Clark and Lois The Lost Years Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 3 42/46
By Ken Janney
This version is rated PG-13
* denotes emphasis *
< denotes thoughts >
[ playback of a recording or TV Commentary] / telepathic communications /
(#) footnotes
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Reminder:
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 - Canon Lois and Clark universe also called – Prime
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 – Canon Alt Clark universe also called – Alt 1
Previously:
Bill charged the door to the office and burst it open. He had drawn his gun as he had charged the door. As the door opened he shouted “Luthor, you’re under arrest!” True to his training he didn’t just charge through the door instead he dropped as he hit the door and hit the floor rolling into the room. That was the only thing that saved his life. A bullet slug buried itself in the door where his body would have been if he had been still standing. His roll stopped when he was on his stomach. His hands were straight in front of him and pointed in the general direction of Luthor. He shouted “Drop it Luthor!”
Luthor chose not to heed the order and started to shift his aim to shoot Henderson. The amount that Bill had to shift was less and he squeezed off a shot before Luthor got lined up. Luthor dropped, the bullet hitting him center of mass, very close to the heart.
Lois pushed through to get to him.
He was dying and he knew it. He said “How?”
She knelt down close to him and said in a tone only he could hear “Charlie and Linda send their regards. That’s for all the lives you’ve ruined you bastard.”
As he heard those names, a look of pure hate took over his features as he took his last breath.
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 42 – Superman and Superwoman to the Rescue
Two weeks later
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Luthor expose had been front page news for over a week. Word had filtered back that the story was being nominated for not only a Kerth Award but a Meriwether and was in the running for a Pulitzer.
The team of Lane and Kent were still doing follow-ups even after two weeks but it was beginning to look as though the end might be in sight. The collapse of the Luthor Empire had left the rackets in Metropolis and elsewhere in disarray. The smaller groups were squabbling and there were ‘strong men trying to muscle in and take over at least pieces of what Luthor had previously controlled.
As a result of the investigation and the credit and notoriety brought to the department Detective Lieutenant William Henderson was promoted to Inspector in a ceremony covered by the press. Prominent among the press corps were Lois Lane and Clark Kent who after the ceremony were among the few that Henderson greeted personally. “I don’t know how to thank you guys. If it wasn’t for you and the work you did on this investigation before you even brought it to me this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Bill we came to you because we believed you to be an honest cop. We are well satisfied at the outcome. You deserve this promotion. We are just happy to have had a small hand in it.”
“Thanks Clark. You and Lois are actually the only reporters in this city that give the force an honest break. You report the news fairly and factually which is saying a lot. My door will always be open to you.”
Lois said, “We appreciate that Bill. We always strive to be accurate and fair. That’s kinda our trademark. Oh, by the way, keep an eye on the Planet. Perry is talking about starting a new advertising campaign. He’s going to be billing us as ‘The Hottest Team in Town’ because of this story.”
After another round of handshakes they took their departure.
In the privacy of their home Clark and Lois were discussing the current state of affairs. “Lois, as you know in my ‘old’ reality I had a public presence as Superman. We’ve been doing some of the things I did when we were breaking up those robberies. It felt good to get back to doing something positive. Even doing it in disguise like that. How do you feel about it?”
“I had never done anything like that before but I really felt good about what we were able to do. I’d kinda like to keep doing it. The only question is how. You said that before everyone knew that you were Superman. How was that as far as your privacy? Did the press hound you all the time?”
“You have no idea. Sometimes it was almost unbearable. I’ve told you a little about my friends the other Lois and Clark. Clark uses a costume his mother made him. Mine was patterned after it. The idea was that as Clark he hides out in the open. He wears glasses, loose suits, his hair in a different style and assumes a different attitude when in the Suit. As Clark he’s relaxed but in the suit he’s very formal and almost stilted.”
