I told you I was still working on it. I just hope someone is still reading.
How I Spent My Christmas Vacation -- One Year Later: 4/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
Clark was standing on the hill above the roadway, looking down at the scene as she joined him. He blinked as she appeared suddenly beside him and then looked back at the scene of the drama. The police were opening the doors to pull the stunned felons from their vehicle.
"Not bad at all, even for a first try," he said slowly. "Good job."
Her heart was beating fast more from the excitement than from exertion. For several seconds they stared at each other, and then Lois sank down on a fallen log. Clark sat down beside her.
"Well, at least they didn't get a good look at me," Lois said finally. "They'll probably think it was you."
"Probably," Clark said, "But this brings up something I meant to mention last night -- only I got distracted. You're not the kind of person who can stand by when someone's in trouble and do nothing."
"I'd already thought of that," Lois said, soberly. "Until we figure out how to get your powers back where they belong, I'm probably going to have to substitute for you. But I'm darned if I want the media turning my life upside down, and I want it even less after things go back to normal."
"If they ever do," Clark said.
"They will. But they don't know who I am -- and I want it to stay that way."
"I agree," Clark said. He frowned, thinking. "The other Lois made my costume, but she's not here. Can you sew?"
"Some. I got a 'C' in Home Ec."
"Alice sews," Clark said. "I wonder if she could help us ..."
**********
And now, Part 4:
"Where's Lois?"
Eduardo's voice, coming from behind him, almost made Clark jump out of his skin. Their editor had a way of quietly walking up behind people to watch their work and surprising them with his presence. It had never worked with Clark before, since his super-hearing always detected the man long before his arrival, but this time he didn't have that advantage. He covered his start of surprise and glanced around at his boss.
"Lois is meeting a source of ours. We happened to see that police pursuit this morning near Centennial Park."
"Didn't you stop the car?" Eduardo asked, a faint note of surprise in his voice.
He and Lois had discussed the way to handle this, since she was undoubtedly going to have to make a public debut in the near future. It might be just as well to establish in as many minds as possible that Lois was not the mystery woman. "No. That's what we're working on right now. If anyone has any idea who it was, it will be Bobby Bigmouth."
"That's Lois's infallible snitch, right?"
"Well, not infallible but at least pretty reliable," Clark said. "Bobby is one of the best sources of information in Metropolis. If he doesn't know something about it, either nobody does, or it's not worth knowing."
"Sounds good enough to me," Eduardo agreed. "I'm glad to see you're on it." He was frowning. "Is it possible there's another person like you around? Another ... Kryptonian?"
"Anything's possible," Clark said. "Lois and I heard the sirens, and I got there a few seconds after the car had stopped. Whoever was responsible was gone. We interviewed several of the pursuing officers, but they hadn't been able to tell what happened. The perps weren't talking, of course."
"Big surprise there," Eduardo said. "Okay; stay on it. I guess if anyone's uniquely qualified to find out what happened, it's you."
"Not necessarily," Clark said. "We'll do our best, though."
Mentally, he was crossing his fingers as he spoke, but, as Lois had told him firmly, there was something more important than the transfer of Superman's powers to be protected here, and that was Superman, himself. If it became known that Superman's powers could be transferred, even if he got them back, it wouldn't be long before some enterprising soul came up with another way to do it, and before long his powers would be up for sale to the highest bidder. This was something that the public didn't need to know about.
He'd agreed in principle, but pointed out that someone already knew how to do it.
Lois had apparently been thinking about this, in the way that he admired so much about her, for she replied to that instantly.
"I don't think so."
"Why not?" he'd asked. "They did it, didn't they?"
"They did it," Lois had replied, "but I'm inclined to think that it wasn't what they planned."
"Why not?"
"Simple," she'd said. "If they knew it was going to happen, they'd have arranged for your powers to be transferred to one of them -- and once your powers were gone, they might have even tried to get rid of you. Most bad guys really don't like you much, you know. I'm betting that they don't even know what happened. I think they intended to use this red Kryptonite to hurt you, and when it didn't, they took off. If we don't let on that it had any effect on you, and can get your powers back to you without anyone finding out, I think we can bury this whole thing."
"That is, if this red stuff turns out to be Kryptonite."
"Even if it isn't, I'll bet they expected it to hurt you. Anyway, I'm still holding out for Kryptonite."
