Where Hope Leads

[imhooked]

I was so hoping it was someone other than Lois, but you know maybe she is being used as a front. Maybe the real she is pulling her strings some how. From Clark's description it doesn't seem like the same person that just stabbed lex in the back. Okay, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I have to make sense of this. Maybe she's possessed...come on help me out and I am losing it here!

Great story! Update soon

[bigvillir001]

Okay the story is amazing am completely hooked however i share the scent confusion and shock as everyone else how can it be Lois How you have to update please

[Lane Kent]

When is the next update??

[kerthwinner]

Bump

When is the next update??

Ditto!! When's the next installment!?

[MegasaurusRex]

*sigh* I shall accept your offer of once a week*mumblemumblemumble* but let's be honest . . . you could update your stories once a year and I'd still read it . . .

I truly enjoyed the scene from Lex's POV, it's not easy to write him, especially when he thinks he's doing the right thing, but you once again astound me with the effortlessness that you convey. *falls prostrate on the floor* I'm not worthy . . . . I'm not worthy . . .

*cough* great update, I eagerly await your next move O mighty authoress

[Briee]

Author's Notes: Okay, guys, first off, you have to know that I am so so sorry about this, really but I can't finish this story. I just have no idea where to go from here.





And the second thing is--


I'm totally messing with you. *sees mob forming and pitchforks waving* Hey, look what I got! *holds up update and the crowd starts to quiet. wipes brow* Whew! That was close. Okay, I'll get to the replies and then to the update!

WHAT!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MY MENTAL HEALTH??? LOIS???!!! ARE YOU CRAZY??? ANYONE BUT HER!!!!
LANA, CHLOE, SHELBY, ANGELINA JOLIE, KIM KARDASHIAN, BUT NOT LOIS *pout* TT
Update!!!!! TT

Me, crazy? Nah.

I'll give you Lana and Chloe...and maybe Angelina Jolie, but Kim Kardashian, I can't really picture her as the brain power that pulls this off? And poor Shelby, would you really do that to him/her?

If it helps, I come baring an update!

How how HOW can it be Lois?! Gah!! At first I was certain it was Tess. Then after we learn that Lex was in the picture, I was convinced it was Lana. But Lois?! HOW did this happen!?? I can only hope that there is redemption in here somewhere...whatever the journey, I'm sure it will be an interesting one! Well-written chapter, by the way, if enormously discouraging!

LOL, I know there were a lot of different theories floating around and they were good ones!

LOL, well, I'm glad that you still liked it, even if it was discouraging!

Quote Originally Posted by Briee View Post


In fact, he could believe anything right at this moment, anything-

But the idea that it was Lois Lane who had brought the world to its knees.


*eyes crowd warily* Oh, look! The first comic episode of Smallville season eleven is out! I should go read that! *disappears*
OH HELL NO, you get back here right- wait, the new comic book is out? Reall- Wait a second! No distractions!

I demand an update time, at the very least. Most Evul Cliff-Hanger That Ever Evuled.

I'm terrified of what the back-story to this is. What's happened to her?

Uh-huh. Yep, it's out!

LOL, well, the update time is-- right now.

LOL, I love that Most Evul Cliff-Hanger that Ever Evuled! That is priceless. As far as the back story, you're going to find out a little bit of what happened with it in this next update.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! You cannot leave it there! Wait don't disappear just yet! Oh, who am I kidding it's Smallville Season 11!

Okay I know you said you would reveal who SHE was in this update, but i didn't know it would be in the very... last... line! You sneak!!
My heart was pounding all the way through this! And the HE who betrayed them was Lex? Say what?!

I should have known it was Lois but my mind did not want to go there. I thought well for sure Lana, cause well, do I really need to explain
Maybe Tess, Chloe, hell I thought of every female who appeared on the show! For goodness sake you had me think of his own mother Martha!
That's how crazy you made me!
*takes deep breath* ok breathe *exhales* ok I needed that




I love this! See what you've done Briee. By the end of this we're all going to have to be committed to Bell Reeve lol

Oh, and if you can't tell from my ranting, I loved the update lol

PPMS Emphasis on soon

LOL, and it was a very nice start to the season! *looks innocent* What? I said I would reveal and I did. I didn't promise any more for that update, now did I?

If it makes you feel any better, I think my heart was pounding all the way through the posting of the last chapter as well. Well, the He they think betrayed him was Lex.

LOL, nope, you don't have to explain about Lana. But, that's one of the reasons that I didn't want to use her. LOL, I know, I kind of planted the Martha seed, but I couldn't help it! Keep breathing. You're going to need to keep doing that if you want to read the update, you know.

LOL, we'll all go crazy together and then wait for Clark to break us out. Sound good?

I can tell and I'm glad you did. And here is the update, as promised!

