I thought I'd give you parts five and six together. I hope you enjoy them.
PREVIOUSLY IN LOST...
Lois stared at the officer for a long moment before looking up into the sky, to the spot where Clark Kent had been only moments before and her heart went out to him. ‘I’m sure Superman’s fine.’ She suspected that was how the entire world saw him - as fine, above the hurts and pains of normal humans. But that was not what she saw. She saw a man who was in serious pain. Dealing with things like the death of that woman would be hard enough without having people blaming him for it. But it wasn’t his fault. Did he know that?
It suddenly occurred to her that all that crap she’d spouted to David had been utter nonsense. She wasn’t entirely sure what had changed her mind. The expression on Kent’s face when he’d been carrying that woman? No. It had happened before then. In fact, were she to narrow down the moment her thinking had changed, it had been the moment she’d realized that he’d actually flown. With all those powers, he could easily rule the word. Yet the history books showed nothing of the sort. He was a good man - trying to help the best way he knew how.
She glanced over at the press who were calling in their stories or heading back to their respective papers - and found herself despising them. Was not one of them his champion? Did they not see what they were doing to that good man?
She glanced back into the air, wondering once again if there was anyone out there who gave him the support he desperately needed. And if not, was it any wonder he’d simply disappeared after only three years?
AND NOW...
* * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER 5
* * * * * * * * *
Lois stood, still trembling, on the street when the cabby finally dropped her off at the Daily Planet. That had been... an experience. More scary than taking the Tornado Drop at the carnival when she was a kid. The way that man had swerved between cars, his hand almost constantly on the horn, had resulted in Lois grasping the seat in front of her to maintain her balance. It had been... fun, she suddenly realized. And now that she had survived the experience, she wanted to do it again.
Pushing that thought aside for now - she would have another chance when she returned to Klein... uhh... Star Labs - she focused on the building before her. Nervous, she pulled her cap further down on her forehead, wondering if there was some way she could find out if Kent was inside before she entered. She really didn’t want to run into him. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before an idea hit her.
She stepped into the lobby and looked around, spotting an old-fashioned telephone on the wall. She studied it for a moment. There was no thumb pad. She removed the receiver, but it was dead. Either the phone was broken or she needed something to make it work. Suddenly, she realized the problem. She walked over to the confectionary. “Could you tell me where I get tokens for the phone?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“The phone? Tokens?”
“They just take a quarter for a local call.”
Lois’ eyebrows rose. Only a quarter? She reached into her pocket and sorted through the change as she made her way to the nearest phone. Using the phone book, she found the number for the Daily Planet. After a moment of trying to tell the phone the number she wanted to call, and having the phone ignore her, she figured out that she had to punch the number into the keypad. “Can I speak to Clark Kent?” she asked when a voice answered.
“Could you hold please?”
When she didn’t respond, the person asked the question again. It suddenly occurred to her that she was talking to a real person not a computer. “Oh, sure.”
As she was waiting, she spotted a television playing behind the confectionary counter. “Is that live?” she asked, attracting the attention of the woman she’d spoken to earlier.
It took the woman a moment to realize what was being asked. “Yeah,” she confirmed.
Lois hung up the phone and made her way over to the counter, her eyes riveted to the sight of Superman battling a large fire at a chemical factory. “Would you mind turning that up?” Lois asked.
The woman immediately did and together the two of them watched Superman fight the fire.
“He’s impressive, isn’t he?” the woman said.
Lois nodded.
“I thank god every day that he came into our lives. You know that he works here, don’t you?”
“I think I heard that somewhere.”
“Such a nice guy. Always takes the time to say hello. I’m the one who holds on to his mail during the day. Although, how he manages to go through it all every night is a mystery to me. But he must ‘cause you know what they say: write a letter to Superman, get a reply.”
“He gets mail here?”
The woman nodded, pointing at two large burlap sacks sitting behind the counter. “Hundreds of letters and packages. I just can’t imagine how he does it all - work, Superman duties and going though all of these every day.”
“Maybe he has friends who help him.”
The woman considered that thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen him with anyone - other than for work-related things. But not just to head out to the bar with the guys or... things like that.”
Lois looked back the screen where Superman was still working hard. Realizing this was her chance to check out the Daily Planet without running into Clark Kent, she said good-bye to the woman and headed for the elevators.
* * * * * * * * *
“Kent! Where the hell is that boy?”
Lois didn’t recognize the man whose voice boomed through the newsroom. Although, it was fairly obvious who the man must be - the person who had taken over as editor when Perry White left to be mayor. And by the way he was currently yelling for his absent reporter, he seemed to have settled in fairly well in the past three years.
“He’s...”
“Well!” the man demanded when the young woman seemed unable to continue. “Well!” the man demanded again. “Speak up, girl.”
The woman pointed to a television camera. “He’s there, Mr. Carpenter.”
Carpenter turned and looked at the screen, snorting slightly when he saw the hero on the screen. “Well, maybe he’ll at least save the story for the Daily Planet this time!” With that, Carpenter found another victim for whatever task he had for Kent and then headed towards the elevator.
Lois couldn’t help it. In fact, she didn’t even try. She took off the cap and sunglasses and fell into pace beside him, entering the elevator when he did. Someone else approached, as if he would join them. Whether it was the glare Lois gave him or the man beside her, Lois didn’t know. But he suddenly seemed to have forgotten something and need to head back to his desk.
Lois waited until the doors closed. “You must be Mr. Carpenter,” Lois said, trying to inject as much awe into her voice as she could.
The man looked over at her, running his eyes down the full length of her body before meeting her eyes.
“I’m Preston Carpenter,” the man responded.
Lois marveled over the amount of silent communication that seemed to be happening between them. There was no doubting from Carpenter’s tone that he found her attractive.
“Are you interested in the news business?”
Lois gave him her best wide-eyed expression. “Oh, yes. I’ve wanted to be a reporter ever since I was a little girl. But...” She shrugged. “Somehow there’s always a man to get in the way.”
“Well, that’s our loss,” Carpenter said right on cue.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. People were waiting to get in, but Lois and Carpenter continued standing there, just looking at each other, Lois playing the star-struck fan.
“Listen,” Carpenter said thoughtfully, “what do you say I buy you some lunch and we can talk about your problem.”
“You’d really do that for me?” Lois asked.
“Certainly. I think it’s such a shame that you were never able to realize your dream. Maybe I can help.”
Lois gave him her largest, most innocent smile. “That would be wonderful, Mr. Carpenter.”
