From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9711C" ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 10:27:47 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Stark Subject: Swap-Meet: Burbank part 13 of 20 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Swap-Meet: Burbank part 13 of 20 by Debby Stark, Debby@swcp.com [previous editing notes apply] "So let's give them around an hour, their time, if things work out," Clark summed before Lois could continue. He could understand her fears since he shared them himself. "If the rate of these messages is any indication, it may well be this afternoon before we find out anything." "Well, I can keep you busy," K said, "and Justin will help again. He went home around 11 last night, but he'll be back. I invited him to stay for dinner, which should be about..." she added it up on her fingers and concluded, "two if you're still here then, but I warned him that his mother's meal should be his main course for the day. Other than that, I'm sure he'd like to watch football with you." "Eh..." Lois grimaced. "I forget. Teri likes football, but she used to be a cheerleader. You and I can talk turkey if you'd prefer. I'm about ready to put ours in the oven if you'd like to watch..." Lois tried to brighten up. "Okay." She looked at Clark. "Turkey for me, football for you." K continued, "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be starting soon, too. I like to have that on in the background." "It sounds like fun," Lois smiled. "It's so... domestic." "And it doesn't bite, not really." "Do you think we could catch up on the news before then? It doesn't matter that it's this world's news, it's just..." K gave her a knowing look--Lois Lane, ever the reporter-- nodded and led her back to the kitchen. Clark was glad for Lois, though it would have been nicer if Lois's own mother had been the teacher, had that woman been interested. Next best would have been his mom, but mom was... He glanced back at the computer screen. Nothing new. On a whim he pinged Metroduo then rose and followed the women into the kitchen, stopping to lean in the doorway to watch. They had turned on a small, cable-equipped TV on a counter top and it was in the midst of a commercial. Clark tuned it out. Lois was carefully watching K shove into the oven a deep blue roasting pan that had an aluminum foil-covered object in it. Lois applauded as the door closed on the production ("I didn't think it would fit!"), and K told her to wash her hands. "Oh, look, it's the CNN news," K said next. She turned up the sound. "'CNN'? We have 'LNN.' They've wanted to change the name for ages but there's money and the government regulations involved, and they don't do a very good job reporting anyhow." The first item was about the aftermath of a 5.7 earthquake that had hit Taipei only hours earlier. There wasn't much damage reported, but people were frightened and the night there was dark... Lois turned from the sink, her hands dripping, and she looked at Clark. She said simply: "Go." "'Go'? I can't 'Go.'" "Sure you can 'go.' It's night over there, isn't it?" "Yes, if time zones work the same way, it's just after midnight tonight there." "And they need someone to see that no buildings fall over." "But-- "And nothing's going to happen here with the Vibro Whammy if it does at all until this afternoon, right? You said so." "But--" "I'll take notes! I'll tell you everything. You'd sense it anyway and be here in a second, I know you will. And one time you told me..." She was distracted by K pulling produce out of the refrigerator. "Oh, can I cut up an onion? I'm really good at that! I hold them under water, you see, and... No onions yet? Okay, later. Clark, when you were younger you felt free to help people as long as it was dark, you told me about that, remember? So it's dark over there and you can help them. Go!" "And there are winter storms all over this country, too," K added. "I don't think they're caused by that machine though. You might check what's happening to people affected by them if you want to dare daylight." He frowned, thinking. "Okay, okay, you've convinced me, but I'm going to wear a disguise. I already have an idea for one." And there was one last important thing: "Do you have a world map?" "Yes, somewhere..." As K looked for that, Clark returned to the bedroom and pulled out and put on the stylishly dark clothing he'd gathered at Cain's home. This included the black bandanna, which he tied around his head like a pirate. K found a world atlas and presented it to him when he came out. "Good idea," Lois said as she looked at his disguise. "Thanks." He thumbed through the atlas at high speed. The world and its cities looked a lot like the one he and Lois knew. He made a quick check but found no "Metropolis" except one in Illinois and another in Nevada, and the populations reported for them were much too tiny. No Smallvilles at all. K looked over his costume now. "I don't know," she frowned, finger to her lips. "There's something missing..." "Don't tell me," Clark said, unable to keep a smile from creeping across his face. "Under your bed you have a box and in it is a blue blanket and a big patch with a red S." "No, but I wish I did! I loved that scene. I have some old Girl Scout patches..." Everyone shook their heads simultaneously. "I didn't think so. How about another black scarf to cover the rest of your face..." She dug through a closet near the front door and found it quickly. "Here it is. It even has a little the S symbol on it in the corner here. I bought it at a Warner Brother's store after I made the show's pilot and we didn't know if we'd be picked up." "Oh, a good luck scarf," Lois smiled. She insisted on tieing it into place. "Thanks," Clark smiled, too, though it was now covered by the extra scarf. "I'll be careful and fly low and fast and do all I can to avoid being detected." "I know you will," Lois said. "But there's not much to worry about because there's nothing here that can stop you. If there was no Krypton to blow up, there's no Kryptonite, either." He paused. "Wow, yeah, I hadn't thought of that..." Maybe there were advantages to being the only one of his kind and particularly in this universe... "Well, if you are seen, try to mention the show, hmm?" K winked. "We can use all the free publicity we can get!" "I'll hum the theme song, too, okay?" "That'll be wonderful." Lois touched his arm. "I think this is what I meant earlier about you not looking deliriously happy. You've been needing to do this." "Yeah..." It felt just right. He pulled the second scarf down and gave her a quick kiss, then without hesitation gave K one, too. She almost blushed. He grinned, retied the scarf into place and tucked the excess down into the turtleneck. Only his eyes showed; he hoped anyone who might glimpse them would see that they were full of compassion and that he was nothing to be afraid of. "My hero!" Lois sighed. "You look great!" "Heh..." He felt a little silly, people shouldn't have to disguise themselves to help others. "I wish I didn't have to dress so darkly. Now all I need is a utility belt and a cowl." "*And* a scowl." "Not me--" "Go on..." He stepped into the backyard, into a patch of early morning sun, took a deep breath, rose a few inches, waved, and flew away, merely "quickly" at first until he got his bearings and could feel the magnetic pulse of the planet. I must be getting used to this place, he thought. Then he geared into top speed and headed north. Yes, this really was what he needed to do. *** K Callan's Home In Some Suburb of Some Alternative Los Angeles Day Two, Thanksgiving Day 10:35 a.m. Justin paced the floor of K's cordially decorated living room, from the front window to the dining room and back again, where he looked out and sighed. His hands were sunk into the pockets of his jeans, and a frown was troubling his face. Clark, standing quietly in the alcove between the sunroom and the living room, had moments before floated in quietly as not disturb anyone. He had also overheard Justin ask K when the heck Clark was coming back. Clark found it fascinating. The young man had been in awe of him at first, had quickly overcome most of that to become a friend, and now was fearful for him. Had there been other powerful helpful people here on this planet in recent times who had met awful fates? Had Lois not mentioned the realization that there was no Kryptonite here? Was the Superman in their TV show careless enough times to make this young man worry so? Clark hadn't sensed anything dangerous to himself during his last several hours' worth of helping, no villains involved, no plots, only accidents and the typical problems humans had with nature. He decided to ease Justin's fears by consciously clearing his throat, which he knew how to fake. Justin turned immediately and gawked at Clark. "You're back!" Clark smiled. "Yes." The young man rushed up to him and grabbed Clark's nearer arm, then obviously thought better of it, thought himself presuming too much maybe, and quickly let go. "Sorry, but I was--well. I mean--" Clark silenced this by giving his new friend a quick hug. Justin smiled, returned it, let go, regained most of his composure and shuffled a bit. "Ah, are you okay?" "Sure. No problems at all." Justin looked him over. He pointed to the black scarves in Clark's right hand. "Did you really wear those?" "Yep." "And these black clothes?" "Yep." "You got sort of... dusty." Clark looked down, noticed Kunlun Mountain dust on one knee, and brushed it off. He also saw grass stains on his shoes from that landing on the shores of the Ucayali River. Easy to clean. "It happens. My regular disguise is tighter than this and doesn't get as dirty." "Oh, that's your aura." "Ah, right." How did they know so much...? "And *nobody* recognized you?" "I don't think anybody really saw me." "Hi, handsome..." He turned and accepted an icy glass of tea from Lois. "Thanks, honey... Um..." "Four sugars." "Just right..." "I guess nobody was looking for you." He looked back at Justin. "That's the other thing. Back home, people sort of expect me to turn up any more." "Or they hope or pray for him," Lois smiled helpfully. Before this could get embarrassing, he gave her a "okay..." nod, to which she twinkled. He sipped more tea; she said nothing; he continued: "If I was spotted, it was dark and they were in a panic anyway. After Taipei, I moved west, staying with the night as much as I could, until I hit the Atlantic Ocean, where it didn't matter. I just went for a quick look in South America next, and then in this country there was a airplane trying to land in the snowstorm over... I think it was Kansas City. It needed some help. That was the one big chance I decided to take in daylight." "You saved a plane full of people?" "Some probably got shaken up." Justin's eyes widened. "Some *probably* didn't get smashed all over the landscape! But you've saved bigger things than that, haven't you?" "A few. I also stopped by Mr. Cain's house and checked on his dogs. They're just fine." "I'm glad you thought of that," K said from the doorway into the dining room. "I let them out to run, fed them and changed their water." Lois looked him up and down, mostly down. "You carried his keys in those tight pants..." Clark just smiled. "Why didn't I notice the bulge?" "Well... you're on vacation?" "No, I'm not, not after..." she said 'last night' only with her eyebrows. "Ah, well, checking on pets... is a good idea. We can visit Teri's pets again after dinner." "Good idea, is it almost ready? I can smell the turkey..." "No, it isn't ready," she informed him. "Good cooking takes time. Go save some more people or sit down and watch football with Justin and leave the kitchen," she glanced at K, "to the experts." Clark refrained from asking, "And to you?" instead nodding and then saying he wanted to change before indulging in football. Justin outlined the day's worth of games and what they had to choose from since K had cable. Clark said, "I'll watch whatever you like." Lois excused herself from this, saying since the kitchen didn't really need her at the moment, she'd prefer to close herself in the guest bedroom, peruse scripts and watch episodes of the show based on her life. Clark said he'd like to keep up with that, too. He had earlier noticed that the computer had powered down and he now asked about the IRC session, only to be told that it had stalled out. His question to his mom had sat there alone and unanswered for so long that K had decided to sign off and let the computer rest a while. Lois said she had agreed with this move, that the longer K was on line, the more she could attract power spikes. Clark said he understood. After changing and cleaning up, he wound up migrating between the games and the episodes and indulging in snacks. No news emergencies broke in to the live football game Justin chose to watch, so Clark didn't have to consider sneaking out again. Some episodes of the Lois and Clark show exasperated Lois and she loved others. The turkey was done early, by one, but it had to sit and "gather its juices," leaving plenty of time to prepare the rest of the meal. K rounded up a quiet Lois, who explained when pressed that while most of the stories and scripts she'd seen or speed-read through so far had been at least... interesting, many of them just didn't seem to... work, to put it politely. Clark decided not to comment; what could he say? The show was apparently a fair success in this country and a better one abroad, so someone was doing something right. Clark's only question was how the various writers had managed to hit so close to his reality so many times--even one time out of a hundred would have been surprising, but so many times... but it looked like that would remain a mystery of the universe, where there was enough time and space for literally anything to happen. Lois helped make gravy and it had hardly any lumps. She didn't spill a drop while pouring it into the gravy boat. She'd chopped the onion for the dressing, she informed Clark; he'd been away or he would have seen the marvelous job she had done on that. Justin, who could stay because his mom's dinner wouldn't be ready until six at the earliest and he promised he wouldn't eat very much here though he was still a growing boy and all... was pulled away from the game, and he and Clark set the table and helped carry food out from the kitchen. K took the seat of honor, said grace, and surprised Clark by handing him the carving knife. "You don't mind, do you? I don't expect it to be tough, but in case it is, at least I know *you* can get through it." The turkey sliced like room-temperature butter and oozed hot, fragrant juices. "It's organic and free range," K confided to Lois, who nodded and said that's what she would buy next time. Clark just licked his lips and Justin's eyes widened eagerly. Lois seemed to realize suddenly, "We're going to have *two* Thanksgivings this year, Clark!" "That's right," he smiled, "but is two enough?" The good days made it easy to overlook all the painful moments this year. "We have so much to be thankful for..." They all talked about this once they settled down to eat. K asked for more details