|Kal-El, Star-Child|
By:
Myne Comix Meg
A/N My mother encouraged me to put up something a little less sinister (i.e. Joker! X}) i honestly don't mind taking a break from that fandom, as I have much more in store for him later!
I realize not everyone believes the way I do, but I wanted to do something a little different. The rules of the site do not hinder me from including my religious beliefs in what I write, so if you don't agree with me, that's ok; just please respect me, don't bash me, and I will pay you the same courtesy.
Please enjoy this story (finally something with more than one chapter!) no matter how you feel personally!
Dedications:
For Christopher Reeve, the real Superman, and for Brandon Routh, who made a very wonderful incarnation of Superma; both of whom played our hero the way he was meant to be played.
I own nothing. Batman and Superman and their respective families belong to DC and a host of other lucky people, of which, I am not one.
I wrote this last year, (before Batman really, really entered the scene), on my iPod, so it might not be up to the caliber you might already be expecting from me. Just know that I did my best, and if you must flame, please use tiny matches. X}
Encouraging reviews are "super" welcome! :)
Stick me with a fork; I'm done. - The Spectacular Spiderman; Spiderman
A flaming, comet-like orb races across the universe.
Shooting through space at incredible speeds, it dives into Earth's atmosphere. Gravity exacts its strong power over the object and hurls it towards the ground. Mere minutes after entering Earth's atmosphere, the miniature space-craft crashes in a wide open area on a large mass of private property. Smoke wafts upward as the crunched, red-hot metal cools in the moisture of the dirt. Receiving a signal from its origin of flight, a small beacon of green light begins to shine out into the darkness.
Somewhere, a child cries out.
A slight drizzle starts to fall. It's close to midnight...
|Gotham City, NY|
It was a dark and stormy night. Great fingers of white-hot lightning flashed across the sky, and a low growl of thunder, seemingly curling up from the edges of the horizon, stretched through the air over a partially sleeping Gotham City. A tall, well-built man in a trench-coat entered the great oaken door of his home just as a slight drizzle from the approaching storm began to fall.
"Martha? Martha?" he called out. "Where are you, dearest?"
"Here I am, Tom!" answered Martha Wayne, rushing forward to greet her husband.
"There you are, darling," said Dr. Thomas Wayne, as he embraced his wife.
He kissed her forehead lovingly.
"And how is my lovely bride," asked the doctor, placing a tender hand against her cheek.
"I'm well, thank you, husband," she replied with a heart warming smile.
"Where's my little Bruce?" asked Thomas, looking about the entryway.
"He's upstairs playing 'master equestrian' with Alfred," said Martha.
Thomas laughed.
"Ah, Bruce! Only four years old, and already he knows just how to get what he wants out of good old-,"
Suddenly, a loud noise like a rocket roared overhead. A blinding, flaming flash of light whizzed past the sitting room window across the hallway, and then a huge, *KABOOM!* shook the manor. The lights fizzled and crackled then died completely. Martha gave a small shriek and clung to her husband.
"Thomas, what's happening?" she asked, shaken. "What on Earth-,"
"Shhh," said Thomas, calming her and placing a finger over her trembling lips. "I'm sure everything is fine. Probably just some lightning exploding into the power lines."
Martha eyed him with a look that said she refused that answer.
A frightened scream had come from upstairs when the lights abruptly went out, followed by the wails of a small boy.
"Mommy! Mommy! Come get me; I'm scared! Mommy!"
It was little Bruce.
"I'd better go and get him. He's dreadfully afraid of the dark, you know," said Martha, feeling her way down the entry hall.
"No need for that, madam," said a reassuring British voice. It was Alfred Pennyworth, the family butler. He was carrying a whimpering Bruce in one arm, and a lighted candlestick in the other, and somehow still managing to look stone dignified while descending the stairs.
"Oh, thank you, Alfred!" said Martha, reaching for the crying boy. "There, there, my little angel. Mommy's got you. There, now. Nothing's going to get you. Everything is going to be alright. There," she soothed, cuddling Bruce close to her, as she went to sit in the sitting room across the way. The child snuggled into the safety of his mother's arms and quickly quieted.
"Alfred, would you go to the kitchen and bring out a couple of the emergency flashlights. I think I'll need one to-,"
Suddenly, a great beacon of green light illuminated the night sky. Everyone startled and looked out the bay window. Green light poured in through the massive shades, and all over the room, spilling out into the hallway where Thomas and Alfred still stood staring, temporarily dumbfounded.
"Investigate," Thomas finished in curiosity.
