It's time again to refresh my thanks to my intrepid and fearless beta readers, HappyGirl and IolantheAlias. You two are fabulous!
***~~~***
When the Sky Falls
Chapter 14: Aftermath
***~~~***
When Clark woke up in the morning, he spent a moment trying to figure out if any part of his body didn’t hurt. After a few seconds he concluded that while he did hurt just about everywhere, the soreness, burns and abrasions were beginning to heal. Best of all, the funny burning-on-the-inside sensation that he’d been waking up with every morning was barely noticeable.
After that quick survey of his aches and pains, he did an inventory of his memory. The first step was to make sure that he could remember everything since the hospital. As near as he could tell, all of his recent memories were there. He remembered everything from the people at the hospital to the woman that had been so helpful in getting clothes for Lois. Whatever had caused him to lose his past didn’t seem to be having any effect on his ability to create new memories.
Then he tried to remember something new from the time before the hospital. Naturally, the first image that came to mind was Lois. The emotional reaction was as strong as ever but other than her image, there were no memories. The same was true for everything else. There were lots of feelings, but nothing else other than a few disconnected images. He was disappointed to concede that there were no memories this morning that weren’t there yesterday.
He couldn’t get into the bathroom to shower—or anything else—just yet. That would mean going through the bedroom and it didn’t sound like Lois was awake.
Having her here was wonderful, and he hoped she would stay. For about the millionth time since he woke up in the hospital, he wondered why he hadn’t pursued a relationship with her before. He hoped it wasn’t all wishful thinking on his part, but she didn’t seem to think that his being attracted to her was such a terrible thing.
Since he was awake, Clark decided that he could at least go ahead and use their limited cooking equipment to make coffee. He tried the power switch but, as expected, there was still no electricity. That meant that coffee would be via the camp stove on the kitchen windowsill. He wouldn’t want to try to cook a major meal on the tiny stove, especially not in that position, but it was adequate for coffee.
Once the coffee was ready, Clark checked his watch. It still sounded like Lois was asleep but if she didn’t get up soon they might be late for work. Besides, if he waited too much longer he was going to have to go into the bathroom whether Lois was up or not. He poured a cup of coffee and added the artificial sweetener that Lois liked. He didn't like the taste of that stuff himself and suspected that, as was the case with the cream soda, he kept it in his apartment for Lois to use when she was here. He added a few slices of bread that he had toasted over the flame from the camp stove, and included some butter and jam. He loaded all this onto a tray and headed for the bedroom door.
Balancing the tray with one hand, he knocked on the door with just enough effort to make a sound without startling her. “Lois, it’s time to get up,” he called. After a few seconds without hearing any sounds from behind the door, he tried knocking again. “Lois, I’m sure it will be an exciting news day, even if it is Sunday,” a bit louder than before.
This time he could hear sounds from the other room. After only a moment, the door opened about six inches. Lois stood, bleary-eyed, in a robe he had acquired for her yesterday. “Good morning, Clark,” she said still sounding half-asleep.
“Good morning. Here’s something to get you started.” Clark offered her the tray.
Lois opened the door the rest of the way and took the tray from his hands. “Thank you,” she said looking at the food. “That’s very nice of you. Why don’t I start on this and you can use the bathroom first?”
“Thanks, Lois. I’ll be quick. The fact that we still don’t have hot water will make that easy.”
As she watched Clark hurry through the door and head for the bathroom, the hastiness of his movement convinced Lois that Clark’s first stop was not going to be the shower. She chuckled lightly at the thought. They were going to have to work out a protocol that would provide Clark with more timely access to the bathroom.
Lois carried her breakfast to the dining table. She was still working on her toast and coffee when he emerged. Clark had taken less than fifteen minutes to get ready. When it was her turn, she took a bit longer, but, as Clark had noted, the lack of hot water was a great motivator.
When Lois finished dressing and entered the main room, she was wearing some of her ‘new’ clothes. She had only gone two steps into the room when she caught Clark staring at her. “What?” she asked as she glanced at her clothes. “Is something wrong with what I'm wearing?”
