Jungle Love By Chrys (ChaaBreh) Apruzese < chaabreh@snet.net> Rated: PG Submitted: June, 2004 The standard disclaimer applies. I do not own any rights to Lois & Clark, or any of the other characters which solely belong to D C Comics and Warner Bros. This is written purely for the enjoyment of the fans of the TV show Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. c "I Knew I Loved you" by Savage Garden} Thanks to my GE, Lynn M., for all of her hard work on this! Summary: It's been seven years since Alt-Clark last saw "our" Lois, when he filled in for her husband in "our" dimension. "Our" Clark was missing in a time vortex at the hands of (who else but..?) Tempus. Alt-Clark found himself hopelessly fixated on Lois, and they nearly kissed, but they both realized how wrong it would be. Of course, "our" Clark was eventually saved and reunited with "our" Lois. Back in Alt-Clark's world, the "alternate" dimension, he's been unable to find his Lois, who disappeared 10 years ago, after arriving in the Congo. He has resigned himself to a lonely life and does not date. Our old friend, H.G. Wells, did come through for him to lessen his burden somewhat; but a life without a Lois Lane in it is unfulfilling at best! One day, an e-mail sent to the Daily Planet from the Congo renews Clark's hopes of finding and falling in love with his one true soul mate. ****** The Alternate Universe - March 2003 Brazzaville, Republic of Congo - Also known as "Congo- Brazzaville" Lois couldn't believe that the war was finally over. Agreements had been forged; the rule of law would be restored. Ten years of living in many different refugee camps, always on the run, with fighting and bloodshed all around her, had hardened her. Companions, friends of necessity, had been killed, raped, died of illness. Contacts to the outside world had disappeared in the middle of the night. Just her dumb luck that she somehow lived through it! Now it was time to find her life's purpose again. It might actually be safe to try to go home. Home - Metropolis - where rumors of her death had been greatly exaggerated. She would have one helluva first-hand account of the horrors of the Republic of Congo. Not *exactly* the story she came here to write, though. She had read that Luthor was dead. His goons had made sure that she never got back to the states. Her family had been threatened, had she published the story she traveled to Brazzaville to write. Luthor Corp was supplying weapons to the rebels. She had been lead on a wild goose chase, the primary purpose of which was to get her out of the United States. She let herself be censured, simply because it was safer for everyone she loved. It broke her heart to let them think she was dead. Rather than murder her, she had been stripped of her identity - no passport, Visa, driver's license, no credit cards, nothing to verify to anyone that Lois Lane had ever existed. Left in an unfriendly, hostile, war-torn country, her return airplane ticket destroyed. Truly a punishment worse than death: living hell. She was "Linda", to anyone that asked her. No last name, not that it mattered, or that she needed one. How the heck could she leave this God-awful place with no way to verify her identity? Even if she had the money to buy a ticket, she would have to produce a photo I.D. just to pick up her ticket and board the plane. What a disaster. Ten years of her life sucked up in a black hole! The infrastructure in the Republic of Congo left quite a bit to be desired. Communication lines were poor. While there were some cellular phone services, no one but the extremely wealthy had the internet or a computer in their home. She had been able to read a few Brazzaville newspapers, particularly Le Choc. She liked the name of that paper because it reminded her of her love for chocolate. Funny how something so silly can remind you of home. Le chocolate. Oui oui! It was also a blessing of sorts that she had been forced to take four years of French in high school, since English and other language translators were non-existent. She found it easier to read than to speak at first, but after ten years she was quite fluent. Lois had read that Congo-Brazzaville had been named the world's worst city to live in. Well, a decade of civil unrest will do that to a place. Even after the Ninja rebels ceased their warring with the government, there were still many injustices occurring, such as famine, disease, AIDS, rape. This was not a woman- friendly place. The average Congo-lean woman lived to be 50. Of course the life expectancy for a man was 47, mostly because of the many wars. How she missed the peace and quiet of Metropolis. Metropolis to Brazzaville was like comparing some back-water town in say, Kansas, to Metropolis. , she wondered to herself, She smiled at the thought - something she hadn't done in a long time. Her facial muscles silently thanked her. Less stress on them today than usual! OK, now, how to get home? Write to Lucy or her parents (if they hadn't moved in ten years, a big IF) and tell them to wire her money to buy an airplane ticket to Metropolis? Even still, could they find her birth certificate too so she could get a Visa and a passport? Or should she try to find an internet caf‚ and sign up for a web- based E-mail address and - then what- send the Daily Planet general mailbox an e-mail message? They will probably think she's a - what do they call it? spammer. That's it. The world had changed in ten years, and the internet and e-mail was the primary form of communication. Le Choc had said that "spamming was the 21st century's bad version of a door to door salesman". She couldn't wait to experience it firsthand. Right about now, any kind of mail - electronic or otherwise - would be a welcome friend. Well, it was worth a try. Tomorrow, she'd try to get to an internet caf‚, stand in line for several hours, probably, and look up the Daily Planet's web site. She just hoped there was someone still working there who knew who she was. She would also try to search on-line for her parents' and Lucy's addresses, as a back-up plan. Omigod! What if her parents were no longer alive? Why hadn't that thought occurred to her before? A sickening feeling came over her. She needed to go home, ASAP. ~~~~~ Metropolis, New Troy Clark looked at his watch. Oops. Due in Smallville 45 minutes ago. Oh well, no problem; there was a one hour time difference and he could get there in less than ten minutes. Lana's baby boy was due to be christened, and he was to be the Godfather. He pondered on the irony of his being the Godfather when he could have been, maybe *should have* been, the father, instead. Fate had something else in store for him, he guessed. He hoped that fate would hurry up a bit! But he was happy she had married Pete and pleased to be part of an extended family to their son, Christopher Peter Ross. Ma and Pa would be there too. He couldn't wait to bite into one of Ma's freshly baked apple pies. Family stuff kept him grounded. He made the mistake of looking at her picture again before he flew off. The picture that had been taken of her in the crowd, back in 1996, that he had had enlarged. Blurry as it was, every time he looked at it his heart skipped a beat. In the seven years that had passed since he last saw her, he had tried to move on. He didn't date anyone, but he kept busy with freelance writing for the Planet and his Superman duties. He resigned himself to the fact that he was, in his heart and soul, a one-woman man. Even if that woman was not readily accessible to him. Who knew if she was even still alive? Herb had stopped by right before the new Millennium, in the fall of 1999. He had promised Clark that he would look for his Lois, but the research he had done indicated that there was no way he could survive in the Congo. A Caucasian older man, wearing a bowler hat in the middle of Ninja rebel fighters, would stick out like a sore thumb! He suggested to Clark that if it was meant for him to be with his Lois, it would have to happen by the hand of fate, not by the hand of Wells. It seemed to Clark that the fate thing was beginning to be overrated. Something people said to placate you when they knew you were suffering emotionally, and they couldn't help. It's fate, they say. If it's meant to be, it *will* be, they say. "Que sera, sera" and all that baloney! Somehow, he felt that Herb actually knew more than he had disclosed. After all, he could travel into the future and would know if Lois reappears or not!! Herb's ominous comment about "fate" indicated to him that he was afraid of changing history by spilling the beans. The Lois-beans! Clark had done his own cursory search, but he was bound by his agreement with the United Nations not to get involved in a country's civil unrest. Like Herb, a flying man in bright blue spandex in a war zone was not an easy thing to hide. His Superman persona existed to save lives, and he was bound by oath not to get involved in politics. Besides, the unfriendly terrain of the area made it difficult to search for one lone woman. In his mind, he had given up on his Lois being alive. He also knew that Clark's Lois could never be his. So he had conjured up a fantasy Lois, one that existed just for him. He didn't have to share her with anyone. She was already in love with him. They complemented and completed each other. He shared his horror stories with her after a particularly challenging rescue mission. An entire conversation took place in his mind. She provided comfort to him when he felt he wasn't fast enough, or clever enough. When a part of him wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry for hours, she saved his sanity and his soul, and enabled Superman to be there for the next tragedy. He drew his strength from her. He felt a true spiritual connection to her. He could feel her warm body cradled in his arms when he slept at night. His dreams of being with her were so vivid he actually felt he was communing with her on a higher level. He hated waking up in the morning, because that was when he had to say goodbye to her. He lived his days one at a time, and his bed became his Fortress of Solitude, where he could be one with the woman he would always love. There was a part of him that realized that some would think he was crazy! It was acceptable to be an eight year old child with pretend friends, carrying on conversations with them in your room at night by yourself. But when you're in your late thirties, and you had a pretend lover/best friend, it was quite pathetic. Nonetheless, it kept him going. Superman? No, he was Super-Fool- In-Love. Nonetheless, he didn't focus on or plan on Lois showing up alive some day. He just knew that there was a connection, real or imagined, between his soul and hers. He arrived at the farmhouse through the underground tunnel he had fashioned, and spun out of the suit. Jonathan and Martha were sitting on the loveseat out on the front porch, enjoying an unseasonably warm March day. Well, spring was only a week away. Not that the calendar controlled the weather. Freak snow storms in April and May have happened before in Kansas. He could smell the pie baking in the kitchen. Home, sweet home. Always a great place for a busy Superman to visit. It sure wasn't always like that, he mused. When you lose something, boy do you appreciate it when you get it back. Herb had his good and bad points, but he owed him one big time for this. It almost made up for living in a sans-Lois world. Clark walked out to the porch. Martha stood up and gave him a big hug and kiss. "Honey, there are some chocolate-chip cookies in the jar. Help yourself!" "Ma.the pie would have been enough!" "Clark.I'm here to spoil you and I love doing it. You know that!" Martha insisted. As soon as Clark went back inside, Martha remarked to Jonathan, "He's so much like *our* Clark, it *still* makes me want to cry!" "I know, Martha, and he feels the same way towards us in some ways. But remember, we're a lot older than his folks were when they died. It's probably easier for him to adjust to us because we look a lot different to him. Now, at age 37, he's close to the same age that his folks were when they were killed. On the other hand, to us, he looks *just* like our boy. They could have been twins." "Jonathan, do you ever think about *our* Earth anymore?" Martha asked. "After all, it's been more than three years since our arrival here." "I think about it every day, and when I do, I want to kiss *this* Earth's ground. If Herb hadn't come for us when he did, we would have been made slaves of Lord Nor's and be working hard labor the rest of our lives. I miss our friends, but once Clark and Lois were killed, what was really there for us anyway?" Jonathan asked. "True, I know, honey," said Martha. She remembered the day as clearly as if it were yesterday. ~~~~~ A *very* different Alternate Universe Fall of 1999 "Jonathan and Martha, please join me over here," whispered an Englishman, wearing a bowler hat, as loudly as he could without attracting attention. Both Kents spun around in the direction of the voice. It appeared to be coming from the bushes over to the left of where they were working, or rather, slaving. Lord Nor's watchdogs were distracted for a moment by the current execution taking place. This time it was the Mayor of Smallville, Pete Ross, and Sheriff Rachel Harris. Little by little, any semblance of the previous non-Kryptonian leadership was being eliminated. It had tragically begun with the most prominent of all Smallville citizens, Superman/Clark Kent and his wife, Lois Lane. First, Clark had been exposed by the New Kryptonians to be Superman. Next he was jailed in a Kryptonite cage and Lois forced to watch while her husband's life essence slowly faded away. Immediately after Clark's death, Lois was fatally shot by a gun loaded with Kryptonite bullets. Lord Nor felt it was the supreme irony to have Lord Kal-El's earthly wife assassinated using the remains of their dead planet. Jonathan and Martha were spared, because it was deemed that they would suffer more alive than dead. Lois had been three months pregnant at the time of her murder. They had lost their son, daughter-in-law and future grandchild, all in one day. New Kryptonian scientists had discovered an antidote for Kryptonite. It involved receiving an injection every several weeks, and it had to be administered in a special laboratory environment illuminated with red sun radiation. Immediately after receiving the treatment, the patient was rendered powerless for approximately 24 hours. Because of that unfortunate side-effect, all New Kryptonians that had relocated to earth were placed on a rotating schedule for these shots; this would ensure adequate police coverage at all times. Of course, now that Kal-El was dead, they could make plans to eliminate all remaining Kryptonite on earth. It had served its purpose well. Soon, they would control the entire planet! Jonathan and Martha slowly worked their way over to the bushes, pretending to be picking up debris from the grass. Martha held Jonathan's hand tightly, as she had remained in an almost comatose state of mind since Clark and Lois' deaths. A blank stare permeated her facial features. