Chapter Text
Everyone assumed that today was going to be a typical and unremarkable day. Nothing of note was going to happen, everything would be normal, and everyone would move on like nothing happened.
Oh how wrong they were.
As it turned out, this very day was going to change everything. It was going to leave long lasting marks that wouldn't fade away so easily. Today was a day that was going to stick with the Teen Titans forever.
They were going to face their most dangerous threat yet. It was going to be a miracle if they made it out of this alive.
And to think they had no idea what was coming.
.
TRAINING, START!
The sound of the AI in the training room rang out as Jon stood there for a moment. Once the training robots popped out from under the floor, the super powered boy was quick to fly towards one of them, and punch its head off.
From the sidelines, the rest of the Teen Titans were watching as their teammate was busy training. It was nice whenever the son of Superman showed his abilities in training.
They weren't alone however. A special guest was there as well.
“Smart move to immediately take one of them out.” Hernan remarked as he watched his son.
That's right, Superman himself was watching this training exercise alongside the rest of the Teen Titans.
“Thanks again for wanting to watch Jon train.” Damian told the Man of Steel, still surprised the veteran superhero even agreed to this.
“It's a real honor to have you here.” Suren said as she was still in awe at the presence of the older hero
Hernan simply nodded at the kind words from the younger hero team. He didn't really see this whole thing as a big deal, contrasting how the Teen Titans felt.
“Say, doesn't your team need you or something?” Maps curiously asked before looking back at the training going on.
“They'll call me when they need me.” The raven haired man told the bird themed sidekick.
As Jon continued his training, he was able to take out the robots in multiple difficult ways.
Heat vision, freeze breath, super speed, super strength. Heck, he even threw a robot into a group of other robots. It also clear the half Kryptonian was using all of his skill set right now.
This training session wasn't just for show as it was actually pretty important for the young boy.
“You know, I should thank you again for offering to help my son let off some steam.” Hernan said to the leader of the teenage team.
“Oh, don't mention it. Hopefully this should help with this whole solar flare thing.” Damian assured the older hero. It felt weird that Superman himself was thanking him rather than the opposite.
Indeed, this was all due to the possibility of the super powered boy's “solar flare” powers.
From what had been explained to the Teen Titans, Kryptonians had the ability to immediately expel solar energy in the form of a gigantic burst or explosion. It was incredibly powerful with it being able to cause immense destruction. It was seen as a last resort due to how it used stored energy within a Kryptonian's cells. It also had the side effect of leaving the user vulnerable and powerless for 24 hours until they recharge their cells with said solar energy that was used up.
There was one thing that made this power way more concerning. Jon wasn't fully Kryptonian. Given the fact that he was half human, this meant his solar flare would be more unpredictable and volatile.
At first, the Kryptonian hero wasn't too worried about his son. After the DNA analysis done by both Kirk and Lex, it seemed like the chances of his son being able to do a solar flare was pretty low. Even still, he couldn't get the thought out of his head about that possibility.
What if his son was able to do it? Was he even able to do it in the first place? What if it happened in a populated area? Would he be able to control it? How much damage would it do? Would his son be okay?
All these worries and more plagued Hernan, and that was even before Jon began complaining about headaches a month after the whole Lazarus Dragon thing.
Another DNA analysis showed that the chances of Jon's being capable of doing a Solar Flare had increased. To say that was a terrifying discovery would've been an understatement.
However, things weren't totally doom and gloom for Jon.
After a little more DNA analysis and tests, they came up with a hypothesis. Due to Jon's half human side, perhaps his emotions could be tied into his solar flare powers. If the boy kept control of his emotions, there wouldn't be any fear of a solar flare happening. If the boy lost control of his emotions however, well…
That would be a real problem.
In order to quell said emotions like anger, that meant they had to find a way to properly have Jon blow off some steam. The less pent up anger he had, the less chances he had of going nuclear. That's where this whole training exercise comes in.
As the super powered teen continued with his training, it was clear he was having fun as he decimated the robots.
At least Hernan felt assured that his son had lower chances of doing a solar flare.
“You worried about your kid? We can have him on temporary leave from the team if you want.” Maya curiously asked the older hero.
“Oh, that won't be necessary. Everything's under control as of now. Besides, I'd rather not separate him from his friends.”
The fact that Hernan cared this much about the team was rather surprising to the teens. It really showed how much he knew how important they were to his kid.
“Thanks.” The cybernetic teen responded back in surprise, not really sure what else to say.
“Wow, I never knew he was so considerate of his son's friends.” Suren said as he turned to look at Kathy.
“Oh, I've known since forever.” The blonde haired team remarked to her teammate. She's been friends with Jon longer than anyone else after all.
“Oh! Maybe later Jon can spar with me. After all, I'm sure to give him a challenge.”
Colin's confidence was rather amusing to the rest of his teammates. It did give some of them pause however.
“Come to think of it, I'm not sure if Shazam is stronger than Jon.” Maps remarked as she immediately began to imagine the made up scenarios of them battling.
“Maybe we can find out later.” Maya casually said, also curious about who would be stronger.
Damian nodded softly in agreement at his sister's words.
