Previously On Clarkus Maximus:
Clark marveled at the way Xena handled his wounds. He could scarcely believe how gentle her touch had been after he'd seen those very same hands maim and kill with such ease.
"How did you know what to do?" Lois asked. "You never said anything about being a doctor."
"I'm not a healer in the usual sense of the word, no," Xena agreed as she tied the bandage on Clark's arm. "But I have many skills. I've spent a lot of time healing on the battlefield. It comes with the territory when you've lived the life that I have. Now, Clark, tell me about these other symptoms you're having."
"It all started last night after they fed me," Clark said, his voice still thick with residual pain. "I feel weak, disoriented, my vision keeps going blurry, cold sweats, headaches, nausea...," his voice trailed off. "I felt a little better this morning when I woke up, but it came back after they gave me some water to drink."
Xena frowned and alarm grew in Lois. "What's wrong?" Lois asked.
Xena sighed and her voice took on a hard edge. "Whoever had Clark wanted to make sure that he lost today. He's been poisoned."
**********************
"Poisoned?" Lois repeated, her voice small and shaky.
Xena gave her a distracted half-smile. "Don't worry. I can make the antidote." She reached for a scrap of parchment and one of Gabrielle's quills. Hastily, she jotted down the things that she needed, then handed it to Gabrielle. "Hurry," she instructed her friend. "The poison's been in his system far too long as it is. By all rights, his organs should have started shutting down hours ago. But since they haven't, the antidote will work."
Lois immediately thought of Clark's increased Kryptonian metabolism and wondered if his body had been burning off the poison faster than it could harm him. It seemed to be a logical conclusion.
"No problem," the strawberry blonde assured her. "Be back before you know it."
She grabbed her staff and a shoulder bag with her money purse.
"Good." Xena rose and followed Gabrielle out of the room. "I'm going to get changed. Caesar's men will be looking for the woman in the tiger armor. Lois, put that small pot of water on to boil."
Lois did as Xena bade, then changed back into the peasant garb that had been purchased for her, though she really wished that she could get back into her normal clothing. Once she finished, she sat down on Clark's bed and took one of his large hands in her much smaller ones. His eyes were closed again, and beads of cold sweat stood out on his brow. She gently wiped them away with a clean rag dipped in a fresh bowl of cool water. She kissed his forehead and lips lightly.
"Please," she whispered, knowing that he was still awake. "Please, fight this, Clark. Hang on for me. I need you." She fell silent a moment, then began to speak again. "I wanted to tell you...I was going to tell you the night that Tempus ambushed us in the park...I saw my doctor the day before that. Clark, Dr. Klein was wrong."
Clark opened his eyes, though his vision was out of focus again. The exertion of the fight had weakened his body and allowed the poison to do greater damage to him than it otherwise would have.
"Wrong?" he murmured, not comprehending.
Lois nodded, though Clark could barely make out the movement with his fuzzy vision. "We can have...we are having...a baby. We're about three or four weeks along. Or were, before Tempus kidnapped us."
Clark managed another smile for Lois, this one stronger than the first. It still wasn't the earth-shattering smile that was unique to him, but this one, at least, had a renewed sense of energy to it.
"That's..." Clark shook his head, at a loss for words, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "Incredible," he finally settled on, though the word wasn't even close to the elation that he felt. He wished that his voice was stronger to convey just how happy he was. A contented laugh escaped from his lips. "I can't believe it. A child." He rewarded her with another grin. "You are amazing. But why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You were helping with that oil fire in Detroit, remember? Besides, I had this whole dinner thing planned. I was going to tell you then."
"Right," he said, remembering. "I got in late from that fire and you were already asleep. I'm sorry about that."
"It's not your fault," Lois assured him, squeezing his hand gently. "You did what you needed to do. I wanted to tell you after we got dumped here by Tempus, but things got a little crazy."
Clark nodded slightly. "Like my second abduction in as many days."
Lois laughed a little, glad to hear Clark's tongue-in-cheek humor emerging once more. "A minor detail," she teased him with a shrug and a smile.
