Hello everyone! My other beta has a bunch of RL issues going on right now and since I had Sue's beta already I decided to go ahead and post.
Do we really need a recap? Well, here's a super-short one: Tempus just showed up at alt-Clark's apartment and Lois came back and told the three Supermen that they had to go help alt-Clark.
Table of Contents From Part 9:
She turned to look back at the three Supermen who were now following closely on her heels. “Oh, and uh, there’s one more thing,” she said, smiling at her audacity to bring this up now after her little speech about going with or without them, “we’re going to need some fuel...”
**********
PART TEN:
*****ALT-CLARK*****
“Herb! Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to leave your host’s house early?” Tempus asked sarcastically. “Shame on you. I thought you had better manners.”
Clark watched helplessly as the two Lois Lanes converged on Tempus. “Wait!” he yelled at them. Even from this distance he could feel a weakness beginning in his body. Tempus had the Kryptonite with him.
Tempus pulled a gun from inside the trenchcoat he was wearing. “I wouldn’t recommend you come any closer, Ms. Lanes. I don’t want to kill you. At least not yet. I want you to watch this hero die first.” He smiled arrogantly at them. “He’s not your Supermen, and neither of you are his Lois, but hey, as the bad guy I’ll take what I can get.”
“Lois, Lane, please, get behind me,” Clark pleaded with them, eyeing the gun Tempus was holding. Clark felt weak enough already that if Tempus fired that gun, the bullet had a good chance of piercing his skin. But he had a better chance of surviving a bullet than either Lois would.
The two women moved back cautiously, their focus staying on Tempus. Clark continued to wave them back, trying to get as much distance between them and Tempus as he could. As they retreated Tempus came towards the group, pulling the Kryptonite from his coat; as he did, Clark felt his knees trying to buckle and he stumbled backwards away from the deadly green rock.
He had forgotten how much it hurt.
He groaned from the intense pain that was stabbing through his body, finally giving in to the torment and sliding to the floor. The throbbing ache moving through his system was so powerful that he couldn’t even think straight. One singular thought was going through his mind – ‘make it stop!’
It couldn’t end this way. Not after all he’d been through, after everything he’d learned from these two extraordinary women. Not when he had finally decided to find his Lois.
Please, not now.
“Please...” Clark heard the singular word as it was uttered in a throaty whisper but it took him a second to realize that he was the one who’d said it.
Lois crouched down beside him and moved in front of him, as if to try and shield him from the Kryptonite. She laid one hand against the side of his face tenderly. “Hang in there, Clark,” she whispered softly.
Tempus smiled wickedly as he walked even closer towards them, Clark’s body spasming from the increased pain. He leaned down over Clark, holding the Kryptonite in front of his face. Clark had to clench his jaw to keep from crying out in pain. Lois took her hand from Clark’s face balling it into a fist and struck at Tempus, trying to knock the Kryptonite away.
Tempus deflected her attempt and assaulted her, striking her cheek with the back of his hand. Her face jerked abruptly to one side and the force of the blow knocked her off balance. She fell into one of his end tables, knocking it over. The lamp from the table fell off, rolling to a stop in front of the couch.
Wells and Lane both started towards Tempus, but he pointed his gun menacingly in their direction, halting them in their tracks.
“Ah, ah, ah. No helping. Why don’t you and Ms. Lane just get comfy and have seat on the couch there beside you. I’ll be with you momentarily.” Tempus gestured towards the couch with his gun and Wells and Lane sat down reluctantly.
Clark glanced weakly over at Lois who was pushing herself back up off the floor. He wanted desperately to attack Tempus, to make him pay for what he’d done, but he was too weak. “Leave her alone... Tempus,” he ground out and then groaned with the effort. “It’s me... you want.”
