Clark and Lois – Two Universes - Matchmaker Chronicle Volume 7 24/32
By Ken Janney
Rating PG-13
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
This particular story takes place after Lois and Clarks.
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
(#) footnotes
/ “denotes telepathic communication”/
[ playback of a recording or TV Commentary]For reference purposes the following will hold true throughout.
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
Alpha -120 x Gamma 255 x Tau -190 – Common name – Alt 2
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously:
The pastor of the church had never done a multiple wedding before and was enjoying himself immensely. He had known Pete and Lana practically all of their lives and Clark while he was growing up. Of course, he had lost track of him when he graduated from high school.
The couples had been given the option of using the standard ceremony and doing it simultaneously but they had opted for individual vows.
Pete Ross’s went first. He said, “Lana, I’ve loved you for a long time. When I wasn’t your choice all I could do was hope that someday you would see me. The day you finally realized that I was there and decided that you felt the same way about me that I did about you was the happiest day of my life. I might not have James’s money or Clark’s powers, but I will do everything in my power to make you happy and take care of you.”
Lana gave her response. “Pete, thank you for being patient with me. You have always been there for me even when I didn’t know it. I know it now and I know that you will be there for me from now on. Please know that I do love you and will for the rest of our lives together.”
Next it was James Olsen’s turn. “Lucy, we’ve known each other for some time. When you lost your sister it was a problem, but now you have found your sister and we have found each other again. I don’t ever want to lose you again and so I promise to be there for you no matter what happens. I’ll take care of you. If you’re sad, I’ll make you laugh. When you’re happy, I’ll be happy too. If you get sick, I’ll take care of you. But, at all times, I’ll love you with all of my heart.”
Then it was Lucy’s turn. “James, when I lost my sister I lost my way and the best friend I had ever had. Now, I’ve found my sister and also my best friend, almost at the same time. I don’t know which made me happier. All I know is that I am happy now. I promise you that now that I’ve found my way back to you, I’ll never lose my way again. I’ll stay by your side. I’ll be your partner, sharing your joys and helping to ease your sorrows. If you are sick I’ll take care of you and at all times, I’ll love you.”
When she had finished, Clark spoke from his heart. “Lois, I lost my family at a young age. When that happened I almost despaired of having a family. When I finally found you, I found fulfillment. I found the one woman I knew that would challenge me and support me. Be my partner, confidant and comforter. The woman I could love with my whole heart and I do. I promise to be there for you, to protect you, to comfort you when you are blue and to take care of you when you need me to. You are the love of my life now and forever.”
With tears of joy in her eyes, Lois replied, “Clark, you are the first man that has ever been able to be my partner on the job that I could tolerate. Somehow when we were teamed up we meshed like two cogged wheels that were made for each other. I found not only a work partner, but a life partner. You are the first man I have really loved and I promise to love you for as long as we live.”
Denny brought the pillow with the rings to Pete, James and Clark. There was a bit of fumbling as they tried to untie the knots in the ribbon. Lucy whispered into the pastor’s ear. He nodded in understanding and stepped over to Denny. Leaning down he asked Denny which rings went to Pete. Denny pointed them out. The pastor followed the ribbon to the end and pulled out the pin that held the ribbon on the pillow and slid the rings off. He did the same for the rings destined for James and Lucy and then those for Lois and Clark.
After the rings were exchanged the three couples turned around and were presented to those present by their now married names.
The reception was held in the church’s fellowship hall and pictures were taken.
Afterward Pete and Lana left on their honeymoon.
Lucy, James, Lois and Clark all returned to the farm.
Lucy and James had their luggage for the honeymoon there. They had decided on Australia for their honeymoon. They were starting in Sydney and working their way north until they reached the Great Barrier Reef. They were going to do some scuba diving there before returning to Metropolis. Lois and Clark saved them the airfare out as their wedding present with Lois flying Lucy and Clark flying James. They landed after dark behind the hotel and dropped off James and Lucy. They took off immediately, before they could be spotted.
Clark returned Jack and Denny to Metropolis and then returned shortly to Lois. Using the TaDT they returned a tired but happy Carrie to Chicago before going to Metropolis. They were going to pursue the investigation into Luckabee and also share the duties of Editor-in-Chief until James returned.
