The Second Time Around

By Philip Mogul <phmogul@mindspring.com>

Rated PG-13

January 2009

Summary: The Miranda incident causes a major rift in Lois and Clark’s relationship. From that point on, the events leading to reconciliation bring our lovers on an entirely different path.

Posthumously submitted by Jeanne Pare <jpare@atmc.net>

Standard Fanfic Disclaimer’s apply Reply to: jpare@atmc.net

Again, many, many thanks to my friend and superGE Jeanne Pare for her invaluable assistance in reading and harmonizing my Lois and Clark material into a more readable and interesting style.

Editor’s note:

It is with deep regret that I inform FoLCdom of the passing of a great man. Phil Mogul passed away December 24, 2008. He had been hospitalized several weeks ago for a stroke and finally suffered a heart attack. In addition, he was in great pain due to back injuries suffered from Viet Nam and Crohn’s disease.

I met Phil through Lois and Clark. Several years ago I edited a fic for him and our association continued in that vein. After two years or so I admitted that I lived not too far from him (about 2 hrs); I was cautious at first, you see. We made arrangements to meet for lunch along with our spouses and we all hit it off. From that time on we talked on the phone often and occasionally visited each other.

Phil was one of the most generous people I have ever known. He truly wanted to help people, and it didn’t matter to him what race or religion you were. He believed in family and had very strong family values, as one can see by reading his fics. He was a spiritual man and believed strongly in a higher being, but at the same time he did not judge people poorly who had beliefs different from his own. Phil and I did not share the same religion, but I found we could agree on almost everything. He gave me a lot to think about and broadened my viewpoint.

Most of you may not know that Phil was a highly educated man. He had an earned Ph.D in physics and chemistry and was well versed in many other areas. He delighted in writing fanfic because writing prose was totally new to a man who spent his life in science and writing scientific journals. He wanted to exercise his brain fully by doing something he had never done before. His quest for knowledge was enormous.

Phil was a wonderful teacher. His students revered him, and he challenged them to go beyond what they felt they were capable of. He was known for his many inspiring anecdotes and words of wisdom. His high ethical and moral character made him an excellent role model for generations of students.

I’m sure there are many accomplishments of Phil’s that I may never know. He was a humble man, who did not try to set himself above others. But I will tell you now that I think he was a giant of a man, a wonderful friend, a good husband to his wife, and a good father to his children. He will indeed be missed by many.

I edited this fic last summer. Phil wanted to change a few things before uploading it to the Archive, but he never got around to it. I felt it was one of his best. I am uploading it to the Archive posthumously. He always wondered if many read his tales. Feedback to our authors is so important, guys. I assured him and told him that if nothing else he was expressing what was in his heart. And what a sincere and loving heart! Please read his last fic. I will share with his wife any condolences if you wish to send them to me.

Jeanne Pare

***

After Lois and Clark had been exposed to one of Miranda’s sensual and intoxicating fragrances on the newsroom floor of the Daily Planet, the emotionally simulating aroma of the perfume rapidly bewitched them. Soon, Miranda’s synthetic compound rapidly affected the reporters’ mutual sexual desires and induced them into initiating impassioned and lusty emotional activities. The synthetic fragrance also created a strong linkage between Lane and Kent and further stimulated spirited amorous exertions between the young couple, which lasted for several days in Clark’s apartment.

When the drug induced effects of Miranda’s animalistic fragrance ultimately abated between Lane and Kent, the emotional states of the two reporters returned to a more rational posture leaving the journalistic partners stunned by their mutual biological effectuation.

Lois, initially stunned, became outraged by the torrid relationship she had just experienced with Clark Kent and closed her mind to her partner’s attempted explanation, alluding to what she perceived as the cause of their unexpected and uncontrolled intimacy. As usual, when Lois felt humiliated or put upon, she would not listen to any rational explanations. All that Lois continued to murmur as she sat on the bed was, “How can we continue to be partners and good friends after our deep emotional entanglement?” She then added, “Our passionate episode has already changed the Lane and Kent working and social agendas that have been evolving for a year or more.”

“Only if we permit this awkward, and I admit this unfortunate, incident to destroy our blossoming relationship,” Clark quietly replied, “will our affiliation be emasculated.”

After CK’s final statement, CK quietly turned his back on the irate Lois Lane and rapidly exited his apartment allowing her some time and space to freshen up and more importantly gain a modicum of control over her very perturbed feelings.

Later that evening Clark dropped by Lois’s apartment to ameliorate what had occurred between the two journalists.

However, after a rather stormy scene, Clark realized that his attempt to rectify the rift between him and Lois was probably doomed. Clark then gave her the Kryptonian globe he’d purloined from Trask’s warehouse. Although Lois was unaware of the orb’s origin or its function, she accepted the strange object. The Planet’s star reporter then agreed to keep the strange globe as a gesture of their once very close, but now fractured friendship.

After she accepted the exotic ovoid device, Mad Dog Lane again began to verbally assail her partner implying that their entire unfortunate affair was his fault. Because of Clark’s insecurities when faced with romantic or sensual circumstances, especially concerning Lois, he affirmed stating, “I’ll accept the blame for our SNAFU. Let’s just move on with our lives — please, let’s not continue to rebuke, refute or use any further abusive rhetoric concerning our supposed affair. What has occurred, we’ve already acknowledged. So, let’s move our lives forward from this point in time.”

Not hearing the essence of Clark’s statement, she just sanctioned his acceptance of the affair’s supposedly guilty liability and again intensified her ranting and raving directed toward her partner. Clark just stood there and took her abuse. When Lois finally quieted down and became quiescent, CK, her now one time partner quietly said, “Is there anything further you wish to express?”

Somewhat taken aback by Clark’s rather calm demeanor and his statements, Lois set her jaw in a rancorous pose and replied rather harshly, “No.”

Pausing for a moment, Clark simply replied to his now ex-partner’s response saying, “Goodbye, Lois, I’ll remember your considerate and understanding behavior along with our past memorable good times over the coming years.”

In her current irrational state, Lois did not totally comprehend the ramification of Clark’s fare-thee-well pronouncement.

When she arrived at the Daily Planet the next morning, Perry summoned Lois to his office.

Upon entering the chief’s innersanctum, Perry said calmly, “Lois, please close the door.”

Then, Perry handed Lois a note, which, from the handwriting, was obviously a message from Clark to Perry. It simply said:

“Dear Perry:

Due to some unforeseen circumstances I must tender my resignation.

Your good friend,

CK”

Lois was stunned by the statement, but said nothing. His good-bye comment was now clear.

Perry remarked, “Lois, it’s obvious that you two had a horrific brawl.” Lois just nodded her head agreeing with the chief’s comment.

Then Perry added, “I hope it was not over the effects of Miranda’s libido fragrance. In specific cases, it stimulated the hidden love between individuals to blossom and to express itself in a physical expression of those affections.”

Pacing to and fro, Perry said, “I was hoping that you two would work out your differences. You know, of course, that Kent fell in love with you when he first saw you. It was on the day you interrupted his interview for employment with the Planet organization. You know, darlin’,” Perry quietly continued, “I was hoping you would eventually realize Clark’s romantic interest in you, and you and he would eventually form a romantic bond and become an item. But, you constantly frustrated CK by your daily caustic and even hostile remarks directed at his social and journalistic capabilities.

“Instead, Lois, you set your cap for a cartoon character whose main focus is directed on helping the entire world. How many times have I heard Superman attempt to tell you, darlin’, that he belonged to the world and subtly indicated that he couldn’t have a romantic affiliation with you. It would place you in a dangerous situation, arising from the man of steel’s enemies. Unfortunately, you either refused to hear or believe what the Kryptonian told you.

“Lois, I guess you just don’t see Kent as a life long partner, which would require something I refer to as the love factor, an emotional force binding two people in a soulmate relationship. When this unknown emotional attraction works,” Perry continued, “I strongly feel that a successful union results, and in time, hopefully, will be blessed with children. More important, as the couple ages, the companionship of the pair will shelter one another, especially in their golden years. That’s what I believe Clark desired for himself and you, Lois.”

Pausing for a moment, Perry added, “After the manner you kept treating our Midwestern associate, whom you unrelentingly referred to as ‘the hick from nowhere’ without so much as any supportive comment, I knew eventually that CK would leave the employ of the Planet. The pain and hurt of your constant rejection, Lois, would eventually become intolerable and drive that very talented journalist from our mists.

“Clark even tolerated your chauvinism, Lois, always keeping a low keyed behavior pattern in your presence, especially when mad-dog Lane displayed her irascible disposition. You generally directed all your emotional tirades at Kent. From my observation, Clark did not deserve your verbal attacks.”

“We always made-up,” Lois quickly said to Perry.

Perry replied to Lois’s statement by saying, “You never repaired your differences with CK and never apologized. Clark just waited until you cooled off and accepted him back into your good graces, or should I say within your circle of so called friends, most of whom, from my view point, appear to be somewhat bigoted.”

Pausing for a moment, Perry then added, “Best friends are like a married couple. They may have disagreements from time to time, but within several days or so a loving couple scrutinizes the reason that caused their dispute and soon will have brushed aside what disturbed their tranquility causing them to quarrel. At least that’s how it functions within most successful marriages — soulmate relationships.

“Now that Clark has left Metropolis, advice for the women working at the Planet will flow from the Cat woman and her women’s group. With Clark’s leaving, the other kind of women who prowl the newsroom and link to your behavior, Lois, will again begin to treat the men in the bullpen with more contempt. I’ve also observed from your increasing irrational behavior towards Clark that you were attempting to drive him to treat you as a friend and partner or else.

“So, if I were CK, I’d leave my increasingly intolerable working conditions. Clark must have read my mind. He did just what any self-respecting individual would eventually do. Now, if I were he, Lois, I would probably look for a woman who’d treat me as a life copartner and appreciate what I’m attempting to achieve as we both travel the highways and byways of life. In Clark’s case, she’ll have to be understanding and provide a portion of her time to support and maybe assist CK when he attempts to help others in difficulty throughout the world.”

Looking at Perry, Lois very quickly asked, “What do you imply when you say she’ll assist him as he attempts to help others?”

Lois Perry said, “I’m referring to your battered partner, Clark Kent, whom you constantly ignored and hurt in favor of a soon to be nonexistent character, Superman. My instinct obliges me to doubt Clark will continue in that facade since it failed to provide, and may even have hampered him, when he sought his most precious desires, love and understanding.

“Lois, I just told you that information about CK in confidence. If you repeat that information, I’ll deny that I ever said anything so foolish and I’ll challenge the mental stability of the one who gave out such garbage.”

After a startled pause, Lois asked, “Are you telling me that Clark is Superman?”

Somewhat annoyed, Perry replied, “Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve just been saying?”

“Yes, Perry,” Lois whispered, and quietly responded, “It just seems so fantastic.”

After Lois and Perry’s tete e tete, the Chief just turned on his heel and returned to his office, shaking his head mumbling. Lois’s head was filled with cotton, hay, and rags.

Ambulating back to her escritoire, Lois caught sight of a note placed on her desktop. It was from Clark.

Opening the memorandum Lois read:

“Dear Lois:

I will never be able to forgive myself for what occurred during our association, especially our so-called affair. Try to remember me fondly. I have stored within my being a host of good remembrances at the Planet, which I’ll treasure all the days of my life and beyond its ending if a hereafter exists.

Goodbye, my friend,

CK”

At twenty-six, Lois Lane, with knowledge gained from Perry and reading Clark’s note, felt that she had just lost something elusive and infinitely precious. As Lois was about to start calling her sources, Perry came out of his office and called out, “Listen up, folks, I just learned from Dr. Klein that he discovered conclusively that the so called “love bug” that blanketed Metropolis was the result of a modernistic perfume developed by Miranda Sims and sponsored by Lex Luther. She has since been arrested and is now facing trial. Luthor’s involvement in this city wide episode is still under investigation.”

Pausing for a moment, Perry added, “Dr. Klein indicated that Miranda’s fragrance apparently only functions if the two people under the influence of Miranda’s adulterated perfume were already fond of one other and were on the threshold of a loving relationship.”

