The Chosen

By Mary Scibetta <meg4076@aol.com>

Rated PG

Submitted February 2000

Summary: H.G. Brock, a young man in the future Smallville, Kansas, researches his family tree, and discovers more than he ever imagined.

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August 20, 2130

When I was old enough, my parents decided to tell me why I was named after a writer. They told me that they were compelled. It always made me wonder why they said compelled. It was like they were saying that they were forced to name me with only two initials. Plus, I never truly understood what made me want to sit down and read pages upon virtual pages of information on family that had been long dead. But you know what? I'm glad that I did, and this is my story.

I am H.G. Brock. I am the son of James Brock and Margaret Jane Carlin. The year is 2130. You wouldn't believe the way things have changed in the last several decades. I recently saw a very old clip of the Jetsons on the holovision and was amazed by what people thought our lives would be like. But enough on that. I really meant to stay on task. My parents both have told me little about my past and frankly aren't too well to discuss it. I thought it would be good for me to record everything before the family dies out. We had a great extended family. Unfortunately, several years ago the younger generations joined up to fight for a new faction out near Jupiter called Kryptonians. I didn't want to join and for some reason many of the family shunned me. I never did ask how they felt after none of the younger generation survived. I guess some of the parents died in agony. So, there lies my quest — to record the family history since I am the only one left.

Sept 1, 2130

I stumbled upon a landmine today that seemed to explode into so many little areas of information. My mother was given some medicine today that made her a little woosy and she said that my grandparents were named Kent Wayne Carlin and Sara Matthews. My mother kept saying to follow the grandfather. When I got to the library and told the archive computer the last name Carlin, I got thousands of pages of information. I always thought that this town in Smallville that seemed to grow into the most relaxed wonderful home I'd ever known was the only place that my family was from. I was wrong. As I read, I found that a great fortune was left to the final heir that was never found. See, my great great great grandfather happens to be Lex Luthor. Now for decades, everyone has heard the story of his plummeting to his death and coming back to life in order just to get a girl. The man must have been in love. Anyway, I read one article that had been released only a few decades ago that happen to have a mention of several billion dollars that was hidden away for a Carlin. I just hope when I get that money that it'll be in time to help mom and dad. My mom though said to concentrate on the other names. I knew of course that Wayne was named for some old man that used to live in the area. Legend has it that after these people died way back when that he took some of their stuff and buried it. You know how legends are though. Things are awful crazy back in the old days. Until next time.

November 13, 2130

I got it!!! And I have more information for you trusted diary. I now have close to 4 billion dollars. Lex is a life saver. But while I was researching to get my proof, I couldn't believe what kind of things that man did. He was in love with this Lois Lane woman. He had the gaul to take over her job where he worked, the Daily Planet (now the Daily Universe). He thought if he could flush her friends out that he would take over her life and become the most powerful man in the world. In my opinion, he must have already been. He had more exposes written on him than any other man in history besides like George Washington. And the amount of paper the Daily Planet put out on him was impressive, but more impressive was the amount of stories that Lois Lane and this guy Clark Kent would put out about him. The stories were so creative too. A man from that planet we helped fight along with everyone else on Earth in the Interplanetary Civil War was around back in the 1960's. Amazing. I just am glad that little lady he was involved with was able to resist him at the altar. He really was a monster now that I think about it. Mom just lays in bed and stares at me when I tell her about all the stories. She says its not nice to talk about our ancestors like that. Maybe someday I'll believe her. Anyway, here's the line:

Margaret Jane Carlin — mom

Kent Wayne Carlin — grandfather

Gene Patrick Carlin — g Grandfather

Ardimis Carlin — gg Grandfather

Lex Luthor — ggg grandfather (left my ggg grandmother pregnant; she later tried to kill Lois for Lex's death. Strange people lived back then. Why couldn't people just be happy, like Utopia today.)

