[Chapter 9: Request]Kal entered the United Nations General Assembly hall.
He was there to discuss an addition of a clause to the Treaty of El, answering the offspring question.
Initially, the meeting had been scheduled to occur earlier that month, but like with all bureaucracy, it had taken longer than expected to actually make it happen. Granted, in this case, Kal was relieved. The postponement allowed him to discuss things further with Lois and allowed their lives to return to a normal rhythm, specifically in regard to his new ability and resuming work on the aura study.
Kal looked down at his hand after taking his seat as he spun the golden band around his ring finger, waiting for the meeting’s agenda to commence.
Finally, with the customary though tedious tasks required for the beginning of every meeting completed, the subject of part-Kryptonians was put forth and they got to business.
“Like many, I have concerns, and, forgive me Superman, I believe that we need to address how to best handle any part-Kryptonians,” a representative from New Zealand stated. “Admittedly, this is unprecedented, and – to not mince words – we need to face the fact that if Superman does have offspring with a human, as is the expectation, a hybrid species, a pseudo subspecies, will come to be.”
There were some mutterings on the man’s choice of words, specifically ‘best handle’, ‘hybrid species’, and ‘pseudo subspecies’, but there were many nodding in agreement.
“This brings forth a lot of questions. Now, let me be clear before I continue, Superman has full personhood rights – that is not in question – nor is personhood in question for any of his descendants, should they come to be. However, what we are talking about, what I’m concerned about, is the creation of a new type of people. People who will likely have at least some superpowers, for lack of a better word. We must consider the long-term consequences of this. If Kryptonians can have children with humans, are we ready for what that will mean? Not just in terms of legal questions, but medical, ethical, and societal as well, and not just for humanity but for these individuals who will essentially be between two worlds, two races.
"For example, will they go to school? Should it be required that the school be informed? What about the families of the children who also attend those schools? What about college, work? Where is the line between their privacy and society's right to know?" he asked, and more and more people were looking contemplative or nodding in firm agreement.
"We must address these questions now, for the sake of our world’s future. We must limit ambiguity so room for conflict may also be limited or, hopefully, completely eliminated. I yield back.” The New Zealand Ambassador sat back down.
Many eyes shot to Superman, wondering what his response would be.
“Superman, if you wish, you may respond,” the Chairman offered.
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I will respond,” Kal said, standing up. “First, I appreciate your candor, Ambassador D’Souza, and to be honest, much of your concerns are mine as well," he said, looking at New Zealand's representative before panning his view to the whole assembly and scattered cameras.
"I don’t know if I can father children here. I don’t know how much of my abilities might be passed down, if any. There are many unknowns and, yes, many things to discuss. However, I think I need to share more about how I grew up here before we can continue."
Kal took a slow, shuddering breath, and anyone who could see his face knew he was nervous. People leaned forward, whether they were there in the hall or at home watching on the television.
"I came here as an infant. I was less than 6 months old when I was found by the human couple I still call Mom and Dad," Kal stated.
While some people suspected he had arrived when he had been very young, especially since the world had seen the vessel he had arrived in roughly three years before, hearing it confirmed was still surprising, especially since popular belief had set him at three years old, not less than a half a year.
"I have no memory of Krypton, outside the recordings left behind by my biological parents, which I didn't obtain until I was over twenty years old. Before then, I didn't know what I was, where I had come from, or why I was different," he told the stunned silence.
"But I grew up with parents who loved me. I went to school, I had friends, worked summer jobs to earn money, and experienced normal kid stuff. Of course, I also had to learn how to control developing powers and keep them a secret, which I successfully did. It was only after I became an adult and had a professional job when someone outside my adopted family truly learned about me," he said, unapologetically shattering many previous beliefs about his person.
"I haven't hidden the fact I live among you, I'm married to the best human after all, but I'm much closer to humanity than I think the world knows or understands. The truth is, for over half of my life, I viewed myself as a human. A strange human, sure – but a human. And even now, I admittedly spend more of my time as one of you, as the man I am at my core, than I do as Superman. It's honestly how I stay grounded, no pun intended. If I didn’t have my human life, I know I would not be able to be Superman, Ambassador Kal-El, Keeper of Earth.
"So while I agree we have things to discuss and decide, I don't believe it’s as much as most expected. I believe it really comes down to what Ambassador D’Souza had said: Where is the line between privacy and society's right to know?” Kal asked, looking at them all, his eyes gliding over cameras providing the live feed to the world. “I serve the world as Superman. I actively use my abilities to conduct rescues and, because I’m a first responder, I have standards I must demonstrate that I meet or exceed, and the Foundation submits the results of my medical exams to the UN so my capabilities can be known to better serve the world community as well as alleviate concerns about my person.
