From Last Time:
"And I assume the Council would not think to appoint someone over Zara’s objections."
"I cannot imagine the Council even attempting to do so," Shai agreed.
"Then you should know there is exactly one person that Zara and I trust to take my place. General Commander Ching."
"I believe he would make a fine First Minister, but perhaps it would be wise to prepare a short list of alternative candidates," Shai suggested.
Clark stopped dead. "There are no alternatives. I will not abdicate to anyone besides Ching," he replied firmly. "There isn’t a man alive who has done more to secure peace for this world than the General Commander. And there is no one that Zara and I trust more. I owe it to her and to the people of this world to make sure the best possible person takes my place."
********
New Stuff:
"The foreign ministers will be arriving soon for the donors' conference. We'd like you on the receiving line to welcome them," the British ambassador explained as they walked down the corridors from the Security Council chamber toward the grand lobby. Lois fought to keep from rolling her eyes. Shaking hands with political bigwigs and giving phony smiles was not her idea of a productive day. Certainly there were more useful things she could be doing. After all, shaking hands for photos didn't require any superpowers at all.
"With any luck, this conference will raise a substantial amount to support our efforts in Kinwara," the ambassador reminded her, apparently noticing her lack of enthusiasm for the event.
"Of course," she replied.
"The other ambassadors and I will meet you at the welcome reception. Thank you again for doing this," Ambassador Hugh said.
The U.N.'s security staff guided her toward the receiving line, where the press was already waiting. Photographers snapped pictures as she took her place and the motorcades of the foreign ministers began to arrive. It wasn't even mid morning, but it was already oppressively hot in Metropolis, the sun and the humidity seemed to bring the air to a low simmer. In their dark suits, the diplomats appeared distinctly uncomfortable. One by one, they were announced and walked toward the U.N.'s grand lobby. Ultrawoman took her place, shaking hands and thanking everyone for their support. Within minutes, she was already tired of the routine.
"From the Republic of Togoro, President Lawrence Sangara." She heard the name announced and she froze. Heading directly toward her was Sangara himself – the most despicable man she could think of. He was the butcher who'd started this war and now, he had the temerity to show up at the donors' conference to help the victims of the war. Forgetting for a moment that she was physically invulnerable, she fought to keep from recoiling in his presence. His proximity nauseated her. Sangara smiled as he extended his hand. She stiffly folded her arms across her chest, staring hard at the dictator in front of her. His smile became a smirk as cameras flashed all around them, but she didn't move. No force in hell could have made her shake hands with the bastard. Lois clenched her jaw, her body held rigid to keep from trembling with rage. She could hear the murmurs all around her as reporters whispered to each other, wondering what exactly she would do. Eventually, Sangara moved along, shuffling into the lobby along with his bodyguards. Frowning, she turned back to the arriving diplomats and continued shaking hands.
********
"You should have told me he would be here," Ultrawoman said angrily as she stormed into the British ambassador's office.
"There's no need to become upset," Ambassador Murray began as she stood up from the overstuffed, wingbacked chair.
"Believe me, we're well past that point," Lois countered, feeling the fire burn through her veins.
"This morning's event was for the foreign ministers of the donor states, Sangara wasn't supposed to attend. We were as surprised as you were to see him," Dr. Murray continued.
"Besides, this conference will be a boon for the people of Kinwara," the British ambassador said as he placed his teacup and saucer on the end table beside his chair. "Your involvement has been integral. Let's not lose perspective of that."
"Integral? I am not some washed up celebrity you can drag out for photo ops in your campaigns to be diplomat of the year," Lois spat. "I've already bargained away my ethics and my integrity. Don't think I'm just going to roll over and give up my pride as well."
"Ultrawoman, let's discuss this rationally," the American ambassador said, her tone soothing and patronizing.
"I'm done with this," Lois retorted in disgust. "Don't call me again, unless it's an actual emergency." With that, she walked out of the office.
********
She dug her hands into the freshly turned up dirt. It was cold and damp and she marveled at the way it got stuck under her fingernails. "The soil is nitrogen-poor," she said as she stood up. "But that can be corrected."
The representative of the settlement's governor nodded vigorously as she explained. He seemed to struggle a bit to keep up with her on the steep walk back out of the valley. "All of your current irrigation is by canal, right?" she asked as the path back to the settlement leveled out.
"Yes," the man replied almost breathlessly. "But many of the canals were damaged or destroyed during the war."
"There's a series of aquifers under this area," Talan explained. "We can tap the water table to irrigate the land more effectively. I'll send for a full survey team."
"Thank you, Commander," he replied. "When they said someone was coming out here to perform a geological assessment, we had no idea it would be you."
