Chapter Two
Beginnings
High in the stratosphere a small Orb ship held a geostationary orbit above the townhouse, while the three-man crew watched the happenings of the night with a mixture of interest and apprehension.
“It’s not enough! I have to go back.” The long-haired woman took a turn around the pristine interior. “Lois and Clark need more information about their child.”
“Zara, you can’t! It’s dangerous,” the grey-haired man stated. “Our enemies are closing in, and since they managed to interfere with our cloaking device, even for a few minutes, our presence has been picked up by Earth’s listening stations. All of this world’s governments are more security conscious since the visit of Nor and his renegades. It’s only a matter of time before they detect us.”
“Trey, that’s not so! Is it, Ching? You’ve reconfigured our stealth device and protected it from outside sources.”
The younger of the two men shifted uncomfortably, as if he really didn’t want to answer.
“Ching?”
“Yes, Zara. I’ve reset the firewalls... but no system is infallible.”
“But you’ve bought us some time?”
“Probably,” Ching answered grudgingly. “But that doesn’t account for the ‘Nor’ faction, and we can’t ignore their encroaching on our position back on New Krypton. We have to get back home quickly.”
At that reminder, Zara’s shoulders dropped. Whoever would have thought that Nor’s defeat and death would not have been the end to their problems at home? It was true that the more liberal Councillors led by Trey had backed her inauguration as sole ruler, and had furthermore accepted Ching as her husband and consort, but not all were in accord. And Ching would never have exactly the same standing or influence as Kal-El. He was not of noble blood and, though New Krypton might have made some inroads towards more democratic rule, it was not prepared to relinquish the past totally.
Yet being given permission to marry Ching had seemed like a wonderful beginning. In fact, life had seemed very promising for Zara and her people. For the first time, she’d experienced true happiness in her personal life and conditions on their barren rock had begun to improve. Now that there was no longer a threat of war, the scientists and biologists had turned their attention into creating a new, kinder environment. The New-Kryptonians had also found time to engage in cultural pursuits, and though they would never be so broad-minded or risqué as the people of Earth, they were learning to enjoy themselves.
And Zara, her husband and councillors had been grateful to Lord Kal-El for making these changes possible. This was the main reason why they had been more than happy to help Lois and Clark when they found themselves in difficulties.
Very soon after it was known that Kal-El had chosen to stay on Earth with the woman he loved, Zara had been approached by Malaki, their top medical researcher, who had made the discovery that Kryptonians and Earth women were not biologically compatible to have children together. During the short time Zara had spent with Clark, he'd spoken often of his deep love for Lois, of his dreams of marriage and of raising a family on Earth. How disappointed Lois and Clark must have been to realize that was never going to happen for them.
Zara’s heart ached for her friends so far away, especially since she and Ching were already contemplating giving Krypton an heir. She had jumped at Malaki's suggested answer to Lois and Clark’s problem, and the council had given their blessing. Project ‘baby Kent’ had begun and had reached a successful conclusion to the satisfaction of everyone involved. Why then did fate have to be so cruel as to complicate the simple delivery of the baby to his parents?
When had the first rumblings of discontent begun on Krypton? Zara believed that none of the people on this craft could answer that. It was only when Cro had applied to the High Council to take over his cousin’s fiefdom that the warning signs had begun to flash in Zara’s brain. But even then, she’d allowed herself to be lulled into a false sense of security, believing, as her councillors had reiterated, that Cro was not necessarily an evil man like his blood relation.
And it was true that Cro-Nor wasn’t quite the megalomaniac his relative had been. But he did have ambition, and a desire to be revenged on those he saw responsible for besmirching his family’s reputation. He believed his role in life was to reinstate the name of Nor to the great dynasties of New Krypton, and he didn’t agree with the council giving their blessing to the union between Lady Zara-Ra and an upstart military man. With that in mind he had begun his insidious plan of discrediting Zara and her husband.
It soon became clear, also, that Cro-Nor certainly didn’t approve of spending time and effort to help Kal-El, the man he saw as a traitor, a leader who had abandoned his proper status in life for an inferior world.
