The Superman At The End of This Story

[Big Daddy]

Chapter One

Mac was very bright for a square-headed, precocious, eight-year-old boy that lived in the great city of Metropolis. He had been lately involved in the world of astronomy, taking occasional visits to an old observatory outside of the city and seeing a fellow by the name of Nigel, who used to be the conductor for a popular orchestra. On one night, when there were lots of stars surrounding the big moon in the sky, Mac visited Nigel as he was looking through his telescope at a particular spot in the sky.

?Hey, Nigel.? Mac said, as he entered the observatory. ?How?s it going??

?Mac,? Nigel said, ?I?ve got a question for ya.?

?Uh, okay. Shoot.?

?It?s almost been three years since Superman left our world and had gone out somewhere in the vast blackness that we call ?outer space?. Where do you think the Man of Steel went off to, Mac?? Mac thought carefully; he had been a huge fan of the Daily Planet newspaper and read (and collected) every issue printed. He remembered one issue that estimated that Superman had gone to save other planets from more destructive forces of evil.

?Superman?s just a busy guy, Nigel.? Mac replied. ?His job not just requires protecting us but other worlds as well.?

?So you believe Superman might?ve fled to another planet? Mars, perhaps?? Nigel queried.

?Well, I wouldn?t say it was Mars that he might?ve gone to.? Mac told Nigel.

?So you believe that Superman could?ve possibly discovered a planet not like our own, realized there were people there that needed saving, and decided to be the protector of that world, since there?s no destructive force threatening ours.? Nigel remarked, and Mac became a little suspicious.

?Where are you getting at with this, Nigel?? Mac asked, and Nigel looked away from the telescope, jumped out of his chair, and approached Mac.

?I believe that I had discovered a new planet.? He said, and Mac had gone from being suspicious to interested.

?A new planet?!? Mac exclaimed. ?In our solar system?!?!?

?Hard to believe, isn?t it?? Nigel said, as he gulped down a cup of coffee.

?You do realize that if you tell the world about this, then you?ll be branded as ?The World?s Greatest Astronomer?, right?? Mac said. ?Guinness would be on your doorstep in a heartbeat, man!!?

?I won?t be the one to tell them, Mac,? Nigel said, ?You will tell them.?

?Me?!? Mac yelled. ?But?But all I did was walk in and say ?How?s it going??.?

?Mac, you?ve been coming to this observatory long before I even decided to become an astronomer.? Nigel said. ?It wouldn?t be fair if I were to hog all of the glory over something that I?d discovered only three months after I started working here.?

?And it wouldn?t be fair if I went around telling everyone about something that I didn?t even know about ?til this very moment.? Mac contradicted. ?You?ve spent three months sitting in that chair and looking up in the sky for cosmic phenomenon to tell the whole world about, while all I have been doing is avoiding wedgies from my brother, Terrance.?

?Well, if you tell the world about your latest discovery, even Terrance will learn to respect you.? Nigel assumed.

?Or criticize me in a fit of jealousy.? Mac uttered, just before he walked over to the large telescope and looked through it for a brief moment, seeing an image of the ?new world? that Nigel had discovered. The planet?s appearance was strangely similar to Earth?s; the only difference was in the color?Earth contained a mixture of green and blue, while the new planet was mixed with olive and brass. ?Where did it come from??

?My guess is that it?s been there since the dawn of time.? Nigel said, and Mac seemed very puzzled.

?If it?s been there for that long, then how come no one has noticed it until now?? Mac inquired, and Nigel shrugged his shoulders in reply. ?Well, let?s say if Superman did leave our planet for that one and we told everyone about it, the reaction would be anything but amazed, Nigel.? Nigel didn?t consider that possibility; but the grin on his face didn?t disappear.

?At least everyone will know where he has gone.? Nigel remarked, and Mac just shook his head.

?I don?t know, Nigel.? He said. ?I don?t think the world?s ready for something this big.?

?Then don?t tell anyone.? Nigel said. ?But sooner or later, people are going to start wondering again, and they?re going to ask that infamous question: ?Where has he gone??.? Mac sighed, feeling a little disappointed with himself for not helping Nigel. He wished there was a way to make the both of them satisfied, but there seemed to have been no possibly way to do that; unless?

?Nigel, you remember my friend Frankie Foster, right?? Mac asked, and Nigel reminded himself of who she was.

?The co-owner of that home for imaginary friends at the corner of Sesame Street?? Nigel replied, as Mac moved away from the telescope.

