Brian's FanFic Journal

A Re-evaluation of James Cameron's Avatar

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:23:16 GMT

I recently posted a rather gushing review of Jim Cameron's Avatar, but after some discussion with others, I find myself re-evaluating some of what I wrote and acknowledging some of the bias that fed my original comments. I still think it's a great film, and probably one of the better films of recent years, but realistically I need to downgrade my rating to an 8 out of 10. There were definitely flaws, but it was such a satisfying treat to my inner sci-fi geek that it was easy to gloss over those initially.

First, as for my sci-fi bias: I absolutely love it when a writer creates an imaginative new world and invites us to explore it with them, and Avatar definitely delivered on that score. It was satisfying just like Frank Herbert's book, Dune, was satisfying (along with the Sci-Fi miniseries based on it). That alone would have been worth a repeat viewing for me.

As for the story: It was a good story, but there were a few scenes in particular where the logic didn't follow from the premise set in the rest of the film. Most of it I can excuse as dramatic devices to keep the action flowing and the story interesting. My biggest complaint was in the final act, which seems a little too much deus ex machina. It's never that easy, especially against an enemy as desperate for what you have and with the military assets shown in the film. Fortunately, these troublesome scenes account for a very small amount of screen time, and don't detract that much from the story.

Overall, it's still a great film, which I happily recommend.

Review of Avatar (Jim Cameron Movie - Revised Once)

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:56:07 GMT

I saw Avatar Friday. And again yesterday. This is one of those rare films that you'll want to see more than once. My friends here are probably very familiar with my complaints about many of our TV and cinema choices that opt for formula over story, or they put up mindless fodder based on little more than special effects.

Well, Avatar has a story that pulls you in and keeps you there. That's not to say that I don't have some minor complaints here and there, but they're hardly noticeable in the breadth of the film. It's also a longer film (160 minutes) that gives time to actually present the story - and it flies by before you know it. It's a solid, thoroughly enjoyable experience that I strongly recommend. I honestly can't remember the last film I enjoyed so thoroughly. The closest I can come is Star Wars when I saw it as a child in 1977. (That now seems amateurish by comparison).

My grade on this film should come as no surprise: On a scale of 1-10, I give it an 8 ~~a 9.9999~~. (After all, nothing is perfect).

Just one final statement: GO SEE AVATAR.

Superman MovieVerse Awards - How'd That Happen?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:01:46 GMT

This was a stunning surprise. Thanks to everyone who made this happen. I really wasn't expecting this. As I've articulated in prior posts, just getting nominated was honor enough. But to have won in two of the categories? Totally unexpected. Thanks, guys.

Also please don't forget to check out the other winners and nominees from the Final Winners List - Superman Movieverse Fanfiction Awards 2009.

Superman MovieVerse Fanfiction Awards

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:01:21 GMT

Is it really that time of year again? I must confess, that I haven't paid a lot of attention to this in years past. However, this time I did notice htbthomas's post called ELIGIBLE FIC FOR THE SMFAS, which in addition to listing her eligible work, also prodded the other other's to list their work. I just have one:

Family Reunion (228,087 words - complete)
AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton, and of course, more complications when he gets back.

You can find this story at FanFiction.Net or The Big Apricot (now in the archive). ~~(The completed story archive should also show up in the Big Apricot Archive soon. It's not post there yet, but it's coming soon. Check~~ ~~here~~ ~~if you'd like to read it in the single page archive format)~~.

I feel a bit funny drawing attention to my work, when there is such talented competition out there. A few in particular have talent that transcends this community and are comprable to published professional authors. I have no doubt that they'll get the recognition they deserve from this years awards, as they have in the past.

Family Reunion - Chapter 52 (Final Chapter) - A Day in the Life

Fri, 22 May 2009 19:46:58 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author: mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 52 - 6,605; Total - 228,967
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 51 ] [ Table of Contents ]

Author’s Notes:
I was starting to wonder if we’d ever get here. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me along the way, stuck with the story, and shared their valuable feedback. Also, my special thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello. It is their patient feedback that has made this a much better tale that it might otherwise have been.

Chapter 52 – A Day in the Life

Friday, February 9, 2007 4:50PM EDT
Perry focused intently on his PC screen, putting together the layout for the next day’s morning edition. Above the fold, the paper would boast the headline, “Superman Delivers Luthor to Prison” and feature a rather unflattering prison mug shot of Lex Luthor. The top story was complemented by another exclusive Superman interview below the fold. Given the public’s continuing fascination with the details of Luthor’s failed attempt at world domination, Perry was sure that it would be another top seller, both in print and in their web edition.

Just as Perry was beginning a preliminary review of the paper’s major sections, he was distracted by Richard’s knock on his office door. “Washington and International sections are ready to go,” Richard announced. “I assume you’re close to running the dummy⁽¹⁾?”

Perry nodded, and muttered, “Never thought I’d be running a Superman interview below the fold…”

“Technically speaking, the Luthor story is still a Superman story and it’s a bigger story,” Richard noted.

“That, and the Superman interview wasn’t the best,” Perry complained. “Archer and Buchannan did a passable job, but it doesn’t have that special touch that Lois’ interviews always had. I can’t say that I care for the pool coverage. It was so much easier when Lois was covering him.”

“That wasn’t without its problems, such as the out of control tabloid rumors and the thugs who believed them,” Richard replied seriously. “By the way, did Lois and Clark fill you in on some of the details that didn’t make it into their story?”

“Which details would those be?”

“Well, for one thing, Luthor’s none too pleased with his new accommodations,” Richard explained. “Must be quite a shock going from the opulent luxury of yachts and mansions to an eighty-four square foot poured concrete Supermax cell. He’s under lockdown twenty-three hours a day, isolated from the other prisoners and he’s forbidden access to electronics of any kind – not even a TV or radio… I just can’t manage to feel sorry for him, though.”

“It’s better than he deserves and I’ll bet that he’s probably even less pleased to find out that the feds have removed some of the cards from the lawyers’ hands, at least where Superman is concerned,” Perry replied seriously. The old newsman couldn’t suppress the smile that came to lips when he remembered Lois’ initial briefing on the legal strategy that would prevent Luthor from using slick legal maneuvers to disallow the evidence against him.

“We can thank the Vanderworths and their legal think tank for most of that,” Richard commented. “Although, Superman isn’t exactly thrilled with how they pulled that off, either.”

“Would he rather see that lunatic go free?” Perry asked brusquely. “Recognizing Kryptonian sovereignty and giving him diplomatic immunity was the best way to keep those wild cards out of Luthor’s hands.”

“I think that Superman would argue that the risk is minimal, with Judge Kilpatrick indicted and the Supreme Court overturning the decision that set Luthor free,” Richard pointed out. “His consecutive life sentences were reinstated.”

“Only because of the case they were able to build when they considered Superman as a representative of a foreign power,” Perry countered. “That allowed them to extradite Luthor’s cohorts from that monstrosity well in advance of bringing Luthor back. When they saw the evidence that prosecutors had against them, they all turned state’s evidence rather than risk the death penalty, and that provided the clues they needed to take Kilpatrick down and put the final nails in the coffin of Luthor’s legal defense. He can’t use outrageous claims of false imprisonment or due process rights violations to get freed on a technicality because what happened out there happened on foreign soil.”

“I don’t disagree,” Richard assured him. “And since Superman went along with it, it’s safe to assume that he understands that. But he also kind of sees the diplomatic recognition as being rewarded for his own stupidity… His words, not mine. He’s not pleased with the solution.”

“Well, that’s tough, because he’s going to have to live with it,” Perry barked. He looked through his office’s inner glass wall into the bullpen, briefly locking his gaze on Clark Kent as the younger man walked in from the stairwell and made his way to Lois’ desk. Clark looked back at him with a somber expression before continuing to his destination, while Perry returned his attention to his nephew.

“I also hear that Luthor had quite the meltdown when prison officials brought him up to date on the legal and diplomatic landscape,” Richard added. “He was furious over Superman’s diplomatic immunity. Apparently he’d come up with some wild story about the Man of Steel causing gaps in his memory and now he can’t pursue that claim. However, what really set him off is that they’re calling that thing out in the asteroid belt ‘New Krypton’ now. Luthor went on a tirade, insisting that he created it, that it belonged to him and that it should be named after him.”

Perry commented seriously, “Well, it’s only appropriate to call it ‘New Krypton’, considering that it’s now been recognized as Kryptonian territory… Please tell me that his tantrum was on the record.”

“It’s now part of the state’s body of evidence against Luthor, but we only know about it from off the record comments from a trusted source. We’ll need official corroboration before we can print anything,” Richard informed him. “Lois and Clark are trying to get confirmation from official sources, as is our Washington Bureau. But don’t hold your breath. They’re running this one by the book and nobody wants to take the risk of giving Luthor anything that could be used as grounds for an appeal.”

“Neither do we, but we still need corroboration or we won’t be first to press once the concerns have passed,” Perry insisted. “We’ll sit on it if we have to, but let’s get that confirmation.”

“We’re working on it, but it’s clearly a story for another day,” Richard replied. “Barring any late-breaking news, we’re done for the day.”

“You sound like you’re anxious to get out of here,” Perry commented knowingly.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Richard protested. At Perry’s pointed look, he sighed and admitted, “I’ve got Kara and Jason for the weekend, and I’m picking them up after work tonight.”

“You’ve got both of them again?”

“Jason’s still like a son to me, even if Clark’s the one tucking him in at night,” Richard explained. “And Kara would be heartbroken if I took Jason and left her behind. So…”

Richard’s explanation led Perry to recall the changes that recent months had brought to his nephew’s life. He scrutinized the younger man for a moment, and then told him, “I have to give you credit, Richard. I didn’t think you’d be able to make the switch to a platonic friendship with Lois after the breakup. And I especially didn’t think that you’d become friends with Kent. But I can’t help wondering if that’s been holding you back.”

“What do you mean, ‘holding me back’?” Richard asked cautiously.

“Have you been out on a date since the breakup?”

“I… I really haven’t been looking,” Richard told him defensively. “Besides, there hasn’t been time.”

“Bull,” Perry countered. “You haven’t allowed yourself the time, even when the opportunity’s been right under your nose.”

“Uncle Perry…” Richard began impatiently.

“I heard Loueen was trying to set you up with her sister, but you declined,” Perry interrupted.

“I’ve never really cared much for blind dates.”

“Are you sure that’s the reason?” Perry pressed. Before Richard could answer, Perry added, “Richard, it’s been four months. Are you sure keeping such a close friendship with your ex isn’t getting in the way of moving on?”

“I would have needed time even if I were a continent away,” Richard argued. “And, I’m not moving back to London.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Perry replied. “I am asking you to accept Loueen’s suggestion and take her sister out.”

“You can’t be serious,” Richard said in disbelief.

“Richard, it’s just a date, not a shotgun wedding,” Perry pressed. “Besides, you really need to get back out there and get on with your life. Even if this ends up being a total bust, it’s just one night.”

“I’m busy with the kids this weekend.”

“I wasn’t implying that you needed to squeeze it in this weekend,” Perry clarified. “Richard, you can’t just keep hanging around your ex and her husband like some kind of groupie. You need to jump back in the water sooner or later and this is as good a time as any.”

Richard sighed and then said irritably, “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“Good. I’ll have Loueen make the arrangements,” Perry decided.

“Uncle Perry!” Richard protested.

“You’re welcome,” Perry replied with satisfaction. “Now, please make sure that our people get that corroboration for Luthor’s meltdown.”

Richard’s shoulders sagged in defeat and he said, “You know, you can really be a ruthless bastard sometimes.”

“That’s what family’s for,” Perry declared. “Now, that follow up?”

“As I said, we’re already working on it, but I’ll get an updated status,” Richard assured him and he then retreated to his own office.

Perry watched Richard leave and thought, He needed a little push. Hopefully, once he dives back into the dating game, he can start living again. Who knows, maybe he and what’s-her-name will hit it off.

The old newsman returned his attention to his desktop and quickly ran through the preliminary review of the remaining sections of the paper and ordered up the dummy. He then pushed himself back from his desk, walked over to the inner glass wall and stared out over the bullpen. He spotted Clark’s head poking over the cubicle wall looking towards Richard’s office with a sympathetic look on his face.

Perry concluded that younger man must have been eavesdropping on the conversation with Richard. Kind of a mixed blessing having Superman on the staff, Perry lamented. Yeah, we get the exclusives, but it’s kind of hard to have a private conversation around here. After a moment of thought, Perry noted that knowing that the Man of Steel was in his bullpen, working for the Planet, hadn’t been nearly as awkward as he feared it would be.

The potential conflict of interest was avoided for the most part because Kent still reported up through Foswell, who didn’t know the secret. Perry also found a way around pressuring him directly for Superman content. If he needed new Superman photos, he just made sure that Kent was in the bullpen when he yelled at Olsen for them. Likewise, when he needed a new Superman interview, he’d make sure that Kent was in attendance at the morning staff meeting when he demanded it from whoever’s turn it was. The hero got the message and he got his Superman content in short order.

Perry reflected that Kent seemed to be more comfortable with things that way and neither man had acknowledged that the Editor-In-Chief knew the astonishing secret. However, Perry was certain that his star reporter had figured it out. He never would have dropped his guard around him otherwise and revealed glimpses of the real Clark Kent. Not the timid office klutz or the regal hero, but a confident yet humble man comfortable in his own skin. He also produced some spectacular front-page stories which appeared to have nothing to do with his superhuman abilities. Perhaps the real win here isn’t the Superman exclusives, but Clark Kent’s writing, Perry pondered. If he and Lois don’t get a Pulitzer for the Luthor series, it’ll be highway robbery.

-o-o-o-
Richard knew that the request for updates on Luthor’s tirade was simply Perry’s way of kicking him out of his office, but he still sent off emails requesting status. With that little bit of work completed, he then stared blankly at his screen, dreading what Perry was forcing on him. I don’t need their sympathy or their help, he lamented. I’m doing okay, all things considered.

Richard reflected that he’d come a long way in the past four months. It no longer hurt like it had at first, though he still felt a profound sense of loss when he thought of his failed romance. They’d also managed to get through the awkward transition from being affianced to being exes and from being exes to again becoming friends who were comfortable around each other. It hadn’t been easy getting there, however.

The first obstacle they had to overcome was the office gossip. Their coworkers had been keenly interested in their crumbling romance once Jason was revealed to be a Kent. There were betting pools on how long they’d last after that revelation and nobody was betting that it would be very long. Not when they had immediately noticed the distance between the previously happy couple, who were no longer coming and going together or sharing casual kisses hello and goodbye.

After returning to the office following Luthor’s attack, the gossips had immediately noticed Richard’s forlorn expression and Lois’ bare ring finger. Bets were paid off and Richard had been confronted by sympathetic looks for weeks afterwards. Most really didn’t know what to say to him but some, like Ralph, didn’t know enough to keep their opinion on the matter to themselves.

The bullpen had been far slower to pick up on the change between Lois and Clark. Admittedly, the two had made a determined effort to stay under the radar, with no distinguishable change in behavior after Richard stepped aside. They didn’t come or go together any more frequently than they had before, which Richard attributed mostly to Superman’s duties. There were also no public displays of affection beyond the same cheerful, teasing banter that they’d always had. Richard suspected that they kept such a low profile both out of respect for him and due to Clark Kent’s aversion to drawing attention to himself. Whatever the reason, he was grateful for it. Some days would have been impossible to get through otherwise.

The toughest days came the week after Thanksgiving – after his former fiancée had secretly eloped with Clark. The newlyweds showed up that Monday like it was any other day and their colleagues were none the wiser. However, Richard had been one of the select few who were aware of the nuptials over Thanksgiving weekend. It only made the situation marginally more bearable by sparing him the looks and comments that he would have otherwise been forced to endure. Fortunately, time had taken the edge off the pain and things had gotten about as normal between them as they could have hoped for by the time the bullpen finally figured out that Lois had become a Kent.

Richard pondered that they probably still wouldn’t have figured it out if one of Lois’ stories hadn’t dovetailed with something Polly Harper was working on a few weeks earlier, resulting in Perry assigning the two women to work together. They were working late one night when Polly finally noticed the simple diamond ring on Lois’ left hand. When Lois declined to elaborate on it, Polly sought out the resident expert on all things Lois.

Polly had ambushed Clark the following morning, but had barely gotten two words out of her mouth when she noticed the pictures in the hinged frame that by then had been sitting in the back corner of his desk for nearly seven weeks. One side displayed a new family picture from the farm that included all of the Kents and Hubbards, while the other displayed a very dapper Clark Kent in a gray tuxedo embracing a radiant Lois Lane, dressed in her sister’s borrowed wedding dress.

It was only then that Polly finally noticed the wedding band that Clark Kent had worn on his finger ever since the Thanksgiving holiday – a ring that matched the one Lois had been wearing. The observation provided her with the astonishing explanation she sought and sent the rumor mill into overdrive. Their colleagues had been stunned and productivity plummeted as the gossip exploded. Perry had to tongue-lash the bullpen back into action, reminding them of their deadlines and suggesting that they not embarrass themselves by pointing out their lack of observation skills. After all, both the wedding picture and the newlyweds’ wedding bands had been on display in the bullpen for nearly two months.

It was shortly after the revelation of the Kents’ nuptials that Loueen had first approached him about going out with her recently divorced sister. It had undoubtedly been motivated out of sympathy after the news of his former fiancée’s marriage and he couldn’t fault Loueen for her intentions. However, he’d been flatly uninterested in the blind date and politely declined. Or rather, he had tried to decline. Every couple of days, Loueen had shared pictures or some trivia about her sister, while casually mentioning that she wasn’t seeing anyone.

Loueen had apparently decided to bring in the heavy guns and recruited Perry to her mission. Richard found he wasn’t any more enthusiastic about it when it came from Perry than he’d been with Loueen. The only difference was that Perry hadn’t been as nice about it and was harder to refuse. In fact, Richard saw no way out of the blind date. He sighed in frustration and thought, Maybe it won’t be so bad, and it is just one night. It might take a little effort to get my head in the game, however. Well, I don’t need to worry about that right now, and I’m not likely to be pestered about it during my weekend in Munchkinland.

-o-o-o-
Lois pulled out of the Planet’s parking garage and turned left on Fifth Avenue, eager to head home after a tiring day. With Luthor’s formal extradition and arrest, it had been a busy news day, but she was looking forward to putting their ordeal with the sociopath behind them. However, she knew it would be a while longer before it was formally over. If Luthor chose to aggressively fight the charges, it could delay the start of the trial for as long as a year and drag out the proceedings for months beyond that.

She’d also have to face him down in court at some point, given that she was one of the government’s witnesses. She had little doubt that the madman would somehow manage to put up a formidable defense, despite losing his claim on the Vanderworth fortune and having most of the nation’s top criminal lawyers declare themselves ‘uninterested’ in the Luthor case. Uninterested, my ass, Lois thought. They’re interested all right, but mad as hell at Luthor for murdering his previous lawyer and they aren’t about to offer him any help. Guess even mob lawyers have some scruples.

Even if the top defense lawyers had offered Luthor their services, Lois doubted it would make much difference in the end. They had damning forensic and video evidence, some of which was recovered with the yacht from New Krypton. His mistress and all surviving members of his gang had also agreed to testify against him, and with Luthor’s own incriminating words on record, his conviction was practically guaranteed. The U.S. attorney’s office wasn’t about to underestimate their adversary, however, and refused to leave anything to chance. They’d imposed a media blackout on any new Luthor details and made sure to have a public defender present when Luthor was taken into custody, read his rights and during his initial meeting with prosecutors afterwards.

That didn’t appear to have helped Luthor much. When the prosecutors shared some of their evidence against him and extended him the courtesy of bringing him up to date on certain diplomatic and political developments, it had provoked some rather incriminating outbursts, in spite of his court-appointed attorney’s best efforts to silence him. If fact, Luthor had gone on a tirade over it, claiming ownership of New Krypton in addition to threatening both his traitorous gang and Superman. Looks like Team Vanderworth was dead on the money with that psychological strategy, Lois concluded. Point out his failures and question his intelligence. Then stand back and make sure the camcorder’s on.

Despite the incriminating testimony provided by the outburst, the Justice Department was still offering a deal not to pursue the death penalty if Luthor pled guilty to all charges. Lois knew from Clark that opinion at the department was divided on the merits of the deal. While those in charge favored it to quickly end the saga, many others felt that Luthor deserved to pay the ultimate price for his crimes.

Lois was inclined to agree with them and would have strongly advocated that position but for Kara and Jason. Though it wasn’t happening as frequently, they were still having nightmares. Lois worried that the constant media coverage from a high profile trial would make it virtually impossible to keep the kids from hearing about it on somebody’s television or radio. The coverage from his transfer to U.S. custody alone would probably be enough to provoke nightmares. Fortunately, they’d provided Richard with a portable force field generator to protect his place from Kryptonian nightmares and Clark would be checking up on them. Maybe we’ll get lucky this time, Lois pondered. Richard never has a problem keeping those two distracted. Hopefully, it’ll be a nightmare-free weekend for the Munchkins.

Lois finally arrived at the Riverside house and pulled into the garage. She parked the car and thought, Home sweet home – for a few more weeks at least. She and Clark had been leasing the house from Richard since the breakup, though they’d originally tried to decline his offer to let them stay. Lois had adamantly insisted that they weren’t about to force Richard from his own house. Richard persisted, however, and when he argued that they’d be doing him a favor by covering the mortgage, they couldn’t refuse. Expensive riverfront property didn’t move as quickly as more modest homes, and they didn’t want to leave Richard stuck with a big mortgage on top of everything else. They finally agreed to let Richard take over her old penthouse apartment and she and Clark would lease the house from him until it sold.

In hindsight, that had clearly been the right decision. The house had been on the market since the end of October, with nothing but a few lowball offers over the winter. Richard hadn’t seen a reasonable offer until the past weekend, though it was still a bit lower that what he was hoping for. It was a fair offer worth consideration, however, and the prospective buyer was planning another walk-through with a home inspector over the weekend. In the meantime, she and Clark would be doing some house-hunting of their own. Clark had spotted a few possibilities in Hamstead that they’d planned on looking through together.

Lois got out of the car and walked into the house through the kitchen, where she was immediately ambushed by Kara and Jason.

“Mommy!” Jason squealed.

“Mom!” Kara greeted her excitedly. “Can we help carry your things for you?”

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” Lois pointed out. She knelt down and pulled the kids into a tight hug.

“But Daddy said you need to take it easy,” Jason reminded her.

Lois sighed and explained, “This is taking it easy. I’m perfectly all right, you two. But if you really need to help… Kara, you can take my laptop and set it on my desk. And Jason, would you like to hang up my coat in the front closet? On a hanger, this time.” A moment later, the children were running off to take care of her things, and Lois leaned against the kitchen counter, shaking her head and chuckling at their enthusiasm.

Lois was joined in the kitchen by her mother, Ella. She and Martha had been taking turns watching the children after school. It was one of the benefits of having let her mother in on the secret before they eloped, along with the new Kryptonian portals under the Riverside house and her parents’ home in Alexandria. It put both grandmothers within minutes of the house, and her mother had been thrilled with the arrangement. Though Alexandria wasn’t far, Ella had often complained that she didn’t get to see as much of her grandchildren as she would have liked. She’d already been planning to move to Metropolis after Sam retired, since that’s where all of her family was.

“Looks like you’re going to have plenty of help around here with those two,” Ella commented.

“If they don’t drive me to the loony bin first,” Lois muttered.

“You really can’t blame them for being so excited about the baby,” Ella pointed out.

“Well, I’m not due until the end of September, so they’re going to have to be patient,” Lois countered. Her unexpected pregnancy had just been the latest in a series of surprising changes in her life over the past several months. Looks like I did it all, Lois pondered sarcastically. Broke an engagement with one man, married another, adopted his daughter, let him adopt his own son. And, oh yeah, got knocked up again, too.

She hadn’t yet gotten used to the idea that she was pregnant again, given that she’d just realized her condition the previous evening. Though she’d been experiencing symptoms of morning sickness for the past few weeks, she had attributed the nausea to stress over Luthor’s pending transfer to U.S. custody. She hadn’t realized that there was more to it than that until Jason’s innocent question, asking what the fluttering sound from her tummy was. Clark and Ella had both heard the question, and Lois had immediately realized the truth after spotting Clark’s tender expression.

Clark had patiently explained to both kids that the fluttering noise they heard was the heartbeat from their new baby brother or sister growing inside Mommy’s tummy. Jason had promptly asked how it got there, and Lois had been unable to contain her laughter at Clark’s baffled expression as he struggled with an age appropriate answer. Ella was also amused, but came to his rescue, simply telling her grandchildren, “That’s just the way it works.”

They made a trip to the Fortress that evening, and Jor-El had also been keenly interested when informed of the pregnancy. Lois hadn’t appreciated his comment about her ‘finally listening to reason’ by having more children, but she was grateful for the Kryptonian prenatal care. Jor-El had detected and corrected the same genetic flaw in the baby that had given Jason his allergies, and all indications were that she would deliver a perfectly healthy baby in another seven and half months.

Lois’ ruminations were interrupted by the kids running back into the kitchen and she called them over to her. “Listen to me, you two,” she said authoritatively. “Richard’s going to be over here any minute to pick you guys up for the weekend, and I don’t want you telling him that I’m going to have a baby. Understand?”

“More secrets?” Kara complained.

“Why can’t we tell him?” Jason asked in confusion.

“It’s not something he should hear from you,” Lois explained. “I need to be the one to tell him, but I can’t do that yet. If I do, it might make it harder for him to do something that Uncle Perry wants him to do, because he’ll be thinking about the baby.”

“What’s he gotta do?” Jason wondered.

“Perry just wants him to meet someone,” Lois said simply. “Trust me on this, okay? Promise me you won’t say anything to Richard yet.”

“Okay, Mommy,” Jason replied.

Kara rolled her eyes and asked, “Why does everything have to be a secret?”

“Kara,” Lois began sternly.

“All right, I promise,” Kara told her reluctantly. “But why do we have to keep secrets from Uncle Richard? He’s family.”

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Lois declared. “Now get your things ready so we don’t have to hunt for everything after Richard gets here.”

“We’re already ready,” Kara protested. “Grandma helped us pack.”

“Then go get your suitcases and set them in the front hall,” Lois instructed. “And no superspeed in the house.”

After the children trudged out of the room, Ella softly asked her daughter, “Who’s this person Richard’s supposed to meet?”

“Perry’s administrative assistant has a sister who’s a currently available divorced single mother. I’ve met her before, years ago. She’s a nice lady. Attractive, too.”

“A blind date,” Ella summarized. After a brief pause, she asked somberly, “How’s Richard feel about that?”

Lois sighed and muttered, “I hear he’s not very excited about it, but I haven’t dared broach the subject. His love life isn’t one of those things that we can comfortably discuss. Not yet. Not after… everything.”

“Of course,” Ella agreed. “Well, I think I need to head home. Your father’s taking me out to some formal Pentagon dinner tonight, and I need to get ready.”

“My husband’s taking me out tonight, too – to this nice little restaurant in San Francisco called The Stinking Rose,” Lois replied.

“The Stinking Rose?” Ella echoed with a chuckle.

“Think ‘garlic’, and lots of it. It’s actually quite good,” Lois explained. “Oh, before you go… don’t forget that Kara’s birthday party is next weekend.”

“We wouldn’t dream of missing it. Your father and I will both be here,” Ella assured her. “Well, I’d better say goodbye to the kids before I go. Wish Richard good luck on his date for me.”

-o-o-o-

Saturday, February 10, 2007 10:00AM CDT
Clark adjusted the heat under the pan on the stove in his mother’s house while continuing to stir the concoction within it. He reflected that it was still his mother’s house, even though she hadn’t lived there since marrying Ben Hubbard three months earlier. Though he’d initially found his her plans unsettling, he had made his peace with it rather quickly, much to his surprise.

For the moment at least, everything seemed right in the world. He had even been able to enjoy an evening out with Lois and only had to sneak away twice to attend to Superman’s duties. Afterwards, Lois had insisted that they spend the night in Smallville, safely out of range of their children’s hearing. Clark pondered that it still felt a bit naughty being intimate in his mother’s house, despite the fact that they were now married. However, it wasn’t nearly as disconcerting as it had been immediately after they eloped.

He turned off the burner, removed the pan from the stove, and poured it into a couple mugs through a strainer before topping off the beverages with whipped cream and grated chocolate. He set both mugs on a bed tray along with the rest of the carefully prepared breakfast, and proceeded to carry the tray up to the guest room where they had spent the night. He knew from the change in her heartbeat that Lois was beginning to stir, though she wasn’t fully awake yet.

Clark entered the room, and shouted out melodiously, “Good morning, Sunshine!”

“Huh? What time is it?” Lois mumbled, without bothering to look up.

“Just a little after eleven, Metropolis time,” Clark informed her. “That gives us almost two hours before we meet the realtor. C’mon, honey, wake up. I’ve brought you your breakfast.”

Lois peeked out from under the covers and eyed the tray. “Breakfast in bed?” she asked suspiciously.

“Yep,” Clark answered cheerfully. “We’ve got a cinnamon raison bagel with a honey hazelnut spread, orange juice, and since your morning coffee has way too much caffeine for the baby, we’ve got spicy Aztec hot chocolate.”

“You did remember that hot chocolate’s got caffeine and theobromine in it, didn’t you?” Lois pointed out sleepily. She threw the pillows against the headboard, and crawled up in a seated position against the repositioned pillows.

“I made the chocolate from cacao seeds that I processed at the Fortress while you were sleeping. There’s only trace amounts of caffeine and theobromine left in it,” Clark assured her. He set the tray over her lap and sat on the edge of the bed. “Go ahead, try it.”

Lois picked up one of the mugs and brought it to her lips. Her eyes shot wide open a moment later. “Wow,” she commented. “That’s… wow. What kind of chocolate did you say this was?”

“Spicy Aztec hot chocolate,” Clark told her. He retrieved the second mug from the tray and added, “There’s more than just cocoa and milk in there. There’s also cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, vanilla, chili peppers and a dash of jalapeño.”

“It’s good,” Lois replied simply. She then took another sip of the beverage before starting on her bagel.

As Clark watched his wife eat, he reflected on all the obstacles they had overcome for the two of them to finally reunite as a family – a family that was still growing. He had never been happier.

Lois noticed his tender expression and did a double-take. “What?” she demanded to know.

“Huh? Oh, just… thinking,” Clark answered. “I never thought I’d have a life like this. And I can still hardly believe that we’re going to have a baby.”

“It’s not the first time, Clark,” Lois corrected mirthfully. “This one’s number three, remember? Well, second one I’ll be giving birth to…”

“I know, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for the other two,” Clark told her. “But this is the first time I’ll be around from the beginning. I’ll be here with you throughout the pregnancy. I’ll get to see our child born, and I’ll be there for those early milestones: The first steps, first words…”

“First temper tantrum?” Lois suggested.

Clark chuckled and said, “Yeah, that too.” He tone turned serious as he added, “I missed that the last time.”

Lois’ expression softened and she told him compassionately, “Clark, nobody’s blaming you for doing what had to be done. Everything worked out in the end, and you’re here this time.”

“I know, and I don’t intend to take any of this for granted,” he told her somberly.

“What’s on your mind, Clark?” Lois asked gently.

Clark paused a moment, and then stated pensively, “Until recently, I’d lived a very solitary life. I was always alone and acutely aware of how different I was – even before I learned of my heritage. Some of the taglines after Superman appeared on the scene just reinforced that: ‘The Last Son of Krypton’, or ‘Strange Visitor from Another Planet’, for instance.

“I never felt more alone than when I first got back from Krypton, even though I had Kara with me. It seemed like the world had moved on without me. Or rather, everyone I loved had moved on without me. My mom. You. But everything is different now. I’m not alone anymore and I’ve become a part of something truly wonderful.”

“Would that something wonderful have anything to do with a couple of special little munchkins that can’t wait to help their dad save the world?” Lois asked mirthfully.

Clark chuckled and said, “That’s certainly part of it. But we also have a special group of friends and family who have formed ranks behind us. They’ve got our backs. And to think I was a little freaked out over them learning the family secret last fall.”

“Just a little?” Lois teased.

“Okay, a lot,” Clark admitted. “But my point is that it’s turned out to be a wonderful blessing.”

“How so?”

“It’s a lot of little things. Ben will never replace my dad, but in him I now have a step-father whose sage advice is a good complement to my mother’s. Ben’s daughter was already a close friend, as were Ron and Lucy. But in them I now have a step-sister and a brother and sister-in-law who’ve become like true siblings. It’s so surreal hanging out with them and casually discussing my alter ego.”

“Tell me about it,” Lois muttered.

“Considering where I came from, that means the world to me,” Clark continued. “I now have this wonderful close family relationship with all of these people who know me for who I truly am and don’t care about where I came from or what I can do. The same thing goes for your parents…”

“Well, maybe with my mother,” Lois corrected. “Did you forget that my dad accused you of ruining my life last fall?”

“Well, I really can’t fault him for that,” Clark countered. “It was the first time we’d had a chance to talk since he learned the truth, and you’d just recently split up with Richard. He was rightfully concerned… You have noticed how cordial he’s been since I made an honest woman out of you, haven’t you?”

“Don’t count on it lasting,” Lois warned him. “I’m sure he’ll be back to his ornery old self in no time.”

“Whether he’s cordial or ornery, he’s still family, still protective, and still supportive,” Clark insisted. “That’s kind of the point. Even those who aren’t related are like part of the family now and dedicated guardians of the secret. What’s really weird about all this is that it feels like this is the way things were meant to be. It feels like everyone was always meant to be family. I was just blind to that undeniable fact for all those years and it’s taken this long to open my eyes and be reunited with the family of my heart.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Lois answered quietly. “Deep down, I always knew you’d come back and that we belonged together. That this was meant to be.”

Clark smiled and looked intently into his wife’s eyes as added sincerely, “Lois, I think that I’m the luckiest man in the universe. Not just because I escaped Krypton’s destruction or because of the superpowers. I’m lucky because of the extraordinary children we have. I’m lucky because I have the support of such an extraordinary group of people who I now call family. And I’m especially lucky because I have the unique privilege of being married to the most extraordinary one of them all.”

Lois grabbed the collar of Clark’s flannel shirt, and pulled him down into a searing kiss. When they broke from the kiss a moment later, she smiled up and him and said seductively, “Well, if you really want to get lucky, maybe you’d better get rid of this tray so we can continue this part of the family reunion unencumbered.”

As Clark set the tray aside, he again reflected on his fortune. He’d overcome virtually impossible odds, barely escaping a dying world and then finding the other half of his soul in another galaxy. She was ever present in his mind, his heart and his soul. Whether it’s luck or fate, this simply feels right, he concluded. This is where I was meant to be. He then allowed the rest of the universe to disappear from his senses for a short time, as he lost himself in the cocoon of his wife’s embrace.

– The End –
(1) A “dummy” in newspaper printing is a test layout of the paper, including all advertisements and editorial content. (See http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_dummy_in_newspaper_printing).

[ Chapter 51 ] [ Table of Contents ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 51 - Not in the Cards

Tue, 19 May 2009 22:01:28 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author: mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 51 - 4,401; Total - 222,362
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 50 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 52 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 51 – Not in the Cards

Thursday, October 12, 2006 8:05AM EDT
Richard pulled his car into the driveway of his house, automatically pressing the button on the garage door opener before he remembered that the electronics were certain to still be fried from Luthor’s EMP. The ‘Krypto-Tech’, as Lois called it, had made great strides in speeding up repairs, but there was no magic undo button to automatically put things back the way they were. It took time and an incredible amount of energy. Lois had informed him that it took only a little more than two and half hours to deplete the energy reserves on those starships, and in that time they consumed more energy than the entire Earth produced in a month. They were fortunate that it only took twenty hours for the ships to recharge before resuming their task.

Despite the progress, there was still a public perception that repairs were going slowly. After all, it had only taken a few milliseconds for Luthor’s EMP to blow through an eighty thousand square mile disaster area and burn out all powered electronics, including virtually every electrical transformer on the power grid. In the five days since the starships began their assignment, they just recently finished restoring the essential infrastructure of power, water and sewer, and natural gas, with repairs to landline communications scheduled to finally be completed later that morning. It would be well into the next week before work on the commercial centers began, and probably close to another month before the last of the consumer electronics was repaired. Still, Metropolis had been cleaned up enough for the drive home from the Planet’s parking garage to be tolerable, and Richard was anxious to check out the house.

He sighed wearily and shifted the car into park, staring blankly at the closed garage door in front of him for a moment before grabbing his laptop bag and marching up to the front door to let himself in. Once inside, he set down his laptop and surveyed the interior almost nostalgically. He reflected that it didn’t really feel like home. It reminded him more of a childhood visit to his grandmother’s house after she passed away, numbly walking through the lifeless house while the adults packed up the late matriarch’s possessions. What a difference a week makes, Richard thought.

He shook himself from his ruminations and gave the house closer scrutiny. The lights worked, but not the television, stereo or cable broadband modem. The refrigerator was dead, too, and he’d been forced to turn his head when he opened the door and confronted the stench of rotting leftovers, abandoned when they fled to Smallville after Luthor’s attempted hit on Clark. Richard quickly got to work cleaning out the refrigerator and tossing the spoiled food.

After he finished with the refrigerator, he quickly inspected the rest of the house before heading out back to check out his plane, which Clark had brought back to the house earlier in the week. Once satisfied that everything was in order, he returned to the house and settled in at his desk in the back room. He powered up his laptop, connected it to a cable from his cell phone and logged into the Planet’s portal, and began reviewing the morning’s international news.

The politicians overseas had apparently gotten over their initial shock at recent events and had resurrected their complaints of favoritism by the Man of Steel, calling the Kryptonian rules governing his technology ‘arbitrary’, given that the planet had been destroyed. They groused that the rules of a dead society should not prevent its technology from helping with their construction projects. Those complaints are only going to get worse, Richard pondered. Clark’s going to need to put out a statement to clarify things.

Richard had already heard the explanation, of course. Superman had sworn to abide by Kryptonian law when he began his training, which made it a matter of honor. Those rules were also now enforced by Jor-El’s A.I., as one of the security upgrades implemented following Luthor’s break-in. Even if someone like Luthor managed to get past the perimeter security and fool the biometric sensors and reach the console, they still wouldn’t be able to walk out of the place with its technology. The crystals were now permanently locked in an underground vault and the security protocols in the A.I. strictly governed access to the technology.

It also meant that Superman couldn’t make arbitrary exceptions to the rules either. Not only would Jor-El need to be convinced that the request was permissible under Kryptonian law, he’d also attempt to independently confirm any claim of urgency though an array of orbiting probes and interfaces into the Earth’s information networks. I’m not sure that those foreign politicians will be much happier to learn that HAL⁽¹⁾ is running things at the Fortress, Richard thought. Hell, it might freak out a lot of people here. Maybe Lois has some ideas on that…

Thoughts of Lois inevitably provoked reminders of his crumbling relationship, and Richard turned wistful. Once she got Jason and Kara on their school bus, Lois would be heading back up to the Fortress. She claimed that with all of the communications and transportation obstacles around the city, it was the best place for gathering the necessary information she needed for her stories. He couldn’t dispute the point and had to concede that her story production over the past few days had been spectacular. However, the choice of venue was also a painful reminder of her heart’s apparent choice.

Get a grip, White, Richard scolded himself. You’ve already analyzed that to death and don’t have time to go through that again now. There’s work to do. He pushed the unpleasant thoughts from his mind, and dove into his work, quickly writing up and sending off a summary of the international sentiment to Perry. He then retrieved the satellite phone from his pocket and began calling up the Planet’s overseas staff to insure that his department’s stories were on track.

-o-o-o-
Thursday, October 12, 2006 10:35AM EDT
Perry had surprised Richard with a sudden summons. He had asked Richard to meet him at Berkowitz airport, and bring Ron Troupe and Jimmy Olsen with him. Apparently, Richard hadn’t been the only one interested in inspecting the damage that morning, and Perry had finagled a ride back to the city on Bruce Wayne’s private plane. Richard had barely finished putting together the International and Washington story budgets for the day before attempting the cross town trip, stopping in Midtown to pick up Ron and Jimmy from the Troupe house.

They’d been forced to take a circuitous route of countless detours on the trip from Midtown to Berkowitz, but Richard was surprised to find he didn’t mind the traffic, thanks to the friendly conversation from his colleagues. Ron was clearly steering the conversations to safe topics like their competition’s follies or the latest news from the Troupe family. Richard found it refreshing to be able to have a conversation about kids that didn’t end with them being compared to Superman at that age. Richard was relaxed and in high spirits by the time they finally arrived at Berkowitz.

When they reached the private gate, they were quickly ushered through and handed off to their escort, Claire Warner. “Good morning, gentlemen,” she greeted them. “I’ve got a cart to take us the rest of the way to Mister Wayne’s hanger. If you follow me…” She led them to an electric cart on the tarmac, and they were soon speeding through the rows of hangers.

When they reached Bruce Wayne’s hanger, they found Perry pacing outside the large open doors. “You’re late,” he complained brusquely.

“Half the bridges across the river either collapsed in the quake or have been declared unsound and closed by the Army Corp of Engineers,” Richard reminded him. “There was no easy way to get here.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing we won’t be going back that way,” a male voice interjected.

Richard looked towards the source of the voice and discovered Bruce Wayne walking towards him, with his Learjet 85 parked in the hanger behind him. Also inside the hanger was a Bell 407 helicopter, sitting on a wheeled platform that was being towed out of the hanger.

“Mister Wayne,” Richard addressed the other man, while offering him his hand.

Bruce shook Richard’s hand warmly and then nodded his head at the helicopter, declaring, “I think we’ll get around the city easier on that.” After a moment’s pause, he added, “As a fellow pilot, I’m sure you appreciate the liberating mobility of aircraft.”

“Yes, sir,” Richard answered, smiling widely. “Unfortunately, I’m not yet qualified on helicopters. Yet. I keep meaning to go back for the training, but just never got around to it.”

“There’s still time and it’s well worth it,” Bruce assured him.

“I’ll have to look into it, then” Richard replied cordially. “Oh, this is Ron Troup, one of our reporters, and Jimmy Olsen, our photographer.”

“Gentlemen,” Bruce said cordially as he offered them his hand.

“Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let’s get in the air and get a good look at the city,” Perry grumbled. “And this is work, not a sight-seeing tour. Olsen, we’ll need good pictures, and Troupe, you’re writing up the aftermath story.”

“Got it, Chief,” Jimmy said cheerfully.

“Yes, sir,” Ron replied simultaneously.

The men boarded the helicopter, and as Bruce Wayne’s pilot climbed into the right front seat, Richard asked his uncle, “How was the trip in?”

“Better than yours, from the sound of it,” Perry replied. He paused as the helicopter lifted off, and peered out his window before he finally added, “It probably took longer in queue to take off and land than it did to get here. How was your ‘scenic route’, by the way?”

“After picking up Ron and Jimmy, we had to go all the way East through the business district, across the Hamstead Bridge, then circle back through the northern boroughs, and finally across the Racine Bridge and through Park Ridge.”

“It’s murder trying to get around with all the bridges out,” Jimmy complained.

“Well, I hear that the bridges are on the Kryptonian starship’s reconstruction schedule for Monday afternoon,” Bruce informed them. “If you’re lucky, at least some of them will be opened up for the evening rush hour.”

“They’re rebuilding all of them in a day?” Jimmy replied incredulously. “Didn’t they all take something like a year or two to build the first time around?”

“They don’t have to be completely rebuilt,” Bruce pointed out. “The towers are still standing and with relatively minor damage, or so I’m told. Same for the main cables and anchorages. All Superman’s ship really needs to do is replace the road deck and suspender⁽²⁾ cables.”

“Will they get Roosevelt Tunnel fixed Monday, too?” Jimmy wondered.

“That’s out of scope,” Richard explained. “Remember what they were saying about the Kryptonian legal restrictions? Since the tunnel wasn’t damaged as a result of abused Kryptonian technology, they can’t use Krypto-Tech to repair it. They’re going to have to do it the old fashioned way. Same thing for the Hancock Building, the Vanderworth Mansion and the Pleasant Acres apartment towers that Luthor firebombed.”

“Oh,” Jimmy said quietly, his voice full of disappointment.

“By the way… any word on when our building’s scheduled for repair?” Ron asked tentatively.

“I’m hearing Wednesday,” Perry answered. “They’re getting the grocery stores, restaurants and the associated supply chains back up before they do office buildings.”

“Even if repairs are completed Wednesday, it might still be another week or two before we’re allowed back inside,” Bruce added. “Apparently, Superman’s sworn statement isn’t good enough for the mayor, who’s insisting that the city needs to inspect all the high-rises before reissuing occupancy permits. Even with out-of-state volunteers helping, it’s still going to take quite some time to test fire alarm and suppression systems, and verify the integrity of the structural steel with their ultrasonic equipment.”

“Things will get back to normal eventually. In the meantime, we’ll be shipping in the paper from Gotham,” Perry declared, before returning his attention to the view out his window. After a moment, he added brusquely, “ Now, this isn’t a social club, there’s work to do. Pay attention to what’s going on down there.”

“We’re on it, Chief,” Jimmy assured him, and the men redirected their attention out the windows as the helicopter began its sweep over the city’s Northwest boroughs.

-o-o-o-
Lois let out an aggravated sigh and leaned her head against her left palm. Though the Fortress certainly provided the most current information on reconstruction, she’d grown weary of that story and was anxious to move on to her next target: Judge Walter Kilpatrick of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third District in Newark. Lois was certain that he’d been suborned by Luthor into overturning his conviction with the flimsiest of legal excuses. However, her efforts were frustrated by the ongoing drama in the EMP disaster zone and her would-be allies’ near total obsession with it.

She’d also been stymied by Jor-El, who after having been so helpful recently, had resumed his obstructionist role. He outright refused to scan Luthor’s memories for the events leading up to his acquittal, citing privacy doctrine. Jor-El insisted that he’d need evidence of a violation of Kryptonian law in order to access those memories, and accusations that Luthor had corrupted the American criminal justice system simply didn’t qualify. The big floating head had not yet been convinced that it was part of a conspiracy to rob the Fortress, which should have been a qualifying violation. The argument was giving her a headache.

Lois looked up at Jor-El and groused, “I know you want to know how Luthor pulled that off as much as I do.”

“What I may want is not relevant,” Jor-El pointed out. “I am responsible for enforcing compliance with Kryptonian law, and I must fulfill that duty.”

“The evidence we need is right there, in Luthor’s mind, and you have him trapped up there making it a simple matter to ‘interrogate’ him,” Lois complained.

“However, we require evidence of his wrongdoing under Kryptonian law before we may consider memory extraction.”

“We know what he did! That’s probable cause!”

“We suspect him of additional crimes. However, that is just supposition. We lack sufficient evidence to warrant further investigation for additional crimes against Krypton.”

“Some help you are,” Lois grumbled.

“If we disregard our laws when they become inconvenient, then we would be no better than the criminals we seek to incarcerate,” Jor-El declared sternly.

“Whatever,” Lois replied irritably.

After glaring at Jor-El for a moment, Lois shifted her attention to her laptop and opened her email client. Though there was no shortage of messages, most of the incoming email was automatically filed in an archive folder, since the sender addresses were not on her whitelist. Of the mail that had made it past the filters, the recent messages were mostly from family members or her Planet colleagues, though she discovered a surprising exception. She navigated her mouse down to Harold Vanderworth’s email titled, “Likely Luthor Legal Defense” and double-clicked on it, her eyes widening in surprise at the content. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed the Kennebunkport number he had listed in his email.

Harold answered on the second ring, “Hello, Lois,” he greeted amiably. “I’m glad you got my message so quickly.”

“You don’t really think Luthor could skate over this, do you?” Lois asked insistently. “Sounds to me like some blowhard defense attorney’s trying to validate his existence on the morning show by making outrageous statements about Luthor’s situation. That was not false imprisonment.”

“Certainly not, but If some smalltime player like Velasco’s thought of that angle, you can be sure that Luthor will, too,” Harold replied seriously. “My legal team thinks that the defenses Velasco suggested are thin as ice, especially given that most of the events in question happened outside U.S. territorial waters. But then again, the premise that you could overturn a conviction if a witness from the original trial wasn’t available nearly a decade later was equally thin, and look what happened.”

“He must have gotten to the judge, somehow,” Lois insisted.

“That’s the most likely explanation. And Kilpatrick is still on the bench.”

Lois sighed irritably and angrily declared, “We can’t let some corrupt judge open up another loophole for that monster to crawl through.”

“No, of course not. But it’s going to take a cooperative effort to prevent that, and that includes cooperation from Superman. Do you think that that somebody from the Planet can get a hold of him?”

“I think it’s a given that you’ll have his cooperation, given what that madman did to him,” Lois assured him. “What do we need to tell him?”

“That we need time,” Harold explained. “It’s going to take time for legal research, time to prod our Washington representatives into action, if necessary, and time to bulletproof the prosecution’s case. We need Superman to… delay… bringing Luthor back to Earth until after we’ve completed all of the legal legwork.”

“I doubt he was in much of a hurry, especially when he’s still pulling triple shifts in the disaster zone,” Lois commented. “I’m sure he’ll recognize the wisdom of postponing any plans to retrieve Luthor from that monstrosity for the time being.”

“We may also need to discuss our strategy with him at some point, but that’s not critical right now,” Harold replied. “Can we count on you to get our message to Superman?”

“I’m sure someone from the Planet can get the message to him,” Lois promised. In fact, I’ll call him as soon as I hang up.

-o-o-o-
Thursday, October 12, 2006 9:15PM CDT
Richard noticed the rhythmic breathing from the bed beside him, and set down the book on wolves that he’d been quietly reading to Jason. A quick check confirmed his suspicion that the little boy had fallen asleep and Richard tip-toed out of Clark’s childhood bedroom, shutting the door carefully behind him. He immediately noticed Lois in the hallway, standing in front of the open door to Kara’s room. Inside, Clark was attempting to guide his daughter into dreamland, providing softly spoken direction that was barely audible from the open doorway a few feet away. In the dim illumination from the downstairs lamps, Richard noticed an oddly contented look on Lois’ face as she observed the tableau.

Lois seemed to suddenly notice his presence, and quickly lifted a finger to her lips in a gesture of silence, and Richard nodded his assent. He then joined her outside the open door, silently watching his rival attend to his paternal duties. She goes down so much easier when Clark is here to tuck her in, Richard observed. Good thing he’s been able to schedule a break for Superman right around bedtime.

Finally, the murmurs from the room ceased, and Clark stood up and silently crept out of the room and closed the door. After spending a full week at the Kent farm with full knowledge of the family secret, Richard was familiar with the routine to avoid Kara’s sensitive hearing. He quietly followed Clark and Lois down the stairs, where they paused only long enough to wave goodbye to Martha and for Lois to grab her laptop before walking out the front door.

Once outside, Lois turned back to face Clark, pointing a finger to her wrist and then holding up her palm to him with her fingers splayed as she mouthed the words, ‘About Luthor’.

Five minutes to talk about Luthor, Richard summarized.

Clark shook his head and made a flying gesture with his hand. Richard didn’t catch the words he mimed, but he understood the general idea.

Superman is needed elsewhere, Richard translated.

Lois’ shoulders sagged slightly and she nodded her acquiescence and then mouthed the words, ‘Be careful’. After a quick nod of his head, Clark disappeared in a blur and Lois resumed her march to the barn. Richard quickly fell in step behind her, following her down into the cellar and past the portal entrance.

Once the portal entry sealed behind them, Richard said sympathetically, “Relax, Lois. Luthor’s not going anywhere. There’ll be plenty of time for the lawyers to prepare for him.”

“Luthor’s not the only one we have to worry about,” Lois explained. “We need a peek inside Judge Kilpatrick’s records to look for evidence that Luthor bribed or blackmailed him. Before he has a chance to destroy it. We can’t risk him setting Luthor loose again.” She wiped her hand over the sensor and opened the door to the transportation chamber.

Richard followed her into the chamber and sat down opposite her. “I assume you suggested that in the voice mail you left for Clark when you phoned him earlier,” he commented.

“Of course, but he’s a bit preoccupied with the disaster zone. Luthor tries to take over the world and Clark thinks it’s his fault, and feels guilty if he takes a five minute break from cleaning up the mess,” Lois complained. She looked up toward the ceiling of the chamber and stated authoritatively, “Take us to the Fortress.”

After a brief pause, Richard added, “It’s obviously not his fault, but you can’t blame him for being preoccupied with the disaster zone. It’s still… well, a disaster zone. There are probably still a lot of calls for help. It’s getting better, though.”

“I suppose,” Lois agreed reluctantly.

They avoided each other’s eyes and fell into an awkward silence. Richard recalled the new marching orders Perry had issued that afternoon, insisting that he needed to join the other editors in Gotham the following day. We’re out of time, Richard concluded and he broke the silence, sadly declaring, “Lois, I can’t do this anymore.”

“What?”

Richard snorted mirthlessly and commented, “Five years with my head in the sand living in a fantasy world, and I suddenly discover that I can’t pretend anymore.” He looked intently into her eyes and added, “I can’t pretend that nothing’s wrong, that we still have a future. I know that things can never be like they were before Clark came back.”

“Richard, I haven’t been fooling around with Clark,” Lois insisted defensively.

“I know,” Richard acknowledged unhappily. “You’ve both been trying to do the right thing, and you’ve tried to pretend that nothing’s changed. But it has. Our relationship’s suddenly become platonic, among other things… You’re not in love with me, Lois. You never were.”

“Richard, stop,” Lois pleaded. “I really do care about you.”

“I know. But you’re in love with Clark,” Richard declared. He finally tore his eyes away from her and added, “I can’t stand in the way of that. Even if by some miracle, I were able to cajole you into actually marrying me, you’d end up resenting me for it. You’d always be wondering what could have been with Clark.”

Lois wiped an errant tear from her cheek and murmured, “I’m so sorry, Richard.” She pulled the engagement ring from her finger and held it out to him as she added, “Please believe that I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” he replied somberly as he accepted the ring. “Doesn’t help a lot right now, but I know.” After a brief pause, he added, “Just do me a couple favors…”

“You know I will if I can.”

“I don’t want to lose Jason, too,” Richard stated sorrowfully. “Promise me that I can continue to be a part of his life.”

“Richard, you’re still his daddy, and Clark and Martha both have made it clear that they’ll never stand in the way of that,” Lois said adamantly. “Of course, you’ll always be a part of his life. You needn’t have doubted that.”

“Thank you,” Richard told her sincerely. “That means a lot to me… One more favor?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t announce another engagement in the bullpen,” Richard said sadly. “Just elope and get it over with.”

“You want me to elope with Clark?” Lois asked incredulously.

“Actually, I want you to marry me,” Richard replied. “But we both know that’s not in the cards. Even if Clark had never come home, it was never going to be. And since your future clearly lies with him… just get it over with. Besides, you’ll have an easier time adopting Kara if you’re married to her father.”

“Adopt her?” Lois echoed in surprise. “I hadn’t even begun to consider that…”

“Whether you’ve been aware of it or not, you’ve already assumed a maternal role with her and she’s accepted you in that capacity,” Richard told her seriously. “If she hadn’t, she never would have flown back to the plane last week when you all-named her and counted to three… Lois, she needs a mother and you’ve unconsciously volunteered.”

“Richard,” Lois began hoarsely. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Me either. It’s going to be awkward for a little while,” Richard observed. He paused for a moment added, “I won’t be coming into the Fortress with you. I think I’ll just head back to Smallville and start packing.”

“You don’t have to do that so soon,” Lois pleaded. “There’s no hurry.”

Richard shook his head and then said, “It’s not because of this. Perry’s indulged me as much as he’s able, but tomorrow I’m to head up to Gotham and hunker down at the Gazette with the other Planet editors. I’ll be there until we’re ready to move back into our building. Sounds like it could be a couple weeks. Once we get back, we’ll work out the logistics… and how we explain this to Jason.”

Lois nodded her head and quietly said, “You’ll call if you need anything, right?”

“Of course,” Richard confirmed, and then another awkward silence settled over them while they both reflected on five years of memories from the life they had tried to build together before its predictable collapse.

-o-o-o-
(1) The HAL 9000 was the artificially intelligent computer that ran amuck in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
(2) The ‘suspender’ cable is the cable that holds the road deck to the main cable on a suspension bridge. Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_bridge for details.

[ Chapter 50 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 52 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 50 - Awake

Wed, 13 May 2009 02:41:00 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author: mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 50 - 4,559; Total - 217,961
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 49 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 51 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 50 – Awake

Sunday, October 8, 2006 6:15PM EDT
The shroud of silence slowly lifted from Superman’s senses. Quiet murmurs coalesced into incomprehensible whispers and he began to again perceive the tingle of solar energy throughout his body. The brilliance of the sun lamps slipped past his eyelids and pushed against the darkness while comprehension assaulted his slumber and gave meaning to the sounds around him from his caretakers and guardians voicing their hopes and worries for him. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, cautiously taking in his surroundings.

His scan of the room revealed his uniform neatly folded on the chair beside the bed, and he looked down in surprise at the hospital gown that covered him. After a momentary pause, he resumed his survey, pushing his vision through the walls where he observed the hospital staff busily attending to their duties along with a handful of soldiers and Metropolis police officers dutifully stationed outside his room. He pushed his vision out even further and the hospital walls faded away to reveal the city beyond. Philadelphia? he wondered in surprise. How did I end up here?

His visual exploration was interrupted by Jor-El’s voice, transmitted in the hypersonic spectrum outside the range of human hearing. “Kal-El, my son. Please report to the Fortress as soon as you are able. You must be briefed on everything that has transpired since you lost consciousness seventy-three hours ago and on the work that lies ahead of us… Kal-El, my son. Please report to the Fortress as soon as you are able. You must be briefed on everything that has transpired since you lost consciousness seventy-three hours ago and on the work that lies ahead of us…”

The solar tingle in his cells combined with Jor-El’s repeating message and his own discomfort with the unfamiliar surroundings was more than enough motivation for Superman to push away the last lingering vestiges of sleep and rise into a seated position. The sun lamps immediately shut off as he did so and he finally noticed them, looking up as they were briefly enveloped in a blue aura before dematerializing. Those didn’t come from around here, Superman noted. Was that Jor-El’s doing?

Superman was desperate to learn what had transpired over the past three days, and thus quickly changed back into his uniform, taking care to switch off the monitoring equipment prior to peeling the leads from his skin to avoid any alarms. Once dressed, he looked around the windowless room, frowning at the realization that he’d have to face his minders in the hall before returning to the sky. Though it was tempting to rush past them at superspeed, he doubted it would escape their notice and concluded it would seem inexcusably rude. He needed to at least express his gratitude before taking his leave. He took a moment to steel himself for the gauntlet before he opened the door and marched out to meet his supporters.

-o-o-o-

Superman arrived at the Fortress to find the table in the middle of the main chamber cluttered with Lois’ laptop, empty coffee mugs and plastic containers with the remnants of a meal, along with a stack of the past few days’ newspapers. In addition to The Daily Planet, which was printed under a joint banner with The Gotham Gazette, the stack also included editions of the San Francisco Chronicle and the Alexandria Times. At Jor-El’s suggestion, he read through the papers at superspeed, and was dismayed at the horrific aftereffects of Luthor’s attack that was documented in dozens of stories, some of which appeared under his byline. He had also been surprised to learn how far the disaster zone extended. He’d been so focused on the devastating damage in Metropolis at the time that it had never occurred to him to check for damage beyond the city.

