Part 8
Away from the building, Clark landed and walked down the sidewalk, his thoughts constantly on the man in beige, this Andrew; how he was getting closer to Lois, and why it was that he seemed to speak in riddles.
It had to be him, but who this man was, was a complete mystery to the man of steel. Who was he, and why on earth was he homing in on Lois? It was similar to the incident with Scardino, the police detective that tried to court Lois just before she had discovered his secret. He could feel the jealousy beginning to build up in him, but the other emotion that seemed to encase him was fear; fear that this man who people called Andrew was involved in something dark, something sinister and he was using Lois as a way to get to him or his family.
Taking a deep breath, he realized that at least he knew about Scardino and although he didn't like him, he, at least knew about his personality. Andrew, on the other hand, he knew absolutely nothing about and this concerned him. His thoughts returned to Helen’s words the night before about Tempus and now he could not help but ponder if Andrew was involved with the man from the future and if he was trying to get to him through Lois.
When he arrived in Smallville, he was still shaking his head when he reached the Press offices and went inside. Once inside, he could see that Raphael was waiting and the two of them set out to get their needed interviews done.
“You OK, Clark?” Raphael asked as they made their way towards the town square where the mayor was giving a press conference.
“Yeah, sure, I'm fine, this has just been the weirdest day on record,” Clark responded almost automatically, but there was something in his answer that did not ring true.
“Weird, huh?” Raphael asked all the while shrugging his shoulders.
“I suppose it’s nothing, but I have just been really stressed out lately, and I suppose that will pass as well.”
Raphael nodded. “Well, let’s get going, the press conference is supposed to start in about twenty minutes, and I figure it won’t be too long.”
Clark followed but his thoughts were a jumble and if truth were known, he could have cared less if the mayor had come out to deliver his statements in a chicken costume. Everything was getting more and more baffling by the minute, and oddly enough, he had no idea where this was going. Part of him wished that he could go back to Metropolis and take his position at the Daily Planet but, Perry’s words had been explicit, three weeks leave of absence and don’t even think about coming back until that time has passed.
Deep inside, Clark was glad that he hadn't have quit, but he asked himself almost constantly why it was he couldn’t go back yet.
“Is everything OK?” Raphael's voice emerged bringing him out of his reverie.
“I was just thinking about going back to Metropolis in a couple of weeks,” Clark said honestly.
“Cool, maybe I can come and check things out there,” Raphael said enthusiastically. “I always wanted to work in the big city.”
Clark nodded. “I don't see why not.”
The two of them reached the gazebo, which was near the Smallville County Courthouse, and Clark and Raphael reached the small crop of reporters who had arrived and were setting up their equipment for the conference. At the other end of the large open space, he could see that his parents had come out of the local hardware store. Excusing himself, he went over to his parents, the conversation with Andrew still in his mind.
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” He asked. “Did you come to hear the mayor drone about school taxes or something?”
“No,” Jonathan offered. “Martha needed to get some seeds to plant some marigolds and Tess called this morning and invited us to come over to the church this morning for their bazaar. It's supposed to be really great, she said, and we figured that the fresh air would do us both some good.”
Clark nodded. “I saw the bulletin at the Press office, but I didn't know that Tess was involved in so much around town, I thought she was new here.”
Martha nodded. “Yes, but my guess is that she's been very actively involved with the church since she came into town.”
Clark nodded as he remembered the conversation he had had with Tess when she had abruptly mentioned God, and he had started to drag his feet in that regard. Sighing deeply, he looked at his parents. “I really need to talk to you about something, but I can't do this here.”
Martha nodded, “then tell us tonight at the house.”
“OK, it's just everything is so strange now,” he shook his head as he spoke, but his parents could see that he was looking more and more stressed. Something was really attacking the emotions of their son, and this concerned them both.
“Listen, son, maybe you should cut back on the work,” Jonathan said.
“No, it’s not the work, in fact, working with Raphael sort of distracts me from everything that has been happening.” He glanced over in the direction where Raphael was standing and had started taking pictures. “I guess I’d better get going, I need to make sure I catch the entire press conference. I’ll see you at the house tonight.”
