The last scene in this part was at the suggestion of Linda Rose, one of my readers. Thanks for the suggestion, Linda. It was just right for the end of the story.
Nan
Degrees of Separation: 17/17
By Nan Smith
Previously:
"Yeah. Marta's bicycle's out by the front steps, if nobody stole it," Wyatt said. "Go on. You probably need to get back out there pretty quick. That guy that got hit killed Ally's dad, too. He's back there behind us." Wyatt pointed at the body of Morris Myers. "You better tell the cops."
"Yeah, right," CJ said after a minute pause. "But you better explain this while you're headed home, so I'll have some idea what to tell 'em."
"Okay," Wyatt said. "First I've got to go get the Kryptonite and the lead box. I don't want some homeless guy to find it."
"That's for sure," Marta said. "Better hurry."
Wyatt got to his feet and ran to the Dumpster, while behind him he heard the whoosh of CJ's takeoff. In a matter of seconds, while Wyatt was putting the green rock back into its box, he heard CJ's arrival again, and then another whoosh. He climbed out of the Dumpster in time to see CJ arrive again, pick up Linda in one arm and Ally in the other and take off again.
"Come on," he said quietly to Marta. "Let's get out of here."
**********
As Marta was closing the door on the garage, her acute hearing picked up the whoosh that signaled the arrival of either her father or her brother. Since CJ was still at the scene of the accident, five miles away, the process of elimination told her that Superman had managed to find time from dealing with what was no doubt hundreds of emergencies this evening to return home to check on his family. Her deduction was confirmed a moment later when her father's voice said, "Marta? What are you and Wyatt doing out here?"
"Putting away my bike," Marta said matter-of-factly, clicking the padlock that fastened the door. She turned to find her father, in civilian clothing, standing behind her. "Some things happened while you were gone. Wyatt has a piece of Kryptonite for you to get rid of, and you'd better check on Mom. She got hit on the head by a bad guy a while ago."
"*What*?" Clark turned and almost ran toward the house, Marta and Wyatt on his heels.
In the living room, the scene would have definitely surprised anyone who was not aware of what had happened earlier this evening. Her mother lay on the sofa, a bag of ice held on the back of her head, Linda, Ally and Ben were sitting, rather limply, in chairs, and Lucy was hovering over her sister in a way that indicated that she wasn't sure what to do. Clark stopped in the doorway, taking in the situation.
"Oh thank heavens," Lucy said, catching sight of him. "Clark, Lois got hit on the head. I think she should go to the emergency room, but she won't."
Marta tugged on her father's jacket. "Aunt Lucy knows about you-know-who," she said.
"Oh." Clark glanced thoughtfully at his sister-in-law, and then at Ben. "I think I need to know what happened," he said, confirming in Marta's mind that her dad, as Mom always said, was really good at understatements. "Where were you hit, Lois?"
"On the back of the head." Lois pushed herself slowly to a sitting position. "I'm really feeling much better now, though."
"Hm. Let me take a look." He went to sit beside her and Lois helpfully lowered the ice bag. Marta saw him lift his glasses, and realized her dad was x-raying her mom's injury. Well, that was probably a good thing. Dad wasn't a doctor, but he knew a lot about how the human body worked, and Uncle Bernie had once said that he trusted her dad to know if an injury needed to be seen by a doctor or not.
"Looks all right," he said at last. "You might have a slight concussion. If you start feeling worse, tell me right away and we'll go over to Bernie's. Now, what happened?"
"Uh -- " Marta glanced quickly at Wyatt. Their conversation with CJ on the way home had informed her that CJ would be better off if their dad was there to help him, or at least give him moral support. "Daddy?"
"What, honey?"
"I think you'd better go over to Honeysuckle Street, over on the seven hundred block. It's important. Um --" she hesitated at her dad's frown. "That was where we found Ben. And a couple of guys got killed. Uh...Superboy's over there, talking to the police, and there's a bunch of reporters there, and some news vans taking pictures of him."
Clark cast her a sharp look and got to his feet. "All right. But I'm going to want to know what happened, later."
"Don't worry," Lois said. "We'll explain after you get back. Marta, can you give Ally's mom a call and see if she's home yet?"
"Sure." Marta went to the phone, aware that her father had just hurried out the door. An instant later, her super-hearing picked up the sound of Superman's departure.
