Future Shock

By Paul-Gabriel Wiener

Lois was sitting on the living room couch when Clark entered. He
was dressed in the suit he had worn to work that morning, but
this time he had an addition...a top hat on a stick. Lois looked
at him strangely. Clark began twirling the hat around. He began
talking faster than a speeding auctioneer. "Ladies and Gentlemen!
Super-duper and company (a subsidiary of fly-by-night
enterprises) has entrusted who? me! to tell you about the
handiest and the dandiest new tool and
don't-you-want-to-know-how-it-works?" Before Lois could even
think of saying anything, he continued. "It's very simple. You
take an ordinary apple and place it between the patented pans."
Here, he zipped to the kitchen and brought back an apple and two
ordinary aluminum pie pans. "Then, you call for the tool that is
not a slicer, not a dicer, not a chopper and a hopper...what in
the heck could it possibly be? Well, it's NOT a sledge-o-matic!
NO! With this new product, you can get rid of your
sledge-o-matic! You can throw out your refrigerator, freezer,
oven, microwave, and just about everything else but the kitchen
sink! This amazing product not only cooks your food, but it
prepares it for you! It can even freeze the leftovers! Not only
that, but it does everything that old sledge-o-matic did for you.
And you don't even have to lift a heavy wooden hammer! Now,
you're still wondering what this amazing new product is...well,
let me tell you! It's the totally amazing-super-
duper-new-and-improved Superhusband!! Yes, Superhusband!! It
cooks, it cleans, it washes the dishes, and all before you can
say Supercalafragalisticexbealadocious! You're probably thinking
you should order now...after all, supplies ARE extremely limited.
But don't worry. You already have one!!!" Lois was laughing so
hard that Clark had to stop flexing, cooking, zipping around, and
generally demonstrating his abilities to help her up.

"But honey, if we threw out all our appliances, people would
think it was strange..."

"Oh well...it was a good idea while it lasted...." Clark was just
pretending to leave when there was a blinding flash of light. By
the time Lois' eyes recovered, Clark was gone. Looking at the
blackened, smoking floor, Lois realized he hadn't left by
choice.

"Clark?? CLARK??? SSSSSSUUUUUUPPPPPPEEEEERRRRRRMMMAAAAAA
ANNNNNN!!!! WHERE ARE YOU???" The only response was a distant
echo.

***

Clark was confused. One minute he had been joking around with his
wife, and the next...well, he wasn't sure what he was doing.
"Where am I?"

"You're in Metropolis City, Mr. Kent." Clark hadn't realized that
there was another person in the room until he spoke. "A better
question, however, would be 'when am I?' As for that, you're in
the year 2093." As Clark tried to comprehend this, he realized
that his glasses were off. He started to reach for them. "You
don't have to worry about that, Superman. Here, we all know who
you are. The world has known for over 75 years."

By now, Clark's head was really spinning. The other man waited
while he tried to mentally sort things out. Thinking on that,
Clark realized he didn't know anything about this man. "If I may
ask, who are you and what am I doing here?"

"My name is Charles Lane-Kent. I am your great grandson. As for
what you are doing here, I brought you here to save the world
from my cousins. I'm sorry to say that your descendants are on
the brink of something comparable to the War of the Roses." This
sent Clark's newly recovered mind reeling again.

"I...uh...see...." Charles smiled.

"This will take some getting used to, I know. Unfortunately, we
don't have much time. I'll let you think things over for a while.
I'll be back soon. In the meantime, can I get you anything?"

"Uhm...no thanks...."

