Thanks again to Nancy and Carol for the great BR work on this.
PART SIXTEEN
*~Jay~*
I was leading the class through some cool-down exercises when it happened. The frantic honking horn made all our heads whip around to the window, and the following crash made all of us cringe as we saw the delivery truck plow straight into the building across the street from us.
Instantly, I was out of the gym and running across the street yelling behind me for someone to call 911. I nearly slipped on the ice in my gym shoes as I crossed the street. It was no surprise the truck had skidded.
The truck was completely totaled, judging by the way the front had been squished accordion style. The driver was unconscious, but that was no surprise. He had hit the side of a travel agency, and had come partially through the large front window of the office, stopping when he had reached the brick wall. Although the damage to the building looked pretty serious, I guessed that it was still safe enough for the time being. It was only the window that was broken; the supporting wall was mostly intact. People had run out of the building as soon as the crash happened, and were clustering around the carcass of the truck, although no one had stepped forward to actually check on the driver.
“Did someone call 911?” I asked them.
“She’s on the phone with them right now,” one man spoke, pointing to the woman beside him with a cell phone pressed to her ear.
I looked up to where the trucker was sitting. The door had buckled around him, and I didn’t think there was any way to get him out of there without the fire department’s help. But there was no telling how badly he was injured. And waiting wasn’t going to do him any good.
Then, out of the sky, dropped Superman. The crowd gasped in awe. I sighed in relief.
“Everyone’s okay, Superman, except for the driver. He’s trapped in the vehicle,” I told Clark as I shivered involuntarily. I was still dressed in my shorts and t-shirt from the gym, and it was hardly enough protection against the winter air. “Can you get him out?”
Clark nodded, and walked up to the truck door. He ripped it off its hinges, and threw it to the ground. Carrying the driver gently in his arms, he lifted up off the ground.
“He needs to get to a hospital,” Clark explained. Then he turned to me. “Will you explain to the police what happened when they get here?”
“Sure,” I nodded.
The crowd clapped and cheered as Superman flew away with the driver. I just hugged myself against the cold.
The police thankfully showed up soon. I was able to give a brief statement to them, and head back to the gym. My class had left along with the rest of the crowd, but I had expected something like that. Taking my time, I changed into my street clothes, and exited the gym, slinging my gym bag over my shoulder as I went.
But as soon as I hit the street, I stopped. Clark was standing there. He had also changed, and was dressed as himself again. Judging by the snow collecting in his hair, he had been waiting for a while.
“Hi,” he greeted me.
“Hi,” I replied. “How’s the driver?”
“Awake, actually.” He waited until I had reached him, and then we started walking down the street together. “He has some injuries, but he’ll be fine. Apparently, he skidded on the ice, and couldn’t stop.”
I nodded. It was what I had expected.
“I wanted to thank you for helping out, Jay,” Clark said, surprising me.
“I didn’t do much,” I shrugged.
“You stepped forward and took charge,” Clark said. “That’s something. You have no idea how many rescues I go to where everyone just stands on the sidelines and watches, doing nothing to help.”
His praise confused me, and had me on edge. I wasn’t used to getting that.
“So… that’s the gym you’re working at?” Clark asked, glancing back at the building we had left.
“Yep.”
“You’re enjoying it?”
“Yeah, it’s great.” I was reluctant to go into any more detail with him about it.
We walked on in silence for a while longer. The snow made it seem even more quiet than usual, and I was starting to get more and more anxious. What was his plan? Was he testing me somehow?
“Jay, I’m glad we sort of ran into each other today,” Clark began. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while.”
Great. This did not sound good.
“Okay,” I said warily.
“Look, I know a great restaurant just a block away. You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Care to get some?”
“Uh, sure.” Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how much I would be able to eat with him sitting across from me, but it would probably be worse to decline.
We entered the restaurant, some sort of seafood place, and Clark was greeted warmly. Apparently, he was a regular here. We were seated quickly, and gave our orders. Then we were left alone.
“So… what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, wanting to get whatever it was over with quickly.
“Well, you’ve been dating Ellie for almost six months now. Plus, you know the family secret. It stands to reason that I get to know you a bit as well.”
“Not much to know,” I shrugged.
“Well, how about you tell me how the classes are going? Do you like teaching them?”
“Yeah. I do.” I liked it enough to be wary of telling him about it. As if somehow, he would find a way to ruin it. In my experience, that’s what dads do.
“I love teaching, myself,” Clark told me. “When the university offered me a post, I hardly had to think about it. And although I still partner with Lois on a freelance basis, I’ve never looked back. But Lois, on the other hand…” he chuckled softly. “Well, she’s never had enough patience to be a good teacher. She was great with our kids, of course. But the maternal instinct only goes so far, apparently.”
“Huh,” I replied neutrally. What was I supposed to say to that? If I agreed, wouldn’t that be a sort of insult to his wife? Yet I could hardly disagree, could I?
