Bureau 39

By Joan

Lois Lane was the best investigative reporter of the Daily
Planet. She had been working at the Planet for two years now,
since her graduation from the Metropolis University. She liked
her work and investigation was in her blood. Immediately after
high school, she moved away from her family. It was because her
family was the typical unhappy one. Her father, Sam Lane, a
brilliant surgeon turned inventor, was always away from home. Her
mother, Ellen Lane, was a bitter woman, always complaining about
how uncaring her husband was. Lois' life seemed much happier
without her family and she worked as a training intern at the
Planet during her college years. Perry White, chief editor of the
Daily Planet, was a true father figure for the young Lois. He was
proud of her work, unlike her own father, and really cared about
her well-being. Thus Lois saw the Planet as her real home and
soon after she joined, she became its star reporter.

Being a top investigative reporter, Lois Lane constantly looked
for new angles and information. Some of the stories were
dangerous and Lois survived them and grew stronger and wiser.
Like she said, nothing could stop Lois Lane from getting her
story.

***

"So, welcome to Bureau 39. From today onwards, you will to work
in the left wing. Because of your deep interest in
extraterrestrial life forms, I am sure you will really enjoy
working here," the head of the section informed Lois.

"Well, yes, thank you. I am really eager to start work here."
Lois put on her best eager smile.

"I am sure you are. However, some of the members of the Bureau
are quite private and as you can see during our tour, the complex
is quite large. So you may not see many people when you work
here," the man said, with an apologetically.

"Oh, that's okay. I am sort of a private person too," Lois
replied.

"Well, that's great then. I will see you sometime." The man shook
her hand and walked away, leaving Lois in her own working area.

From what Lois had seen and gathered, Bureau 39 was a secret
organisation especially concentrating on the investigation of
extraterrestrial intelligence. At first, Lois thought they were
just a bunch of crazy people obsessed with ET. But after further
research and investigation, she believed that there was a story
here. Her reporter's instinct told her that there were some
hideous things going on in the Bureau and that was the reason she
asked Perry to arrange for her cover. She was determined to dig
up the dirt.

***

There wasn't much going on for the first few days Lois worked
there. She didn't see many people hanging around and everyday she
tried to get to know those she saw at the Bureau.

On a Monday afternoon, she went about her daily routine when she
laid her eyes on a young man in the canteen. He was sitting at a
table by himself and sipping a cup of coffee. There was something
about him that caught her attention. Lois stopped with her lunch
and chose a seat so that she could observe him without him
noticing her. The young man was about 23 years old, with
jet-black hair. A lock of hair hung down his forehead, making
Lois want to smooth it back for him. He had broad shoulders and
even with his causal shirt and jeans on, she knew that he had a
body to die for. His features were mostly European, with a little
bit of Asian and this made him extremely attractive.. He was
sitting alone and after sipping his coffee, he turned his
attention to the novel in his hands. Lois noticed he had
beautiful hands, too. She rolled her eyes and thought, "What am I
doing? Drooling at a guy when I am supposed to be investigating."
However, she just couldn't stop herself from watching him. After
a while, she noticed that the man looked at his watch and an
urgent expression flashed across his face. She watched him gather
his novel and hurried out of the canteen.

The routine in the canteen went on for a few days as Lois would
be at her seat with her lunch and waited for the man to come with
his book and coffee and sit down at his usual seat. Soon Lois
became curious about the man. From what she could observe, the
man had no friends at all. Even though the members of the Bureau
liked to keep to themselves, they would talk a bit with other
members in the canteen. However, no-one approached the man or
tried to talk to him. It appeared to Lois like they were almost
avoiding him. The man himself, didn't try to talk to anyone,
either. When he walked into the canteen, he usually had his head
down, looking at the ground. Lois sensed that he felt very
lonely. Lois caught a glimpse of his eyes when one day he looked
up sensing someone watching him and she saw that they were filled
with sadness and loneliness. She also noted that they were
chocolate-coloured and that they were beautiful. Lois made up her
mind to get to know this lonely man.