“However, to safeguard the well-being of my loved ones, as well as to protect their privacy and my own, I do not disclose where I live, where I grew up, or anything else about my human identity. I believe my children, if they come about, should be allotted the same courtesy. The same Liberties. And if one day they seek to serve Earth, they can reveal what is required of them then, as I do.”
He grew silent, his eyes earnest.
He didn't have his aura extended, but, right then, he didn't need to. His emotions were plain to see.
“I am asking, as a potential future father, that you allow any children I have to grow and learn like I did: outside the focus of the world, without undue pressure, like any human child should."
He released an audible breath and looked at the Chairman. “I yield back and offer myself to the floor for questions,” Superman said, sitting back down.
The world representatives looked at each other, each astonished in their own way.
“Uh, thank you, Superman. We will open the floor to questions, per your request,” the Chairman stated, collecting himself. "The Ambassador of Thailand is recognized."
"Thank you. Superman, your honesty and amount of openness continues to astound me. I doubt many here would be capable of the same. And so I ask this with kindness and in the hopes it will alleviate concerns. How did your powers develop? When? What things did you do to learn control?"
"I didn't have all of my abilities right away, thank goodness, and they grew in power over time. My strength and durability was apparent early on, though. I could lift at least 2,000 lbs or roughly 900 kgs by the time I was four. Fortunately, by then, my parents had already been working with me on being gentle and my sense of touch was already heightened, so I was no longer breaking toys because I could feel the material begin to strain and I had practiced control even before then. The last toy I broke was when I was barely three, thanks to the hundred or so bananas and oranges I used to learn how firmly I should handle things."
"Bananas?" the representative asked.
"My mom first had the idea for me to peel bananas to help me learn control. We all got tired of banana bread after a while," he said with a fond smile.
"Anyway, the next ability was microscopic vision. As a young boy, I would catch and watch bugs all the time, in part because I could really look at them and see everything close up. My mom realized something was going on when I described to her things on a butterfly that I couldn't possibly see with normal human vision. That was soon followed by telescopic vision at five, which I first used while camping with my dad, and that was also when my hearing kicked in. Hearing was the hardest power to learn to control, but whenever I was overwhelmed, my dad held me and put my hands on either side of his neck so I could feel his pulse. That grounded me enough for me to focus on his heartbeat and nothing else. Admittedly, it still took me over five years to completely obtain control of my hearing.
"After hearing showed up, my speed kicked in, as well as my ice breath. Those two only took me a day or so to adequately grasp, and my dad and I just made an evening of it each time. He created games for me to play that would help me practice my powers and we would also determine what the power's limits were through those. My dad is pretty inventive,” he said with a smile.
"Well, X-ray vision was next, and it was frustrating because it made doing school work very difficult. Randomly, I would look through paper or the blackboard during class and not be able to see what was written, and of course it usually happened when the teacher was expecting answers. This, funnily enough, led to me needing to wear leaded glasses for a few years. My mom was the one who figured it out and that provided me ample time to learn control without hurting my education. I can’t see through lead, you see?
“Then came heat vision, which had honestly been the most scary to me,” he said, allowing his eyes to gather and display heat and light – his right red, his left white – before he pulled back the power in front of the awed assembly. “Fortunately, I had control of my ice breath and that was a huge help and reassurance, which, coupled with the powerful motivator of fear, allowed me to wrestle complete control over heat vision faster than any of my other abilities."
"How old were you?" the same man asked.
"Twelve,” Kal answered, to the further astonishment of most listening. He continued. "As I got older, my abilities became stronger. I could move faster, lift more, see further, that sort of thing, and then at seventeen, I began waking up above my bed, floating. That was certainly the weirdest thing I had done up to that point, and it eventually became flight, which is my favorite ability.” He smiled. “All the abilities I gained after that are already public knowledge.”
“Thank you, Superman,” the Thailand representative said, pleased, though overwhelmed by the thorough answer.
“The Ambassador of Germany is now recognized,” the Chairman said.
“Thank you." The woman shifted uncomfortably. “Superman, like everyone here, I have immense respect for you, but, playing devil’s advocate here, do you understand the concern some people have with the idea of a child having any of your abilities going to school with their children? You yourself admitted to being scared of what you could do.”
Superman took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his expression so strikingly forlorn that the German Ambassador lifted her hand in concern, about to voice an apology by the look of her eyes, but Superman spoke first.