“So much devastation,” Kal-El murmured.

“It would have been much worse had you not acted as you did,” Jor-El pointed out. “You should also recognize that this world’s international community has responded admirably to the crisis. Though there have been some minor territorial squabbles, they are mostly united in their efforts to assist the survivors and rebuild the cities.”

“I need to help them.”

“You must prepare yourself first,” Jor-El insisted. Suddenly, several floating displays materialized behind the console, and Jor-El presented a briefing on the minute details of the damage, far beyond anything appearing in the newspapers, though reinforcing the accuracy of those stories. Superman listened and studied the screens attentively until his review of events was interrupted by a pair of young voices erupting from the back of the room, calling for him. He turned in time to see Jason and Kara zoom across the room towards him at superspeed. He just barely crouched down in time to catch the kids as they rushed into his arms.

As the children began chattering, he looked across to room to see Lois and his mother stroll through the door. “Clark,” Lois muttered emotionally. She hesitated for just a moment before running across the room towards him.

Superman stood up, lifting the children with him as Lois reached them and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce embrace.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Lois told him dramatically.

“I’ll try not to,” he assured her.

“Are you feeling better now, Dad?” Kara asked worriedly. “The people on TV said you might die.”

“I’m getting really good at powers now,” Jason informed him excitedly, speaking at the same time as Kara. “Can we go flying? Mommy said we had to wait until you got better.”

“Whoa, there. One at a time, and give me a chance to answer,” Superman replied warmly. Once they quieted down, he told them, “Yes, I’m all better now. No, I’m not going to die. And I think we’re going to need to wait a little while before we can go flying. I could be busy for a while.”

“Can we help?” Kara asked hopefully.

“Kara, we talked about that. Remember?” Lois reminded her firmly as Martha finally approached the family group.

Kara pouted and grumbled, “It’s not fair.”

“I know it doesn’t seem that way now, sweetheart, but it’s really for the best,” Martha told her gently. She joined the group hug, pulling her son close as she sadly told him, “We were so worried about you.”

Superman nodded and somberly said, “I’m sorry to scare you like that… Mom, I can’t stay long. There’s so much work to do…”

“And that includes reassuring your children that their daddy’s okay,” Martha pointed out. She withdrew from the hug and added seriously, “Kara has had a particularly rough time the past few days.”

“Nightmares?”

Martha nodded and said, “They were bad enough for emergency sessions with Doctor Gupta. Jason’s been shaken by all this, too, and we sent him with Kara to talk to the doctor.”

Lois added, “You guys really found a really good psychologist there. Not only was she great with the kids, she had already cleared her calendar before we even called. I guess she was expecting the call once she heard the news. Anyway, she even invited us into her home yesterday and today for the kids’ private sessions.”

“How bad was the damage?” Superman wondered seriously.

“She refused to let us pay this time. Said it was her contribution to reconstruction.”

“We can’t take advantage of her kindness like that, but that’s not what I meant… Kara’s nightmares can be kind of rough on the house.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara said contritely.

“It’s okay, honey,” Lois replied. She turned to Superman and explained, “Thursday night was a tough one which meant that Kara was helping Ben with some repairs Friday morning. That’s mostly done, though. All that’s left is fixing her headboard and some painting. That should be the last we need to worry about that kind of thing, though. Jor-El’s protecting the bed and walls with a force field now – at night at least.”

“Wish I had thought of that,” Superman muttered. “What else did I miss during my ‘nap’?”

Before Lois had a chance to respond, Martha interjected, “While Lois explains things, I’ll warm up dinner.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that, Mom,” Superman protested. He finally noticed the picnic basket she’d been carrying, and peeked inside with his x-ray vision to find generous portions from a lasagna dinner and an apple pie dessert.

“Clark, you just got out of the hospital and probably haven’t had a thing to eat since lunch Thursday, three days ago,” Martha pointed out sternly. “I’m going to warm this up, and then you’re going to eat.”

“But there’s so much to do after the devastation left by Luthor’s mad plan, which is partially my fault.”

“Clark, don’t you dare blame yourself for this,” Lois told him insistently.

“But I am to blame,” Clark counted sadly. “If I hadn’t been so careless with the security here, Luthor never could have threatened the world with Kryptonian technology.”

“Instead, he would have found another way to threaten the world, and we might not have been as well prepared to deal with it as we were with this,” Lois declared authoritatively. “Remember what he did that landed him in jail after your first encounter with him? He fired a couple of hijacked nukes at California and tried to destroy the West Coast. Clark, you’re no more to blame for that sociopath’s evil this time.”

“But he should never have been able to access the Kryptonian database so easily.”

“Well, no, he shouldn’t have. But that doesn’t mean you should shoulder the blame for everything he did,” Lois argued. “The better response would be to use that same Krypto-tech that Luthor misused to help undo the damage.”

“I think Jor-El would be quick to point out that there are strict Kryptonian laws restricting the use of our technology with less advanced civilizations,” Superman stated seriously.

“That is correct,” Jor-El declared. “Although, the law does allow for exceptions under certain narrowly defined circumstances.”

“We found a loophole,” Lois clarified with a laugh. “Oh, we got the speech when we first broached the subject with Jor-El, and it took quite a bit of discussion before he conceded the legal loophole. Apparently, Krypto-tech is allowed to undo the results of misused Krypto-tech, which is certainly the case here. Jor-El’s still not entirely pleased with our solution, but he’s not fighting us on it either, other than to insist that we couldn’t begin while so much energy was dedicated to powering those sun lamps over your bed.”

“I thought those might have come from Jor-El,” Superman commented. “So… care to share this reconstruction plan of yours?”

“How about I tell you all about it while you eat your dinner,” Lois declared. “Deal?”

Clark was silent for a moment before nodding his head in acquiescence. “Deal.”

“I’ll be right back,” Martha said cordially. “Children, would you please clear that mess off the table so there’s room for your dad to eat? Bring it into the kitchen.”

“Leave my laptop there,” Lois instructed them.

Superman relaxed his grip around the children and set them on their feet, allowing them to walk over to the table and do as their grandmother had asked while the old woman left the room through a side door. “Okay, so what’s the plan?” Clark prodded.

“Ah! I said over dinner, and you haven’t started eating yet,” Lois said firmly. She walked over and sat at the table before looking back over at him. When she spotted his frown, she told him, “You know, you’ve really got to stop torturing yourself over this. Yes, it’s a mess. Yes, it’s a lot of work to do. But you’re not in this alone…” Lois paused as the children cleared off the table in front of her and rushed after their grandmother with the papers and dishes. She nodded her head towards them and added quietly, “And it’s not your only responsibility. Richard, Ron and I can cover for you at the Planet, but nobody can cover for you with the munchkins. This hasn’t been easy for them either, you know. It hasn’t been easy for any of us.”

“I know, but I still have to clean up the mess Luthor left,” he replied sadly as he walked over and joined Lois at the table.

“And you will, but you’ll be smart about it, which means letting the others out there do their part and sticking with the plan.”

“I can’t wait to hear this plan… Wait, Ron’s been covering for me?”

“Yep, and that local perspective piece from Saturday’s lifestyle section that was printed under your byline was his work,” Lois informed him. “You’ll owe him some Superman exclusives to keep Perry off his back once this is over. By the way, he and Lucy know the family secret now.”

“What?” Clark asked numbly.

“Ron saw the munchkins fly off to rescue me Thursday, and he’s never been able to keep anything from Lucy for very long.”

“Did anyone else see them?” Superman asked worriedly.

“We don’t think so,” Lois assured him. “They ran into the alley behind Restaurant Row before flying up into the sky, and Ron’s certain that he’s the only one who saw them. Anyway, I had a talk with him and Lucy about it Thursday night… and again on Friday. We’re all set there, but you should still plan on talking to them about it when you get a chance.”

Superman nodded his head, and said unenthusiastically, “I’ll make a point of it. Any other surprises?”

“Well, while we’re speaking of the family secret… my dad was able to put together most of the pieces of the puzzle before I got a chance to talk to him,” Lois revealed. “They brought Daniels into the Pentagon Friday morning for debriefing, and my dad was able to pull him aside for a private meeting before it began. Daniels kept the kids out of the report, just like he promised, but he told my dad everything that happened out there.”

Superman sighed and said, “Well, we were planning on telling him anyway, and you did lead Daniels to believe that your dad already knew, along with nameless other Pentagon brass.”

“I was trying to insure his silence,” Lois protested irritably. “We didn’t know him from Adam, and we couldn’t risk the secret getting out. Anyway, Dad thinks it’s contained, though I really got an earful when I showed up to talk to him yesterday morning.”

“You were in Alexandria? I read in those newspapers that commercial air traffic on the Eastern Seaboard was practically shut down.”

“Actually, I was in Arlington,” Lois corrected. “And yes, air travel’s at a standstill, which is why we added a portal stop there. It comes up under the Sheraton National Hotel’s parking garage, a little less than a mile west of the Pentagon. Anyway, back to Daniels… Dad pulled his file and spoke with his C.O., and it looks like he’s a highly principled young officer who’s not going to cause any problems for us.

“As for Dad… Well, he knows the full truth now, including the part about the Kryptonian farm boy and his adopted daughter… He already had nearly enough to figure most of that out, and probably would have put it all together the first time Lucy’s kids mentioned Kara’s dad. At least this way, I could swear him to secrecy first.”

“Makes sense and we were going to tell him,” Superman acknowledged. “Given the circumstances, there really wasn’t any alternative, though I’m not looking forward to my next encounter with him.”

“Expect to get raked over the coals,” Lois replied mirthfully. “I think that about covers the family secret, and just in time. Here comes your mother and the kids with your dinner. Once you get started on it, I’ll explain our reconstruction plan.”

-o-o-o-

Perry peeked over Nancy Garrett’s shoulder at the mock-up of the combined edition that the Planet and Gazette would be putting out the following morning. The Planet was still running in disaster mode three days after the EMP, though the Gazette was running close to business as usual. It was taking them longer to file their stories with the traffic tie-ups and phone problems, but they were getting the local stories in.

Perry reflected that the Planet staff faced far greater obstacles and yet were producing superior results. That was due not only to the cache of satellite phones that Wayne had shipped them after the first EMP, but to the extraordinary efforts put in by staff. The editors still had some coordination to do with those still in the city, but the best stories were getting filed without explicit assignments. There were some setbacks, but on the whole the Planet’s output had been extraordinary. That accomplishment was especially valuable in the current news environment, with people desperate to learn as much as they could about the disaster. Perry hoped that the sales driven by that high public anxiety could lead to new subscriptions.

“Well, I think it looks pretty good,” Nancy commented, interrupting Perry’s thoughts. “I believe we’ll have another sell-out.”

“That’s not really a challenge with this national disaster and all the local cable outages,” Perry opined. “This is the only show in town if they want to find out what’s happening. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Spoilsport.”

“Nancy, you know I’m right,” Perry countered. “Cable news, the Internet and public apathy have been eating away at our print circulation for years. Under normal circumstances, you need a really meaty story on tragedy, sex or Superman to move the product off the newsstand.” Perry’s speech was interrupted by a ringing phone. Perry checked his suit jacket pockets as he added, “Was that yours or mine?”

“Yours. I changed my ring tone.”

Perry fished the phone out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, which identified Ron Troupe as the caller. He switched the phone on and answered gruffly, “I hope you’ve got something good for me, Troupe.”

“Yes, sir. One of our sources came through for us, and I thought you’d want to hear the news right away,” Ron replied excitedly.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?” Perry pressed.

“Our sources tell us that the Man of Steel is back in the sky,” Ron announced cheerfully.

“Troupe, you just got the front page,” Perry declared enthusiastically. “How soon can you get the story in?”

“I’ll write it up as soon as we’re done here,” Ron promised him. “Perry, I’m also told Superman’s adopting the reconstruction plan that we speculated about earlier. The details will be released in a White House press conference at nine. I don’t believe that Superman’s expected to be there, though.”

“Understood. Now, stop wasting your time talking to me and get that story in,” Perry replied seriously, and he recalled their recent conversations on the matter. Lois had made Troupe one of her proxies to keep the negotiations discussing Superman’s role in reconstruction from getting tracked back to her. He had shared the details of Lois’ plan with Perry, and he had passed the proposal on to Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox, citing an anonymous source. The executives had in turn exerted their influence to get government and other businesses to sign on for the tentative plan. Ron’s message meant that Superman was on-board with the proposal as well.

“Yes, sir. Good-bye, sir,” Ron replied differentially, and he ended the call.

“What’s he got?” Nancy asked eagerly.

“Something that just changed our front page,” Perry declared. “Above the fold, ‘Superman Wakes from Coma’. And below the fold, ‘Washington Approves Kryptonian Reconstruction Plan’. By the way, the second headline isn’t official yet. There’s a White House press conference at nine. Figures that they’d try to take credit for it.”

“We’re not going to have much time to get the story in after that press conference,” Nancy muttered. “Damn, I hate it when they schedule things like this so late.”

“We’ll have to get as much of it prepped beforehand as we can,” Perry declared. “I think I know someone with access to the details on the reconstruction plan.”

“Think we can get an advance copy?”

“I’m counting on it,” Perry said confidently. “I suggest we use the Planet’s Washington Bureau to cover it from that end, and use your local Gazette staff to cover it for Business, City and Features. My people in Metropolis may have a hard time finding a TV or webcast.”

“That works for me,” Nancy agreed. “I’ll round up my guys for the briefing. Looks like we’ll be working late again.”

Perry nodded his acknowledgement and dialed one of the numbers from his contact list. Once the call went through, he said into the phone, “It’s Perry. We need to get our hands on a copy of that reconstruction plan…”

-o-o-o-

Ron Troupe was drumming him fingers on the kitchen table as he intently studied the open document in front of him, displayed on the loaner laptop Lois had provided for him. She had also provided all the pertinent details on Superman’s recovery to flesh out a good story, but he remained nervous over what would be his first front page, and probably above the fold at that, if he knew Perry. Ron reread the story again, before he finally attached a cable from his cell phone to the laptop and established an Internet connection. He submitted the story to the Planet’s web portal and hoped Perry wouldn’t find too many problems with it.

As the document uploaded, Ron silently thanked his sister-in-law for her efforts. The laptop had been just one of several items Lois had provided in a care package, beamed into their garage when nobody was looking. She’d also provided an emergency generator, space heaters, and a collection of books and games to keep the kids occupied. They had everything they needed to ride out the crisis in comfort.

Ron noticed that the document upload was completed, and he triumphantly declared, “All done. That should do it until the president’s news conference.”

He reached for the cable to disconnect the cell phone from his laptop but was interrupted by Jimmy’s hand on his arm. “Before you shut down, do you mind if I check my email?” he asked politely. “I want to see if Perry said anything about the pictures I uploaded earlier.”

“Go right ahead,” Ron consented, turning the laptop to face his friend. Ron reflected that it hadn’t taken much convincing to talk the young photographer into staying with them until the crisis was over. Of course, Jimmy’s apartment didn’t have the advantage of alternate power or covert grocery deliveries, beamed over from Superman’s Fortress.

Ron turned his attention to his family in the living room and called out, “Is anyone up for a game of Uno?”

Ron’s son, Sam, walked into the kitchen flanked by his sisters, Susie and Michelle. He looked up anxiously at his father, and quietly asked, “Dad? Is Superman going to fix everything now that he’s awake?”

“I’m sure he’ll do everything he can,” Ron assured him. “He’s even going to use Kryptonian technology to speed things up this time, though it might still take a little while.”

“He’s doing what?” Jimmy interjected incredulously. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen him use his technology before.”

“And it will probably never happen again,” Ron declared. “Superman’s still bound by Kryptonian law, which prohibits it under normal circumstances. I guess it’s kind of like their version of Star Trek’s ‘Prime Directive’. He’s not supposed to use their technology on a less advanced society.”

“But he’s using it this time,” Lucy added.

“Yes, because there’s an exception that allows its use to mitigate damage from an abuse of that technology,” Ron continued, directing his explanation mostly to his kids. “Oh, he’ll be doing the same heavy lifting and personal rescues that you’d expect, but while he’s doing that, his space ship will be flying overhead beaming down replacement parts for the fried electronics.” He turned to Jimmy and added, “There are also some big companies like Wayne Enterprises offering Superman unrestrictive free license agreements to accommodate that.”

“What’s he need a license for?” Sam asked in confusion.

“Because Superman always obeys the law, and our laws say that when someone invents something, nobody else is allowed to make that thing without permission,” Ron told him. “The licenses give Superman permission to replicate their products and beam them down to fix the broken stuff.”

“It sure didn’t take long for Superman to get that worked out,” Jimmy commented.

“I think some bigwigs at Wayne Enterprises have been trying to put something together ever since the dust settled after the EMP,” Ron explained. “Actually, it’s a clever business strategy. One, they get great free publicity for their philanthropy. Two, since Superman’s only replicating products he’s been licensed for, Wayne grows their market share without spending a dime, and three, given the nature of most of that hardware, I don’t imagine they’ll have much trouble selling support contracts to those new customers. Oh, there’s some overlap with the other companies that have signed up for the program, but it still looks to me like Wayne’s got a win-win scenario there.”

“So in other words, Superman should have everything back to normal in no time!” Jimmy concluded cheerfully.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” Ron corrected.

His nine-year-old daughter Susie looked up at him anxiously and asked, “How long’s it going to take?”

“A couple weeks. Maybe longer,” Ron guessed. “You see, it takes a lot of juice to beam things in and out, and Superman’s ship will run low on power after just a few hours. But it can make new fuel from the Sun’s energy, so when it gets low, it flies back out into space and does laps around the sun until it has enough power to start over. That means that he can’t fix everything at once. He’ll get the most important things first, and save the little things for later.”

“I hope he gets the roads first,” Jimmy commented. “It’s still a parking lot out there and murder to get across town, especially with the Roosevelt Tunnel flooded and the Hobbs Bridge collapse.”

“Emergency services come first: Police, Fire, Ambulance. Hospitals,” Ron informed him. “Once their equipment is all working again, then I think maybe the communications infrastructure is next.”

“No, the water’s more important,” Lucy said insistently. “We may have enough bottled water for drinking and cooking, but it doesn’t help with baths or showers.”

“I’m sure that water’s got to be up near the top of the list, but I don’t know the exact order,” Ron admitted. “Hopefully, we’ll get some of those details during the press conference later.”

“Hopefully, but we can worry about that later,” Lucy replied. She turned to her kids and asked them seriously, “You guys aren’t worried about this, are you? You know we’re all going to be just fine for as however long this lasts, right?”

“Uh-huh,” the kids echoed neutrally.

“Good,” Lucy said happily. “Now, I seem to recall that someone was challenging us to a game of Uno…”

[ Chapter 49 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 51 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 49 - Top Secrets

Wed, 06 May 2009 02:38:22 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author: mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 49 - 6,513; Total - 213,402
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 48 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 50 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 49 – Top Secrets

Friday, October 6, 2006 7:30AM EDT
Lieutenant General Sam Lane yawned widely as he reviewed the latest Pentagon status updates in his office. His role in their current effort had kept him at the Pentagon past one in the morning and he was back behind his desk by six. Fortunately, the army had cleared enough of the surrounding roads that his trip home only took an extra half hour at that time of night, sparing him from complete exhaustion.

His mind drifted from the reports, and he reflected that the nation had suffered an unparalleled attack, with a greater geographical impact that any single attack or natural disaster in the country’s history. Everyone at the Pentagon had accordingly pulled long hours dealing with the aftermath. Their primary mission was to protect the United States, and they needed to make sure that those hostile to America didn’t attempt to exploit the disaster.

Another of their priorities was to provide whatever assistance they could in the recovery effort, and they found themselves assisting the overwhelmed Department of Homeland Security. They were also providing logistical support to local authorities and manpower to the extent that the law allowed. Most of that burden fell to the United States Northern Command, which had deployed mobile hospitals, set up temporary housing and food distribution centers, and reequipped local police. Their role was certain to expand if Congress authorized an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act to allow them to assist with domestic law enforcement, as Congressional leaders had promised. The law as it currently stood prohibited all but the Coast Guard from assuming that duty.

The Pentagon was also coordinating with the numerous allies who’d pledged people and equipment to help the country through the disaster. Though he gave them credit for offering their assistance, Sam concluded that when it came down to it, they were looking after their own interests, which were primarily economic. The United States remained the world’s largest economy, and such a massive economic disruption was certain to have ripples throughout the rest of the world. The disaster had shut down Wall Street, a half dozen of America’s busiest seaports were at a standstill, and hundreds of cargo ships were either anchored offshore, waiting for instructions, or diverting to other ports outside the affected region.

Sam suddenly noticed his difficulty keeping the text before him in focus and pushed himself back from his desk. He drained his coffee cup, and marched into the outer room to get more coffee. He’d just finished refilling his cup when he heard his aide, Sergeant Wayne Dumas, greet an unexpected guest. “Good Morning, General Maples, sir,” the man said deferentially.

Sam looked over to find Lieutenant General Michael Maples just inside the outer door. “Good Morning, Sergeant. Morning, Sam,” Maples replied courteously.

“Morning, Mike,” Sam greeted him.

Mike Maples seemed to suddenly notice the paper sitting on table between the guest chairs and exclaimed in surprise, “You’ve got this morning’s Planet? I didn’t think they’d get a printed paper out today. Metropolis is practically shut down.”

Sam observed his colleague as he picked up the paper and scanned the headlines, where he’d certainly notice Lois Lane’s byline marked up with a yellow highlighter. It was a habit Sam had begun years ago, after his daughter got her first job as a reporter. The simple gesture spoke volumes for his pride in her work, and reminded him of simpler days, when a preteen Lois would proudly show her father what she’d accomplished.

When the other man looked up, Sam pointed out, “That’s the outstate edition. They print locally about twenty miles south of here in the same plant that puts out local copies of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today.”

“Is that so?”

“One of our neighbors is a manager there,” Sam explained. After a brief pause, he added, “Something on your mind?”

“A couple things,” Maples confirmed. “I won’t take much of your time.”

Sam nodded towards his office and said, “Come on in. Make yourself comfortable.” Sam walked backed into his office, and added over his shoulder, “Judging by that paper, it looks like my Lois is still a few steps ahead of your people.”

“She might have made a decent intelligence officer,” Maples suggested as he entered behind Sam and closed the door behind him.

“She’d have made a great intelligence officer,” Sam corrected adamantly. “Need I remind you that the best actionable intelligence we got yesterday came from Lois? She’s also the one who tracked the first EMP back to Luthor and it was her investigation that dug up the evidence that practically nailed that bastard’s hide to the wall before all hell broke loose. And she did all that without any of our resources.”

Mike Maples smiled at Sam’s response and amiably said, “I hear she also rescued Superman yesterday – dove right into the Atlantic after him. You have every right to be proud of her.” He sat down in the guest chair and added, “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about that debriefing we scheduled here with the SEAL squad commanders this morning. You got the meeting notice, didn’t you?”

“Oh eighty-thirty, room two bravo three one five.”

“Yeah. Well, the chopper will arrive early enough to give you a half hour or so for that private meeting you wanted with Daniels. Just don’t make him late for the debriefing.”

“I won’t. Thanks, Mike. I owe you one.”

Mike waved the morning paper in front of him and said, “Get that daughter of yours in here for a debriefing and I’ll call it even.”

Sam groaned and sarcastically replied, “You should have asked for the moon. It would have been easier to deliver…”

-o-o-o-

Richard groggily trudged down the stairs of Ben Hubbard’s house and towards the kitchen, still exhausted from a sleepless night but also tired of lying awake in bed. Martha had revealed the incredible tale behind the Earth’s guardian and his biological cousin/adopted daughter, but Richard was still left wondering about the history between Lois and Clark before he left to rescue Kara six years earlier. He’d replayed his interactions with Clark and Lois since the hero’s return from Krypton, now cast in a different light given his knowledge of his true identity.

Richard had also been overanalyzing his relationship with Lois, hunting for some scenario where he didn’t lose her to the hero and hoping that Ben had been right that he needn’t throw in the towel. Though he acknowledged that Clark seemed to be going out of his way to avoid interfering with their relationship, Richard concluded that that effort was as futile as his own. Lois’ heart had revealed itself through countless hints, and the inescapable conclusion was that her heart belonged to Clark.

Richard walked into the kitchen where he found Ben sitting at the table, reading the morning paper and sipping from a coffee mug. The old man looked up at him sympathetically and said amiably, “Morning, Richard. Looks like it’s a good thing we have a fresh pot of coffee.”

Richard sighed and asked, “Do I look that bad?” He pulled a mug out of the cupboard and walked over to the percolator to fill it up.

“Folks tend to get a bit more perceptive when they get older,” Ben replied softly. “I also know you’re juggling a lot of new information, and trying to figure out how it affects you.”

“I have a pretty good idea how this affects me,” Richard muttered. He sat down in the chair opposite Ben and then added, “I still can’t help but wonder about Lois’ history with Clark in light of these revelations, though. She talked about some of it last night, after we submitted our stories… Did they ever explain to you about Clark folding space-time?”

“Clark tried, but that super-science mumble jumble goes right over my head,” Ben admitted.

“I think I get the concept – that we repeated eight days six years ago, and only Clark remembers what happened the first time through,” Richard commented. “It certainly puts a different spin on things, like my assumptions on Jason’s paternity. Lois also shared a few anecdotes about Clark’s first days with the Planet, but it still barely scratches the surface. There was so much more that I wanted to ask about, but it just didn’t seem right to press the matter last night. Not when she was so distraught over Clark’s injuries. So I just sat there and let her talk, for as much or as little as she cared to.”

“That may have been more helpful to her than anything else you could have done,” Ben concluded. “I’m sure she appreciates that, just like I’m sure there will be time for deeper conversation later.”

The wall phone interrupted their conversation, and Ben rose from his seat to answer it. “Hello?” he said into the handset. “Of course, Martha. I’ll be right over… Oh, you don’t have to do that… All right then. We’ll tackle the repairs after breakfast. See you in a bit… Good bye.”

“Repairs?” Richard questioned.

“Kara had a bad nightmare last night,” Ben explained. “Clark usually keeps a close eye on her through the night, zooming his vision in on the house every few minutes from halfway across the globe. If he sees her starting to get agitated, he rushes home to calm her before it gets too bad. He obviously wasn’t able to do that last night, so we need to patch some holes in the wall. Martha’s decided to bribe me with a big breakfast before we get started. You’re invited, too.”

“You can count me in, for both the breakfast and the home repairs,” Richard informed him.

-o-o-o-

Sam Lane analyzed the personnel file on his computer, searching for a strategy that would give him the advantage when Navy Lieutenant Alex Daniels walked through his office door. Daniels was a promising young naval officer and Sam concluded that it was unlikely that he’d be able to browbeat the missing details out of him. What are they hiding? Sam wondered. Whatever it was, Lois had admitted that she’d implied to Daniels that it was a classified military secret. In other words, Daniels believed that Sam Lane already knew the secret. Lois isn’t the only one who can bluff, Sam thought confidently.

Sam reflected that he wouldn’t have even known that something was missing from the report but for his daughter’s anxious call. Lois had confided that the events she was concerned about had occurred around the time of her initial extraction from Luthor’s sinking yacht. Judging from Daniels’ report, both Lois and her rescuers would have met their end without Superman’s intervention, which the SEAL officer had described as ‘Kryptonian assistance’. His description of the event was concise and to the point, with no hint of omission or subterfuge: They’d been trapped in the pantry, but Superman had pulled the yacht out of the sea, freed them from the pantry and had transported them to White’s seaplane before returning Daniels to the Navy Osprey. Whatever this is has to be huge, if Lois is asking for my help, Sam concluded.

He was interrupted from his analysis by the sharp ring of his desk phone, and he jumped back with a start. He recognized his aide’s extension in the caller ID display, and picked up the phone. “Yes, Sergeant Dumas?”

“Lieutenant Daniels has arrived, sir.”

“I’ll be right out,” Sam replied. He locked his screen, and marched out into the other room.

“General Lane. Lieutenant Alex Daniels, sir,” Daniels greeted as he saluted.

Sam returned the salute, and said, “At ease, Lieutenant.” He offered the younger man his hand in a warm handshake and added mirthfully, “I understand my daughter gave you nearly as much grief yesterday as she usually gives me.”

“It was my honor, sir.”

“Let’s take this into my office,” Sam replied. The pair withdrew to the private office, closing the door behind them. As they settled into their seats, Sam got right to the point. “I had a rather unusual phone call from my daughter last night that I was hoping you could help explain.”

“Sir?” Daniels replied uncertainly.

“She asked me to help you if there were problems with your report, and make certain something that you witnessed yesterday stays contained,” Sam explained somberly. “Now my daughter knows better that to discuss certain… details… over an unsecured line. Unfortunately, that leaves me in the dark as to what really happened. And your report doesn’t really shed much light on that, which is why I asked to see you.”

“Sir, everything in my report is accurate,” Daniels replied defensively.

“Of course. But we both know that something’s missing, don’t we?” Sam countered. After a brief pause, he added, “Relax, Daniels, I’m on your side. But if I’m going to be of any help to you during the debriefing at the bottom of the hour, I need to know what really happened. I have my suspicions, naturally, but I’m really hoping it’s not what I think it is.”

“What do you think it is, sir?”

“If you don’t already know, I can’t tell you,” Sam replied simply. He picked up a folder from his desk and perused the pages inside and continued, “Now in your report, you mentioned that you’d been trapped in the ship’s pantry when it went under.”

“Yes, sir. I thought we were goners.”

“But Superman saved you,” Sam stated seriously.

“Not exactly, sir,” Daniels admitted.

“I thought you said your report was accurate?” Sam questioned sternly.

“It is, though it’s possible that one might draw a different conclusion that what actually occurred.”

“And what actually occurred?” Sam asked insistently.

“Well, sir, I said in my report that the yacht was pulled out of the sea with ‘Kryptonian assistance’,” Daniels reminded him. “However, the Kryptonian who assisted us was not Superman, and there wasn’t just one… The Kryptonians, plural, who rescued us, were your grandchildren: Kara and Jason.”

“Jason?” Sam echoed in surprise. Only years of training kept his poker face from completely failing him after the astonishing revelation. That would make Superman Jason’s biological father… That can’t be, can it?

“Your daughter seemed a bit surprised by that, too. Apparently the little guy just started flying recently. He also saved his mother before we even got to the boat – by throwing a full-size, concert grand piano at the thug who attacked her.”

Sam quickly recovered and somberly commanded, “Lieutenant, you are not to repeat what you learned about my family outside this room. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir. In fact, I’ve already given your daughter my word on that. Families are off-limits.”

“Damn right they are. Now, as for the yacht… you’re going to tell me everything that happened out there. And then you’re going to forget that it ever happened.”

-o-o-o-

Friday, October 6, 2006 10:05AM EDT
The shrill sound of a cell phone penetrated the darkness, and Lois reached a hand out from under the blankets, groping for it futilely but instead only grasping handfuls of air over the edge of the bed. The ringing stopped without Lois’ intervention, but instead of resuming her rest, she found the unexpected details of the past few minutes nagging at her consciousness. She reflected that although it was her habit to recharge her phone overnight on the night stand, it seemed to have rung from the other room. There also didn’t appear to be a nightstand. The mattress she was on was also far firmer than the soft foam one that she was accustomed to and it seemed to be round instead of rectangular.

Unable to ignore the puzzle any longer, Lois pulled back the covers and cautiously peeked out at her surroundings. Even in the dim light, she immediately recognized the majestic crystal of the Fortress and recalled the previous day’s ordeal. She had stubbornly refused to leave Clark’s virtual bedside and was nodding off at the table before Lara’s gentle encouragement finally convinced her to take advantage of the private quarters.

Lois threw the blankets off and sat up with her feet over the edge of the bed, yawning widely as she tried to blink away the last of her sleep. She stared unfocused at her lap for a moment before finally reaching for her boots, and marching decisively out of the room. Once down in the main chamber, her first priority was to check on Clark. The hologram still showed him sleeping, and his vital signs appeared little different that they were the night before.

She looked up at Jor-El’s floating head and asked, “How’s he doing?”

“His recovery is progressing as expected,” Jor-El answered simply.

“Care to elaborate on that?” Lois pressed irritably.

“My analysis indicates that his cells are regenerating at a rapidly increasing rate, as expected,” Jor-El clarified.

“And that means what, exactly?” Lois demanded. “How long is it going to take? When’s he going to wake up?”

Jor-El paused momentarily and then told her, “There is little to add to last night’s explanation. The cellular regeneration process has progressed from zero point seven percent complete to three percent, as expected, and it remains on track with initial estimates. There are now approximately fifty-four hours remaining before the regeneration process completes, and he is unlikely to awaken before then without substantial effort. He may also remain sleeping for a short time afterwards while his regenerated cells recharge under the sun lamps.”

“You could have told me that the first time,” Lois complained. She then fished her cell phone out of her purse and browsed the list of missed calls. She skimmed past a surprising mass of unfamiliar callers and paused over the most recent call. I wonder what Lucy wants, Lois thought and she dialed the voicemail number.

“You have… twenty-nine… unheard messages. First message…” the automated voice informed her.

Lois groaned, and canceled out of her voicemail, this time dialing her sister directly.

“Lois!” Lucy answered excitedly. “I take it you got my message.”

“Actually, no. I’ve got too many voicemails queued up ahead of you and don’t have the patience to go through them all right now,” Lois complained. “What’s up?”

“Hold on a minute,” Lucy said. Lois could hear the noise from the kids in the background diminish and a moment later, Lucy added, “Sorry about that. Ron’s out with Jimmy, so I’m here alone with the kids. Just needed a little privacy… Well, back to why I called. The power’s still out here and according to the CNN mobile page, it could be out for a while. Well, the milk’s already starting to sour and the few stores that were still open have been picked clean. So, we were wondering… Do you think you might be able to beam down some supplies for us?”

“Lucy, we don’t discuss those kind of things over the phone,” Lois replied anxiously. “We can’t risk being overheard.”

“Oh, sorry,” Lucy replied meekly.

“The communications link remains isolated to the encrypted Kryptonian carrier wave,” Jor-El interrupted. “You are unlikely to be overheard.”

“Except by you, so stop eavesdropping,” Lois snapped. She returned her attention to Lucy and said, “Well, it appears that since we’re both using Kryptonian phones, the call is isolated to an encrypted Kryptonian comm network, so no harm this time. Still, as a rule, we don’t discuss this stuff over the phone. I still need to explain the rules to you and Ron about that stuff. I knew I was forgetting something last night.”

“We’re really going to need to get the full story on all that tech stuff,” Lucy declared. “Maybe you can pop in later, like you did last night?”

“Maybe. Anyway, you said something about needing groceries?”

“Right. Well, for now, it’s just the milk, but that list is going to start getting longer without the refrigerator running, which brings us to our wish list…”

Lois sighed and said irritably, “All right, let’s have it. What have you got?”

“First on the list is an emergency generator.”

“Okay. What else?” Lois prodded.

“Well since both the work laptop and home PC are probably fried, we’ll need something for Ron to file his stories. Ron said he’d help cover for Clark while he’s, um, you know.”

“I might take him up on that. Anything else?”

“Add a fresh tank of propane for the grill – ours is getting pretty low. And the milk. Two percent. That’s really all we need right now,” Lucy informed her. After a beat, she asked, “Oh, do you think a generator could power the whole house, or will we need to run extension cords from one of those little ones? If it’s the whole house, some electric space heaters would be lovely – it got pretty chilly last night. And the gas is still out.”

“I think you usually need extension cords, but that would still work for the refrigerator and a couple space heaters,” Lois told her. “Okay. I’ll give you a call once I’ve got everything scrounged up.”

“Lois, wait. One more thing,” Lucy added urgently.

“What did you forget?”

“Um, Ron and I were talking last night after you appeared, and we got to thinking a little about Superman’s technology…”

“I assume you’re going somewhere with this,” Lois commented impatiently.

“Well, considering what little we’ve seen of its capabilities, it just seems that it could really speed up the repairs to the cities. And you clearly have access to it.”

“Hold on,” Lois replied, and she then lowered the phone and called out, “Jor-El, were you listening in on my sister’s question? Can we use this technology to help rebuild the devastated cities?”

“Kryptonian law strictly prohibits the use of our technology on less advanced societies,” Jor-El declared. “In fact, it is only though a family exemption that I have been able to comply with your requests thus far.”

“That didn’t stop Luthor from using that same Kryptonian tech to try to destroy half the planet,” Lois pointed out.

“That was also a violation of Kryptonian law.”

“So can’t you do anything to undo the damage from that abuse of Kryptonian technology?” Lois asked incredulously.

Jor-El paused a moment and then explained, “The law accommodates some exemptions under such circumstances but they are extremely narrow in scope, strictly limiting what can be done and also require the consent of indigenous authorities.”

“But there is a loophole.”

“There are exemptions allowed under similar circumstances to what has occurred,” Jor-El confirmed. “However, any action taken must fully comply with both local and Kryptonian law, and we cannot overburden our energy reserves while Kal-El requires that power for the sun lamps.”

Lois heard Lucy’s muted voice and brought the phone back up to her ear. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Looks like we might be able to do something, but there are strings attached. It’s going to take a little bit before we’re ready to do anything.”

“Well, it’s got to be better than the months or years that the so-called experts on CNN are saying,” Lucy concluded.

The conversation was interrupted by another ring on Lois’ cell phone. “Hold on, Luce, I’ve got another call coming in… Never mind. It’s just Dad again.”

“He probably just wanted to know that you’re okay,” Lucy speculated. “Mom called us this morning, you know.”

“He already knows we’re safe. This is something else. I can’t do that conversation over the phone, and he’d freak out if I transmitted a hologram, especially given what I have to tell him. I need to go there and talk to him in person.”

-o-o-o-

Saturday, October 7, 2006 9:15AM EDT
Sam Lane felt his anger growing as he drove to his ‘offsite meeting’ with his daughter. The anger surfaced whenever he thought about the previous day’s revelation, though his heavy workload at the Pentagon had helped him avoid the troubling subject and kept his anger at bay. However, now that he was on his way to meet Lois at the Sheraton National Hotel, as she had requested, his anger came back with a passion. The Earth’s Guardian apparently had a thing for human women, and had knocked up his eldest daughter six years earlier, along with God only knows how many other women. There had to be at least one other, if Lois was caring for the man’s seven-year-old daughter, and if there was one, there were certain to be more.

Even more aggravating was Lois’ steadfast defense of the man, though Sam hadn’t told her that he had figured out who Jason’s biological father really was. It wasn’t something that could be discussed over an unsecured line. A public hotel wasn’t much better, and they couldn’t risk anyone finding out about Jason. Sam was determine to cajole Lois into returning to the Pentagon with him for their private talk, using General Maples request to debrief her as an excuse. Sam knew his daughter well enough not to worry about her inadvertently revealing Jason’s paternity during the session.

Sam was forced to hit his brakes in the heavy traffic on West I-395, and it pulled him from his thoughts, causing him to reflect on the enormous reconstruction task ahead of them on the East coast. Though the army had cleared the major highways, the secondary and tertiary roads remained littered with cars, some of which were barely passable. The natural consequence of that situation was that the highways were swollen with traffic. Fortunately, the hotel Lois had chosen was less than a mile from the Pentagon, but the congestion still did little for his mood.

That deadbeat should be out here cleaning up this mess, Sam complained to himself. Instead, the Man of Steel lay unconscious in a Philadelphia hospital, with Sam’s repeated recommendations to send someone in to wake the bastard falling on deaf ears. They’d been too busy singing the man’s praises for nearly making the ultimate sacrifice to spare the nation from certain doom. None of them understood Sam’s newly found contempt for hero, and he hadn’t dared to explain his sudden change in attitude.

After spending an intolerable twenty minutes on the one mile journey, Sam finally pulled up in front of the hotel were Lois was waiting. He stopped the car, lowered the passenger window and barked, “Get in the car! We’ll do this back at the Pentagon.”

“Like hell we will!” she shouted back. She turned on her heel and shouted over her shoulder, “I told you, I’ve made arrangements, so park the car already. I’ll meet you by the parking garage stairs.”

“Lois!” Sam hollered.

“Are you coming or not?” she shouted over her shoulder while continuing to march into the hotel.

Sam swore as his daughter disappeared into the hotel, and abruptly gunned the engine and pulled around to the parking garage entrance. He pulled into the first available spot he found, which put him on the third level. Lois was again waiting for him when he trotted over to the stairwell.

Sam turned to his daughter and angrily told her in a loud whisper, “Damn it, Lois, would you please be reasonable for once. If this thing is too sensitive to talk about over the phone, we certainly shouldn’t be discussing it in a public hotel. It’ll be better back at the Pentagon.”

“Who said we were staying here?” Lois countered. “Besides, I don’t want some of your Pentagon pals getting wind of this. It’s better where we’re going. I’ll know that nobody will be listening in. However, before we go anywhere I need your word that nothing said here gets repeated, and by nothing, I mean nothing. It doesn’t get shared with your Pentagon pals, or anyone else, no matter what.”

“Lois, I already have a pretty good idea what you’re going to tell me.”

“I doubt that… Your word, Dad.”

Sam sighed in frustration and said, “All right, you have my word. I won’t repeat anything. Now can we get this show on the road?”

“Follow me,” Lois told him, and she then turned and began walking down the stairs.

“You know, I haven’t got all day for this,” Sam groused. “I only scheduled an hour, and already burned twenty minutes on a one mile trip.”

“I think we can still have you back on time, so stop worrying about it,” Lois said insistently. “Besides, doesn’t rank have its privileges?”

“Why do you always have to make a simple conversation so difficult?” Sam complained as he followed her down. “And how much of this urgent discussion would even be necessary if you’d been willing to tell me things before it became a crisis?”

“Dad, can this wait until passersby can’t hear you shouting? Just a few minutes of silence! That’s all I’m asking.”

“Oh, you’re asking for more than that,” Sam argued. “Much more.”

“Dad,” Lois said impatiently.

“All right, but you better come clean about everything once we get started,” Sam grumbled. He followed his daughter to the bottom of the stairwell, and was about to walk out the door back into the parking garage when Lois’ hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to her and discovered she had a softly glowing marble-sized crystal sphere in her free hand. “What that hell is that?”

“Just something to keep us off the surveillance cameras,” Lois explained.

“They’re probably not working anyway, after the EMP,” Sam commented impatiently.

“Better safe than sorry,” Lois declared. She placed her hand on the wall, and said commandingly, “Open Sesame.”

Sam’s eyes flew wide open in astonishment when the floor in front of them disappeared to reveal a crystal staircase. “What on God’s green earth?”

“I’ll explain at the bottom, when nobody can hear us,” Lois replied tersely. She started down the stairs and added, “Coming?”

Sam quickly caught up with his daughter, and as they reached the bottom, he looked up to see the concrete floor rematerialize above them. “Jesus,” he muttered.

Before another word could be spoken, Sam noticed a razor thin wall of blue light pass from one side of the passage to the other and he suddenly found himself enveloped in a cocoon of light, unable to move as a male voice declared, “Intruder Alert.”

“Override. Identify guest as Sam Lane, my father,” Lois commanded.

Sam was suddenly free of the cocoon, and stumbled as his mobility returned. He caught himself and demanded, “What the hell is this place? And what the hell was that?”

“It’s a Kryptonian transportation portal, which is protected by some rather aggressive biometric security,” Lois explained. She wiped her hand over some markings on the wall, and a hidden door opened into a small chamber with a bench along three sides. Lois walked into the chamber and added, “You can’t blame them for being anal about security after what happened. Anyway, you weren’t recognized. You are now, and with that portal entrance closed, nobody can hear us. We can talk freely now.”

Sam followed her into the chamber and complained, “You mean to tell me that goddamn alien installed one of these things right under our noses? There are some people in this town who wouldn’t be the least bit pleased to hear about that.”

Lois sat down as the chamber door closed and stated authoritatively, “Smallville.”

A disembodied voice announced, “We will reach the destination in seven minutes forty seconds.”

“Smallville?” Sam inquired.

“Smallville, Kansas. It’s where our safe house is,” Lois explained. “Oh, and the portal under the Sheraton is my doing. I needed a way to get here quickly despite all the airports in the region being closed. Superman doesn’t know about it yet. And nobody else in this town is going to find out about it because you gave your word not to reveal our secrets.”

“Oh, you mean secrets like Superman fathering your child?” Sam retorted. At Lois surprised expression he added, “Yeah, I know about that, and about my grandson saving your ass at sea when his deadbeat dad was too busy to be bothered with it.”

“Too busy? That’s not how it was at all,” Lois snapped angrily. “Have you even bothered to read the reports on what he was dealing with in Metropolis Thursday?”

“I read them all,” Sam answered brusquely. “I also read a report from a Navy SEAL commander who I spoke with privately yesterday. He had some very interesting things to say about the rescue from Luthor’s yacht.”

“He promised us he wouldn’t out the kids,” Lois complained.

“He didn’t,” Sam declared impatiently. “There’s not a word about them in his report, and nothing to suggest that anything’s missing. The report actually implies that Superman rescued you. And before you go blaming Daniels for anything, try to remember that it’s your own damn fault for lying to him, telling him that Jason was a classified military secret and that I’d nail his hide to the wall if he spilled the beans. He assumed I already knew.”

“Well, I had to do something to keep him quiet and keep the kids safe,” Lois replied angrily. “If people ever found out about them…”

“And exactly how many of ‘them’ are there?” Sam pressed. “Jason’s obviously not the only one, if the alien dumped his bastard daughter on you. And what if one of them isn’t as well behaved as Jason is? They could become public menaces, for Christ sakes!”

“Dad, it’s not like that at all!”

“And what makes you so sure?” Sam demanded. “I simply cannot understand how you can continue to defend this cad after he left you alone and pregnant like that, along with God only knows how many other victimized women.”

“And I can’t understand how you can so quickly condemn someone without having all the facts, especially when we’re talking about someone who has continuously put himself out there to protect the innocent,” Lois shouted angrily. “Damn it, Dad, will you please shut up for two minutes and let me explain the facts to you!”

“What’s to explain? The so-called hero is seducing innocent women,” Sam insisted.

“Like hell! I know for a fact that I’m the only one he’s ever been intimate with, and he was far more innocent than I was,” Lois countered fiercely.

Sam visibly recoiled at his daughter’s bald statement, and after a moment’s pause, he asked pointedly, “Then how does he have a daughter? I know that you didn’t give birth to her.”

“He adopted her, after bringing her back from that disabled Kryptonian ship,” Lois informed him. “Remember the story about why he left six years ago? He left to answer the distress call from his uncle’s ship. It was too late for his aunt and uncle, but they managed to keep their daughter alive in stasis. Superman’s adopted daughter is actually his biological cousin.”

“His cousin?”

“Yes, his cousin. A seven-year-old who survived a holocaust, but lost everyone she’s ever known. She’s literally been transplanted onto an alien word, and almost lost another father a couple days ago. She’s had a tough time of it, including some horrible nightmares that have had her practically knocking the walls down. And he couldn’t abandon her. Not in space, and not here on Earth. He did what he always does and tried to help her the only way he knew how – by adopting her. He also doesn’t make the distinction between ‘adopted’ and ‘biological’. As far as he’s concerned, Kara is his child on equal standing with Jason.”

After a momentary pause, Sam said grouchily, “He still knocked you up and left you alone and pregnant.”

“We didn’t know I was pregnant when he left. We didn’t even think it was possible,” Lois explained. “And even if we had known, he still would have had to go. Kara would have died otherwise.”

Sam stared at his daughter for a minute and then asked curiously, “Why are you so protective of him, when the public perception is that you’re not even on speaking terms?”

“And what would you have us do, Dad? Publicly acknowledge Jason’s paternity?” Lois countered. She paused for effect, and then explained, “We cannot leave a trail of breadcrumbs leading from Superman back to me or the kids, so no, there’s no public interaction between Lois Lane and Superman and there’s not going to be. Privately, we’ve been working together rather closely, which brings us to a rather confidential subject.”

“And the rest of this isn’t?”

“It all is, but this may be the biggest secret of all, which you can never tell anyone,” Lois explained.

“Lois, I already gave you my word. What more do you want?”

“It’s too important to take chances with. I wouldn’t even consider telling you this if Superman hadn’t insisted on it before… before he fell,” Lois continued. “But after the incident with Daniels, he thought that we needed to tell you the full truth.”

“What else is there to tell?” Sam wondered.

“Well, for starters, he’s been here on Earth quite a bit longer than anyone realizes.”

“How much longer?”

“He was barely three when he got here,” Lois informed him. “He grew up here, went to college here, got himself a day job, paid his taxes. He’s had a very normal, boring life outside of being Superman. Oh, and not that it’s any of your business, but he’s even offered to pay five years back child support for Jason. I refused to accept it. He can’t afford it, and he needs what little he has for Kara.”

“What does he do for a living?” Sam asked curiously.

“He’s a reporter,” Lois admitted nervously. “Um, actually… actually, he’s my partner at the Planet, Clark Kent.”

“Kent?” Sam echoed incredulously. “That clumsy milquetoast?”

“You’re sworn to secrecy, remember,” Lois said adamantly.

“I know, I know,” Sam complained. “You sure he’s really Kent?”

“Positive,” Lois assured him. “The clumsy and timid thing is an exaggeration to cement people’s first impression of him as some country rube. Even if they notice the resemblance to Superman, which almost nobody does, they’d never imagine that he really is Superman under that ugly suit.”

The conversation was interrupted by Jor-El’s voice as he announced, “We have arrived at the Smallville portal.”

The door opened a moment later, and Lois stepped through. “Come on. Let me introduce you to Superman’s family. And after that we’d like to get your opinion on a proposal of ours.”

“A proposal?”

“On how we might be able to use Kryptonian technology to reverse the damage Luthor caused,” Lois explained. “There are a few conditions we’ll have to work around, but I think we can pull it off…”

Sam looked at his watch, and muttered, “Let me see if can clear my calendar for the rest of the morning…”

“Here, you can use my phone,” Lois offered.

Sam nodded his acknowledgment as he accepted his daughter’s phone and called his Pentagon office.

[ Chapter 48 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 50 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 48 - Out of Action

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:25:36 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:  mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 48 - 6,103; Total - 206,889
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 47 ]     [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 48 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 48 – Out of Action

Thursday, October 5, 2006 7:45PM EDT
Lois leaned forward in her seat at the crystal table in Superman’s Fortress, pensively studying the myriad display screens floating in the air before her. Off to the right of the table was a life-size holographic projection which revealed Superman in his hospital room where he laid unconscious and also prominently displayed his vital signs in a floating window. Also around the table were a number of smaller screens presenting the cable news broadcasts from the handful of North American stations that were still on the air or showing maps of the EMP-affected area on the East coast. Another screen displayed the Planet’s web portal, and a small screen hovering directly over the table in front of her showed the text from one of the stories on the afternoon’s events that she had been dictating.

Once the narrative reached the point of Superman’s injuries, her gaze unconsciously shifted from the text document back to Clark and she reflected on her actions since the ordeal earlier. Once Clark’s brush with death in the trauma ward was behind them, she had taken a hot shower and changed into the warm dry clothes that Lara provided – a shimmering white, long-sleeve, high-collared jumpsuit similar to the one Lara had appeared in. Though initially annoyed with the choice, her disappointment quickly faded when she learned of the outfit’s environmental controls and felt its warmth radiate through her.

The thought of peaceful slumber in the Fortress’ comfortable guest quarters, as Lara had suggested, was inviting and Lois couldn’t deny her exhaustion. However, she also couldn’t bear the thought of suspending her vigil and instead chose to return to Clark’s holographic image in the main chamber. Her only concession to Jor-El and Lara’s demand that she rest was to sit at the table in front of the console platform rather than standing, once the hologram of Clark was relocated there.

Her vigil had been interrupted when Perry called on Richard’s satellite phone, insistently demanding the story on the EMP. He pointed out that she was clearly the only person who seemed to have all the facts of the matter, which would normally mean a Planet exclusive. Though they might not be able to actually print it this time, they could still license the story to other news outlets to make up for the lost print revenue. Perry had also insisted that since she was part of the story, someone else would need to write up those details – preferably Clark, but Richard would do if her partner wasn’t available.

Lois had reluctantly conceded his point and called Richard to join her at the Fortress. Returning to Smallville to write up the story simply wasn’t an option. She refused to leave Clark’s virtual bedside and didn’t need to worry about what the kids might overhear. After summoning Richard to join her at the Fortress, she went to work pulling up all the available information on the afternoon’s events.

Since they were still operating under the special rules for Luthor coverage, she needed collaborating evidence to support the allegations against Luthor. Fortunately, Jor-El had been able to reproduce video from his earlier scans of Luthor’s camcorder tapes and also produced composite images from the memories scanned from the minds of the criminals as they slumbered in stasis aboard the spaceborne protocontinent. After editing out the kids from the recording, she uploaded video of Luthor’s incriminating ‘interview’ aboard the Gertrude, along with video of the missile launch from the ship’s stern. She buried herself in the story and it quickly became a welcome distraction from her worry for Clark, though she did look over at his virtual bedside whenever one of the nurses showed up to check on him.

Her rumination was interrupted by Jor-El’s voice as he announced, “The transportation chamber will arrive at the portal in approximately one minute.”

“That didn’t take long,” Lois commented.

“The journey began approximately thirteen minutes ago,” Jor-El reminded her.

Lois rolled her eyes, rose from her seat, and headed towards the transportation portal in the front of the Fortress. She walked through the imposing twenty-foot tall doors out into the newly added entrance hall just as the hidden door in the side wall opened up, revealing Richard burdened with a pair of laptop bags over one shoulder and an old fashioned picnic basket in the opposite hand. “Hey,” Lois greeted him wearily.

Richard looked over at her and commented, “Nice threads.”

Lois looked down at her jumpsuit and grumbled, “Jor-El and Lara insisted I wear this because of my alleged hypothermia. I’ll change back into normal clothes later… but I’m keeping the boots.”

“That good, huh?” Richard replied casually. He gestured towards the picnic basket and added, “Martha insisted on packing up a dinner for you. There’s a thermos full of coffee, too.”

“Oh, thank God for Martha!” Lois exclaimed enthusiastically. “You’d think that in the most advanced place on the face of the Earth that they’d know what coffee is … Some advanced civilization, huh?”

“Guess they don’t have much need for it,” Richard offered. “I assume there’s some way to warm the food up?”

“There’s a kitchen in the East wing,” Lois answered casually. “Follow me.”

“What’s through those doors behind us?” Richard asked, indicating the massive doors at the other end of the corridor.

“The arctic,” Lois explained. “Jor-El says that the temperature’s around two below outside, down from today’s unseasonably warm five degrees Fahrenheit.”

“Oh,” Richard replied. “Maybe I should have brought a jacket.”

“You’ll be fine inside,” Lois assured him. “Just be grateful that there is an inside now. A couple of weeks ago, this was still mostly an open-air structure.”

“When did Clark find the time for home improvements?” Richard wondered.

“He really didn’t need to. The modifications were grown automatically.”

“Kind of like Luthor’s nightmare continent?” Richard inquired.

“Yeah, but without the nightmare… or the kryptonite, or the EMP,” Lois answered somberly. “Well, at least Clark was able to get rid of that monstrosity, though it damn near killed him to do it.”

“I know. Jor-El explained that to Ben and me before I came up. He said that Clark fell from orbit, but that he’s ‘recovering’. He didn’t go into very much detail beyond that.”

Lois sighed and then groused, “Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get anything useful out of that big floating head.”

“Big floating head?”

“You’ll see. Anyway, Jor-El said that Clark’s cells are showing early signs of regeneration, but it’s going very slowly. The process requires more energy that he’s getting now that the sun’s down. And the idiots in charge at the hospital put him in an interior room without any windows for ‘security reasons’. We’re going to have to do something about that.”

“What do you have in mind?” Richard asked.

“Let’s get inside and settled in before we get started on long explanations,” Lois suggested, and she turned back towards the door and waved her hand over a protrusion beside it.

“Authentication required,” Jor-El stated neutrally.

“Oh, come on! I just came through!” Lois complained.

“That is the new security protocol that you insisted on,” Jor-El reminded her.

Lois huffed, and then irritably replied, “Fine. Identify Lois Lane, pass phrase, ‘Reap the Wind’. And grant Richard guest access to the Fortress on my authority.”

A thin line of blue light swept across the entrance hall and the interior doors then opened as Jor-El declared, “Identity confirmed and guest authorization granted. You may proceed.”

-o-o-o-

Richard inspected the Fortress’ majestic architecture in amazement while following Lois inside. He remained astonished that he was an invited guest at Superman’s Fortress and briefly overlooked the fact that the hero was also the shy son of Kansas farmers and Lois’ true love. He recognized some architectural features from Luthor’s protocontinent and concluded that the Fortress was every bit as intimidating though far less ominous. The pristine blue-white also struck him as far more majestic that the dingy green-grey of Luthor’s nightmarish creation. It’s as much a Crystal Palace as it is a Fortress, he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by Lois’ voice as she asked, “Were the kids any trouble?”

“Oh, they’re fine,” Richard assured her. “Martha and Ben were going to run them both through some exercises after dinner.”

“Exercises?”

“Jason has to learn to control his strength,” Richard clarified. “Martha thinks we should keep him home from school tomorrow and give him the weekend to work on that.”

“He didn’t break anything, did he?” Lois asked worriedly.

“Martha said not to worry about it. The serving bowl he broke had seen its better day and Kara was able to bend the silverware back into shape. Sounds like Martha was prepared for it. She’s been using junk she picked up from rummage sales since Clark got back from Krypton with Kara, just in case. I guess Clark was rough on dishes and furniture when he was that age...”

Richard stopped and fell mute as they passed into the interior chamber and saw Jor-El’s floating head scrutinizing the hologram of Clark’s unconscious form. After a moment, Richard broke from his stupor and quietly commented, “Ah, so that’s the big floating head. And Clark’s here now?”

“Yes and no. Yes, that big floating head is Jor-El, and no, that’s not really Clark. It’s just a holographic image generated from the probes that are monitoring him,” Lois said somberly. “He’s still in that Philly hospital, though they really don’t know what to do for him beyond getting the kryptonite fragments out of his wounds. None of those idiots have figured out that he needs sunlight.”

“He gets his power from the sun,” Richard quoted. “How do we fix that?”

“Jor-El’s working on it,” Lois replied enigmatically. She resumed walking towards the holographic displays and added, “Come on. Let’s drop the laptops at that table and then head to the kitchen to heat up the food.”

Richard had just set the laptop bags on the table when Jor-El shifted his gaze to Lois and announced, “The starship is now in range.”

“Then energize already,” Lois commanded irritably.

“The term ‘energize’ is ambiguous,” Jor-El replied neutrally. “Please clarify your meaning.”

Lois huffed and said insistently, “Beam down the sun lamps.”

