"Rock fragments hit his collarbone… possibly…"
Lock repeated the doctor's words, his eyes unfocused, still in a daze.
"Hey! Look at me!"
Jonathan shook his shoulders firmly. "Dio needs you to stay sharp right now!"
The words hit Lock like a bucket of ice water.
He took a deep breath, about to speak, when the operating room door swung open. A masked doctor stepped out, blood still staining his rubber gloves. "Which one of you is Mr. Kent?"
"I am!" both men said in unison.
Lock darted forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "How's the kid?"
"Relax, Mr. Kent."
"The boy's lucky—and smart. At that close range…"
"Probably because he was hiding behind a big rock, there's no trace of the blast wave on him. The fragment only grazed his collarbone. If it had hit an inch higher, nicking the carotid artery, it could've been bad."
"Oh, one more thing," the doctor hesitated, pulling off his mask and adding, "The meteorite fragments seem to contain some kind of radioactive material. The dose is small, but the boy's showing an unusual reaction—his white blood cell count spiked post-surgery. It could be risky, so I recommend annual checkups—"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm rambling," the doctor said, misreading Lock's silence as stress.
No family wouldn't be worried after something like this.
"Can we see him?" Jonathan asked, stepping in for the stunned Lock.
"Not yet," the doctor wiped sweat from his brow. "He needs 24 hours in the sterile ward for observation."
Lock slumped into the hospital's cold plastic chair, his hands clenching and unclenching unconsciously.
Radioactive material.
Kryptonite.
The words swirled in his mind.
"How could it be Kryptonite?" he muttered to himself. "Clark's been here eight years, and the Kryptonian ship landed back then…"
Unless…
It wasn't from Clark's ship. Another one?
"Lock."
Jonathan's voice pulled him back to reality. The usually upbeat farmer looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I should've kept a better eye on Dio. If I'd noticed him sneaking after you…"
Lock gave a bitter smile, clapping his old friend's shoulder. "Jonathan, it's not your fault. I'm the one who brought the kids to town."
"How could there be a meteor shower? No warning at all, just like back then."
Jonathan sighed heavily, sitting beside Lock. "It's too dangerous. I heard a couple of meteors hit the town center. One even struck a couple, leaving their daughter behind—poor thing…"
Lock nodded mechanically, his thoughts still on Kryptonite.
Suddenly, he remembered something critical, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Oh, Jonathan, I forgot to tell you—our cornfield got hit."
"The new one we bought together?" Jonathan's eyes widened. That was their joint venture!
"Yeah…" Lock nodded grimly. "I'll cover your share of the loss—"
"Ahem, Lock," Jonathan's face lit up with his familiar grin. "You forgetting something?"
"We got commercial insurance! Meteors fall under 'falling objects' like planes—it's covered!"
Lock froze for two seconds, then let out a dry laugh.
Seeing Lock smile, Jonathan nodded, satisfied. "I'm gonna check on Martha."
He stood, heading toward the garden. "Rest up a bit. I'll grab you something later."
Lock nodded, sitting alone on the bench, heavy-hearted.
He stared out the window at the sky—
It was calm and blue again, as if the disaster from hours ago had never happened.
But his gaze seemed to pierce the clouds, reaching somewhere far beyond.
If this was Kryptonite, what did it mean? A fluke, or some kind of signal?
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed down the hall—crisp, from polished dress shoes.
Lock looked up to see Lionel approaching with a pale-faced Lex.
And shockingly…
Young Lex's sparse hair was completely gone, his bald scalp gleaming unnaturally under the hospital lights.
"Mr. Kent."
Lionel stepped forward, shaking Lock's hand firmly. "I heard what happened. Dio's a hero."
"I'd rather he wasn't," Lock said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
He regretted it.
Regretted pushing Dio toward so-called courage too soon.
Nodding in understanding, Lionel's gaze, framed by gold-rimmed glasses, shifted to the operating room.
"Dio's medical bills are on LuthorCorp," he said. "And your farm's losses too." He paused, offering a rare genuine smile. "After all, my boy was a bit of a hero too, wasn't he?"
The businessman turned, gently patting Lex's smooth head with a rare warmth in his voice. "Lex, I'm proud of you. It took guts to follow Dio. But…"
His tone grew somber. "Like Mr. Kent, I'd rather you didn't have to grow up this way."
Lex nodded silently, his eyes fixed on the operating room door.
Lock reached out, lightly touching Lex's bald head, then looked at Lionel.
"Effects of the radioactive material," Lionel sighed. "Preliminary tests suggest the meteor blast's radiation altered some of Lex's DNA. The hair loss might be permanent."
"Let's leave it there. You need time to process," Lionel said, adjusting his suit collar and pulling a gold-embossed business card from his pocket.
The card gleamed subtly under the hallway lights, its edges engraved with LuthorCorp's signature pattern.
"I've got business to handle," he said, his voice slipping back into polished corporate calm. "Honestly, Mr. Kent, I admire you. Rushing into a wheat field to face a meteor head-on…"
"That kind of courage is rare these days."
With a faint cedar scent, Lock took the card, his fingers brushing the raised gold lettering.
He flipped it over casually.
On the back was a handwritten private number.
"My offer stands," Lionel said with a slight nod. "LuthorCorp's doors are always open to you."
With that, he turned to leave, guiding Lex along.
Lex kept glancing back at the operating room, his eyes brimming with complex emotions—
Worry, reluctance, and a spark of newfound defiance.
"Let's go, Lex," Lionel urged softly. "Let Dio rest."
The boy's bald head stood out starkly under the lights.
He opened his mouth as if to say something but settled for a bow to Lock. "Please… tell Dio thanks for me."
Watching the father and son walk away, Lock gave a wry smile.
Thanks?
I should be thanking you for Dio, Lex Luthor.
The doctor was clear: if Lex hadn't tackled him, that meteor could've hit Dio's neck or head!