Identity
Chapter 6 – Court
Revenge + 6 weeks
As Lo-Lo approached the county court house, she could hardly believe that it had come to this. Two weeks ago, she’d finally reached the point where she felt comfortable in her new life. First, and most importantly, Clark had agreed to start making detailed wedding plans. Also, after no small struggle, she’d found a writing style that suited her new outlook and that Perry had declared to be acceptable. And, the most unexpected development, she had a new best girlfriend.
In some ways, it felt odd that she was setting aside at least one night each week for a girls night out, but it was so much fun. At first, she almost hadn’t done it. After all, what could be better than spending every evening in Clark’s arms? But he’d convinced her that she needed to get used to being out in the world with her new personality. Even with Clark’s encouragement, it probably wouldn’t have happened without Cat’s help.
Lo-Lo was grateful that Cat had made such an effort to be her friend. Who would have thought that the columnist would become her best friend? In her Lois days, she’d never gotten along with Cat. But as had been the case with her relationship with Clark, Revenge allowed her to see the positive aspects of Cat that she’d dismissed before. There were still parts of Cat’s personality that Lo-Lo didn’t exactly admire, but they didn’t seem to be a big deal anymore. Cat was just a fun and free-thinking person. Lo-Lo didn’t understand why Lois had been so up tight about the things that Cat did. Their girls-night-outs were a blast. After the third time out together, Cat had even stopped trying to get her to “sample” any of the men they met on these outings.
She found that she enjoyed clubbing more than she ever remembered as Lois. She danced and flirted a bit with the men she met on these evenings, but she had no interest in letting it go beyond that with anyone but Clark. There had only been one instance of a man trying to not take “No” for an answer, but Cat had intervened and everything had turned out fine. Afterwards Lo-Lo had been so impressed with the way Cat had flattened that jerk that she’d gotten her friend to promise a few lessons in handling that kind of man.
But then, just as she thought she’d hit her stride, she got the call that Lex Labs had developed a cure for Revenge. Dr. Jensen had suggested that she take it right away. For Lo-Lo this was a no-brainer. She loved her new life and wasn’t interested in a cure, so she declined.
That news led to a long talk with Clark that evening. He thought she should take the treatment. In fact, he was really worried about the fact she didn’t want to risk going back to being Lois. He spent most of an evening trying as hard as he could to convince her that she should take the cure. However, once she made her position and feelings clear, he’d reluctantly agreed to support her decision. But since that day he’d refused to talk any more about wedding plans. Clark didn’t know that since that night, every time she thought about their now-obviously-cancelled wedding, she broke down in tears. She knew that he loved her, but he loved Lois more. She feared that no matter what their future held, he’d always long for Lois over her.
She stopped on the sidewalk looking up the steps that led into the courthouse building. “I don’t want to be here,” she mused aloud.
Clark had been true to his word and had not let go of her hand the whole time they’d been walking toward the building. “I know,” he said reassuringly. “But we don’t have a choice. Your mom was way more determined than we thought she’d be.”
“She can be that way, but there’s more going on here than just my mom,” Lo-Lo replied, never taking her eyes off the imposing building in front of them. “I know she wanted to do this, but I don’t think she would have been able to make it happen on her own. I think she’s getting legal and financial help from somewhere else.”
“Your dad?” Clark suggested.
She turned to Clark. “No. I was able to reach my dad and he didn’t know anything about any of this. He didn’t even know what Revenge was.”
“Then… who?” Clark asked, clearly confused.
“Lex,” Lo-Lo said accusingly.
“Luthor?” Clark countered in a tone of disbelief.
“Don’t you remember the way he acted when he found out that I wasn’t interested in him?” Lo-Lo challenged. “I do. I can still hear his, ‘I will bring Lois back,’ echoing in my mind.”
“Sure,” Clark counted in soothing tones. “We always figured that was why he was funding the Lex Labs research into Revenge and developing a cure.”
“And they succeeded,” Lo-Lo cut him off. “But then I refused to take it.”
“And you think that moved him to help your mom? I guess it makes sense. When he decides that he wants something, the man can be very determined. And he wants you.”
“No,” she said sharply. “He wants Lois. I’m nothing more than something that’s keeping him from her.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.
“Lo, he’s got to figure that even if he were to force you to undergo the treatment for Revenge, you’re likely to remember that you aren’t interested in him anymore.”
“The way I am now, he’ll never have me. He knows that. I’m sure he also knows that one-half of the people who have been treated for long term Revenge have little to no memory of the time they were affected. He’s got to figure that my taking the cure for Revenge gives him a fifty-fifty chance of getting me back. I’m sure he sees those odds as too good to pass up.”
Clark seemed to consider her words. “I don’t think Dr. Jensen is part of the plan… at least not knowingly. Even she said that the evidence continued to show no long-term health risk to remaining untreated,” Clark said supportively.