And Now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter – 22 – The Toasters
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 - Local designation – Alt 1
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Luckabee was behind a bar in one of the underground chambers and, as usual, he was drinking. One would think that he was drinking from worry. His hands seemed to tremble slightly, and the neck of the bottle chattered against the rim of the glass as he poured. Being so completely in Smythe’s power was really getting to him, but he couldn’t see any way out now. If he didn’t get that antidote he’d die.
Smythe was lounging in a chair while the sound system played the music from Agrippina by Handel in the background.
Luckabee, the music finally getting to him almost shouted, “What is that caterwauling?”
Smythe didn’t even bother to turn to look at him. He simply said, “That is an opera by Handel. It’s about Nero’s mother making him emperor. It is particularly fitting. Remember what they say, ‘Nero fiddled, while Rome burned.’ Well, our plans for the marina area on Hobbs Bay are about to move ahead. Properties in that area have been going up in flames. He has done a few test runs. Perhaps I should take up the fiddle. That would be particularly appropriate.”
“How are you going to do that without the cops tumbling to it being arson?”
“Among the papers I recovered were directions to a secret storehouse. Most of the items were failed projects from LexLabs Weapons Division. One of the items I found was a device that would heat up objects using sound waves. I have ‘provided’ this technology to an individual who is capable of completing the project. He has assured me that he should have it ready for full implementation shortly. Since it doesn’t rely on flammable materials it will be hard to say for certain that these fires are the result of arson.”
“Why are you doing this? What is it about an upscale marina area that attracts you?” Luckabee asked.
“It was one of the dreams my father had. There are a number of obvious benefits and some not-so-obvious. We will be able to charge exorbitant rental fees for the condos and office space. That is the obvious benefit. One of the not-so-obvious would be having access to the waterfront where we can bring in and send out shipments, under the cloak of darkness, shipments of a, shall we say … sensitive nature. If we had had that when we had the women they could have been put on board a launch and sent out to a ship standing off the coast. It might have made them harder to find.”
“How soon will these fires start happening?”
“The leader of the group has completed the design of the devices and after this test said that he would be ready to move ahead. He has three devices ready and the massed fires will start shortly.”
As if the conversation had been prophetic, the fires had started that very night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Three days later
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A team of three individuals dressed in flame retardant reflective suits similar to those used by firemen at airports, stealthily made their way into the third floor of a vacant building on the outskirts of Hobbs Bay. They each carried a device that looked like a parabolic satellite antenna attached to a box.
They dispersed to three sides of the room in the central part of the building. Each started to hum in a high pitch in an eerie harmony. After a few seconds they each depressed a switch on the box. Immediately, directly in front of the center of the antenna, the paint started to peel from the wall and the material under it started to smoke. A car horn sounded just outside. When that happened the composition board under the paint burst into flame.
With a fire started at each of three walls they gathered in the center of the other wall where the door was.
One of them said, “It’s amazing, what these devices can do. When that horn sounded it sure gave them a boost.”
“Yeah, that really kicked them into high gear all right.”
The first guy asked, “Why is that exactly?”
The third individual, as if explaining to a five year old and apparently the brains behind the device answered, “These devices pick up sound vibrations in the air, amplify it and turn it into energy. It works on the principle that heat is simply the fast motion of the molecules in a substrate. Sound is vibration and is easily used to make molecules move faster. The result is fire and we don’t have to carry any gasoline around. Let’s go down to two.”
The trio, assured that the fire was taking hold, exited. They moved to the second floor and the process was repeated. Finally they did the same thing on the first floor.
Once outside the building they took off the fire suits and stuffed them into backpacks. The antenna looking devices were dismantled and the dish clipped into brackets on the top of the box. Once they were finished they looked like a trio of hip hop fans with their boom boxes.
They moved down the street a distance and watched. Someone must have seen the smoke because suddenly they could hear sirens in the distance, approaching rapidly.
When a crowd started to gather they moved in and mingled with them, watching their handiwork.
When it became apparent that the fire service had the fire under control they drifted off, separately, to meet up again later.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After they were back together, the leader placed a call. When it was answered he heard, “Report.”
