PREVIOUSLY...
“Oh, right. Of course. Well, I’ve got a theory, but before I say more... Wait! I need...” He began once again fumbling through drawers, after a moment pulling out two syringes.
“What are those for?” Lane asked.
“Oh, right. Well, I need a sample of your blood. This might not work, but...”
“Whose blood?” Kent asked.
“You two,” Klein said, pointing to Lois and Lane. “I doubt I’d be able to get a sample from the two of you,” he added, looking at Clark and Kent. “But I shouldn’t need to. Their blood samples should do just fine.”
AND NOW...
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Forty-Six
* * * * * * * * *
“I have to go into work,” Kent said as the four of them left Star Labs and walked towards Lane’s jeep.
After taking blood samples from both Lois and Lane, Klein had suggested that they leave before the place began filling up with people. It would take him some time to study the results of their blood and see if what he was thinking - whatever that was - made any sense whatsoever. They were to return to Star Labs late that evening - when the crowds would once again be at a minimum.
“Why do you have to go to work?” Lane asked, a touch of acidity in her tone. “It doesn’t exactly matter if you’re late if all you’re going to do is quit.”
“Lane,” Kent said softly, reaching out and taking her arm to pull her to a stop.
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “Just... go,” she said, not looking him in the face as she stormed towards the vehicle.
Kent stopped, letting out a heavy sigh.
“We’ll take care of her,” Clark said. “Just meet us after work at...” He glanced over at his wife.
“Let’s get out of Metropolis,” Lois said.
Clark nodded and as Lois continued towards the jeep, Clark filled Kent in on where they would meet him later in the afternoon - on a beach outside a little cabin in Cuba.
* * * * * * * * *
Lane’s head was stooped over the wheel when Lois climbed into the back seat.
“You okay?” Lois asked.
Lane let out a heavy sigh. “I just hope your idea finally gets it through Kent’s thick head,” she said morosely. “I’m not sure how much longer...” Her voice trailed off as she decided not to complete her thought.
“It will,” Lois said, her voice containing a bit more optimism than she was actually feeling. After all, Kent had years to convince himself that he was on the verge of being discovered. Could they really expect to undo all that in one day? Still, it was a good plan. All that was left was to convince Clark to go along with it. And that might be easier said than done.
* * * * * * * * *
“What!” Clark gasped when Lois finally told her what she needed from him. “I can’t make decisions like that for Kent!”
“Shh,” Lois said, glancing towards the bedroom door in hopes that Lane hadn’t heard Clark’s outburst. “You’re not making any decisions for him. In a few days, maybe less, you’ll disappear and so will... you know who. If he doesn’t want to follow in your footsteps, he won’t have to.”
“But what if... someone figures it out?”
“No one is going to figure it out. Trust me.” She let out a frustrated breath when Clark just continued to look at her. “Okay, fine. You don’t want to help Lane... You don’t care that this is breaking her heart when there is a simple way to solve the problem...” As she spoke, Lois began marching towards the bedroom door.
“No, wait!” Clark said, grabbing her arm to stop her. He closed his eyes. “Why don’t I just tell him?”
“That will never work,” Lois said. “He’s had years to convince himself that he’s going to be discovered. No. He has to see for himself that this can work.”
Clark growled in frustration. “I want to help, Lois. You know that. But...”
“Then why don’t we ask Lane what she thinks?”
Two Loises trying to persuade him to do something... But then maybe Lane would see the wisdom of simply talking to Kent about this. “Okay, let’s talk to Lane.”
* * * * * * * * *
Lane stood, trying to close her mouth as she stared at the colorful icon known so well in at least two universes.
“And this works?” she asked, quickly clearing her throat when her words emerged in a high-pitched squeak. Lois had told her about Superman the night before, but seeing the transformation was something else again.
“It works,” Lois said. “So... what do you think? We could just tell Kent about this...”
Lane was shaking her head before Lois even finished speaking. “He won’t believe it will work. He’s completely convinced that it’s only a matter of time before he’s discovered. But maybe...” She directed her hopeful gaze to Clark.