"I love you, Lois." His eyes unerringly found hers, though he still could not focus properly.
"I love you too, Clark."
She bent her neck and kissed him fully, passionately on the lips. He returned the kiss eagerly, as though her lips poured new strength and life into his failing body. When they broke, Clark laughed a little.
"What?" Lois asked.
"Nothing. It's just...I can't wait to see the look on Dr. Klein's face when we tell him that he was wrong. He was so upset when he gave me those results last year. For once, he'll be thrilled to find out that he made a mistake." He thought for a moment. "We're going to have to tell him everything, you know. I think he should be the doctor that we use. No one knows more about whatever Kryptonian genetics that this child might inherit than him."
She smiled at him, squeezed his hand once more, and guided it to her still-small stomach. "I know. And you're right. He's the only one I'd trust to monitor the growth and health of our son or daughter."
A couple of minutes later, Xena came back into the room. She was dressed once more in her dark leathers and usual armor. She wore her sword slung across her back as always.
"How are you feeling?" the warrior woman asked Clark.
"Weak," Clark admitted.
Xena gave him half-smile as Gabrielle came back. She had a small pouch with her, which she drew out of her shoulder bag.
"Here," Gabrielle said. "That's everything."
"Thanks," Xena said as she took the pouch.
Lois watched as Xena took the boiling water from the hearth. Her fascination grew as the woman examined various leaves and dry powders. Xena took a few of the leaves, bruised them, and inhaled the scent that they gave off. Satisfied, she crushed them and threw them into the hot water. Carefully, she mixed the rest of the ingredients into the water, then let the mixture steep for a bit. When the antidote had been sitting for about ten minutes, she poured it into a wooden tankard.
"Think you can drink this?" she asked Clark as she helped ease him into a sitting position. Lois propped some pillows up behind his back.
Clark nodded and Xena passed him the mug. He took it in both of his hands and drank. It tasted like a bitter herbal tea, but it was not altogether unpleasant. He suspected that some of the things that Xena had put into it were just to improve the taste. He drank the entire mug down swiftly. Then he lay back heavily against the pillows.
"Clark, I know you aren't feeling well. But I need to ask you some questions," Xena said gently.
Clark nodded. "Okay."
"Who did this to you?"
"His name is Tersius," Clark replied. The thought of the gladiator owner brought back a sudden memory to him and he groaned. "Oh no! Ren!"
"Ren?" Gabrielle asked. "You mean that young kid that fought before you did?"
Clark nodded. "I swore that I'd get him free and back home."
"Do you remember where Tersius' compound is?" Xena asked.
Clark thought for a minute, retracing the path that he'd been forced to march that morning. "It's northwest of the city. It took us about an hour, I guess, to get to the arena today. I remember that it had a high stone wall and green pennants."
"What image was on the pennants?" Xena prodded, still maintaining a gentle tone.
Clark closed his eyes and pictured the compound in his mind. "A running wild boar, done in black."
"Gabrielle, stay here with Lois and Clark," Xena instructed, picking up her chakram and placing it back on her hip.
"Where are you going?" Gabrielle asked, though her voice said that she already knew, or at least guessed.
"I'm going to pay a visit to Tersius," Xena said, a gleam in her eye. "And I'm going to help Clark keep his promise. Change his bandages in a couple of hours, okay? And get him something substantial to eat. He should be able to keep some stew down easily enough."
With that, Xena turned and left. She went straight down to the stable, saddled Argo, and was soon riding through the city. She headed northwest, avoiding the gazes of the centurions who patrolled the streets, looking for the crazed Amazon gladiator. Still, she breathed a sigh of relief when she finally broke free of the city limits and into the surrounding countryside. She stopped in a strand of thick bushes about a quarter of a mile from Tersius' compound. It was exactly as Clark had described, the pennants atop the wall snapping loudly in the stiff wind that had kicked up. She tied off Argo's reins and let the mare graze on the grass.
