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#300108 06/07/24 01:24 PM
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A/N: This is in the same series as Newcomers, The Best of Times, and Then and Now. I hope y'all enjoy!

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“Anywhere but home!” Perry had ordered them. “Don't be where they can serve you!”

Clark stared at his desk. The agents had gone through every paper in every drawer, leaving it looking as though a tornado had hit it. Worse still, he had a sense that the true storm was still coming.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Cat appear next to him. She seemed to hesitate briefly before reaching out to touch his arm. “Since you're a man in hiding, why not come have dinner at my place?”

He turned to look at her, studying her face to see if he could gauge her intentions. Cat had certainly been nothing other than friendly to him since his arrival at the Planet, but her reputation held that she was a man-eater. Perhaps this was the springing of a trap? “You and me?”

“Well...” Cat shrugged. “You, me, and possibly my roommate.”

Some of the saucier stories about Cat sprang to the forefront of Clark's mind, and his eyebrows raised.

“My male, straight roommate,” Cat clarified with a smirk.

Clark's cheeks felt warm.

She rested a hand on his arm again. “Just come by. It'll be...interesting.”

Clark wasn't sure he was up for “interesting”, but...going home was not an option. What else could he do?

**********

Clark followed Cat into the apartment and tried not to think about a trap closing when she shut the door behind him.

“Just let me see if he's home yet,” she said, heading to a room in the back.

Clark nodded and took the opportunity to look around the famous “lair”. The art on the walls certainly had a theme to them that fit with what he knew of the woman, but the pieces were surprisingly tasteful. Even more surprising was the wall of books which contained everything from “Portrait of a Lady” and “Lady Chatterley's Lover” to biographies of Mae West and Madame de Pompadour. A few more books rested on the coffee table, and Clark double-taked as he realized they were about time travel and quantum physics.

The sound of the front door opening caused Clark to turn around just as a man entered with an armload of groceries. He was about Clark's height, dark hair tucked under a baseball cap, and he sported a large pair of sunglasses despite the waning daylight. He froze, staring at Clark.

Clark stepped forward and held out a hand. “Um, hi! You must be Cat's roommate.”

The other man didn't acknowledge him, but instead looked around frantically. His gaze settled in the direction Cat had disappeared to. With a wordless yell, he stamped on the ground and reached over to the light-switch to begin flicking the lights on and off.

Cat ran back into the room, muttering under her breath: “You don't have to do that; I'm not the one who's deaf!”

The man set the groceries down on the coffee table, shoving some of the books aside, and turned to face Cat. With a look of distress, he launched into a flurry of complicated hand gestures, occasionally pointing at Clark.

Cat motioned for him to slow down.

He lowered his hands, then suddenly stiffened. With a glare, he waved two fingers back and forth between Cat and Clark, then—well, Clark had no idea if that next gesture was Sign Language, but it certainly needed no translation!

Clark felt his face warm up.

With an irritated look, Cat shook her head, then reached up and smacked newcomer on the back of his own. She looked over her shoulder at Clark. “Clark, this is my roommate.” She turned back to her roommate, who now looked rather contrite, and pointed to each of her shoulders. “We...” Her fingers moved back and forth. “...need to talk.”

*****

Jordan tried to keep calm. There was no doubt that his dad could tell his heart was pounding. Did he also know who Jordan was? Was that why he was here? He studied the man's face, but all he could discern was that his dad looked so very young...

Cat picked up the notepad from the table and jotted something down on it: “Tell him who you are?”

He shook his head and motioned for his father to leave. This was a bad idea and Cat knew it! So why—?

She wrote on the notepad again. “Gov't men at the Planet today looking for Superman”. After a thought, she added a word and turned the pad back around to show “HANDSY Gov't men”.

Appalled, Jordan immediately stepped towards her to see if she was alright.

She patted his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. “Fine,” she signed, then wrote another line on the paper. “HE needs to hide & we don't want them finding Anyone Else.” The last two words were underlined.

Jordan frowned. If the government just wanted Superman's help with something, it made no sense that his dad would be driven into hiding. Perhaps he was afraid that they wanted to use him as a weapon? But then, his parents had only ever mentioned one instance where Superman was approached about aiding the military: a sitting president had politely asked, and his dad had politely declined. None of this made sense...

Cat tapped the first line of the paper again. “Tell him who you are?”

He looked at his Dad again, his resolve fading. Maybe the timeline had already been broken, despite his efforts not to interfere? H.G. Wells clearly wasn't coming. Maybe his predicament was a job for Superman, after all. Maybe they could work together to figure out what went wrong and how to put it right again.

With a nod at Cat, Jordan straightened his shoulders. He turned to his dad and signed the words he'd practiced in the mirror since he was a kid: “My name is Red Tornado, and I'm here to help.”

His dad stared blankly at him.

The thought began to seep into Jordan's mind that his dad might not know any Sign Language yet.