***

When Charlie returned, Clark had recomposed himself. The two
spent some time going over the current situation. Charlie brought
Clark up to speed on the last century. It seems that he and Lois
had had a son (Charlie chose not to tell Clark his name...just to
"preserve the mystery."). He was born on mother's day, 1998.
Unlike Clark, the child began developing his powers very early.
The boy began showing off before his parents could convince him
that he should not. When it became clear that the boy had super
powers, it didn't take much for people to connect his father with
Superman. It seemed the whole "glasses" thing had just barely
been working before. With this added clue, it was too much to
hide. Once the world knew the truth, things went a lot
differently. Protecting Lois became a lot more difficult. The
phone didn't stop ringing for almost a year. After a month or so,
Clark took pity on the poor mailman and started picking it up at
the Post Office himself. The main thing was that Clark's son's
childhood was much different than Clark's had been. The
preferential treatment he received made him into something of a
spoiled, egotistical brat. The situation got worse with the next
generation. The discovery that Lois and Clark's grandchildren,
being only 1/4 Kryptonian, only had 1/4 of Superman's powers only
slowed this moral degradation a little. Now, their great-
grandchildren were on the scene.

There were 7 of them, counting Charlie. Some, like Charlie
himself, were responsible and thoughtful. Others were selfish. At
this point, the seven each had 1/8 of Superman's power. Things
had gotten to the point where each had only one power. Charlie
had Clark's mind. He could think at super- speed. Charlie told
Clark about the others.

Sarah could fly. She was one of the selfish ones. She was jealous
of the others and their powers. She was also cold and
calculating. Charlie mentioned that Sarah had been named for
Clark's first "wife."

Jake, Sarah's brother, was invulnerable. His power had made him
aloof. While not as calculating as his sister, Jake was
condescending towards everyone else.

Lois had super-strength. Despite her physical strength, Lois was
a softie. It seemed that she had inherited Clark's gentleness as
well.

Mike, Lois' brother, had Clark's eyes. Unlike his sister, Mike
was NOT kind to others. He thought that all descendants of
Superman were above ordinary humans. He abused his power. He used
his heat vision to intimidate people, and was not ashamed to use
his X-ray vision whenever he felt like it. The police had a hard
time proving it, though. Mike thought it was funny, and played
around with any cops he came across. He didn't mind the hate he
earned doing it.

Julie had the freeze breath. Her heart seemed to be as cold as
her breath. She didn't care about anyone but herself.

Jesse, Julie's brother, had the speed. He had been nicknamed
"flash." He was relatively young, innocent, and playful. He had
designed a costume for himself. He was proud of the little
pinwheels on his head and shoulders. Despite his playful
attitude, however, Jesse was responsible. He used his power to
help people whenever he could.

Clark couldn't help but notice that Charlie seemed detached from
all his cousins. He talked about them as if reading off a file.
Clark wondered how Charlie's cousins would describe him. He kept
this in mind as Charlie continued.

Charlie and his siblings had been getting together regularly for
a long time. They felt a sort of attachment to each other. No
matter how each individual regarded the rest of humanity, they
each had to face the fact that there was a fundamental difference
between them and other humans. At one of the more recent
meetings, someone had suggested that they combine their powers.
The discussion that this idea set off was so heated that Charlie
couldn't remember who had made the suggestion in the first
place.

Each of the "Super-cousins" (as the media called them) knew that
the power wouldn't last through much more diluting. The problem
was that if they combined their power, only one of them would
have superpowers. Obviously, each one wanted the power for his or
her own self. While their reasons for wanting the power differed,
the important thing was the desire for that power. The argument
escalated until the group broke into factions. Jesse and Lois
formed one faction. Sarah and Jake were another. Julie and Mike
made up a third faction. Charlie sympathized with Jesse and Lois,
but ultimately remained impartial. From that point, things
escalated even more. The people of Metropolis began joining up
with the various factions. The city was about to be ripped into
three parts. Charlie had realized that he could not handle the
situation by himself. So, after thinking for a while, he settled
upon a course of action. He had called for reinforcements.
Charlie knew that only the original Superman could save the city
from his great-grandchildren. That was the way things stood at
that moment.

"Whoa!" That was all Clark could say. This was the worst
situation he had ever been faced with. As he tried to figure out
what to do, Clark's head began to spin again.

