From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG0002D" ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:02:07 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Mon, 21 Feb 2000 18:35:35 -0500 Wendy Richards wrote: > [...] I know our Phil has been asked if his name's short for Phyllis; someone wondered whether Chris Carr was Christopher < Well, no-one actually *asked* me... and the beard _is_ something of a giveaway ; I gather the Phillys thing cropped up on IRC some years ago. As for Chris, did you (the generic "you", not just Wendy) know that Christopher is one of those gender-neutral names that can be applied to either males or females -- although the female version is very rare these days. I remember the shock when I saw the credits for the film "Summer of '42", and one of the teenage actresses was named Christopher! For a while, I thought s/he was a female impersonator (or worse), until I was told of the dual nature of _her_ name. This is not to say that I think Chris Carr is male! > Wendy (who might consider outing her/himself as a man, one of these days!) < Sorry, Wendy, but after the last FAFF... not even Jonathan is _that_ good a cross-dresser! Phil, who's married to a Jocelyn -- another of those gender-neutral names, though my J is very definitely female! ------------------------------------------------------------ Gravity is a Downer... So let's go flying! -- so sayeth Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 12:05:10 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:02:07 +0000 Phillip Atcliffe wrote: > > Wendy (who might consider outing her/himself as a man, > one of these days!) < > > Sorry, Wendy, but after the last FAFF... not even Jonathan > is _that_ good a cross-dresser! Huh?? Wasn't I wearing jeans? /me still thinks Phil has her confused with someone else! As for the male/female thing, thinking about it, it did surprise me that there seems to be so little difference between male and female writing in fanfiction (apart from some nfic - no-one, I think, would mistake Gary Rudick's writing for a woman's ). In published fiction it seems as if there are 'men's books' and 'women's books,' and they are largely gendered by author too; OTOH, I have heard that in the romance genre some men do publish under female pseudonyms for the biggest publisher in the area, Harlequin Mills & Boon. So do we all assume that women write romances and family sagas, while men write adventure, spy novels and thrillers? Yet there are female mystery writers too. And both men and women publish in the sci-fi fantasy area. Perhaps we assume too easily that men can't be romantic; which now seems to me to be a rather silly assumption, given that in Lois and Clark we have one of the most romantic guys around as a hero. And given that Phil Atcliffe has written some of the most romantic and emotionally intense scenes I've written in fanfic, I'm hereby publicly renouncing all gender stereotyping in fanfic writing! Wendy (who should probably now go and write a 'fanboy' story without any emotional or WAFFy content whatsoever). ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 07:13:49 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 2/22/00 7:05:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes: << Wendy (who should probably now go and write a 'fanboy' story without any emotional or WAFFy content whatsoever). >> Do you really think you could do it? Ann ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 12:18:04 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII > << > Wendy > (who should probably now go and write a 'fanboy' story > without any emotional or WAFFy content whatsoever). > >> > > Do you really think you could do it? Well... it would probably be all of two pages long. Though some might see that as an improvement! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 12:27:06 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 22 Feb 2000 12:05:10 +0000 Wendy Richards wrote: >>> Wendy (who might consider outing her/himself as a man, one of these days!) <<< >> Sorry, Wendy, but after the last FAFF... not even Jonathan is _that_ good a cross-dresser! << > Huh?? Wasn't I wearing jeans? > /me still thinks Phil has her confused with someone else! Yes, you were (and so what? ), and no, I don't. > Wendy (who should probably now go and write a 'fanboy' story without any emotional or WAFFy content whatsoever). < This I gotta see... er, read. Go for it! But, I have to say, it doesn't sound too much like a Wendy story to me -- which comment is not meant to be sexist, merely acknowledging the things about your work that we all appreciate and enjoy so much. Phil -------------------------------------------------------------- "If you let a smile be your umbrella... you'll get wet teeth!" -- a forgotten comedian, quoted by me: Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:12:58 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Phile wrote: >This is not to say that I think Chris Carr is male! Okay, people, what about Chris H.? I'm positive from his writing that he's a man. Am I wrong? Is Chris H. on the list? Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:19:01 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing (who should probably now go and write a 'fanboy' story without any emotional or WAFFy content whatsoever). No, no, no! The best stories are a balance of action, adventure, romance, mystery, emotional introspection, and snappy dialogue - and I bet that when the list of nominees for Best Fic come out, all the stories in that category will contain those elements (the ones on my nomination list certainly did ). So by all means write a 'fanboy' story, Wendy, if you think you'd get some fun out of trying it - but keep it short! I couldn't bear to think of someone with your breadth of talent spending valuable writing time on a genre so narrow as this. Coming back to the topic, I'm with the majority here. I've given up trying to guess whether people are male or female from the way they write in folcdom - I've got it wrong too many times ;). Yvonne ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 15:51:33 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Petra Steudle Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hazel wrote: > Okay, people, what about Chris H.? I'm positive from his writing that he's > a man. Am I wrong? Well, I might be terribly wrong and confusing the name with someone else but I'm quite sure that Chris is another female writer . Concerning masculine/feminie writing: I often read stories without looking at the name of the author first. So I don't normally know whether a he or she wrote it (should the writer's name indicate it). One thing that sometimes makes me scroll back to the beginning of the story to look at the writer's name and see if it's a guy is a very strong and kind of technical A-Plot. For example Phil's S6 episode "Stronger than me alone" (loved it btw, Phil :) . There had to be a lot of A-Plot as the season was nearing the end and so was Luthor's imperium. But I wasn't surprised to see that this episode was written by a male author. Now, you're probably going to give me lots of examples for stories with a lot of A-Plot written by a female author . Okay, I could include myself as I seem to tend write a lot of A-Plot myself ;) Petra aka KiwiPit on IRC "What you need is something I have neither the time nor the inclanation to give you." "Oh! And just what is that?" "Two weeks with a good man at Niagara Falls." * * * * * * * * * * * * take care! * * * * * * * * * * * * mail to: petrast@gmx.net ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 16:44:37 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy wrote: > So do we all assume that women write romances and family > sagas, while men write adventure, spy novels and thrillers? > Yet there are female mystery writers too. And both men and > women publish in the sci-fi fantasy area. I'm one of those who say that there *is* a difference between male and female writing, but I think it is much more subtle than just assuming guys love action and women love romance. There are many, many female fanfiction writers out there who write tremendous A-plot and there're also many female writers out there who don't have many waffs in their stories. Margret Brignell comes to my mind for example. Her stories don't have much waffy potential but they do have strong A-plots. On the other hand, Richard Mobile's writing for me was *strikingly* male and that although I thought it was *very* waffy and - especially in part three, the reunion scene from Clark and his parents - a real tearjerker. So IMO it's not that simple, but for me it definitely the difference is there. I said it before, for me, the difference lies in the author's perspective. A man identiefies differently with Lois and Clark than a woman does. So in all parts of the story where you can feel the author's eye on the characters, you see if those perspective is male or female even though - if the story is good - it is only a very underlying feeling. I think that *all* stories, good or bad and fanfiction or no fanfiction, tell us a lot about the writer's character. Sometimes, if the story is just badly written, it transforms into a so called "Mary Sue" Story, where it becomes obvious that the writer clearly describes him- or herself and just takes the name of one of the characters. But even if the story is one of the best we have in our Fandom, I still think that the writer can't avoid giving us some information about his/her character. From my own female perspective for example, you'll find that Clark's very gentle and protective of Lois in stories written by women who like to be protected, you'll find her being the brilliant, headstrong and independent woman in stories written by women who trying to break free. Clark is strong for women who love the hero in him and he's weak for women who love his humanity. People who have experienced the safety and warmth of a good family themselves will probably love the family aspect of the show, so they will probably write about Smallville and Martha and Jonathan etc. I'm no psychologist (far from it) and wouldn't dare to say that every part in a fanfiction means something or tells me something about the author, but I do say that you can't avoid putting something from yourself into a story, fanfiction or not. Nicole -- AKA CKgroupie on IRC NKWolke@eifel-net.net Are you always searching for news about Dean Cain? And don't you have the time to go and find them? Here's your solution: Go to "The Dean Cain News Page" http://members.tripod.de/Ckgroupie/ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:06:56 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="------------9094903E8AB3E64236E2B9C1" --------------9094903E8AB3E64236E2B9C1 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Nicole Wolke wrote: > Wendy wrote: > > > So do we all assume that women write romances and family > > sagas, while men write adventure, spy novels and thrillers? > > Yet there are female mystery writers too. And both men and > > women publish in the sci-fi fantasy area. > I don't know how you would classify my writing. I do my best to keep my characters true to the show without going overboard either way. Whenever I write I have an A-plot, and I try to include a B-plot as well, because I've noticed that good writing usually includes at least two plots, and sometimes three or four, which usually converge toward the end of the story. I include action and I try to include WAFFy moments as well, although that is a continuing struggle. Yet I don't think anyone who has ever met me would mistake me for a man. Nan --------------9094903E8AB3E64236E2B9C1 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit  

Nicole Wolke wrote:

Wendy wrote:

> So do we all assume that women write romances and family
> sagas, while men write adventure, spy novels and thrillers?
> Yet there are female mystery writers too. And both men and
> women publish in the sci-fi fantasy area.
 


I don't know how you would classify my writing.  I do my best to keep my characters true to the show without going overboard either way.  Whenever I write I have an A-plot, and I try to include a B-plot as well, because I've noticed that good writing usually includes at least two plots, and sometimes three or four, which usually converge toward the end of the story.  I include action and I try to include WAFFy moments as well, although that is a continuing struggle.  Yet I don't think anyone who has ever met me would mistake me for a man.

Nan
  --------------9094903E8AB3E64236E2B9C1-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 12:36:27 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: kubitc Subject: Re: Masculine vs feminine writing Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Nicole wrote: >I think that *all* stories, good or bad and fanfiction or no fanfiction, >tell us a lot about the writer's character. [snip] >I'm no psychologist (far from it) and wouldn't dare to say that every >part in a fanfiction means something or tells me something about the >author, but I do say that you can't avoid putting something from >yourself into a story, fanfiction or not. Would you want to? I don't think there's a necessary, intrinsic difference between male and female writers, but I am glad that every person puts some of themselves in their writing. I can't even begin to think of what my stories (fanfic or not) would be if I didn't put something of myself into them. Even in fanfic, where you use pre-created stories (and sometimes pre-created premises), you put yourself into the writing, into the style as well as the characterization (as Nicole mentioned). So some of what the author puts in the story will depend on his/her gender. How can it not? Being a woman is such an important part of my life that I wouldn't want to try to ignore it. Even when I write from the POV of a male character, he is influenced by my life. I think of writers like Toni Morrison, whose womanhood is such an important aspect of her writing. Nicole said she doesn't think every part of a story reveals something of the writer, but I think every part of a *good* story should. When you write a story, you're letting your readers into your head; it's a great opportunity to show people who you are and what is important to you, even if you're not writing about yourself. Given this chance, why not choose carefully every small detail? Christy kubitc@kenyon.edu * * * * * * * * * * "Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 10:38:59 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Judith Williams Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This has become too fascinating a topic for me not to get in my 2 cents worth. Wendy Wrote Aren't we blurring 2 things here: content and style. Some say that men and women write in different ways; others say they write about different things. Both of these statements are generalizations that don't always apply. A good writer will write about whatever s/he chooses and in an appropriate style for the content. This is why men can write romance and women can write action sequences. Most writers find a style and content that suits them best and stick to it, especially if its successful. How many times have we seen writers successful in one genre bomb in another? So my answer to the question of, " Is there a difference between masculine and feminine writing?" is: it depends on how good a writer you are. Jude ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 14:40:15 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Comments: RFC822 error: Incorrect or incomplete address field found and ignored. From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Review S5 Ep 12 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Times_New_RomanHi FoLCs: It Happened All Weekend By Dom Melaragni, Lori McElhaney, Adrienne Vukovic. And Nancy Merkle Edited by Donna Hafner (Extra GGGOH by Bryce Zabel, presumed) S P O I L E R S P A C E OK, this was not exactly in the TV ep format, though this did not bother me, and once again, I had to print out the text version. In this case, the text version also provided, at the end, some explanations that were not in the pix version. This was a lovely recap of so many pivotal or important scenes, memorable quotes and a tying up of loose ends. I got a big kick out of this partly because many of my questions in ep thoughts (what happened to this and to that , etc.) were covered. Also, the idea of talking out events in the past in light of revelation is one I embrace and have used (shameless plug of my own stories<). I found it rather quiet but could see that the fans would enjoy this story because it was shining the light on L&C's home-life, something missing from many eps (how did they cope with all the stuff they lived through?!?) >From a production point of view, this is the kind of script that might be commissioned if production were falling behind schedule, since scenes filmed earlier could be used for half the ep. No guest stars and the scenes being mostly confined to a few sets would cut down on cost. Dean would only have had to get into the suit once, if I recall correctly, and it would have made a nice change of pace from action oriented plots. I enjoyed it very much. I am having a really great time! Onto S5/13! Thanks, Carolyn cschnall@.med.cornell.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 13:01:12 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Tull Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Mr. D8A just jumping in where androids fear to tread. I havn't had time to read most of this thread so if all this is a rehash, oh well... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4 There are exceptions to most all rules. Being a guy and having a visual/physical oriented personality, I tend to write action and people doing things. Most women equally use both sides of their brains. This is shown by their ability to multi-task. Most men spend 90%, or more, in one or the other side. I am a very right-brained individual, (right meaning relational and emotive). Most men are left-brained most of the time, (left meaning analytical and just-the-facts-ma'am). My wife is very happy that I am in my right mind most of the time. :-)) I cry at movies - I talk to the screen [this hasn't stopped my wife from taking me along!]. There are some pieces of writing that I have pumped out that has brought my wife to tears, and she wasn't even pregnant at the time! I weep for my characters. I laugh too. The biggest problem we have right now with a story that we've been working on for over a year now is we don't want to put our characters through the agnst ??spelling?? necessary to get through to the end. All that said, writers, by nature, are expressive people. Men who write fiction are men that can express themselves. And the women in their lives are probably very happy about it! James ===== Mr. D8a - Colossians 3:2 - Set your minds on things above not on earthly things. The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but... Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 20:15:18 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: SIP: Connections - part 10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi -- Here's part 10. As always, I would welcome feedback. Carol --------- Connections, part 10 After a sleepless night, torn between thoughts of New Krypton and his anticipation of being with Lois the next morning, Clark gratefully arose at sunrise, showing up at Lois's building an hour later. Not bothering to ask his name, the bleary-eyed porter at the front desk in the small, run-down lobby waved Clark up toward Lois's apartment, making him wonder if the man recognized him or if he was just unconcerned about the security of the hotel's residents. For once, Clark hoped it was the former, although the guy had shown little interest in him and had returned immediately to watching some somnambulant TV program which followed people wandering aimlessly around the streets of what looked like a generic megacity. Eschewing the elevator for the stairs which he took in a blur, Clark was, seconds later, knocking on Lois's door. Slowly, the door opened a little, exposing only a sliver of the apartment inside, as well as, of course, a loose strand of auburn hair and one side of Lois's face. He smiled at the one dark brown eye which widened in surprise at the sight of him. "Hi." He beamed at her cheerfully. "Clark! It's not even 7:30 yet." Her voice was sleep-laced, confused as she tried to make sense of his appearance. He smiled apologetically. "Too early? I forgot what time I said last night." A slight change in her tone indicated she was struggling to the surface of consciousness. "Not too early, but you'll have to wait outside for a couple of minutes while I throw some clothes on." Lois Lane was not about to meet Clark Kent for a breakfast date in a pair of old flannel pyjamas. She closed the door. Smiling to himself, Clark shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and leaned back against the stained, pale grey wall outside her apartment door. As he waited, he thought about the woman inside, speculating about her life for the last four years. What had kept her away so long? Whatever it was, she had lost touch with her family. Hoping to find *his* Lois, he'd contacted the Lanes over a year ago, immediately after the other Lois had left Metropolis. He'd started with Sam Lane who had been the only member in her family still living in Metropolis. He'd met a brilliant, fascinating man, totally absorbed in his work, who had lost meaningful touch with his family years ago. If he still mourned his older daughter, it wasn't apparent that day as Clark had talked to him. At least, Dr. Lane had given him his daughter Lucy's address in Seattle, although not his ex-wife's who he said was now living in California. When Clark flew out to the west coast to talk to both Lucy and Ellen Lane, he learned that they both assumed Lois was dead. There had been no contact with her. For these woman, it was a painful subject, the loss of a daughter and a sister whom they still missed. As he talked to both Lucy and Ellen, he felt that there were things they weren't saying and probably would not say to a stranger. Respecting their grief and their privacy, and not wanting to give them the false hope that Lois might still be alive, he had left, deeply disappointed. As he flew back to Metropolis, he thought, ironically, it was he who had false hope. Now, as he waited in the hall for Lois, half pondering what the rust coloured stain on the opposite wall might be, Clark wondered if she had finally got in touch with her family and why she hadn't done so before. Had she been prevented from doing so? Maybe she'd had amnesia? Or been held hostage by guerrillas? Or been kidnapped by aliens? He grinned at the last thought. It wasn't long before the door opened and Lois poked her head outside to flash a quick smile at him. "I'm decent -- sort of. But it's safe to come in." She stood back to let him enter, giving him a veiled once over as he walked past her. He was wearing a suit! "Uh, give me a few minutes to shower and get properly dressed." She glanced down at the jeans she'd flung on so quickly and frowned at them. A wry smile snuck across her lips and into her eyes. "I hope I have something more presentable." "You look terrific," Clark said and he meant it. The unscrubbed, dressed-down woman in front of him was just about the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen. He grinned at the quirked eyebrow she gave him in response. "Seriously," he assured her. "Well, with a little skill, I'll look even more terrific in a few minutes." She turned away from him to rummage in the narrow closet beside her front door, which, incidentally, also doubled as her back and side door, pulled out a few items and disappeared into what Clark presumed was the bathroom. Judging by the unmade single bed on the far wall adjacent to the apartment's only window, it wasn't a bedroom. He sat down in the room's only chair and waited. Twenty minutes later they were walking on the street in front of the Apollo Hotel, debating where to have breakfast. When Clark had suggested James Olsen's recommendation, Lois had said okay but wondered if he wouldn't attract attention there. "If it's so close to the Planet..." she trailed off, noticing the haunted look in his eyes. "Yeah, probably. I'd forgotten it's a media hangout." Lois slid her arm through his, an instinctive gesture aimed at cheering him up. "Okay, then, how about that place?" She pointed to a small diner beside the subway station. "I had some pretty decent spaghetti there last night. And it's got booths so we can have some privacy." Then she blushed. "I mean, we can talk." "Privacy sounds good." His voice was warm as he picked up on her earlier word. Taking her hand, he led the way across the noisy street, jaywalking among the oncoming traffic with the nonchalance that all city dwellers have. Inside the crowded diner, a distracted waitress led them to a booth at the back which had, judging by the empty plates still on the table, just been vacated. "Hang on a minute," she said, efficiently removing the clutter and slipping the tip into her pocket. As Clark slid onto the bench on the far side of the booth, he glanced around the noisy room. "This is good. Not a reporter in sight." He paused, "Except us." Lois smiled; it had been a long time since anyone had referred to her as a reporter and she liked it. Then, as she put her bag down, she noticed that whoever had been there before them had left a newspaper on the seat and she picked it up. The Star. She grinned at her companion. "Wish it were the Planet. Some people have *no* standards." Looking at the lurid headlines, she said more seriously, "There's been another murder in the Hobbs River area. Clark, what's happened to this city? When I left, Metropolis was going through some rough times, but now it seems even worse." He grimaced. "Tell me about it. I've been trying to get a handle on the those murders but so far nothing. The police haven't made much headway either." As he raised the coffee mug which the waitress had just brought, he asked, "Who's the latest victim?" "No identification yet. The body was there a couple of days they figure. By the bridge that crosses the canal at 28th Street." As she spoke, Clark remembered how he and Zara had stood there a few days ago, trying to figure out what had happened. Lois was silent for a moment as she scanned the rest of the article, then she looked up at him. "This article tells me absolutely nothing," she said, disgusted, and her eyes shifted to the sidebar on the other bodies found in the area in the last two years. After finishing it, she shot him a quick look, her eyes excited. "I bet it's connected with the Taylor's Metro Club. You should check that, Clark." "What?" He looked at her, both amused and yet caught up in her excitement. "Could we finish our breakfast, first?" he teased, happier than he'd been in years as he listened to her explain about her investigations of the club prior to leaving Metropolis. Her enthusiasm and energy were contagious and he was half set on taking off to follow her lead as she concluded, "I never could get the proof I needed but I always suspected the club was a front for some of the criminal activities down there." "Maybe there wasn't any proof to get," he argued. "I met the Taylors at a fund raiser for the homeless last year. It was organized by the daughter, Toni. I'd say they were a pretty community minded family." She shot him a skeptical look. "Yeah, she is pretty good at PR alright. But I was never convinced. I *know* I could have nailed that story if I hadn't left for the Congo." Then, she added thoughtfully, "Even that seemed somehow connected. "How?" he asked, curious. She became more subdued, recalling the past. "I was working undercover at the club when I overheard a conversation between Johnny Taylor and a man whom I didn't recognize about profits from the Congo operation. That's all I heard. Well, Perry had been after me to go to the Congo -- remember the civil war? --in order to gain some international experience, he said. I wanted to go but I was close to a break on the Taylor story so I resisted. After I overheard that conversation in the club, though, I was on the plane three hours later." She grinned at him, eyes sparkling as she remembered how excited she'd been. "And then?" Clark asked quietly, as the Hobbs River murders slipped from his mind. The light died in her eyes and she looked away from him, focusing on the past, as she absently lifted her hand to push back her hair. Raising her eyes to his, she gave him a lopsided grin. "And then, I made a few mistakes. You could say it was a learning experience." "What did you learn?" "To work alone. How to survive." Her voice was soft as she spoke and then stronger as she finished, "and, then, how to live." "I read the article Claude Kendall wrote about your disappearance." "Did you? I'm surprised." Her voice was cool. Clark gave her a speculative look and probed further. "That was some story he uncovered on the diamond cartel's link to arms smuggling. Perry'd told me he sent the two of you over to cover it and I gotta admit I was surprised Kendall's article didn't include your byline. Having read what you wrote for the Planet before you went to the Congo, I can't believe you didn't have any input in that story. I had the impression you two were partners." "Define partner," Lois said lightly, but she was pleased at his comment about her byline and about her earlier work. "I made a fool of myself." She said it simply as though making a confession and was surprised at how good it felt to say that and she smiled at him. "What is there about you that makes me want to tell you my life story, Clark Kent?" He grinned at her. "My natural charm?" he asked teasingly as their eyes met for a moment. A brief spark lit her eyes as she answered, "Must be." Then she continued more seriously, "Well, I'll spare you the gruesome details. Let's just say that I made things way too easy for Claude Kendall." Clark looked at her sympathetically and reached across the table to touch her hand. "Was it so bad you couldn't come back?" "I thought so." She met his eyes, before giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I figured my reputation was shot, but mostly I was mad and determined to regain control of *my* story. Then, I nearly died when a van I was in hit a land mine. Others did die and Claude may have some responsibility for that. We had no choice, Kwame and me, but to run if we were going to escape that wreck. But once we were safe I found I just wanted to stay away. I checked some old newspapers and found that I had been reported as dead and so I thought I'd leave it that way. Saw that Kendall had won a Pulitzer, too." "But your family?" "I had got in a bit of trouble with the cartel -- that's why I was in the van that day, trying to get to an Interpol agent in Kinshasa. I'd got part of it -- the gunrunning part but I'd just got some evidence that it was more than guns they were involved in. The cartel had threatened me and my sister if I stayed on the story. Being dead came in handy -- I figured it was safe, for me and for Lucy." She stopped speaking. "And," he prompted softly. "And," she added slowly, "my family... is a bit of a federal disaster, I guess. There was a big fight before I left.... I did write my mother a couple of postcards after I made it out of the jungle but when I checked at the American embassy, there was no reply." She paused for a moment. "Anyway, I'd always dreamed about seeing the world. It was the best thing I ever did." Clark felt her vitality return as she finished speaking. "So what made you come back?" "I missed my sister," she said simply. "Look, Clark Kent, why are we talking so much about me?" "Are you kidding? Leading reporter returns from the dead," he said in a mock dramatic tone. "So this is an interview?" She was disappointed; she'd thought it was a date. He met her eyes, holding them with the gentleness in his own. "No, it's not. I just want to know everything there is to know about you, Lois Lane." His voice dropped lower as he spoke, its husky timbre summoning long dormant shadows in her soul. "Oh," she said shyly. And then neither of them spoke for a long moment, content just to gaze at each other, to block out the rest of the world. So it was the waitress who spoke next. "You folks like more coffee?" "What?" Clark sounded startled. "Lois?" Seeing the shake of her head, he said, "No, we're fine, fine. Thanks." "Guess we should be going, Clark. Sooner or later, James Olsen must expect you to show up at the Planet." "Sooner or later," he smiled, aware that his second identity gave him more flexibility than the average employee. "Hope he's there this morning. You'll like him," he reached for the check which the waitress had just placed on the scratched wooden table top. ***** But Lois didn't return to the Planet with Clark. Yesterday, she'd agreed to meet Jason Trask at 10:00 o'clock and she figured she had just enough time to get over to Bureau 39. So, explaining she had an appointment, she promised to meet Clark for dinner at his place and then left him standing in front of the diner as she hurried across the street, dodging oncoming traffic until she'd made it to the curb on the other side. As she trotted down the graffiti sprayed stairwell of the subway entrance, and past the huddled shapes of two sleeping homeless, she pondered her connection with Bureau 39. She wanted to keep working for the Bureau -- it was too useful a connection, too good a source of information, to abandon. Besides she was very curious about Trask's objectives. Was surveillance the only thing he was interested in or was there something more that he was planning? She would have to be very careful -- careful of Trask, whom she intuitively felt could be dangerous, and also, she acknowledged, careful of her growing feelings for Clark Kent. She was falling for him, and that was the last thing in the world she wanted. Never again. So why did her hand instinctively touch her cheek where he had brushed a brief, soft kiss as he had left her last night? ***** end part 10 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 02:28:14 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: "ADITLOM" (RPG), Eighteenth Installment, Week #19 (Part 1 of 1) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable New Fanfic (ongoing) "A Day in the Life of Metropolis" (PG-13) All characters are property of DC Comics, WB, Lois and Clark etc.. unless otherwise noted. