Chapter Fourteen
>>>Saturday, 1:52 PM
As Lois placed her hands on the bottom of the sphere, she tensed against an electrical shock or tendrils puncturing her hands and holding her in place or surface temperatures which might be extremely high or extremely low.
Nothing of the sort happened. Instead, her surroundings faded into the background and she heard the sound of one hand clapping.
She sighed to herself and almost removed her hands, then decided to call out.
“Hello? Bob?”
>>> Hello. You need not speak aloud if you do not wish to do so. <<<
Okay. Uh, hi. You must be Bob.
>>> That is the designation given to me by the recently deceased Lana Lang-Kent. <<<
Right, right. Uh, you do know what happened to her, don’t you? I mean, how she died and all?
>>> Of course. Her death was a tragedy for Clark. <<<
It was a tragedy for a lot of people.
>>> I do not wish to minimize the degree of loss for anyone. But because I am an artificial construct and not a living being, I have no emotions. I would have preferred that her input continue, but I am unable to mourn her death. <<<
I think I understand.
>>> Understanding should always be the goal of gathering information. May I ask why you have contacted me? <<<
Clark asked me to.
>>> Was there a specific question or set of questions you wanted to ask? <<<
Yeah, there was. I mean, there is a question.
>>> Very well. Would you first introduce yourself to me? <<<
Lois Lane.
>>> <<<
Uh, Bob? Bob? Where did you go?
>>> You were the woman on the ship with Lana. <<<
Yes, that was me.
>>> You wrote the story of her death. <<<
Um. Yes.
>>> Then you were with her just before she died. <<<
Ten or fifteen minutes before, yeah.
>>> I assume that she did not mention me to you? <<<
No, she didn’t. Clark told me about you last night. I didn’t even know you weren’t human until he brought me down here.
>>> I see. Why are you here? <<<
Well, it’s about the connection.
>>> The connection? <<<
Yeah.
>>> Which connection is that? <<<
The one between me and Clark.
>>> You have a connection to Clark Kent? Please explain further. <<<
I’ll try. I don’t know where it came from, and I’m not sure when it started, but Clark and I can sense each other’s feelings. We can each sense the other’s emotional state, and it can get inconvenient at times. Sometimes we call it ‘the connection’ and sometimes we call it ‘the link.’ What do you know about this?
>>> <<<
Hey, Bob? You’re zoning out on me again.
>>> May I address you as Lois? <<<
Sure, why not?
>>> Lois, are you and Clark able to sense each other’s feelings? <<<
Yeah. Unless one of us is deliberately blocking the link. But it’s not easy, at least not for me.
>>> Are you able to sense each other’s thoughts? <<<
Well, no, I don’t think so. But then, I haven’t tried. I can’t speak for Clark. Why? Is this a bad thing?
>>> I do not judge that it is inherently either a ‘good thing’ or a ‘bad thing,’ but I must retrieve some archived data in order to analyze this fully. <<<
Archived? You mean, like stored?
>>> Yes. It is analogous to a human remembering where to find a specific piece of information, but who must then find the document where the information is stored in order to retrieve it. <<<
Okay. How long will it take for you to call that information back?
>>> I must take some time to fully process this information. How long will you be in Smallville? <<<
As long as I need to be, I guess. All day, if that’s what it takes.
>>> Good. Please return in one hour. I should be able to explain to both of you what this ‘link’ actually is, and how it may affect your futures. <<<
Okay. Um, how do I end this conversation? Can I just let go?
>>> If you wish. <<<
Okay. Bye for now.
*****
Clark and his mother drifted back into focus as Lois pulled her hands back from the sphere. “Well, that was interesting.”
Martha stepped closer. “Bob talked to you?”
Lois nodded. “Uh-huh. He wants us to come back in an hour so he can explain it all to us.”
Martha nodded. “Okay. I have some chores to do, so why don’t you two take a walk? Clark, you could show Lois around the farm.”
“Mom, I could help you.”
“So could I, Martha.”
Martha smiled at them. “That’s a very sweet offer, but they’re my chores and I feel a bit territorial about them. Besides, you two need to spend some time together.”
Lois’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, wait, no, I think maybe you have the wrong idea here. See, Clark and I, we’re not, uh, we don’t, uh, there’s no, er, physical relationship or anything like that! No, we’re just two friends, ah, co-workers, you know, punch each other on the shoulder and talk about the weekend football game kind of friends.”
Clark stared at her open-mouthed. Martha laughed softly and patted Lois’s hand. “Dear, I never thought there was anything but friendship between the two of you. I only wanted to give you some time to talk. Besides, I really do have chores to do, so don’t worry about coming to find me in an hour. I hope Bob can answer your questions.”
