Chapter Thirty-Seven
>>>Saturday, May 9th
“Thanks for spending so much time with me, Martha. I’m sure this new costume wouldn’t have turned out nearly so well if you weren’t working on it.”
Martha smiled. “You’re more than welcome, Lois. Besides, if you hadn’t been here, I would have had to help Jonathan with the hay baler, and that thing is heavy!”
“Not for me. And I was able to straighten out those two bent tines, so I’m glad I was here, too. Otherwise you would have needed a machine shop to fix them.” She stopped suddenly. Her face fell and she chuckled ruefully. “Or Clark.”
Martha didn’t miss Lois’s sudden mood shift. “Well, let’s talk about your new costume. Are you sure you don’t want a cape?”
Lois nodded. “I’m sure. I think Jonathan’s right. I don’t want to wear a cape any more, and I’ll look even more different without that thing flapping in the breeze behind me.” She pursed her lips and blew a breath upwards to ruffle her short bangs. “Ultra Woman is still being referred to as ‘Superman’s super-girlfriend’ in some of the tabloids, and they always manage to either use a picture of the two of us or make one up which shows me as almost a part of him, or at least an extension of him. I don’t want that. I want to establish my identity on my own.”
Martha frowned. “I think you’ve established yourself quite well. You’re an award-winning reporter, you’re dating a multi-millionaire, you’ve protected both your real identity and Clark’s for several months, and you’ve saved dozens of lives and helped to capture any number of lawbreakers as Ultra Woman. How much more individuality do you want or need?”
Lois crossed her arms and leaned back in the kitchen chair. “I need to differentiate myself – excuse me. I need to differentiate Ultra Woman from Superman more than I have so far. We’re different people with different agendas. Superman is more into saving kittens and helping little old ladies across the street than I am. I’m more into crime-busting and crime prevention than he is.”
“Doesn’t that make you different from him?”
“In actuality it does, yes, but I’m talking about perception. In the public relations arena, perception is more important than reality. It’s always been like that. Remember that Ben Franklin saying that if people think of you as an early riser you can get away with sleeping until noon?”
Martha smiled. “Okay, I give up. You want to change your public image to make yourself a little more separate from Superman. But I’m not sure I accept your stated reasons.”
Lois frowned and sent a sharp look in Martha’s direction. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I think that there is more to your desire for a different costume than what you’ve told me.”
Lois turned away and began tapping her foot lightly. Martha waited for almost a full minute before asking, “What haven’t you told me, Lois?”
Lois muttered, “I don’t know if I should tell you.” She tapped her foot a little more. “For that matter, I don’t even know if I can tell you.”
Martha’s eyebrows lifted. “Can’t tell me?”
“I don’t know how to explain it to you.” She stood abruptly and began to pace. “All I know for certain is that I – I can’t get too close to Clark.”
“Oh, now that statement just begs for an explanation.”
Lois goggled at Martha for a moment, then laughed nervously. “I thought you’d be upset if I told you that.”
“No. I love my son, but I also know that while he’s pretty super, he’s not perfect.”
Lois laughed again, still nervous. “You’re right. He is both of those things, super and imperfect. Just a moment, please.” Lois turned her head to one side and squinted for a moment, then let out a long breath. “Sorry. Had to make sure the mental link was turned off on my end.”
“I understand,” smiled Martha. “Would a big glass of Kansas sweet iced tea limber up your vocal cords?”
This laugh was free and relaxed. “That would be great. Thanks.”
Martha poured two tall tumblers full and handed one to Lois as she sat down again. “Here you go.” They each took a long swig. “All right, let’s get to it. What about this costume situation has you flummoxed?”
“Flummoxed? I haven’t heard that word for quite a while.”
“It’s an old person word and it accurately describes your current predicament. But be that as it may, it doesn’t answer my question.”
“No. It doesn’t.” Lois took another long drink, then put her hands in her lap and spoke in a subdued voice. “I keep – having these bursts of feeling. For Clark.” She glanced at Martha, but the older woman only smiled and nodded slightly. “I – I really think highly of him, Martha. Very highly. But I just can’t get past Lana.”