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Feedback is welcomed whether public or private. But no grammar please! =3D)= NO=20 Please let me know if you loved it or hated it.. etc.. My cast and i would=20 really=20 appreciate it! Thanks. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Summary: This is the eighteenth installment of a rpg club I created on yahoo. We cam= e=20 up with a story line, and we can correspond through email, dialogue, etc.. Anything goes. If you want more information on this club or if you would like to join in the fun yourself please go to: Yahoo! Clubs= =20 adayinthelifeofmetropolis=20 Thanks. Alexis ;-.) {"ADITLOM, arbitrator} =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Cast List Clark Kent : Alexis W. (that's me!) Lois Lane : Alexis W. Cat Grant: Renda Mayson Drake: Renda Perry White: Renda Lex Luthor: Dave Batman: Sam F. Sam Falcon: Sam F. Jimmy Olsen: Abbi Marie Ellen Lane: Tina T. Dr. Sam Lane: Rachel * * * * WEEK #19 (2/14 to 2/20) Batman=92s impatience Batman stoods up. =93I can=92t just sit here and wait for Luthor to try=20 something.=94 He activated his glove-mounted communicator and started=20 talking to both Batgirl and Nightwing. =93I=92m heading back to the cave to=20 see if I can find out what Luthor is up to. I can do more on the=20 computer there.=94 He turned off the communicator and touched a=20 control on his belt. He waited. After several minutes, a breeze blew his cape. Then there was a slight=20 hum. The batwing slowly descended, then hovered a few feet above=20 the roof of the Observatory. The canopy opened and he climbed in, to pilot it back to the cave. >tbc< * * * * Re: Gerty "What would I have to do to get a copy? The only reason I'm asking is=20 because Brucey asked me to collect pictures of everything that happened=20 this evening. He wants to review them and then put the best ones=20 together in a collection that will be given out so everyone in=20 attendance can have a copy. He also said something about wanting to give=20 one to the President. My photographer seems to have ruined his picture=20 of that." Gerty replied. Jimmy was visably surprised. "A picture of Lois and CK kissing in a=20 memory book? I think Lois would be pretty ticked... her relationship=20 with CK is kinda 'undefined.'"=20 =20 "I didn't say it was going to end up being in the collection, I just=20 want Brucey to see all the pictures that are available."=20 =20 "I won't know if I even, uh, got a picture until I develop my film. I=20 can't do that here."=20 =20 Well, we have a van outside where you could do that. If you don't=20 want to, then at least let me give you a number where you can reach=20 me. I=92ll give you more than you ever made at the Planet for that=20 picture." Gerty then turned to the tall bearded man. "Mr. Lake, thank you for your=20 help. You might want to go find your wife," she whispered to him. >tbc< * * * * Re: Back at Ellen=92s Place "Sure, Ellen! Are you kidding? I'd *love* to spend more time with Lois=20 and Lucy!" Sam sighed and continued in a calmer tone. "Well, I miss you,=20 but I don't miss your annoying voice and frustrating arguments...." Sam=20 gasped, wondering if he had just said that out loud. He turned to see Ellen=20 glaring at him. Whoops....=20 =20 "Ok Sam if you feel that way, you can get just your clothes out of the=20 dryer and get the hell out of my house!" Ellen said almost shouting She was furious. Tthe day had has been a roller coaster: first it was=20 good, then it was bad, and then good again. Well now it was worse.=20 Sam had just insulted her for the last time. He was going to leave or she=20 would throw him out. She was fed up and wanted nothing to do with him.=20 Sam just sat on the couch dumbfounded. Ellen shouted, "I SAID GET THE=20 HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Sam jumped at the sound of her voice and he slowly got up from the couch. He flinched as the door slammed behind him. 'So much for a romantic=20 reconciliation,' he thought as he trudged down the stairs and onto the=20 street.=20 And just his luck, it had started raining again. >tbc< * * * * Just when you thought it was quasi-safe... Jimmy raised his eyebrows. Money was one thing he could always use...=20 The insurance was due on his motorcycle and his college loans were a=20 month behind. As he opened his mouth to say something, he felt the=20 ground beneath him start to tremble... Gerty could feel the earth tremble too, as she continued pleading with=20 the young cub reporter. She wasn't going to waste anymore time. She was=20 worried that it might be Batman in the Bat Mobile, getting ready to run=20 her down. "Get me those pictures!" she yelled as she knocked the camera from under=20 Jimmy's arm. "Tim! Catch!!!" Her henchman was there in time to catch the camera. As soon as he had it=20 safely secured, he ran away with it like a football player. "Hey!" Jimmy yelled as he ran after him. Gerty followed closely behind. >tbc< * * * * Luthor=92s personal Journal I don't like not having what I want. To be certain, this happens to most=20 people. If we could have every want, every desire, life would be meaningless= .=20 For what, then, is power? What would be the need to amass wealth, to amass=20 prestige? Ultimately, certain people are made to suffer, while others of us=20 are=20 made to triumph. With this in mind, it was not a difficult decision to move= =20 ahead with the plan as Nigel handed me the remote once Mrs. Cox and I had=20 made our way back to the limo. I have protected my interests, that which is=20 most important to me. And now, it is time to begin the chaos. >tbc< * * * * Diego and Perry White chilling surprise! Diego and Perry White talked about fencing, and the glory days of=20 Spanish swordsmen. They walked together down the ally, Diego listened to=20 Perry talking about his days as a young reporter. As they walked, Diego=20 looked for the door or entrance that the Interpole Operative had asked him=20 to find. Diego decided that Perry could aid him in this mission. So they=20 continued to walk and Perry told more stories. Suddenly, Diego looked=20 underneath his feet to see a drainage grate. "Hum! this looks like it=20 might be the place!" Diego said to himself, as he turned to survey the=20 landscape. Perry looked up at Diego when he said that and asked, "What are=20 you looking for Diego?" Diego looked at him and replied. "I am looking=20 for the doorway to the mission that I have been given by my head=20 operative at Interpole." "Well Judas Priest! Let me help you anyway that=20 I can!" Perry told him and smiled. Diego smiled and said. "Help me=20 remove this grate cover so that we may have a look inside this drainage=20 tunnel." Perry nodded and bent down to assist Diego in removal of the=20 grate cover.=20 =20 Diego stepped into the drainage tunnel first, then Perry handed down his=20 fencing case. Diego then assisted Perry White down into the dark and=20 dank tunnel. Perry had a small flash light and he turned it on. They=20 surveyed the walls and found a light switch. "I hope this thing works!"=20 Diego told Perry as he stepped over to the switch and flipped it on. To=20 their relief, it worked. The lights in the tunnel took away some of the=20 chilling, scarey darkness, but not the smell.=20 Diego went first down the tunnel and assisted Perry when they=20 encountered moss covered slippery rocks. Perry smiled and was about to=20 say something to Diego when they came across a large, silver cyclinder.=20 It had lights on the top and looked like it could be a bomb, or=20 something just as devastating. Diego motioned for Perry to stand back,=20 and he approached the silver object. "Perry, I don't know if this is a=20 bomb or a depth detonation unit but at any rate if this thing goes off=20 it would cause an incredible underground damage and shaking, also to=20 the buildings above it." Perry nodded and looked scared at the=20 thought of this device going off. Suddenly, without warning as Diego got closer to the object it started=20 making a very loud noise. Diego put his hands over his ears and ran with=20 Perry to another tunnel. Both men stood with their hands over their ears=20 until the sound stopped. "What in the name of all that is blue suede=20 holy is that thing?" Perry asked Diego. Diego swore in Spanish then looked=20 at Perry and replied. "What ever it is, it is entrenched in the right=20 place in this underworld of Gotham to reak havoc if it does indeed=20 explode or cause some other type of structural damage to these tunnels."=20 "Well, Elvis wouldn't let it hurt the people in Gotham and you and I=20 will stop it some way if we can Diego! Just instruct me and I'll help=20 you!"=20 =20 Diego nodded and said. "Let's check out these other tunnels and see if=20 there are anymore of these motion sensitive devices here. Then we'll=20 deal with them one at a time." The two men started down another dank=20 tunnel and they heard a rather unsettling noise. Diego looked to see=20 several large rodents coming straight for them. "Perry, hand me my=20 fencing saber." Diego instructed Mr. White. Perry with shaking hands=20 fumbled with the case and opened it pulling out Diego's handsome Spanish=20 fencing saber. Diego smiled and thanked him, then he stepped towards the=20 rodants. With one fell swoop the blow struck them and they ceased to be.=20 Perry grimanced at the sound of the saber striking the rats, but to=20 Diego he said. "I hate rats!" Diego laughed and patted Perry on the=20 shoulder. "Si, so do I Senior!" They walked on down the tunnel, when=20 they began to feel the tunnel quaking. "Run Perry! Run!" Diego shouted=20 and took him by the arm. The tunnel continued to quake under the noise=20 of the silver cyclinder and other's out there that Perry and Diego never=20 had time to find. They scrambled up a rusted ladder and tried to get=20 the grate off. It was stuck. Diego took out a hammer from his case and=20 banged on the grate. Finally he loosened it enough for them to scramble=20 out. Diego went out first and then assisted Perry White. But it wasn't over=20 yet. The earth spewed and yalled and the pavement rolled under the impact=20 of the noise wave cyclinders. "Jesus Christ!" Perry cried. "This thing is a dooszie!" Diego turned to=20 reply and saw a column from a building falling their way. "Move Perry=20 and quickly! This way!" Diego told him and they ran for safety. The=20 column fell where they had been standing. >tbc<=20 * * * * Shake, Rattle and Roll Lois walked over to the bomb and ressumed cooling it down with the ice.=20 She watched Cat walk out to the edge of the veranda. Cat was looking for=20 Diego. *If only Diego was here to help...he'd know what to do,* she=20 whispered to herself. Lois got up and walked over to the double doors. She looked out the=20 window in hopes of finding Clark. Maybe Clark knew where Superman was=20 hiding? And they could sure use his help, right about now. No such luck,=20 Clark was no where to be found. She waved her arms in the air in=20 frustration. "Where the hell are you Clark!?! You stick to me like glue=20 for most of the night and now when I need you the most, you're not=20 there! Arrgh!!!" "Lois?" Cat called out. "Um, yeah..." Lois blushed. She was hoping Cat didn't hear her angry=20 outburst. "Could you please come over here...I need to show you something..." Lois was headed in the direction of Cat, when she felt the earth=20 slightly move. She felt it move in a series of vibrations that increased=20 after each passing second. To keep herself from falling, she grabbed=20 onto the doorknob and held on tight. Lois was really scared. She wished=20 she was holding onto Superman or Clark, instead of this stupid doorknob!=20 They would keep her safe. They would know how to calm her fears. After=20 30 seconds, the shaking stopped and the ground was solid again. Lois=20 moved away from the door and noticed a figure near the bomb. "Cat, is=20 that you?" The figure stepped out into the light. It was a person=20 dressed all in black. It was a man, definately not Cat! "Hey!" Lois yelled. The man wouldn't respond. "Hey, you over there!" The man bolted as Lois came closer. "Wait a minute, don't leave! I need to talk to you...wait!" Lois knew that Cat needed her help, but this mysterious man was far more=20 important. She decided to ignore Cat's request and instead chase after=20 the man. >tbc<=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Cat, Lois and the bomb/badguys! Catherine Grant couldn't help but chuckle as Lois took out the last=20 thug. "Lois if it weren't life and death, this would almost be fun!" Cat=20 smiled and then turned back to the bomb. They had it down to a cooler=20 level so Cat took out her manicure scissor's and started to snip the=20 right wire. Snip! "Ahhhh, we=92re still alive! Lois, I think all we need=20 to do now is call the bomb squad to pick up this thing." >tbc< * * * * Ramone and Mayson! Walking out onto the crowded veranda, Ramone looked into Mayson's lovely=20 eyes and started to say something to her. But he stopped and turned while=20 thinking to himself. *I need to find Diego!* To Mayson he said. "My=20 sweet, let us go and find Diego. I feel that he may need us." Mayson=20 smiled and replied. "You read my mind, I was just going to suggest the=20 same thing to you." Ramone extended his arm and she linked her arm=20 through his. They picked up their coat and wrap and made their way=20 outside to look for the missing Don Diego Dela Vega. As they rounded the corner they thought they heard a low hum and it was=20 almost as if the street was moving. >tbc< * * * * Re: Shake, Rattle and Roll Clark Kent, walked outside of the Gotham Observatory and looked towards=20 the sidewalk. He was looking for Sam. All he could see was one lone=20 limo. Maybe Sam was inside...He walked up to the window and tapped the=20 side window. The window rolled down. "Alfred?" "Yes sir." "Have you seen Miss Falcon?" "No sir, I'm sorry, I have not. She was supposed to be here soon, but=20 she has yet to show up." "Hmm..." "I'll let Miss Falcon know that you stopped by, Mr. Kent." "Thank you." "Goodnight, sir." "Goodnight Alfred." Clark walked back towards the Observatory when he noticed the building=20 shaking. Actually it looked more like it was swaying back and forth.=20 "What the heck?" Clark started to worry more when he noticed small pieces of the building=20 breaking off. "Oh my God, Lois!" he yelled as he ran back inside. >tbc<=20 =20 * * * * The Elevator The elevator started to head down. Then the building started to shake. "Oh my g*d!" She leaned back on the wall and grabbed the railing. "I should=20 have taken the stairs." The elevator started swaying. The lights inside=20 flickered=20 and it abruptly stopped. "This can't be good." Her breathing labored. "God=20= I=20 wish=20 Bruce were here, he'd know what to do."=20 >tbc< * * * * Re: Shake, Rattle and Roll Lois ran out of the veranda and followed the "man in black" up some=20 rusty old stairs. The stairs led up to a balcony that overlooked the=20 main part of the Observatory. "Excuse me, but who are you and what are you doing here?" "I come here for you...master says I must get you before things go=20 'BOOM!'" "What? Hey!" Lois yelled as the "man in black" came up from behind and=20 grabbed her by the waist. "LET ME GO!!!," she screamed. "HELP!!!" But Lois' cries would soon go unnoticed since the ground started shaking=20 again. Unfortunately, for the people inside the Observatory, it was=20 longer and more violent than before! "Oh my God!," Lois gasped as she felt the floor breaking under her high=20 heels. "Master said we MUST GO!" the man yelled as he pulled her closer to the=20 EXIT sign. "No!" Lois said as she flipped him over her body, causing him to trip=20 and fall to the ground below. She tried to regain her footing by grabbing onto the railing but it soon=20 broke apart. Lois let out a blood-curdling scream as she quickly made=20 her descent to the bottom of the building. >tbc< Look for Week #20 coming to a PC near you! =3D) Enjoy! Alexis ;-.) {"ADITLOM" arbitrator} =20 =20 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 08:35:20 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: SIP: Connections - part 10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Oh, *nice* Carol... loved it! No time fort details now, alas... maybe later... -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 08:35:25 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: SIP: Connections - part 10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Oh, *nice* Carol... loved it! No time for details now, alas... maybe later... -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 08:47:24 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: creolel Subject: Re: The (Mis)conception (5/5) [Revised] Comments: To: fsung@justice.loyola.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 No Felix, I am not a writer. I am just on the list to read all of this great fanfic! Oh, and of course to give praise and uplifting feedback!!! :-) I loved the story the first time I read it, and was pleasently pleased the second time around!! Keep up the great work!! Lori >Hi Lori, >Thanks for your kind words. I'm afraid that not many has read it, >because >the premise in the original was kind of disturbing. So, they won't know >tha I removed it in the revision. Oh well. >Aren't you a writer too? >Felix ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 20:26:21 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, Folcs, forget everything I wrote about my ability to distinguish male and female authors. I found out today, that I've been totally wrong . At least I have Zoom as an example to save the last rest of my self esteem. Zoom, please, at least you won't turn out as a guy, after all, will you? :-) Nicole -- AKA CKgroupie on IRC NKWolke@eifel-net.net Are you always searching for news about Dean Cain? And don't you have the time to go and find them? Here's your solution: Go to "The Dean Cain News Page" http://members.tripod.de/Ckgroupie/ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 17:01:05 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Terry S. Horowit" Subject: Calling Erin, again Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I know, I know, I'm pushing my luck... But, hey, it worked last time!! So Erin, you got them out of the dungeon and into the woods, but it's still dark and Clark is still powerless with busted (?) ribs and Lois still has that festering leg wound... When do we get the next installment of the Darkest Hour??? See, you've created a monster - my nagging worked so FAST last time that I couldn't resist seeing if it would happen again :p Terry P.S. C.C. Malo, you were just about to get nagged by me for more Connections, but you beat me to the punch. Thank you - I'm loving your story, too! ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 14:31:58 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: peabody Subject: Re: Calling Erin, again Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Terry wrote: |Erin, you got them out of the dungeon and into the woods, but it's still |dark and Clark is still powerless with busted (?) ribs and Lois still has |that festering leg wound... Not only that, but they're getting hungry and thirsty, too. It's been quite a while since you've fed either one of them. Lex is *not* going to be happy to find Lois in less than rosebud condition >When do we get the next installment of the |Darkest Hour??? See, you've created a monster Normally, I'd be embarassed to nag, given the circumstances, but you've written this so well, Erin, you've gotten us hooked, so you'll have to deal with the consequences Pat peabody@mcs.com ---------------- Sent from a WebBox - http://www.webbox.com FREE Web based Email, Files, Bookmarks, Calendar, People and Great Ways to Share them with Others! ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 18:38:54 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Subject: Re: Calling Erin, again In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 05:01 PM 02/23/2000 -0500, you wrote: >I know, I know, I'm pushing my luck... But, hey, it worked last time!! So >Erin, you got them out of the dungeon and into the woods, but it's still >dark and Clark is still powerless with busted (?) ribs and Lois still has >that festering leg wound... When do we get the next installment of the >Darkest Hour??? See, you've created a monster - my nagging worked so FAST >last time that I couldn't resist seeing if it would happen again :p >Terry >P.S. C.C. Malo, you were just about to get nagged by me for more >Connections, but you beat me to the punch. Thank you - I'm loving your >story, too! Wow, I haven't started reading the story yet! I'm glad you didn't put SPOILERS!!! in the subject line or I wouldn't know how violent the story is! I'll just pack it away and read the whole thing when I'm in the mood for that kind of thing... Debby Debby@swcp.com behind on her reading and more behind on reading that story... ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 22:27:48 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: OT: sorta MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I had a question relating to LnC...actually its for a project I'm working on. Can someone tell me what ep Clark says that "he has learned all 5 verses" to the song "Windy" while he was on the phone? Thanks, Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 06:49:14 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: SIP: Connections - part 10 & calling Erin MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks Pam and Terry. Very good to know you're still reading. :) And like Terry, I'm eager for more of Erin's story. Having read the outline for it, I know what a great story it is but what I *don't* know is how it's developed, how specifc incidents evolve, and exactly how L & C will get out of their predicament. Erin's a very busy woman -- it must be difficult to find time to write, too. Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 06:11:28 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: OT: sorta MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Alexis W." wrote: > I had a question relating to LnC...actually its for a project I'm working on. > Can someone tell me what ep Clark says that "he has learned all 5 > verses" to the song "Windy" while he was on the phone? > > Thanks, > Alexis ;-.) I believe that ep was "Blackout in Metropolis". Nan ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:34:42 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing In-Reply-To: <38B4345D.DDB96D8E@eifel-net.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Nicole wrote: >Well, Folcs, forget everything I wrote about my ability to distinguish male and >female authors. I found out today, that I've been totally wrong . > >At least I have Zoom as an example to save the last rest of my self esteem. >Zoom, please, at least you won't turn out as a guy, after all, will you? :-) Nicole, I'm not sure if your "revelation" was the same as mine, but with permission from the author, I am enclosing the following selection from an e-mail she wrote me: >Everyone else may be confused about my gender, but *I'm* not . I *am* >female, I have *always* been female, and, although predicting the future is >risky, I think it's safe to say that I always *will* be female. ;-) This, by the way, was Mobile Richard. :) :) :) I pointed out that the "Richard" part of the name was kinda deceptive, and she conceded the point. ;) Still, it's always nice to have one's complacent assumptions blow up in one's face! So I'd say that Wendy's right: all the rules for guessing genders have to go right out of the window when it comes to fanfic. Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 14:50:06 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000224163359.00908440@actcom.co.il> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Hazel quoted Mobile Richard: > >Everyone else may be confused about my gender, but *I'm* > not . I *am* >female, I have *always* been female, and, > although predicting the future is >risky, I think it's safe > to say that I always *will* be female. ;-) And I have to apologise for misleading people - I really was convinced on the basis of my past exchanges with *her*! She wrote privately to me too yesterday, and you could've knocked me down with a feather. /me blushes. So I will never again assume anything... um, Carol, Erin, Pam, you guys really are women, aren't you? And what about you, Hazel, since we know that's not your real name?! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 10:34:50 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > So I will never again assume anything... um, Carol, Erin, > Pam, you guys really are women, aren't you? And what about > you, Hazel, since we know that's not your real name?! Can't speak for the others, but I've always assumed I was female... At any rate, my husband & breastfed kids are convinced I even have pictures on my website! So Wendy, is there anything *you* need to tell us? -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 10:42:38 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Wendy wrote: >Hazel quoted Mobile Richard: > >> I *am* >female, I have *always* been female, and, >> although predicting the future is >risky, I think it's safe >> to say that I always *will* be female. ;-) > >And I have to apologise for misleading people - I really >was convinced on the basis of my past exchanges with *her*! >She wrote privately to me too yesterday, and you could've >knocked me down with a feather. > >/me blushes. Wendy, I was just as surprised as you are! The only reason I didn't state definitively that Ms. Mobile (my new personal nick for her) was male was because I didn't know for *sure*... I was only 99% sure. ;) My husband thought I was nuts when I suddenly laughed out loud while reading her e-mail! >So I will never again assume anything... um, Carol, Erin, >Pam, you guys really are women, aren't you? And what about >you, Hazel, since we know that's not your real name?! Ironically enough, although Hazel is ordinarily a woman's name, my source for the nick is male... or sorts. But yes, as the above comment re my husband should make clear, I definitely belong to the better half. :) :) Hazel of Watership Down ;) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 15:42:21 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing In-Reply-To: <38B54F9A.2F2D2E34@bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 24 Feb 2000 10:34:50 -0500 Pam Jernigan wrote: > Can't speak for the others, but I've always assumed I was > female... At any rate, my husband & breastfed kids are > convinced I even have pictures on my website! > > So Wendy, is there anything *you* need to tell us? Well, Phil was at great pains to reassure everyone on that front a few days ago when I threatened to out myself as a man.... Mind you, if Yvonne and LabRat are to be believed, the person *really* responsible for my creative output is actually Scrabble... ...my cat. (Also known as Yvonne's spy! ) Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:56:11 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Dockingbay@msn.com" Organization: Microsoft Corporation Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing As a confessed lurker and obsessed reader, I can say with complete confidence that I don't care who is male or female as long as each and everyone of you keep writing! - Thank you many times over for all the great stories. Catherine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wendy Richards" To: Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2000 8:50 AM Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing > Hazel quoted Mobile Richard: > > > >Everyone else may be confused about my gender, but *I'm* > > not . I *am* >female, I have *always* been female, and, > > although predicting the future is >risky, I think it's safe > > to say that I always *will* be female. ;-) > > And I have to apologise for misleading people - I really > was convinced on the basis of my past exchanges with *her*! > She wrote privately to me too yesterday, and you could've > knocked me down with a feather. > > /me blushes. > > So I will never again assume anything... um, Carol, Erin, > Pam, you guys really are women, aren't you? And what about > you, Hazel, since we know that's not your real name?! > > > Wendy > > ---------------------- > Wendy Richards > w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:14:34 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Mind you, if Yvonne and LabRat are to be believed, the > person *really* responsible for my creative output is > actually Scrabble... > > > ...my cat. (Also known as Yvonne's spy! ) And (to echo Tank) is Scrabble actually a man?? -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:54:16 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing >> Mind you, if Yvonne and LabRat are to be believed, the >> person *really* responsible for my creative output is >> actually Scrabble... >> I never said that! Scrabble just makes sure Wendy doesn't shirk on her fanfic-writing duties, and sends back reports to me when Wendy's off making coffee. Sometimes she forgets to vacate Wendy's chair in time, but I'm going to have words with her about that this weekend . A spy should be devious and secret ;) >> ...my cat. (Also known as Yvonne's spy! ) > >And (to echo Tank) is Scrabble actually a man?? >-- Well, she doesn't fit *my* definition of a man! Yvonne ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 17:53:26 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 24 Feb 2000 15:42:21 +0000 Wendy Richards wrote: > On Thu, 24 Feb 2000 10:34:50 -0500 Pam Jernigan > wrote: >> So Wendy, is there anything *you* need to tell us? > Well, Phil was at great pains to reassure everyone on that front a few days ago when I threatened to out myself as a man.... < Not so much at "great pains" as indulging my occasional pechant for stating the obvious... It's having to belabour stuff with students that is staring the dear little... [give me time, I'll think of a suitable term...] ... *them!* right in the face that does it . Phil ------------------------------------------------------------ "Sic Transit Gloria Barramundi" (Or, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!) -- not Douglas Adams, but me: Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 10:02:25 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Tull Subject: New-7 Days of Superman Part 6 - Hiatus Comments: To: 7d , 7days FanFic <7DaysFic@onelist.com>, BackStep Fiction , Tad Flowers , Marc Gartin , Dave and Debbie Harrison , Backstep Operation , Travel Time , Dad Tull , Danny Tull MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Due to some RL issues and the upcoming Kerths 2000 final voting, I will be delaying the release of Seven Days of Superman Part 6 for a couple of weeks. Unless... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Unless there is such an uproar that I have no choice but to find the time to creative. I await your replys. James, who is up till all hours of the night with his 10 week old daughter and can't quite convince her to be happy/asleep while daddy is hunched over the keyboard. For those of you that are interested in the nightly ritual continue reading. Otherwise you can delete this message now. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It usually goes like this... Daddy: sleeping for 5 to 10 minutes. Rosa: {wahhhhhh!!!!} Mommy(who has had her all day): {Wahhhhh!!!} Daddy: Picking up Rosa and going down to the finished basement. Making goofy faces. Rosa:{gurgle, coo, BIG toothless grin.} Daddy: looks at the keyboard instead of Rosa's face. Rosa:{pooched out lip, furrowed brow, changing skin color} daddy: Rosa:{gurgle, coo, BIG toothless grin.} Ten minutes later Rosa:eyes have been closed for 2 minutes. daddy:stealthfully attempts to lay daughter in port-a-bassinet. gets to point where must break final point of skin to skin contact. Succeeds! maybe... Rosa:Face contorts into woman scorned mode. opens eyes and looks right at daddy's eyes, makes sure that he knows what he did and wails. Daddy: 90 minutes later Rosa:eyes shut for longer than daddy can remember. Body weigh has doubled Daddy:eyes shutting of own accord. drags self up the stairs to bedroom, lays daughter next to mommy successesfully and passes out. And even after all this I still believe what my sig says. ===== Mr. D8a - Colossians 3:2 - Set your minds on things above not on earthly things. The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but... Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:10:42 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Kerth Report and Re: Calling Erin MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit As I swam to the top of my Kerth Nominations pile to come up for air and check my email, I realized I was being talked about by several of you. >>>When do we get the next installment of the Darkest Hour??? See, you've created a monster << LOL! Thanks for all the encouragement, guys, for telling me to get on the ball and send more of 'Darkest Hour' to you! It's great to hear you want to read more. ;) I just barely finished wading through Kerth nominations, so I've been too swamped to write more, but I think I have some time this afternoon, so I'll get right on it! You guys sure kept me hopping with all your nomination emails, and thanks so much for doing so! These Kerths would never work without all the support and participation from you wonderful FoLCs, so a huge 'thank you' goes out to you all. :) It's wonderful to see such enthusiasm for fanficdome, and realize how strongly it's still marching on years after LNC went off the air. But I think that's due entirely to all you wonderful fanfic writers who still keep LNC alive in our minds and in our hearts. And with all that emotion behind your writing, you'll be simply *amazed* at the quality of stories we have jammed into this year's Kerth Awards! When I post the list of nominees in the next day or two, you'll see what I mean. Some of the categories are going to be practically *impossible* to decide how to vote on! Anyway, thanks for all your cheers and encouragement for 'Darkest Hour,' and I promise to get back to posting more installments ASAP! :) Back to Kerth duties for the next couple of hours... Erin :) __________________ erink@ida.net Visit my LNC/Kerth Website: www.ida.net/users/davek ***** "It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." __________________ ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 13:55:46 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: Masculine vs. Feminine writing MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy wrote: <> Yes, and right now a frantic one, trying to find the last perfect gift for my husband whose birthday is tomorrow. Can't believe I actually posted on this thread after all :) --the previous couple of posts I drafted, I scrapped after rereading them and finding them riddled with stereotypes worthy of the nineteenth century (or a Clint Eastwood movie ). Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 20:45:39 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: SIP: Connections - part 11 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi -- here's the next part -- is it gender neutral? As always, feedback is very welcome. Carol -------- Connections, part 11 When Clark arrived back at the Planet, he wasn't too surprised to see Zara hovering in the vicinity of his desk, ostensibly reviewing some research with Jocasta O'Reilly who had the work station next to his. As he walked towards them, he picked up on their conversation, listening to Zara skillfully bring it to an end, not an easy task where Jocasta was concerned. Clicking on his computer, he waited for Zara's approach and when she did, he stopped what he was doing, cocked his head to one side, and gave her his attention. "Good morning, Clark." She smiled, demurely diffident, a junior staffer approaching a colleague with more seniority. "I have more background on the Hobbs River killings, but I've left it in the conference room. Do you have a moment to look at it?" "Sure, Sara." He rose, following her across the newsroom to the conference room which had been carved out of the corner next to the edtor-in-chief's office. Once inside, knowing full well she wasn't interested, he asked, "What've you got?" She gestured dismissively at a couple of files on the long, heavy table in the centre of the small room. "I really have been gathering data on those murders. But you know that's not what I want to talk about." Facing him directly, she asked, "What have you decided, Kal El?" The conflict in Clark's heart manifested itself in the lines of his face and the agony in his dark eyes. He let out a slow breath as he raked a large hand through his black hair, letting it come to rest for a moment on the back of his neck. He paced away from her, all those jumbled thoughts from his restless night tumbling in his mind; then he returned to stand in front of her. "Zara, it's not so simple. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to help you, and to find out about New Krypton. But Zara, you can't be sure I can solve your problem. I'm no politician, and I'm not a military leader either." He paused before adding, "And Earth *is* my home." "Kal, how can you say that?" Zara was passionate as she continued, her voice betraying her impatience. "What kind of life do you have here? You have no kin here, no strong connections. You're not one of these people. How can you ever be?" "How can I be?" he repeated, his voice bleak with the pain of his years of isolation. He bowed his head briefly, then looked up, his face set. "I'm not ready to give up, Zara." And, he added to himself, not now, especially, not now, as he remembered the shock of Lois Lane's touch on his arm that night in the barn, and the magic he felt every time he saw her. "Listen, Kal. Do you have the vessel which transported you to earth?" Pleased, she felt his interest return to her. "No. I had no idea how I got here until you and Ching told me. I must have come in some sort of ship but I have no clue where it is." In truth, he hadn't thought about it at all that night when Zara and Ching had first come to his apartment, his mind more focused on the enormity of what they had just told him and what they had asked of him. "We've found it, Kal." "Where?" Clark's eagerness transformed his face. "Where is it now?" "We found it not far from the dwelling where you were raised. We have the vessel now, on our ship." "Then let's go," Clark grinned, impatient to satisfy his curiosity about his past, and, also, to see Zara's ship which he knew had to be so much more technically advanced than anything Earth had yet developed. Opening the door, he strode briskly toward the elevator, Zara at his side. They didn't quite make it; Clark's superhearing picked up the sounds of distant sirens. "I have to go." "No! You must come with me. Whatever this is, it's not your concern." "It is, Zara. It is." He turned, jogging towards the stairwell, tugging at his tie as he did. ****** As Clark and Zara were talking in the conference room, Lois Lane was presenting her latest plan to Jason Trask, her eyes watching his stolid face for any sign of reaction. "I want to try to get my job back at the Planet. I'm not sure I can keep up this surveillance thing without being noticed. I mean, the man has super hearing and vision. Sooner or later, he's going to notice he's being followed." "I'd thought of that, Lane. You *could* be more use to us on the inside." "*Use* how exactly?" "Watching the alien. Tell us who he sees, who he's close to. Be on the lookout for any attempt he makes to contact his people so we can be ready when they make their move. Eliminate the element of surprise." Inwardly, Lois thought Jason Trask had seen one too many trash sci-fi movies. How on earth had he managed to get funding for this project, anyway? Must be a few more wackos in Washington than she'd thought. Mentally she was changing her big expose on Superman to one on weirdo witch-hunters in the government. But all she said was, "I'd like to continue my research here, too. The more I know about him, the better I can spot anything out of the ordinary." The thought of Clark Kent leading an alien invasion force was pretty farfetched, she thought. But still, how *had* he got here? That question wouldn't go away, and she didn't like it. "Just keep me informed, Lane. This is national security we're talking about here." "You got it, Trask." She took her leave, walking out into the damp, overcast January day, and began her trip back to the Planet, this time vowing to avoid the personnel office. No Clark Kent when she got there. Disappointed, she chided herself, Once again she noticed no one in the newsroom she knew and was thinking about invading James Olsen's sanctuary when her eyes alighted on the brightly-clad, ample figure of Jocasta O'Reilly, sipping coffee with two other people by the large aluminum urn in the lounge area. Yes, she thought, and swiveled in that direction. "Jocasta," she said quietly, not completely unaware that her presence would require a little explaining. The older woman's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Lois Lane." Then loudly, with exuberance. "Lois Lane!" She enveloped the smaller woman in an affectionate hug. "I should have known you were indestructible." She laughed and stood back, giving Lois the once over. "Well, you certainly don't look like a ghost." "I should hope not!" Warmed by Jocasta's welcome, Lois now turned her attention to the two men with whom Jocasta had been chatting. "Rick, this is Lois Lane, best kid to come on staff in the last ten years, and that includes you, too," Jocasta finished good humouredly. "Hi, Lois." Rick Vega looked at her curiously, his cool grey eyes assessing her, as he reached out a bony, long fingered hand to shake her own. "Hi, Rick." Lois had some sixth sense he regarded her as potential competition and right now she didn't want that. "The great thing about Jocasta is she forgets all the mistakes you make when you're starting out." He smiled. "Ah well, she doesn't have too much to forget then." "Rick's only been here a couple of months," Jocasta explained. "Not enough time to get into much trouble. And this is Tony," she smiled at the slight man dressed in black who, at the mention of his name, opened his heavy lidded eyes just a little wider and raised his coffee cup in a casual salute as Jocasta completed her introduction. "Our new guy on arts, music. College bud of the Boss," she nodded her head in the direction of the editor-in-chief's office. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's talking about." She smiled at the dark-haired young man before adding, "Doesn't know his way around a race track yet, though." Tony Bergman cast Jocasta a laconic glance. "Because it's fixed." Then he looked at Lois with more attention, as though he'd just awakened. "You look familiar, Lois." "I used to work here a few years ago. Maybe you've seen a staff picture?" "Must be it," he said but he continued to look at her as though searching for something in his mind. "Come on, Lois, you've got to meet the Boss." Jocasta touched Lois's arm and she followed her across the length of the newsroom to the office of James Olsen, editor-in-chief and owner of the Daily Planet. Jocasta poked her head inside the door. "You got a minute, Boss? There's someone here I'd like you to meet." She trooped in, Lois following in her wake. "James Olsen, meet Lois Lane." Lois had the impression that James Olsen looked dumbfounded for a brief moment as he rose from behind his desk to greet her. "You're back. I thought you weren't returning." An expansive smile stretched across his face as he stepped toward her. "You look different, somehow." "Well, people change in four years," Lois laughed, bemused by this stranger's enthusiasm on meeting her and just a little pleased that he too seemed to know that Lois Lane was once the Planet's most promising new reporter. Things were definitely looking up. "Four years..." Olsen looked at her more carefully before repeating, "four years. Then you must be..." "Interested in getting her old job back, I'd guess," Jocasta jumped in. "Just what I was going to suggest," James Olsen's wide smile reappeared as he extended his hand to shake hers. "Welcome back, Ms.Lane. When can you start?" "Right now!" Lois beamed happily at him, taking an instant liking to the young man, fastidiously dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit that seemed a decade too responsible for him, who stood before her. "Then follow me, Ms. Lane." He walked a few paces beyond his office door toward a small desk situated immediately at his left where a man, not much more than twenty, was occupied at his computer. "Tariq, this is Lois Lane. Lois this is Tariq Patel, our assistant manager and systems coordinator." He paused for a moment while the two acknowledged the introduction. "Ms. Lane started working here this morning." He flashed Lois a brief smile that was almost mischievous. "Ask Ed to bring up a desk from storage and a computer. Set it over by Jocasta and Kent." Tariq cast his eyes over to that general area. "Where, Boss? Space is tight. Maybe Ed could suspend the desk above the others? Two tier newsroom." He laughed a little at his joke while the others just looked at him. "Always room for one more," Jocasta said energetically. "I'll get Rick and Tony to help rearrange the space." She trotted off, raising her voice as she boomed, "Tony! Rick!" Laughter lurked at the corners of James Olsen's eyes as he watched her retreating figure. "Ms. Lane, the first thing to know about the newsroom is that Jocasta runs it." "Oh, so that hasn't changed," Lois observed innocently. "No. I made a lot of changes when I took over, but some things I knew better than to mess with. Okay, time for you to start. First, give Tariq your personal data. Turning to Tariq, he added, "We must have some of that on fileq." Tariq had been busy at his terminal for the last moment or so and now he looked at the screen, scowling. "No, we don't. No entry for Lois Lane." He turned to look at his boss. "I guess she must have been one of those whose records got erased when the Planet reorganized its personnel records a couple of years ago." He looked at Lois apologetically as though it were his fault. "The Planet hired an outside consultant to streamline its records. Think the firm was called 'Gremlins Inc'. Before my time," he added, loftily. "One of the reasons why I was able to get the Planet for loose change, Ms. Lane." "Is it?" Lois was interested in what had transpired here over the last three years and nearly started to ask him when she retrained herself. Now was not the time, and there *would* be lots of time to learn that story. "Well, let's start again," she smiled. In the background she was aware of Tariq on the phone, commandeering a desk from the bowels of the Planet's store room. He certainly moved quickly -- probably like his boss, she thought. "Now for your first story -- a survival story," Olsen's face lit up. "Planet Reporter Returns from the Dead," he pronounced dramatically, as though reading a headline. Lois's eyes widened as she envisioned the lurid headline. "Uh, could we hold back on that a bit? I still haven't contacted my family yet. And," she took a deep breath and met the eyes of this energetic man who was, she knew, five years her junior, "I read something about the latest Hobbs River murder this morning. I was working on a story I think might tie in when I left for the Congo four years ago. I'd like to pick up on the latest killing." She paused, and offered him a conciliatory branch. "I'll work on the Congo story, too. I kept a journal while I was away." Olsen looked at her, sizing her up for a moment, she thought. "Perry White once told me you were the most promising reporter he'd come across. No one with better instincts. I've already got someone on that story but I'll partner you with him. Clark Kent. He's not here right now, but I'll let him know when he comes back." Lois had to ask, although she was pretty sure of the answer, "You don't think he'll mind?" She got the impression he was stifling a laugh as he replied. "No, he won't mind. In fact, he's a pretty busy guy -- he could use a partner." Okay, Ms. Lane," Tariq Patel swiveled in his chair so he was facing them, and with a wave of his hand toward his computer screen. "You are now officially *undead*." ***** When Superman got to the source of the alarms, he discovered that a subway train had taken a subterranean curve at too high a speed and jumped a track, careening into the concrete wall of an underground tunnel. Reverberations from the crash had caused a partial collapse of the tunnel entrance blocking immediate access by rescue workers. It had taken a couple of hours of careful excavation before the last of the injured passengers were brought to the surface. Then he shot back to the Planet, hoping finally to get a chance to go with Zara to the Kryptonian space craft. As he stepped off the elevator, he glanced around the newsroom, his eyes searching for Zara but instead they came to an abrupt stop as he spotted Lois Lane in the midst of a conversation with Tariq Patel who was helping her with a computer on a desk which had been added between his own and Jocasta's. He grinned as he stepped lightly down the few steps which connected the newsroom with the narrow landing in front of the elevator. "Hi," he said as he reached his desk. Tariq stopped what he was doing. "Hi, Clark. The boss decided to give you a little help. Meet Lois Lane, your new junior partner." "*Junior* partner!" Lois's brown eyes instantly widened at the words. "Sounds good to me." As Clark spoke, a teasing smile flashed in his eyes, drifting down to lurk at the corner of his mouth. "After all, Lois, Clark has worked here for over three years now. Seniority," Tariq said as he turned his attention again to her computer. "There, up and running." Lois ignored Tariq's last comment. "I worked at the Planet for over *four* years before the Congo." "Past tense, Lois," Clark said kindly. "You're only as good as your latest story." "Full partners -- no junior, senior..." "I don't know," Clark hesitated, "There've been a lot of changes around here. I'll have to spend time showing you the ropes..." "Showing me the ropes! There are ropes in this town you probably haven't even untangled yet." "So you'll teach me things I don't know?" Clark asked softly, the teasing note gone from his voice. Lois retreated, shifting her eyes away from him, back to Tariq who she saw had stopped tinkering with her computer and was now paying close attention to the exchange between her and Clark. She shrugged her shoulders. "Is he gonna be difficult to work with?" she asked lightly. "No, no!" Tariq shook his head, surprised. This sounded like the old Clark he remembered, before his exposure as Superman. He sounded relaxed, unguarded. As this thought crossed his mind, Tariq noticed Sara approach them, as always, carrying a file folder with her latest research. "Hi, Clark. We left this folder in the conference room before you left." She looked curiously at Lois, then shifted her attention back to Clark. "Do you have time to go over it now?" "Sara, this is Lois Lane." The emphasis he placed on her name conveyed to Zara that he attached some importance to this woman. "Lois, this is Sara Ching." As the two women shook hands, Zara looked at Lois carefully, trying to assess why Kal had placed such emphasis on Lois's name as he had introduced them. What she saw was an attractive woman, about her own height, conservatively dressed in brown. As she listened to Clark explain that Lois Lane would be working with him, Zara felt a flicker of unease. Why would James Olsen have assigned Clark a partner and why did Kal seemed so pleased with this? On the other hand, she reasoned, this could be good; the woman could take over this tedious Hobbs River story freeing Kal to focus on New Krypton. If the woman was any good, then Kal could leave the paper with no qualms. That must be why Kal was so pleased with Lois Lane; he was planning to train her as his replacement. Yes, that must be it. Zara looked closely at Kal, looking for confirmation of her conclusion and a sense of relief from him but picked up neither. What she saw was her distant cousin beaming at this woman and Zara knew that, whatever he was thinking had nothing to do with her or New Krypton, and her unease returned. Clearing her throat, Zara made a bid to claim Kal's attention. "Clark, shall we go to the conference room to discuss my research?" Sara's imperative tone got Lois's attention; she now looked more carefully at the woman whose hand rested lightly on Clark's forearm. And Lois noted, too, a brief flicker of something, she wasn't sure what, cross his eyes. Lois's first impression of Sara as a pleasant and efficient co-worker now shifted. Was there something between her and Clark? For the first time, Lois saw that beneath the somewhat frumpy clothes and unstyled hair, Sara was a very beautiful woman. Well, she said to herself, what did you expect? That he's been celibate since the end of his engagement? Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Sara suspiciously. Clark rocked back on his heels, hands in his pockets, beaming with happiness at the two women in front of him -- his long lost, distant cousin and the long lost woman he loved. ****** end, part 11 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 10:13:12 -0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: OT: Gender Confusion - postscript MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey guys! Talking of gender confusion......a small aside which I thought may amuse, given the recent thread. I'm about to change server (unlimited web time here I come!! Yahoo!). Stuart advised the company on the phone of my preferred eddress, spelling it out twice over the phone. L-A-B-R-A-T. This morning the installation package finally arrived and what do I find my new eddress is? LadRatt. Uh-huh. LabRat bangs her head repeatedly on the desk..... No way, Jose! I have enough people out there thinking I'm a guy as it is. ;) LabRat :) (watch this space....) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@starlabs.fsnet.co.uk "A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognised." -- Fred Allen "Fame is being asked to sign your autograph on the back of a cigarette packet." -- Billy Connolly. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 19:15:13 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Subject: Fanfic Ideas: Borneo Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Travel & Food: Ecstasy in Borneo Two exotic dancers, a gangster pal and some recreational drugs: It's amazing what a Lion's Club connection can get you By Chris Taylor http://www.salon.com/travel/wlust/2000/02/18/ecstasy/index.html?CP=SAL&DN=650 Debby Debby@swcp.com Scripts ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 09:28:28 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Fanfic Question and Feedback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Everyone, I have been reading so much fanfic lately my head is spinning trying to catch up. I want to compliment all the authors here and just say that you all give me hours of reading pleasure. I wish I had the time to thank each of you individually, but I don't. Besides not having the time, I also have a very bad memory for titles and authors and who's who. Just this week I read a really good story that I had planned to print out later. Unfortunately, I have forgotton the title and author. The story was about the Nazi group from the 3rd season of L&C who want to take control of America. In this fanfic they have developed a chemical that effects humans as well as Superman. In the story Jimmy uses Star Labs computers to track down the group and fixes a way for him to be able to control their computers. I just read this story earlier this week and wanted to save it and print it out, but now I can't remember the title and can't find the file. Can anyone help me out here. As you can see, my memory problem is the reason I don't participate in the great quizzing you been having. Thanks for any help. Keep up the great writing and stories. Melody ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 14:35:23 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Fanfic Question and Feedback In-Reply-To: <71.12426d7.25e7eb8c@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Melody, This is Nan Smith's 'As Dreams Are Made Of,' which was posted on Zoom's MBs. I don't think she posted it here, though I could be wrong; if I've already read something on the MBs I don't always pay attention when it appears here. Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 10:30:35 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: OT: Gender Confusion - postscript MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Stuart advised the company on the phone of my preferred eddress, spelling it > out twice over the phone. L-A-B-R-A-T. This morning the installation package > finally arrived and what do I find my new eddress is? LadRatt. Uh-huh. Speaking of telephone transcription, and to go way off on a tangent.... Several years ago, my job involved working with a group known in the company as the Pulp & Paper Team (we wrote environmental regs for the EPA, in this case, as regards the Papermaking industry; I was the team secretary). We'd just finished a big project, and the team leader sent me flowers for secretary's day... the card with the flowers assured me of good wishes from the "Pope & Poppa Team" Wonder what the florist thought of that! -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 10:32:13 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Fanfic Question and Feedback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > This is Nan Smith's 'As Dreams Are Made Of,' which was > posted on Zoom's MBs. I don't think she posted it here, > though I could be wrong; if I've already read something on > the MBs I don't always pay attention when it appears here. And if/when she posts it here, it may be under a new name -- she mentioned on IRC the other night that she's thinking of changing the title to Countdown. It was a great story, though, wasn't it? :) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 08:45:25 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: Fanfic Question and Feedback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks, Pam. I appreciate the comment on the story. The official name is now "Countdown". If people want me to post it to the list, I will. Nan Pam Jernigan wrote: > > This is Nan Smith's 'As Dreams Are Made Of,' which was > > posted on Zoom's MBs. I don't think she posted it here, > > though I could be wrong; if I've already read something on > > the MBs I don't always pay attention when it appears here. > > And if/when she posts it here, it may be under a new name -- she > mentioned on IRC the other night that she's thinking of changing the > title to Countdown. > > It was a great story, though, wasn't it? :) > -- > ------------------------------------------------------- > Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net > ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM > ------------------------------------------------------- > "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" > "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" > "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." > "No creak?" "No creak at all..." > _Dead Lois Walking_ > ------------------------------------------------------- > http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 09:42:11 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Tull Subject: Re: Fanfic Question and Feedback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii --- Nancy Smith wrote: > Thanks, Pam. I appreciate the comment on the story. > > The official name is now "Countdown". If people > want me to post it to > the list, I will. > > Nan IF! IF! Of course we want you to post it to this list! Especially for those of us that don't lurk over to the BB very often. James ===== Mr. D8a - Colossians 3:2 - Set your minds on things above not on earthly things. The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but... Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 10:59:19 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Kerth 2000 Nominees! Comments: To: LNC list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hi everyone! I apologize to those of you who get this twice since I'm sending it to both Lois & Clark lists, but I wanted to let everyone know who the 2000 Kerth nominees are! :) Thanks so much to everyone who participated by sending me your nominations for this year's Lois & Clark Fanfic Kerth Awards. We had close to a hundred ppl send in nominations, and that's even more than we had last year, if I remember correctly. So, thank you!! This year's nominees are certain to present a difficult decision-making dilemma, as you will soon see. Most--if not all--the categories are *loaded* with great stories by great authors, and I'm sure that voting for only one story in each category will be no easy task. Sorry, guys. Voting will begin in about a week, on Saturday, March 4th, and will continue for two weeks, ending at midnight EST on Sunday, March 19th. We will again have an automated ballot for voting when the time comes, and the URL will be made available very soon. Be sure to check the voting section of my Kerth website for the soon-to-be-announced URL and all the voting details. Anyway, enough of the boring stuff. Here's the list of nominees! If any of you authors want to have your story withdrawn for whatever reason, please let me know NOW so that we can take care of that quickly. Time is of the essence. ;) So, without further ado: ********************************* 2000 Lois & Clark Fanfic Kerth Awards Nominees ********************************* *BEST COMEDY: The Costume by Tank Wilson Duo Inferno by Bella Lessons by Pam Jernigan Oh, Mann! by Karen Ward A Secret Identity by Tank Wilson *BEST VIGNETTE/SHORT STORY: Au Revoir and Not Goodbye by Chris Carr The Child Who Fell From the Sky by Chris Mulder Dance of the Seven Veils by Erin Klingler Navigating Denial by Zoomway A Time to Adjust by Lara Blasingame *BEST WAFFY STORY: The Best Bargain/Counting the Ways by Chris Carr Blanket Friends by Susan VanCott La Recherche Du Dayzs Perdu by Menolly Through the Years by Erin Klingler A True Partnership by Kathy Brown *BEST DRAMATIC STORY: Caped Fear by LabRat Heliophobia by Yvonne Connell Nightmare on Hyperion Ave by Karen Ward Power to Forgive by Sharon Gilbert Recognition: The Only Way by Ccmalo Redemption by Irene Dutchak *BEST REVELATION STORY: A Conscious Choice by Wendy Richards Dark Revelation by Tank Wilson It Happened One Super Night by Wendy Richards Sugar & Spice by LabRat To Wake From a Dream by Mobile Richard Ultramatum by Zoomway *BEST EPISODE ADAPTATION: Blind Leading the Blind by Pam Jernigan Forever Obsessed by Judith Tylke The Healing Time by Wendy Richards The Mirror Crack’d by Hazel Shaken Not Stirred by Irene Dutchak So…That’s What You’ve Been Hiding by Chris Carr *BEST ROUND ROBIN: Forever Young by German L&C Team Fully Functional by IRC team Heartache Tonight by German L&C Team Love Me Tender by IRC team Myxed Signals by IRC team *BEST SEASON 6 EPISODE: Fatal Attraction by Kathy Brown Hypergirl by Crystal Wimmer Labyrinth/Preparations/Stronger Than Me Alone by Phil Atcliffe Movers and Shakers by Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Turn Around/Walk in My Shoes/Mirror, Mirror by Sheila Harper *BEST ALTERNATE UNIVERSE STORY: Big Boys Do Fly/Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounter/Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn Between Two Worlds by Wendy Richards Fear of Discovery/Fear of Discovery II: Nowhere to Hide by Yvonne Connell Life in a Different World/Life in a Different World, part 2: The Reluctant Superman by Mobile Richard The Mirror Crack’d by Hazel Only You: Reality by Margaret Brignell *BEST ELSEWORLD: Alternate Beginnings by Chris H. Heartache Tonight by German L&C Team Just Like That/Being Lois Lane by Pam Jernigan My Journal by Debby Stark Strange Visitor From the Congo by Wendy Richards Timeless by Becky Bain *BEST KRYPTON/NEW KRYPTON STORY: Come Back to Me by Allison Forbes Love Disabled by Tank Wilson Power to Forgive by Sharon Gilbert Universal Union by Jenni Debbage What if I Never Left Krypton by Dawn Field *BEST ORIGINAL PREMISE: Caped Fear by LabRat Firestorm by Irene Dutchak Heliophobia by Yvonne Connell The Penfriend by Wendy Richards Strange Visitors by Ccmalo Timeless by Becky Bain *BEST VILLAIN STORY: Doppelganger by Nan Smith Fear of Discovery/Fear of Discovery II: Nowhere to Hide by Yvonne Connell Labyrinth/Preparations/Stronger Than Me Alone by Phil Atcliffe Recognition: The Only Way by Ccmalo Strange Visitor From the Congo by Wendy Richards *BEST NEXT GEN/EARLY YEARS STORY: Coming of Age/Tempered Fire by Notrepooh Firestorm/Starfire and Sunstorm by Irene Dutchak The Martha Bums by Christy Kubit My Almost Perfect Life by Molly Navigating Denial by Zoomway Suffer the Little Children by Jenni Debbage *BEST SERIES: Dagger Series: Dagger of the Mind/Dagger’s Edge/Assassin’s Dagger by Nan Smith Firestorm/Starfire and Sunstorm by Irene Dutchak Jon Kent Series: Awakenings/Here We Go Again/Right on Time/The End of the Beginning by Trevise Just Like That/Being Lois Lane by Pam Jernigan Life in a Different World/Life in a Different World, part 2: The Reluctant Superman by Mobile Richard My Kent Series: The Master Race/Suffer the Little Children/Tears of a Clone by Jenni Debbage *BEST NEW AUTHOR: Chris Carr Irene Dutchak Hazel Notrepooh Nan Smith Tank Wilson *BEST OVERALL FIC: Caped Fear by LabRat Fear of Discovery/Fear of Discovery II: Nowhere to Hide by Yvonne Connell The Healing Time by Wendy Richards It Happened One Super Night by Wendy Richards