Episode #20 and #21: Two Become One

Summary: In the alternate dimension, Clark Kent wants to find his
world's Lois Lane. There is a piece of him missing that he feels
only she can fill. But as he searches for her, he finds himself
in a complex relationship with a new Daily Planet employee and
the infamous lost Lois Lane herself. (Episode # 20 and # 21,
titled Two Become One, of The Unaired Fifth Season)

***

PRESENT DAY, METROPOLIS

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Clark," she licked her lips, "this chocolate
mousse is delicious."

Clark watched, fascinated, as her tongue ran across her lips.
"It certainly, er, looks delicious." It suddenly felt warmer.

Lois shot him a wicked grin. "Is it getting hotter in here?"

"You noticed it too? I thought it was just me."

A flash of lightning highlighted her features, and thunder
sounded close by. The spring showers were a bit zealous tonight.

"Aren't you impervious to..." she slowly sucked a bit of
chocolate off her finger, "temperature changes?"

"To temperature changes, yes. To you, no." He squirmed a bit in
his chair. He glanced around to see if anyone else noticed the
effect his wife had on him. He had planned on eating on the
terrace for privacy, but the weather hadn't cooperated. The
staff had tried to seat them as far away from everyone else as
possible, but it wasn't the same.

She brought his attention back to her. "Thanks for the wonderful
anniversary present. This little cafe is just charming. The food
was great, the dessert even better." She leaned toward him,
letting the low cut neckline of her blouse work to her advantage.
A new heart-shaped diamond dangled from a simple chain. She
reached up and fingered it lightly, drawing his attention to it.
"The pendant is beautiful. Nice and simple -- just like you."
She looked up with a smile.

His attention was fixed on the necklace, and the cleavage behind
it. She laughed a little, snapping him out of his trance. "I'm,
uh, I'm..." he had to clear his throat. "I'm glad you like
it. It looks *great* -- on you," he hastily added.

She reached over and took his hands in hers. "It's hard to
believe we've only been married for six months. I've only known
you a little over a year, but sometimes I feel like I've known
you all my life."

Clark smiled warmly. "I know I'd searched for you all of
mine."

They stared into each other's eyes, letting their emotions and
feelings convey themselves naturally.

"I sometimes feel like this is some B-rated romance movie and
any moment I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone." Lois
squeezed his hands a little harder.

"I'm not going anywhere, hon."

Just as he spoke the words, there was a brilliant flash as
lightning struck just outside the cafe, hitting an electrical
pole. The transformer mounted on the pole exploded and sent hot
chemical-laden oil streaming everywhere. Pieces of metal from the
transformer sliced through the air, embedding themselves in
everything close by: metal, brick, and flesh alike.

Inside the cafe, people were screaming as the darkness sent a
flood of panic through the small crowd. Clark jumped up and gave
an apologetic look to his wife. "I'm..."

She held up her hands and smiled reluctantly. "Go. There are
people hurt."

Clark hurried over to the large street-front window which had
been shattered by the flying debris. A young couple had been
sitting right next to the window when the lightning hit. They
were covered with multiple cuts from the flying glass, but what
worried Clark the most was the large chunk of metal sticking out
of the woman's left thigh. His X-ray vision confirmed it was
dangerously close to an artery. If she didn't receive medical
attention soon, she could bleed to death.

"Can someone help us?" the young man pleaded. "Has anyone
called an ambulance, please!?"

"The phone isn't working," someone answered.

"I'm trying my cell phone, but I'm not getting through," came
another voice.

The young man, despite the cuts he had suffered, was trying to
comfort his companion. Clark could see the fear in the young
man's eyes as he saw how much blood she was losing. He stepped
forward through the crowd. "Here, let me help." He bent down
beside the young woman.

"Are... are you a doctor?" she asked in a weak voice.

Clark smiled to her. "No. But I can get you to one *very*
fast." First checking for a back or neck injury, he effortlessly
picked her up off the floor.

"What are you doing?" the young man exclaimed, as he leapt up
from the floor.

Looking the young man in the eyes, Clark put on his voice of
confidence. "I'm going to take her to the hospital. I'll be
back for you in a moment." With that he lifted himself and the
woman off the floor about three feet. There wasn't time to
change into the Suit. He angled forward and started to fly
through the shattered window. "Don't worry, Miss. We'll be
there in no time."

After a faint whooshing noise and a distant boom, the crowd was
left staring at the empty spot where they had once been, a slight
backwash of air signaling their departure. Lois stepped through
the crowd and muttered, "Showoff."

***

18 MONTHS EARLIER...

She tore through the jungle, small branches whipping at her legs
and hands. She was making too much noise! They would find her for
sure if she didn't go quietly. <I can't go quietly, they are
almost on top of me!> she screamed back to herself. Faster, she
had to go faster. <I've got to get away. I've got to let
someone know I'm alive.>

She tripped and fell down an outcropping of rock. She landed
wrong on her left ankle, the pain shooting through her leg.
<I've broken it. It's going to slow me down.> She quickly
looked around to get her bearings. She could hear them calling,
yelling her name. <They're close -- I've got to hide.> She
crawled under the outcropping of rock, biting back the pain as
she moved. She positioned herself up against the rocks and
covered herself with leaves, twigs and other scattered greenery.
They were very close now.

Her pursuers stopped directly above her. She could feel the
little pebbles their boots had kicked over the edge fall and
scatter across her legs. She was scared to even breathe for fear
that something would move and they would find her. <I wish my
heart would quit pounding so hard -- they might hear it!> She
could barely control her muscles. They were on the verge of
shaking from fatigue and fear.

They were talking in French. <Wish I knew more French. What are
they doing? Why won't they leave?> In shock, she realized she
could smell them. The pungent odor of their sweat drifted down to
her. If she could smell them, could they smell her? She closed
her eyes and willed them to leave.

She could hear them move away from the edge and go tramping into
the distance. She was exhausted. <I'll just lie here a moment,
then I'll go before they decide to come back.> She relaxed a
little bit and let her head lay down on the ground.

Something hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes shot open to
find that one of them must have stayed behind when the others
went to look for her. He had jumped off the outcropping directly
on top of her. His wide, toothy grin filled her field of vision.

"My, my, my. What do we have here?" He was lying on top of her,
pressing his full weight onto her. He moved his leg and bumped
her injured ankle, and she let out a small yelp.

"Oh, are we hurt?" he asked with false concern. His toothy grin
returned. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you." His
hands roamed down to her hips and up again. She instinctively
tried to yell, but he covered her mouth with his dirty hand.

"No, no. We don't want the other boys to find us before we've
had a chance to have our fun. They'll get their turn... in
time." He reached up with his free hand, grabbed the front of
her shirt, and pulled.

She sat up straight in bed, her own screams echoing in her ears.
She cast her eyes around wildly, searching the room for any
dangers. It took her a second or two to figure out where she
was.

"A... dream," she mumbled between panting breaths. "Only...
a... dream." She got out of bed and made her way to the small
bathroom. The room she was renting wasn't big, nor was it
necessarily in the nicest part of the city. But it did have its
own bathroom and it was cheap.

She clicked on the overhead light and turned on the cold water.
She picked up the washcloth she had used earlier to remove her
make-up and began soaking it. She looked up into the mirror over
the sink, and stared into bloodshot green eyes. She looked like
death warmed over.

"Hello, beautiful," she said sarcastically to the image in the
mirror. She turned off the water and wrung some of the excess
water out of the washcloth. Applying the cool cloth to her face
and neck, she could feel the tension start to subside.

Again, she looked into the mirror. She looked little better. Not
much, though. She ran her fingers through her short, red hair,
straightening it as best she could. No sense in trying to go back
to sleep right away. Ever since she came to Metropolis she'd
been having nightmares." She turned back toward the room,
shutting the light off as she went. She made her way through the
dark to the bedside table and turned on the lamp.

Sitting down on the bed, she pulled out a folder from under the
bed. She began flipping through the newspaper clippings. She
pulled out the largest one and laid it face up in her lap. A
large, color photo of a familiar red, yellow and blue figure
stared back at her.

"You're gambling a lot, coming here, Amanda. Let's just hope
your interview at the Planet goes well tomorrow..." She glanced
at the clock on the bedside table. "Today," she corrected. So
much depended on him, the man in the suit.

Was he for real? Was he to be trusted? Regardless, her answers
lay at the Planet, so that's where she had to go. Amanda put the
clipping back into the folder and removed another piece of paper.
She stared at the address and phone number.

"I want to call you, Sis. I want someone I can talk to. It's
been so long." She could feel the tears start to form in her
eyes. She blinked them back, and wondered yet again, <Is it
safe?>

***

MARCH 1997, THE SKIES OVER THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS ZAIRE)

Superman hung in the air like a lifeless doll, staring down at
the ground, but not really seeing anything. He had been flying
around this miserable country for hours, searching, hoping. Yet,
he knew the answer before he even bothered to look. Nothing. He
had found nothing. Again. What was it H.G. Wells had said? Never
say impossible? He had been so cryptic. Clark had tried to get
more information out of him, but the little man wasn't very
forthcoming. <It isn't fair!>

Clark had been so filled with hope at Wells' words. Maybe Wells
was going to bring him back just before his Lois would die and he
could prevent it. He would save the day, save the girl and save
his life. Cut -- print -- get-it-developed-so-we-can-start-
making-money.

However, upon his return to his own dimension, he found he was
still alone. H.G. Wells was nowhere in sight. At first he thought
he was in a different time, a different place, but after
checking, he realized that Mr. Wells had put him back at almost
the exact time they had left. Confused and needing Lois more than
ever, he had decided to give the Congo another look.

As his disappointment grew, so did his anger. <If I could get my
hands on that little twerp!> He flexed his hands around some
unseen throat. <How could he do this to me?> Take him from his
lonely, torturous life; thrust him into the presence of the one
person who had cast a shred of light on his darkened existence;
and then to throw him back, as if nothing had changed. The little
weasel had even made that parting remark about 'nothing is
impossible', 'look where you least expect', yadda, yadda,
yadda.

Clark turned toward home and shot across the sky. In the blink of
the eye, he was in his apartment in Metropolis. There, on the
table, was a hand-written letter, from Mr. Wells.

Dear Clark,

Don't think me too cruel. I suspect you went back to the

Congo for another look around. Remember what I said.

Look where you least expect. The answer to your quest may

be closer than you think.

H.G. Wells

"Well, that doesn't help me any!" Clark yelled to no one in
particular, as if he could shout his frustration across the time
and dimensional barriers.

He flopped down into a leather chair and stared out the window
overlooking Metropolis. He lived in the penthouse of the tallest
building in the city. One reason was to get away from everyone
after his "skills" had been discovered. The other was that he
could get anywhere from here pretty fast. It was a good
operational decision. But it didn't have the same homey feel his
original apartment did, though, and he missed that.

<Why couldn't Wells make this easier? Hadn't I suffered enough
in my lifetime? Why was that other Clark always getting
everything so easy?> He recoiled in disgust at having even
entertained that thought. He knew it wasn't fair; he barely knew
anything about the man. Or the woman beside the man.

He tried to imagine what that other Clark's life must be like
working at the Planet, investigating stories with his soulmate.
Investigating. At the Planet.

"Yes!" He levitated into the air automatically, riding on the
joy of his thoughts. <I'm going to have to start investigating.
I've relied too much on my powers; thinking they would solve the
problem for me. If I want answers, I'm going to have to go
looking for them. Dig them up, hunt them down.> He stood up and
walked over to the French doors. The very fact that H.G. Wells
had given him any hope at all more or less confirmed that his
Lois Lane was still out there; he just had to find her. Once out
on the terrace, he located the Daily Planet. He took a quick peek
to see if Mr. Olsen was in his office. He was. In a flash of
color, Clark was gone.

***

The doors of the elevator opened on the newsroom floor and Clark
felt a little numb, unable to move. <How long has it been since
I've come up here?> He quickly put up his hand to keep the
elevator doors from closing. He exited the elevator and stood
there, taking in the sights, sounds and smell. He missed it.
Sure, he still wrote freelance for the Planet, but it wasn't the
same. He looked over in the direction of Mr. Olsen's office and
saw that he was still there. He made a beeline toward his office,
determined to find the answer to his constant question: "Where
is Lois Lane?"

Fixed on his mission, Clark failed to realize that Mr. Olsen had
someone else in his office at that moment. Clark knocked on the
door and, without waiting for a reply, walked into the room.

"Mr. Olsen, I need to have access to the Planet's archives..."
The rest of his sentence died on his lips as he realized how rude
he had been by barging in like this. His single-minded mission
had blinded him to the presence of someone else in the room.

James Olsen sat up with a surprised look on his face at Clark's
intrusion. He took a moment to acknowledge him.

"Clark?"

"I'm... sorry, Mr. Olsen. That was incredibly rude of me."
Clark turned to leave, pulling the door shut behind him.

Recovering, James held up his hand. "No, wait, Clark!"

Clark hesitated, then turned back.

"Come on in, Clark. It's good to see you. I don't think I've
seen your face around here in quite a while." James got up from
behind his desk as he talked and walked over to shake his hand.
"How have you been? You should come around more often." He led
him back over to the desk and offered him a chair.

Clark sat down. "I've been... busy." The word seemed to lack
the ability to express just what his life was like now, but it
would have to do.

"I understand. Clark, I'd like to introduce you to one of the
newest Daily Planet employees." He stepped to one side,
motioning with his hand to the other chair. "Clark Kent, this is
Amanda Hart. Amanda, Clark Kent."

Clark was struck speechless for a second. He felt a faint tug in
his chest, but wasn't sure why. She was staring at him, her hand
extended to shake his, but hanging in the air where he was
ignoring it. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Hart. My mind
is a bit preoccupied at the moment. Nice to meet you." He
reached up and took her hand is his. He almost jumped at the
tingle he received when their hands touched.

"Oh!" she said in a soft voice. She laughed. "Static shock.
Sorry. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent."

Clark stared at her another second then realized he was still
holding her hand. He let go. "Clark. You can call me Clark."

"Okay. Just Amanda then." She gave him a peculiar look. "Are
you all right?"

"I'm just... I came to..." he looked up at James, who was
giving him the same peculiar look. "I wasn't expecting anyone
to be here and I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I will wait
outside, and when you're finished, I have something I want to
ask you, Mr. Olsen."

James had gone back to his side of the desk and sat down. "No
problem, Clark. Amanda and I were just wrapping up. Sit tight."
He picked up his pen, signed some documents, and handed them to
Amanda. "Here you go; anything else?"

"No, sir." She stood up and turned to Clark. "Nice to meet
you," she said as she left the room.

Clark watched her go. There was something strange about her, but
he couldn't figure out what.

"So, Clark. What can I do for you?" James pulled Clark's
attention to the problem at hand.

"Mr. Olsen, I'd like your permission to have full access to the
Planet's archives of information."

"Sure, no problem. I still consider you an employee of the
Planet's even though you only freelance for us. What's up?"

Clark hesitated to state his reason. "I'm... searching for...
something."

"Or someone?"

Caught. He smiled. "Or someone."

James sighed. "I won't pretend to understand what happened a
little over a year ago. If you feel it's worth pursuing, then by
all means, pursue it."

"Thanks, Mr. Olsen." He stood to leave.

"I'll get someone to help you," James picked up his phone and
started to dial a number.

"That's all right. I won't need any help."

"You haven't seen the new computer system I've put in down in
Archives." James flashed him a smile.

Clark remembered that Mr. Olsen was big into the computer
industry. He thought about his offer for a second, then decided
against it. He worked alone; for now. Someday he would have a
partner, but not today. "No... really. I want to do this
alone."

James held up his hand in surrender. "All right, all right.
I'll just let them know to expect you and to cooperate fully."
He waved him on and finished dialing the phone. Clark walked
briskly across the newsroom, shooting a quick glance at where his
desk had been. James shook his head as he watched him enter the
elevator. "Amanda? Clark Kent is coming down to archives for
some *private* research. I'm giving him full access to anything
he wants. Give him anything he needs, all right? Great."

