A Hero's First Attempt

[martha_kent]

Martha Kent is fifteen years old, and she's on the prowl.

Metropolis has become incredibly safe since Superman first took the city under his protection, but that doesn't mean all crime is eliminated. And it's a good training ground for prospective heroes... especially ones without any powers.

Martha dons her domino mask and tucks her hair up under her fedora as she gets close to the sound of breaking glass. She feels nervous but excited, about to face her first real criminal and bring him or her to justice. She peers around the corner and sees the three thieves breaking car windows and rifling through the glovebox, taking anything valuable that they find. They look tough, but Martha is confident, and she steps out of the shadows, fists up in a boxer's stance. "Freeze, morons!"

One of them glances over his shoulder at her and sizes her up. "This is the wrong part of town to play dress-up, girl. Run along."

"I don't think so," Martha answers, stepping closer, staying light on her feet.

The other two both pull out knives and turn to face her. "Just who do you think you are, girl?"

Martha hasn't decided on a name yet, and for a moment she flounders, unable to answer with her real name. And they're getting close enough that she needs to take action. "I'm Captain Kangaroo, jerk!" She throws a punch at him, trying to knock the weapon out of his hands.

The other one slashes at her, and she has to jump back and use a legsweep to take him down. The third thief takes notice of what's going on, and pulls his own knife as he runs to join the fight.

Martha uses everything she's learned about fighting, but she's never faced real opponents with real weapons before, and a blade cuts deep into her arm. She cries out and headbutts her attacker, knocking him back long enough for her to get away. Her arm is bleeding and feels weak, and she needs to come up with some way to stop these men before they hurt her even worse.

She looks around, and takes a gamble, leaping back and up as high as her good arm will allow.

The fire escape comes crashing down, pulled by her weight, and smashes into the two remaining thieves, stunning them for a moment. She takes advantage of that moment and runs, knowing that it won't be long before Superman hears the commotion and shows up. She's not supposed to be out here on her own yet, and the thought of getting in trouble when Daddy sees how she got hurt is a scary one.

Comments

[kalel_ofkrypton]

They're coming up to the house now, and Clark does his best to prepare her before they get there. Yes. I've already had a talk with her about going behind our backs without backup or proper equipment. I think her injury is punishment enough, so I'm not pushing it further.

[slayers_desire]

As long as you feel she learned her lesson

Her children don't need her anymore. And that is the hardest thing...

[kalel_ofkrypton]

I think she has. It worries him too, and it's hard to watch them going out there and taking the same kinds of risks that he does. He wonders sometimes if other, non-hero parents have it easier when their children come of age.

[slayers_desire]

So many of their children want to help others. And while that is great -- there is also that worry. That concern. It was tough enough watching her husband go out without her -- and now it is her children.

Good. That is important

[martha_kent]

Martha enters the house first, well aware that her parents have probably already been talking about this. "Mom, we're home."

[slayers_desire]

April comes out of the kitchen to greet them. "Welcome back."

She does note the bandage on Martha's arms, resisting that mothery urge to want to check on her right away.

[martha_kent]

"Did Dad already tell you?" she asks, pretty sure she knows the answer. After all, Mom doesn't look surprised, and there's no way she can't see or smell the blood on her shirt sleeve.

[slayers_desire]

"He did warn me that you were injured." Being a vampire is a delicate situation and April would never want to attack any of her children because of blood lust.

((gone for a few hours))

[martha_kent]

"I screwed up and I'm sorry." That's the most important part, to her. She loves and respects her parents, and she never wants them to think that she's disrespecting them by going behind their backs.

[slayers_desire]

April moves forward to pull Martha into a hug. "It's okay. You will learn from this."

[martha_kent]

Martha hugs her with her good arm, closing her eyes for a moment. "Are you mad at me?"

[slayers_desire]

"I am mad that you got hurt. And a little disappointed you didn't trust in us..."

"But I am not mad at you."

[martha_kent]

Martha feels guilty about that. "It's not that I don't trust you, honest..."

[slayers_desire]

"Yet you still kept your intent a secret. I know you had good intentions..." But she doesn't want to even think about the many 'buts' that could have happened to her youngest.

[martha_kent]

"I knew you wouldn't let me go out on my own if I said something. I wanted to show you I could handle it." She knows that she was wrong, and fortunately nothing worse happened.

[slayers_desire]

April takes a deep breath. The worst-case scenario could have easily happened, and Martha could have been seriously hurt without anyone knowing about it.

And she struggles to voice those concerns to her daughter.

"There are other ways to show us you are ready."

[martha_kent]

Martha knows she isn't going to be proving anything anytime soon, not while her arm is healing. "Like what?"

[slayers_desire]

"By being responsible. The simple things like you doing your chores, getting your homework done, dedicating yourself to kickboxing... all that does inspire respect."

"If you had come to us and voiced your desire to be out in the field, we could have helped provided training."

[martha_kent]

"But I already do those things," Martha points out, using a fifteen-year-old's logic. "And you and Dad never had to ask anybody before you started helping people."

[slayers_desire]

"I grew up in a Demon Dimension. I had no parents. I had to fight for my life on a daily basis."

"And your dad... did talk to Grandma Martha and Grandpa Jonathan often about his powers. His struggles. His identity."

[martha_kent]

It's hard for Martha to accept what she sees as a double standard, even though she can see the reasons for it. Life just doesn't seem fair when you're fifteen, especially for one with the infamous Kent stubbornness. "But if they hadn't wanted him to, they couldn't have stopped him, right?"

[slayers_desire]

"Your father was raised to respect his parents. I can not imagine a dimension where the Kents didn't support him..."

"And besides, he didn't take a hero persona until well after he graduated." April points out another factor in her reasoning.

[martha_kent]

"But he still helped people before that..."

[slayers_desire]

"Martha... listen to me."

"Your father had to face difficult situations day after day. He had to lie to his friends. He had to hide his abilities. The AI pressured him to follow a pre-determined destiny. And he wasn't happy."

"He had a different path than you. Stop comparing your life to his."

[martha_kent]

It's a kind of verbal slap in the face, but it's one that she needs very much. Martha idolizes her dad, wants to be as great a hero as he is, and a big part of her does not want to acknowledge that she simply can't follow the same steps he did.

She's quiet for a long moment, fighting the prickling of tears in her eyes.