Life in a Different World/Life in a Different World, part 2: The Reluctant Superman by Mobile Richard Turn Around/Walk in My Shoes/Mirror, Mirror by Sheila Harper ******************************** Okay, there they are, guys! Tough decisions, huh? I warned you. Please email me if you have any questions or problems. Thanks everyone! I look forward to seeing everyone's votes in about a week. :) Erin :) __________________ erink@ida.net Visit my LNC/Kerth Website: www.ida.net/users/davek ***** "It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." __________________ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:08:43 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Amy Lauters Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This is going to be a terribly tough decision to make. All of these stories and nominees are wonderful! How will we ever choose? Guess I'll just have to read them all again! Amy ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:47:43 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 1/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Countdown by Nan Smith (deimos1@earthlink.net) This story is the sequel to "Blind Man's Bluff", and occurs a couple of months later, well before "Priorities" takes place. It was originally titled "As Dreams Are Made Of", but I thought of a better one, so here it is in its newest incarnation. As always, the recognizable characters and settings are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros., December Third Productions, etc., and no infringement of their copyright is intended. The story, however, is copyrighted to me. "Clark, what am I going to wear to the office?" Lois glowered at the row of neat, professional suits hanging in her closet and turned to her husband. "Nothing fits!" He grinned at her. The last outfit into which she had squeezed herself strained across her midriff, making her rounded tummy even more prominent, and it was obvious to Lois that Clark was enjoying the sight. She supposed she couldn't blame him, really, considering that up until a very short time ago the thought of her having his baby had been an impossible dream. Now he was basking in the knowledge that she was very pregnant with *their* child, his first actual physical tie with his adopted world, and loving every second of it. "You know, honey," he said, "now might be the right time to come clean. If we do, at least Ralph won't be able to make any more cracks about your letting yourself go." He chuckled. "Not that you didn't put him in his place pretty thoroughly for his cute little joke yesterday." "You heard that? What am I thinking, of course you heard it." She surveyed herself in the mirror. "I guess you're right, Clark. I've got to put them on sometime. Which one do you think looks the most professional?" "Didn't you and Mom pick out some professional clothes last month when the two of you went shopping?" "Yeah. Let's see..." An hour later they were approaching the entrance to the Daily Planet. They had dropped CJ off at the Little Cherubs Daycare Center and parked the Jeep in the lot up the street from their workplace, in spite of the fact that this was a typically brisk, sunny day in early December. The previous night had been graced with a fairly heavy snowstorm which was keeping the snow plows busy this morning and causing trouble for morning commuters. Lois had been adamant about their parking spot ever since Madeline Burns had tried to blow up the Jeep in the Planet's basement parking lot, back in September. "Watch the icy spot." Clark took her arm and steered her around the patch of ice which always occupied the small dip in the sidewalk in front of the main doors every winter. As if she was likely to forget that! Clark was being overprotective again, but she didn't really mind. She glanced at her husband, admiring the way the coat fit snugly across his broad shoulders. Clark had at last discarded the dark glasses that he had been forced to wear after he was temporarily blinded by Mayor Burns' Kryptonite spray. After the incident, although his eyesight had essentially recovered in slightly more than a week, it had been pointed out to him by Lois, his parents and Bernard Klein that an ordinary man's eyes wouldn't heal that fast, so they had settled on the fiction that his sight was returning to normal, but that his eyes had to be protected from bright light while the repair process was taking place. Today was his first day sans the shades, and both of them were pleased with that as well, but she suspected the thing that brought the smile to her husband's lips was the thought of his wife, in what was unabashedly a maternity dress, walking at his side. What was it, she wondered humorously, that made a man--even a Superman--so proud of the fact that he had made his wife pregnant? It seemed a little silly to her, but it obviously wasn't to Clark. This had to be one of the differences between the sexes that could never be quite explained. Oh well, if he was happy, who was she to argue? They stopped, as always, so that Clark could buy a copy of the Daily Planet from the newsstand near the entrance, and proceeded on to the elevator. Clark opened the paper at once, skipping the headlines of his latest rescue and Jimmy's spectacular photos of Superman bringing in a disabled passenger plane at Metro Airport, for the inside page. "Nothing yet," he reported. The elevator doors opened, revealing an empty car, and they boarded. "Clark," Lois pointed out reasonably, "if they'd found any sign of him you'd probably know before just about anyone else except the cops that caught him. He's been on the run for over two months now. If he's got any sense he's long gone from the Metropolis area. Maybe this time he'll retire to the South Seas, or something." "There's always the chance that something turned up over night," he said. "The latest statement is that they think he's still somewhere in the area." "How would they have any idea?" Lois said. "I always wonder when the authorities make some kind of blanket statement like that. A fugitive could have a hundred ways of getting out of the city. Especially him. His organization didn't completely crumble two years ago. Sure, you found the data base, but a lot of the people just disappeared and were never found." He grimaced. "This is supposed to make me feel better? The guy's a fanatic, Lois, and the people who are following him are just as fanatical. I don't believe for a second that his arrest stopped his plans--it just delayed them until he could get out. That escape was no amateur job." "I know. And of course it had to happen while we were on vacation and you couldn't have seen well enough to stop them, anyway, even if we had been here. Well, if Steve Law does surface eventually--" "--Which he will--" "Then we'll just have to deal with him when it happens. Just try not to get caught in any more nuclear explosions. Okay?" He grinned ruefully. "I'll do my best. Chances are, though, that he'll try something different, since the bomb didn't work." "Don't even think about it," Lois said. She reached up to run her fingers across his jaw. "I couldn't do without you, Clark. CJ and this baby couldn't do without their dad." He put his arms around her. "None of you are going to have to if I have any say in the matter, honey, Steve Law and his Neo-Nazis notwithstanding." "I'll take that as a promise," she said. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her, just as the elevator doors opened. "Judas Priest, you two," Perry said. "That thing isn't a kissing booth, you know." Their editor was standing by the Sports desk, a computer printout in his hand and a look of amused resignation on his face. Lois led the way from the elevator without comment, removed her coat with studied casualness and hung it neatly on the coat rack. She was conscious of a slow cessation of conversation as she turned toward her desk. "Lois?" Perry's voice said in the sudden pool of silence. "Am I seein' things?" She looked up with a grin, to see all eyes on her. Ralph was gaping at her with a look of complete stupefaction on his face. "What's so surprising, Perry? We've been married over a year, now." "Oh, wow!" Jimmy said. "Congratulations, guys! CJ's gonna have a little brother!" "Or maybe a sister," Clark said, mildly. "I'd kind of like a little girl, to tell you the truth. Then we'd have one of each." Two of the women from Research were staring at Lois with dropped jaws. Lois felt a small tug of satisfaction at that. These were the same two whom she had overheard in the Ladies' Room, a couple of days ago, discussing Clark in terms which would have made her husband turn three shades of scarlet. Drool all you want, ladies, she thought smugly, he's all mine, and I'm having his baby! Perry had come over to her desk and was looking her up and down. "I'm happy for you, honey," he said, quietly. "Thanks, Perry," she said. "Just no sticking me on flower shows or something, okay?" "Waste my top investigative reportin' team's talents just for something like this? Not on your life!" Perry grinned and turned to shake Clark's hand. "Congratulations to both of you, Clark. Now," he continued, suddenly all business, "I want the two of you on the follow-up to that robbery at Morris Chemicals yesterday morning. Do the police have any suspects?" "Not as of last night," Lois said. "I'm going to try to get hold of my contact and see if anything else has turned up since." "Okay, then let's snap to it, people!" Perry said to the newsroom at large. "We've got a paper to get out!" ***************** A couple of hours later as Lois and Clark were exchanging notes over their current City Council piece involving a part of the city budget being allocated in a way that looked suspiciously like nepotism, Lois saw Clark lift his head. He stood up abruptly. "Multi-car accident on the River Parkway." "Go. I'll cover." Clark departed via the stairs, tugging at his tie. A moment later Lois heard a telltale sonic boom overhead and turned toward the monitors. A newscopter for LNN was approaching the parkway, where Lois could see a green van lying on its side against a gasoline tanker which was leaking a steady stream of gasoline. Several cars were piled up behind it in various positions, and as she watched a red and blue streak crossed the camera's lens. Superman swooped down onto the scene of the accident and the copter's camera followed him, focussing in on his actions as he closed off the leak. Lois found herself holding her breath as she watched her husband deal with the most urgent matters first, then saw him turn and rip the door from the van and reach in toward the victims. ******************* The first thing Clark saw when he pulled the door free was that the woman was bleeding. Broken glass projected from one arm, and an artery was spraying a thin stream of blood that now coated most of the seat and her companion. The position in which she lay made it inadvisable to move her, and he could hear the approaching sirens of the police cars, fire trucks, and hopefully the paramedics, but if he didn't do something this woman wasn't going to live long enough for them to get here. Carefully he reached through the doorway, placed his hand over the artery just above the cut and applied pressure, at the same time using his super senses to check her heartbeat and breathing. Her companion was breathing as well, and didn't appear to be bleeding, so now, if the paramedics would just hurry up... (to be continued in part 2) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:50:23 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 2/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Countdown: Part 2 by Nan Smith What was that smell? The scent of gasoline was heavy on the air; with any luck nothing would throw a spark and ignite this stuff before the fire trucks arrived, but there was an undertone of something else which he couldn't place. The sirens cut off as the emergency vehicles reached the entrance of the parkway, and a few moments later he saw their flashing lights as they maneuvered past the smashed and crumpled vehicles to the site of the worst crash. Shortly afterwards he was able to move aside as two paramedics took efficient charge of the accident victim, and proceed on to assist other rescuers. It was an exhilarating feeling to what he was doing, making a difference helping people like this, he thought. In spite of the severity of the accident, no one had died and part of that at least was due to him. With luck the people in that first van would recover, as well. When he was sure the emergency services had the situation well in hand he headed back toward the Daily Planet, feeling fine. Lois looked up as the elevator doors opened and Clark came bouncing down the ramp. Things must have gone well, she thought. He was obviously in a very good mood, and the smile on his face was contagious. "Well," she said as he arrived at her desk. "I take it things went okay?" "Couldn't be better," he said. His hands were around her waist; Lois felt herself being swept irresistibly toward the conference room. The door closed behind them and in an instant the blinds were shut and the door locked. Clark's mouth came down on hers, and he was kissing her passionately. It was only when she felt her clothing coming off at super speed that she began to realize that something was terribly wrong. ******************** Out of the corner of his eye Perry White saw Clark and Lois enter the conference room, and blinked as the blinds closed instantaneously. Something must be pretty urgent, he decided, and turned his mind to the accident as seen on the monitor. Superman had been right on the ball, as usual. Somewhere or other he must have picked up first aid training, which, considering his chosen avocation, was a good idea. The paramedic vehicles were leaving the scene now, carrying the victims of the accident, and the newsmen from LNN must have decided that the story was pretty much over, for the picture was retreating as Perry watched. In an instant the organized chaos of the rescue scene turned into disaster. As he watched in paralyzed shock, the paramedic van drove straight off the side of the parkway, apparently without even trying to brake. Its tumble seemed to go on forever in slow motion as it plunged a good ten feet to the landscaped grassy area beneath. The newscopter swooped down again to film the latest development in what was becoming a much bigger story than anyone had at first expected. Firemen and police swarmed down the steep embankment after the van, and Perry saw rescuers begin to pry it open. More paramedics moved in swiftly to deal with the situation. "Perry! Help me!" The near panic in Lois's voice brought him around like a shot. The conference room door was open, and Lois, her hair mussed and clothes awry, was down on her knees beside her husband, who was kneeling on the floor, his face clasped in his hands. "Something's wrong with Clark!" "Great shades of Elvis!" Perry half-ran to the pair of them and dropped to one knee. "What happened?" "I don't know!" Lois was trying to pull Clark's hands from his face. "He was feeling all right, and then suddenly he just grabbed his head. Clark, what's wrong?" Clark moaned faintly. "My head is splitting!" His voice was muffled. In the background on the monitor, the wail of sirens punctuated his words as more emergency vehicles converged on the site of the second accident to occur on that part of the parkway within an hour. "Ralph!" Perry barked. "Get on over to the hospital and try to find out what happened!" "Right away, Chief!" The man headed for the elevator as Perry turned back to his top reporting team. Lois had succeeded in prying Clark's hands from his face and was trying to make him look at her. Clark's face was screwed up with pain, and blotches of red covered both his cheeks. He began to retch slightly. "I feel sick." Jimmy grabbed a trash can. "Here. What's the matter, CK?" "Dizzy..." He reached out a hand to grasp Jimmy's shoulder. Perry made a quick decision. "Eduardo! Jimmy! Help Clark into my office." He glanced at Lois. "He can lie down on the couch there." She nodded and accepted his hand to stand up, trying to smooth her hair back. "It happened so suddenly..." She stopped. "No, when he came in he was almost...euphoric. Then it just sort of hit him." "Should we call the paramedics?" Jimmy asked. He and Eduardo were boosting Clark to his feet. "Let's just get him lying down first." Perry prudently brought along the trash can. "How're you doin' Clark?" Clark didn't answer. He had one hand over his mouth and appeared to be manfully struggling against his stomach as the two men helped him into Perry's office. Lois bit her lip and looked at Perry. "Dr. Klein is a family friend. If you don't mind I'm going to call him." "I think that's a good idea, honey." Perry was watching Clark thoughtfully as he wavered toward the sofa between his two coworkers. "He was out covering that accident a little while ago, wasn't he?" "Yes." Lois picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Maybe he breathed too much of the gas fumes or something," Jimmy panted. " It looks almost like some kind of reaction to a poison, or a drug, maybe--you know, like when we all got sprayed by the Atomic Space Rats a couple of years back." "I don't think he..." Lois stopped. "Hello, Dr. Klein?" Perry frowned at his top male reporter. Clark shouldn't react to poisons, of course, or drugs, but he had been affected by those dratted rats, so he wasn't immune to everything. And the paramedic van had driven right off the side of the parkway. Coincidence? Maybe, but Perry had been a newsman for over 30 years. He didn't like coincidences, especially coincidences like this. >From the office came the sounds of Clark losing his breakfast. This wasn't good, that was for sure. He hoped Klein would hurry. The man must know about Clark; it seemed the most logical conclusion, considering he was apparently his doctor. Something was going on that Perry didn't understand, but he didn't like it at all. Lois put down the phone. "Dr. Klein says he'll be right here. Thank heavens he has a medical background. I wouldn't have called him, but--" "Don't worry about it, honey," Perry said. "Let's just find out what happened, okay?" Lois nodded and turned back toward Perry's office. "Clark?" Clark didn't reply. Perry came to the door. Clark's eyes were closed and the red patches on his face had vanished. His complexion was pale with a faint greenish tinge. "Clark, how are you doin'?" Still no answer. Lois sat down beside him on the couch. "Clark?" "Dizzy," he said, indistinctly. "My head feels...strange." "I've called Dr. Klein. Just lie still, Clark; he'll be here pretty soon." ***************** "Clark?" Dr. Klein's voice penetrated the fog that seemed to shroud his brain. "Can you hear me?" "Yeah." "How are you feeling?" "Uhh." Clark forced his eyes open. His head was pounding. "Like somebody hit me with an asteroid." "I'm not surprised," Bernard Klein said. "Considering what I found in your system." "What are you talking about? You drew blood on me or something? What happened to my powers?" Dr. Klein grinned. "Blood isn't the only body fluid I can analyze, Clark. You've been exposed to some kind of toxic substance which has somehow been engineered to affect you...Superman. This was deliberately targeted at you. Fortunately it wasn't lethal...but it could have been." "But what happened? Where did I..." "I was hoping you could tell me." Clark shook his head and immediately regretted the motion. "I don't know. I was feeling fine, this morning. How'd I get here?" "You were at that parkway accident, and Mr. White said you got sick right afterwards. Could it have been there?" "Parkway accident?" Clark wrinkled his forehead. "Oh...yeah. I remember...that van. There was gasoline and a smell...I didn't recognize it." "Do you remember anything else?" Clark started to shake his head again and closed his eyes as his headache suddenly intensified. "That woman was bleeding. I kept pressure on the artery until the paramedics got there, I think. I don't remember what happened after that." Dr. Klein was nodding. "That may have been where you encountered it, then. Go back to sleep now, Clark. If you do, you'll feel better when you wake up. You've got the mother of all hangovers, to coin a phrase. Or close enough. We'll try to fill you in later." The last thought in his mind as he drifted back off to sleep was that if this was a hangover, he was glad that he'd never had one. At least until now. ****************** "I can give you about two minutes, Perry," William Henderson's voice said. "Make it fast." Perry glanced once more at the door of his office to verify that it was shut tight and then spoke into the phone. "Bill, I've got a question. What really happened at that accident on River Parkway this mornin'?" Henderson was slow in answering, which confirmed the editor's suspicion that all was not quite as the police and hospital spokespersons had stated. "What are you talking about, Perry? Traffic accidents aren't my department." "No, but it might be your department if something else was involved," Perry drawled. "Bill, I don't want to cause you guys trouble, but I need some information. I promise not to print anything you don't want me to, but I *know* somethin' happened there that you didn't tell us, and so do some of my reporters. I've even got some clues about what it might have been. Now, if I don't know what not to tell, any kind of rumor could start circulating." Silence for a long moment. "Perry, you old extortionist...all right, but none of this goes anywhere else." Henderson's voice was grim. "Do I have your word on that?" "Do you even need to ask?" Perry said. "Nothing gets printed without your okay." "Good. The paramedics in that van that went off the parkway are in the hospital." "I'm not exactly surprised at that," Perry said. "Yeah, well, their injuries are the least of it. One's got a concussion and the other's got a broken wrist and jaw. The main reason they're there is because of what else happened to them at the scene." "They ran into some kind of chemical poison or something, right?" "How do you know about that?" Henderson asked. "Kent was there. It got him, too. Got really sick here at the office. His doctor says there was some kind of toxin in his blood, but he's going to be okay." "That's good. Kent's a good man." Henderson's voice dropped. "Yeah, they did. They were both hallucinating and out of their heads at first, then almost comatose for awhile, but the latest report is that they're coming out of it--both with massive hangovers, though. Four of my officers were hit, too--fortunately not as bad, but they're at Metro General for observation. The current theory is that it was some kind of toxic gas. I've had federal agents breathing down my neck all afternoon." "Let me guess. They're afraid of some kind of attack by a foreign power." "Well...They haven't actually said so." "They don't need to. And you people don't want a panic, right?" "That's pretty much it." Perry was silent for a moment, thinking. "How about the van that crashed? Has that been checked over for signs of this stuff?" Henderson gave a short laugh. "Are you sure you're not psychic, Perry? The van's disappeared. A tow truck showed up to take it in, and never arrived with it." Perry whistled, softly. "How about the crash victims?" "They're both dead. Massive circulatory collapse, brought on by a lethal dose of the toxin. The only thing we can figure is that the source was right there in the vehicle with them." "Makes sense," Perry said. "Okay, Bill, I'll do what I can to squelch any speculation around here, and I'll see that nothin' gets into the paper about it. I think it might be smart to pass this on to Lane and Kent, though--with your permission. You know Lois--it was her husband that got sick. If she doesn't have the facts she's gonna start diggin' and she might find this stuff out by herself...and then you can kiss any hope of keeping it quiet goodbye." Henderson laughed dryly again. "You think you're telling me something I don't know? Fine, but swear them both to secrecy. If it gets out, my career is on the line." "I will. It won't go any farther." "If I didn't know that, I wouldn't be telling you this, Perry. If they have any other questions, tell them to come talk to me in person. Now, I really have to go." After Henderson had hung up, Perry White sat looking at nothing for several minutes. The whole scenario, as hinted at by Henderson, was terrifying, but so was the thought of mass panic in a city the size of Metropolis. No, keeping it quiet, at least for now, was the only responsible thing to do, much as it went against the grain for him to realize it. But maybe Lois and Clark could track down something to defuse the whole situation. They did, after all, have resources that other journalists didn't have. For about the millionth time after he had come to the realization a little under a year ago, Perry thanked Providence that Clark Kent had chosen to apply for a job at the Daily Planet, and that he, Perry, had noted the chemistry between Lane and Kent and partnered them up. The result had been more than anyone could have predicted at the time, and the hottest team in town had been proving the wisdom of his decision over and over, ever since. Perry rose and went to the door of his office. Lois was on the phone, he noted, badgering some poor source or other for information. He'd better get things rolling. "Lois!" he bellowed. "In my office, *now*!" (to be continued in Part 3) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:53:05 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 3/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Countdown: Part 3 by Nan Smith "So, that's what Henderson told Perry," Lois said. She set her tea cup down on their living room coffee table and leaned back in the armchair. Clark stirred sugar into his second cup of tea and swallowed half the cup's contents in one gulp. Lois was used to it by now; she didn't wince anymore when she saw him down the scalding liquid. "More?" she inquired. "Dr. Klein said you were supposed to drink lots of fluids to wash that stuff out of your system." "In a minute." Clark glanced at CJ, playing happily in his playpen. "Do you think it might be a good idea to send CJ on a visit to Kansas?" "It occurred to me," Lois admitted. "If there's the slightest chance of something happening..." "Yeah. I think I'll give Mom a call and ask if she and Dad can keep him for us for a few days. We can just say that we're on a tough investigation. Mom won't mind." He hesitated. "I don't suppose you..." "Forget it," Lois said at once. "You're no safer than I am, this time, and I'm not going to leave you to handle it alone." He nodded. "Sorry. I had to ask." He was silent for a long moment. "Um, Lois...I don't really remember a lot, but something happened when I got back to the Planet, didn't it? I kept having these really vivid dreams that I...well, that I took you into the conference room and..." She made a face. "You did." "Oh, my God...I didn't hurt you, did I? Lois, I'm so sorry..." She reached across the table to take his hand. "You didn't do anything, Clark. You started to, but I told you to stop and you did. I felt bad, too, because you looked so confused, and then you suddenly got sick...it scared me. But the point is, you stopped when I objected." He closed his eyes. "Thank God...Lois, I'd never forgive myself if I..." "But you didn't. And you wouldn't." She squeezed his hand. "Now, I'm supposed to pamper you for the rest of the evening. Doctor's orders. So what do you want for dinner? Takeout Chinese, or shall I order out for a pizza?" ******************* They ended up with two pizzas, most of which Clark ate. After CJ was safely in bed and they had closed up the house for the night, Clark slid into bed next to his wife and snapped off the bedside lamp. The sounds of the city beyond the closed window were muted and Lois snuggled into her husband's arm. The room was quiet and dark, but she couldn't sleep with her mind running in circles over the events of the day, and the talk with Doctor Klein that had occurred before she'd wakened Clark to take him home. She hadn't wanted to upset him this evening, but it felt wrong not to talk to him about the things that were scaring her. Finally she turned over and drew a long breath. "Clark," she said. "Yeah, honey?" "I know this is reaching, but I have a theory. I've been thinking about it ever since Perry told me what Henderson said." "And?" "What if Steve Law's group is behind this?" "I suppose it's a possibility, but what makes you suspect them?" "Well..." Lois sat up. With a sigh, Clark reached over and turned on the light. "Look at the facts, Clark. It's got to be a pretty well-organized group. Dr. Klein told me that the toxin he found in your system had been specifically engineered to target the receptors, whatever they are, on your cells as well as the ones in an ordinary human. Whoever did it had to be working from a pretty exact blueprint of your physiology. At least that's what Dr. Klein told me. And the only place to get that, anymore, is from S.T.A.R. Labs. He thinks someone accessed their computer data on Superman--not the personal stuff; that's on his own computer, and the files are invisible--but the main files, like the ones Eric Press got that time. It probably was an inside job, so somebody at S.T.A.R. Labs is working with whoever these people are. Someone stole that van right out from under the collective noses of the police, too. Not to mention, I had Jimmy run a few inquiries on the people we know who might be capable of designing a poison like this, even though I didn't tell him why. Winslow Schott is working at a toy company in Gotham City. Did you know he and Miss Duffy got married? Anyway, he's accounted for. But Miranda Peterson--remember her?" "How could I forget?" "Yeah. Now it might just be a coincidence, but she hasn't reported to her parole officer in almost six months, and no one can find her. And then Steve Law gets brought to Metropolis for that so-called appeal two months ago, and is rescued by a very professional military operation..." Clark held up a hand, interrupting the patented Lane babble. "Okay, I agree, it's a possibility, but it could still be some foreign government." "Yeah, but Steve Law is just as likely and you know it." Clark frowned, obviously mulling over what she had said. "Yeah. But if that thing this morning was a trap for me it was pretty sloppy work. They'd have no idea if it worked or not." Lois nodded. "I know. I think that *was* an accident. I think they were transporting the gas and just plain had an accident. It does happen, you know. Maybe the accident caused the leak, or maybe the stuff started to leak and caused the accident. That's not important. In any case, I don't think it was planned. What does scare me, though, is that they were transporting it. That could mean that they're planning on attacks around the country. And if they get scared that someone is onto them it might make them think they have to speed up their timetable." "Not a pleasant thought," Clark said, slowly. "Here's something even worse," Lois said. "Dr. Klein says that he thinks the stuff you were exposed to was pretty diluted. Maybe it was meant just to be used as a demonstration of what these people can do. He told me he thinks that a couple of canisters of the straight toxin would kill half the city. Including Superman." ********************* Lois zipped CJ's little jacket tightly up and fastened the cap firmly under his chin. "Are you sure that you got everything he needs?" Clark nodded and smiled at her. "Mom and Dad have tons of baby stuff, Lois. I took his toy dinosaur along with his other toys and his books. All they need now is CJ." "Okay." Lois picked up the baby quilt which had been given to them by Lucy. "Make sure he's bundled up tightly, Clark. He's not invulnerable yet. I don't want him to get cold on the way." "Honey..." "And be sure to tell Martha that he needs two bedtime stories before he goes to bed. He likes..." "Considering I read them to him almost as often as you do, I think I can pass along the information." He put an arm around her and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "He'll be safer with Mom and Dad, honey. We'll bring him back just as soon as it's safe to do so. I promise." "I know." She bent to pick CJ up and had to swallow an unexpected lump in her throat as she hugged him, then wrapped him tightly in the quilt. Clark took CJ from her. "I'll be back as fast as I can, honey. I'll be stopping by S.T.A.R. Labs before I come into work, so make my excuses to Perry for me, would you?" "I will." She kissed both the males in her life and watched as Clark floated out the bedroom window, CJ clasped securely in his arms, hovered for an instant, then shot upward into the predawn sky. Slowly, Lois moved around, getting ready for work. She'd be getting up in half an hour anyway and with everything that had happened yesterday in the forefront of her mind she knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep. At least CJ was safe for now. ******************** When Jimmy Olsen walked into the newsroom of the Daily Planet that morning, carrying the obligatory box of doughnuts, Lois's voice was the first one he heard as he stepped off the elevator, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Jimmy!" "Just a minute, Lois." Boy! Talk about getting a jump on the day! He skated down the ramp at the risk of life and limb and dropped the box of doughnuts on the table near