Home: Circle of Fate -- 11/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
Clark bit his lip, his heavy brows drawn together in a deep scowl. At last, he nodded. "You're right. Something we don't understand is going on. I'll tell you what. I'll wait until morning, but no later, unless something else happens."
"I think that's a good decision," John said, resting a hand on his great grandfather's arm. "If you wait, it won't matter time-wise. The time machine lets you turn time into your ally. If we wait, whatever this 'door in space' is may turn out to be the clue that tells us where she is."
Clark nodded. "If it appears again, let us know, all right?"
"I will." Arnie caught a glimmer at the corner of his eye. "There it is now. It's back, and so's the eye."
"Is it Lori's?" John asked.
"No," Arnie said. "It's the wrong shape, and there are too many wrinkles around it."
"Are you recording it?" John asked.
"Yes," Arnie said. "I'll send you the file."
"Do that," CJ said. "I want to see this."
"So do I," John said.
**********
And now, Part 11:
"Now that's what I call a pretty decent lunch," Lois said. She leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. "It should hold me until we get home, at least."
Lori grinned. "I hope so," she said. "I've noticed that I'm hungry just about all the time these days." She patted her middle as well. "This little character must be absorbing it almost as fast as I'm eating it."
"Mine, too," Lois said. She glanced at her watch. "Jimmy gets off work in an hour. We should probably be back at the house before he gets there, and I really don't want to ride in another cab. It's only about four blocks. Shall we start walking, or do you want to risk a taxi?"
"If we walk, we can take our time," Lori said. "That ride reminded me of why I drive my own car. The only thing different about the taxis in my Metropolis is that they have radar-controlled avoidance systems and gyro stabilizers, so it's harder for them roll over in an accident, and containment fields to help protect the passengers."
"Even that would be an improvement," Lois said.
Lori shook her head. "Nope. Doesn't work that way. They know they can get away with worse driving than the cabdrivers of today, so it evens out."
Lois thought that one over. "I guess it would figure," she admitted. "Are you ready to go?"
"I think so." Lori got slowly to her feet. "I feel a lot better," she added.
A short time later they were walking down the sidewalk in the general direction of Hyperion Avenue. Lois shifted her shoulder bag from one shoulder to the other. "I have to say," she said, "that I'm really looking forward to actually seeing my feet again."
"So am I," Lori said. "I can't believe I once wore a size five dress. I feel like a small elephant. I honestly don't understand why Clark likes the way I look."
"He just does," Lois said. "My Clark has told me the same thing. I didn't get it at first, but I finally figured it out. Clark loves a lot more about me than my physical appearance -- and right now, the reason for my physical appearance is that I'm carrying his baby. That means a lot to him."
"Yeah." Lori thought about that. "You're right."
Lois glanced thoughtfully at her. "You and Clark -- you both work at the Daily Planet in the future?"
Lori nodded. "It's not the same as now -- we publish an online newspaper. We also have PNN -- that's our vid channel."
"Vid?"
"Yeah. The vidscreen replaced television some years from now," Lori said. "It combines a bunch of stuff that's all separate right now. It's the television, the phone, it's part of the computer network; you even use it for home security," she added. "It has all kinds of uses."
"Wow," Lois said. "So the Daily Planet has a news channel, too?"
"That's right," Lori said. "We're LNN's biggest competitor."
"*You* don't report the news, do you? On the TV -- vid, I mean. You're not a news commentator."
"Oh no. Clark and I are an investigative reporting team. He got John to assign me as his assistant when I was the office intern. We were investigating a conspiracy to blow up the 'Mayflower'."
"What's the 'Mayflower'?" Lois asked.
"The first starship," Lori said. "In my time, it's about halfway to Alpha Centauri, to found a colony. There was this bunch of wackos who thought that if Humanity put a colony on another Earth-like planet, Armageddon would come and destroy the human race. My brother, Brad, is the ship's captain. He'd caught onto them, and was trying to find some way to prove what they were up to. The leader kidnapped him, his wife and two kids."
"I guess you rescued them, huh? -- or Clark did."
"Well, we used me as bait to bring the bad guy out," Lori said, matter-of-factly. "Things went a little wrong and I got kidnapped, but Ronnie -- Ultra Woman -- had supplied me with an emergency signal, and as soon as I knew I was away from anything that could block the signal, I triggered it and Clark and Ronnie showed up and rescued all of us. It was after that that John partnered us up permanently."
"It's good to know that I didn't change that much," Lois said, after several seconds. "I'm still getting into trouble, even when I'm you."