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, my name is Herbert George Wells. I'm so pleased to meet you both." The voice came from within the shadows of the bushes. Jonathan was briefly blinded by a reflection of sunlight in his eyes, so he assumed the voice owned a pair of glasses. "Mr. - Wells is it? This is really not a good time," Jonathan whispered. "I need you to come with me, with no questions asked. I promise that it will save your lives," pleaded Wells. "My wife is in no shape to travel. We just lost our beloved son and daughter-in-law. Besides, it won't take much for the "S.O.B.s" to kill us, just for talking to you," said Jonathan. "Please, reach out for my hand and place your palm on the cold metal you will feel there. I promise, you won't regret this. I will explain everything straight away," asserted Wells, using his most authoritative tone. They simply must go with him!! Feeling a flash of spontaneity, Jonathan decided he had nothing to lose and poked his hand, along with Martha's, through the bushes. When flesh connected with cold steel, the world suddenly became a kaleidoscope of colors and three-dimensional tunnels. Waves of nausea overcame both of them and they passed out. When they opened their eyes, they were in a very different Smallville. No sign of the New Kryptonians. It was quiet and very peaceful. They were lying on the grass in front of what looked to be their farmhouse. It had an eerie, ghostly appearance to it, however. It needed paint, the grass was not freshly mowed, and there were no cars in the driveway. Herb came out of the house. Jonathan and Martha had never seen his face clearly, but they assumed he was their traveling companion. "Mr. Wells, I presume?" said Jonathan. "Indeed, Mr. Kent. Welcome to a very different Smallville, and a better world for you to live in," declared Wells. Wells then proceeded to explain in great detail about his great creation, his time machine, and how he had discovered a portal to alternate universes as well. How this Earth's Clark Kent had lost his parents in a fatal car crash when he ten years old. How he had bounced around in foster care as a teenager. How Lana Lang's family had been the only stability he had. How the Lois of this world, his one true soul mate, had yet to surface. How lonely Clark was. He even explained that another Lois had briefly showed up, convinced him to become Superman, broke his heart, and gone back to her world, to her Clark. How jealous Clark was of that Clark, because he had his parents and Lois. How he had lost his secret identity almost immediately after introducing Superman to the world. Jonathan and Martha shuddered to think that this Clark had to live his life in a fishbowl, with no family and no Lois to nurture him. Their hearts went out to him. The decided that they would be fine meeting with him; perhaps they could heal each others' emotional scars. That's what family was for, after all. Wells explained to the Kents that Clark still owned the farmhouse, but seldom visited. There were too many sad memories. He was, however, unable to sell the farm. It was his one sole tie to family that he had. It had sentimental value to him. Instead, he had recently been looking to rent it out. The price of rent would be restoring the farmhouse to its original glory and working the land again. Knowing that his family home would be filled with life again (and perhaps the magical smell of an apple pie baking in the oven), would be payment enough. The realtor that Clark had hired to screen suitable prospective tenants and manage the property was none other than Clark's lifelong friend, Lana Lang! Wells divulged that Clark had been engaged to Lana, but their relationship fell apart when he met and fell in love with the other-world Lois, and subsequently became Superman. Lana, unable to accept Clark's true heritage and destiny, gave him an ultimatum: Superman or her. Superman, Metropolis, and the rest of the world, actually, came out the winners. After several years had passed, they had become good friends again, and Lana was now engaged to Smallville's new Mayor, Pete Ross. She had taken real estate classes and now held her realtor's license. It gave her opportunities to network about town, and it helped further her future husband's political career at the same time. The Kents couldn't believe the similarities between their two worlds. They had just watched their Pete Ross executed at the hands of the New Kryptonians. The agony of losing their Clark and Lois was still painfully close to the surface. Assuming that this world's Clark was OK with the idea, they would meet with Lana and live in the home, making it their own. The biggest obstacle they would have to overcome was an identity crisis of sorts. Since they were considered legally dead in this Universe, who the HECK would they be? It was doubtful that the townspeople would recognize them as the Kents, since they had been dead for more than 25 years in this universe. In addition, since the underworld knew that Superman was Clark Kent, there might be a risk associated with keeping the Kent name. If a connection were made to Superman, their lives would be in danger. They'd be back to square one again. Herb mentioned that perhaps Lana, with all of her contacts, could help brainstorm the solution to this dilemma. "Remain here. I will return shortly with your new son. I made some tea while you were resting," Wells advised. "Once Clark is apprised of the situation, I'm sure he will contact Lana, and together you can all figure out the proper details". "OK, Herbert, we await your return," said Jonathan. "And, if I didn't say it before, thank you for saving us." Martha was sound asleep on the couch. She had hardly slept in the three days since they lost their Clark, Jonathan realized. It was good to see her resting. He was so glad for once that he had decided to be impulsive and grab Herb's hand! Right now he would be raking leaves under duress and watching yet another execution, had he remained in his universe. Clark had just landed on the balcony of his apartment at 344 Clinton St. when he heard a knock on the door. Using his X-ray vision, he realized it was none other than the man that, at times, he had felt had ruined his life, H.G. Wells. What now? Was he coming to tell him that his Lois was definitely dead? Spinning out of the suit into comfortable sweats, he reluctantly opened the door. "Herb," he grunted, "come in, of course." "Clark, my boy, I have news. Please fly me and my machine to Smallville, and I will explain when we get there". Clark sighed and spun back into his Superman persona. He knew better than to argue with Wells, after all these years. He knew that whatever the news was, it couldn't be about Lois, since she had no connection to Smallville. They took off from the alley where Wells had hidden his time machine. Clark lifted the machine with Wells safely strapped inside. While they were flying, Herb pondered the events of the last several days. He had made significant improvements to his time and dimensional travel technology in the last several years. A remote control device that could be hidden in one's palm could be activated by satellite link half a world away. Of course, this only worked in the late 20th century. But these days, he found the past (his present) dull and the future undeniably exciting! The remote allowed him to bring the machine to wherever he was. He could also leave his machine in one dimensional universe and travel to another. The only problem was that the machine sent him to that exact spot in time and space in the other universe! He had landed in some embarrassing situations as a result, but..ah, all in the good name of scientific research! Most recently, he had parked the machine adjacent to the vacant Kent farmhouse. He had been feeling badly that he couldn't locate the Lois of this universe. He just couldn't face Clark's sad face again without some good news for the upcoming Millennium. Somehow, he felt responsible for Clark's misery. If he couldn't find his Lois, maybe there was another alternate universe out there with a Lois without a Clark? Could it hurt to take a look around? When he arrived in that other Smallville, the Clark and Lois of that world were already dead. The Kents, of course, were grieving badly. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Herb's head. He had picked this universe quite by chance, but here was an opportunity to perhaps bring a family back together! He just hoped his meddling would have a positive ending to it, after all. Clark gingerly dropped the machine and its occupant down in front of the farmhouse. His enhanced hearing, however, had picked up heartbeats inside the living room. His pulse racing with excitement, he sped into the house without waiting for Herb to free himself and accompany him. Jonathan looked up and saw his dead son's face. It was unbelievable. Clark was alive again! "Martha, Martha, wake up!" he exclaimed. "Clark is here!" Clark was transfixed, unable to breathe or move. They looked just like the other Clark's parents. He had met them when he had traveled to their universe to help out when Lois' Clark was missing. Had Wells brought them here just to tease him, only to bring them back to their Clark and Lois again? What was going on here? "My boy, you didn't give me a chance to explain!" Wells sputtered as he entered the room, completely out of breath. "Clark Kent, meet Jonathan and Martha Kent!" With Lana's help, they eventually came up with an explanation for their presence: "Joe" and "Mary" Lang would be Lana's aunt and uncle from the West Coast. They had always wanted to live on a farm, in their retirement years. They had relocated to the Midwest to be by their family, especially in light of their niece Lana's engagement to the newly elected Mayor of Smallville, Pete Ross. Their landlord, Superman/Clark Kent, had taken an interest in them, since they were residing in his family home. Town folk remarked that since Clark had lost his parents at such an early age, he had adopted the Lang's, who had never had children of their own. He even called them "Ma" and "Pa" affectionately. It was only natural that Clark would bond with them, since Clark had been engaged to Lana, was always close to her parents, and now her aunt and uncle as well. The town of Smallville had become an extremely close-knit community when it was made public that Clark Kent was indeed Superman. Outsiders coming in asking questions were shunned. No one gave interviews to the media. Clark's privacy was respected. It was a testimony to his character. Smallville was proud of their resident alien! Clark had dug an underground tunnel from the basement of the farmhouse to the woods on the outskirts of town. This way, when he needed his Ma and Pa fix, no one would see him visiting them on a regular basis. Their relationship had been a tad difficult at first, more so for the Kents than for Clark. The emotional pain of loss was very fresh for them, made worse by the fact that Clark's physical appearance was identical to that of their Clark. However, he warmed up to them right away. Herb had been right. He had brought a family back together. Clark's face was not quite as sad these days, and Martha was able to dispense Superman-type advice to Clark, based on stories her Clark had told her thru the years. That Clark, often referred to as Martha's Clark, had been Superman since he was a teenager, when he was a freshman in college, at age 18. At Metropolis University, he felt the need to jump in and help out, so Martha fashioned a suit for him; he was called Superboy at first, then later, Superman. He had lots of super-experiences, and Martha would draw from her memories of the dilemmas and tragedies he had shared with her through the years. She did refrain from giving out too many details about their daughter-in-law, Lois. They realized how painful it was for their new son to hear. They prayed that his Lois would magically reappear one day and they would be a complete family once again. ~~~~~ Smallville, Kansas Present Day "Clark, it's time to get to the church!" Martha said. "Ma, those cookies are so good. I'm not going to have room for that apple pie," Clark smiled. "Watching your figure again?" Martha teased. "Jonathan! Where did you go to now?" "Right here, waiting for you, and the car's running, by the way," Jonathan said. "Ok, you two, I'll meet you there." Clark spun back into the suit and flew back through the tunnel. It would not be advisable for all of them to arrive at the same time! A reception at Lana and Pete's home followed the christening. Lana cornered Clark. "All right, please tell me that there is someone, other than Lois, that you at least find interesting, Clark!" "Lana, I know you mean well, but pullllease.don't start up again. I'm doing fine. Look, I have a family now, not to mention you, Pete and the baby," Clark said. "That's all I really need." "Clark, the Kents won't live forever, and as much as we love having you around, it's not the same! Please... I worry about you. I know in your heart you really believe that Lois will come back. What if she doesn't? You have already wasted more than seven years pining away for a ghost!" Lana scolded. "Will you at least go out on a date with a friend of mine? She's new in town and just relocated to Smallville. I sold her that little house that was up for sale forever next to the high school." "Lana, you are really a broken record! You know I hate blind dates," Clark replied. "So use your super-eyes and check her out ahead of time!" Lana joked. "Superman never needs to go out on a blind date!" "Very funny. Well, if you want to invite her over for dinner some time, I could pop in and meet her. That's as far as I'll go," Clark negotiated. "Deal!" exclaimed Lana. "You will be hearing from me shortly. Don't give me the 'bum's rush' again when I call you with the details, now, like you did the last time!" "Lana, there was an earthquake in California. I wasn't avoiding you," Clark said, grinning broadly. "Clark Jerome Kent! You most certainly were! There is a two hour time difference between Kansas and California. The TV said you left the scene at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time! You were due at my house at 6:00 p.m.! You do the math!" Lana became very animated. They had had this discussion soooo many times before. Clark always made up a Superman excuse to avoid dating. He was truly hopeless. But, as his friend, she couldn't give up on him. Suddenly, Clark's beeper went off. "Lana, may I use your phone? The Daily Planet just paged me. It must be really important