“A successful fire. Scratch off another building from your list. How soon do you want the next one?”
“Wait two days. Do you think you can start two separate fires the same night?”
“Sure, as long as they are fairly close together. We’d have to keep the suits on in between and if they aren’t close we could be spotted.”
“In two days see what you can do about two fires at the same time.”
“You got it, Boss. When can we expect payment?”
“You have received your retainer. When the job is done you will receive your balance.”
“We want more of a down payment.”
“I said you have received your retainer.”
“Okay, look, we’ve been thinking this over. You stand to make a lot of money on this deal and we want a bigger payday. We want an additional sixty grand.”
“Our deal was for a total of one twenty.”
“The price just went up. Now it’s one eighty.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“You’ll do more than consider it, you’ll pay it or we let the cops know who is behind these fires.”
“You should think twice about threatening me. Do your job well and there will be a bonus. Go to the police and you will be very sorry that you did.”
“Don’t try to threaten us, big man. You aren’t going to find anyone else with this technology. It was my research that enabled me to complete this device and there is nothing to compare to it. I’ve never tried it on a human subject, but I would guess that they would burn just like a wall does.”
With a tone of menace in his voice, the Boss asked, “Will it burn a bullet out of the air?”
The spokesman for the toasters was visibly shaken by this question. He said, “Let’s not get hasty. I didn’t say I was going to the cops.”
His reply was, “You’d better not, because you wouldn’t live to regret it.” The Boss hung up.
As Smythe hung up the phone he exhaled violently and said, “Threaten me will they? They’ll find out that they can’t do that and get away with it.”
Luckabee asked, “What are you going to do, poison their liquor too?”
Smythe glared at him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So far only buildings that had been condemned anyhow had been torched, but it was only a matter of time until occupied structures were targeted. The problem was that there was no way to anticipate where and when the arsonists would strike next. Superman was able to be there to help the fire service to put out the fires, however so far the flames had been so widespread and all consuming that even with all of the efforts of the fire service and Superman the structures had been totally destroyed. Clark was becoming very discouraged.
They arrived at the office one morning and in the morning mail Lois received an anonymous note made up of block letters cut out of a paper. It read:
Lois Lane,
if you want To get to The souRce Of the fires in hObbs bAy Find a ganG calliNg ThemselvEs the toasTers. I learnt about them and Thought I’D pass it on to you.Lois walked over to Clark’s desk and handed him the note. She leaned back against his desk and when she did her baby bump became more evident. Clark reached out a hand and gently laid it on her abdomen. He sent, /”I can’t wait until he starts kicking.”/
Lois giggled and sent back, /”How do you know it’s a he? Have you peeked?”/
/”Well, no, I haven’t and I won’t unless you say I can. I’m just hoping.”/
/”So, you want a boy, is that it?”/
/”I’ll be happy if it is a boy or a girl as long as the child is healthy.”/
Lois brought him back to the note, “What do you think about this?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
Lois said, “The grammar is okay, but there’s a misspelled word.”
Clark took a second look and got a look of understanding. He said, “I think this note came from Luckabee, and if not him some other Australian.”
Lois was flabbergasted. She spluttered out, “How do you know that?”
Clark replied, “Remember when we were in Sydney?”
Lois nodded her head.
“Remember the cab driver that took us to the chocolate bar?”
Lois said, “Yeah, but what does that have to do with this note?”
“Think about what the cab driver said.”
“He said that he had heard about the chocolate bar and his wife had insisted on him taking her.”
“No, what he said was ‘I learnt about that place as soon as it opened and the old lady leant on me until I took her.’ Notice how he pronounced learned and leaned.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. He replaced the ed with t. That was done in this note as well.”
“Okay, so Luckabee or Smythe sent this note. Do we give it any credence?”
“I think we have to. This tells me that there may be a falling out between them. We will need to determine which one sent this.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Over the last few weeks the resources of the fire service were being stretched more and more thinly. They would no sooner snuff a fire than another would break out. There were several cases where the fires were nearly simultaneous and only a couple of buildings separated them. There were a large number that started in the daytime, but more and more were occurring at night.
