Here is part 3. I just realized that the italics didn't transfer from Word to the boards. The telepathy should have been in italics
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FDK welcomed!
From Part 2:
"Lois?"
Lois turned from the window where she'd been staring up at the sky, wondering where the Kryptonian ship was. "Yes, Clark?" She hadn't even noticed Zara disappear.
"We have to talk, but they're monitoring the conversation."
"How do you know?"
"Zara told me. Apparently, Kryptonians are telepathic."
"Really? So you've been standing here having a conversation with your *wife* in front of me without me hearing a thing?"
"Something like that." Clark walked to her side and turned her to face him. "I hate this as much as you do, but you have to trust me, we need to go voluntarily."
"Like hell I will!" Lois wrenched away from him. "I am not turning you over to *consummate* with that... that.... hussy!"
"Lois, remember when I froze you?"
She looked at him in bewilderment. "Yes."
"It took a lot of trust on both of our parts to do that and you need to trust me now. It's for the best." Clark looked at her and implored her to trust him, to read in his eyes that everything would be find, that they'd work it all out.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Lois sighed. Once they were on that bloody ship, Clark could find a loophole of some kind and the consummation would never take place – he wouldn't let it. She knew that.
Or she thought she did.
*****
Part 3
*****
Lois closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was in a room that rivaled the most luxurious hotel in Metropolis. The window showed a scene of what she thought was the Himalayas – Mt. Everest in particular. That didn't make any sense – Zara had said that the ship was orbiting the earth. Lois took a closer look and realized that she could change the picture. She punched the 'live' button and saw stars streaking by and a blue spot in the distance that she could only assume was Earth.
A soft pinging sound caught her attention. It seemed to be a doorbell of some kind. She looked around to find the door, but couldn't find it. "Come in? I don't know how to open the door."
A panel slid open in the wall and a woman entered. She appeared to be old enough to be Lois' mother and had a matronly air about her. She wore a flowing white garment with the familiar Superman logo on it in silver. "Miss Lane, I am Dara Mar-El. I am the wife of Jor-El's second cousin. Jor-El was the father of Kal-El, who you know as Clark Kent or Superman."
"I know who Jor-El is." Lois tried not to snap at the lady who she was sure had nothing to do with the predicament they were in.
"My apologies, Miss Lane. I have not been informed about how much you know about what is going on."
"I know that I’m going to be disbanded or something if Clark, Kal-El, doesn't renounce our marriage or if I happen to be pregnant."
Dara nodded. "Yes, Miss Lane. That is the law."
"So why are you here?"
"I'm to help you while you are on board."
"Help me with what?"
"Anything you need. How to get food. Where clothes are. How things on New Krypton work. Anything you need."
"How to get my husband back?"
"Miss Lane, I understand where you are coming from – not truly as things are very different on Earth than on New Krypton but I have been briefed – however, for your sake, I would recommend that you be cautious and not refer to Kal-El as your husband. There are those who would send you to the molecular disbander for consummating your relationship with Kal-El, though neither one of you knew it would be considered an offense. It is for your own safety that I recommend this."
Lois sighed. "And you?"
"It's not my place to pass any judgment but to instruct you on how protocols work and so on."
"So what now?"
"You will stay here for the next period of time. You will witness some official proceedings involving Kal-El and Zara Tal-Ra from an ante room. There will be an area of the ship that you will be allowed to roam freely, an area that will be restricted and you will only be allowed with an escort and an area off limits to you."
"I hate restrictions."
"I am aware, but our tracking systems are much more advanced than those of earth and there is simply no way for you to get into the restricted areas."
Lois muttered a 'we'll see' to herself but seemingly resigned herself to the rules Dara had outlined.
"First, you will need to dress for the welcoming ceremony." Dara walked to a floor length mirror. "This, like many other services you will need, is what you would call a touch screen. Come stand on the mark here." Lois stood at the mark indicated and watched as Dara touched the side of the mirror. There was a shimmering effect in the mirror and suddenly Lois saw herself dressed in clothes similar to those Dara was wearing. When she looked down, she was still in Clark's shirt and her favorite shorts. "It projects the clothing you choose so that you can decide on an outfit without having to change clothes a dozen times."
Lois was impressed. "Very handy."
"Yes, it is. Now, I will show you three different outfits and you will choose between them."
Lois nodded and watched as the mirror shimmered again. This time she appeared to be dressed in a shimmering red outfit and then with a silver one. She pondered the choices. "Will I see Clark?"
"No, Kal-El and Zara will be in another room. You will watch through a one way mirror."
Lois sighed. "Who else will be there?"