“Not at all,” Clark replied, still looking at her. “You look amazing.”
Lois felt herself start to blush. This more open version of Clark was definitely good for her ego. She fumbled around for a reply. Clark’s complement was…nice but she didn’t know how to react. After a second she noticed that that the radio was on. Seizing on it as a convenient means to change the subject she asked, “Is there much in the way of news this morning?”
“Not really,” he answered. “Most of what I've heard so far has been very Metropolis-centric. They’ve been reviewing where to get food and relief aid and where to find shelter for people that don't have a place to live.”
The thought of all the people in need of help tugged at Lois’s heart. “These times must be especially tough for people who lost their homes. I was so happy to hear that all of the Planet employees in that situation were able to find places to stay. My heart goes out to them.”
“Them?” he asked in surprise. “Lois, you're one of them.”
The idea actually startled her. Last night and this morning had been so nice that she wasn’t thinking of herself as homeless. It felt more like just staying over at a friend’s house. “You’re right. I almost forgot,” she said sheepishly. “I guess I should feel adrift after losing my apartment and all my stuff, but I don’t. Your place already feels so much like my second home that the loss isn’t hitting me quite so hard. We’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to think much about what I’ve lost.” As she finished the words, she realized that if it weren’t for Clark she would have been ‘one of them.’ Or worse…she could be staying with Lex.
Clark was trying to think of a subtle way to say that he wished she could stay forever. But before he could say anything at all, the news broadcast on the radio interrupted his thoughts.
The voice of the radio announcer cut through the silence. “Lex Luthor, celebrated local philanthropist and businessman, announced that he will be committing his entire fortune to rebuilding and recovery efforts.”
The voice from the radio switched to that of Luthor. “The Nightfall catastrophe will be remembered as a turning point in human history. Our losses are staggering, but our spirit remains indomitable. Together we will survive and we will emerge stronger. We must learn to place our trust in our fellow men and women. History will show that our error was in not trusting ourselves when this challenge arose, but turning to an alien for our salvation. We will never know why Superman brought this catastrophe down upon us, but we must learn the lesson presented. The people of Earth must depend on each other and not on strangers with hidden agendas. I will be...”
Clark watched Lois reach over and turned off the radio. Lois wasn’t happy. Cold rage might describe her expression, but that would be an understatement. Clark understood the feeling, but he suspected that for him the reaction wasn't related to what Luthor had said so much as to the man himself. As soon as he heard the voice, he felt the anger rising from within. The rage was so strong that whatever Luthor had done to evoke this reaction was the one thing Clark was glad he didn't remember. Clark feared what he might do if he knew the cause of this anger.
Lois finally broke the silence. “I can't believe that I ever saw anything positive in him.”
“What was he like?” Clark asked.
She almost shouted her reply. “How can you ask that? He's a worm! He all but said that Superman deliberately shattered Nightfall.”
Clark raised his hand in a defensive gesture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean Luthor. What was Superman like?”
The change in Lois was like throwing a switch. Her face relaxed and her voice got much softer. “He was... Clark, I wish you could remember. Haven’t you read about some of the things he’s done?”
“Yes. I spent a lot of time yesterday reading your stories and mine. Many of them covered Superman.”
“His warmth and caring were what made him special. With his powers, he could have been a tyrant. Instead, he devoted himself to helping.”
There was a sudden silence that caught Clark off guard. Lois seemed to be struggling with her emotions. Hearing her describe Superman was moving. After a few seconds she seemed to recover and continued. “His work against crime generated attention but his greatest impact was in charity and disaster relief. If everyone had met him and had the chance to know him the way I did, the absurdity of Lex's allegations would be obvious.”
Clark felt a pang of jealousy at hearing Lois's wistful description of the hero. From her tone, he could tell that Superman meant a lot to her. He suspected that she was more than just his friend. “Are you in some sort of relationship with him?” The question escaped Clark's lips before he had the chance to think about how much it might hurt her.
Lois was quiet for several seconds before answering. “No. I was always imagining that there was something, but there really wasn't. At least, not until…” She stopped short as if realizing she was saying something she shouldn’t.