After another minute or two of this, the training had concluded.
Jon was covered in a pitch black oil as a bunch of the parts from the training robots were strewn about all over the room.
“Whew. That felt good!” The super-powered boy exclaimed before looking over at the group watching him, and giving them a thumbs up.
Maya smiled as she opened up the door before she, and the rest of the group made their way inside.
“Sorry about the mess. I miiiiight have over done it a tiny bit.” Jon apologized as he got a real look at all the robotic limbs and bits lying around.
“Don't worry about it. I can always just repair them.” The cybernetic teen responded back to her friend as she went to pick everything up.
As the rest of the Teen Titans decided to help Maya clean up, Hernan made his way to where his son was standing.
“You feeling okay?”
“Mhm! I think the headache from earlier's gone.” Jon happily told his father.
“Well that's good to hear.” Hernan nodded softly as he gently ruffled his boy's hair.
“You think it's okay if I take a break?” Jon curiously asked once his dad took his hand out of his hair.
“Of course.”
The super powered man wasn't exactly sure what to do for his son's break, but he knew his child needed one. Besides, pushing the boy to his limits wasn't going to end well.
Once all of the training robot pieces were cleaned up from the floor, the Teen Titans decided to regroup. They were just in time to head about how Jon wanted a break right now.
“Maybe we can play a board game or something more calming.” Maps quickly suggested to her teammate.
“Just make sure to not choose Monopoly this time. That game is anything but calming.” Suren said to the brightly colored hero. Just like that, the group made their way out of the training room.
“I wanted a Cheese Viking tourney personally, but sure.” Damian casually said to himself.
“You snooze you lose bro.” Maya said as she playfully ruffled the boy's hair.
Something about seeing the comradery between the teen heroes was actually pretty heartwarming to the somewhat older and jaded man. Even with all the troubles they had endured, the team still kept their spirits up.
Hernan couldn't help but crack a soft smile as he watched Jon's friend group.
Yeah, these kids were alright.
.
Once the teenage hero team arrived at the living room of the tower, Maps wasted no time heading to the cabinets underneath the television, and opening it up.
“Now, let's see what we've got.” The raven haired girl said to herself as she began to look through all the board games inside.
“Maybe we can try out Scrabble.” Kathy suggested to the other teen.
“Meh. We've already played that last week.” Maps said as she continued searching.
“Good point.” The blonde haired girl nodded in agreement before trying to come up with something else.
“What about Blokus? Me and Maya like to play it a lot.” Colin chimed in with his own suggestion.
“The heck even is a Blokus?” Damian asked, confused about this board game he's never heard of before.
“Oh trust me, you're gonna love it.”
“If you say so Colin.” The long haired teen responded as he fully trusted his teammate on this.
Before the teens could continue deliberating on their low stakes decision, the universe was ready to give them a reminder about how hectic life as heroes can be.
Suddenly, bright red lights flashed as the blaring alarm went off. The peace from moments ago was officially shattered.
The group of heroes immediately rushed over to the nearby computer display. They had to figure out what was going on. For all they know, the Fearsome Five could be attacking the base.
“What's going on?” Hernan asked in confusion as he followed the group.
“That's for us to find out.” Damian said as he watched his sister check through the cameras.
Oddly enough, there was nothing strange judging from the camera feeds. No bad guys or intruders. Nada.
“Good, looks like we're not under attack.” Damian said as he watched the cameras being checked.
“Must be something going on somewhere else.” Maya quietly said to herself before switching to the news channel feeds.
Surprisingly enough, rather than one news channel feed opening up, multiple of them were on the big screen at the same time. All of them talking about the same thing. The panicked and confused voices of news anchors’ all overlapped, but it was clear from the tone that whatever was going on was serious.
From what the group could make out, one thing was clear.
A strange, large object was seen flying across the world judging from the multiple news feeds covering it at the same time. Most people had no clue what it was.
However, the Teen Titans realized that it was probably a spaceship. The problem was that they weren't sure if it was one of the Kroogarian spaceships they were familiar with.
Maya quickly paused one of the news feeds and used the computer to go through it frame by frame. Once she found a frame that had the mystery spaceship in it, she enhanced the image to get a better look at it.
It was dark grey, boxy, and angular. Just from the looks of the spacecraft, it immediately gave off unfriendly and hostile vibes. It gave the vibes of a warship more than anything.
It was from somewhere else they had never seen before. The unfamiliarity is what was scary.
“I think we're being invaded.” Maya quietly said, much to the shock of the other Teen Titans.
Before the group of heroes could discuss what to do, Hernan was the first to speak up.
“I'll go stop them.”
The attention of the teen heroes immediately shifted as they were shocked to hear what the older hero had just said. The Teen Titans were fully expecting to handle this on their own. And yet, Hernan didn't hesitate in stepping up.
“You sure dad?” Jon asked as he grew immediately worried. Sure, he was Superman, but who knows how powerful this new threat was.
“I'm sure. You kids shouldn't have to get tangled in something like this.” The raven haired man assured his son.
“He has a point.” Suren chimed in to the conversation.