for them to call me on a Sunday!" Clark exclaimed. "Sure, no problem," said Lana. "And we will continue this discussion again. And one of these days, in the not-so-far future, I will win out!" she laughed. Clark was only a freelancer at the Planet these days. As the phone rang, he couldn't help but wonder what story could be so important to page him. This happened quite infrequently. On the third ring, he heard, "Daily Planet, James Olson speaking". "Mr. Olson, Kent here. I got your page. What's up?" "Kent, thanks for calling back so quickly. Our webmaster received an interesting e-mail today. We're going to need Superman's help to determine if it's real or not," Olson said. "Huh? Why, who was it from" Clark asked. "Take a deep breath, Kent," Olson said. "I'll read it to you, verbatim: Hi Daily Planet. Remember me, Lois Lane? The war is over here, and I have no way to get back home. I'm in Congo - Brazzaville at an internet caf‚. Please reply to me at 'LLane@Yahoo.com'. I'm living in a refugee camp at the edge of the city. Everyone here knows me as 'Linda'. I have no ID, no money, just the clothes on my back. If you can, please contact Perry White. Have him e-mail me. He'll be able to verify that it's me. Thanks. Lois P.S.I'm not a spammer, I promise! Clark dropped the receiver. In a flash, he spun into his Superman suit and headed back to Metropolis without saying goodbye to Lana, Pete, his folks, or his Godson. Could this be the hand of fate that Wells had mentioned? Or, better yet, was this proof that fate wasn't just a pacifying word, but a real destiny that one must be *very* patient for? When Clark arrived at the Planet, Perry White was there as well. He was in his second term as Mayor of Metropolis. James Olson was in his office, staring at the computer screen. They both looked up simultaneously. "Clark!" Perry shouted out. "It looks like our gal may still be still alive!" "I'm going to fly right over there and find her," said Clark. "Not a good idea" said Olson. "First of all, it's against your agreement with the U.N. They have their own people over there, and we need to try to work through them. Remember, war has just ended over there. We don't want the U.S. to be responsible for escalating things again. Superman represents the United States when he's overseas, and we don't even have a U.S. Embassy in Congo-Brazzaville anymore, it was closed in 1997." "You can't expect me to just sit here and do nothing! I'll go over at night, no one will see me!" Clark exclaimed. "Clark, I know your intentions are good, but even though the war is supposedly over, there are still Ninja rebels with weapons everywhere, and your presence may stir things up, as I said before. Innocent people may die, including Lois. If you go, you must go over there as Clark Kent, reporter, with the proper paperwork, and bring Lois home the politically-correct way," Olson stated. "I have to agree with James on this, Clark," Perry said. "Superman bringing one lone female American refugee home when there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people over there just doesn't cut it!" "But Clark Kent, foreign correspondent for the Daily Planet, bringing identification documents to a fellow co-worker; well, that is perfectly fine," interjected Olson. "Foreign correspondent? Are you giving me a new position?" Clark inquired. "Yes. While you're over there, you're the Daily Planet's foreign correspondent. It's dangerous over there, and even though you won't be dressed as Superman, you are the only one I feel safe sending over there to bring Lois home," said Olson. Clark shrugged. "You've got a deal!" , he muttered under his breath. "When can I leave, then?" he asked. . "Well, we have to arrange a ninety day Visa for you. For that, we will have to write a letter on Daily Planet letterhead explaining the purpose of your visit; you'll need to have a passport, a return airplane ticket, and a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate. Hmmm. Needles will break on your skin. How can we arrange for you to have that?" James asked. "Well, I think it would have to be administered with a needle made with Kryptonite. I'll see Bernie Klein in the morning and see if STAR LABS can help me. Since I won't be using my powers much, a small amount of exposure to Kryptonite won't be that harmful," Clark said. "All right, good. You work on that tomorrow, and I'll get the staff working on the other issues. Check back with me tomorrow afternoon. And Clark. bringing an American reporter missing for ten years home. that may be the stuff of Pulitzers, but at the very least, a Kerth." Clark walked over to his desk and signed on to his computer. Even though he didn't report for work every day since he had been revealed to be Superman, the Planet kept a desk available for him to use when he wrote his exclusive Superman sagas. He opened his e-mail and clicked on "create mail". His heart was pounding out of his chest. He had to come off very professional and businesslike in this e-mail, because Lois probably didn't know who a Superman was, and she certainly wouldn't understand why he was utterly, pathetically, in love with her! To: LLane@Yahoo.com From: Ckent@DailyPlanet.Com Subject: Your whereabouts Hi Lois, My name is Clark Kent, and I work for the Daily Planet. We received your e-mail and we are very grateful to know that you survived. I want you to know that I have been assigned to travel to Congo-Brazzaville and attempt to bring you home. I should be leaving in the next several days. I don't know how often you can get to an internet caf‚ to read your e-mail, but any information you can give me to describe your whereabouts would be very helpful. As for myself, I am about 6' 2", dark brown hair and eyes, and I wear glasses. I have seen pictures of you dating back to 1993, before you disappeared . If you could give me a description of how you currently look, I would appreciate it. If there is anything you would like me to bring to you from the states, let me know. Best regards, Clark He clicked the "send" button with the mouse. Clark shut down the computer. He hoped his message carried the correct tone. After all this time, things had to be perfect! She *had* to fall in love with him. In his heart, he knew it was meant to be. Clark got up and walked to James Olson's office. Perry was still chatting with him. "Perry, have you tried to contact her sister Lucy, or her parents?" Clark asked. "I lost track of Lucy's address, Clark. I think she moved to California to live with that well-heeled businessman she had met. I'm sure I can get our old friend Dan Scardino to locate her as well as her parents. I believe they were divorced," Perry said. "Forget Scardino!" Olson interjected. "I didn't get rich in the computer software business for nothing! Give me their names and their last know addresses, and by tomorrow morning, you can bring a copy of this e-mail to them in person, if you like, Clark!" said James. Clark laughed, remembering how James Olson made his millions. He was a hacker's hacker. There wasn't a computer system around that he couldn't break into. He might be the owner/publisher of the Daily Planet, but he still like to play around on the computer! "Perry, great to see you," Clark said, shaking his hand. "Give my best to Alice. You'll both have to come to dinner at Ma and Pa's sometime. Courtesy of Superman Transportation." "Just let me know, and we'll be there," Perry promised. ~~~~~ Several Days Later Clark's powers were just starting to return to full force. The procedure required to administer the Yellow Fever vaccination took a lot out of him (as it required a needle coated with Kryptonite). As senseless as it all seemed (since there was no way he could catch Yellow Fever), all of the paperwork had been prepared flawlessly. The Planet had obtained a copy of Lois' birth certificate, as well as duplicate copies of her last Passport and driver's licenses. They had purchased two return plane tickets and prepared a written request to the Republic of Congo's government requesting that Ms. Lane be allowed to travel home to the United States. Just before he was ready to take off for the airport (as much as he hating flying any other airline than his own), Clark checked his e-mail. It was about 11:00 a.m., EST, and he had been warned to allow several hours at the airport for security and customs issues. Issues he typically never dealt with! While he was waiting for new messages to load on the screen, he felt squeamish inside, like a teenager with his first crush! <1 new message! Could it be from - yes!> From: LLane@Yahoo.com To: CKent@DailyPlanet.com Subject: Re: Your whereabouts Clark, thank you so much for believing it's me. Let's see, how can I describe myself? I wear my hair up because it is quite long now but it's still dark brown/black. I'm quite thin, so I'm sure I look terrible. Funny, I never thought being skinny could be a bad thing! Good thing I can't look in a mirror on a regular basis. There's an internet caf‚ in the foyer of the newspaper building LeChoc. That's where I'm writing this. My time is limited because there are others waiting to use the few terminals available. Currently I have to walk from the abandoned church where a lot of us are staying to get here. It's about a 3 mile walk on wet, swampy roads. There is no public transportation in Brazzaville. Right now, Doctors Without Borders is treating hundreds of thousands of refugees. I'm trying to help out as best I can. WFP (World Food Program) is feeding us, but there's hardly enough food to go around. Children and the elderly suffer from severe malnutrition. Still, life is better than before the war ended. We were hiding in the thick jungle forests at night and kept moving during the day. There is no U.S. presence here. The U.S. Embassy left Congo in 1997 and hasn't reopened. This is not a nice place, Clark. If I look at someone cross-eyed, they could put me in jail. Our U.S. laws mean nothing over here. Your name sounds familiar! Aren't you the guy they call Superman? I saw your picture in Le Choc not long ago. I don't think you had glasses on in that picture though. Maybe I wasn't looking at your face! Don't wear that shiny spandex suit here; you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Light khaki-type clothing and boots is all you'll need. Oh, and it's the rainy season here in Brazzaville, so bring a light jacket too. All I would like you to bring me is some clean clothes and a box of chocolates! Especially double fudge crunch bars! And, of course, some identification, so they'll let me on the plane back home. I'm sure you'll be able to find me with those special powers of yours I read about. Unless it's all just a bunch of propaganda, of course. Anyway, there are others waiting to use the computer. I'm looking forward to meeting you; thanks again. Warmly, Lois Clark gingerly clicked on the "reply" button: To: LLane@Yahoo.Com From: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com Subject: Re: Your whereabouts Lois, it's so good to hear back from you. This will be our last correspondence because I leave for Congo-Brazzaville this afternoon at 2:00 p.m., EST. The flight, with stops for refueling, is 18 hours, so I should arrive at approximately 2:00 p.m. your time, tomorrow, as you're six hours ahead of me. Yes, I am also known as Superman, but on this trip, I will solely be Clark Kent, reporter, as I am not allowed by agreement with the United Nations to use my powers in a country that is in the midst of civil unrest or other political issues. You will be happy to know that I will be bringing certified copies of your passport, birth certificate, and (expired) driver's license with me. I take it you are a chocolate lover, so I am bringing a variety with me, especially double fudge crunch bars! Perry and James have notified your family that you are alive, and they are all ecstatic to hear the news! You should have already received an e-mail from Perry, James, Lucy, and your parents. In fact, your mother went shopping on the Daily Planet's company credit card and selected some clothes for you, which I'm bringing with me as well. Now it's up to me to bring you home safely and not disappoint everyone. I will not be traveling with a laptop computer, but I believe I will be able to get on-line at the hotel I am staying at, which is Le Meridien-Brazzaville. Hopefully it will be fairly easy to locate you. If all goes well, a week from now, you will be home in Metropolis looking for a new apartment. James Olson told me that he is more than happy to offer you a position on staff at the Daily Planet again, if you would like it, of course! I believe he was to mention that in his e-mail, so I'm not speaking out of turn here. I will e-mail you again upon my arrival in Brazzaville. If you can find a way to get to Le Meridien, perhaps the hotel will let you stay in the lobby until I get there. In any event, I am so looking forward to meeting you. Your reputation as a world-class investigative reporter is legendary. Fondly, Clark P.S. It's not propaganda! Clark clicked "send" and took a deep breath. ~~~~~ Lois smiled when she read Clark's last e-mail. How great was this? The guy they called Superman was coming to bring her home personally. In some way, that made up for ten years of mostly pure hell. She just knew she was going to need therapy when she got back to the states! Watching women being ravaged by the rebels; the sound of war and destruction in her head every day; it was amazing that she didn't hate the entire male species. This Clark/Superman guy, he seemed nice. He *looked* nice, too. And, if Perry thought he was OK, well then, that was good enough for her. She decided she would let herself trust him, quite a feat for the woman formerly known as Mad Dog Lane. She figured the only reason her life had been spared all these years was because of her martial arts training. That very first time one of those maniacs tried to grab her, she whirled around and made him sorry he was born! American women intimidated Congo- lean men because they were so much more assertive! Linda's reputation had kept her alive after Luthor's puppets had dropped her off in a refugee camp in the middle of the night, after strip-searching her! She had become a leader of sorts to the orphaned children and terrified women in the camps. Her experiences taking risks as an investigative reporter translated well to this environment. She had become more cunning and daring than ever. Congo-lean women who had spent their lives in subservient roles admired her. The rebel fighters kept their distance from her. Linda, l'ange d'Estats-Unis (Linda, the angel from the United States) was how she had been described by her companions. Strange, how circumstances can change your outlook on life. Ten years ago, she had been a cocky, aggressive, somewhat unfriendly woman, trying to make good in a field considered to be dominated by