Hi Mary!
Well, this could mean just about anything since the first step on the journey home is still the journey home. /looks at Odysseus/ He, too, was on his way home.
The area around her was empty, save for something large under a cloth in the middle of the floor. An open doorway behind her led into a dark room; a plaque beside it thanked a list of donors, several of whom had the surname Kent. Another door several yards away was flanked by large, darkened windows on which Superman's emblem had been painted. Photographs lined a raised walkway, their flow broken only by an elevator just in front of a ramp...
Right place, wrong time. Oops?
The girl swallowed. “A-a-are y-you the g-ghost?”
Of course, she’s a ghost. It’s All Halliwell’s Eve, isn’t it?
e—” She cleared her throat. “Great Ancestor, my name is Lilly Lon-Ze, and I need your help.”
Ho boy.
“Because...” Lilly fidgeted with the end of her sleeve, and Lois was once again struck by how pallid her hands were. “Taid always says that you're the one who comes to help when things are hopeless.
I think she may have gone the wrong way.
running on too little sleep and almost no caffeine
I’m sensing a theme. Why she should gulp down said caffeine drink as soon as it’s cool enough to gulp down.
“What's wrong, Lilly?”
“Everything!” Lilly's face crumbled. “My parents are making me move to New Krypton!”
“Uh, character. Yeah, it's supposed to be a great way to...broaden my horizons, and...stuff.”
Yes, she can be a much better superhero if she has experienced different cultures.
Ah, yes, and there was probably also a bridge in the girl's possession that she'd be willing to let Lois have for a reasonable price. Lois smirked. “Nice try, Lilly. What's really going on?”
The kid sighed, deflating. “Okay. I've got Kent-Xu Syndrome. But it's under control and I take all my medicine and I don't care about going to school or flying and I can still play with my friends inside or after the sun goes down;
Oh dear!
Lilly sighed again. “Kent-Xu. It's...a rare genetic thing. Basically, it means that...” Her voice dropped to a mumble. “Sunlight can kill me.”
She’s a vampire!
Lilly stared at her with wide eyes. “Woah. Was that one of your ghost powers?”
Lois shook her head. “I don't have ghost powers. I...don't know what that was.”
Telepathy.
“Lilly, come home before the sun comes out and burns you up! Everyone's looking for you, and Taid had to put money in the swear jar!”
Before she could draw any conclusions, though, he stopped short and stared at Lois. “...Gorhennain?!”
Lois gaped. “Owen?!”
See? Told you Lois can’t take directions.
Owen gave a sad sigh and ruffled Lilly's hair. “Aw, Wyres, my lovely little trouble-and-a-half; this is about that Kelson boy, isn't it?”
Trouble-and-a-half
“So, which of the 'old heroes' would you have expected me to come with, today?”
Jamie thought seriously. “Well, Batman always sounded really cool in the stories...”
Did Jamie just spill some beans?
Lois kept her face neutral. Batman? Wasn't that just an urban legend?
Yes, yes he did !
A crack of thunder shook the building, and the couple from the holograms stepped out of the stair-well. The instant they saw Lilly, they rushed up to her, the man shouting a rapid-fire stream of non-English, and the girl soon found herself sandwiched between them.
Poor parents!
Her gaze landed on a picture that showed her with an unfamiliar hairstyle and a very large belly.
Looks like Trask was correct after all.
We need to pick up a box of Lois Lane Loops!”
Boy, those are evergreens, huh?
“It's a special occasion!” Owen pointed out.
Emma gave a snort. “You say that every time you try to stuff my kids with sugar. But...fine. I guess this really counts as one.”
Poor child can’t process sunlight. Needs to get her energy another way.
The others began to inspect the photos with growing disbelief. Lois reached the mouth of the hallway and a large poster of herself and Clark. The text below their images read “The World's—”, and whatever word had been there was now scribbled out with “Dumbest” scrawled above it instead, “—Hero and the Most—”, and once again, the true text was blotted out, “—Woman of All Time!” Lois's breath began to quicken: above the latter blot were the words “Galactically Stupid.”
Oh, looky there!
Lois looked around for the workman she had spotted earlier. He had packed up his tools and was now quietly making his way towards the front door. “Hey! You!”
Showing his face in a world filled with Kryptonians. Brave. Foolish but very brave.
The workman froze. “You have *GOT* to be kidding me!” The voice was all too familiar, and when he turned around, Lois found herself staring straight into the face of Tempus.
![[Linked Image]](https://cosgan.de/images/midi/frech/d054.gif)
I do admit, Tempus was unexpected at this *time*.
Let’s wait and see how much *time* passes before they *return*.
Michael