"I'll be with you along with several other observers, including members of the maharajah's staff. Participating in the ceremony will be Lord Kal-El, Lady Zara, members of the ruling council which Kal-El will become the head of on his next birthday, as well as other members of the ruling class."
Lois sighed again. "The silver one I guess." It did look best on her and she hoped that Clark might catch a glimpse of her at some point.
Dara showed her which button to push and started to push it.
"WAIT!"
"Yes?"
"What will happen to these clothes?"
"They will be incinerated."
Tears welled up in Lois' eyes. "Please, I’m already losing my husband, can't I please keep my clothes?"
Dara paused for a moment and then nodded her assent. She punched another button. "They'll be tucked under the pillow on your bed."
Lois felt shimmery – something she didn't know was possible – and when the sensation faded, she was dressed in the silver outfit she'd chosen.
"Now, are you hungry?"
Lois nodded.
"I'll show you how the food service works." Dara walked to a picture of fruit bowl on the wall. "This is also what you would call a touch screen monitor. You simply touch it..." she demonstrated. "... and a menu comes up. You make your choices and a tray will come out of an opening below. Please, come try it."
Lois walked to her side and punched at the computer screen a few times. The wall below opened and a tray slid out – complete with seven different kinds of chocolate – and she muttered about how Jetson-like this was.
"Miss Lane, I'm afraid that's not the most healthy of meals."
Lois glared at her. "If I’m losing my husband, I'm having chocolate. Now, what happens if I get ice cream all over my clothes."
"You won't. They are self-cleaning."
"Nice."
Lois set the tray down on the little table near the fireplace – that had what appeared to be a real fire in it – and dug in.
No sooner than she had finished, Dara moved from her place near the mirror and informed her it was time for them to head to the ceremony.
*****
Clark's experience was similar in many ways to that of Lois, but in many ways was quite different.
He also found himself in a well-appointed room but this one was part of a suite. One doorway led to a luxurious bedroom and another led to an office of sorts. Further back in the office was another door to a conference room of some kind that also appeared to have a door to a corridor so that those coming to the conference room wouldn't have to go through the suite. The main room, the one he was in, was living quarters of some kind.
He listened intently, trying to hear Lois' heartbeat but instead all he heard was Zara.
Don't, Kal-El. Your super powers are gone now that you are on board the ship and anything you do to try to connect with Lois will be seen as a rejection of the terms under which you are here.I understand. But why is it that the trial isn't until we get to New Krypton, but we're still expected to consummate on board?It is how the law is written. Perhaps it was so that it would be easier to renounce your relationship with Miss Lane or harder to renounce your relationship with me.Clark sighed and told Zara he would talk to her later. A soft chime caught his attention and he instinctively said, "Come."
A door opened and a man walked in. He was dressed in a very similar fashion to the way Jor-El had been in the messages on his globe.
"Lord Kal-El, I am Mar-El, your father's second cousin. It will be my responsibility to help look after you until Zara is permitted to do so. After that, I will be what you might call a concierge for the remainder of our journey to New Krypton."
Mar-El showed Clark the same things his wife had shown Lois except Clark had no choice in what he was going to wear. For now, he was told, he was expected to wear a black suit similar to his supersuit but without the cape and briefs. The emblem on his chest was the same electric blue of the supersuit.
"Lord Kal-El, let me walk you through what is going to happen at the ceremony we are about to take part in." He started with the formalities of how they would be introduced and finished with Clark and Zara heading back here to consummate their marriage.
Clark sighed. He knew he couldn't show any outward sign of the frustration that he felt and how upset the whole thing was making him.
"And now, sir, it's time for us to go."
Clark nodded and followed Mar-El through the door. As he'd been told, he took a place slightly in front of his new companion and listened to the telepathic direction he was given to get him through the winding hallways until they reached a large room, obviously set up for a ceremony of some kind.
*****
Clark and Zara returned to the room where Clark had been previously. The ceremony had been short and to the point, similar in some ways to a marriage ceremony on Earth but very different in other ways. There had been mention of the consequences should he refuse to consummate his marriage to Zara – though he didn't see the marriage was legal in the first place if he was already married to Lois.
Kal-El, Zara thought at him,
I know this is difficult, but I think I have a way out. You'll have to trust me.Clark sighed aloud.
Do I have a choice?Not really.Then I'll have to trust you.Lois and Dara Mar-El will be here shortly. They will need to see us in a... compromising position. Dara, though a distant relative of yours, will report back what she sees regardless of the consequences to you, me or Lois.Zara...Trust me, Kal-El, there is no other way. Perhaps you will be able to give Lois some subtle sign that Dara will not pick up on to let her know it is a charade.Clark immediately thought of a way to – hopefully – let Lois know what was going on.