“Get past her how?”
“To – to see Clark as more than just a friend. I can’t let myself do that.”
“Hmm. Are you saying that you don’t want to be more than friends with Clark, that you don’t think he wants to be more than friends, or that you think you’d be false to your promise to Lana if you allowed yourself to think of Clark as more than a friend?”
“Wow. You’re still taking those psych courses, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m teaching them.”
“Huh. I guess you’d give Dr. Friskin a run for her money.”
Martha chuckled. “From what you and Clark have told me about her, I’m sure I’m no competition for her business.”
“Maybe. Anyway, which of those options do you think fits me?”
“Oh, honey, I don’t want to tell you how you’re supposed to run your life! As long as you do your best to do the right thing in every situation, I can’t criticize you.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve never seen me throwing a super-tantrum because I feel so close to Clark that I’m afraid to speak to him for fear of saying the wrong thing so I just get mad at him. It’s a defense mechanism.”
“You mean times like last year when someone tried that green dust on him and the two of you ended up on a lake shore in Tennessee in your underwear?”
“Ha-ha! Yeah, like that.”
“So what was the real problem? I thought you handled the situation as well as anyone might expect, if not better.”
“Well – yeah. But I saw Clark – I saw him – he was wearing – just his – his underwear.”
“And?”
Lois dropped her gaze to the floor and barked out, “And I liked the view, okay? And I wished I could see it any time I wanted to!”
“I’d imagine that it was a pretty nice view.”
Lois goggled at her for a moment, then recovered. “Yeah. Well. Anyway, he got me back.”
Still smiling, Martha asked, “How did he do that?”
Lois turned away again. “He told me – he said that I had some of that dust in my clothes and I had to wash them. Without wearing them, of course. So he – he had the chance to get the same view of me that I got of him.” She crossed her arms and blew out a long breath. “And part of me was glad he got a chance to see me in my – without most of my clothes.”
Martha didn’t answer. Lois glanced up to see the older woman still listening patiently. “Why aren’t you jumping all over me? Why aren’t you telling me to straighten up and fly right?”
“Because, Lois, while we are in control of our emotions, they still tend to jump all over the place and surprise us.” She patted the younger woman’s arm. “It’s normal to feel strong emotions for someone like Clark, someone with whom you’ve shared so many intense situations. And it’s not just because he’s super and because he’s drop-dead gorgeous. The two of you have faced death together and come out the other side whole. You’ve saved each others’ lives more than once. Add in your shared but quite different relationships with Lana and you have the makings of a truly challenging life situation.”
“Huh. I guess that’s true.” She snorted out a chuckle. “Especially the part about him being so good-looking.”
“I’m going to accept that as a compliment to myself and to his father.” Martha chuckled and took another drink. “Now I think I should ask you a very difficult question. Will you allow me?”
Lois fidgeted in her chair, then nodded. “Go ahead. I’m ready.”
“I hope so. These bursts of feelings for Clark that you mentioned. What would you call them?”
“Well – I – I’m not sure.”
“Take a guess.”
“I – they – I feel – “ She lurched up out of her chair and began pacing. “If it wasn’t Clark I’d think it was love but I promised Lana I’d watch out for him not latch on to him and besides he’s getting really close to Rebecca and she’s a good friend so I’d feel really bad about breaking them up and how could we work together if he thought I was in love with him and he didn’t feel that way about me and – oh, Martha, I’m such a mess!”
She stopped beside the kitchen sink and grabbed a dish towel. By the time she’d wiped her eyes with it, Martha was beside her. “Lois, don’t you think you should tell Clark how you feel about him?”
“No!” Lois took a single step away. “No, I can’t! I can’t betray our friendship that way! Do you have any idea how complicated our relationship would be if I told him how I think I might feel about him?”