the coffee machine. When Lois spoke like that it was best not to keep her waiting. Although the sobriquet of Mad Dog Lane rarely applied to her these days, there were times when flashes of the intensely driven Lois Lane of old still made an appearance. As he arrived at her desk he noted that one of the members of the hottest team in town was missing. "How's CK this morning, Lois?" he asked. "He's okay, isn't he?" "Clark'll be in later," Lois told him. "He had a couple of things to finish before he came in. Jimmy, I want you to do some digging. It's important." "Sure. What do you need?" "I need you to research every laboratory supply company in Metropolis. You're looking for any place that has started ordering a lot of lab supplies that wasn't, before, or maybe that you wouldn't expect to be getting lots of lab supplies at all. I need the information as soon as you can find it. Say a time frame of the last six to eight months for starters. Can you do it?" Jimmy sighed. "I can try. I'm going to have to do some hacking." "Good. Get to it." "Sure. Uh...could I ask why?" Lois shook her head. "I'm doing an investigation and I need the information as fast as you can get it for me." "Does it have anything to do with what happened to CK, yesterday?" Lois sighed. "Jimmy, just do it, please. I don't have time to go into it right now." "Sure, Lois." Jimmy threw her a puzzled glance and moved to his own desk. This place was getting really strange, he reflected. First the thing with CK yesterday, when Dr. Klein had said he thought Clark had breathed too much gasoline fumes, then they'd carted him out, barely able to walk and mumbling something about Superman. Then, a few hours later Perry had called him into his office and told him he was going to send him to a special computer class--for three weeks--in some place called Mill Creek, Idaho, which Jimmy had never heard of and was so small that he couldn't even find it on a map. And then Lois had him doing those searches yesterday, and now this... The pattern was shaping up into something he didn't want to think about, but he'd never been able to ignore unpleasant things just because they were unpleasant. His father had taught him that, if nothing else. His mind wouldn't let it go, and the conclusions he was reaching scared him. Something dangerous was happening in Metropolis, and Perry was worried about him. Trust him to try to get Jimmy out of the danger zone. That must be why he'd heard his boss on the phone yesterday afternoon, telling Alice to pack her bags and go to visit her sister in the Midwest. And Lois and Clark were in on whatever it was, apparently trying to avert a catastrophe Well, James Olsen wasn't going to tuck his tail between his legs and run, either. Not when he could be of any help at all. As his fingers raced over the computer keyboard, setting up his search program, Jimmy firmly told his instinct for self preservation to take a hike. The first thing he had to do was talk to Lois. If he could stand up to her, what was a minor little thing like a threat to his life, after all? He hit the "enter" key, took a deep breath, deliberately stiffened the backs of his knees, walked over to Lois and prepared to stick his head in the lion's mouth. "Um...Lois, can we talk?" "Huh?" Lois glanced up from her computer screen. "I need to talk to you. In private." Lois frowned, started to say something and apparently changed her mind. "Okay, come into the conference room." ******************* "What you smelled in the van was probably the toxin," Dr. Klein was saying. "Would you recognize it again?" "I'm sure I would," Clark said. "But I'd rather not. If I got a whiff of the pure stuff it wouldn't matter that I recognized it, would it?" "Probably not." The scientist rubbed his head with one hand. "This is a heck of a situation, Clark." "I know." He glanced through the window of Dr. Klein's office at the other men in white coats moving purposefully about the laboratory. "I don't have to tell you not to talk about this, right?" Bernard Klein gave him a one-sided smile. "No. Inspector Henderson got hold of me last night, since Clark Kent seemed to have been exposed to the toxin, but I wouldn't have, anyway. And I *didn't* tell him that the stuff was designed to affect you. No one needs to know that but you." "Thanks," Clark said. He pushed his red cape back impatiently. "I feel guilty not telling people, but if it gets out and people panic we'll have another kind of disaster on our hands. We've just got to figure out a way to stop this before whoever is behind it can act." Klein nodded. "If there's anything I can do, just ask. Do you have any idea who it is?" Clark shrugged. "Henderson said the feds think it might be some foreign power. Lois thinks it's Steve Law's group--you remember the New Reich, I'm sure." "I'll take Lois's opinion," Dr. Klein said. "She's got this completely unscientific reasoning process that turns out right more often than not. I can't explain it, but I've seen it too often to argue." "Yeah, me too. Look, Dr. Klein, there *is* something you might be able to do to help me." Clark hesitated, then plunged ahead. "They know I was exposed to their weapon. They have to. But they don't know for sure if it affected me, and we can't let them find out. What kind of a defense would work against this stuff?" "You mean the gas?" Dr. Klein looked a little surprised. "An ordinary gas mask would do the trick. The difficulty is two-fold. One breath of the concentrated stuff--and it doesn't have to be all that concentrated--might be too much, and the other problem is even worse. How do you distribute three hundred million gas masks to the whole country in a couple of days? It can't be done." "I know. But..." Clark frowned. "Look, can you make something for me that will allow me to breathe in an atmosphere of the stuff without being affected? Not a gas mask. We don't want them to realize that it does affect me. It might make them more cautious if they think they haven't any way to take me out easily. Nose filters or something?" "Hmmm..." Dr. Klein looked pensive. Clark recognized the expression. Dr. Klein had been presented with a problem that challenged his ingenuity, and that was something he could never resist. "I think so. Filters do clog eventually, though." Suddenly his face lit up. "I've got it. Come back around four this afternoon. I'll have something better than a filter for you then." Clark nodded. "I'll be here. Tell me, what about your computers? Do you have any idea who might have accessed the Superman files?" Klein shook his head regretfully. "None. Those files are classified, and only three people knew the passwords necessary to access them. I've known the others since I came to work here and I trust them implicitly." "Is there anyone new to S.T.A.R. Labs with access to the computer?" "No one new, Clark. But someone got into it. I don't know who to trust anymore." The doctor looked unhappy. "I've deleted the files and now I have the only copies on my computer, but I'm afraid the damage is already done." Clark patted his shoulder. "We'll think of something. Don't blame yourself." He turned toward the door. "I'll be back at four o'clock." (to be continued in Part 4) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:55:56 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 4/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Countdown: Part 4 by Nan Smith No one, Lois thought, had ever been able to truthfully call Jimmy Olsen stupid. The young man had guessed most of the truth from the few clues at hand with uncanny accuracy. She listened in silence as he verbally laid out the scenario and wondered if she could get away with one of her notorious Lane rants. Maybe, but it wasn't going to fool him for a minute. "I'm right, aren't I?" Jimmy said. He was watching her closely. "That's what it is. Some kind of chemical attack by foreign agents or something. And you've been told to keep it quiet." He licked his lips nervously. "Okay, suppose--hypothetically, of course--that someone was planning an attack like that in Metropolis. Who might it be--hypothetically?" Lois couldn't restrain a faint grin. "Well--hypothetically speaking--" "Naturally." "Maybe a foreign country, or possibly Steve Law's New Reich. But don't talk about it." "It's all hypothetical, remember?" Jimmy said. "Besides, I'm not crazy. It they thought someone was onto them they might panic and jump the gun. Look, Lois, I'm about as close as you've got to a computer expert. What can I do to help? Tell me what to look for and I'll find it if it can be found." There was a knock on the conference room door and Clark's voice said, "Lois?" "In here, Clark." Lois went to unlock the door, and Clark entered. "That was fast." He shut the door behind him. "Dr. Klein took some time out especially for me. And Superman got me the LNN tapes. Hi, Jimmy." "Hi, CK. Are you feeling better today?" "Yeah, I'm fine. Perry said you're leaving this evening for a computer course?" "No, I'm not." Clark's eyebrows rose. Lois spoke up. "Jimmy knows about the situation, Clark. He figured it out by himself, and he wants to help." "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Jimmy," Clark said. "This is going to be pretty dangerous." "Yeah, I suppose it is," Jimmy agreed. "But it's no worse for me than anyone else. Everyone in Metropolis is potentially in danger. Look, CK, I know Perry and you guys are trying to protect me, but I'm a grown man, and I can be of help here. I know computers backwards and forwards. There must be something I can do." Clark had an arrested look on his face. "Maybe there is." "What? Just tell me and I'll do it if I can." "S.T.A.R. Labs?" Lois asked. Clark nodded. "Look, Jimmy, Dr. Klein tells me that someone broke into their computer and accessed his files on Superman. They think it was an inside job, probably someone who is involved in this thing. It could be anyone in the lab. Is there anything you can do to help us find out who did it?" Jimmy started to speak, stopped and frowned thoughtfully, while Lois waited, holding her breath. "Maybe." "What do you mean, ‘maybe'?" Clark asked. "Can you?" "Well--" Jimmy hesitated. "There's probably nothing I can do about what's already happened, but if Dr. Klein can give me access to the S.T.A.R. Labs computer, I might be able to catch the guy if he comes back. Maybe more than that." "What do you mean?" Lois asked.. "It all depends on *if* he comes back. If you guys can figure out what he wanted and give him a reason to go after the files again, I've got a way to trap him." "I'll get on the phone to Dr. Klein," Clark said. "At least he can be pretty sure Jimmy isn't his culprit." He stopped. "No, for all we know, they might be listening in on his phone calls. We better go over there in person. And remember, Jimmy, this is all on the Q.T. Officially, you don't know a thing." "Of course," Jimmy agreed, straight-faced. "It's all hypothetical, right, Lois? Let me get a couple of things I need, CK, and I'll be ready to go." "I'll tell Perry," Lois said. "Good luck." ********************* The videotape, Lois thought, was completely uninformative, at least to the ordinary human eye. She remembered it from the newscasts last night on TV. The green van could be seen, lying on its side on the parkway, with the bulk of the gasoline truck skewed across the asphalt beside it. Impatiently, Lois turned off the sound of the narrator's voice expressing horror about the gasoline leaking from the big vehicle and the danger of fire, and concentrated on the picture. The blur that was Superman crossed the picture and she could see his brightly colored costume as he sealed the gasoline leak, then proceeded to rip the door from the van in order to reach the occupants, but fine detail was missing. People, in complete disregard of anything resembling common sense, she thought, crowded tightly around the vehicle, trying to see what was happening and blocking any possible view of the license plate. She couldn't even tell the make of the van with the poor quality of the picture. The paramedics arrived, and she watched the rescue but even after the police and other emergency vehicles made their way onto the scene, and police officers shooed the spectators away, the plate was not visible. The angle of the camera was wrong. The second accident replayed, the copter zoomed in for a closer shot, and while the second rescue was filmed the tow truck appeared on the periphery of the scene. She shook her head. It was visible for barely an instant and was out of focus as well. Maybe Clark could make out more with his enhanced vision than she could, or maybe Jimmy could do some of his digital wizardry when he got back, but to her the videotape was a complete bust. ********************* Clark returned about two, after stopping the robbery of a jewelry store and breaking up a gang fight in Suicide Slum. Lois hung up the phone for what seemed like the hundredth time as he approached her desk. "I've been trying my usual sources, but no one has any idea what could have happened to the tow truck," she said. "Bobby Bigmouth is making inquiries, but he wasn't too hopeful. So, what's going on with Jimmy and Dr. Klein?" Clark shrugged and grinned slightly. "When I left, he and Jimmy were talking about decoy files and embedded programs," he said, his voice low. "Dr. Klein seemed pretty excited about something, though. He told me to try to think of some way to convince the bad guys that they need to look for more information. And Jimmy wanted to know if you still carry your pager." "I do." "I know. I gave him the number." Clark lowered his voice further. "If they think Superman didn't respond to the gas, that might be enough to convince them that they missed something. I've been careful to be seen out and about several times today, just going about my business..." "Yeah, I saw you. LNN was on the scene for the jewelry store hostage situation. You were pretty conspicuous. Was it really necessary to throw those guys into trash cans like that?" He grimaced. "Showy, huh? Yeah, I wanted to be sure it was reported." "Believe me, it was." "Anyway, if that doesn't work we'll have to think of some way to convince them there's more on the computer that they missed." "Or," Lois said thoughtfully, "what if there were some mistakes made when the data was entered into the computer? Maybe Dr. Klein could start a rumor in the lab that the assistant who put in the information got a bunch of the values wrong and is in trouble, and they're having to correct a lot of the stuff from the master copy. That would explain why Superman is so healthy today." "Master copy?" "Well," Lois said, "you know. The ‘master copy' that only Dr. Klein has. He could be really upset about the screw-up. You know how he babbles when he's mad. Do you think he can fake it?" Clark looked at her in awe. "I'm married to a genius. Of course I knew that, but every now and then you bring it to my attention again. Yeah, I think he can manage it. I suspect our Dr. Klein is a lot more talented than he lets on. I think Superman should pay a quick visit to S.T.A.R. Labs. The sooner we can get the rumor started, the better." "It helps to have a devious mind," Lois said, modestly. "When you get back, you can take a look at the videotape." "Did it show anything?" She shook her head. "The pictures are too fuzzy. Do you think you can see more?" "Maybe." Clark turned toward the ramp. "We'll find out right after I see Dr. Klein." ****************** Clark had been gone about twenty minutes when Perry hurried into the newsroom. "Turn on the monitors, quick!" Someone hurried to obey, and they came on in the middle of a newscaster speaking so fast that Lois had difficulty following his words. "...Apparent gas attack in four major cities of the United States. The releases were apparently simultaneous in a major department store in each city. People are down, the emergency services are unable to reach the victims due to terrified crowds fleeing the area..." "Oh, my God," Lois whispered. Perry's hand descended on her shoulder. "It's started," he said. Lois swallowed and closed her eyes, struggling to maintain a calm exterior. Clark was going to be in the middle of it. If only Dr. Klein had managed to supply him with his defense against the poison... She'd missed the next few words. Television cameras scanned the fleeing crowds in one of the cities. "...New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco," the announcer was saying. "Authorities report that Superman has just arrived in New York and is entering the contaminated area..." Clark was in the middle of it already. He had to be all right, she told herself. He simply had to be. He wouldn't do anything stupid. "E-mails have been received at the headquarters of every major news organization in the country claiming responsibility for this appalling act of savagery," the newscaster continued. "The group has declined to identify itself, but has warned that this is merely a demonstration of what could happen if its unstated demands are not met..." Lois couldn't bear to watch. She turned to look at Perry, who was watching the screen with the grimmest expression she had ever seen. Clark had to be all right, she repeated to herself. He had to be. (to be continued in Part 5) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 12:58:17 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 5/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Countdown Part 5 by Nan Smith Lois slammed the phone down hard enough to make her hand sting. "I can't get through. The lines are jammed," she said furiously. "Lois, take it easy," Perry said. "I'm sure Clark's all right. Didn't he go over to S.T.A.R. Labs awhile ago? He's probably still there." Lois bit her lip and nodded, looking away, and thus didn't see Perry's concerned expression. Clark had to be okay, she repeated to herself like a mantra. He had to be! "Look! Superman's cleared the gas!" someone shouted. Lois turned back, to see her husband emerging from the department store with a victim under each arm. Emergency vehicles were wending their slow way through panicked people. Men in gas masks were approaching the doors of the building as Superman took off in a blast of air that blew the hat off the announcer's head. Somehow, Clark seemed to be okay. Lois found her knees weak and sat down quite suddenly in her desk chair. ******************* The emergency continued on well into the night. Perry had reporters covering every possible source of news in the City but, after the initial alarm, most of the conduits of information slowed to a trickle. The situation was under control, and casualties had been surprisingly low. That was the message that was being given out. It was not until Clark returned in the early hours of the morning that Lois heard the whole story. "Dr. Klein says the stuff was the diluted form again," he told her. He was stripping off his Suit and Lois winced at the fatigue and depression in his voice. "Whoever they are, they apparently were going for a demonstration of what they could do. Trying to panic people. People were hallucinating, running full-fledged nightmares with their eyes wide open. They were just lucky that our mysterious group decided to be...merciful. I think that's how the e-mails phrased it." He laughed harshly, without humor. "That's not to say that some people didn't die, though." "I heard there had been some casualties," Lois said. He nodded. "Seven people in New York, four in Miami, nine in Los Angeles and five in San Francisco." It didn't surprise Lois that he would know. And he was probably blaming himself for each and every one. "They were mostly elderly. One man died of a heart attack. Two were trampled to death by panicked people. I couldn't save them, Lois." "Clark, it's nor *your* fault! It's the fault of the people who did this, whoever they are." He threw the Suit into the hamper and turned on the shower. "I know, but it doesn't help." "I was afraid for you," Lois said. "I didn't know if Dr. Klein had gotten your filters, or whatever they are, to you in time." "He did." Clark stepped into the shower. "You'll have to ask him what they are. He'd barely had time to hand them to me when I heard the emergency calls. He was saying something about catalytic converters, I think, but I didn't have much time to listen." "Aren't catalytic converters what they put in cars?" Lois asked. "Search me. He just said they were better than filters." Lois could hear the barely suppressed anger. "God, Lois, how can people *do* things like that to other people?" "Clark, these people are monsters, and between us we're going to stop them.. We have to." She bit her lip, knowing that the fact that he was simply standing under the water instead of taking his usual whirlwind shower was an indication of how upset he was. "I still think it's the New Reich. It fits the way they think, but the fact that you weren't affected may slow them down. They can't possibly believe that the stuff will harm you after seeing you in action tonight. They might not like to admit it, but they're scared of you." "I guess." The water cut off suddenly. "Hand me a towel, will you?" He emerged from the shower stall a moment later, drying his hair. "I don't know, Lois. They know if I can't find them I can't do much." "They'll have to come out eventually. They can't hide forever. Besides, maybe we *can* find them. I brought the videotape home, just in case you got back tonight." "You mean this morning. The sun will be up in an hour." He walked into the bedroom and started fishing in his dresser for clean clothing. "I want to talk to Jimmy. He can probably explain what I saw. I found the gas canisters, you know. They were hooked up to little notebook computers, stashed in the ventilation systems. I need to ask Jimmy about them." "Well, we can call him in awhile. I'm going to put in the videotape." He reached for a comb. "All right. I'll be there in a minute." Clark appeared in the living room in less than the promised minute, and the expression on his face made him look much more like Superman than Clark Kent. Clark, Lois deduced, was really angry, and to her it was a relief. That meant he was past the stage of blaming himself and into the stage of blaming the real bad guys. Too bad for them. "Got the tape?" he asked. "Right here." She pushed it into the VCR. "The tow truck only appears for a second and it's a bit out of focus." She could have visualized the whole sequence independent of the television screen by this time, she thought. She'd been watching it over and over since she got home a couple of hours ago, hoping to spot something on the short few minutes of tape that she could use. All right, so waiting for Clark's help was more sensible. It didn't feel right to be doing nothing when there was something like this happening. Clark leaned forward watching the screen with strict attention. "I can't see the license." "No. But watch the left side of the screen. The tow truck shows there just after the paramedic van goes over the side, but it's all out of focus." "Sh." The sequence unfolded again and the tow truck appeared. Clark froze the picture and picked up a pad and pencil. "I can just see a logo on the side." "What?" "Just a minute." His fingers began to move with blurring speed and when he had finished Lois almost laughed despite the gravity of the situation. It depicted a human toe with a pair of round, bulging eyes and sporting a cape with an "S" on the back. The "S" wasn't the same as Superman's, which must be how they avoided legal entanglements, but the meaning was clear. "There's a name, but I can't read it. It's too blurred even for me," he said. "Do you think you can find out which towing company has this logo?" "Can Superman fly? You bet I can!" He switched off the VCR. "Let's get some breakfast. We've got a busy day ahead of us." ********************* Jimmy Olsen found himself in a position he had not been in often--advisor to Superman. The super-hero was sitting in an office chair facing him, and describing what he had discovered in each of the locations where the gas had been released, while Lois perched on the edge of Clark's desk, simply listening. Jimmy frowned, trying to visualize the situation. "Well," he said, "my guess would be that they probably got a bunch of cheap notebook computers somewhere...they wouldn't even have to be very good ones. All they'd really need would be a half-way decent countdown clock. Their technicians most likely spliced them into the LAN system in the building, and when they were ready they just sent them a signal to start the countdown. That accounts for the split-second timing." "In other words, they were all triggered by a single computer somewhere," Superman said. "I'd guess they were," Jimmy said. "The guy that did it wouldn't even necessarily have to be anywhere nearby. You think this is connected to the break-in at S.T.A.R. Labs, Superman?" He nodded. "Dr. Klein told you they were trying to get information on the way my body works, didn't he?" "Yeah." He felt his eyes widen. "You mean they were trying to make a gas that would work on you, too?" He nodded again. "Obviously they failed, but..." "But we can use it to catch them," Jimmy filled in. "Well, after yesterday, they just might come back. It's all over the lab that Dr. Klein's assistant, Barbara, messed up the values for the Superman files." He grinned. "Dr. Klein substituted some really good phonies and I did the rest." "What did you do?" Superman asked. Jimmy couldn't help feeling a bit smug. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Well, if the guy gets into the phony files, two things will happen. It'll send an e-mail to Lois's, CK's and my computers, to let us know, and it will page Lois. I didn't have a chance to tell her that last night before all that stuff cut loose, but if she gets a page from Dr. Klein's office, it's the computer telling her that the guy took the bait." ""You can *do* that?" Lois said, unbelievingly. "Sure. It's not hard. But it gets better." Jimmy grinned. "I figured we needed some insurance. So there's another program hidden in the files. This is a hacker's trick that I learned about. I'd never have used it, but I figured that this time it was justified, considering what these guys were doing. When he copies the files he's going to pick up a virus at the same time. When he opens it, his computer will connect to mine and open a back door so I can take it over. Once he types his computer's password in after that, we're in."" "Jimmy," Lois said, sincerely, "that was a work of genius. If you can get into their computer you can probably find out..." "A lot," Jimmy said, calmly. "And if Superman or somebody can follow him when he leaves S.T.A.R. Labs..." "We might even find out where they're hiding out, if they're in Metropolis," Lois said. "Which they probably are. Villians never set up shop in Maui or Monte Carlo. It's always got to be Metropolis." "Well, we have some other evidence beyond that, this time." Superman's rare grin flashed. "I feel a lot better about our chances now, Jimmy. Thanks." After Superman had left, Lois turned to Jimmy with a sketch. "Jimmy, this is the logo of that tow truck that disappeared with the green van the other day. Can you track it down for me?" "No sweat. I'll have it for you in a few minutes." Perry entered the room. "Monitors, somebody!" "Not them again," Lois said. The monitors came on to the sound of martial music. Steve Law's face looked out of the screen at them. "The New Reich," Perry said. "This is on all the channels. Looks like you were right, Lois." "I'm sure you all recognize me," Law said. "I'm Steve Law, the leader of the New Reich. I'm not going to try to convince you of my concern for this country. I believe, and others like me believe, that America is on the wrong track. If no one else will take steps to correct its course, then we must. "We gave you a demonstration yesterday. Today, at the conclusion of this broadcast, there will be another one, to convince you of our seriousness, and of the inability of the authorities and of Superman to protect you. Then, we will ask the government of the United States to turn over all its authority to the representatives of the New Reich. You will have until eleven o'clock tonight to make your decision. "Today's demonstration will convince you of our effectiveness. This gas is of a higher potency than yesterday's. If our request is not granted by eleven o'clock tonight, the pure form will be released, with the potential of killing millions. "We don't enjoy this, but we must convince you of our seriousness. Think it over, America. Your fate is in your hands." (to be continued in Part 6) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 13:00:24 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 6 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Countdown Part 6 by Nan Smith "Dr. Klein, *will* this whatsit you gave Clark protect him from the stronger stuff?" Lois's voice was low, but that subtracted nothing from its intensity. "He's depending on it." "It should," Dr. Klein said, as quietly. "They're miniature catalytic converters designed to detoxify the gas." "I thought catalytic converters are what go into cars to handle the emissions," Lois said. She glanced out the window of his lab for the fourth time in as many minutes, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. The white-coated men and women were gathered around the lab's little television in one corner, listening to the news reports coming in. "Most people do." Dr. Klein smiled slightly. "That's a popular misconception. Catalytic converters are used for a lot of different things, Lois, and come in all sizes. Believe me, I'm as sure as I can be that he'll be safe." She took a deep breath and dropped into one of the padded chairs in the crowded little office. "We've got ten hours until the deadline. If we can't get a handle on this before then, I don't know what's going to happen. Superman can't stop them if he can't find them, and from what Jimmy said they've taken some precautions this time. Even if we find the places they plan to strike, we still won't have the culprits, because they'll probably be hundreds of miles away. They can just do it again and again." "Not necessarily," Dr. Klein said. "I wondered at first why they used a diluted form of the gas for their demonstrations, but I think I may have the answer. I doubt they were very concerned about their victims. It seemed to me that the more people they could kill, the more frightened everyone would be." "That makes sense," Lois said. "It wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts, that's for sure." "Exactly. There must be a reason. What if they're having trouble with supplies? How well do you know your history of World War Two, Lois?" "Well...it wasn't my favorite subject. I know the general things, of course..." "Well, here's something you might not know, then. At the end of World War Two, the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan were the only two in existence. If they hadn't ended the war, the Allies really didn't have anything to fall back on except conventional warfare methods. It wasn't exactly a bluff, but it was the next thing to it. This toxin isn't the easiest thing in the world to manufacture. My guess is that they have a limited supply of it. I doubt they're bluffing about releasing it if necessary, but my guess is that once they release the pure stuff they'll have little if any left. They may have only enough for one shot, and might be counting on the shock value to scare people into a surrender. And they may be relying on the threat to the citizenry to keep Superman in line after they're in power, until they can find a way to kill him--which would be much easier if they could operate openly rather than the way they have to right now. Of course it's only an educated guess, but..." "So if we can find where they've planted the gas canisters and destroy the gas then we'll have time to catch them before they can try again. Not that it's going to be easy to do that, either..." "That's my opinion," Bernard Klein said. "Of course, I'm only a lab geek." Lois stood up and surprised the scientist with a kiss on the cheek. "A very smart lab geek, Dr. Klein. Clark and I are lucky to have you for a friend. Can I try to make a call?" "Sure. Last time I tried the lines were jammed, though." "Thanks. I'll keep trying. I need to get hold of Jimmy." "Sure. We're closing up the lab early today, by the way. That's the policy when we're under threat of chemical attacks." Lois glanced at him, trying to determine whether he was joking or not, but finally decided it was part of the scientist's very unique brand of humor. Dr. Klein grinned at her and opened the door of his office. "I'll give you a little privacy. I've got some things to finish before we close up, anyhow." Much to Lois's surprise, Jimmy answered on the fourth try. "Daily Planet." "Jimmy? It's Lois. Do you have anything on that tow truck yet?" "Yeah, I do. It's the Super Towing Service over on Kingston Avenue. Also, my search program came up with something. About six months ago, a place called ‘Individual Scents', suddenly increased their orders for lab supplies to almost twice what they were receiving before. And get this. The address is on Kingston Avenue. It might not mean anything, but..." "It's a shot," Lois said. "I'll meet you at the Planet." "You want *me* to go with you?" Jimmy sounded surprised. "Well, yeah. I promised Clark I wouldn't go off on an investigation alone while I was pregnant. He's not here, so you're my next choice. Besides, you found this