Shortly after their discussion, they were joined by Herb who listened to their theories with growing concern. After hearing what they had to say, he took out a device and fiddled with it a bit. The others waited with growing impatience that they all fought to conceal. Finally, he looked up at them, his eyes deeply troubled.
“It’s highly likely that there’s a clone of Kal-El in that world.”
“How could you possibly know that? You didn’t even know that here,” said Lois insistently. “When Clark went missing, you said his life force was weakened, but you didn’t detect a clone.”
“No. I didn’t. But after that incident, I modified my inventions to track bio-electric signals instead of simply tracking soul-signatures. Well, not so much soul, as an emanation of -”
“Please, Herb, I’m begging you. Just cut to the chase,” Clark interrupted frustration evident in his tone. It was rare that he showed any negative feelings this way but he knew he was in the company of people who wouldn’t react badly.
“Really, Clark - I’d think you’d show some interest in the science of it, being as how your own species was so technologically advanced from ours -”
“I’m a journalist, not a scientist,” he said, getting a few chuckles from the others in the room - all but Herb who looked nonplussed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry - I’m just really anxious to know what’s going on. Lois’s well being is at stake here.”
“Right you are, son. And that’s the true point of this. I upgraded my device to detect bioelectric signatures. A clone will have the same bioelectrical signature as its progenitor. A twin would also have the same bioelectric signature as the other twin. When I say ‘same’, I mean very close with a very tiny percentage of differentiation. If two people have as close a bioelectric signature as the ones I’m detecting, it’s guaranteed that we’re dealing with twins or a clone.”
“Kal-El had no siblings,” said Lois shortly, trying to keep it together. “But why wouldn’t this other signature be a doppelganger?”
“A doppelganger would have both a very close bio-electric signature and a close soul signature. Furthermore, the difference in bio-electric signature between each of you pairs of doppelgangers is greater than what I’m seeing in that other world. That’s because you are from separate universes.”
“God, now my head hurts,” said Kent.
“And you both share a similar soul signature. You also share one with one of the two Kal-Els in the other world. “
Both Kryptonians winced at the reminder that Kal-El was their doppelganger.
“Obviously the signature of a soul doesn’t determine behavior. Because we know these two guys could never in a trillion years act like Kal-El,” Lois said firmly trying to ease their bad feelings.
“You’re correct. You could have a doppelganger that was vicious and cruel, Lois – one who was that way with no just cause, because of the infinite possibilities theory.”
“Which I’m hoping we won’t get into,” said Lane, a warning tone in her voice.
“Ah. No. No. We won’t.”
“So the going theory is that someone cloned Kal-El, and the clone might be broadcasting stuff indiscriminately and because they share the same bio-electric signature, Lois is picking up on it,” Kent asked trying to sum it all up.
“Possible,” said Herb. “There is another possibility though, and this possibility concerns me greatly. Not that the whole situation there doesn’t concern me, but this one specifically relates to the work I have undertaken to perform in my lifetime.”
They paused and waited for him to collect himself.
“If Kal-El is your doppelganger, there’s nothing to be done. I can’t interfere by bringing you in because in order for you to be successful at overthrowing the Kryptonian invasion I’d need far more than just two earth-loyal Kryptonians. I can’t recruit more according to the rules set for me by the group I work with. They would stop me if I tried. But… if Kal-El is a clone and isn’t your doppelganger, my interference is my duty and my right. If the real Kal-El is somehow out of commission and the one in charge is the clone, then it’s my job to get him out of power and help re-establish the real Kal-El back into his own life.”
“Is that even a possibility,” Lois asked agitatedly. “I just started getting those telepathic barrages several months ago. Isn’t it more likely that the clone was brought to full mental awareness then?”
“Yes… that is a strong possibility,” he said gently to her. “But there’s a chance that it’s not what actually happened. I have to go find out which is which.”
“Can we back up a minute here? Who the hell would clone that freak,” asked Kent. “Seriously. What were they thinking? He’s the leader and his very existence gives him the right to lead. He can’t be impeached unless he harms his own people. So someone could actually usurp Kal-El with his clone and the clone and whoever created it would have ultimate power. Why would Kal-El allow it?”
Lois looked troubled at this conversation.
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking over at her and seeing her expression. “I’m not trying to bring up bad stuff.”
“The fact is, you’re right. The idea that a person like Kal-El would allow this to happen is nonexistent. If a clone were to be made, he would ensure that it was brain dead. If the clone is sending along an emotional tagline of despair along with Kal-El’s sendings that indicates that it –he - isn’t brain dead. That goes against what we know about Kal-El. He’d have monitored it carefully and killed it the moment it showed signs of sentience – a fact he might be able to detect telepathically.”
“So someone else cloned him in secrecy,” suggested Clark. “Like the resistance? Lex was able to clone us, after all.”
“If they did this, it would be a very dangerous maneuver,” said Lane. “Kryptonians loyal to Kal would be risking a treason charge. Kryptonians and/or humans trying to usurp Kal-El would be risking another vicious Kal-El coming into being. They would have no reason to believe that the clone would be any less dangerous than the one they have.”
“Going along with the theory that Kal-El is the clone and the real one is out o f commission –yet still alive… why would anyone do that?”
“Same reason Lex did it. To have someone with a great deal of power at your disposal and command. Maybe the original Kal-El wasn’t despotic,” Lane said, her face coming alive with interest in this theory. “We both saw it happen. We both lived this. What if Kal-El wasn’t a bad person… not every one of the new Kryptonians thought invading earth was a good idea… right… but many of them did. It was one of the reasons the ruling council wanted to discredit you,” she turned to her husband. “Because you refused to condone what they were doing… you refused to call it anything but what it was… a hostile act of war.”
