Alt Clark has a problem - his Lois is going to marry Tempus. So he skips to the parallel dimension and asks Lois and Clark for help.
TEMPUS: FOUR PLAY
by Female Hawk
Part 2
Lois, wearing her blonde wig, and Clark, wearing his wedding ring, were at not-our Clark’s apartment. Lois gazed around. The stairs, the balcony, the little kitchen, the couch ... the bedroom ... the memories, oh the memories.
“The wedding is at 11:30,” Clark said. “Then there’s a reception.”
They were dressed for the wedding and Lois couldn’t help but cast an appreciative eye over her husband. She allowed herself a moment to envisage luring him into that oh-so-familiar bedroom and re-visiting some history.
This world’s Lois didn’t know what she was missing.
“Lois, I have to take off my wedding ring,” Clark said. “Someone will notice it.”
She placed her hands on his face and smiled up at him. “You just want the freedom to test your *foolproof strategies* on the women of this world.”
He laughed, a little self-consciously, under her fingers. “Ever since a certain gorgeous brunette completely snubbed me in Perry’s office years ago, I’ve never had the confidence to try those strategies again.”
“Bah, brunettes,” she scoffed. “You should stay right away from them.”
“I intend to,” he said, gently toying with her wig. ”In this dimension, anyway.”
She slipped the ring off his finger, caressed it, and gave it to him. He put it in his pants’ pocket.
“There has to be some way to tell us apart even without the ring,” he said.
“There is when you’re Superman, but I just can’t tell when you’re Clark. Particularly now you’re wearing his clothes and pretending to be him.”
“You’re not really worried, are you? I mean, I doubt there’ll be any opportunity for...” He gestured to the bedroom with a suggestive grin.
She leant into him, deliberately provocative. “With your * special techniques*,” she murmured huskily, “Who knows how long I’ll be able to control myself.”
She felt him chuckle. “I’m not going to live this down any time soon, am I?”
She giggled. “Nope.”
He backed away to see her face. “Seriously though, you’re not really worried, are you?”
“No. It’s just disconcerting, not knowing who I’m talking to.”
“I’ll try to say something to make it obvious for you.”
“Assuming you know which Lois you’re talking to.”
“It shouldn’t be too difficult,” he said, again running the blonde locks through his fingers.
“It’s only a wig. It can come off.”
He kissed her gently, retreated and ran his tongue across his top lip, savouring her. “Unfortunately,” he sighed, heavy with regret. “We have a wedding to attend.”
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Clark understood Lois’s uneasiness when he watched the bride walk up the aisle towards Tempus in his Mayoral robes. She could have been Lois. She *is* Lois, he reminded himself. She looked so troubled and tentative, he wanted to scoop her up and take her far enough away that Tempus could never find her. Relax, he told himself, this is Lois. She won’t go through with this.
The bride reached the front and the vows began.
“I, Tex Tempus take you, Lois Lane...”
The bride’s responses came in a small, shaky voice.
“For better or worse.”
Come on Lois, he thought.
“For richer or poorer.”
Now, Lois, now.
“In sickness and in health.”
Don’t do this, Lois.
“I now pronounce you man and wife.”
Clark felt his wife grip his hand.
The bridal couple signed the register and walked down the aisle, receiving congratulations from their guests. As they neared, Clark moved in front of Lois to obscure their view of her.
The bride turned in his direction and locked eyes with him. Hers were wide with dismay and brimming with unshed tears. Whatever her reasons for continuing with this charade, it had nothing to do with love. At least, not love for the man who was now her husband.
Clark squeezed Lois’s hand and felt her cheek rest on his shoulder.
They followed the guests into the sunlight and hurried out of sight.
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Lois Lane Tempus tried to pull her arm away from her new husband. His hold intensified. “Let me go!” she hissed under her breath. “The marriage is registered. You’ll get nothing more from me.”
His smarmy face closed in, pretending to kiss the depths of her cheek. “Not so, my darling. You see, the weapon is only on hold. If this marriage isn’t consummated by two o’clock ...then kerboom.”
