Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Help finding Lois

Lois!

Great to hear that you are alive and well! I'm sure you'll be able to nail whoever it is that you were investigating. If you need any further assistance in tying up loose ends or gathering info, I'm sure Clark will be only too happy to help you out. I know that you are wary in trusting people, especially potential rivals, but Clark is one in a million. He can be trusted completely, and he's not one to steal a story.

I am sure that Superman will be able to facilitate a resc...umm...provide safe transportation for you back to the US. He doesn't even have to bother with customs, and the ride will be much more comfortable than a stuffy airplane.

Clark, maybe you can stop by that museum she mentioned and find out where they sent the archeologist. That way you can find Lois without her having to say exactly where she is.

You might want to hurry though, who knows who else is reading this.

Warning to you both...keep your eyes open and don't let your guard down. Sometimes investigations are most dangerous at the end, when you think you've found out everything. Be careful.

Lois, especially keep a watch out for Tempus


He's a very evil man who wants nothing more than to destroy you and Clark.
Clark stopped the Tempus from our universe once, but who knows if he or the Tempus from your universe has anything to do with your current troubles.

Oh, the little guy in the first picture is Mr. Wells. He's a good guy

I'm not sure who exactly you are investigating, but if you need ideas of things to look into, feel free to ask and we can tell you things that happened in this universe. Things may not be exactly the same, but it could give you some ideas that could go other places. For example, there is..er...was a certain billionare in our universe who seemed quite the man of the people, but was infact behind many many illegal things.

Hope we are able to help you, and hope to hear more good news from you both soon.

-Breanna (who, while she's not from Smallville, is a Smallville Girl at heart.)

Carole,

You're right. It does look like Snell had something to do with Lois's disappearance, but I'm not quite sure what to do about that. Any ideas?

I did sneak into the embassy. That's how I found out about Snell.

About the files, Lois's family and friends are alive and well. I checked on them to be sure. The documents were false. I can only assume that Snell created them to make Lois believe that everyone she cared about in Metropolis was dead. Given the poor state of communications in the Congo, I doubt she'd have a way to verify that information, even if she had reason to distrust an official document from the U.S. embassy.

Anna,

I'll keep an eye on Snell. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks.


Lois,

I can't tell you how excited I was to hear from you, but there's a problem. I went to Ecuador to ask the Guayaquil Archeological Museum staff about the excavation, but they assured me that they don't have any teams in the Congo. They seemed to think the idea rather odd, actually, since the Museum focuses on South American history, Ecuadorian in particular.

Also, I know from listening in on Snell that the Lois Lane of my universe is only being watched, not actively hunted. Up until recently, it seems that they had even relaxed their guard.

I can only conclude that you're in a different universe than I am.

I'd be willing to bet, though, that there's a Clark Kent in your universe who is out looking for you. Look for him and try calling "Help, Superman!" With any luck, you'll find each other.

Anna and Breanna,

Thanks for your kind words about me. I appreciate the support. I hope that if the Lois of my universe feels that I need references, that you'll be willing to assure her, too.

In any case, while it was extremely disappointing to discover that I hadn't actually found my Lois, I did force myself to get back to the investigation. I looked into Snell's background. It seems that he was a lawyer for Costmart up until a few years ago, when he suddenly joined the diplomatic corps and got an assignment in the Congo. It seems odd that he'd have been assigned so quickly and that he happened to be sent to that particular embassy shortly before Lois's arrival. Someone must have been pulling some strings for some reason, and it seems that they might have known about Lois's trip in advance, perhaps even before she did.

That would suggest the involvement of Tempus, but I can't figure out why he'd choose a lawyer from Costmart or how he convinced Snell to leave.

Maybe it will make a little more sense if I sum up what I've found so far:

1. Lois went to the Congo under her own name. She made it through customs and checked in with the Daily Planet to confirm that she had arrived. She said she planned to use a different name from that point on.

2. Records of her entry through customs and her subsequent contact with the U.S. embassy were stolen by Martin Snell. It also seems that he created false documents to convince Lois that her family and friends were all dead.

3. Snell once worked for Costmart, but left hastily for a small clerical position in the U.S. embassy in the Congo. Tempus was likely involved in his decision. Since his arrival in the Congo, it seems that he has been making a place for himself in the local criminal underworld. He is now in control of several illegal businesses and is continuing to expand.

