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Beyond Smallville: Evolutions pt 1

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  • #16
    ppms

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    • #17
      Beyond Smallville: Evolutions pt 9

      Alliance 9.0

      Guest starring: Bart Allen / Impulse - DC Comics

      Marcus Worthington & Zara Rolfe - my original characters

      Scene: The Worthington Ranch Estate

      Lois and Clark passed several more colorful dioramas as they worked their way through the main level of the complex. There were more Egyptian hieroglyphs, namely Amun Ra, the sun god, Tutankhamun, the boy king, and Sekhmet, the Lioness headed goddess of vengeance.

      The last display sets included an Ice Age diorama featuring a six foot high mammoth, a four foot long saber tooth cat, and some five foot high cavemen. Lois viewed them with disinterest, and kept checking her watch.

      They stopped at a dinosaur room that featured several exemplary skeletons.“Lois, check this out!” Clark pointed wildly at eight new species of dinosaurs that had recently been unearthed in the Arctic, near Alaska. He also hoped against hope that the paleontologists didn’t accidentally unearth his ice fortress! Lois glanced at them and nodded.

      “That's fascinating, Smallville. It’s almost 10 o’clock Clark, I guess we should be working our way back to the main hall.” Lois urged, clearly growing more impatient as the evening went on. “Should I give Chloe a call to see how she’s doing?” Clark asked, worried that his friend was left at the resort on her own.

      “I got it, Smallville.” Lois flipped open her cell and phoned the condo. At the moment, there was no answer. “Nothing, maybe she stepped out for dinner?” She asked hopefully. “At 10 PM?” Clark was worried.

      “Hey, her meal timing could be all screwed up from her captivity.” That sounded logical to Clark. As they entered the main area, and circled around the pool, a whole new set of women wandered by them, casting curious glances their way. “You know, there’s something really odd about all this.” Lois winced. “I feel like one of the historical exhibits.”

      Clark was about to comment, when a new young woman came up to them. She had brown shoulder length hair, was about as tall as Lois, and was dressed in the common flowered blouse, halter top, and cargo shorts. Clark immediately checked her for a heartbeat. She passed.

      “Hi, I’m Beth McGuinn, and I was wondering if you were ready to meet with Mr. Worthington?” Lois smiled broadly. “Finally, yes, we would.” She quickly unsecured her laptop, and pulled out her steno pad. “Follow me, please. We’ll meet in the Greek Mythology room.”

      Beth led them back to the primary room they’d investigated earlier. Clark leaned against a five foot bronze statue of Hephaestus, the Greek God of metallurgy. Lois snickered as she compared him to the muscle bound historical representation. “Now there’s a man of steel.” She quipped.

      Beth guided them to the stadium style miniature auditorium at the room’s center. Lois relaxed in the plush seat, and plugged her laptop into the open connection. Clark waited patiently with a camera, wishing that Jimmy Olsen was here instead of him.

      Presently, a bit after 10 pm, Marcus Worthington, and who they assumed was Zara Rolfe, entered the open air auditorium. They smiled politely at the young journalists. Mr. Worthington looked to be about six feet tall, slightly stocky, with a square jaw and short cropped black hair.

      The public relations write up they’d received said that he was 31, and obviously a graduate of Yale and Harvard. Zara was about a half a head shorter than Lois, with long flowing reddish brown hair, and a slim yet muscular physique. She had high cheekbones, and a thin chin.

      Her piercing green eyes went straight to Clark, who returned a polite smile. They got up and shook hands with their hosts. Marcus thanked Beth who promptly excused herself after pouring everyone some glasses of cold water. “Welcome to my home.” Marc began elegantly.

      Lois was immediately attracted to him, but she quickly reassured herself that an entanglement with another odd billionaire was not in her best interests, and then there was Miss Rolfe. In Lois’s opinion, she looked every bit the part of a no nonsense wealthy heiress.

      Clad in a sensible black mini dress, an expensive looking silver brooch, with nine multicolored gem facets, attached to the left side of her chest, and a small, but likely unaffordable pearl necklace draped below her throat, Zara gave Lois the impression of being a presidential first lady.

      How had she gotten to the top of the heap of women to snag the heart of the young billionaire? She wondered silently. Lois put away all her romantic notions and got down to business. The wealthy couple seated themselves across the mahogany table from the cub reporters.

      “Thank you for inviting us.” Clark said diplomatically, surprising Lois with his smooth demeanor. “We must apologize for being tardy.” Marcus began, making eye contact with Clark. This is the often written about Clark Kent, simple farm boy turned young journalist?
      He assessed.

      “Not a problem, Mr. Worthington.” Lois was all journalistic now. Clark was impressed with the way she flipped the switch into being a professional. She’d only done a few major stories for the Daily Planet, and this was actually her first big break.

      “I take it you enjoyed our various hostess’s company?” Zara put in. Clark noted Zara’s decidedly British accent. Lois nodded. “Every one was professional and courteous.” She remarked, attempting to adopt Clark’s smooth tone. “I’d expect nothing less.” Marcus responded.

      “Where should we start?” Lois opened, as she grabbed her steno pad and pen. “The reason I requested this interview, Miss Lane, Mr. Kent, is because Zara and I are tired of the fly by night media of American journalism.” Marcus began with the zinger.

      Zara smiled wickedly. “I’d heard that the Daily Planet is one of the most reputable newspapers in America, if not the world, despite Lex Luthor’s recent ownership of the company’s flagship periodical.” Marc slammed Lex, immediately garnering Clark’s attention. Lex’s rival? He hoped warily.

      “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Lois fielded the compliment. No pressure here, she thought sourly. “I can tell you, sparing the gory details, that Lex and I never saw eye to eye, and that is a massive understatement.” Clark nodded in agreement. Zara smirked again.

      She’s a bit of a maverick, good. The young archaeologist thought. “We believe that Perry White, my editor, is the man with the best chance for success in the business.” Lois added the standard company line. “Mr. Kent, what is your role here?” Marcus startled Clark.

      Lois mentally crossed her fingers. Please don’t screw up, Smallville. “I’m assisting Miss Lane on the story. I recently joined the Planet staff in I guess you could call it, a probationary role.” Superman returned calmly.

      Good answer, Clark, Lois silently cheered her new partner on. Clark noted that Zara Rolfe’s heartbeat increased rapidly. She was worried about something, but what? Worthington, on the other hand, seemed calm and steady. The rest of the interview went smoothly. Marcus explained a number of roles his business had in the world.

      Lois busily scribbled notes, as Clark committed most of the relevant conversation to memory. At one point, Superman snapped to attention. Worthington spoke about a nearby research and development facility.

      “What type of research and development do you do?” Clark blurted out, much to Lois’s chagrin. She was about to pose the same question to the young billionaire. “We have a number of international interests in miniaturization, technology updates and big ticket contract projects varying from saving or cleaning up the environment to advanced Recon.” Marcus informed them, startling Zara.

      Had Worthington said too much? Clark wondered. Lois perked up. “Recon, as in advanced military reconnaissance?” She jumped at him. “Yes, I’m sure that some of the reconnaissance could have military applications, as well as meteorological mapping, geological surveying, and the like.” Marcus remained unflappable.

      “I also have to plug my beau’s interest in antiquities as well.” Zara contributed. “Marcus has been funding my research on Earth’s past. Before Marcus and I met, my father was a serious, successful archaeologist. Well, we’d hit bloody hard times, and many of the digs went unfunded.”

      “Sir Gabriel Rolfe, the archaeologist who’d uncovered a previously undiscovered Egyptian tomb at the feet of the Sphinx, fell on hard times?” Clark asked skeptically, stunning Lois.
      “Yup, that’s my poppa. We’d been in Egypt a while when the government began to have trouble with those flippin’ terrorists."

      "The powers that be cracked down hard on archaeological digs, especially those led by a woman.” Zara continued. “We’d nearly lost everything.”
      “Mr. Worthington came to your rescue?” Lois prodded. Just like Oliver Queen, helping those that were down on their luck, Clark observed. “Yes. I purchased the Sphinx dig from the Egyptian government, setting the price so high that they couldn’t resist.” Marcus informed them.

      “Did the dig yield any substantial finds?” Lois questioned. “Certainly, we bloody found a brand new mummy, his burial riches, and uncovered another sodding mystery.” Zara added. “Really? Such as?” Lois’s inherent curiosity was piqued. Marcus gestured for her to wait a moment.

      “It’s getting late, and I have an early meeting tomorrow morning.” Marcus signaled that the interview was nearly over, causing Lois to frown with disappointment. She promised herself that she’d show patience. They’d been at it for about an hour, and Marcus likely had other things on his mind, namely Clark’s connection to the S-31.

      “I’m sorry about all this.” Marcus explained.“Would you care to come back for a follow up interview tomorrow, say around 11 AM?” Marcus cordially offered. Lois nodded. “Yes, thanks.” She sighed in resignation.

      “Mr. Kent? You’ll be able to get some pictures for the article as well.” Marcus baited. “That’ll be fine.” Clark replied. He still didn’t like the idea of leaving Chloe alone, back at the resort, yet this story potentially could be just as important.

      Like clockwork, Beth had returned to politely escort them out. “Miss Lane, Mr. Kent, would you like to stay here on Worthington Ranch tonight?” Marcus offered, as Zara smiled.

      “We don’t want to impose.” Clark cut Lois off. He knew that she’d have liked the additional opportunity to snoop around. “Mr. Kent, I have seventeen guest rooms. I assure you that there would be no imposition.” He prodded cordially.

      Zara took his arm as she awaited the guest’s reply.“No thank you.” Lois gave in. “We’ll meet tomorrow, then?” Marcus nodded. “Yes, 11 AM as prearranged. I’ll put it on my executive secretary’s schedule.” Beth silently stood by. They all shook hands, and Beth was volunteered to drive them back to Lake Havasu.