Lois fought the upsurge of nausea clambering into her throat. She searched for Clark’s face in the crowd of guests. She’d seen him as she’d walked down the aisle and had tried desperately, wordlessly, to communicate to him that this wasn’t her choice. He had warned her that this was a mistake; he had insisted Tempus couldn’t be trusted. But she had dismissed it as childish petulance due to his irrational dislike of Tex. Only now it didn’t seem irrational at all.
She couldn’t see him. He’d probably returned to the Planet – leaving her to the consequences of her foolishness.
She glanced to the sky. No Superman either. But even he couldn’t save her from this fate.
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“What are we going to do now?” Lois said, alarmed.
“Did you see her?” Clark said. “There’s no way she wanted this.”
“Our only hope now is to get the marriage annulled.”
“But that can only happen if they don’t consummate.”
“We, of all people, shouldn’t lack for ideas,” she said wryly.
“What do you have in mind? Amnesia? Unethical psycho-therapists? War on another planet? Clones? Ancient curses? All of the above?”
“Clones. Well, not a clone exactly. More a swap. Her for me.”
“No! Absolutely not.”
“If we can replace her with me, you can find out why she married Tempus. And I can promise you – the marriage will *not* be consummated.”
“No,” Clark growled. “You are not going anywhere near him.”
“We have to think this through. Let’s assume Lois didn’t *want* to marry Tempus.”
“She didn’t.”
“So, he forced her.”
“Or he threatened her with something,” he said heatedly.
“More likely someone – either Clark or Superman.”
“Or both.”
“If I swap with her,” Lois said, “I’ll know if the threat is real and can act accordingly.”
“If we can *talk* with her, we’ll know if the threat is real and there will be no need to swap.”
“She doesn’t know Clark can be hurt by Kryptonite, she doesn’t know Clark is Superman, she doesn’t know Tempus knows Clark is Superman, she doesn’t know Clark from a parallel world, who is also Superman, is here.”
Despite his concern, he smiled. “That makes it all perfectly clear.”
“We have to think of a way of distracting Tempus.”
“What does he care about – other than himself and power and killing Superman?”
Lois thought for a long moment. “Guns,” she exclaimed. “When I came here the first time, everyone had a gun. They were everywhere – on the streets, in the homes.”
“So if we could somehow tell him legislation is being proposed to ban gun ownership, it might distract him long enough for us to get to Lois?”
“Good idea, but how?” They looked at each other and then Lois smiled. “Got it,” she said. “We’ll put a subliminal message through his phone, like he did when he was John Doe. Do you think you could set it up?”
“I didn’t see it. You said he brought technology from the future.”
“We need to talk to Clark, he saw it.” She looked around hopefully.
Clark grinned. “You’ve never had a problem summoning Superman.”
She returned his smile. “Help! Superman!” she cried.
With a blur of red and blue, he was there. “She did it,” not-our Clark groaned. “She married Tempus.”
“She didn’t *want* to,” Clark said.
“What do you mean?” not-our Clark asked.
“She’s not in love with him. That is obvious. We think he forced her.”
“Really?” The tiniest ray of hope gleamed in not-our Clark’s eyes.
“Don’t worry about that now, we have a plan,” Lois said. “Can you make a Subliminator for Tempus’s phone?"
He thought for a moment. “I saw it in the electrical system, but it wouldn’t take much adaptation to put it through his phone. I would need components from around the world, but yes, I could do it.”
“The subliminal message needs to be about proposed legislation to ban gun ownership.”
Superman smirked. “That should take his mind off Lois.”
“Couldn’t we just say ‘don’t hurt Superman’?”
“No,” not-our Clark said. “His hatred of Superman is so deeply etched in his psyche, it would take weeks to influence those thought patterns.”
“Who would Tempus take a call from on his wedding day?”
“Mr Olsen,” not-our Clark replied. “He’ll be back at the Planet by now. Not even a wedding can keep him away for more than half an hour.”
“I’ll go and ask him to ring Tempus,” Lois said.
“Tell him to ring at one o’clock,” not-our Clark instructed. “Time is everything to Tempus, he’s obsessively punctual. The reception is on the ground floor of Tempus Towers and they leave at 12:58. He and Lois then go up to his penthouse on the 21st floor.”
“I’ll go back to the reception,” Clark said. “I’ll try to talk with Lois. And it will give Tempus a false sense of security if he thinks he’s seeing Clark.”