He hung up the phone and steepled his fingers under his chin.
"Good luck, Clark."

***

Clark rubbed his aching temples. "Why doesn't this computer
system like me?" he mumbled not quite to himself. Clark was glad
the criminal element hadn't attacked him with a computer yet. It
seemed capable of reducing him to ashes right now. "I'm usually
so good at this sort of thing..." He attacked the keyboard
again, only to be rewarded with numerous beeps and error
dialogs.

He slumped back. He was out of practice or something, that's
all. Right. Hadn't had much use for a computer for awhile.
Right. <Only been at this for what? Two hours? See? Nothing to
it. Just any moment now, I'll get it.>

Amanda walked up as he let out another sigh. She touched him on
the shoulder. "Is everything going okay?"

Clark jumped. He had forgotten she was down here. "Fine. Fine. I
just seem to be... stuck... a little."

She smiled. "At first I thought we had a gas leak down here. I
kept hearing this sound like air escaping or something. Now I
know it was only all the sighing going on over here."

Clark threw up his hands. "I just don't remember it being so
hard to use before."

"Want some help?"

"No, no... I'm sure I can..."

"It's my job, you know. Working down here in archives, helping
people. Researching things, finding clues."

Clark looked up into her green eyes. Something about her made him
uncomfortable. He looked back at the screen. He made his
decision.

"If you could just... give me a quick course on how to navigate
around this software, I think I can handle the rest myself."

<What is he hiding?> Amanda thought. <I'm going to have to be
careful. I need his help; I'll have to gain his trust. But can
he be trusted?> "I've only worked here a month or so, but I was
here when Mr. Olsen had this new system installed, so I'm pretty
good on it." She pulled up a chair next to his.

Clark scooted a little to one side to give her access to the
mouse and keyboard. He couldn't explain why, but he felt
uncomfortable around her.

"First thing we need to do is get rid of all these open dialogs
and documents. We'll start simple and work up from there." She
began closing down windows on the screen. Soon she was left with
only the main window. "What would you like to look for?" She
turned and looked into his eyes.

Maybe that was what bothered him. She always looked straight at
him. Almost like she was looking into him.

Most people these days were too busy gushing over his other
identity to *really* look at him; Clark Kent. Amanda didn't even
seem fazed by the fact that she was sitting next to Superman,
Champion of Justice, Man Of Steel, Defender of Truth, Justice and
the American Way, All Around Hero.

Was his ego suffering? Didn't he always want people to act like
this around him? Just like he was a "normal" person. Now that
he found someone who was, he felt -- odd.

"What if I was looking for someone? I want to look up all
information that might be available about them," he answered
guardedly. He didn't want to tell her, a virtual stranger, that
he was looking for the love of his life, even though he had never
met her. He definitely didn't want to go into the whole
alternate dimension thing. It made his head, and his heart,
ache.

"Okay, we can see what the Daily Planet has written about that
person, if anything. We can also link to most major newspapers in
the world. Finally, there's the Internet." She put the cursor
over the words "Daily Planet Archives" and clicked the button.
Next, she clicked on "Search" and put her hands on the
keyboard. "Who should I do a search for?" She looked over at
him again.

"Oh, ah... how about..." think of someone else, "someone who
has disappeared." That left it fairly vague.

Amanda ran her hand through her short red hair and laughed.
"Someone who disappeared? Like who? Got someone in mind? Are you
looking for someone in particular?"

Clark squirmed in his chair. He was getting annoyed. "Do you
always ask so many questions? Just anyone. Try that Dobs fellow
who started that computer company, Pear."

"Orange," Amanda corrected. "Okay, okay. Are you always so
personable?"

Clark let out a loud sigh.

"There's that escaping gas noise again," she popped off. She
looked around at the ceiling, acting like she was searching for
the source of the sound.

Clark had to smile despite himself. "You never give up, do
you?"

"What?"

"I mean, I might not feel like... socializing... right now. I
might not feel like sharing with you, a perfect stranger, what
I'm looking for, or what I'm doing down here." He looked her
straight in the eyes, and she looked straight back. That
unfamiliar tug in his chest returned.

Amanda looked right at him. "Something tells me you need me."

Clark pointed at the screen. "Just show me how to use the system
-- please."

***

Amanda sat at her desk and thought about how the training session
had gone today. Clark was a reluctant pupil. At first, he seemed
very closed-in, focused inward. He was not at all what she had
been expecting. He had needed to run off a couple of times to do
some Superman jobs. He was never gone long, and she never saw him
in the Suit. One second he would be there, watching her as she
showed him the system. Then, he would politely interrupt her and,
almost instantaneously, be gone. He would reappear just as fast
after several seconds, or once, after several minutes. It was --
breathtaking. She tried not to let it show; she wanted him to
feel comfortable around her.

As they worked together, he had opened up a little -- letting
some of his charm show through. She suspected the real Clark Kent
was a totally different person, and she felt the sudden urge to
find out what that person was really like. She could read all she
wanted about Superman, but what was the *man* in the suit really
like? Blushing, she realized how her thoughts could have more
than one meaning. He was good looking after all.

She walked to the break room to get some coffee. As soon as she
entered the room, a hush fell over most everyone there. She
proceeded to the coffee pot, noticing the odd looks people were
giving her.

"What is everyone staring at?" Amanda finally asked.

Carol from accounting spoke up. "What's he like?"

"Who?"

"Superman! What's he like? You've only been working with him
all day!"

Amanda looked around the room, and noticed that everyone was
hanging on what she was about to say.

Amanda finished pouring her coffee, took a sip, then sat down.
"Well, he's... quiet. He doesn't say a whole lot. I just
showed him how to run the new archive system, and he listened."

Megan from procurement sighed. "He's so different looking in
real life. I just love the way that blue suit fits him."

Several other female co-workers agreed.

Amanda felt like defending him. "He's more than something to
look at. He's got a mind too. There is a real person inside that
suit."

Carol giggled. "Yeah! You and nearly every other female would
like to find out what he looks like under that suit."

That got a response from the crowd. The men looked disgustedly
jealous, and the women looked starry-eyed.

Amanda cleared her throat. "I admit, I've looked at his...
external attributes..."

"Hah!" several women laughed.

"... But! After spending some time with him, it became clear to
me that he's really a sweet guy. Probably lonely."

"Whoa, slow down, girl," Megan said. "Get those thoughts out
of your mind right now. The Defender of Truth, Justice, and the
American Way is taken. Or at least he thinks so."

"Right," said Pamela. Amanda placed her; she worked on the
newsroom floor. "He's already picked out his dream woman." She
rolled her eyes.

Amanda was curious now. Clark had seemed so private, she
couldn't imagine who would have been able to break through that
shell of his. "Really? Who is she?"

Carol spoke first. "Well, there was this reporter that worked
here at the Daily Planet ages ago. Seems she was some top banana.
She disappeared on a story before Clark ever worked here.
Somehow, he's become infatuated with finding her."

Amanda sat back in silence at this revelation. <So, that's what
he's doing in archives.>

"I wish he would give up that pipe-dream and move on," Pamela
said. "I mean, I'm readily available, and I exist!"

Everyone chuckled at that.

Amanda's watch beeped at her, interrupting her thoughts. "Well,
I've got an appointment. I'll keep you all informed if he comes
back." She smiled at the look on their faces.

"You had better!" the crowd of women said in unison.

***

Amanda left the Daily Planet building and hailed a cab.
Surprisingly, she had little trouble getting one. After a short
trip through Metropolis' better side of town, she arrived at a
simple apartment complex. She thanked the driver as she paid,
then almost hollered out for him to stop once he started to drive
away.

<No! I need this. No one has been following me -- I'm sure.> She
felt the feelings of indecision rise again. Before she knew what
she was doing, she was ringing the doorbell on the appropriate
apartment. Within seconds, a young, dark-haired woman answered
the door.

"Yes? May I help you?"

Amanda stood motionless, staring at the young woman. <She's
grown up so much! I wasn't ready for this....> She tried to open
her mouth to say something but couldn't form the words. She
realized she should have planned this better, although, how she
didn't know. She laughed slightly at herself, ashamed at how
silly she must appear. Out of habit, she reached up to push her
hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry... it's just that I thought I knew what I was
doing, but I guess I really didn't."

The woman had a strange look on her face as she watched Amanda
brush her hair back. Her hair was almost too short to need it.
The gesture was more out of habit, she decided.

"Do I know you?" the young woman asked.

<This is it. Give her something solid. Get her inside quickly.>
"I'm sure you do. We can talk about it, and I can explain
everything once we get inside... Punky."

The young woman had started to pull the door closed slightly at
the mention of coming inside. The nickname Amanda tacked on the
end of the statement left her wide-eyed and shaken.

"Who... how did you know that?" Her voice was starting to rise
in octave and volume.

Amanda looked at her, fixing her with as serious a look as she
could muster. She, herself, was starting to feel her emotions
reach the breaking point. "Punky -- trust me. We need to get
inside... *now*!"

The young woman hesitated a brief second, then opened the door
fully. Amanda brushed past her into the apartment. The young
woman looked around to see if anyone was around before shutting
the door.

The two women turned to look at one another. Each looked the
other over from top to bottom. Finally, the younger woman looked
Amanda in the eyes, searching for something.

Amanda let her look, let her take her time. She saw the emotions
play across her face. Anger. Confusion. Searching. Wonderment.
Surprise and finally, recognition and disbelief.

"Only... only my sister called me that. It was a pet name."

"It's true. It's really me, Lucy."

"Lois?"

They closed the distance quickly, throwing their arms around one
another, crying. They both started talking at once, not making
much sense to each other, but not caring. Finally, Lucy stood
back to look at Amanda.

"My God, Lois. I thought I'd never see you again! You just...
disappeared!" Anger started to come alive again. "Where on
*earth* have you been! Do you realize how... long--?"

Lois cut her off. "Lucy, stop. I said I would explain
everything, and I will. By the way, it's Amanda now. Amanda
Hart. At least till I can get this mess straightened out."

They sat down on the couch together. Amanda took a deep breath.
"Where to begin?"

"How about the beginning?"

"Easier said than done, believe me." Amanda shook her head
trying to compose herself.

"You left to find some gun runners..." Lucy said, trying to get
her talking.

"Right. Perry called me in and told me about this hot tip he had
about gun runners operating out of the Congo. I jumped at the
chance. He knew I would," she added bitterly.

"Huh?"

"I'll get to that in a moment. So, I'm off to the Congo,
searching for some non-existent gun runners. I didn't know that
then, but I do now." She paused and wiped some more tears from
her eyes. She could feel them starting to build again. "What
really happened is even worse. I was... betrayed... by the only
man I thought I could trust." She couldn't hold it back. She
started crying again. <I would have thought these tears would
have dried up long ago.>

"Lois..."

"Amanda! You *must* call me Amanda." She got up. "I shouldn't
have come here, I shouldn't have put you into the middle of
this." She started toward the door.

"Where the hell do you think *you're* going?" Lucy grabbed her
by the arm and swung her back around. "Don't think for one
second that you can waltz in here, disrupt my whole life, and
then waltz back out again without even sticking around long
enough for me to beat some sense in you... AMANDA!"

That stopped her. She could see herself in Lucy. Herself from
four years ago. The infamous Lane attitude. She sat back down.
When Lucy didn't sit down, she patted the sofa next to her.
"Please?"

"You won't try running off again, will you? Because I'll
tackle you and fight you with all my strength to keep you from
leaving again."

Amanda laughed. "I won't leave. I promise. Now sit down. Okay,
good. Where was I?"

"Betrayed."

"Oh yes. So, I thought there were gun runners. However, what I
found waiting for me at the airport in Bandundu was the Border
Patrol."

"I'm lost again."

"It seems they had a 'tip' that an American woman posing as a
member of the press would be transporting illicit drugs into the
country. I landed in Zaire, and in less than 30 minutes I was
being strip-searched." She shuddered at the memory.

"I'm so sorry." The pain for Amanda was audible in Lucy's
voice.

"It's okay. It could have been worse. They didn't try
anything, and it was a woman who did the search, but still. They
didn't find anything, naturally, but I was still sent off to
jail. I was there in that filthy little rat's nest for 3 weeks.
Finally, they came to take me to my trial. I asked: What trial? I
haven't done anything! They produced all this 'evidence' of my
drug smuggling at the trial. I tried to tell them that they
didn't find it on me, but the officials who did the search
claimed they had."

"What did you do?"

"What could I do? I was being railroaded! They sent me back to
the prison to await sentencing. Some of the guards got a little
drunk and thought they could take advantage of the fair-skinned,
weak American woman."

"Oh, mistake number one."

"Right. They're probably still singing soprano. What was really
stupid was they left the cell door open. I got out and hit the
streets. Conditions over there are very, very poor. The military
muscles everyone around horribly. Since the locals saw that the
military was after me, they helped me out of defiance toward
them. I slowly made my way across the border into Angola and from
there to South Africa."

"Wow. How long did all that take?"

"It took me a year to get to South Africa. On foot mostly into
Angola. From there, I had to work to get enough money to make it
into South Africa."

"Why didn't you just call home for help?"

"Where!? It wasn't like I could use my cell phone; they took
that. I doubt it would have worked anyway. An AM/FM radio seemed
to be the high-tech toy to them. I very rarely found a phone or
radio that worked. And when I did, it was owned or manned by the
military. Since I didn't exactly fit in, I couldn't walk up and
ask to make a call. I tried to get messages relayed home through
the underground. I could never tell if they made it out."

"If they did, we never heard about it. Mom and Dad have been
going crazy since you left. It's brought them back together.
They spend all their spare time and money bugging the officials
about you. We never gave up."

"Thanks. We can't tell them yet."

"But..."

"Lucy, no. Not yet. Every time I thought I was safely away,
someone would show up looking for me. There had to be more to my
situation than a faked drug smuggling. It just doesn't make
sense. After I got to South Africa, I started searching for why
these people were after me. I couldn't stay in one spot for
long. I tried several times to get out of the country, but was
stopped every time. It was like they had people everywhere.

"I soon became afraid to contact you or someone else for fear
that they would come after you to get me. So I decided to stay
away until I could figure out what the hell was going on. I must
have something they want. They kept coming and coming after
me."

"So, what can I do?" Lucy looked at her expectantly.

"I just needed to see someone. I needed to talk. I've been
carrying this around for so long, I feel like I'm dying."

"You mentioned something about a betrayal. Is that why you're
back in Metropolis?"

Amanda stood up and looked out the window, barely trusting
herself to speak. "I heard one of them one time. He said
something when he had me trapped in the jungle." The nightmare
came back and she fought back the feelings. "He said that Mr.
White had always said I was a pretty girl; it was just too bad he
had to use me like this."

"What? What does that mean?"

"I can only guess that somehow, Perry was part of whatever it is
I'm involved in." Amanda threw up her hands in surrender. "I
can't believe it, but after I thought about it, it started to
make sense."

"No way, not Perry."

"I denied it for a long time. Then, one day I got to putting the
pieces together. He sent me over there. Alone. He made the travel
arrangements. Usually I did my own, but he said he did them
because of time. He was the only one who knew I was going and
only he knew where I was going to land. I've done some checking
on him, and he appears to have several bank accounts in foreign
banks, very cleverly hidden, by the way. He's getting money from
somewhere, and not from being Mayor of this place."

"He... he always seemed to be so nice. Like a father to you."

"I know, I know. Don't remind me. I've heard his name used
several times by my pursuers."

Lucy sat back. "It's still so hard to believe. Why would he
have done this?"

"I have no idea. I ran and ran, and yet they always found me.
Then, about a little over a year ago the chase started to slack
off. I haven't seen anyone for about 8 months now. I don't dare
feel like I've slipped away from them yet."

Amanda sat back down next to Lucy. "And that's another piece to
this strange puzzle. I know now that Perry won the mayor's race
about the time the chase slacked off. I don't know what the
correlation is, but I'm looking into it."

"This is going to take some getting used to. I mean, Perry was a
father figure even to me at times. I would have trusted him with
my life before," Lucy said.

"I did."