“No, actually it’s all of you,” Tempus smirked. “But we’ll start with you.” He opened his hand, revealing the piece of Kryptonite concealed within it. The chunk looked jagged and splintered and it had a cruel looking spike sticking out at an angle. “Thanks to your wannabe girlfriend, Lois Lane, I have quite a formidable weapon in this chunk of rock. She allowed it to take a little spill and when it hit the floor it cracked. It’s amazing how strong and yet how delicate this piece of space rock is. Anyway, a few more blows to the weakened fracture and voila... I have this thing of beauty.” He held the serrated shard of Kryptonite out for inspection and the light in the room refracted wickedly off of it.
Before Clark even had a hope of reacting, Tempus swiftly thrust the jagged tip of the rock forcefully into the soft area of Clark’s abdomen, just below the tip of his “S” crest.
“Aghhh!” Clark cried out in pain.
“Tempus, stop this!” Wells shouted.
“Shush, Herb, you’ll get your turn soon enough,” he told him smugly, keeping his gun pointed at Wells and Lane. “Now, Clark, I know that hurt and I wish I could claim credit for this ingenious idea, but sadly I stole it from someone else. You know, my third grade teacher, Ms.... oh what was her name? Well, anyway, she was right; it really pays to do your homework.” Tempus twisted the piece of Kryptonite back and forth, seeming to revel in Clark’s pain.
Clark writhed in agony. He didn’t know how much more he could take before the pain overwhelmed him and he lost consciousness.
“How long can I drag this out before I finally kill you?” Tempus mused. “Am I pushing my luck? Maybe... But it’s just so much fun!” He chuckled maliciously.
“No!” Lane cried, abandoning all restraint and launching herself off the couch towards Tempus.
**********
Tempus watched as one of the Loises ran at him. Which one was it? They were dressed exactly alike, in jeans, tennis shoes, and white t-shirts. Hmm, he distinctively remembered snatching them in their nightgowns. He shook head in amusement; leave it to boy-scout, Clark, here to get them some clothes... He examined the Lois again. Ah yes, she was the one without the kid.
Not that it really mattered.
He jerked the piece of Kryptonite out of Clark’s body and calmly raised his gun, pointing it at her. She came to a stop just inches from the end of the barrel.
“I warned you, Ms. Lane,” he said, his finger sliding over the trigger. Just then a commotion behind him caught his attention and he turned to see another Lois and the other three Supermen come barging through the open front door. “Ahh, now it’s a party,” he said audaciously.
He felt a jerk on his gun and realized that during the distraction, Lois had grabbed hold of his gun and was now pulling on it, trying to get it away from him.
“No!” he heard one of the Supermen yell, most likely the one from her universe. Tempus decided he’d had just about enough Lois, any Lois, for one day. He jerked his weapon away from her and brought the butt of the gun swinging back for her head.
She tried to duck out of the way but she wasn’t fast enough and he grinned with satisfaction at the sickening thud he heard as the gun connected with the side of her temple. She fell to the ground, rolling limply to one side. A bright red trickle oozed from the gash the gun had left behind.
“I’m going to make you pay for that,” the Superman who had spoken before said, his voice thick with barely contained rage.
“I sincerely doubt that, but please, go ahead and try,” Tempus said, sweeping a hand out in front of him. He held his breath, wondering if his gamble was going to pay off. The Superman strode purposefully towards him with fear-inspiring swiftness, but he stopped short, a few feet away and began wheezing. Tempus watched in morbid fascination as the Superman dropped down to his knees and began coughing.
“Delightful. That’s just what I thought. You haven’t healed up yet from our last encounter. The poisons are still in your bodies,” he gloated, walking up and kicking the Superman solidly in the stomach. Tempus bent down over him, holding the Kryptonite close to his face. Superman choked and gasped, curling up into a fetal position. Tempus looked around the room making eye contact with each of the Supermen. “Supermen united, hmmm, I must say it’s really not as awe-inspiring as I’d hoped,” he sneered. “You can’t hurt me. You might as well give up now,” he bluffed.
