Chapter Seven,
When a Hero Comes Along
The conference room door burst open and Perry White stood in its frame regarding his top reporter/co-editor-in-chief with a mixture of shock, annoyance and a degree of disappointment.
“Lois, what the hell is going on? And why didn't you say anything? Surely you know by now you can trust me with this secret?” His questions tumbled at top speed one after the other.
“Excuse me, Perry?” Lois Lane-Kent turned her attention from the printouts she was studying, the files strewn across the large table as she perused the latest samples of work from this summer season's interns. A number of students from MetU's Journalism School worked at the Planet through the summer and a couple of the best were usually retained to work part time when the new semester started. As assistant editor, it was part of Lois' duties to pick out those she felt had the potential to make the grade as rookie reporters for the Planet.
Over the past few years, Lois had gradually cut back on her investigative journalism career in favour of the more desk bound job and Perry had insisted on making her dual status official. The working relationship was mutually beneficial to both. Lois was less often in harm's way and she appreciated her rise in salary, while Perry was happy to share his responsibilities and to work shorter hours. The 'old hound dog' finally had to admit that he might not be quite as fit or tenacious as before.
“Calm down, Chief. You know you have to watch your blood pressure.”
Lois' words took the edge off Perry's irritation, slightly. Enough for him to realize that this conversation should, at least, be private. He closed the door and moved into the room. “I'll calm down if you explain what's happening here.”
“Happening where?” Lois leaned back in her chair and removed her glasses. Something big must have occurred to get her boss in such a state. “Perry, I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“There are reports coming over the wire about a miracle worker... or a guardian angel, but you and I both know there are no such things as miracles... or angels.”
“Perry, I really think you should sit down and tell me from the beginning what this is all about, because I'm completely in the dark.”
Perry stared for a moment, then the furrows on his brow smoothed slightly and he did as Lois suggested, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table. He wanted to watch her face as he told her the latest breaking news. Clearly, she hadn't heard, so he began carefully, knowing this would be a shock to her.
“You know how all Metropolis has been glued to the media these past few days, watching the rescue reports on those two kids who fell down that old mineshaft....”
“In upstate New Troy?” At Perry's nod, Lois continued. “Things are looking pretty bleak for them. The emergency teams are worried if they dig too quickly they'll bring the whole lot down on top of the children. The ground around those shafts is so unstable....”
“They're out! The kids I mean.”
“Perry, that's wonderful.” Lois was genuinely relieved. Being a mother she knew exactly how the parents of those children must be feeling. But that didn't explain why Perry had burst in here in such a dudgeon. “Do you want me to cover it?”
“Great shades of Elvis! No, I do not want you to cover it! Young Johnston's been on it since the beginning and he's doing an OK job. But you knew that already, since you sent him up there....”
“Ben's good and in time he'll get better.” Lois nodded her approval. She'd read his reports from the rescue scene - - they'd been clear and decisive, yet his writing was touched with a certain empathy. A little like the way Clark had once written. It had been over four years and still many things reminded her of her husband... but visiting old memories wouldn't help her get through her present task. Besides, Perry was still regarding her strangely. She was evidently missing some important point here. “Perry, are you trying to tell me something?”
“I was hoping you had something to tell me!”
Lois' stare grew more wide-eyed... and more confused. “Nope! Only that I'm glad the rescue teams got the job done. What those poor parents must have been going through.” Then a thought struck home. “Do you want someone more experienced to talk to the parents? I could fit it in, though I'm sure we could find someone else... Maureen, maybe? She's got a couple of kids of her own.”
“Lois, the emergency teams didn't haul those kids out!” Perry interrupted. “They were still trying to figure out how to shore up their digging when someone uncovered a filled-in ventilation shaft, dug his way down, all on his own, and tunneled horizontally to just below the children. From there it was pretty easy to get them back out the way he'd come in. The crews were surprised as hell to find the kids back on the surface right behind them.... Kinda like an old Superman rescue, don't you think?”
“What are you saying, Perry?” Lois' voice was unbelieving but her pallor had turned pasty white.
“I'm saying that no one knows who brought the children to the surface... not even the kids. They said it was too dark to see clearly, though they did both agree it was a man. And whoever it was skedaddled out of there before anyone got a chance to talk with him. Seems like he was too shy to face the police or the press. Of course, everyone's talking about a miracle worker, but it reminds me of the sorta thing Superman used to do....”
