Well, I got that second wind and here we are....
they are getting ever closer to meeting for the first time.
From Chapter 2:
On the third ring, he heard “Daily Planet, James Olson speaking”.
“Mr. Olson, Kent here. I got your page. What’s up?”
“Kent, thanks for calling back so quickly. Our webmaster received an interesting E-mail today. We’re going to need Superman’s help to determine if it’s real or not,” Olson said.
“Huh? Why, who was it from” Clark asked.
“Take a deep breath, Kent,” Olson said. “I’ll read it to you, verbatim:
“Hi Daily Planet. Remember me, Lois Lane? The war is over here, and I have no way to get back home. I’m in Congo Brazzaville at an internet café. Please reply to me at LLane@Yahoo.com. I’m living in a refugee camp at the edge of the city. Everyone here knows me as Linda. I have no ID, no money, just the clothes on my back. If you can, please contact Perry White. Have him Email me. He’ll be able to verify that it’s me. Thanks. Lois
P.S.
I’m not a “spammer” I promise!"
Clark dropped the receiver. In a flash, he spun into his Superman suit and headed back to Metropolis without saying goodbye to Lana, Pete, his “folks”, or his Godson. Could this be the hand of “fate” that Wells had mentioned?
=========================================================
Chapter Three
Metropolis
When Clark arrived at the Planet, Perry White was there as well. He was finishing up his second term as Mayor of Metropolis. James Olson was in his office, staring at the computer screen. They both looked up simultaneously.
“Clark!” Perry shouted out. “It looks like our gal may still be still alive!”
“I’m going to fly right over there and find her,” said Clark.
“Not a good idea” said Olson. “First of all, it’s against your agreement with the U.N. They have their own people over there, and we need to try to work through them. Remember, war has just ended over there. We don’t want the U.S. to be responsible for escalating things again. Superman represents the United States when he’s overseas, and we don’t even have a U.S. Embassy in Congo Brazzaville anymore, it was closed in 1997.”
“You can’t expect me to just sit here and do nothing! I’ll go over at night, no one will see me!” Clark exclaimed.
“Clark, I know your intentions are good, but even though the war is supposedly over, there are still Ninja rebels with weapons everywhere, and your presence may stir things up, as I said before. Innocent people may die, including Lois. If you go, you must go over there as Clark Kent, reporter, with the proper paperwork, and bring Lois home the politically-correct way,” Olson stated.
“I have to agree with James on this, Clark,” Perry said. “Superman bringing one lone female American refugee home when there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people over there just doesn’t cut it!
“But Clark Kent, foreign correspondent for the Daily Planet, bringing identification documents to a fellow co-worker, well, that is perfectly fine," interjected Olson.
“Foreign correspondent? Are you giving me a new position?” Clark inquired.
“Yes. While you’re over there, you’re the daily Planet’s foreign correspondent. It’s dangerous over there, and even though you won’t be dressed as Superman, you are the only one I feel safe sending over there to bring Lois home,” said Olson.
Clark shrugged. “You’ve got a deal!”
“Politics,” he muttered under his breath. “Lois could be dead by the time I find her, doing it the ‘politically correct’ way”.
“When can I leave, then?” he asked. The important thing was…..he would actually get a chance to meet and be with “his” Lois. However it had to happen, it didn’t matter.
“Well, we have to arrange a 90 day Visa for you. For that, we will have to write a letter on Daily Planet letterhead explaining the purpose of your trip, you’ll need to have a passport, a return airplane ticket, and a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate. Hmmm. Needles will break on your skin. How can we arrange for you to have that?” James asked.
“Well, I think it would have to be administered with a needle made with Kryptonite. I’ll see Bernie Klein in the morning and see if STAR LABS can help me. Since I won’t be using my powers much, a small amount of exposure to Kryptonite won’t be that harmful.” Clark said.
“All right, good, you work on that tomorrow and I’ll get the staff working on the other issues. Check back with me tomorrow afternoon. And Clark….bringing an American reporter missing for ten years home…that may be the stuff of Pulitzers, but at the very least, a Kerth.”
Clark walked over to his desk, and signed on to his computer. Even though he didn’t report for work every day since he had been revealed to be Superman, the Planet kept a desk available for him to use when he wrote his “exclusive” Superman sagas. He opened his E-Mail and clicked on “create mail”. His heart was pounding out of his chest. He had to come off very professional and businesslike in this e-mail, because Lois probably didn’t know who a “Superman” was, and she certainly wouldn’t understand why he was utterly, pathetically, in love with her!