Not-our Clark flew away.
“When you’ve talked with Jimmy,” Clark said, “Come back to the reception. Hopefully by then, I’ll know what Tempus is up to.”
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Lois paused momentarily as she entered the Planet building. It was the old building, the one Luthor had burned down. She saw Jimmy Olsen and walked between the desks to him. “Mr Olsen!”
“Yes?” he said, looking puzzled. “Do I know you, Ma’am?”
“I’m LoAnne Lane, Lois’s cousin.”
He extended his hand. “Ms Lane, it is a pleasure to meet you. How can I help you?”
“Mr Tempus noticed you leaving before the reception.”
“I have a newspaper to run.”
“He understands that, but if you were to call him at one o’clock to extend your personal congratulations, I’m sure there would be no lasting ill will.”
“One o’clock?”
“Yes, the timing is very important – after the reception, but before ... well, you know?”
Jimmy smiled. “Consider it done.”
“Thank you Ji-... Mr Olsen.”
“You’re welcome, Ms Lane.”
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Lois hurried to Tempus Towers, located the reception and found Clark. “Have you spoken with her?” she asked.
“I hugged her in the receiving line. She didn’t speak, but I could feel her tension. Since then I haven’t been able to get anywhere near her. I’m the last person Tempus wants near his bride.”
“There’s still fifteen minutes until one o’clock. I’m going up to his penthouse to have a look around. I might be able to find somewhere to hide, so we can swap.”
The tautness in his jaw told her Clark still didn’t like the exchange idea. “Lois -.”
“If he leaves after he gets the subliminal message, it might be our only chance. There won’t be much time. It will be quicker to swap than to explain everything.”
“Ok,” he said, resigned. “But *be* careful.”
“Clark, you’re here, Superman’s not far away. I’ll be fine.”
He held her arm and drew her ear close to his mouth. “If you have to choose between whatever he’s demanding and me getting a hit of Kryptonite, don’t give in to him.”
She nodded and turned away.
Clark didn’t release her arm. “Promise me,” he demanded.
“I promise.”
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Lois pushed the ‘21st floor’ button in the elevator. It didn’t respond. A light flashed, illuminating the outline of a hand. Lois placed her hand there and the doors closed.
They opened on the 21st floor. A corridor stretched ahead, broken only by two doors. One, half way along and on the right, was presumably the door to the penthouse. The other, at the end, was the fire escape.
Lois assessed the lock on the penthouse door and within two minutes had entered a large, majestic room. There was a huge fireplace along one wall, with a fire burning brightly. On the far side of the room was a series of windows. As she walked across the room, she noticed the perception angles didn’t gel properly and realised they weren’t windows at all – just incredibly life-like murals.
She opened a door and found herself in an office. The desk was almost empty, just a few implements. There were no papers or files. Not even a computer. Still no windows, she noted, not even the pretence of a mural in here. She tried the desk drawers. They were locked -.
She felt a gust of wind and returned to the main room. “Hi,” she said to Superman, hastily checking to make sure he was who she thought he was.
Not-our Clark picked up Tempus’s phone. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Looking, maybe for somewhere to hide. If Tempus leaves after the phone call, I’m going to talk with your Lois and maybe swap with her.”
Superman looked up from the phone. “Is Clark ok with that?”
“Not really, but I know more than your Lois. I can make better decisions.”
She watched the blur of his hands as he worked. “Done,” he said, replacing the phone. “Where are you going to hide?”
“Can you see anywhere?”
He scanned a circle. “This room is completely lined with lead,” he said. “Every wall, the ceiling, even the floor.” He opened a couple of doors and then motioned for her to squeeze into the closet behind one of them. “I won’t be able to see what’s happening, but I’ll be listening. To everything. I’ll know if you’re scared and I’ll be here.”
She settled into a position that was almost comfortable.
Not-our Clark crouched beside her. “If you have to choose between letting that monster touch you and me getting a blast of Kryptonite, there’s no decision to be made, right?”
She smiled. “Right. No Kryptonite.”
“Don’t even joke about it,” not-our Clark commanded. “Promise me you won’t give in to him to protect me.”