Lucy looked at Amanda, going over her again, from top to bottom.
"Man, that hair style and color sure change your looks. And the
eyes... contacts?"

"Yes."

"I *know* it's you, but when I look at you, I find it hard to
believe. I guess because you have been gone for so long."

"Did anyone come around, asking questions about me while I was
gone?"

"Sure," Lucy said, "when you first disappeared, several
government types showed up. Then there was Superman. He's been
around several times."

Amanda was surprised again. "Superman?"

Lucy looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure why he's interested, but
he seems very intent on searching for you. I couldn't help him
much. He always seemed so stressed -- so on edge. It was like he
*had* to find you."

"This complicates things," Amanda said.

"Why? I would think he would have been a good choice for helping
you solve this situation."

"Well, I thought so as well. It was one of the reasons I came
back here and got a job at the Daily Planet."

"You work at the Daily Planet!? And no one recognizes you!?"

"No one yet," Amanda smiled. "Anyway, I wanted access to the
Planet. I figured that something had to be buried there somewhere
about what was going on. Plus, I figured I would see Clark
there."

"Who?"

"Clark Kent -- Superman," Amanda said, surprised at having to
explain it.

"Oh yeah. I forgot what his name was. He almost never uses it
anymore." Lucy got up and started walking toward the kitchen
area. "Want something to drink?"

"Thanks. Water would be great." Amanda stood up and followed
Lucy into the other room. "You are right. Initially, I planned
on getting Clark... Superman... to help me. But now, twice in one
day, I've found out that he seems to be searching for Lois Lane
on his own."

"Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?" Lucy
asked with a smile.

"More than I care for." Amanda took a sip of water. "Clark
worked under Perry for awhile, and he seems to be pretty good
pals with the Mayor's office. I'm starting to wonder if I can
trust him."

"You're telling me you can't trust Superman, Man of Tomorrow?
Defender of Truth, Justice and..."

"... and the American way. Yes, yes, I've heard it all before.
Wonder how those things get started?"

"Marketing."

They laughed at the small joke.

"Clark seems so private, so closed-in. It took me almost an hour
to get him to crack a little and relax," Amanda stated.

"You've seen him then? Recently? In real life?"

"What is it with people? Sure I've seen him. Today. We worked
together for awhile in archives. I showed him how to use the new
computer system." Amanda shook her head in wonderment at
Clark's ability to awe people.

"So. What are we going to do now? He will probably be back
around here again. He's come by several times, asking about you.
What you did before you left, that kind of thing. I would bet
that he'll show up again."

Amanda agreed. He would be back to interview Lucy again. "We
need a cover in case we're spotted together."

Between the two of them, they outlined a basic past history. They
had met online, in a chat room. They needed something in common
to chat about though. They both had tropical fish as pets, so
they used that. When they had found out that they lived close
together, they had started a friendship.

Amanda left, promising to keep Lucy updated on her findings and
to stay in touch.

***

APRIL 1997, METROPOLIS, DAILY PLANET ARCHIVES

Amanda watched Clark as he stared at the screen, scanning
information at super-speed. Over the past few weeks, he had come
in only about once a week. He never stayed long, always leaving
from time to time to perform super-acts. She decided that if she
were going to learn more about him, she would have to initiate
the conversation since he was ignoring her.

Clark wished that Amanda would quit staring at him. She wasn't
like everyone else who stared. They all stared at him as if he
was an alien. Maybe he was, who knew? The mixture of awe and fear
most people pointed in his direction was difficult for him to
accept. Amanda stared at him as though willing him to talk to
her. He didn't want to talk to her. She was friendly enough.
Good looking enough. She was helpful, but not subservient. His
feelings toward her puzzled him. At times over the past few weeks
he had almost come into the Daily Planet. He had planned on using
the search as an excuse to see her and talk to her. When he had
realized what he was doing, he would avoid the Daily Planet as
much as possible. Only when his information trail ran dry would
he go back for more.

What was it that he was feeling? Every once in a while he would
catch himself staring at her when she wasn't staring at him. He
let out a sigh as he punched the mouse button over the search
icon.

"I thought I'd heard the last of that escaping gas weeks ago,"
Amanda said cheerily as she walked over toward him. The closer
she got, the stronger the tug in his chest became. He was both
glad and upset that she was talking to him. <Remember why you are
here. We've got to find Lois.>

"I'm just starting to run out of leads, that's all," Clark
said, pointing to the screen.

Amanda sat down next to him, and looked him right in the eye. So
far, she was the only one who could do that on a consistent basis
and make it seem so natural. It unnerved him. "Why don't you
tell me what it is you're looking for? Then I can help you find
it."

"I can't. You would think it's silly," Clark wrung his hands
together. "Everyone thinks it's silly..." He let his voice
trail off.

"I promise. I won't do that."

She sounded so sincere. He looked into her eyes for a moment. <If
I'm not careful, I might fall into those eyes.> He could feel
the attraction. The computer beeped with a system message,
breaking the hold her eyes had on him.

"I'm trying to find someone."

Amanda sat there patiently, waiting for him to continue.

"She... she used to work here at the Daily Planet. Her name
is... Lois Lane. She disappeared about four years ago on a story
in the Congo." He looked at her for some reaction. What he found
was stranger than what he expected. He expected to see a smirk,
hidden laughter in the eyes. This was the common reaction from
people he knew. It wasn't a *big* secret that he was looking for
Lois Lane. Still, he didn't like to admit it to people because
most of the time they tried to humor him.

Amanda, however, looked almost sad. With a touch of guarded fear.
He tuned into her heart beat and found that it was a little
fast.

"What..." her voice cracked a bit, and she had to clear her
throat. "What have you found so far?"

Clark summarized what he knew. She had left and never returned.
There was no record of her showing up in any of the airports that
he had been able to check out. He pulled up the list, and Amanda
noted to herself that Bandundu was in it. He had checked out all
the major hospitals and detention centers, again with no
results.

"Surely, those aren't online," Amanda said in disbelief.

"They're not. I went over there and checked them out in
person."

"There must be *hundreds* of places to check!"

"I'm fast," Clark shrugged.

"Didn't you take a look at Travel's records? Surely there are
records as to where she was going."

Clark shook his head. "I checked. There were no records. No
credit card transactions on her business card. No requests filed
on-line for funds. Nothing. I've checked her personal credit
cards, and found nothing there either. She never purchased
tickets with a credit card for this trip. I can't find any
records of savings account or checking account transfers
either."

Amanda looked at him in surprise. "How did you get that
information?" She was starting to get a little worried about her
plan to include Clark. <What kind of access does he have?>

Clark fidgeted in his chair for a moment. "Well, let's just say
it's a good thing I can move real fast, can read real fast, and
have a photographic memory. We'll keep this to ourselves;
otherwise, there are certain financial institutions that might
start to panic." He grinned genuinely at her.

"Okay," she smiled back. He had a nice smile. She decided to
change the subject a bit. "I've only seen you here a few times
the past few weeks. I know from the paper and the television
you've been pretty busy with your... job."

Clark laughed. "Job. Right. Superman. Defender of..."

"Please! I don't want to hear it again, sorry."

Clark really laughed this time. "Hey! That's fine by me, I
don't know where they get this stuff anyway."

"Marketing," Amanda said between laughs.

Clark laughed harder. Gosh it felt good to laugh like this, with
someone else. "I'll have to ask Murray if he's responsible for
that."

"Murray?"

"He's my," a brief sigh, "agent. I guess that's a good word
for him. Back when I first went public, I quickly realized my job
at the Daily Planet was pretty much forfeit. I used to work here
as a reporter," he explained to her. "Anyway, I was going to
need money somehow, somewhere, some way. It seemed natural to
form the Superman Foundation. Murray Brown tracked me down almost
the same day I made myself known publicly. He made me an offer I
couldn't refuse. He would market the Superman persona -- cape,
boots, S and all. The majority of the money goes to various
charities and community programs. He keeps a percentage and I get
a percentage."

Amanda nodded. "Seems reasonable. I've noticed all the toys,
shirts and stuff. Guess I never thought about where it all comes
from." She turned their attention back to Clark's "problem."

"Did you go over there and ask about Lois Lane by name? Did you
show them a picture?"

"Of course."

"Maybe that's why you didn't find anything. If they were
wanting to hide something, you tipped them off to exactly what
you were looking for."

Clark thought for a moment. "I suppose they could have been
hiding something from me. I was so narrow-minded, I might have
missed it."

"Did you check court records for a trial of some kind? How about
the morgues? Military records, command orders? Did you try to
find out who the local underground is and nose around in
there?"

"Wow. You act like an expert in all this cloak-and-dagger
stuff." He looked at her with a new appreciation. She was
actually trying to help him!

"I've just been around a bit. You read some amazing things down
here as well." She paused as she tried to find the words for her
next question. "Why exactly do you want to find this... Lois
Lane so badly?" Was that too forward?

She could see the beginnings of his good mood dissipate. He
shrank back into himself a little.

"Let's just say, I need her."

<Huh?> Amanda thought. She looked at Clark, silently asking for
more.

"Don't look at me that way, I'm not going to tell you why.
You'll think I'm crazy," he shook his head. There was real
sadness in his eyes.

Amanda continued to sit there patently, giving him the tell me
look.

Clark glanced at her. She sure was stubborn! He could feel his
resolve disappearing. "Promise you won't laugh, or roll your
eyes or any of those other goofy things."

"I promise."

"Lois Lane is that special someone I've been searching for all
my life. Whenever I was around her, I could feel this... thing...
this *chemistry* that made everything so much better."

Shocked was a bit of an understatement to describe how Amanda
felt about now. "When you were around her? I thought you said
she disappeared before you came to work for the Planet?" She
would have remembered seeing him, she was sure of that.

"You're right. I showed up later. This is where it get weird
and people start thinking I'm a nut or something." He paused.
"Somehow, another Lois Lane from an alternate dimension showed
up here one day." He looked over at Amanda and could see she was
beginning to think something had slipped upstairs.

"I'm serious, Amanda. She showed up in the newsroom bigger than
life. Ask Mr. Olsen, or anyone else who was there last January.
She was here. She changed my whole life in the short time she was
here. I'm Superman today because of her. Recently, I saw her
again; in her own dimension. The feelings only got stronger,
deeper. As I was coming back, I was told that nothing is
impossible."

He looked deeply into her eyes. His faith, love and conviction
heavy in his voice. "The Lois Lane of this world is out there,
and I'm going to find her."

Amanda almost blurted out "I'm here! It's me!" She held back
at the last instant; it was too soon, and she wasn't sure of
anything anymore. An alternate dimensional version of herself? It
was a bit hard to believe, but then who would have believed a man
could fly, and here she was sitting right next to one who could.

Clark looked at her, trying to read a reaction. "Well?"

"I don't know what to say."

"You believe me?"

"Sure. I mean... it's a bit... out there. But so is a guy who
can fly. If that can be true, then so can this."

Clark shook his head and laughed. "You're amazing. Most people
think I'm some sort of kook or something. I've heard what
people have to say about me," he tapped his ear. "These pick up
more than I care for sometimes."

"Clark, I've a question for you," Amanda stated. "Do you
spend much time doing things other than being Superman?"

That was a surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you do your job 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
Or do you play Clark Kent once in a while as well?"

Play Clark Kent? Where does she get off on thinking... "Look,
Amanda. I help people. They need me. I represent something to
most people they didn't have before. A whole world out there
looks up to me. I..."

"What about the one person who needs you the most?" she reached
out and laid a hand on his chest. "Yourself?"

Her touch felt like a small charge of electricity again. That
feeling in his chest centered around where her hand lay. It
nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"I... I'm fine," he whispered.

"Are you? Do you realize you spend most of your time being
something for someone else, and no time being you, Clark Kent?"

"There's no reason to be Clark Kent. He's got no family. Few
friends. People need me. They need Superman. I help them." <I
wish you would move your hand, please?>

Amanda sat back, removing her hand from his chest. He was torn
between happiness and sadness at the gesture.

"Oh, please. I've only known you a little while, and even I can
see that there is more to you than just being Superman. That may
be your job, but it's not the whole you."

Clark had never had anyone talk like this to him. <That's not
true. Lois talked like this.> The whole situation had him
reeling, trying to regain his emotional balance. What was she
doing to him?

Amanda could see she had him off-balance. She reached out and
grasped his hands. He flinched slightly. "I want to help you,
Clark. I'm not trying to upset you." She squeezed his hands
slightly. "Look, it's almost quitting time. Why don't I go get
us something to eat and we can work some more on your problem."
She stood up and walked over to her office. She reached in and
took out her coat. "What sounds good?"

"I don't know. I should probably be going."

"Clark! Give yourself a break! You're not going to get anywhere
unless you do some research first. You have to have your facts
straight before you go after the story."

Clark looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Have you ever
been a reporter?"

"No! No, why?"

"That last comments sounds like something someone who was used
to doing some investigative reporting might say."

<Oh no! Cover, cover!> "Well. Down here is no different.
Sometimes you feel like you're investigating things while you
search for information. All those reporters up there," she waved
a hand over her head, "have to get their information somehow. I
provide it for them." <You're babbling.>

"You're babbling," Clark said with a strange smile on his
face.

"What's so funny?"

"I've only known one other person who babbles quite like you
just did."

"Oh, well. Lots of people babble. I'll... go... now. I'll go
get something to eat. You stay here." She turned and started
walking away as fast as she could and still keep it natural
looking. <Gee, might as well spill the beans here and now. Get a
grip!>

***

They sat in the middle of various Chinese take-out boxes. Amanda
hadn't asked Clark what he had wanted, so she bought some of
everything it seemed. Clark laughed when he told her he didn't
need to eat.

"You don't need to eat?" she had asked, her eyes wide with
disbelief.

"No, but I like to." He couldn't keep a straight face for long
when he saw her look of dismay at all the food she had gotten. He
had let her in on his little joke. "Of course I have to eat,
everyone does, and I really do like to as well."

Now that supper was over, they were taking a bit of time to talk
before going back to work.

"So, Clark, where are you from?"

"Smallville, Kansas."

"You're kidding. No place is named 'Smallville'."

"Seriously. Smallville, Kansas exists. I haven't been home in a
while, but I'm sure it's still there," he laughed. He told her
about his parents, their accident, how he had developed his
powers slowly.

Amanda was content to sit back and listen. She could tell he
needed to talk it out. There was still a lot of pain evident in
his voice when he talked about his parents.

"So, how come you started developing these powers? Do you have
any clue?"

Clark shook his head. "I don't know. I might be a mutant..."

Amanda shook her head and wrinkled her nose. "Too good-looking
to be a mutant."

Clark smiled. "Thanks. I know I was adopted. My parents never
tried to hide that. The only thing they ever told me was that
they found me right when they needed me the most." He used his
chopsticks to scrape the last bit of food out of a container.

"I could be a misplaced government experiment, or an alien from
another planet. I have no idea. I was told I was found in a
spaceship as a baby."

"You don't look like an alien either. From what I can see, you
seem to have all the parts of a regular man..." she looked up in
shock as she realized what she had said aloud.

Clark looked amused. "I am a man, Amanda, just like you're..."
he took a quick glance over her from head to toe, "a woman."

Amanda felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She felt like crawling
under a rock, right then and there. She looked up into Clark's
eyes and saw that he was still intently looking at her.

She wasn't sure how long they looked at one another like that.
Suddenly he got a strange look on his face. With a bit of
disappointment he stood up. "I'm sorry. I hate to eat and run,
but I think I just overheard a report of a struggling refugee
boat off the coast of Florida." He started to gather his stuff
together.

"You could hear that? How does that hearing gizmo work?"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes my 'hearing gizmo' just seems to
automatically tune in to certain things. I'll be back in a few
seconds probably."

He stood up and paused. Having reached an internal decision, he
did his spin change in front of Amanda. The look on her face made
it worth it. He smiled and then disappeared.

"Wow!" Amanda whispered to herself. She blinked several times,
as if she was trying to clear the image from her retina. She
picked up the empty food containers and threw them away. <For
someone who claimed they didn't need to eat, he sure ate!> She
was just finishing up when he came back. He did his spin change
again.

