6Author's Note: Bold is generally used to indicate Author's Notes (or AN), while italics is to indicate thoughts. Anyway...
Disclaimer: Since Superman's copyright hasn't expired I don't own any characters, concepts, or places shown in this fic. All intellectual properties belong to their proper owners. Copyright infringement is unintended as this story is for nonprofit entertainment.
Ultimate Access: Superman
Chapter Zero
"You don't need a reason to help people."
The cold and otherwise empty spanse of the upper atmosphere was broken by a single source of warmth, a man, he watched the spinning blue orb a million miles beneath him. Freely floating, only the flowing crimson cape and his jet black hair took heed of the whipping winds of his adopted planet's rotation. He smiled, eyes blue and bright with what would have been infectious excitement if anyone else had been around to take in the scene with him. Allowing his eyes to wander, the floating man took in the entirety of the Earth, throat tightening. Blue waves crashed against sea and land alike, green forests stretched until they met the white of polar ice, while the brown and yellow sands of deserts wrapped around other parts. It was the most intricately beautiful painting anyone could ever see.
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A bright Sun beat down on Jonathan Kent like a Cherokee drum as he tiredly set the heavy pipe down. Wearily removing the wrench from the long metal tube he'd used for leverage he eyed the bolt that had been far too tightened. Clark must have been in one helluva hurry last night, the old farmer thought with a sigh before sitting down and leaning against the massive tractor tire. Cool water trickled from the mason jar down Jonathan's throat as he drank, then set the glass down in the dirt next to him.
He wiped sweat off his forehead, calloused hands adjusted his rolled up red flannel's sleeves. With a whistle a beautiful, long-legged English Shepherd padded her way toward him from the long cattle barn. Walking right up to her master, Jon scratched under her chin and she licked at his finger tips.
"Trying to get the last of my sandwich are ya Mary Anne*?"
Jonathan got back to his feet, dusting off his blue jean's knees as he looked to the sky. He pulled out a pair of beat up and bent glasses from his breast pocket, putting them on and examined a pair of fluffy white clouds thoughtfully. Without turning his head, he asked his dog, "So I take it the cows haven't burned the barn down yet?"
Answered by silence, the old farmer looked down as Mary Anne lapped up some residual jelly from the tip of Jon's boot. He turned to examine the fields, massive and golden with this year's harvest nearly ready wheat up to his chest and his eyes became wet slightly. "Yeah girl, this is gonna have to be Clark and I's last field together - Was a hot one this year too."
Mary Anne remained silent, only staring into her master's eyes.
"We've got Ma and I'm sure Ronnie'll wanna help out when he's not busy on his folks' farm. Besides, Clark's such a mama's boy he'll be back every weekend taking Ma to church and maybe helping out."
He started to make his way up the trail from the barn to the blue wooden ranch house a few dozen yards away. Again, the man paused and took in his property. Gazing over his spread he smiled, a long tin barn mooed with the few dozen head of cattle he had, next to it was the red barn the rusty brown tractor was currently parked in front of. A tall silo was twice as tall as the barn it stood adjacent to. I'll have to remember to water Martha's garden later, the tomatoes look a little parched, Jonathan thought, eying his wife's garden as he walked past a trio of tall and powerful oak trees in the front yard. The gravel drive-way led up to a garage, a crimson truck parked in front with a sheet covering a motorcycle and another covering a long car.
Making his way over the porch, the old man knocked gently and it swung open to reveal the warm smile of Martha Kent. Greying just like him, Pa's eyes sparkled just as they had the first day he'd seen her, just as they had every day in between. He hugged her, before sniffing the air and chuckling, "What do we have here Mrs. Kent? A feast fit for her dashing husband no doubt! If only he were here to enjoy it -"
"You think you're funny don't you Pa... Yes I've got Clark's favorite is just about done. Mashed potatoes are on the table, corn and gravy are next to the fridge."
"No apple pie? What a travesty! I ought to call the House Committee for that one..."
"Oh hush it's cooling off under that lid there."
When Pa reached over the table to peek, Martha playfully smacked his hand away, "Uh - uh, Clark gets first bite since he'll be going away."
Saying that, Ma's eyes watered a bit and her smiled faded for a second, until Jonathan held her again in his thick arms, he whispered, "It's alright. It was bound to happen, one day they're going barefoot and bench pressing the pick-up and the next they're graduating college..."
"I know it's just... He's our son Jon."
"I know Martha, I know."
"Do you think he knows dinner is done?"
"That boy loves his beef burgundy, I think I'll order some take out it's my cheat day -"
"Haha. Did you ever try your hand at stand-up comedy Mr. Kent, I'm not sure you're cut out for farming."
"Now that one was below the belt Ma," Jonathan said as he let his wife out of his embrace, and pulled out her chair at their table. It was a simple wood arrangement in their kitchen, with only a table and four chairs, and kitchen essentials besides. At the table the corn, potatoes, and pie were laid out, while the beef bourguinon** sat on a tray on top of the oven.