“Please. Call me Preston.”
Lois smiled again before turning and walking off the elevator. She didn’t have to see him to know that he had let her walk off first so that he could observe her buttocks. She smiled to herself, this time a genuine smile. She still had it. Jeans and a sweater - and she still had it. He was like putty in her hands.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois licked her lips, thoroughly savoring what was undoubtedly the best food and the best champagne she’d ever eaten. It was certainly the most expensive. Hey, if Carpenter was paying, why not? It wasn’t as if she would ever give him what he thought he was paying for. All she wanted was a little information. And after listening to him go on about his ‘big plans’ for the Daily Planet, she had a pretty good idea who she was dealing with and how to handle him - in essence, to feed his ego.
She had to wonder though if James Olsen, the Daily Planet’s owner, had any idea about this man’s ambitions. Carpenter saw the paper as a way to influence and shape public opinion - as opposed to using it to bring truth to the American public. If Lois had actually been looking for a job, she wouldn’t accept one working for this man. Daily Planet or not.
“So...” said Carpenter, leaning across the table to place his hand over hers. “...what do you say we meet again for dinner to discuss this job possibility further?”
Lois smiled. “Preston,” she said, looking at him through her eyelashes, “I’m afraid I can’t tonight. I’ve got other plans.”
“I hope you’re not going out with another one of those guys who’s been holding you back. You should be with a man who can make your dreams come true.”
Lois had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Please! Who did this guy think he was anyway? Randolph Hearst? “No. Nothing like that. It’s my mother. She’s expecting me for dinner. But another time would be nice.” She didn’t bother telling him that by tonight she’d be back in 2157 where he could never reach her.
“Uhh...” Preston said, obviously slightly appeased. “...well, we can’t let mother down, can we?”
Lois shook her head. She took another fork full of chocolate cake and ate it before getting down to the reason she’d brought him here. “So tell me what it’s like to have Superman working for you. It’s got to be intimidating. I mean knowing that he can burn you to a crisp just by looking at you the wrong way.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that, my dear. I can handle Superman.”
“You can?” She gave him her wide eyed innocent look again.
“He might be Superman, but I make sure he tows the line.”
“But with him being gone so often...”
“We have a deal. I give him space to attend rescues during working hours. Olsen insisted on that.” The final phrase was said in such a way that Lois had no doubt that Carpenter wasn’t thrilled with the idea. “But I make sure he knows that I expect him to make up every minute he’s gone.”
“So if he’s gone all day, doing rescues, you expect him to... what?”
“Work all night if he has to. The Daily Planet is no one’s free ride. Not even Superman’s. Not even if Olsen says that he brings in a large number of readers. Don’t worry, my dear. I’m in control of Superman.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Now if only I could find a way to keep him from giving our best stories to other papers,” he muttered under his breath as he stabbed a piece of cake with his fork.
Lois had to bite her tongue to keep from responding.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois had to admit, she was relieved when she finally managed to dump Carpenter. If ever there was a leech, it was that man. She wondered if he would dock his pay for taking a... She glanced at a clock on the wall. ...two and a half hour lunch break. Still, she had to admit that the food had been good - and she had been starving. She wasn’t entirely sure when the last time was that she had eaten. Her days and nights had gotten hopelessly mixed up with all the time jumping.
Still, after she got rid of Carpenter, and shook off the slime left in his wake, she sat down on a park bench across from the Daily Planet and pulled out her palm computer. She wasn’t entirely sure, but she suspected the advanced electronics would work here. At least... it couldn’t hurt to try.
“Computer, access the Daily Planet archives,” she said before leaning back to enjoy the beautiful sunny day. She was fairly certain the internet had existed in 1996. And if the Daily Planet was on line, this might work. Even though the Daily Planet archives which existed in 2157 were already downloaded into her computer, a lot of records from 2014 and earlier had been lost or damaged during the war. She needed access to the Daily Planet archives today.
“Daily Planet archives have a different configuration, Ms. L,” the computer responded after a couple of minutes.
“Are you able to reset parameters to compensate?” Lois asked.
“I should be able to do so. It will, however, take a few minutes. Are you prepared to wait?”
“That’s fine.” Lois glared at one woman who looked at her curiously, causing the woman to scurry away without comment.
While she waited for her computer to tell her it had access, Lois thought about what she had learned so far. None of it was good. No support through official channels, according to Henderson. Minimal support at work. No known friends. Of course, that might not be true. After all, her source for that piece of information was not exactly... knowledgeable. On the other hand, with the hours he appeared to be working...
“Reconfiguration complete, Ms. L,” the computer informed her. “Would you like to run a search?”
“Three searches actually,” Lois responded before pausing to think what she wanted searched. “First, give me any references to Superman or Clark Kent that you didn’t obtain during previous searches.” That search should tell her about any information on Kent that had been unavailable during her search in the future. “Second, run an analysis of the time used by Clark Kent to fulfill his Superman duties.”
“That might not be exact since some of these articles don’t say how long Superman took to do a particular task.”
“Analyze those tasks where you can determine a time frame and from that estimate the remainder of the tasks,” Lois instructed. She wanted to know how much time Superman had to use to ‘catch up’ on his work as a result of his Superman duties. Did Kent even have any private time? Time to recharge. Time to develop friendships. Or even time to go for a beer with the guys after work.
“I’ve begun both of those searches, Ms. L. What was your third search?”
“Oh, right,” Lois responded. “Find out everything you can about Preston Carpenter, editor of the Daily Planet in 1999. And organize it into something... comprehensible.”
“Certainly, Ms. L. would you like me to confine my search to the Daily Planet archives? Or should I search for other sources of information as well?”
“Use any and all sources of information, including your own stored sources from the Daily Planet archives in 2157.”
“Very well, Ms. L.”
Lois leaned back, closing her eyes. She wondered what people had done for research before the invention of the palm computer.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois skidded down further onto the bench, pulling the peak of her baseball cap down to cover her face when she heard a familiar voice at the newsstand right behind her.
“Hey, Jack. How’s it going?” Kent said.
“Good, Clark. Want the usual?”
“Of course,” Kent responded.
Lois held up her palm computer, using the shiny surface like a mirror to see what was going on behind her. She had to admit to a high degree of curiosity about what the usual was. A news magazine? A sports magazine? Maybe a pornography magazine? She was shocked when she saw Kent pull out some money to buy a copy of the Daily Planet. He could get all the free ones he wanted just inside that door.
“I liked your article about global warming,” the young man informed him.