men. Today, she was still aggressive but much more open and friendly. She now realized that human beings need each other. She had become much more philosophical about life. Living on the edge to finish a story was one thing, but in Congo-Brazzaville she had to live every day that way. While she had always been able to take risks in her job, she was less likely to put her emotions at risk. Now, le joie de vivre had taken over! Would she be around tomorrow? Who knows? She had lots of catching up to do when she returned to old l'Estats-Unis! She positively glowed inside when she read Perry's e-mail. He seemed to be so happy she was alive. She couldn't believe he was Mayor of Metropolis! Never saw Perry as a politician. He was too honest and had way too much integrity. And Lucy was married to some rich guy in California. Mom and Dad are divorced. she thought to herself sarcastically. A new e-mail message popped up just before she logged off. The subject line was "WARNING". she reasoned to herself, as she clicked on the "delete" button without opening it. she smiled to herself. There were people waiting to use the computer, and it was getting to be time to get back to the church, before it got dark. ~~~~~ Interlude - Metropolis He clicked on "read mail". End Interlude ~~~~~ During the preparations for landing, Clark remembered why he hated flying commercially. First of all, they put you thru hell just to get on the plane! Clark smiled to himself. Second of all, a trip that would have taken him 30 minutes, flying at a leisurely pace, had almost wasted an entire day! he complained to himself. It was important to the Daily Planet that Clark traveled to Congo like anyone else, complete with long lines and aggravation! There had been a few reporters at the airport, mostly scandal sheet types, trying to find out why Clark Kent/Superman was flying to Congo-Brazzaville. Thanks to Tempus, he would never have any real privacy. He had dodged their questions by simply stating that he was on official Daily Planet business. They seemed dissatisfied with that explanation, but that was his story, and he stuck with it. Thank goodness, most of the passengers weren't acutely aware what Superman looked like. Especially in a business suit and glasses! Yes, he still wore the glasses to try to keep *some* distance between Superman, the icon, and Clark, the real person. During the entire 18-hour flight, he had been left alone. Flight attendants treated him as they did anyone else on the flight. After the tedious process of obtaining his luggage and getting thru customs, he was surprised to discover that Le Meridien- Brazzaville was only 10 minutes from the airport. Maybe Lois would be waiting for him at the hotel? Heart pounding, he took the hotel's shuttle, anticipation filling his every vein. Recognizing that this hotel was a good distance from the business district of Brazzaville, it seemed doubtful that Lois could travel this far, unless she was able to hitch a ride. During his nomad period, before he came to work for the Daily Planet, Clark had briefly traveled through Africa. He had also flown through the Congo covertly at night looking for Lois, to no avail. He couldn't allow himself to be seen. The residue of ten years of war was very apparent while he was traveling to the hotel. There were empty buildings, vacant, burned houses, and rubble everywhere. Looking at this destruction made him ill. If only he could have helped. But as the other Lois had told him, "whatever you can do to help is enough." He had forgotten how tropical the topography was. They were right on the Equator, after all. The hotel had six floors and an outdoor swimming pool. He was disappointed upon entering the lobby that no beautiful, dark-haired, thin woman was waiting for him. Upon checking in, at about 3:30 p.m., he was impressed to find that The Daily Planet had sprung for a suite, figuring that he and Lois could share a room, once he located her. They wouldn't be able to return to the U.S. for a few days at least, anyway. In order to leave the country and enter the United States, Lois would have to have her own Yellow Fever vaccination and blood tests for AIDS and malaria, in case she was a carrier. In addition, she needed a complete physical, one that would give her a clean bill of health. She had described herself as thin. Hopefully, in several weeks, with a diet consisting of chocolates and nutritious meals, she would have some curves back on her body! Very few of the rooms had telephones. There were two internet kiosks in the lobby of the hotel. Only guests of the hotel were allowed access, by credit card, and a sign up sheet was used. Clark signed up for the next available slot, which was 5:00 p.m., and took the elevator up to his room, on the 6th floor. Ah, good to be on the top floor of the hotel, easy access for patrolling the area at night, with the black shirt and pants he had brought with him. After an eternity in an airplane and several hours more bogged down in security checks and customs, even a Superman was tired. He set his wind-up alarm for 4:45 p.m., flopped on the bed, noted how uncomfortable it was, and floated above it. He nodded off, dreaming of Lois in his arms. At approximately 4:55 p.m., he walked downstairs to the lobby. An hour of sleep had recharged him. His turn to use the computer was coming up. On a whim, he went to the front desk, and with his working knowledge of the French language, asked if there had been a dark- haired American woman in her mid-thirties waiting in the lobby at any time in the last 24 hours. "Oui, monsieur. But she left with someone," the clerk replied. "Can you describe her companion?" Clark asked, feeling the anxiety well up in his chest. "Oui, he looked very similar to you, monsieur. Dark hair and glasses." Clark was in a panic. He realized it was his time to use the kiosk. Maybe she had e-mailed him a message? He sat down at the computer and pulled up Daily Planet's web site. Logging to their employee only site, he was able to pull up his e-mail from anywhere in the world! Yes! There was a message from Lois, and also one with no sender listed. To: CKent@DailyPlanet.com From: LLane@yahoo.com Subject: Your Arrival Clark, by the time you read this, you should be in Brazzaville. I'm going to try to get a ride to the hotel somehow, but if I can't, please look for me on the outskirts of town. There is an abandoned church that has been turned into a haven for refugees. I'm sure you won't have any problems finding me. See you soon. Thanks for coming to get me. Lois The message had been sent yesterday, about 5:30 p.m., Congo time. The next message was strange. No sender. Subject: DANGER. Normally, he wouldn't open an unidentified e-mail, but at this point, it was worth a shot; perhaps there was some important information about Lois. He clicked on the message line to read it: To: LLane@yahoo.com Bcc: CKent@DailyPlanet.com From: Subject: DANGER Can't reveal my sources but word on the street is that something big is going down. The Daily Planet's web server has been compromised and none of the e-mails are secure. The underworld may be aware that you're alive, Lois. Be very cautious until Kent gets there. An old friend Clark's mind was racing. . Clark was stunned, though, to discover that the Daily Planet's web server had been compromised, and he really didn't have the foggiest notion who the mystery e-mail might be from. Someone that knew Lois' brand new Yahoo e-mail address, and his e-mail address as well. , he reasoned. He brought up the Yahoo.Com web site and proceeded to create a new account for himself. To: LLane@yahoo.com From: CJKent@yahoo.com Subject: New e-mail address Lois, I'm here in Brazzaville and you're not in the hotel lobby. That warning message that we both got has me worried. Don't send any other e-mails to my Daily Planet address. I now have this Yahoo address. Be very careful. I'm out looking for you right now. Love, Clark He clicked on the send button with the mouse. Immediately after sending the message, Clark realized what he had done. Too many years of a fantasy relationship with Lois had caused him to let his guard down, acting too familiar towards her. . Clark logged off and took the elevator to the sixth floor. He changed into his black shirt and jeans and walked down the hallway. There was a outdoor patio on the roof. Luckily, no one was using it. He scouted the area with his enhanced vision, decided it was deserted enough, and lifted off. It was 6:00 p.m. and the sun had just set. He found the church fairly easily. He could not believe how many people were crammed into that small building. He landed down the street from the church adjacent to some mango trees. He was horrified by the conditions. He was sick that his Lois had had to live in these conditions. He was also nauseated at the famine and disease over here, while Americans had so much. Obesity was getting to be the #1 health problem in the United States; in Congo, malnutrition was the norm. He approached one of the women. "Is Linda here?" he asked her. The woman looked fearful of him. Clark then realized that most of these Congo-lean women had been ravaged by the rebel forces for so long, they were intimidated by all men. She wouldn't meet his eyes as she answered, "No, monsieur, she went to town. She should have been back by now." He put his fingertips under the woman's chin, gently forcing her gaze upwards, and blessed her with his thousand-watt smile. Slowly bringing her face up to look him directly in the eyes, he said, "Merci. Au revoir, Madame." He followed the road from the church to the town. No sign of her. It was dark, and now that the war was over, none of the refugees felt they had to keep moving at night. The streets were deserted. He again felt anguished at the sight of abandoned villages everywhere. And it was starting to look like Lois had taken off with a stranger in the hotel who looked enough like him to throw her off guard. The Lois Lane he knew, however, was way too suspicious to do that. No. she *must* be around! When he had speed-walked sufficiently far from the church, he flew off, blending into the darkness, heading back toward the business district. Nearing the center, he gently dropped down to street level and super-sped on foot the rest of the way. There it was. Le Choc, one of the most prominent newspapers in Congo-Brazzaville. he reasoned. There was a guard on duty. He knocked on the glass. "Monsieur, s'il vous plais?" "We are closed, monsieur. Open at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning." "I'm looking for an American woman who may be in danger. May I speak with one of your reporters?" Clark said, in his best French dialect. "What is your name, monsieur?" "Je m'appelle Clark Kent, de l'Estats Unis, foreign correspondent, Daily Planet newspaper." "Please wait here." He saw the guard talking to someone on what looked like a cellular walkie-talkie. "Monsieur, one of our affiliated reporters does want to meet with you. He's coming downstairs." To Clark's absolute shock, a Caucasian man with dark hair and glasses appeared at the door and let him into the foyer. "Clark Kent, what an honor it is to meet you, the American Superman!" He offered his hand. "Mark Boyle. I'm a foreign correspondent for the BBC," he informed Clark. He spoke English with a crisp British accent. Clark shook his hand, wondering if this was the man Lois took off with. From a distance, they would look alike. Approximately the same height, brown/black hair, glasses. He looked to be a bit older, maybe in his forties. Clark, of course, was more muscular than Mark, but otherwise, they were similar in appearance. "Pleased to meet you as well," Clark said. "I don't mean to be rude, but to invite you upstairs, I must certify that I have seen your identification. Would you mind?" Mark asked him. Mark's press card and photo I.D. was clipped to his shirt pocket. Clark smiled. Back in the states, where everyone knew him to be Superman, he'd never be asked for I.D. Traveling overseas gave him a sense of anonymity. It was kind of nice! "Sure. No problem." Clark said, pulling his wallet out of his pants pocket. He handed Mark his press pass, his Visa, and his New Troy driver's license. "Thank you. Sorry if it put you off." Mark said. "You really can't be too careful over here." "No problem. I'm looking for an American reporter that was lost over here. Her name is Lois Lane," disclosed Clark. "I know you are," he said, smiling. "She told me you were coming to bring her home. Why don't you come upstairs with me to our newsroom, and you can meet her," he said. "She's here? With you? Thank God," Clark exclaimed, relief flooding his body. "She was supposed to stay in the hotel lobby waiting for me to get there." They headed into the elevator lobby, Mark pushed the up button, and they waited. Mark smiled. "My old friend, Perry White, e- mailed me. He told me that word was on the street that Lois might be a target, and that I should baby-sit her until you got here. Not that I minded, she's a beautiful woman, even though she's quite frail right now. If only I had known before that she was here." Clark felt a wave of jealousy engulf him. Suddenly it hit him like a tidal wave that he was about to meet the woman he had fantasized about for the last seven years. He hoped he hadn't put the imaginary Lois on such a pedestal that the real Lois couldn't possibly measure up! "She didn't want anyone to know she was alive until the war was over. Apparently her family had been threatened by Luthor Corp should she try to return to the states," Clark informed him. "Yes, that's what she said," Mark agreed, as they both got into the elevator. They got off at the third floor. Apparently Le Choc had a foreign correspondent room, courtesy of their arrangement with the AP and the BBC. There were computers and even a plasma TV/monitor set to BBN, the British version of LNN. A dark-haired woman with her hair up in a bun, dressed in tattered khaki clothing, stood up when the door opened. She was very thin, but her big brown soulful eyes shone brightly nonetheless. "Are you Clark?" she asked, almost shyly. Clark's body kept moving - maybe he was even floating - toward her but his mind was frozen in time. He couldn't feel his arms or legs. He had dreamed of this moment for so long, but never had he imagined meeting her under these circumstances. "L-L-Lois? Is it really you?" he said, his voice more of a husky whisper. "Yes, Clark, it's really me. Welcome to Congo-Brazzaville," she said, offering him her hand. On a whim, Clark brought her fragile hand up to his lips and kissed it. He felt a chill and a wave of anxiety just from the contact. "Lois, you have no idea how happy I am that you're safe," he breathed. "I'm sorry if I gave you a start when I wasn't at Le Meridien. Apparently, Perry contacted Mark here to tell him something was going down, and he wanted to make sure I was safe. I managed to hitch a ride to the hotel, and while I was waiting in the lobby Mark, here, walked in. I thought he was you, so I ran up to him. Turns out he was looking for me anyway. Mark and Perry worked together decades ago! He offered to show me his newsroom at Le Choc while I was waiting for you, and I just couldn't resist that, and it had computers there, so I figured I would just send you an e-mail that I was waiting for you here instead. I just got the e-mail you sent me with your new e-mail address," Lois babbled, finally stopping to catch her breath. Clark smiled broadly. Ten years of horrific living hadn't changed the famous Lois-speak that he had become so familiar with when he had visited the other Universe. Suddenly, the last part of what Lois had said hit him hard. She had read that last e-mail, which he had signed "love, Clark". That realization made him feel very self-conscious. "Well, Lois, it was super to meet you," Mark said, "I'm sure you want to get back to the hotel and get settled in for the night. Remember, any time you want to give me an exclusive interview on your experiences here, call me," he offered, giving her his business card. Lois replied, "Thanks Mark, but my heart belongs to Metropolis and the Daily Planet." Clark thought. "Do you need a ride back to the hotel?" Mark asked. Lois smiled and looked at Clark. "Do we?" she asked. "No, I believe we do have another means of transportation that will get us back rather quickly, but thanks for the offer," Clark replied, and turned and smiled at Lois. It was the first time Lois got to be the recipient of Clark's room-brightening smile that melted many a female heart, unbeknownst to him. "I think I know what means of transportation that might be," he winked, looking at Lois. "Superman, right? Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," he joked. "Thanks, I appreciate that," said Clark. "Thanks so much for keeping Lois safe until I could get here." "It was entirely my pleasure," Mark said, shaking hands with Clark and gallantly kissing Lois on the cheek. As he walked them out to the elevator lobby, he said, more to Lois than to Clark, "I'll touch base with you again before you leave, if that's all right." Lois smiled at Mark in response, but gave no indication to him that she might be interested in keeping in contact with him. Lois and Clark took the elevator down to the foyer. "Clark, this is where I was e-mailing you from!" Lois pointed to the computer kiosks. She felt so happy. Life was finally taking a turn in the right direction. As they said good-bye to the night guard and walked out to the street, Clark asked Lois, "Are you ready for this?" "You're joking, right? Mad Dog Lane passing up the chance to experience first-hand that the rumors of your great powers haven't been greatly exaggerated?" she exclaimed. "No way! Bring it on!" "I swear, no propaganda," he quipped, reminding them both of the sarcastic tone in the first e-mail Lois had sent to him. It was starting to rain. The dry season started in June, so this was typical for March. "Do you want to go straight back to the hotel, or do you want to take a little world tour first? As long as it's dark and no one can see us, I mean," Clark said earnestly, looking into Lois' deep brown eyes. "Clark, you can take me anywhere you want, as long as we're safe, and I get to leave this Godforsaken place, even temporarily," Lois replied with enthusiasm. "I take it you don't have a fear of heights, then?" Clark inquired. "I guess we're going to find out," she countered. They walked a little way down the street and crossed over into a grove of trees. Clark picked Lois up in his arms. "Are you cold?" he asked her. "A little," she said. Clark gently used his heat vision to make her more comfortable. "Wow! What did you just do?" Lois asked. "That felt so wonderful." "That was propaganda, Lois," he smiled. With that they lifted off into the night sky, rising above the rain clouds, up to where the moon and the stars shone brightly. , Clark thought. Clark held Lois close to keep her warm, within his aura. They were over the western part of the United States now, but far above the clouds, and it was light again. Flying west as they were, the bright mid-day sun mirrored what Clark was feeling inside. This was the start of his real life with Lois, as opposed to the fantasy one he had conjured up, to keep him going, to make each day livable. "Clark, it's so beautiful, up here. You can do this anytime you want?" she asked. "Yes, but it's not as special when you don't have anyone to share this with," he said sincerely, staring into Lois' eyes, hoping to find a pathway to her heart, her soul. "C'mon!" she exclaimed. "You mean to tell me there is no Mrs. Kent at home?" Lois' tone of voice was incredulous. She had just assumed he was married. All the good ones, were, after all, taken. she wondered, almost aloud. "Lois, did you say something? No, there is no Mrs. Kent at home. I have been waiting for the right woman to show up," he said, flashing that wonderful, goose-bump making, smile at her. "Well, that answers that question, and a few more," Lois said. "But I still don't get it. You know you can have any woman you want, right? You *must* know that!" Lois asserted. "What with all this propaganda, those muscles, and your fantastic smile, most women are shallow enough to fall for you right on the spot!" she laughed. "Lois, that's exactly why I haven't been involved with anyone recently. Most women look at the icon, not the person that I am inside. I am more than just propaganda, muscles, and a great smile," he said, ironically giving her another one of those heart-stopping grins again. "But thanks for the left-handed compliments, nonetheless. "Let's stop for a minute, and talk, OK?" he asked. They were now over the Fiji Islands. He spotted a small uninhabited isle. This way they could sit on the beach and watch the sunrise. Local time was eleven hours ahead of Congo time. A new day was dawning. He had waited seven years to be with this woman. A romantic location couldn't hurt, could it? He also realized that he was trying to put off reality back in Brazzaville as long as he could. He gingerly dropped down to the beach. "Wait here, I'll be right back," he said. Lois reluctantly took her arms off of Clark's shoulders and sat down on the clean, white sand. At super-speed, he gathered some brush and some larger rocks. Using his heat vision, he soon had a great romantic fireplace going. The sky was a spectacular mixture of colors. "Are you hungry? You must be starving! What would you like to eat?" Clark asked. Lois, not taking him seriously, replied, "Let's see, I haven't had Chinese in a while. I'd like to have a little taste of everything from the best Chinese restaurant in the world, and a nice bottle of wine to go with it!" A swooshing sound alerted Lois to the fact that that Clark had disappeared faster than her eye could follow. She began to panic. Was he going to leave her here? Where did he go? She stood up and called out, "Clark, this isn't funny! Come back! Where are you?" Next thing she knew, a similar sound caused her to look back to where they had been sitting, and there he was, with eight containers of Chinese food, plastic utensils, and a bottle of White Zinfandel complete with two wine glasses. "Omigod! I thought you were kidding. Do you know how long it has been since I had a decent meal, let alone Chinese? And I'm sooo hungry!" she said. She was ravenous. She tore into the various containers. Clark opened the wine and poured her a glass. "I'd like to make a toast," he said, after filling his glass as well. "To Lois Lane's reappearance into the world, and to our new friendship. I know I'll be a better reporter and probably a better person, too, just from knowing you," Clark said, trying to keep the toast platonic versus romantic. Not yet, at least. "Thank you, Clark, that's so sweet," she said, clicking her glass with his. "Mmmmm.this wine is wonderful." "Well, we're not *too* far from California wine country, after all," Clark replied. "I'm glad you like it." "This is all so heavenly, Clark. Thank you sooooo much," said Lois sincerely. They ate and drank in silence, watching the sunrise. After several refills of wine, Clark looked over and saw that Lois had a pleasant smile on her face. "This is the first time I've had Chinese for breakfast," she remarked. "Remember, it's nighttime back in Brazzaville. This is really your dinner," Clark reminded her. Taking a deep breath, he decided to break the ice with some personal questions. "Lois, tell me about *you* now. In the ten years you were in Brazzaville, was there anyone special? Something must have kept you going there," Clark asked, really not wanting to hear the answer, but also realizing how much he needed to know. "Clark, before I left to investigate this gun-running in Africa story, I had dated a fellow reporter named Claude. I let my guard down with him, and he stole a story from me and ended up winning a Kerth Award because of it. I was so devastated." Lois' eyes began to well up at the recollection. Clark put his arm around her to comfort her. he thought to himself. he reasoned. "I'm so sorry, Lois. You didn't deserve that," Clark said, with empathy. "Go on." "Well, one of the reasons I was so excited about going overseas was that I felt like I had been made a fool of. You know how people gossip. I felt embarrassed and really wanted to get the hell out of there for awhile. So when the opportunity came up to investigate the lead I had, I practically begged Perry to let me go. We had quite a fight about it, as I recall." "Perry thinks of you as a daughter, Lois. That's so nice." Clark remarked. "Well, he knew how dangerous it would be for me to go there. I guess at that point in my life, I didn't care. Almost like a death-wish. If I came home alive, I'd have a good chance to win a Pulitzer and smear it in everyone's face that had made fun of me. If I didn't, at least I wouldn't have to look at those people anymore!" Lois was now in tears. "I basically wrote off men at that point in my life!" "Lois, come here," Clark said softly. "Please don't cry. You're going to make me cry too." Clark held her in his arms, gently rocking her. Without realizing it, soon they were floating above the sand. Lois looked down and said, "That's a neat trick. Have I told you how much I love your propaganda, Superman?" she said, smiling through her tears. "You know, you're like my guardian angel. Not only are you saving me from life in a refugee camp, you're a great listener too. It's hard to find that in a guy. Especially an unmarried one," Lois gushed. "I have an idea!" Clark exclaimed. The sun was above the horizon. "How would you like to take a nice sauna bath?" "Yeah, right! And just where would I find one around here?" she asked sarcastically. "Well, I just spotted a little lagoon not far from here. C'mon!" he urged. "OK, but isn't the water going to be a tad cold? The sun is just coming out now!" Lois remarked. "Oh, wait. I forgot. Propaganda again, right?" she teased. he thought to himself. He picked Lois up, flying low, just above the trees. Gradually, he released her, only holding her hand for support so she appeared to be flying under her own power. He gave her another gentle treatment of heat vision and smiled at her. "Having fun?" he asked. His reward was the most beautifully smiling face he had ever seen. Lois' hair, which had been swept up in a bun, came loose. Clark was startled to realize how very long her hair was.almost down to her waist. The other Lois' hair had been styled very short. "Clark, I haven't felt this wonderful in more than ten years," she admitted. "Thank you." They landed by a small pond fed by a waterfall. "Lois, the clothes you have on need to be thrown out. What would you like to wear?" he asked. "Like there's a clothing store on the island here!" she said with sarcasm. "Your wish is my command, Madame," he said. "If you could be wearing anything, right now, what would it be?" "Well", she mused, "after a nice sauna bath, I would usually put on a beautiful black silk negligee." Clark felt a part of him rise to the occasion, picturing her in it. he noted to himself. "But since we have to return to Brazzaville soon, I'll settle for some clean jeans and a nice sapphire blue cotton shirt. Blue is my favorite color, after all," she confessed. "Deal. Now, I swear I won't look, so get in the water, and I'll heat it up for you to your specifications. When you're ready to get out, I'll be here with clean clothes for you," Clark promised. Lois felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Maybe she had. This was so surreal. A deserted island. A god-like presence, catering to her every whim. What the heck was going on here? "Clark, why are you being so good to me? We've just met!" she asked, while she was removing her clothes. Clark had turned the other direction to give her some privacy. "And, by the way, when you signed that last e-mail to me `Love, Clark', I have to admit I was a little taken aback. Do I remind you of someone, someone that was special? Or do you have an aunt named Lois and you got us mixed up or something?" Clark gulped. He knew this question was forthcoming. Lois wasn't a premiere investigative reporter for nothing. He had laid out the red carpet a little too much, he feared. Now, instead of getting closer to her, she was going to back off. Be wary of him. He had blown it! "Lois, I"- he started. "By the way, it's safe to turn around now," Lois interrupted him. She was in the water, only her shoulders were revealed. "Quick, warm me up, it's freezing in here!" she cried. "Tell me when you're warm enough," he said, focusing his heat vision on the water around Lois. Thank God the subject had been temporarily changed. But knowing Mad Dog Lane 's reputation, she was going to ask him again. Soon. Well, he certainly couldn't start telling her about alternate universes.. at least, not yet. But he knew as soon as he got her back to Metropolis, she would hear about her visiting doppelganger from Perry. Why hadn't he thought this through enough? Eighteen hours on an airplane. he should have used that time to figure out an answer to her inevitable questions. Instead, he had spent it bitching to himself about the airline food and whining that he could have gotten there seventeen and a half hours faster! What a fool! "Ok, that's the perfect temperature now, Clark," Lois said, interrupting his thought process once again. "I'm going to enjoy the first decent bath I've had in ten years. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. We'll talk later. Hey, you're from Kansas, right? You probably sign all your e-mails with `love'," she joked. "Lois, I'll be back soon. Enjoy!" he said. he thought. Clark sped back to Brazzaville, where it was about 9:00 p.m. Landing on the roof as furtively as he could, he walked down the hallway, entered his hotel room, and opened the suitcase that Lois' mother had prepared for her. Perfume, cosmetics, lingerie, clothing that should be just her size. All selected by Ellen Lane, purchased courtesy of the Daily Planet's expense account. He found a pair of black jeans, which would match his own. Dark colors will be good for flying back here. he thought. There were no stores open after dark here. Well, that never stopped him before. Placing a pair of jeans, socks, walking shoes, underwear, and a bra in a small travel bag, along with a mirror, a comb, and some cosmetics, he again walked down the hall to the outdoor patio and sped off into the night sky. He then flew west to Smallville, Kansas, where it was about 2:00 p.m. The new mall that had been built recently had an American Eagle Outfitterr store. Since he wasn't dressed as Superman, he didn't create a stir. Putting his glasses on, he walked in, and found a nice sapphire blue simple cotton jersey top with a V-neck in size S. he smiled to himself. The sales clerk did recognize him. This was his home town, after all. The beauty of Smallville was that the townsfolk respected his privacy. A visiting Superman/Clark Kent was always a welcome sight and never taken for granted or abused. "Hi, Mr. Kent," said the sales clerk, a young gal of about 19. "How are you today?" she asked politely. Her employee badge indicated that her name was Shelley. "I'm great, Shelley, really great. Thanks for asking," replied Clark. He actually meant it this time. Previously, pre-Lois, he'd say that, to be polite, but hadn't meant it. "Boy, it's been a slow day so far. I just got in at 1:00 p.m., and you're one of my first customers! Wow, this is a really pretty top, Mr. Kent. I'm sure whoever you're buying this for will love it," she remarked, not wanting to pry. It was well known in Smallville that Mr. Kent/Superman didn't date anyone. It was going to be hard to keep it secret that he was buying a shirt for someone that was obviously around his age. A woman. She smiled. "Here you are, Mr. Kent. It was nice to see you. Have a great day," she said, putting the purchase in a dark green American Eagle Outfitters plastic bag. "Thanks, Shelley. You're a very polite young woman. Take care," said Clark. His heart was starting to pound. He wanted to get back to Lois ASAP. Upon his return, Lois was still swimming in the water, with a very relaxed look pasted on her face. Clark thought to himself. He hung the two bags he had brought on a tree limb adjacent to the water. "Hi, I'm back. Are you ready to get out, or do want another shot of heat?" he asked. "I want another shot of heat, and I want some company too," she grinned at him. "Y-y-you want me to swim with you?" he stammered. Wow. Of all things she could have said, that would have been LAST on the list! Skinny-dipping with Lois? Yikes. "Yes, as long as you give me your best Smallville Boy-Scout's honor that you won't use your propaganda to cheat!" Lois teased. "I won't look. Not that I don't want to, because you are a very attractive woman, Lois. I'm just not that kind of guy," he admitted. "That Midwest upbringing again, huh?" She laughed. "Then come join me," she invited. "I won't peek if you won't!" She turned to face the other way so Clark could undress. Clark was afraid that his burgeoning excitement at this unexpected development was going to be *very* apparent to Lois. Nonetheless, he joined her and used his powers to warm the water adjacent to where they were swimming. He looked up at the sky. The sun was higher up on the horizon, the color of the sky a myriad of blue, yellow and red. Life was perfect right now. If only he could freeze this moment forever. "Lois, I just have to say that you are the most beautiful woman that spent ten years in a refugee camp that I've ever met," Clark gushed. "Your hair is very pretty, long like that." he winced to himself. "Thank you Clark, you are so sweet, but really, I feel like Lady- Godiva with my hair like this! I'm getting a haircut as soon as we get back to Metropolis! "Let's not talk about anything else right now," she continued. "Let's just swim and relax. I could fall asleep here." "OK, you got it, Lois," replied Clark. Since he felt like he kept putting his foot in his mouth. Silence would be his best bet right now. An hour later, Clark and Lois were getting dressed in opposite parts of the lagoon. "Clark, who picked out these clothes? This is so great!" she said. "Your mom picked out everything but the shirt," Clark replied. "The blue top is from my home town, Smallville, Kansas," he revealed. "*You* picked this out? Wow, good looks, good listener, great body, great smile, propaganda, and good taste in women's clothes! Are you sure you're not a figment of my imagination?" Lois joked. "Absolutely not, and you're very welcome," he replied, feeling himself turn crimson at her praise of his talents. Lois combed her wet hair. "Having my hair this long means it takes forever to dry," she complained. "Can I trouble you to shorten that for me?" she asked, with a wink. "But of course, Madame," he said, using a combination of gentle super-breath and heat vision to replicate the action of a hair dryer. "You are sooooo handy to have around. I still can't believe some woman hasn't swept you off your feet. You *are* one of a kind, you know," she said, openly flirting with him now. "Lois, believe me when I tell you, so are you," Clark said, with a smile as big as the ocean on his face. He felt so smitten and love-struck inside. So not-in-control of himself. How he wished they could by-pass the whole ugly Brazzaville-let's bring Lois home the politically correct way to make the United Nations and the Daily Planet happy- affair! Oh well. Reality beckoned. Lois used the mirror to apply make-up, for the first time in ten years. "These colors are all wrong for me," Lois complained. "My mother never did really know me. She's too focused on herself. But, she did try; I'll give her credit for that!" "Lois, you're beautiful with or without make-up, trust me," complimented Clark. Lois was the one to blush now. "You are too kind. I'm sure that I have aged more than ten years in appearance," Lois stated. "In that kind of stressful environment, I'm surprised that my hair didn't turn completely gray." Lois got up and put the cosmetics, mirror, and comb in the little bag. She had taken a hairclip and fashioned her hair in a long ponytail. The black jeans were loose on her, but the sapphire blue top fit perfectly. There was just enough cleavage showing to make Clark smile. Hey, he was a guy after all. A guy completely, hopelessly in love with a woman he had just met! That darn Karma! "I suppose it's time to go back there. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I'll be home, looking for a new apartment," she sighed, with resignation in her tone of voice. "And, I'm sure I'll be going to a shrink once or twice a week, to get this whole ugly affair out of my system." "Lois, I can't even begin to imagine what life has been like for you. Anything I can do to make your transition to normal Metropolis life easier, you just let me know", Clark offered. "Does that include bringing me back here to Paradise Island every now and then?" she asked, smiling but dead serious. "Anytime, day or night, I'll be here for you. I'll take you anywhere in the world you want to go," Clark promised. "Wow, that's *quite* an offer. You are just too sweet to be real. I guess it's time to face the music back in Brazzaville, now, huh?" Lois said resignedly. "Are you ready? Do you want me to hold you, or do you want to fly by yourself, like we just did?" Clark asked. "I want you to hold me. I feel safer that way," Lois replied. Clark smiled. That was the answer he had been hoping for. "Good-bye, island," said Lois, as they flew off into the bright sunshine heralding a new day. ~~~~~ Congo-Brazzaville "Boyle here." "Boyle, I've been waiting to hear from you! What the hell is going on there?" "She left with the American Boy Scout, Kent, some time ago. Should be back to Le Meridien by now. "They're not back yet. I just called the hotel. Kent hasn't been seen for hours. "So what happened, anyway?" "I had just gotten her to trust me when *he* showed up. Figures he would be able to track her down before I had time to follow through with the plan. Bloody hell, I'm not stupid enough to take on Superman! At least, not without some reinforcements." "All right. They will be there for several more days. They have to take an airplane home. Find an excuse to visit them at the hotel, so we can find out what flight they're taking. We'll have to go with our back-up plan." "You got it," said Boyle, hanging up the phone. he thought, as he went back to sleep. Clark landed on the roof of Le Meridien hotel and gently set Lois on her feet. She had fallen asleep on the way back. It was about 12:30 a.m., local time. "Are we here? That was fast!" Lois sleepily said. "Are you OK to walk? I can carry you, if you want," said Clark. "Clark! Please, you're spoiling me. Really, I'm OK. But thanks," she said, smiling brightly. They walked down the hall to the hotel room. "Are we staying in the same room?" Lois asked. "Well, it's a suite. You have your own room. There is only one bathroom. Are you okay with that?" Clark asked tentatively. "Clark, have you *seen* where I've been staying? A room like this is heaven compared to where I was. The way all those poor people have to live, each day," she said, with sadness in her voice, "is horrible. Some day, down the road, I'm going to come back here and really make a difference for these poor women and children!" Lois promised. "And you, with all your great propaganda, should come back here with me and help!" She had the famous Lois Lane fire and passion in her eyes. "Lois, believe me, if I could, I would stop famine and disease all over the globe. But the U.N. has restricted my ability to give assistance. I am considered to be a representative of the United States, and my presence in certain types of conflicts is considered interference. It really does upset me that my hands are tied here. And if you want to come back here some day and volunteer for some type of relief organization, I'll be right there alongside you. But it will have to be as Clark Kent, ordinary man, not as Superman," Clark explained. "But it's still you, no matter what you're wearing," Lois argued. "You *aren't* an ordinary man! That doesn't make sense to me at all." "It's like the difference between a military man or a policeman being on duty, wearing his uniform, and one that is off duty, wearing regular clothes. When I wear the suit, I am perceived to be representing the United States. When I am dressed in civilian clothes, I represent my own interests, live my own life. It's a fine line, but it does allow me to have somewhat of a personal life," replied Clark. "And it's been really hard for me to have any privacy, so I'll take what I can get. "Anyway, the point is, I want you to feel comfortable with the situation. As soon as you have your Yellow Fever vaccine, blood tests, and physical, which we will schedule tomorrow, we can prepare to leave." Clark stated. "So hopefully, we'll be on that wretched airplane, heading home, by the end of the week." After sorting through the suitcase that Clark had brought for her (and discovering the chocolates he had packed), Lois washed up. She came out to the living area where Clark was reading the complimentary copy of Le Choc that Mark Boyle had offered him. Since it was all in French, it was both a challenge and an education to try to translate it. "Well, good night, Clark. I'll see you in the morning," Lois said. "Remember, no eye-spying!" She was wearing a long nightshirt with the Daily Planet logo on it. Thin as she was, she still had great legs, Clark thought to himself. It did take a lot of self-control not to use his X-ray vision to see the rest of her. A Superman without those Smallville heartland values could be a dangerous animal, indeed. His parents, then the Lang's, had instilled great strength of character in him, growing up. "Good night, Lois," replied Clark. In the back of his mind, something wasn't sitting right. Mark Boyle's timely appearance in the hotel and his stating that Perry had e-mailed him. well, it just didn't seem to fit. He was so elated at the time that his Lois was safe that he hadn't questioned it. That e-mail that was sent anonymously to him, and Lois said that the Daily Planet's web server had been compromised. If that was true, all the e-mails sent to Lois from the Daily Planet were readable by the perpetrator. The e-mail Lois had sent to him detailing where she would be, waiting for him in the hotel lobby, could have been read by them as well. Was Mark Boyle a friend or foe? He did say he knew Perry. Perry had been a foreign correspondent stationed in Europe back in the 80s. Perhaps that's where they had met. Interestingly, James Olson, the owner of the Daily Planet was the most computer literate man he had ever met. Surely he would have ensured that his web server had the best firewall in the world! It just didn't add up. With limited phones and no cellular service out of the country, he would have to rely on e-mail to figure this out. He took his room key and slipped out the door. It was now about 1:00 a.m. Perhaps no one was using the internet kiosks in the lobby at this time of night. He took the elevator down to the first floor and checked the sign-up sheet. No one had signed up until 6:00 a.m. Clark quickly wrote his name in the current slot and proceeded to log on to the computer. Dare he check his e-mail from the Planet, knowing that someone maybe reading it right now? Surely if James Olson knew that it had been compromised, he would have taken swift action against the hackers. Well, if it had been read, at least he would be on an even playing field with his unknown foe(s). He clicked on "read mail". Three e-mails popped up. One was from James Olson himself, one was from Ma and Pa, and one was from Perry White. He suddenly realized that the hackers might realize who "Ma and Pa" were, now. He and Lana had so carefully crafted their new identities as her aunt and uncle from California to protect them from his enemies. He hoped it wasn't a really personal e-mail message. He didn't want to have to worry about their lives being in danger, also. God, he couldn't wait to get out of Brazzaville and get back to Metropolis, where he could use his powers openly. He realized the irony of that statement. He had for so many years, longed to be just plain Clark Kent. What's that old saying, "be careful what you wish for, you may get it"? To: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com From: JOlsen@DailyPLanet.Com RE: Hacker Rumors Clark, I realize that there is a rumor going around that the Daily Planet has been hacked into. I hope you know me better than that. I don't