4. From a phone call I overheard Snell make, I know that Lois is alive, free, and in the area. She had been under close observation, but it seems that Snell had relaxed his watch. My investigations, however, have convinced him to have her watched closely once again.

5. From my encounter with Tempus, I know that he wanted to keep Lois Lane away from me until he was ready for me to become Superman. His plot to gain political power hinged on my revealing my alien nature during a key point in the race for mayor of Metropolis. He wanted to make it look like I was a powerful alien invader that only he could stop.

I think that's everything.

As always, any ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or information you may have would be appreciated.

Clark

Clark,

I'm very sorry to see that it looks like the Alt Lois who posted here is not *your* Lois. Talk about a disappointment! I guess it was too much to hope for -- and a little too easy -- to have her find you before you could find her. If she turns out not to be your Lois, I hope her Clark finds her and helps her get out safely!

As for your investigation, I would definitely keep an eye on Snell ... as you've found out, he's not a good guy! If it helps, I happen to know he's from Paramus, NJ. Not that you would do anything nefarious like lean on his family members or anything, but it might help you if you need to track down information about him.

Just a thought ... have you come across a woman by the name of Mayson Drake in your search? Mayson Drake used to work for both Bill Church and Martin Snell at CostMart before she became an Assistant DA in the universe you visited. She met an untimely death in 1995, but perhaps your version of the woman was more fortunate? In most universes that our group has explored, she is a "good guy" but I know of at least one universe where everything was turned around (Ms. Drake was crime lawyer, Snell was a good cop -- boy, it was like going through the looking glass!). So perhaps she might provide you with a lead.

Oh, and another thing, keep an eye out for a DEA Agent by the name of Dan Scardino. He wasn't exactly a bad guy here, but he did have this single-minded focus on the Lois Lane you met before she committed to her Clark. He needed a good tailor and a better barber, too, but I guess that's besides the point. If your Lois is free and Scardino is in the area, they might be working together. Drug smuggling and gun running aren't exactly the same line of business, but they might use the same network to transport their goods, so it's not impossible that Lois and Dan might have met.

Good luck!

Kathy

P.S. Word on the street is that our Dan has indeed found that new barber and tailor and, after joining a gym, has bulked up. He's even been described as a "hunk" on occasion. However, I still think you are much better looking. If your Dan is with your Lois, don't let his smart-ass attitude intimidate you! Remember -- Lois *does* want you to fight for her (or at least she will, once she gets to know you). Just don't go all possessive caveman on her; she'll hate that. Oh, and one more thing -- if she is dating Dan but seems to like you, too, and asks if you're jealous? SAY YES!!

Dear Mr. Kent,

My sources went back in time in your universe and injected a biological tracking device into your Ms. Lane's left arm. I have the necessary equipment to find her if she is still alive. Please contact me for arrangements to obtain the electronics that track the locator chip.

I talked to the Clark who's on New Krypton, and he sent a trusted bodyguard to deliver the chip and the rest of the necessary equipment to me. After that, it was relitively easy to arrange to have the chip injected into Ms. Lane with her vaccinations for her trip to Africa. It's a good thing I live in a seperate universe, or she might just hurt me for it. Anyway, with this device, you can easily locate Ms. Lane. I also have another device that will dissolve the biological componets of the chip and allow it to be flushed from her system. This practice is common on one New Krypton and is not at all harmful.

Hope that this will help.

Laura (who always wondered what it would be like to bell a cat... and who just found out.)

PS: You needn't worry about a government agency, or anyone else on Earth, for that matter, using this device to track Ms. Lane. The technology is far too advanced, and it's programmed in Kryptonian programming languages anyway. I know that there are ID chips meant to be implanted under the skin in my universe, but compared to the Kryptonian chip, they might as well be abacuses.

Kathy,

Thank you for writing.

I, too, was disappointed by the fact that it wasn't my Lois. I guess things just aren't meant to be that easy. As you say, hopefully things will work out for her and her Clark.

I hadn't thought of contacting Snell's family. I'll look into it and let you know what happens.

I haven't encountered Mayson Drake or Dan Scardino as of yet, but I'll keep an eye out for them. Thanks for the information and advice.

