Outside the Pentagon, the atmosphere was tense enough to suffocate.
Dozens of armored vehicles lined the massive plaza in front of the building. Tanks, armored transports, and heavily armed soldiers formed several defensive layers around the perimeter. Floodlights illuminated the entire area as if it were daytime.
Every weapon was pointed at a single figure floating calmly in the night sky.
Adrian.
Clad in a pitch black uniform with a dark cape flowing behind him in the wind, he hovered silently above the ground. The bright lights cast long shadows across his sharp features, giving him the appearance of a divine statue descending from the heavens.
The soldiers below could barely hide their shock.
General Swanwick stood among the military personnel, his gaze fixed on the man above them.
"Are you Kal El," Swanwick asked carefully, "or Kyle Miser?"
Adrian did not immediately answer.
The man floating above the Pentagon no longer carried the relaxed aura of Adrian Kent from Smallville. Instead, a chilling sense of authority surrounded him. His posture was rigid, his expression calm and distant, and the cold aura around him made it difficult for anyone to look at him directly for long.
His uniform highlighted the strength of his physique. Combined with his striking features, he looked less like a man and more like a marble sculpture brought to life.
Some of the female officials standing near the Pentagon entrance could not stop staring.
For a brief moment, a ridiculous thought crossed their minds.
If all aliens looked like this, maybe negotiations with extraterrestrials deserved a second look.
Inside the Kent farmhouse, Clark stood frozen in front of the television.
The live broadcast showed Adrian floating above the Pentagon with his cape swaying in the night wind.
Clark immediately understood what Adrian intended to do.
A terrible realization struck him.
Adrian was trying to surrender himself.
Not for Earth.
For Clark.
"No," Clark whispered.
His heart immediately spiraled into panic.
He had never expected Adrian to go this far.
Guilt flooded his mind like a tidal wave. Clark had always known Adrian cared deeply about him, but he never believed his brother would sacrifice himself to protect him and the entire planet.
Adrian was proud, fiercely independent, and never someone who bowed to anyone.
Yet now he was standing alone in front of the entire United States military.
For Clark.
Clark clenched his fists.
"No. Adrian is my brother. I can't let him do this for me."
Just as Clark prepared to rush outside, Adrian's voice came from the television.
"I am Kyle Miser," Adrian said calmly. "You may also call me Homelander."
Back at the Pentagon plaza, General Swanwick inhaled slowly.
"Alright then… Kyle. What do you want?"
Adrian looked down at him with complete indifference.
"That is not the question you should be asking."
His voice carried an icy calm that caused many of the soldiers below to tense instinctively.
"You should be asking yourselves."
Swanwick frowned slightly.
"Ourselves?"
"We hope," Swanwick continued carefully, "that whatever conflict exists between you and the other aliens can be resolved without dragging Earth into a war."
Adrian's expression remained completely unchanged.
"You are wrong, General."
His voice echoed across the plaza.
"The war has already begun."
"And it is a war that cannot be stopped."
A murmur spread among the soldiers and officials.
Swanwick kept his composure.
"So you came here to warn us?"
"Believe whatever you want."
Adrian's eyes grew colder.
"But enough of this conversation. I belong to you now. There is no need to continue searching for Kal El. There is no need for negotiations."
He paused briefly before delivering the final sentence.
"Hand me over to General Zod."
The words sent shockwaves through the crowd.
General Swanwick narrowed his eyes.
"Are you surrendering to the United States government?"
Adrian looked at him as if the question itself were insulting.
"Not to you."
His gaze turned sharp.
"If I wanted to, I could erase this entire place from the map in seconds."
The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons.
"I will not surrender to Zod. And I will not surrender to you."
Adrian's voice remained calm.
"This is simply a temporary compromise with humanity."
"Why?" Swanwick asked. "You are clearly not human."
Adrian's eyes flickered.
"Am I not?"
His gaze briefly swept over the crowd.
"I am both. Alien and human."
He paused before adding quietly.
"But some people are nothing but aliens hiding behind human faces."
Back in Smallville, Clark's fingers tightened around the doorframe as he listened.
Adrian's words were a message meant only for him.
Do not reveal yourself.
The wooden frame creaked under Clark's grip.
Pain, guilt, and helplessness churned inside him.
Across the United States, millions of Americans watched the broadcast in stunned silence.
For the first time, people across the country were seeing the figure the media had begun calling Homelander.
Dinner tables were forgotten. Conversations stopped mid sentence.
Everyone stared at the television.
The sight of a godlike figure descending from the sky forced a terrifying question into the minds of ordinary people.
Was this being an angel, or a devil?
Back at the Pentagon, Adrian slowly descended from the air and landed on the ground.
General Swanwick let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Escort him inside," Swanwick ordered.
Reporters immediately surged forward, trying to push past the military line, but soldiers blocked them instantly.
Inside the Pentagon, Adrian calmly allowed the soldiers to place handcuffs on his wrists.
He glanced down at the metal restraints with a slight frown.
Incompetence.
That was the only word that came to mind.
If not for the plans he had already set in motion, he would have flattened this entire building without hesitation.
For a brief moment, the thought of eliminating every bureaucrat in the building crossed his mind.
Adrian had no doubt that these people would hand him over to Zod without hesitation.
