Rocketed from a distant planet to a bold new destiny on Earth.  Found by a Kansas family and raised as Clark Kent.  He learned he possessed the strength of steel, the speed of light, and the desire to help all mankind.  He is…Superboy!

The Adventures of Superboy

"Turning Point"

By Adam Hoerner

It was noon on a Saturday in Capitol City.  But the sunny Florida weather did not deter the criminal element.  Even as shoppers and hungry tourists walked up and down Main Street, a red sports car came tearing around a corner.  Moments later a pair of police cars and a United States Army truck came screaming after it.  The occupants of the lead car were familiar faces in this town, but not for any good reason.  Lex Luthor and his female accomplice Darla were weaving in and out of traffic, desperately looking for an avenue of escape.  As everybody watched the chase on the ground, their eyes were drawn skyward by a familiar whooshing sound.  A streak of red and blue joined the pursuit of one of this country’s most notorious criminal minds.  Superboy quickly pulled ahead of the police and military, and he used his X-ray vision on the car to assess the situation.  Darla was driving, and Lex was fiddling with the two pieces of government property they had just stolen at Shuster University.  Both were weapons that Superboy and Luthor had seen before.  The sonic blaster, a former invention of Luthor’s, had been confiscated long ago with the Thermaton-14, a heat-seeking laser weapon.  The military had supped them both up and brought them to Professor Peterson for safekeeping.  At least that was the plan.  But according to the Professor, whom Superboy had just spoken with, Luthor had somehow found out about the arrival of the weapons at the university today and had set up an ambush.  Darla had posed as a lab assistant while Luthor pumped poison gas into the ventilation system.  Donning a gas mask, Darla had simply grabbed the weapons and escaped with Luthor.  Fortunately, Peterson had managed to hit a fire alarm, alerting Superboy who arrived in time to inhale the gas and save everybody in the lab.  As Superboy descended toward the car, he was cautious.  Both weapons had done a number on him before, and now their power had been amplified.  Still, Luthor had to be stopped.  As he approached, the criminals didn’t seem to notice him.  But suddenly, Luthor turned around and, wielding the Thermaton-14, fired at the Boy of Steel.  He was caught off guard and, unable to dodge the blast, took the shot in the chest and fell into a pile of trash in an alley.  This was going to be harder than he thought.  Still, he was conscious.  The last time he took a shot from that rifle, it knocked him out.  Of course, his power level had seemed to increase as he got older.  Getting to his feet, he shook the cobwebs off and leapt skyward again.  He turned on his super-vision again and spotted Luthor’s car parked outside an abandoned warehouse a few blocks away.  The cops and their military companions had been joined by a SWAT van and had the area sealed off.  Superboy landed and approached the SWAT commander.

“Good afternoon, sir.  What can I do to help?”

“Superboy!  Thank God you’re all right.”

“I’ve taken worse shots than that, commander.  Are they inside?”

“Yeah.  We’ve got the area secured, but with the firepower they’re packing, we want to proceed with caution.”

“I agree.  But we can’t wait too long.  The worst thing we can do is give Luthor time to plan an attack or escape route.”

“Well, you know him better than anybody.  What do you think he’s most likely to do when cornered?”  Before Superboy could answer, a sonic blast pierced the afternoon air, drowning out all other sound.  Superboy was the most affected due to his super-hearing, but through blurred vision he was able to see that Luthor and Darla had smashed out one of the large front windows of the warehouse.  Lex must really be desperate.  He was actually letting Darla work the sonic blaster while he tweaked the Thermaton-14.  He turned his attention to the police and army personnel, and noticed that the soldiers were all wearing headsets.  They were passing them out to the cops, and they gave the last one to Superboy.  The police immediately opened fire on the warehouse, hoping to delay any plans Lex may have of using the laser.  Speaking into the microphone on his headset, Superboy addressed everybody at once.

“While they aren’t looking, I’m going to get to the back of the warehouse and sneak up behind them.  Just keep them pinned down.  I don’t want him to have a chance to use that rifle.”  With that, Superboy disappeared in a rush of wind around the building.  Entering the rear door, he scanned the building and made his way at super-speed into the front room where the criminals were taking cover.  But Luthor must have been ready for him, because as soon as Superboy entered the room he took another blast from the Thermaton-14 and was sent crashing through a wall.  He should have expected that.  A heat-seeking weapon didn’t need a stationary target to be effective.  But what if the gun could no longer seek heat?  Superboy got to his feet and sped behind a pillar before Luthor could spot him.  He then used his super-breath to freeze the rifle.  A quick blast of heat vision disabled the sonic blaster.

“No!” Lex screamed.  “How do you always manage to beat me?”

“It was easy this time,” Superboy replied.  “You weren’t thinking clearly, Lex.  You were driven by your ego.  You didn’t think Professor Peterson was worthy of your genius.  Is that about right?”