“Superman never ignored the police or the press!” Lois stated, pushing her chair back from the table with some force and standing. “And this can't be the work of Superman. He's dead, remember!” Her voice was harsh, charged with emotion. She looked as if she wanted to pace, to release the frustration that was building up within her soul, yet somehow her feet seemed rooted the floor. “It can't be! I would know....”
If Perry had for one moment contemplated this woman who was his partner, friend and surrogate daughter was holding out on him, that supposition flew out the window. Now all he could feel was guilt and shame that he had opened anew a wound that had never truly healed.
“I'm sorry, darlin'. The rescue action just had Superman's MO written all over it, but you'd have told me if he were back....”
“Yes, I would!” Now it was Lois' turn to feel betrayed. “Apart from the family, you'd have been the first to know if that were true. You are family! And I wouldn't have had to tell you that. Do you really think I'd be in here, trawling through these stories with some pretty adventurous reporting styles, if Clark had come home?” She let some of the said papers drift through her fingers.
Perry had the grace to look embarrassed. “No, kiddo, I guess not.” The two stood in silence, Lois close to tears, and Perry wondering how he'd ever made such a bad judgment call. However, there was an alternative. “Lois, you don't think that Clark might have been on his way back to you when he got distracted? You know... go save the kids and then get back to Lois. It really was a tense situation up there.”
“I understand what you're suggesting, but even if Clark did decide to save those children first, he would have gotten in touch.”
Involuntary, Perry's hand went to his ear. “The old telepathy thing, you mean?” At Lois' slight nod, Perry continued. “I guess I'd forgotten that.... Wait a minute, Lois, that could be it. Clark's home, but he has amnesia. He couldn't use telepathy cause he's forgotten how... and he's forgotten who to contact.”
For an infinitesimal moment, Lois' spirits soared, but only to come crashing down. “I doubt that's it.”
“But he's suffered from amnesia before. Like after Nightfall... though I guess I never knew he was Superman back then. But if he was affected that way once, perhaps that's the problem now.”
Lois contemplated that scenario for long seconds while her mind and body reached outwards... but still the channel was silent. She sat down heavily in her chair once more and, placing her elbows on the table, she dropped her head into her hands.
Perry waited.
“He's not there, Chief. No one is there. And before you go on supposing, I really do think I'd be able to reach Clark even if he were suffering amnesia... even if he were comatose.” She was remembering another day long ago when she'd believed she'd lost Clark to a Kryptonian virus, but he'd come back to her then. Before he was fully awake, they'd called to each other. “Please, Perry, just let it be. Clark is no where near at hand... not in this life....”
“I guess you're right, Lois, and I'm just an old fool, coming blundering in here and reminding you of your loss. If Superman had made that rescue, he'd be in the suit... letting everyone know he's back on the job, not skulking around in the shadows. That wasn't his style.”
There was total silence for long seconds as Perry ran his hand through his thinning hair, unaware that Lois' head had snapped up at his words.
“But it was, Chief. In the beginning, before he invented Superman, that was the way Clark worked. When he traveled the world, he'd sneak in a rescue here and there and then move on when he thought people were getting suspicious of him....”
That caught Perry's attention and he returned her gaze. “Wait a minute, are you saying this could be Clark?”
Again Lois paused, thinking. Finally, she shook her head sadly. “No, not Clark. But I think I might know who rescued those children....”
“Matthew!” A light switched on in Perry's brain. “Why didn't I think of that?”
Lois nodded, unable to speak.
“Lois, has he said anything about wanting to become a hero?”
“No! But then he doesn't say too much to me these days. The nights when he does come home early, he shuts himself in his bedroom. I'm not exactly his confidant.”
“Honey, he's a sixteen year old boy with all his hormones in overdrive. Not talking to your mother at that age is normal.”
“And Matthew isn't exactly a normal sixteen year old.” Lois leaned back in her chair, stretching her neck and shoulders. “Perry, where have I gone wrong? He used to tell me everything, but he's become so taciturn. Clark wasn't like that as a boy. He and Martha always had a close relationship.”
“Matthew isn't Clark....”
“No! And I'm not Martha! She made parenting seem easy....”
“Does Matthew confide in his grandmother?”