Martha and Jonathan nodded as they walked away, and after a few moments, they stopped and turned around to see that their son was walking back towards the courthouse. Martha shook her head. “I’m worried, Jonathan,” she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. “What has happened to Clark?”
“I don’t know, I’m guessing that he's having more than his share of relationship hassles,” Jonathan replied. “Maybe he really needs to talk about this situation with Lois.”
“Or maybe I should fly to Metropolis and have a heart to heart with Lois,” Martha said.
“You think that would make a difference?” Jonathan asked.
“I could only hope that it would,” Martha said softly. “Lois and I get along pretty well, and Clark did say that she knows the truth now, maybe by talking to her, I can find out why it is that she is so upset and why it is Clark is not himself.”
Jonathan shook his head. “I don't know what good it would do, but far be it from me to keep you from doing what you think is right.”
Martha smiled. “Could you tell Tess that I couldn't make it to the church, I’ve got to get a ticket and get home and pack.”
Jonathan handed her the keys to the truck. “You be careful, and call me when you get there, OK?”
Martha nodded and Jonathan watched as she walked in the direction of the local travel agency. Once she disappeared inside, Jonathan walked in the direction of the church, but to one side, he failed to notice that Tess was standing in angelic form watching them. The angel smiled and nodded. She had this feeling that Martha might just hold the key in getting Lois to listen to reason.
*****
As the clock struck six, Lois pushed the papers aside that she had been reading. She reached over and shut off the computer. The rest of the room was practically empty, Monica and Jimmy had left together, and she sighed deeply. At least Miss Sunshine had found someone else to pester besides me, she thought to herself as she reached for her purse. Even Andrew appeared to have left for the day, as she had not seen him all afternoon, not since Perry sent him to cover a neighborhood watch photo story.
She swung her purse onto her shoulder, and walked slowly towards the elevator. She could not forget the words Andrew had said to her earlier that day, but she knew that she did not really want to contemplate them either. Unconsciously, she tried to block them, but she could not stop them from filtering through her conscious.
Once she had taken the elevator down to the first floor, she stepped outside of the small enclosure and walked towards the glass doors leading outside. It was still light outside, the sun was shining, but she did not seem to notice it, her thoughts were elsewhere.
“Lois?” A masculine voice called out her name and she turned around abruptly, the gentle voice taking her by surprise, but she could see that Andrew was walking towards her, his soft blonde hair blowing gently in the breeze.
“Hi Andrew,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I finished the photo story, took the film upstairs to the darkroom, and came back down. I guess we missed each other in the elevator or something,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said.
“Where are you heading?” He asked. “Off to cover another story?”
“Actually, no, I was going to get something to eat at the Chinese take out, and then I was going to go home,” she said.
“Mind if I join you? I haven’t eaten anything yet, and maybe instead of take out food, we could go and have dinner somewhere.”
“You said that you weren’t interested in relationships, but now it sounds like you’re asking me out on a date,” Lois said, her voice etched in skepticism.
“No, what I mean is…I thought that this would be strictly a dinner among friends…uh, I mean, of course, colleagues…” Andrew attempted to speak, but all the while his handsome face was flushing and he was grasping for words just like a shy little schoolboy. Anyone could tell that he was trying to use honesty as well as caution in his words, but was not exceedingly successful with it. He took a deep breath and discovered that Lois truly had a gift of words, and he realized that he really had to be careful which ones he selected. “I mean…”
Lois smiled slightly when she saw how tongue-tied he was getting, and instead of making a big deal about this, she finally decided to let him off the hook. “OK, stop trying to explain, let’s just go, it’ll be like a business dinner of sorts.”
Andrew smiled weakly and nodded, his gratitude evidently showing that she wasn’t raking him over the coals for not speaking as eloquently as he was capable of doing.
“You're a strange person, Andrew,” Lois said for the second time since meeting him, but didn't add that there was something rather comforting about him, something that made her feel somewhat relaxed and not so on edge.
“You’ve already said as much,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “What is it about me that is so strange to you?”
