Chapter 14
The big day finally came. Everybody was in the house getting
ready. Lois turned on the television to check the latest news.
"Metropolis 24 Hours," a voice was saying, "We're
at St. Michael's Catholic School where an ongoing tragedy is in
the works! A disgruntled father, who has lost custody of his
daughter came to a function the church was having this Sunday,
and tried to abduct her. Two police officers arrived and
comforted him. He shot and wounded both of them. But before he
could flee more police officers boxed him in! He is now on the
school's playground surrounded by a SWAT team and a negotiator is
trying to talk him into surrendering. But they are not having
much success. We're afraid the police are going to have to end
this to get to the wounded officers. They were hoping Superman
would arrive but there is word he's helping with a terrible fire
at a German factory. The police are going to have to handle this
one by themselves."
Lois saw Jason who was standing on the balcony upstairs, hurry
into his room. On the roof of the building across from the school
Officer Bill Murphy acquired his target through his telescopic
site.
"I have a clear shot!" he spoke into his microphone.
"Tell me when the weapon is not pointing at the hostage.
Still clear! Still clear!" he kept repeating. A voice from
his headset kept saying "Stand by! Stand by! Stand by!"
Finally it said "Fire! Now!" Murphy squeezed the
trigger. There was a sudden blue flash in his site. Startled he
looked up. A boy in a Superman costume was hovering in the air
behind the man's head. He turned his hand and dropped a bullet to
the ground, then reached up, took the pistol the man was holding,
jerked it from his hand and crushed it, dropping it to the
ground! Back in her house Lois Lane watched the television with
her mouth hanging open.
The police officers rushed in and tackled the startled man, and
had him handcuffed in moments. "Who are you?" one of
them asked. From beneath the masked face the boy answered,
"I am Jor-El, the son of Kal-El. But you may call me
Superboy!"
A murmur went up from the surrounding crowd. Superboy walked over
to one of the wounded officers. "This man will never make it
to the hospital," he remarked, "unless I do something!
Do you have a long, straight, surgical clamp?"
The medic reached into his kit, pulled out a package, ripped it
open, and held out the clamp. Superboy took it, inserted the end
into the officer's wound, and applied his hand to his chest,
pushing on it. He closed the clamp. "There!" he
remarked. "You'll be able to get him to the hospital now,
but go easy! Tell the doctors not to remove the clamp until they
have him in surgery and are ready to seal the artery."
Several reporters approached. "Superboy! one of them cried,
"Why are you wearing a mask? Superman never wears a
mask!"
"I'm sorry," Superboy answered, "I have no time to
answer questions now. I will come to someone later and give some
answers. Right now, good day!" He put his fist into the air
and sailed away.
"You saw that!" the reporter cried, "You saw that!
There's a Superboy! He says he's Superman's son! He just saved
that man's life and probably that officer's! There's now TWO
super heroes in Metropolis!"
Lois saw Richard's mother headed for Jason's room.
"Jason!" she called "Hurry up, dear! We've got to
get going!" "I'm coming Mrs. White!" came Jason's
voice. "Just a moment!"
"Jason!" Mrs. White scolded, "How many times have
I told you to call me grandmother?"
"Yes, grandmother!" Jason's voice answered. Richard
caught his mother. "I'll hurry him up!" he told her.
"Go make sure everybody else is ready!" He reached the
bedroom door, looked inside, then looked back to Lois. The look
on his face told Lois Jason was not in the bedroom.
"Jor-El!" she muttered.
A few moments later Richard's eyes widened. He looked back at
Lois, smiled, and nodded. Lois knew her son was again in the
bedroom. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to deal with
this!" Lois muttered. A few moments later Jason appeared
dressed in his little tuxedo. When they were in the back of the
limo and on their way to the church Lois asked, "Where is
it?" after examining Jason's clothes to make sure the
costume wasn't under them.
"Compressed in the locket I'm wearing," Jason answered.
"It's where I also put my clothes when I need it. Are you
angry, mother?"
Lois smiled. "No," she answered, "but for a while
I hope you don't have to use it too much. I want you to be a
little boy for a while, not a little Superman."
Jason looked at her curiously. "I'm not a man, mother,"
he answered, "I'm a boy! But I am super. Would it be right
not for me to use the skills that I have when people need
them?"
Lois sighed. "No," she answered, "it would not be
right. But I am a mother, and I will always worry about my little
boy!"
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