~LOIS~
They had to get pictures of the drugs and even better if they could get pictures of Papa Ludu getting money for the drugs. Lois heard--through her translator, Kawa-- that white men had been seen in Komono and that they were looking for Papa Ludu. They had been carrying metal briefcases as well, which Lois suspected contained quite a bit of drug money. <<If I could just get pictures of that exchange...>> she thought, her mouth salivating with the possibilities. <<Pulitzer, you are mine!>>
They had trailed the white men to Makaka, the only other largish city in the country. Kawa was nervous about Lois getting too close, but she put on a brave face and tried to convince him she had done this sort of thing before. Admittedly, she hadn't chased after drug lords with dangerous weapons and murder on their minds through the jungle before, but she had had her fair share of chasing nut jobs around Metropolis. It had helped though that in Metropolis, the police were usually nearby. But here, the law was what you made it.
"Look, we just follow them, take the pictures, and sneak out. That's all we need to do," she told Kawa.
He nodded, his calm wisdom not trusting the brash American he was paid to guide. "I wait here. I will not go into city with you, Miss Lane. That Papa Ludu carries a heavy curse. I stay here."
She sighed, "Fine. Have it your way."
She was determined to get the pictures and then get the hell out of there. It would be enough to finish her story. And besides, that dream had scared her last night, despite the almost rescuer... she worried her number might be up soon if she wasn't careful.
Lois realized she was only armed with a camera and a knife, and was a white woman in a strange African city to boot. She stuck out like a sore thumb wherever she went. But she also decided that while a white man would still be conspicuous, he might be less likely to draw unwanted attention. So she had dressed herself up to look like a guy as best she could with limited resources. This basically meant a fake mustache and taping down her breasts. She still tried to hide as she made her way around the city, not sure if it was better to appear as a tourist or on business... neither occupation seemed the norm in this poor town anyway.
She spotted the two men with briefcases. They were heading to a large shed across from what passed for a fruit market.
She followed as close as she dared...
~CLARK~
5 years earlier... in the Congo
Clark arrived in the Congo in record time and it took him less than two hours to find her.
He spotted her in Makaka, one of only two major cities in Congo.
Besides, what other lithe figure could that be, hiding in the shadows of crates and trying to be inconspicuous? He saw through her 'man' disguise instantly, as any man would, he scoffed. What was he getting himself into with this one? She was as daring and foolhardy and wonderful as the other Lois, there was no doubt. He just hoped he could time this rescue just right--in time to rescue both their lives, and from more than just thugs in the jungle.
~KAWA~
He worried about the white woman. She was crazy to chase after Papa Ludu. Kawa suddenly saw a red and blue streak across the sky arc in the direction of Miss Lane from his perch on the small hill, like a magic star. He thought the strange colors were a sign. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe the crazy American woman would survive this jungle, and get home to her city, where she belonged.
~LOIS~
She realized as she poised herself to take her prize winning photo, that the very thing she needed to get out of this crazy jungle--proof--might be the thing to also put her in the greatest danger. How could she forget that shutters on cameras make noise! Why couldn't Jimmy's fancy camera manage to have a quiet button on it?
They were talking, though. Maybe they wouldn't hear it...
*Click*
The three men froze. Lois felt her heart in her throat.
Papa Ludu gestured to his thugs to check the area around them.
Lois held her breath and tried to back out towards the door she had come in.
Then, she heard a click of another kind and a low laugh, "Well, well, what have we here?"
They forcibly dragged her to a chair and roughly tied her hands and feet, never removing the barrel of the gun from her back. Her disguise had worked none at all. And they knew she was American. And a reporter. Lois had been stupid enough to carry ID with her. Yet, it might have also saved her life, because a missing reporter might cause many more questions than Papa Ludu wanted to answer.
But first, he had questions of his own to ask.
"What are you doing here, Miss Lane? City life get too boring?"
"I--well, uh...have always been curious about Africa?" she tried with a smile.
He was having none of it. He slapped her, hard and fast.
"Don't be smart with me. I have your life in my hands, don't you see?" Papa Ludu taunted with his gun.
Lois gulped, trying to summon courage she didn't feel. "And--won't it cause problems for you once word gets back that I'm--- missing?" she said, refusing to use that other, more permanent word.
He laughed. "Possibly. And possibly no. The Congo is dangerous country. All sorts of things can happen to people who don't know what they're doing... especially pretty young reporters," he said with a grin, fingering her hair. "But I want to know what you know, first," he finished sternly.
He moved the barrel to her temple, doing a very effective job of intimidating her. "What kind of dirt have you sent to the Planet about Papa Ludu, huh?"
Just then, a lackey came in. "Sorry to bother you, boss. But, uh, Gai--the uh, other boss needs an answer now."
Papa Ludu looked disdainfully at the messenger boy and then back at Lois. He fired a shot above the boy's head as a warning, which made Lois jump out of her skin. Papa Ludu smiled wickedly at her, enjoying her fear. She could see possibilities play in his mind about what he might do with her, and she thought she might throw up from the sheer terror welling inside her.
"Don't try anything while I'm gone," he warned. He stood over her as if expecting an answer. She made herself nod.
He smiled, pleased with the results of his intimidation. She'd make a lovely plaything, he thought, and toys could wait.
"I will have a little fun with you, later. I'll probably kill you, but I'll wait," he mused aloud.
"Raymond!" He called. "Keep an eye on her."
~CLARK~
She had done it. She was definitely in trouble.
Tied to a chair with a madman just outside, and a gun pointed at her head.
<<Care for a rescue, Miss Lane?>> he smiled to himself.
He decided he'd go in at super-speed. No one would see him, and he'd just slow down enough to grab Lois and get her safely out of there... after that, well, he hoped she'd be thankful enough for saving her life not to kill him for ruining her story.
~LOIS~
She had done it. She was definitely in trouble.
<<Surely they won't kill me. I'm too much of a liability, aren't I?>> she asked herself, not feeling the least bit convinced, and worrying whether any alternatives to killing her would be better anyway.
The lackey Papa Ludu had left her with seemed almost even less stable than the boss himself. He kept playing with his gun, and every time the barrel clicked it made her jump, afraid he would accidentally set it off.
At least he wasn't pointing it at her anymore.
Suddenly, Lois heard a low rushing sound. She barely registered what it could be before she felt her restraints loosened and she was suddenly up, out of that horrible building... *Up*? And in someone's arms...
All Lois could do was stare. That face. She had seen that face... flying! Holy crap, they were flying! Just like in her dream! Only in her dream he had dropped her... she had fallen in endless space, alone, afraid...
She grabbed on tighter.
"It's okay, Miss Lane, I've got you."
"You've got me? Who---who's got you?" she asked, freaked out.
The man who could fly simply smiled at her.
~CLARK~
She felt so right in his arms. He'd done it! He'd rescued her!
He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to yell with primitive delight that he had found his woman!
But---
He didn't want to scare her. She had no idea what was going on. He'd have to be patient. Calm. Couldn't blurt out the fact that they were soul mates and meant to be together. Couldn't blurt out that HG Wells had helped him go back in time to find her. Couldn't blurt out that there was another dimension out there, with another Lois and Clark who were just as amazing as they were.
No, he'd have to wait.
But for now, he'd delight in letting her discover Superman. He decided to fly her over the beautiful jungle for a while. Get her accustomed a bit to the idea of him, let her marvel at the world. And then maybe, she'd listen.