Upon reflection, he'd had to agree, and that was when they'd come up with their plan.
After Eduardo had gone on to harass some other employee of the Planet, Clark finished putting the final touches on his article and LANned it to his editor. That job taken care of, he got to his feet. Bernard Klein hadn't gotten back to him yet, but it was awfully hard to wait. He thought he'd drop in on the scientist just to see, and then change his identity to go meet Bobby Bigmouth, as he and Lois had planned. Contrary to what he'd inferred to Eduardo, Lois was otherwise employed at this moment. Right now, it was his job to do everything he could to track down the one person on Earth at this moment, besides Bernard Klein, of course, who might know about things that could harm Superman. Tempus's associate, Major Domo, was their best lead, at least as of now. If he wasn't behind this, perhaps he could point them toward the person, or persons, that were.
The newest office employee was just crossing the Pit toward the coffee machine. Jonetta Pickford, the young woman who had warned Lois last New Year's Eve about Leo Nunk's intention of manufacturing a scandal about Superman, had recently applied and been accepted for the position of researcher in the office. Clark touched her elbow.
"Jonetta --"
Jonetta turned, a bright smile lighting her face. Clark was well aware that the young woman had a mild crush on him, but at least she didn't drool over him the way many Superman groupies did. "Hi, Mr. Kent. Can I help you?"
"Yes, you can," Clark said. "I need you to research someone for me -- a political operative by the name of Major Domo."
She blinked. "Are you serious?"
He couldn't help smiling. "I'm afraid so. The guy's name -- at least the one he goes by currently -- is Major Domo. I can't quite imagine any parents actually naming their child that, but it's all I've really got on him -- that and the fact that he's been an operative for politicians of both parties. I need background, current employer, address, if it's available, and as much as you can find out about his recent activities. It's important."
She nodded. "You've got it, Mr. Kent. I'll have it for you as quick as I can."
"Thanks," he said. "I appreciate it."
"Hey, Gorgeous." It was Ralph. "Can I talk to you a sec?"
Jonetta grimaced slightly but turned with a bright, if somewhat strained smile on her face. "Yes, Mr. Stevenson?"
Clark proceeded up the ramp, rang for the elevator and waited impatiently for the car. This was no good, he thought. He needed to act exactly as he did before he lost his powers. If he didn't, sooner or later someone was going to notice.
He opened the door to the stairs and hurried down the steps. Hopefully, no one would think it odd if they saw him driving Lois's Jeep. He did it often enough. Once he was away from the Planet, after he saw Dr. Klein, he could become Charlie King and never get a second glance from anyone -- except for Charlie's peculiar style of dress, of course. The whole point, however, was that no one realized that the guy with the blond, spiked hair, the loud, casual clothing and pink earring was also Superman. And therein lay Charlie King's charm, as well as his advantage. As Charlie, he could go places and do things that Superman couldn't -- at least without a crowd of rabid newsmen following in his wake. In the past year, he had come to like Charlie King very much.
Once in the basement, Clark found the Jeep where he and Lois had parked it a couple of hours before and climbed behind the wheel. A few moments later, he rolled out of the Planet's parking lot, waving casually to Bill, who manned the gate. Bill waved back and Clark paused at the exit to the lot, waited for a break in the traffic and pulled out into the street. STAR Labs was only twenty minutes away, and after that Bobby Bigmouth would be waiting for Charlie behind Ralph's Pagoda.
**********
Bernard Klein raised his head from his microscope when Clark, clad in the Suit, knocked politely on the doorframe of the lab. His eyes widened as they took in the sight of Superman in all his splendor.
"Superman! -- Uh ... Mr. Kent." Clark watched him consciously shift gears, going from hero-worshiping groupie to dignified professional in the space of about two seconds.
"Hello, Dr. Klein," Clark said with his most charming smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I was wondering if you had any news for me."
The scientist nodded. "Actually, I was just going to call you. It might be best if you don't go into the lab right now." As he spoke, he exited the lab, pulling the door closed behind him and glanced in both directions as if to assure himself that no one was close enough to overhear.
"Oh?"
