Part 8: Crystal“Oh my G-d!” Lois shouted as several other bright red drops immediately followed.
She grabbed several tissues from her tissue box that was thankfully on the table and rushed to his side.
“Here, tilt your head back and pinch the bridge of your nose,” she said hurriedly, helping him stem the blood now pouring from his nose. “Stay seated. Breathe through your mouth.”
He did as she said, tightly closing his eyes for a long moment as she swapped tissue after tissue until it finally began to slow.
“Okay, it’s slowing down. How are you doing?” she asked, trying to stay calm despite the blood on his face and on her hands.
“Et meshif cah.” He frowned, frustrated. “Het umalik!”
“Okay, okay, just hold it there,” she said, getting another tissue and taking a deep breath.
She would not let herself freak out! She could do that later, she decided.
He closed his eyes, wincing in pain.
“Let’s get back to the living room and lay you down,” she said.
He shook his head no, suddenly lowering his left hand and fiddling with the edge of his cape.
“Grumali tah,” he said, somehow removing a card from a pocket that she didn't know existed. He handed it to her.
She quickly took it and read the name ‘Dr. Bernard Klein’ on the front with his office contact information. She then noticed indentations that told her something was written on the back so she flipped it over. She found a handwritten telephone number and an address.
“Atlia,” he said, pointing to the written number.
She understood what he wanted and rushed to her phone.
She bit her lip as she dialed, spotting the time. 4:22 am.
The phone began to ring and she looked back at him worriedly. He was still sitting at the table, holding a tissue to his nose as he kept his head back. His eyes were closed.
“He-Hello?” a voice answered.
“Yes?! Dr. Klein?” she asked, relieved.
“Yes? Who is this?” he asked, very drowsy.
“Lois Lane. Look, Superman is with me and he needs some help. He gave me your card and wanted me to call you,” she said quickly.
“What?!” he asked, and by the ruffling sound she heard she knew he was now sitting straight up in his bed.
“I’m not sure how much you know about what’s been happening, but he gave me your card so you must know something and I hope you can help. Can you come to my apartment right now?” she asked, not sure how much she could or should really say over the phone, but she wanted him to know this was serious and wasn't a prank.
“What’s happening?” he asked amid background noise. It sounded like he was getting dressed, or at least she hoped so.
“Superman, how much can I say?” she asked.
Superman waved at her, and by the look in his eyes she instantly knew to not hold back.
“His nose is bleeding and he’s in a lot of pain. He’s talking Kryptonian right now and has remembered many things he had not known before. Does that help?” she asked.
“Yes, it does actually. Where are you?” he asked.
She quickly gave him her address.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can!” he said, and then he hung up.
She put the phone down and hurried back to Superman.
“Kal-El?” she asked.
He opened his eyes and looked at her, tentatively removing the tissue. The bleeding had stopped.
“Let’s move you to my bed. Dr. Klein is on his way,” she stated.
“Your bed?” he asked, squinting tightly at her.
She wasn’t sure if he was squinting in pain or in confusion. It was likely both. However, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief at hearing him speaking English again.
“It’ll be easier for Dr. Klein to help you there, and I think you should lay down,” she explained.
“Okay.” He slowly stood up, a grimace now perpetually on his face and there was a sheen of sweat on his brow. She had never seen him sweat before.
Pushing her fear of what was happening down, she moved to his side in case he needed help.
They made it out of the kitchen, but then he slowed and braced his hand against the wall.
“Lois,” he said.
“Yes?” she asked nervously.
"Don't freak out, but I think I’m passing out,” he stated, oddly detached.
“Lay down!” she ordered, immediately trying to guide him to do so.
He moved down to the floor, taking slow, deep breaths as he got down on his hands and knees.
"Come on, if you're passing out, you need your heart at the same level as your head," she said, recalling one of the few things she could remember from her dad's medical ramblings.
"I can't see," he stated, lowering himself further until he was laying flat on his stomach.
She could see his eyes, but his gaze was unfocused, exhausted.
"Just focus on breathing. Slow, deep breaths," she said, rubbing his back as he turned his head and let his cheek rest against the rug.
"Vision is coming back," he said quietly.
"Good. Now, do you think you can turn over, onto your side or back?" she asked. "It should help make breathing easier."
Superman did so with a moan, blinking up at her once he had fully turned.
"I'm going to get a pillow and a stool. I'll be right back," she said before hurrying to her room.
She returned less than a minute later and carefully put the pillow under his head before lifting up his socked feet and placing them on the padded stool to elevate his legs. His boots were still by the cot.
He helped her a little, but the effort it took made it clear there was no way he would be able to walk to her room or even to the couch, with or without her help.
"I'm going to get a wet washcloth," she said, leaving quickly before returning a moment later.
She wiped his forehead with it, then on either side of his neck before laying it across his forehead.
He hummed his thanks.
"We'll just stay here for a moment," she said, sitting on the floor beside him.
That moment turned into over half an hour, and Lois was now certain Dr. Klein had gotten lost. Where was he?! Should she call an ambulance? Call Clark?
Superman was in pain on the floor of her apartment and the man he had trusted enough to call in his time of need had yet to arrive!
"How is your headache?" she asked for the third or fourth time.
"Worse. It's actually worse," he managed, fighting back a groan. "Worse than the one I had while in that Kryptonite cage."
"Kryptonite cage?!" Lois gasped. "What?!"
"Oh yeah. You don't know about that." He sounded bemused.
She was about to ask for more information when someone finally knocked on her door.