"Thomas, what on Earth-?"
"Shall I call the authorities, sir?" questioned Alfred.
"No, Alfred," answered Thomas, gazing out the window. He felt a strange, inexplicable pulling inside himself to go find whatever it was that was emanating the emerald shaft of light. He decided to follow his inclination. "No, you stay here with Mrs. Wayne and Bruce. I'm going to go find out what's making that weird light."
"Of course, sir," said Alfred, as he went to fetch the flashlights.
"What do you suppose it is, dear?" Martha asked, gazing out the window in cautious awe.
"I don't know, darling," replied Thomas, stepping nearer to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I really don't know."
"Here are the torches, Master Thomas," said Alfred, having returned from the kitchen.
"Thank you, Alfred."
"Good luck, sir."
"No such thing, Alfred, but I appreciate the well-wishes," said Thomas cheerfully. Then he stepped towards the door.
Martha grabbed his arm before he turned to leave.
"Be careful," she pleaded.
He smiled at her.
"Always," he replied.
"I'll be praying," said Martha.
He patted her hand comfortingly. Then, he stepped out into the stormy night.
The cold wind howled and whipped dead leaves around the yard. Rain fell a little harder than before and flashes of lightning illuminated the sky for a moment. A bat flapped by wildly and screeched silently overhead.
"Ok, you weird little UFO," he said, shining the flashlight on his path. He gazed up at the green beam and followed the shaft down to its point of beginning. "Just what are you up to. And who are you trying to contact..."
Thomas thunked an oblong green crystal onto a desk in the library. It glowed strangely, seemingly by itself, and the eerie light cast from it made them all look ghastly. Alfred poked the fire back into existence in the fireplace.
Martha, eyed it curiously. "What is it?"
Thomas looked up at her. "I have no idea."
"Perhaps, if I may, sir, suggest that it seems to be a crystal of some sort," said Alfred, still prodding around in the fireplace.
"Yes, I can see that, but one that glows without aid of any other source of light?" said Thomas. "That doesn't seem possible."
"Perhaps it is an alien substance, sir," said Alfred, approaching the desk. "After all, you did say it was found in a rather scorched, beat up UFO-looking sort of thing."
"Oh, Thomas! Aliens?" said Martha, looking pale.
"Martha-," Thomas began.
"I know, I know, we don't believe in aliens. But how, then, do we explain this?" she said, lifting her hands in an imploring gesture.
"Look here, sir," said Alfred, who had picked up the bizarre crystal.
"What is it, Alfred?" asked Thomas.
"There seems to be a way to open it, or pull it apart, or something."
"Let me see that."
Alfred handed it over. Thomas placed both hands at either end of the cool crystal and pulled slowly.
"I think it's opening," he said, grinning with excitement.
Suddenly, a huge, brilliant light burst from the center of the crystal. Thomas immediately dropped it and fell back with Martha and Alfred. The light was so bright they had to shield their eyes for a moment. The sound was intense. Then at last, it dimmed. They gaped in awe as the form of a man facing away from them began to take shape in the light. The figure slowly began to turn to them. It looked amazingly human.
"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Thomas.
"My word," muttered Alfred.
"Dear God," Martha prayed in worry.
"It's a hologram crystal! An actual, honest to goodness holo-crystal!" Thomas informed in amazement.
"Mommy, what is that?!" exclaimed little Bruce. The loud sounds had disturbed his sleep on the sitting room sofa, and he had come in to see what was going on. His sleepy little eyes widened in shock when he saw the shining person standing in his parents' library.
"Bruce, come here, now!" said Martha in fear.
"Greetings, Earthlings," said a loud yet soft voice.
The frightened group looked up to see that the man had turned and was looking at them. He were not a hideous monster, nor a skinny green thing with a hulking head and big, soulless black eyes. He was a normal-looking human being, merely dressed differently in a most regal and elegant way. Martha gasped. Thomas and little Bruce gaped in wonder. Alfred looked as though he would faint.
The man spoke again.
"Greetings, in the name of God, from the planet Krypton," he said, extending his hand majestically.
He smiled at the frightened and curious looks on their faces.
"Please. Do not be afraid. I wish you no harm. I am Jor-El, a chief scientist, and head of the house of El."
Thomas stepped forward.
"It is indeed an honor to meet you," he said, bowing slightly. "My name is Thomas Wayne. I'm a doctor and a businessman. And this is my lovely wife and fellow philanthropist, Martha."
