[Chapter 15: Copy]"It's okay. They're just escorting us," Jaden quickly assured, feeling Kal’s aura quiver with uncertainty.
"Where?" Kal asked.
Jaden keyed the radio. "Hey, could we have some people 5-5 knows contact us? I have a satellite phone. He's leery about the situation."
'Of course. Number?'
Jaden quickly gave the number to his satellite phone and handed it to Kal.
“Push this when it rings and say hi,” Jaden instructed.
Kal took the phone excitedly. “Okay!” A few minutes later, it rang and Kal answered. “Hi!” he said.
‘Son? Is that you?’
“Dad!” Kal cried, overjoyed.
The man on the line heaved a sigh of relief. “Son, we’re so glad you’re okay! We’ve been worried.”
“I'm sorry,” he said morosefully.
'It's alright, honey, we’re just so glad you’re alright,' a woman said.
"Mom!"
Jaden blinked as he kept his eyes on the road, following behind the patrol cruiser, even though inside he was reeling.
Superman’s parents were on the phone! While their speech was a little muffled, he could still make out their words because the phone was so close.
"Mom, I'm in a big truck! And Mr. Peterson gave me chips!" Kal said.
Kal's parents laughed, relieved and grateful.
'I'm glad, son, and right now you're heading to an airport where they'll fly you to Metropolis, okay?' his dad said.
"An airport?"
'Yes, so you don't need to worry. Mr. Henderson and Ms. Lois will be waiting for you when you land and we'll call you as soon as you reach the Foundation,' his mom said.
"You won't be there?" Kal asked, suddenly fighting a sniffle as his aura clenched with disappointment and loneliness.
Jaden's hands tightened on the steering wheel and tried to stop eavesdropping, but it was impossible not to.
'Son, we can't, but we're working on getting you home,' his dad said.
"You are?"
'We are, so we need you to keep being brave, okay? And, honey, you'll get to fly on an airplane! It's going to be fun. Trust me.'
"Okay, Mom," he said, his voice a little more cheerful.
'Love you, son.'
'Love you, honey.'
"Love you too."
'Bye, son. We'll see you as soon as we can,' Kal’s dad said. 'And Mr. Peterson, if you can hear us, thank you.'
"Bye," Kal said, before the call ended. He wiped his eyes.
"Everything will be okay. You'll be with your parents again," Jaden said, hoping his words would help.
The radio suddenly chirped to life.
'A rest stop is coming up. Could 5-5 use a break? There's a playground there,' Ms. Radio Lady said.
"A playground?" Kal asked, perking up.
Jaden picked up the receiver and replied. "I think that's a good idea. I understand we're heading to an airport?"
'Yes. The airport selected is a few hours out. That's all we know at the moment.'
"Okay. I think walking around and getting some energy out would be good," Jaden said, glancing over at Kal who was bouncing in his seat.
They came upon the exit for the rest-stop and followed the cruiser down the ramp.
"Remember to stay close, okay?" Jaden said, suddenly wondering if this had actually been a good idea. "Do you need to go to the restroom?" he asked, glancing at the near empty bottle of water.
"Yeah," Kal admitted.
"Alright. I'll take you there first and then you can play on the playground for a bit, okay?"
"Okay!"
Pulling into the rest stop was surreal. The three police cruisers quickly parked and the officers exited before spreading out. The few people in the area stopped and stared, wondering what was going on.
Jaden quickly hopped out and went around to the passenger door, opening it up and grabbing his spare set of flip-flops stashed near the sleeper cab that was right behind the truck’s front area and separated by a thin wall.
"Here, Kal. They're a little big, but you're not walking barefoot into a public restroom. I don't care if you're invulnerable," Jaden said, placing them on Kal's little feet before helping him down.
Kal beamed up at him and kept hold of his hand.
Shuffling to the restroom, business was quickly taken care of before the playground was their focus.
A family was already there, their boys on the playground, and they all stared as Kal made his way over. Whether they knew who he was or not, the fact he was in pajamas and wearing flip flops ten sizes too big for him was plenty enough reason to be bewildered by him.
Kal waved at them shyly. "Hi."
The parents noted the police, and Jaden was pretty sure of the moment they recognized Kal. The children, on the other hand, made it very clear.
"You're Superman!" the closest boy exclaimed, ecstatic. He looked to be about eight.
Kal ducked his head self-consciously.
"Do you want to play with us?" the older boy asked.
Kal smiled and nodded before looking back at Jaden. "Do I need to keep these on?" Kal asked, indicating the flip-flops.
"No. You can leave them here," Jaden said.