      She drove a black late model SUV with the ubiquitous blue and gold WorthingtonCo logo on its hood and doors. Beth engaged them in pleasant, though forced conversation. The young woman was clearly more comfortable in a different role.

      Lois yawned repeatedly on the drive. They reached the condo, said thanks and goodbye to Beth, and phoned Chloe to warn of their approach. “There’s still no answer!” Lois said in a panicked voice. Clark quickly x-rayed the condo, and sure enough, there was no one home. “This can only be bad!” Lois sprinted towards the condo.

      Clark spun around and listened for any other people in the area. There were a number of revelers at the beachside bar. Perhaps Chloe was among them, though now it was nearing 2 AM, he mused. Lois slid the keycard through the slot.

      “Chloe?” She called into the empty condo. There was a note on the table. Lois hurriedly opened it, reading aloud. “Clark and Lo’ got bored, couldn’t sleep, went to the Mandalay Surfside bar on the south end of the beach. Chlo’” Lois breathed a sigh of relief.

      next up 9.1

      ----- Added 1 Hours and 1 Minutes later -----

      9.1 guest starring Bart Allen / Impulse

      “We’d still better check it out, Smallville. I can’t see my little cousin as a barfly.” Clark agreed and they left the condo for the bar. It was a quick ten minute walk to the beach. A number of college age students vacationing were drinking themselves silly.

      Clark and Lois stepped up onto the wooden floor, above the desert sand. Sure enough, Chloe sat on a wicker barstool laughing loudly. Lois and Clark exchanged glances. Suddenly someone was beside them. “Hola, mi amigo!” A young male voice said.

      “Bart!” Clark gave him a lopsided smile.“Wow! I thought Lana was a hottie!” Bart gazed at Lois. “Your new honey takes the cake! I mean she is babe-licious!” With blinding speed, Bart kissed Lois’s hand, and zipped back to Chloe before Lois could deck him. Clark reddened as she stared at him.

      “One of Oliver’s friends…” He began, and shrugged. Chloe was happy to see them. Apparently Bart had been bending her ear all evening. “Uh…Bart…this is my cousin, Lois Lane.” Chloe flushed. “Charmed.” Lois said icily. “For the record, speedy, Clark and I are friends. We work together.” She added.

      “Oh sorry mon cherie, but hey, the Boy Scout is good people.” Bart remarked. “The big cheese sent me here to keep on eye on the Chloe-ster.” He explained. “I was more than happy to oblige.” Bart flirted. “You work for Oliver?” Lois grilled as he nodded.

      “I’m surprised that he didn’t send someone out to check on me.” She said, pretending to be disappointed. “He probably figured that you were in very good hands with stretch here.” Bart zipped between them and slapped Clark on the back, simultaneously putting an arm around Lois.

      “You know, I have a feeling about you two…” Chloe interrupted him before Lois had a chance to smack him. “Anyway, Bart has offered to take me back to Smallville. I miss Jimmy.” She explained.“Clark, could you give my regrets to Mr. Worthington?” Chloe paid her bar tab.

      “Okay, time out!” Lois butted in. “You had a meeting with Mr. Worthington scheduled?” Chloe nodded. “Yes, but I’ll take a pass. He just wanted to go over the meteor freak files. We can do that through e mail.”

      “Are you sure you want Lance Romance here to take you home?” Lois asked Chloe, as Clark slid onto a barstool near them. “Yeah, no problem. Besides, this is your story, I mean you and Clark are working on it.” There was no mistaking the tone of disappointment in Chloe’s voice.

      “The Big Cheese sent a private jet to pick Chloe-licious up.” Bart lied convincingly. Lois folded her arms. “Okay, as long as you don’t want to hang with your big cousin.” She teased Chloe. “Thanks Lo’ but I need to get back to some semblance of normalcy.” Chloe smirked.

      “I never thought that I’d say Smallville and normalcy in the same sentence.” She joked tiredly. “Clark, how did you and Lois do on your first assignment?” Bart mounted the barstool next to him. “It went okay, I guess. We’re not done yet, though.” Superman answered. "The jury's still out on that."

      Lois filled Chloe in on their recent adventures. Bart tuned out, given his short attention span, and zoned in on Clark. “CK, I’m serious. You and Lois look good together.” Bart insisted. “Thanks, Bart, but the last thing I need is another romantic entanglement. Besides, we argue more than agree.”

      Passiones, Stretch!” Bart continued to ride him. “Like me, I’m not one to settle in one place for very long. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to sample what’s around. You ought to have that special someone nearby, someone to come home to.”

      Clark wasn’t in the mood for a philosophical discussion with Bart, yet he made the effort. “Thanks Bart, but what kind of a life is that for her? Even if Lois and I were meant to be together, and I doubt that, I would have to tell her my secret, so I don’t make the same mistakes I did with Lana.” Clark admitted.

      “Maybe not, Boy Scout, look at Mr. Green Jeans, Oliver leads the perfect double life. Eccentric billionaire party boy on one hand, saving the world on a daily basis with the other, trust me, it can be done.”

      “I don’t know if I can pull off a duplicitous life.” Clark responded. “Though it would make things much simpler.” Bart was again getting restless. “I was thinking about doing the same thing. Bart Allen, Joe normal, and Bart Allen Impulse: super speed demon saving the world. Maybe I’ll get a costume or something. Chicks dig the mystery man type, CK.”

      “Even if you’re not the love ‘em and leave ‘em type like me, amigo, you can have the freedom to take your honey out to dinner, dancing, and a show one night and save the world the next! Think about it, CK. It makes perfect sense.” Clark scoffed. “Nothing about this ever makes sense!”

      “Uh…I don’t mean to interrupt your primitive male bonding rituals, Smallville, but I’m going to head in and hit the shower.” Lois put her arms on Clark and Bart’s shoulders. She couldn’t resist embarrassing Clark. “This time, Clark, I get the shower first.” She teased.

      Bart smirked lustily.The boys watched Lois head back to the condo to make sure nothing happened to her. Chloe sat next to Clark. He filled her in on the Worthington estate, and his suspicions about Symone. “I thought that there was something weird about that girl.” Chloe confessed.

      “What the hell are we up against, Clark?” She asked warily. “Do you think BRAINIAC has returned?” Clark frowned, as Bart questioned him further. He related the story of the intergalactic android to Bart, shocking him: “You’re from another planet?” Chloe silenced. Clark’s secret was out of the bag again.

      Clearly the whole secret identity thing wouldn’t work over the long haul, he considered. “This is a first, Bart is speechless.” Chloe teased, attempting to lighten the mood. “That is so cool!” Bart suddenly smiled, putting Clark at ease.

      “Thanks Bart, but it’s been more of a curse than a blessing.” Clark admitted. “Dude, you have to join up with us! We’d be invincible!” Bart said excitedly. “Now Bart, you know that none of us is above the law.” Superman warned, parroting a speech Jonathan Kent gave him many years ago.

      “Dude, don’t be such a buzz kill!” Bart protested. “Don’t you get it? Your parents saved you for a reason. It’s your destiny to help us mere mortals.” Clark considered Bart’s idea. With Jimmy and Lois closing in on his secret anyway, maybe Bart had a point.

      Bart and Chloe walked Clark back to the condo, and parted ways. Chloe promised to call Oliver and have him do a background check on Marcus Worthington, and Zara Rolfe. Bart scooped up Chloe and zipped off into the darkness.

      next up: 9.2

      ----- Added 1 Hours and 28 Minutes later -----

      9.2 The Lake Havasu Resort

      Clark headed into the condo, where Lois was sound asleep. He showered and rested, unable to shut his super powered mind down. Fortunately, he didn’t require much sleep. Lois was up early the next morning fine tuning her Marcus Worthington story. Clark offered to take her out for breakfast.

      She declined, opting to settle for toast, orange juice, and a hefty supply of caffeine. By 9 AM, there was a buzz at the condo’s door. Clark answered and another woman smiled vacantly at him. “Mr. Kent, Miss Lane, I’m Tara, and I’ll be your driver today.” Tara was about a half a head shorter than Lois, and probably in her mid to late twenties. Clark verified her humanity.

      “Lois, ready to go?” Clark called into the bedroom. “Just about, Clark, I’m picking my outfit as we speak.” He patiently waited, inviting Tara inside. “So you and Miss Lane are reporters?” The chauffer inquired. “Yes, actually, Lois is reporting, I’m just helping her out.” He replied.

      Tara flipped her long brown hair back, tying it in a neat ponytail. She had a dark tan, probably one of the locals that WorthingtonCo hired. Lois entered presently, wearing the black mini dress that they’d picked out that first day at Bloominghale’s. She looks great, Clark mentally praised.

      “Freeze Smallville!” Lois ordered. “You’re not wearing that lame shirt! Go change!” Clark grimaced. “What? What’s wrong with it?” Lois put her hands on her shapely hips. “It’s boring.” Clark shook his head. “It’s a plain white dress shirt.” Lois tapped her foot. “Exactly my point. Hold on.”

      Lois stalked into her guest bedroom and returned with a sharp blue and red striped silk tie. “At least you’ll have some color. Honestly, Smallville, what would you do without me? Come here.”

      Like a chastised child, Clark sulked over to Lois, who stood atop her gym bag and attached Clark’s tie. Superman couldn’t help smelling Lois’s flowery perfume. He smirked as she finished fussing with it.

      Tara chuckled as she sat on a stool by the breakfast bar flipping through a Forbes magazine. She gave the impression of a normal working girl that was simply sent to do a job and enjoyed doing it. “Dress for success, Clark.” Lois added. “Remember that if nothing else. Let’s roll!”

