Fallout - 2016 - Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 1 CG3 14/16
Previously
As Superman took off again, Jon moved out from behind the building and merged with the crowd. Jon mingled as he made his way toward where Morgana, Lara, Mike and JJ were. He noted that Hattie was missing and he started to worry.
As he walked up, Morgana confronted him, “Where have you been?”
“Well, after we got separated…”
“After you shoved me under a table, you mean.”
“Well, yeah, I thought you’d be safer there.”
“Well, I wasn’t.”
“You might have been if you’d stayed there.”
“Well, I couldn’t, besides, how was I to know that I was one of the people they were after?”
After dealing with the cafeteria fire, Ultra Woman and Hattie had finally made it out of the building. Further discussion along that line had been derailed by Ultra Woman and Hattie coming out of the building.
Seeing her, JJ exclaimed, “Hattie! And Ultra Woman!” and started rushing in their direction.
As he approached, Ultra Woman said, “Not right now, JJ. Hattie needs to talk to the police. She needs to tell them what she saw.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Okay, Hattie, I’ll talk to you after you give your statement to the police.”
Ultra Woman took Hattie over to the police, “Commissioner Henderson, I’d like to introduce Miss. Henrietta Kaplin. Miss Kaplin has a story to tell you.”
Henderson shook her hand and then asked, “Well, Miss. Kaplin, what’s your story?”
“Well, Inspector, I was looking for Jon Kent and I wound up in the cafeteria.”
Henderson interrupted her, “Would that be the son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent?”
“Yeah, he’s my best friend. You know the family?”
“You could say that. His mother has been a thorn in my side for years. Oh, well, please continue.”
Lois had a hard time hiding the smile that his statement brought to her lips.
“Well, I was still shaken up from being knocked out in the initial assault so I sat down for a second. When I did, I heard a noise from the kitchen area. When I looked through the door I saw a tank like one of those used for a Bar-B-Q grill, but instead of being on the ground and supplying the flame, it was sitting on top of the stove with the fire under it. Suddenly it started to whistle. I got scared and decided to get out of there, but before I got too far, Ultra Woman swooped in and grabbed me. Just as she did the thing exploded! If she hadn’t been holding and protecting me, I might have been killed.”
Ultra Woman took over, “It was a BLEVE. They used a 25 pound propane cylinder to blow up the cafeteria.
Commissioner Henderson was grimfaced as he said, “That’ll add to the charges that they already face. Please pardon me; I need to see to it that they were read their rights. We don’t want to overlook anything. My guess is that they will be tried as adults. They could be facing significant jail time.”
And now
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Chapter 14 –
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Universal Locator designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 – Prime%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
None of the partygoers were inclined to return to the gym to continue the dance. That was just as well because it was now a crime scene, so couples started filtering to their cars to return to their homes.
Jon approached Morgana and said, “I know I didn’t bring you to the dance, but can I take you home, it was supposed to be our date, after all.”
Morgana asked, “But what about JJ?”
Jon laughed and replied, “JJ will be just as happy to take Hattie home. They were originally a couple anyhow.”
Just then, JJ and Hattie strolled up and JJ said, “Hey, Jon, Hattie and I are hungry. You guys want to go out for something to eat?”
“Sounds like a good idea. Hey, let me check with Lara and Mike.” Looking around he spotted them and shouted over, “Hey, Sis, you and Mike want to go out for something to eat?”
Lara and Mike looked at each other and Lara nodded. Mike replied to Jon, “Count us in,” and taking Lara’s hand headed in their direction.
Since it was a favorite hangout, they all climbed into the two cars they had brought and headed for
Burger Shack.
When they arrived they found a number of couples from the dance already there.
When they entered there were numerous shouted greetings. Almost everyone knew Jon and all did know Morgana, since she had been Homecoming Queen and although it was somewhat askew, she still wore her crown, having forgotten it in all of the activity.
They had been there just the night before, but this time the girls were not in their short skirt cheerleader uniforms, but their prom style gowns and they made three lovely couples. Still, the stares were obvious as they moved to a table with Hattie on JJ’s arm, Morgana on Jon’s and Lara on Mike’s. When they sat down, Lara, Mike and JJ sat on one bench while Jon sat between Hattie and Morgana on the other side with JJ across from Hattie.