“Yeah. I doubt even Shazam would be strong enough to handle this, no offense.”
Colin simply gives a thumbs up in response to Kathy's statement.
“I know you're anxious, but I'm sure your dad can handle this.” Maya kindly reassured the half Kryptonian.
“This is the best course of action. I know it's hard, but you have to trust this.”
Even with his uneasy feelings about this, Jon nodded softly at Damian's assurance.
“If you say so.” The raven haired boy said, hoping everything would work out.
As she had a feeling that the Man of Steel would probably leave through the window, Maya decided to do something so she wouldn't have to deal with broken glass shards.
“Windows, open!” The cybernetic teen exclaimed.
Hernan looked rather confused at first, not really sure why the young hero suddenly blurted that out.
After a few seconds though, the windows split into two, and opened up like a sideways double door.
“Hm. So that was what the yelling was for.” The man thought to himself before turning to the hero.
“Thank you.”
Even if he was somewhat casual about it, the hero made it clear he was genuinely thankful.
“Oh, you're welcome.” Maya said to the older man as she gave him a thumbs up.
With one last nod at his son, Hernan hovered off of the ground. After a moment or two, he flew at the speed of sound out of the Titans Tower.
The Teen Titans just kind of stood there after the Man of Steel left. They were rather unsure of what to do now.
“Well, at least your dad's handling this.” Maps optimistically said to try and lighten the mood.
Despite everything, something didn't feel right to Jon. He didn't want to just sit back, and not worry about his dad. He had a bad feeling about this.
“Wait…”
The rest of the team looked back at Jon as they were confused on why the hero was acting like this.
“Go back to the news feeds. I wanna make sure if dad's okay.”
“You sure? He's Superman after all. I'm sure he can handle himself.” Colin quickly reassured his friend.
“I know, I know. It's just that… something doesn't feel right. Ya know?”
Jon couldn't quite put into words about this gut feeling he has, but he wasn't just going to ignore it.
“Besides, dad's had trouble with stuff like giant monsters and supervillains before. Just cause he's super strong doesn't mean he's invincible.”
The raven haired boy's words gave the group of heroes pause.
“He's got a point.” Damian said to his cybernetic sister.
“Yeah. Even the toughest metal can get dented from time to time.” Maya remarked to herself as she focused back on the screen.
The group all waited in anticipation as all the previous news feeds were put back up. The scenes looked about the same as they did before. It didn't take long for things to change however.
“Look!” Suren said as he pointed to a small dot that had just entered into the frame.
Once each of the news feeds zoomed in, it was clear that the small speck that had flown towards the spaceship was indeed Superman.
The Teen Titans watched intently. They wondered what Superman was going to do next.
The stage was set. There was no turning back now. Whatever happens happens.
“If I know my dad, he's going to try to avoid as much collateral damage as possible.” Jon muttered to himself.
While the rest of the group was silent, Kathy decided to say something in response.
“Sounds like the Hernan I know at least.”
Soon, the team witnessed something they found strange. After a little bit of flying around, Hernan would end up flying away. The spaceship seemed to only be interested in the man of steel as it began to follow him.
“What the hell is he doing?” Damian asked in a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.
“I swear if he's leading them to us.” Suren muttered to himself, hoping that this wasn't the plan.
“I mean we're pretty far from all the hustle and bustle of the city.” Colin chimed in as he wouldn't be surprised if that happened.
The team was uncertain about what Hernan's actions would lead to. Whatever would happen though, they needed to be ready for it.
“We can't just sit here and do nothing. We need to prepare ourselves.” The long haired teen told his team members, ready for the possibility of a fight.
With a swift nod, the group followed the words of their team leader. They immediately began to suit up with them putting on their masks, helmets, and goggles.
However, there was one member of the team that had an unorthodox way of getting ready.
“You guys care if I might put a hole through the roof?” Colin asked the rest of his friends.
It took a moment for them to understand what he meant, but the rest of the Teen Titans nodded as they realized what the ginger haired teen was about to do.
“Go for it.” Damian said to the other boy as he put his mask on.
Now that he was given permission, Colin stepped back from the group. He made sure they were far enough away from them. With a deep breath, the teen was silent for a moment before the magic word was shouted to the great heavens.
It was time.
“SHAZAM!”
With a bright flash, lightning struck from above. When the dust settled, the once scrawny ginger was the muscular adult hero. He knew that he needed the big guns in case things got ugly.
Once everyone was ready, they immediately booked it to the rooftop of the tower. The group was on high alert as they were fully expecting the worst to happen.
“Jon, do you think you can hear how close your father is to us right now?” Maya asked the other teen hero as they rushed up the stairs.
“On it!”
Without wasting another moment, Jon focused on his super hearing. It took a small handful of seconds for the boy to find where his dad was based on sound alone. Thankfully, he got results.
“He's almost there!”
“Thanks.” Maya nodded as the team made it to the top of the building.
With the Teen Titans now on the rooftop, they looked all around. They weren't sure where the Man of Steel or the mysterious spaceship were going to be coming from.
“What kind of spaceship would even want to follow Superman?” Shazam asked as he was still left with so many unanswered questions.
