Chapter Twenty-Five
Lois and Superwoman walked out to Lois’s car. “Do you want to stop by my place and talk some more?”
“I’d love to, why don’t I fly you there? I can bring your car back later.”
“I’m not going to turn down a chance to fly, let’s do this!” Lara wrapped her arm around Lois’s shoulder and Lois wrapped her arm around Lara’s waist. Lois once again evaluated flying in this new position. While it gave her a much better view of the landscape, she preferred the closeness she felt wrapped in Superman’s arms. Lara landed them on the balcony and made sure Lois was steady.
“I’ll be right back.” Lara took off and returned moments later. Lois idly wondered what her neighbors would think when they saw her Jeep flying across the sky. Moments later Lara landed on the balcony and closed the door behind her.
“Please, sit, I’ve got some coffee made.” Lois brought a tray over to the coffee table. When Lara had changed and both women had prepared their beverages, they sat facing each other and sipped their coffee.
“I want to thank you again, Lois. You were right about Dr. Klein, he’s amazing,” Lara said happily.
“I hoped he’d have a solution but he really came through. It was very nice of you to agree to meet with him again, you know.”
“Well, I got to thinking, I may be invulnerable but, in the future, when we want to have children it might be good to have a doctor on my side. Even if he’s not an OB/GYN he can certainly recommend a trustworthy one.”
“You’re right, it never hurts to have a good doctor.”
“You know, I might be able to help him more concretely,” Lara mused.
“Oh, how so?”
“Dad and I found out that the globe is a lot more than just a hologram projector and navigation device. It contains a large portion of the Kryptonian knowledge base. It has a section on medicine that might be of interest to him.”
“If I know Bernie, he’ll think he’s died and gone to heaven!” Lois replied with a chuckle.
“I bet he will. Please don’t tell Dr. Klein about this yet. I have to ask Dad, it is his globe.”
“Of course. I won’t say anything, that’ll be up to you, and your dad.” Lois paused to ponder her next question. “Ummm, I hope you don’t think I’m being too nosy but have you and Ken talked about birth control?”
“To be honest, Lois, we haven’t discussed it. However, given my invulnerability and the fact that medications don’t affect me I assume that birth control pills will be similarly ineffective. Ken’s going to have to use something, I guess.” Lara blushed, she hadn’t expected to be discussing intimate subjects like this, but, who else could she talk to?
“I’m sure he’ll understand. Oh, now that we have a chance to talk, I assume your dad told you about Kryptonite?”
Lara shuddered at the memory. “Oh, yes! He told me about his experience with it. I never want to encounter that stuff!”
“I doubt you will, from what I understand the only known specimens are in a super-secret vault at S.T.A.R. Labs.”
“Dad told me some bits and pieces but how do you know that?” Lara asked, curiously.
“You mentioned that Clark never talked about his experiences before you were born so I don’t know if I should tell you.” Lois was now sorry that she’d brought up the subject.
“Oh no you don’t, you can’t leave me hanging like this,” Lara said heatedly.
“Okay, okay but don’t ever tell Clark I told you this. You have to promise me!”
“I promise. Dad won’t hear it from me. Now please, go on.”
“I know Clark told you about my engagement to Lex, but what he didn’t tell you is that Superman and Lex were bitter enemies and Lex was jealous of him. Somehow, I don’t know how because Clark never told me, Lex lured Superman to his basement where he had constructed a cage powered by Kryptonite.”
“Oh my God! Poor Dad!” Lara said, stricken.
“Lex kept him in that cage for over a day. He taunted him that he’d been defeated and that his prize, me, was going to be his wife.”
“That bastard!” Lara’s eyes glowed red, so angry was she. It was good that Lex Luthor was dead or she wasn’t sure what she’d have done.
“Somehow Clark escaped but he was very weak. I think he was close to death but he never said. Clark found me on the sidewalk after the police had come to arrest Lex. When Clark saw Lex fall, he tried to fly but his powers were gone. I didn’t know that at the time either of course. It was only later when I learned the secret that I put it all together.”