The Superman from the other distant universe hurled a burst of super-breath at Tempus knocking him off his feet. “I can. I still have my powers. I can fight you as long as I don’t get too close, and I don’t think that will be a problem,” he said, making a quick change into his suit and lifting himself into the air up towards the ceiling.
This could be a problem. Tempus struggled to get up and the Superman hit him with another burst, scooting him across the floor a few feet. It took everything he had to hang on to his gun and the Kryptonite, and that didn’t leave him a free hand to grab on to anything. Superman could just keep blowing him around the room if he wanted. Or do something worse, Tempus realized, thinking of that legendary heat vision or cold breath...
Unless...
He looked over, gauging how close he was to the curly-haired Lois - the attacking Superman’s Lois. She was sitting, fussing over the alternate Clark, just a couple of feet away.
Feet. Her feet were much closer.
“Alright, that’s about enough of that,” Tempus said, shoving the Kryptonite into a coat pocket. He quickly reached over and latched onto that Superman’s Lois by her ankles, pulling her with him as Superman hit him with another blast of breath. When they came to a stop, he wrapped an arm around her tightly and held his gun to her ribs with the other.
“No!” Superman yelped from his perch up next to the ceiling. “Please... don’t,” he begged.
“Why? Because I have some kind of love for you?” he sneered. “Or maybe because she has a little boy at home?” Tempus flashed him a wicked smile. A dark shadow passed over Superman’s face and his blue eyes turned stormy.
Yes, that comment bothered him, didn’t it?
Homework – always do your homework. That’s what Ms. Whats-her-name always said. Tempus almost felt guilty for having put that beehive in her car. It had been a shame that she was allergic to bees...
He smiled widely at the memory. An idea was niggling at the back of his mind. Allergies? Didn’t Superman’s son, Jason, have allergies? Yes, he did...
“You know, Superman, I find it amazing what information people are willing to divulge when they’re stranded on a teeny tiny island because they were too stupid to bring extra gasoline for their helicopter,” he chuffed happily. He watched in anticipation as the wrath in Superman’s face went a shade darker. Tempus could tell he was getting to him... He just hadn’t hit the right button yet.
<Did you know in the universe opposite to our own that Superman has a child?> Tempus had told Herb earlier that Superman had a son. He knew about Jason because Lex Luthor had been willing to trade his freedom from imprisonment on that island for a few interesting tidbits of information about the boy. For instance, the fact that Jason was Superman’s son but yet he didn’t seem to be affected by Kryptonite.
Well, maybe not from his own world but... what about Kryptonite from another universe?
“If I get rid of Lois it will make it that much easier to get rid of Jason, too... once I’m done with you, of course. If I’m to rule your world, I have to rid myself of all threats,” he paused as an even more sinister idea came to mind. “Or... maybe I could convince him to help me? He is young and impressionable after all. Uncle Tempus - it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?”
That did it. He could tell by the flash of anger in Superman’s face.
Tempus let go of Lois shoving her away from him, reaching into his pocket for the Kryptonite as Superman came bolting down towards him. Tempus jerked the chunk of Kryptonite out at him as Superman lifted him up by the collar of his coat, holding him in the air.
But then, rather quickly, Superman dropped him.
Tempus watched with gruesome satisfaction as Superman’s face began to swell up. He backed away from Tempus, clawing at his eyes and grasping at his throat.
Tempus looked away from him and over at the Clark from his own world. He was standing back, keeping his distance, and was holding on to his Lois with both hands. She didn’t look happy. Let her go, he thought, he’d finish what he started with her before. Tempus smiled wryly. “Well, how ‘bout it, Clark? Third times a charm.” He glanced around the room, snickering. “Err, make that fourth times a charm.” He laughed happily.
“No, Tempus, but we’re about to have the last laugh,” Clark said smiling. He and his Lois were both looking at something behind Tempus.
Tempus started to turn around when all of the sudden he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. The world seemed to be getting darker and he found himself slumping to the floor. He finished his turn as he fell and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Wells standing there behind him holding the remnants of a table lamp.
He really needed to stop underestimating the man...