“That was my intention,” Jor-El informed her. Two bright balls of light then appeared on either side of Clark’s hospital bed. Razor thin vertical rays of blue light appeared in the middle of the light balls and spread horizontally along the length of the bed as narrow rectangular objects materialized between them. A moment later, the light faded away to reveal two floating objects resembling stretched florescent light fixtures. The fixtures lit up, bathing Clark in a bright white light.

“Wow,” Richard murmured breathlessly.

“Voilà! Sunlight,” Lois declared. “And next time they check on him, Jor-El will enlighten them on the proper treatment regimen.”

Richard wearily, “That’ll keep the tabloids buzzing for awhile if it gets out. ‘Superman’s Father Arrives at Son’s Bedside’.”

“We’ll contain it,” Lois insisted. “Just one more thing we’ll have to work on tonight… Bet you never thought the biggest story of the century would show up under your byline.”

Richard shook his head and added, “Not necessarily. I was thinking about something Ben said to me before I came up – about not leaving too many clues back to the family or having people wonder where Clark’s been through all this... I think it would be helpful if we used Clark’s byline on this.”

Lois nodded and sincerely said, “Thank you, Richard. You don’t have to do that, you know.”

“It’s not a big deal. I really don’t fight for bylines these days,” Richard told her. He checked the tags on the laptop bags, picked one of them up and displayed it to Lois as he said hopefully, “Martha thought we might be able to get my laptop fixed here.”

“Oh, right. Jor-El, Richard’s laptop was damaged in Luthor’s EMP. Can it be fixed?”

Jor-El turned towards Richard and a blue aura briefly enveloped the laptop case before Jor-El informed him. “The damage to the internal components is irreparable. However, that appears to be the same machine that you carried through the transportation portal this morning. If that is indeed the case, I can restore the machine to its state as it was when you passed through portal security this morning.”

“Yeah, it’s the same device. But how can you restore it?” Richard wondered.

“A full molecular scan is performed every time you pass through portal security and the logs from those scans are sufficient to reproduce the object,” Jor-El explained.

“Would have been nice if you had mentioned you could do that earlier,” Lois grumbled. “You could have ‘restored’ my purse and I’d have had my cell phone, instead of trying to work with that satellite phone which has almost no useful numbers programmed into it.”

“Which item are you referring to?” Jor-El inquired.

“It’s the white leather handbag I had with me when I took the kids to Metropolis this afternoon.”

“I have reproduced both items,” Jor-El informed her. “You’ll find them in the dispenser on the second level.”

“Same place I got the towels and the clothes from earlier?” Lois asked.

“That is correct.”

“Thanks,” Lois replied. She turned to Richard and said, “Tell you what, I’ll get our things if you’ll heat up the food. Jor-El or Lara can show you where the kitchen is and how to use it.”

“Deal.”

-o-o-o-

Thursday, October 5, 2006 9:25PM EDT
Perry looked out the window of the helicopter and noted the scant few lights in Gotham City beneath them, yet more evidence of the severity of the second EMP. The extent of the blackout surprised him, even though he had a pretty good idea what to expect. After all, it was serious enough for them to cannibalize parts from the Planet’s presses and fly them to Gotham to fix the Gazette’s EMP-damaged equipment. Perry had reluctantly conceded that it was the best option for both papers to get their print editions out in the morning, given the poor state the earthquake had left the Planet building in. They were planning a combined edition, under the dual banners of The Daily Planet and The Gotham Gazette, and focusing primarily on the EMP and its effects. Perry reflected that it would bear closer resemblance to a special edition than the morning paper, but at least they’d get a paper out, once Lois got the story in.

The profound lack of information they’d managed to gather before boarding the helicopter for Gotham had left Perry unsettled. With most communications and transit systems disabled by the event, it had been hard to determine the true extent of the damage. It was only through one of the assistant editor’s relatives at the Detroit News that they learned it had darkened half the Eastern Seaboard. That was enough information to whet his appetite for the ‘Big Story’, but not enough to really know what was going on and far from adequate to go to press with – it was little more than a teaser. Perry desperately hoped that Lois would be able to fill in the blanks when she finally filed her story.

Thoughts of Lois immediately reminded him of his startling discovery about her partner, Clark Kent. All these years, and a simple pair of glasses hid the Earth’s greatest secret, Perry thought. Who would ever have thought that Superman was actually a mild-mannered, award-winning Daily Planet reporter and father of two… And those two kids could provide another generation of Superman exclusives for the Planet in a couple decades. God, I hope I live to see that. Perry chuckled and pondered, I wonder how he’ll explain them…

The pilot’s voice cut into Perry’s ruminations as he announced, “Gentlemen, we’re coming up on the Gazette and should be on the ground in a couple minutes.”

Perry turned to the Planet’s senior press engineer, Tim Sullivan, and reminded him, “Looks like you and the Gazette crew will have about an hour and a half to get all of the fried electronics swapped before we need to start printing. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be able to start running the presses by eleven.”

“We’ll make that deadline somehow, but it’s not a lot of time when you consider how much we may have to swap out. We won’t really know what we’re dealing with until we get it all opened up,” Tim replied. He gestured towards the window and added, “Looks like we’re here.”

Once the helicopter’s skids touched the roof, two men rush over, rolling a cart in front of them. Perry opened the door and heard one of them shout, “Let’s get the parts first!”

Perry squeezed out of the way so that Tim could load his boxes up on the cart, and waited until Tim and the two Gazette press operators were trotting away before he retrieved his overnight bag from under the seat. Sam Foswell and George Taylor exited behind him, and the three men marched over to the access door where the Gazette’s editor in chief, Nancy Garrett, was waiting for him. She was a slender woman just over 5’6” tall who looked years younger than the sixty-one years that Perry knew her to be.

Nancy ushered them inside the door and amiably teased, “It’s about time you got here.”

“Oh, give me a break. The helicopter didn’t get to Metropolis until almost seven,” Perry protested.

“And the Planet’s EIC still can’t tell when a woman is joking,” Nancy replied. She pushed the elevator call button and added, “By the way, if Lane and Kent ever get tired of putting up with an old curmudgeon like you, I’ll take them in a heartbeat. Just wait until you see what they have in the story queue. And that video–”

“What video?” Perry pressed gruffly.

“Looks like Lois made it off the boat with some of Luthor’s home movies – very incriminating stuff,” Nancy explained. “We’ll more than make up for tomorrow’s lost print circulation by licensing that footage to the television news channels.”

“That material came from a Planet reporter which makes it Planet revenue,” Perry reminded her adamantly.

“It all goes into the same pot, but don’t worry – the income will go on your books,” Nancy assured him.

Perry’s reply was interrupted by the ding of the elevator bell, announcing the car’s arrival. A moment later, the doors opened, and the group walked into the elevator. “Did their story explain what’s going on with the blackout right now?” Perry pressed.

“And then some,” Nancy replied excitedly as she pushed the button for the editorial floor. “And it wasn’t just one story, either. They’ve submitted a half dozen of them and every last one of them had more detail on this national event that all the other news media combined. Of course, the big story is Luthor’s terrorist attack against North America.”

“What else did they say?” Sam asked curiously.

“Gentlemen, I’m not going to recite the stories from memory. They’re in the review queue. You can read them yourselves when you get time, but try to remember that we’ve barely got ninety minutes until deadline and still have a ton of work ahead of us.”

“Amen,” Perry stated seriously. “Will we have the same setup as last time?”

“It’d be a little different,” Nancy explained. “You’ll be sharing a guest office, instead of a conference room, so it’ll be a bit more cramped. We’re using the conference rooms for computer labs until we get the fried desktops replaced.”

“Sounds like you got burned pretty badly this time, too,” Perry commented.

“Yeah, but we got a lucky break,” Nancy replied. “Our IT department was in the middle of an equipment refresh – we lease our computer assets on a three-year cycle to keep with the latest technology, same as you do.”

“I think they did our lease refresh before Labor Day,” Perry noted.

“Well, ours was this week. They had just finished boxing up all the old stuff for the truck to pick up tomorrow, but when the EMP hit, they dug it all back out. That’s still only enough for about a third of our headcount, and it’s taking forever to image the old desktops.”

“Image the desktops?” George inquired.

“The terminology threw me too, when I asked about it,” Nancy admitted. “Our IT operations manager said that they zero out the hard drives before sending equipment back, so there was no operating system or applications or anything on them. They needed to reinstall all that from a master copy or ‘image’ and they call that process ‘imaging’. Anyway, IT gave priority to setting up the computer labs before working on the getting the rest of the available desktops ready for deployment.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the elevator bell announcing their floor and the group stepped out into the newsroom. Nancy led them to a small office next to the break room, which had four desktops spread across a wooden desk and a folding table. “Sorry for the accommodations but this was the best we could do under the circumstances.”

“Speaking of accommodations…” Perry began.

“The local hotels have rooms but no way to get into them – the EMP fried the card readers on the doors,” Nancy informed him apologetically. “You’ll be Lucius Fox’s house guests for the night.”

“I suppose that’s a small sacrifice to make, for us at least,” Perry joked. He turned to the others and his tone turned serious as he said, “Time to get to work, gentlemen.”

“Don’t forget we’re doing a combined edition,” Nancy reminded him. “Once you’ve got the Metropolis section done, join me in my office to finish things up.”

Perry nodded absently and sat in front of one of the PCs and logged in while Nancy retreated to her office. He quickly found the Lane and Kent stories and his eyes gravitated to the last of the six entries: “Superman Overcome by Kryptonite, Falls From Orbit” by Clark Kent. His eyes widened in amazement as he read of Superman’s fall and his evacuation to an “undisclosed medical facility”, where knowledgeable sources report that the Man of Steel “remained unconscious”.

Well, Kent obviously didn’t write this if Superman’s unconscious, Perry concluded. But it doesn’t read like Lois’ work either. It was only after reading through it a second time that Perry recognized a certain journalist’s overused expressions and bad habit of throwing an occasional extra ‘u’ into words like favorite , still following the British spelling six years after moving back from London. Son of a… This is Richard’s work. He’s covering for Kent, Perry realized. I wonder how long he’s known…

-o-o-o-
Ron Troupe lounged back in his recliner, nursing a beer as he halfheartedly attempted to entertain his friend, Jimmy Olsen. The energetic photographer had been kind enough to offer him a ride home on the back of his scooter, and had managed to steer around the immobilized vehicles in the road. It had still been slow going with all the pedestrian traffic and easily added two hours to his usual commute. Lucy had, of course, insisted that Jimmy stay the night rather than face that traffic again on his way home, especially given some of the bad neighborhoods he’d have to ride through.

Jimmy’s infectious excitement had also helped the kids forget their fears. Lucy had been frantic, too, but visibly relaxed when they’d finally made it to the house. Ron had been quick to remind everyone that they had fared the disaster rather well: Their friends and family were unharmed; Although the walls of their house had countless new cracks, the house was still standing and wasn’t about to fall down; Power and gas were out, but their refrigerator was full and they still had a working grill and camping stove, which meant a hot dinner and hot chocolate later; They had no heat, but the temperatures were mild enough that they’d make it through the night comfortably with sweats and extra blankets.

They’d turned the apparent hardship into an adventure for the kids, camping out inside with a fire in the hearth and a camping lantern providing additional illumination. Board games like Clue and Pictionary Junior kept the kids happily occupied, with the competition crowding out the fright from the events earlier that afternoon. Once the games were over, the visibly fatigued children were ushered up to bed by their mother, leaving the two men to talk shop.

The men’s conversation was subdued with long gaps of silence, due in part to Ron’s thoughts again returning to the startling revelation that had left him preoccupied most of the evening. Clark, my friend, when this is over, you and I are going to need to sit down for a long talk, Ron thought. Geez, I still can’t believe one of my best friends has turned out to actually be Superman…

“Some day, huh?” Jimmy commented casually, interrupting Ron’s musings.

“That’s an understatement,” Ron muttered. “I still can hardly believe everything that happened this afternoon.”

“Well, Superman’ll probably have it all straightened out in no time at all,” Jimmy assured him cheerfully. “I just hope I’ll be able to upload the rest of my pictures in the morning.”

“I still think it will be your picture on the front page,” Ron opined. “That memory card you gave Perry had the shot you took of Superman lifting the globe, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” Jimmy replied enthusiastically. “Perry’s got to be happy with that one. If that’s not ‘iconic’, I don’t know what is.”

“I think Perry was delighted with it, even if he didn’t say it.”

Ron heard a creak from one of the stairs and looked over as Lucy walked down, burdened with a bundle of bedding and carrying a lit flashlight in one hand. She met her husband’s gaze and said, “I thought Jimmy might want a pillow and blankets.”

“Thanks, Lucy, but you didn’t need to bother,” Jimmy told her politely. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’d sacked out on your couch with just the afghan.”

“This is a little different – it could get chilly in here overnight with the heat out,” Lucy pointed out. She set the bundle on the end of the couch and added, “There’s an old pair of Ron’s sweats for you to sleep in, too.”

“I don’t usually bother with that stuff,” Jimmy began.

“Just make sure that my kids don’t come down in the morning and find you passed out in your underwear,” Ron interjected mirthfully, provoking giggles from Lucy. “They’d need therapy after that…”

Jimmy blushed brightly at the comment and protested, “I’m not going to pass out.”

Lucy swallowed down her laughter and told the men, “Well, I don’t know how late you two are planning on staying up, but I’m about to turn in.”

“I think I’m ready to call it a night, too,” Ron decided. He turned to Jimmy and said, “I can take that beer bottle if you’re done with it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll clean up,” Jimmy said insistently. “It’s the least I can do after all your hospitality.” He reached for Ron’s nearly empty bottle as he stood up, and the other man surrendered it before grabbing the camping lantern and following his wife up the stairs.

Once in their bedroom, Ron began emptying his pockets while Lucy closely scrutinized him. Finally, she broke the silence, gently asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Whatever it is that’s had you distracted all evening,” Lucy clarified. “Something’s bothering you.”

“I’m not sure ‘bothering’ is the right word,” Ron mused. “The afternoon was full of unexpected surprises, though.”

“No kidding. Which one were you obsessing over?”

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but then suddenly snapped it shut. He sighed, and finally said, “If I told you, you either wouldn’t believe it, or if you did, you wouldn’t get a wink of sleep. Maybe it would be best to save this conversation for another time.”

“So my choices are being kept up all night because whatever’s on your mind is so shocking, or being kept up all night by your tossing and turning because you’re overanalyzing it,” Lucy concluded. “Was it really that bad?”

“Not ‘bad’, per se,” Ron explained quietly. “Just unexpected and some pieces of the puzzle don’t quite fit. I really haven’t had a chance to talk it through with any of the precious few people who have all the facts.”

“What do you know about whatever this is?” Lucy asked patiently.

“I’d really rather not get into it.”

“Didn’t we just establish that this is probably going to keep us both up anyway?” Lucy pressed. “Come on, Ron. Spit it out. We’ve never kept secrets from each other before. Why should this be any different?”

“Because it’s the probably the world’s most important secret with very serious consequences if it ever got out,” Ron replied enigmatically.

“There’s no way you’re keeping it from me now, after a teaser like that,” Lucy replied with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. Now spill.”

Ron turned to his wife and recognized the Lane determination in her eyes. He sighed, and after a moment of contemplation, he admitted in a whisper, “I just found out something… about Clark and his kids that I never would have imagined.”

Lucy snorted, and insisted, “Well, it can’t be that bad. This is Clark we’re talking about.”

“And Kara, and Jason,” Ron clarified. “Their… heritage… is very different than I expected.”

“Different? You mean interracial? Ron, our kids are interracial.”

“No, this is different. The Kents are… Kryptonian,” Ron finally confessed in a quiet voice.

“Kryptonian? You mean like Superman?” Lucy asked incredulously.

“Actually, Clark is Superman,” Ron corrected.

Lucy giggled and replied, “Clark? Superman? That’s simply not possible.”

“Keep your voice down!” Ron chastised her in a loud whisper. After a moment he added, “I didn’t think that was possible either, at least not until I saw Kara and Jason fly. And Perry confirmed it.”

“The kids flew?”

“After Superman caught the globe, Jason was a little upset that he hadn’t rescued Lois yet,” Ron explained. “The kids took off into the crowd, and I ran after them. I followed them into the alley behind Restaurant Row just in time to see those two munchkins rocket up into the air and disappear into the clouds so fast that they left a sonic boom behind them. Our good friend, Clark Kent, is Superman. And his kids… Oh, sweet Jesus…”

Lucy sat heavily on their bed. “But Jason’s been so fragile,” she protested. “There’s no way he’s got superpowers.”

“I don’t know if he has all of Clark abilities or how much Kara was helping him, but they were definitely flying,” Ron clarified. “Lucy, this can’t leave this room. Nobody can ever know their secret.”

“You’ve got that right,” an angry disembodied voice interjected. Ron and Lucy looked in the direction of the voice and saw a dull glow at the foot of their bed grow bright and coalesce into a translucent vision of Lois Lane. “You don’t breathe a word about Clark or the kids. Understand? Nobody can know about this.”

“Lois?” Lucy muttered hysterically. “What - what happened to you?”

“Calm down, Luce, this is just a hologram,” Lois assured her. “What, did you think I was a ghost or something?”

“Um, I–” Lucy sputtered.

“I’m broadcasting from Superman’s Fortress. With half the Eastern Seaboard knocked out, I thought I’d check and make sure you guys were okay. Good thing I did.”

“Lois, we weren’t planning on going public with this,” Ron replied apprehensively. “But you know I can’t keep secrets from your sister.”

“This isn’t our secret to tell,” Lois said adamantly. “And if Superman’s enemies ever found out, it’d put all of us in danger.”

“Lois, we’re not going to tell anyone else about this,” Ron assured her. “Not even the kids.”

“So Clark really is Superman?” Lucy murmured. “And Jason’s flying?”

“Surprised me, too. We didn’t think that Jason would go ‘super’ until puberty,” Lois admitted. She turned to Ron and asked, “Did anyone else see those two fly off?”

Ron shook his head and said, “I don’t think so. They were hidden in an alley. I barely spotted them myself before they disappeared into the clouds, and I didn’t notice a reaction from any of the pedestrians on Concord. No way anyone would have stayed silent if they’d seen that.”

“And you said that Perry knows, too?” Lois asked anxiously. “God, this is so out of control.”

“Perry said that he’s always known, that he was never fooled by the glasses,” Ron informed her. “He was also adamant that he didn’t want you or Clark to know that he knew. He said it was easier that way. I’m not sure what he meant by that.”

“What an odd thing to say,” Lucy muttered.

“He probably realizes that Clark would freak out if he found out that Perry knew,” Lois declared. “Beneath that spandex, he’s still just a shy farm-boy from a small town in Kansas.”

“Speaking of which… How can he be both from Kansas and from Krypton?” Ron inquired curiously.

Lois sighed and said, “It’s a long story, but the short version is that he was just a baby when Krypton exploded. His escape ship crashed in a Kansas cornfield, where the Kents found him and adopted him. Clark had a fairly normal childhood and didn’t find out about his heritage until he was eighteen.”

“But what about–” Lucy began.

“Luce, please, I’m really not up for the Q and A session right now,” Lois interrupted. “The rest of the explanations will have to wait.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lois told her. She was silent for a moment, and then asked, “So, how are you guys holding up?”

“Well, this is a lot to wrap our heads around,” Lucy replied.

“No, I meant with the earthquake and blackout,” Lois explained.

“Power and gas are out, which means no heat, landlines and cell phones are out and the water looks and smells a little funky. And the roads are parking lots,” Ron informed her. “But we have plenty of bottled water in the garage, the grill and camping stove work fine, and the fridge is full, though stuff will start spoiling if we don’t get power back soon. We’re okay for now… Think you can give us a rundown on what happened?”

“Geez, I really don’t have the energy to go through that again,” Lois complained. “Let me check and see if we can beam down a hardcopy of the stories we submitted earlier.”

“Beam down? You mean like Star Trek? ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ kind of beam down?” Lucy asked in amazement.

“That’s the general idea,” Lois confirmed. “It doesn’t work for people, but things are fine… Okay, the star ship is already in position for us to relay a transporter beam. Hold on…”

A bright ball of light suddenly appeared over the top of the dresser with a razor-thin line of blue light appearing vertically in the middle. The blue light split and spread horizontally as a stack of papers and a pair of cell phones materialized. The lights faded a moment later.

“Okay, those are the Planet stories, which should explain everything,” Lois told them. “I also replaced your cell phones. We couldn’t recover your contact lists, but I copied the important numbers for work and family from my phone… Oh, you should know that you’re roaming right now, too.”

“But this is our home area,” Ron pointed out.

“The Metropolis grid is down, so we have to handle the calls through a Kryptonian comm network and route it back to cellular in San Jose.”

“Oh.”

“Now, if there’s nothing else, I need to get some sleep,” Lois said wearily. “It’s been an exhausting day.” Her apparition then faded and disappeared.

Ron reached over and pulled the stack of papers out from under the cell phones, his eyes shooting wide in surprise at some of the story titles. “Good God,” he muttered.

“That bad?” Lucy asked tentatively.

“See for yourself,” Ron replied and he handed over roughly half of the pages to his wife. The two then eagerly read through the amazing stories that Lois had left for them.

[ Chapter 47 ]     [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 49 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 47 - Impact

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:22:19 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 47 - 5,206; Total - 200,786
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 46 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 48 ]

Author’s Notes:
The final act begins. Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 47 – Impact

Thursday, October 5, 2006 5:15PM EDT
Lois clutched the Navy blanket tightly around herself to fight off the chill as she walked down the stairs from the roof of the Daily Planet. She’d been shivering ever since the first dip in the Atlantic earlier that afternoon and redressing in her drenched clothing hadn’t helped matters. Kara had offered to dry her off with heat vision, but Lois had politely declined. She remembered Clark explaining that heat vision had been one of the harder powers to control, and she wasn’t about to become Kara’s guinea pig. Not when the little darling only had a few weeks of practice.

The group continued their descent down the steps, entertained by Jason and Kara’s amused description of the globe’s fall from its perch. The ‘waterfall’ the kids had described could only have meant that the globe had crushed the rooftop water tanks when it rolled off. No water tanks means no running water, Lois concluded. Well, looks like the bathroom breaks will have to wait a little while longer.

The children’s chatter dissipated into background noise as Lois’ thoughts turned to Clark, who was still miles above them, launching a massive, radioactive protocontinent into space. She also knew him well enough to read between the lines of what he had said on the seaplane. He wasn’t sure he’d survive. Even Jor-El seemed to hint that their success wasn’t certain. You had better come back alive, Lois thought desperately. I can’t lose you again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Richard’s voice when they reached the landing at the thirtieth floor where their offices were. “Lois, I need to stop here and grab my things,” Richard said softly.

Lois nodded absently and ushered the kids through the door in front of her, her eyes widening in surprise at the mess they found. The wind was blowing briskly across the bullpen, sending the papers from the reporters’ desks all over the place. There were also piles of broken glass where there had previously been doors and walls and windows. “Geez…” Lois muttered breathlessly.

“The earthquake broke all the glass,” Kara said quietly.

“Stay close to me,” Lois commanded. “I don’t want you two getting too close to the edge.”

“We’re not gonna fall,” Jason told her confidently.

“Well, I don’t want anyone to see you not falling. Stay here with me,” Lois countered sternly. She led the children over to her desk, and quickly inventoried her desk top contents. A stack of printouts that had been growing on her desk had blown into the aisle along with a Kleenex box and a small notepad. She scrambled to collect her wind-thrown belongings, with help from the kids.

Richard walked over to them just as she piled the last of the recovered papers into one of her desk drawers. “I think I’ve got everything I need,” he informed her. “The laptop was fried in the EMP, so there not much point in lugging it along with us.”

“You should bring it anyway,” Lois suggested. “Clark might be able to fix it when he gets home.”

A wounded look momentarily crossed Richard before he schooled his expression, nodded his assent and returned to his office to pack up the laptop.

Lois felt a stab of guilt over Richard’s obvious pain and her thoughts turned to the impact of the afternoon’s revelation. Richard had maintained a somber countenance since leaving the plane on the roof, with his brow slightly wrinkled and his lips turned slightly down. She guessed he had been trying to wrap his head around the secret double life of his rival and what it meant for their relationship. Things clearly could never go back to the way they were before Clark returned and their façade of happiness had already begun to crumble. They would have to finally confront the problems that they’d ignored for years, and Lois loathed the pain that would cause him. He really is a good man, and he deserves so much better than this, she thought.

“All set,” Richard hollered across the room.

A minute later, the group had resumed their slow descent to the bottom of the stairwell and Lois reflected that time seemed to slow down with each step they took. The afternoon’s ordeal had left her cold and tired, and she felt that they had certainly walked down enough steps by now to already be at the bottom. To make matters worse, the others seemed to be oblivious to the temporal distortion. Richard was easily keeping pace with her, and the kids were practically bouncing with energy. Geez, looks like that sunlight high is even worse than a sugar high, Lois lamented. How in the world are we going to manage that?

After a small eternity, they finally reached bottom of the stairwell, but just as they were about to open the portal, a shrill ring came from Richard’s satellite phone. He pulled the phone out of the inner pocket of his suit coat and politely answered, “Richard White… Hold on.” He held the mouthpiece against his shoulder and informed Lois, “It’s your dad.”

“Oh, sh–oot. I forgot all about him,” Lois admitted wearily.

“Should I tell him you’ll call him back?”

“No, I’ll take it,” Lois told him unenthusiastically. Richard handed her the phone and she answered calmly, “Dad?”

“You hung up on me earlier,” Sam reminded her.

“I did? Oh, sorry about that. Kara was a little upset, and I needed to help her,” Lois explained.

“Kara?”

“Yes, Kara. You know, Jason’s sister?” Lois replied irritably.

“Since when does he have a sister?” Sam asked incredulously.

“Oh, crap. I forget we hadn’t told you about her,” Lois muttered. “Hold on a minute.”

Lois looked over at Richard apologetically and said, “I don’t think I want them hearing this.”

Richard nodded and said, “I’ll take them ahead to Smallville. Try not to be too long.” He then opened the portal, and guided the children down the stairs. “All right, guys. Let’s go,” he said authoritatively.

Lois waited for the floor to rematerialize before returning her attention to the phone. “Okay, I’m back,” she said.

“What the hell is this about Jason having a sister? Has White been running around on you?”

“What? Dad, no, nothing like that!” Lois replied angrily. “Richard’s not…” She sighed and added quietly, “Jason’s not biologically his.”

“What?” Sam bellowed. “Then who is the father?”

“I don’t want to get into that over the phone, but he’s a good man,” Lois explained. “He had some important matters to take care of years ago and had moved away from Metropolis before Jason was born. Before I even knew I was pregnant. Well, he’s back now, along with his seven year old daughter.”

“So how’s this deadbeat suddenly got you babysitting his daughter?”

“He’s not a deadbeat – he never knew!” Lois shouted angrily. “He wasn’t exactly reachable while he was away, so I never got the chance to tell him until he moved back to Metropolis a couple weeks ago. He’d just assumed custody of Kara, after the poor kid’s mother passed way. She’s emotionally traumatized, he’s overwhelmed, and we’ve been helping.”

“White must be thrilled with that,” Sam muttered.

“Not really. Dad, do we really have to get into this now? It’s been a rough afternoon.”

“So I’ve gathered.”

“Dad…” Lois began impatiently.

Sam sighed and said, “Lois, I’ve been authorized to let you know that Luthor’s monstrous creation is in outer space now, and it looks like that lunatic was trapped on top when Superman launched it. It’s finally over.”

“Not completely. Luthor and his thugs were preserved in stasis before the air ran out.”

“What! How?”

“Apparently, they have the right to due process under Kryptonian law and they couldn’t be left to die without a tribunal,” Lois explained. “Superman was ‘obliged’ to keep them alive, so we’re going to have to continue the fight in court once he brings them back to Earth.”

“Well, Superman won’t be doing that anytime soon,” Sam said somberly. “After throwing that monstrosity out into space, he fell back to Earth. We tracked him all the way down and we’ve sent a rescue team to the impact site.”

“No,” Lois moaned miserably. “Tell me he’s going to be okay. He’s got to be okay.”

“Lois, that’s all we know about it right now, and all I’m authorized to tell you,” Sam said simply.

“I… I’ve gotta go,” Lois said emotionally and she ended the call. She then quickly opened the portal, rushed down the stairs, and shouted, “Jor-El!”

“Is there a problem, Lois? You appear agitated,” the disembodied voice answered.

“I just heard that Kal-El was hurt. That he fell from orbit.”

“That is correct. He lost consciousness shortly after successfully propelling the abomination beyond Earth’s gravity well, and fell back to Earth.”

“He can’t be… he’s not… he wasn’t supposed to die…” Lois sputtered tearfully.

“Live signs are weak, but he is alive,” Jor-El informed her. “I am closely monitoring the situation.”

“You… are?”

“The orbiting probes we deployed to track the EMP also permit detailed scans of Kal-El. I am also able to listen in on the rescue workers at the scene through the microphone in his belt buckle.”

“I need to know what’s going on,” Lois declared. She opened the transportation chamber, and charged into it, demanding, “Bring me to the Fortress.”

-o-o-o-

Doctor Julio Gonzalez stood with his trauma team just inside the doors adjacent to the helipad at Philadelphia’s Hahnemann University Hospital, waiting for a National Guard helicopter to bring in an injured VIP the nearly fifty miles from Metropolis. That city’s hospitals had been overwhelmed from the events earlier in the afternoon and couldn’t accommodate him. Philadelphia had also been affected by the EMP and earthquake, but they’d been able to manually switch over their standby generator and had enough equipment between their portable units and those delivered by the Army Reserve to keep up with the trauma center’s spike in demand. It really came as no surprise that they’d medevac a Metropolis victim to Hahnemann.

The big surprise was the victim’s identity, which he had been asked to keep quiet. Not even the heavily armed National Guard security squad that had just recently been deployed by a Blackhawk helicopter seemed to realize just who it was they were sent to protect. However, their assignment clearly spoke to his stature, and they took the mission seriously, stoically standing guard at the door and searching the sky for the helicopter. Gonzalez only hoped he’d be able to help the fallen hero.

Finally, he heard the thrum of helicopter rotors and he peered out the glass doors for its source. Within moments, the Army National Guard medevac chopper came in for a landing and he burst out the doors with his team to meet them, with the soldiers in step behind them.

Once the aircraft touched down, the side door slid open and six of Metropolis’ Finest jumped out along with the paramedics. The honor guard of police officers gently lifted out a basket stretcher and brought it over to the gurney, afterwards purposefully positioning themselves between the hero and the soldiers. “He’s one of ours!” a brawny police officer pointedly shouted over the rotor noise.

“Understood, sir!” an anxious young staff sergeant conceded. “Consider us your backup.”

Gonzalez ignored the interaction between the protective forces and focused his attention on the hero. Though he’d been warned what to expect, he was still taken aback by the sight of the heroic victim with his famous costume peeking out from under the blanket. Gonzalez only gawked a moment before recovering and asking the paramedics, “What’s his condition?”

“Breathing became shallow in transit, heart rate’s less than thirty. Can’t get a reading on blood pressure,” one of the paramedics answered.

“Let’s get him inside, quickly,” Gonzalez ordered.

A few minutes later, they transferred him to the trauma ward and went to work. “Let’s get this off him,” Gonzalez instructed his team, gesturing to the skin tight uniform.

Nurse Betty Hudson grabbed a pair of scissors from the instrument tray and attempted to cut the shirt off at his collar. However, her efforts were in vain and after a moment of effort, she declared, “No good. I can’t cut through this.”

“We’ll just have to take it off in one piece,” Lily Thompson suggested, and the older nurse quickly managed to remove his shirt and pull off the cape. She then immediately went to work attaching EKG electrodes while Betty loosened his belt to free the remaining clothing and discovered the deep stab wounds in the process. “Doctor?” she said anxiously.

“Two penetrating stab wounds, no hemorrhage,” Gonzalez muttered. He focused the overhead halogen light on the wounds and grabbed a lacrimal probe from the instrument tray to inspect them. For the most part, the tissue within yielded just as it would have with a human patient. In the second wound, he encountered something rigid that seemed out of place. He traded the probe for a pair of hemostatic forceps and searched the wound for the foreign object. After maneuvering in the wound for a moment, he extracted a half-inch long fragment of a glowing green crystalline material.

“Is that what I think it is?” Betty asked.

“If it is, we need to get it away from him and shielded under lead,” Gonzalez declared. He dropped the object into a pan and added, “Betty, get that out of here. And remember that the police will probably want it for evidence, so let’s make sure it doesn’t disappear.”

“Got it.”

Just as Betty left the room with the deadly material, Lily shouted, “Code Blue! Flatline!”

“Get him started on epinephrine. One milligram, IV push!” Gonzalez ordered.

The nurse attempted to comply, but almost immediately reported, “Can’t. Needle won’t penetrate. It just bends.”

“Okay, let’s try something else. Shock at two hundred.”

“Will that work on him, considering?” Lily asked worriedly. “He’s not… human.”

Gonzalez nodded and after a moment of thought, he added, “All right. Charge to three sixty.”

“Ready.”

Gonzalez placed the paddles on Superman’s chest and declared, “Clear!”

The paddles crackled with electricity, the lights flickered, and the defibrillator sparked and smoked. Yet, there was no discernible reaction from Superman.

“Still flatline, and the defibrillator’s fried,” Lily reported.

“Then we switch to CPR,” Gonzalez decided. The nurse immediately moved a respiration mask into place over his face while Gonzalez attempted to begin chest compressions. However, the hero’s chest didn’t yield to the force. “Damn it, his chest won’t compress! How the hell do you administer emergency medicine to someone who’s still invulnerable when he’s practically dead?”

-o-o-o-

From the moment she stepped through the security doors at the Fortress, Lois had stood numbly in front of the giant floating display screens, watching the medical teams fussing over Clark. Though she’d been grateful for the audio feed that Jor-El had piped in during the trip to the Fortress, the three-dimensional reproduction of the probe’s data that was now before her seemed so real that she almost felt she was in the room with him. Hang in there, Clark, she thought desperately.

“Code Blue! Flatline!” one of the nurses shouted.

“No!” Lois wailed. “Don’t you dare die on me, Clark!” Her legs went limp beneath her, and she dropped to her knees and sat on her heels. “Don’t you dare die on me,” she repeated weakly. The scene blurred through her tears, and her sobs grew stronger as the trauma team desperately tried to save him.

“Damn it, his chest won’t compress! How the hell do you administer emergency medicine to someone who’s still invulnerable when he’s practically dead?” the doctor complained.

“What do we do?” the nurse asked him.

“There’s nothing we can do,” the doctor declared sadly. “Let’s call it. Time of death… five fifty-three.”

“No!” Lois hollered. “You can’t give up yet! He’s not dead!”

“Lois,” Jor-El prodded gently. The holographic floating head looked over at her with a concerned expression.

“I can still feel him, like he’s in the next room… he can’t be dead,” Lois protested frantically.

Beep.

“Doctor?” the nurse inquired.

“We did all we could, Lily,” the doctor said compassionately.

“Doctor, we’ve got a pulse. He’s not gone yet.”

Beep.

“His life signs are stabilizing,” Jor-El informed her.

“Told you,” Lois muttered irritably. She wiped her eyes and returned her attention to the scene on the floating screens, oblivious to the blue aura that had formed around her or the thin blue line of light that passed from head to foot.

Beep.

“Pulse is slow, but steady,” the nurse called Lily declared. “Only about forty beats a minute.”

“I wonder what’s normal for him,” the doctor commented. “All right, let’s get those wounds dressed, and then get him down to x-ray. I want to make sure there aren’t any more kryptonite fragments floating around inside those wounds.”

Beep.

“Extraordinary,” Jor-El commented.

“Huh?”

“I did not anticipate that your mate bond with Kal-El would be so completely formed,” Jor-El explained.

“Mate bond? You mean that psychic thing?” Lois wondered. She finally wiped away her tears, still watching the screen as the medical workers roll Kal-El out of the trauma room.

“Precisely. Your mate bond is remarkably strong.”

“I don’t understand,” Lois complained.

“A moment ago, you indicated that you knew Kal-El was alive because you could feel him,” Jor-El reminded her. “A diagnostic scan confirms that you have a high energy state in the normally dormant area of the human brain required for the mate bond.”

“You scanned me?” Lois questioned irritably.

“It was necessary to confirm whether or not the bond was present,” Jor-El stated neutrally. “The existence of the bond means that your distress could distress Kal-El, even in his unconscious state and separated by this distance. To help him now, you must first help yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Lois insisted.

“You are emotionally drained and slightly hypothermic,” Jor-El corrected. “You need to tend to your health and rest your body and mind.”

“But Kal-El’s still hurt,” Lois protested.

“He is no longer in immediate danger,” Jor-El pointed out. “I will alert you if there is a change in his condition.”

Lois opened her mouth to object, but snapped it shut as she realized just how exhausted she really was. “I don’t suppose you have a hot shower somewhere around here? Or towels and some dry clothes I could borrow?”

“The items you have requested are available,” Jor-El stated simply.

Lois reply was interrupted by the bright blue lights that danced through the Fortress and coalesced into a female figure of human proportions. She was dressed in a shimmering white jumpsuit and had long auburn hair the exact same shade as Jason’s. “Greetings, Lois. I am Lara, Kal-El’s mother,” the woman announced. “Please follow me, and I’ll show you where to find the items you requested.” She turned and walked casually towards a staircase to the left of the console, and after a moment’s hesitation, Lois rose to her feet and followed her.

-o-o-o-
Richard let the hot torrent of water massage him and chase away the chills while he stood under the shower in Ben Hubbard’s house and reflected on the afternoon’s incredible ordeal and the astonishing secret it had unveiled. Clark Kent, clumsy farm boy from Kansas and Jason’s biological father, was also Superman, the amazing visitor from the planet Krypton. Though Lois had offered some clues to explain the seeming contradiction between the two biographies, there we’re still some large pieces of the puzzle missing, and he’d have to wait a little longer for the explanations. Lois had refused further comment on it after leaving the plane, insisting that it was too risky to discuss the ‘family secret’ in the city.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t entirely disappointed by the delay. He was grateful for the additional time to try to make sense of the amazing revelation. His thoughts turned to his Lois and Jason, and he tried to see his relationship with them through the prism of the truth. The truth was that Lois was in love with Clark. That fact was driven home by what he witnessed from Lois and the hero that afternoon, made clear as much from her actions as from the parting words he’d overheard between the two.

It was her determination not to let Luthor bait Superman into a trap when they were themselves trapped. It was the way she boldly dove off a speeding airplane into a cold Atlantic ocean to save him. It was the tender expression she offered him before he flew off to dispose of Luthor’s horror – a loving look that he had never seen directed at him. It was how, as Perry put it, she’d been a shadow of herself while Clark was gone, and came back to life once he returned. It was also the worry he saw etched in her expression during their descent down the stairs at the Planet – worry for Clark Kent, the man she loved. He concluded that Lois’ heart had probably always belonged to the hero, and that undeniable truth left Richard wondering if he had been the interloper, rather than Clark.

Another undeniable truth was that Jason was the son of Superman and possessed the same superpowers – powers that he had not yet mastered and which Clark was clearly best suited to help him with. Richard was also forced to acknowledge that Jason was quickly bonding with his long lost father and had even called him ‘Daddy’ on the plane earlier. Will I come in second to Clark with Jason too? Richard wondered. After all, what kid wouldn’t want Superman for his daddy?

He pondered the situation for a few minutes, and then decided, Well, there’s not much point in standing here feeling sorry for myself. He then abruptly shut off the water, grabbed the towel from the hook outside the shower, and toweled himself off.

A short time later, he pulled Martha’s truck into the drive at the Kent farm. When he walked into the house, he found the kids helping Ben and Martha set the table for dinner. Richard was curious just how much the kids had told the old couple while he was in the shower. Of course, there hadn’t been time for much discussion when they finally returned from Metropolis. Martha took one look at her untidy visitors, and quickly shepherded Kara up the stairs to change into dry clothes and urged Richard to go over to Ben’s place to do the same. Richard had been eager to do so and had gladly accepted her car keys.

“Hi, Daddy,” Jason greeted him, interrupting his thoughts.

“Hey there, Kiddo,” Richard replied with false cheer. Maybe I won’t lose him completely.

Martha peeked in from the kitchen and warmly greeted him. “Well, you’re certainly looking much better now, Richard.”

“A hot shower does wonders,” Richard commented wearily. “So, have the munchkins filled you in?”

“I think we got the gist of it. My goodness, what a horrible ordeal you’ve all been through,” Martha replied. After a beat, she apprehensively added, “It sounds like you’ve probably figured out a few things about our family, too.”

Richard sighed and said, “Yeah, you’ve got a super family here. And don’t worry about the family secret - it stays a secret.” He paused a moment and added, “This is going to take some getting used to… And here I thought that nothing could ever top last week’s bombshell...”

Ben chuckled and said cheerfully, “It threw me for a loop too, when I found out. But it really didn’t take very long to realize that what they can do doesn’t change who they are. Clark’s the same person now as he always was and the kids aren’t really all that different from any other kids their age.”

Except for the flying part, Richard thought. Aloud, he numbly replied “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

“Thank you for protecting our family, Richard,” Martha told him sincerely. “And don’t forget, you’re part of this family, too.”

“I never considered not protecting them and thanks,” Richard declared. After a beat, he asked, “Where’s Lois?”

“She hasn’t come back yet,” Martha informed him. “Jason said she had a call from her father and wanted to speak to him privately just before you came through the portal earlier.”

“She still should have been here by now,” Richard commented anxiously. “I really hope she isn’t trying to chase down another story lead.”

“You might want to check with Jor-El, see if he knows where she is,” Martha suggested. “You can talk to him downstairs.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks for the suggestion.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ben decided. “I need to stretch my legs a bit.”

“I want to come, too!” Jason declared.

“Me, too,” Kara echoed.

“I think it’d be better if you two stayed here and helped your grandma,” Ben suggested gently. “We won’t be long.”

After the children reluctantly returned to setting the table, Ben and Richard walked out the front door. Once the two men got inside the barn, Ben gently asked, “Is everything all right, Richard? You’ve been looking like you just lost your best friend?”

“Maybe I have,” Richard replied quietly. “I think I finally realized what I’m up against.” He opened the trap door in the barn floor and held it open for Ben.

Ben stopped at the top of the stairs, and turned to face Richard, insistently telling him, “Richard, nobody here is going to try to come between you and Lois, least of all Clark. He’s been especially adamant on that point, and that hasn’t changed just because you know about his super self. Once you look past those extraordinary abilities and the exotic heritage, he’s really no different than any other man.”

“But he’s still the man that Lois is in love with,” Richard stated sadly.

“Son, you’ve had a couple huge bombshells dropped into your lap in the past week or so,” Ben reminded him. “It’s barely a week since you learned about Jason’s paternity. You need to give it some time before jumping to conclusions like that.” The old man turned and headed down the stairs, the cellar light coming on automatically as he descended.

Richard followed Ben down the stairs, and quietly asked, “Five and half years isn’t enough?”

“How’s that?” Ben asked.

“That’s how long Lois and I have been engaged,” Richard explained. “I could never get Lois to even begin to think about planning a wedding because she really never wanted to marry me. If I hadn’t guilt-tripped her into it, she never would have accepted my ring. She’d have gladly gone it alone and waited for Clark to get back. And now he’s back, and I’m in the way.”

Ben walked over to the opposite wall, and placed his hand on the cinder block as he said, “Open Sesame.” The wall dematerialized to reveal the second staircase, and Ben started down the steps, while gently telling Richard, “Son, I don’t know the facts here well enough to speculate on your relationship. But you still need to give yourself some time to think things through before throwing in the towel. And once you’ve thought it through, talk to her about your concerns. Who knows, maybe you can still work your way through it.”

“Easier said than done, and it may be too little too late,” Richard muttered unhappily.

“Well, you certainly won’t get far with that attitude,” Ben commented.

Richard sighed and said, “All right, I’ll mull it over for a couple days before I broach the subject.”

“That’s better,” Ben replied cheerfully. He reached the bottom of the staircase, and a thin blue wall of light swept across the room. Once the light faded, Ben inquired, “Are you there, Jor-El?”

“Yes, I am here, Mister Hubbard,” a disembodied voice answered. “How may I be of assistance?”

“We were expecting Lois to follow us through the portal to Smallville, but she never arrived,” Richard informed him. “We’re getting a little worried and were hoping you might have an idea where she went.”

“She is here at the Fortress, Mister White,” Jor-El answered simply.

“The Fortress?” Richard muttered in surprise. “What’s she doing there?”

“We’ve been monitoring Kal-El’s condition since he fell from orbit.”

“He fell?” Ben echoed worriedly. “What happened?”

“Shortly after propelling that abominable protocontinent beyond Earth’s gravity well, he lost consciousness due to the severe exposure to the umbiexium three-ten radiation emanating from the monstrosity,” Jor-El explained.

“What’s umbiexium?” Richard wondered.

“I believe the common name for the material is kryptonite.”

“Oh, my,” Ben muttered worriedly. “Is he all right?”

“Rescue workers transferred him to Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, where they extracted a fifty gram fragment of the umbiexium three ten from a wound in his back,” Jor-El informed him. “His life signs have since stabilized, but he remains unconscious.”

“But he’ll be all right, won’t he?” Ben pressed.

“His recovery is progressing as expected,” Jor-El answered enigmatically.

“Lois is probably still worried sick about him,” Richard concluded. “Jor-El, can you patch us through to Lois?”

“Lois Lane is currently unavailable,” Jor-El replied neutrally.

“Unavailable?” Richard questioned incredulously.

“Richard, around these parts, that can mean that the lady’s powdering her nose, and a gentleman knows better than to interrupt,” Ben said gently. “The important thing is that she’s okay, and though Clark might not be out of the woods yet, he survived the encounter with that monstrosity.” Ben turned his attention back to Jor-El and added, “Thank you, Jor-El. Please let us know if there is any change in his condition. Use email or IM. I don’t want the kids overhearing this and getting upset.”

“As you wish.”

“How can you be sure that they’re not listening in on us now?” Richard asked. “I know Kara’s got superhearing, and Jason’s hearing could be just as sharp for all we know.”

“When the outer door is sealed, as it is now, it forms a unidirectional acoustic barrier,” Jor-El informed them. “The children cannot hear us.”

Richard’s brow wrinkled in confusion and he commented, “That seems… odd. Why an acoustic barrier? And why unidirectional?”

“Because Clark and Martha need to be able to talk privately about things without disturbing Kara, but he still needs to be able to hear her if she starts having another nightmare or a panic attack,” Ben explained. “Once he decided to install a portal in here, the barrier was an obvious design feature.” He paused for a moment, and then added, “Come on, Richard. Let’s get back upstairs and make sure those kids stay happily distracted until we have some better news on Clark.”

Richard nodded his acquiescence and said, “I’ll do my best.” The two men then left the chamber, and climbed the stairs back up to the barn cellar. You better pull through, Kent, Richard thought. From what I’ve seen and heard this afternoon, the world desperately needs Superman, despite certain editorials to the contrary. And so do Lois and the kids.

[ Chapter 46 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 48 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 46 - Battle of Wits

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:23:42 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 46 - 5,680; Total - 195,580
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 45 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 47 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 46 – Battle of Wits

Thursday, October 5, 2006 4:55PM EDT
General George Matthews tried to sort through the information he was bombarded with and felt a headache coming on. It seemed that for every step forward they took two steps back. They found Sam’s daughter, but lost the yacht. They found Luthor’s helicopter, but the slippery felon gave the local forces the slip, though they never really lost him on satellite. Now they found what appeared to be the Kryptonian control center, but had no way of controlling it – the local commander was reporting that the interface was verbal and was talking to them in an alien language that was probably known to only one man on the planet. Unfortunately, that man had fallen into the sea after getting poisoned by kryptonite and beaten half to death. It was not a good afternoon.

Matthews looked up at the clock and confirmed that they had only fifty-five minutes remaining before Luthor’s horror crashed into the East Coast, and just under half an hour before the president’s imposed deadline for exercising the nuclear option. As catastrophic as that would be to the coastal cities, it would be better than losing the whole continent – if it worked. Matthews prayed it wouldn’t come to that, but couldn’t imagine how they would avoid it with so little time left.

“General Matthews!” a voice called out. He looked over towards the voice and found a very excited Hannah Daggett flagging him down.

“Yes, Petty Officer?” Matthews replied impatiently.

“Sir, the SEAL commanders at ground zero are reporting that they have urgent new information from Superman, and are insisting on speaking with you directly,” Daggett informed him.

Matthews motioned to Colonel Johnson for him to join him, and then jogged over the Hannah’s station. The two men plugged headsets into spare jacks on the comm set.

“Lieutenants Daniels and Marufo are on the line now,” Hannah informed them.

Matthews activated his headset and spoke into the mouthpiece, “This is General Matthews. Report.”

“Lieutenant Alex Daniels, sir. General, Superman is requesting that we clear the airspace over the land mass. He’s planning on throwing it into space,” Daniels informed him.

“You’re not serious,” Matthews said incredulously. “I thought Luthor took him down.”

“He did, sir, but Superman recovered rather quickly after we pulled the kryptonite blade out of his back,” Daniels told him. “He said there’s no way to stop this thing from expanding once it’s started. The only solution is to send the entire thing into space. He needs to spend a few minutes in the sun before he does that, but that still only gives us about twenty minutes max to get everything clear before it gets trapped on top.”

“What about the missing crystals and the command center we found?” Matthews prodded.

“Superman reports that he’s recovered the crystals. With all due respect, sir, we need to get the evacuation order out while there’s still time,” Daniels said insistently. “The helos in particular could have trouble making the deadline if we don’t get them moving now. I can wait.”

Matthews covered his mouthpiece and turned to Johnson. “What do you think, Mike?”

“I recommend that we issue the order, sir,” Johnson replied adamantly. “At the very least, we should recall our subsonic assets. The way things are going, we’ll probably end up nuking that thing in another half hour anyway.”

“Don’t remind me. All right, recall everything subsonic. But blow that command center before pulling the men out – I don’t want to leave anything useful there if Luthor somehow finds his way back.”

“Yes, sir,” Johnson replied. “And what shall we do with Luthor?”

“Don’t worry about him, just get the evac order out,” Matthews replied urgently. Johnson nodded, and rushed over to the adjacent station.

Matthews took his hand away from his mouthpiece and said, “Daniels, roger that. Matthews out.” He then unplugged his headset, and joined Johnson at the other workstation.

“Bring all the Blackhawks in now! We’ll get the rangers out on the Osprey once they’ve set the charges,” Johnson was telling a young soldier.

“Yes, sir,” the soldier told him.

Johnson turned his attention back to Mathews and said, “Sir, the order is out… General, may I have a word?”

“Follow me,” Matthews replied. He led the way to an empty situation room at the periphery of the command center, and turned to face Johnson after entering the room.

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Johnson asked tentatively.

“Go ahead, Johnson.”

“Given that the Kryptonian command center is a bust and Luthor no longer has the crystals, we should take the bastard out.” Johnson looked through the room’s window at the overhead display showing the infrared image of Luthor’s helicopter and added, “It’ll be an easy kill.”

Matthews sighed and said, “There is nothing I’d like better, but you know the rules of engagement as well as I do and that’s still an unarmed civilian aircraft carrying American citizens.”

“They’re unlawful combatants, sir,” Johnson said adamantly. “I’d also point out that this is the same man who nuked Southern California a decade ago.”

“And he still found a loophole to get out of jail through,” Matthews added in disgust. He softened his tone and added, “I’d gladly take one for the team and give the kill order, if I thought it was necessary and if I knew the witch hunt would end with me. But you know as well as I do that we’ve got some bozos in Congress that would absolutely love an excuse to rake us over the coals.”

“Surely they understand the threat Luthor represents,” Johnson objected.

“Most of them probably do – maybe they all do. But some of them never understood the need for us. Others aren’t about to let inconvenient things like facts stop them from playing politics and using some arbitrary incident as an hammer to try to force our supporters in Congress to capitulate on their arguments. They’d probably even try to raid our budget and divert it to their pet projects. And the biggest problem I have with all that is that it would prematurely end the promising careers of some of the brightest men and women in this organization... Besides, we don’t need to shoot Luthor down. All we have to do is let him go back to his rat hole and keep him there, and this little problem will go away on its own.”

-o-o-o-

“Metropolis Tower, this is seaplane November seven two four one Hotel. Do you copy?” Richard said urgently into the microphone. After a momentary pause, he repeated the call, “Metropolis Tower, this is seaplane November seven two four one Hotel. Please respond… Damn it! They’re still not answering.”

“The EMP probably knocked out their comm systems,” Lois commented numbly.

“I hate flying in there without air traffic control, but it probably won’t be as bad over the river,” Richard replied worriedly. “We should be back at the house in another ten or fifteen minutes and we’ll finally be able to change into something dry.”

“We can’t go back to the house!” Lois said insistently. “Luthor could still have men out there, waiting to ambush us. We were targets even before he found out about the kids.”

“Well, I’m open to ideas, but it’ll have to be somewhere close,” Richard replied sternly. “I never got the chance to refuel after the Chicago trip.”

Lois’ brow furrowed while she worked out the math in her head: Chicago was a little over seven hundred miles away, and the plane had a range of just over nine hundred fifty miles, leaving two hundred fifty miles to work with to get to Luthor’s horrors and back, which was almost a hundred miles out to sea. “So that gives us what? Maybe fifty miles before we’re out of gas?” she wondered.

Richard checked his instruments and said pensively, “Sounds about right. Maybe a little more if you factor in the reduced load while Clark and Kara were giving us a push. But anything in range would still have been caught in the EMP, and I really don’t like flying in blind. I still think that the river’s our best bet.”

Lois frowned and after a moment’s thought, she looked over her shoulder at the kids and said, “Not necessarily. If you can get us to the Planet, I think I know a way for us to land on the roof.”

Richard followed her gaze back to Kara and muttered incredulously, “Oh, you’ve got to kidding. How do you expect to pull that off without anyone seeing her?”

“She’ll lift from inside,” Lois declared.

Richard made the course correction and quietly mumbled, “I don’t believe I’m doing this.”

It was quiet in the plane for few minutes before Richard broke the silence and cautiously asked, “So… Jason’s got superpowers now? When did that happen? He was so fragile for the longest time…”

“I noticed it for the first time when he threw that piano earlier today,” Lois admitted. “His powers weren’t supposed to come in until puberty. Looks like Jor-El was wrong about that.”

“Jor-El?”

“Superman’s father,” Lois explained. “He examined Jason last Friday.”

“But Martha said that Clark’s dad passed away when he was a teenager,” Richard pointed out.

“Wrong father,” Lois explained. “Jonathan and Martha adopted Clark when he was three, shortly after his escape ship crashed in their corn field. Jor-El is his birth father.”

“If Jor-El’s here, how come we’ve never seen him? Why isn’t he out there helping?” Richard asked irritably.

“Our Jor-El is a holographic A.I. facsimile of the man who died when Clark was a baby,” Lois explained. “Superman’s parents weren’t allowed to make the trip with him because of the political situation there, so they did the next best thing – they downloaded their memories and personalities into the crystals they sent to Earth with him. Clark can still interact with them but they’re not really alive.”

“Oh,” Richard said quietly. After a momentary pause, he added, “So I guess that means he can’t help us.”

Lois nodded absently, but after a moment, her eyes grew large and she exclaimed, “Maybe he can! Quick, give me your phone!”

“What? Oh, here,” Richard replied uncertainly, handing her the satellite phone.

“No, the other one – you know, the Kryptonian communicator,” Lois said irritably. She reached over, and pulled the cell phone from Richard’s belt, and punched in the four digits of Jason’s birthday, which was the code Clark had set up to provide her with access to Jor-El – Clark assumed that even she’d be able to remember that number. A moment later, a short tone signaled acceptance of the code, but it still required voiceprint identification to complete the connection. She calmly said into the mouthpiece, “Lois Lane.”

Lois pulled the phone away from her ear and set it to speakerphone mode, and the image of a white-haired man immediately appeared on the phone’s small display screen. “How may I help you, Lois?” Jor-El asked her.

“Luthor finally planted the crystal seed and it’s unleashed something horrible,” Lois informed him.

“Yes, I know. I have been monitoring the situation ever since detecting the electromagnetic pulse. I was able to trace it back to his sea vessel, and the computer systems there revealed the astonishing depths of his depravity.”

“No surprise there,” Lois commented. “But we still have a problem to solve.”

“Unfortunately, the growth reaction cannot be stopped once it has started. The only solution is to remove that… abomination… from your world.”

“That’s what Kal-El said and he’s getting ready to do that,” Lois informed him. “The problem is that Luthor’s already hurt him, and may have something else up his sleeve that could sabotage Kal-El’s plan. And we can’t let that madman get away – he knows about the kids. None of us are safe while he’s loose.”

“It seems likely that the criminal is aboard the small aircraft heading back to his recreation of the Council Chamber at the center of the abomination,” Jor-El informed her. “The same craft left the Council Plaza after Kal-El was injured there and picked up two passengers near the original location of the sea vessel. It now appears to be on its way back. Assuming they hold their course, they shall arrive in approximately three minutes.”

“Is that the same place where all those solders were?” Richard asked.

“That is correct, Mister White,” Jor-El answered. “The soldiers have now departed and remotely detonated the explosives they had placed around the control console.”

“They blew it up?” Lois asked incredulously.

“The damage was limited to the console. I was able to erect force fields to protect everything else.”

“Why bother?” Lois asked curiously.

“I require the control systems in order to maintain a structural integrity field throughout the crystal lattice and enforce cohesion while Kal-El lifts that abomination into space,” Jor-El explained. “Otherwise, the structure would break apart from the stresses.”

“Does that mean you now control the ‘abomination’?” Lois asked pensively.

“Yes, to the extent that it can be controlled,” Jor-El answered. “I cannot halt the expansion of the mass, but I control the automated systems and can make adjustments to its configuration.”

“Then that means you can broadcast into that command center,” Lois stated enigmatically. “We can talk to Luthor.”

“You want to talk to Luthor?” Richard asked in disbelief.

“Oh, hell no – not me,” Lois replied distastefully. “I have something much better in mind – something guaranteed to keep him out of Clark’s hair until it’s too late.”

-o-o-o-

Luthor was in a sour mood when they finally landed back at the plateau. He climbed out of the helicopter and stalked up the stairs to his ‘palace’, with the others in step behind him. However, he stopped abruptly at the entrance to the chamber when the sooty smell hit his nostrils. He scanned the smoky interior and his eyes locked onto the charred and scattered remains of the control console. “No,” he said hoarsely as he hurried over to the carnage. He sifted through the shards, looking for the crystal that he had unintentionally left behind in his haste to return to the yacht.

The others walked into the chamber behind him and Grant muttered, “Jesus, what happened here?”

“The soldiers who were here detonated explosives around the console,” a disembodied voice answered.

Luthor looked up and witnessed the greenish glow in the center of the column opposite the console as it coalesced into the familiar face of Jor-El. Luthor smiled evilly and thought, Well, things are finally going my way. That data must have already been in the system – it just wasn’t active yet. It probably wasn’t supposed to come online until after the continent was completed, but came up early when the army triggered the defense systems.

Luthor spread his arms in a welcoming gesture towards Jor-El and said dramatically, “Father, our enemies are upon us. They’ve stolen the crystals and seek to impose their will on us. We must destroy them!”