She rushed up, unlocking her door in record time.
"Dr. Klein?" she asked, throwing the door open.
The man was wearing a leather biker's jacket and was balding, but the suitcase in his hands had her attention.
"Yes, I'm sorry I took lon--" He fell silent as he caught sight of Superman on the floor and quickly moved past Lois. "Superman, how are you feeling?"
Lois quickly closed and locked the door behind him.
"Been better," Superman said, covering his eyes with his forearm as the older man knelt beside him.
Dr. Klein opened up his suitcase and took out a stethoscope. Lois hovered on Superman's other side, taking note of the other medical things in Dr. Klein's bag before her eyes came to rest on a metal box.
"Is your headache getting worse?" Klein asked as he listened to his heart and lungs.
"Much," he said through clenched teeth.
"Okay. I have an idea, but it might not work. I learned a lot about the purple kryptonite yesterday and even though it no doubt caused this, I think it can also help," he said.
"What do you mean?" Lois asked.
"I don't think the purple kryptonite is actually kryptonite because, unlike red and green kryptonite, I don't think it was made when Krypton exploded. Its structure is too uniform, its radiation too, too organized. I think it's a pure form of Krypton that had not undergone the transformation that had formed the red and green. And actually, I think it's a form of Kryptonian technology," Klein explained.
Lois' eyes widened as Superman shifted, trying to be attentive despite the pain.
"While that's fascinating, how does that help him?" Lois asked.
"I think the technology can impart knowledge into Kryptonian minds, and I think in this case it hadn't completed the process with Superman. Considering his symptoms, I think it's a fair guess to say that he got . . . well, an incomplete download I suppose you could say. Sort of like a computer that got a set of files but didn't completely get the software required to read them," he proposed. "So his mind is essentially full of data he can't properly read and that's bogging everything down."
"So what do we do?" she asked.
"Well, we can either wait this out and see if he gets better, which I don't think is a good idea, or expose him to the purple crystal to finish the download," he said hesitantly.
Lois frowned and looked down at Superman who was still squinting up at them in growing pain.
"Let's try it," Superman said.
"Alright. I have it here," Klein said, picking up the lead box. "That's why it took me so long to get here. I made a stop at S.T.A.R. Labs first."
Lois took Superman's hand as Klein turned the box around.
"I'll close it if I don't think it's helping," Klein said.
Superman nodded and then Klein slowly opened the box.
O o O o O
Purple light ebbed forth, coupled with the sound of gentle chimes. The pain quickly began to bleed away and he let himself go limp under its brightening glow. The relief from the pain was stronger than the rejuvenating power of the sun on his skin and he didn’t attempt to stop his sigh of bliss.
Dimly, he heard Lois and Dr. Klein talking, but they sounded like whispers on the wind.
Images began to flash in his mind's eye, from schematics and diagrams to faces and landscapes. All the immense knowledge he might have received much sooner if he had grown up on Krypton. If fate had been different, for he was not only Kal-El.
He was Lord of the House of El.
If Krypton had not been destroyed, he would have been their Ruler. He would have ruled with Lady Zara.
And even now, if any Kryptonians still existed, his title would hold true.
But he was alone, given to Earth to live.
He opened his eyes, eliciting a gasp from both Dr. Klein and Lois as the crystal began to pulse more quickly. Unbeknownst to Superman, his eyes had flashed purple, balancing the knowledge in the form of energy that the crystal had given him.
After another minute, the pulsing slowed and the process was complete.
"I take it it worked?" Dr. Klein asked.
"Yes. Thank you, doctor," he said, lowering his feet from the stool and slowly sitting up.
He smiled at Lois and squeezed her hand in silent thanks.
Lois beamed at him, looking as relieved as he felt.
"Could I have the crystal?" Superman asked softly.
“Of course!” Klein immediately said, holding the box out for him.
Superman gently picked the crystal up with his hand and wrapped his fingers around it.
"Do you still hear the chimes?" Dr. Klein asked.
"Yes, but they're much quieter," he said. "Thank you, Dr. Klein. You likely saved my life," he said genuinely.
Dr. Klein blushed but straightened in pride.
"I'm so glad I was able to help," he said, repacking his briefcase. "Do you feel back to normal?”
“Yes, I think so. Physically anyway. Mentally, it's going to take me a bit to get used to knowing what I now know,” Superman said, slowly standing up as Klein and Lois did as well.
"What did you learn?" Lois asked.
"A lot. My people's history, culture . . . pretty much everything I've ever wondered about and then some. It's . . . a lot," he said, barely keeping his voice from cracking with emotion.
"If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. I'd love to learn about your people," Klein said.
"I think there is. I'll need help compiling the information, but later. Right now it's just too raw," Superman said.
Dr. Klein nodded understandingly before releasing a jaw-breaking yawn. “Oh, my apologies," he said, embarrassed.
"It's alright. I think we all could use some sleep now," Lois said, although she didn't look all that sleepy compared to Dr. Klein.
"Yes. As much as I wouldn’t mind staying here to talk, I clearly should catch up on some sleep,” he admitted.
Superman nodded as Klein made his way to the door.
“Thank you, Dr. Klein. While I wish we had met under better initial circumstances, I’m glad we’ve now met,” Lois said, holding out her hand.
“I feel the same. And I love reading your and Mr. Kent’s articles in the paper,” he said, shaking her hand happily before opening the door and quietly making his way down the hall after bidding a sleepy farewell.
Lois quietly closed the door and locked it again.
O o O o O
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