about their real wedding, and Clark was pleased to see Lois become so animated in talking about it. About 45 minutes later, at almost three, K looked over the table. It looked almost like a pack of starving wolves had attacked it. She said, "Wow, we did it with leftovers to spare... Does anyone have room for pumpkin pie?" Clark did, no question. Justin hesitated; he had saved plenty of room, he said, for what his mom was making, but he would try a tiny piece. Lois thought she could wedge in piece of the same size, and K agreed with them both on the size she wanted. "More for me," Clark grinned. K gave him a narrow look that turned into a smile. Then she asked if Lois knew how to whip cream. "Whip?" Lois asked. "You mean like," she made a hand motion and a sound effect. "No, not like Zorro. Come on, I'll show you." "I've gotta see this!" Justin claimed, but Clark held him back with a whispered, "Let's clean off the table first, hmm?" So they were in motion once again, with the kitchen becoming the center of attention. Although K insisted that she could wash dishes later, Clark figured out the routine, rinsed off most of the dinnerware, and put it in the dishwasher, while Justin found plates to set out for the pie. K showed Lois how to insert the blades into her hand-held electric beater, asked Justin to get the small cartons of cream out of the refrigerator, and suggested that Clark, who "didn't have to do the dishes...!" take the pie out of the oven and set it on the table so it could cool a little. He couldn't find hotpads immediately so he did this by hand, which everyone but Lois was amazed by. K began giving Lois her simple recipe, and they tackled the ingredients with the beater, in moments making a merry racket. Justin covered his ears in play and said something about this being one of the best sounds a kitchen could make. Lois began to grin and Clark squeezed her shoulder gently. It was great to see her having fun with the appliance. She leaned toward him briefly, letting him know she relished his touch and support. On the other side of the room, time and space were being ripped wide open and whole universes threatened to heave and change. Clark felt something funny going on behind him. He turned, saw it, and immediately grasped what it could be. A portal between worlds. Or a reasonable imitation of one. Admittedly it was a fairly cheap, discount one, with little in the way of special effects, even so close to the Entertainment Capital of the World (this according to a billboard they had seen while sightseeing). It could not even be called a "portal" but was more a split that caused the air around it to shimmer out of focus. Without taking his eyes off the strange sight, Clark squeezed Lois's shoulder again, this time with some urgency. He heard the beaters clang against the side of the bowl. Lois, maybe less in control than she had been letting on, cursed and demanded, "What!?" K helped her put the thing down--"No, turn it off first!-- Oh, Ah! Don't worry, don't worry, we can clean that up, you just got some on your blouse..." "And my shirt!" Justin laughed. "Umm, but it tastes good." "I nearly wrecked everything! Now it won't get all fluffy!" "Sure it will, dear, it only *looks* delicate. We can rescue it." "Well, I'm *going* to! What *is* it, Clark?" He felt her eyes on him so he nodded. "It's that. I think the Vibro Whammy is doing... something." "Wow!" Justin exclaimed. "I think I saw this on Star Trek once!" "Oh, my!" K said, as curious as she was startled. "It looks like a crack opening up." "Yes, but I think it's static, it's stopped opening." "Maybe it's just a demo model," Justin guessed. "We need more than that, maybe she's just barely touching it," Lois frowned. "It's not making any noise. Something like that should be roaring." "I do hear a slight, high-pitched sound." "You do? High-pitched? I wonder if that was part of my headaches." "I don't hear anything," Justin said, "And why is it just floating there? These things usually make a big entrance--I mean, look at the warp holes on scifi shows. They really cost a lot if the effects people are any good. This is... well, pitiful." "Justin," K whispered, "it's practically a miracle..." Clark put aside these judgements because they were of no immediate help. "I can see through it, just, it's hazy. Two figures... they have to be Ms. Hatcher and Mr. Cain." He decided to approach the quantum anomaly with care, and, thinking positively, to wrap things up as well. He took Cain's wallet and keys out of his pockets and tossed them on the nearest counter, then he turned briefly to K. "Lois and I hate to eat and run, but in case this is our way out, thanks for your hospitality, it's been a wonderful experience." "Oh, I understand, this has been so special..." "Maybe they can take some pie with them." "Yes, of course they can..." Clark noticed that none of the three moved to pack any goodies. They were captured, fascinated, by the unexpected sight. He felt that way, too. "I wonder if the edges are solid," he muttered to himself. "Be careful..." Lois whispered. He nodded. "You bet. Just stay back until I give you the word," if there were one to give. He reached out first with his right hand and touched one of the shimmering sides of narrow crack. There actually was something to touch, and it felt almost alive. He tried the other side and it felt the same. "It's cool and tingly..." This close, he also noticed that the crack was slowly lengthening. This was promising: it was trying to open. Was there enough time for it to do so on its own, if that was the plan? It was best, he thought, to assume it would need some help. He squinted through the shimmer; there were a few centimeters worth of distortion-free space. Beyond this was an artificially lighted room. Even the tantalizing unsteadiness of the edges of the portal failed to liven up what he could see of the standard, boring laboratory colors. "It's S.T.A.R. Labs, okay, yes!" He had feared that moments earlier wishful thinking had prompted him to imagine Hatcher and Cain, that this anomaly could have been something else entirely. Now he could definitely see two people on the other side. They were watching what was happening and had surprised expressions on their faces. The man was wearing glasses--his hornrims--and he looked a lot like him, and the woman did look like Lois. Interesting. Clark glanced over his shoulder at K and smiled. "It's definitely your friends, they've done it somehow. All I need to do is get this thing open a little wider. Lois, get ready to jump." "Okay!" She whipped off her apron, tossed it somewhere, and gave both K and Justin big hugs, which were no doubt meant to include him since his hands were full. This done, she turned back to him. "I'm ready when you are!" He nodded, pushed his hands a little further through the crack, back to back, and began to ease them apart. The hole cooperated with this for the first inch or two--then locked up and refused to budge. Clark, who had hardly put any strength into it at all, smiled to himself, unlocked his knees, flexed his shoulders carefully and increased his efforts slowly, confidently. If somehow the crack was alive, it wouldn't do to (super)manhandle it. The hole gave but by only millimeters, nowhere near enough. Maybe being polite wasn't working. He took a deeper breath and began to put real muscle into it. In a minute or two he was grimacing because the effort began to hurt, to strain every muscle. What he wanted to do was possible--it simply had to be--it was just becoming a greater exertion than he'd ever made in his life. In comparison, picking up that ocean liner had been a breeze and launching the Prometheus, his first really, really big effort, had been child's play. The universes simply would not concede without a royal fight. But in time, Clark had no idea how long--though neither Hatcher nor Cain turned gray in the process so it couldn't have been very long--he forced the portal open a meter wide. This had to be enough; he felt his body trembling slightly and protesting that he could do no more. He dared to glance over his shoulder and catch Lois's eyes. "Now! Move, now!" (continued) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 10:27:53 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Stark Subject: The Evil Henchman's Guide Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I found this on the rec.arts.sf.tv news group (who says there aren't fascinating things there?) - Debby, Debby@swcp.com :) ***** >From John Sat, 08 Nov 1997 17:11:09 -0800 From: John & Linda VanSickle Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.movies Subject: The Evil Henchman's Guide Recently, the Society of Evil Overlords has noticed a regrettable decline in the availability and quality of fanatical henchmen, devoted worshippers, and loyal infantry. We wish to correct this growing problem by submitting the following general guidelines for Evil Henchmen. This list can be found at http://www.erols.com/vansickl/henchman.htm 1. General tips for henchmen of all varieties: a. Avoid getting sent to rough up the hero(es). Ransacking hotel rooms is probably safe, but going 'round to beat up the good guys is a sure ticket to the bottom of the Thames. b. When the hero or his sidekicks are at your mercy, don't stop to gloat. c. If you can't resist gloating, don't boast about the reward you expect to receive from your master for bringing them in or killing them off. d. If you gloat and boast, don't be surprised if a comrade of the person you have at your mercy jumps you from behind while you're distracted with your boasting. e. If you fail to complete your mission, skip town. Returning to the Evil Overlord to report on your failure will usually get you killed. f. Avoid killing people not actively involved in the rebellion. The Evil Overlord has enough enemies as it is. g. As tempting as it may be, never try to ravish the Evil Overlord's beautiful-but-wicked daughter. She can probably mop the floor with you. h. Learn where the trap door is in the Evil Overlord's audience chamber. Avoid standing there, especially when bad news is brought to the Evil Overlord. i. While the Evil Overlord is gloating over his anticipated success in the venture he is about to launch, it is considered impolite to ask "And if you fail?" You probably won't be flogged, maimed, or killed for your temerity, but why risk it? 2. Guidelines for Legion of Doom troops: a. Before performing guard duty, familiarize yourself with the sound of a tossed pebble, and learn to avoid being distracted by it. b. When performing guard duty, do not stare continuously in one direction, but take a moment now and then to look around. c. When you are fighting intruders, do not fight them quietly, but yell "Intruder!" while you still have breath. d. When issued armor or uniforms that contrast with the service environment, respectfully inquire after more sensibly-colored attire. e. Get plenty of firearms practice. f. Don't attack the hero alone or in pairs. The Evil Overlord hired a million of you for a reason. g. Exercise care in the abuse of oppressed peoples. Many farm implements make effective weapons in the hands of a skilled opponent. Some of those little old men can teach you a thing or two about hand-to-hand, too. 3. Tips for evil cult members: a. Pick one faith and stay with it. Dilettantism is the mark of an amateur. b. Familiarize yourself with the specifications for sacrificial victims, and ensure that unacceptable substitutes cannot be unexpectedly introduced into the ceremony. If the penalty for not- to-specs work is death and/or mutilation, consider working for a more fault-tolerant deity. c. Avoid needless embarrassment. Practice the correct pronunciation of your deity's name in the privacy of your own room before chanting it in public. Flash cards are often helpful. d. Before agreeing to impregnation by a supernatural being, investigate the survival rate of the other women who have undergone the procedure. e. Never invoke anything bigger than your head. f. Eschew deities whose followers are all young; such faith groups usually employ an unpleasant retirement procedure. g. Avoid all cabalistic jewelry over ten pounds in weight--it attracts unwelcome attention from tourists, policemen, various supernatural creatures, and can be downright dangerous during thunderstorms. Its jingling also tends to warn the hero of your approach. h. Citronella candles may not be used in rituals. I cannot stress this enough. Pastel colored candles in the shape of cute animals are like direct sunlight to the Powers of Darkness. i. If the spirit contacted during a seance begins offering financial advice, you're dealing with a con artist, and not a genuine medium. j. Always keep your kit with you: candles, chalk, incense, silver knife, Thuggee cord, service revolver, garlic, Yellow Sign, cab fare, and change. k. Flourescent lighting is very annoying to most netherworldly creatures. l. When the Black Mass goes awry, stay away from the Evil Priest. Enraged demons always go for the pompous. m. Followers who have a speech impediment should be excused from speaking parts in any and all ceremonies. If you want to know why, ask a fellow cult member about the last time the deity's name was mispronounced during a ceremony. n. Plan ahead by selecting ceremonial robes that are easy to run in while still affording ample concealment. o. When a religious artifact begins emitting light, CLOSE YOUR EYES. Thousands of cult members could be saved every year if they followed this simple safety tip. p. When mutilating cattle, avoid the ones with testicles. q. During ritual sacrificing, taking bits home for later is now generally considered "bad form." r. Blood tests are now required for all sacrificial victims before the ritual. The effects of HIV+ offerings on the average malefic deity have never been witnessed by anyone living, or even intact. s. Contrary to historical belief, drugs and invocations do not mix. When the ritual goes awry, it is vitally necessary to be able to discern between the gibbering monstrosity to pump full of silver bullets and the gibbering monstrosity that will fade away after a few hours, some B complex, and a good hot bath. t. Never play strip Tarot. u. Piety and belief are powerful things, and few forces in nature, can stand against one who is true to his faith, his god/goddess, and the deal made in exchange for the soul. However, it is also true that gods tend to side with the heaviest artillery, so be prepared to change sides at the drop of a hat. v. For those situations where a fresh, living, sacrifice is not available, the lower ranks of demons can be fooled by microwaving a previously frozen chunk of ex-victim and cleverly jiggling it. However, a mock victim sculpted from SPAM is right out. The Evil Henchman's Guide is a cooperative effort between myself and Brian McGinty (mcginty@pacifier.com), but suggestions from the rest of you are more than welcome. -- "I 'ave acute 'earing." "We're not interested in your jewelry!" ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 12:56:00 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: ListServ Archive? MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Is this list archived somewhere? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 13:10:39 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Merckle Subject: Re: Question or two In-Reply-To: <01322619409219@michianatoday.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, Alicia Kelly wrote: > Whatever happened to the Lois and Clark soundtrack, that was supposed to > be out in September? The soundtrack is out. I've been listening to it over and over and over. Fortunately I've been on midnight shifts so I didn't have any complaints from my co-workers for putting it on the office stereo system . I found my copy at Best Buy (which only had one copy at the time!). None of the local regular music stores had any. I'm sure it could be ordered by a local outfit though, and there are places you can order it on the web, however the address escapes me. Let me know if you want more information from the CD for ordering. My only complaint is that *the* cut I wanted to hear was only briefly aluded to in cut #13. (FWIW, the music I wanted was the background to Clark saying goodbye to Lois in the heat wave episode.) But there was so much music in the series to choose from, I can't really complain about that being "missing". All in all it is a good CD, which has me humming some of the music. Hmmm, guess it's time to put it in the home player for a little while . Nancy -------------------------------------------------------------- nancym@clark.net .......... http://www.clark.net/pub/nancym/ -------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 13:21:34 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Farah Meitzen Chisham Subject: LISTSERV WEB INTERFACE Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" If anyone is interested in searching for previous posts, stories that was posted on this list since it was started, you may go to this URL: http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html again, if anything horrible happens, or you can't read this web page, please let me know. Thanks! farah :) fchisham@indiana.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 20:49:14 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: ClassicFanfic:FORGET ME NOT, REDUX (1/2) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 For those of you who suffered through Forget Me Not, either = for the first time, or as an encore... Let's assume that in FMN, Lois was only an outpatient at the medical clinic. The A-plot would be essentially unchanged - Lois, while being in treatment, would notice strange things and figure out the bad guy's plot. You've seen it, it's nothing special, I won't recreate it here. The B-plot, however, would go more like this... FORGET ME NOT, REDUX (1/2) by Pam Jernigan (jernigan@compuserve.com) "Lois, are you sure you're okay?" Clark asked anxiously. = Although Lois had mostly recovered from her injuries, and could function in many ways, her personal memories had not yet returned. She'd had a steady stream of visitors over the past two days (her parents, his parents, their boss and others). With pictures and documents, they'd told her about her life. = Clark had been there most of the time, answering her questions, telling her stories of their lives, watching her sleep. He'd ignored the rest of the world; she needed him more, and he needed to be with her. In more ways than one. Mindful that she barely knew him, he'd struggled to act like a brother to her, not showing any hint of his desire for her. He was determined not to make her uncomfortable in any way. Being patient had worked before; it would work this time, too. He had to believe that, because he couldn't face a life without her. "I'm *fine*," Lois insisted testily from behind the privacy screen, struggling into the last of her clothing. She'd been in the hospital for two days now, and she was thoroughly sick of it. All bland, blank walls and cheerfully noncommittal nurses. = She still didn't remember much of her life, but that was no reason to hide from the world. She suspected that she'd never been one to back down from a challenge. "Maybe you should stay here a little while longer," Clark suggested uncertainly. He didn't want to do anything to hamper her full recovery. = "No, I won't, and that's final." Now fully dressed, she stepped around the screen to face him. His eyes were full of a concern that warmed her heart. He was so amazingly kind. She'd been told that as well as being her partner at work, he was her fiance. At first the knowledge of their engagement had caused an odd thrill of fright, but as she'd considered it, and seen his innate gentleness, the fear had melted away. This man could surely be trusted with her life. = And with her body? She couldn't remember if he was her type, or if she even had a type, but she found that she enjoyed watching him. The lock of hair that fell so engagingly over his forehead, the breadth of his shoulders, even his strong, gentle hands... all of these and more were starting to make her shiver in breathless anticipation of his visits, in hopes of his kiss. She could tell he loved her, she reflected in wonderment. It was there in the way he treated her, in the way he looked at her... and there was desire in there, as well, she'd glimpsed it... At the moment, however, he was looking harassed and beleaguered. She hid a smile. Her visitors had all mentioned that she tended to lead their partnership, and based on his reactions, she could believe it. He was resisting now, though, and she supposed he might have a good reason. "Out with it, Clark, what's the problem?" she asked, arms crossed. He looked at her helplessly for a second, then sighed. "Well, you were kidnapped right during the wedding ceremony." A familiar stab of guilt assailed him at the thought, but he steadfastly ignored it. Dwelling on what might have been was too painful. = "Yeah, and...?" Talk of her wedding--a wedding she couldn't even begin to imagine--caused her stomach to flutter, a sensation she preferred to deny at the moment. "Lois... you'd already moved into my apartment, and out of yours. It's been leased to someone else already; I checked." = He watched her anxiously. = "Oh." She sat down on the hospital bed, feeling as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her. So, she had nowhere to live. = Nowhere, unless... she looked up at Clark speculatively, and made up her mind. She took a deep breath and spoke quickly, not giving herself a chance to reconsider. "That's all right. I can stay with you." Clark felt his eyebrows raise in astonishment. She had, in a way, only known him for two days, and she was proposing to move in with him? It had taken him over two years to win that much trust, the first time around, to get through her protective layers. Surely even a memory loss couldn't erase such deeply ingrained barriers. She smiled tremulously at his surprised expression. "If I want to get my memory back, I should stay in familiar surroundings, right? All my things seem to be at your place, and I guess I was probably pretty familiar with it, anyway, wasn't I?" "Yeah..." he admitted reluctantly. "Well, there you go then." She stood again, gathering her courage. This would work out just fine; it had to. "The only other place I could think of to stay would be with my mother, in her hotel room, but just between you and me, I don't think she and I get along very well." He quirked a smile. "No, not really." Lois took a moment to appreciate what a great smile he had, reassuring herself. She smiled back at him. "Then you have no choice, do you? You have to help me; I'm homeless." He sighed once more, looking around the room for guidance that wasn't there. Could she really mean what she was saying, that she trusted him to be that close to her and not try anything? = Could he trust himself? Lois saw the worry written across his face and advanced until she was standing close enough to rest her forearms on his chest, her hands exploring his shoulders. She noted that he automatically opened his arms to receive her. His nearness, his *body* felt good, setting off waves of desire outward from where his hands rested on her hips. "Clark, look at me." He looked down into her intent brown eyes. God, she was beautiful, and he still marveled that he had found her again. He didn't care how long it took her to regain her memory, he could wait months if he had to, as long as she was safe. "Clark," she repeated, all trace of amusement gone. "There are a million things that I don't know about you, that I don't know about me. But I do know this. You are kind, patient, and more considerate than I deserve. And my... previous self... wanted to marry you. How could I not trust you?" How could he resist her? "Okay. Let's get you out of here." It took some time to complete the paperwork, but the hospital staff could no more stand in her way than Clark could. She would be an outpatient at a local memory clinic/sanitarium for the next few weeks, but she was free to stay wherever she chose. *** As Clark drove her Jeep to his apartment, an air of tension rose between them. Lois kept sneaking looks at him, when she thought he wouldn't notice. Who was this man? How well did she know him; how well did he know her? They were engaged (by unspoken agreement, that engagement was on indefinite hold, but she had no urge to break it); had they been... intimate? She felt her cheeks flushing, feeling excited by the prospect. She knew general things about lovemaking, but it was all distant, impersonal. Clark was aware that she was looking at him, darting glances at his face, and at his body. He shifted uncomfortably as he drove. What was the matter with him? She was injured, and barely knew who he was. He shouldn't even be thinking of making love to her. But he was. Under the cover of checking the Jeep's blind spots, he kept an eye on her. She was pale, and thinner than she should be... but she still took his breath away. And he was going to be sharing his apartment with her. = He swallowed hard. "Well, here we are." His tone was determinedly cheerful as he pulled into the parking spot. Lois looked around, hoping for a glimmer of memory, but none came. "Nice place," she offered, to let him know that nothing was coming back. He nodded, not really disappointed. He knew that when he'd lost his memory, two years earlier, it had taken time for familiar people and places to bring him back to himself. He got out of the Jeep and headed for her side to open her door and help her out. He found her standing on the sidewalk, looking around. He smiled despite himself. Some things apparently didn't change. "The entrance is around the side." He touched her elbow to guide her, and she fell in step next to him. Lois felt a jolt of awareness at his touch. It was only his hand on her elbow, for pete's sake. She had to get control of herself. = At least until she had some answers. "Oh, what an unusual entrance!" she exclaimed, enchanted by the wrought-iron porch. He smiled tightly as he fumbled with his lock. Taking a deep breath, he swung the door open. "Welcome home." Lois stood on the threshold, seeing his apartment as if for the first time. It was more or less all one room, decorated with souvenirs of his trips around the world; he'd told her about that sometime yesterday. She noticed a tenseness about him, and suddenly realized how hard this must be for him. He'd expected to bring a bride here, not a virtual stranger. She turned to meet his eyes, surprised to feel a glimmer of tears in her own eyes. "Oh, Clark, this isn't what we planned, is it, for me to not know you..." Clark felt his heart twist at her wistful expression. On its own accord, his left hand reached up to cup her cheek, and she tilted her head into his palm, the way she always did. "No," he admitted hoarsely. "But I'm just... so grateful, that you're safe, that you're here, that you don't hate me." She enjoyed the touch of his hand on her cheek - it was an unusual gesture, and yet it felt so natural. How could a simple touch make her feel so good? "I don't think I could ever hate you," she whispered, running her gaze over his face, focusing on his gorgeous eyes, and his full lips. On impulse, she raised herself on tiptoes and leaned forward to kiss him. It was a quick kiss, a mere brushing of their lips, but it left her breathless and tingling. Clark closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. = "God, Lois, don't do that." I can't control myself if you do that, and I have to control myself. Hurt, she stepped away, and entered the apartment. A few steps later, however, she thought she understood, and she was ashamed of herself. He was determined to treat her like a sister, to not take advantage of her. She shouldn't make things harder for him. Unless, of course, her treacherous inner voice whispered, you want him to take advantage of you. She smiled. A few deep breaths gave Clark back his balance, and he followed his fiancee into the apartment. She was looking around appraisingly, carrying her small bag from the hospital. = Acting as if nothing had happened, he pointed out the apartment's features. "Okay, here's the living room, with the new lamps we bought after the old ones were shot up." The lamps were one of few features they'd purchased together; they had been waiting until after the honeymoon to make decisions on major pieces of furniture. "In the kitchen, we have all the regular kitchen stuff - plus I stocked up on cream soda and chocolate ice cream for you." She followed him, looking around with interest. "I like ice cream?" He chuckled. "You like chocolate." "Ahh, that's good to know." She nodded wisely. "Good thing I have you to tell me all this stuff." "Just ask, and I'll tell you what I know," he promised. "So why were the lamps shot up?" She turned to face him, with an inquiring expression. He grimaced, wishing he hadn't mentioned that detail. "This couple was trying to kill me, and kidnap you..." He really didn't want to tell that story in any detail. The subject of Superman had come up several times in the past two days. So far, he'd always managed to gloss over things, only telling her what was general knowledge. He fully intended to come clean to her again sometime soon, but not yet. Not until they had some other things sorted out. She lifted one eyebrow. "This happens to us a lot, does it?" He shrugged helplessly. "We're reporters," he temporized. = "And we're good at it, especially you, so sometimes people don't appreciate us investigating them." "Good thing we've got Superman to look out for us then, huh." = She could tell that he wasn't telling her everything on that particular topic, but it could wait. One mountain at a time, Lois. She wandered further into the kitchen. "Yeah." Clark let it go at that, glad to escape the topic. = "Okay, behind this wall is the bedroom..." The tension that had leaked away earlier was suddenly back as they stood by the side of the bed. Lois swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Had she spent much time in that bed? They obviously hadn't been living together, but that didn't mean they hadn't slept together. She looked up at him, wondering if she dared to ask. Clark commanded himself to think