Yes, I knew it was Lois. There was no-one else who Clark would be 'unable to believe it' of until he'd seen the utter destruction first. Although the betrayer was rather unexpected.

At this stage I have lots of questions, but only one of them is REALLY griping at me. Where is Future Clark, what happened? Oh, and I suppose ... what the heck happened to Lois? Although I have a theory now after the reveal of the 'symbol'.

Well, it was probably a little more obvious since this is posted in the Lois/Clark section, but at the same time, I think that Clark would have a hard time believing that anyone he could count on, know, trust in the present would be someone who could do all of this in the future. And I'm glad that Lex was a bit of a surprise for you!

Future Clark is dead. I didn't come right out and say that in Chapter two, but that's what Jimmy was hinting at when Clark asked him where his future self was.

As far as Lois, well, you're going to find out that a piece at a time. Ooh, more theories, I can't wait to hear them!

(Oh, and by the way, I just LOVE your avatar!)

What do u mean it's Lois????????
no u do not disappear .... U keep writing & post the next chapter like In an hour!!
i m in shock! What happened? Why Lois?????? My brain can't move on to anything else now uurgghh


On the side note - loving the updates what an update!!

LOL, I'm going to have to lay very low between updates, aren't I?

You're going to see a little bit more of what happened in this next part and I'm glad that you're enjoying it!

Okay I am a bit calmer now!!
If there could be a world with evil Clark Luthor.... Why not an Evil Lois Lane!

Please update more often! I am dying to know what happened....

LOL, there ya go, expand your horizons! Although I will say that Clark has been brought to the future and not the future of an Alt-World.

Sorry, hon, this is the best this writer can do for updates. But, I promise that each one is going to reveal new things... that will probably torment you even more! I kid, I kid!

Quote Originally Posted by KatherineKent View Post
... what the heck happened to Lois? Although I have a theory now after the reveal of the 'symbol'.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? It sounded like Zod's symbol to me... hmmm...

Ooh, and the first theory comes up!

Quote Originally Posted by kerthwinner View Post
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? It sounded like Zod's symbol to me... hmmm...
I'm remembering a particular possession that occured in S8, by a particular phantom, that was related to another particular phantom, that uses a particular symbol. Vague enough?

Psshh, I get it! It's so totally obvious-- it's the witch French witch that went around possessing harmless art students in season four, right?

Quote Originally Posted by Briee View Post
a diamond with a vertical eternity emblem in the middle.
Question: Isn't a vertical symbol of eternity simply an 8? Or did you have another symbol in mind?

LOL, well, technically, yes. In fact, when they describe the symbol for eternity they often say "a figure eight." I wish I could draw, but I can't, so I'll try to say this with my words. To me, the symbol is a black background with a thin outline of a diamond symbol, silver in color. In the same color in the middle is a vertical figure eight (eternity symbol ) but it is a little bit elongated more than just this -> 8 would be. I hope that helps to clarify.

Nononononono, this is a awful idea, the worst idea ever!!
Impossible that this woman could be Lois.
There is no way Lois could turn evil, gosh she is Lois Lane, shes universally consistent.
This woman has destroyed everything, this woman is just brings fear and dead, killed every hope. This is NOT right. This CANīT be Lois.
This turn destroyed the story for me.

There were so many option, why had to be Lois?
Donīt get it......

*pats consolingly on shoulder* Aw, sweetie, I did say this story would be a little different. And I agree with you, on all points about Lois.

Now, I will say this, I'm not like a lot of the other writers on here. They have the ability to just write a chapter at a time and wing it. I don't. I have to have the entire thing mapped out and a couple of rough drafts written before I get started. So, I do know exactly where I want this story to go, if that's any help.

Totally new it would be Lois.....It would have been to obivious for it to be Lana or even Chloe.
Now the ideas of why Lois would bring the world to its knees are swimming in my mind...the only good reason i came up with is that she has been taken over by brainiac or something similar reason being you said her eyes looked empty and cold, cause I really can't see Lois doing this for any other reason.

Or maybe Clark must have really pissed her off.....loool

UPDATE SOOON PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! NEEED MORRE!!!!

LOL, well, I guess Chloe and Lana would be a little obvious.

Hmm, more theories! LOL, I like the last one the best!

Well, more is here, enjoy!

Quote Originally Posted by Eleidich View Post
Nononononono, this is a awful idea, the worst idea ever!!
Impossible that this woman could be Lois.
There is no way Lois could turn evil, gosh she is Lois Lane, shes universally consistent.
This woman has destroyed everything, this woman is just brings fear and dead, killed every hope. This is NOT right. This CANīT be Lois.
This turn destroyed the story for me.

There were so many option, why had to be Lois?
Donīt get it......
IMHO this is the companion piece to a story I've recently read. It was about "Night", a Darkseid-infested Clark and the Legion sent Lois to the past to prevent that from happening.