Clark sighed. “I should have known better,” he muttered to himself, finally admitting defeat. Maybe if he’d only had one Lois to contend with, he could have resisted. But two Loises... He knew he didn’t stand a chance. Surely even Kent would understand that. “Okay, so how do we do this?” he asked, giving in gracefully.
Lois smiled, walking over to Lane’s television and turning it on. There had to be something going on in the world today.
* * * * * * * * *
Kent felt lethargic as he sat down at his desk and began typing up his letter of resignation. He still couldn’t understand how the other Clark was able to get past his fear of discovery enough to marry his Lois. Their universes were obviously different. What more did he need to know?
“What’s provoking that long face?” Linda asked, taking a seat on the edge of his desk.
He looked up at her, debating for a minute. Finally, he sighed. She’d find out soon enough. “It’s my letter of resignation,” Kent said, gesturing to the letter on the screen.
“What?” Linda gasped, jumping off the desk to better read his computer screen. “Why?”
He shrugged. “I’m just... Well, I think I’ve been in Metropolis too long. I need a change of pace.”
Linda sank back down onto the edge of his desk. “You sure about this?”
Kent nodded.
Linda let out a slow breath. “I guess I should have seen it coming.”
“Really?”
Linda nodded. “You haven’t been happy here for a long time.” She paused. “I guess I knew you’d do it eventually, but... I’m going to miss my partner.”
Kent smiled at that. “I’m going to miss you, too,” he said, realizing that he actually meant it. When they had originally been partnered together, she’d shown some interest in a possible romantic connection. But when he’d made it clear that he wasn’t interested, she’d slipped into the role of friend and partner seamlessly. “You’ve been one of the few things that I’ve enjoyed about working here.”
“And we did get some great stories, didn’t we?”
Kent nodded as he clicked the print button.
“So any ideas what you’re going to do now?” Linda asked as they waited for the letter to be printed.
Kent shrugged. “I figure I’ll go home for a while - back to Kansas and take it from there.”
“Take a bit of a break, you mean. Sounds like a plan. Still, I hope you’ll keep in touch.”
Kent looked over at the printer as the document in question spewed out of the device. “Well, wish me luck,” he said, standing up and taking the paper out of the printer’s tray.
“You know I do.”
He smiled at her, gently touching her shoulder before turning towards his editor’s office. He was doing the right thing. He knew he was. So... why did the thought of leaving Metropolis feel so wrong?
He knew why. Lane. Leaving The Star didn’t bother him. Leaving Metropolis, leaving Lane, did. She was like a drug - the more exposure he had to her, the more he wanted. He craved her touch as badly as any addict did his drug of choice. Just the thought of not seeing her, not speaking to her, not touching her caused him to break out in cold sweat.
Still, leaving Metropolis was the right thing to do. He couldn’t go on breaking her heart like this. It was time... It was far past time to let her get on with her life.
“Look!” someone in the newsroom shouted before Kent reached the editor’s office.
Kent looked around and then followed the rest of his colleagues as they gathered in front of the televisions set up around the newsroom. What was going on?
His breath caught in his throat when he saw the fire. Smoke and flames billowed out of the sky scraper. Cameras focused in on the upper floors where people were gathered around windows, looking about ready to jump.
He had to act. He had to act now. In a few minutes, his anonymity was bound to be gone. But this was the reason he’d given up the woman he loved and a job that he was good at, after all. It was time to take that final step. He had just turned, preparing to leave the building when the newsroom seemed to erupt.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a bird!”
“It’s a plane!”
“It’s a guy in tights and a cape!”
Everyone looked at the man who had uttered the final comment as if he were crazy before turning back to the television.
“He’s right,” Linda gasped. “It’s a guy in tights and a cape!”
Kent moved closer.
“He’s flying!” Cagel said.
“He can’t be flying,” Linda responded. “He is flying!”
What? Confused, Kent pulled his glasses down his nose and took a look at the brightly clad figure on the screen. What was going on here? Even with his enhanced vision, he couldn’t get a good look at the man - assuming it was a man. On the other hand, the crest on the back of his cape looked shockingly familiar.
