17
Lois had jumped out of the cab that brought her to the EPRAD building, quickly tipped the driver, and headed towards the entrance. She was greatly excited at the thought of actually seeing Clark's face. She had been so worried about him; now she would have the visual evidence to believe that he was okay.
After an annoyingly detailed, bureaucratic security clearance, Lois was escorted to the conference room where Dr. Daitch and Bernie Klein, old-fashioned as they were, rose out of their seats in deference to a woman entering the room. Lois looked at the large monitor hanging from the ceiling and saw Clark's face encased in a large square as well as some NASA scientists visible in another smaller square of the screen.
"Lois, say hello to Clark! We're glad you made it!" said Bernie, enthusiastically.
Lois just looked up at the screen, noted the position of the video camera, and smiled. After a small delay, she saw Clark's face light up at well.
<"Honey… you made it. I'm so happy.">
<"So am I. You look pretty good as an astronaut, Propaganda.">
"You look *great* as the wife of an astronaut, honey. Maybe later when you get home, you can put on that nightgown I like and mentally describe to me how good you look in it?">
Lois smiled at the thought. <"Sure, sweets, I'll change as soon as I get home. That'll be fun!">
<"Can't wait, honey. Ooh, I've missed you.">
Dr. Klein and Dr. Daitch both cleared their throats in unison to get Lois' attention, because it was apparent to both of them that she and Clark had their own unique method of communicating with each other. The look on Lois' face was priceless – it was one of pure ecstasy.
"Lois, we are discussing a possible antidote for Kryptonite poisoning, so Clark can return home safely," Dr. Daitch explained. Lois nodded. For once, Mad Dog Lane would defer to the experts and play the role of observer only.
"Copy, Clark. Did you just say that majority of the Kryptonians that took the antidote died within two years? Did we hear you right? I guess that's not our answer, is it? Over," said Bernie.
"Copy. Yes, most of them died, and yes, let's not go down that road. Apparently even that small dose of the Kryptonite vaccine got into their blood streams and eventually it reached a toxic level and shut their body processes down. Over."
"Copy. Clark, I need to ask you some questions about the reddish variety of Kryptonite. Have you ever been exposed to it? Over," Klein asked. Lois remained silent, trying to absorb the flow of information, fast-paced as it was.
"Copy, Bernie. No I haven't, but my 'twin' in the other world has. He described his symptoms as varied. The first exposure made him very apathetic and laid-back. The second exposure was with a ray gun powered by the red Kryptonite. It managed to transmit his super-powers to his wife, Lois. Apparently it's not harmful, but the side effects are not consistent. Over."
"Copy, Clark. So green Kryptonite is deadly; it can kill a native of Krypton; however, red Kryptonite does not appear to be a physical threat; apparently it only affects a Kryptonian's attitude, and it can possibly transfer his or her physiology to an earthling. What would you think would happen if the two types were combined? Over."
"Copy. Not sure, Bernie", said Clark. "Let's go back to the helium theory. Have you determined exactly what the particle dust consists of, in terms of elements? If a red sun burns helium and converts it to carbon, and the Kryptonite meteor rocks were fused with the expanding sun when the planet exploded, surely something in its composition must be key to finding the antidote. Over."
"Copy, Clark. Interestingly, there *is* a large amount of helium contained in the particle dust, and also some elements that are not found on earth, that appear to be rather unstable in nature. Over."
"Copy, Bernie, and Clark," said Major Nelson. "May I interject here? It occurs to me that it may be more than coincidence in the fact that Krypton had a red sun, and some of the meteors are red in color. It is possible that the red Kryptonite was formed from the remnants of the outer shell of the planet – they would have been directly affected by the sun's expansion. The green variety may have been forged from the inner core, which would be denser and possibly more radioactive. Over."
"Copy, Major Nelson. Quite an interesting theory. If that *is* the case, perhaps Krypton's core had become unstable, like a nuclear bomb, emitting a much higher level of radiation, being way more dense than the outer shell of the planet. That might explain a *lot*. Over," replied Bernie.
"Copy. Gentlemen, I hate to break this up, but the ISS is starting to get out of range for this communication. We can attempt this again in 23 hours if you like. Over," said Major Nelson.
"Copy, Major," said Clark. "This dialogue we're having is very helpful. I appreciate all of your efforts. Lois, I love you. Over."
Lois blushed when she heard Clark's profession of love. <"Love you too, Propaganda. Looking forward to 'talking to you' when to I get home.">
<"You have no idea how much *I* am, Lois.">
"Copy, Major," said Bernie. "We will see you again tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. then. Over."
The monitor's image flickered and went black. Lois felt saddened that she could no longer see her beloved Clark, but at least their telepathic link was back. That made a world of difference in her attitude – her fighting spirit was back, full force.
