Forever Miles

Chapter 1
The Bearer of Bad News

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Chapter Description: I've been toying with the idea for a while, and even considered calling it "So Long, Superman" for reasons which will become evident, however, I felt it gave the wrong impression, and went for this one instead. I hope you enjoy.

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One hot, Los Angeles night, child star Jay Kelsea paced around in his apartment, waiting for his agent to arrive. "Child star" might not be an altogether accurate term to describe Jay Kelsea. After all, he hasn’t really been a child for about ten years now. He knows how to look like one, though. That’s his gift. He knows how to look like anything.

He discovered this power when he was fourteen and since then, he’s played every type of role there is. He’s played men, women, monsters, aliens, dogs, cats, and yes, children too. It was one particular child role that gained him some attention, specifically, Miles Lane, boy genius. His brief appearance on the ABC sitcom Homesick became the highlight of the show’s first season, and he was asked to return several times during season two. By season three, he was a regular character, and more popular than the rest of the cast put together.

Sounds like a pretty good gig. But all good things must come to an end, and Jay had no idea the sort of bombshell his agent would lay on him once he walked through that door. For now, he just leaned out causally over the rails of his balcony, watching the stars overhead, indulging in a bit of adulthood in his off time. He was wearing nothing but a bathrobe on a body that looked like the perfect combination of every actor who’d ever played Superman, and enjoying a nice long drag on his cigarette.

He still remembered the night he’d spent hours in front of the mirror perfecting this particular look. Getting just the right balance of Reeve and Cavill, with a bit of Tom Welling’s youthful charm and Brandon Routh’s... Brandon Routhiness. There were hints of Kirk Allen and George reeves and just a touch of Dean Caine, but that was more out of a sense of obligation than anything else, as he’d already achieved the look he was going for by then.

Since working out this look, it’d become an old familiar standby for whenever he wasn’t playing that obnoxious preteen prodigy. He also had a Batman compilation he was fond of, but this one was still his favorite.

He checked his phone. Nearly ten o’clock. Where the hell was Bradley? He’d sounded pretty worried on the phone. Something about union trouble, and tough choices.

"Oh well," Jay thought, taking another puff, "If anyone can solve this problem, it’s Bradley. After all, I pay him enough."

He put out his cigarette and walked back into his living room, plopping down on the couch to kill some time in front of the tv. It was a huge, curved, 4k screen paid for by the studios, like most of his apartment. Being the main draw of a popular tv show does have its perks, especially when it’s time to renew your contract. These perks, however, would do nothing to improve his mood when Jay turned on the tv only to find himself in the middle of the Homesick episode where Miles builds a working rocket ship in his tree house.

"Well, how was I supposed to know you needed a permit for that?" he whined in that high girlish voice.

"Well, you need a permit to drive don’t you?"

"Yeah, I know all about that! That’s why I was gonna ask dad to fly for me when it was done!"

At last, there was a knock on the door, and Jay switched the tv off. He Strode through the apartment and peered through the peep hole. Bradley! Finally! Miles quickly unlocked the door and opened up for his agent.

"Bradley, man, I’ve been waiting for you!" Jay said eagerly, "Come in, sit down. Make yourself at home."

Bradley simply stared for a while in surprise before recovering himself. With his impeccable grey suit, wire rimmed glasses, and slicked back hair highlighting his receding widow’s peak, Bradley looked for the world like a bank executive or a lawyer who’d just escaped from an old black and white film.

"Sorry, Jay." he said after a moment, "I’m still not used to having a client with your... talents."

"What do you mean?" he replied, confused, before slapping hand to his forehead, "Oh shit! Am I still Superman?"

"One of them, I’m sure. I’ll let you know once I’ve figured out which." Bradley said, "Do you have anything to drink here?"

This wasn’t good.

"Well, there’s some white wine in the kitchen I keep for company. It’s Riesling, a bit on the dry side, hope you don’t mind."

"I was thinking something a little stronger."

Not good at all.

"What is it, Bradley?" Jay asked, "What’s happened?"

Bradley set himself down on Jay’s couch and looked up at him, "You’re not the only one anymore."

"What?"

"You’re not the only one anymore. They found another on Broadway understudying for a few big timers. Plus, news just broke that two major movie stars are actually the same person."

Jay nearly fell onto the couch next to Bradley. He looked like a man who’d just had the wind knocked out of him, and as Bradley watched him, he began to look less and less like Superman. As his body seemingly deflated, his bathrobe became more and more loose on him until it hung off of his scrawney form. At twenty-two, Jay Kelsea was tall, trim, and likely more handsome than he would have been without his powers, but nonetheless, he was himself again. On his still youthful face was the expression of a lost child as he asked, "What does this mean for me?"

"It means the unions are catching on to this influx of shapeshifters like you."

"The unions? What the hell have they got to do with this?"

"Think about it for half a second, Jay. If there are too many people like you who can play literally any part, that’s going to put a whole lot of people who can’t out of work."

"But it’s just me now!" Jay stopped for a moment, "And that other guy, but still! No matter how many people I can be, I can still only be one person at a time!"

"That doesn’t matter, Jay. The Unions have made their statement about shape-shifters, and they aren’t going to budge on this."

Jay leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. He’d grown rather fond of this lifestyle. Having all the perks of fame and fortune coupled with the power to slide into anonymity when he wanted may well seem like having your cake and eating it too, but Jay always figured there wasn’t much point to a cake you couldn’t eat. Aside from his character being an obnoxious little shit, he was finally happy with his lot, but if what Bradley said was true, then that proverbial cake was about to run out.