“Thank you, Jack.” As Jack went to hand his customer his change, he missed Kent’s hand and the money went spilling all over the sidewalk. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Jack said, rushing to get out from behind the newsstand to collect the money.
“That’s okay, Jack. I’ve got it,” Kent said, leaning over to get the change.
Lois, Kent and Jack seemed to hear it at the exact same moment. The distinctive sound of material ripping. Kent froze for a moment. Almost before Lois could determine that Kent had ripped his trousers when he’d bent over, the sounds of people running in their direction could be heard. A moment later, Lois was stunned when Kent was surrounded by a couple dozen people, all attempting to take pictures of his posterior.
Paparazzi.
Lois gasped. She hadn’t even realized they were around until the moment they figured they had a chance to get the shot of the day. Superman with a rip in the seat of his trousers. She caught sight of Kent’s face just for an instant before he turned towards the members of the press, attempting to keep his dignity in tact as he headed across the street towards the Daily Planet. It was a look of utter pain.
“Have you put on weight, Superman?” one member of the yellow press called after him.
“Do you buy your clothes from sweatshops, Superman?” another yelled. “Is that why they aren’t good quality?”
Lois cringed. After Superman disappeared through the doors, Lois could no longer contain herself. Enough was enough. Rising to her feet, she approached the man who had asked about Superman’s weight. The man was at least two times as big as she. Still, grabbing him by the sleeve, she managed to spin him towards her.
“Have you no shame?” she hissed at him. “That man is trying to help all of you. And this is how you repay him?”
“Hey, I’m just trying to do my job, lady,” the reporter said, quickly breaking away.
Still, Lois stood there, glaring at all of them until they found other things to do.
“Hey, good going.”
Lois glanced at the young man. “Jack, isn’t it?”
Jack nodded.
“Does he buy his paper here often?”
“Every day.”
“And is it always like this?” She gestured to the paparazzi who could still be seen lurking around the front door of the Daily Planet.
“Usually it’s worse,” Jack responded.
Lois glanced up at the roof of the Daily Planet. “Why doesn’t he just land up there? He could avoid all of this.”
“He said something about insurance problems with him landing on the roof,” Jack said before heading on to help another customer.
Lois stared at the roof for a long time before heading back to her park bench. “Computer, run one more check for me,” she said.
“Certainly, Ms. L.”
“Find the insurance policy or policies on the Daily Planet. I want to know if there is anything in them that would prevent Superman from landing on the roof.” She didn’t know anything for certain. Still, given Carpenter’s attitude towards Superman, if she were a betting woman... No. She was getting ahead of herself. First, she needed to figure out the facts. Then she could begin making the accusations.
Still, there was one more thing she needed to do. She headed across the street and entered the Daily Planet lobby.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois sat on the chair staring at the article she’d just finished typing up on Dr. Klein’s old fashioned computer. She wasn’t entirely sure what she should do with it - or, more importantly, what she was going to do with it. Philip Klein had made it very clear that nothing should or could be done that would change the past. And really, was there any point in sending this in if it didn’t change things? Still, she didn’t know how to do nothing when something offended her sense of justice. And this certainly did.
She reached over and picked up one of the handful of letters she’d stolen from Superman’s mail bags. Oh, of course, she’d read the fan mail and the requests from charities for a Superman appearance. She rolled her eyes when she’d found a pair of lace panties and smiled at the kid inviting Superman to her birthday party. But the letter she was staring at right now was the one that got her blood boiling. Hate mail. It was the final straw which had led Lois to seek out a keyboard. No one - no one should ever have to read something like this. At the very least, someone other than Superman should be going through his mail.
‘How dare you call yourself Superman! You’re not a man of any sort - super or common. Quit pretending that you are. Men have souls. You’re nothing more than a thing. I’m glad that your parents and the rest of your kind were killed when Krypton exploded. I only wish you had died with them. It’s also your fault that those human traitors, Martha and Jonathan Kent, died. God was punishing them for trying to hide you among us - making us think that you are one of us. You say you stand for truth. But you’re nothing but a liar and a fraud. Go back to wherever you came from. And if you can’t go there, then go to hell!’
Lois’ temper had flared as she’d read the letter. How many of these did he receive? The thought of his having to look at ignorant comments like this one made her feel sick inside. How dare they do this to that gentle man?
And so... she’d written the story. Not that she’d limited her remarks to having someone going through his mail. Her computer had informed her that there was nothing in the Daily Planet insurance that would prevent Superman from landing on the roof so he could avoid the paparazzi. She’d also torn a strip off the paparazzi - and anyone who bought those magazines. She’d made it clear that the Earth had been given a great gift and that gift should be cherished. In fact, if she could ever be accused of writing a P.R. piece, this would be it. But to see that good man, a man who was sacrificing so much for the welfare of others, being treated the way he was... God, from the computer analysis, he didn’t even have time these days for a life. No time to make friends. No time to recharge. Between his Superman duties and his responsibilities at the Daily Planet, the man was going almost all the time. It was no wonder Superman had decided it wasn’t worth it and disappeared after only three years.
Three years. Suddenly, she was struck by another thought. It was May 8th, 1999. So... when exactly had Superman disappeared?
“Computer,” she said suddenly, “when was the last day anyone saw or heard from Clark Kent or Superman made any sort of appearance?”
“May 11th, 1999”
Three days from now. Lois thought about that before looking back at her story. Did she dare? She had listed herself as a freelance reporter so there was no guarantee that anyone would even run it. Of course, she had no intention of sending it to the Daily Planet. Carpenter would never run it. Still, would it make a difference if she sent it to the Star?
On the other hand, if it did make a difference, would her world even survive? Did she have any right to do this? And given time’s inclination to protect itself, how would it punish her this time for trying to change the past? Would it send her to yet another time? And if so, how would Philip Klein find her?
“It’s almost midnight,” Dr. Bernard Klein reminded her.
Clicking the save button on the computer, she shut it down. She needed to think about this.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois paced around the lab, looking at the clock on the wall every few seconds. It was already twenty minutes after twelve. So where the hell was he?
“I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” Bernard Klein said, trying to reassure her. “Maybe he’s running a little behind schedule.”
Lois just stared at the older man. Even if Philip was running behind schedule, that didn’t explain him being late. After all, no matter how late he was, he’d just set the time machine for midnight, May 8th - or was that the 9th? - 1999 and he’d be here at midnight.
