The Green, Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker style 10/10
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
Rated PG-13
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously
A week later Lois and Clark returned to Metropolis. The first thing they did was move Lois from her apartment to what was formerly Clark's, but was now their apartment. It was smaller, but it felt more like home to Lois than her sterile two-bedroom. The next day they went in to the Daily Planet.
A little later, the entire newsroom staff was gathered around Lois' desk and Perry was reading the proof copy of the article, "'And, in the end, Jason Trask's obsession caused him to search for a mystical rock he alone imbued with destructive powers, and to confuse one reporter with the target of his fixation, Superman. He came to see this strange visitor from another planet where he was not, and to see enemies where there were none. It was an obsession that for Jason Trask would prove fatal.'" He put the paper down and continued, "I been in the newspaper business thirty-five years, and this is the damndest story I ever read."
Lois and Clark had worked a long time on that story. It was an excellent example of their joint efforts. It had the hard hitting facts about Trask and what he had done, and the softer, introspective touches that were typical of Clark. They needed to reveal only so much. There was a lot that needed to be kept secret, but because of the notoriety received from the local Smallville Press, they couldn't squash it completely. Lois said, "You should have been there. Here's a man so far around the bend that he started beating on Clark to get at Superman. He was hoping that Superman would come to the rescue and he could try to kill him with this rock. Everyone knows that they're friends, but come on; Superman can't be everywhere at once and how was he to know we were in danger. It isn't like we can call him on his cell phone or pager or something. Let's be real here."
Perry turned to Clark who was standing next to Lois and asked, "Now, Kent, I usually tell my reporters to stay out of their stories, don't get involved. But as long as you had to fight a nutcase like Trask, well … I'm just glad you came out on top. Are you healing from your wounds?"
Clark had his left arm in a sling and would be keeping it in one for a week or more. It wouldn't do for him to heal too quickly. He hedged, "Oh, I'm healing about as well as can be expected, Chief."
Cat drifted over, pinned Lois with a look and said, "That's not the biggest story! How about these two keeping their marriage a secret? Come on fess up, how long have you been married?"
Lois smiled coyly and answered, "Well, really, it just happened. It wasn't like we planned it or anything. Really, it's thanks to the laws of the state of Kansas. We have to thank the original settlers." She brought her ring up and admired it once more.
Cat said, "Come on, Lois. Let's see the hardware."
Lois obligingly held out her left hand for Cat's perusal. Cat said, "Looks like an antique."
Proudly, Lois replied, "It is. This belonged to Clark's grandmother. Someday, maybe my grandson will give it to his fiancée."
Cat snickered and said, "Lois Lane with children? Aren't you counting your chickens before they're hatched? How do you know you'll even have children?"
With an enigmatic smile, Lois replied, "I have it on good authority that we will."
"What did you do, visit a fortune teller?"
"Not … exactly."
Perry turned to Jimmy and said, "Jimmy, those pictures you turned in were first rate. I'm adding you to the rolls as a staff photographer."
As Jimmy started to move in his direction, Perry held up his hands and said, "Don't you
dare hug me again."
Jimmy stopped and smiled. He held up the signal watch and said, "Too bad this didn't work."
Lois had been told by Clark that hearing that signal watch was the first indication that his powers had returned so rather than discourage Jimmy, she said, "Don't give up on it. Superman was probably in Metropolis. You were in Smallville."
Jimmy smiled and replied, "Hey, that's right. STAR Labs doesn't know what the effective range is. Maybe I was too far away."
Perry, was almost hesitant as he said, "Well, then, Kids, I just got one note for you. This rock that Trask convinced himself was gonna hurt Superman. What's it called?"
Lois looked at him with a question in her eyes as she said, "Called? You want a name? Nobody can even find it. Even the sample Wayne sent to the lab in Wichita disappeared. I'm not sure it existed anywhere, but in Trask's mind."
Even as she was saying this she was traveling back in time a few days in her memory.
Flashback
A few days after the visit to the jail to see Sherman, Clark had recovered, his wounds had healed completely and his powers had returned.
Lois and Jonathan had gone to the field behind the shed. Jonathan had taken a shovel and Lois had pointed out where she had buried the rock. Jonathan dug it up and they placed it in the lead tool box, making sure the lid was securely locked. Then for good measure, partly out of fear and partly out of anger at what that rock could do to Clark, Lois had used almost a whole roll of duct tape on it. By the time she was finished it looked like a square mummy wrapped in strips of shiny gray cloth.