Lois and Clark were home when they heard the sirens. Lois said, “Clark, let me help. We need to get to the bottom of these fires.”
“How can you help without compromising the secret?”
“I can wear snooping clothes and hover high overhead. No one will see me. We have really gotten lucky on this one. Before they were long gone before the fire alarm was called in. Recently, while you have been fighting a fire another has been started nearby, probably because you are occupied. If I can spot who is doing it I can let you know. I wonder just what a Toaster looks like.”
“That’s one of the things we need to find out.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As Clark spun into the Suit Lois supersped to their bedroom and spin changed into her snooping clothes. When she tried to put on her black pants however, she found that she couldn’t button them. She thought, <Uh oh, I’ve gotten too big for my britches. Oh well, I’ll just leave them unbuttoned. I’ll wear this floppy sweater over so that I’m covered.> A few seconds later she joined Clark in the living room. With a shy smile she pulled up the sweater do display her predicament. She said, “I’m going to have to buy some maternity clothes.”
Clark had one of his multi-megawatt smiles as he said, “Anything my beautiful wife needs.”
“You realize of course that before this is over I’ll look like a beached whale. Will you still be saying things like that then?”
“You will only become more beautiful as the time goes on. What you are doing is a beautiful thing and it makes you the more beautiful because of it.” He leaned in and captured her lips in a tender kiss.
When he pulled back he noted that her eyes remained closed for a few seconds and then she released a contented sigh. “I’ll never get tired of that. You always know what to say to make me feel better and your kisses are like fine wine, intoxicating.”
“I’d like nothing better than to stay here kissing my lovely wife, but, duty calls. We have a Toaster to catch. Much as I hate to say it, I hope they try to start a second fire while we are fighting this one. Let’s go partner.”
They left through the back door. Lois soared up to one thousand feet and hid in the cloud cover. She flew directly over Superman so that if she were picked up on radar it would look like an echo from him and confuse the radar operator thereby concealing her presence.
When he landed she paralleled his descent as far as the rooftops and then, staying as much as possible in shadow, she depended on her dark clothing and the fact that people would be more interested in the fire than what was in the air above their heads.
While he conferred with the Fire Chief she started searching buildings in her vicinity with her x-ray vision. The buildings around her apparently were still unoccupied. It was possible that any occupants had moved into the street to watch all of the activity.
Suddenly her superhearing picked up a sound. It sounded like a trio practicing a tune, however it was a steady set of notes, not a tune, just an eerie drone almost like the drone pipes in a bagpipe, only a higher pitch. Suddenly there was a new tone added. This new tone was in the ultrasonic range. Immediately she used her x-ray vision looking in the direction that the tone was coming from. What she saw startled her and she immediately sent a thought, /”Clark, there is a trio warming up in the third building to your right.”/
He sent back, /”Perhaps I’ll have the time to listen to them perform, later. Right now I have a fire to deal with.”/
A mental chuckle made its way through the link as she sent, /”Oh, I think you should go hear them rehearse. I think the group’s name is ‘The Toasters’.”/
He sent back, /”What?”/
/”You apparently have at least a little time. I’m going to move over and get a closer look.”/
/”Be careful! We don’t know if they have Kryptonite or not.”/
/”I’ll be careful and I’ll keep an eye on them. Come as soon as you can.”/
Lois flew a high parabolic arc and came back down in the alley behind the second structure. Finding the door that the Toasters had used to gain access she snuck into the building. Stretching her supersenses to the limit she followed their activities. She decided on a plan of action and when the trio moved down to the second floor she silently ascended the steps.
She listened to their chatter as they prepared and then made her move. Each of the Toasters was facing a separate wall and the hoods they wore to protect them from the heat blocked all but what was directly in front of them from view. Silently she closed the door through which they had entered the room. With a blast of heat vision she welded the knob so that it couldn’t be turned.
Lois returned to the third floor and her supercold breath came into play. She used it to snuff the flames on each of the three walls that the Toasters had started. Now, the Toasters were in a trap, a trap of their own making. If they noticed the door before the fires they were starting got too big they would be able to put them out before they suffered too greatly. If not, they would be uncomfortable inside of their fire resistant suits until Superman came to collect them.