"That was fast."

"It usually doesn't take me long. One of the first skills I
mastered was speed. Even before I became Superman, it was
important to do what I could to help people. When I was trying to
hide, I had to learn to do things very fast. The faster I moved,
the less likely someone would see me and find out about me. Now,
speed is just as important since I have so much more to do. If
often wondered if I had been faster if my parents..." He let the
sentence trail as a wave of sadness came over his face. "Well,
anyway, speed is important in my kind of work."

Amanda pulled up a chair to the computer. "Well, let's get
busy, shall we? Let's start by going over everything you know,
and we'll see what we can do from there."

Clark pulled up his chair. "Thanks, Amanda."

She looked up at him. "For what?"

Clark smiled. "Just because."

***

The next day, Amanda and Lucy had made plans to get together
since it was a Saturday. They met at the park, and each had a
brown sack lunch. They walked around together for awhile,
catching up on things in the family. Finally, they settled down
on a quiet park bench, away from the afternoon crowd.

"So, have you seen Superman lately?" Lucy asked.

"His name is Clark, and as a matter of fact, we spent a great
deal of time together last night."

"Ohhhhh. I want all the dirty little details," Lucy said, her
eyes gleaming.

"Nothing like *that*," Amanda said. "We did some research on
his problem -- finding Lois Lane -- and we ate. Talked a
little." She smiled at the memory.

"Are you falling for him?"

"No!" Amanda firmly shook her head. "Clark is, well, he's
complicated. He's moody, closed, private, a bit pigheaded at
times... unselfish, caring, gives too much of himself and
doesn't expect anything in return. He's... wonderful. God, I am
falling for him."

"You could do worse," Lucy said with a note of laughter in her
voice. She bit into her sandwich and grinned at Amanda.

"It's just... well he's so hung up on Lois Lane."

"There you go again, third-person-talk," Lucy shook her head.

"Not really. I could give you the whole story, gory details and
all, but he has fallen in love with a version of Lois Lane I
never was. I don't know if I ever will be."

"I guess I'm going to have to get used to being lost around
you. You seem to enjoy it so much."

Amanda recounted Clark's story of the alternate dimensional
version of herself. How she had helped him to become Superman.
What he felt about her, and how he had described her.

"You're right. That doesn't sound like you at all. What
happened to Mad Dog Lane, I can do it myself, I don't need
anyone? Ms. I'm top-banana, you're scum, now get out of my way.
Top Investigative Reporter, who just so happens to be a woman and
damn proud of it, now move, I'm off to a story. Ms..."

"Are you quite through now? I wasn't that bad was I? Really?"

"Sometimes, you made me wonder where all that hate came from. I
won't deny that you used it well, moving up the ladder, becoming
a respected reporter. But you stepped on people sometimes.
Unintentional or not, it happened." She bent over slightly and
parted her hair. "See? I think some of the marks are still
there..."

Amanda playfully swatted her head. "Oh stop. Okay, okay, I was a
bit... high strung." She shot a nasty look at Lucy's laugh.
"Things are different now."

"I know. So what makes you think you couldn't ever be like the
woman he described?"

"That's just it! I don't want to be like someone he described.
I want to be me! The real me. Not some pipe dream of his, or --
or *this*," she said, gesturing to her herself. "I want to be
the real me. The one who overcame incredible odds to escape from
hell, clawing her way back to civilization, digging up the dirt
on the slime bag who pushed her down, and knocking their teeth in
with the evidence she's uncovered to triumphantly proclaim
'I'm back! You couldn't put me away! I'm *ME* again!'"

Lucy put her sandwich down, applauded, and whistled. "You go,
girl!"

"You're terrible," Amanda laughed. "I want Clark to love me
for who I am now. Not who I was, or who she was."

"So what's stopping you? Go for it -- or him, I mean."

"In a weird, twisted sort of way -- I'm stopping it. I'm
fighting a battle with myself."

***

METROPOLIS: DAILY PLANET ARCHIVES

Amanda and Clark searched through the Daily Planet's Travel
Department's records. Amanda was taking advantage of the fact
that Mr. Olsen had given Clark complete access to all internal
records. It had said a lot about the trust between the two of
them. After several minutes of digging, Amanda pulled up the
travel request voucher she knew had to be there. "Got it."

Clark leaned over to get a better look. On the screen was a copy
of a travel voucher Perry White had written for a trip to
Bandundu. "Well, that at least gives me a starting place. Does
it have anything about what airline?"

Amanda brought up the information and showed it to Clark.

"They surely have documentation on who got on and off the
plane," Clark said excitedly. He stood up and spun into the
suit. "Keep looking. I'm going to pay some people a visit."
With a whoosh he was gone.

<I'll keep looking all right,> Amanda thought. She used Clark's
access to prowl all over Travel's records, looking for more
clues. She wanted to see if there was any pattern to Perry's
traveling. She noticed several trips to Washington D.C. Next, see
went into Accounting's records and looked at Perry's expense
records. Again, the pattern in Washington D.C. developed.

Clark returned a couple of hours later. "Well, we've got
something. The airline records show she boarded the plane. Also,
they show she de-boarded the plane in Bandundu. I went over there
and did some digging around. After some talking, and some
pressure, I found out that she was taken in by the Customs
Bureau. I looked through their records, and they show the
apprehension of a white, American female drug smuggler posing as
a reporter. The report said she was sent on for prosecution, but
it doesn't say where."

Amanda brought up a second screen she had been saving for this
moment. "I did some digging while you were gone. Here is a list
of all the state-run Houses of Justice in that area. Along with
each one is a list of the types of trial they have there. There
are three that conducted trials for drug smuggling. Since we know
roughly what time frame to look at, we should be able to tell
what courthouse her trial might have taken place in. Maybe they
will have more information there."

"Great! I'm going to head back over there and rouse a few
bodies. I think it's time for Superman to pay them a direct
visit."

Amanda looked at him. "Didn't you go over as Superman
before?"

"No, I went as Clark Kent."

"And people don't recognize you?"

"Not usually. I sometimes wear a disguise." He laughed at her
surprised look. "It's incredibly simple. I just put on a pair
of jeans and any old shirt and my glasses. The real secret
though, is the ball cap. I put that on, and it's like I'm
invisible." He could see her skeptical look. "It's true! No
one would guess that Superman would walk around like a normal
guy. Everyone expects him to be this bigger-than-life persona.
Which is good. I try to foster that actually. I don't stay in
one place long. I don't carry on conversations with people in
the Suit. I do my business, do it fast, and move on. The majority
of the population think Superman is over six and a half feet
tall, with blue eyes."

"Amazing. I'm surprised you can get away with it. I would have
thought you might have to do something like," <careful girl>
"change your hair color or something to hide out."

He looked at her for a disturbing few seconds. "Hmmm. That might
work, but a wig would be easier. It takes time to dye hair. And
all the switching back and forth would make that impossible. But
a hairpiece is something I could carry with me."

"You actually foster this misconception in people? Why?"

Clark sat down next to her, putting his arm around the back of
her chair unconsciously bringing him close to her. "I wanted to
live a more normal life. I hadn't planned on going public. That
was sort of... forced... on me. In the beginning, people flooded
me with requests, pleas for assistance. I had governments bugging
me and every criminal in the world seemed to have the need to
test me. I got sick of it real quick. I was so used to living a
private life, I missed being me. So, I had Murray build the dolls
bigger than life... with blue eyes. I try not to let myself be
photographed. If I think someone might take some pictures, I
vibrate my face in such a fashion that the pictures come out
fuzzy looking. I've thought of using my X-ray vision to wipe out
the film, but people have to make a living. I figured a fuzzy
picture is better than no picture."

Amanda smiled at Clark. Just like him to think of others when he
was trying to protect himself. What a Boy Scout. Inspiration
struck.

"Clark, why don't you come over to my place for supper tonight.
What time do you think you will be back?"

Clark was a bit confused by the change of subject. <I should be
used to that by now; she always seems to have my head spinning.>
"I can be back at any time I guess I..."

"Great. Be there around seven," she scribbled her address on a
piece of paper. "Here you go."

He looked at the piece of paper, trying to figure out how they
had gotten here from where they started. He shook his head and
gave up. He looked up to notice that her face was only inches
from his. How did they get so close? The tugging in his chest
became stronger. He felt his body lean closer to her. Her perfume
filled his every breath. He looked at her lips, red and inviting.
He watched her tongue slip out and wet them.

"Hey! Anyone down here?" James Olsen called from the doorway at
the other side of the room.

Clark sat up straight, becoming very self-conscious with how
close he was to Amanda. He pulled his arm back off of her chair
and leaned back, crossing his left ankle over his right knee.

James came around the bookshelf. "Oh, there you are. I was
hoping to catch you here, Clark. I was wondering how the
investigation was going?"

Clark had to clear his throat. "It's going great Mr. Olsen.
I... we..." Clark motioned to Amanda and himself, "have
pinpointed where Lois was headed, and I was just about to..." he
looked at Amanda, who was blushing. "Um. I was just about to go
over there and do some more digging."

"Great! If you find her, make sure she knows she has my full
support in clearing up whatever it is that caused her to be gone
so long, all right?"

Amanda looked up at Mr. Olsen, and saw the genuine concern and
honesty on his face. <This is surprising,> she thought.

"Okay, Mr. Olsen, I'll make sure to tell her."

James sat down. "I want to help her. I want her to know she has
a place to come where her friends will look out for her."

Amanda had to do some revising of her puzzle. Originally she
wondered if Mr. Olsen wasn't in on the whole thing. His money
could have been used to back some kind of operation. She was sure
a person in his position would know something. His offers of
kindness confused her.

Clark stood up. "I'd better be going." He turned to Amanda.
"See you later." Then he was just gone.

Amanda blinked a couple of times, and then looked at Mr. Olsen.
He sat there with an amazed look on his face, blinking himself.

"Wow!" he said.

"You actually get used to it after a while -- kind of."

***

METROPOLIS. AMANDA HART'S APARTMENT. 7:23 P.M.

Clark climbed the stairs of the old building, searching again for
the address hand painted on the doorway. He, again, verified the
address with the scrap of paper he was carrying. It was a match,
but Clark was finding it hard to believe that she would live in
such a place. <I guess I've gotten too used to living in my
'Ivory Tower',> he chided himself. He would have to try harder
to keep up on the living conditions and neighborhood safety of
others.

He went in and saw a man at a desk behind what he assumed to be
bulletproof Plexiglas. There was a large, steel door to the
right. Clark walked up to the Plexiglas and waited to be
acknowledged. The man behind the desk was watching television and
seemingly didn't see him. Clark knocked on the Plexiglas to get
his attention.

"Yeah! Whadda you want?" he shouted without looking away from
the television screen.

"I'm here to see Amanda Hart."

The man looked at him, assessing him from top to bottom.
"What's your name?"

"Clark Kent."

He checked a list out of Clark's sight, then pointed at him.
"Got any I.D.?"

Clark laughed. He got out his wallet and showed the man his New
Troy driver's license.

The man grunted then pointed at the door. "When you hear the
buzzing noise, push real hard." He went back to watching the
television.

Clark pushed when the buzz sounded and was deposited at the foot
of a set of stairs. He looked at the piece of paper. "Apartment
501..." he mumbled out loud. As he was about to round the
landing to go up the second flight of steps, he noticed a sign
out of the corner of his eye. It read: "Series 500. 500-510
Left. 511-520 Right."

He opened the door at the first landing and looked at the door
right in front of him on the other side of the hallway. Apartment
501. "501? On the first landing?" He shrugged, then stepped
over to the door. He tried to knock on the door, but couldn't
bring himself to do it. He was suddenly a bundle of nerves. Why
was he here? Why did he agree to this? <I can't leave now,
she's expecting me.> He thought of looking through the door.
Maybe she had given up on him and had left. He started to pull
his glasses down, then thought better of it.

He wanted to see her. The feeling in the core of his being
started making itself known to him. At first it had felt like a
tugging in his chest. Now, he didn't know how to describe the
feeling. It was almost like when he discovered he could fly. All
crazy and mixed up. He thought about what he had discovered in
The Democratic Republic of Congo. His feelings for Lois Lane were
still as strong as ever, but somehow he had developed this new
feeling.

Suddenly the door opened, and Amanda came walking out, her head
down. She ran right into Clark, and nearly fell over.
Instinctively, Clark wrapped his arms around her waist to keep
her from losing her balance.

"Oh!" she said, startled.

"I'm... sorry, Amanda. I was just about to knock..."

She had gripped his shoulders for support. They stood looking at
each other in this semi-hug embrace.

"I thought you might have changed your mind. I was just about to
go ask Lou if he had seen you."

Clark, shook his head. "No. I just had to stop by Australia. The
funky weather patterns haven't been kind to them."

"I'm glad you came."

Clark just smiled and nodded.

"If you would like to dance, I can put on some music."

With a look of horror, Clark realized he was still holding her.
"No, no! Sorry. I... I was just... being foolish."

Amanda stood to one side and allowed him to come into her
apartment. "You were not being foolish. You were keeping me from
falling." She smiled to let him know she was teasing him.

Apartment? Room was a better description. Clark looked around the
single room of the apartment, amazed that she lived here.

"It's not much, I know," she said, seeming to read his
thoughts. "It's cheap, and clean. There is just this room, and
the bathroom is over there."

"It's..." <think of something> "quaint."

Amanda laughed and shot him a hurt look. "Please, don't try to
compliment it. It's hopeless and I know it."

Clark took the opportunity to take a good look at her for the
first time. She was breathtaking. She wore a simple dress that
accentuated her figure perfectly. Funny, he didn't remember her
curves looking so curvy before. Her hair was slightly curly, and
swept up, away from her face, giving definition to the shape of
her neck. He traced the line from her collarbone, up her neck to
her ear with his eye. He lingered at the earlobe, looking at the
small earring there. Simple -- like her.

"Something wrong?"

Clark blushed slightly. "No, I was just... you look wonderful
tonight."

"Thanks," she smiled. She looked at him; his black slacks,
simple collared shirt, and ever-present glasses made him look
very GQ. "You look nice too. I noticed you came without a ball
cap."

He laughed. It was so good to hear him laugh. She walked a little
further into the room and pulled out one of the dining area
chairs. "Dinner's ready; why don't sit down? You probably get
hungry out ~->" she made a wavy motion with her hand.

"Huh?" Clark repeated the wavy hand motion.

"Out... flying... doing your job?"

"Oh... I get it. Neat hand signal there."

"Thanks." She patted the back of the chair. "Sit."

Clark sat down. "So, how was the rest of your day?"

"Not bad. I have some more stuff we can go over after we eat."
Amanda pulled out some plates from the oven and put them down on
the table. "They were just starting to get a little dried out. I
put them in the oven on low to keep them warm. Be careful, the
plates are hot." She looked up at his chuckle.

"Amanda, hot plates are something I usually don't have to worry
about," he smiled, the humor shining in his eyes.

"Oh! Right."

Clark looked at his plate, and was surprised. "Chicken-fried
steak? Mashed potatoes, with milk gravy, corn and a hot roll."

"I... did some research on native Kansas cuisine. Did I get it
right?"

Clark shook his head. "I don't know... do you have any idea how
long it has been since I had one of these?"

"I thought it might have been a while," she sat down and put a
napkin in her lap. "Go ahead... taste it. It won't hurt you."

Clark took a bite. "Oh man. Hhhmmm. Mmmmm. Oh."

"What? What? Too hot? No, that wouldn't hurt you either. Too
much salt? It said salt to taste, but I've never had one of
these before so I wasn't sure what that meant. Too greasy? I
tried to use..."

"No, no, no... It's wonderful." Clark swallowed, and let out a
sigh. "Absolutely wonderful," he smiled warmly.

"Great! I was worried about the gravy. I didn't want it to
taste too floury. Is that a word?"

Clark was trying to clear the mouth full of mashed potatoes to
answer her. "Mmmm. It tastes fine. Better than fine."

Amanda cut herself a piece and tried it. "Hmmm. Not bad. A bit
heavy for what I'm used to."

