Thanks for staying with me so long. Thanks to LaraMoon and thanks to all the people who commented on my story.
From Part 8:
All he needed now was to put the actors at the right positions. He would start with “p53”. Kent and Lane didn’t need his attention. They were smart enough to figure out on their own how they would solve this puzzle. If they didn’t, he would guide them to their destination, though he would be disappointed by the couple. He closed his eyes, concentrating on “p53”.
Part 9:
Lane and Kent were about to come to him! Another thing that wasn’t working as he had planned. But he would have to adjust his actions only slightly. As soon as they would enter his office, they would have already signed their own death sentence. He couldn’t afford to let them find out about his plans for Superman. There was still no sign of him and that was becoming a problem because he was losing hope that he would ever find him.
He didn’t want to die knowing that he was Superman’s murderer and not gain the fame he deserved for it. It just wasn’t acceptable this way. Lane and Kent probably presented the solution to his problem. He knew that they were closer to the man in tights than any other human being. They would know where he was. And no one would keep him from asking the nosy reporters before he killed them.
* * *
“I’m wondering whether Carla Seefeld could help us to get a clue on what’s going on,” Clark said thoughtfully.
“She didn’t die in this Metropolis. This Henderson has never heard of her,” Lois remarked. They had decided to use the alternate universe as a working hypothesis.
“So did she come to this Metropolis at all, assuming she was born into this world?” Clark asked.
“I’m going to find out if a Carla Seefeld landed in Metropolis in the last couple of weeks,” Jimmy offered and left with a sigh.
There was no way he would relax in front of the TV this evening, so much was certain. He couldn’t help the thought that Lois and Clark had lost their mind at some point of time. Alternate universe? What exactly were they talking about?
Lois and Clark tried to think of a way they could find out in which universe they were. Of course they could search the history books, trying to find something that sounded strange to them. They both had a broad general knowledge, but that didn’t mean that they knew everything. Unless the history was different in major events, like for example the World Wars, they couldn’t really be sure. And since this Metropolis looked quite similar to their Metropolis, their history must have been pretty much the same. Of course they could also be in their own Metropolis, and that made it even more confusing.
After all, the Alternate Universe was still just a theory. According to their experience it was likely but not necessarily true. Tempus appeared frequently and usually he tried to get rid of Superman. Well, someone had tried to kill the hero, but he hadn’t succeeded. Tempus, who knew that Clark and Superman were one and the same, could have killed Clark back in their yard. A weakened Clark was the perfect opportunity. He was easy to get rid of since he could barely defend himself.
Using a sharpshooter wasn’t really typical for Tempus. Unless Tempus wasn’t able to use the weapon? And he wouldn’t have put Lois’ life at stake. He wanted to own her, for whatever reason. He would have loved to separate the two of them for perpetuity. He wanted to change the future into a dark version, covering the Earth with an atmosphere of hate, angst and violence. He wanted a place where he was the almighty autocrat.
In fact, the events of the last days didn’t really fit Tempus’ personality. And why would he send both of them into an Alternate Universe? Of course it would change their universe, leaving it as a place where Tempus liked to stay. But he wouldn’t be kind enough to grant Lois and Clark a life together, he wouldn’t allow them to share their love. If they were still happy, Tempus’ plan had gone wrong.
So was it really him? Was Tempus the enemy this time? They didn’t feel exactly at ease assuming that. It wasn’t his modus operandi. But they lacked a better explanation. So all Lois and Clark could do was to wait for Jimmy. Carla was the only clue they had, so far. She was the only person they knew who might have any information about what was going on.
They surely wouldn’t succeed in finding the sharpshooter, if he existed anyway. So the couple kept waiting for about an hour before Jimmy returned with news.
“I’ve found a Carla Seefeld who arrived in Metropolis on Friday. She departed on Monday afternoon. She has declared Cologne as her place of birth to the authorities. Is that the woman you are searching for?” Jimmy asked.
“It must be her,” Clark replied, excitedly. “So she didn’t die, at least not here. Do you have her address in Germany?”
Jimmy shook his head. But with Clark’s knowledge of the German language, they started their search. Jimmy wanted to call in Germany right away, but Clark convinced him that it wasn’t a good idea. At this hour, most people there would be fast asleep and not too eager to answer the phone.