They continued walking back toward the settlement. "Well, the end of the war has allowed most of us to get back to more constructive work."
A soldier ran toward them as they approached the center of the settlement. "Ma'am, there's a call for you in central command."
"Thank you," she replied. Talan turned back to the governor's representative. "I will liaise with your office to arrange for the survey team." She made her way to the settlement's command center and turned on the monitor.
"How are you, Commander?" Kal El asked.
"Fine, sir," she replied, feeling a faint smile turn up the corners of her mouth. "We are making progress out here. How is the meditation coming?"
"Slowly," he admitted.
"We'll work on breaking the total consciousness barrier when I return," she replied. They had been meditating together, not the sort of meditation that had allowed her for years to ignore her emotions. She knew better than to hide in that refuge now. All they could hope for was a bit of calm, a few moments of clarity in which to collect their thoughts and attain perspective. Yet it was hardly possible for her. How was she supposed to think clearly when he was so nearby? When his simple presence filled her with confusion?
But this was her penance. This was her burden. She had to learn to find the balance between ignoring her emotions and being ruled by them. There was no end of irony to it. In order to feel again, in order to hang on to the thread of her humanity, she had to hide those feelings. She had to keep locked inside her the agonizing turmoil, the chaos of emotions that tore her apart and made her feel alive. No matter how much it hurt, she had to help him. She had to do the best she could, even though she was just an inadequate stand-in for the person he truly needed. She could never be any more than that.
"I'm looking forward to the headaches," he said wryly.
"You're ready for this, sir," she assured him.
"I hope you're right."
"I know I am." It would have been so much easier if she didn't love him. She could be the steadfast friend, the needed confidant and advisor. She could have done her job with a clear head. It would have been much simpler that way. As much as it hurt, though, as much as it made her feel like she was being torn to shreds anew each and every day, she had to keep doing this.
Loving him had made her a better person.
********
Enza looked up from her notes, slightly sick from having to read, over and over, what Kal El had endured, anticipating the sort of questions defense counsel would pose to him, the holes they'd try to poke in his story, the details they'd badger him about, in hopes of provoking some sort of outburst or breakdown. It was barbaric to ask him to relive all of it while staring Nor down in a courtroom, but justice demanded it of him. She rubbed her temples in exhaustion, trying to stave off the headache gathering there.
"Aunt Enza?"
She opened her eyes to see Thia standing in the doorway to the study. "Ready for bed?" she asked. Thia nodded. Enza rose and followed the little girl to her room.
Thia climbed into bed. "I think you should marry Lok Sim," she pronounced.
"Really?" Enza replied, her brow arched. She couldn't help but be amused by her niece's matter-of-fact suggestion.
"He's nice and he's very handsome," Thia added.
Enza leaned down to tuck in the covers around her. "Yes, he is."
"Do you like Lok Sim?"
"Certainly," Enza replied. "He's a very kind man."
"Are you going to marry him?"
"Aren't you full of questions tonight?" Enza kissed her niece's forehead.
Thia frowned. "You're the one who told me to ask questions."
She had a point. Enza sighed. "Getting married is a very big decision. It's one of the biggest decisions a person can make and it's something a person should think about a lot before making up their mind. Now it's time for you to go to sleep, little one."
"Are you going to think about it?"
The little girl certainly was persistent. "Maybe," Enza replied. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Aunt Enza, I love you."
"I love you, too," Enza said as she bent down to kiss Thia once more.
********
"Hey Lois, did you hear about Ultrawoman blowing up at the ambassadors at the U.N. today?" Ralph called out across the bullpen.
Lois glared at him and reminded herself that she couldn't throw Ralph into the ionosphere, no matter how irritating he was. She looked back down at the draft of her article on the monitor.
Jimmy made his way toward her desk. It had been months since she'd been in this newsroom, but its sights and sounds were still so familiar. Some things really did seem to stay the same. "Hey, Lois," he said, smiling. "You here for the conference at the U.N.?"
"Yeah," she replied.
"Lois, get yer butt in here," Perry called from the doorway of his office. She arched her brows at Jimmy who just shrugged.
Lois walked into the old editor's office. "You wanted to see me?"
Perry gave her a conspiratorial grin. "Did you bring those pictures of the little guy?" Lois just smiled faintly as she pulled the photos from her purse. "Ha ha, that's my boy," Perry said proudly as he flipped through the photos.
For several minutes, he said nothing. "So you wanna tell me what happened?" he asked at last.
