From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9804C" ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 14:13:01 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Looking for a fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII A couple of months ago I read a fanfic that had Perry finding out Clark was Superman when he overheard Lois and Clark talking in a parking garage or a basement, I don't remember which. Anyway, I have no idea about any other details of the story or its name, but that scene is etched in my brain. Does anyone know what story I am talking about? If it helps any, Lois was upset and Clark was comforting her. Thanks, Michelle "You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you got to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find somebody wants to be a part of your life." ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:31:30 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Subject: Re: Looking for a fanfic In-Reply-To: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Wed, 15 Apr 1998, Michelle Glenn wrote: > A couple of months ago I read a fanfic that had Perry finding out Clark > was Superman when he overheard Lois and Clark talking in a parking garage > or a basement, I don't remember which. Anyway, I have no idea about any > other details of the story or its name, but that scene is etched in my > brain. Does anyone know what story I am talking about? If it helps any, > Lois was upset and Clark was comforting her. "The Apology" by Carla Humbert. (Aha, I finally got one!) This is one of the first stories I read, back in the dark ages (the summer after second season), and still one of my favorites. == Alyssa in St. Paul == (agmondelli@stthomas.edu) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/ Home of the Fortress of Insanity and Lois & Clark Season 5 "What's less than square one? Minus zero? Negative bupkes?" --Capt. Don Cragen, _Law & Order_ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 14:47:44 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Re: Looking for a fanfic In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Thanks! That was quick! "The Apology" is a great story, I just couldn't seem to remember anything except that one scene and it's been driving me crazy. Rummaging through 760 stories didn't seem to appealing so I am so happy someone knew what I was talking about and that I hadn't dreamed it! Michelle "You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you got to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find somebody wants to be a part of your life." ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 14:51:34 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jeff Brogden Subject: Re: Looking for a fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Michelle Glenn wrote: > Rummaging through 760 stories didn't seem to appealing so I am so > happy someone knew what I was talking about and that I hadn't dreamed it! Many a times I wished I could use the unix grep command to search through the archive. What would be involved in setting up a search option on the archive web site? ================================================================= Jeff Brogden jwbrogden@bigfoot.com http://www.bigfoot.com/~jwbrogden/ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 17:41:26 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Weeblos Subject: Do you know where? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi! I started reading and saving 2 stories a few months ago...but many chapters of both got lost in the shuffle (*my* shuffle, not anyone elses ) with the change in the MB's, etc. etc. Do any of you know who wrote, and/or where I could find the stories: On the Run, and Life Without Lois? I would surely appreciate it! Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 18:12:13 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: demona Subject: Re: Do you know where? In-Reply-To: <993c03e5.35352988@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 05:41 PM 4/15/1998 EDT, you wrote: >Hi! >I started reading and saving 2 stories a few months ago...but many chapters of >both got lost in the shuffle (*my* shuffle, not anyone elses ) with the >change in the MB's, etc. etc. Do any of you know who wrote, and/or where I >could find the stories: On the Run, and Life Without Lois? I would surely >appreciate it! >Kathy I know that Plan9Lives began posting her "On the Run" story parts to Beth & Zoomway's website message boards some time ago. Was that ever finished? It's been a while since I've been able to do some reading myself! :) Demi ____________________________________________________ Demi (a.k.a) Demona or http://fantasia.simplenet.com/lcfantasy/demona.htm --- L&C Site http://fantasia.simplenet.com/lcfantasy --- "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. for I have the biggest, *meanest* dog in the whole damn valley." --(excerpt from Phil Atcliff's 'Couch Potatos') ______________________________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 20:00:07 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Lisa M. Ramirez" Subject: Re: Do you know where? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Demi wrote: > I know that Plan9Lives began posting her "On the Run" story parts to Beth > & Zoomway's website message boards some time ago. Was that ever > finished? It's been a while since I've been able to do some reading > myself! :) As far as I know, "On the Run" is still a continuing saga. I think part 48b was posted to Zoom's message board April 13. Lisa M. Ramirez ramirez@estuary.amrl.odu.edu Never borrow trouble, the interest rate it entirely too high. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 20:44:15 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jerrica76 Subject: Re: Do you know where? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Both "Life without Lois" and "On the run" have been in the LNC fanfiction new groups as well as the AOL ABC (yea yea i know what it with the tomatoes) fantasy folder, you should be able to find it throw deja news, or the boards ttfn Jerrica Author of "Lossing Faith", "Saving Grace" and "Kent lost and Found" ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 23:43:22 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Louise Kendall Subject: Re: Looking for an Editor In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Is there any way of becoming an apprentice editor? At 07:19 13/04/98 -0800, you wrote: >Well, generally speaking ... it would be someone who is a meticulous >reader, can spot a typo at twenty paces, leap dangling participles in a >single bound *grin* ... They need not only to spot poor grammar and >spelling, but also to suggest a better way of writing a clumsily reworded >sentence. Also, being fresh to the story, they can discover any plotholes >or moments of "out-of-character"ness. Some of the latter is subjective but >you know that any time someone goes "huh?" they either didn't read it >properly or you,the author, has got some 'splanin' to do! > >While I have you here, those who offered to edit my story, I .... ah, >decided last night it wasn't finished after all. The hero isn't nearly >developed enough, there needs to be a tad more tension and the whole >she-bang gets resolved by one of those "airing of emotions" that never >happen in real life unless you're on irc *grin*. So -- I'll be in touch >with those who offered when I get that all sorted out, probably at the end >of the week. > >Thanks, >Leanne > >Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) >Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html >Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html >Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ >Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: >http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html > > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 10:14:13 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: Re: Looking for an Editor In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19980415234322.008a1560@mail01.cbr.aone.net.au> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable jem asked: > Is there any way of becoming an apprentice editor? Hmmm... I've not heard about anything like that -- I think most of us just sort of jumped into it. What you might want to do is choose an author whose stories you really like, and ask if they would be willing to share the comments made by *their* editors, which might help give you a feel for what they consider to be particularly helpful comments. Bear in mind that they probably would want to get their editors' permission before sending you this, and they might not be interested in letting someone see an early version of the story, but if you explain that you want to see the comments because you want to learn how to edit, I would imagine most of the writers would be willing to help you out that way. Then take the plunge and offer to edit for someone. Most writers have at least 2-3 people editing for them, so you don't need to worry about catching *every* detail -- what you don't notice, someone else will. And many times your writer will reply with comments to your comments which will also help you learn. Remember to be constructive in your criticism, tell the writer what you liked and what surprised you as well as things you think need to be changed (after all, who wants to hear only negative things about their work?) and remember that the writer has the final say -- you're only making suggestions. Peace who owes a lot to her editors! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 18:09:38 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Re: Looking for an Editor In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19980415234322.008a1560@mail01.cbr.aone.net.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Is there any way of becoming an apprentice editor? > > Peace had a fine idea and I'm gonna be brave and suggest another. I've a fanfic almost ready for editing (just a coupla things to fill in once I get the time to) and I have a bunch of people willing to edit it. I'm gonna *gulp* bare my soul here ... If those who offered are willing, I'm prepared to set up a webpage (Louise, here's hoping you can websurf!) with the original story, the final version, and each editor's edits and even comments on why I did or didn't choose a particular editorial path (and the editor is free to write a comeback on that which may even change my mind!) I'll even put dates on it, so you know the general timeframe etc etc. I think every editor needs a dictionary, a firm knowledge of punctuation and the rest is, I guess, experience and lots of reading! Leanne Heck, did I just volunteer to do something *AGAIN*????? Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 01:06:33 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Doris Schmill Subject: Re: Looking for an Editor In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" April 17, 1998 Hi, Folcies! Putting up an example for "editing in progress" is a really great idea, I think. It's very generous and courageous of you to do that, Leanne. Not all writers like early version of a story of theirs floating around. I am not sure I would. It's really great to have an example of what goes into the writing and editing process, not just for prospective editors, but also just for readers of fanfic itself. So much time, work, and love goes into creating the final project that ends up in the Archive that many of us can only guess at. I would have liked to become an "apprentice editor," too. Even though things may not work that way now, I still really appreciate the idea if only as an avid reader and writer-wanna-be. Thanks Leanne and Peace for your suggestions! I wonder if there is any other writer out there who -- and his editors -- would be willing to let some of us peek over their shoulders so to speak. Keep on writing, guys! And thanks again for volunteering for another project, Leanne. Doris at dorisschmill@gmx.net OR dor2302@usa.net OR schmill@mail.students.go-on.net OR cschmill@zedat.fu-berlin.de "No one knows how long they've got ... It's not the years that count, it's the moments. Right now ... as they happen." (CK in BY) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 08:06:44 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Grace Wong Subject: the kerth award statue MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi folcs! I've been really busy lately so today is my first time on the fanfic site since the kerth awards took place, I thought that's a really cute statue you've got there! I can see it has a figure of a man and a woman, superman's S ans a keyboard at the bottom...do they signify anything? And who designed it? Grace lois1979@yahoo.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We wacky earth women get mighty cranky about losing our husbands. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 11:54:07 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandra McDermin Subject: Re: Looking for an Editor (My personal considerations) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >>Hi, Folcies! Putting up an example for "editing in progress" is a really great idea, I think. It's very generous and courageous of you to do that, Leanne. Not all writers like early version of a story of theirs floating around. I am not sure I would.<< I, too, think this is a fabulous idea (Leanne, you're just chock-full), and I really wish I had had the capacity to do with a story of mine. It should be very instructive, fun, and lead to a good deal of constructive debate. Can't wait to watch it. As a matter of fact, Leanne, if one of your editors-to-be balks at participating, please call on me. I'd loved to do it if you go through with the process this way. >>I would have liked to become an "apprentice editor," too.<< I think most of us are "apprentice editors", as very few of us do it for a living. As a matter of fact, when I wrote my first story for Lois and Clark which -- for all practical purposes -- was my first story ever, I took the first four people who said they would edit it. I didn't care who they were or what their experience was -- all they had to know was how to do read. I figured they knew how to do that as they had responded to my e-mail. ; ) When I got to my second story, I decided to narrow it down to two people who I felt very comfortable with, basically because the second story was something that I felt I could do well (comedy) and I really didn't think I needed a lot of help on the structure, flow, plot, etc. (Complete arrogance on my part, but I didn't want a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. ) I had also found, by virtue of my experiences with the first story, that four editors was way too many for me. Too much work responding to them all. When I got to the third story, I was up against two considerations: I was not comfortable with the story *and*, on account of that, I wanted a lot more criticism. So, I went seeking more editors *and* readers -- people who would just read a big chunk and give me impressions. This time, I had a track record. So, I selected people, not on the basis of their experiences as editors. (I don't care a hoot about whether the person is an editor in real life or which really great fanfic writer they've edited.) What I was looking for (although I didn't say it) was: (1) had they read my other stories and (2) did they like them. This was not an ego thing for me, but something else. I wanted people who were comfortable with my style of writing, who seemed to enjoy my "point of view", who I didn't have to explain things to.... I remembered reading about how some famous writers at publishing houses have their own editors who stick with them throughout their career, because they had developed a symbiotic relationship.... After all, could you imagine editting Joyce, or Faulkner, or Proust. Brother what a nightmare! Actually, I would bet my last buck that Proust never had an editor or, if he did, he committed suicide after reading a paragraph that went on for 400 pages. (By the way, I am not at all suggesting that I have anywhere near the abilities of these authors -- No way! No how! No time! Never!) It's just an example to make a point. In any case, the bottom line is, choosing editors, for me, was a story by story thing. Each story seemed to have different requirements and, I, as the writer, had different needs for each. *And*, lastly, I also found that the editors began to serve different purposes for me. I even began to label them: one was my grammar person, one was my overall flow person, one was my stay on character person.... They all had *their* different strengths, and, all together, they made a terrific team without, in a sense, knowing it. Sandy (who probably needed an editor for this e-mail.) Okay, Laurie, back to "Episode" 19. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 12:55:58 -0600 Reply-To: Erin Klingler Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Questions about the Classics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all I know we had a thread going on this topic a while back, so I hope I don't get ppl mad if I ask this question. I'm trying to read a bunch of the classics that I've heard about, but never read. For example, I read To Kill a Mockingbird, but that's about it. I found an old copy of Moby Dick and Little Women and plan on reading those right away. But are there other classics that I just can't possibly miss?? How about writings by Tolstoy, etc., or any particular poetry that's great, or Shakespear? Are any of the classic plays worth reading? (and will I need Cliff notes to get through them? :) I'm sure I'm leaving out a TON of great classic authors...my mind is just coming up blank at the moment. You can email me privately if you think this topic isn't worthy of the list. I would just really love to get some suggestions from ppl on which classics they think are worth reading. Thanks! Erin :) ___________________ (aka ELK on IRC) erink@ida.net "The truth is, no one knows how long they've got. Anyway, it's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now...as they happen." CK to LL in BY ******* "You bet your sweet little chumpy I am." _________________ ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 07:37:56 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LoriMcE Subject: Tim Minear Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Thought this might be of interest to some folks. This was posted on the AOL WB Lois and Clark message board - <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Subject: Sunday's X-Files Date: Thu, Apr 16, 1998 23:02 EDT From: Tim Minear Message-id: <1998041703021400.XAA10326@ladder01.news.aol.com> I want to extend a personal invitation to all the FoLCS to tune in The X-Files this Sunday night. My first solo effort, "Mind's Eye," airs this Sunday night at 9:00pm on Fox. I think you guys will enjoy it. Best, Tim <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Lori ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 11:37:02 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jea111nne Subject: Re: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L Digest - 16 Apr 1998 to 17 Apr 1998 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Sandy wrote: <<*And*, lastly, I also found that the editors began to serve different purposes for me. I even began to label them: one was my grammar person, one was my overall flow person, one was my stay on character person.... They all had *their* different strengths, and, all together, they made a terrific team without, in a sense, knowing it.>> I thought this statement made a lot of sense. I started editing when I was reading a fanfic by an author whose fanfic I adored and respected (You know who you are!). In this particular fanfic I came across several typos and minor mistakes in punctuation and grammar. After about 5 or 6 errors I decided to keep track of them. I realized that these errors distracted me. This may seem foolish to some of you, but I know there are others out there who are distracted by such things. It really bothered me to see imperfections in a work which I thought was otherwise terrific. I decided to risk everything and send my humble corrections to the author (I think my list had about 25 items when I finished) hoping that I would be helping her by pointing out a few thing she had overlooked. I was so gratified that the author, a wonderful person, took my corrections the way I meant them. I have been delighted to edit for her ever since. I suspect she would put me in the "grammar person" category. I know she has other editors, some of whom are better than I am at pointing out incongruities in character and so on. I now regularly edit for the archive. This is a different type of experience because I don't choose which stories I'm going to edit. Some of the stories I receive are ready or close to ready for print, while there are other stories which require complete overhauls. Although it's more fun to read a basically well written story which only requires a typo correction here or a comma there, the teacher in me likes the occasional challenge of really helping a "newbie" writer. I believe I taught more than one writer how to write dialogue correctly. It was rewarding to me when someone I had helped wrote another fanfic later on, and it was much improved in mechanics than the first one. One last thing. Authors seem to have pet errors. Whereas one author may not know how to punctuate dialogue, another may do comma splices, mix up tenses or use run ons. I have learned a great deal from editing. Every so often something comes up that I have to research. In doing so I have widened my range of knowledge and my editing has improved. I catch things more quickly and efficiently now than I did in the beginning. I view my editing as a contribution to FoLCdom, but I have derived something too. I have improved my own skills in writing, and I have the satisfaction that I have helped some other FoLCs with their writing skills. Jeanne {=^;^=}{=^;^=}{=^;^=} ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 11:31:53 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: Questions on episode timing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi, all, I'm working on a new story, and my VCR's broken, so I can't go back and rewatch some early tapes to get the information I need about the sequence of events. So... I have to depend on you, my fanfic buddies, to help me out here. Which episode has the scene where Clark teaches Lois a lesson about stealing stories, the whole "Godzilla doll in the city dump" thing? At that point, had Lois had the "truth and justice" interview with Superman? And had Superman called her by name yet? I appreciate your help with this. You can respond to the list or privately to peace9@worldnet.att.net. Thanks! Peace A FoLC Named Peace Come visit me, and read my Lois & Clark fanfic http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/7137 ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 13:37:07 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Re: Questions on episode timing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII The episode was "The Source". yeah, Supes was calling Lois by her first name, I think. Michelle "You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you got to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find somebody wants to be a part of your life." On Sat, 18 Apr 1998, Peace Everett wrote: > Hi, all, > > I'm working on a new story, and my VCR's broken, so I can't > go back and rewatch some early tapes to get the information I > need about the sequence of events. > > So... I have to depend on you, my fanfic buddies, to help me out > here. Which episode has the scene where Clark teaches Lois > a lesson about stealing stories, the whole "Godzilla doll in the city > dump" thing? At that point, had Lois had the "truth and justice" > interview with Superman? And had Superman called her by > name yet? > > I appreciate your help with this. You can respond to the list > or privately to peace9@worldnet.att.net. > > Thanks! > Peace > > A FoLC Named Peace > Come visit me, and read my Lois & Clark fanfic > http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/7137 > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 13:55:17 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandra McDermin Subject: Re: Questions on episode timing Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >>The episode was "The Source". yeah, Supes was calling Lois by her first name, I think. Michelle<< Fraid not, Michelle. The episode featuring Godzilla was #3 of first season (which was supposed to be #2), Neverending Battle. > So... I have to depend on you, my fanfic buddies, to help me out > here. Which episode has the scene where Clark teaches Lois > a lesson about stealing stories, the whole "Godzilla doll in the city > dump" thing? At that point, had Lois had the "truth and justice" > interview with Superman? And had Superman called her by > name yet? Peace, I would suggest you go to Jeffrey Sykes episode website which has detailed synopses of the first season. It's address is http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/lc/index.html If you look at the first few episodes, I think most of your questions will be answered. For instance, the interview -- I believe -- came from episode #2 (which should have been #3), Strange Visitor. As for your last question, I know what you're talking about. She says something like, "you know my name," sort of in amazement, but I can't remember exactly which of the two episodes that came from. Perhaps the synopses, or someone at home with their VCR on hand can help you. Sandy (another Saturday at the office.) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 13:50:50 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Anne Campbell Subject: Sixth Season anywhere? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I hope it's okay I'm posting here to ask FoLCs; I'm only on L&C's Fifth Season/FanFic/Krypton Club listservs (2 of 'em), not the general discussion of L&C listserv anymore. I was wondering if anyone is coming out with a Sixth Season of Lois & Clark via email and/or the Internet. - Anne Anne B. Campbell Reference Librarian campbell@library.pace.edu Pace University ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 14:10:06 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: Re: Sixth Season anywhere? In-Reply-To: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 01:50 PM 4/18/98 -0400, you wrote: >I hope it's okay I'm posting here to ask FoLCs; I'm only on L&C's Fifth >Season/FanFic/Krypton Club listservs (2 of 'em), not the general >discussion of L&C listserv anymore. > >I was wondering if anyone is coming out with a Sixth Season of Lois & >Clark via email and/or the Internet. > Don't forget a spin-off possiblity... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 14:06:45 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Re: Questions on episode timing In-Reply-To: <852565EA.00616ACC.00@smtpmta.nas.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Oops, sorry, my mistake...you're right...don't ask me what I was thinking of, 'cause I don't think I even know...Godzilla was not in "The Source" that's for sure! "You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you got to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find somebody wants to be a part of your life." ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 15:08:13 +0500 Reply-To: mulders@mindspring.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Bob or Chris Mulder Subject: Re: Questions on episode timing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Hi, Peace, Sandy was correct about all of your questions being able to be answered in the first few eps ... > So... I have to depend on you, my fanfic buddies, to help me out > here. Which episode has the scene where Clark teaches Lois > a lesson about stealing stories, the whole "Godzilla doll in the city > dump" thing? This is from "Neverending Battle," which as Sandy pointed out was aired as episode 3, but was meant to be episode 2. > At that point, had Lois had the "truth and justice" > interview with Superman? And had Superman called her by > name yet? This scene appears at the end of "Strange Visitor" which was aired at episode 2, but was meant to be episode 3. Lois is at the Daily Planet late in the day after she and Clark had been thrown from the plane by Trask. She's throwing pieces of candy into the air and trying to catch them in her mouth when Supes floats down beside her. He says that he's heard she's been looking for him (a remark that would make a lot more sense if SV had aired after NB), and after they exchange a few lines, he tells her, "I'm going to find that man and stop him. That's a promise, Lois." That's when she says, "You know my name," with a kind of wonder in her voice. It takes her a moment to pull herself together, but she does ... ;-) then tells him that she doesn't know *his* name. This is the point where they have the conversation that results in the "truth and justice" line. Hope this helps. :-) --Chris mailto:mulders@mindspring.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 13:13:49 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Re: Sixth Season anywhere? In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >I hope it's okay I'm posting here to ask FoLCs; I'm only on L&C's Fifth >Season/FanFic/Krypton Club listservs (2 of 'em), not the general >discussion of L&C listserv anymore. > >I was wondering if anyone is coming out with a Sixth Season of Lois & >Clark via email and/or the Internet. > Hey Anne (and others), S5 (unrelated to TUFS) is on the last leg of wrapping up its season 5 and discussions are underway for S6. There'll be new management, some authors returning and we still need to discover if there's enough writer and editor interest to sustain an S6. Stay tuned for an announcement on that sometime ... I understand that there's going to be a Superboy fanfic spinoff (although maybe Superteen would be closer) starting in June, I think. There's a link from the Season 5 site, listed in my sig below. Hope this all helps, Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 16:32:53 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Zoomway Subject: Re: Questions on episode timing Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-04-18 13:32:39 EDT, you write: << So... I have to depend on you, my fanfic buddies, to help me out here. Which episode has the scene where Clark teaches Lois a lesson about stealing stories, the whole "Godzilla doll in the city dump" thing? At that point, had Lois had the "truth and justice" interview with Superman? And had Superman called her by name yet? >> Neverending Battle has the Godzilla doll and Strange Visitor he calls her Lois, at least she 'notices' it there at the end, though earlier in that episode he called her Lois but she didn't notice becasue a missile was heading towards them and she was a bit ... distracted ;) Zoomway@aol.com PS thanks for the kind words on the bloopers, I was worried there for a minute ;) Seriously, I'm glad most of you enjoyed it and I have kind of a neat thing coming from someone that will have snippets up at my site once I send a copy to Beth, so I hope you enjoy that too. ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 15:14:54 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Re: Editorial skills and author's blindspots In-Reply-To: <36e21d53.3538c89f@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Jeanne wrote: > >One last thing. Authors seem to have pet errors. Whereas one author may not >know how to punctuate dialogue, another may do comma splices, mix up tenses or >use run ons. I have learned a great deal from editing. Every so often >something comes up that I have to research. In doing so I have widened my >range of knowledge and my editing has improved. I catch things more quickly >and efficiently now than I did in the beginning. I view my editing as a >contribution to FoLCdom, but I have derived something too. I have improved my >own skills in writing, and I have the satisfaction that I have helped some >other FoLCs with their writing skills. > I have to second this. I have some blind spots (one of them being the plothole, the other the run-on sentence :)) and I've recognised it in other S5 writers too. I'm beginning to firmly believe that editing really does improve one's own writing! Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 22:24:50 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: Editor qualifications Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hey, just wanted to weigh in on the editor discussion, from the perspecti= ve of someone who's really been helped by good editors. I'll go along with Sandy's comment that there are different kinds of editing, different leve= ls of detail as it were. = Some people are very good at big picture stuff (hey, he said this back in= the first half, so why is he saying this other thing here? and by the way= , your plot has holes the size of a mountain ) (I don't think this is my= strength, btw ) = Then there's smaller stuff... Like knowing the difference between similar words (your/you're, there/their/they're, and peak/peek/pique) and= knowing where to put commas vs. semicolons. The editing I do tends to be= along those lines. (This is one reason it's good to have more than one editor if you can; hopefully they'll have talents between them to cover all the right areas) If you want to edit someone's story, here's my advice: Point out anything that sounds wrong or off-kilter, and suggest replacements if you= can, but remember that you're only offering suggestions. The author may disagree with you, and it's their name that will be on the finished product, so that means they get the final say. Remember that this isn't personal, either way. Point out anything that sounds great, as well. Wh= en I send stories to be edited, one of the things I want to know is whether = or not my jokes worked so if you laughed at something, say so! Besides,= it's extremely depressing to get back a list of everything you've done wrong and nothing you've done right. It's a risky thing, showing someone= something you've written, and constructive criticism can be mistaken for rejection. I like Leanne's idea of showcasing "before and after" fanfics... If I had= more time right now, I'd offer one of mine as well If there's still interest in a few weeks, I might do it then. I'm glad this thread came up, because I firmly believe that editing is a skill, just as much as writing, and it's just as important. And like I= said, I've been helped tremendously by good editors over the past few years. Sarah Wood has taught me everything I know about grammar and Debra Manning (Debz) taught me quite a lot about POV and structure. Chri= s Mulder taught me a lot about plot-building, and ... I'd better stop now, = or this will sound like an acceptance speech Let's just say, my writing= is a *lot* better now than it was three years ago. (at least I hope so!) PJ !^NavFont02F07D50007MGHHND7B71E E-mail from: Pam Jernigan, 18-Apr-1998 jernigan@compuserve.com / ChiefPam on the IRC ~~~~~ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html ~~~~~ "Are you under the care of a qualified psychiatrist, Constable?" = -- "The Ladies' Man", Due South "Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs = should relax and get used to the idea." -- Robert A. Heinlein ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 04:09:12 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Grace Wong Subject: Re: Sixth Season anywhere? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii ---Anne Campbell wrote: > > I hope it's okay I'm posting here to ask FoLCs; I'm only on L&C's Fifth > Season/FanFic/Krypton Club listservs (2 of 'em), not the general > discussion of L&C listserv anymore. > > I was wondering if anyone is coming out with a Sixth Season of Lois & > Clark via email and/or the Internet. > > - Anne > > Anne B. Campbell Reference Librarian > campbell@library.pace.edu Pace University > Well, I certainly agree with you that I hope there will be a season six for us folcs, both S5 and TUFS was really fantastic! It was the best way to relife our LCWS and I want to say a SUPER thankyou to both staff, you are the greatest! I really do hope there will be a sixth season, but I can understand how much time thinking, plotting,writing and editting will take in doing so. But I really really want a season 6...