Journal of a Superman
By S.P. Bley
Black Rock
"Do they always set fires?" Calvin asked into his hands-free piece, "or do I just get the sick pyromaniacs."
"If it was pyromaniac," Mike fired back, "he would have stayed to watch."
Calvin chuckled as he landed in front of the burning lobby of the bank. A police officer came up to him and pointed to the building, "The guy got away," the officer debriefed the hero, "the patrons are in a safe right now."
"So they should be safe while I go track down the bad guy and bring him back here." Calvin asked.
"Well, no," the officer said solemnly, "there's a bomb inside the safe that will cause a reaction that will remove the oxygen from the room."
"How long?"
"Min…" The officer was interrupted as Calvin raced into the building at full blast, cutting right through the heavy flames as he reached the large safe door. Grabbing the handle, Superman pulled on the heavy metal door until it came off its hinges, taking a good portion of the dry wall with it.
"Superman?" Linda called out into the phone.
"Not now!" Calvin replied as he pulled the receiver out of his ear and held onto it. He knew from tests that it didn't stay in, and might compromise his phone. Inhaling, Calvin felt the hot air flow into his throat and down into his lungs, where it was being compressed. With a pause, a blast of ice breath erupted from his mouth, smothering the fire and bathing the lobby in a light layer of snow. "Minty fresh," the boy said as he returned the hands-free to his ear.
" Cal," Linda's voice again called, "your not going to believe who just caught the guy in the get away car."
"Wouldn't be the actual cops, would it?" He asked as he picked up an elderly couple and sped away from the bomb as it released its chemicals, causing a wind effect in the bank. As he exited into the streets of Metropolis, he looked up with the crowd. A girl with long red hair and a black, ornate mask that covered her upper face was floating above the cops, holding a man in her arms. She wore a black t-shirt and similarly colored skirt and boots. The only variation in color was a white cape flowing under her hair. As the girl landed with the man, she turned to reveal the logo on the front of her shirt: a silver S Shield not unlike the one the first Superman died in.
"No," Mike answered, "the news report is calling her Supergirl."
"You have got to be…"
"Great job," the masked girl interrupted as the cops cuffed the crook, "I just saw the cops chasing him. I had no idea that there were people trapped in there."
"You too," Calvin meekly said, "um, I could have never, um, caught him without your help."
"God," Linda's voice sounded off in the distance, "Super or not, he can't talk to girls," Followed up by a loud laugh from Michael.
" Cal," Mike's voice, broken by laughter, stated much louder, "Linda says bail before you get caught looking at her breasts on the six o'clock news," Another fit of giggles echoed into the boy's ears.
"We should go on a patrol some time," Supergirl said, bringing Superman away from the conversation on his head set, "like, team up or something."
"Sure, I'd love too do that some…"
"Alright, flyboy," Linda's voice, more audible then the last time replied, "you're late for your date. So ditch the girl and get airborne."
"I need to go," Superman said as he pushed off the ground, "patrol, tomorrow?"
"Sure, meet at the Planet Building?"
"'Kay," Superman said as he flew off towards his house.
"Smooth, Mr. Man of Steel," Linda joked into the phone, "flustered around the girl. Forget Lex having Kryptonite, half the school just needs to drum up idol chat with you."
"You wanted to see me sir?" Daniel said as he walked into the posh office of Lex Luthor. The bald man looked up and then to his assistant, who was holding out some files he needed to authorize.
"Abigail, why don't you take a break for a few minutes," He suggested, taking his attention away from the papers in the folder. The dark haired woman walked out of the office, closing the doors behind her, "She's a good kid, but lacks a few finishes that her predecessor had."
"That isn't why you asked me here, is it?" Daniel asked.
"No, not at all," Luthor said, now jumping to the heart of the matter. "After the destruction of the last project you were on, LexCorp has acquired a rather large sum of income that we cannot account for. Since we cooked the books to get rid of the money your project needed, having it all rather suddenly will look, well, bad. I was wondering if I could interest you in a new assignment that would help us both."
"Mr. Luthor," the doctor protested, "I can't do it again. If I get caught, my family would be devastated."
"I completely understand," Lex said as he typed something on the computer, "I'm just giving you first shot at the new project because yours ended so tragically. Think it over, sleep on it for a while, and tell me what you think next week, okay?"
"Sure, sir," Daniel humored the man as he walked back out the door. The doctor had already made up his mind.
"Did you find anything out about this Supergirl?" Calvin asked as he walked into the bed room, seeing his friend and brother sprawled over the desk and beds of the room.
"Except that everyone else is clueless about her," Mike stated, "No, we didn't."
"Hate to break it to you, Supes," Linda said as she gestured to the dresser, "but its in bad form to go to a date thinking about another girl."
"You know, I've never met this person, and you're making it out like we're a couple."
"Isn't that what you want?"
"I just want to have a date so I'm not the only loser without one at the dance," Calvin stated, "besides, she sounds more like someone you would be interested in."
"She's not my type," Linda said as she looked up, "aren't you getting changed?"
"Not with you in the room."
"You're not stripping," Linda retorted, "I'd be surprised if you took the Superman suit off. Just put on something nicer then that."
"So, what's she look like?" Calvin asked as he pulled down his pants, revealing the concealed layer underneath. Despite how Linda felt about it, he still felt weird with her in the room.
"Typical build, green eyes, red hair, has a mole on her…"
"…Red hair?" Calvin asked as he pulled on a pair of jeans, "like…"
"…Oh my god, Cal, you cracked the case. She has red hair like a good number of people. She might be Supergirl," Linda quipped sarcastically, "and I have black hair. You caught me, I'm the long lost Wonder Woman in hiding. And if you hadn't figured it out by now, Sherlock, your brothers hair has a tint very much like the first Supergirl's."
"Hey," Mike yelled, pulling his head away from a printed article about the first Supergirl.
"Sorry. Just seemed a little coincidental." Calvin said as he pulled on his shirt and striking a pose, "how do I look?"
"Knock 'em dead, Flyboy," Linda said as she took a quick glance.
"Alright," Calvin said as he grabbed his keys from the desk, "let's go."
A light rain blew over the parking lot as the two teens entered the lower portion of the Barns & Noble. Linda had picked the spot mostly because she could sit and read a magazine or book while the two talked and got to know each other before the big date that Saturday. After scanning the coffee section, Linda walked over to a girl with long, red hair. "Ashley," the black haired girl said as she pulled the boy closer, "this is Calvin, my friend I was telling you about."
