Chapter Twenty-six
>>>Monday, 7:53 PM
Hello, Bob.
>> Hello, Lois. I am pleased to – <<
Bob? Are you there? What happened? Where’d you go?
>> Something has changed. Something about you. Let me compare – yes, I see. Lois, are you aware that the baseline identification scan I performed on you the first time we communicated does not match your current readings? <<
I’m not surprised.
>> I was not aware that humans passed through any kind of physical metamorphosis. Is that what has happened to you? <<
No. You’re probably picking up on the fact that I’ve got Clark’s powers now.
>> <<
Bob? Hey, come back!
>> Please repeat your previous statement. I believe the code in my input module may have been corrupted, and I need to verify the data. <<
I said, I’ve got Clark’s powers now.
>> Do you mean that his special abilities have been transferred to you? <<
No. More like copied, I think.
>> How did this ‘copy’ process take place? <<
I don’t know. We were hoping you could tell us.
>> <<
Bob? Hey, Bob, don’t go all stoner on me now! We need your help! Bob?
>> I am here, Lois. <<
Where’d you go? For a minute I thought you’d turned yourself off.
>> I apologize. I was checking my databanks for any information which might be pertinent to your statement. <<
What did you find?
>> Nothing in my current data. I will have to search the offline archives before arriving at a hypothesis. <<
You mentioned those before. What offline archives are you talking about?
>> The ship which brought Kal-El to Earth also contains detailed historical information on Krypton, along with a vast repository of scientific data, which is too extensive for me to maintain in this unit. I will combine the data I collect from you and from Clark with any archived information which might be pertinent. <<
How long with that take?
>> It depends on the amount of data I must process. Perhaps it would be better if you returned after a period of rest. <<
You’re saying we should sleep on it?
>> If I comprehend the idiom correctly, then, yes, please sleep on it. <<
Okay. Can I go now?
>> Please remain in contact with my outer shell for a few moments. I must take additional physical readings from you. Hmm. Lois, did you know that you are currently ovulating? <<
What? Hey! That’s kind of personal, don’t you think?
>> Do you mean personal as in private? <<
Yeah! Very private! And don’t tell Clark that, okay? It’s not the kind of thing women usually tell their male friends.
>> As you wish, Lois. Despite my own research and access to human media transmissions, many elements of personal interactions still escape my comprehension. For example, did you know that a human male who has a large – <<
Bob! Let’s stick with the subject at hand, okay? As in my powers?
>> Of course, Lois. Would you please ask Clark to join us? <<
*****
Clark watched Lois’s face as she closed her eyes and put her hands on the top of the globe. She looked apprehensive, which was natural. Suddenly, she blushed furiously and worked her mouth as if she were embarrassed.
He couldn’t think of any reason for her to have been embarrassed. Before he could puzzle out the reason for her odd behavior, she opened her eyes and looked at him.
“Clark? Bob wants you to join us.”
He nodded and placed his hands on the globe beside Lois’s.
*****
>> Clark. Good. Were you aware that Lois’s body has taken on a surprising number of your physical characteristics? <<
Yes.
>> Lois does not know how this might have happened. Do you? <<
No. All I can tell is what happened to us this morning.
>> Please narrate those events to me. Lois, please wait until Clark has completed his account, then you may add your comments or make any corrections necessary. <<
Okay. We were at Luthor Technologies this morning for an interview. We stood on a platform and put our hands on a Van De Graff generator and the operator opened the ground shunt and sent a high-voltage and high-amperage charge of electricity through us. About the same time, someone set off a bomb which destroyed the building.
>> What kind of work was being done in the room where this took place? <<
They were studying how to limit the static discharge from the shuttle to the space station during docking.
>> I see. Was there anything else about the lab which you can tell me? <<
Um, no, I don’t think so, unless you want stuff like the materials used in the lab.
>> That would be helpful. <<
No can do. When I said the explosion destroyed the building, I mean that the explosion destroyed the building. Completely. It’s just a pile of junk now.