“I promise.”
He closed the door and the darkness surrounded her.
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“So, my darling,” Tempus said in his most oily voice. “The moment has come. I have waited countless lifetimes for this.”
Confined in the closet, Lois heard the shuffle of movement, interrupted by the peal of the phone.
He answered it. “Tempus.”
Lois held her breath.
“Thank you Mr Olsen. I appreciate you taking the time to offer your congratulations.”
Lois forced herself to breathe, shallow and soundless.
“I wouldn’t want to keep the lady waiting.”
Lois clenched her fist, imagining his arrogant, sniggering face. She heard him replace the phone and held her breath again. Had the Subliminator worked?
“Wait here,” she heard Tempus say. “I have a little business to attend to.”
“But Clark? And Superman?” Lois cried. “There’s less than an hour until -.”
“An eager bride,” Tempus mocked. “How touching.”
The penthouse door opened.
“Stay here,” he barked. “Remember, no fireworks in the bedroom mean a big explosion for the caped superhero.” Lois heard the door shut and lock.
She emerged from her hiding place. “Lois.”
Not-our Clark’s Lois gaped at her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story and I only have a few minutes. Lois, I know you don’t trust people easily, but it is really, really important you trust me now.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m ... Lois Lane.”
“Right,” she said with unconcealed disdain.
“I’m from a parallel universe.”
“You’re me? In another place?”
Lois nodded.
“This is a joke, right? I’m not *that* stupid.”
“I know better than anyone that you’re not stupid. A little blinkered maybe, but definitely not stupid.” Lois tried to think of the easiest and quickest way through this. “Do you know anyone who can fly?”
Her look said - I’m not the stupid one here. “Of course, Superman.”
“Before you knew Superman, would you have believed a man in blue tights could fly?”
“Well, no.”
“So, for now, with just the eeniest, teeniest piece of you mind, could you please accept the possibility I’m from an alternate universe and I’m here to help you get out of this mess you’ve managed to get yourself into?”
That sobered her. “What are we going to do?”
“Why did you marry Tempus?”
“Tex has two pre-programmed bullets, one trained on Clark, one on Superman and he said if our marriage wasn’t registered by noon and consummated by two o’clock, they would automatically fire.”
“It would take more than a guided bullet to take out Superman.”
“Not if it’s made of Kryptonite.”
Lois’s fears festered into devastating reality. “When did you know this? Couldn’t you have gone to Clark for help? Or Superman?”
“Things have been... tense... between Clark and me.”
“What about Superman?’
“That’s... complicated.”
“Either of them would have helped you.”
His Lois stared at her hands, scrunched on her lap. “I didn’t realise about Tex until this morning,” she admitted. “Maybe I am stupid.”
Lois moved a little closer. “We need to swap.”
“Because I’m stupid?”
“No. Because I’ve dealt with Tempus before.”
“You have?”
Lois nodded, already beginning to undress.
“Tex is evil, but he’s not blind. You’re blonde.”
Lois ripped the wig from her head. “Get out of the wedding dress. Quickly.”
His Lois stared at her, speechless.
“Yep, the likeness is unnerving, isn’t it?” Lois said, unzipping her skirt. “Why does he have two bullets?”
His Lois loaded up another derisive look, but pulled it. “One for Clark, one for Superman.”
“Is he bluffing?”
His Lois shimmied out of the wedding dress. “I doubt it. He has killed before.”
When they were both dressed, Lois handed his Lois the wig, then straightened it for her. She took off her engagement ring and offered it to her. “Our wedding rings are close enough, but your engagement ring is three times the size of mine.”
“Tex is rich,” his Lois said as they swapped rings. “But not in any way that matters.”
“Get out of here,” Lois said. “Try to avoid Tempus. If he does see you, tell him you’re LoAnne Lane, Lois’s cousin. Find Clark or Superman and tell him about the bullets.”
“I’ll use the fire escape. Tex will come up in the elevator.”
Lois reached for the door. It was dead locked.
His Lois took two keys out of her bag and gave one to Lois.
“You have keys to his penthouse? You’ve *stayed* here?”
“No! Not like that.” His Lois blushed. “I stole one, had copies made, then returned it.”