      Lois grabbed her purse, laptop, and steno pad and followed Clark and Tara out onto the resort’s access road. There was a black SUV painted again with the now familiar Worthington Logo nearby. Tara dutifully held the doors open for them smiling brightly.

      Clark quietly recalled everything they knew about the WorthingtonCo adventure so far. Lois snapped on her laptop. One, Worthington was one of the wealthiest men in America, and likely in the world. Clark mentally ticked off the items.

      Two, he hired mostly women, well educated, and annoyingly pleasant. Three, he liked historical artifacts, and specifically well known mythological characters. Four, WorthingtonCo had created unusually high tech items like the Artificial Intelligence unit, Symone, and the silver sphere that he’d chased down and had hidden in his barn. Kara had since given the sphere back to Worthington personally. It still didn’t all add up…

      scene switches to the Worthington Ranch Estate:

      Soon they reached the Worthington Estate, but this time Tara drove down a previously unseen and heavily secured roadway parallel to the Ranch Bluff. Before Lois or Clark could question her, Tara had produced two sets of brochures. “This is your itinerary for today.” She said briefly.

      “Mr. Worthington will meet you at the Research and Development’s west wing in the lobby.” Tara explained as she pulled the SUV alongside a Security jeep. “You’ll need these access cards. They’re previously coded to prevent you from entering any secured or off limits areas.”

      She reached back and dropped them into Clark’s hands, and he promptly gave Lois hers. “Not that you reporters would ever think of exploring an area that you’re not supposed to.” Tara added sarcastically.

      Clark didn’t know what to make of her, but Lois found the sarcasm refreshing. Meanwhile, Marcus Worthington and his Chief of Operations, Trish Van De Mere, were examining the errant S-31 at the Arizona Research facility. “It seems undamaged, Boss.” Trish began.

      “We have a working theory that an extreme burst of energy, similar to an electromagnetic storm, caused the S-31 guidance system to malfunction. We also found this.” She pressed a small remote.

      Instantly, a 42 inch plasma screen TV snapped to life. It was showing a large commercial jetliner being hit by what at first appeared to be a small missile. A shadow quickly replaced the jet engine beneath the wing, as the motor sparked and caught fire.

      A moment later the fire was blown out, and the plane landed safely. “Maximum magnification.” Trish ordered the computer. “Hello!” Marcus gasped. “That is indeed a flying man with black hair.” Trish nodded. “Yes. It could be nothing else. A rival’s advanced android perhaps?” She guessed. “Possibly.” Marc agreed.

      “However given what Zara and I saw at the Kent Farm…” He glanced around to see who was within earshot. Marc trusted his staff without question, but once the rumor mill got started…

      “What the hell is going on here, Marc?” Trish asked in a hushed voice. “Come with me, and we’ll inform Maggie.” He beckoned. “Wait a minute, Marc. Is that wise? I mean we really don’t know what this Clark Kent is. We have no proof that it’s actually him under the plane’s wing.”

      Marc explained Kara’s unusual strength and all about the Smallville mutant miscreants that he’d read about on the way home. “Genetic manipulation?” Trish guessed after they’d secured the conference room door.

      “That’s one explanation. We know LuthorCorp has been dabbling in genetic testing of some kind. It’s no coincidence that they have a number of suspicious facilities around.”
      “Rowland Chemicals in Nebraska has also been experimenting with performance enhancing drugs that allegedly turn normal humans into muscular machines.” Marc sighed.

      “We’ll need to step up all our plans.” Trish nodded. “This is getting scary.” Marc agreed. “Time is against us. Where do we start?” Trish shook her head. “We start with Clark Kent. We need to win his confidence enough to be forthcoming with us. Miss Lane, on the other hand, may need to be kept out of the loop.”

      Trish folded her arms. “How much should we show them?” Marcus shrugged. “Maybe at some point we can separate Lane from Kent and take them to different areas.” Trish paced the length of the conference room. “We’re playing with fire, Marcus.” He grinned thinly. “Don’t we always?”

      They headed toward the outer facility’s entrance.Tara opened the doors for Lois and Clark, as she nodded towards another woman in security garb, and escorted the young journalists into a plain, but clean lobby via a key card entry way.

      Clark noted a slight buzzing sound as they passed under a sparsely decorated archway.To their right was a large paned glass window. Clark used his x-ray vision to investigate. Sure enough, two women in security outfits watched them on view screen monitors like hawks. Tara said her goodbyes and immediately another woman emerged behind them.

      Where had she been? Lois wondered silently. “Maggie O’ Bannon, Chief of Security.” The woman said gruffly. Maggie was about Lois’s height but stocky and muscular with short black hair. She was dressed in a black and blue security outfit, and carried a small sidearm, a low caliber revolver.

      Also attached to her belt was a silver square object that appeared to be metallic. It was about the size of a man’s wallet. “Miss Lane, Mr. Kent, will you follow me please?” Lois flashed Clark a lopsided grin.

      “You’re not going to do a full body cavity search on us are you? She joked. Maggie grimaced. “Not unless you make it necessary, Miss Lane. You’re now entering a highly secured area. Items here are not only top secret, they can kill you.” The security guard said. Clark nodded his acknowledgement.

      Lois smirked. “Finally, we get the meaty part of the story! All I have for Perry right now is an intriguing fluff piece.” Lois remarked as they followed Maggie into a brightly lighted tunnel. Red and blue lights flashed on and off as they passed, quickly reaching the access tunnel’s end. The automatic door on the other side hissed open.

      “Welcome to the Starship Enterprise.” Lois commented sarcastically. “Why Lois, I had no idea that you were a Trekkie.” Clark teased. “Save it, Smallville. You’re the one with a cousin that chases flying saucers, and has space alien pals.” Clark gulped. Lois was right!

      The next room was fairly normal looking. It was sparsely furnished, with a few decorative plants, and a common service desk made of some type of hard wood. Maggie guided them into a conference room with a round table at its center surrounded by several plush guest chairs.

      Maggie stood stoically by, her eyes darting from side to side, as she checked out the cub reporters. “Mr. Worthington will be here shortly, he’s decided to give you a tour of the facility personally.” She informed them. “Conditionally, of course.” The guard added smugly. Lois and Clark read through their itinerary.

      Superman sped through the documentation in seconds, but stared at the papers for effect. Lois was still turning pages when Worthington arrived. “Thank you, Maggie.” Marcus said cordially and dismissed her with a wave as she left.They all shook hands. “Thank you for coming.” Marc added politely.

      “Today, you’ll see the latest in WorthingtonCo technological research. Feel free to stop me with questions at any time.” Marcus led them through another set of doors secured by a key card recognition system.

      Three women in security garb walked past them, and Lois wasn’t sure, but one of the women looked familiar. She continued to chatter with Marcus, laying some of the groundwork for her story. Quickly, Lois strutted ahead of them, glancing at a silver and blue vehicle resembling an SUV.

      “This is our experimental fuel efficient hybrid SUV called the WC 4” Marc explained. “We’ve had the technology for a few years to run it, but the big dollar auto makers wouldn’t allow us to mass produce it. By not allow us, I mean they threatened to sue for design infringement. We are in the process of retooling the WC 4 to look like nothing else on the roads.”

      “May I get a picture of it?" Clark asked as he pulled out his wide angle digital camera. “Certainly.” Marcus smiled. “Lois, care to model for it?” Clark joked. The female journalist snickered. “Sure, Smallville. After all, sex sells.” She retorted.

      Lois flipped her long hair over her shoulder and struck an exaggerated modeling pose, leaning against the SUV suggestively. Marcus and Clark chuckled as he snapped a few photos. “Now Clark, make sure that you didn’t get your thumb in the picture.” She teased.

      Marcus grew slightly more serious. “Also, Mr. Kent, please make sure you continue to ask before snapping any more pictures. I have to keep in mind that our competitors don’t out scoop us, to coin a journalistic phrase.” Clark nodded. “Understood. Lois, did you hear that?”

      “What?” Lois flashed an innocent grin. “No pictures without permission.” He repeated for her benefit. “I got it.” Lois grimaced. “I mean it’s not as if we’re in Area 51 or something, though.” Marcus playfully sneered.

      “Miss Lane, I assure you that Area 51 is obsolete compared to WorthingtonCo's Research and Development facility.” He added cockily. “The US government has offered numerous lucrative contracts to us over the recent years.”

      Lois whipped out her steno pad and pen. “Can I quote you on that?” Marcus smiled broadly. “Absolutely.” Clark was beginning to warm up to the business mogul, though he still refused to let his guard down. Lois wrote a series of quotes on her notepad.

      They approached a metal catwalk in a dimly lit corridor. “This is truly amazing, Mr. Worthington, I…” Lois said as she was about to fall down a two story metal staircase. “Lois! Stairway!” Clark shouted. “Huh?”

      She had caught her heel between the top stair’s grids. Lois was about to fall head first down three flights of stairs. Clark had no choice. He used his super speedy reflexes to grab Lois’s suit jacket and hauled her back up at a forty five degree angle. Superman was faster than a blink of an eye. Marcus gaped, unsure of what he’d just seen.

      “Be careful Lois, or I’ll be writing this story alone, as well as your obituary!” Clark chastised her. “Thanks Smallville, I owe you one.” She said after catching her breath. “I’ll have Tammy turn the lighting up in this sector. That was partially my fault. We’re not used to having visitors.”

      In seconds, the lights went from a dim blue to a bright white, illuminating the corridor ahead as well as the ones below the catwalk. There was no doubt that Worthington had seen Clark use his super ability. When he looked back, Clark saw that it hadn’t fazed Marcus a bit.