“Maybe they fought in the past.” Kathy remarked as she was already preparing to use her powers.
“I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.” Damian said as he pulled out his sword.
With everyone suited up and prepared, they stood there in silence with a mix of anticipation and dread. Seconds dragged on for what felt like hours.
As expected, Jon was the first to spot his father in the far distance. He knew not to get too excited however.
A few moments later, the dread intensified as the massive spaceship began drawing closer and closer towards the team.
As the unknown enemy inched closer, the Teen Titans were ready to attack. They each raised their weapons, and readied their powers.
Just before anything else could happen, Hernan stopped in front of the teens. Turning around to face the approaching threat, he stood there with an icy glare.
However, something unexpected happened. The spaceship stopped.
Instead of continuing to move forward or attack the group, it simply floated there in the air. It was just inches above and way from the tower, yet it didn't try to get any closer.
The heroes stared in utter confusion, puzzled by what was even going on.
Suddenly, the boarding ramp slowly lowered down as fog or smoke beloved out of the spaceship.
What alarmed the group was that they could clearly see multiple figures standing there. This intimidated them and made them feel more tense than before.
Soon, the figure in the middle stepped out of the smoke that hid him.
The man that stepped down the ramp was tall, and clad in dark gray armor with a strange looking helmet. He also wore a grey cape with a collar, and had metallic boots, shoulder pads, and arm guards.
As the other figures followed behind him, it was clear they seemed to be some kind of underlings. Their armor was similar to their leader, but not nearly as intimidating looking. Their helmets looked a tad more normal too. Well, as normal as mysterious alien helmets could look.
They all shared the same aspects though. Dark gray armor, odd helmets, and what appeared to be a small logo on their torso that looked like a Z.
The Teen Titans were on the edge of their seats, with Hernan ready to protect the younger heroes.
The mystery leader motioned his underlings to stop following him, and ominously walked towards the Man of Steel.
“What do you want?” Hernan asked, incredibly cautious about the strangers’ intentions.
Before he could get any closer, the masked man stopped right in his tracks. Yet oddly enough, he didn't seem like he wanted to attack.
“That's certainly no way to speak to someone like me.”
There were a good few seconds where the two men were silently waiting for the other to make the next move. The air around them was thick with tension.
“Who the hell even are you?” Hernan finally spoke up, wanting immediate answers.
“I guess I should actually introduce myself.”
The stranger then grabbed onto his helmet, and slipped it off of his head.
Hernan grew confused when he saw the man's face. It looked so familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
“This doesn't answer my question.”
“Odd. Thought you'd recognize me.” The stranger paused for a second before the next few words left his mouth.
“Such a shame too, son.”
To say these words hit like a ton of bricks would be an understatement. Everyone was in absolute shock.
Hernan didn't even believe what he had heard at first, at least he didn't want to anyways.
“Dru-Zod, but I prefer just being referred to as General.” The invader finally introduced himself before he looked at the man of steel directly in his eyes.
“I believe I named you Lor-Zod. Does that ring any bells perhaps?”
That was Hernan's Kryptonian name!
He didn't want to believe this was real. But alas, this was indeed the truth. Hernan was meeting his father, face to face. He knew this reunion wasn't going to be sunshine and rainbows however.
The Teen Titans didn't say anything as they simply stood there in stunned silence. They were too shaken by this revelation to even speak. Jon was especially shocked by the sudden appearance of his supposed grandfather.
The boy could've sworn he's heard that name before.
Despite everything, Hernan wasn't going to let his guard down. He still had no clue about the intentions of the general.
“How are you even alive? I thought everyone died on Krypton.”
“Well, mostly everyone. I thought I would be one of them. After the ship with a mix of mine and your mother's DNA was launched into space, I was for certain that I was doomed. Luckily, I found an escape pod just in the nick of time, and escaped the decimation of the planet.” General Zod explained in a rather prideful manner.
After all, who wouldn't feel pride in basically escaping the consequences of their actions?
“Since then, I've spent countless years rebuilding my life. I had landed on a random planet with nothing, only to eventually ascend to greatness. A little ship takeover here and a couple planetary conquests there have led me to where I am today.”
The boastful words of the alien general made Hernan feel incredibly uneasy. He had thought he was the last survivor of Krypton, yet the universe had just proved him otherwise. It was clear as day that this man was not to be trusted.
Once Zod had finished his explanation, his eyes laid on a certain raven haired teen.
“Good to see that you were able to procreate.” The general remarked as he gave a nod of approval.
Jon hid behind his father. He's only met his “grandpa” just now, but he already didn't like the man.
The raven haired man glared daggers at his father. Even if a part of him wanted to fight, the hero knew it would be reckless to do so. Battle was a last resort for this scenario.
“Why are you here?” Hernan bluntly asked. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.
“Perhaps I shouldn't keep you in the dark.” General Zod said before he cleared his throat.
“I was simply searching for planets that would be easy pickings for me. After all, my last attempted conquest ended in defeat. I will say, they did put up a good fight. At least me and my army were able to kill a majority of their army before retreating.”
Easy pickings? Conquest? Kill?