“You are no child of mine, Lex Luthor,” Jor-El replied sternly.

“Impossible,” Luthor mumbled in surprise.

“Did you really think that we would fail to anticipate this abomination, after discovering the burglary at the Fortress and your deformed prototype in the city?” Jor-El asked condescendingly. “We expected this and we were well prepared for it.”

“Your preparation didn’t help Kal-El much,” Luthor replied angrily. “He’s dead now, you know. So are his bastards.”

“The facts of the matter do not support your claim,” Jor-El stated calmly. “Not only did Kal-El survive your brutal attack, but you’ve defeated yourself by your obsessive hatred and your lust for wealth and power. Perhaps we overestimated you. But then again, one would not expect that someone so boastful of their own intelligence would engage in a battle of wits unarmed.”

“How dare you!” Luthor raged. “I’m the most brilliant criminal mind this world has ever known.”

“Lex,” Kitty whined fearfully.

“Shut up!” Luthor snapped.

“I’m afraid your declaration is inconsistent with the available evidence,” Jor-El told him. “I must say, it was quite foolish of you to disable the safety protocols in the seed crystal…”

“Foolish?” Luthor echoed angrily.

“…It enabled us to quickly assume control of this place, once we were alerted by the electromagnetic pulse,” Jor-El continued, ignoring the interruption. “Though it is hardly surprising, given your consistent pattern of failure.”

“Lex Luthor never fails!” Luthor screamed. “I am betrayed by the fools around me!”

“Apparently, you never assume responsibility for your mistakes, either,” Jor-El commented. “I have now had the opportunity to examine both the programming from the seed crystal as well as the computer systems aboard your sea vessel, and I must say I found no shortage of errors in your design. In fact, it is quite short-sighted.”

“Short-sighted!” Luthor fumed. “It was brilliant! If not for the idiots around me incapable of following simple instructions–”

“The most egregious errors were the flawed assumptions the design was based on, which demonstrate both an ignorance of…”

“Ignorance! You dare!” Luthor interrupted indignantly.

“…the most fundamental basics of Kryptonian construction and a profound lack of understanding of human nature,” Jor-El continued, again ignoring Luthor’s interruption. “Did you really believe that anyone would pay you for the privilege of living on this poison?”

“Poison to your kind, not mine!” Luthor yelled defiantly.

“Again, you are mistaken,” Jor-El told him dispassionately. “While the radiation may not be as immediately debilitating to humans as it is to Kryptonians, it is just as deadly in the end. Under constant exposure to the radiation, the first cancerous tumors would appear in a matter of weeks, and it’s unlikely that any human could survive here for even a single year.”

“You never told us this place was radioactive,” Grant hissed.

“Shut up! He’s bluffing,” Luthor yelled.

“And what possible motivation would I have for that?” Jor-El asked. “I do not need to trick you into leaving. You will do that of you own accord once you get hungry enough. You see, the same radiation that causes cancer in humans inhibits the growth of vegetation. No crops will grow here.”

“We don’t need crops, we have replicators,” Luthor pointed out.

“Replicators require power, and the contaminants that you introduced into the matrix interfere with the collection of solar energy,” Jor-El explained patiently. “The collectors are barely generating enough power for me to sustain this image.”

“But the fusion reactors–” Lex began.

“The reactors require fuel, and there was less than two kilograms of that fuel at the Fortress when you stole it from us,” Jor-El explained. “Much of that original mass was consumed initiating the growth reaction. That only leaves enough to sustain this facility under full load for approximately ninety minutes. Even with the most stringent energy conservation protocols, you would exhaust the fuel in just a few weeks, leaving you without food or fresh water.”

“Boss?” Stanford ventured cautiously.

“Quiet!” Luthor snapped.

“Your assumptions on human nature also demonstrate a gross misunderstanding of the subject,” Jor-El added.

“I misunderstand humans? You’re not even from this planet and you’ve been dead for, what, almost four thousand years?” Luthor shouted.

“My point precisely. One would think that you would have a better understanding.”

“Meaningless words spoken by a dead man from a dead people,” Luthor retorted furiously.

“You would do well to listen, but that is not one of your strengths, now is it?” Jor-El asked neutrally. “You fail to understand that modern humans fiercely resist tyrants. They would fiercely resist you. The surviving nations of this world would embargo this place and you would starve to death before they ever paid you the tribute you seek.”

“The advanced weapons here would bring them to their knees!” Luthor argued.

“Had Kal-El not yet returned from his mission or if we had remained unaware of this horror, the safety protocols encoded in the security systems would still not have permitted an offensive strike,” Jor-El informed him. “Perhaps if you had spent more than the single day studying the crystals that your ship’s log indicates, you would have realized that.”

“Why, you!”

“Even without our intervention, you still would have failed and the surviving people of this world would never have bowed to your demands,” Jor-El declared.

“You’d be surprised what people are willing to do when they fear for their lives,” Luthor countered.

“And you would be surprised how quickly they band together when faced with an existential threat,” Jor-El countered. “The genocide that you intended would mobilize them against you.”

“There won’t be anyone left to mobilize. Once the mightiest of them falls, the rest will fall in line,” Luthor insisted.

“Again, your overconfidence defeats you,” Jor-El noted. “As I informed you, we have been expecting this. We planned for it. And this abomination will not threaten the people of this world for much longer.” Jor-El paused and glared at Luthor before he added coldly, “Predictably, your latest criminal endeavor has now ended in failure, and you shall be forced to answer for your crimes.”

Jor-El’s last comment sent a wave of terror through Luthor and he bolted for the door. The other men made it out the door ahead of him, and Kitty had apparently already snuck out while he was arguing with Jor-El. She was down on the plateau, clutching the Pomeranian to her chest and staring out over the edge.

Luthor ran down the stairs and discovered that he was quickly out of breath. He realized with a start that the air was thin. They were at a much higher elevation than they were supposed to be at. He looked back down at the plateau and was horrified to recognize the Eastern Seaboard through a break in the clouds, miles below them.

He continued his sprint down the stairs, and when he finally reached the helicopter, Kitty turned to him and asked fearfully, “Why are we so high up?”

“Shut up… and get in!” Luthor wheezed. He climbed into the helicopter and tried starting it up. The engine sputtered, barely turning the rotors a dozen times before it died out. He tried to again, and again the engine failed to turn over.

“The old man… must have sabotaged it!” Stanford declared nervously from the seat behind him.

“What have you done to us, Luthor?” Reilly demanded angrily.

Luthor recognized the murderous rage in Reilly’s eyes and jumped out the door just as the felon lunged for him. He sluggishly ran back up the stairs, feeling surprisingly heavy as he struggled up the path. What’s going on? he wondered. He glanced behind him and was relieved to see that the men were struggling just as much as he was. Kitty was faring better, having not just exerted herself on the way down.

Luthor pushed forward, slowly making his way up the remaining stairs and into the chamber. He fought for his breath, leaning forward with his hands on his knees, wheezing as he demanded, “What… have you… done?”

“We cannot allow this abomination to threaten the people of this world,” Jor-El stated calmly.

Luthor glanced nervously behind him as Kitty and the men filtered in through the door. They all collapsed on the stools a short distance behind him, with the exception of Reilly, who hovered menacingly near the doorway. Luthor kept his gaze on the impudent employee as he angrily reminded Jor-El, “You didn’t… answer… the question.”

“Kal-El is ejecting this abomination from the Earth, and sending it out among the outer planets where it can do no harm,” Jor-El explained.

“No!” Kitty cried out fearfully. “That’ll kill us!”

“So much… for Kryptonian… passivism,” Luthor taunted. “The first time… you face someone… you fear… your first instinct… is murder.”

“Once again, you are mistaken, though that seems to be quite a pattern with you.” Jor-El replied condescendingly. “I have, in fact, made arrangements for your survival.” As he finished speaking, six opaque blue white crystal cylinders rose from the floor along the wall to the left of the console. Five of them were eight feet tall and three feet across, while the sixth was two feet high and sitting on a raised pedestal. In front of each cylinder was an oval opening, which revealed the empty interior.

“What… the hell?” Luthor asked in confusion.

“There is enough energy from the fusion reactors to sustain you in stasis until Kal-El can retrieve you. The small chamber is obviously for the animal.”

“You don’t honestly… believe that… we’ll just… walk in… those things?” Luthor asked incredulously.

“If you choose to instead confront the deadly environment of space, then I will respect your decision,” Jor-El declared neutrally. “However, I suggest you choose quickly. There is little time remaining.”

Luthor stared furiously at Jor-El. But before he could put voice to his rage, he heard Kitty sadly declare, “We’re ready.”

Luthor looked over and saw that Kitty had put the dog in the small chamber, and had climbed into the full size cylinder next to it.

“Et tu, Kitty?” Luthor asked disappointedly.

Kitty looked back at him silently as the openings of the two chambers sealed shut, obscuring their contents behind the opaque shell.

Stanford was the next to approach the row of stasis chambers and Luthor angrily hissed, “It’s a trick, you idiot!”

“Is it?” Stanford asked skeptically. “Like the thin air... and seeing the… East Coast… through the clouds? I don’t think so… and I’m not… dying up here.” Stanford then stepped into the chamber next to Kitty, turned around to face the opening, and calmly said, “Go ahead.” The chamber opening immediately closed, and he was also obscured from view.

Grant and Reilly only hesitated a moment before they also sought refuge in the stasis chambers, leaving Luthor alone before Jor-El. “Cowards,” Luthor hissed.

“You need not insult them – they can no longer hear you,” Jor-El pointed out.

“Do I look… like I care?” Luthor asked weakly.

“Mister Luthor, it is unwise to remain out here,” Jor-El pointed out dispassionately. “Are you certain of your choice?”

“I won’t… submit… to you!” Luthor declared defiantly.

“As you wish,” Jor-El replied, and the crystal displaying his image went dark.

Luthor smiled triumphantly and opened his mouth to declare his victory, but his words died as he found himself gasping for breath. Can’t breathe, he thought and a wave a terror went through him when he finally acknowledged the danger. He staggered towards the remaining open stasis chamber, but only made it half way across when he tripped and fell to his hands and knees.

Lacking the energy to stand and still fighting for the remaining air, Luthor crawled desperately towards the chamber. He felt himself grow heavier with every movement, and by the time he reached the threshold of the stasis chamber, he could barely hold himself above the floor. It seemed to take a small eternity for him to pull his head and arms over the threshold and awkwardly roll over before pushing himself up into a sitting position against the back wall. Finally, he pulled his leaden legs through the opening, and the door closed to seal him in. It’s not over he thought, as consciousness fled him. I’ll still find a way to destroy you…

-o-o-o-

The occupants of the seaplane parked on the roof of the Daily Planet building refused to budge from the aircraft while they watched the scene between Jor-El and Luthor unfold on the small two-inch wide cell phone screen. Lois had been feeding Jor-El insults to hurl at Luthor as they watched the scene, and it looked like things were finally drawing to a conclusion. “There is enough energy from the fusion reactors to sustain you in stasis until Kal-El can retrieve you,” Jor-El was saying. “The small chamber is obviously for the animal.”

“Stasis?” Lois questioned irritably. “Why do that for them after what they did to Kal-El?”

“Because that is our way,” Jor-El’s voice answered softly. “As undeniable as their guilt may be, we cannot arbitrarily condemn them. Under Kryptonian law, they have the right of due process but we lack the time for a tribunal. I am obliged to offer them an option for survival, but I cannot force it upon them. They must freely make that choice.”

“How long can you keep them there?” Richard asked. “You said there wasn’t enough to keep things running.”

“Once we clear Earth’s atmosphere, there will be plenty of energy from the solar wind to sustain them in stasis and to power the transformation.”

“Transformation?” Lois wondered.

“It is my intention to purge the radioactive poison from the matrix,” Jor-El explained. “It is a time consuming and energy intensive process, but it must be done.”

“How time consuming?” Lois asked.

“It will take several decades,” Jor-El declared.

“And then this starts all over again? With Luthor knowing about our family?” Lois objected vociferously.

“They will not emerge from stasis with that knowledge intact,” Jor-El assured her. “We also need not leave them there long – we can use the starships to remotely extract them, without risk to Kal-El.”

Lois nodded absently and the group resumed their silent observation of the scene on Richard’s cell phone, as Luthor’s crew abandoned him, choosing stasis over the path to oblivion that he had led them on. Finally, Luthor realized his folly and also abandoned that path, struggling to make his way to the remaining stasis chamber. Eventually, he made it inside, sitting on the bottom and pulling his legs in before being sealed within.

“It’s finally over,” Lois declared quietly.

“Not quite yet,” Jor-El corrected. “It will still take several more minutes for Kal-El to eject that abomination from this world.”

“Understood,” Lois acknowledged. “Thank you, Jor-El.” Lois switched off the phone, turned to the others and wearily said, “Are you guys ready to go back to Grandma’s?”

-o-o-o-

Superman continued to drive the land mass upwards into the mesosphere while his muscles protested with a sharp burning pain. The wound in his back was particularly excruciating, feeling as though the kryptonite shiv were still there with Luthor still turning it. He tried to block out the pain and pushed against the impossible load, which weighed down heavily on the one hundred foot thick layer of bedrock above his shoulders that provided a buffer against the lethal radiation from the mass above. However, its cover was incomplete, as he knew it would be. There was too much of Luthor’s abomination radiating its poison, the anchoring spikes still growing downward, penetrating his shield and bathing him in their radiation.

He realized that he no longer felt the empowering tingle of the sun and he should have felt something – even if it was just energy reflected off the clouds. That could only mean that the kryptonite was already interfering with his organelles’ ability to process the solar power, leaving him with only his residual energy to complete the task. He was certain that his strength would have already failed him, had he not supercharged under an unfiltered sun prior to beginning the lift. He prayed it would be enough. I can’t give up now, he told himself. Just need to keep pushing… for a little while longer…

As Superman continued his ascent, his head soon felt as if it were about to split in two from the pounding headache and every cell in his body felt as though it were on fire. Yet, he continued to push against the burden on his shoulders, to move it higher and faster – he couldn’t let it fall back to Earth. Fortunately, his supercharged cells had stored up enough power to still answer his call. However, that also made it difficult for him to measure his progress.

Supercharged strength and speed was difficult to judge on the best of days. With the added complications of kryptonite exposure and the throbbing headache it caused, he found himself unable to determine if he was yet going fast enough to eject the monstrosity. It was taking all his concentration to just keep it moving and stay on course. He thus kept pushing himself to fly higher and faster, and for the moment at least, he was still up to the task. However, his strength was quickly waning.

It wasn’t until he noticed the International Space Station whiz by as he passed it that he realized he had achieved his objective and was now traveling well past escape velocity. Superman summoned all of his remaining strength and heaved against his burden, letting out a silent scream as he did so and throwing himself away from the abomination. He drifted back and found himself staring at the massive object as it sped away from him, amazed that he had successfully launched it. It’s done, he thought. Thank God it’s finally over.

Prior to the lift, he had calculated the object’s mass to be an incredible four billion tons, and though he had faith he’d be able to lift it, he hadn’t been entirely convinced that he’d be able to push it to the required escape velocity of twenty-five thousand miles per hour. However, he had to try – there was too much at stake to prematurely surrender to the fates. His determination paid off, simultaneously eliminating the threat from the lethal abomination along with its creator. Luthor would eventually need to be extracted from stasis to stand trial, but that detail seemed suddenly unimportant.

Superman realized with a start that he was cold – colder than he could ever remembered being. His shivering could only mean that he was still too affected by the massive dose of kryptonite radiation for his organelles to properly absorb the solar energy that now washed over him. He was also exhausted and fought desperately to keep his eyes open as he drifted back towards Earth. Consciousness quickly abandoned him, leaving him in a dreamless sleep and oblivious to the scorching heat of atmospheric reentry as gravity finally reasserted itself over him.

[ Chapter 45 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 47 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 45 - Respite

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:50:52 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 45 - 5,487; Total - 189,900
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 44 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 46 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 45 – Respite

Thursday, October 5, 2006 4:45PM EDT
Richard found himself grateful that he’d invested in the GPS-based instrumentation upgrade package a few years earlier. Otherwise, their speed would have maxed out the analog dials and he’d have no clue to their true velocity as Kara pushed the plane far beyond anything the de Havilland engineers had ever dreamed of. At six hundred forty knots, it was more than four times the maximum speed the manufacturer had listed for the aircraft. Richard turned to the little girl on the floor and told her, “Remember, we’re going to need to slow down before I can land, so let me know when we’re getting close.”

“Okay,” Kara mumbled.

“Richard!” Lois shouted, pointing to plane ahead of them that they were quickly overtaking.

Richard calmly banked the plane to the right, leaving a wide five hundred yard margin as they passed the other aircraft at twice its speed. “We had plenty of room,” Richard pointed out.

Lois glared at him briefly and then relaxed her expression, asking him, “What kind of plane was that?”

“Based on the size of the props, I’d say it was an Osprey – maybe the one Clark was talking about earlier,” Richard offered. “It still seems kind of strange, though. I didn’t think they were supposed to officially be in service yet.”

“They probably called up anything in the area they could get their hands on when they found out about this,” Lois speculated. “And Superman did say that there was a lot of air traffic out here.”

“You mean Clark said that,” Richard corrected.

“We always keep the two personas separate – it avoids problems if we don’t notice that someone’s eavesdropping,” Lois explained. “Clark’s even talking about himself in third person half the time these days… It takes a little getting used to.”

“No doubt. When this is over, I’d like to hear the whole–”

“I see him!” Jason exclaimed excitedly from his mother’s lap, pointing his finger ahead of them. “He’s in the water!”

“Where?” Richard asked urgently, squinting his eyes to try to spot the hero. “I can’t see him.”

“There!” Jason replied, frantically pointing his finger at something ahead of the plane.

“Kara, you can stop pushing now,” Richard said authoritatively. “I need full control of the plane back before we go down for a closer look.”

Kara complied with the request, and stood up, taking position next to Lois and leaning against her seat. Once the plane was free of Kara’s propulsion, Richard guided it down towards the plateaus, leveling it out at five hundred feet above the sea. “Are we getting close?” Richard pressed.

Kara pointed her finger ahead and to the right, telling him, “He’s over there.”

Richard strained his eyesight, and finally spotted a red splotch in the water – Superman’s cape. “I see him now,” Richard declared. “Keep your eyes on him so we don’t forget where he is. I have to loop around to drain off some of our speed before we can land on the water–” He abruptly stopped talking as he noticed the soldiers swarming the plateau below him, with Blackhawk helicopters hovering around the perimeter. He muttered, “Oh, wow. There’s sure a lot of activity down there.”

Lois followed his gaze and said, “They’re probably looking for Luthor, but we have more important things to worry about right now. Just get us down to Clark so I can pull him in.”

Richard nodded and said seriously, “Hang on. It’s not going to be an easy landing with it so choppy down there.”

Lois turned to the kids and sternly told them, “I want you two back in your seats and buckled up right now. And stay there until one of us tells you it’s safe to get out.”

After verifying that the kids were safely buckled in, Lois began stripping down to her underwear and the T-shirt she was wearing under the sweatshirt.

Richard caught what she was doing in his peripheral vision, and asked cautiously, “Um, Lois?”

“In case I have to dive in after him,” she explained. “I won’t get very far if I’m weighed down by waterlogged clothing.”

Richard nodded and brought the plane around in a wide circle, dropping down to the sea beneath the plateaus as he leveled out and aiming the plane at the approximate area where thought he’d seen Superman’s cape. Their speed was still too high for his comfort, and at their first contact with the waves, he pulled back on the yoke, bouncing back up above the sea rather than risk catching the tips of the pontoons under the waves and flipping over. He repeated the process, which made the plane seem more like a stone skipping across a lake more than an aircraft making a water landing. However, it did succeed in bleeding off more speed to the point that Richard felt it safe to finally plant the pontoons in the sea and keep them there. As soon as he did, Lois was out of her seat and opening the side door.

“Hey!” Richard complained.

“Just get me to him!” Lois hollered back.

Richard rolled his eyes, and then turned to the little girl in the back seat, asking her, “Kara, can you point him out to me again?”

The child unbuckled her seat belt, trotted back up front and pointed out the direction, and Richard piloted the plane through the choppy waves towards Superman. However, as he approached the red of Superman’s cape, he realized that it was quickly disappearing, pulled under water as the hero sank. There were still going too fast for Richard to be able to stop the plane, but as they taxied by, Lois dove out the door after him.

-o-o-o-

Daniels heard the excited chatter from the cockpit, and strode up to the front of the aircraft, poking his head through the cockpit door and somberly asking, “What have you guys got?”

“Some strange bogey just blew past us at six forty knots, making a beeline for ground zero,” Bones informed him. “Damn if it didn’t look like a seaplane.”

“Since when does a seaplane go six forty knots?” Razor asked skeptically. “It’s got to be bandito incognito,” Razor insisted.

Not necessarily. I can think of a couple explanations for that, and they’re probably both worried about their daddy, Daniels thought. Aloud, he advised them, “Let’s not jump to conclusions, but it’s probably a good idea to keep track of it. If it is going after Superman, it could make it easier for us to find him if we follow. How far are we from the target?”

“Twelve miles. Just a couple more minutes,” Bones informed him.

Daniels pulled his head out of the cockpit, and pressed the button on his throat mike. “Wolf pack, Grizzly pack, Wolf Leader. Two minutes to ground zero.” Most of the men had already been busy preparing, so there was only subtle acknowledgment to his announcement.

The separation of duty had had been quickly arranged after Marufo’s squad had been pulled aboard. Grizzly Squad would be charged with security while Wolf Squad handled the rescue. Ramsey and Peterson had already changed into immersion suits, just in case they had to dive in after the wounded VIP, and Michaels was in position at the ramp controls, all of them strapped to safety lines.

Behind him he heard Razor call out, “Lieutenant Daniels, looks like our bogey found something. They’re circling back and bleeding off speed.”

“Let’s get down there pronto and see what they’ve got,” Daniels replied authoritatively. He turned and shouted back to his crew, “Drop the ramp!” While Michaels dropped the rear ramp, Daniels took position in the cockpit door, scanning the ocean through the windshield through a pair of field glasses. He found the familiar seaplane just as it landed in the rough seas. The drag of the ocean had barely slowed it down when he saw Lois Lane dive out of the plane and into the water.

Daniels pulled his head back inside the aircraft and shouted into the cockpit, “They’re friendlies! Get us down there!”

“I saw her. We’ll be on top of them in thirty seconds,” Bones assured him.

Razor abandoned the co-pilot’s seat, and ran to the back in anticipation of guiding the pilot backwards to the swimmers. Daniels followed him to the back of the aircraft, just as it settled about five feet above the sea and fifty yards behind the surfacing diver. Miraculously, Lois had managed to bring Superman to the surface with her, though she was now struggling to keep his head above water. A couple hundred yards behind her, the seaplane had turned around and was taxiing back to them. Daniels noticed that Razor was mesmerized by the scene of the ‘Damsel in Distress’ rescuing the hero, and he shoved him in shoulder, shouting, “Hey! Get us over there!”

Razor snapped out of his stupor, and hastily gave the navigation instructions to Bones, who backed the aircraft towards the struggling swimmers. Their motion stopped about five yards from the pair, and Daniels shouted, “Ramsey! Peterson!”

The men immediately jumped into the sea and swam out for the rescue, with their safety lines spooling out behind them.

-o-o-o-

Luthor piloted his Bell JetRanger helicopter just over the top of the waves as he searched for the yacht. While he was counting on his low altitude and the numerous crystal peaks protruding from the sea to keep him concealed from military radar, it also made it difficult to find something that was clearly not where he had left it. “Damn it, where are they?” Luthor demanded. “Try them again.”

Grant nodded from the co-pilot seat on the right, and repeated the radio call, “Stanford, this is Grant. Pick up! The boss is getting royally pissed!”

“Maybe these new mountains are blocking the signal,” Reilly suggested.

Mountains, Luthor fumed. Would’ve been nice if the Jor-El had mentioned this interim phase. In the end, the surface would be mostly flat, with the exception of his new palace, but instead of expanding across the seabed as a continuous solid, it was shooting up peaks at odd angles in a regular distribution out from the impact site. Luthor assumed that they’d eventually fill in to produce the flat surface he’d designed, and it was providing them with cover in the meantime.

“Hey, Boss! Look over there! That opening in the cliff,” Grant hollered suddenly.

Luthor looked over in the direction Grant was pointing and about two hundred feet to their left, he saw a figure poking out between crossed columns that looked to be Stanford. A moment later, his identity was confirmed when Kitty also appeared in the opening, still clutching the damned Pomeranian.

“What the hell happened?” Reilly wondered. “Did the bitch throw them overboard and take off with the boat?”

“If she did, she won’t get far!” Luthor replied angrily. “Imbeciles! What does it take to get someone to follow directions around here? It wasn’t a difficult assignment!”

Luthor maneuvered the helicopter over towards the cliff, carefully minding the distance to his main rotor, and finally stopped thirty feet away. “Get them in here!” he ordered.

Reilly opened the rear door, and Stanford immediately dove in the water and awkwardly swam towards them. Kitty hesitated at the water’s edge, and Reilly motioned for her to come to them. She was clearly not happy to learn that she’d have to swim to the helicopter. She slowly slid into the chilly water, still clutching the dog. After a momentary delay, Kitty began swimming towards them in a sluggish side stroke, carefully keeping the Pomeranian grasped in her arms with its head above water.

Stanford reached the helicopter first, and as soon as he climbed in, Luthor turned to him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sight of Stanford’s bruised and broken nose, but he quickly recovered and demanded, “What the hell happened? Did Lane kick your ass, too?”

“It wasn’t her,” Stanford lied defensively. “We caught them – or rather I did. Kitty was useless. Anyway, they were all locked up. But then we got boarded.”

“Boarded?” Luthor echoed in astonishment.

“Navy SEALs. There had to be at least twenty of them,” Stanford explained nervously. “We were lucky to get away and to find that hiding spot. Those damn SEALs were circling around in some weird looking helicopter, hunting for us. It was only a little while ago that they finally gave up.”

“So what, you jumped overboard the moment you saw them?” Luthor asked derisively.

“No, it wasn’t like that, Boss,” Stanford stammered defensively. “I was getting ready to fight them.”

“Then where’s my yacht and where are my crystals?” Luthor demanded. “Where are the rest of your clothes, for that matter?”

“It, um, the yacht sunk,” Stanford informed him anxiously.

“Sunk! Everything we had was on that ship, and you let it sink?” Luthor shouted in a rage.

“No, I did everything just like you asked!” Stanford replied apprehensively. “But the mountain came up underneath it. It grew right through the ship and split it in two.”

“Grew through it?” Luthor echoed incredulously.

“Yeah. Came up right through the middle of the galley.”

“And what about my crystals?” Luthor pressed insistently.

“She wouldn’t tell us where she hid them. They, um… they probably went down with the ship.”

Luthor looked away from the fool in his fury, no longer able to tolerate the sight of him. His gaze wandered back towards the sea and he finally noticing Kitty about ten feet from the helicopter, struggling to swim the remaining distance.

Luthor turned to Reilly and ordered, “Get her in here!”

“Sure thing, boss,” Reilly assured him, and he climbed over Stanford, opened the door, and climbed out on the skid while shouting at Kitty to hurry up.

Luthor turned his gaze forward and frantically considered his options for getting the crystals back in light of yet another colossal failure delivered to him by his incompetent crew. Luthor recalled the continental design, and reminded himself, All of this will eventually be above sea level when the dust settles. We just have to wait until my new continent fills in and lifts the ship up above the water, and then we can resume the search.

But we can’t just hover out here while we wait for that to happen. Not when we’re running low on fuel, and with the land growing like this – growing through ships! It’s unwise to linger. The only safe place is back at the palace… I can wait it out there – hopefully, those military morons won’t notice us… And when this is over, these inept buffoons will be a worm feast.

Luthor musings were interrupted when Kitty had finally reached the helicopter and Reilly roughly pulled her in. “Got her, boss,” Reilly informed him. Luthor then turned the aircraft around and headed back to his new palace eighteen miles away, where they would wait for the continental growth to complete.

-o-o-o-

When Lois saw Superman’s red cape being pulled underneath the sea, a wave of panic passed through her. No! You’re not leaving me again! she thought. Her panic quickly morphed into action, and as the plane sped past him, she took a deep breath and dove after him. The cold water sent a shock through her system, but somehow, she kept her breath and her wits, kicking downward and desperately swimming after the vague shape that seemed to be just a little out of reach. She dove deeper as it sank, and frantically grabbed for it, and her fingers amazingly closed around the material of the cape. She pulled herself along it until she finally reached him. She was nearly out of breath when she looped an arm around him, and kicked back up to the surface.

Her lungs felt like they were about to burst when they finally reached the surface, and she greedily gulped the air while struggling to keep Superman’s face above the water. They’d only been bobbing on the surface for a moment when she heard the engine noise. At first she hoped it was Richard circling back for them, but the engines didn’t sound quite right. She turned and looked worriedly in the direction of the sound and was shocked to discover a plane similar to the one they had passed hovering a short distance away, with its props now spinning horizontally. She looked around in a panic for the seaplane, finding it two hundred yards away as it finally turned around. Damn, this wasn’t part of the plan, Lois thought. We need to keep this in the family.

She looked back at the Navy plane, which was quickly closing in on them and was only slightly relieved when she recognized Lieutenant Daniels on the rear ramp, along with a number of other men. Two of those men were dressed in some type of yellow protective suits. She heard Daniels’ muffled shout, and the two men jumped in and swam over to her. The more muscular of the two reached her first, and Lois recognized him as one of the men that had been with Daniels when they released her from the pantry. Lois vaguely recalled that his name was Ramsey. He grabbed one of Superman’s arms and told Lois, “I can take him. Let’s get him inside.”

“No,” Lois muttered weakly. You can’t take him. He needs me.

“We’re here to help, Ma’am – to help both of you,” Ramsey gently assured her. “We also have a medic waiting inside. Let’s get him some help.”

Lois reluctantly consented, though refusing to surrender her burden completely to the SEALs. After a little maneuvering, Ramsey lifted his free hand out of the water in a thumbs up signal, and the slack went out of the lines attached their harnesses as they were pulled back to the aircraft. Once they got there, Lois was finally forced to surrender Superman to the SEALs. They looped a padded belt under his arms and once Ramsey gave the signal, he was hoisted up into the aircraft. They repeated the process for Lois a moment later.

Once her feet hit the ramp, she quickly slipped out of the life belt and scrambled towards Superman, but was intercepted by Daniels, who offered her a dry blanket. Lois eagerly accepted it and wrapped it around herself for warmth and cover, while still trying to get to the Man of Steel. Several of the men had carried him further inside the airframe and were gently setting him down on the deck. However, when the floor made contact with the protruding kryptonite shiv and pushed against it, Superman’s back suddenly arched in pain and he weakly cried out in pain.

“Give us some room!” a man called out, and he immediately rushed over to Superman and rolled him onto his side while he inspected the bloody protrusion in his back. “Jesus! This looks like shrapnel,” the man said.

“It’s kryptonite! We need to get it out and get it away from him!” Lois said urgently.

The medic nodded, and Lois watched as he struggled to grip the shiv with his hemostats. The instrument kept slipping off, causing Superman to cry out in pain each time. After the third failed attempt, Lois exclaimed, “You’re hurting him! Why don’t you try using a pair of regular pliers? You do have a tool kit around here, don’t you?”

“Guenther!” Daniels ordered.

“On it, sir,” a man responded before disappearing through the swarm of sailors. He reappeared a moment later, and handed the pliers to the man at Superman’s side.

The medic carefully gripped the protruding object with the pliers and this time he was able to slowly pull it out. He held the remains of the bloody blade up in front of his face, entranced as he stared at it wide-eyed.

“Get that poison out of here!” Lois shouted. She dropped the blanket and lunged for the blade, grabbing it from the startled man and pushing her way through the crowd of sailors as she ran back to the ramp, where she hurled it out of the aircraft. As she watched it drop in the water, she noticed the seaplane bobbing in the waves about fifty feet behind the Osprey. Richard was clearly visible in the cockpit, watching and waiting, but the children weren’t visible from her vantage point. Hopefully, they were still buckled in the back seats and would stay out of sight. Lois held up her index finger towards Richard in a wait gesture and retreated back inside the Osprey.

When she returned up front, Superman was sitting up and thanking the men around him for their help. Daniels seemed to be the only one to notice her return, and he rushed over with the dropped blanket. She gratefully accepted it and again wrapped it around herself before turning to Superman and asking assertively, “Feeling better now?”

“Yes, thanks to you, Miss Lane,” Superman replied sincerely. He stood up, wincing slightly as he did so, and his hand went immediately to the wound in his back. After a moment, he lowered his hand and walked over to Lois, telling her gratefully, “You saved me.”

“Just returning the favor,” Lois replied casually. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way… maybe you can explain just what the hell you were thinking, going in there like that?”

“Excuse me?” Superman said in surprise.

“What part of ‘Luthor has kryptonite’ did you not understand? Was this your idea of being careful?” Lois demanded to know.

“I thought it was just the spear,” Superman explained modestly. “It never occurred to me that the entire land mass was made of kryptonite.”

“What?” Lois said weakly. “All of that out there? It’s all kryptonite? How the hell did Luthor manage that?”

“The crystals take on the characteristics of the material surrounding them, and Luthor must have surrounded the seed crystal with kryptonite when he started the reaction.”

“Sir?” Daniels interrupted worriedly. “How dangerous are the rest of the crystals that he took from you?”

“Considering that a trusted ally of mine already recovered the stolen crystals and returned them to me, I’d say they’re not a serious threat,” Superman told him pleasantly. “However, Luthor should not be underestimated. I learned that the hard way this afternoon.”

“If you have the crystals, does that mean you can shut that thing down?” Daniels asked urgently. “Or if you can’t go back to the control center on that plateau because of the kryptonite, can you at least step us through it?”

“Shut it down?” Superman asked in confusion.

“To stop this land mass from colliding with the Eastern Seaboard,” Daniels explained.

“Lieutenant, there is no way to shut it down,” Superman informed him grimly. “Once the reaction starts, it’s unstoppable… The only way to remove the threat is to remove this monstrosity from the face of the Earth, which is precisely what I intend to do.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Lois countered. “Didn’t you just say it was made of kryptonite?”

“I’ll keep a thick slab of bedrock between the kryptonite and me,” he assured her. “It should offer enough protection for me to get it clear of Earth’s gravitational influence.”

“But you’re hurt,” Lois argued. “I saw that grimace when you stood up just now.”

“I know, and I’ll need to fly up high up into the thermosphere and supercharge in the sun for several minutes before beginning the lift,” Superman replied somberly. “But it has to be done, and I’m the only one who can do it.”

“But it could kill you,” Lois objected.

“Miss Lane… it’s the only way and I have to do this. You know what’s at stake here, perhaps better than anyone.”

The formal salutation reminded Lois of their audience, and she held her tongue. She instead simply nodded her head in resignation. They’d have a little more privacy on the seaplane.

Superman turned to Daniels and said, “Lieutenant, you need to get everyone to clear the airspace above this thing. Once I start the lift, there will be no stopping, no slowing down. Not if I’m going to succeed. And I’d like to avoid having any of your people caught on top when I hurl it into space.”

“How much time have we got?” Daniels asked.

“I can give you maybe ten minutes before I start the lift, and there’ll still be another ten minutes or so before your aircraft hit their operational ceilings. Unfortunately, I can’t promise you any more time than that. Not with this thing growing so fast – it was already over a hundred twenty miles across when I landed in Luthor’s trap. The longer we wait, the harder this is going to be, and it’ll already be tough enough as it is.”

“Understood. Good luck, sir,” Daniels replied, and he rushed over to the comm station to pass on the report, with Lieutenant Marufo quickly falling into step behind him.

“Miss Lane, I’ll take you back to the seaplane now,” Superman said gently. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us…”

-o-o-o-
Richard leaned forward in the pilot’s seat as he observed the Osprey, anxiously waiting for whatever was happening inside the other aircraft to run its course and for Lois to return to the plane. It wasn’t proving to be much of a distraction to keep the kids out of trouble – to keep Superman’s kids out of trouble. Oh, Jesus, is that going to take some time to get my head around, Richard thought. And just when he thought nothing else could surprise him, Lois had dived out of a speeding plane to rescue the hero.

The plane’s speed and roughening seas hadn’t allowed him to turn around immediately, and he’d honestly feared the both Clark and Lois might be lost. He’d been both relieved and worried when he turned around and discovered the Osprey hovering nearby and pulling Lois and Clark out of the water. Richard taxied in and took up position fifty feet behind the other aircraft to wait it out.

He really wished that he could see what was going on inside the Osprey, as well as shielding the children from whatever it was that they were seeing. He glanced over at the two youngsters as they sat in their seats, staring through the window ahead – and right through the walls of the other aircraft. Jason hadn’t known how to use his x-ray vision at first, but after a little instruction from Kara, he was also able to peek into the other aircraft and watch the Navy men try to help his Daddy Clark.

Richard knew that Lieutenant Daniels was there with Lois and Clark, thanks to a brief declaration from Kara. However, the kids’ comments were few and far between – nothing close to a play-by-play of the action. In fact, both kids had seemed unusually quiet and subdued while they watched and listened. Considering what they were likely witnessing, he was about to press them for details. He’d have to get the full story from Lois later on. She also owed him the full story on Clark.

His rival was an enigma that he still couldn’t quite figure out. Clark Kent was obviously Superman, but the bios for the two personas didn’t quite mesh. Richard had been to Clark Kent’s boyhood home, met his mother, and heard stories of his childhood – a childhood spent in Smallville, Kansas. Yet, Superman had supposedly shown up just nine years earlier, after a long voyage from Krypton, where a holocaust had destroyed his people. He was last of his kind – the last ‘Son of Krypton’, as the story went. The two back stories seemed to be utterly incompatible. Yet, they described the same man.

Richard noticed some commotion around the rear of the ramp and finally saw Lois throw something out the back. She held up her index finger to him and ran back inside. What’s going on in there? Richard wondered. He returned to pondering the mystery of Clark Kent, but only had a few minutes for that indulgence before Superman walked out on the ramp with Lois, who now had a Navy blanket wrapped around her. The Man of Steel wrapped his arms around her and floated off the ramp just before the Osprey climbed back into the sky. A moment later, Lois and Clark stepped through the door of the seaplane and the kids were instantly upon them.

“Dad!” Kara squealed excitedly.

“Daddy!” Jason echoed. “Are you all better now?”

Superman knelt down and hugged them both tightly. “I feel much better,” he told them. “But this isn’t over yet, and I’ve still got something very important to do.”

“What’s going on?” Richard asked.

Lois turned to him and said irritably, “He’s going to throw the whole freaking thing into outer space.”

“Huh? He’s what?” Richard replied numbly.

“The land mass. He’s going to throw it into space,” Lois explained. “And this despite the fact that the entire thing’s made of kryptonite.”

“How in the world did Luthor manage that?” Richard wondered.

“Long story. But we’ll need to get the he-heck out of Dodge before he starts lifting it.”

“Are you going to get hurt again?” Kara asked her father worriedly.

“I certainly hope not,” Supermen answered seriously. “But even if it hurts me, I still have to do this because I’m the only one who can. It’s part of the responsibility that comes with our gifts – we use them to help others, even if it’s dangerous and we get hurt sometimes.”

“I want to help,” Kara pleaded.

“Me, too!” Jason echoed.

“Not this time,” Superman said firmly. “If I’m going to be able to do this, I need to know that you two are safe, which means that you two need to stay here, with Richard and Lois. And no matter what happens, never forget how much I love you two.” He kissed each of them on top of the head and stood up, turning to Richard and Lois.

“You can really throw this whole thing into space?” Richard asked incredulously.

“It’s the only way, and failure is not an option,” Superman insisted. “Start up your plane. I’ll get you started back to Metropolis.”

Richard rushed to the pilot’s seat and began his preflight check, but glanced back at Lois, who was lingering near the side door talking to Superman. He returned his gaze to the instruments in front of him, but strained his hearing to try to pick up the conversation behind him. He wasn’t catching everything, and had to fill in some of the gaps from context.

“You have to come back,” Lois was whispering frantically. “The kids need you… I need you. I can’t lose you again.”

Richard wasn’t able to make out Clark’s reply until the end, when he heard him say, “Goodbye.” The hero then stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

Richard felt his heart drop into his stomach at the implications of Lois’ words: He’d already lost her, in heart if not in deed. It was simply a matter of time before she left, assuming Clark survived. His thoughts were interrupted when Lois came up front and sat down in the co-pilot’s seat, and Richard struggled to push the disturbing epiphany from his mind and focus on the task at hand.

He started up the engine and a moment later, he felt the aircraft lifted above the waves and accelerated forward, pushing him back in his seat. A quick glance at the airspeed indicator showed them already at two hundred knots and climbing, which surprised Richard. The last time Clark had helped him take off, he’d released the plane as soon as they had sufficient lift to stay airborne. This time, he seemed determined to make sure they reached their destination.

Richard watched the instruments while their speed continued to climb and finally settled around six hundred knots. At that speed, it only took a few minutes to clear the dangerous landmass. Once they passed the final evidence of Luthor’s horror protruding from the Atlantic, their acceleration abruptly ceased and their airspeed began dropping, indicating Superman’s departure to face his formidable challenge.

With the ordeal mostly behind them and Metropolis in sight, Richard’s thoughts returned to his personal difficulties, and he asked himself rhetorically, How does an ordinary man compete with Superman? Answer: He doesn’t. Especially not when Jason is his, too. Richard was heartbroken as he looked over at Lois and noticed her anguished expression and shiny eyes. He understood her sorrow and he silently declared, This isn’t how I wanted it, but I still love you, Lois. And I’ll always be here for you and Jason – as a friend, if nothing else.

[ Chapter 44 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 46 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 44 - Twilight of the Gods

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:53:18 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 44 - 3,938; Total - 184,413
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 43 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 45 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 44 – Twilight of the Gods

Thursday, October 5, 2006 4:30PM EDT
Superman soared high above the new land mass and scanned the area for Luthor, finding him with Grant Hunter and Reilly Dixon on a peak in the center of the new continent. The plateau was familiar, but resembled nothing the earth had ever seen before. It looked like Krypton, and Luthor’s hiding place was a replica of Krypton’s Valley of Elders, with the towers memorializing Sor-El, Kol-Ar and Pol-Us lining the east rim and leading to a chamber that was very much like the interior of his Arctic Fortress. However, unlike the Fortress’ radiant white, Luthor’s creation was a dingy gray, and looked polluted. It was as if its appearance reflected the sorrow of Krypton’s forefathers over the perversion of their technology.

Superman returned his attention to the task at hand and closely scrutinized the area, his gaze eventually locking on the kryptonite tipped spear that Luthor held in his hands. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me, Superman thought. He doesn’t really think he’s going to take me out with a spear, does he? He turned his gaze to the two other men, carefully examining their possessions and confirming that the only apparent kryptonite was the tip of Luthor’s spear. He’s either getting sloppy, or grossly overconfident… Or maybe a little of both.

Superman focused a searing beam of heat vision across the sky that cut the head off the shaft of Luthor’s spear, dropping it to the floor, and then sent it sliding to the back of the chamber with a gust of superbreath. Luthor swore loudly, and went scurrying after the blade as Superman flew in for his landing. He came down harder than he intended, pounding the center of the plateau with so much force that he sent spider web fractures radiating across the surface from the point of impact.

The force of the impact surprised the Man of Steel, and he took a deep breath to calm himself before proceeding. The last thing he needed was for accidentally excessive force to give Luthor another excuse to escape justice. I can’t let him get off so easily this time, Superman promised himself. I need to stay calm while I do this.

His brief meditation was interrupted by Luthor’s maniacal laugh. “See anything familiar?” the madman asked.

“I see an old man’s sick joke,” Superman replied sternly. He sensed Reilly walking around behind him, but kept his attention on Luthor.

“Really, just an old man’s sick joke?” Luthor retorted. He gestured to the towers behind him and said, “Well, I see my new apartment, and a space for Kitty and my friends and that one there, I’ll rent out.” Luthor turned and looked at the towers, as if seeing it for the first time, grimacing as he sarcastically added, “No, you’re right. It’s a little cold. A little… alien. It needs that human touch.”

Superman walked over towards the left staircase and said, “I don’t have time for this, Luthor. This ends now.”

Luthor replied eagerly, “Oh, I couldn’t agree more.” The criminal nodded to Reilly, and the man swung a billy club hard at Superman, striking him behind the knees and sending a surprising jolt of pain through the hero’s legs. Superman staggered forward, stumbling to his hands and knees, scraping his palms in the process. In was only then that he noticed the familiar and deadly green glow emanating from the new cracks in the surface of the plateau. He focused his vision on it, but the effort made his head feel as if it was about to explode. A few seconds later, his x-ray vision finally penetrated the crystal and confirmed his fears.

Luthor was chuckling as he ran down the stairs. “Kryptonite,” he said melodiously. He planted a vicious kick in Superman’s ribs and continued kicking him as he said, “Didn’t your father ever teach you to look before you leap?”

Superman rolled on his back, struggling to catch Luthor’s foot and prevent another painful blow when Grant and Reilly grabbed him by the head and dragged him away. “Oh, you’re wondering how I did it,” Luthor gloated. “Crystals are amazing aren’t they? They inherit the traits of the minerals around them. Sort of like the children inheriting the traits of their father.”

Superman looked over at Luthor in alarm and the madman said seriously, “Oh, yes, I know about the brats… Trust me, they’re next.”

-o-o-o-

General Matthews was beginning to get impatient with the afternoon’s progress. First, they lost the yacht to the sea, and then a squad of F/A-18s from the Truman shot down an unidentified flying platform before they got a good look at it. Matthews felt their captain had approved the attack a little too hastily. If it really was a Kryptonian weapons platform, it was unlikely to have missed the Osprey, and someone like Luthor was unlikely to demonstrate mercy with warning shots, if he was controlling it.

To make matters worse, the Osprey carrying the second SEAL squad had hit a flock of seagulls and was forced to ditch in the sea. Although he was grateful that all men had reportedly evacuated safely to the life rafts, they’d be out of commission until the other Osprey collected them. The mishap had taken an important asset against their target off the board temporarily. He swore quietly as he looked up at the infrared image of the debris field from the supposed weapons platform, which was quickly disappearing under the sea.

Across the command center floor, Colonel Johnson was cajoling the troops to keep their focus on the mission. “Forget about the wreckage for now! We need to find that helicopter!” he reminded them. Matthews was pleased that his second in command continued to reflect his commander’s priorities on their mission. The man had never disappointed him.

A few minutes later, Tech Sergeant Reynolds shouted across the room, “Sir, I think we may have something.”

“Where?” Johnson pressed.

“Ground Zero, sir,” Reynolds answered.

“Resnick, let’s get a close-up of ground zero up overhead,” Colonel Johnson commanded.

Matthews walked over towards Johnson and Reynolds while glancing up at the new satellite infrared image on the overhead screens. The picture seemed to be looking down at the precipice at a thirty degree angle, and clearly showed a helicopter at its edge, with two men milling about at either side of the plateau behind it, and a third man standing in the opening of a cavern in the peaks at the far end, about thirty feet above the main elevation. He assumed the man up top was Luthor, though the infrared images didn’t offer sufficient clarity to be sure.

“Gentlemen, I think we have our target,” Matthews declared. “Get our teams in there, and remind them that Luthor is a live capture.”

“Yes, sir,” Johnson replied, and he rushed over to another workstation to get the orders out.

Matthews continued to observe the overhead display and he witnessed a sudden thin line of heat across the screen, targeting something that the Luthor was holding. The man scrambled back inside the cavern, and a moment later, a new figure appeared in the middle of the plateau.

“It’s Superman, sir!” Reynolds said excitedly.

“We still have a job to do, Tech Sergeant,” Matthews replied sternly. He shouted over to Johnson, “It looks like Superman’s getting first crack at Luthor, but our teams are still a go.”

“They’re on their way, General,” Johnson assured him. “ETA fifteen minutes.”

“There’s not a lot of time on the clock, Johnson,” Matthews reminded him. “We’re cutting this awfully close.”

“That’s the best we can do if we want a live capture,” Johnson pointed out. “Whether we send in the Blackhawks, or have the SEALs abort their rescue and move against the target, it’s still fifteen minutes.”

“Point taken.”

“Sirs, Superman is down!” Reynolds interrupted excitedly.

Matthews looked up and saw one of the figures sprawled out on the ground as the other men descended on him. “Oh, shit!” he muttered. “I was really hoping they were wrong about the kryptonite, but it looks like they’ve lured him into a trap.”

“Orders sir?” Johnson inquired.

“Add Superman’s safe extraction to the mission parameters,” Matthews told him seriously. “Tell the teams to haul ass and pray they get there in time.”

-o-o-o-

How could I have missed this? Superman berated himself. A kick to his ribs from Luthor sent another jolt of pain through him. Every cell in his body felt as if it were on fire from the kryptonite poisoning even before the assault from Luthor and his men. Every breath sent a jolt of pain through him, due to the ribs left broken by the assault. Weakened and robbed of his invulnerability by the massive kryptonite radiation, he felt defenseless against them. I have to get away from here – have to find a way to stop this perversion of Krypton from killing everyone. He desperately tried to crawl away from his tormentors against the agonizing pain.

Reilly stepped in front of Superman, blocking his path of escape, and pushed his face down into one of the puddles. Superman barely had the strength to push his assailant’s hands aside and pull his face from the water. Somehow he managed to push himself back up on his hands and knees, greedily gulping the air as he pushed himself forward and prayed he’d make it over the edge of the plateau before the next blows came. His prayer went unheeded, as Grant dropped heavily on his back, forcing him back to the ground and knocking the wind out of him.

“You took nine years of my life from me,” Luthor was ranting angrily from somewhere behind him. He pulled the kryptonite spearhead from his pocket and continued, “Nine years stuck in that disgusting cage, wasting away with my brilliance intolerably restricted. Time to return the favor.”

Luthor grabbed Superman’s hair, and pulled his head back, forcing the Man of Steel to arch his back as he drove the kryptonite spearhead into it, which provoked a loud and anguished scream from Superman. Luthor laughed maniacally as he pulled the blade out, and stabbed him again, this time breaking the shiv off inside his back. Once Luthor released his grip on his hair, Superman fell heavily to the ground, and Luthor sneered, “You don’t look so super now.”

Grant and Reilly descended on him again, and this time Superman only had the energy for the feeblest attempt at defending himself, and settled for protecting his head with his arms. Oh, God. I’m not going to make it. And the Earth will pay the price for my failure.

-o-o-o-

Lois sighed in frustration and irritably said into the phone, “Dad, I can’t talk about it on an unsecured line – you’re just going to have to trust me on this. We’ll explain everything after this is over.”

“What do you expect me to do?” Sam Lane complained.

“I don’t know – find a way to keep Daniels’ superiors from giving him the fifth degree if his report’s a little light on our rescue,” Lois suggested. “Run interference for him until we can explain everything. Dad, if this gets out we may all have to go into hiding.”

“What have you gotten yourself into?” Sam pressed.

“It’s not like that,” Lois protested. “It’s just that if certain people knew about it – including some of your friends in the military – they could get some bad ideas in their heads and cause a lot of trouble for us.”

The discussion was abruptly interrupted by Kara tearful cry, “They’re hurting Dad!” She lunged towards the door, but remained held in her seat by the seatbelt and instead pulled the whole plane to the right.

“Hey! You’re pulling us off course!” Richard complained.

Kara suddenly remembered her seatbelt, and unbuckled it, and a moment later, she had opened the door and flown out.

“Kara!” Lois hollered.

“Who was that? What’s going on there?” Sam demanded.

Lois switched off the phone and shouted, “Kara Allura Zor-El Kent! You get your rear end back here this instant!” Lois unbuckled her seatbelt and stood facing backwards between the two front seats. A beat later, she added, “Your feet better be back on the floor of this plane by the time I count to three! One… Two… Thr–”

“But they’re hurting Dad,” Kara complained tearfully, suddenly standing in front of Lois.

Lois knelt down in front of the little girl and asked sternly, “If they can hurt him, what do you think they’d do to you?” Kara’s sobs grew stronger, and Lois pulled her into her arms, rubbing her back as she gently told her, “Kryptonite is as deadly to you and Jason as it is to your dad and I don’t want you getting hurt… But it doesn’t affect Richard and me the same way. We can try to help. You just need to show us where he is. Do you think you can do that?”

Kara nodded against Lois’ shoulder and said, “But we gotta hurry!”

“Okay,” Lois promised her. “Shut that door, and then come up front with me.” Lois returned to her seat, and looked over at Richard, who was staring back at her with a wide-eyed expression. Lois told him, “We need to turn around.”

-o-o-o-

Alex Daniels sat in one of the side seats near the rear of the Navy Osprey, frustrated by their failure to locate the two fugitives from yacht, Stanford Harris and Katherine Kowalski. Superman had identified their location on a ledge relative to the float plane’s location. However, he’d never provided coordinates for the plane and their search had located neither the missing criminals nor the ledge they were supposedly sheltering on. It didn’t help that new peaks were continually emerging from the sea, many of them at odd angles. They’d been forced to abandon the search when the distress call came in from the other Osprey.

They were finally approaching the site where the other aircraft went down and Daniels reflected on the afternoon’s most spectacular event while he observed his men standing ready to pull the other SEAL team from the water. He was determined to keep his report accurate while still keeping his word to Superman’s family and protecting the two very special young children who had saved his life. His thoughts turned to his own family, and he was sure that if the roles had been reversed, he and his wife would protect their two-year-old son every bit as fiercely as Lois Lane was trying to protect hers. What the hell am I going to put in my report? he wondered.

Daniels was distracted from his thoughts when one of the men hollered, “Here we go!” Ramsey was at the top of the ramp with Peterson, waiting to help their comrades in arms aboard once the aircraft was in position. Razor had just strapped on a safety line and plugged his headset into a jack in the rear. As Daniels heard the muffled navigation instructions that were guiding the Osprey to the life rafts in the water, he rose from his seat, clipping on a safety line as he joined the men at the ramp. Just as he stopped at the top of the ramp, Razor turned to him and informed him, “We’ve got a priority message for you up front, Lieutenant.”

Daniels quickly marched to the front of the craft, leaving the other men to their duty. There was a comm station just behind the cockpit wall, and the man assigned there handed him a printout with the new orders. “It’s flagged urgent, sir,” the seaman told him.

Daniels paled when he read the startling message. They had identified Luthor’s location, but not before the maniac had taken down Superman. Army Blackhawks were deploying a platoon of rangers against Luthor, while the combined SEAL squads were charged with Superman’s safe extraction. They were to join the effort as soon as the rest of the SEALs were aboard.

Daniels sprinted to the back of the Osprey, forgetting his safety line in his haste. At the rear, he found Peterson and Ramsey venturing down the ramp to help pull the first life raft onto the ramp. The two men grabbed the straps around the perimeter of the raft, and pulled it firmly against the ramp. “Got it!” Ramsey declared.

The occupants began slowly pouring out of the raft’s tent opening and Daniels harshly demanded, “Come on, everyone out! Let’s get a move on it!”

“What’s got you so wound up, Daniels?” someone asked.

Daniels looked over and recognized the commander of the other SEAL squad, his friend, Lieutenant Henry Marufo, who was just stepping out of the raft and onto the ramp. Daniels somberly informed him, “It just came over the wire – they found Luthor, and he’s taken down the Man of Steel. Command wants Luthor captured and Superman safely extracted, if possible. So are you just going to stand there and let those Army helo crews have all the fun, or are your men going to get a move on?”

Marufo pressed the button on his throat mike and said urgently, “Grizzly team, Grizzly leader. We have new orders, and we leave in two minutes, so get these rafts unloaded!” The men from the Grizzly squad immediately responded to the command, and practically jumped out onto the aircraft’s rear ramp as they emptied the first raft.

-o-o-o-

Richard was overwhelmed by the afternoon’s events. Not only had he discovered that his mild-mannered romantic rival was actually Superman, and not only had Jason inherited the hero’s abilities, but he was also now racing to the man’s rescue. It was really never in question that he’d go back for him. Richard wasn’t about to stand by and let the little girl get orphaned a second time – she needed her father. The world needed him, too. Richard couldn’t ignore that, no matter what it meant for his relationship with Lois. How does an ordinary man compete with Superman? he pondered. He wondered if it was even possible.

Richard returned his attention to the plane, where he was coaxing every last bit of the six hundred horsepower rating from the engine, pushing it forward at one hundred fifty-eight knots. He briefly glanced over to the co-pilot’s seat where Kara had cuddled up against Lois after pointing out their heading. She’d stopped crying but still had a very worried expression on her face as she sat quietly on her lap. Jason, not wanting to be left out, was standing in the aisle beside his mother and sister, tightly gripping the back of their seat.

”We’re not going fast enough!” Kara suddenly said urgently.

Richard glanced over at her and told her sympathetically, “Kara, we’re already flying as fast as this plane can go.”

“I could get out and push,” Kara said innocently.

Richard stared back at her in surprise and thought, Did she just say what I thought she said? Then he realized that Kara’s statement had been serious.

Lois had also recognized the sincerity of the little girl’s words and there was no trace of humor on her face as she firmly said, “Kara, you’re staying inside this plane. If your dad’s hurt, that means there’s kryptonite around, and I don’t want to take a chance on you getting hurt too, and falling from the sky.” Lois softened her tone and added, “It was sweet of you to offer, though.”

“What if I push from inside the plane?” Kara asked insistently.

Lois and looked back at Richard wide-eyed, mirroring his expression. After a moment of thought, Richard broke the silence and said, “Just how fast does she fly?”

“Hypersonic,” Lois answered simply.

Richard blinked and returned his gaze forward. “Amazing,” he said quietly. He sighed and looked back at Lois, telling her, “Well, it’d rip the plane apart if she tried to push us that fast… but we can handle a little push. The seat brackets are probably strong enough, if she speeds up gradually and keeps it subsonic.”

“Okay,” Kara agreed quickly. She climbed off Lois’ lap, inspecting the seats for a place to grab them.

“Grab the front brackets at the floor – and wait until I say so before you start pushing,” Richard directed her.

Jason scooted around his sister and claimed her seat on his mother’s lap while Kara grabbed the seat brackets as Richard had instructed her, flattening herself on the floor of the plane. “I’m ready,” she said eagerly.

“Okay, let’s start slowly,” Richard said anxiously. He was suddenly pushed back into his seat as Kara accelerated the plane forward.

-o-o-o-

Luthor chortled with glee as he observed his prone nemesis. Superman’s strength had eroded precipitously after planting the blade of Hagan’s spear in his back. It wasn’t quite as spectacular as he had planned, without the shiv still attached to the shaft, but that hadn’t impaired Luthor’s delight in the results. He and his men had continued working him over afterwards, and the cursed alien was no longer moving.

“Hold on a minute,” Luthor commanded. Grant and Reilly obediently backed off, and Luthor squatted down beside the fallen Man of Steel. “You haven’t died on us already, have you?” Luthor asked sarcastically. “The fun was just getting started.” He reached over and pressed against the broken shiv still in Superman’s back, provoking a sharp scream.