“So you *didn’t* trust him? Not really?”
She shrugged. “Once a reporter...”
She left and Lois relocked the door and sat down to wait for Tex Tempus. Within minutes, she heard the key in the lock.
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Not-our Clark, in the Suit, landed at the Daily Planet and went into Perry White’s office.
Perry stood up. “Superman. How nice to see –“
“Lois and Clark are working on a story and need your help.”
“A story? But it’s Lois’s wedding day.”
“You know Lois.”
“She’s working with Clark? On the day she married Tex Tempus?”
“Will you help them?”
“Yes, of course I-“
“Call Tempus. Talk to him about ... about anything. Congratulate him, ask him when Lois will be returning to work... anything... just keep him on the phone as long as you can.”
“Is Lois all right? He hasn’t hurt her, has he?”
“Just do it, Mr White. Please. It’s really important.”
Perry sighed. “Ok.”
Outside the Daily Planet, Superman spoke into the mini-microphone linked to the Subliminator in Tempus’s phone. “Lois Lane is repulsive. Only a blind simpleton would be attracted to Lois Lane. Lois Lane has the sex appeal of a parasite. Kissing Lois Lane is like kissing a drooling bulldog.”
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Lois faced Tempus defiantly.
“My darling,” he sneered. “How kind of you to wait for me.”
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t wait for you if you were the only man still breathing.”
He laughed, harshly. “But you don’t have a choice and the clock is ticking.”
He leant over her and slowly, purposefully, advanced. His hand touched her face and she repressed a shudder.
His mouth moved closer. Lois forced her eyes to stay open as he loomed above her. His phone rang, and they both jumped.
He cursed and picked up the phone. “Tempus.”
He was silent for almost a minute, then suddenly exploded with, “Mr White! It’s my wedding day and I have no intention of discussing my wife’s work schedule with you now.”
Tempus slammed down the phone, turned back to Lois and her stomach churned. He scrutinised her for a distended moment, then his lip curled with distaste. “Duh,” he muttered. “What was I thinking?” He towered over her. “Get out of my sight, you ugly wench.”
Lois stood unsteadily and began to inch towards the door. “What about the Clark? And Superman?”
“You’re right.” He sprang past her and dead locked the penthouse door. “It will be much more gratifying to actually witness Superman’s death. Let’s get him here.”
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Clark was at a loss. It was an unusual feeling for him and not one he was enjoying. Tempus and the bride had gone up to the penthouse. Clark had scanned the building and discovered he could not see into any part of the top floor. He paced the length of the foyer on the ground floor of Tempus Towers. Where was Superman? Where was Lois? He turned and saw her.
Lois. Running towards him, blonde hair skittering. He stepped quickly into her embrace and clutched her to him. “Are you all right?”
“Clark.”
She clung to him and he held her close, awash with relief to have her safe. “Did you talk to Lois? Why go ahead with the wedding?”
“Tempus is going to kill you and Superman. He has two programmed bullets, one of them Kryptonite, set to fire at two o’clock, unless the marriage is consummated.”
“*Two* bullets?” he questioned, glancing at his watch. They had thirty-eight minutes.
”Yes! *Two*!”
The impatience in her voice triggered sudden doubt in his mind. *Was* this his wife? He examined every detail of her face and still wasn’t sure.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Clark?” she said. “It’s me, Lois. Your partner. Surely the blonde wig didn’t fool you?”
His partner. Not his wife. “Did you swap with the Lois from the alternate world?” he asked desperately.
“Yes,” she said, taken aback by his tone. “She insisted.”
He closed his eyes. Lois, his beautiful Lois, was with Tempus – who was threatening murder unless she...
He couldn’t even think about it.
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Tempus went to the fire and picked up a branding iron. He put it in the fire and waited, turning it occasionally. Lois’s heart pounded. He walked towards her with slow, horrifying certainty. His crest - the raised, clenched fist - glowered ominously.
The iron came so close she could feel its heat on her cheek. It came closer.
There was a blur and swift movement and the branding iron thudded to the floor. A slow spiral of smoke rose from where it lay on the carpet. Not-our Superman held Tempus off the ground by his throat.
“How nauseatingly predictable,” Tempus sneered. “Do you ever have an original thought, Superman?”