Bernie offered to give Lois a lift back to her apartment, an offer that she readily accepted. She was surprised that Bernie's mode of transportation was a motorcycle; but then again, he was a man with many different facets, after all.
When they arrived at 344 Clinton St, Lois turned to Bernie, saying, "Bernie, you're a lifesaver. What would we do without you?"
"Thanks, Lois. Clark is a great man and I'd frankly do anything for him."
"Did tonight's videoconference bring you closer to finding the antidote?"
"Yes, it confirmed some of my previous theories and sent me in the right direction. I believe that I am very close now. The problem is - the only way to test my theory is to have Clark return home. If I fail, he may not be able to fly back into space to get away from the harmful radiation in our atmosphere right now. So, that means I really have to get it right the first time."
It was obvious to Lois that Bernie, in his own way, loved Clark like a younger brother, and it warmed her heart that such a brilliant man was on Clark's side.
Lois reached over and kissed Bernie on the cheek. "You're so sweet. Call me anytime – day or night – if you come up with something. Otherwise, I'll see you tomorrow night back at EPRAD."
Bernie looked flushed, reacting to Lois' kiss. "Clark's a lucky man, Lois. I can see why he waited seven years for you. See you tomorrow night. I'll call you if something breaks. Good night."
"Good night, Bernie," Lois called out, as she started up the stairs to the apartment.
~~~~~
Deter and Boyle ended up tying one on at the Metro Club, becoming the best of buddies. They both had major ties to organized crime, but maintained their own brand of integrity, nonetheless. Boyle, loose lips sinking ships, blurted out, "You know back in the Congo, I almost backed out of the whole bloody thing. After I met Lane and Kent, I have to admit I liked both of them and didn't feel right going through with the plan. If I wasn't in so deep with St. John and Thorul, I would have joined the other side."
"Yeah, well Edge has asked me to do him a few favors through the years. With all the problems with insurance carriers these days, a man has to do a few 'side jobs' to earn a decent living. I don't have much experience with this Thorul guy. What's he like?"
"Did you ever meet Lex Luthor?"
"Unfortunately, yes I did. Why?"
"To know Lex Luthor is to know Lenny Thorul."
~~~~~
Lois, back in the apartment, went right for her dresser and pulled out a black, sexy nightgown. Looking at herself in the mirror, she had to admit that most men would be more than happy to spend an evening with her, even though she was still a little too thin. <Ha! My mother used to tell me "you can never be *too* rich, or *too* thin!" Even still, a *little* more meat on these bones wouldn't hurt, Lane!>
She lay down in the bed, and focused on her sexy husband up in space. <"Sweets, I have on your favorite nightgown – the black one, with the zipper.">
Clark immediately almost whispered in her head, <"Oh, honey, I wish I was with you, lying with you, looking at you... you look so so beautiful and sexy in that."
<"Clark, I wish you were here with me too. Sometimes I swear I hear you breathing next to me, and then I wake up and cry because your side of the bed is empty. I can't wait for you to come home."
<"Me too, honey. It's gonna be soon, I trust Bernie to come up with the antidote. But it's my turn to sleep so I can cover for the other guys later. Just knowing we can communicate again will make me sleep so much better tonight. I love you *so* much. By the way, I spoke to the other Lois before I left for space, using that device that Wells gave me.">
<"Cool! It actually works? Wow. Why did you call?">
<"Wanted to ask CK for some tips on Nightfall, but he was out on a rescue mission. Lois told me to warn you about your psychiatrist. Apparently the Maxwell Deter of her world tried to brainwash her into loving him and forgetting about CK. There's always the possibility that *our* Deter is on the up-and-up, but more often than not, a bad guy in one world is a bad guy in the next world as well.">
<"Wow -thanks for telling me, sweets. I have an appointment with him tomorrow morning. But I've read that no one can make you do something that goes against your grain. No one's going to make me fall out of love with you, Propaganda!">
<"Just the same… please be careful. I love you, honey. I'll dream of you.">
<"I love you so much, too. Good night, sweets.">
Lois, turning over in bed, trying to sleep - shielding her thoughts from Clark - realized that the Lex Luthor in Ma and Pa's world was supposedly a good guy, whereas the one in this world had been a snake, and his alleged fraternal twin brother, Lenny Thorul had followed suit. He was the greatest fifteen-year-old she had ever met. It still bothered her that he had stepped over to the dark side. Why? What happened? She was hell bent to get the answer to that question.
Reflecting on her upcoming hypnosis session, Lois felt some anxiety but knew that *no one* could make her fall out of love with Clark. Suspicious of him she would definitely be, in true Mad Dog Lane fashion, but she would *still* try to keep a somewhat open mind about the good Dr. Maxwell Deter tomorrow morning. That's what good reporters do. And she was a damn good one!
~~~~~
TBC