***

"Hi!" Lois approached the man's table. 'He is gorgeous,' she
gasped to herself.

Startled, the man looked up from his book and gave her a startled
smile and replied, "Hi!" After the greeting, he seemed lost and
just stared at Lois.

Under his stare, Lois blushed slightly. However, she gathered
herself and proceeded. "Hi! I saw you sitting here by yourself
and I think I may like to talk to you."

This seemed to bring him back to the present and he looked a bit
surprised. "Oh, you want to talk to me?" He looked adoringly
puzzled. Disbelief was clearly etched on his face and he turned
slightly away from her.

"Yeah. I'm new here and I don't know many people myself. I saw
you in the canteen a few times and I think, maybe we can be
friends. Umm, I hope you don't mind." Lois showed her friendly
smile. Inside she was scolding herself for being so forward.

She looked at the man and saw that for a while, he actually
looked sad. Then he turned back to her and smiled, "Well, of
course I don't mind. Just that ... for a second, I was a bit
surprised that someone here actually wanted to talk to me." He
looked a bit nervous and looked around him.

Sensing his nervousness, Lois suggested, "Well, why don't we move
outside and talk for a while? Of course, that is, if you're free,
and if you like." Lois herself was a bit nervous. 'Lane, you are
acting like a teenager. For god's sake, he's just an ordinary guy
and we are just going to talk. Straighten up!'

The man looked at her for a few seconds passively and then he
nodded. The two of them stood up and walked out of the building.

They chose a place with some trees and sat down on a bench. The
young man looked like he didn't know what to say. So, Lois
started first.

"Well, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lois and I work in the
left wing. How about you?" She stopped and looked at him.

The young man stared at her for a second and then answered, "Oh,
my name's Clark. I work in the right wing." He smiled a bit but
Lois saw that he was not particularly interested in their
'conversation'. 'Okay, so he doesn't want to talk much but seems
friendly enough. Let's see how long he's been working here.'

"As I told you in the canteen, I just started here a few weeks
ago. It seems that you don't have much friends," she paused when
she saw his expression. It was a face of longing and sadness, but
she continued, "I assume you are new here, too?"

Clark sighed and turned his head away. He turned back and looked
at her. "Uh, Lois....I'm not new here." He stopped to organise
what he was going to say. "I have been here for a long time. In
fact, I have been here for as long as I can remember." Seeing her
surprised look, he explained. "Well ... they say I have a genetic
disorder and I need to have treatment, so..." Clark trailed off
as he saw Lois' expression. 'See, Clark, she is repelled by you.
And to think you can finally have a friend. Don't be such a fool.
You should have gotten used to the fact that you are different by
now. Who would willingly talk to you?' He sniffed and started to
stand up. Trying to hide the hurt he felt, he said, "Well, it's
nice to meet you, uh, Lois. I...I better get going to my lab.
Some experiments are waiting for me." He was so busy trying to
excuse himself that he didn't notice her hand on his arm.

Lois recovered from her astonishment and then saw how her
reaction had affected him. "Wait, Clark, wait." Her voice was
close to pleading. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you or
anything. I just ... can't believe that you are sick..." She
paused and then to her own surprise, she blurted out, "You look
so strong and handsome." She realised what she had blurted out
and blushed.

Clark, surprised and embarrassed, stopped in his half-standing
position. A rosy colour rose to his cheeks and he stared at the
woman in front of him. Never in his entire life, had he ever
heard anyone describe him as 'strong and handsome'. The people in
the Bureau were so cold to him that he hardly talked to anyone or
interacted with anyone. Sometimes he thought it was a wonder that
he learned how to speak at all. A bit stunned, he sat down again.
However, her compliment did seem to make him feel warm inside. It
was a new feeling to Clark.

After a moment of awkward silence, Lois gave an embarrassed laugh
and started their conversation again.

"I guess it's pretty embarrassing for me to blurt out something
like that, huh?" She said with an embarrassed smile and grimaced
a little. She looked at him and was a bit worried about his
reaction. 'What will he say?'