“Ah, good, you are still alive,” Luthor said with false delight. “We wouldn’t want you to die before the grand finale.” Superman’s only reply was a moan, and Luthor added, “But you will die. And you’ll die knowing that everything and everyone you care about is about to be destroyed, too. And you’ll know it’s your fault. It never would have happened if you hadn’t come to this world.”

Superman weakly flailed his arms in front of him, clawing at the ground in a futile attempt to pull himself away from the madman.

Luthor looked up at Grant and Reilly and said, “I think we’re ready. Get him on his feet.”

The two men each grabbed an arm and roughly pulled him up, dragging him to the edge before turning him around to face Luthor. Superman remained limp between them, his head slumped against his chest. “Oh, we can’t have that,” Luthor declared. He lifted Superman’s head up by the hair and brutally slapped him. “Try to stay awake a little while longer. Your big moment’s almost here.”

Superman looked up at him with dull eyes and feebly asked, “What else do you want?”

“Just this,” Luthor replied, and he violently swung his fist into Superman’s face, knocking him back and momentarily freeing him from Grant and Reilly’s grasp before he plummeted over the edge of the precipice. Luthor raised his hands above his head in victory and shouted, “The Twilight of the Gods has arrived!”

He lowered his arms and watched in joyful excitement as his enemy fell into the sea. However, after watching Superman struggle in the waves for a moment, the victory celebration was cut short by the sound of jets flying nearby. Luthor looked up, searching for the planes unsuccessfully and concluding that he would be a sitting duck if the military showed up before he recovered the missing crystals. He abruptly cut short his observations and marched to the helicopter, harshly commanding, “Grant, pack up the camera, and make it quick. We have unfinished business on the yacht.”

[ Chapter 43 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 45 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 43 - Damage Control

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:04:24 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 43 - 4,627; Total - 180,475
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 42 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 44 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 43 – Damage Control

Thursday, October 5, 2006 4:25PM EDT
Lois looked worriedly between Richard and Lieutenant Daniels as the yacht’s stern half fell towards the clouds beneath them. This is so out of control, she thought apprehensively. Bad enough for Richard to know, but if the military gets wind of this…

“Oh, my God,” Richard murmured breathlessly. “The kids… They’re Superman’s.”

Los glared at him, and irritably replied, “Tell me about it.”

“Um, why’d they bring us so high up?” Daniels asked tentatively.

“So the men in the water wouldn’t see us,” Kara answered sweetly. “Our Dad said not to let anyone see us using powers.”

“That means you don’t breathe one word about these kids to a living soul!” Lois added adamantly.

“Ma’am?” Daniels began. However, his question was suddenly interrupted by a thunderous explosion and bright orange fireball lighting up the clouds beneath them. A moment later, they heard the roar of jet engines nearby.

“They blew up the boat!” Jason exclaimed in wonder.

Lois looked over at her son, her eyes widening in amazement at the sight and she though, My God, Jason’s flying! This wasn’t supposed to happen until puberty. Aloud, she excitedly demanded, “Someone, please tell me they’re not shooting at us.”

“You’re probably showing up on radar, but I doubt you were the target,” a deep baritone answered from beneath her.

Lois hadn’t heard Superman’s approach, and she glowered at him as he held up Kara’s missing shoe and slipped it on the little girl’s foot. “Might have been nice if you’d been here five minutes ago,” Lois said harshly.

“Sorry I didn’t get her sooner, but I kind of had my hands full,” he informed her simply. He finished tying Kara’s shoe and floated up to eye level with Lois and Richard. His eyes locked onto the bruise on her jaw and he tenderly asked, “Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

“Oh, this is unbelievable,” Richard mumbled crossly as he stared at Superman.

“Richard, please! Not now!” Lois snapped. She turned back to Superman and said, “So what just happened down there?”

“Some Navy F-18s put a few missiles into what was left of the yacht,” Superman answered. He reached his arm around Lois’ back, pulling her to him as he told his daughter, “I’ve got her, Kara. You can let go now.”

“Why are they shooting down a yacht?” Lois asked irritably.

“I don’t think they ever got a good enough look at it to realize what it was,” Superman replied. He floated over to Richard, and grabbed him around the waist. “I’ve got him,” Superman said somberly. Kara released her grip and floated down to them.

“Clark,” Richard began quietly.

“Richard!” Lois hissed, glaring at him angrily. I don’t believe he just used Clark’s name in front of Daniels. What is he thinking? God, how are we ever going to reel this back under control?

“This isn’t the place for a private discussion,” Superman told Richard firmly. The other man nodded his acquiescence and Superman turned back to Lois, telling her, “From the sound of it, they spotted the kids on radar – in fact they both nearly collided with an Osprey that was pulling some men from the water.”

“But we didn’t run into it,” Jason protested.

“I know that, son. But you did scare the pilots, and they called some of their friends for help,” Superman told him gently. He turned back to Lois and added, “They thought the kids were incoming missiles. When the F-18s flew in for air support, they wouldn’t have recognized the radar signature from half of a three-hundred foot yacht turned on its end and a mile up in the air. They probably thought it was a weapons platform associated with that monstrosity below us–”

“So they blew it up,” Lois finished for him.

“Lucky for us that the little girl dropped the ship,” Daniels commented. His expression suddenly grew worried, and he added urgently, “Wait. My men are still down there beneath that thing.”

“They’re fine,” Superman assured him. “I nudged the yacht a bit before the missiles hit, so it won’t come anywhere near them.” He focused his deep vision on the man’s dog tags and asked tentatively, “Lieutenant Daniels, is it?”

“Yes, sir,” Daniels answered. “Lieutenant Alex Daniels, United States Navy.”

“Well, we’re going to need to talk about this later–” Superman began seriously.

“No one can know about the kids,” Lois interrupted insistently.

“How about a change of venue before we get started on that?” Superman suggested calmly. “There’s a lot of air traffic out here, and I don’t want to chance anyone else seeing the kids like this.”

“Let’s go, then,” Lois consented.

Superman turned to his daughter and told her, “Kara, I want you to take Lieutenant Daniels from Jason.”

“I won’t drop him,” Jason protested.

“I’m sure the lieutenant is delighted to hear that, but I still want your sister to take over now,” Superman said seriously. “It’s not comfortable for people to be held up by their wrists like that for very long.”

“Oh. All right,” Jason said agreeably.

“Kara, hold on to Lieutenant Daniels just like I’m holding Lois and Richard,” Superman explained patiently. “Keep one of his arms over your shoulders, and hold him firmly around the waist… But not too tightly. Be very careful.”

“Dad, I know,” Kara complained, rolling her eyes. “We’ve been practicing, like, every day.”

Superman frowned at her response and said sternly, “We can do without that attitude, young lady.”

The scolding was interrupted by Daniels, who couldn’t resist chuckling at their interaction. “If you think it’s bad now, just image what it will be like when she’s a teenager,” he said mirthfully, which provoked a snort from Lois.

“I can hardly wait,” Superman deadpanned. “Kara, are you all set?”

“Got him,” she assured her father.

“Good. Now, Jason, come over here and grab onto me.”

“But I can fly now,” Jason whined.

“Oh, and you’re doing a wonderful job,” Superman assured him patiently. “But flying takes lots of practice, just like playing the piano. And while you’re still learning, you need someone around to help in case you run into trouble. Son, your sister and I both have our hands full right now, so you need to let me do the flying this time. I’ll take you up for practice after this is all over.”

“But I wanna do it!” Jason insisted.

“Jason, we don’t have time for this!” Lois replied harshly. “Now, do as your father says and get over here!”

Jason’s shoulders dropped, and he pouted as he reluctantly floated over to his parents.

“Wrap your arms around my neck and hang on really tight,” Superman told him. Jason complied, and both Lois and Richard wrapped their free arms firmly behind the little boy’s back.

Superman turned to his daughter and said, “Kara, stay close. We’re going to fly down to Richard’s sea plane, but there are a couple bad people on a ledge fifteen hundred feet on the other side of it and I don’t want them seeing us.”

“Who’s down there?” Lois wanted to know.

“Katherine Kowalski and Stanford Harris,” Superman replied somberly. “Looks like Harris has a broken nose.”

Daniels chuckled and said, “He underestimated Miss Lane.”

“Well, that’s always a mistake,” Superman commented mirthfully. “All right, let’s go. And Kara, if you need to brake against my back, make sure Lieutenant Daniels doesn’t get caught between us.”

“Okay.”

Superman dropped through the clouds and banked into a wide diving turn, firmly holding his passengers close to him and frequently glancing over his shoulder to check on Kara, who maintained a distance of just a few feet behind him. A moment later, they were hovering beside Richard’s seaplane and Lois opened the door, stepping inside as Superman released her. The rest of the group quickly filed in behind her.

“Jason, Kara… Sit down and get your seatbelts on,” Lois insisted.

“Do they really need those?” Daniels asked curiously.

“Would you want them accidentally flying into you if you hit turbulence?” Lois asked sharply. She turned to Daniels and insistently demanded, “Lieutenant, you’re going to give us your word that you will never tell anyone about our kids.”

“Why is that a problem? They’re remarkable,” Daniels replied inquisitively.

“Because they’re just kids, and I want them to stay just kids for a few more years,” Lois declared adamantly. “They shouldn’t have to face a gauntlet of paparazzi at the front door of their school. They should be enjoying their childhood, enjoying the same things as other kids their age – things like Sponge Bob and Barbie, dressing up for Halloween, or rushing downstairs on Christmas morning to see what Santa left under the tree. Or maybe just playing with their friends.”

“Of course,” Daniels said.

“And that’s before even considering the grave danger that those of us in the family who don’t have superpowers would be exposed to if people knew about us – if Superman’s enemies knew about us,” Lois added somberly. Oh, God. Luthor knows about the kids, she remembered.

She paused for a moment and added, “Our family also happens to include a three-star Army General.”

“Your father – Lieutenant General Sam Lane, with the Pentagon,” Daniels replied. At Lois' surprised expression Daniels added, “That information was included in our pre-mission briefing to emphasize the importance of your successful extraction.”

Was it, now, Lois thought. That might be useful. She decided to bluff and pointedly said, “Well, my father won’t be happy to find out that you know about his grandkids. They’re officially Top Secret – more secret than the Manhattan Project was during World War II. And I seriously doubt any of your commanders are on the ‘need to know’ list… Lieutenant, no one can find out about my kids.”

“Then, no one will, ma’am,” Daniels replied sincerely. “Not for any military reason, but because a person’s family is sacred, off limits. I wouldn’t want my enemies coming after my family, and as one parent to another, I promise you that no one will find out about yours from me. You’ve earned your privacy.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Lois stated quietly.

“You’re welcome, ma’am.”

Lois then turned to Richard and declared insistently, “The same goes for you, Richard. You take this to the grave.”

“Did you really think you had to tell me that?” Richard asked sadly. “Lois, I’d never say or do anything to put you guys in jeopardy. You should have known that by now.”

Lois looked back at Richard with a guilty expression and said quietly. “I know. And I’m sorry. I… I just can’t take chances with this.”

“Lieutenant?” Superman gently interrupted. “I can take you back to your men now.”

“Kal-El, wait,” Lois said urgently. “Luthor knows about the kids.”

“What?” Superman squeaked. “Are you sure?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Something happened on the ship,” Lois said quietly.

“What happened?” Superman prodded.

Lois sighed and then said, “One of Luthor’s goons attacked me and the kids stopped him. Kara shielded me with her body and Jason… Jason threw a piano at him.”

“A piano?” Richard asked doubtfully. “You don’t mean–”

“I mean a full size concert grand that was bolted to the floor,” Lois explained irritably. “He picked it up and threw it.”

“He squished him,” Kara added, involuntarily shuddering at the memory.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said tearfully.

“Jason, it’s okay,” Lois reassured him, kneeling down in front of him and squeezing his hands. “You haven’t mastered your powers yet, and you didn’t know your own strength. Your dad will help you with that.”

“We need to get you and the kids out of here,” Superman declared urgently. “Richard, can you get them back to the safe house?”

“If I can get in the air, but it won’t be easy to take off with it this choppy,” Richard pointed out.

“I’ll get you started,” Superman promised. “Start up the plane.”

-o-o-o-

Richard felt numb as he went through the preflight check, and it had nothing to do with the cool air against his soaked skin. It came from the realization that he’d been trying to compete with a superhero for Lois’ affections – a superhero who was also the father of her child. It was mind-boggling and would take some time to sort through – time he didn’t have at the moment. Despite the revelation, they were still his family and still in danger. He had to get them to safety first. There’d be time to try to wrap his head around the startling discoveries later.

He pushed the thoughts aside and completed the startup procedure, bringing the Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine to life. He throttled forward, and gasped in surprise when he felt the plane lifted above the waves and pushed forward with enough acceleration to force him back into his seat. When the acceleration let up, Richard set course for home and began a slow climb to a cruising altitude.

“Maybe it’d be a good idea to stay below the clouds, with all those trigger happy fighter jocks flying around,” Lois suggested.

Richard nodded absently, and leveled out his ascent before chancing a glance over a Lois, who was regarding him very warily. “Lois?” Richard prodded.

She sighed and looked away. “This situation is rapidly spiraling out of control,” she complained. “We were supposed to have more time. And no one else was supposed to find out about the kids. Not some naval officer we just met, and certainly not Lex Luthor.”

“Maybe you’d better give your dad a call, see if he can help clamp the lid down on this,” Richard suggested.

Lois eyes flew wide as she looked back at him and muttered, “You can’t be serious.”

“He doesn’t really know about the kids, does he?”

“No,” Lois said simply.

“Daniels seems sincere, but it might still be a good idea for your dad to line up some big guns in case one of Daniels’s superiors thinks his report’s a little too vague in areas and turns the screws,” Richard pointed out.

“What? I can’t tell my dad about this. He’d freak.”

“I know you two don’t always get along, but he’s still family, he still loves you, and he adores Jason,” Richard argued. “Lois, he’ll be on our side.”

“Even if I wanted to, I don’t have his number with me,” Lois countered. “I left my cell phone in the rental, which was parked in the Vanderworth’s garage when the place went up in smoke.”

Richard reached into the side pocket of his seat, and pulled out the satellite phone. He handed it to Lois and said, “Perry should have the number. He called your dad earlier.”

Lois sighed irritably and said insistently, “It’s not my secret to tell.”

“So we have to discuss this with Clark first?”

They were both suddenly surprised by the typewriter ring tone coming from the cell phone still attached to Richard’s belt. “Sounds like you just got a text message,” Lois observed.

“That’s… impossible,” Richard muttered incredulously. “My cell phone was hit by the EMP and soaked in the Atlantic and even if that hadn’t happened, we’re still too far out for any hope of a cell signal.”

“Did you forget about that ‘upgrade’ Clark did for you?” Lois asked harshly. “That may look like your old cell phone but it’s not. It’s a very well camouflaged Kryptonian communicator.”

Richard eyes were wide as he flipped open the phone and he snorted mirthlessly at the message from Clark: “We need to tell Lois’ dad, but not over the phone. She should still call, see what he can do. We’ll explain to him later. ”

He handed the phone to Lois, and she immediately rolled her eyes and huffed, before irritably muttering, “Thanks a lot, farm boy.”

The phone chirped with another incoming text message from Clark: “You’re welcome.”

-o-o-o-

Perry pushed his way through the Concord Street crowd, escorted by Jimmy and his two bodyguards. They were heading in the general direction he’d seen Ron Troupe go when the younger man ran after Kent’s kids. Perry had been surprised at just how quickly the children had moved through the crowd and sincerely hoped that Troupe could catch up with them. After promising their father that they’d look out for them, the last thing he needed was for them to turn up missing.

They were nearly up to Restaurant Row when Jimmy spotted Ron, pointing him out in the alley where he was leaning against one of the stoops and staring up at the sky with a wide-eyed, flabbergasted expression on his face. “Troupe,” Perry called out brusquely. “What the hell’s going on?”

Ron’s head snapped around towards the others and his demeanor immediately turned nervous. “Um, nothing,” he replied anxiously. “Just catching my breath.”

“No sign of the kids?” Perry pressed worriedly.

“Oh, um, the kids… They’re… um, they’re not here,” Ron stammered, and his gaze unconsciously returned to the sky.

Why’s he staring up at the sky? Perry wondered. Troupe wouldn’t be this shell-shocked if Superman collected the kids, would he? Or are they more like their father than I imagined? He turned to Jimmy and his bodyguards and instructed them, “Give us some privacy.” As the others retreated out of the alley, Perry walked over and stood immediately in front of Ron. “Look at me, Troupe,” Perry demanded. “Tell me what you see.”

“Um, the EIC of the Daily Planet,” Ron answered apprehensively.

“And you also see an old man drenched to the skin and freezing his ass off on a mild October day,” Perry corrected. “The reason said old man has not changed into the dry clothes he has at the Planet is because he promised a certain someone that he’d look after his young children – two children who are no longer anywhere in sight. The same kids I thought you were chasing after. And now I find you taking a breather in an alley, mysteriously unconcerned with their disappearance.”

“I’m sure they’re around somewhere, Perry,” Ron muttered.

“The question is where?” Perry replied insistently. “Troupe, you’re a good man… but not a very good liar. Especially not when I’ve seen you at some of Lois’ and Richard’s family reunions when you thought one of the kids was too close to the river. You’re a bit of a worry wart. I saw that upstairs when Kara had her little meltdown earlier and again when the kids ran off. But I don’t see that now. What’s going on?”

“Um, nothing, Perry,” Ron answered defensively.

“Troupe,” Perry said impatiently.

“It’s difficult to put into words,” Ron muttered evasively.

“Especially when you don’t want to tell me what really happened,” Perry added knowingly.

“Perry, I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply,” Ron said apprehensively.

Perry looked intently at the younger man and reminded himself, I have to be careful with this. I don’t want to spill the beans if he hasn’t already figured this out. Aloud, he said, “Let’s at least be honest with each other here, Troupe. Something happened that you don’t think I should know about – something that also makes you think you don’t need to worry about the kids.”

“You’re reading an awful lot between the lines,” Ron objected.

“We’re journalists! That what we’re supposed to do!” Perry pointed out gruffly. He let out a deep sigh and paused for a moment before turning and leaning against the stoop beside Ron. He then somberly told him, “Under normal circumstances, we could beat around this bush all night and pretend that we don’t know what we know. But things aren’t normal right now. For one thing, there are two young children loose somewhere, and I don’t want to tell either of their parents that they went missing on my watch.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Perry,” Ron interjected.

“Care to share why you’re so sure about that?”

“Um,” Ron began cautiously. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but snapped it shut each time without saying a word.

“Can’t bring yourself to say it,” Perry stated irritably. He pitched his voice low and said, “All right, let me tell you what I think. I think we’re both protecting a secret. Maybe even the same secret. But neither of us knows that for sure, and neither of us wants to be the one to spill the beans if that’s not the case. And I have a better poker face that you do – you’re not sure if I really know the secret, or if I’m bluffing to try to trick you into spilling it.”

“Something like that,” Ron admitted.

“Well, if we’re going to track down these kids, one of us is going to need to make a leap of faith,” Perry declared sternly.

“Perry, I’m not sure what you want me to say,” Ron protested.

“And you’re too loyal to Kent to give up his secret,” Perry whispered. Ron eyes grew impossibly wide and Perry thought, Bingo. He saw the kids do something ‘super’. Based on the way he’s been staring up at the sky, I have a hunch on what that was. The older man was silent for a moment, before pitching his voice low and asking, “Were they both flying or was Kara doing all the lifting?”

“Perry!” Ron exclaimed. “You know about–”

“Keep your voice down!” Perry interrupted in a loud whisper. After a brief pause, he added, “That was it, wasn’t it? You saw a couple flying munchkins and finally figured out what Kent really does when he pulls a disappearing act on us.”

Ron nodded and whispered, “How long have you known?”

Perry wasn’t about to admit he’d just figured it out himself. Instead, he harrumphed and said, “I’m a lot more observant than some of you give me credit for. You really think I couldn’t see past a pair of glasses?”

“I didn’t and I’ve spent a lot more time around him,” Ron pointed out.

“I’ve got a newsroom full of journalists who are supposed to be the finest in the world, and with one possible exception, nobody saw past a simple pair of glasses,” Perry complained. “I should fire the whole lot and start over.”

“You can’t mean that, Perry.”

Perry was quiet for a moment and then admitted, “Actually, it’s probably for the best that they haven’t figured it out.” He looked at Ron intently and adamantly added, “We’re protecting this secret. And that means you don’t discuss this with anyone. Especially not at the office – assume the place is bugged. And we cover for Kent, if he needs us to.”

“You got it, Chief” Ron agreed eagerly. “Does anyone else know? Besides Lois, I mean.”

“Not that I know of,” Perry replied pensively. “Oh, and don’t you dare tell either of them that I know about this.”

“Chief?” Ron replied curiously. “What’s the harm in letting them know that you know?”

“It’s easier this way,” Perry replied enigmatically. Further discussion on the topic was interrupted by the ringing of his satellite phone. He fished it out of his inside jacket pocket and checked the display before answering, “Richard? I hope you have some good news.”

“Actually, it’s not Richard. It’s Lois.”

“Well, it’s about time, Lane! Sawyer’s none too pleased about your impromptu trip over to the Vanderworth place this afternoon, by the way. Neither am I. We’ve got the biggest news day of the millennium, and my two most productive reporters have been AWOL all afternoon. When can I expect you to get the story in on whatever it was that happened out there?”

“I’ll get it in as soon as I can… Perry, Richard said you called my dad earlier. Do you still have the number with you? I need to get a hold of him.”

“Hold on. I’ll check the redial list,” Perry replied. He fiddled with the menus on his phone for a moment, and then said, “Got it. You ready?”

“Go ahead.”

“703 555-1207.”

“Thanks, Perry. By the way, if you see Ron, would you let him know that Clark’s got the kids?”

“So what am I now, an answering service?” Perry complained brusquely.

“Sorry, Perry, but there aren’t many working numbers right now,” Lois reminded him. “Clark’s is working, and so is Richard’s, so he was able to call through just now. He thinks that maybe Ron thought he was supposed to be watching the kids, but he couldn’t find him to verify that. If I know Ron, he’ll be worried sick if he thinks the munchkins disappeared on him.”

“Well, Troupe’s around here somewhere. If I see him, I’ll let him know,” Perry answered gruffly.

“Thanks, Perry. Gotta go.”

“Good bye, Lois.”

“That was Lois? She’s okay?” Ron asked hopefully.

“Yes, and so are the kids,” Perry confirmed. “She said that they’re with Kent.”

“What a relief,” Ron said cheerfully. He lowered his voice to a whisper and added, “Did she say how Clark managed to tell her that, given that all the phones are out?”

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around, Troupe,” Perry commented. “She said that Clark and Richard’s phones were both still working. Don’t know how much of that is true, and we know Kent’s got way too much on his plate this afternoon to take time out to watch the kids. He probably left them with Lois, but how did they explain that to Richard, after I told him they were here? I suspect that there’s more to the story there than we’ll ever find out from Lois.”

“Oh, Geez. I almost forgot about Richard,” Ron observed. “Things haven’t been easy for him lately.”

“No, they haven’t, but the writing’s been on the wall for a long time. There’s nothing we can do about it except hope it doesn’t get ugly when Lois finally leaves him.”

“You really think their problems are that serious?” Ron asked skeptically. “I know Jason’s paternity threw them for a loop, but they’ve always seemed so good together.”

“Maybe as ‘friends with benefits’, but ‘happily ever after’ was never in the cards for them,” Perry explained somberly. “Lois’ heart was never in it and you had to be blind not to see that she really wasn’t interested in marrying Richard. But he never saw that. His head was buried in the sand these past six years, seeing what he wanted to see and thinking it was meant to be. Well, the feeling wasn’t mutual. Lois never thought it would last and planned for it accordingly. And now Kent’s back, which I think is the catalyst that’s forcing Lois and Richard to confront the problems that have been there all along. I serious doubt that they’ll still be together come Thanksgiving. Hell, they’ll be lucky to make it to Halloween.”

“That’s not quite how I saw things between those two,” Ron objected.

“Just because they didn’t seem to be fighting before Kent got back doesn’t mean there wasn’t trouble,” Perry pointed out. “Troupe, can we discuss this some other time? I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

“Oh. Sorry, Perry,” Ron replied quietly.

“Now, let’s get our story straight… If anyone asks, Kent picked up the kids…”

“Why, yes he did. In fact, I just ran into him a few minutes ago,” Ron added. “He’s probably still around here somewhere if you’re looking for him, but you’d better hurry if you want to catch him. I think they were about to head home.”

“Troupe, you’re still a lousy liar, but that’s a start… Now that that’s settled, I’m getting the hell out of here and finding something dry to put on.”

[ Chapter 42 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 44 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 42 - Rescues and Surprises

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:09:46 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 42 - 4,853; Total - 175,848
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 41 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 43 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 42 – Rescues and Surprises

Thursday, October 5, 2006 4:15PM EDT
Perry pushed his way out onto the sidewalk in front of the Daily Planet and immediately started directing the evacuees to clear the area in front of the doors so the others could get out. He quickly looked around Planet Plaza, confirming his suspicion that the other buildings in the area were also evacuating, which accounted for the crush of people on the sidewalks and spilling onto the street. Even though it should have already been early into the evening rush, the road traffic was non-existent, with the streets still clogged with cars and trucks disabled by the EMP. Last time, Superman had this mess cleared already by the time we walked outside, Perry thought pensively.

Perry gaze fell upon Jimmy Olsen, who was climbing up on top of one of the disabled vehicles and taking pictures of the crowd. Perry reflected that Jimmy had come a long way since starting with the paper as a part-time teenage gofer, and unlike some of the others, he still didn’t consider any of the mundane assignments around the office to be beneath him. Once the EMP hit, he gladly helped out as a Runner/Gofer without complaint, and Perry had been grateful for his presence. He was equally grateful for his photographer’s eye, which was certain to give the Planet some wonderful shots of the day’s extraordinary events – assuming they could find a way to publish it.

The Editor-In-Chief continued his observations of the tableau in the street, oblivious to the danger high overhead, where the exaggerated sway of the Planet building had wobbled the globe on top beyond the failure point of the column that supported it. The street side of the column finally buckled and it snapped when the mass of the globe tipped it towards the front of the building. The globe crushed the rooftop water tanks, spilling their contents in a waterfall over the edge of the roof. The globe came to a rest when it hit the half-wall at the building’s perimeter, although the reprieve was short-lived. It only took a minute for the normal sway of the skyscraper to dislodge the globe from its perch, rolling it over the edge and sending it plummeting towards the crowded street below.

The first indication of a problem came when the cold deluge from the crushed water tanks drenched the crowd. Perry’s breath hitched when it hit him, and he reflected that he’d probably never been so wet while fully clothed before. He then looked up for the source of the drenching and his eyes widened in horror when his eyes locked onto the falling globe. “Great Caesar’s Ghost,” he muttered quietly.

The shrill calls of “Help, Superman!” coming from the people around him broke Perry from his stupor, and he tore his gaze from the globe. With the crush of panicked people on the sidewalk, there was nowhere to run – nowhere to escape what barring some miracle would certainly be a deadly, crushing impact. How ironic if it ends like this, Perry thought. The Planet’s EIC, killed by the Daily Planet… What a headline that would be...

He returned his gaze to the deadly sphere in time to see a blue blur rush up beneath it, and Superman caught the globe barely fifty feet above the street. Its downward acceleration was abruptly slowed and the Man of Steel gently floated down, holding the globe above his head like Atlas holding up the world. The crowd remained completely silent during his descent and Perry noted that it was the first time in his memory that Concord Street had been so quiet, with the only sound that of the shutter click from Jimmy’s camera.

Superman’s feet touched the ground, and he looked at the crowd around him, still holding the globe above him. After a moment, he looked to his left and said authoritatively, “I need to set this down. Please move out of the way.” The people scrambled away as he tilted the globe, eventually laying it in the street and crushing a couple of the disabled cars in the process.

The Man of Steel rose back up to his full height, but his departure was interrupted by Jason Lane pulling on his hand, with his sister, Kara, standing right behind him. Superman looked down, and the little boy quietly said something that Perry wasn’t able to make out. The Man of Steel then knelt down in front of the children, blocking them from view as he whispered his response.

Perry walked over to the trio with the intended pretense of rounding up the children and strained his hearing to try to catch the conversation. As he walked over, he was struck by how casual their interaction seemed to be. He’d seen children around the Man of Steel before and they were always so excited and awestruck around the hero that they were barely articulate. However, neither of these two kids was so mesmerized – it was more like a chance encounter with a trusted family friend.

Perry finally closed the distance to the trio and tentatively interrupted, “Excuse me, Superman.”

Superman and Jason immediately looked up at him and the hero asked somberly, “Is everything all right, Mister White?”

Perry caught the smirk that briefly passed over the hero’s features before he masked his expression, most likely an amused reaction the thoroughly drenched Editor-In-Chief. Perry pushed back his annoyance and opened his mouth to speak, but as Kara squeezed past her brother and looked up at him, the editor-in-chief noticed something astonishing: three identical pairs of cerulean blue eyes staring back at him and three matching cleft chins. Perry’s eyes darted back at Superman and he finally saw Clark Kent through the façade. Suddenly, everything made sense. Oh, my God, Perry thought. A moment later he worried, I hope nobody else noticed that…

“Mister White?” Superman prodded in a concerned tone.

Perry quickly recovered and set his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, pitching his voice low as he insistently told him, “You need to get going. We’ll look after the kids.”

Superman regarded him warily for a moment before nodding his agreement, standing up and shooting up into the sky.

Perry corralled the two children in front of him, searched the crowd for Ron Troupe and found the reporter briskly walking over to him. He had apparently held back when the kids ran up to Superman. “Looks like the munchkins got away from you,” Perry commented as Ron joined them.

“I didn’t want to spoil their moment,” Ron countered pleasantly. He looked down at the kids and asked gently, “So what was that all about?”

“He didn’t save Mommy yet,” Jason complained sadly.

“He’s been really busy this afternoon, Jason,” Perry explained. “I’m sure he’ll get there as soon as he can.” Perry turned to Ron and said with false sternness, “Try to keep them out of trouble.”

“It won’t be easy to overcome Lois’ influence on them,” Ron joked. “Come on, kids.”

As Ron led the kids away, Perry’s gaze returned to the sky and he thought, Kent, you should get an Academy Award to go along with that Pulitzer you’ll probably get some day... Jesus, just what the hell am I supposed to do now? The story of the millennium just fell into my lap, but I can never tell a soul about it…

-o-o-o-

Jason’s eyes widened in fear when he saw the big globe from the top of the Planet falling towards them, but that fear turned to joy when his Daddy Clark flew up in his Superman suit to stop it. However, as soon as his father’s feet touched the ground, the little boy began to wonder about his mother. His Daddy Clark hadn’t brought her back with him. Was she still on the boat with the mean men?

Jason rushed over to Superman and his sister ran after him, reminding him that they weren’t supposed to bother their dad when he was busy as Superman. Jason ignored her, and tugged on Superman’s hand. When the Man of Steel looked down at him, Jason whispered apprehensively, “Did you save Mommy yet?”

Superman knelt down in front of him and pitched his voice low as he told him, “She’s still on the boat, but she’s okay. I just checked on her a few minutes ago, and it looks like your Grandpa Lane sent some people to help her.”

“But you said you’d bring her back,” Jason complained.

“Son, I’ll go get her as soon as I can, but there are a lot of people here who need my help, too, and some of them are in a lot more trouble than your mom. I need to help them. You’re going to need to be patient a little while longer.”

“Excuse me, Superman,” someone interrupted. Jason looked up and saw that it was his Uncle Perry.

“Is everything all right, Mister White,” Jason heard his Daddy Clark ask in his Superman voice.

Jason felt himself pushed against his father as Kara squeezed around behind him to see who it was. Uncle Perry suddenly got a funny expression on his face, just like when the water fell on him.

“Mister White?” Superman said anxiously.

“You need to get going. We’ll look after the kids.”

Daddy Clark flew back up into the sky a moment later, leaving Jason to worry about his mother.

“Looks like the munchkins got away from you,” he heard Uncle Perry say.

“I didn’t want to spoil their moment,” Uncle Ron told him. He stepped in front of Jason and kindly asked, “So what was that all about?”

“He didn’t save Mommy yet,” Jason answered sadly.

His Uncle Perry tried to explain that Superman was busy, but Jason wasn’t listening. He was remembering how mean the scary the men on the boat were. They said they would shoot Mommy – and she was still there. And Daddy Clark was taking too long to save her.

When Uncle Perry and Uncle Ron stopped to talk with Jimmy, Jason decided that he’d save his mother himself. He lifted his right arm just like Kara had shown him and prepared to fly back to the boat, but he’d only ascended a couple inches before Kara pulled him back down to the ground.

“You can’t fly off in front of everybody!” Kara hissed in an agitated whisper. “Remember what Dad said? Nobody’s supposed to see us using powers!”

“But we have to save Mommy!” Jason said adamantly.

“Not in front of everybody!” Kara insisted.

“Then how will we save her?” Jason whined.

Kara shrugged and said, “I don’t know. Dad always takes me somewhere where there aren’t any people around to do powers.”

“So where are we supposed to go?”

“I don’t know,” Kara admitted.

Jason pouted and looked back up to sky. Where could they go so that nobody would see them? He then remembered the dark and scary alley they walked by on the way to get burritos when his parents worked late. It was only a few blocks away. Jason smiled and declared, “I know somewhere!” He then turned and darted through the crowd towards the alley. Kara quickly caught up to him, and grabbed his hand as she ran behind him.

A moment later, Jason heard his Uncle Ron hollering after them, “Jason! Kara! Get back here!”

Jason didn’t stop. Instead, he ran faster – faster than most adults could run, which went miraculously unnoticed by the crowd. It helped that Kara’s grip on his hand kept him from exceeding the range of human speed. The two children weaved through the crowd, and in just a few minutes, they ran into the dark alley behind Restaurant Row. Jason came to a stop, pulling his hand from his sister’s grip and suddenly turning fearful of the things he’d always imagined were hiding in the alley.

“Is this it?” Kara asked, as she intruded on her brother’s imagination.

“Uh-huh,” Jason said anxiously. “Do you think it’s good enough?”

“I guess so,” Kara replied, shrugging her shoulders. She walked over to him, reaching out her arm as she said, “Here, I’ll help you.”

“I can do it!” Jason insisted.

“But you’re so slow – it will take too long to get there,” Kara complained. “At least let me get you get moving fast this time.”

Jason was about to object, before he remembered his fear for his mother and reluctantly agreed. “Okay, but once we’re going fast, let me do it,” he insisted.

Kara smiled sweetly, wrapping her arms securely around her brother and rocketing into the air, oblivious to the presence of Ron Troupe, who had just run into the alley after them and was now staring up at them in slack jawed amazement.

-o-o-o-

Lieutenant J.G. Peter “Bones” Hawkins piloted the Osprey on a speed descent towards the last known coordinates of Luthor’s yacht and his eyes widened in astonishment at the scene before him. The bow of the yacht was poking out from its perch two hundred feet above the sea, on top of a newly grown crystal peak that had emerged from the Kryptonian landmass spreading beneath the sea. The yacht was only there for a moment before it split into two, sending the bow section diving into the sea in front of him, with several people falling or diving away from it as it fell. “Jesus Christ!” Hawkins exclaimed.

“I don’t think he had anything to do with that, Bones,” muttered his baby-faced co-pilot, Ensign Antonio “Razor” Reyes.

Bones quickly lowered the aircraft towards the men in the sea, completing the transition to helicopter mode just as they reached the men. Meanwhile, Razor ran towards the back of the aircraft, securing himself to a safely line and reconnecting his headphones before leaning over the edge of the rear ramp. He looked out over the water and provided Hawkins with navigation instructions to guide the aircraft to the cluster of Navy SEALs waiting for them. Finally, they reached their target, and Razor began helping the men aboard the Osprey.

“What the hell happened?” Razor asked the first man to come aboard.

“Hell happened, sir,” Seaman Peterson answered him. Once on his feet, the SEAL turned around and began helping to pull his comrades aboard.

“We’re going to need a head count,” Bones shouted back.

“We need a head count,” Razor demanded of the boarding men.

“I’m on it, sir,” Ramsey replied as he climbed aboard. He pressed the mike button at his throat and said, “Wolf pack, wolf four. If you’re in the sea on the side of the mountain where the Osprey is, sound off.” Ramsey listened for the responses and a minute later, he activated his throat mike and asked, “Wolf five and Wolf twelve, Wolf four. What’s your position relative to the Osprey?”

“Where are the rest of your men?” Razor asked.

“Sir, we have two of them about a hundred yards to starboard and eight more on the other side of the mountain… hopefully,” Ramsey replied. “Let’s get these two pulled in and then on to the other side.”

A minute later, two more Navy SEALs were pulled out the water and the Osprey began its arc to the other side of peak, while two figures covertly observed them as they clung to a small ledge near the water line. “Okay, they’re gone,” Kitty declared between shattering teeth. “Can we get out of the water now, or are you afraid that Lois Lane will find us and beat you up again?”

Stanford shoved Kitty away from the ledge and hissed, “It wasn’t Lane. It was those damn Navy SEALs.”

“And they just happened to break your nose just like she broke Reilly’s,” Kitty retorted skeptically as she swam back to the ledge and helped her Pomeranian out of the water.

“You know, it’s not too late for you to go down with the ship,” Stanford warned. He pulled himself up onto the ledge and slid back against the crystal crag.

“Lex wouldn’t like that,” Kitty replied confidently.

“But I would, and I’d be doing him a favor.”

Kitty pulled herself up onto the ledge and pulled Tala onto her lap, wisely choosing not to tempt fate and holding her tongue while the pair waited for Luthor and the others to return.

-o-o-o-

The stern half of the yacht Alexander the Great ripped free from the ship’s forward section and plummeted into the sea, slowing significantly on impact, but still continuing its descent as the sea quickly filled its internal passages and pulled it down. Three life rafts popped to the surface almost immediately after impact, once the hydrostatic bindings holding the canisters to their cradles fifty feet behind the break were forced open by the water pressure. Several of the Navy SEALs also appeared shortly after impact, having released their gear and raced to the surface, just as they’d been trained.

Inside the yacht, the sudden drop had caught all three of the pantry’s occupants by surprise, shaking them from their handholds and footholds. Lieutenant Daniels lost his grip and fell from the doorway, colliding with Lois and Richard, dislodging them from their precarious positions on the pantry cabinets and sending all three them to the far wall. The impact with the sea had forced the door to swing shut from its momentum, but had also dampened the impact with the rear wall for the occupants.

“Oh, this day just keeps getting better,” Lois mumbled sarcastically.

Daniels was immediately aware of the cold assault on his back from the water that was already seeping in. He leapt to his feet, turned to the others and asked, “You two all right?”

“We’re okay,” Richard assured him. “We just need to get out of here.”

“No argument there, flyboy,” Daniels agreed and he scrambled up the pantry cabinets with Lois and Richard right behind him, barely outracing the rising water inside the compartment. Daniels finally reached the top and opened the door, pushing up through the doorway and surveying the rough seas around them. He was grateful to see some of his men climbing into life rafts. However, his observation was cut short when a rogue wave caught the open door and violently shoved it closed against him and sent him splashing back into the water at the opposite end just as the yacht’s aft section slipped beneath the waves.

“Daniels!” Richard hollered after him.

The SEAL’s head popped up above the water and he declared, “I’m fine.”

“So tell me… do you special ops guys really jump out of perfectly good aircraft, or do you actually fall out?” Richard teased.

“Knock it off you two,” Lois chastised. “I need some help with the door. I can’t get it open.”

“It’s the difference in pressure,” Daniels declared. “We need to equalize it before we’ll get the door open.” He climbed up to the door and lifted his sidearm up above the water. “Move back, and take a deep breath. I’m going to shoot out the window.”

After Lois and Richard moved away from the door towards the ceiling end of the pantry, Daniels braced his feet on the cabinets lining either wall, pulled out his sidearm and squeezed off four shots at window. A moment later his eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the four shells imbedded in the glass. “Son of a bitch!” Daniels shouted. “What kind of lunatic puts ballistic glass in a pantry door?”

“This probably wasn’t the first time Luthor used this room as a makeshift prison cell,” Lois noted quietly. “He probably wasn’t going to take a chance on anyone getting out.”

Daniels put his sidearm away, and started pounding furiously on the glass with the butt of his submachine gun, while the water above grew dark.

“We’re not going to make it,” Richard commented sadly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lois took a deep breath and screamed, “Kal-El!”

-o-o-o-

Bones brought the Osprey around the growing crystal peak and almost immediately saw the signal flare fired from one of the life rafts. Closer scrutiny revealed one of the SEALs standing in the tent opening of one of the life rafts, waving his arms. This would make it easier than it had been on the bow end. The only life raft on that side had been five hundred yards from the men and floated empty near an apparently abandoned sea plane. Bones scrutinized the rescue zone in time to see the yacht’s stern section disappear under the sea before returning his attention on the life rafts. He rotated the craft around to expose the open ramp to the life boats and lowered into position to extract the men.

The rescue was interrupted when Bones noticed a warning on his heads up display. He quickly manipulated his instruments to confirm the report, and then turned to the back of the aircraft, shouting, “We’ve got incoming! Everybody strap in!” The aircraft lurched forward as Bones began evasive maneuvers, banking towards the crystal cliffs, and rotating the prop nacelles forward as he climbed. They’d have no choice but to leave the SEALs in the life rafts a little while longer.

Razor raced back to the cockpit, grabbing the seats along the sides of the fuselage to pull himself forward as they climbed. He finally reclaimed the co-pilot’s seat just as an object whizzed by the aircraft, narrowing missing it and splashing into the sea near where the yacht’s stern section had been. “What the hell?” Razor commented.

“We’ve still got another bogey, heading right for us,” Bones said urgently. They were too low for chaff or decoy flares to be effective, which left his only option a bank to the left around the crystal peaks, hoping they would provide them with some cover. A moment later, Razor noticed another unidentified object race by the window, and shouted, “That was too close!”

“What was it?”

“I’m not sure,” Razor answered. “Something just raced by the starboard window, but I didn’t get a good look at it. It didn’t splash, though. It looks like it’s circling around, and climbing.”

“I’m calling it in,” Bones declared. “Maybe those Eagle crews can take out whatever’s targeting us.”

-o-o-o-

Superman heard the twang of the snapping cables and raced to the Hobbs Bridge just in time to catch a bus full of screaming school children as it slid over the rail. Returning the bus to the rolling roadway was not an option, and he scanned the banks for a safe spot to set down his precious cargo. However, his attention was interrupted by a sonic boom – one devoid of engine noise and suspiciously close to the two young heartbeats that he’d been tracking all afternoon. He rolled his eyes in frustration and focused his vision out to sea, finding his children on a speed course back out to the yacht. Those two are in so much trouble…, Superman thought.

Suddenly, Kara separated from Jason, and accelerated down in a steep dive. Superman looked ahead of her, and his eyes widened in horror as his gaze locked on the crippled aft section of the yacht sinking beneath the sea, where Lois, Richard and an unidentified naval officer were trapped inside. No, it’s too soon! Superman lamented. She’s never done anything like this before… and the Predators! My God, if she gets spotted by military surveillance…

Superman focused his heat vision out to sea, blinding the cameras on the UAVs and continuing to watch his daughter who barely missed colliding with a Navy Osprey as she dove under the sea to grab the yacht. He set the bus down and turned his attention back to sky over the sea where he found Jason as the little boy also dove after the yacht. A fearful expression suddenly appeared on Jason’s face as he neared the water, and he pulled up from the dive, narrowly missing hitting the same Osprey as he climbed back towards the clouds.

I should never have left Lois out there this long, Superman chastised himself. I should have learned my lesson after nearly losing her after Luthor’s nuke in ’97. He looked at the bridge behind him, noting that the roadway wouldn’t endure its oscillation much longer and most of the people caught on top were too petrified to move. He couldn’t abandon them to their fates. He allowed a brief glance out over the sea, where Kara was pulling the yacht into the sky, and then returned to the bridge to clear the roadway of trapped commuters.

-o-o-o-

Richard’s brow wrinkled in confusion as he tried to make sense of the unfamiliar word that Lois was desperately shouting. “Kal-El!” she screamed again.

He sighed, and observed that the water inside the pantry was now within a few inches of the ceiling, still seeping in quickly from below and also dribbling down from above around the bullets imbedded in the porthole’s bulletproof glass. The sea outside the porthole had already grown too dark to see anything. They didn’t have much time left. “Lois,” he said tenderly.

“Not now, Richard,” Lois snapped. She took another deep breath and again shouted, “Kal-El!”

He suddenly heard what sounded like a squeak across the glass and struggled to see what could have made the noise. Within seconds, the water outside grew impossibly brighter and the air pocket expanded, likely due to the diminished water pressure against the hull. Finally, he noticed what appeared to be the sole of a rather small sneaker. Where on Earth did that come from? Richard wondered.

The murky sea gave way to bright waters which gave way to air and sunshine, and the air pocket had simultaneously grown from a few inches deep to over a foot and a half. The room’s occupants visibly relaxed now that their deaths were no longer certain. Daniels tried pushing against the door but found he was still unable to budge it. The SEAL pounded on the door with his fist and hollered, “Hey! Whoever’s out there! Open the door!”

Richard heard muffled voices outside, followed the surprising sound of crunching metal, and suddenly the door was gone. He looked up to discover Kara and Jason’s cherubic faces staring down at them. “Are you okay, Mommy?” Jason asked, with his voice full of concern.

“Jason, what are you two doing here?” Richard asked in surprise. “Uncle Ron was supposed to be watching you.”

“We came to save Mommy,” Jason answered proudly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll save you, too,” Kara assured him. She reached her arms out, grabbed Lois and Richard by the wrists and added, “I’ll help you out.”

“I want to save Mommy,” Jason complained.

“I’ve already got her,” Kara replied sweetly. “You can get the other guy. He needs help, too.”

“Oh. Okay,” Jason answered, apparently satisfied that he’d at least get to help someone. He reached for Lieutenant Daniels’ wrist, copying Kara’s actions.

“Whoa, hold it there, kids,” Daniels replied adamantly. “You’re going to fall in. You’re not strong enough to pull us out.”

“Yes, we are,” Kara insisted, and proved her point a moment later when she easily pulled Lois and Richard through the door frame while Jason simultaneously pulled out Daniels.

Richard suddenly heard the sound of groaning metal, and looked towards the source in time to see a steel beam rip away around Kara’s feet, pulling off one of her sneakers in the process and releasing the yacht to fall through the clouds beneath them. His eyes shot wide in astonishment when he realized just how high up they were.

He heard Daniels to his left as the man exclaimed, “Holy shit!” Richard glanced in his direction and was astounded at the sight of the once fragile child he called ‘son’ floating in the sky, effortlessly holding up a two hundred pound Navy SEAL by the wrist like one of his action figures. Richard imagined that he probably mirrored the stunned and open-mouthed expression on Daniels’ face.

“You dropped the boat,” Jason complained to his sister, and Richard’s gaze returned to Kara, who had a contrite and guilty expression on her face.

“The beam broke,” she replied defensively.

Richard felt his heart drop into his stomach as the realization finally hit him. It was Kara’s shoe he had seen on the porthole window when the yacht stopped sinking. Clark Kent’s little girl had pulled the yacht from the sea and lifted it thousands of feet up into the air, holding it up on the heels of her feet while she pulled them out. That was nearly as herculean a feat as Superman landing the jumbo jet at Dolphin Stadium the previous week. There was only one possible explanation for that remarkable act and their impossible resting place above the clouds. Richard looked over at Lois, barely noticing her apprehensive expression as he breathlessly murmured, “Oh, my God… The kids… They’re Superman’s.”

Lois glared at Richard. “Tell me about it.”

[ Chapter 41 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 43 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 41 - Threat Response

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:23:11 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 41 - 6,033; Total - 170,995
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 40 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 42 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello. This is another chapter that ended up better than I started with thanks to the collaborative feedback on some of the military aspects from dandello. Many thanks.

Chapter 41 – Threat Response

Thursday, October 5, 2006 3:45PM EDT
General George Matthews pensively observed the Command Center at the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center through the window of his office on the level above it. There was a bank of large plasma screens mounted high on the far wall, with banks of workstations lining the center of the room. Each workstation gave the worker access to an array of data and communications to feed up to the decision makers. The facility had been emptied barely two months earlier and everything transferred to Peterson Air Force Base – the government simply couldn’t justify the cost in the post cold war era. However, the site had been quickly reactivated after the EMP attack just ten days earlier, given its superior EM shielding. Matthews had been surprised at just how quickly they’d been able to transfer everything back.

General Matthews reflected that the individuals below who had been recruited from all five branches of the United States military were the best of the best. They’d need to be to survive the current threat, which was unlike any he’d known of in his lifetime. Not even 9/11 could compare to the burden he felt on his shoulders for this crisis, and not even the cold war had ever presented the existential threat they now faced. With few exceptions, Fortress America simply wasn’t breached.

The assault from Lex Luthor had begun with an EMP that was far more powerful that the initial one from ten days earlier, and it had darkened cities along the coast from Alexandria, Virginia north to Boston, Massachusetts and as far inland as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The EMP had destroyed virtually all powered electronics in the area, disabling running vehicles and silencing civilian communications. The coastal cities had been further rocked by a five point seven earthquake originating ninety-three miles offshore from Metropolis, which was certain to have been caused by the stolen Kryptonian technology. The Eastern Seaboard was simply not a seismic zone.

NORTHCOM was already providing logistical support to those areas, sending C-130 cargo planes from the First Air Force to airlift National Guard personnel and equipment into affected cities – the roads were simply impassible with all the disabled vehicles. General Matthews was grateful that military communications tended to be redundant and EM shielded - the necessary coordination would otherwise have proved impossible.

Of course, the relief delivered to the cities would be a moot point if they failed in their primary objective of stopping Lex Luthor and seizing control of the alien technology. Towards that end, they had a pair of the Navy’s V-22 Ospreys on the way there from Little Creek, Virginia to deploy SEAL squads against the madman. The first squad’s mission was to seize control of the yacht, with a secondary mission to liberate Lois Lane, the daughter of Lieutenant General Sam Lane, who was one of George Matthews’ closest friends. He remembered Lois as a bold teenager, whose antics provoked frustration and grey hair for his friend. We’ll get her back, Sam, Matthews silently promised.

The second Osprey carried a standby team, which would circle the engagement zone waiting for additional targets to be identified. Though both the Navy and Air Force had plenty of firepower ready in the air, it was a mission requirement to capture Luthor alive and preserve whatever control systems were directing the assault against U.S. soil. If they destroyed it, they could very well destroy their only chance of stopping the threat. Failure was not an option.

General Matthews diverted his attention to the center screens across from him, which revealed live radar and infrared images from the surveillance satellites now trained on the yacht, and he noticed something that was likely to generate a lot of excitement among the analysts below – a small seaplane had just ferried up and docked behind the yacht. Matthews ran out of the office and down the stairs, and found his Chief of Staff, Air Force Colonel Mike Johnson. “What have we got on that plane?” Matthews asked insistently.

“Sir, we hope to have clear video from the Predators in a few minutes,” Colonel Johnson told him. “We’ll have to wait until then to get the tail numbers.”

Matthews nodded his understanding. While the infrared and radar sensors aboard the satellites easily penetrated the now-heavy cloud cover over the target and provided precise information on the movements of people and equipment, they didn’t easy lend themselves to capture the plane’s markings. “How far out are our boys right now?”

“They should be there in another twenty minutes, sir,” Johnson informed him.

“Sirs!” a voice called out urgency. Matthews and Johnson looked over to find Navy Petty Officer First Class Hannah Daggett standing in front of them, the cord from her headset stretching tightly back to her desk. “Sirs, the Truman has new information on the target.”

“How did they come by this information?” General Matthews asked.

“Apparently, the enemy’s prisoner got loose, sir,” Daggett explained. “Lois Lane just radioed in from the yacht and reported that Lex Luthor and some of his men had left the vessel on a helicopter. She believes that only two hostiles remain aboard.”

“Do we have the audio from Lane’s call?” General Matthews asked.

“The Truman’s sending it now, sir,” Daggett answered. “Give me a moment, and I’ll queue it up for you.”

“Thank you, Petty Officer,” Matthews replied.

“You’re welcome, sir.”

General Matthews and Colonel Johnson followed Daggett back to her station, and plugged in spare headsets and listened to the message. Afterwards, the General turned to his chief of staff and asked, “So what do you think?”

Johnson turned towards the overhead screens displaying the yacht images and commented, “It could be legit, sir. That does look like a helipad behind the wheel house – and an empty one at that.”

Matthews followed his gaze in time to notice another screen light up with clear video showing a side view of the yacht from a Predator UAV flying below the clouds. Matthews heard another officer holler, “Have them circle behind the ship! We need the tail numbers from the plane tied up behind it.” The image on the screen slowly panned aft, finally circling behind where the tail numbers were clear to see: N-7241H.

“I’m on it sir,” one of the other analysts said. “Tail number November seven two four one Hotel.” Matthews marched over to the analyst, who was an Air Force Tech Sergeant named Reynolds. He held a hand over his earpiece as he concentrated on the conversation with the other party. Finally, he looked up and said, “Sirs, it’s a private aircraft registered to a Richard White from New Troy, New Jersey. FBI is running a background check.”

“You said it’s White’s plane?” Matthews asked urgently. Didn’t Sam call his daughter’s perpetual fiancé ‘White’? he wondered.

“Yes, sir,” Sergeant Reynolds answered.

“Do you know him, General?” Johnson asked.

“No, but I think I’ve heard the name ‘White’ associated with Lois Lane before,” Matthews informed them. “If he’s who I think he is, he’s a civilian would-be rescuer, which is the last thing we need right now. We don’t need some amateur wannabe hero getting himself killed.”

“Lane did say they were only two hostiles aboard,” Johnson reminded him.

“Sirs, you’d better take a look at this,” Reynolds interrupted, pointed to one of the overhead screens.

The Predator video had zoomed in on the stern, where a dark-skinned man had just untied the seaplane and pushed it adrift. He was hiding beside the stairs down to the stern swimming platform and was carrying a handgun. There was an armed woman behind him, though she seemed uncertain what to do with the firearm and was constantly switching it from one hand to the other.

“That’s got to be Harris and Kowalski, sir,” Johnson speculated. “It looks like you were right about White trying to be a hero. With all due respect, sir, I hope you’re wrong about the other part.”

“Captain Archer!” Matthews shouted to a naval officer across the room. “That hostile is not Lex Luthor. Get a fighter down there and take them out! Gatling gun only, and don’t sink the ship.”

“Sending the order now, sir,” Archer replied.

Matthews returned his attention to the screen and a minute later witnessed an armed man and women running across the deck past the Jacuzzi. The woman was in front as they raced down the stairs towards the swimming platform, and the moment she cleared the bottom step, Harris punched her in the face with his gun hand, sending her flying back and nearly into the sea. A moment later Harris and Kowalski led their two prisoners up the stairs at gunpoint.

“Call off the air strike!” Matthews ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Matthews turned to his chief of staff and said authoritatively, “Keep on their communications. If they call that into their boss, I want the target location. And let the SEAL squads know about this development.”

“Yes, sir,” Johnson replied deferentially.

“I think it’s safe to assume that Lane was loose on the ship, and the new intelligence really did come from her,” Matthews declared. “That means we have a helicopter to find, and a S.O.B. to take out of action. Let’s get to it!”

-o-o-o-

Luthor set the helicopter down at the extreme edge of the plateau, not wanting it to be in the way of the video they’d soon be shooting. He shut off the helicopter’s engine, stepped out and carefully extracted his kryptonite spear from the back seat, before turning to scrutinize the new land mass. Its peak rose another seventy feet at the other end of the surface, with stairs at either side leading up to the command chamber, where there would be a replica of the crystal console from Superman’s Fortress. Unfortunately, this console would at least temporarily remain devoid of data crystals, just like the one at the Fortress. Luthor cursed his luck and hoped that the idiots he left behind on the yacht would find his missing crystals quickly.

He walked away from the edge and motioned for Grant to join him, commanding his subordinate, “Set the tripod at the bottom of the stairs on the right. Make sure you get a clear picture of me. Once I come down to greet our guest, move it to the center of the plateau and join us.”

“Tripod? I can get everything with the steady-cam,” Grant protested.

“Well if Brutus was here to join Reilly and me on the welcoming committee, I could leave you behind the camera,” Luthor replied condescending. “However, since that fool got himself killed, I’ll need you to join us, which means you’ll need to leave the camera unattended after we get started. And I don’t want to miss a second of this. You do have the tripod in that bag, don’t you?”

“Yeah, boss. I’ll get it set up.”

“Reilly, wait for the freak over there at the bottom of the stairs, just like we planned,” Luthor commanded.

Reilly nodded and staked out a spot near the left stairway, while Luthor jogged up the stairs towards the command chamber. He was halfway up when he heard the sonic booms and the roar of jet engines. He paused and looked towards the sky, spotting the fighters in the distance.

“Boss?” Grant questioned nervously.

“I’ve been expecting them,” Luthor replied casually. “They’re no match for the advanced weapons systems of this place.” He hurried up the stairs, again cursing his luck. He wasn’t about to let the men know how defenseless they were without the crystals taken by Lane and her brats. As he rushed up the stairs, he deviously plotted how he would punish them for the trouble they’d caused.

Luthor reached the top of the stairs and entered the chamber through a doorway centered between the two staircases. The chamber inside was lit with an eerie green glow, and Luthor spotted the console at on an elevated platform in the center, three steps up from rest of the room. He walked up to the console and examined it, his eyes widening in surprise when his gaze locked onto the single crystal located in a holding slot near the lower edge of the top panel. The construction crystal? Luthor wondered. It wasn’t consumed? Or was this regrown as part of the program? He pulled the crystal from its cell and inserted it into the reader slot at the top, which immediately lit up with a bright green-white illumination.

Luthor smiled evilly and commanded, “Target the fighters flying outside and destroy them.”

“Khartau ri s’frei⁽¹⁾,” an unfamiliar male voice replied.

“Shoot down the fighters!” Luthor screamed.

“Khartau ri s’frei,” the voice repeated.

“Raise shields!” Luthor demanded desperately.

“Khartau ri s’frei,” the voice again stated.

“Damn it!” Luthor swore.

“Khartau ri s’frei.”

Luthor stared at the console briefly and thought, That wasn’t Jor-El’s voice – it sounded almost mechanical, empty and emotionless. It must be some kind of rudimentary operating system, with only the default language installed… It’s probably telling me the Kryptonian equivalent of ‘Syntax Error’… All this advanced alien technology, all useless without the other crystals.

Luthor reached to pull the crystal from the reader slot, but suddenly pulled his hand back. No, maybe not completely useless, he corrected himself, Maybe it’ll at least have some automated defenses to protect me from the fighters. He left the crystal in the reader slot, and walked over to the doorway, taking a standing position just inside. Luthor wasn’t a patient man, and cursed the wait that the loss of the crystals would impose on him.

The original plan had been to use the Kryptonian technology to send out the ultrasonic beacon to lure the freak in. Now, he’d have to wait for the alien to figure it out, which could be a long time. Luthor parked the butt of his spear between his feet, and leaned against the door frame while he waited for his adversary to show up. Where are you, you meddling freak? Luthor wondered. Let’s get this over with.