With that, Martha turned and climbed up the steps. Lois turned to Clark and shook her head. “Your mother is amazing. She should be in the Mom’s Hall of Fame.”
“I think she already is.” He gestured to the steps. “Shall we? The exciting and fascinating world of Kansas farming awaits.”
*****
“ – and that’s the north pasture. Dad’s going to plow under all that clover before he replants the field next year. It’ll help replenish the soil.”
Lois glanced at her watch and nodded. “Well, that was an interesting twelve minutes. Where to next?”
Clark shrugged. “That’s it, actually.”
She frowned. “That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“There’s no more to see?”
“If you were a farmer, I could tell you about the combine routes and the bushels per acre yield Dad’s expecting at next fall’s wheat harvest.”
“Uh-huh. Like I’d have any idea what you were talking about. Or any real interest.”
He lifted his hands to either side and dropped them. “Sorry.”
She huffed in exasperation. “So what do we do for the next forty-seven minutes? You can only explain plowing and milking so many ways to a city girl!”
Clark hung his head for a moment, then he looked up with bright eyes. “I know!” He grabbed her hand and led her along at a swift pace. “Come with me.”
She barely kept her feet under her. “Where?”
“A great place! You’ll love it!”
They plunged across the field of clover and through a thin screen of trees. Clark held Lois’s hand to steady her as they stopped abruptly, else she might have fallen into the stream.
“Here we are!” he proudly announced.
She looked around. “It’s a river.”
“A stream, actually, not much more than a brook.”
“Whatever! A river by any other name will get you just as wet. To me it’s just a river, okay?”
“It’s a stream, Lois.”
“Fine! It’s just a stream! So what?”
“Ah, but it’s not just a stream! Come with me.”
He led her to a large, twisted tree whose low-hanging branches made climbing easy. Lois cautiously followed Clark up nearly twenty feet into the tree to a wooden platform overlooking the fields across the stream.
Clark gently sat on an old wooden crate. Lois knelt beside him and took in the scene. From that height, she could look behind them and glimpse the Kent’s barn through the tops of the trees. She could look across the stream and see the three more barn-like structures on the other side of the field beyond the burbling water.
She smiled softly. “Wow. This is a nice view.”
“Yeah, it is. I used to come up here to get away from things when I was in high school.”
She examined the flooring. “This is built pretty solid. Did you do this?”
“The summer before eighth grade. I had to replace the floor a year later, but I used treated marine lumber the second time. It should be good for a couple more years, if not longer.”
She ran her hand over the timbers, then looked around. “Not many flying bugs. And it’s cooler up here.”
“There’s a little more breeze this high. It blows the bugs away. And most of them need to go lower to find food and shelter, anyway.”
“And it’s certainly private up here.” She had a sudden thought. “Did you ever bring Lana up here?”
He looked slightly wistful as he answered. “A few times. We’d come up here and watch the clouds, or sometimes wait for the stars to appear at night. She liked the Fortress, but she didn’t love it like I do.”
“The Fortress?” Lois asked. “Is that what you call it?”
He grinned and averted his gaze for a moment. “Actually, I call it my Fortress of Solitude.” He hesitated and she waited for him to continue. “It was one of the few places I could go and be alone, with no people around to push into my personal space.”
“I see. Did you do this often?”
He sighed. “Just when being Clark Kent got to be too much for me.”
She gazed out over the field across the stream again. “Is this where you spent your summer?”
The tone of her voice was light, but she knew it was an important question. His answer would tell her much about his state of mind, more even than she could glean from their link.
He sighed again. “A lot of it, yeah.”
She nodded to him and looked around at the way the tree was shaped and how the structure sat on the branches. There were no boards nailed to the trunk, no thin railings around the edges of the platform, no signs warning girls to keep away, nothing that she could see which would betray the existence of the Fortress to the casual pedestrian. In fact, she considered, if they both lay down, they’d be invisible from the ground.
Yep, it was a great place for a teenager to bring a date.
Shut up! she admonished herself. Idiot! No way you and Clark would ever get together like that.
She gently touched the link and found that Clark was apparently as content as she felt. This was a good place. It was quiet, peaceful, hidden, and had a great view.
Maybe she could borrow it occasionally. Only when things got too hectic, of course.
*****
They sat together for nearly an hour, saying little to each other except to point out nature’s wonders, both in the sky and on the ground. Lois held her breath as a family of opossums waddled to the edge of the stream, drank, and then slowly waddled back into the brush under the trees. Clark silently raised his hand and pointed out a circling hawk. As they watched, the raptor dove at the ground across the stream and came up with a struggling snake grasped in its claws, then flew out of sight.