“Yes, I understand, and yes, I was scared of myself,” he answered, briefly clenching his jaw before releasing a sigh. “You know, I once thought I was too dangerous to be around anyone – at two years old. I don’t think my parents know I remember this – though I suppose they know now–” He glanced at the closest camera. “–But I was afraid to hug them. I was afraid I would hurt them. It’s actually what instigated the banana bread baking frenzy. So yes, I understand people’s concerns, but I also remember what my dad had said to me: ‘You
are dangerous, but so am I, son. So be like me. Learn to control your strength. Practice, so you can choose when to be strong, when to be dangerous, because one day you might need to be.
That’s what it means to be a man. A good man.’”
Superman smiled softly at the memory, before adding, “And then Mom asked me if I would like to help her bake banana bread and practice. So I did. We were finding banana guts for days after that, but I learned what I needed to, and I hugged my parents afterward.
“The point is, I have one of the best examples of how to be a good father, and I would hope that the trust the world has already given me can include trusting me to be a good father and to continue making good decisions in regard to public safety. But if it doesn't, I must ask: why not?” He sat back down.
The German woman nodded approvingly, and many others were smiling. "Thank you, Superman. You have given us a lot to think about. As such, I request we reconvene tomorrow so we can prepare for clause proposals to the Treaty of El," she said.
"Seconded," a few voices said.
"Opposed?” the Chairman asked. Silence answered him. “Very well. We will reconvene tomorrow at 10 am," the Chairman said, slamming the gavel.
O o O o O
Lois followed Mayson Drake into her office.
"Sorry I couldn't meet with you earlier," Mayson said. "I was in court."
"It's fine. It's not like I haven't made you wait before," Lois said as she took out a thin folder.
She had finally found something substantial enough to share. It had taken weeks of digging and more snooping than even she liked. But she had done it. She only hoped it would be useful.
"Anyway, this will be fast. I think I know who is killing people in locked rooms," Lois said, handing over the folder.
Mayson opened it.
"Now, I know it sounds crazy, but I think it’s Dr. Edward Hanson. He worked for Walter O'Neil – O'Neil Incorporated. And from what I was able to find so far, he was involved in an accident at the company's main laboratory a little over a year ago. I wasn't able to get details, but my instincts are telling me this guy is involved somehow because his insurance was dropped and his following lawsuit against O'Neil failed. So he definitely has motive," Lois explained. “And while I don’t know how he’s doing it, everything is pointing back to him.”
Mayson nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you. I'll certainly look into it. If anything comes of it, I’ll let you know."
Lois nodded thankfully and headed out. Hopefully she’d be able to catch the rest of the UN meeting.
O o O o O
The UN Council meeting reconvened and Kal looked up at the Chairman who then opened the floor.
"Ambassador of Peru is now recognized," the Chairman said.
"Thank you. I believe we all have sufficiently processed what we heard yesterday, so I move we shift the topic to what, if anything, should be added to the Treaty of El,” the representative said.
“I second,” a few said.
“Any objection?” the Chairman questioned.
No one objected.
“Very well. Proposals?” the Chairman asked.
Kal listened as a number of clauses were proposed and some discussion occurred. Most of it was remarkably tame, most merely clarifying personhood and how Kal-El’s descendants would be required to conduct themselves as Kal-El has if they enter ‘the family business’ and that they would automatically become honorary citizens of every nation if they did.
And then conversation shifted to requirements, if any, of Kal-El and any future half or part-kryptonians having any children.
“Ambassador of Turkey is now recognized.”
“I believe it is a fair expectation that Superman shall inform the UN of any offspring, or at the very least any that develop powers. He is already required to inform the UN of full Kryptonians and other extraterrestrials, so this would merely be an extension of that."
"That sounds reasonable," another representative, already recognized, commented.
"My wife and I are not willing to bring unwarranted scrutiny on any children we may have one day. If I'm required to reveal that I have children who have powers, that would automatically exacerbate the burden that will already be upon them," Superman stated.
"Burden?" the German Ambassador questioned.
"Whether or not any children I have develop powers, assuming I can father children, the fact will remain that their dad is me, Superman. They will have to reconcile that at some point and eventually decide what sort of life they themselves want and should pursue with whatever capabilities they have been gifted with, human or otherwise. Coming into their own, under my shadow, will not be easy, and I recognize that, which is one of many reasons why I don’t want them in the limelight, so to speak, even peripherally."
Sounds of understanding and agreement flickered through the hall as he continued.
"Anyway, I would accept a
request for us to tell the UN about our children, but not a mandate. That way my wife and I can ascertain whether or not it is the best decision for our child or children."