of something to say, anything to move the focus away from his bed... the bed he longed to be in, with her a full and willing participant. It's not an option, Clark, he told himself sternly. Behave. You don't want to scare her. He looked around the room, searching for something to say. "Um, no one can see in the windows, so you don't have to worry about that." That was better, he told himself encouragingly. "Over here's the dresser - you've got the top two drawers, and most of the closet." He pulled open the top drawer to demonstrate, and froze when he saw her lacy undergarments lying there. Good one, Clark. He pushed the drawer shut after an endless moment, but it was too late. He could feel his blood rushing southward, bringing him back to the familiar, aching fullness that had begun with her innocent kiss. Lois was too far away to see into the drawer Clark opened, but she could guess the contents by his expression. A blush crept over her cheeks, but more importantly, she thought this was a clue. He wasn't familiar enough with her underthings to be blase about them. That was interesting. Clark moved blindly back towards the living room. He couldn't stay here much longer, not with them both upright. "I'll sleep on the couch." She followed him, feeling curiously elated. She could tell, now, that he was just as affected by her as she was by him, and it was equally clear that he didn't intend to act on his feelings. = This seemed to leave her in control. A familiar, safe feeling, but thrilling at the same time. Just like flying... where had that thought come from? *** The evening passed slowly. Clark was very business-like, drawing on years of painful experience in controlling his feelings around Lois as he told her about their stories and their sources. Her nearness still affected his breathing, though, and he was achingly aware of every move she made. = Using the excuse of getting them dinner, he took a break around eight. He wanted to take time for a quick trip to the Arctic (he somehow didn't think a cold shower would be enough, and besides, in order to take one, he'd have to explain himself to Lois, and he just didn't feel up to that conversation) before heading for their favorite Chinese take-out restaurant. Before he could get far, however, he'd heard the familiar refrain of "help, Superman!" and he'd had to respond - he'd neglected the world for too long already. Left completely alone for the first time in days, Lois wandered around the apartment. She saw many pictures of herself, alone and with Clark. They both looked so happy. She picked up one of the pictures, and wistfully touched Clark's image with a finger. Why couldn't she remember anything about her life? = The more time she spent with Clark, the more she wanted him. = This boldness, inexplicably, surprised her. Had she been previously uninterested in sex? She couldn't see herself as shy, unless perhaps she'd had bad experiences before meeting Clark... With those memories gone, perhaps her true desires were coming out. Whatever the reason, she'd felt herself hungering for him, leaning towards him as he'd spoken about invisible men, cyborgs, and Intergang. None of those topics had been anywhere near as fascinating to her. She decided to sit in the living room to watch the door for his return, but that didn't feel right. A restlessness gnawed at her, so she rose to pace again. Her steps took her into the bedroom. = In the darkness, the bed was even more inviting (and she was tired) but that wasn't quite right, either. A-ha! The window seat, under those wonderful glass panels. She curled into one end of it, arranging pillows around her. She could see a strip of sky from here, and most of the apartment's small balcony. She couldn't explain why, but this felt like the perfect place to wait. (to be continued) = !^NavFont02F35AD0007MGHH|AE6F17 ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 20:49:19 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: ClassicFanfic:FORGET ME NOT, REDUX (2/2) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 FORGET ME NOT, REDUX (2/2) by Pam Jernigan (jernigan@compuserve.com) One small job for Superman had turned into three. Clark was glad to have challenges to expend his energies on, problems he was well able to fix. As soon as he could, however, he hurried back to his apartment. Lois wouldn't know why he'd been gone so long, and he wasn't sure what to tell her. He unlocked the door quietly. She wasn't in the living room, and his heart stopped for a moment before churning into overdrive. A quick x-ray scan located her, to his great relief. = He took a moment to make sure he'd stopped shaking, and walked into the bedroom. She was curled up with her head resting on the glass, fast asleep, and looking very uncomfortable. "Lo-is," he murmured softly, indulgently. He recognized her spot - this was where she used to wait for him to come home. = She must have been very tired. The doctor had said that she could use all the rest she could get, but she couldn't stay there all night. = He gently slipped his arms around her, gathering her to his chest. She turned in her sleep and snuggled into his shoulder, making soft noises. He stood stock still for a moment, revelling in her response despite his frustration, and then turned to carry her to the bed, floating over the floor to avoid the possibility of his footsteps waking her. = Clark gently lowered her to the bed, wishing with all his heart he could join her. She moaned a protest when he withdrew his arms. Unable to resist, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, then settled back on his heels to watch her. He'd spent many hours in the hospital, watching her sleep. She'd never been so beautiful or so tempting as she was now, in his bed. He could only hope she'd be comfortable sleeping in her clothes, because there was no way he trusted himself to remove them. He tiptoed out of the bedroom and turned off all the lights in the apartment. If he could do nothing else, he could still guard her sleep. = *** Lois woke, confused. Why did she feel like she was lying down? She had been sitting up. She stirred, and opened her eyes. Ah, she was in bed - Clark must have carried her. She glanced around the room, which was dimly illuminated by the neon sign on the adjacent building. Where was Clark, anyway? = She rose up on one elbow. "Clark?" Almost before she'd finished calling his name, he was there, standing in the archway. How did he do that? = "I'm here, Lois. Are you okay?" She thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I had some really strange dreams." He entered the room cautiously. "About?" "You, me, Superman... all mixed up. Clark, I need to ask you something." She gathered up her courage. "You've told me all about work, now tell me about us." "Us?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. He'd expected a question about Superman. That suddenly seemed like it would have been an easier issue to deal with. "Yeah, you know, us." She was blushing, but her voice was steady. She arranged the pillows so that she was sitting up against the headboard, and held out a hand to him. Slowly, reluctantly, he crossed the floor to sit on the edge of the bed. Clark was terribly nervous. He was afraid that she didn't want him, he was afraid that she did. Mostly, he was afraid of saying the wrong thing, or of losing control and kissing her the way he wanted to. "What do you want to know?" His voice was husky. Now that she had him here, she was unsure how to proceed, but she was determined to clear some things up. "How long have we been engaged? How long had we dated before then?" "We were only engaged a few months. And, well, we didn't really "date" much before then - we knew each other, and worked together, but didn't have many real dates." That was interesting, but didn't really tell her what she wanted to know. "But we were in love, right?" He smiled at a happy memory, his teeth flashing in the semi-darkness of the bedroom. "Yeah, we were. And after a while, we even admitted it to each other." Another clue. They'd had a difficult courtship, apparently. = Maybe there were other reasons that they hadn't moved in together. The next question was the most difficult, but she had to know. "Clark," she almost whispered, "were we lovers?" Clark groaned at the images that word evoked. Images from many passionate evenings danced in front of his eyes. He had trouble making his voice work. "No. We kissed... and things... but we'd both decided to wait until we were married before taking the big step." Lois mulled this over. She wasn't quite surprised, but she still didn't understand. She looked away from Clark, glad for the darkened room. "Why?" she asked softly. "Why did we want to wait?" Clark kneaded his hands on his thighs, keeping himself on a tight leash. He swallowed again. "There were a couple of reasons. You had had some bad experiences, so you were a little unsure." He studied the far wall as if it contained the secrets of the universe. "I'm kind of traditional. And I, ah, well... I've experimented a little, gotten pretty close... but I've never actually made love to anyone." Lois filed the information about her previous experience, but she was blown away by his revelation. Amazed and touched. This gorgeous man had waited - for her? What a precious gift. She had suspected he was a romantic. She reached out to hold his hand. "Well, as far as I can remember, neither have I." Clark looked down at her tiny hand on his, heard her attempt at a joke, and felt his control slipping away. The weeks of alternating highs and lows, of doubt and fear, of needing to be strong, suddenly caught up with him. To his horror, he began to cry. "Oh, god, Lois. I've missed you so much, needed you so much..." = Lois heard the ragged edge of exhaustion in his voice. He must have been worrying, waiting for weeks now; no wonder he was worn out. She swung her legs out of the way and hugged him as best she could. He instantly turned towards her, holding her tight, burying his face in her hair. She soothed him and patted his back as a few sobs escaped. Clark didn't know how long he clung to her, drinking in the feel of her body, the scent of her hair, the sound of her voice murmuring reassurances. She was there, she was safe, everything was okay. When he had recovered enough to stop crying, he pulled back just far enough to see her face. She removed his glasses and gently wiped away his tears, her heart in her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands, and slowly leaned in for a kiss. Lois watched him approach breathlessly. A small part of her brain noted how different he looked without his glasses, but she ignored it as unimportant. He was giving her plenty of time to escape the kiss, a kiss she had no intention of evading, a kiss she had been waiting for as long as she could remember. She closed her eyes and tipped her face up to await his touch. His lips brushed hers gently, then retreated a few millimeters. = She smiled, but quickly wanted more. Her lips parted of their own volition, and she closed the distance between them. = Finding her mouth open, he moaned and set his tongue questing after hers. They met in the middle, dancing passionately. His hands left her face to trail down her sides and across her back, leaving shimmering paths of desire along her skin. She ran one hand through his silky hair, while the other attacked his shirt, working the soft material loose from his waist. The touch of Lois's hand on his bare midriff brought Clark back to his senses. He pulled back from the kiss, far enough to see her face. She was wide-eyed and panting slightly, looking sexier than he'd ever seen her. But if he took advantage of her now, he'd never forgive himself. "Wait." It was the single most difficult word he'd ever said. "Why?" She didn't need her memory to know that she wanted to do this. It was right, more right than anything she'd ever done, she felt it deep inside. Along with an aching hunger for this one special man. He was breathing heavily, too, he noticed in a distant corner of his brain. "Because..." He was having trouble articulating a reason. "Because you don't know what you're doing." She shook her head, dead serious. "Oh yes I do. I loved you before, and I love you now - all I've lost are details." She searched for ways to convince him. "We made it to the church, we had every intention of getting married - it's not our fault that it didn't happen. I don't want to wait anymore." "Well then," he countered, with a flash of dark humor. = "Because *I* don't know what I'm doing, remember?" She laughed huskily, sending shivers down his spine. "Let's learn together," she suggested, then sobered. "Please, Clark, I need you. Please, be my first time..." His good intentions vanished before her obvious sincerity. = More confidently than before, he reached for her, bridging the gap between them. This time, there would be no pulling back. *** Lois woke and stretched languidly, feeling wonderful for no reason that she could recall. She froze when her outstretched hand hit something warm and solid, but then memory of the previous night flooded back, and she opened her eyes with a smile. "Morning, Clark." "Morning, Lois," he replied, grinning from ear to ear, revelling in the sight of her in his bed, in the touch of her hand on his bare chest. How long had he waited for a morning like this? It wouldn't be perfect until she had her memory back, but that should be soon; this Dr. Deter she would be seeing today was supposed to be the best. On impulse, just because he could, he leaned forward and kissed her. She returned the kiss, closing her eyes to devote her senses to it. It had been a spectacular night. Their mood had been changeable, from explosive to sweet, tender to funny, and they hadn't gotten much sleep. She reluctantly opened her eyes again when he pulled back. He propped himself on an elbow, watching her. She noted with amusement that he'd put on a pair of sleeping shorts at some point, and he was already wearing his glasses, too... She glanced down at herself, covered only by a thin sheet, and grinned. "You're overdressed." He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks, and elsewhere, but merely smiled. She was still recovering. "I made breakfast for you. Come on out when you're dressed." She watched him leave, noting from his profile that he wasn't as indifferent as he sounded. "I knew there was a reason I wanted to marry you!" she called after him. Sensitive, sexy, and he cooked... what more could she ask for? *** "Superman!" At the sanitarium, late that afternoon, Lois waved to the superhero that she was starting to remember. During her day there, she'd noted strange happenings, and had stumbled across an assassin for Intergang - apparently reporter's instincts don't have anything to do with memory. Luckily, Superman had arrived in time to save the day. = He detached himself from the newly arrived policemen and walked over to her, the cape waving in the breeze. He looked strangely familiar, but she ignored the feeling of deja-vu; she suspected it would be pretty common for a while. "Yes, Lois?" he asked in what he hoped was an impersonal tone, fighting