Once this task had been completed and with it safely wrapped up they had taken it to Clark. He had made a small net of steel cables, much like an old fashioned sling and he put it in.
While they all stood back he twirled it around and around, building up speed and finally released it. When he did, it was moving faster than ten miles a second and it only required a seven mile a second velocity to leave Earth's gravity and travel into space.
As she watched the object disappear into the sky, Lois released a sigh and said, "Good riddance."
End flashback
Perry, continued, enthusiastically, "Even so, this copy'd sing a lot sweeter if you gave it a name."
Lois thought for a few seconds, and then said, "Trask thought it was from the planet Krypton... I don't know ... it was supposed to be radioactive like Uranium …" She tried the first thing that came to mind, "Kryptonium?"
Perry smiled and said, "Okay by me."
Clark said, "Wait a minute, It's supposed to be a meteorite, right? What about … Kryptonite?"
Perry handed the copy back to Lois and started to his office. Back over his shoulder he said, "You two fight it out."
Lois playfully slugged him on the shoulder and he yelped, "Ouch!"
In an undertone she said, "You and I both know that didn't hurt."
He brought his lips near her ear and said, "You and I know it, but I'm not supposed to be healed yet."
Playing the part, Lois put on a sorrowful look and said, "Oh, I'm sorry! Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
He smiled and said, "I think my lips hurt."
She smiled and complied by giving him a kiss. After a few seconds, she said, "Now, about that name. You're always editing my copy!"
He replied, "That's only because we're partners."
Lois relented, "Okay, have it your way … Kryptonite it shall be." Before she continued she looked around, making sure no one would overhear, "I'm still worried. Wayne said he sent some off to the lab in Wichita and that sample has disappeared. That means that there's still something out there that can harm you."
"We'll just have to be careful."
And now:
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Chapter 10 - Epilogue
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%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120
Distant future - TTEMPO Headquarters
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
When Herb triggered the device in his hand it created a portal to a future time and another universe. When he stepped through that portal he was instantly transferred to that time and location. When he looked down he saw that, as expected, he had stepped onto a metal plate.
Herb stepped down off of the transfer plate in the clean room euphemistically called Reception. He smiled as he saw the motto, in gold, over the doorway - 'Only Time Will Tell' and thought about just how true that statement was. He was glad that he had chosen that as the motto for TTEMPO, the Time Travel Enforcement and Multiverse Protection Organization.
He moved out of Reception and as he did he was greeted by several TTEMPO agents in various costumes as they were heading out on missions, some of them in pairs. No one appeared to be in a hurry which was a good sign. They were apparently going out on simple survey missions. If there had been any urgency it would have indicated that there was a problem with the time stream in one of the universes, perhaps even a problem created by Tempus or one of his doppelgangers.
Along with dealing with problems such as those created by Tempus, the charter of TTEMPO included historical research. There were many time periods where they lacked information and others which could be used as living laboratories to study people and their reactions to varied situations. Most of the time, it was important for the TTEMPO agents to interact with the subjects they were studying as little as possible and still complete their mission.
Herb shuddered slightly when he saw Andrus, but was somewhat comforted when he saw what he was wearing. TTEMPO agents, when going on survey missions had started dressing in period costume so as not to give away their presence so easily. In more technologically advanced ages they could get away with their normal clothing, but in more antiquated cultures they would stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
When he spotted his personal problem child, Andrus, it appeared as though he was going into the medieval period. He was in the costume of a Roman Catholic Priest, or friar, presumably to check on Lady Loisette and The Fox. Herb was relieved that there would be little chance of Andrus messing up the timeline as long as the timeline wasn't one in which Tempus took part. Then another thought came to him, what if Baron Tempos
was there and Andrus interacted with him? That could be a disaster in the making. He made a mental note to check the time records for discontinuities before anything became irreparable.
Shaking his head Herb took the translift to his floor and moved down the corridor to his office. The door, with it usual reliability, opened as he approached. He stepped in and said, "Lights on."
Once the lights were on, he shrugged out of his coat and removing his derby hung both on the coat rack just inside the door then he moved to his desk. As he was crossing the floor to his desk he removed his tie, opened his collar by removing the collar-button and heaved a relieved sigh, thinking, <I really ought to update my wardrobe. These hard starched collars can be very irritating. Oh, well, I guess it's all in what you are used to.> For the most part his office had been decorated in modern furniture and equipment, but it was made in such a way as to resemble what he was used to back in the early twentieth century. The first thing he did was go to the sideboard and prepare a cup of tea and then he carried it over to his desk. He set the teacup on the corner of his desk and then smiled as he heard that familiar squeak as he sat in his chair and then simply sat there in thought for a time with his fingers steepled. He was planning his report on this incident.
