Okay, just as a refresher, remember I labeled the parts: Clark - LNC; Alt-Clark...; SR - Brandon Routh; and Superman - Chris Reeves.
Table of Contents Now to recap:
SR Superman got an itchy hand - note said to meet at Lois' house, knows he's Superman. Chris Reeves Superman had sneezing fit and then later talked to Perry – he doesn’t know where Lois is. Our Clark wants to take Lois somewhere to hide her – Lois says no way and they decide to ask their neighbors if they saw anything - when they come back another note is on the door - criminals from New Krypton are coming. Alt-Clark mistakenly tells the two Lois’ that Clark Kent is Superman and SR Lois told them that she has a son.
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From Part 3:
THEY’RE COMING TO TAKE HER - CRIMINALS FROM NEW KRYPTON. YOU MUST PROTECT HER.
Lois caught up to him and peeked around him, reading the note. “So maybe this isn’t Tempus after all? If so then that first note must have been from the criminals. But who is this note from? Ching? Zara maybe?” Her voice had taken on that “reporter tone” as if this was just another story instead of something that was about to happen to her.
Clark sighed, glancing back at her. “I don’t know. But what worries me more is that if these criminals are from New Krypton, then they’ll have the same powers I do, and it sounds like there are more than one of them coming.”
Clark looked back down at the note and then up into the night sky at one particular star. It twinkled as he gazed at it.
Why are you doing this? What do you want with Lois?
**********
PART FOUR:
*****ALT-CLARK*****
“A son? You had Superman’s son?” the other Lois asked the question that Clark had wanted to. He couldn’t seem to find his voice.
He watched as the curly-Lois nodded her head silently. If there had been room on the sofa, he would have sat down; it felt like all the feeling had left his body.
Superman had a son in another universe.
Then his shock turned into something else. Jealousy? Anger? Regret? How could those Clarks have done this to their Lois Lanes? How could they have treated them this way? Clark felt like he was going to be sick. Didn’t they know what they had? The very thing he wanted so badly?
He would trade his very soul for a chance to be with her, with his Lois. They had her and they were willing to throw it all away.
“So you had his son and he still didn’t let you remember that night, let you remember who he was?” the other Lois asked her softly, moving a little closer to her and laying a hand on her shoulder. “You’d think that would make me feel a little better about my own situation, but somehow it doesn’t. How could he do that?”
Yes, how?
“Well, in all fairness, he didn’t know about Jason.” She exhaled a tight breath. “That’s my son’s name, Jason. He left for Krypton fairly quickly after *that* night.” She paused, her eyes going distant as if she was remembering something, but then she shook her head softly and continued, “After Superman so abruptly left Earth, I was lonely and unsure of myself, and that’s when I became involved with Richard White.”
“Perry’s nephew?” the other Lois asked her.
His editor-in-chief? Really? The guy was definitely attractive but...
“Yes. He was so kind, and understanding. But he was fun and exciting, too. He has his own plane and he would take me up in it and fly me over the city.” Her voice sounded a little wistful and Clark found himself feeling a little jealous. He wasn’t really sure why; this wasn’t even *his* Lois, and she certainly had a right to look elsewhere after the way her Clark had treated her. “When he did that, I could *almost* forget about Superman. Superman had left and I wanted to forget him. Richard helped me to do that... We’re actually engaged.”
Engaged? He wondered what her Clark thought about that... not that he didn’t deserve it.
She flashed them her engagement ring before continuing. “Anyway, we got pretty serious, fairly quickly. When I discovered I was pregnant I just assumed it was Richard’s. Jason came almost two months early but I just thought he was premature. The doctor’s tried to assure me that he wasn’t – but in my mind that was the only explanation. I hadn’t been with anyone but Richard, or so I thought. Anyway, Jason was small and a little sickly as a baby, so that just added to that assumption. I would have never imagined...” She broke off, letting out a shaky breath.
Clark walked over and stood beside the couch, close to her, wishing he could comfort her. “When did you find out... he was special?” he asked her quietly, laying one hand softly against her back. He stroked it soothingly, encouraging her to continue.