his body's reaction to her. They'd spent hours last night exploring each other before drifting off to an exhausted sleep, but he still hadn't found the time to explain about Superman. "I'm starting to remember things, Superman!" she announced excitedly. He smoothed his face to a stern expression. What if she remembered her crush on Superman? Well, he'd just explain things to her again, if necessary, but the mere thought that she could fall for someone else after spending the night with Clark made him tense up. "That's good, Lois," he replied belatedly. She smiled brilliantly. "I need you to find Clark for me." Oh really? This was interesting. "I can take you to him," he offered. She nodded, and he scooped her up, trying valiantly to think of her as a sister. At least from this position, she couldn't see how tight his briefs were becoming. He flew her away from the sanitarium, towards Centennial Park, and the fountain where they'd gotten engaged. He wasn't above subtle hints. She looked around blankly when he set her down. That fountain was vaguely familiar, but she didn't take the time to chase down the memory. "Where's Clark?" Superman looked around, and she suddenly was afraid he would leave. "No, wait, I want to talk to you first." He crossed his arms and looked at her, unsure of what to expect. She started pacing, but glanced at him frequently as she talked. "I don't remember a lot, very clearly, but I think I remember that you... that you have romantic feelings for me." Clark had no idea how he should respond to this, but she didn't seem to require any input from him. "I just want to make sure you know that I'm in love with Clark. = And I have been, for a lot longer than I ever told anyone, I think." He blinked in surprise, temporarily speechless. Sometimes it still amazed him that she could love him at all, let alone that she could prefer *Clark* to Superman. She kept proving it to him, though, again and again, and it never failed to awe him. She saw the thunderstruck expression on his face, and winced. = "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you...." He shook his head slowly, and managed to reply. "You haven't hurt me, Lois." He began to smile, feeling happier than he'd ever expected to. In a way, this was even better than last night. Lois saw Superman's smile for the first time, and gasped, her eyes narrowing. This was more than deja-vu... she'd seen that smile, just recently... she searched his face, and the light dawned. "Clark? Is that you?" Clark nodded, his smile broadening. She slowly began to return the smile, and then suddenly she was in his arms. "I remember." = He held her tightly, and rose off the ground. It was time to head for home... *their* home. THE END I can't take credit for this last scene with Superman, this was apparently written by the L&C writers as an ending to FMN - this scene was actually filmed and included in an early director's cut (thanks, Zoomway!). I like it much better than what replaced it, so I've added it back into my version. = !^NavFont02F2D410007MGHHt4231A3 ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 21:41:17 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mercedes Galvez-Arango Subject: Re: FANFIC: Tommy Crooner, RIP Comments: cc: JERNIGAN@COMPUSERVE.COM MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Pam I LOVED your fanfic!!! Yours and Chris'. That's a CLASSIC! YOU BOTH hit it right on the NOSE. MERCEDES --formerly of compuserve!! Hi again Pam. mgalvez@dhvx20.csudh.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 08:36:11 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Margaret Brignell Subject: SwapMeet: Metropolis Part 8 of 16 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Metropolis, New Troy 3:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Thursday S.T.A.R. Labs - Experimental Technology Wing Clive Tisdell had been horrified to realize that his "new" weather machine was causing Lois Lane to have migraine headaches whenever he turned it on. The times of the headaches and his tests seemed to coincide. He normally did the tests first thing after he got into the lab, to try to provide good weather for the rush hour traffic. He only wished he could set it to a timer so he'd get the benefit while he was driving in to work himself, but someone had to be here to supervise the touchy machine and its complicated software. He went on to say he believed Ms. Lane, but wanted some objective confirmation of the phenomenon. As a result they were now in the presence of the VibroWhammy in all its glory. The machine looked very basic, a simple square box with a couple of levers on one side. In fact, Dean thought the turbine-like mock up that FX had created was better looking than the "real" thing, but couldn't knock it since this one, apparently, had actually been a working model. Clive Tisdell was fussing around his monitors as he turned on the peripherals to the VibroWhammy. He explained that the VibroWhammy itself had been left on this morning for the demonstration that Ms. Lane had attended. Teri nodded and tried to look as if she knew what he was talking about and that she'd been there before. As Dr. Tisdell switched on the last of the boxes near the console, Dean could feel a hum through the floor. Abruptly Teri cried out as she clutched her head. "Turn it off! Now!" Dean, realizing this was his cue, glared at Clive and pulled Teri away from the VibroWhammy, holding her gently and making comforting sounds. Teri made it seem so *real*, she was a *great* actress. "I'm sorry, Ms. Lane, I just wanted to be sure." Clive rapidly powered off the peripherals around the machine. "That *hurt*, don't do it again." Dean could feel that Teri was trembling. Now he was worried that she really had felt the pain. "Honey, come over here and sit down. You're shaking like a leaf." Teri whimpered and allowed herself to be guided away. Tisdell looked devastated. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kent, I had no idea that it was causing anyone harm." "That's okay. Lois has always had a 'special' affinity for the VibroWhammy. I think she'll be okay if she rests for a few minutes." Dean tightened his hold on Teri, projecting his concern for "Lois'" pain. "Although I'm sorry the test worked, I am glad to know that the phenomenon was confirmed. Now that I know the VibroWhammy is still causing mental anguish, we'll take a deeper look at the system. I'm sure we'll have the problem licked by early next week." Clive Tisdell was powering off his test boxes, but left the VibroWhammy and its immediate peripherals on, although he explained he usually turned these machines off to conserve power. However, since it was apparently the actual process of powering up the peripherals that was causing Lois' headaches he said he'd leave them on until further tests had been done. "I have to leave now to pick up my kids at day care because my wife's out of town, and I'm already late. I'm supposed to escort you out before I leave." Teri moaned quietly. "We can't leave, not just yet. She's still in pain." Dean supported Teri as she sat on a lab stool. "Dr. Tisdell, I know you have to leave, but could you let us stay for a little while?" Dean used his best imploring look. "I'm sure Dr. Klein would allow us to leave by ourselves under the circumstances. We just need...a few minutes, I'm sure my...wife will feel better by then." Obviously in a quandary, but needing to get to his children pronto, Clive reluctantly agreed to allow them to stay and leave the building on their own. He'd let security know they'd be leaving sometime in the next fifteen minutes. As the door closed on Clive, Teri quickly got up and walked over to the VibroWhammy. Dean, surprised at her quick recovery, followed quickly. "Whew! I thought you were really in pain! You looked awful..." "Thanks for being concerned. It did hurt some, but not as much as I made out. I wonder if Lois Lane and I have more in common than we realized? Come on, we have to do this now before any guards show up to escort us out." Teri found and didn't hesitate to touch the lever that Lois had said was most likely to be the right one for the transfer. Over the VibroWhammy a swirling mass of colour appeared, like a developing FX effect not totally ready yet. There was the sound of stringed musical instruments...banjos? Dean shook his head to clear away the mental picture he had of the banjo-playing kid in Deliverance. As he watched the cloud of colour, Dean saw it float down and coalesce into a fuzzy picture in front of the machine, a picture of what looked incredibly familiar! "Hey, isn't that K's kitchen?" Teri pointed at the fuzzy picture forming a few feet in front of her. "It sure looks like it!" He'd been there a few times for dinner and was pretty sure it was. The four people in the kitchen seemed to have just become aware that the opening was forming. The nearest fuzzy figure looked a lot like himself, at least from the back. He was saying something to the other three that Dean couldn't quite hear, but then the sound cleared and he could hear them gasp at what they were seeing from their side. He could hear someone who sounded a lot like himself, and who must be Clark, say something that sounded like, "I wonder if the edges are solid," and at some comment from one of the others, "You bet. Just stay back until I give you the word." "Dean! It's *Superman*, the *real* Superman!" Teri's eyes were wide with wonder. Dean was having trouble grasping this obvious fact. "...and it looks like he's going to try to open this...this portal thing wider." There was a humming sound as Dean saw Clark Kent--the honest to goodness Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman-- put his hands together back-to-back and slowly draw them apart. By the look on the man's face, it wasn't easy. The part of the picture between Clark's hands became crystal clear and Dean could see K, Justin and someone who had to be Lois standing behind Clark. The sound was a lot clearer now too. "It's definitely your friends, they've done it somehow. All I need to do is get this thing open a little wider. Lois, get ready to jump." "Okay, Teri, it looks like we're going home!" Dean grinned at Teri and turned back to see the action in the portal. There was a lot of confusion in the background and finally Clark Kent said over his shoulder to, presumably, Lois, "Now! Move, now!" followed almost immediately by a command to Teri, "You, ma'am, come through now, *please*..." Dean glanced back at Teri and saw that she now seemed to be rooted to the spot. Her eyes were wide and her mouth formed a silent "o". "Teri, you have to go through!" Dean indicated with a sweeping gesture with his left hand that he wanted her to go first. "Ladies first! This is our only chance." She turned to face him and he saw the terror in her eyes. She was trembling and exhaled the words, "It's not going to work!" with a sob as punctuation. The man holding the portal against the forces of the universe turned to him and said, "*Make* her move, now! Before I..." Dean reassured her. "It's okay, I'll be right behind you." She blinked. "Think of Jon, you'll get to see him again." Dean took her by the arms and helped Teri enter the clear part of the portal. Then Lois tumbled out of the gap in space and fell to the floor in front of him. He bent over her to make sure she was okay and, after giving her Clark's glasses and wallet, turned to enter the gap himself. Just as he was about to enter he heard the sound of feet in the hallway. Someone was coming, he'd have to hurry. Dean was having trouble squeezing through between the "walls" of the gap and Clark. He tried to push the "wall" further away from him and felt his hand brush against Clark's just as a blinding light hit him, throwing him onto the floor. The bright colours of the portal faded and his world turned to black. *********************** Metropolis, New Troy 4:05 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Thursday S.T.A.R. Labs - Experimental Technology Wing His head was throbbing. It seemed like every little noise--and there were a *lot* of them here, wherever here was--went right through it like a knife. He was glad he was lying down. What had happened? The last he remembered was Dr. Tisdell's departure. He groaned. Someone shook his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?" He opened his eyes to see a living skeleton. He cried out in fright. He could see the blood pumping through the body, the bones, the.... He shut his eyes tight...then tried them again a few seconds later. This time when he opened them he saw a woman in a pink sleeveless top and navy slacks. "Teri?" It looked like her still. Damn, the switch back hadn't worked and something had knocked his vision into next week... The woman exclaimed, "You're not Clark! But you're wearing Clark's suit!" She glanced down, "My clothes, they're the ones I was wearing in Burbank! I didn't get *my* clothes back!" She turned and stared at the place where the portal had been. "Omigod, he's still back there." He saw the colour fade from her face and felt her trembling. She let go of him and stood up. He heard keys jingling and looked to his right, where, off in the distance, he saw a guard walking along the hall. He knew he shouldn't have been able to see this, but the wall that had been there just a few minutes ago seemed to have disappeared. Then suddenly the wall was back where it had been before. He shook his head. Big mistake. Now he felt nauseous. This couldn't be happening. He must be unconscious. Dreaming! However, in case there was a guard in the hallway, he'd better warn T--Lois. "There's someone coming, and--ah--I don't feel all that good." Dean tried to get up, he was able to push up his torso, but when he tried to stand his legs wouldn't support him. Whatever had hit him must have hit him hard. "Here, put the glasses back on. We'll say you're ill, and that we'll leave as soon as you can walk without fainting." "Teri and I used that excuse already, except it was Teri--you-- that was supposed to be ill." A guard, in a navy uniform and with a ring of keys in his right hand, opened the door. "Dr. Tisdell said one of you was ill and you'd be leaving soon. We're seeing strange power surges in this wing of the building so I need you out of here now. I need to lock up. Are you ready to go?" Dean groaned. He wasn't sure he could stand, let alone walk yet. His thoughts were in a turmoil. First the Suit nearly kills me, now this machine. Nobody'd believe it if I put this in a script. "Could you help him? He tried to stand a few minutes ago and almost fainted right here on the floor. I'd like to get him home as soon as possible." She placed her hand on Dean's shoulder and said, for the guard's benefit, "Clark, you really should have taken your medication like I told you." Dean closed his eyes and swallowed, trying to gather the strength to stand up. Lois and the guard helped Dean up and supported him to the entrance of the building. As Dean grasped the guard's shoulder for support the guard grunted, "Gee, buddy, for a guy who's sick you sure have a strong grip!" By the time they reached the security desk, Dean was able to walk under