I do know that Snell is involved in drug trafficking in Brazzaville, but I'm not sure if he's involved in international smuggling. Perhaps a visit to the DEA as Superman is in order. I can find out about agent Scardino and ask if they have any information about Snell.

Now, I have a question for you. Who is Bill Church?

Laura,

Thank you for your efforts on my behalf. Unfortunately, I don't know how to access your universe except through this internet portal. I asked some people at STAR Labs, and they're not sure, either. When I mentioned the tracking device, though, they assured me that any tracer small enough to have been injected though a standard syringe would almost certainly have degraded, dissolved, been attacked by her immune system, been flushed out of her body, or otherwise been rendered inoperable in far less than four years.

On a side note, I am disturbed to hear that there is an entire society of Kryptonians who employ that sort of tracking technology on a regular basis. I'm also confused as to why a species I'm given to understand is telepathic would feel the need to employ tracking devices so often.

Clark

True, but Star Labs does not have technology as advanced as this. Actually, the device has been used for well over three centuries and is usually removed when the paitent enters adulthood. See, centuries ago, kidnappings for political leverage had become almost common. In order to get this practice to stop, Kryptonian scientists invented a locator chip that was inserted into every child soon after birth. In event that the child goes missing, it is easy to find them. Psychic signatures are all well and good, but when there are millions of them around, one is as hard to isolate as... well, a single person breathing in a crowded room. It lasts up to 40 years if necessary, so it should still be working perfectly.

A similar, older model was what was used to find the other Clark when it became apparent that they needed him to keep Nor in check back on New Krypton, and one was given to Kiley in case of a kidnapping attempt. (Clark no longer has his; it was dissolved.)

Mr. Kent, I have the ability to travel in between universes. If you so wish, just name the location and the time, and I can meet you there.

Laura

Ms. Davies,

I have the horrible duty of informing you that you have violated several laws of intra-dimensional and time travel.

Since you have acquired intra-dimensional transport capabilities illegally without the concent of the proper authorities and have used these powers for the evil of implanting a tracker device into an unwilling subject, I hereby prohibit you from traveling to Mr. Kent's universe. I have checked with several local branches of the IDTTT and they have voiced several concerns about your intra-dimensional capabilities. I hereby revoke your privilages, under the authority of the local IDTTT, to travel to Mr. Kent's dimension. If you try to travel through time or space to Mr. Kent's universe, you will be imprisoned immediately. I have also alerted the local authorities of Mr. Kent's dimension as well.

The device that was illegally implanted has been removed from Ms. Lane because it was implanted without her permission.

Andrus

Dear Andrus,

Unfortunately, there are no laws governing time law in my universe, and anything I build myself with the help of my brothers and a certain other party cannot be illegal. My friend Jarod (you may have heard of him--we still don't know his last name) was here last night and stopped your goons from implanting the device.

Jarod went back in time and got a signed release from Ms. Lane and injected her with a new device. I am sorry for the inconviece to Utopia's time police, but as I am from the present and not Utopia, you do not have jurisdiction unless you are policing your own citizens. Don't try and find Jarod--he's been illuding better than you ever since his escape from the Centre.

Laura (who has to hide from Centre goons herself)

PS: Clark, I'm sorry 'bout this, but I've got to go back into hiding before they catch up to me again. <sigh> I wouldn't miss out on Jarod's friendship for anything, but I get tired of running; if the Centre found me, I'd get locked up just like they locked him up... I probably won't be able to be reached, but I'll be using various internet connections in the next few weeks--if you need the locating technology, I can find a way to get it to you.

Ms. Davies,

I am sorry you feel that you are above IDTTT jurisdiction. As a dimensional traveller, I am sorry to inform you that you most certainly do fall under IDTTT jurisdiction. Even though you and your brothers built your own device, you are still under the obligation to register with IDTTT. Since I see no record of any registration of your device, you are in strict IDTTT violation. In addition, you are attempting to interfere with the established timeline of Mr. Kent's universe. And that is very much under IDTTT jurisdiction even though the IDTTT was not established in your universe until the year 2130. Since we do govern Time Travel, our jurisdiction is retroactive to your time period. Be aware that we are always watching and all-knowing.

