Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Confession
Double Chapter! 🎊 🎉
"Ugh, Father, I have to go. My parents are home," Brandon said with some struggle. It was one thing to call a man he had memories of "Father" and another to call Zod this. He was a full-grown man mentally calling another grown man this, it just felt weird but he'd get used to it eventually.
"Hmm, the humans that raised you? What kind of people are they?"
Zod, for the first time, took an interest in humans rather than looking down on them immediately. Despite his superiority complex with other species, he still held some respect and gratefulness to the ones who raised his son.
"My parents, huh? Well, they're farmers for one, and live humbly off the land. Most of all, they are good people who have raised me right. To be better." Brandon replied using the memories of this life as the basis of his answer.
Zod said nothing more after this and simply retracted back into the ship.
'Well, that went better than I expected.' When Brandon first found the key, he had a feeling that it would be similar to the one Superman had and already suspected some sort of consciousness within the ship.
It was this consciousness that worried Brandon since his origins weren't as peaceful as his counterpart. What completely threw him on a curve was his father being Zod.
"I can't find Brandon. Are you sure he left school?"
"Yes, I'm sure. They gave me a call earlier. Maybe he's at the barn."
'Dammit, I spent too much time here! If I don't hurry, then they'll find out I took the pod.' Moving fast, Brandon began grabbing random shrubs and branches to cover the pod as his speed slowly decreased.
"Should I even hide this?"
Hiding his abilities would only make moving around harder; it also just didn't make sense. It's not like his parents didn't know he was an alien. For crying out loud, they took him from an alien spaceship and proceeded to hide it, so it's not like they'll report him to the government if they were willing to do that.
Sharing his abilities with his parents would also give him more excuses for ditching school. As it stands right now, he's still a novice and could hurt someone, so they would definitely support him in staying out.
Seeing that there was nothing holding him back, he decided to share this with his parents but would keep certain things to himself. Things about Zod and Krypton would remain with him for now.
If his parents knew that his dad was a warrior who started a coup on his planet and sent him here to conquer the world, all while still being within the ship, they'd never let him hear the end of it and would never stop trying to keep him from it.
Glancing back at the ship, he wasn't sure if his dad was listening still or if he was in some sort of hibernation mode, but he hoped he would hear this. "Father, I'm going to tell my parents about my powers, but I plan on keeping you a secret for now. I don't think it's good to reveal so many things at once."
Zod didn't reply with words, but the ship glowed for a moment as if acknowledging his decision.
"Well, here goes nothing."
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The Breyers searched their home for Brandon in worry, not knowing what to think. They knew their son had been acting differently recently, but they assumed it was all for the better.
Brandon had become more open and friendly and had even taken an interest in some farm work, something he never liked before. All seemed well, but ditching school? Brandon had never done that before.
It may not have been his favorite place, but he did enjoy learning and even excelled at it. So why would he ditch now? They didn't have these answers, but they knew having a talk with Brandon was the best thing they could do.
With that thought in mind, Kyle searched around town while Tori called some of her friends and fellow moms, but no one had seen him. It was at this point that Kyle brought up something she had never even thought of. "What if Brandon found the ship?"
This thought horrified Tori. This was their greatest secret. She had always feared the day when Brandon might discover the truth about his origins in a way that could overwhelm him. They had always planned to tell him, but they never thought it would be under such circumstances.
"Do you really think he could have found it?" Tori asked, anxiety evident in her voice.
Kyle nodded grimly. "He's been acting differently lately. So it's not impossible."
Tori's heart raced. "We need to find him, Kyle. We need to make sure he's alright and explain everything to him properly."
Kyle agreed. "Let's check the barn. If he really found it, then the locks might be broken."
They hurried to the barn, calling out Brandon's name, but there was no response. The barn was empty; more specifically, the hidden section underground holding the ship was missing.
Out of the scenarios they imagined, they never thought the ship would disappear. More so at the same time, Brandon was missing.
"Kyle, what do we do?" Tori asked as her husband hugged her tight.
"I don't know, but we can't give up yet. Maybe someone in town saw him. I'll go out again and check while you stay home. He might come back."
Tori nodded, accepting Kyle's plan, and they left the old barn when they suddenly heard a voice in the distance. One that they had been dying to hear since this all started, "Brandon".
"Honey… what is he carrying?"
Both husband and wife stood frozen in shock as they watched Brandon make his way to them with the missing ship on his shoulders.
They didn't understand what was going on. How in the world was Brandon carrying that ship? Kyle especially was confused since he'd been the one in charge of hiding it the night they found him and he knew just how heavy it was. It required his bulldozer to move, and even then it was a struggle. Yet there Brandon was, walking with it like it was just a sack of potatoes...
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.
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Bringing the ship like this was a little extra, but it was also a way for Brandon to start off the conversation the way he wanted it to start. His obvious strength would immediately bring his parents' attention, and his having the ship would also make his parents aware that he knows about his heritage.
Based on what he was seeing, it seemed this plan worked as his parents weren't mad but just shocked at what they were seeing. Setting the ship down, he looked at his parents, ready for the onslaught of questions.
"Brandon, how did you do that? That ship weighs at least five times more than my truck," his dad, being the first to come out of his shock, asked.
"I think you both know why… I'm not human," Brandon stated, while his mom shook for a moment hearing it. After saying this, he proceeded to explain his past couple of days to his parents.
How he woke up suddenly stronger than anyone he'd ever met to finding out that he was also faster and had exceptional hearing. He also explained why he skipped school.
Mentioning how this strength worried him because he didn't have it completely under control, but most of all, how he needed answers. Which led him to discovering the ship in the barn.
Throughout Brandon's explanation, he saw his parents go through the motions as multiple emotions appeared on their faces, but the one they had the most was worry. Worry that he'd reject them, would no longer trust them, and most of all, the worry that he'd leave.
Brandon didn't know how to respond to this to ease their worries. Even in his older world, he wasn't exactly the best when it came to words, and his new life wasn't any better.
'Well, a hug never hurt anyone… just gotta hold back my strength,' he thought. Walking towards his parents, he reached out as gently as he could and hugged them.
This seemed to be the right action as his mom burst into tears hugging him so tightly that he actually felt the pressure. Which didn't make sense. Just how was that possible? He was an alien powered by the sun while she was a regular human. Whatever the reason he chose to ignore it for now and just accept things as they were.
His dad on the other hand was a tough guy that didn't show his emotions outwardly and preferred to hold everything in. So he chose to just pat him on the back but if the sound of his father's heartbeat was anything to go by. Then he was just in as much emotional stress as his mother.
'Haa this was the right choice. I can't imagine having to hide this for so long'
It was just a simple confession to parents he only had for like two days but it seemed like those memories affected him a lot more than he originally thought. He actually cared for these two maybe not as much as the original did but the love was there and sharing everything felt like he let go of a huge burden. So much so that he felt almost weightless like he'd just fly away.
"Ahh! Brandon yooooou're flying away!" His mother shrieked
'Huh what was she talking about?' Feeling a tug on his foot he glanced down and found his parents dangling.
"Holy $#@%!"