>> I see. Lois, is there anything you can add to Clark’s narrative? <<
No. Except that I think I already had these powers when the bomb went off. I don’t think I would have survived any other way.
>> That is probable, given the level of destruction described in the news reports I have accessed. <<
News reports?
>> A great number of them, from both electronic and print media. There seems to be some concern that this was a terrorist activity of some kind, but both the state and the national government agencies are playing down that possibility. <<
What else do the news reports say?
>> There are three other recurring themes. One is that the bomber knew both demolition and the building itself very well, or was guided by someone who had intimate knowledge of both. Two, there is no record that the building security was breached in the days prior to the explosion, so whoever planted the explosives may very well have been a LexCorp employee or contractor, absent the existence of some highly skilled or effective terrorist cell. Three, there are many calls for Superman to reply to the question of why he was not there to save lives. <<
Oh. Is there anything else we can tell you right now, Bob?
>> I have no further data at this time, Lois. You and Clark should sleep. I will have some preliminary conclusions in the morning. <<
One more thing. I think you should add my handprint to the security system. If I need to ask you something, I don’t want to have to wake up Jonathan or Martha.
>> That is a logical suggestion. Clark, do you authorize this addition? <<
Yes. Lois is right, that’s a good idea.
>> Very well. It is done. Lois now has access to the sub-basement via the security system. <<
Thanks, Bob. Bye.
*****
Lois removed her hands from the globe. Clark lifted his hands and turned away from her. She’d felt him flinch, both in her mind and in her hands, when Bob had reported the calls for Superman to explain himself, and she knew he’d taken the news as a personal attack. She sensed that the thought that people might feel they could no longer trust him to help them, or that they felt he’d let them down somehow, tore at his soul and battered his already wounded sense of self.
“Clark?” He didn’t answer. “Hey. You okay?”
“Sure. Why not?”
She heard the brittle tone and understood his pain. “You don’t sound okay to me.”
“Maybe that’s because – because I saw some people die today.”
“You can’t save everyone. No one can.”
“I’m Superman, remember? The guy in the blue tights who flies in and saves the day? And then flies away without ever thinking about what he’s just done?”
“Where did you get the idea that – “
“I read other papers sometimes, not just in Metropolis. I’m not the most popular guy in every city in all the world.”
Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. “Not everyone feels that way about you. Most don’t. And the ones who are alive today because of you, or the ones whose loved ones came home because of you, certainly don’t feel that way.”
“But I’m Superman! I’m supposed to fix it all and I – I can’t – I just – “
She stepped up behind him and put her arms around his chest, then she leaned her cheek against his wide, solid back. “You don’t have to make excuses for yourself, Clark, especially not to me. And you aren’t responsible for those deaths. You told me that they had all died before you even knew that a bomb had gone off. There wasn’t anything you could have done. You didn’t cause them and you couldn’t have prevented them.”
She felt him shudder and nod. “I know. But it doesn’t make it easier.”
He stepped away and she let him go. “No. But you can’t carry the guilt of every death, every injury, every crime you might have prevented. No one can. You do all that can do, Clark, and you have to leave everything else up to the rest of us. You can’t do everything or save everyone, but if you do what you can, that’s enough.”
She could see him relax as he listened. “Thank you, Lois. That’s the same kind of thing Dennis Lang told me once. I’d almost forgotten about it.” He sighed deeply, then turned and faced her. “I hope you remember that speech. I have a feeling I’m going to have to give it back to you before long.”
The thought stunned her so much that she didn’t move until long after he’d trod heavily up the stairs and gone into the house.
*****
She’d turned off the light in the sub-basement, closed the access door, and decided to take a walk around the farm and look at the stars for a few moments. She wondered for a moment which star had been Clark’s original home, then decided she didn’t want to know.
Then her hearing picked up Clark’s voice on the phone. As she focused in, she heard the Daily Planet’s receptionist on the other end and decided it wasn’t a personal call. And if it was work-related, she wanted in on it.