***

Lois didn't know what to do. She couldn't call the police...what
would she tell them? Thinking further down this line, she
realized the same applied to anyone who didn't know who her
husband was. That ruled out everyone but two people. Then she
wondered if she should worry the Kents. That didn't last long.
She knew that they deserved to know. Also (though she hated to
admit it), she needed them. She needed to tell someone. She
needed someone to comfort her. Lois picked up the phone and
dialed. "Hello, Mom. We need to talk. Something has happened."
She tried to say that Clark was missing, but she couldn't bring
herself to say the words. Somehow, she knew that if she said it,
that would make it real. "Wait a minute," she thought, "since
when do I back down from reality?" The answer came quickly.
"Since Clark disappeared...."

"Lois? Are you there? What's wrong?" Martha's worried words
brought her back to reality. "It's Clark...he's gone...he just
disappeared..."

"We'll be right over, and then you can tell me all about it." It
sounded like Martha thought she was just around the block. Still,
it was a relief. The cavalry was coming.

***

Clark had decided to visit each of his descendants in turn to see
if he could make peace. If not, he would at least have a better
idea of what he was dealing with. First, he went to see Sarah and
Jake. On his way to their home, Clark passed a building with the
sign "New Krypton Embassy" on it. He'd have to remember to ask
Charlie about that one...

Soon afterwards, he arrived at Sarah and Jake's headquarters. It
was a large structure that gave a vague impression of a
"cooperate monolith." To Clark, it looked ultra-ultra modern, but
after comparing it to the other buildings he had seen, he
realized that this was just the style of this particular century.
It bewildered Clark to think in these terms, but he had always
been good at adapting to strange situations. Besides, this was a
lot more normal-looking than most of the stuff on New Krypton. At
least these buildings were designed by human beings.

He went up to the door, and was scanned by some sensor device in
the approximate area where an electronic keypad might have been
on a 20th century building. Letters suddenly started scrolling
across the door. He now realized that the door's glass had some
sort of liquid crystal display built into it. The letters said,
"Please stand by...Please stand by..." Clark smiled. It seemed
that some things never changed, no matter how far technology
advanced.

After a few minutes, the words on the door changed. The door now
said, "Welcome, Clark Kent. Please follow the red line..." After
a brief pause, the doors opened. Clark noticed different color
lights on the floor. As he watched, a red dot appeared at his
feet. It then zoomed out, leaving a red trail behind it.
Obediently, Clark followed it. It led him to something akin to an
elevator. On second thought, it was more like "Wonka-vator: the
next generation." Absently, he wondered if there was a big button
somewhere that would make it burst out of the roof. A short ride
brought him to a new floor, where the red line continued. He
followed it to large polished wooden doors with shining golden
handles. As he approached, the doors opened. It seemed the
doorknobs were just decoration.

"Hello, great-grandfather. I must admit that I'm surprised to see
you. What are you doing here?" The voice was soft and beautiful.
Looking at Sarah, Clark felt mixed emotions. She was young and
pretty, and he would have been proud to have her as his
descendant. The knowledge of what she, her brother, and her
cousins were doing with their lives made him feel sad.

"Well, Sarah, I'm here to talk to you and your brother." Clark
decided that if she was going to be direct, so would he. "I've
heard about the troubles between you and your cousins, and I want
to try to help you resolve things." It was strange the way this
was coming out. Clark could feel himself talking to her as if he
was her father. He was even using some of the same expressions
his father had used on him. He hated phrases like "help resolve
things." Pushing these thoughts aside for the moment, he
continued. "Where is Jake, anyway?"

"I'm right here, great-grandfather." Jake stepped out from behind
a door that Clark hadn't even noticed before. Clark hadn't
thought to check the room for his great- grandson's presence. As
he watched Jake walk in, Clark couldn't help but notice the
swagger. Everything about Jake's manner dripped pompousness and
arrogance. More than anything he'd seen so far, the sight of his
great-grandson saddened Clark.

"Hello, Jake. I'm glad to meet you, and your sister, too." Clark
tried to counterbalance Jake's attitude with an overly pleasant
one of his own. "Like I said before, I'm here to try to make
peace between you and your cousins. Are you willing to have a
meeting with them, to see if you can come to terms?" It was the
best solution he and Charlie had been able to come up with. It
probably wouldn't do very much, but a meeting would at least be a
step in the right direction.