The reporter shook her head. “I don’t know, you seem honest, I mean; when you told me earlier that you didn't lie, I guess you know that I didn’t really believe you. Then just now when you stumbled over what words you wanted to say, you reminded me of a shy teenager who wanted to ask a girl to a school dance.”
“A school dance?” He looked puzzled by the analogy and made no attempt to hide his confusion.
“I can't really explain it, but there was something innocent in your words that made me realize that maybe you were telling me the truth and something inside of me believes that you really wouldn't lie to or hurt me,” she offered freely, but looked at him intently. “Would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t,” he said softly.
Lois looked at him. “You remind me of someone; a friend.”
“I would like to be a friend, Lois, but a friendship is based on trust, and if a friend cannot be trusted, then a friendship doesn't exist,” Andrew replied.
Lois nodded, but even though she liked what he was saying, she was still uncertain as to how much she could say without telling him too much of what she was feeling inside. As they reached the restaurant and went inside, Lois realized that this was the same restaurant where she and Clark had come, and where she had spilled her guts to him about her life, about her relationship with her father, as well as how she became the hard-nosed reporter that she was.
She looked around the brightly lit dining room, and sighed deeply.
“Is something wrong?” Andrew asked.
“No, nothing,” Lois quickly recovered, the untruthful words emerging as they were led to a table and were seated. Once she was seated, she looked across the table at him. “That’s not entirely true, but it’s not so important,” she muttered under her breath.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Andrew asked.
“Not really, I don't even know why I agreed to come here,” she said softly.
“Maybe because you needed to,” Andrew said. “I noticed you at the newsroom, and for the past week since I started there, you have sat at your desk, literally drowning in cappuccinos and news stories.”
“How do you know what I do at work?” She asked defensively. “Are you spying on me?”
“Who do you think has been bringing you those cappuccinos?” He shot back challengingly, all the while trying to keep his voice gentle and level.
“I never asked you to,” Lois shot back.
“No and I didn’t ask you to come here to debate how many cappuccinos you drink or what stories you write. I asked because I want to be a friend, simple as that,” Andrew said, and taking a deep breath; he continued. “I know it may seem out of line to say so, but it’s perfectly obvious that you have something on your mind and I want to help, but I can’t if you won’t talk to me.”
Lois looked at him and shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” He pressed, his challenging question taking her by surprise.
Lois looked at him, her expression filled with sadness. “I can’t.”
“But, you wish you could, don’t you?” Andrew asked; his voice filled with gentility. “You wish you could talk about the pain that’s building up inside of you, but finding someone you can trust is hard, isn’t it? I don’t expect you to tell me what feel, Lois, but you do need to talk to someone about it without always feeling like you have to cop some kind of attitude first.” He stood up with the intention of leaving, but this took her by surprise and he only stopped when he heard her voice.
“Where are you going?” She asked.
“I think I may have said too much just now,” he said honestly.
“Please, don’t go, Andrew,” she said softly. “I know you’re right. I know I’ve been doing that; it’s just hard for me to tell people how I feel.”
“I can tell,” he said.
“How?”
He pointed to her eyes. “When I was reading material from the archives, I saw pictures of you when you were nominated for the Kerth award and other things, and I noticed that when I saw you a week ago, you didn’t look like you did in the pictures.”
“Well, everyone changes over the course of a year,” Lois objected.
Andrew took a deep breath as he shook his head and came over to where she was sitting. “No, I don’t mean that, I mean…” His voice trailed off, but after a second, he found the words he needed and continued. “…Do you have a compact mirror?”
“Why? Did you lose your contact lens or something?” She asked as she dug in her purse and pulled the compact out and handed it to him.
Once he opened it, he handed it back to her. “Look at your reflection in this mirror and tell me honestly that you are happy right now, at this very moment.”
Lois took the offered mirror and looked down at her reflection. Her eyes were somewhat swollen, as though she had not slept in months, her face was unusually pale. “I've had better days,” she offered as she closed the compact. “I guess I forgot to put some make-up on this morning before going to work.”
“You forgot, or you just didn’t care?” Andrew asked.
“Why do you ask me this?” She asked, her question almost like a counter response.