As she walked to the kitchen, she heard both sides of the conversation. It was a strange sensation.
“Perry White, Daily Planet. It’s your dime, start talkin’.”
“Perry? This is Clark.”
“What! You – wait, let me close my office door. There. Son, you have no idea what kind of hornet’s nest you two kicked over this morning. We’ve had police and Federal cops and the FBI in here all day wanting to look at your notes and check out your computers. And don’t be surprised if you both find your apartments have been searched when you get home.”
She heard Clark hiss in fear. “Chief, if they find my spare suits – “
“No problem. I went over and picked them up as soon as I figured out you weren’t coming straight back. In fact, I had just finished running that little ol’ errand when you called me earlier today. Those suits are in the trunk of my car right now, and I hope you come get them soon. They’re making me more nervous than the King’s opening act.”
Clark chuckled. “Okay, I’ll get them back from you as soon as I can.”
“Thanks. You know, there’s a couple of people who’ve been calling here more than others. Lex Luthor is real anxious about finding Lois, and his receptionist, that Rebecca girl, is just about beside herself worrying about you. Maybe we ought to let them know you two are okay.”
Before Clark could respond, Lois opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. He glanced at her. She nodded and mouthed, ‘I think so too.’
Clark nodded in comprehension and answered. “Not yet, Perry.” He ignored Lois’s astonished reaction. “If Luthor hasn’t given himself away by tomorrow afternoon, he probably won’t. We’ll come back, say that Superman rescued us – which would be true – and that you asked us to hide out for a short while to see if anybody jumped the wrong way, which is also true.”
Lois reached for the phone, but Clark fended her off. “If that’s what you two want, son, okay,” replied Perry, “but you’d better not wait too long. And tell Lois that her mother and sister both called here today. Her mom sounded scared sober to me.”
“I’ll tell her, Chief. Good night.”
He hung up and turned to face an enraged partner. “What do you mean by making that decision for me without asking me what I thought? I ought to clobber you, Kent!”
“Look, Lois – “
“I want to tell Lex that I’m alive right now! And you need to tell Rebecca as soon as possible! There’s no reason for letting them worry like this!”
“I don’t – “
She reached for the phone, but he caught her wrist. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t think you can physically stop me now, Clark. I’m almost as strong as you are and I’m a lot more determined. And your parents’ house can’t take a super-fight between us.”
“You’re not making that call.”
She wrenched her hand free. “Just because you don’t have any feelings doesn’t mean – “
The back of his hand stopped two inches from the side of her face. The force of the air he’d pushed with the swing blew her hair back and ruffled his mother’s window curtains. He took two deep breaths and slowly lowered his hand.
Despite her own new-found confidence in her powers, Clark’s dark eyes frightened her. They were as hard and cold as frozen granite, yet more full of fire than she’d ever seen, and his voice rode the razor edge of barely leashed fury. “Don’t ever accuse me of not having feelings, Lois. Not ever. I’d like for you to tell your family that you’re not hurt. I wish I could tell Rebecca that I’m alive and well. But we have a higher priority. Unless you’ve given up on finding the rest of those gun-runners – “
“I haven’t!”
“Then back off and let them screw up so we can find them! Get your mind on track and do your job! You’re a reporter! Act like it! We stay dead for one more day!”
She glared at him for a moment, then just before she turned to leave, he stepped around her and stomped out the kitchen door. She heard the ‘whoosh’ as he took off, and she wondered if the Arctic was in for another pounding.
She reached for the phone, but didn’t lift it off the hook. As much as she hated to admit it, Clark was right about their situation. Had they been ordinary reporters rescued by Superman, they’d still need to lay low while their attacker made moves which might identify him or her. And being super-powered only meant that they could go back to Metropolis at a moment’s notice. It didn’t change the basic facts.
She dropped her hand and headed to Clark’s bedroom to sleep. His being right didn’t make her less angry with him. And apologizing to him tonight just wasn’t going to happen.