“And Zara felt that way too,” said Kent. “She didn’t want her people on earth because she knew that they wouldn’t be able to live in peace with the human race. “
“Right,” nodded Lane enthusiastically. “You and Clark are not motivated to behave that way because of how you were raised. You feel like you belong here and you are a member of the human race, regardless of where you were born. Zara was fairly exceptional in that she was able to put aside her own temptations for an easy life with fantastic abilities and allow the good of both people to be paramount. The Kryptonians may have enjoyed having the powers, but if they ended up overtaking our world, they would have become monsters and Zara didn’t want that to happen.”
Lois paled and Lane stopped talking.
“I’m sorry, Lois, “she said. “I know this is awful.”
Lois shook her head intently. “Yes. It is, but don’t let me be the obstacle to this conversation. I think it’s beginning to make some amount of sense in the realm of possibility. It is possible that the original Kal-El was a decently motivated Kryptonian who didn’t condone settling down on earth… just like Zara in your world. And quite frankly – the Zara in the world I was in wasn’t ever cruel towards anyone that I ever saw. She stayed out of sight – I barely ever saw her and never made eye contact with her – but she didn’t ever behave in a way that would indicate she enjoyed the status quo.”
“So based on our own experiences,” Lane said, keeping a careful eye on her doppelganger, “Nor in our world was supported by the ruling council who wanted a better home. Earth was strongly appealing to them, and the ruling council members that I interacted with, while not vicious themselves, had talked themselves into thinking that Nor was better than Clark, and having a dominance relationship over the human race was worthwhile – not just for their own personal comfort and happiness, but also for the good of mankind. Trey, I know, believed that we would be better off under Kryptonian rule… that is until Nor started going all kinds of crazy in Smallville and Trey finally was forced to realize that he had been wrong. Honestly though, I always thought he apologized just to save face with Zara after Nor had been eliminated as a threat.”
“I thought so too,” said Kent. “But there was no way I was going to say that. At that point, I just wanted them all to leave.”
“So what I’m hearing,” said Clark, “Is that it’s reasonably likely that the ruling council in that other world decided to replace Kal-El with one who would support their own agenda. They didn’t kill Kal-El because that would have been in violation to their own deep seated beliefs about ruling hierarchy… instead, they cloned him and replaced him and let him live in some kind of incapacitated state so that they could avoid the whole ‘you killed the ruling head of Krypton’ problem. Maybe they had it set up where they could claim a third party cloned Kal and fooled them all, so if they were discovered, they wouldn’t be sent to the phantom zone.”
“That’s one hell of a thing to do,” said Lane. “The motivation was …”
“Not wanting to keep looking for a home. Earth is a beautiful place,” said Lois. “Why wouldn’t they want t o live here. And if Lord Nor was part of this conspiracy,” she shuddered. “Then it makes sense that the idea got traction. Like Kal-El and many other Lords, he was sadistic.”
“Too much inbreeding,” wondered Lane.
“Or bad upbringing,” said Clark. “Or a mix of both.”
“Why would Lois be getting the transmissions now… why not all along?”
“Maybe the original is emerging from whatever incapacitated state they put him in…”
“Maybe someone already rescued him.”
“Remember, these are all theories,” said Herb. “I have to go find out if it’s true. If it is, I have to set things right for the sake of Utopia.”
Everyone in the room reacted with an equal amount of horror.
“How would you find out it’s true,” said Lane, trying not to pass judgment.
“I’d have to be within a certain proximity to Kal-El to get a read on his soul signature.”
“He can move faster than you can even see,” said Lois, her voice rising in agitation. “He has heat vision – he can disable and kill you from a distance the moment he detected your presence. He can hear what you can’t hear and see through things. How the hell do you propose to get his soul signature without getting killed? I agree that world needs help, but you won't set them on a path to Utopia if what we talked about has happened and we do somehow free the real Kal-El and get rid of the bad one. Lois in that world will never see Kal-El as anything more than a Kryptonian conqueror. I'm sorry... I know this hurts you, Clark - but it was different here.”
Clark took her proffered hand and gave her a small smile to let her know he was on her side of the issue.
“I’ll obviously need to engage the help of the other Kryptonians in that world who belong to the resistance. That’s how I was able to get you out of there,” Herb responded carefully. "And while you are likely correct about utopia, I still have a duty to try."
“This is unbelievably dangerous,” Kent said, agreeing with Lois, his own voice and manner showing a high level of concern. “There’s a strong chance that you won’t survive – or if you do – you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
Lois paled. “You have no idea, Herb… the lengths he will go to make you pay for daring to do this…”
“I have to know. I have to. And if this is the case, I have to help set things right. The point is, right now I’m not able to help them. But if this theory of Kal being a clone is correct, I can help – it’s within the boundaries of allowed interference. I can’t let them suffer if there’s something I can do to help. Surely you four understand that.”
“We do,” said Clark. “But … it’s a death mission, and you know it. Even trying to recruit help would be fraught with danger. “
“I have to help them if I can,” Herb said again.
“Nobody is arguing that,” said Kent. “But maybe instead of trying to recruit helpers, you let Clark or I do it. We’d go in, take the reading and leave without being detected because we would move at top speed. How long would the detection take?”
“Almost no time at all. It’s possible you could do it without detection.”
“Then I think it’s settled. One of us has to go to that world and do this,” said Kent.
Silence filled the room as both women turned pale in unison, refusal clearly written in their expressions.