“Just a few days ago. I was in danger and... and Jason saved me. It was amazing.” Clark could hear the wonder in her voice. “I didn’t understand how it had happened at first, but I knew it was the truth. In my heart, I just knew, and actually I began to remember parts of *that* night with Superman. I still didn’t remember that he was Clark Kent,” her voice took on an edge, “and until now I wasn’t sure how I had forgotten any of it to begin with. But I did remember... some things...” Lois broke off, her face looking flushed.
“Have you told him? Superman?” the other Lois asked her gently.
“Yeah. I had to. At first I was so mad at him,” she admitted, her anger showing itself in her voice. “After Jason saved me we were locked up for a little while and all I had were my thoughts. Deep down I just knew it must be Superman’s fault that I had forgotten that night, and then I was even more mad at him for leaving... if that’s possible. I was determined to make him pay for what he’d done. He was going to give me answers.”
Clark felt a little uncomfortable at the intensity and bitterness he heard in her voice. He almost wanted to say something in that Clark’s defense, but there wasn’t really anything he could say. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but from what he did know, Clark didn’t have a defense. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Why did he feel guilty? He hadn’t done anything.
The other Lois was quiet too. What was she thinking? Probably that she felt the same way. She was probably ready to exact her pound of flesh from her Clark as well. Clark wasn’t quite as sorry now about having let the secret slip. The longer he listened to these women the more irritated he got with their Clarks.
He watched as Lois looked away from them and took a piece of her curly hair in between her fingers, playing nervously with it. When she finally began talking again her voice was much quieter, softer. It was somehow hollow and yet brimming with emotion all at the same time.
“But I couldn’t yell at him, hurt him, the way he’d hurt me. I couldn’t make him pay... because I almost lost him - again. He’d been exposed to Kryptonite and had been badly injured. I’ve never seen him like that before. He was lying so still in that hospital bed, hooked up to all kinds of monitors. I didn’t know if he was going to...”
She broke off, biting her lower lip. Clark watched as she dabbed at her eyes, refusing to let the moisture that had started to form show itself. He wanted to hold her, provide her some comfort, but he restrained himself, contenting himself to just continue rubbing her back gently.
The other Lois just sat quietly, waiting for her to continue, and after a bit she did, even softer than before. “At that point it didn’t matter how mad I was with him. I was afraid I was going to lose him. I wanted him to hang on. I wanted to give him something to hold on to. I knew what I had to do. I didn’t even know if he could hear me or not, but I told him... about Jason.” Her face held regret and yet hope all at the same time, and a couple of tears were beginning to streak down her face. “I wanted him to know. I needed him to know, in case...”
It caught Clark by surprise when she turned to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Without thinking, he lifted her up off the couch into his arms and held her gently. Even this small bit of contact was excruciating for him. It wasn’t fair. He would never treat his Lois this way.
Or would he?
Isn’t that what he was doing to her now? By not finding her? By not giving her the opportunity to meet him? Wells had called them soul mates. It seemed almost like destiny that he and Lois were to be together and yet he had been considering not going to look for her.
“And now,” Lois continued, Clark could feel her breath against his neck as she laid her head down against him. “Things are a mess. I told Superman about Jason because I felt like he had a right to know that Jason was his son. But I didn’t know that he was Clark Kent. That complicates matters. I work with Clark. I see him everyday. Jason sees him everyday. How is this going to work?” Clark could understand the apprehension in her voice; how could it work? It was going to be difficult. “He may be Jason’s father but Richard is his dad. Richard is the one who held my hand during labor, who held our son in his arms and handed him to me in the delivery room. He’s the one who changed his diapers and let Jason spit up on him when he had a tummy ache. That’s what defines a father, isn’t it? But...” She broke off, shaking her head in frustration.
“But you know Superman, Clark, will want to take responsibility if Jason is his son,” the other Lois stepped in. “He’ll want to be a part of his life. That’s just how he is.”
Yes, at least that’s how he’d feel. He would be elated to know that he had a son, but he’d also feel an enormous amount of guilt if he were that other Superman. He had gotten her pregnant and had gone off on a selfish crusade, leaving his Lois behind to fend for herself. It might have been true that her Clark hadn’t known that she was pregnant, but how could he have shared the intimacy with Lois that he had and then take her memories away and leave her like that? Clark couldn’t imagine doing that. Surely there had been a reason?