Clark was eating with enthusiasm. "Boy, does this bring back
memories. Where did you get the recipes? They are very similar to
my mother's."

"Oh, I found them on the Web. It's amazing what you can find
out there. A really nice grandmother in Plains, Kansas sent them
to me."

"The only thing that could top this would be some home made ice
cream."

"Really? I didn't think of that. I did make an apple pie
though. I even have some ice cream to put on it if you want.
It's store-bought, but from that marble-slab creamery over on
122nd street. They claim to make their own ice cream fresh each
day."

Clark put a hand over his heart. "Oh! I've died and gone to
heaven. Apple pie and ice cream. Is the pie still warm?"

Amanda laughed and nodded her head in affirmative.

"Oh! You've done it again," Clark reached over and took her
hand in his. "Thank you."

"Why? What have I done?"

Clark smiled. "Just because."

"That's the second time you've said that."

Clark felt his chest get tight, that familiar tugging getting
stronger. He reluctantly let go of her hand. "I mean every word
too."

"Well... I'm glad you are enjoying the food so much."

"And the company," Clark added.

"And the company," she agreed. "I like to cook, but don't get
to really go crazy too often. Cooking for one is the pits."

"I know. I can't remember the last time I cooked," Clark sat
back and buttered his roll. He motioned with his knife around the
room. "I'm afraid to admit, I was surprised to see you living
here."

"Oh?"

"It's not exactly the best side of town. And it's a
little..." he looked around again, "small."

Amanda put her silverware down. "Well, it's not much, true. And
it could be in a better neighborhood. But, when it's all you can
afford, you have to do what you have to do."

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to..."

Amanda cut him off. "It's okay, Clark. Really."

Clark fumbled with his silverware, poking at his food, trying to
think of something to say. "I appreciate this, I really do.
You've been nicer to me than just about anyone. I have a hard
time making friends. Before it was because I was always hiding.
Afraid that if people found out I was different, they would come
and get me or people would hate me for being different. Lana
seemed to be the only one to understand. What a joke that turned
out to be."

Amanda was curious. "Lana?"

"Yes. Lana Lang. High school sweetheart from Smallville. We
nearly got married. She used to tell me that she was the only one
who understood me. Only she would be able to live with who or
what I was." Clark sat back, a far away expression coming over
his face. "Then she showed up. Lois Lane. She made me feel
things, made me think things, I'd never felt or thought before.
She made me realize that being 'super' was all right. That just
trying was sometimes enough."

Amanda shifted awkwardly in her chair. It was obvious he was head
over heels for this Lois Lane. <I don't stand a chance. Why do I
try so hard?> She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"She's made quite an impression on you. We better get down to
business and find *your* Lois Lane for you."

Clark snapped his attention to her. He'd heard something in her
voice, even though he could tell she was trying to hide it.
Jealousy? "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go all gushy. This
dinner was great. I can't wait to try the pie."

Amanda stood up and cleared their plates. "I'll be right
back."

There was an uncomfortable silence as she dished up the pie and
ice cream. Clark tasted it and melted just like the ice cream.
"Oh... this is great."

"Hmm."

Obviously, he had done something wrong, but he wasn't sure what.
Was it his comments about Lois? Amanda knew what his mission was:
Find Lois Lane. Did this suddenly upset her? It upset him that
she might be upset. He was just about to ask her what was the
matter when she stood up.

"You can leave your plate and stuff there, I'll clean up later.
I found some interesting information while you were gone
earlier." She walked over to a desk set into the corner of the
room on the far wall. There were papers and clipping spread all
over the top of the desk.

Clark followed, not sure what to do.

"On a hunch, I contacted some people I know who owe me some
favors. I wanted to know if the government had any dealings in
Zaire back in 1993, especially around the time Lois Lane
disappeared. I used Mr. Olsen's weight in certain circles to
confirm the rumors I found. The Center for National Security's
Agency 38 was operating out of Washington D.C. and was involved
in some slightly shady dealings in Zaire at the time. The name of
the city that her plane was going to..." she held up a finger
for Clark.

"Bandundu," he supplied.

"Right, Bandundu, was mentioned as one of their operations
hubs."

"Wow. What possessed you to look into our own government, of all
places?"

"Disappearing without a trace takes backing. There is going to
have to be a lot of money trading hands to keep things quiet, to
cover tracks, to do away with certain documentation, that sort of
thing. Very few people have that kind of money or influence. The
government, on the other hand, does have the money and the
influence. So does organized crime. Since the government was the
easier of the two to get information about, that's where I
started."

"You really think there is a tie-in?"

"I don't know. Further investigation reveled that Agency 38 is
now operating here, out of Metropolis. They're kind of
considered a bunch of kooks now. Funding is getting tight, and
information leaks freely. I got the address of a warehouse on the
East Side that is supposedly a storage depository of some kind. I
thought we might check it out."

"We? As in you and I?"

Amanda started to get mad. "Yes, dammit, we. I found this
information, and I'd like to go along. You might need me."

"No. If there's trouble, you could get hurt."

"Oh, and you can't right? So you have to protect us poor, weak
females."

"Yes, I can't get hurt. Mostly. And no, not because you're a
poor, weak female."

"Mostly?"

Clark shrugged. "Well, there's this green rock, but I've only
seen it once. Anyway, you're not going."

Amanda continued to simply stare at him.

"No. No way am I taking you." Clark turned around and walked
over to the window. He opened it and turned back around. Amanda
was pulling out some dark clothing.

"You're not going Amanda. That's final."

Amanda simply smiled.

***

METROPOLIS. WAREHOUSE RUMORED TO BE OCCUPIED BY AGENCY 38.

Amanda was having trouble catching her breath and regaining her
balance. "You should really slow down a little when you're
carrying passengers." She reached over and grabbed him for
support.

"Sorry. I'm not used to carrying passengers. I still don't
think that you..."

"Come on," Amanda strode off toward the warehouse.

Clark shook his head. How had she managed to convince him to
bring her along? He wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but
it had. He decided he had better try to regain some control of
the situation.

"Will you slow down a second?" he grabbed her by the arm firmly
but gently. "We don't need to go barging in there. I can take a
peek inside. It's safer that way."

"Clark, we've been over this before. I'm perfectly
capable..."

"I do this all the time, Amanda," Clark sighed. "I never go
barging into a situation. I always look before I leap, so I
don't have any surprises to deal with. It's just standard
operating procedure -- nothing to do with your capabilities."

"Oh. Okay. Fine then. Go ahead and," she made a motion with her
finger next to her eye, "look inside. Tell me what you see."

Clark shook his head. What was it with her and all the hand
signals. She seemed to have one for every super power he had. He
concentrated on the wall of the warehouse and let it dissolve
away before him. What he found inside surprised him. Clark let
out a low whistle.

"What? Tell me what you see," Amanda tugged at his arm.

"They have enough hardware in there to invade a small country.
Probably even a medium-sized country. There are a few people
stationed here, but for the most part, it looks relatively
unguarded. Hmmm! Interesting."

Amanda was alternately staring at him and at the warehouse. She
was getting frustrated at not being able to see what he was
seeing. "What? What!?"

"Just hold your horses, geez. They have several areas that are
lined with lead. Wonder what's in there?" He looked at Amanda,
refocusing his attention on her.

She looked at him, her eyebrows coming up. "Can't you tell?"

Clark shook his head. "I can't see through lead."

Amanda focused her attention on the warehouse, seemingly willing
herself to see into the structure. "Wonder if that little bit of
architectural detail was set up to keep you from looking in?"

"Lead is also used to shield things from radiation," Clark
offered.

Amanda nodded. "True. It would still be worth a look to see what
was inside those areas."

"They almost certainly have a security system," Clark warned.

"We can use your talents to find a way around them." Amanda got
out a pad of paper and a pencil from the bag she brought.

Clark could feel the excitement build in him. It seemed so
natural to work with her like this. It was almost fun! <Watch
yourself! This "fun" could get her killed.> That thought
sobered him up.

He took his time, X-raying the building and surrounding areas.
Focusing on keypads to determine access codes. He could examine
the surface of the pads to determine which ones had more wear and
tear on them. This greatly reduced the number of possible
combinations. They got lucky, and Clark witnessed someone
entering one area. He watched him enter the code and Amanda wrote
it down. After about an hour of monitoring, he felt as confident
as he could about entering the warehouse.

Using his speed, and the information obtained, he had the two of
them outside the large door leading into the largest of the
lead-lined areas. He paused to let Amanda regain her sense of
balance.

"It wasn't as bad that time," she whispered.

Clark looked at the access code they had written down. This was a
different door, but he thought it was as good a place as any to
start. He examined the access pad to verify the digits of the
code were still valid. They were. The keys on this access pad
matching the digits in the code were more worn than the other
keys. Clark keyed the code in and the door unlocked with a loud
clunk.

The sound seemed to echo through the hallway, growing louder
instead of softer. Clark quickly whisked them inside and shut the
door behind them.

They were in a vast storage area. The lights were on, but Amanda
wasn't sure if they had been on before or if they had just been
turned on. "Wow. Look at all this stuff!"

The room was full of odd-looking equipment. One side of the room
was lined with file cabinets. There were several pieces of
machinery in various states of disassembly in the middle of the
room. The very center was home to the most impressive piece of
machinery.

"A spaceship!" Amanda said.

Clark was drawn to the ship. As they walked around to the front
of the craft, the stylized S-shield the world had become so
familiar with came into view. "Oh my God," Clark could barely
talk. He ran his hand over the S.

"Guess this answers the question of where you came from,"
Amanda put her hand on his back. "Or at least how you got
here."

The hatch was open, and embedded in the center of a control panel
was a globe. It was throbbing a weak color of red. Clark reached
out to grab it. As his hand approached the globe, it glowed
brighter.

Amanda grabbed his arm. "Are you sure you want to grab that
thing?"

"It's okay. Somehow, I feel like it's... calling me. It's
telling me to touch it. Not with words... just a feeling."

He reached out and grabbed the glob.

[CONNECTED. INTERFACE ESTABLISH WITH NODE KAL-EL.]

Images, sounds, smells, and emotions assaulted Clark's
consciousness. He tried to let go of the globe, but found he
couldn't command the muscles of his arm any longer.

[PROTOCOL NEGOTIATED. INITIATE PRIMARY MESSAGE FROM NODE
JOR-EL.]

His mind was suddenly clear again. Then, an image of a noble
looking man filled his mind's eye.

[Hello, Kal-El. If you're viewing this message, then our
desperate attempt to spare your life has succeeded. I imagine
your full of questions. Let me try to anticipate what they might
be and answer as many of them as I may.]

Amanda was starting to get worried. When Clark grabbed the globe,
there had been a flash of blinding light. Now, he was just
standing there, staring at the globe. The globe was pulsing, its
surface alternating between an image of the Earth and an unknown
planet.

Clark's eyes refocused and he slumped slightly as his muscles
relaxed. He blinked several times. The image on the globe was
frozen at the image of the unknown planet. "Krypton," he
whispered.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he turned excitedly toward her. "This is Krypton.
It's where I'm from. This globe is like a messenger. I just
*watched* a vision of my real father. He was telling me where I
came from, why they sent me away..."

"Clark, I think we should get out of here," Amanda looked
around the room. She was getting an uneasy feeling.

Clark noticed it too. Something was different. He tuned in with
his hearing and could hear people approaching. He did a
super-fast search of the rest of the contents of the room,
committing it to his photographic memory. Every piece of
information or object he thought was even remotely related to
himself, he collected and deposited into the spacecraft. He
picked Amanda up and put her in the cramped cockpit as well.

"What on earth are you doing?"

He picked the craft up just as the door swung open. Armed men
came rushing into the room. They started firing some kind of
energy weapon at him. The amount of energy the weapons released
surprised him. He decided not to stick around to see if they
would hurt him or anything else in the room. He, and the load he
carried, just disappeared.

One of the men started yelling. "Cease fire! Cease fire!"

"Did we get him?" another one asked.

The headset the commander wore crackled to life. <"Commander!
Report!">

"Colonel Trask, Sir! The target has... vanished, sir!"

<"I can see that Commander, what I want to know is what it got
away with.">

"Sir, it looks like it took everything we had on it, sir."

<"Damn. Okay Commander, execute evacuation procedure Delta. Over
and out.">

"Aye sir!" The commander turned to his men. "Okay boys,
evacuation procedure Delta... let's go!"

***

SMALLVILLE, KANSAS. KENT FARMYARD.

Clark sat the spaceship down, and helped Amanda out of the
cockpit. "Are you all right? Did you get hit?"

Amanda mentally checked herself over. "I'm fine. What was it
they were shooting us with?"

"I'm not sure. It didn't really affect me in any way. I
wasn't sure about you and the ship."

They looked it over and check the contents. Nothing seemed to be
damaged.

"I'm surprised," Amanda said. "With that kind of firepower, I
was sure we were molten slag. Wonder how come nothing was
damaged?"

"I'm not sure. I have this theory. I've never had it verified.
I think there is this aura that protects me. On occasion, I've
felt like I've been able to extend it to things that are around
me."

Amanda looked at him with a rare open expression of awe. "You
are amazing."

Clark smiled shyly. "I'm going to... find someplace to stash
this. I'll be right back." Two seconds later, he reappeared.

"So, where are we? Smallville?"

"Correct. This is the farm my parents owned. I inherited it when
they... passed away. I've used the money from the Superman
Foundation to fix it up. It had fallen into disrepair. I had sort
of ignored it... too many painful memories."

Amanda turned around and looked it over. The night sky twinkled
with the lights of thousands of stars. "The sky is so clear!"

"Yeah, you can see even more stars out in the field, away from
the mercury-vapor light. I sort of use this as a haven. A place
to get away from it all, be myself. I call it my Fortress of
Solitude."

"Oh, that's a sad-sounding name."

Clark shrugged. "The story of my life. Sad." He looked at
Amanda, the mercury-vapor light casting a silvery cast to her
skin and hair.

She looked at him, the sadness in his expression evident.

"Till I met you. You've made things... better," Clark said.
"Thanks."

Somehow, the distance between them had shortened to the point
where they were mere inches apart.

"For what?" she asked.

Clark smiled. "Just..."

"Please, don't say it," she reached up and put her hand behind
his neck, pulling his head closer to hers.

The wind picked up and caused the old windmill to turn. The
creaking and banging broke the moment, and Clark straightened
up.

Amanda shivered as the cool wind blew around her.

Clark noticed she was cold. "I'll take you home now. Thanks for
the wonderful supper." He picked her up. "Hold on!"

"Wait! Let's take it a little slower this time. I want to enjoy
the ride."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

THE NEXT DAY, 7:00 A.M. CST. A FIELD OUTSIDE SMALLVILLE, KANSAS.

Clark stood perfectly still, eyes closed, letting the wind blow
through his hair. The roar it made as it blew past his ears
sounded wonderful to him. The south wind picked up into a gust
for a few seconds, then settled back down into the ever-present
breeze. He could feel the sunshine on his face, see it through
his closed eye-lids.

At this time of year, the wheat field Clark stood in was a
brilliant green. The stalks of grass about a foot tall or so. The
evenly spaced rows marching off into the distance for miles.

Clark let his sense of smell and sound explore the surroundings.
He could hear the birds singing away to each other. He could
smell the young wheat he was standing in. The ground was moist
after a brief April shower, and he could smell the earthy
fragrances drifting in the wind.

Clark kicked off his boots and socks, and stood barefoot in the
field. The damp soil made an interesting contrast to the warmth
of the sun. He flexed his toes and let the mud goosh between
them.

<Fixing up the farm and leasing out the land was the best thing I
ever did,> he thought to himself. He could hear his neighbor, Mr.
Irig, driving his tractor in the next field over. If the
condition of all Mr. Irig's fields were as good as the one Clark
was in now, then Mr. Irig was going to have a good crop this
year.

Clark could see how everything looked, even though his eyes were
closed. He built the mental picture from his memories and what
his senses were telling him right now. He projected the image
forward in time to around mid-June, early July. The tall, golden
stalks of wheat, each with its own heavy head of granules swaying
back and forth in the southerly wind. That southern wind was
important to the life cycle of the wheat. It helped the sun dry
the wheat out, assisting in the ripening of the wheat.

