Chapter 22
One evening after Bob had left and they were sitting on the
pourch Superman descended from the sky carrying a capsule with a
door on the front of it with a good sized window. He looked to
his mother, opened the door, and said "Want to take a
ride?" His mother smiled. Superman closed and secured it
then turned to Supergirl. "Get your costume on!" he
instructed.
Quickly Supergirl removed a locket from around her neck, removed
her ordinary clothes, and put on her costume. "Ah, next
time," Superman remarked, "step inside!"
"Oh!" Supergirl blushed. "Sorry! I always changed
in front of my father." Superman smiled, picked up the
capsule, and they soared skyward. In a few minutes they were
landing at the fortress of solititude on the moon.
Darklight was there with Jason who wasn't wearing his Superboy
costume. "Jason," Superman announced opening the
capsule, "this is your grandmother. She wanted to meet you.
Why don't you take her into the fortress and show her some of its
wonders?"
Jason came over and bowed. "I'd be delighted!" he
answered, taking his grandmother's hand. The others watched him.
When they were out of sight Supergirl spoke up. "Kal-El, I'm
disturbed about this identity I've been given. These Kents were
really nice people. Those they were living with were very nice
people. Why did they all have to die? Isn't there some way they
could be saved?"
Superman looked disturbed. "May I answer?" Darklight
put in. Superman nodded.
"Kara," Darklight began, "sometimes things simply
have to happen, bad things, things that we would like to somehow
set right. But a young man once found out, who had an ability far
greater than any of his relatives, that changing things for the
better sometimes created circumstances that made things far
worse! Sometimes we have to leave things alone and for the good
of all let them happen, or we might unleash untold havoc that
could be irriversible. It is hard sometimes, but this is a truth,
a truth we must understand. We can make things proceed the way
they're intended, to proceed, but we can never interfere with
what must be, no matter how much we want to. This may be a poor
answer, but it's the best answer that can be given."
Superman looked at Darklight and nodded. "I think it is a
most excellent answer!" he commented.
"Me, too!" Supergirl assured. "Was that young man
able to fix what he did?"
"Yes," Darklight answered, "but at tremendous cost
to himself. He had to destroy everything he had ever loved to put
things back. He had to give up everything he cherished. And he,
alone, would bear the memory of what he'd lost. No one else would
ever know that that alternate time had even existed. Excuse me,
something I have to do, something I promised somebody." He
soared away.
Superman took a hold of the chain on Supergirl's neck and pulled
at the locket. "Where did you get this?" he asked.
"My father made it for me," Supergirl answered,
"so I could hide my costume and wouldn't have to wear it all
the time. He developed the technology."
Superman smiled. "Let's go find Jason and my mother,"
he remarked.
When they got inside they found the two watching videos of
Superman when he was a young boy. Superman was shocked until his
mother looked up and smiled. "He knows!"
"What?" Superman asked.
"I'm sorry, father!" Jason put in. "But unlike us
you wear your costume under your clothes. I couldn't help but
look! Some time I'd like to visit the farm."
Superman smiled. "Certainly!" he agreed. "I'll ask
The Whites sometime if Clark can take you out to spend some time
in the country." Jason smiled. "Can I see your
locket?" Superman asked.
Jason took it off and handed it to him. On the back in writing
too small for anyone else to see without a powerful microscope
was an inscription. "From Zor-El to my favorite nephew. May
you bring pride to the family, as all of your brothers and
sisters have. Remember the pride of Krypton!"
"Thank you!" Superman praised, handing the locket back.
He quickly examined Supergirl's locket. The inscription on that
said "To my beautiful daughter. May she use whatever powers
she obtains wisely, as has her cousin Kal-El."
"Hmmmm!" Superman muttered.
"What?" Supergirl asked.
"I think your father's going to make a lot more of these
lockets," Superman explained. "Let's give these two a
couple more hours. I want to teach you some combat
techniques."
"Sounds like fun!" Supergirl giggled.
"They won't be for those you use them on!" Superman
answered. For the next two hours Supergirl got a lot of
instruction on her abilities. Her cousin had learned a lot of
tricks and he gave her every one he could. When they finally
returned his mother home, Superman hurried off. It didn't take
him long to find who he was looking for. Professor Twaddle sat on
the balcony of the apartment he was using.
"Been expecting you!" he remarked. He took off his
locket and held it out. Superman read the inscription on the
back.
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