabilities as cover for knowledge gained from meta-fictional awareness.
"Krypton..." Clark repeated the phrase softly, tasting the weight of words that defined his entire existence.
"What did you mean about this ship being a threat?" Clark's mind had latched onto the earlier warning despite his emotional turmoil.
"If I'm reading the scans correctly, this is a Kryptonian colony ship," Ben replied, affecting the air of someone discovering information in real-time. "Built during their expansionist period, probably arrived here around twenty thousand years ago. Its primary function is terraforming, reshaping planetary environments to match Kryptonian physiology."
The implications hit Clark like a physical blow. The ship that might answer questions about his heritage was also a weapon pointed at humanity's future. Had his people intended Earth as a colony world, with its native species relegated to extinction or slavery?
Clark's expression darkened with each revelation, but he knew firsthand information was essential. "I need to see for myself."
"Exactly what I was hoping you'd say," Ben thought, maintaining his helpful demeanor while concealing his strategic objectives.
Ben activated his gravitational field and rose toward the ship's entrance, Clark following with a powerful leap that carried him effortlessly across the cavern. His superhuman agility made the distance trivial despite his inability to fly.
"You have the key," Ben observed, indicating the pendant around Clark's neck. A pentagonal socket in the ship's control interface matched the artifact's dimensions perfectly.
Ben stepped aside with deliberate courtesy, though internally he was calculating the consequences of the ship's activation. Powering up the scout vessel would transmit a signal across space, eventually reaching General Zod's exiled forces and drawing them to Earth. But Ben welcomed that development, Zod's advanced combat armor was another acquisition target, and the general himself posed no significant threat.
Clark hesitated only briefly before removing the pendant. The key seemed to leap from his fingers toward the interface, magnetic forces guiding it into perfect alignment. The fit was so precise it eliminated any doubt about his connection to this vessel.
As the pendant settled into place, Ben reached over and pressed it fully home. The ship's systems awakened with melodious tones that seemed to resonate through Clark's bones, while defensive systems that might have challenged other intruders recognized his genetic authorization and remained dormant.
Movement in Clark's peripheral vision made him turn sharply, catching a glimpse of a figure materializing in the ship's deeper chambers before it vanished again.
"You said this ship was abandoned twenty thousand years ago," Clark said, his enhanced senses tracking the mysterious presence.
"That would be an artificial intelligence," Ben explained. "The ship's computers probably activated a guidance protocol when they read your genetic signature. The AI should be able to answer questions about your heritage and Krypton's history."