"What’s going to happen to me?"

Bradley sighed heavily. He was good at that, especially when dealing with an ego like Jay’s, but this wasn’t that kind of sigh. This was the sigh of bad news. The sigh you’d hear from a man trying to explain a death in the family to a child.

"Let’s have that drink, Jay. Then we’ll get to business."

"Just tell me!" Jay snapped, the angles of his face becoming slightly sharper in that moment before he controlled himself, "I’m sorry, Bradley, I... I’m just scared that’s all."

"I understand. I’d likely feel the same if I were you."

"Please, let’s just... let’s just get this over with. Tell me what I need to know."

Bradley nodded slowly, "It’s not all roses, Jay, but you have some options." he said in that crisp business like tone, "The network has arranged a tentative deal with the unions that will allow you to continue on indefinitely in your current position. There is, however, one small condition."

"What? Do I have to sign a pledge that says I’ll just stick to one body or something?"

That sigh again. "No, I’m afraid it’s a little more permanent than that." he let that statement sink in for a little bit, "Since the discovery of people like you, The Department of Homeland Security has commissioned a serum that will stabilize the atoms in a person’s body. For most people, this is harmless, but for a shifter..."

"Let me take a wild guess." Jay said, "It takes away their power."

"Theoretically, it’ll lock them into whatever form they’re in while administered."

It was Jay’s turn to sigh now as he closed his eyes and hung his head low, "And the network wants that form to be Miles Lane."

"There’s a lot of money involved in it. The negotiations are ongoing, but the network heads understand full well that what they’re asking is not a small matter. If you agree to take the serum, once it’s ready, you can carry on playing Miles for as long as you like, and with almost double the pay."

"The only drawback being that I’d end up stuck as a bratty preteen for the rest of my life. What happens after the show ends? Do you really expect me to commit the rest of my life to a show that might only last a couple more seasons?"

"I understand your reluctance, Jay, but please think about this. You can’t go on acting if you keep your powers, no one will hire you!"

"Then I’ll start fresh!"

"Do you really want to go through all that again? Fighting just to be seen for half a second on screen?"

"There’s always a job for a handsome face." Jay said, his voice deeping as he reinflated his muscles and became Superman again.

"And when you’re caught? What happens then?"

His cockiness faded, and the definition in his face softened somewhat. He couldn’t run away from this one.

"Look, Jay, I know you don’t like him, but if you want to keep up this lifestyle, Miles is the only option. Everybody knows his face. Miles Lane is already famous, and he’s also your best chance at getting work after this show."

"And... if I refuse?"

"Then as soon as your contract expires, you won’t just be off the show," he said gravely, "you’ll be blacklisted."

Jay had done his best to keep eye contact with Bradley, but as the conversation continued it had become more and more difficult. Now it had become impossible, and he dropped his eyes to the soft carpet. He’d been frivolous. Too much so. He meant to keep some money set aside, but he never had the will power for it. No matter what he told himself, he needed this job.

"I’ll... I’ll go get that drink now." he said, as he stood up shakily.

"Good man." Bradley replied, standing too, "You don’t have to decide tonight. I understand this isn’t an easy choice."

"That’s fine, I... Do you want anything?"

"No I’d better not. It’s late, and I’ve got a long drive back to the office."

"Please, I... I don’t really want to drink alone."

Bradley smiled sadly, "Alright. I guess I can stay for one."

That night, after Bradley had left with no more than one glass of the dry Riesling in him, Jay sat alone in his apartment once more. He’d been considerably less conservative with his drinks, having very recently swallowed his third glass of Jack Daniels, and almost as soon as he closed the door, he found himself wandering into the bathroom. As he disrobed in front of the toilet stool, he found the effort not to think about this whole mess to be overwhelming, and he let his mind romp through the fields of impending doom. Bradley had called him a good man... a good boy was more like it. One way or another, he was about to give up everything. His power or his fortune. His adulthood or his career.

After he’d finished his business and washed up, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Still Superman. He smiled bitterly, but he couldn’t even keep that going for longer than a second or two. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, noticing how much thicker the air seemed than usual, and then shifted into the small boyish figure of Miles Lane. The hairs on his body gently slid back into their follicles, while the ones on his head grew into an unruly mop. His skin tingled as the smallest imperfections knit themselves together into a flawless canvas. His bones ached a little and his muscles stung a bit too as they pulled into themselves, shrinking to the desired proportions, but this was a process he’d grown quite used to over the years, and now he hardly noticed.

This was it, he thought as he stared at the boy in the mirror. The body he may very well occupy for the rest of his life. What would he look like, he wondered, when he grew up again? How would this body age into adulthood? Jay had crafted this face to be cute and charming in the moment, never considering how it would look twenty years later. Even with his powers he could only achieve a rough speculation of what he might end up like.

His powers... they’d be gone. No more sneaking off for a bit of fun at night. No more auditioning for every part in the show. No more Superman. He couldn’t even be himself anymore. This power had become everything he was.

But then... so had acting.

"Damned if I do," he said in that scratchy twelve year old voice he had come to hate over the last two and half years, before shifting back into his own body once more, "and damned if I don’t."

Jay Kelsea, a soon to be child star, turned off the lights, and stumbled to bed in an uncertain haze, not looking forward to the next morning, or the life that would surely follow.

 

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