“It’s the miracle worker!” Linda exclaimed, rushing for her desk to grab her purse. She looked directly at Kent. “You hand in your resignation yet?” she asked.
“No, I was just...”
“Good! Then how about one last story? It’s going to be a great one.”
After a moment, he nodded. Since Kent was the miracle worker, he knew this other man couldn’t be. But he had to find out what was going on. The smartest way to do that was as a reporter.
* * * * * * * * *
“My thinking is that he must be Kryptonian,” Linda said as she steered her car at breakneck speeds through the streets of Metropolis. “One that got left behind when the others left. After all, that would certainly explain the flying.” She hit her horn when a car in the next lane tried to cut her off. “I don’t understand why he’s taken all this time before going public, though. After all, we’ve all been hearing the stories about this miracle man for years. Why reveal himself now?”
“Beats me,” Kent responded. Was she right? Could one of the Kryptonians have been left behind? He supposed that was possible. But Kent had been the one doing the ‘good deeds.’ He had been the miracle man - not this other Kryptonian - assuming it was a Kryptonian. And the crest... Was it possible he, too, was from the House of El? Or was he using it for some other reason? After all, the colors were different from the ones he’d worn during the Kryptonian invasion. The crest was more like the one his folks had found on the baby blanket he’d been wrapped in when he arrived on Earth. So if he was Kryptonian, what had this strangely clothed man been doing all these years? And why was he revealing himself now? “Or maybe the Kryptonians have returned for some reason.”
“Oh, god. I hope not. One Kryptonian, going around helping people, that I can handle. But a whole crowd of them...” She shivered. “We’re here,” she said, throwing the car into park and jumping out, rushing towards the burning building, Kent close on her tail. “There!” she shouted when she caught sight of the superhero.
Kent looked heavenward, catching a glimpse of the brightly colored man as he carried one person after another out of the burning building. Who was he? Kent couldn’t get a really good look when the man kept moving like that. It was almost as if the superhero was purposely positioning himself to keep Kent from getting a clear view of his face - although why he would do it, Kent had no idea.
Finally, when the people had all been brought to safety, the brightly colored man disappeared back inside and a moment later, the fire was out.
A great cheer went out from the surrounding crowd as the man floated slowly to the ground, going over to talk to the fire fighters.
There was something about the man that seemed vaguely familiar, but Kent couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. The man was about the same height as him, but he moved with authority - something that Kent didn’t do. And then the man looked directly at him and Kent felt his breath catch in his throat. He saw that same face staring back at him in the mirror every morning. What the hell was going on here?
Kent almost wanted to melt into the pavement when the man he now realized must be Clark started walking in his direction, cape billowing out behind him.
“My god,” Linda whispered. “He’s headed this way. And, omigod, he’s gorgeous!”
Kent blushed, ducking his head, waiting for the minute Linda would recognize him.
“Over here!” Linda shouted, waving her arms at the superhero.
Kent fought off the impulse to grab Linda and put his hand over her mouth. No! Not over here! Anywhere but here. He wasn’t prepared to be exposed quite this quickly, quite this way - and not quite for himself.
“Yes, Miss,” the superhero said, his voice deeper than Kent’s. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I’m Linda King, Metropolis Star.” She held a tape recorder out in front of his face. “And you are?”
“A friend,” the superhero responded, giving her a smile as he rose gently into the air. “Just a friend.” With that, he disappeared in a gust of wind.
Linda swooned against Kent, making him catch her as she continued to watch the departing superhero. “He’s gorgeous,” she said again. “And, my god... that smile. I think I’m in love.”
* * * * * * * * *
“Yes, Perry,” Lane said into her phone. “I’m on top of it. And I’m quite sure. The headline should read: ‘Superman Saves The Day.’” She listened for another minute. “Don’t worry. I’m working on getting an exclusive right now. No, you don’t need to put anyone else on this story. I’ve got a great lead on this story.”
Hanging up the phone, she turned towards Lois and Clark. “Okay, so... what now?”
“Now...” Lois said. “We wait to see if it worked.”