Well, this is one theory that I will have to answer to, because it involves another story. Although I'm flattered (LOL, not only because she's a good friend of mine and I helped with that story! ) that you think that this story might tie into Lane's Odyssey, it doesn't. This story stands alone.

Ok, i've been meaning to read this since you started posting and that's me at the end of the chapter:



I had a feeling the "she" could be Lois because of how they were stalling telling Clark who the bad girl of this terrible future was. I just don't have any idea why she turned out so bad... actually i have some theories and questions but won't voice them yet, i'll wait for a few more chapter but, one of them is quite the same one Victoria (KatherineKent) and Kerthwinner are thinking...

LOL, bet you're wishing you'd wait a bit, huh?

More theories, I can't wait to see what you've come up with!

OMG!

I knew I should've waited a little longer before starting to read this story so that I wouldn't suffer so much until you updated again but I was so curious about this story...

I can't say that I love the fact that she is Lois but I'm loving the story so far!! I had a suspicion that it might be Lois but I was hoping it was Lana since she has the suit and all that green-k on her... Anyway, keep up! I'll try to wait patiently for your next update. (PLEASE, update soon!!!!)

LOL, not exactly what you were expecting, huh?

There were good reasons for guessing just about everybody and I tried to leave it as vague as I could so that people could form their own opinions on who it might be. LOL, well, test your patience no longer, the update is here!

Great,ppms

Thanks! mih- more is here!

I was so hoping it was someone other than Lois, but you know maybe she is being used as a front. Maybe the real she is pulling her strings some how. From Clark's description it doesn't seem like the same person that just stabbed lex in the back. Okay, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I have to make sense of this. Maybe she's possessed...come on help me out and I am losing it here!

Great story! Update soon

Another theory, huh? That Lois is being used as a front or possessed? Very interesting!

Okay the story is amazing am completely hooked however i share the scent confusion and shock as everyone else how can it be Lois How you have to update please

Got ya hooked, huh? Are you sure? Maybe I should throw out just a little more bait first....

When is the next update??

Update? Update? Now what makes you think that I brought an update with me- *sees update peeking out from behind back* Damn.

Here's your update. *holds it up like a wiggling puppy*

Bump
Quote Originally Posted by Lane Kent View Post
When is the next update??
Ditto!! When's the next installment!?

Hey, I let that update loose. You'll have to find it on your own!

*sigh* I shall accept your offer of once a week*mumblemumblemumble* but let's be honest . . . you could update your stories once a year and I'd still read it . . .

I truly enjoyed the scene from Lex's POV, it's not easy to write him, especially when he thinks he's doing the right thing, but you once again astound me with the effortlessness that you convey. *falls prostrate on the floor* I'm not worthy . . . . I'm not worthy . . .

*cough* great update, I eagerly await your next move O mighty authoress

LOL, you might as well, meg, it's the best you're going to get. Aw, hon, you're the best! *hugs*

No, it's not easy to write Lex, because nothing Lex ever does is done for the humanitarian benefit only, so there's more to it, but that said, he's also doing the right thing here. LOL, well, I'm glad that I conveyed it, and I just won't tell you how many times I rewrote that to get it right.

*sees meg bowing and reaches out pats her head* I feel like Aboo from Aladdin when Jasmine bows in front of him right before he spills the goods!

And speaking of the goods... Read on!

[MegasaurusRex]

*takes down hangman's noose* how could you do that to me? . . . . *huddles in corner* I'll just be here until the update arrives . . .

[Briee]

IV. The Path of Righteousness

Each of us had a role to play in this cosmic odyssey.


The world fell away as he stared at her, taking in the familiar tilt of her chin and the curves of her face that he knew. But there was so much that he didn't recognize- the hair that was as dark as the night, the blankness of her expression, the emptiness in her eyes. So very different from the woman who had always looked at him with a smirking twist of her lips, a playful arch of her eyebrow and a challenge in her gaze. And yet, still so undeniably Lois.

"Lois." He didn't know he had murmured her name. He just knew that he needed to get to her, to have her explain all this to him; because somehow Lois would make sense out of this. She would tell him that it was a mistake, that she could never do this. Then she would punch him in the arm and smirk up at him, telling him he should have known that all along. He wasn't aware he had started to stand until the entire team jumped on him, pulling him down again. Some distant part of his brain realized that it was only his shock at seeing her that allowed them to bring him to his knees.

"Not now," Oliver whispered harshly in his ear as he fought to keep a grip on Clark's arm. He knew there was only one thing that would stop Clark from going after her. "Not here. You won't get within twenty feet of her. The only thing you'll do is get us all killed."

