[Chapter 15: Home]Jordan was on his way to work, which was near one of the most famous places on the face of the planet. Of course, it hadn’t been famous until about five years ago, but its name was already on par with other well known locations such as the Taj Mahal, Big Ben, and the White House.
This location was called ‘The Foundation’, officially ‘the Superman Foundation’, but no one really called it that.
Jordan worked around the corner as an accountant at an engineering firm, so he got to drive past the Foundation every day to and from work. It really was quite a treat, simply because sometimes he got to see Superman within the building or flying overhead.
He sighed.
The news had spread around the world within hours, and the video was released soon after due to public demand to know what had happened.
Superman had disappeared in a ‘distortion’. One moment, he had been on a strange contraption with a futuristic looking man, and the next they had been enveloped by a shimmering sphere that simply collapsed in on itself and into some bizarre wormhole phenomenon.
The governments around the world were offering their experts to help understand what exactly had happened and to see if they could get him back, but it was all too surreal for most to even wrap their heads around.
Pretty much everyone had seen the footage. He had seen it three times, and the hardest part of it had been when he had had to explain what was being shown to his seven year old daughter.
He really hoped Superman returned.
The world was beside itself, and the governments were doing their best to reassure the public. Ironically, it was Superman’s ideals and past statements in previous dire situations that people were now latching onto, and that was helping them far more than any sentiments from politicians.
Before Superman had left for Nightfall, he had said, ‘I don’t want to see panic take any serious hold anywhere. If you’re afraid, which you have every right to be, find something productive to do. Help your neighbor, gather supplies, volunteer with whatever local efforts crop up in response to Nightfall, just don’t give in to fear and allow mob rule to rise. I have long since learned that humans are not helpless. You do have a measure of control in every situation, no matter how dire. So please, don't lose it in fear.’
“No to fear” instantly became society’s mantra once again as they all hoped they would see Superman again.
The Foundation came within sight, and he subconsciously slowed down as he passed by, looking in pained wonder at what would happen to the place if Superman did not return from wherever he had gone.
Suddenly, a loud warbling sound and flash of light went off in the middle of the street, right in front of his car. He tried to stop, his brain unable to process what was before him but knowing he was too close for the brakes to work in time—
A red and blue blur shot off the illogical contraption that had appeared on the road and went to the front of his car. And then his car abruptly stopped! Jordan gasped loudly, finally comprehending what his eyes were seeing.
“Superman!” he shouted, ignoring the bruise he would likely be getting from his seatbelt.
Superman had stopped his car just before it would have plowed right into the bizarre machine and a tiny old man wearing a vintage bowler hat. As his mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened, it had no problem recognizing something that made his heart skip a beat.
Jordan didn’t question what he was doing as he swiftly put the car in park and leapt out as Superman collapsed,
collapsed, in front of his car and onto the pavement.
All of the cars around had immediately screeched to a halt and several others left their vehicles to help.
“Superman! What’s wrong?!” he cried, coming to his side and grabbing his arm. It was ice cold, and his skin was pale.
“Need sun,” Superman managed, barely lucid.
They were surrounded in shade! Sure, the sun was up, but the surrounding buildings choked the morning light until about 9 and it was currently just after 7 o'clock.
Suddenly, there was another man on Superman’s other side and together they helped him stand. Sort of.
Jordan suddenly felt something ripple weakly across his skin from where he was touching Superman, and it was thanks to his daughter’s incessant questions about Superman’s aura that prevented him from dropping him in surprise.
“Help me get him inside!” the man said.
Jordan looked up and realized the man was actually a security guard from the Foundation! His nametag read Stone.
More security appeared and they immediately surrounded the strange contraption, the old man, and kept back the quickly growing crowd.
Superman suddenly went limp as two other people appeared. They quickly got his legs and together they hoisted him up and began moving to the Foundation’s front doors. Superman was heavy!
“Lamps! Get the lamps!” Stone shouted.
It was chaos, but in less than fifty seconds, they had Superman on the floor of the Foundation, surrounded by lamps cranked up to their highest setting with Stone and another man removing the top half of his uniform to expose more of his skin to the intense yellow light. Jordan would later recall the other man was the Foundation’s Director, Mav Ervin.
“Dr. Klein is on his way,” someone said as they worked, exposing Superman’s chest and arms to the revitalizing rays and draping the red cape and top half of the iconic uniform across his waist.
“We have the unknown man and machine secure,” another said.
“Should we move him to the third floor?” Stone asked, but no one answered as Superman opened his eyes at that moment.
“Thanks. Just overexerted. I’ll be . . . I’ll be okay . . . in a minute,” Superman said.
“What happened?” Ervin asked him, still kneeling on the floor.
“Universe jumped. Met another self. Helped. Sorta discovered new power. Then healed someone. Fun stuff,” he said, keeping his sentences short. “How long?”
“How long were you gone?” Ervin asked, unsure of what he was asking.
“Yeah,” Superman answered, still a bit out of it.
“A day,” he said.
“A day?!” Superman gasped, sitting up halfway before sagging back down. “A day . . . good. That’s good.”
“How long was it for you?” Stone hesitantly asked.
“‘Bout a month. Long month.”
"Who took you?" Ervin asked.
"Tempus, but machine blew up. Wells, man with the hat . . . came to bring me home today. After we took a detour."
"A detour that wore you out?" Ervin asked pointedly.