      Did he miss the save? Clark wondered, Is Marcus just playing it cool until he found out about him? It seemed doubtful. For now, Superman assumed that he’d gotten away with it. “Are you sure that you’re all right?” Marc asked. “Oh yeah, just a little misstep.” Lois played it off.

      “Gracefulness is not in my vocabulary.” She joshed. The emergency lamps added an eerie, greenish surreal glow to the corridor. Lois’s eyes widened. Just below them, roughly three stories beneath the catwalk, was what appeared to be a spaceship! Clark audibly gasped.

      “Lois and Clark, this is the XS56 Shuttlecraft.” Marcus announced proudly. They gawked at the massive delta shaped vehicle. It was nearly the size of a common Lear jet. It had a flat, pancake like profile. At each wingtip were air foil stabilizers similar to the ones on current high speed aircraft.

      The craft had a set of spoilers along the wings that presumably acted the same way the ones on race cars behaved. The XS56 was silvery white with a blue and gold stripe ending in a WC just below the cockpit. “Wow!” Clark exclaimed. Marcus smiled. “Boys and their toys…” Lois quipped.

      next 9.3

      ----- Added 1 Hours and 55 Minutes later -----

      Revelation begins with 9.3

      Lois admired the XS56 from a safe distance. “Is there some significance to the 56 number? Did it take 55 tries to get it to work?” She sniped. “No.” Marcus snickered. “The XS56 was completed earlier this year, 56 years since my father, Paul, was born.”

      “He dreamed up the basic pancake shape of it, amid the UFO hysteria of the late 1950’s. My father, as a child, wanted to set foot on the moon. He witnessed the race to space first hand in the 1960’s, though he never followed through on his dream.”

      “We, however, did.” Marcus stated proudly as Lois scribbled the human interest angle to her story on the steno pad. “There are actually seven other experimental space shuttlecraft stored nearby as well as in WorthingtonCo buildings around the world.”

      “NASA was interested in purchasing one of the prototypes, until budget constraints delayed their plans. They’ll hopefully negotiate a new contract with WorthingtonCo soon, once they mothball the current space shuttle program.”

      “Meanwhile, we keep upgrading our models with ever evolving technology. We use a new, abundantly available, recyclable fuel source. See the ram scoop beneath the ship’s nose?” He pointed it out. “The XS56 will possess the ability to refuel in space.”

      “Really?” Clark’s eyes lit up. “Sure.” Marc confirmed. “The scoop can pick up any stable source of fuel it comes across, like a space vacuum cleaner. There’s tons of benign debris in orbit around Earth as it is. We expect that it could use comet dust particles, meteors, asteroid pieces, even dark matter, assuming it can be stabilized.”

      Clark bristled at the mention of meteors. He imagined if the XS56 ran across some floating kryptonite… “Can we go inside it?” Lois interrupted his thoughts. “Yes, conditionally.” Marc answered. “Though the XS56 and its sister craft are well known, it’s filled with state of the art classified technology which must remain secret.”

      “Fair enough.” Clark agreed, though Lois was hesitant. “May I take some pictures?” Marcus nodded. “You should only photograph the overall design of it, from the outside.” Superman placed his camera on the table opposite the XS56.

      “Uh Lois…?” Marcus cut off her access to the shuttlecraft by blocking the stairway leading to the cockpit. “Yes?” Lois asked innocently. The young billionaire held out his palm toward her. “You may not take any recording devices onto the XS56.”

      “What?” Lois feigned being insulted. “The recorder.” Marc said more sternly. Clark unashamedly x-rayed Lois, and sure enough, the sly reporter had taped a small mini-recorder beneath her bra’s front clasp. “Lois!” Clark sounded aggravated.

      He should’ve expected it from her. “State of the art technology also includes the latest and very best security systems.” Marc pointed out. “Since you entered the facility, you’ve been under physical and electronic surveillance. I have to keep my rivals at bay, not to mention the possibility of any unsavory characters pirating our technology.”

      “Lois, don’t make me come there and get it.” Clark warned playfully. “Try it Smallville and you’ll be wearing them for a bowtie.” Lois hissed. “What if I forget something important?” She whined, reaching down the top of her dress.

      “I’ll remind you.” Clark teased as Marc stifled a chuckle. Eventually, Lois removed her recorder and placed it beside Clark’s camera. “Fine!” she snapped and stood before Clark. “Care to frisk me?” He reddened as Marcus gave the ‘all clear’ call to his security staff. Lois and Clark followed Marcus up the automated ramp leading to the cockpit.

      The XS56 was amazingly apportioned with comfortable, plush seats, multiple view screens, and a complicated control panel. There were six seats, three facing the front, and one each at opposing ends of the area. The final seat faced the rear of the craft, and had a movable, state of the art computer keyboard at arm’s length.

      “Looks great, doesn’t it Clark?” Marc boasted. “She’ll fly well enough to make hundreds of trips between earth, the international space station, the futuristic Watchtower project, the moon, and eventually, anywhere in the solar system within reason.”

      “Watchtower Project?” Clark echoed with surprise. That hadn’t been referred to in any of the itinerary brochures, he thought. “Yes, it will be a joint project between WayneCo and us. We don’t have that many details on it yet. It’s still on the drawing board.”

      Lois was investigating all of the buttons and lights on the control panels. None of it rang a bell with her. “Lois, don’t touch anything!” Clark warned. “It’s okay Clark, the XS56 is shut down.” Marc defended. “The sensitive power grid controls are at the rear of the craft.”

      He led them through a large cargo bay, complete with robotic arms of varying height and length. As they entered the rear third of the ship, Clark suddenly felt woozy. Kryptonite! He thought worriedly. But where?

      Lois noted that he was getting antsy. “Smallville, are you okay?”
      “You do look a bit ashen, Clark.” Marcus remarked with genuine concern. Superman gulped loudly. “You say that you have a new power source…?”

      He barely got the words out before the nausea set in. “Yes, I’m afraid that has to remain confidential. We’re awaiting the copyright to the mineral itself and the processing of it.” Lois pushed a button and a small compartment opened.

      There in the 2 by 2 storage unit was a bucketful of black and silver rocks. To the untrained eye, the rocks appeared to resemble coal. Clark felt the room begin to spin. “How’d you like this in your Christmas stocking, Smallville?” Lois joked, picking up the rocks and sifting through them.

      “Miss Lane, please put those back.” Marc chastised her. “They do have some radiation content, though certainly no more than a large microwave oven.” She placed the rocks back in their bucket, wiped her hands on her dress, and Clark hit the floor with a thud. “Medical!” Marcus yelled into his nearly nonexistent miniature microphone.

      The device was no larger than a man’s dress shirt button. Lois reached Clark first, rubbing against him, as she checked his pulse and heartbeat with her hands. She bent her ear over his nose and mouth, and listened to his ragged breathing. His heartbeat seemed to be pounding in her ears.

      “Heartbeat’s okay, pulse is slow but steady.” Lois assessed as two young paramedic type women entered the XS56. Clark’s eyes began to focus again, as he saw Lois hovering over him. “Are you okay, Clark?” Marcus asked as Superman’s breathing returned to normal.

      Lois was still touching his chest with her hands. He felt dizzy, but managed to sit up. “Do you want medical attention?” Marc prodded. “No, thanks…” Clark took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I must’ve passed out…maybe I didn’t eat enough…the desert heat you know.” He added lamely.

      “Are you sure?” Marc double checked. Clark nodded. “Sorry to be such a bother.” He tried to stand up, but wavered slightly. Lois held onto his arm. “You can go. Thanks ladies. Great response time.” Marc praised as the two female paramedics left the XS56.

      "Thanks for embarrassing me, Smallville!” Lois hissed quietly and smacked Clark’s shoulder. “Ow!” He protested. I actually felt Lois’s hit! “Don’t be such a baby.” Lois snarled and helped him over towards the exit door. “We’ll cancel the rest of the tour.” Marc offered, as Lois stared coldly at Clark.

      “No. Please don’t. I just need to rest a bit, and get some water." Superman waved him off. "I’m sorry about this, Mr. Worthington.” Lois apologized as she helped Clark down the XS56’s ramp. “Not a problem, Lois. I’m just glad he’s all right.” Marc said diplomatically. “That’s a matter of opinion.” Lois muttered.

      She suddenly felt a surge of energy. Caffeine kicked in, she mused. Once off the craft, Clark felt much better. In moments, he was back to full strength, though he suddenly felt tired. Didn’t get enough sleep last night, he thought sourly, yawning.

      The rocks in the compartment Lois found had to be kryptonite, or at least a derivative of it. Worthington’s mysterious power source, no doubt. Marc guided them to the nearest rest rooms. Clark’s eyes were suddenly bloodshot as he gazed into the mirror, and washed his face.

      Lois waited patiently outside the lounge fine-tuning her latest addition to the story, minus Clark’s fainting episode. Marc brought them the camera and recorder. Superman had taken his shirt off briefly.

      He felt that something was burning into his chest, though he saw no markings. Lois glanced up from her laptop and saw Clark bare-chested. Her eyes flared a bright yellow, and she smirked.

      She hadn’t realized that she’d seen straight through the wall into the washroom! Clark’s troubles were just beginning.
      Last edited by gardy1; 12-30-2008, 01:59 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

      Comment


      • #18
        Beyond Smallville: Revelation cont'd

        9.4 Revelation

        Clark replaced his shirt, but couldn’t fight the feeling that something had just gone terribly wrong. He slowly joined Lois and Marcus in the lounge. “Should we continue?” Marc asked. Clark nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks.” Lois smirked as she watched Clark walk past her.