Shit…
The Teen Titans immediately readied their weapons now that they knew the general was a credible threat. The team was just about ready to strike back if things went sound.
Despite this, Zod didn't even seem to care. He wasn't even phased by what he just said, and continued talking like nothing even happened.
“When scanning the planet, I was surprised when it picked up a signature for a Kryptonian. At that moment, I knew I had finally found where the ship had landed all those years ago. I have finally found you, after all this time.”
Even with the general's explanation, this didn't make Hernan feel more at ease. In fact, it had the exact opposite effect.
“Now, I know this is a lot to take in. I don't blame you for being stunned.” Zod remarked, his more casual attitude unnerving to the heroes.
“What did you hope I was going to do when I landed on the planet?” The man of steel asked,
as he doubted the intentions were as pure as “escaping the doomed planet”. There had to have been another intention Zod had in mind.
“Isn't it obvious? I'm quite surprised you haven't conquered the planet yet. I hoped that while I was gone, you would make this planet kneel before you.”
And there it was.
“Safe to say, I'm shocked to see you've chosen to be this planet's savior.” General Zod said as he walked closer to his son.
Hernan was fully prepared for a punch or something to be thrown. Instead, all he got from the general was a touch on the shoulder. It caught him off guard to say the least.
“All I want to ask you is this. Why? Are you just doing this as a way to gain their trust, or are you actually foolish enough to be the hero to a planet of weaklings?”
After he listened to that question, Hernan knew he had heard enough as he smacked his father's hand away from him.
“Enough of this nonsense!”
“You dare speak to your own father like that?” General Zod angrily asked, as his demeanor quickly began to shift away from the controlled and calm attitude he had before.
“I refuse to stoop down to your level! I will not be the ruler you want me to be! I am Superman, and will protect this planet and people no matter what! Nothing's going to ever change that!”
Even with Hernan's defiant and passionate speech, it didn't move the Kryptonian general at all.
“Such utter nonsense.” Zod muttered to himself. He shook his head in a disappointed manner.
“What a pity. I was hoping for great things for you. After all, your name says it all, Lor.”
“I am no lord of planets! I am Hernan Guerra! This is my home!”
The raven haired hero got into a battle stance as his eyes glowed a bright shade of red. Even with his anger, Hernan wasn't going to make the first move.
“Then prepare to fall with your planet.” General Zod told his son as he got ready to throw down as well.
There were a solid few seconds where nothing happened. The two Kryptonians just stood there, glaring daggers at each other. Tension and silence filled the air.
The Teen Titans waited with bated breath, fully ready to throw down. They weren't sure if they were going to win, but they knew they had to still try.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the general made the first move.
Zod launched himself off the ground and charged towards the hero. He was rapidly approaching him, ready to throw a punch.
Hernan didn't budge one bit as he simply stood there. Right before the punch had hit him, he had grabbed the fist before he launched his father into the air.
“You handle the troops. I'll handle Zod.” The older hero told the Teen Titans before he flew into the sky towards his father.
And so, the two Kryptonians duked it out in the air. Punches, kicks, laser eye beams, and so much more were thrown against each other. They were determined to defeat the other, and weren't going to back down.
They were moving so fast that they could only be seen as mere streaks in the sky.
Meanwhile, the battle on the rooftops had commenced. The Teen Titans were up against a decently large troop of Zod's underlings. Even if they weren't as presumably tough as the general himself, they weren't exactly fodder either.
Each of the teen heroes were dealing with a small group of two to three of the grunts each. While some heroes mainly played defensive, others were evasive while most were on the offensive.
Damian with his martial arts and his sword slashes.
Maya with her sonic blasts and fighting skills.
Shazam with his super strength and lightning.
Suren with his magic from his spellbook.
Kathy with her starbolts which she used for attacking, and shields which she used to defend herself and her teammates.
Maps with her acrobatics to avoid any incoming attacks, and to trip up any enemies.
Jon with his Kryptonian moveset, just like both his father and grandfather.
They were all fighting like they've never fought before.
Even while feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Zod's troops, they didn't let up. They couldn't. Who knows what was at risk if they didn't keep fighting.
Yet despite all of the mounting pressure from this situation, the heroes were solely focused on the battle at hand, and how they were not going to lose. That is, all except for one of the Teen Titans.
Jon couldn't stop thinking about his dad.
He felt absolutely stupid for worrying about his father. After all, he's literally Superman. It would've been more important to focus on winning against Zod's troops right now. And yet even despite all of that, he couldn't help but worry whenever he got a glance at the battle in the skies.
Hernan and Zod's heated battle looked like it would be a stalemate. After all, they both had the same set of powers. One was a hero, and the other was a space general. They seemed like they had a similar amount of experience.
And yet…
And yet the half Kryptonian teen worried that the general would still be able to best his father. He wasn't going to let a heartless bastard like his grandfather win. He couldn't win!
For a brief moment, Jon felt a piercing headache come about. He tried his best to calm down as he knew what this probably meant for him.
“C'mon! Why now?” He thought to himself as he held his arms close to block any incoming attacks.