“But you’re liking it?” he prodded.
“Yeah. It feels good to be able to pass on the skills I have to other people. Well, now that I’m not using them myself.” I watched him anxiously. It had taken me so long to find something that satisfied me. I felt that he was going to take it away at any moment. And I didn’t think I could handle it if he did.
“I feel the same way,” Clark said. “It’s a very rewarding profession.”
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, feeling a little excitement creeping in despite my anxiousness. I had never expected to be able to relate to a man like Clark.
“You know, we’ve got a lot in common, Jay,” Clark told me. “There’s the teaching, for one thing. And then we both share the innate need to help.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. That’s how the whole…” he leaned closer to me and dropped his voice, “Superman thing came about.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. No matter how dangerous it was, I couldn’t resist helping out whenever I could. Having a colorful costume as a disguise was the best thing that ever happened.”
Surprisingly enough, Clark was actually easy to talk to. He was non-judgmental, and although he wasn’t afraid of expressing his own opinions, he was also willing to consider mine as well. We spent an enjoyable lunch talking and getting to know each other better, and by the end of the meal, I was even feeling brave enough to tell him how surprised I was to see that he didn’t seem to hate me.
“Jay, I’m not trying to pry,” Clark told me after a heavy pause. “And trust me, I haven’t been snooping into your personal life on any level. But…”
“But?”
“Well, I’ve met your father,” he finally said. “I think it must’ve been hard for you growing up. And I’m guessing that you haven’t heard any kind of approval from him much, and that makes it all the more important that I tell this to you. I’m very glad that you’re dating my daughter, Jay. I think you’re a fine man. And I’m proud of what you’ve done with your life.”
We had some excellent food at that restaurant, just as Clark had predicted. But none of it was as satisfying as those words he had spoken to me.
* * *
*~Ellie~*
***
There was no car in the drive, and I allowed myself to relax a little. Mom wasn’t home for sure, and maybe Dad was with her or out doing Superman stuff or maybe something else. This whole thing would be a lot easier if no one was home.
I inserted my key in the lock with difficulty. It was three hours after the exposure and I still couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. I dumped my purse by the front entrance and pushed my hair back off my sticky forehead. It had been so long since I felt the heat, and I wasn’t sure if this was entirely natural, or if I was a bit feverish on top of it. Anyway, I didn’t want Mom or Dad to find out what I had done. But so far, I was safe. Now all I had to do was make it up to my-
“Hi, Ellie.”
“Ahh!” I screamed. “Dad!” I hadn’t heard him, but with my hearing as it was right now, that wasn’t a surprise. After five years, I had grown very used to my extra senses, and it felt so weird to go without them.
“Are you okay, Ellie?” Dad asked in concern.
“I’m fine, Dad,” I said as calmly as I could manage.
“El-lie?” This time, he said my name sternly, as if he knew I was hiding something from him.
“Dad…”
“You’re sweating,” he observed.
I wiped my forehead again. “Yeah, I know.” There was no choice. I would have to tell him. “Look, Dad, I was in the lab alone today for a bit and I…”
Dad reached up and felt my forehead. “And you’re burning up! You must have a fever.”
“Yeah, I… I thought that. See, Dad… Well, I’ve always been curious, you know that. And I was only planning a really short exposure, honest!”
“Exposure?! Ellie did you-”
“But I wasn’t expecting it to hit me *that* hard-”
“You exposed yourself to Kryptonite?! On purpose?!!”
“Yeah,” I admitted quietly.
“Ellie, what were you thinking?” he demanded. “Haven’t we told you that Kryptonite is dangerous?”
“I know, Dad.” I went to go sit down on the sofa. Something told me that this talk would take a while.
“And I can’t believe your aunt and uncle would be so careless as to let you have access to that kind of thing. Don’t they know you can seriously get hurt?”
“I don’t think they knew that I-” But Dad wasn’t listening by this point.
“And how could you be so reckless and try this? And *alone*? What would’ve happened if you passed out? Did you even think about the possible conse-” He stopped, and took a breath. “I’m sorry, Ellie,” he said, switching gear suddenly. “You must be feeling pretty rotten right now.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “And before you say it: No, I don’t want any tea.”
“Okay,” he said with a grin. He sat down in a chair, and regarded me thoughtfully. “Have I ever told you how much you’re like your mom?”
“A few times,” I told him wryly. “But I don’t see why Kryptonite exposure makes me like Mom.”
“It’s the risk taking that makes you like Mom,” he told me. “And the insatiable curiosity. Tell me; was it worth it just for the experience?”
“I’ll let you know in a few hours,” I replied. “When I’m hopefully feeling better.”
“You’ll get more sun upstairs,” Dad decided. He reached out a hand to help me up. “Get some sleep, but leave the window open, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed. I was already halfway up the stairs before he was even done talking.
“And don’t think for a second you’re going to get away without talking about this,” Dad called after me. “We’re going to discuss it thoroughly when Mom gets home, you hear?”