He finally stopped struggling as the words penetrated his mind. He turned his head back, looking from Oliver's determined face to the others who wore expressions of regret mingled with fear. He understood then that they hadn't come to protect him from her; they had come to stop him from going after her. Victor was the strength, Bart was the speed, and Oliver had been the driving force behind it all. For a reckless moment he wanted to break free of them and rush after her, but the fear in their eyes was real and there was so much that he didn't know. He reluctantly nodded his ascent and they cautiously released their grip on him. They all stayed bowed until the tank was out of sight and then everyone slowly came to their feet.

On the other side of the street, an older man wearing thin wire frame glasses stumbled as he tried to stand, knocking into the legs of one of the last soldiers in the procession.

"Hey! Don't you know how to act in the presence of the Empress, dog?" The soldier spat, backhanding the man, knocking him to the ground. "Now, do you want to show her eminence the respect you should, or do I need to beat it out of you?"

Clark surged toward them, but the group threw themselves around him once more, Victor's grip tight on his shoulders.

"They won't kill him," Oliver assured him. He had seen this play out before. The soldiers wanted to humiliate and belittle people whenever they could, but no one killed without her orders. No one. When he still tried to move, Oliver whispered harshly, "Die today to save one, or live to save more tomorrow. We can't help them, not like this."

Clark twisted to face him, his brow coming together incredulously, unable to believe he could think something like that. Then he saw the others nodding grimly, as if they had heard him say it before...and agreed with him. As the soldier spoke again, Clark's eyes went back to the man lying there, his whole body poised to move if he needed to intervene.

The soldier jeered, "Now, do you remember your manners, old man?"

The man struggled to roll himself over, coming up enough to manage a bow in tribute, mumbling, "The rule of the Empress, always."

"And don't you forget it," the soldier said as he kicked him back to the ground and then laughed as he walked on.

This time Clark didn't wait, throwing off their grip and striding across the street, glaring in the direction the soldier had gone. Part of him wanted to go after him, but instead he went to the old man's side as he laid on the dirty sidewalk. His breathing was labored, but Clark's x-ray vision showed that his ribs weren't broken, only bruised. He bent down, offering his hand. "Here, let me help you up."

Simon laid on the ground, his chest on fire, his vision blurred from the pain. In a life before this, he had sold newspapers. He had done it his whole life, from the time he had gotten his first paper route when he was nine until he had owned his own newsstand. It had been a simple choice that many hadn't understood, but he hadn't cared. It had been what he wanted. He had seen the changes of the world pass him by as he sat in his booth on the corner of fifty-seventh and main, content to read about the changes that hadn't. After the world had turned dark and the attacks on the city had started, his friends had urged him to leave. But he hadn't, couldn't.

For the nearly seventy years that he had lived on this Earth, Metropolis had been his home. Even if the Daily Planet no longer existed and he could no longer sell newspapers on early sunlit mornings, he still had to be here. He would see it through until the end, he thought with a groan, no matter what the cost. A tall figure came up to stand beside him and he flinched, thinking the solider had come back. He struggled to get up and move into a bow before another blow could land. Instead a soft voice spoke, offering help.

He blinked back the tears of pain that had filled his eyes and focused on the tall man with dark hair who had bent down beside him, his hand stretched out. At that moment one of the soldiers patrolling set one of the older cars on fire. The paint made the flames burn red and yellow as they flared out behind the man, almost like a cape. Simon's eyes widened in recognition. His hand shook as he pointed it at him. "You're- Are you-"

Clark gently grasped his outstretched hand and lifted him onto his feet. The older man swayed for a moment and Clark put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Are you all right?"

Still in a daze, he nodded. It couldn't be, could it? He murmured, "After all this time, you're here. I never believed that you had gone, really."

Clark's brow furrowed, not understanding what he meant or the entranced expression on his face. But for some reason, he felt the impulse to apologize to him, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

Simon's eyes filled with tears even as a smile trembled on his lips. He shook his head. "No, no, you're here now. That's all that matters." He reached out and tapped the middle of his chest, his smile growing. "Just like always when we need you."

Clark started to ask him what he had meant and who he thought Clark was, but then he caught sight of Oliver approaching. He felt protective of the fragile hope in the older man's eyes and didn't want Oliver to do anything to shatter it. He took a step back, nodding once to him in goodbye, then turned back to face the people who had brought him here. His anger rose swiftly again as he glared accusingly at each of them before brushing past Oliver, clipping his shoulder. He pushed through the crowd going in the direction they had come from, never looking back. He didn't trust himself to, knowing that if he did, he wouldn't stop until he had found Lois.

Oliver stood watching as the older man hurried over to a group of people. His movements were animated as he talked before he quickly drew a familiar symbol over his own chest and pointed in the direction Clark had gone. Oliver sighed to himself, not sure if this newest development was a good thing or not. The other people in the group shook their heads in denial, waving away his protests, but as they started to leave, Oliver saw a few of them looking back over the crowd, a shadow of hope in their eyes. He shook his head. Other men worked their entire lives to create ripples with their movements, but Clark Kent had always been able to make waves just by being there. He could affect change more than anyone Oliver had ever known. It was why they had brought him here, and now that he knew, it was time to convince him to help make waves in the right direction.