I am afraid that going into hiding will not help in the matter of your delinquincy since I am the possessor of all historical records. Be assured, that we have a record of every place and every time in which you have tried or will try to hide because our tracking and scanning equipment is far more advanced than yours.

Ms. Davies, if you persist in your attempts, I will be forced to incarcerate you and hold you prisoner myself.

I hope you understand these dire consequences. Inter-dimensional travel is a very serious business and it should not be left up to amateurs.

Andrus

I, of course, am the happy exception to that rule. Utopia's peacekeepers would be quite lost without my assistance.

My dear boy, I sympathise with your frustration! It must be quite agonising to have your hopes raised and dashed by this alternate Lois. Rest assured, however, that I am diligently pursuing all options on your behalf. I might only meet with success mere seconds before you yourself effect a rescue, but I will no doubt be triumphant in the end.

You have surely observed how much I am exerting myself for you. I did, after all, seek out this forum a week before you did yourself! If that does not prove my persistence and time-traveling ability, I do not know what shall.

There is still the minor problem of determining which Clark you might be. Could you describe your Persian carpet to me? A comparison of woof and warp might be of assistance in the matter.

Chin up, dear boy! I hope to have news for you soon.

H.G. Wells

Erm... Well, I'm glad that Andrus thing was settled, whatever it was.

Mr. Wells,

Thank you for your sympathy and continued efforts.

I am indeed impressed with your diligence and foresight.

As for your time travels, I had assumed, given your extensive history with history and your past association with Andrus, that you were a licensed traveller. Perhaps that past association and your IDTT registration are still in your future. All this time travel can make things very confusing.

As for my carpet, it is, as I said, an Oriental. It's predominantly red and blue, with stylised bats hidden in the motif. It was a gift from Bruce Wayne, to thank me for rescuing one of his cargo ships. He informed me that bats are a symbol of luck in certain cultures.

Kathy,

I looked into some of your suggestions.

It seems that I know Mayson Drake as May Bass. She does work for the Metropolis DA's office. Her husband, Bobby, is a police informant and gourmet chef.

My trip to Paramus was enjoyable. Mrs. Snell is proud of her son, the lawyer-turned-diplomat, and assures me that he's "such a nice boy." She does wish, however, that he would settle down. , she's impatient to become a grandmother. Ultimately, I gained little useful information except that I now know that Mrs. Snell makes excellent oatmeal raisin cookies.

I also flew down to Washington, DC. I spoke with Mrs. Maksim at the DEA; she's in charge of collecting and analysing information from overseas agents, and is an expert on the Congo in particular. She was happy to cooperate with Superman, and even went out of her way to look up Dan Scardino.

Mr. Scardino, it turns out, was an officer on the Hawaii police force. Citing annoyance with the nickname "Dan-o," he transferred to Miami, where he was placed in the vice department. His actions there caught the attention of the DEA, but they decided he was too much of a loose cannon and so never recruited him. He and his wife, Jenna, now run an art gallery by the name of "Unidentifiable Ferrous Objects," which specialises in metallic sculptures and mobiles.

Mrs. Maksim also told me that there is currently a DEA agent in Brazzaville, Bernard Klien, but she couldn't tell me anything about his investigation except to note that he is working with an Interpol agent by the name of Claude DeLaChienne.

Clark

Hmm... your universe seems to be very different from ours.

From my own experience as a researcher for school gossip I've learned that the best way to find out what you know is to find the one who can tell it to you.

So here I go:

You know Mayson Drake - May Bass. Have you talked to her? Perhaps she knows something. And I suggest that you should talk to Bobby, too (who must be really happy in that universe )

Bernard Klein and Claude DeLaChienne together?
Well, maybe you should talk to them too.
Nevertheless, given their character in this universe, you should talk to Bernard Klein first. If he's naive like ours, he may give you some precious help without even knowing.
Be careful with Claude, though. He's been a guy who's not to be trusted - at least here.

All of the above person must be somehow related to Lois Lane, and I believe that all of them have important information about her.

But be extremely careful! Don't let anyone fool you, and do not reveal information you have unless you are convinced someone is a "good guy" and can really help you. Researching is a really delicated issue.
Besides, our universes are quite twisted, and I wouldn't like to mislead you by proposing you to follow what would be the right thing to do HERE.