“No, not really. I'm not sure he speaks to anyone at the moment.”
Perry came round to stand by Lois, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. “Matthew's a good boy, Lois. It's not like he gives you any trouble. He's not off stealing cars or getting drunk or using drugs....”
Lois' snorted. “He doesn't need a car to get around, and as far as I can tell, the last two don't effect Kryptonians.”
“That's not fair, Lois. Matthew wouldn't think about any of that stuff and you know it.”
“I guess. But why does he keep avoiding me? Whenever he comes in from school, he hides himself in his room and when I ask what's troubling him, he tells me nothing. I know he's having a hard time developing all these strange powers and I want to help him. We all do, but he's shutting us out.”
“Matthew's been coping with developing the super powers for quite a few years now and, if you ask me, he's just been working out what to do with them.”
“But I could advise him. Maybe not the way Clark could have, but I could have explained what his father did in the same circumstances. Martha and Jonathan watched Clark go through it....”
“But that's just it, darlin'. Matthew isn't Clark. Maybe you all have been expecting too much from Matthew.”
Lois swung round in her chair to face Perry, indignation tightening her voice. “Do you think I expected Matthew to become a super hero? Because that's ridiculous!”
“Is it, Lois? You might not have said anything outright, but I think that you and Clark's parents assumed that, when he was old enough, Matthew would be another Superman.”
“And what if I did? Was that so wrong? Not so long ago, he was a sweet boy, always trying to share my responsibilities, looking out for his sisters, helping me around the house... and listening to me talk about his father....” Lois halted, lost in the past.
“Perry, I thought he wanted to hear all those stories about Superman. In those early years when Clark first went missing, Matthew always asked me to tell him about his Dad. After the girls had gone to bed, we'd make cocoa and sit in the back yard reminiscing, or in the winter time by the fire....” A crack developed in Lois' voice. “It was my favorite time. I guess I needed to speak about Clark too, and I didn't realize that somewhere along the way Matthew started making excuses. He had homework, or sports practice... he might even have a girlfriend now, for all I know. I wouldn't let myself notice he was growing up and didn't need me anymore.”
“Just wait a doggone moment, Lois. Matthew loves you, and he still needs you. He's only sixteen. And if you're right and he's decided to start rescuing people then he's going to need your support. But you've got to wait for him to come to you.”
“What if he doesn't?”
“Lois, that's crazy! Just give him a bit of space and he'll be....”
The ringing phone interrupted Perry and he snatched it up. “Yeah! White here! Who is this?”
Perry listened and seconds later a grin was spreading across his face. “That was quite a debut, son. Why don't you come on up and tell us all about it. Your mom and I are in the conference room.”
Tears misted Lois' eyes and she rummage through her pocket for a tissue. “Matthew's here?”
“Yeah. Seems he wants to talk to you... urgently. Didn't I tell ya?”
Lois walked into her editor's bearlike hug, smiling and crying at the same time. “Perry, thank you. Sometimes I don't think I'd get by it if wasn't for you.”
“Hey, don't you be getting all emotional on me here. Like you said, I'm family and that's what families are for. We support each other.” Perry broke away and loaned Lois his handkerchief. “Now you dry your eyes and let Matthew know just how proud he's made you.”
*****
Jonathan Kent sat on the edge of one of Lois' large couches, staring at his grandson. The boy had stretched quite a bit in the last year, but still needed to do a little filling out. One day soon, though, he'd be as muscular as his dad... had been. Jonathan felt a knot form in his stomach, knowing that his grandson was about to embark on the same path. “Let me get this straight. You found an old air-shaft and used it to tunnel to beneath the kids?”
“Did I do right, Grandpa?” Matthew asked nervously, standing in front of the fire. He'd planned to make an announcement, but now that he was facing a family conference, he wasn't feeling quite so confident of his choices.
The older man nodded sagely. “The children are safe, aren't they? I'd say you did it just right.”
“I tried to imagine how Dad would have done it....”
“Your dad's a good role model, son,” Perry joined the conversation, his gruff voice betraying concern. “But he did it in a colorful suit and not as a shadowy guardian angel in civilian clothes. There were a whole parcel of media people round that rescue site, many of whom know your mom and some might even know you. If any one of them had recognized you, the family secret would be out.”
“Uncle Perry, I know that, but I couldn't sit around and do nothing.... Not when I knew I could help.”
