CHAPTER ONE: SMALLVILLE
The man sat at the bar stool looking at the television playing the images of the Green Arrow and the Red Arrow fighting a gang of bank robbers, smiling lightly at the sight. "It's interesting, isn't it? What kind of crazies decide to play Robin Hood and fight criminals with guns with just bows and arrows?" the bartender asked the man as he took a drink of his beverage.
"It's something. You can't judge them, though. Don't understand their stories, why they do that." The man responded, scratching the whiskers on his face.
"Sure, but you have to admit this, it's certainly a trend now with these new hero types. Starling City's got the Green Arrow and the Red Arrow, Gotham's got the Devil Bat, Dakota City's Static, and Freeland's Black Lightning."
Who would have guessed that the quiet town of Smallville, Kansas would be the start of the greatest age of mankind? Sure, before 1988 there was still heroes around, such as the mysterious "Wonder Woman" who appeared during the height of World War 2 and then disappeared just as quickly as she appeared, seeming to be only a myth seen in rare photos throughout the decades after. 1988 was the beginning of what would be referred to as "The Ages of Heroes" whether many believe it started in the early 2010's.
What was so special about 1988? It was when the meteor shower came and changed that town, and subsequently the world forever...
1988
A small midwestern town, in the shadow of the vast city of Metropolis in the far horizon. Smallville, Kansas was home to good men and women, with bigger hearts than imaginable. Never at any moment would a person be turned away in their time of need. Even for the notorious Lionel Luthor whom had only recently moved into the mansion just off the beaten path from the town's main street about a mile down the road.
Main street was where you could find everything you'd want to see in Smallville. The Talon was the resident coffee shop and the adjacent building next to it was a motel. Sullivan's Garage was there for all your mechanical needs, and you'd even maybe learn a thing or two if George was feeling friendly enough. Between the tractors he repaired for the farmers or the vehicles, there was always something you could learn from George if you were willing to listen.
Compared to places like Metropolis, this town was barely noticeable, but it was home for many.
Notably just across the street from the Talon was Nell Porter's flower shop, which was where the dirty red pickup truck belonging to Jonathan and Martha Kent stopped. Martha knew that her husband had dated Nell in the past, but rested peacefully in knowing he'd married her. She'd turned down numerous, prosperous business offers in Metropolis, Gotham, and Central City to live as a farmer's wife, and the only thing she regretted was learning she was barren. Naturally they'd tried artificial methods, and wanted to adopt, but opportunities weren't plentiful in remote locations like this. Still, she hoped for a miracle every day, and tried her best to think of other things. Opening the door for her, Jonathan entered the shop second, always the living example of chivalry to the end.
Looking up, Nell recognized them immediately. Even though Jonathan had broken up with her several years, it still hurt a bit for her to see him, especially when Martha was around. She's never been good at letting things go, which strained her attempts at romance many times over. Although taking care of her three year old niece Lana was a great comfort, since her sister Laurel was considering a return to the workforce. Lewis Lang, Lana's father was a kind and supportive man, always thinking of others before himself. She envied both Martha and Laurel for having good husbands, but tried to not let it show. Seeing Martha approach the register, Nell tensed slightly, but still maintained a professional attitude.
"Afternoon, Martha; what can I get for you today?"
"I'm looking for some red tulips, but it seems you're out," she replied, gesturing to an empty section nearby with a frown. Nell pursed her lips, noticing how Martha always went for that particular flower. Not once in the years she'd known Martha had she recalled a time where red tulips were not her choice of flower.
"No offense, but don't you get tired of having the same flowers?" Nell asked.
Martha was polite, simply shrugging. "What can I say? I guess I'm just traditional that way."
Nell sighed with a bit of frustration evident in her voice. "Well, this town is certainly full of that. You sure I can't interest you in a tiger orchid?"
Hearing the conversation, Jonathan approached the counter. "Not likely, Martha has her heart set on red tulips." Nell nodded, feeling her heart skip a beat at Jonathan's warm smile. "What's up, you sound a bit down."
"Just wishing Smallville was a little more lively, that's all. As for the tulips I unfortunately sold the bundle to some teenager yesterday for his six month anniversary."
"You sure you won't stand for anything else, honey?" Jonathan asked Martha, gaining a shake of her head.
"No thanks," she replied. "Could you place another order for me, Nell?"
Visibly resigned, the woman nodded. "Sure, just come back in three days, like usual."
Nell walked towards the back of the store as a innocent voice repeating "abracadabra" caught Martha's attention, as a little girl ran onto the sales floor swinging a magic wand around with the brightest smile you could ever see.