Well I hope I've helped a little (although I do not really suggest anything special).

Take care,
AnnaBtG.

Anna,

I spoke to Bobby, but neither he and May don't seem to know anything about Lois or the Congo. I'm reluctant to press them, since May is a little distrustful of me. Bobby has been talking to her about it, which has helped to some degree, but she still feels that, when working as Superman, I sometimes act above the law.

I also got in touch with Agent Klein, though he insists I call him "Burn." He struck me as both intelligent and perceptive, though he did get lost in thought a few times while we were talking. He didn't seem naive. The only major quirk I noticed was his tendency to talk to his pet rat as if he expected to be understood.

Burn and Claude are looking for the source of illegal drugs being smuggled into the US from somewhere in the Congo. I told them about Snell and gave them the address of his second office. They were very grateful for the information, and plan to investigate him tomorrow. I also told them about Lois. They haven't seen her, but will watch for her. They also plan to ask Snell about her if and when they arrest him.

I'm a little worried about the danger to Lois if Snell finds out he is being investigated, but I think this is the best chance I have of finding her. I'll let you know what happens.

Clark

Dear Clark,

Don't count out Klein's pet rat! She could be the key to the whole mystery!

It's too bad that Bobby (Bass ... so that's his last night, huh?) couldn't be of more help. In other universes, he's often a very helpful resource for Lois and Clark during their investigations. But, of course, as a resident of Metropolis, he probably wouldn't have his ear to the ground in the Congo, which is really where you need the help.

As for Dan Scardino being a Miami Vice officer ... once I stopped laughing, I'm happy that he's found his nitche.

Oh, but you asked me a few days ago about Bill Church; sorry I didn't answer you sooner. Bill Church was the CEO of CostMart, but was discovered to be using his corporation to front Intergang. He has a son, Bill Junior (Billy), who ended up taking over for him after he had a heart attack and decided to go straight. You might want to ask Perry White about Bill or Billy, next time you see him ... in many universes, they were close at one time, with Perry even changing Billy's diapers when he was a baby! (No mention of how Alice felt about that, given that Perry was often too busy to help with their own two boys, but that's another story ...) If it does look like the Church family is involved, you might want to keep an eye out for a Mindy Church as well. But if she comes off as a ditzy blonde airhead, don't let your guard down! It's all an act.

I'm glad Bernard Klein is on the case; you might want to suggest he keep his eye on his partner, though. In nearly all universes we've explored, Claude ... well, let's just say his ethics aren't nearly as high as yours.

Keep us posted!

Kathy

Dear FOLCs,

It's been quite a day.

Last night, Burn woke up to the sound of frantic squeaking. I think the rat was disturbed by the sound of the door hinges, but Burn insists that this isn't the first time his pet has helped him on a case. Whatever the reason, Burn was awoken just in time to catch Claude sneaking out of the apartment that he and Burn are using as a base of operations.

Burn followed him and caught him trying to break into Snell's office. It seems that Claude was prepared to risk the whole case just so he could get more credit for himself. Burn contacted Claude's superiors at Interpol, and they said they'd investigate.

With that done, Burn proceeded to grease the right palms to get official permission to search Snell's office. It seems that paperwork in the Congo must be filed with Franc notes, sometimes in triplicate. Documents in hand, Burn went to Snell's office and retrieved the incriminating files. I then flew him to Washington, DC, where a judge he knows reviewed the files and issued an arrest warrant. We flew back to Brazzaville and arrested Snell while he was still at the embassy, and thus on US soil.

Snell is now being questioned, and I've been assured that Lois is on the list of topics to discuss.

Kathy,

I'm surprised to see you mention the rat. If you've heard of her in this universe, maybe there is something to Burn's claims of her intelligence.

Yes, Bobby's last name is Bass. Combined with his eating habits and sideline as a police informant, it's earned him the unfortunate nickname "Largemouth."

Thanks for the information about Mr. Church. So that's what Intergang is! I've been hearing vague rumors, but haven't been able to find out too much. I'll have to pass this along to the nice people talking with Mr. Snell. I'll also talk to Mayor White and keep an eye out for the Churches.

