Clark & Lois – When Worlds and Universes Collide - Matchmaker Chronicles V 8 22/36
By KenJ <ken.janney@kjanney.com>
This version is rated PG-13
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 – Canon Lois and Clark universe also called – Prime
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -124 – Alternate Prime - Lori and Clark
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 – Alt 1, Alt Clark and Kryptonian Lois – (Alt 1 )
Alpha -120 x Gamma 255 x Tau -190 – Alt 2 Kryptonian Lois' home universe.
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 040 – Alt 1 alternate (Alt 3) Alt Lois and Alt Clark
Previously
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Universal Locator Designation
Alpha -120 x Gamma 255 x Tau -190 – Alt 2%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A/N – Alt 2 is Kryptonian Lois’ home universe.Local Clark turned back to the Na family and asked, “Where is your sense of honor?” He hooked a toe under the shaft of a Drei and flipped it into the air where he grabbed it and held it aloft. His visage was very grim as he continued, “This weapon is restricted to the men! When Nor used this on my wife, my bond mate, he violated the traditions of this combat! I demand satisfaction! Where is the coward Nor? He isn’t man enough to fight man to man! He has to use a weapon against a woman. He is beyond contempt!”
The remaining members of the Na family were all looking very uneasy. They all knew that yet another sacred tradition had been broken. It was another demonstration of just how low Nor would sink in order to achieve his ends. It had weighed on them that Nor had recruited non-family auxiliaries, but this act reached a new low, even for Nor. They each were shamed by his action, but none of them were willing to admit it.
Ran-Na finally spoke up, “You have Fina, but unless you can subdue all of us you do not secure the victory and rest assured that Fina will escape if at all possible. I, personally, regret Nor’s actions.”
There were nods of assent from the other members of the Na family.
Local Clark turned to 2013 Lois and said, “Please release her.”
2013 Lois replied, “Whatever you say. It’s your show.”
As soon as 2013 Lois released her, Fina turned to her and placing her closed fist over her heart and giving a small bow, said, “Thank you. You have displayed more honor than my brother. You have been a most honorable combatant and I honor you.” She then flew back to her family.
Ran-Na said, “I do not know how we can make this up to you, but you have my word that this atrocity will not be repeated. I will inform my brother that if he ever tries something like that again he will be alone in this fight. We are not all like him. You have my word.”
Local Clark nodded his acknowledgment of Ran-Na’s statement and the members of the Na family took off and returned to their ship.
Local Clark moved over and put his arms around his wife as he asked, “How are you?”
She replied, “Oh, just shook up a little. I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.” She looked at Zara and asked, “What are the consequences for his action?”
“If the elders had seen it he would have been declared in default, but since none of them were here, not even Jen-Mai, that won’t happen. It might not have happened even if Jen-Mai had been present given that he is supporting Nor.”
Lt. Ching, who had been standing off to one side observing flew over and said, “The council needs to be made aware of what is going on down here. I can’t believe that they are listening to Jen-Mai and taking it for granted that he is telling them the truth.”
Zara replied, “So far there has been no harm done.”
Ching was angry and it could be heard in his voice as he said, “Only through good luck and the intervention of their friend Herb. If not for him bringing the additional family members this conflict would have been lost in the first second.”
Zara replied, “Let’s just thank Rao that he did.” She turned to 2013 Clark and said, “You will need to warn your family members of what has occurred. They will need to be alert to tricks of this sort in their interactions with Nor’s supporters. We can’t assume that they will be as dishonorable as their leader, however, we should not discount it as a possibility.”
“Agreed, I’ll see to it that the word is passed along.”
Local Lois said, “It’s time for me to go feed the baby. Why don’t we meet back at our house?”
Local Lois and Clark along with Protector and Supergirl took off for Smallville while the rest headed for Metropolis.
Since Carrie was flying by using her telekinesis she couldn’t match the superspeed of her parents or sister and they accommodated their speed to hers which enabled them to talk as they traveled.
