More Powerful: Chapter 10
- Family Meeting -
For the purposes of her story, Lois tried to keep her mind on what was being said by the various speakers that paraded across the stage. The kids seemed to honestly enjoy each one and many of the different earthly heroes that answered their questions with enthusiasm.
Lois took enough notes to be adequate, knowing she would flesh it out later in her first draft and Clark would change it to a language resembling English. Her eyes were trained on the small curtain behind the stage, and for the first time, she wished she had x-ray vision.
Lois didn't know the next step of her life yet and she had a strong feeling when she saw him, she would somehow find it.
Lois' eyes focused in attention and the final speaker had come to a close and Director Campbell once again stood behind the podium. "Boys and girls, thank you so much for such good behavior and for the wonderful questions!" He straightened his glasses on his nose. "Before we officially open the museum this morning, I have the supreme honor of introducing to you a man who surely needs no introduction. He has saved both the city and the world on countless occasions and we are so excited to have him here with us today. Ladies and gentlemen – Superman!"
The crowd rose as one, the applause deafening as the Man of Steel stepped out from behind the stage curtain. Even the speakers from earlier seemed to revert back to children as they whooped and hollered for the city's champion. There was a twitter in the crowd at the lone wolf whistle.
His stature and dress always made him seem larger than life, majestic, but in this setting, he seemed to cast a spell. The crowd sat down and was utterly silent.
He gave a sincere handshake to the director and returned a child's wave with a grin, then took his place behind the microphone.
Superman's eyes searched the crowd. Every soul was leaning forward in rapt attention waiting for whatever wisdom he cared to share with them. Every eye was trained on him, all the faces smiling expectantly. But he was looking for one face.
When his eyes found the one he sought, his smile widened.
He saw her blush under the sunlight of his attention, lowering her eyes pretending there was some urgent notation she needed to record.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, members of the press…" His eyes sparkled as Lois again met his gaze. "…and esteemed guests from the law enforcement and first response fields. I am given a lot of acclaim for the services I perform for this city. But the true heroes are the men and women who stand behind me. Men and women who on a daily basis put themselves in harm's way without the benefit of flight or bulletproof skin." He turned to face the assembled groups. "My sincerest thanks and appreciation to all of you, for your courage and your sacrifice."
Applause rang out once again in the hall as the people stood again in agreement.
Of all the things his celebrity and abilities lent him, this had to be his favorite. Getting to speak to the lives of the people who would one day shape the way this world would be. As he looked into each pair of eyes, he saw hope for a world as he had dreamed his whole life it would be.
In all his spent in the public eye as Superman, he made a special effort to spend time with children. They were the idealists, untouched by the heaviness this world could sometimes bring. Even those growing up in less than ideal home situations, they had such a zest for life and a joy that transcended youthful enthusiasm. Seeing so much evil on a day to day basis as he did, spending time with kids always restored his hope.
Today, in the sea of humanity he could see the eyes of his son. Superman was nervous –public speaking had never really frightened him. Just by being who he was he usually attracted attention. The weight of the gazes of a stadium full of people was no heavier to him than a pillowcase. He was used to it. But today... Even if Jason didn't know his own identity yet, he wanted to make his son proud of him.
His eyes fell to the tiny faces closest to him, "Now," his voice softened and his eyes grew gentle, "for the most important guests of all. You are special because you are the future of Metropolis and the world!"
He replaced the microphone and floated down from the stage. The children's eyes widened and an audible gasp was heard as he flew in front of them. "How many of you want to be police officers?" Several small hands rose. "How about firemen?" More hands shot up. He smiled. "You have the chance to grow up and be anything you want to be. You guys are the chance we have to make this world a better place in the future." His eyes scanned across the sea of kids and rested on Jason, he winked as he went on. His heart soared when he saw the child's face light up. He turned his attention back to the crowd.
"How many of you know what it is I stand for?"
"Truth!" one child shouted
"Justice!" several others caught on.
"And the American way!" a chorus of little voices rang out.
Superman's face beamed at the group. "That's right! And you don't need to be able to fly to stand for it too! I need your help to make this world a safer place to live. Will you help me?"
"Yeah!!" the kids shouted.
Superman continued on for a few minutes before the director stepped in to field questions for the Man of Steel. "Thank you for your attention, children. Superman will now take some questions if you have them."
Every hand shot up and the grownups laughed, barely restraining their own hands from flying into the air.
One by one each child gave their questions.
"Are airplanes heavy?", "Do you eat brussel sprouts?", "Do you fly south for the winter?" Superman answered them all with his signature charm, wit and honesty.
"Yes, airplanes are very heavy, I love brussel sprouts, but I prefer broccoli and no, I don't fly south for the winter, but when I flew to Florida last week to help with the hurricane, I was followed briefly by a gaggle of geese!"
The children giggled at the image of Superman at the lead position of a V of geese.
"How did you learn to fly?" one child asked.
"A lot of practice. I ran into a lot of walls and crashed into more than a few trash cans when I first learned when I was young."
"How do you do it?" another child asked.
Superman smiled. "Would you like a lesson?" The children all nodded their heads excitedly. Superman got them all out of their seats in a circle around the chairs. "Put your arms out straight in front of you like this…" He stretched his arms out in front of him. "And then, you fly!" He began running at a slow pace and was immediately following by laughing children. Some made whooshing noises others squealed with glee at a chance to "fly with Superman" even if they never left the ground.
The children were circling the chairs when the director dismissed the group and parents came to collect their kids from the clouds.
Superman stayed, talking to each person who wanted his attention before being ushered away to the media tent down a remote corridor.
His eyes met Lois' just before the curtain closed behind him. He felt the same mix of excitement and nerves that he saw in her eyes. Today he would get to spend some time with his son, no crisis to be handled, no glasses to push up his nose. He would be with Lois and Jason alone for the first time.
Like a family.