A pair of feral cats appeared below the tree and cautiously made their way to the water’s edge to drink. As they sipped, Clark slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a rock which was slightly smaller than a golf ball. He pointed to his eyes, then to the cats, and as Lois watched, he flung the stone into the water inches from the spot where they were drinking. The drenched felines sprinted for cover, shaking themselves as they bounded away.
As Lois smothered a giggle, she glanced at her watch. “Oh! Clark, it’s been more than an hour. We need to go back and check in with Bob.”
He looked at her wrist. “Wow! It’s been that long?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
He stood and stepped off the edge of the platform and floated softly to the ground. Lois managed to stop her shout of alarm, then leaned over the edge and shook her head in amazement.
“For a second I forgot who you were. I almost thought you were committing suicide.”
He grinned up at her. “Not me. Come on down, slowpoke!”
She hid a grin. “You want me to jump, too?”
“Sure. I’ll catch you.”
She thought about it. Then she thought about how much she liked being with Clark. She thought about the reason for their visit to Kansas. She thought about Lex Luthor.
And she thought about Lana, and how she surely must have jumped into Clark’s arms from the Fortress at least once.
As she hesitated, Clark’s smile dimmed slightly and he moved to the trunk of the tree. “It’s easy to climb down over here. You shouldn’t have a problem.”
Lois turned and lowered herself to the next limb. “I won’t if you talk me down.”
She felt fleeting disappointment through the link, then he mentally clamped down and she detected nothing besides an awareness of his presence.
*****
Martha looked up to see her son and his friend walking towards the barn. She’d been waiting for them to return, hoping to be invited to learn with them what the link meant and how they might manage it.
She watched them walking across the open field. Interesting, she thought. They’re walking near each other but not close to each other. Friends, but no more than friends, at least not at the moment.
She wondered if they’d ever be more than friends.
Then she mentally elbowed herself. They were old enough to make that decision themselves, without any interference from her.
She watched some more. It was almost as if Lois had some kind of proximity alarm that went off if Clark got too close to her. The girl’s behavior gave Martha the impression that Lois only wanted Clark to be so close to her and no closer. She wondered if Lois was like that with everyone, with all men in general, or just with Clark.
Martha put her musings aside as her son and his friend entered the barn. With a slight smile, she pressed her hand to the palm reader and the floor hummed open.
Lois stepped in front of Clark and led the way down into the chamber. As she brought up the rear, Martha watched her lead Clark to the globe’s cradle without touching him. Also interesting, she thought. Lois is a natural leader, even where Clark is concerned.
Lois put her hands under the globe and closed her eyes. After a long moment, she looked directly at Clark and furrowed her forehead. Without speaking a word, he nodded and put his hands on top of the globe.
They stood side by side without speaking aloud for almost three minutes, then Lois gasped and pulled away sharply. Clark dropped his hands to his side. He remained silent, but he was also frowning fiercely.
Lois slowly turned to Clark with wide eyes and pale face. She gestured once and he slowly nodded. Then she brushed past Martha and sprinted up the stairs.
Martha stepped close to Clark. “What was that all about?”
He sighed. “We just learned how to communicate telepathically.”
Martha nodded slowly. “Okay.”
He stared at the ladder. “Bob assumed we were going to be married.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “I see.”
“He told us the connection was something Kryptonians called a ‘soul-mate’ bond.”
“Uh-huh.” Martha waited.
Clark turned to face her. “You’re taking this pretty calmly, Mom.”
“Why shouldn’t I? You two are the ones with the telepathic link, not me.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his hands across his face. “Lois made it crystal clear that she doesn’t want to be linked to me romantically.”
Martha’s voice quieted. “Does that bother you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I keep comparing her to Lana in my mind. Lois comes out ahead in some things and behind in others. I don’t know what to think about this.” He sighed deeply. “I haven’t even told you about Rebecca, have I?”
“No, you haven’t. Is she involved in this somehow?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know!” He lifted his arms and turned aimlessly in a circle. “She’s Lois’s friend and I met her the other night at a party Lois took me to and I danced with Rebecca last night at the White Orchid Ball and it was a lot of fun and Lois danced a lot with Lex and she really liked it and I have no idea what I’m even talking about!”
“It’s okay, Clark. You’re allowed to be confused sometimes. It comes with the territory.”
He sighed dramatically. “What territory it that?”
She smiled. “The territory of being an adult who doesn’t automatically know all the right answers.” She patted his arm. “Just give it some time, dear. You’ll figure it out.”