(ok, enough pleading:) Anyway, thanks again for those wonderful lnc episodes! == Grace Wong lois1979@yahoo.com lois@ms15.hinet.net Zepher on IRC "Grease is the word is the word that you heard it's got groove it's got meaning" _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:30 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 8/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" **** Clark had recovered fairly quickly after the Kryptonite was gone and refused to be admitted into the hospital. Lois, too, had refused all treatment, and they ducked out of a little known tunnel to avoid the paparazzi who had heard that the Man of Steel had been attacked. They took a taxi to Clark's apartment, and sat on his couch, holding each other. Lois was still very upset. "Oh, Clark, I'm so sorry. I don't understand why I did that! I would never hurt you! It was like I wasn't in charge of my own actions." "Shh, Lois. I know. It looked like a post-hypnotic suggestion. I studied some of that kind of stuff when I was living in a tribe of mystics in Asia. But you *broke* the suggestion, so it will never affect you again." She looked up at him. "Are you sure?" He smiled reassuringly and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, you aren't getting rid of me that easily. I've been waiting for you all these years. And now that we're together, I'm not letting go." Lois smiled back a watery smile. "You'd better not, mister. I understand soul mates are hard to come by these days." They held each other in silence for a while longer, until Lois turned in Clark's arms. "Why do you think I went off like that?" Clark furrowed his brow. "I've been wondering that myself. The only thing I came up with was that something Luthor or I said must have triggered your post-hypnotic suggestion." Lois pondered this for a moment, then got up and found Clark's tape recorder. She played the tape of the interview. As Lois listened to Lex speech, she once again heard the phrase "Rome burns." A cold shiver went down her spine and she gasped in fear. Suddenly, she heard another voice saying those words to her ... "Rome burns ... " Lois murmured. She turned to Clark, certain now. "That's it! That's what it was." Lois stood, lost in thought for a moment, struggling to solidify a vague memory. "Yes, whoever kidnapped me, they planted that phrase in my mind as a trigger to kill you." Suddenly, she cocked her head. "Clark, do you have any pictures of Tempus in that scrapbook of yours?" Clark stood up and walked towards the bookshelf. "I think so ...." He pulled down the appropriate book, and flipped through it until he found the right page. He turned the book around so it faced Lois. "This is him." Lois studied the picture. She shook her head slowly. "I can't be sure ... the memories are so vague. Everything is still fuzzy." "Well, I'm not nearly as vague. I got a fax this morning right before we left, confirming something. I was going to tell you about it tonight. Turns out Tempus was in Kinshasa five years ago. On a hunch, I faxed a photo to the police down there last week, when you first appeared here in Metropolis. Turns out Tempus had purchased a large warehouse compound in the area. The police raided it, but it was empty. Electricity had been drawn there as late as last month, though." Lois looked perplexed. "So Tempus did this to me?" "I'm afraid so." "But why?! I never even met the man!" Clark pulled her into his arms. "Do you remember what I told you about the other Lois and Clark? He's done similar things to keep them apart. It seems that his world is some kind of Utopia, inspired by the story and life of Superman, and brought to reality by Superman's descendants." Clark gently lifted Lois's chin to look at him. "His descendants with Lois Lane," he finished gently. "Wow ..." Lois whispered. Her eyes closed as Clark's mouth lowered to hers. As their lips slowly separated, Lois smiled. "This story keeps getting better and better," she teased. "Do we know what our firstborn's name is or anything like that?" Clark laughed. "No ... I think we should keep some mystery, don't you? Besides ... the two universes don't necessarily have to progress the same. After all, that Lois and Clark are already married, so we already know our wedding dates won't be the same--" Suddenly, Clark looked a little worried. "I mean ... *if* ... you know ... I don't mean to pressure--" Lois cut him off by placing her mouth over his. "You're talking too much again, flyboy." **** Later that evening, Lois and Clark sat on his couch, once more looking through the scrapbook of Superman's early days. Lois ran her finger over a picture of her alter-ego. "So she's happily married, huh?" she asked with a little smile. "They've been married for about a year and a half. And yes, they are very happy." Leaning back against the couch with his arm around Lois's shoulders, Clark smiled contentedly. For the first time in two years, he realized, he felt no jealousy over his other self. He would always have fond memories of the other Lois, but now his thoughts were happily focused on the person beside him. Lois turned to him and grinned flirtatiously. "Are they as happy together as we are?" She leaned into his mouth and Clark matched her movement. They kissed enthusiastically. "If they are," he responded, "they are two *very* lucky people." **** OUR METROPOLIS Lois turned in her husband's arms as they lay in bed. "When he left with HG Wells last year, after we rescued you from that time window ... Mr. Wells seemed to imply he was going to help the other Clark find his Lois. Do you think he ever did, Clark?" Clark smiled and relaxed. "You know, honey; I think he did. I don't know why, but I suddenly have this feeling that somehow, some way, they are together and happy." Lois turned to him and grinned flirtatiously. "Are they as happy together as we are?" She leaned into his mouth and Clark matched her movement. They kissed enthusiastically. "If they are," he responded, "they are two *very* lucky people." **** On the dark street outside, a small man dressed in early twentieth century clothing pulled a pocket watch from his vest, checking its time in the moonlight. He smiled broadly, then walked down the street towards a deserted alley. **** THE END ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:27 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 7/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" **** Getting to Luthor was easier than they had anticipated. They dropped in on his executive office, trying to finagle an appointment, when he suddenly walked into the room. Lois inserted herself in his path. "Mr. Luthor. I'm Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet. I was wondering if you'd consent to my partner and I interviewing you?" Lex stopped and surveyed the confident looking brunette in front of him. If he was surprised to see her, he didn't let it show on his face, but his appreciation of her beauty was clear in his eyes. Lois had purchased a new suit the previous afternoon, rushing into her favorite store just before it closed. Her selection hadn't been a mistake. She had noted Clark's favorable response that morning, and it looked to be giving her the edge here, too. She played it up, smiling demurely. Lex took her hand and kissed it. "Ms. Lane ... I read the story of your return. This fine city is a more beautiful place now that you've returned to her." Clark had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Instead, he cleared his throat, drawing Luthor's attention. "Ah, Mr. Kent ... or should I say Superman?" Luthor nodded his greeting. "I didn't realize you were still writing stories outside of Superman's activities." Clark clenched his jaw at the subtle jab, but kept his cool and forced a polite smile. Before he could respond, however, Lois jumped in once more. "Mr. Luthor, Clark and I have been investigating the death of Nigel St. John and would really appreciate your taking the time to talk to us." Lex looked into Lois's eyes and smiled gallantly. "Well, I don't normally grant interviews, Ms. Lane, but I think this may be time to start." His voice roughed with emotion as he continued. "Especially if would help find the monster that butchered Nigel." Lex composed himself and addressed his secretary. "Mary Anne, what do I have on the agenda this afternoon?" "A personnel meeting in twenty minutes, a meeting with the board of LexCorp in two hours, and a meeting with the directors of MetroBank to finish the day, sir." Lex turned his attention back to Lois. "Twenty minutes might be a good start for you, then we could finish up another time. Over dinner, perhaps?" Clark felt his hackles rise. Luthor had barely taken his eyes off Lois since he first noticed her. Clark took a step closer to Lois, and placed a hand on the small of her back possessively. "I think we could make time for dinner some night, if we don't finish today." Luthor lifted his chin slightly, and noted their body language with a slight narrowing of his eyes. After a moment, he tipped his head deferentially. "Where are my manners? Please, follow me. Mary Anne, will you notify the personnel committee that I'll be a few minutes late? Thank you." Lex ushered the reporters into a plush, yet personally barren office. Everything contained therein was obviously chosen by a professional decorator, and held few clues as to the personality of the occupant. There was a slight breeze coming from the open door leading to a large balcony overlooking the city. After inviting his guests to sit in the two leather-clad seats in front of his desk, Lex seated himself behind it. Clark activated his tape recorder, readied his notepad, then sat back to allow Lois to ask the questions. "First, Mr. Luthor, allow me to offer my condolences to you on the loss of Mr. St. John. He was a pillar of this community and he will be missed. I understand the two of you were quite close?" "Thank you, Ms. Lane. Yes, Nigel was more of a father to me than my own ever was." Lois asked several questions about Nigel, none designed to be too difficult to answer, then shifted her focus suddenly. "Mr. Luthor, have you ever been to Kinstantu, in the Congo?" "Kinstantu? Yes, I was there several years ago, visiting that and other communities in the area. I was working with Blockheed at the time, and we were developing a rather secret product. I was assigned to the project since I speak some of the native languages and have traveled to that area of the world before, to try to make a deal for some materials we needed to procure from that region. Beyond that, I can't tell you any more, for it's still a classified project. You can ask in two years, though. Isn't seven years the limit on those things?" Lex smiled congenially. Lois didn't smile in return. "Have you been back since?" Lex regarded her for a moment. "Yes, I visit from time to time, to keep up my contacts in the area." "Is it true that you had a hired man named Makimba in 1993?" "1993? Well, let me think; that was quite some time ago. Yes, I do believe I hired a man named Makimba once, but he turned out to be rather unsavory. I found that he would work for anyone, as long as the price was right. At the same time that he was supposed to be working for me, he was working for some slavers." Lex paused dramatically as Lois raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Yes, Ms. Lane, you heard me right -- slavers. When I discovered this, I knew he couldn't be trusted with technological secrets. I paid him for the brief time he was with me and never heard from him again. He was in my employ for all of thirty-six hours." Lois wrote some notes in her notebook, frowning in thought. She had been told that the trade Blockheed was making had to do with weapons, but the documents she had read could also have been be interpreted to this end. And if this Makimba really was running slaves, he could have kidnapped her for that reason instead of due to the fact she was getting too close to a story ... Clark, sitting next to her, was not as convinced. Luthor's story seemed extremely convenient. This man was smooth, very smooth. Yet Clark couldn't help thinking that Lex was feeling threatened, and was creating this story to divert their attention. For all this, however, Clark did recognize that his judgment of this man might be clouded. He had taken an instant dislike to Lex Luthor, but he couldn't decide if his feelings had to do with jealousy over the way the man interacted with Lois, or if it was something more. He decided to shift the focus of the conversation once more. "Mr. Luthor, about the re-organization of Mr. St. John's financial interests ...." Lex reluctantly turned from his study of Lois to address Clark. "What would you like to know, Mr. Kent?" "In the last few years, you have developed a rather large conglomeration of your own. LexCorp manages power-plants, medical groups, banks, even fisheries in several countries of the world. How are you managing to control all of your former guardian's interests, as well?" "You have to understand, Mr. Kent, that when Nigel disappeared, the stockholders were looking for someone to lead them. Nigel was such a rock, such a good leader, that they were lost without him. "Instability is a terrible thing. I couldn't just stand by and watch it all crumble. I wanted to make sure that when he came back, it would all still be there for him. You can't just fiddle while Rome burns. You have to take control. "Besides, it gave me something to do. Those thirty-six hour days gave me something to think about besides my own grief." As the two men talked, neither was watching Lois to see the change that came over her as Lex spoke. Breaking out in a cold sweat, Lois suddenly bolted from her chair, looking at Clark with a mix of terror and desperation. As Clark looked at her in surprise, she began backing further away, struggling to remove her bracelet. "Lois, what's wrong?" Clark asked in concern. "Stay away from me! Stay back, you hear?" Lois looked behind her frantically, and backed out through the nearest open door, onto the balcony. "What on earth's wrong with her, Mr. Kent?" Lex exclaimed. Clark stood up. "I don't know; just don't crowd her. She looks very frightened." Clark held his hands out in front of him in a mute appeal to Lois. "Lois ... everything is okay. There's nothing here to hurt you." he said in the most soothing voice he could manage. Ignoring his pleas, she instead looked at him warily, and held her wrist with the bracelet out in front of her as a shield. "Don't come any closer!" she ordered. Lex picked up the phone. "Let me page my personal assistant. He has medical training; he may know what to do here." He spoke into the phone. "Mary Ann, have Asabi come to my office immediately." Lex walked over to Clark. "Perhaps you should try talking to her, Mr. Kent. It looks like a panic attack, probably stemming from her thinking about her recent trials. I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself." Clark nodded, getting very worried. If anything happened to Lois, he'd never forgive himself. He walked towards the door. "Lois, it's me, Clark. There's nothing to be afraid of. Everything is going to be okay." As Clark reached the doorway, Lois wrenched violently on the bracelet. "I warned you, stay AWAY!" The bracelet pulled apart, revealing the glowing tip of a small knife. A green knife. Clark immediately fell to his knees. "Lois," he gasped. "That's Kryptonite." Lois seemed startled when he fell, and hesitated for a moment. But as Clark reached his hand out to her, she lifted the blade up. "No," she said, fearful yet angry. "I won't let you hurt me. You're my enemy. I'll never be safe while you're alive." As Lois approached him with the knife, Clark felt his pain increase. Growing weaker, he fell to the floor. He knew very soon he would completely vulnerable to her. "Lois, please," he pleaded. "Please, listen to me. You know me, Lois; you know I would never hurt you. Remember all the time we've spent together this week? All the things we've said? I love you, Lois. We need each other ... we're soul mates. I love you ... don't do this ..." Lois stood over Clark for a moment, uncertain. A look of confusion entered her eyes. 'He's your enemy!' her mind shouted. 'Kill him before he kills you!' She lifted the blade once more, but her hand shook as she tried to lower it. Her mind shouted out again ... only this time, it wasn't her voice. It was a man's voice. A man with an angry, cruel voice. She looked at the man lying before her ... she did know him .... He had such a nice voice, not at all like the voice in her head. He said that he loved her, that he would never hurt her. She wanted to believe ... she wanted ... Clark. With a strangled cry, Lois threw herself backwards and grabbed the other half of her bracelet from where it had fallen to the floor. She forced the band back into one piece and flung it out over the balcony railing. Sobbing -- as if awakening from a nightmare -- she ran to Clark and kneeled before him. She gently lifted his head in her lap and cradled it. "Clark!" she sobbed. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry ... please be okay ... please be okay ..." Clark squinted a bit as he looked up at her. He smiled weakly and nodded. "It's all right, Lois ... everything is going to be all right." "What happened?" she wailed. "Why would I do such a thing? I don't understand ..." Just then, the sound of an ambulance arriving below drifted up to them. A man's voice interrupted them. "I took the liberty of calling an ambulance. I think you both could use it." Lois looked up, her face stained with tears. "Thank you, Mr. Luthor, thank you. I'm so sorry. I don't know why ... I don't know why ... " Lex crouched next to Lois, and cupped her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Ms. Lane -- Lois, this clearly wasn't your fault. Obviously something happened to you over the past five years, something traumatic. But you didn't hurt anyone, least of all me. I just hope you're feeling better soon. Both of you." By the time the ambulance personnel entered the suite, both Lois and Clark were sitting up, mostly recovered. Still, at Lex's insistence, they escorted Lois and Clark to the nearest hospital. **** As the elevator doors shut, Luthor turned to his personal assistant, Asabi, who had joined the scene. "Well, what do you think?" Asabi looked thoughtful. "She was able to overcome the post-hypnotic suggestion. Quite remarkable. She has a very strong Ka -- I have never seen anyone overcome a suggestion that deeply implanted." Asabi's voice was muted with respect for Ms. Lane and her strength. "Were we able to recover the bracelet?" "Of course, sir." "Good; as in so many other things, Tempus was wrong once again. But the green stuff, that's real enough. I may have need of that soon." Lex sighed dramatically. "It's a shame, though. I was hoping to be there to console Ms. Lane over the death of her newly acquired partner ..." Lex's eyes darkened. "But who knows, Asabi ... I may have that pleasure yet." "If I may suggest, sir," Asabi interjected. "Ms. Lane and Mr. Kent's Kas are connected in a way that is beyond this world. That connection would not be easy to sever." Lex scoffed. "Yes, yes. I heard them. Soul mates. Only a romantic sap could come up with something like that." Lex rolled his eyes in disgust. "Please -- I may throw up!" Asabi nodded in deference. "Well, sir, they don't seem to have any proof of a connection between you and Mr. St. John's untimely demise." "Yes; poor Nigel. He just didn't have enough vision. He wanted me to work for him *still*, when my organization was more than big enough to rival his. There's only room for one at the top, as he so often told me. It's a shame he didn't realize it was time for him to stand aside." Lex sat back in his chair, deep in thought. "If there is nothing else ... " "What? No, Asabi. That will be all for now." Lex turned his chair to look out the window over the city that, for all intents and purposes, he ruled. **** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:25 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 6/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" **** As they were washing the dishes, Clark noticed Lois pushing up her sleeves to immerse her hands in the soapy water. "That's an unusual bracelet, Lois. What is it?" Lois shrugged absently. "Oh, it's just something I picked up somewhere. I've had it for so long, I don't even remember where I got it, to tell the truth. But I love it. It's -- I don't know, I just miss it so much when I'm not wearing it that I never even take it off anymore ...." She trailed off, then stood, just contemplating the bracelet. Clark noticed how tired she seemed. "Would you like to crash on the couch for a while? I'll wake you when it's time to go." "No, Clark. I'm too wound up. I couldn't possibly sleep. Of course, I'll be sorry for that tomorrow. But my appointment with the realtor isn't 'til one o'clock, anyway. You're still coming, right?" "Of course!" "Good; I told my dad that you would be there. I think even *he* will accept it if Superman says a place is okay. He and Mom have been threatening to come out and find a place for me just so they're sure it will be safe. It's sweet, and I know they've been through hell over this, but I've been on my own for so long ... I just don't need the kind of fussing over they want to do." Lois took one look at Clark's face and felt guilty. "Oh, Clark ... I'm sorry. I know I sound ungrateful." Clark shook his head. "No ... I understand. Actually, I wasn't thinking about my parents so much as about Lana. It was difficult when we split up because I felt so ungrateful after everything she and her family had done for me. They gave me so much, but then Lana made me feel like ... like in exchange for that stability, she got the right to run my life. And when I became Superman against her wishes ... that was it." Lois furrowed her brow. "Sounds like we should set her up with my ex-boyfriend, Claude. I dated him for a couple months when I first got to the Planet ... he was French, and I thought he was so mature and worldly. But when it came down to it, he wanted everything done for him, things handed to him on a silver platter. One day I caught him "borrowing" some of my notes for a story he was going to write up. I kicked him out so fast, he didn't know what hit him!" "You sound so in control of everything, so sure of yourself," Clark said almost wistfully as they moved the conversation to the couch. "I envy you that." Lois just smiled sadly. "I'm not in that much control ... look at what a mess my life is right now. I've lost a whole chunk of time ... time that I'll never get back. And every time I think about it--" She broke off, her voice cracking with emotion. Clark leaned forward. "But you're strong, Lois ... most people wouldn't be able to handle this nearly as well as you have." Lois sniffled. "Sometimes I don't feel very strong," she admitted aloud for the first time. "I mean, when I go to bed at night, half the time I end up crying because I'm so scared and angry. It's just so unfair." Clark wrapped his arms around her as they leaned back against the couch. He began telling her about his parents' death, and how hard it was on him. Then he related his mixed feelings over meeting the Kents in the other dimension last year. On one hand, it was a deeply emotional experience, to be held in his mother's arms one last time, even if it wasn't really *his* mother. But on the other, it was terribly traumatic to have those old wounds reopened -- and he confessed that sometimes he still got angry over how his childhood was stolen from him, especially when he found out the other Clark didn't have to go through that. Lois told Clark about her family, and how she felt guilty for not wanting to spend more time with them in California. Lois was raised in Metropolis, but just a few months before she had gone to the Congo, her parents moved to Silicon Valley to be closer to Lucy, who had just given birth to their first grandchild. Lois had never even been to the house before a couple weeks ago. It was a beautiful house -- in a nice community named Sunnyvale -- but it wasn't *home*. "And right now, Clark ..." she finished, her voice thick with emotion. "All I want -- desperately -- to be somewhere I consider home. Does that make any sense?" Clark took a shaky breath. "Lois, it makes more sense than you probably realize. You know, when I started working as Superman, the city offered to buy me a big, fancy house near the government district of the city. But instead, I just bought the apartment next door when it became available, and joined the two to get a little more space. I mean, the house would have been a lot bigger, but I just couldn't bear to leave this apartment. I've lived here ever since I moved to Metropolis. It's the longest I've ever lived anywhere except for the farm where I lived with my parents until I was ten." As Clark related his emotional story, Lois turned in his arms. "I guess we're both looking for the same things," she whispered. "A home ... stability ... someone to trust .... someone to love." Clark looked deeply into her eyes. "Kids that grow up like me," he said, trying to smile, "tend to crave those things ... stability, I mean ..." Lois didn't waver. "And the rest of those things? Do you crave those, too?" she asked seriously. Clark swallowed, fighting the building emotions that were welling up in him. Emotions he'd been keeping a tight lid on for his entire adult life. He pulled her a little closer. "I've been searching for twenty years, Lois," he whispered. "And I feel like I finally have a chance at them." Lois smiled through the tears welling up in her eyes and returned his hug. "Me too," she admitted. **** As evening turned into night, the two spent long hours talking. Clark had never imagined being able to share so much of himself with anyone. Lana had repeatedly told him that she would be the only one who would ever understand him ... but she had been so wrong. Clark found himself telling Lois things that he had never shared with another living soul. As midnight neared, however, they packed up their things, and got ready to fly to Africa. Clark knew that Lois was nervous about the trip, both about what she might find there, and any memories that might surface. But she was strong, no matter what doubts she might have, and she jumped into his arms ready to face whatever they might find. They landed at a rough airstrip -- the same one Lois had landed on all those years ago. Lois directed Clark to the clearing where she had been abducted. She had been shocked to see how overgrown the area had become -- five years worth of growth, not the two months that had passed from her perspective. The two stood in silence for a long moment before beginning a search of the area. Clark scanned with every super-sense he had, but found nothing. He could only imagine the frustration and sadness Lois felt in surveying this spot, and his own anger welled up when he thought of someone stealing those years from her. It was too much for him to even put into words. So they each stayed silent. After nearly a half an hour, they reluctantly agreed that there was nothing more to see, so they continued on to the outskirts of the village where Lois had stayed, ready to see if anyone recognized the photo they had brought. The first place they visited was the local market. It was run by a Lebanese couple, surprisingly the same people who had run it when Lois had last been there. Because western people were so rare in that part of the world, they recognized Lois immediately and greeted her profusely, offering her fruits and all their hospitality. They then turned their attention to Clark, who had just entered the shop. He had changed back into his regular clothes after doing a quick survey of the area. "Mr. Kent! It is so good to see you, again. We see that you have found Ms. Lane. Praise Allah." Lois looked to Clark, surprised. He explained, a little embarrassed. "After I met the other Lois, I decided to see if I could find out what happened to you. This was the obvious place to start. The possessions you left behind had been 'acquired' by someone else long before I got here. I asked a lot of questions, but obviously not the right ones," he finished ruefully. Lois smiled and laid a comforting hand on his arm. Imagine, blaming himself! She turned back towards the shopkeeper, and handed him a picture of Lex Luthor. "Do you recognize this man by any chance?" The man studied the picture, then showed it to his wife. They spoke in their native tongue for a few minutes, and Mohammed nodded. "John. It looks a lot like John," he finally responded in English. Lois leaned forward. "Where do you know him from?" "I met him only once. He came to the village looking to hire house help." The man looked skyward, trying to remember more. "It was not long before you arrived, Ms. Lane. I remember because it was so unusual, having two Americans visit the village in such a short time." "Do you know what happened to him?" Clark interjected. The man shook his head. "He didn't stay long; I don't think he spoke to anyone beyond me and my friend, Makimba. He approached us as we walked on the road outside of the village. My friend agreed to work for him, then they both disappeared." "What do you mean, disappeared?" "Makimba has not been seen in all these years since. I am sure something happened to him. He left a poor mother left behind, and if he were alive, he certainly would have given her some support." Lois and Clark exchanged looks. "Mohammed, do you have any idea where this man -- John? -- lived when he was here?" "He gave us some vague directions when he was soliciting us to work for him. My son, Alef, might be able to help you search a few possible locations. He's quite an explorer, our Alef." "But isn't Alef the little one?" asked Lois, confused. Mohammed smiled, "Alef is fourteen now, Ms. Lane. He's a man. He has just gone to deliver supplies to the missionary couple down the path; he should be back any time now." When Alef returned, he led Lois and Clark to three remote huts, two of which they immediately ruled out due to their distance from the clearing. ("My abductor must have carried me out of there. There was no way a truck could have gotten through, " Lois reasoned.) The third, however, was quite promising. It had been abandoned for some time, but it looked more livable than either of the previous two they had visited. Clark did a super-search of the floor of the hut and found a small object. He unearthed it, digging it out of the grime that had collected over it. It was a small cross. Lois gasped. "That was my charm, from the necklace my Grandma Lane gave me. The necklace had broken in the bush that morning. I remember putting the cross in my pocket to keep it safe. It must have fallen out here." Clark grew more serious, his features hardening into what Lois could only refer to as his 'Superman face'. "Well, this was the place, then. Let me do a sweep of the area." Clark returned five minutes later with a grim look on his face. "Nothing helpful, except I did find the remains of a human skeleton. I think it's safe to say we know where Makimba's been hiding all these years." Lois looked up at Clark. "The next step is to talk to Luthor, isn't it?" "Yes, I have a feeling that man has a lot to answer for." **** They flew back to Metropolis early in the morning, their time. They were tired and dirty, but buoyed by the fact that they had some new information to go on. After a quick nap, shower, and a change of clothes, they made it to Lois's meeting with realtor only a few minutes late. The first building that they looked at was a familiar one to Lois. "Hey! I used to live here!" "Yes, Miss Lane. I thought perhaps you'd like to start with this building, since you are already familiar with it. And it's so convenient to your office." "I don't suppose apartment 105 is still open?" "No, currently the only opening is on the top floor of the building." They took the elevator to the fifth floor and followed the realtor into apartment 501. "Oh, it's perfect! It's home! And Clark, look at the windows. Lots of room for you to land." She grinned up at him as she took his hand and pulled him to the window. They stood that way, holding hands and enjoying the view and the nearness of each other, until the realtor reminded them of her presence. "Shall I have a lease written up, Miss Lane?" she asked. She was the soul of decorum, and restrained herself from wanting to ask all sorts of questions about this friend of Superman. She didn't want to do anything to mess up the sale; the commission was too important. But she couldn't wait to get back and share this gossip with her friends. Superman had a girlfriend! Lois looked at Clark, as if asking a second opinion. Clark, being practical as ever, insisted on looking over all the rooms, checking the electricity and plumbing as well as the safety features of the apartment and the entire building in general. After haggling with the realtor ("After all, the fifth floor isn't really all that convenient. Having to cart groceries all the way up here should be worth at least $100 a month!" Lois declared), Lois agreed to the terms of the lease. She could move in the following weekend, due to the fact that she had been a previous tenant and no background check would be needed. "Now to track down all of my stuff. Thank goodness, my sister kept most of my stuff in storage all this time. She said she couldn't accept that I wouldn't come back someday. Of course, Johnny-Angel has more than enough money to rent a storage shed for a few years. He probably owns the building," she said with a little roll of her eyes. Clark just laughed as he dropped Lois off at the White's house, promising to meet her at work first thing in the morning so they could try to find a way to get to Lex Luthor. **** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:23 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 5/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Lois had taken Clark's hand in a show of support when he'd first gotten emotional, but at his last statement, she began to get frustrated all over again. "He did *what*?? Who?! Clark, if you know who kidnapped me, or who saved me, then I have a right to know!" Suddenly, Lois had another thought. The pieces were beginning to fit together slowly, but there were still huge gaps. She changed tack. "Who was she, Clark?" Lois demanded. "The woman that claimed to be me ... the one that was there when you became Superman?" When Clark didn't answer immediately, Lois went on, getting more worked up. "I mean, it's frustrating enough knowing that there's this whole huge section of my life that I'm missing, but to find out that while I was gone, someone was posing as me ... that's just too much. And no one will tell me anything! Perry and James are being vague on purpose, I just know it. And that really pisses me off! I mean, this is my name, my life ... and if someone just tried to steal it then disappeared ... what if she was responsible for kidnapping me? What if she stole my life?! What if--" "Lois!" Clark stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't like that." Lois stopped in mid-babble. "Then what was it like, Clark? Tell me!" And so Clark told her all about the two strange visitors who had come to the Daily Planet looking for him. How they knew about his powers, and claimed to need his help. About a man named Tempus who was trying to defeat Perry White in the mayor's race by having him murdered. How they all came from another dimension, an alternate dimension, where many things were the same, yet many things were different. And how the woman called Lois Lane taught him how to be Superman, then returned to her own time and space ... returning to marry the man that she loved. Lois sat stunned as Clark recounted his story to her. They talked for long hours about the events of his life two years ago. She asked many questions, and Clark tried to answer as best he could. He even pulled out the scrapbook he kept of that time, and showed her the blurry background pictures of the woman who called herself Lois Lane, and the man who claimed to be HG Wells. Clark then went onto explain how he had visited the alternate universe last year, and had helped that Lois when her husband was kidnapped by Tempus. And how, as they were leaving, Clark had vocalized how much he wished his Lois -- this Lois -- hadn't been taken from him before he'd even had a chance to meet her. Lois inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to process all that she'd heard. "So, what you're saying ..." she started slowly. "Is that in this alternative universe ... you and I are ... married?" Clark nodded. "Yeah ... we are. Only, it's not us. Not really. I mean, she isn't you -- you were raised differently, just like the other Clark and I were raised differently, and therefore, are different people. Maybe like twins separated at birth." Clark smiled a little at his analogy. Then he hesitated. "I know it's hard to believe ..." he said apologetically. Lois just shook her head and started to chuckle a bit. "Yeah, it is ... but the scariest part is I actually believe you. I shouldn't. I should be running for the door. But I actually believe you." She smiled at him, at a loss. "Why is that?" Clark smiled too, and tentatively reached up a hand to stroke her hair. "Maybe because after all the craziness you've gone through to get to this point, you finally have an explanation ... or maybe ...." His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Because we're soul mates, and are meant to be together." She looked doubtful. "Do you believe in soul mates, Clark?" "I didn't ... until I met you. What I feel for you, Lois ... I can't really describe it. It's like I'm drawn to you." Lois looked into his eyes. She saw incredible kindness and such gentle strength. It was like she'd been looking for this all of her life, and suddenly it was right here in front of her. Even though her mind was telling her that it was crazy, her heart was telling her not to fight her feelings, to reach out for everything this man had to offer her. She tried to tell herself that it was just the romance of the moment, that she was going through a stressful time in her life and this man was just the one who happened to be offering her solace. But if that were true, then maybe that was her good luck. She may have overlooked him otherwise -- he made her notice him. Still ... there was one thing holding her back. There was one question left unanswered. "You spent a lot of time with the other Lois, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." Lois took a deep breath, knowing she had to ask. She was sure that Clark had romantic feelings for her ... but were they feelings for the Lois that sat before him? Or for the other Lois that he had met two years ago? "Were you in love with her, Clark?" Clark lowered his gaze for a moment, then returned to meet her eyes. "I ... had feelings for her, yes. Strong ... feelings. She put me in touch