After hearing Perry’s statement, Lois became choked-up and Left the Planet. She went for a walk in the City’s Central Park, which was located almost directly across the thoroughfare that fronted her place of employment, The Daily Planet.

Finding an isolated location, she sat down on a bench, concealed by the flora, and began to weep quietly.

As Lois sobbed, she incorporated the info from Dr. Klein’s laboratory and Perry’s comments, and she came to the full realization that the chief had spoken truthfully about Clark, especially about loving her, and that her ex-partner was indeed Metropolis’s superhero. While the tears poured from her eyes, the Planet’s ace reporter became painfully aware that over the past few days she, Lois Lane, had quite possibly lost the love of her life. Lois now knew that the feeling she felt for her partner was the beginning of something special, which in her tirades Lois had failed to recognize.

Because of her past experience with men in the newsroom and her mother’s poor choice of a mate, Lois had allowed her wariness concerning men and, lately, her jealousy when other women approached Clark to trigger responses that would cause her to assail her partner about their working relationships. Her emotions, unfortunately, were heightened by the recent love bug fragrance. It aroused passions she ignored at her peril. Her anger caused by Miranda’s intoxicating fragrance made her to fail to realize that her ex-partner was her soulmate and that she should have behaved accordingly. If Lois had been rational, they would have been a couple by now. Why did she ignore her growing feelings for her best friend? Her temper made her act the part of a fool, and because of her irrational behavior, she was now a lonely woman who could possibly persist being lonely during the remainder of her life on earth.

Even if she should eventually marry for reasons of companionship or security, which she believed was a doubtful scenario, it would undoubtedly be a loveless act.

As the seasons came and went in their natural order, Lois began to slowly revert to her former pragmatic philosophy that brought her to the same emotional threshold that had dominated her behavior before CK had arrived at the Planet. Since she was now devoid of her partner, Perry watched Lois socially deteriorate into a snarling reclusive bitch. The chief realized that Lois did not function well without a Clark-like sidekick. As Perry further studied Lois, he watched her steadily revert to her pre-Clark working scenario.

Perry also became aware, during the months following Clark’s departure from Metropolis, that Lois Lane again became a workaholic and more frequently ill-tempered.

Since Lois’s demeanor over time was becoming more outspoken when dealing with colleagues, she also was becoming a rather reclusive individual during her unusually long workdays.

It should be noted that Lois attempted to maintain a moderate social life soon after CK departed the Metropolis environs. She initially dated, at her leisure, individuals from a plethora of rather dissimilar social groups. Clark had taught her the fundamentals of gracious yet cautious behavior, which Lois maintained during her dating adventure. CK emphasized that the Planet’s top journalist should avoid many specific males, especially those who desired to date her for an evening and then wanted a roll in the hay, so to speak. So, Lois discovered that many of the so called cultured personages, to their misfortune, just wanted a boudoir encounter after an initial dating encounter. Rather rapidly, word filtered throughout the male dating community that Lois was not an easy sexual mark. The result of her reputation induced men who would have liked to date Lois Lane to remove her from their social agendas. Thus, after her initial dating experiences, Lois became more selective when choosing her dating companions.

About a year after Clark had departed from Lois’s life, Lex Luthor appeared on the scene and began to court the Planet’s ace reporter.

Luthor was the third wealthiest man on the planet. He was charming, affluent, very cultured and possessed other alluring qualities that influenced and captivated the lonely Lois Lane.

Six months into the Lane-Luthor dating sequence, Luthor proposed marriage to his nearly exclusive dating partner. Seven days after Lex’s offer of connubiality, Lois accepted Luthor’s spousal offer. She believed that being the wife of Lex Luthor would provide her with security, freedom of thought, and allow Lois to continue her journalistic career as she managed her marriage obligations.

Perry and Lois’s other close friends were quite unhappy about a possible Luthor-Lane liaison, but remained rather mute. Many, including Perry, knew that Luthor was some sort of lawless mastermind. However, since the investigative press and the law enforcement authorities couldn’t prove Lex’s business activities were felonious, Perry and the Planet remained silent. The data associated with unlawful events that appeared to be somehow related to LexCorp always had a tendency to vanish.

As Lois’s wedding to Lex was rapidly approaching, Perry was becoming extremely distraught and informed his star reporter about his tentative investigation into the affairs of her fiance. From what limited information Perry possessed, he showed Lois that there was substantial evidence that Luthor was engaged in many illicit business schemes through the city and the world at large. He used LexCorp and his other business ventures as an agent to foster and hide his felonious practices. Lois, of course, was skeptical of Perry’s information and indicated as much to Perry, her surrogate father — a man who had cared for Lois’s welfare, surpassing the support provided by her own biological sire.

A month before her marriage to Lex Luthor, Lois took a leave of absence from the Planet to prepare for her nuptials.

Sometime within this interim period, Perry received a packet of data from his most trusted sub rosa sources containing a plethora of incriminating documents that provided Perry with the evidence Metropolis’ law enforcement agencies needed to incarcerate Lex Luthor in prison for several lifetimes, at least. The information within the packet concerned Lex’s many sub rosa agreements that linked him to a prodigious amount of criminal activities, even murder, that Lex had authorized and was signed frequently by boss man himself. It was also observed that Nigel St. John and other prominent LexCorp executives often countersigned Lex’s signature to give it legitimacy.

After preparing copies of the incriminating material, Perry placed Luthor’s inculpating documents into Inspector Henderson’s hands, a man who was a scrupulously honest and ethical servant of the law.

Just after the wedding’s vows were received and accepted by Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, Henderson, and a cadre of special law enforcers arrived with arrest warrants and endeavored to apprehend Luthor.

In attempting to escape his arrest, Lex and his close associates produced hand weapons and proceeded to battle with the police. During the following lethal fracas, Lex Luthor was mortally wounded. His last words were, “Lois, I’m sorry my plans for you didn’t pan out. It would have been so much fun breaking your will. You would have been a great show piece for my affairs, like an ancient porcelain doll on a pedestal.”

Lois just shook her head unbelievingly as she murmured, “How did I miss Lex’s sinister designs on my psyche and control of my demeanor.”

Walking away from Lex’s corpse, Lois murmured to herself, “And I’m supposed to be a topnotch reporter?”

The following day, Lex’s Lawyer contacted Lois and informed her that because of Lex’s untimely demise, she was now one of the wealthiest women on the face of the earth.

After Lois hung up her telephone she proclaimed to her empty room, “A wealthy widow am I. What about the love, companionship, and an affectionate family I had expected?” Lois then emitted spontaneous and irrational laughter that soon turned to a sobbing fit.

The next day Lois returned to the Planet.

Perry smiled when he heard that Lois had not given up on life by using the wealth she inherited from Luthor’s estate and live the remainder of her existence on some luxurious island resort fashioned for the rich and famous.

“No,” Perry thought, “Lois has already returned to her position at the Planet and soon will be giving Henderson headaches.”

Speaking of Bill Henderson, Lois met him on a homicide investigation within a slum area known as Hobbs Bay area soon after her ill-famed husband of a few minutes was slain in a skirmish with the arresting police officers.

After a cordial hello, Bill nonchalantly asked Lois about her ex-partner, Clark Kent.

“I haven’t heard from Kent in over a year,” Lois replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to offer him a position on the Metropolis police force,” Henderson expeditiously told her. “He’s the kind of person that you run across once in a great while.” Pausing, Henderson continued, “Kent was always an honest man and kept his commitments. What struck me the most was that while your person from Kansas learned a great deal about journalism under your tutelage, He wasn’t corrupted by your many so called shortcut methods. A good cop,” Henderson added, “must operate within the rules of the profession. If I recall,” the police inspector said, “Clark always played by the legal constraints that he confronted.”

Looking Lois straight in the eye, Bill Henderson simply said, “I desperately need a principled and ethical man like Clark in the department. His kind is a very rare human commodity. I guess when he left,” Bill added, “it was to remove himself from your presence and the frequently accusatory and degrading comments you often directed at your former partner.”

Henderson then said, “Clark must have been hurt repeatedly by your treatment of his psyche, but Kent was a loyal fellow and stayed by your side longer than I figured. I guess,” the inspector added, “the answer to my query is relatively simple. The man loved you, Lois. But, even Kent reached a point where he could no longer tolerate your treatment. You know, gal, you mistreated and tossed away one hell of a guy — in a million. Clark would have gone through hell and high water for you. But, Ms. Lane, that’s purely a speculative view based upon the workings of my own marriage — one woman for life. One who is your soulmate and will stand beside you through thick and thin.”

After a slight pause, Henderson commented, “Nice to see you back with the good folks, Lois. I’ll definitely see you around.”

As Bill shuffled off, Lois felt good that someone cared about her besides Perry. While Lois collected the data on the Hobb’s Bay homicide, Henderson’s comments brought back vivid and surprisingly fond memories of Clark.

After leaving Metropolis, Clark headed back to his boyhood home, the Kent farm. There, he remained with his folks for several months, helping his dad and formulating his plans.

Before he left Smallville for Alaska early in the spring, Clark had slowly phased out his patrols over Metropolis so that the people living in New Troy’s megalopolis would not make any connection between Clark Kent and Superman.

Arriving in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, Clark sought newspaper employment offices located in the backwoods communities within the surrounding area. The small town newspapers he interviewed for were somewhat more isolated from the most populated areas within the State.

A few days after arriving in the Juneau vicinity, Clark found himself seeking employment in a mining area called Eagle River, where a newspaper designated “The Alaskan Star” was located.

As Clark was about to make an appointment to interview with the editor in chief of the Eagle River paper, Lois was entertaining a cousin of her late husband Lex Luthor.

When Lyle entered Lois’s stylish abode, her cousin by marriage came right to the point. “I’m here as a representative of a conglomerate who desires to purchase LexCorp from your estate. You know, Lois, your taste in furniture for a woman of your enormous wealth is quite subdued. But I’m not surprised. You always did have marvelous taste for the sublime. Lex, I’m afraid, would not have approved.

“Now back to the point,” Lyle said, “I’ve been authorized by my backers to offer you a hundred and twenty-two billion dollars for LexCorp and its supporting facilities.”

“I’ve already been offered a hundred and twenty-five billion for the same properties and its assets,” Lois replied.

Lyle’s face fell. I was only authorized to offer a hundred and twenty-two billion, the sum I’ve already specified.

“Don’t look so glum,” Lois then commented, “I didn’t turn you down.”

Pausing for a moment, Lois said, “You and your associates can purchase LexCorp, but there are several provisos. STAR Labs, for example, will become a free entity with a five billion dollar reserve. The monies for the entire purchase must be deposited in a trust fund entitled LL and be verifiable before the papers for the transaction are signed and notarized. The monies for the LexCorp purchase must also be a tax free transaction.”

“STAR Labs,” Lyle then said, “was to be our main scientific source. We’ll need its resources for our future operations.”

“I’ll see to it that any legitimate needs of LexCorp will be met by the STAR Lab facility. However, you must see to it that any deal that utilizes the scientific lab of which we’ve just spoken must be honest and above board. Otherwise, any monies involved would be forfeited and paid to the scientific facility. If you’ll meet my conditions, I will consider your offer to purchase LexCorp by the people you represent.”

As her cousin was leaving her apartment, Lois said, “Watch your back, Lyle,” Lois warned her relative. “The guys you’re dealing with are probably big time operators and won’t hesitate to eliminate you double quick if they believe you’ve become a liability.”

Lois then said, “Of all Luthor’s clan I’ve met, Lyle, you appear to be the most honest and mentally stable of the lot. Stay that way.”

On the following day, Lois’s and Lyle’s lawyers met and within a month’s time had drawn up the proper legal documents for the sale of LexCorp. The transaction was then concluded in relatively short order.

Lois Lane with the stroke of her pen became the wealthiest woman in the world.

She immediately purchased a few of the best newspapers in the world, including the Daily Planet, of course, and converted each into a free enterprise zone under the protection of the LL trust fund as their financial security. Reorganization within her various news organizations dictated that each paper controlled its domain by an internal democratically elected journalistic board made up of the newspaper’s employees. Criminal organizations could never repress nor corrupt and control these free information providers.

While Lois was now an heiress with enormous funds at her disposal, Clark was readying himself to meet with the chief of the Alaskan Star, a backwater Alaskan newspaper located along the Eagle River in the heart of Alaska.