“But shouldn’t Clark have the opportunity to – “
“No!” Lois turned away and stepped towards the table. “You don’t understand! I know how he feels about me, and it isn’t love, at least not that kind of love! He treats me as a friend, a good friend, the only male friend I’ve ever had who I trusted completely, but not this!” She stopped and took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out slowly. “No,” she repeated softly. “It’s too big a risk for both of us. I don’t know if he and Rebecca will ever get really, really close, but I refuse be the one to throw a monkey wrench in those particular works. Besides, he had the chance to ask me out on a date, or send me flowers, or bring me Swiss chocolate this past winter while both of us were unattached, and he didn’t.”
She faced the older woman with quiet resignation. “If Clark felt anything romantic for me, he would have said something by now. He hasn’t. So – “ she lifted her hands and let them fall “ – he obviously doesn’t feel that way towards me.”
She sniffed once and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Martha took a handkerchief from her pocket and offered it. Lois chuckled through a sob and accepted it.
Martha gently embraced the strongest woman in the world as if she were the most fragile person on the planet. “You do what you feel you need to do, Lois. And I won’t breathe a word to Clark or to Jonathan about this conversation.”
“Th-thank you.” Lois wiped her eyes. “Besides, there’s Lex to consider, too. I think he’d be a little upset with me if I bailed on him now.”
Martha patted the back of Lois’s hair and didn’t comment on the significance of how far they’d gone in the conversation before Lex’s name had been mentioned.
>>>Saturday, May 9th
Clark leaned into his editor’s open office door. “Hi, Perry. Did you want to talk to me before I leave?”
“Nothin’ special. I did want to thank you for coming in on a Saturday, Clark.”
“No problem. I had to finish that piece I did with Myerson on the new symphony conductor anyway. Why, is something wrong?”
“Come on in and sit down. Nothing’s wrong, I just wanted to touch base with you and see how you’re doing.”
Clark closed the door and took a seat. “I feel like I’ve been called into the principal’s office in grade school.”
They shared a good-natured chuckle, then Perry leaned his elbows on his desk and smiled at Clark. “Nothin’ like that, son. I really just wanted to ask you how you’re doing.”
Clark blew out a breath. “You mean, me, Clark the reporter?”
“Yep.”
“Oh. Well, I’m doing okay, I guess. I haven’t had any nightmares about Lana for several weeks, and I don’t flinch every time I see a short young woman with shoulder-length auburn hair coming at me on the street.” He looked at his hands, then up at Perry again. “I think I’m getting over losing her, Chief.”
Perry nodded. “Good. Now, I’ve never had to face what you’ve faced in the past year, thank the Lord, but I do know some folks who have. Don’t worry if you have some rough patches coming up, and don’t get upset with yourself if you think you’ve forgotten her.” He shook his head and leaned back. “Or if you think you’ll never get her face out of your mind.”
“Dr. Friskin said something like that to me a couple of weeks ago.”
“She’s a smart lady. You should listen to her.” They shared a smile, then Perry stood and gestured at the pictures covering one wall of his office. “See these photos? They’re from my earlier days, from war zones and riots and club meetings and just groups of friends. I’ve lost someone from every one of these pictures. Some, more than just one.” He walked to the wall and touched one of the oldest frames. He started to speak, but then shook his head and turned away. “Sometimes I can’t remember their faces until I look at the pictures. And sometimes I can’t think about anything or anyone else. Some random thing will trigger a memory, some sound or some smell, and – well, then Alice has to love on me pretty hard to drive the blues away.”
Clark shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Perry.”
“For what?”
“That – that you’ve lost so many friends. That you’ve suffered so many losses.”
Perry smiled. “That’s what happens when you stay alive long enough, Clark. You lose people. Everyone does. It’s part of life, a part none of us can get away from.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “A part of life.”
Perry’s smile turned upside down. “That sounds like more than just life weighing you down. What is it, son?”
Clark turned away for a moment, then faced his editor again. “I think I’ve got more than the usual life span.”
“Huh?”
“I have it on good information that I’ll live significantly longer than the average human.”
“Ah.” Perry sat on his desk. “How much longer, do you think?”
“Two to three times longer, maybe more.”
Perry blinked and shook his head. “Wow. I never knew that before.”
“I don’t think anyone did.”
“I see.” Then the light bulb went on over his head. “You mean Lana never knew that?”