He felt the stirrings of jealousy, but it wasn’t as strong as he thought it would be. She seemed like she wanted to talk, but there was a nervousness in her demeanor. “You don’t need to tell me anything that makes you uncomfortable,” he assured her.
She seemed to think for a moment. “No, I need to talk to someone and I don’t have anyone else. But this has to be private.”
“Lois, I’d never betray your confidence. But if you aren’t sure, then you shouldn’t say anything.”
“No, Clark. I need to share this with someone.” She took a deep breath and composed herself. “Just before Superman left on the Nightfall mission, he came by my apartment. We talked and...it seemed like he wanted to change our relationship. He said that when he got back he had something that he needed to tell me.” She paused again, staring at the floor.
The pain was so evident both in her voice and on her face. She looked so fragile. He stepped toward her and put his arms around her. Her arms flew around him and she squeezed as if hanging on for dear life. She buried her face in his chest and she seemed to be on the verge of tears. Clark was surprised at the shared sense of loss the he felt. “I'm so sorry, Lois.”
She pulled back just enough to look up at him. “Clark, he was your friend too.”
Maybe that's why he didn't feel jealous just now. In fact, at this moment his feelings were very different. He wanted Lois to feel better. That was what was important. “Please believe me that despite… I wish he could be here for you now.”
Lois wasn’t exactly sure what had moved her to share the details of that evening with Clark. When he asked about Superman a moment ago, it was like a dam bursting. She needed to talk, and her best friend was right there. Before she even knew what was happening, she was telling Clark about Superman’s visit. It didn’t make sense but she just knew that this was the one person that she could talk to about Superman. Given that she seemed to be on the cusp of a relationship with Clark, it should have been awkward, but it didn’t feel that way. When he moved to hold her, it felt…perfect. Something was just right about holding Clark.
When he talked about wishing Superman could be here for her, she could tell that he really meant it. Clark was feeling her pain and he wanted what was best for her. Then it hit her. Right this minute, she didn’t want Superman here. She wanted someone with whom she could share her secrets and fears. She wanted…
Lois took a breath to try to compose her thoughts. She loosened her arms, stepped away from her partner and sat down. She looked up at his face and saw concern staring back at her. Then she realized that she had more to share. “Now that I think about it, I don't know if a relationship with Superman would have worked. It all seems so clear now. I didn’t see him as a person. I was infatuated with an image.”
Clark looked like he wanted to say something. She paused for a second but he just waited, so she continued. “I think maybe Superman saw that too. One of the things he asked me that last night was to think of him as an ordinary man leading an ordinary life. I remember wondering if he might have been considering giving up being Superman so that we could…have a chance. Clark, I don't know if I would have said yes to that. If I did say yes, what would happen when he was needed but wasn't there?”
Lois could feel the stress growing again. “I don't know anymore. I just wish he was all right. I'm trying to hold out hope but… It feels selfish but I just want to see him.”
Clark reached over and took her hand in his. “You aren't being selfish. You're a good person. If Superman is the kind of person you describe, and I believe he is, it says a lot about you that he was considering a relationship.”
Lois shook her head dismissively. “I'm not that great a person. I'm abrasive, hard to work with and difficult to be around. I've always been amazed you can stand to work with me. Up until recently, I didn't get along with people at all, not even socially. It wasn't too long ago that Lucy accused me of having interviews instead of dates.”
“Lucy?”
“My sister.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, ever since he first appeared, I've been imagining a relationship with Superman. He's such a good person and he does so much to help. But he was right. I never gave a second thought to the man inside the suit.”
Lois could hardly believe how much it helped to talk about things like this. She felt a pang of regret at not having a closer relationship with Lucy. Who’d have thought that the person that she’d be sharing her feelings with was Clark? A short time ago she was sure that if there was a future with anyone other than Superman, it would be Lex. Lex…
“Then there's Lex,” she continued aloud. “I guess I liked him, but after that thing with my apartment, I was having doubts. Now, with what he’s saying about Superman, I realize that I know the real Lex even less than I know the real Superman.”