Clark could see and smell the acres and acres of the golden sea
before him. <I'm going to have to make sure to be here for
harvest this year.> He could almost taste the grains of wheat,
fresh off the stalk, coming out of the combines chute.

He heard a car driving down the gravel country road about a half
mile to his right. He could still hear Mr. Irig's tractor to his
left. Overhead he could hear the birds, cutting and drifting in
the ever-present wind. What few trees there were growing here,
all bowed in respect to that southerly wind. Its constant
pressure from one side caused most trees to grow leaning slightly
to the north. A car door to his right caught his attention.

Deputy Rachel Harris looked out into the field and saw the lone
figure standing there. She smiled to herself and shook her head.
"I thought it might be you," she said in a normal voice. "I'd
recognize those slumped shoulders a mile away." She could almost
see him smile. She waited for a minute, leaning against the
fender of her cruiser. "Are you going to stay out there or are
you going to come over here and talk?"

Clark opened his eyes and blinked several times. He looked over
in her direction and dropped his head. He bent over and picked up
his socks and boots and started walking toward the car.

"Oh come on, don't make me wait for you to walk over here. I
need to talk to you, so hurry up. I know you can hear me," she
crossed her arms over chest and waited.

Clark smiled. Of course he could hear her. He continued to walk
slowly, laughing while she mumbled and cursed at him under her
breath.

Rachel put her fingers up to her mouth and cut lose with a
patented County Fair Champion Cow Calling, Ear-Splitting Whistle.
"HURRY UP, SLOW POKE!"

Clark grabbed his ears. "Rachel..." he growled. Instantly he
was beside her. "Did you *have* to whistle like that?" He
rubbed his ears gingerly.

"I wanted you to hurry. I've got to go over to ol' Mrs.
Harmon's and help her to the doctors," she looked at her watch.
"Her appointment is at 9:00 a.m." She looked him over. Damn
fine looking as usual. He was decked out in a pair of faded
overalls. No shirt, no shoes. Just a pair of overalls that fit
just right in all the right places. She noticed he had his
glasses clipped in the front pocket of the bib.

"What did you come around here for?" Clark asked.

"We've had reports of someone walking around in the fields all
morning. Since we've had a lot of reports of people snooping
around lately, I thought I better check it out."

Clark's brow furrowed. "People snooping around? What kind of
people?"

"Don't know... haven't caught them yet. Anyway, so... how are
things with you? Something must be bothering you, I don't think
I've seen you in a wheat field since the whole Superman thing
exploded."

Clark laughed. "It's been a while."

"Clark, I'm here for you, you know?" She looked up at him.
"If you want to talk, I'll listen."

"Thanks, Rachel," Clark sighed. "It's just..." he looked
down at the road and kicked a rock. "It's just that I'm not
sure what I'm feeling. That's why I'm here. Things are so much
simpler here. It helps me think."

Rachel let the silence between them sit. "Been busy?" she
finally asked.

Clark nodded. "Sort of. Nothing out of the ordinary on the
Superman front. I've been looking for Lois again."

"Ooohhhh. Now I know why you're out here. Any luck?"

"Some. I know where she went, and that she got there. I also
know that everyone seems to want to keep something quiet over
there. Then, last night, Amanda and I were checking out this
government Agency and I found some... things."

Rachel's ears perked up. <Amanda? Who's she?> "What did you
find?"

Clark looked at her seriously. He simply stared at her for a long
moment. "We've been good friends for a long time, Rachel. I
know you've felt more than friendship toward me at times. I'm
glad I have a friend like you... I don't want to lose you."

Rachel laughed nervously. "You won't lose me, Clark. You may
not see me in the same way I see you, but we will *always* be
friends."

"I found a spaceship. It had my S-shield logo on it. I found a
bunch of documentation, and other things. More importantly, I
found a globe, a message device, that told me some things." He
looked at her to see the effect this was having on her. So far,
she was just looking at him wide-eyed.

"It told me I was from the planet Krypton. It was a dying
planet, and my birth parents sent me away in a spaceship to Earth
so that I might have a chance to live."

"Holy cow!"

"Yeah. Holy cow. The government had this information for who
knows how long. I'm not sure what they know about me. I haven't
had the chance to go through it all yet."

Rachel sat there for a moment, letting the news sink in. <An
alien! Clark was an alien.> She had to admit it made sense. After
what the world had learned when he went public with the Superman
persona, everyone in town had been buzzing about it. Here was
Clark Kent, orphan home-town boy, mild-mannered reporter, the
strongest man in the world. Everyone had their theories about how
he came to possess these powers. For a brief moment, the strongly
religious-based community feared him. It quickly passed when
everyone realized that Clark was still Clark.

"Does this change things between us?" Clark asked.

Rachel could hear the pleading in his voice. "No. You're still
Clark in my eyes," she smiled.

"Good! Other than you and a few other people here, Amanda is
about the only one who treats me like you do. Just Clark."

Rachel couldn't resist any longer. "Who's Amanda?" She tried
to keep her voice sounding neutral, she really did.

Clark became even moodier at the mention of her name. "She's...
she's this woman who has been helping me look for Lois. She
works at the Daily Planet in Archives."

"What's wrong with her?"

"What? Nothing, why?"

"Well, as soon as I mentioned her, you got all moody. You've
started pacing, and you're worrying your hands."

Clark looked down and noticed what he was doing. He put his hands
into the pockets of his overalls.

"She makes me feel... strange."

"I thought you just said she made you feel like 'Just
Clark'?"

"That's just it! She treats me like I'm anyone else. Most
people don't do that. When I'm around her, I feel more relaxed,
more *normal*. We work *together*. She doesn't expect me to be
some miracle worker all the time. She does things *for* me." He
had begun pacing again. His hands had come out of his pockets and
were waving about as he talked.

"She confuses me constantly. She's always babbling about
something and then something brilliant will come out. She's
stubborn and pigheaded. She always seems to get her way, no
matter how hard I try to change things." He stopped in front of
Rachel.

"She's the one who found the warehouse, and insisted on going.
We were shot at! She could have been hurt! I didn't want her to
go, but somehow, she managed to get me to fly her over there."
He started pacing again. "Maybe it was the chicken-fry. I should
have known better than to go over there."

"Ah, Clark?"

"I thought we were just friends. But after last night, I'm not
sure anymore," he continued. "One minute we're talking about
our narrow escape, the next, I'm about to kiss her."

"Clark?"

"Why would I be doing that? I'm supposed to be looking for a
Ms. Lois Lane -- reporter lost in the Congo. Love of my life, my
destiny. Have I told you about her? She's the reason I'm
Superman."

"Clark!"

Clark looked at her. "What?"

"Now you're babbling. It's obvious to me. It breaks my heart
to say it," she put a hand over her heart, "but you're in
love."

Clark's mouth opened and closed several times, with no sound
coming out. "I can't be!"

"Why not? Happens to the best of us. Not you and me, obviously,
but..." she shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't be though. That wouldn't be fair. I can't be in love
with two women at the same time." Clark leaned back against the
car. He looked completely lost. "Somehow, she got to me. Snuck
up on me when I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh come on! Don't make this out to be her fault, Mr. Gorgeous,
Man of Steel, can sweep a woman off her feet... literally."

"What do I do? I still love Lois Lane. It wouldn't be fair to
Amanda."

"Clark, talk to her. Maybe Amanda should decide for herself
what's fair." Rachel looked at her watch. "I'm sorry, Clark.
I've got to go get Mrs. Harmon." She patted him on the back.
"If you want to talk some more, come by the office. If you ever
feel like dumping those other two women, I can be packed in
record time. No super-help needed," she smiled at him.

Clark stood back and watched her car disappear over the hill. He
turned and started walking back to the farm house. <What am I
going to do now?> He looked up into the sky one more time, then
spun into the Suit and was gone, heading east.

***

SAME MORNING, METROPOLIS. 8:00 A.M. EST. AMANDA HART'S
APARTMENT.

"Amanda? Are you in there?" Lucy pounded on the door to
Amanda's apartment a little louder. Inside, she could hear
someone moving around.

<"Just a minute, just a minute! You don't have to break the
door down.">

The door opened to reveal a very tired, ruffled Amanda Hart.
"Lucy? What on earth are you doing here so early in the
morning?"

"Early? Amanda, we were supposed to meet for breakfast over an
hour ago. It's eight o'clock."

"Eight!? Oh my gosh!" Amanda disappeared back into the
apartment.

Lucy came in through the open door, and shut it behind her. "Are
you feeling okay?"

Amanda was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. She held up a
finger, letting Lucy know she needed a minute.

Lucy looked around the apartment. The table was still set for
two. The bed was in disarray. The dirty dishes were still in the
sink. "Ah, Amanda? Did you have company last night?" She sat
down at the foot of the bed.

Amanda came into the room and went to the dresser and started
grabbing things out of drawers. "I don't have time for a
shower, darn it," she mumbled to herself. "Clark came over..."
she disappeared back into he bathroom, still mumbling.

"Looks like the two of you must have had a wild ride," Lucy
played with the corner of the bedspread.

Amanda came back out, dressing as she talked. "Oh! You have no
idea. It was... fabulous. I knew when he picked me up in his arms
what he had in mind. I asked him to take it slow, so I could
enjoy the ride. 'Yes, ma'am!' he said." Amanda slipped her
shirt over her head.

Lucy's eyes were about to fall out of their sockets.

"We went up and up and up. He made me feel as if I was floating
on air. I started to get dizzy from the rush. The things he can
do! I don't know if I will ever get used to it. I didn't want
it to end. I wanted it to go on and on. Over and over." She
started putting on her shoes.

"He was only too happy to oblige. The man never seems to tire
out. I was seeing stars... literally. They were everywhere. And
the lights!" She stood up and paused, catching the look of total
shock on her sister's face.

"Lucy? Are you all right?"

"I'm... I'm... I'm not sure. I think I need a cold shower."
She stood up and started fanning herself. She felt the urge to
look at the bed again, then felt embarrassed when she did. "I
mean... you didn't have to tell me *everything*! I was only
kidding."

Amanda watched her, and realized what had happened. "Oh my God!
No! No, no, no, no! We are not communicating here. What you think
happened, didn't really happen. Honest."

Lucy looked at her like she had grown two heads. "Come on, I
mean... your bed... your *detailed* description. What am I
supposed to think went on. You more or less described it to me in
TechniColor detail." She walked over and opened a window. "Is
it hot in here?"

"Lucy! I was describing what it felt like when he took me flying
last night."

"I bet!"

"Flying! As in what Superman does to move from point A to point
B along the shortest path!" She thought back to what she had
said, and tried to look at it from Lucy's perspective. Suddenly
she burst out laughing.

"It's not funny! Can you imagine what I was thinking, looking
around this place? A table for two, obviously abandoned. Dirty
dishes... a crumpled bed. I asked if it was a wild ride and you
start describing the ride of a lifetime." She turned back to the
window. "It was almost too much to take!" She bust out laughing
as well.

"Oh man... the look on your face," Amanda said through the
tears. "It was priceless. I would have given anything to have
that on film."

"Laugh all you want, tease. I'll get you back when you least
expect it."

"No fair! I wasn't out to get you on anything. Your own,
twisted little mind jumped to the wrong conclusions. I can't
help it if you were in the gutter while I was in the sky."

"My version had you in the sky as well," Lucy said.

"Besides, I've never..." Amanda stopped short and turned
around.

Lucy gave her a peculiar look. "Amanda, are you saying you've
never..."

"Lots of people never. It's not that uncommon. Once, this guy
named Claude tried to, but he was... unsuccessful." Amanda
wrapped her arms around herself. "Another time was close. In the
jungle, a man..." the words caught in her throat. The nightmare
loomed on the horizon. Amanda swallowed the lump. "A man tried
to take me. He'll never bother anyone again, though."

Lucy stepped forward and put out her arm. "I'm sorry..."

"Anyway... we never..." she waved her hand at the bed. "I just
kept him out flying too late. By the time he brought me back, I
was so exhausted from the adrenaline rush that I nearly fell
asleep in the hallway. I probably only got a few hours sleep,
total."

"Have a good time?"

Amanda recalled the near kiss at the farmyard. "It was
wonderful."

A tapping noise from the window brought complete silence to the
room.

"You hear that?" Lucy whispered.

"Yes."

The noise repeated itself. Lucy stepped away from the window as
Amanda pulled back the curtain. There in front of her was the red
and yellow stylized S-shield of the object of misunderstanding
himself.

"Oh," Amanda said in a small voice. She looked up into Clark's
eyes. "Hello, Clark."

"Hello, Amanda. I was on my way to the Daily Planet, when I
noticed your window was open. I heard voices and decided to see
if you might be running late and need a... ride."

Lucy tried hard not to laugh, but the giggles came out just the
same.

Amanda was smiling so hard it hurt. <Don't laugh. Don't look at
his face. You looked!> She turned quickly from the window and
shook her finger at Lucy. "Sssshhhh!!!" She turned back to
Clark, and almost lost it again.

<What the hell is going on?> Clark was thinking. The confused
look on his face was so adorable.

"I'm sorry, Clark. Why don't you... I'll be ready in just a
moment. I'll just be a second."

Clark looked over her shoulder and saw Lucy trying to hold back
some laughter.

"Lucy? Lucy Lane?"

<Uh Oh! Cover! Cover!> "Oh, yes, this is Lucy... Lane. She's a
good... friend of mine."

"Right!" Lucy said a bit too quickly. She glanced nervously at
Amanda. "We are good fish friends."

<Oh, gesh! Fish friends?> "We both like tropical fish," Amanda
explained.

"Can I come in?" Clark asked. He had floated a little closer to
the window.

"Sure! Sure, come right in."

Clark floated through the window, then settled down to the
floor.

"Can I borrow your bathroom?" he asked.

Amanda just stared at him.

"I need to... change," he fingered the cape.

"Oh! Sure, go right on in."

Superman entered the bathroom, closing the door. Immediately it
opened again, and Clark stepped out, dressed in slacks and a
shirt. He had his glasses on.

"In a way, it's a good thing you're here Lucy, I was going to
come by and talk to you today." He looked at Amanda. "Funny,
you never mentioned you knew Lois Lane's sister, even after you
knew what I was looking for." His tone of voice was accusing.

"Oh, that's my fault, Superma- er, Clark," Lucy jumped in. "I
asked her to not say anything. When she told me you were looking
for Lois again, I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to you."

"Why not?"

"You've already come by several times. I can't tell you any
more than I already have. I want you to find my sister more than
anything," she glanced at Amanda, "especially now. I'm just
afraid to hope."

Clark listened to her heartbeat. He listened to Amanda's next.
Both were within acceptable ranges. He got the feeling they were
hiding something from him, but he had nothing to back this
feeling up.

"I just want to find her... to put an end to this whole thing,"
Clark walked over and sat down on a chair at the dining table.

The evident pain caused Amanda to take a step forward, like she
had reached a decision. "Clark..."

He looked up, a strange expression on his face. "I've got to
go." He stood up and spun into the Suit. "I'll see you later
at the Planet. Sorry I couldn't take you." Then he was gone.

"Wow!" Lucy stood looking at the spot he had just occupied.
"That suit change is amazing!"

Amanda walked over and shut the window.

"You were about to tell him," Lucy said.

"Yes."

"Are you ready for that?"

***

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION OF AGENCY 38.

Colonel Johan Trask sat in his make-shift office, going over the
information on the alien known as Superman. It had been wise to
make copies of the information they had already developed. There
wasn't much he could do about the loss of equipment. The ship
had held the most promise. He cursed to himself again at the
thought of the lost items.

He turned his chair toward the video monitor behind him. On
screen was the frozen image of the woman who had been with the
alien. He pulled out a photograph of Lois Lane, taken when the
alien had made his public appearance in the outlandish suit it
wore.