“That's just like your father too,” Perry admitted, unable to suppress a smile. “And I'm not saying you were wrong. Far from it. I'm just suggesting you should be careful. Not all of your family are superpowered and you have to protect them.”
“I know that too.” Matthew's voice had a tiny edge to it, but his eyes looked doubtful as he gazed at his mother's bent head. “Mom, what do you think?”
Lois sighed audibly and slowly raised her face, displaying to the others in the room a sheen of tears sparkling in her eyes. “Matthew, I already told you at the Planet that I'm proud of you....”
“But? Come on, Mom, I can see there's a but coming.”
This time Lois laughed, a mirthless laugh tinged with pain. “Since the day I found you floating above your bed when you were nine years old, I've known this day was coming. I just thought I'd have a little longer to get used to the idea. Matthew, you're only sixteen!”
“But I have the powers, Mom.” Matthew said, sounding confident, while internally fighting the need to shuffle nervously. “If Dad had had the full range at my age, you know he would have done the same. In fact, Grandpa, Grandma, you can't tell me that Dad didn't do what he could when he was a teenager, because I wouldn't believe you.”
“Yes, he did.” Jonathan's hands fisted on his knees. He wished he didn't have to qualify that statement. “Course, he didn't realize he could fly then, but he had speed and strength. His quick reactions saved quite a few of his friends from having some nasty accidents.”
“Do you remember, Jonathan, when the Anderson kids went missing?” Martha's hand slipped inside her husband's arm and she moved closer to him on the sofa. Normally, she loved to reminisce about Clark's childhood, yet knowing her recollections could have a serious bearing on her grandson's future, she sounded less sure. “They hadn't fallen down a mineshaft, but they'd gotten stuck inside an old abandoned fridge. No one knew where they were, and if it hadn't been for Clark's special hearing and speed, they'd have suffocated. We were really proud of your dad then, but even so your Grandpa Jon gave him the usual lecture about frogs and laboratories.”
“There's nothing wrong in being cautious, but that was an easy rescue to excuse away,” Jonathan said. “Everyone just thought that Clark was in the right place at the right time. Anyone could have saved those kids if they'd got lucky.”
“Clark was too often in the right place at the right time and that's what worried you so much.” Martha nodded in agreement. “You were always sure he'd be taken away from us and dissected, even though he was invulnerable....”
A strangled sob escaped from Lois. “But that's just it! Don't you all see it? Clark was never totally invincible. We wouldn't be having this conversation if he was.” She stood quickly, her body stiff with tension. “Matthew, I don't want you doing anything like this again. It's just too dangerous.”
“Mom, I don't plan on doing anything quite like this again... at least, not in secret. That's why I asked you all to come tonight. I only wanted to say this once.... I've decided to make my debut as the new superhero.”
“What?” Lois' voice sounded the loudest, although there were other gasps of astonishment around the room.
“Uncle Perry's right. Doing things in secret will send the media into a frenzy. They'll be onto me like a rash till they find out who's doing these rescues, and it would only be a matter of time till I was outed.” Every gaze was locked on him and Matthew felt like a specimen under a microscope, but he wouldn't be put off. “No, I've got to do the same as Dad.”
“You want to be another Superman?” Jimmy asked. His curiosity had been tweaked in the Planet earlier today when Matthew had invited him over to Hyperion Avenue, but he'd never dreamed this was what he was about to hear. He should have guessed though, given the manner of the rescue everyone was talking about.
“No, definitely not Superman. That was Dad, and I don't want to take his place. But I don't want to be called anything so nerdy as Superboy, either. Mom, couldn't you have come up with a cooler name? Something I could have adapted.”
“There was nothing wrong with the name! Though you're right about one thing; I don't want you using it.” Lois ignored the stone that had lodged in her throat and closed in on her son, tilting her head back to look into his eyes. When had he grown so tall? “I don't want you using any name. It's too soon.”
Matthew laid a hand lightly on one of Lois' shoulders and began reasonably. “Come on, Mom....”
“No, this is not open to discussion, Matt. I don't want you putting yourself in danger and, if your father were here, he would agree with me,” she said, her face set and determined.
“But Dad did it. He would understand.” A mulish look, very like Lois' own, settled around Matthew's mouth.
“No, he wouldn't understand. Even he didn't recognize the danger he was in. He never believed he could be killed.”
