From Part 3:
"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."
*****
Part 4
*****
Lois flopped down on the bed that had been hers for the last couple of days. She thought she understood what Clark had been trying to tell her when she'd walked in on him and Zara. She remembered well their kiss at the Lexor. The maid had been coming, he'd heard her – thanks to superhearing, she was sure – and he'd thrown her on the bed for the most amazing kiss she'd ever experienced.
At least to that point.
Since then, there'd some even more wonderful moments between the two of them. His kisses...
She sat up straight and shook her head, forcing the thoughts from her mind. She didn't know if the Kryptonians could read her mind, but she wasn't taking any chances. She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Clark in his vulnerable state.
Vulnerable.
Clark.
Those weren't two words that went together often, even before she knew he was Superman.
This Kryptonian illness, whatever it was, had really taken a toll on him. And on her. There was nothing worse than the man she loved being practically on death's door and not being able to see him. At least when Superman had been sick and she'd had to rely on her dad to help him get better, she could be there with him. She'd tried to put on a strong face in front of her dad, but she was surprised that he hadn't figured out the secret. She hadn't done well at hiding her feelings about him from her dad.
She's met quietly with Zara on a couple of occasions. She had gotten Lois access to the Kryptonian library – full of the Kryptonian classics that Zara was convinced Lois would love.
Zara had been pointing out something else while going on and on about a number of works by Kryptonian authors – some recent who she had compared to Rowlings or King, some not so recent who were apparently better than Shakespeare, and some ancient like Josephus or Hammurabi. Not that Hammurabi could truly be considered an author but that wasn't the point.
She'd pointed to the law texts and books of code and other legal matters. She specified which ones might be relevant to their situation by tapping their spine.
Lois had been shocked to see that they were actual books. They weren't on a paper like she'd ever seen, but she'd expected some sort of hologram or computer screen or some way to download them directly into your brain like you would an Ipod.
Zara had also kept her up to date on Clark's condition. He was stable but in a medically induced coma of sorts to give his body time to heal.
Dara had been little help when it came to getting updates but had been most helpful with little things like finding her way around the part of the ship she was allowed to roam – including how to find the library – and how to work the other gadgets in her room.
Lois had spent virtually all of the last couple of days in the library – pouring over the texts Zara had pointed out.
And she thought she'd found a loophole.
It had take her countless hours, but there it was.
"If both parties in a birth marriage express a desire to dissolve the marriage prior to the official ceremonies and consummation, and a suitable replacement found, the Council can approve the dissolving of that birth marriage and the marriage of each partner to another."
There was only one problem.
Kal-El was the ruler in the marriage, the maharajah. Zara was to be the maharani by marriage, not by birth, though she was of the noble class. Further reading indicated that rule would stay with the original ruling member of the birth marriage and the other member would have elevated status in the Kryptonian society, but would not be, in this case, the maharani.
So that solved half their problem. The birth marriage could be disbanded, but two suitable replacements would have to be found and Clark would have to find a way to abdicate his responsibilities.
That was the next Lois focused her research on.
How could Clark get out of being the maharajah?
*****
Where was he?
Clark tried to groan but couldn't.
He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't work.
He tried to move anything, but his body wouldn't respond to his mental commands.
So, that begged the question – where was he and what had they done to him?
He searched his memory. He remembered Zara, the bridal chamber, Lois walking in.
Lois.
Walking in.
On him and Zara.
Did she catch what he said to her – about the Lexor?
He tried to groan again but couldn't.
Then... then...
It was all black. He had no idea what had happened next. He remembered the room spinning while he was talking to Lois but that was it. He had no idea how long it had been or where he was.
That was it.
He was Superman for crying out loud.
He had to be able to open his eyes!
Or was this it?
Was this the afterlife?
It couldn't be.
Clark refused to believe that he was dead and this was all there was.
No, he had to get back to Lois.
He had to fight.
And then there was nothing.
*****
"Lois, it just might work."
They spoke in hushed tones.
Apparently, most Kryptonians had already exhausted the reading on the ship, leaving them alone in the library.
