TOC is
Here.
----------
“Gorhennain, what—?” Owen's question was lost in a pained gasp as he dropped to his knees, arms still wrapped around Jamie, holding him close. Lilly was barely visible under Emma's huddled form, but her terrified scream rang out through the lobby. Lon-Ze lay on the floor, unconscious.
Lois turned back to Tempus, who was now holding up some kind of device. Twinkling green lights played over the walls behind him, and on a nearby sign, the words “Brighter Future” shone with the evil glow of Kryptonite. He brought his free hand over an ear, wincing. “Quite a set of lungs on that kid; must be genetic.”
“Tempus.” Lois glared.
Tempus rolled his eyes. “Well, duh. Although, as often as you lose your memory, I should probably be surprised that you remember who *you* are, let alone who *I* am.” He straightened and slipped the device into an inner pocket of his vest. “Anyway: Lois, what a surprise! No, really, I never would have thought Herb would dare to bring you to your future, what with all the spoilers and everything. Is the boy-scout going to be crashing this little party too? I would love to get his opinion on the decor.” He smirked.
Lois blinked. Tempus thought that Wells had brought her? She cleared the surprise from her face and stepped towards him, arms folded in front of her chest, trying to project the confidence and authority that came from actually having backup. “It's over, Tempus. Turn the gizmo off and just come quietly.”
Perhaps it was a mercy that the question of 'coming with her where' wouldn't need to be answered. Tempus stared at her for a moment, and then his grin grew wider. “Nope! Not gonna happen, not when I'm this close to finally getting rid of that sickeningly saccharine society that your brain-dead family barfed up.”
He reached into a holster under the other side of his vest and pulled out an old flint-lock pistol. “You know, it's kind of perfect, actually: I don't mind telling you this, but this plan was actually at the bottom of the barrel. All those clever attempts to destroy you, him, your marriage...they just didn't seem to be getting me anywhere. I was actually disappointed in myself, having to resort to a boring old mass-murder.” He leveled the gun at her. “But now, here you are to save the day, which means I get to end you right here, at the beginning of it all! It's beautifully ironic, and you know how much I love...” He trailed off, his attention now on something behind her. “...irony?”
Lois chanced a glance backward, fully turning around once her brain began to register what she was seeing: Lilly was floating. She hovered above the prone bodies of her family members, her pale skin having taken on a greenish tint, and her eyes held an eerie, emerald glow. As Lois watched, the glow intensified into a beam that struck the pistol. The gun dropped to the floor, and Tempus clutched his hand as though it had been burned.
“Tempus.” Lilly turned her glare onto him, and he immediately shrank back. “Leave my family alone.”
Tempus raised his hands in surrender. “Of course, of course!” He stepped backwards. “I'll leave...right now!” His hand darted to his belt, and suddenly an impossible gap in the empty space behind him stretched open.
Instinct propelled Lois forward. “Get the re—” The gap closed over Tempus, and she found herself standing on the spot where he had once been. “—mote.”
“What do we do?!” Lilly stood at Lois's elbow, staring up at her. Her glowing eyes were far less intimidating in her frightened expression.
Lois glanced around at the Kryptonite laced throughout the room and looked once more at her suffering descendants. “Stairwell.” She ran over to Owen, gathering Jamie from his arms. The boy whimpered in pain without opening his eyes.
Owen let out a groan and stirred.
“Owen? Can you stand?”
He muttered what sounded like “Superman” and struggled up to his knees.
Lois turned back to Lilly, who stood frozen where Lois had left her. “Lilly, pick your father up and come with me.”
The girl blinked at her, nodded, and went to Lon-Ze. After a moment's hesitation, she lifted the man as though he weighed nothing. “Woah!”
Lois rammed her shoulder against the stairwell door and carried Jamie inside, laying him on the bottom of the rising steps.
Lilly's voice echoed in the narrow space. “Ancestor, what's happening?!”
“Your first super rescue, apparently.” The corner of Lois's mouth twitched. “Come on, your mom and grandpa next.”
Lilly propped her father against the far wall, wincing as he slumped over onto the floor, and followed Lois back into the lobby.
Surprisingly, Owen had managed to stand, though he leaned heavily against the wall and seemed about to collapse. Lois grabbed his arm and flung it around her shoulders. “I've got your grandfather; you get your mom!” Owen was much heavier than he looked, but did his best to try to walk with her. They managed a slow shuffle, and Lilly ended up passing them with Emma in her arms.
The stair landing was officially crowded by the time the door shut behind them. Owen slowly folded himself into a sitting position next to his daughter, keeping his knees close to his chest; stretching out his legs would have kicked either Emma or Lon-Ze down into the basement. After several deep breaths, he shook his head. “That...brings back memories. Not good ones...mind you...but...memories.” He shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Lois was in the presence of Superman. “All right: the baddies are gone, and we're out of danger. Is anyone injured?”
Lilly crouched on the step below Emma, her eyes still green and shimmering. “Mom, Dad, and Jamie aren't waking up!” She sniffled.
Lois looked from Owen to the green, glowing child. “Um, Owen? How do you feel, right now?”
He took another breath. “Like my aches and pains have their own aches and pains, but I don't feel like there's Kryptonite in the room since that's what you're really asking.” He looked around at the unconscious members of his family. “Still, we'll have to get the others to Bobby Clark, and quick should be quicker.”