He looked deep into her eyes and replied in a small voice, "No
one has ever told me that before." He gave her a smile that was
warm and grateful but at the same time, a bit sorrowful. He
continued, "Thanks for the compliment." After a few seconds, he
asked, "So, do you like your work here?"

Lois thought for a second carefully. She didn't want to give her
true motive here away and who knew what position this guy had in
the Bureau. "Well, I think my work is okay. Though sometimes I
get bored by all that paperwork stuff." Then her curiosity kicked
in and she asked him, "You told me you work in the right wing,
but that you are a patient. I thought Bureau 39 specializes in
UFOs, not medicine. So...actually...what is it? If you don't mind
telling me."

To Lois' surprise, Clark proved to be a very trusting person.
During their lunch break, she found out that Clark had a very
rare genetic disorder and was taken to the Bureau when he was
very young. He grew up normally during the first few years, only
with some headaches and weaknesses once in a while. But generally
he was quite healthy. However, things got worse after his 13th
birthday. At first, he thought that he was improving because he
felt that he was becoming stronger and faster. He told his health
supervisor about the 'improvement' and then shortly afterwards,
he started to get really sick. Usually he would be fine during
the daytime. But at night, there would be a horrible attack. He
would feel weak and dizzy and there was a general sharp pain in
all his muscles and joints. He had difficulty breathing and he
couldn't think clearly during the attack. These attacks always
left him weak and exhausted and he would lose all the strength he
had gained during the day. As a result of his illness, Clark
always stayed at home at night.

Lois and Clark talked for the whole lunch break and they felt as
if they had known each other for a long time. Lois figured it was
probably because of Clark's openness. He was such a trusting
person and he appeared really interested in what Lois was saying.
He didn't try to hide anything from her and answered all her
questions. He was just happy to talk to her. She also found out
that he was really a lonely person.

Before they said goodbye, Lois asked Clark, "Why did you tell me
all about yourself? We just met each other today?"

He looked into the distance and answered, "Well...maybe it's
because I hardly have a friend here. Maybe I feel that I have
known you for a long time...somehow."

He looked deep into her eyes, searching for something and after
some hesitation, he asked, "If...you don't mind, can we meet
again sometime?" Lois' heart ached when she saw the uncertainty
and loneliness reflected in his chocolate brown eye and his
gentle tone.

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, sure. I would like that very much."
They stood and smiled at each other and after a while, Clark
turned to leave.

"Clark!" He turned to look at her with a questioning expression.
"I had a really great time talking to you. See you tomorrow."

He gave her a smile that melted her heart and left.

***

In the following days, Lois and Clark met constantly during
lunch. Sometimes, they even met after work. On the day after
their first meeting, they found that their places were actually
quite close to each other. Clark explained to Lois that after his
18th birthday, he was given his own living quarters, away from
the Bureau's laboratory. This meant a lot to him because he felt
that he was no longer under 24-hour observation. Even though all
the members of the Bureau lived on the complex, they all had
their own space away from the working area. This made him feel
more normal, that he shared the same living arrangement as the
others. He was even given a job to assist one of the researchers
with his paperwork. He added that he had learned a lot, at least
all those scientific terms and theories.

***

"Someday, I hope I'll get well and then I am going to travel
around the world," Clark told Lois. They had finished their work
early and had gone back to Clark's place. Clark's place was much
bigger than Lois' and the sitting room was really comfortable.
The bookshelf leaning against the wall was full of books.
Apparently, Clark loved to read.

"I have read so many books about different cultures, it seems a
really good idea to visit and learn more about them. I think I
would like to be a writer too."

"I love to write too, Clark. But I like to do something that is
more outdoorsy. Like investigating. Journalism is an ideal
occupation," Lois suggested. She hadn't told him she was actually
a reporter and it was making her feel guilty. 'But of course, I
can't very well tell him the truth, that is way too dangerous.'