As Clark stalked back, the orange flames on the streets of Metropolis seemed to burn brighter until it felt like they were everywhere, reflecting off each scared face he passed and gleaming off each polished symbol the soldiers wore. It was like the whole world was on fire. The blazes leapt here and there with the wind that had started, howling as it rolled through the streets. As the flames grew they cast long shadows, making it seem as though the darkness was reaching out toward him, into him.

Bart's heart was heavy as he followed the rigid shoulders of his friend weaving through the crowd. Now that Clark knew, and it was too late to take it back and do things differently, all of Oliver's reassurances felt hollow in the face of what they had done. A quick glance over at Victor's conflicted expression confirmed that he felt the same. They had betrayed a friend in a way they had never meant to.

They were never more than two feet behind him as they made the return journey to Watchtower, but no one approached him or said anything. But what was there to say, Victor thought to himself as they rode up the elevator to the main room. Clark's anger was a palpable thing in the small, confined space, like a ticking bomb that would explode with the slightest provocation. Only Oliver seemed unfazed by it. But then, Victor thought bitterly, there wasn't much that fazed Oliver now.

Once they had stepped inside the circular room, empty except for J'onn, Clark turned and said sharply, "I want to know exactly what happened. And I want to know now."

J'onn stood, quietly reading what had transpired in their minds tonight. The anger, remorse, and satisfaction coming from the different men reached him and he sighed, knowing the time had come.

Oliver slipped off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of a chair, his movements controlled, always controlled. It was ironic, he thought idly, that the control that had alluded him his whole life had finally been achieved when the rest of the world had spun into anarchy. He turned to face Clark, his voice even as he spoke, "Thirteen years ago, our time, Clark Kent graduated from blurring around Metropolis to flying, and when he did, he took on the name Superman."

"Becoming the greatest superhero the world has ever known," Victor added loyally, wanting Clark to know that things weren't exactly like they seemed- that they had tricked and trapped him.

When Clark's accusing gaze shot to him he looked away, knowing whether they had meant to or not, in the end they had.

Oliver, unperturbed by the tension in the room, went behind the bar and got out shot glasses for each of them. He opened a bottle and poured them full, continuing, "Not long after that, the JLA was formed."

Bart chimed in, daring a look at Clark, a small ghost of a smile on his face as he remembered those days, "Justice League of America- Strength, Courage, Justice. Our motto. You were the first hero to win the world's heart. You made them rethink everything they had been afraid of. And by coming out of the shadows, you made it possible for us to do the same." He quickly swallowed his shot, muttering without looking at him, "You brought us all into the light."

And now they had brought him into the darkness, Bart thought with shame unable to face him.

The other two reached for their glasses, downing them grimly, but Clark didn't touch his. Alcohol wouldn't affect him and his patience was at an end. He needed answers. He said darkly, "Finish it."

Oliver tipped back Clark's glass, ignoring the burning in his throat. He clenched his jaw, knowing that even now he wasn't going to reveal everything. It wasn't the right moment, he told himself. A little bit at a time, that was always all that Clark had been able to handle. "And for a while things were good. The JLA thrived, and most days, we won the fight."

Victor shook his head at the understatement. In the years that had followed the creation of the JLA, the world had become more than it had ever been before and so had they. They had stood proud and strong, uniting for the common good and achieving justice for those who needed it most. Those years had been the best they all had ever known. And then, in what had felt like the length of a heartbeat, it had all changed. He forced his attention back to Oliver.

"Then four years ago, something went...wrong. We don't know all the details, but a crime wave started, one that kept the entire League busy. We thought at the time that was our only problem, and that that was the worst of it." Another shot, and this time, the memory was more bitter than the whiskey to swallow. "But, as it turns out, what we knew was just the tip of the ice berg. We were in the middle of an elaborate game of chess that we didn't even know we were playing. Because while we were so busy taking care of the immediate problems, there were bigger ones being put into motion."

J'onn felt the sting of past mistakes. He shook his head, saying regretfully, "I should have realized-"

"Hey, come on, Space Man," Bart chided gently, "she was careful to keep away from you and your mind reading abilities. No one suspected her. You can't blame yourself for not knowing."

"Why didn't I- he see the changes in her?" Clark asked angrily as they all looked at him with sadness and regret, confirming that his future self had been as blind as they had. Lois was his friend, how could he not have known something was happening?

"I don't think he had a chance," Victor said softly. "She was a master at hiding what she was feeling, a master at hiding everything. We never knew anything until she made her coup."