"Exactly what you think happened. I got sandbagged standing in that stupid receiving line and then later, in private, I chewed out the American and British ambassadors for it. Although I guess I must have been yelling louder than I thought, since I doubt either of them were the one who leaked that bit of information to the press."
"Hell, I probably would have done the exact same thing in your position," Perry admitted.
"So now that you've got confirmation from Ultrawoman, are you going to run with the story of the superhero's tirade?"
Perry looked nonplussed at the suggestion. "Of course not. This garbage is for the Sunday morning talk show circuit. The Planet will run the story about the donor conference, and I'll probably include the picture of you refusing to shake Sangara's hand, but trust me on that one. I'll bet Neville Chamberlain spent the rest of his life wishing there was a photo of him somewhere refusing to shake Hitler's hand."
"Perry, I appreciate it, but you can't keep using the Planet to protect me."
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm still the editor of this paper," he announced gruffly. "I decide what is and what is not newsworthy and some 'alleged,'" he surrounded the word with air quotes, "backroom snit amongst a group of diplomats over a breach of protocol is not newsworthy. Besides, I most certainly do not have confirmation from Ultrawoman. I have an explanation from Lois Lane, Daily Planet columnist, who was definitely not in the room at the time."
********
"I want you to promise me we're going to do everything possible to make sure Nor's convicted on all counts," Kal El said, his features fixed in an earnest expression. "What he did to me was just one grain of sand in a desert. He did a lot worse to a lot of other people. But I don't have to tell you that," he finished somberly.
"No, sir," she agreed. She knew quite well what Nor had done. "And I do promise it. Justice won't mean very much if history is allowed to forget what Nor did."
The First Minister nodded, a sad, faraway look on his face. "Enza, I trust your advice on these matters more than anyone else. Is Mar Dov the right person to try this case?"
She leaned forward in her seat and looked Kal El right in the eye. "Sir, he is arrogant, often patronizing, impatient with his subordinates, and unreasonable in his demands. He is also brilliant, completely vested in this cause, and the best trial lawyer in the Guild. He is the absolute best person to try this case."
They both looked up at the sound of the library door opening. Mar Dov and the other lawyers entered the room. "Good morning, sir," Mar Dov said formally with a nod, his thin lips set in a frown. "Good morning, Captain."
They settled into another discussion of trial strategies and tactics. Kal El mostly remained silent, listening as the attorneys argued and debated. When he did speak, she was taken by how astute his observations were. He had no formal training in the law that she was aware of, but he understood all of the complexities of the investigation and the charges that they'd brought against Nor.
Mar Dov turned toward her, his dark eyes narrowed under bushy gray eyebrows. "Captain, I want you to lead the investigatory team to Silban to interview the survivors. We need trial witnesses to support the forensic evidence."
"Of course," Enza replied with a nod. It looked like she was going to be able to keep her promise to Kal El.
Mar Dov stood up. "We can only spare you for about a week. I trust you'll be able to complete the interviews by then."
********
"I take it everything is going according to plan," Rae Et said, her tone cold and even. She paced in the bunker, a look of complete disdain settled on her face.
"It is," Jen Mai confirmed. "I think it's going to work."
"Of course it is, it's my plan," she snapped. "Do not deviate from it in the slightest, is that understood?"
He nodded vigorously, his head shaking up and down almost uncontrollably. "Your contact's knowledge of the main colony seems to be impeccable. How is he getting this information?" he rambled nervously.
"Do not concern yourself with the details," Rae Et replied curtly. "Just work on implementing the plan."
"It'll take months, ma'am."
"We are talking about the life of my only son; I don't care if it takes decades!" Rae Et yelled, fire flashing across her formerly cold eyes.
Jen Mai swallowed around the boulder in his throat as he nodded. "Right," he managed.
********
She angled her body to face him where he sat on the couch beside her. "It’ll only be a week," Enza explained. A week in one of the most bleak, desolate spots on the planet.
"Have you told Thia?" Lok Sim asked as he covered her hand with his.
She shook her head. "Not yet. She’s always so upset when I go. I hate having to tell her I’m going to leave."
"Have you arranged for someone to take care of her?" he inquired softly.
Enza looked up at him. "I know it’s asking a lot, but I was hoping you might stay here with her."
"Of course I will," he replied without hesitating. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She always felt so safe when he did that. It was like the circle of his embrace could protect her from the entire world, from everything she worried over and everything she feared. She wasn't used to needed that, or wanting it. But the longer they were together, the more she seemed to seek out the quiet gestures of comfort and support he offered. And she tried to reciprocate, too – the way she took his hand between her two much smaller ones when they sat together, or the way she always turned to kiss him whenever they said goodnight. It was more than habit. It was almost like an instinct.