Andrew rubbed his hand across his face and he looked at her. “Just look at yourself, and tell me.”
Lois took a deep breath and once again, opened the mirror and stared down at her reflection without saying a word.
“This is what everyone sees when they look at you,” Andrew said gently. “You can’t hide the pain from people, Lois. Perry sees a friend when he looks at you, he sees someone who has been through so much, but also a woman who is afraid to tell others how she really feels. Right now, Jimmy must deal with his own emotions about all of this, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s your friend as well, contrary to the fact that he's treated like a boy, rather than a man.”
“What does this have to do with me?” She asked softly.
“It has a lot to do with you, and no matter how much you want to fight it, Lois, Perry and Jimmy are your friends, and although the past few weeks have been painful for them, they are saddened to see you in so much pain. Yet, you know that it will be up to you to let them into your world, to let them know how you feel, what you’re going through, and that your spirit is aching,” Andrew said gently.
“You don’t expect me to talk about this to you, do you?” She asked.
“I don’t expect anything, but I will listen if you want to talk to me. Like I said, a friendship is based on trust,” Andrew said smiling gently. “You would have to reach the point where you can trust that I will not betray your confidence, that I will not do something that will hurt you, that I will simply listen and speak only words of encouragement.”
Lois returned the compact to her purse, but nodded as she tried to combat the tears. Why were the words emerging from this man getting to her? He was nothing but a rookie photographer, but yet when he spoke, she had the feeling that he could see deep inside of her. “Why do you say this stuff?” She asked, all the while her head was down, and she did not want to look up and meet his piercing gaze.
“You mean, the truth?” Andrew asked softly. “I guess it's just the way I am.” He paused taking a deep breath. “I don’t mean to upset you, but Lois, something has happened to you, hasn’t it? You have a hard time trusting people, maybe because you’ve been lied to so many times in your life. I think it’s hard for someone to see the truth simply because the lies get in the way.”
Lois nodded. “I don’t know where to start, Andrew. I honestly don’t. I mean, you’re right, I have been hurt, and I’ve tried to be tough so that people don't see that I’m falling apart inside. It’s a horrible feeling, like I’m falling and no one’s there to catch me.”
“But there is someone,” he said smiling weakly. “God is there, Lois.”
“Great,” Lois whispered sarcastically as her eyes rolled. “You know I never took you for one of those angry religious types, Andrew.”
“I'm not,” he said softly as he shook his head. “I just have faith, but, let me ask you a question, do you believe in God?”
Lois nodded, “I guess I do, but I never really talked about Him before. I'm a reporter, Andrew; I look for the facts, so I guess I would believe in Him more if I could interview Him. The exclusive, 'My Interview With God' with fancy byline.” As the words emerged, she could not help but smile, the idea was just too funny to be real.
Andrew chuckled. “That would be quite an interview.”
“You’re not offended by that idea?” She asked. “I think some people would be absolutely flabbergasted.”
“No, see, I think God has a wonderful sense of humor about things like that. Imagine what it would be like to sit at a table and interview God. What kind of questions would you ask Him?” Andrew asked, his eyes dancing merrily.
“I don't know, I suppose I would ask why men kill each other, why people lie to each other,” she shook her head. “You know questions that humanity can’t even begin to answer because we're so caught up in all of it. I guess just for the idea of looking at it from another perspective. From the big chair, so to speak.”
Andrew smiled; he really was enjoying this dinner. “So you would ask Him some pretty hard questions.”
“Sure, what would you ask?” Lois asked.
“I don't know, I think I would tell Him that He's wonderful and doing a great job,” Andrew smiled ironically.
“Oh come on, don't tell me that you would sit at a table with God and go fluffy,” Lois shook her head. “Lesson one in the newspaper business, you have to go for the nitty-gritty, Andrew. A good newspaper doesn’t sell when all you have are compliments and stuff, you have to really ask those hard questions that people really want to know the answers to.”
“OK, then give me some more examples,” Andrew said.
“What am I doing wrong? Why doesn't my life work? Why do people kill each other and say it's in Your name? I mean; those are some real questions, and if the reporter could get the answers from the man upstairs, they would be in line for a Pulitzer no question.” Lois smiled weakly. “At least if the answers were halfway believable and they could prove that the answers really came from God, and not from John Doe.”