Okay, I think I know how to do that, but what then?Well, when you and Lois... were first together, did you feel a different connection to her than you had before?Yes.The same is true of Kryptonians, but different. When a Kryptonian couple, especially a couple who are also members of nobility, consummate they experience something similar to the Vulcan mind meld of the Earth movies. There is a connection that is obvious to anyone with telepathic abilities.Great.There is a way around it, but there is potential risk.Anything.A young member of my security staff, Ching, has managed to obtain a sample of a Kryptonian disease to which you have no immunity. It is similar to both the chicken pox and mumps that you may have come in contact with on Earth. To most children it is a mild annoyance and to most adults it is relatively serious requiring hospitalization, but rarely has long term effects. Occasionally, with both children and adults, serious complications arise that can lead to lifetime disabilities or even death, but these instances are rare.How will this help?You will become relatively ill quickly. You may be required to go to sick bay for the duration of the illness. If not, you will be taken care of here. Either way, we will not be expected to consummate the relationship while you are so ill.Good plan. How long will I be sick?Probably a week or so, long enough for us to get close enough to New Krypton to transport back to the planet.Clark nodded his assent.
Now, Lois will be here momentarily. Dara will accompany her. The way the door system works, a door will open to a chamber such as this for an invited guest – which Lois and Dara are – unless the door is locked, which it will not be. When they enter, they will find us in the bedroom in at least a partial state of undress. There will be no... visuals if you will, and it will be as much for show as possible. You will become ill not long afterwards and we will be unable to finish what they believe we've started. The whole point of Lois' visit is for her to see us together. You will have to reassure her, without reassuring her, does that make sense?Yes.Zara tilted her head to one side.
They're coming. We have about two minutes. Take this. She gave him a tablet, which he swallowed.
You should begin feeling the effects in about 20 minutes.She helped Clark with the back of his suit so that it hung from his waist, baring his chest. He turned while she did the same and then climbed under the opulent covers and called to Clark in a sultry voice.
Clark took a deep breath, turned and walked towards her, quickly covering the ground towards the bed. He lowered himself onto the bed, just to her side. He closed his eyes and tried desperately not to imagine Lois for fear that someone would somehow read his thoughts.
He reached out and brushed Zara's hair back from her face and leaned in as though to kiss her when there was a whooshing sound caused him to turn towards the door, careful to have a look of surprise and annoyance on his face. The door to the bedroom was open and gave a full view to anyone walking into the main living quarters.
"Lois!" He did his best to look guilty as he pulled an extra cover over the top of Zara, who propped herself up on her elbows and looked annoyed as well.
"Clark!" He could hear the tears in her voice.
"Lois, listen, I'm married to Zara now. It's the way it is. Now, I'm sorry you had to see this, but really it's no different than when that maid walked in on us when we were in the honeymoon suite at the Lexor." He silently prayed that she would remember what he was talking about – their first real undercover assignment when he'd thrown her on the bed and kissed her because he'd overheard a maid coming to their room.
He saw her eyes narrow and could see the wheels turning in her head. She nodded imperceptibly.
"How could you, Clark? How could you do this to me? To us?" He could see the tears welling up in her eyes and could only imagine that it wasn't much of a stretch for her even if she did understand what was really going on.
"Lois, listen..." He slowly pulled his suit top back on. "This is the way it has to be. Zara is... well..." He turned and gave Zara what he hoped was a loving look. "Zara and I are much more suited for each other than you and I ever were. She's Kryptonian for starters and if I'm going to rule New Krypton as the new maharajah, then I need a Kryptonian by my side. She and I will make a wonderful team." Zara, with sheets wrapped around her, had moved to his side and he put his arm around her and pulled her close, kissing the side of her head. "We'll make a wonderful team both as maharajah and maharani, and as..." He grinned at her and Zara had the grace to blush a bit as she stared into his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, that's the way it has to be, Lois."
You're doing great, Kal-El.
Thanks – I feel miserable.
Lois glared at him for another moment and then turned on her heel and stalked out.
Dara smiled to herself and turned to follow her charge when a crash caused her to stop.
"KAL!!!" Zara's scream reached even to Lois who came running back.
Clark was laying on the floor, having collapsed and crashed into the end table, sending a vase of flowers crashing to the floor.
"CLARK!!"
"Lord Kal-El." Dara knelt by his side, startled by the pallor on his normally darker skin. "Lois, push that red button over by the door. Medics will be here momentarily."
Zara clung to the sheets and sat next to him cradling his head in her lap. "Kal-El, all will be fine. The medics here are top notch."
TBC
