The Bombshell
Chapter Five
Superman smiled and took a deep breath from the nearly non-existent atmosphere. “That’s good, Robin. I think we’ve learned what we need to learn today.”
She hovered beside him, both of them floating fifty-three thousand feet above Hawaii. “Good. You wanna let me know what we done learned?”
Superman grinned at her grammar. “Well, we know that you can fly with me until I start making abrupt course changes, and that I can stay with you when you do the same things. But that’s because I’ve had more experience flying than you have. All you need to do is keep practicing and you’ll be as quick as I am.”
“If you say so. What I gotta learn to fly like that for, anyway?”
“Well, if someone shoots a missile at you, you might want to dodge it instead of letting it hit you. Or you might want to zip around behind it and disable the engines before you dispose of it. It depends on the situation. You want to have a number of possible responses ready.”
She frowned. “I’m just as invul- invun- I cain’t get hurt no more’n you can. Why bother catchin’ ‘em when they’ll just blow up and not hurt you?”
“Because there might be other people nearby. You can’t allow innocent bystanders to be injured because someone’s trying to hurt you, not to mention private or public property. You don’t want to allow a bullet someone fires at you to ricochet away and hit some innocent bystander.”
“Huh.” She watched her breath crystallize in the frigid air and slowly drift away. “Didn’t think about that. Boy, bein’ a superhero ain’t no stroll in the woods, is it?”
“No, it’s not. There are a lot of things you have to pay attention to. I remember once when Lois and I were dating that I got a bit careless and she got hurt.”
Robin’s eyes bulged. “Really?”
His brow drew down with remembered guilt. “Really. It upset me so badly that I told her I wanted to break up with her.”
“You’re kidding me!”
“No. Fortunately she convinced me that I was being stupid.”
“Wow.” She shook her head. “I’d’a swore that weren’t true if you dint tell me.”
“It is.” A thought struck him. “But, ah, you probably shouldn’t say anything to Lois about it. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay. I wanna talk about what’s next for me, anyway. What do I need to learn now?”
Superman hovered thoughtfully. “I think it would be a very good idea to hang around my parents for a while. There’s a lot you could learn from them.”
“What? But – but I thought we was gonna work together!”
“We are, Robin, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from others at the same time. Besides, I can’t be with you all day, every day. I have a home, a family, a job, and a life of my own.”
“I know that! Look, we can figger somethin’ out! I wanna stay with you!”
Clark drifted back a few feet from Robin and looked at her anew. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was a spoiled nine-year-old who didn’t want to put away her toys. “Take it easy, Robin. It was a just a suggestion.”
“Well, I don’t like it! Nossir, don’t like it none a-tall!”
“Okay. Will you at least come back to the apartment with me? I need to check in with Lois.”
“She got you on a string, don’t she?”
He frowned and didn’t answer. Maybe Lois had a point about Robin. Not only was she volatile, she was more than a little bit clingy.
And maybe she had that potential for violence Lois had hinted at.
Even so, it didn’t mean that she had to give in to it. He could teach her the control and self-discipline she needed to be a working superhero. He could help her be who and what she wanted to be.
He ignored her last question. “Ready to go back now?”
“Sure. Your mom makin’ pancakes?”
“You can ask her. I don’t know if we have all the ingredients to make them from scratch. If not, and she’s willing to cook up a batch, I’ll go shopping for whatever we need.”
“That’s good.” They began drifting to the east, back towards Metropolis. Robin didn’t say anything for a few moments, but then she muttered, “Better be good ‘cause they ain’t no IHOB round these parts.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’ll make an extra portion for you.”
She smiled. “Okay. Whatever you say. They’s pretty nice people, though, ain’t they? Your folks, I mean. I never seen a man set such store by a woman, ‘cept maybe you for Lois.”
“They still love each other even after all these years.”
“Yeah. That’s real nice.” She stretched out to a horizontal flight attitude. “Hey, you wanna race me?”
He grinned. “I’d rather see you stay with me. I’ve got a few flying tricks I haven’t shown you yet.”
She giggled. “Let’s go, flyboy! See if you can get away from me this time!”
*****
Lois wasn’t at home. But Martha was, and she agreed to “whup up” some pancakes for Robin while Clark left to meet his wife at Bernie Klein’s office. Before he’d escaped, Robin had extracted an additional promise from him to spend time teaching her how to be a super-hero.
Clark had missed his father’s frown at overhearing the exchange.
He landed on the roof of Star Labs and made his way down to the managing director’s office without being seen. Bernie stood up from his chair across the room and nervously fiddled with his hands. Lois got up to greet him, but before she touched him she stopped. “How is Robin?” she asked.
