PART TWELVE
Her airway had closed, her heart had stopped beating, it was all she could do to keep standing. The Daily Planet had been more a home to her than anywhere else in all her life. And now it was gone. The destruction that had occurred not even a year ago was nothing in comparison to what she saw now on the TV. How could there be any survivors in all that rubble? The three of them watched spellbound as the report continued, detailing the attack. No one had claimed responsibility for the bombing yet, but Lois knew that the Guardians were to blame for it. This is what they wanted her and Clark out of the way for. And they played right into the plan. They were too late to stop it from happening. Why did she have to be so impetuous? How could she have run over here without a second thought?
“We need to get over there,” Clark said, interrupting the silence.
“Clark, can you do any-”
“No! I can’t do anything!” he snapped. “You don’t think I would be over there right now digging through rubble if I could?” As quickly as he had heated up, he cooled. “We need to be over there even if we can’t physically do anything because that’s where we belong. With the Daily Planet.” Jimmy nodded along with him. Lois took a deep breath.
“Okay,” she whispered. Clark gave her a long look, and then turned to Jimmy.
“Jimmy, I need you to go find the nearest payphone and call the police. They can come and take care of everyone here. Lois and I’ll wait here and make sure no one escapes.”
“Sure CK,” Jimmy said; his voice husky. Quickly, he turned and left the room. Lois turned to Clark, questioning his directions. The Guardians were securely tied up. Even if they regained consciousness, it was unlikely they would escape. Why had he sent Jimmy away? One look in his face told her all she needed to know. They fell into each other’s arms, and Lois let her sobs flow freely into his chest. They drew strength from one another, each soothing the other’s grief. It felt so safe, being crushed in Clark’s arms. She drew in a deep shuddering breath, bringing herself under control. Clark pulled back slightly, and looked straight into her eyes.
“It wasn’t your fault,” they both said simultaneously.
They both tried to smile, neither of them really believing the other.
“Lois…” he trailed off. Suddenly, his lips descended on hers, filling up all corners of her thoughts. It wasn’t a soul scorching kiss like those they had experienced before, nor was it a dizzying, mind-numbing kiss. Instead it was a deeply comforting kiss, giving them both new strength. Pressing harder, Lois drew herself deeper into its force. The beginnings of passion were bubbling inside her, as she forced herself further into their embrace. She tightened her hold on Clark as they—
“Ah-hem!” came a voice from the shadows of the room. A little man wearing an old fashioned suit and nervously clutching a bowler hat emerged into the light.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” he continued, “but I’m in need of some assistance and I believe you two are the ones who can help me.” Lois and Clark awkwardly moved apart. So much for a romantic interlude.
“And you are…?” Clark asked.
“Oh! Yes, I’m H.G. Wells, I’m a time traveler of sorts and I’ve made it my personal interest to protect the Utopian society that will spring from your descendants. In order to ensure that Utopia exists, it is of the utmost importance that your relationship results in blissful happiness and that Superman will continue to save lives and fight for truth, justice and the American way. Unfortunately, recent events have made it impossible for that to happen.”
She shouldn’t believe this. It wasn’t rational, it didn’t make sense. And yet… There was a sense of déjà vu. Something familiar about this situation…
“Have you been here before?” she asked the man. H.G. Wells shuffled his feet a little embarrassedly.
“Well there have been several kinks along your timeline that have needed ironing out… You never remember much of the encounters so it always seems as if it has never happened.”
“How many times?” she demanded. He drew himself up to his full height, looking stern.
“It would be impossible to determine. Time is a very fluid medium, and a solved problem now could result in twenty more down the road, or erase some entirely. What matters now Miss Lane, is that your happiness is in jeopardy.”
“What do you mean?” Clark demanded. “Lois and I love each other and-”
“I beg your pardon Mr Kent, there is nothing wrong with the relationship you and Miss Lane have at present, what is wrong is the destruction of the Daily Planet.”
“Oh.” Clark said quietly.
“You see; the staff at the Daily Planet are among the few who will ever be able to accept you as a person rather than strictly as Superman. If time is allowed to continue the way it is, I’m afraid life will become very grey for you Mr. Kent. You will be unable to find employment elsewhere that does not attempt to prey on your marketability. Your social circle will shrink; you will barely go out in public as yourself. Eventually, you will slip into a depression that even Lois cannot bring you out of. The love you two share is special indeed, but even that can be tainted by certain events in life.” Clark looked morosely over at Lois. Was this the future that they had to look forward to?
“What can we do to fix it Mr. Wells?” Lois asked. “There has to be some way to put all of this right.
“You’re right Miss Lane, there is a way,” he spoke triumphantly. “I’ve analyzed the turn of events, and I’ve decided the only way to make things right again is to go back in time and make it so that Clark’s identity is never discovered.” Lois frowned.
“How will that change things with this Guardian group? They might not blow up the Planet, but some of the other things they’ve been developing are really dangerous. Can’t the Guardians use these to destroy Superman just as easily?”
“Perhaps they would Miss Lane; if they were operating under their own will.”
“Whose will are they operating under?” Clark asked.
“Their Leader, as they call him, is none other than Lex Luthor.”
“What?” Lois paled. Lex was in prison, yet he had still managed to harm them. Would they ever be free?
“Yes, it’s correct. Mr. Luthor founded the group shortly after Superman’s arrival. It was a way for him to sway public opinion of Superman without getting his hands dirty.”
“That sounds like him,” Clark said grimly.
“He is one of the viler criminals you two have come up against.”