"A summit, great-grandfather? With my cousins?" Jake's tone made
it clear he thought the idea to be ridiculous. The way he said
"great-grandfather" made the appellation sound like a curse. It
looked like any possible link Jake might have felt because of
their shared power was shattered by Clark's softhearted
personality.

"Sarah, what do you think of the idea?" If he couldn't talk sense
to Jake, Clark figured, maybe Sarah would at least listen...

"I'll consider the possibility, great-grandfather, but will my
cousins?"

"You're the first I've asked, Sarah, but I'm hoping that they
will. If you decide to come, meet me at the old Daily Planet
building next Saturday at 1:00." He and Charlie had agreed that
the best place for the meeting would be on neutral territory.
After much discussion, they had settled upon Clark's workplace.
With all the information-gathering technology developed in the
past century, the Planet building was occupied mostly by
computers. The reporters didn't even bother to come in anymore.
They got their assignments, sent in their stories, and received
their pay electronically. Also, the building's central location
made it convenient to all the factions, but outside their
territory.

"Very well, then great-grandfather. We'll think about it."

"Good. I hope to see you there. One more thing, though. Don't
call me great-grandfather. My name is Clark, and even though I
was born about one hundred and fifty years ago, I'm too young to
be a great-grandfather."

"Alright, then, Clark. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"You, too. Hope to see you on Saturday." It was a somewhat
awkward ending of the conversation, but then the whole situation
was a little more than "somewhat" awkward. Clark left the same
way he had come in, and then returned to Charlie's place.

***

"The New Krypton Embassy? Oh yeah, I forgot about that place.
Hasn't been used in decades." After Clark had filled Charlie in
on his talk with Sarah and Jake, he had remembered to ask about
the Embassy that he had seen on his way over. "It was set up a
few years after your return. It took them a while to settle down
into their new democratic life, but after that they were quick to
establish diplomatic relations. Unfortunately, things didn't work
out. Things were a little rocky because of the Kryptonian's
powers. Even though they developed slowly, people resented them.
Some of the Kryptonian vacationers abused their power, too. It
was OK for a while, because of you, but once Superman died,
everything fell apart. Fortunately, it didn't come to war. The
Kryptonians had had enough of conflict before you changed their
government, and the debates over what to do were threatening to
escalate. So, they decided to just leave instead. A few wanted to
stay, but the Kryptonian government decreed that Earth was off
limits. It seems that their emotionless loyalty to the government
wasn't totally out of the Kryptonian's systems yet, because
pretty quickly, everybody left. The Embassy wasn't knocked down
because it just didn't seem right. The land wasn't needed, and no
foreign embassy had ever been knocked down before. So, it just
stands there, waiting for the Kryptonians to come back. The
city's sanitation robots take good care of the outside, and
nobody goes inside. Anyway, what do you want to do now? Are you
going to visit Julie and Mike, or would you rather rest here a
while...maybe plan a little more?"

"Let's talk for a while. I've been meaning to ask you about
something, anyway. You said this was all set off by a suggestion
that all the power be transferred to one person. How were you
planning to accomplish the transfer?"

"You already know that a massive electric shock can temporarily
transfer your powers to someone else. Well, a lot of research has
been done since, with a large number of theories proposed and
tested. Technology has also progressed very far. Recently, it all
came together. There's a theoretical device that uses the same
principal as the lightning, but is much more controlled. The
effects could be permanent."

"You mean it hasn't even been built, and it nearly set off a
war?"

"It was the proverbial match that set off the keg. The problems
were there before. This just brought them to the surface."

"Alright, then. I'll accept that. The next question is this: you
said that the affects COULD be permanent. Does that mean you're
not sure if it will be permanent or that since it's a controlled
transfer, you can choose how permanent they are?"

"Both, really. Since it's only a theory, it might not work as
well as we expect. If it does, however, the effects could be
preset so that it would be permanent or timed."