?Well, as of late, she?s been applying for a job at the Daily Planet, where Bob Johnson?a resident of Sesame Street?has been working for almost forty years now.? Mac mentioned. ?If I were to tell Frankie about our discovery, then I?d be giving the Planet an excellent reason for hiring her.?

?Then wouldn?t she be getting all of the credit?? Nigel asked.

?Hey, if she does, then she deserves it, considering all of the work that she?ll be putting at both Foster?s and the Planet.? Mac said, and Nigel nodded, with a smile.

?You are a very bright young man, Mac.? Nigel said. ?It?s just too bad that I won?t be around any longer to see how far your intelligence will take you.?

?What do you mean?? Mac said, a little concerned.

?The city?s going to be tearing down this observatory in a week,? Nigel said, ?And they?re expecting me to leave within that timeframe.? Mac couldn?t believe what he was hearing.

?They can?t do that!? He exclaimed, angrily. ?Do they even realize what this place means to everyone?!?

?This place means a lot to you, Mac.? Nigel said. ?The city would care less about how long it has stood and what it means to science.?

?I?m going to start a petition!? Mac declared. ?Metropolis is not going to get away with such an unruly act!? Nigel just smiled at the furious eight-year-old, as he came up to him and put his hands on his shoulders, calming Mac down.

?Don?t try and become a superman yourself, Mac.? Nigel advised. ?You read the Daily Planet, and you know how the world feels about such a character.?

?Yeah, I know.? Mac said, sadly. ??Metropolis and the rest of the world no longer needs a savior, now that our hero has left??Lois Lane, in a issue of the Planet that was printed in 2004.?

?You were only six when you read that issue.? Nigel indicated.

?And I cried when my favorite reporter on the team, Clark Kent, had gone back to his hometown of Smallville and left the staff for an unknown period of time.? Mac said. ?There are people in the world that are upset that Superman has vanished, wondering where he went off to; but I?m probably the only person that?s concerned where Mr. Kent has gone. I mean, who just leaves the biggest metropolitan newspaper in the world, without telling anyone where he?s going or how long he?ll be there??

?Clark Kent?s just a busy guy, Mac.? Nigel said. ?He?s probably got more going on outside the paper than he does inside.?

?Superman is a busy guy, and it?s obvious enough that Clark Kent?s no Superman,? Mac contradicted, ?So there?s no reason for a great reporter like him, who?s still in his prime, to just retire from journalism like that.?

?Have you asked Bob Johnson where he could?ve gone?? Nigel queried.

?He was too concerned about Superman?s disappearance to worry about Mr. Kent?s.? Mac replied. ?I begged Frankie several times if she could investigate his disappearance, as soon as she got hired; but even she felt that her future job was more important than some mild-mannered reporter.?

?She?ll agree to the investigation, now that you have plausible information on Superman?s whereabouts.? Nigel said.

?Now that I know what this city?s gonna be doing to this observatory, I?m going to keep the information about the new planet to myself.? Mac stated, with a great deal of hatred in him. ?The people of the city are already up to their necks with confidence, since they?ve learned to accept a world without Superman. Telling them that we have a secret world in our solar system will only make them more power-crazed than Lex Luthor himself.? And with that being said, Mac followed it with a small grin on his face. ?Besides, who?ll believe an eight-year-old anyway??

?You got me there, Mac.? Nigel said, as he picked up a brown suitcase and started making his way towards the exit. ?Well, the next time you?ll hear from me, I?ll be orchestrating one of the finest symphonies since John Williams?s London Symphony Orchestra.? Mac noticed how Nigel was leaving before him and couldn?t help but to feel a little uncertain.

?Aren?t you going to wait ?til I?m done scouting the stars?? He asked Nigel.

?No one cares to break into an old, beat-up observatory, Mac.? Nigel said. ?Just leave the door open when you?re finished.? As Nigel left the building, Mac just shook his head in despair; he really wished there was something he could do to change the way Metropolis felt about the observatory. But little Mac knew that doing that would?ve been more impossible than talking Superman into coming back to Earth.

When it was close to ten o?clock, Mac started to leave the observatory for the last time ever, but stopped once he had discovered that one of the drawers in a nearby desk had been left open. Curious, he looked in the drawer and found some folders that contained documents that were as old as the observatory itself was. Looking through each of them, Mac had discovered notes that had been taken many years ago, involving the mysterious planet that he and Nigel came across that night. It suddenly hit Mac that there was a possibility that they weren?t the first people to find out about it.

