Clark I
The sky was clear, the stars bright hard diamond points above the city. Clark had assigned Kal-El the north portion of the city so he could stay close to the house in the event the tempocane returned sooner than expected. Clark covered the warehouse district and downtown. It was a surprisingly quiet night. A couple car alarms going off for no apparent reason, two convenience store robberies, a couple fender-benders.
After a another circuit of New Troy Island, Clark came to rest on the top of the Daily Planet building, his usual roost. After a few moments, Kal-El joined him.
“Your city’s only a little different from mine,” Kal-El said. “I love Metropolis. Ever since I got off the bus from Smallville, I’ve loved the busyness, the people, the energy.”
“Having Lois there doesn’t hurt,” Clark commented with a grin.
Kal-El’s expression became more serious. “What happens if we can’t get back?”
“Well, I guess we’ll have a second Superman on this Earth,” Clark said. “I’m sure I can get the two of you new identities. It helps to have friends in low places.”
“I meant, the AI mentioned needing a beacon to find the proper plane,” Kal-El said. “But I have no idea what it meant.”
“I would guess that a telepathic link with people you know who belong to your home plane would work,” Clark said.
“But I’m not telepathic,” Kal-El protested.
‘Really?’ Clark thought at him. He watched Kal-El’s eyes widen in surprise. ‘I can show you.’
“Okay,” Kal-El said aloud.
Clark touched his face, placing fingers on his temples. ‘Here.’ Clark pointed out mental pathways, neural nodes that weren’t normally used.
‘I see.’
'Clark, we’ve just gotten word that one of Xon’s men may be on Earth with a Tez assassin,’ Zara’s mental voice rang out in Kal-El’s mind as well.
Clark swore to himself.
“That was Zara, wasn’t it?” Kal-El asked. Clark nodded. “Who or what is a Tez assassin?”
“A nightmare,” Clark replied. “We need to get back to the house.”
Clark II
A year on New Krypton had strengthened Clark’s natural telepathic abilities, although his strongest link was still to his wife. That link had existed even before discovering Kryptonians were telepathic. He gently touched Kal-El’s face near his left temple. Lois had once commented the gesture looked like a Vulcan mind-meld. But then, she had also expressed the opinion that Gene Roddenberry probably knew some Kryptonians.
Finding the telepathic links and strengthening them was easier than he’d thought it was going to be.
Then: ‘Clark, we’ve just gotten word that one of Xon’s men may be on Earth with a Tez assassin,’ Zara’s mental voice sounded.
Clark swore to himself. He certainly hadn’t expected Xon to move so quickly.
“That was Zara, wasn’t it?” Kal-El asked. Clark nodded. They’d been linked when Zara made contact. “Who or what is a Tez assassin?”
“A nightmare,” Clark replied. “We need to get back to the house.” Xon’s man would be after the kids, and maybe Lois. He hoped she remembered there were kryptonite bullets in the office safe, and a police revolver locked in his desk. He launched himself into the air and was halfway across the city before Kal-El responded.
“You don’t sound too surprised,” Kal-El observed, catching up with him.
“Annoyed, maybe, but not surprised,” Clark said. “I had a hunch Xon was already on the move. I’ve fought a Tez before. They’re tough. I was very lucky to survive.”
“But, you’re Superman.”
“Your point?” Clark landed softly on the deck. “A Tez assassin doesn’t need super powers. It uses your own powers against you. It adapts unbelievably fast. It can also disguise itself as anyone. And I do mean anyone.”
“So, how do you tell the difference?” Kal-El asked.
“Smell, and mind feel,” Clark said.
“And Xon’s man?”
“I’m sure he’ll identify himself.”
Lois I
Wanda woke with a start, finding herself on the sofa, an afghan wrapped around her. She looked around to see what had woken her. Kal-El hadn’t returned yet, or if he had, he wasn’t where she could see him.
A dark figure separated itself from the shadows. It wasn’t human. “Where is Kal-El?” the figure whispered.
“I don’t know,” Wanda said. He was scaring her. His eyes glowed in the darkness.
“His death was promised to me,” the figure said with a hissing voice. “But do not be concerned. You will survive to mourn him.”
A motion outside the house caught her attention and the figure turned its head to see what she was looking at.
Clark and Kal-El were back, both still in their blue and red suits. Kal-El took a step toward the French doors, but Clark laid a hand on his arm to stop him.
“What do you want here?” Clark demanded, looking at the creature standing in his living room.
“The death of Kal-El, of course,” the creature said.
