With all of the superhero stories going around, I thought that I'd try
my hand at one, with a bit of a different twist.  Enjoy.........

Raven


The Heart of a Hero

The wound . . . was . . . quite fatal.  Lois Lane lay in a pool of her
own arterial blood.

"I'll . . . go for help," whispered Jimmy Olson, trying to ease her pain.  He 
knew that in his heart of hearts it wouldn't do any good.  Still, he had to do 
something.  "It'll be okay."

Jimmy started to rise to go.  Lois' surprisingly strong grip drew him back.

"Don't . . . ." gasped Lois, her very breath caught in her throat.

There was a long moment of silence while Lois gathered her strength to 
continue.

"We both know that . . . I'm not going to make it."

Tears sprang from Jimmy's eyes.  She and Clark were his best friends, and 
once he even thought that . . . .  

Don't go there, Jimmy scolded himself mentally.  Not now!

Lois' other hand reached up, despite the considerable pain that it must have 
caused her, to brush his tears away.

"Don't . . ." she said again, softly.  " . . . . don't cry for me.  Didn't you 
know that I would die like this one day . . . doing what I believe in?"

Lois had a point there.  The story would expose Lex Luthor once and for all.  
After the story broke, the world would hold no illusions that he was the 
biggest threat to human life.  However, getting the story cost Lois dearly.  
She was shot by her own former fianc­, just before he made good his 
escape.

Jimmy arrived scant seconds too late.

Lois pressed the micro cassette into Jimmy's hand.  It was stained with her 
own blood.

"Give this to . . . ."  Her thought was interrupted by a cough of spittle and 
blood.  " . . . to Perry.  He'll know what to . . . to do with it."

"Please don't die Lois.  Y-you just can't!  There are too many people who 
love you.  What about your husband, Clark?"

Lois drew Jimmy's other hand to her own failing heart.  She was now 
crying.  She was sad that she would never get to see Clark's face one more 
time.

"In my purse.  A vial.  Get it for me, Jimmy."

Jimmy's own leapt through his chest.  Perhaps it was something that would 
save Lois . . . a reason to hope.

He grabbed Lois' purse, which lay beside her . . . also stained with her 
blood.  It only took Jimmy a few seconds to locate a vial of thick blue liquid.  
Once located, he attempted to hand it to Lois.

Lois pushed it back to Jimmy.

"No.  Not for me.  You must take it."

Jimmy eyed the vial. Now he was really confused.  Why would Lois want 
him to take the only thing that could save her?  None of this made sense.

"Wha . . . ." Jimmy tried to say.

Lois put one finger to Jimmy in order to silence him.  She winced in pain as 
she did so.

"Hush.  J-just listen."  Lois' time was drawing nigh.  However, she 
continued despite the excruciating pain that she had to be suffering.  "This is 
a genetic reo-virus.  I kept it . . . from one of the stories I did.  W-whoever 
drinks it will become a genetic copy of . . . me."

"I-I don't understand," wept Jimmy in denial, disbelief, and confusion.

"You are my friend, Jimmy.  I've known you so long . . . ."  Lois faded for 
a second.  She closed her eyes, and Jimmy sincerely thought for a second 
that she was gone.

"Lois?"  whispered Jimmy.

Lois Lane's eyes fluttered open again.  All of her bodily symptoms were 
failing now.

"Listen Jimmy.  What I tell you is . . . secret.  Promise you'll tell . . . 
nobody."

At this point Jimmy would have given his friend anything.   "Sure Lois."

He squeezed her hand for strength.

"Clark is really . . . Superman."

"No way," gasped Jimmy.

"Think Jimmy.  In a way . . . you always knew, just as I did."  There was 
another reflux of blood from Lois' lungs.

Her voice failed now, forcing Jimmy to put his ear to her lips.  She was quite 
right.  Clark as Superman made . . . sense somehow.  Why hadn't he figured 
it our before now?  Where was Superman now when he was needed?

Lois spoke again.  "If I die, it will take his heart away.  The world will lose 
its Superman.  So . . . you must . . . become me.  Lois Lane."

Jimmy shook his head again.  "I-I can't Lois.  I can't become you . . . a 
woman."

"You can, Jimmy.  You know more about m-me than anyone.  You could 
imitate . . . me.  You'll get used to being a woman in time.  You'll learn to 
love Clark touch, love him, just as I did.  I know you will.  You already love 
him . . . in your own way."

"But . . . ." Jimmy tried to protest.

"Shhhhh," Lois quited him.  "I wouldn't ask this of anyone . . . only the 
purest of hearts.  I trust you with the heart of my one true love."

There was silence from Jimmy.  He looked at the vial once more.  He would 
be giving up his manhood, but how could he refuse her?

"Listen.  Think of the millions of lives you will be saving by insuring that 
Superman goes on.  As long as he has Lois Lane to live for, he will continue 
to do what he does.  If am taken away . . . he will lose faith in all that is good 
and pure. In your own way, Jimmy, you'll have the heart of a hero.  Promise 
that you will do this for me?"

The tears were streaming down Jimmy's cheeks now.  "I-I promise, Lois."

Lois squeezed his hand to close the deal.  With her dying breath she bade 
him, "When I go, take my clothes and my things.  Destroy my body so that 
nobody ever finds it."

Then she said something that broke Jimmy's already shattered heart.  "Love 
him, Jimmy.  Just love him like I did."

Lois' grip went slack.  She was gone.

Jimmy lowered his ear to Lois's breath to hear the very last beat of her heart.

**********

Clark Kent . . . Superman, entered the penthouse apartment of he and Lois as 
he always did . . . from the skylight.  It was an extremely tiring adventure in 
the Mideast, but he was needed.  He still had to patrol the city of Metropolis 
once, just to make sure all was well, before calling it a night.

Still, he wanted to check in on Lois, if only to kiss those lips once, or to see 
her beautiful face, before discharging his solemn duty.

Superman glanced around the room.  He was surprised to see his wife sitting 
in the dark, clad only in her silk kimono robe.  A single candle provided the 
only light in the room.

"Lois?"  Clark called out.

The woman who was now Lois Lane turned her head toward the voice in the 
dark.  It was a voice that she knew well . . . in what now seemed a lifetime 
ago.  She answered tentatively . . . experimentally, not trusting her own 
voice.

"Is that you . . . Clark?"

Superman drew near, bent over, and kissed the other half of his very soul on 
the soft lips.  She was his reason to be.  She kissed him back.

"I just wanted to stop in before I patrolled the city.  I'll be back soon."

Superman turned to go, but the new Lois grabbed his hand.  She pulled him 
back to her.  

Clark could now see that she was very sad.  Tears were in her eyes.

"What is it, Lois?" asked Superman.

She said softly.  "Do you have to go?  Can't the police handle it just for one 
night?  I-I need you tonight.  I lost . . . a friend.  She died right in my arms.  
I need you to . . . just hold me."

Clark came to her.

"Was it somebody I know?"

There was a long pause.

"No.  You never met her.  You would have loved her, and she you."

Superman embraced his wife.

"Then it's my loss."

"You'll never know, Clark.  She had the heart of a hero."

The End.

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