======================================================
“To: LLane@Yahoo.com
From Ckent@DailyPlanet.Com
Subject: Your whereabouts
“Hi Lois,
“My name is Clark Kent, and I work for the Daily Planet. We received your e-mail and we are very grateful to know that you survived. I want you to know that I have been assigned to travel to Congo Brazzaville and attempt to bring you home. I should be leaving in the next several days. I don’t know how often you can get to a café to read your e-mail, but any information you can give me to describe your whereabouts would be very helpful.
“As for myself, I am about 6’ 2”, dark brown hair and eyes, and I wear glasses. I have seen pictures of you dating back to 1993, before you disappeared [you were very beautiful]. If you could give me a description of how you currently look, I would appreciate it. If there is anything you would like me to bring to you from the States, let me know.
“Best regards,
Clark”
~he clicked the send button with the mouse~
=======================================================
Clark shut down the computer. He hoped his message carried the correct tone. After all this time, things had to be perfect! She had to fall in love with him. In his heart, he knew it was meant to be. Clark got up and walked to James Olson’s office. Perry was still chatting with him.
“Perry, have you tried to contact her sister Lucy or her parents?” Clark asked.
“I lost track of Lucy’s address, Clark. I think she moved to California to live with that rich guy she had met. I’m sure I can get our old friend Dan Scardino to locate her as well as her parents. I believe they were divorced,” Perry said.
“Forget Scardino!” Olson interjected. “I didn’t get rich in the computer software business for nothing! Give me their names and their last know addresses, and by tomorrow morning, you can bring a copy of this E-Mail to them in person, if you like, Clark!” said James.
Clark laughed, remembering how James Olson made his millions. He was a hacker’s hacker. There wasn’t a computer system around that he couldn’t break into. He might be the owner/publisher of the Daily Planet, but he still like to play around on the computer!
“Perry, great to see you. Give my best to Alice. You’ll both have to come to dinner at Ma and Pa’s sometime. Courtesy of “Superman Airlines!” Clark said.
“Just let me know, and we’ll be there,” Perry promised.
=========================================================
Several Days Later
His powers were just starting to return to full force. That Yellow Fever vaccination took a lot out of him (the kryptonite needle did, anyway). As senseless as it all seemed (no way he could catch Yellow Fever, after all), the paperwork had all been prepared flawlessly. The Planet had obtained a copy of Lois’ birth certificate as well as duplicate copies of her last Passport and driver’s licenses. They had purchased two return plane tickets, and prepared a written request to the Republic of Congo’s government requesting that Ms. Lane be allowed to travel home to the United States.
Just before he was ready to take off for the airport (as much as he hating flying any other airline than his own), Clark checked his e-mail. It was about 11:00 a.m., EST, and he had been warned to allow several hours at the airport for security and customs issues. Issues he typically never dealt with!
While he was waiting for new messages to load on the screen, he felt squeamish inside. Like a teenager with his first crush! 1 new message!
========================================================
“From: LLane@Yahoo.com
To: CKent@DailyPlanet.com
Subject: Re: Your whereabouts
Thank you so much for believing it’s me. Let’s see, how can I describe myself? I wear my hair up because it is quite long now but it’s still dark brown/black, I’m quite thin so I’m sure I look terrible. Funny, I never thought being skinny could be a bad thing! Good thing I can’t look in a mirror on a regular basis.
There’s an internet café in the foyer of the newspaper building “LeChoc”. That’s where I’m writing this. My time is limited because there are others waiting to use the few terminals available. Currently I have to walk from the abandoned church where a lot of us are staying to get here. It’s about a 3 mile walk on wet, swampy roads. There is no public transportation in Brazzaville.
Right now “Doctors Without Borders” is treating hundreds of thousands of refugees. I’m trying to help out as best I can. WFP (World Food Program) is feeding us, but there’s hardly enough food to go around. Children and the elderly suffer from severe malnutrition.
Still, life is better than before the war ended. We were hiding in the thick jungle forests at night, and kept moving during the day. There is no U.S. presence here. The U.S. Embassy left Congo in 1997 and hasn’t reopened. This is not a nice place, Clark. If I look at someone cross-eyed, they could put me in jail. U.S. laws mean nothing here.
Your name sounds familiar! Aren’t you the guy they call Superman? I saw your picture in Le Choc not long ago. I don’t think you had glasses on in that picture though. Maybe I wasn’t looking at your face! Don’t wear that shiny spandex suit here, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Light khaki-type clothing and boots is all you’ll need. Oh and it’s the rainy season here in Brazzaville so bring a light jacket too.
All I would like you to bring me is some clean clothes and a box of chocolates! Especially double fudge crunch bars! And, of course, some identification so they’ll let me on the plane back home.
I’m sure you’ll be able to find me with those special powers of yours I read about. Unless it’s all propaganda, of course. Anyway, there are others waiting to use the computer. I’m looking forward to meeting you and thanks again.
