The TOC for this story can be found
here. A day later, and with much caution, Clark discovered he was well enough to eat some plain bread and butter without suffering any ill effects. Rejoicing at this long-awaited upturn in his health, he spent the morning planning his get-fit strategy in between watching daytime TV and playing computer games on his laptop. Okay, so he still had a bit of a cough and he was a little run-down, but he reckoned he could be back at work the next day – so long as he could get past Lois!
It was during one of the worst daytime hospital dramas he’d ever seen in his life that his mind started wandering over to the question of fertility and reproduction. In the drama, a mixed race couple were starting IVF, and it got him wondering – not for the first time – exactly how Jon came to be conceived.
Jon was CK’s son. CK was pure Kryptonian, just as Clark was himself, and he’d conceived Jon with an Earthwoman who was as close to a copy of Lois as it was possible to get. Yet Dr Klein had stated categorically that Kryptonians could not reproduce with humans. Sam Lane had backed him up.
Something didn’t add up.
Assuming that it was unlikely for two eminent scientists to make the same mistake, that meant that the difference had to be elsewhere. Now, both scientists had stated that conception was impossible with any human, not just Lois, so that probably ruled out any differences between the two Loises as the answer to the conundrum.
Which left Clark and CK. Clark had supplied samples to both scientists, and their conclusions had been based on their tests using those samples. Clark was just one person out of a whole gene-pool of Kryptonians. What if he wasn’t actually a typical male? Maybe CK represented your typical Kryptonian male – perhaps there was some small, but important difference between Clark and CK.
So what if CK supplied a sample? Would Dr Klein and Sam reach the same conclusion?
Clark frowned. On the one hand, here was a possible way forward to solve his and Lois’s conception problems. On the other hand, if they did solve the problem, CK would probably think it strengthened his case for taking Jon home with him. Clark could already imagine CK’s barely-contained excitement when they told him. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course – you didn’t just replace one child with another! And any decision they made had to be based on whatever was best for Jon himself, not on the emotional needs of his adult carers. Clark wasn’t entirely sure if CK understood that as well as he ought, yet.
He was pondering that when he noticed that the hospital drama had been interrupted by a news bulletin. “We’re receiving reports that an American Airlines flight from London has run into difficulties while attempting to land at Metropolis airport,” said the announcer. “Emergency crews are on alert, and all other arriving aircraft have been placed in a holding pattern while air traffic control attempt to bring the flight down safely. Alan Jones is on the scene. Alan, what can you tell us?”
The picture cut to a man bracing himself against heavy wind and virtually horizontal rain. He was standing on the edge of the airfield, wearing a raincoat and holding a microphone. “Well, John, we’ve just been told that the emergency services have been put on their highest alert status,” he said, raising his voice against the buffeting wind. “Apparently the aircraft’s landing gear is jammed, despite repeated attempts by the flight crew to free it. And as you can see, these are hardly ideal emergency landing conditions.”
“Can’t they re-route to another airport?” asked the announcer in the studio.
“Not at this late stage, John. Their fuel is too low.”
Clark stood up slowly and glanced over at Jon, who was sound asleep in the portable cot CK had set up for him. There were hundreds of lives in that airplane, and he knew with a horrible certainty that most of them would be lost when the aircraft finally came down. He could prevent that from happening. Okay, he wasn’t at one hundred percent fitness, but he couldn’t stand idle and watch hundreds of people die just because he was a little under par.
But Jon...Jon would be alone. His baby son was so precious to him, he couldn’t bear even the faintest chance that something could happen to him. He looked so peaceful in the cot, his little chest rising and falling as he slept.
Those people, though. Clark turned back to the TV, where some aviation expert was being interviewed about landing gear technology. He could save them all – the passengers, the crew, and the emergency workers who’d be putting their lives on the line. He’d only be gone five or ten minutes at most. Surely nothing could happen to Jon in that time?
He took another look at his son, who was still slumbering peacefully. Those people were minutes away from disaster. There wasn’t time to hesitate – he had to make a decision right now. And he couldn’t afford to wait until CK came back from wherever he was.
**************
“Hey, Lois! Look at this!”
Lois looked up at Jimmy’s excited voice. A small crowd had gathered around the bank of TVs at the back of the newsroom. Rising from her desk, she crossed to join them.
The screens showed a shaky image of an airplane. Closer inspection revealed the reason for everyone’s interest – the landing gear was only half-down, and a small red dot was flying just below the aircraft. Apparently Superman was carrying the aircraft on his back as he lowered it safely to the ground.
Every muscle in Lois’s body tensed. Was she watching Clark or CK? The image was too small to tell.
She prayed it was CK, because she really didn’t think Clark was well enough to pull this off. And if it was her husband, she’d box him around the ears tonight for doing something so dumb!
The aircraft suddenly dipped, almost disappearing from the screen until the camera caught up with it. Everyone gasped. “Must be the storm that’s making it hard for him,” said Jimmy breathlessly.
Was it? Lois wasn’t so sure.
Clark, if that’s you, she thought, I’m going to kill you. If you don’t kill yourself first.
***********
As CK neared Hyperion Avenue, his ears picked up the sound of his son crying. Nothing unusual there, he told himself, but as he drew closer, and Jon’s crying grew louder, he began to worry. He’d already begun to recognise his son’s different moods, and this didn’t sound like just a crabby demand for attention, it sounded like genuine distress.
Quickly, he scanned the house and found Jon lying wailing in his cot in the living room, with a dirty diaper and no sign of Clark anywhere. Frowning, he swooped down into the house and gathered the infant into his arms. “Hey, little guy, where’s Clark?” he crooned.