* * * * * * * * *
Adrianne Cooper looked up when a man walked through the front entrance of Klein Labs. His double-breasted suit said ‘money.’ He was probably here about the hostile takeover. She watched as he stepped up to the reception desk.
“Can I help you?” she asked coldly.
“Yes. I have a delivery for Dr. Klein.”
She eyed him for a moment before picking up the phone. “Klein’s office,” she said into it, not taking her eyes off the well-dressed stranger. She listened for a moment before handing up the phone. “I’m afraid Dr. Klein is not to be disturbed.”
“This is really important. I work for the law offices of Stein, Hoffman and Butz. I was told to bring this and deliver it to Dr. Philip Klein in person.” He held up a well-worn envelope.
Adrianne eyed it suspiciously. “I can make sure he gets it.”
“Are you sure there’s no way for me to get it to him personally?”
“Not at this time. Of course, you could try back tomorrow.”
The man looked at the letter for a moment, undecided, before shrugging his shoulders. “You look trustworthy to me,” he said before handing her the letter and giving her his best smile.
She watched as he turned and headed for the door. She waited until he was gone before tossing the letter into her inbox.
“Who was that?”
Adrianne turned when she heard Stan Johnson enter the room behind her. She was glad he was early for his shift today. She had plans. “No one. Just some lawyer.”
Stan took a seat on the corner of the desk, accidently knocking over the inbox in the process. “Oops,” he said before both he and Adrianne bent down on the floor to pick everything up.
“Is that all of it?” Adrianne asked when they finished.
“Yep,” Stan responded. “So you’ve got your daughter’s play today?”
Adrianne nodded. “She’s got a big role, too. She’s going to be a tomato.”
Stan smiled. “Sounds like you’re in for a treat.”
Adrianne laughed as she grabbed her purse and headed out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Stan waved her away before sitting down at the desk completely unaware that between the desk and the counter was a solitary letter in a well-worn envelope.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois stormed out of Star Labs, a number of papers grasped firmly in her hand. The sun had risen and there was still no sign of Philip Klein coming to rescue her. She was tired of playing the damsel in distress. It was time she took charge of her own life - her own future.
She looked up and down the street, spotting a cab. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she let out a high-pitched whistle and the cab pulled over to the curb.
“Ms. Lewis!” A breathless Dr. Bernard Klein emerged onto the sidewalk just as she opened the cab door.
“I’m doing this, Dr. Klein,” she said as she climbed inside the car.
He rushed over, squatting beside the open door to talk to her. She stared straight ahead. It didn’t matter what he said. If this was the only way to get home, then this was what she was going to do. And even if it didn’t get her home because it did nothing to change history, then she’d still have the satisfaction of speaking out.
“Ms. Lewis,” Klein said in a voice that was meant to be reassuring, “there’s no need to do something rash. I’m sure if I send another letter... maybe more than one to different law firms, one of them will get through.”
“This is quicker,” Lois responded.
“But we don’t know what the consequences of your actions might be. If you jumped to this time instead of going home, there has to be a reason. Maybe time isn’t protecting itself the way it should. Or maybe there’s a flaw in the machine that sent you here. Either way, I don’t think you should jump in without...”
“...checking the water level first?” Lois completed for him. She smiled. “If you knew me at all, Dr. Klein, you’d know that’s what I do best.” She reached over and grabbed the doorhandle, pulling it closed as Dr. Klein scooted to get out of the way.
“Metropolis Star,” she said to the cabby, giving Dr. Klein no more than a passing glance as the cab pulled away from the curb. If trying to change time was the only way for her to get back home, then that was exactly what she was going to do. And if this article didn’t work, well then, she’d just have to think of something else. Because even if she had to jump forward three years at a time, she was going home! There was no way she was going to stay in a time when she couldn’t make changes, couldn’t expose corruption, couldn’t make things better. No. That was no life. She might not exactly feel at home in 2157, but the longer she was in 1999, the more she realized that she could at least make a difference in the future. She had to go back.
* * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER 6
* * * * * * * * *
Lois sat across from the editor of the Metropolis Star, trying to keep from wringing her hands. She wasn’t entirely sure she had ever been quite this nervous before. He would read a few sentences of her article before looking up and examining her. Then he’d return to the article. Finally, he set it down.
“Do you have proof of this conversation with Preston Carpenter?” he asked.
Lois removed her palm computer and, hit the silence button. From what she’d learned so far, computer-generated voices, particularly ones that had the ability to communicate rather than just give a statement, were not exactly common during this time period - if they even existed. Satisfied that the computer wouldn’t do anything other than what she asked, she pressed the appropriate buttons to give the recording of the final part of her discussion with Carpenter. Setting it on the desk, and hoping he wouldn’t look at it too closely, she let it play.
“So tell me what it’s like to have Superman working for you.” Lois’ voice sounded loud and clear in the small room. “It’s got to be intimidating. I mean knowing that he can burn you to a crisp just by looking at you the wrong way.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that. I can handle Superman.” The voice was clearly that of Preston Carpenter.
“You can?”
“He might be Superman, but I make sure he tows the line.”
“But with him being gone so often...”
“We have a deal. I give him space to attend rescues during working hours. Olsen insisted on that. But I make sure he knows that I expect him to make up every minute he’s gone.”
“So if he’s gone all day, doing rescues, you expect him to... what?”
“Work all night if he has to. The Daily Planet is no one’s free ride. Not even Superman’s. Not even if Olsen says that he brings in a large number of readers. Don’t worry, my dear. I’m in control of Superman.” There was a small pause before his final muttered comment. “Now if only I could find a way to keep him from giving our best stories to other papers.”
Lois reached over and took back her palm computer. “Satisfied?” she asked.
The editor was nodding. “But there are other things I’m having a little more trouble with,” he said. “For example, you are a little light on evidence when you say he doesn’t have any close friends. You only spoke to one woman - and she doesn’t even know him that well. Also, although you have proof that nothing in the Daily Planet’s insurance policy would prevent him from landing on the roof of the building, you have no clear evidence that Carpenter ever told him he couldn’t land there.”
Lois was used to Tom Balsam’s demands for better evidence. Still, she felt her temper rise. She was right. She knew she was right. And... the wind instantly left her sails - so was the man in front of her.
“Tell you what,” the editor said. “You go and fill in the gaps. Bring it back here and I’ll buy this story from you. It’s good. Hard hitting. And maybe just what we need - a good, swift kick in the rear. I’ll even give you space on the front page.” He grabbed one of his business cards and wrote something on the back before handing it to her. “That’s the email address where you can send the story when it’s finished. Where should we send your cheque?”