with a part of myself that I didn't know existed. She was the first person in my life, besides my parents, who made me believe that I was someone special, and that I didn't need to be ashamed of who I was. And I will *always* be grateful to her for that." Lois felt her heart sink over his admission. She felt protective of this man, and from everything she had learned about his childhood and early years at the Planet, she could only imagine how painful his life must have been. And she, too, was grateful to the woman who had helped this man feel good about himself. But the fact still remained that Lois Lane would never play second fiddle to any woman, and could never allow herself to get involved with a man who saw her as his second choice. As if reading her mind, Clark continued, imploring her with his voice and his eyes to understand. "But you have to believe me, Lois; I honestly feel that my feelings for her were supposed to be directed towards you. You are a different person; you had a different life. I feel -- I feel a connection with you, Lois, that I've never felt with anyone else before in my life. And I think that even though my feelings may have been ... jump-started ... by meeting her first, it's become increasingly clear to me over the last year that it was *her* that was a substitute for *you*, not the other way around. And it's *you* that I want to get to know better." Lois sniffled as a couple of tears slipped out of her eyes and ran down her face. She wiped at them and laughed. "Wow," she said on a little gasp. "That was ... really beautiful." Clark chuckled with her, but it was clear his speech had left him feeling emotional and vulnerable. His voice was earnest when he spoke again. "Lois, I told myself I wouldn't pressure you. I've had a lot longer to get used to these feelings, and I want you to know that I don't expect you to necessarily return them. I know you've been through a lot this last month, and the last thing I want is to become another pressure on you--" Lois shook her head as she wiped away the remaining tear marks. "Clark," she interrupted, "have you ever heard the phrase 'quit while you're ahead'?" Clark gave her a puzzled look. "Yeah ...." Lois rolled her eyes. "Shut up and kiss me, flyboy." **** Clark pulled his mouth away from Lois's as yet another cry for help interrupted their "getting to know each other". After sighing heavily, he cocked an eyebrow over the fact that Lois seemed to find the situation amusing. In fact, she was laughing out loud. "I don't find this funny," he said as he spun into the suit for the fourth time that evening. She grinned. "You should ... I bet it's not every night that Superman has to wipe lipstick off his face before saving someone." Lois sat up and reached for the stack of papers on the corner of the coffee table, as Clark self-consciously swiped at his mouth. "And it's not every night I have so much fun 'working'." He just shook his head. "I hope you continue to feel that way ... I'm already starting to regret taking this 'second job'." "People are always most patient when they're in the beginning of a relationship. Now go, before I have to go rescue the person myself." Lois smiled as, with a wink and a gust of wind, he was gone. She was getting used to these interruptions. Over the week that she had known him, he had frequently made these quick exits, sometimes in the middle of a conversation. She could imagine that it could get really annoying in the future, but for now, she was content to know that he was out doing good for the world. And in any case, at least it was clear what she was getting herself into. >From what she could tell, Clark Kent had surrendered a fair bit of his private life when he took on the job of Superman. In exchange for regular patrols, the city of Metropolis put Clark on retainer, as well as helped pay for the expansion of and extra security for his apartment. In exchange for frequent interviews, the press stayed out of his life after hours (unless he was dressed in the suit). Though, from what she had heard, he hadn't had much of a social life as Clark Kent. He himself had told her he hadn't dated much recently, and the papers were full of evidence for how often Superman was needed. It was enough to make her wonder if he had room in his life for a girlfriend, but she was heartened by Clark's sincere admission that while his Superman duties were a high priority for him, they were not his only priority -- especially now that he had found her. Time would tell, she supposed, how well they would be able to work through the disagreements that were bound to arise over how he allocated his time among those priorities. But for now, Lois was content to enjoy spending time with him, and let the relationship develop. Just then, Clark flew back in the window. "Sorry about that. It always seems to take longer than I think." Lois waved him off. "That's okay. I think I'm done for the night, anyway." "Did you find anything?" Clark asked, peering over her shoulder at the notes she had taken on their list. "No, nothing yet. But I know there's something I'm missing. I just have to find it." "We'll find it, Lois. We'll find it." Lois sighed. "I know ... but not tonight. I'm really beat. It's been a very eventful day." She smiled tenderly at him for a moment. "Say, do you want to go with me on Sunday to look at apartments? I have a realtor showing me some that are available and I'd love a second opinion." Clark perked up. "Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun." He smiled as Lois's jaw cracked into a huge yawn. "But for now I'm taking you home. Ready to head to Perry's?" Lois gathered up her purse and briefcase. "Yes, if you don't mind. We have to be in early tomorrow, so I want to get some sleep." Clark picked her up, belongings and all. "Superman Airlines, leaving in five seconds." If anyone had looked up into the darkened sky fifteen minutes later, they would have been surprised to see Superman doing somersaults of joy on his way home from the mayor's house. **** The next day, Lois was working on cross-referencing all of the international companies affiliated with Lex Luthor when something caught her eye. Pulling up another file, she found a list of all of the mission hospitals in Zaire. Sigma Health Corporation, through its entity known as New World Health, operated nearly all of the mission hospitals in the area of Zaire she'd been found in -- all except one. Lois sat back in her chair. It certainly could be a coincidence that Lois regained consciousness in the one clinic in the area that was *not* associated with Lex Luthor ... but her reporter's instincts told her it wasn't. She quickly checked to see if Lex Luthor had made any visits to Zaire recently. Sure enough, he had visited the region once or twice a year over the last few years, always on St. John Corporation business. His last scheduled trip had been five months ago. At that moment, Clark Kent entered the newsroom from the stairwell and returned to his desk. "Hi Clark," she said absently. "Were you able to clear that pile-up?" "Yeah. These summer storms can be pretty violent in the midwest ... people get caught in their cars when they have no business being on the road." Clark looked like he was going to say more when he noticed how distracted his partner looked. "What's up, Lois? Did you find something?" "Well, I'm not sure. Look at this." She showed him her paperwork, and explained the two connections that Lex Luthor had to the region. "Now, Clark ... I may be reaching here, but do you think that if it was HG Wells that helped me get to that hospital, that he would have known to choose the *one* facility in the area that wasn't associated with Lex Luthor? And if so, why?" Clark was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Lois, would it be all right if we started looking into the lead you had that took you to Africa in the first place? I have a weird feeling that you're more tied to this than you know." "Yeah, I was going to suggest the same thing myself. I have a folder of stuff -- it has all my old notes plus the stuff I've been able to find since I came back." Clark super-skimmed the notes. "Blockheed Marvin? Supporting rebel insurrections in Africa?" Clark whistled. "Holy smokes!" "Yeah. I never even let Perry see how big this was. Just told him that it was a gun-running story. The implications of this would have been stunning." "But Lois -- Luthor worked for Blockheed. There was a short period of time when he left St. John Corp. for a couple positions elsewhere. By summer of 1995, he was working for Tempus's campaign, but before that ..." Clark grabbed a different folder, and pulled out a sheet of paper. " ... he was working as a junior vice president at Blockheed-Marvin. There were rumors that St. John had interests in Blockheed, and that Luthor had been sent in to clean up some mess. He spent an extended amount of time overseas, but there was never any word on what that mess was, or even where they had sent him. Lois? When did you start researching this story?" She thought back. "Well, I guess it was around January of 1993." Clark frowned. "And Luthor started working for Blockheed one month later, right about the time management might have gotten wind of your investigation. He stayed until July of 1995, moved to a full-time position in Tempus's group, then went back to St. John Corp. as soon as Tempus was exposed." The two looked at each other. This warranted a great deal of research. Unfortunately, they both knew that Lex Luthor was probably going to be their primary source of information. Lois looked pensive. "Clark, can I ask you a favor?" "Of course you can, Lois." "Do you think you could fly me over there ... to where I disappeared? I want to take an old picture of Luthor with us. His name -- it has seemed so familiar to me, as if I'd heard it spoken at some point .... Anyway, maybe the locals would have some memory of that time." "How soon can you be ready to go?" **** By six that evening, they had arrived at Clark's apartment armed with a few relevant files and a picture of Lex Luthor, taken five years earlier. Following a quick dinner, they were planning to review their notes, then head to Africa around midnight. With the time change, Clark figured that would get them there early in the morning, in time to catch up with some of the locals as they were heading out for the day. As soon as they dropped the files on the table, Clark headed for the kitchen. "I was thinking about stir-fry for dinner. Sound good to you?" "Honestly, Clark, you don't have to cook for me all the time. I can cook, too." "You can?" He looked shocked. "Of course I can! I mean, nothing fancy, but I get by. Why would you think I couldn't?" She pursed her lips a little. "Oh, I get it. The other Lois couldn't?" "Nope. According to her, she could burn water." He chuckled slightly at the memory of that conversation. "So, I'm not exactly like her?" Lois asked as she pushed Clark away from the refrigerator. "No, actually ... not at all. Well, I mean, you do look alike on the surface, but it wouldn't be hard to tell you apart once anyone got to know you. You both have the same tenacity and forth-rightness and sense of justice, but you're ... I don't know ... more open, maybe? I always felt like she was on her guard around me, that her Clark was the only one that she'd really open up to." He smiled as he caught her in a hug from behind and nuzzled her long hair. "I feel much more comfortable around you than I ever did around her." Lois rested her head back against Clark's chest for a moment, then teasingly pushed him off so she could get to work. "And you've met him? What's he like? Anything like you?" "I didn't get to spend much time with him, but I got some pretty good ideas by talking with her. Do you know he eats lots of junk food? She actually offered me Twinkies and Ho-Ho's." Clark wrinkled up his nose. "Does anyone really *eat* that stuff?" **** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:20 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 4/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" **** As Lois sat in the small conference room next to Vince's office paging through the stories Clark had assembled on Nigel St. John, she grudgingly had to admit that maybe this partner stuff wasn't so bad. Already today, Clark had gotten her set up with the desk across the aisle from his, introduced her to several new staff members, and taken her on a tour of the handful of departments that had been relocated in the last five years. He'd even offered to bring her coffee when she'd moved into the conference room to study his story files. Amazingly, he knew exactly how she took it -- black, with two sweet-n-lows. Of course, as soon as she'd settled in with the file folders, he'd taken off, explaining quickly that Superman was needed uptown. Lois had watched on the television monitors mounted in the newsroom as Superman -- *Clark*, she reminded herself -- performed a heart-stopping rescue, saving a school bus which had swerved to avoid an accident, only to become lodged dangerously close to an unstable bridge railing. She had cheered with the rest of the newsroom as Superman lifted everyone to safety, and found herself more than a little excited at the prospect of getting to work closely with him. He really had been very nice to her so far, and although she normally didn't warm up to people this quickly, she was pleased to say that she felt really comfortable around Clark Kent. Not to mention the fact that partnering with him would give Lois time to continue her own research on the side ... and who knows, maybe knowing Superman would come in handy as she searched for the answers she so desperately needed. In reviewing Clark's files, Lois noticed that many of his recent notes seemed to center on St. John's successor, Lex Luthor. St. John had been very powerful and noteworthy even before Lois had gone to Africa, so much of the stuff Clark had written about him was not new to her. But this Lex Luthor ... she was almost sure she hadn't heard of him before, yet somehow the name seemed familiar to her. She was lost in her reading when the conference room door opened, and there stood her partner adjusting his glasses and fixing his tie. Clark smiled. "Sorry that took so long." Lois smiled back. "No problem ... I watched you on TV, actually. You did a great job." Clark blushed a little, which Lois found amusing and endearing. Didn't he get compliments all the time? "Thanks," he said. "It feels good to be able to help like this. I only wish I had ..." He stopped, as if realizing he'd said too much, and quickly changed the subject. "Say, did I get any calls? I forwarded my phone here, and I'm expecting an important call from the coroner." "What about?" Clark sat down next to her. "Did you read the story about the body I fished out of Hobbs Bay last night? It was pretty decomposed, but I'm hoping the coroner can make an ID. The body was weighted down, but somehow the weights must have gotten free and it floated up. I have a feeling that man is Nigel St. John." "Do you have any leads on who did it?" "No solid ones. The police have it as an open case ... but I have a feeling." Lois picked up some of Clark's unpublished notes. "Luthor. He is the obvious suspect. What's he like?" "Cagey. He hasn't done any interviews and all his background information is incredibly sketchy. Beyond having been briefly affiliated with Tempus -- Perry's opponent for mayor who ended up being an interdimensional criminal -- they have nothing on Luthor. Not even a parking ticket." Clark paused and dug out the background sheet from amongst his notes. "What we do know about him is interesting, though. His parents died when he was thirteen, and he was quasi-adopted by Nigel St. John. Supposedly of incredibly high intelligence, he was educated at the best schools and trained at military academies. St. John certainly didn't seem to spare any expense on him. But beyond that, nothing. No pre-fame interviews. Plenty of academic and athletic awards in school, but no details about friends. Seems like he was always a loner." Lois looked thoughtful. "You know, I had a whole file on Nigel St. John before I left. I always had a feeling that there was more to that guy than the image he presented. In fact, I was working on a lead when ..." Lois trailed off, suddenly looking very tired. "... when you went to the Congo?" Clark finished gently. Lois looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. She was deciding whether she should say anything more, when there was a knock at the door. In walked a young man carrying a large box. Clark smiled at their guest, and upon seeing that Lois had buried her threatening emotions and put her professional face back on, he made introductions. "Lois, this is Jack. Jack is a researcher and occasional photographer for the Planet. Jack, this is Lois Lane." Lois reached up and shook Jack's outstretched hand, letting it go quickly as the box he was balancing started to wobble. "Nice to meet you," she offered. "Nice to meet you, too, Lois. Boy, are you sure the talk of the office. Anyway, if you need anything, just let me know -- especially pictures. I'm the Planet's most flexible photographer." "Yeah, he's even kind of good when he remembers to take the lens cap off," Clark quipped, with a wink towards Lois. Jack rolled his eyes. "Geez, you make one mistake ..." Clark interrupted him before he could get any farther. "What's in the box, Jack?" "Oh! I was down getting office supplies for your desk, Lois, when Leanne found this box way in the back. Apparently, it's been sitting there since you disappeared. I thought you might like to have it." Jack set the box down on the table. "Okay, I've gotta go. Oh, and Clark? Cat says hi." The boy gave Clark a wicked grin, and scooted out the door. Lois raised an eyebrow. "Who's Cat?" Clark looked a little uncomfortable. "Oh ... Cat Grant. She's a reporter down in Sports." Lois tried to hide her disappointment. "Your girlfriend?" she asked, as casually as she could manage. Clark sat up straighter. "No! I mean ... no, she's not. She, uh, asked me out a couple times, but I never took her up on it. I mean, she's nice and all, but we're just friends." Lois felt relieved, but decided to push her luck anyway. "I would imagine a lot of women ask you out," she said off-handedly. "You probably have a lot of girlfriends ..." Lois let the sentence trail off, watching him for his reaction. Clark looked at her for a long moment before responding. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, as if he was trying to communicate with more than just his words. "Actually, Lois ... I really haven't dated much in the last couple years. I've been ... kind of waiting for--" Just then, Clark's head lifted and he got a far-away look in his eye. "What? What is it?" she asked, puzzled. Clark shook his head and sighed. "I've been monitoring this fire in Gotham City, and I thought they had it under control, but I think they could use my help after all." He stood up. "Listen, take your time reading through these files. You might want to hide out in here for a while, so those nosy reporters out there lay off. Have Jack give you any names you need to get yourself set up with a phone and computer. He's friends with most of the technicians, so he'll get it pushed through as fast as possible. And do me a favor, if the coroner calls ... " "I'll pump 'em for information. Don't worry! Now *go*; I'll be fine." Clark cocked his head and gave her the strangest smile before leaving the conference room. After he left, Lois got up and walked to the window. Within seconds, she saw a human figure fly off in the direction of Gotham. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to go flying with him -- not after a rescue, but just for fun. **** Clark launched himself off the roof and flew off directly to Gotham. Once there, he tried to distract himself from thoughts of the woman waiting for him back in the newsroom by concentrating on the fire that was threatening to spread to several more vacant buildings. But even as he scanned the buildings for remaining occupants (fortunately, everyone had gotten out), his mind kept returning to her. She had looked happy to be getting back to work, though he knew that inside she must be despondent about her missing years. The few times the subject had been brought up between them, the look of loss on her face was heartwrenching. He couldn't help but feel he was somehow responsible. That was one part of being Superman that he hadn't quite come to terms with -- how, even with all his powers, sometimes he just couldn't save everyone. He felt this guilt most strongly when it came to his parents' death, but two decades had fortunately dampened that pain. Clark knew that it was unrealistic to set such high goals for himself -- whatever he could do should be enough. But it was one thing to say that, and another to believe it. And now he was confronted yet again with a quandary of what to do and how to do it. How should he interact with Lois Lane? He knew in his heart that they were meant to be together, and would have loved nothing more than to scoop her up and fly her to a deserted island, where he could tell her everything and make her fall in love with him. Yet he knew this was just a fantasy -- if this Lois was anything like the other Lois, she wouldn't take kindly to being forced into a romantic situation with a stranger. No, pressuring her would be the surest way to rejection. He couldn't "make" her do anything ... especially develop feelings for him if they weren't there to begin with. Fortunately, however, she did seem to be interested in him, and that gave him hope. Clark hadn't failed to notice how Lois kept looking at him after he had first rescued her (and if he was honest, he had to admit that he couldn't have planned a better introduction -- he wasn't above sweeping Lois off her feet if that gave him a better chance with her. Unlike the other Clark, he had no secret identity to protect, and if his Lois was intrigued first by Superman the way the other Lois had been ... that was fine with him.) But Clark still held out hope that they wouldn't encounter the same problems that the other Lois and Clark had getting together. Lois definitely seemed to be intrigued by Superman, but she had acted just as warmly towards Clark. It had felt good -- really good -- to work with her this afternoon on the St. John story, and he thought that she felt it too. Several times she had graced with him that smile ... oh, that smile ... As Clark moved from building to building, cooling off hot spots as necessary, he shook his head to clear it. All of this pondering wasn't doing him any good. There was really only one option. As much as he wanted to rush things, he had to be patient, to make her feel safe, not scare her away. To get to know her for who she is and not who he projected her to be. Clark knew from experience that people often prejudged him -- and Lois deserved so much more than that from him. He had studied up on this Lois Lane two years ago. He had learned everything he could about her past -- her schooling, her upbringing, her work. But these were just words on paper. Clark wanted to get to know her, the real her, who she was inside. And so, even if it killed him, he would force himself to be patient and not pressure her in any way. **** For the next few days, Lois and Clark continued to work together, writing several articles on the discovery and identity of the body, as well as working on a few side stories that Vince had assigned them. The coroner had been able to make a positive identification on the body that Superman had found in the Bay. It was indeed Nigel St. John. The corpse, however, held little other information. The cause of death was still unknown, and no further clues had been produced which might lead to a perpetrator. A feature story heralding the return of ace-reporter Lois Lane had appeared in the Friday edition of the Planet. There was much speculation but no mention of the cause of Lois's missing years. Lois had grudgingly given Mitch an interview for his story and investigation, but had continued to investigate into the situation on her own. She didn't tell Clark about this, but she had a feeling that he knew anyway. Lois often found herself pondering that little mystery as she watched Clark work at his desk across the aisle from hers. She had just met the man, yet they interacted as if they had known each other much longer. It was a very comforting feeling, to come back to a new friend. But still ... sometimes she felt there was something he just wasn't telling her. Oh, he treated her well, that was for sure. He always held up his end of their partnership -- neither leaving her with more than her share of the work, nor doing it all himself and making her feel left out. In fact, she had heard some of the staff gossiping and had learned that the quasi-regular working hours that Clark was keeping were unusual for him. It seemed that ever since becoming Superman, Clark had been doing a large portion of his work from home via modem. And it was only since he'd been partnered with Lois Lane that he'd begun to not only spend more time in the newsroom, but seemed a happier person, overall. Lois would reflect on these statements as she'd study Clark. What was going on in his head? Sometimes she'd catch him looking at her with an expression so tender that it made her heart skip a beat ... but other times he'd withdraw, indications of loneliness, or even guilt, marring his chiseled features. And so, the question that kept entering her mind was ... does he like me or not? It hadn't taken Lois long to realize that she was very interested in this man. Oh, sure, the cape and the superhero bit was neat, but what really seemed to draw her was the vulnerability that clearly lurked below the surface. Lois had always been a "rescuer" -- it had been her downfall with men since high school -- but she sensed in Clark Kent a need for comfort and friendship more than someone to 'take care of him'. She had done some furtive research on Clark these last few days -- his schooling, his upbringing, his work. And how he had become Superman. Now there was a mystery. The news reports from two years ago gave her lots of facts, but there seemed to be important details missing. Like who was this mystery woman who was frequently seen with Clark in the days leading up to his revealing his superpowers to the world? Lois had been told that it was someone who claimed to be her -- Lois Lane -- but what had happened to the woman? Perry and James were being deliberately vague on the subject, she was sure, and Lois was getting annoyed by the lack of details. Yet she wasn't sure quite how to bring it up with Clark. That Friday night found the two reporters holed up in Clark's apartment, doing research on a list of companies they've been able to link to Lex Luthor. The work was tedious and time consuming, and Clark had suggested they would have more room to spread out at his place. And they had -- papers littered the coffee table and were strewn about the floor. With a groan, Lois straightened on the couch from the file she was reading and started to massage her neck. "Oh, man, my eyes are crossing," she complained. "How about taking a break?" Clark suggested. "I've got some stuff in the 'fridge if you want a snack." "Sounds good to me." Together, they raided his refrigerator, and brought the food back to the couch. Lois was pleasantly surprised to find cream soda in his pantry, which he claimed he had just purchased this week. Not many people seemed to buy cream soda anymore ... in fact, she was the only one of her old friends that liked the stuff when she was first working at the Planet. Yet, here was a man who not only had some for her when she came over to visit, but also seemed to know other things about her -- like how she took her coffee, how she tended to babble when she got upset or nervous, and even which wrist she wore her watch on. And there was something else ... "Clark? Remember when you asked me if I had seen a man wearing a bowler when I was in the mission hospital?" Clark stopped in mid-bite of his sandwich. "Yes?" Lois furrowed her brow. "Well, I kind of remembered something the other night, but I'm not sure if it's my memory or one that you planted there. You know, by mentioning that man to me?" Clark swallowed and put down his plate. He leaned forward. "What do you remember?" Lois took a deep breath, still visibly concerned. "Not much, really ... I still don't have any recollection of how I got to the hospital, but I vaguely remember opening my eyes and seeing a man like the one you described. He said my name -- which I thought was odd at the time since I'd never seen him before -- and he told me that I was in a hospital, but that everything would be okay." Clark looked positively enthralled. "Did he say anything else?" he asked, almost fearfully. Lois cocked her head. "Yeah, though again, I'm not sure if this all was a dream, or what. But when he told me I was in the hospital, I said 'That's impossible', and he just smiled this soothing little smile and said, 'Oh, my dear. Nothing is impossible.'" Clark sat back against the couch and exhaled a shaky breath. "Oh my God," he whispered. "He did it. He really did it." To Lois's surprise, Clark looked like he was on the brink of tears. "He said he'd help me, and he did." ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:18 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 3/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" **** Lois and Perry rode the elevator up to the newsroom towards their meeting. Lois was focused, but Perry still wasn't certain they were doing the right thing. "I don't know if this is such a good idea, Lois." "Perry, I'm going nuts just hanging out at your house. And while I appreciate your offer, I don't want to be your personal assistant. Much as I like your company, if I don't sink my teeth into some real work soon, I'm afraid I'll go insane." "I know, I know. But it's so soon. Are you sure you don't need some more time to recover? After all, you've been hit with some pretty big changes ..." Lois shook her head. "What I need is to get back to work," she said firmly. Perry acquiesced. "All right, all right. But, I'm not promising anything, understand. My replacement, Vince Nelson, is new to the Planet and may not be familiar with your work." "Not familiar with my work?" Lois sputtered. "Wasn't he speaking English when I won my two Kerths and got nominated for that Pulitzer? Or has the entire news business contracted amnesia where I'm concerned?" she added sarcastically. Then, realizing what she'd said, Lois sighed. "I'm sorry, Perry. I didn't mean that ... it's just so frustrating! For me, it's like I've been gone a couple of months at the most. I still can't believe it's been ..." she swallowed, unable to finish. Perry put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Five years. I know, Lois, and I'm sorry, too. If there was any way I could have prevented this from happening to you, any way I would have known in advance ... I would have stopped you from going to the Congo." Lois gave a little laugh. "You and what army?" she teased. Then she sobered once more. "Seriously, Chief, we both know I was bound and determined to get that story. This wasn't your fault -- and it wasn't mine. Sometimes things just ... happen." Lois sighed again. "And now I just have to deal with that the best I can." Her voice became stronger. "And that is why I'm going to go into this interview and kick some editor butt until he gives me my job back!" Perry laughed out loud. This was his Lois, all right. "Go get 'em, tiger," he encouraged. "Thanks, Perry. And thank you so much for everything you've done for me," Lois continued sincerely. "Coming all that way to get me, taking me to visit my parents on the way back to Metropolis ... then letting me stay with you and Alice these last few days. I need to regain some sense of normalcy in my life, and staying with my parents in California was not going to do it," she explained ruefully. "It's not that I don't love them -- I do -- but I was going crazy having them hover over me like I was a china doll. They're so protective, and I'm not going to figure out what happened to me sitting around having them fuss every time I try to get a glass of water for myself. And Lucy! She's just as bad, wanting me to come 'recover' at the Corbin estate with her and her computer-geek, millionaire husband, 2.4 children and golden retriever. Her Johnny-Angel husband makes me want to gag." Lois rolled her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. When she continued, she was more subdued. "I just need to get back to finding *me* again. And let's face it, five years ago, Lois Lane was a darn good reporter. I need to get back to that." Perry sighed and nodded in support. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, Lois." **** The elevator doors opened, and Lois stepped onto the landing to survey the newsroom. It had changed so little in the last five years ... it was almost enough to convince her she really had only been gone for two months. If she had begun to doubt the year, however, the reaction of the newsroom staff gave her all the proof she needed. As the people in the newsroom realized who was standing there with the mayor of Metropolis, a hush fell over the crowd. Lois looked at all of the stunned faces, many of whom she recognized, albeit as slightly older versions of themselves. For the first time since she had woken up in the hospital, she was the center of attention. Normally, this would not have fazed her, but this time she was feeling quite disconcerted. Fortunately, a voice broke the silence. "Mayor White -- Perry, Ms. Lane, welcome back to the newsroom of the Daily Planet." James Olsen walked to them with a hand extended and a warm smile on his face. "Mr. Olsen, let me introduce you to possibly the finest reporter I've ever managed: Ms. Lois Lane." "Ms. Lane, may I say what an honor it is to meet you. I respect the work that you did a great deal, and I'm thrilled to have you standing in my newsroom. Welcome home." Lois nodded and smiled politely as she shook James Olsen's hand. The reporters in the room were starting to recover, and began whispering amongst themselves. Lois couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could imagine. She decided that confronting the situation head-on would be the best way to diffuse it. She turned to the newsroom, squared her shoulders and put on her most confident smile. "Hello everyone," she said. "I know it's been a long time, but believe me, I'm thrilled to be back in Metropolis." She glanced at Perry with some hesitation, then plowed on. "I also know that a couple years ago, there was someone here claiming to be me. I don't have any information about that, but I can assure you that the real me is back now, and I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with you all." Lois's speech did seem to break the ice. Several of the reporters that she'd known came forward to welcome her back and say how glad they were that she was okay. Others hung back, waiting for a formal introduction, but immediately realizing why Lois Lane was considered one of the great ones. She commanded quite an audience. After a few moments, James Olsen interrupted the chatter. "I know you all want to catch up with Lois, but right now, we have some business to discuss. Lois, Perry, why don't the three of us proceed to Vince's office. I think we all have a lot to talk about." **** The trio walked to the office, countless eyes monitoring their progress. The door shut behind them, and after a few moments most of the reporters returned to business as usual. No one seemed to notice that Clark Kent had returned to the newsroom via the staircase, and now stood watching the scene from a distance. It wasn't that he didn't want to get in the middle of this reunion, to walk right up to Lois Lane and ask her the million and a half questions that had been swirling in his mind since he'd first realized she was back -- it was that he wasn't sure his brain would function if he got close enough to ask her anything. He still couldn't quite believe this was happening. All these years, all this longing ... and now she was really here, alive. But where had she been? Why couldn't he find her? Did she not want to be found? Had she been held captive? She certainly didn't look like she'd been traumatized, but then again, Clark knew first hand how people could hide their emotional pain from the rest of the world -- he'd done it himself since he was ten years old. And so he'd watched from afar, studying her, absorbing every detail that made her *his* Lois. Oh, he knew she wouldn't appreciate him thinking of her in that way. After all, to her, he was a stranger. And she was technically a stranger to him, as well, wasn't she? There had to be a thousand differences between her and the Lois he had known. After all, he and the other Clark weren't exactly alike. As he had stood there and watched her, Clark even tried to convince himself that his feelings for her were not a given. Maybe he really did care for the other Lois and this one would be a poor substitute ... But then Clark had watched as Lois braved the stares of the newsroom, how she had taken a situation where she felt off balance, and turned it around so that she was in control. He had listened to her heart-rate and knew that she wasn't feeling as confident as she wanted people to believe. Yet, after everything she must have gone through, she still confronted her fears. And in that moment, Clark knew that he was hooked. What he felt for her was not simply a hold-over from the other Metropolis's version of this woman. No, she was a person unto herself ... beautiful, brilliant, vibrant ... and strong. And he wanted to get to know her better -- so badly he could almost taste it. **** "Ms. Lane, it is such an honor to finally meet you. I was a big fan of your work when I was with the New Troy Times, and never dreamed that I'd have the chance to welcome you back to the Planet ." Vincent Nelson, a short, thin, balding man with intense eyes, held out his hand in greeting. "Mr. Nelson, it's a pleasure. I'd like to thank both you and Mr. Olsen for agreeing to meet me today. I know I've been out of circulation for awhile, but I'd like to assure you that I am more than ready to get back to work." "Ms. Lane, Mr. Olsen and I have discussed your coming back to work almost from the moment Perry alerted us to your return. And, please, rest assured that the Daily Planet is thrilled to have you back ... just as soon as you are ready." Lois sat a little taller in her chair. "And I can assure you, Mr. Nelson, that I *am* ready," she said firmly. "As I know Perry explained to you, I've been gone for a long time, but to me, it's like I just left. And I'm very anxious to get back to work." James interjected. "Ms. Lane -- Lois. Let there be no mistake, you *do* have a job here. And we are very anxious to have you. But we want to be sure that you are ready. I know that the doctors have given you a clean bill of health, but I also know that you've been through a very traumatic experience, and the last thing we want is for you to push yourself and cause some type of relapse." Mr. Olsen spoke kindly but firmly, his position clear. Lois clenched her jaw slightly in frustration. All she had worked for, all she had accomplished ... and they wanted to put her on probation. It just wasn't fair. Still, she maintained her composure. It wouldn't help her case to lose her temper. Lois took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Even though she didn't like it, she did have to admit that they had a point in worrying about her. She had been through a traumatic experience -- even though she couldn't remember being kidnapped, the shock of finding out she had been missing for five years was enough to send anyone over the edge. She tried not to think about those missing years, but in her bed late at night, she couldn't help but feel the fury and resentment over what has been stolen from her. But she hadn't let on to anyone exactly how she was feeling -- even Perry and Alice only saw a fraction of her real emotions. And her parents .. . she had to be strongest around them, or they would have never let her come back to Metropolis. As it was, they only let her leave California after she promised to check in with them on the phone every night and assured them she'd fly back later this month for a visit. She felt bad for them -- what incredible pain they must have suffered thinking their oldest daughter was dead. But that didn't change the fact that Lois needed to find out what had happened to her. She had to find out who was responsible and why they had stolen her life from her. And somehow she just knew that the Daily Planet was the best resource to find those answers. "Mr. Olsen -- *James*," Lois said with a disarming smile, "I recognize that you have some concerns. Would it help reassure you if I agreed to work a reduced schedule for the first few weeks? I do have some business to attend to now that I've returned -- finding a new apartment, for example -- so maybe we could reach a compromise. After all, I'd hate to take my talents elsewhere." Vince Nelson blanched visibly at Lois's sweetly spoken, but thinly veiled threat; Perry White covered a grin with his hand. James Olsen simply stared at the woman before him, studying her. Lois met his eyes fully, her gaze unwavering. Soon, a smile crept onto James' face, and he nodded with respect, acquiescing. "No, Ms. Lane ... *we* would hate for you to take your talents elsewhere. You have a deal. A reduced workload for the first few weeks while you recover and get your things in order -- you set the schedule. However, I do have one condition. I'd like you to work with one of our other reporters for the time being. He can bring you up to speed on what's been happening since you've been gone." Lois felt her frustration build once more. Was this an honest attempt to accommodate her, or was she being relegated to the role of "assistant"? She had never worked with a partner before; she'd never needed to. She was the one who had assistants working for her, not the other way around! "Actually, James ... while I'd be more than happy to sit down for a debriefing, and help this other reporter out a little if necessary," Lois countered, "I already have an idea for my first story. I'd like to use the resources of the Planet to find out what happened to me. I fully intend for the Daily Planet to have an exclusive on what should be a really big story." Vince cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Lois. You have to know you'd be much too close to that story. I've already assigned one of our top reporters on this one. His name is Mitch Carter; he joined the international section about three years ago, having established a name for himself with several papers before that. He has numerous contacts in that area of the world. In fact, I was wondering if you'd give him an interview." Lois felt her belly tighten with anger. There was no way she was going to give up this story. She took another deep breath, trying to think of a polite way to say "not on your life, buster," when there was a knock on the office door behind her. Lois nearly forgot what she'd been talking about as Clark Kent entered the room. "Ah, Clark," James enthused. "Right on time. I'd like you to meet Lois Lane. Lois Lane, Clark Kent." Lois couldn't help but stare. "We've ... uh .... met," she said, as she automatically reached out to shake his hand. A little shiver went through her as their hands clasped and Lois had to remind herself to breathe. She'd been overwhelmed after he had rescued her not an hour before, but who wouldn't be? After all, he was a god in a cape. Yet seeing him this way -- in glasses and a suit and tie -- took her breath away as much as the flying had. How was it possible that he could be *better* looking in work clothes? As their hands separated and everyone in the office engaged in a bit of small talk, Lois gave herself a mental shake. She recognized this feeling. 'I've been unconscious for five years, and I'm developing a huge crush on the first man I meet?' she thought, a little exasperated with herself. 'Where are your priorities, girl??' Yet she couldn't deny the feeling, and it only grew stronger the more they talked. He was beautiful, smart, funny, sweet ... and he could fly! What's more, he kept staring at her with something akin to awe ... and maybe a little nervousness. Lois smiled and cocked her head as she studied him. A little flattery did wonders for her ego, but this was going beyond that. This man -- this Clark Kent, this Superman -- kept looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. But for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. **** "Lois, do you want to go into a conference room so I can get you caught up to speed on the story I'm researching? I keep getting called away for Superman stuff, and I really need another professional eye to show me the angle I'm missing on it." Lois hesitated. Now that she had won the battle of regaining her job, she was back to feeling like a stranger in her own newsroom. "Uh, sure, Clark ... where should I put my things?" Lois eyed her old desk, and for some reason wasn't very surprised to learn that *he* had it. Clark caught the look. "I have your desk, don't I?" he asked, a little guiltily. Lois flushed slightly. She hadn't meant for him to notice that. Geez, try to get something by a guy with superpowers ... "No ... I mean, *yes*, but that's okay. You've probably had it for ... what?" She looked up at him, hoping he'd say some ridiculously short amount of time. "Four and a half years," he finished for her. Lois nodded, resigned. "Oh. Yeah ... four and a half years," she said a little sadly. Clark stepped a little closer to her. "Lois ..." he started. "I'm really sorry about everything that's happened to you. Perry started to fill me in about how you were grabbed, but don't remember anything else--" He was about to say more when Perry walked up behind them. "Well, kids, I have to get back to work. Lois, you're going to be okay here?" Lois turned to reassure her mentor. "Yes, Perry, I'm fine. This is my second home, remember?" She rolled her eyes a little. "Actually, it's been moved up to my first home, since I now have no where else to call my own. Heck, after disappearing for five years, I don't even know where home is anymore!" Perry frowned sympathetically. "Now, honey, you know that you can stay with Alice and me as long as you want. We love having you. We've missed you a whole bunch." Clark thought this was as good a segue as any. "Lois ... I'm sorry, but I have to ask you. Where *have* you been all these years? I mean, Perry said you don't remember anything beyond getting attacked, but someone must have had you. Did you escape?" Lois sighed heavily. She knew she had to expect these questions. She just wish she had more answers -- to give others, and to give herself. She shook her head slowly. "I don't remember escaping from somewhere, if that's what you mean. I remember getting grabbed, but after that, the first thing I really remember is waking up in the mission hospital in Kinshasa. I have other memories, but they are really fuzzy -- like dreams that you can't quite remember. At first, the doctors at the mission -- and the ones in California my parents made me see -- thought that I'd suffered a head injury that caused me to have selective amnesia. But they found no evidence of any brain trauma or skull fractures. So, the latest theory is that I've been in a coma these last five years. But there are so many questions that I don't have answers to -- how did I get into the coma in the first place? Where was I staying? And how did I get to the mission in Zaire? I'd really love to get some answers." Clark furrowed his brow. "Believe me, Lois," he said, as sincere as he'd ever been in his life. "I will do everything I can to help you find those answers." Lois looked up and met his gaze. His words could have been spoken by anyone else and would have sounded like well-meaning but ultimately hollow promises. Yet, there was something in his tone ... something in his eyes ... that made her believe that he meant every syllable. "Thank you, Clark," she whispered. "I do believe you." They stood staring at each other for a long moment, before Perry cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "Well, like I said, I have to be going." The two reporters each took a half step back, as if suddenly realizing they weren't alone. "Oh, sure, Perry. Thanks for everything," Clark said. "Here, let me walk you to the elevator," Lois interjected. As Perry and Lois turned towards the elevator, Clark suddenly recalled something that Lois had said. "Wait a minute," he said slowly, a quizzical look on his face. "Lois, did you say you were in a mission?" Lois nodded. "Yes, the Kinshasa Mission Hospital, why?" Clark's eyebrows rose, as he looked between Lois and Perry. "So you were in a coma ... in a mission," he repeated slowly. Lois looked confused, but Perry just grinned. "Kinda eerie, isn't it?" the mayor said, an amused look on his face. "Yeah!" Clark agreed. A strong sense of deja-vu came over him as he thought about his first meeting with the other Lois. Suddenly, he thought of something else. "When you were in that mission, Lois ... you didn't happen to run into a short Englishman wearing turn of the century clothing and a bowler, did you?" When Lois just looked at him like he'd lost his mind, Clark gave up. "Never mind," he responded with a helpless laugh and a wave of his hand. "It's a *long* story." **** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:14 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 1/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Written by Kathy Brown Story by Betsy Comments welcome and appreciated. _________________________ METROPOLIS, MAY 1998 Clark Kent entered the bedroom to find his wife, Lois Lane, already in bed. She had several pillows supporting her back as she leaned against the headboard, a current issue of "Your Baby" magazine perched on her pregnancy-swollen belly. "Did you lock up?" she asked absently, engrossed in her article. "Mm-hmm," he nodded, smiling at her warmly. He could never get enough of looking at her ... at them. His family. Clark sat on his side of the bed. He raised Lois's pajama top off her stomach, careful not to disturb the magazine she was reading. Eyes fixed on her stomach, a soft smile on his lips, he rubbed one hand tenderly over the firm roundness that contained their child. Clark lowered his lips to her skin, placed a gentle kiss to her tummy, and whispered, "Goodnight, honey." Lois set her magazine down on the night stand and watched her husband with tender amusement. Knowing he was being watched, Clark now shifted his attention up to his wife. Lifting his head to hers, he kissed her mouth in the same lingering, loving way, and whispered again, "Goodnight, honey." Their lips broke contact momentarily as they both smiled. Lois liked to say that his goodnight ritual was "sweet" and "cute", but for all her teasing, it was clear she loved how he was bonding with his unborn child. "Mmm, nice kisses," Lois murmured against his lips. "Mmm, nice wife," Clark murmured back. "Ready for bed?" "Yeah." Lois turned out the light as Clark rearranged their pillows, taking one for himself and helping organize the rest for Lois. Now entering her seventh month, she was starting to have trouble sleeping and the extra pillows gave her the additional support her tired back and expanding belly needed. They finally settled into a comfortable position, Lois lying on her left side, and Clark curling up behind her, spoon fashion. After several long moments of silence, Lois sighed. "Clark?" The tinge of sadness in her voice caught his attention. "What's wrong, honey?" "Do you ever think about the other Metropolis? About the other Clark?" "Where did that come from? Did he contact you again?" Clark tensed as he asked the second question. He didn't feel overly competitive with his other self when it came to Lois, but he couldn't deny the little surge of possessiveness he felt whenever he thought of the times he wasn't there for Lois and the other Clark was. "No, no, nothing like that," Lois soothed. "I just-- I don't know. It's kind of strange, really. I've thought about him occasionally since last year ... but the last several weeks, I've just been thinking about him more often. Wondering how he is, if he ever found his Lois." She sighed again, then added wistfully, "I just want him to be as happy as we are." Clark sighed and held his wife a little closer. He had to admit that he'd wondered the same things. The thought of going through his life without Lois ... the very idea terrified him. Clark responded slowly, thoughtfully. "Honestly, I've been thinking about him myself lately. I think it's because everything has been going well for us. We've got the baby coming ... and we have each other. I hope-- I hope it's going that well for him, too." Lois turned a bit in her husband's arms. "When he left with HG Wells last year, after we rescued you from that time window ... Mr. Wells seemed to imply he was going to help the other Clark find his Lois." Lois's voice grew plaintive. "Do you think he ever did, Clark?" **** ALTERNATE METROPOLIS - APRIL 1998 Clark Kent jerked awake in his bed, covered with a thin sheen of sweat. His heart pounding, he glanced quickly around the room, trying to get his bearings. Realizing that it had only been a dream, Clark collapsed back down to the pillow, trying unsuccessfully to clear his mind of the image of a strong but frightened young woman trying to find her way out of the jungles of the Congo. He'd been having similar dreams for weeks and was no longer surprised by them. To his great frustration, however, they seemed to be getting more vivid and more frequent. It was enough to make him avoid going to sleep, just to escape the reminder of a woman he knew he could never have. After a long moment, Clark gave up and got out of bed. Padding into his living room, he flipped on his computer, then continued on into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water while the machine booted. Making his way back to the living room, Clark set the water next to the keyboard, pulled up his word processor, and set to work. His fingers flew over the keyboard, entering story after story: a flood in Peru, a mud slide in California, four attempted muggings, one attempted rape, two gang shoot-outs -- the list went on. Descriptions of devastation -- both emotional and physical -- poured onto the screen. Superman had been busy this evening. Pausing in his writing, Clark raked a hand through his hair and sighed. This had been his life for the last two years, spending several hours a day as Superman, then writing up the stories for the Daily Planet. Fortunately, STAR Labs had finally developed a computer that was able to keep up with him. A new scientist on staff, a Dr. Bernard Klein, had taken a special interest in Superman, and had developed numerous devices to help him manage his new life -- everything from high-tech security devices for his apartment (the mayor had insisted, worried about criminals trying to ambush Superman, but the equipment had been more useful in thwarting "fans" who'd tried to steal his belongings as souvenirs) to a most impressive computer set-up at home. As Clark fired up his modem and sent the stories into the Daily Planet, he realized that he didn't even have to go into the newsroom anymore -- he was now able to do everything from home. But it wasn't the same. He missed seeing people at work, and he missed reporting on stories that *didn't* involve Superman. Clark let his eyes wander over to his bookshelf, and to the scrapbook that stood there. Looking through the pages -- literally -- he found the article he was looking for. Dated over two years ago, the front page of the Daily Planet was introducing Superman to the world. That day marked a huge turning point in his life. He was thrilled to finally be able to use his powers in public, and was delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response the world had given him. Of all of the horrible scenarios he'd been told would occur if the world knew about him, not one of them had come true. People didn't run from him in horror; they welcomed him with open arms. The government hadn't locked him into a lab and tried to "dissect him like a frog"; they assigned top scientists to create devices to make his life easier. And he hadn't been fired from his job as a journalist; he'd been given incredible amounts of latitude to do his job on his (Superman's) schedule. All in all, life was very good. Then why wasn't he happy? Clark x-rayed through another scrapbook on his shelf, the one containing all of the information he'd been able to gather on the disappearance of one Ms. Lois Lane. It wasn't much. Notes of what she'd been working on when she left for the Congo, a sketchy itinerary of her last few days before she disappeared. And the results of the amazingly fruitless search launched by the Daily Planet to find her five years ago. By the time Clark had a reason to search the area himself two years ago, any trail that might have been left was long since cold. She had literally disappeared without a trace. Clark sighed. It had been just over a year since he'd last seen HG Wells, and Clark had all but given up hope that he'd ever come back. Which was unfortunate, since some days it seemed like hope was all that kept him going. Clark had been very hopeful after Wells had delivered him back to this dimension from the other Metropolis. Standing in the living room on Hyperion Avenue, Clark had told Wells about his Lois, how she'd disappeared and how he'd been unable to find any trace of her in the Congo. How it was "impossible" for him to be with her. With a enigmatic smile, Wells had assured him that "nothing is impossible", then had listened intently later that evening as Clark described everything he knew about his Lois and her disappearance. Wells left the next day in his unusual machine, bidding Clark good-bye with the cryptic message that he "had to look into some things" but "would be back someday". Clark had allowed himself to get excited, feeling that Wells might know where Lois was and be able to find her. But as the weeks turned into months, and there was no sign of either Wells or this world's Lois, Clark knew that any hope he felt was pointless. He had to get on with his life. And he had tried. He had thrown himself into his work, and tried his best to enjoy all of the pleasure that being both Superman and a top reporter brought him. His schedule in the newsroom was entirely flexible, allowing him to come and go as he pleased, and work on stories that interested him. He had won numerous awards and received countless accolades, both as Superman and a Daily Planet reporter. He'd even had to invest in a separate display case to store all of the plaques and other decorations. If the rest of the staff at the Daily Planet resented his flexibility, they didn't let on, at least in his presence. When he'd go into the newsroom, everyone would greet him with respectful friendliness. Of course, he never got beyond that small talk stage with anyone, but then again, that really wasn't any different than before he created Superman. All of his friends back then were really Lana's friends, and when the two of them had broken up, Clark found out that they really weren't his friends at all. On the rare occasions that he'd actually run into any of them, they'd greet him with a cool politeness that made him feel awkward and uncomfortable, especially if he was dressed as Superman. In the last two years, however, he had cultivated two new friendships that he valued. Perry White, now the mayor of Metropolis, and James Olsen, the young 'wunderkind' owner of the Daily Planet, were both people that he could talk to without feeling either looked up to or looked down on. Two years ago, Clark hadn't had more than a boss-employee relationship with either Perry or James, but since that turbulent time, he'd come to know each of them on a deeper level, and trusted them to give him honest, sincere advice when he asked for it. It was almost enough to persuade him that he could be happy, or at least somewhat happy, alone. Without Lois. He thought he had done it, convinced himself that he could be content with this life. He tried to fill his time so completely that he wouldn't have the opportunity to think about her. But for the last several weeks, instead of forgetting his Lois, he seemed to be thinking about her more and more. It was almost as if her "signal" were stronger somehow. At first, he thought that the other Lois had returned to his world in need of more assistance, but this feeling was different. It was his Lois he was missing, of that he was sure. He'd been thinking about her, dreaming about her ... even worrying about her. And that was the most disturbing part -- how could he be worried about someone who wasn't even alive? It was enough to make him think he was going crazy. With a frown, Clark turned off his computer and headed back to bed. As he reached for another hour of sleep, one thought kept pushing its way into his mind, thwarting him. Why couldn't he just forget her and move on? **** As the clock turned 1:00 am, the phone rang loudly in the White household. Alice White, devoted wife and valued advisor to the mayor of Metropolis, reached over her snoring husband to grab the cordless phone. "White residence," she answered. Her heart was pounding from being jarred awake so abruptly and she silently prayed that nothing had happened to one of the boys. When there was no immediate answer, she grew annoyed. "Hello?" she repeated sharply. Suddenly the line came to life, the voice echoing slightly on the poor connection. "Alice? Alice, is that you? Oh, thank God, you're home." "Who is this?" Alice demanded. It was a woman on the other end and the voice sounded eerily familiar ... but Alice couldn't quite place it. By this time, Perry had awoken, brought out of his slumber by the alarm in his wife's voice. "Who is it, honey?" he asked groggily. When Alice turned to face him, she looked like she had seen a ghost. "Oh, my Lord," she whispered into the phone. "Just a second; I'll get him. Oh, God, I can't believe it ..." Perry sat up quickly in bed as Alice held the phone out to him with a shaky hand. "It's someone who claims to be Lois Lane," she told him. "I don't know how -- I don't know why -- but I believe her. Perry, I think it really *is* Lois!" Perry took the phone from his wife, torn between fervent hope and terrible fear -- fear that it would be a hoax. He'd been through this before, meeting a woman two years ago that claimed to be Lois Lane ... yet really wasn't. "This is Perry White," he said carefully into the receiver, trying to keep his voice calm. "Oh, thank goodness. Perry, this is Lois. I need your help." "Where are you?" he asked. It sounded like her, all bluster and impatience. But he had to be sure. "I'm in a hospital in Kinshasa." Forgetting his plan to be neutral, Perry exclaimed in shock. "Kinshasa? In Zaire?? Hell's Bells, Lois, I turned the Congo upside down looking for you. I never dreamed you would have been in Zaire! What happened? How did you get there?" There was a pause on the other end of the line. When the woman spoke again, her bravado began to waver. She sounded tired ... and a little scared. "Honestly, Perry, I'm not a hundred percent sure. Someone grabbed me from the Congo, of that I'm positive. But the rest ... it's a little fuzzy. I have some memories, but I'm not sure that they all make sense right now." The longer the woman talked, the more Perry was sure this was his Lois. "Okay, honey ... don't worry about that right now," he assured her. "You said you're in a hospital. Are you hurt?" "No ... the doctors say I should be fine." Her voice caught once more, as if she was fighting tears. "Perry, can you help me get home? I want to come home." Perry felt a lump rise in his throat as a wave of protectiveness washed over him. This woman was the daughter he never had, and now that he had knew she was alive, he would do everything in his power to bring her back home where she belonged. He reached for the pad and pencil he kept by the phone. "Don't worry, honey," he said, his own voice threatening to crack. "I'm coming to get you." ***** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 15:01:16 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy Brown (by way of Leanne Shawler)" Subject: S5: Ep 18, TTLG 2/8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ***** Lex Luthor sat at his desk in the St. John mansion, working into the middle of the night, as usual. He looked up at the quiet, almost hesitant knock on his office door. At his barked "Come", one of his underlings entered the room. "Mr. Luthor?" the man began respectfully. "There has been word from Zaire." "Zaire? What is it?" "We've just been informed that Perry White has commissioned a private plane to the area. Lois Lane has been found in a mission hospital several miles from her last ... location." Lex Luthor's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "And her condition?" "Details are sketchy, but she seems to be healthy." "Fine. You're dismissed." The man blinked in surprise. "Isn't there anything you want me to do? We can arrange an accident with the plane if you wish, or --" Lex looked up sharply. "Did I say anything about an accident?" he snapped. "N-no, sir ... I'm sorry, sir." "You are to do absolutely nothing to Mr. White or Ms. Lane. Understood?" "Yes, Mr. Luthor. Thank you, sir." As the man quickly exited the room, Lex Luthor was left alone with his thoughts. "Lois Lane," he whispered. He leaned back in his chair, memories washing over him, memories five years old ... **** THE CONGO, 1993 Lois Lane had been hiding in the bush for hours. She was hot, sweaty, and mosquito eaten, but she was sure there would be a big payoff. She could smell the Pulitzer. One of Uncle Sam's biggest contractors, selling guns in Africa, fueling bloody civil wars for profit? This was going to be the story of the decade, and she was going to get it. Lois impatiently checked her watch for the thousandth time. There had been no sign of people or vehicles in this clearing all morning. But how could the lead have been false? She had seen the paperwork ... heard the recorded phone conversation ... As she adjusted her binoculars once again to peer out of the bush and search the clearing, she heard the snap of the twig too late. She tried to fight the restraining arm that wrapped around her throat, but as she drew her next breath, a chemical-laden cloth was placed over her open mouth and nose. Within seconds, she was unconscious to the world around her. The man picked her up easily and slung her over his shoulder. He had received a portion of his payment already -- enough to keep him in food, drink and women for over a year -- but he wouldn't receive the rest until he delivered this woman alive to the designated place. His breath was somewhat labored as, some time later, he reached the entrance to the isolated hut. He was greeted at the door by the American -- the man who had commissioned him for this job. "Tankiya, Makimba," the American said with a pleased nod. He was an attractive man, in his late 30's, with thick brown wavy hair and piercing eyes. "That will be all." Makimba dropped Lois none too gently on the floor of the room. "No, suh, not all. Pay." "Ah, yes, Makimba. Payment. Of course." The American walked to a corner safe and opened it. He turned and calmly placed something in the palm of the waiting native. Makimba smiled at first, but quickly grimaced and fell to the floor. Lex Luthor just shook his head. "You didn't say tankiya, Makimba," he said with amused sarcasm. It didn't take long to dispose of Makimba's body; the animals that roamed the jungle would find the body soon and there would be little evidence of his demise. And by the time anyone did find anything, Lex and his young female companion would be long gone. Too bad she wouldn't be conscious to enjoy the trip. He quickly injected the woman with another compound, ensuring she would sleep for some time, then loaded her into a hidden truck. Lex was just to deliver her to the facility in Kinshasa, over the border in Zaire. The boss would be there to handle the finer details. He had said that he wanted to deal with her personally. It was late at night by the time the truck pulled into the compound. Lex pressed a button and a garage opened. He carefully pulled the truck in and closed the opening behind him. As he had surmised, there was a stretcher prepared. Lex placed the woman on the stretcher, restraining her as a precaution, and rolled her to the inner sanctum. His temporary employer sat at a desk in the corner, speaking into the phone and putting into place building blocks for some future designs. This man -- this Mr. Tempus -- had big plans, that was for certain. But as yet, Lex had not been able to figure out exactly what his goals were. Lex's primary employer, Nigel St. John, had lent Lex's services to Tempus in exchange for an unknown favor. At first, Lex was annoyed that he was being sent on such an lowbrow assignment, yet he was curious when he found that Tempus had requested him by name. So Lex did as he was told, biding his time and learning whatever there was to learn. Nigel St. John had always been a role model for Lex. The man was quiet and intelligent and always thought out moves and countermoves before ever striking anywhere. But this Tempus ... he bounded with the exuberance of a puppy and had the patience of a spoiled ten year old. Yet, he seemed to have something that no one else had -- how else could he have amassed such fortune and power? Lex wanted to know what it was that this man possessed. So he waited quietly. Finally, Tempus hung up the phone and turned to his two guests with a gleeful smile. "Ahh, the lovely Miss Lois Lane," he drawled. "You know, Lex, my boy, this is the only time I've ever seen her quiet!" Tempus laughed heartily and walked to inspect the sleeping body. Lex knew better than to ask any questions about where Tempus had met Lois Lane before. If he needed to know anything, Tempus would tell him. Indeed, for one with so much power, Tempus was unbelievably indiscreet. He would tell Lex of his plans, more than Lex needed to know, without a qualm. Obviously, he had never studied "The Art of War". But he paid -- well. And he was on his way up. So Lex was content to play his part. "She's quite lovely, don't you think, Lex?" Tempus looked down briefly at Lois's face, then looked back up at Lex. Tempus seemed more interested in watching Lex watch Lois. "Yes, sir. She's very ... beautiful." And she was. She was probably the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. But Lex was careful not to let that show on his face. Tempus seemed satisfied with this answer. "Well, too bad no one will be able to appreciate that fact for awhile," the man quipped. His voice then grew coldly serious. "Now then, milady's chamber awaits. I just have to put the final touches on her. Lex, give Lois this stimulant. Then, go on into the next room and get the chamber set up, like I showed you." As Lex finished the injection, Tempus explained cryptically. "This will wake Lovely Lo-Lo only slightly. It will put her mind in a very malleable state." Lex nodded, putting his curiosity on hold and leaving the room quietly. Soon Lois began to moan, her eyes rolling beneath their lids. Tempus allowed her to take a few deep breaths before he leaned down next to her and gently placed a strange set of goggles on her eyes. "Lois?" he cooed. "Wake up, Lois. Lois Lane, I want you to listen to me. I want you to look at this picture. Lois? This man is your enemy -- but he's a very powerful enemy. Do you understand?" Lois nodded slightly. An uncontrollable shiver ran down her body as she listened to Tempus's poison. "Now, Lois, this man is very dangerous, but I won't leave you unprotected. I'm going to give you a weapon against this enemy. But you must wait for the right moment to use it. You won't even remember that this man is your enemy until you hear the phrase 'Rome burns'. When you're told 'Rome burns', you will remember your hatred for this man. You will remember that he is your enemy. And then you can use the weapon on him. Do you understand?" Lois muttered, "Rome burns" and shivered again. After another few minutes of explaining the same simple concept, Tempus put a strange bracelet on Lois's arm. It was decidedly primitive, but pretty. He looked down at her once more with an evil smile on his face. Tempus looked up as he noticed that Lex had reentered the room. "Ah, Lex. She's all ready. Let's put her in the cryogenic chamber." As the two men moved the young woman into the chamber and sealed it, Tempus could see the curiosity burning in Lex's eyes. "You're just dying to know where I get these gadgets from, aren't you, Lex?" the man drawled with amusement. Lex nodded. "Yes, sir, I am." "Ahh, all this and honesty, too. Lex, you're almost too bad to be true. Tell you what, why don't you ask me one question. Just one. And I'll think about answering it." Lex pondered for a moment. "Okay. Why not just kill her? Why store her away from the world?" Tempus lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "Very good, Lex. Most men would have asked 'where do you get all the money' or 'how do you get these inventions'. But you cut right to the heart of things." Tempus studied Lex for a few seconds, then responded. "Let's just say, that in my experience, this woman seems to be able to topple the best of schemes. And I have a grand scheme a-brewin', I can assure you. However, there may come a time when I -- you -- we all -- may need her to solve a certain problem. I can't give all my secrets away, Lex, but there may be a time when she will be the only one we can rely on to eliminate a higher enemy. That's why I 'programmed' her, just now." Tempus smiled, obviously very impressed with himself. Inside, Lex looked down on this man's dandy arrogance, but on the surface, he let nothing show. He simply listened and learned. Tempus didn't seem to notice Lex's internal sneer, for he was now gathering up his things in barely contained joy. "Now, I must be on my way," he enthused. "Monitor her for a week, will you, my boy? Then you're free to go. The rent's paid up on this place indefinitely. See you in the funny papers!" With that strange line, Tempus took his exit, leaving Lex Luthor behind to man the controls which held Lois Lane on the fine line between life and death. Alone in the compound for several days, Lex would study the lovely face sleeping before him. She was so incredibly beautiful. He had studied up on her briefly before embarking on this assignment, and from his research, he knew her to be bright, witty, and charming. She interested him immensely. This was a woman worthy of him, of the power and lifestyle he was going to have someday. It was unfortunate that he would have to leave her here. But Lex Luthor was a patient man. He had big plans of his own. And sooner or later, Tempus would fall out of power. Lex had no doubt of that. Tempus was simply too clumsy and inefficient -- no amount of money or gadgets would be able to save him in the long run. And when Tempus fell, Lex would be the one holding all the cards. **** ALTERNATE METROPOLIS, 1998 Lex Luthor smiled in his