“But she’s scheduled to speak against me in this competency hearing. I’m convinced Lex is behind this. There had to be some special pressure applied to get this in front of a judge. Especially to get this to happen so quickly.”
Clark glanced at his watch, “Lo, we need to get inside. The proceeding is about to start.”
They reached the courtroom with only a minute to spare. Lo-Lo’s lawyer, Cynthia Bryce was already there and ready. She released Clark’s hand and continued to the front of the courtroom alone. Cynthia had insisted that it would look better if Clark didn’t sit with her, so he was in the gallery in the back of the courtroom.
After another minute, the bailiff told them to stand and the judge entered. He sat down, looked at the papers in front of him and turned to his bailiff. “Harry, is everyone here?” He seemed to have a nice voice.
“Yes, Judge.”
The Judge looked around the room. “Ms. Ellen Lane has challenged the competency of her daughter Ms. Lois Lane and is seeking power of attorney for the purpose of compelling her to receive medical treatment. Are both Ms. Lanes present and have representation?”
The lawyer sitting next to her mom stood. “Yes, your honor,” he said. “I’m Bob Jones and will be representing Mrs. Ellen Lane.”
The judge turned to face her table.
Cynthia stood. “Your honor, my name is Cynthia Bryce and I’m representing Ms. Lois Lane here beside me,” Cynthia said, gesturing in her direction.
“Very well. Before I begin, let me review what we’re doing. This is not a trial. No one is accused of a crime. This is a hearing and based on the information and testimony presented, I am charged with deciding if Mrs. Ellen Lane will be granted the authority she is seeking.” Then the judge turned to the opposition table. “Mr. Jones, your opening statement please.”
The other lawyer stood up. “Thank you, Judge. On November 28, my client’s daughter, Ms. Lois Lane, was a victim of a chemical attack. The chemical was a drug called Revenge that altered the personality of its victims. The majority of those victims spent 36 hours in various states of believing that they were in love. In most cases, these individuals spent that time in pursuit of the first person that they saw for which they felt any attraction. Fortunately, for almost everyone that the drug affected, the symptoms wore off after approximately 36 hours. Generally speaking, those people who were afflicted with Revenge deeply regretted the things they did and the decisions they made while under the influence.”
“Unfortunately for some, such as my client’s daughter, the drug did not wear off completely. She has continued to suffer from a personality change due to the chemical. Research performed by Lex Labs discovered that there were seven victims – Lois Lane and six others – who remained affected by Revenge after the 36 hour period of primary exposure. Approximately two weeks ago, Lex Labs developed a treatment that completely reverses the effect of Revenge. We are here today because in her affected state, Lois has refused the treatment. It is our intent to show that due to the chemical, she is not in a position to make this decision. Our petition for power of attorney is only to compel Lois to receive that treatment. Once she has been cured of her exposure to the drug, she is free to get back to her own life with no further interference or loss of rights to make her own decisions.”
The whole speech sent a chill through Lo-Lo. Everything he said was true. What if they could convince the judge that she was unable to make decisions for herself?
“Ms. Bryce, your opening statement please,” the Judge said.
Cynthia stood. “Thank you, your honor. My client doesn’t contest the fact that she was and is affected by the Revenge drug. However, after considering her options and with due deliberation, my client has declined treatment. Our view is that this is a disagreement between Lois and her mother and it is our intent to demonstrate that she is fully competent and that there is no basis for stripping Lois of her right to make her own medical decisions.”
“Very well,” the judge said. “Mr. Jones, please present your arguments.”
“Dr. Althea Jensen, please take the stand.”
Dr. Jensen took the stand and was sworn in. Lo-Lo struggled to pay attention while Dr. Jensen went over the way Revenge altered brain function. This was all old news and Lo-Lo really wished Clark could be sitting with her. This was very stressful and she wanted him next to her so that he could hold her hand.
“So they have the same pattern of regret as the people that were only affected for 36 hours?” the other lawyer said, suddenly in a tone loud enough to capture Lo-Lo’s attention.
“That is correct,” Dr. Jensen answered. “We were actually surprised how similarly the other six people reacted after they were treated for Revenge. Three of these people have amnesia very similar to the short-term victims. For all of them, the brain chemistry was very similar to the short-term affected.”
“Dr. Jensen, based on your knowledge of those treated, did all of them take the treatment voluntarily.”
“No, only two of the affected took the treatment voluntarily,” she replied. “The other four were compelled to do so.” Lo-Lo hadn’t heard this part before. So she wasn’t the only person that liked their new life. That very thought gave her hope that she’d get through this.
“So, just like Lois, they did not want to be treated.” Lo-Lo didn’t like the voice of her mom’s lawyer. He sounded so much like a… lawyer.