Clark thought for a moment and then he nodded in agreement, "Yeah
that's right. I can be an investigative reporter. Then I can meet
lots of interesting people and still write at the same time.
Investigating is interesting, too. And my scientific knowledge
may come in handy. But I would like to meet lots of people and
write their stories." He smiled, imagining what it would be
like.

"Well, then you'll be really good at writing fluff pieces,
Clark," Lois teased him and patted his arm.

"Fluff pieces are nice, too. I think news shouldn't be just
limited to crime or big actions. Human interest is important,
too," he said and nodded a bit to emphasise his point.

Laughing a bit at his seriousness, Lois pulled him up from the
sofa. "Well, Mr. Fluffy. It's almost dinnertime. Do you have any
suggestions?"

***

Lois and Clark grew closer but Clark wouldn't stay at Lois' place
or let Lois stay at his place after nine o'clock. When Lois
questioned him one evening at his place, he looked sorry but
still insisted.

"I can't see you after nine, Lois." A pained expression appeared
on his face. "My attack usually comes at about ten and I assure
you, it isn't a pretty sight. I think you'll be better off
without seeing me in that state."

"But we're good friends, Clark. Isn't it true that friends are
supposed to share pain as well as happiness? I would like to be
there to support you and look after you. And I don't think I
would be better off knowing my good friend was suffering and I
wasn't there for him." Lois was a bit angry. She couldn't believe
Clark would think so little of her. She finished and glared at
him.

Unable to meet her glare, Clark looked down at his hands and said
in a small voice, "Well, I just insisted because I really thought
that would be for your own good, Lois." He paused to control his
emotions as he was really touched by her. "Well, I guess, if you
put it like that, you're right...."

Not waiting for him to say another word, Lois interrupted him and
said, "Well, then, everything is settled. I am going to stay
after nine tonight." Seeing his hesitation, she continued,
"Uh-uh, I am not going to accept no for an answer." Standing up,
she stretched a bit and said with a smile, "How about some board
games?"

***

Lois and Clark were sitting on the carpet. They were playing some
board games after dinner and they were having a good time.
However, when it approached ten, Lois noticed that Clark was
constantly checking the clock on the living room wall and was
distracted.

"Clark? It's your turn to throw the dice." When no answer came,
she called him again, "Clark?"

"Huh?" Finally shifting his attention back to her, Clark
apologised. "Oh, sorry, Lois. I guess I'm just a bit distracted.
I usually can't concentrate much around this time. Waiting for
the attack to strike, you know." He gave her a small smile.

"Is it really that bad?" she asked sympathetically, squeezing his
hand a bit.

Clark nodded quietly. "Yes, it's really bad. ... Maybe I should
try to relax and try to forget about it. Though I have been
dreading it around this time every night for the last ten
years."

Lois didn't know what to say to comfort him. The Bureau had been
trying to find a cure in the past decade or so and there was
still no solution. What could an investigative reporter do to
take his disease away? The best she could do was to be his friend
and be there for him.

"Well, no matter how bad it is, Clark, I will be your friend and
be here for you." She smiled a bit as she saw him relax a bit and
she handed him the dice.

"Well, then let's keep playing." He threw the dice with a smile.

***

Just after the clock struck ten, Clark suddenly doubled over in
pain. "Lois..." he gasped and tried to stand up. However, he lost
his balance and collapsed back onto the floor.

"Clark!" Lois exclaimed. She rushed to his side and touched his
forehead with the back of her hand.

"God, you're burning up!" She told herself to calm down. 'Lane,
settle down. You don't want to worry Clark. Think of something to
help him,' she commanded herself. She looked around. "We need to
cool you down, Clark. Let me get some water from the kitchen."
She was about to stand up but Clark's trembling hand on hers
stopped her.

"Lois, it won't help," he said between gasps. Lois noted that he
was getting paler by the second and told herself once again not
to panic.

Clark's eyes narrowed in pain and his breathing was laboured. He
forced himself to focus on Lois. But the pain coursing through
his body was making the task difficult. "I don't think...I can
get to the bed, Lois...Can you get me a pillow?" He felt the
familiar sensation of his strength draining from him.