The phone rang, and on the third ring someone picked it up. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Myers?" Marta asked.
"Yes. Who's this?"
"This is Marta Kent. I wanted to let you know that Ally's here, so you wouldn't worry."
"Thank heavens." Tanya Myers gave a sigh. "I hoped she'd come there. I just walked in the door. Is she all right?"
"Yeah," Marta told her. "She's okay. But..." She hesitated, looking toward her mother. "My mom should explain the rest," she said finally.
Lois reached out to take the hand set from Marta. "Mrs. Myers? This is Lois Lane. Lois Kent. Are you sitting down?"
Across the room, Ben Myers looked up and met Marta's eyes. "It was you," he said in a low voice. "I heard your voice while we were in the car. You saved us."
"Well," Marta said, "Wyatt and I did." She glanced at Wyatt with a smile. He smiled back at her.
Ally looked at Marta as well, and then at Wyatt. "Yeah," she said. "That figures. I'm awfully glad you came to help."
"Wyatt called me," Marta said. "We did it together."
"Yeah," Ally said again. She turned to look at her brother. "This is Marta Kent," she said to him. "She's my best friend."
**********
CJ was wondering if he could get away before the massed reporters started asking questions, when Superman came in to a landing beside him. He had never been so glad to see his father before in his life. "Dad!"
"Son." Clark nodded to him and then looked around. The driver of the car involved in the accident was standing by the door of his vehicle, waiting, although CJ was pretty sure he wouldn't get in trouble over what had happened. It wasn't his fault that a guy had come running out of an alley and dashed right in front of him, was it?
A paramedic van was pulling up to the scene, and CJ fidgeted, wishing he could just leave. Those darned reporters over there looked like they wanted to jump the barrier that the police had put up and mob him. CJ counted eight guys with videocomeras all aimed at him. No one seemed to be a bit concerned with the dead guy. He wasn't a bit comfortable being the center of attention like this, although he guessed his dad was probably used to it. Maybe he would get used to it too, someday, but for right now he hoped Superman would be able to get him out of this.
One of the police officers ended his low-voiced conversation with another officer and stepped past the sheet-covered form on the street to approach CJ and his father.
"Hi, Superman. We're just finishing up here. Your son filled us in on what happened." He glanced respectfully at CJ.
"What did happen?" Clark asked.
"There's a man in the alley over there," CJ said, sticking rigidly to the story he'd told the police. Marta and Wyatt had given him enough details that he could be sure that what he said was consistent with the facts, while not being particularly helpful. After all, he couldn't be expected to answer questions about the details of things he hadn't seen, could he? "He's been shot and killed, and this man had the gun that killed him in his pocket. It might have been a holdup, I guess. Anyway, this guy ran into traffic and was hit. I wasn't able to get to him in time."
His dad controlled his expression, although CJ saw the corners of his eyes crinkle slightly. "All right." He spoke to the officer in charge. "Do you need him for anything else?"
"No, I think that will be all. If we need anything more, can we contact you, Superman?"
"Of course," Clark said. "You can get hold of me by the usual channels." He glanced at the crowd of media and then at CJ. "Do you want to face them now? They're not going to leave this alone until they have a tidbit, you know."
CJ sighed. "I guess. What should I say?"
"As little as possible. I'll answer most of the questions, if you like."
"I would!"
"All right. Are you ready?"
CJ gulped and stiffened his back. "Yeah."
The cop chuckled. "It isn't that bad, son. Just let your dad do most of the talking."
Together, CJ and Clark walked past the police barricade and stopped. The crowd of reporters surged forward. Clark held up his hand. "First, I'd like to introduce you to my son."
A low murmur arose and died away almost at once. One of the reporters held out his microphone. "What's your name, kid?"
CJ glanced nervously at Clark. "I'm Superboy. At least for now."
"Why did you suddenly show up now?" someone else asked.
"There have been a lot of emergencies tonight," CJ said. Unexpectedly, he began to feel calm and more in control of the situation. He didn't have to tell these people anything, so he'd just stick to the bare bones of the truth. A light flashed in his face, followed by half a dozen more, but he didn't blink. "My father was occupied away from Metropolis. I'm not really supposed to be doing this until I'm a little older, but I couldn't ignore people in trouble."
"Who's your mother?" someone shouted.
"My mother is Ultra Woman," CJ said, as if the answer were obvious.