“Yes. And now... what do I tell Richard?” she asked rhetorically. Clark could feel the moisture on his skin from her tears and his heart ached for her. “He’s a good man, a good father. Doesn’t he have a right to know that this isn’t his son? His biological son? Richard has always been very patient and understanding with me but how could he understand this? And if I tell him that Jason’s not his son, what does that mean for Jason? Would he be safer if I just went on pretending that Richard was his father? If people find out that Jason is the son of Superman it could put him and Superman both in danger. People might try to use him against Superman.” She broke off, her voice filled with a heaviness as if she was realizing just how complicated this had all become.
Clark brought one hand up to her back again, providing a comforting touch. He felt her arms squeeze him gently. “And then there’s Clark,” she continued. “I couldn’t possibly say that Clark Kent is Jason’s father. Clark and I are barely friends, much less lovers. No one would believe it, least of all Richard. I mean, what would I say? That we had a fling before Clark went off on his supposed soul-searching expedition?” She sighed deeply. “Everything’s just such a mess now. Why did he have to leave? Why?” Her voice and her face betrayed a barrage of emotions - anger, frustration, disappointment, and if Clark wasn’t mistaken, just a little guilt.
Guilt? Why should she feel guilty?
She buried her head against Clark’s chest. “And now I don’t even know if I’ll see any of them again,” she mumbled against him.
He wrapped his arms around her more tightly and held her against him. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, or who had caused this to happen, but he was determined to find out. He had to help these Lois Lanes. And then, when everything got straightened out, he was going to find *her*. No matter what he found or how heartbreaking it was. He would find her. That was a promise.
*****SR*****
Clark approached Lois’ house cautiously. The note had said to come here, that whomever this was wanted to help. Clark didn’t dare trust someone who he’d never met, especially someone who seemed to know that he was Superman.
He x-rayed the house and found a man sitting at her kitchen table. The man had a long, tan-colored coat on with the collar turned up and a brown, felt hat pulled down over his face. Clark continued scanning him for any hint of a concealed weapon or danger, not that he needed to worry about that, but it might help reveal his intentions.
Nothing. The man had nothing on him. Clark strode purposefully inside the house and into the kitchen.
“Where is Lois Lane? What have you done with her? Take me to her now,” he demanded, standing over the man menacingly.
He seemed unfazed. “I can’t take you to her Mr. Kent, not just yet,” he said calmly.
“Why are you calling me by that name?” Clark asked, trying his best to sound confused.
“What? You don’t prefer the name Clark Kent? That is the name your human parents gave you. Would you perhaps prefer Kal-El?” Clark couldn’t see the man’s face and part of him was tempted to rip the man’s hat and coat off, but he restrained himself. “I know more about you Mr. Kent than you could possibly imagine and this line of questioning is only going to waste valuable time,” the man stated, his tone of voice leaving no room for argument.
Clark sighed, frustrated. So much for trying to dissuade his belief that he was Clark. He was tempted to go haul the man up out of that chair and force him to tell him what had happened to Lois and oblige him to silence about his identity. But that would just waste time and the man was right about one thing, they didn’t have time to waste. “Who are you, then? How do you know what’s happened to Lois and why do you want to help?” he asked in his sternest Superman voice.
“You will find this hard to believe, but you must,” the man said, his voice earnest. “I’m a time traveler. Not only am I a time traveler, but one from another universe, an alternate universe. Who I am *exactly* doesn’t matter. In fact, it would be better for everyone if you didn’t know who I am. Just know that I want to help you because I can. I’m probably the only one who can. What happens in this world is tied up in what happens to my own world.”
The man was a smooth talker but that certainly didn’t mean he had Clark or Lois’ best interests at heart. “Assuming I believe any of this, what has happened to Lois?”
“From what I’ve discovered, Lois was kidnapped by a fellow time traveler named Tempus. It was he who discovered how to travel inter-dimensionally to other universes. He is quite clever. But he has a hatred for Superman, whether it be the Superman of his universe, or any universe for that matter. He is constantly trying to cause trouble for Superman; it’s what he lives for,” the man said, his tone very serious. He sighed a small breath and then continued. “In one of the universes that I’ve traveled to there is a Superman who is without his Lois Lane. She is missing. He has searched for her but is unable to find her. I believe that Tempus has dropped your Lois off in this world.”