Lois realized that she’d been talking to the floor. She looked up to find Clark listening intently. His expression was... She didn’t know quite what it meant, but it didn’t scare her to open up in front of him. “Then there’s you. I know you better than I know anyone, but even with you, I've missed a lot. I’ve never let myself see you as anything other than a work partner.”
When Clark replied, his voice was full of emotion. “I am your partner and your friend. I don't want anything to jeopardize that.”
Lois looked long and hard at the man before her. She’d opened up in front of him and he’d listened. Nothing had changed, but just the same, it had. Here was someone she could share with and not be afraid. Lois suddenly realized that Clark was the best friend she’d ever had.
Her thoughts touched on the other two men she’d been talking about this morning. Could she open up like this in front of them? Lex…? No. Superman…? Maybe, but she wasn’t sure. Her mind flashed back to the challenge that Superman had put before her. He’d basically told her that she should be looking to an ordinary man for a relationship. She needed a friend, not a hero. A friend like Clark wasn’t a bad place to start when considering a personal relationship. The fact that he was handsome didn’t exactly hurt either.
She finally broke out of her muse. It was time to put sensitive-Lois back in her box and get to work. “Okay, partner. Then let’s get to work and see how the world is faring this morning.” As she turned to prepare to get started for the day, she resolved that no one other than Clark was going to see that side of her personality.
***~~~***
As they were leaving the apartment, Clark paused as if suddenly remembering something. “Lois, today is Sunday. Do you have a church that you usually attend?”
“No. I mean, I’ve never been much of a church person. Did you want to go to church today? I can meet you at work.”
“I don’t remember if I go to church much or not. If I do, I don’t remember what church I attend. How about for today we just go on into work? Maybe before next Sunday, I’ll remember my church.”
Lois nodded in agreement. Knowing how Clark was raised, he probably belonged to a church somewhere nearby. For the first time that she could remember, Lois thought maybe it would be nice to spend a Sunday morning that way.
Because of the adverse weather, the trip to work was unpleasant. Grey-brown clouds had covered the sky all day yesterday, and today, a steady drizzle poured down. The rain felt almost dirty. Fortunately, Clark had some great wet-weather gear and between the plastic rain slickers and large umbrellas, they were able to get to the office and still appear reasonably presentable.
When Lois and Clark arrived at work, it was immediately apparent that bad news was afoot. They were early enough that only a few of the staff were in, but even for this reduced number of people, the office seemed unusually quiet. A morose stillness permeated the office like a cold fog.
Lois wondered if there was something more than the aftermath of Nightfall that had so dampened everyone’s spirit. She noticed Perry in his office and headed in that direction with Clark trailing behind. Given the seriousness of the office mood, she thought better than to barge in as she usually would. She was about to knock when Perry noticed them at his door. He waved them to come in.
“Perry, what’s going on?” Lois asked. “I know it’s Sunday morning but I’ve never felt the office so still.”
Perry motioned with his hand. “Come in and sit down.” He paused long enough for them both to sit. “We’ve received reports from other parts of the country and around the world. Throughout the northern hemisphere, most large cities suffered significant damage. Almost all are estimating death counts in the thousands and many are much higher than that.” He paused for a second. “You know about Kansas City?”
Lois only nodded while Clark replied with a solemn, “Yes.”
Perry nodded slightly before continuing. “While that seems to have been the worst, at least in this country, it isn’t the only one. Cities and towns alike have been devastated all across the south-central part of the country. Dallas, Fort Worth, Memphis, Oklahoma City, St. Louis and countless smaller towns have all been reduced to little more than piles of rubble. Even the most conservative estimates are of several million dead.”
“Millions?” Clark gasped.
Lois looked over at her partner. “Clark, are you okay?”
He looked back at her. She could see that this news had shaken him to the core. “I will be,” he replied. He shook his head slowly. “So many dead.”
“Son, I’m afraid it gets worse,” Perry said. “From what we are hearing from overseas, the loss of life worldwide will probably be in well in excess of 100 million people. India and China were both hit particularly hard. They didn’t get the concentrated saturation of impacts that the United States sustained, but they had their own versions of what happened to Kansas City. It’s hard to tell exactly because of sketchy and incomplete information.”