Coming face to face with the editor, Clark recognized Jerre Fox. Clark nearly shouted, “What the heck are you doing in this wilderness area?”

“Clark,” Jerre responded, “Clark, I never expected to see you here, here in this vast snow covered wasteland.”

Then Jerre said, “Come with me, CK. I want you to meet the wife and our kids.”

Closing the office door, Jerre activated a hidden switch and a clandestine portal silently opened. As they stepped through the secret entryway, the hidden door noiselessly closed behind the two friends.

When the two young men passed through the hidden portal, to Clark’s surprise, a magnificent dwelling had been excavated beneath the granite rock face of a large hill that was part of the Eagle River mountain range and fortuitously was located just at the rear of the Eagle River newspaper facilities.

Aside from a relatively large dining area, several dens, study places and workrooms, Clark observed seven large apartments and a similar number of modest sleeping chambers.

Turning to Clark, Jerre said, “You’ll take one of the apartments and alter its parameters to fit your needs.”

“Thanks,” Clark responded. “It like old times.” Clark then commented to his friend, “Do you remember when we shared the same dorm facilities at Cal. Tech?”

“Yep,” Jerre responded. “They were much happier times.”

Suddenly, a woman appeared followed by two children, one of each gender, both nearing puberty.

As his family appeared, Jerre introduced his wife and children to Clark, a man who had suddenly appeared within their clandestine subterranean abode.

Jeremy then added, “This is the fellow I told you about, Estee, Clark Kent, my roommate in grad school.

Upon hearing Kent’s name and his past association with her husband, Estee broke into a huge smile that appeared to light up the room. Then pointing at her children she said, “The young lady is called Sarah, but we use Sally to help safeguard her from Luthor’s agents. The appellation of the boy is really Mordechai, but like his sister we call him by a relatively generic moniker, Morty, again for protective considerations. I use the name of Eve when I’m beyond the wall of our home,” Estee remarked.

“So,” Clark said, “Luthor is still hunting you?”

“Yeah, my brother,” Jeremy replied, “but the probability that he’ll locate us here in Alaska’s outback is very small, close to a null value.”

Clark said, “Jerre, after dinner I would like to talk to you with the entire family present, if I may. I have a proposition that I believe will interest us all.”

“That’s okay with us,” Estee remarked. Then smiling, she said, “Until after dinner then.”

After a delectable meal, Clark and Jerre’s family settled in the family den. Once the group was comfortable, Clark told Estee and her children that Clark Kent was Superman but was now semi retired. Jerre was already aware of the Kent-Superman association.

Jerre had accidentally discovered Clark’s Superman sub-rosa identity while they roomed together in grad school and kept CK’s monumental secret to himself. Sometime before both Jerre and Clark earned their doctorates in theoretical physics, Jerre informed his roommate that he was aware of CK’s unique abilities. Within a short time thereafter, Clark and Jerre’s quickly became spiritual brothers, which would last for a lifetime.

After the emotional impact from Clark’s pronouncement abated, Clark said, “It is unlikely that I shall marry and pass my genetic characteristics to children of my own within normal family prerequisites.” After a slight pause Clark remarked, “If possible, I would like to pass on my unique abilities to Sally and Morty. It will not only protect them from any present danger as they mature, but my capabilities will be passed to another generation and through them to their own offspring, hopefully forever and a day. In that way there will always be a Superman or UltraWoman guarding Earth from any domestic or extraterritorial harm.”

After a few moments of silence, Estee said, “Let’s sleep on your proposal, Clark. Oh, by the way Clark,” Estee added laughing to herself, “Jerre has a feminine roommate now, so you’ll have to choose your own apartment as your private living and working quarters.”

The next morning, Jerre and his wife agreed to Clark’s proposal.

Clark Kent was happy with Estee and Jerre’s decision. The Kryptonian DNA would be passed on to a new generation, and he would not be the last of his kind. Now, Clark knew that with some luck his species would survive and serve Sol-Three until the earth civilization matured to the level that once adorned mighty Krypton.

Later that day, Clark constructed a device from Kryptonian plans placed by his genetic parents within the library of their son’s escape space capsule. Sally and her brother had their genetic structure modified and a new generation of super powered entities came into existence. He then presented the alteration equipment and its fabrication blueprints to the Fox family to be utilized, if needed, for future generations of their family.

Estee asked, “What if Jerre and I were blessed with more children?”

Clark responded, “I’d wait until your additional progeny neared puberty and then alter their cellular structures to create more super entities. As soon as there are signs of super powers occurring in Sally and Morty, I’ll start training them in the control of their abilities.”

After Clark had passed on his super abilities to the Fox kids, he noticed that the kids were studying various advanced subjects. He smiled as he watched Morty struggle with differential calculus. The text presented this subject in a Jacobean format. He would help the child with his studies later in the day.

Then sitting down with a cup of tea he said to Jerre’s wife, “Your children are brilliant like their parents.”

“That comes from Jerre,” Estee replied. “I assume if you ever married and could procreate, your youngsters would exhibit the same mental proficiency.”

“You know, Clark,” Estee said, “Sally and Morty never fight because of our particular circumstances. They’ll argue at times, but never physically strike out at one another. They always study together and don’t become annoyed if one succeeds, while the other has some difficulty with a particular problem. It’s a beautiful thing to behold. Jerre and I are now doubly blessed because of your gifts.”

Looking around and seeing the kids were occupied across the large room, he told Estee what actually occurred between Lois and him that he believed was initiated by Miranda’s perfume concoction.

After hearing Clark’s tale, Estee remarked to Clark, “Lois appears to be a brilliant but very foolish woman. My friend,” Estee continued, “while Miranda’s sexual witch’s brew might have drawn you and Lois into a relationship earlier than a relationship between you both should have occurred, the Lane woman apparently didn’t wish to continue the affair while she mentally attempted to work things out. All that Lois appeared to desire, Clark, after Miranda’s induced event was to accuse and belittle you to apparently protect her injured ego. Lois forgot or many never was aware that it takes two people to do a tango and for two individuals to hold each other in a passionate embrace.”

“Well,” Clark said, “in my life, Lois and I are a past and best forgotten hurtful happening. At present, she’s the wealthiest woman in the world, and I suppose is having the time of her life.”

“There will come a time,” Estee said to her new brother, “when Lois will understand what she has done and what she’s lost by her shenanigans.”

After a pause, Estee continued, “Coming home to an empty apartment and to a loneliness that is ever present does not produce good feelings and is not emotionally satisfying. As soon as the Luthor episode becomes ancient history, most people will eventually cease to call, and the consequence of abandonment will move from a sense of loneliness to an intense sense of isolation. As these conditions occur with greater frequency, an older and embittered Lois will think about you and then beg G-D for death, which will be the only release for her from her self-made prison.”

To change their melancholy topic, Clark commented, “You know, Estee, I find it interesting that the light setup in the Eagle River community allows people to function like normal day and a night conditions.”

“Yeah,” Jerre’s wife said as he entered the room. “It’s the result of one of my husband’s light experiments,” Estee added. So far the artificial day-night sequence is proving out to be a boon for a little community. Soon, Jerre hopes that people living in this relatively inhospitable habitat will demonstrate to people in other harsh environments that they too will be able to function normally by applying Jerre’s new type of special lighting applications. Clark,” Estee said, “Jerre has another experimental idea that he wishes to discuss with you. If successful, Jerre believes people living in harsh living environments will also be able to receive news electronically from a concealed satellite system. He’ll tell it better than I. Let’s wait until he closes up the office.” CK nodded affirmatively.

After dinner, Jerre and Clark started to talk about the future of journalism. Clark’s spiritual brother put forth a scientific concept that world and local news could be transmitted from a hidden Earth transmission station in the Himalayas to a covert satellite complex located in stationary low Earth orbits. This orbiting news satellite would broadcast the information worldwide using an unbreakable coded frequency that could only be received by subscribers to the transmission system. Special electronic receivers, which Jerre and CK would manufacture in an Eagle Mountain grotto, would be provided to subscribers of their new news network. To produce these new news receivers, Kryptonian droids would be employed. Kryptonian technology would prevent the counterfeiting of Jerre and Clark’s special radio receivers.

The cost of subscribing to such a quality news service would be set so even the poorest people on the planet could afford to take part in their new network.

When their journalistic program was about to commence, CK asked Estee and Jerre to meet him in the den where he had assembled the Kryptonian transformation equipment. Within an hour of their meeting, Estee and Jerre had their DNA transformed providing them also with super powers.

Clark felt good after these particular Kryptonian alterations were accomplished for it meant that Jerre’s family now was entirely protected.

After receiving the satellite wave pulses, a chemical device in the new receiver would print out a newspaper after the electronic signals were converted to printable type, if they wished. In this way an individual could take his/her paper and sit down at a table or in a comfortable chair and read the publication he/she just received. After the printed paper had been read, the publication would not be discarded but be placed into a chemical bath and reduced to its basic components to be used on the following day for the next edition of the newspaper of truth.

As they would state to the public, each individual who subscribed to their news service would be provided with the proper electronic equipment delivered at night by droids. The world was also informed that the malfunction of any news device would be quickly repaired without cost to the individual.

If members of any government agency, political institution, corporation, or the subscriber’s themselves were to tamper with the news receiver, the device would meltdown leaving nothing but useless and unknown debris as a residue.

Jerre commented to Clark, “That’s a brilliant idea. It will protect our interest without much input.”

That afternoon, Clark constructed a laboratory adjacent to the Kryptonian electronic library that he had removed from his spaceship hidden in the bowels of his parents’ home in Smallville and transferred it to his new and more secure Eagle Mountain habitat.

After Clark and Jerre’s journalistic obligations to the Alaskan star employees and readers had been discharged, they would spend part of the night within their science environs developing Jerre’s newspaper delivery system and bringing Clark’s teleportation network to fruition.

CK’s teleportation device could send living or inanimate material from one transmitter location to another place in space-time at a nearly instantaneous rate.

After about a year of intense study and experimental fabrication, the two super scientists had all but completed both the news and the teleportation projects and were ready to launch their new devices. It was the combined super scientific abilities and extraordinary powers of Clark Kent and Jerre Fox that allowed the two brothers to complete such a feat in such a short period.

Besides the practical applications discovered in the Kryptonian electronic library, the athenaeum provided Jerre, Estee, and CK with vital information regarding the critical workings of Jor-El and Lara’s interstellar spacecraft. The space vessel’s driving mechanisms and the ship’s fabrication were clearly illustrated and lucidly explained so competent scientists could easily duplicate Lara and Jor’s space technologies. One of Jor-El’s new materials, for example, was a metallic like material Jerre named stabilized neutronium after he studied the new substance. When he and CK further investigated the spaceship that they constructed with the help of their droids, it appeared that the hull was nearly impervious to all kinds of natural forces, fields, and other materials.

After Clark and Jerre’s spacecraft was constructed upon Lara and Jor’s model, with some modifications, the two scientists used their new spaceship for an exploratory journey to Mars. There, Jerre and Clark became interplanetary miners for a limited time and accumulated an enormous amount of wealth — about a hundred billion dollars of precious materials from the soil of the fourth planet, Sol-Four. Upon returning to Earth, they deposited the fruits of their labors in an account they dubbed the L and J Financial Trust — the initials were chosen in honor of CK’s biological parents and their attempt to reestablish the magnificent Kryptonian culture in the universe on Sol-Three.

Within a year, Clark and Jerre had added interstellar engines to their spacecraft’s power plant and took Estee and the Fox kids on a short trip about the universe during the children’s summer vacation. This journey also included a visit to the shattered solar system that once contained the planet Krypton. Also in their interstellar voyage was a trek to the so called edge of the universe. Once in that supposed vicinity, the Fox children became aware that the plenum’s edge was a fallacious scientific concept.

Returning to Earth, Jerre and Clark began directing the droids to manufacture nine additional interstellar space vehicles of various dimensions.

As they talked, Clark, Jerre and his spouse, Estee, altered some of their special stored coal supply — coal with polluting ingredients — into beautiful diamonds- two to four carats in size.