The boy could barely focus with the searing pain. Even when he tried, he just couldn't get it to fade away faster. It always came during stressful times like this. Sometimes he wished this stupid thing had an off switch.
Before Zod's men could try to gang up on the distracted hero, a large sonic blast pushed them off to the side. It seems one of his teammates had his back.
“Superboy! You okay?” Maya shouted as she noticed the half Kryptonian boy was acting kind of strange.
Jon quickly snapped out of it after he heard his friend's voice.
“I'm okay! Don't worry!” He shouted out to the other hero, not wanting to worry her.
Even with the reassurance, the cybernetic teen still worried for him. She didn't have much time to dwell on it though since she still had to find off the troops after her.
Even with the painful headache, Jon still took a moment to look up at the sky one last time. Even if his father and grandfather were still fighting each other, something in the boy motivated him.
“I'm not gonna sit this one out!”
With a newfound determination, the raven haired hero shot up into the sky to help out his dad.
This clearly confused and concerned the other Teen Titans due to the sheer suddenness of it all. They wondered why the boy was flying up. However, the team got their answer as they briefly looked to where their teammate was flying towards.
While all of this was going down, the two Kryptonians were continuing to duke it out at insane speeds. They were still practically even, yet Hernan found himself being slightly outclassed when it came to brute strength.
Indeed, all of Zod's years conquering planets wasn't all for naught. He had a lot more experience than the Man of Steel expected.
“You really thought you could defeat me?! General Zod!” The man shouted as he landed a clean hit at his son's face.
“Utterly foolish of you! You dare underestimate my might! Now you shall pay the consequences!”
Before the general could land another blow, Hernan was able to block the incoming punches by shielding his face with his arms.
Rather than stopping, Zod simply began to shoot his heat vision at the hero. It was clear he wasn't going to give up until either one of them was defeated.
“And now you shall die alongside this pitiful planet you call home!”
Even with the blast, the Kryptonian hero stood his ground. Even with the heat vision blast pushing him back, he still held his arms up. However, he knew he'd be in trouble if he didn't think fast.
Before the general could continue his assault though, an unexpected interruption happened.
“Hey you!”
“Hm?” Zod briefly stopped his heat vision, clearly confused by the sudden voice.
Before General Zod could react further, Jon flew towards him at blinding speeds, and punched him in the gut. This caused the man to go flying back a good bit.
Confused on what was going on, Hernan put his arms down only to feel a pit in his stomach at what he saw. Not only was his son now involved in this scuffle, but the boy's eyes were glowing. They weren't glowing from heat vision though.
“What are you doing here?” The raven haired hero asked as he tried his best to keep his composure.
“I'm here to help dad! I can't let you fight him by yourself!”
“Are you crazy? You're just putting yourself in more danger.”
Before the boy could say something to rebuttal his father's concerns, he felt his headache getting worse. He held his head as he felt an intense and unimaginable pain.
“Jon?!”
The young Kryptonian could barely hear his father's concern as all he could focus on was his worsening headache. It was likely something wanted to come out, and be set free. He wouldn't let that happen.
“No! I can't! I can't! I won't!”
As Jon continued to try to suppress everything, the pain just kept escalating further and further. He couldn't hear anything besides the sound of it all.
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
For a moment, the teen felt like the pain and agony had vanished. The brief lucidity didn't last long however.
Jon gave a weary thumbs up to try to assure his dad he was okay. Just as he did that however, the headache came crashing in. In a split second, the amount of pain he felt skyrocketed.
The pain was so unbearable, it caused the world around the teen hero to slowly fade. The last thing he saw was a blur of his father trying to reach out for him.
The half Kryptonian had lost consciousness.
As Jon fell from high up in the sky, panic set in for Hernan as he quickly flew towards the boy. He was determined to save his son, and get him as far away from the action as possible. But just before he could catch his falling son.
“Oh no you don't!”
A sudden heat vision blast quickly hit Hernan in his sides, pushing him away from his son. Before he could try to course correct, something unexpected happened.
Indeed, the Kryptonian hero wouldn't be able to save his son as someone else was able to catch him. It was General Zod. He was holding his grandson like a sack of potatoes, showing a clear lack of concern for the safety of the boy.
The sight of this filled Hernan with a mix of utter fear, panic, and most importantly, anger. His father had the sheer audacity of laying a hand on his son enraged the man.
“Let go of my son!”
The hero's voice boomed as he yelled at the general. His rage and determination was clear to see.
Now, any normal person who saw a royally pissed off Superman would've either shit themselves or immediately surrendered. However, Zod wasn't like most.
Before his son could get to him, General Zod simply shot out a powerful heat vision blast directly at the Man of Steel.
Hernan was so focused on charging towards his father, he didn't have enough time to react to the incoming blast. It ended up hitting him hard, and caused him to fall out of the sky.
The rest of the Teen Titans stopped whatever they were doing then they saw the older hero fall out of the sky. They all stood still, absolutely silent at the sight before them.
Something about watching Superman, the Man of Steel, falling from the sky gave the team an immense sense of dread. It was like a sign that something awful had or was about to happen to the heroes.
After what felt like forever, Hernan's body eventually landed in the glimmering blue water below.
