Title: Children and Choices
By: Xmarksthespot
Disclaimer: I don't own any copyrighted material
Words: 1,800+
Notes: Sorry for the long wait. Again, I've tried to take a different approach to how I reveal the team's accidental murders. I originally had a completely different idea for Superboy's chapter, but then this inspiration came about and I ended up writing it instead
X-X-X-
Conner.
They say that 2010 should have been a big year for Lois Lane, what with her affiliations with the Justice League, and her being the reporter who was rumoured to be dating Superman (rumours were later denied as it was confirmed that Lane was, in fact, happily engaged to fellow reporter, Clark Kent).
The year 2010 should have been a big year for her because that was the year the number of heroes on planet Earth doubled, and the number of villains tripled.
And while she did report and investigate the happenings around the world, they say that she missed out when it came to reporting the little things that only Lane would have the guts and sources to report.
Such as the appearance of Superboy.
Lois Lane could have written dozens of articles on Superboy.
She wrote two.
She published one.
.
THE BOY OF STEEL: THE NEW HERO
BY: LOIS LANE
August 4, 2010
The existence of superheroes is not new to us, as we are—luckily—constantly being watched over and saved by the heroes, either a part or independent of the Justice League. But while we are used to grown men, women, and even extraterrestrials coming to our aid, in recent years, it seems that a new generation has come up to the mantle—one that does not reach as high as our beloved heroes, and I mean that quite literally.
Kids.
Children whom we assume to be no older than twelve or thirteen, some just at the verge of adulthood, and some in between, are now risking their lives and patrolling the streets alongside their mentors—our heroes—so that we not only have the extra protection and safety we yearn for, but so we are promised we will not be left alone for generations to come.
And while many critics disprove of the idea, especially at the time of Robin's initial appearance alongside Gotham City's Batman, citizens all over the country, and eventually, all over the world, have been welcoming Earth's new heroes. With the Boy Wonder being the first of the sidekicks, followed by Star City's Speedy, Central's quick-witted and quick-paced Kid Flash, and finally Atlantis's much to be learned about, Aqualad.
But the world has not met all of the young heroes yet. Sure, there's Dakota City's Rocket, partner of Icon—both highly anticipated to become affiliated with the Justice League in the near future. Not to mention Chicago's Miss Martian, a rumoured fellow inhabitant of Mars and partner of League founder, Martian Manhunter. Then there is Green Arrow's new protégée, Artemis—potentially named after the Greek Goddess of the Hunt and wielder of a bow and arrow herself.
And then there is Superboy.
Who is Superboy, you ask? He is the Boy of Steel, a definite Kryptonian with an identical face and almost all of the powers that Metropolis's beloved Superman has. He is the teammate of Robin, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Artemis, and Aqualad, all of whom are now in allegiance with the Justice League unlike fellow sidekick, Speedy, who has recently traded his feathered hat and unique name for a more mature, independent persona: Red Arrow.
But why has this boy not been seen with his mentor, Superman? What is so different between this hero—this young teenager, no more than sixteen—that keeps him hidden from the spotlight? And how is he related to Superman exactly? The Man of Steel himself confirmed that he is the last of his species, and now there is a boy with his face and his family insignia across his chest, with his exact powers.
Had Superman been wrong or was it all a lie to begin with? Is this boy his son? Why is the Justice League keeping his existence a secret from the world? There are many questions revolving around Earth's newest hero, and while we may never know the answers to them, we are sure of one thing: the world is always in need of a hero, and it is better with him than without.
.
.
SUPERBOY: THE TRAGIC HERO
BY: LOIS LANE
October 29, 2010
Last week on October 16 at exactly 6:00PM, Maryland Enterprises, a law firm in the heart of Metropolis, was taken over by a mysterious gang whose identities are still under police investigation. Of the twenty floors, thirteen were evacuated with the remaining seven, containing at least fifty employees per floor, were held hostage at gunpoint.
The leader of the mysterious group was at the top of the building with John Maryland, CEO of the company, his assistant, six other business associates, and the reporter from the Daily Planet: me.
We were threatened to kneel to the floors as Maryland allowed the leader access to all of the company's personal files through his computer. Such files would be enough to not only provide false records to the criminals, ultimately earning them millions of dollars, but can potentially destroy every single person in Metropolis financially.