If only they knew why Cro had followed them to Earth and what his intentions were now. Would he attack Clark Kent and his wife? Or were Zara and crew the sole targets of his wrath? They didn't even know if Cro was aboard the other ship, or if he had simply hired assassins while he took advantage of Zara’s, Ching’s and Trey’s absence back on New Krypton?
It was that first thought which was Zara's most pressing worry. “Ching, we can’t leave here without first warning Clark that another alien presence might be intent on taking revenge on this world.”
“Much as I’m afraid of what is happening back home, I have to agree with Lady Zara, Ching.” Trey came and stood by his ruler’s side. “We can’t allow this world to become the battlefield for yet another Kryptonian power-struggle.”
“Do you think Cro is aboard that enemy ship?” Zara asked her husband.
“That is not an *enemy* ship! If they managed to interfere with the stealth-device codes, it has to be one of ours.”
“I realise that! But whoever is at the controls has no clearance to be here.” Zara glared at her husband, wondering if he was being deliberately obtuse. He’d agreed with this course of action, though he had been less enthusiastic about her accompanying Trey and himself on this journey. Was he somehow jealous that she would take such a personal interest in helping Kal?
“How do we know?” Ching demanded. “They could have been sent to inform us of some catastrophe back home.” His suggestion was based more on obstinacy rather than logic.
“I doubt that, Ching,” Trey added reasonably. “We’ve been in communication with New Krypton and no one has mentioned a single thing about another ship or any emergency.”
“It’s been a while.... Perhaps something has happened since!”
“Not that long! That ship would have had to travel much faster than any speed we’ve yet attained to beat our last communication with home. Besides, why haven’t the crew contacted us? Taking down another ship’s ‘shields’ is against military code of practise. You know that, Ching.”
Ching grimaced at Trey. Trust the incorruptible old man to point out the obvious. “I can’t deny that. Forgive me, Zara. I don’t understand what’s got into me. I just have a bad feeling about all this.”
“But you agreed....”
“In principle, yes. But we are far away from home and this mission has so many risks....”
Zara’s eyebrows rose and she folded her arms across her chest, closing herself off to her husband. “You mean, I’m too far away from home!”
“Yes,” Ching quickly agreed, not at all ashamed at wanting to keep her away from danger. “I don’t understand why you insisted on coming. Trey, Malaki and I could have done the job just as well.”
“I had to do this, Ching.” Zara relented a little in her stance and her voice took on a note of supplication. “I wanted to thank Lois and Clark in person for what they did for our world and for us. Without them, New Krypton and I would be living under the heel of Nor. That would have been a disaster, especially for me, as the wife of such a monster. I would have thought that you of all people would have understood my motives.”
“I do, but I’m your husband. I could have passed on your best wishes. I make no apology for wanting to keep you out of harm’s way.”
“We don’t yet know if I’m in harm's way. Remember we’re invincible on Earth.”
“And have you forgotten that Nor and his cohorts were killed by the people of Earth?”
The two squared off against each other, neither prepared to give an inch. Trey coughed behind his hand and moved between them.
“The General who ordered the use of the kryptonite gas was, I believe, court-martialed. Besides, the people only did what they could to protect themselves. Even if Earthlings were to discover our presence, I doubt they would attack first without sending Lord Kal-El to discover our purpose.”
“Perhaps that’s true,” Ching conceded. “But it would be better for everyone concerned if we left before we were discovered.”
“I would rather our visit went unnoticed, but we can’t leave until I explain everything to Lois and Clark... nor until we find out the purpose of the Kryptonians on that other ship. And since our cloaking device blocks any telepathic communications with Clark, I have to go in person. You must see that, husband.” Zara emphasized the last word, hoping to remind Ching that their unattainable dream had come true thanks to Kal’s help.
“And I have to back Lady Zara. However, I believe we should ask the council back home if they have any knowledge of our sister ship. Our communication beacons should soon be in range, and I think this unexpected arrival warrants our breaking out of Earth’s orbit to make contact with home.”
Zara nodded determinedly. “Then we have a plan. You two take the ship to a higher orbit while I return to Metropolis and talk to Lois and Clark.”
“Zara, have you listened to a word I said?” Ching asked, his mind hovering between exasperation and worry. “I always thought you spent far too long on this world. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone.”