***
* * *
*~Jay~*
I was exhausted when I got home later that day. My head was still buzzing from my conversation with Clark. Apparently, he didn’t hate me, which was something I was still getting used to. And he actually thought I was making good use of my life, which, in all honesty, was something I had never been told before. And it meant more coming from Clark than it ever would from someone like Kaylie or Ellie. Clark wasn’t going to say something just for the sake of being nice to me. When he said something, he meant it.
I snapped the overhead light on, and the figure of my father hunched at the kitchen table became visible.
“Dad? What are you doing here?”
He turned in his seat slowly, and then stood up, facing me. His wide shoulders seemed to take up the whole room.
“I made a special trip,” he replied. “I need to talk to you, Jason.” He stared at me intensely, and I found myself unconsciously shrinking back. But I kept my ground, and instead risked a more careful look at him. A man like him would never appear harried, but he sure came close.
“What do you want?” I dumped my bag on the floor, but I didn’t step any closer to him.
“I need to know what the hell the Kent family is hiding,” he told me. “And don’t even try to deny it, Jason. Any idiot who spends less than a minute with them would know instantly that they have a secret.”
Damn. I knew Dad must’ve suspected something after that family dinner.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I declared bravely.
“Don’t even try that with me, Jason,” he spoke furiously. “I’ve been over every government database in existence. NIA, FBI, Secret Service, Homeland Security, you name it. They’re not there. And if they’re not registered, that means they can’t be on our side. Is that what you really want?”
I bit back a laugh. Sure, Dad knew that the Kents were up to something, but he didn’t have the creativity to imagine any scenario that wasn’t orchestrated by some government agency. It was almost tragic.
I saw the way he looked right now. His face was flushed, and his chest was heaving in anger. He was gripping the kitchen chair tightly, and his jaw was clenched together with equal force. And at that moment, I realized something.
I didn’t have to put with this.
“What the hell,” I began more calmly than I though possible, “makes you think you can just break into my place and demand that I spill all the secrets of the people closest to me? The people who have shown me more love and acceptance and have treated me better than you ever have? I want you to go.” I opened the door of my apartment with a flourish. “I don’t know how you got in here, and I don’t really care,” I told him. “But you better leave right now. I’m done with you.”
Dad stood there, completely still, for a beat. His mouth actually hung open. For one second, I thought he was going to say something, but then he changed his mind. Instead, he picked up his coat and briefcase, and left without a word.
I slammed the door, flipped the bolt, and collapsed against the wood in one smooth motion. I couldn’t believe what I had just done.
I had swore to my *father*. I had told him to get out. I had refused to give in to him. I had actually stood up to him.
But even through all that, I still wasn’t satisfied. I wasn’t happy, I was mad. That one defiance wasn’t enough to pay back for years of torture. I needed more.
I had a small, office type space tucked behind a door in my apartment. I didn’t really need a desk or anything, so for a long time, it had been completely bare. But one day, with Martha’s voice still echoing in my ear, I had gone out and bought a bunch of tools, and a few coils of wire. They had sat under a pile of blankets ever since, never seeing the light of day.
But today was a day of risks.
I started small, cutting a length of wire and bending it in my fingers. But that quickly built, until I had a mass of intricately tangled wire sitting on the floor in front of me. But that wasn’t enough. My fingers itched for more. I dashed to the kitchen and snatched up the first thing I saw. My toaster. The stupid thing had never worked properly anyway.
In minutes, it was demolished, and I sifted through the goodies hidden within. Buying a blowtorch for my small apartment was beyond even my stupidity, but I did purchase a small soldering iron, and made use of it now. Slowly, a shape was beginning to form in my mind. But I needed more material.
I could hardly dismantle every appliance in my possession, so I furiously thought of alternatives.
Then I remembered. I often came up the back entrance of my building, and for some reason, I remembered the dumpster today. I had a vague recollection of a shape, and as for material… it was something metal, I thought.
Before I knew it, I was out the door, running down the stairwell, and approaching the dumpster. It was insane! I was actually dumpster diving.
And not after top secret information either. I was after metal. That was it. And any other interesting stuff I found along the way, of course. Thankfully, the object I was searching for was placed innocently beside the actual dumpster. A bicycle with a bent frame, hopelessly damaged. But a thing of beauty to me. Soon, I was running back up the stairwell, only slightly hindered by my cargo.
Three hours after I had started, I was finally able to step back. A couple pots, plus about half of my silverware had been sacrificed as well.
The finished product was tall, imposing, and twisted. It carried the weight of years of emotional pain and struggle. I was almost afraid to look at it, yet at the same time it sucked me in with a force I couldn’t fight.
Finally, worn, dirty, and sweaty, I dragged myself away from that small room, and into the rest of the apartment. I took in the stark, impersonal surroundings like a surveyor checking out the land.
Maybe it was about time that I got some more furniture for this place.