Since they were traveling somewhat slower it was easier for them to be observed and followed by an adherent of Nor who did just that. He followed them all the way to Smallville and observed as Lois went into the house while Clark and the kids remained outside. He saw an older woman leave the house and bring what appeared to be refreshments to them on a tray. They all interacted on a most friendly basis. He thought, <I must report this back to a member of the family. It could be important.> He had no idea as to how important this information would actually be.
And now -
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Chapter 22 – Three to one odds still aren’t good enough
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Universal Locator Designation
Alpha -120 x Gamma 255 x Tau -190 – Alt2
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Since the war had started the minions of Nor’s family had been creating emergencies all over the globe.
Because of Lois’s need to feed the baby at regular intervals they had elected to stay in North America. Lois had requested that Supergirl and Protector stay with them. Supergirl, being the youngest and therefore the weakest would be in need of extra protection. The actual range of Carries powers was not yet known and Lois was loath to take any chances with the welfare of either of them.
They had been returning from the farm where Lois had been feeding baby Penny when they spotted a structure fire in Wichita. It was an elementary school and as a group they zoomed in to deal with it. As they approached, Clark spotted Nor hovering nearby.
They operated like a well oiled machine. While Clark dealt with the flames, Lois, Supergirl and Protector moved into the school and started evacuating the students and teachers.
The students were particularly taken with Supergirl and Protector. Supergirl was not bothered by the smoke because of her super powers. Carrie created a shield around her body which allowed air, but no particulate matter to pass preventing the smoke from penetrating. Her shield also protected her from the flames. Between them they managed to evacuate a majority of the classrooms. There were several teachers and children that had been overcome by the smoke.
At first, Carrie was somewhat uneasy because of the flames and the memory of what had happened to her when she was six, but that uneasiness didn’t last long because the memory of her rescue by Superman and her confidence in her shield was able to banish the fear. She found two young girls passed out in a classroom and using her telekinetic power picked them up and floated them out of the room, down the corridor over the heads of the children and outside, laying them on the grass of the yard. She immediately returned to continue the search.
Supergirl flew from room to room above the heads of the children that crowded the hallways. Entering a room she found a third grade boy who was coughing from the smoke, but refusing to leave because he was trying to grab up some comic books that he had stashed in his desk. Supergirl landed next to him and said, “Those aren’t worth dying for.” At superspeed she gathered up all of the comics, thrust them into his hands and said, “Come on, I’ll get you out of here.” She picked him up and flew him out of the building.
While the girls were doing all of this, Lois dealt with the teachers that had been overcome by the smoke. There were three that she found and carried outside.
By this time the ambulances had started to arrive and Superwoman was able to turn the teachers over directly to the paramedics.
There were three children that needed more extensive treatment, so Superwoman, Supergirl and Protector each took one and flew them to the hospital.
Lois and the girls had just left with the children and Clark was finishing up on the fire as he realized that Nor must have started. Too late it occurred to him that it might be a trap.
Nor had been waiting for the time when he would have a single opponent and as soon as he saw all of the others fly off with the injured Earthlings he was ready to pounce. He had already summoned his brother and they had been waiting together for the right time. Nor and Ran-Na approached him at superspeed from behind so that he had no warning. Together they barreled into him, knocking him out of the air. Each grabbed one of this arms and twisted it behind his back, effectively subduing him.
When they struck him it reminded him of being sacked as a quarterback when he’d played football. They hit him so hard that even though his was an invulnerable body, the air was knocked out of him. Belatedly he thought, <Makes sense; we’re all equally super powered.>
He found himself on the ground with his opponents on top of him. He could feel super powered blows being rained on the back of his head. The speed and force of the blows were actually having an effect on him.
He mustered enough control to send a directed thought, /”Lois, help … Nor.”/
A second later, as suddenly as it had started, half of the pummeling he had been experiencing stopped and his left side was free. He twisted out of the remaining grasp and flew up facing his antagonist. The one remaining was Nor and out of the corner of his eye he saw Lois tangling with Ran-Na. While he watched, Ran-Na closed with Lois and tried to use his superior strength to subdue her.