-o-o-o-

Richard followed Kitty Kowalski through the yacht’s dining room with his hands parked on top of his head. He didn’t dare try anything with Stanford Harris holding a gun to Lois’ head behind him. As they walked, Richard reflecting on the words exchanged between Harris and Lois. The rogue thought the kids were on the ship and was asking where they were, as well as demanding the return of Superman’s crystals.

The argument about the kids confused him, since Perry swore they were with him. He didn’t know what to think of Lois’ assertion that Superman had rescued the kids and recovered the crystals. He also found it baffling that Lois’ declaration that Superman would be back to rescue them would have provoked a chuckle from Harris. The felon was apparently unconvinced that the Man of Steel would show up.

They walked into the galley and Kitty opened the door to a large walk-in pantry cooler, gesturing for Richard to enter. He reluctantly complied, turning around inside to face the others just as Stanford shoved Lois in after him and slammed the door behind her.

“Hey!” Lois shouted, pushing futilely against the door, which had been locked from the outside. She pounded her fist against the porthole in the door, but to no avail. She sighed and finally turned around to face Richard.

Richard involuntarily cringed at the sight of the angry bruise along her jaw. “Your jaw…” he began.

“I’ll be fine, assuming we can find a way out of here,” Lois replied quickly. She opened one of the drawers in the cabinet along the wall and started rifling through it.

“I’m so sorry,” Richard said quietly. “I wanted to rescue you, and instead I’ve pulled you out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Lois looked over at him and said firmly, “Don’t blame yourself. We almost made it, and if we’d been as careful around that last corner as we were earlier, it’d been a different result. I’d have surprised him just like I did you.”

Richard chuckled at the memory and said, “Well, you certainly surprised me.” His tone turned serious and he added, “I guess we were in too big a hurry to get off the boat. We got careless.”

“Well, it ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings, and I don’t hear her singing yet,” Lois insisted. “At least the kids are safe with Perry, right?”

“Actually, I think he handed them off to Ron pretty quickly after the earthquake,” Richard informed her.

“Earthquake?”

“Yeah, it hit about a half hour, forty-five minutes ago, I think. It was after I was in the air. Perry said the building got rocked pretty thoroughly, toppling things over and cracking some of the walls and windows. It’s hard to really get a handle on the magnitude of it with everything down after the EMP, however. We’ve got people out there trying, though.”

“Metropolis doesn’t get earthquakes,” Lois pointed out.

“We got one today. Anyway, Perry said that Kara freaked out when the quake hit, and was crying hysterically and speaking some strange language. Perry may have a secret soft spot for kids, but that kind of thing gets delegated and quickly, especially at the office. Ron’s looking after them now.”

“Oh, God,” Lois replied, her expression betraying her worry as she looked back over at him. “I hope he can calm her down.”

“He’s had plenty of practice with the twins,” Richard assured her. He hesitated a moment and then asked, “Why does Harris think the kids are here?”

“He’s out of the loop,” Lois insisted. “He saw them earlier but he didn’t see them get away.”

“So… what really happened this afternoon?”

“It’s a long story,” Lois answered wearily.

“Looks like we have some time,” Richard countered.

“Actually, no, we don’t,” Lois snapped. “I’ll be damned if I’m going sit on my ass like some defenseless damsel in distress and let that lunatic use us as bait to lure Superman into a kryptonite trap. We have to find a way out of this.”

“They have kryptonite? No wonder they’re not worried about Superman showing up,” Richard commented.

“No kidding,” Lois retorted.

“What are you looking for?”

“Something to get that door open,” Lois replied. She pulled out a rolling pen, eying it carefully as she added, “Or something we can use to surprise them. Anything to give us the upper hand and turn the tables.”

“Do you really expect us to MacGyver our way out of this?”

“If we don’t, we’re dead,” Lois said simply. “You know Luthor’s not just going to let us go if we ask nicely. And he’s probably livid over the loss of Superman’s crystals.”

Richard nodded, frowning as he considered her words and he said somberly, “Then we’d better figure something out.” He turned his attention to the cabinets and began looking through them as he joined Lois in her search for something they could improvise into tools or weapons.

-o-o-o-

Ron Troupe had tried every trick he knew to try to calm Kara down as he sat on the couch in Richard office, with the little girl on his lap. Everything that worked like magic with his daughters was wasted on Kara. He sang happy songs, and she remained inconsolable. He’d rock her in his lap, with no effect. He rubbed her back and gently asked what was bothering her, to no avail. She was crying so hard, he couldn’t make out the words.

He was grateful that Jason was calm, at least. The little boy was seated at Richard’s desk, coloring with the crayons that were always in the top drawer. Or at least, he was trying to. The first few crayons had inexplicably shattered before he found one that would stay in one piece for more than a few seconds. Jason looked over worriedly several times, but ultimately returned to his drawing.

Ron reflected that his daughters had never been this upset, or been upset for as long as Kara had. Of course, his daughters hadn’t lost a parent in a natural disaster, as Kara had. Nor had they been reminded of that loss in another natural disaster, as he suspected was the case currently. Ron patiently continued his ministrations and after twenty minutes that seemed an eternity, her cries began to lose strength. He again prodded her to tell him what was bothering her, and although her words were clearer, he found he still couldn’t understand her. She wasn’t speaking English. In fact, it didn’t sound remotely like any language he had ever heard.

“Kara, can you try that in English?” he asked gently. “I can’t understand you otherwise.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara replied tearfully.

“Was it the earthquake that scared you?” Ron prodded.

Kara nodded her head and mumbled, “The sun’s making the world shake ‘cause it’s going to explode.”

“What?” Ron replied incredulously. “What would ever give you that idea, sweetheart? The sun’s not going to explode. It’s just an earthquake. Yeah, they can be scary sometimes, but it doesn’t mean the world’s going to end. It’s just one of those things that happen from time to time.”

“That’s what they said on Krypton, but then the sun exploded and everybody died,” Kara told him through her tears.

Her reply caught Ron off guard and he wasn’t sure what to make of her statement. Maybe it’s not such a good idea for Clark to be telling her stories about Superman and Krypton’s end, Ron thought. I’d better have a word with him about that. He resumed rubbing Kara’s back and gently told her, “This isn’t Krypton, and things are different here.”

“How can you be sure?” Kara insisted.

Ron considered his answer for a moment, and then confidently told her, “Because of Superman. He’s always out there helping people. You trust him, don’t you?”

“Uh-huh,” Kara confirmed sadly.

“Well, he’s not about to the let the world end after all the effort he puts in. If the world were ending, don’t you think he’d tell us, or try to stop it from it from happening?”

“I guess so,” Kara admitted.

“And has he told us the world is ending?” Ron pressed.

“No,” Kara conceded.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Ron declared. He wiped the tears from her face, grateful that she was finally calming. She remained sitting quietly on his lap, clinging tightly to him as he rubbed her back. They remained seated like that for several minutes, while a few more crayons were sacrificed to Jason’s drawing.

Kara was sitting so still on his lap that Ron was beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep when the aftershock hit. Though he’d been expecting it, its strength surprised him. Aftershocks were supposed to be smaller magnitude quakes that the main shock, yet this one seemed to be of equal strength or stronger. He pulled Kara tightly to him with one arm, reassuring her that it was just an earthquake while gesturing for Jason to join him with his free hand. The little boy quickly ran over, and the three huddled closely together for the duration of the quake, which shattered the remaining glass windows and walls.

Finally, it was over, and they heard Perry’s booming voice as he declared, “Time to evacuate, people! Everyone stay calm, but keep moving. Everyone down the stairs. Let’s go! …That means you too, Troupe.”

Ron nodded and checked the children on his lap. He looked at Kara’s terrified expression and told her, “It’s going to be okay, Kara. I know it’s scary and dangerous, but it’s not the end of the world. Do you think you’ll be okay to walk downstairs with us?”

Kara nodded silently, and Ron lifted both children to their feet. He firmly grasped their hands, and led the two frightened children out into the bullpen and joined the exodus.

-o-o-o-

Superman had finally cleared the last victim from the collapsed buildings, and felt he could finally fly out to sea and rescue Lois. He paused in the sky above Metropolis, and sought out the ship, his vision again extending through the hull, where he found Lois locked in a pantry cooler with Richard. What on Earth is Richard doing out there? he wondered. He pulled back his vision and found Richard’s seaplane adrift behind the yacht, along with an empty life raft.

He was about to head out to free them when the powerful aftershock hit the city. By the look of things, it was every bit as powerful as the original quake, and as before, the city’s older construction wasn’t faring well against it. He indulged in a longing look out to sea, and was surprised to discover a Navy Osprey lining up behind the ship, rotating its prop nacelles upwards as it slowed. A peek inside the aircraft revealed a squad of Navy SEALs who were preparing to rappel out the back. Superman exhaled in relief, and as he again turned towards the city and answered his call of duty, he thought, Looks like Lois got a hold of her dad. Well, if I can’t get to them, maybe those SEALs can. The Man of Steel then launched himself into action, once again providing relief to the victims of Luthor’s madness.

-o-o-o-

“Damn it, Kitty, you really are going to wash up with the surf if you don’t start helping,” Stanford hollered. Kitty had abandoned the search immediately after locking up Lane and the pilot, insisting that the mother would never have made a run for the plane if her kids were still onboard. However, he couldn’t afford to take that chance on making that assumption and being proven wrong in front of his unforgiving boss. For all they knew, the kids could have been behind them, but scared off after their mother got hit. They had to complete the search. Or rather, he did. Kitty wasn’t interested in helping, and was probably planning on her biological assets to keep Luthor’s wrath at bay.

He was searching through the lower decks when he heard the thrum of rotors. That sure didn’t take long, Stanford thought. I’d better get up there – he’s going to want a progress report, though he won’t be happy with it. At least we caught the mother. Stanford trotted over to the interior stairway up to the ‘Sky Lounge’ and out the port door to the exterior stairs up to the wheel house. However, his eyes widened in panic when he looked up the stairs and saw four men in military garb pointing submachine guns at him.

“US Navy SEAL!” the one in front shouted as Stanford darted back inside the door. However, his escape was blocked when another group of men in the same uniforms burst through the starboard door across from him. With nowhere to run or hide, Stanford raised his arms in a surrender gesture. The SEALs descended on him, knocking him to the ground. A moment later he was laying face down on the floor, spread-eagled and stripped to his underwear, while they searched his clothes and the contents of his pockets.

-o-o-o-

Navy SEAL Lieutenant Alex Daniels was disgusted by man on the floor at their feet. This was not some soldier or misguided believer fighting for a cause. Instead, he was a petty criminal whose cause and loyalties were likely simply side effects of greed and fear. Greed for whatever undeserved compensation he’d get, and fear for the wrath of his partners in crime if he betrayed them. Daniels concluded that the felon was also a cowardly criminal, judging by the smell of the clothes they were examining, which suggested that the man had wet himself at the sight of them.

“Lieutenant,” Petty Officer Second Class Kevin Ramsey called out. Daniels looked over at the irregular shaped piece of glowing green crystal slightly smaller than a baseball that Ramsey was holding up. “Sir, do you think it’s kryptonite?”

“Intelligence said they had some,” Daniels reminded him.

“They say it’s radioactive,” Ramsey pointed out.

“Which is why we have the rad bags, so let’s get it bagged. Better safe than sorry,” Daniels decided.

One of the other men turned his back to Ramsey and the petty officer unzipped the pack on the man’s back, extracting what looked like a metallic letter size envelope, albeit with a yellow and black radiation trefoil warning symbol on it. Ramsey spread it open, dropped the kryptonite inside, and folded the thin metal over on the end to seal it inside. The packet was then zipped back inside the other man’s pack.

“Find anything else?” Daniels inquired.

“The Glock, pocket knife, a wallet and pocket change. It’s all bagged,” Ramsey told him.

“Get him on his feet,” Daniels ordered.

Two of the men roughly pulled Stanford up and turned him to face their Lieutenant. Stanford wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding his fear, assuming he was even trying.

“Where’s Lois Lane?” Daniels asked sternly.

“I… I don’t know who that is,” Stanford stammered.

“Sir,” Ramsey interrupted. He poked his MP5 submachine gun in Stanford’s chest and added threateningly. “I think the enemy is shooting at us. I recommend that we return fire.”

“What! No, you can’t!” Stanford protested fearfully.

Daniels didn’t normally tolerate harassment of prisoners, but in circumstances where they needed to quickly recover a hostage, he’d allow the men to bluff. The current situation certainly fell into that category, and Daniels replied, “Better get him dressed first. There’d be too many questions otherwise.”

“Whoa! Wait!” Stanford said urgently. “I remember now – she’s locked in the pantry on the deck below us. I can take you there.”

Daniels turned to Ramsey, and neutrally said, “Give him his pants and let’s check it out. Ramsey, Peterson, Michaels – you’re with me. We’ll take the prisoner to the pantry. Everyone else continue clearing the ship.” He turned back to Stanford and warned, “And this better not be a wild goose chase.”

One of the men threw the pants to Stanford, and immediately after the criminal pulled them up, Ramsey pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed them. Stanford turned back to him and complained, “What about the rest of my clothes?”

“No time,” Ramsey said simply, prodding the criminal ahead at the point of his gun. “Get moving, and keep your mouth shut.

A couple minutes later they were in the galley, and Stanford nodded towards a heavy insulated door with a small porthole at the top. “They’re in there,” he said enthusiastically. “Just pull the handle to open the door to let them out.”

“Sir, he seems a bit eager for us to open that door, don’t you think?” Ramsey commented. “Luthor’s just the type to set a few booby-traps.”

“Maybe we let him open the door,” Daniels suggested. He nodded to his men, and Peterson and Michaels took cover around doorways at either end of the room, with their weapons trained on Stanford. Daniels took position five feet to the left of the door.

Ramsey removed the plastic cuffs from Stanford’s wrists and backed away from him, taking cover behind one of the stoves before he commanded the prisoner, “Open the door, or we really will ‘return fire’ this time.”

Stanford nervously walked ahead, unlocked the door and opened it. He immediately ducked to avoid the wine bottle that was hurled out, but as he did so, a woman swung a rolling pin into his face. The felon screamed and stepped back and looked up to see another wine bottle hurled his way, but when dodged it, he found himself stepping on one of several olive jars that the man inside the pantry had sent rolling out. Stanford lost his balance and fell backwards, landing hard on the floor.

The woman was menacingly wielding the rolling pin and looked like she was about to launch herself at the fallen criminal when Ramsey’s voice stopped her. “Easy, ma’am! I think you got him!” he hollered mirthfully.

The woman looked up and seemed to suddenly notice the men taking cover around the galley.

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded to know.

Lieutenant Daniels quickly answered, “US Navy SEALs.” He emerged from his hiding place and walked up to the woman as the unidentified man in a business suit emerged behind her. He had a bottle of wine in each hand, holding them by the neck like weapons, presumably ready to launch them at whomever else they found on the other side of the door. “Lois Lane, I presume?” Daniels asked.

The woman nodded, and said irritably, “You from the Truman? It’s about time you got here.”

“Actually, we flew out of Little Creek, Virginia, and we got here as quickly as we could,” Daniels said apologetically. He looked down at the groaning man on the floor and then turned to the man behind him, telling him sternly, “Ramsey, get this garbage out of here.”

“Yes, sir. Good thing we had him open the door, isn’t it, sir?”

“Damn straight,” Daniels agreed. As Ramsey and Peterson dragged Stanford Harris way, the lieutenant turned to the gentleman behind Lois and said, “You must be the cowboy who flew in here on that seaplane.”

“Richard White,” the man introduced himself, holding out his hand.

Daniels shook his hand and said, “Lieutenant Alex Daniels. That was a valiant effort, Mister White, but next time, leave the rescues to the professionals.”

“This coming from a man who jumps out of perfectly good aircraft,” Richard replied pleasantly. “By the way, I actually have some experience taking out the bad guys – during the first Desert Storm, behind the stick of an AC-130.”

Daniels quietly mumbled, “Flyboy…”

Before Richard could reply, there was a horrendous sound of groaning metal, and a crystal spike burst through the floor of the galley, shaking the ship and knocking everyone off their feet. Stanford seized the opportunity to dart out the door of the galley. However, just as the SEALs started after him, the yacht ripped near its center line along the weaker seams of the upper decks. The tear caused the stern half of the yacht that included the pantry to fall back, rotating down nearly ninety degrees and sending Lois, Richard and Lieutenant Daniels falling towards the opposite wall of the pantry twelve feet beyond the door.

Lois and Richard caught themselves on the cabinets along the wall, but Daniels hit the back wall hard and was momentarily stunned. Lois and Richard climbed down to check on him.

“You okay, Lieutenant? Sir, ma’am?” Ramsey called down.

“We’re okay,” Lois shouted up. “We’re checking on your lieutenant.”

Daniels blinked a couple of times and looked up in alarm at the sky beyond the door above them. He immediately pressed the push to talk button on his throat mike and said urgently. “Wolf pack, Wolf leader. Abandon ship. Repeat, abandon ship.” Richard helped Daniels to his feet, but before beginning the climb up to the door, the lieutenant again pressed the talk button at his throat and said, “Wolf den, Wolf leader. Request emergency evac. Repeat, request emergency evac. Over.”

The trio began climbing up the cabinets secured to the wall, and Daniels hand again went to his throat, as he irritably replied, “A spike from the land mass just impaled the ship and split it in two. It’s going to sink, and we need evac.” He resumed his climb behind Richard and Lois, but just as they reached the door, the steel of the hull finally gave way, dropping each half of the yacht into the sea on opposite sides of the new peak and sending Richard, Lois and Daniels again falling to the back wall of the pantry.

-o-o-o-

(1) Kryptonian for “Command not understood.” Again, substituting Federation Standard Vulcan for Kryptonian. Refer to http://www.starbase-10.de/vld/.

[ Chapter 40 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 42 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 40 - Search Party

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:57:27 GMT

-o-o-o-

Lois flattened herself against the outside port wall of the ship’s cabin and strained her hearing to try to hear the chatter between Stanford and Kitty. The pair had taken one of the exterior stairways on either side of the ship to the wheel house on the top deck to begin their search for their escaped prisoner, with Lois covertly following them. She was certain that she’d hear Kitty’s spiked heels on the steps in time to slip out of sight, sneak through the cabin to the opposite side of the ship and circle around them. Of course, that assumed that they remained fearful or dimwitted enough to both take the same stairway back down, rather than split up. She could also be in trouble if they chose to take the opposite stairway back down and spotted her through the cabin’s continuous windows. Damn, there’s not much margin for error here, Lois thought.

She nervously looked around and her gaze locked on a pair of large fiberglass cylinders on a cradle outside the rail about of third of the distance from the ship’s stern. Maybe a little misdirection could work to my advantage, Lois thought. She slipped back inside the cabin, moving swiftly towards the rear of the ship, and down a flight of stairs to the outside deck below. She cautiously peeked around the corner of the wall, and then slipped over to the canisters. She pulled the release cords for one of the canisters and darted back to her hiding place as it splashed into the sea.

Moments later, Lois heard Kitty’s voice from the opposite end of the ship as she exclaimed, “I think they jumped overboard!”

Lois rushed aft to a stairwell on the opposite side of the ship and rushed down to the level below. Maybe that will keep them occupied for a while, she thought. At the bottom of the stairs, she circled back inside the yacht, running through a large formal dining room in search of an alternate path back up along the starboard side of the ship.

-o-o-o-

Stanford considering himself a very patient and tolerant man, but Kitty’s constant complaining was quickly exhausting his patience. Not only did he find her dumb broad act supremely annoying – and it was clearly an act – her constant chatter was telegraphing their position to the escaped prisoners. Stanford knew Kitty was no dummy, despite the act, and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why she refused to shut her mouth. As much as he knew she enjoyed getting under his skin, she had to realize she was warning the escapees of their approach. Kitty didn’t seem to care, which was baffling. Even if she was the dimwit she pretended to be, she’d have been smart enough not to disappoint Lex Luthor.

As they climbed the stairs to the wheel house, Stanford found himself reconsidering his earlier insistence that they stick together. Kitty’s idea of helping was to watch him do the work and question everything he did, her every syllable becoming more shrill than the last. He wished wholeheartedly that he had the forethought to gag her before dragging her along. After finally confirming that the observation deck and wheel house were clear, his search was interrupted by a loud splash off the port side of the ship. He rushed to get out the door to investigate the noise, but found himself tripping into Kitty, who’d stumbled in the doorway and was inspecting the bottom of one of her shoes.

“Get out of my way, you worthless whore!” he shouted, roughly shoving her out the door in front of him.

Kitty caught herself on the rail at the top of the stairs outside the door, still planted in his way and she shouted innocently, “I think they jumped overboard!”

Stanford pushed passed her, and looked over the side, spotting the twelve man life raft, now fully inflated and drifting slowly away from the ship. Unfortunately, the canopy equipped on the oceangoing life raft made it impossible to see if anyone was inside or not. He shoved Kitty out of the way, causing her to swing to the side of the stairway as she stumbled, and he rushed past her, sprinting down the stairs towards the back of the ship where the life raft had been released. When he reached the empty life raft canister cradle, he leaned over the rail, straining to see through the raft’s open canopy flap. After failing to discern any movement inside the raft after a few minutes, he concluded that it was probably empty. They could be hiding behind the canopy, but kids weren’t easy to keep still.

“Aren’t you going to jump in after them?” Kitty asked, startling him with her sudden appearance at his left.

“Maybe I’ll throw you in instead,” Stanford threatened.

“And ruin these expensive clothes that Lex bought for me?” Kitty asked sarcastically.

“You know, your act’s starting to wear thin with the boss. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up washing up in the surf,” Stanford replied irritably. He again leaned over the rail as he continued his scrutiny of the life raft.

“You’ll get there first, so save me a spot,” Kitty replied with false sweetness.

Stanford turned to say something to her when a reflection from the rear of the ship caught his attention. “What the hell is that?” he asked curiously.

“That’s your best comeback?”

“No, that!” Stanford replied, and he pointed towards the rear of the ship, where he could see the wings and forward fuselage of a seaplane.

Kitty followed his gaze and said innocently, “It’s probably something Lex brought along. He doesn’t tell any of us everything, you know. Especially not you.”

“That plane wasn’t there earlier,” Stanford insisted.

“How would you know? You can barely see from it from here. You’d have to be practically on top of it before you’d notice anything. Besides, how else would it get here if Lex didn’t bring here?”

“They got a message out somehow,” Stanford declared. He marched to the rear stairwell, pulling Kitty along roughly by the arm. “Come on. And if you don’t keep your mouth shut this time, I swear, I’ll break your jaw.”

-o-o-o-

Lois looked apprehensively between the doors of the wheel house as she pressed the transmit button on the microphone and repeated her hail on channel sixteen. “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. I’ve been kidnapped by Lex Luthor and require assistance. Is anyone out there? Over.” It was the third and final time she’d transmit her plea. The bridge was simply too exposed if anyone chose to come up there and she couldn’t guarantee she’d hear them coming while she was talking on the radio.

After a few agonizingly long seconds, she heard the reply over the speaker. “Lois Lane, this is the U.S.S. Harry Truman. Over.”

“Truman, this is Lois Lane. How soon can you get me off this boat? Over,” Lois replied.

“Lois Lane, Truman. Please confirm your position and status. Over.”

“Truman, Lois Lane,” Lois responded. “I’m on a yacht called Alexander the Great, and I’m at… 39°30'26" North by 72°49'01" West. Status is that Lex Luthor took a little helicopter side trip with some of his flunkies, and I think there are just two bad guys left on the boat. They’re both armed and dangerous and looking for me. Over.”

“Lois Lane, Truman. Roger that. Over.”

“Truman, Lois Lane. How soon can you be here? Over,” Lois said insistently.

“Lois Lane, Truman. We’re not at liberty to discuss that. Find someplace to hide until someone can get there. Over.”

“What the hell do think I’ve been doing?” Lois asked irritably. After a moment, she hastily added, “Over.”

“Lois Lane, Truman. Good Luck. Truman Out.”

Well that was helpful, Lois thought sarcastically. She put down the microphone, and walked over to the starboard door, carefully peeking down the outside stairs. She slipped through the door and rushed down the stairs, with her gun out in front her and clinging to the wall as she scanned ahead of her for her pursuers. She ducked into the cabin and jogged towards the bow end of the room and snuck down the interior stairwell to the lower decks, concluding that the luxurious and spacious upper decks offered far too little cover.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, a movement of shadow alerted her, and she pressed herself against the side wall, her senses heightened. How close is he? Lois wondered. Probably too close for me to chance running up the stairs. She waited patiently, straining her hearing and searching the walls for shadows to confirm her suspicions. Finally, she saw a man’s shadow on the opposite wall, apparently holding a gun in front of him. Did Luthor have a bigger crew onboard than I thought? she wondered.

The seconds crawled by as the barrel of a pistol poked out from around the corner. The man stopped and Lois held her breath. After a brief delay, he resumed his forward movement, and Lois made her move, grabbing the gun hand and swinging it up as she brought the barrel of her own weapon under the man’s chin. She was so focused on subduing the potential attacker that she didn’t notice her opponent’s face until after he was at her mercy. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes then widened in shock. She quickly recovered and hissed, “Richard? What the hell are you doing here?”

“We got your fax,” Richard answered quietly. “Um, I think you can put the gun down now.”

“What? Oh,” Lois replied, and she released Richard’s gun hand and pulled her gun away, pointing the barrel up in a safety position. She glanced briefly up the stairs behind her, and irritably added in a loud whisper, “I was expecting the Coast Guard.”

“Well, it looks like they have their hands full right now, and I didn’t want to take a chance on those fighters trying to sink the ship while you were still aboard,” Richard whispered back defensively.

“Why would they be targeting this ship?”

“Perry called your dad after he got the note from Kara,” Richard explained.

“You mean the note I gave her to give to Superman?” Lois asked insistently.

“I guess so. I assume Superman read it, since he’s the one who brought the kids back to the Planet,” Richard told her.

“Oh, thank God they’re safe,” Lois said with obvious relief, looking away to hide her emotion. Her head suddenly spun back around to Richard and she urgently asked, “Wait, how’d you get here?”

“The seaplane. I tied it up behind the ship,” Richard informed her, smiling proudly as he delivered the news.

“Then what are we standing around here for? Let’s go!” Lois insisted in a loud whisper. “Just be careful of tweedledum and tweedledummer.”

“Who?”

“Stanford Harris and Katherine Kowalski . I think they’re the only ones still on the boat. Everyone else left on the helicopter.”

The two cautiously made their way back to the stern, checking every corner as they passed, finally emerging from the cabin at the Jacuzzi deck, and rushing down the port stairway to the stern swimming platform. However, as soon as Lois stepped out onto the deck, the butt of Stanford’s gun made painful contact with her face and she fell backwards, just barely managing to find the handrail along the stairs and preventing herself from tumbling into the water.

“That’s far enough,” Stanford declared. “Now, drop your guns and put your hands up. Both of you.”

-o-o-o-
(1) “NORTHCOM” is the acronym for “United States Northern Command”, which is a unified combatant command of the United States military whose area of responsibility encompasses the United States and its territories, Canada, Mexico, and the surrounding waters out to five hundred nautical miles.

[ Chapter 39 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 41 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 39 - Birthright

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:35:38 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 39 - 5,450; Total - 160,033
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 38 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 40 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 39 – Birthright

Thursday, October 5, 2006 2:55PM EDT
Kara rocketed up from the yacht and through the clouds, slowing to a stop high above while her vision sought out the coastal cities, searching for the “tall building with a big globe on top”, as Lois had instructed her. Jason fidgeted in her arms, his body tingling with energy as the Kryptonian organelles in his cells, now active for the first time, hungrily lapped up the sun’s solar energy. They had been rousted from their slumber by a combination of Jason’s severe immune system reaction to Luthor’s kryptonite and the adrenaline surge provoked by his fear for his mother’s life.

The adrenaline that had provided the necessary power boost allowing Jason to throw the piano had also stimulated his Kryptonian organelles as thoroughly as pubescent hormones would have done. While that adrenaline energy had quickly dissipated, the organelles remained active and now recharged in the unfiltered sunlight several thousand feet above the sea. The cellular changes surging through his body left him invigorated, and he was beginning to realize that something was different. After a minute in the sun, he turned to Kara and said, “The sunlight feels funny.”

“What do you mean?” Kara asked curiously, momentarily forgetting her search for the Daily Planet.

“I dunno. It kind of tingles.”

“That’s how’s it’s supposed to feel,” Kara declared assuredly. “Dad says it’s because we get our power from the sun, and that’s what it feels like when it charges us up.”

“But it never felt that way before,” Jason insisted.

“It didn’t?”

Jason shook his head and added, “Not even when we were really high up, like when we flew down from the Fortress with Mommy and Daddy Clark earlier.”

“Oh,” Kara replied thoughtfully. After a moment, she asked, “But it’s tingling now?”

“Uh-huh.”

Kara smiled widely, and excitedly suggested, “Maybe it means the sun is finally charging you up, and you’ll be able to do powers!”

“Really?” Jason asked eagerly.

Kara shrugged her shoulders and said quietly, “I don’t know, but maybe…”

“Do you think this means I’ll be able to fly if I find my happy thought?” Jason asked happily.

“Happy thought?”

“Like Peter Pan,” Jason said plainly. “He just needs fairy dust and a happy thought, and then he can fly.”

“Oh. It works different for us,” Kara explained. She stretched out as much as her burden would allow and added, “We just lie back, and let the sunlight soak in and feel the energy run through us and lift us up… Try it. Lie back, and stretch out your arms and let the sun charge you up.”

Jason stretched out his arms and closed his eyes and as he felt the tingle of the sunlight coursing through him, he imagined himself flying. He recalled their flight from the North earlier that afternoon and the flying games Kara and his Daddy Clark had described, and he fantasized that he could play those games, too.

A couple minutes later, Kara interrupted Jason’s daydream as she excitedly told him, “You’re doing it, Jason.”

Jason opened his eyes to find his sister floating several feet in front of him. His brow wrinkled in confusion and he asked, “Doing what?”

“Flying! You’re flying, Jason!” Kara told him excitedly.

Jason looked down past his feet and realized he was floating alone high above the clouds, confirming Kara’s declaration that he was indeed flying. His face broke into a wide grin, but only for a moment. He then panicked and began to fall towards the clouds. “It stopped working!” Jason exclaimed tearfully.

Kara was immediately beside him and as soon as she pulled him to her, Jason wrapped his arms tightly around her. Kara eased him back up above the clouds and informed him. “You forgot to concentrate. You’ve got to keep concentrating on flying or you’ll fall… It takes a little practice. I fell a few times, too, when Dad was teaching me to fly.”

“What do you mean, ‘concentrate’?” Jason asked.

“Imagine how you want to move through the air, then feel the energy move you there,” Kara explained. “You’ve got to concentrate on the energy moving through your body. Go ahead, try it – this time keep your eyes open… I won’t let you fall.”

Jason hesitated for a moment before finally trying to imagine himself flying again, though he kept a firm grip around his sister. Gradually, he relaxed and found himself floating slowly away from her.

“Keep concentrating,” Kara instructed him. She tipped forward in a horizontal position, with one arm extended, and the other at her waist, tightly gripping the recovered crystals. “Now lean forward into a flying position like this,” she added.

Jason slowly tipped forward and imitated his sister’s posture, his confidence growing and fear receding with every passing second. “I’m doing it!” he exclaimed.

“Told ‘ya,” Kara said smugly. “Now try moving forward.”

Jason slowly drifted forward, though moving more like a balloon caught in a light wind than controlled flight.

“Faster than that,” Kara instructed him, and she slowly pulled ahead of him.

“I’m trying!” Jason complained, as he increased his forward advancement at an intolerably slow rate.

“Faster!” Kara commanded. “Don’t worry about how to stop - I’ll help you with that when we get to Metropolis. Just try to go faster.”

After a moment, Jason was finally able to propel himself beyond a walking pace, and he flew ahead of Kara at a moderate speed of thirty miles an hour.

“That’s better, but the Planet office is this way,” Kara informed her brother as she caught up with him. She banked to the left, urging Jason to follow her and continuing to encourage him to fly faster.

-o-o-o-

“Perry, we can’t get a hold of anyone at the Gazette,” Sam Foswell complained as he walked into his editor’s office. “We’re getting an ‘All circuits are busy’ message on every number we try.”

“I know,” Perry acknowledged. “Fortunately, Bruce Wayne left us with a satellite number and I was able to get through to him just now. He says that the EMP seems to be just as devastating to Gotham this time around as it was here last time. He’s still trying to get a handle on the scope of the problem.” Perry turned to the other assistant editor in his office, George Taylor, and asked, “George, is your brother still working at that paper in Detroit?”

“Yeah, he’s at the Detroit News. Why?”

“Call him,” Perry commanded. “Find out if they’re getting any more information on this blackout that we are. Sam, check if Mike was able to get a hold of his superiors and get the Coast Guard out there to help Lois.”

“Oh, crap. I almost forgot about that,” Sam admitted.

“Well, we can’t forget about that. Lois and Richard are depending on us,” Perry scolded.

“I’ll check. We’ll get help out there somehow,” Sam promised.

As the two assistant editors headed to the door, Perry called after them, “Have someone check Lois’ desk and see if she has her dad’s number at the Pentagon written down somewhere. If we can’t send the Coast Guard, maybe we can send in the Marines!”

No sooner had the George and Sam left than Jimmy Olsen burst into Perry office, and he breathlessly informed the older man, “I just spoke… to Tim downstairs… He has onsite spares… this time… and he thinks… he can have… the fried boards swapped out… in a couple hours… Plenty of time… for the morning edition.”

“Geez, Olsen, did you run all the way up here from the print room?”

“The elevator’s… out,” Jimmy replied.

“Well, sit down and catch your breath – I don’t need you passing out on me,” Perry commanded. After a moment, he added, “At least we have some good news this afternoon. Who knows, with Gotham hit, too, this time, we might be printing their morning edition here tonight.”

-o-o-o-

Superman finally felt the temperature drop at the Pleasant Acres inferno, indicating that the last of the high temperature accelerant had finally been consumed, and he abruptly changed his tactic. Instead of using his freezing superbreath to insulate the structural steel and human survivors from the intense heat, he now directed the gale on the flames, quickly smothering them. A final pass through the stairwells cleared the heat and smoke to make them passable, and he rocketed into the sky, skipping his usual custom of briefing the firefighters at the scene.

He closed in on the three heartbeats he’d been monitoring, shifting his gaze upward towards the recent change in position of two of those heartbeats. His eyes shot wide in shock when his quarry came into view and he found the children flying in his direction – with Jason flying independently. That wasn’t supposed to happen until puberty, he recalled. He accelerated towards them and extended his hearing in their direction, smiling when their conversation reached his ears.

“Here, let me help you,” Kara insisted.

“I can do it myself!” Jason protested.

“But you’re going too slow,” Kara complained. “It’s going to take forever to get back to Metropolis.”

Superman suppressed a chuckle as he approached them, and he looped around behind them, flying inverted as he pulled beneath them. “So this is where you two have been hiding,” he said in false sternness.

His presence surprised both children and brought them all to an abrupt stop. Kara quickly recovered from the shock and launched herself into her father’s arms. She wrapped her free arm tightly around him as she squealed, “Dad!”

Superman turned to Jason and commented proudly, “So you’re flying now?”

Jason’s face lit up and he smiled widely, eagerly informing Superman, “Kara taught me. Isn’t this cool?”

“It sure is,” Superman agreed. After a beat, he added seriously, “Are you two okay?”

“Uh-huh, but a mean old bald man tried to take us away,” Jason said sadly. “An’ Mommy’s still stuck there.”

Superman focused his vision towards Lois’ heartbeat, looking through the ship’s hull to find her sneaking around in the lower levels of the ship while two of Luthor’s men searched for her. “I see her,” he informed his children. “She’s still okay. Now, what happened?”

“We stopped at a huge house to meet a friend of Mommy’s, but three mean men were there and made us go with them,” Jason said tearfully. “They said they’d shoot Mommy if we didn’t keep quiet and go with them.”

“The bald man had your crystals,” Kara informed him, holding up the bundle wrapped in black fabric. “Miss Lois said to give them back to you. She gave me a note to give you, too.”

Superman focused his vision through the felt, immediately inventorying the stolen crystals and confirming that all were accounted for. He took the bundle from Kara, and carefully stowed it in his cape pocket. He then returned his attention to his daughter and asked, “You said she gave you a note, too?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kara replied and she pulled the note from the back pocket of her jeans, handing it over to her father.

Superman quickly read the note and his eyes widened in alarm. He focused his vision beyond the yacht, towards the coordinates that Jor-El had provided, and he found the crystal mass rooted in the ocean floor where it was rapidly expanding, splitting the seabed and sending the aquatic fauna in desperate flight ahead of it.

It looks like I’m going to have my hands full here –I don’t have time to take them back to Smallville, so I’m going to need to find a local babysitter, Superman thought, and he shifted his vision back to Metropolis. He first scanned the Daily Planet building, frowning at Richard’s absence. He then sought out the Troupe home where Lucy was putting away groceries. After the briefest hesitation, he rejected that alternative. Lucy would freak out if Superman dropped off the kids, especially if she finds out that Luthor kidnapped her sister. He reluctantly shifted his gaze back to the Planet, I hate to do this, but it looks like it’s going to have to be Perry.

Superman returned his attention to the two children, handing the note back to Kara as he told them both seriously, “I’m going to take you two back to the Planet to stay with Perry for a while.”

“I want to stay and help you,” Kara whined.

“Not this time,” Superman said firmly. “I need you two to stay with Perry where I’ll know that you’re safe, at least until one of us can come get you. And no using superpowers while I’m away, okay?”

“But I need to practice!” Jason complained.

“There will be time for that later, son,” Superman assured him. “For now, please be patient.”

After Jason reluctantly agreed, Superman pulled both children tightly to him, and zoomed across the sky towards Metropolis, leaving a faint sonic boom behind him. A moment later, he descended gently to the roof of the Daily Planet building, where reporters Susan Evans and Cindy Anderson were still waiting to flag him down for an interview.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Superman greeted them formally as he set the children on their feet. “Would you be kind enough to escort these two downstairs to Perry White? He’ll know what to do.”

“What happened?” Susan asked in surprise.

“Lex Luthor kidnapped Lois Lane,” Superman explained. “The children were with her, but they got away. I found them a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, dear God,” Cindy said breathlessly.

“Please don’t worry. I know where Lois is, and I’m going after her now,” Superman said seriously. He then launched himself into the sky, zooming over the rooftops on an intercept course with Luthor’s yacht.

Superman was nearly halfway to the ship when the ungodly cracking sound from the ocean floor reached his ears. He stopped abruptly and stared through the water in horror at the expanding fissure in the ocean floor. A quick visual check confirmed that it had been caused by the rapidly growing crystal continent, and had unleashed a powerful shockwave. He looked behind him and focused his vision on the city just as the shockwave hit, shaking the residents and buildings with the force of a major earthquake. The construction here wasn’t designed for seismic stress, Superman thought. But Lois is still trapped out there…

He turned back towards the open sea, again focusing his vision through the sides of Luthor’s yacht. He located Lois just in time to witness her swinging a fire extinguisher into the face of Reilly Dixon. The felon went down hard, dropping his gun, which Lois quickly recovered before scampering off. Ouch! Superman thought. Remind me never to get on her bad side. But she’s still outnumbered and outgunned, and Luthor will be out for blood once he discovers the crystals are gone. She’s not safe there, but I can’t assume that I can just swoop in and out – not when he has kryptonite and has had time to set a trap. He indulged in his covert observation a moment longer, before again turning his scrutiny back to the city. He discovered that many of the skyscraper windows had shaken loose and were raining down over the crowded sidewalks below as lethal glass shards and that decided him. He immediately reversed course and sped back towards the city.

-o-o-o-

Perry White was interrupted by a knock on the door, and looked up in surprise at the sight of Cindy Anderson and Susan Evans standing there with Jason and Kara corralled in front of them. “Chief, we just got a special delivery from Superman,” Susan informed him. “He says Luthor kidnapped Lois, but the kids got away. He asked us to bring them down to you.”

“To me?” Perry asked incredulously. He looked over at the fearful expressions on the children’s faces, and he softened his tone, gently asking, “Are you two all right?”

“A bad man tried to take us away,” Jason said sadly and he ran over to Perry, with Kara following him after a moment’s hesitation.

Perry wrapped his arms around them and kindly reminded them, “Well, you’re safe now. And Superman will have your mother back here before you know it.”

Susan couldn’t resist a snicker at Perry’s transformation from the irascible old curmudgeon into the kindhearted, kid-friendly Uncle Perry. It earned her a glare from the old man, and the two women quickly retreated from his office.

Perry relaxed the hug around the children and pulled back slightly, asked them seriously, “Do you think you can tell me what happened?”

“We went to this big house to meet a friend of Miss Lois’ but there were three mean men there,” Kara said quietly.

“They said they’d shoot Mommy if we didn’t stay quiet and go with them,” Jason added.

“Superman went back to get her,” Kara reminded him.

“That means not to worry,” Perry clarified. “This type of thing used to happen all the time, and Superman always brought her back safe and sound.” After a moment’s pause, he noticed that Kara had something clenched in her hand and asked, “Kara, what’s that in your hand?”

“Um, it’s the note that Miss Lois wrote for Superman,” Kara told him meekly.

“Let me see it.”

“But it’s for Superman,” Kara protested.

“I know, but I need to see it, too.” Perry insisted gently.

Kara meekly handed him the note and Perry unfolded it, his face paling and his eyes shooting wide as he read it. Finally, he set the note down and quietly muttered, “Great Caesar’s Ghost.”

He picked the note back up and was about to reread it when Polly Harper rushed into his office waving a business card triumphantly and announcing, “Found it!”

“Found what?” Perry inquired.

“General Lane’s Pentagon number,” Polly explained, handing him the card. “His card was loose in one of her desk drawers.”

Perry took the card and briefly inspected it, afterwards looking through the glass wall into the bullpen to quickly identify who was left in the office when he spotted Ron Troupe pulling his coat on. He gently pulled away from the children, and rushed to the door, sending Polly scrambling out of his way. “Troupe!” he hollered. “My office, now!”

As Perry turned back towards his desk, he felt the floor rock beneath him. He reached out and grabbed the door frame to steady himself and thought, An earthquake? In Metropolis? Has Luthor already unleashed his horror on us?

His thoughts were interrupted by Kara’s screams. She was hysterical and urgently saying something in a language he didn’t recognize. Her episode was also frightening Jason, and his lip had started to quiver.

Perry rushed over them, crawling on his hands and knees as the tremor continued to shake the building and knocked him off balance. He wrapped his arms around the children, and told them both, “It’s all right. Just wait for it to pass.”

“Etek ki’ zaprah na’ hali! Las’hark Rao dungau thorshau!” Kara told him frantically⁽¹⁾.

“In English, Kara,” Perry pleaded. “I can’t understand you.”

“Etek ki’ zaprah na’ hali! Las’hark Rao dungau thorshau!” Kara repeated urgently.

The shaking finally stopped and Perry pulled back from the children. “It’s okay now,” he assured them. “It was just an earthquake.”

The words failed to console the little girl, and she continued to cry, her shoulders shaking from the strength of the sobs. Perry wrapped his arms around her, and picked her up. As he attempted to calm her, he noticed Ron Troupe entering his office.

“Is she okay?” Ron asked.

“This earthquake absolutely terrified her,” Perry informed him.

“Maybe it reminded her of the tsunami,” Ron suggested. “Here, I’ll take her.”

Perry nodded absently as he remembered hearing that the little girl had lost her mother in a tsunami a month or so earlier. He then reluctantly transferred his burden to the younger man and informed him, “You’re on munchkin detail. Use Richard’s office if you need to. He should have something there that can keep them occupied.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Ron told him confidently. “Come on, Jason. Let’s get out of your Uncle Perry’s way.”

As Ron and the children left his office, Perry heard Sam Foswell shouting out over the bullpen, “It was just an earthquake, people! It’s over and guess what? The building’s still standing. Folks, this is news and we’re a newspaper. So let’s everybody relax and try to get the story in.”

Perry hardly noticed the staff in the bullpen returning to action as he surveyed the damage in his office. Everything had been knocked off the desk and credenza, the plaques had fallen off the wall, and one of the windows was cracked, but everything seemed intact otherwise. He dug through the pile on the floor and retrieved General Lane’s business card and Lois’ note, setting them on top of his desk. He then picked up the satellite phone from the floor and climbed to his feet, settling in his office chair and punching in the number. He prayed it would go through.

After three rings, and male voice answered, “General Lane’s office.”

Perry released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and adamantly said, “This is Perry White from the Daily Planet. I need to talk to General Lane immediately.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but all press inquiries need to go through the Public Information Office,” the man insisted.

“This isn’t a press inquiry!” Perry yelled. He paused a moment and then calmly explained, “The general’s daughter works for me, and some things have happened here that he needs to know about. It’s urgent.”

“Please hold,” the man told him.

A moment later, a gruff voice announced, “This is Lieutenant General Lane. Now what’s all this you were saying about something happening to Lois?”

-o-o-o-

Luthor stared intently at the radar display tracking the growth of his magnificent new continent, which had already located the first plateau emerging from the depths before he had even reached the bridge. Luthor was giddy as he watched the new plateaus rise from the sea and expand around the crystal seed’s immersion point just over eighteen miles away.

Luthor was suddenly distracted by a faint pop and he tried to identify the source of the sound. Sonic boom? he wondered. But not from the freak. He’d have set off the proximity alarm… Luthor’s gaze drifted over to the opposite side of the bridge, his brow furrowing in concern at the sight of the still-blank display attached to the alpha detector. It had not yet occurred to him that the battery backup he’d recently installed to insure continuous data on the alien had also guaranteed its failure during the EMP. He rushed across the bridge, tapping the screen in a futile effort to reactivate the sensor. He then pulled out his handheld unit, fuming at the words ridiculing him from the small display: “No Signal.”

“No, Damnit!” Luthor bellowed, pounding his fist on the console. “Not now!”

Kitty wisely remained silent while Stanford tentatively asked, “Boss?”

Luthor glared back at him momentarily and then commanded, “Bring me the tool box from that cabinet.”

Stanford obliged and when the tool kit was brought over, Luthor extracted a power screwdriver, removing the mounting screws that held in the alpha scanner display, and lifting the flat panel to expose his custom circuitry. The coppery smell of burnt electronics immediately struck his nostrils and Luthor spun around towards Stanford, angrily glaring at him. “You idiot!” Luthor screamed. “I gave you detailed instructions for shutting everything down before the EMP hit.”

“And we shut everything down,” Stanford insisted defensively.

“Then how do you explain this?” Luthor demanded as he pointed accusingly at the fried electronics. “How’d my masterpiece get fried?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they shipped us some defective parts,” Stanford suggested. “After all, none of the other systems were damaged.”

“This shouldn’t have been damaged either!” Luthor insisted. “Somebody screwed up!”

“It wasn’t me,” Stanford declared.

Luthor glared at the other man for moment before turning his attention back to the electronics. The idiots have sabotaged me again, Luthor thought. This is not good. If the freak finds me here, he might still be able to manage a surprise, despite the kryptonite. We have to get to the plateau. He pulled the walkie-talkie from his pocket and hollered into it, “Grant, Reilly. Get up here now, and bring my things… And let Brutus know it’s time for our guests to leave.”

After a short delay, Grant’s nervous voice came across the speaker. “Um, Boss?” he stammered. “We, um… we have a few complications down here.”

“I don’t want to hear any of your excuses!” Luthor replied impatiently. “Just get up here.”

“But, boss,” Grant said insistently.

“I said, get up here!” Luthor shouted. “Now!” He returned the walkie-talkie to his pocket, and again stared at his defunct alpha detector. After fuming over it for another minute, he grabbed the power screwdriver from the counter and tossed it over to Stanford. “Close it back up, and make it quick,” he commanded. Luthor then walked over to the radar station and resumed his observations, though without his previous delight.

A few minutes later, his studious observation was interrupted by Kitty’s chortle. “Looks like someone got their ass kicked again,” she commented mirthfully

“Shut up,” Reilly demanded angrily.

Luthor looked up from his screen, his expression betraying his surprise at the sight of Reilly’s black eyes, freshly broken and bloodied nose, swollen lips and bruised cheek. “What the devil happened to you?” he inquired incredulously.

“That bitch hit me with a fire extinguisher,” Reilly explained, irate. “When I find her, she is so dead…”

Luthor’s eyes widened even further at the startling information. “Lois Lane beat you up?” he asked derisively. “And you’re just now telling me that our prisoners are loose? How’d they get away from Brutus?”

“Um, Brutus is dead,” Grant informed him somberly. “They, um… they killed him.”

“They killed him?” Luthor repeated incredulously. “The incompetent imbecile.” He looked back over at Grant, finally registering the fact that his minion had brought the spear with him. It was his variation of Hagan’s spear from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung – a six foot wooden staff with an eight inch kryptonite shiv fixed to the end. He grabbed the spear from Grant, angrily telling him, “Give me that!” After a moment’s pause he asked critically, “Now, where are my crystals?”

“Um, sorry, boss. We forget to grab them from the desk,” Grant replied apologetically.

“You forgot?” Luthor said mockingly. He sighed irritably and added tersely, “Let’s go.” He angrily marched off the bridge, with his minions quickly falling into step behind him.

-o-o-o-

Superman pondered that the shockwave that hit Metropolis had been even more destructive than the firebombs set off earlier in the afternoon. It was effectively no different than a major natural earthquake, though its strength was hard to estimate based on the damage, given that local construction codes didn’t consider seismic forces. However, he’d remembered a six point two tremor in San Jose, California that had done far less damage. The loss of life would be unavoidable, though he’d do his best to keep the number low.

The most pressing danger came from the falling glass, liberated from the skyscrapers when they exceeded the sway of the designer’s wildest expectations, shattering the windows, and sending the shards down towards the pedestrians below, who now filled the sidewalks as they tried to get home after the EMP. He was barely able to keep ahead of the threat, flying low above the streets at nearly supersonic speeds as he vaporized the shards into harmless particulates. The towers’ sway had also liberated a number of externally fixed objects from the structures, dropping signs, toppling roof-mounted equipment, and even throwing a crane operator from the ladder of his construction crane. All of these falling objects threatened the crowds and required his vigilant attention.

The other grave threat competing for his attention occurred below the streets, where the movement of the Earth had stressed the pipes beyond their limits, sending a stream of invisible high pressure natural gas thought the tunnels, search for an ignition source. When the gas was finally ignited, the resulting fireball went shooting back through the tunnels towards the utility’s plant, and Superman had to move quickly to outrace it before blowing out the flames throughout the access tunnels, and shutting off the gas.

The glass and gas danger had passed quickly after the shockwave, leaving Superman with the more time consuming problem of rescuing victims from the most seriously damaged structures – the older, shorter buildings which were least likely to survive the quake. Such buildings accounted for most of the multi-family residential properties catering to the lower and lower-middle income levels. He observed that a slight majority of the victims he pulled from the rubble were senior citizens, not so unlike his mother in Kansas. He empathized greatly with them, mentally cringing at their injuries and mourning the loss of those he couldn’t save.

Despite his hectic pace throughout the disaster, he still vigilantly maintained his audio lock on Lois’ heartbeat from Luthor’s yacht, and managed frequent visual inspections to confirm her continuing safety. However, the ongoing calamity in Metropolis continued to demand his constant attention and forced him to delay the rescue of the one he held most dear. Hold on, Lois, he silently pleaded to her. Just a little bit longer…

-o-o-o-

Luthor entered the ballroom with his minions behind him and his eyes again shot wide when he was suddenly struck by how thoroughly incomplete Grant’s description had been. They didn’t just kill Brutus – they launched the piano into him, violently breaking it free of the bolts holding it in place on the glass, scraping up the wood floor in front of the desk, and it was now laying in a shattered heap on top of the henchmen. Only Brutus’ legs remained visible underneath the mess, in the middle of a slowly expanding pool of blood.

“All you could manage to say about this was ‘they killed him’?” Luthor asked condescendingly. “Are you so blind that you couldn’t see what really happened here?” Grant chose not to answer as Luthor approached the ruined piano with his eyes wide as he scrutinized the mess.

“Holy shit,” Kitty mumbled.

“It’s time for us to go,” Luthor declared, but when he turned to the desk to collect the crystals, his eyes flew open even wider at the conspicuous bare spot where the crystals had recently been. He spun back towards his men and bellowed, “Where are my crystals?” When they failed to answer after a moment, he angrily demanded, “Answer me!”

“Um, the woman must have taken them,” Grant offered. He quickly added, “Brutus was supposed to be guarding them.”

“I don’t care about Brutus! I want my crystals back!” Luthor screamed. “Find the bitch and the brats! Find my crystals!” The men quickly moved towards the door, but before they could leave the room, Luthor quickly added, “Wait! We can’t be late for our ‘appointment’ with that meddling alien. Grant, Reilly. You’re with me. Kitty, Stanford. Grab some guns and kryptonite from the armory and search the ship for our guests.”

“Kryptonite?” Kitty asked doubtfully. “What do we need that for?”

“Just how do you think they managed to hurl a half ton concert grand piano across the room with enough force to crush poor Brutus to death?” Luthor asked pointedly. When the others still remained silent after a minute, he added, “The brats are his, you idiot! So unless you want them throwing you across the room like they did that piano, you’d damn well better be packing kryptonite. It’ll also come in handy if their old man shows up.”

“Oh, my God,” Kitty muttered fearfully.

“Stop whining and start earning your keep!” Luthor demanded heartlessly. “And I need them alive. Is that clear?”

“Yeah, Boss,” Stanford replied.

“I want them found and locked up by the time I get back, and don’t forget to leave some of the kryptonite with them,” Luthor said insistently. “Now, let’s move! We’re out of time.” He then stormed out of the room, with Grant and Reilly rushing to catch up with him.

-o-o-o-
(1) Kara’s words translate to “We have to get to the ship! The sun is going to explode!” I wanted to use the Kryptonian lexicon at http://kryptonian.info but it’s not complete enough for the translation. I’ve thus substituted Federation Standard Vulcan, as documented at http://www.starbase-10.de/vld/.

[ Chapter 38 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 40 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 38 - Launching the Apocalypse

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:51:37 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 38 - 5,751; Total - 154,583
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 37 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 39 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 38 – Launching the Apocalypse

Thursday, October 5, 2006 2:45PM EDT
Luthor sat at the table on the yacht’s stern deck and admired the narrow green cylinder in his hands while pondering the events that would soon unfold. His ruminations were interrupted by a mournful sigh from Kitty who sat across from him, uncharacteristically silent and with a distraught expression on her face as she clutched the cursed Pomeranian tightly to her chest. Luthor glared at her momentary before he impatiently checked his watch. He picked up the walkie-talkie that was sitting on the table in front of him and pressed the transmit button. “I’m still waiting, gentlemen,” he said irritably.

“Just a couple more minutes,” Stanford’s voice replied quickly from the walkie-talkie.

“What’s the holdup?” Luthor demanded. “I gave you very simple instructions.”

“Almost there, boss,” Stanford said appeasingly. A moment later he added, “There. Everything’s shut down.”

“Then shut off your radios and get up here. On the double,” Luthor commanded. After turning off the walkie-talkie and setting it back down on the table, he rose from his seat and walked over to the ship’s stern railing, looking out at the horizon with eager anticipation. Another aggrieved sigh caused him to look back at his miserable companion. He frowned and warned her, “Don’t forget which team you’re on.”

“Lex, why do so many people have to die?” Kitty whined.

“Natural selection – it’s the way of nature,” Luthor said simply. “Now get over here. You’ll want a front row seat for this.”

Kitty reluctantly joined him at the railing, still tightly clutching her dog. Just as she reached the rail, Grant, Reilly and Stanford showed up on the deck behind them. Grant was pulling out a video camera from a bag and turning it on as they approached.

“Make sure you get everything on tape,” Luthor told him authoritatively.

“Sure thing, boss,” Grant said compliantly. “And we’re rolling.”

Luthor removed the seed crystal from his inside jacket pocket and inserted it through the hollow center of the kryptonite cylinder, afterwards handing over the combined crystals to Stanford. The younger man inserted the combination into the exposed interior of the R-73 missile. With Reilly’s assistance, he then reassembled the missile, screwing the retaining bolts through the sides with a power drill. Once the assembly was complete, Stanford unlatched a small metal case beside it and opened the lid to reveal the control panel. He flipped a toggle switch and several buttons labeled with Cyrillic characters lit up.

“Wait,” Luthor commanded. “I need to make a very important phone call first.” Luthor walked back over to the deck table behind them and retrieved a portable satellite phone, punching in the number as he rejoined the others at the railing. The number rang once and immediately disconnected with a loud click. Luthor turned off the phone and smiled evilly as he turned to Stanford and issued the command, “Fire.”

Stanford pressed a lit green button which launched the rocket into the sky at a forty-five degree inclination angle while the rocket’s backwash unexpectedly ignited the deck furniture behind them. Stanford ignored the disturbed furniture and removed a handheld magnetometer from his pocket, pointing its probe towards the missile as it raced towards the apex of its parabolic path. Luthor simultaneously followed the projectile’s progress through a pair of high-powered binoculars. It took a few minutes for the missile to reach its apex and turn earthward, eventually striking the surface of the ocean eighteen miles away, at the extreme limits of visual range.

“Camera off now!” Luthor commanded. “Hurry, before the EMP fries it.”

Grant had barely shut down the camera when a green flash spread across the horizon from the missile’s impact point and the clouds above quickly gathered together, darkening the sky. Kitty heard a loud rumble of thunder in the distance, and her eyes widened in fear as she nervously commented, “This isn’t like the train set, Lex.”

“No, it’s not,” Luthor replied indifferently.

“Um, boss?” Stanford interrupted. “It just fried the meter. The display jumped to all nines and then it went dead.”

Luthor looked over at him and condescendingly said, “Now that would be our EMP, wouldn’t it?” He looked back out at the darkening sky and added, “Grant, I want you and Reilly to start the engines back up. You can resume filming after you’ve restored power.”

-o-o-o-

Lois looked nervously over at Brutus and Jason, who were playing a duet at the grand piano. She’d truly been fearful when the killer followed her son as he walked over to the piano and stunned when he began playing the song with him. She hadn’t expected a brutal killer of his reputation to demonstrate any musical talent, not even something as simple as Heart and Soul. It turned out to be a lucky break, distracting their minder from the sound of the fax machine. After confirming the coordinates with Kara, Lois had hastily written out an S.O.S. on some loose paper she found on Luthor’s desk, loaded it into the fax machine and dialed the Planet’s fax number. The page fed through the scanner, and Lois quickly retrieved it, folding it up and stuffing it in the back pocket of her jeans.