Lois moved back outside and took off to hover in the shadows just above the roof. She sent, /”You can take your time, they aren’t going anywhere. They’re trapped in a room on the second floor.”/
She received, /”What did you do?”/
In reply, she sent, /”I welded the doorknob so that it won’t turn. That won’t keep you from turning it though. How near are you to finishing?”/
/”I should be finished here in just a couple of minutes.”/
Lois was keeping an eye on the Toasters while she waited. A few minutes later she saw them spot the closed door. She was surprised with what she saw. Apparently these were not your run of the mill crooks. At least one of them was very smart. He didn’t panic. He tried the door. When it wouldn’t open the other two started to complain although they kept their ‘cool’ and waited for the leader.
The leader knelt in front of the door and examined the lock mechanism. He saw that it was clear and yet the knob wouldn’t turn. He said, “It looks like we’ve been found out. The knob won’t turn. Superman must have found us and tried to trap us so that he could come back later and collect us.”
One of his associates asked, “What are we going to do, Burt?”
Burt, the leader, thought for a few seconds and then said, “We can burn the door down. Aim your flamer at the door. We’re going to burn our way out.”
The Toasters lined up in an arc facing the door and aimed the parabolic dishes of their devices at the door. They started their eerie hum again and then when they hit switches on their devices she heard the ultrasonic tone start. When that new tone was added she could see the wood door start to smoke. She knew it was only a matter of time until they would free themselves. She sent, /”Clark, you need to drop what you are doing and get here, NOW! They are using their firestarters to burn through the door. They’ll be out very quickly.”/
/”I’m on my way. “/
He joined her in the air above the building. She pointed down and he descended to the alley and entered through the open door. He flew up the stairs and positioned himself in front of the door with his arms folded over his chest. While he watched the door panel burst into flame and was quickly consumed. He sent a thought, /”Lois, can you call 911 please?”/
Lois sent, /”My pleasure,”/ pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed 911. This was an untraceable prepaid cell phone and when she was connected she heard, “911 – What is the nature of your emergency?”
Lois replied, “Police are needed at One Hundred First and Baylin. Superman has the people that have been starting all of the fires in Hobbs Bay.”
“Who is this?”
“A friend, just a friend. There are three of them so you will need more than one car.”
“Can you put Superman on to confirm this?”
“No, you’ll just have to take my word on it.” As Lois was hanging up she could hear sirens in the distance and approaching. She sent, /”Cavalry is on the way.”/
Once the door had been weakened sufficiently by the flames, they crashed out of the room only to be greeted by Superman.
The leader said, “I was afraid of this. I knew we were pushing our luck starting more than one fire a night. Okay Superman, you’ve got us.” They all put up their hands and the leader started to hum in a high pitched tone. A second later the other two joined in.
Lois sent, /”Watch it, that’s how they power their weapons.”/
Superman could hear an ultrasonic tone coming from the weapons and feel the center of his chest starting to heat up. Since the sound was being converted to heat the range of the sound was limited, which explained why he hadn’t heard it. The heat wasn’t anything that would even cause him any discomfort. He said, “You’re wasting your time. That won’t affect me in the slightest.”
The leader stopped humming and said, “You can’t blame us for trying.”
Superman said, “MPD will be here in a minute. Shall we go out to meet them? Uh, first, turn off those machines, if you don’t want me to smash them that is.”
They all snapped a switch shutting the devices down and filed out of the room. Superman sped into the room and using his supercold breath snuffed out the fires and was back before they even realized he had left.
They trooped downstairs and as they exited the building they saw the reception committee consisting of Metropolis’ finest. Their devices were confiscated and they were all cuffed before having their rights read to them and then they were placed in the back of three black-n-whites to be taken downtown.
Superman flew off and joined Lois high in the sky, above the cloud cover. He said, “Thanks.”
Laughing she said, “Now you owe me one.”
“One what?”
She flew into his arms and with a wicked little grin said, “I’ll let you know when we get home.”
He smiled as he said, “I can’t wait to pay of this debt,” and flew off with her. When they got to Smallville the first stop was the hay loft of the barn.
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