"Yes, I will get you a blanket too. I'll be right back. Clark,
you just try to relax and rest." Lois rushed into his bedroom.

It took her less than one minute to get the pillow and blanket.
She was really worried. She hurried to where he was lying and was
relieved to see him still conscious. She lifted his head a bit to
put the pillow under it. It was a struggle since Clark had grown
really weak. She then covered him with the blanket. Clark had
closed his eyes. Whether he was about to fall asleep or slip into
unconsciousness, she didn't know. However, she knew that he still
felt extreme pain from his occasional groans. She smoothed the
lock of hair back from his forehead and traced his jaw line. 'He
has such a nice face,' she thought. Even though he was so pale at
the moment, she still thought he was the most gorgeous man she
had ever met. She looked at him for a moment and wished that he
would get better soon.

Clark opened his eyes and saw Lois looking down at him. He smiled
at her weakly. "Thank you, Lois." His voice was almost inaudible.
"Don't worry if I am...unconscious later. It always
happens...I'll be okay in the morning." He waited till Lois
nodded. Lois chatted with him for a while, trying to get his
attention away from the pain. A few minutes later, Clark finally
succumbed to the weakness and lost consciousness.

Lois sat on the sofa in the living room and wrapped herself in a
spare blanket she found in his bedroom. She looked at him
constantly just to check his breathing. His breathing was so
shallow that she needed to move her face near his chest to check.
She was relieved when she saw his chest rising and falling with
each breath, even though the movement was small. She thought that
although he was unconscious, at least he was not feeling the pain
anymore.

When the sun rose, Lois saw that Clark began to stir. She quickly
moved to him and called him softly, "Clark, can you hear me?" He
blinked a bit and stretched. Then he opened his eyes and saw her
looking at him with concern and worry.

"Morning, Lois." His voice was a little hoarse and his face was
still pale, but otherwise, he felt fine.

"Clark! I am so glad you are awake." Lois hugged him tightly. She
couldn't imagine how he could endure this torture night after
night for the past years and still faced each day with such
courage. He was really a strong person.

He smiled a bit and hugged her back. "Well, I am feeling okay
now. Lois, thanks for staying with me last night. It means a lot
to me."

"I am glad to be here. Though I don't think I helped you much."
Her voice softened.

"Lois, you are a great help," Clark held her hands and looked at
her, "I have always been alone, except the occasional visit from
those medical people and scientists. But I feel like a specimen
when they are around. But you, you are my friend, Lois. You are
the only one who makes me feel like a person, an individual. I
can't find the right words to tell you how grateful I am for your
friendship."

"Oh, Clark." Lois' lips quivered. "And you make me feel so
important."

"Well, you are."

***

In the following nights, Lois stayed with Clark during his
attack. They would talk after dinner and prepare Clark for the
attack near ten o'clock. However, Lois discovered something
strange about Clark's illness.

They just finished an early dinner one night and were washing the
dishes. They planned to have more time to relax before Clark's
attack.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

Lois asked thoughtfully, "I have noted something unique about
your attack."

"Well, since my disorder is so," Clark said with a sarcastic
smirk, "rare, I wouldn't be surprised if there is something
unique about it."

Lois shook her head. "No, Clark. What I mean is, there is
something suspicious about it. Listen to me, okay?" She grabbed
him and pulled him onto the living room and they both settled on
the sofa. She had his full attention.

"Ok. For these few nights that I've been here, I notice that your
attack always, always, starts at ten. Don't you think that's a
bit strange?" She waited until he nodded.

"And you have been here for almost your whole life. It just
doesn't make sense to me that you don't know your origin. It
shouldn't be a secret. If you are a patient, shouldn't they be
more caring about your wellbeing? The most important of all,
Bureau 39 is a secret organisation dedicated to tracking down
UFO's. It isn't supposed to be a medical research centre. I have
been thinking about this for a while now, and it just doesn't
make any sense."

