Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Travelers (1/1)

OK, so this is kinda silly, but...the bunny jumped aroun in my head and wanted to be let loose. So here we are. Hope you enjoy.

***
Clark Kent sat at his desk in the Daily Planet bullpen, very focused on finishing his article about the deficiencies at the (frankly quite demolished) Midtown Middle School. That's why, super-hearing or not, he didn't immediately notice the stranger coming towards his desk.

"Excuse me? Clark Kent?"

Clark jumped and turned around. The man opposite him looked somewhat inconspicuous - but there was something about him...Clark couldn't quite place it. Somehow he didn't seem to fit in. (This impression may have been contributed to by the end of a towel sticking out of the leather bag he was carrying. Well, that really wasn't Clark's issue to worry about.)

"Yes, That's me. Can I help you?"

"Oh yeah, sure, I hope so. Um, the name is Prefect. Ford Prefect."

Clark blinked. "...Like the car?"

"Oh congratulations, people tend not to notice that. Um, well, what can I say, so my research on this may have been a little inaccurate. It happens to the best of us."

"...I do not quite understand...?"

Ford shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Where were we? Ah yes, right, I could use your professional opinion. You see, I'm a colleague of yours, Mr. Kent. As in, a fellow reporter. But I'm working in the travel department."

Ah, Clark thought, that might explain the British accent. "Well, I'm happy to help if I can. I assume you've come to me because you've heard that I've made a few trips to more distant places myself in the last few years?"

For some reason the person he was talking to seemed to be amused. "Well, that's certainly one way to put it."

Now Clark was a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh dear, I forgot half of it. So, the guide I work for is a bit...special because, well, I'm a field repporter for the Hitchhiker's Guide."

OK, so Clark wasn't very familiar with hitchhiking - that was never really necessary, given his abilities. But before he could say that, Ford clarified:

"That is, the Galaxy Edition."

"Never heard of it."

“Nobody is perfect,” his interlocutor grumbled to himself. "Anyway, I was hoping that you, as a local off-worlder, might be able to contribute some perspective? I mean, I've been trying for years to get the editors to expand on the Earth article and that "mostly harmless" isn't a sufficient description. Well, with Superman now making things more interesting, I wanted to try again..."

Clark internally cringed. The man in front of him was clearly crazy and he didn't really understand half of what he had just talked about. Still, the implication Mr. Prefect had just made was...worrying.

"Mr. Prefect, I know we're sometimes said to have certain, ah, visual similarities, but I'm not Superman?" (and why did that sound like a question? Damn Clark, you need to get better at this!)

The latter seemed amused by this statement. "Yeah, nice try, but my Sub-Aether-Sens-O-Matic clearly identified you as a Kryptonian. Not that I'm judging. Some people can't even get along well with their own species, so with other races thrown into the mixture it isn't getting any easier."

Well...damn. Apparently the guy wasn't completely crazy after all, or if he was, he was good at guessing. Apparently unaware of his inner conflict, the other man continued babbling:

"Not that it was immediately clear that you were a Kryptonian. I mean, at first I thought you were just a human with good flying skills, but the other powers shown kind of put paid to that theory..."

Clark knew he shouldn't do this but couldn't resist. "Humans can't fly, sir!"

Ford broke into a manic smile. "Not by default, that's true, but there are always people with talent. I have this friend, Arthur, who did it quite well a few times as long as he didn't concentrate on doing it right, and his ex-girlfriend was a total natural talent in flying..."

OK, that guy was really nuts. Clark was thinking about how to get rid of him and at the same time prevent him from spreading his dangerous theories about Clark and Superman. He decided to let him continue talking while he texted Lois to call the nearest mental hospital.

"So, if you are indeed an intergalactic hitchhiker, then you've been to other planets, right?"

"Oh sure. I'm not exactly from around here, but I kind of like Earth...mostly, come by every now and then. Oh, just in case you're interested, I've been to Krypton too...a few times .You can't get past it in 200 years. Quite a nice planet. A little too cold for my taste. Oh, that reminds me, my semi-cousin once got into a lot of trouble with some senior elder...something about a Concubine...well, whatever. Anyway, it's a shame it exploded. Although, you never know, maybe we can find a solution for that?"

Clark just stared. He had never told the world of Krypton's fate. It made it easier to sell the narrative that he was from another planet when it seemed like it still existed and people could fill in the rest for themselves.

He deleted the unfinished text message to Lois.

And, wait, what was the last bit?

"...What?!"

Very eloquent, Clark.

"Oh, I don't make any promises. But considering the Earth blew up before, and, look, we fixed that... Sure, it's not that likely, but I could ask Zaphod if he lets us lend the Heart of Gold, it's definitely worth a try..."

Clark was still completely lost - but he was starting to realize that he was apparently presented with the real deal here - and maybe if he got on good terms with this guy, he could find other Kryptonians or even save his species from extinction. That was definitely worth an interview.

Sighing, Clark leaned back in his swivel chair. "OK, fire away. So what would you like to know?"

***

So...uh...thought? Let me know what oyu think!