        She saved her work and closed the laptop, putting the recorder in her purse. “Next up, we have some less dramatic, but important WorthingtonCo creations.” Marc led them through another dimly lit corridor. Lois sidled up to Clark, holding his hand. He felt a slight power surge.

        “I better hold onto you before you get lost.” She joked. Confused as to Lois’s change in attitude, Clark chose to ignore her as much as possible. Marc held a small remote control in his hand, pointing it at a nearby wall. The lights came up a bit, as two large bay doors slid open with a hiss.

        Marcus left them in the middle of the large room as he made his way to a mahogany wood workstation. He flipped open a drawer and pulled out a very large control device, roughly the size of a grown man’s shoe. He punched in a code, which Clark committed to memory in case of emergency.

        “This is our most recently tested item.” Marc pushed a red button and a silver sphere somewhat larger than a beach ball or a basketball whirred out of the shadows, startling Lois. The S31! Clark gasped. “This is a self-propelled recon camera that we created based on the Army’s stealth technology. It’s a type of drone, or Droid, we like to call it.”

        Marc watched Clark’s reaction. Lois examined it closely. “It has a three hundred sixty degree photographic ability, virtually unlimited memory capacity, films everything in digital, and obviously, it’s self propelled.” Marcus explained. “It has the same fuel source as the XS56?” Lois questioned as Clark backed away.

        She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t worry Smallville, it won’t bite you.” She joked. “Actually, we’ve refined the fuel source exponentially since locating the raw material a few years ago.” Marc replied. “You mean the meteor rocks?” Clark grilled. “Meteors?” Marc’s eyebrows rose.

        “I suppose they could’ve come from outer space. We did find a number of elements within the material that were unidentifiable.” Lois seized on that statement. “You’re using a fuel source with untested material?” She scoffed.

        “No, what I said was we found elements that were unidentified. We’ve since tested and retested the minerals, with no problems.”

        “None whatsoever?” Lois was skeptical. “No. Most of the identified and unusual elements are benign. There is a slightly elevated radiation level put out by the raw material. In theory, I suppose tons of the stuff could be hazardous to some life forms, possibly including humans.”

        “The risks are minimal, and I assure you the US Government has been looking over my shoulder every step of the way.” Marcus continued. “We are in full compliance with the EPA, NSA, and OSHA. Generally, government regulation doesn’t really apply, because I haven’t publicly marketed any of the fuel cell secrets. WorthingtonCo owns the full mining rights to the raw material.”

        “Where is it mined from?” Clark pressed, beating Lois to the inquiry. “I can’t tell you exactly, but we have mines around the world, and all of those are compliant as well.” Marc defended. “Were there any mines near Metropolis?” Clark probed, causing Lois to wince.

        “I can tell you that WorthingtonCo has not mined any raw material in the Midwest at all.” Marc rubbed his square jaw. What is this guy getting at? He’s hiding something. The young billionaire thought. “Clark, your meteor theory isn’t holding any water.” Lois chastised him.

        “Again with the meteors?” Marc asked, “What meteors?” He skillfully kept the irritation out of his voice. Clark reddened. He and Lois had said too much. He sighed. Rookie reporter mistakes, he thought sourly. “In and around Smallville, our hometown, just outside of Metropolis, two devastating meteor showers took place in the last twenty years.” Lois shared.

        “Yes, I remember reading the stories.” Marc slowed their walk considerably. “Some people were actually killed, correct?” Lois nodded, confirming what the sly Marcus already knew. He pressed some buttons on the control, and the S31 moved backward, upward, and then landed softly on a platform.

        “My parents were killed in 2002, in a plane crash.” Marc informed them as the S31 shut down and darkened. Clark felt no ill effects from the power source.“I’m sorry to hear that.” Lois sympathized as the horrible memories of the smoldering holes in the formerly pristine Kansas cornfields she’d seen flooded back to her.

        “Me too.” Clark added, witnessing the faces of all those that had died directly or indirectly because of him in his mind’s eye. Marcus began to dredge up his own bad memories.

        “My father, Paul, and mother, Victoria, were killed en route to a business meeting in Switzerland. The XS56 was merely a drawing on a piece of paper back then.” Clark frowned. “Were their deaths an accident?” He fished.

        Lois grimaced. “Clark, that’s none of our business!” Marcus brushed it off. “Don’t worry about it Miss Lane. It’s no big secret. Rumors abounded after my parents’ deaths. The official cause was listed as a plane crash. I don’t buy it, especially not in the light of new information that I’ve just received.” Marcus added cryptically.

        “There was no way to prove any fault at the time. I was away at a university, partying at the time.” Marc confessed. “I was immature. After I sat down and thought about it, there was no way that it could’ve been an accident. My father flew jets in Viet Nam, his private plane would have been absolutely up to maintenance specs.”

        “There was a small tropical storm over the Atlantic that day, near the flight route. Yet the jet would’ve been well equipped to handle any turbulence or even a loss of cabin pressure. It could’ve flown on one engine for a while as well. My father would’ve known if something was wrong.”

        “The plane went down near Bermuda. We recovered the wreckage, though the black box was never found. Rescuers found some…uh…body parts, enough to provide identification.” Marcus choked out. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Clark apologized. “It’s okay.” Marc sighed.

        “You two are reporters. I should’ve expected that line of questioning. I’ve recounted the story several times over the last few years.” Lois mouthed the words, ‘Nice one, Clark’ as she glanced at him with disdain. “Was anyone else killed in the crash?”

        Lois’s eyes widened in disbelief that Clark wouldn’t let the subject go. On one hand she admired his tenacity, on the other, she wished that he would just be silent. “Yes, the pilot, Jason Jordan. He was lost at sea. We never found any remains.” Marcus answered stoically.

        Clark hesitated, looking Marcus in the eye. “Before you wonder…” Marc picked up on Clark’s thoughts. “JJ is what they used to call him. He served with my dad in the war. He’d been a family friend for years, and above reproach. Even so, dad gave him a thorough background check.”

        Lois placed her hands on her hips. “Satisfied, Smallville?” Clark nodded. “Backing off!” He sniped. “Thank you.” Lois added sourly. “Um… Miss Lane?” A new female voice had shown up behind them. Where do these women keep coming from? Lois thought as she turned to face her.

        “Hello Brittany.” Marcus greeted the new arrival. “Mr. W.” The pretty young blonde acknowledged her boss. “Miss Lane, would you be interested in a free spa treatment, while you’re here?” Brit asked pleasantly as Lois gaped. “Thank you, but…” Marcus smiled brightly.

        “Before you answer, Miss Lane. We can go on tour later in the day.” Clark was automatically suspicious. “You’ve seen the outdoors, and some of the mansion’s décor, and some of our major projects already.” Marc coaxed. “The next section is very technical and a lot of the nuts and bolts of our research and development facility. Frankly, it makes my head spin.”

        “We can rendezvous back at the lobby in say…an hour, and I’ll show you the control center, the brains of our operation.” Marc virtually handed Lois off to Brittany. “Please, enjoy. Clark, are you mechanically inclined? The next section may be interesting to you.”

        Lois and Clark exchanged glances. They’re splitting us up! Why? He silently wondered. “It’s up to you, Lois. It’s your story.” Superman was very curious. “Okay, provided that Clark takes good notes.” She said, handing her steno pad to him. “All right.” He reluctantly took it.

        “This way, Miss Lane.” Brittany said and she was dressed in the ubiquitous flowered blouse, red halter-top, and Khaki cargo shorts. “In one hour, in the lobby?” Lois double-checked. “Yes.” Marc smiled as the girls left.

        Clark was nervous as he followed Marcus into the next room. At the center of the room were a pair of silver and black vehicles, roughly the size of a common compact automobile.

        Yet, Clark noted that they had no wheels, and appeared to be defying gravity! “Wow! What are these?” He asked as his eyes lit up. Clark grabbed the camera. “Uh…may I photograph them?” Marcus shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Clark.”He placed the camera back in its case. “They’re top secret?” Marcus nodded.

        “Yes, Clark, you are looking at the very first, personal spaceships. They use the same raw material for fuel as the XS56.” Clark reddened, as he hurriedly backed away from the craft. He hadn’t yet felt any ill effects. “Relax, Clark.”

        Marcus gestured for him to follow. Superman proceeded extremely slowly, moving in a circular pattern nearer to the ships. So far, so good he thought. “They’re not fueled up and ready to go for obvious reasons. The XS 12 and XS 13 are purely experimental.”

        “One day the ships will make routine trips to outer space and back. The world isn’t yet ready for them. Besides, they’re very expensive, as you might think.” Marcus pressed a button on the side of the silver craft. The transparent bubble top opened similarly to a cockpit hatch on a jet fighter.

        Clark cautiously glanced inside. The controls were seemingly simplistic, just switches, buttons, and lighted indicators. “The voice activated option would be available as well.” Marcus stated as he put his hands behind his back. “I call them Sky Skiffs, for lack of a better term.”

        “They’re great.” Clark said sincerely. Marcus took a deep breath before proceeding further. “Um, Clark…I was wondering…” He began nervously. Superman heard Marc’s heartbeat increase substantially. “Would you by any chance, be The Traveler?” He asked as Clark gasped.

        “I’m afraid that I...uh... don’t know what you mean.” Superman stuttered. “Clark, I know that you were in possession of my S31 earlier yesterday. I also know that your cousin Kara, lifted a three hundred pound device and placed it in our SUV like it was a beach ball.” Marcus stated flatly.

        Clark gulped. Now what? He stood there silently as Marcus proceeded along the wall to another file cabinet. “I’m sorry Clark, I shouldn’t have thrown that all at you. To be honest, I don’t have the slightest idea how to ask these demanding questions. Yet, I must have the answers.”

        next up 9.5

        ----- Added 23 Minutes later -----

        9.5 - Et Tu Veritas

        “Look, Mr. Worthington...believe me when I say that you’re better off not knowing certain things.” Clark said, utterly frustrated. “Clark, I’ll come clean with you. I know all about the strange events in and around Smallville."