Lois smiled. “Uhh... Star Labs. Make it payable to Dr. Klein,” she said, rising to her feet and grabbing her papers as she prepared to leave, suddenly feeling a new rush of enthusiasm. He was promising her the front page. “I’ll have the corrected story to you before you go to print tonight.”
* * * * * * * * *
Lois walked into a large, plush outer office and looked around. Spotting the receptionist, she made her way directly to the other woman.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked.
“My name is Lois Lewis. I’m with the press. I would like to get a brief statement from Perry White regarding an article I’m working on.”
The secretary looked unimpressed. Still, she picked up the phone and placed a call. “Mr. White, I have a Lois Lewis here. Says she’s with the press and would like a couple minutes of your time.” She listened to the response and then looked back at Lois. “He wants to know what paper you’re with.”
“I’m a freelance,” she said. “Please. I only need a minute. Tell him it’s about Superman.”
The receptionist passed the message along.
Perry White’s response was immediate. Even without the phone at her ear, Lois could hear a bellowed, “What!” She wasn’t sure what was said next, but by the way the receptionist was still holding the phone away from her ear, Lois was certain White was still yelling.
Knowing this wasn’t going well, Lois grabbed the phone from the startled receptionist’s hand. “Mr. White, please,” Lois said into the phone, speaking loud enough that she hoped he could hear her over his continued yelling about the ethics of the yellow press these days. “I’m Lois Lewis. I don’t want to hurt Superman. I want to help him. If you’ll just give me a minute of your time, I’ll explain everything.”
The silence that met her final comments had Lois chomping at the bit, wanting desperately to say more. But she knew instinctively to let Perry White, himself, work out the possible consequences of meeting with her. At least he was no longer yelling - and that was hopeful.
Suddenly, the phone line went dead. She looked at it for a moment before handing it back to the receptionist. She had her answer. She turned towards the door, wondering who to talk to next.
“Ms. Lewis?”
Lois turned back around to see an older man standing there. She instantly recognized Perry White. She’d been a fan of his for years. One of the greatest reporters to ever work for the Daily Planet. His career had taken him from the battlefields of Vietnam, through the editor’s office and into the Mayor’s office. And he’d been known as the best reporter, the best editor and the best mayor the city had ever seen. Was there nothing this guy couldn’t do? She only wished Clark was still working for him. Still, knowing about the great things this mayor did for the people of Metropolis and how he’d guided them through the third World War, she couldn’t begrudge him his current position.
“Mr. White. I’m glad you decided to believe me.”
“The jury’s still out on that one, Ms. Lewis. Still...” He regarded her for a long moment.
Lois shifted uncomfortably under his considered scrutiny.
“You’ve got five minutes,” he finally said before turning and heading back to his office, obviously expecting her to follow.
Lois smiled. He suddenly reminded of her of an old grizzly bear - although she suspected that those close to him probably saw him as more of a teddy bear.
“Are you coming?” he growled.
“Yes, sir,” Lois said, immediately heading after him.
* * * * * * * * *
“Have we met before, Ms. Lewis?” Perry asked as Lois settled into a chair.
She looked at him. “No, sir.”
“Why don’t you quit calling me sir. The name’s Perry,” he said, continuing to size her up.
Lois smiled. “Only if you call me Lois.”
“I know where we met,” Perry suddenly said. “The Daily Planet. Three years ago. Just before Superman’s debut.”
Lois flinched. She hadn’t remembered that the other Lois had met Perry White. “Actually, that wasn’t me, Perry. I know. I’ve seen the pictures, too. She looks a lot like me. But she wasn’t me.”
Perry’s eyes softened. “She was a lot like you in other ways, too. She came storming into the Daily Planet, demanding that we give her a job. Normally, I’d have thrown her out on her butt, but there was something about her.” He seemed lost in thought for a moment. “I imagine she would have ripped the phone out of my receptionist’s hand, too,” he added on a growl.
Lois found herself actually blushing. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“So, Lois, what is it that you have to say to me that will help Superman?”
Lois studied him for a moment, trying to decide exactly how much to tell him. As it sunk in that he was someone who would recognize a deception miles away, she realized she had no choice but to tell him the truth. “I was in Centennial Park yesterday and saw Clark Kent going to buy a paper. Anyway, while there, he ripped his trousers and...”
“I know,” Perry growled. “Those pictures were all over the yellow press this morning.”
“Anyway, it got me thinking... wondering actually, about what it must really be like to be Superman.”
“I’m not giving you any inside information, Ms. Lewis,” Perry said, starting to rise to his feet.
“I did some digging,” she continued quickly, realizing her time was running out. “Perry, has it occurred to you that Clark Kent has absolutely no support structure? Emergency workers who deal with accidents and the like on a regular basis have support provided by the city. Not Superman. As far as I can tell, he has no one.
“How can we expect him to keep dealing with these horrific situations when he had absolutely no emotional support? I couldn’t do it. Could you? Dealing with death and disaster, seeing the horrors nature can release, horrors man can inflict on his fellow man. How can anyone, even a Superman, deal with that on a almost-daily basis without emotional support and stay whole?
“If we value what Superman does for this world... if we really want him to keep doing it, don’t you think we have an obligation to ensure he has that support. Unless...” She looked directly at Perry who had again sunk into his chair. “...you provide that support? I understand he worked for you before he became Superman. You’re even the one who helped him through his first press conference. At least tell me if he has any friends he can take his problems to.”
Perry opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he repeated the gesture - as if coming up with and then discarding responses. “What are you suggesting, Lois?”
She let out a breath. “Right now, I’m just trying to figure out where the holes are - what we aren’t doing to help Superman, where he might need help - that sort of thing. After that... I guess it’s up to you and the good citizens of Metropolis to decide how to fill those holes. I’m just a reporter. So, Perry, are you and Superman friends? Is he able to come to you when... I don’t know... maybe a rescue goes wrong or something like that paparazzi thing happens?”
Perry let out a slow breath, flexing his hands on the desk in front of him. “When I first met Clark, he was peddling some story about the mating rituals of the knob-tailed gecko,” Perry said, his expression softening as he got lost in the past. “You see, he’d been traveling around, trying to keep people from realizing he was a little... different. When someone would get a little too close to his secret, he’d just move on. So he didn’t have a lot of experience. But he had drive. And boy, could he write. So I gave him a job.