"So, Clark. Someone else is helping you now." He put the
photograph away and rewound the tape. Again, he watched as the
alien known as Superman moved at super-speed and collected
everything his agency had on it. Even using the special equipment
they had, the cameras were barely able to keep up with the
alien's movements. Who was this woman, and why was she helping
him? How had they found Agency 38's warehouse?

He reached over and picked up the phone. He dialed a number and
waited. "Hello. I need to know the identity of someone. Yes."
He hung up the phone. Within minutes, someone knocked.

Trask ushered in the assistant and handed them a photograph of
the woman on the video. The assistant nodded and left. Trask was
just about to sit down, when his phone rang.

"Yes? Good. I can bring it up now? Thank you." He hung up the
phone and sat down at his workstation. He logged on, and brought
up a map of the country. A little red dot blinked quietly over a
region of northeastern Kansas. Trask picked up the phone and
dialed a number.

"Congratulations on getting this to work. You will be
rewarded... assuming the ship and the globe are there." He hung
up the phone and used the mouse to zoom in on the red, blinking
dot.

"Gotcha." Again he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Prepare a recovery team: destination northeastern Kansas."

***

METROPOLIS. DAILY PLANET ARCHIVES.

Clark walked into the Archive Room, carrying a stack of steaming
bamboo baskets. "Hello? Amanda, are you here?"

She stepped out from behind some shelves. "Over here."

"I brought something to eat. I've been away a lot today with
Superman things, so I thought you might like something
special."

Amanda came over to where he was setting out the different
dishes. "What is it? It smells wonderful."

"Authentic Chinese food. I know how much you like Chinese, so I
thought -- why not get the best?"

"Hmmm. Thank you." She sat down and started eating after he had
finished setting everything out.

"Sorry I've left you searching on your own. Find anything?"

Amanda swallowed her food. "No problem. I've been following
what's been going on over in India. Senseless."

Clark grunted his agreement.

Amanda picked up some papers and handed them to Clark. "Here is
everything I've found on Agency 38 and what they might have been
doing in Zaire back in 1993. The information you got, about a
drug trial, seems funny. Why would everyone go through so much
trouble over a supposed drug smuggler?"

Clark leafed through the papers. He didn't even use super-speed.
There just wasn't that much to go through. "This is it? That's
all?"

Amanda nodded. "So far."

Clark flopped the papers down and sighed. "Why would they arrest
her for drug smuggling, then try so hard to cover it up? You're
right. There has got to be more." He ate some more. "I know
they had a trial. I know she was found guilty. I find that hard
to believe."

"You should," Amanda mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. I don't think she would have done that. There is
nothing to indicate she was that type of person."

"Right. Where the trail ends is back at the prison. She goes in,
then she's never seen again."

<Time to toss in some clues,> Amanda thought. "What if she
escaped? They wouldn't want to have a record of that."

Clark nodded. "Good point. If she somehow got away... and if
anyone could do it, it would be Lois... then they would want to
cover that up for sure." Clark put down his chopsticks. "The
problem becomes even more difficult now."

"How so?"

"Well... when someone escapes, they generally want to stay
hidden. You don't want your captors finding you. There will be
no records, no trail to pick up."

"Military communication records," Amanda said. "Surely they
have records of orders issued, troop movements, that sort of
thing. We know the time frame to narrow the search down to."

"We still don't have a tie-in with this Agency 38," Clark
fingered the papers.

"I wonder if there is anything in the information we got from
the warehouse?"

Clark looked skeptical. "No, It's all about me."

"You never know what we will find. We should at least look."

Clark thought for a moment. "You know, if Tempus could travel
dimensionally, he could also travel in time... like H.G.
Wells."

Amanda tried to open her mouth to ask him something, but realized
there were too many questions and not enough time. "When we have
time, you're going to have to explain that all to me."

Clark laughed. "Okay... deal. Tempus could have traveled back in
time, removed Lois Lane, and kept this world from seeing its
Superman."

Amanda's eyebrows had gone up at that one. "Wouldn't he have
tried to kill her?"

"I doubt it. He never really seemed capable of physically
hurting Lois. I'm not sure why. But he knew she played a large
part in who I am. If he could prevent her from meeting me, it
would be the same as getting rid of me all together."

Amanda eyed him. "I somehow doubt that if you had never met Lois
Lane... from any dimension... that you would be content to sit
back and not help when you could."

"You're right. I did help, when I could. I was just phobic
about being caught."

The Look came over his face.

"Better go," Amanda said.

"Sorry." Clark spun into the Suit and was about to leave when
he hesitated. "I'll tell you what. We'll go out to Smallville
and go through the information tonight. Would that be okay?"

"Sure! Sounds good to me. Just pick me up here when you are
ready."

"I'll bring something to eat." Clark smiled then disappeared.

***

10:23 P.M. CST, SMALLVILLE, KANSAS. KENT FARM HOUSE.

Clark was on the phone. "Hello, Rachel? This is Clark. How are
you? I'm fine. Say, have you had any more reports of people
snooping around? You have? Where? I see. Okay, thanks. No, I'm
not sure, but I think I will look into it. All right, bye."

Amanda hated being on only one side of a phone conversation.

Clark hung up the phone. "She said there has been some more
reports of strange people being where they shouldn't be. A large
number of reports seem to be coming from the area around
Shuster's Field."

"That name sounds familiar," Amanda began shuffling through the
stacks of papers around her.

"It was where my parents found me in the ship," Clark sat down
and picked out the report from the stack with easy.

"That darn photographic memory. Wish I could do that," Amanda
mumbled to herself as she re-read the report. "I wonder what
they are looking for?"

Clark thought for a moment. "Well... since there has only been
one thing that I know of that can hurt me, I would guess they are
out looking for green, glowing rocks."

Amanda put the piece of paper back on the pile. "You think this
rock has something to do with where you are from?"

"I don't know. However, according to that report, when they
found the crash site, there were 'numerous glowing geographic
specimens'," he quoted. "They only collected a small sample
according to the report. I didn't find them at the warehouse,
and I went back there today. It's completely empty. No trace of
them ever being there."

"So, you think they might have some, and now want more since you
took all this stuff?"

"They seem to be pretty paranoid about me. I think it is a
distinct possibility."

Clark leaned back against the couch, and rubbed his temples.
"I'm getting a headache."

"You get headaches?" Amanda didn't know why this surprised
her, but it did.

"Sure. I think too hard or concentrate too much on something and
I get one like everyone else."

"It's just that, with your invulnerability, I would have
thought you wouldn't be affected by things like that."

"I wish I wasn't, believe me."

Amanda looked over the documents they had gone through already.
"Would it help if you went through all this stuff at super-speed
and then filled me in?"

Clark sat up with a smile. "I thought you would never ask. Ever
since I went public, I've been relying on my powers a little
more every day. Now, it's almost a hassle not to use them." He
became a blur as he read and sorted all the papers in the front
room. In a few sort seconds he stopped.

He looked completely devastated. In his hand was a piece of
paper. He was staring at it in disbelief.

"What is it? What did you find?" Amanda put her arm on his
shoulder. "Are you all right? You look like you've seen a
ghost."

"They've known all along," his voice was barely a whisper.
"They were there almost from the beginning. Monitoring me.
Monitoring my parents." Clark suddenly felt like a caged animal,
a zoo specimen. "Then I found this," he handed the piece of
paper to Amanda.

She scanned it quickly. "Oh, Clark. I'm so sorry. I don't know
what to say. I'm..."

"How could she have done this to me?" His voice was still small
and quiet. "I trusted her! We were going to get married!"

Amanda re-read the report. It clearly stated that Agency 38 knew
when Clark had started developing his super powers. It also
outlined the plan to pair him up with someone who could monitor
him, direct his development, and report back any new findings.
Lana Lang and her father had been singled out and they had agreed
to do the job. The amount paid was even listed. The words were
cold and impersonal. Lana Lang had been payed to be Clark's
girlfriend and to steer him away from using his powers in any way
whatsoever. There was a bonus if she could get him to marry her.
The government expressly forbid any breeding of the two species,
but was interested in the alien's sexual habits and behaviors.
There were detailed instructions on what was allowable and
unallowable behavior in Clark.

Clark put his face in his hands and felt the tears building up
behind his closed eyelids. Betrayed! By someone whom he'd
trusted. His whole life was something for the government to play
with it seemed. He could remember growing up with Lana. She never
seemed to be anything different than his friend. When had they
gotten to her? What kept her doing it? He wouldn't be surprised
to find the answer in the report, but he wasn't going to read
the whole thing. Not now, not ever. He wasn't sure he could take
the pain of knowing. Right now, it felt pretty bad.

"Clark?" Amanda wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into
an embrace of support. She wanted him to know that she was there
for him. That she would never hurt him. <I need to tell him who I
am before I hurt him like this.> "I'm here, Clark."

Clark grabbed onto her like a lifeline. The feeling in his chest,
this tugging, this connection, seemed to strengthen. He could
feel the support she was offering through it.

Amanda felt a strange movement within her. She could feel
Clark's pain as if it were her own. She could feel this sudden
bonding occurring between the two of them. "Clark, I *know* how
you feel." It was said in amazement as much as in comfort.

Clark looked up at her through his watery, red eyes. He could
feel it too.

***

The farm house was lit up in various shades of green. The
night-vision goggles each of them wore supplied them with
excellent vision out here in the darkness.

The commander gave each of his men some hand signals, directing
their search. They would have to find the stolen craft and
recover it with It here! This was no longer a simple recovery
mission. If It found out about them, they might as well forget
about it. He had tried to talk Colonel Trask out of going ahead
with the operation once it was discovered that the alien was in
residence on this particular night. Trask would have nothing of
it. He kept saying he had planned for every contingency. Stubborn
man.

<"Commander, report."> Trask's voice came over the
commander's head set. <Damn him! I said radio silence!>

***

Clark leaned closer to Amanda. He put his arms around her waist,
and pulled her closer. He could feel the bond in his chest
strengthening as he closed the distance between them. He centered
on her lips, and fully intended to explore them with the utmost
care. <"Commander, report.">

Clark froze.

Amanda was confused. She knew Clark was going to kiss her,
finally. Now, he had suddenly stopped. Again. "Please, Clark, I
want..."

"Shhh..." he said softly. He continued to listen.

***

Colonel Trask was watching the infrared images of Amanda and
Clark on the monitor in front of him. Through his head phone, he
was listening to what they were saying, their sound being picked
up by the laser microphone he had aimed at the front room picture
window. "I should have watched her closer," Trask muttered to
himself. "I wonder how many other lovers the alien has stashed
away." The truck he was in was filled with high-technology
surveillance equipment. Yet, he still wanted more. "I wish I
could see them, see the looks on their faces, interpret their
emotional responses."

***

Clark had managed to use his X-ray vision and hearing to
pin-point every one of the 10 men moving around the outside of
his house. He had found they carried surveillance equipment. All
this took less than a second for him. He decided to act as if
nothing had happened.

He looked at Amanda's questioning eyes. He thought about
finishing the kiss he was about to give her, but then he
wouldn't be able to communicate with her. Once he started
kissing her, he wasn't sure he would be able to stop -- even if
he wanted to, which he wasn't to sure he would.

"I'm sorry, Amanda. I shouldn't have." He sat back, then
cringed at the look of hurt on her face. He picked up a pencil
and a piece of paper. "I'm just in shock over this whole Lana
thing." He wrote the words:

Men outside. Watching us.

He moved it over to her. "I'm sure you understand."

Amanda wanted to look around immediately, but resisted the
temptation. It would be important to act natural. "Sure, Clark.
I understand. You're probably hurt." She mouthed: We need to
save this stuff.

He was amazed at how she handled situations like this. She always
seemed to know how to act -- what to do.

Clark wrote out his plan as he continued to talk. When Amanda
nodded that she understood, Clark took off. He used his
super-speed to zip outside and round up all the men before they
could realize what was happening.

Amanda came outside to see a pile of men, all hog-tied. A pile of
nasty-looking weapons and other equipment was next to them. The
men were struggling, and fighting against their bonds.

"I wouldn't move around too much," Clark said. "The more you
struggle, the tighter the ropes will get." He winked at Amanda.
Several men quit struggling. Clark picked up one of the men.
"What were you doing here?"

The man simply stared at him.

"Tell me, I'm liabel to fry you right here and now! I don't
appreciate people trespassing on my private property." He let
his eyes glow a little red. He'd learned this trick while
watching a cop show on television.

The man passed out.

Amanda had gone over to the pile of weapons and equipment, and
begun poking around. She found a scanning device that was
beeping. She picked it up and pointed it around the farm. It
beeped louder when she pointed it toward the barn. "Clark! Look
at this." She help it up for him.

He took a look at it and knew what they wanted. "The ship.
Somehow they tracked the ship here. You boys must be from Agency
38." He disappeared and returned with the small bug device. He
crushed it into fine dust. "Amanda, would you mind going inside
and calling the Sheriff's Office. Tell Deputy Rachel we have
some trespassers she needs to see to."

Amanda grinned. "No problem."

"I'm going to gather everything up and take it someplace
safe."

***

Colonel Trask was furious! <Those bungling idiots have ruined
everything. They will pay for their insubordination.> He climbed
into the driver's seat of the vehicle and turned on the
auxiliary monitor. He watched and listened as Amanda called the
Sheriff. He heard the alien talking to his men as he gathered
everything together. When the alien had left with the spaceship,
Trask put the vehicle in gear and headed towards the farm. He
turned on the police scanner, and monitored the progress of the
local law enforcement. He wouldn't have time to recover the
team, but he did have time to pick up a passenger.

***

HIMILAYAS: UNSPECIFIED LOCATION

Clark finished smoothing the walls of the make-shift cave with
his heat vision. <It should be safe here,> he thought. It would
take quite a while for a team to climb up into this remote
mountain range and locate this cave. He felt a sudden rise of
panic coming from his chest. This new feeling, this bond he
seemed to be developing with Amanda, was transmitting some uneasy
feelings. Just as suddenly, they were gone. He checked to make
sure everything was safe, then headed for the farm.

***

SMALLVILLE, KANSAS: KENT FARM

Rachel was helping the other deputies to put the last of the men
into the modern-day paddy wagon when Clark showed up.

"Where's Amanda?"

Rachel shrugged. "I thought she was with you. There wasn't
anyone here but these hog-tied, commando wanna-be's."

Clark did a quick scan of the whole place. All he found was her
purse in the front room of the house, right where she had left it
earlier. He picked it up and let himself relax into the feeling
he had within him. He could feel the bond. It wasn't as strong
as before, but it was still there. He concentrated on it, trying
to learn something from it. Anything. He had the urge to fly
west.

He went back outside and found Rachel. "I'm going to fly west,
and look for her. Can you take care of things for me?"

"Sure. I'll take them down to the jailhouse and book them on
trespassing, carrying illegal weapons, concealed weapons,
anything I can think of right now."

"Thanks." He took off, going slow, letting the feeling he had
guide him.

***

UNDERGROUND FACILITY OF AGENCY 38. UNSPECIFIED LOCATION IN
COLORADO.

Colonel Trask lay on the cot in his room and rested. His escape
from Kansas, away from the alien, had taken a toll on him. He had
managed to grab Amanda, get to Wichita and the Air Force Base
there, and on a plane heading west in little over an hour. Once
in Colorado, he had made his way to the Agency 38 safehouse,
buried deep within the mountains. There was no way for the alien
to follow them. He had put Amanda on the other cot in his room.
He didn't want to let her out of his sight. She knew information
about the alien that might prove useful. He intended on
interrogating her as soon as the drugs he had used on her wore
off.

Amanda drifted toward consciousness. The years of running had
conditioned her to the point where she was able to wake up
without looking like she was awake. It had saved her several
times. She listened to the room around her. She could hear
machinery. She heard someone breathing off to one side. It
sounded like they were sleeping or nearly asleep. She risked
cracking her eyes open a fraction of an inch to peer through her
eyelashes. She appeared to be in a small room. Laying on a cot
nearby was a man dressed in military-style fatigues. Several
monitors lined one wall.

One of the monitors came to life and a sound went off, waking the
man on the cot.