While Clark baby-sat the Fox kids, Estee and Jerre flew to Metropolis and purchased an apartment in the Hobbs Bay area of the city. It was an inconspicuous dwelling where one of their camouflaged teleportation devices was installed while their home away from home was refurbished.

When their metropolitan dwelling was complete, the soulmates, Jerre and Estee, returned to their Alaskan residence using the now-established teleport device. Soon after their arrival in Eagle River, the Fox’s and CK began fabricating about a thousand diamonds of various sizes. They marketed half of the precious stones to Jerre’s brethren in Amsterdam and Israel for their paper’s operation and the remaining capital for the long-range needs of their household.

Just before CK and Jerre again journeyed to Mars, Clark’s teleportation device became an integral part of their Eagle Mountain abode ready to be connected with other major worldwide urban locations.

To allow Clark and his parents to remain in touch, they were also provided with their own personal teleportation system. Martha and Jonathan’s teleport device allowed the Kansas couple to travel between their Midwest home and Clark’s Alaskan habitat nearly instantaneously. Other sites were acquired within the USA and other countries to allow the Alaskan super family to rapidly visit different locations about Earth.

As the Fox children aged and approached their maturity, more residences were purchased throughout the dominant cities on the planet known as Sol-Three. To each of these abodes, Clark and his Alaskan clan would travel by the molecular movement furnished by the teleportation units furnished in each abode, eventually establishing a teleportation network. Arriving at their desired location, the Terran-Kryptonian hybrids would quietly interact with the local population to learn about the important social particulars of each region from the friends they’d made during their travels.

If Estee and Jerre wanted to fly to a particular destination, close by their home, the two scientists wore a stealthy fabric they and Clark had created that would conceal the super family from all forms of aerial surveillance equipment as they soared through the clouds. The Fox kids would utilize this special fabric after their aerial super abilities developed.

After acquiring a patent for their newspaper mail drop equipment, the super family began to sell subscriptions to their new news service. As Clark and the Fox’s expected, unscrupulous individuals and companies attempted to purloin the new type of newspaper delivery system.

Gigantic corporations like LexCorp were well aware of patent legalities and maintained a slew of lawyers for that purpose. The board of LexCorp knew that if a relatively small company obtained a patent that could generate a new industry, such a business was vulnerable if not sufficient venture capital was in the small company’s coffers. The owner of the legal patent only had the right to fight within a court environment to attempt to thwart the loss of his patent rights to a much larger business concern. So, all that LexCorp’s patent legal department had to do was to manufacture marginal or corrupt data to allow LexCorp to infringe on the smaller enterprise and force the small industry into court to rid claims of the infringing party and obtain monitory damages. Once the court battle commenced, the main objective of LexCorp was to apply delaying tactics and eventually enter into a protractive court battle, thereby slowly forcing the smaller company into bankruptcy when the smaller entrepreneurial business’s monetary resources were exhausted. Then LexCorp would purchase the small business’s patent document, in a gesture of decency, for a fraction of its actual value.

Clark, aware of the unfairness and the stupidity of the laws relegated to patents, was preparing to discourage such legal thievery by his own methods. He placed a warning sticker on each newspaper receiving device warning that an explosion might result if the appliance were in any way tampered with. The components within this mechanism were unstable when exposed to all forms of unshielded radiation and humid conditions.

Therefore, Clark and Jerre, when providing their newspaper delivering system to the subscribers, informed them of the danger if they attempted to tamper with the news mechanism. The first editorials sent over the network were several Kerth level stories concerning LexCorp. The public was informed about the illegality related to several of LexCorp’s subsidiaries. These companies were subsequently busted and the CEOs arrested and within a short period convicted. Long sentences were imposed — drug trafficking, white slavery, illegal entry, black market sale of infants, and counterfeiting of computer hardware were included in the paper’s information.

Although CK composed the editorials, the byline read Farley and Elinger — AKA Fox and Kent.

Perry was not immediately concerned about the new news delivery system’s impact upon the Planet’s circulation, but he was aware that sooner than later his news organization would have to jump on the bandwagon and utilize the new newspaper circulation device or slowly wither on the vine.

However, privately Perry was happy that such a gadget had appeared. It would provide shut-ins with access to the classic newspaper style without increasing the cost substantially of transmitted news items.

For several weeks Perry requested to see the CEO of The Modernistic Electronic News Network — TENN. A few days later, Jerre Fox visited the Editor in chief of the Daily Planet.

When Jerre faced Perry’s secretary, Mildred Jensen, she asked with whom he wished to see. At that point, Jerre Fox presented the letter Perry had sent to his corporation. Not recognizing the snail mail communique, since she didn’t type the letter herself, Jerre was asked to come back at a later date. Jeremy Fox nodded and forthwith left the Planet building bidding Mildred Jensen a fond farewell.

A few weeks later, Perry asked Mildred to send another letter to the TENN corporation. He said to his secretary, “I don’t understand what this world is coming to. I posted a snail mail letter some weeks ago to the TENN news organization and as yet I haven’t received any sort of reply to my communication.”

Hesitating for a moment, Mildred indicated to Perry, “A fellow was here to see you and showed me a letter with an invitation supposedly from the Editor in Chief of the Planet requesting a meeting at his earliest convenience here at the Planet building. The signature looked like yours, but you know how clever a forger can be. So, on my own recognizance, I directed him to come back at a more convenient time. However, no individual from a TENN establishment ever returned.”

“Mildred, from your actions, my gut feeling tells me that you should be sent back to the secretarial pool for reassignment. Mildred, you are not in charge of my office activities.” After a pause in the chief’s remarks, Perry further said, “Repeating myself to you, Mildred, you are not in charge of my office activities. I always require communication from a plethora of sources, both staff and non-Planet employees who wish to speak with me. They are the lifeblood of the Planet and are possible news sources. Considering your time of service and loyalty to this newspaper and me, I’ll disregard this faux pas. It never occurred. Please, don’t repeat such an error at the peril of your present position as my secretary.”

While Perry was dressing down his secretary, Clark and his spiritual brother were looking over several new theoretical concepts. During their perusal Jerre said to his partner, “Look at this, CK, another letter from the Planet.” Jerre told Clark about the related incident with Perry’s secretary. Then, Jerre just tossed Perry’s second letter into the shredder and went back to work.

As Clark was about to take his G-D kids to Metropolis for the day, he said to Jerre, “Let’s give the Planet a second chance. I’ll see Perry just before I escort your kids to the science museum.”

“Okay, CK,” Jerre said chuckling, and remarked, “Good luck with the wicked witch of the west who guards Perry’s sanctuary.”

Early in the morning on the following day, Clark, accompanied by Sally and Morty, entered the bullpen of the Planet building. As Clark and his two G-D kids ambulated toward Perry’s inner-sanctum, he encountered Lois walking toward her desk. Smiling, Clark said, “Lois, I would like you to meet my G-d Kids.”

“Not now, Clark, I’m very busy as she shuffled a stack of papers on her desk.”

Turning he saw Cat and said, “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” the social reporter responded with a broad smile.

Addressing Sally and Morty, Clark said, “I would like you to meet a good friend, Catharine Grant.”

Then CK said to Cat, “I would like to introduce my G-D Kids, Sally and Morty Fox. Then Clark inquired, “Tell me, Cat, is the chief in? She nodded and said, “Where else would Perry be situated during a Planet workday.”

“That’s a truism if I ever heard one,” Clark replied and said, “Thanks, Cat,” as he took the youngsters by the hand and ambulated towards the chief’s inner sanctum.

When Mildred saw Clark with the Kids, she informed him that the chief was at that moment in a conference with the suits, the directors of the newspaper.

“Mildred,” Clark commented, “this is a free newspaper. You should get your facts straight before you attempt to provide false information to an individual when he/she wishes to see the chief of the paper who is an elected official.”

Looking at both Sally and Morty Fox, he commented, “It appears that your father’s comments concerning the Planet were valid after all. Kids, I guess we’re not welcome.”

As Clark and his G-D kids left the building, Sally asked, “Are we museum bound now G-D father.”

“Yep,” CK replied as they headed for the museum facility that housed the remains of the dinosaurs, one of Clark’s favorite subjects.

While Clark and the Kids were off to the paleontology science museum, which also housed some early astrophysical devices, Cat ambulated to her desk situated next to Lois’s workstation.

When Cat had settled in, Lois asked, “Out of curiosity, Katherine, how was Clark and his kids?”

“They’re not his children,” Cat replied. “He’s their G-D father, and Clark was in Metropolis to take them to the science museum and the new building that houses the City’s planetarium. CK also decided to stop off at the Planet and say hello and pay his respects to Perry.”

Hearing Cat’s explanation, Lois jumped up and headed for Perry’s office. Seeing Mildred, Lois asked, “Is Clark in the chief’s office?”

“No,” Mildred replied, “he left with his two brats. I must admit they didn’t seem to resemble any of CK’s features one bit.”

“Mildred,” Lois asked Perry’s secretary, “do you know where Kent and his his G-D children went when they vacated the Planet building?”

Hearing Lois at the door of his office Perry rearranged his desk and then stepped into the hall to ascertain why Lois was in a ruckus, disturbing his concentration within his inner sanctum.

When Perry, in the midst of his queries, was told that CK and his G-D kids had visited and were rudely turned away, Perry immediately sent Mildred to the Planet’s secretarial pool.

Soon after his altercation with Mildred, Cat presented Clark’s letter addressed to Perry.

As Perry’s former secretary left the chief’s office area, Lois, who was having a conversation with Mildred, now felt left out and started walking toward her work area. Seeing Lois moving away, Perry called after his star reporter, stopping her in her tracks. After a pause, the chief commented, “Don’t try to kid an old poker player, Lois.”

“What happened, darlin’? What info did you attempt to retrieve from Mildred?”

“Clark entered the newsroom,” Lois then commented. “When I saw him with two children, I rebuffed him. Later, when I discovered that the kids accompanying CK were not his own, I approached Mildred to ascertain where Clark and the children were off to. Then you appeared, and Cat came over to provide you with that letter Clark had left on her desk.

After a pause, Perry murmured, “Yeah, I’m also curious where Clark has gone.”

Lois said, “Mildred told me she didn’t recollect what he articulated to the youngsters.”

Opening and reading Cat’s letter, Perry remarked, “I guess we’ll never hear from the TENN people again.” Shaking his head he headed back to his office.

Later that day, Perry, sitting with Lois and Cat commented, “I wonder just how many first-class reporters were turned away from the Planet and other important contacts lost because of Mildred’s egocentric attitude that allowed her to believe that she and only she knew what was best for this newspaper. Her views directed at the Planet best express the general stupidity of our time where people reach positions in society and then assume the mantel of an all knowing seer?”

As Perry waxed philosophically about the state of the current human condition while chatting with Lois and Cat, a young woman flew through the chief’s opened window. She was dressed in a silvery jacket and matching pants. After the woman alighted on the floor of Perry’s office, she first informed those present that her special garments protected her from being observed by any radar type devices that constantly scanned the skies of North and South America and their European allies.

As the unknown flying woman continued to wait remaining mute, Clark accompanied by two teenagers soared through Perry’s office window.

When Clark and the youngsters settled to the floor and stabilized their motion, the Kryptonian addressed the woman asking, “Estee, why are you here? What’s so urgent that it brought you to this corrupt city and summoned us to this location.”

After kissing her children, Estee said to CK, “Your parents called and informed me that Bureau Thirty-nine is breaking into people’s homes using federal warrants that the sheriff, Rachel Harris, your friend, believes are fallacious. The Bureau Thirty-nine people are also keeping the sheriff from determining the validity of their documents.”

Upon learning about the threat to Smallville, CK turned to Estee and said, “Take the kids home.” Clark then added, “I’m already telling Jerre to meet me over my hometown. We have immediate matters that must be addressed. Trask and his force have gone too far and must be eliminated one way or another. That will also depend upon how he and his men behave toward Rachel and the Smallville residents and how the government officials manage Trask and his followers’ actions.

Turning toward Perry, Clark declared, “General Cash was the leader of Bureau 39 and controlling how his secret bureau functions. Trask, the second in command of this governmental agency, was directing the current military operations against the civilian population of Smallville. Perry, the government must arrest general Cash and incarcerate him. If the government does discharge the constitutional laws of this land, which it is sworn to uphold, and I might add, are the people’s only guarantors against tyranny, my spiritual brother and I will seize Cash and those associated with the government who fail to process their sworn duties in such matters.”

