No help needed, Simona! Christy's powerful
Hysteron Proteron. The Langs... >shudder<
Here's another good oldie:
Ever since the Internet Superman groups had began, the idea of a secret identity for the hero had been a recurring one; very popular with the newbies especially. They were all dissuaded from the notion by Keith and a few other 'old-timers' on the newsgroup. It seemed patently absurd that anyone so powerful as Superman would want to live as a normal person. He wasn't human; he couldn't want the same things as everyone else. The idea of a lofty, lonely demi-god held powerful appeal. For the small-minded, it helped to even the score; for romantics, it made him irresistible - perfect and unattainable. "...there are things I'll never have," he'd admitted once, in court, while looking longingly at Lois Lane, which seemed to settle the debate before it had gotten properly started.
Now, however, the certainty was melting away as all the evidence pointed to a new conclusion. A conclusion that fit all the facts, and explained much. Keith knew that when a hypothesis didn't fit the evidence, you discarded the hypothesis, not the facts. Still, he found himself resisting the new hypothesis. He was used to a certain image of his hero - of the self-sacrificing icon who continually gave, and never seemed to take. It was hard to reconcile that to the unassuming family man that Keith had only just begun to know.
But... no wonder Superman had known his name, no wonder the Kents looked at him with such love in their eyes. Superman must be... Clark Kent.
Keith shook his head in wonder. All these years, that's where he'd been hiding... Keith was abruptly stunned by how close he'd been to his hero without realizing it. "Wow. I was talking to him." A thought struck him, and he grinned, somewhat wildly. "No wonder they didn't want Secret Service protection..."
This would take some time to adjust to.