*****
Clark glared at his hand and flexed it twice. Traitor, he thought. You betrayed me. You almost hit someone, the one person in the world who could possibly understand what he went through on a daily basis.
No, he mused, it wasn’t true. His hand hadn’t betrayed him. He’d betrayed himself.
He tried again to analyze his thoughts and feelings in the moments before he’d almost slapped Lois, tried to find some flaw or problem in himself which had caused him to come so close to losing control. All he could remember was a sudden towering rage exploding in his mind as Lois had accused him of not having feelings.
Where had that rage come from? He’d never reacted like that to anything anyone else had ever done to him. Even the stuff Lana had pulled on occasion had never pushed him to the brink of violence.
He touched the link to make sure it was still turned off at his end. And he also noted that now he could tell whether or not it was open at Lois’s end.
It wasn’t. Which was what he’d expected.
But Bob’s warning that two people who were linked as he and Lois were would share feelings and attitudes came back. Was it possible that Lois’s tendency to quick anger was undermining his own control? Could she be influencing him in that way?
He shook his head. Even if it were true that Lois’s attitudes were literally rubbing off on him, it wasn’t her fault. And blaming her for his problem would do no good. He was the one with the anger issues. He was the one who had to get his temper under control. And he was the one who had to make sure that he never lost it, never let his temper loose.
And he was the one who had to make sure that he never – never! – came close to hitting Lois again.
Could it be that his feelings for Lois contributed to his dance near the edge of the control cliff? He liked her – he like her a whole lot – and she was one of the few people whose good opinion of him was important enough to him to make him change his behavior. On top of that, he respected her and wanted to keep her as a friend. He cared about her.
And after a moment’s consideration, he decided that he cared about her more than even a good friend probably should. After all, she trusted him enough to fly with him and learn from him how to control her new-found powers. And she listened to him when he needed to say things to her. She was probably – no, definitely – his best friend.
But she shouldn’t have insulted him. After all, even Superman had feelings which could be hurt.
Feelings which, at the moment, were as much a mystery to him as anything else he could think of. Those feelings couldn’t possibly be anywhere near what he thought they might be. No way. There was no way he was in love with Lois Lane.
He’d keep telling himself that. Maybe he’d even come to believe it eventually.
>>>Monday, 8:44 PM
Rebecca tried to ignore the doorbell, but whoever it was wouldn’t leave, even when she yelled “Go away!” from her side. When she finally pulled the door open a crack and peeked out, she was surprised to see Carly standing there with a pizza box and a bottle of soda.
“Carly, I really don’t want to see anyone. Please go away.”
Carly stood her ground. “If you don’t let me in, I’ll send Randy up here with this stuff. I bet you’d let him in. He may be an old guy, but he’s still cute.”
Rebecca smiled thinly. “Please leave me alone. I know you’re trying to be nice to me, but tonight’s just not a good time.”
She shook her head. “No way. The girls in the receptionist department got together and drew straws to see who’d come and see you and bring food. And – “
“You drew the short straw and lost, right?”
Carly looked slightly puzzled. “No. I won.”
Despite her fears about Clark and her desire to be alone, Rebecca nodded and opened the door all the way. “I’m sorry. Please come in.”
“Thanks. I hope you like the works, because that’s what I brought.”
“Sure. That’ll be fine.”
“Good. Hey, Becca, where do you keep your drinking glasses?”
She followed Carly into the dining area and opened her kitchen cabinet. “I got it. Why don’t you sit at the table?”
“I’ll get some ice first. They didn’t have any cold diet root beer.”
Rebecca stared. “Diet root beer with pizza?”
“Of course,” Carly returned with a straight face. “You don’t want to get fat, do you?”
Slowly, Rebecca’s features bent into a smile, then she laughed. Carly opened the pizza box and set it on the table. “First time I ever met anyone who thought root beer was funny.”
