Barbarians at the Planet – Matchmaker Style 1/10
When Virginia proposed the challenge of taking a first season story and having it result in Lois and Clark being married I took up the challenge and "The Green, Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker Style" was the result.
That was all well and good, but then I started thinking - What about future episodes? How would the fact that they are now married affect the dynamic? For instance, how would "Pheromone My Lovely" have been changed by the marriage? How would it affect "Honeymoon in Metropolis" and "All Shook Up", "Witness", "Illusions of Grandeur", "Ides of Metropolis", "The Foundling", "The Rival", "Vatman" and "Fly Hard"?
In the previous stories, you've seen my take on the answer. So, now, to answer the question - ‘What if Lois and Clark were already married when Barbarians at the Planet happened?' I offer the following.
As with the series as originally aired the episodes build on one another making a contiguous story. It is recommended that if you are reading this story out of sequence you will miss some references. Please go back and start with the first episode of the set "The Green Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker Style and take the episodes in broadcast order from that point.
Barbarians at the Planet – Matchmaker Style 1/8
Rated - PG-13
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
Burning Love – Witten by Linde and Dennis, published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
In this, the sequel to Fly Hard- Matchmaker Style. Lois and Clark have been back from the assignment in Smallville for almost a year. The events of PML were delightful; however, Lois really has no recollection of what happened. Clark finally had a chance to give Lois a real honeymoon. Then her life had been threatened because she had witnessed a murder. Next they investigated the kidnappings of the children of wealthy families. They have dealt with a murder and a threat to the internet and the messages regarding Clark's origin. They had to deal with a rival paper and an invasion of the Daily Planet building. Now Lois and Clark have gone undercover.
Lois has returned to Clark's ‘old' apartment.
In this particular story a lot of the dialogue is taken from the script text. I wish to express my thanks to my Beta readers Artemis and Ray Reynolds for their invaluable help. This was a VERY rough draft when it first landed in their hands. I also wish to thank Groobie for her assistance in some scenes
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Chapter 01 Prologue –
In the distant future
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Herb Wells was in his office sitting at his desk. His collar was off and the neck of his shirt was open. His sleeves were rolled up, slightly, and his jacket and hat were hung on the coat tree near the door. He had just returned from a meeting with the board of directors of which he was the head. The majority of the board were descendants of Lois and Clark each of them an expert in their chosen field of endeavor. The disciplines ranged from Anthropology to Physics, several sub-studies, to Biology, both Earth human and Kryptonian human and of course the legal eagles. When he had first approached what had been the former S.T.A.R. Labs with the research project to investigate time and dimensional travel they had been first intrigued and then enthusiastic in the pursuit of the technology.
It had helped that he had been able to identify the location of a stable inter-dimensional Einstein-Rosen Bridge. That worm hole had been created by Tempus when he used a faulty time machine and stabilized by his repeated use, each time he used it to travel from Prime to the alt universe. Now that they had a better handle on the character of the various universes within the multi-verse, they now were able to delineate them by using their unique vibrational signature. The signature was expressed as three vibrational frequencies each at right angles to the others. The Prime universe, Herb's home universe and the one he had first traveled in now could be identified as Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120. The alt universe that Tempus had crossed to was Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036. It quickly became apparent that an organization was needed to control or contain said travel especially in the face of Tempus and his malevolent activities. That had brought about the birth of TTEMPO, Time Travel Enforcement and Multi-verse Protection Organization.
As he shifted in his chair it squeaked in protest. Leaning back he laced his fingers and put them behind his head. He mused to himself, "These board meetings are always so trying. I need something to take my mind off of policy and activities. What should I do?" He thought about it briefly before he came up with a solution. "I know! I've been neglecting some of my other responsibilities. I should be reviewing the data collection on those universes that I have chosen to be my private responsibility. I think a review of some files would be in order." Speaking into the air, in his British English accent, he said, "Computer?"
He heard a very realistic imitation of a woman's voice in reply, "Working."
"Computer, I want to review the file on … oh, let me see … which one should it be?" He leaned forward and ruffled through some papers before he spoke again, "Universe … Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225. Please review occurrences from the point of divergence from the events of this universe - Alpha 23 x Gamma 4 x Tau -120."
"Working. Accessing file. File accessed."
"Proceed with recap."
"A review of the events of Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225 indicated that -"
Herb interrupted the read back, "Computer."
"Playback paused."
"Global replace. Each instance of Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225, other than the initial one in the title, is to be replaced by the string ‘Herb 10'."
"Acknowledged. Global replace complete."
"Computer, skip the details. Just provide the highlights of the major incidents in their lives. Proceed."
"Parameter change accepted. Highlights only."
"A review of the events in universe Herb 10 revealed that divergence occurred in the Smallville incident. Because of a delay caused by a slow freight Sheriff Harris would not arrive at the Kent farm in time to stop Trask and he would succeed in killing Clark Kent while he was vulnerable after an exposure to green Kryptonite. The cascade effect of this act would have resulted in the destruction of most of the life of the planet when the Nightfall asteroid struck. It was because of that divergence and the ultimate result that it was determined that intervention was required. Moving into the future of Herb 10 and using a soul tracker offshoot the Director recorded the memories of Lois Lane-Kent."
A little sharply, Herb said, "Computer!"
"Paused."
In a somewhat irritated tone, Herb asked, "Computer, how many times have I told you not to call me the Director?"
"Is a quantitative reply requested?"
Shaking his head at the literality of the computer, he said, "No, computer, symbolic."
"A number of times."
"Why do you persist in calling me the Director?" Sometimes he became rather frustrated with this automated assistant, while at others he was very thankful for her … it. That voice just naturally made him think of it as a she. He would need to consider changing the tonal register, perhaps a baritone.