"First, Clark will have to abdicate. The problem there is that he doesn't have any siblings to take over. The next in line would be..." Zara thought a moment. "...his cousin. Jor-El had a brother, Tan-El. Tan-El had a son named Jon-El. He was on board the ship that left the planet shortly before it exploded. He was raised with the knowledge that if Kal-El was not found or something happened to him on Earth, that he would be the next in line, but he's only 12." Lois opened her mouth to ask how that was possible, but Zara raised her hand. "He was in a birthing matrix when he left the planet. Because of the uncertainty of the future at that point, the matrix was... frozen. He wasn't unfrozen for a number of years. He's also quite ill. He has been afflicted with something similar to your cancer – leukemia, I believe."
"How horrible. What does that mean for us?"
"The council was to rule if Lor-Van were to... pass on, but that was expected to be very temporary – just until Kal-El returned."
Lois looked thoughtful. "Well, it seems we have two problems. Getting the Council or whoever to agree to dissolve the marriage and find a 'suitable' partner for both of you and then figure out who would take over for Lor-Van at some point."
"Two minor problems." Zara sighed.
"Well, do you have another marriage partner in mind?"
Zara closed her eyes, then nodded slowly. "Ching. Ching has been my most trusted body guard and best friend for... as long as I can remember. We've talked – very quietly – about what would happen if Kal-El refused or if we found a way..."
"Would the Council approve it?"
"I don't know."
*****
"It won't work, Lois."
The women spoke in very hushed tones in the library.
"Why not?"
"There's no way that they'll approve another marriage for either one of us with Kal-El leaving. If he was staying, maybe, but only to another noble. And there's no truly clear line of succession."
"So what are we going to do?"
Zara sighed. "I don't know."
*****
"I'm sorry, Lady Zara, but his condition is not improving."
"What do you mean, Beth-El?"
"It seems his body has been so accustomed to the yellow sun, that it has been weakened by the time away and by the force field that caused him to become a normal Kryptonian as soon as he was on board. He will be unable to fight the infection." He paused, then continued sadly. "It will kill him."
Zara felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. "How long?"
"Two days, maybe three."
"Is there anything that could help him?"
The doctor sighed. "Maybe taking him back to earth, but there are no guarantees."
Zara thought quickly. She'd known Beth-El for years. She trusted him. As a distant cousin, he had been wary of taking Kal-El away from the home and family he'd known his whole life, but hadn't voiced his reservations to the Council. To do so would have been disastrous. Could she trust him?
*****
"Not just morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably dead? Not just merely dead? Not just really most sincerely dead?" Lois arched one eyebrow trying to comprehend what she was being told.
Zara looked at her oddly.
Lois sighed. "Wizard of Oz. I was in the play."
Zara shrugged. "Beth-El can make Kal-El appear dead. The Council will agree to send him home for burial. What we hope is that once he is back on Earth, back to the yellow sun, he will heal."
"How can we know if that's really going to happen?"
"We can't." Zara shook her head. "No one's ever studied a Kryptonian raised with a yellow sun and what the effects of removing one from it would be, much less what happens if he's practically dead before he's returned."
"But it's our only choice."
Zara nodded.
Lois sighed then nodded back. "Let's do it."
*****
"He's dead?" Trey-En, head of the council, asked.
"No, not quite. He's almost dead." Beth-El shook his head sadly. "At this point, there is no hope for his recovery."
"And you're quite certain of this?"
"He was raised on a planet with a yellow sun. It's made his physiology different than ours. He can't handle the Kryptonian virus that he was infected with."
"Do we know how he got infected yet?"
The doctor shook his head. "No and it's unlikely we ever will."
"Then so be it. Miss Lane and Zara will return Kal-El to Earth for burial."
The rest of the Council nodded their assent.
"Upon her return, Zara will continue with us back to New Krypton, where she will be installed as the new maharani to rule as the widow of the late Kal-El, who will have passed, never having taken his rightful place as maharajah of New Krypton."
Lois watched from behind the one way mirror and prayed silently to whatever greater being might be watching over the universe that this would work.
*****
TBC
