Chapter One

The Son of Krypton

Joel Figueroa grew up idolizing the heroes that rose to prominence in the 1930's after the event that gave ordinary people a set of skills that were never seen before but also those skills evolved over time. Some people called them miracles, others called them deviants of nature but in the end the mass population agreed they were wonders of evolution.

The event opened the doors to a new age of humanity where vigilantes became legalized and regulated by the government but also it opened doors for outer space beings to make contact with Earth. Back in 1919 there was a meteor shower, people didn't expect it and were fascinated but within the meteor shower there was a light that engulfed the planet Earth and within that light an emergency pod carrying a baby came to the planet.

The pod from what the interviews with Kent's - Jonathan and Martha - looked like an egg, within the top there was a shaft that could be opened from the side and inside there was a baby who looked humanoid almost as a baby from Earth.

Inside the pod there was technology that wasn't seen before by the Kents or any other human, so Martha and Jonathan decided to hide it in the barn and gave the child a story that he was abandoned by his parents near their property and took the decision to adopt him and raise him as their own with the name Clark.

Joel was excited to interview the Kent's, they were emblematic in terms of the superhero community because they gave the values to the strongest man on Earth and how people would view superheroes because of how they raised Superman the man of steel.

The Kent's owned a cattle ranch, it was in the family for over 100 years; eventually the ranch would be handled by their grandson Jon Kent in the early 1970's and he would continue the legacy of Superman for the mid 1900's.

The farm was 300 acres, it employed at least 40 seasonal migrant workers and a few people around the town of Smallville that were related to the Kent's and helped with the finances. Their house was pristine, a two story farmhouse painted in white and decorated with family heirlooms from the late 1800's.

Jonathan and Martha were in their mid 40's, at that moment Clark was living in Metropolis and working as a junior photographer at the Daily Bugle and sharing a flat with his best friend James "Jimmy" Olsen. Joel walked slowly around the house, he was scared of breaking anything and his RCA Wire Recorder could get tangled and bump something. Joel at that moment in time was working on a book that could tell the stories of the different people and how The Event shaped the beginnings of the 20th Century.

As soon they were settled in the dining room, which was the only place where Joel could place his recorder and go on with the interview Martha offered him coffee and snack size cheese cubes that were produced inside the farm; Joel was fascinated by the taste but also loved how the Kent's were humble despite the fame of their family in only two years since the media outed Clark in an article by Louis Lane.

The interview went quite well, he was happy to have a start and follow subsequent paths with what his sources told were he could find the elusive Batman in Gotham, but he was going to go slow on that path as his contact within the Gotham Police Department who was the comissioner. Joel had a good career in academia, working as an associate English and Literature adjacent instructor at New York University.

His life was quite calm, he had a job he liked, he never envisioned getting married but loved going on dates and having long term relationships that weren't attached to full commitment. He was free to live on his own terms and be able to work without compromising his career or personal life.