The Kid of Steel

[Kon's back from home, and he looks pretty happy about it. True, there were some stressful things about his vacation, but that's over now. He's back here after spending a bit of time with his family, and he ate really, really well. No insult to the Barge cooks, they're good, but they're not Ma Kent.]

Hey guys, I'm back! And ready to start rehabilitating. [Which would be easier if he had an inmate, but he knows that part will come sooner or later. He can help other people while he's waiting.] Anything blow up while I was gone?

[Locked to friends]

So I brought pie from home. Lots and lots of it, cooked by this great lady I know. It's piping hot, and I'm willing to share.

[Locked to Tim]

How's my dog?

[Okay. Kon takes a deep breath, then turns on his camera and smiles.]

Uh, hey everyone. It's me, Superboy. [Obviously.]

So, the thing with Rex. That was... that was pretty bad. And I helped with stopping him, cause I'm a superhero. And that's what I do back home. The bad guys do something evil, with mind control or a death ray or something else just as bad, and me and my friends save the day.

[His face gets a little more serious.]

Of course it doesn't go smoothly all the time. People die. Good people. Heck, I died. Luckily, the staying-dead rate isn't as high as it should be, but still. Not everyone comes back. And every time, it hurts.

It hurts even when it's not a friend or a loved one. Even when it's one of the villains. Even when they do come back. Even when you know they will. Losing people? Hurts. And no matter who it is, they've got someone who'll miss them.

[He stops for dramatic effect, then looks straight into the camera.]

That's why we don't kill. It's not our job. We save the world, we hand criminals to the cops, we've even been known to testify in court, but we don't kill. And we shouldn't here either. I'm talking to the Wardens and Inmates alike. Killing? Wrong. Always. Full stop.

And yeah, I get that there's not always a choice. I get that sometimes it's more complicated than that. Sometimes, good people have to do bad things.

But if there's any other way, even here, where death isn't permanent?

You take it.

That's all.

[Locked to Tim]

[Kon drops the happy look because hey, talking to friend, and agh, this is stressful.]

Oh my god, your dad is scary. Obviously. He asked me to do what Superman does. Me. You know, in the being an example or inspiration or whatever to everyone. I don't know if I can.

...Clark would have done the whole "Don't kill" speech better.

[There's a crash, followed by a sort of rush of color, then the white nose of a dog comes into view. Then there's a shout from the other side of the room.]

Krypto! I told you not to get into my things!

[The dog barks, then the snout disappears, and after a moment, Kon picks up the camera. He's a teenager, very muscular, and wearing a black t-shirt with a red S-shield on it. He grins sheepishly.]

Sorry about that. That's my dog, Krypto. He's usually pretty good, but this place is totally new for him, so he's kind of excited.

[He turns the camera to show the dog, who is white all over and wearing a red cape.]

That wasn't exactly how I planned to introduce myself, but while I'm here…

I'm Kon-El. I'm gonna be a warden here. I'm also called Superboy. Mostly because Superman's already taken by the guy I was cloned from. I've never been a warden before, but I've saved the world a few times, so I figure this can't be much harder than that, right?

So who else is here? Any other superheroes?