“Personally I didn’t see how he was able to pull it off but Lois seemed convinced that it was effective. I was thinking I could try the same thing. Now that we’ve finished up on Luthor I think it’s about time to move ahead on this.”
“Can you draw something for me to look at?”
“Sure!” Going over to the desk he pulled out a sketch pad and pencils, some of them colored and started to draw. When he finished he had a full color rendition of him in the suit. He turned the pad around so that Lois could see it.
“Wow! Doesn’t leave much to the imagination, does it?”
“Well, that actually is another thing about it. The eye is drawn away from the face to look at ‘other’ parts of the body. It helps with the disguise.”
“I’m sure it would! Wow, I can’t wait to see you in it in living color. When can we start working on it? What do you think mine should look like?”
Clark sounded somewhat shocked as he asked “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Why not? I have your powers, I’ve been helping stop crimes and I want to continue to help. What’s stopping me?”
“Okay, how about this?” He started sketching again. When he finished he turned the pad around for her perusal.
She took it in hand and looked at it closely. He had drawn a suit similar to his covering her from shoulders to toes with a long cape. “It’s okay, but how about this?” She started modifying the sketch. When she finished she handed it back to him.
He looked at it and caught his breath. “Are you sure? I mean I’d love it, but wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable?”
“The idea is to draw the eye away from the face isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know if I want my wife running around in public dressed like that.”
“I think it would help to hide my identity, maybe if we add a mask?”
“It’s not how much of your face that’s showing I’m having a problem with.”
Lois giggled at this response and winked at him as she replied, “I know, but, isn’t that the object?” She giggled some more, “You think I’ll look that good huh?”
The drawing after Lois modified it looked like she would be wearing a blue Speedo swim suit with marching blue gloves that came up to her elbows, a pleated micro mini skirt in red and a red cape somewhat shorter than his reaching only to her waist and red boots that came to mid calf. A yellow belt would complete the outfit. The Star Sapphires would be stored in pockets in her belt, gloves and boots. Since her earrings were on posts and not dangles she would continue to wear the earrings but they would have disguising covers over them to hide their true appearance. The same ‘S’ shield as on Clark’s uniform in a somewhat smaller size would grace her chest.
“I guess it’d be okay. I do think the idea of a mask is a good one. I always felt uncomfortable, afraid that someone would recognize me. How about this … “ He started drawing again. When finished he showed it to Lois. The mask would be a band of material covering the face from hairline to below the eyes. hiding most of the face and allowing the hair to be free with eye holes. Both would wear the same style mask.
“I like it. Let’s get started on them. I think we can go to a sporting goods store for the basics. A speed skating suit for you and a bathing suit for me.”
“Okay, but what say we go to Colorado for the speed skating suit and Florida for the swim suit. I need a pair of Speedo trunks to complete mine anyhow.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s see two hours difference between here and Colorado, shops should still be open. How about California for the swim suits instead of Florida? They should still be open while Florida’s will be closed already.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
They went out into the back yard and hand in hand took off for the ski slopes and shops of Colorado.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They spent the weekend preparing their costumes. Once finished they modeled for each other.
Staring at Lois, Clark got a rueful look on his face. He could see that there was a potential problem but was having a problem addressing it. “I’m not so sure about this. When we are out together in these outfits I’m going to embarrass myself just by looking at you.”
“What about me? My nipples are getting hard just looking at you.” They both laughed. “I guess they are effective at that.” Lois shrugged. “Maybe we need to look at the perps and not at each other?”
“Well, okay, we can try it that way,” Clark answered thoughtfully, “Now that we have the costumes, where do we begin? The problem now is, how do we announce ourselves?”
After a moment’s thought, Clark answered his own question with the suggestion “I think that the first major disaster or crime we hear about we’ll make our debut.”
Lois was a little nervous and it was evident in her voice as she said, “You’ll have to help me. I don’t think I’ll be too nervous since we did those jobs on the robberies, but you never know.”
“You’ll do just fine. All we have to do now is to wait until the right event comes along.”
