ISSUE #19 (December 2018)
Written by Tobias Christopher Featuring: Superman
Superboy
Power Boy
Conner Kent
Lois Lane
Supergirl
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"Family Fun Night""Are you ready to go?" Jon asked as he knocked on the bathroom door. "I wanna get to the carnival before the ride lines get too long!"
The door opened as Kara looked at the younger Kent. "I don't know if I should go. This is going to be my first real public outing. I haven't been around so many people since I left home." "Don't be nervous, I'm going to be there with you the whole time," Jon said as he took her hand. "And you're going to love the rides! They have a ride based on this movie called 'Saw' and well, I don't want to ruin the surprise." "How did you watch 'Saw', young man?" Lois asked, having overheard the conversation. "I, well, you know what? I realized I don't have my shoes on, better get 'em before we leave!" Jon shouted as he rushed toward his room at full speed. "He only thinks he's seen that movie, I switched it with 'Home Alone' when he wasn't looking," Lois told Kara. "If you're going to have your first night out in the real world, the carnival's the place to do it. And we'll all be there if you get nervous. Just relax and enjoy yourself, you have nothing to worry about." "Am I a bad person?" Chris asked as he finishing some last-minute chores with Connor. "Are you asking because of your relation to the genocidal douchebag parents that gave you life?" Connor asked. "Your DNA doesn't define who you are. Hell, half of my DNA comes from this bald asshole who likes making Superman's life a living hell, but I've learned to live with it." "No, it's not about Zod, I made peace with that a long time ago," Chris told him. "Ever since I got back to Earth and getting to know this world again, I've been... discovering things. It's not like the first time I grew up here, now I'm having all these new emotions and feelings." "Probably because this time your age isn't jumping around like an exercise class on an earthquake fault," Connor told him. "You haven't gone from 4 to 16 to 22 in the span of a sneeze. You're a stable 16 with teenage hormones, of course you're going to be feeling like you're getting hit by a truck filled with kryptonite." "Yeah, I guess that's it," Chris said. "Thanks, Connor." "Hey, that's what big brothers are for," Connor told him. "Now let's get moving, I'm meeting my girl tonight at the carnival and I don't want to be late." Clark stood in the living room, staring down at his JLA communicator as if he expected it to start lighting up to warn him of an emergency. "Regretting your decision to quit the League?" Lois asked as she hugged him from behind. "No," Clark told her. "When I was on the brink of death, with almost no will to fight, all I could do was think of how I'd never see your smile again. How I'd never see Jon grow up to the good man I know he'll be. How I'd never see Chris make his own legacy, free of Zod's influence. How I'd never get to take Jimmy and our boys to a baseball game again. My friends and family... that was the only spark of life I had in me, what pushed me to try to stay in the world." "So no more taking off in the middle of the night? Or leaving before Jon's birthday party starts?" Lois asked. "Never again," Clark promised as he turned to kiss her. "From now on, this family comes first." "Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon!" Jon shouted as he rushed down the stairs, wearing his glasses and ball cap to hide his identity. Chris, Connor and Kara soon followed with their own disguises. "Maybe I should consider starting to wear glasses, too," Lois said as she grabbed her purse."I'm starting to feel a little left out." "Let's get a move on, ,my girlfriend is meeting us there," Connor told them. "I can't wait for you to meet her. This night's going to be a blast!" Alice arrived at the carnival, looking around the growing number of people. She headed behind a row of carnival games and opened a boom tube where no one could see what she was bringing to Earth. "Come, my pet," Alice said as a shadowy creature emerged with a bag carrying several weapons. " Tonight is the night that we complete our mission for Lord Darkseid. You must stay hidden until I give the signal. Then the fun begins, my dear Chessure." The Kent family arrived at the carnival, with Kara being the first to notice the lights of the rides and the cheerful screams of the children riding them. It was a little overwhelming at first, but soon the rush of being a part of something so exciting took over. "What do you want to do first?" Chris asked Kara. "How about that?" Kara asked, pointing