Hattie pulled out her notebook and pencil and started jotting down story notes. As she did, she asked her companions about their experience. She then went from table to table interviewing other students.
Once she was finished, she returned to her table and discussed with Morgana and JJ how they would write up the story.
They decided to get together at her house on Monday to write up the story since the school was going to be closed for Thanksgiving week anyway.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After the meal, JJ and Hattie took off so that he could return her to her home.
After driving up to Morgana’s house, Jon opened the car door for her, leaving Lara and Mike in the back seat, and escorted her to her door.
Lara watched, interestedly as Jon escorted Morgana to her door.
On the doorstep, Jon held Morgana’s hand and said, “Well, things didn’t turn out the way we expected, did they?”
With a little nervous chuckle, Morgana replied, “I’ll say! Who would have expected the dance to be attacked? Who were they, anyhow?”
Jon replied, “I saw who it was as they were being taken away by the police. It was Ray Kyle. His nickname is ‘Bud’. He’s a well known troublemaker. He was looking for me in particular because I have gotten in his way a few times. He was looking for you and Hattie because you guys caught him in that cheating scandal which got him kicked off the team.”
“Why would he want to kill us? Seems a little extreme to me.”
“Me too. All I know is that I actually feel sorry for him.”
“How could you feel sorry for someone that wanted to kill you?”
“There had to be a reason, I mean, other than the fact that I got in his way a few times. Something deeper.”
“You’re an unusual guy, Jon Kent. I don’t know anyone else, except maybe Superman that would feel sorry for the perpetrator of such an act.” That statement made Morgana start to make some comparisons between Superman and Jon and Kam-El.
Jon said, “Well, at least I was able to deliver you home, safe and sound.”
“Yeah, there is that.” On impulse, Morgana threw her arms around Jon’s neck and kissed him.
Lara had been watching, intently and as she saw Morgana start to move she realized that the one thing that she feared was about to happen. She thought furiously for a second before she came up with a strategy. Reaching over the front seat, she brought her palm down on the center of the steering wheel, setting off the horn.
A couple of things happened simultaneously as a result. Jon and Morgana pulled apart, Morgana dropping her hands to her sides, a satisfied smile on her lips and Mike berated Lara, “Why’d you do that? That was rude. She was thanking him for the evening.”
“I … uh, I had to. It’s just something that brothers and sisters do. You understand?”
“No, I don’t. You know I’m an only child. You’ll have to explain.”
“Okay, later.” <Much later.>
Jon said, apologetically, “I guess Lara’s getting impatient to get home. I guess I’ll see you Monday.”
“Yeah, I guess so. See you Monday.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After they returned home they spent some time with their grandparents before Lois and Clark called them into the office.
Lois was the first to speak, “Well, once again Kam-El and Ultra Woman 2 save the day. You did a good job, kiddos.”
Clark added, “I don’t think Mom or I could have done any better.”
Jon was still bothered after his talk with Morgana, “But we shouldn’t have needed to do anything. Why did they do it in the first place? I know that Bud was a bully, but this was just too much.”
Lois, a sad expression on her face, answered, “You’re right, Jon. It shouldn’t have happened at all. The problem is with Bud and his family. There are some things that I think you need to know.”
“Like what, Mom?”
“Remember back around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Bud trashed one of our pumpkins?”
Jon nodded.
“Well, when Bud came to deliver the replacement, he was walking sort of stiffly. I was curious, so I used my x-ray vision and I was shocked. What I saw appalled me. His back was covered with welts and bruises and the skin was broken in several places, like a belt had been used and the buckle had made the bruises and broken the skin.”
In a hushed tone, both Jon and Lara said, “Wow.”
“I wanted to say something about it at the trial, but your father cautioned me against it because I saw it as Lois Lane, not Ultra Woman. How would Ultra Woman have known? It looks like Bud was a victim of abuse. I’d say that he wanted to strike back, but was too afraid of his father to strike back at him, so he became a bully at school.”
“Wow, now I really do feel sorry for him.”
Clark added, “You should, son. He is to be pitied. Because of his father, he will have to spend some time in jail. Fortunately, no one was killed although there were a couple of close calls, Hattie being one of them.”