        "Your friend Chloe had a substantial data base devoted to ‘meteor freaks’ and the like.” Marcus hesitated as he circled closer to Clark. “I hadn’t put it all together until just now. The discs she sent were highly detailed."

        Clark glanced at his feet. Should I call John Jonz, and see if he can wipe Worthington’s memory clean? He silently debated. If so, the young billionaire’s contribution to Earth’s future could be lost. “My mother, Victoria swore that my Uncle Virgil Swann was a bit eccentric.” Marcus continued.

        “I investigated the Veritas documents that she’d kept hidden from me all these years. After my cousin Patricia was murdered, I swore that her killer would not go unpunished. I suspect that Lex Luthor had her killed to silence her. Patty had sent me the final piece of information...the identity of The Traveler.”

        “She’d sent me the DVD record.” Marcus paused for effect. “The name of Kal El.” Clark reddened. Marcus had him. “Patty also said that The Traveler would find me, when the time was right.” Marc folded his arms expectantly.

        “Listen, regardless of anything, the story of Veritas and the Traveler has done nothing but bring evil, lies, deceit, and more deaths. That information is dangerous to everyone.” Clark stated angrily. “Lex Luthor is not someone to be taken lightly.” Marcus frowned.

        “You must not underestimate Luthor, Clark. I don’t. I plan on doing everything in my power to keep him away from his relentless lust for power.” Clark hadn’t expected that statement from the young billionaire. He sounded more and more like Oliver Queen.

        I have to test him. “What do you get out of stopping Luthor, Traveler or no Traveler?” Clark pressed. “I gain nothing, Clark. It’s my duty as a citizen of the United States, and of Earth, to keep Luthor’s power in check. It’s also your destiny to stop him. Power must remain in balance.”

        “Listen Clark, whether you join me in fighting him or not, I won’t relent. You see what I’m capable of?” He pointed to the twin Sky Skiffs. “All of these fancy toys will one day have a specific purpose...to help me defend America and the world against whatever comes our way. There is no gray area here. You have to choose your own path, Clark.” Marcus concluded. “I have chosen mine.”

        “It’s not that simple, Mr. Worthington,” Clark said. “I say it is.” Marc countered. “There is good and there is evil, right and wrong, so striking a balance is what we all strive for.” Clark sighed. It was clear to him that the argument was circuitous.

        “Mr. Worthington, what exactly is your power source?” Clark chose to change the subject. “It’s a combination of things, Clark. Beneath Worthington Ranch is a previously unknown geothermal spring. The power of heated water. It’s not drinkable in its raw form, but when purified, is a clean, recyclable energy device. I’ve combined that with the mineral rocks, and the mixture provides energy.”

        “Marcus, if I may call you that...” Superman began. “Where did the mineral rocks come from? I don’t need the exact location, just some background info.” Marcus folded his arms and pressed the exit button. “Come on, we need to meet up with your counterpart.”

        Clark reluctantly followed him out of the area. He turned back to take one last look at the Sky Skiffs. “Clark, the minerals were found purely by accident, as are most important discoveries. My girlfriend Zara was on an archaeological dig in South America, when she noted a higher concentration of radiation, which had no business being within a rain forest."

        "She cordoned off the dig and called in my Haz Mat team. We mined some of the rocks. There’s no great mystery there, other than the previously unknown elements within the raw material. I would appreciate if you didn’t include that explanation in your report.” Marc pleaded. Clark agreed.

        “We trucked the minerals out of the rain forest and sent them back to this facility. The rest is history, as they say. The minerals mixed with the geothermal spring create controllable energy.”

        Clark and Marc emerged at the lobby where the tour had originated. Lois was impatiently awaiting their arrival. She turned to face Clark...the edges around her eyes lit up briefly in yellow. She flashed Clark a knowing grin.

        He stared in amazement, as Lois ran over and hugged him, saying: “There you are!” Superman enjoyed the attention she was paying him, but knew that somehow the minerals had affected her. “Lois, it’s only been about an hour...” He weakly protested, feeling a surge of energy from her.

        They walked hand in hand behind Marcus into the high level control room. Trish Van Dorn gaped at the young journalists. What was Marcus doing, bringing strangers into the most secure section of the compound? What was he playing at? She wondered.

        continued in chapter 10
        Last edited by gardy1; 12-30-2008, 02:44 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

        Comment


        • #19
          amazingkeep going please

          Comment


          • #20
            Updated - Beyond Smallville

            Hi,

            This thread holds the first 9 chapters of Beyond Smallville: Evolutions, in case anyone wants to get caught up. Thanks for the interest.

            Gardy1

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            • #21
              wow! you have to keep going

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              • #22
                AWESOME stuff buddy!

                Comment


                • #23
                  Bump! This is the prequel to "Edge of Darkness"

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Bump! This is the prequel to Edge of darkness parts 1- 9

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      I've just discovered these fics yesterday, thanks for bumping them back to the first page of the fan fic. I have read parts 1-9 and then went onto Latent part 10 but there seems to be a gap in the story line where chapter 9 left off and chapter 10 picks up or have I missed something?

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Thanks for reading, Techtweeter. You're right. Good catch. An entire chapter seems to have been zapped. Here's the piece from my archives: Thanks, Gardy1

                        The Enemy Within

                        Scene: Worthington Co Ops Center

                        Melanie Shaw was staring intensely at her personal monitor’s view screen. She’d been rerunning the S31 video over and over, trying to determine what exactly she was seeing. The olive skinned intern was so engrossed that she ignored the entrance of her boss and his guests.

                        “The Central Ops Control Room is the brain behind all of WorthingtonCo’s North American operations.” Marcus explained under the watchful gaze of Trish and Maggie, the Chief of Security. Please don’t say ‘brain’, Clark thought sourly. “Hey! What’s that?” Lois exclaimed as she darted across the room nearly knocking Melanie from her chair.

                        Lois had used some low level form of hyper speed. Clark was sure of it. Papers scattered into the air, swirling behind her, as Lois’s high-speed jaunt came to an end. “What’s what?” Melanie feigned innocence, still stunned by Lois’s rapid approach. “That footage!” Lois pointed to the monitor screen. Melanie hadn’t had time to delete the video.

                        “Uhsorry about the mad dash.” Lois smirked. “I guess that spa rejuvenation treatment went a bit too far.” “I mean the shadow beneath the airplane’s wing.” Lois tried to shift Melanie out of the way. “Miss Lane! That is classified information!” Trish’s tone was deadly serious. Lois spun to face her, as Maggie drew her weapon.

                        Clark bolted in between the women, but the move felt awkward to him. He was afraid that he’d lose his balance, steadying his posture by holding on to the back of a nearby console seat. “Lois, it was probably just a bird.” Clark downplayed the incident. “Now, you’re embarrassing me!” Lois glared at him. “Then that bird was a Pterodactyl, because it should’ve been sucked up into the engine turbines!” She was getting frustrated.

                        In Lois’s mind, her hormones were acting up. She’d admitted being on an emotional rollercoaster all week. Lois felt wired, like she was amped up on steroids, or overdosed on caffeine. Her heart pumped faster than it should’ve been able to do. Clark could barely hear her heartbeat above all the other noise in the room. Something’s wrong! Superman admitted that fact.

                        His abilities seemed diminished. Clark tried his x-ray vision, but could only get past Lois’s clothes. Her skin blocked his usual internal view. He reddened, and finally gave up trying. “C’mon Lois, we’ve been disruptive enough already.” He urged. “Miss Lane, do I have to restrain you?” Maggie snarled. “That won’t be necessary, Maggie.” Marcus stated in a calm, even tone.

                        “Perhaps we’ve all had too much excitement for today.” He added diplomatically. That translated to: The tour is now effectively over, Clark guessed. Lois gazed at the plush carpeted floor, and then her vision proceeded to look down through it into the facility’s lower levels. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. “Okay, okay, I get the hint!”

                        She threw her arms up in resignation. Suddenly, the young reporter felt light on her feet. Lois had been levitating about three inches above the floor. Clark noted that and gasped. He quickly joined her, though the sudden move made him dizzy. Fortunately he distracted Lois by grabbing her arm by the elbow. She promptly floated to the ground.


                        “Lois, don’t we have to fine tune the story for the paper?” Clark said anything to get her moving. “Yeah, you’re right.” She grumbled. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Worthington,” Clark shook his hand on the way out of the control room. “You’ve been very patient.” Lois reached for Marcus’s hand as well, and Clark intercepted it, fearing that she’d transfer her newfound abilities to him. Superman shifted his arm across her back. Luckily Lois didn’t resist.

                        “Should we say our goodbyes to the rest of the staff?” He urged, attempting to keep Lois distracted. Trish put her head in her hands, and Rukmina rolled her eyes. “What a nightmare! That was close!” Lois and Clark followed Maggie and Marc into the lobby. “What’s that noise?” Lois questioned, as she seemed more irritated than usual. Her hearing upgrade picked up the whirring of gears nearby. “Noise?” Clark wondered.

                        “He could barely hear much more than a normal human at this point. “It’s probably just a lift truck.” He downplayed. “Miss Lane? Mr. Kent?” A pleasant voice said. Symone had returned, smiling brightly with her perfectly aligned teeth. She led them out into the sunlight. Lois felt an abundant energy surge, nearly knocking her off her feet.

                        Marc and Maggie followed at a safe distance, ever watchful of Symone and their visitors. “Lois? Clark?” Marc called. “Maybe you’d like to come back to the house for lunch?” Lois froze in her tracks. “Sure.” She responded before Clark could protest. “Uh Clark? A moment please?” Worthington stopped as Maggie, Symone and Lois moved on.