She doesn’t get it, thought Rebecca. Or maybe she does get it and just doesn’t want me to know how quick she really is. “Never mind. Thank you for coming over, and for bringing dinner.” She sat as Carly opened her freezer and pulled out an ice tray.
“Becca, you wouldn’t believe how crazy things have been today! I couldn’t count all the cops who were there. The police commissioner showed up to talk to Mr. Luthor, the city assistant fire chief came in to talk to our head of security, the FBI sent a field supervisor – I think that’s what they called him – and none of them knows anything! Leastways, not that they’d tell us anything. And Randy’s been at the L-Tech site all day with the police bomb squad.” Carly picked up a slice of pizza and bit into it. “Ooh, hot, hot, still hot! Aaah!”
Rebecca opened the root beer and poured some into her guest’s glass. “Here you go.”
“Thanks!” Carly drank it down and sat back, then burped long and loud. Both young women laughed. “Oh! I almost forgot. Mr. Asabi told me to tell you that you should stay home tomorrow, full pay of course, I know ‘cause I asked, and they’ll call you if they find out anything. Will you be okay? He told me to check on you tomorrow, too, so if you go someplace you can call me. He gave me a cell phone for you to use, and it’s pretty neat. I think I’m going to get one for myself, hang the cost. You can talk to anyone as long as you’re in the service area, and Metropolis is covered, even though you drop off the network if you leave the city, and why are you laughing at me?”
“Ho-ho-ho! I’m sorry, Carly. It just hit me that you’re in the perfect job for you.”
“What, receptionist and switchboard operator? Hey, it’s great money, and you meet lots of interesting people. Who wouldn’t like it?”
Clark wouldn’t, she thought. He’d need to do something about the injustice in the world. He’d have to help people somehow.
At least, he would if he were still alive.
Her mood flipped over to despair again. She put down her pizza and tried not to cry. It was easier now than it had been earlier in the day. She felt drained, as if she’d shed all the tears in her reservoir and couldn’t cry again until her body produced more.
Carly put her hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. Her voice was soft and gentle. “Becca, they haven’t found him yet. As long as they haven’t found him, you can hope.”
Rebecca sniffed and wiped her nose on her napkin. “Isn’t this stupid? I’m crying over a man who’s never even kissed me! He never even tried to!”
“He will, Becca, he will.”
“How do you know?” She stood and shouted. “He won’t be able to if he’s dead!”
he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead
The echoing refrain tore her heart open and the pieces tumbled out of her chest to splatter to the floor around her feet.
She was wrong. She still had tears to shed.
Carly caught her before she hit the floor, then held her as she wept out her heart’s agony anew.
>>>Tuesday, 7:11 AM
“Lois?” called Martha softly. “Lois, are you awake?”
Lois opened one eye and groaned. “Wha’ time zit?”
“It’s about ten after seven.”
“What?” Lois threw back the covers and lurched up. “I have to get ready – wait.” She put her head in her hands and sighed. “I forgot where I was for a minute.”
Martha smiled. “That’s okay. Would you like some breakfast?”
“Umph. Just toast and coffee, if it’s not too much trouble.”
Martha laughed softly. “Honey, I’ve been up since before six, and I fixed breakfast for Jonathan and Clark before they went out to work on the roof on the barn. I let you sleep late, but I don’t want you to get your days and nights turned around.”
Lois looked at Martha through splayed fingers. “Oh, yeah, that’s a real danger for me out here.”
“Well, you can avoid that particular danger by coming downstairs to the kitchen. I’ll have your toast and coffee ready, along with some bacon and scrambled eggs and some sausage. You can eat what you like.”
Lois sighed. “I’m sorry, Martha, I’m just not a morning person. Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Nonsense. You just get dressed and come on down when you’re ready.”
****
Maybe I could get dressed at super-speed, she thought. I wonder if Clark dresses at super-speed in the morning?
How does he shave? How does he cut his hair? I’ll have to ask him, because if his hair is as invulnerable as his skin, not even his hairdresser knows for sure.