“And I have to say, he never let me regret that decision. By the time he debuted as Superman, he was well on his way to becoming one of the best investigative journalists at the Daily Planet. And that’s saying something. He had one Kerth and had been nominated for a second.” Perry’s eyes suddenly darkened. “I guess I haven’t been there for him the way I should. But between my schedule and his schedule... No. That’s no excuse. I guess the answer to that question would be no. We see each other. He comes over for supper with Alice and me on occasion, but I guess we haven’t really been as close since he became Superman.”
Lois waited until he finished, although the second he did, she jumped in with the question she was suddenly itching to ask. “You talked about how he was becoming such a great journalist before Superman. I’m just wondering...”
“Why I didn’t say anything about his journalistic abilities now?”
Lois nodded.
“Since his first appearance as Superman, he’s been writing mostly Superman stories - or puff pieces. Dog shows. Craft sales. Things like that. How Carpenter can do that to the greatest talent I’ve seen in years... it’s criminal really. I imagine it’s because Clark can’t go anywhere anymore without being mobbed. And how can he do undercover investigative work...”
“...when his picture is on the front of every tabloid and paparazzi are following him everywhere?” Lois completed.
Perry nodded.
Lois leaned forward, placing her hands on the desk. “Can I ask you one more question?”
“Something tells me you’re going to ask it whether I agree or not,” he growled, but this time there was a touch of affection in that growl.
“Well, it’s actually a suggestion. I’m just wondering if you’ve ever considered something.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense, darlin’. What is it?”
* * * * * * * * *
Lois hadn’t jumped. She’d really thought when she’d started to give her suggestion to Perry White that she would jump. After all, when he’d been talking she got the distinct impression he really cared about Clark Kent. If anyone could change the way Superman had to live, it was White. And if that happened, surely Superman wouldn’t have felt the need to disappear. What bigger change to history could there be than that? And yet, for some reason, she hadn’t jumped. The only conclusion she could reach was that Perry White hadn’t done anything to help even when directly confronted by the problem. She felt severely, almost painfully disappointed. Not only for Superman - but in Perry White.
Did that mean that there was no point in publishing this article? No. After all, Perry White wasn’t the only person with the power to change things. On the other hand, maybe Perry had tried to change things. Maybe Kent had been too stubborn to accept White’s help. She supposed that was possible.
Not entirely sure how to correct that possibility, she concentrated on the rest of her research. Friends. She needed to talk to Kent’s colleagues at the Daily Planet. Even if they weren’t friends of Kent, they might know who was. Still, after yesterday, she really didn’t want to go to the newsroom unless both Kent and Carpenter were gone.
Stopping outside City Hall, she spotted a park bench. Since no one was nearby, she took a seat. Pulling out her palm computer, she spoke. “I need a list of reporters who worked at the Daily Planet on May 9th, 1999.”
“Yes, Ms. L.” A moment later, the computer spoke again. “Do you want me to recite the list?”
“No, but... Computer, are you able to link into the phone system here?” she asked. She wasn’t sure why that idea hadn’t occurred to her yesterday. It was probably because the phones here were so primitive.
A few minutes later, the computer responded in the affirmative. “Would you like to place a call?” the computer added.
“Yes. Put me through to the first name on your list of reporters.”
“Work or home?”
“Work.”
A moment later the phone began to ring.
“Eduardo Friaz,” a voice on the other end answered.
Lois smiled. She suspected without her trusty palm computer, she’d be getting the Daily Planet switchboard. Getting connected directly to the individual reporters would save a lot of time.
Still, even with the additional help, it had taken her quite a while to go through her list of names. Not that they had been very helpful. They all seemed to say the same thing. Kent was a nice guy. And, no, they didn’t know him very well. Did they know who he hung around with? Not really.
There was one exception. Cat Grant who, the computer informed Lois, was the gossip columnist. Still, after probing a bit, Lois was fairly certain that Cat’s ‘closeness’ to Kent was more in Cat’s mind than in reality. On the other hand, Cat had overheard a conversation in which Carpenter had told Kent that he could no longer land on the roof ‘for the purposes of insurance.’
To that end, Lois contacted the insurance company. At first, the agent responsible for the Daily Planet’s insurance had confirmed Carpenter’s side of the story. But when Lois had pressed, insisting to be told which provision of the policy would be breached by Superman landing on the roof, the agent had backtracked, telling her that Carpenter had threatened to withdraw their policy if he didn’t take that position should someone ask.
She placed one final phone call and waited for it to ring.
“Hello?” asked a woman.
“Lana Lang?”
“Who’s calling?” The voice had gone from friendly to guarded.
“My name is Lois Lewis. I’m with the press. Hello? Is anyone there?” Lois glared at the silent phone for a long moment before stating the obvious. “She hung up on me.”
* * * * * * * * *
Lois instructed the cabby to drive past 344 Clinton when she saw the people gathered around front. She had him pull to a stop about half a block away. As she paid the driver, she kept her eyes on the people. Paparazzi. She had no doubt about that. She cringed inside. These people had set up what almost appeared to be permanent quarters out on the street.
“It’s something, isn’t it?”
Lois turned towards the sound of a woman’s voice as the cab drove off. A woman was standing there, a three-year old hoisted up on her hip.
“It is.”
“And this isn’t even a bad day.”
Deciding to play dumb, she asked her next question. “Who lives there?”
“You must be the only person in Metropolis who doesn’t know Superman’s address.”
“Superman? Wow. Guess you’ve got a safe street.”
“Define safe.”
Lois turned fully towards the woman. “What do you mean?”
“Well, we don’t got no muggers. But then that weren’t much of a problem before Superman, anyway. Now we got people drivin’ through at all hours of the day and night. They ain’t never heard of a speed limit. And we got them...” She spat the last word, jerking her head towards the paparazzi. “They go through his garbage - leaving half of it spread all over the place. They’re loud and noisy. Our kids can’t play in the streets no more. We don’t know them. They don’t know us. They just sit out there, listenin’ to their radios, drinkin’, yellin’ at each other, leavin’ their garbage and beer bottles everywhere...” She shook her head. “This used to be a great place to live. But now with Superman livin’ here... Hell, we can’t give our houses away.”
“But surely that’s not Superman’s fault.”
The woman’s eyebrows rose. “Really. Then whose fault is it?”
Lois ignored the comment. After all, she still had some information she wanted. “I bet he has lots of company. Beautiful women. The rich. The powerful. Lots of friends. At least that must be interesting.”
The woman snorted. “I ain’t never seen him get no visitors. Of course, before he becomes Superman, Lana was there all the time.”