"Oh, hey," the girl said as she stood up from her seat, "Linda told me so much about you. Ashley Powton." She stuck out her hand to shake.
"Calvin Lark," Cal said as he reciprocated the gesture.
"Well," Linda said, interrupting the greeting, "now that you two know each other, I have that thing to find and read. Alone. Because I was just dropping in to…"
"We understand that you can't join us," Calvin interrupted, as he shot a look at his friend. Linda took the hint and walked off towards the escalators to do look for something to occupy her time. "She thinks I'm the little brother she never had," Calvin reassured Ashley, "so, your new here. Where are you from?"
" California," Ashley answered as they took their seats.
"Which part?"
"San Fran. My mom got a job at the Aerospace museum here."
"What's she do?"
"Curator. Though she likes working with the meteorites."
"That's interesting."
"Not really. The only good I see out of it is that I get some interesting looking jewelry when she's done," She tugged on a chain around her neck, pulling a black stone, very much like a diamond in shape, into view, "She gave me this from a rock she looked at once."
"That's cool," Calvin said as he looked at the item, "what type is it?"
"Obsidian, we think."
"You think?"
"It hasn't responded to any tests that would disprove that, but it looks the part."
"So, what do you do for fun?"
Ashley looked up, "You think it's boring?"
"No," Calvin somewhat lied, "I just wanted to get to know you. Not a rock."
"Smooth," Ashley said as she dropped the chain, "did your brother teach you that one?"
"Linda told you?"
"She won't shut up about it."
"That's Mike, raising the bar for all of us."
"The other thing she didn't shut up about for a while: your speech at the Superman memorial."
"That was, well, nothing." Calvin said, blushing slightly.
"That wasn't what I saw," Ashley remarked, "you Metropolites really liked him."
"The world liked him," Calvin said.
"Yeah, but you got to fly with him. When you were five of course, but you know, that's still cool."
"It was."
"So what do you think about the new one?"
"I want to give him a chance before I pass judgment. I don't know. He seems to be stepping on a lot of toes taking up the proverbial cape and everything."
"Would that be the same with the Supergirl that is flying around as well?"
"She's pretty, I'll give her that much."
"I'm jealous."
"I don't know," Calvin said as he leaned back in his seat, "I don't like the mask. She's the first Super I ever saw who wore a mask. It's different."
"Maybe she wants to protect her identity."
"It's just weird," Calvin trailed off. After a few moments of silence, it was Ashley who next spoke.
"So, you're on the swim team?"
"Superman's face," Holly ordered. A green image floated into view, in the shape of a bust of the new Man of Steel. She looked at the face intensely. It was familure, friendly, and yet she had no clue if she knew the guy. She looked at the computer screen and then at the image floating above her desk. The first Superman had worn glasses and styled his hair differently when off work. Maybe the same was true. After all, only a dork wouldn't comb the messy wind swept hair this boy had.
"Add glasses and comb the hair." She coldly ordered. The image flickered, and the new changes made a more mild mannered looking person. Minimizing the file on the first Superman, she pulled up the school's digital year book and narrowed out half of the student body. She then started taking out other factors, such as people with blonde hair, people who didn't have glasses, and people of a different skin color.
It wasn't an exact science, and Ryder didn't say that he was a guy in her school, but he didn't say he wasn't. One by one, the pictures disappeared as the search picked them for missing one of the criteria. Only three were left. The first couple had short hair; too short to be caught in the wind. The other had somewhat messy hair. Her eyes widened.
"Remove the smoothed hair," She strongly stated. The hair returned to its previous winded state. Uncanny and she had let him get away so easily. "Calvin Lark," Holly said, almost to assert the fact in her own mind, "you sly dog."
"So," Susan asked her husband, who had just walked into the kitchen, "what did Luthor want?" She proceeded to chop some vegetables and toss them into a pot of stew for the nights dinner.
"He wanted to give me priority one a new project," Daniel said as he maneuvered around her to begin work on the celery, "I said I would mull it over, but I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be no."
"Why's that?"
"I'm kind of ethically against it," Daniel tried to explain his feelings, but the words didn't suffice.
"Ethically against it?" Susan skeptically repeated, "I've never known you to be ethically against any science. What's he really up to?"
"Nothing, I just don't agree with it."
"He's doing something illegal," Susan said, dropping the knife, "you know we've been trying to get him since he returned."
"No," Daniel said as he embraced his wife, "I'm just not sure I agree with it ethically. It's more a matter of my family then my principles that I'm concerned about."
"Does it pay better?"
"I'm sorry?"
"If the money was better on this project then your last one," Susan explained, "you should really think about taking it. At least think about paying off our debts."
"Okay," Daniel said, as he leaned into give his wife a kiss, "I'll ask him."
Mike sat on his bed reading a book for school. He had done a lot of work on following leads about the Supergirl, with no success. He had neglected homework and was now trying to catch up when his brother walked into the room. "No luck," the blonde reported to Calvin, "How was Ashley?"
"Alright," Calvin replied, sitting at the desk and opening the laptop. A Youtube page sat on top of the computer's desk top.
"Best I could find," Mike said as Calvin hit the play button. A shot from the helicopter over the incident earlier saw him talking to Supergirl. Calvin watched as he turned to fly away, and the girl flew almost straight for the camera. In fact, it seemed deliberate, considering her wave in the viewer's direction, "from today's robbery. It's the best clip out there."
"Thanks," Calvin said as he blinked. The room around him began to fade. Cal swirled his seat and looked at, or through, his brother, examining the boy's bones as Mike read his book. He turned the chair again and looked at the computer. He looked at the chips inside, and then turned his attention to the dresser and scoped the drawers. He squinted as a cube blocked his view of everything else. He walked over and opened his brother's underwear drawer: a dark black box sat inside. Despite every attempt, the box would fade away. Instead, Calvin had to open it. He unfastened the hatches and pulled open the lid.
A green light flooded the room as Calvin felt an unbearable pain. He felt a cold numb wash over him as he fell to the ground. It became hard to breathe, every gasp a strain on his lungs to pull the needed oxygen out of the air. He couldn't focus on anything for the pain as Mike ran over him, and scooped up the green rock. Placing it inside the box, the younger brother shut the lid and put it back in the dresser. Dazed and weak, Cal slowly rose to his feet. "What was," He began, winded, "what was that?"