leather chair. "Well, my beautiful Lois Lane. You are finally returning to Metropolis. So much has happened in these five years ... so much has changed." He brought his fingers softly to his lips, then lifted them to the air. "Til we meet again." **** Clark Kent stepped off the newsroom elevator and excitedly hurried to his desk. Just two weeks ago, he'd been feeling depressed and sorry for himself because the number of Superman stories he'd been writing had limited his time to investigate outside stories. But things were starting to look up. The night before, he had found a body floating in Hobbs Bay. The body seemed to have been there for a while, apparently weighted down. Clark had worked with the police to get it directly to the city coroner and was still waiting for a positive identification. But he had a pretty good idea of who it was -- Nigel St. John, highly intellectual entrepreneur and "man of the year", every year. Clark had his suspicions on the legitimacy of much of St. John's business, but he had never be able to find any proof to back his claims. St. John had been reported missing by his butler four months ago. At first, the police suspected kidnapping, but no ransom note was ever produced. The fourth richest man in the world -- or was it the third? -- had simply disappeared off the face of the earth. Clark had been investigating this story since the disappearance, and had done research on who stood to inherit Nigel St. John's estate. The majority of the holdings were set to go to Nigel's right hand man, Lex Luthor. He was obviously the primary suspect in the disappearance of St. John. The only problem was that Luthor had a solid alibi for the night of the kidnapping. Clark had followed him from a distance for a few weeks since then, but Luthor had never given Clark any clues as to the whereabouts of St. John. In fact, Lex Luthor had seemed quite upset by the disappearance of his foster father. So upset, in fact, that he had refused all interviews by the press, though he had gone out of his way to be cooperative with the police. But now, a body had been found, and in a condition that confirmed foul play. Clark hoped this would be the break his story had been waiting for. Clark was still trying to find missing pieces to the puzzle when one of the news monitors reported a fire raging in Gotham City. It sounded like the firefighters had the blaze under control, but Clark had reached a frustrating wall in his story, so he decided to check things out, just in case he could be of assistance. A little exercise might help clear his head. Superman had just taken off from the roof when he spotted the mayor's limo pulling up across the street from the Daily Planet building. Despite his earlier intention to help in Gotham, Clark's curiosity was piqued. The mayor had made an unscheduled trip out of the country a couple weeks ago, but had kept the details so secret that even Superman didn't know where he had gone. Perry had been back for several days now, but had been doing most of his work from home, making very limited public appearances. Clark had asked James Olsen if he knew what was going on -- Clark was concerned that Perry might be sick -- but the owner of the Planet would only say that Perry had been taking care of some personal business, and should be back to his regular schedule next week. Clark had let it go at that, but admitted to being curious about where Perry had gone. And now, it seemed like he might get his chance to ask him personally. Superman began a slow descent as Perry exited the limo on the curb side of the street. So intent was he on talking to the mayor, that he only vaguely noticed the door open on the other side of the limo, and its occupant, a young woman with long dark hair, step out into the middle of the street. The woman seemed in awe of the city, and stared up at the large globe as if she was grateful to be looking at it. Clark processed this all out of the corner of his eye, and casually wondered if the Chief (technically, Perry wasn't the Chief anymore, but Clark still liked to call him that) had a niece visiting -- that would explain the personal time at home, though not the secret trip. It was only when he heard the squealing of the car tires and the frightened shouts of "get out of the way!" did Clark turn his attention more fully to the young woman. In a fraction of a second, he realized the problem. A car was racing down the city street, seemingly out of control, swerving in and out of traffic. The driver may have been drunk, or he may have been racing away in a stolen vehicle -- Clark didn't know, and at the moment, didn't care. All that mattered in that instance was that this young woman was directly in the path of the oncoming vehicle. Superman did a barrel roll and made a high speed bee-line directly for the woman in the street. She had also noticed the car careening down on her, but hadn't been able to take more than a step to run away before she was scooped up and lifted high into the air. Mere seconds later, the out of control car crossed over the spot where she had stood, causing onlookers to gasp and sigh in relief as they saw Superman holding the woman seventy-five feet in the air. The woman and her rescuer didn't notice the crowd that had gathered below, nor did they seem to realize how close the car had come to hitting her. They simply stared at each other, dazed. If the gawkers on the street could see the couple's expressions, they would not have thought the woman's shock unusual. After all, it wasn't every day you got saved from being hit by a car, only to be flown high into the air in the process. But the crowd would have been surprised by their resident superhero -- he was staring wide-eyed at his companion, stunned and unable to make a coherent sound. Lois found her voice first. "You saved my life," she gasped, looking down in amazement. "I can't believe it ... you're really him. You really can fly!" "Are you all right?" he stammered, visibly unsettled. Lois pondered this for a moment. "I think I am ... thank you!" Clark finally gathered his thoughts. "Lois? Is it really you?" he asked almost fearfully. She nodded and they stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. "And you're ... Superman," she finally replied. "Perry told me about you." "But ... how?" Clark gasped. "You're alive?" Lois smiled. "Yes, and thanks to you, I get to stay that way." Clark blinked, dazzled by what her smile did to him. It gave him a feeling like he'd never had before. He couldn't help but smile back. There was no doubt in his mind that this was his Lois. Suddenly, he looked down, a little embarrassed. "I guess I'd better put you down now ... I can hear Perry asking what's taking us so long." "You can hear ...?" Lois began, then trailed off. "Oh, boy, I guess you can. This is ... amazing!" Superman floated them down to the ground, and gently set Lois on her feet in front of Perry. Perry was breathing a bit heavily as he put a hand on Superman's back and leaned on the younger man for support. "Lois, honey, are you okay? That car about gave me a heart attack. Good thing you were here, Superman. Thanks, son." Clark smiled at the nice words, but glanced only briefly at Perry when replying. He didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off of Lois, and was pleased to see that she seemed to be looking at him just as intently. "You're welcome, Perry. I'm glad I was here, too." With that, he looked deeper into Lois's eyes, and was rewarded with another warm smile. Perry grinned, regaining his composure as his respiration rate started to return to normal. "I guess it's time for formal introductions. Lois Lane, I'd like to introduce you to Superman ... also known as Clark Kent when he's wearing a tie instead of a cape. Superman, Lois Lane." "Nice to meet you ... Superman," Lois said, still a bit star struck. "Nice to meet ... you," Clark murmured back absently. His mind continued to reel from what had just happened, and he couldn't quite believe that this wasn't another one of his recent dreams. Perry clapped his hands together and shook his head. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, Lois, are you still up for going into the newsroom?" Lois mentally shook herself back to reality and met Perry head on. "You bet I am. I've been going crazy this week sitting around without any work to do. Let's go see about getting my job back!" "Clark, you coming up? Or do you have somewhere else to be?" Perry asked cordially. Clark blinked. "Um ... yeah ... I'll be up in a minute." He looked down the street where the out of control car had come to a stop against a fire hydrant, spraying water everywhere. Clark sighed. "I'll be right there." **** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 18:37:55 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Organization: Brought to you by the legal firm of Deceive, Inveigle, & Obfuscate Subject: Episode 18 now playing at the S5 website Comments: To: loiscla@vm.ege.edu.tr MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Picture a man, going on a journey... Oops, sorry, wrong show. Actually, Lois is the one going on a journey tonight; she's on her way back from a mission in Zaire, trying to figure out what happened to her over the past two months -- or is it five years? On top of that, she's trying to get used to her old boss as mayor of Metropolis, and doesn't know whether to be annoyed or charmed by her replacement, some guy named Clark, whom she's been partnered with. Oh, did I forget to mention that this is all happening in the alternate world? ;-> Kathy Brown and Betsy's episode "Through the Looking Glass" has just been uploaded to the S5 website. You can read it at: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ or http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/s5text.htm Read, laugh, cry, send feedback; you know the drill. Oh - and the baby poll has closed. Thanks to everyone who voted! All Will Be Revealed in the season finale. ==Alyssa in St. Paul== (agmondelli@stthomas.edu)(AlyssaM on the IRC) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com Home of the Fortress of Insanity and Lois & Clark Season 5 "What's less than square one? Minus zippo? Negative bupkes?" --Capt. Don Cragen, _Law & Order_ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 10:40:48 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Vicki Krell Subject: Re: S5: Ep 18 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain POSSIBLE SPOILERS: Loved it, LOVED IT!! Kathy and Betsy, what a FABULOUS episode. I liked the use of both couples, I loved the twist of having Lex working for Nigel and Lucy married to Johnny!! The way that Alt. Lois and Clark met and were mutually mesmerized was very believable. And I really enjoyed the fact that the part with Lois and the bracelet was played out quickly. If this had been an episode with Brad and Eugenie handling it, you know this actual scene would have been drawn out forever, with "TO BE CONTINUED" prominently displayed, and Lois in fear for weeks yet to come! Thanks for writing a wonderful episode. I would have enjoyed actually seeing Teri & Dean play this on TV, once we got rid of B&E's influence, of course! Vicki Vicki.Krell@ASU.Edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 08:00:50 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Beth Guide Subject: Re: Info on the fanfic/nfic boards MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi guys I just wanted to let you know a few things that have recently been brought to my attention. As many of you know, I have moved Zoom's site persay when I got my own domain name. As a result of this move I had to re enter the message board part of Zoom's site and they are now located in a different place. Anyone that has bookmarks to the old boards will need to correct that because you aren't seeing the new stories. The old boards are archived and accessible, so the stories are still there so you can read, you will just need to follow the the "Archive" links I have placed on each of the new boards. There is a new part to "On the Run" on the main fanfic boards. As well as new stories on the nfic boards. Because there are several new places, I'm just giving you the main link and y'all can book mark from there The new location of zoom's site is: http://www.actwd.com/zoomway/zoom2.htm. Please follow the links to the message board area and you will be good to go. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Beth ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:28:24 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: NEW FANFIC: PARADISE LOST (Part 1 of 6) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----------------------------------------------------------------- (TUFS -- Episode #19) "PARADISE LOST" Part 1 of 6 By Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@mcs.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lois Lane slowly became aware of the fact that she had to go to the bathroom. She lay in the dark room, warm beneath the heavy quilt thrown over her, and thought to herself "two more months!" She carefully rolled to one side and began to push herself up on one elbow. The week before she had made the mistake of rising too quickly, and the pain from the stretched ligaments in her abdomen had been a real surprise. "Take it slowly," her doctor had advised. "Use your arm muscles to push yourself up, not your stomach muscles." When she finally achieved a sitting position, Lois breathed a sigh of relief. She pottered over to the bathroom. In the hallway, she was surprised by the lights coming from downstairs. When she had awakened, she'd noticed her husband was missing -- a not uncommon occurrence for a woman married to Superman. Clark frequently left in the middle of the night, but rarely turned on the lights. Even more rarely did he sit downstairs at four in the morning. Leaving the bathroom, Lois grabbed a robe and went downstairs. Clark was sitting at the computer, reading his e-mail. He looked up as Lois walked in. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked. "Just wondered what you were doing," she answered. "What's up?" Clark shrugged. "Two ferries crashed in China," he said. "I was over there for a while scooping people out of the water. I got back about half an hour ago, but I didn't feel sleepy. I made some cocoa," he gestured at the empty cup sitting by the keyboard, "and decided to check my e-mail before I came to bed." Lois nodded understandingly. "Anything interesting?" she asked. "No, it's mostly stuff from work, and you'll see it in the morning. The Daily Planet's Finance Department has a new form to fill out when you make a long-distance phone call." Lois groaned. "This last message looks like junk mail." Lois leaned over his shoulder and read the subject line aloud. "Be Your Own 007 -- The INTERNET SPY." Clark opened up the message and read the first line out loud. "Learn EVERYTHING about your friends, neighbors, enemies, employees, or anyone else! -- even your boss! -- even yourself!" His eyebrows went up as he read the preposterous claims the ad made, insisting that it would enable anyone to use the Internet to find any and all information he or she might desire. Lois gave a short laugh. "Wonder how many people would really pay $39.95 for that?" she asked incredulously. "It's probably just a bunch of bookmarks to free sites available to anyone who knows where they are." "Probably," Clark agreed. "Free enterprise at work." He deleted the message and powered down the computer. He stood up and took her hand. "C'mon, honey. Let's go to bed." "Feeling sleepy now?" Lois asked. Clark shrugged. "You?" Lois didn't miss the hopeful note in his voice. "I'm mostly awake," she responded. "But it's too early to be out of bed. Let's go back to bed and see if we feel sleepy once we get there." Clark smiled. Hand in hand they walked towards the stairs. * * * * * * * * * * Hundreds of miles away from Metropolis that same night, two men stood in the moonlight and watched an eighteen-wheel truck drive away down a deserted dirt road. "We'll have to be moving on pretty soon," one of the men said. "We've pretty much filled as many holes here as we can." The other man nodded. "It's been more than twenty years," he said. "This place has been good to us. And very lucrative." He patted his pocket. "But you're right, of course. Some of the long-term effects are beginning to show. We do need to find a new place. Maybe somewhere up in North Dakota." The two men began walking towards their cars in the moonlight. "Two more months," the first one said, "and we should have fulfilled all our contracts here, and we can start over somewhere else. Goodbye, Smallville!" As the men drove away, the moonlight shone into the gaping hole in the ground they had left behind. The hole was at least thirty feet deep, filled with metal drums and barrels, some of which bore a skull and crossbones, others clearly labeled "TOXIC WASTE." As dawn broke, a gentle rain began to fall, the water washing over the containers and soaking slowly into the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------ THE UNAIRED FIFTH SEASON Episode #19 "PARADISE LOST" Written by Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@msc.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------ The early morning rain in Kansas didn't reach Metropolis. The sun was shining in the large window of the Daily Planet newsroom when Lois and Clark stepped out of the elevator, ready for another day at work. Lois was carrying her briefcase and a bag from the local bagel shop. The bag contained not only breakfast for herself and her husband, but also a mid-morning snack. Clark, carrying two large, steaming cups procured at the cappuccino shop in the lobby, had long since stopped teasing her about the amount she was eating these days. They headed towards their desks, routinely answering the "good mornings" their colleagues tossed in their direction. "Morning, Jimmy," Clark pointedly directed the greeting towards Jimmy Olsen. Although Jimmy was normally the first person to greet them when they walked into the office, today he was sitting at his desk, totally engrossed in his computer. "Good *morning*, Jimmy," Lois said even more pointedly when Jimmy failed to respond to Clark's greeting. Annoyed at being interrupted, Jimmy looked up, but when he realized who was there, a grin broke out over his face. "CK, Lois!" he exclaimed. He turned back to his computer. "You have *got* to see this!" Setting their breakfasts down on Lois's desk, Lois and Clark exchanged a look of amusement before moving over to Jimmy's desk. "What's so neat?" Clark asked, trying to figure out what Jimmy was doing. At first glance it appeared he'd hacked into a local bank's computers. "You haven't checked your e-mail yet this morning, have you?" Jimmy asked. Without waiting for an answer, he went on. "Man, there was this ad I couldn't resist. How to find out everything about everybody, for only $39.95. Anyway, I sent them my credit card number and in just a few minutes I had my password. And this is fantastic." Lois raised her eyebrows. "Jimmy, don't you know that most of the stuff offered by junk e-mail isn't worth the paper it's not printed on?" "Not this, Lois." Jimmy turned back towards the computer. "Look, I put in my name, and see how much came up. Here are all my bank accounts, my credit card bills, *including* what I've spent money on in the last six months, my record at the DMV -- just about everything. Man, this is neat!" Lois frowned. "This sounds like an invasion of privacy to me. Clark, I wonder if there is a story in this." Jimmy went on. "They claim that their database covers the whole country. It's easy to get information like this on people in Metropolis; I have access to most local databases. I need someone from out of state for a real test." "Try my father," Clark offered. "The Kents have banked at the Smallville Bank for over a hundred years; there are only two branches, and I doubt if either one even owns a computer." "Everybody's wired," Jimmy said disparagingly. He began to type in "Kent, Jonathan" in the name blank on the form and put "Smallville, Kansas" in the location blank. Then he pressed return, and they waited. "You won't find much," said Clark, as the screen began to fill. "They paid off the farm years ago, and I can still remember the lectures I got about the evils of credit cards when I started college." "That's what you think!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Man, are they in debt! Look at all this!" "What?" Clark didn't believe it, and he leaned forward to take a closer look. It didn't take super-speed to figure out what was on the screen. "That's impossible!" A sudden crash outside the building sent Lois and Jimmy rushing over to the window. "Car crashed into a bus!" Jimmy exclaimed as he grabbed his camera and headed for the stairs. Lois kept watching out the window, waiting for Superman to appear. Even after all these years she still felt a flutter of excitement when she saw the red and blue descend. After a moment, when Superman still hadn't arrived, she turned away from the window. To her surprise, Clark was still sitting at Jimmy's desk, staring in dismay at the computer. She walked back over to him. "Clark?" she said gently. "There was a bad accident outside." Clark seemed not to hear her. He clicked the mouse again and watched in horror as new figures filled the screen. "They've mortgaged the farm again," he muttered to himself, "and they're four months behind on the payments. They've maxed out *all* their credit cards." Lois tried again. "Clark, there may be people hurt outside." Clark appeared to snap out of it. Lowering his glasses he stared towards the wall. "Nobody's hurt badly," he announced. After a pause he added, "The police and ambulances are on the way." He turned back to the computer again and then looked up at Lois. "Lois, they could lose the *farm*!" Suddenly, Clark pushed back the chair and stood up. Lois took a breath in relief, glad that Superman was finally going to put in an appearance outside. But to her surprise, Clark headed towards Perry's office, not the hallway. "Clark, where are you going?" she asked. "Smallville," he answered, "to find out what's going on. I'm going to ask Perry for a week off. If my parents have gotten into this without giving us so much as a clue about it, they won't be willing to talk about it if I just fly out for dinner one evening." Lois slid her arm under his. "Ask for a week off for both of us," she commanded. "I'm going, too." "Perry may have a fit," Clark said. "He deserves it for putting me on 'desk duty.' Besides, you're my husband, and I've never seen you so upset before. I'm going with you." * * * * * * * * * * The next day, Lois and Clark were in an airliner, heading towards Smallville. For the last few months, Lois had found it difficult to breathe when Superman flew with her in his traditional carrying-the- bride-over-the-threshold fashion. Being carried by the arms with her feet dangling in mid-air was fine for dancing, but wasn't an option for the lengthy flight to Smallville. Clark's lighthearted suggestion of an over-the-shoulder-fireman-style carry had been met with a hostile glare from his would-be passenger. Lois had made the airplane reservations before Clark left Perry's office the day before, much to his dismay. "I can't wait till this baby's born, and we can fly the usual way," Clark grumbled as he adjusted his seat, grateful the plane was only half full and there was no one behind them. There was something about being trapped inside an airplane that made him uncomfortable. "We're in a tin can with wings. The passengers on this airplane have less chance of surviving a disaster than the passengers on the Titanic." "I don't think we're going to encounter an iceberg in the air, Clark," Lois pointed out tartly, wondering what could have possessed the airline to show *that* film on *this* flight. "And I'm not sure there is anything *usual* about the way we normally fly," she added. A thought struck her. "How do you think you'll manage it -- carrying me *and* the baby? It's a long way from Metropolis to Smallville." Clark thought for a moment. "Well, when it's small, you'll carry the baby in some kind of baby carrier, and I'll carry you. Maybe one of those front-pack things. I guess when it gets to toddler age and squirms all over the place, we'll be back in airplanes." He shuddered. The plane finally landed, much to Clark's relief. They got in their rental car and headed to Smallville. Lois was still considering their transportation options. "We could drive," Lois suggested. "How many hours would it take with a crying baby in the back seat?" "I'd rather take a plane," Clark responded dryly. "Hey, maybe the kid'll be able to fly alongside us." "Don't even think about it, Clark! I am not dealing with a super- powered child having a temper tantrum in the grocery store because we won't buy him any Ho-Hos or Ding-Dongs." "Maybe we could move to Smallville," Clark said. "That'd make the trip easier." When Lois did not respond, he glanced over, only to find her looking at him pensively. "Honey, that was a joke, too," he said. "You can laugh." "Was it?" Lois asked. "I still can't get over the fact that Superman didn't help out at the bus accident yesterday, or that we're here," she gestured at the farms along the road, "at the drop of a hat. Just why are we here, Clark?" Clark was quiet for a moment, staring at the road. "I just want to find out what's going on -- how they got in so much trouble, and if we can do anything to help. We can't lose the farm, Lois; it's -- it's unthinkable." "We?" Lois wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "I thought your home was in Metropolis, with me." Lois's voice was almost too quiet, too controlled. "It is! It is, honey. I couldn't live anywhere without you -- you know that -- and I know that Smallville isn't what you dream about when you think of the ideal life. But this farm has been in our family for generations; I know how much it means to my folks. If there's anything I can do to stop it from happening, I have to do it." His voice dropped. "Our children may want to live here. How can we deny them the opportunity?" Lois couldn't imagine any child of hers wanting to live in the country. "So you're just going to waltz in there and offer to pay off the mortgage for them?" Clark grimaced. "It won't be that easy. Dad's never been one to ask for help." He glanced at Lois. "I checked before we left Metropolis. It would be a stretch, but we could write a check to get them out of arrears -- and our budget could cover their monthly payments for a while if we just economized a little." "I'm not worried about the money, Clark. You've always worried about money a lot more than I ever did, and I know that you won't bankrupt *us*, not with the baby coming, not even to help out your parents. But -- I'm still not sure I understand why we're doing it this way. What if your folks are ready to give up on farming? It's certainly not an easy way to earn a living, and they're not getting any younger. Maybe they don't want us to help them save the farm. Shouldn't we be more concerned about what they want, rather than saving the farm because you want it to be saved?" "I have to try to help. They're my parents. And -- *I* need the farm. You're right, Lois. I'm trying to save it for me, too. You and I may never live here in Smallville; I knew when I was fifteen that I'd have to leave someday. I love Metropolis and our life there. But, at the back of my mind, I'm always thinking of my next visit back here. This farm is my refuge, my strength -- and I need it." "I thought I was your strength," Lois said in a small voice. "That's not what I meant! It's not the same thing," Clark began, but one glance at her showed him she was teasing. He flashed a grin at her and turned his attention back to the road. They drove in silence for a while. The miles sped past as Clark concentrated on the road and his own thoughts, while Lois stared out the window. Suddenly, she spied something. "Oh, Oh! Clark, pull over." Clark did so. "What is it?" he asked her. "Look!" Lois pointed. Clark looked. He saw the meadow blooming with early spring wildflowers rippling in the breeze. There were a few birds flying overhead and dark storm clouds on the horizon. Then Lois pointed, and he realized what had caught her attention. "The old Sowerby place?" he asked. "What about it?" "How marvelously spooky," Lois said. "It looks just like every haunted house in all the cartoons I've seen, especially with those dark clouds behind it. Has it always looked like that?" "Well, obviously, not always. Someone must have lived in it once. But it's been abandoned for years. Funny you should say that about it looking haunted," he continued. "The school bus used to drive along this road, back when I was in high school. Some of the guys who lived around here used to say it was haunted -- that they saw floating lights during the night and heard strange noises." Lois looked intrigued. "Do you want to go up there and look around?" Clark asked. "Or shall we go on? We're still about fifteen miles from home, and I'd like to get there before this storm hits." Lois gave the house another look. "Let's keep going," she answered reluctantly. "I have to use the bathroom again. We'll be here for a week; maybe I'll have time to come back. You don't think anyone would mind?" Clark shrugged as he started the car back on the road. "I doubt it," he said. "But we can ask Mom and Dad to be sure." Lois was still curious. "Do you know why the place is abandoned?" Clark frowned, trying to remember. "It's a tragic story, Lois. I don't remember all of it; I was just a kid, but my parents can tell you what happened." "Why? What happened?" Clark shook his head. "Wait till we get home. Mom and Dad can tell you the whole story. Besides," he grinned, "I *know* how you hate hearing only half of the story at a time." Lois thwacked him on the arm, but none of her cajoling could force him to tell her what he knew. Eventually she grew silent and stared out the window at the Kansas countryside. As they approached the farm, Lois began to feel a little nervous. Clark hadn't told his parents the real reason for their sudden trip to Kansas. In typical Clark fashion, he'd made excuses, mentioning Lois's need for more rest now that she was in the final trimester of her pregnancy, especially after being beaten up by that stalker a few weeks ago. Lois knew from past experience how lame Clark's excuses could sound, and she was certain he hadn't fooled his parents for a second. This lack of honesty between Clark and his parents made her uncomfortable. Subterfuge was not uncommon among the Lanes, but she'd become accustomed to the Kents' openness and sorely missed it in this situation. Her discomfort increased as the distance to the Kent farm lessened. She wasn't sure what she'd say to Clark's parents when she and Clark arrived at the farm; she doubted her ability to fool Jonathan and Martha for long. Lois was capable of lying to a nun to get a story, but being less than truthful with the Kents was something entirely different. As Clark parked the car in front of the wood-sided farmhouse, fate, in the form of baby Kent, intervened on her behalf. The car had barely come to a halt when Lois jumped out of the passenger seat and into the welcoming arms of her in-laws, announcing, "Hi, Martha! Hi, Jonathan! I need to use your bathroom *right now!*" * * * * * * * * * * After Lois returned, baby Kent provided safe topics of conversation. Martha and Jonathan solicitously inquired about Lois's health and cautioned her about overdoing; Clark mentioned Lois's need to snack "constantly"; and finally, Lois reminded him that she hadn't eaten anything since "those woefully inadequate lunches on the plane." Martha laughed and led the way into the big farm kitchen. Clark joined them after he carried their luggage into his old bedroom and did a super- speed unpacking job. "These blueberry muffins are wonderful, Martha," Lois said as she reached for a third one. "Are the berries from your garden, or grown locally?" Did she just imagine the anxious glance that passed between Martha and Jonathan? Maybe her reporter's intuition was in overdrive, prompting her to assume intrigue where there was none. She pushed her suspicions aside when Martha laughed and answered, "Oh, no, Lois. These are just from a mix I found at the Hi-Lo. It won't be blueberry season here for a few months yet." Clark looked up, surprised by Martha's response. "The Hi-Lo, Mom? You and Dad never shopped there before. You said they had shriveled produce and dirty floors." "Things change, son," Jonathan replied before Martha had a chance to answer. "...And I just ran over there to pick up a few things after you called last night," Martha chimed in. "You didn't give us much time to get ready for your visit, honey." Seeing Clark's stricken look, she quickly added, "That doesn't matter, because we're always happy to see you and Lois!" and she hugged them both to emphasize her statement. * * * * * * * * * * Dinner that evening was far less strained than Lois had feared, and she found herself relaxing and laughing at Martha and Jonathan's reminiscences of Clark as a baby. "He used to watch me when I was working in the kitchen, " Martha continued, "and he always looked so happy when he saw the refrigerator opening, because he knew that meant it was mealtime. One afternoon I'd left him alone in the kitchen for a just a few minutes while I went to answer the door. I didn't think he could get into any trouble because he'd only just started walking and we'd installed child-safe locks on all of the cabinets, but I'd hardly closed the front door when I heard a blood-curdling howl from the kitchen. I was so afraid that he'd managed to hurt himself! Well, when I got into the kitchen, the floor was littered with frozen food. I looked in the direction the sound was coming from, and there was Clark, balancing on one foot on top of the breadbox on the countertop, hanging by one hand from the handle of the freezer door, and trying to grab a pint carton of ice cream with the other hand. That little dickens had gotten the freezer door open and found the ice cream he was after, but he couldn't figure out how to get down again without letting go of the ice cream!" "And he wasn't about to let go of that ice cream," Jonathan chuckled. "I ran to the house as fast as I could when I heard him screaming." He shook his head. "I wouldn't have run so fast if I'd known he was just screaming about ice cream." He laughed again, and said, "But you know Clark, once he gets an idea in his head, or decides to go after something, he doesn't give up until he has succeeded." Lois's softly spoken, "I'm glad you didn't give up on us, Farmboy," was nearly drowned out by the warning rumble of the approaching thunderstorm. She jumped in surprise at the suddenness of the sound. "It's OK, honey," Clark said as he slipped his arm around her protectively. "Thunder sounds louder out here because there aren't other noises like traffic and sirens to camouflage it, or tall buildings to muffle the sound." "Why don't you help me clear the table, Lois?" Martha suggested. "We'll have coffee and dessert in the living room a little later." ==================================================================== Continued in next e-mail... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:29:35 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: NEW FANFIC: Paradise Lost (Part 2 of 6) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----------------------------------------------------------------- (TUFS -- Episode #19) "PARADISE LOST" Part 2 of 6 By Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@mcs.