"Oh Gawd, not now," he stumbled out of the cot and over to a
desk with a control panel on it. He punched a button and someone
appeared on the screen. They were military looking as well.
"Yes? What is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir. The alien has been reported heading
west. He appears to be on a course that could possibly bring him
here."

"Possibly?"

"It is still several miles out and moving slowly, sir."

Trask had planned on holing up for a while. That would drive the
alien crazy, looking for the woman. He thought about what the
report might mean. True, the alien was moving in the right
general direction, but that could be luck. "Keep me posted. Go
to alert level two." He signed off. Just as he was about to turn
back toward the cot, another buzzer went off.

Trask cursed to himself again, too quiet for Amanda to hear. He
punched a button and a screen lit up with the faceless, black
outline.

"Hello, Colonel Trask," a well-cultured, smooth voice spoke.

"Hello. What can I do for you, Mr. X?"

"I was wondering if this... Superman... was going to be a
problem to my little operation?"

"No problem, I can assure you." Trask sat down.

"I haven't been funding this project for the past four years
for it to fall apart now. Superman has actually been making
progress on the whereabouts of Ms. Lane. He has tracked her
movements to Zaire, and the prison she escaped from."

Trask sighed. "Maybe if your operatives had been able to hold
onto her, you wouldn't have this problem now."

"Mr. Trask," the voice sounded annoyed, like the person was
talking to a child who wasn't listening.

"Listen. I can understand why you're upset," Trask continued.
"You let this... female reporter... get away carrying the
complete new National Security Plans in her skull. Now you're
afraid the Big-Blue-Boy-Scout will throw a monkey wrench into
your little scheme." Trask leaned back. "Sabotaging the
Security Plan's implementation so you can step in and sell the
government your own Plan is a brilliant idea. You paid me to make
sure the alien won't be a problem. He won't."

The figure on the screen shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"You seem to know a great deal, Colonel Trask. Might I ask how
you come to posses this knowledge?"

"Cloak-and-Dagger is my middle name. I know. I have ways of
knowing. You, one of the richest men in the world, should have
some idea how important information is."

"You're quiet right, I do know. Since you seem to know so much,
do you know where Lois Lane is now?"

"I thought you were tracking her?"

"We were. The bug we implanted in her was only designed for
short term use. It has long since quit working."

"Since you were leading her to believe that her boss was who set
her up, I would think the first thing she would want to do is to
get back to the States. Get to Metropolis and get that SOB for
making her life a living hell. You've got to assume she knows
nothing of the information she's carrying."

The figure on screen looked to the side as someone off camera
spoke to them. "I must be going. I'll look into what you've
suggested." The screen went blank.

"Fool. All that money," Trask shook his head.

Amanda was nearly shaking with emotions. <Perry is okay! He
didn't sell me out. I've got to get out of here, find Clark and
bust these guys. We also have to tell someone about the Security
Plans.> Amanda thought back to her captivity. There had been a
brief time, while she was awaiting trial that she could remember
being unconscious. They must have doped her food or something,
then embedded this information and tracking device in her.

The plan must have been to put the information in her, then use
the U.S. Embassy's weight to get her released. She would then
carry the information into America for them, and they could use
the tracking device to pick her up when they needed. That was why
they always seemed to know where she was. Now, to get out of
here. She wished Clark was here. She felt the threads of the
bond, and mentally touched them. She grabbed onto them with all
her mental might and "screamed" for help down them.

***

THE SKIES OVER WESTERN KANSAS.

Clark felt the flutter in the bond almost instantly. He was
rocked a second later by the cry for help down the bond. He could
feel the bond strengthen. He called back down the link. "I'm on
my way," and rocketed toward the mountains of Colorado.

***

UNDERGROUND FACILITY OF AGENCY 38. UNSPECIFIED LOCATION IN
COLORADO.

Alarms were going off everywhere. Amanda could hear people
running outside Trask's door. Trask, himself, was on the phone
demanding to know what was going on.

"He's here? How did he..."

His voice was cut short as the earth trembled and shook around
them. Amanda could hear booming and crashing noises from all
over. She called back down the bond. "I'm here! I'm here!"

Trask slammed the phone down and slapped a button on the control
panel. Large, protective grills snapped into place, and Amanda
had the feeling she was falling. She let Clark know what was
going on. Trask turned his attention to her for the first time
and noticed she was awake.

"Well... we'll have to use you for protection -- alien lover."
He pulled as small container from a desk drawer.

Amanda decided not to give him the opportunity to get a hold of
her. She launched herself at him intending to hit him hard and
fast, then put him away. It was a technique that had worked for
her before. Most people underestimated her.

Unfortunately, Trask didn't underestimate her. The canister he
carried contained pepper spray. The chemical hit her in the
middle of her chest then moved up to her neck, before she rolled
out of the way. The pain was incredible!

***

Clark felt the pain in the bond and flew down the shaft leading
deeper into the mountain. He ripped through the steel reinforced
walls as if they were paper. The room halted its descent, and
Clark entered the room, looking for Amanda.

Trask had her down on the floor, a small box in one hand, a
syringe in the other. The syringe was embedded in her neck. Trask
flipped open the lid to the small box, and a familiar green glow
highlighted his face in the dark.

"Hello... alien. This chunk of rock may not be enough to kill
you, but it will slow you down. Before you could get to me, I
could inject this deadly poison into the neck of this lovely
lady." Trask pointed the box in Clark's direction. "Precious
stuff, this rock. A Superman stopper. It's the only piece I've
been able to find. The one that Tempus had disappeared. I
searched Shuster's Field over and over, only to discover this
one small piece. Wise of you to get rid of it all."

"I'd still get to you," Clark's voice cracked from the
emotion. "I'd make you pay."

Trask smiled. "A small price to pay to see you suffer, if you
ask me. I don't care about myself. I'm here to protect the
world from your alien invasion."

"You are one sick, twisted, little man."

Trask just smiled. "It only takes a drop to kill her."

"What do you want?" Clark pleaded.

"I want your death. You can't use your alien powers of
subliminal messages on me. I'm not affected..."

As Trask talked, Clark realized the man was insane. He probed the
bond, asking if Amanda was all right.

She was, she responded. The pepper spray still hurt, but at least
she could think now.

<What do I do? I can feel the effects of the rock, even from
here.> Clark was begining to feel desperate.

<I'll roll to the opposite side, away from the needle. He won't
expect me to move. If I move away fast enough, the needle should
be pulled free and then you can get to him. I'll take care of
the box.>

Before Clark could object, he "heard" Amanda count to three,
then watched in slow motion as she rolled away from Trask, the
needle coming free. He moved as fast as he could, but the rock
had its predicted effect on him. He was almost knocked to a stand
still. He shoved Trask across the room with all his might,
feeling the strength fade from his body as he did so. Trask hit
the far wall with a crunch and slumped unmoving to the floor.

Amanda was on her feet again, wiping her eyes to clear the tears.
She saw Trask land and drop the box. She managed to pick up the
green rock and hurl it through the hole that Clark had made on
his entrance. She heard it clatter out of sight, deeper into the
shaft.

Clark swept her up into his arms, and hugged her tightly to his
chest. "Are you all right? Do you feel okay?"

"I'm fine. This pepper spray still hurts," she pulled harder
against him.

Clark leaned back to look at her. She could see the love and
relief on his face. "Do you realize how dangerous... how dumb
that move was? What if a drop had gotten into your system?"

"All I could think about was getting away from him. I just
reacted."

Clark hugged her again. "Do you feel this *thing* between us as
strongly as I do?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes. What does it mean?"

"It means I love you, Amanda."

She stood back. Afraid to admit she heard what he said, wanting
him to repeat it again and again.

"I'm not sure what that means since I still love Lois Lane as
well. I probably always will. This thing, this chemistry, this
bond between us. It's like *nothing* I have ever felt before.
Even with Lois from the other world, it was never this strong."

"Clark, I've got something to tell you."

"I don't want to be unfair to you or her. I keep asking myself,
how can I love two women at the same time? Can I ask you to love
me knowing I still have feelings for her?"

"Clark, It's important. I want to tell you that I'm..."

Pain. That is all there was. Pain. She fell down to her knees and
gasped for air.

"What's wrong! Amanda!" He could feel her pain, but what
scared him even more was he could feel the bond weakening. He
gathered her up in his arms and laid her on a cot.

"Clark, I've got to tell you something," Amanda said through
clenched teeth.

"What is it Amanda?" It was the drug. Clark wanted to take her
to a hospital, but he had no idea what Trask had injected into
her.

"I can't see," her breathing was getting shallow. "I can't
feel my legs."

Clark was trying to hold onto the bond. It kept getting smaller
and weaker. "Amanda! Don't leave me, please. Don't leave."

All she could see was white. It felt like she was fading into a
tunnel of light. She wanted to stay. She could hear Clark's
pleas, she could feel the desperation through the bond. She just
couldn't make herself stop going into the tunnel. <I've got to
tell him -- I love him.>

Clark was desperately holding onto the bond. He was employing
mental powers he didn't know he possessed. It felt like
something was being ripped from his soul. The feeling of love
came though the bond. He followed it, supporting it with his own
feelings of love. A picture started forming in his mind. It was
Amanda. Before his mind's eye, the image slowly changed into
Lois Lane. Understanding flowed through to him from the link. The
image faded away and the bond all but disappeared.

With sudden, maddening reality, Clark realized that Amanda was
Lois Lane. She had been there all along, and now -- now she was
slipping away and there was nothing he could do. A great swell of
emotion erupted from his lungs as he screamed his agony and
despair. The mountain shook from the force.

***

HIMALAYAS, UNSPECIFIED LOCATION

A globe made of a material unknown to man suddenly sprung to
life. It rose about three feet into the air, then shot off around
the Earth in the blink of an eye.

***

UNDERGROUND FACILITY OF AGENCY 38. UNSPECIFIED LOCATION IN
COLORADO.

Clark could feel her body relax in his arms. A sudden glow and
humming noise caused him to look up. There, floating inches from
his forehead was the globe. He held up his hand and the globe
literally leapt into it.

[CONNECTED. INTERFACE ESTABLISH WITH NODE KAL-EL. PROTOCOL
NEGOTIATED.]

He suddenly knew what to do. Images and information flowed into
his awareness. He put the globe on her chest, and placed her hand
on it. He placed his hand over hers and the globe, then put his
forehead to hers.

[TRANSFER INITIATED.]

Clark could feel the stored energy he possessed in his cell
structure begin to flow from him, through the globe, and into
Amanda -- Lois. The globe begun to glow brighter, encasing the
two of them in an aura.

[POWER LEVELS INSUFFICIENT. SOLAR ENERGY REQUIREMENTS INCREASING
TO SEVERITY LEVEL.]

He needed to get them outside, into the sunlight. He lifted them
both toward the opening in the wall and shot up out of the
mountain into the morning dawn. He set them down on the east side
of a mountain top. The glow surrounding them increased in
intensity as the sun's rays covered them.

Clark heard something. Concentrating, he realized it was
Amanda's heartbeat. It was faint, but still there. He directed
his attention on strengthening it, willing it to beat stronger.
He poured more of his life-force into her through the globe.

[POWER LEVELS INSUFFICIENT. ABSORPTION RATE INSUFFICIENT TO MEET
DEMANDS. INITIATE SECONDARY ACQUISITION METHOD.]

Clark could feel the aura that surrounded them expand. All the
plant-life around them was being consumed and converted into the
stored energy they had obtained from the sun. He channeled it
into her, willing her to open her eyes. He grasped the bond and
pulled.

Suddenly, the aura was gone. The globe was cold and lifeless in
his hand. He leaned back and looked at her. She took a shaky
breath and opened her eyes. The bond between them flared to life,
filling them both with its presence.

"YEEESSSS!!!" Clark screamed. He scooped her up and whirled her
around. He had risen about 200 feet into the air in his
excitement. They were both crying and they held onto one another
for what seemed like forever.

Finally, Clark pulled back to look at her. "I love you, Amanda
Hart."

"Clark, I have something to tell you. My name isn't
really..."

"I love you too, Lois Lane." He reached up and pulled her head
towards him and made sure he planted his lips firmly against
hers. There would be no denying this kiss, he had waited too long
for it.

Gasping for air, they pulled back and looked below them.
Extending out for nearly 100 yards in all directions was a large,
burned out area. It looked like a forest fire had burned a
perfect circle on the side of the mountain. Or a crater, only
without the hole.

"What happened?" Lois asked.

"I used the globe to transfer my aura to you. I know now, that
the yellow sun gives me the powers I have. My body chemistry uses
the sun's energy to create this aura of invulnerability around
me. The globe helped me to channel that energy into you,
essentially giving you that power to heal."

"You think I could fly now?" she asked, a look of excitement on
her face.

Clark shook his head. "I don't want to let go of you long
enough to find out." He pulled her into another kiss and slowly
lowered them to the ground.

"I guess I can call off my search now." Clark gave her a stern
look. "You do have a lot of explaining to do, you realize. I'm
happy to have found you... both of you... but I want an
explanation."

"I think you're due one. It may take a while."

"We have a lifetime."

***

SMALLVILLE, KANSAS. KENT FARM.

Amanda was laying down on the bed, Clark examining her head with
his X-ray vision. She had told him the whole story, from the
beginning, when Perry had informed her she was going to the
Congo. It had taken the bulk of the day to tell him and answer
all the questions.

"Found it. It's a micro-dot, embedded just below your scalp."
He reached over and touched the top of her head. "Right there.
We'll inform some people I know about it as soon as we get
back."

Amanda sat up. "I'm so relieved to know that Perry is clean in
this whole thing."

"Me too. Now we just have to figure out who the mystery man was.
I think we have enough clues to track him down. Getting the proof
will be the hard part."

"Where do we go from here?"

Clark looked at her. "I don't know. I was so intent on finding
you, Lois Lane, that I never gave much thought to what I would do
once I found you. Then, when I found you... Amanda Hart... all I
could think about was what I shouldn't be doing."

"Shouldn't be doing?"

"Yes. Like... this," he leaned over and kissed her lips. "Or
this..." he kissed her cheek. "Or this, or this..." Each
phrase was followed by a kiss.

***

PRESENT DAY. OUR METROPOLIS. DAILY PLANET NEWSROOM.

Lois Lane looked up as the elevator doors opened. Her husband,
Clark Kent exited and smiled immediately when he saw her. He made
his way to her desk and gave her a hello kiss.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Doing fine. Yourself?"

"Never better," he smiled. "I have a message for you. It came
from a very unique source."

"Oh? Who?" She was curious now.

"A mutual friend. We can go see it at home during lunch."

"See it? Is it a video?"

"Mmmmm... yes, sort of," Clark evaded her question. He liked to
tease her. He knew she hated not knowing.

"Clark," Lois sounded like she was going to launch into lecture
mode. "I don't need you deliberately..."

"Lois! Here's that information you needed on the Mayor's
office," Jimmy set a folder down on her desk then disappeared
again, off to who knows where.

"Come on, Lois. I've already asked Perry if it was all right to
take you home for some rest, being in your condition and all."

"Claaaark---"

He laughed. "Come on."

***

348 HYPERION AVENUE

Clark sat Lois down in the darkened living room. Then he opened
the secret compartment.

"Clark, the suspense is killing me. What exactly is going on?"

Clark returned with the globe. It was glowing faintly. "Earlier
today, I got a call -- from this."

"The globe," Lois whispered.

"Watch." Clark handed the globe to Lois, and watched as she
went into a sort of trance. After a moment, he could see her eyes
clear again.

"How?" she looked up at him. "How did they manage to send that
message?"

Clark shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Mr. Wells told them how, I
don't know. It seems to have something to do with the globes.
Did you notice it in the message?"

"Yes. I'm happy for him. I just *knew* he would find her. They
looked like they had just found the world."

"Wait until they've been married a while, then they will know
that not only have they found the world, they've discovered
their universe, their life, and their soul." He looked at her
with all the emotional truth of his words bared for her to see.

Lois pulled Clark down to the couch with her. "You're such a
hopeless romantic. I'm glad you're all mine. Kiss me."

THE END