He sighed. “She’s doing as well as you might expect, I suppose. I’ll know more after a few sessions with her.”
Lois’s hands, which had been grasping each other nervously, almost froze in place. He imagined he could see the ice forming between her fingers. “Sessions?” she asked quietly.
He saw, in his mind’s eye, the rubber-armed robot from the old Lost In Space TV series waving its claws and stridently declaiming, “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger, Clark Kent! Danger, Superman!”
The old English proverb that one might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb ran through his mind. He should have consulted with his wife before agreeing to spend that much time working with Robin, but since he was already in trouble with her, she might as well hear it all. “Yes. I told her I’d meet with her three nights a week and teach her. She needs to learn so much.” He stepped past Lois and faced Bernie. “Dr. Klein, can you help me design a curriculum for her?”
Bernie’s face betrayed his surprise. “A – a course of study? For – our Kryptonian friend?”
“Yes. I think she should spend her time wisely.”
Bernie nodded. “Of course, yes, I agree. Hmm.” He dropped his chin into his hand and thought for a moment. “Yes, I think I can help you. I’d suggest you begin with some American History, with special emphasis on the period between the end of the Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution.”
“Really? Any particular reason?”
Bernie’s enthusiasm showed in his demeanor as he began to pace. “Oh, yes! That was when a majority of the colonists became convinced that a strong central government which still guaranteed certain rights and protections to the various states was necessary.” He stopped and spun on his heel. “She should study Shay’s Rebellion in particular. It was characteristic of the period in that – “
Lois suddenly stood and announced, “I have to leave, Bernie. I need to be home if – when Clark gets there.”
The two men stiffened. Bernie answered, “Yes, Lois, of course. Thank you for all your help.” He tilted his head indefinitely towards one wall. “And thanks for bringing back, uh, you know, that thing for me.”
Lois nodded, her eyes slate-gray. “No problem. I’ll see you later.”
They watched her as she departed, leaving a frosty glaze on the air in the room. A few moments after the door clicked shut, Bernie cleared his throat. “Well. Yes, the history is a good idea. I’d also suggest some general study of law, starting with ancient Greece and moving forward through today. At a slow pace, of course.”
Superman nodded absently. “Yes.” Then his voice firmed. “You should also include some basic math and science, just so she doesn’t get bored. And a study of religion would be appropriate, too.”
Bernie’s brow compressed. “A study of religion? Whatever for?”
“Because she has no moral compass, Doctor. She has no internal measuring stick to tell her when she shouldn’t do something simply because it would be wrong. Right now she’s making those decisions based on her current feelings, and she has to learn a better way. She needs to learn that there are moral and ethical standards required of people living in a civilized society. The study of religion is essential to learning those things.”
Bernie nodded slowly. “Yes, I can see that. Science has no such absolutes because those things are not testable under controlled conditions.” He brightened. “I like that. That’s a very good idea, especially for the young lady. I never would have thought of it myself.”
Superman inclined his head. “I’ll be back tomorrow night, hopefully by seven o’clock. We’ll go over the courses then.”
“Sounds good to me.” The hero turned to leave, but Bernie stopped him with a light touch on the elbow. “Um, speaking of starting, where should we begin?”
Superman tilted his head to one side. “I’d suggest the Law of Moses and the Code of Hammurabi. They’re both ancient, and they’re both codified legal systems.”
Bernie smiled. “Yes. Yes, that’s perfect! I’ll have them ready for you.”
“Thank you. Oh, there’s one other thing – a fairly big thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you have any spare rooms here, some place where Robin can stay for a few days? I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to stay alone right now, and she doesn’t have the money for a motel. Besides, I’d prefer a place where she won’t have to be quite so guarded all the time.”
Bernie’s mouth and eyes popped open for a second, then his face rearranged itself. Superman wondered why for a moment, then forgot it as Bernie asked, “For how long?”
“Not long. Just over the weekend, actually.”
Bernie frowned in thought, then nodded. “Yes, we have a guest suite on the top floor. I can let her stay for – let’s see, until Tuesday, maybe through Wednesday if necessary. We have two Australian physicists coming for a conference on particle detection at the end of next week and I’ve promised them use of the rooms.”
“Thank you, Dr. Klein. That takes a load off my mind.”
*****
Lois fumed all the way home. How dare he make that kind of commitment without discussing it with her first! How could Clark do something like that? How could he cut her out of a decision like that? And how could he agree to teach someone who’d threatened to kill his wife?