“Do you think God would lie to you?” Andrew asked still not able to get past the skepticism in her voice.
“God has always been the personification of a man, so I would be compelled to say ‘yes’, because I have been lied to so many times by men. Please don't take it the wrong way, or offer up a sermon, but experiences seem to speak the bottom line for me,” she said, but when she looked across the table at him, she sighed and continued to speak. “Then again, because of what religion says, and if I were to say ‘no’, then I would be lying to myself. So, I guess the safest answer would be I don’t know,” Lois said as she reached for her glass of iced tea and took a drink. Once she replaced the glass she shrugged her shoulders.
“No sermon, I promise,” Andrew said. “Did you ever notice that every time we start to talk to each other, it always comes back to work?”
“I’m a workaholic, what can I say?” Lois smiled sarcastically, but she realized as the evening progressed, that she was really having fun. Andrew was really fun, and even though this conversation had turned to God, she could somehow see that he was not as fundamentalist about it as she had surmised immediately after the topic had come up and that came as a relief to her. She had never really discussed things of a religious nature, and today, she had not only started to trust someone, but that this someone had given her a great deal of food for thought, and that did not happen to Lois Lane every day.
*****
After dinner, Andrew paid the bill and they left the restaurant. “This wasn't a date, you know?” Lois said when she offered her half of the bill and he refused.
“I’ll tell you what, next time, you pay, and then we'll call it a draw,” he smiled.
“You’re a tough customer, Andrew, but OK,” Lois said shaking her head, but as they walked in the direction of her apartment, she was scanning the horizon for Clark. She knew that Andrew would never be anything more than a friend, but she could not help but ponder if Clark was around, or if he was watching them and how jealous he was getting of Andrew’s presence in her life.
“If you think I'm tough, you should meet a friend of mine, she gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘attitude’,” he smiled when he thought about Tess, and when he glanced over, he could see her standing on the sidewalk, she had heard everything and was looking at him with a scowl on her face.
“Attitude huh,” she muttered before disappearing almost causing him to laugh out loud for no apparent reason.
Lois smiled. “Andrew, I really had fun tonight, it was the first time in a long time that I could just get away from work and stuff and just talk to somebody. I mean; I don’t really have a lot of friends, and as strange as it sounds, I would really like it if we could maybe be friends.”
Andrew smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
“I mean, mutual,” Lois said, her voice somewhat uncertain that he might just take her words the wrong way.
“Mutual,” he smiled and nodded. “Believe it or not, I could be nothing more than that.”
Lois nodded and smiled as when they reached the building where she lived. He accompanied her up the stairs and once they had reached her door, she pulled the key from her pocket and smiled weakly at him not wishing to be rude, but also not wanting to invite him inside. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” She offered weakly.
“Yes, of course, Lois, I'll see you at the Planet.”
She turned to go inside but stopped before she was completely inside and turned to see him walking towards the stairs. “Andrew?”
He stopped and turned around. “Yes?”
“Thank you,” she smiled at him.
“My pleasure,” he said gently before descending the stairs and she went inside.
Once inside, she could see that Clark was standing in the living room, his cape blowing in the gentle breeze that was wafting through her living room from an open window.
“Lois?”
“What are you doing here?” She demanded.
“We need to talk,” he began.
“About us?”
“Yes, but also about that guy you had dinner with tonight,” Clark's face was expressionless at the mention of Andrew, and she could see that his jealousy was coming to a head.
Lois looked at him through angry eyes and sighing she tried to ignore the fact that he was staring at her through fearful eyes. Ignoring that, she spoke, her words curt. “What are you doing, following me all over Metropolis?” She asked bitingly. “I'm a big girl, Clark, I can take care of myself.”
“Lois, I know you're going to think I’m completely mad, but I don’t trust that guy,” Clark objected, his voice filled with urgency. He came over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder, his eyes practically demanding her to listen to him. “I saw him in the street a few days ago, and one minute he was there, the next, he was gone.”