Clark found himself feeling a little sorry for Ran-Na. He didn’t know just who he was tangling with. Lori and every Lois were black belts in Tae Kwan Do.
Clark was surprised and worried when she allowed Ran-Na to actually close with her and put his hands on her. However, he needn’t have worried because it had suited her purpose to let him in close. When he was exactly where she wanted him, at superspeed she brought her super powerful knee up directly into his groin. Clark found himself wincing in sympathy and feeling sorry for Ran-Na. Even though he did, the look of surprise and pain on Ran-Na’s face brought a smile to Clark’s lips. Invulnerable or not, just as he had felt it when the super powered brothers had tackled him, it was obvious that even a super powered man was vulnerable to a super powered woman kneeing him in that most vulnerable spot. Ran-Na immediately curled up into a ball of pain and Lois kicked him in the head which left Ran-Na unconscious.
Nor screamed and at superspeed flew to Ran-Na and scooping him up took off for the ship, the one place that the members of the El family were not following.
“Thanks. I don’t know how much of that I could have taken. Much more and I would have lost consciousness. Where are the girls?”
“I left them at the hospital when I got your call.”
Just then Supergirl and Protector arrived and hovered in the air next to their parents.
Lois gave Carrie a look and said, ”I don’t know how safe it is for you to go around by yourselves.”
Carrie floated over to her and said, “If they had tried to attack us they would have found it impossible to even touch us. I’d throw a bubble around both of us and anchored it firmly. We wouldn’t have been going anywhere with them and they couldn’t have gotten to us, no matter what they tried. Don’t worry about us Mom. We can take care of ourselves.”
Lois put her arms around her and said, “I guess I just have to get used to my little girl being all grown up.” She kissed her cheek.
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Ran-Na woke up while they were in route and was mostly recovered by the time he was in their quarters. Even though he was awake, he was still bent over and in considerable pain.
Rena was there when they arrived. She gave Nor and Ran-Na a questioning look as they entered. Rena noted the way that Ran-Na was walking and raised an eyebrow. Finally, she spoke, “I think our brother was overconfident. Was he pitted against a female?”
“Yes, the one holding the essence of Kal-El. She surprised him with an … unusual style of … attack. I just hope he will recover soon. Why are you here?”
Just then Noga, Ran-Na’s wife entered. Spotting Ran-Na and his obvious distress she addressed Nor, “What has happened to my husband?”
His reply didn’t satisfy her, “He was attacked by the woman with the essence of Kal-El.”
“How did she do this to him?”
“She used … an … unorthodox fighting technique.”
Noga lost her temper, “Where is she? I’ll tear her eyes out!”
Nor tried to calm her down by saying, “Noga, it would be better if you tended to your husband. I need him back in action. He is my chief lieutenant and I need him directing our efforts. Once he has recovered, you may do as you wish, however, I would caution you that she has skills such as we have never seen on Krypton.”
Rena, who had been standing by with a smirk on her lips at what had happened to her brother finally was able to make her report, “I’ve had a report back from my watcher. He has confirmed that the woman is in fact arriving at the remote residence on a regular schedule. A schedule which, not too surprisingly, would correspond to the feeding schedule of an infant. I believe that it is safe to assume that the child you are after is being concealed at that residence.”
Nor was jubilant. This news could signal a significant gain in the conflict. If he could eliminate the child it could signal his followers that they were winning. “All right. Rena, I want you to go to that residence and terminate the existence of that baby.”
For once in her life, Rena stood up to her brother. “If you want that child dead, you are going to have to do it yourself. Do not ask a woman to kill a baby. I have done a lot of things for you, but that is where I draw the line. When I pair bond, I will want children and I know how I would feel if that child were threatened. I have supported you up to this point, but now I am beginning to have serious doubts as to what is right and wrong. If this were right, would we have to break tradition this way and bring in non-family members to help us?”