Clark looked at her uncertainly. "I think you're right. There are
many things that don't make sense here. But what are we going to
do?"

Lois' eyes twinkled. "I think we have some investigation to do."

***

"Are you sure it's safe, Lois?" Clark asked incredulously. They
were sneaking into the storage room of the Bureau.

"Sshh, quiet, Clark," Lois whispered as she was tried to open the
locked door with a hairpin. "Of course it isn't safe. That's why
this is called investigating."

"Oh, boy."

"Shh, now, if I can just...yes, it's opened. Get in." The two of
them sneaked into the room.

"Wow, I never thought the storage room was this big," Clark
whispered. All they saw were rows and rows of file cabinets.
There were also a few computers around.

Rushing to one of the computers like an experienced investigative
reporter, Lois started punching the keyboard.

"Lois, what are you doing?" Clark stood behind her and looked at
the screen over her shoulders.

"I'm searching for information about you. We need to find out
what is really wrong with you. This may help you with your
illness."

After she went into the directory of the Bureau, Lois stopped to
think for a while. She scrolled through the directory. "Ah ha,
here is one big file with your name on it. You would think being
such a secretive organisation, they would know better not to be
so obvious. Ok, let's see." She brought out the file and when she
read on, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"I don't believe this, Clark." She whispered and motioned Clark
to read.

"No way," Clark whispered in an unsteady voice. He sank into a
nearby chair, shaken.

Lois approached him and laid her hand softly on his arm. "Are you
okay?"

She grew really worried as Clark remained silent. After a few
more minutes, she finally couldn't stand it anymore. She squeezed
his hand and called him again, "Clark?"

"I...I...am an...a.alien?!" His voice was trembling as he looked
up at her with the most shaken expression she had ever seen on
anyone.

"Clark, it's all right. It may not be true," she soothed him.
"The Bureau is filled with paranoids looking for aliens
everywhere they go. And even if you really turn out to be from
another planet, it doesn't change who you are. You are still you,
a caring and courageous person. Where you are from doesn't matter
at all." Hearing her words, Clark began to calm down.

"Now, we need to gather evidence and I think we can find them
here and see what actually causes your illness. Let's see." Lois
typed in something and waited. "Bingo. The Bureau has been
testing #1871719. This specimen is some kind of rock from outer
space. It is a green glowing crystal. It said here that it was
discovered from a place called Smallville in Kansas. They thought
this rock was from the same planet as you and ...my god, they
have been testing its effects on you since they brought you here.
And the adverse effects are..."

"Headaches, dizziness, weakness and extreme pain," Clark said the
words out loud with Lois. By now, Clark was enraged. He couldn't
believe all these time, the Bureau was actually causing his
suffering. And he was scolding himself for being such a fool to
believe that they were trying to find a cure for his 'genetic
disorder'.

He stood up from the chair and walked over to the computer. He
read the information on the screen out loud. "Specimen #1871719
is used on the subject at 10pm daily at subject's quarter. The
Bureau has convinced subject the attack is due to a rare genetic
disorder. Subject is convinced to stay in quarters every night
and thus is effectively exposed to the rock and weakened." His
hands were balled into fists and his jaw tightened. Finally he
uttered, "This is sick."

Lois looked at him and was concerned. She looked at her watch
that showed that it was already 10:30pm. They had been so busy
sneaking into the department that they had forgotten about
Clark's attack. Obviously, Clark was still fine, physically.

After reading more from the screen, Clark turned to Lois and
spoke, "Now that I know the truth, I think we need to get away
from this place. This file said they brought me here from
Smallville, Kansas. Here," he pointed a paragraph to Lois, "it
says that this couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, had been keeping
me for three years. They put up a fight against the agents. But
they were injured and the agents snatched me." His voice softened
as he reminisced, "Actually I can remember faintly calling
someone Mom and Dad." He continued to read and his voice showed
his surprise, "and a small solid globe with a map of the Earth on
it. It was classified as an object of extraterrestrial origin."
He was so excited that he could hardly breathe.