When the telltale beeps sounded from the machine a moment later, she looked nervously over at Brutus, praying he wouldn’t notice the noise. The killer abruptly stopped playing, peering suspiciously around the open lid of the piano in response to the faint and thankfully unrecognized sounds from the machine. Lois avoided his gaze pulling Kara closer to her as she surrepticously checked the fax status display: “Dialing”… “Connecting”… “Sending Page 1”…

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” Lois urged the machine in a quiet whisper. However, before the fax could complete, the power suddenly went out and the room went dark, illuminated only by the sunlight filtering through the far doorway and the fire burning in the hearth behind her. Jason and Brutus immediately stopped playing the piano.

“Mommy?” Jason called out anxiously.

“It’s okay, honey. We just lost power,” Lois told him confidently. “You should still be able to play the piano, though. You don’t need power for that.”

After a beat, Jason resumed his part of the duet and a moment later, Brutus joined in. Lois breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to Kara, asking in a whisper, “Do you know what happened to the power?”

Kara whispered back, “Mister Luthor told them to shut everything off.”

Lois nodded absently and she recalled that Luthor’s crystal experiment in the Vanderworth’s basement had unleashed the recent EMP. He’s about to plant the seed crystal and set off another EMP, Lois thought. I guess he doesn’t want to take a chance on damaging his precious yacht. Lois suddenly noticed the light from the fireplace reflecting off of the crystals on Luthor’s desk. She had immediately recognized the missing crystals from the Fortress the moment they entered the ballroom. Luthor had carefully laid them out on a black felt cloth at the edge of the desk, displayed like precious jewelry. However, Lois knew that they were far more valuable. More importantly, by her count, all of the missing crystals were now sitting in front of her, with the exception of the seed crystal Luthor had taken with him.

Lois turned to Kara and in a low voice, she solemnly told the child, “Kara, in a little while, I’m going to ask you to do something really, really important. Maybe the most important thing you’ll ever do. And you’re simply going to have to do it without any argument or hesitation. Do you think you can do that for me?”

Kara nodded nervously, her eyes wide as saucers, and she quietly asked, “What do I have to do?”

-o-o-o-

It seemed to take a small eternity before Superman finally felt that he was getting the upper hand against the inferno at the Hancock building. It was another HTA blaze and he had arrived to find white hot flames engulfing six floors near the midpoint of the forty story tower, leaving two hundred ninety-one lifeless bodies in its wake. It had been quickly racing up the tower, threatening the panicked survivors who were trampling each other in their struggle to get up the stairs. He had barely arrived in time to crash through the stairwell firewall and lay down an insulating layer of freezing superbreath to protect the people above from the extreme heat.

The Man of Steel reflected that the Vanderworth blaze had been a far simpler situation. Not only was it a smaller fire volume, there were no civilians inside endangered by the fire and only one injured victim, who he had been able to quickly deliver to Met General’s emergency room. In contrast, the Hancock tower presented multiple and seemingly mutually exclusive objectives: Extinguishing a fire hot enough to melt the structural steel and preventing the building’s collapse; protecting the survivors above and below the inferno from the extreme heat; and evacuating the injured to the care of emergency services.

If the steel failed and the building collapsed, he would be powerless to prevent the loss of thousands of lives, and thus Superman’s priority had been on containing the blaze and using his freezing superbreath to counteract the effects of the three thousand degree Fahrenheit temperature on the steel. That left no time to help those injured in the blaze or trapped on the upper floors. They would have to wait, and he agonized over the tormented cries he heard from those literally being burnt alive who he was powerless to help. Unfortunately, an HTA fire could not be blown out like a candle or rushed through its life cycle and it demanded his constant attention to be restrained from consuming the entire structure. If he was to save the thousand trapped above or lingering in the building below, he had no choice but to leave a small number of suffering victims to their fate.

When the high temperature accelerant was finally consumed, the temperature of the blaze quickly dropped, lacking the necessary fuel to push back against the freezing gale from Superman’s lungs. With the flames finally subdued, he turned his attention to the burn victims, many of whom had perished while he was fighting the inferno. He sought out the survivors and began evacuating them to the area hospitals.

Only when all the injured survivors were evacuated did he turn his attention to those remaining, all of whom had sought refuge either on the roof or by hanging out the windows of the upper floors. There were far too many for him for him to carry down, but he could clear the way for them. He cleared the smoke and heat from the stairwells, and then searched through the ranks of the firefighters at the scene, gently landing in front of two of Metropolis’ Bravest a moment later.

“Captain O’Neill, Marshall Carter,” Superman greeted as he landed.

“I hope this means everything’s finally under control,” Carter commented hopefully.

“The fire’s out and I’ve evacuated the surviving burn victims,” Superman informed him. “However, there are still nearly three thousand people trapped on the upper floors – the elevators are out and the fire melted the steel frame holding up the stairs at the eighteenth floor. You’ll need ladders to bridge the gap.”

Captain O’Neill waved down a subordinate, and gave him instructions to carry ladders up the stairwells. He afterwards returned his attention to Superman and asking hopefully, “Any chance you could give us a hand with the evacuation?”

“Given enough time, certainly, but considering how my afternoon’s gone so far, I’m not sure how much time I’ll have before another emergency comes up,” Superman replied grimly.

“It probably won’t be much,” a familiar female voice responded.

Superman looked over to discover Captain Maggie Sawyer approaching them, wearing her police badge on a chain around her neck.

“Isn’t this a bit out of your territory?” Carter asked irritably.

“This is the third fatal firebomb this afternoon, and that qualifies as a major terrorist attack against the city, and terrorist attacks are my territory,” Maggie replied adamantly.

“I don’t understand why those Islamic terrorists hate us so much,” O’Neill commented. “What did we ever do to them?”

“This wasn’t Islamic terrorists,” Maggie declared. “They would have detonated all their bombs at once to maximize the chaos. This is different. It looks like it’s intentionally designed to keep our friend in tights here occupied. Islamic terrorists also aren’t likely to have been interested in the Vanderworth house – the property listed as Lex Luthor’s primary residence, which the court just this morning ordered him to open up for inspection. We also have a direct link tying Luthor to this building and I’d bet my paycheck that he’s behind all of this afternoon’s firebombs, including the one in the Roosevelt Tunnel.”

“You’ve tied Luthor to this fire?” Carter asked.

“His lawyer’s office was on the eighteenth floor, and I’m fairly certain that the point of origin for this blaze was on that floor,” Superman informed them. “I’d be surprised if anyone from that floor survived, judging by what I saw up there… It’s also another HTA firebomb, just like the Vanderworth estate, and just like the Baxter plant was meant to be.”

“Anyone here still think it’s a coincidence that Luthor’s lawyer’s office got nuked just a few hours after that madman got handed his lunch in court this morning?” Maggie asked sarcastically.

“It doesn’t seem likely,” Carter commented.

“No, it doesn’t,” Maggie agreed. She turned to Superman and informed him, “Oh, by the way… Lois Lane is missing.”

Superman struggled to keep his voice level as he stated, “My understanding was that she was hiding out at a safe house for the time being.”

“I just got a call from her editor,” Maggie explained. “Apparently, there was supposed to be a court-ordered inspection of the Vanderworth house at two and she was invited along. Now the place has gone up in smoke, and she’s not answering her phone.”

“I hear that she turns it off on occasion, if she doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Superman pointed out. “In any case, I got to the Vanderworth estate about eight after two, just after the firebomb went off. I saw Harold Vanderworth Junior there, along with his bodyguards and one of his lawyers. However, Miss Lane was not with them.”

“She could have been… inside,” Maggie suggested hesitantly. “It wouldn’t be the first time she snuck past security for an exclusive.”

Superman shook his head and said, “I checked the house as soon as I arrived and I didn’t see anyone inside. As hot as the fire was, I still got there soon enough that I’d have seen something.” As he spoke, he opened up his hearing, searching out three familiar and very special heartbeats.

“Well, she’s still been reported missing and Luthor had targeted her partner,” Maggie reminded him. “I’m certain that Lane is on his shit list, too.”

“I’ll try to find her,” Superman promised sincerely. His hearing locked on to the heartbeats from Lois and the children, noting that they came from an unexpected bearing and distance. He then added seriously, “I have some ideas on where she might have gotten off to.”

“Well, I’d like a word with her once you find her,” Maggie declared irritably. “This afternoon’s security plan did not include swinging by Luthor’s place with her kid in tow.”

Superman’s head suddenly snapped to the side, his eyes momentarily widening in surprise before he squeezed them shut in frustration. He opened his eyes and declared, “It’s happened again. Suicide Slum, I think.” He then rocketed into sky, zooming northwest across the city, disappearing over the rooftops and leaving a sonic boom in his wake.

-o-o-o-

Jimmy regretted his decision to share a cab with Gil on the way down to the Roosevelt Tunnel fire. Though getting down there had been uneventful, the return trip had been agonizingly slow, with the alternate routes around the Roosevelt tunnel filled with commuters trying to avoid that bottleneck, and traffic again bottling up around Glenmorgan Square. He would certainly have made better time on his scooter, which he could have maneuvered around and between the stopped cars. A trip that should have only taken ten minutes had instead taken him a half hour.

He practically sprinted off the elevator when the doors finally opened up to the bullpen and once at his desk, he rushed to upload the pictures from his camera and send them to the color printer next to his desk. Once the last of them came off the photo printer, he ran down the aisle towards Perry office. However, his path was suddenly blocked when Ralph stepped away from the floor’s high performance Xerox printer/copier, engrossed in the contents of his printouts. Jimmy wasn’t able to stop in time and slammed into the older man, knocking him off his feet and causing both of them to drop their printouts and scatter the pages in the aisle.

“Watch where you’re going, Olsen!” Ralph shouted angrily. He knelt down, trying to locate his materials from the mixed litter on the floor while the young photographer also scrambled to collect his printouts.

Jack Wilde approached the two, telling Ralph, “Lay off the guy! You weren’t looking where you were going either.”

Jimmy suddenly stopped, his face going pale and his eyes shooting wide as he recognized a large and familiar script on one of the pages. It was a fax rather than a regular printout, which was hardly surprising considering that the Xerox printer/copier doubled as their fax machine. However, the contents on the page were another matter, even with the bottom quarter of the page blank and obscuring the last printed line. The fax had apparently been interrupted, but not before the most crucial part of the message had come through:

Help!
Lex Luthor kidnapped us
We’re on boat called “Alexander the Great”
Send Coast Guard ASAP
39°30m N x 72°49m W

“Oh, my God,” Jimmy quietly mumbled.

“Hey! Give that back,” Ralph commanded. He grabbed the page from Jimmy, his brow wrinkling in confusion as he read it. “What the – how’d this get mixed up with my stuff?”

“I think that came from Lois,” Jimmy said breathlessly.

“More likely, it came from some kids playing a joke,” Ralph argued skeptically.

“No, it’s Lois’ handwriting,” Jimmy said insistently. “I’d recognize it anywhere.”

Jack pulled the page from Ralph’s fingers and read it, his wide-eyed expression betraying his concern. He immediately turned and sprinted down the aisle to Perry’s office and Jimmy rushed after him, his photo printouts suddenly unimportant. Some of their colleagues jumped out of their way in a panic as the two men came barreling down the aisle. After a brief discussion with the bodyguard outside Perry’s office a moment later, the two men burst into their editor’s office, interrupting the conference with the three assistant editors.

“This better be important,” Perry warned them.

“It is,” Jack assured him, handing the page over to Perry. “This fax just came in – Jimmy thinks that’s Lois’ handwriting.”

“I’d recognize it anywhere,” Jimmy declared. “I’m not sure what those numbers mean, though.”

“They’re global coordinates,” Richard explained. He had rushed around Perry’s desk as soon as Lois’ name was mentioned and read the message over his uncle’s shoulder. “I think that’s a little ways off the coast. I can take the seaplane there–” Richard fell silent when the floor suddenly lost power, silencing all of the televisions, telephones, printers, and desktop computers, which was then followed by a chorus of complaints from the bullpen.

Sam Foswell checked his cell phone and somberly stated, “My phone’s fried. It looks like we’ve got another EMP. That probably means that you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, Richard.”

“I’ve still got to try,” Richard replied adamantly.

“Hold on a moment – I have an idea,” Perry muttered. He walked through his office door, beckoning for his nephew to follow him. Perry then turned to the bodyguard stationed outside his office and when the man looked over at him, Perry asked, “Say, Mike… do you think you guys are up to a rescue mission?”

“Rescue mission?” the man asked skeptically.

Perry showed him the fax and said, “It looks like Lois Lane has got herself in something of a pickle, and Richard here’s determined to take his plane out and fly in to the rescue. I think some backup would be helpful.”

“That sounds like a good way for someone to get himself killed,” Mike replied seriously. “One, it’s an unfamiliar environment. You don’t know how many hostiles you’ve got or how they’re equipped, and you don’t know where on the ship the woman is. You probably don’t even know the layout of the ship. This isn’t a job for amateurs – it’s a job for the Coast Guard. They can get a helicopter out there and send in a well-trained and armored team to extract Lane.

“Second, considering that we just got hit with another EMP, we’re probably going to have gridlock on the streets and a regional communications breakdown. Resources that you might otherwise have been able to bring to bear will simply not be unavailable. You can’t even be sure that the equipment you do have wasn’t somehow damaged by the EMP. I’d strongly advise that you accept the recommendation on that fax and call the Coast Guard.”

“Some bodyguard you turned out to be,” Richard complained critically.

“Our job is to keep our clients safe, which means restricting movement to known environments that we can control and protect, and avoiding unnecessary risks like your proposed rescue mission,” Mike replied curtly. “I can’t commit my team to a probable suicide mission and rush blindly into a lion’s den. That’s an unacceptable risk.”

“For you maybe, but I have to go,” Richard countered. “That’s my fiancée out there, and there’s a good chance our son is there with her… He’s not at the safe house.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sir, but it doesn’t change my recommendation,” Mike told him sympathetically. “The risk is simply too great for you to pursue this yourself and even if we were inclined to support it – which we’re not – we wouldn’t be able to guarantee your safety. The best I can do for you is to contact our superiors in Gotham and have them try to expedite matters with the Coast Guard.”

“That’s not good enough,” Richard insisted. “I’ll going after her.”

“That’d be suicide, considering the enemy’s known background,” Mike replied. “We were assigned here for a reason, remember? And no offense, but you’re a desk jockey with a plane. You don’t have the training or experience to pull this off.”

“Richard, please be reasonable about this,” Perry pleaded.

“Uncle Perry, I can’t just sit around here and do nothing,” Richard insisted.

“You may have no choice. Mike’s right about the gridlock - you’d be lucky to make it across town by nightfall,” Sam pointed out.

“It didn’t take us that long to get to the house last time,” Richard argued.

“You mean, after Superman had already spent a couple hours clearing the dead cars off the roads,” Perry asked pointedly. “From what we’ve seen so far this afternoon, it could be a while before he bothers with something as trivial as traffic when he’s had all those other things to deal with.”

“My scooter can get around the traffic,” Jimmy declared confidently as he dug into his pocket for his keys. “You can borrow it.”

Jack snorted and said, “A scooter? You’ve got to be kidding… No offense Jimmy, but I’ll get him there a lot faster on my Harley.”

“You two aren’t helping,” Perry declared irritably, glaring at Jack and Jimmy.

“Actually, I think they’re very helpful,” Richard stated seriously. He turned to Jack and added, “You’re on, Jack. Let’s go.”

“Richard, hold on a minute,” Perry insisted. “You were listening to what Mike just said, weren’t you? Luthor’s thugs are armed and dangerous and they don’t mind killing people.”

“Uncle Perry, I can’t just sit here and hope that the Coast Guard will get there in time,” Richard said adamantly. “I have to go after her. And I’m not asking for permission.” At Perry’s pointed look, he quickly added, “I’ll grab the Beretta from the closet safe and I’ll try to radio the Coast Guard as soon as I’m in the air.”

“Let’s think about this for a minute,” Perry demanded. “Mike said his people can help with the Coast Guard. Copy down that information from the fax so he can pass it on.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“I’ve got a box full of satellite phones in my office that Bruce Wayne sent down for emergencies after the last EMP,” Perry added. “You’re taking one of them with you.”

“Are you sure none of those phones got fried?” Sam asked.

“There in a special metal box that’s supposed to shield them from an EMP – I think Wayne called it a Faraday Cage,” Perry explained. He turned back to Richard and added, “When you find the boat, you’ll call it in – all the numbers you need should already be programmed in the contact list. Mike’s people will expedite things with the Coast Guard, and you’ll wait for them.”

“Uncle Perry,” Richard began.

“Damn it, Richard, I don’t want to be planning another funeral,” Perry snapped angrily. “Our family’s lost too many of your generation already. You’ll wait. And you will not pull some macho bullshit stunt out there and get yourself killed. I want you coming back alive and kicking. Understood?”

“Understood,” Richard replied quietly.

Perry sighed deeply and said, “Okay, let’s get you that satellite phone. While I’m digging it out, copy down that information for Mike.” Perry walked back into his office and turned his attention to a metal box under the window, unlatching the container and quickly searching through it. He retrieved a small box and tossed it over to Richard.

“Remember, let the Coast Guard do the heavy lifting here,” Perry said authoritatively. “Don’t get impatient and go rushing in where angels fear to tread.”

“I’ll be careful,” Richard promised. He then turned and left with Jack, quickly running down the aisle towards the elevator lobby.

-o-o-o-

Superman traced the sound of the explosion back to the Pleasant Acres housing complex in Suicide Slum, a subsidized low-income housing project that included eight ten story towers spread across four square city blocks with a dilapidated playground in the center. The explosion had come from the tower in the southeast corner of the complex and the white hot flames engulfing the first three floors made it readily apparent that it was another HTA firebomb. A quick scan of the affected floors confirmed that the blaze had already claimed forty-seven lives and was threatening another one hundred forty-eight on the upper floors, including nearly thirty preschoolers and half a dozen teenagers. The parents were desperate to get their children to safety as they scrambled through the halls, out the fire escapes or up the stairs to the roof.

The extreme heat of the blaze blocked their path to safety, even along the fire escape outside the building and Superman quickly went to work on the fire to shield the survivors from its unforgiving heat, using his freezing superbreath to create a barrier to the waves of heat. His actions gave the survivors more time to put some distance between themselves and the fire. Superman reflected that it could have been much worse had the fire come after the buses brought the rest of the children home from school, and though silently grateful that they had been spared, he lamented the attack that senselessly put families in jeopardy. He resolved to do everything possible to protect the survivors from the blaze and prevent the deadly assault from claiming any more lives than it already had.

As he continued his tight orbits around the flames, Superman was startled to hear the hypersonic message from Jor-El coming through the transceiver that he’d recently added to his belt buckle. “Kal-El, my son,” Jor-El began. “Our probes have detected an electromagnetic pulse originating approximately one hundred fifty kilometers east of Metropolis, at coordinates 39°30'26.0" North latitude by 72°23'37.2" West longitude. The crystal seed appears to have been delivered as a projectile launched from a sea vessel located thirty kilometers west of that position. I will continue to monitor the vessel… Kal-El, I have just detected two Kryptonian biosigns aboard the vessel, which appear to be Kara and Jason. The missing crystals are also there. You will need to retrieve them immediately.”

No kidding, Superman thought. But I can’t abandon these people. These families face certain death if I leave now. Superman again focused his hearing out to sea, locking in on the sounds of the three familiar heartbeats. However, his comfort in their steady rhythms was diminished by the knowledge of their precarious location and that it would have taken six minutes for the sounds to reach him from Luthor’s yacht offshore. Hang on, he urged them silently. I’ll be there as soon as I can.

-o-o-o-

Lois and Kara continued to whisper conspiratorially while Jason and their minder played their piano duet. However, when the lights came back on and reilluminated the darkened room, it proved to be too great a distraction for those present, silencing both the piano and the chatter. That silence was shattered a moment later by the distinctive telephone touch tones from the fax machine, as it attempted to resend the incomplete fax that was interrupted by the power shutdown. Lois frantically reached around the back of the machine, groping for the power switch to silence the machine’s betrayal.

The device fell suddenly silent and Lois looked up to discover Brutus standing there with the end of the power cord in his hand. He reached over, grabbed her by her hair and an arm, and pulled her over the desk, throwing her to the floor. Lois crawled away from him, using the credenza to drag herself back to her feet, and desperately grabbing at the objects mounted on top for something to hit her attacker with. However, her efforts were in vain – everything was screwed down.

The felon slammed Lois’ head into the credenza and again threw her to the floor. Lois pushed herself backwards along the floor in front of him as he menacingly approached her. Brutus paused as he walked in front of Luthor’s desk to inspect the loose objects sitting at the front. After briefly toying with the letter opener, he picked up a heavy paperweight, which looked to have been cut from a large rock, with its cut edges polished to reveal a remarkable gradient of color through the rock’s interior. Brutus tossed it threateningly between his hands as he loomed over Lois, and she continued to back away from him, until she finally found herself cornered against one of the couches.

Kara suddenly interrupted Brutus’ advance, running around the desk and placing herself defiantly between the convict and Lois. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a stern expression on her face as she demanded, “Leave her alone!”

Brutus snorted and said, “The little protector.” He swung his right arm back with the paperweight, looking much like a baseball pitcher winding up before releasing the ball. However, Brutus never got the chance to complete his deadly delivery. His throw was interrupted when the grand piano flew into him at sixty miles an hour, crushing him against the desk and leaving the piano in a mangled mess on top of him.

Kara and Lois both stared wide-eyed at the carnage in front of them, then looked over at Jason, who was standing on the glass floor with a wide-eyed and frightened expression on his face and with his arms still extended from pushing the piano. Kara looked back over at the piano and then made the mistake of looking through the wreckage. She immediately regretted her folly, squeezing her eyes shut and looking away as she complained, “Ewww! You squished him!”

“I didn’t mean to!” Jason replied tearfully.

“It’s okay, honey. You didn’t know your own strength,” Lois assured him. “And you saved my life. You both did. Come here.” She motioned for Jason to join them, and he came running over. Lois pulled both children into a tight hug, and added, “I’m so proud of both of you.”

Kara lifted her head up and squinted towards the ceiling. “Somebody’s coming,” she said quietly.

Lois jumped up to her feet and ran over to the desk, quickly folding the black felt over the crystals and pulling it into a tight bundle as she rushed back over to the children. She gave the crystals to Kara, and said, “Remember what we talked about earlier? I need you to take your brother and these crystals back to your dad in Metropolis, and you need to do it now.”

“But what about you?” Kara asked worriedly.

“I’ll be okay. Just go find your dad and give him my note to let him know what happened here,” Lois said insistently. “You have to go right now, Kara. Now, go!”

Kara nodded, and wrapped one arm around Jason, pulling him to her tightly as she floated off the floor, and then flew across the room and out the door at the opposite end of the ballroom. Lois looked after them wistfully for a moment, and then called after them, “Try not to let anyone see you using powers!” She then pulled herself from her stupor, remembering the dangerous crew aboard the yacht, and she jogged towards the doorway at the far end of the room that the children had just disappeared through.

Her departure was abruptly interrupted by a male voice from above. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” the voice demanded.

Lois looked up and spotted Grant and Reilly at the top of the spiral staircase. After a moment’s hesitation, Lois turned and sprinted through the doorway, suddenly grateful that she had thought to change into jeans and sneakers after her appointments that morning. She raced down the hall and around the corner before finally slowing down to inspect her surroundings and seek out a hiding place.

[ Chapter 37 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 38 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 37 - Pandemonium

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:15:03 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 37 - 4,704; Total - 148,832
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 36 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 38 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 37 – Pandemonium

Thursday, October 5, 2006 2:00PM EDT
Harold Vanderworth Junior climbed out of his limousine, joining his bodyguards as a silver Acura TSX pulled in ahead of them. A moment later, Nancy Johnson stepped out of the car. She was one of the junior lawyers working with them on the probate case against Luthor. Harold walked over to her and casually said, “I hear Morrison won’t be joining us this afternoon.”

“Nope,” Nancy replied. “Sounds like Luthor fired him.”

“Well, we were expecting that he’d do something foolish – looks like your job just got a lot easier,” Harold replied. He heard another car approaching and looked back as a Chevy Malibu pulled up behind the limousine. Harold commented quietly, “I wonder who we have here.”

A middle-aged balding man climbed out of the Malibu, and rushed over to greet them. “Hi, I’m Tom McKenzie, the city inspector.”

“Harold Vanderworth,” Harold told him. “And this is Nancy Johnson from my attorney’s office, and these two are Paul Norris and Bruce Rodgers from my security team. We’re expecting one more, but it looks like she’s running late.”

“Well, we can wait a couple minutes, but that’s all,” Tom told him. “We’re kind of on a tight schedule. I assume one of you has a key?”

“Yes, but I’m assuming Luthor changed the locks,” Harold replied scornfully. “We have a locksmith on the way. He should be here any minute.”

Tom nodded and said, “Just to summarize what we’re doing here – this is a court-ordered inspection, which you’re permitted to witness as a party to the case. And when I say ‘witness’, that means you stay with me – nobody wanders through house unescorted.”

“We understand,” Harold answered.

After a few minutes of small talk, Nancy noticed a flicker of light inside the mansion’s windows and asked curiously, “Is someone already inside? I think I just saw a light come on.”

“Mister Luthor still has custodial possession,” Tom reminded her as he strained to see movement through the windows. An asymmetric flicker through the windows widened his eyes in alarm, and he added urgently, “That looks like a fire. Wait here. I’m going to take a closer look.”

Tom trotted up to the porch and cupped his hands around his eyes as he peered through a side window. After a moment, he turned from the window and pulled out his cell phone as he called to his companions, “I’m calling 911. We’ve got a fire!” No sooner had he dialed the number on his cell phone than a white hot flame violently exploded through the doors and windows of the mansion, engulfing the building inspector in its embrace. The intense heat instantly burned through his clothing, leaving the remaining fabric and skin melded as one in an unfamiliar wrap around his body. However, before the unimaginable pain could provoke his screams, the concussive force of the blast mercifully robbed him of consciousness as it threw him across the lawn and to the far side of the driveway, where he landed hard in a limp and smoldering pile.

-o-o-o-

It hadn’t taken Superman long to confirm that there had been a bomb underneath the tanker trailer in Roosevelt Tunnel, and he found the resulting carnage sickening. He initially counted thirty dead, dozens more with severe burns, and hundreds more trapped. There were also dozens of mangled vehicles littering the tunnel and a steady stream of water seeping in from the damaged walls. The only saving grace was the lighter early afternoon traffic, which helped limit the death toll from what it could have been.

Why would anyone do this? Superman wondered. What could they possibly have to gain? He pushed back the nausea the scene provoked, and attacked the blaze, using his freezing breath to insulate the survivors from the extreme heat while simultaneously attempting to contain and extinguish the blaze. Several excruciatingly minutes later, the fire was finally doused and he finally went to work triaging the surviving victims and began their evacuation.

The first victims evacuated were the most time consuming. They were the most critically injured, required the most careful handling, and had to be immediate evacuated to the area hospitals one at a time, if they were to have a chance at survival. By the time the first ambulances showed up, the injury level of the remaining victims was sufficient to allow him to deposit the victims with the paramedics for interim treatment. It was still a laborious process, evacuating survivors one at a time, but the turnaround was quicker. Finally, the last survivor was evacuated from the tunnel, after a nearly intolerable forty-five minutes since the tanker detonated.

Unfortunately, the disaster was also one of the rare events where he felt compelled to handle evacuation of the deceased. Under normal circumstances, he left that dreadful duty to the medico-legal investigators from the Metropolis O.C.M.E., which left testimony regarding the scene to the professionals and avoided any inadvertent forensic contamination. However, the imminent flooding of the Roosevelt Tunnel and the clear cause of death from the disaster called for different handling.

After a brief stop at the O.C.M.E. to coordinate with a MLI supervisor and collect body bags, he began removing the deceased and transferring them to a city maintenance garage near the morgue. Not only did the deceased have to be removed one at a time and handled with nearly as much care as the critically injured, he also needed to fill out paperwork for each of them, documenting the scene of death in as much detail as possible for later analysis and identification of the deceased. That process had taken him another twenty minutes.

Once the unhappy duty was finally done, Superman found the fire marshall near the west end of the Roosevelt Tunnel. He immediately recognized the man as Warren Brown, a fireman he’d rescued from a bad arson fire prior to his hiatus, though he wasn’t a marshall the last time he saw him. “Marshall Brown,” Superman greeted the man somberly.

“Superman,” the fire marshall replied politely. “Man, it’s good to have you back! Thanks for the assist. Any idea what happened here?”

“The blaze appears to have been started by a bomb on a diesel tanker trailer,” Superman informed him.

“Those tankers aren’t supposed to be in the tunnels,” Marshall Brown stated angrily.

“I don’t think that whoever was behind this was concerned with traffic rules,” Superman replied grimly. “The tanker was down there and its explosion has caused extensive damage. There are dozens of incinerated and mangled vehicles still down there, and there’s a lot of water coming in. I expect that the tunnel will be completely flooded within the hour."

“Anything else you can tell us?”

“I haven’t had time for a thorough–” Superman began, then his head snapped up and he quickly said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. Another explosion just went off north of here.” He then launched into the air and disappeared over the rooftops, zooming across the city to the source of troubling sound.

-o-o-o-

Thursday, October 5, 2006 2:10PM EDT
By the time Superman arrived at the Vanderworth mansion, the heat of the blaze had already burnt through most of the internal structural support, collapsing what was left of the upper floors into the basement, which continued to burn amazingly hot. Superman immediately scanned through the wreckage, breathing a sigh of relief once he’d confirmed that there were no victims inside the building.

However the fire had still claimed a victim, severely burnt and barely clinging to life as his companions surrounded him, helpless to do more than offer words of comfort to the unconscious man while they waited for an ambulance. The extreme heat had burned through his clothes, melting what remained to his skin, which was charred black and stained with unhealthy streaks of pink. Superman doubted he’d survive.

As always, the first priority was with the survivors, despite the odds against them. After confirming that the blaze wasn’t an immediate threat to the other survivors, he landed next to the unidentified man, gently cooling the victim’s still smoldering skin before lifting him up, mindful of his injuries. As the others looked over at him, Superman informed them. “I need to get this man to Met General immediately. I’ll be back.”

After turning over the victim to the care of Metropolis General Hospital’s emergency room staff, he turned his attention to the fire, which was still blazing at an incredible three thousand degrees, nearly twice the temperature of the average fire. High temperature accelerants, Superman concluded and he began tight orbit around the burning structure, blowing his freezing breath on the flames in a desperate effort to extinguish the blaze. Fires that hot couldn’t simply be blown out like a candle. Even water would feed the flames at that temperature, with the oxygen atoms immediately separating and fueling the combustion.

It took the Man of Steel nearly ten minutes to cool the blaze to normal fire temperatures and finally extinguish it, with assistance from the water hoses of Engine Company Eighty-Seven of the Metropolis Fire Department. There was little more than a shell left of the once impressive mansion, with the exception of the Kryptonian crystal mass. It had been transformed into a smoky black and appeared brittle, but had otherwise survived the inferno.

Superman scanned the firefighters on the scene, searching out the fire marshall, who was one of the rare women in the Metropolis Fire Department. Superman didn’t recognize her from the old days, but that was hardly a surprise, given that nearly half of the marshalls returned to the ranks of the firefighters they were recruited from after a couple years. Superman landed gently and politely greeted her, “Marshall. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“Georgia Marenko,” she introduced herself. “Thanks for the assist. Can you tell us anything about this fire?”

“It was a hot one – over three thousand degrees,” Superman informed them. “I’m afraid it’s consumed most of your arson evidence.”

“Another HTA fire?” Georgia replied unhappily. “I was really hoping we’d seen the last of those.”

Superman’s eyes widened in surprise and he asked, “Another one? I thought HTA fires were a rarity.”

“They are – only about twenty-five of them nationwide in the last decade. However, a disgruntled wannabe firefighter with a grudge against the department set a number of HTA fires to try to embarrass us a couple of years back,” Marenko explained. “We caught the guy and he got a multiple life sentence at Stryker’s. He was a slippery bastard – I hope he hasn’t gotten out…”

“I think Lex Luthor is your prime suspect behind this one,” Superman declared. “He was ordered by the court this morning to open the place up for inspection, and this seems a bit too coincidental for my taste. Besides, the unexploded firebombs from the Baxter Stamping Plant Tuesday night were HTA and were also tied to Luthor. Marshall Pete Daniels was onsite from your department, though I think that S.C.U. is handling that case. You might want to talk to Captain Maggie Sawyer.”

“I’ll do that - thanks for the tip,” Georgia replied grimly. “I just hope we can keep the interdepartmental politics out of it this time.”

“I thought everyone was supposed to be on the same side,” Superman began sternly, but before he could continue the discussion, he suddenly cocked his head to the side and his eyes grew wide in alarm. “I have to go,” he said quickly and he launched himself into the air, disappearing in a blur to the west.

-o-o-o-

Luthor allowed a small smile as observed the live events in Metropolis with grim satisfaction and reflected how easy it had been to keep Superman preoccupied. After his conversation with Morrison, a check of the alpha scanner had shown Superman again hovering high above the city, flying in lazy orbits and probably looking down on Metropolis like a god on Mount Olympus, seeking out opportunities to meddle in the affairs of mortals. Despite Luthor’s meticulous planning, there was still the possibility that the freak could find a way to interfere with his grand designs, and he needed to keep Superman busy until he was ready for him.

Fortunately, he had planned for that and as the yacht cruised to the predetermined launch coordinates, Luthor had unleashed his fury on Metropolis, the effects of which was now apparent on the screen before him. The planned distractions had exceeded his wildest expectations. One of the new contractors had guided a tanker trailer into Roosevelt Tunnel shortly after one, believing his assignment to be to tie up traffic as a distraction for a daring robbery. The fool never noticed the explosives on the trailer and probably never had time to realize the truth when the devices detonated. The wonderful results of that blast kept the Man of Steel occupied for over an hour. Luthor watched with glee as the red swirls on his display showed Superman’s panicked efforts to save the victims, while another window showed GNN’s live coverage of the disaster.

When Superman was finally wrapping up his efforts at the tunnel, Luthor was thrilled to see him zoom away to the Vanderworth mansion. The GNN helicopters had quickly converged on the smoke trail, and Luthor delighted in the extent of the damage showed on the screen along with the alpha scanner results showing the Man of Steel’s circuit between the estate and the hospital. I couldn’t have timed the second distraction better, Luthor thought gleefully. Let’s see Junior and his lawyers try to inspect the place now.

The only down side of the mansion fire was the relatively short time that Superman required to address the situation, given the lack of victims. When Superman had the fire wrapped up fifteen minutes later, Luthor sent the signal to send him to his next distraction, simultaneously igniting multiple explosive firebombs hidden in the Hancock Building in Glenmorgan Square. One of the devices had been planted in the janitor’s closet near his former lawyer’s Metropolis satellite office. Hopefully, the fool is still there, Luthor thought as he continued to monitor the feed from the alpha scanner. Predictably, it showed Superman immediately flying across town to fight the blaze and rescue the thousands of mindless pencil pushers in that building. The GNN helicopter again quickly closed in on the fire, and Luthor delighted in the scenes of chaos.

Luthor’s amusement was interrupted by the footfalls across the ballroom’s glass floor. Luthor looked up and his eyes widened in surprise as he recognized Lois Lane with two young children as Brutus nudged them forward with his Glock. Kitty had also chosen to join them, cuddling the cursed Pomeranian in her arms as she followed the group into the ballroom. “We found them snooping around the mansion and since you don’t like us improvising…” Brutus began.

Two children? Luthor wondered. There’s only one extra dependent on her tax returns. I guess that means one of the fathers won custody. Luthor stood and walked out from behind his desk, and stated with false cheer, “Ah, if it isn’t Lois Lane. Didn’t you just win a Pulitzer Prize for my favorite article of all time, ‘Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman’? You had such great potential. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in the direction your writing’s gone lately.”

“Not as disappointed as I am in our criminal justice system,” Lois retorted. “Didn’t you have a few years to go on your double life sentence?”

“Well, we can thank the Man of Steel for that. He’s really good at swooping in and stopping the bad guys. But he’s not so hot on the little things. Like Miranda Rights, due process… making your court date.”

“And how many people did you have pay off to carry that argument?” Lois countered. “Just Judge Gregory, or were there others?”

Luthor narrowed his eyes at her and said menacingly, “Someone in your position should show a little more respect.” Luthor gestured towards his recently vacated seat and said, “Please take a seat.”

“We’ll stand.”

“That wasn’t a request,” Luthor warned her. She felt Brutus’ gun in her back and reluctantly led the children to Luthor chair, pulling them on her lap after she sat.

“So what’s your grand plan this time?” Lois asked anxiously.

“Fishing for an interview?”

“Well, the public hasn’t heard your side yet – you haven’t exactly been available for comment,” Lois answered. “Here’s your chance to set the record straight and show the public the real Lex Luthor – and I’m sure they’d love to hear it… So how about we take my kids back to town, put them in a cab, and then you can do whatever you want with me.”

“Nobody’s going anywhere… and I can already do whatever I want with you,” Luthor reminded her.

Lois’ shoulders sagged in resignation, and she nodded her head. “All right, then. How about the interview? You can explain to the masses what Lex Luthor is all about. So… What is your grand plan?”

Luthor pulled the construction crystal out of the inside pocket of his suit coat, displaying it tantalizingly in front of his guests as asked, “Tell me, my dear. What do you know about crystals?”

-o-o-o-

Perry White stood outside Sam Foswell’s office and asked seriously, “Have we got anything on that Roosevelt Tunnel fire yet?”

“Gil phoned in his preliminary report a few minutes ago, and we’ll have it up on the web site as soon as Roberta adds in the information from D.O.T.,” Sam explained. “Lucky for us, Gil was close enough to hear what Superman told the firemen. Apparently, a bomb blew up a tanker trailer down there, and it was bad enough to flood the tunnel.”

“Do we have confirmation?” Perry pressed.

“We’re working on it. Gil’s trying to get an official statement from the police or fire crews, and he’ll stick around until everything’s wrapped up. Olsen’s on his way back in with pictures.”

Perry nodded and turned to the bullpen, briefly locking his gaze on the overhead televisions as GNN’s helicopter broadcast the chaos at the tunnel’s west entrance. After a moment, he broke his gaze from the television and looked out into the bullpen, where nearly everyone was staring at the shocking images on the overhead televisions. Perry frowned at the scene and then shouted out across the bullpen. “All right, everyone! That’s enough! There’s too much watching and not enough writing going on here! This is a hot story and we’re a newspaper, not a studio audience, so get to work! The story is the bomb in the Roosevelt Tunnel!

“Evans, Anderson! Get up to roof and flag down Superman for his perspective. International! Who are the most likely suspects among the terrorists groups? Is anyone claiming responsibility? Washington! What’s the White House and DHS reaction? City! What’s the mayor going to do about this? What about M.P.D.? How bad’s the damage to the tunnel? Business! What’s this economic impact of the attack? Lifestyle! How is everyone coping with the attack and with the tunnel closure? Now let’s get moving, people! We have pages to fill!”

The bullpen exploded into action, and Perry returned to his office with mixed emotions, both pleased at the likely spike in their circulation figures and dismayed by the reason for it. Tragedy certainly sells papers but why did it have to be something like this? he wondered. He settled into his chair, and turned up the volume of the GNN broadcast on the television on the opposite wall before turning his attention to his desktop computer and looking through the story review queue.

A few minutes later, Richard walked into his uncle’s office and informed him, “We have Gus on top of DHS, and Helen at the White House, though they expect it could be awhile before we get a statement. It’s going to take them a little while to get all the facts together.”

“What about international?” Perry pressed.

“Same thing, basically. There are a couple terrorists groups in particular who’d love to pull off something like this, but it’s going to take a while to confirm. I have Ron working on it, but I can’t guarantee that we’ll have anything usable by deadline.”

The discussion was joined by Sam Foswell as he entered Perry’s office. “Gil’s got confirmation on the bomb from the fire marshall,” Sam informed them somberly. “He’s saying that tankers like the one that blew up aren’t supposed to be allowed in the tunnels, so there’s a question as to how it got past the toll gate – Roger is looking into that… We’ve got thirty-one dead, over one hundred fifty injured, many of them seriously, and the tunnel’s expected to be completely flooded within the hour. Needless to say, the Roosevelt Tunnel is closed until further notice.”

“Geez,” Richard commented.

“The mayor’s already scheduled a press conference at four o’clock to discuss the attack,” Sam added. “Polly will cover it.”

“Send Olsen with her for pictures,” Perry commanded.

Further discussion of the matter was interrupted by the GNN Anchor Alicia Myers’s loud announcement from Perry’s television. “This just in. There’s been a second explosion in Metropolis this afternoon, this time in an exclusive oceanfront neighborhood…”

“Another one?” Sam muttered incredulously. “What on Earth is going on here?”

The scene on the television switched to the helicopter feed, showing the blazing ruins of a large building with a red and blue blur swirling around it while Alicia Myers continued to describe the scene. “We’re being told that this destroyed building was the home of the late Gertrude Vanderworth, and subject of a bitter dispute between her children and her new husband, Lex Luthor, who was indicted for her murder just this morning…”

“Oh, shit,” Perry murmured worriedly. A concerned expression appeared on his face as he pulled out his cell phone and started scrolling through his contact list.

“What is it?” Richard asked.

“Lois was supposed to be at the Vanderworth mansion at two,” Perry explained.

“No, there’s got to be a mistake,” Richard replied insistently. “She was heading right back to the safe house after Jason’s appointment.”

“There was a court ordered property inspection this afternoon, and she was planning on being there,” Perry informed him.

“And you didn’t tell me?” Richard protested angrily.

“Richard, please tell me we aren’t going to have to have another talk about the office rules,” Perry grumbled. He held up his index finger, signaling the other to wait as he spoke into the cell phone. “Lois, it’s Perry. We just heard about the Vanderworth place blowing up. Please call us and let us know that you weren’t there.”

“You shouldn’t have let her go,” Richard said angrily.

“Well, considering all I got from her on the matter was a text message as she was heading over to the place, there wasn’t much opportunity for discussion,” Perry countered. “Son, I know this is hard on you, but Lois is a remarkably clever and resilient woman. Let’s not make the mistake of underestimating her… Besides, for all we know she got tied up in traffic. The place isn’t that far from that Roosevelt Tunnel mess, after all.” Perry turned to Sam and added authoritatively, “Get a hold of Kent. Find out if Lois made that appointment… And get someone down there to cover the fire.”

Sam nodded and quickly trotted out of Perry’s office, pulling out his cell phone and scrolling through his contact list as he left the two men to their silent worry.

-o-o-o-

Lois stared at Luthor’s revised continental map over the fireplace, her eyes widening in horror. The madman had just described in cheerful detail a murderous plan to destroy and replace North America with a new continent of his own making – one equipped with “advanced alien technology” to keep the surviving countries in line. And his invited ‘guests’ would pay dearly for the privilege of their survival. It seemed to be the worst possible corruption of the stolen Kryptonian technology, degraded by Luthor’s mad scheme for ‘high-tech beachfront property’. It’s worse than we imagined, Lois thought.

She seemed to finally notice Luthor grinning maniacally back at her and she quietly said, “You can’t be serious. Millions of people would die.”

“Billions!” Luthor corrected enthusiastically. “Once again the press underestimates me. This is front page news.” Lois stared back at him in disbelief and he smiled jovially as he baited her, “Come on. Say it.”

“You’re insane,” Lois replied breathlessly.

Luthor snorted and shook his head. “No, not that – the other thing,” he said a little too cheerfully. “Come on, it’s dangling on the tip of your tongue. Say it.”

“Superman will never–” Lois began

“Wrong!” Luthor bellowed. He returned the crystal to his jacket pocket and walked over to the mantel, opening a metal box, bathing his face in a green glow as he removed an emerald green hollow cylinder from the container. “The freak won’t have a chance.”

Lois immediately heard the sharp intake of breath from both of the children in her arms and felt them tense up. She squeezed them tightly to her and discreetly quieted them as the madman continued his ranting.

“Mind over muscle, Miss Lane,” Luthor declared flatly, finally returning his gaze to his guests. “Mind over–” He suddenly fell silent as he noticed the two children limp in Lois’ arms. He approached them, pointing the cylinder at them while he insistently asked, “Who is their father?”

What do I tell him? Lois wondered. I don’t dare say Richard or Clark, just in case Luthor isn’t convinced their father’s human and goes after him. After a moment’s hesitation, she settled on Clark’s middle name and anxiously said, “Joseph.” Lois reflected that the only silver lining to the children’s kryptonite exposure was that they were too weak to question her answer. She knew they would have corrected her otherwise.

“So is that the name he’s using?” Luthor asked knowingly. “Or is that just the latest fool you’ve tricked into believing that the half-breeds were his? It’s really quite fascinating how easily small minds are fooled by the duplicity of women. First White, then Kent. Now ‘Joseph’?” He bent in front of them, waving the kryptonite cylinder before the children’s faces and closely observing their reaction. The children remained motionless as they wheezed heavily, their reactions otherwise bordering on catatonic.

Lois miraculously kept her expression neutral as her heart raced in panic. Come on, Lane – be convincing, Lois commanded herself. She wrinkled her brow in false confusion and muttered, “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“They seem a little green around the gills,” Luthor commented. “Guess they don’t care for this miraculous material any more than that meddling Boy Scout does…”

“What? You don’t really think that… Oh, for crying out loud,” Lois replied in disbelief, dramatically rolling her eyes. “They’re asthmatic! They’re having an allergic reaction to the dog!” She patted Jason’s pockets, searching for his inhaler.

“Boss, we’re approaching the coordinates,” Stanford’s voice announced over the intercom.

Luthor ignored his employee and insistently asked Lois, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Stanford replied defensively. “Thirty-nine degrees thirty minutes north by seventy-two degrees forty-nine minutes west, and the ship’s turned around with the bow to the west.”

As Luthor continued to scrutinize the children, Lois finally found the albuteral inhaler, pulled it from Jason’s front pocket and pulled the cap off. Jason automatically inhaled as Lois put the end in his mouth and sent the medicine into his lungs. Lois then repeated the process for Kara, instructing her to breathe in deeply as she squeezed down on the inhaler.

Luthor appeared to finally be convinced of Lois’ explanation, withdrawing from his guests and speaking authoritatively into the intercom, “I’m on my way up.” He afterwards turned to Brutus and commanded, “Don’t let them leave this room.” Luthor then marched briskly towards the doorway at the opposite end of the ballroom and called over his shoulder, “Come, Kitty. The Twilight of the Gods awaits.”

[ Chapter 36 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 38 ]

New Milestone

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:26:53 GMT

I just posted chapter 36 of my current fic, Family Reunion, and the word count at FanFiction.Net puts the word count at 158,448. (I haven't been counting the Author's Notes in the word counts here). That exceeds the word count for the completed epic Home is Where the Heart Is, which weighed in at 30 60 chapters and 157,386 words. It's surprised me. At this rate, I'll probably easily exceed 200,000 and maybe even 250,000.

I knew that the chapters were running a lot longer this time around - a third or half again as long as from Home, but I didn't thing I was this long winded. I think that Family Reunion is a better story than Home, but I'm still really not sure what to make of this...

Updated: Don't know where that number 30 came from, but the Home epic was 60 chapters, not 30.

Family Reunion - Chapter 36 - Calm Before the Storm

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:22:42 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 36 - 3,846; Total - 144,128
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 35 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 37 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 36 – Calm Before the Storm

Thursday, October 5, 2006 12:30PM EDT
Lois usually found flights with Superman to be incredibly exhilarating and cathartic experiences, with an almost surreal calm surrounding them as they hovered over the world. However, their current flight south from the Fortress was an exception, due to a last minute change in plans that had Jason flying with Kara. Lois reluctantly agreed to the request, unable to resist three hopeful sets of puppy-dog eyes.

Clark had promised to closely monitor the children, but Lois was still nervous watching them fly beside them, twenty feet to her left. The children were flying side by side, with their inner arms wrapped tightly around each other and the outer arms extended, making it hard to tell who was doing the flying and who was the passenger. Both of them had wide smiles radiating their joy as they flew, and Lois couldn’t help but return the smile.

“Okay, let’s bank about three degrees to the right,” Clark gently instructed the children. Kara obliged, with Jason exaggerating his arm movements to the right as he pretended to be the one flying. However, Kara quickly pointed out his error, instructing him in the proper motions for a three degree right bank.

Lois felt Superman tighten his grip, and she looked over at him to find him with a mischievous smirk on his face and gesturing for silence with a finger over his lips. He motioned towards the children with his head, and moved directly behind them as he rolled over into an inverted position. He then quietly inched forward underneath them, reached up and tickled them – first Jason, then Kara. The kids immediately started giggling and pulled their legs up before Kara banked off to the right and out of range of their father’s tickles.

“Clark, don’t do that while they’re flying!” Lois complained anxiously. “You’re going to make her drop him.”

“They’re okay, Lois,” Superman assured her cheerfully. “It’s all done under strict adult supervision.”

“Clark,” Lois warned.

“All right, no more in-flight tickling,” Superman promised. He rolled back over and called out to the children, “Come on, kids. Back into formation.”

Kara and Jason banked back over and pulled up alongside the adults, maintaining a constant distance of about twenty feet between them. Kara looked over at her dad and asked hopefully, “Um, Dad? Can we do corkscrews?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Honey, but that would hurt Lois and Jason. They can’t take the forces like we can,” Superman informed her patiently. “We’ll have to save that for another day, okay?”

“Corkscrews?” Lois asked.

“Aerial acrobatics, of a sort,” Superman informed her. “It started out as an exercise to help her control her flight and turned into a game. We fly circles around each other, closer and closer and faster and faster and then try to come to a sudden stop. We’ve got similar games to help her learn control over her other abilities.”

“What kind of games?”

“We play Pressure, and Hot ‘n Cold, and Speed-Eggs…” Kara began.

“Excuse me, ‘Speed-Eggs’?” Lois repeated.

“Oh, you got to move all the eggs from one crate to the other as fast as you can without breaking any of them,” Kara explained.

“She’s getting pretty good at it,” Superman added.

“At packing eggs?”

“The eggs are fragile and she has to handle them gently to avoid breaking them,” Superman pointed out. “The faster you go the harder that is to do, and if she can handle the eggs, she’ll be able to handle people.”

“I guess I never really thought about the challenge of controlling all that power,” Lois admitted. “You make it look so effortless.”

“It took awhile to get to that point,” Superman informed her. He then turned to Kara and said authoritatively, “Honey, move in a little bit closer now. In a couple minutes, I want you to transfer Jason back to me, and then stay really close as we fly into Metropolis, just like we talked about. Okay?”

“Okay.”

A few minutes later, Superman flew Lois and Jason across Metropolis with Kara flying a foot above him. Superman disappeared down the ramp from the roof of the Meadowland Mall parking garage and pulled himself upright, with Kara immediately pressing against his back as he slowed to a stop. Finally, he released his burden, and disappeared in a blur.

“Clark?” Lois called out, turning her head to the left and right looking for him.

“Over here,” he answered from halfway down the row of parked cars.

Lois looked over towards the sounds of his voice and found him dressed in his business suit, standing behind a silver Chrysler Town & Country minivan.

“You rented a minivan?” Lois asked incredulously.

“Well, once we decided to let Kara go with Jason today, it seemed like an obvious choice,” Clark replied cheerfully. “Come on, kids, climb in.”

As the kids climbed into the minivan, Clark handed the keys over to Lois. “I’ll be around. If something serious happens that looks like it’ll keep Superman busy, I’ll text you, and Plan B…”

“Plan B is to park the car at the Planet, and take the portal back from there,” Lois finished. “Clark, relax. We’ll be okay.”

Clark nodded, and turned his attention back to the kids. “I’ll see you kids in a little while. Be good, and listen to Lois.” He gave them each a quick hug, and then quickly jogged over to the stairwell door, before disappearing through it and returning to the sky.

-o-o-o-

Richard returned to the bullpen after a quick lunch at the first floor snack shop and stopped abruptly in the aisle after spotting the mug shot of Lex Luthor displayed on the overhead televisions as GNN reported the news of the felon’s misfortunes that morning. Richard was so absorbed by the report that he hadn’t noticed Perry walk up to him until the older man spoke. “Our coverage is much better,” Perry commented proudly.

Richard turned to him and replied anxiously, “It sounds like the shit just hit the fan.”

“That it did,” Perry commented and he gestured to Richard to follow him as he walked back to his office. Once Richard claimed a seat in one of Perry’s guest chairs, the older man added somberly. “Lois and Kent will be going on an out of town assignment for a couple weeks. I haven’t decided on the assignment yet, but I’m seriously considering sending them to Saint Thomas to investigate that vacation scam. At least that way I can still get some work out of them while they’re sequestered.”

“You’re sending them alone to Saint Thomas?” Richard questioned incredulously.

Perry sighed, and said, “If you’re that bent out of shape over it, you can go with them, but it’s on your dime and you’ll be burning vacation time. There’s simply no business justification for sending you there at the paper’s expense, too.”

“Fine, I’ll pay for it,” Richard consented irritably. “When do we leave?”

“After the Pulitzer ceremony tomorrow night,” Perry informed him. “Everybody stays out of sight until the ceremony, we’ll all sneak in and out through a back entrance, and then put the three of you on the plane.”

“Uncle Perry, it’d be nuts to even think about going to the Pulitzers right now,” Richard protested. “It’d be the perfect opportunity for Luthor to strike back at us.”

“They’re beefing up security at Ford Hall, and the police will be there in force,” Perry assured him. “In fact, it’s going to be a pain in the ass for anyone else to get through the security perimeter with the ID checks.”

“You can’t be serious,” Richard said dramatically. “After what Luthor tried Tuesday night, you still expect us to go? Uncle Perry, we can’t. Especially not Lois.”

Perry harrumphed and gave Richard a skeptical look. “Richard, ignoring for the moment all the free publicity the Planet will get from her Pulitzer, do you honestly believe for even a second that Lois would consider sacrificing her glory after finally winning for the first time?”

Richard’s shoulders sagged in resignation and he sadly replied, “No, especially not if I’m the one asking.”

“Well, I won’t be asking, either,” Perry declared. “I can make my recommendations, but at the end of the day, it’ll be her decision whether to attend or not.”

Both men were quiet for a moment, when Richard seemed about to speak and then thought better of it, snapping his mouth shut. He was silent for another moment, and then sighed heavily. Finally, he sadly said, “I can’t believe I’m about to suggest this… but maybe… maybe Clark could talk Lois into skipping the ceremony. He seems to be the only one she listens to these days…”

Perry offered him a small smile and said, “He always did have a knack for that, though I suspect that even he might have trouble making headway when it comes to the Pulitzers. Feel free to talk to him about it if you want to, though. And Richard?”

“Yes.”

“It looks you may finally have your head out of the sand. Try to keep it that way this time.”

-o-o-o-

After escorting Lois and the kids to the Meadowland Mall, Superman settled into a wide patrol pattern ten thousand feet above them while he closely monitored their short drive to the doctor’s office. The trip was uneventful, as expected. Even if Luthor had been tracking him, he wouldn’t have had time to get anyone to the mall in time to intercept Lois and the kids. They’d be fine as long as they stuck to the plan.

Once Lois signed in at the doctor’s office, Superman diverted his attention to Planet Plaza, and he again scanned the crowd, looking for anyone suspicious, or who displayed an unusual interest in the Daily Planet building. He identified a half dozen young men armed with concealed pistols. After taking a moment to assess the treat, he swooped down over the plaza, quickly disarming the potential bandits and turning them over to the beat cops in the area.

After confirming that the perimeter around the Planet was secure, Superman allowed himself to relax and he indulged in a peek into the Planet bullpen. Jimmy was reviewing his pictures from the D.A. press conference that morning; Gil and Ralph were debating whether the new female GNN news anchor’s ‘credentials’ were real or silicon; and Perry and Richard were discussing the Pulitzers. That’s tomorrow? Superman wondered. I forgot all about that. I think Lois forgot, too… Richard’s right, it’s not a good idea for her to go, but how do I suggest that to her after the way I complained about her editorial?

His contemplation was rudely interrupted by a thunderous explosion to the southeast, and he focused his senses to the source of the blast. To his horror, he found an exploded tanker trailer in the Roosevelt Tunnel that connected New Troy to Conkin Island. The truck driver was killed instantly, as were some of those in adjacent vehicles, and the explosion had effectively blocked off the tunnel, with the fire threatening the surviving motorists. Superman immediately formulated a rescue plan for the event and dropped from his patrol altitude and sped into the Roosevelt Tunnel.

-o-o-o-

Lois sat in the guest chair in the examination room with Kara on her lap as the hygienist prepped Jason for Doctor Gallagher and did the initial check on him. Kara found the process fascinating and asked a continuous stream of questions about it, which the hygienist patiently answered. Finally, the initial check was completed and Doctor Gallagher entered the room, wearing scrubs and with a surgical mask pulled down and bunched up under his chin. “Hello, Miss Lane,” he said politely. “Looks like we have an extra guest today.”

“Oh, this is Jason’s sister, Kara,” Lois replied casually. “Her school was canceled today, and she wanted to come along.”

“I see,” Doctor Gallagher replied cheerfully. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Kara.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Kara said shyly.

He then turned his attention to Jason, who was looked at him anxiously from the reclined examination chair. “And how have you been Jason? I guess we had a little problem with your tongue a few weeks ago?”

“It’s all better now,” Jason said nervously.

“The flare-up calmed down pretty quickly after you started him on that prescription,” Lois explained.

“The Pediapred?” Doctor Gallagher asked.

“Yeah, that was it.”

Doctor Gallagher pulled fresh latex gloves out of a box on the counter and put them on. He then pulled his surgical mask over his nose, and slid his stool over next to the examination chair. “Okay, let’s have a look… Open wide for me, please, Jason.”

While Doctor Gallagher was inspecting Jason’s mouth, Lois heard the chirp from her cell phone, indicating an incoming text message. She discretely pulled her phone from her purse and looked at the display, which revealed an incoming message from Clark. Her eyes shot wide when she read the surprising message from him: “Explosion in Roosevelt Tunnel. Superman on the scene. Could take awhile.”

Holy shit, Lois thought. Was that an accident or some kind of terrorist attack? She mentally rolled through a list of likely suspects if the explosion had been intentional, and the contacts she’d need to corner to confirm it. However, her story preplanning was interrupted by the doctor’s voice as he spoke to Jason, and Lois tried valiantly to shift her attention to her son’s examination.

“Stick out your tongue for me, please,” Doctor Gallagher gently instructed his patient. Jason complied, and the doctor grabbed the little boy’s tongue with a gauze square as he examined it. Finally, he muttered, “This is odd…”

“Is something wrong?” Lois asked anxiously, and she quickly closed her phone and dropped it back in her purse.

“Oh, he’s fine,” the doctor replied pleasantly. “There’s no sign of the lesions he had a few weeks ago.” He continued to examine Jason’s mouth and added, “In fact, I’d be hard pressed to find any evidence at all of the O.L.P.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Lois asked.

“Of course, but it’s highly unusual,” Doctor Gallagher said. He released Jason’s tongue, and turned to Lois as he explained, “Oral lichen planus is a chronic condition, and I haven’t seen anything in the literature that would explain the sudden disappearance of all traces of the disease.”

Jor-El said he fixed Jason’s ‘ailments’ Monday night, Lois thought. Was it just the allergies, or did he cure the O.L.P., too?

“Have there been any changes in his medications recently?”