You were certainly right about Claude. Thanks for the tip, even if it did happen to be a little late.

Mostly, though, I plan to stay in Brazzaville. I'm going to keep an eye out for Lois, as well as trying to keep track of both of Snell's offices. Hopefully I'll be able to find her before someone panics and goes after her.

I'll let you know how things turn out.

Clark

Hi Clark,

Well, I'm going to give this a try. This is actually a very daring move for me, since I'm mostly a lurker. This investigation and the fact that we seem to be able to communicate between parallel universes really fascinates me. If I understand this correctly, you are looking for suggestions to help you find your Lois.

First, let me see if I have the facts right. Lois when to the Congo looking for gun runners and disappeared, but she is alive and well and apparently free. I would guess she is living under an assumed name. My guess is Snell told her that her family was dead, he probably used this as blackmail or a threat to keep her quiet, rather than killing her. I suspect who ever is behind her disappearance wants her alive, probably for his own purposes. She has probably been told that if she returns to Metropolis or tries to write the story more people she knows will be killed.

Knowing Lois, though, I doubt that she has given up. She is probably still investigating and waiting for the right time to make her move.

In our Lois and Clark universe Snell worked for Bill Church, it seems you don't know about the Churches. The previous post described them very well.

I was thinking though, since your universe seems to have the same people but many of them are in different occupations, I'm thinking if Snell doesn't work for the Churches, may he works for Lex Luthor. I don't believe anyone has mentioned Lex Luthor yet.

In our universe Luthor was a very evil criminal with a quest for power. Although he covered his tracks very well and appeared to be Metrolopis' biggest philanthropist. He was the 3rd richest man in the world. His biggest desire was to possess Lois Lane and to kill Superman.

Do you have a Lex Luthor in your universe? If so, I would check him out. Gun running in the Congo sounds like something he'd be involved in.

I'd check a guy named Nigel St. John. He did a lot of Luthor's dirty work.

Well, let me know if this helps.

Mel

Oooooh!

I'll never take a 4 days week-end again! Seems there's a lot I have to catch up with.

I was so excited to see Lois post here that I almost forgot to read the other posts (now I did!). I'm so disappointed that the Lois who poste here wasn't yours... on the other hand, you can call me evil, but if she had been, we wouldn't have the pleasure to help you out in finding yours Still I hope she'll manage to go back to "her universe" Metropolis alive, thanks to her Clark as a bonus (assuming he's flying around as a superhero that is).

Look at me, I disgressed again!

Clark,

Anna's idea to keep an eye on Snell is a judicious one. But letting Burn and Claude ask Snell about Lois sounds a bit dangerous to me since it will put Snell on their track, and maybe on yours. That's the softer side. because you could also put Lois relatives and family in danger by doing so, assuming Lois is indeed free and not that closely watched.

Did you find who the string puller was? Because if this person 'programmed' Lois departure to Congo that would mean this person (who reminds me a lot of our Lex Luthor or maybe Tempus) had planned things and had everything setted up for a very long time...and is also incredibly clever and craze!

The only question I have is "why?"

Obviously, getting Lois to the Congo has nothing to do with you or your alter ego. You mentionned

In that case, given the fact that you are already Superman and that 'your' Metropolis people know about you being special, what has Tempus to gain in keeping your Lois away, and for four years (your time) no less! (or did I misunderstood something here?)

Did you also find the assumed name Lois is using? That could also be of a great help. But if your investigation pushed Snell to narrow his watch on her again, that means he knows about her assumed identity, right?

And did you find any trace of the stolen records? That could help Burn and Claude if nailing Snell is concerned.

If your Lois is like the one I know (and who just asked me to get in gear on "some written before it's over" story she wasn't in the mood for), I can't imagine her being fooled by false official documents, as good as they could be.

But if she was and believes that her relatives are dead, then she'l have nothing to loose in getting Snell down. She must already know about his illegal activities, otherwise, why would he have her watched?

What I can't explain is why did he let her go free in the beginning?

Sorry, I wasn't of a great help, but let us know about your quest.

Carole

Mel,

Thank you for posting. I'm glad you dared it.

You seem to have a pretty good grasp of the situation.