December 25, 2130

Today I took mom and dad out to the Utopian Cemetery. Dad was more talkative than he had been in years. He pointed out these old cement steps that were only partially sticking out of the ground right near the edge of the cemetery. He said the steps were up to someone's house that grew up in the area. He said that was how the cemetery started. There's a couple of really old graves out here and that they belonged to the old owners of the farm land. The owners had grown up nearby and then moved out here when it was still called Smallville. Anyway, we went out and cleaned up all the headstones and replanted the flowers that we could. It was a shame the way the place looked when we got there. I think I'm going to start going out there more often. Besides, mom said that it looked familiar when she stood in certain places, so I took a few photos of those headstones. I'll go look them up next week. I thought as I looked around though that it was strange how all the names seem to flow from one to another. The question remains though why only my grandfather is placed there. Merry Christmas diary — see you next year.

January 21, 2131

I've been working so much lately I only got to the archives just lately. I did get those pictures back and matched them with some of our family. I found that Jeanette Cobbs which was buried next to my great grandfather is my great grandmother. Unfortunately, her sister was lost during the war and her body was never recovered. She never was married and had no kids. Another dead end. On the other hand, I was able to find from the vital records that Jeanette's parents were Steven Cobbs and Bridget Diane Kent. Kent. My mother said concentrate on names in my grandfather's name. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow.

I thought I would tell you a little about the war today diary. The Interplanetary Civil War started almost to the day of the United States Civil War two hundred years later. The Earth volunteers immediately signed up for the fight as soon as the Kryptonians needed them. There had been several skirmishes out beyond the moon with the El's. From my understanding, several factions of the El's had become concerned over their safety with the house of representatives on Krypton, a new planet that came into existence back in the 1990's. They tried to secede but were crushed and sent underground in the 2030's. Their leader from years before went back to help since he left them years before to marry another woman from Earth. He put together an army that was somewhat lacking its power. The Kryptonians found their new colony and declared civil war for an illegal breakdown on the planet. The Earth members joined up but were swiftly annihilated. After the complete destruction of the El's, Earth found that they had been fighting for the wrong side and had somehow destroyed most of the members of Kal El or Superman's family. The government asked what could be done to repay the damage. Those that had remained on Earth decided they would best be left alone and chose Smallville, Kansas as their home base. That's why the name change took place in 2070 to Utopia. The way our community works is very similar to the Amish of the old days. We keep to yourselves and marry within each other's groups. Of course, when my Grandmother married, she brought Lex's line into the community and people were worried. Now, people have no problems, especially since I donated all my money to the Utopia.

March 4, 2131

Diary, I haven't told you something. These past few weeks I have been seeing a girl in the Utopia. Get this, her name is Lois Kent. How ironic. Anyway, there is amazing draw to her. It's like a destiny that can't be broken. She feels the same way and my parents are thrilled as ever. From what she has told me, her family is all from around here. She says she can trace hers back to the 1970's when her ggg grandmother was in love with a little boy named Clark. From what I understand, this Clark never did marry her but actually married this Lois person that keeps coming up and crossing my path when I read more about Lex. Anyway, we're going out tonight and I'm planning on popping the question. If everything is right in the world, she'll say yes.

April 5, 2131

Lois and I got our marriage prints done today. All the family was there — the whole town to be exact. I am starting to get this feeling that everyone around me knows my business and is related to me in some way. I asked my wife before she laid down next to me if what I thought was true. She said for me to keep digging and told me she would be glad to help.

May 12, 2131

Lois went with me today to the archives building to surprise me. The rest of the town was there staring at it. In the middle of town was a statue of enormous size that had inscripted on it Clark Kent and Lois Lane — founders of Utopia. Underneath the nameplate were the birthdates of the two. It was a beautiful sight, decked out in gold and fiber optic. It caught the sun at just the right angle and beams shot out of the S on the Superman emblem and hit several of us in the chest. My wife just smiled up at me and whispered, "You are one of the chosen." A few moments later, one of the other men that the beam hit stood and announced, "We are chosen. Prepare for the rebirth of the House of El." I looked around at the other men. They stood and stared at me. I couldn't fathom why I was getting so much attention. I knew nothing of a coming of anything. When I got home, my dear Lois explained.

The Utopia is made up from the rest of the El's that never actually made it to the war or that lived through the war. The strange looks I received was because many of the Utopian residents have always feared me even before I knew I was from Lex Luthor's blood. Word had crept up that I had been researching him thoroughly and people had become afraid. Lois explained that our meeting was in fact what I felt it was to be, a destiny. Not arranged on paper but within our hearts. The whole El clan had been based on souls from the beginning. I need to get to the archives tomorrow and figure all of this out.