Nor tried to argue her down, “Look at all of the help that they have. There was only supposed to be three of them against our family. This conflict should have been ended within minutes of its start. Those others don’t belong here.”
Rena rebutted, “Nor, quit lying to yourself and us. I’m not a stupid blind fool like so many of your followers. I did the same thing that I assume you did. I checked and there are enough of them with bioelectromagnetic signatures within the range of standard deviational error to indicate that they are in fact family members. Those that do not logically are their bond mates. The evidence is conclusive. It’s just a good thing that the council has not been curious and has simply taken Jen-Mai’s word about the situation because the sensor array would also reveal the presence of your non-family followers involved in the combat.”
Nor was taken aback by this tirade. He had never expected anything like this and had never experienced its like before, especially from his sister and she could see the effect of what she was saying in his expression.
She added, “Don’t worry, brother. I’m not about to say anything, because if I did it would implicate me and I would be considered an accessory, before or after the fact, I don’t know, but an accessory none the less.” She pinned him with a look as she said, “You’ve started this and you’ve put the continued existence of our family on the line. I just hope it is worth it. Frankly, I’m beginning to have my doubts. I am also starting to doubt that we will finally succeed. The trial by combat was created to determine right from wrong. I’m starting to see the wisdom of our ancestors who set up the system and also how ultimately it will work to our ruin. We are in the wrong and you know it, deep down I’m sure you do. How can you really expect to win in ritual combat when you blatantly flaunt the custom?”
Nor didn’t deign to reply to her comments, he simply asked, “Where is the child?”
“I saw where you were when Ran-Na got what he deserved for underestimating the woman. His disdain for women and their abilities is well known. It’s about time he learned that lesson. The child is hidden within just a short distance of where you just had your encounter. Fly west from that location and seek out Van-Ta. He is watching and will point out the residence.”
“Why don’t you show me which one it is?”
“With Ran-Na incapacitated, who is going to direct your followers?”
Nor thought to himself, <I need to end this conflict and it looks like to only way is to eliminate the child. I have to distract this Kal-El so that I can finish this. Rena is correct, I need her directing the others.>
“Ah, yes, you are quite right. Please do. I will go with you to stir up the troops and let them know that you are in charge.”
After exiting the ship Nor and Rena traveled around the globe encouraging their followers in their activities and personally taking a hand in creating some disasters. The technique that they had decided to use was this. They would initiate a disaster and as soon as members of the El family would show up, they would flee the scene leaving the El family members tied up, dealing with the emergency. If they could gather additional members of Nor’s followers they would try to capture or kill the El family members.
In this particular instance Nor and Rena were floating in the air over South Dakota. They were using their heat vision to undermine the structure of Mount Rushmore.
Park Rangers saw what was happening and put out an emergency call for Superman and Superwoman.
The call went out over the radio and was heard by Saint and Blaze who responded as fast as they could fly. As they arrived on the scene, Blaze flew into Rena and Saint flew into Nor. Both were thrown for some distance and their depredations stopped. Nor sent out a call, /”We have two of them isolated. Come north.”/
Suddenly Blaze and Saint found themselves surrounded by four additional New Kryptonians.
Nor offered, “You are outnumbered, surrender and we will not kill you.” <At least not right away.>
Blaze looked around. Suddenly to Nor’s surprise she started to laugh.
Nor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He challenged, “You think I jest?”
Blaze stopped laughing long enough to say, “Three to one odds? You’ve GOT to be kidding. You want us to surrender based on those odds? Tell you what, I’ll give you the chance right now to surrender. Do that and we’ll go easy on you.”
Nor still could not believe the audacity of her statements. No woman had ever defied him in this fashion before. He sputtered out, “You are calling on us to surrender? How can you even think that we would surrender when we have you outnumbered three to one?”
“Because those aren’t great enough odds for you to win. One last chance, surrender now or suffer the consequences.”
This ‘female’ was not going to get away with mocking him in this fashion. Nor bellowed in rage and flew to the attack.
