4"S" Is For…
…. SUPERMAN. For the past year Metropolis has been witness to the inexplicable S showing itself as a sign that our resident hero had been there, that the Blur had done some form of good. But he was man that remained in the shadows, never staying long enough on scene to be seen, he was a hero in the shadows. However yesterday, when the sky's over Earth turned red and another planet began to descend on ours the Blur stepped out from the shadows and into the light donning a brightly colored blue suit and red cape.
"Readers are wondering what it is we should call you, even where it is you come from?" I ask.
He smiles "My name is Kal-El, and I come from a distant star light years from Earth named Krypton."
I raise an eyebrow "So you're an Alien?"
"I prefer the term Intergalactic Traveler Ms Lane." He chuckles, and his bright blue eyes seem to twinkle.
I apologize quickly but he brushes it off with ease. "If I might ask, if you're from another planet why are here and not there?"
His mood somber's and his eyes seem to have lost the twinkle and have taken on a far off look. "My home planet was a place named Krypton, it exploded when I was just a baby killing everyone. My parents sent me here so that I would survive the destruction of my people."
I begin to offer my condolences for his loss but again he waves it off with ease. He smiles and I'm surprised to see that he's doing it for me, so that I don't feel uncomfortable. "I only recently in the last couple of years began to learn of my people and what had happened to them. For the whole of my life I thought I was an earthling." Here quickly laughs. "I could do extraordinary things, I could outrun busses and trains, and I could lift things no man should be able to over his head, but I still thought I was an ordinary human."
"So why the bright red-and-blue uniform?" I ask, waving at what he is wearing.
He chuckles and looks down at himself for a moment. "The fabric that it's made out of is special. It's made out of the blankets that made the journey to Earth with me. As such they're almost as strong as me, they can't be burned, torn or cut. As I've come to learn they are the colors of Krypton's flag and the S on my chest is my families house crest, the Mark of El."
"So why choose now to finally reveal yourself. You've been working from the shadows for the past year and half, what's changed?" I ask.
He looks thoughtful for a moment. "To be honest Ms Lane I didn't really see a reason to do so earlier. What I was doing was working, there was no need for me to reveal myself. However recently I've come to realize that If I'm going to be effective the people need a face to put with the symbol, not just the act." He hesitates for a moment, searching for the right words. "President Kennedy once said 'Ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country.'"
"What is it that you stand for? What is it that you value?"
"I value and stand for three things, Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
"You just quoted one of the most celebrated US Presidents of all time, not to mention that you just mentioned that one of your values is the American way. Should readers take that as you considering yourself as an American citizen?"
"Here's the thing you have to understand." He says, his tone serious. "I was raised in this country. I believe in this country. Does it have it's flaws? Yes. Does it have its moments of greatness? Yes. The bottom line is, this is my home. When I say that I value the American way I'm saying that I value the things that America stands for. The American way is the pursuit for everyone to be free, to voice their own opinions, and to seek happiness. But if I do what I can just for the U.S., it's going to destabilize the whole world. It could possibly even lead to war."
"I'm here to do what I can, where I can, whether that's in the U.S. or elsewhere. But I can't get involved with politics or policy. There's nothing political about a Tsunami, or an Earthquake, or a Tornado… there's nothing political about a gunman holding innocent hostages at a bank, or an out of control truck barreling down a crowded street. Those are the sort of things I want to get involved with, where I can make a difference without becoming an instrument of policy."
"A lot of people are going to be unhappy about that. I think the Pentagon were dreaming about sending you to China, or Afghanistan and taking apart tanks, destroying whole fleets, and overthrowing governments."
"And I can understand that." he says. "But if I go down that road I wont be able to serve humanity as a whole as I know I can. I wont be able to what I know I'm here to do. If I were to become an extension of any government, no matter what government or administration it is then I'll lose the rest of the world."
He pauses for a moment. "I saw this documentary a few years ago about the British police force." He says speaking slowly and deliberately, making his point. "They interviewed a London bobby who said- and I'm not taking sides, I'm just repeating what he said- that American police are there to enforce the peace while the British police are there to create the peace."
"I like to think that's why I'm here, not to enforce the existing peace but to help create the peace by doing what right for people without trying to change them. Perhaps that sounds naïve, or superficial, but it's the truth."
He looks out the window. It's getting dark. "I should be heading out, there's a lot I should be doing."
"One last question then." I hurry to ask before he leaves and he looks back at me for a second and nods before sitting back down. "A lot of people are going to fear you because of what you can do and what you are. Is there anything you would like to say that could ease people's minds?"
He ponders my question for a moment and then nods. "One of the remarkable things about not being human is that I can look at humanity from the outside, and when I do I can see your amazing strength, your stubborn nobility, your greatness and your kindness and your generosity and your willingness to aspire, to sacrifice, to struggle over the proverbial mountaintop no matter how large the boulders are coming your way. I'm blinded by the light that burns inside every single one of you."
In that light, there is one truth that emerges, while some may call me 'super' but my light pales in comparison to yours, if anyone is dissevering of that title it's the people of all mankind. Against that power, against that truth…I'm just a man." With that said he turns towards the window and is gone.
While it's true that he may appear to be nothing but a man, the real truth is that he's more. He's a symbol of good, he's something for of us all to aspire to be, He's more than just a man, he's a Superman.
Alright so this was my idea of the news Article that Lois would write for the planet revealing Superman to the world. Alot of it was influenced from the article that they have at the back of the Superman: Earth 1 Graphic Novel, So I'm crediting the writers of that. I was thinking that this would be a Tie-In for a Metropolis story I was thinking about doing, So everyone look out for that in the future.