"Charlie, I think I've just come up with a back-up plan. It's a
last resort, but I think it could work...."

***

Back in the Metropolis of the present, Lois didn't have as much
to occupy her as did her timely husband. She was currently in her
apartment with Martha. "I just don't know what to do, Martha.
He's gone again! Disappeared into thin air. For all I know, he's
dead. And Martha...I just realized...I have to go to work
tomorrow! What will I tell everyone?"

"Now, Lois, dear. We got through this before, and we'll do it
again. He'll come back. He always does. You know that nothing
will keep him from you. As for the folks at work, we'll just tell
everyone that Clark has the flu. You just settle down, and we'll
get through this."

"Oh, Martha. I don't know what I'd do without you. You're so good
to me. Here you are, your son's gone missing to who knows where,
and you're helping me keep it together." It was hard for Lois to
admit that she needed support like this, but it was good to have
it. Over the years that Lois had known this incredible woman,
Martha had become the loving mother that Lois had never had. She
knew that she could depend upon Martha as much as she did Clark.
Now, she just had to keep it together well enough to convince the
world that everything was OK. She owed it to Clark (wherever he
was) to make the effort.

***

(Back in the future...)

After some more discussion with Charlie, a small lunch (old
habits die hard...), and a quick trip that was similar to the
last one, Clark stood in front of Julie and Mike. Greetings (not
really nice enough to have earned the title "pleasantries") had
been exchanged, and Clark's already troubled heart sank a little
lower. It seemed that Charlie's estimation of Julie was on the
mark. Mike, while easygoing in his attitude, was clearly taken
with himself. Clark was busy trying to persuade him that a
meeting was in his best interests.

"Look, even if you don't care about the others, a meeting could
only serve to help. The worst that could happen is nothing. If
you don't make peace, you won't lose anything by trying. What
harm is there in talking?"

"It's not the talking that would be harmful, Clark." Julie hadn't
even bothered calling him "great-grandfather."

"If you're worried about an ambush, don't worry. I'll be there to
arbitrate," Clark reassured them.

"Alright," Mike said cautiously, "we'll be there. Just see that
you keep your promise."

"I will. See you Saturday, then."

"Goodbye, Clark."

***

Clark decided to go straight from Mike and Julie's place to Jesse
and Lois. His reception there was a little different, though.
Seconds after the door said, "One moment, please." Clark heard a
familiar-sounding "whoosh." The door promptly opened to reveal an
adolescent boy in a superheroish costume. Clark smiled when he
recognized the particular shade of red that was the costume's
primary color. "Jesse?"

"Superman? Is that really you?" At Clark's nod, Jesse broke into
a dazzling grin. Lois would have recognized it as one of Clark's
expressions, but of course Clark himself didn't know that. "Wow!
This is SO cool!!!" Clark's grin broadened. It looked like this
meeting would be much more pleasant than the other two. "Hey
Superman, I'll race you to Lois' office!"

"Alright, but call me Clark, OK Jesse?"

"Really? COOL! OK, Clark! On your mark, get set, GO!" Jesse
dashed off at super-speed. Quickly, Clark followed. Jesse, of
course, made it there first.

"Oh, you beat me! Well, guess what, Jesse? You wouldn't have won
if I'd known where the office was!" The comment would have
bothered Jesse if Clark had said it seriously. As it was, the
sheer pleasure of chasing his great- grandson down the halls of
an office building (as opposed to the confrontations he'd had so
far) had Clark laughing before he could even finish the sentence.
Jesse recognized the teasing, and threw it right back at him.

"No way! An old guy like you could never beat me! I'm the Flash!"
Jesse, too, was laughing by this time. "I'll prove it, too! Next
race, I'll beat you again!"

"Will I know where we're going then?"

"Aw, where's the fun in that?"

"The fun is in playing fair, you little rascal!" It seemed that
their playful jibes and laughter had alerted Lois to their
presence. It also seemed that she enjoyed teasing as much as her
cousin. "Hello, there. So, what should I call you? great-
grandfather? Superman?"

