Two Clark Kents. three Lois Lanes and one Herb Wells stood by Herb's dimension traveling machine and gazed at the craft's unconscious occupant. LL fought against her intrinsic terror. It was Kal-El, and he was in a state of complete undress. This was him. The Kryptonian – the one unlike the other two already standing too close to comfort. The one who might wake up and become Earth's new enemy. This was the one she might have to kill.
Clark was lost in his own thoughts, and as such, was unaware of LL's turmoil. He didn't even notice that he was standing so close by her side that a slight shifting of weight might brush his arm against hers. His own wife was pressed into his side, her arm unconsciously wrapped around his waist, and his around her back. The two sets of doppelgangers endeavored to avoid physical contact with each other so as not to upset the natives of this universe, but in the face of shock, they had forgotten their self-imposed rules. Clark, for his part, was lost in the memories of seeing his own beloved Lois unconscious and bruised in this very same machine. After a long moment of silence Clark looked over to Herb and broke the silence.
“This was unexpected,” he said unnecessarily. The sound of his voice shocked LL back to awareness and she realized with a shock how close they were standing. Trying to hide her motions she edged slightly away from him, relieved when he paid her motion no attention. No matter how benign the two Clarks were, she always feared reprisal for things that would have infuriated her one-time captor. She turned an enraged glare towards Herb, angry that he had acted without her consent.
“They were going to kill him,” said Herb succinctly, speaking mostly to LL having picked up that she was furious at his actions. “They thought that 'Lord Kal' had discovered his existence and they decided to kill him to prevent being caught and punished for treason.”
“How do you know?”
“I understand their language and I have an excellent hiding place.”
“Right. Out of time. Out of sight.”
“Something like that.”
“So you just took him. Do you have any idea -” LL was trying to hold off her anger, but she was losing the battle.
“Would you prefer I left him to be killed? As much as you probably hate him, he could well be this world's only hope at freedom.”
LL was silent. She couldn't deny the truth of Herb's words. She stared at Kal-El – disturbed that he was naked, but able to view him with a kind of curious detachment. His face was devoid of expression and he slept on, blithely unaware of the years that had passed him by. A kind of warped version of sleeping beauty. She flushed at that. She was not the princess to wake him up. She was the evil witch, if anything. And yet, he was handsome. Without her tormentor's customary expression of cruelty, Kal-El was one of the most beautiful men she had ever beheld. And perhaps, he was intended in the end to be with her, mirroring those other worlds, but nausea churned in her at the idea. His body was identical to the other's, and the idea of coupling with him made her sick. She dimly saw how Clark and Lois were holding onto each other – obviously seeking comfort from the other and that made her feel sick as well. LL shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. Zara saw the motion and put a comforting hand on her arm. LL looked blindly at her, unable to deny that this Kryptonian had become her closest friend.
“Shall I get him something to wear,” Zara asked LL, aware that his nudity must be troubling to her.
“I'm sure... he'd prefer it,” she responded after a long hesitation. “Being a lord and all... this would be undignified.”
“His state of undress would not trouble him as much as knowing what was done in his name,” Zara said softly. “However... there's the consideration owed to all of the clone's victims.” She eyed Lois carefully as she spoke. Lois turned to her, recognizing her question and shook her head, indicating that Kal-El's nudity didn't trouble her. LL felt a surge of bitterness. Of course it wouldn't. Lois had clearly gotten past her aversion of this particular Kryptonian male body.
“Well... for the sake of others,” said Lane, her voice tentative, “I think we should … address his - exposure.”
“He looks so – innocent,” mused Lois. “I hate to wake him up and bring him to this hard reality. None of this is his fault... and yet, he will pay for years to come.”
“Sacrifices must be made,” said LL, clearing her throat to remove the tightness there. The idea of him hurting troubled her too and she hated to think that she was somehow developing sympathy for the alien. His own lack of due care had caused her world to be overtaken. Kal-El should have known that his people would try something like this and he should have guarded against it. She knew that Zara felt guilt of this very same thing, and therefore it was a legitimate expectation.