his own steam. Once they were in the car, Lois searched through her purse for the car keys. Once she'd found them and put the key in the ignition she stopped, both hands on the steering wheel, and stared morosely at the building in front of her. He thought he heard her whisper something, but didn't quite catch it. It sounded almost like "I'll be back, I promise." Dean took off the glasses, which had become blurry from fingerprints on the lenses, to get a better look at her. Incredible as it seemed, this was *her*--Lois Lane--comic book heroine. Dean found himself drinking in the sight of her. She was--stunning. Even more so than Teri, although they looked very much alike. They both had dark hair, although this Lois had slightly longer hair than Teri. She seemed to be larger than Teri too, but he couldn't say why she gave him this impression. She had a distinct air of confidence and vitality. But there the similarities ended. This woman had a quality about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He couldn't describe it, but he thought the difference was in how this woman made him feel. She was overwhelming. She turned away from staring and the building and looked him up and down, and said, "I should tell you right now I *hate* actors, particularly ones who try to imitate Clark and mess it up." ****************************** Margaret Brignell brignell@capitalnet.com Ottawa, Canada %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% My fanfic now available at: http://www.capitalnet.com/~brignell/ ****************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 09:13:31 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Stark Subject: Swap-Meet: Burbank part 14 of 20 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Swap-Meet: Burbank part 14 of 20 by Debby Stark, Debby@swcp.com She looked afraid now and almost frozen in place. She shook her head. "Clark, I... I *can't,* something's wrong about this..." No, the only thing *wrong* was her failure to *move*! That was S.T.A.R. Labs, he was 100 percent certain. Their destinies were awaiting them on the other side of this hole. He turned a pleading look on Justin; that was all he could spare the strength to do. Justin snapped out of gaze, nodded and moved out of sight, presumably to grab Lois. Maybe K helped "encourage" her as well. Clark looked forward, through the hole in time and space, and right at the woman who resembled his wife. She was standing next to that infernal machine and the levers Lois had described. She wasn't touching anything; he wondered vaguely if she had been touching the machine if that would have made things easier for him. She was wearing one of Lois's more business-like outfits, one Lois wore to impress interviewees of the seriousness of her work so she wouldn't have to throttle them for information or beat off romantic come-ons. Well, the woman better see the seriousness of *this.* "You, ma'am, come through now, *please*..." But the woman was speechless and looked small and frightened. The situation merited some fear and careful consideration, true--but *not now.* Clark switched his look to the man, who was almost as paralyzed with awe and surprise. "*Make* her move, now! Before I..." he dared not say it; he simply could not afford to lose his grip before the job was done. To his credit, Cain blinked and shook himself out of his reverie. He quickly approached the woman and took her by her arms, forcing her forward. As he was larger than her and she apparently didn't possess Lois's martial arts skills, Cain had no difficulty. Clark realized though that his watching them, even if he had no choice in his position, could be distracting. He looked down. He noticed that the crack didn't quite reach the ground; they'd have to step over but only a few centimeters. He looked up, which his straining neck didn't appreciate. The crack appeared to reach only about half a meter above his head and here he was bending a bit to put his shoulders into the effort to keep the thing open. All this meant that there was no space for adult-sized bodies to just waltz through, for example, carrying pie. They'd have to crouch and twist and do their part, because he couldn't for the life of him force the crack open any wider and dared not move back out of the way. When he looked forward again, he caught a glimpse of pink slipping under him--Lois! Then Cain was pushing Hatcher forward into the swirl under him. Or Clark thought that was what was happening. He realized he was beginning to lose touch with... reality? What *was* real here? and did it matter? This was so unusual, so immense... In the haze Cain seemed to pause to bend over the pink. Why? Was she hurt? Was she moving now? Clark couldn't be sure of anything; his vision was fading, his hearing was being overwhelmed by the high-pitched sound, and he was beginning to have trouble caring about anything. Cain rose and came forward again, very, very slowly. Clark tried to perk up, though it was clear that something was wrong with time. The edges of the portal seemed... mushy and he was losing contact with his body. Not good signs. Cain reached forward and Clark felt a very slight pressure on the backs of his hands. The fellow must have thought he could be of assistance in holding the universes at bay. That was endearing--and funny. Cain was no doubt strong, but he was otherwise an ordinary human being. Clark almost laughed at himself. To think *I'm* doing this... Then a shock ran through his body and there was a thunderous roar. He felt like he was flying though it wasn't under his own power or direction, and suddenly the world grew dark and peaceful. *** K Callan's Home In Some Suburb of Some Alternative Los Angeles Day Two, Thanksgiving Day 3:23 p.m. "He's gotta be alive! He's gotta!" "He *is* alive, calm down, he's just... I don't know... holding his breath... I hope..." "It's him, isn't it, it's really him." "Yes, it is... Clark?" "Wow, it *is* him... Can I use your phone?" "Ah? Yes, of course, but don't touch it in case--I mean, use my cell phone, it's in the living room on the table next to my rocking chair." "Okay, I'll charge--no, I can't, I don't have my--I'll pay you back. I *have* to talk to Jon..." "At a time like *this*?" "Yes, Justin! I... I don't know what time it *is*! It's the next day, isn't it? He calls every night and I missed it--I missed *Thanksgiving!* Even my turkey's ruined! "No, no, it isn't. You were defrosting it correctly, in the refrigerator, I checked it yesterday. It was still mostly frozen then, it will be fine now." "Yesterday? Oh, good, thanks! He won't be able to share it with me--he'll wonder why I wasn't home--he'll be so worried!--I *have* to talk to him!" "Just don't tell him about *any* of this. Make something up-- tell him we went to a movie last night and forgot about the time." "Okay, I will, that's a great idea, don't worry... Where's your living room again?" "That way... Clark?" "Come on, Clark, wake up, please?" Clark was figuratively floating above all this, not quite part of it. There was something... strange and incomplete about it and the awareness of that made him curious, which in turn caused him to fall into the trap of life as we know it and finally consciousness. He noticed that his ears were ringing painfully but this was rapidly diminishing, allowing him to really hear, not just be aware somehow of the voices. They were voices he hadn't exactly hoped to hear ever again. This prompted him to make a self assessment. He was tingling (something about kissing Lois came to mind) but it was wearing off with the ringing. He realized that K was right, he wasn't breathing. A protective reflex, he thought; that or I died for a minute maybe...? What an odd thought. Whatever, it was probably one reason that someone out there was gripping his shoulders. He decided to get things going again with a tentative exhale. "He's breathing now!" Justin must have been shaking his left shoulder. "Do you think he's hurt? Like he wasn't invulnerable for a while and he broke something? Like his back?" "Oh, God, I don't know, I hope not... Clark? Can you hear me? How do you feel?" He took a deep breath next. It hurt. His muscles protested the strained, but none of the pain was from his spine, and nothing felt broken anyhow. He wasn't sure what broken bones felt like, true, but he guessed that the pain would have been a lot sharper. The ache he felt was confined mostly to his shoulders and upper back. With the buzzing sound and the tingling, did he have a headache? He checked, saw that he didn't have one, and almost smiled at himself for wondering earlier why Lois done the same thing. Now he understood. But Lois... Why was he lying here on his back with two worried people hovering over him when Lois could be lying somewhere hurt, too? No, wait they were concentrating on him. Surely they would have been worried about her if she were hurt, if she were... He forced his mind to delve beyond the dark haziness of the immediate past and he pieced things together quickly. Lois wasn't here. After she had made or been helped to make her move, he thought, something had forced him to let go of the crack. Or maybe the crack had spit him out. Whatever, he hadn't gotten through. "Darn..." He frowned and opened his eyes. Justin broke into a grin. K's relieved smile followed quickly. "Lois?" He focused on K and whispered so that fate wouldn't hear him. "*Did* she get through?" "I think so. We helped her and then jumped back. I'm sure I saw Dean checking to see if she was all right. That was after he pushed Teri through to our side." "Yeah, they passed through at almost the same time. I was surprised there was enough room." They passed through... "I think if she was hurt Dean would have tried to help her," K said, "but I saw her bat at him, pushing him away, so..." "Oh, good, okay, that's just like her, she must be okay then, she knows how to roll, it's a martial arts thing..." He closed his eyes again, feeling secure enough to do so. He couldn't remember if Lois had rolled, but if she was batting, then she was okay. "I'm glad he got through, too, I wasn't sure, I just couldn't see..." "But, ah... he didn't get through." That popped Clark's eyes open again. "You said 'they passed through.'" "Yes, Lois and Teri exchanged places." "Then all hell broke out here," Justin said. "The hole started to shimmer like mad and then it made a sound like breaking glass. It was scary, and there was a lot of electricity in the air, I felt it this time." "At the very same time something caused my egg beater to short circuit and maybe my microwave and some other things, too." Clark stopped looking back and forth at them (it threatened to make him dizzy), settled on in between and frowned again. "Short circuit?" "Yeah," Justin said, "and I think it happened just before that... that hole, well, it was like it punched you except there wasn't a fist. You crashed back into the table really hard, and then the hole closed up and disappeared." He made a sucking sound and slapped his hands together. "Gone. Anyhow, that's why I thought maybe your back was broken." "Oh. It isn't." "Whew! I don't know what happened to Dean, though, I hope it just pushed him back, too." "Lois is there," K said. "She can help him if he was hurt. But for you..." Clark tried to absorb all this and chastised himself for not already having reassured them of his condition. "I'm okay." Then prove you didn't just lie, he ordered himself. He decided it was time to sit up. He made it but the room spun momentarily. He rubbed his face, paused and then just leaned into his hands. The dizziness reinforced the idea that there was too much going on again, like the morning before but much worse. "*Are* you okay, Clark?" He felt K's hand on his other shoulder now. "Is there anything we can get for you?" There were things he wanted, people, one person, but she couldn't be "gotten." He could only shake his head slightly. "You look really weak. Do you... do you still have your powers? Can you test them for a minute?" "Justin, don't push..." "I do feel weak." Clark uncovered his face and tried to look competent. "That took a lot out of me, I didn't expect it." He sighed and eased himself into a momentary float, just an inch or two, enough to confirm that more was probably possible, later. Then he glanced through the nearest wall and into the garden, so his eyes were working fine now. He could hear a woman who wasn't in the room and wasn't shouting; she was trying to speak Spanish "Kee-air-oh hah-blar cone..." It didn't sound like she was getting very far and he wondered how he could help... but that would have to be later, too. "I just need to rest up, to, ah, recharge my batteries, so to speak." "Electricity does have to have something to do with this, doesn't it?" K speculated as she squeezed his shoulder again. "Actually, I'm thinking solar power for me, but you could be right about the electricity, though I don't know how..." There was something else, too, something unsettling about the combination of a massive electric shock, himself, and a human caught in between that he decided not to mention to his friends because they wouldn't understand. Besides, there was no guarantee that Cain had survived the ordeal--that the Vibro Whammy hadn't blown up. That Lois wasn't... He refused to think about that. "There was the electric problem in the studio, the lightning storms over the county, the... well, maybe we had a power surge here and it effected that... that crack or the crack brought it on." Clark nodded but stopped because his neck protested. "Good thinking. The crack might have drawn power or released it, I don't know, and I... I have no idea how to use this idea..." "Gosh, you shouldn't have to think right now, you're tired!" "Yes, Clark, maybe you'd like to lie down." "Later..." He looked at her and tried to smile a little, "in your garden, in the sun." "I have a lawn chair you can use, but it's getting late, soon there won't be much sun." "Then I better get moving." He began by pushing himself to his feet, carefully, taking inventory and comforting what hurt around his body and using efficiently what didn't hurt. Standing at last, using the back of a kitchen chair for some support, he looked over the area quickly. K had a sturdy, centrally located butcher block table to work on and it had been shoved well out of the way. That had to be what he had crashed into. He hip nudged it back into place without trouble. He could detect a touch of ozone and smoke in the air from burnt electrical wiring, but there was no other evidence of danger. "Did you unplug things you suspect were damaged?" She hadn't. She and Justin rushed to unplug the egg beater and the microwave. Clark glanced through the other plugged-in appliances but didn't see any damage and gave K that good news. "I can replace anything that was fried," K said, trying to sound like it didn't really matter. "They were all on their last legs anyway. Now you can lie down--" "No. Please check your computer and try IRCing. Our two times have met. If we can reach Mom, maybe they called her to tell her what happened." "Oh, good idea!" K rushed to do this. Clark didn't feel like rushing suddenly. If