"Kry-Kryp-ptonite," Mike stammered.
"Why do you have Kryptonite in our room?" Calvin asked as he sat back in the chair, catching his breath.
"Superman's g-gone b-bad b-before," Mike replied.
"But I'm not…"
"…You're still vulnerable like he was," Mike shouted, "and if something happens, that's the quickest way to stop you!"
"Nothing will happen!" Calvin protested, "Get rid of it!"
"Checks and Balances, Superman," Mike retorted, looking his brother in the eyes, "or are you incorruptible by power."
"I'm going for a walk," Calvin coldly stated as he left the room.
A small thud of a sonic boom echoed over Queensland Park as Calvin flew off into the night, blowing off steam. He ascended closer to the stars, irate at the fact that his brother had brought Kryptonite into the house. To stop him no less! The clouds broke the stars as Calvin cleared some of the shorter towers and flew towards New Troy; or Bakerline or the Atlantic. Flying around the world seemed like a good way to clear his troubled mind.
Superman cleared the bay separating New Troy Island form the rest of Metropolis, looking down at the people on the elevated streets. Occasionally, a hover car would pass beneath him, but for now, he was alone in the sky. As he hovered over the wet city below, Calvin began to filter out noises. Voices below him faded as he distinguished sounds until he heard a bloodcurdling scream. Calvin raced off in the direction of the noise to the shady Suicide Slums, passing over them as the cry faded. He couldn't be too late. As he landed in the alley the scream originated from, a gust of wind from his contrail blew around several papers. As the winds stopped, a dark object in the middle of the street appeared in front of Calvin. Steam poured off the object as a noxious smell entered the Superman's nose. As he approached the thing, Calvin's eyes grew in horror as he saw that it was a smoldering, burnt body. He looked up to see if there was a culprit. Only a green trail of light off in the distance seemed odd.
"…And in local news," the electronic net anchor said in a cheery voice that did not fit the morning as Calvin looked up to the schools Vid screen in the main lobby, "the body of Markus York, a local man who has had several run-ins with the law was found in a Suicide Slums alley last night. The body was severely dehydrated and burnt. Officers described it as almost mummified and are warning citizens to be cautious. This marks the second time a murder has been committed with a similar MO, but no connection between the two has been made."
"At least until now," Linda said as she pushed her way through a see of freshmen, "Tony Matthews. Local drug dealer was killed in a similar fashion."
"Connections would be something that links two people…"
"Jobs. Both where not legitimate business men. York has a grand-theft record a mile long, and Matthews isn't held in high regards with the cops as well."
"Vigilante Justice?" Calvin asked skeptically, "that's my line of work you're bashing."
"I know, but not your style."
"Not if you ask Mike," Calvin remarked.
"He told me, Cal," Linda replied, "And I…"
"He told you?"
"We don't just talk to you when we're answering your phone calls from patrol. If he can't talk to you, he talks to me," Linda explained, "And I think he's right."
"You can't be serious, Lin," Calvin protested, "He's holding something that can kill…"
"You have too much power, Cal," Linda interrupted, "If you had peanut allergy and he kept putting peanuts in his dresser, yeah, you might have a complaint. But you can survive point blank shots of high caliber bullets without a scratch. If I was you, I'd at least be grateful that it was him, and not some soulless army general with the rock."
Calvin only glared at her as the bell rang. Linda silently turned around and walked to her first period.
The hissing of rockets sounded as the man landed on the penthouse of an upscale apartment building. He looked inside the top window down on the party. It certainly was an odd sight: a man, dressed in robotic knight armor in a city that always brought out the best of tomorrow. He reached behind his black cape and pulled out an axe. The shaft of telescoped out-ward, extending the axe away from the man. He held the pole above his head as the blade began to glow with a plasma edge and brought it crashing down on the dinner guests to the screams of the people.
The jets fired, and the man regally descended into the room, as the guest directly under him backed away. The man touched the ground and looked up at the host. "Lex Luthor," The knight hollered at the bald man, "I am here for your life."
"I would imagine you are," Luthor calmly said as security officers filed into the room, "now, perhaps I can make it your lucky day. Tell me who you are working for, and how much he or she is paying you, and I'll pay you double to leave."
"My work is not for my livelihood, Mr. Luthor," the knight replied.
"Pity," the unfazed host remarked. He looked at the security officers, "remove him."
The hired muscle took aim as the party goers raced out of the room. A blaze of laser blasts erupted from their weapons towards the knight. Most shots bounced off the man's armor. A few were deflected by his glowing axe. After a few seconds of trying, the man sprung into action, rushing towards the guards and swinging the weapon. The officers where thrown back as the blade collided. A second hack sent another group flying towards the wall, killing one. Lex decided to take his leave at the sight, rushing out of the room while the man made short work of the remaining guards.
"So," the red head behind the mask began, "what's your story?" She sat on the edge of a high rise's gargoyle spout, as the night air brushed her hair and cape back. She looked to her companion, the brown haired boy wearing the familiar colors and S-shield of his predecessor.
"My story?" Superman repeated the words, not sure what she wanted.
"Your origin," Supergirl explained, "every hero has one, what's yours?"
"Got into a fight with some splicers," Calvin stated, "I was trying to stop them from using a Superman splicing formula. They were going to do some stuff that would have shamed the original. I couldn't let that happen. I accidentally got spliced myself. It still bugs me, not knowing what my plan was past getting out of there with my life. A small voice inside my head keeps telling me that I was going to take it willingly to stop them. I'm not even sure if I would have gotten into the whole hero business unless someone gave me the suit. What about you? Same thing?"
"I don't know how I got my powers," the girl somberly confessed, "but I know why I fight. My dad collected rare antiquities. I mean, rich stuff. Jewelry that would put the Queen of England to shame. One day, some guy just randomly mugs him on the street. For creds. I could understand robbing his collection, but this guy maybe got enough money for a good dinner and hotel room. Maybe. And then he shot my dad in the chest. A year or so later, I found out I had Super powers. I vowed not to let anyone to go through life with the pain of loosing a parent. That's why I wear this," she held up a black gem stone on a chain, "The Blackrock of the Last Czar. My father wasn't a saint when it came to acquiring all his pieces. This one he gave to my mother when they got married after a trip to Russia that he never talked about. She has this thing for junk from space. Legend had it that while Grigori Rasputine was off on a journey around Europe, a meteorite crashed in a field he was passing. He saved the stone, and when he returned to Moscow, had it made into a jewel. It was said that he wore this to his dying day, and it made him a powerful man."