“You didn’t object to my taking the baby to Lois and Clark alone!”
“That was before I realized we had company!”
Once again the old councillor intervened. “Please, please, this arguing is getting us nowhere. My Lady, in this circumstance, I believe Ching is correct. While we don’t know the intentions of the crew of that ship, it would not be prudent for you to venture alone to the surface... and, since I don’t know how to pilot this craft, we must all wait for information.”
“But what about the baby and Lois and Clark?”
“The baby will be safe with its parents. I believe that Lord Kal-El... Superman is perfectly capable of keeping his family from harm.”
Zara shrugged, giving in reluctantly to Trey's more reasonable arguments, and Ching looked a trifle happier that his wife would be staying within his protection.
“Good! I’m glad we’re in agreement. Now, Ching, if you could take this ship to the point of communication.”
The younger man gave a curt nod and went to do as he was bid, while his wife walked over to the large window, sighing sadly as she watched the planet below her diminish in size. This mission of mercy was not going according to plan.
****
Chapter Three
Investigations
Fortunately for the inexperienced foster-parents, the baby slept soundly for a few hours before deciding that hunger was an uncomfortable experience he wasn’t prepared to endure. Within seconds he made his plight known to the rest of the inhabitants of his small world.
Clark woke almost immediately, but was surprised to see Lois at the bassinet before him. Was that some kind of mother's intuition?
“Clark, he’s hungry. Can you go make him a bottle?” Lois whispered, as she lifted the baby into her arms.
“Sure, honey, but why are you whispering?”
“Our parents are asleep, Clark!”
“I doubt that they’re sleeping through that noise,” Clark grinned in amazement, while the baby increased the volume. “If you think you can handle him for the moment, I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“Of course I can handle him! He’s just a little baby,” Lois stated, but her actions seemed a little less sure than her words. “It would help if he had his bottle,” she added pointedly.
Giving Lois and her noisy, red-faced bundle a final glance, Clark hurried downstairs without using his powers. Sam and Ellen could appear at any moment and it wouldn’t do for them to witness him using super speed. He made straight for the kitchen and the fridge, only to find his father there before him.
“Is this what you’re looking for, son?” Jonathan smiled and held up the baby bottle.
“Thanks,” Clark took the proffered item and moved towards the sink, turning his back to the door. “Dad, can you keep a look out while I heat this thing up?”
“Sure thing, but do you know what you’re doing?”
Clark’s eyebrows raised at his father’s question. “You’ve seen me do this before. What makes you think I’d mess up now?”
Opening the door a crack, Jonathan looked towards the stairs. “You’ve heated up food for an adult before, son, but this is a baby and you don’t have much experience with them.”
“So, I just turn down the heat a bit. Should be a piece of cake! Is the coast clear?”
“Yup!” Jonathan couldn’t help but grin a little as he watched Clark concentrate on his task. He was trying so hard to pretend that he was taking all this in stride. A second or two later the young man shook some of the contents onto his wrist.
“Isn’t this what you do, Dad?”
“Huh-huh, it’s what I did with you.”
Clark, however, was still looking a little puzzled. “Do you think that’s right?” he asked, walking over to his father.
“Mind you, modern technology is a wonderful thing. There’s a bottle warmer there that’s set to just the right temperature.”
“Where?”
“Right there on the counter.” Jonathan pointed helpfully. “You just put the bottle in the holder and it buzzes when it reaches the correct temperature.”
Clark did as he was told and watched as the display flashed red. “Too hot,” he announced, almost to himself, removing the bottle and blowing cold air onto its surface. Once more he replaced it in the little machine and listened for the buzz, which was a few minutes in coming. “Looks like I need a little practise at this.” Clark grinned sheepishly as he waited.
“Don’t worry, son. Every new family goes through this, and you and Lois have been thrown in at the deep end. Relax, and you’ll soon get the hang of it.”
The anticipated beeping cut off Clark’s next question to his dad. “I have to get this upstairs before the baby drives Lois nuts, but I’ll be back. I need your advice.”
“That’s what your mom and I are here for.” Jonathan spoke to Clark’s back as he disappeared through the swing doors.