I am aware of Lex Luthor. His name came up pretty quickly when I did my preliminary research at your archives. I looked for him in this universe shortly thereafter. As it happens, the Lex Luthor of my universe was shot and killed as a teenager. The police record says that it happened during a gang fight, but witnesses mentioned an adult male having been at the scene. The description is vague, but it seems to match Tempus. I believe Mr. St. John met a similar fate. I think Tempus may have gone back in time to make sure that Lex and his empire wouldn't interfere with his plans.

Kathy,

I talked to Perry about the Churches. He said they must be different in the other universe. He said the Churches are old friends of his, and he refused to believe that they would be involved in anything shady.

Snell's questioning, however, has been interesting, especially after I gave them your information about Intergang.

It seems that Bill Church is the head of Intergang in this universe, too. He and Snell were approached by Tempus, who wanted them to keep Lois away from Metropolis. He gave them information about exactly when she would be leaving for the Congo and showed them detailed files about Intergang. Snell says that Tempus threatened to give the Intergang files to the FBI if they didn't keep Lois out of the way. Tempus also instructed them to keep Lois alive, if possible, because he wanted her for some kind of back-up plan.

So, Bill decided to send Snell to the Congo. Snell says he resents having been forcibly uprooted, sent so far from home and essentially demoted. Now that he's been caught, he has no reason not to bring Church and Intergang down with him. I think he's hoping to make a deal for turning in State's evidence.

Unfortunately, Snell, like his former boss, decided to leave Lois to an underling. He knows who is watching her, but not where she is. If I go after the man watching her, he may panic and kill her.

Carole,

Welcome back. I hope you had a good weekend.

I, too, hope that AltLois has a happy ending. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying helping me. I appreciate that.

Snell's files have been confiscated and he has been arrested. The "string-puller," as explained above, was Bill Church, who was being blackmailed by Tempus.

As to why Lois is still being watched, I suspect it's because, even though Tempus was stopped, the order to detain Lois was never rescinded. Since Tempus is a time traveller, Church and Snell have no way of knowing if he will return.

I have not found Lois's assumed name yet.

The stolen records were among the files taken from Snell's office.

The doccuments were false, but they were created at the embassy, using official forms and seals. She had no way of knowing that they had been altered.

Now I'm left with a sort of bittersweet triumph. While I'm glad that Snell has been captured and that we've gained so much useful information about Intergang, it seems that I'm not really all that much closer to finding Lois. I mentioned that to Burn, who is getting ready to go back home now that his case has been closed, and he suggested that I try to find a local private detective. He says that he has heard of one in particular, Linda King, who seems to have a good reputation. I may give that a try, but does anyone else have any ideas?

Clark

Hi Clark,

Clark, have you been sleeping much lately? I'm getting worried about you, buddy!

Has it occured to you that, now that Snell has been arrested and is ratting out Intergang, his underling may already be panicking? Especially if he doesn't know how to think for himself -- or maybe worse, if he does? If he truly is a loose cannon who hasn't been keeping his boss up to date on her whereabouts, I don't think you can afford to *not* go after this man. (And I can't imagine Snell is keeping the man's name private, given everything he's telling about the big fish, Bill Church.) Please, don't let this lead go ... it sounds like all you have!

I'm sorry that you will have to disappoint Perry again about the Churches. He never seems to believe that his old friends can be involved in anything shady, and they always seem to be ... I hope he's developing a little better character judgement now that he's Mayor. BTW, he hasn't hired anyone by the name of Harland Black to manage the city's money, or Truman Black (hmm, interesting that they share the same last name; wonder if there's any relation) to be the city's anti-discrimination watchdog, has he?

Anyway, it's very interesting about Lex Luthor and Nigel St. John meeting their maker in their younger years. Yes, I bet you are right that Tempus had a hand in that. But that's even more reason you have to find Lois soon, Clark! If Tempus wanted her alive for a back-up plan, you never know when he might set it into place. Even if he's still in custody in Utopia, he may have rigged something to happen even if he couldn't be there to set it in motion -- a "poison pill", so to speak -- to keep you from finding her.

Oh, and as for this P.I., Linda King, is she in Metropolis or in the Congo? In most universes, she and Lois were college friends, very close until they both fell for the same guy and Linda stabbed Lois in the back (figuratively, not literally) to steal him away. So she might be of some help in getting background information on Lois in Metropolis, but I'm not sure what she could do in the Congo, since *you* seem to be the one who has the best chance of locating this guy who Snell had on Lois!

