My Brother's Keeper (a Superman story)

Chapter 29: Hanging by a Thread

Clark's POV

As I carried Omar into the fortress and lied him down. I looked at his wound and sure enough, the infection was getting worse. He was running a high fever, the wound was infected and knew if I did not act quickly, he was going to die.

As I placed the sun crystal to access my father's AI, he immediately appeared before me.

"Kal-El..."

"I need your help. Omar, he's been stabbed with a tainted dagger and he's become infected with some sort of poison and his temperature has skyrocketed."

He performed a scan and his expression worried me.

"He's been infected with a lethal poison that was developed by the daughters of the night."

"The Children of Juru?" I asked. "They're real?"

"Yes, they were Krypton's earliest civilizations and worshipped the dark goddess, Yuda Kal."

"Okay, so how do we cure him?"

"There is no cure. The poison has begun to destroy his blood cells, and he will be dead in a matter of hours."

"I can't let him die. He's my little brother and he has a lot to live for. There has to be something that can be done!" I began to fear the worst.

"There might be something that I can do but it involves you lending him the solar energy reserves in your cells. You would have to share them with him and that will boost his Kryptonian abilities and therefore, offset the healing process."

"Okay, then we do that."

"But there's a catch. You will lose your powers for a few days until your cells reabsorb the sun's energy and become replenished. It can take anywhere from three to five days."

"What?!" I could not believe what I was hearing but something told me this was perhaps the only option on the table.

"It's the only way" he said.

"This means that earth will be vulnerable."

"Yes, which is why you need to think about the risks" he reminded.

I knew I would be powerless but I had no other option. My baby brother's life was hanging in the balance and if losing my powers was the price I had to pay to save him, then that's exactly what I was willing to do if it meant I could save him.

"Do it!"

"You have to understand other potential consequences. You will be vulnerable to human disease, as well as unable to help anyone in dire need."

"I know, but I can't let him die. I won't let that happen to him."

"Okay, if you've made up your mind then we can begin the process. But I must also warn you that it will be painful."

"I'm willing to do whatever to save him, even if it costs me my own life!"

"You have to lie next to him and I will begin the energy transfer."

"Will he become fully empowered?"

"Temporarily. But I also found a substance in his blood that seems to be hampering his ability to absorb the sun's energy."

"Right before Chris took him, he injected him with something that dampened his powers. And he temporarily lost them when we battled Zod."

"He has residual blue kryptonite in his system from that confrontation but whatever he was injected with that dampened his powers now, was not blue kryptonite."