Lori giggled. "Yeah. My father says I'm a trouble magnet," she said. "And it's a good thing no one is eavesdropping on this conversation. It would sound really weird."
"It certainly lends new meaning to the phrase 'talking to yourself'," Lois said. "I know you're not exactly me, and I'm not exactly you, but a lot of the same things are there."
"The most important parts are," Lori said. "You're in all the history books, you know. The reporter who first met Superman, and -- well, other stuff. I figured out the past lives angle when I dreamed about how you met him on the Messenger replacement. It was like I was there. I quoted what you said to him, and it was something that has never made it into the history books. 'What the hell are you?'" she added. "That was when he told me the truth."
"Don't tell me he's gone back to that not-telling-you-things-for-your-own-good stuff!" Lois said.
Lori shook her head. "No, not really. He just didn't know what to think about my memories. He was as confused as I was. Plus, he was afraid I'd think he was crazy, or that he'd married me because he thought I was you, come back, if he told me about the past lives aspect. He was actually relieved when I figured it out for myself."
"Well, I guess it does sound a little weird if you don't know the whole story," Lois agreed.
"A *little*?"
"Okay, a lot." Lois glanced at her watch. "Good, we've still got plenty of time. Jimmy'll probably be late leaving, as usual, anyway. I think he's practicing to be an editor, someday. If it looks like we're not going to make it in time, I'll give him a call."
"Care to tell me what you have in mind?" Lori asked. "I figured you got those pictures for a reason."
"Sure." Lois glanced at her. "It's obvious we have to tell Clark where and when you are without the risk of writing anything down or letting anyone else know beforehand. If we reveal what's going to happen before you're kidnapped by Tempus, it will change the future, and we don't know what kind of damage that could cause."
"That's a given. So, what do you have in mind?"
"The pictures, as you may have noticed, pin the time down pretty closely. No one who doesn't know you will even begin to put together two and two, but to Clark it will be as clear as day. You had to be in our time when he wasn't here, because he doesn't remember your visit. If he did, he'd have been here already. And I'm obviously just about ready to have this baby. At the very worst, he'll only have a few time periods to check out."
"So, how are you going to get the pictures to him?"
"I'm going to give it as a gift," Lois said. "CJ is going to be born soon. That's pretty obvious. At the most, Clark will only have to wait a week or two if I give the gift to someone I trust to give it to CJ for his hundredth birthday."
"John Olsen," Lori said.
"What?"
"Give it to John Olsen," Lori said. "John is one of the most trustworthy, reliable people I know. If you give it to him, he'll be sure it gets to CJ on his birthday, no matter what it takes."
"He knows about Clark, then? Since you said he was one of Jimmy's descendents without the super powers, I wasn't sure if he knew."
"Yes," Lori said quietly. "John knows. He's the only child in his family without the super powers. He doesn't need them to change the world, believe me."
"And he's your editor?"
Lori nodded. "John used to be an investigative reporter before he was the editor. He told me once that he chose reporting because he wanted to be like you."
"Really?"
"Yes," Lori said. "And there's one other plus. He can't accidentally see what the gift is. He --"
"Doesn't have x-ray vision," Lois finished. "That's perfect!"
"Exactly," Lori said.
Lois checked her watch again. "We're still ahead of schedule," she added. "With luck, maybe you'll be going home by this evening. Clark will probably be home by tomorrow; he might even be home by tonight, so our timing has to be perfect. Besides, Martha and Jonathan are arriving tomorrow morning."
"Clark's parents?"
Lois nodded. "They make a couple of trips to Metropolis every year," she explained. "They decided to take this one a little late this year because of the baby. I think Martha hopes he'll be born while she and Jonathan are still here."
Lori smiled. "Clark said his mother loved babies."
"She does," Lois said. "She and Jonathan couldn't have any children of their own, so when they found Clark --"
Lori was nodding. "He said she was the best mother he could have wished for," she said. "In a way, the world owes both of them a lot. They raised Clark to be the kind of person he is. Without them, there wouldn't have been a Superman. I hope I can be half as good a mother for this one."
"Funny," Lois said, "I've said the same thing."
"You will be," Lori said.
Lois paused infinitesimally. "What did you say?"
"I said 'you will be'," Lori repeated. "Why?"
"Have you met HG Wells?"
"No," Lori said. "I'd never even met Tempus until he stepped through the time window into my apartment."
"It's just that when you said 'You will be', it was eerily reminiscent of Wells. I told him I wasn't very experienced with babies, and that's what he said."