Clark shook his head in disbelief. “But why? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“There is no why,” the man replied sharply. “He did it because he could. To cause trouble. Oh, I have no doubt that it is part of a larger scheme, but what that is, I don’t know.”
“But if what you’re saying is true, how can I help her? How can I bring her back?” Clark still wasn’t sure he could believe this man, but he felt a panic starting inside him nonetheless.
“I can help you with that. But first you must understand something. Tempus has more than likely fed lies to this other you. He has probably told him that an imposter would be coming to try and take Lois. This other Superman will be prepared to defend her with his life. Are you prepared to fight for her? Even if it means fighting yourself?” the man paused as if to give that thought time to sink in. “I also need to prepare you for the fact that this other Superman will not look exactly like you.”
“What do you mean he doesn’t look like me?” How could he be Superman and not look like him?
“As there are an infinite number of universes, there are infinite versions of Superman out there also. Each of them with their own set of DNA, each of them just slightly different from the next.” Clark could hear the amazement in the man’s voice. “The Superman of that world looks very different from you, but I assure you that he is indeed you. Do not underestimate him - he has the same powers that you do.”
“So what is it exactly that you expect me to do?” Clark said, feeling a little out of sorts and a little more than impatient. This man was either crazy, or he was right, and for some reason Clark didn’t think he was crazy. Maybe he just *wanted* to believe him. If he believed him at least there was hope. Hope that she was okay.
“Go with me to that universe in my time machine,” the man said simply, as if it was obvious.
“Really? On what? Just blind faith?” Clark was amazed at his audacity. “There are people here who count on me. People other than Lois that I have to look after.” His thoughts turned to Jason. How could he leave him here? Abandon him? Even if it was to go find his mother?
<We’ll all help look for her...>
<Even Superman?>
Because he had promised him he would. And he wasn’t leaving Jason alone. Clark winced; he would still have Richard, his dad.
But how could he trust this man? What if this wasn’t really where Lois had gone? “What if Lois comes back and gets into trouble while I’m off in this other universe?”
“I assure you that won’t happen because Lois is indeed in this other universe. And the only way you’re ever going to see her again is by coming with me and rescuing her.” The man folded his arms in front of him as if to signify that there could be no argument.
Time travel? Inter-dimensional space travel? Could Clark really believe this man? Did he have a choice?
No, he didn’t. He had to go, had to try this. If the man was lying and nothing happened, then he would have only wasted a few minutes in his search for Lois. But... if he was telling the truth, this might be his only chance to help her. No amount of searching here would do any good.
“Tell me what you plan to do, first,” Clark said, still unsure of the man’s intentions.
“Very well. First let me give you this device,” he said, handing Clark a small piece of equipment, it appeared to be a transmitter of some sort. “It will allow you to contact Superman on a super-high frequency that only you and he will hear. Now come with me, my time machine is just outside. I’ll explain the rest to you on the way.”
*****ALT-CLARK*****
“Thank you. I didn’t realize how much that had been weighing on my mind, and then finding out that Clark is Superman... I guess that just kind of put it over the top.” Lois pulled away from Clark, wiping her eyes and straightening her clothes. After composing herself, she was all business again. It was uncanny how alike she was with the other Lois he knew and loved.
“So what are we going to do?” she asked him in a tone that suggested she thought he should have an answer. The problem was – he didn’t. “I need your help. I’ve gotta get back there, to my world. I’ve got a five-year-old son back there who is alone in the house and probably scared.”
“We’re going to have to work together to figure this out. I know you’re concerned. I am too,” he assured her. “But at least Jason has your Superman to look after him. If he knows he’s his son, believe me, he’s not going to let anything happen to him. When Clark doesn’t see you at work the next morning, I’m sure he’ll go to check on you and Jason.” Wouldn’t he? Surely he would.