stuff, so it's only fair that you get to come along. We're just going to walk by. Nothing dangerous." ******************** "I left a note for CK on his desk," Jimmy said, as they exited the elevator on the first floor of the Planet, headed for the Jeep. "I figured it was better to let someone know where we were going. Just in case." "Good idea," Lois said. "I told you we're just going to walk by but I guess I should have left a message." "Well, yeah. If we've found their headquarters or something, you never know what can happen." Jimmy let Lois precede him through the revolving door. The sky was a uniform slate-grey this afternoon, and held a hint of moisture. The morning weather report had been missing, as all the news channels were devoted to covering the latest attack by the New Reich. Superman had been very evident in helping to evacuate victims and assist rescue workers, but the effects were widespread. And there had been more deaths. The President and his advisors were in conference, and numerous riots were being reported in major cities. The situation was rapidly reaching the crisis point, though Jimmy didn't really think the government would surrender so easily, but that meant that the next attack at eleven tonight would be the big one. They were running out of time. He glanced at the bumper to bumper traffic on the street as they emerged from the building. "I wondered why it took you an hour to get here. Now I know." "Yeah." Lois didn't glance at the traffic. "Everyone's trying to get out of the city. It's even worse now than it was half an hour ago. I'm not even going to try to drive in this, or we'll still be sitting here at eleven tonight. How do you feel about walking? It'll take us a couple of hours, but at least we'll get there." Jimmy glanced at her feet, noting for the first time that she was wearing jogging shoes. "I guess if you can, I can." "Good. Then let's go." They were approximately three quarters of the way to their goal when Lois's pager began to beep. She reached impatiently into the pocket of her coat and pulled it out. A glance at the number and she drew in her breath sharply. "Jimmy, it's S.T.A.R. Labs!" "Let me see." Jimmy took the little device, aware that he was holding his breath. "It's it," he said, quietly, trying to force his voice to sound calm. "He's taken the bait." "They're copying the files?" "Yeah. See if you can get hold of CK. He can tell Superman." "I'll try. Phone service is pretty iffy right now." Lois took out her cell phone and punched in a number. After a moment she shook her head. "It's ringing, but he isn't answering. Let me try something else..." "What?" She didn't answer. Instead she sucked in her breath and shouted at the top of her lungs. "Help! Superman!" "Do you think it will work?" She was looking up into the sky. "I don't see him, do you?" "No." "Help, Superman!" Still nothing. Jimmy sighed. "He must still be on the west coast. Last I saw he was in Bakersfield, helping to evacuate people. So, now what do we do?" "Well," Lois said, after a moment, "our hacker's going to need to take it back and load it into his computer, right? And in this traffic it's going to take time. Do you need to be at your computer when he does it?" Jimmy shook his head. "No. But we're going to miss our chance to catch him." Lois swore under her breath. "Well, it may not matter if you can get into the computer. Maybe we should just go on and see what we can see, and I'll keep trying to call Clark. Sooner or later he'll answer, I hope. If not, we'll just have to walk back. We should get there well before eleven." A snowflake drifted past her nose. "Oh, great. It's starting to snow." ****************** Kingston Avenue was as full of bumper to bumper traffic as the rest of the city. The sounds of blaring horns, the shouts of frustrated drivers and frightened passengers filled the air. People rode by on bicycles, bypassing the stalled cars. Here and there motorcyclists zipped past even on the sidewalks, presenting a danger to the pedestrians who had apparently decided that fleeing on foot was better than staying with a vehicle that was going nowhere. And the drifting flakes were becoming thicker. Frost was starting to stick on the sidewalk and to the roofs of the cars. Lois and Jimmy stayed close to the buildings, trying to avoid the worst of the hazards . The "Super Towing Service" lot appeared to be empty of tow trucks. The vehicles might have been appropriated by persons trying to leave the city, Jimmy thought, or they might be out dealing with the numerous accidents they had seen on their way here. However, the building appeared to be empty. The occupants all seemed to have fled. With fading hope, they approached the building for "Scents Unlimited". There was a light on in one of the rooms on the second floor. He could see that much. Lois led the way toward a side entrance and they paused in the shelter of the narrow overhang to take stock. "What now?" Jimmy asked. Lois glanced around. "We need to be sure, Jimmy. If this is the place, they could easily have stolen a tow truck from the Super Towing Service the other day. If it isn't, we need to get back to the Daily Planet." "Well, I could just go to the front door and knock," Jimmy suggested. "They probably wouldn't recognize me." As he spoke the door opened. A young man looked out at them. "Well, well," Steve Law said. "Miss Lane, I see you haven't given up your inquisitive ways. Why don't you and your friend come in?" ****************** "In here," Steve Law said. He gestured with his pistol. "Walk ahead of me." Lois followed Jimmy into a room which appeared to be an office. A woman sat behind a desk, peering intently into a computer screen. Her platinum hair was mussed and she was muttering to herself. As they entered, she looked up and Lois recognized her. Miranda Peterson had changed a good deal since she had seen her last. She looked older, and thinner. The vestiges of her former beauty remained, but that was all. No one would call her pretty, now. "Well?" Law said. "What have we got?" "The values are different. It's no wonder the first version didn't work," she said. "Once we get the supplies I can make the corrections." "That won't be long. When we're in power there will be no shortage of material." He glanced at Lois. "Your super-hero's days are numbered, Miss Lane." "Don't count on it," Jimmy said. "There's no way the government will cave in to you and your buddies." "You over-estimate their courage," Law said. "We *will* prevail. Make no mistake. The people of America don't know how to make hard choices any longer. And once we are in power we will make the decisions for them. America's short victory over my people will be past." "The Nazi dream died over fifty years ago," Jimmy said. "You guys are just a bunch of street thugs with big ideas." Law didn't answer. He gestured with his weapon again. "Sit over there. If you try to escape I'll simply kill you. If one of you manages to escape, I'll kill the other. Otherwise, I might let you live to witness my triumph." Lois eyed Miranda thoughtfully as she moved over to the chairs Law had indicated. From what the woman had said, Dr. Klein had been right. They must not have the supplies they needed to make more of the toxin. The only thing was, why hadn't they waited until they did? "What happened, Miranda?" she asked suddenly. "Why are you working for these losers?" Miranda didn't lift her eyes from the screen. Someone knocked on the door and Law said, "Come in." A short, slender man with a thick shock of grey hair entered the room and saluted Law. "We've finished, sir. The final reports have come in. The canisters are in place and ready for your order." "Very well." Steve Law gestured to the computer. "Take over. Start the countdown clocks." Lois squinted at the newcomer as Miranda moved aside and he took his place in front of the computer. He looked very familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. Surely she had seen him before, and recently. He leaned forward over the computer keyboard, then grimaced and removed his glasses. Carefully, he cleaned them on a tissue and replaced them, adjusting the position in which they rested on the bridge of his nose, and suddenly Lois knew him. She had seen this man frequently around S.T.A.R. Labs, though she didn't know his name, shuffling down the corridor, moving about the lab with the cart which held his cleaning supplies. "Well," she whispered to Jimmy, "we've found our hacker, I think. That's the custodian from S.T.A.R. Labs." Jimmy looked hard at the little man and slowly nodded. "You're right. I think his name is Jake." The grey-haired man glanced up at them, smiled pleasantly, and turned back to the computer. He touched the "enter" key then looked at Steve Law. "It's set, sir," he said, calmly. "The timer is counting down. We have..." He glanced at the screen. "Six hours and forty-nine minutes." (to be continued in Part 7) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 13:03:29 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: New Story: Countdown Part 7 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Countdown Part 7 by Nan Smith "Chief?" Perry jumped at the sound of Clark Kent's voice. He swiveled his chair around to see the young man standing in the doorway of his office. "Hi, son, what are you doing here this late?" Perry asked. He glanced around the empty office. He had told everyone else to leave early. If anyone survived after eleven o'clock the Daily Planet wouldn't need to tell them the news. "Do you know where Lois is?" he asked. "She's not at the house, and she doesn't answer her phone." Perry frowned and shook his head. "No. The last time I saw her, she and Jimmy left the office about two." "It's past ten now. I've been looking for her since I got in a little while ago, and the Jeep is parked down the street." Parry glanced at his watch. "Maybe she left a message." Clark lifted a skeptical eyebrow, but headed for his desk. Perry followed him. The notepad on Clark's desk had been moved so it sat prominently in front of his computer. The writing was in Jimmy's almost indecipherable scrawl. "Going with Lois to check out Super Towing Service on Kingston Ave. Back soon. Jimmy." "Oh, great. I better get over there and find out what happened, Chief." "Yeah. I'd hurry if I were you, son. The deadline's in..." he glanced at his watch, "...twenty-three minutes." "Right." Clark headed out of the office and, less than a second after the door to the stairwell closed behind him, Perry heard a sonic boom. He returned slowly to his desk and turned up the radio. Metropolis was eerily silent, Clark thought. The colored lights which came on automatically at sunset still flashed, blurred by the dancing flakes of snow, but the city was quiet. Somewhere he could hear a dog barking, and in the alleys and streets below an occasional cat fight was audible, but the usual babble of human voices was missing. In the distance he could see the ribbons of the parkways, brilliant with the headlights of unmoving cars and the occasional red and blue flashing lights of emergency vehicles, but the streets of the city were empty. Kingston Avenue was as quiet. Snow gleamed luminously in the light of the street lamps, undisturbed for some time now by the passage of feet and vehicles, and the tiny, glittering flakes sifted down endlessly. He scanned the buildings below him, looking for the Super Towing Service. The lot was empty and the business was dark. He searched it with his x-ray vision, looking for signs of life, but found nothing. Another dead end. Where *was* she? He started to turn, to retrace his flight to the Daily Planet, but something made him pause. Whatever tie it was that bound him to Lois was tugging at him, telling him that she was present, and not far away. Hovering in the air, he closed his eyes to aid his concentration and listened, tuning his ears to her heartbeat, a sound that he would recognize among a thousand others. And it was close. It was to his left, and not at ground level. He directed his x-ray vision at the building which held that heartbeat, and on the second floor he saw her. She and Jimmy were sitting in chairs, their wrists tied to the arms. Several men and one woman moved around the room, talking in low voices. A computer sat on a desk before them, and on its screen a clock was counting down. Steve Law stood watching it, and he was smiling. The window smashed as Superman came through it like a bullet. A few seconds later Steve Law and his assistants were tied with their own belts, and Lois and Jimmy were free. Superman moved to the computer. "Jimmy, how can we stop the countdown?" "You'll never make it." Law's face twisted into a sneer of triumph. "The only way to stop the gas release is with that computer, and only two persons know the password. You'll never find it in time. There's six minutes left." "If you can get me to my computer fast, Superman, I can stop it," Jimmy said. Superman turned to him. "You can?" He nodded. "Let's go. I'll explain it on the way." Superman thrust Steve Law's pistol into Lois's hands. "Can you watch them until I get back?" His wife nodded and he thought he had never seen her look so determined. "You bet I can. Go!" ******************* Perry White looked up as Superman and Jimmy Olsen burst from the stairwell door and raced over to the young photographer's desk. Jimmy flung himself into his chair and his hands flew across the keyboard. He was talking so fast Perry almost couldn't follow the words as he hurried across the newsroom toward them. "They took the bait this afternoon, but we weren't here. Law picked us up a little later. He and Miranda had already fed the information into the computer. I even saw them type the password in, but I couldn't see what it was. But it's all in here. I'm pulling up the password files that will let me control the remote computers that trigger the release of the gas. Ah hah! There you are..." He fell silent, concentrating on typing in the instructions without errors. Perry glanced at his watch then looked up to meet Superman's dark eyes. He had to forcibly restrain himself from speaking, urging Jimmy to greater speed. Forty-five seconds and counting. The second hand moved inexorably toward zero as he watched, and he held his breath. Jimmy hit the "enter" key and exhaled in a huge sigh. "Done!" Perry literally felt his knees go weak and was aware of Superman lowering him into a chair. "Mr. White?" "I'm all right." Perry took a deep breath and gave the Man of Steel a shaky grin. "That's as close as I ever want to come to Armageddon, though." "Me, too," Superman said. He closed his eyes briefly. "Me, too. Good work, Jimmy." ******************* "Coffee, Dr. Klein?" Lois asked. The scientist shook his head. "Never touch the stuff. If you have tea..." Clark grinned. "A man after my own heart. I'll get it." He stood up and headed for the kitchen. "Superman drinks tea?" Dr. Klein asked, raising his eyebrows at Lois. She nodded. "His mom's a tea drinker. He likes coffee, too, though, only not the way I do. He prefers a little coffee with his cream, sugar and chocolate." Klein chuckled. "I guess he can get away with it." He glanced at his own middle. "It's all I can do to keep what waistline I have left." Lois smiled in sympathy. "That's all right, Dr. Klein. We like you the way you are." "So does Carolyn," Dr. Klein said. "And you've called me Dr. Klein for a long time now, Lois. How about you and Clark making it Bernie? That's what my friends call me." "All right...Bernie.." She glanced around as Clark re-entered the room with the teapot in his hands. "Here you go," Clark said. "Is oolong all right?" "Fine," Dr. Klein said. He accepted a cup and stirred in half a teaspoon of sugar. "So, you were going to fill me in on how things turned out. I'm sure not everything appeared in the paper." "True, but most of it did," Clark said. "Jimmy's the hero of the day and he's dodging paparazzi as we speak." Klein grinned. "The price of fame." "Yeah. Well, Jimmy found the general locations of the gas canisters listed on the computer and I tracked them down and disposed of them in space. I figured you'd want to know about that." "I did. What did you tell the feds?" "Just what I told you. They weren't very happy about it, but there wasn't a lot they could do. It turns out you were right about the quantity the New Reich had on hand, by the way. They *were* having supply problems. Some of the ingredients for their gas were controlled substances and the DEA was after their suppliers, even though they didn't realize who they were chasing." He took a sip of his own tea. "Then the car accident precipitated things. They were afraid their operation was blown." Dr. Klein nodded. "I see. I guess we can be grateful for small favors." "Yeah," Clark said. "If we hadn't been warned, things could have turned out a lot worse." "I have a question for you, Dr. Klein," Lois said. "I've been wondering about something. Why did the toxin affect Clark differently than the other victims? His symptoms were a bit different..." She glanced at Clark, who met her eyes and grinned sheepishly. "Huh?" Dr. Klein looked surprised. "Oh, didn't I mention that?" "No," Lois said. "Well, it had to do with trying to engineer it to affect a Kryptonian along with humans," Dr. Klein explained. "Clark's biology is, to put it simply, different. It hit him like a dose of cocaine hits a human. First there's a rush of well-being, euphoria..." "Yeah," Clark said, thoughtfully. "I *was* feeling pretty ‘up'--" "In more ways than one," Lois murmured softly, but apparently Dr. Klein heard, because he turned pink and all at once became very interested in his teacup. "And then he crashed suddenly," Lois added. "Ahem, yes," Dr. Klein said. "Again like a dose of cocaine--only, of course, faster." "I guess that makes sense," Clark said. "Well, at least it explains a lot," Lois amended. "And, of course, they think it didn't work." "Yes, but the Superman files were on the computer," Dr. Klein said. "What about them? I find I really don't like the idea of the government having that much information about Superman." "They don't," Clark said. "I explained that to Jimmy and he did a complete wipe of all the original Superman files. All they have are the false ones." "Ah," Dr. Klein said. "Excellent." He grimaced. "The thought that Jake was a spy all along..." "Yeah," Clark said. "But it turned out that one of the Federal agents that was giving Henderson a hard time, and the custodian at MPD Headquarters were Law's men, too, so don't feel too bad. He had men in a lot of strategic places. Jimmy was able to supply the FBI with a list of their people's names and addresses, so hopefully they'll pick up most of them." "And the chemist? This Miranda Peterson? How did she get involved?" Lois shook her head. "That is one messed up woman. Did you know she's still in love with Lex Luthor? She blamed Superman for his death and the Reich offered her a chance to get even. Then, when she realized how deep she was getting in, she wanted to back out and couldn't. When the police showed up at ‘Scents Unlimited' she started talking her head off--I think she was actually relieved to be caught." Klein drained his cup. "It's too bad. The woman is brilliant. It's a shame she wasted her talents the way she did." "Yeah, it is," Lois said, "but she chose to do it. No one forced her. Remind me to tell you about the first time we met her. She tried to dump me into a vat of boiling chemicals and turn Metropolis into a brothel." Dr. Klein's eyebrows rose. "Really?" "Not exactly a brothel, Lois," Clark protested mildly. "Close enough," Lois said. "Besides, what would you call it? Remember the dance of the seven veils?" Clark laughed. "Point taken. Would you like some more tea, Dr. Klein?" The scientist glanced at his watch. "No, thanks. I'm meeting Carolyn in a couple of hours. We're having a celebratory dinner at Antonio's this evening. Thanks for recommending it, by the way, Clark. Carolyn loves it." "Glad to help," Clark said. When Dr. Klein had gone, Lois looked at her husband. "So, why are you looking worried?" "I'm not worried." "Clark, since when did you start thinking you can fool me?" He smiled fractionally. "I'm not really worried. Concerned, maybe." "About what?" "Everything that happened in the last few days. Law and his group failed this time, but they'll keep trying. We can't possibly catch them all." "If they do," Lois said, "then we'll be here to stop them. I don't know who said it, but somebody once said that all that's necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. As long as people like you and Jimmy--" "--And you--" She smiled a little. "As long as someone is willing to fight back, evil can't win, at least in the long run. That only happens when people give up." "You're saying that we can't give up, either." "Exactly." She put her arms around his neck. "Now, what are we going to do with the two days off that Perry gave us? I believe we have a little boy waiting for us to come and get him. And your mom and dad are expecting us for dinner." He grinned, suddenly feeling much better. "Well, let me make a small change of clothing and grab the overnight bag and we'll go. Unless you'd like to take a little time here, first..." The phone began to ring and they waited for the answering machine to take the call. They had been avoiding phone calls from other papers since yesterday. "Lois," her mother's voice said, "I've been trying to get hold of you since this morning. If you get this message, I wanted to let you know that I'm coming to stay with you for the next two days. My landlord is going to be fumigating my apartment..." Clark moved, whipping the air inside the townhouse into a miniature hurricane; then he was standing before her clad in the Suit and holding the overnight bag which he had fetched from upstairs. "Ready to go?" "Absolutely." She jumped into his arms, giggling. He felt his own lips twitch in response. "What?" "I was just thinking. You can face down the New Reich, but when my mother threatens to come for a visit you panic." Clark grinned. "Honey, even Superman knows when he's met his match. Superman Express is now leaving Metropolis. Next stop: Kansas." Lois was still giggling as they took off. The End ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 16:11:27 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kate Crane Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Erin, Are all of these stories on the archive? Is there some nice place where there are links to all the stories again? Kate ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 13:38:34 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Tull Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Holy Ink Cartridges Ficman! Definitely going to be burning the little printer gears tonight! This is so cool! Definitely putting 7 days of Superman on hold until after the voting is done. (But don't worry, my wife is trying to make time for me to work on it. I finished a 'whole' 5 paragaphs last night while she was at her LLLI meeting last night.) James ===== Mr. D8a - Colossians 3:2 - Set your minds on things above not on earthly things. The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but... Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:35:12 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I really hadn't expected to be nominated this year. Thank you very much--it's an honour. :) And Erin, Kathy, and Pam, and all those who are helping you, mega thanks for your efforts. Carol ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 17:10:26 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: sharper Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I just wanted to say how much I appreciate being nominated for the Best Overall Fic. In a year that saw so many wonderful stories by so many talented writers, I never expected a nomination outside the S6 category. However the voting turns out, it's an honor to be nominated from all the truly excellent stories that were written last year. Thank you, Sheila Harper ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:18:51 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! We've seen the nominations and we're stunned!!! We'd like to thank everyone who nominated us *very* much - we're very, very honoured. And the best of luck to all the nominees! We'll certainly be having a very tough time deciding how to vote, given the very high quality of all the nominated stories. Thank you all very, very much! WendyR, YvonneC, ChrisC and JenniD, reporting in from Crewe. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:16:57 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Correction to "Countdown" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Just wanted to note, there is a minor error in the story in Paart 6. The name of the Perfume company is Scents Unlimited. In one place when Jimmy tells Lois about it he calls it Individual Scents. You can correct the error manually unless you want me to resend the entire of part 6. Nan ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:24:17 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I just wanted to say a big thank you to those who nominated my stories. I'm thrilled beyond words and grateful beyond belief. Thank you so much. I'm very touched. Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com ===== Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:26:15 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:59 AM 02/25/2000 -0700, you wrote: >Hi everyone! > >I apologize to those of you who get this twice since I'm sending it to both >Lois & Clark lists, but I wanted to let everyone know who the 2000 Kerth >nominees are! :) [Megasnip] >*BEST ELSEWORLD: >Alternate Beginnings by Chris H. >Heartache Tonight by German L&C Team >Just Like That/Being Lois Lane by Pam Jernigan >My Journal by Debby Stark >Strange Visitor From the Congo by Wendy Richards >Timeless by Becky Bain Thank you for the nomination :) Debby debby@swcp.com from Daniel Quinn's "Providence" Let me give you a quote, the best thing ever written for writers, or for artists of ay kind. It comes from Andre Gide, and I give it to all my writing students: What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it, written as well as you, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself--and thus make yourself indepensible For a writer, telling the truth is the struggle Telling lies is easy. -- Daniel Quinn, Author Ishmael, Story of B, and more... scary yet fantastically enlightening... ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:40:54 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Becky Bain Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Congratulations to all the fine writers who were nominated! I have to say, I'm surprised and not a little bit humbled to find myself in company with such FoLCs as Wendy, Yvonne, Carol Malo, LabRat, Irene, Debby, Nan, etc., etc. Wow. And kewl. Becky rbain@uswest.net The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 21:43:18 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 02/25/2000 9:24:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << I just wanted to say a big thank you to those who nominated my stories. I'm thrilled beyond words and grateful beyond belief. Thank you so much. I'm very touched. >> Well you deserve it! --Laurie (proud to say she nominated Irene in more than one category) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 21:44:38 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tank Wilson Subject: Kerth Nominations MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit As one of the new kids on the block I'd like to thank all the gentle FoLCs out there who thought that some of my work was worthy of recognition. Looking over the list of nominees I think one of best compliments to me is just the company I get to keep on that list. Tank (who is amazed that his name appears at all let alone more than once) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:51:06 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Judith Williams Subject: Kerth Nominees MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Congrats to all the talented writers nominated for Kerths. We've nothing but rain predicted for the next 7 days. Who cares? I have a ton of fascinating reading to do. Jude ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 22:42:46 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: kubitc Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I just want to join the other writers in saying a big thank you for nominating one of my stories for the Kerths. I was reading down the list of nominees, searching for the stories I'd nominated, when I saw my name. I am astounded, honored, and excited to be nominated. Thank you for placing me in the company of so many other talented writers :) Christy kubitc@kenyon.edu * * * * * * * * * * "Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 01:24:05 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Lara Blasingame Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! I am a newbie fanfic writer and this is my first nomination. I am so honored to be in the same category as Chris Carr, Chris Mulder, Erin Klinger, and Zoomway. I am truly honored to be nominated along side such talented ladies.Thank you so much! Congrats to all the nominees. It is going to be too hard to choose just one winner! Can we have a tie in all the categories? Lara ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 07:59:42 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Petra Steudle Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks very much to everyone who nominated us! We're very honoured and exited to find our names on the list along with those great fanfic writers. It left us stunned and speechless. Congratulations to all the nominees and good luck to everyone for the final voting. Petra aka KiwiPit on IRC (for the German L&C Fanfic Team) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 09:40:06 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Rich & Dawn Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi FoLCs! > *BEST KRYPTON/NEW KRYPTON STORY: > Come Back to Me by Allison Forbes > Love Disabled by Tank Wilson > Power to Forgive by Sharon Gilbert > Universal Union by Jenni Debbage > What if I Never Left Krypton by Dawn Field Wow! Thank you! I'm very touched. And I echo what others have said about being included with the quality of writing this year. That is quite an honor! This story is very special to me as it was the first one I posted. And it lead to the development of some wonderful friendships and a fun hobby. Thank you!!! Dawn ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 09:11:32 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Computer hijinks MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, everyone: Just a note to say that I'm thrilled to have received even one Kerth nomination, much less two. I think I'm still in shock over it. Thanks to everyone who nominated my stories. I still can't quite believe it. On a more serious note, I installed a new browser on my computer night before last and have been wishing ever since that I hadn't, but until I can convince my hubby to work up the nerve to remove it, I'm stuck with its hijinks, and believe me, there have been plenty. Among the more annoying ones, it blitzed some of my e-mail yesterday morning before I got it under partial control. I got some of it back from the list archive, but if anyone sent me anything directly and didn't get an answer back, it might be among the lost stuff, and you might consider re-sending it. Thanks, Nan ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 18:47:33 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: Combo: Feedback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Okay guys, there's no other way for me anymore. There're so many stories out there, they're all wonderful, I love them all and they all deserve feedback, but if I want to read them, I don't have the time to comment on them anymore. So I hope all writers from the ongoing stories at the MB's are here on this list, too and I'll try to do it as a combo post: 1. Irene and Wendy: I was hooked by "Strange visitor revisited". Loved it! 2. I'm impatiently waiting for every new installment of "So strong a foundation" and was delighted to find out what you had in mind with Conor's son, Wendy! And I'm so happy that there will be a Superman in the third generation after all. Realistically it's Clark's ethics that are important, I *know*, but... okay, I want him to fly, too! 3. Chris, I'm visiting the boards at least twice a day to look for a new post of "Learning curves". I love the story! 