Jon replied, “You know, Pop, if Hattie had been seriously hurt or killed, I don’t know if I could have forgiven him. I know I wouldn’t have felt sorry for him and whatever punishment he received.-There wouldn’t have been any punishment severe enough if that had happened.”
Clark put a hand on Jon’s shoulder and said, “I understand how you feel and your mother and I feel the same way. Hattie is like another daughter to us, but if something like that does happen, we have to rise above it. It will take superhuman ability, but we must forgive. If we didn’t, with what we can do, there is no telling what harm
we could do. We could do worse than any twenty Buds could do.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On Monday, after they finished writing up the story, Hattie took it to Lois at The Planet.
Lois took the story and glanced over it. She started to move in the direction of her desk and indicated her visitor chair. Sitting down she picked up a blue pencil and started making corrections. After a number of “Ummmms and Ahhhhs” she handed it back to Hattie and said, “Make those changes and I’ll give it to the editor. You kids might just have your first byline in a major metropolitan newspaper.”
Hattie was beside herself with joy. “We’ll get right on it.”
“E-mail it to me and I’ll send it on.”
Taking the papers, Hattie stood.
Lois put her arms around her and said, “You did good, sweetheart.”
The next day, front page, below the fold appeared the story with a Kaplin, Olsen and Winley byline.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It took some time to make repairs to the school. The classrooms were undamaged so the only services affected were the cafeteria lunches so families adapted and made sure that the students had bag lunches for the two weeks that it took to complete the repairs. Other than that the remainder of the school year was uneventful.
As the school year was drawing to a close, Morgana’s father was notified that, once again, he was being transferred. This came as a blow to Morgana, but she didn’t say anything to her classmates and especially not to Jon.
She and Jon had become so close. She had been hoping to be his steady, but although they had been dating ever since that ill-fated dance and she had indicated in every way short of asking him herself, he had never asked. She wasn’t going to force herself on him. She wanted him to make the first move, but it looked more and more as if he wasn’t going to.
The Friday before the last week of school, Morgana was on one final date with Jon. They had just gone to see
Kung Fu Panda 4 and were at
Burger Shack afterwards. After they placed their order, Morgana, hesitantly, asked, “Jon, do you like me?”
Jon was startled by her question, but replied sincerely, “Yes, of course I like you. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you haven’t asked me to go steady, or anything.”
“I think we have been kinda going steady, anyhow, haven’t we?”
“Well, yeah, but it would have been nice if we had made it ‘official’.”
“Well, it’s just that, going steady carries certain, ‘implications’, which I didn’t think you would appreciate.”
“You’re right. I’ve seen other couples that are ‘steady’. Carol and Jed come to mind.”
“I wouldn’t want anyone to think that you and I were … you know.”
“Yeah, I know. I appreciate it and I appreciate it that you have never even asked me to do that. You’ve ALWAYS been a perfect gentleman. But if that wasn’t the case. Would you have?”
“I’m not sure, Morgana. I like you. I like you, a lot, but do I like you enough to do that? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready to settle down with a steady girlfriend yet. I really enjoy our time together, but I don’t think I’m ready to settle down yet.”
In a sad tone she said, “Well, it’s a moot point anyhow.”
Surprised, Jon asked, “Why is that?”
“My dad’s being transferred again. We leave in a few weeks for upstate New York.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too and the times we’ve had, together.”
“Tell me something, if I had asked you to go steady, would it have made a difference? Would you have been able to stay?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe something could have been worked out. Maybe I could have stayed with Hattie. She’s almost like a sister.”
Now, Jon was feeling the pressure. Did he want to make that commitment and ask her to stay? Did he like her that much? He thought about what he had been told by his mom and dad, about how it had been love at first sight. He’d actually seen it happen with Lara and Mike. There was no denying their feelings for one another. But did he feel that way about Morgana? He liked her, she was a very nice girl, he enjoyed being with her, she was smart and pretty, but all of that just didn’t measure up.
He decided that he needed to be honest with her. “Morgana, there is no other girl that I like better than you, but that’s all it is ... I like you, but not in a romantic way. You are a good friend, but I’m afraid that is all we ever will be … friends.”
Morgana sighed and said, “I guess I need to start packing for the trip then. I was hoping you’d ask me to stay, but I understand.”