“His allergy treatment was scaled back,” Lois answered nervously.

“Scaled back?”

“We saw a specialist who thought he’d been misdiagnosed,” Lois explained. “He discontinued the theophylline, but Jason’s still carrying an albuterol inhaler, just in case.”

“That wouldn’t explain the spontaneous recovery. Perhaps the O.L.P was misdiagnosed, too,” Doctor Gallagher commented. “Well, whatever the case, it looks like it’s cleared up, so I’m going to take him off the vanceril.”

“So, it’s really gone? No more O.L.P.? He’s cured?” Lois asked hopefully.

“I’d be hesitant to use the word ‘cured’ when he’s been asymptomatic for no more than a couple weeks,” Doctor Gallagher stated pleasantly. He scooted his stool over to the counter, opened Jason’s chart and began writing in it as he added, “Everything looks good, but I’d still like to see him again in six months and see how he’s doing. And that should do it for us today.”

-o-o-o-

Lois had her phone to her ear before they even made it out of the office, trying to track down someone who knew something about the explosion. She’d already made half a dozen calls by the time they reached the car, with her contacts either not answering or claiming ignorance. She unlocked the doors to let the kids in, and finally called Jimmy Olsen as she climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Miss Lane?” Jimmy answered politely.

“Jimmy, I got a tip about an explosion in the Roosevelt Tunnel,” Lois said seriously. “Have they heard anything around the bullpen on that?”

“There was something about it on GNN,” Jimmy informed her. “Nobody knows what happened, but it sounds like Superman’s on top of it. Gil and I are heading there now, so we should know more soon.”

“Perry put Gil on it?” Lois asked incredulously.

“Yeah,” Jimmy replied apologetically. After a beat, he added, “Do you want us to call you once we find something out?”

Lois hesitated for a moment, and then caught the sight of the curious faces looking back at her from the rear view mirror. She sighed in resignation and said, “Thanks, Jimmy, but as much as I hate to say it, I’m going to have to sit this one out. I’ve got Jason and Kara with me this afternoon. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, then… Bye.”

Lois looked over her shoulder at the children and said, “Well, it looks like it’s going to be Plan B. We’ll go back home through the Planet portal.”

“What about the explosion in the tunnels?” Kara asked worriedly.

“That was a different tunnel,” Lois explained. “The Kryptonian tunnels connected to the portal are fine.”

“Oh. Okay,” Kara replied happily.

Lois was about to pull out of the parking lot when her cell phone rang. She quickly checked the display and answered it, “Harold?”

“I have some good news for you, Lois,” Harold Vanderworth informed her. “We’ve arranged to inspect the house today at two o’clock. As I recall, you and Clark both wanted a close look at that crystal mass that the police found. Well, here’s your chance.”

“You said two o’clock?” Lois asked anxiously, suddenly regretting her decision to change into jeans after lunch. She looked at her watch, and quickly worked out the math. Twenty-five to, she thought. It’d take twenty minutes to get back to the Planet from here on a good day, and another fifteen to get to the Vanderworth estate… but that explosion in the Roosevelt Tunnel will probably have traffic backed up, which could easily double that…

“Yes, two o’clock,” Harold confirmed. “Is that a problem?”

“Well, Clark’s tied up covering that Roosevelt Tunnel mess, and I have my kids with me this afternoon,” Lois explained. “We’re just now leaving the doctor’s office.”

“Oh, how old are they?” Harold asked eagerly.

“Five and seven.”

“They’re a lot of fun at that age,” Harold declared. “You’re welcome to bring them with you, if you like. We’ll keep them safe.”

“All right, if you’re sure it’s not a problem,” Lois replied pleasantly. “We’ll see you there at two.”

“See you then,” Harold said cheerfully. “ Goodbye, Lois.”

“Bye.”

Lois ended the call and scrolled through her contact list, momentary stopping over Richard’s name. No, she decided, he’ll have a meltdown over me going there. She instead scrolled up to Perry’s number and as she began typing in the text message, she heard Kara’s worried voice behind her. “Dad said we were supposed to go right back to Grandma’s after the doctor,” she reminded her.

“We’ll be there soon, sweetheart. This shouldn’t take long,” Lois assured her. She sent the text message, threw her phone back in her purse and finally pulled out onto eastbound Jefferson, heading towards the Vanderworth estate and calling to mind the shortcuts she’d need to use to take them around the traffic logjams that had certainly developed.

-o-o-o-

Thursday, October 5, 2006 1:45PM EDT
Lois made amazingly good time around the expected traffic problems, arriving at the Vanderworth estate barely ten minutes after leaving the doctor’s office. As she pulled through the front gate, she immediately noticed the helicopter parked on the dock. I guess Harold beat us here, she thought. I wonder where he is. She brought the car to a stop in front of the mansion, looked over at the helicopter and then back at the house. There was nobody in sight. “Kara, do you see anybody here?” she asked calmly.

“There are a couple people in the house, and someone else coming around the side,” Kara replied simply.

They must have started the inspection early, Lois thought. She climbed out of the driver’s seat, and opened the sliding side door to help the kids out. However, as she leaned in the door, she suddenly felt the muzzle of a gun against her temple.

“Not a word,” a strange male voice ordered. “Now stand back. Same goes for you two. Out of the car, and keep quiet or your mom gets a bullet in the brain. Now move.”

Lois obeyed, and the children followed suit, quickly grabbing onto Lois in their fear as they exited the vehicle. Lois opened her mouth to speak, and the man repeated, “I said, not a word!”

They’d been standing there for a couple minutes when Lois heard another voice say, “Aw, shit.” Lois shifted her eyes in the direction of the voice, and recognized Grant Hunter from the mug shot that the Planet had run. “The boss isn’t going to like this.”

Luthor’s flunkies are here? Lois wondered. What are they up to?

“It’s an easy problem to solve,” the first voice declared.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” A third voice interjected. “You remember the boss’ conniption fit the last time you ‘improvised’… and he’s been in an especially bad mood today.”

Lois looked towards the new voice, and saw a dark-skinned man whom she also recognized from recent Planet stories. Stanford Harris, Lois thought. Which would make bozo number three either Reilly Dixon or Brutus Martin. This is not good.

“So what do we do with them?” Grant asked.

“Take them back to the boss. Let him decide what to do,” Stanford suggested.

“We’ll still need to get rid of the car,” the first man pointed out.

“We’ll hide it in the garage,” Stanford declared. “There’ll be nothing in sight to spoil the surprise.”

Spoil the surprise? Lois wondered. What have they done?

“All right, everyone over to the helicopter, and keep your mouths shut,” the first man ordered. He ushered them over to the helicopter and into the back seat. Lois pulled the two children close to her and whispered almost inaudibly, “We’re going to be okay. We just need to figure out how to let your dad know where we are.”

When their captor climbed in the helicopter and sat beside them, Lois was finally able to see him clearly enough to identify him as Brutus Martin. Lois quickly grew uncomfortable with the lecherous look he was giving her, and she shifted her gaze to the window beyond him, where she saw the minivan in the garage, with the door closing behind it as Grant and Stanford ran over to the helicopter. As they lifted off and headed out to sea a moment later, Lois squeezed the children a little bit tighter and thought, Please find us soon, Clark.

[ Chapter 35 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 37 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 35 - Gang Aft Agley

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:52:48 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 35 - 5,325; Total - 140,282
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 34 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 36 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 35 – Gang Aft Agley⁽¹⁾

Wednesday, October 4, 2006 6:15PM CDT
Ben Hubbard led the family in the dinner prayer as they sat around Martha’s dining room table and eagerly anticipated her goulash. It was another gluten-free variation, for Jason’s sake, now unnecessary but for Richard’s ignorance of the Kryptonian therapy that had cured his allergies. The awkward tension that had defined Richard’s recent interactions with Lois and Clark persisted, though tempered by their hosts’ cheerful hospitality. Richard had found that the conversation with the elderly couple came easily and to his great surprise, he was quickly growing fond of them.

With the prayer complete, the family dug into their meal and resumed their conversation, though Richard held his tongue, choosing instead to listen keenly to the others as he tried to decipher the enigma that was Clark Kent. He ignored the children’s chattering and instead focused on the conversation amongst the other adults, as Lois lightheartedly commented, “You keep cooking us meals like this, and Jason’s never going to want to leave.”

“Well, I’d like my grandkids to have something to look forward to when they visit,” Martha replied pleasantly.

“Oh, they’ve got that in spades,” Lois replied mirthfully. “How do you make these gluten-free recipes taste so wonderful?”

“It’s all in the spices,” Martha answered happily. “I can give you the recipe, if you’d like. It’s isn’t that difficult to make.”

“And tarnish my reputation for having the rare talent of being able to burn water?”

“Um, Lois, was that just the one time, or did something else happen while I was away?” Clark teased.

“Hey! That doesn’t count,” Lois protested. “And it wasn’t the water that was burning.”

“What on Earth happened?” Martha asked curiously.

Lois and Clark shared a look, and then Lois calmly explained, “Clark was trying to teach me how to make spaghetti. He was doing the sauce and I was going to cook the noodles. Well, someone had told me that if I added olive oil to the water it would keep the spaghetti from sticking together – only I didn’t have any olive oil…”

“…so she substituted rum instead,” Clark added. “Some of it dribbled down the side of the pan to the burner and…”

“Flambé,” Lois added irritably.

“Oh, dear,” Martha replied, laughing lightly at the story.

“It certainly looked like the water was on fire,” Clark teased.

“Mommy, you really burned water?” Jason asked excitedly.

“No, munchkin, the water was not burning,” Lois explained. She turned to Clark and added sarcastically, “Thanks so much for sharing that.”

“Any time,” Clark replied cheerfully. Before Lois had a chance to reply, he held up his hand and said, “Hold on…” He pulled out his cell phone and inspected the display before pushing himself away from the table and answering, “Hello? …Oh, hi, Bill.” He quickly walked out of the room as he continued the conversation.

“Wonder what that was about,” Ben muttered.

“It was probably Bill Henderson,” Lois explained. “He’s a Metropolis Police Inspector and a friend of Clark’s and mine.”

A moment later, Clark returned to the room. He turned to Lois and said, “Bill says that they caught a couple guys breaking into your car at the Planet–”

“What?” Lois replied incredulously. “When did that happen and why is he calling you instead of me?”

“About an hour ago and Bill said your number’s going straight to voice mail,” Clark answered politely. “You turned your phone off again, didn’t you?”

Lois rolled her eyes and complained, “It was ringing off the hook.” She got up from the table and walked into the living room, fishing her phone out of her purse and turning it on. She returned to the dining room and asked, “Did Bill say anything else about what happened?”

“Well, it didn’t look like they were trying to steal it,” Clark informed her. “They rifled through the glove box and trunk, like they were looking for something, and they were starting to install a LoJack transmitter when they got nabbed.”

“Luthor’s looking for us,” Lois concluded. “Well, he’s not likely to find us here… Oh, crap.”

“What?”

“Forty-seven new messages,” Lois replied impatiently. “It’s going to take forever to get through them all.”

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, it was homework time, and Clark and Richard had the two children seated at the dining room table going over their schoolwork. While the children spent the time working through their assignments, Lois went through her voice mails, deleting most of them within the first ten seconds of the message playback before finally catching up. She finally closed her phone, and returned it to her purse before joining the others in the dining room.

Clark was the first to notice her presence, looking up at her with a worried look. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Depends,” Lois replied irritably. She turned to Richard and requested desperately, “Please tell me that you rescheduled Jason’s dentist appointment.”

“I offered to, but you said you’d take care of it,” Richard replied impatiently. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

“If it’s serious, we could probably get Tom McClendon to squeeze him in,” Ben suggested. “He’s the dentist up in Wichita that my family uses. I can get the number for you, if you like.”

“Actually, Doctor Gallagher is an oral pathologist, not just a dentist,” Lois informed them. “Jason’s had this weird thing going on in his mouth, called oral lichen planus. It’s under control, but he’s had a recent flare-up and I don’t want to take chances with it.” She sighed and looked away and was silent for a moment and then she quietly muttered, “We’ve also… we’ve missed the last two appointments… They said they’d drop us if we missed another one, and I really don’t want to change horses midstream.”

“Well, what choice do we have?” Richard said testily. “Luthor’s hunting for us, and it sounds like they’ve got the Planet garage staked out. And if they spot you on your way out…”

“It does sound a bit risky,” Clark agreed.

Lois was quiet for a minute and then suggested, “What if we used a portal north of Metropolis and drove in?”

“I thought we were only allowed access to the three stops…” Richard interjected.

“I think we can get him to make an exception,” Lois declared.

“If Luthor’s people spotted your car, we’d have a problem,” Clark pointed out.

“Then we get a rental,” Lois countered.

“I’d still prefer to run it by Bill and our security experts,” Clark insisted. “If they think it’s risky, then maybe you could try explaining the situation to your doctor. If it came to it, I’m sure Doctor McClendon could give us a referral, and there’s also someone up north who could probably handle it...”

“Juvenile oral lichen planus is rather uncommon, as are doctors experienced treating children with it, and Doctor Gallagher has such a good rapport with Jason… Besides, I don’t plan on hiding out in Smallville indefinitely,” Lois argued. “We will be going back to our lives in Metropolis eventually, and I don’t want to burn bridges with our doctors there.”

“All right, we’ll run it by the experts,” Clark stated somberly. He gestured to the children and added, “Let’s wait until later, though, when there aren’t any distractions.”

Lois nodded her agreement, and walked out of the room, leaving Clark and Richard to continue their review of the children’s homework.

-o-o-o-

Thursday, October 5, 2006 7:15AM CDT
Lois yawned widely as she walked into Ben Hubbard’s kitchen, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and her hair still damp from her shower. She made a beeline for the coffee pot, barely noticing Richard and Ben seated at the table, until the older man greeted her. “Good morning, Lois,” Ben greeted her cheerfully. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine,” Lois replied sleepily. “Clark left already?”

“He’ll be back later,” Ben informed her. “He just wanted to drop this morning’s Planet off for you. He left a note, too. It’s under that Coca-Cola magnet on the fridge.”

“He needs to put a muffler on that truck,” Lois complained. “The alarm hadn’t even gone off once when he pulled up.” She read the note on the fridge, which informed her of the district attorney’s press conference scheduled at ten o’clock that morning, Metropolis time. She stuffed the note in the back pocket of her jeans and asked casually, “Do you think he got the kids off to school yet?”

“Oh, they’d normally still have another quarter hour before the bus got there,” Ben replied pleasantly. “But school’s canceled today – too much fog.”

“Excuse me, did you say fog?” Lois asked incredulously. “You cancel school out here for fog?” She peeked out the kitchen window, where there was indeed a thick blanket of fog over the fields.

“Lois, it would just take one careless fool driving too fast down the highway and hitting a bus to visit tragedy to a dozen families,” Ben explained. “These aren’t limited access expressways out here. The side roads cross the highway, and the only traffic light is that blinker on Main Street in front of the school. It can truly be dangerous on country roads when the fog’s thick like this.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lois muttered in disbelief, and she again peered out of the window. “Does this happen often?”

“I think the kids get maybe a half dozen fog days a year,” Ben answered politely. “Clark said the kids seemed pretty excited about it.”

“I’ll bet,” Lois commented. “This’ll make things interesting with Kara when it’s time for Jason’s dentist appointment…”

“So, you’ve decided to go ahead with that?” Ben asked politely.

“Yeah, we reached an agreement with our security experts,” Lois commented, and she recalled the private discussion she and Clark had with the experts late the previous evening. Their allies with MPD and the FBI were staunchly opposed to keeping the appointment and had strongly encouraged them to at least temporarily find another oral pathologist outside Metropolis. However, Lois objected, citing the rarity of Jason’s condition among children and doctors experienced treating it in juveniles, as well as the apparent effectiveness of his current treatment regimen. Their allies had only reluctantly conceded that the risk was manageable if they drove into the city from the north, directly to the doctor’s office and immediately left the city afterwards.

She and Clark had made a minor revision to the plan they’d discussed. Instead of driving down from the north, they’d instead ride to the Fortress portal and fly from the Fortress into Metropolis with Superman. A rental car would be waiting for them at the Meadowland Mall parking garage, and they’d drive the final two miles to the doctor’s office. Even if Luthor tracked Superman to the mall, the madman would never be able to get anyone there in time to intercept them. As a precaution, they’d chosen a different transfer point on the way back, and would leave the rental car at the North Bridge Municipal parking garage before flying back up to the Fortress.

Lois’ ruminations were abruptly ended by Richard’s complaint. “I still don’t like it,” he said impatiently. “It’s too risky with Luthor out there.”

Ben stood up and politely told them, “Well, I need to stretch my legs a bit. I’ll be out back if you need anything.”

After the back door closed behind Ben, Lois turned to the kitchen table, and finally noticed Richard sitting there, smartly dressed in one of his suits. She irritably told him, “Richard, we still have jobs to do and lives to live – in Metropolis. And from the look of things, you’re planning to go into Metropolis today, too.”

“That’s completely different,” Richard argued. “The Planet is being monitored from the portal, which is about as close as you can get to having Superman on staff as a security guard. You and Jason will be out in the open.”

“That doesn’t mean Superman won’t be looking out for us, too,” Lois pointed out.

“But he can’t be watching you twenty-four seven,” Richard argued. He pulled the front section of the paper out of the pile on the table, which boasted the headline “Vanderworths Accuse Luthor of Murder”. He waved it in front of Lois and added somberly, “With this headline, Luthor is going to be out for blood.”

Lois briefly scanned the headline, and muttered, “Well, if he thinks today’s headline is bad, just wait until he sees tomorrow’s.”

“Are you intentionally provoking the man?” Richard asked in exasperation.

“And what would you have us do, Richard? Drop the coverage and wait for him to do something crazy with Superman’s crystals? Have you forgotten what he tried to do the last time he was out?” Lois countered sharply. “We’re keeping the pressure on him – he’s more prone to make mistakes that way, and when he screws up, we’ll take him down.”

“Why do you need to be the one doing it?” Richard asked pointedly. “Why not let this come from the D.A. or the feds?”

Lois sternly countered, “Richard, we’ve already been through this, and I really don’t want to repeat that argument… Look, I know you’re worried – I get that, I really do. But you’re just going to have to learn to trust that I know what I’m doing instead of second-guessing every decision I make and arguing it to death… I’ve already made my decision here, which is non-negotiable… So, please drop it.”

“I can’t when you’re putting Jason at risk, too.”

“We’ve already reviewed the plan with police and FBI experts, they’re okay with it, and they’re there to back us up if there’s a problem… So if you’re done nagging me, I need to get changed to cover the D.A.’s press conference.”

“Clark said he’d arranged for a remote feed,” Richard informed her.

“I can’t ask questions with a remote feed,” Lois protested.

“Lois, just once, would you try not to give me a stroke, and play it safe?” Richard pleaded.

“This is how I work, Richard. Get used to it,” Lois snapped. She sighed in frustration and in a calmer tone, she added, “We’re not taking unnecessary risks, but we’re not going to let Luthor manipulate our coverage, either, which means I’m going to that press conference and no amount of nagging is going to change my mind. Are we clear on that?”

“Crystal,” Richard replied harshly. “At least call me when it’s over and you’re safe.”

“I’ll consider it. Now, if we’re done here, I need to get changed,” she replied and she then marched out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.

-o-o-o-

Thursday, October 5, 2006 10:50AM EDT
Clark Kent was seated on a hallway bench at the Metropolis courthouse, closely observing the light crowd in the hallway as he typed in the final changes to the indictment story on his laptop, with Lois peeking over at the screen from her seat beside him. As expected, the district attorney had announced the indictment of Lex Luthor for murder in the first degree, for the death of Gertrude Vanderworth, and conspiracy to commit murder for the attempted hit on Clark Kent. D.A. Clements had also declared that Luthor was under investigation for a number of other crimes and that additional charges would likely be added. When Clements opened the floor for questions, Lois had not held back.

“Why did it take the district attorney’s office so long to act against Luthor?” she had asked.

“It’s taken this long to build the case against him that is strong enough to win in court,” Clements had answered.

“And his attempted genocide in ’97 wasn’t compelling enough reason to challenge his appellate victory, which used a rational for overturning the conviction that legal scholars universally consider to be untenable?”

“Our battle with Mister Luthor on that front isn’t over yet. We’ve petitioned Chief Justice Roberts for leave to pursue an appeal of that decision, despite the late date. We expect the request will be granted,” Clements had told her.

The questions from Lois and the other journalists present at the press conference continued for nearly thirty-five minutes before Clements excused himself. Lois and Clark had then dashed across the street to the courthouse, where they proceeded to make the necessary updates to their pending story from a bench in the hallway while they waited for the eleven o’clock emergency hearing the probate court had scheduled for the Vanderworth case.

“I think that should do it,” Clark said quietly.

“Not quite,” Lois objected in a quiet whisper. “You didn’t mention that Luthor’s a fugitive from justice. Let’s squeeze that in near the top.”

“How about at the end of the first paragraph?” Clark suggested. “I can add, ‘The alleged murderer, whose 2000 conviction was overturned last spring on questionable grounds, remains at large and is now considered a fugitive from justice’.”

“That’ll work,” Lois declared. “Make the change and send it in… And just in time. Look who’s coming.”

Clark looked up and recognized Harold Vanderworth as he walked towards them with his entourage. He quickly typed in their changes and submitted the story, closing his laptop just as Harold stopped in front of him.

“Fancy meeting you two here,” Harold greeted them cheerfully. “You remember my lawyer, Alex Sanchez. These two work with him – Nancy Johnson and Curt Nicholas. These two big guys here are Paul Norris and Bruce Rodgers from our security detail.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Clark replied pleasantly. He turned to Harold and said, “I assume you heard the news from the D.A. this morning?”

“Yes, wonderful news,” Harold replied enthusiastically. “I know that it is mostly thanks to your efforts that the bastard was finally indicted, and I cannot thank you enough for that.”

“Luthor’s a threat to everyone, and it’ll be thanks enough once he’s locked up again,” Clark replied sincerely.

“That goes for me, too,” Lois added. “So… do you think they’ll throw out the will this morning?”

Harold turned to Alex, and after a moment’s hesitation, the attorney quietly explained, “The court is certain to give Luthor’s side more time to respond to our complaints. This morning’s hearing will mostly be about our constructive trust and property inspection motions. That should go pretty quick, I think. I doubt Judge Harrison will keep us for more than twenty minutes.”

“The constructive trust is the one to freeze his assets, right?” Lois asked curiously.

“Well, no, not exactly frozen. He can still spend from the accounts, but expenditures need to be approved by the court, and we get to argue over whether they’re legitimate expenses and how much is appropriate. Assuming that our motion carries – and I believe it will – there will probably be a fight over Morrison’s fees in the not too distant future.”

“And what about the property inspection?” Clark asked. “Is that about the damage to the house we told you about?”

“The new will has never officially been recognized and Luthor never received title to the estate property in his possession,” Alex whispered. “The court declared it a custodial possession, meaning he’s responsible for maintaining it properly while the matter is decided. If we can show that he’s been a negligent custodian – say, by documenting extensive damage to the house – the court could be obliged to order Luthor to immediately relinquish all estate property.”

“Luthor’s run to ground,” Lois reminded him. “They’re no way you’ll get anything from him that’s not bolted down, and maybe not even then.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s psychological warfare,” Harold told her quietly. “We’re rubbing his nose in the fact that his plan to swindle us is falling apart. For someone as narcissistic as Luthor to be outsmarted like this will be infuriating, which is what we’re counting on. We’re expecting him to go ballistic and do something stupid, which could get him caught.”

“That could be incredibly dangerous,” Lois muttered. “You heard what he tried to do to Clark.”

“We know, and we’ve beefed up security for the entire family, just to be safe,” Harold informed her. “Well, looks like the excitement’s about to begin… Enjoy the fireworks.”

As Harold filed into the courtroom with his entourage, Clark stuffed his laptop back into his bag, and then followed Lois into the courtroom, where they took their seats in the back just as Judge Cheryl Harrison began the hearing.

-o-o-o-

Thursday, October 5, 2006 12:15PM EDT
Luthor puzzled over the alpha scanner results that he was analyzing on his desktop computer. The five-hundred mile range achieved by tying into the yacht’s onboard systems gave him plenty of data to study, but after analyzing it for several hours, the results were not at all what he was expecting. His first surprise was the realization that the alpha trail dissipated completely within eighteen hours of Superman’s movements, according to the decay rate calculated from live data. Though Luthor quickly modified his scanner to preserve the data to disk, he still had no way of gathering historical data on the alien’s flights. The data barely went back far enough to confirm that the hero had indeed interfered with the hit on Kent Tuesday night.

The second surprise was the manner of the hero’s movements. Luthor had expected long swooping flights, from one meddling intervention to the next, but the data instead showed numerous isolated hops. In most cases, Luthor was able to match one endpoint of the hops to reported Superman sightings, but the other endpoint tended to be obscure – alleys, subway stations, parking garages, or the roofs of tall buildings. He really is masquerading as one of us, Luthor concluded. He’s jumping into action when a situation arises and hiding among us after it’s been handled.

But not all the time, Luthor corrected himself. The scanner had also shown Superman hovering two miles above the city the past couple mornings, spying on the city prior to either swooping down to the Metropolis Police Department Headquarters, or descending on selected targets around Planet Plaza. No wonder our subcontractors keep getting nabbed, Luthor speculated. The freak’s scanning the crowd and protecting the Planet… Well, that answers one of my questions – the freak is definitely working with those pests from the paper, which could make taking them out more challenging…

Luthor’s thoughtful analysis of the data was interrupted by the sharp clank of Kitty’s heels marching across the glass floor of the ballroom. Luthor glared over at her and harshly said, “I thought I made it clear that I was not to be disturbed.”

“Fine. Then I won’t tell you what they’re saying about you on TV,” Kitty replied casually. She turned and started marching back out when Luthor’s voice stopped her.

“TV?” he barked. “You’ve been wasting my satellite bandwidth on television.”

Kitty turned back to him, rolling her eyes as she said, “Well, maybe we’d have other things to do if we were hiding out on land, instead of bobbing up and down in the middle of the ocean.”

“And how many houses would have the luxury that I’ve provided for you here?” Luthor countered arrogantly.

“Luxuries like television?”

Luther glared at her for a moment and then sternly asked, “What were they saying about me?”

“They say that you killed Gertrude, and that you had a bad day in court today,” Kitty informed him. “Doesn’t make sense to me – you’ve been here all day...”

Luthor’s brow wrinkled in confusion for a moment, and he then turned to his computer, quickly bringing up the Daily Planet web site, which boasted the headline, “Luthor Indicted for Vanderworth Murder”, and prominently displayed Luthor’s snarling prison mug shot. The other headline on the page was almost as bad, “Vanderworths Win Constructive Trust”. Luthor was barely able to contain his rage as he read through the two stories.

Luthor plucked his cell phone out of the top drawer and inspected the display, his rage growing even fiercer when he realized there was no signal. He chucked the cell phone across the room, which sent Kitty scurrying out the door. Luthor then launched the Internet phone application on his desktop and placed his call. After a few rings, it was picked up, with the other party courteously answering, “Morrison.”

“What the hell happened this morning?” Luthor demanded angrily.

“Mister Luthor,” Morrison replied. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Your phone’s going straight to voice mail–”

“Never mind that. Tell me what the hell happened?” Luthor insisted emphatically.

“Vanderworth ambushed us with a half dozen motions filed yesterday afternoon, and the court scheduled an emergency hearing on them this morning. We just saw them for the first time a little after nine, and barely had an hour to review them before we had to be in court.” Morrison explained.

“Spare me the explanations and get to the point,” Luthor commanded.

“Well, there’s a lot to go through, between the probate and criminal matters,” Morrison told him. “I’ll start with probate. The Vanderworths filed a motion demanding that the court declare your late wife’s deathbed will invalid on the grounds that she was not of sound mind at the time. They are supporting their argument with the coroner’s report, which identifies high levels of psychotropic compounds in her system, along with a fatal level of arsenic. They also presented affidavits from a half dozen highly respected experts on the effects those compounds would have had on your late wife.”

“Impossible,” Luthor declared. “Whatever they found was clearly cross-contamination from the dumpster they found her in.”

Morrison somberly replied, “Mister Luthor… They autopsied her Friday afternoon, almost ten hours before her body was stolen from the morgue.”

Luthor eyes flew wide and he fell silent for a full minute as his mind absorbed the scope of the astonishing failure. Finally, he casually declared, “I’ve clearly underestimated Miss Kowalski’s obsession with me. However, we mustn’t allow that to interfere with Gertrude’s clear wishes to leave the estate in my hands.”

“That’s going to be a tough sell, but we’ll try,” Morrison responded. “We’ll probably have better luck using that in the criminal case.”

“They haven’t got a case!”

“You were indicted this morning for Gertrude’s murder, and for the attempt on Kent,” Morrison reminded him.

“They can’t have anything on me,” Luthor insisted. “It’s got to be a ploy by Vanderworth and Lane and the freak to discredit me.”

“Be that as it may, the coroner’s report is going to be hard to impeach,” Morrison commented. “In any case, we have until the nineteenth to respond to the motion. Moving right along… The Vanderworths also filed a wrongful death complaint against you, explicitly accusing you of marrying and murdering Gertrude for her money. They’re asking for treble damages and one hundred million in punitive damages.”

“What!” Luthor exclaimed.

“We don’t need to worry about that quite yet,” Morrison assured him. “We have until the nineteenth to respond and it won’t be difficult to suspend that complaint until after the criminal case is resolved. By the time the court gets back to it, we’ll be ready for it.”

“Ready for it?” Luthor echoed. “And have you been ready for anything they’ve thrown at you yet?”

Morrison ignored the comment and continued, “They also filed a motion to compel discovery, demanding all of your financial records. We have until the nineteenth to respond to that as well.”

“I’m not giving them my financial records!” Luthor declared.

“I’ll attempt to quash it,” Morrison promised. “Judge Harrison ruled from the bench on the last two motions with almost no discussion. She claimed that the court was obliged to do so, given recent developments in the matter, such as the OCME reclassifying your late wife’s death as a homicide, your indictment for her murder, and your current status as a fugitive from justice–”

“Get to the point!” Luthor demanded.

Morrison sighed, and then said, “The first of the two motions is a property audit. Remember, when we first started down this road, we got the court to recognize your custodial possession of the house and yacht, among other things. The Vanderworths are demanding an inspection of the property, to make sure you’ve been a good custodian. The court concurs, giving the, quote, ‘likelihood that plaintiffs will prevail in the matter before the court’…”

“Likelihood that they’ll prevail?” Luthor repeated incredulously. “Just what have I been paying you for?”

“The court also issued an order demanding that you immediately return the yacht to its berth in front of the house for inspection.”

“I’ll do no such thing!”

“If that’s your decision, I’ll file an interlocutory appeal with Judge Gregory this afternoon,” Morrison promised. “Of course, it won’t be as easy as it was last time, when there were two vacancies on the bench. This time, we’ll have to convince one of the other judges to go along with Gregory, and we’ve not yet found the skeletons in their closets.”

“Well, look harder!” Luthor demanded.

“There was one more motion before the court this morning,” Morrison continued. “The court has imposed a constructive trust on all of your known assets. Furthermore, you are enjoined from making any expenditures from those named accounts until a trustee is appointed.”

“How could you have failed me like this, Albert?” Luthor demanded angrily. “If you had cremated the old hag when I asked you to, we wouldn’t have any of these problems right now!”

“Sir, that’s simply the way things go sometimes, which brings me to our final topic,” Morrison replied. “Given the constraints on your domestic funds, we’re going to require a retainer drawn from your offshore holdings to cover our fees.”

“What!” Luthor screamed. “You incompetently allow both Vanderworth and the Planet to run rings around you, slandering my reputation and blocking my richly deserved inheritance, and now you have the gall to try to shake me down?”

“They have very talented representation,” Morrison countered.

“And I, apparently, do not!”

“Sir, I doubt you’d find anyone better qualified to represent you, and we did get you out of prison.”

“Only because we had Gregory in our pocket!” Luthor argued.

“I understand your disappointment, but I’m still going to have to insist on the retainer,” Morrison replied calmly. “It is a common arrangement when the client’s future ability to pay the fees is in doubt…”

“How dare you!”

“Given what we know so far of the cases against you, it is going to be difficult and expensive to defeat,” Morrison explained. “Our initial estimate on the cost for your defense in both the probate and criminal cases is between eight and ten million dollars. However, I’ll only ask for a retainer of eight million.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Luthor stated in barely restrained anger.

“Sir, if we’re to continue representing you, we’ll need to guarantee that we will be compensated for our services.”

“Your services… are no longer required!” Luthor shouted and he abruptly ended the call. He stared at the screen and angrily added, “You’ll die with the rest of them.” He then lowered his head to his hands while he considered the new developments, which would clearly force him to alter his plans again. He was growing weary of the forced changes and the incompetence that continually threatened his plans.

A few minutes later, he punched the intercom, and shouted, “Reilly! Get down here, and bring everyone else with you. We have work to do. And I’ve got new orders for our contractors – tell them to get into position for Plan G.”

-o-o-o-

(1) “Gang Aft Agley” can be translated as “often go awry”, though for the title of this chapter, we’ll stick with the original line from the 1785 Robert Burns poem, To a Mouse: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an ‘men/Gang aft agley.”

[ Chapter 34 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 36 ]

Family Reunion - Chapter 34 - Under Pressure

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:20:02 GMT

Family Reunion - Chapter 33 - Hiding Out

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:38:44 GMT

Title: Family Reunion
Author:mr_beeto
Fandom: Richard Donner and Bryan Singer's Superman MovieVerse (i.e., without Salkind corruption)
Rating: PG
Word Count: Chapter 33 - 5,434; Total - 131,534
Beta: dandello and htbthomas
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton. The story starts here.

[ Chapter 32 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 34 ]

Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 33 – Hiding Out

Wednesday, October 4, 2006 7:25AM CDT
Richard followed Lois and Jason up the crystal stairs through a cinder block wall into an old cellar. It was illuminated by a single overhead light bulb and revealed an open tread wooden staircase on the opposite end of the room that led up to a trapdoor. Lois climbed the stairs and pushed the trapdoor open, motioning for Jason to go through ahead of her. Richard paused at the foot of the stairs and looked behind him, his eyes widening in surprise when he discovered a solid cinder-block wall with no sign of the doorway they had just walked through. “Whoa,” he muttered in amazement.

“What was that?” Lois asked.

“The door to the other staircase is gone,” Richard replied. He walked over to the wall and pressed his hand against the area where they’d just walked through. “You’d never know there was just a doorway here. It’s solid as a rock.”

“Yeah, it does that,” Lois confirmed. “Superman said it’s kind of like the transporters from Star Trek, dematerializing the wall when it authenticates our palm and voice prints, and rematerializing it again once we’ve gone through. It’s a security feature – nobody is going to stumble across the portal accidentally.”

“If he has that technology, why not just beam us up?” Richard asked curiously.

“It was some B.S. about it being ‘unsuitable for live transport’,” Lois explained, wrinkling her brow in confusion as she attempted to recall the conversation. “Inanimate things like walls and floors are fine, but not people… I really didn’t press for the technical details – the technobabble was making my brain hurt enough as it was.”

Richard shook his head in disbelief and followed Lois up the stairs with their bags. When he climbed out of the trapdoor, he was surprised to find that they were inside a barn and had apparently been discovered. A golden retriever was licking Jason’s face as he petted the dog, prompting happy giggles from the little boy. Kara was also there, happily chattering to Jason. Richard also saw an old woman outside the barn, carrying a child’s jacket and back pack as she rushed towards them. He concluded that the woman had to be Clark’s mother, Martha Kent.

“Kara!” Martha called. “Your bus is going to be here any minute. You need to get ready for school.”

“But Jason’s going to need someone to play with,” Kara protested.

Lois knelt down in front of the little girl and gently said, “He’s going to school today, too, honey. Once your dad gets back, we’re going to bring Jason up there to the very same school that you’re enrolled in and we’re signing him up. You’ll both be getting on that bus tomorrow.”

“I can still wait with Jason until Dad gets back,” Kara suggested hopefully.

Lois smiled at her and said, “Sweetheart, you’ve already missed too much school this year to take time off just because we’re here. You’ll get to play with Jason after school… Now let’s get your jacket on and get you on your bus.” Martha handed the jacket to Lois, and she helped Kara into it. She had just zipped up Kara’s jacket when the loud and low timbre of the bus horn permeated the air.

“There’s the bus!” Martha said anxiously. “Kara, let’s go!”

“Go on,” Lois encouraged her. “We’ll still be here when you get home.”

Martha took Kara’s hand, and led the reluctant little girl out of the barn and to her bus. Jason started following her, but Lois’ arm on his shoulder stopped him. “Wait here until the bus is gone,” she instructed him.

The three of them watched silently as Martha led Kara to the bus and eventually out of sight from their hiding spot. Once they passed from view, Richard commented, “So… Kara’s already signed up for school here?”

“Um, it’s one of the advantages of a small town, where everyone know everyone else,” Lois explained apprehensively. “The principal’s a family friend, and they were able to call her last night to make the arrangements for Kara. We could have done the same for Jason, if we’d known we’d be coming here, but we didn’t make that decision until later… I think the kids will like it here – and there’s no place safer for them.”

“Because the hi-tech security from portal will keep Luthor out?”

“Something like that,” Lois answered.

“Just like it kept him out of Superman’s fortress?” Richard pressed skeptically.

Lois sighed in frustration and complained, “The security wasn’t in place then and Luthor waltzed right in. It was ‘security through obscurity’, to quote the lead investigator that processed the crime scene there. Well, Superman’s made some major improvements in the security since then, with guidance from that same Canadian investigator – nobody will ever get in that easily again… It’s kind of a long story and you really don’t want to get me started on it.”

Richard opened his mouth to speak but halted his reply when he noticed Martha returning to the barn. “I’m so sorry about that – it’s not how I normally greet my guests,” Martha said apologetically. She held out her hand to Richard and said, “You must be Richard. I’m so glad to finally meet you. Welcome to our family.”

“Family?” Richard repeated in confusion as he automatically reached his hand out towards Martha.

“You’re my grandson’s other daddy, which makes you family in my book,” Martha explained. She squeezed his hand tightly and smiled warmly at him. After a moment, she shifted her attention to her other guests, looking down at Jason and cheerfully said to him, “Well, how’s my special grandson doing this morning?”

“Okay,” Jason replied happily. “Grandma, can I go play with Shelby?”

“After breakfast, if it’s all right with your mom,” Martha told him, pleasantly. She then turned to Lois and explained, “Clark thought you probably skipped breakfast in your hurry out the door this morning. Come on inside, and we’ll take care of that.”

-o-o-o-

Superman floated high in the mesosphere, focusing his vision across the globe as he watched his mother lead her guests into the house. Well, they should be safe and sound, he thought. Time to check on the others. He shifted his position in the sky, floating down as he swept his vision across Metropolis. He located Perry White climbing into a Lincoln Town Car at Siegel International Airport with the two armed bodyguards that Bruce Wayne had provided. Bruce had also provided the heavily fortified vehicle, which would protect its occupants from all but the heaviest munitions. The speed with which the billionaire was able to deploy a bulletproof car had surprised the Man of Steel. I’ll have to ask Bruce about that later, Superman thought.

He then focused his vision through the roof of the airport terminal, quickly locating Alice White as she boarded a plane for Seattle, where her son and grandchildren lived. That should keep her out of harm’s way for now at least, Superman thought. Perry’s the only one still exposed, though the car and bodyguards certainly help, he thought. He returned his attention to the Town Car, watching as the engine turned over and the bodyguard/driver left the airport.

Superman next shifted his concentration to Planet Plaza, extending his senses in an ever expanding perimeter around the Daily Planet building and scanning the crowd for anyone taking an unusual interest in the building. He also scanned for weapons and the telltale electromagnetic signature of covert electronics, which was well within the range of his visual acuity. He identified a pickpocket and a group of three armed teenagers within several blocks of the building, who he quickly apprehended and turned over to the police.

After returning to his observation point in the sky, Superman resumed his watch over the plaza and its normal morning traffic while he mulled the situation over. He recalled the F.B.I psychologist’s theory that Luthor wasn’t good at thinking on his feet when something unexpected came up, despite his tendency to overdo the planning and analysis for his schemes. Maybe Luthor didn’t anticipate that we’d defeat his trap and hasn’t had time to get his ‘Plan B’ worked out yet, Superman thought. Well, Luthor certainly won’t give up – that’s just not his style, Superman thought. He’ll strike back. It’s just a question of when and where and who.

He continued to vigilantly monitor the plaza beneath him, noting Jimmy Olsen’s entrance into the Planet’s underground garage on his scooter, and tracking Perry’s Town Car. It was only after Perry and his entourage arrived on the editorial floor that Superman finally dropped from his hiding place and zoomed North across the globe to the Fortress.

-o-o-o-

“Richard, it’s not a problem,” Lois said insistently. “We took Jason to a specialist late Monday afternoon and when the test results came in, it turned out he doesn’t have those food allergies after all. I never got the chance to tell you about that with everything that happened.”

“But Doctor Solomon said–” Richard protested.

“Doctor Solomon was wrong,” Lois interrupted irritably. “We don’t need to worry about dairy and gluten in his diet, so there’s no reason he can’t have pancakes.”

“Lois, if it helps, I still have that gluten-free pancake recipe that I downloaded the other day, and we had already picked up the special ingredients it called for,” Martha informed them. “I never got around to testing out the recipe, but we could give it a try if you’re worried about Jason’s diet.”

“I really hate to put you through the trouble, especially when we shouldn’t have to worry about that anymore,” Lois replied apologetically.

“Oh, it’s no trouble, dear,” Martha assured her. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll have a batch whipped up. If Jason doesn’t like them, we still have Rice Krispies in the cupboard.”

“Thank you, Martha,” Lois told her sincerely.

“Yes, thank you,” Richard echoed sincerely. He returned his attention to Lois and said, “It’s better safe than sorry, Lois. Let’s at least get a second opinion before taking any risks with his diet.”

“Richard, I…” Lois began impatiently. She was silent for a moment, and then declared, “No more arguing over breakfast. We’ll talk about it later.”

Several minutes later, the family was finally sitting down to breakfast. Martha had presented Jason with a short stack of pancakes, topped with fresh fruit and maple syrup. After a tentative bite, the little boy’s face lit up and he eagerly dug into his breakfast. Martha offered Richard a spicy Spanish omelet and breakfast potatoes and provided Lois with her usual morning fare of coffee and bagel. Richard eyed Jason’s pancakes, and inquired apprehensively, “Are you sure that there’s no gluten in those pancakes? They look like the real thing.”

“Yes, they’re gluten-free,” Martha assured him. “I made them with rice flour and tapioca flour instead of the wheat flour. Most of the recipes I looked up made similar substitutions. Rice noodles instead of wheat noodles for things like lasagna and spaghetti and certain casseroles, and corn starch instead of flour for gravy thickening. Those are really quite minor substitutions, for the most part. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with everything. They really have no good substitute figured out for breads and rolls.”

Richard seemed satisfied with the explanation, and finally sampled a tentative forkful of his omelet. He raised his brow and commented, “This is remarkably good. Thank you for the breakfast, Martha.”

“Oh, it’s just simple country fare,” Martha replied modestly. “It’s really no bother.”

Richard nodded in acknowledgement and continued to eat in silence for a moment before he stated purposefully, “Last night’s lasagna was also very good – I think it’s Jason’s new favorite.”

Martha chuckled, and replied, “Well, I’m glad everyone liked it… The only change I had to make from my usual recipe to make it gluten-free was to substitute rice noodles and I really didn’t notice a difference in the taste.”

“Richard…” Lois began warningly.

“I’m just complimenting the cook,” Richard insisted crossly.

Lois gave him a disbelieving look, and sternly warned him, “Don’t drag her into our arguments.” She turned to Martha and softened her expression, telling her sincerely, “Sorry about that, Martha. Things have been a bit tense lately.”

“Oh, no need for apologies,” Martha replied politely. “I understand.”

Richard sighed and told her contritely, “I’m sorry, too, Martha, and I meant what I said about the food. If my mom cooked like this, I might never have left home.”

“Well, that didn’t stop Clark when he finished school – though I suppose everyone has to leave the nest sooner or later,” Martha commented wistfully. “Of course, I’ll be the one leaving this time around.”

“What do you mean?” Lois asked worriedly.

“When Ben and I get married next month, I’ll be moving in with him, though not in the same house that you’ll be staying in,” Martha explained. “We’re trading houses with Ben’s son, Matt. He’s got three kids and a fourth on the way, all shoehorned into a small house six miles east of here while Ben has more space that he knows what to do with. Matt’s place is just the right size for a couple retirees.”

“Oh,” Lois replied quietly. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

Martha chuckled lightly and said, “Neither had Clark. You should have seen the expression on his face when I told him our plans … Anyway, I won’t be that far away, and Ben and I will still be around to help, if need be… he’ll have to work out alternate arrangements while we’re on our honeymoon, though… Maybe Ben’s daughter, Sarah, can help if Clark needs anything while we’re gone.”

“Where are you going?” Lois asked curiously.

“We’ve booked a Caribbean cruise,” Martha replied cheerfully. “We’ll fly out of Wichita to catch the ship in Miami and then we’ll spend the next ten days island hopping.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to fly out of Metropolis?” Lois inquired sleepily. She yawned widely and added, “I mean, with the portal and all...”

“Our package included the airfare out of Wichita, and everything was arranged long before Superman came back and built a portal here,” Martha explained. After a moment, her expression turned serious and she asked with concern, “Lois, did you get any sleep at all last night? You look like you’re going to fall asleep in your breakfast.”

“I didn’t get much, but I’ll be fine,” Lois assured her. “I just need more coffee.”

“Nonsense,” Martha declared authoritatively. “You need your rest. I’ll have Ben come get you after breakfast so you can lie down and get some sleep.”

“I’m used to long nights, Martha. There’s no need to worry,” Lois insisted politely.

“You’re fighting a battle of wits with this Luthor madman, and your mind will be much sharper if you get your rest,” Martha pressed gently. “I’ll worry less if you at least try to get a little more sleep this morning.”

“I’ll be fi–” Lois began, before interrupting herself with another wide yawn. She then smiled guiltily back at Martha and after a momentary pause, she added, “Well, I suppose it can’t hurt – but just for a little while.”

-o-o-o-

Ben Hubbard parked his Ford F-150 behind the house and cheerfully informed his guests, “Well, here we are. Come on inside, and we’ll get you settled in.” Ben led Richard and Lois in through the back door and stopped in the kitchen. He turned to them and kindly told them, “There’s plenty of food in the fridge. Go ahead and make yourselves at home, and don’t worry about eating whatever food you find. If it was something I planned on and you find it first, I obviously didn’t hide it well enough.”

Lois chuckled and replied mirthfully, “You should be careful who to tell that to. I know some guys with bottomless pits for stomachs.”

“I haven’t regretted it yet,” Ben replied cheerfully. “Bedrooms are upstairs. This way.” He then led them through the living room and up the stairs, stopping once his guests had joined him on the second floor. He pointed down the hall and informed them, “The bathroom is that first door on the left and the door next to it is a linen closet. There are plenty of clean towels in there, so go ahead and help yourself to whatever you need.”

Ben turned and pushed open the door to his right and informed them, “And this was my daughter Sarah’s old room. Nobody’s slept here in ages, but the mattress is still firm and you’ve got fresh sheets on the bed… I hope you don’t mind pink, Lois.”

Lois set her suitcase at the foot of the bed and said drowsily, “It’ll be fine.”

Richard gaze locked on the twin bed and he muttered, “Looks like tight quarters with just a twin bed.”

“It’s plenty big enough for Lois,” Ben insisted.

“Just Lois?” Richard said in surprise.

Ben’s tone turned serious, and he sternly said, “I don’t know how things are done where you come from, Richard, but around here people don’t share a bed until after they’re married. I have you in the room down the hall.”

Richard eyes widened briefly at the comment and his lips tightened into a frown as he noticed Lois’ relieved expression. After a moment, he relaxed his features and covered his displeasure as best he could. He nodded his assent and neutrally told the older man, “Of course. That won’t be a problem.”

“Good,” Ben replied pleasantly. “Come on, now. Let’s get out of here and let the lady get her rest.” He led Richard down the hall to the last room on the left and motioned for Richard to precede him into the room. Richard entered the room and Ben informed him, “This was my son Matt’s old room. Sorry I can’t offer you a bigger bed. We used to have a guest room with a double bed, but I gave that away some years back, and my kids are redecorating the room as a nursery in advance of my son moving his family in.”

Richard nodded absently and looked around the room, noting the single bed against the opposite wall and the room’s pale green walls, decorated with copious posters of old sports heroes. “I suppose this will work out fine,” he said quietly. “When’s your son moving in?”

“They tell me they’ll move everything while Martha and I are on our honeymoon,” Ben informed him. “They’re still trying to do as much as they can in advance – Lisa’s not tolerating the smell of paint very well right now. They’ve got more work planned on the house this weekend.”

“I hope we’re not interfering with their plans,” Richard replied politely.

Ben waved him off and cheerfully replied, “Oh, don’t worry, you’re not interfering. We may have to shuffle you around between bedrooms temporarily, but it’ll all work out.” The old farmer was quiet for a moment and then said seriously, “Richard, I know things must have thrown you for a loop lately, but there is something that I hope you’ll come to realize during your stay here…”

“And what’s that?” Richard asked suspiciously.

“That you’re not in enemy territory,” Ben insisted compassionately. “You’re among friends. And as far as any of the Kents or Hubbards are concerned, you’re family.”

“Family?” Richard repeated doubtfully. “You’d really consider Clark’s rival to be family?”

“We don’t see it as a rivalry and neither does Clark,” Ben explained patiently. “You’re Jason’s other daddy, and nobody here is going to ask that boy to choose between you and Clark. And nobody here will try to get in the way between you and your fiancée. Clark and Martha are particularly adamant on that point.”

“So I should relax because everything’s going to be just fine?” Richard asked skeptically.

“I’d have no way of knowing that, one way or the other,” Ben replied seriously. “You and Lois may have your problems to deal with, but I don’t know either of you well enough to be able to advise you on it… Nobody here is going to be piling on, though.”

“Is it that obvious that we have problems?” Richard asked sadly.

“It’s obvious that you’re under stress,” Ben explained patiently. “Who wouldn’t be with that madman gunning after them? Anyway, I know this isn’t really home for you, but we’ll still do our best to make you feel at home for however long you’re here.”

“Thank you,” Richard told him sincerely.

“My pleasure, son… Now, I have some chores to take care of and then I’ll be heading back over to Martha’s. Her number’s pinned to the corkboard next to the fridge, if you need anything. Try to get some rest.”

“Actually, I won’t be resting for awhile – I’ve got quite a bit of work to do this morning,” Richard replied. He picked up his laptop bag and pulled out his cell phone, frowning as he viewed the display.

“Those don’t work too well out here,” Ben said. After a moment he added, “I thought you were supposed to leave it with Martha for somebody to pick up. There’s some kind of special modification they can do to make it work out here… If you like, I can take it back over there with me when I go.”

Richard folded up his phone and handed it over to the older man. “I suppose it can’t hurt, though I’d be interested in knowing what kind of modification they think will do the trick.”

“I wouldn’t know, but I’ll be sure to ask for you,” Ben promised. He then he strolled down the hall and back down the stairs.

-o-o-o-

Richard set himself up at Ben’s kitchen table, and as Lois had promised, there was a strong Wi-Fi signal available for his encrypted session into the Daily Planet. He was quickly able direct his staff on the breaking news in his area and found himself only slightly inconvenienced by his missing cell phone. The I.M. group chats proved to be an effective substitute and he was satisfied enough with the morning’s production to take a lunch break shortly after twelve o’clock, Metropolis time. He raided Ben’s refrigerator and made himself a ham sandwich.

Richard ate his lunch slowly, his thoughts again returning to his relationship, as had so often been the case in recent days. He concluded that he’d been mostly right about Lois and Jason spending Monday evening with the Kents, erring only on the venue. Lois still sneaked out with Jason behind my back for a visit with the Kents, and then lied to me about it afterwards, he thought. As upset as he was over the covert family gathering, he found it impossible to be angry with Clark’s mother or her elderly beau. Ben and Martha really do seem to be sincere about welcoming me here and not wanting to cause trouble for us, Richard concluded. Too bad I can’t say the same for Lois and Clark – she seemed especially uneasy bringing me out here and a bit too relieved about the separate sleeping arrangements. I know they’re hiding something.

Richard’s thought’s then turned to the unexpected flight from their home and their Smallville sanctuary. How long are we going to be holed up here? he wondered. Lois and Clark knew that Luthor was likely to lash out at them – and still they provoked him. Why were they so determined to be the ones to take him down? Richard reflected on the recent articles written on Luthor and the single briefing he’d been permitted to attend. Lois and Clark had an undeniable passion for the story, and a steely determination to bring the felon to justice. But at what cost? Richard wondered. Is it really worth it?

The rough idling of a heavy truck behind the house interrupted Richard’s ruminations and he walked over to the back window and peeked out. He saw an old pickup truck pull up that was probably older that he was, and with Clark behind the wheel. He climbed out of the truck and walked up to the back door. Richard pondered that he almost seemed like a different man dressed in jeans and tee-shirt rather than the ill-fitting suits that Richard was accustomed to seeing him in. Richard met him at the back door and let him in. “I wasn’t expecting to see you over here,” he commented curtly.

Clark held up Richard’s cell phone in front of him and said quietly, “I thought you’d want this back. You’ve got four bars now.”

Richard took the phone and flipped it open to verify Clark’s assertion. “What did they do to it?” Richard asked curiously.

“It’s sending its signal across an alternate carrier wave, bouncing off a satellite and getting converted back to the cellular network through a relay in Metropolis,” Clark explained.

“This is a satellite phone now?”

“Um, yes and no,” Clark answered. “Yes, it’s accessing an unidentified satellite but it still looks like a normal cell phone to the phone company – except that they’ll think you’re using it from Metropolis instead of Smallville… That’s off the record, by the way.”

Richard nodded his head and quietly said, “Thanks.”

Clark fidgeted nervously and said, “I’m, um, going to need to bring Lois up to date on our story once she’s up.”

“I’m up,” Lois said from the other room. She had a robe wrapped tightly around her and her hair was a mess, giving the impression of someone who’d just gotten out of bed.

“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Clark asked nervously. As he spoke, he pulled a mug from the cupboard and poured a cup of coffee.

“No, but your truck did,” Lois declared. “Should it really be that loud?”

“Oh… sorry,” Clark apologized. He handed the mug to Lois and added, “It probably just needs a tune-up – I’ll check it out later.”

“Thanks… Did you take care of everything for Jason?” Lois asked tiredly. She took a seat at the kitchen table and greedily sipped her coffee as she looked up at Clark.

Clark sat down across from her and said, “Um, yeah, we’re all set. Julie Neville introduced him to her kindergarten class this morning, and I hear he’s already fast friends with little Tommy Walton. Tommy will be with him at Saint John’s kinder-care this afternoon, too.”

“What time do we need to pick him up?” Richard inquired seriously.

“The bus will bring them home,” Clark replied happily. “It should show up in front of the house around twenty after three… That’s central time – we’re an hour behind Metropolis here.”

“Speaking of Metropolis, what was that I heard you say about updates on our story?” Lois demanded.

“Oh. Well, the judge dropped the gag order. He also gave both parties ten business days to file redacted versions of their previous motions. Vanderworth’s lawyers already had theirs ready and immediately filed them electronically. Of course, there’s nothing from Luthor’s side yet. That’s not surprising when you consider that his lawyer’s already threatened to file an interlocutory appeal⁽¹⁾. Perry has Susan scrambling to pull copies of all the Vanderworth’s redacted filings before Luthor has a chance to reseal them. She’ll be reviewing and analyzing them, too.”

“But it’s our story,” Lois protested.

“Well, Susan is the legal correspondent,” Clark pointed out. “We can still look through the filings later, if you want – see if we notice anything Susan missed. But right now, Perry has us on Harold Junior. He wants an exclusive Vanderworth interview in the can before Luthor’s favorite appellate judge can shut it all down again.”

“I’ll give Harold Junior a call in a little while. What else did I miss?”

Clark flicked his eyes over to Richard and back and somberly replied, “Um, this might not be a good place to talk.”

Richard rolled his eyes and irritably complained, “How many times am I going to have to promise my silence to you two? I’ve already said a dozen times that I won’t say anything, okay?”

Clark looked at Richard and back to Lois with a worried expression in his eyes and awkwardly began, “It’s, um, not that simple.”

“Why not?” Richard demanded.

“Richard, this isn’t about you,” Lois snapped. “We’ve got some sources in sensitive positions that are very insistent about us not sharing what they tell us, and we have to respect their wishes if we want the background information from them to keep on flowing… My dad never shared classified shit with us when he came home at the end of day, and none of us ever took it personally…”

“You’re not in the army, Lois,” Richard reminded her.

“I’m also not going to alienate our sources. Neither is Clark,” Lois replied angrily. “Besides, didn’t Perry tell you to keep your nose out of our stories?”

“That was before we had to run for our lives because of your story,” Richard argued.

“That doesn’t change anything,” Lois insisted.

“Um, maybe I should head back to the other house,” Clark mumbled.

“Clark, just ignore him,” Lois said irritably, earning a glare from Richard. After another quick sip from her coffee, Lois asked, “How much time did Perry give us on Vanderworth?”

“Well, it’s a bit late for the afternoon edition, considering that it’s already twelve thirty in Metropolis,” Clark pointed out.

Lois rolled her eyes and complained, “You really shouldn’t have let me sleep so long!” She drained her coffee and stood up, telling him, “All right, I’ll call Harold Junior right now, take a quick shower, and we can be on our way.”

“Wait, you’re not seriously thinking of going back to Metropolis right now, are you?” Richard asked incredulously. “What happened to laying low out here in Smallville?”

“We are laying low but we’ve got to keep the pressure on Luthor,” Lois snapped. “Did you forget what we said last night about ‘boots on the ground’?”

“And risk getting yourself killed?” Richard complained.

“Um, actually, the risk in this case is fairly low,” Clark replied quietly. “The security’s pretty strong at the Planet, especially given that the portal is extending its sensors over the entire building. Anybody tries bringing a weapon in there, and Superman gets alerted. We also have something figured out so that nobody will see us leaving the Planet. Vanderworth has also beefed up his security, after Luthor’s attack on us last night. We should be quite safe.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Richard demanded to know.

“Richard, we’re not a couple of amateurs here,” Lois answered huffily. “We know the drill, we’re not taking unnecessary risks and we have some very capable people helping us. And we’re not going to let Luthor intimidate us.”

“Lois–” Richard began impatiently.

“Are you planning on nagging me like this every time I go to work?” Lois interrupted heatedly.

Richard glared at her and snapped, “Since when is it such a crime to worry about my fiancée?”

“It’s not, if you can do it quietly,” Lois countered impatiently. “Now, I’ve got work to do.” She then turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen.

-o-o-o-

(1) An interlocutory appeal, in the law of civil procedure, is an appeal of a ruling by a trial court that is made before the trial itself has concluded.

[ Chapter 32 ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Chapter 34 ]