The elder Kent shook his head in a mixture of amusement and perplexity as he poured two coffees in preparation for his son's return. Old memories assailed him of Martha and himself learning to take care of the man who'd just supersped up the stairs. Was it really over thirty years ago since they'd found their baby? And now history seemed to be repeating itself with the origins of this child just as mysterious as Clark's had been at that time. Or perhaps not entirely so....
The door swung open again, heralding Clark's return and breaking into Jonathan's train of thought. "How's Lois doing with the baby?"
"She has some help from Mom and Ellen." Clark laughed at the thought of the mothers' convention he'd just left, but then his smile changed to a frown. "I just hope her mother doesn't upset Lois too much; you know how she can be." Clark's expressive eyebrows lifted as he contemplated his wisdom of leaving the women alone.
"I'm sure your mother will be able to mediate. Besides, Ellen was pretty encouraging earlier. I think she's taken with the baby too." Jonathan squeezed into the bench seat by the table. "You know son, this contraption here might look good, but they really weren't built for someone with my girth."
Clark moved the table a few inches until his father was comfortable. "There you go!"
"Where's Sam?"
"According to Ellen, he's still asleep. Can you believe that? How can anyone sleep through that noise?" Both men's eyes looked upwards, though only one pair could see through the floorboards.
"Some men learn to sleep through anything. Never could understand it myself." Suddenly, silence returned to the house, and, seeing how Clark was concentrating on a certain point in the ceiling, Jonathan wasn't totally surprised by Clark's words.
"He's just latched onto his bottle like he hadn't seen food in days. That little guy sure has a good appetite!"
"Just like his dad." Jonathan nodded knowingly.
Clark, however, looked less convinced. "That's just it, Dad, we have no idea who his parents are."
"The note said 'This child belongs to you'!"
"An anonymous note is hardly proof! I can't even have a baby with an Earth woman, and, unless I've suffered a total blackout, I know I've never been... well, you know... with any other woman that way." Clark shifted embarrassingly as he accepted the mug from his father. "Even unconscious, I would never do that!"
"Of course you wouldn't! And that's not what I meant, but it's not just the note -- there's the matter of the blanket with your shield. I'd say whoever left that baby knows who you are."
"Lois and I had this conversation earlier when you were shopping. We kinda wondered if it was H G Wells."
Jonathan paused in mid-sip and he stared at his son questioningly. "What made you think of him?"
"He knows my identity." Clark settled onto the bench next to his dad and placed his mug carefully on the table top.
"That's true, but where would he get a baby from?"
Resting his elbows on either side of his mug, Clark cupped his chin in his right hand. "Beats me! He talked a couple of times about Lois and my descendants, though whether they were blood relatives or adopted ones we have no idea. Maybe the baby is from the future."
"That still wouldn't necessarily explain the blue blanket."
"Dad, he talked about museums dedicated to Superman. My blanket could be an exhibit in the future."
"That's true, but you carried your blanket around everywhere as a comforter when you were a toddler. If it came from the future, it would look a little more threadbare."
"So, the blanket came from the past. Wells is a time traveller, he can go back in time too you know."
There was silence for a couple of seconds as both men contemplated that thought, but Jonathan shook his head again. "Nope, that's not it either. Your mom went up into the loft to fix up the bassinet just before we left and she decided to bring your blanket to Metropolis with us -- just to give you and Lois another bit of incentive," he added with a sheepish grin. "We now have two identical blankets upstairs in our suitcase, but one is a lot newer than the other."
Clark's eyes opened wider, but he decided to tackle the easy question first. "You hid the baby's cover?" He smiled at his dad's nod. "Thanks for that. It wouldn't have been wise to let Ellen or Sam see that. They had trouble coming to terms with their son-in-law masquerading in tights. That weird memory washing machine of Sam's cleared their minds of all the bad things that've happened over the past couple of days." Clark took a sip of his coffee. "They've both forgotten about me being Superman."
"Not sure that's a good thing, son. You really have to tell them sometime."
"I guess... but not yet! And definitely not while we're trying to figure out where the baby came from."
"I agree that's the top priority at the moment, but I'd rule out H G Wells. It just doesn't seem like something he'd do... at least, not without staying around to tell you about it."