4. Carol: "Connections" is *so* wonderful! I can't wait to read more! 5. Erin: Don't think we forgot about "The Darkest Hour". I'm impatiently waiting, but I don't want you to get your baby early just because we are such a greedy audience. So don't overdo it, we'll yell, but we'll manage. To all of you: You are amazing! Nicole -- AKA CKgroupie on IRC NKWolke@eifel-net.net Are you always searching for news about Dean Cain? And don't you have the time to go and find them? Here's your solution: Go to "The Dean Cain News Page" http://members.tripod.de/Ckgroupie/ ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 13:10:02 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Margaret Brignell Subject: Kerth Nominations Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >*BEST ALTERNATE UNIVERSE STORY: >Big Boys Do Fly/Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounter/Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn > Between Two Worlds by Wendy Richards >Fear of Discovery/Fear of Discovery II: Nowhere to Hide by Yvonne Connell >Life in a Different World/Life in a Different World, part 2: The Reluctant > Superman by Mobile Richard >The Mirror Crack’d by Hazel >Only You: Reality by Margaret Brignell Thank you to everyone who nominated me! I wasn't expecting to get another nomination this year...but I'm not complaining A great deal of the credit for the story goes to my proofers (Laurie F., Peace, Debby S., Lynda L., Lauren W., APP, and Hazel) Without their help, guidance, critiques and support the story wouldn't be anywhere near Kerth material. Thanks to one and all:) Margaret ****************************** Margaret Brignell brignell@sympatico.ca Ottawa, Canada %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% My fanfic now available at: http://www3.sympatico.ca/brignell/ ****************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 13:11:19 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Brenda Arendt Subject: 2000 Kerth nominees MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I wanted to add my congratulations to all the nominees and to wish you good luck. I also want to thank you for hours and hours of great reading!!!! You amaze me. Brenda ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 16:01:21 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Susan VanCott Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > *BEST WAFFY STORY: > The Best Bargain/Counting the Ways by Chris Carr > Blanket Friends by Susan VanCott > La Recherche Du Dayzs Perdu by Menolly > Through the Years by Erin Klingler > A True Partnership by Kathy Brown What an honor! My heart's still pounding like I've been jumped by Freddy Kreuger in a dark alley. Thanks to everyone who nominated me! Good luck to the other nominees! Peace, love, and Superman, ~~>Susan<~~ "Get your own damn coffee!!"-- Lois :) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 13:33:29 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: Combo: Feedback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii --- Nicole Wolke wrote: > Okay guys, there's no other way for me anymore. > There're so many stories > out there, they're all wonderful, I love them all > and they all deserve > feedback, but if I want to read them, I don't have > the time to comment > on them anymore. So I hope all writers from the > ongoing stories at the > MB's are here on this list, too and I'll try to do > it as a combo post: > > 1. Irene and Wendy: I was hooked by "Strange visitor > revisited". Loved > it! > Thanks, Nicole. We're glad that you enjoyed it. Irene ===== Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 21:54:58 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Oddball fanfic question :) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I don't know if anyone here will know this, but I figure it's worth a shot -- we have a lot of odd knowledge on this list :) Does anyone here have any idea how long a cargo ship might take to get from Metropolis to the East coast of Africa?? A day, a week, a month? This actually will pertain to a fanfic I'm trying to construct my A-plot... Oh, and what are dock workers called? I mean the guys who move the crates of cargo from the dock to the ships... Stevedores? Thanks, guys :) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 19:17:25 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I don't know the answer to your first question, Pam, but isn't the job of moving cargo, etc. done by longshoremen? I'm not sure; I could be quite out to lunch on that, but for some reason, it rings a bell. Irene --- Pam Jernigan wrote: > I don't know if anyone here will know this, but I > figure it's worth a > shot -- we have a lot of odd knowledge on this list > :) > > Does anyone here have any idea how long a cargo ship > might take to get > from Metropolis to the East coast of Africa?? A > day, a week, a month? > This actually will pertain to a fanfic I'm > trying to construct my > A-plot... > > Oh, and what are dock workers called? I mean the > guys who move the > crates of cargo from the dock to the ships... > Stevedores? > > Thanks, guys :) > -- > ------------------------------------------------------- > Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net > ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM > ------------------------------------------------------- > "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" > "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a > creak" > "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." > "No creak?" "No creak at all..." > _Dead Lois Walking_ > ------------------------------------------------------- > http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam > ===== Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 20:24:14 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) In-Reply-To: <38B89202.43090D03@bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam asked: >Does anyone here have any idea how long a cargo ship might take to get >from Metropolis to the East coast of Africa?? A day, a week, a month? >This actually will pertain to a fanfic I'm trying to construct my >A-plot... I don't know about all cargo ships, but my brother lived in East Africa (Uganda, to be exact) for two years not so long ago, and care packages that we shipped him by boat took approx. 2-3 weeks to reach him. Sometimes a month. But shipping him a box of heavy Christmas presents was definitely cheaper that long route rather than airmail. Now that just may be slow post office boats , but if no one else has a definite answer, you wouldn't be crazy to say it took a couple of weeks. ;) Erin :) __________________ erink@ida.net Visit my LNC/Kerth Website: www.ida.net/users/davek ***** "It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." __________________ ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 22:35:04 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wow, not only do I get answers, but I get them within an hour... this list is amazing Thank you Irene & Erin, your help is very much appreciated :) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 22:00:12 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Dockingbay@msn.com" Organization: Microsoft Corporation Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) Pam, Finally a way I can be useful to someone who has given me so much enjoyment. The dock workers are known as longshoremen and the time for the cargo ship will range between 2 to 3 weeks to the east coast of Africa. That time frame would be dependent on what other port of calls that particular ship would make. My company ships its manufactured product in ship board containers, also known as piggy backs because they can be lifted off the ship and immediately placed on trucks for delivery. The time consumption problem with shipping anything from the US to other ports is not the actual ship board time, but the amount expended at customs after it arrives. Catherine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Erin Klingler" To: Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2000 9:24 PM Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) > Pam asked: > >Does anyone here have any idea how long a cargo ship might take to get > >from Metropolis to the East coast of Africa?? A day, a week, a month? > >This actually will pertain to a fanfic I'm trying to construct my > >A-plot... > > I don't know about all cargo ships, but my brother lived in East Africa > (Uganda, to be exact) for two years not so long ago, and care packages that we > shipped him by boat took approx. 2-3 weeks to reach him. Sometimes a month. > But shipping him a box of heavy Christmas presents was definitely cheaper that > long route rather than airmail. Now that just may be slow post office > boats , but if no one else has a definite answer, you wouldn't be crazy to > say it took a couple of weeks. ;) > > Erin :) > __________________ > erink@ida.net > Visit my LNC/Kerth Website: www.ida.net/users/davek > ***** > "It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." > __________________ > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 23:35:46 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thank you, Catherine! that's very useful information... and I'm glad you've enjoyed my stories, that's why I write them :) The story I'm working on now, btw, is in very early stages yet, so don't expect to see it anytime soon... with one thing and another I probably won't have much good writing time until after my son starts preschool in April... I hate having a creative urge but no time to express it! Still, now I can be working on it in my head... "Dockingbay@msn.com" wrote: > > Pam, > Finally a way I can be useful to someone who has given me so much enjoyment. > The dock workers are known as longshoremen and the time for the cargo ship > will range between 2 to 3 weeks to the east coast of Africa. That time > frame would be dependent on what other port of calls that particular ship > would make. My company ships its manufactured product in ship board > containers, also known as piggy backs because they can be lifted off the > ship and immediately placed on trucks for delivery. The time consumption > problem with shipping anything from the US to other ports is not the actual > ship board time, but the amount expended at customs after it arrives. > Catherine -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ChPam on AOL IM ------------------------------------------------------- "Was that a creak?" "Was what a creak?" "Thought I heard a creak." "I didn't hear a creak" "Could swear I heard a creak." "Wasn't a creak." "No creak?" "No creak at all..." _Dead Lois Walking_ ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 01:50:10 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To quote Lois, I am stunned, shocked, and in need of oxygen. :) :) Wow. Being nominated in more than one category, and in such august company, was the biggest honor I could have hoped to receive -- certainly more than I dreamed! Thanks so much to all of you -- the FoLCs who nominated my story, the FoLCs who encouraged me while I wrote it, and all the FoLCs who read it. I think this silly grin is stuck on my face for a long time to come! Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 11:16:49 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20000227084847.00902720@actcom.co.il> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Guess I should join the chorus of thanks for those people who were misgui-- er, _kind_ enough to nominate The Finale That Nearly Ate Bristol for not one, but _two_ Kerths! So, thanx to you all, and wasn't it a great year for fanfic! Makes getting on the ballot even more of an honour. I have to admit to a certain amusement at having my stories nominated in the "Best Villain Story" category, because, after a certain person who shall remain nameless (hint: _9_ nominations!) gave me a "cameo" in one of her works, at least one FoLC threaten-- er, _promised_ to nominate _me_ as Best Villain! But there isn't such a category... B-( Phil, still quietly devising my revenge... ------------------------------------------------------------ "I think... I think I am! | I think _I_ am: Therefore I am... I think?" | Phil Atcliffe -- The Moody Blues | (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 09:08:37 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Elisabeth A. Tull" Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) On Sat, 26 Feb 2000 22:00:12 -0600, Dockingbay@msn.com wrote: >The dock workers are known as longshoremen... Hey Dockingbay, Don't dock workers sometime refer to themselves as 'Wharf rats?' I remember hearing/reading that some place. James who can hear Lois now... "Get your hands off me you...you... WHARF RAT!" ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 14:28:50 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Sun, 27 Feb 2000 09:08:37 -0500 "Elisabeth A. Tull" wrote: > On Sat, 26 Feb 2000 22:00:12 -0600, Dockingbay@msn.com > wrote: >> The dock workers are known as longshoremen... > Don't dock workers sometime refer to themselves as 'Wharf rats?' I remember hearing/reading that someplace. < A.k.a. "dock rats", or, less colloquilally, "dockers". > James who can hear Lois now... > "Get your hands off me, you... you... WHARF RAT!" Phil, who remembers some nasty satire about the Painters and Dockers Union and the AMA... ------------------------------------------------------------ Gravity is a Downer... So let's go flying! -- so sayeth Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 10:38:36 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Kerth 2000 Nominees! On Sun, 27 Feb 2000 11:16:49 +0000, Phillip Atcliffe wrote: >I have to admit to a certain amusement at having my stories nominated in >the "Best Villain Story" category, because, after a certain person who >shall remain nameless (hint: _9_ nominations!) gave me a "cameo" in >one of her works, at least one FoLC threaten-- er, _promised_ to >nominate _me_ as Best Villain! But there isn't such a category... >B-( > >Phil, still quietly devising my revenge... And this nameless individual is emerging from said anonymity to point out that Phil's immortalisation in fanfic is shortly to appear in an even more permament incarnation on the Archive. And while Phil may or may not be plotting his revenge, he was actually - very kindly - complicit in his own 'downfall' by editing 'Wit's End' for the Archive. So thanks, Mad Professor Atcliffe! Wendy (still stunned, and trying to work out who to vote for. But I have worked out that one advantage of being nominated is that the decision in those categories is made easier - only five to choose from instead of six!) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 10:48:15 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Dockingbay@msn.com" Organization: Microsoft Corporation Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) James, I've never actually heard them refer to themselves that way, but, knowing quite a few, I wouldn't be surprised and it actually fits! - Good line. Catherine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Elisabeth A. Tull" To: Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2000 8:08 AM Subject: Re: Oddball fanfic question :) > On Sat, 26 Feb 2000 22:00:12 -0600, Dockingbay@msn.com > wrote: > > >The dock workers are known as longshoremen... > > Hey Dockingbay, > Don't dock workers sometime refer to themselves as 'Wharf rats?' > > I remember hearing/reading that some place. > > James who can hear Lois now... > > "Get your hands off me you...you... WHARF RAT!" > ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 15:01:20 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: "Violent" stories (was Calling Erin, Again) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Debby wrote, about "Darkest Hour": >Wow, I haven't started reading the story yet! I'm glad you didn't put >SPOILERS!!! in the subject line or I wouldn't know how violent the story is! >I'll just pack it away and read the whole thing when I'm in the mood for that >kind of thing... Now Debby ... I seem to remember "Carry Tiger to the Mountain" had some descriptions some might consider violent. I seem to remember Clark being beaten senseless, his arm being broken, intense suffering. Yet I would not describe that story as a "violent" story. Don't jump to conclusions based on this lack of spoiler warnings. ;) Kathy -- ______________________ Kathy Brown kathybrown91@home.com kathyb@lcfanfic.com KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 16:39:24 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genine Murray Subject: Re: "Violent" stories (was Calling Erin, Again) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 2/27/00 4:01:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, KathyBrown91@HOME.COM writes: > Debby wrote, about "Darkest Hour": > > >Wow, I haven't started reading the story yet! I'm glad you didn't put > >SPOILERS!!! in the subject line or I wouldn't know how violent the story is! > > >I'll just pack it away and read the whole thing when I'm in the mood for > that > >kind of thing... > > Now Debby ... I seem to remember "Carry Tiger to the Mountain" had > some descriptions some might consider violent. I seem to remember > Clark being beaten senseless, his arm being broken, intense > suffering. Yet I would not describe that story as a "violent" story. > > Don't jump to conclusions based on this lack of spoiler warnings. ;) > > Kathy > I totally agree with you Kathy, I certainly wouldn't classify "Darkest Hour" as a violent story. I don't think there are many L&C fics out there that I would place into that category. In fact, many, if not most, of them have some violence here and there, but that doesn't make them "violent" stories. Ahem, speaking of "Darkest Hour," don't I recall Erin saying a few days ago that she was planning to write more and post it? I know that Kerth nominations are all in and organized now, and voting hasn't even started yet. We're waiting Erin!! ;) I know you've been busy with the Kerths and everything, but I think I speak for a lot of people here when I say that we'd really appreciate more if you can manage it. If that doesn't work ... I *can* beg ... Genine SuperGem4@aol.com SuperGEM on IRC ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 19:25:04 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: SIP: Connections - part 12 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi -- here's the next part. I know everyone is very busy, but I would welcome feedback, even if it's critical --especially if it's critical :)-- so I can revise anything that doesn't work. Carol ------ Connections, part 12 Later, that evening as Clark quickly got his apartment ready for Lois's arrival, he thought back to the short period of time during which he, Zara, and Lois had discussed the Hobbs River story in the conference room. Lois had insisted on joining them since, as his partner, she needed to be filled in on what had happened. To tell the truth, he admitted to himself now as he inserted a candle in an old pewter candlestick, he had found it unexpectedly awkward because he'd known that the Hobbs River article was the last thing on Zara's mind while Lois had been really into it. He'd been relieved when, after about twenty minutes of discussion, he had once again been called away, and then, recalling his afternoon commitment to the Children's Hospital, even more relieved as he had explained to the two women he was unlikely to make it back to the Planet at all that day. With a heavy hint to Zara that he remembered their unfinished business, he'd left, but not before Zara had shocked the hell out of him by somehow conveying, without speaking, what she was thinking. He could still hear her silent response as he'd announced that he had to leave. <> And remembering his date with Lois this evening, he had instantly thought. <> And Zara had lowered her head and he knew her thought. <> What had happened? Had he imagined it or had they actually communicated by thought, telepathically? He'd looked across at Lois, wondering if she'd detected anything but she hadn't seemed to. For a brief second he'd been immobilized by the shock before the reports blaring through the open, conference room door reminded him of the raging fire aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean, bringing him back to reality. For the first time in over a year, he'd felt really torn -- between his job, his obligation to Zara, his feelings for Lois, and his overwhelming compulsion to save those people in danger on that ship on the high seas. Now all that receded into the back of his mind as he looked over his apartment, hoping it would meet with Lois's approval. That was an understatement, he thought, smiling to himself. He wanted her to feel comfortable here, like it was a place she would want to stay. God, how he wanted her to stay. His eyes swept over the bottle of wine and the candles on the small table, then shifted to the candles on the coffee table and on the end table beside the couch. The only artificial light in his apartment came from the small kitchen area so that the apartment was almost entirely lit by candles. As he used his heat vision on the one he'd just positioned on the nightstand by his bed he accidentally caught sight of his reflection in the window -- a man dressed in black shirt and black slacks. All he needed was a gold chain and some chest hair, he thought derisively. At that moment, with the romantic ballads he had selected in the background, it all came together -- it looked very much like he was trying to seduce her. Geez, not yet, it was too soon. And where'd he get the idea for all those candles from -- some dumb TV movie he'd watched with Lana once? He could just see Lois rolling her eyes as she walked in the door and then he foresaw her finding the first plausible reason to leave. Once again, he was reminded that *his* Lois was not the benign being whom he had met from the other universe. His Lois, somehow, seemed *more*; he couldn't quite explain how, but *more*. Now he remembered the other Lois saying she thought what he felt for her was a projection of what he was meant to feel for his own Lois. It had made sense to him at the time, and from the moment he'd met this energetic, incredible woman with the fake red hair, he'd known it was true. But, he reminded himself, she was not yet *his* Lois. So his apartment shouldn't look quite so predatory. Neither should he. Quickly, he whirled out of the black slacks and into a pair of jeans, snuffed the candle by his bed and shoved it in the drawer of the nightstand, (what had he been thinking?), changed the CD, and removed most of the candles from the living area. Then he turned on a couple of lamps and decided the apartment looked okay. He exhaled a deep breath and then turned to walk up the few steps to his front door as he heard Lois's footsteps outside. "Hi." He opened the door before she had a chance to knock, taking in the snowflakes that had not yet melted on her hair. The Apollo was only a couple of blocks over from Clinton Street and he suspected she'd walked. "You must be cold," he said wondering just how warm the light weight jacket was that she wore. "No." She gave him a dazzling smile, her cheeks flushed from her walk in the cold night air. "I haven't seen real snow for so long -- I'd forgotten how wonderful it feels on the tip of your tongue." She stuck her tongue out briefly to illustrate her point. "Here," she said thrusting a bottle of wine in his hands. "It's Chilean -- manager's recommendation." Then she proceeded to pull off her ear muffs, unwind a very long red scarf, shrug off her jacket, and unpeel a huge cable knit sweater, handing him each layer as she finished. He was as entranced as a child on Christmas day, wondering what was coming next. Not much as it turned out -- just her boots which she was now unlacing. Then she stood up straight, shook out her hair, and grinned at him. "Hi. I wasn't absolutely sure you'd be here." "You weren't?" They walked toward his kitchen as they talked. "No, I wondered if there'd be some emergency." "Not tonight." He smiled and said softly, "Tonight, I'm all yours, Ms. Lane." Their eyes met for a brief a moment before he said, "Uh, would you um... like some wine?" Lacing her hands behind her back, she answered, "That would be nice. That would be nice." He made her nervous when he looked at her like that. Why? Of what? Of what she saw in his eyes or of what she felt in her heart? So she decided she'd better talk, talk about work, and the first thing that came to mind was her afternoon at the Planet. "Sara filled me in on the Hobbs River story. She's pretty good." "Yes, she is," Clark answered as he poured them each a glass of wine. "She hasn't worked at the planet very long, she said." "No." Clark handed her a glass of wine and raised his own to her in a silent toast. "Where did she work before she came to the Planet?" "Um, not sure she ever mentioned it," Clark said, beginning to feel uncomfortable. Zara was the last person he wanted to talk about. "So what was it like being back at the Planet?" "Great," she grinned. "I didn't know how much I missed it until I got my hands on that file. Right now, I'm wishing some miracle would produce my old notes. I'm positive there's a connection between this case and some of the stuff I was checking out before I went to the Congo." "Why so sure?" "For one, I'm pretty certain I recognized one of the victims." "What?" "Yeah, the accountant. I'm pretty sure I saw him at the Metro Club a couple of times." "Lois, how can you remember a guy who you saw twice four years ago?" "Because he hit on me, and I remember his hand on my... sliding down my arm... the index finger of his left hand was missing the last two joints." "Oh, I guess that would kinda stick in your memory." "Yeah, if I hadn't been undercover, that guy would've had a hard time walking out of the club." Clark smiled. "Still, it's a popular place. His presence there doesn't prove a whole lot." He handed her a spoon with a bit of salad dressing on it. "Think I should add a bit of sugar?" She looked at him, amazed, and said helpfully, "You know, Clark, you can buy perfectly good salad dressing in bottles." "You're kidding, right?" "No." She tasted the dressing, wriggling her nose as she concentrated on its taste. "Yeah, maybe sugar would help. Anyway, this accountant wasn't just an ordinary customer. Both times I saw him, he was at a table with Toni Taylor and Lex Luthor." Clark turned to her, surprised. "Lex Luthor? I don't get it." "Not sure there's a link there. I know Toni was dating Luthor while I was at the club. The accountant was hers." "Luthor's one of Metropolis's leading citizens." "I'm not so sure about that -- there were a couple of things I couldn't quite pin down." Clark's voice was curious as he considered what she'd just said. "Like what?" "Like his purchase of fire sale real estate in the Hobbs River district." "Opportunity?" Clark suggested lightly. "Really believe that, Kent?" "Not sure," he said. "Here." He handed her the salad. "I'll bring the pasta." He followed her to the table, setting down two plates of seafood pasta, and then pulled back the chair for her. As they ate they talked a little more about Lois's suspicions about the Club which she thought was probably a front for money laundering, and probably drug dealing as well. Clark was less sure, although he was beginning to share her suspicions of Lex Luthor. It turned out that Lois had actually dated Luthor a few times, not long after she joined the Planet. When Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise, Lois shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, I guess I was one of the last women in town under the age of thirty he hadn't dated. And I was curious about what was behind all those closed doors. Still am. Anyway, I think he didn't much like an article I wrote on Metropolis Power Corp which he controls and he thought maybe dating me was a way to keep an eye on me." "You didn't object?" Lois flashed him a look of complete honesty and grinned. "He was a great date -- always the gentleman, and, once, we flew in his private jet to Milan for dinner. I was so..oo impressed." "So you went soft on him in your articles after that." "I did not, Clark Kent!" He grinned at her. "So what happened to the great romance?" "I wrote an article he really didn't like and he got all cold and hurt. "I trusted you, Lois, I shared my dreams with you, and this is the thanks I get," she intoned, her voice wounded, mimicing Luthor. "And besides, he had this weird thing about cigars." "So that was the last you saw of Lex Luthor?" "Uh uh, but he *was* charming," she sighed. Clark felt a faint twinge of jealously. "He's charmed a lot of women," he said sourly. "And bought a lot, too," Lois added cheerfully. "Clark, this is really good." "Yeah, it is, isn't it? I got it at Petro's, around the corner from here." "You mean you didn't make this yourself?" "Made the salad," he said proudly. "But didn't want to gamble on my cooking." "And here I thought you were a great cook," she sighed in mock disappointment. "Didn't want to take the risk," he grinned. "I'm competent but..." Lois sipped her wine. "Well, that still puts you one up on me. *I* would have bought the salad, too." She paused for a minute, and then met his eyes. "Clark, can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "About Sara. Are you involved with her?" "What? Why do you think that?" Clark looked at her, unsure what to say. "I see," Lois smiled wryly and lowered her eyes, detecting the hesitation in his response. Clark reached across to cover her hand. "No, you don't see, Lois." Lois cocked her head to one side and retreated. "It's none of my business. I'm sorry." Detecting the slight distance in her manner, Clark tried again, "Sara is a co-worker and one for whom I have a lot of respect. But that's it, Lois." His voice was definite and she believed him, why she wasn't sure. Maybe because she wanted to. "Okay, let's talk about something else." And they did. For the rest of the evening they talked, and occasionally argued, about many things -- safe things at first like The Metropolis Bearcats and politics in Eastern Europe, then things that were pure piffle like who was the most creative of the old County Cobra Gang, and finally, as the evening grew longer, they took tentative steps toward serious matters like their pasts. Lois revealed a little about her involvement with Claude Kendall but she still felt uncomfortable admitting how foolish she'd been in trusting him, so she didn't; while Clark told her of his engagement to Lana but he still felt foolish for getting entangled where his heart had not been fully committed, so he didn't admit that either. And he didn't tell her about the long lost distant cousin who waited somewhere in hyperspace for him to make up his mind about where he belonged. Later, as Clark sat in the armchair opposite Lois, he watched her as she talked, thinking she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever met. He was entranced and, he knew, in the few days he had known her, he had fallen deeply in love with her. He'd never known what it was like to feel like this -- to be fascinated by the curve of a woman's neck and the slight tilt of her nose, spellbound by the sparkle that lit her eyes when she was excited about something, and lost and then found when occasionally their eyes met and they both were speechless. He was happy, content sitting here in his living room, enjoying her laugh as he finished his anecdote about Perry White, the Elvis tribute artist, and the trout. "You're making that up." "No, I'm not kidding -- it really happened. That's why he decided to run for mayor." "Now I know you're kidding." "No, no," he raised his hands, palms outward. "You know Perry thinks Presley's the best President we've had this century." "I know. Scary, isn't it?" She grinned at him, laughter still in her eyes and then it fled, replaced by something more intense. She took a deep breath and looked away, picking up her empty wine glass and raising it to her lips which she realized was pretty dumb so she put it down quickly, watching it wobble as she placed it too fast on the coffee table. Leaning forward, she made a swift grab for it, rising to her feet as she did, mumbling something about it being time to go. Simultaneously, as Lois was rising, Clark was on his feet in front of her. "Here, let me get you some more." As Lois turned, she stepped on his foot and then instinctively grabbed his arm to steady herself. "Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. That must've hurt." "No," he grinned, "trust me, it didn't hurt." "Oh... Oh, of course not. I forgot that...." "Did you, Lois?" His voice had taken on that huskiness which made her heart flip and less altruistic parts of her tingle. Without thinking, she moved her hand from his forearm to touch his chest, wondering, as she met his dark eyes, why she could not remove her hand and bring it safely back to her side and why her other hand had somehow found its way to his chest as well. She felt his fingers lightly touch her face, slowing stroking a line from her cheekbone, along the side of her face to her neck, then come to rest there as he bent his head closer and she tilted her own. His kiss was light, a feather's brush against her mouth, and she sighed as she moved her lips against his. He murmured her name as his arms encircled her and his kiss turned more passionate and she felt herself whirling. How could a kiss be so magical, like something she'd never known before? Sliding her arms around his neck, she leaned against him, both submitting to him and demanding more, urged on by the feel of his hand wandering along her back and the hardness of his body. Finally, she broke away, needing to catch her breath and she looked at him, her eyes dark with wonder. "Maybe we'd better slow down here, a little. I'm not sure what's happening." "Aren't you, Lois?" His hand slipped through her hair, and he kissed the corner of her mouth, not moving away from her. Again she rested her hands on his chest, loving the feel of him. "I wasn't expecting this, to feel like this." "I knew the moment I saw you, Lois. That night in the barn." "Clark, we've only known each other a few days," she protested, the logical part of her mind battling her emotional turmoil. "It's probably just hormones." She tried to make a joke of what had happened between them and saw