July 1, 2131

I spent hours at the archives every day since the last time I wrote you diary. I have learned so much. I will start from where I left off. If I have time I will finish the stories I have heard about the famous Lois and Clark. First, my wife is the daughter of Mamie Kent whose husband died in the war. Her mother was named Lois also. She was named after her grandmother, my wife's ggg grandmother. The numbers never seemed to match up but Lois told me that the Kent side had children later in life than did the Carlin's and there was the problem. So, we are truly cousins. My Lois love is actually Clark and Lois' ggg granddaughter. She also came from the only surviving line that kept the family names in tact. She told me that her grandmother though was not actually Louise Becker like I had found but Lana Mayfield, descendant from the Lange line in Smallville. All these people interconnected like a small family. And to think it was all planned by the intertwining of souls.

Now onto my family. Like I said before, Gene Patrick Carlin came from the line that Lex Luthor created. Ironically, he tried to destroy this Utopia by destroying Superman and taking Lois from him. But I ended up with the money and now there is a statue erected from the funds for the same two he wanted to control so much. My great grandmother was Jeanette Cobbs and had been shunned for years after bringing the House of Luthor back in Utopia.

Gene died much earlier, two years after my grandfather had been born and Jeanette left her son with a neighbor and disappeared. She showed up dead in a small Arkansas town years later. Jeanette's parents, my great great grandparents were Bridget Diane Kent and Steven Cobbs. There's not much on the Cobbs but they were part of the Utopia and died with the deaths of Jeanette and Kaylan. Bridget was the fourth child for Lois Lane and Clark Kent. She was born Christmas Eve 2000. Her siblings had been Martha, Jonathon, Clark (my Lois' line), Bridget, and Perry. Perry died within hours of being born. Vital records show that Lois had been hemorrhaging for hours before the birth and couldn't handle the birth. She died from complications from the birth a couple of weeks later. I can't imagine the work involved for Clark with four children within 9 years of age. His parents were completely supportive and made sure the children got everything that they ever needed. All the births actually had been at the Smallville farm. Incidentally, I found out that the steps in the Utopia cemetery were left over from the Kents' house after everyone died off and left the area. The cemetery was then settled there when the Elder Kents' headstones were found to be there. I haven't got much information about the other sibling relationships but I did read more articles from Lois and Clark. I found I was named for H.G. Wells. The keeper of the souls they seem to call him around here. Centuries ago Lois and Clark had several adventures with him where each time they had to do something to keep Utopia together. I haven't quite got the Tempus connection but I have to keep digging.

I have to say after reading all the material that I have, I am so happy that Lois Lane waited for Clark. Destiny and soulmates really did mean something. Clark was a Superman with powers but he was a super person who had a gift for romance. Lois resisted until she couldn't anymore and fell for him. Thanks ggg grandad.

August 10, 2131

It's the anniversary of Lois Lane's death today. Lois love and I were on the way to the church to meet the others for the rebirth of El when we got a shock. Lois hunkered over in her chair in pain. As I moved to her, several other women in waiting showed up. I could hear something strange going on as they moved her to the bed. When the doctor arrived, so did the rest of the town. "You are the home of the rebirth. This was expected." I didn't know what the man meant. The doctor came out several hours later as I talked to several of the other elders. He announced the rebirth had arrived. Just as the first of Lois and Clark's children arrived, we now were the parents of twins, to be named Lois and Clark.

This truly has been a long day. My Lois could feel all the pain of a real labor but had no recovery problem. She and I had become the chosen ones by the past El's. Live well my little Lois and Clark.

October 6, 2131

I have been gone in training for the return of the El's. I was never aware of all the powers that I possessed. I showed up and all the other chosen had known, but they understood that my past had suppressed that knowledge. I have no new news to bring except that the family is healthy and readying my departure tonight.

This is my last entry for I cannot record events in the other worlds. I am one of the chosen and have no idea what is about to happen. I am handing my Lois this journal and hope it will be kept and added to. I love you Lois, Lois and Clark. Bless the House of El.

THE END