“Oh, come on, Clark, this isn’t funny,” Lois objected. “I only had dinner with him, he’s a nice guy, and a good friend, but I can also assure you that there is nothing going on between us, we just had dinner and talked, nothing more.”
“Maybe not, but I have seen him do some pretty strange things and I just want you to be careful around him,” Clark objected.
“You think Andrew is an alien from space or something?” Lois asked with a slight smirk on her face. “Maybe he can fly too and has tights in his closet.”
“That’s just the point, I don’t know who or what he is, and I certainly don’t trust him,” Clark answered, his voice firm.
“Just like you didn’t trust Scardino, and anyone else who has even shown a remote interest in me,” she said bitingly all the while shaking her head.
“No, it’s not that, it's this---this guy,” Clark said. “How do you know that he’s not working in the underworld? I mean; you did hear about the increased drug activity here.”
“Yes, and my story, for lack of interest has been put on ice, Clark, I think you’re just overreacting,” Lois said curtly.
“Please, just be careful; I mean it, Lois, during the past couple of days, I have had a very strange feeling that something bad was about to happen.”
“Clark, ‘this guy’, as you call him, does have a name, it’s Andrew, and he is a friend, and at least I know one thing about him; he would never lie to me,” she said, her words filled with the extent of her frustration and hurt.
“Tell me, do you even know his last name?”
“Yes, I do, it’s Halo, and Clark, I also know he’s a photographer, he’s generous, very kind, and you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” Clark tried without success to be convincing. “Even if I was, can you look me in the eye and tell me you know anything else about him besides his name? Do you know where he comes from or who his parents are?” Clark asked.
Lois shook her head. “I’m just getting to know him, and besides, even Perry says I should get out more and not waste away in a newsroom. I guess you could say that I’m just taking some advice from a friend.”
“Lois, you don't know what you’re getting yourself into with this guy,” Clark said. “I mean; you know nothing about him. Maybe you should just follow your instincts, you are a reporter after all.”
“Yes, and my instincts are telling me two things; that you’re jealous, that Andrew is a real friend, and that he would not do anything like break my heart or lie to me,” Lois said sourly.
Clark closed his eyes and raised his head as though to speak to her, but discovered that his voice simply would not come. After a few moments of silence passed between them, he shook his head in profound disbelief.
Lois, instead of waiting for him to speak, broke her silence as she looked at him. “So, let me get this straight; you show up here out of the blue after lying to me, and you tell me that I should turn away from someone who has made the effort to be nothing more than a mutual friend. Can you imagine how hard it is for me to remember the last time I actually went to dinner with a friend? I mean; not some joker who was hitting on me, not some wacko that tried to give me everything I wanted; just someone who listened.”
Clark looked at her. “Lois, what happened to us?”
She shook her head. “Andrew said something earlier tonight that made a whole lot of sense, he said: ‘A friendship that is not based on trust, is not a friendship at all’.”
Upon hearing her words, Clark took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I guess this is still going to be a sore point with you, isn’t it?”
“You lying to me, yes, I guess it will,” Lois said ironically. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him tightly, giving him the biggest kiss that she was capable of giving. In that blue suit and red cape, it was no secret, Clark had a magical way of making her heart flutter, but somehow this knowledge was just too much for her to contend with. “I’ll be careful,” she finally said, but the words were forced, and Clark could tell by looking at her, that she was just trying to pacify him.
“Lois,” he implored her.
“Please, just go,” she whispered her voice etched with pain.
Clark backed towards the window, and within seconds, he was gone.
Once he had flown away, she went and closed the window, her gaze coming to rest on the stars. “Oh God, I need help.”
On the other side of the room, Andrew and Monica stood watching her, both angels in angelic form.
Monica looked at Andrew, “she's really in love with him.”
“Yes, she is,” Andrew said, “and now I understand what's been happening here. You remember when I talked to Superman earlier today, about what happened at the Daily Planet?”
Monica nodded. “Now this case is actually starting to make some kind of sense, Clark Kent is Superman.”
“That's right angel babies, but you were not supposed to know that yet,” Tess’ voice emerged and the eldest of the three angels appeared in the room. “You both knew better than to come here.”