After a moment or two of stunned silence, the team immediately looked up to see who had done this to the Kryptonian hero. They gasped as they saw Zod, and something else that shook them to their very core.
He had a hold of Jon.
“Superboy!” The sword wielding hero should as he tried to push his way past the horde of troops.
The super powered team were slowly getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Zod's men. Even with this however, one of the Titans had an idea.
“Don't worry guys! I got this!” The ginger haired hero shouted before he quickly flew up. He fully intended on saving Jon from the general all on his own.
“Shazam, wait!” Maya shouted before she refocused her attention on fighting back against the troops.
Yet despite the disapproval from his other teammates on the ground, Shazam was still adamant in his plans. Nothing was going to stop him.
“Hey! Let go of my friend!”
Yet even with the orange haired hero flying towards him, Zod didn't move. He didn't even flinch. He just stared at him with an ice cold stare.
As Shazam was about to strike the general, he got a devious idea on how to prevent the hero from attacking him.
Zod held the unconscious teen in front of him.
This immediately stopped Shazam in his tracks, shocked and appalled that the Kryptonian would even do something like this.
With this, Zod took this moment of hesitation to quickly punch the ginger in the jaw before he could even react in time.
Once Shazam was hit, he was sent flying far back. It was at this moment that reality had set in.
“Crap! He's way too strong for me to take on my own.” The hero thought to himself as he eventually stopped himself from the air.
General Zod didn't break eye contact with the ginger, as if daring him to try to attack him again like a fool would.
Shazam realized that he could still help out in this situation. With one last look towards the crooked Kryptonian, he flew down to where Superman had landed to try and help him from the sea below.
Once they saw that their teammate had failed in taking down Zod, the dread they felt immediately spiked up tenfold.
“Why the heck isn't he coming back here?” Suren asked in confusion. He had just used a spell to hold a small group of the troops in place for a few seconds
“Who cares? That's not the biggest concern right now.” Damian said as he continued to sword fight another group of the troops.
General Zod briefly looked down on the Teen Titans fighting below him. They looked like small, pitiful ants to him. Completely powerless against his might.
“I think that's enough.”
Once he knew that no one could possibly stop him, Zod suddenly zoomed towards his spaceship while everyone else was preoccupied.
As for Jon. Well, he wasn't exactly going back with his team.
The Teen Titans felt utterly surrounded at this point. One of their heaviest hitters was knocked out and taken by the enemy, and the other didn't fare much better. Even still, the team kept on fighting against the troops. Even if the odds were stacked against them, they knew that giving up wasn't an option.
They wouldn't get the chance to fight back however.
Suddenly, a dull beeping noise was heard from the massive spaceship. Almost immediately, the troops stopped what they were doing.
“What's going on?” Kathy asked in confusion, still having her psiconic shield up just in case.
All of Zod's men quickly ran from the group, and back into the spaceship. It was as if they heard an unspoken command from their leader.
There was a moment of silence as the entire superhero team was completely lost on what was going on.
“Are they surrendering or something?” Suren thought to himself, completely confused.
Soon, it all clicked for the Teen Titans.
“Shit! They still have Superboy!” Damian shouted to the rest of the heroes.
The team tried to rush towards the spaceship, yet they were met with the troops turning back around to hold them back.
“It's like they're a wall or something!” Maya thought to herself as she and her teammates adamantly fought back against them.
As the other Teen Titans were dealing with Zod's men, Shazam had flown down to where the Man of Steel had landed. But before he could try and dive into the water-
SPLASH!
Hernan had flown out of the water at blinding speeds, and zoomed towards the top of the Titans building.
After a moment of surprise, Shazam quickly followed Superman as he flew right behind him.
Back on the rooftops, things weren't looking good. Even with the Teen Titans trying their best to push past against the troops, they were unable to get through the wall of Zod's men to get inside of the spaceship.
And so, the massive aircraft closed its doors when the last of the grunts slipped inside. With the army all inside of the spaceship, it slowly began its lift off.
The team felt a mix of frustration and exhaustion. They were utterly drained and tired, and weren't even sure how they could try to enter the leaving spacecraft. Things felt hopeless for them.
It wasn't over just yet though.
As the spaceship was flying away from the tower,, there were two sudden streaks of something that flew past the team. The Teen Titans soon realized what they were.
It was Superman and Shazam.
“You're not getting away that easily!” The ginger haired hero shouted out as the other hero was simply silent.
Things seemed to look up. The two powerhouses were back on their feet and ready for one last stand. However, Zod still had a trick up his sleeve.
Slowly, parts of the spaceship began to shift and panels lifted. It appeared that a bunch of powerful turbines popped up. Soon, it slowly turned around, facing away from the Titans Tower.
“Oh no you don't!” Shazam yelled out, immediately flying faster towards it.
Hernan was just about to rush in as well. However, he soon realized what was going to happen if he did.
“Wait!” The Man of Steel called out to the other hero.
Despite this, Shazam didn't hear this and continued to fly towards the spaceship. He got a little too close to the turbines though.
Suddenly, the turbines turned on. Yet instead of something like fire or energy, it shot out powerful sound waves instead. It was acting like a massive speaker.
