ShatteredLegacy
A novel by
Steven W. Eden
Superman and all related characters are the copyrighted property of DC Comics
3
"Y'okay, George? The gauges indicate the leak is fixed, but you look like you've more questions than answers."
George, with a very puzzled look on his face, slowly fitted himself into the co-pilot's seat. "Uhm...yeah, Whit...A-okay on that leak...it's just...I...uh..."
"Just...what? George, you're starting to get me worried. I've never seen you like this. Are you coming down with something? Is the flight in any kind of jeopardy? I can't believe it really was sabotage!"
"Wha...Oh! No!...No, Whit. The flight and myself are both just fine. We'll get to Hamilton - no problem. I just... uh... remembered... that Phyllis needed me to... take care of something... important... at home."
Ellsworth looked over at Larson, who returned his "what's up with this guy" look with one of his own and raised the bet with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, it must be very important to get you this flustered. What kind of jam are you in, anyway? Is it financial? You know, Gracie and I have a little saved up if you need a little help...?"
"Oh thanks, Whit," George interrupted. He couldn't help smiling a little at that thought. Yellow Sun paid him well to begin with, and his promotional work with the space lines (thanks to his ancestry) was very lucrative. Though his friend outranked him, he probably made almost twice what Ellsworth earned in a year."But no. Money is not a problem. I just...need to get back home as soon as I can. In fact, I don't think I'll stay for the layover tonight. Listen, do me a favor and radio the company for a new co-pilot for tomorrow's flight and I'm going to take the next shuttle back to Earth after we land. Can you do without me for awhile?"
Ellsworth looked a little hurt that his friend would not confide in him after all their years together, but he managed a smile and said, "Sure, okay. I think we can find our way back without you. You just get back and take care of whatever it is that is bothering you so much. Man, one second you seemed like you were on top of the world and the next, the world seems to be squarely on top of you. What made you think of this now, anyway...a little voice in your ear?"
"Yes, I guess you could say that, Whitt. I guess it was exactly that." And as the crew of flight1951 went about their business, a tiny man no bigger than a millimeter whispered, "Thank you!" from his vantage point in the hollow of George's ear.
"Aww! C'mon! Some piece of rock spoke to you? Please excuse me while I snicker behind your back! Hehehehe!"
"Noel! You are not helping the situation!"
"Sorry, Mom!"
"It's okay, Mom, if she had brought this crazy story down from the basement, I would be giving her the same treatment. I'm still not sure I believe it myself. But how else can you explain it? How did I know exactly what to do to open that hidden compartment? Something told me what to do, but I don't know what...or who."
"Okay, I'll go get another washrag for his head, he's still bonkers!"
"Noel!"
"Sorry, Mom..."
Jimmy took another look at the crystal, which no longer was emitting such a strong a light as earlier. Rather, now it was a more subdued glow, pulsing rhythmically as if breathing. "It's still 'talking' to me now, but it isn't cramming information into me like before. It's more like it's...urging...me to go somewhere...to do something...I'm not sure what! But I think I'll know what it is when I get there."
"Does it tell you when to go to the bathroom?"
"No-ELL!"
"Sorry..."
"Jimmy, what about that book you found? ...and wasn't there a jar or something..."
"A big bottle, yes. I didn't really get much of a vibe about that..."
"A 'vibe'? You get a face full of green light and you're a psychic now?"
"Can it, squirt! But I think the book is a journal of some kind. Maybe it belonged to...Oh m'gosh! It...it...it is ! This is..." Words obviously were failing Jimmy as he peeked inside the cover of the tome. "Aw, heck, Mom! LOOK!" Phyllis took the journal and immediately saw what had Jimmy in such a state. The first page, in handwritten script, was the title: Journal of Clark Kent. On the lower part of the page, the words "Smallville, Kansas" were exed out and "Metropolis Daily Planet" added in.
"Whoa! Coo-oo-ool!"
"That the best ya can do now, brat? What happened to all the smart remarks, hmm?" Noel ignored her brother and reached out to turn the page but Jimmy held the book just beyond her reach.
Phyllis decided it was time to quell the coming riot before it was too late. "All right, that's enough! Noel, you need to settle down, and Jim, you stop taunting her with that book. I think we'd all like to see what's written in it." With that the sibling wars came to a truce and the Kent family sat down together on the sofa, Mom in the middle with the journal in her lap, her son on one side and her daughter on the other. Silently, they began reading the ancient document...