"Lois! We have to find this globe!" He exclaimed. "It must be
here somewhere, locked in one of those cabinets. It may tell me
something important."

Suddenly, Clark heard something knocking at the cabinet from the
inside. "Lois, can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Lois looked around confused because she couldn't
hear anything.

"It is very faint but it sounds like something knocking from the
inside of the cabinet." Shaking his head, Clark headed toward the
source of the noise.

He stopped in front of one of the cabinet at the centre of the
room. He looked at the label and breathed, "Smallville Incident."
He proceeded to rip off the lock as Lois caught up with him.

She looked at the broken lock in his hands and said, "Wow, Clark,
how did you...?"

"I don't know Lois. It just broke easily." He also looked puzzled
but then he heard the sound in the cabinet again. This time even
Lois had heard the noise. She motioned to Clark and he opened the
cabinet.

Inside the cabinet, was the globe. It looked like a small sphere
of the Earth, showing all the continents and oceans. It was
glowing and seemed to be beckoning to Clark. Clark couldn't take
his eyes off it and he scooped it up into his hands. Once the
globe was in touch with Clark, it changed its pattern showing
another map, which had red landmasses. Clark seemed to be in a
trance and was staring at the globe and wasn't aware of anything
else.

Lois noticed his strange state and was getting worried again.
"Clark." She shook his arm but he was staring at the globe in his
hands. He stood there like a statue, unmoving.

After some more shaking, he suddenly came out of the trance.
"Krypton." He gazed at the glowing globe with wonder and then he
realised Lois was standing beside him. He took a deep breath and
told Lois, "Krypton, I am from Krypton, Lois."

"So, you are really from another planet." She paused and saw his
smiling face. She asked carefully, "Are you okay with this?"

Thinking, he answered softly, "Yeah, now that I know I'm
perfectly healthy. Besides, I don't see the difference between
human and...Kryptonian. So, no one will know I am an alien when I
walk down the street."

"That's true," Lois agreed. She was glad that Clark had recovered
from his initial shock.

"I don't think you will have a chance to walk down the street,
Clark," a voice suddenly boomed behind them. They turned quickly
to face its owner.

"Dr. Trask?" Clark asked in surprise. He glared at the man in the
military uniform and saw that he was holding a gun. There was
another man standing beside him. However, the man's hands were
tied up from behind. It was his supervisor, Dr. Thompson. Clark
noticed that Dr. Thompson's heart was beating rapidly.

"Dr. Thompson?"

"Well, Clark, we have been monitoring your every move," Trask
pointed the gun at Lois and Clark.

"All these years, you have been lying to me. I know the truth
now. I am not suffering from any genetic disorder. And the
attacks, they are caused by you, the so-called researchers,"
Clark accused. Clark looked at Thompson and said softly, "And I
thought you were helping me."

Thompson bowed his head in shame, "I am sorry, Clark. But I had
no choice. I had to do what I did or else they would kill my
family."

"Yes, that's right. He was just a pawn," Trask confirmed coldly.
Then he turned to Clark. "You are an alien. I have been wanting
to eliminate you since the first day. But no, the Bureau said we
needed to observe you and keep you alive," Trask spat.

He took a step toward Clark and aimed the gun at his chest. "I
have told them that you are just the first one of the invaders.
But they don't believe me. Doesn't matter. Tonight, I saw you
come here and that thing in your hand is the proof of the aliens'
scheme of invading Earth."

He was about to fire when Thompson shouted out, "Stop it, Trask!
He hasn't done anything. It is actually unethical to lock him up
and cause him unnecessary pain."

"Shut up, Thompson. He is an alien, an invader. I am just
protecting humanity from his kind." Suddenly, Trask noticed Lois
who had been standing beside Clark all the time. She was truly
disgusted by the ramblings of this madman. She didn't need her
reporter's instinct to tell her that they were in a really
dangerous situation.

"Well, and you, you befriend the alien. You deserve to die too.
And I will kill you first." He immediately aimed the gun at her
and pulled the trigger.