“Well, while we do that...” Lane looked directly at Clark. “...I guess I need an interview - not about who you are, but about what really happened inside that building. That should satisfy Perry for the time being. As for what to say about you... I’d like to keep that as general as possible until I talk to Kent.”
* * * * * * * * *
“So... you really didn’t think there was anything familiar about him?” Kent asked for the tenth time.
Linda growled in frustration as they made their way up in the elevator. “Trust me, Kent. I’ve never seen that guy before. I would have remembered that body. I mean, the guy is Adonis come to life. Those muscles. That imposing figure. Those bedroom eyes. And those tights! They don’t leave a whole lot to the imagination. Although...” She glanced over at Clark. “...he certainly got my imagination working overtime.” She gave him a roguish wink. “Do you want to hear all the ‘intimate’ details?”
The elevator door opened and Kent let out a breath of relief. If he had to hear Linda talk about her ‘desires’ in any detail, he was going to die of embarrassment. The good news was that so far, she hadn’t commented on his resemblance to the flying man.
Still, it was with trepidation that he entered the newsroom. Someone was sure to have recognized him. After all, these people were trained reporters. They noticed things.
“Did you really talk to him?” one of the girls from the typing pool asked, rushing up to Linda.
“I really did.”
“So what’s he like in person? Is he as magnificent as he appears on television?”
“Better.”
“Oh, god. I would have died and gone to heaven if he had talked to me. I am so, so jealous of you.”
“Do you think you could get me his phone number?” a second young woman asked, as the crowd around Linda increased.
“He’s so dreamy...”
“If only I were twenty years younger...”
“Was that really all him inside those tights...”
“Excuse me,” Kent said, extricating himself from the crowd, hoping no one noticed the bright blush on his cheeks. Even the tips of his ears were burning. But it seemed he was hardly missed as the entire female staff at The Star congregated around Linda to extol the many and varied attributes of the man in the tights - some even going into graphic detail about what they would ever do to him if they had the chance.
Was everyone blind?
“Kent.”
Kent practically jumped out of his chair at the sound of someone saying his name. He’d been so engrossed in watching the women that he’d not heard anyone approaching. It was Cagel.
“Hey,” Kent said.
“So you met him, huh?”
“Uhh... yeah,” Kent said cautiously.
“So what do you think? Was he really flying, or is this all some kind of stunt?”
“He seemed to be flying to me.”
“Well, it’s too bad you didn’t get any pictures.” A number of pictures were dumped on Kent’s desk. Kent began flipping through them. It seemed some were actually close ups of his face. Nervously, he glanced up at Cagel, waiting for the moment the other man would make the connection. But Cagel’s eyes were on the pictures.
“So what’s wrong with these?” Kent asked. Some of them were actually pretty good - although how anyone could look at them and not realize that it was him, he wasn’t entirely sure.
“Can’t use a single one of them. Copyright. Some photographer over at the Planet took them. Olsen, I think. Boss is hopping mad about that.”
“Then why do you have them?”
Cagel rolled his eyes. “Some of the women printed them off the Daily Planet’s website. The Daily Planet even has an article up already. Lane - of course.”
Kent swallowed nervously. “Really. What does it say?”
“Not much. Says he’s a friend - here to help. And something about ‘damn the torpedoes.’” Cagel shrugged. “Didn’t really understand that either. Anyway, she dubbed this guy ‘Superman’ and it seems to be catching on. A number of news organizations have already picked it up.
“Of course, the women have been drooling over these pictures for the past half hour. Boss just told me to get them out of here before someone thinks they’re ours and puts one in the paper. Doesn’t want to get sued.”
Kent sank back into his chair, watching in stunned silence as Cagel gathered up the photos and walked away muttering, “Sure hope when I get home Sarah isn’t drooling over this guy. Just might have to kill him.”
How was this possible? Not one person had made the connection between him and this flying superhero. It couldn’t really be that easy - could it?
* * * * * * * * *
Lane paced nervously on the deserted beach. Kent was due to arrive soon and she’d asked Lois and Clark to give them some time alone.