“I’m glad somebody finally sees things my way.  The sonic blaster is mine!  I built it!  Not that boob Peterson or the morons who work for the government.  As for the Thermaton-14, the military would never put that gun to proper use.”

“Well, neither will you, Lex.  You’re going back to prison.”

Meanwhile, across town, Lana Lang walked into the bank that was down the street from her apartment building.  As much as she enjoyed her work at the Bureau for Extra Normal Matters, she needed the weekend to get a break from all of the weird things she encountered on a daily basis.  After cashing her paycheck, she was going to head into town and meet Clark for lunch and a day of shopping.  She waited patiently in line for her turn at the ATM.  Just as she was about to insert her card, something by the doorway attracted her attention.  A man wearing jeans, a black leather jacket, and a black ski mask entered the building and, as everybody looked on in horror, drew a gun and struck the lone security guard in the face, knocking him out cold.

from his back and tossing it into the middle of the floor.  While his attention was focused on the clerks and customers, he didn’t notice the security guard get quietly to his feet and draw his gun.  Lana did, however, and she watched nervously as he crept silently toward the robber.  But just before he was in position to subdue the intruder, the masked man suddenly spun and kicked the guard’s weapon out of his hand.  He then kicked him in the gut and, when the guard doubled over, gave him an uppercut to the head that sent him sprawling backward.

“That was a dumb move, my friend,” he said training his gun on the fallen guard.

“No!” Lana shouted, running toward them.  Panicked, the robber fired a shot in Lana’s direction.  She was hit in the chest and collapsed to the ground.  Everybody stood frozen for a moment, then the masked individual picked up his now full backpack and, apparently forgetting completely about the cash drawers, ran out the door.

As Luthor and Darla were handcuffed and taken outside to the waiting police cars, the Boy of Steel’s super-hearing picked up a gun shot on the other side of town.  Even as he heard it, a cop ran over to him.

“Superboy!  We just picked up a silent alarm at Capitol City Savings and Loan on Bleaker!”

“I’m on my way,” he replied, soaring into the air.  Seconds later, he approached the bank.  A masked individual was running down an alley just up the street.  Superboy flew ahead of him and touched down at the far end of the alley, blocking the robber’s path.  The criminal wasted no time, firing wildly in Superboy’s direction.  The bullets bounced harmlessly off the S on his chest.  Another blast of heat vision and the man dropped his red-hot gun.  Superboy then streaked over to him and landed a carefully thrown knockout punch.  Picking up the unconscious robber, Superboy hurried back to the bank.  Entering the building, he found everybody standing around in silence and watching as a security guard tended to an apparently wounded person on the floor by the ATM.

“Superboy!” the guard exclaimed, running over to him.  “I see you caught our masked friend.  Thank you very much.  Now, if you could please help us out with that girl…”

The rest of the guard’s words faded away with the rest of the world as Superboy saw who had been shot.  It was Lana.  He couldn’t believe it.  She was bleeding.  The guard had bandaged the wound up as best he could, but she needed a hospital.  Scooping her up in his arms, Superboy ran outside and flew off even as the still unconscious criminal was handcuffed by the security guard and the police arrived on the scene.

That evening, Clark nervously paced in the waiting room of Capitol City General Hospital.  His head was spinning.  Lana had been shot.  She was at death’s door.  And he couldn’t help thinking it was his fault.  If only they would let him see her.  Why couldn’t he just sit with her?  He heard the elevator bell chime and looked over to see who was getting off.  He was relieved to see two very familiar faces.

“Ma!  Pa!” he called.

“Oh, Clark,” his mother said, running over and hugging him.  “We got here as fast as we could.”

“Thanks for coming.  I know I sounded pretty hysterical on the phone, but I didn’t know what else to do or who else to call.”

“That’s okay, Clark,” his father said.  “That’s what parents are for.  How is she?”

“I don’t know.  Even though that security guard patched her up pretty quick, she lost a lot of blood.  There was also some internal bleeding.  During surgery to get the bullet out, she hemorrhaged.  They were able to stabilize her, but she slipped into a coma.  They’ve got her on life support now.  They say the next twenty-four hours are critical.  Were you able to get in touch with Lana’s parents?”

“No, they were both out of town,” Jonathan replied.  “How are you holding up, son?”

“I’ve been better.  I just feel so guilty.  I have all these powers, and they enable me to do a lot of good.  But why couldn’t I be there for Lana when it meant the most?”

“You’ve saved Lana more times than we can count,” Martha said.  “You can’t be everywhere at once.  I’m sure Lana won’t blame you for what happened today.”

“I know I can’t save everybody.  We’ve been through that before.  But it’s just not fair!  I can save total strangers, but not the one person who means more to me than…I love her.”

“Does she know that?” Jonathan asked.

“She’s going to find out,” Clark replied.  “The lies have to stop.  I have to tell her the truth about me.  Who I am, how I feel…everything.”