As he walked down the corridor, dozens of Pentagon employees gathered near doorways and windows to watch him pass.
Fully armed soldiers escorted him through the hallways as if they were transporting a dangerous weapon.
Eventually they led him into a large white interrogation room.
Adrian sat down quietly.
Outside the room, General Swanwick watched through the glass wall with a troubled expression.
"You people must be insane," Swanwick muttered to the officers nearby. "Why would you put handcuffs on him?"
Inside the room, Adrian slowly stood up.
"Because they are afraid," Adrian said calmly.
His voice carried clearly through the speakers.
"They fear anything that exists beyond their understanding. Fear makes people desperate for control."
Adrian gently pulled his hands apart.
The metal handcuffs snapped like fragile toys.
The sound made several officials outside the room flinch.
Adrian walked toward the glass wall.
Although the glass allowed only one way visibility, his eyes locked directly onto Swanwick.
General Swanwick's expression changed.
"How is he…"
Inside the soundproof room, Adrian spoke again.
"I can hear you perfectly."
A white haired scientist cleared his throat nervously.
"Hello, Homelander. My name is…"
"Emil Hamilton," Adrian interrupted.
The scientist froze.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"I can see your name tag in your back pocket."
Hamilton blinked.
Beside him, a female official whispered in shock.
"He can see us? And hear us?"
Adrian continued speaking.
"I can also see the thirty two soldiers stationed in the next room."
The scientist forced an awkward smile.
"We are just being cautious. There could be… alien bacteria."
"That is a convenient excuse," Adrian replied.
He stepped closer to the glass.
The people outside instinctively stepped backward.
"What you really fear is not a virus," Adrian said calmly.
"You fear me."
"If I intended to harm you, none of you would still be standing here."
Silence filled the room.
General Swanwick spoke again after several seconds.
"There is clearly a lack of trust between us."
He studied Adrian carefully.
"Why not start by telling us your real identity?"
Adrian's expression remained emotionless.
"I have never trusted anyone."
He looked directly at Swanwick.
"Let us skip the pointless questions."
"You fear me because you cannot control me."
"And you never will."
"No one is trying to control you," Swanwick replied firmly.
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
"Your words mean nothing to me, General."
Swanwick exhaled slowly.
"Then I will be direct."
His voice grew heavier.
"I have received orders to hand you over to General Zod."
Adrian simply returned to his chair.
"Then do it."
Relief spread across the room once he sat down.
One young female official wiped sweat from her forehead.
Just standing near him had felt suffocating.
After leaving the interrogation room, Swanwick walked into another office.
General Sam Lane was waiting inside.
"Did you find Kal El and… Kyle?" Lane asked.
He was technically being held for investigation, but his mood seemed unusually relaxed.
"No," Swanwick replied.
"Kyle appeared on his own."
Lane smiled faintly.
"That is not good news."
"He is not someone who will quietly sit in a cage."
Lane leaned back in his chair.
"And by the way, he can hear everything we say."
Swanwick glanced toward the interrogation room.
"Retaliation?"
Lane remembered the moment he had nearly been buried alive at a military base.
"Yes," Lane said quietly. "You should consider that possibility."
Early the next morning, preparations were underway near Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
This base housed both the First Fighter Wing and the 192nd Fighter Wing, along with the headquarters of the Air Combat Command and the 480th Intelligence Wing.
It was one of the most important military facilities in the United States.
Today it had become the location for a historic exchange.
Outside the base, soldiers formed several defensive lines.
Tanks, armored vehicles, missile batteries, and mobile command stations surrounded the runway, turning the entire area into a temporary fortress.
At the center of the formation stood Adrian.
His expression remained cold as he watched the sky.
Two thunderous booms echoed across the air.
Moments later, a black spacecraft resembling a massive beetle burst through the clouds.
The alien vessel descended rapidly, creating violent winds as it approached the ground.
After landing, the hatch slowly opened.
Three armored figures stepped out.
Each one wore dark Kryptonian armor that covered their entire body.
Two of them carried advanced weapons and remained near the ship.
The third figure walked directly toward Adrian.
As she approached, the helmet covering her face opened with a mechanical click.
A transparent visor slid into place, revealing her features.
Black hair framed a strikingly beautiful face.
Her expression carried both authority and curiosity.
She studied Adrian for several seconds before speaking.
"Kyle Miser," she said calmly.
"I am Sub Commander Faora Ul, representing General Zod."
Her tone carried a faint hint of amusement.
"Welcome."
Adrian's voice was cold.
"That is not my name."
Faora shrugged slightly.
"Names are flexible on Krypton."
She turned toward the spacecraft.
"General Zod has been waiting for you."
Adrian frowned slightly before following her.
Nearby, a military officer muttered under his breath.
"So we just hand him over like this?"
His frustration was obvious.
"At least we should try something."
"That is not your concern, Captain," Swanwick replied.
He watched the alien ship carefully.
"This conflict does not belong to us."
A loud sonic boom echoed across the sky.
The Kryptonian spacecraft shot upward and disappeared into the clouds.
Inside the vessel, Adrian stood silently.
Around him, the armored Kryptonians watched him carefully.
They were staring at the man who was rumored to be the final surviving son of Krypton.
And the man who had willingly walked into the lion's den.
===
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