the Vibro Whammy, which had cause the crack, also caused it to shut down-- or his straining to open it further had caused the shut down-- though surely it would have backlashed a lot sooner if it hadn't "appreciated" his efforts... there was no telling what else had happened. The machine might have blown up. It might have taken S.T.A.R. Labs with it and maybe parts of Metropolis... His actions might be to blame. Lois might have been right to hesitate... K's computer had been untouched by the events in the kitchen. She logged on to her carrier easily. It required what she said was a typical 30 seconds to reach the Undernet using the same server she had earlier. She began searching for MetroDuo. But, five minutes later, had found nothing. "I'll keep trying. The way I imagine it, they were shaken up but they realize they need to get to a phone. They can't tell anyone why they need one, so they have to bide their time and time being as unusual as it is..." She looked at him, projecting strength and motherliness, "there's time for you to take a little nap in the sun." "I can wait." "You can rest." She stood up to add height to her argument and somehow grew a figurative ten feet in the process. "Clark, we thought you'd been killed and now, frankly, you look just awful." He blinked. "Yeah, Clark, you're sort of pale and you're leaning there..." Clark straightened up. Justin narrowed his eyes somewhat, skeptical. "And that didn't help. You still look like you came out on the bad end of a street fight, except you don't have any knife wounds..." I've lost is what you're saying, Clark thought. I may have lost more than you realize... He closed his eyes. He was, he admitted, in no condition to think depressing thoughts. He needed strength and he just didn't have any at the moment. He sighed and opened his eyes again. "Okay, where is that lawn chair?" "I'll show him, K. You can keep trying to find them, okay?" K smiled confidently at him and nodded. She pointed at a small sofa there in the sunroom. "Take one of those blankets. It could get a little chilly outside..." Chilly... Clark realized he felt chilly, yes... He turned to go, to follow Justin, but paused when he saw Justin raise his eyebrows at something or someone. Ms. Hatcher was in the doorway between the sunroom and the living room. Clark thought she looked small and a little time worn in the Lois-sized tailored business suit. The heel of her (Lois's) right shoe was broken but Hatcher, disoriented, didn't seem to notice. She whispered, her voice breaking. "I couldn't get through..." K went to the woman and embraced her. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear..." "I could get through *a space-time anomaly* but I couldn't get the international operator to *understand*..." "Well, Jon's probably couldn't come to the phone anyway, he's probably busy shooting in the jungle and fending off mosquitos." "And head-hunters," Justin added, then caught himself; Hatcher hardly blinked at the horrible thought. "Or probably *not.* They're probably wrapping up, you know, last-minute things..." "Yeah..." She looked at Clark. Her eyes were brown, like Lois's, and there were other similarities that Clark didn't care to dwell on at the moment. She said, "Ah... you're him? You're Clark? Clark... Kent..." The question-statement hit hard. Having already heard her voice, he told himself that he should have easily withstood the effect, but no. Her voice was almost Lois's, a Lois in a tired, just-past-overwhelmed panic and in need of him. *Really* in need of him now... Or far past need of him. But Hatcher didn't need him, no, not this woman. He steeled himself. "Yes, ma'am." "Superman...?" Oh. Hearing that made things a little easier. She saw him as an icon, a thing. "Sometimes, yes, I am." Justin eased over to her. They were the same height when Lois had been a little taller than the young man. He whispered, "Superman is just what he can do." "Ah, oh, yes..." She took a deep, careful breath, straightened a bit, blinked her eyes clear, and looked right at Clark. "Can you fly me to Venezuela?" Now Clark blinked. She added, "Please?" "Disoriented" didn't quite cover this; even "ditzy" was a reach. "No, ma'am, not right now." Besides the request being presumptive, it was also somehow scary. It didn't matter that her request would eventually be entirely within his power, he just didn't want to do it for some reason. The reason he thought of to say was adequate. "I need to rest and I suggest that you might like to do the same." "Oh, Teri..." K hugged the younger woman again, glanced at Clark with a "she doesn't usually do this kind of thing" expression, then returned her attention to her friend. "When did you last eat?" "I don't know--no, yes, I do, Martha made lunch before we went to S.T.A.R. Labs--we really went to S.T.A.R. Labs!" She grabbed at K, her eyes wide. "We drove through Metropolis, K! It's a *huge* city and it's *real!* It's a *real* place somewhere!" "Yes, dear--" "We met Martha! The real Martha!" "Yes, I know--" "Dean's still trapped there!" "I know." "And the suit nearly *killed* him!" "But he got better..." Hatcher nodded quickly. "Yes, after Martha gave him a bath." K paused but remained on course. "That sounds... nice. Would you like some pie?" "Pie? Pie at a time like *this*? When we have to help Dean?" "Yes." "Ah..." She seemed to review her options. There were either too many or not enough. Her shoulders slumped a bit. "Okay." "Fine. Come in here to the dining room... and sit down..." Assuring herself that Hatcher was seated and would probably stay so, K turned back. "Clark, unless you feel like having a piece of pie, too, you have a date with a lawn chair and a sun beam." Clark took one last glance at Hatcher, decided he preferred to keep his distance from the woman, and chose to cloister himself with the blanket Justin had picked up and that Southern California-style sun beam. *** K Callan's Home In Some Suburb of Some Alternative Los Angeles Day Two, Later "I'm sorry I asked if you would do that, I don't know what came over me..." I'm always opening my eyes to see something weird, Clark thought. He had lain awake for quite a while after Justin had opened up and positioned the lawn chair. The young man had then asked him if he needed anything--a glass of iced tea? a radio? "I could read to you if you want..."--but Clark assured him he was comfortable and Justin had left him alone at last. Feeling chilled, though, Clark had pulled the blanket over himself. It helped a little. He had then unavoidably overheard what went on inside the house. Hatcher gulped down some pie, chattering through it about her adventures, mostly how *real* everything had been. Minutes later she realized the time and that she had to rush home to check on her pets, garden, house and answering machine. She gathered everything that Lois had borrowed and stuffed it in a paper bag K gave her. They were just things. Lois had thought the apparel and accessories interesting, even fun in some cases, but now Lois was gone... Hatcher voiced no upset that Lois had taken with her the blouse, slacks and running shoes. She could easily buy new ones. She said nothing about Lois's business suit other than it was a few sizes too large and she wanted to get *out* of it and be herself again. Justin offered to take her home since he had to leave, too. He had invited his girl friend Stacy to eat dinner at his home, just as he had invited Dean and Teri, and he wanted to greet her at the front door. Hatcher accepted his offer. He instructed K to watch out for Clark because he looked depressed (I *am* depressed, Clark thought... and he didn't know what to do about it). In a matter of minutes both visitors were gone and the house grew quiet. A short time after that, Clark heard K moving around the kitchen, cleaning up. He ordered himself not to move, not to go in to help her... and let the pleasant, purposeful, domestic noise (will Lois be making a noise like that some day? Is there still a Lois?) finally lull him toward sleep. The warm glow of the unhindered late afternoon sun did the rest. The sky was cloudfree, no storms threatened. No Vibro Whammy? The following hour or so was mercifully dream free. Upon waking, he guessed that it was nearing six, given the appearance of sky (still cloudless and some stars visible already) and someone having turned on the light in the sunroom. Ms. Hatcher stood at a discrete distance, watching him. She had changed clothing. She held her hands in front of herself, like she could at any moment begin to wring them nervously, although she could be cold; it felt like it was in the upper 60s. But of all the things he might have said, he said without thinking it through first, "You came back." "Yes. Everything was fine at home, K said you all visited. Thank you. But I couldn't just stay there while you..." she stopped nearly wringing her hands and intertwined her fingers, seeming to express togetherness. "Well, you might need some more help." (continued) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 16:54:41 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Organization: Brought to you by the legal firm of Deceive, Inveigle, & Obfuscate Subject: Episode 7 now airing at the S5 website Comments: To: loiscla@vm.ege.edu.tr MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Why is Clark receiving mysterious items in the mail? Whatever became of a certain season 1 semi-regular character? And what is this "project" that Lois is so adamant she and Clark devote themselves to? ;-> All these questions and more will be answered in Episode 7: The Prodigal Son (or, The Two Jacks), written by Cindy with contributions from Kathy Brown. You can view it at the newly redesigned Season 5 website; point your browser to: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/mothership/60/season5.htm or, for the plain-vanilla version: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/mothership/60/s5text.htm Reader reviews of the new story, feedback on the new layout, and pints of Ben & Jerry's Coffee, Coffee, Buzz Buzz Buzz! are currently being accepted. ==Alyssa in St. Paul== (agmondelli@stthomas.edu)(AlyssaM on the IRC) http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/mothership/60/index.htm Web-hostess, Lois & Clark Season 5 - now airing on a monitor near you ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 15:20:39 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: Episode 7 (part 1 of 4) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" THE PRODIGAL SON Season 5, Episode 7 by Cindy With contributions by Kathy Brown 348 Hyperion Avenue Lois Lane exited the bathroom, hanging her bathrobe on the doorhook and turning triumphantly to her husband. Clark Kent was already in bed for the night, albeit with his laptop computer perched on his crossed legs. He looked up from his typing as she emerged. "This is it!" she announced, holding up a colorful box in her hand. "This is what?" "According to the test I took this morning, I am about to ovulate." Clark shut off the laptop and put it aside. "Uh, congratulations, honey, but we still don't know if *I* ..." Lois climbed on the bed next to him, putting her finger over his mouth. "Shh, we agreed not to think -- just to *do*, remember?" she whispered seductively. Clark smiled as he slipped the thin strap of her lacy negligee down her shoulder and feathered a butterfly kiss against her exposed skin. "I remember ... I definitely remember." Dark Alley Two figures chased a lone one through the darkness. By silent, practiced signal, they split up, attempting to surround their prey, but he was too quick and slipped by. Running faster than he ever had before, the desperate quarry looked right then left frantically, even as he strained to listen for the footsteps behind him. His pursuers were easily confused by the dark alleyways, but for years these streets had been his home. He knew its winding turns, its deadends, its hiding places. Every time they'd thought they'd had him boxed in, he'd managed to escape. His exhausted muscles and gaunt frame documented the hunted existence he'd been living for the last few days. Finally, he spied his destination and darted across the street. Panting, panicking, he pulled out a small package crudely wrapped with brown paper, addressed to "Clark Kent, c/o The Daily Planet." Scanning the area, hearing the footsteps growing closer, he dropped the package into a nearby mailbox and disappeared into the night. Mere seconds later, his chasers came into view. Frustrated, they paused by the mailbox to catch their breath and then took off again in separate directions. Daily Planet Newsroom Clark was hard at work at his desk while Lois alternated between looking at her watch and staring at him. Slowly becoming aware he was being watched, Clark looked up at her, raised his eyebrows and waited a beat. "Yes?" "Are you almost done?" she whispered conspiratorially. "Lois! Clark! How's that story coming on the body that turned up in the harbor?" Clark frowned at Lois and then turned to answer Perry. "It's kind of strange, Chief -- the police have suddenly stopped giving out information. In fact, it almost seems as though they've stopped investigating. They're not talking at all." "Well, keep at it! There's obviously something there." "Right, Chief." Clark waited until Perry was out of earshot and then leaned over to scold his wife. "Lois, what's the matter with you? I thought you were going to call Henderson and 'demand' ..." "Clark! We have to get home! We have less than two days left to work on our ...." she looked around and hissed, "project." Clark's eyebrows went up. After checking for himself that the coast was clear, he stage whispered back across the aisle to her. "Uh ... isn't that what we did last night?" Lois got up and walked over to his desk so this part of their conversation wouldn't be overheard. "I've been doing some reading. The latest studies show that a woman is most likely to get pregnant in the days leading up to ovulation. Once I ovulate, it might be too late. The studies also said that, assuming a normal sperm count in the man, which we now know you have, we increase the odds of getting pregnant by making love as often as possible during those fertile days." She cast her eyes around the room once more before finishing. "And according the little kits that I've been planning my mornings around, I'm set to ovulate in the next 48 hours." Lois ran a hand over his shoulder and down his lapel. "Which means we have some work to do," she purred. Clark couldn't resist the smile that was slowly creeping onto his face as she talked. "Sounds like a job for ... Clark Kent," he winked. "What do you say we go home for lunch?" "What do you say we go now?" she coaxed. Clark blinked. "Lo-is. It's 10:00 in the morning." Lois looked at her watch again and Clark could see the wheels turning in her head as she slowly grinned at him. "OK ... so we don't actually have to go home ..." Clark's mouth dropped open and he was about to sputter a response when Steve, the mail guy, came by Clark's desk and dropped some mail on top of Clark's notes. Wearing a stereo headset, Steve was in his own world and didn't