Before Estee and her children departed, Clark told her that the entire fleet of interstellar spacecraft were loaded and set for a U-cluster jump through hyper-space. “The distance to the cluster,” Clark added, “is in the vicinity of twenty thousand light-years from Earth. Don’t use the hyper-light engines until you’ve cleared the Sol solar system.”

Turning to his G-D kids, Clark remarked in a rather serious tone, “If anything happens to your parents and me, stay on the sixth planet in the new star system. I’ve marked its position on your intergalactic charts. Remain there until you’re about thirty years of age. Then, return to Earth, locate your soulmates and with your life partners return to your new galactic home, which your parents and I have specified on your reference star charts. The individuals from your newly evolving society should continue to locate soulmates from Earth’s population until your community has achieved a diverse genetic population.”

Then, Clark added, “Keep your exploratory space vehicles away from Sol-Three. It will be many millennia before the people of that star system can travel into the interstellar wilderness of space. Hopefully by that time the people of this world, after developing a hyper-space engine, would have acquired a more tolerant attitude toward other beings. If they fail in these endeavors, the inhabitants of Sol-Three will become extinct most likely by their own hands.

“Now go and may the Creator of the Universe Go with you.”

Soon after Clark’s final words to Estee and her children, three super beings soared through Perry’s window and commenced following a northwesterly course.

Turning to Perry and handing him official documents, Clark said to the Planet’s chief, “Please send an electromagnetic signal, a broadcast beam, across the country, telling the people of our nation that Smallville, Kansas is under attack and indicate that you have evidence that an illicit government force calling itself Bureau 39 is now rampaging through the community placing the town’s inhabitants in mortal danger. The intruders are using fallacious court documents to break into people’s homes. In your broadcast also indicate that the people within Smallville should barricade their homes, arm themselves and prepare to repel the illegal invaders. Then be patient and wait for the military and the regional law enforcement agencies to move against the bandits who have invaded and are decimating the small hamlet of Smallville, Kansas.”

As the Planet was broadcasting Clark’s message, CK met with his droids and joined in the defense of his hometown.

Suddenly, those in Perry’s office heard a single voice saying, “This is General Richard Ivor.. Bureau Thirty-nine withdrawal from objective following scatter plan B.”

Over a special speaker system attuned to Smallville’s broadcast frequency, those in the chief’s office heard a multitude of angry voices followed by discharging weapons and the final words of a dying man — “Fools, now the aliens will certainly invade Earth and capture the planet; long live Luthor and Trask.”

When those final words were heard, Cat and Lois just stared unbelievingly at their radio receiver. As the two reporters were recovering from their shock over the military’s last broadcast from Smallville, Perry entered his office and announced, “That last message was apparently from a clone of Lex Luthor, who apparently was directing Bureau Thirty-nine’s departure from Smallville.”

As at least one of the clandestine leaders of the agency known as Bureau Thirty-nine was dispatched, the Planet group began to hear sounds of a horrendous battle that was apparently being waged over the Smallville terrain. Beam blasters using laser ray discharges from Clark’s droid task force where heard during the battle, which in the end decimated the largest and now fleeing bigoted military unit in our country’s history. But at what a cost to the Smallville population? When the battle was finally ended, Estee and Jerre were seen rushing Clark Northward towards their Alaskan hidden abode while Jerre continued to maneuver the super family’s droids.

Once within their hidden Eagle — River Mountain hideaway, Jerre, who had soon followed his family and had studied and practiced medicine, began working feverishly on Clark’s ravaged body. He had led the droids in their final charge that broke the back of the Bureau Thirty-nine, obliterating most of the illicit military force. During this final assault, CK was pummeled with several Kryptonite projectiles.

Meanwhile, the US military was now in the act of rounding-up the remainder of the Bureau Thirty-nine’s troopers and confining them in special escape proof quarters where they would be held awaiting disciplinary action.

As Lois, Cat, and Perry awaited the outcome of Clark’s surgery, Perry couldn’t take it anymore and opened the teleporter in his office taking Lois and Cat with him into the Eagle River sanctuary.

As Cat and Lois waited for news of Clark’s condition, they wandered about the super family’s abode. The adornments that they beheld, Estee informed them, were crafted especially by artisans for the super family’s household and were fashioned from diamonds, gold, and/or platinum. The sculptures were just simply wondrous creations. During Estee’s tour, Lois and Cat discovered that Clark, Estee and Jerre were the ones who fashioned most of the artistic ornaments, all made of precious materials that were then eloquently arranged throughout the Eagle-River abode.

Thirty-six hours after the battle with Bureau Thirty-nine ended, CK came slowly out of his coma.

After realizing that her son would recover, the ever-steadfast Martha Kent broke into tears.

Jonathan just said a quiet prayer from the prophets, and Jerre quietly answered, “Amen,” as tears washed over Estee’s face.

When Clark was finally carried into the great room, he was first greeted by Perry and Mad dog Lane. After seeing his Planet comrade-in-arms, Clark’s body slowly relaxed as sleep took him into a sublime dreamland ambience.

It was late afternoon when CK had again awakened. As Clark awakened, Lois helped him to a sitting position, and somewhat later she assisted her ex-partner to the dining table.

That evening, Clark said to the gathering, “Look at the difficulty Miranda’s perfume induced, and I still have no recollection of what occurred during those two days between Lois and me. At least when Lex had me locked in his special Kryptonian enclosure, I felt the intense pain of the cage’s Kryptonite coated bars. When I was able to escape from Lex’s death prison, I didn’t possess any of my super powers. It turned out that because of the Kryptonite trap, I couldn’t save Mr. Evil when he leaped or fell from his own building, Lex Towers.”

Looking at Lois, he said, “If Lex had lived, you would have been a beautiful trophy wife for the disciple of death, a magnificent doll on a pedestal. At least I can be thankful in my heart that scenario never occurred,” Clark quietly remarked. “Now, Lois, with your financial abundance, you can live a pleasurable existence and you may even become a happy wife with an individual who would wish for nothing but to pursue pleasure with his spouse.”

After some further thought, Clark, looking at Lois just shook his head and said, “The fault was mine, baby. Whatever happened between us was probably my doing.”

Turning to Estee, Clark said, “Well, Estee, you’ll have to add Lois and Cat to our teleportation portal that leads to our clan’s abode. Feel free to visit at your leisure.”

As Perry started to speak, Cat quietly walked to a specially covered window and was about to gaze at the surroundings of the clandestine super home until Estee’s daughter Sally said, “Ms. Grant, you don’t wish to know where this residence is situated. That kind of info could be dangerous to both you and this family.”

Smiling, Cat Grant turned away from the window and again seated herself at the dining table. The location of the teleporter for the Planet’s party would remain a top secret.

Several days later, Cat asked Estee if she ever found her soulmate, would she mind much if she and her life partner joined her special family.

“By all means,” Jerre’s wife replied. “The greater the genetic diversity within the super family, the more enriched will be the health of the entire family unit. If we acquire sufficient genetic diversification, our children’s descendants throughout all future ages will never suffer from genetic induced ailments.”

Early the next day, the guests returned to their domiciles with a request by Estee and Jerre that they visit the super clan’s abode again and often.

A month later, Clark journeyed to the Planet’s bullpen using the teleporter linked to a device in Perry’s secluded rear office. Using a stick to support his still injured right leg, Clark managed to reach Cat’s workstation without much difficulty and congratulate her on her engagement and upcoming nuptials to George Kincaid, a professor of mathematics at Metropolis University, set for two months hence. Kissing her on the forehead, Clark smiled at his old friend as he turned and started his return to Perry’s inner-sanctum.

As he slowly limped along, Ralph made one of his despairing comments. “Hi, gimpy,” he snickered. Instead of answering Ralph’s craven remark, Clark continued toward Perry’s office.

As Clark was hobbling toward his objective, Allen Jacobs was just entering the newsroom. Seeing CK, Allen called to Clark rather loudly saying, “It’s good to see you again my favorite news hawk. So, what brings you to the big town?”

“Cat’s marriage, of course,” CK replied. “I’m happy for her.”

“I was talking to you, Kent,” Ralph nastily interrupted.

When the bullpen’s buffoon placed his hands on CK’s shoulder, Ralph felt the push of CK’s response. “Never place your hands on me, Mr. Monkey,” Clark responded. “I’ll have you prosecuted for physical violence on my person, but first I’ll enjoy beating you to a pulp.”

“No, you won’t, Clark,” Allen said. “I saw what occurred. If he places his hands on any person injured in battle, you, in particular, my friend, he’ll wish that he’d never been born.”

As Ralph listened to Allen’s wrathful words, Ralph panicked and quickly withdrew from CK and Allen’s vicinity without uttering another word.

Then, Perry appeared on the bullpen floor and asked Clark if he knew where Lois was holding up.

Clark replied, “Sorry, Perry, I don’t know.”

After a slight pause, Perry then said, “Clark, you know it would be nice if you could escort Lois to Cat’s nuptials.”

Allen quickly interjected and told Perry, “It appears that you’re too late, my friend.” Allen then stated that, from what he had been told, Elwill Zola, the new CEO of LexCorp, had asked Lois to Cat’s wedding.

“Thanks for that info,” Clark said, as he again started with a slight limping motion toward the teleporter concealed within the Editor in Chief’s back office.

About a half hour later Lois returned to the Planet after an information gathering session with snitch Bobby Big Mouth. The Planet’s ace investigative journalist was now extremely interested in anything Clark had to say about the kryptonite cage episode after she had verified that his statements concerning the cage were valid. Lois could have kicked herself for initially doubting Clark. Knowing Clark’s demeanor, she should have believed her ex-partner when he initially acquainted her about Luthor’s trap — the kryptonite cage. He was always truthful when it came to news or other kinds of data.

As Lois entered the bullpen of the Planet, Perry was waiting to see her about her current research probe.

After she gave the chief an in depth run down about her current investigation, Perry informed Lois that Clark had wished to see her. I believe that Kent wanted to escort you to Cat’s wedding. Clark added that he would be honored if you accepted his request. I then told him, of course, that you had already hooked up with Elwill Zola for Cat’s shindig. He then mumbled something about money tends to attract money and left the building via the teleporter.

Several days later, Clark, with the Fox clan, entered the elegant dining facilities at the Lexor hotel and waited for the Fox family and himself to be seated. Since there were very few people in the dining hall, Clark assumed that he and his charges would be seated within a few moments.

After nearly fifteen minutes, Clark asked about the delay.

“Sir, we just don’t serve anybody at this restaurant without first checking their financial status.”

“Oh,” Clark was heard to say. Then, after a slight pause, CK said, “Let’s go. We’ll not stay where our bank statements become the means of entrance.”

As the super family was leaving, Clark said to Jerre, “You know, I believe our treatment warrants some publicity, don’t you?” Jerre just shook his head in an affirmative manner.

Jerre then added, “We’ve run into a den of snobs and have been ostracized for our middle-class values. Others in this town should be so advised so they can avoid this place.”

As Clark and the Fox family were about to leave, Clark said to the maitre d’, “We’ll place this info on the front page of our news offering. This dining establishment’s attitude should provide a nice little tidbit for our readers. I’m sure those individuals who don’t wish to be labeled and have their financial status scrutinized will begin to avoid this pretentious eatery and cause your restaurant diminishing profits. I’m sure your vulgar social attitudes will provide Metropolis news that will slowly cause the demise of this establishment.” Facing the Maitre d, Clark added, “I do hope you enjoy becoming part of the unemployment queues.”

Clark, Jerre and Estee with her children then left the restaurant.

Several days later, Elwill escorted Lois to lunch at the same snobbish restaurant in the Lexor Hotel that had arbitrarily barred Clark and his family from enjoying.