“You know her.”
The woman nodded. “Seemed a little snotty. But certainly a beautiful woman. Don’t blame her for leavin’ him, though. After all, who could live with all that?”
Lois glanced at the circus in front of Kent’s home. She had to admit, this woman had a point. It would be hard to live with that type of scrutiny. “Does Superman at least have friends on the street?”
“Not that I know of. Oh, before he became Superman he was friendly enough. Everyone seemed to like him. Helpful. That sort of thing. But since... well, he just makes a dash into his apartment every night.”
“Why would he use the door? Wouldn’t he... oh, I don’t know. Fly in the window or something?” she asked, her mind flashing back to him taking the other Lois flying.
“To do that, he’d need to leave it unlocked. And with those people prowling around outside... ain’t no way I’d leave my windows unlocked?”
Lois turned to look back at all the people lurking around the front steps of 344 Clinton. She studied each one, wondering if any of them would listen to reason. She suspected not. She was just about to head away when she spotted the van sitting across the street. At first, she thought it belonged to the paparazzi. But when she saw movement through the darkened windows, her reporters instincts caused the hairs on the back of her neck to bristle. Who was in the van? Was it someone who didn’t want to be seen? And if so, what interest did they have in Kent’s apartment?
Unable to resist, she walked across the street and knocked on the window. She was shocked when the van started up and tires squealed as it drove off.
“Computer, run license number AXPT 787,” she whispered.
“Processing it now,” her computer responded, matching the softness in Lois’ voice. “That license number belongs to a red Toyota. Do you want the owner’s name?”
“No,” she said. Obviously, the plates were stolen, not the van. The owner wouldn’t know anything - except that his plates had been stolen. But that still wouldn’t give her a lead on the van. Not paparazzi surely. She knew their ethics were questionable, but still... No. There was something else going on, but what?
Realizing she wasn’t going to get more information around here, she began looking around for a cab.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois was frustrated. She had one more interview she needed. She couldn’t call this story finished without it. But try as she might, she couldn’t find a way to get it. Lana Lang had moved into a security building that took pride in being discrete for their usually rich and famous tenants. Still, if anyone knew Kent’s friends, it would be his former fiancee. She had to get this interview. It wasn’t optional.
On the other hand, Lana had three years of practice dodging reporters. Lois had read some of the articles from when Superman was first revealed. And they had been ruthless on both Superman and Lana. It was no wonder Lana had an aversion to the press. This was going to take some ingenuity.
She spotted a couple of men making their way to the apartment building. She quickly made her way over to them.
“Hi,” she said, using her best flirty voice.
“Hi.” The tone in the man’s voice told her he was interested.
“Listen, I really could use your help.”
“What do you need, babe?”
“I need to get inside that building,” she said.
“Why?”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.” She tilted her head to the side, trying to look as cute and innocent as possible.
“Sorry, babe,” the guy responded, chuckling as he turned back to his partner.
“Okay, wait!” Lois said, dropping her flirty act.
The two men turned back towards her.
“I need to speak to Lana Lang. But she won’t see me because I’m with the press.”
“You want to speak to her about Superman?” one of the men said. “Sorry. No can do.”
Lois growled as she watched them enter the building without her. Suddenly, a new idea began to take hold. Lana had met Lois Lane. Maybe... She pulled out her palm computer. “Call Lana Lang.”
“Certainly, Ms. L.”
Butterflies were flying in Lois’ stomach as she waited for the woman to answer.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Lang, my name is Lois Lane. We met three years ago at the Daily Planet. Please don’t hang up. I really need to talk to you.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Ms. Lang?” Lois finally asked.
“How did you get this number?” Lana asked suspiciously. “It’s unlisted.”
“I have a great research assistant. Please. It’s important.”
A definite sigh could be heard coming from the other end of the line. “Where are you?”
“Right downstairs.”
“I’ll tell security you’re coming. You’ve got five minutes.”
Lois hung up and let out a breath of relief. Five minutes. A lot could be accomplished in five minutes. She knew. Perry had also given her five minutes, after all.
A couple minutes later, Lois was approaching the door to Lana’s apartment. This was one interview she really wasn’t sure how to handle. With Carpenter, it had been easy. He’d announced his feelings about Superman in the newsroom. So she knew if she handled it just right, made him think he was impressing a potential bed-mate, he would open up. With Perry, she had already been fairly certain he was a Superman supporter - so her approach was much more direct. Lana, on the other hand, was a completely different story. An ex-fiancee. She could still be fond of Kent or she could hate his guts. It really could go either way. She’d just have to play this by ear.
Lois had just raised her hand to knock when the door opened. Lana had obviously been looking through the peephole, waiting for Lois to arrive.
“So what do you want?” Lana demanded.
Lois’ eyebrows rose. She still wasn’t sure what this woman thought of Kent, but she was fairly certain Lana hated her twin. “I want to talk to you about Clark.”
Lana narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond as she turned and walked into the room, leaving Lois to enter on her own. “Okay,” Lana said when Lois closed the door. “Say what you have to say and get out.”
Lois stepped slightly closer. “Why all the hostility, Lana?”
Lana looked surprised by the question. “You’re kidding right? You steal him from me and then you walk out on him.”
“I didn’t steal him from...”
“No? You only convinced him to go public. Superman! Please. He’s just Clark. But you never understood that, did you?”
“That didn’t mean you had to break up with him,” Lois said, hoping what she’d learned from David about Lana ending the relationship was right.
“No. I could have become Mrs. Superman,” Lana responded sarcastically. “What about you though? He loved you, you know.”
“I don’t think...”
“I grew up with him, Lois. I know him inside and out. And I knew the second I saw you at his apartment that I’d lost him. And then... he’s revealed and you leave.”
Lois closed her eyes for a moment. This was getting her nowhere. But how to get them on track? She was fairly certain there was no point in trying to convince Lana about alternate universes. “Okay, look. You don’t like me. I can understand that. I’m not here to change your mind. I’m just... I’m concerned about Clark. I’m wondering if you are, too. Or should I go elsewhere?” It was a gamble. After all, Lois still had no clear idea of where Lana stood on Kent.
“What do you want?” Lana asked.
Lois let out a breath. Her gamble had paid off. In spite of her hostility, Lana still cared about Kent. “I want to know if he has anyone...”
“Please! You want to know if he has a new girlfriend! And you have the nerve to ask me?”