Quickly and quietly as a stalking cat, Xena made her way to the wall surrounding the compound. The outer side of the wall was less than smooth, and she easily found hand and toeholds to climb. In no time at all, she had reached the top, slipped over, and flipped as she jumped to the ground. She landed behind the two guards who stood before the entrance to Tersius' private villa. She grabbed them by their necks and forced their skulls to crack together, knocking them instantly unconscious. She took their helms and slipped into the villa.
She found Terius in his private study, counting his gold and muttering to himself about the dinars he should have received for Clark's death. The door made no sound as she opened it up just enough to slink into the room. Xena came up behind Tersius, her sword already in hand. She brought her arm around the gladiator owner's neck and pressed the blade to his vulnerable throat.
"Don't scream and I'll let you live," Xena hissed in his ear.
"How did you get in here? I had guards posted!" His voice was urgent but low.
Xena used her free hand to drop the two helms on the table before him. "Oh, they're laying around somewhere."
"What do you want from me?" Fear colored Tersius' words as he eyed the helms.
"I want you to get out of the gladiator business," Xena said, stepping around before the man, her sword ever at his throat. "If I ever hear even a whispered rumor that you are still buying men and having them fight in the arena, I swear on the head of any god you name that I will return and kill you. That goes for slave labor as well. Do you understand?"
Realization dawned on Tersius' face. He attempted to stand but Xena pressed the sword ever so slightly deeper into his fresh, forcing him back down into his high backed wooden chair.
"You're the warrior from today, aren't you?"
"Yes. My name is Xena." She watched as the man's face paled. "I take it that you know exactly who I am and what I am capable of. Now, I asked you if you understood me."
"What else would you have me do?" he asked miserably.
Xena narrowed her eyes in anger. "I don't care if you start peddling manure to the local farmers. If you ever purchase or fight another person, I will make good on my promise to come after you. Got it?"
Tersius nodded, a slow, careful movement so as not to bring his skin into contact with the sword blade any more than necessary.
"Good." The word came out cold and deadly. "Now, I'm going to free the gladiators in your prison and the slaves in your house. Try to recapture them and you'll be spending eternity in little pieces."
She pulled her blade away from his neck and used the hilt to knock him out. She turned and ran back through the villa, stopping only to free the household slaves. She directed them to wait at the main gate, and then dashed across the courtyard. The gladiators were all locked in their cells, in anticipation of the next day's fights. Xena made a beeline for the prison. After a brief fight with the guards, she attained the keys that hung from Giron's belt. Methodically, she began unlocking the cell doors. The men within looked at her without understanding.
"Who are you?" Throm asked, looking up at her from where he sat on his bench.
"My name is Xena. I'm here to set you free."
None of the men moved, debating whether or not this was some trick of Tersius'.
"Go," she urged them. "You're free."
At that, some of the men seemed to regain their vigor. Hope flooded their faces and they quickly vacated the dank, dark prison. Some, like Throm, had been broken so long ago that they seemed incapable of grasping the idea of freedom. Xena didn't concern herself with those men. She couldn't afford to spare the time. She located Ren and grabbed him by the arm.
"Come on," she said, pulling him along after her, up the stairs and out into the open. "Move," she hissed when he hesitated. "We don't have much time!" That last part was said loudly enough for all to hear.
That seemed to break the spell. The men who had been lagging behind suddenly snapped out of their disbelief and began to follow Xena out of the prison.
Xena and the gladiators reached the courtyard and made for the heavy gate at the entrance where the rest of the slaves waited. Throm, the biggest and strongest of the gladiators, had finally come to his senses and joined the group of escapees. He lifted the heavy cross bar from the doors and pulled them open. As a unit, they made their way beneath the arch of the wall, through the open doors, and out into freedom.
"Thank you, friend," Mercurion, the dark skinned gladiator, said to Xena. "Twelve years I have been held prisoner. For Throm, it has been fifteen years. How can we repay you?"
"Just go home. Go back to your families. Make the best of your freedom. And if you need to fight, then fight against injustices like the gladiator trade."
The men saluted her, some in the Roman fashion, some in the strange ways of their various homelands. Xena saluted them back, then pulled Ren after her to where Argo waited. Reaching the mare, Xena quickly untied the reins and mounted, helping Ren to mount up behind her.
