From Chapter Twelve:
And, of course, Clark and Lois had written their own wedding vows:
"Clark, I take you to be my loving husband for all of the rest of the days of ours lives. Before I met you, I had learned to rely only on myself. It took me a long time to realize that you would *always* be there for me, through thick and thin. I knew the moment we met that we were destined to be together. No matter what life brings, I know with you that I have a partner in every sense of the world. I love you Clark Kent, and I take you in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do us part."
~~~~~
"Lois, the moment I laid eyes on you my heart stopped beating. I knew somehow we would meet again, that it was only a matter of time. You give clarity to everything I do in my life. My life would have no meaning without you. I love you, now and forever, and I take you to be my loving wife. I will forsake all others, and will love care for you in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please greet the members of the church as a married couple for the very first time," announced the minister, who had known Clark since he was a toddler.
As loud traditional organ music blared throughout the hall, Lex Luthor looked over at his wife, who was his intellectual match in almost every way, and smiled at her. Lois was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but Bridgette was his soul mate. Hank Wells, on Lex's other side, had his partner, Bill, seated next to him. Attending a wedding where the participants were so obviously in love gave Hank and Bill warm fuzzy feelings. Bill was Jason Trask's son.And now,
Chapter Thirteen
Eight Years later - 1998 Luthor Foundation for Scientific Research (LFSR)
"Are you sure this data is valid?" Hank asked. "According to this, a UFO has been in rotation around the earth for the last several weeks. Have you attempted to send a communication?"
"Actually, I have," said (Jason) Trask. "In several languages, as well as in Morse Code. No reply, as of yet."
"Have we asked Superman to get involved at this point? He could fly up there and check it out for us."
"Might I remind you that he is an alien? What if those are his people up there? Do you really think he's going to tell us the truth?"
"Mr. Trask –"
"Call me, Jason, please. How many years have we worked together? You and my son are best friends –"
<Actually, we're lovers, but if you want to keep burying your head in the sand, fine by me!>
"Ok, 'Jason' – I've known Superman for fourteen years now. He's a man of integrity. He loves this world, this country. He might not be from our gene pool, but he's one of us, trust me."
"Hank – you know that you've earned my respect and trust through the years. But if that happens to be one of *his* spaceships – calling him home – his loyalty to us may disappear in a heartbeat. As a scientist, you've got to consider all possibilities."
"That's true. Perhaps I am letting my heart get in the way of my head. But statistically, I believe the chances are 1% or less that Superman would ever betray earth. This is the only home he's ever known," Hank argued.
"I hope you're right. But respect my right to remain skeptical."
"Fair enough. So where's the satellite pictures of this UFO?"
"Haven't been able to take any really clear photos of it. It's as if there's some type of shroud protecting it from view. We can see it as a blip on the radar, but attempts to photograph it haven't been successful as of yet."
"Keep me updated. I still believe that sending Superman up there to check it out is the way to go, but I'll give you a bit more time before we have to make that decision. Does Lex know about this?"
"Yes, and he agrees with you. He thinks Superman should be involved - he's close with him as well. I hope you two aren't being blindsided here by the alien's natural charisma."
"And I hope your alien-phobic nature isn't skewing your opinion of Superman, Jason," Hank replied.
~~~~~
Clark and Lex were returning in their ambulance from Met General after rushing three car accident victims to the ER. Lex was driving; Clark was sitting on the passenger side.
"I have to say, Lex, that we make a damn good team. I had my reservations that this little business relationship might ruin our friendship, but I actually think it may have strengthened it," Clark observed. "But your driving has gotten *really* bad."
"Hey – why do you think I went into this business? To be able to speed, legally. What a deal!" Lex joked. "I'll have to take off when we get back to the office. I have to get over to Research – Hank's working on something and he wants my opinion."
"When are we going to test out his time-travel theory with human subjects, anyway? I've been waiting for that since my freshman year in college!" Clark exclaimed.
"I'll ask him. He has some serious reservations on how time travel may affect the time stream, Clark. Changing history, and all of that. His famous ancestor, H.G. Wells, wrote extensively about the effects of one's ability to travel to a time where you technically haven't been born yet. He even theorized that it might cause Armageddon."
"Wow. I'll have to do some internet research on his writing to bring myself up to speed on that myself," Clark said. "In the meantime, I'm picking up some police radio about a robbery on 23rd and Broadway. I'll catch you later, Lex," he said, as he spun into the suit and flew out of the ambulance, faster than the eye could follow.
"<What's the matter with Trask, anyway? He's been suspicious of Clark since his Smallville days. If Hank wasn't so in love with his son, I'd get him out of Research so fast…> Lex mused, as he pulled in the driveway of the "L & C Ambulance" company.
Lex arrived at the Research Center thirty minutes later. Trask was clearly excited about something, because he was shouting on the phone to someone "get that stash of Kryptonite ready, we're probably going to have to use it after all!" Spotting Lex walk in the door, he quickly terminated the conversation.
"Jason? What's going on? Why on earth would you tell someone to get Kryptonite out of storage? You know its effect on Superman."
"Lex –"
"It's 'Mr. Luthor', to you, Trask. Only my friends call me Lex, and the only reason you're here is because Hank considers you family."
Ignoring Lex's remark and its possible implications, Trask continued, "The UFO blip we've been following has left its orbit. Or rather, a portion of it has. It must be a mother ship or something, because a smaller moving object is heading towards earth. We have to assume they have come to reclaim him. We need to be prepared. What if they've come to take over the earth? Superman may have just lulled us to sleep, coming on like this big hero, and now the rest of the party has arrived to take over the earth. That big stash of meteor rocks that we found in Schuster's field is going to come in handy now!"