                        The women and the AI headed for the green and gold SUV. “Yes?” Clark was worried. “Mr. Worthington, I’m sorry about all this.” Marc brushed it off. “No harm done so far. I want you to take this card.” He handed Superman a snazzy business card. “Dr. Emil Hamilton?” Clark read aloud. “Is someone ill?” he asked sarcastically. Marc shook his head. “No, not exactly. Dr. Hamilton isn’t that type of physician. He specializes in your issues. Well, let me rephrase thathe’d be more familiar with unusual situations.” The young billionaire said evasively.

                        “You didn’t tell him about?” He frowned. “No, Clark, not in so many words.” Marc slapped him on the back. “Dr. Hamilton was referred to me by the U.S. Government. He helped in an unusual set of circumstances Zara and I ran across a couple of years ago.” Clark nervously fiddled with the card. “Were you in Smallville at the time?” he fished.

                        “No. In South America. I’d never been to Smallville until last night.” Marc added. “Zara and I were on a dig. We’d just unearthed an ancient Inca pyramid. Two of our colleagues were there. They were horribly killed by some sort of creature.” Clark and Marc began walking towards the SUV. “I’ll spare you the gory details, but let’s say that when we found themit was a mess.” Marc shuddered. “I’m sorry, Mr. Worthington.”

                        Clark felt ill. One of the Phantom Zoners! He guessed. “Thanks Clark, but we were at a loss for an explanation. Any normal animal would likely have fed on its felled prey. The injuries sustained were more like an autopsy.” He added darkly. “At first, Zara and I thought that it might have been the Traveler, mostly because there were no strange footprintsin the residue.” Marc continued. “Whatever killed your colleagues was most definitely not the Traveler.” Clark assured him. Lois popped her head out of the SUV window.
                        “Let’s go Smallville!” She urged. “Mr. Worthington’s a busy man.” Clark waved at her. “The card only has Dr. Hamilton’s name and cell phone number on it. What about an office address?” He inquired. Marc shook his head. “Even you’re not allowed to know where Dr. Hamilton is located. It’s a violation of Federal Law, and Homeland Security, to disclose that information.” Marcus said sternly.
                        “Call Dr. Hamilton, and he’ll find you.” Clark was not keen on getting involved with the Feds again, after barely rescuing Chloe from their clutches. “Yeah, well Dr. Hamilton better not wait by the phone for my call.” Clark added sourly. They finally reached the SUV. “Clark, when you’re ready, Dr. Hamilton will be willing to help you.” Marcus smiled as he opened the SUV door for him.

                        “You’re going to a doctor, Smallville?” Lois asked warily. “Not right now, Lois.” He replied, climbing across the back seat behind Symone. They took the quick drive up to the Worthington Ranch Mansion, exited the SUV, and waited patiently for Marcus to call them for lunch. Lois whipped her fingers across her laptop. The keyboard began to overheat, before she slowed to a stop. Clark still hadn’t figured out her problem.

                        Mr. Worthington approached quickly under the watchful eyes of Symone, who trailed the visitors everywhere like a lost puppy. “Hi again. Before lunch, how would you two like to see the most rare of all the items in my collection? Before you answer, you may not report on them.” Lois reluctantly nodded, dutifully leaving her laptop and steno pad behind on the desk near the foyer’s center, within the domed ceiling area.

                        “Clark, I called Dr. Hamilton and he’s willing to check in with you at your convenience.” Marc informed him. “Ask him about the DETAB.” Superman stared blankly at him. “He’ll know that I sent you, and to what I’m referring.” Marcus and Symone led them into a type of Conservatory, filled with a fully functional greenhouse, and a number of fragrant plants, none of which belonged in the arid desert. Marcus reached behind a fountain and pulled a latch.

                        A hidden door opened, moving the colorful plants in front of it, as they swayed in the humid, recycled air. The door led to a dimly lit staircase, which angled steeply downward. Clark’s slightly heightened sense of smell picked up the aroma of sulfur. Marcus flipped the lighting up a notch. “Clark, back in South America, Zara and I partnered with the local governments, and our own National Security Agency. We were investigating our colleagues’ deaths, but also we were discussing an ELE.” Marc stepped gingerly down the stairs.

                        “ELE? What’s that?” Lois questioned. “An Extinction Level Event, Miss Lane.” Symone replied automatically. “Some animals were going extinct?” Lois wondered aloud. “Nopeople.” Marc answered darkly. “Like the tribes of the Rainforest?” Clark asked. “No, Clarkall peopleeverywhere.” Marc responded as shivers ran down his spine.

                        Lois gulped. Clark knew more or less what Marcus referred to. Zod! “You’ve got to love the government and their acronyms.” Lois remarked cynically. “What form of Apocalypse was it this time, Mr. Worthington? Nuclear? Biological? Chemical?” Lois continued. “My dad, the General always mentioned a ‘Big War’, or disaster.” Marcus was silent.

                        Symone trailed the guests, making Clark extremely nervous. This feels like a trap, he considered, or am I just so overly paranoid His train of thought derailed, as Lois pointed to a display case along the far wall of the antechamber. “This stuff must be worth a fortune for you to keep it so well hidden.” She remarked as Marcus slowed just a bit. “Priceless, is more like it.” He commented. Clark was more interested in how much Worthington knew about what happened.

                        From past experience, he knew that Lex, Zod, and BRAINIAC almost pulled off the ELE. Displayed prominently in the glass paned mahogany case, which reached from ceiling to floor were several colorful, unusual items. The largest of them was a multilayered, feathered mask, presumably from an ancient Native American culture. Though the mask was likely made of gold, it seemed to be beyond any craftsmanship that Clark had ever witnessed, including Lex’s museum pieces.
                        Beneath the decorative mask was a thin instrument about the size of a common flute, though it had no wind holes in it. It was greenish blue in color, and ran about eight inches from tip to end. It was about two inches wide. Clark gasped.

                        The writing on it was in Kryptonian! “What’s up Smallville?” Lois asked worriedly. “You’re not going to pass out again on me are you?” Symone was curiously silent, as Marcus gauged their reactions. “Hey, what’s with that flute?” Lois glanced at it more closely. “This will changethe housewhere you dwell” Lois read aloud. Marc’s eyes widened.

                        “Recording” Symone muttered, speaking beyond the normal human sound frequency. Naturally, Clark heard her. Lois was reading Kryptonian! He backed away from her. Symone shoved him roughly back towards Lois. “What? That’s what it says!” Lois defended. Clark gave Symone a dirty look. She glanced back with a typically vacant expression. He then reexamined the item, checking Lois’s translation. It was fairly accurate in his opinion.

                        He read it as ‘This will change the way you live.’ Where had Marcus gotten the mysterious artifact? There was also a Kryptonian number engraved on its surface, the symbol for the number 2. “Where did you get that thing?” Clark pressed. “South Africa, near Capetown.” Marc replied vaguely. “What’s more interesting to meis that we found no language equivalent for the symbols in any of our databases. I assumed that the writing was simply decorative.” He informed Clark. Lois seemed unaware that she’d just read an alien previously unknown language.

                        She moved on to investigate the headdress. “What tribe is this from?” She asked Marcus. “That’s just it, Lois, we have no idea. It doesn’t match any known artwork from our database either.” Lois looked closely at it. “It’s pretty.” She critiqued absently, like her mind had grown distant. “Where was it found?” She inquired.

                        “Zara and I ran across it in the Mediterranean, near one of the less populated islands off the coast of Cypress, Greece.” Marc responded. “What’s this?” Lois pointed to a monochromatic fish carving about 10 inches long from nose to tailfin. It seemed to be made from alabaster or jade. The highlight of the piece was a large gem, roughly two inches in diameter, which was a translucent violet in hue. It was where the fish’s eye should be. Yet it seemed out of proportion. “We unearthed that curiosity in the Caribbean, roughly halfway between Bermuda and Cuba.” Marc explained. “It was located on a partially submerged island, devoid of any population, other than tropical birds.”

                        “Would you like to examine them further?” Marc challenged her. He pressed a remote control, and the alarm shut off, allowing access to the display case. “Maybe we better not!” Clark protested. “Smallville, don’t be a wuss.” Lois chastised him, sounding more like her old self. “Yeah but you might damage the items, or drop them.” Clark argued to no avail.

                        Symone slipped in behind Lois. The eager reporter lifted the headdress and put it on her face. “What do you think, Smallville? That would be a great Halloween costume.” Lois teased. “You can’t afford it.” He countered, as Marcus allowed a snicker. She replaced the mask in the case and carefully removed the fish. Lois stared directly into the violet eye, and gasped.

                        “Whoa! That’s a trip!” She commented. “What?” Marcus asked excitedly. “If you hold the fisheye up to the light, it illustrates an awesome seascape, with a brilliant white castle in its center. Check it out.” Lois handed the fish to Marcus. “Yes it does.” He glanced into it. He was about to pass it to Clark, when Lois reached in and picked up the Kryptonian artifact. The lights flickered, and a wind came up out of nowhere.

                        “This is one part of a three part item.” Lois announced rigidly. Two other items appeared above them in a holographic image. The other two were an amulet with a green circular center, and a handle, perhaps carved of jade, with a greenish blue hue to it. “There are symbols on the items.” Lois read them aloud. “With these you canrule the world?” She repeated, frightening Clark. He double-checked her interpretation. She was basically right.