She slammed the door and startled Jonathan, who was cleaning off the dinner table. He looked up and obviously decided to be nice despite the weather warnings emanating off her. “Lois! Glad you’re back. Robin ate something and went out to practice her flying. Martha saved some dinner for you and Clark. I can set a place for you if – “
“Thanks but I’m going out and please tell Clark I’ll be back when I get back.”
“Uh – “ The slamming of the bedroom door cut off whatever else he might have said to her. His “Okay” was barely audible to her.
She flopped onto the bed, then forced herself to sit up and dry her eyes. She was in no shape, either mentally or emotionally, to confront Clark about this latest idiocy of his. She needed to blow off some steam, and she needed to do it someplace where he wouldn’t find her easily.
So she changed into dark jeans, dark pullover shirt, and black sneakers. She picked up a faded blue denim jacket and stuffed her undercover wallet, the one with Wanda Detroit’s ID, into the front pocket of her pants. She glanced in the mirror and nodded shortly. With a navy blue baseball cap pulled low on her face, she didn’t look like herself.
It suited her. She didn’t feel like herself at that moment.
She tugged open the bedroom door and marched out of the apartment without a glance at either Jonathan or Martha. She knew she couldn’t take their solicitude just then. She couldn’t stand their sympathy or even their understanding, no matter how well-intentioned or sincere it would be.
She spun her car keys on her index finger and decided to find a late movie, preferably one where the good guy gets blown into dog food at the end.
*****
Ten minutes later, Clark walked in. He looked around cautiously, but saw only his parents sitting together on the couch, watching an old western movie on TV and munching on microwave popcorn.
Jonathan glanced up and waved briefly. “Hi, Clark. There’s leftovers in the refrigerator and fresh-brewed tea on the counter. You hungry?”
“Uh – “ he looked around again. “Where’s Lois?”
“Lois?” repeated Jonathan. He looked at his wife. “Have you seen Lois, dear?”
Martha pretended great interest in the movie. “Oh, she was here, but she left.”
“That’s right, I remember now,” Jonathan agreed. “She came in and left again.”
Clark nodded warily. “Did she happen to say where she was going?”
Jonathan shook his head and turned back to the TV screen. “Nope.”
Clark frowned. “Did she say when she’d be back?”
Martha answered without turning her head. “No, she didn’t.”
This was not good, thought Clark. “Did she say what she was planning to do?”
Jonathan shook his head again. “Not to me. Did she say anything to you, Martha?”
“No. She just changed clothes and said she’d be back when she got back.”
Oh, boy, thought Clark, this is very not good. “Did she take her purse?”
Martha picked up a handful of popcorn. “I didn’t notice.”
“Dad? Did you notice?”
“No, sorry. She was in and out so fast I’m not even sure what she was wearing.”
Clark gingerly walked to the chair to the side of the couch and sat on the arm. “You two aren’t being very helpful.”
“Shh!” Martha hissed. “The bad guys are about to attack a stagecoach while disguised as Indians and they don’t know the Indians they’re trying to frame are tracking them.” She offered the popcorn to her husband, and he smiled as he accepted. She glanced at Clark and continued, “Boy, are they in for a big surprise!”
Clark glanced at the movie and recognized it at once. One of the disadvantages of a Kryptonian memory, he mused, was that he rarely forgot the things he read or watched for pleasure, so re-reading those books or re-watching those movies or music videos wasn’t much fun unless he was with someone whose company he enjoyed.
Of course, at the moment, he probably wouldn’t enjoy Lois’s company much. Nor she his.
He sighed. “Do you know where Robin is?”
Martha nodded shortly. “Dr. Klein called and left a message for Superman. He said she decided to take advantage of that room at Star Labs, and that she’d agreed to let the doctor do a physical exam this evening. Something about a baseline, I think.”
He nodded. “Thanks, Mom.” At least one of the women in his life was in good hands.
*****
Lois found an all-night theater and sat through two of the late shows without knowing what she’d seen. Then she walked to a cash-only hotel down the street from the Daily Planet and rented a room for the night.
She shook her head at the tiny room, then made certain the door locked tight and the drapes covered the windows. Then she pulled off her clothes and took a shower, regretting only that she hadn’t thought to bring her own towel.
She rinsed out her underclothes and hung them over the shower curtain rod, then pulled back the bedcovers. At least the sheets seemed to be clean.
She toweled her hair dry, then wrapped the damp rectangle of thin cloth around herself and sat down on the edge of the bed. What would she do about Clark? What could she do? What should she do? She sighed and mentally reviewed her options.
She could leave him. She could end the marriage. She could go back to being Lois Lane, fierce investigative reporter, loner extraordinaire, and eligible bachelorette. It wasn’t as if she were too old or worn out to be high on the Metropolis A-lists.