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- About fifteen minutes later Lois was sitting on the living room couch, snuggled up against her husband's chest, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her shoulders and listening to the steady beating of his heart. Clark was thinking about how neatly Lois fit into the crook of his arm and how absolutely right it felt to have her there. Temporarily forgetting the mission that had brought them to Kansas, Clark thought about how perfectly *everything* in his life seemed to fit right now and momentarily felt a contentment he could only have dreamt about five years earlier, when he'd first decided to settle in Metropolis. Without warning, the Kents' living room was brightly illuminated by a brilliant purple-blue bolt of lightning. An explosive peal of thunder followed almost immediately. Lois's eyes widened, and she moved closer to the window to get a better look. "This is magnificent," she exclaimed, as the sky continued its light show. "We can't see anything like this in Metropolis." "That's because we don't have smog-free skies and wide open spaces like this in the city," Clark said. Then, remembering Lois's interest in the abandoned house they'd seen earlier in the afternoon, he asked his parents, "Mom, can you or Dad tell Lois anything about the old Sowerby farm? I seem to remember the other kids saying it was 'haunted,' but I don't remember any of the particulars." Martha looked a little surprised with the direction their after- dinner conversation was taking, but a quick glimpse at Lois's alert, intrigued expression explained why Clark was asking about the Sowerby place. "Oh, after a while people will start to call any abandoned house haunted, especially if it's in poor repair and in an isolated area. The Sowerby place is miles from its nearest neighbor. I think that's probably one of the reasons the Sowerbys couldn't get over what happened and eventually moved away." "What did happen, Martha?" Lois asked, moving back to the sofa, her curiosity overcoming her fascination with the storm. Martha answered Lois's question by asking one of her own, "Clark, do you remember the Sowerbys' daughter, Rebecca?" "I don't really remember her, Mom. I remember the incident, but I'm not sure that I remember all of the details, or even if I knew all the details at the time." "You weren't at home at the time it happened. It was the fall you went to the football camp at the University of Kansas, Clark. Remember, you wanted us to bring you home early, after that boy got hurt in the skirmish and you were sure it was your fault. Rebecca was almost ten years younger than you were, so you didn't have any friends or activities in common. Everyone deliberately avoided talking about her around the other children, for fear of upsetting them. A missing child is a terrible thing for parents and a community to come to grips with, and it was even worse for the Sowerbys, because nothing like that had ever occurred in Small County. "It happened in the autumn of 1978, during the Corn Festival. Rebecca was almost four and had been voted that year's Corn Princess. It was the last night of the Corn Festival, and she was beside herself with excitement because she'd be leading the parade into the Grange Hall later that evening." The storm outside the Kent farmhouse was breaking in earnest now. Lois was vaguely aware of the sounds of wind and rain pelting against the windows and the slightly rhythmic pattern of hailstones hitting the roof. Her attention, though, was on the story that Martha was recounting. "The last time we saw Rebecca, Mrs. Sowerby had just helped her change into her orange and gold Corn Princess costume." Seeing Lois's puzzled expression, Martha added, "It looked like a flower girl's dress, with a long full skirt and tiny ears of corn embroidered along the hem. I'm not sure about the origins of the Corn Princess tradition, but I think it had something to do with the Corn Queen representing the present year's harvest, and the Corn Princess representing the rebirth of the crop in years to come. That's why the Corn Princess was always played by a very young child. The parade was supposed to start just after dark, with the Corn Princess and her torchbearers leading the group out of the darkness at the festival grounds and into the light at the Grange Hall." Lois was remembering her first visit to Smallville's Corn Festival; she hadn't realized until now how close to the truth her unthinking comment about "ritual crop worship" had been. The whole ceremony had a kind of pagan ambience about it. "The party at the Grange..." Martha's narrative was cut short by a deafening crash of thunder that startled even the longtime Kansas residents. The lights flickered on-and-off a few times, then died, leaving the lightning outside the window as the room's only illumination. Jonathan was the first to speak. "Looks like the storm knocked down the power lines again. This usually happens at least once or twice a year, Lois. The county power company will have a chance to try out their new 'emergency preparedness and response plan' tonight. Clark, maybe you could light the fireplace; that should give us light *and* heat. The furnace is on an electric thermostat and won't come back on until the power does." Clark could feel Lois shiver slightly as she snuggled closer to him. He lowered his glasses and focused on the kindling laid in the fireplace, then used his heat vision to start it ablaze. The fire caught, filling the room with warmth and a golden glow. A wide smile lighted Lois's upturned face. "You are *so* handy to have around," she murmured as she leaned closer to kiss him. Pleased with the compliment and blushing only slightly, Clark waited for Martha to continue her story. Superman wouldn't be putting in an appearance to repair the power lines anytime soon, because the storm would most likely knock them out again. Besides, who was he to deny the Small County Power Company the opportunity to test their disaster plan? He'd involve himself only if the plan failed or the power company found itself overwhelmed by outages. "You were telling us about the party at the Grange Hall, Mom," he prompted gently. "Jonathan, could you tell them the rest of the story, please?" Martha asked. "Lois looks as if she's ready for some cocoa, and I'll bet everyone else is feeling thirsty, too." Martha lit one of the mantle candles and carried it with her into the kitchen. "I'll have to use the stove instead of the microwave." she added, "Good thing we have propane!" Jonathan nodded and, as soon as Martha was out of earshot, said quietly, "Your mother has a hard time telling this part of the story; I guess that's another reason we never really talked to you about it." Jonathan directed the next part of the story to his daughter-in-law. "Lois, harvest is probably the most important time of the year in a farm community. Every September, up until Rebecca disappeared, we'd elect a Corn Queen and a Corn Princess. The previous Corn Princesses would become part of the current Corn Princess's court when she led the torchlight parade to the Grange Hall. For years the tradition had been to close the festival with a party at the Hall. There was a potluck dinner, a square dance, and a midnight bonfire, lit by the Corn Princess, to burn the old husks from the corn-husking contest. After that, the party would break up, and everyone would go home. "That year, when it was almost dark enough for the parade to start, Rebecca had waved good-bye to her parents at the entrance to the Grange Hall. Mr. Sowerby had a new home-movie camera and planned to film Rebecca's entrance. Rebecca walked the two blocks to the festival grounds with her court of nine or ten older girls. One of the teenagers in the group was one of the most popular babysitters in town. Who would have thought anything could happen? It all seemed perfectly safe. "The princess and her court entered the festival grounds about ten minutes later. Shortly after that, when everyone was getting into place for the parade, Rebecca couldn't be found. Between the time she arrived at the festival grounds and the time the parade was due to start, Rebecca Sowerby had vanished without a trace." Lois's eyes were moist when she looked up at Jonathan, and her hand was resting protectively on her stomach. "Did they ever find Rebecca, or a ransom note, or...anything?" Jonathan shook his head, "Nothing, not a ransom note, or a scrap of clothing, or a body. People formed search parties and combed the town and the surrounding woods all night and for the next three days. The local police eventually brought in the FBI; they ran down a lot of false leads, but never found the girl, or found out what had happened to her. We've always assumed that she was kidnapped. The kidnapper would have had a good head start, between the darkness and the confusion. No one was exactly sure when they'd last seen Rebecca--there was a lot of activity and quite a crowd at the festival grounds that night, and it would have been easy to get lost in it." "That must have been horrible for her parents," Lois said slowly. "Never knowing what really happened to their daughter would make it nearly impossible for them to get on with their lives. I can see why they couldn't live here any longer." Jonathan nodded, "They were nearly immobilized by their grief. After the first few weeks, there was no place in the area left to search, and no more leads to follow. The shock of the kidnapping wore off, and the reality that Rebecca was gone set in. Mr. Sowerby wanted to leave the farm; he said he hated the sight of the town and everything connected to it. Mrs. Sowerby was torn between staying and going. Everything on the farm reminded her of Rebecca. She didn't want to leave that behind, but living with it became too painful. Mr. Sowerby finally convinced her to leave, but only by promising not to sell the farm -- Mrs. Sowerby was convinced that Rebecca would eventually come home, and she wanted the farm to be there when she did. That's why the farm is abandoned." "You mean the Sowerbys still own the farm, after all these years?" Clark asked incredulously. Martha re-entered the living room, carefully balancing a tray laden with a pot of cocoa, cups, marshmallows, a plate of cookies, and a candle. Clark and Jonathan both jumped up to help her, and the next few minutes were spent pouring the cocoa into cups and passing around the cookies. Since the rain had almost stopped, Clark took the opportunity to retrieve the Coleman gas lantern from the barn, providing the room with a less spectral illumination than the flickering candles and firelight. Martha took up the narration, less uncomfortable with talking about the aftermath than with the story of Rebecca's disappearance. "The Sowerbys left the farm the following summer and moved to Hutchinson, about forty miles from here. They bought a small convenience store in the town. There were too many bad memories connected with farming, but I guess they chose another occupation that demanded long hours and hard work, so they wouldn't have time to think about what had happened. Peggy -- Mrs. Sowerby -- got pregnant a few years after they moved there. They have two children now." "I hope they found some peace and consolation with their second family," Lois said fervently. "I think they did, Lois. I usually hear from Peggy around the holidays. She seems to be reconciled with what happened and has gone on to build a new life." The room was silent for a moment, save for the crackling of wood burning in the fireplace. Then Martha pointed to the starlit vista of sky visible through the window. "Look, " she said, "the storm seems to have passed over. Clark, why don't you and Lois take advantage of that full moon? You can't see the sky or the stars this way when you're in the city." "Great idea, Mom," Clark said, eager to lift the solemn mood that had settled over the group. "Lois, would you like to take a walk under the stars? I'll throw in a personally guided tour of the Kents' main barn and chicken coop, with a side-trip to a genuine Kansas irrigation pump that doubles as a windmill. And I promise, you won't even get your feet wet!" "Are you offering to show a city girl a Kansas good time?" Lois teased as they walked to the front door." "It looks like I already did," Clark replied, patting her swollen belly. "Ouch! That hurt!" He exclaimed, rubbing the spot on his arm where Lois punched him. "Did not!" "Did so!" Clark insisted in an aggrieved tone. Martha and Jonathan watched through the living room window as Clark gently floated Lois over the muddy ground and towards the windmill. "You meant what you said earlier about not seeing the stars and the sky in the city, didn't you?" Jonathan asked soberly, slipping his arms around Martha's waist as he stood behind her. Martha covered his large hands with her smaller ones. "It will be all right, Jonathan," she said, leaning back against him. "We'll be together, and that's all that's really important to me." * * * * * * * * * * As was the norm in the country, the whole household went to bed early. Clark woke before sunrise and lay awake in the darkness, thinking for a long time. Finally, he heard his father moving about. Carefully, so as not to wake his wife, he slid out of bed and dressed. Going downstairs, he met up with his father in the kitchen. "Pour me a cup, too, Dad?" he asked. Jonathan started. "Didn't expect you to be up," he said tersely, as he reached for a second coffee cup. "Thought I'd help with the chores, just like old times," Clark answered, sitting down at the table. Jonathan carried two cups of coffee over to the table and sat down. "I can remember times when you weren't so pleased to be up before dawn. But there's not as much to do these days. Your mother and I -- well, we're getting older." "Is that why there's not as much to do, Dad? Why you look so tired and stressed out? Because you're getting older...or because the farm doesn't pay?" Jonathan looked sharply at his son. "That's why you're here, isn't it? I don't suppose I need to ask how you found out, do I? It's in your job description -- snooping into people's private affairs." Clark had the grace to look away. There was some truth in what his father said. "Believe me, Dad, I found out by accident," Clark replied. "And I never expected to find what I did. What I can't understand is how you could let things get this bad without...without at least *warning* me!" "Warning you? Clark, you know we've had bad crops for three years running -- no crop at all, last year. What did you think? That we were living on *savings*?" "I don't know. I just -- you should have told me, Dad. I could have done something. This is my home, too." "Why? What could you have done? Even Superman can't make the wheat grow. And your home's in Metropolis, Clark. You haven't lived here in years." Clark was getting frustrated. "Maybe not. But this is where my roots are. I come here when I can't take the rat race in Metropolis -- everybody rushing to get somewhere. I come here sometimes at night, after I've been out being Superman." Jonathan shook his head, frustrated and at a loss for words, and stood up, taking his coffee cup to the sink. Clark tried again. "Dad, Lois and I are having a baby. What if our child develops superpowers the way I did? We'd have to find a place where we could feel safe and comfortable. Where we could work with our child while he or she learns to control those superpowers, just like you and Mom helped me. Dad, we need this place." Jonathan snorted and walked to the door. He opened it and looked back at Clark. "I can see where you might need a refuge, Clark, but you should be looking somewhere else for it. Try looking in Montana or Idaho, maybe. But don't count on Smallville. The land around here is cursed." Clark was left at the kitchen table, staring speechlessly at the swinging door. Standing abruptly, he dumped his untouched coffee into the sink and followed his father outside, into the predawn darkness. * * * * * * * * * * Dressed in sneakers, snap-waist maternity jeans, and an old flannel shirt of Clark's, Lois eased back against the faded cushions on the porch swing and used both hands to lift the mug of tea to her mouth. It felt good just to sit back and do nothing. She recognized this last thought as a very foreign one for Lois Lane, but the hot tea, the warm Kansas sunshine, and the soft cushions were especially welcome after a morning spent helping with the farm chores. It was only about one- thirty in the afternoon, but it felt much later to someone unaccustomed to rising with the sun. She looked up at the sound of the screen door closing. "Is your leg feeling any better, Lois?" Martha asked sympathetically, as she sat down in a wicker chair near the swing. "It's feeling fine, thanks, Martha. The only real damage is to my pride." Lois's face darkened as Martha tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle. "I'm sorry, Lois..." Martha started to say, but this time the giggle turned into a full-blown laugh that brought tears to Martha's eyes and threatened to take her breath away. It took her a few seconds to get her reaction under control. "When you came running into the kitchen like the hounds of hell were chasing you and asked me if our chickens had had their shots..." "I didn't look that funny!" Lois said with a small pout, then asked plaintively, "Did I?" Martha nodded, "I never thought I'd hear our free-range hens referred to as a 'gang of chickens.'" "They were awful! I'd always thought that chickens were -- well -- chicken. If I'd known they were going to behave that way, I never would have volunteered to get the eggs -- at least not without a weapon." "Volunteered?" Martha questioned. "It sounded more like an ultimatum than an offer! And I'm still not sure that I understand exactly what happened in the chicken yard this morning." "OK," Lois offered, in a slightly better humor. "I'll tell you the whole story. It started this morning, when Clark left to help Jonathan with the chores and left me asleep. I didn't wake up till I heard you in the kitchen making breakfast. When I realized that everyone else was up and working, I was annoyed that Clark hadn't woken me before he went out. After all, I'm pregnant -- not crippled." Martha tried to excuse Clark. "But, Lois, Jonathan generally gets up before five! Even I don't get up that early." Lois shrugged. "Well anyway, when I joined you in the kitchen, you were making breakfast, but you said you didn't really need any help. I was *determined* to prove that I was perfectly capable of doing farm chores. Clark had already been out in the fields working with Jonathan for hours, and I felt that I wasn't contributing at all. So when you said that you'd send Clark out for the eggs as soon as he came back, I decided I'd go get the eggs." Martha patted Lois's hand sympathetically, now understanding the belligerent look she'd seen on Lois's face that morning. "You looked so stubborn, I wasn't going to argue with you, and since you did come back with the eggs, I guess you held your own with the chickens!" Lois nodded and continued, "It wasn't the chickens that got me, although they didn't have a very cooperative attitude. It was that thug of a rooster who attacked me!" Martha swallowed her laugh successfully this time. "You mean Jamie? I should have guessed! He's very territorial, and he's getting more ornery by the day. You didn't try to get eggs from him, did you?" "Really, Martha, I don't know much about chickens, but I know that roosters don't lay eggs," Lois said in a mildly affronted tone. "Of course you do! I'm sorry, please, tell me the rest." Somewhat appeased, Lois continued, "When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw the ground was still muddy from last night's rain, so I rolled up the legs of my jeans before I walked through the chicken yard. I went into the coop -- chickens really do smell a lot better when they're roasted, don't they? Anyway, I found four eggs in unoccupied nests; I guess those chickens were having their own breakfasts. I put the eggs in the basket you gave me. You said to bring eight eggs, so I looked for the four sleepiest chickens, because I thought they'd be the easiest to get eggs out from under. They weren't too happy about it, but they grudgingly stepped aside to let me have the eggs, except for the one that flew up towards my face and made me feel like Tippi Hedren in 'The Birds.' All right, I had the eggs, and I was feeling *pretty* competent about farm chores, when that rooster came in through the dog door." "Chicken door, sweetie," Martha corrected. "Chicken door," Lois echoed absently, engrossed in telling her story. "He cocked his head to one side and glared at me as if he'd never seen anyone gathering eggs before, so I cocked my head and glared right back at him. Then, when I tried to leave the coop, he jumped in front of me and blocked the door. Well, no chicken gets the better of Lois Lane! So I just squared my shoulders, lifted my chin, walked right past him -- and that's when he bit me! Twice!" Martha bit her lip at the last, then finished Lois's narrative, "And that's when you made a run for the house." Lois nodded. "You made it back here with all eight eggs, and not a crack in one of them," Martha continued. "I'm impressed! And I can't tell you how much I appreciated your cleaning up the kitchen and washing all the breakfast and lunch dishes. But you don't have to prove anything, Lois, and we don't expect you to work like a farm hand when you're here on your vacation. This is your home, honey." Eyes sparkling, Martha added, "There are a few things that I was hoping you wouldn't mind helping me with, though." Lois looked delighted at the idea of Martha asking for her help. "Well, sure, Martha," Lois replied happily, "anything I can do." When Lois had gone out to the fields earlier to call Clark and Jonathan for lunch, she'd been genuinely pleased to see the camaraderie they shared, but had been uncertain about her ability to form a similar bond with Martha. Martha was her mother-in-law, her friend, and sometimes, her confidante. She knew Martha respected her, loved her as a daughter, and took pride in her accomplishments, but in Lois's mind, those accomplishments belonged to Lois Lane, city girl. Clark was as competent in Smallville as he was in Metropolis. While they were on the farm, Lois's keen sense of competition would not allow her to be satisfied unless she was as valuable an assistant to Martha as Clark was to Jonathan. "Could you drive into town with me to pick up some supplies?" Martha was asking her. "I'll need your help selecting the groceries because I'm not sure what your favorites are. And -- I volunteered to put 75 baskets together for next Sunday's egg hunt in the park on the town square. I know you love chocolate--you're probably a much better judge of chocolate rabbits and ducks than I am -- could you help me to pick out the candy and to put the baskets together? The manager at the Cost Mart said that we could choose whatever we wanted; it's their contribution to the Easter Egg Hunt. I didn't realize how big a job it would be until the 4-H coordinator dropped off the 75 empty baskets the day before yesterday." "I'd love to, Martha. It will only take me a minute to change," Lois beamed as she slid off the swing and headed towards the back door. "On the way into town, do you suppose we could stop at the old Sowerby place and look around?" "We'll do better than that; I'll bring a camera, and we can take photos." Martha grinned slyly and added, "And tomorrow morning, you and I will both go out to the coop for the eggs; if Jamie successfully pecks either of us, there'll be chicken soup with dinner." * * * * * * * * * * ==================================================================== Continued in next e-mail... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:29:59 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: NEW FANFIC: Paradise Lost (Part 3 of 6) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----------------------------------------------------------------- (TUFS -- Episode #19) "PARADISE LOST" Part 3 of 6 By Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@mcs.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Martha and Lois found their men-folk out in the barn, with bits and pieces of the combine spread around them. The women announced they were heading into town and asked if Jonathan or Clark needed anything. Jonathan asked if they could pick up a few bags of fertilizer at the local Agway, so they decided to take the truck rather than the rental car. After the women left, Jonathan stood up and sighed. "I don't know, Clark. I'm not sure this old thing will ever get us through the wheat harvest next month. I could barely keep it running last year." Clark looked at his father. "What did you mean this morning when you said the land was cursed? "Ah, I don't know. Burnett used to say that, and I can't come up with any other reason why we can't get a crop out of the ground anymore. I guess you don't believe in curses, eh?" "Dad, I've seen enough strange things in the last five years to believe in almost anything, but enough of Lois has rubbed off on me to know that it's usually a good idea to look for logical explanations most of the time. Why do you say a 'curse,' and not just 'bad luck'?" "You saw the fields yesterday, Clark. Last fall I sowed the fields with good old red wheat -- the most common kind of winter wheat there is. And now it's April. We should be sitting here looking at fields full of grain. But they're mighty poor looking fields out there right now. And why? We've had plenty of rain. Most of the county is going to have a bumper crop this spring. Everybody but us. There are about ten of us here in the county who just haven't been able to pull a good crop out of the ground for years now." "Any ideas why?" Jonathan shrugged. "Some folks think it has to do with the 'ecological disaster' over at Irig's. I know, I know -- there wasn't one, but lots of people don't know that. Other people think the New Kryptonians poisoned the land somehow. I'd be tempted to believe that myself, except that things started going bad before they showed up. It's just gotten more obvious the last couple of years." Jonathan was quiet for a moment, then continued. "Your mother didn't want me to put a crop in last fall -- wanted us to both get jobs in town until the mortgage was paid off. But a farmer is just a gambler at heart, I guess -- I borrowed more money for sowing, instead. We had a real fight about that, she and I. Maybe that's why I didn't tell you -- figured you'd be on her side." "You two still fighting?" "Nah. It's done now; nothing to do now but stand together and face the music." Clark thought for a minute. "Have you checked out soil samples?" "Colin Burnett and I sent some soil samples in to be analyzed. They came back normal." "The Burnetts get a crop this spring?" Clark asked. "When his crop failed last year, they moved to the city," Jonathan answered, "put the farm up for sale -- no one's bought it yet. I think that's one of the reasons the bank's leaving us alone -- no one would buy this place either." "I would," said Clark quietly. "Make no mistake, Dad. If this farm goes up for sale, I'll buy it." "Don't waste your money, son. You've got to put your own family first; you need to provide for Lois and the baby. Don't put your pipe dream of holding on to your past before them." Clark was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke. "Money's never going to be a problem, Dad. Superman's never going to be short of money." Jonathan spoke sharply. "Superman doesn't accept money." "Because he's never had to," Clark answered. "But if there was a need, he would. Dad, if someone found out about -- you know -- me being," his voice dropped, "Superman -- I'd have to spend more money than Lex Luthor ever did on security, just to keep Lois and the baby -- and you and Mom -- safe. Don't think I haven't thought about it, because I have. There is no way Clark Kent could earn that kind of money. But Superman could." Clark went on. "All the licensing fees from the sale of Superman T-shirts and dolls and that sort of stuff -- that goes to charity. But there is no rule that says it has to. Or -- the Weather Service asked me to repair a satellite for them the other day. I just went and did it, but I could have charged them. The telecom companies could pay me *half* of what it costs the space shuttle to repair or deploy satellites. They'd think they had a real bargain, and I -- I'd have enough money to buy all of Kansas. Or I could dive for pearls in Japan, or mine for diamonds..." Jonathan interrupted. "I've always been proud of the fact that Superman does what he does without accepting money for it." "Well, so have I, Dad. It's part of what makes Superman so special. I'd never charge for saving someone's life. But there are so many day-to-day things that I could do for people, which wouldn't be immoral to be paid for. The laborer is worthy of his hire. There are times when you have to put real needs above your ideals and your ego." "Is the farm a real need for you, Clark? You've moved on. Is the farm worth making that sacrifice for?" "I wouldn't have to sacrifice Superman for the farm. Clark Kent is a pretty good writer, and he makes a pretty good salary. Lois makes even more than I do. And yes, the farm is worth it to me. I may have moved on, but I always come back. It's not the red earth of Tara, but it *is* where I draw my strength. The yellow sun may recharge me, but my roots are here in Kansas, with you and Mom on this farm. When I was a kid, you told me those stories of Silas Kent moving to Kansas before the Civil War, and of Nathaniel Kent coming to Smallville as sheriff, with his wife Mary. I want to tell my children those stories, here on our farm too." "Humph!" Jonathan turned back to the combine, thinking hard. "Clark, you got the half-inch socket wrench over there?" * * * * * * * * * * Geographically speaking, the Sowerby farm was only about fifteen miles from the Kents'. In terms of appearance, the two farms could easily have been located in two different worlds. Lois had noticed the day before that some of the buildings on the Kent farm could have done with a fresh coat of paint and that a few of the fences were in need of repair. Given her previous experience with the farm's usual well kept state, this had surprised and saddened her. The Kents' farm, though, had suffered from a lack of attention and resources for only the last year or so, particularly after the hired man had left, while the Sowerbys' had been neglected for more than ten times that long. As Martha drove the pickup truck onto an overgrown driveway riddled with ruts, Lois could clearly see the damage to the house. Peeling paint had left the clapboard siding bare in spots, windowpanes were shattered or missing completely, and a badly sagging porch gave the whole house a dilapidated, forlorn appearance. From what she could see of the barns and outbuildings, they were experiencing the same deterioration. "Careful," Martha warned Lois as they exited the truck. "The driveway's sunken pretty badly in spots; don't trip on the uneven ground." "Let's look at the house first," Lois suggested. "Then we can explore the outbuildings if we have time." Martha nodded her assent, and the two women moved off in that direction, carefully picking their way over the muddy, rutted ground. Arriving at the front porch, they trod tentatively, testing the rotting boards before trusting them with their full weight. Lois peered through the empty window frames, trying to see inside the house. She hoped the camera's flash attachment was powerful enough to penetrate the dark interior and capture the place's sense of abandonment. The visible rooms were empty of furniture, and the sun had faded the wallpaper in spots. A few stray paper napkins, some beer cans, and the remnants of a fast-food meal gave evidence of the house's occasional use by vagrants or what Martha politely referred to as "courting couples." Lois was puzzled by that last observation. "Why would couples use a dirty, abandoned house? A hayloft is much more comfortable." Martha's jaw dropped open in surprise, but her eyes twinkled when she asked, "Why, Lois Lane! How much do you know about haylofts?" "Oh, I know enough." Lois replied, grinning slyly, and laughing at Martha's surprised and amused expression. "After all, I'm married to a farmboy." Laughing, Lois and Martha left the porch. If she had been alone, Lois would have picked the tarnished lock on the front door and explored the house more thoroughly. She knew Martha wouldn't condone breaking and entering merely to satisfy her curiosity, even in an abandoned house. Lois stepped back a few feet and snapped more photos of the house's exterior. Then she and Martha went off to investigate the barn and outbuildings. While Lois and Martha explored the farm, they were unaware that in a wooded area a short distance away, two sets of eyes, aided by binoculars, were watching them. "What *are* those things?" Lois asked, pointing to what looked like small hills fitted with roughly finished doors. "You mean the dugouts?" Martha responded. "They're storage areas. Wood wasn't always readily available for building barns and sheds. The early settlers discovered that by digging out part of a hill and shoring up the hollow interior with a few timbers, they had an insulated storage place for root vegetables, or anything else they needed a place for. Didn't you read 'Little House on the Prairie' as a child?" "People lived in *those*?" Lois asked incredulously. "Well, not in *those* particular dugouts, but they lived in slightly larger ones. Those are too small to hold a family, although they probably were used as shelters from twisters. They were pretty solid, and it was safer than possibly having the house collapse on you. I wouldn't go in there now, though," Martha added, observing the intent scrutiny Lois was giving the dugouts. "The support timbers are probably in the same condition as the rest of the farm. They've most likely rotted, and you'd be in danger of the hill caving in on you." "Do people still use dugouts?" Lois asked, snapping photos from every possible angle. "I'm sure they do," Martha replied. "These must have been in use up until the time the Sowerbys left. The hasp locks look to be relatively modern. They were probably added in the 1950s or '60s." The ground between the dugouts and the barn was rutted and uneven, its gouges and furrows probably the result of the previous night's downpour. Conversation halted as Lois and Martha concentrated on taking the least treacherous route and avoiding the deep, muddy puddles of water. As they walked on towards the barn, Lois mumbled to herself, "Got it. 1950s or '60s, relatively modern, in *Kansas* years." Lois and Martha entered the barn through the large double doors, all the service doors and windows having been boarded over years before. The barn itself was unremarkable, but Lois was interested in examining the few items the Sowerbys had left behind. It was while Martha was explaining how the various tools were used that she and Lois first heard a scratching sound. "What was that?" Lois asked, looking for the source of the noise. "Lois--honey, I don't think you want to go farther into the barn," she cautioned. "Why don't we go out the same way we came in?" "Why?" Lois asked, stopping to turn around, but still determined to find out who or what was responsible for the scraping sound. Martha pointed towards a dark corner on the far side of the barn. "Can you see them? They're rats, probably looking for the remnants of more Happy Meals, like the trash on the floor in the house. They're not all that dangerous, but they can carry disease. If you get too close, you might get bitten." Looking in the direction Martha had indicated, Lois could vaguely see the gray, squirming, squealing forms in the poorly illuminated corner. She shivered, remembering her last encounter with that species. "You're right, Martha. Let's go outside, and back to the truck. It's probably time for us to get going on that grocery shopping." * * * * * * * * * * Rather than satisfying Lois's curiosity, the brief visit to the Sowerby farm piqued it. For the rest of the drive into Smallville, Lois continued to bombard Martha with questions about the Sowerby family and Rebecca's disappearance. Each answer seemed only to generate more questions. By the time they arrived in Smallville, even the normally unruffled Martha was close to losing her patience. As she drove past the town's library, an idea occurred to her. "Lois, would you like to read the articles that ran in the Smallville Press when Rebecca disappeared?" Encouraged by Lois's smiling face, Martha continued. "We spent longer than I realized at the Sowerby place, and the town library is only open for another two hours. Why don't I drop off the film at the one-hour photo store and get the groceries while you look at the old editions of the newspaper? We can meet back at the truck in about an hour and a half, and then we'll go to the Cost Mart for the candy. "I'd love to read those articles, Martha," Lois said guiltily, "but I'd feel bad about leaving you to do all of the grocery shopping." Martha parked the truck near the park on the Town Square. She shook her head, dismissing Lois's objection. "Why don't you give me an idea of what some of your favorite foods are, and I can just add them to my shopping list?" Looking relieved, Lois eagerly took the proffered pencil and hastily scribbled six or seven items at the bottom of the list. As Lois exited the truck, Martha pointed out the library, double-checked the time and place they were to meet, then drove off in the direction of the grocery store. A few minutes later Lois was walking through the double doors of the Smallville Public Library. There was a long counter near the front door with a "Reference" sign hanging over it. Behind the counter, a red-haired woman in her early twenties was talking on the phone. As Lois got closer, she could hear the woman patiently explaining to the caller that, no, unfortunately, there were no living dinosaurs, not even in wildlife parks or preserves. If the caller would like to stop by the library on his way home from school tomorrow, though, the library staff would be happy to help him to find information about dinosaurs, along with some pictures of them, for his science fair project. The woman hung up the phone and smiled at Lois as she approached the counter. "Can I help you find something?" she asked. Lois introduced herself and explained what she was looking for. After hearing Lois's abbreviated version of Rebecca's disappearance, the librarian's green eyes widened. Where she had previously been professional and helpful, she now looked genuinely intrigued. She exited the reference area to show Lois where to find the microfiche and the fiche readers. "I've only lived here for a few weeks myself, so I'm interested in learning more about the town's history. I certainly haven't heard that story before! Oh," she added, extending her right hand, "I'm Frannie Hodgson. It's very nice to meet you, Lois." The two women spent the next hour looking through back issues of the Smallville Press and copying any references to the Corn Festival, the Sowerby family, Rebecca's disappearance, or anything else occurring around that time that struck either of them as unusual. Frannie was interrupted three or four times answering reference questions and phone calls, but kept coming back, curious to see what Lois had uncovered. Jonathan hadn't exaggerated when he'd called the harvest and the Corn Festival the most important events in the community. There was extensive coverage of the Corn Queen pageant, accompanied by black and white photos of the contestants in the slim-skirted formals of the period. Other