                        It said ‘You can control the people’ in Kryptonian. He shuddered. “Smallville, you know what this is?” Lois asked as Marcus’s eyes widened. “It’s the Wand of Fagan. At least part of it.” Clark shook his head. He’d been right again. “Wand of Fagan? I never heard of it.” Marc was puzzled. “You wouldn’t have unless you hung out at seedy dive bars near the ocean, or socialized with the Navy Brass.” Lois remarked as she put the item back in its place.

                        The holographic images disappeared as Marcus looked on shaking his head. “This Wand of Fagan does what exactly?” He asked with irritation. “We don’t know.” Lois responded. “The legends I heard revolved around the wand being able to change the weather, shake the ground, cause whirlpools, etc. the problem with that is all things mentioned are naturally occurring phenomena.” Lois sounded more intellectual than usual.

                        “Let’s hope that no one else has the other two parts of it.” Marcus said seriously. “I heard that!” Clark remarked. Marcus led them further down into the converted bomb shelter, beneath the mansion. “Here’s the power source room…” He opened a thick, double width steel door. “…Which is a geothermal spring similar to a geyser, but much larger and more powerful.” Marc informed them. Symone circled around beside him.

                        “We use this spring exclusively. It functions similarly to a boiler in a boiler room. The difference is that we have a nearly unlimited supply of superheated water. We’ve studied the spring in great detail, and have determined that the water is pushed upwards, directly from an underground lava flow.” Lois whistled. “Talk about averting an energy crisis” She commented. Clark studied the setup, and noted that thankfully, there were no odd meteor rocks, or minerals with unusual properties around.

                        He still felt that he was only at about half powerguessing that Lois had the other half! Suddenly, the red camera light in Symone’s left eye went dark. The light in her eye was replaced by a series of green Kryptonian symbols scrolling across her line of vision. “Malfunction! Override!” Symone babbled as Lois gaped at her.

                        Clark gulped nearly swearing under his breath. BRAINIAC! But how? Marcus was already on the cell phone. “Trish! Override Symone’s programming now!” He ordered. “What the hell did she say?” Lois snapped. Before Clark could stop her, Symone reached over and grabbed Lois’s arm. The contact sent both of them flying in opposite directions. It was as if they were knocked apart by opposing electrical charges. The underground lighting shut off.

                        It was pitch black. Clark could see reasonably well in the dark, but he mostly saw two sets of eyes brightening rapidly. One was bright red, the other bright green. “Marcus! Stay back!” He yelled over the din of the onrushing spring water. “Thank you Kal El.” BRAINIAC’s voice was mouthed through Symone.“Just what I needed, a new unlimited power source.” The AI said in an even tone.


                        “Clark! We can’t allow them access to the geothermal reserve!” Marc’s voice was panicky as he stepped towards Symone. “If she contacts the energy stream, the result could be a catastrophic explosion! It could literally take out all of Northern Arizona!” Lois charged Symone, grabbing the AI by the waist, restraining her with a classic tackle, mindful of the edge of the hot spring’s energy core.
                        Clark joined Lois, steadying his foothold on the slimy rocks, and keeping the supercharged AI away from it. Symone’s gears whined, and her circuits began to overheat with the strain. A security detail was already on their way. It would be a bloodbath. Symone twisted away and zipped upward, moving at high speed through the stairwell and back up to the Conservatory greenhouse. “There will be another time, Kal El.” BRAINIAC threatened as Lois dashed after the AI with half of Clark’s hyper speed. He tried to keep up with them.

                        The security detail arrived and fired warning shots at first Symone, and then Lois. Fortunately, they missed. At half strength, Lois, Clark, and Symone could still be vulnerable. BRAINIAC had been limited to corrupting Symone’s files, and had attained only partial control of the AI. The race was on! Symone zipped across the bluff away from her target.

                        BRAINIAC’s plan was to lose Lois and Clark and double back to the geothermal spring for a power boost. Lois was zooming along at a high speed pace, as Clark struggled to catch up. What a nightmare! He thought. Not only did he have to prevent Symone from attacking the power grid but he also had to capture and control Lois.

                        Even with half of Clark’s strength and speed, Lois’s lethal martial arts skills could enable her to tear up and virtually depopulate any small town or village in her path. Lois leapt over a ridge, landing softly in the desert sand, hot on the trail of Symone. The intense late afternoon sun increased her power twofold, a benefit of kryptonite poisoning.


                        Clark also felt better the more time he spent outdoors. He kept Lois in his sight, hoping that she would lose energy eventually, or take a misstep. He hoped for anything that would give him the edge. Symone’s gears began to whine and overheat. It was fortunate that she’d been built with Earth’s technology. Even the best of parts had its limitations. The AI began to slow.

                        “No!” BRAINIAC howled, as the female android’s circuits blew one by one. Lois caught up to Symone. Clark was right on her trail. Symone turned on Lois, grasping her by the throat. The possessed AI still had enough strength to crush Lois’s windpipe. BRAINIAC extended his feelers out from Symone’s head. They wriggled towards Lois. In moments, Lois would be turned into a mindless zombie, as Chloe had and Lana before her.

                        Clark was determined not to let that happen. He attempted to grab Lois by her thin waist, and pull her away from BRAINIAC. In the heat of battle, Lois pivoted, catching Clark by surprise with a roundhouse kick. The impact sent him sailing over a small rocky ridge. Lois’s eyes briefly returned to normal. “Clark?” She croaked, pulling one of Symone’s hands off her throat for an instant. The AI reaffirmed its grasp. “Ack!” Lois uttered.

                        Clark jumped high in the sky, vaulting over the ridge, and extended one arm, curled his hand into a fist and came down hard on Symone’s back, driving the AI temporarily into the sandy desert floor. BRAINIAC lost his control of the AI, and released Lois.

                        Symone’s robotic arms flailed wildly, as one of BRAINIAC’s antenna links broke in half. The other twisted back into the AI’s head. Lois took a moment to catch her breath. Her eyes flared red, and she yanked Symone out of the sand with one hand. Clark shouted: “Lois! No!”

                        The kryptonite infected young reporter reached out with the other hand, and tore through Symone’s chest, ripping out numerous circuits, and connections. The electromagnetic shock sent Lois flying backwards a good twenty yards, where she fell limply into a hot desert sand dune.

                        Symone’s control panel beeped several times before going dark. A slimy black fluid leaked out of the AI’s ears, nose, and mouth. Her eyes went dark. All sound and motion ceased. Clark rushed towards Lois’s prone form. He dropped to his knees beside her. Clark couldn’t pick up her heartbeat. “Oh no!” He held her head up. “Breathe Lois! C’mon breathe!”

                        He put his head to her chest. “Come back!” Clark pleaded. Lois saw a bright flash, and hundreds of indecipherable greenish symbols scrolled past her mind’s eye. Suddenly the gibberish scattered and Lois saw images in her thoughts. She was a little girl holding hands with her mother walking onto an Army base. She saw her father, strapping on his black boots, and inserting a silver gun into a sidearm holster.

                        She saw her sister Lucy as a child bounding up the stairs of a ghostly gray army barracks home. Lois witnessed Clark stark naked in the cornfield, meteors hurtling down from the bright Kansas sky, and then she watched the casket close on Mr. Kent. She remembered holding Martha Kent close, as Clark’s eyes turned dark, cold, and emotionless.

                        She saw Lex laughing as the world around him turned to flame. She saw Lana toss her through a glass door like a discarded rag doll. Two helicopters began to close in on the scene. Lois, Clark, and Symone had run nearly a hundred miles away from Worthington Ranch. There were two more helicopters roaring in from the opposite direction.

                        The first set of choppers bore the usual green and gold WorthingtonCo logos and the second set were pitch-black in color. They were substantially armed. A Gatling gun protruded from one helicopter’s cargo bay door, and the other bore two stinger missiles roughly aimed at the opposing Worthington craft. Apparently, the super powered melee had carried them into restricted government land. Clark was torn with what to do.

                        “Breathe Lois!” he begged. Clark bent down and lip locked Lois, forcing a major blast of superheated air into her lungs. He simultaneously pounded lightly on her chest. Lois was still distant. In her unconscious state, she saw a scantily clad woman, dressed in animal skins, and a skirt made from strong tree leaves. The woman held the strange mask that they’d seen above her head reverently. “My sisters, we must enter”

                        The woman was yelling, as a sharp pain distracted Lois’s mind. Next she witnessed the holograms of the other two parts of the Wand of Fagan. One was located in Egypt, the other somewhere in China. Finally, she saw herself dressed in an off white Wedding gown. Her face was veiled. A man lifted the veilit was Clark!

                        Suddenly Clark’s image went black, and she was alone at the altar. Lois saw hundreds of grieving people walking past a black and silver obelisk. Clark turned his head away from her for a second. It was just long enough to let loose a few blasts of his heat vision. The energy bolts impacted the nearest helicopter. Its engine overheated and the rotors stopped.

                        The chopper spun aimlessly before it hit the ground. Luckily it hadn’t exploded on impact. The second black helicopter fired its stinger missiles at the presumably unarmed WorthingtonCo choppers. “Counter measures!” Marcus barked the order to his pilot. The helicopter discharged two of its own missiles. They immediately sought out the attacking ordinance and vaporized them.

                        The Worthington Co aircraft flanked the remaining black helicopter, not making any further aggressive moves. Clark assumed that the two parties involved were talking. He returned his attention to Lois. Once again he lip locked her, forcing air down her throat.
                        Lois gasped to life, coughing repeatedly, and catching her breath. Clark held her close to him. “Lois, don’t ever leave me again!” Lois’s big eyes fluttered open. “I won’t.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. The slimy black goo slithered towards the downed helicopter...

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                        • #27
                          Thanks for filling in the gap. I thought something was missing.

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                          • #28
                            This is the beginning of Evolutions & Edge of Darkness

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                            • #29
                              👍👍👍

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