Finally, once he had organized his thoughts he reached over, pushed a button and started speaking into the air in his British English accent, "Computer, dictation."
A very human sounding voice apparently emanating from the very air around him replied "Working. Will this be a letter, or a journal entry?"
"This will be a journal entry. Addenda to report on incident in Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225 an alternate universe related in many ways to Prime.
"Working, file accessed."
Herb commenced, "Regarding the incident in Smallville with Trask. It had been determined that in this Alt universe intervention would be required. The Sheriff being delayed in her arrival at the Kent farm by the freight train would prevent her from intervening and preventing Trask from killing Clark while he was vulnerable."
"I decided to take this universe on as one of my special projects; therefore the monitoring of this particular universe has fallen under my direct purview." In order to preserve the life of Clark Kent, it was necessary to provide an alternate person to prevent Trask from killing him.”
"Pause recording."
"Paused."
Herb was lost in thought for a time before he continued. The next parts were going to be very important to have recorded and he wanted to make sure he had everything correct. He pulled out a chart of figures that he could refer to in order to have everything correct. Once he had the chart in hand he said, "Resume."
"Recording."
"The idea for this entire exercise was a direct result of having sent the Clark Kent now of two universes, his own native universe, Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036, Alt 1, and the native universe of his Lois, Alpha -120 x Gamma 255 x Tau -190, Alt 2, on his earlier rescue missions."
"In preparing for this mission, I had to travel back in time in the subject universe and ascertain if Tempus had been there in any incarnation. Fortunately, he is not in all universes and that was the case here, thus there was no fear of the curse such as that which we had to deal with in Prime.”
"I decided that Lois would be the best candidate to save Clark. She was already on scene and had been working with Clark for some time. In order to ensure that she would act in Clark's behalf, I decided to give her some extra motivation. I began laying the groundwork as they were leaving on the assignment."
"After ascertaining the absence of Tempus in their past, by using the Soul Tracker I traveled to their future and recorded some of her memories and after returning to the time of this incident, I was able to add those to her current memories on a subconscious level. I used the memories of the time after she and her Clark were together. The overlay of these memories lowered her barriers and moved the personal relationship ahead, you might say, rather precipitously. I began the memory overlay when I was in the elevator with them at the Daily Planet as they were leaving on this assignment. The time in the elevator was insufficient so I arranged for the train to break down keeping them at the rail road crossing for an extended period. I was at that time able to add more memories of her future. I finished the overlay while they were at the Corn Festival. The only time they were aware of my presence was in the initial phase, in the elevator which required closer contact to link to her mind. After that I could work from greater distance. I did continue to monitor them throughout. Pause recording."
"Paused."
Herb picked up his tea cup and took a tentative sip. The tea had grown cold and frowning, he set the cup back down.
"Resume."
"Recording."
"As I said, I continued to monitor their progress. As it turns out it is well that I did. Unknown to me or Lois and Clark, Trask had sent a couple of his men after Lois and Clark. I still do not know if they had been dispatched to simply follow them or if they had orders to kidnap them. However, I did take steps to prevent them from following Lois and Clark by disabling their vehicle. Pause."
"Paused."
Herb could no longer suppress his mirth. He chuckled aloud. Standing up he moved to the sideboard and prepared another cup of tea. By the time he had the tea prepared and had returned to his desk he was back in control.
"Resume."
"Recording."
"I had not anticipated just how successful the memory overlay would actually be. Lois began to see Clark as a romantic partner almost immediately. I had not been aware that in this universe the state of Kansas had that law on their books. Apparently the memory overlay was even more effective than anticipated because as soon as Lois found out that by the laws of Kansas they were married by simply spending the night together she wanted to make it permanent. Even Clark was surprised by her immediate acceptance of the situation. That does make some measure of sense as the memories used were those of their married life."
"I hadn't realized, until Clark mentioned it, that I had inadvertently included a memory of the birth of their first child. I was glad that I had checked out their history previously because she couldn't wait to consummate the wedding and they almost caught me observing. If Tempus had been a problem in that universe, I would have been required to choose another protector for Clark. The other possibility I had considered had been Pete Ross."
"Note: If activities of this nature are called for in the future I need to exercise more caution. When I moved forward in time to record Lois' memories, I inadvertently collected memories from a later period, when they had a child. Still, I can't quibble with the results of this exercise."