They sat there at his private table with half a dozen of Metropolis’ socialites who were invited to Elwill’s rather elaborate luncheon table. He then told a story that had appeared in the Planet via the new news sky network that Lexor’s elegant restaurant only catered to snobbish individuals. Those present at Elwill’s table that day were mostly ladies who constantly lunched. One of these rather inebriated diners, who had cotton, hay, and rags stuffed between her ears and was obviously part of Elwill’s social pack, giggled and then became silent. She had nothing more to contribute to the table’s gossipy conversations. Elwill then said in a mocking voice, “You should know that one of this restaurant’s defamers was a drum beater by the name of Clark Kent. He’s apparently a news gossipmonger, who probably couldn’t even afford a cocktail in this regal establishment.”

The people at Elwill’s table then burst into laughter, all that is, except Lois.

Then to cast more dirt on Kent, he asked Michael, the maitre d’ of the Lexor’s lavish eatery, what was Kent’s net worth. Michael smiled and said, “About a hundred and sixty million US, so my sources have informed me. Of course, we couldn’t discover his full worth since the Swiss Banks were not cooperative.”

“That just can’t be true,” Elwill lashed out at Michael. “You are in error.” The maitre d’ bowed and returned to his dining-room position.

Lois just smiled as Elwill attempted to recover from his well-deserved embarrassment. A snob getting his just reward, she thought to herself.

After lunch, and on returning to the planet, Elwill and Lois were privy to Clark frolicking with the Fox’s kids, Sally and Morty. They were also enjoying hamburgers they had purchased at Johnny Rockets. They laughed as they enjoyed their burgers. CK then held Sally and Morty as a father who was totally infatuated with his children. Of course, Clark was only the children’s G-d father.

As Elwill watched Clark’s actions, he sarcastically commented, “Disgusting.”

Hearing Elwill’s remark, Lois turned and gazed at her escort and thought to herself, “It appears that my escort may be another Lex in the making. I’m certainly not becoming involved in that kind of scenario again.”

As Lois continued to observe Clark enjoying Estee and Jerre’s kids and just having a good time with his G-d children, Lois thought to herself that it looked as if Clark would make a great father some day. As those thoughts went through her mind, she became somewhat sad knowing from her actions in the past that she would not be the mother of her ex-partner’s children.

Looking at Elwill, Lois now knew that her uncertain feelings about Elwill were now clear. After Cat’s nuptials had been concluded, her current escort and she would be history. Lois knew that her decision concerning Elwill was unalterable.

As Lois accompanied Elwill toward his LexCorp offices along the plush thoroughfare that traversed the heart of Metropolis, there suddenly was a horrific explosion.

When Lois reached the site of the explosion, several streets lined with LexCorp’s fabricating shops and laboratory facilities were damaged beyond repair.

After an intensive investigation of the devastated LexCorp property, it was discovered by Henderson’s crew that one of the new sky news distribution devices had exploded causing a domino effect setting off a series of further detonations because other unstable substances had been present. LexCorp’s Labs had been in the process of investigating the modernistic devices utilized by sky news.

In court, LexCorp attempted to pass the causality of the lab conflagration to the sky news instrument in their possession. However, Constance Hunter using a demonstration model emphatically showed that tampering with a news device would simply cause the destruction of the electronic secrets within the receiving device provided by sky news to its subscribers. However, the larger explosive in the LexCorp laboratory facilities, which resulted in a series of secondary denotations, could only result when other flammable materials were present within the experimental area.

Then, Constance subtly provided the final blow when she asked what appeared to be a simple question. Her query asked why was LexCorp experimenting with the sky news collecting instrument unless, of course, they were attempting to obtain the surreptitious electronic parts of the newspaper mailing device either to avoid paying for the patent rights or attempting to purloin the secrets of the device and produce a new mechanism with a LexCorp logo, and drive the new sky news company out of business. Constant Hunter summed up that by saying, “Here, I believe, we have a possible case of industrial piracy in the making.”

The officials of LexCorp blanched and after conferring with their lawyers dropped their lawsuit against the sky mail service and paid for fixing the damage to some of Metropolis’ prime property.

Later that day Lois entered Perry’s teleporter and visited the Fox home in nowheresville — she, like Cat, was unaware exactly where the Fox abode was located.

Seeing Estee, she inquired where Clark was keeping himself these days.

After a moment of thought, Estee said, “I believe Clark is currently in his laboratory on one of the lower levels of our home.”

Entering Clark’s lab, Lois saw her ex-partner laboring over a special table. She could see that he was hunched over a beautiful diamond necklace, each stone was about four carats in weight.

Lois also noticed another array of diamonds fashioned in a unique pattern, which was lying to one side of his worktable. Each diamond in this specific ornament was about two carats in size. In observing this diamond encrusted ornament, she saw that it still needed some work.

Next to a two-carat necklace was a woman’s diamond wedding band and an unusual man’s diamond ring that he had created. Lois was gazing at these beautiful products. She couldn’t take her eyes off Clark’s magnificent creations.

“Who is this beautiful jewelry for?” Lois inquired of Clark.

Without hesitation, he informed Lois that the ornaments were being fabricated for Cat and her fiance, George.

“Since Elwell is attending Cat’s nuptials, the Foxes and I probably won’t be attending her wedding. George agreed to act as my surrogate and present Cat with my necklace and the diamond wedding band after their nuptials are completed.”

“Why aren’t you attempting to find someone with sufficient funds to ask you to escort her to George and Cat’s espousal?” Lois asked CK. “Then you can expose Elwell for the dangerous entity he represents.”

“Why would she have to possess sufficient funds, Lois?” Clark queried her. “All she would need to be,” Clark remarked, “is just a nice person. Your idea is sound, Lois, but there’s no one that I care enough to escort to Cat’s wedding save one, but she has little or no feeling for moi. With whom are you attending Cat’s marriage ceremony?” CK quietly asked Lois.

“Elwill Zola,” Lois replied.

“Shades of Lex, Lois,” Clark responded. After a pause, Clark added, “Beware of him. He appears to possess similar traits to the late Lex Luthor, your husband, and has been exhibiting similar attributes to Metropolis’ deceased devil’s disciple.”

“Let’s have some lunch,” Clark said, “as he escorted Lois to the dining table on the main level of the house.”

After Estee joined them, several droids served an elegant meal.

Cat’s wedding was an elegant affair.

Making her foray from table to table, George and his lovely bride at last visited Lois and her escort Elwill Zola.

As Cat and her new husband started the dancing, Elwill snickered when he said, “I see that Dr. Kent was not invited.”

Lois was cognizant of Elwill’s insinuation by his cavalier statement. She subtly hit back by declaring for many to hear that it was Clark’s choice to attend or not to attend this grand affair and to be, or not to be an escort of a friend who already was invited by the newly married couple. Elwill and the others about him understood Lois’s biting remarks.

As Cat’s wedding celebration increased in its frivolity, Lois received an important message.

After reading the memo, Lois turned pale and held back tears. She then turned to Elwill and told him she was leaving. Grabbing her arm, Elwill said, “You’ll leave when I say you can.”

Elwill then added, “I’m having a swell time and will leave when I’ve have my fill of this party.”

Lois then turned and started for the door. Elwill again attempted to interfere with Lois’s independent actions to his regret. The journalist decked him, and then gave her regards to Cat and George explaining what was causing her early exit from their lovely affair.

On her way home, Lois called Clark. Clark reached her apartment just as Lois exited her cab.

When Lois and Clark were in the confines of Lois’s apartment, she started to inform Clark that Lyle, her cousin by marriage to Lex, had been murdered. His body had been found floating face down in Hobbs Bay.

Before she had said anything substantial, Clark gently placed his hand over Lois’s mouth, and as he did, he pointed to various locations about the room.

Clark then slowly removed a flame red figurine from his jacket pocket and placed it upon a lamp table while he flipped a concealed switch embedded in the statuette.

With the electronic system in the red figurine functioning, Clark could easily disengage all the video and audio surveillance devices that had been placed within Lois’s apartment.

Subtly activating another doohickey molded to the flame red figurine, all the surveillance contrivances in Lois’s apartment were systematically destroyed.

Then CK told Lois to keep the flame red figurine always functioning and then presented her with six more electronic surveillance units, each possessing a different color scheme and silhouette for security purposes.

“Now,” Clark said. “What did you want to see me about?”

Lois then broke into tears and informed Clark that Lyle had been killed. It looked to Henderson like homicide, although it was made to appear as though Lyle had committed suicide.

Clark was about to take Lois in his arms to console her sorrow, but he hesitated. His reluctance was based on his past experiences with his ex-partner.

Lois looked at Clark and said, “Do you still despise me for my past behavior after our differences concerning our mutual sexual conduct brought about by Miranda’s perfume?”

“No, Lois, I can’t forgive myself for the action that occurred after being intoxicated by her provocative incense. I guess,” Clark added, “my guilty feeling over the Miranda affair has prevented me from expressing my true feelings toward you.”

Then hanging his head, Clark said, “I think I better go before I embarrass you any further, Lois.”

“Clark Jerome Kent cut the bushwah.”

Lois then added, “Clark, it took me quite awhile, but I realized that neither of us was at fault. We both became drunk on love. The reason for our reactions to Miranda’s fragrance occurred because the two of us were already in love with one another. Unfortunately, Clark, I was greatly disturbed by my feelings because of my bitter experiences growing up within a dysfunctional family. Clark,” Lois added, “instead of running from our feelings and our insecurities, can we just resume our relationship from the Miranda incident?”

Clark then smiled and opened his arms, and Lois just fell into his embrace laying her head on his massive shoulders.

If anyone had entered Clark’s lab, there stood two loving people hugging one another for a considerable period. Words were not spoken nor were they needed. All the two reunited lovers experienced as they held onto one another was waves of passion that swiftly entwined their souls reestablishing a loving soulmate pair.

As Lois’s and Clark’s passions surged, their mounting kisses eventually engulfed the paramours in a torrid lip lock.

After their emotions returned to a somewhat normal state, Lois asked, “What about your super hero AKA?”

Looking at Lois, now his new lover and future life mate, Clark commented, “I might bring my cartoon character out of retirement. We’ll see, dear. According to history,” CK said, “my friend and most beloved partner, there cannot be a Superman without a Lois Lane at his side. One without the other is a non sequitur — according to HG Wells’ commentary.”

Sitting on Lois’s couch in her apartment way into the night, Clark commented to his girlfriend and future wife, “Elwill is preparing a series of illicit operations throughout Metropolis. When it starts, Elwill’s plans will follow the strategies and tactics of his mentor Lex Luthor. LexCorp’s CEO Elwill Zola’s main goal is to increase his power base, which will allow him to control Metropolis. From Metropolis, Elwill’s expanding criminal empire will reach out to control and enhance LexCorp’s iniquitous ventures throughout the world.”

Lois and Clark talked about Zola’s recent attempt to keep Lois under surveillance as an initial step to maintain a watch not only upon her but also upon the other incorruptible people within the Metropolis community. Elwill’s clandestine operation was his first attempt to insure that the CEO of LexCorp was always aware of any moves that the justice department of Metropolis, and eventually, the nation, would organize to foil LexCorp’s illegal ventures.

After placing her own teleportation system within Lois’s apartment, Clark and his soulmate transported themselves to his, Estee, and Jerre’s hidden habitat.

Several minutes after Lois arrived with Clark, he requested the cell modification equipment from Estee. With the aid of Estee’s technical skill, Lois underwent a series of cellular alterations. When the alteration procedure had been completed, Clark was well aware that within a few days, Lois’s super abilities would begin to develop.

While Lois was recuperating from her genetic alterations, Estee informed Lois that Cat and George were teleporting over to also receive cellular modifications of their biological systems.

When Estee informed Lois of Cat and her new husband’s decision to become part of the super clan, she became jubilant. Like Clark, Lois knew that the more super genes that were introduced into the super family the greater the genetic diversity of the entire clan. George and Cat were informed that as the genetic diversity increased, all future offspring, born into the expanding super household would be healthier in body and mind.

When George and his wife, Cat, approached the modification apparatus, Estee nonchalantly informed Cat and George that multiple conceptions were a normal consequence of Krypton-Earth pregnancies. Lois, when apprised of this situation before her genetic transformation occurred, was not deterred.

Estee, smiling at the new super relatives, informed them that the multiplicity factor would soon be tested by Jerre and herself. “We have recently conceived. It appears that I’m carrying triplets: two boys and girl. In nine months, this household will be a very busy place. All of us will be needed to cope with this family’s new arrivals.”