know how or why the rumor got started, but you can rest assured that your e-mails to us are secure. I hope by now you have located Lois and you're in the midst of preparations to bring her home. We plan to have a big Welcome Home party for her when you guys return. Please e-mail me your flight number and the date of your arrival, as soon as you are aware, and we will have a limo at the airport waiting for you. Good luck and thanks again, James Rather than replying, he clicked "next": To: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com From: JMLang@MSN.Com Re: Hi Honey! Hi son, we know you can't really call us from where you are so we wanted to let you know that we were thinking about you and hope that you have finally found 'your' Lois. We can't wait to meet her either. I know you probably won't be able to bring her over to meet us right away (it wouldn't look right), so maybe we'll make a trip to Metropolis, and we can just pop into the Daily Planet and you can introduce us. I'm sure she is just as wonderful as the Lois we knew and loved so much! Call us or stop by as soon as you're back. Can't wait to hear about your trip. Love, Ma and Pa he smiled to himself. It was so nice to have quasi-parents again. However, if someone was indeed reading the Planet's e-mails, he didn't want any more mail to go to this address. Hopefully, the hackers wouldn't know where the JMLangs were from. Luckily, Ma hadn't mentioned Smallville in her e-mail, just Metropolis. He clicked on "next" to read his final e-mail: To: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com From: PWhite@MetNT.Gov Re: Your Trip Hey, Kent, how are you doing over there? Did you find my gal, yet? Please give her my love and tell her that I can't wait to give her a big bear hug when I see her! I just sent her an e- mail, too, but she hasn't replied. Hope everything is OK and that she is safe. If she's with you, then I'm not going to worry. By the way, everything is great here in Metropolis. The Star did have an article about you taking a commercial flight out of Presley Airport, speculating why you were headed to the Congo, but there was no mention of Lois in it. The Planet printed a rebuttal article explaining that you were temporarily re-assigned as a foreign correspondent in Brazzaville to interview survivors in the refugee camps that remain, post-war. Anyway, the sooner you guys get back the better. Let me know when you schedule your flight home, so I can meet you at the gate. Good luck son, Perry Clark anxiously logged off the Daily Planet's server and signed on to Yahoo.com. His fears had been realized. Mark had been lying! Perry had not mentioned anything about e-mailing Mark Boyle to warn them of danger. Surely, he would have included that important fact in his message! Upon closer scrutiny, he also realized that the e-mail from James Olson was a fake! Olson's name was spelled wrong, and the "L" in Daily Planet had been capitalized. He had to warn his folks and Perry that something was terribly wrong! He had no new Yahoo e-mail messages. Well, the only other person, besides his folks, that had this address was Lois, and he had found her before she had had time to reply to him. He clicked on "create new mail": To: JMLang@MSN.Com From: CJKent@Yahoo.Com Re: Hi folks Hi, Ma and Pa. Thanks for the nice e-mail. Please be very careful until I get back. Don't use my Daily Planet e-mail address until I tell you it's safe. I'll explain later. Please reply only to this Yahoo e-mail address. Lois is beautiful, and even though she is thin and needs TLC, which I'm more than happy to give her, she is everything I dreamed she would be. I have to hold back telling her how much I love her. I just have to believe that we really are soul mates, and that she will eventually love me back. She will need a lot of time, and I'm more than willing to give it to her. That sounds great about you coming to Metropolis to meet her. Maybe we can set that up in a month or so, when she has settled into somewhat of a routine again. Love you both, Clark He clicked the "send" button, then immediately clicked on "create new mail". To: PWhite@MetNT.gov From: CJKent@Yahoo.Com Re: Please Read ASAP! Hi Perry, I did find Lois, and while she is very thin and fragile, she is as beautiful as ever. I need to know if you met a Mark Boyle in your foreign correspondent days - I need to know this ASAP. Also, don't send any e-mails to my DP address; I think there may be a problem with the server. Please send e-mails only to this Yahoo address until further notice. Don't tell James Olson about any of this until I tell you it's OK. Please. I really would appreciate your keeping this e-mail confidential, at least for now. Thanks, Clark Again, he clicked on "send". Clark logged off the computer. It was now 1:30 am. He signed up for an available 8:00 am spot to check his e-mail again in the morning and said good night to the desk clerk on duty. He didn't notice that the desk clerk quickly made a phone call as soon as he was out of sight. He took the elevator back up to the sixth floor. Entering the room, using his X-Ray vision, he checked on Lois. He was relieved to see that she was sleeping peacefully. She looked so angelic lying there, with her long dark hair flowing around her. He realized that the time they had alone would soon come to an end, and she would probably be an entirely different person when she returned to her familiar environment, Metropolis and the Daily Planet. Now was the time to really get to know her and establish a bond with her. Hopefully, it would be a familiarity that would transcend to their world in Metropolis as well. He thought that their trip to Paradise Island, as she had called it, had been a great first step in that direction. There, with no stress and reality to deal with, they had spoken openly about their private lives and had left the island as friends. He was certain that slowly, the Mad Dog Lane personality would take over, and he would be left in its wake. But he realized he could love that part of her as well. Her enthusiasm, straightforward talk, and spunky attitude were what made her a Lois Lane. Circumstances may have mellowed her out a bit, in the last ten years. However, Clark was certain that she hadn't lost that part of herself; nor should she. Clark lay down on his bed and, within minutes, was floating in his sleep. In his dreams, Lois was resting in his arms, as always. The alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. Even though it meant that he had only slept for a little over five hours, Clark wanted to make sure he didn't miss his 8:00 a.m. spot on the computer. Lois was still fast asleep. He decided not to wake her. He went downstairs to the restaurant in the lobby, where there was a continental breakfast underway, and brought back some Danish, some bagels (with cream cheese on the side), and two coffees. No matter when she got up, he could re-heat the coffee for her to her precise requirements! He was reading the complimentary Le Choc that had been placed under the door, when Lois woke up. It was about 7:50 a.m., and he knew he had to get downstairs. Lois stumbled out of her bedroom and sleepily said, "Good morning." "Lois, I signed up to check e-mail at 8:00 a.m. I'd feel better if you would come downstairs with me; I don't feel right leaving you alone up here. And, I brought you a coffee," he smiled. "Clark, I'll just meet you down there. I need to wake up! Please, you don't have to baby-sit me. I survived in this damn jungle for ten years. I think I can handle taking the elevator downstairs to the lobby!" exclaimed Lois. Lois softened her facial expressions immediately, after seeing the shocked look on Clark's face. After all, they had had a nice time on the island, and he did seem very, very caring. "I'm sorry Clark. I know you're worried about me, and it's sweet. I'm just not a morning person, and I only got about six hours sleep last night. Just let me have fifteen minutes to get myself together, and I swear I will be downstairs by 8:15," Lois bargained. "Please?" . "All right Lois, you win. Fifteen minutes it is. It's just that I have my suspicions that Mark Boyle is not as friendly with Perry as we might think," Clark added, hoping she would understand why he was so concerned for her. "Someone may be targeting you, and I just found you, and it's my job to protect you. That's why James Olson sent me to get you, because he thought the trip here would be dangerous for most other people." "Ok, back up the truck," Lois said. "You suspect Mark is a phony, and you think, after all this time, that someone is targeting me, and you're babying me because it's your *job* to protect me. And, of course, you're my savior. Does that about sum it up?" she asked in a renewed sarcastic tone of voice. Clark felt like he was back in school and the teacher had just reprimanded him. "Lois... I thought... didn't you read that e- mail that was sent to both of us, that was titled `WARNING'?" Clark asked. "No, I thought it was that SPAM thing, and I deleted it. Omigod, you got it too? What did it say?" Lois' demeanor changed back to one of concern and caring. She was truly not a morning person. Mad Dog Lane and Congo Lois had both surfaced in a one-minute period! "It said that something big was going down, and that the Daily Planet's web server had been compromised. That means that someone may have read the replies e-mailed back to you, originating from the DP's server. Someone who may mean to do you harm, Lois," Clark explained. "So you're saying that someone related to Luthor Corp might know I'm alive!" Lois exclaimed. "And I really thought that it was safe to go home, after all this time!" Lois was almost in tears now. "That also means that my family could still be in jeopardy!" "Lois, I am going to protect you until we're able to get on the plane and get home." Clark's eyes and tone of voice were one of reasoning. "Once we're home, and I can openly use my abilities, it will be much easier than here to make sure no harm comes to you." "OK, Mr. Propaganda, you can be my protector for now. Once we're back in Metropolis, however, I don't want to have you looking over my shoulder every five seconds!" she retorted. "I can take care of myself. I have done a pretty good job of staying alive under adverse conditions for the last ten years." "Yes, Lois, you have, that's very true. Ok, it's a deal. Let's just get you home safely, and then we can take it from there," Clark replied. Clark joked to himself, a slight smirk visible on his face. ~~~~~ He hung up the phone. he thought. The phone rang. "Yes, it's me. Really? OK. Thanks for the information. Keep in touch. Oui, au revoir." He picked up the phone and pressed the intercom button for his secretary, Tonya. "Tonya, get me airport security at Presley Airport ASAP." "Yes, sir, right away," was the reply. ~~~~~ Clark and Lois both checked their e-mail, but to no avail. Nothing enlightening had been sent to either of them. Due to the time difference, it was 2:00 a.m. back in Metropolis, so Clark reasoned he wouldn't hear back from Perry until later in the afternoon. They decided the best use of their time would be to get Lois to one of the three hospitals in Brazzaville for the necessary shots, blood tests, and medical check-up she would need to board the plane back to the United States. The closest hospital was Blanche Gomez. Clark obtained directions from the front desk clerk. Since it was a walk of several miles, and Lois felt up to it, they headed out on foot. Lois seemed eager to talk about the horrors she had witnessed in the last ten years. During the years she had isolated herself there, she had become friendly with the many people working for the humanitarian relief organizations there, particularly WFP, WHO, Doctors without Borders, and UNICEF. The job was insurmountable, but the volunteers did what they could. They were the true heroes. She spoke with passion about the pregnant women and children who had died of malaria. How the rebel forces would break into their camps at night and rape and beat women. How it was almost impossible to stay in one location for more than several days. How she tried to remain anonymous and keep a low profile, for the sake of her families' safety. Clark didn't want to pry. He wondered, as feisty as Lois was, if she had been a victim of any of the violence imposed on the women in the refugee camps. When she was ready to fully open up to him, he would simply be there to listen. He hoped she would some day feel comfortable sharing the more private horrors of the experience with him. He admired her for being a true survivor in an inhospitable environment. They finally arrived at Blanche Gomez Hospital. Because service was provided on a first-come, first-serve basis, they resigned themselves to a wait of several hours. Lois pulled a small box of chocolates from her pants pocket. "Clark, you don't know how long it has been and how good this tastes to me. I missed my coffee and chocolates the most. Does that sound silly?" she asked. "Lois, after what you've been through, even if it *did* sound silly, you deserve it. I really admire you and your strength of character. You're quite a woman, you know." Clark remarked. "I know," Lois said, with a smile. "Don't you ever forget it, Mr. Propaganda?" "That's not possible, trust me, Lois," said Clark sincerely. By the time they returned to Le Meridien, it was nearly 4:00 p.m. Clark went up to the internet kiosk sign-up sheet. There was a spot open at 6:00 p.m. It would be 12:00 noon at home. There should have been some response from Perry by then! He entered his name on the sheet. Looking up, he spotted Lois chatting with none other than Mark Boyle! Clark quickly walked over to where they were talking. "Mark, I'm surprised to see you again. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Clark asked with a slight edge evident in his voice. "Kent, great to see you too," he replied, with a bit of sarcasm. "I was just wondering when you were planning on leaving?" "We're not quite sure yet. Lois has to go back to the hospital in a few days to pick up her medical certificates and blood test results. Then we will check the airline schedule and see if we can switch our tickets. They were purchased ahead of time and therefore are dated several months from now. It wasn't clear how long it would take for me to actually locate Lois," Clark explained. He hadn't had a chance to hear back from Perry, so he was being careful not to divulge anything of a specific nature to Mark. Mark turned to look directly at Lois. "Perhaps we could have dinner tonight," he suggested. He made it clear that his invitation extended only to Lois. "Mark, Clark and I have dinner plans this evening, but how about having a quick coffee with us in the restaurant here?" Lois suggested. "That sounds quite good, actually," replied Mark. The three of them headed over to one of the three restaurants located within the hotel, were seated, and ordered their coffees. Lois even put real sugar in hers instead of the artificial stuff she always used to use. She figured she could splurge for a little while, anyway. "So, Mark, tell me some Perry stories. You said you guys go way back, huh?" Lois said. She and Clark made quick eye contact, so he knew she was on a fishing expedition. That made Clark feel like they really were on the same team. "Yes, when I was a neophyte reporter with the London Times, Perry was a foreign correspondent for the Daily Planet stationed in Great Britain. He got stuck covering the Prince Charles - Lady Diana wedding back in 1981, as I did. We ended up hanging out in the same pub, complaining about having to cover it - I think he described it as a puff piece. I never heard that expression before. It was a bloody hoot!" Clark and Lois both smiled upon hearing the familiar phrase. That sounded like something he'd say. Perhaps he did know Perry, after all. "Anyway, we ended up closing the place that night. We've kept in touch through the years, more on a professional basis than a personal one. We've helped each other out with leads, etc, when we could. I'm assuming that after he found out that our Lois here was alive, he starting surfing the web for information about the post-war conditions here. He probably spotted one of my articles on the BBC.com website and managed to track me down here," Mark speculated. Clark looked at Lois, and he just knew, somehow, that they had a singular thought: Was Mark aware that Perry was now Mayor of Metropolis and no longer the editor of the Daily Planet? How could they trip him up, since they hadn't gotten an e-mail back from Perry yet? "So when Perry e-mailed you, did he give you any details about why he thought Lois might not be safe?" Clark inquired, on his own fishing trip now. "His e-mail simply said that he had heard a rumor that something may be going down and to keep a close watch on Lois until you got here, Kent. Which, after meeting her," he said, "I didn't mind doing at all." Mark flashed his most charming smile at Lois, saying, "You look even more beautiful today, Lois, now that you've had a chance to freshen up." "Thanks, Mark, you're very sweet to say that," replied Lois, feeling a bit flushed. Mark was a very attractive man, and the British accent didn't hurt either; in fact, he looked as if he could have been Clark's older brother. It had been a very long time since she was around two men as handsome as Clark and Mark. It made her feel like a woman again; she was suddenly very aware of her own sexuality. "How did you know Lois would be in the hotel lobby?" Clark pressed on. "Actually, Kent, I came to Le Meridien to see if you had checked in yet. Figured I could get an interview with the American Superman and the long-lost American investigative reporter - a double scoop, so to speak. But before I could get to the front desk to find out, Lois rushed up to me, thinking that I was you. I guess from a distance, we look a bit alike," said Mark. "Yes, Clark, that's right", Lois interjected. "I had been waiting for a tall, white male, with dark hair and glasses. And Mark here fit the bill. So I went right up to him and said, "`Clark? It's Lois!' Imagine my embarrassment when he told me he wasn't you." "From the description Perry gave me, and the fact that you said your name was Lois, I just assumed you were Lois Lane. And, correctly so, it seems," smiled Mark. "So, did Perry e-mail you from home or from work?" asked Clark. "I assumed it was sent from the Daily Planet, of course," said Mark. "I didn't pay much attention to the e-mail address, now that you mention it. I saw `PWhite' and just knew it was from him." Clark and Lois shared a knowing glance and a singular thought: BINGO! He didn't know that Perry was now Mayor of Metropolis! They may have known each other, but they couldn't have been in touch for at least the last seven years. Perry was elected Mayor in 1996, and he was currently serving his second term in office, having been re-elected in the year 2000. They finished their coffees and walked back out to the hotel lobby. "Well, Mark, it was good to see you again. Stay in touch. I'll say hi to Perry for you," Clark said, trying to wrap things up so he and Lois could brainstorm this development back in the hotel room. "Lois, I must ask again. Is there any chance you and I could have dinner before you leave us?" Mark asked, kissing Lois' hand. It was clear he was not the type to take "no" for an answer. Clark felt his face start to betray his inner feelings, which were a mixture of anger and jealousy. He was sure that Mark's interest in Lois was not purely romantic; he just wanted to get her alone, without Clark's supervision. For what? To kill her? To drug her to get information? "I'm not sure, Mark. I don't know how much longer we're going to be here," Lois replied. "And I made a promise to Clark that I wouldn't go anywhere without him, until I get back to the states. We have a deal of sorts." "Well, then, we could have dinner right here in the hotel. OK with you, Kent, as long as we don't leave the building?" Mark didn't wait for Clark's response. "Well, then, I'll check back with you in several days. Perhaps, if nothing else, I could give you a lift to the airport?" offered Mark. "And see you off properly." "Perhaps," Lois said. "I can't commit to anything right now, Mark." "Well, good day then. Good-bye, Kent." And with that, he turned on his heels and left the hotel lobby. As soon as he was out of sight, Clark grabbed Lois' arm and said, "C'mon Lois, it's our time to check our e-mail, then we need to figure out our next move here." Lois, half-listening to him, had a glazed look of sorts on her face. Clark, looking at her, felt as if he could almost read her mind. "What? Don't tell me you actually find his attention flattering? The man is probably out to kill you, and you've got a crush on him?" Clark said in an accusatory tone of voice. "Clark, you're being silly! Don't be jealous, and don't you worry about it. You're still my Super-man, my Mr. Propaganda!" teased Lois, flashing Clark a sexy smile. She sensed that Clark cared about her, somehow, and she had to admit it felt good to know that she was still desirous to two gorgeous men. Clark walked Lois over to one of the sofas in the lobby so they could speak privately. "Lois, are you bipolar or something? I can't figure you out. One minute you're yelling at me, the next you're flirting with me. Don't play with me that way. I'm you're best friend right now, and I don't want anything to happen to you. It took me long enough to finally find you," Clark said, his animation getting the better of him. All of a sudden it occurred to him what had slipped out of his mouth. "Clark, I'm just teasing you. Don't be so serious! And what did you mean? You found me almost right away. You got here, you went to the church, then you went to Le Choc, and you found me. Why did you just say that?" Lois said, with persistence in her voice. "Lois, it was an expression. That's all. I mean I traveled in an airplane for 18 hours, had to endure a Kryptonite-coated needle just so I could get my stupid Yellow Fever vaccine, which I don't need, by the way.and, I lost my powers for a day recovering from that..it just feels like I've been looking for you forever," Clark replied, trying to think on his feet. he thought with a slight smile. "OK, I'll drop it for now, but I have a feeling there is more to this than you're saying. Call it women's intuition," she said. "Anyway, let's check our e-mail and see if Perry replied. Oh, and by the way, what's Kryptonite? Let me guess. A rock from the planet you came from?" "Yes, but it's not the kind of souvenir I can put up on a shelf to display. Frankly, it's the only thing that can kill me," said Clark. "And.it's public information that this stuff can hurt you?" Lois exclaimed. "Yes. We can talk about that later, Lois. Do you want to go first, or shall I?" asked Clark, as they sat down at the available internet kiosk. "You go. Let's see if Perry replied." Clark logged on to Yahoo.com. Two messages! First one was from Perry. While Lois looked over Clark's shoulder, they both took a collective deep breath waiting for the message to open. From: PWhite@MetNT.Gov To: CJKent@Yahoo.com Re: Re: Please Read ASAP! Kent, I do know Mark Boyle, but we haven't been in touch in years. I had heard he was involved with Luthor Corp's overseas operations at one point in time. He was like a public relations guy for them. Put a spin on their bad publicity. They were linked to the gun-running operation, which is how Lois convinced me to send her there. You know, Luthor's former right hand man, Nigel St. John, is also British. St. John was in charge of their overseas operations. He probably had something to do with Lois being marooned over there. There might be a connection between Mark and him. St. John's whereabouts has been a mystery since Luthor died. Perhaps Mark knows where he is and wants to protect his interests. Anyway, if you've seen Mark, please use caution in dealing with him. He and I had a falling out some years ago, because he burned me on a few stories. Gave me false leads and then turned around and scooped me. Don't let his charming fa‡ade fool you. I know you're the trusting type, Kent. You like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Hanging around with Lois should change that. She doesn't trust anyone! (Sorry Lois, if you're reading this too, but you know it's true). I haven't spoken with James (Olson) since you left. I don't know what's going on, but you're giving me a bad feeling here. Maybe I'll pop over to the Planet today and see what this old newshound can dig up. I get the impression that you think that something's afoul over there. Hmmm. interestingly, his Dad, John Olson, of the NSA, made an appointment with my secretary to meet with me tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. I'm not sure what it's about yet. I just noticed it on the calendar while I was typing this to you. I'll let you know if it's related to any of this. James and his father don't talk to each other anymore. I hate to see a father and son alienated from each other. James may be a Fortune-500 billionaire, but he's only in his early thirties. Everyone needs family. Well, just remember to get that gal of mine home safely. Give her my love. I sent her an e-mail also. Write me back when you can. Perry "Just what I thought he was going to say," said Clark. "I'm not sure what Mark's game is, but he somehow knew that you were going to be waiting for me here. The rumor about the Planet's web server being compromised must be true. How else would he know you were alive and meeting me here at Le Meridien?" Clark asked Lois. "OK, OK, I guess you're probably right," admitted Lois. "This is typical of my luck with men," she sighed. "They act like they're really interested in you, but they all have ulterior motives." "We're not all untrustworthy, Lois. You just haven't been meeting the right men," Clark informed her. "Well, like I told you before, Clark, I've sworn off all of you anyway, so it doesn't matter," replied Lois. "Do you think you could at least keep an open mind in regards to me, Lois? I can swear to you, I'm not an ordinary male." "I'll try, Mr. Propaganda. And yes, you are definitely not an ordinary male," Lois agreed. Clark's next e-mail was from his folks. He didn't want to read it with Lois breathing over his shoulder. No doubt Ma had mentioned Lois in the e-mail, and that would open up a can of worms. Of course, even without opening the e-mail, Lois became nosy, looking at the sender's email address. "Clark, who is JMLang?" she asked. "An old girlfriend?" "Long story. Old friends of mine from Smallville," he said, which wasn't really a lie. "Well, it's awfully friendly for old friends to title an e-mail with the subject line `Hi Honey", isn't it? C'mon, come clean. Who are they?" Lois's investigative skills were coming back, full force. "They're like parents to me. They're my old friends, Lana and Pete Ross' aunt and uncle," he said, figuring that some day when he told Lois the entire alternate-universe story, he would divulge their real identities at that time as well. "They live in my parents' old farmhouse. I rent it out to them." "Yeah, right. And they like their landlord that much that they're sending e-mails to you titled `Hi honey'? Furthermore, you told me you would only give out this Yahoo e-mail address to a few people. Obviously, you're really close, because they sent an e-mail to this address. Clark, I didn't get to be a world- class investigative reporter for nothing!" retorted Lois. "Don't you trust me?" "Lois, please, I'll explain it all later. Let's just concentrate on the stuff that will get us - you - home faster, and safely," Clark stated. "I'm going to sign on to the Daily Planet's server now and see what's going on there. Then, you can check your mail. We can have dinner afterwards and figure out who's really out to get you and possibly why. You're going to have to tell me everything you knew about Luthor Corp's weapons exporting. That's the only way we're going to be able to put this together". Lois grudgingly replied, "All right, Propaganda, but I'm only dropping this conversation temporarily." Ten minutes later, with no interesting e-mails to further enlighten either one of them, they signed off the computer. Clark thought it strange that no one from the Planet was e-mailing him. Since he hadn't replied to the phony e-mail he had received from the bogus "JOlsen", he assumed that the perpetrator realized he was on to him. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Perhaps he should have played along. He'd had to think about that one some more. Clark touched Lois on the shoulder. As she turned around to face him, his heart stopped beating for just a minute. "Lois? How would you like to go to Paris for dinner?" he asked. Lois' eyes opened wide. Paris. The city of romance. Why not? "Clark, I think that would be wonderful." "It's about nighttime, let's go upstairs and change into something black, for night flying", Clark suggested. "Night flying. I feel like I'm in a spy movie," remarked Lois, as they waited for the elevator to take them back to their room. ~~~~~ Mark returned to his office at Le Choc and pulled up his mail. As expected, there was a new e-mail requesting a status report on Operation Lane and Kent. It was also mentioned that he should go to the Brazzaville airport tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. to obtain a package that would be waiting for him at the baggage claim office marked "confidential". Enclosed, there would be further instructions. ~~~~~ Paris was in the same time zone, so it was a quick trip to travel there under the cover of darkness. The funny thing about time zones, however, was that it go