photos showed local workmen setting up the booths and tables on the festival grounds, and farmers unloading the bushels of corn that would be shucked, roasted, and eaten at the festival. "There she is!" Frannie said excitedly, as they scrolled through the next piece of microfiche. Both women leaned closer to get a better look at the little girl pictured above the heading "Rebecca Sowerby Chosen as Corn Princess." Lois wasn't quite certain how she'd pictured the child in her own mind, but she felt both letdown and saddened when confronted with the unremarkable smiling face of a light-haired preschooler. It was a sweet face, with fine features and merry eyes, but most likely a face that would have blended easily into a crowd, increasing the difficulty of finding the missing child. The girl's disappearance had spawned an abundance of press coverage, with a profusion of photos of the Sowerby family, their farm, and even a picture of the family truck. The farm had looked a lot different then. The house had a fresh coat of paint, and there were curtains at the windows. The lawn had been neatly landscaped, and the front porch was surrounded by flowerbeds. Like Lois, Frannie was intrigued by the idea of the abandoned farm, frozen in time like the dated photos accompanying the articles. Both Lois and Frannie started at the sound of a polite cough behind them. "Martha! What time is it?" Lois looked at her watch in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry; we got involved in looking at the newspaper, and I guess I lost track of time. Oh, Frannie, this is my mother-in-law, Martha Kent. Frannie Hodgson is the town's new librarian, Martha." Martha smiled, expressed her pleasure at meeting Frannie, and thanked her for helping Lois with her research. Learning of Frannie's interest in the story, Martha opened the envelope of newly developed photos and spread them on the table near the fiche reader. Engrossed in comparing the current photos with those in the old newspapers, none of the three noticed the two men surreptitiously watching them from the periodicals section. Maybe Lois felt more relaxed and safer in Smallville than she did in Metropolis, and that dulled her usually keen street sense. Maybe it was the fact that Lois was thinking about the chocolates that Martha had promised earlier. Whatever the reason, when Martha and Lois left the library a few minutes later, both were unaware that the same two men were slowly following them down the sunny, tree-lined street. * * * * * * * * * * In Metropolis, Maisie's Diner would have been a trendy theme restaurant, decorated as it was in the style of the late fifties, with formica tables and counters, vinyl booths, and glass-fronted stainless- steel refrigerator cases displaying salads, cakes, pies, and Jell-O in tulip-shaped dishes. In Smallville, it was simply the place you went to for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or coffee when you were in town. Martha was sitting in one of those booths right now, idly sorting through the photos of the Sowerby farm while waiting for Lois to return from the powder room. She hadn't really looked at the farm the many times she'd driven past it in the last twenty years. She had to admit that Lois had a point. The house did have a sad, haunted look about it. "Those photos came out nicely, didn't they?" Lois asked, as she worked at maneuvering herself into the booth. "They certainly are striking," Martha replied. "That's funny," Lois said, giving half her attention to the conversation and the other half to the diner's menu. "Frannie said something very similar when we were looking at the photos from the newspaper. She said there was something 'riveting' about the house, and that it gave her the oddest feeling to look at it--almost as if she could tell what it looked like inside just by looking at the exterior." Lois continued to study the menu, then added, "It's not a terribly unusual style, though. She's probably been inside a number of similar places." Lois closed her menu. "I'll have a bowl of the vegetable soup, a turkey club sandwich with fries and cole slaw, and a large glass of chocolate milk." Martha's eyebrows rose and she smiled as she listened to Lois order. "Eating for two, huh?" she teased. "I'm always *hungry*," Lois exclaimed. "And it's a little embarrassing, as big as I am. I can hardly fit into this booth and I feel like Moby Lois, the great white whale -- but I can't stop *eating*!" "Wait a minute, Lois!" Martha replied sharply. "I don't want to hear that; you're pregnant, not fat. That's my grandchild that you're feeding! Why not have dessert, too? "Dessert I'd better skip, or I'll be pregnant *and* fat. Maybe I'll have a salad; your grandchild is pretty hungry," Lois admitted with a giggle as she picked up her menu for a second look. Medlock and Craven stood on the sidewalk outside Maisie's restaurant. "Well," Craven said to his companion, "we've got two choices. We can stand out here and try to look inconspicuous or we can wait inside and risk them spotting us." Medlock was spared any amount of deep thought when the sun dipped behind a cloud and another spring shower threatened. He and Craven strolled nonchalantly into the diner, found what they hoped was an unobtrusive spot at the counter that would allow them a good view of Lois and Martha's booth, and ordered two coffees. * * * * * * * * * * Running the diner was a perfect career for Maisie. Even though she was the owner, she still occasionally waited on the customers. It gave her a chance to catch up on the latest news about them, their families, and anything interesting that might be happening in the area. When Ethel had called in sick this morning, Maisie had decided to work the shift herself, and now she was doubly pleased that she was waiting on the trade. This was the first time she'd seen Martha in months, and one of the few times she'd seen the Kents' daughter-in-law. It looked like her baby was due pretty soon, too! Maisie wondered what could have brought Lois all the way to Smallville so close to her due date and resolved that she'd do her best to find out. She absently-mindedly refilled the coffee mugs of the two men who were deep in conversation at the counter, then headed towards Lois and Martha's booth, carrying a heavy tray. "Turkey salad sandwich and tea for you, Martha, and vegetable soup, salad, a turkey club sandwich with fries and cole slaw, and a large glass of chocolate milk for you, Lois." Placing the bowl, glass, cup, and plates on the table, Maisie spotted the stack of photos that Lois and Martha had moved aside. "Aren't those the old Sowerby place?" she asked, surprised that anyone would bother to photograph an abandoned farm with derelict buildings. "Yes, they are," Martha replied, handing the photos to Maisie. "Lois and Clark saw it yesterday on their way in from the airport and were curious about it. After we told them what had happened there, Lois wanted to stop by for a better look today." Maisie leafed through the stack of photos, noticing the shots of the house, the barn, and the surrounding fields. Lois and Clark were interested? Now this whole thing was starting to make sense to her. After inquiring about Clark and Jonathan, and spending a few minutes talking about the weather, the crops, and the egg hunt next weekend, Maisie excused herself to wait on her other customers. "Look," Craven nudged Medlock, indicating the conversation Maisie was having with Martha and Lois. "That waitress knows them. When they leave, we'll ask her who they are." * * * * * * * * * * ==================================================================== Continued in next e-mail... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:30:12 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: NEW FANFIC: Paradise Lost (Part 4 of 6) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----------------------------------------------------------------- (TUFS -- Episode #19) "PARADISE LOST" Part 4 of 6 By Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@mcs.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- They didn't have too long a wait. Lois made short work of her meal and took another side trip to the ladies' room. Then she and Martha walked over to the cash register to pay their check. "Don't be a stranger, Martha; and Lois, I'm looking forward to seeing that new little Kent. You be sure to send me some baby photos!" Handing Martha the change, Maisie asked, "Where are you off to now?" "Kent?" Craven, now close enough to overhear, whispered to Medlock. "Shhh," Medlock hissed, "I want to hear the rest." "Lois and I are going to the Cost Mart to pick out candy for the Easter Egg Hunt baskets," Martha replied in answer to Maisie's question. "That place is just enormous," Maisie enthused. "I can never get out of there in less than an hour. People drive for miles to shop there! With 75 baskets to fill and all those other departments to look through, you two will be there for the rest of the afternoon!" As the door closed behind Lois and Martha, Medlock signaled Maisie for another coffee refill. Maisie obliged, and Medlock gave her what he thought of as his most disarming smile, politely inquiring, "Excuse me, Ma'am, but did I just hear you call one of those ladies 'Mrs. Kent'? I'm interested because I have some distant kin by that name somewhere near Great Bend. Is either of them a Mrs. Jessica Kent?" "No," Maisie replied helpfully, "that was Martha Kent and her daughter-in-law, Lois, but I don't think Lois changed her name when she married Clark. She still goes by Lois Lane. She and Clark are both reporters for the Daily Planet, but they're syndicated nationally. You've probably heard of them," she added proudly. Medlock had indeed heard of them, and he hoped his face didn't betray his shock and displeasure, which was increasing by the second as Maisie continued. "It wouldn't surprise me at all if Lois and Clark were our neighbors soon, though. Clark grew up here in Smallville, but he always had the wanderlust. He traveled all over the world for five or six years after college. It looks like he's gotten that out of his system now; he's got a good job, a wife, and pretty soon, a family. With their first baby due any day now, he's probably remembering what it was like to grow up in a place like this. Metropolis may have its advantages, but it's not like growing up in a town where your family's raised its kids for the last hundred years." "So he and his wife are thinking about moving back to Smallville?" Medlock tried not to choke on his coffee. Two world-famous *investigative* journalists, actually *living* here? It wouldn't take them long to find out what he'd been up to for the past twenty years, and once they did, they'd concentrate their energies on finding *him.* He'd heard about Lane and Kent: they were *very* good at what they did; they were tenacious; and they were thorough. "Oh, they're doing more than thinking about it. Looks like Martha and Lois have been out scouting the area for available real estate. They've even taken photos of the place they're interested in buying!" Medlock fought his rising panic. Lane and Kent had the skills, the energy, and the connections to track him down and the clout to prosecute him. If they bought the old Sowerby place, they'd definitely have the motivation to do both. He was as good as convicted once they got on his trail. He corrected himself -- *if* they got on his trail. He was going to do something about that right now--as soon as he and Craven could get out of this restaurant and locate that beat-up truck Lois and Martha had driven into town. * * * * * * * * * * Carrying two large bags filled with candy, Lois led the way to the parking lot. As she approached the truck, she almost tripped on a pair of boots. She glanced at the muddy toes of the boots, sticking straight up in the air, and her eyes followed the blue-jean clad legs as far as they could. The top part of the legs, and the trunk and head of the man owning them, was hidden under the Kent family truck. "Can I help you?" she asked pointedly. "Oh, oh, sorry ma'am." The man wriggled his way out from under the truck and looked at her apologetically. "I dropped a quarter, and I was just trying to reach it." "Under *our* truck?" Lois's disbelief was apparent. It was only a quarter, and this man had crawled almost completely underneath the truck. Martha caught up to Lois and laid a restraining hand on Lois's arm. The man nodded to Martha and left. "Do you know him?" Lois asked. "I've seen him around town a few times," Martha answered. "Lois, are you feeling all right? You were almost rude to that man!" "Ha! That wasn't rude; I could show you rude." "It is much easier to be rude in Smallville than in Metropolis." Martha opened the driver's side door. "I'll drive. This truck is tricky to shift." * * * * * * * * * * The old truck bounced along the back roads. Martha shot a look at Lois. "Is this bouncing too much for you?" she asked. "I didn't think about the fact that the roads are bumpy, and there are almost no shocks left in this old thing." "I'll be OK," answered Lois. "You know, I really hate the way so many people treat me like an invalid when I'm just pregnant, but you manage to be concerned without making me feel incompetent or handicapped. Thanks." "Being pregnant doesn't change who you are, Lois. Not deep down inside. It's not an illness, just a temporary condition." "That's what my doctor says," Lois said. "Clark told me you changed doctors. How are you getting along with the new one?" "It's like night and day." Lois was enthusiastic. "You know, I'd tell that old Dr. Fuddy-duddy that I didn't want any drugs during labor, and he'd look at me with this smug smile and say 'We'll see' as though I'd change my mind once labor started. Judith -- that's the new doctor -- says, 'Of course you don't,' as though it was the most normal thing in the world. And then she talks about all the different things we can do if it gets too uncomfortable -- like back rubs, showers, walking around -- and says that drugs are always the last resort." "You're working with her, then, instead of against her," Martha observed. "Exactly!" said Lois. "I feel like I can relax around her and trust her to do what I want. I know she'll do whatever she needs to keep me and the baby safe, but she won't totally ignore what I want either. I never felt this comfortable with the other one." "You always have liked to be in control, Lois. But you can't completely control having a baby," Martha warned. "I know." Lois flashed a grin at her. "But I can try!" "You can't always control what happens," Martha repeated. "Like us about to lose the farm." At Lois's surprised look, Martha said sharply. "Don't try to tell me you didn't know. That's why the two of you are here." Lois was relieved to have it all out in the open. She nodded. "What gave us away?" "Clark. I knew there was something fishy when he was trying to explain why you were coming and then today -- he's sticking to his father like glue. I've got news for you, Lois -- Clark's never been a farmboy. Oh, he did his chores, and helped his Dad when Jonathan needed him, but he always preferred to be inside, reading or writing, or just talking to me. If he's hanging around his father in the barn, he has an ulterior motive." "He wants to help you pay off the mortgage. He's absolutely set on keeping the farm in the family. There's a part of him that's more of a farmboy than he realizes." Martha nodded. "The farm means a lot to Clark, I know. It means a lot to Jonathan, too. He's sick over the thought of losing the farm, but he's blaming himself, and he's too proud to ask for help. It's always been hard for him to admit he can't take care of his family. I remember when he hurt his back, and I had to get a job in an office -- how he hated that." Lois thought for a moment. "What do *you* want, Martha?" "I want to stay here. We've lived here all our lives, and I'm not ready for the retirement home yet." "Well, we'll just have to wear Jonathan down and get him to accept our help," Lois said. "With the distaff side of 'Lane and Kent' working against him, he doesn't stand a chance." Martha smiled. "Maybe. But give Clark a chance. He can be very persuasive, and Clark and his father have always been close. We probably won't have to do anything." Without warning, the truck surged forward, as though Martha had tromped on the accelerator. Lois looked over, her surprise turning to alarm as she saw Martha stomping helplessly on the brake. The truck continued to gain speed. "The emergency brake," she suggested, glad they were in Kansas on this straight narrow road, rather than in Metropolis. "It's been broken for months," Martha answered. "Oh, my!" Lois looked forward and saw a slow-moving train crossing the road in front of them. She remembered sitting in a car with Clark during her first visit to Smallville, waiting impatiently for a train to get out of the way. This time, however, the gap between the train and their truck was closing far too rapidly. Without another thought, she reached over and turned the ignition key off. Although the engine quit instantly, the truck was still careening towards the railroad crossing, and Martha's frantic pumping on the brake pedal was having no effect. Martha glanced at the side of the road, wondering if she could pull off the road, but quickly saw that wasn't possible. Over the years, a deep ditch had formed on both sides of the road, sinking down five to six feet into the ground. Grasses and wildflowers grew up almost level with the road, but the steep drop cut off any escape into the fields. As the truck continued to speed towards the moving train, Lois glanced at Martha. "Only one thing to do," she said. "What?" said Martha, beginning to panic. "Yell for help!" Lois answered, and she began to scream in earnest. * * * * * * * * * * In the Kent barn, Jonathan was once again reaching for the half- inch socket wrench. During the afternoon, he and Clark had taken the engine of the combine completely apart, trying to ensure that the old piece of machinery would make it through one more harvest. They'd replaced some of the belts, lubricated the joints, checked the hydraulic and fuel systems for leaks, and cleaned the battery terminal connections. Clark's x-ray vision had come in handy when they checked the screens that the grain would be passed through during the harvest. He was easily able to see any loose fittings or holes that would cause problems. Now they were busy putting all the pieces back together again. Jonathan grunted as he strained on the wrench, tugging with all his might. As he struggled, he glanced up at his son. Clark was absent- mindedly tightening a nut with his fingers. As Jonathan watched, Clark loosened the nut a little and then reached, slowly and deliberately, for another. As Clark began twisting this nut with his fingers as well, Jonathan spoke up. "You know exactly when to stop, don't you? Exactly how tight to make it so someone else will be able to get it off again later?" Jonathan asked. Clark shrugged. "Practice, control. You taught me how, Dad." "Sometimes your life just goes out of control," Jonathan continued. "You have to take what life sends you." "My life gets out of my control a lot. Weird things always seem to be happening to me. One thing I've learned over the years is that even Superman needs help sometimes. And I've learned to ask. Lois, Dr. Klein, Inspector Henderson, Dr. Friskin, you, and Mom... All of them are willing to help out. That's the best thing about having friends and family -- you can always turn to them for help." Jonathan turned back to the engine and grunted, tightening the nut. "Maybe so, son," he began. Suddenly Clark moved, so quickly that he banged his head on the combine. Jonathan looked up in surprise as the heavy machinery shuddered at the impact. "Hold that thought," Clark said as he moved towards the door of the barn. "I'll be right back." Jonathan heard a whooshing sound outside as he found himself alone for the first time that day. * * * * * * * * * * Martha waited until the last minute before she wrenched the steering wheel to one side. It would be better to run the truck into the ditch than to crash into the train. As she watched the deep gully getting closer and closer, she suddenly realized that the truck wasn't sinking, and, in fact, was going up and *over* the ditch, the bushes, and the train. Lois gave her a self-satisfied smile. "That always works," she said complacently. "Yelling, I mean." Martha was still breathing heavily and trying to slow her racing heart when the pickup truck was gently placed in a field next to the train tracks. Although part of her mind knew there was only one way the truck could have escaped crashing, it still took her a moment to recognize the familiar caped figure who was opening the door to the truck and helping Lois out. "What happened?" Superman asked. "Someone sabotaged the brakes!" Lois announced. "That man who was under the truck in the parking lot!" Superman blinked at her in surprise. "Lois, nonsense," Martha spoke up from inside the truck. "Jonathan and I've been expecting the truck to break down any day now; we just thought we'd be stranded on the roadside somewhere. That's why we never go anywhere without the cell phone." "Martha, trust me," Lois said. "I'm an expert at this kind of funny business. If your brakes fail *and* your accelerator goes into overdrive *at the same time*, it's not mechanical failure -- it's sabotage." There was a pause as Superman stared at the hood of the truck. Then he looked apologetically at Lois. "There is a tear in the brakeline, but it's jagged, not smooth like it would be if it were cut." He looked again. "On the other hand, that brakeline is really worn; it's not impossible that someone could have torn it in two with his bare hands." "Told you!" Lois said victoriously. Superman shook his head slowly. "I don't know, Lois," he said. "This is Kansas, not Metropolis. Brake failure is rarely life- threatening. No hills, no traffic. Only Lois Lane would have break failure in front of an oncoming train. Besides, why would someone want to kill you?" "I don't know," Lois answered, "but something is going on here." She looked back and forth from Superman to Martha and realized they were both skeptical. With a grimace, she got back in the truck and slammed the door. "I'm right, you know," she announced. "How fast can you get us home, Clark? I need to use the bathroom." Superman looked at her pensively for a moment, then looked at his mother. "Fasten your seatbelt, Mom," he said. "And enjoy the flight." Lifting the truck easily, Superman floated into the sky. He set off at a leisurely pace for home, which was only a few miles away if he cut across the fields. As he flew, he surveyed the ground, noticing all the familiar places he had played as a child. He frowned slightly as he noticed something about the Kent farm, visible in the distance. The color seemed off. He quickly cycled through his special visions and saw that there was a decided anomaly visible in the fields. Remembering what Jonathan had said about a curse, Superman sped up a little. Reaching the farm, he carefully set the truck down and walked over to the window. "I'll be right back," he said, and he rose again into the sky. Hovering high above the Kent farm, Superman scanned the landscape below. He could see the same anomaly he'd noticed in the Kent fields on various farms below. There didn't seem to be much of a pattern, just random occurrences. He stared over towards the Burnett farm, now abandoned after the last year's crops had failed. Whatever this was, it was definitely there too. He scanned the area again, memorizing which areas were affected. Martha watched her son take off into the sky again. She opened the door of the truck and slowly got out, amazed at how shaky she was. "I'm too old for this much excitement," she thought to herself, as she looked at her daughter-in-law. Lois had seemed unfazed by the entire adventure, cracking jokes in the car about peanuts and an in-flight movie during the flight back. Now she stood, staring into the sky. "Can you see him?" Martha asked. She looked up, but couldn't see anything. "Just a blue dot, way up high," Lois answered. "I wonder what he's looking at?" She looked over at Martha. "You OK?" she asked. Martha was still holding onto the handle of the truck, and she looked very pale. "Let's go inside and make some tea," Lois suggested, sliding an arm around Martha and leading her into the house. "Screaming for Superman has immediate results, but it makes my throat sore." Martha was sitting at the table, and Lois had just put the kettle on, when Superman came in. "Mom, do you have a county map?" he asked. "In the junk drawer, I think," Martha answered. Superman got the map and unfolded it on the kitchen table. Taking a pen, he began marking certain farms. Lois stood beside him and looked at the map over his shoulder. "From a height," Superman said, "I could see --something -- I don't know how to describe it. But there was definitely something *different* about our farm, and some of the other ones. These are the places that were affected." Martha looked. "Those are all the people that are having the same kinds of problems we are," she agreed. "But there doesn't seem to be any kind of pattern, does there?" "Do you know what it reminds me of?" Lois asked. "Do you remember the heat wave, your first winter in Metropolis? Jimmy and I put together a map of all the spots where the temperature was highest. It looked a lot like this." "And it corresponded to the high points in the Metropolis aquifer," Superman said. "Mm hmm," Lois agreed. "Does Kansas have an aquifer?" "It sure does," Clark said. "Let's get a map and compare it. In the meantime...Mom, Dad said he had the soil analyzed." "Yes, he did. The results are probably in the file cabinet. Nothing unusual, though." "They may not have found anything, but there is definitely something unusual going on. I think I may collect some samples of my own and fly them to STAR Labs. Dr. Klein may be able to find something the local lab missed." "That's a first," laughed Lois. "Clark Kent admitting Metropolis might be better than Smallville in some ways." Clark made a face at her. The kettle started whistling, and Lois got up to make the tea. "Are we just having tea," Clark asked, "or is there pie to go along with it?" "There's pie," said Martha, getting up to get it. "But you'd better call your father if we're going to eat it." Clark rose and headed outside. "And change your clothes!" Martha ordered. "I don't want to be getting stains off the suit!" "Yes, ma'am!" Superman went out the kitchen door, but it was Clark Kent who ran down the porch steps two at a time. * * * * * * * * * * Later that evening, Superman landed in front of STAR Labs. The guards at the door waved him through, and he headed quickly towards Dr. Klein's lab. When he walked through the door, Dr. Klein looked up, none too pleased to see him. "One of these days, Superman," he said, "you're going to come here late at night and I'm not going to be here. I'll be at a baseball game, or out on a date, or something." Superman grinned. "It would probably be good for you," he said, knowing that such a scenario was about as likely as Perry White taking time off from the Daily Planet. "Nevertheless," Dr. Klein continued, "I hope whatever you've got in that container is *not* of the drop-everything, matter-of-life-and-death sort of thing that you usually come in here with. I'm here tonight to try to measure the amount of electricity needed to disassociate human blood into its elemental components." Superman blinked. "Why?" "Do you really want to know?" There was a hopeful note in Dr. Klein's voice. "Ummm, no, probably not." He'd had too much experience with Dr. Klein's explanations to fall into that trap again. He took the containers he'd brought from Kansas out from under his cape. "This isn't critical, Dr. Klein, but I'd appreciate it if you can analyze these soil samples as soon as possible." Dr. Klein took the containers and looked at them. "Dirt?" he asked incredulously. "I was flying over Kansas," Superman explained, "and I noticed there were spots where things looked ... strange. So I thought maybe you could take a look? You might be able to find something unusual?" "Well, I may have some time tonight while I'm waiting for the centrifuge to separate the blood after I'm finished evaporating the water. I'll try to look at it then." "Thank you. And if you could let Lois and Clark know what you find out." "As usual. Certainly, Superman." "They're not in Metropolis. They're staying with Clark's parents, in Kansas. You can call them at 316-555-3287." Dr. Klein sighed, but he scribbled the phone number down. "Anything else?" he asked, clearly anxious to get back to his experiment. "No, no. Thank you. I knew I could count on you." As Dr. Klein turned back towards his distilling apparatus, Superman left. He'd have time to do some superhero stuff in Metropolis before heading back to Smallville. Clark Kent was on vacation in Kansas, but Superman wasn't. * * * * * * * * * * The Kent house was quiet early the next afternoon. Lois finished washing up the lunch dishes and then lay down, dozing on the sofa. She was startled awake when the phone rang suddenly. Groggily, she reached for it. "Hello?" "May I speak to Lois Lane or Clark Kent, please?" "Dr. Klein," Lois was suddenly wide awake. "This is Lois. What did you find out about those soil samples?" "Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide." "Huh?" "Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide. All synthetic, and all present in the soil. What makes it fascinating is that all of them are on the experimental materials list; their disposition is firmly controlled by EPA regulations." "How could those -- whatever they are -- show up in the soil on a Kansas farm?" "An interesting question. However, it is the kind of question that you and your husband generally worry about, not me. Shall I fax you the full report on the soil samples?" "Yes, please. To this number. I'll just make sure the fax machine has paper." Lois hung up the phone and checked the fax machine. As she did so, she was thinking. Something didn't make sense. There was something she'd missed. She wandered into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of milk, and picked up an apple. She wished there was someone to talk things out with, but Clark and Jonathan were puttering around on the farm somewhere again, and Martha was also out and about, probably in the chicken house again. Lois certainly didn't intend to track her down there. She looked out the window at the mud in Martha's vegetable garden, and suddenly she knew. Mud. That was it. Scribbling a note, Lois grabbed her purse and headed for her car. A minute later she was on her way to the Sowerby Farm. * * * * * * * * * * ==================================================================== Continued in next e-mail... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:30:27 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: NEW FANFIC: Paradise Lost (Part 5 of 6) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----------------------------------------------------------------- (TUFS -- Episode #19) "PARADISE LOST" Part 5 of 6 By Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@mcs.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- A car was parked in the lane when Lois drove to the abandoned farmhouse. Other than that, the house looked just as it had the day Martha had brought her here. Lois got out of the car and began to explore the farm. She hadn't gone far when she heard someone call her. Turning around, she saw Frannie walk out from behind the house. "I don't know why I came here," Frannie said. "After hearing you and Martha talking about it, I just felt I had to see this place. And it's so odd. This place is giving me the most mysterious feeling of deja vu." "Really?" Lois asked. She didn't want to be suspicious of Frannie, but it was strange seeing her here. "Yes, as if I've been here before -- with lots of people, and there were tables set up outside with food on them. Cake, I think. I'll prove it. There is a big building behind that corner of the barn." The two women walked behind the barn. "Well, I guess I was half right," Frannie said. "There is a building." Lois stared at the broken down chicken coop. "My mother-in-law says this farm has been abandoned for almost twenty years. If you were here before, you must have been very young. This could have looked like a big building if you were just a small child." "I suppose." Frannie still looked haunted by the place. Lois continued snooping around the barn, then suddenly came to a dead stop, staring at the ground. "Tire tracks. That's what I saw the other day." She looked at Frannie. "Why are there fresh tire tracks on an abandoned farm?" Lois's eyes narrowed as she strained to focus on a vehicle parked near the edge of the property. "And what is a bulldozer doing here?" Frannie shrugged and accompanied Lois as she followed the tracks out into the overgrown fields. After all the rain that week, the fields were muddy, and Lois grimaced as the mud tugged at her shoes, threatening on a few occasions to pull them off. Suddenly she stopped as she came to a large, deep hole in the ground. "What on earth?" "What is it?" Frannie had lagged behind. "Only one way to find out," Lois said. She spied a ladder sticking out of the hole and headed for it. She had only taken two steps down the ladder when a strange voice suddenly called out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lois froze and looked around. The man who'd been looking for a quarter under the truck the other day was walking towards her, gun in hand. Lois scrambled awkwardly back up the ladder. "Looking for some more change?" she asked belligerently as she stepped back onto the ground. "No," he gestured with the gun. "Looking for some snoopy women." "What's in there?" Lois looked back into the hole. Beside her, Frannie was silent, staring at the man. "You don't want to know," he answered Lois. "They're toxic chemicals, aren't they?" Lois asked. "You've been dumping them here, and now they are being dispersed through the entire county." He shrugged. "Toxic chemicals, experimental stuff -- anything that costs too much to dispose of the legal way." He smiled nastily and added, "It's been quite profitable." Frannie spoke suddenly. "Medlock." Both Lois and the man with the gun turned to look at her. "Your name is Medlock." "How did you know that?" "I just know. We've been here before. Someone else -- Archie -- held me, and you had a gun, and my...my father was here." Medlock stared at Frannie for a second; then he started to laugh. "I'll be hanged. You're the girl! I can't believe it. Talk about your sins coming home to roost!" Suddenly it all made sense to Lois. "You kidnapped Rebecca Sowerby." Medlock nodded. "Twenty years ago, her father leased us this land. When he found out what we were doing, he threatened to go to the police. We couldn't have that, so we kidnapped his daughter. We met him here later, to show him we had the kid. Told him if he ever breathed a word, we'd kill her. Then we took the girl away with us. It worked. Her father never told anyone, never came back to the farm, never sold it. We didn't need a kid around, so we abandoned her in Chicago. "Twenty years!" Lois couldn't believe it. "Obviously one week too long. You're the first person who's ever figured out what's been going on." "I won't be the last. Chemicals are starting to turn up in soil samples." Medlock shrugged. "We'll be long gone by the time anyone figures out what's happened." He gestured with the gun. "C'mon. Let's go." "Where?" "The barn." * * * * * * * * * * Jonathan was enjoying the spring sunshine, standing out in the fields, working with Clark to repair a fence the winter snows had not been kind to. It had been enjoyable working on the farm with Clark again, as long as he ignored Clark's obsession with the financial situation. Jonathan was often envious of the other families in the county, the ones where two or three generations lived and worked on the farm together. His friend Mark Lennox, now -- his two sons and their wives and children all lived on the farm. They'd had to build an extra house, but there was plenty of land to build on, and Mark didn't have to worry about what would happen to the farm when he was gone -- he knew it would be well taken care of, and kept in the family. Not that Jonathan was complaining. He'd accepted the fact that he and Martha would never have children when a miracle brought Clark to them. Even before Clark's special abilities had begun to emerge, Jonathan had known his son wasn't meant for farm life. Jonathan was proud of Clark -- not just of Superman, although there were times when he had trouble believing he'd actually had a hand in creating the superhero, but of Clark himself. Clark had grown into a fine man, a compassionate human being, a loyal husband, an award-winning reporter. Clark had made a life for himself that would make any father proud. But today -- today had been special. Having someone to notice that the barn needed shoring up and to help make plans to get that done. Having someone around to talk about how the Royals would do this year. And now, just standing here in the warm Kansas sunshine working with Clark -- not at super-speed; it was broad daylight and someone might notice -- but just normal human speed, fixing this fence. Companionship. That was what it was all about. Jonathan remembered Clark as a toddler -- perhaps two or three years old -- watching him dig up potatoes one summer. Clark had been more of a hindrance than a help, but somehow, watching the child's wonder as each new potato was unearthed, Jonathan had realized anew