Well, you asked for it! Enjoy the mayhem
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Papa Ludu was gone. The drugs were gone, the men with the briefcases---all gone.
Clark was relieved, but Lois was furious.
"I can't believe this! There goes the Pulitzer! There goes the best story of my career!" she threw her hands in the air. She wanted to blame this on Superman, she really did. It was his fault, after all. But she just couldn't summon the anger towards him. She was mad, yes, at the situation, but--he had rescued her. He had flown her over the tops of the jungle like no one could *ever* do. He had kissed her like no one else, either.
But maybe she could be a little angry at him, though. He had distracted her spectacularly. He had shaken up her world, turned it upside down really---and she'd still have to go back to Metropolis with an incomplete story.
Lois sat on the dirty bench, outside the small building where her career disappeared, and sighed heavily.
Clark felt completely helpless. He wanted to apologize, yet, at the same time, felt ridiculous doing so. He had saved her. Didn't that mean something? Didn't it mean something that he might have saved something else precious as well, a possible life together that would have otherwise been fraught with loneliness?
Suddenly, a man on spindly legs approached them from the shadows. He was walking slowly, leaning heavily on a cane and coughing, carrying something in his hands.
At first Lois didn't see him in the dark, and was too blinded anyway by her own emotions to notice.
"Miss Lane," he said, a huge grin on his face, though his eyes spoke of pain. "I have it for you, Miss Lane!"
It was Kawa, and he held her camera.
"Kawa! How did--?" But the question died on her lips.
As Lois reached up to hug him, she saw that Kawa was injured. He winced as she reached for him.
"Kawa?" she asked, worried.
"It's okay, Miss Lane. Here is your camera. I got you your camera..."he said, coughing. He held a handkerchief and Lois was alarmed to notice it was dark. He was coughing up blood!
Tears sprung to her eyes. Had her guide and sometimes friend risked his life for her stupid camera?
"Kawa, here, sit," she said, feeling guilty and wondering if there was anything they could do. <<Did Superman have healing powers?>> she wondered wildly. But glancing at Clark, he seemed just as alarmed.
Clark had begun to immediately assess Kawa's injuries. With his x-ray vision he detected a bullet lodged in his chest, causing internal bleeding in his right lung. The old man didn't have much time.
"I could--take him to the nearest city... Surely there's a hospital---"
Kawa shook his head. "No mind, friend. I've had my time. It's okay. I did what I must... besides, hospital is two day's ride."
Lois and Clark exchanged meaningful looks.
"We--we could get you there much faster--- just a few minutes---" Clark began.
Kawa shook his head, struggling to breathe. "No, I have no time... I must... I must tell you---" he struggled, before another cough racked through his thin body.
"What happened?" Lois asked Kawa, reaching for his hand to comfort him.
"They left. I came to look for you. I saw them leave. But another man, he come later. I didn't see him, until it was too late. He... was an evil man, Miss Lane. I found your camera, there---"
Another cough and more blood.
"Take it easy, Kawa," Lois soothed.
Kawa nodded, but was determined to continue.
"But this man, he-- saw me and asked if I knew you. I didn't say nothing Miss Lane, I swear. Then he asked me if I saw a man who could fly... I didn't mean to give nothing away, I swear, but he saw it in my eyes..."
Kawa started to cry, feeling his own guilt.
"Please, don't Kawa. You couldn't help it... Who was this other man?" she asked, looking helplessly up at Clark a moment before turning back to Kawa.
"He... he laughed and said he had something for the man who could fly... and then, I tried to leave, but ---he shot me. I fell and he thought I was dead, I guess. So he left. I think---I think he look for you, Miss Lane." Kawa looked knowingly at Clark, and Clark thought this old man knew his secret, that he must have seen him and knew him to be the same man who could fly.
"I am--tired, Miss Lane," Kawa said. "I'm happy to know you. Miss Lane?" he gestured for her to come closer.