"That is a beautiful dress, Lana!" Martha gasped, kneeling down to greet her. "Are you a princess?"
Noticing Martha, Lana's eyes glowed with joy. "Fairy princess!" she beamed, hugging Martha.
"Hey, where are her parents?" Jonathan asked, catching sight of Nell returning from the back, having grabbed the catalog.
"Oh they're at the Homecoming game with everyone else. I'm being the good aunt."
"Do you want to make a wish?" Lana asked, as Martha's eyes grew wide with surprise.
"I would love to make a wish." Martha smiled, thinking of what she wanted more than anything in the whole wide world, as Lana spun the wand, pressing it against Martha's forehead.
"Abracadabra."
Martha hugged Lana goodbye, as Jonathan paid for the order. "We'll see you guys in a few days."
Opening the door again, Jonathan escorted her out. Getting back into the truck, Martha turned towards Jonathan. "Such a sweet little angel," she sighed.
"Don't you worry, baby..." Jonathan smiled. "Our day will be here before you know it. I gotta ask, what'd you wish for?"
"Take a wild guess," Martha smiled sheepishly in response.
Martha had wished for a son...
Metropolis
Businessman Lionel Luthor sat silently in his office at the top floor of his company's high-rise office building, LuthorCorp. He'd inherited the business from his father Lachlan, who had started it fifty years earlier as an agriculture venture. Since replacing his late father as CEO ten years earlier, Lionel had caused quite a stir in the corporate world, merging different businesses together in the fields of military technology and medical research. Many called him a crackpot, and Lionel had to admit the first few years had been a chore, but profits had skyrocketed in every area during the last two years. In the blink of an eye, it seemed LuthorCorp done the impossible for the corporate world of the United States.
However, that was the least of Lionel's concerns at the present moment. Deep in thought, he kept repeating the same word to himself, almost in a trance.
"Veritas... veritas... veritas..."
Suddenly a loud buzzing interrupted him, eliciting an aggravated response. "WHAT!" he yelled.
A young man's voice fills the room, sheepish in tone through the intercom. "Um, I'm very sorry to bother you sir, but uh..."
Lionel frowned, this couldn't be good. "Now is not the time for nervous reactions, Siegel; get to the point."
The man rapidly continued, spitting out information to avoid annoying his boss any further. "Your son has just arrived, and Robert Queen is demanding a meeting."
"Damn," Lionel muttered.
"I beg your pardon, sir?" came the reply.
"Nevermind, Siegel. Thank you, show them in."
"Yes, sir."
The two large double-doors swung open electronically as a pair of individuals entered the room. One was a young boy around five, dressed in a private school uniform. His hair was as red as fire, his face slightly freckled. His expression is of both awe and fear, this was Lionel's son, Alexander Luthor, or "Lex" as most called him.
Waving to his father, but remaining silent, the boy is greeted with an ice-cold stare. Shrugging his shoulders, Lex stares at the floor. "Lex, keep your posture."
The boy obeys the order, looking straight ahead, his lip quivering slightly. "Better," Lionel says with a smile, turning his attention to the other individual. A fellow corporate titan, Robert Queen stood there with contempt plastered across his face. Wearing a stylish suit, he approached the elder Luthor.
"What the hell are you trying to pull, Lionel?" Robert hissed, earning a gasp from Lex, surprised that anyone would dare challenge his father, in his own building no less. Unfazed, Robert continued. "I got word you just outbid me for Virgil Swann's communications satellite, at the last minute at that!"
Still cold in his expression, Lionel stared the Queen family patriarch in the face. "It's called good business, Robert."
"That deal was finalized twenty minutes ago by Swann himself; how on Earth did you manage this?!"
"Simple," Lionel replied. "I convinced him to extend the negotiation period."
Not fooled for a moment, Queen continued. "You threatened him, didn't you? I know your hands are far from clean, you malicious bastard." This elicited a small grin from Lionel, which Robert noticed immediately.
"That would be most irresponsible, Robert, but I should remind you that your hands aren't exactly clean, either... are they?"
Even with that statement, Robert didn't budge. "It's one thing to work within the bounds of the law to establish mutual benefits between competitors, but it's totally different when it comes to intimidating the world's foremost authority on astronomy. I just spoke with Swann before coming here. He wouldn't explain the matter."
Rising from his chair, Lionel was clearly satisfied with himself. "Our meeting is adjourned, Mr. Queen. I have an appointment to keep in a town not far from here. Let's go Lex." Forcefully placing a newspaper on Lionel's desk, Robert remained visibly irritated.