Although Cat and her new husband were also informed of the multiple offspring syndrome, the possibility of several children during each pregnancy didn’t seem to phase either Cat or her spouse.

“What should a couple expect when a pregnancy occurs?” Lois queried Estee.

“Twins or triplets seem to be the norm,” Estee responded. “That is why we suggest that both parents are attached to the hip during their gestation. Of course, the family at large will always stay close during this delicate time, especially to the female, so that all the adults in the clan can aid the parents with their new arrivals, if the need becomes necessary. Now, folks, let’s have dinner and then discuss and plan for the auspicious time when the Kent nuptials can occur.”

When the evening meal had been concluded, and after some discussion, an inclusive time for the Kent wedding was decided. At present the general date would be some time in the spring. Jerre then suggested that the family should journey to a small, uninhabited tropical island where Lois would learn to control her super abilities. Her powers had already begun to emerge. Considering the safety factors involved, Lois’s training in the use of her unusual abilities should begin within about a month.

After Lois and Clark agreed to the time frame needed for her instruction period, the next day the two reporters returned to Metropolis to begin work, as partners, at the Planet, and begin planning for their future. It happened to be fortuitous that Cat’s and her husband’s training would occur simultaneously with Lois’s, so her isolation on the uninhabited tropical island would not be a boring episode.

Five weeks after Lois had been given her cell alteration treatment, she and Clark journeyed by Superman air to the tropics where CK began instructing his lifetime companion in the use of her rapidly materializing super talents. The next day Cat and George arrived with Estee and Jerre and joined the training sessions.

After six weeks of rather intensive instruction, Lois and Clark returned to Eagle creek with George and Cat. Both couples were now fully in control of their super abilities.

During their short visit to Eagle River, Lois and Clark informed Jerre and Estee that they would prefer that their marriage occurred sometime in late May at Clark’s parents’ Smallville farm. Invitations would be sent out approximately three months before the matrimonial affair between the two distinguished journalists.

As Lois was about to return to Metropolis on one of her many trips to the Kent farm in Smallville, Kansas, she learned from Estee that Cat had conceived. Like Jerre’s wife, triplets were expected.

“Holy cow,” Lois muttered to herself, “the way things are progressing, we’re going to have a marvelous, but sizable family before too long.”

“Well,” Lois said to Estee on a trip to Eagle River, “I’m happy for George and Cat. If I recall my biology correctly, Cat is approaching a time where conceiving children might be difficult. More offspring also may be arduous to raise.”

“Don’t worry about the raising of our family’s children, Lois. With our support from the super family members and the droids, care can easily be provided to all new offspring.”

After a pause in their discussion, Estee informed Lois, “Difficulty for a human female to conceive beyond a specific time line may be the norm, but for our super family, which has a life span of a thousand earth years, conception will not be hindered by Earth’s conceptual time line. Our people will probably be capable of conception until we’re close to a hundred years or so from the end of our life span.”

After a further pause, Estee pulled Lois aside and said, “Please be near Cat during her gestation period. From what I’ve observed,” Estee said, “Cat will require constant assurances from the family that she and her husband George are welcome and loved by the clan she and her beloved husband have joined. You will be closest to her during this special time.”

Lois squeezed Estee’s arm and said, “I’ll be there for her.” Then Lois added, “Cat and I may have verbally tilted from time to time, but you know, Estee, that gal and I are good friends. She was there for me when I had some political difficulties with the paper’s higher archery that could have potentially caused my position at the Planet to become a thing of past.”

“I Informed George,” Estee told Lois, “that we would be at her side when the need arose. George was very grateful. He told me, ‘Cat is very sensitive and has a great need to be accepted and loved.’”

Lois then commented, “Cat is, as I have long suspected, a very anxious person when it pertains to her new role in the scheme of things. She’s constantly brooding about the possible difficulties when George and her babies arrive. Fortunately, her husband and the others of the family will supply any additional assistance Cat and her babies will require.”

“I asked George to use all his psychological expertise when Cat’s attitude becomes worrisome as her delivery becomes close. George knows that you, Lois, and Cat had some difficulties in the past, and is aware that she’ll need your support now and then, especially during the delivery phase of her pregnancy. I told George that you would be there when Cat’s anxiety escalates and not to worry.”

Later Lois told Cat, “If you tend become petrified at times, I’ll attempt to help you with any of your upsets by having us talk about your fears. I’ll be there for you come hell or high water. So just call me. I’ll also try to be around as much as possible during your gestation period, Cat.”

Clark also offered to alleviate the inordinate strain within the Eagle River citadel by staying with Estee’s young kids during this hectic time in the family’s history.

As CK and his soulmate emerged from the Eagle River teleporter, he said lovingly to his fiancee, “I’m proud of you, Lois.” The Planet’s ace reporter didn’t need to inquire what her lover’s comment referred to, she knew. A warm feeling crept over her body knowing that her boyfriend was well aware that she was willing to help Cat, who had given her some distress in her derriere at times in her past.

When Lois began functioning as an investigative reporter soon after her Luthor fiasco, a series of very suspicious blazes commenced in the run-down tenement precinct in the Forest Drive Boulevard district near Hobbs Bay.

Soon after the fires were extinguished, the damaged properties were placed on the auction block and were rapidly acquired by the FireLex Company, a subsidiary of LexCorp. The FireLex establishment always purchased the devastated properties at sub average price tags. What was disconcerting to the sellers was the absence of other potential bidders for the fire-gutted buildings.

Property owners who declined to sell their marred real-estate possessions were either severely injured in suspicious accidents or vanished just prior to the auctions only to be found lifeless under problematic circumstances. When death was involved, the bodily remains were generally in such a macabre condition as to terrify other storeowners who were contemplating not selling their marred property.

After several corpses belonging to the Forest Drive Boulevard merchant’s association had been unearthed, sheer panic occurred among the burned out merchants. Some days after the killings and beatings within the Forest Drive Boulevard merchant’s association commenced, chaos set-in and fear among the merchants removed all reason from their selling decisions. During the resulting panic selling, an unknown individual arrived on the scene and suddenly purchased eight fire-damaged properties at fair market prices from the owners of the marred properties.

Several weeks later, the man who had purchased the destroyed properties vanished. Everyone believed he was murdered and suspected that FireLex was somehow involved.

As everyone in the area mourned, Clark Kent showed up with concrete evidence as to the responsible party for the current fires, homicides, and beatings directed at the Hobbs bay property owners.

Once Kent’s evidence was placed in the hands of Bill Henderson, the CEO of FireLex was charged within the week by a hastily summoned grand jury, and the executive board of FireLex was also indicted as accessory to homicide and aggravated assault.

The hired assassins whom Kent had collared, hoping to reduce their sentences, named people associated with LexCorp as their contact people who instructed Metropolis’ lowlifes how to eliminate the Forest Drive Boulevard merchants.

Since LexCorp could no longer purchase the required land to complete their strip mall project, the mammoth corporation was facing a large financial loss.

Furthermore, Henderson had the city, with the aid of Clark Kent, obtain the burned out property using the law of eminent domain, and had them begin constructing a public park with an indoor swimming pool, an indoor and outdoor theater, and miles of trails meandering through the forested areas of the new environmental expanse.

LexCorp financially lost nearly fifty million dollars due to Clark’s political maneuvering and investigative reporting, which compensated partly for Lyle’s unfortunate demise.

Lois, for her part in the investigation received another Kerth award. While the FireLex criminal operations had been stifled, the LexCorp problem would be a harder nut to crack.

A few weeks later, Lois, encountered Elwill at the Lexor’s new society restaurant, opened to all patrons despite financial status, enjoying lunch with several colleagues. The snobbish establishment had closed; bankruptcy was the cause.

Seeing Lois, one of Elwill’s proteges remarked to Lois Lane Luthor, “I bet your new boyfriend earned a pretty penny on that park project he instigated.” Elwill nodded his head in agreement. “That Hobbs bay project should have drawn down some of your vast revenue since you in all probability financially supported Kent’s project.”

Lois, to satisfy herself and to laugh at Elwill, had called her fund manager and discovered that her working account had increased by seven billion dollars while Clark handled her equities. Lois, overjoyed by the market news, happily informed LexCorp’s CEO, to his burgeoning chagrin, and Elwill’s socialite company of this monetary authenticity. She didn’t embarrass Elwill further by telling him that LexCorp’s CEO and its board, who had previously managed Lois’s funds, had shown little or no profit in her Metropolis financial accounts. Since she and Clark were soon to be married, Lois had placed his name on her trust accounts while he also had added her name to his annuities, although much smaller in monetary value.

While it was somewhat egotistical to know that your financial reserves were increasing at a rather substantial rate, neither Lois nor Clark worried much about their monies since they both functioned on the salaries earned at the Planet.

As Lois, now joined by Jimmy, walked towards their table, Lois was aware that never again would she ever doubt her finance’s honesty. She knew that Clark had all her interests at heart. Lois also knew that trusting other people was something new in the lexicon of things she still needed to learn, and it would take some time for her to do so. But, this episode with Elwill was electrifying. She expected CK to take care of their future family and her vast financial holdings for not only her present but also their future benefits. Clark showed that he more than met her expectations. Why was she not surprised at his abilities, which she understood would include the financial part of their existence together? She knew the answer to her question and smiling said, “Because the man is Clark Kent, my eternal super love.”

At the end of the month, Clark who was escorting Lois home from her favorite opera was suddenly alerted by a high pitched signal — Lois also heard the shrill sound, a warning that signified that someone had illegally entered her home.

After hearing the signal, Clark searched for surveillance devices and located six such contrivances, which the electronic figurines he had situated about Lois’s apartment had quickly deactivated.

Seeing that everything else was A-Okay, he gave Lois a passionate kiss and said, “Mr. Elwill is up to more of his shenanigans. I’m afraid we’ll have to keep a close eye on him.” Lois simply shook her head affirmatively.

“Yep.” Lois then replied, “Here we go again.”

Within three months, LexCorp cargo vessels were docking at most major seaports along the eastern seaboard of the US. The main inventory appeared to be textiles, which would be used in manufacturing a range of household goods.

Then, LexCorp ships began docking in Seattle where machinery of various design was being unloaded for the production of specific types of clothing. This machinery, after clearing customs, was shipped quietly to new eastern towns that were being erected in relatively isolated locations in the mountainous areas of New York, Vermont, and New Troy.

As raw materials entered the US and consigned to the new mountain communities on the eastern seaboard of the country, people were also being illegally smuggled through Vancouver and transported overland to a location near Calgary, Canada, where they waited in concealed lodgings. During the lack of moon lit nights or overcast evenings, these illegal workers were quickly and stealthily transported into the US. Once across the Canadian-US border, these illegal immigrants were rapidly transferred to habitats situated in the northern tier of the states. From these assembly points, the illegal immigrants were then separated and taken to the new LexCorp’s manufacturing towns, which by now existed in the forested mountains of the eastern US, awaiting their slave labor inhabitants.

Although the LexCorp businesses treated their illegals well, and their housing was free, their children were not schooled. The LexCorp workers were just paid for their toil but had to purchase all the necessities of life from the town stores, which, of course, were under the control of LexCorp’s main offices located in Metropolis. Although the workers were relatively happy, they were discouraged, sometimes by very harsh means, from leaving or just wandering from their manufacturing communities.

The commodities produced in LexCorp’s hidden mountain towns were very lucrative to the corporate facility when sold on the open market. A sweater, for example, cost six dollars to manufacture in one of the LexCorp’s towns and could be sold for a much as sixty dollars in department stores in cities scattered across the USA.

Medical facilities, including hospitals, were also provided in the LexCorp’s industrial facilities powered by slave labor. However, when a terminal illness was discovered in a worker, which required specialized medical treatment, that patient would just simply vanish or perish by natural means assisted by lethal drugs.

Since the work in LexCorp’s hidden industrial communities was very strenuous, the laborers were generally disinterested in the disappearance of unhealthy individuals.

In reality, therefore, LexCorp had created slave communities within a free society that prided itself on its democratic principals and institutions.

Below the street level within LexCorp’s slave labor communities was another kind of manufacturing facility — drugs. The labs that produced these toxic materials were encased in lead, so police detection equipment and the extrasensory abilities of the super beings could not discover the location of LexCorp’s illegal and dangerous activity.