His dad.

Couldn't sign.

For the first time since he'd realized he was in the early 90's, Jordan felt alone. It was one thing when he'd contacted Cat and found that she had to start from scratch; the older Ms. Grant had likewise chosen to learn after meeting him, so that was familiar. His own father, though... Jordan remembered some of his classmates who needed interpreters to talk to their own parents. It was a position he'd never envied, and now, here he was.

His dad studied his expression for a moment, then said something to Cat and took the notepad from her hands. He flipped to a clean page and wrote: “Hi. I'm Clark Kent. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?”

Jordan smiled a little and took the offered pad. “You can call me Red Tornado”, he wrote before handing it back.

His dad frowned at the page and looked at him in confusion. His mouth moved.

Jordan looked over at Cat, whose eyes sparkled with mischief, and a grin found its way onto his own face. He turned back to his dad, and then...spun. By the time he stopped, he was once again dressed in the red tights and head-covering mask that he'd first arrived in.

His dad's jaw dropped.

Cat started to say something, but then she and his dad both froze. His dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a strange, black device, and stared at it. After another exchange between the two of them, he went to the telephone, occasionally glancing back at Jordan.

Jordan took a deep breath. So far, he didn't feel like he was fading into nonexistence. That boded well, but he had no clue would happen next. As of now, the timeline had been thrown into a maelstrom of uncertainties, and there was nothing for it but to ride the storm.


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Comments, questions, and criticisms can all go here. smile


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Hi Mary!

Quote
“Anywhere but home!” Perry had ordered them. “Don't be where they can serve you!”
Clark stared at his desk.
So, will Clark have to bunk with Lois in a cozy motel off Interstate 287 since Cat is already getting busy with his son?

Quote
In the corner of his eye, he saw Cat appear next to him. She seemed to hesitate briefly before reaching out to touch his arm. “Since you're a man in hiding, why not come have dinner at my place?”
shock What she playing at? Trying to mend fences?

Quote
Cat had certainly been nothing other than friendly to him since his arrival at the Planet, but her reputation held that she was a man-eater.
Yeah, she’s an actual cougar, out to rob the cradle.

Quote
Perhaps this was the springing of a trap? “You and me?”
laugh

Quote
“Well...” Cat shrugged. “You, me, and possibly my roommate.”
Wah…? So, Clark and Cat and her … roommate. Most likely of the female persuasion?
LOIS: /squints/ Go on Clark! Go with Cat and her roommate. Have fun. razz

Quote
Some of the saucier stories about Cat sprang to the forefront of Clark's mind, and his eyebrows raised.
See?
CAT: /shrugs/ happens that my roommate is a charming guy…

Quote
“My male, straight roommate,” Cat clarified with a smirk.
See? Also, this doesn’t really help matters. Not really.

Quote
She rested a hand on his arm again. “Just come by. It'll be...interesting.”
Did you ever watch the TV show Lucifer a couple of years back?

Quote
Clark wasn't sure he was up for “interesting”, but...going home was not an option. What else could he do?
/points at Lois/

Quote
The art on the walls certainly had a theme to them that fit with what he knew of the woman, but the pieces were surprisingly tasteful.
More tasteful than the Targaryen wall tapestries in House of the Dragon?

Quote
A few more books rested on the coffee table, and Clark double-taked as he realized they were about time travel and quantum physics.
Cat has…varied interests.

Quote
Clark stepped forward and held out a hand. “Um, hi! You must be Cat's roommate.”
The other man didn't acknowledge him, but instead looked around frantically.
Cat never mentioned bringing Daddy home for dinner?

Quote
With a wordless yell, he stamped on the ground and reached over to the light-switch to begin flicking the lights on and off.
rotflol

Quote
With a look of distress, he launched into a flurry of complicated hand gestures, occasionally pointing at Clark.
Oh, this is so good. Wair, why doesn’t Clark do ASL?

Quote
He lowered his hands, then suddenly stiffened. With a glare, he waved two fingers back and forth between Cat and Clark, then—well, Clark had no idea if that next gesture was Sign Language, but it certainly needed no translation
No, Cat isn’t suggesting that Daddy joins them in the bedroom. What does he think his girlfriend is? Some kind of sex fiend?

LOIS: If the garter belt fits…

Quote
After a thought, she added a word and turned the pad back around to show “HANDSY Gov't men”.
laugh
JORDAN: laugh
CAT: Relax, your Dad’s still a virgin. They didn’t go *that* far.

Quote
But then, his parents had only ever mentioned one instance where Superman was approached about aiding the military: a sitting president had politely asked, and his dad had politely declined. None of this made sense...
So, Nightfall was strictly speaking scientists asking and not the government? And why did no one ever tell the kids about Trask?

Quote
Maybe his predicament was a job for Superman, after all. Maybe they could work together to figure out what went wrong and how to put it right again.
Clark could show Jordan how to fly at relativistic speeds. That way, Jordan would only be flying for a little while and be back in the future.