“That is correct,” Dr. Jensen replied.
“Why were they treated?”
Now Lo-Lo was listening intently. She had an urge to blurt out, ‘Yeah, why!’
“There were other people that worked to compel them. Three of the four were married and had abandoned their spouse. For them, the spouse was involved in the decision. However, my involvement was in administering the treatment, not in arranging for the person to be there.”
At this point Cynthia stood. “Your honor, I object to this line of questioning. Dr. Jensen is offering hearsay.”
“Your honor,” the other lawyer cut in, “this is only foundational. We will be presenting testimony from the individuals. Dr. Jensen’s testimony is important as she is one of the few people that have interacted with all of the victims of the extended time Revenge affliction.”
The judge paused for a few seconds. “Given the nature of what we are trying to achieve, I’ll allow this. But Mr. Jones, I expect to hear from the individuals that Dr. Jensen is describing. Please continue.”
“Thank you, your honor,” he replied. “Now, Dr. Jensen, have you met with any of these people since they were treated?”
“Yes, all of them.”
“And, after the fact, how did they feel about being treated.”
She turned and looked directly at Lo-Lo. “Every one of them thanked me for giving them their life back.”
“What about the four who were treated against their will?” the lawyer asked.
“They have been the most thankful,” Dr. Jensen answered.
Lo-Lo had known all this, but it scared her nevertheless. She suddenly had an image of Lois locked behind a door trying to get out. Lo-Lo knew she was doing the right thing. But what if she wasn’t?
“Thank you, Dr. Jensen.” And Mr. Jones went back to his desk.
Cynthia stood. “No questions.” Lo-Lo was glad that Cynthia had briefed her on the plan. Since they were not going to challenge the technical testimony, there were no issues of fact about which to ask Dr. Jensen.
“Doctor, you are dismissed,” the Judge said.
Mr. Jones had never sat down. “We call Clark Kent,”
Lo-Lo knew this was coming since Clark had been served with a subpoena. She was sure that Clark would never deliberately hurt her, but he had this bad habit of telling the exact truth no matter what. That might work against them.
The lawyer went after him as soon as he was sworn in. “Mr. Kent, what is your present relationship with Lois Lane?”
“We’re engaged to be married.”
“Isn’t it true that she also lives with you?”
“Yes, she does.”
“Prior to Lois being exposed to Revenge, were you engaged?”
“No.”
“Were you living together?”
“No.”
“Were you involved romantically?”
Clark hesitated. She could imagine him reviewing what she’d told him about her pre-Revenge feelings. “Not really,” he answered after several long seconds.
The layer paused for a second. “Mr. Kent, what does ‘Not Really’ mean? Were you and Lois Lane actively involved in a romantic relationship prior to her exposure to Revenge?”
Clark let out a long sigh. “No,” he said in a morose tone.
“Are you familiar with the behavior that Dr. Jensen described earlier as the norm for the initial exposure to Revenge?”
“I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“Did you see how most people acted during the first 36 hours after they came in contact with the drug?”
“If you mean where the people would aggressively pursue the person with whom they became infatuated, then yes, I saw that at the Daily Planet.”
“During that attack on the Daily Planet, was Lois exposed?”
“Yes.”
“Who did Lois lock on to?”
“Me.”
“At the time, how did you feel about her behavior?”
“It was scary. I knew Lois wasn’t acting like herself. I did my best to keep things under control.”
“So you were in control of yourself?”
“Yes. By chance, I missed being exposed. I’m not sure how.”
“What did you do during that time? I mean with respect to Lois and her attentions.”
“I kept my distance.”
“Why?”
“She clearly wasn’t herself.”
“So you could see that a person under the influence of Revenge was not in control of their actions?”
“Based on what I saw, I’d have to agree with that.”
“Mr. Kent, have you seen the medical data from Lois’s tests?”
“Yes.”
“So you know that from a medical perspective, she is still suffering the effects of Revenge?”
“I know that the reports say that she hasn’t completely recovered. I also know that her behavior now is nothing like when she was first exposed.”
Lo-Lo expected the lawyer to challenge Clark on that last part, but instead he let it go by.
“Lois moved into your apartment on December 1,” the lawyer continued without missing a beat. “Do you believe that she would have done that had she not been exposed to Revenge?”
“No. She would not.”
“I’m done,” said Mr. Johnson.
Cynthia stood up and went over to Clark. “Mr. Kent, are you from Smallville, Kansas?”
“Yes.”
“Did you and Lois do a story from Smallville before she was exposed to Revenge?”
“Yes.”
“When the two of you were in Smallville, where did Lois stay?”
“We both stayed at my parent’s house.”
“So when Lois was at your parent’s house, where did she sleep?”