"Clark will do just fine, Lois." Saying the name brought his Lois
back into the foreground of Clark's thoughts. The grin faded.

"Clark? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking of your namesake. I miss
her, and I hate to think of what my absence is doing to her. I
promised I'd never leave again after that whole New Krypton
thing, and now I'm gone again. Anyway, that's not why I'm here. I
came to talk to you."

"Well, then come on in," said Lois switching over to "business"
mode. Clark followed her into the office, with Jesse right behind
him. "So, what did you want to talk about? I'm assuming it has to
do with the present 'situation' with my cousins and sibling."

"Yes. I'm setting up a meeting with everyone. I'm here to invite
you to join in. So far, Mike and Julie have agreed to come, and
Sarah and Jake said 'maybe.' I think they'll be there. I saved
the best for last." Lois smiled.

"I'll be there. You too, Jesse?"

"Sure!" It wasn't every time that Jesse was allowed to join in.
He was glad to be included in what was obviously an important
matter.

"Great! The meeting will be at the Daily Planet building at 1:00
on Saturday. So, now that we've got that settled, what would YOU
like to talk about?" Clark's famous smile came back as he finally
got into a good conversation with at least some of his
descendants. After a couple of hours making small talk, horsing
around, and generally getting to know each other, Clark
regretfully peeled himself away from his great-grandchildren and
flew back to Charlie's place.

***

(Saturday, 2:00)

The meeting had been going on for almost an hour now. Clark had
arranged for a conference room at the Planet. Charlie and Clark
had come early. The other "Super-cousins" had arrived on time,
cautiously. Things had not gone well from there. After a very
awkward start, Clark had gotten his progeny to open up. Now, he
almost wished he hadn't. The meeting had turned into a war zone,
with accusations flying back and forth across the table. Clark's
attempts at mediation were ignored. Unable to take it any longer,
he roared out at super-volume "STOP THIS NOW!" His shout echoed
off the walls. Fortunately, soundproofing technology had been
greatly advanced, so any people who might have been in the area
could not hear. The reaction of those assembled at the conference
table was immediate and uniform. All heads turned on Clark, and
all voices stopped, some mid-word. "Much better," he continued,
"now then, can we continue this like civilized adults?"

It wasn't enough. The conversation picked up again, and the
shouting began again. Sadly, Clark realized it was time for the
last resort. He signaled Charlie. In response, Charlie took out a
large ray gun. It looked like something out of a sci-fi prop
man's low-budget dream, a metallic THING about the size of a
bazooka, with tubes and wires everywhere. The others were too
busy arguing to notice Charlie's silent movements. He pressed the
trigger-pad, and a beam lanced out. It hit Sarah, then arced to
Jake. From Jake, it leapt over to Jesse, then Lois. It moved over
to Mike, and from him to Julie. Finally, the beam completed the
circle by hitting Charlie. Clark had moved out of the way, but he
was surprised to see it hit Charlie. He watched everyone gasp,
then sag back. Charlie recovered first, but he seemed different.
Clark had seen looks like that on the faces of actors playing
villains driven mad with power. He hadn't thought a person could
actually look like that in real life. Charlie laughed, a drunken
sound. "You FOOL!! Did you really think that I would pass up an
opportunity to have all this POWER?? HAHAHAHAHA! You thought I
would just take their powers from them, without taking them for
myself??" Clark stood stunned. It seemed that he had been
betrayed by his own descendant!

He was soon jolted from his thoughts as he realized that Charlie
was pointing the gun at him, and was about to fire. He moved at
super-speed, but Charlie moved out of the way at the same speed.
They both stopped, facing each other across the room. Charlie
fired, but Clark dodged, countering with heat vision. Charlie,
unable to move out of the way in time, blocked the twin rays
coming at him with his hand. An ordinary human would have gotten
serious burns, but Charlie was invulnerable now. His hand glowed
for a few seconds, but Charlie was undamaged. Realizing that he
couldn't hit Clark and that the gun would only get in his way,
Charlie destroyed it. He then came at Clark at super-speed. Clark
simply dodged out of the way. He wasn't sure if he could attack
his own great-grandson. The realization that the fate of the
world might well depend on this battle, however, made Clark
reconsider his options. Perhaps he could subdue Charlie without
permanent harm. He tried the freeze breath. Charlie zipped out of
the way, icicles hanging off his clothes. Clark had to think
fast. Maybe he could make Charlie think things over. "Charlie, I
don't want to hurt you, but you can't beat me."