They searched via the Internet and soon Clark had found the telephone directory of Cologne. To his delight, there was just one Carla Seefeld in Cologne. It didn’t seem to be a very common German name. They had her telephone number, if it was really her who was written down in that directory. Now, they needed to wait for a couple of hours until it wasn’t too early there and a telephone call was acceptable.
* * *
Lois and Clark could tell that Jimmy wasn’t to keen on waiting for hours to make a phone call. They said good-bye to him and decided to return home as well. Clark had taken a cab to get to the Planet earlier that day. Now they could drive home by car. It was late and the streets were not as crowded as usual. It didn’t take them long to arrive at Hyperion Avenue.
Martha and Jonathan had already had supper. Neither Lois nor Clark felt hungry, though they hadn’t eaten anything for hours. To be at the mercy of a mad villain again was hard to cope with. It was one thing to be attacked, the two of them were almost used to that, but somehow their lives seemed to be under the control of another person. And that was totally different. They had underwent that before, but it wasn’t something you could get accustomed to.
So Lois and Clark sat in their living room, staring at each other nervously and glancing to the clock constantly. The time just didn’t pass. Both were lost in thought, trying to find out anything about their enemy by sifting through the facts time and time again. Naturally it didn’t lead them anywhere.
Since it was more than doubtful that Carla would be able to tell them what they wanted to know so desperately, Lois and Clark felt even more helpless. How could they rely on someone who might never have met them? And if she had, what should she know? Clark hated having to pray for a miracle, but what choice did he have?
Friday
Hours passed finally and the darker the night was in Metropolis, the closer was dawn in Germany. At about two o’clock in the morning, Lois and Clark decided that it was possible to call someone in Germany without breaking the rules of propriety. Clark dialed the number.
“Carla Seefeld,” a sleepy young woman answered the phone.
“Hallo, hier spricht Clark Kent. Ich arbeite für den Daily Planet. Frau Seefeld, erinnern Sie sich an mich? (Hello, this is Clark Kent speaking. I work for the Daily Planet. Ms. Seefeld, do you remember me?),” Clark said.
“Clark Kent?” she replied. “Ja, ich erinnere mich, wir haben uns vergangenes Wochenende in Metropolis getroffen (Yes, I remember, we met in Metropolis last weekend.)”
“Warum waren Sie hier, Frau Seefeld?(Why were you here, Ms. Seefeld)” Clark inquired. “Und warum sind sie so schnell nach Deutschland zurückgekehrt? (And why did you return to Germany so quickly?) ”
“Ich wollte eigentlich in Metropolis Urlaub machen. Ich hatte nie vor, sie dort aufzusuchen. Aber irgendetwas schien mich dazu zu zwingen. Sobald ich sie getroffen hatte, hatte den merkwürdigen Drang, nach Hause zurückzukehren. Ich kann mir nicht ganz erklären, warum. Es war, als würde ich ferngesteuert. (I wanted to spent my holidays in Metropolis. I had never intended to meet you there. But something seemed to force me to. As soon as we had met, I had this strange urge to return home. I don’t know why. It was like I was remote-controlled.)”
Remote-controlled? This sounded familiar, though Clark couldn’t tell why exactly. He asked Carla what she had told them in Metropolis, before he said good-bye and hung up. She had told him pretty much the same as she had the previous Saturday. Carla had also mentioned that she didn’t really see a point in telling them what she had heard in Cologne months ago. So why did she do it, anyway?
Remote-controlled was the answer. She didn’t do it of her own free will, but because someone made her come to Metropolis. Who would be able to do this? Clark already knew the answer. A guy who had been able to play with a lot of people. Clark remembered Tempus as John Doe. He had forced many people to do and think what he wanted them to think. So maybe it was Tempus, anyway? But how had he done that?
Somehow he had gotten hold of them again. Clark remembered being within his reach. It had always been frightening. Clark told Lois what Carla had said, and he mentioned who he suspected was the villain. Though Tempus was still not very convincing, chances were good that it was really him. But he was a bit out of character this time. Why had he put Lois’ life at stake? And why were Martha and Jonathan involved?
Since they still remembered Clark’s injury when he had last seen them, they must be a part of this Alternate Universe-thing. But Tempus had never before included the two of them in his plans. As much as Clark hated to admit it, his parents were more part of the past than of the future. Therefore they posed no threat to Tempus. Neither Lois nor Clark understood everything about that crazy inhabitant of Utopia, but they knew that he was dangerous, desperately wanting to change the future.