Mac wondered if Nigel discovered those documents or not, as he quickly flipped through them. He noticed how detailed the documents were, going into things like whether the planet orbits around the sun, moon, Earth, or any other planets in the system and how long had it been there. But then Mac scanned through the very last folder and read some documents that just had puzzling questions, instead of heavy details. There was only one statement that Mac found in the whole document, explaining some bizarre occurrence that the planet had gone through. The statement read, ?It was like some kind of strange eclipse, as the planet was covered by a huge shadow.? That statement was followed by the last question that had been written into the document, and it read, ?Why has the planet suddenly reappeared after twenty years??

Mac looked at the date that the last question was written on and realized that it was written only a year before Nigel took over the observatory, which meant that there was no possible way he could?ve taken those notes. What really made the notes so mysterious to Mac was that some of them were written at a time when he was visiting the observatory, yet he never met the person that worked there. The eight-year-old could only determine that the observatory worker that he never met was the one that wrote the notes. And before he placed all of the folders into his backpack, he wrote a question underneath the last one in the final document that had read, ?Who documented all of this??

END OF CHAPTER ONE

[koosie]

You know, I've not read any fanfic for yonks and I'd forgotten what a strange and diverse field it is. I can't imagine you'll get too many fans here as the actual Fosters content is a little limited so far but don't let that stop you as I'll admit I'm just a little curious about where on earth you're going with this (beyond Earth, I suspect). It's also good to see the Clark Kent/Superman identity thing brought up again. It was a good gag decades ago and it's still funny now. Glasses rock.

btw is your name Big Daddy at all related to 70s Wrestler who wore a silver top hat and had a girl's name?

[Big Daddy]

Thanks, Koosie. It's actually just an old nickname given to me during my high school years. And it's also the name I use for my imaginary friend on the "Big Awesome House Party" game.

[Big Daddy]

Chapter Two

Mac sat on the porch steps to the Foster?s mansion, looking over some of the notes from the observatory closely. Two weeks had passed since he had found them there, and he was disappointed when he had gone back to the observatory one day, only to discover that it had been torn down to pieces. Mac was saddened by the loss, but he knew that there was no time to let the tears come out; he had to solve the mystery of the ?hidden planet.? Spending those two weeks looking over the notes, Mac never felt so confused in his life. Just when he thought he understood where the planet might?ve come from, there were twists that put him right back where he started. The ?hidden planet? was a mystery for sure, and Mac almost felt like he was reading a ?Whodunit?? story rather than documented information.

?Hey, Mac.? Someone said, and Mac turned his attention away from the notes for a brief moment to look back at Frankie, as she was coming out through the front door.

?Hey, Frankie.? Mac said. ?Going to that job interview at the Daily Planet??

?Yeah, and I?m really nervous about it, too.? Frankie replied. ?Bert and Ernie are supposed to be going with me.?

?They?re applying for jobs?!? exclaimed a surprised Mac. ?I hope they realize that there might not be many seats they can fill you all in.?

?Hey, if they could squeeze Bob in, I?m sure they could squeeze Bert, Ernie, and me in as well.? Frankie said, just as Bert and Ernie themselves were walking down the sidewalk and stopped as they were passing through both the mansion and the bus that was parked in front of it.

?Yoo-hoo! Frankie!? Ernie shouted. ?Are ya ready to go??

?Yeah, we?re on a tight schedule here.? Bert added. ?If we don?t get going soon, we might not get the chance to be hired for the jobs.?

?We?ll take the bus over to the Planet, guys. It should get us there in less than a second, especially with someone like me behind the wheel.? Frankie said, and she turned back to Mac, winking at him. ?I?ll see ya later, pal. Wish me luck.? As Frankie was walking down the porch steps and away from the mansion, Mac looked down at the notes that were sitting on his lap and thought hard about telling Frankie about the unknown planet that he and Nigel discovered.

?Uh?Frankie?? Mac uttered, and Frankie stopped to turn to her friend, with a smile on her face that was covering up the nervous feeling that she had in her.

?Yeah?? She said, and Mac looked long and hard at her, still wondering if he should reveal such big information to her that could ensure her a position at the Daily Planet. He really felt guilty about taking such credit away from the person who discovered the hidden planet, which he realized was not Nigel. Frankie just stood there and stared at him as he looked away from her and back at the notes, wondering when he was going to say something. Bert and Ernie were both glancing at their wristwatches, keeping up with the time they had left before their interview with Perry White (the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet).