Please, let us know what you find out! And be sure to take care of yourself, too!

Kathy

Kathy,

It had occurred to me that Snell's underling might already be panicking. That's why I've been trying to watch both of Snell's offices. There wasn't much else I could do.

Perry does tend to be very trusting of old friends. It saddens me to see that trust abused, and I'm not looking forward to telling him about it. At least I'll be able to give him some good news first.

I'm not sure who is handling the city's finances; I've been busy with other things. I'll remember to keep an eye on that. Thanks for the tip.

As for Linda, you are not going to believe what happened!

I went to see her this morning. I started explaining to her about how I was looking for Lois Lane but that I knew she was being watched. Linda looked at me oddly, but just as I was trying to figure out what her expression could mean, someone tried to shoot her!

Luckily, I noticed the bullet in time to catch it. I flew out the window after the would-be assassin, leaving Linda slack-jawed. As I was tieing him up, something occurred to me. He'd tried to shoot Linda when I approached her and started talking about Lois Lane.

I dashed back to Linda's office, bound assassin in hand. She seemed a little shaken, but managed to speak calmly. First she ordered me to drop the gunman off with a certain police officer she knew, then we got to talking.

As I'd started to suspect, 'Linda King' was an alias being used by... Lois Lane. It's amazing. All she did was colour her hair blonde, dress differently and put on some glasses, but I never would have recognised her.

She established her identity as 'Linda King' when she first went undercover in 1993. A few months' work earned her the full story on the gun-runners. She tried to return home, but the Congo officials wouldn't letting her leave. She went to the embassy to get things straightened out, but they weren't able to do anything. She kept trying, but was blocked at every turn. Then the embassy officials told her that her family and friends were dead. While she was still coming to terms with that, the gun-runners were captured. She decided that there was nothing left to go home for and began to make a new life for herself in Brazzaville, instead. Since there isn't much in the way of media coverage in the Congo (one television station, one small newspaper, and a handful of radio stations, none of which are known for serious investigative reporting), she became a private detective.

Between her focus on local events and the poor media availability, she had heard only rumors about Superman, none of which she'd believed until she met me in person. She certainly hadn't heard news from Metropolis.

I told her about Snell and tried to explain about Tempus without stretching her credibility too far. She refused to believe that her family was alive, nor was she prepared to accept that Mr. Oleson owned the Daily Planet or that Perry White had left the paper to become mayor of Metropolis. I told her that Ellen Lane was a prominent business consultant, but Lois had trouble with the idea that people were actually willing to pay her mother to tell them how they should run their companies. She became even more incredulous when I informed her that her sister was an intern at STAR Labs, working for some friends of mine, Dr. Roland Vale and his wife Dr. Nell Newtrich-Vale.

Surprisingly, it wasn't until I told about her what seemed to me to be the most unlikely occupation of them all that she started to consider the possibility that I was telling the truth. When I explained to her that her father had spliced genes from fireflies, lantern fish and other bioluminescent species into some pine saplings in an attempt to create self-lighting Christmas trees, she laughed and told me that no one but her father could have come up with such a crazy idea.

Ultimately, what convinced her was the Daily Planet. I brought her a copy of the latest issue, fresh from Metropolis, and pointed out a picture of Mayor White. She stared and stared, and then began to cry. Instinctively, I went to hug her. Even though we'd just met, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. I held her until she managed to collect herself, we talked some more, and then I flew her back to Metropolis.

Despite jet lag from the five hour time difference, she spent the rest of the day with friends and family, talking to, hugging, crying on and laughing with people she'd never expected to see again. She's in her sister's apartment now, sleeping soundly. I hear there's a large party in the works, but that won't be for another few days. She needs time to settle down and adjust first.

I'm not sure what will happen next, but I can tell you that I'm very much looking forward to getting to know her.

Lois is home, she's in my life, the FBI is preparing for one of the largest organised crime busts in history, the Daily Planet will have the exclusive, and it's all because of your help, FOLCs. "Thank you" seems far from adequate, but it's all I can think to say.

With sincerest gratitude,

Clark Kent