"You might want to avoid the chopper, Luthor. NASA detected a meteor shower approaching North America a few hours ago," Turning briefly, Lionel just smiled.
"Enjoy your vacation in the Bahamas, and I forgot to congratulate you on your son's birth. Give Moira my congratulations."
"Did Malcolm put you up to it?"
"No idea what you're referring to," Lionel said, walking out of the office with Lex, entering a private elevator.
Once the door shut, Lex finally spoke. "Where are we going, Dad?"
Grinning, Lionel adjusted his tie. "A meeting with destiny, son... in the town of Smallville."
The pod shook ferociously among the meteors on a crash course towards North America. The woman inside holding her young son held the green shard protruding from her side away from her son, seeing the adverse reaction to it, as if he was allergic to it, growing weak and hardly capable of breathing.
"Entering the atmosphere of the planet: Earth..." came the automated voice in the pod as the boy looked at his mother with what could only be worry. "Playing message from Jor-" the voice cut out as the pod hit the atmosphere, and the woman held her son close, turning away to keep the mysterious shard away from him.
Driving through the Kansas countryside was an enjoyable hobby for the Kents. They'd only been married two years but had known each other since college. Jonathan was studying agricultural history in Metropolis, while his late father Hiram tended the family farm. Martha was learning business strategies, and had first met Jonathan in a shared literature group. She'd asked for his notes on T.H. White, and without refusal, he'd handed them over. Confused, she'd asked how he'd know she'd return them, and he'd smiled. "I prefer to think the best of people", he'd said that day... not knowing Martha already had her own notes, and was just feigning laziness to meet him. He'd asked her out a few weeks later, and after a year of courtship, they'd become husband and wife. Martha had no regrets, though her father thought she was crazy for marrying a farmer.
Coming back from Nell's shop on the edge of town, their truck was jolted by a sudden tremor, as dirt shot into the sky from a meteor crashing into the field nearby.
"What was that?" Martha asked, as suddenly both their eyes went wide, watching as giant rocks with yellow and red fire trails darted across the sky.
In an instant upon realizing what was happening, Jonathan was racing down the side roads like a madman, the truck squealed with every hairpin turn and mashing of rubber on concrete. Finally, the ground shook again, this time causing Jonathan to lose control of the vehicle. Careening into a ditch, the truck flipped upside down. Checking Martha's condition before his own, Jonathan relaxed. "Thank God for seat belts." Unclipping themselves, gravity pulled both Martha and her husband to the reversed ceiling turned floor. Scrambling out of the cab, Martha noticed something in her peripheral vision...
A massive trench marred the ground where an object the size of a small car had skidded to a halt. Martha and Jonathan slowly walked to the object, as they saw the top of it open up. Out of the object came a woman, bleeding from her side with a sharp green object piercing her abdomen wearing a beautiful dress unlike anything they had ever seen, holding a young boy in her arms.
"Oh my god," Martha covered her mouth, unsure of what she was seeing.
"Help... help, please," her voice seemed exotic, as if the language was not her native, holding the boy out to them. "Get him away... please..."
Tentatively, Martha took the child, who looked weak and on the verge of death, watching what had to be his mother with fear and concern. Stepping away, they couldn't help but notice the boy suddenly start to recover, his breathing becoming stable and life poured back into him. "L-Lara," was all the boy said, as the woman fell back against the ship, and the green shard glowed as her eyes began to dim.
"Thank... you," the woman, presumably 'Lara' smiled weakly, the life draining from her eyes as the last thing she saw was her son.
"What are we going to do?" Martha asked.
"I don't know," Jonathan simply replied.
"Well, we can't just leave him here, Jonathan," she said.
"Okay," he sighed. "Let's take him to the farm, and call Ethan. He'll have some ideas."
"What about that?" she asked, pointing to the craft.
"Leave it", her husband replied. "We'll come back with the trailer, and we'll get her too."
Meanwhile, back in Smallville, fires consume several small buildings, where other meteors have landed. Many cars in the street are also on fire, some with charred bodies behind the wheel. Among the chaos is Nell Porter, clutching a sobbing young princess in her arms.
2012
The man took another drink of his beer, smiling contently to himself. The day that meteor shower hit Smallville, Kansas, was the day he arrived on Earth. A day marked by death and destruction was also the beginning of his life. Horrible as it was, it was an event that would go into the history books as the beginning of the Age of Heroes.