Perry paused as if to give them the chance to reply but Lois couldn’t find the words. After a few seconds, Perry continued. “There is some good news. You may have noticed that we weren’t all killed in an impact-triggered tidal wave.” Perry wasn’t usually so obviously sarcastic.
Clark looked startled. “I didn’t think of that. All those impacts in the ocean should have kicked up monstrous waves. All the coastal cities in the world should have been wiped out. I don’t remember seeing any warnings about this and there were no coastal evacuations taking place.”
“There weren’t any,” Lois added. “I was watching for warning and evacuation orders. Nothing like that came through. There were some general warnings for people to stay clear of the coast but it seemed more like a severe storm warning.”
“I only heard about it this morning and that was through some private contacts,” Perry replied. “The decision not to issue a warning and call for an evacuation was a combination of lack of adequate time for such a wide-scale movement of people and nowhere for them to go. There was one segment of the scientific community that argued that many small hits all over the oceans would disrupt any large waves that might be triggered by larger impacts. They projected that there would be a general increase in wave activity equivalent to any major storm but no city-killer waves. Fortunately, they were right.”
Normally Lois would expect to feel anger at not being told that there was a chance that she, along with everyone else in Metropolis, might have been killed by a tidal wave. Right now, there just wasn’t any anger to draw on. Her reaction came out wistful. “I guess it all worked out, but I would like to have known.”
Clark’s gaze lingered on her for a second, and then he looked over at Perry. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but is there more?”
Lois could tell that Clark was hoping for some good news. As she looked at her editor, she was disappointed when Perry nodded his head seriously.
“What do you think of the weather?” their editor asked Clark.
Clark shrugged. “It’s darker than I would have expected but I figured that the impacts would mess up the weather for a few days.”
“Have you ever heard of something called Nuclear Winter?”
Clark shook his head slowly. “If that means something, it must be part of my memory that’s missing.”
Perry turned to Lois. “Lois?”
Lois thought for a second. “There was a fear that if there was a worldwide nuclear war, there could be so much smoke in the high atmosphere that it would block the sunlight enough to alter the weather. There could be a winter that went on for over a year.”
Perry nodded. “Exactly. My, um, contacts tell me that their scientists aren’t sure what to make of the weather. There was a lot of dust kicked up by the impacts and fires are adding ash. However, there has also been rain almost everywhere. The fragments that hit in the water didn’t trigger tidal waves but they threw a lot of moisture up in the air. All that water is triggering rain, which has helped control the fires. Some of the scientists are worried that all those clouds will linger and we’ll be in one of those long winter situations. They told me that the proper term for this would be an ‘Impact Winter.’”
Lois slumped into her chair. “So even though we survived Nightfall, we still may not survive the aftereffects. No wonder everyone is so down.”
The next thing Lois knew, Clark had placed his hand over hers and given it a gentle squeeze. It couldn’t make any of the facts different, but it did help just the same. As she was considering how nice Clark’s hand felt, Perry began to speak again. “No, Lois. Most people don’t know anything about the concerns about the weather. I probably shouldn’t have told you two.”
Clark looked surprised. “You mean we aren’t going to run a story on this?”
“Not yet. It may work itself out. Son, people have more troubles than they can handle right now. Tell me, what good could come from this paper running a story saying that we may be facing a weather disaster? Remember, there’s nothing that anyone can do to improve or change the situation.”
They both stared back at Perry in silence.
“Exactly,” Perry said heavily. “If there is an official announcement then we’ll run that story. If there is a positive development that might help to lift spirits, we will publish that. Right now we have to think about the larger good in everything we say.”
Lois’s face developed a frown. “Chief, you sound like we will be printing a propaganda sheet.” Even as she asked the question she could feel Clark’s hand tighten over hers as if to offer support.