“Original?” Superman scoffed. “Exactly how many times have you tried to kill Superman and marry Lois Lane?”
“This time I succeeded on one count.” Tempus reached into his pocket and a large hole opened in the ceiling. A green, glowing cage lowered into the room. “Or... perhaps both.”
Superman dropped Tempus and hunched in pain. Tempus shoved him under the cage. It lowered over him, trapping him. Four huge hooks disconnected, retracted and the ceiling closed.
“Finally,” Tempus gloated. “I win.” He straightened his tie, returned the branding iron and sat across from Lois. “You’re an intelligent woman, Lois, astute enough to fully comprehend your situation. Let’s do business.”
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“Call Superman,” Clark told blonde Lois. “We need to talk with him.” He waited for the swish, the blur of red and blue, but it didn’t come.
“Superman,” Lois called again. “Help, Superman!” She turned to Clark, distraught. “He *always* comes, Clark. Tempus must have him.”
Clark’s mind whirled. Tempus had Lois. If Tempus had Superman, he also had Kryptonite. Every fibre in Clark’s being ached to fly to the penthouse of Tempus Towers and reclaim what was his.
But he couldn’t. He couldn’t let Tempus know he was here. He couldn’t allow Tempus to have both of them in his control.
“Come with me,” Lois said, insistently. Her hands on his chest and her earnestness touched him in the place where he kept memories of his wife.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere you’ll be safe.”
He followed her across the foyer and around the main elevator to a second one, backing onto the first. “Lois, I can’t go up to the penthouse. Tempus can’t - .”
“We’re not going up, we’re going down.” She took his hand and pulled him into the elevator, pushed a series of buttons and placed her hand on an illuminated square. “And we’re *not* going to let Tex –“
“Down?”
The elevator door shut and they were alone. “You were right about Tex,” she said, looking up at him with huge, solemn eyes. “I’m sorry, Clark. About so many things.”
He didn’t know how to respond to such a soulful apology which wasn’t meant for him, but there was no time to explain now. “Why are we going down?”
“Clark! In thirty-three minutes a guided bullet is going to be fired with your name on it.”
“Lois! This isn’t necessary. Really. I -“
“Don’t be ridiculous, Clark. We have to get you to safety first. Then I’ll try to help the other Lois and Superman.”
The elevator stopped and the door opened. She took his hand and pulled him forward to a gigantic steel door. She placed her finger on the identity pad and the steel door slid open. Still firmly attached to his hand, she hurried him down a long, sterile corridor. “Where are we?” he asked.
“Tex’s nuclear shelter. He offered me a place here when the asteroid was heading towards Earth.”
She led him to the end of the corridor and into a room. A very familiar room. “Hey this... this is your apartment,” he said.
“Well, just like it. Tex had it made for me, so if the asteroid hit, we’d be ok.”
“And what about everyone else?” Clark asked dryly.
“Thanks to Superman, it didn’t come to that.” She shut the door and sent home the numerous locks and bolts.
“I can’t stay here,” he said. “I have to get to Lois.”
“You can’t,” Lois said matter-of-factly. “There are time-delayed dead locks. Once the door is opened, it can’t be opened again for fifteen minutes.”
He unlocked her apartment door and ran back to the steel door. He braced against it and –
“What are you doing?”
Ok, he remembered this. Being bound by ties that couldn’t hold him. Being imprisoned by locks that couldn’t contain him. Just so Lois wouldn’t guess he was anything more than inept Clark.
He turned with a shrug of resignation. “I thought it might be weaker than it looks.”
Her look was pure, undiluted Lois Lane exasperation.
He followed her back to her apartment, lost in a tornado of conflicting emotions. Gnawing anxiety for Lois. Bristling frustration at being locked in. Bittersweet nostalgia at being in Lois’s apartment with a Lois who didn’t think twice about nailing him with a single look.
He would sit out the time. He would plan. He would rescue Lois.
Back in her apartment, she put her hand on his chest. “You’re safe here,” she said.
“Why the time-delayed locks?” he asked with a sigh.
“Tex has a thing about time,” she said. “Everything is timed to the last second.” She swallowed. “Even murder.”