Kal stepped out of them and hurried to the two older boys barefooted, unbothered by the pebbled ground.
"I'm Brian and this is Michel," the older boy introduced.
"Hi, I'm Kal," he said.
"Can you fly?" the younger one asked, before immediately getting bumped by his older brother.
"Uh, I can fly?" Kal asked uncertainly.
"You could when you were a grown up. It's okay if you can't right now," the older boy quickly assured.
"Well, I can run really fast," Kal offered, afraid to disappoint his potential new friends.
"Oh! Show us!" Michel pleaded.
"Okay!" Kal quickly blurred to the top of the playground.
"Wow!" Brian said as the adults watching gasped and Jaden couldn't help but do so as well.
"What else can you do?" Michel asked eagerly. "You should try to fly down from there!"
"Michel!" his dad called warningly.
Michel muttered an apology, but Kal inched toward the edge of the platform a few feet above the gravel.
And, with a determined look, jumped off.
And promptly fell.
“Kal!” Jaden couldn’t help but shout as he and a few of the officers moved to dash forward before they could question the point of trying to catch an invulnerable boy.
But he never landed.
Tightly closing his eyes with his fists clenched, Kal bobbed lightly in the air, a foot from the ground.
“You did it!” Michel declared.
“Whoa, that’s so awesome!” Brian shouted.
Tentatively, Kal opened his eyes and maintained his place in mid-air. He looked down and giggled, kicking his feet on nothing. He thrust his hands up and gained a foot of altitude.
“Look! I can fly!” he said excitedly, shooting up another five feet so he was above where he had jumped.
Jaden’s heart was in his throat and he forced himself to take a deep breath as the other adults gaped. What if he decided to fly away?!
And then the sound of loud clapping came from above and behind them. “Good job, Kal-El,” a man said.
Jaden and the others turned and looked up, finding a man in renaissance clothing standing on nothing ten feet above them.
Mxyzptlk.
"Go away!" Kal shouted at him with a glare, still hovering in the air.
"Why? I just wanted to check up on you. It's quite impressive that you made it out here," Mxyzptlk said. “And flying all by yourself. Well done.”
Kal turned his back to him and Jaden saw an officer nearby talk softly but urgently into his radio.
"Come on, I think we could be friends," Mxyzptlk proposed. "We both can fly."
"So?" Kal asked, unimpressed.
"Well, that means we can be friends," Mxyzptlk explained.
"My friends are nice. You're not," Kal firmly pointed out.
"What do I need to do to be your friend?" he asked.
"Be nice," Kal stated flatly.
"But that's boooorring," Mxyzptlk complained.
"'But that's boooorring,'" Kal mocked, looking at him over his shoulder.
"Are you copying me?" Mxyzptlk asked, his eyes widening.
"'Are you copying me?'" Kal copied, grinning as he turned around.
"Hey, that's my thing!" Mxyzptlk declared.
"Then prove it," Kal goaded.
"'Then prove it,'" Mxyzptlk copied.
"I can do anything!" Kal shouted, going up another foot in the air.
Mxyzptlk smiled. "'I can do anything!'"
"Cuz I'm an imp!"
"'Cuz I'm an imp!'"
"I like to eat boogers!" Kal shouted.
Mxyzptlk made a face but copied. "'I like to eat boogers!'"
Kal giggled hysterically, along with Brian and Michel, making Mxyzptlk smile. Jaden and the other adults watched in baffled amusement because, what else could they do?
"I love pies!" Kal continued.
"'I love pies!'"
"Tiny zip zap boom!"
"'Tiny zip zap boom!'"
“Kill-tip-zix-em!” Kal bellowed.
“Kltpzyxm!” Mxyzptlk gasped, horrified. “What?! No! That’s Mxyzptlk backwards! Oh, rats!”
A strange light appeared around Mxyzptlk and the air began to hum–
"No! No! If I have to leave, then I'm taking you with me!" Mxyzptlk thundered, reaching out with his hand and magically yanking little-Kal toward him.
“No!” Jaden and several others shouted as two of the officers opened fire.
The imp’s form morphed like vapor as the bullets harmlessly zipped through him, his attention still on Kal whose form flailed toward him.
Mxyzptlk’s hand closed around Kal’s thin forearm. “Gotcha!”
An immense flood of emotion blanketed the whole area. It was a mixture of fear, surprise, and fury.
Kal’s eyes flashed red and white as a desperate mental pulse, combined with his verbal cry, reverberated through space and time. “
/HELP!/”
In a concussive bang, Kal and Mxyzptlk both disappeared.
O o O o O
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