Perry’s reply was immediate. “Never! Lois, these are the times that teach the meaning of responsible journalism. Not propaganda. Never that! However, people are overstressed and frightened. In times like this, we owe it to them to tell the truth, but we have to carefully consider the value and impact of what we print. Facts that we have verified, as tragic as they might be, are appropriate and will find their way onto our pages. We will not print speculation about how much worse the situation might get. There will be more than enough of that anyway.”
“Perry, it sounds like walking a tightrope,” Clark said. “How do we know what to print and what to leave out?”
That finally brought a smile to Perry’s face. “That is what experience is all about. There will be a lot of people that will push their sensationalist predictions of bad news. But, son, in bad times people get sensitive about who they turn to. The rules of reporting have changed. Publishers that don’t understand that will be out of business so fast they won’t know what hit them. One day they will be selling more papers than they thought possible. The next, they will have lost the trust of the public and no one will want to read their stories.”
Lois finally found her voice. “I understand. I heard stories from the Great Depression and I can see how that could play out here.” Lois glanced out at the bullpen. “What do you think has the office so down?”
Perry looked toward the outer office. “That’s mostly the news of the deaths that I mentioned earlier. Those are verified facts and we’re obligated to run those reports. Otherwise … have either of you heard any local news this morning?”
“We listened to the radio before coming in.” Clark replied.
“Did you hear anything about Superman?” His voice was a mix of caution and, for the first time this morning, defensiveness.
That wound Lois back up. “Yes! We heard Luthor making it sound like Superman had caused all this on purpose!”
“Well, there seems to be a lot of that going around!” Perry barked with sudden energy. “Luthor may have been the first to say something, but there are accusations flying from all over. Our people covering city hall have reports that the mayor will be issuing a public rebuke of Superman. There are also calls from several prominent business leaders for Superman to be designated responsible.”
“Chief, this smells,” Lois said. The attacks on Superman clearly angered her. “I could see this sort of thing happening in another city, but not here. Someone has an agenda. Who was the first to go on record against Superman?”
Perry was slow to respond. “Lois…”
“Tell me! Please!”
“It was Lex Luthor. He cited a report from the military that there was a course change at approximately 40 seconds before impact.”
“That’s when we lost radio contact.”
“Exactly.” Perry said.
“What do you mean, ‘Exactly’?” she asked. “Something must have happened right then. Whatever caused failure of communication had to be what hurt Superman and caused the mission to fail.”
Perry’s eyes widened. “Hurt Superman? Do you know something I don’t?”
“No. But he had to have been hurt somehow. What other explanation could there be?”
“Darlin’, I believe that, but there are people saying that it couldn’t have been an accident. They were still receiving signals from Superman’s radio even after the ship hit Nightfall.”
Lois was so shocked she jumped out of her chair. “What are you saying?”
“That Superman wasn’t with the ship at the very end. The radio couldn’t have survived the impact. They lost the signal right after that but there was a small period after Nightfall shattered where there was still a carrier wave. Because of LexCorp’s involvement in the development of the equipment, they had access to some of the mission data. Apparently, Lex Luthor himself was pressuring EPRAD to release the telemetry data. I verified the authenticity of the data through my own contacts.”
Perry held up three fingers. “There doesn’t seem any way around a few key facts. First, there was a change in course right at the end. Second, the communication system didn’t fail, at least there isn’t any evidence of failure based on the presence of the signal. Finally, since the radio wasn’t destroyed right away, we know that Superman’s survival pack was somewhere else when the ship hit Nightfall. Lois, to a lot of people, if you put all those together, it makes Superman look awfully bad.”
Lois sat sitting in a stunned silence and this time Clark spoke up. “Chief, we have to do something. I don’t remember Superman, but I know what I feel. I’ve read about what he did and I’ve talked to Lois and others here in the office. I don’t know what the answer is to those points you raise, but we can’t just go along with this. You said a minute ago that we have to be responsible about what we print. Fine! We will print the facts, but we should refuse to buy in to an unproven interpretation of what those facts mean! Unless we believe that’s the only possible explanation and that Superman would do such a thing, then our responsibilities as journalists demand that we reject that explanation and look for another one.”