"That is an interesting story." Superman said, staring at the gem before she put it away.
"If I could only tell it to this guy, I think we would have had a better date."
"Why didn't you?"
"Guy's friend is a hopeless busy body. She would have made sure to tell the cops if he found out."
"If you don't trust him with a secret, what do you see in him?" Calvin asked as he sat down beside her.
"Nothing, really," she quietly said, as if the boy was right there, "The guys nice, but he's a dork. I'm only giving him a pity date for homecoming. I mean, he's probably your biggest fanboy. And his fourteen year old brother has more class then him."
"I'm very sorry to hear that," Calvin pretended to be sincere, but she was being way to coincidental.
"Yeah," She said, lost in thought, "so who gave you that suit again?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it was the first Superman."
"But he's dead."
"I know, but at the time I got it, there was no way anyone knew. I just figured maybe, if he was alive, he had some way of finding out about a new Kryptonian or something. I don't know. It's a mystery I haven't tried my hand to hard at."
"Cooler then mine. I just picked up the shirt and some other things at various gift shops. Mask is from some Halloween costume a year ago. That dork I told you about earlier, he didn't like it."
"I'm sure he would have changed his tune if he knew who you were," Superman suggested, "guys tend to do that because they think that saying something nice about a girl he is interested is better then telling her the truth." She giggled at the boy's final remarks, much to Calvin's enjoyment.
"What about you," Supergirl asked, "do you like the mask? Pretend you're not interested."
"I live in a world where the bad guys can see right through masks," Calvin pointed out, "there just in the way. Plus it spooks a lot of people, which is why I don't think the first one wore a mask. He represented hope to a lot of people. I think hope should have a face."
"I don't know how you hid your face from the world, but I need to," Supergirl said, "I don't have a way to hid myself from the world. It's my real face only. I don't know how you do it, but I'm not that super."
"In the words of that old band ZZ Top: Go get yourself some cheap sunglasses."
"Nice," she giggled. Then getting serious, she added, "I'm glad you went on patrol with me."
"Ditto."
"Last night," She continued, getting closer to the other hero, "I felt really crummy because of this guy. I wasn't going to get anywhere fast with him. I'm glad I met you."
"Me too," Calvin said, a little choked up. She was getting pretty close to his face, "Take off your mask."
"What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"We're partners, right? You've seen my face, at least let me see yours."
"What if someone sees?"
"We're on top of the second tallest building in the city, in an area restricted from all the tourists," Superman said, "Who's going to see? You don't need to tell me your name. Just show me what you look like under there."
"Alright," Supergirl said, untying the band of the mask. She held it in place until the strap feel away. Slowly, she pulled away the garment and opened her eyes, revealing the face of the girl Calvin saw last night: Ashley Powton.
"Hiding that face," Calvin softly said, "is cruel punishment for the bad guys."
"Thank-you," Ashley replied. She again moved closer to Calvin, grabbed him around the neck. Her face came closer to his and the next thing the boy knew, she was gently kissing him on the lips. Calvin returned the gesture. Suddenly, he backed away from the girl and looked towards a tall building in the city. "What's wrong?"
"Do you hear that?" the boy asked as he picked up the dropped mask.
"No," Supergirl replied, "what is it?"
Calvin handed the black mask to her as he pointed to a building, "Trouble."
The knight slashed at the elevator doors, hacking an X shape into the metal. He kicked the pieces in and leapt into the elevator shaft. The man fell through the dark hole until his feet connected with a metal sound. He raised his axe to make another cut.
Inside the elevator, Luthor looked up at the ceiling as a loud thud echoed threw the compartment. He turned to the panel and pressed the door open button as the scraping of the axe against the metal fill the small room. The doors slid open and the bald man ran out into the larger room as they slid closed. There was another thud, and then the metal on metal sound once more as the doors flew open. The knight walked around the damaged wreckage and looked straight at Lex. The CEO backed against a wall, beside a window and looked at the knight with, not horror, but indignation. Grabbing the axe like a spear, the night hurled it forward.
BOOM! The window broke as a high wind entered the room. Superman was only a blue and red blur as he deflected the axe from the trajectory of Luthor and made the first blow with the knight before the weapon wedged itself in the wall near the bald man.
"Idiot," the masked man cursed as he held out his hand. A light flashed on the axe, and it flew into the attacker's hand. He gripped it and swung it at the boy's chest, sending him flying back out the window.
"Gotcha," Supergirl said as she caught the hero in mid air. Calvin eased back into flight as the pair raced back to the attacker.
"Watch out for the axe," Calvin ordered, "it packs a punch."
"Axe?"
"You'll see." He thundered back towards the man, knocking him off his feet and into a wall. The axe began to drop, but the assailant held out his hand, and it returned under its own power. The knight struck Calvin in the back, sending the boy the floor. The brute stepped over Superman and again raised the device over his head as he approached Luthor. As he approached, he was met by a powerful upper cut from the now arriving Supergirl. His grip the ace loosened as it careened down the hall. Calvin quickly shot to his feet, and grabbed it. The knight looked up and watched as the Teen of Steel slammed the rod into his knee, breaking the weapon in two. The glow around the blades faded as the boy tossed them to the floor.
"There are two of you," Luthor asked in disbelief, "again?"
Calvin walked over to the man and picked him off the ground. He ripped the helmut off the armor, revealing an un-attractive man underneath. "Who sent you?" Calvin asked.
"I will not talk to you," The knight said. Calvin tossed the man to his partner.
"Take him to the cops," Calvin ordered.
Ashley nodded and flew off, holding onto the guy, "It was nice being on patrol with you."
"Would Superman be a slight bit smitten?" Luthor asked.
Calvin starred back at Lex, "Did you have something to do with her?"
"What would make you say that?" Luthor asked.
"If memory serves, I had to save one of your employees from certain doom in a room full of Superman One clones," Calvin reminded the CEO, "why not have a Supergirl?"
"Superman, anyone could have a copy of the first's genome," Lex said, "any of my competitors…"
"But I know you have."
"Again, you have no proof," Lex reminded the child, "If I remember, it was destroyed when the bombs went off." Calvin grabbed the man and lifted him off the ground. He held Lex out the broken window, some hundred stories above the ground.
"Don't play PC with me," Calvin said in a low voice, "I know you had those clones."
