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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