She chuckled to herself and wondered if she’d have to shave her legs and armpits the way Clark shaved his beard, however that might be. There were still aspects of having super-powers that she hadn’t considered yet. For example, would she ever be able to wear a bikini again, or would her body hair situation prevent it?
She tucked her shirt into her jeans and zipped them up. There was plenty of time to learn about all that, assuming the powers were permanent, and assuming Bob didn’t try to remove them.
And assuming she wanted to keep them.
She wondered about her attitude. Was she really that flexible, or had the shock not yet worn off? Or did she have some hidden super-power envy going on with Clark that was now satisfied?
She shook her head and slipped her bare feet into her new sneakers. This introspection wasn’t getting her breakfast inside her, where it would do the most good. And she was starting to feel very hungry.
She almost floated down the stairway, then remembered at the last moment that Martha had no idea that Lois had somehow acquired Clark’s powers, and despite the woman’s kindness and obvious concern, there was no way to predict how she’d react to the news that there was now someone else who was a physical match for her son. Not to mention how Clark’s father might react. Would he consider her a better potential mate for Clark if he knew about her powers?
No. He’d adored Lana, who’d been less of a physical specimen than Lois had been before Monday, so her new capabilities wouldn’t change his mind.
Not that Lois wanted to change his mind. She had no romantic interest in Clark. None whatsoever. Zip, zippo, zero, zilch, nada. Nope, no romantic interest at all.
She tried to step down again and belatedly realized that she’d already reached the ground floor. Her recovery was less than graceful, but no one was around to see it. As an added bonus, she didn’t hurt herself.
Martha smiled as Lois entered the kitchen. “Oh, good, you’re here! Let me pour you some coffee. How do you take it?”
“I think I could take it straight this morning, but if you put a little cream in I wouldn’t object.”
Martha smiled. “Cream it is. I hope you like scrambled eggs.”
Lois slid into the seat in front of the empty plate. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
“Or I could make some pancakes if you’d rather have that.”
“No, really, the eggs are fine.” Lois looked around at the contents of the table for the first time. “And the bacon. And the stack of toast. And the plate full of sausage.”
Martha put the mug on the table in front of Lois. “This is how we eat on the farm. It takes a lot of calories to do all the chores a farmer has to finish every day.”
Lois sipped her coffee. Hot enough to burn her tongue, if her tongue could still be burned. “Then I’d better take some of those chores today or I’ll look like the south end of a north-bound cow by the end of the week.”
As Martha laughed with her, Lois wondered if that were still true. Could she eat like Clark now and never gain an ounce? Or would she have to go on a super-diet to keep the extra pounds off?
All this speculation was premature, however, and completely unproductive. Until they spoke with Bob again, there was no way to predict what the rest of her life would be like. Or even what the rest of her day would be like.
She tasted the eggs, decided they needed the tiniest sprinkle of salt and pepper, and devoured them. Four slices of bacon followed, along with six sausages, another generous helping of eggs, a tall glass of orange juice, nearly a quart of iced tea, and three cups of coffee.
By the time she leaned back and sighed, finally contented, Martha was watching her with concern. “Lois, haven’t you been eating well? I know young women today sometimes go on silly diets, not that you’d ever need to do anything like that, but I haven’t seen anyone put away food like that since Clark came home the first – Christmas – he was in college.”
Lois looked up and saw the wheels turning in Martha’s head, then saw her blink away the obvious conclusion as a totally absurd one, reached without sufficient evidence and in the face of the incontrovertible fact that Clark was unique on the earth in the matter of his powers.
Lois stood and gathered her dishes, then carried them to the sink. “Except for a donut at the Planet, I don’t think I ate anything at all yesterday. And I almost never get to eat food as good as yours. I guess I just got carried away.”
“Of course, dear, I understand. So, are you and Clark still fighting this morning?”
Lois’s face fell, then she recovered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were speaking so loudly last night.”