"Oh," Lori said. "Well, he was right. And you'll be a good mom to your children. I know all of them, and they're wonderful people."
"How many?" Lois asked.
Lori glanced at her. "Do you really want to know? I'd think it would kind of ruin things if you know everything about your future. Not knowing is what keeps life interesting."
Lois looked glum. "Yeah, you're probably right. I just hate surprises."
Lori grinned. "You don't hate surprises. You just hate it when someone knows something you don't. Am I right?"
Lois gave a reluctant grin. "Yeah."
"Besides, it's one thing for me to tell you things about the future that you won't have any influence on, but I really don't think I should tell you about your own future. If you rely on things I tell you, you might assume that you could take risks that you wouldn't otherwise take -- and you take plenty of them anyway. It might not be a good thing."
Lois sighed. "I know. But it's hard not to ask questions when somebody who knows the answers is walking right along beside me."
"I know," Lori said.
They were passing an alley between two buildings. A voice said, "Psst!"
Instinctively, both women stopped, which was a mistake. A hand, holding a snub-nosed semi-automatic, emerged from the alley. "Don't make a sound," Tempus's voice said. "Step into the alley, slowly."
Lois and Lori froze, both of them staring at the weapon. Tempus was standing back so that he was out of view of the other persons on the street. If they stepped in there, Lori knew they would lose any chance of escape that they might have. She could almost see Lois's thoughts running on a similar track. She took a step back.
"One more step and I'll shoot!" Tempus's voice said. It had lost its normal note of mockery. "It wouldn't take much to make me decide to, right now!"
Lori stopped. This was a very different Tempus from the man who had sneered and laughed at her in her apartment, and joked about stranding her in a time where all her talents would be useless. This Tempus was angry and underneath the anger was fear. The mocking facade had been stripped away. Apparently, she thought, Tempus could dish it out, but he couldn't take it.
"Take it easy, Tempus," Lois said. "Nobody wants to get shot."
The time traveler took a step backward, waving the weapon. "This way. Don't do try anything cute. Did I tell you, I really don't care for spunky women?"
Lori and Lois looked desperately at each other. Neither one was in any real condition to fight and Tempus's expression said he had no intention of giving them the chance to do so.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lori saw the black and white shape of a police car as it turned the corner and moved down the street toward them. Salvation was at hand, if she could just get the attention of the car's occupants without getting shot. She took a halting step toward Tempus, staggered a little, reaching out a hand to steady herself against the chipped brick wall of the nearest building, and let herself fall sideways. She caught herself unobtrusively with one hand to break her fall as she hit the ground, praying silently that Tempus wouldn't pull the trigger.
She heard a murmur of voices and the scuffling of feet as various persons on the sidewalk approached to see what had happened. Then an authoritative male voice said, "Give the lady some air, please. Everyone, please go on about your business, now."
"I'm with her," Lois's voice said, sounding irritated. "He's gone. You can get up now, Lori."
**********
William Henderson shook his head. "Does it run in the family or something?" he inquired.
Lori remained silent, letting Lois handle the irascible police officer. Lois and Henderson seemed to have an unusual relationship, she thought. It was obvious that Lois both trusted and respected, even liked, Henderson, and she suspected that Henderson reciprocated the sentiments, but the way they spoke to each other would never have led an outside observer to conclude anything of the sort. If Lori hadn't heard Lois's private comments to her earlier, she might not have figured it out, either.
"Henderson, Tempus was trying to kidnap us," Lois said. "You know as well as I do that if he'd managed that, it would have been all over."
"I know, and your cousin did the right thing," he said, casting a glance at Lori that was an odd combination of reluctant respect and irritation. "At the same time, the two of you seem to attract trouble. Nobody else I know nearly gets kidnapped by a madman who tried to destroy the world two years ago, just by walking down the street in broad daylight."
Lois shrugged. "It's probably Karma," she said flippantly. She reached for the cookie box sitting on the coffee table and stuffed a coconut macaroon into her mouth. Lori also helped herself. Food seemed to help calm the jitters, she reflected, glancing at Jimmy Olsen, who had turned up at the townhouse a few minutes ago with the promised photographs.
"I'd almost believe it," Henderson said. He took a sip of the instant coffee that Lois had produced for him when he had arrived in response to the call by the police officers who had unintentionally rescued them from Tempus. "Maybe I should get some of this for the Precinct. It's better than that flavored stuff the new guy brings around on the roach wagon. We've got men all over the neighborhood, and a canine unit trying to follow his scent," he continued, reverting back to the previous subject. "Keep your doors and windows locked tonight. I hope Clark will be back soon." He raised a sardonic eyebrow at Lois. "You'll be safer with him nearby. I don't have the manpower to post a guard here 24/7."
