Inside the Parker home—
Ben Parker and May Parker stood quietly, watching the child asleep before them.
Both of them understood one thing clearly:
any government agency with even a shred of competence would still be searching for this child.
Which meant they had to be careful.
Absolutely no one could find out.
But there was one very real problem—
Their house had nothing for a baby.
For nearly ten years, they had longed for a child… yet in the end, fate had handed them one in the most unbelievable way possible—
A son who had fallen from the sky.
“Ben… why isn’t he crying at all?” May asked softly, sitting by the table as she looked at the peacefully sleeping baby.
“Aren’t babies supposed to cry when they’re hungry?”
Ben glanced at her, then at the child, recalling everything since they had brought him home.
She was right.
The baby hadn’t made a sound.
Not a cry.
Not even a fuss.
“…Then I’ll go out and buy some baby supplies,” Ben said after a moment.
“I doubt S.H.I.E.L.D.
would start investigating just because someone bought baby products.
There are too many children in New York for that.”
Once he made up his mind, he didn’t hesitate.
The longer they waited, the greater the risk.
There was no way he would hand this child over to the government—or to S.H.I.E.L.D.
That would be nothing short of a nightmare for the boy.
Ben stepped outside, the cold air biting at his face as light snow began to fall.
He paused for a moment, wondering which stores would even be open on New Year’s Day.
In the end, only one place came to mind—
A shop owned by his neighbor.
Without wasting time, he got into the car and drove off.
“Beep!
Beep!
Beep!”
The sound of a car horn cut through the quiet street.
Inside the house, an elderly man wearing glasses looked up from his newspaper, frowning slightly in curiosity.
It was none other than—
Stan Lee
He adjusted his glasses and glanced outside, puzzled by the urgency of the honking.
He opened the door and stepped outside, immediately recognizing Ben Parker’s car.
With a cheerful smile, he waved.
“What’s the matter, Ben?
Trying to give me a big New Year’s surprise?
Or did May kick you out of the house?”
Ben didn’t bother explaining.
He got out, ushered the old man straight into the passenger seat, and drove off toward the shop.
Sitting in the car, the elderly man looked completely puzzled, still trying to figure out what was going on.
Meanwhile, Ben’s mind was racing—he had to come up with a believable explanation for how a child had suddenly appeared in his home.
“Uh…” Ben scratched his head, then finally said, “May and I… we have a child now.
But we don’t have anything at home for a baby, so I had to drag you out at this hour.”
It was only half the truth.
The other half… was a lie.
“A child?!” The old man’s eyes lit up with genuine joy.
He had been neighbors and close friends with the Parkers for years.
But then, something didn’t add up.
“You have a child?
But I was just at your house a few days ago—May didn’t look pregnant at all!”
Ben fell silent.
An awkward pause hung in the air.
Seeing his embarrassment, the old man chuckled and didn’t press further.
Instead, he chose to help him cover it up.
They soon arrived at the shop.
The old man unlocked the door and gestured for Ben to head inside.
But the moment Ben stepped into the baby supplies section, he froze.
Rows upon rows of brightly colored packages filled the shelves—diapers labeled “S,” “M,” “L,” along with terms like “newborn care,” “ultra-soft,” and more.
For a man who had never dealt with infants before…
It was overwhelming.
“The kid…” Ben tried to recall the baby’s size, even gesturing vaguely with his hands, but quickly gave up.
At this point, he was ready to just grab everything and figure it out later.
Fortunately, the old man stepped in, shaking his head with a smile.
“You’re completely unprepared… That’s not like you, Ben.”
“Maybe the kid scrambled my brain…” Ben muttered.
The old man casually filled in the gaps for him.
“Not your biological child, right?
A relative’s?
Or maybe… you found him last night?” As he spoke, he skillfully picked out the appropriate items.
“If the baby’s just been born, use these.
Warm water—don’t make it too hot.
Test the temperature with your wrist.”
Ben nodded, deeply grateful.
“Yeah… a distant relative.
Something happened to their family, so the child was entrusted to us.
You know how the world is—things change in an instant.”
That’s how lies work.
Once you start… you can’t stop.
And Ben Parker was already too far in.
For this child, he was willing to deceive the entire world.
“These days… there are just too many tragedies,” the old man sighed, choosing not to question the sudden appearance of an “orphan” in the middle of the night.
“Go on, Ben.
May’s a good woman—she’ll take good care of the little one.
And if you need help, you know where to find me.
I’ve always liked kids.”
“Thanks, Stan.
I’ll drop you home first, then head back.”
Carrying three full bags of baby supplies, Ben returned to the car.
The old man followed, smiling as always.
As they drove back, Ben felt something strange.
A lingering sensation…
As if someone was watching him.
It was instinct—honed from years in the military.
Back at the Parker house—
May was playing gently with the child wrapped in a soft blanket, rocking him as she smiled.
She brushed her fingers through his soft hair, her thoughts drifting.
Which star did you come from…?
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Now, he was hers.
Their child.
A Parker.
“Who are you…?” she whispered softly, gazing at him with tenderness.
“You must be a gift from God… aren’t you?”
She paused, then smiled.
“How about… Clark?
Clark Parker.
Do you like that name?”
She lightly tapped the baby’s cheek with her finger.
At the sound of the name, the child broke into a smile—as if he truly liked it.
Inside that tiny body, however, was a transmigrated soul.
He didn’t fully understand what she was saying—her words were in English, and in his previous life, he had been terrible at it.
But he caught two things clearly:
Name.
Clark.
So he smiled.
Because he already understood who he was.
The son of Krypton—Kal-El.
Now reborn as Clark.
Though, truthfully, he didn’t know much about American comics.
Aside from knowing that Superman was incredibly powerful, the rest of his knowledge was shallow at best—just bits and pieces from quick summaries.
Soon, the sound of a car pulling up echoed outside.
Ben was back.
He entered quickly, set the bags down, and immediately turned to May.
“Quick—close the curtains.”
May frowned, confused.
“Why?
Don’t tell me… the police are already checking houses?”
“Worse,” Ben said in a low voice.
“There’s a black Chevrolet in the neighborhood.
That’s the kind of car government agents love to use.”
“They have a lead?
They know the child was taken?” May continued changing the baby’s diaper, her movements calm and steady.
Motherhood had already made her fearless.
“Clark is ours now, Ben.
No one is taking him away.”
“I know… I know…” Ben exhaled deeply.
Then he paused.
“Wait—you named him?”
“Yes.”
“Clark…” He smiled faintly.
“That’s a good name.
Clark Parker.”
At that moment—
A car stopped outside their house.
Then—
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Ben shot May a look, signaling her to take the baby into the bedroom.
He straightened his collar, steadied his breathing, and walked to the door.
He didn’t open it immediately.
Instead, he asked through the door—
“Who is it?”
A voice replied from outside:
“S.H.I.E.L.D..
Mr.
Parker, we have a few questions regarding last night’s unusual atmospheric event.”