"Where are we going?" he asked, his voice quivering just a little.
"I promised Clark that I would get you out of here. I'm taking you back to the docks and putting you on the first ship back to Greece."
**********************
Lois sat on edge of Clark's bed, watching her husband's peaceful sleep. The stress of the day and the poison in his body had robbed him of what little strength he had left. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as Xena had left them. Lois was grateful for the blissful silence in the room. Even Gabrielle was gone - she was on the hunt for more clean bandages for Clark's wounds.
Outside of the shuttered windows, evening was drawing on as the last golden rays of sunset faded in the west. Lois threw another log onto the small blaze in the hearth, for light more than for heat, as the day was still warm. She also lit several beeswax candles around the room. She looked again at Clark, noting his even breathing and the way that the flickering orange glow of the flames softened his features, even as they made her own shadow dance upon the walls.
She wondered if she should go down to the common room and get Clark something to eat. He dearly needed food, but Lois was neither willing to wake him nor to leave his side.
There was a flash of light in the room. Lois looked up, tearing her eyes from Clark's face. When the light receded, Tempus stood before her. Clark awoke with a start, seeming to sense the danger. Tempus pulled his firearm out, leveling it at Lois' chest.
"You really are irritating, you know that?" he sneered. " And I'm getting tired of this game. Every time I have the perfect plan, you two have to ruin it. Not this time though."
Lois eased herself in front of Clark, trying to protect him as best she could. She wondered if she should try to rush Tempus and wrest the gun from him.
"No, no, Lois," Tempus said, flicking the gun's safety off as he spoke. "I plan on killing you first. You and that half breed abomination that you are carrying within you. Oh yes, I know all about it. One of the perks of being from a Utopian future where everyone learns the history of Lois and Clark in school. I want to see the look of pain in Superman's eyes when his world crumbles. It's just more fun that way."
Clark struggled to get out of his bed. The antidote that Xena had given him was working, though slowly. His vision was no longer blurry and his head no longer ached. But he was still weak and his limbs still felt heavy.
"You are history...ancient history," Tempus grinned. "And so is Utopia."
His finger began to squeeze down the trigger. Lois leapt at him in a blind effort to knock the gun from his hands. She reached him and jerked his arm upwards. The bullet that was meant for her struck a crossbeam in the room's ceiling. Tempus grabbed Lois around her throat and roared in rage. As his grip on her tightened, she heard a solid thwack! and saw Tempus' eyes roll back into his head. He loosened his grip and stumbled forward a step, dropping the gun. There was a crunch of plastic beneath his feet. Then he slumped to the floor.
Gabrielle stood behind him, her staff still raised.
"I've been wanting to do that since you first told me about him," Gabrielle said, a grin on her face. "Hope you don't mind."
Lois grinned right back at her. "Not at all." She rubbed her neck where she could still feel the pressure of Tempus' fingers on her skin. She tried not to be too revolted by his touch.
Gabrielle crossed the room to where their saddle bags were piled. She rummaged through the one that Xena used and pulled out a length of sturdy rope.
"This should be enough," she said, eyeing first the rope, and then Tempus. "Here, give me a hand, Lois." Gabrielle looked at Clark. "You need to lay down."
Lois knelt next to the time traveler, taking the gun away from his reach. She put it on the tiny square of a bedside table. Turning back to her old enemy, she helped Gabrielle to secure Tempus' hands behind his back. Gabrielle took the dagger that Xena had used to cut away Clark's armor and sliced the rope, then used the remainder to bind Tempus' feet. Once he was secured, Lois helped to prop him against a wall, then searched until she found the time window that he kept on himself. The crunch of plastic that Lois had heard had been the time window. It lay shattered in a thousand tiny pieces on the scuffed wooden floor.
"The time window!" Lois said to Clark. "He must have dropped it and stepped on it. It's broken."
"Then let's hope Autolycus was able to get the Chronos Stone," Xena's voice said from the doorway.
To Be Continued...