At 7:14PM, the Young Justice League—their current fan-given name until League confirmation—arrived, with each member initially splitting into pairs and taking down the criminals floor by floor until they had reached the top. But their work did not come without an entrance. Just before the law firm's database could be stolen and falsified data created, all electronic devices in the building, including hand held ones, were flashing with Robin's insignia, temporarily freezing any transactions. And while many of us had believed that he was the leader of this new group, it was Aqualad who took center stage in providing his teammates with instructions.
The team did not communicate openly, but it was clear how well they interacted with one another. With the help of these young heroes, the gunmen quickly went down, with the exception of the leader.
According to the data provided by the forensics team so far, the leader of the gang had a chemical compound injected into his bloodstream, which provided him with the following symptoms:
Increased immunity, increased strength, rapid healing, delusions, and hallucinations.
The name of the compound has not been identified.
As a result, the Young Justice League team had a more difficult time trying to stop their foe, who seemed eager to not only finish his job but take out the children. He had successfully knocked out Kid Flash and Artemis, and Aqualad had fallen through the floor down to the nineteenth floor. The youngest, Robin, was ensuring our safety while using his computer to prevent the law firm's information from being taken by the wrong hands.
At approximately 8:05PM, the leader of the villainous gang had a death grip around Miss Martian's neck; the young heroine apparently does not have the same powers as her mentor, Martian Manhunter, as she was unable to phase through his hold. That was when Superboy, the most mysterious hero, had elbowed the man in the back.
It was assumed that Superboy had knocked the leader unconscious.
However, with a quick check by Robin, who at 8:12PM announced the leader's lack of heartbeats, it was obvious that Superboy had killed the man. But to everyone in the room, it was not murder. There was no intention for the young hero to cause the death of the man who was close to killing us all; his only intention was to save his teammate.
"No," he yelled to his friends. "He should be knocked out, not dead. He should be knocked out! I only meant to knock him out."
Police say it is unconfirmed what will happen to Superboy and the city's connection with the League. Protestors continue to rally outside the courtroom every day to ensure that Superboy remains innocent, as it was for self defense purposes and that he had saved the hostages.
With this incident, it is proven that while the Young Justice Team has what it takes to be heroes, they are not yet on par with their mentors, especially Superboy, who has apparently no control of his powers. Though we have seen in the past few months since his debut, this hero has no mentor, no Superman to show him the ropes.
So the question is: should Superman hold the blame?
If a child commits a crime, their parent is held responsible for not raising them correctly. But what about Superman? Should Metropolis's dear Man of Steel be guilty of bloodshed because he has not taught Superboy to control his powers and prevent this from happening? Should he be responsible for the guilt that Superboy will forever feel
.
Lois stopped typing.
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly inched herself away from the screen in front of her, wheeling her office chair back and eventually craning her neck so that she could see the clear sky outside her window. In the distance, there was a familiar globe rotated on a golden axis with the words The Daily Planet mounted on the globe.
Today had been her day off, but she felt unrested.
Suddenly, she pushed herself up and off the chair, spotting her purse in the corner of her room. She picked it up with haste, digging her belongings around before she could find her phone beneath the pile of trash.
She didn't even need to dial the number. The person she wanted to talk to was on speed dial.
"Clark Kent, Daily Planet," said the man on the other line.
"Smallville, I need you to tell Perry that I won't have that article in by tomorrow."
"What? Lois, you've been working on that article all week. You're the one who told Perry it was big, why are you scrapping it now?"
She looked back at her screen with a distraught feeling burying itself in her chest. She told him: "Because I have to, Clark." She paused. "And when you come home, I also need you to fetch me a café latte with whip cream and chocolate sauce drizzled on top. Extra chocolate. "
She could hear him clear his throat. Luckily for the two, they had known each other long enough for him to know that her feelings reflected on her coffee orders.
"Uh, Lois, did I do something wrong?"
"Yes. And we need to talk."
"Okay, I'll try to wrap this up as fast as I can and I'll meet you at home."
She hung up the call, but didn't bother setting it down. Rather, she dialed a foreign number which was given to her to use during emergencies.
"Lois?"
"Hi Bruce," she greeted, "I hope I'm not interrupting a meeting."
"I'm sure they can handle without me. What can I do for you?"
Lois gave her forever unfinished article a final glance before finally allowing herself to smile.
"I…I want to know about him. Superboy. And I want you to introduce me to him... I want to know him."