Later, they reconvened back in the meeting room. Kal-El was dressed and his unconscious form remained in view of the key resistance members. They were unwilling to leave him alone.
“Well, operation retrieve Kal-El has turned into operation revive Kal-El. I welcome ideas.”
“His vital signs are good,” said one of the Kryptonians who had medical knowledge. “I recommend we keep him away from red radiation and expose him to sun lamps. Without the regular injections, he should recover. His blood shows the presence of a chemical designed to keep him in a metabolic stasis. Now that he's not getting them, he will emerge from this stasis. He might be sick – there may be other unpleasant physical consequences – his body will begin to produce waste again, for example and those of us tending to him will need to keep him clean.”
“Better you than me,” said LL with a shudder. “I'm nobody's handmaiden.”
“We gladly accept this task, Lois. But it will require supplies. I will discuss this with you after.”
“How long do you think it will take for him to wake up?”
“The poison should be out of his system in a matter of a few days. After that, there's nothing that should be keeping him from waking up.”
“And then, we'll find out whether he's friend or foe,” said LL nervously. “I expect that the telepaths amongst us will keep vigilant for any signs of hostility.”
“I will do what I must,” said Zara. “Even if it means invading his mind without his consent. I will find out his true nature. Can I expect your help in this matter,” she asked the two Clarks. “As you are his doppelgangers, you might be able to see past any attempts at deception.”
“I'm not at all comfortable with the whole lack of consent thing,” said Kent. “But if you need my help, I'll give it. God. I feel like I'm sliding down that slope already... the further you get from what you think your ethical choice is... the easier it is to do it again.”
“Stop,” said Lane. “This isn't you being unethical. This is a collective effort to shake off a very dangerous invasion.”
Kent inhaled and then nodded. “I guess.”
“Don't do what makes you uncomfortable,” LL said, surprising him with her attitude. “There are enough Kryptonians here that we can get a wide variety of takes on who he really is.”
Kent nodded at her, grateful for her words. “I will do what you ask, however,” he told her. “I feel it's only right.”
Days had passed and still Kal-El remained asleep. They could no longer take his blood out without exposing him to red radiation and as that was believed to be counterproductive, nobody wanted to do it.
They kept him in an area that was always occupied by a Kryptonian and a human. While LL refused to help tend to his biological needs, she didn't feel like she could trust anyone other than herself or her doppelgangers to protect this particular secret-weapon, so she often times found herself with a Kryptonian physician, trying not to give into the panic she felt at being in Kal-El's presence. After all, hadn't she watched him sleeping so many times after his assault on her? No – not his assault. The other's. And yet, he was identical to that man.
Kal-El stirred fitfully in his sleep and her heart leapt in fear. His eyes flickered open and stared momentarily at her, unseeing, and bile began to rise in her throat. She was going to be sick, but she refused to leave.
“You should leave us,” she told the other Kryptonian. “If I need to, I'm going to use red radiation to keep him from doing any harm.”
The other Kryptonian had no wish to comply, not wanting to expose her human ally to the danger of a hostile Kal-El, but she knew that in order to keep the peace between the humans and Kryptonians, rank had to be respected. LL was the leader, her orders must be obeyed.
“I'll be right outside, Lois,” she said softly. “Send to me if you need help.”
After the door closed, LL released some red-radiation.
Kal-El groaned in pain. She had only released a small emission from her weapon – enough to disable him, but not enough to render him unconscious or further sick. It would wear off in a few hours, so she wanted to act quickly. She wouldn't hesitate to blast him again, but she didn't want to do so more than was necessary. He was their best hope, and killing him would be foolish at this point.
“Kal-El,” she called out. “You must wake up.” She spoke to him in Kryptonian, hating herself for doing do.
His eyes blearily opened and he peered at her in utter confusion. LL fought not to flinch and her heart stuttered in terror as he tried to rise and break free from his restraints.