"Go ahead," Luthor smoothly mocked, "drop me. Do something you will regret. But I won't talk to you." Calvin pulled the man back inside and tossed him to the floor. "You tights are all alike," Luthor said getting to his feet. As he did, Calvin took off, knocking the man right back down onto the ground.
"What are you doing?" The unmasked knight asked as Supergirl descended to a dark alley in suicide slums, "I thought you were taking me to the cops."
"I don't trust you'll get the justice you deserve," Ashley sternly said as she leveled off about two feet off the ground, "I want your last thought to be that your life will now help me protect others." She said, grasping the man in both hands. The black gem stone began to glow red.
"You can't be…AHHHHH!" The man screamed as the world around him began to grow cold and dark…
A flick of light entered the black rock around the girl's chest, and the red hot glow ceased. She tossed the withered husk of a body that was once the man aside, and flew back up into the night sky.
Midway across the city, Calvin pulled out the hands-free, and dialed Linda's number. He waited through three rings until "Ca… Superman," was heard.
"Lin, are you at the computer?"
"I was just about to go to bed. Can it wait?"
"Not really. Luthor was attacked by some dude in a knight get-up. He had this axe that did a number on us. I need people who have access to…"
"Us?" Lind repeated, "Oh yeah. So who do you like better: Supergirl or Ashley?" She teased.
"It's complicated," Calvin answered.
"How so?"
"Ashley's cheating on me," he said, taking a pause for dramatic effect, "with me! Wrap your head around that, if you can!"
"Heavy," Linda mused, "is that some kind of metaphor that I'm going to end up…"
"She's Supergirl," Calvin interrupted, "and she has no interest in me. The real me, not the Super-me."
"You have issues."
"Tell me about it," Calvin replied, half joking, "I want to beat me up for kissing her."
"You kissed her!"
"She kissed me first. I just, well, was caught in the moment."
"Well, can't give you advice, Cal," Linda replied, "I don't live a double life."
"So you told your parents about liking girls then?" Calvin yelled into the phone. He knew he messed up before the click of the hung up phone sounded, "Damn it," He yelled into the night.
"So," Mike gazed across the schools parking lot at his brother, "how many of your confidants can you afford to lose?"
"What now?" Calvin asked as he swung his book bag over his shoulder.
"Lin told me about last night," Mike yelled, as he took off his tan jacket, "a low blow, Cal."
"Mike," Calvin said, wide eyed with fright, "you don't want to…"
"You don't know what I want to do," Mike yelled. Calvin saw it in slow motion: his brother's punch, going straight for his face. With a crowd in the lot, it was do or die. He took the hit and stumbled back. Sure, he was faking, but he couldn't take an unarmed hit from his brother and not flinch. Mike tossed another jab to his brother's gut, and Calvin feigned his pain. A circle had gathered around shouting and jeering as Mike rushed his brother for a third time. Another hit. Another kick. Each doing more pain to Mike then they did to Calvin physically. And still the blonde haired boy came at his brother, fire in his eyes as he tossed the next blow. After a few more passes, Mike stood back winded as Calvin looked up at him, glasses askew. The younger brother picked up his jacket and ran down the street to his home.
As Mike continued down the side of the road, cars went out of their way to avoid him. The slowed down and crossed over into the oncoming lane when it was safe. When he dared to look up, he could see the staring of the people who were leaving the parking lot. He looked up to the sky as another car did the same maneuver. A clear road meant that it wouldn't need to slow, but it was. Mike continued on until the horn blared. He looked into the rolled down window. "Get in," Linda ordered from inside. Mike followed suit and the car picked up speed.
"Best way for my brothers make amends was to let them duke it out," Linda recanted after several minutes of silence, "but they still needed to talk to someone, which was why I still get calls from them in college."
"You think there is something between Cal and me?" Mike asked sarcastically.
"Please," Linda said, "you two are no different then my real bros. Except you dweebs don't look alike. You both still come to me with your problems. In all fairness, you should have at least told him you were getting the rock from the old woman."
"That wasn't why I punched him," Mike somberly corrected, "I was mad. At him. He could take it."
"But he can dish it out too," Linda noted, "so why did you toss the first blow?"
"You," the blonde answered, "What he said last night wasn't right."
"So, we go back and forth all the…"
"I didn't give him the right to say that."
"If I didn't know better," Linda said after thinking over the conversation thus far, "I'd say that was less of the 'we-share-a-room-and-you're-just-being-a-pain' fight, and more of the you-just-dissed-my-girl fight."
"I don't know."
"Mike, do you like me?"
"Yeah."
"In a different way then your brother does?"
"I, um, well, um…"
"You can tell me the truth, Mike," She interrupted, "you don't need to worry about hurting my feelings if you don't."
"I do," Mike quickly said, "I don't want you to be hurt."
"Hurt how?"
"Like Cal did last night."
"He crossed a line," Linda calmly said, "it happens." Mike didn't speak, so she continued, "If you want to know the truth, he's right. I should tell my folks. I don't want to, but I should. They just are a little…"
"Old fashioned?"
"…Catholic. I know they would love me no matter what, but they always have this thing about me marrying a nice Catholic boy. Sometimes, my interests aren't in either and well…"
"So why don't you just not be Catholic anymore?"
"Mike," She said smiling, "I don't agree with their views on love. That doesn't mean I don't want to drive a stake through their hearts."
"So you aren't upset?"
"Not really. I was last night, but it passed," She said, deliberately missing the turn. As Mike noticed that they passed his road, Linda grabbed her cell phone and hit a button. After waiting for the other end to pick up, she spoke. "Hey Cal, incase your worried, I took Mike home. He just wanted to chat about some teacher problems." She paused, "Yeah I saw, but we're making it a 'water-under-the-bridge' thing." Another pause, this time she noticed Mike shaking his head at the humor of the situation. "Yeah, I'll tell him. Okay, bye." She tossed the phone in the cup holder and looked at Mike, "He wanted me to let you know that Supergirl is really the girl he's taking to homecoming."
"What are the odds of that?" Mike laughed.
"Oh, it gets better," Linda assured, "do you know who she's cheating on him with?"
"Not a clue."
"Superman." Linda nearly swerved when Mike laughed at the situation.
"Another body was found today in the Suicide Slums region badly scourched," a Web news anchor announced, "police say the unidentified man was earlier stopped that night by Superman and Supergirl, the latter being the last person to see him alive. Both are wanted for questioning."