The next few seconds seemed to play in slow motion to Lois. She
heard both Clark and Thompson shout "No!" and she saw Clark rush
in front of her. But all she could do was stand there and stare
at the bullet that was heading straight at her. Her whole body
froze. All she could think of was that she was going to die.

Then to her surprise and shock, Clark succeeded in getting in
front of her and she heard the bullet strike his body. "Clark!"
she shouted.

She kneeled beside his fallen body as tears streamed down her
face. "Oh, my god. Clark." Her voice and her body were
trembling.

Clark opened his eyes and Lois saw that there was no sign of pain
in them. Instead, his eyes were wide with surprise. "Lois, I'm
okay," he whispered. He searched for damage with his hands and
they both expected them to come up bloody. However, they were
clean, with no blood at all.

Just when they were puzzling over this new discovery, they heard
the sounds of a struggle. Thompson had somehow untied himself and
now he was fighting Trask for the gun.

Both men were punching each other, groaning and snarling. Lois
and Clark could only watch as they were still recovering from
Clark's miraculous survival from the shot.

Suddenly, they heard a gunshot and saw Trask collapse to the
floor. Thompson touched his neck searching for a pulse. He looked
up and announced calmly, "He's dead."

Lois and Clark sighed with relief. Thompson approached them and
when he saw the fear and uncertainty in their eyes, he assured
them, "Look, I am not going to hurt you. You can go. Leave here."
Then he gave a heavy sigh. "I have been wanting out for a long
time. But Trask blackmailed me with my family. Now that he's
dead, I think I can finally escape."

"How about those files about me?" Clark asked, worried.

"We will destroy them, after you've read through them and get the
information you want. Don't worry, the unit studying you is
actually a very small group, less than five people. And most of
us are working involuntarily under the control of Trask. He was a
madman." He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"I am so sorry that I couldn't help you earlier, Clark. But I can
assure you that no one will be looking for you. Your secret is
safe. You are free to go." He smiled a bit and was relieved to
see that Clark did the same.

***

Lois and Clark were waiting at the airport. Lois was going back
to Metropolis. After the eventful day at the Bureau, Lois finally
confessed to Clark that she was a reporter, though she didn't
tell him that she was working at the Daily Planet. On hearing the
truth, Clark was initially a bit upset but forgave her quickly.
He told her he understood that was for her safety. She also
promised that she would never write anything about him in the
paper.

"Where are you planning to go, Clark?"

"Well, I'm going to Smallville first, to see whether the Kents
are still living there." His voice was hopeful. They had reason
to believe that the Kents were still alive from the information
they found at the Bureau.

"Then, I may travel the world. Especially since I don't need to
worry about paying for my air tickets." He gave her a secretive
smile. During the last few days, they had discovered that besides
being invulnerable to bullets, Clark could also fly, see through
almost anything, fry eggs with his heat vision etc.. They
reasoned that since Clark was no longer exposed to the lethal
rock, he had regained all his rightful abilities.

They hugged each other and said goodbye.

"Good luck in finding your parents, Clark. I'll see you in the
future."

"Good luck too, Lois. Take care of yourself and be a great
reporter," Clark smiled back.

"I will."

***

Four years later

Lois burst into Perry's office. Her mind was so full of the story
that she didn't even notice there was a stranger sitting in front
of Perry's desk.

"Chief, I think there's a story here and we should check this guy
out. The crazy one this morning? His name is Samuel Platt and he
was an engineer at EPRAD for ten years. He's ..."

"Lois, it's just great that you're here. Meet the Planet's new
investigative reporter."

"Perry..." just as Lois was about to interrupt the introduction,
she took a look at the stranger. Her eyes widened and her heart
skipped a beat. It was him. He looked as great as she remembered,
but this time he was wearing a pair of glasses.

"Clark," she said aloud.

"Kent," Perry finished with a start. "Lois, how did you..?"

Her smile matched the one on Clark's face. They looked at each
other, surprised and happy.

"We've met before, Chief," they spoke together, grinning from ear
to ear.

THE END