“That's not true, Lois,” Jimmy stated, rising from the window seat and coming further into the room. “CK might have thought that at first, but he grew up. I think he accepted that one day he might meet something he couldn't handle. It never stopped him, though.”
Lois threw her friend a disapproving look. She knew that about Clark only too well. Right now she needed people to back her, not to bring up an idea that would encourage Matthew in his hazardous plan.
“Then maybe it should have!”
For the first time since Clark's death four years ago, Lois allowed her anger free rein in the presence of her family. She'd always tried hard to hide the guilty resentment that had haunted her. Clark had put the world first. She was supposed to be supportive and be grateful for the moments they'd shared, but just sometimes in those early months, she couldn't halt the irate tears that she'd shed alone, when each day had appeared unsurmountable, each lonely night endless. Martha had been the only person to whom she'd hinted at the true nature of her grief.
Over the years, Lois believed she'd exorcised these demons, but now, in the face of her son risking his life for the greater good, the rage surged back to the surface, sweeping away reason.
“I mean it, Matthew. I forbid you to do this.”
Jonathan edged quietly towards mother and son. “Lois, I think that's being a bit too intractable. We should talk about this.”
If truth be told, Jonathan, too, was reluctant to allow his only grandson to don the hero's mantle at this time, but he recognized the dogged look on Matthew's face. Riding rough-shod over Matthew's wishes was only going to make the boy more stubborn.
Lois was oblivious to her father-in-law's veiled warning. “No, I refuse to listen to any more of this nonsense.”
“Mom, you can't....”
“Yes, I can!” Lois turned on her family and friends. “My god, don't any of you understand? I've already lost my husband to the superpowers. I am not about to lose my son too!” With that final word, Lois stormed through the dining room and into the kitchen, leaving the others white faced and frozen behind her.
“Mom, please, you don't understand,” Matthew shouted, heading after his mother, but he was halted by his Grandpa's hand.
“Son, I think we're the ones who don't understand how scared your mom is.” Jonathan's eyes were troubled as he held onto his grandson. “This is a huge step your taking.”
“Your Grandpa's right, sweetie,” Martha finally spoke again, pushing aside her own trepidation, as she rose from the sofa and crossed to her grandson. “Your announcement has come as a bit of a shock. Why didn't you tell us... or, at least, your mom what you've been thinking about. I know you, Matt, and I know this isn't something you've just decided to do.”
“It wasn't, but I wasn't sure, Grandma. I guess I'm still not really sure about being a superhero.” The youngster's head drooped and he spoke to the floor. “I'm not like Dad. He always knew he was here for a purpose, to help people. I don't feel that....”
“Yet you helped these children,” Martha said gently.
“I had to! No one was doing anything but talking about what they should or shouldn't do to get the kids out. I could do something. I couldn't stand by and watch those kids die. But I was scared, Grandma.” Matthew's voice cracked. In the depth of his eyes tears pooled but refused to fall; a would-be superhero could not indulge in crying.
“Of course you were,” Martha took his hands into her own, gripping them soothingly. “Everyone is frightened when they try something new. It's OK to be scared.”
“Your dad was scared too.” Jonathan's hand still rested on Matthew's shoulder and the other slipped round Martha's waist, drawing the family together in a moment of crisis.
Matthew leaned into the circle of his grandparents embrace, his gaze still haunted. “That was different! Dad was always terrified someone would learn his secret and Mom, us kids, you and Grandma and all his friends would be in danger. I'm afraid I'll mess up... that I won't be fast enough, or that I'll miscalculate a rescue. What if I get it wrong and hurt someone?”
Martha and Jonathan shared a glance, their pride in their grandson shadowed with sadness. It felt like someone had turned back the clocks. “Honey, your dad worried about all these things too. He got better in time, but those doubts were always there in the background.”
“No! Dad was comfortable with the powers. I'm not.”
They led Matthew back to the couch and sat him down between them, Martha keeping a tight grip of his hand as she explained patiently. “By the time you realized your Dad was Superman, he'd had years of practice, and maybe he made it look easy, but he wasn't always so confident.”
