Thanks, you guys.
Yes, Maria, I agree. Trask is nuts, and he is dangerous. And like Ann, I always saw him that way in the series - that matter-of-fact attitude and his straight-arrow looks combined with his unblinking ruthlessness...
I found him one of the scarier villians because he was so... hidden in plain sight. And yes, Bureau 39 isn't going to look good over this, are they?
Terry, you have an awful lot of faith in me; I hope I can deliver.
I know the 'middle' of this story may seem to some readers like a lot of just... I don't know, cruising along without much action, but every time I tried to move things on (dragon-fighting-wise), this version of Lois would demonstrate that there was something else she had to work through. She did a pretty good job of reaching adulthood with her sanity intact, but there was an awful lot of stuff she just didn't get a chance at - meeting Clark sort of tipped her into full participation.
You know Clark; if he shows up, his inclination will be to come in fast, as you describe, and grab that box.
The next part will probably be posted this weekend; in the meantime, I have something completely different that popped up on my Muse's horizon and distracted her. Now that it's done, I'll post it and get back to TGND.
'Toc