Calvin's eyes filled with horror as he watched the article. He didn't do anything wrong, but wanted for questioning? This soon into the game? He hadn't been a hero for a month, and already there was a public out cry against him. The door clicked opened as the brown haired boy turned, hoping it was his brother. "Mike, it's on every… How the hell did you get in?"
Standing in the door was, not Mike or any other family member, but Agent Ryder. "Opened the door. Nice to see you too."
"Cut the crap," Calvin said as he got up, "I know that you'll say something weird and then I wake up."
"Have you figured out my MO, Superman?" Ryder asked, putting emphasis on the very last word.
"I don't know what you were talking abo…" Calvin began to protest, but trailed off as Ryder pulled a plastic bag holding the ruined goggles.
"So let's talk about your new partner," Ryder said, realizing he had the boy's attention, "She had the vic last. Have you seen her since?"
"No," Calvin said.
"And Ashley Powton wasn't at school today either?" The man asked, unfazed by the kid's stare, "it's my job to know who you all are."
"She wasn't at school."
"Did she give any reasons for that?"
"No," Calvin replied, "we're just going to the dance. Aside from that, we're not friends."
"Well, right now Calvin," the agent said as he looked up from his pad, "you would appear to be the only person who can bring her to us. She does trust you, right?"
"Sir, she's not going to like that I revealed her secrete…"
"You didn't. We figured it out."
"But she will think its me. I've hurt a lot of people already emotionally. I…"
"If what I fear is true, she could hurt a lot more people physically. I need to speak with her." The man stood up, opened the door and walked out. Calvin rushed after him and wrenched the door open, only to Linda and Mike getting out of her care.
" Cal, what's up?" Linda asked as he looked at the two of them.
"You didn't see anyone come out of the house?" He asked. The two new arrivals just stared at him.
"Dude," Mike interjected, "It's just us, unless seeing ghosts is a new power."
"Okay," Calvin said as he began to walk away, "I've got to go."
" Cal," Linda yelled, "We need to talk."
"Not now," Calvin shouted back.
"What is more important," Linda asked, "saving the world, or saving your friendships?"
"Don't make me choose this," Calvin turned to face them.
"Look at it this way," Mike suggested, "when you do save the world, will you be proud that we decided not to support you in the process?"
"I would rather be shot with kryptonite bullet then attacked by you again," Calvin said to the group assembled at the table inside his house, specifically to Michael, "I guess it just showed me how angry you where with me."
"Made you down some of that humble pie," Linda interjected.
"Look, Cal," Mike spoke, "you could do some real harm if you didn't think about your actions. I didn't want the rock, but after I heard about that guy ending up giving his own daughter Leukemia, I changed my mind. What if you did hurt someone? Where are the heroes that could stop you? That thing is all we have. I mean, you're already seeing people who aren't…"
"Ryder is real," Calvin interrupted.
"Calvin, you've said this was the first time the man in black wasn't a dream," Linda protested, "and neither of us saw him."
"But almost every time he's talked to me," Calvin retorted, "he's led me right to a problem."
"So what problem is he pointing us to this time?" Mike asked.
"Supergirl," Calvin solemnly answered, "He thinks Supergirl is connected to the serial killer. He was right before, why not now?"
"Because so far, Ashley has done nothing but help you?" Linda suggested, "But if she was the last person with the knight guy you stopped, that would make her a person of interest."
"We'll know where she'll be tomorrow night," Mike pointed out.
"Homecoming," Linda noted, her eyes widening with understanding.
"So we take her to the feds tomorrow after she's done dancing with Calvin," Mike observed, "even if she's not guilty, she'll have a miserable night."
Samantha Powton pushed open a door labeled 'Ashley' and carried in a hamper of clean laundry into the girl's room. She put it down on the floor near Ashley's dresser, and walked over to the bed and pulled off the quilt. The woman began to strip the sheets off the bed, only to recoil as the final sheet came off. Stowed neat and ordered under her bed, was an outfit not unlike that of the Supergirl on the Web. Just then, the door clicked open and the daughter walked in. "Ashley," the mother turned to face her daughter and pointed at the uniform, "what is this?"
"Who told you?" She yelled.
"It was under your bed sheets, I found it."
"You had no right to be in my room."
"I am your mother. I have just as much right to come into your room as you do." The woman yelled. Then, toning her voice down, "So, you're the new Supergirl?"
"Yeah."
"You need to turn yourself in. They want you. Don't do something you'll regret. Just tell them what you did to the man." Samantha pleaded. The girl walked closer and extended her hand towards the woman's forehead. The gem around her neck grew red hot.
"Let me show you!"
Calvin pressed the button on the side of the door. A loud bell rang inside. After the sound of feet running around, the door opened, and a girl with red hair and a blue dress stood in front of him. "You look great, Ashley," he said.
"Thanks."
"Um, this is for you," Calvin held up a corsage. After some time, he slipped the flower over her right wrist.
"It's pretty."
"Yeah," the boy said, "Isn't your mom going to take pictures or see you off or something?"
"No," Ashley began her lie, "She's busy tonight."
"I see," Calvin said. He looked up as the walls began to fade and disappear. The ceiling gave way to the second floor, and Cal saw the withered husk of a person limp on the bed room floor of the girl, "I see."
"She did what?" Mike asked, maintaining a hushed yell over the loud music. He was baffled about the story his brother had told him. He was confused more about the action it seemed to justify.
"She's the killer," Calvin confirmed again, "which is why I need to keep an eye on he while she's with Linda."
"Face it, bro," Mike smiled, "You just want an excuse to use x-ray vision on the girls' room. Cree is in there, right?"
"I'm not undressing her, if that's what you're implying," Calvin noted as the two girls came out of the bathroom, "and now I'm done."
As the two ladies met up with their dates, a slow song started up. Linda grabbed Mike and dragged him to the center of the dance floor. Ashley folded her arms. "Would you like to dance?" Calvin asked. Silently, she held out her hand. Calvin took it and walked towards the edge of the crowd of people and put his arms on her waist as she wrapped hers around the boy's neck. A wide, awkward gap filled the space between them. He looked over to his brother and friend. There was barely any space between them. He turned his head back to the girl in front of him, noticing that she was just as disinterested as he was. Cal followed her gaze to a series of men who were walking into the room. Calvin instantly recognized one of them: Agent Ryder, in the flesh. "Ashley," Calvin said as Ryder moved closer, "I know you're Supergirl. I also know that you need help. You're in over your head, and you need to admit that."
