Chapter 32

The morning had not gone exactly as Superman planned. It had been his intention to covertly investigate Lexicon. A rescue and diamond thieves had delayed him. Not that he really minded. It was equally important for Metropolis, and the world, to know Superman was alive and well especially after a two day absence. Today's events would easily put to rest any rumors something might have happened to him.

He flew over the tall buildings of downtown Metropolis and spotted the Lexicon building rising above its neighbors. He scanned the building from bottom to top with his x-ray vision as he flew toward it. Several lead-lined rooms came as no surprise.

Nearing the building, Superman noted the array of antennae and satellites fixed atop the roof. His x-ray vision glanced inside the spacious penthouse. Kitty was sprawled on the sofa munching olives and watching a late breaking news report announcing the reappearance of Superman.

Superman glided to a landing on the penthouse balcony outside a set of sliding glass doors. Kitty saw his reflection in the TV screen and slowly sat up. The corners of her painted lips curled in a flirtatious grin. It was obvious she liked what she saw. Superman standing outside, arms crossed, and cape billowing in the autumn wind. He looked very regal and self-assured.

"Well, well, well," Kitty whispered to herself as she set her bowl of olives on the coffee table. She rose from the sofa, smoothed down her 1950s dress, fluffed her hair, and tossed a feather boa around her neck then sashayed to the glass doors to greet her uninvited guest.

She slid open a door, leaned against the frame, and in a slightly defensive tone asked, "Are you spying on me?"

"Not at all Miss . . Katherine." Superman made sure to use her proper name. "Actually, I'm looking for Lex." Superman uncrossed his arms.

"Lex isn't here. But I'm sure you already knew that thanks to those super peepers of yours." Kitty tilted her head as she studied the Man of Steel. "So, why are you really here?"

"Lex is the reason I'm here," Superman assured Kitty. "He's involved with a very dangerous being."

Kitty noted the look of concern on Superman's face. "Well, it's a good thing we have you around to save us all then isn't it." She flashed a carefree smile and flipped one end of the feather boa over her shoulder.

"This being is very powerful." Superman sensed his words were wasted on Katherine. "Lex needs to be extremely cautious."

"Lex is always cautious." Kitty sounded confident. However, Superman's warning had sparked a bit of fear in her. The newspapers claimed he never lied.

Superman rose off the ground, stopped, looked down at Kitty and said, "Be careful." Then he lifted both arms and accelerated skyward and disappeared.

Kitty hurried inside and slammed the glass door shut. The autumn wind and Superman's warning had chilled her to the bone. Shivering, she rubbed her goose-bump covered arms and wondered who Lex could possibly be involved with that even Superman seemed concerned.

# # # # # #

Before returning to the Fortress of Solitude Superman had one last stop to make. At the museum, he'd spotted Lois. They'd exchanged a brief, but meaningful glance while the police were busy handcuffing the robbers and reporters were clamoring for a comment from Superman. Before sailing skyward he'd told the reporters, "I'm always happy to help, but the true heroes today are the men and women of the Metropolis police force."

Sailing away he'd checked on Lois again and noted the look of relief on her face. She'd been worried about him.

Now, he headed for Jason's school. He wanted one quick look at his son before returning to the Fortress. It was nearly noon when Superman neared the school. Children's shouts and laughter drifted up to his ears as he spied the fenced playground far below. His telescopic-vision located Jason on the swings. His son was alone, but appeared happy.

As Superman watched Jason swing higher and higher, he remembered that his own childhood had not included many friends. It was hard to get close to people when you couldn't be completely honest with them, and you had to be overly cautious that you did not hurt them.

The bell rang and children ran to line up. Jason glanced around the playground and took one last swing. This swing was bigger than any of the others. As the swing reached its apex, he jumped out and sailed a short distance before landing gracefully on his feet.

High above the school, Superman beamed. Jason's maneuver had again reminded him of his childhood. Years ago a young Clark Kent had taken private pleasure in his special achievements.

Jason ran and lined up with his classmates. The sun chose that moment to make an appearance and shone brightly over the children. Jason shielded his eyes with his small hand and looked up into the sky. Superman waved to his son and, to his complete amazement, Jason waved back.

Superman's heart leaped with joy. Could Jason really see him this far away? Superman's telescopic vision hadn't developed until he was a teenager.

Superman's mind flashed back to the time when he first discovered his telescopic vision. He'd been having difficulty focusing on objects that were near, however, he could see objects at extreme distances crystal clear. His mom, Martha Kent, took him to Dr. Spence, the best optometrist in Smallville. Poor Dr. Spence had been just as perplexed, but did eventually find a solution, special glasses.

As Clark Kent, Superman had worn those glasses his last years of high school. Developing precise control over his telescopic vision had taken almost two years. A few years later when he took up the role of Superman he realized the glasses afforded him an easy disguise.

Superman let out a sad sigh. For now, he had to wait for a future visit with Jason to find out if his son had actually seen him today.

As the last child disappeared into the building, Superman noticed the school's marquee. It proudly announced 'Father and Son Day' in two weeks. The marquee read, "All fathers are invited to spend the afternoon with their sons. A special lunch and games are planned."

The marquee was a bitter reminder that he could never openly admit he was Jason's father. With a heavy heart, he sped toward the Fortress of Solitude thinking this was probably just the first of many events he would miss in his son's life.