the brief flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Oh no, she thought. "Is that all you're feeling, Lois?" She faced him honestly. "No, no, it's not all," she admitted and then stepped away from him, pacing around the small space of his living room, her hands flailing as she spoke. "But Clark, my feelings are notoriously unreliable. The last time I fell for a guy, he stole my story and nearly got me killed. One of my rules -- test the water before you jump. And never sleep with a co-worker. Not that that's what I was thinking," she glared at him as she continued her speech. "You hafta know that all, that's *all*, Clark, my relationships have been federal disasters. This is probably just hormones -- I mean, I don't deny that I find you attractive." She glared at him again as though that were a character flaw of his. By this time, she'd completed the circuit of his living room and had come face to face with him. She took a deep breath. "So what d'you say, Clark. Maybe we should go to bed, get the hormone thing out of our systems, and then calm down and be friends." "Are you nuts?" "This is a perfectly logical proposition, Clark," she said with dignity. His eyes glinted and he grabbed her, kissing her with more passion than he'd been aware he possessed, pulling her tight against his body, letting her feel how very tempting he found her offer. Then he let her go. "That's not what I want, Lois, and it's not what you want either. And right now, I'm walking you home, before we do something *I'm* gonna regret in the morning." "Oh." Lois was surprised -- she had flung herself at him and he'd flung herself right back. "Well, then..." Trying to slow her racing pulse, she walked over to the coat rack, reached for the first of the layers of clothing she'd worn over and began to build her cocoon. He helped her on with her jacket when she got to that point, pulled on his own jacket, and they stepped out into the crisp January air. It had stopped snowing and now the night was brighter than when she had arrived, moonlight glistening on the whiteness of the snow covered ground. Lois paused as she inhaled a deep breath of cold air, pleased with the shock of it on her flushed cheeks. "You're right. I didn't really want to sleep with you." "Don't know if I should be hurt by that comment or not, Ms. Lane," he teased. "Not." He took her hand as they walked along Clinton street towards the intersection which led to the street on which the Apollo Hotel was located, leaving their footsteps in the new snow. For a few moments they were silent. "Why were you in my dad's barn, Lois?" He'd asked the question before and she'd been able to dodge it. "I was looking for Superman. Do you know, I'd never really heard about Superman while I was away -- it's amazing how easy it is to be uninformed about some things, especially when you're living in a different culture. Then, when I started to get into things again, I found it hard to believe Superman was real, maybe because I was so far away." She stopped speaking for a moment and smiled. "And when I read about James Olsen buying the Planet and you working at the Planet, I reached the obvious conclusion." "Which was?" "Superman was a publicity stunt." Clark sputtered, "A what?" "Clark, the costume -- what was I to think?" "You don't like the suit?" She ignored that question. "So I decided to do some digging. That's why I went to Smallville and that's why I was in the barn. Looking for Superman." "And you found him." "No." She turned to look at him. "I found Clark Kent." He stopped walking then and looked at her, his face registering a quiet happiness he found impossible to put into words. All he did was touch the side of her face and then pulled her hand around his arm, close to his side, and continued walking with her towards the Apollo Hotel. *** end, part 12 ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 20:36:32 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gerry Anklewicz Subject: Re: SIP: Connections - part 12 In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Carol: Here's some feedback but it's not critical. You covered a lot of interesting territory in this section. I really liked the dinner conversation between Lois and Clark. At first I thought it would be unnecessary, but it really worked. I could see the two of them unwinding and really getting to know each other. I also liked the way you had a seduction set up and Clark realized what he was doing and went back to his regular setting. Nice humour: Lois wrapped up in all the layers which you later call a cocoon. (Lois tends to be comfortable in a cocoon.) Clark didn't trust his cooking and ordered in the pasta. I've been enjoying this all along. Can't wait to read more. Gerry ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 21:22:31 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tara Smith Subject: Threads of Confusion (7/?): Metropolis Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Are we having fun yet? Ok, since we've got the Kerth stuff going on, I'm just updating the elist with the msg boards. I'm going to stop posting 'ti= l after the Kerths are all over. For those few of you who are actually reading this little thing, I will continue to write it (I've actually got enough for part 8 and about 1/4 of part 9 already) I'm just going to stop posting for awhile. I don't want to take up any more of your already (presumably) crammed days with this :) So, without further ado: Threads of Confusion (7/?) =93Go call your friend, Maggie.=94 Maggie nodded and ran for the phone. She grabbed the phone off the wall in the kitchen and quickly dialed Jimmy= =92s phone number from memory. After listening to it ring, unanswered, for several minutes, she hung up. Where else could he be? This was Christmas night, after all. His father hadn=92t been able to make it to town and his plans with her had been cancelled, so where could he . . . the answer abruptly popped into her head. Of course! The Planet! She punched the number for Jimmy=92s desk into the handset and waited impatiently while it rung. =93Olson,=94 Jimmy answered the phone. =93Hi, Jimmy. It=92s me,=94 Maggie said. =93I need your help. Do you sti= ll have that . . .=94 =93Listen, Maggie, I=92m a little busy right now. I=92ll talk to you tomor= row.=94=20 There was a click and the dial tone replaced his voice. Maggie pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it disbelievingly.= =20 He=92d hung up on her? This was too important for personal problems! She = hit redial. =93Hi, you have reached the desk of James Olson. Leave a message after the beep.=94 Maggie hung up the phone and stared at it, feeling slightly stunned. She= =92d thought he was different, but she=92d been wrong. He was just like the oth= ers who=92d pretended to be her friend in the past. He was deserting her when = she needed him the most. She compressed her lips into a thin line. Well, this wasn=92t just her problem! It was too important for her to walk away from.= =20 She=92d just have to go see him in person. She turned and went back into the living room. =93Maggie? Did you talk to Jimmy?=94 Martha asked. Maggie nodded. =93Yeah, but there were some . . . communications problems.= =20 I=92m going down to the Planet to talk to him. It won=92t take long.=94 She saw Martha exchange a worried look with Jonathon out of the corner of her eye. =93Or course, dear. But shouldn=92t you take your coat?=94 Maggie paused, one hand on the doorknob. =93Right. My coat. Thanks for reminding me.=94 She turned and snagged her coat from the rack and threw it on on the way out. The run to the Planet didn=92t take very long. In just a few minutes, she = was standing in front of the building. She went through the doors and took the elevator up to the newsroom where Jimmy was sure to be. Before the elevato= r doors were open fully, she knew he was there. She stepped out and scanned the room. It was empty, as was to be expected this late at night on Christmas night, except for one desk. Maggie slipped under the railing and went quietly ove= r to Jimmy=92s desk. As she came up to him, he looked up at her. =93What do= you want, Maggie?=94 =93We=92ve got a problem. I need your help.=94 Jimmy looked dubious. =93What kind of problem?=94 =93I take it you haven=92t been watching the news?=94 When he shook his he= ad, she took the remote he had on his desk and flipped one of the newsrooms TV=92s = on. Then she leaned against another desk and watched his face as he watched a replay of the same newscast she had seen just a little earlier. =93Jimmy,=94 she said as soon as the broadcast started to repeat again. = =93We need to know if Superman=92s all right. Do you still have that signal watc= h on you?=94 Jimmy nodded and held up his wrist, displaying the watch. =93Do you want m= e to signal him?=94 =93I need you to.=94 Maggie put her hands over her ears and nodded at him.= He pushed the knob on the watch. Maggie winced as the sound cut right through her hands to her ears. After a couple of painful minutes, Maggie motioned for him to stop. =93Nasty sound, that. Now we wait. If he heard that, he= =92s sure to come running.=94 =93Right.=94 Jimmy nodded. They sat in silence for some time. After twenty minutes had passed, Maggie shook her head. =93If he were coming, he=92d=92ve been here by now. Jimmy= , can I borrow your watch?=94 Jimmy unstrapped the band and held it out to her. =93What=92re you going t= o do?=94 =93I=92m going to check out the site of the blast. Maybe I can find some answers there,=94 she told him as she strapped the watch on. =93I=92ll keep an eye on the news and see if anything turns up there. Do L= ois and Clark know Superman=92s missing yet?=94 Maggie paused for a minute, then said, =93Of course they know. They were going to call up some of their contacts and see what they can find out.=94 Jimmy nodded. =93That sounds like them, all right. I=92ll let you know if= I find anything. Good luck.=94 =93Thanks. I have a feeling I=92m going to need it,=94 Maggie said. She s= tepped away from the desk and performed a quick spin change into her black costume= , then leaned forward and placed a hand on Jimmy=92s shoulder. =93Thanks for being here.=94 =93Always,=94 he said solemnly. She flashed him a brief smile, then turned and ran for the nearest window. **** **** **** The site of the explosion was pretty much as it had appeared on the newscast. The storm that had been raging in the background had diminished slightly to an occasional flash of lightning across the overcast sky. The local police had blocked the road in both directions from traffic. Several news vans were parked just outside the cordoned off area, apparently doing live broadcasts on the explosion. Maggie came to a halt just outside the roadblock. An officer who was turning back cars waved her through. She headed over to the officer who wa= s apparently in charge of the scene. =93Mind if I take a look around, sir?= =94 =93Go ahead,=94 he told her distractedly. =93My men haven=92t been able to= find anything.=94 =93Thanks.=94 She turned and went over the small crater that marked the si= te of the blast. Floodlamps had been set up around it and lit the area up well. Several men Maggie recognized as being on the forensics team were examining the site.= =20 One was taking a soil sample as she approached. =93Hi, Sara. Merry Christmas,=94 he said as she stopped beside him. =93Merry Christmas, Tom. Find anything unusual?=94 =93Not yet. We still haven=92t determined the cause of the explosion.=94 =93Hmmm,=94 Maggie knelt down beside him and examined the sample he held, t= hen looked over the crater. Nothing. She turned her attention to the surrounding area. A small black object caught her eye. She focussed in on it. It was a cell phone with a small label that said =93Property of Lois Lane=94 on one side. Maggie froze for a moment. She couldn=92t let anyone here find that! It would raise too many questions--especially since the eyewitness had spotted a woman with Superman. If Lois and Clark were still alive--they had to be!--then they wouldn=92t want any suggestion that Lois was seeing Superman again to get out. Maggie could still remember the scandal it had caused th= e first time. If this cell phone was found, it would just start people wondering again. Maggie nodded casually at Tom and rose, ostensibly examining the area aroun= d the site. She slowly worked her way over to the phone. When she was besid= e it, she bent down and grabbed the phone, glad for once that it was one of those phones that folded in the center. She shoved it up her right sleeve in one smooth motion and hoped no one would notice the bulge in the spandex of the suit. =93Find something?=94 One of the other forensics officers came up beside h= er. =93What? No, nothing.=94 The phone in her sleeve shrilled, making her jump slightly. She flashed an apologetic smile at the officer. =93A friend of mine got me a cell phone f= or Christmas. I=92m still getting used to it.=94 =93Oh. Okay. Let us know if you find anything.=94 The man moved away. Maggie pulled Lois=92 phone out of her sleeve as it continued to shrill at her. She flipped it open, pulled out the antenna and placed it against her ear. =93Yes?=94 =93Pumpkin? Is that you?=94 An unfamiliar male voice said. =93Um, no. This is Maggie. Lois went for a walk with Clark. She=92ll be = back later,=94 Maggie lied. She glanced around to make sure nobody was close enough to overhear her. =93Can I take a message?=94 =93Sure. Tell her that her mother and I will be coming back from our trip = a little early. We=92ll be back on New Years Eve.=94 Lois had told Maggie t= hat her parents had decided to go on a cruise in the tropics for Christmas. =93Okay, I=92ll let her know.=94 =93Bye.=94 The man hung up. Great, now what? Lois=92 parents would expect Lois to be there when they arrived. How would she ever explain her absence? A ripple in reality, like the one she=92d experienced earlier but weaker, h= it her. She staggered slightly, suddenly dizzy. There was a flash of lightning and something slammed into her, knocking her to her knees.=20 Thunder rumbled deafeningly. Maggie shook her head, dazed, then pushed herself to her feet. The police team was staring her in stunned silence. =93Is everyone all right?=94 she asked. At the murmur of assurance, she sa= id, =93I=92d better get out of here. I make too good a lightning rod for your safety.=94 Tom came over to her. =93Are you all right, Sara?=94 =93I=92m fine. It=92d take more than a simple lightning bolt to take me ou= t.=94=20 She grinned at him. =93Can I have that soil sample? I=92d like to have a friend of mine at Star Labs analyze that.=94 =93Sure.=94 He handed it to her. =93Thanks.=94 Maggie flashed him another smile, then turned and jogged off= . After she=92d put a little distance between herself and the storm, she paus= ed and checked Lois=92 phone and Jimmy=92s watch. As she=92d expected, the li= ghtning had fried the circuitry. She sighed. =93This is just not my night for electronics.=94 Well, she still had to get back and report in to Jimmy and the Kents. She= =92d just have to do it the old fashioned way--in person. She put the cell phon= e back in her sleeve and broke into a run towards Metropolis. Unseen by her, there was a flash of light in the spot she=92d been standing= in and a man appeared there. He had brown hair and was wearing a black spande= x outfit with the letter Q emblazoned on the front. =93This is going to be interesting,=94 he said with a grin. He brushed imaginary lint off of his Q, then snapped his fingers and vanished in another flash of light. to be continued . . . "So, we meet again, for the first time, for the last time!" Dark Helmet, Sp= ace Balls ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 01:54:08 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tara Smith Subject: I need a little assist here . . . Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ok, I'm trying to come up with a good name for a superheroine. Ok, for Maggie. I need a good name for a slightly darker version of her. Don't ask what the story's going to be about, it's still in the very primitive planning stages and might not even pan out, but I'd like to get a name for her anyways. Who knows? Even if the story doesn't work out, I might find a use for the name somewhere else! Plus we get the great fun-ness of watching creative geniuses (I know your're out there!) come up with some really cool superhero names! :) Tara ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 02:03:09 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: SIP: Connections - part 11 & 12 In-Reply-To: <66.181dd2d.25e738c3@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Carol, I wish I could actually offer feedback on one post at a time, but it never seems to work! Both of these sections were excellent. I loved Clark's utter cluelessness when Zara and Lois were glaring at each other across him in the conference room, and I am highly pleased that Lois is back at the DP where she belongs. Things are rapidly approaching the eruption point, aren't they? I'm glad Clark realized he was going a little too fast and slowed things down for Lois. That last line of Lois' is so lovely, and even more poignant for *this* Clark, whose identity as Sman is known. You go, girl! Sorry, Carol, I know you want criticism, but this is working just fine, so I don't have any! :) Don't worry about the Kerths. It's all right with *me* if you continue posting. Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 02:11:41 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Lorie Y. Crisp" Subject: archive question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Would someone give me the web address for the general list archive? I had to reboot some things, and that favorite place was lost. Thanks!! SuperLorie :-) (still searching for a cool tag line....) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 02:20:25 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tara Smith Subject: Re: archive question Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html ------Original Message------ From: "Lorie Y. Crisp" To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Sent: February 28, 2000 7:11:41 AM GMT Subject: archive question Would someone give me the web address for the general list archive? I had to reboot some things, and that favorite place was lost. Thanks!! SuperLorie :-) (still searching for a cool tag line....) ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 02:24:47 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: Re: archive question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks for the link. I needed it too! BTW, I changed my email so if anyone wants to get in touch with me please email me at LoisLane9397@aol.com Thanks, Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 02:55:14 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: Happy Bday! ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I just wanted to take a moment to wish *our* Clark Kent (LNCTNAOS) a very happy birthday! Yeah, i know I'm weird for remembering it, February 28, 1966, but who cares! ;p~~~ Alexis ;-.) "We're not going to get any work done tonight anyway...you know what pasta does to me!" ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 04:44:48 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Subject: Re: "Violent" stories (was Calling Erin, Again) In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 03:01 PM 02/27/2000 -0600, you wrote: >Debby wrote, about "Darkest Hour": > >>Wow, I haven't started reading the story yet! I'm glad you didn't put >>SPOILERS!!! in the subject line or I wouldn't know how violent the story is! >>I'll just pack it away and read the whole thing when I'm in the mood for that >>kind of thing... > >Now Debby ... I seem to remember "Carry Tiger to the Mountain" had >some descriptions some might consider violent. I seem to remember >Clark being beaten senseless, his arm being broken, intense >suffering. Yet I would not describe that story as a "violent" story. > >Don't jump to conclusions based on this lack of spoiler warnings. ;) > >Kathy You're right, of course, though I wrote it 4-5 years ago and am more sensitive now... especially to unannounced spoilers. And having read all the scripts, it takes a lot to be more (often graphically) violent than the show itself. The spoiler for the story made it sound to me like it's written in the hurt-comfort style and those turn me way off. Maybe, when it's done, I'll find out. Debby Debby@swcp.com older, wiser, smarter... well, one out of three aint bad ;) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 12:15:47 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: "Violent" stories In-Reply-To: <4.0.2.20000227143759.008bc100@mail.swcp.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Mon, 28 Feb 2000 04:44:48 -0700 Debby wrote: > The spoiler for the story made it sound to me > like it's written in the hurt-comfort > style and those turn me way off. Maybe, when it's done, I'll find out. And isn't that an interesting indication of differing tastes as between FoLCs: I absolutely adore hurt/comfort stories. They are my favourite type of fanfic, which is why I love Erin's DH, anything by Sheila, LabRat's longer stories, Kathy and Demi's forthcoming epic, all Yvonne's stories and Chris Carr's ongoing Learning Curves. And too many more wonderful stories to mention... Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:49:41 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: I need a little assist here . . . MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit How about "Darkstar"? Ann ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 10:43:45 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tara Smith Subject: Re: I need a little assist here . . . Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cool! Thanks :)! See what I mean about creative genius? I've never been good at coming up with names of any kind for characters. There's a reason I've got two baby name sites bookmarked and have a phonebook in my room! :) Tara ------Original Message------ From: "Ann E. McBride" To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Sent: February 28, 2000 1:49:41 PM GMT Subject: Re: I need a little assist here . . . How about "Darkstar"? Ann ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:48:18 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Re: "Violent" stories In-Reply-To: <4.0.2.20000227143759.008bc100@mail.swcp.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Debby wrote: >You're right, of course, though I wrote it 4-5 years ago and am more >sensitive now... especially to unannounced spoilers. And having read all the >scripts, it takes a lot to be more (often graphically) violent than the show itself. >The spoiler for the story made it sound to me like it's written in the >hurt-comfort style and those turn me way off. Maybe, when it's done, I'll find out. Well, to each their own. But I assure you, there's no masked ax-murderer running through the streets of Metropolis, slashing victims up left and right... Erin (apparently the latest Wes Craven of fanfic ) __________________ erink@ida.net Visit my LNC/Kerth Website: www.ida.net/users/davek ***** "It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." __________________ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:33:04 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Question for fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Would anyone be able to give me an example of a rare blood type? Thanks, Irene ===== Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 11:34:52 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: Re: Question for fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 2/28/00 11:29:44 AM EST, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << Would anyone be able to give me an example of a rare blood type? Thanks, Irene >> Shoot! My blood type is rare but i can't remember what it is. I want to say A- or something like that, but I will get back to you on that one. Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 11:37:03 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: "Violent" stories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Erin, I don't care if Darkest Hour is violent or not, (hadn't really thought too much about it, since I'm sure that you will ultimately extricate L and C from their dire straits), but I would like to see some more of it. Tell that impatient baby to wait, remember Kerth voting hasn't started yet, and get writing, please! You are obviously taking lessons from people over on Zoomway's message boards on how to torture your adoring fans. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 11:38:12 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genine Murray Subject: Re: Question for fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 2/28/00 11:29:44 AM Eastern Standard Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: > Would anyone be able to give me an example of a rare > blood type? > I believe AB- is an extremely rare type (it's also my blood type), but I'm not 100% sure on that one. Genine SuperGem4@aol.com SuperGEM on IRC ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:57:20 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: Question for fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Blood types range in most common to least common as: O-positive--37%, A-pos--36%, B-pos--9%, O-negative--7%, A-neg--6%, AB-pos--3%, B-neg 1%, AB-neg-1% If you want someone who is most difficult to find matching blood for, it's B-neg. AB-neg can accept blood from A,B, and O negative. B-negative can only accept blood from B and O negative. Nan (who is A-negative ) "Irene D." wrote: > Would anyone be able to give me an example of a rare > blood type? > > Thanks, > Irene > > ===== > Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. > Groucho Marx > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. > http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 09:13:08 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: Question for fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Wow! Thanks, Nan. You are very thorough! Irene --- Nancy Smith wrote: > Blood types range in most common to least common as: > O-positive--37%, A-pos--36%, B-pos--9%, > O-negative--7%, A-neg--6%, AB-pos--3%, B-neg 1%, > AB-neg-1% If you want someone who is most > difficult to find matching blood for, it's B-neg. > AB-neg can accept blood from A,B, and O > negative. B-negative can only accept blood from B > and O negative. > > Nan (who is A-negative ) > > "Irene D." wrote: > > > Would anyone be able to give me an example of a > rare > > blood type? > > > > Thanks, > > Irene > > > > ===== > > Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And > inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. > > Groucho Marx > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. > > http://im.yahoo.com > ===== Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marx __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 17:27:09 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Question for fanfic In-Reply-To: <20000228163304.11126.qmail@web906.mail.yahoo.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:33:04 -0800 "Irene D." wrote: > Would anyone be able to give me an example of a rare > blood type? Just off the top of my head, I think the rarest blood group is AB, and since there are fewer Rh negative than Rh positive, I'd guess the rarest you can get would be AB- Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 12:39:08 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kate Crane Subject: Re: SIP: Connections - part 12 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wow, Carol There are so many magical moments here...thank you. One question: "then things that were pure piffle like who was the most creative of the old County Cobra Gang" what is County Cobra Gang?? and other than a repeated phrase : "Lacing her hands behind her back, she answered, "That would be nice. That would be nice." He made her nervous when he looked at her like that. Why?" ...I wouldn't change a thing. I love all the little differences from "our" L&C, like the cooking, oh and I looooovvvved the opening scene here, LOL. I can't wait to have this whole fic in printed form to read and reread. Kate ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 17:36:20 -0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Belated Thanks MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sorry for the me too post, guys. Fresh from my change of server and back at last on the list (thank heavens for those Archives!!), I'd just like to add my congratulations to all of those nominated in the Kerths - wow, all my favourites too. And thank you, most humbly, to those who arranged for my inclusion in this hallowed list. Up against that kind of competition I have no illusions about winning an award - but, cliche ridden though it is, as others have pointed out, in such a prestigious award and nominee list it's a great achievement just to see your name appear on the ballot. And I'm grateful for the honour. LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat PLEASE NOTE MY NEW EDDRESS!!! labrat@cableinet.co.uk Love your enemy......it'll drive him nuts. "After equality, wage parity, liberation of body and soul, and the extension for the ratification of the ERA, women still can't do the following: start barbecue fires; hook up a stereo; shine shoes; anything on a roof; decide where to hang a picture; investigate mysterious house noises at night; kill and dispose of large insects; walk past a mirror without stopping to look." - PJ. O'Rouke. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 16:13:22 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: NEW: The Open Road (INTRO) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit kubitc wrote: > TITLE: The Martha Chronicles 2: The Open Road > PART: INTRO > AUTHOR: Christy Kubit (kubitc@kenyon.edu & attalanta@aol.com) > RATING: PG? > FEEDBACK: All comments welcome, public or private. Please send editing or > typos privately. > SUMMARY: Twenty-something Martha returns to Smallville to catch up with > childhood friend Jonathan. > > I think these pre-Lois and Clark stories of Martha and Jonathan are wonderful, Christy. I just got around to reading them--I'm terribly behind on everything just > now--and I think you've kept them very much in character. I can just visualize a younger Martha the way you've portrayed her here, as a "free spirit" so to speak, > who eventually grew up into the woman whom we knew on the series. I'll be waiting for the third part of the series whenever you get around to writing it. Nan ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 21:51:05 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tara Smith Subject: Re: Question for fanfic Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 'course she is--she's smart, she's a nurse and she has a fairly uncommon blood type! :) It's pretty cool to have a mom like her! :) ------Original Message------ From: "Irene D." To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Sent: February 28, 2000 5:13:08 PM GMT Subject: Re: Question for fanfic Wow! Thanks, Nan. You are very thorough! Irene --- Nancy Smith wrote: > Blood types range in most common to least common as: > O-positive--37%, A-pos--36%, B-pos--9%, > O-negative--7%, A-neg--6%, AB-pos--3%, B-neg 1%, > AB-neg-1% If you want someone who is most > difficult to find matching blood for, it's B-neg. > AB-neg can accept blood from A,B, and O > negative. B-negative can only accept blood from B > and O negative. > > Nan (who is A-negative ) > > "Irene D." wrote: > > > Would anyone be able to give me an example of a > rare > > blood type? > > > > Thanks, > > Irene > > > > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > > Outside of a dog, a book is Man=92s best friend. And > inside of a dog, it=92s too dark to read. > > Groucho Marx > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. > > http://im.yahoo.com > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Outside of a dog, a book is Man=92s best friend. And inside of a dog, it=92= s too dark to read. Groucho Marx __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 21:47:29 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Dockingbay@msn.com" Organization: Microsoft Corporation Subject: Re: Question for fanfic Irene, I believe the rarest blood type is AB negative. Just for additional info, O positive is known as the universal blood type. It can be used by everyone. My husband is AB negative and the blood bank calls him at least once a month. Catherine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Irene D." To: Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 10:33 AM Subject: Question for fanfic > Would anyone be able to give me an example of a rare > blood type? > > Thanks, > Irene > > ===== > Outside of a dog, a book is Man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. > Groucho Marx > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. > http://im.yahoo.com > ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 22:02:34 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Elizabeth Eve Davis Subject: Re: Question for fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Dockingbay@msn.com" wrote: > > Irene, > I believe the rarest blood type is AB negative. Just for additional info, O > positive is known as the universal blood type. It can be used by everyone. Actually O negative is the universal donor, while AB positive is the universal receiver.