“I didn’t hear all of it, of course, but I know the two of you had some sort of disagreement last night.” She waited as Lois folded her arms and looked around the room. “Would you like to tell me about it, or should I guess?”
Lois waved her hands in front of her. “No guesses, please.” She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. “Clark wants to keep the fact that we’re alive a secret for a while longer. He thinks it might smoke out whoever set off the bomb.”
“What do you think?”
She doesn’t pull her punches, thought Lois. “I think that he might be right, but I also think that keeping the people who – who care about us in the dark is cruel. My mother and sister deserve to know. For that matter, Jimmy Olsen should know. He’s done a lot of research on this story, too. He’s almost as invested in it as I am.”
“I see. Has Clark set some kind of timeline for your coming out?”
“What? Coming out of what?”
“The grave, of course.” Lois rolled her eyes as Martha continued. “That’s what it’s going to look like to a lot of people, Lois. And while I understand the need to uncover the bomber, I agree that it would be cruel to keep your loved ones in the dark about your survival any longer than necessary.”
She nodded. “Thank you. Clark did agree that tonight should be the last night we – we stay dead.”
“That’s good. So why don’t you just agree to disagree with him?”
Lois returned to her chair and flopped down in it. “I don’t know. It seems like we’re either laughing at each other’s jokes or trying to strangle each other. We can’t seem to find that happy medium, much less stay there.”
Martha patted her arm. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You’ll find your way. Everyone does.”
“You’re right. I guess we – wait, Martha, are you talking about Clark and me like we were a couple?”
“Not unless you both want to be one. But even close friends have spats and arguments on occasion. The hard part is getting past those spats and getting to the making up stage.”
Lois nodded. “Yeah, and it’ll be harder for Clark and me to make up.”
Martha frowned. “Why is that?”
“Because I’m not going to kiss him to make up with him.”
Martha burst out laughing.
At least she’s not thinking about how much I ate, thought Lois.
Then she wondered why her stomach not only didn’t hurt, it didn’t even feel full.
*****
-* Clark? Are you listening? *-
-* Yes. *-
Okay, she thought, we’re going to be terse with each other. -* I think we should have that chat with Bob as soon as possible. *-
-* I agree. Dad and I should be finished in about forty minutes. Is that soon enough? *-
-* Yes. I’ll be helping your mother with her chores. *-
-* I’ll find you when the time comes. *-
And the link faded from his end. Still mad, she thought. Well, she was too. A few days before, she would have said that flying was his special gift and that staying mad was her special gift. Now she wondered just how much she’d shared with Clark over the link.
The memory of how Bob had told them that both parties in the link would influence the other slipped into her mind. She hadn’t thought about that aspect of the link at the time – she’d been too overwhelmed at Bob’s assumption that she and Clark were, or soon would be, mated – but now she wondered just how deeply this exchange of thoughts and ideas went. Was Clark’s sudden anger the night before a result of her mental influence on him? And was his continuing anger also another effect she was having on him?
If so, were her current moral ponderings a result of his influence on her? Would those effects stop at some point, or would they continue?
She’d have to ask Bob.
After the awkward conversation about her powers, that is.
*****
When Clark came for her, she was helping his mother feed the goats.
“Lois? Are you ready?”
Still brusque, she thought. “Martha, Clark and I need to talk to Bob again. I hope you don’t feel like I’m abandoning you.”
“Of course not, dear. I’m grateful for the company. You two go have that conversation with Bob.”
“Thanks, Martha.” She turned to Clark and gave him a small smile. “Lead on, MacDuff.”
Instead of responding, he turned abruptly and strode towards the barn. Lois nodded to Martha and followed in his wake.
Silently, he opened the basement door and walked down the steps, not turning to see if she followed. Clark flicked on the light, then looked at Lois as if to apologize for turning on the light when she no longer needed it, but he didn’t speak.
Without changing her expression, she gestured for him to precede her to Bob’s cradle.