Dr. Klein nodded vigorously. "Why don't we step into the conference room across the hall?" He proceeded to hustle his visitor into the small room opposite the lab, and closed the door behind them. He turned to Clark, lowering his voice. "I thought that you probably didn't want the information about this known -- even to my colleagues, so I haven't exactly mentioned what my current research is all about to them. I have a very tiny sliver of the crystal under the microscope at present," he explained. "The crystalline structure is amazing -- but, of course, that's not the part that interests you." He cleared his throat. "I've managed to analyze its structure and from all the tests that I can devise, it *is* Kryptonite. You can tell Ms. Lane that she was right."
"She usually is," Clark said.
"I'm aware of that," Dr. Klein said with the faintest of dry smiles. "Ms. Lane has a very unusual method of reasoning. She takes a minimum of information, analyzes it with, from what I can observe, a completely unscientific process, makes leaps of what she loosely calls logic, and arrives almost invariably at the correct, or nearly correct, conclusion. If I knew how she did it, I'd write a treatise on it. It might be a very useful scientific tool. The trick, of course, lies in defining the process."
It took Clark several seconds to realize that the doctor was making a joke. He grinned slightly. "I'm not sure even she knows. It may be some kind of psychic ability. So," he added, "you said this *is* Kryptonite?"
"It's Kryptonite," Dr. Klein said. "I have a piece of it in the lab, unshielded and since I don't know how sensitive you might be to this red variety, I'd rather not risk having you go anywhere near it. If that first dose removed your powers, the next might kill you, for all we know."
Clark didn't comment. "I thought Kryptonite was green. The piece that Tempus had sure was and so were all the pieces that we found around Smallville."
Dr. Klein nodded. "From all that I've been able to tell, the basic form of Kryptonite is green. I've analyzed the molecular structure of this new kind and it's only very slightly different from the first sort. The red variety appears to be an isotope of the green. You remember the definition of an isotope from your high school chemistry, don't you?"
"Sure," Clark said. "An isotope of an element is one with the same chemical structure as the original, but with a slightly different atomic weight -- like ordinary water. Its isotopes are deuterium and tritium."
"That's right," Dr. Klein said. "The difference in their atomic weight is caused by extra neutrons in the nucleus of the atom. The same is true of the Red Kryptonite."
Clark digested that. "How about the camcorder?" he said at last. "Any information on that?"
"It's actually a laser," Dr. Klein told him. "The circuitry was damaged, but we're trying to repair it."
"How does it work?"
The scientist shrugged. "Like any other laser, actually -- except that all the power seems to be refracted through the chunk of Red Kryptonite in the cassette compartment." He frowned at Clark. "How are you feeling?"
"All right. Just -- normal, I guess." Clark hesitated. "I need to get the thing working again as fast as possible. There's been another development."
"Oh? Something I should know about?"
Clark hesitated and made a decision. Dr. Klein had always been discreet when it came to Superman. They had trusted him with the piece of green Kryptonite, and now with the fact that Clark's powers had vanished. "Dr. Klein -- we have a doctor/patient relationship, don't we?"
The scientist blinked in obvious surprise. "Of course."
"That means that anything I tell you in confidence stays that way, right?"
"Naturally," Dr. Klein said.
Clark took a deep breath. "We know where my powers went," he said.
"I beg your pardon?" Dr. Klein said.
"After we stopped by your office yesterday, Lois and I discovered something --"
Bernard Klein listened, his eyes getting wider and wider as Clark described what they had discovered, but by the time he had finished, the scientist was frowning in obvious thought.
"Incredible," he said. "So the beam hit you and somehow transferred your powers to Ms. Lane. Before you leave, I wonder if you could spare a minute for me to take a blood sample? I want to run a couple of tests, if you don't mind."
Clark would never admit it, but being poked with needles wasn't an experience that he actually desired to have happen to him. Superman, however, had an image to consider. He couldn't afford to be perceived as squeamish. "I guess so. What for?"
Klein chuckled evilly. "My fellow vampires and I have always wanted to taste Superman's blood. Now's our chance." At Clark's widened eyes, he relented. "Actually, I want to look at the chemical structure and do a DNA analysis. Plus a few other things. If anything actually pans out, you'll be the first to know what I find. In the meantime, I'll put a priority on getting the laser fixed. Deal?"
Clark hesitated. "Well -- as long as it stays confidential. I don't want just anyone finding out too much about me."
"Oh, that goes without saying," Dr. Klein said. "I won't even label it as such."
"In that case, okay," Clark said.