"Then those rumors about half-Kryptonians aren't true?" someone in the back asked. "Everybody's heard them. Are they true or not?"
CJ looked at his father and back again. "I'm a full-Kryptonian," he said firmly. "I'm not half-anything. Kryptonians aren't even from Earth, for Pete's sake!"
"You got any sisters or brothers?" That was Ralph, from the Planet, and CJ was grateful that he had thought to copy his dad's disguise. It was obvious the man didn't recognize him, and it bolstered his confidence a little more.
"That," CJ said, "is none of your business."
A murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd. Ralph sulked.
"How old are you, Superboy?" a female reporter asked.
"I'm thirteen," CJ said.
"Will we see you again soon?"
"That's up to my mom and dad," CJ said.
"Any comment, Superman?" she asked.
"My son is a little young for this," Clark said. "He helped tonight because of the magnitude of the emergency, and I'm very proud of him for stepping in when he was needed, but my wife and I don't anticipate our son doing this kind of work regularly until he's of age. If there's a real emergency, however, and I can't be there, he may take my place if he's able to."
"Where's Ultra Woman?" someone asked.
"Around," Clark said. "She decided, after her one venture into the public eye, that she works better behind the scenes. Thank you everyone. Good night." He glanced at CJ and rose into the air. CJ followed him, aware of the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' of the crowd below him as they flew away.
**********
Epilogue
Three weeks later:
It was amazing, Marta Kent thought, as she and Ally Myers waited behind the curtains of the school auditorium, how things could change so much in less than a month.
The excitement about the debut of Superboy had consumed the school and the news services for days. His role in the arrest of Bill Church Jr. had been splashed across the front page of every newspaper in Metropolis, and already posters of him in his Superman T-shirt were appearing on the inside doors of girls' lockers. His picture was even displayed on the front covers of magazines and Superman comic books, and a toy company was making action figures of him, with the permission of the Superman Foundation, of course.
Ally's mom had a new job at the Metro Library, and Ally and her family were moving out of their apartment complex next weekend, into another one with better security. Ben was taking remedial classes to bring him up to his grade level in school, and seeing a councilor once a week. The effects of his captivity by Morris Myers was something that, they said, would take a while for him to overcome, but the psychologist who had taken his case believed strongly that he would recover, given time, determination and the security of his family. Benjamin Myers, he said, had a surprisingly well-adjusted psyche that had helped him endure the three nightmare years. Ben said it was because he always believed that somehow his sister and mom would find him. It had taken time, but his belief had been justified.
And, in the meantime, Superman had started teaching him how to control and conceal his super powers. That was something that couldn't be put off. Even though it looked as though Intergang had backed off for now, they had no way of knowing if the criminal organization had really suspended the attempt to locate its own superman. Although Superboy's statement to the media had done a good deal to defuse the rumors, Marta's father had warned both Ally and Ben, as well as their mother, to be alert, even with Bill Church Junior back in prison and serving the remainder of his original sentence (plus the new charges.) Ben, Superman had pointed out, needed to be able to appear harmless and fully human, as well as defend himself if necessary.
Amazingly, in spite of the fact that Ally had known almost at once that Marta's father was Superman, Ben didn't appear to have realized the fact. The only thing Marta could figure out was that, even though Ally was like Linda Lennox, and could feel the difference between Kryptonians and humans, for some reason Ben couldn't. Marta's dad had said they would have to tell him eventually, but for the moment they would keep it secret.
And then, two days ago, Susie and her friends had returned to school, fresh from their court appearance. All three of them, it seemed, were on probation, subject to their good behavior. To no one's surprise, it had taken less than a day before Susie was threatening Marta again. That was when Maria Hernandez had come up with an idea.
It had required help from Marta's mother and father, as well as her Tae Kwon Do instructor, of course, but Marta's mom had pointed out to the principal that this looked like the only thing that might convince Susie that continuing her feud with Marta Kent was not only stupid but potentially dangerous. Rather than have his administration find it necessary to deal with Susie and her friends again, not to mention the potential lawsuit against the school for failing to protect a student while that student was under its jurisdiction, Principal Setter had listened to the idea and, after due consideration, agreed. He had scheduled their demonstration as part of the student entertainment for the monthly school assembly.