Clark shrugged. “I never told her. I thought – I always thought we’d have more time to talk about stuff like that.”
Perry leaned over and gave Clark a manly pat on the shoulder. “Son, I don’t think knowin’ that would’ve made two cents difference in the way she felt about you.”
Clark sighed again. “I think I agree with you.”
“See that you do.”
Perry straightened and Clark began to stand up. “Oh, Clark, I just have one more question for you.”
“Sure.”
“Do you think it makes a difference in the way Lois feels about you?”
The shock evident on Clark’s face destroyed his carefully constructed facade. “What – do – what did she say to you?”
“Nothing. Now just calm down, okay? I don’t want to have to call the paramedics.”
Clark appeared to count to ten and took a deep breath. “Yeah, that would be a bad idea. We’d have to explain why Superman fainted.” He exhaled fully and relaxed, then asked, “Whatever possessed you to ask me how Lois might feel about anything related to me?”
“What? You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding! What would Lois want with me? She has superpowers now that have complicated her life like you wouldn’t believe, she shares a mental link with me that intrudes on her most personal moments, she feels like she’s in competition with Superman while people are trying to link her romantically with him, she’s dating a multi-millionaire, she’s a potential award-winning reporter all by herself, and she’s probably the best friend I’ve ever had! Why would I want to mess that up by acting like a lovesick teenager around her?”
Perry crossed his arms. “You’re bein’ awful defensive, Clark.”
“Fine! I’m being defensive! Besides, if she had any shred of romantic feeling for me, she would have shown it to me by now! I’m not stupid, Perry! If she cared about me like that she would have found a way to tell me!”
Perry nodded slowly. “I see what you mean. You’re probably right.”
Clark almost pouted. “I am right! About this, anyway.”
“Okay. Tell you what, son, why don’t you go on home now? You’ve been here long enough.”
Clark stood slowly, then calmed visibly. “All right. That symphony story’s in the ‘pending’ folder on the LAN. Myerson said he’d finished his part.”
“I’ll take care of it. You have any plans for tonight?”
A look of surprise crept over his features. “Ah, yeah, I do. I’m taking Rebecca to a concert tonight. Allison Krause is appearing at the Metro Dome, and Rebecca’s never heard her.”
Perry clapped Clark on the shoulder again and steered him to the office door. “Then you show her a good time! Y’all have fun now!”
“Okay, Perry. Good night.”
Perry waved at him as he crossed the newsroom floor. Poor kid, he thought. He didn’t remember that cute little redheaded girl until I reminded him about her.
That can’t end well, he mused.
*****
Clark stepped out of the Planet building, looked up at the beautiful mid-afternoon sky, and decided to walk to his apartment. He had several hours before he was to meet Rebecca at the concert, so he had the afternoon to himself. And today seemed like a good day to catch that new dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. He could be anonymous if he chose to be, since Phoebe had long since moved back to Oklahoma. It was a good day to just goof off and learn something at the same time.
-* Clark! *-
Or maybe not. -* Yes, Lois? *-
-* I need Superman in Japan right now! A bunch of Marxist terrorists have taken over an elementary school and the police are afraid of a bloodbath! *-
He ducked towards the nearest alley. -* Where are you now? *-
-* In Sendai in the prefecture of Tohoku. You know where that is? *-
-* Yes. *- He checked one last time for bystanders and saw none, so he spun into the red and blue suit and took off. -* I’m in the air now. Anything I need to do before I get there? *-
-* Unless you speak pretty good Japanese, bring an interpreter. The local police chief and I can barely say anything to each other. His barely usable English is light years ahead of my nonexistent Japanese, but we can’t communicate well enough to do either of us any good. *-
-* I can make myself understood. Keep the link open so I can translate for you. *-
-* Will do. You’d better get here fast. I think he wants to go in right now with guns blazing. *-
-* Try to slow him down without making him lose face. I’m over the Rocky Mountains now. *-
-* I’ll try, Clark, but please hurry. *-
*****
The entire trip took about twenty-five seconds. As soon as Superman spotted Ultra Woman crouching down behind a police van and gesturing angrily to the man who was apparently in charge, he altered his approach and set down out of sight of anyone in the school. He gathered his cape and ran bent over to kneel beside them.