“Tess, Lois is hurting,” Andrew objected.
“They both are, baby, and Clark thinks you’re in cahoots with a fellow named Tempus,” Tess said softly.
“Tempus?” Monica looked at Tess with surprise shadowing her brown eyes.
“Who is Tempus and how could I be involved with him if I don't even know who he is?” Andrew asked almost at the precise instant Monica had spoken.
“Well, Tempus is a man from the future, oh how can I put this? Time and space are somehow passable; he has somehow managed to travel into this time, right before Lois discovered Clark’s secret identity. Anyway, he had somehow managed to coerce H.G. Wells to use his time machine to try and do away with Superman so that the future will be encased with chaos rather than peace,” Tess tried to explain, but she knew that she was not explaining it very well.
“H.G. Wells as in the man who wrote ‘War Of The Worlds’?” Andrew asked, his face paling with the mention of anything even remotely related to Halloween. It was obvious to his two angelic companions that the Angel of Death hated Halloween.
After a few moments, Andrew shook his head, his intention obvious, he wanted out of this case and out of anything that even remotely resembled Halloween, but when he cast a sideways glance in the direction of Lois Lane, he knew that he could not just disappear, she needed a friend and in all of this, it was him that the reporter had actually started to trust.
Tess could see the contemplative look on his face and after a few moments, he looked back over at her before she continued. “H.G. Wells was a writer, Andrew, but what he wrote isn't as significant as the fact that he showed up here to help Lois and Clark battle Tempus. The problem that Tempus is presently faced with is as follows: The time period from where he comes is uninteresting to him because it is a peaceful, almost utopian, environment. In Tempus’ vocabulary, that means it's ‘boring’,” she paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “This time, the Father has sent us in the place of H.G. Wells.”
“So, H.G. Wells isn't going to show up here?” Andrew asked.
Tess shook her head as Monica looked over in Lois’ direction.
“Tess, how could H.G. Wells even show up here, I mean; he's been dead for years?” Monica finally asked and though Andrew had made an earlier enquiry, he was now as curious as his fellow angel in this regard.
“Hold up, babies, didn’t you hear what I just said? Time and space are not absolute. Wells found a way to pass through time and space, so the problem is not whether or not H.G. Wells or Tempus sometimes show up here, but rather the intentions of Tempus, and how he is going to measure into this assignment. The situation is serious because he wants to destroy Clark Kent, and thus put an end to Superman,” Tess said. “Without Superman, Tempus believes that the future would be laced with chaos to an unbelievable degree, thus making it more ‘interesting’. In some ways, he's right, because the future will be determined by what happens in the present, and the existence of Superman is a significant part of this present reality as well as prospect of a peaceful future.”
“Wait, Tess, Tempus means to do harm to Superman?” Monica asked. “But that’s not possible, there's no way that anyone could kill Superman.”
“Well, there is one way,” Andrew said softly all the while shaking his head. “Have you ever heard of a substance called ‘Kryptonite’?”
“Excuse me?” Monica asked.
“Kryptonite is a green, almost crystal-like substance and properties in it could kill Superman and Tempus already knows this,” Andrew said softly and Tess nodded.
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Monica asked. “I mean, wouldn’t this be a job for ‘Search and Rescue’?” She asked referring to another of the angelic departments and one that she had worked in before becoming a caseworker.
Andrew shook his head. “Lois and Clark have battled Tempus before, but they are going to have to get over their relationship woes if they are going to defeat him again. This is why we are here, not because of an idea of rescuing Clark from Tempus, but the fact that there is a whole lot more riding on this case than just a relationship falling apart. If we don’t succeed in getting Lois and Clark to see the monumental intensity of their love for one another, then Clark will die, and very soon.”
Monica looked at the Angel of Death, her eyes wide with shock. “That's not possible, Andrew, you must be mistaken.”
He cast a final look over at Lois and shook his head sadly. “I wish I was mistaken, Monica, this time I really wish I was.” With emphasis he pulled out his pocket watch, opened it and stared down at the numbers. After a few seconds, he returned it to his pocket. “We have less than a week.”
TBC