Almost as soon as Clark had finished speaking there was an announcement of a multi-car pileup on the interstate. The announcement said that emergency crews were having a hard time getting to the scene because of the extent of road covered by the wrecks and there were concerns for injuries. Since they hadn’t had time to remove their respective costumes Clark looked over at Lois and said “Looks like we have our chance. Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go. Superman and Superwoman to the rescue!”
They stepped out their back door. Superman stretched out his hand to Superwoman. She clasped it in hers and they took off straight up at superspeed and headed for the interstate.
As they approached the scene Clark thought /Use your x-ray and telescopic vision to start checking the cars. I’ll take the busses and trucks. If I finish with them before you finish with the cars, I’ll start helping with them./ They both used their telescopic vision to assess the situation. The pileup covered a distance of several miles. The roadway had been slicked up by a leaking tanker truck. There were several busses in the mix along with many big rigs as well as a lot of cars. They hovered above the scene for a few seconds to evaluate the situation.
Superman thought to Superwoman /The first priority is the injured. Use your x-ray vision to scan the cars, then take the most severely injured first. Don’t worry about damaging the vehicles we need to extricate any injured. If there are any non-life threatening injuries take them to the side where the paramedics are setting up immediately. If you feel your powers starting to wane come join me to recharge./
She squeezed his hand and thought /Got it. Let’s go to work, partner./
They separated. Superwoman went to the front of the accident scene and started checking the occupants of the cars. The very first one she checked was the one with the most damage. Crushed front and rear. There was a woman with a child in a child safety seat. The woman was unconscious as was the child. She ripped the door off its hinges and released the child safety seat from its belts. She then released the woman from her belt. She reached in and cradled the woman in her arms. She picked up the child, safety seat and all, and placed it on the woman’s abdomen holding it in place with one hand as she took off for the hospital. When she reached MetGen she landed and carried the victims inside, placing the woman on a gurney with the child next to her. She called a nurse over. “These are the first of the victims of the accident on the interstate. We’ll try to distribute them among the hospitals, but, you need to be prepared for a lot of patients in a rather short time.”
“Who are you?”
“A friend.” Superwoman turned and took off.
As she took off she could hear the awed exclamation “Wow!” She looked back and waved and then increased her speed to get back to the accident scene.
It was only a couple of minutes later that Superman arrived at MetGen with the first of his victims. “This is the driver of one of the busses involved. I think he’s had a heart attack!”
“Put him on this gurney. We’ll take it from here. Who are you?”
“A friend.”
“Okay friend. Thanks for the help.”
“I’ll be back with more as will my partner.” /How are you doing?/
/Coming in with another one./
“My partner’s on her way in with another. She’ll be her in a few seconds.”
“Thanks for the heads up! Get ready people.”
The staff at the hospital realizing that it was not going to take a long time to fill up the ER, called in additional staffing and allocated additional beds on the floors as overflow. It would have been less of a problem if they had had to wait for the paramedics to bring patients in since they would have come in in dribs and drabs but this rapid delivery of sick and injured was going to strain their resources. The doctor in charge of the ER realized it was a two edged sword. On one side their resources were going to be stressed but on the other the rapid delivery would ensure prompt treatment. This way was preferable. The doctor had been monitoring the med channels and knew that the medics had not even been able to get to the scene and here was his ER filling up with some seriously injured people that thanks to the prompt treatment would live to see another day. These two new superheroes were really doing a tremendous service.
This continued for several hours. Lois noticed no reduction of her powers after several hours of strenuous effort and was really feeling good about what she was doing. She was checking another car as she saw Superman lift off with yet another victim and smiled. She spoke to the occupant of the vehicle and determined that all she needed to do was remove the door so that the occupant could exit. She did that and moved to the next car. She had noticed that the number of seriously injured was diminishing and was grateful that things were slowing down. By this time the paramedics were on scene and some of the injured were being extricated by the fire service and turned over to them.