“What happened to the Kryptonite cage?”
“Inspector Henderson, he’s police chief now, is a friend of mine and Clark. He found the cage and saw the strange green glow. When he traced the connection, he found two pieces of Kryptonite and turned them over to Dr. Klein for safekeeping. To my knowledge, those were the only pieces ever found.” Lois took a deep breath now that her tale was over, she felt better, Lara deserved to know that the Kryptonite was safe.
“That’s some story. Boy, Dad has sure been holding out on me.” Lara said ruefully. “You don’t know this but Dad and Grandpa found other pieces. They didn’t want me to encounter them as I grew up so they collected every piece they could find then Dad buried them in the Marianas Trench.”
“That’s great. If you want to read about your dad’s exploits at the Planet, I can give you a password to the archives. There you can read all our old articles. Maybe you’ll find something interesting. If you do though, please talk to me first, okay? I don’t want Clark to think I’m going behind his back, though I guess I am,” Lois said with an embarrassed chuckle.
“Your secret is safe with me. I don’t like to think I’m sneaking behind Dad’s back but your articles are public knowledge. I’m sure I could find them some other way too, the Metropolis Library comes to mind. Thanks, I’m sure I’ll find some really interesting articles.”
“We wrote about some really weird stuff, that’s for sure, but I think you’ll find my articles about Superman quite interesting,” Lois grinned.
“I’m sure. Thanks again for your offer, Lois.” Lara glanced at the clock and saw it was now well after midnight. “Oh, look at the time. I need to get going.” Lara spun into her suit and headed to the balcony with Lois following. Lara hugged Lois and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thanks for everything, Lois. See you soon.” Lara slid the door open and was gone with a gust of wind.
**********
Later that week Lara flew to Smallville with a bag containing her spare suits. She spun into jeans and a t-shirt and headed to the old farmhouse.
“Hi, Grandma!” Lara exclaimed when she entered the cozy kitchen.
“Hi, sweetie! Oh, good, I see you brought your suits.” Martha hugged Lara. “Why don’t we go into my sewing room and we can talk?” In the sewing room, Martha brought out the notes she’d made.
“The easiest solution is to use a chain to keep your ring on.”
“I was thinking of that too but if I start wearing a chain when I never have before some journalist is going to ask me why and I think I’d like to avoid that type of question altogether.”
“Okay, that makes sense. I can make a secret compartment in your belts, something you can unzip put your ring in, and then zip shut. Being in such close contact with your body your aura will protect it from any damage,” Martha suggested.
Lara’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! Can you make it big enough for my wedding band too?”
“Of course, dear. Give me your belts and we can get started right away.” Lara pulled the belts out of her bag and handed them to Martha. The two women chatted while Martha quickly made the adjustments. When she finished Lara tried one on and slipped her ring inside.
“This is perfect, Grandma. The belt is thick enough not to show the ring.” With costume adjustments complete Lara and Martha went out to the living room where Jonathan and Clark were watching the news.
Lara looked at her father nervously, “Ummm, Dad, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, Pumpkin, what’s up?” Clark turned to give her his full attention.
“I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a scientist/medical doctor at S.T.A.R. Labs in Metropolis through Lois and I had an idea. Would you be open to the idea of letting him have access to the medical portion of the Kryptonian database? I think he could use that information for the benefit of everyone.”
Clark was curious now. “How did you meet this man?”
“I ran across something that I needed a scientist’s opinion on. Since I don’t know anyone in Chicago, I asked Lois. She’s known this man, Dr. Bernard Klein, for years and she convinced him to meet with me and he was able to help me with my question. He might be the kind of person who could put the information in the globe to good use.”
“Have you said anything to him?” Clark asked cautiously.
“No, Dad. I did mention it to Lois but I told her I had to get your permission first and not to say anything to the doctor.”
