Description: Lois has been waiting since she was nineteen to meet a certain, super-special someone. Sequel to
Vision of Destiny and part 2 in the Destiny series.
TOC__________
From Chapter 10"You want to tell me but can't," he continued for her, letting a little bit of sarcasm seep into his words.
"I will, Clark. One day I will explain everything and I hope that …"
"What?" he prompted when she trailed off.
"I hope you will understand and … and that I won't lose you."
"Lose me?"
"It really is complicated, and unbelievable, and … so very strange." She shook her head. "Telling you could change everything and, even in just a few days, you've become a good friend, Clark. I don't want to lose you." She put down her fork and reached across to lay a hand on his arm. "I hope you feel the same."
"I do." His voice was so gentle, his eyes so full of love, yet there was no smile on his face. He was being utterly serious and truthful. The last few words echoed around in her head as the meal continued.
I hope you feel the same.
I do.__________
Chapter 11Lois tried to calm her heart. Keeping her head down, as she passed her papers over, she tried to look inconspicuous. Once inside she separated off from the crowd and noticed a secure room where she could ride out the journey. While the papers she handed over might look real on quick glance it would become clear that something was wrong if she tried to take a colonist's seat and there was no room for some other person … who then turned out to be legitimate.
She closed the heavy door behind her as she entered and then turned. The room was some kind of engineering station. There were a few consoles with flashing lights and plenty of blank metal-panelled walls that probably concealed wires and conduits. Lois spied a drop-down seat at the other end and immediately aimed for it. She slipped her legs through the straps and sat down then pulled the straps around her shoulders. Once clipped in she tugged on the flaps to pull the straps as tight as they could go.
A smile came over her face once she was secure. She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. The smile grew as she imagined collecting her Pulitzer for this story. This was definitely the one, the story that would prove she was the best. Possibly she could even ask Clark to be her date. Her fantasy swiftly moved forward to the end of the evening where he would see her to her door … and this time Lucy would not be there. She would invite him in. Thank him for the wonderful evening. Encourage him that it would be his turn for the Pulitzer next year. He would smile and laugh in his humble manner, and then he would look into her eyes and the smile would fade. She'd lean forwards, slowly …
Lois wasn't really sure how much time had passed when she became aware of a repetitive bleeping sound. She opened her eyes and it only took a moment to locate the source of the sound. A small grey box was attached to the wall and a timer was counting down in sync with the beeps. An ominous feeling stole over Lois. While there were plenty of lights and clicks and 'countdowns' going on around, this countdown was a minute behind the official one, and the light-switch sized box was fixed to the wall with malleable putty.
Lois slipped out of her straps and ran over to look. It was immediately clear what the item was.
"It's a bomb! Baines. It's a bomb." She knew who was ultimately to blame for this, even if already dead. Baines's death obviously set this in motion through an underling.
Lois ran to the entrance, pulling open the door she had shut behind her earlier. She banged at the glass door. "Someone help, there's a bomb. Help." The engines fired and Lois' panic increased. Everyone was stuck on board, about to lift off into space, with no escape.
She ran back to the device and attempted to pull the casing off, just in case there was something …
anything … she could do.
It wouldn't budge.
Looking around in desperation she noticed the grey panel to the right. Opening it she was confronted by a tangle of cables. Possibly one - or more - was linked to the bomb. If she could just disconnect it from whatever source was powering it …
It only took a moment to locate a pair of cutters and she immediately dived into the wires. Sparks flew as she dug into the mess, but she dare not stop. This was the only chance the Prometheus and its passengers had. And if the bomb was self-sufficient … well this could still be helping. Launches were cancelled for the slightest malfunction and there was definitely a higher statistical probability of survival if they were
not a thousand feet in the air when the bomb exploded.
There was no change to the bleeping sound and the numbers continued to drop. Her panic increased. This was it. Her compulsive need to out-do everyone had finally led to her downfall. She remembered having a similar thought two nights earlier, but Clark had come to her rescue that time.
Well, he wouldn't come this time. Why would he even know there was anything wrong? He'd become suspicious two days ago because she'd gone missing from work. Except, today, she'd purposefully taken the day off so that no-one could interfere with her plans.
Clearly OL had done something different. Possibly, because she'd not been acting skittish and worried around Clark, they'd bonded quickly and she'd told him her idea. Lois knew it was pointless to dwell on this for more than a second though. Living OL's life was no longer Lois' goal. And if she made it out of
this dangerous situation she'd be doubly sure to live her own life.
Over the speakers Lois heard the announcer halt the official countdown and the shuddering of the rocket suddenly stopped. She looked back to the bomb, the cutters still in her hand, but completely forgotten now.
Moments later there was movement out in the corridor. Lois stepped away and widened her eyes. The racing of her heart, which until this moment had been because of fear for her life, was now of a completely different type.
"Superman," she whispered out, joyfully, and smiled in absolute relief. Her panicked heart began to slow. He
had come. He always came. It was like déjà vu blossoming in her memory. She knew. Clark always came.
He stopped for a moment and looked at her warily then flicked his gaze to the bomb on the wall.
