Superman Elseworlds: 'In the Name of...'

Chapter 13: Interlude: Various

Extracts from Kam’s (encrypted) video journal

A part of me can’t believe I’m actually keeping up with this journal stuff – it was one thing keeping a record as the three of us went on our trek through Pakistan (and that footage of leopards and dholes tag-teaming and wrestling with Ishy is absolutely priceless) but now that I’m back to studying I just wonder how long it will be before it gets sidelined again.  Another part of me, though, totally needs to be able to keep this journal going.

This tablet-thing Ishy gave me is quite something.  I was worried when Kelex suggested it – I mean, it’s Kryptonian technology so it would look so out of place, right?  But no, this stuff has some kind of disguising camouflaging mechanism, so when I’m using it while out and about it looks like one of ‘our’ early-21st century tablets, but when I’m alone, like now, it’s quite something.

Kelex said the tech adjusts itself to the needs of its user, so for me it turns into these gauntlets (they are not bracelets, no matter what George tries to say) and creates a sort of hard-light holo-desk (that’s what I’m calling it (and, no, I’m not mispronouncing ‘holo-deck’)) that I can directly interact with.  It knows I prefer using books, so when I’m looking certain things up it gives me a ‘book’ I can pick up and flick through.  Another thing it does for me is that it has different ‘rooms’ set up for the different areas of interest I may have told it about or that it feels may be useful for me.  There’s a ‘room’ for my anatomy studies, for example, with interactive charts and posters and several dummies with removable organs.

I actually get worried sometimes that I might just lose myself in the ‘rooms’.

Extracts from George’s audio notes

One of the things Kam said to me towards the end of our time together has kind of stuck with me.  He said that it was important to mend any and all severed ties, or to at least try to.  He said it wasn’t just with regards to family but also friends and neighbours, too.

‘Some people say that when our souls were gathered before God, long before any of us were born, we were each, individually, drawn to other souls.  Some had mutual attraction, some flitted around trying to get another soul’s attention, and some were repulsed or repelled.  Basically, however things were ‘up there’ somehow gets translated to how things are ‘down here’.  Like, there are some people you instantly click with, even within moments of meeting them – they were probably the souls you shared a mutual attraction with.  Similarly, there are those people whom you take an instant dislike to, without them even saying or doing anything to you – they were probably souls you had repelled.

‘Thing is, those are two ends of a vast spectrum and relationships aren’t about instant connection and instant rejection but about...about walking paths together, I suppose.’

‘What is it that you’re trying to say, Kam?’

‘I’m just...sometimes friendships need to be rebuilt, sometimes they just need a little tending to, and sometimes you just need to reach out.’

It was strange, him offering me advice like this, especially after all the things I had told him, all the things I had asked, and all the clashes we had had, but it was comforting, too.

Extract from Jawad’s notes

I’ve gotten used to people not listening to me, or, rather, not listening and then later saying ‘we should have listened to you’.  I’ve gotten so used to it that it threw me when Ishy actually paid attention and wanted me to tell him my ideas.