"Why not? I have all the same powers."

"You don't, Charlie. Think about it. Each of my
great-grandchildren has 1/8 of my power. There are 7 of you. Even
with all your power combined, that only adds up to 7/8."

"So? That 1/8 isn't important. I have all your major powers. So I
don't have your super-senses. That's not enough of an edge for
you to win." By now, the cousins had recovered and figured out
what had happened. Now, they were stuck without their powers,
watching a duel between two supermen. In the meantime, Clark was
continuing his conversation with Charlie. "What about me,
Charlie? Have you realized that if I don't return home you'll
never exist? Even if you find a way to return me against my will,
that won't make me have children. This battle is threatening your
very existence!" Charlie's cousins realized that that statement
applied to them, as well. Powerless, with their lives at stake,
they had no options but to band together for their own survival.
The thought hit them all at the same time. They huddled together,
discussing strategies.

Charlie was too distracted to notice, even if he had had
super-hearing. All of his cousins jumped on him at the same time.
Without their powers, they were no match for Charlie, but they
provided enough of a distraction for Clark to zip in and get a
good hold on Charlie.

"All right, Superman!" Jesse was ecstatic. The others breathed a
sigh of relief. Then, Clark began to smile.

"You did it! You all worked together! You put aside your
differences and worked together!" All six looked at each other.
They realized that Clark was right. They also had the knowledge
of how it feels to have your life threatened, how it feels to be
powerless while faced with someone abusing his or her power. The
past few minutes had effected them all. They had all learned not
to take their powers for granted.

Jake, Sarah, Julie, and Mike had learned to care. Mostly, they
had matured. Life as a politically significant spoiled brat would
never be quite the same for them, if they went back to it. Lois,
who had learned caring and maturity years ago, was not as
affected. She learned that there was good in the others of her
generation. She learned hope for those who had before seemed too
evil to merit it. Jesse, who in his own way had been far more
mature and responsible than the others, grew up a little more. It
would be a long time before he "squandered" his power in races.
In time, he would realize that such frivolous use of his power
was not a bad thing. He would understand that while it was
important to use your power to help people, using it for play was
not an abuse of that power. For now, though, his childlike
innocence was pushed to the side. The effect on Charlie was much
different. With power that SHOWED, power beyond a superior mind,
he found that he could understand his cousins better. He lost
that extra bit of maturity that kept him from having fun. Charlie
would be the one who would help Jesse regain his "inner child."
Together, they would play childish games for years to come.

After a pause, to let these changes settle in, Clark spoke up.
"Your powers will return slowly. The gun wasn't set to take them
away permanently. It will take a few days for the sun to recharge
you, but you'll be good as new. In the meantime, don't you think
you should start talking peace?" Cowed, they returned to the
conference table, and began some serious peace talks. Smiling,
Clark flew Charlie out of the Planet building. "We did it! It's
not a total solution, but it's a start! So, do you think they'll
figure it out?"

Charlie smiled in turn. "If they do, it will be a while. By then,
they should have come to terms with each other, and settled down.
Then, if they get angry, it will be at you and me, not at each
other!" Clark laughed. It was a good thing soundproofing worked
both ways, because they weren't too far outside the building.

"So, do they still give out Oscars in the future?" At Charlie's
somewhat confused nod, Clark continued. "Well then, I'd say you
definitely deserve one! You play a very convincing madman!" They
both laughed.