"It's a bomb." Lois stepped forward. "Can you do something?" Her voice trembled. She was unsure what was causing the tremble though. There was a bomb, ticking down, currently at 21 seconds. But that should no longer be worrying her because Superman … Clark … had just made his first appearance. She felt elated. Possibly
that was the reason for the tremble in her voice.
Clark stepped up to the bomb and then glanced at her. He looked nervous and unsure. She began to panic again, her heart rate climbing higher as the numbers dropped lower. It seemed that he didn't know what to do.
"Please," she pleaded with him. Surely he could figure this out. Surely he knew what his powers were capable of.
He looked back at the bomb and reached up, sliding the outer casing off with no trouble. Inside was a tangle of wires, looking like a smaller facsimile of the panel she had been systematically destroying moments earlier. He reached in and when he withdrew his hand there was a flat, black circular object held between his fingers.
Lois gulped. It was the bomb. She took a deep breath.
Clark held up the bomb, looked at her warily once more, and then popped it in his mouth. A moment later he swallowed.
Lois let out her breath and grinned. "Yes," she hissed quietly.
There was a muffled explosion and then Clark burped, more gracefully and gently then she'd ever seen anyone do before.
"Excuse me," he said, his Kansas upbringing coming through loud and clear in his politeness.
Her grin grew even wider and she finally allowed herself to admire him. He opened his mouth and took a deep breath, then stepped toward her, but a noise in the corridor had him turning away instead.
Parts of her dreams and memories came into crystal clear focus now. Superman was impressive. Well, she'd known that anyway. But she'd never actually thought about how tight, how revealing, how distracting the suit was. She'd not even been sure of the design … except for a large amount of blue … and a red cape.
As he strode out into the corridor, Lois was assailed by memories. Seeing Clark dressed as Superman had brought them into stark relief.
He caught her as she tumbled through the air.
He burst through a wall as she was about to lose consciousness, grasping her and holding her aloft as she took in a sweet breath of air.
He had his arms around her. They floated up, further and further, until they were in the clouds.
He dived for her mouth, bringing his arms around her while twisting both of them. He landed underneath her on the couch. On and on they came. Little snippets of memory that were now so much more real than they had been before.
He caught her again.
He reached for her and they kissed.
He held out some flowers.
He held out a ring. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He was gone.
Launching the Prometheus into space with his bare hands.
After leaving her in the engineering room to investigate the happenings back at the entrance he'd encountered colonists and scientists, all ready to discard their hopes and dreams. But he'd handed those hopes and dreams straight back to them when he'd insisted he could get them to the space station.
She paced back and forth. He said he'd be back, but what would she say to him? She thought back over the last thirty minutes and realised that most of Clark's confusion and nervousness was her fault. He hadn't been unsure of his own abilities, or worried about what to do. Rather, he'd been shocked to see her there. He was probably even worried that she might recognise him.
Plus, she'd not been at all shocked to see him. How would she explain that? What could she say when he asked why she'd called him Superman. Or why she hadn't been confused over who he was, or what he was doing, or why he was dressed in a skin tight blue costume, and how the heck he could swallow a bomb and lift a rocket.
She'd even encouraged him to deal with the bomb. He must surely be wondering how she knew that he was capable of that.
She ceased her nervous pacing and focussed on the lockers at the end of the room. Each colonist had been assigned one - Lois included. Her clothes and handbag were in there. Striding forward she retrieved the key from her pocket and took out her belongings.
She really needed to change out of the dark cream jumpsuit. It belonged to EPRAD, and it was not exactly flattering. She blushed as she pictured the sight that must have greeted Clark as he strode into the rocket. Yes, she'd change back into her normal clothes, style her hair, apply some makeup, and Clark would return and find her looking smarter … more attractive, hopefully. But, then again, Clark had already seen her in her work clothes for the last few days, and if he didn't already find her attractive - which she sometimes thought he might, and sometimes not - then changing now would make no difference.
Still, she slipped into her shoes, finishing her changeover, and then stuffed the jumpsuit into the now empty locker.
Maybe … maybe this was the opportunity to tell him. He must have questions. But possibly he wouldn't feel he could ask them. Lois shouldn't even know that there was any reason for him to worry that she would recognise him, so he definitely wouldn't be asking … 'Why didn't you get scared at the sight of a man in blue spandex? or 'How come you trusted me at first sight? or even 'Don't you recognise who I am?
No, he'd play the stoic hero, but then worry internally.
If she saw even a tiny trace of that worry on his face when he returned she wouldn't be able to stop herself going to him … caressing his face … kissing away the worry lines.
She began pacing again. Her hands wouldn't stop trembling so she crossed her arms over her chest. It became uncomfortable so she uncrossed them and let them dangle once more.
"Argh," she let out as a groan of frustration. She just wanted Clark to come back, to get this over with. Yet she also knew she wasn’t ready. She hadn't figured out what to say. He better not come back yet.
She perched herself on the edge of a table and let her head fall into her hands. Moments later a voice shocked her back to her feet.
"Miss Lane."
He was back. It was time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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