Lois nodded, assessing their position in the stairwell. Going out the front door was clearly not an option, and unless the layout of the building had changed considerably since her time, there were no exits in the basement. They would need to somehow get everyone up one flight and then over to the parking garage; or, if one of them could go up to the roof and yell—
Lilly's voice interrupted her thoughts. “I'll call Superman.” She whipped out the device Lois had seen earlier, and Lois stared as the girl soon began conversing with a hologram of a man who had apparently just gotten into his pajamas.
Four seconds after the conversation ended, a voice called down from higher up the stairwell. “Lilly?”
The girl stood. “Down here!”
Owen leaned forward a little. “We're all here, Brian.”
The man from the hologram—Brian, apparently—floated down the steps, now in the familiar attire of Superman. Halfway down the stairs above them, he stopped, eyes widening. “Lois Lane?!”
“In the flesh.” An awkward laugh escaped her.
Brian's eyes flicked to Owen. “Are we in trouble? I thought Lois Lane only shows up when we're in trouble!”
Lois's cheeks felt warm.
Owen wheezed. “You might say trouble and a half. She came to rescue Lilly, and then got us all away from a madman who booby-trapped the museum with Kryptonite!”
“Kryptonite? Actual, real Kryptonite?!” His eyebrows rose. He stared at the door they'd all come through, then let out a low whistle. “Is it that green stuff, out there? Whoa!” He looked at Lilly, blinking in surprise. “And it didn't hurt you?”
Lilly shook her head. “It felt...nice, actually. Kind of warm and a little tingly.” She floated up to hover beside Superman. “I can even fly, now!”
The shock on the man's face soon morphed into a warm smile. “Well, that's quite something, isn't it? I'll bet the doctors at Bobby will ask a lot of questions about that, but first, how would you like to be an honorary Ultrawoman for the day?”
She gasped and nodded enthusiastically.
Superman cleared his throat and looked around. “All right, first things first: I don't see or hear anyone else in the building, do you?”
Lilly looked around carefully, then shook her head. “No.”
“Good.” The superhero smiled at her. “So nobody is trying to hurt us, and we know that everyone is safe. Now, is anyone hurt?”
Her lip wobbled. “Y-y-yes! Everyone!” She started to cry.
Superman reached over and rubbed her back while making shushing noises. “Don't worry, we'll help them. Now, since there's only two of us, this will be tricky, but we'll manage. We've got to figure out who to take first, and that means figuring out who needs help the most.” He pointed to Jamie. “We can take Jamie with us, because he's a little kid, and little kids need more help than adults. Are you able to carry him?”
Lilly nodded, brushed her tears with her sleeve, and lifted Jamie into her arms.
“Great!” The man motioned to Owen. “Now, this elderly man—”
“Hey!” Owen sat up a little straighter and shook his fist. “Watch how you end that sentence, or I'll start educating you on what it's like to go toe-to-toe with a predecessor, you fresh-cape!”
Lilly giggled in spite of her tears. Given the twinkle in each of the men's eyes, Lois had a feeling that was the goal.
Superman cleared his throat. “I was about to say, this elderly man clearly does not need our help, being that he is awake and able to pick fights.”
Owen nodded. “Back in my day, Kryptonite was still a job hazard: the first time was always a slam from the devil's sledgehammer, no matter who you thought you were; but after a few encounters, you'd start to keep going for longer and get up again quicker.”
“So, that just leaves your parents.” Superman picked up Lon-Ze and threw him over one shoulder, then did the same for Emma before looking back to Lois and Owen. “If I can't come back for you myself, I'll send someone else.”
“Sounds fine.” Owen waved him off. “Make sure you stay close to him, Wyres!”
“Yes, Taid!” Lilly shifted her grip on her brother and followed Superman in floating up the steps. In seconds, the two were out of sight. A minute later, the soft slam of a door reached them from far above.
Owen leaned his head back against the wall and brought a hand over his eyes.
“Owen?” Lois knelt beside him. “Are you really okay?”
He lowered his hand again, exposing the dampness on his cheeks. “I...I'll be alright, really. It's just...” His breath had a slight shudder. “That stuff. There's a misconception that we never have to deal with pain, and I'll admit that even the youngsters tend to go through less of it than other kids their age. But, Kryptonite...” He turned to Lois, and the heartbreak in his eyes nearly crushed her. “I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, Gorhennain, let alone on my little girl and the kids. It's a feeling you'll never know, like every atom of your body is on fire. And poor Jamie, he's just such a little thing...too young to have to go through something like that...” He swallowed. “...And it's what Lilly will start going through again if we don't get her inside before the sun comes up. Gorhennain, it's just too much...”
Lois pulled Owen into a hug.
For a while, neither spoke. When Owen finally pulled away, he gave Lois a watery smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “Thank you. And...thank you for coming back. You do seem to have a way of following the trouble.”
She chuckled. “I've been told that trouble follows *me*.”
The sound of a door opening echoed above them, and Superman soon landed next to Lois. “Are you two ready?”
“Almost.” Owen scrubbed at his eyes with one hand before struggling to stand.
Brian reached forward and helped him to his feet. “They're going to be fine, Owen.” He smiled. “In fact, Jamie is already asking for you. Apparently you promised him a story?”
**********
TBC