Both Perry and Lois sat for a second trying to absorb Clark’s outburst. This sounded like the Clark they knew with all his personality intact. He didn’t show that fire and passion often, but it was part of what made his compassion so effective.
“Clark’s right,” Lois said. “I believe Superman would have done anything, including sacrificing his own life, to avert the tragedy that we are seeing unfold. Perry, do you?”
His response was immediate. “Of course!”
“Good! You write the editorial and let me and Clark dig for the truth as to what happened on that mission. We may not be able to change what happened, but we may be able to find out the ‘why’ behind it.”
***~~~***
Lois led the way as they left Perry’s office. She felt a combination of energy and determination that she hadn’t felt since before the whole Nightfall mess started. She reached her desk, sat down and looked up at Clark. She hadn’t seen him following her but she knew he would be there.
“We need to get started,” she said.
“Do you have a plan?” Clark asked.
She needed to talk to people. Information was always the first step in an investigation. Lois glanced around her desk for a moment then reached for her phone. She held it to her ear for only a second before setting it back down.
“Still no phone,” she said with a hint of irritation. “Clark, you and I have a list of contacts in the science community. Normally we could start calling people but there is still no phone service. Most of my local contacts are more closely associated with the police, city government or the underworld. I have a few military contacts but they aren’t in Metropolis. My nearest science connections are at EPRAD. Do you remember any of your science or military contacts?”
Clark concentrated for a moment. “No. I’m sorry, Lois, I just don’t remember anyone.”
He looked so frustrated that she just had to reassure him. “It’s okay, Clark. Is anything else coming back to you?”
“No. When I woke up this morning, I did sort of a mental inventory. I remember everything since the hospital but nothing is coming back from before, except for those partial memories that get triggered by images. Once one of those pops out, I don’t lose it again, but I’m not remembering anything else.”
“When I picked you up at the hospital they gave me the telephone number of a memory specialist here in Metropolis. As soon as the phones are working again, we can call and get you an appointment. Until then we have to see what we can find out based on contacts that we can reach. Perry gave us that one contact that works out of Star Labs who was supposed to know something about this mission.” Lois glanced in the direction of Perry’s office. His door was now closed and he looked to be busy with a team from the production department. “He’s busy now. I wish I’d written the name down.”
“No problem,” Clark said. “Dr. Bernard Klein of Star Labs.”
Lois looked up to see Clark beaming that megawatt smile in her direction. “When I said that I remembered everything since the hospital, I do mean *everything*. Do I have some kind of total-recall memory or something?”
“You’ve never said anything, but I’ve never asked.”
“I don’t know why I’d keep that a secret from you. Maybe it’s not something I talk about or maybe it’s related to my memory loss. In any case, I like the idea that I’m not forgetting new things. Since I woke up at the hospital I’ve decided that there are some aspects of my life that I certainly want to remember.”
Lois felt a small blush start to rise as she realized he was looking very intently at her when he said that last part. “So, how do we get hold of Doctor Klein?” Lois asked. “Now that I think about it he was one of the scientists on television during Superman’s Nightfall mission. Perry knowing him should be a great help. Do you think we should go to Star Labs and try to see him?”
“I don’t know,” Clark answered. “I worry that if we head over there today, between this being Sunday and the fact that we are still so close to Nightfall, there won’t be anyone there. I’d like to go right over, but there is so much to do here. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you make the call on what to do.”
Lois couldn’t help but smile at this. She was going to have so much to use to poke fun at Clark when all this was over. “Well, partner, I think you are probably right. When Jimmy gets in with his motorcycle, we can ask him to swing by Star Labs to try to deliver a message. Otherwise, I think our best plan is to help with the reports from around the country. Your touch will be a great help with some of the articles.”
Once Perry was available, they explained their plan. He agreed and gave them assignments for the day. Later that morning, Jimmy verified that Star Labs was closed up tight so the day passed without any work on the Superman investigation.
The evening was in many ways a repeat of Saturday night. Clark was a magician with the camp stove and Lois again found herself thinking surprising but quite pleasant thoughts as she fell asleep in Clark’s bed.
TBC
Bob