Jon stopped crying and looked at him with a red, tear-stained face.
CK smiled. “That’s better-“
The little face before him crumpled and began crying even harder.
CK sighed. “Okay, let’s get you changed,” he said. “Then we’ll find Clark.”
He turned to walk upstairs, but just as he did so, the TV caught his eye. It was showing an aircraft in mid-flight. Just beneath the plane was the tiny image of Clark, who was apparently helping it land safely. The announcer was saying, “...and Superman appears to have regained control once more. Let’s hope there are no-“
The aircraft dipped sharply out of shot.
CK tensed. Clark was clearly in trouble. And he shouldn’t really have been doing this, CK reflected. He was in better health today, but CK wasn’t sure he had the stamina yet to keep going long enough to bring the plane down. Still, he was there, and a lot of people were relying on him.
Come on, Clark, urged CK silently. You can do it.
He jiggled Jon in his arms, trying to keep the baby happy while his gaze remained glued to the TV.
The plane dipped again.
CK sucked in a breath. Either the weather conditions were making it extremely hard for Clark to control the plane, or his strength really was failing him. CK aimed his enhanced vision at Clark’s face and expanded the image. The result was pretty indistinct, but he had his answer.
*********
Lois gripped the back of a nearby chair nervously while she watched the TV screens. She’d watched Superman fly one or two planes down to safety before, and he’d never made it look as difficult as this. It was possible, she supposed, that she was watching an out-of-practice CK, but some sixth sense was telling her that it was Clark.
The crazy idiot. What did he think he was doing? He should be resting at home, building up his strength instead of expending it all on this.
But what else could she expect of him, she reminded herself. Clark was a pathological helper. If he saw someone in trouble, he’d always try as best he could to help them – even at the expense of his own well-being.
Perhaps the person she should be angry with was CK, for leaving Clark alone.
“Lois!”
She whirled around. That had been Clark’s voice! Suddenly, a whirlwind sped through the newsroom, sending papers flying everywhere – and her arms was abruptly full of Jon.
“He needs changing,” said a voice on the wind.
Stunned, she looked quickly around, but she couldn’t see either Clark or CK. At least no-one appeared to have noticed that she’d suddenly acquired a baby out of thin air. They were all watching the TV monitors.
When she looked down, Jon seemed remarkably unperturbed for someone who’d just been unceremoniously dumped by a whirlwind. Maybe super-flight agreed with him, she reflected a little hysterically. “Hi, sweetie,” she said. “I don’t suppose you can tell me what the heck is going on, can you?”
**********
Clark had realised almost immediately that he’d made an error of judgement. The plane was a lot heavier and much more unwieldy to control than he’d expected. Worse still, he kept losing power completely and dropping several hundred feet – no doubt terrifying the passengers and maybe even causing accidents within the aircraft cabins.
Now he was flying on pure will-power alone. He’d gritted his teeth and told himself he had to keep going, no matter what happened. He barely even knew where he was in relation to the ground any more. He’d just keep descending slowly, and when the ground came up to meet him, he’d know he had to slow even further and let the aircraft gently settle onto its belly.
It did occur to him that he would then be trapped between the ground and the aircraft, but he was sure his invulnerability would protect him from being crushed.
If only the ground would stop blurring before his eyes and he could keep the darkness at the edges of his vision from closing in.
And then it seemed as if his prayers had been answered. The aircraft suddenly became a lot lighter – almost as if it was flying itself. Relieved, he brought it down the rest of the way and settled it onto the runway. It didn’t even squash him – the landing gear must have held it part-way off the tarmac.
Exhausted, he slumped face down on the runway and tried to regain his breath. The darkness he’d been fighting threatened to engulf him, but he didn’t care any more – all the people were safe, and that was all that mattered.
***********
“Clark!”
CK gazed anxiously over at the prone figure on the tarmac, the red cape spread wide in an incongruous splash of colour. CK was still holding the aircraft up to prevent it from squashing Clark, so couldn’t let go to rouse him. Already, he could hear the emergency trucks approaching, and he wanted to get both himself and Clark away from the scene before they arrived. He was pretty sure he hadn’t been seen by the TV cameras tracking the aircraft, and it was better if things stayed that way. Two men in Superman suits would be pretty difficult to explain to the media. That was why he’d landed the aircraft in the most remote part of the airfield.
“Clark!”
Clark’s head came up at last and gazed around foggily.
“Over here, Clark!” called CK again. The head turned slowly towards him and he saw Clark squint in his general direction. “Get up, Clark. We have to get out of here!”
He waited while Clark hauled himself slowly to his feet and stumbled towards him. Once Clark was clear of the plane, CK lowered it gently to the ground and grabbed onto Clark. “Come on!”
Without waiting for an answer, he launched into the sky, pulling Clark with him.
***********
A loud cheer went around the newsroom when the aircraft landed safely. Lois turned immediately and rushed back to her desk with Jon still in her arms. Changing him would just have to wait a little bit longer. She needed to know what was going on with CK and Clark.
Picking up the phone, she dialled home. The phone rang and rang, until eventually the answerphone cut it and Clark’s voice told the caller to please leave a message after the tone. “Clark or CK, where the heck are you? Call me as soon as you get this message,” she snapped.
She replaced the phone. Jon, who’d been quiet up until now, had started to whimper and struggle in her arms. She lifted him up and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she murmured. Quelling her rising anger, she picked up the spare diaper which had miraculously appeared at the same time as Jon, and took her baby into the washroom to change him as best she could without the benefit of the appropriate creams and wipes.
Then she was going to find both CK and Clark and give them both a piece of her mind.
***********