Blaze waited for him to close and at the last instant shifted to the side and up then performed a snap kick to the side of Nor’s head. He instantly started falling from the sky. Two of his followers closed with her. They each grabbed an arm while a third came at her. Using the two holding her for support she lashed out with her feet again and kicked the third assailant. One foot in the stomach and the other catching him under the chin snapping his head back. As he started to fall out of the sky she zoomed backwards suddenly and as she did she brought her arms together so that the two holding her arms flew into each other, their heads crashing together. Their grips relaxed and they followed Nor and the other toward the ground.
While this was happening Rena and one of Nor’s followers flew at Saint. He allowed them to come within range and then he grabbed Rena’s arm and spun her around at superspeed, using her as a club to attack his other assailant. Both fell out of the sky.
They had both finished with their opponents at about the same time so Blaze asked, “You okay, JJ?”
With a smirk he replied, “They never laid a glove on me.”
“I think we will need some help to restrain them.” /”Lara and Mike, Cele and Bill, we need help! Come to Mount Rushmore.”/
Within a minute Ultra Woman 2, Torque, Noel and Shield were on the scene. They all headed for the ground where their opponents were just regaining their bearings, but as they landed the Nor contingent were on their feet and seeing like numbers lost all of their motivation for the conflict and flew off as a group.
Lara turned to Hattie and asked, “You guys took all of them out?”
Hattie smiled and said, “Yeah, they thought they had an advantage, 3 to 1,” she looked over at JJ and said, “I guess we taught them a lesson, didn’t we, Honey?”
JJ added, “I don’t think they’ll be so confident with those odds again.”
Lara said, “I guess we need to go back on patrol. Call if you need us again.”
Hattie stopped her, “Remember what Aunt Lois said?”
Lara laughed and asked, “Which one?”
Hattie also laughed and said, “Yeah, it is confusing, isn’t it. The local one. The one that is all Kryptonian. She said that karate was unknown on New Krypton. You guys have all studied Tae Kwan Do. I’ve studied the softer styles and I’ve had JJ take classes with me. That was what gave us the edge. They couldn’t cope with the moves.”
Torque said, “If that’s the case maybe you should show us some moves.”
“I think Lara will have to show you.”
Bill spoke up, “I learned self-defense as a cop. Do you think that will be enough?”
“We can only hope. I’m a black belt and JJ is the equivalent of a brown belt in Ishon Ru and Jeet Kun Do. We were able to wipe the floor with them.”
Patting his cheek, Cele said, “I’ll teach you honey. What they teach you as a policeman just isn’t up to what we have to do. It will be better than nothing, but we’ll work on it when we finish up here and get home. She looked over at Mike and said, “Maybe we’ll have a group class.”
Mike said, “Sounds like fun. Lawyers don’t have much call for knowledge of the martial arts.”
Lara looked him up and down and said, “For a lawyer you sure have a good build.”
Mike laughed and said, “Is that what attracted you, my body?”
Lara floated over and kissed him, “You were a skinny kid when I fell for you.”
“Ahhh, young love. There’s nothing like it.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
Mike reached for Lara’s hand and waving to the others said, “We’ll see you guys later,” and they took off.
Cele laughed and said, “I guess they’re right. We’ve spent enough time gabbing. Time to get back to work.” She and Bill took off closely followed by Hattie and JJ.
After a period of time Nor found Rena again and asked her to accompany him in yet another attempt to distract the parents so that he could finally have a clear field for an attempt on the child.
Outside of Metropolis they started a fire at a refinery. 2013 Lois - Ultra Woman and 2013 Clark - Superman responded. Seeing just how big a job this was going to be they sent out a call, /"Jimmy and Peg, Lucy and Rob, we need help! The Metropolis refinery - fire!"/
/"Be right there, Mom!"/
Seconds later the four superheroes swooped in and started assisting with the fire.
Seeing that the kids could handle the blaze, UW and Superman took off after Nor and Rena. Nor was nowhere to be seen, but Rena taunted the pair into following her. When they did she led them a merry chase.
comments go here TBC