the miracle of growing food in the living earth. He'd soon put Clark to work scrubbing the dirt off the potatoes, and Martha had been furious when she realized how wet and muddy their son was. She and Jonathan had both appreciated Clark's enthusiasm at the dinner table that night, as he chattered nonstop about how the potatoes they were eating had come out of the ground. A small child made the things adults take for granted seem wonderful again. Jonathan's mind skipped ahead, to when Clark was about eight or nine -- third grade. Clark had been given a baby pig to raise by the local 4-H and had taken his responsibility so seriously. When the pig was a baby, Clark had carried it around with him and had even given it baths. Jonathan had complained about that, but Martha had come to Clark's defense, saying that it didn't hurt a human to keep clean, and it couldn't hurt a pig either. The baths became a thing of the past when the pig got bigger and bigger and had been wont to roll in the mud as pigs do. When it came time to exhibit the animal in the county fair, he and Clark had had the devil of a time getting it clean and in the truck. Clark had won an honorable mention for that pig. It had been the day Clark got his driver's license, though, that Jonathan realized his son would never be content to be a farmer. Clark had turned sixteen in February, but Martha wouldn't hear of him driving on the snow-covered roads. It wasn't until a spring day in April that she finally agreed to drive Clark into Smallville for the test. Jonathan had been working in the fields when an excited Clark joined him and displayed the small plastic card that was his pass to the world. Jonathan had congratulated him and given Clark permission to take the car for the rest of the day. Clark ran back towards the house, bounding actually, taking impossibly long leaps over the muddy ground. Jonathan had looked down at his own feet, enclosed in Wellingtons and planted deep in mud which reached his ankles. Watching his son clear a twenty- foot muddy patch, Jonathan realized that his son would never be bound to the earth that had so firmly anchored him and his parents and grandparents before him. The Kents had been farming this land since shortly after the Civil War, but Jonathan Kent would be the last one to do so. He'd never reproached Clark, nor tried to tie him to the farm, although he'd been terrified when the boy first struck out on his own. Now, perhaps as a reward, or as a payment for a hard job well done, he had a *friend* in his adult son. And Martha really enjoyed having Lois around, sharing things. It was hard to imagine two women more dissimilar than Lois and Martha, but deep down inside, where it counted, they both had an inner strength that was a rare quality. * * * * * * * * * * They formed an odd little parade; Lois and Frannie in front, followed closely by Medlock, with his gun pointed directly at Lois. He'd guessed that pregnant or not, she was far more likely to make a break for freedom or to cause a problem than Frannie. He was glad that Craven was waiting for him in the barn. He'd rather not deal with these two by himself. Lois was angry. Angry with Medlock for stealing a child, for poisoning the soil, and for depriving a community of its economic life's blood. She was angry with Frannie for complicating the situation with her presence. Lois felt, perhaps unfairly, that her chances of talking her way out of the situation would have been better if she were on her own. Mostly, though, she was angry with herself for being where she was right now. She should have been more cautious; she should have waited for Clark, instead of rushing off to investigate on her own, and, most annoyingly of all, she should have learned from her past mistakes. She hadn't, though, and now she was going to have to figure out a way to save all three of them: herself, Frannie, and the baby. Shouting "Help! Superman!" was out of the question for the moment. If she yelled, Medlock would fire that gun, and he had a good chance of hitting her, or the baby, or both, before Clark would have the opportunity to intervene. "Nice going, Lane," she mumbled to herself as they entered the barn. The barn looked the same as it did the day Lois and Martha had visited, except for a truck parked in the middle of the floor. Medlock called, "Archie!" and a man with short blond hair and the build of an aging prizefighter walked out from behind the truck. "What the..." "This is Lois Lane, investigative reporter, and Frannie Hodgson, a.k.a. Rebecca Sowerby," Medlock answered with a smarmy grin. Archie Craven's mouth gaped as he stared at the two women. "Why did you bring them here?" he asked. Medlock gave an exasperated groan. "I didn't *bring* them here; I *found* them here. This one," he pointed to Lois, "was looking into the dump sites and accusing us of tainting the soil; and this one," this time he pointed to Frannie, "has fond memories of us from twenty years ago, when we liberated her from this backwater. She remembers the incident, the guns, *and* our names. Get that rope from the back of the truck, and tie them up while we figure out what to do with them. And make sure that they can't yell -- I don't want to hear them shouting or whining while I'm trying to think." As Craven left to get the rope, Lois focused her attention on Medlock, hoping to brazen her way out of the situation. "You won't get away with this! If you know who I am, you know I'm not stupid. They'll find my story notes and figure out what's going on. Your best bet is to leave us here and get out now." "They may know what's been going on," Medlock replied, "but there's nothing in those notes to connect it to *me* because you didn't learn my name until a few minutes ago. If I get rid of you two now, you'll just become one more part of the unsolved mystery of Sowerbys' farm. Archie and I will be long gone, and there'll be nothing or no one to connect us to any of this." Craven had returned, carrying rope and a roll of silver-colored duct tape. While Medlock held them at bay with the gun, Craven got busy with the rope. He tied Frannie's wrists behind her back and covered her mouth with the tape, then began to do the same with Lois. "Please," Lois begged, looking up at him with tears in her wide, frightened eyes. "With my hands tied behind me and tape over by mouth, I'll smother. I won't be able to breathe because," she looked down at her stomach, "of the baby." She held her wrists out to him, imploring, "Please, tie them in front of me." Craven looked at Medlock, who sighed, "Go ahead, make her happy. It's only delaying the inevitable, but I'd rather have them alive until we can decide what to do with them." Archie complied with Lois's request, then Medlock directed Lois and Frannie to a corner of the barn and ordered them to sit down. While Archie tied their ankles, Lois found herself being thankful for small favors -- Medlock hadn't chosen the corner with the rats' nest. The job completed, Medlock and Craven strolled back to the center of the barn, out of Lois and Frannie's hearing range. The men leaned against the side of their truck, apparently planning what to do with their unwanted visitors. * * * * * * * * * * Clark headed straight for the house while Jonathan went to put the tools back in the barn. Entering the kitchen he saw his mother setting the table for dinner. "Smells great!" he exclaimed. "Where's Lois?" "She left a note," Martha said, "saying she was going back to the Sowerby place. It's on the counter." Clark read the brief note and then picked up the report Dr. Klein had faxed earlier that afternoon. He frowned and looked at his mother. "I think I'll zip over there and see what she's up to. I should be back before dinner." "Do you think there's a problem?" "I don't know, Mom. That incident with the truck worries me. Lois has good instincts about things like that. And Dr. Klein found some chemicals in the soil that shouldn't be there. There's just something - - suspicious -- about all this." He twirled into his Superman costume and headed towards the door. "I'll be right back." * * * * * * * * * * Lois watched her captors carefully. They were deep in conversation and appeared to be arguing. She felt that her luck might be turning. The men's evident disagreement over the best way to dispose of their prisoners would focus their attention away from her and Frannie, and give her some time to plan an escape. Lois quietly wiggled a little closer to Frannie, nudged her, and made eye contact. Frannie stared back, obviously frightened, but fighting to remain calm. Lois shifted her eyes to Frannie's wrists, hoping that her unspoken message would be understood. Frannie looked puzzled for a second; then comprehension dawned. She turned slightly and scooted back towards Lois. Keeping her hands held low and blocked from Medlock and Craven's view by the rest of her body, Lois struggled to untie Frannie's wrists. Archie had tied them with the same type of one-inch rope that he and Medlock used for hauling the waste containers. The rope's thickness, coupled with the fact that Craven had obviously never been a sailor or a Boy Scout, worked in their favor. The knots he'd used weren't terribly complex, and the rope's stiffness had made it difficult to tie the knots tightly. With her hands in front of her, Lois could see what she was doing as she expertly picked at the knots binding Frannie's wrists. Lois kept an eye on Medlock and Craven while she worked on untying the knots. In spite of that, Frannie's wrists were freed in a remarkably short time. The women shifted position slightly, and Frannie worked to untie Lois. Archie must have felt that the seemingly terrified mother-to-be presented little or no threat; he'd done a sloppy job on the knots restraining her. Another quick glance over her shoulder showed Medlock and Craven still quibbling. Holding what looked like a map, they were probably at odds over a burial spot. With their hands free, Frannie and Lois quickly slipped the ropes off their ankles. Lois motioned Frannie to leave the tape in place temporarily. If Medlock or Craven happened to glance in their direction, they'd think the women were still securely bound and gagged. Shouting to Superman for help still held the unnerving possibility of being shot in the split second before help arrived. They had to get safely outside the barn before Lois would risk calling for assistance. Lois and Frannie were now faced with the problem of getting past Medlock and Craven to the barn's only door. The truck was in the center of the barn, directly opposite that door. The men lounged against the front of the truck, consulting their map and blocking the exit. Lois and Frannie desperately needed a diversion. The baby's energetic kicking centered Lois's attention on her stomach and, by association, the overalls covering it. An idea forming, she looked across the barn, past the back of the truck, to the barn's opposite corner. The faint movement in that area was barely discernable, but as she'd hoped, the rats were still in residence. Lois reached into the overalls' deep pockets and cautiously withdrew a chocolate chicken and two chocolate rabbits, which she'd tucked away for a late-afternoon snack. Carefully and quickly removing the tape from her mouth, she whispered her plan into Frannie's ear. Frannie nodded, getting ready to sprint for the door, as Lois quietly unwrapped the chocolate animals. Lois did a quick stretch to limber her arms, then slowly rose to a standing position. They had only one chance; this had to be perfect the first time. With a fluidity of motion that would have made a major-league pitcher proud, Lois lobbed the Easter treats into the center of the rats' nest. The rodents' excited squealing and panicked scrabbling for the chocolates had exactly the effect she had hoped for. Medlock and Craven, already on edge as a result of Lois and Frannie's intrusion, ran to the other side of their truck, fearing that additional trespassers had arrived. With Medlock and Craven temporarily occupied with a frenzied search for the noise's source, Lois and Frannie ran through the barn's open door and towards the wooded area at the farm's edge. Unfortunately, Lois had misjudged both her own speed and Medlock and Craven's intelligence. Before she had a chance to shout for help, Lois realized that Medlock and Craven had figured out what had just happened and were in furious pursuit. Hoping to hide before they spotted her and Frannie, Lois frantically made for the dugouts. Once inside, she and Frannie could wait until Medlock and Craven were out of earshot; then they could *both* howl for Superman. Lois yanked the dugout's door open, grateful beyond words that it was unlocked. She and Frannie rushed inside, carefully pulling the door shut behind them. They heard Medlock and Craven run into the area. They could hear the sound of agitated voices, but couldn't make out the words. There were a few seconds of silence; the women looked at each other, wondering if they had been lucky enough to escape their pursuers. Lois pointed to her watch, indicating that they should wait a minute or two longer, to be certain they were alone. The silence was replaced with the mechanical hum of an engine. Then they heard Medlock's voice: "You ladies have made my job a lot easier for me. Not only did your tracks in the fresh mud lead me right to you, but you've also solved my *final* disposal problem." Medlock and Archie's laughter had a decidedly unpleasant sound. "Now I know how to get rid of the last two things that can't be dumped legally, and best of all, it will look like an accident. Thank you, ladies, and adios!" The sound of the engine was accompanied by a loud, crunching kind of noise, like ice cracking as it thawed or...Lois's thoughts were interrupted by a fine trickle of dirt dropping on her upturned face. "Lois!" Frannie screamed, "They've used the bulldozer to pull out the support beam -- the hill is caving in on us!" Before either of them had a chance to yell for help, a blow on her back knocked the wind out of Lois. Trying desperately to get her breath, she realized she and Frannie had been lucky -- the timbers inside the dugout had fallen in such a way as to protect the women from the falling hillside. Blinking the dirt out of her eyes, she realized from the surrounding darkness that the doorway had been destroyed. Now there was no way out of the dugout, which only a few moments before had seemed a refuge. Taking a breath to yell for help, she was overcome by a paroxysm of coughing, as the dust in the air overwhelmed her. * * * * * * * * * * ==================================================================== Continued in next e-mail... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 22:30:50 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: NEW FANFIC: Paradise Lost (Part 6 of 6) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----------------------------------------------------------------- (TUFS -- Episode #19) "PARADISE LOST" Part 6 of 6 By Genevieve Clemens (NightSky@erols.com) and Pat Peabody (Peabody@mcs.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Instead of taking the direct route over the fields, Superman followed the roads towards the Sowerby farm, looking for Lois's car. When he didn't see it, he hovered over the Sowerby farm, trying to focus in on her heartbeat. There it was! He heard it, and the quicker beat of the baby as well. But it seemed muffled somehow, and it seemed to be coming from -- under the hill? Using his x-ray vision to peer through the dirt, his eyes widened as he saw the two women huddled together, protected from the crushing weight of the dugout by only a few fragile timbers. Dust flew as Superman demolished the dugout at super-speed. The women blinked at the sudden light as Superman lifted the final timber away from them and slowly helped Lois to her feet. "Are you all right?" he asked, his concern apparent. Lois was breathing the fresh air deeply; although they hadn't been buried long enough for lack of oxygen to be a problem, the dust had been overwhelming. The other woman, whom Superman didn't recognize, seemed to be in a state of shock, staring at Superman as if she didn't believe he was real. Superman took Lois in one arm and Frannie in the other. He flew them slowly away from the dugout, setting them down in a small grove of trees. Frannie sunk to the ground, as though her legs wouldn't hold her. Lois continued to hold on to his arm, although he could tell it was more for moral support than any physical need. "Are you all right?" he repeated. "What on earth possessed you to go inside an old dugout?" "We didn't have a choice," Lois said, still gasping in the fresh air. "They were going to kill us; we had to run somewhere!" He listened carefully, hearing the sound of machinery in the distance. "Wait here," he commanded, as he quickly left them. A simmering anger rose inside him, although at this point he wasn't sure whether he was angrier with Lois for always getting into this kind of trouble, or with himself, for not instantly believing her the other day when she'd told him that the incident with the truck was no accident. "Only Lois," he thought, "only Lois could find something like this going on in Kansas." And, he reluctantly admitted, a part of him was angry that Smallville was no longer the haven he relied on. "Naive, idealistic fool," he muttered to himself, as he scanned the area for the low-life scum who had almost killed his wife and unborn child. The sound of a motor running gave him an idea where to look, and he saw a man on a bulldozer, preparing to fill in a large hole. He spied another man, frantically loading boxes into a truck over by the barn. Resolutely, he suppressed his underlying anger. Clark Kent could occasionally indulge in anger, but Superman could not afford the luxury. First things first. Years of working with the police and the justice system had taught him one thing well -- don't let the bad guys destroy the evidence. Turning on the speed, he zipped under the bulldozer. Medlock had been working frantically to bury the toxic waste ever since leaving Lois and Frannie in the dugout. Now, as he pulled the lever to pour another load of dirt into the hole, he was surprised to find that the shovel didn't dump. He was even more surprised when a head floated up in front of him. The man ascended, obviously holding the shovel and keeping it from releasing the dirt. Medlock didn't recognize the face at first, but as the figure rose he immediately recognized the "S" emblem on his chest. With a muttered curse, he jumped off the bulldozer and began to run, even though the sensible part of his mind was screaming there was no escape. In fact, he hadn't gotten far, when he felt a pull on his arms and realized he was airborne. In another second Craven was being held aloft beside him, having been plucked unsuspectingly as he straightened up after putting the last box of documents into the back of the truck. "Whaaaa!!!" exclaimed Craven in terror, as he flailed his arms and legs helplessly. Both men were suddenly deposited on the ground, but had barely breathed a sigh of relief when a whirlwind flew around them, and they found themselves bound to a dead tree not far from the still- running bulldozer. "Other than attempted murder, what's going on here?" Superman asked. "What were you so desperate to hide?" Walking over to the large hole, he shut off the bulldozer and looked in. What he saw made him pale. "How long has this been going on?" he demanded. "We don't have to say anything," Craven said defiantly. "We want a lawyer." "You'll need one," Superman replied. "I'll be back." He flew back to the grove of trees where Lois and Frannie were waiting. "I want you out of here," he said curtly to Lois. "Did any of the toxins touch you?" "It's OK; they didn't," Lois answered, but she moved towards him obediently. Superman gathered Lois in one arm and turned to Frannie. "Are you all right, Miss?" he asked politely. "Uh, yes...Superman." Frannie seemed to be in shock. "I'm going to fly you both to the Kent farm," he said, gathering Frannie in the other arm. "When you get there, call the sheriff and tell her to get out here as soon as possible." After dropping the women off at the farm, Superman returned to the Sowerby place. Using his x-ray vision, he saw there were eight other dumps, all covered with barren earth. When the sheriff arrived, Superman rose slowly into the air, trusting that Lois had told the entire story. A pair of glasses might work in Metropolis, but Rachel Harris had known him as a boy, had been part of the group he'd hung out with in high school. Somehow, he'd feel much more comfortable keeping Superman at a distance from her. Hovering overhead, he watched her take the two men into custody and heard the deputy's cry of dismay when he looked into the hole. * * * * * * * * * * After Superman had dropped the two women off in the Kents' yard, Frannie had followed Lois slowly into the house. While Lois had urgently called the sheriff, and Martha had fussed, ordering them to shower and finding them clean clothes, Frannie had been almost too quiet. She moved mechanically, obeying Martha's orders without protest, but it was obvious that her mind was far away, trying to come to grips with the memories that threatened to overwhelm her. She sat on the porch, ignoring everything that happened around her. Clark had come home; the sheriff had arrived and left; and Frannie was still sitting there, staring pensively off into the fields, when the four Kents came out to talk to her. "Frannie?" Martha asked gently. "Lois tells us you remembered a few things this afternoon?" Frannie nodded. "Until today, I couldn't remember anything about my early life. My earliest memory was of being in an orphanage. They found me in Chicago, abandoned in a shopping mall, when I was around four. I didn't speak for a couple of years -- not a single word. Two wonderful people adopted me. I had a marvelous childhood and I love them dearly, but -- I've never been able to remember anything from before." "Until today," Jonathan said. "Until today. After I saw the photos of the Sowerby house in the newspaper, I couldn't stop thinking about it. When I got there today, I knew I'd been there before, and when that man was standing there, pointing that gun at us, it all came back. I remembered him holding us and pointing a gun at my father. I remembered him grabbing me, dragging me into a car, and driving away. I was crying..." her voice trailed off. "It's hard to believe, after all these years," Martha said. "I'll bet your parents had given up hope of ever finding you again. I'll go get the phone book; you've got to call them." "No," said Frannie suddenly. Martha turned back, amazed. "No?" she echoed. "I don't know," Frannie said. "It all seems so strange. I mean -- I can't just go waltzing in on people I don't know and say 'Hi, I'm your long lost daughter.'" "You can't?" Martha echoed again. "No, I -- I can't. Do I really need another family in my life? I have a perfectly good family already in Chicago. How can I turn my back on them?" Frannie missed the knowing looks that passed between the four Kents. "Honey," Martha said, "I can see how you could feel that, but for the last twenty years, the Sowerbys haven't know whether you were dead or alive. If you didn't speak for two years, your kidnapping was traumatic enough for you -- how do you think your parents felt? You have a brother and a sister you've never met. You really have to at least let them know you're alive." "I'm not really sure I want to," Frannie said quietly. "They knew I was in the hands of those men -- those men who thought nothing of burying us alive this afternoon. And they gave permission for the farm to be turned into a poisonous garbage dump! Is that really the kind of family I want to claim?" "You don't know that," Clark spoke up for the first time. "You don't know whether your father was in league with them from the beginning, or whether they forced him into silence. You have to find out, Frannie. You took a job in Smallville -- a big step for someone from a big city. Maybe deep down you were drawn here, by the memories you kept locked away, because you were looking for your past." He took her hands in his. "It's the not-knowing, Frannie. You have to know. It'll kill you if you don't. Whatever you discover." Frannie stared into Clark's earnest eyes for a long time. Then she nodded. "I'll -- I'll give them a call," she said. Martha led the way inside to the telephone. * * * * * * * * * * It was deja vu for Lois as she, Jonathan, and Martha drove up to the yellow tape proclaiming the Sowerby farm "off limits" the next morning. As they parked the car and approached the boundary, a tall, slender woman in her forties with short blond hair walked towards them, holding a clipboard. "Off limits to the public," she announced. "I'm sorry. The EPA is investigating a bad case of toxic waste disposal here." "I'm not the public," Lois announced. "I'm the press." The woman shook her head. "Doesn't matter. We'll make a statement to the press when we have finished our initial investigations. In the meantime," she glanced at Lois's abdomen, "you should leave." "You're just being an alarmist," Lois accused her. "Probably. But we've already found more poisons here than I care to think about and we still haven't finished testing. And it's *your* baby." Lois stared at her for a moment and then turned and headed back to the car. Martha followed her. Lois got in the car and slammed the door. "I *hate* being cautious!" she exclaimed angrily. "No, you don't, not really," Martha replied calmly, "because it *is* your baby, and you won't let anything happen to it. Even if it means you have to be a bit more cautious than you're used to." Lois stared out the car window at the activity beyond the yellow tape. "There's a story out there, and I'm turning my back on it." Martha smiled. "You'll get the story, Lois; you'll just have to find another way to do it. Not even a baby could make Lois Lane change *that* much." Jonathan waited at the barrier after Lois and Martha had left, explaining that he lived a few miles away and had been having problems with his crops for years. Was it possible, he wondered, that this problem here had had some effect on his land? "We won't know until we've finished our investigation," the woman answered. "But it's possible. Let me get you the right form to fill out." She returned shortly with a clipboard holding a four-page form. Sighing heavily, Jonathan picked up the pen and started filling in the blanks. He'd only reached the second page when a sudden commotion made him look up. There, floating slowly to the ground, was a familiar caped figure. Jonathan had seen Clark in the Superman suit many times -- when Martha pinned the cape for a hem, or when Clark arrived or left the farm, and even occasionally when Jonathan watched Superman rescue someone -- but he'd always seen Clark, wearing funny clothes. Now as he watched the awe on everyone's face and saw the respect and deference given to the Superhero, he felt as if he was seeing "Superman" for the first time. People stopped their work to stare, and Jonathan could hear cries of "It's really him!" and "Where's Dr. Adams?" Finally, Dr. Adams was found, and she walked up to Superman and introduced herself as the EPA project director. She and Superman walked away, deep in conversation. Jonathan's mind was on other things as he turned back to the forms. Finishing them, he tried to hand them back to the blond woman but found her attention was still on the red-caped figure off in the distance. "Uh, Miss?" he asked, trying to get her attention so he could return the forms. She turned, with a star struck look on her face. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "My sister lives in Metropolis and every time I visit I look for him. To think I'd finally see him here, in Kansas. Superman's really something, isn't he?" "Yes," Jonathan had to agree. "Yes, he is." When Jonathan got back to the car, he was surprised by the fury on Lois's face. He shot a questioning glance at Martha, but she shook her head slightly, warning him to silence. "Right!" Lois was muttering, as she backed the car down the lane. "They send me away, but *he* just floats down, and they fawn over him like a king. I have to worry about my baby; he gets the story handed to him on a platter." As Lois reached the main road, she took off with a squeal of tires. "It's a darn good thing we're partners," she went on. "And Kent, you'd better tell me *everything* when you get back. You may be doing the research on this one, but *I'm* going to be doing the writing." * * * * * * * * * * After the flurry of activity that always accompanied his arrival, Superman walked away from the crowd with the director of the EPA crew that had been dispatched to Smallville. Dr. Adams was a large, African- American woman, with the air of authority and self-confidence that Superman had learned to associate with competent scientists working within their fields. "It's a real mess, Superman," Dr. Adams said. "We've found two major dumps, and there are bound to be more. The Sheriff tells me that the culprits have confessed to using this farm as a dumping ground for more than twenty years." "Is this a map of the farm?" Superman asked as he took the clipboard from Dr. Adam's and began marking on it. "I could see eight separate dumps from above," Superman answered, marking the locations on the map. "Let me help you uncover them." "This doesn't seem like one of your usual activities, Superman. Not that we don't appreciate your help." "I live on this planet too; keeping it healthy is as important to me as it is to anyone else. Actually, I prefer this to thwarting robberies, or catching villains. It seems more...long-lasting, somehow." With Superman's speed, the eight dumps were uncovered in record time. How to dispose of the chemicals posed a problem, until Superman spotted an old, high-sided hay wagon in the field. Moving quickly, he loaded all the barrels and drums from one of the dumps into the wagon. Making sure his cargo was secure, he took hold of the wagon and floated straight up. High up in outer space, away from the Earth's gravitational field, he let go of the wagon, leaving it suspended in space. He picked up one of the large metal drums and gave it a gentle nudge that would eventually send it plunging into the sun. Once there, in its fiery depths, the drum and the poisons it contained would quickly be reduced to safe and simple elements. In quick succession, the rest of the containers followed the first. When the wagon was empty, he carried it back to Earth for another load. By noon all the toxic waste was on its way to the sun. Superman took a cleansing trip towards the sun before returning to the Sowerby farm. There he found the EPA crew, covered in protective suits, taking soil samples at the bottom of each waste site. "Is there anything else I can do?" he asked Dr. Adams. "You've just done ninety percent of our job, Superman." Dr. Adams was grateful. "I think we've been lucky on this one. This is a small, relatively recent dump, and it's pretty isolated here. We've been doing some quick soil testing, and it doesn't look like that much leaked into the ground. I've got the reports from the public health officials; there haven't been any increase in illness or cancer in Small County yet. We'll have to check the groundwater throughout the county, and some of the crops and plants may be showing some effects, but it looks like we caught this one before any people or animals could be harmed." Good news, in a sense. Giving his job-well-done Superman-type smile, Superman floated up into the air. He was pleased that they'd found this site now, when the damage was minimal and comparatively manageable. At least "Smallville" wouldn't become a household word, like "Love Canal." However, it was *his* family's farm that was showing traces of "experimental chemicals" in the soil. It may be "minor damage" to the EPA officials, but it could turn into a major disaster to a family whose livelihood depended on the soil. A few minutes later, a subdued Clark Kent was walking up the steps to the old wooden farmhouse, only to be met by an extremely curious Lois Lane. * * * * * * * * * * Later that afternoon, the EPA agents descended on the Kent farm. They took groundwater samples, soil samples, and crop samples, looking like doctors doing a full physical on an unsuspecting patient. The four Kents sat on the front porch and watched the scientists roam around the farm. Finally, Dr. Adams came up to the porch. "That should be it," she announced. "We should have some preliminary findings in about twenty-four hours." "We've already had some work done," Lois said as she handed her the report Dr. Klein had faxed the day before. Dr. Adams' eyes opened wide as she saw the name on the report. "STAR Labs? Bernard Klein?" she looked at them incredulously. "Dr. Klein is a friend of ours," Lois said innocently. "Is there a problem?" "Oh, no, no. He's just ... quite famous." Dr. Adams scanned the report. "Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide," she muttered. "I wonder what else. I'd like to talk to him about this; do you have his phone number?" Lois took back the report back and wrote Dr. Klein's phone number on it before returning it. "Do you know for sure how long this has been going on?" she asked. "We've talked to the guy who owns the farm -- Sowerby. It looks like they started dumping about twenty-three years ago." "Will you be pressing charges against Sowerby?" Clark asked, out of concern for Frannie as well as to satisfy his own curiosity. "No, I don't see how," Dr. Adams answered. "He claims he had no idea what they were dong at first, and when he discovered what was going on, Medlock and Craven kidnapped his daughter. I guess you all would remember when she disappeared?" The Kents nodded. "He may have been more involved than he's letting on," Dr. Adams continued. "But even if we could prove it, with his daughter being kidnapped, we'd never get a conviction. The worst that could happen to him is that he won't be reimbursed for the land because we can prove that he knew of the dumping all these years and took no steps to stop it. And that old farm will be posted and off-limits for a long time." * * * * * * * * * * The next evening, Lois and Clark sat on the porch in the early twilight. The headline on the Smallville Press read "Ecological Disaster in Smallville -- Illegal Dumping Going on for Years," and the byline read "Lois Lane." "I have to admit, Lois," Clark said, laying the paper in her lap, "the first time I brought you to Smallville, I never expected to see your byline in this paper." "It's not a bad paper, or a bad town. I might even be able to get used to living here someday." Clark's eyebrows shot up, in surprise. "Don't get your hopes up, Kent -- I said *maybe*. But as a place for vacations and recharging one's batteries, this is just about perfect." The screen door banged, as Martha and Jonathan joined them. "Good news!" Jonathan announced. "The preliminary tests the EPA did yesterday indicate that the damage will wear off in a year or two. I didn't understand all the scientific stuff, but the government's going to pay us for the crop this year. Seems they think it's important that nothing grown here be put on the market and possibly poison anyone." "That's probably a good idea," said Clark. "I don't think anyone knows just what effect those chemicals had on the crops growing around here." "They'll be doing more testing," Jonathan continued. "We may have to stop farming for a while and let the land lie fallow. But we won't have to move. With the government compensation I'll be able to make the mortgage payments for this year, at least. But Clark -- I will accept your offer to make up the late payments. I'd appreciate that. I'll pay you back..." Clark shook his head. "Just take care of the farm for me, Dad. That's payment enough." He looked at his father and said quietly, "Thanks for letting me help." "Well, of course you can help," said Martha in her sensible, down- to-earth voice. "We're a family, and that's what families are for." She glanced at Lois's protruding abdomen. "We all have to take care of the little ones, but as adults, we help take care of each other." She looked pointedly at Jonathan. "It is more blessed to give than to receive, but if we are not willing to receive, we deny others the blessing of giving." Jonathan turned to face his wife. "So I'm a proud, stubborn, old man," he said. "Sue me." Martha laughed and put her arms around his neck. "Sue you? What have you got worth suing for? Just this old farm and a broken-down truck." Jonathan hugged her close. "I don't know where I'd be without you, Martha. Or any of you," he added, looking over at Lois and Clark. "I'm a very rich man, Martha. I have a family that's worth more than all the money in the world." The End Copyright, 1998, Genevieve K. Clemens and Pat Peabody. All rights reserved. ===================== Authors' Notes. First, we'd like to thank our husbands, Mike and Larry, for their support, help and patience. Both of them took on extra duties around the house to help free up our time. We also need to thank all of our proof-readers: Joyce Fitch, Janeen Grohsmeyer, Patty Macy, Patty Patterson, and Kat Picson. They helped find plot holes and grammatical errors, and tried to keep us on the straight and narrow in terms of physics and science. While we didn't always take their advice, we gave serious consideration to each and every suggestion. Special thanks to Janeen Grohsmeyer for coming up with Dr. Klein's experiment: calculating the energy required to disassociate the molecular components of blood cells. Highlander fans in particular may be interested in the results, which can be found at .