"Nothing?" Clark asked in disbelief. They were heroes, the ones chosen to safe guard the world, and they hadn't known anything about this until it had already happened?

"All we knew was that there were rumors of a figure called the Empress who was starting to pull some strings in the criminal underworld," J'onn added, thinking back to those first days, wondering, like the others, if there was something that they had missed.

"She made Lex Luthor look like an amateur," Oliver said grimly. "She had seized control of the Suicide Squad and enough of Intergang that she was able to take over the local criminal element in Metropolis. But that wasn't enough. She wanted more. She wanted everything. On the day she stepped out and revealed who she was in a show of power that rocked the world, Lois Lane ceased to exist; she became the Empress."

"We tried to stop it," Bart explained earnestly, the words bursting out of him. He wanted Clark to know that they had tried everything they could think of, and that what they were doing now was only done as a last resort. "We all tried to talk to her, to figure out what had caused it. We even had Zatanna see if she was under any kind of magic spell, but there was nothing. No reason for it."

"What did I, he do?" Clark stumbled over the words, feeling sick to his stomach as a sudden sense of foreboding told him that the reason his future self wasn't here was because of the woman he had seen on the streets.

Oliver put his glass down, hitting the scarred wood with a clunk, his chin coming up. "What he had to. He came to me a year after she had announced herself to the world, after she had taken over the United States and most of this hemisphere. He said that he had a plan. He said that he knew he was the only one who could get close enough to kill her-"

"Kill her?" Clark's gaze swung sharply to him, unable to believe it. He wouldn't do that, he wouldn't.

"Kill her," Oliver repeated mercilessly. "He orchestrated the whole thing. When the mission went down we separated, and while we were fighting off her soldiers, he got inside, to her. They fought; she made it out alive. He didn't."

"Lois killed me?" Clark asked faintly, feeling as though the world were spinning out of control, twisting into a sick reality that couldn't exist, a hellish nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. He waited for someone to say something, to take apart the pieces that were fast coming together to form a picture he didn't want to see, but they didn't. He turned to face Oliver again, asking the other question that had plagued him, "Why am I here?"

"To finish the job. You can still get close to her," Oliver said quickly, his bitterness and eagerness mixing together, "You always could."

"And then what?" He asked as he stared into his fevered eyes, wondering if Oliver could really say the words, if he would go that far.

"Then you kill her."

The words reverberated in the stillness of the room, bouncing off every surface until it felt like they were echoing inside his head. He stared disbelievingly, his gaze swinging around at each of them as they refused to meet his eyes, just as they refused to deny what Oliver had said.

Without a word he turned and stalked outside, not stopping until he had reached the crow's nest. His hands were clumsy as they grabbed the thick railing, and he realized with a shock they were shaking. In his mind he saw it all- the old man's hope, Jimmy's exhaustion, the fear on the faces of everyone inside, and Lois. Lois urging him to give people a chance to accept him for who he really was, Lois in his arms as he comforted her in a hospital hallway. Lois standing there, her eyes blank and remorseless as she took in the world around her. He bowed his head as his heart thudded furiously in his chest and closed his eyes, unable to see anymore.

Inside no one said anything until Bart remarked dryly, his voice weaker than he wanted, "Well, that could have gone better."

"It doesn't matter," Oliver dismissed as he tossed back another drink, his jaw muscles working furiously. "It had to be done."

Suddenly, all of his emotions from the night bubbled up, and anger overtook him, making Victor shoot to his feet. "It had to be done? Oliver, you brought him from a time of peace and hope to this hell hole. You tell him that Lois Lane, Lois Lane has made the world into her own personal play thing, that she murdered him, and now he's been brought here to return the favor. And all you can say is that it had to be done!?"

"You could have gone about this differently, Oliver," Bart added, his censure quieter but just as real. "I know that this has been tough on you, but the way you're going, man-"

"This is war, Bart! We do what we have to do!" Oliver shouted, losing control for a moment and slamming the glass on the bar so hard that it shattered. When they stared at him, he swallowed, his voice lowering but losing none of its venom, "The time when we had other options is gone. This is how it is."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

Bart, Victor and J'onn looked at each other, a shared uneasiness in their expressions. Bart asked quietly, "Are we sure we're doing the right thing? After all, aren't we supposed to be the good guys?"

Victor thought about the last two years, the things they had gone through, the people they had lost, and the line they kept crossing. He shook his head. "Maybe there are no good guys left anymore, Flash. Maybe there stopped being good guys the day Superman died at the hands of his wife."

At the mention of the secret they had yet to tell Bart dropped his head, running his hands wearily through his hair.

J'onn knew nothing that could ease the apprehension and worry of his comrades so he turned and left, going instead to the man whose mental anguish was so very loud right now. He stepped outside the door, going to the place he knew Kal-El was. He approached softly, watching as the younger man stared out at the city with blank eyes. "I am sorry, Kal-El."