So here were Marta and Ally, awaiting their turn for their presentation -- a demonstration of a Tae Kwon Do sparring match, and an illustration of its use in self defense -- in full gear, of course. The two girls had choreographed it out to the last tiny move under Lois's instruction. It was going to look good, and if it didn't impress Susie Jones of the wisdom of leaving Marta strictly alone, then nothing would.
"And now," the voice of the announcer boomed over the audio system, "we have a demonstration of the arts taught at the --" He stumbled over the name of the martial arts school, mispronouncing the name badly, "-- School of Tae Kwon Do, presented by Marta Kent and Allynda Myers!"
Marta and Ally strode out onto the stage, bowed, and stepped onto the mat that the students in the roles of stagehands had dragged into position after the last act. The two girls faced each other and bowed. Maria, standing off to the side, gave the signal and the demonstration was on.
It was a good thing they had practiced this so thoroughly, Marta thought. The "combat" was to them a smooth dance, each move choreographed to the last fraction of an inch. In front of nearly a thousand students, and intent on impressing Susie Jones with the unwisdom of continuing to goad Marta and her friends, they couldn't afford a mistake.
To make it even more impressive, Lois had instructed them to use just the slightest bit of super-speed, so the moves, blows, and sound-effects looked and sounded exactly like those in a martial arts movie. Her dad had taken video of it when they practiced so they could refine their moves and make it look even better than it did initially, and yesterday they had stayed after class to demonstrate the routine for Marta and Ally's instructor. She had given them a few tips as well.
The only sounds in the auditorium were the ones Marta and Ally made as they kicked, punched, blocked and parried and otherwise you could have heard a pin drop, even without super hearing. At the end of the ten-minute match, Maria called the time. Both girls backed away from the other, bowed, and turned to face the audience. Again they bowed, to the sound of thunderous applause, and a sudden babble of voices, as the curtains slid shut.
"If that doesn't work," Ally said, as they removed their gear backstage, "then Susie is a complete moron and deserves whatever happens to her."
"That's for sure," Maria said as she helped pull off Ally's padded helmet. "Do you think if I joined your school that I could ever get as good as you?"
"Sure," Marta said. You have to work at it, and make sure to attend all the classes, though. Lots of people start and then drop out after a few weeks."
"I'm going to ask my mom," Maria said. "It looks like fun."
"It is," Ally said. She took off the jacket and wiggled out of the rest of her outfit. "If you like, I can introduce you to our instructor at the Dojang. She's this sweet, tiny little Korean lady, about sixty years old, and she's sudden death in both hands. You'll like her."
"Kinda like you and Marta," Maria said.
"Uh uh," Marta said. "We're nowhere near as good as her. Not even my mom is, and she has a black belt in it."
Someone knocked on the partition before poking her head around the edge. "Are you three almost finished?" Ms. Cricket inquired. She was the seventh grade art teacher, and her name was a running joke at the school. Marta liked her. She took all the teasing with good humor and never seemed to resent it.
"Yes ma'am," Ally said. She glanced into the mirror and re-fastened her hair clip.
"Good. You need to come on and get ready for the final bow." She regarded both girls with a little smile. "That was very impressive. I've overheard a number of students planning a visit to your school. I imagine that martial arts training is excellent for physical fitness."
"Yes ma'am," Marta said. "And for discipline, too. It helps me with my schoolwork."
"Me too," Ally said.
"That's probably why you make A's in nearly everything," Maria said wistfully. "Maybe my grades will improve if I start a class there."
"Maybe," Marta said. She finished storing her gear into its bag and fastened the catch. "I'm ready."
Together, the three girls walked out to join the other performers on stage. As they bowed to the auditorium full of students, and whistles, cheers and applause washed over them from the exuberant middle schoolers, Marta scanned the crowd. There were Susie, Darlene and Lynn, hunched sullenly in chairs near the back of the room. Marta allowed herself a little smile. The three girls were looking sourer than ever.
Well, whether they took the warning or not didn't really matter. She knew who she was, and she knew what they were. She was the daughter of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and three weeks ago, when she and Wyatt Dillon had faced down a much older bully to save their friends, she had realized something.
Like her father had always said, he believed he had been given his fantastic powers for a reason and so did Marta. She would never be able to stand back and let evil win because she was afraid to act.
The bullies and thugs of Metropolis and the world had better look out, because in just a few years, she and Wyatt would be coming for them.
The End