Lois cleared her throat. "He should be back by tomorrow."
"I'll stay around if you like, Lois," Jimmy said. "I can call Erica and cancel --"
Lois cast a look at Lori. "Jimmy, we really appreciate the offer, but you don't have to break your date. We'll just lock all the doors and windows, like Inspector Henderson said. We'll be okay."
Jimmy hesitated. "Well, if you're sure --"
Henderson drained his coffee cup and got to his feet. "If you can't tell me any more, I've got work to do. It's been a pleasure, ladies. No, don't get up," he added to Lois, who had started to heave herself to her feet. "I'll see myself out."
When the door had closed behind him, Jimmy locked it and fastened the chain. "Wow," he said. "Now I know why you're so good at getting out of messes, Lois. Your whole family does it."
"Uh ... not exactly," Lois said. "Lori and I have a lot in common. Can we see the pictures?"
"Huh? Oh, sure." Jimmy hurried back to his seat and picked up a large envelope. "They came out really well, and Mr. White signed all of the ones he was in for you."
"That was nice of him," Lori said. She bent over the photos that Jimmy shook out onto the coffee table. "These are good."
Lois picked one of them up, examining it critically. "She's right," she said. "They're almost portrait quality. Maybe you should ask Perry for a raise."
"You think so?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, but don't tell him I said so."
Lori picked up one of the photos taken by Perry White. "Mr. Olsen -- Jimmy," she corrected hastily, "could you sign these for me?"
"Sure," Jimmy said, looking a little flattered. "Do you have a pen?"
"Here." Lois handed him one from her purse, and both women watched closely as he signed both photographs.
"I appreciate this," Lori told him a minute later as she held up her prize. "I'm going to frame them. Then I can say, years from now, that I knew you when you were just a photojournalist."
Jimmy grinned at the joke. "Right. And people will say 'Who the heck *is* this guy'."
"Don't bet on it," Lori said. "I know an up-and-coming newsman when I see him. Really, Jimmy, thanks. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm glad I finally got to meet you."
Jimmy grinned. "It's mutual." He glanced around as the mantle clock began to chime. "Gosh, I need to go. I'm supposed to meet Erica in half an hour." He hesitated. "You're sure you don't need me to stay? I can still call her and explain."
"No," Lois said. "Thanks for the offer, but we'll be fine. We wouldn't want to ruin your date."
When Jimmy had gone, Lois picked up the photographs and slipped them back into the envelope. "I'll be right back," she said. "I'm going to put these in plastic and stash them in my bottom dresser drawer. If Clark gets back tonight, I don't want him to see them."
"Good idea," Lori said.
While Lois slowly ascended the stairs, Lori went to the bookcase, looking at the rows of books on the shelves. Here and there she recognized an old friend -- one of the books that still graced the bookshelf in their apartment.
Alone for the moment, she felt her eyes filling with tears. Oh, how she missed Clark, and her friends at the Planet! In spite of the fact that she had been able to meet the incredible people who had laid the foundation for the wonders of her own century, she missed her home with an intensity that grew with each minute. Lois's plan was a good one, but so many things could happen between now and 2099!
The blinking light on the telephone answering machine caught her eye. There was a message on the machine. Lori reached out to take out a book that she recognized. On the flyleaf, Clark had written his name in his neat, clear handwriting. Clark J. Kent. With one finger, she traced the lines of ink. On impulse, she picked up the pen that Jimmy had set down and flipped to a page near the center of the book. In tiny letters, she wrote: "I love you, Clark." Under it she traced her initials and the date. Clark had told her that he hadn't read that book since high school, but had kept it because his mother had given it to him. The chances were good that he would never see the message, but if he did, and if Lois's plan failed, perhaps he would find it eventually, recognize her writing, and come to get her ... someday.
Behind her, she heard Lois's footsteps as she descended the stairs. Quickly, she replaced the book and turned, hastily wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Someone's left a message on your answering machine."
"Oh?" Lois said. She crossed to the telephone and pushed a button.
"Hello, Lois," a woman's voice said. "We've seen the news about the typhoon on TV, so we know Clark isn't there. Jonathan and I managed to get an earlier flight. We'll be in about eight o'clock. Don't worry about coming to get us. We'll take a taxi from the airport. 'Bye. See you this evening."
**********
tbc