Lex grabbed Jason Trask by the scruff of his neck. "Listen, Trask, I've put up with you long enough. There isn't a finer man in this planet or any other in the universe than Superman, and I'm not going to have your wacko ideas permeate my research institution!"
Trask looked at Luthor as if for the first time. "That's it, isn't it? It's Kent. Superman is Clark Kent, your best friend. Kent's from Smallville – where all the Kryptonite fell. I knew Jonathan Kent was covering something up all those years ago! It makes perfect sense now! Look me straight in the eye and tell me I'm wrong, Luthor!"
Lex felt like he was a bear caught in a trap. Not a good liar by nature, he avoided eye contact with Trask, indirectly signaling that his conclusion was indeed correct.
"Trask, I'm warning you. You do anything to try to taint his reputation, or hurt the Kent family –"
"All the press has to find out is that the billionaire Lex Luthor, philanthropist supreme, has been best friends with an alien all of these years – I'll get all the funding I need from selling *that* story to the tabloids!" Trask threatened. "So I propose an agreement of sorts."
"Are you blackmailing me?"
"Like I told Hank earlier today - I'm doing is trying to make sure that your fondness for this alien doesn't blindside you to all of the possibilities, Luthor. Even the great Henry Geoffrey Wells agreed that there might be a 1% chance that he's not all he's cracked up to be!" Trask spat out.
"I'm sure whatever he might have said was taken out of context. Hank has the utmost respect for the person that Superman is and his role in society."
"He's a scientist, and he relies on probability and statistics, too," was Trask's response. "Don't be so sure he's as wide-eyed about him as you are."
"This conversation is concluded, Trask. Just remember that both you and your son are on the Luthor Corp payroll, and that could change at any time."
~~~~~
Clark arrived home, expecting Lois to be already there. Just before he zoomed in the open window, he scanned the apartment and to his surprise, there was a man and a woman sitting in his living room! They were waiting patiently on his uncomfortable couch, looking like dazed passengers at an airport whose flight was cancelled. <How did they get in? Lois is nowhere to be found! What's going on here?>
He landed in an adjacent alley and changed into his Clark clothes, then headed to the apartment, entering via his rarely-used key. Training his X-ray vision on the perpetrators the entire time he was opening the door, he was surprised that they didn't try to run and hide as he walked through the door.
"Hello, Kal-El," the woman said, standing up and walking towards him. "It's so great to finally meet you." The dialect was entirely unfamiliar to Clark – it was a cross between a British accent and a Southern drawl. Very strange indeed.
"Who *are* you? And how did you break into my apartment?" Clark exclaimed.
"Same way you usually do – the open window right there," the woman responded. "My name is Lady Zara, and this is my assistant, Lieutenant Ching."
The man stood up as if on command. "Pleasure to meet you, Lord Kal-El," he said, in a tone of deference.
"*Lord* Kal-El? I'm no "Lord", Clark objected. "And why are you calling me by my Kryptonian name, anyway? My name is Clark Kent. You two need to explain your presence here, and quickly. My wife won't be as forgiving as I am to intruders, I can assure you."
"We are from a place called New Krypton, Kal-El. Even though the Council declared your father, Jor-El, a lunatic for thinking that Krypton was going to explode, there were several others who heeded his words and managed to escape. The small planet that we colonized and named "New Krypton" is located in another galaxy, in a red star solar system. We are stronger in the lighter gravity of this planet, but we have no yellow-sun induced powers such as you."
"How did you get here? You mean you're from another solar system – another galaxy?" Clark stammered. "How do I know that I can believe you?"
"Well, in the short time we've been on your planet with its yellow sun, we have developed some of the same abilities that you have," Zara replied, willing herself to float about a foot off the ground.
"And I have discovered the ability to ignite objects with my eyes," the man Zara had referred to as Lt. Ching added, as a candle clear across the room suddenly began to burn brightly.
"Why are you here, so far away from your home?"
"We captured a signal being sent from this planet. It was translated to mean, 'We are the inhabitants of the third planet encircling a yellow sun. If there is other intelligent life out there, please let us know'."
<Trask and Hank!> Clark groaned inwardly.
<"Who's Trask and Hank?"> Spontaneously, Zara's words resounded in his head.
<"How did you do that?"> Clark thought, staring wildly at Zara.
<"It's a native ability of Kryptonians, Lord Kal-El">, was the response.
"Ok, that's enough!" snapped Clark. "Why are you calling me 'Lord' Kal-el?"
"It was written that the sole surviving son of the House of El would marry me," Zara admitted. "In fact, when we were infants, we were engaged."
"Well, clearly, that can't happen, I'm already married – and very happily, I might add," Clark asserted. "I'm pretty sure that when Krypton exploded and my parents rocketed me to earth, all of those Kryptonian customs stopped applying to me," he added. "I'm sure there are plenty of men on your planet that would be more than happy to take my place. Like Lieutenant Ching here." Clark had observed how attentive her supposed "assistant" was. Using body language as a guide, it seemed quite obvious that he was in love with Zara.
At that exact moment, Lois came bouncing in the apartment, then at the sight of Clark with two strangers, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Clark? Who the hell are these people? And *what* are they wearing?" she snarked, noting the skin-tight jumpsuits that they were wearing. . "Are we filming a 'Star Trek' episode or something?"
Lois' bluntness never failed to elicit a smile from Clark. "Honey, this is Lady Zara and her assistant, Lt. Ching. They tell me they're from a place called 'New Krypton'. This is my wife, Lois."
TBC