"Yes?" she asked, sensing he wanted to say something just to her. She looked up at Clark and he turned away so Kawa could have a private moment.
Kawa nodded towards Clark, "This man, he good for you, Miss Lane. I see it. He have powerful aura, a strong man. Your protector. He love you."
Lois felt tears well up in her eyes. "I know," she whispered. "Thank you, Kawa. For everything."
Kawa coughed again, a painful, heart-wrenching sound and then slowly, his eyes fell back into his head. He breathed out once more... and then was gone.
Lois shook her head. "I can't believe he--he's gone! He died trying to help me finish my story, Clark! That foolish, wonderful man! How can I ever forgive myself!"
She turned to Clark's arms, sobs shaking her.
"It's not your fault, Lois," he said.
"Not my fault? How can it not be my fault? If I wasn't so damn stubborn, chasing after stories, this man would never have had to worry about me or my stupid camera!"
Clark didn't know what to do, but he also knew that they were still in danger. The only person who could be here in the middle of nowhere who knew anything about him would have to be Tempus.
Suddenly, Clark felt a splitting headache, a pain he had never experienced before. It was so intense he stepped out of Lois' arms and fell to the ground. He felt nauseous and heard a ringing in his ears. All his power seemed to leave him, leaving him in excruciating pain.
"Clark?" she asked, more than alarmed.
"I---I don't know what is happening..." he got out.
All she knew was that he was from another planet. He had said he was invulnerable. What could be doing this to him? She put her hand on his forehead as that was where the pain seemed to be concentrated, trying to soothe him.
"What--what can I do?" she asked in a weak voice.
Suddenly, they heard laughter coming from the shed. Tempus strode forward, a green glowing rock in his hands. The green of the rock cast an unnatural glow on his laughing face that sent shivers of terror through Lois.
"Who are you? And what have you done to him?" she cried.
"Me? Well, didn't your little hero tell you? I'm Tempus!"
He came nearer, enjoying this immensely. "Oh, poor Lois. Her Superman is not so super now, is he?" Tempus whined, in mock sympathy.
"Behold, Kryptonite!" he said triumphantly. "Radioactive material from his home planet! The one thing that can destroy Superman!"
Lois looked in horror at the green rock, and then back at Clark. He was huddled over, in obvious agony.
"What---what is it--doing to him?" she asked, a little panicked.
"Why, killing the Man of Steel, of course!" Tempus came even closer to them, waving his rock proudly.
Clark managed to pull Lois down to hear him. "You---you have to get it away from him. Away from me," he managed to say.
Lois stood up, ready to put some of her Tae Kwan Do classes to the test. But Tempus had other ideas.
"Ah, Lois, Lois. Can't you see it's no use? That your boyfriend has been rendered helpless?" He pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. "I think it will be oh so much fun for you to watch as your beloved hero dies. Why don't you come back to the chair that Papa Ludu had all picked out for you to watch the show?"
Tempus set the Kryptonite next to Clark, but not so close that Clark could immediately reach it, even if he could summon the strength to toss it away. Clark thought he was going to black out from the pain, but did all he could to stay conscious.
"Yes, I think it will be fun for you to watch your hero die... and then I'll enjoy killing you," he said softly in her ear as he reached behind her to tie her hands to the chair.
She managed to knee him in the groin and spit in his face at the same time.
He paid her back with a slap across the face. "I'd be careful if I were you, Miss Lane, or I may decide to kill you first!"
He still had to tie her feet. She thought she had one last chance left to stop him and she took it.
She swung her leg up to kick Tempus in the jaw. He staggered, trying to right himself and aim the gun back at Lois. She managed a second kick with her other leg, hitting him square in the chest so the impact made the gun fly out of his hand, to land within a few feet of Clark.
"Clark! Get the gun!" she cried, trying to hop in the chair with her hands tied to where Tempus lay, momentarily stunned.
She stood up awkwardly in the chair, managing to sit the four legs over Tempus' upper body. Her legs were free so she held her foot to his throat. "Hurry Clark! I don't know how long I can hold him like this!"