"To tell the truth, Lois and I eliminated him earlier... the handwriting didn't match up, neither did the fingerprints." Clark focused on his coffee to heat it up, then drank it almost down in one swallow. "But, Dad, that leaves only one other source who could have access to a blanket and shield like that."
Jonathan placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Yeah! The same place where yours first came from...."
"New Krypton!"
"Krypton!"
Son and father spoke in unison.
Clark sighed heavily. "Does that make sense? Why would they leave a baby here and just disappear?"
"I can't answer that, but somehow I prefer that theory to some unknown person or persons knowing you're Superman."
"I'm with you on that, Jonathan." Lois came backward through the swing doors into the kitchen, sheltering the baby in her arms. "But you know, we're maybe jumping to all the wrong conclusions. Perhaps this is just a mother who for some inexplicable reasons can't look after her child and thinks that Lane and Kent would make good surrogate parents."
Moving quickly to stand by his wife, Clark stared at her dubiously. "You don't really believe that, do you?"
"No! But wouldn't it be nice if, for just this once, our life wasn't complicated, and a woman showed up here tomorrow and told us she wanted us to adopt Matthew!" Lois was smiling dreamily at the infant in her arms, so she didn't notice that the face of the man at her side suddenly resembled a 'fish out of water'.
"Matthew?" Clark gasped.
"Yes, honey!" Lois said sweetly to her husband. "We just can't go on calling him 'baby', but if you don't like it... though I think Matthew Kent has a certain ring to it. Your mom agrees with me."
The mom in question came into the kitchen brandishing an empty bottle in one hand and a clean diaper in the other. "Clark, that little man is as hungry as you. Until now, I've never seen a baby devour a bottle as quickly as you did when you were that size. Here, Lois, if my memory serves me correctly, you're going to need this." Almost on command, a fairly nasty smell wafted around the room. "What did I tell you -- just like his dad."
"Mom!" Clark protested, letting the women pass him by and stealing a quick glance through the door to see if anyone else was about to join them. "Isn't Ellen with you?"
"No. Gone back to bed. She says she's developing a migraine, but I think she's just wants an excuse to join my father in bed." Lois laughed, indicating that she found the thought a happy one.
"I don't think we want to go there." Clark grimaced at the thought of what his in-laws might be doing in his spare room.
"Me neither! But it does give us a chance to discuss things in private." Lois waved the male Kents to remove their coffee mugs from the table top and replaced them with Matthew, taking the proffered diaper from her helpful mother-in-law. "Martha, did Clark's pooh always smell this bad?"
"Lois!" Clark's voice rose a couple of notches.
"Worse, sometimes! But don't worry, dear, you'll get used to it. I did."
"Mom!" Clark turned several shades of red. "I'd rather you left my babyhood out of this conversation. And you can't stake a claim for paternity on biological plumbing. That would mean that I'd...." Suddenly he became aware of Lois turning away from her task to stare at him wide-eyed. "Lois, you have to believe me, I have never...."
"That hadn't even occurred to me!" But now she was remembering, remembering when she'd just agreed to wear Clark's ring and the emotional roller-coaster she'd been on when Leigh-Anne Stipanovic had convinced the world that her child was Superman's. Lois' babble gene stilled and her gut lurched as she relived that doubt... and now another child had turned up with links to Superman. Her happiness at finding Matthew evaporated.
In the kitchen no one spoke; even Martha restrained her impulse to mediate, intervene... interfere while Lois searched her husband's face.
And what she saw there in Clark's eyes was the truth. She'd been doubtful about little Jesse at first, but she'd been wrong. Slowly, Lois smiled and she touched her husband's hand. "Relax, Clark, I know. You'd never... well, I know you'd never." She turned back to the child, half diapered, on the kitchen table, unaware that the three adults in the room were now breathing normally again.
"Matthew, do you think you could hold still for Mommy? Mommy is very new at this, so you're going to have to be patient."
The baby smiled up at the pretty lady above him and tried to do as he was told, but he was just a few weeks old and the words were in a language he wasn't sure of, though his smile accompanied with a happy gurgle seemed to work wonders, as the four adults grinned back.
"Isn't he just the cutest little thing," Martha declared. "Can I hold him?" she asked, as Lois finished up.
