Love and Heroes

Love and Heroes
Prologue


Jessica Vanderworth, formally known as Luthor, cousin of Lex Luthor. Sat at the bed side of an elderly man, old enough to be her grandfather. He was clearly dying, as he was being aided by a thin tube in his nose, to able him to breathe.

Jessica held his hand as he spoke to her weakly. “In spite of your past, I know you’re a good woman and good women deserve a second chance.” He coughed into his hand before continuing. “ From the moment I received your first letter I knew you were not like the rest.” He added “You worked so hard to get where you are. You might have made a few mistakes.”

A family member called from the other side of the door. “Gerald, for God’s sake! Damn it, Gerald , let us in now!” Meanwhile back on the other side of the door, Gerald continued to speak, becoming weaker by the second.

“You said that if I helped you get out of prison, you’d take care of me.” Jessica replied “Hmmm” Gerald added “And you did. You’ve shown me pleasures that I’ve never known. That’s why you deserve everything.”

Jessica handed him a pen and helped him hold it steady to the paper. Then she guided his frail and wrinkled hand across the paper, as he signed an official and important looking document. Finally Gerald said “I love you, Jessica Vanderworth.” He then let out a slight moan, before his head lolled to one side, and he breathed his last breath. Jessica looked on emotionlessly at his dead body.

Jessica had a slight struggle when she removed the pen from his lifeless and rapidly cooling hand. She then removed both of her wedding bands and threw them carelessly into a glass at the side of the bed that contained the false teeth that had belonged to Gerald Vanderworth.

A man could be heard calling out from the other side of the door, again. “Gerald, let us in. She’s a crook. She doesn’t love you” A woman exclaims loudly as she bangs on the door “She’s a monster! Gerald!”

They all step back as the door finally opens. Jessica steps out. She is a tall woman, with pale regal features with cool and calculating grey-blue eyes. She walks forwards and eyes a little curly red haired child. She removes the long, straight blond wig to reveal golden brown hair that is held in a tight knot at the back of her head.

She tosses the blond wig into the little girl’s hands. She smirks cruelly and comments “You can have that. But the rest is mine.” Her smile turns vindictive as the little girl starts screaming, staring at the offending wig in her little hands. An adult reaches out and removes the wig from her hands.

A raven haired man is standing at the bottom of the stairs, he is dressed as a butler. He walks a head and opens the front doors, as Jessica quickly makes her way down the last of the steps. She says “We’re gone here.” The documents that says she is now the official owner of the Vanderworth fortune and assets are held firmly under her arm.

The man holds the door open and allows Jessica to exit first, before he follows her into the stormy night.

Jessica, now known as Luthor, Once more. Is looking though a book based on rocks and other kinds of meteors and minerals. She sighs as her current male companion, Kane, whines. “Jessica your friends give me the creeps.”

Jessica replied, not once looking up from the book she was reading. “Prison is a creepy place Kane. One needs to make creepy friends in order to survive. She added “Even a woman with my vast talents is worth less inside then a carton of cigarettes and a sharp piece of metal in your pocket.”

She stood and walked over to a large, long and wide bookcase. She asked “Do you know the story of Prometheus?” She quickly adds “No, of course you don’t.” She waves a hand carelessly. Kane looks particularly put on.

Jessica continues on completely uncaring of how offending her last comment had been. Jessica said “Prometheus was a god who stole the power fire from others gods and gave control of it to mortals. In essence, he gave us technology. He gave us power.”

Kane asked “So we’re stealing fire? In the Arctic.” Jessica pointed at Kane before returning her attention back to the row of book titles she had been scanning. She replied “Actually, sort of. You see, whoever controls technology controls the world. The Roman Empire ruled the world because they built roads. The British Empire ruled the world because they built ships. America the atom bomb, and so on and so forth.”

She added “I just want what Prometheus wanted.” Kane replied “Sounds great, Jessica, but you’re not a goddess.” Jessica removed her glasses and commented coldly. “Gods are selfish beings who do not know what or how to accept true love when it is offered to them.” She added breathing in then out deeply “Gods are beings who fly around in little red capes and don’t share their power with mankind.” She silently added to herself, bitterly ‘Or just with me’

Jessica looked up when a woman entered and called out “Hey, boss. We’ve found something.” Jessica moved quickly, a look of deep satisfaction on her regal face. She moved quickly to the exit, before pausing and called out over her shoulder. “No, I don’t wanna be a goddess. I just wanna bring fire to the people. And I want my cut.” She added silently to herself ‘And make that bastard wish he had never refused my love’

They arrived in the Arctic. They were wrapped up in several layers of warm clothing. The women all looked on in awe at the sight of the domineering structure that was the fortress in all of its majestic crystallized glory.

Kane exclaimed “Wow!” One of the women asked “Was this his home?” Jessica replied, as they scanned the crystallized palace. “You might think so, most would. This is more of a monument to a long dead and extremely powerful civilization.”

She added, as they continued to walk forwards. “This is where he learned who he was. This is where he came for guidance.” She took in all of the surrounding crystals and commented “Possibilities. Endless possibilities.”

She held her hands out allowing them to hover over the crystals. She smiled slightly, as a white glow started and crystals begun to grow upwards, to eventually form a console.

Jessica counted the crystals, as if she were calculating something only she was aware of. She then reached forward and removed one of the glistening white sharp pointed crystals. She held it up close to her face, studying it intently.

Kane suddenly spoke up and said “You act like you’ve been here before.” Jessica didn’t reply, she merely looked thoughtful, before taking the crystal and studying the console, as if to calculate where the crystal should be reinserted. She chose one of the empty slots and inserted the crystal into it.

The console and the rest of the room instantly dimmed, before brightening up and glowing brighter then ever. Suddenly the image of Jor-El’s head appeared in front of them in one of the crystals. He spoke “My son you do not remember me. I am Jor-El, I’m your father.” He continued “By now, I will have been dead for many thousands of your years.”

Jessica spoke up “He thinks I’m his son.” Jor-El continued to speak “You are the only survivor of Krypton. Embedded in the crystals before you is the total accumulation of full literature and scientific fact from dozens of other worlds spanning the 28 known galaxies.”

He concluded “There are questions to be asked here in this fortress of solitude. We shall try to find the answers together.” Kane asked “Can he see us?” Jessica replied “No, he’s dead.” Jor-El said before ceasing to speak “So my son, Kal-El, speak.” Jessica looked straight a head, with a look of pure satisfaction. She said “Tell me everything, starting with the crystals.”