“Actually, Jason will probably just call Richard when he wakes up and finds me missing. Richard... wasn’t home last night...” She broke off, going quiet for a few seconds and then continued, “Jason has all of Richard’s numbers and he knows what to do in an emergency. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’m just worried.” Lois sat back down on the couch next to the other Lois who had quietly been observing the whole conversation.
“Clark?” the other Lois finally spoke up. “Can I ask you a question?”
He could hear the hesitation in her voice. It made him a little nervous. “Sure,” he answered with the same hesitation.
“Where’s your Lois? You’ve talked an awful lot about the Lois from the other dimension and showed us a picture of her, but you haven’t mentioned your Lois. I’ve looked around at the pictures in here and I don’t see any of you and her.” She frowned at him, looking curious.
Clark sighed long and deeply, hoping that would stave off the familiar ache that was trying to return. It didn’t work.
He didn’t really want to talk about this, especially not with them, but if he knew Lois, she wouldn’t give up so easily.
“I haven’t found her. She was on assignment in the Congo before I moved to Metropolis. She never came back from that assignment. I’ve looked for her, tried to find her. A lot of people think she’s... dead...” he trailed off and hoped that information would be enough to satisfy her. “But, I’m getting off the subject. We really need to try and figure out how the two of you got here, so...”
“Lois, did you go on that assignment in the Congo?” the straight-haired Lois asked the other, going into reporter mode.
“Yeah, I did. You?”
Clark tried again to change the subject. “Okay, but back to what I was saying, I think we should start...”
“Uh-huh. You know what the weird thing is?”
“That both of us went on that assignment and didn’t have any problems?” curly-Lois ventured, joining in on the inquiry.
“Yeah. We came back just fine. It wasn’t even really that dangerous,” straight-haired Lois said, creasing her eyebrows and frowning. “What could the difference have been between our universes and this one?”
“Good question.” Curly-Lois put one hand up to her chin, tapping it lightly with one finger as she contemplated the answer. “Obviously the other Lois that Clark knows came back from the Congo as well. What could have happened here? Do you think...?”
“Lois!” Clark said loudly, addressing the curly-haired Lois and trying to interrupt.
“What?” they both answered in unison, turning to look at him.
Ugh. This was going to be way too confusing trying to call each of them Lois. “We need to talk about what happened to you if we’re going to figure out how to fix this, and I’m going to need to be able to keep the two of you separate when I’m asking questions. Can I maybe call one of you Lane? And the other one Lois?”
“You can call me Lane,” the straight-haired Lois offered. “Some people call me that around the office, I should be able to keep it straight.”
“Great. That’s a start.” Now if he could just keep them on track. “Okay, now, *Lois*, do you remember anything about the person who took you? Was he an older gentleman? How was he dressed?”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything about what he looked like. I went to bed and then I woke up here, on your balcony. The only thing I do remember is waking up very briefly when he put the rag of chloroform to my mouth and nose.” She scrunched up her nose briefly at the memory.
That wasn’t of much use. He sighed feeling frustrated and turned towards the other Lois. “What about you, Lane?”
“I remember a voice,” she said, closing her eyes as if to concentrate. “When he was trying to sedate me with the rag, he was mumbling to himself. But it wasn’t an old man’s voice.”
Maybe it wasn’t Wells then. It really didn’t sound like something he would do, drugging these women and dumping them here on him without so much as a hello. What it really felt like, what it just screamed of, was Tempus. A shiver ran down his back. But why? Why would he do this? What was he hoping to accomplish? “Do you remember anything specific about what he said? Any words?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. Do the words ‘end of Utopia’ make any sense to you?” she asked, opening her eyes and looking at him hopeful.
Clark cringed. It was Tempus. That would probably explain why Wells hadn’t shown back up yet. “Yeah, unfortunately. I think we may be in a little more trouble than I’d hoped.”
“Clark?” Lane asked, looking down and fingering the pajamas she was wearing, “I’m sure you’re not used to having female houseguests, but do you think you have any clothes you might loan us?” She smiled uncomfortably at him. “I don’t know what kind of trouble you think we’re in, but I personally don’t want to confront whatever’s about to happen in my nightshirt.”
He looked back and forth from one Lois to the other, realizing they were both in their pajamas and despite the dread he’d been feeling he couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, let me see what I’ve got.”
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To Be Continued...