The fire service personnel, seeing what Superman and Superwoman were doing started calling them over when they had an extremely difficult extrication asking them to pull off doors or remove roofs since they were a lot faster than using the ’jaws of life’. In these instances generally the victim was one of those needing to be air lifted to a hospital.
After a while Superwoman was between rescues and saw Superman as he was returning from the hospital and flew up to join him. When she was in the air she stopped and hovered until he joined her. “I’m seeing fewer and fewer people needing to be air lifted. How about you?”
“I’m seeing the same thing. How about this. There’s the chief down there. Let’s go introduce ourselves and let him tell us what he needs.”
“Good idea. Let’s go.” Clark reached out and she took his hand and they flew down and landed near the fire chief.
As they landed the chief turned to them and said “I don’t know where you people came from but you sure have been a godsend. I don’t know how many of the people you took to the hospitals would have made it if they had had to wait for us to arrive. Who are you anyway?”
Superman took the role of spokesman, “We are friends and are here to help. We arrived recently and decided that we couldn’t sit on the sidelines and allow people to die if it could be prevented by our intervention.”
“Well your intervention today sure saved a lot of people. For the fire service and for the city of Metropolis thank you and welcome. Where do you come from?”
“We’ll be holding a press conference in the near future to fill everyone in. I’d like to wait till then if you don’t mind.”
“After what you’ve done for us today, I don’t care if I never find out. I’m just happy you’re here now.”
“What further assistance do you require from us today?”
“I think we can handle the rest of it from here. The rest are just glorified fender benders.”
“In that case we’ll be on our way. With as much of your resources as there are tied up here with this incident we may be needed in the city.” Superman reached for Superwoman’s hand. She placed hers in his and they took off.
The fire chief watched as they flew away and shouted “How do we get hold of if we need you?”
The duo stopped and hovered and Superwoman replied “Oh, we’ll be around when we’re needed. Bye!” They flew off and did a patrol of Metropolis. There were a number of robberies in process. Criminals seeing that a lot of police resources were being sent to the accident scene had thought that they had a good chance of not getting caught. Clark thought /Let’s split up. There’s a high speed chase and a bank robbery. Which one do you want?/
/I’ll take the high speed chase./
/Be careful./
/I will./ She flew down next to the getaway car. The perp pulled out a gun and fired point blank at her. The bullet bounced off her invulnerable chest. She grabbed the gun out of his hand and crushed it. Then she reached in the window and turned the engine off. When the car slowed she opened the door and dragged the perp out holding him a foot off the ground until the police drove up. One officer approached warily while the other covered the scene with his drawn gun.
“Here you go officer. I don’t think you’ll have any further trouble with this one.” She set him back on his feet but held him until the officer had the cuffs on him. She then handed the officer the crushed gun.
He said “Thanks uh, Ms … ?”
“Just a friend. See you around.” She lifted off and took up station high over center city. From this vantage point she scanned the city. She spotted Clark as he was handling the bank robbery and watched using her x-ray and telescopic vision.
Superman had interrupted a bank robbery already in progress. He used his superspeed to disarm the robbers and then used the velvet cables used in the queue lines to tie them up. The bank guard came over after having retrieved his weapon. “Think you can keep them here till the police arrive?”
Lois thought to Clark /I see the getaway car. I’ll get the driver./
/Okay, I’ll make sure that these stay put./
“I’m sure of it. Thanks, Mr. Uh … “
“I’m just a friend. We’ll leave it at that for the time being. My partner will be here in a second with the driver of the getaway car.”
Lois walked in holding the driver by the shirt collar and added him to the catch.
“Okay friend. I’ll keep ‘em here. Don’t you worry none.”
Superman and Superwoman took off and climbed into the air over center city and both looking around saw that everything was quiet so they headed home.
comments go here To be continued in Chapter 43 – The Press Conference