at the ferris wheel. "Oh, good choice," Chris told her. "I'll get the tickets." "You okay, Jon?" Connor asked as he saw the younger boy looking sad. "Yeah, it's just that my friend Ricky had to miss the carnival that was in Smallville because of the King of Fables," Jon told him. "No one should have to miss out of the carnival." "Then it's a good thing that we got him here for one," Clark said as he walked up with Ricky and his father. "Surprise, Jon. Richard cleared time in his schedule to visit with his uncle and brought Ricky here early." "Ricky!" "Jon!" The two friends collided with each other, ending in a friendly hug. "I honestly haven't seen Ricky this happy in a very long time," Richard told Clark and Lois as he watched Jon dragging Ricky to the ticket booth. "It's been... rough on both of us since the divorce, but it hit Ricky harder than it did to me. Ricky's always had trouble making friends, but before he disappeared, he'd just been really distant from everyone." "So, how is everyone in Smallville?" Clark asked. "I haven't kept in touch for a long time. Maybe I should plan a visit soon." "Well, I haven't been keeping up with Lana," Richard said. "I mean, who could ever keep up with her? But Pete's got new life in him ever since he turned his hardware business into a father/son venture." "Is C.J. even old enough to help run a business?" Clark asked. "He's a bright kid, Clark," Richard told him. "Really got a knack for numbers. You really should come back to catch up with the gang. Class reunion's coming up." "Class reunion? That I'd like to see," Lois said. "The boys really should see where you were raised more often." "And take them away from their phones and computers?" Clark asked as he thought about it. "It has been a while since Jon's visited Mom..." "So you still haven't told your dad about your powers?" Jon asked as he got the tickets. "No," Ricky said. "I'm scared to let him know that I'm different. What if he leaves me like my mom did? I don't want to be alone, Jon. My Dad's all I have left." "Your Dad loves you," Jon assured him. "He was willing to turn Metropolis upside down to bring you home, remember? And besides, you're not alone. You have me and my family if you ever need a place to go." "You alright, Connor?" Chris asked. "Kara and I are going on the ferris wheel, then gorge on carnival food. Want to join?" "I haven't seen Alice yet," Connor told him. "She was supposed to be here. I hope she's okay, she usually calls if she's going to be late." "Relax, bro, I'm sure she'll show," Chris told him. "In the meantime, enjoy yourself. Play some games, get a pretzel." "Maybe you're right," Connor said. "I'm sure she'll be here any second." As Kara stood nearby, taking in the sights, her supervision caught sight of a shadowy blur in the distance. "You okay?" Chris asked. "Yeah, I think my eyes are still adjusting to Earth's light." Kara told him. Nearby, Alice was overlooking the carnival while wearing infrared glasses developed by Desaad to seek out Kryptonians. She quickly located Clark, Jon, Chris, and Kara. "Alright, Chessure, get ready to provide the distraction while I grab the target." Clark stood at the prize booth, holding a ball in his hand while aiming at some stacked cups. Tossing the first of three balls, he intentionally missed the first throw. Then the second ball missed as well. "Not a very good throw, is he?" the booth worker Lois. Clark wound up his arm and threw the ball just hard enough to where it shoot out the back of the booth. The cups flew in several different directions, flying off hard enough to knock down the cups on the other two sides. In another fifteen minutes, Lois would have far too many stuffed animals to carry as usual and outside of the small stuffed Superman themed bear, the rest would end up being donated to the local children's hospital. "Clark, why do you always insist on trolling the carnival workers like that?" Lois asked with a smirk. "I've been doing this since I was a teen, winning stuffed bears for my mother," Clark told her. "It's the only real fun I ever get to have any actual fun with my powers." "Did you ever win stuffed bears for Lana?" Lois asked. "Maybe once or twice," Clark admitted. "But we grew up to be two very different people. We were still friends, but we just wanted different things out of life." "And what was it that you wanted?" Lois asked. "I'm looking at her." "I only get to spend a few weekends a year with my Grandma in Smallville if I'm lucky," Jon told Ricky as they waited in line for the rollercoaster. "Mainly I just help with the chores, then I get to go fishing and swimming at Welling Lake." "I used to go to the