Martha, heretofore speechless, stepped closer. "How do you do?" she said shakily. "You're not... An alien?" she asked, losing her fear.
Jor-El smiled.
"No, dear lady. I am not. I am human, just as you yourselves are," Jor-El answered.
Martha, relieved and pleased, then said, gesturing behind her, "This is out butler, Alfred Pennyworth."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir," said Alfred, a bit flustered, bowing in turn.
"It is truly a pleasure to meet you all," said Jor-El, smiling kindly. "You are a beautiful household."
Martha smiled, forgetting that Bruce was at her side, who was still staring wide-eyed at the shiny man.
"Where is this planet Krypton you say you are from?" asked an interested Thomas at length.
"Many, many solar systems away from yours," answered Jor-El. "By my calculations, the probe and this holo-crystal have been traveling for four years to reach you."
Alfred's jaw dropped.
"This holo-crystal was installed for the purpose of communication with any Earthlings the probe might encounter," Jor-El informed. "You see, four years ago, we on Krypton were interested in learning if there were humans living on the known planets. I was granted the privilege of investigating yours.
"Providentially for us, the probe has landed among the peaceful, and the holo-crystal can now be used as a way to gain your aid, as I and my wife, Lara, are in desperate need of your assistance."
"Why do you need our help?" asked Martha.
The Kryptonian's eyes saddened.
"Our planet, Krypton, is dying," said Jor-El. "And although I have proved this with evidence countless times, the Council refuses to listen.
"After a while, they took away my place on the Council and my freedom to practice science, or to even speak to anyone about my ominous findings. They branded me a radical, and said I was mad, and that I was abusing the privileges of a scientist. Then, they placed my wife and I under den-watch, and we have been prisoners in our own home this past year."
Shock reigned on the faces of his hearers.
"However, in the privacy of my underground den-lab, in secret, I have found a way of escape," said Jor-El.
"For whom?" asked Thomas, wondering who would except the banned scientist's help.
"For our son," Jor-El answered.
"Oh, dear God!" Martha gasped. Tears of pity and compassion spilled down her cheeks.
"Come here, my son," he murmured, turning away from them. "No one thought Lara could bear children," he said over his shoulder. "It took some time and much patience. But he is finally here."
Then, after a moment of rustling through something in his world, another being materialized on the screen - a tiny infant boy.
Bruce, who had been listening in confused intensity all this time, suddenly perked up. There, the shining man held a little baby, all bundled up in colorful blankets. He cocked his head in confusion. Aliens had babies?
"This is our only son, Kal-El," said Jor-El, moving back the cloths for the Earthlings to see his little one. "It means 'Star-Child.'"
He was a gorgeous baby. He cooed sweetly, gazing back into their wondering eyes. His hair was jet black, and a tiny forelock of it curled like an 's' over his forehead. His skin was clean and almost glowed white. His plump little cheeks were rosy, with slight dimples to them, and an itty-bitty one in his chin. His thin little lips were soft and sweet. And his eyes! His eyes captivated those of Martha Wayne with their inhumanly blue clarity and innocence. His elegant lashes blinked and blinked over his eyes and he seemed to be looking right through her. Taking her in.
Martha clasped a hand over her mouth and smiled through her tears, "Oh! He's the most exquisitely beautiful child I've ever seen!"
Jor-El smiled proudly. "Thank you."
"Mommy, what's that?" Bruce now whispered, tugging gently at his mother's skirt.
"Oh!" Martha said, suddenly remembering her own child was standing behind her. "Jor-El, this is our son, Bruce," she said, pulling the boy forward. "He's four years old."
Jor-El looked down at the little boy who had approached with curiosity in his eyes, but caution on his face. He smiled. The boy was smart. He knelt before him and looked him in the eyes.
"Greetings, Bruce," he said kindly.
"Hello," said Bruce, politely.
"This is Kal-El," he said, showing him the baby. "He might be your friend someday."
Bruce looked down at the shining baby. The infant was fascinated by Bruce, and his bright eyes widened and he smiled. The light blue eyes locked with Bruce's deeper, darker ones. They seemed to be trying to tell him something; he didn't know what, but Bruce smiled back anyway. He couldn't help it. The baby was too cute!
Suddenly, the child reached out his hand to touch Bruce. Bruce startled. This was all so very strange and exciting! But at last, he relaxed, and giving in, he too reached out and touched the baby's hand. Their hands went right through each other's, of course, for it was only a live hologram. But it just felt right to at least try to touch the baby, for some unexplainable reason.