Quote
“My name is Red Tornado, and I'm here to help.”
His dad stared blankly at him.
Awwww, also, just how many people know ASL?

Quote
The thought began to seep into Jordan's mind that his dad might not know any Sign Language yet.
See?

Quote
His dad.
Couldn't sign.
Learned it for his boy, apparently.

Quote
It was one thing when he'd contacted Cat and found that she had to start from scratch; the older Ms. Grant had likewise chosen to learn after meeting him, so that was familiar.
And he’s worrying about breaking the timeline with his *dad*?

Quote
Jordan smiled a little and took the offered pad. “You can call me Red Tornado”, he wrote before handing it back.
His dad frowned at the page and looked at him in confusion. His mouth moved.
Yeah, he’s an alien. Give it some time and Kara might show up, too.

Quote
His dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a strange, black device, and stared at it.
It’s called a beeper. And it makes sound when someone wants to get in touch with you.

Quote
As of now, the timeline had been thrown into a maelstrom of uncertainties, and there was nothing for it but to ride the storm.
What’s the worst that could happen?
[Linked Image]

Comments: see above.
Question: when's the next part due?
Criticism: the next part is not up yet.

wave Michael


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Oh, look, Jordan and Cat are back.

Aww, poor confused Clark. Hearing from Cat's reputation and then being confronted with a Cat who acts...very differently, seems hard to sort out for him.
(Also, does the ability of making Cat more-or-ess monogamous counts as a super-power?)
So Cat sets things up between the two Kents so things get moved forward. I always thought her to be smarter than she acts on the outside...
Oh wow, Jordan has it hard. Of course, the reality sinking in that his dad can't even sign yet must be a gut punch. I assume he's used to him being able to for all his life and for everything that has gone wrong in their communication in his own time (I still think there is something that happened), at least they *could* talk.
That said, I'm semi-surprised CLark doesn't already know it. Like he starts out at the DP konwing 300+ languages at least in basics, and has been al around the world. So did he never had to interact with a deaf/mute person? Well, probably not, there are not TOO many of these.
Also, one really gets to wonder what's the backstory between Jordan and Cat. It appears that even in his own time, Jordan has a somewhat close relationship wo "his" Cat (though, he refers to her as Ms. Grant so it's probably more "professoinal" and less...ah...intimate), but one wonders how that came to be, given that at the point he'd be born, Cat already was out of the lives of his parents for quite some time - plus wha tmakes her so specila to Jordan/why is she so invested into him that she would take up the effort of learning sign language (both in the future and the present)? Hmm...
Ah, so...surprise Clark??! HEre's a Kryptonian for you. And, not to mention before he even knows about Krypton. Ohh that will be...interesting. (I don't think he even is close to the family-relation discovery yet, cause that's just not osmething people consider a possibility lol)
Oh and "Red Tornado"? Wasn't that this android from Young Justice who became Conner's mentor/guardian?
Anyway, another great one. I find it impressive how you are always able to make so many implicatoins in these short pieces.


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Hey guys! wave

Originally Posted by Darth
Awwww, also, just how many people know ASL?

You got me curious, so I looked it up: According to a National Health survey, less than 3% of adults can sign. Deaf people moreso than hearing, and women moreso than men.

Originally Posted by BP
Oh and "Red Tornado"? Wasn't that this android from Young Justice who became Conner's mentor/guardian?

I admit, this is at least the second time I straight-up stole a pre-existing superhero identity. The name and his being mistaken for a robot are references to the other character. Also, the bit with him wearing a pot and an apron was a only-nerds-will-know reference to the *original* 1940's Red Tornado, who was a comedic character and secretly a woman. smile


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Originally Posted by Queen of the Capes
I admit, this is at least the second time I straight-up stole a pre-existing superhero identity. The name and his being mistaken for a robot are references to the other character. Also, the bit with him wearing a pot and an apron was a only-nerds-will-know reference to the *original* 1940's Red Tornado, who was a comedic character and secretly a woman. smile

I mean...Jordan is, AFAIK, a name usable for both genders. (Gen V made profit from that too) So...is this intentional then?


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Originally Posted by BlindPassenger
I mean...Jordan is, AFAIK, a name usable for both genders. (Gen V made profit from that too) So...is this intentional then?

Oh, I only meant I stole the name "Red Tornado". I don't think either version of the character was named Jordan


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Yeah sure, I got that much. Just, in light of the last sentence, that made me thinking/I tried to be funny about that...


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Whaaa??? Came to the party late and now I'm frantically looking for the first story in the series.... To quote Ron Weasley, "Always good value!"

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Woah! They say truth is stranger than fiction but I have my doubts when QotC is involved. The show Cat was an underutilized asset for sure. I love this!

Last edited by Shallowford; 07/08/24 04:32 PM.

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