***

After staying a few days to keep an eye on the conferences, and
to make sure the cousins’ powers returned, Clark was almost ready
to return home. There was only one matter left to take care of.
The reduced power of each generation could now be taken care of.
Charlie's powers hadn't worn off yet, and Clark realized why. His
Kryptonian genes supported the power like an ordinary human could
not. He would have those powers permanently. Since the inherited
power of each cousin returned with time, more transfers could be
conducted without harm. In fact, Clark suspected that one
specially set up group transfer would allow them all to share
their power. The sun would then recharge them all, each with all
the powers. Charlie already had nearly full power, so he wouldn't
need a transfer.

They gathered in a room specially set up for the transfer. It was
a show of trust that they all came, and that they allowed Charlie
to conduct the transfer. Those that hadn't figured out Charlie's
real purpose that day assumed that he had simply shared the power
lust of which they had all been guilty. They all forgave each
other that sin, including Charlie. Of course, Clark's show of
faith helped things along, as well. "Are we ready to begin?" They
all signaled Charlie in the affirmative. He pressed the button,
and the room filled with light. Watching from behind the glass
wall, Charlie saw them fall. He was worried at first, but then,
slowly, they got up. Each tested his or her own powers. Although
reduced, the powers were all there in each of them. It had
worked! After a few minutes of "I can fly!" and other, similar
exited shouts, everyone settled down enough to celebrate.

***

(A few days later)

The power transfer had been a significant show of trust on all
parts. It had helped the cousins to bond even more. The peace
talks were now complete. With everything settled, it was time for
Clark to return home. They all gathered for the big send-off.
Clark said good-bye to each of his heirs. Now, they were not only
the heirs to his power, but to his responsibilities. They were
using their powers productively now, helping people.

Now, Clark was focusing on Lois. His wife, not his
great-granddaughter. He had been thinking of her during his whole
stay there, but he had forced himself to concentrate on the task
at hand. Now that he could afford to, Clark let himself worry
about her. The emotions would have overwhelmed him, except for
the knowledge that he would now be returning home. Charlie fired
up the time machine, then pressed the activation button. A flash
of light and a loud crackling sound later, Clark was gone.

***

Lois was in the apartment with Martha and Jonathan. She was
worried. Perry was getting annoyed. He wouldn't give Clark many
more sick days. She could still hear his gruff voice lecturing
her about the responsibility of a reporter to overcome any
obstacle, including sickness. The flu shouldn't keep a reporter
down long, especially not this long. Then, suddenly, she heard
it. It was a sound almost indescribable. (There is, however, a
way to reproduce a sound very similar. Start with all the sound
equipment for a rock band. Set it up, and turn it to maximum
volume. Then, stand right at the speakers' focus. In the
meantime, have a friend blow a bubble. When the bubble hits the
microphone and pops, listen very carefully. That's almost exactly
the sound Lois heard.) At the same time, there was a bright
flash. When Lois' eyes recovered, Clark was standing right in
front of her. He seemed a little dazed, but otherwise alright.

"Lois! I'm back! I made it!" He went over and hugged her. She
hugged him back, fiercely. Then, he noticed his parents. After
exchanging greetings with them, they all settled down. "Mom, Dad,
Lois, we have to talk. I've been to the future, and it's not
good." He quickly filled them in on what had happened. "Lois, we
failed (or will fail) as parents! Everything is alright now (in
the future), but three generations of misery? We have to avoid it
if we can!"

"Oh, Clark. What will we do?" Lois was at a loss. Luckily,
Martha, ever the voice of reason, spoke up.

"Well, you know that things will work out eventually, and you
know exactly what went wrong in the first place. Now, all you
have to do is focus on teaching your children to use their powers
responsibly. Reinforce their sense of morals as much as possible,
and make sure they teach their kids the same lessons. Tell them
all what you saw, Clark, and to make sure that that future
doesn't come to pass. You can do it. I'm sure of it." Martha's
words reassured them a little, and helped them to think about it
clearheadedly. Still, there was much to discuss before the two
could truly decide what to do. For now, however, Clark was home
and they had plenty of time. It was more important to celebrate
his return and try to get things back to normal. After the past
few harrowing weeks, they all needed a rest

THE END