Kal-El didn't seem to notice or care that the sensation of touch did not reach his tiny fingers through the hologram, and he laughed a pretty baby laugh. Bruce grinned. There was something special about that baby, that moment, that touch. Bruce wasn't fully aware of what, but that was okay. He just wanted to watch the adorable baby play with his side of the hologram; trying to reach him through the huge void of time and space between Earth and Krypton.
Martha lovingly placed her hands on her son's shoulders. Jor-El stood and let the baby play with Bruce on the ground.
"He seems to like young Wayne," commented Jor-El with pleasure. "You're son is very handsome. Like the father," he said addressing himself to both Martha and Thomas.
Thomas nodded his thanks for the compliment.
Martha smiled. "They are both sweet little boys. They would make the best of friends."
Bruce had begun playing a game of peek-a-boo with the baby, and Kal-El wriggled and laughed with glee as Bruce continued to pop his smiling face at the infant from behind his hands.
"I have a way to save my son's life," continued Jor-El. "For this reason, I am asking that you help me learn about Earth, and whether or not my son could survive with an Earthling family on your planet."
"Is there no way for you or your wife to escape?" Thomas asked.
Jor-El smiled sadly.
"Unfortunately, no, there is not," he informed. "I have only just enough time to finish an ark for my son before our planet will cease to exist. And even if I could build more, I have given my word as a scientist and a Kryptonian to the Council that I will not leave the planet. I offered to let Lara join Kal-El, for there would be room for her if I made the necessary adjustments to the craft, but," he smiled again, "she is brave, and very stubborn. She has chosen to remain with me. My fate is her fate. Her fate is mine. We are one flesh. Forever."
He looked down for a moment. There was silence as they let his words sink in. A planet was about to be destroyed, and a population of who knew how many souls was about to be lost, all because of foolishness and pride. Stupidity.
The two children still played together as though nothing separated them; one an Earthling, the other a Kryptonian. Both entirely different, yet so very much the same. Unbeknownst to them, they would soon occupy the same world.
Jor-El calmly picked up little Kal-El from the floor, and cradling him tenderly, put the baby back in the realm of his world which was not visible in the hologram. Bruce simply stood and stared. The alien baby was gone.
"So, Thomas Wayne," said Jor-El finally. "Will you help us? Will you help me save my son?"
Martha stiffened and held her breath. It grieved her heart to know that only the baby would survive the eventual destruction of Krypton. Here, on Earth, she tried to help little families like this one. But in this case, when help wasn't near enough, when the refuge was another planet, she could do nothing. She cried silently. If her husband accepted to help Jor-El, she vowed silently to help him all she could as well.
At last, Thomas smiled.
"I'll try to help you the best that I possibly can, Jor-El," said Thomas. "I promise."
"As will I," rejoined Martha. "You have our word as Earthlings."
The scientist smiled and nodded.
"It is good," he said. "Peace to you."
And with that, the transmission abruptly ended. The light faded back into the crystal, which then shut and dimmed. The shine from the crystal was not as powerful as before, but it still glowed enough to illuminate the faces of the Wayne family.
Thomas held his wife. She cried into his shoulder.
"Alfred," said Thomas, gesturing to Bruce, who stood stock still, mesmerized in front of the crystal.
"Of course, sir," said Alfred, resuming once more his more natural, dignified air. "Come along, Master Bruce. It's way past your bedtime."
Bruce yielded to the butler's gentle tugs to lead him up to bed. He watched the crystal as long as he could. What the shining man had said had been very sad; he knew because of his father's grave face and his mother's tears. Talk of destruction worried him; it sounded bad. And the shiny, little alien baby? What was going to happen to him, and to the man and his wife? He didn't understand it all. The shining man had said the baby would be his friend. But now they were both gone. None of it made sense to the small boy. But he knew he would never forget this night.
As Alfred and Bruce filed out of the library, Thomas moved away from Martha and knelt to pick up the fallen crystal. He fingered it for a moment in amazement. They'd just made contact with people on another planet. A people with no hope of escape from their doom. Yet one man and one woman felt they had a chance for their only son. And they'd reached out to Earth for help. The retained determination in such a hopeless situation astounded Thomas, and made him respect the stoic scientist and his brave wife.
"Incredible," he muttered to himself.
"You're really going to help them, aren't you," said Martha, coming up beside him, and placing a hand on his arm and another on his shoulder.
Thomas hugged her to himself and looked up determinedly.
"With God's help," he said, "yes. I am."
Lemme know what you think! Most likely this will be the only time I write in this fandom. :)