"What if we just changed it to you merely notifying us of the
existence of your children? Even allowing a window of, say, five years, after they're born?" someone offered.
"That's a little more agreeable, but I would still say to have that be a request and not a mandate. Setting this as a mandate, and thus a requirement for my descendants, would create a foundation of paranoia and oppression," he warned.
There were some murmurings.
"Oppression? That's a strong word," another representative countered, sounding scandalized.
"Give me one example where any
required governmental tracking of heredity helped more than hurt the individuals within said group," Superman stated flatly.
A pin drop would have echoed painfully through the hall.
His gaze panned the room, his expression serious and unapologetic for a long moment before his posture softened.
“My mom and dad didn't know if I was an alien or a government experiment, and for as long as I can remember, they stressed the importance of hiding what I could do. They feared I would be taken away, and it didn’t take me long to become afraid of that too. Afraid I would be taken and experimented on – dissected like a frog, even. That’s what I feared as a child, and when I studied history, I learned about the dark horrors of the past nobody likes to learn about let alone discuss, and I realized my fears were rational. Even sensible and justified.
"I will not allow a framework to be assembled that could easily one day be used to do unspeakable harm." He looked at the Ambassador who had initially made the suggestion. "Recognize that I know you meant no ill-will, and I hold no offense against you. I yield back."
"Any opposed to the use of 'request'?" the Chairman asked after a beat.
No one opposed and the meeting was adjourned several hours later with the Treaty of El gaining a 'Descendant Clause' that was less than a page long.
O o O o O
Poloma Russell of the Choctaw Tribe.
That was who he was looking for, the girl who Jasmine had met. The girl who had been kidnapped, just like Jasmine, and who was still lost.
He was positive now and was currently speaking with tribal leaders, seeking an audience with the family of Poloma.
He had of course already provided what he had learned to the FBI, but he wasn't going to walk away now, despite the federal agents assuring him they'd take it from there. Fortunately, they didn't try to dissuade him from continuing his work, but that was unquestioningly because they knew his name. His reputation preceded him.
"Thank you for your diligent work, Mr. Kent. I'll admit I was a bit leery of providing you what you asked for, but it's clear you've made more progress in one month on finding one of our tribe than the FBI has in over a year. Thus, we will grant your request," one of the council leaders said.
"Thank you," Clark said, grateful for their cooperation.
Later that evening, he met with Poloma’s family and listened as they told him about the day Poloma went missing and the subsequent nightmare of trying to find their daughter and get answers.
The next morning, he was taken to the location Poloma had last been seen, and then he had been shown all the places she liked to play and what her typical day looked like at that time.
There were no suspects, and while a few people had been questioned, there had been no leads. Of course, that might have been because, according to the Russells, it had taken over two weeks for investigators to actually begin any serious investigative work. It was, unfortunately, what he had expected to hear.
"I know it’s unlikely we will hear good news the next time you speak with us,” Poloma’s father told Clark as he escorted him down the long path to Clark’s rental car. “But thank you. At least we now know our little girl wasn’t completely forgotten and that, wherever she is now, she was alive last winter. Please thank Jasmine for me.”
“I will,” Clark said, wishing he could give the man something to reassure him, to give him hope, but he knew there was only one thing he could give that would truly help in that moment: a promise. “I won’t stop until I have answers to give you. Expect to hear from me within the next three months for an update.”
Mr. Russell nodded his thanks, too emotional to voice a reply. With a wave, he then turned and walked away.
Clark took a slow deep breath as he watched the defeated man make his way down the long road before taking a moment to look toward the edge of the reservation, thinking.
It was . . . familiar.
Not the reservation itself, the Russells or anything physical. It was the feel. The circumstances of Poloma’s disappearance, and something he just couldn’t quite put his finger on. . . .
It felt like it had when he had first begun to investigate the trafficking ring in China over ten years before. His thoughts went to a number of other missing person cases he had recently reviewed involving other native tribes. Cheyenne, Cherokee, Miami, Chickasaw, Seminole, Peoria, and a handful of others in Oklahoma had very similar cases.
He frowned as his gut stilled.
He needed to inquire about getting missing person case files from other reservations outside Oklahoma. The subtle similarities between Poloma’s case and those of other missing children from other tribes. . . .
If he was right, this had to involve hundreds of people. Likely thousands.
He got into the rental car. He needed to go back and review every single person questioned or interviewed in every case and see if there were any community events, construction contracts, or anything notable occurring at the same time the individuals went missing.
Thank goodness for superspeed reading.
O o O o O
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