“He won’t let the Guardians make a move unless he’s sure that it will succeed. He wouldn’t want to risk such a valuable asset,” Clark said.
“That’s correct Mr. Kent. When your secret identity became public, it was the chink in your armor he had been waiting for. If your identity is never discovered, the Guardians are never called into action, and the group eventually disintegrates.” Lois was barely listening to the conversation. A million things were suddenly making sense to her. The terribly blasé nature of the first few attacks were suddenly explained. They were never intended to succeed. It was just Lex playing cat and mouse with them. Preying on their fears, and spurring them on to move more impetuously once they finally got a solid lead. Also, it explained the suspicious lack of attack on her. Lex had probably given orders for her to remain unharmed. He probably had some kind of plan for her after Clark was taken care of. This also explained why the Guardians would choose the Daily Planet as their target over Clark’s parents or other personal relations. Lex had probably viewed his previous plan to destroy the Planet as a failure, therefore requiring him to target it first.
“Miss Lane?” Wells was peering at her, with a concerned expression on his face. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” she murmured. “I’m fine.” Clark placed his arm over her shoulders and drew her close. She leaned on him for support.
“So what’s going to happen Mr. Wells?” Clark asked.
“I’ve arranged everything. All I need to do is take you and Miss Lane and drop you off in time to prove Diana’s broadcast false.”
“How are we going to do that? Her footage is pretty irrefutable.”
“Don’t worry about that Mr. Kent, everything is arranged. Once I dropped you off, your memories will rewrite themselves, and you will know what to do.”
“Does that mean we won’t remember anything that’s happened? I won’t remember that Clark is Superman?”
“I’m afraid not Miss Lane. It is important that the time flow is changed as little as possible. You can’t remember anything from this encounter.”
Lois looked at Clark.
“I’ve just gotten used to knowing you for who you really are. I don’t want to go back to the way things were before.” Clark looked into her face, and she could see the war that was going on behind his eyes.
“Lois, these last few days I’ve realized how amazing it is to be completely honest with you. I wouldn’t want to trade that for anything.” Clark cupped her face in his hand. “But we have to think of the lives of all the people at the Daily Planet. And think of the future we’ll have together if we let this continue. Aren’t a few more years of suffering worth it if we can be happy for the rest of our lives? I know that I would have told you the truth sooner or later.”
“But Clark, I don’t know how much longer I could’ve put up with you lying to me all the time. I always knew you were lying even when I didn’t know what it was about.” They both turned to Wells, silently asking for affirmation that they were about to do the right thing.
“I can’t make any guarantees,” he began, “But I can tell you that things have a way of always working out between the two of you. No matter the obstacles.” Lois sighed. It was less of a guarantee than she wanted, yet…
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s do it then. But Clark…”
“Yeah Lois?”
“When you’ve forgotten everything else from this, try to hold on to one thing… ‘Tell Lois the truth’.” He smiled and repeated after her.
“Tell Lois the-”
* * *
Clark was in the elevator again. Riding up to his doom. He remembered this. The terror that engulfed him. Having his biggest secret exposed on television. Panic rose in his throat. What should he do? How should he handle this?
Then there was a nudge in his memory. Something about a hologram…with lasers. His mother? Slowly the panic subsided. He had a plan. Everything was going to be fine.
The elevator opened and he caught a glimpse of Lois among the mass of people staring at him. She looked beautiful, as always. It frustrated him to no end that he always had to be running off on her. Always lying to her. No wonder she was mad at him. He frowned slightly. It was as if he was remembering a dream…Wasn’t there something he did with her? Or something he told her? Was supposed to tell her? The thought faded.
The hologram! He forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. If he didn’t prove to everyone that he wasn’t Superman then… something would happen. Clearing his throat, he began.
“Uh…Hi.”
* * *
Herbert George Wells decided that he deserved a rest. Clark Kent was now giving his press conference to the people of Metropolis with the hologram of Superman smiling merrily down on the people. It had been hard work clearing this problem up.
It was not difficult to pose as Martha Kent’s art instructor and teach her some rudimentary laser techniques. She was a smart woman, and quick to catch on. Little did she know that when he said light was the art of the future, he was speaking from experience, not academic optimism. It was a little trickier to ensure that the eccentric cameraman’s battery would die at the precise moment of filming Clark changing into Superman. But with the use of some helpful technology from not too far in the future, he was able to pull it off.
He lowered himself into a chair in the conference room, allowing a groan of exhaustion to escape his lips. All of those tasks were child’s play compared to the most difficult one of all: removing no less than thirteen hastily scribbled ‘Clark Kent is Superman’ notes hidden around Lois Lane’s desk. He could only hope that he had gotten them a
-----------------------------------------
Okay, before you start throwing rocks at me, please know that I had planned this ending from the beginning. It is not a quick fix because I painted myself into a corner or something. I really believe that if Clark's secret was to be found out at this point in Superman's career, it would spell destruction. Lois, of course, would forgive him, but the rest of the world is far from ready to find out the truth.
Top Copy always bugged me because the circumstances that allowed him to wiggle out of trouble were too coindidental. The batteries running out at the exact moment he's about the film the damning evidence? Martha coming up with an 'art project' that turns out to be the only thing that could 'prove' that Clark isn't Superman? Come on! Also, I find it very unrealistic that he would find it so easy to lie in this epi, then all but insist on blabbing the secret in S4. He has so much more to lose in S4! I just gave him a little extra incentive to lie.
Anyway, please let me know what you think! I welcome all kinds of FDK, positive or negative.