“No! Lana, I’m not trying to find out if he’s involved with anyone. I want to know if he has anyone - you know, to talk to. Someone he can turn to when things get too much for him.”
Lana suddenly looked thoughtful, although Lois wasn’t sure if she was trying to decide whether to answer Lois or if she was thinking about the question.
“I know he and Perry White were close for a while. But I don’t really know if he would turn to Perry. I can’t even be seen talking to Clark without it being all over the news.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you? I broke up with him when he decided to become Superman and still... Do you know what it’s like to have people following you everywhere you go? To have them going through your garbage? My god, Lois, they would find out it was that time of the month and suddenly they were speculating on the front page about whether Superman was flying in my window at night to get me pregnant with his alien baby.”
Lois flinched.
“So, no. I don’t keep in touch with Clark. I never wanted anything to do with that life. He knew that and still he let you talk him into becoming Superman,” Lana continued. She let out a breath, calming herself slightly. “You asked if he had anyone to talk to. Before he was revealed as Superman, he was friendly with everyone. But he wasn’t particularly close to anyone but me. I have no idea who his friends might be now. Now, if that’s all you needed...” She gestured to the door.
Lois didn’t hesitate to take Lana up on her offer.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois couldn’t quite find it in herself to hate Lana. The picture she’d painted of life after Superman’s debut would be too much for anyone. It was even too much for Superman. It was little wonder that Lana had run as fast and as far away as possible. And it was little wonder that she hated Lois’ twin with a passion. Lois might feel the same way in her position. It would take a whole lot of love, or a desire for the spotlight, to be with a man who lived a life as public as Superman’s.
Still, she had finished her research. Sitting down at Dr. Klein’s computer, she began making changes to her story. When she finished, she looked at the story in satisfaction. It was much better now - and impossible to ignore. She pulled out the email address the Star’s editor had given her and looked at it for a long moment. If this really would change history, then sending it should be enough to send her back to 2157. In fact, she should jump just before sending it. She took a deep breath, looking around as her finger hovered over the button. Finally, she clicked the button and...
She growled in frustration. She was still here.
* * * * * * * * *
Clark looked up when Cat Grant sat down on the corner of his desk. She was one of the few people who didn’t treat him any differently now than she had before his Superman debut. Of course, that meant she was still trying to get into his pants - and he was still resisting. But it was nice to know she was doing it out of lust for his body and not the desire to get her name in the press. That he found comfort in that thought he found somewhat ironic.
Still, she was the gossip columnist for the Planet. And he was one big target of gossip. So far she’d avoided the cheap shots others had engaged in. On the other hand, he had no doubt that if she got hold of something really juicy about him, she’d feel obligated to run with it. So he found that he was always on edge around her.
“Things slow tonight, Cat?” he asked. “You’re usually out on the town by now.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m going out later. But I thought you might want to see this first.”
Clark glanced at the folded paper in her hand. “I already saw it, Cat. Yes, I split my pants yesterday. And yes, you could see the red briefs through the hole. I really don’t need to see it again.”
“Oh, this is better.” She smiled. “I have an inside source over at the Metropolis Star who gets me an advanced copy of the paper - just so that I can see what their gossip is before it hits the streets.”
Clark was suddenly interested - sort of. After all, the Star wasn’t exactly yellow journalism. Oh, it might not be the Daily Planet, but at least it usually reported real news. On the other hand, like the Daily Planet, it had a gossip column. And that was what Cat probably wanted him to see. “Okay,” he said. “What starlet am I sleeping with now?”
Cat smiled triumphantly before handing him the paper. His picture was prominently displayed on the front page - along with a headline that took his breath away. ‘Do We Deserve Superman?’
“What is this?” Clark asked.
“I think you better read it,” Cat said before getting up and walking away.
Clark looked down at the paper, focusing in on the byline. He didn’t know any Lois Lewis. She was obviously not a regular for the Star. He was trembling slightly as he began reading the article. A long time passed before he looked up again, only one thought on his mind. Who was Lois Lewis?
* * * * * * * * *
“I sent a number of other letters,” Dr. Klein said as he wandered around the lab. “I told them to come the day after tomorrow at 3 a.m.”
“The day after tomorrow?” Lois asked in disbelief. “Why not early tomorrow morning?”
Klein sighed. “There’s an experiment going on in the lab today. I tried to get the lab assignments changed, claimed that I was working on something that simply could not be moved. But the scientist conducting this experiment is the nephew of one of the board members, and I guess I’m just not very good at politics.”
“But surely they won’t be working through the night, will they?”
“I don’t know what hours they’ll be working. I haven’t been able to find out the exact nature of the experiment. All I’ve been told is that it will take until late tomorrow afternoon. And we can’t risk having Philip arrive in the lab with a bunch of people there.” He turned towards her. “But I made a reservation for you at the Lexor,” he said. “Thought you could use a place to relax tonight. That cot is great in a crunch. But long term, it just doesn’t work. I know that you sent in that article with your name on it. But I really think that it would be best if, until we can get you home, you tried to keep a low profile.”
She could see the plea in his eyes, but didn’t respond - not entirely sure it was a promise she could keep.
“Well, anyway,” he said, “to that end, I told them to put the room in my name and the bill will go on my card.”
“Thanks,” Lois said, giving him her most grateful smile. He really had been great these past few days. In fact, she didn’t know what she would have done if not for his help. “You really don’t have to pay for a hotel room for me. The cot...”
“Nonsense,” he interrupted. “When you go back to the future, and you will get back, Lois, I don’t want you saying that the people of this time didn’t know how to be good hosts.” He took out some money. “And I figure you’ll need more money. Food. Maybe a couple changes of clothes. Whatever.”
She took the money, looking at him gratefully. “I don’t know how to thank you. Well, actually I do. The Metropolis Star will be paying me for my article. I told them to send the cheque here, payable to you. So that should cover your expenses.”
“You didn’t have to do that. That’s your money.”
Lois laughed. “Yeah, I should have told them to invest in a bond in my name. It would be worth a fortune in 2157. But with my luck, they’d invest in Enron.”
“What happens to Enron?”
“Excuse me,” said a man from the doorway.
Lois glanced in the direction the voice had come from, but the man himself was hidden behind the open door. He was obviously addressing Dr. Klein.
“I’m looking for Lois Lewis,” the man continued. “I called the Star and they told me I could find her here.”
“Well, you’ve found her,” Lois said, rising to her feet and moving so that she could see who was on the other side of the door. She froze.
Clark Kent was standing in the doorway.
TO BE CONTINUED...
ML