In Japanese, he said, “Greetings, Honorable Police Captain. I am called Choujin, and you have already met my associate. We would be honored to assist you if we are able to do so.”
The policeman nodded sharply to him and pursed his lips together. “Thank you, Choujin. I am Captain Hideki Shimusen. I have tried to tell this – woman – that we are well able to deal with the problem, but I cannot make her understand me.”
Superman mentally relayed the comment to Ultra Woman, who narrowed her eyes sharply but didn’t respond. The captain continued, “My men are almost ready to enter and destroy the terrorists. I understand that you are able to look through the walls and find them. If you could tell us exactly how many there are, where they are located, and where the children are, that would help us a great deal.”
Superman frowned. “If you insist that we do so, Captain, we will, but may I suggest that my associate and I attempt to disarm the intruders before your men enter the school? We can move much faster than any normal human, and they cannot harm us with their weapons.”
The captain studied the foreigner before him for a long moment. Superman composed his face and body to await the captain’s decision, but he sent Ultra Woman a quick admonition to do the same. She scowled again, but she leaned back against the police car and complied.
The captain exhaled sharply. “Choujin, I understand your concern for the children. I share it. But I am under orders to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. I hope that you understand my position.”
“I do understand it, Captain. But would it not be in everyone’s best interest to capture these people with no loss of life? Besides, sir, we would still be under your command. You would not disobey your orders in that event.”
Lois didn’t flinch, but her mind went ballistic. -* Hey, I’m not taking orders from this sawed-off sexist samurai! He doesn’t care about those kids! He just wants to make a name for himself! *-
-* It’s his country and his responsibility, Lois. These people have never seen us up close, and they’ve certainly never seen us work together. They don’t understand what we’re capable of. The captain is in charge of resolving a difficult situation and he’s doing his best to deal with it. All we need is his okay to go and we’ll take care of it. Just be sure you follow my lead. *-
-* I don’t like it! *-
-* Neither do I. But the safety of those kids is the most important part of this operation. We do what we have to do to save all of them. *-
-* All right. But he needs to make a decision pretty quick. *-
Just then, the captain nodded. “Very well. I ask you to use your particular abilities to disarm the terrorists. When you have accomplished that goal – with as few injuries to the children as possible – we will enter and arrest them.”
Superman bowed his head. “Thank you, Captain Shimusen. You will not regret it.”
*****
Hideki Shimusen was frightened. His brother’s twin boys were inside that school, something he hadn’t told his commander when the call had come in. He had heard many good things of this Choujin, this Superman, and many more quite unbelievable things, but all he really knew of him was that he was a gaijin, a foreigner, and therefore could not be trusted to have the safety of the children as his primary objective.
And the woman with him! She was beyond rude, beyond immodest, and beyond arrogant, yet she obviously expected to be treated with the same respect as the Choujin received. Giving these two the responsibility to disarm the terrorists was madness, but he had little choice. The terrorists had promised to kill one child for each shot fired at them by the police, had sworn that they would release the children when – and only when – their impossible demands had been met, and the only hope he had to save his nephews was a pair of fantastically costumed Western exhibitionists.
He mentally kissed his wife goodbye, because there was no way he could go home to her with a disaster of this magnitude polluting his reputation. Seppu-ku was not an option, but self-imposed exile was. He considered for a moment whether or not southern Hokkaido was far enough for him to travel –
But he suddenly realized that the two foreigners were no longer in front of him. Had he closed his eyes long enough for them to run away? Surely not! Surely it was the tension of the moment that had caused him to black out for a moment, to feel a small whirlwind around him.
Sudden cries of alarm and surprise rang out from his men. There were several piles of twisted and useless assault rifles and pistols and submachine guns on the street between the school and the police line, piles which had not been there just seconds before. Then the children began streaming out of the doors, screaming and crying and seemingly a breath from sheer panic – but they were alive! The teachers followed, herding out the last of the younger children. Several were carrying one or two small ones each. All were safe. And not one shot had been fired!