?Frankie.? Bert said, a little irritated. ?Could you please hurry up? We?re going to be late.?

?I?m coming.? Frankie said, getting more nervous than she already was; she turned to Mac, with an apologetic look on her face. ?Listen, Mac, could you just hold that thought for, like?ten hours? We really have to make this interview we have with Mr. White.? Mac was disappointed that he wasn?t brave enough to tell Frankie about the big information; but he was a little relieved that she was too much in a hurry to listen.

?Sure, Frankie.? Mac said, and Frankie went over to him and gave him a kiss on his forehead, just before hopping into the bus with Bert and Ernie and driving off to the Daily Planet building. Mac had gone to being relieved to becoming furious in a second, jumping up from the porch steps and hurling all of the documents across the air and scattering them across the lawn. ?Stupid hidden planet!? He began stomping all over the papers, putting nasty footprints on them and tearing some of them to pieces. ?Stupid me! I can?t believe I chickened out like that! How could I be such a stupid coward?!?!? Mac noticed some small, thin, pencil-sized, crystal object that was lying on the sidewalk and kicked it in a fit of anger, sending it flying across the air and hitting someone on the head.

?Like?OUCH!!!? Someone exclaimed, with a beatnik type of voice, and Mac got a little worried, fearing that he might?ve seriously injured someone. He ran in the direction that he kicked the object in, jumping over the fence and finding a teenaged character sitting on the sidewalk, rubbing his head in pain. The teenager closely reflected the late 1960s time era, particularly in his clothes, which consisted of a green t-shirt, bell-bottom pants, lanky and bushy brown hair, and a rough goatee. He was pretty much a modern-day hippie that was still living in the 60s.

?I?m so sorry about that. I?? Mac said, and he stopped when he recognized the beatnik, especially his pet (a brown-furred Great Dane with black spots) appeared next to him. ?Wait a sec! Shaggy?!? The beatnik smiled at Mac, just as the Great Dane jumped on Mac and licked his face, making Mac laugh a little. ?And Scooby-Doo, too!!?

?Like, I wish I can say I?m happy to see ya, Mac,? Shaggy said, and he groaned as he rubbed his fingers through his bushy hair, ?But the lump on my head is keeping me from being happy. Oh!?

?I?m really sorry about that, Shag.? Mac said, as Scooby-Doo jumped off of him. ?I was looking over these notes that I?d found in the old Metropolis observatory, and I?? Mac stopped in mid-sentence again to look around for someone or something. ?Hey, if you here in Metropolis, then that could only mean that my good, old cousin is here as well, right??

?Velma?? Shaggy said, and he chuckled. ?She?s over there with Fred and Daphne, talking to Big Bird.?

?Really rig rird.? Scooby said, just before he let out a big chuckle.

?You got that right, Scoob. Big Bird is a lot bigger in person.? Shaggy said. ?Hey, Mac, did you know that Big Bird knows Superman personally??

?So he tell us.? said Mac, who seemed non-impressed. ?You know a lot of people know Superman personally, mostly because he saves a lot of butts everyday.?

?Well, Big Bird?s story is different.? Shaggy said. ?He says that he has known Superman since he was a teenager himself.? Mac seemed to have suddenly gained some true admiration in Big Bird?s claim. ?Isn?t that something else? The only person I figured would know Superman in that way would be his own mother?that is, if he has one.? As Shaggy spoke, Mac looked down on the ground, spotting the object that he kicked and picking it up; it was at that moment when he got a little confused. That crystal was nowhere near the mansion or any other part of Sesame Street until the moment that he angrily threw the documents down on the ground.

?Where did this come from?? Mac uttered, and when Scooby and Shaggy noticed how he was glancing at the object that hit Shaggy in the head, Shaggy just laughed and Scooby stared at him oddly.

?Oh, don?t worry about what happened, Mac.? Shaggy said. ?I get conked on the head all of the time. Just ask Scoob here.? Scooby smiled and nodded in agreement with that fact, just as Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, and Velma Dinkley (the other members of Mystery Inc.) arrived at the scene, with one of the most popular characters in the neighborhood, Big Bird. Unexpectedly, Velma scooped Mac up off the ground, nearly making him drop the rystal in his hands, and gave him a big hug.