"I just think she’ll feel better at home," she said quietly, her head resting on his shoulder. "With someone she feels comfortable with."
He hugged her a little more tightly. "I know," he said. "Promise me you’ll be careful."
"I will," Enza murmured. She was going to miss him. It was only going to be a week, but she was going to miss him. With every passing day, he was becoming more and more important to her. The way she felt about him grew stronger and deeper. And now, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. Was it possible that she'd already fallen in love with him?
********
"Are you all right, Clark?"
He turned back to face her, tucking the chain back under his tunic. He gave her the faintest of smiles. "I'm fine," he replied, knowing he sounded unconvincing.
"How was the meeting with the lawyers?" Zara asked.
"Long," he said. "But we're making progress. The trial is set to start in a few months."
"And you'll have to testify?"
He nodded. "There's no way to avoid it."
"I can't imagine how difficult this must be," she said softly.
Clark shrugged. "The worst is over." He wanted to believe it. He was trying to believe it. With every day, he was getting one step closer to seeing that Nor spent the rest of his life rotting in a prison in the most desolate corner of this godforsaken planet. With every day, he was one step closer to going home. To getting his life back. To seeing his parents again. He was one step closer to Lois.
He wondered if she would even recognize him as the man she'd married. Did any of the qualities that she'd loved about him still exist? He'd been driven by a thirst for revenge, by a burning sense of rage, by the very things he'd fought against, as Clark Kent and as Superman. Would she look at him and see a stranger? Would she look at him and see a man she couldn't love?
"Shai wants to speak with us about the succession plans," Zara said, shaking him from his maudlin thoughts.
"I've told him that it's Ching or no one," he replied.
Zara smiled. "I know. And I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me."
He walked across their quarters and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Zara, you are a tremendous leader, a good friend, and a wonderful person. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be with the man you love. Besides, there is no one more qualified to do this job than Ching. So the Council can either make him your co-First Minister, or they can let you hold the office alone, and I'm happy to tell Shai that again."
"Thank you, Clark," she said as she looked up at him.
********
The door to her office opened and Lok Sim entered. He gave her an uneasy smile. "Hello," he said softly.
She stood up from her desk and closed the distance between them. Enza was immediately engulfed in his embrace. "When do you have to leave?" he asked.
"In a few hours," she murmured against his chest. "I already said goodbye to Thia this morning." She wasn't looking forward to this trip. It wasn't just the week away she was going to spend away from her niece and from Lok Sim. She knew that interviewing the survivors wouldn't be easy. Asking them to relive the worst events of their lives, having to ask the difficult questions, knowing the trauma she'd cause them, the wounds she was going to reopen.
Lok Sim looked down at her as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered for a moment against her cheek. He tipped up her chin and bent his head to kiss her. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I love you," he whispered. Her eyes flew open and she knew she couldn't hide the look of surprise on her face. He'd said the words that had been swirling around in her mind for weeks, terrifying her. She couldn't imagine why he could say them so easily, so calmly. Why the thought didn't frighten him the way it frightened her. He smiled faintly. "It's all right; you don't have to say anything. I can wait."
"But I do…love you," she replied, finally giving voice to a sentiment that threatened to overwhelm her. Just saying it aloud made her feel small and vulnerable. She loved him. Simply and completely.
His warm, green eyes lit up as he kissed her again. "I miss you already," he murmured, holding her tightly. And she realized that she had as much power over him as he had over her. He was just as vulnerable and he seemed to welcome it.
"Me, too," she whispered.
********
Lois dried the dinner plate with her heat vision and placed it on the counter. She took the next plate from Martha's outstretched hand. "So my shrink thinks I need to figure out better ways of dealing with my frustration. She suggested primal screaming, but I think I'm just frightening the tuna in the Pacific. I don't know what to do."
"Honey, I wish I knew what to tell you," Martha replied sympathetically.
"Well, I'm done with the diplomats and politicians. I can't take them anymore."
"Perry did mention that Ultrawoman stopped returning the White House's calls," her mother-in-law noted.
"You think I'm going about this all wrong, don't you?"
Martha rinsed off another dish. "No. I don't know what you should be doing, but I think you've been too hard on yourself. You have done so much good in this world and we are so proud of you. You should be proud of what you've accomplished."
"Everyone keeps saying that," Lois murmured. "And I want to believe it. But I'm so angry and so frustrated. And I feel like there isn't anything I can do about it. I'm not used to feeling so…so helpless."
"I know," Martha replied. "Jon will be up from his nap soon. Why don't you spend some time with him?"
Lois nodded. She had a column to write and patrols to fly. But spending time with her son was far more important.