Shazam didn't have any time to react before he was quickly blown back by the sound waves.
Hernan saw this, and was half tempted to fly back and help the other hero. However…
“I'm fine! Focus on saving your son!” The ginger haired man called out to the Kryptonian.
The raven haired man understood, and continued flying towards the still moving spaceship. He was careful enough to keep his distance so the sound waves wouldn't affect him.
After a good few seconds, the sound waves ceased as it was certain that at least one of the heroes was blasted away.
Hernan thought this was the perfect opportunity, and he flew towards the spaceship as fast as he could. He was fully determined to save his son right here and now. He thought nothing could stop him.
Fate was not so kind however.
The Man of Steel was this close to reaching the spaceship, as he was almost able to touch it. Yet it all happened in a flash before he could get any closer.
One moment, the turbines turned back on with the bright blue flame like energy being seen for a fraction of a second. The next, the spaceship zoomed off at lightspeed and seemingly vanished into nothing.
And just like that, it was gone.
He was gone.
Jon.
Hernan was utterly speechless. He stood still as his mind was trying to comprehend if this was real.
No… No! This couldn't be happening! This had to be a bad dream or something!
Shazam soon caught up with the other hero, and was just about to ask the man if he was okay. Once he realized the true gravity of what had happened, he kept quiet before he solemnly flew back to the Titans Tower.
As for the teen heroes below, they were in a similarly dour mood as the Kryptonian hero.
They had just witnessed their friend being kidnapped, and were utterly helpless to do anything about it. Even with all of the troops that fought them, preventing the group from attempting to save Jon, the team began to blame themselves for it.
As the ginger haired hero landed next to his teammates, he simply didn't say anything. Instead, he stood in silence as the reality of the situation had hit them.
Even with the sheer devastation the Teen Titans felt, they all did their best to keep it together.
Damian had to try the hardest out of all of them.
The masked hero felt like he had to stay strong and keep everything together for the team right now. As much as he wanted to cry and scream in despair that his friend was gone, he knew that wouldn't make things better.
Besides, he knew that if he wavered, the rest would do as well.
Things stayed like this for what felt like an eternity. The silence, the hushed sadness, the shock, the grief, the loss, the devastation. All of it permeated the air.
The atmosphere of despair would be broken by someone unexpected.
As the team briefly looked up, they were shocked as they saw Hernan slowly flying towards the rooftop. Thankfully, his body language made it clear he wasn't upset. He was probably feeling the same emotions as the Titans after all.
Still, the sight of the Man of Steel didn't exactly quell their turmoil.
The group's guilt got stronger at the sight of the man. Not only had the team lost their teammate, but a father had lost a son as well. A son he cared for and adored. No words could've begun to describe what the Kryptonian hero must have felt right now.
Tensions were high as Hernan slowly landed, and stood right in front of the Teen Titans. He didn't say a single word.
Before the older hero could even speak, Damian stepped forward to say something to the Man of Steel.
“Superman… I'm sorry. I utterly failed you.”
Hernan didn't respond back to the apology. All he let out was a shaky sign, as it was clear he too was trying to hold it together.
This only made Damian feel worse about himself. In his mind, he was being blamed for what happened to the half Kryptonian. The worst part was that he began to seriously blame himself for it.
The bird themed hero took off his mask in an attempt to show the Man of Steel that he was truly sorry for what had happened.
“I-I should've done better. I have no excuses. I should've fought harder against the grunts. Jon could've been saved if it wasn't for my incompetence as a leader.”
It was easy to see that Damian sounded more and more desperate in his continuous apology. He felt himself slowly lose his composure as he felt the guilt consume him more and more. It was almost like he was drowning in it right now.
Despite all this, Hernan continued his silence.
“I promise I'll do better. But please, whatever you do, don't blame the rest of my team. They were only following my orders.”
The teen's voice was getting louder and louder in desperation. He didn't even care that tears were threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes.
“I shouldn't have even let Jon be a part of the team if I knew something like this would happe-”
“This isn't your fault.”
Hernan's sudden interruption shocked everyone. Instead of sounding angry or saddened like the team expected, he sounded very understanding.
“Huh?” Damian asked as he was utterly stunned by what he just heard. He had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't hearing things.
“None of this is your fault. Now's not the time to blame yourselves for any of this.”
The Kryptonian man's assuring words resonated with the Teen Titans. It seemed to slowly snap them out of their funk.
“You're right.” The long haired teen said after he took a deep breath. He had slowly gained his composure back.
“It's not too late to fix things. We have to make a plan as soon as possible.” Hernan sternly declared, utterly surprising the hero team.
He had a point. Blaming themselves and doing nothing else wasn't going to solve the problem. They had to act fast before something truly horrible happened.
“You're right Superman.” Damian nodded in agreement as he couldn't help but feel inspired.
With new determination flowing through the heroes, the Teen Titans quickly made their way back inside of the tower
The Man of Steel stayed behind for but a brief moment as he looked up to the sky.
“We'll get you back Jon, even if it's the last thing I do”
General Zod messed with the wrong heroes.