Then a number of men – and a few women – stumbled out of the doors of the school to fall to the grass in front of the school. Captain Shimusen looked closer and realized that these people’s legs were tied together with thin rope, close enough to keep them from running away but loosely to allow them to walk slowly if they took very small steps.
And their arms were bound together! They could not reach the bonds on their legs to release themselves because their arms were crossed in front of their chests, wrists tied to elbows, and the plastic ties wrapped around their forearms kept them there. The terrorists all appeared to be unhurt but disoriented.
Then the last one fell at the sill of one of the doors. The gaudily-dressed woman in purple picked him up with one hand and threw him almost three meters to land atop two others. Choujin snapped his head around and said something to her in their sibilant English, far too rapidly for him to understand their words. She answered in the same harsh tongue.
Then they began arguing. It was shocking! A man and woman, arguing in public! And they were not even married – or, at least, the captain did not believe that they were – so they did not even have that excuse. And as they argued, their voices sped up and spiraled upwards in pitch until they seemed to be hissing at each other like a pair of furious monitor lizards.
After several increasingly angry exchanges, the woman in the shameless purple garb stepped back and exploded upwards. The sonic boom was deafening! The man gazed after her in apparent frustration for a long moment, then sighed and composed himself as Captain Shimusen stood up and walked cautiously towards him.
Choujin saw him coming and bowed properly, proving that at least he remembered his manners. The captain returned the bow and said, “Thank you for your assistance, Choujin-san. You have saved many lives today.”
The tall man bowed again. “You are most welcome, Captain. All the children are, of course, very frightened, but all of them are safe. And all of the people who held weapons are now in the custody of your officers. Please, if you will, send a doctor into the library. One of the teachers tried to resist the terrorists and was struck in the head. I think she is not hurt badly, but I did not wish to move her in case I was mistaken. Two other teachers are there with her, so she is not alone.”
The captain bowed also. “Thank you again. If you wish, I can introduce you to our mayor. I am certain he would be willing to thank you personally.”
The tall man smiled, as if contemplating how angry a certain woman might be. “You honor me more greatly than I deserve, Captain, but I fear that I must respectfully decline this most high honor. I have a prior commitment which I cannot evade.”
Captain Shimusen smiled a personal smile. “I understand, sir. Please convey my thanks to the lady in question for allowing you to assist us.” He hesitated, then dared to ask, “Might I know the name of your companion? The one who so ably assisted you in helping us?”
Choujin smiled. “Her name is – “ and his smile faded. “I apologize, Captain. I am not familiar enough with your language to translate her name properly. I believe she would be called Aikan Kyoudai in Japan.”
Beautiful woman with much power, mused the captain. A fitting name, if not fully descriptive of the energetic and impatient woman in purple. He wondered just how well Choujin understood Japanese, and if he realized the nuances of meaning in the name he’d given her. “Thank you, Choujin-san. We are in your debt. Please do not hesitate to ask any favor of me or my family. We will give it to you freely.”
Choujin looked startled for a moment, then returned the captain’s smile. “I shall, Captain, and I thank you for your kindness and your courtesy. I will also relay your thanks to – to the Aikan Kyoudai for her help in resolving this situation.” He extended his hand. “Thank you.”
It was the captain’s turn to be startled. He knew of the Western custom of the handshake, of course, but he’d never been offered it in such a friendly instance. He hesitated, then took the tall man’s hand in his and squeezed with all his might.
Choujin never changed his expression. After a moment of gripping the stone of the man’s hand, Captain Shimusen released the grip and stepped back, then watched the hero rise into the air at a much more sedate pace than his companion had done. Yet in mere seconds he was out of sight over the Pacific, heading east to the United States of America.
Well! This report would be a pleasure to write. And an even greater pleasure to hand to his superiors. No lives lost, no serious injuries, and every child was safe, including his nephews.
His wife would be so proud of him.
******
Author's note: Any errors in the Japanese words or description of the language or the culture are mine alone. If there is a better Japanese translation for "Ultra Woman," please let me know what it is and I'll use that one. And please include the literal English meaning.