"Sorry. Ignored alt-Bernie's orders. Felt aura would be fine. Figured four days was close enough to a week," Superman explained disjointedly.
"A week from what?" Ervin asked.
"Bad earthquake. Needed to protect people. Don't really have a name for it yet. Mass shielding? Power sharing? Aura draping? None of those sound good. Sorry. Haven't been sleeping well. I think I'm overly-tired."
"I think you are too," Ervin agreed with a smile. "Do you think you're ready to head upstairs?" he asked, briefly glancing at the large windows where a massive crowd was growing beyond security.
"Almost. Where's Wells?" Superman asked.
"The man with the hat? We have him," Stone said.
Superman slowly sat up, which caused those outside to cheer. Even though they could barely see him, the fact he was now moving was a relief to see.
"Good, but let him go. And stay clear of his machine. The sooner that thing leaves, the better," Superman advised, before closing his eye and exhaling as he continued to take in the energy from the lamps.
Jordan supposed having his bare back and chest both exposed helped more.
"Of course," Stone quickly replied before stepping back and talking into his radio.
Superman looked back up, and his color was much better as he deftly put the top of his uniform back on, sans cape, in a blink of an eye. Jordan tried not to stare.
Ervin held out his hand, which Superman took and they stood up.
“Thanks,” Superman said, before handing his cape over to Ervin, much to Ervin’s clear confusion. “The crystals are in the edge pocket.”
“I’ll get them back to the laboratory,” Ervin promised.
"Thanks. I’ll trust you to make a sufficient statement. I’m just too tired and want to sleep at home,” Superman said.
“I understand,” Ervin reassured. “Everything will be taken care of. I’ll give Bernie a summary. Go home. We’ll talk once you’ve rested.”
“Thanks,” Superman said earnestly before looking around, for a moment taken aback by how many people were looking at him, including the crowd outside. “Thank you everyone. I promise I’ll be back soon.”
He then turned and looked directly at Jordan!
“And sorry if I dented your hood. I don’t think I was as coordinated as I usually am.”
“Oh!” Jordan said, astonished Superman was actually talking to him. “No problem. I’m sure it’s fine. And better that than hitting a time machine, right?”
Superman laughed. Laughed!
“That’s very true. Well, I’ll be back later. Tomorrow probably,” he said, turning his gaze to a door near the back corner.
Ervin stepped aside with a parting nod, and then Superman disappeared, with the door in the back opening and drifting shut in the next breath. A sonic boom roared overhead.
Jordan couldn’t wait to go home and tell his daughter he had met Superman. He also really
really hoped Superman had actually dented his car’s hood.
Either way, he would never sell that car now.
O o O o O
Lois rubbed her face as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The previous day had been of turmoil, fear, and travel. She arrived back in Metropolis late in the evening and had met with Mav and Dr. Klein to discuss what had happened and to have them show her what they knew so far.
It wasn't much.
The security footage of the futuristic man’s arrival had been surreal, and his subsequent departure with Kal had been alarming, to say the least. And she had barely slept after returning home and updating Clark’s parents.
Where was he?
Was he okay?
Would they be able to bring him back?
How would they be able to find him?
What if they couldn’t?
She took a deep breath, knowing Dr. Klein was likely already back at the laboratory where all of this had occurred, assuming he hadn’t simply stayed there all night.
Lord, what was she going to do?
She bowed her head, not wanting to cry but what else could she do? Even when the Parasites had taken him, there had been something she had been able to do! Now, he wasn’t even on Earth! He could be
anywhere!He could–
And then she felt him. A warm balm of relief and joy surged through her, tinged with immense fatigue.
/Lois, I’m coming home. As fast as I can./ His words slipped away before she could effectively reply, but she immediately ran to their room and unlocked the door to their back porch, swinging it open.
The sun was rising, its light casting long shadows across their yard.
And then she heard him and she was in his arms before she could fully inhale.
His aura surged around and through her, his love and relief so palpable it would have taken her breath away if she wasn’t already too busy crying from joy.
“Clark!” she cried, gripping him tightly despite the slick blue fabric.
The door slammed behind him from the rush of air following him, but they didn’t care as they stumbled to the bed and simply clung to each other.
“Clark, oh, Clark. I didn’t know what to do!” she wept. “No one knew what to do! You were just gone!”
“I know. I know. But I’m back now,” he said between kissing her over and over.
“Are you okay?! What happened? Where’s your cape?” she asked, running her hands all over him.
“I’m okay now, just tired. And so much happened. Things I still can’t believe. And my cape is with Mav. It held the crystals,” he said, hugging her.
“What happened?” she asked.
“There are parallel universes. I met our alternate selves,” he said, before breathing deeply and yawning. “And I’ll tell you all about it later. For now, I need to sleep. And to hold you.”
"Yes," Lois earnestly agreed.
He spooned her, pulling her flush against him as his soft breath brushed against her neck. Lois sighed contentedly and smiled when she felt him eagerly surrender to sleep, though his aura remained firmly around her, thrumming with a power that seemed to whisper ‘I will never let go.’
As he slept, she looked outside, beyond their backyard, grateful she was once again in Clark’s arms. Whatever he had gone through was over and all that mattered to her right then was that moment. In the warm silence, she watched the sun slowly rise above the horizon and knew, come what may, Clark would always come back to her.
O o O The End O o O
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