Hi Bob!
Time for one more, at least
The Metropolis General emergency room was not where Lois had planned to be at this time. An hour ago, she'd been sure that she had enough influence to change the destination for Superman's ambulance. However, she'd come face to face with reality.
Oh boy.
Both the military and space establishments had been embarrassed at being out of the loop for the Nightfall Swarm mission, and for the moment, Lois was not going to get any help.
So, she going to do a full write up on that, huh? No matter the cost of *that* endeavor.
And when the story was her husband... well the other reporters won't know what hit them.
She does realize that her get-out-of-jail card is currently unconscious in the hospital, right?
The paramedic glanced her way. Why was he smiling? “You can ask him yourself,” he said as he pulled the gurney out.
Oh boy.
CLARK:
Umm…different hospital, please. One without Lois Lane present.
“Nothing. We couldn't start an IV because the needle wouldn't penetrate his skin. And he was unconscious, so we couldn’t give him anything orally.”
![[Linked Image]](https://cosgan.de/images/smilie/teufel/d075.gif)
He smiled at me.”
“That's great news. So he's going to be okay?” Martha asked.
Well, no amnesia, at least.
“Ms. Lane, this is Veronica Nicholson. Superman came out of the ER room about a minute ago. He super-sped away without saying anything to anyone.
Poor doctors, what a great patient they’ve had.
“What was a wall like that doing there?” Lois asked. “I thought you double checked the building a few days ago to make sure that the plans you had matched the actual building structure.”
Nice one!
“I did,” Clark confirmed. “I thought I had checked everything, but I must have accidentally skipped over that floor. I don't know how I managed to miss that wall during my check. Also, based on all the research that Jerry did before the demolition, that wall should not have been there.”
Lead-covered, maybe?
Lois cut him off with a finger to his lips. “But we can we talk about this in the morning,” she said. “For right now I'd like to spend the rest of the evening showing you how much I missed you.”
Great, we’ll have *another* comatose Superman in the morning…
“Bernie, there's more to this than just taking care of Superman. The person that serves as his doctor will have access to information about him that is very private,” Lois said.
Yes, things like fertility statistics and such.
“I guess there are differences that don't show up in normal tests.”
Yes, like holding up a photo of Lois Lane in front of him as opposed to that of any other woman.
Bernie blanched at her challenge. He'd clearly never run into Mad-Dog Lane. “The preliminary results showed a marked decrease in your abilities.”
Oh boy.
Bernie shook his head. “We don't think so. That was one of the things we were looking for.”
So, his battery pack’s gotten damaged from depleting it too much? Are they sure it’s not just a BIOS issue with a faulty charge readout? And did Lois’s welcome-home activities further his depletion?
You aren't as strong or as tough as you were, but you were so far above anything else, that the loss simply doesn't matter.
What about withstanding nuclear explosions?
“I understand. But one of my coworkers suggested that a lower-level exposure could remove all of your abilities without killing you.”
Ooooh!
“Please,” he pleased defensively, “I'm on your side. But when you have very smart people reviewing data and trying to understand what it means, ideas and meanings get discussed. I promise you that no one involved means you any harm. We are simply trying to understand the data and interpret its meaning. I assure you that none of those discussions ended up in any report.”
*squints* Rrrrrright…
Michael
But these 'associates' of his not so much. Clark has every reason to be concerned.