“In my old room,” he answered. Then he added quickly, “I slept on the sofa.”
“While you were in Smallville with Lois, did you go to the corn festival?”
Clark flashed his first big smile since he’d taken the stand. Lo-Lo had come to love the corn festival. They both viewed that Smallville trip as the first small beginning of their romantic relationship. Cynthia thought it would be critical since it established a pre-Revenge foundation for her most obvious post-Revenge decision.
“Yes. It was fun. We did the carnival events, the dance, everything.”
“So while you were on that assignment, you took Lois on a date to the corn festival?”
“Yes.”
“So before Revenge, your relationship was, if not romantic, more than just coworkers?”
“Yes.”
“And the two of you were interacting in ways that were foundational for a developing personal relationship.”
“Yes.”
“No more questions.”
Clark smiled brightly at Lo-Lo as he returned to his seat in the gallery. That seemed to go well.
“I call Perry White,” said Mr. Jones
Perry took the stand and was quickly sworn in. Mr. Jones wasted no time in getting started. “Mr. White, how long have you known Lois Lane?”
“Almost five years. I hired her right out of college.”
“Is she a good reporter?”
“She’s the best on my staff.”
“Prior to the Revenge exposure, did Lois usually work alone?”
“Usually, but not always. I have partnered her with other reporters from time to time.”
The lawyer offered Perry a sheet of paper. “Mr. White, here’s a list of articles from the Daily Planet. Please look at the list and tell me if it looks familiar.”
Perry took the list and looked at it for a moment. “This looks like a list of Lois’s work from early 1993.”
“Where did this come from?”
“As part of the proceeding, I was asked to prepare several lists of articles published in the Daily Planet that Lois authored. This is one of those.”
“Mr. White, this indicates that in the month of March 1993, Lois authored fifty-three articles. All of these are marked with Lois Lane as the only reporter. Does this seem correct based on your recollections of the publishing history of the Daily Planet and Lois’s contribution?”
“I believe that this list is correct.”
He handed Perry another list. “Mr. White, this list is from the month of October 1993. It indicates that in that span Lois authored fifty-seven articles. Forty-eight of these were solo and nine were co-authored with Mr. Kent. Please look at this list and tell us if it looks correct.”
Perry looked over the list. “It does.”
“Okay, one more list. I promise that this is the last one. This list covers the articles for the past month up through last Friday’s edition of the Planet. This indicates that this past month, Lois has been involved in forty-six articles. Of these, forty-one with Mr. Kent and five have been with Catherine Grant. Please examine this list.”
“This looks right.”
“Do you have an explanation for the recent lack of solo articles from Lois?”
“She’s had a hard time adjusting after Revenge.”
“Mr. White, do you know if Lois has ever been recognized for excellence in reporting?”
“Yes,” Perry answered, pride clearly present in his voice. “She’s won the Kerth award for exceptional journalism three years in a row. She’s always sworn she’ll win a Pulitzer.”
“Based on her body of work and she talent she showed in earning those Kerth awards, do you believe Lois Lane could win a Pulitzer?”
“Absolutely. She has the skill and the fire.”
“Fire?” the lawyer asked.
“Fire,” Perry reiterated. “Son, in the news business it isn’t enough to be a talented writer or even a good investigator. You have to have a drive… a hunger for getting to the bottom of things. You have to eat and breathe your profession and commitment. That’s fire.”
The lawyer paused as if considering a follow up, but after only a second or so, he moved on. “Mr. White, who is Lo-Lo?”
Lo-Lo felt her mouth drop. Somehow, she hadn’t expected to hear that name during the trial today.
Perry hesitated for a long time. “That is Lois’s nickname in the office.”
“When was the first time you heard her use the name Lo-Lo?”
“The day after everyone else recovered from Revenge.”
“Since she has been going by Lo-Lo, have you ever heard her speak of Lois as if she were another person?”
Perry hesitated again. He looked like he was in pain.
“Mr. White,” the lawyer said, more intently this time. “Have you heard her speak of Lois as if she were someone else?”
“Yes,” Perry replied reluctantly. “But it just makes it easier for her to differentiate the time before Revenge.”
“Of course,” the lawyer said, his voice thick with disbelief. “Let me clarify an earlier point. Lois only started using this different name – Lo-Lo – after the Revenge attack. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Perry admitted in a defeated tone.
“Mr. White, in your professional opinion, in her present condition, does… Lo-Lo have what it takes to ever win a Pulitzer?”
Perry simply sat mute.
“Mr. White. Consider that the whole point of this hearing is to do what’s best for Lois. We are trying to determine if being under the influence of Revenge has affected her in a negative way. So, in her present condition, will she win that Pulitzer?”
“No.” Perry answered, barely above a whisper. “She’s lost the fire.”
TBC
Bob