Matthew's stare resumed its fascination with the floor and his voice when he spoke was plaintive. “It's not just lack of confidence. I don't even have close friends anymore, Grandma.” He glanced sideways at his grandmother before turning away again. “I'm too nervous I'm going to do something strange without thinking, then everyone will find out our secret. I've stopped playing sports because I'm afraid of injuring someone. I'm too different. I don't fit in!”
“Matt, honey, you'll learn how to adapt.” Martha's voice faltered, her heart breaking for her grandson, just as it had for Clark so long ago. “Your father did exactly the same when he was growing up.”
“You think your Dad never felt like he didn't fit in?” Jonathan asked, his bulk sinking comfortably into the over-soft cushions. “He traveled the world for years searching for his place in the world and he didn't find it till he came to Metropolis....”
“I know that, Grandpa. He only felt he belonged when he met Mom. I've heard all those stories... but that doesn't stop me being afraid about losing control. What if I go to help out and I don't know what to do... how to fix things? Or if I get angry or upset? I could do some serious damage!”
“Then don't be a superhero if you're so anxious.” From behind them, Lois' voice echoed, empty of emotion, as she walked back into the room. Her red-ringed eyes gave evidence of weeping and her face was pale, but she had regained some control. “Maybe you just aren't ready.”
Matthew looked up somewhat defiantly at his one remaining parent, a rebellious teenager who nevertheless hoped for approval. “I'm sorry if it hurts you, Mom, and maybe I still have a lot of stuff to work through, but I have to do this.” Sandwiched between his grandparents, Matthew found their physical closeness gave him the self-possession to go on. “I thought you'd understand where I'm coming from, Mom. What about all the awards you won? You didn't ever give up on a breaking story when you knew you could unmask some bad guy... even if it meant you'd be in danger. Even when Dad warned you to be careful, you did what you had to do.”
Lois' eyes widened and her chin lifted in full Mad Dog Lane mode. For some seconds she held Matthew's gaze, the air between them charged with emotion. Then her shoulder's fell and a humourless grin lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Hoist by my own petard!” she declared. “I should have expected that. After all, you're as much my child as your father's.” A tiny smile ghosted across her face then faded under the weight of her misgivings. “You're completely correct, Matthew. When I was your age, I thought I could handle anything. I left home... my parents. I made up my mind to be an investigative journalist and nothing was going to stand in my way. I never let a little fear stop me from doing what I knew was right.... I guess I'm getting older and much too cautious. It was wrong of me to force my will on you. That doesn't mean I'm happy with your decision... and I'll probably insist on conditions, but I would like to help, if you'll let me.”
“Conditions?”
“We'll get to those later, Matt. But will you tell me, first, why you didn't come to me sooner, before you'd made your decision?”
“It had to be my decision.” Matthew became interested in his fingers as they drummed absentmindedly on his thigh, but there was a touch of the famous Lane independence streak in his straight back. “I thought you'd talk me into being a superhero, and I just didn't know if it was the right thing for me to do.” Finally, he looked up at his mother again. “I never dreamed that you'd try to talk me out of it.”
“If you were ten years older I probably would have reacted a little differently. Matthew, are you sure this is right for you?” Lois gave her son another searching look. “You're not doing this in honor of your father's memory?”
“Maybe that's part of it,” Matthew said slowly, considering. “I do think Dad would want me to take over his role. It's more than just that, though, and this isn't a knee-jerk reaction. Ever since I've been old enough to have an opinion, I guess I've agreed with the choice he made, that our powers should be used to help.... I can't say I knew it was what I wanted for me, but for months now I've been hearing screams from people in danger. At first, I tried to tune them out because I wasn't sure I was ready, but Dad was right, I couldn't ignore them any more than he could. This is something I have to do, Mom... I want to do it. I have all the powers. I might not be quite so strong or as fast as Dad was, and maybe some do need fine tuning, but there didn't seem much point in waiting any longer, especially when those kids needed rescuing.”
Lois was watching her son's face. It was such a young face - - it wasn't so long ago he'd perfected the lazer-vision shaving, and Clark's expertise during that particular period would have saved some angst - - yet it was full of resolve.
“Yes, I can see you've thought this through,” Lois admitted, letting her reluctance go. “So, do you want my advice?”
“Sure, I do, Mom. I was hoping you'd offer. I think I'm going to need all the help you can give me,” Matthew replied, an eager smile so like his father's brightening his face. “Dad always said he was a better Superman because of you.”