He sighed again. “I sure hope so.” He turned to his mother and kissed her cheek lightly. “We have to get back to Metropolis. Perry might need us.”
She nodded. “Of course, Clark. Have a nice flight. And tell Lois that she’s welcome here any time.”
He stopped and gave her a hard look. “Even if Dad’s here?”
She matched his stare. “Yes. Even if your father is here.” She held his gaze for a moment longer, then shooed him up the ladder with her hands. “Now go! And call me if you need anything.”
He smiled slightly. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll tell her.”
*****
Lois sat on a bale of hay, trying to digest everything that she’d suddenly learned. It was exhilarating and terrifying, all at the same time.
She and Clark could sense not just each other’s emotions but each other’s thoughts. When they’d first released Bob, he had almost yelled into her head that he was sorry and that he hadn’t had any idea he was capable of this level of communication with anyone.
She’d answered in the same way, telling him that she needed to think, and that she’d be ready to leave in a few minutes. He’d lowered his volume and agreed, then by unspoken and unthought but mutual consent they’d used their new skills to shut off the link.
The very nature of the link disturbed her. Bob had told them that such a bond was rare among Kryptonians. Perhaps one pair out of five thousand might be linked in this fashion. He’d never mentioned the subject to Clark because he was the only Kryptonian left alive. There had never been any hint of possibility, much less any discernible probability, that a human could ever establish the soul-bond with him. Clark and Lana had never established such a bond, which to Bob was evidence that it wasn’t possible. Even so, Bob was able to teach Lois and Clark the techniques they needed in order to control their communication.
The part that bothered her the most was that such bonds were almost always between mates. Such a level of communication would draw both parties closer to each other, opening them to intimacies not possible for unbonded pairs.
It also enabled them to speak to each other with lightning speed. Bob had told them that proximity would assist them in such communication, but distance would not preclude them from contacting each other. The closer they were, the faster and more accurate the exchanges became. There were warrior couples and pairs in ancient Kryptonian history and legend who were almost unbeatable because of the link.
But there were drawbacks. If one partner was decidedly less ethical than the other, the bond would exacerbate the conflict inherent in such a relationship. If one partner had criminal tendencies and the other did not, for example, the conflict between them would be distracting at best and psychosis-inducing at worst. Both parties would be at risk in such an uneven relationship.
And the bond conducted everything, not just what one chose to send. Pleasure, fear, pain, excitement, terror, all flowed both ways unless one partner deliberately shut down the link. Shutting down the link involved mental effort, and reopening the link also involved deliberate effort. Lois envisioned it as if she were turning off a valve with a very large and stiff wheel in her mind. Even when it was shut down, extreme emotional states might still leak through. And there was no way to lie, to deceive, to hedge the truth, or even to tell a partial truth designed to mislead when communicating through the bond.
Such closeness would enhance a romantic relationship, of course, but if the pair had little or no romantic interest in each other, the link would conduct the intimate experiences of one to the other unless strict mental disciplines were applied consistently. Not only that, but as time passed, the two minds would slowly become attuned to each other, so much so that when one partner died, the other would often also die within hours.
That was when Lois had asked how Bob to sever the link, and Bob had replied that Kryptonians rarely tried, not only because such a relationship was highly prized in that society, but because the separation procedure’s success rate was very low. Both parties had to be sincere in their desire to separate, both had to be secure in their own identities and not overly dependent on the other for either emotional support or intellectual undergirding, and both had to have reasons which the ruling council would consider valid.
The problem was that Bob had no data on whether a Kryptonian-human link could be severed successfully. Trying to separate them, even at this early stage, might mentally incapacitate one or both of them, assuming they survived the attempt.
That was when Lois had terminated the session. It was all too new, too raw in her brain. She had to shut down her awareness of Clark long enough to get control of her own thoughts.
She called up the mental disciplines Bob had given her and applied them to her racing mind. They helped considerably, and by the time Clark emerged from the basement under the barn, she was as calm as she was going to get.
She felt him touch her mind. -* Lois? *-
She answered aloud, “No, Clark. Verbal communication. I don’t think I can handle a mental conversation with you right now.”
“Okay,” he said. “Are you ready to head back, or do you need some more time?”
She bent over and exhaled slowly, then stood up smoothly. “I’m ready.”
“Okay,” he repeated. As he reached for her, he stopped and caught her eye. “I’m sorry.”
She looked him in the eye. “Did you do this to me on purpose?”
“You know I didn’t.”
“Then you don’t need to apologize. We’ll just have to make the best of it.” She tried a small grin. “Who knows, it might even come in handy someday.”
He nodded and lifted her into his arms, then rose smoothly into the air.