Ryder pointed in their general direction as the men walked over. "Ashley Powton," the agent asked.
"What?" the girl replied, turning to face the man.
"You are wanted for questioning for the murder of Samantha Powton," Ryder continued, "please come with us."
The black rock around her neck glowed brightly as Ashley grabbed Calvin's wrist. Calvin felt something flow between the connection as his legs weakened underneath him. He started to double over as the crowd watched the feds back away. Ashley, on the other hand looked surprised as Calvin was not turning into a burnt shell of himself. Her eyes widened as, for the first time, x-ray vision revealed the face behind the glasses.
"Of course," She whispered as she picked up Calvin and flung him towards the wall on the opposite side of the gym. The boy's limp body struck the wall and fell to the ground as Mike and Linda rushed over to him.
" Cal," Linda said as she bent closer to him, "are you okay?"
Calvin only looked over to Ashley, who was rising above the other students. She looked up to the ceiling as a blast of heat vision erupted from her eyes and broke a hole through the roof. With a loud bang, the girl rocketed skyward. "Come on," Mike began as he pulled his brother's arm over his shoulder, "you need to get out of here."
"We need the rock," Calvin weakly said as Linda followed suit, "this is why you had it, right?"
The scene in the parking lot was utter confusion to most of the people. For Linda and Mike it was simple: Get Calvin better, get the kryptonite, and stop Supergirl. Easier said then done. They at least needed some speed. Linda searched the parking lot for a flying car that had not yet taken off. There was only one. And it meant swallowing her pride.
"Holly," Linda said as she approached the girl with the short, blonde hair, "I need a ride. That freak hurt Cal badly, and I need to some speed."
"Sure," Holly said, a little concerned after her discovery, "where to?"
"It's more that I need a car," Linda said, "and not a driver. I swear, I'll pay back what ever damages…"
"Linda," Holly said as she held out the keys, "you did so much for me when I got back. I trust you."
"This still doesn't…" Linda began.
"I know," Holly interrupted, "but you can't blame a gal for trying. I'll walk."
"Right," She turned to her date and his brother, "let's get Cal in and get out of here." She barked as the blonde walked away. With a slight strain, Calvin was able to get into the back seat on his own power, as the two got into the front seat and Linda began to take off.
Down in the lot, Holly watched as the car flew off. She turned back towards the gym and walked up to find another ride. Half-way up the stairs to the building, she passed agent Ryder coming down. "Trail them," where his only words. Holly nodded and ran behind the building, out of sight from the crowd. Taking cover behind a dumpster, she held her right fist up, which became surrounded by a green light.
"Who was she?" Mike asked as the picked up altitude.
"A friend," Linda said, "who was more then that at one point."
"I wouldn't have asked her if I had…" Calvin weakly began.
"Well now you do," Linda said as the car picked up speed.
"I thought she wasn't coming tonight," Calvin mused.
"I'm sorry?" Mike questioned.
"She said," Linda informed, "she wasn't coming tonight. Calvin wants to know why she was there when we got the ride."
"Ours is not to question," Mike mused, "she could have just as well refused to give us the car."
The group road on in silence. After a while, several SWAT vans flew past them. The occupants of the car knew where they were headed.
The car landed in front of the house as Mike ran out and into the building. Inside, the large vid screen was on, and both parents watching it as the boy bolted for the stairs. Half-way up the stairs, the blonde haired boy turned to check out the story.
"Live from West Metropolis High School where the homecoming dance was crashed by a meta-human," the reporter noted as Mike saw shots of the wreckage, "police have deigned any rumors, but sources are telling us that it was Supergirl gone rogue that has the force out en masses over the city tonight."
"Mike," Susan said as she turned around on the couch, "we just heard the news. Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah," Mike said as he continued to climb, "We decided to eat out since the party got wrecked. Cal just needs to drop his date off, and we'll be fine. I just needed my wallet." He lied. He raced up to his room and pulled open the drawer. Inside, the dark box sat, its lead paint shielding its contents. He grabbed it and stuffed it into the jacket pocket that would be furthest from his parents. After grabbing his wallet, he ran downstairs.
"Tell Calvin to call us," Daniel said as the door shut behind them. Mike ran across the grass and hopped into the car.
"How's Cal?"
"Better," The older brother answered, "I'm going after her."
"At least let us get airborne," Linda said as the car picked up off the ground, "We can be closer if you need help quicker, and people are less likely to see you taking off."
Calvin nodded and began to strip out of his formal attire. Up over the suburbs, the Teen of Steel opened the back door of the car and stepped out, hovering besides it. The boy closed his eyes as he listened for the sound of anything that could lead to Supergirl. Sounds of the nearby engine, the people below, the barking of a dog, all faded as he listened. "I said LEAVE… ME… ALONE!" A voice echoed.
Inside the car, a red streak flew past the windshield and in a northern direction. "The chase is afoot, Watson," Linda said in a bad accent as she kicked the car into high speed.
A hovering police car was the first to see the girl now in her Supergirl outfit, sans mask, and stopped right in front of the flying menace. "Freeze," One of the officers yelled as they hovered beside the girl, "or…"
"What," Ashley taunted, "you'll shoot me?" Go ahead." The officer hesitated as the girls eyes flashed red, "No, then let me."
A red and blue streak plowed into her as a blast of red light lanced the side of the hovering police car. The force caused the vehicle to spin wildly. Mid way down, Calvin let go of Ashley, who crashed into a back hoe on a construction lot. He realigned himself, and shot towards the falling police car, catching it by the nose and slowing its decent to the ground. He placed it on the street and floated off into the construction zone, looking for Supergirl. He glided over to the dented back hoe and looked at the hole. She was gone. As he turned around, Calvin met an upper cut that struck with a force powerful enough to send him smashing into the machine. The young woman in black grasped his neck and tossed him towards the wall of the building that was going up.
Calvin crashed through the brick and skidded on the cement floor, causing a portion of it to be distorted. "Guys," he said into the earpiece, "Construction sight on 85th and Max. I'll keep you posted if I move."
"Rodger that," Mike said as the red headed girl flew in, ready to toss a punch.
As she got close, Calvin held both of his hands together. She tossed the first punch, which he side stepped and speedily slammed her with both fists, sending her across the room, breaking concrete pillars as she descended closer to the ground, where she rolled to a stop.