“I appreciate your discretion, honey. I don’t know if it would be proper to give anyone access to advanced technology like this. I know it sounds corny but I’m thinking of the Star Trek shows and their prime directive. We wouldn’t want to influence Earth’s technological, scientific, and cultural development. While your idea is very honorable, we don’t know what unintended consequences might arise. I’ll tell you what, let me think about it for a while and I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Dad, that sounds good. I know you’ll make the right decision, no matter what decision you make.”
**********
The next evening Clark called Lois at the Planet after he got home from work.
“Lois Lane.”
“Hi, Lois, can you talk for a minute?”
“Clark, hi! Sure, what’s up?”
“Would you mind if I stopped by tonight? I need your opinion on something.”
“Of course, can you give me a hint?”
“I’d rather not. Hey, have you eaten yet?”
“Nope, what did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking of Italian from that little place in Rome, what do you say?”
“I say, yum! I’ve got another hour of work. How about I meet you at the apartment at 8 o’clock?”
“8 o’clock it is, see you then.”
“Clark? Dinner’s ready!” Martha called from the kitchen.
“Ummm, I’m going to meet Lois for dinner, Mom, if you don’t mind.”
“Dinner with Lois, huh?” Martha said with a twinkle in her eye. “Of course, dear. We can have this as leftovers tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Mom. See you later, Dad,” Clark said as he hurried out the door.
**********
Clark flew lazily over the east coast of the U.S. towards Rome. He saw Lois working as she hurried through the items on her desk. With a smile, he flew out over the Atlantic and the west coast of Italy to his ultimate destination, Rosati’s Ristorante. Clark landed a few blocks away and spun into his work clothes then he strolled through the city, taking in the sights and sounds.
“Signore Kent! It’s so good to see you!” Mr. Rosati exclaimed. “Mama! Come here, Signore Kent is here!” Mrs. Rosati hurried out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Signore Kent, it’s so good to see you! How have you been?” she asked, as she gave Clark an enthusiastic hug. “How is the lovely Signorina Kent?”
“I’m well, and Lara is well too. She just got engaged!” Clark said proudly.
“Congratulations! He’s a good man, no?” Mr. Rosati asked.
“He’s a great guy and Lara loves him. I’m sure she’ll bring him here sometime. You know how much she loves your cooking!”
“We look forward to meeting him. Please tell her congratulations from us. Now, what can I get you? Your favorite table is open,” Mr. Rosati said as he gestured to a table near the window.
“Not tonight. I’m eating with a friend,” Clark smiled. “I’d like your dinner for two, please, to go.”
“Right away, please sit down, we can chat while you wait.” Mrs. Rosati hurried off to the kitchen while Clark and Mr. Rosati walked over to the bar. Time passed quickly and soon Mrs. Rosati returned with a large paper bag filled with delicious smelling Italian delicacies. After paying for the meal Clark left the restaurant with a promise to bring his friend back for another meal very soon.
**********
Clark hurried back towards Metropolis, landing on Lois’s balcony at 7:59 p.m. Lois opened the door wearing a wide, happy smile.
“Come in, put that on the table, please. I’m all set up.”
Clark pulled containers out of the bag and set them on the table while Lois grabbed the open bottle of red wine and poured glasses for both. Lois scooped a large slice of lasagna from the container, tasted it and moaned with delight.
“Umm, this is just like I remembered it, Clark! You know, I drove all over town looking for the places you brought food from, that was before I knew your secret of course.”
Embarrassed Clark said, “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“You’re forgiven, especially when you bring food like this!” Conversation flowed smoothly, mostly centering around Lara and her upcoming wedding. When the food was gone Lois poured coffee and invited Clark to sit on the couch.
“So you said you need my help?” Lois asked as she sat down.
Clark nodded. “Lara told me you put her in contact with a Dr. Klein?”
“Yes. Did she mention why?”
“Just that she had run into something that she needed a scientist’s opinion on.”
“That’s right. So again, why do you need my help?”
“She mentioned that she talked to you about giving him access to the globe.”
“She said she needed to talk to you before she said anything to him and I promised I wouldn’t either.”