notice how Lois was still grinning encouragingly at her husband, who desperately dived into his mail as a way of avoiding temptation. Recognizing that Clark wasn't going to be persuaded for the moment, Lois sighed and returned to her computer where her notes were half-heartedly being fashioned into a story. "Oh, well, lunch is good, too ..." Grinning at his wife's exaggerated sigh, Clark began to sort his mail. Soon, however, his attention focused on a small package that looked as though it had been through the wars. It was clearly addressed to him. Clark shook it gently. Hearing nothing, he carefully opened it. Lois had started to work again when she heard Clark's puzzled exclamation. "What's up?" she asked, assuming he was having computer problems. When he didn't answer, she glanced over to see him reading a note, a small opened box on his desk. Getting up and walking over once more, Lois stood behind him, reading the note over his shoulder as he reread it: Clark - *Please* hold onto this for me. I know I can trust you to keep it safe. My life depends on it. - Jack "Jack?" Lois read, puzzled. "Jack who?" "I have no idea," Clark answered, still staring at the note. "I mean, I know a lot of Jacks ..." "Well, what's in the box?" Clark held up a small key, which Lois took from him. "A safe deposit box key?" she asked, confused. Clark nodded and she handed it back to him. "JIMMY!" they shouted in unison. Jimmy ambled over holding a cold coffee cup in his hand. "Hey -- I know it's early, but either of you want to order lunch?" Lois and Clark paused and exchanged a slightly sheepish look. Clark was first to recover. He held up the key. "We need to find out what this key opens. We think its a safe deposit box. Do you think you can find out which bank the box is in?" Jimmy took the key. "Oh, sure -- how many banks could there be in this city? Three, four hundred?" he answered with slightly frazzled humor. "No problem." With a roll of his eyes and a shrug, he headed off. Lois picked up the discarded brown wrapping off Clark's desk and studied the postmark. "It was postmarked yesterday from here in Metropolis," she mused. "I wonder if there's any way to trace which mailbox was used?" She went back to her desk and picked up the phone. Clark meanwhile looked through his rolodex and computer files, and racked his brain, trying to figure out who would have sent him the package. 348 Hyperion Avenue Clark unlocked the front door and held it open for his wife who was still trying to figure out the puzzle. "Well, the post office was no help at all," she fumed, flinging her coat in the direction of the coat rack. Clark caught it in midair and hung it up. "And the guy I was talking to sounded kind of ... *disgruntled*." Clark ignored her own disgruntledness and offered to make her a cup of tea. Lois frowned -- she missed her usual evening glass of wine, but their current goal prevented that. Not that they'd been successful in sneaking away at lunch time anyway. They'd gotten so busy that she'd been lucky to wolf down that half sandwich at her desk in between phone calls. With a sigh, Lois agreed to the hot drink and kicked back on the sofa. Within moments, Clark was back from the kitchen with two cups of tea, and a plate of fruit, cheese and crackers. Her stomach rumbling, Lois accepted the snacks gratefully, and snuggled next to Clark, the black cloud beginning to lift. "Thank you," she said. "Well, we did miss lunch," Clark explained. The twinkle returned to Lois's eye as she fed her husband a grape, then popped a second one into her own mouth. "Give me a minute to eat some of this, then I'll show you a real appetizer." "Mmm, you are so appetizing ..." he murmured as he fed her a cheese cube, then lowered his head to nibble on her ear. "I can't wait to see the main course." Lois dropped her neck to one side as his kisses wandered down her skin. "Keep that up and we may have to have dessert first ..." They were beginning to plan the full menu when the doorbell rang, startling them both. Lois groaned in frustration as Clark stood up. "It's Jimmy," he told her, heading towards the door. "That figures," Lois muttered. Clark opened the door. "Hi, Jimmy." "Hey, CK," Jimmy entered. "Hey, Lois." Lois nodded to him from the couch, opening her mouth to respond as he added, "Oh, great! Food!" "Help yourself," Clark offered as Jimmy already did so. "Hey, listen," Jimmy began, his mouth full. "I found out what bank the key came from." "You did?!" Lois's earlier annoyance was quickly forgotten. "Jimmy, you're a miracle worker. Which one?" Jimmy swallowed his cracker and dug the key out of his pocket, handing it to Clark. "Metropolis Savings and Loan. The 5th and Main branch." "Well, let's go!" Lois jumped up from the couch and made to move for her coat, but Clark's hand on her arm stopped her. He dropped the key into his pocket. "Honey, wait a minute," he urged. "The bank's closed now. Besides, we can't get into a safe deposit box just by having a key. We don't even know whose box it is." "They'd let *Superman* in," Lois said softly. Clark glanced at Jimmy, who had busied himself once again with the hors d'oeuvres and wasn't listening. Turning back to his wife, Clark said, just as softly, "I think we can try some other avenues before we --" He was interrupted as the front door abruptly opened and the three of them were suddenly surrounded by several armed men. "What the--?" he began, taking a protective step towards Lois. Acutely aware of Jimmy's presence, Clark was unable to make any super moves -- at least until he knew what was going on. But keeping his secret didn't mean he couldn't interpose himself between his wife and their uninvited guests. As soon as he moved, however, he was grabbed from behind. Annoyed and wanting to divert any attention away from Lois and Jimmy, Clark started to struggle. Lois froze as a gun was trained on her head. Watching Clark put up a "fight", she held her breath nervously as it looked as though it might get violent. Just then a voice from the doorway cut in, barking an order. "Let him go!" Jack Olsen stepped through the door. He was followed by a shorter, stocky man with reddish hair who brandished a gun. "Dad?!?" Jimmy blurted out, stunned. Lois' mouth dropped open in shock and she turned to Clark who looked just as stunned. "Jack," Clark said, staring at him. "Let him go," Jack repeated to the man holding Clark. The man reluctantly complied, rubbing a hand angrily over his ribs where Clark had elbowed him. As things calmed down, Jimmy found his voice once more. "Dad, what are you doing here?" he exclaimed. "Why ..." his voice trailed off as he seemed to notice for the first time the man standing next to his father. "Uncle Pat?" Jimmy said, confused, looking back and forth. "What's going on?" "No, that's what *I'd* like to know," snapped a very annoyed Clark, indicating the agents in his living room. Jack held up a hand and all the agents dispersed, save Pat and two agents who stationed themselves near the door. "Lois ... Clark ... let me introduce you to my partner, Patrick McDunn." "Yeah, nice to meet you," Lois muttered sarcastically. Clark afforded him a curt nod. Jimmy seemed in shock. "Your partner," he repeated, growing more upset by the moment. "Jimmy," Jack began, looking at Pat. "I know you weren't able to tell me about working for the NIA, Dad. I mean, I understand about that -- but Uncle Pat? Uncle Pat works with you?" Pat looked uncomfortable and dropped his eyes. "You knew Uncle Pat worked with me," Jack reminded his son. "But that was before I knew you worked for the NIA." He shifted his gaze to the other man. "Uncle Pat?" "Jimmy, I'm sorry," Patrick said, speaking for the first time. "It's just the nature of this business ..." "But I'm your godson," Jimmy protested. "Jimmy, you have to understand ..." "Speaking of understanding," Lois broke in, "maybe *someone* would like to explain to *us*", she indicated Clark, "what is going on here?!" Clark looked as though he knew, however. "It was *you*," he said, pointing to Jack. "Jack. It was you." Lois immediately figured out what he meant and nodded. "But why? And why Clark?" "Why Clark what?" Jimmy asked nervously. Jack and Patrick exchanged glances. "So you have it," Jack said to Clark. "Have *what*?" Jimmy demanded. "The key," Clark answered without taking his eyes off Jack. "The key -- that key?" Jimmy exclaimed, dumbfounded. Clark just raised his eyebrows at Jack who stared right back at him. "Are you telling me you know where it is?" Jack demanded. "Of course he knows where it is -- you sent it to him," Lois said, exasperated. Everyone exchanged glances with their respective partners. "Didn't you?" "Why don't we all have a seat," Jack said, indicating the couch. Lois looked over at Clark as they led the way over. Clark cleared away the remnants of their earlier attempt at relaxation and they all sat down. "Start at the beginning," Jack urged. "Tell me everything you know." Lois and Clark looked at him in amazement and then defiance. "Look," Jack said, intensely. "This is an urgent matter of national security, not to mention life and death." "Isn't it always," Lois commented coolly. "We can do this here, or I can take you all in," Jack threatened, his tone indicating he was not only not kidding, but that he wouldn't hesitate to include Jimmy in "you all." "I don't want to, but I'm running out of time here. I need your cooperation -- I need your help." Clark and Lois, in reporter mode now, exchanged glances yet again. Lois shrugged and Clark nodded. "OK," he said. "I received the key this morning in the mail at work." "The mail!" Jack exclaimed. Patrick laughed, a big booming laugh. "Good ol' US Postal Service." Patrick grinned. "They deliver." "Anyway," Clark continued slowly, "It was postmarked having been mailed yesterday from here in Metropolis, and there was a note with it." "Let's have it -- all of it." Jack held out his hand. Clark reluctantly pulled the note and key out of his pocket, and handed them over. Jack's whole body seemed to sag with relief as he read the crumpled paper. "So he's alive," he breathed, to Patrick ostensibly, although it seemed more to himself. "Or at least he was yesterday." "So wait -- you didn't send this?" Lois asked, disconcerted. "Thanks," Jack said, getting up. "We'll be in touch." Patrick rose also and the two headed for the door. "Oh, no, you don't," Clark demanded, moving quickly to block the door. "I think it's time we got an explanation!" "Mr. Kent, we already explained that this is a matter of national security," Patrick reminded him. The two agents near the door seemed ready to draw their weapons and this time Jack made no move to stop them. "We appreciate your help," Jack restated smoothly. "Come on Jim, I'll have someone give you a ride home." "You'll have-- never mind, I can manage," Jimmy muttered, attempting to brush past his father, who placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I'd rather you were escorted," he said firmly. ********* Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC volterra@sd.znet.com http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html *********************************************************************** Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/mothership/60/season5.htm *********************************************************************** Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html *********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 15:22:11 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: Episode 7 (part 3 of 4) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Clark stepped out of the holding room, nearly colliding with Lois. "Hey, you're back," he said, kissing her. "What are you doing here?" "I wanted to make sure you were OK," she said, concern in her eyes. "How's Jack?" Clark sighed and filled her in on everything, including what Jack Olsen had confided to him. "The poor kid's confused. He was trying to help; he thought 'hey, maybe this life isn't so bad'. Now he's in trouble. We have to help him, Lois." "Clark," Lois protested. "this is a government matter. National security, remember? I think our hands are kind of tied! This may be one where we can't help." Clark just looked at her, his lips pursed. "Would it help if I mentioned that time is running out on our own little 'project'?" Clark sighed heavily and raked a hand through his hair. "Honey ..." She cut him off. "Never mind ... I know that tone. All right; I'm in. What exactly are you thinking we can do?" "Good question," said an approaching Jack Olsen. "I think you have done quite enough already." "Oh, come on," Clark protested, "you *know* Jack isn't guilty of anything. He's totally innocent in all of this." Olsen looked annoyed, but Clark suddenly thought of something. "Not everyone knows that, though ..." "Oh, good." Lois smiled. "You do have a plan." "Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Olsen grumbled. Clark grinned. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" ********* Jimmy watched as his father escorted Lois and Clark down the hallway. He had taken the elevator down one floor and then simply ridden it back up again. He hadn't expected his father to still be in the hallway, so he kept his head turned away and waited around the corner until they left. Now Jimmy headed for the door that Clark had just exited. Looking both ways, he slipped inside, much to Jack's surprise. "Jimmy," he said, stunned. "Hey, what's up?" Jimmy said, as though he ran into Jack all the time in secret holding rooms at NIA offices. "Oh, I've had better days. I've had better weeks." "I bet." Jimmy pulled up a chair opposite Jack. Jack stared at him. "What are you *doing* here?" "My dad says you're in pretty big trouble," Jimmy replied. "Your dad -- Jack Olsen's your *dad*?" Jimmy nodded. "I told him you were a friend of mine." He paused. "I know it's been a long time since you've been in town, Jack, but we all really want to help you. Everyone says you're in pretty deep." Jack didn't answer, and after an awkward silence, Jimmy got up. "OK, well, I've got to get out of here before they come back," he said, heading for the door. He reached for the knob and turned back. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Jack looked at him, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "Typical," he said quietly. "What?" Jack shook his head in disgust. "I left Metropolis to go out and find something I thought I was missing. I wandered around like forever. But I didn't find it until I got back here." Jimmy cocked his head and grinned. "No place like home?" "Home," Jack mused. "I guess I wouldn't know." "Oh, I think you do." ********* "No. No way." "Jack --" "I said *no.*" They were back in the waiting room, which was the only room in which Jack Olsen felt they could talk safely. "Do you realize how shamelessly I have already violated the rules? I've given you highly classified information -- which you then shared with your wife --" Lois looked at Clark who was meeting Jack Olsen's gaze without a trace of guilt. "Yes, and you're holding a young man who has committed no crime." "He's a material witness." "Jack." The older man remai