But where were they going to find Tempus, if he didn’t show up soon? That wasn’t particularly hard to guess. GENETHICS had been mentioned one time too often to let it appear as coincidence. They would get to him by visiting the foundation.
* * *
Another couple of hours passed before it was an acceptable time of day to visit anyone in Metropolis. Both tried to sleep, but were too afraid of the day to come. Tempus had proved himself an evil enemy who was quick at killing people, even the innocent. He wouldn’t be satisfied simply with frightening them, he wanted Clark to die. If Clark would resist him, he wouldn’t be choosy about the way to get rid of him. If that cost the life of Martha, Jonathan and even Lois, Tempus might consider this as additional pleasure.
Early in the morning, Clark and Lois awoke from a light and uneasy sleep that hadn’t been restful. But they weren’t able to fall asleep again and decided to get dressed instead. Clark’s leg had become far better than the previous morning and with a bit of effort he was perfectly able to walk without crutches. But despite the embarrassment he had felt before, he decided to rely on them for that day, making himself look more helpless than he actually was. He still hadn’t regained his powers, which was worrying him. But since his powers had never been especially helpful against an enemy who knew his weaknesses as well as Tempus, maybe it didn’t really matter.
They told Martha and Jonathan where they were going and asked them to call the police if they didn’t hear from them within the next five hours. Then, Lois and Clark left Hyperion Avenue and headed for the GENETHICS building. They didn’t really have a plan how to find Tempus there. But he liked to be seen and would show up sooner rather than later.
* * *
They were coming now! “p53” was already expecting them; every fiber of his being was prepared for them. He would do it himself. Hoping that others would be successful hadn’t done him any good. Kent and Lane would soon die. Of course they would tell him where to find Superman first. He would force them to tell him, have them beg for their lives and then kill them mercilessly. He enjoyed the thought of it so much. What would it be like to really do it? Even better! A shiver ran down his spine, foreshadowing the feeling he was about to have.
Moments of pleasure lay in front of him, all he needed was a little bit of patience. Maybe Superman would show up to save his friends. He would end, tied up as his prisoner, his whole life through. Superman would never breathe the air of freedom again. And he was the source of unimaginable wealth. A place in the history books of crime was the least he would get!
* * *
Lois parked the car close to GENETHICS so that Clark didn’t have to walk far. They approached the building curiously, watching out for anything weird. But nothing remarkable happened and neither of them was surprised about that. What should they expect, though? H.G. Wells appearing in another time machine, telling them another outlandish story and taking them to Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, for example or wherever else to solve the problem?
When they entered the building, nothing happened either. There was no killer jumping in front of them and firing bullets around. The hall was quiet, which wasn’t strange either. It was still early in the morning. Lois and Clark watched the few people around them, searching for a familiar face. They didn’t recognize anyone. At the end of the hall, close to the elevator was a reception. A young woman watched them curiously, studying their faces and obviously expecting them to come to her.
Lois and Clark went to her, more slowly than necessary. She glanced at the two visitors.
“Hi, we are Clark Kent and Lois Lane from the Daily Planet,” Clark introduced them. He was about to ask a question, when the young woman smiled broadly.
“Ah, I didn’t think you’d come this early. Mr. Simmons is already waiting for you in his office. Take the elevator to the thirtieth floor and turn to the right. His room is at the end of the corridor.” She greeted them and her hand guided them invitingly to one of the elevators.
Lois and Clark waited in front of the elevators and stepped in the first one that arrived. They were on their own inside, giving each other nervous glances that said more than words. A Mr. Simmons was waiting for them? Who was he? Tempus himself or a stranger to them who was somehow involved with this?
The elevator seemed to approach the thirtieth floor awfully quick. How could they have time to prepare for their encounter with an enemy? What waited for them there? They didn’t have time to stop and think about it. The doors of the elevator opened on the right floor. The corridor was dark and empty. They turned to their right, following the corridor as the young woman had advised them to do.
On both sides of the corridor were closed glass doors, the rooms behind them were dark and no pictures were hanging on the walls. The atmosphere was cool and frightening. The only lights in the corridor came from a red emergency exit sign and from the door to Mr. Simmons’s office.
Lois and Clark went on, coming to the door at the end of the corridor. Both sighed as Clark knocked and then they entered the office.
tbc...