?How?s my precious little cousin doing today?? Velma asked, with a smile.

?I?m fine.? Mac replied. ?Now will you put me down? I?m right in the middle of solving an important mystery right now.?

?Aw, isn?t that cute?? Daphne said. ?He?s got a mystery on his little hands.?

?I guess that urge to solve mysteries just runs in the family, doesn?t it, Velma?? Fred queried, and Velma blushed as she set Mac back down on the ground.

?That?s the crazy thing about genetics,? Velma said, ?You never know who else might have the same love of things that you have.? Mac was a little annoyed by how much of a baby the Mystery Inc. gang was treating him, which was a bit common, considering the fact that they had known him since he was an infant (and they were known as the ?Scooby-Doo Detective Agency?).

?What kind of mystery are you trying to solve, Mac?? Big Bird asked.

?A couple of weeks ago, while I was visiting the old observatory that once stood outside the city, I discovered these really old notes in this drawer.? Mac said, as he led them back to the mansion?s front yard, where Bloo (Mac?s imaginary friend) was making paper airplanes out of the documents that Mac scattered all over the yard, much to Mac?s displeasure. ?Bloo! What?re you doing?!?!?

?What?? Bloo said, as he threw the last paper airplane that he made across the air, making it do a complete loop right into his face. ?I just found these papers lying all over the yard, with no one even bothering to pick them up, so I figured that I just, you know, make some neat airplanes. See?? Bloo revealed some of the paper planes that he made, which he had perfectly formed into models of actual planes.

?Now there?s one creative imaginary friend!? Shaggy exclaimed, and Bloo gave him a confident look.

?That?s what I?ve been telling everyone, ever since I moved in.? Bloo uttered.

?Bloo!? yelled an angry Mac. ?These papers were not for making airplanes!?

?Then what are they for?? Bloo asked.

?They were notes on a hidden planet that?s beginning to form in our solar system!? Mac shouted, and Big Bird & the Mystery Inc. gang were stunned by that news.

?Hidden planet?!? They exclaimed, just before Velma picked up one of the paper airplanes and unfolded it reveal some strange writings on the sheet. She recognized the writings, which were almost alien, and grinned a little.

?Cousin, it looks like you?ve found more than just notes on a hidden planet.? Velma said. ?If I?m right, and I almost always am, then you may be uncovering one of the biggest phenomenons that our universe has to offer.?

?What?re you saying, Velma?? Mac asked.

?I?m saying that whoever documented these notes probably discovered a new Kryptonian planet that has been evolving in our galaxy for centuries.? Velma informed. ?Mac?you might?ve not only found out where Superman could be, you probably discovered a new civilization of Kryptonians in our own solar system!? Until that moment, Mac knew that the discovery was huge; but now it seemed that it had become extraordinarily colossal.

?Is that all?? uttered Bloo, who was the only one that didn?t seem too impressed over the discovery and just rolled his eyes in disgust. ?I expected something bigger than that, like the cure for cancer or something.?

?Bloo.? Mac uttered, with a shocked look on his face.

?Yeah, buddy??

?Shut up.?

END OF CHAPTER TWO

[Big Daddy]

Sorry it had taken me a while to get this one in. Been real busy.

Chapter Three

Twenty-one years could seem like an eternity for a man in prison, and scheming con artists like the Sleaze Brothers could vouch for that sensation, as the two had spent that much time in prison for stealing an apple from a boy. They were lucky enough to be sent to same prison, because the gullible Sid Sleaze wouldn?t last a week in one of the most maximum security prisons in the United States. While the brothers were in imprisonment, Sam often tried to come up with a ?brilliant? plan to get them out; but his plans failed miserably, leaving them to do cruel chores like cleaning up toilets and nasty scum at the bottom of pots and pans in the kitchen hall.

Just when it seemed as if things couldn?t get any worse for the brothers, they realized that the end of their sentence had arrived and were released from prison. Their eyes were sore from the sun?s glare, which they hadn?t seen for twenty-one long years, as they stepped outside for the first time in years. They breathe in the fresh air, only to choke on it afterwards; these boys had gotten so use to polluted air that clean air seemed bad for their lungs.

?Well, Sammy, it looks like we?re startin? all over again.? Sid said, and he shook his brother?s hand. ?I?ll be seein? ya around, pal.? Sid was about to walk away, until Sam grabbed him by his left arm and held him back.