"Come into my office," Dr. Klein said. "We'll do it there, where no one will see it. And you might as well call me Bernie. Considering what I'm about to do, I think we're past the formal stage, don't you?"
**********
"How does it feel?" Alice White asked.
"It's a little tight," Lois's voice said from behind the screen.
"I know, but Clark says it cuts down on wind resistance," Alice said. "I figured I couldn't do better than talk to the expert."
"I suppose not," Lois said. "How on Earth does he get into his outfit so fast?" A faint grunt of effort. "Okay, here goes nothing." There was a rustle, and Lois stepped from behind the screen. "How do I look?"
"Oh to have a figure like that again," Alice murmured wistfully, surveying the results of her work with a critical eye. Lois's figure was always enviable, but in the dark blue suit that molded itself to her body, the effect was devastating. Alice looked down at her own, actually very fit and trim body and sighed. In spite of all her efforts, there was no way that she could ever have her youthful figure back. Not that it had ever been as good as Lois's, but still ....
Beside her, she could practically see the thoughts running through Lois's head as she regarded the suit's effect in the room's full-length mirror.
Alice had copied the general color scheme of Superman's uniform, but had put it together in a somewhat different style. The suit was of blue spandex but of a darker shade than the electric blue of Clark's suit. Alice had forgone altogether the red shorts. They might look good on Superman, but, as she delicately put it, Lois's assets were somewhat different than Clark's, and they were trying to take people's attention away from her face. Even masked, if someone looked too closely, they might see something that Lois didn't want them to see. The sleek tight suit would definitely draw the attention. Her cape was of a dark red color, as were the boots. Yellow-gold gloves edged with red covered her hands and the lining of the cape was of the same gold shade. She wore a mask of the same red color as the cape, and the effect was unexpectedly both dramatic and impressive.
"Wow," Lois said after a minute. "You really went for the color, didn't you?"
"Distraction," Alice said firmly. "If people are dazzled by the colors -- and by your figure, if I may say so -- they're not going to be looking too closely at your face. That's what you want."
"I guess you're right." Lois hesitated. "I guess it'll do -- if Clark doesn't mind."
"Take it from me," Alice said, "he won't. On the other hand, he'd think you were beautiful wearing a gunny sack." She watched her young friend turn an interesting shade of scarlet. "Don't tell me you didn't know. Clark's crazy about you."
"I know that," Lois said. "It scares me sometimes."
"Scares you?" Now that was a new one. "Why should it scare you? Do you know how many women would give anything to have him look at them the way he looks at you?"
"A lot," Lois said. "But that's exactly what scares me. He could have any woman he wants. Why does he want me? And what would I do if he ever changed his mind?"
"Do you think that's likely?" Alice asked quietly. "Clark is a unique guy in more ways than one. That's why I never thought that Ms. Lang was the right woman for him. He was loyal to her, but I could see exactly how that marriage was going to turn out. She'd have ruled the roost, forced him into her idea of what his life should be -- and he'd have been miserable. In the end, it would have either ended in divorce, or one of those marriages where neither partner speaks civilly to the other. But you --" She smiled. "You haven't tried to make him anything but what he is. Clark has changed a lot in the last year. He was always a nice, charming guy, but I've never seen him so happy -- and it's all because of you. He's no fool, Lois. The day he brought you to see us, after he found you in the South Pacific, I could see that he was head over heels in love with you, and I don't think that's likely to change. Do you? -- Really?"
"No," she said. "I don't -- but there aren't any guarantees."
"You're in love with him, aren't you?"
"Yes," she said.
"Then why are you scared?"
"It's -- just such a -- a risk," Lois said.
"And you're afraid of risks? Am I speaking to the woman that helped bring down Lex Luthor, himself?"
"Yeah." Lois's voice had dropped to a whisper. "My mother risked it all like that once. She fell in love with a superior man -- and look what happened to her."
Alice was silent for several seconds. Finally she said, "Living is never safe and secure -- and in the end it doesn't matter how safe you play it, does it? In the meantime, if you take chances you can be hurt terribly -- no one's denying that. But if you don't take them, you can miss out on life itself. I guess it's up to you to decide if the potential reward is worth risking everything -- and no one can decide that but you."
"I know that," Lois said. "And I will."
"Just don't take too long," Alice said. "Clark might be willing to wait forever -- but not even Superman lives that long."
**********
tbc