But she rejected the notion almost as soon as it entered her head. It was a permanent solution to what she hoped was a temporary problem. She loved Clark and didn’t want anyone else, nor did she want him to find peace in some other woman’s arms. She wanted to spend forever with him, not punish both of them for the rest of their lives because of one difficult patch they were going through. No, divorce was out of the question.
So, what about a separation? Maybe they needed some time apart, some time to think about where they wanted to go together. Maybe they shouldn’t even talk to each other for a while.
She considered the idea, then decided. No separation. If she wanted the marriage to work – and she did, wholeheartedly – then being apart from Clark for any extended period of time was a bad idea. They needed to resolve their differences, not ignore them or learn to work around them. Doing that was like leaving an infected finger untreated. The infection might heal by itself, or it might get worse and spread throughout the body and cause all kinds of problems. It might even kill the patient.
She shuddered at the thought. That analogy led her back to thinking about the death of their marriage, and that was something she was determined to avoid.
So, that left dealing with the problems. But how could she get Clark to listen? How could she get him to stop cutting her out of his life? Sure, she couldn’t be next to him when he was being Superman, she couldn’t help him there, but she could listen to him, help him heal, help him cope, but only if he’d let her.
And agreeing to tutor Robin McGyver – Kara – whatever her name was – without talking it over with his wife was just so wrong on so many levels she could barely articulate it. And she knew that he’d carry out his plans, despite what she might say. She remembered the days just before she’d learned about his dual identity, when he’d run out on her as she was trying to bare her soul to him. She had come within a whisker of shoving him out of her life forever. He’d nearly succeeded in completely alienating her, and only the stark and stunning realization that the two men in her life were actually one had kept her from ending the relationship, even after he’d revived her from suspended animation.
Now that they were married, now that they were pledged to each other for life, she was determined that they’d stay pledged, stay together, stay married. They had to work through their problems, not run away from them or simply avoid them.
She lay down on the well-worn bed and pulled the covers over her bare body. Since the air conditioner didn’t work very well, she wouldn’t be too cold as she slept.
She’d just be alone.
*****
Clark woke up on Sunday morning and reached over to his wife’s side of the bed. Already up, he thought muzzily. Maybe I can catch her in the shower.
Then memory struck him like an anvil to the coyote’s head in a Road Runner cartoon. She wasn’t there. She hadn’t come home the night before. It was the first time since their wedding that either one of them had voluntarily stayed away from the other all night. He’d missed some sleep because of his Superman duties, and she’d been away a few nights because of work, but never had they disagreed so sharply as to drive one of them away from the other. Even when they’d argued during Lois’s brief time as editor of the Planet, they’d slept in the same apartment despite the distance between them.
The thought depressed him. He hoped his parents were up. Maybe they had some insight on problems like these.
He sniffed the air and nodded. Somebody was cooking, and it smelled like his mother’s work. Both of his parents were good cooks, but they each generated slightly different scents when they cooked. His father’s cooking odors were bold and strong, while his mother’s were lighter and more delicate. They could take the same ingredients, same utensils, same stove, cook the same dish, and Clark could usually tell which one was handling the ladle just by inhaling deeply.
He rose and dressed, then opened the door to verify his guess. Of course, they were both sitting down at the table, enjoying the fruits of their labors.
“Morning, Dad, Mom,” he said. “Breakfast smells good.”
His parents each murmured something inarticulate without looking at him. He wondered how much trouble he was in with them as he spooned out a healthy helping of scrambled eggs, several strips of bacon, and fresh cantaloupe.
“Is this your cooking, Mom?”
She took a big bite of fruit and nodded without looking at him. No help from that quarter.
As Clark sat down, he asked, “Have either of you heard from Lois?”
They each murmured something negative. He mentally resigned the game and dove into his food.
As he finished, Martha stood and stretched. “Jonathan, I think we could get a cab to the Maxi-Mall this afternoon. There’s a dress shop down there with my name on it.”
Jonathan grinned impishly. “Does that mean I get to watch you try them on?”
She returned the grin. “Unless you’d care to try them on yourself instead, yes.”
They shared a chuckle. Feeling excluded, Clark dropped his fork on his plate with a loud clatter. “Okay, that’s it.” He glared at his mother. “Sit down, Mom. Right now.”
Her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets and into her gaping mouth. Jonathan recovered first and sputtered, “Clark, you mustn’t talk to your mother like that.”
Clark turned his glare to his father. “You two came all the way out here to talk to Lois and me about our problems. She’s not here, but I am, and it looks to me like I need all the help I can get.” He leaned back and folded his arms. “So start advising me. Help me! We’ve got problems and I don’t know what to do about them. How do I fix this?”