**********
Wells looked down at the broken lamp he was holding in his hand. “That’s for my pocket watch,” he said contemptuously and allowed the lamp to slide from his hands. “I abhor violence, Tempus, but you drive me to it.” He shook his head in disgust.
The curly-haired Lois scrambled over to Tempus. She snatched his gun away from him and pointed it at him, her hands trembling. “Is he...”
“Just unconscious, my dear. It would be a good idea for you to keep that gun pointed at him, though, in case he wakes up.”
Wells bent over Tempus, feeling around in his pockets until he found what he was looking for. He withdrew his hand, pulling out a small lead box as he did. He took the Kryptonite from Tempus’ limp hand and put it inside the box, sealing it up.
He heard a collective sigh of relief coming from all directions in the room. He turned to see the alternate Clark struggling to sit up from the floor. He scooted himself over to lean against the side of couch. “Thanks, Mr. Wells.”
“You’re quite welcome, my boy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll pop out of here for a brief moment and properly dispose of this little toxin.” His gaze fell on the Lois who had been hit with the butt of Tempus’ gun. Her Clark had crawled over to her and was now anxiously examining her. “Is she all right?” Wells asked him, concerned.
“I think so. All her vitals are good. I think that maybe she just has a slight concussion.” The ache in his voice betrayed his grief and pain over what had happened to her.
“Mr. Kent, if you’ll come with me, I can take you both to a hospital back in your universe," Wells told him. "I’m sure she’ll be fine, but it would probably be a good idea for someone to take a look at her.” He glanced over at the Clark from this universe and gave him a knowing look. Clark returned the look to him, nodding his head. Wells turned back to face the other Superman, watching him cradling his Lois in his arms. “Unless you’d prefer that I take you back in such a manner that neither of you will remember any of this?” he asked hesitantly.
That Clark’s face lit up with hope, but also indecision. “You could do that?”
“Yes, I... could. If that’s what you want, and what you think Ms. Lane would want. You see, your historical timeline has been altered inadvertently by Clark here,” he said, pointing towards the alternate Clark. “He didn’t realize that your Lois and the other Superman’s Lois,” he pointed at the curly-headed Lois Lane, “didn’t know that their Clark Kents’ were Superman. It seems in trying to figure out exactly who the young ladies were that he revealed to them who Superman really is.”
Clark hissed, sucking in a breath between his teeth. “So, she *knows*?”
The alternate Clark nodded his head. “Yes, she does. And she remembers you taking that knowledge from her... both times. She wasn’t very happy when she remembered. I would apologize to you for what I did, but I’m not sorry. I’m appalled at what you,” he paused looking over at the other parallel Superman, “both of you did to your Lois Lanes. I can’t believe you would take that knowledge away from them, keep them in the dark like that,” Clark chastised them, his irritation bleeding through in both his voice and his face.
“I know... I was so wrong...” the injured Lois’ Superman said.
The other Superman, the one that curly-headed Lois was now tending to, was slowly getting to his feet. “We both were,” he said, looking at his Lois with sad, regretful eyes.
“I’m glad you realize that,” the Clark of this world told them both. “But you’re going to lose a lot of respect from me if you ask Mr. Wells to *fix* this. To put things back the way they were. Your Loises learned a lot about themselves, a lot about you, during this little encounter. I think you should reflect carefully on whether or not you have the right to take that away from them,” he rebuked them, the tone of his voice deep and determined.
“Absolutely not!” the curly-Lois exclaimed, taking a few determined steps towards Wells. “Mr. Wells, all due respect, but you are not *fixing* this. I know I speak for both myself and the other Lois when I say that.”
“No, Lois, I think you speak for all of us,” her Superman interjected, smiling tentatively at her. “You couldn’t force me to take this knowledge from you again. Not now,” he finished softly.
Wells hid a small smile and turned to look at the other Superman. He was nodding his head in agreement. “Absolutely. When Lois wakes up, I want the first thing she sees to be me; and I want her to remember who I am, what she’s learned. I had hoped to tell her after this was over anyway, this just accelerates that plan.”