"Would you like to go visit with your grandmom, Matthew?" She scooped up her new son and gently deposited him in Martha's waiting arms. While the baby stretched and yawned contentedly, both women cooed tenderly to the infant.
Clark gazed in shock at his wife and parents, taking in their bemused expressions as they concentrated on the tiny child. More than anything he longed for a family, but this was just surreal. He couldn't allow himself to be swept up in such wishful emotions. At any moment Matthew could be snatched away from them.... Matthew! No, that was not the child's name. He had no idea what the child was called, but he was sure that it was not up to Lois or any of them to name the baby. He really hated to disappoint Lois, but he couldn't let her get too enthralled with motherhood. Besides, by the look on his parents' faces, it wasn't just Lois who was getting carried away.
"Hey, guys! Don't you think you're all jumping the gun here?"
Lois' hand stilled as she stroked the fine silky hair on the baby's head and her gaze locked with her husband's uneasy stare. "No, I don't. Someone meant for us to have this baby, and while I do agree with you that we have to investigate where he comes from, I intend to look after him as my own. Whatever you do is up to you."
Oh boy, Clark had never seen Lois act so territorially. She was a lioness ready to fight for her young, even against her mate. It left him feeling a tiny bit envious, but proud too. He'd always known Lois would make a wonderful mother.
"And, Clark, we've already talked about the blanket," Jonathan stepped in. "That is no ordinary baby."
"Exactly!" Lois paused for a moment, and then spoke slowly... pensively. "You know, there is another possibility that we haven't considered...." She met Clark's eyes. "And Martha's already pointed out that he looks a lot like you did...."
"A clone?" Clark almost read his wife's thoughts. That theory didn't particularly inspire him and his brown eyes darkened. "I hope not, Lois. None of the clones we've encountered thrived."
Lois gritted her teeth and crossed the tiled floor to place her hands on Clark's chest. "They were all adult clones. Their growth rate was speeded up somehow. This is just a baby, Clark... just a normal baby."
"Normal? I thought we'd just agreed that he wasn't an ordinary baby, so we don't know that." He held Lois' gaze, challenging her.
"No, but we know a man who can find out."
"Dr Klein?"
"Yes, first thing in the morning we take the baby to Star Labs and tell him what we suspect."
"Tell him about Superman?" Clark's eyebrows arched again.
"If we have to, but maybe we could ask him to run some tests for a start -- make sure Matthew's healthy. Then we can take it from there. This is very important. It's Matthew's life we're talking about here."
The tic twitched in Clark's jaw, but he nodded in agreement. "I'm aware of that, honey, and I really don't mean to be a killjoy. If this little guy does need a home, then I'm all for offering him one. I just don't think it's going to be smooth sailing. For one thing, child welfare is going to get involved."
Lois opened her mouth to protest, but shut it just as quickly. She'd rather keep this whole thing quiet, but simply just producing a baby in their home in Metropolis was bound to be remarked upon. And if they wanted to do this legally, which they did, they had to have parental consent to adopt, or the backing of the Child Welfare system. Clark was just playing devil's advocate -- she'd already caught him staring into the bassinet in the middle of the night with such a look of longing in his eyes, she'd been loath to interrupt the poignant moment.
"You're right, I know you're right." She reached up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, but he turned his head so her kiss touched his lips. "Which is all the more reason that we find out who and where Matthew comes from."
Martha walked over to the couple and gently placed the little boy into Clark's arms. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Clark. But for the moment, why don't you take this little one back upstairs. There's still time for us to catch an hour's sleep."
The baby snuggled into the large warm chest and the safe arms he found himself in, giving a little contented sigh. The sound brought an answering low rumble against his cheek, and he experimented again, a little more loudly this time.
Clark couldn't suppress a chuckle and everyone laughed.
"See, honey. He likes you. Come on, let's take him back to bed before he wakes up again."
"Lois, I never said I didn't like him...."
Martha and Jonathan exchanged grins as they switched out the lights and followed the kids upstairs. Their laughter overlaid their anxiety though. Clark might be putting up a brave front, but just how he and Lois would deal with losing this baby wasn't something they liked to contemplate.
*****
tbc