?Hey! What do you think you?re doin??!? Sam exclaimed, and Sid seemed a little confused.

?Don?t you remember?? Sid said. ?Before we got out, you and I agreed to go our separate ways, so I figured that you want to go your way, while I go mine.?

?You idiot!? Sam yelled, in frustration. ?I was mad at the time I said that, because I got caught sneaking food out of the kitchen and had to clean toilets, while you were sitting comfortably back in the cell!?

?Oh, so that explains that white line you drew up in the center of the cell.? Sid uttered. ?All this time I thought you were trying to use the entire cell to draw one big picture.?

?Can we stop talking about prison? We?re out now, so let?s drop all that talk!? Sam demanded. ?Let?s talk about how we?re going to get our revenge on that kid that put us in here.?

?The apple kid?? said a confused Sid.

?No!? Sam retorted. ?The other kid! The one with all of those ?special? powers??

?Oh, the Superboy!? Sid exclaimed, and he got a little nervous. ?Well, I?ve got news for ya, Sammy?that Superboy is now a Superman.?

?Yeah?so?? Sam said, and when he put two and two together, he got nervous himself. ?Oh?I see your point.? For a moment, it seemed as if Sam Sleaze wasn?t the great schemer that he used to be, coming up with several ideas in less than two seconds. But that?s when an idea (which he thought was magnificent) struck him. ?Hey! I remember reading something a few days ago in the Planet about Lex Luthor, one of the greatest criminal masterminds in the world, being released from prison tomorrow.?

?Oh, I don?t know about that.? Sid said, getting even more nervous. ?We just got out of prison. Working with a guy like Luthor could get us back in.?

?Luthor is a genius, brother.? Sam said. ?He?s got more brains than even me!?

?He?s been thrown into jail twice.? Sid contradicted. ?Once for stealing and using a nuclear missile, and again for working with three evil villains from the planet Krypton, in an attempt to take over the world.?

?But with us by his side, he doesn?t have to worry about hitting that third strike.? Sam said, and he started whispering to Sid as he looked back and noticed a guard standing by the main gate, which they began walking away from. ?Listen, Luthor was locked away in a prison cell in Metropolis, where that big yellow bird we once used for our carnival lives with the rest of the ?Sesame Saps?. That bird was a good friend of Superman?s, and if we kidnap him again, and this time we?ll do it more subtle, then Superman will have no choice but to crawl out of the cave that he?s been hiding in and save his old friend.?

?But where does Luthor play into all of this?? Sid asked.

?We?ll be giving that bald freak the greatest reason of all for hiring us to be his personal henchmen!? Sam exclaimed, and Sid shook his head, frowning.

?I?m really not comfortable with this idea.? Sid said. ?I think we?re better off going back into the carnival business.?

?No one will ever come back to our funfair after our reputation?s been bruised.? Sam remarked.

?Well, can?t we just put some ice on our reputation?s bruises and try to get things back the way they were?? Sid asked, and Sam was very annoyed.

?Listen, you chicken out on this great opportunity now, I?ll tell that guard there that you were the one that drew a mustache on the warden?s portrait.? Sam threatened, and Sid was a little surprised that he knew about that, considering that he was alone in the room when he drew that mustache?or so he thought.

?Alright! Alright!? Sid exclaimed. ?I?ll do it.?

?Good.? Sam said, with a wicked grin. ?Now all we have to do is get our old truck back from the junkyard that those cops threw it into, and we?ll be on our way to Metropolis in no time.? As Sam walked away from the prison gates with his brother, who he had his arm around in false brotherly affection, Sid seemed very unconfident about the scheme that his brother cooked up. He was really looking forward to starting a new life after their prison time; but with a sibling like Sam Sleaze, that was impossible to achieve.

END OF CHAPTER THREE

[Big Daddy]

Chapter Four

Two weeks prior to the time that Sid and Sam Sleaze had arrived in Metropolis, they were able to retrieve the truck that they used to travel around in, hauling equipment for their funfair. Upon arriving in the colossal city, Sid and Sam discovered that searching for a small place like Sesame Street was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. On every turn that Sam made behind the wheel, he found a place that he and his brother had seen before, which gave him the impression that they had been going around in circles for several times.

The Sleaze Brothers had brought a map of the city along with them, just in case they ended up in situations like the one they were in. However, when the two realized that they never learned how to read a map (there were times during their travels when they ended up in the wrong country), they knew that the situation was beginning to seem hopeless. They had soon taken a break from their search, going to a chicken restaurant for lunch.