Clark could barely focus on what Lois was saying. The pain was blinding. <<The gun... Something about the gun..>>
He forced his eyes open, feeling like his head was splitting open as he did so. There it was, about three feet from him. With a groan he lunged himself towards it, incidentally giving him some small distance from the Kryptonite.
He had the gun. Lois, expecting him to immediately aim it at Tempus who was getting closer to overturning her in the chair, was surprised when Clark turned the gun on the Kryptonite. Just before he released the shot, he aimed it just below the base, so the rock itself wouldn't explode but would be sent out somewhere into the forest surrounding them. He shot once, and it bounced just a few feet. He gritted his teeth, having pulled himself to his knees. He fired angrily at it again, this time managing to send it into a small river, a few meters away. He sighed with relief when he could make out the rock being carried down the river away from them.
Just that moment, he heard Lois cry out again. Tempus had over turned the chair and he was not happy. He reached for Lois' throat, trying to throttle her in the awkward position of her laying on the ground, sitting in a chair, with her hands tied.
"Take your hands off of her!" said Clark, the gun now aimed at Tempus. He had pulled himself to his feet. He was dizzy as hell, but he had to try and make Tempus think he was regaining his strength.
Tempus shoved at Lois and turned away from her for a moment, but only to scoff at Clark. "Right, like Superman would kill me," he laughed.
"Don't tempt me, Tempus," he said. Clark came closer to them, feeling himself stagger just a bit. It took all of his will power to stay on his feet. If he could just get close enough to Lois, maybe he had enough of his heat vision left to break the binds.
Clark stumbled again. He felt nauseous, the world spinning around him. He fell to the ground just as he felt someone take the gun from his hands.
Lois had managed to get free of her binds. She aimed the pistol at Tempus. "Superman may have such qualms, but I'm not sure I do," she said bravely. Tempus watched this with mild interest. She primed the gun, but just couldn't pull the trigger. But Tempus didn't have to know that. She decided to shoot it off, just above his head to scare him a little bit.
It worked. It made Tempus jump in surprise, giving her the advantage she needed to kick him to the ground again, this time face down. She stepped one foot on his back, still holding the gun to his head. Then, a silver glint caught her attention of something that had fallen out of his pocket. Car keys? That made her look around. Did Tempus have a car nearby?
"Clark! Can you tie him?" she called over her shoulder, grabbing the keys and pocketing them while still holding the gun to Tempus' head.
Clark was barely conscious on the ground she saw, as she twisted a bit to see him. "Oh, God," she whispered. She'd have to get them out of there herself.
She reached for the rope nearby. Tempus struggled beneath her, swinging his arms wildly in an attempt to grab her other ankle. Needing to do something to stop him, Lois closed her eyes shut and squeezed the trigger towards the side of him, accidentally hitting his hand. She shot off his pinky finger! He screamed in agony.
"You vile bitch!" he got out, staring disbelievingly at his hand.
She felt like she was going to be sick at the sight of so much blood, but the action had rendered Tempus harmless, for now.
She took off around the corner, looking for a vehicle. She spotted a jeep behind the building and started it. Lois sped the jeep around to where Clark lay; he was barely moving.
"Clark! Clark, wake up! You have to wake up!" she cried desperately, gently tapping his cheeks.
"You have to help me get you in the jeep!"
"What? Oh," he said.
He made a lunge to move his body and Lois gave him an extra shove, trying to push him up a bit further. He was half out of the jeep. She felt tears streaming down her face in terror and worry.
She managed to turn him around and got his legs in the rest of the way.
Lois walked around to the driver's seat, spotting her camera near the door. She grabbed it, with a sad nod towards Kawa who lay dead nearby. She took one last look at Tempus, who was still writhing in agony. She didn't know if he'd die, but she wasn't about to wait around to find out.
She sped off, into the direction of where she and Kawa had set up camp the night before.