“OK, so let's address the question of losing control, since that seems to be your major concern. Why don't we all sit down and I'll tell you about one time it happened to your father.” For a few moments there was silence as everyone found a seat, Jonathan making room for Lois to sit next to her son. “There was a mixed up young man who tried to disrupt Superman's powers with red kryptonite.” In the background, Perry shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Sorry, Perry,” Lois added quickly. “Don't feel bad. That water flowed under the bridge a long time ago, and it never was your fault. Besides, Jerry did the right thing in the end.”
“What happened?” Matthew asked. This was one story he hadn't heard before.
“Red kryptonite always had a strange effect on your father. In fact, he reacted differently each time someone used it on him....”
Matthew perched on the edge of the couch, twisting slightly so he could see his mother's face. “He came across red K more than once? I thought you said it was rare.”
“Well, I think it is. Kryptonite in any form is rare. We'd manage to procure quite a few pieces from various villains, and your dad and I always hoped we'd seen the last of it, but obviously that was a wrong assumption. Something killed Superman and unless the North Korean's had perfected a weapon that could do that, then I'd say they got their hands on kryptonite.”
“We don't know for certain that is was the North Koreans, Lois,” Perry argued, the need for hard facts an inbred ethic of long years spent as editor of the best newspaper in the world.
“No! But we've covered this a million times and we haven't come up with any other plausible explanation,” Lois said brusquely, any discussion of Clark's death unsettling her.
“The Koreans did let the search teams in,” Jimmy suggested prudently. While he felt he should back his chief, he didn't want to upset Lois.
“Yes, but not immediately. By the time they opened their borders to the UN search and rescue teams they could have gotten rid of all the evidence. I'm sorry, but if Clark had died by natural causes I believe we would have found a body... and the North Koreans insisted on directing the searches.” Lois' abrupt voice was at odds with her tender gaze as it settled on a photograph of Clark with the children, which held pride of place on the mantlepiece. “They killed Superman and got rid of the proof and nothing anyone can say will change my mind.”
A shiver coursed through Lois' body as another horrific possibility bled insidiously into her mind, that the Koreans had stolen Superman's body to experiment on -- Jonathan's long ago prophecy come true. Sometimes in the darkness, that terrifying nightmare still came to taunt her. Far better that Clark lay at peace in some unknown grave.
She rose quickly and crossed to the fireplace, distancing herself from her eldest child. Occasionally, Matthew's fledgling telepathic abilities enabled him to pick up echoes of her mind, and this was one thought she'd rather keep to herself. Matthew might be a responsible young adult, who was about to launch his career as a superhero, but there were certain things he might not be ready to face.
My god, even she wasn't prepared to face the thought of Clark as an experimental subject. In her torment, she reached out to her soulmate, her hand lovingly tracing the image of his smiling face, captured in a time when they were happy and life was good. If only he were here to help her now.
“Killing Superman does seem the most likely scenario,” Perry admitted to Lois' back, as he stretched his legs to ease his stiffening joints. The passing years took their uncomfortable toll on the body and it just wasn't fair that a young man like Clark should be dead while an old curmudgeon like himself should still be healthy and hearty... well almost. “But the fact is, I just never understood why they would do that.”
“Cause it's a nasty regime, Chief.” Jimmy interrupted again, coming down firmly on Lois' side. “The Korean leadership probably saw Superman as a threat. He'd made his home in the US and they don't particularly like the west, or what we stand for. I'd say they just killed him when they got the chance. Though I'd love to know how they did it. That would be quite a scoop!”
“Jimmy!” Perry's voice cracked like a whip as it did when he was controlling an unruly newsroom. His bones might be seizing up but his disposition was still razor sharp. “I don't think we're here to discuss newspaper business.”
"Sorry!” Jimmy glanced round the room at the various people who were regarding him with some disapproval. His face reddened and he gave an embarrassed grin. “My 'foot in mouth' syndrome rears its ugly head again. I really didn't mean to....”
Surprisingly, Lois' shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. Just when she felt she couldn't go on.... Thank goodness somethings never changed, and she turned back to face her family with renewed tenacity. “That's OK, Jimmy. I understand where you're coming from. I might not print it, but I'd also be interested to find out how they did get rid of Clark. Only that's not why we're here today. We've done that question to dea... well, we've gone over it enough in the past four years, so I'd prefer if we stuck to Matthew's plans.”