"Pause recording."
Herb thought for a few minutes, considering how to proceed. Finally he said, "Resume."
"Recording."
"When they were captured by Trask I had to wait for an opportunity to free Lois so that she could go to Clark’s aid. That was yet another difference between this universe and Prime. This Carol Sherman did not help free Lois. It was up to me to perform that task. Up to that point I had been able to operate in the background. Once I released her I had to depend on her personal motivation and her martial arts skills to protect her ‘husband' and she performed admirably. A mama bear defending her cubs could not have done better."
“At the appropriate time, Lois came out of hiding and unknown to both Trask and Clark removed the Kryptonite which enabled Clark to begin to recover after only a brief exposure to the Kryptonite.”
“Her warning to Clark coupled with the distraction provided by her breaking cover and advancing on Trask, just as he was firing the derringer, was what actually saved Clark’s life. A derringer is an inaccurate weapon at best, but even the most inaccurate weapon at a range of about ten feet is liable to hit the target. Trask was aiming for the center of Clark’s back and if he had not ducked when he did he would have suffered a mortal wound.”
"It was unfortunate that, though it was an accident, Lois was required to take Trask's life, however, if she had not he would have presented a continuing problem. At the very least he would have revealed Clark's secret and at worst, if he had convinced the powers that be that Clark was actually a threat, he could have been instrumental in his death or exile."
"Pause."
"Paused."
Herb got up and moved to a sideboard again. He dumped the tea which had gone cold through neglect and prepared another fresh cup, promising himself to actually drink this one. Picking up the cup he held it under a faucet which dispensed near boiling water, then thankful for the advancements in society which made things so much easier, pulled out a tea bag, rather than a container of loose leaves, and he prepared a cup of Earl Grey tea which he carried back to his desk before he continued. Once he was again seated and after first taking a sip of his tea he said, "Resume."
"Recording."
"After the Sheriff and her deputies left, I was able to sit down with Lois and the Kents to explain what had happened and why. Lois was somewhat irritated with me for overlaying her future memories. I explained that I had not had any choice in that she was the best candidate to rescue Clark from Trask. She started weeping when the thought of CJ crossed her mind. When I explained that that child was actually going to be her first born she brightened up and her mood became a happy one. They asked how many children they would have and naturally, I declined to give them that information. When she asked how long she would have to wait to have a child. I told her that unfortunately that would be too much information too soon and that she should simply be patient and let things happen in the proper time."
"Lois admitted that she had always feared having children because of her family background, however, the memory overlay had removed those fears and she was now eagerly anticipating that event. I did not at this time reveal to her that her physiology would have to be changed by exposure to Clark's aura to make their biologies compatible before the blessed event. I also did not tell her that another result of that physiological change would be that her lifespan would be extended. I will schedule a trip back to them at a period after the birth so that I can give her a gift. Pause recording."
“Paused.”
Herb pulled open a drawer in his desk and pulled out a box. In the box was a pendant on a necklace. A pendant with very special properties. A pendant holding two different forms of Kryptonite within its silver matrix. On the outside of the box he wrote, "Lois Lane, Ultra Woman, Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225. Lois' birthday, September 23, 2000."
Remembering that he had simply paused the recording, Herb said, “End recording. Do not finalize and allow for future additions and edits. Format it as a document and send a copy of the file to my hand held for review."
"Recording stopped. Formatting. Sending."
Herb's hand held beeped and a small light started to flash indicating the file had been received. He nodded his approval and stood up from his chair. He would review the file and make his edits after taking a brief nap. He moved to his sleeping alcove and after kicking off his shoes and placing his glasses on a side table, he lay down on a trundle bed.
He spoke to the computer again, "Lights off."
In response to his command the lights were extinguished.
After a few seconds he said, "Computer."
"Working. Letter or journal entry?"
"Tickle file."
"Recording. Entry?"
"Check on Andrus mission to Medieval Period."
"Time on reminder?"
"As soon as I wake from my nap."
"Recorded."
Before drifting off to sleep, Herb lay there thinking for some time, <”I need to send Andrus on a mission where he will not be interacting with Lois or Clark. We need more information on the Korean War. Perhaps what I can do is send him on a research mission. He certainly shouldn’t be on the front lines. He could go in a non-combatant role, perhaps as a Chaplain, a Priest. He seems comfortable in that role. He could research personal interactions in stressful situations such as in a hospital dealing with war casualties. I’ll have to give that some more thought.”>
comments go here The End