Warmly,
Lois”
======================================================
Clark gingerly clicked on the “reply” button:
“To: LLane@Yahoo.Com
From: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com
Subject: Re: Your whereabouts
“Lois, so good to hear back from you. This will be our last correspondence because I leave for Congo Brazzaville this afternoon at 2:00 p.m., EST. The flight is 18 hours, so I should arrive at approximately 2:00 p.m. your time, tomorrow, as you’re six hours ahead of me.
“Yes, I am also known as Superman, but on this trip, I will solely be Clark Kent, reporter, as I am not allowed by agreement with the United Nations to use my powers in a country that is in the midst of civil unrest or other political issues.
“You will be happy to know that I will be bringing certified copies of your passport, birth certificate, and (expired) driver’s license with me. I take it you are a chocolate lover, so I am bringing a variety with me! Perry and James have notified your family that you are alive, and they are all ecstatic to hear the news! You should have already received an e-mail from Perry, James, Lucy, and your parents. In fact, your mother went shopping on the Daily Planet’s company credit card and selected some clothes for you which I’m bringing with me as well.
“Now it’s up to me to bring you home safely and not disappoint everyone.
“I will not be traveling with a laptop computer but I believe I will be able to get on-line at the hotel I am staying at, which is Le Meridien Brazzaville. Hopefully it will be fairly easy to locate you. If all goes well, a week from now, you will be back home in Metropolis looking for a new apartment. James Olson told me that he is more than happy to offer you a position on staff at the Daily Planet again, if you would like it, of course! I believe he was to mention that in his e-mail, so I’m not speaking out of turn here.
“I will e-mail you again in upon my arrival in Brazzaville. If you can find a way to get to Le Meridien, perhaps the hotel will let you stay in the lobby until I get there. In any event, I am so looking forward to meeting you. Your reputation as a world-class investigative reporter is legendary.
Fondly,
Clark.
P.S. It’s not propaganda!”
~he clicked ‘send’~
Brazzaville
Republic of Congo
Lois smiled when she read Clark’s last e-mail. How great was this? The guy they called Superman was coming to bring her home personally. In some way, that made up for ten years of pure Hell. She just knew she was going to need therapy when she got back to the States! What, with watching women being ravaged by Ninja rebels and the sound of war and destruction in her head every day! It was amazing that she didn’t hate the entire male species. This Clark/Superman guy, he seemed nice. Looked nice, too. And, if Perry thought he was OK, well then, that was good enough for her. She decided she would let herself trust him, quite a feat for “Mad Dog Lane”.
She figured the only reason her life had been spared all these years was because of her martial arts training. That very first time one of those maniacs tried to grab her she whirled around and made him sorry he was born! American women intimidated Congolese men, because they were so much more assertive! “Linda’s” reputation had kept her alive after Luthor’s puppets had dropped her off in a refugee camp in the middle of the night, after strip-searching her! She had become a leader of sorts to the orphaned children and terrified women in the camps.
Her experiences taking risks as an investigative reporter translated well to this environment. She had become more cunning and daring than ever. Congolese women who had spent their lives in subserviant roles admired her. The rebel fighters kept their distance from her. “Linda, l’ange d’Estats-Unis” (Linda, the angel from the United States) was how she had been described by her companions, tu amis!
Strange, how circumstances can change your outlook on life. Ten years ago, she had been a cocky, aggressive, somewhat unfriendly woman, trying to make good in a field considered to be dominated by men.
Today, she was still aggressive, but much more open and friendly. She now realized that human beings need each other. She had become much more philosophic about life. Living on the edge to finish a story was one thing, but in Congo Brazzaville she had to live every day that way. While she had always been able to take risks in her job, she was less likely to put her emotions at risk. Now, “le joie de vivre” had taken over! Would she be around tomorrow? Who knows? She had lots of catching up to do when she returned to l’Estats-Unis!!!
She positively glowed inside when she read Perry’s e-mail. He seemed to be so happy she was alive. She couldn’t believe he was Mayor of Metropolis! Never saw Perry as a politician. Too honest, too much integrity!!
And Lucy was married to some rich guy in California. Mom and Dad are divorced. [Now there’s a surprise], she thought to herself sarcastically. [Well, life is too short to be miserable. That’s for sure].
A new E-Mail message popped up just before she logged off. [That’s strange, it doesn’t show who the sender is. Is this what they call “spam?]. The subject was “WARNING”.
[Well, I read that this is how spammers entice you to open their mail. Curiosity killed the cat. Well, they’re not getting me. No one else knows my e-mail address. Must be junk], she reasoned to herself, as she clicked on the “delete” button without opening it. [There! I’m going to be a 21st century woman yet!] she smiled to herself.
Well, there were people waiting to use the computer, and it was getting to be time to get back to the church, before it got dark.
TBC