There just may be hope for them after all. “Very good, then,” Wells told them. “Let’s get you and Ms. Lane back to your own universe, shall we?” He looked back at the rest of the group. “I’ll take them back and dispose of this Kryptonite and then I’ll be back for Tempus.” He turned and looked back at the Clark who was now carrying his Lois in his arms. “If you would be so good as to direct me to the location of the time machine?”
*****ALT-CLARK*****
Clark watched Wells follow Superman and Lane out his front door and felt a little sad and wistful that he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her before she left. He hoped she would be okay and he found himself wondering how things would turn out for her and her Superman.
He felt a soft, warm hand on his shoulder and he turned to look up into the face of the curly-haired Lois. She smiled down at him gently. “Are you okay?” she asked him softly.
“I’ll live,” he told her, but truthfully he still was feeling pretty weak. He had only been exposed to Kryptonite one other time, also by Tempus, but he didn’t remember being this weak afterwards. In fact, he had managed to swallow a bomb just shortly after he had been exposed. But then again, he hadn’t been stabbed with it either.
He glanced down at his abdomen and was a little shocked to discover that the wound hadn’t healed yet. He could see blood and tissue through the small hole in his suit and a streak of blood had stained the blue spandex below it.
“But I think I’ll just sit here for a little bit until I catch my breath,” he concluded, smiling weakly at her.
She bent down and brushed a feather-light kiss across his brow before turning to go back and check on her own Clark. He watched her turn and leave, and watched her fuss over her Clark’s healing rash and swollen face, and felt the slightest pangs of jealousy.
That Clark didn’t know what he had. Didn’t know and didn’t deserve her. He bit back the aching feelings that were pressing against his heart. She wasn’t his Lois and she didn’t belong here. She had to get back to her own world, to her son. To *their* son.
And he would let her go not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Because he wanted to believe if there was hope for them, for that Lois and her Clark, for all of those Loises and their Clarks, that maybe... just maybe... there was hope for him and his Lois, too.
All he had to do was wait for Wells to return.
And he didn’t have to wait very long. Only moments after Wells had left, the door to Clark’s apartment opened and he came walking back inside.
Wells’ face immediately turned a few shades of red and Clark followed his gaze to a pair of lip-locked lovers standing off to the side at the bottom of the stairs – the Lois Lane from his alternate universe and her Clark Kent. They were in each other’s arms, passionately kissing, tears in their eyes. Clark turned to the other pair of Clark and Lois to find them holding each other tightly, whispering words in each other’s ears that Clark refused to listen in on.
A sharp pain clutched his heart and he turned away, closing his eyes, unable to look at any of them anymore. He felt a squeeze on one of his shoulders and opened his eyes to see Wells looking down at him, an encouraging smile on his face.
“Oh, my head!” Clark and Wells turned to look at Tempus who was struggling to get up from the floor.
“Tempus, you stay right where you are!” Wells exclaimed. “It’s over. We have your gun, your time machine, and I’ve disposed of your Kryptonite. You just stay put.” Wells turned back to look at Clark. “Just give me a few moments to dispose of Tempus properly, and get these Loises and Clarks back to their own worlds. Then we’ll take a little trip, my boy, if you’re ready.”
“Ready to find my Lois? I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” Clark told him truthfully, but feeling the old ache returning. He just hoped what he found wasn’t worse than not knowing.
“Good luck with that,” Clark heard Tempus mutter under his breath. Tempus chuckled, seeming pleased with himself.
“What do you mean by that, Tempus?” Clark growled at him.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” Tempus smiled conspiratorially at them. “So now what? Time for me to go back to prison I suppose...?”
*********
Hah! I didn't leave you on a cliffhanger this time... well sort of. But don't get to comfortable, there's at least 2 more parts to this story... we aren't finished yet - trust me...
To Be Continued...