“Aw, sure thing, honey,” Perry said, glad to drop the tetchy subject of Clark's disappearance.
“No point in reliving the past,” Jonathan added pragmatically, though he did believe his son's mysterious end should be taken into account, since it might be relevant to his grandson's safety in the future... but that discussion could wait till later. A little positive thinking was what Lois needed right about now, and a quick glance at Martha told him she was feeling just as fragile. “I'd say we have another superhero to look out for now.”
“Exactly, Grandpa,” Matthew said, grinning at Jonathan for bringing the conversation back on track. While Matthew hadn't been able to read his mom's thoughts, he'd felt her distress and found it troubling. He came to tug gently at Lois' hand to draw her back to the couch. “You were about to tell me about Dad losing control of the powers, Mom.”
“OK, let me see if I remember this correctly.” She made herself comfortable while Matthew sat next to her. “We hadn't been married for so very long when Mr Gadget decided to hold the city to ransom, only he needed a way to distract Superman, which was where the red kryptonite came in. They staged a few crimes and when Superman showed up they opened up the case that held the kryptonite....”
“Did they hurt Dad?”
“No! It was red kryptonite which doesn't hurt Kryptonians in the normal way. In this case it sent Superman's powers into overdrive. Your father couldn't contain himself. He hiccuped and the whole downstairs of the house looked like a hurricane had blown through.” Lois warmed at the memory; Clark had been so repentant, sitting there on the floor.
“No kidding,” Matthew said in awe. He'd never known his father lose control like that.
“There were a whole lot of other mishaps when Superman tried to apprehend some thieves and eventually the mayor placed a restraining order on Superman, which was exactly what the criminals wanted. They tried to blackmail Metropolis into paying up a huge some of money or they threatened to level the city. Of course, the only solution was to put Superman back on the case. Now he might have wrecked a couple of cars and smashed a few windows, but he got the job done and the villains were arrested.” Lois chose not to tell Matthew the mayor had also ordered his father shot with a green kryptonite bullet and, if it hadn't been for Bernard Klein's warning, she might not have been able to save Superman. That was not the moral of this tale.
“How come I've never heard this story before?”
“Matthew, it wasn't exactly one of your dad's finest hours.” Lois gave a tiny grimace. “But the important thing for you to learn is that while your father did damage some inanimate objects and even some infrastructure, he never hurt anyone... never intentionally.”
“In the early days, he was always obsessing about harming someone by mistake,” Martha added. “But as far as I know, he never did, not seriously. I think that fear made him extra careful and I think you'll be just the same.”
“I'm not so sure,” Matthew said doubtfully.
“Of course, there's always the 'aura' theory,” Lois announced, beginning to enjoy reminiscing about the past.
“What's that?”
“Your dad believed his aura extended to protect those close to him. Perhaps that's why the people he rescued were safe from harm. He was instinctively projecting his aura to include them.”
“Wish I'd known that when I interviewed him,” Perry grumbled. “I'd have stood a little closer to him when I shook his hand. Had some grip, your father did. Course I put it down to all the farm work he probably did growing up.”
“So he did hurt someone!” Matthew was quick to pounce on Perry's recollection.
“Now don't you go gettin' all shook up, son. It wasn't like my injury was anything permanent.” Perry laughed. “Did you know Elvis had a mighty strong handshake too? Nothing wrong in that.”
Yes, somethings did stay the same. Lois believed Perry would be regaling the Archangel Gabrielle with Elvis tales when he finally made it to heaven... and that unruly lock of hair on her son's forehead, she remembered, was much like Clark's. “Matthew, the fact is Superman wasn't perfect. I'm not about to list them, but he did make mistakes, just as you will, and he learned from those mistakes, just as you will too.”
“You'll be a wonderful superhero, sweetie,” Martha said, smiling proudly at her beloved grandson. “You have the most important requirement for all superheros... a caring heart. Everything else you can learn.”
Tears threatened to fall from Lois' eyes once more. She'd said goodbye to her Superman and hoarded his memories preciously within her heart, but now it was time to move on - - to put her fears aside and mentor her son's introduction.
“Your grandma is right,” Lois said, hugging her boy. “The world needs a new hero... which brings me to another good point.” She leaned back and stared into his face. “Have you decided on a name?”
*****
tbc