lake, but then these other kids started hanging out there," Ricky said. "That was around the time I started getting my powers and I didn't want anyone to find out." "Maybe I can come out for a weekend soon, and I can help you make friends," Jon told him. "It'll be easy." "I don't know," Ricky said. "What if they don't like me?" "Come on, everybody likes you," Jon assured him. "What's not to like?" Ricky smiled a little, but before he could say anything, a scream was heard A large shadowy creature that resembled a black cat had started chasing off people. Cornering a woman with her daughter, the creature hissed in hunger just a punch sent it reeling back. Superman floated in front of the beast, arms folded with his cape flowing in the wind. "I believe we've met before," Superman said. "Chessure, is it? That means your master isn't too far away. What does Darkseid want from Earth now?" Chessure swatted at Superman, who ducked and used both fists as one to send the monster back. Chris, Jon, Kara, I'm talking to you on a frequency only your ears can hear. I'll handle this beast, you three protect the people. Civilian safety is the top priority. Have Connor watch after Lois. Stay safe and good luck. "You heard him," Kara said as she started lifting her top, revealing her Supergirl costume underneath. "Let's do this." "Wait, we were supposed to wear our costumes?" Chris asked. "Ricky, I gotta--" Jon started to say. "I get it," Ricky said. "Be safe, Jon." "You can help," Jon told him. "Help me keep these people safe." "But my Dad, my powers--" Jon sighed. "Then do me a favor, keep an eye on my mom and Connor. I'll be back." Jon ducked behind a prize booth to change into costume. As soon as he unbuttoned his shirt, a powerful electric shock from behind caused him to scream in pain before he fell forward. Alice stood over him, holding a powerful Apokalips stun stick. "Mission accomplished." "Did you hear that scream?" Supergirl asked as she herded the carnival crowd to safety. "Yeah, it sounded a lot like Jon," Powerboy told her. Not having a costume, he just removed his shirt, hat and glasses and quickly used a face painting booth to create the 'S' shield on his chest, which Kara tried to hide her dissatisfaction with. "He's either in trouble or he got his thing caught in his zipper again." As Superman continued punching Chessure, having little effect on it, Connor heard Jon's scream. "I know that scream anywhere," Connor said. "And Jon's shorts don't have a zipper on them, so he must be in trouble. Lois, I gotta go see if my little buddy's okay." "Go, I've got things from here." Lois said. "Make sure Jon's okay." Connor raced toward the prize booth where Alice had Jon slung over her shoulder. "Alice?" "I was hoping it didn't come to this," Alice sighed. "The name's not Alice, honey. It's Malice. MALICE VUNDABAR." "I don't care if you're German, just put my brother down so we can talk!" Connor shouted. Malice opened up a boomtube as she started laughing. "You're adorable. Perhaps I will take you back with me as my new pet. Chessure, come!" Holding her weapon out, Malice fired at a large pole to provide a distraction while Chessure started fading away, its essence flying back toward the boomtube. People started to panic while running away, giving Powerboy and Supergirl even more to deal with. As Superman flew after Chessure's cloudy essence, Ricky noticed the pole was falling toward a trapped group of people, including his father. "NO!" Ricky shouted as he rushed as fast as he could, grabbing the pole with his bare hands, holding it up so everyone could escape. "Ricky?" Richard asked as he saw his son holding the pole with no effort whatsoever. As soon as the people were clear, Ricky, with tears in his eyes dropped the pole softly to the ground. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry." Ricky said, his voice strained as he ran away from his father. Superman flew toward the boomtube as Malice stood there with Jon still over her shoulder and dragging an unconscious Connor by the shirt behind her. "You're too late, Superman," Malice cackled. "If you want to see your precious little boy again, you know where to come." The boomtube closed just Superman could reach them. "You'd better believe that I'm coming," Superman said angrily. "No one kidnaps my boys." TO BE CONTINUED... |
Special Back-Up Feature, Starring Sideways!
Sideways
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My name is Derek James. I'm 17, I'm a solid C student, I don't have a driver's license, but I do have a really kick-ass ten-speed bike. My favorite color is blue, I'm allergic to bananas and I love listening to retro 80's music.