Unfamiliar pity rushed through her when she saw the flash of panic in his eyes as he took in his unfamiliar surroundings, but she fought it back. She had no place for compassion any more. This was Kal-El. He wasn't human like the Clarks and she would kill this alien if she deemed him a threat. His fear disappeared from his expression and she watched feeling very conflicted as he rearranged his features into calm. Even more amazing, he wasn't displaying any anger either.
“Where am I,” he asked in Kryptonian, his voice hoarse, surprising himself with it's harshness from disuse. She fought against a shudder. He sounded more like her tormentor than the other two. She felt a hand on her shoulder, gentle and steadying and looked over to see Zara. Zara knew that being around another Kryptonian with red-radiation exposure would mildly sicken her, but she didn't care. Zara was there to help no matter what personal pain.
“Greetings, Lord Kal-El,” said Zara in Kryptonian, “I'm Zara. And you are on the planet Earth.”
His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Zara. She looked so different from what he'd expected to see.
There was a hardness to her, as well as a sadness. Dread began to fill his heart. How long had he been asleep and why was he on earth.
“Zara, what happened,” he asked her, still speaking Kryptonian. “Where am I? How are you so changed?”
She smiled sadly at him.
“It has been many years, my husband. I am older than you expect because you have been in stasis for quite some time.”
“Stasis? Was I ill?”
“You were betrayed. Those who wished to invade earth were not pleased by your refusal and they rendered you helpless and replaced you with a clone.”
“What? “ Alarmed, now, he tugged on his restraints. LL stepped back in sudden fear, and he turned to look at the unfamiliar woman, shocked at the wild terror in her eyes. Unable to deal with the waves of fear coming from this other person, he turned back to his supposed mate seeking more answers.
“Were you part of this betrayal,” his voice was steady, but his eyes belied his calm. The idea that his old friend could hurt him this way seemed incomprehensible. And yet – a planet where one would have the powers of the gods – would that be so seductive that even a decent woman could be corrupted?
“No. I am with them,” Zara said, indicating Lois. “I am part of this planet's resistance against the Kryptonian invasion.”
He turned his eyes back to LL who was staring at him in horrified fascination. She stepped back under the intensity of his gaze.
“You are an earth woman?” He still spoke Kryptonian, not sure which of the many earth languages this one spoke. Her fear was making him feel very nervous – he knew that she was very specifically afraid of him, and yet Zara didn't seem to upset her so her fear wasn't directed towards all Kryptonians. He wondered fretfully what his replacement had done to these people to get someone to look at him that way. He knew he didn't want to know and yet it was his duty to find out and help free this world.
After a very long moment, LL nodded tensely.
“Am I your prisoner?”
She nodded again, this time not so tensely. Finding her voice, she spoke in her native language, sure that he would know it based on Zara's instruction.
“We don't know if you can be trusted. If we determine you can you will be free and you will live. Otherwise, we will terminate your life.”
He heard the truth in her words and saw that she had suffered much. Her eyes were bleak and empty and he felt a very strange and compelling yearning in his soul to reach out to this strange alien and comfort her. He pushed that unexpected impulse aside and focused on regaining his calm. The worst thing he could do now was react in a way to trigger more fear and hatred from this woman.
“I am not your enemy. I will submit to whatever testing you need in order to assure you of that fact.” This time he also spoke in the human woman's native language.
“Will you submit to telepathic probing?”
“Yes. Are... are earthlings telepathic?”
“Some of us are,” she snapped. “Thanks to Kryptonians.”
“What? How is this possible?”
“Lord Kal – perhaps it would be best to talk of this later. A lot has happened and all of it is bad.” Zara's voice was soft, but there was steel underneath. LL flinched at Zara's use of the title 'Lord Kal'.
Kal-El understood. This human could communicate this way because she had been a prisoner and forced to endure telepathic sendings – perhaps even as a way of torture.
“I am sorry for that,” he said, his eyes fixed on the woman. There was something about her that made his blood want to freeze. “Zara,” he said, turning his gaze away from the human. “Please do not refer to me as Lord Kal. I would prefer you call me Kal-El and leave off the title.”