"Should I call him?" Martha asked, but Jonathan shook his head and sat to his wife's left. He smiled at the two empty seats, one with a glass of water poured and the other set but unanticipated to be used. Since Clark had been a boy it had never hurt to have an extra seat at their table, either for a stranger or a friend just the same, if you were hungry in the Kent household, you wouldn't be for much longer. We've sure had a lot of odd folks here over the years, but we did our best with what we had, Martha thought but looked at her husband again as he spoke, "He always knows when your cooking's done Ma, after all, 'People tend to see what they look for and hear what they listen for'."
In what felt like that very instant, the Kents felt a gentle breeze and heard their old door creak and gently shut, though neither had seen nor heard it open. Seated on the far side of the table, a young man with an impressive jaw and even more immense muscles sat in a chair. He had hair black as night, inquisitive blue eyes that literally took in every detail of any place he was in. However his bright blue and scarlet uniform stood out against the otherwise rustic room he sat in.
"Judge Taylor."
"What's that boy? I didn't quite hear ya over how loud you slammed that door," Jonathan scolded mockingly, but his son responded sheepishly blushing.
"Sorry about that Pa."
"No I'm just kidding son, just change your clothes next time your mother takes time to make you an amazing dinner."
Clark looked down for a moment, noticing he hadn't taken off his uniform. In a flash, their son vanished, and a moment later he reappeared in a blue t-shirt that barely hid his bulging biceps, large glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. "Sorry Ma," Clark said, a bright smile still on his face as he eyed the food that still sat on the oven.
Martha sniffed the air slightly, "Seems someone had a taste of my beef burgundy already. I wonder who that would be."
"I suppose it would have to be the person with that onion on their breath wouldn't it Ma," Jonathan laughed, "Someone's hungry!"
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"Metropolis... I know you wanna see the world Clark but you don't get much bigger than the City of Tomorrow, are you sure you're gonna be happy there?" Martha asked her son as they sat in the living room eating the still steaming apple pie, Clark on the couch and Martha in a rocking chair.
"Of course Ma," Clark replied, then took another bite. Pa returned with the remote in his hand, "I brought it into my office - completely forgot about it. Anyway don't bother the kid Ma, he's got his whole life ahead of him to figure out the Big Apricot ain't all it's cracked up to be. Anyhow he might as well sell that old chopper to help pay some of his rent, Lord knows he's gonna need it to cover his drinking habits."
"Haha Pa, I think I might just do that. Did I mention I got a call this morning about a job offer."
"Oh of course you didn't! Where is it Clark?" Ma asked.
"Perry White at the Daily Planet said he was, 'impressed by my resume' and that the piece I wrote in college about the resurgence of Mutant Rights Movements really impressed him."
"Ya know your Ma and I marched way back in the day with Charles Xavier, Senior - mind you, but he was an even bigger deal than that son of his anyway***," Pa said.
"Yeah you've told me that only a few hundred times Pa."
"Well I'll tell people 'til the day I die."
Ma muttered, "I've got half a mind to write to Dennis Hasgrove about keeping his campaign promises. Pa and I didn't have his sign in our yard for nothing this last election!"
Pa replied, "Don't get all worked up Ma, they're all doing their best up in D.C. He's not in great company at the moment with our current President."
Clark gulped, "Do we have to talk about politics all the time? What are we gonna watch Pa?"
"Oh I was thinking maybe - the High Definition, pay-per-view To Kill a Mockingbird****."
"Wow Pa do you want me to pay for it, I thought it was expensive -"
"No son, 'nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.'"
Ma added, "That was Oscar Wilde."
"I know dear."
"I'm just trying to keep you honest."
As Pa fiddled with the remote and got out of his arm chair to sit next to his son, all grown up, Ma did just the same. Pa put his hand on his son's shoulder, "You're gonna do great things Clark."
"I hope I can make you both proud Pa."
"You make us proud everyday Clark, ever since you were a baby, you were everything we ever wanted," Ma said.
Pa added as he rubbed the back of Clark's neck, "Whenever you're out there saving the world, just know that Clark Joseph Kent will always have a place back here, and that we could use an extra pair of hands when it comes to baling hay next Summer."
Clark smiled, but it faded as the movie flickered to life, "Will they want me, will they accept me?"
Clark wasn't stupid, he'd been raised by the greatest people on Earth, and they'd accepted him even in his most strange moments. They'd treated him like a regular kid his entire life, but everyone in town just knew him as Clark, they'd loved him for it. But his secret was what put him apart. I'm an alien, he reminded himself.
"You're not any different than anyother boy out there Clark," Ma said.
Pa put in, "You've gotta put yourself out there. You're destined for great things, you're going to change the world. You're more than ready, He is more than ready. I don't know if they'll accept you out there - but this world needs a Superman right now. And you're the only man for the job."
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AN:
*Did anyone catch the reference I snuck in there?
**Clark's favorite food.
***Hope you guys don't mind me making the Kents protesters in their early years, I just found it fitting for parents taking in an immigrant character. Politics will figure a bit more into this Universe than it usually does in DC, an element I'm taking from the X-Men's stories.
****Clark's favorite movie.
Hope I got everything you could have ever wanted in a Superman Fic, not sure when I'll come back to this but it'll be sometime in February. I'm hoping to establish a whole universe, you'll know if the story has 'Access' in it's title. I've got a whole timeline figured out but I'm always looking for Betas or new ideas or anything like that. Anyway, thanks for the view and don't forget to read, review, and get your game on!