Clark barely heard the words, too lost in a swirl of memories and emotions. Caught up in them, he found himself confiding, "Lois isn't... Lois is nothing like anyone I've ever known before. From the first moment I met her, she's always been like that. She's just," he trailed off, looking helplessly at J'onn, finding it impossible to describe her, "she's Lois."

J'onn hid his sad smile at the confusion in his friend's voice. The first time that he had met Lois Lane had been when she'd had a gun trained on Tess Mercer; a stand off that had last four hours as she'd waited for the rest of the team to get there and decide the fate of her fiance and Oliver who were stranded in the Phantom Zone. The moment he had walked in, he had known that whatever their answer, it wouldn't change anything. The woman standing there with tears in her eyes and an arm that trembled from holding a gun for so long wouldn't have let anyone give up on them. In that moment, he had found himself just as unable to describe her as Kal-El was now. "Is she your friend, in your time?"

Clark met his eyes and then looked away. "Well, yeah."

"You do not seem sure," he replied with a furrowed brow. Perhaps this was why Oliver had chosen this version of Clark, because they had only been acquaintances in his time.

"No, I mean, she is. It's just lately, I don't know. There was this moment at Chloe's wedding where something almost happened between us and then it didn't and then-" He shook his head, thinking about the coffee date he had never shown up for. "But that doesn't matter right now, because this can't be Lois. It can't. She wouldn't do this."

"Are you so sure?" J'onn asked quietly.

"Yeah, I am," he answered immediately. He knew it as sure as he had a breath in his body. He had seen his faith proven wrong before, had believed in people when others might have given up, but he knew that he was right about her. He tried to let the Martian see the person he knew with his words, "She's stubborn and doesn't think things through before she puts herself in danger, but the reason she's in danger is usually because she's doing the right thing and won't accept the easy line. Lois is one of the most honest people that I know. There's no way that she could have done what you think she has."

J'onn wanted to tell him that they had all thought the same things. He wanted to tell him how they had consoled his future self with similar words, each truly believing in the beginning that something had happened to change her. But those beliefs had faded with each new horror she had committed. In time, they had come to believe that it wasn't something outside of her that had caused the change, but in.

He had seen evilness take root in honorable men and women before, many times through out his long life. But he knew that his young friend wouldn't be able to grasp that, so he said nothing. Instead, he reached into his pocket for a long silver chain, one that he had kept hidden for two years now. He pulled it out and held it up in front of Clark.

Clark looked over at the silver medallion dangling in front of him. Etched on it was the Kryptonian symbol for the House of El, his symbol. He recognized the medallion as the same kind that Jor-El had used to store his memories in when he had first come to Earth and then hidden it in the Kwatche caves. He eyed it warily. "What is that?"

J'onn found his own voice was thick when he tried to speak, "Before he died, your future self showed this to me and said that when the time was right, I would know what to do with it." For a moment, he was lost in his own thoughts, then he smiled at the young man in front of him. "And now I finally know what he meant."

He held it out to him, waiting.

Clark's brow furrowed in confusion as he took the chain, not daring yet to touch the medallion, knowing what would happen when he did.

J'onn turned to leave him with his thoughts, knowing that on this night after so much had happened that he had no right to try any longer to make him understand the emotions running through him enough to voice them. But as he reached the stone divide with its amber stain glass, he paused, looking back at the young man they were placing such a large weight on, and fell into a memory of his own.

"J'onn."

He turned to see Kal-El walking towards him, his cape blowing slightly in the night air, a vivid splash of color in a faded gray world. Behind him, the Daily Planet globe stood frozen and tarnished. He raised his eyebrows as he questioned, "Your reason for meeting here?"

He looked down, a slight smile on his face before turning around to face the globe. He said softly, "I guess you could say that I've become somewhat nostalgic lately."

Knowing the history that this place held for him, J'onn let the silence offer the condolences he had already said many times. When Kal-El continued to stare up at the giant globe, J'onn attempted to draw him back to the present by commenting, "Oliver believes that it is unwise to continue wearing our costumes, that we would be better able to fight against our enemies if we blended in."

"And he's wrong," Superman said simply with the surety of one who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were right. He turned back to look at J'onn. "Heroes are what we are. We give the world hope. And the world needs us to give them that now more than ever."

Forever leading them down the path of righteousness, he mused to himself with a wry shake of his head. His gaze went over the city and he frowned sadly, finishing the thought, even now in these dark times. Knowing that Kal-El would only brush aside his words if he voiced them, he came to the business at hand. "Oliver said that you believed you had a plan to defeat L- the Empress."

Superman didn't falter or tense up at the slip, J'onn realized with some surprise, a first. Though he tried to respect the privacy of those around him, J'onn couldn't stop himself from probing gently into his friend's mind to see what had caused this change. What he found there surprised him more- a blank wall of thought.