I also have the ability to open up portals to pretty much anywhere and I'm insanely strong. It's these powers that got me into my current situation. I accidentally opened a portal to a place called The Bleed where I met a Robin from fifty years in the future. We tried to use one of my portals to get out of there and ended up even further in the future where this really bad dude named Brainiac is about to destroy the Earth, and us with it. "Surrender yourselves willingly, humans," Brainiac said from his ship. "For this world is finished. You are the last two humans in existence, and soon you will join those before you, after I have--" A finger tapped on Brainiac's shoulder as he turned around just in time to see Derek's fist plow into his face. "You talk too much." Derek said as Brainiac flew back into the control panel. "At least my portals work here. Think we can get home from here?" "Just focus so we don't end up floating through empty space." Robin told him as the two started running. "Alright, let's go to a place where I can get a proper costume," Derek said as he opened a portal, jumping through as Robin jumped right behind him. The two teens fell into a decimated Batcave, which had long been destroyed. Dust covered the entire place and looked to be on the verge of caving in on itself. "I think we're still in the same year," Robin told him. "Look at this place, it's totaled." "This is the Batcave?" Derek asked as he looked around. "Whoah." "Maybe we have to go back to the Bleed," Robin told him. "Maybe that's the only place to jump through time." "I need a pair of boots before we go," Derek told him. "My feet are killing me and these socks aren't really protective." Robin found the old cases with the various costumes for Batman and his long retired associates. "Take something from here. Nightwing's boots should fit you." "How about I just use bits and pieces from different suits just in case we end up in the wrong place again?" Derek asked, seeing the various villain costumes as well. Before long he was picking out different things from every costume he could get to. "Boots, armor, gross, definitely not the short-shorts. Let's see, gloves... I feel like I'm designing my own costume here." "Just hurry, I want to get out of here before Brainiac blows up the Earth," Robin said as Derek headed behind the large penny, tossing his clothes to the floor while he pulled on the costume. Moments later he stepped out in a navy and light blue costume with mask and utility belt before collecting his street clothes into a duffel bag sitting on a table. "How do I look?" "Awesome," Robin said as the place started shaking. "It's the end of the world as we know it." "I love that song." "What song?" "Nevermind," Sideways said as he made an 'S' in the air, opening a portal as he focused. "Let's go!" Two two teen heroes jumped through the portal, just as the roof caved in. They fell back onto an asteroid in the bleed. "Still alive, got all of our limbs," Sideways felt his groin. "Yep, everything's there, we're good, thank God." "Maybe the next leap will be the leap home," Robin said. "Quantum Leap fan?" "What's Quantum Leap?" "Nevermind, I guess we'll save the Earth when we get home. We can just drop Superman an E-Mail so he can prepare for it." Sideways said. "You're pretty upbeat for a guy that's lost in space and time." Robin told him. "Yeah, well I kind of have to be," Sideways told him. "If I stop to think about all the bad shit, then I-- I really can't function well," Sideways paused and removed his mask to remove a small tear. He took a deep breath and shoved his emotions deep down again before turning back to Robin. "Well, let's get going." Before Robin could ask what was wrong, Sideways opened a portal. The two heroes walked through, finding themselves in another apocalyptic place. "Did we just end up back in the same world?" Sideways asked. "Stupid portals." "Sky's not blood red here," Robin told him as he looked around. "Looks like this world's dead, but it's not by Brainiac this time." "Maybe it was those guys." Sideways said as several anthropomorphic tigers on horseback rode up to them, wielding weapons. "Humans!" the head tiger guard shouted. "You are now our prisoners!" "I don't think so," Robin said as he pulled out his bo staff. "This must be in another future where animals evolved and took over the Earth." "Better than a crackpot machine killing everything outright." Sideways said as someone suddenly swung through, knocking the tiger guards off of their horses. With lightning speed, the two heroes watched as their rescuer took out the guards before facing them. A teenage boy with long blonde hair smiled as he looked at the duo. "Come with me if you want to live." said Kamandi, the last boy on Earth. To Be Continued... |