She thought back to their first meeting. She had asked if he had a girlfriend and he had said that he didn’t date. She had known since the kiss after the Homecoming Dance just who Jon Kent was. She couldn’t get over the fact that his kiss seemed so … familiar, somehow. Then the memory of seeing him in his spandex workout gear came to mind and the image of Kam-El in his uniform and it all came together. Jon Kent was Kam-El. He had saved her life … several times over.
Jon Kent was Kam-El which meant that in all probability, Lara was Ultra Woman 2 which made Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Superman and Ultra Woman. The fact that she knew the identities of what she now thought of as the Super Family staggered her. She also knew that if anyone even suspected that she knew who they were some unscrupulous fiends would stop at nothing to wring that information from her so it was best all around if no one even suspected that she knew, not even Jon. Perhaps, some day in the future she’d meet him again and tell him what she knew, but that wouldn’t be for many years.
The fact that Lois Lane and Clark Kent were married told her that they do marry and have children so maybe, in that day that they meet again, if he still was single… There might still be a chance for her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The day before Morgana and her family moved, the kids had a gathering and eventually the conversation got around to the Homecoming Dance.
Jon related the story, “We had a run in with Bud and his family around Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a result my mom has been following his family. It turns out that his father is a drunk and an abuser. His mother is an enabler which makes a bad, a very bad combination. I think that Bud’s bullying was a reflection of his home life. He wanted to strike out at his father, but didn’t dare, so he took it out on his schoolmates. I think he resorted to weapons because Hattie and I bested him and his posse in a fair fight. He didn’t know that we were both studying karate.”
“Seems a shame. His poor home life will probably now result in a criminal record.”
“Yeah, and since he probably won’t accept responsibility for his own actions, he’ll blame me and you and Hattie and the rest of the school. My guess is that if he ever returns it will be to try and ‘even’ the score.”
“At least I won’t be around to experience his wrath,” Morgana replied, “but I feel sorry for those of you that have to stay.” She looked significantly at Jon as she said, “At least you will have Kam-El,” she shifted her gaze to Lara and said, “and Ultra Woman 2 to help keep you safe.”
Jon and Lara each picked up on Morgana’s body language, but they couldn’t be sure if she was indicating the superheroes or simply emphasizing her statements to them. Frankly, they would have felt better if she had addressed her statement to Hattie or JJ.
Morgana turned to Hattie and asked, “Do you have any idea who they really are?”
This was one of Hattie’s favorite topics and she warmed to it. “No, no idea. There are a couple of schools of thought. The main one is that they are new visitors from New Krypton.”
Morgana smiled and said, “Personally, I’m of the opinion that they are Superman and Ultra Woman’s children.”
Hattie scoffed and said, “How could that be? Ultra Woman hasn’t been back from New Krypton long enough to have children that old.”
“What if she wasn’t really on New Krypton? What if she was simply here, hiding in plain sight the entire time? Then they could be their children.”
“But there were numerous emergencies that if she had been around, surely she would have helped with. She wouldn’t have left Superman alone to handle them if she had been around.”
“Okay, but she’s here now and they are living among us. If you found out who they really were, what would you do?”
“I’d keep it a secret! It would place them in danger if the secret became known.”
“I agree, but it wouldn’t only place them in danger. It would place anyone that knew in danger. If you find out, you not only need to keep the secret, you also need to keep it secret that you know. No one must suspect that you have any idea who they are or else somebody may try to make you tell.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lara and Jon were there to see Morgana off and just before she got into the car, she put her arms around Jon’s neck and kissed him, a lingering kiss that held much promise. As she pulled back, she made a decision to let Jon know that she knew and whispered, “My hero.”
She smiled and climbed into the car. As she did, she said, “I’ll be in touch.” She waved as the car pulled away.
Jon nodded and returned the wave.
Lara sent, /”I heard that. She knows.”/
/”Yeah, but she’ll never tell anyone.”/
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A week later they heard that Bud and his gang had been tried. They had been found guilty of terrorism, attempted murder, arson, illegal entry and use of an IED in the commission of a felony.
They had been tried as adults and each was sentenced to a long prison term.
comments go here TBC
The epilogue will be in two parts.