Outside, the car landed as Mike got out. They had agreed that Linda would stay in the air incase something got messy. Mike looked around the darkened sight until he noticed a cloud of dust and a rumble come from inside the building. The younger brother ran towards the room in time to see the two supers rush each other. In the blink of an eye, the blonde haired boy watched as the girl tossed Superman through the ceiling and flew up after him.
"Calvin," Mike yelled through the phone, "is there stairs in this place?"
"Yeah," the boy said as he x-rayed the building from his point on the top floor, "turn to your ri…" He was cut off as the girl landed a punch to his face, making a indentation in the floor of the uncompleted floor.
"I just needed a buzz," She said as she picked up Superman, "that's why I only slightly drained you."
"What?"
"I thought you would have figured it out by now," She said, looking down at the rock, once again glowing red, "the black rock absorbs ambient energy and allows me to control it. That's why I could only use you powers after I zapped you at the dance."
"These aren't Kryptonian?"
"I lied, Calvin," She coldly confessed, "I found out the nature of the device a few weeks after wearing it. Back in Rasputine's day, it probably took a life time to build up to sufficient energy levels to be able to survive four bullets at point blank to his chest. But in this era where radio waves are omnipresent, I was like a goddess."
"Yeah," Calvin said as looked at her, "even Rasputin, the evil of Russia, didn't kill like you did." Ashley slammed the boy into the ground, sending a large slab of concrete crashing into the floor below.
"Those people deserved what they got. They were criminals. In a few years, they would have been back on the streets repeating the process until they died. I just helped speed up the process."
"Lady," Mike's voice called out from behind her, "that is pretty wrong. You supers are supposed to offer hope, not fear like you're causing."
"You don't know anything about this life." She yelled.
"And your mother, did she ground you?" Mike shouted back, "I thought you didn't want to go out with him."
"You can wait, Cal," Supergirl said, dropping the weak boy to the ground, "your brother can't." She lifted off the floor and glided over to Mike.
"You look," Mike said as he opened the lead box, revealing the green stone, "green. Feeling alright?"
The girl fell to the floor, a scream of pain issuing from her mouth. Calvin felt the numb, but it was less intense then it would have been had Mike gotten closer. However, Ashley crawled closer to the green walk, each movement causing her to expel a gasping pain. Mike backed away, only to find himself in a corner. Struggling hard, the Supergirl lifted her hand and clasped the green gem, letting out a high shriek of pain. Only to be stopped.
"Nice try, but as I was telling your brother," She said in a very gruff voice, "I control all energy, including this stuff. And now, I can really do some damage." A dark green energy ignited around her hand, as she took aim. With a sickening shriek, the kryptonite blast fired towards the fallen Superman, who was desperately trying to get up. The blast tossed his body like a rag doll, into the air. Cal opened his eyes. He saw how far the car was. He was too weak to fly, and Linda wasn't fast enough to catch him. As his eyes closed for what was sure to be the last time, the world turned bright green…
Mike watched in horror as his brother flew away. He looked down at the kryptonite and back at the crazy girl in front of him. The stone around her neck glowed red as she raised her hand towards Michael's face.
Just then, a narrow, green light flew across the girl's chest, just above the black rock. It sliced the chain before getting pulled into the falling jewel. Ashley looked to her side, as did Mike, to the source. A blonde haired woman, with her right fist extended outwards, was floating above the building, suspended by a green light that surrounded her body. As the light faded around her fist, Mike noticed the green object on her finger. She was a Green Lantern. And behind her, on a large plasma eagle, Calvin lay.
Ashley reached for the fallen stone, but a blast of green light erupted around in between the two on the roof. The Supergirl recoiled as Mike noticed the semi-transparent green crab standing over the stone, menacing Ashley with its large claws.
"Ashley Powton, under Justice League Protocol," the green lantern said as another streak of light erupted from her ring, "you are under arrest for murder in the first degree." The light formed a ball around the depowered Supergirl's fists and brought her hands together behind her back, much like flexi-cuffs. The green lantern floated down to the ground, dropping the field around her when she touched the concrete. The strand of light between the two girls closed, dragging Ashley towards the hero. On the eagle, Calvin began to stir, as Mike shut the box and Linda pulled the car up. "You three need to get out of here," the girl said as the eagle transformed into a cot and slipped the boy into the back seat. Once inside, the light rearranged itself and formed stairs from the passenger's door to Mike.
A few minutes later, the car roared off into the night. The green lantern waited for ten minutes before a man climbed up the stairs. A bubble appeared over the criminal, blocking sound from enetering. "Hello, Ryder," The green Lantern smiled, "She's no threat now."
"Good job, Holly," the detective said, "what about the rock?"
All green faded as the Lantern picked up the object that had caused all the nights events. "Good point," She said, placing her hand to her ear. "JLU, one for pick up."
As Ryder cuffed Ashley, a blue light surrounded Holly, and instantly, she was gone. He turned to the red head. "You have the right to remain silent…"
Calvin's eyes flickered in the morning light. He shut them again, only to have a soft wind blow across his face. He bolted up, looking at rolling hills just outside of the city. He stepped out of the car's back seat, and looked at the two people watching the sun rise over the city. Then down at his shirt, realizing he was still wearing the Superman outfit.
"Are we dead?" He stupidly asked.
"No," Linda said, turning away from the sun. Both she and Mike got up and walked towards their friend, "we came close, though."
"So, why are we out in a field?"
"Well," Mike said, "you where out cold, and Linda and I needed to keep you from going anywhere where you might be found out, so we decided we both wanted to see the sunrise once."
"We told the 'rents we were at an impromptu after party," Linda added.
"…and that you were tired and out cold," Mike interjected, "with out consuming alcohol. Which reminds me; they said they would kill you if you came back hung over. Don't know how they plan to, but they will."
"And we talked until you woke up," Lin finished.
"Nothing more then talk?" Calvin asked. Linda only slapped him. "Okay, nothing more. So we beat the bad guy at least."
"Well, no," Linda said, "that goes to Green Lantern."
"A good looking one in tights," Mike added, getting an elbow from Linda.
"So, we nearly got killed?" Calvin confirmed.
"Pretty much," Mike answered.
"I guess none of us where as ready as we thought," Linda said as she looked up at the sky. The boys followed her gaze to the orange clouds above the city, "are you hurt, Cal?"
"Not really," He said, imagining how awesome it would be to see the clouds up close, "I still have my friends."