“I know, Lara told me that too. I’d like to ask for your opinion. Should I do it?”
Lois paused to consider Clark’s request. She was quiet for the longest time while they sipped their coffee in complete silence.
Lois looked Clark in the eye. “If I know you, you’ve weighed the pros and cons to death and I don’t know what my opinion could do to change that. That said, I think you should do it.”
“Thanks, Lois, I appreciate your honesty. If you don’t mind, could you tell me why you think this would be a good thing?”
“There’s a lot of suffering in this world, and if your globe and the knowledge it contains can help alleviate even a small portion of that I feel it would be a wonderful thing. I also think your Kryptonian parents wouldn’t have sent all that information for it not to be used.”
Clark pondered Lois’s response with the gravity it deserved. “Thanks again, Lois. I knew you’d see this from a different perspective and you have. I think you’re right. Jor-El and Lara wouldn’t have filled the globe’s memory if they didn’t plan for me to use it. I’m just concerned about giving the data to one group, like S.T.A.R. Labs say, no matter how prominent and ethical they are. The knowledge could enrich that organization to the detriment of everyone else. The medical breakthroughs alone could be worth billions!”
“I understand your concern but I think I have an idea. You’ve kept in touch with Jim, right?” Lois said, knowing it was true.
“Yes of course, what about it?”
“He’s my go-to guy for anything computer related, even though I pay for a complete IT department! I bet he’d have some ideas on how to disseminate the data so that anyone who wants to use it for research can do so.” Clark’s face lit up with that megawatt smile Lois missed so much.
“Lois! You’re a genius!”
“You say that like it’s a surprise!” Lois said, gloating a bit.
“No, just stating a fact. Can you set up a meeting with Jim for 5 o’clock tomorrow? I’ll leave work early and fly over to meet with you both.”
**********
The next afternoon Lois and Jim waited in the conference room with the blinds drawn when there was a knock on the window. Lois opened it and Superman floated in, carrying a small wooden box.
“Hi, Superman!” Jim said, shaking hands with the superhero.
“Hi, Jim. Did Lois fill you in?”
“A little, what you want sounds doable, at least as far as I can see.”
“That’s good. Why don’t I show you what we’re dealing with?” Superman opened the box and pulled out a small sphere that showed the continents of Earth. Superman held it tightly until it began to glow, finally projecting a hologram that hovered over the table.
“What can I do for you, Kal-El?” Jor-El said.
“I would like to download the medical database for use by the people of Earth. Can that be done?”
“Yes, the database can be downloaded in many formats that your systems can access.”
“How large is this database? Jim asked.
The hologram of Jor-El turned to face Jim before speaking. “The medical database is approximately 1,000 exabytes in size.”
“1,000… exabytes! Holy mackerel!” Jim said, flabbergasted.
“I take it that’s big?” Lois interjected.
“Big! It’s huge! It’s more than huge! We’re going to need a server farm all to ourselves to hold it. And this is only a portion of the data contained in this globe?!”
“Yes,” Jor-El replied. “Each database is approximately equal in size.”
“Do you think you have enough information to get started, Jim?” Superman asked then he released the globe and put it back in its box.
“Yeah, Superman. We’re going to need to work with some heavy hitters to get the space we need but I’m sure, once the players find out what we want to do, they’ll get on board. Maybe the Superman Foundation can facilitate.”
**********
Jim Olsen worked through the Superman Foundation to set up an open-source server for the Kryptonian medical database for the free use of scientists and researchers around the world. People far and wide hailed this as the greatest benefit to mankind in the history of the world.
The headlines of the Daily Planet and the Chicago Tribune reflected the sentiment of newspapers around the world for the release of the Kryptonian database.
Medical Database Tremendous Boon to Mankind!
Potential Cures for Many Diseases
By James Olsen
A Cure for Alzheimer’s?
Researchers Excited for Potential Disease Cures
By George Jones and Lara Kent
**********
Continued in Chapter Twenty-Six