?I don?t get it, Sid.? Sam said, very frustrated. ?I mean no city in the world can be this big! It?s ridiculous!? Sid just munched away on his chicken, while listening to his brother complain. Some of what Sam said didn?t make contact with his hearing, because he was so focused on his meal. It had been years since he tasted real food, which was more than the moldy bread and contaminated water that they fed them in prison. ?At this rate, we?ll never find that bird! And without that bird, there?s no knowledge of Superman! And with no knowledge of Superman, there?s no way we?ll be hired by Lex Luthor! And without Lex, we?ll just be two jerks starving on the streets!? After finishing his last chicken leg, Sid focused on his brother, just in time to hear the last thing that he said.

?We?re not starving now.? Sid indicated.

?You may not be, but I am!? Sam exclaimed, and as he reached over to the plate that was sitting in front of Sid, he picked up a chicken leg from it, only to realize that all of the meat had been stripped off of it. ?I don?t believe it!? He looked down at the plate and noticed how there was a pile of bones sitting on it. ?You ate everything before I had the chance to grab something, Sid!? Sid let out a loud belch that attracted some attention among other customers.

?I?m sorry, Sammy.? Sid remarked, with a guilty look on his face. ?But do you know how long it?s been since I had chicken for lunch??

?I should know, considering the fact that I was locked up with you!? Sam yelled, angrily.

?Calm down.? Sid said, and he smiled. ?Hey, listen. I?ll go and get us some more.?

?Forget it,? uttered a disappointed Sam. ?There was only ten dollars in the wallet that we found on the ground. It won?t be enough to get us a second helping.? Sid looked hopelessly at his brother; the both of them were quiet for a brief moment, thinking of what they could do next. ?I can?t believe I don?t have a single idea in my head.?

?I can?t believe it either.? Sid said. ?You?re the one who usually has all the ideas.?

?Not anymore.? Sam contradicted. ?Jail has rotted my mind. I can?t think of anything!?

?You think now?s a good time to try and restart that funfair?? Sid asked, and Sam erupted with anger.

?What did I tell ya about that?!?!? Sam shouted, just before he grabbed Sid?s arm, leading them both away from the table and out of the restaurant. He still had quite a firm grip on his brother?s arm as they went down the sidewalk. ?We are not going to be the same world-traveling, carnival-throwing nitwits that we were before we got into prison! We?re going to think bigger this time, you understand?!?

?Sure, Sammy. I understand.? Sid said. ?But with no money and no bird, how are we going to do anything big?? Before Sam could answer that question, the brothers heard someone whistling to them; they turned their heads to the right and spotted a short green-skinned, purple-nosed stranger wearing a trenchcoat and a black fedora in a nearby alleyway.

?Come ?ere.? The stranger uttered, and the Sleaze Brothers looked to each other, wondering what such a character could?ve possibly wanted from them. Curiously, they entered the dim alleyway and approached the stranger, who seemed very paranoid, looking left and right constantly as he addressed the brothers. ?You boys wantin? a chance to be Lex Luthor?s right-hand men, eh?? Sam and Sid were surprised that the stranger had known about their mission.

?Who told you about that?? Sid asked.

?I work for someone that?s twice as big as Double L is.? The stranger said, looking around at the empty alleyway. ?In fact, they would practically be the same person, if it weren?t for one thing.?

?And what?s that?? Sam queried, and the stranger gestured for them to kneel down, so he could whisper his answer into their ears.

?The person I work for is a woman.? He replied. ?A woman named Carmen Sandiego.? That name struck Sam and Sid as hard as the name of Lex Luthor did; as criminals they would know about every well-known criminal in the world, and there was no criminal (except for Lex Luthor) that was bigger than Carmen Sandiego.

?Carmen Sandiego?!? Sid and Sam yelled, and the stranger frantically shushed them, and then he looked around to see if anyone heard that name.

?The lady in red heard about your little task, and she sent me in to give you an offer that you couldn?t possibly refuse.? The stranger said.

?What kind of an offer?? Sam asked, and the stranger looked around again, just before he opened the left side of his trenchcoat and revealed a sparkling crystal that looked exactly like the one Mac had found. The crystal sparkled in the eyes of Sam and Sid Sleaze, as they both gazed upon its beauty.

?There are rumors goin? around of a new planet that?s formin? in our solar system.? The stranger said, and the brothers got very confused.