“Are you sure about this?” Martha asked.

“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.  I almost lost Lana today.  Even though it wasn’t my fault, she would have died without knowing things about me that I’ve wanted to tell her since we were kids.  She deserves to know the truth.  I just hope she can forgive me for lying to her all these years.”

“I’m sure she’ll understand,” his mother said.

“I wish I could be that confident.  We’ve been through so much together, and I’ve wanted to tell her so many times.  But I’ve always held back because…I was afraid.  I was afraid that if she knew, it might put her in greater danger.  I was afraid that if I admitted my true feelings for her, it might cloud my judgment down the road.  But you can’t run from your fears.  Sooner or later you have to take a chance in life.  And this is a chance that’s worth taking.”

“You and Lana have always been best friends,” his father said.  “Before you ever became Superboy, you formed a bond with her as Clark.  And that’s who you really are.  Superboy is just an extension of who you are inside and the values your mother and I raised you with.  I know Lana has a temper, but she’ll come around.  If she feels as strongly for you as you do for her, you guys will work it out.”

“I hope you’re right,” Clark said.  “Are you guys hungry?  I could go down to the cafeteria and get us something to eat.”

“No, you boys sit down and relax,” his mother said.  “I’ll go.”  Jonathan and Clark smiled at each other and complied with Martha’s wishes.  Clark felt a lot better now.  He was very fortunate to have his parents to talk to at times like these.  They were the only ones who could really understand.  But if Lana pulled through this, Clark hoped to have one more person to turn to.

The next morning, a nurse woke up Clark and his parents.  They had fallen asleep on the couches in the waiting room.

“Mr. Kent,” she said, addressing Clark.  “Lana is awake.  She’s asking to see you.”

“Thank God she’s all right,” he said, getting to his feet.  “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes.  The doctors say she’s very lucky.  That girl is a fighter.”  Clark and his parents exchanged glances and smiled.

“Yes she is,” Clark agreed.  “Can I please have some time alone with her?”

“Of course.  We have a few tests to run later this morning, but please take all the time you need.  I’ll see that no one disturbs you.”

“Thanks,” Clark said.  The nurse led him down the hallway to her room and closed the door behind him.  Lana looked over at him and smiled.

“You can wipe that worried look off your face.  I feel a lot better than I look.”

“I hope so, because you look pretty weak.”

“What do you expect?  I got shot yesterday.  I just need some rest and I’ll be fine.”

“Lana, we have to talk.”

“About what?”

“It’s…complicated.  I almost lost you yesterday, and it made me realize a few things.  I’ve been keeping a secret from you.  I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I kept holding back.  But I know now that it’s better if I tell you the truth.”

“What kind of secret?”

“The best way I can show you…is if I just show you.”  With that, Clark began spinning around.  It was slow at first, but he quickly picked up speed.  In an instant, a blur of black and white became a blur of red and blue.  When he came to a stop, he was clad in the familiar costume of Superboy.  He stood there for a second, not sure if he should smile at her or apologize.  But before he could say anything, Lana spoke.

“This is the big secret?  I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s old news, Clark.  I’ve known for months.”

“What?” he exclaimed, changing back into Clark at super-speed.

“I didn’t make the connection between you two for a long time.  But as I got to know Superboy better, I saw more and more of Clark Kent in him.  But I really didn’t get suspicious until the Bureau got that new computer system a while back.  Remember when I used it to piece together who Superboy really was?  As that night wore on, I figured it all out.  And when I kissed you that night…well, that’s when I knew for sure.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Don’t you remember what I said that night?  I told you that if Superboy was keeping a secret like that, he must have a very good reason for it.  If he wanted anybody to know, he would tell them when he was ready.”

“Then why did you try so hard to expose my secret in Smallville a while back when I lost my powers?”

“I don’t know.  I guess I was just sick of being lied to.  That was a time when you could really have used a friend, and I was a little hurt that you didn’t tell me yourself then.  I thought that was exactly the kind of situation where you would tell me.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you all this time, Lana.  I only did it to protect you.  I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, smiling.

“You do?”

“Of course I do.”

“You mean you’re not mad at me?”

“No.  You did what you did for the good of others, just like everything else you’ve done.  I’m just glad you finally told me.”

“So, where do we go from here?”

“I was about to ask you the same question.  We know how we feel about each other.  I guess that’s a start.”

“And that’s exactly what it is, Lana…a new start.  I promise not to keep any more secrets from you.  From now on, I’ll share my life with you the same way you’ve shared yours with me.”

“And I promise to be there for you whenever you need me, the same way you’ve been there for me.”  Suddenly, Clark’s super-hearing picked up a fire alarm downtown.

“Lana, I have to go.  There’s trouble.  Cover for me, would you?”

“Of course.  It’s the least I can do.”

“Thanks.  I’ll be back to see you later on.”

THE END

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