There were few who had the discipline to control their thoughts to that degree. To be able to focus merely on one thought until it was all that could be read, and it was the first time that Kal-El had done so. He tried to push deeper, encountering nothing but the same strange feeling blanketing his thoughts that J'onn couldn't put a name to. Whatever his thoughts were, Kal-El was keeping them so well hidden that he couldn't touch them. He withdrew subtly, not mentioning it. There were things they all did now just to preserve whatever semblance of normalcy they could. Perhaps this was the way Kal-El was dealing with the plan to defeat her. Whatever his reason, he would respect that from this hero. He came to the point he had sought to bring up, "I do not know if it is wise that you face her alone."

"It's for the best, J'onn, you know that." Superman hesitated for a moment, looking down at his hands. J'onn followed his gaze to the silver glinting in his palm. "I have a request to ask of you."

Recognizing the Kryptonian memory amulet he couldn't stop the unaccountable feeling of unease that settled over him, but he inclined his head for Kal-El to continue.

Superman held it up, letting it dangle on its chain, swinging in the night breeze like the pendulum of a clock. "One day I'm going to give this to you, and when I do, I need you not to ask any questions or tell anyone that you have it. Just keep it safe."

J'onn nodded once more, agreeing.

Superman smiled at him and slipped the necklace on, hiding it beneath his shield before he turned away.

"Superman," he called out, "what is it you wish me to do with it?"

He still for a moment, and J'onn couldn't stop himself from reaching out again, pushing against that wall in his mind. But it was still as though his entire being was concentrated on one idea, one vague emotion that J'onn could not place. His friend bowed his head, looking unaccountably sad, then smiled softly. "You'll know when the time is right."

Superman nodded his thanks and then took to the skies.

For a moment, J'onn could almost see the lingering image of the hero standing there instead of the young man still contemplating the silver medallion he spun by the necklace he held.

"Forever leading us down the path of righteousness," J'onn murmured to himself with a sad smile. Then he turned and walked away, his heart heavy. He had at least kept the last promise his friend had ever asked, but he wondered if it could possibly be enough when the scales of judgment on what they had all done were measured in full.

* * * *

Well?

[bigvillir001]

Unbelievable Lois kill her own husband but why this story is so intense

[Eleidich]

Well written. I donīt know what to say, certainly is a good story but still.....Iīm disappointed about Lois, I donīt think thereīs a way to fix what she did, even if they reverse time or if Clark changes things from his timeline or something, still is in her to do all those horribles things and that is the worst about the story.
Is sad seeing Lois that way.

[kerthwinner]

Well-written if shocking... I just can't believe that Lois turned so evil on her own. I want to know the back story... is she being controlled? Brainiac or even by Lex? I simply can't believe that she would do all this on her own volition. There's just got to be more to it!

[Wolflmg]

Perhaps this isn't the real Lois, she might be a clone and the real Lois is locked away somewhere or might have been killed years ago.

[MariVe]

I don't know what to say .... Did the Darkseid possessed Lois or is it Braniac, because Lois doesn't have the heart to do all this horrible things, there's more here than meets the eye.
And what's wrong with Ollie? he's like nothing can disturb him.

Update soon!!!! pretty please *pout*

[KatherineKent]

Well, it was probably a little more obvious since this is posted in the Lois/Clark section, but at the same time, I think that Clark would have a hard time believing that anyone he could count on, know, trust in the present would be someone who could do all of this in the future. And I'm glad that Lex was a bit of a surprise for you!

Future Clark is dead. I didn't come right out and say that in Chapter two, but that's what Jimmy was hinting at when Clark asked him where his future self was.

I get that Clark wouldn't want to think such awful things from anyone in his life, but somehow I get the feeling that in all other cases he would trust his friends at their word (eventually) and believe them, no matter how much he didn't want to. But with Lois, he would never believe it without seeing it. That's how I figured it was Lois.

I'm sad that Future Clark is dead, but that pretty much the only explanation, I was just hoping for something else.

New chapter:

Well. I have to say that no matter what Ollie is trying to get everyone to believe Lois has not gone 'naturally' evil. I'm pretty certain that something will come to light, and I still have my theories. Just, whatever it was/is, was very good at hiding itself years ago when the JLA were first looking for a reason.

It's so sad that she killed Superman. How hard must it have been for him to go in there to find her? How much will it tear at her when she's free from this? Guh! I can't even comprehend. Except. Do we KNOW that he's dead. I mean, they knew Superman went into to kill her, but he never came out. Did anyone ever see a body? Who knows what really happened in the face off? Hmm.

[Lane Kent]

U r really going to make her evil Evil???
i was hoping she is possessed
lois killed Clark??
I can't think straight rite now!! What has the world come to?!?!!