?A new planet?!? They exclaimed, and the stranger shushed them again, closing his trenchcoat to cover the crystal from anyone that he thought was listening in on their conversation. After looking around to see if there was anyone listening, the stranger went back to business.

?Riiiight.? He uttered, opening his trenchcoat again to show the crystal to the brothers. ?Gentlemen, what I have here in my coat pocket could be the key to a new civilization of people just like our friend, Superman. And with a civilization like that, we can discover remarkable alien technology that could turn ordinary guys like you and me into gods, and?in Miss Sandiego?s case?a goddess.? Sam and Sid were very intrigued by the revelation that the stranger had given them; it was far better than what they had in mind. However, they couldn?t help but to wonder if there was a catch.

?Hold it. Hold it.? Sam said. ?Why would Carmen Sandiego want to bring us into this plan of hers?? The stranger looked around again, before answering Sid?s question.

?Before I got to ya, you boys were goin? after that Big Bird character from that Sesame Street place, riiiight?? He asked, and the brothers nodded. ?And you figured that since the bird has a history with the Man of Steel, kidnappin? him and gettin? him to spill the beans on Superman would get you into Luthor?s club, riiiight?? Sam and Sid again nodded in response to his question. ?Well, who needs one bird to go after another bird, when you can become a new type of bird yourself?? Now Sam and Sid were more puzzled than ever. ?If you boys take Miss Sandiego?s offer, then she can promise you that by Saturday, you?ll become more of a superman than Superman himself.? The Sleaze Brothers liked the idea of becoming a new breed of ?Supermen?; there was no way they could refuse such a great offer.

?Consider it a deal, Mister??? Sam said, and the stranger looked around again, before he whispered his name to the brothers.

?Lefty.? He said. ?Just call me?Lefty.?

?Thanks, Lefty!? Sam exclaimed, and Lefty shushed him, looking around while Sid got curious about something.

?Hey, Sammy, what about Lex Luthor?? Sid asked. ?I mean, I know we?re going to be dealing with a woman that?s better than he is, but the man is still big. He could be listening in on us as we speak.? With that remark from Sid, Lefty started scouting the entire alleyway, as the brothers talked amongst themselves.

?Luthor?s been old news since he tried to build his own country.? Sam replied. ?Carmen Sandiego is the new craze in criminal media nowadays. And if she can promise us superpowers of our own, then I say to heck with Lex Luthor!? Sid gave a little smile to his brother; for some strange reason, he felt more confident about teaming with Carmen Sandiego (probably because he was captivated over her stunning beauty). ?Hey, Lefty!?

?SHHHH!!!!!? Lefty exclaimed, as he came back over to Sam and Sid.

?So what do have to do in order to become Supermen?? Sam asked, and Lefty indicated the crystal in his coat pocket again.

?There?s a kid that lives on Sesame Street who owns a crystal just like this one.? Lefty said. ?According to Miss Sandiego, there are three crystals just like this one out there. The one that I have with me now was found somewhere in the darkest, deadliest regions of Gotham City. We sent at least fifty VILE agents in that part of the city, and only one came back with this crystal.?

?What?s so special about these crystals anyway?? Sam asked.

?Miss Sandiego says that they?re some kind of keys that opens a portal into the new planet.? Lefty informed. ?Once the crystals are together, that portal will open. But it?s a possibility that they will scatter again, after the rough trip through space.?

?So there are three crystals, eh?? Sam said. ?The first one?s on Sesame Street and you have the second one with you now. Where?s the last one??

?We hadn?t gotten to that one yet.? Lefty said. ?Miss Sandiego thinks it?s in the hands of Lex Luthor, who we think has a similar plan concocting in that big, bald head of his. Only it probably would involve going to Superman?s winter home in the Artic.?

?I?ve heard about that place from a couple of inmates back in the pen.? Sid stated. ?The Fortress of Solitude!?

?SHHHH!!!? Lefty exclaimed.

?You know that really getting on my nerves.? Sam remarked.

?Sorry.? Lefty uttered.

?Alright. It looks like we still have to get to Sesame Street in order to succeed in our mission.? Sam said.

?But there?s one problem that we haven?t solved yet.? Sid added.

?How do we get to Sesame Street?!? They yelled.

?It?s amazing how you guys could know Carmen Sandiego and not know where Sesame Street is.? Lefty commented, shaking his head in disgust.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR

[KazooBloo]

Good idea.