The first inkling that something was amiss occurred when Interlope contacted Bill Henderson by secure fax lines. He in turn made Lois Lane aware that large numbers of people were suspected of arriving in the US and were preceded or followed by large quantities of illicit raw materials.

Slowly, they concluded that illegal movement of people and materials began to merge into a specific pattern.

Following loaded trucks that entered through US ports by flying above the convoys of the material off loaded from cargo vessels, Lois and Clark slowly located the unlawful mountain manufacturing communities of some business that was running a renegade slave trader operation.

When the towns had been located, other members of the super community began scanning the trucks leaving the textile communities. Initially, they could see nothing other than legal merchandise being shipped through the USA. While they were watching the illegal manufacturing towns, the super beings, when comparing notes, noticed that a lead coating had been affixed to the interior encasement of certain vehicles. When they again looked over the manufacturing towns, the same lead encasement was viewed as they observed the area below street level.

Alerting Henderson to the super observations, the police officer and CK decided that a task force from many state and federal agencies should be created. When they were ready, the law enforcement task force took over the manufacturing towns in one fell swoop. Soon after they had the illicit manufacturing towns under their control, they made a monumental discovery-LexCorp was the prime mover and controlled the slave driven manufacturing system and the illegal drug operation.

Unfortunately, the bigwigs, the Lexcorp board, were warned by moles within the various law enforcement agencies and acted to protect themselves.

The top LexCorp executives, who were a criminal element attired in elegant suits, made good their escape and made their way to Brazil before the US law enforcement people could detain them. All the Lexcorp board fled to Brazil before the authorities could arrest them. Brazil and the US government did not have mutual extradition agreements for Brazilian citizens; so, each LexCorp board member had been a felon for years and purchased Brazilian citizenship by first locating a needy family in that South American country. After giving the Brazilian household a sufficient amount of money, the LexCorp board member was furnished with adoption papers that officially made him a member of that family’s household. At present, therefore, the LexCorp criminals were safe in South America. Some of the Brazilian families who helped the LexCorp executives were also connected to the local drug cartels with which many LexCorp executives had long standing business relationships.

Since Brazilian citizens could not be extradited to the US because of their nationality, the LexCorp cutthroats from Metropolis were safe for the present. It looked as if an international stand off was at hand.

However, the super community would not be foiled. As Elwill and company laughed, Clark, Jerre, and George were formulating their own strategy to apprehend the LexCorp knaves and place them in a special prison for life.

As Lois attempted to coerce the US government into some form of action, using the power of the press to secure the corrupt LexCorp executives now living the high-life in Brazil, Clark, and the other adult males in the super clan began working on their own kind extradition process.

While the guys planned, Estee nurtured her own newborns and kept an eye on Cat who was nearing her own due date.

After several months of work, Clark and his two spiritual super brothers had brought their own extradition enterprise to fruition, now delayed until Cat delivered her brood — triplets. After that joyous event, it would be the proper time to utilize their newly designed capture equipment to expedite their extraction operation.

The basic apparatus for their venture was an interstellar spacecraft slightly larger that the family’s escape vessel. The spacecraft was fabricated from an impervious form of stabilized neutronium. Built into the ship’s hull were high-powered pulse laser cannons, which could rend all kinds of matter. The tractor beam mounted on the ship was mounted within the air lock of this modified space vessel. The tractor beam would grip and then attract any object seized, lifting it to the spaceship’s portal. >From this position, the apprehended entity, a man in this instance, would then be moved quickly to a cell.

The ship that Jeremy and CK had just completed was, as they indicated previously, somewhat larger than the vessel they had built as a potential escape craft to carry their entire clan to safety.

This modified version of their escape spacecraft was also large enough to transport and maintain a hundred people. This special vessel with hyper-drive engines could move through hyper-space to other sections within the cosmos in a blink of an eye.

While they waited for Lois and Perry, the star ship complement was well provisioned for a relatively extended voyage through the wilderness of space.

Late Friday evening, the chief and Lois Lane arrived for dinner at the super clan’s Alaskan home.

After the evening meal ended, the entire super contingent, except a very pregnant Cat with the nursing mother Estee, her pre delivery sitter, and Estee’s older kids teleported themselves from their Eagle River abode to the special star ship now hovering over Brazil and slowly moved into position to perform a mitzvah, capturing those who were the felonious members on the ousted LexCorp board.

Since the purchasing agreement was violated, the LexCorp businesses were returned to their former proprietor, Lois Lane.

Less than an hour after the courts had awarded LexCorp to its original owner, the interstellar vessel hovered over Brazil and moved into its capture position. Clark, AKA Superman, left the spacecraft through its special air lock as the proper location was established and began searching for the LexCorp felons. Within thirty minutes or so, CK had located the super family’s first quarry and sent his location to Lois who was charged with monitoring instruments in the command center on their interstellar capture spaceship. That evening, one by one the current coordinates of the nefarious ex-LexCorp people were obtained and placed within the ship’s computer system. Once all the locations were verified, Lois activated the tractor beam that swiftly transferred the LexCorp felons to the star ship’s air lock. There, Jerre, George, and Perry were waiting and quickly teleported the criminals to confined quarters within the space vessel.

Before sunrise, apprehension and confinement of the former LexCorp malefactors had been accomplished.

As soon as Lois was informed by the ship’s droids that her future husband had returned to their star ship, she activated the light speed drive engines that rapidly propelled the interstellar craft to the Ort belt, about two light-years from Earth, and then beyond the frontier of the solar system. When the specified programmed Sol-Three coordinates had been reached, the interstellar ship’s light speed engines, used mainly for solar system navigation, were shut down. Several minutes later, Lois activated the ship’s intergalactic thrusters; hyper-light engines, which had also been incorporated into their modified deep space vessel. By using the more powerful engines, the interstellar craft headed rapidly into deep space.

Some four hours later the intergalactic thrusters were disengaged and the interstellar spaceship movement rapidly came to a halt.

While drifting within deep space, the intergalactic vessel’s final trajectory was computed and placed into the spacecraft’s drive computers. After enjoying dinner, their first real meal in space for the crew and their LexCorp prisoners, their interstellar vessel was slowly and cautiously maneuvered through an unknown region and slowly cleared an area that contained dangerous space debris. Then Jerre started the intergalactic thrusters and slowly increased the engines to their full driving capacity. About forty minutes later, the super family and their LexCorp prisoners were gazing at a star cluster, which was nearly twenty thousand light-years from their home world, Earth. The hyper-drive thrusters, as the ship approached its programmed location, automatically shut down.

By scanning the ex-LexCorp executives’ minds, it was learned that the ex-LexCorp board was responsible for the murder of all critically ill slave people confined in the manufacturing town’s medical facilities. Those who required special treatment from a more advanced medical hospital that could possibly prolong or save their life from a severe illness or a contagious malady were subtly deprived of life by various nefarious means.

When the ship’s hyper-light engines had reduced the speed of their vessel to a sub-light value, the star ship then proceeded towards a specific star system with an earth type planet circling in the seventh orbital position. Beneath the surface of this world, Clark and Jeremy had some time in the past constructed a habitat, where extremely evil oriented individuals could be permanently marooned.

The location Clark and Jeremy had chosen for the castaways contained all they needed and comforts they would have expected on Earth — they would be provided with the current events occurring on earth and would be provided with medical treatment by specially trained medical droids working with a fully stocked dispensary.

After discharging their passengers, the super family’s star cruiser headed for Earth. On their voyage homeward, Clark said, “The next time somebody arrives on the prison planet will be in about ten thousand years. By that time the Terra-forming enterprise we started on the hundred and four earths-like worlds we discovered in this cluster will have been complete and colonized.”

After a pause, Clark remarked, “Although we’ll be history when our descendants explore and inherit this beautiful region of the universe, nevertheless, it will provide our people with a springboard to explore a larger portion of the cosmos.”

A few months after the Brazilian affair, Lois and Clark were married. A few days after the Kent nuptials, Cat delivered her babies.

George and Cat’s children were the first of three sets of triplets this couple would conceive over the next fifteen years. They provided much joy to the El clan, as all future children born to the super beings would also be part of the increasing El clan.

Before Lois and Clark retired from the Planet, other selected families joined the El Clan, and in doing so increased the genetic diversity and the population of the super family.

For example, Bernie Klein and his wife Carolyn conceived five offspring. All children survived. Jimmy and his spouse Lucy, Lois’s sister, after they became members of the El Clan, added six kids to the Eagle River people over a short time.

When Clark passed away, a month after his beloved soulmate, Lois, a thousand years after the establishment of the super people and long after the LexCorp incidents instigated by Elwill and his cohorts, there were more than ten thousand El souls subsisting at their people’s Eagle River site.

Twenty thousand years after Clark and his wife had been gathered to the gods of eternity, it was decided that an earth-like planet, once used as a prison world, located in the star cluster Jerre Fox and Clark Kent had discovered, would become one of the new habitable worlds that the Eagle River super people would colonize. This world and other habitable orbs in time would form a democratic union, known as the Utopian Federation.

Since the habitable planets deep in space were ready to receive the Eagle River people, more than ten million souls began emigrating from Sol-three and colonizing worlds twenty thousand light-years from old Terra Firma.

As the Krypton people and its civilization were being reborn on Sol-Three over the past twenty millennia, preparations were being readied for their eventual emigration from Earth. When they left Sol-Three, the eagle River people also expropriated their resplendent heritage, which had been developed over the past twenty millennium. Those emigrants moving to the new worlds were devoid of all criminal elements and toxic social habits still prevalent on old mother Earth. The emigrants were also a people committed to peaceful pursuits and devoted to scholarship and understanding of the cosmos.

Although the super beings had left Earth, they continued to help their Sol-Three brethren, clandestinely, to prevent global wars and erase all diseases from the earthlings still living on the planet of their origin. Furthermore, they provided their Earth cousins with blueprints for spaceships that could roam nearby solar systems and make treks to neighboring galaxies. However, the Utopians, as the people who emigrated from Earth now called themselves, did not include plans for the interstellar spatial thrusters with the space vessel plans that Earth was now constructing. The interstellar spatial thrusters, when embodied with a normal Earth spaceship, which contained just a hyper-light speed device, could propel a space craft to all sections of the cosmos by forming artificial wormholes through which they could travel.

The Utopians, initially known as the Els when they lived upon old Earth and now living among the stars, generally didn’t welcome visitors who wandered into their home space. This attitude continued until their own society had been well established and defensively and offensively strong militarily. So, the Utopians tended to shun suspicious space trekkers during their developmental period for fear of being annoyed or even attacked by Earth explorers who accidentally encountered their civilization.

If, of course, space explorers who wandered into their space cluster arrived from societies whose culture was peaceful in nature, they were made welcome.

The Utopians’ cautionary posture continued for nearly twenty thousand more years or until the Utopians, as they desired to be known, had developed a robust civilization that possessed a well-established defensive military establishment that could protect their entire population.

***

As time passed, the government of Earth discovered that the Utopians were the descendants of a people who had originated on Sol-Three. They were the same people HG Wells had lectured about in the remote past, during his frequent historical talks. This society was composed of the selfsame people who settled Earth-like worlds within a deep space star cluster where they could not easily be molested by a criminal and militaristic group who now controlled the masses of old Earth and whose belligerent explorers had established a host of military infrastructures on planets near the territory claimed by the Utopian Federation.

As the Utopian society matured, it also evolved by some quirks of fate to become the protector of the cosmos. The Utopian Federation espoused a creed that was always to help a neighboring civilization in difficulty and never attempted to subjugate its people.

It was a long and difficult journey, at best, for the Utopians to attain their final status of cosmic guardians. On their excursion through the myriad of solar nuclear furnaces that dotted the universe, wars often occurred, forced upon them by dictatorial expansionist societies, which sought to engulf their neighbors and create interstellar empires that were belligerent in nature. After the intergalactic conflicts were slowly stifled and belligerent communities toppled, the Utopians discovered almost to their surprise that at the end of their long trek through eternity, a peaceful cosmic society had at last evolved.

THE END

Table of Contents

The Second Time Around

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7