Clark had answered a few more cries for help following his dramatic debut, but other than a quick encounter with Linda King to prove to Kent that the disguise would work up close and personal - which had earned him a passionate kiss from his wife - and posing for Jimmy to get allow the kid to take his already world famous photos - which had earned him an even more passionate kiss from his wife when he’d explained that he’d allowed Jimmy to take the photos to distract him from pursuing the topic of two Loises and two Clarks before Lane had time to deal with him - Clark had not stopped to talk to anyone.
From this point on, whatever happened would be between Lane and Kent. The brightly colored superhero could simply disappear as mysteriously as he had arrived, or...
Lane checked her watch again. Where was he?
She spun around when a she heard a soft thump on the sand behind her.
“Kent,” she breathed, her heart rate speeding up almost immediately. Her entire future depended on the next few minutes.
He looked at her before looking around. “Where are Lois and Clark?”
“Not here.”
He looked back at her, a slight furrow of confusion on his brow. “What...”
“I asked them for some time alone... with you. Kent, we need to talk.”
“About?”
“Superman. Us. Everything.”
Kent turned away from her, looking out over the water.
“Well...” Lane said hesitantly. “...say something.”
He turned towards her. “If someone finds out who Superman is...”
“Did they? Today, I mean. Did anyone connect you to Superman?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean that some day...”
“Clark has been hiding behind the costume for years. This will work. By giving the public a superhero to take the credit for your stunts, you’re effectively ensuring that no one will be looking for you. It’s perfect.
“Think about it,” she continued. “Superman doesn’t even wear a mask - so no one is going to start looking for what might be behind the disguise. After all, without a mask, it doesn’t even seem like a disguise. And even if they do think it’s a disguise, it’s not as if they’re going to be looking for a reporter who wears glasses. After all, one of the first things we’re going to do is to make sure the public knows that Superman has remarkable eyesight.”
“And if someday someone does figure it out?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But if it does?” he persisted.
“If it does... I’m willing to take that risk.” She stepped closer to him. “I love you. And if someday we have to deal with people finding out, then we’ll deal with it. But it’s not going to happen. Trust me.”
“And your mother? And Perry White?”
“My mother will be shocked at first, but she’ll come to love you. I just know she will. And even if she doesn’t... well, she’s never approved of my choices before. But once she realizes how much you mean to me, she’s bound to come around. As for Perry... I’ll handle Perry. I’ve been prepared to deal with Perry for years now. All he can do is fire me, after all.”
“He’d never do that. After him, you’re the Daily Planet’s most valuable asset.”
Lane smiled. “That’s what I’m counting on. Well, that and the legal question of whether you can fire someone for falling in love. Not that I think it will come to that. Perry knows how to bluster, but he’s never been unfair. And if I’m wrong... I’m willing to risk it. So... What do you say?”
“You’re willing to risk it? You’re willing to risk what a relationship with me could do to your life, your privacy, even your relationship with your friends and family? You’re willing to risk being outed for being married to an alien? You’re willing to risk living your life in a fish bowl?” He sounded unable to believe it.
Tears sprung to her eyes. “If you want to know the answer to that, there’s one very simple question you need to ask,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
He looked at her silently for a long moment, and she held her breath, waiting for his decision.
* * * * * * * * *
“Do you think we’ve given them enough time?” Lois asked as Clark carried her in his arms over the ocean, the coast of the island on the horizon.
A slow smile made its way across Clark’s face.
“What?”
“Well... he seems to be getting down on one knee.”
“Hurry up!” Lois said excitedly, hitting his shoulder as if spurring on her favorite steed. “I want to see this.”
Clark did as commanded and a moment later, he stopped, floating quietly just off the beach as the sun set behind the young couple, washing them in soft, reddish hues.
“Will you marry me?”
The question floated up to Lois and Clark from the still and quiet beach.
“Yes,” came the tearful reply even as Lane threw herself into her longtime lover’s arms. “Oh, god, yes!”
Lois sighed softly, leaning back into her husband’s shoulder. “I love happy endings.”
The young lovers, newly engaged, on the deserted beach were currently too preoccupied with each other to be aware of the new arrivals.
TO BE CONTINUED...