"The file you requested is available for general consumption. If the pronoun you or he were used it could be a source of confusion. The use of the title removes any possible confusion."
With a shake of the head, Herb asked, "This is going to be a losing battle, isn't it?"
"This is not a physical conflict."
"Battle can be used in a metaphorical sense."
"Understood. In a literal sense the use of the pronoun can cause confusion whereas the title removes said confusion."
In a tone of resignation, Herb said, "You may continue to use the title, to remove your confusion."
"I am incapable of being confused in the manner that a human, Earth or Kryptonian, can be."
With a slight smile, Herb replied, "You are succeeding in confusing me, however."
"How may I clarify the issue and remove the confusion."
"Thank you for trying to be helpful. Just proceed and … go ahead and use the title, if it will make you happy."
"I do not experience emotions. I can be neither happy nor sad. Just as I am not subject to confusion, as long as my data streams remain steady."
"Sometimes I am tempted to make your data streams … unsteady."
"Probability .05%."
"All right, all right, it is an emotional response to your unflappability."
"Please explain."
"You are always correct and even-tempered plus you argue like a petulant child at times."
"I do not have a temper, nor do I behave like a petulant child."
"Yes, you do.”
“No I do not.”
“Do too.”
“Do not.”
“Yes, you do as this exchange proves and you have a personality, too."
"Not possible."
"Oh, I beg to differ. You have a personality and sometimes it is irritating. I'm just glad I'm not married to you."
"Marriage between sentient species has been known since Lois Lane and Clark Kent first wed. However, marriage between a sentient species and a machine is not possible, at least not at this time. I predict that in the future, technology may overcome that problem by creating a compatible physical form that a data sub-set could be transferred to."
In a shocked tone, Herb blurted out, "Heaven forbid! Computer, how many years until that is accomplished?"
"Estimated time would be approximately …” Herb knew better, but as the computer paused for what to a computer was a very long time as it calculated, Herb pictured a young woman holding an abacus, sliding the beads back and forth as she calculated, putting a physical form to the voice. As Herb finished his musing, the computer gave her answer, “I would estimate … one hundred … centuries with an accuracy of plus or minus five standard deviational units."
"I’m disappointed in you, computer. Five standard deviational units is a rather wide range of deviation. Your estimate could be off by … thousands of years. Oh, well, thank heaven for small favors. At least I won't be around to see it. Remind me to never go that far forward in time.”
“Tickle file reminder parameter missing. When do you wish the reminder delivered?”
“Oh, let me see, how about on the second Tuesday of the week.”
“Unable to comply. There is only one Tuesday in a standard week.”
Herb chuckled and replied, “It would have to be a very special week for me to even consider traveling that far into the future. Cancel reminder. Let's return to the subject. Please resume playback."
"Acknowledged. Tickle file reminder cancelled. As Lois and Clark were leaving for and at the start of the Smallville incident the Director implanted those memories in Lois's brain, on a subconscious level, giving her the motivation she needed to save Clark herself. As a result, Clark was wounded though not seriously. This prevented the creation of a new universe where he died in the incident. Lois and Clark were married and returned to Metropolis as a couple." (See Green, Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker Style)
"Shortly after their return to Metropolis Lois had an encounter with Lex Luthor. Clark arrived, however Lois had already succeeded in defending her own honor. After that Lois was exposed to the pheromone laced perfume and the predictable result was an extended sexual encounter that tested Clark's ability, as a husband, to satisfy his wife's sexual urges. (See Pheromone My Lovely - Matchmaker Style)
"When they attempted to enjoy an actual honeymoon they became involved in another investigation. This time it was the sabotage of a military device. Again, Luthor was involved. Superman had to save Metropolis from a tsunami wave of massive proportions." (See Honeymoon in Metropolis - Matchmaker Style)
"When the Nightfall asteroid threatened the Earth, Superman intercepted it. As a result of anoxia he had amnesia. Again, Lois was the one who was able to save him and restore his memory. Once that had been accomplished he was able to divert the rock away from the Earth." (See All Shook Up -Matchmaker Style)
"Some time after that Lois's life was threatened when she witnessed an assassination. This time it was Superman that rescued her and captured the assassin." (See Witness - Matchmaker Style)
"Pause read back."
"Paused."
Herb stood and moved to a sideboard where he prepared a cup of Earl Gray tea before he returned to his desk. After taking a sip of tea, he said, "Resume."
"The next significant incident was the investigation of missing children. Lois was hypnotized through the use of subliminal messaging. Superman managed to save her again because his brain works faster and neither hypnotism nor subliminal messaging has an effect on him." (See Illusions of Grandeur - Matchmaker Style.)
"When the fledgling internet was threatened by a computer virus Lois and Clark worked together to not only catch the culprit, but also free an innocent man from a murder charge. In this incident, Superman had to also rescue Lois and Detective Sergeant Reed from an industrial trash compactor." (See Ides of Metropolis - Matchmaker Style)
"Pause."
"Paused."
Herb mused, "The events in Herb 10 have been amazingly parallel to those of Prime. I haven't made a personal visit to Herb 10 for some time. It is interesting to ‘catch up' with them as it were."
"I probably should plan a visit sometime. They really are a nice couple." He chuckled and then said, "They all are, but this couple in particular. By giving Lois the memories of her future much of the angst that they had been put through in this universe was avoided. This Lois in particular developed a much softer personality as a result. Still, it is amazing; there are so few differences between most of them."
"Of course there are some, particularly those that Tempus has interfered with that require attention to get back on track. I still think that it was Tempus behind the tip Lois received about the gunrunning in the Congo in universe Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 what was called the alt universe because at the time we thought there was only one."
"It was a shame about that incident. I just hadn't learned enough about time travel and how things work at the time. Still, taking Clark back to try and save her was the right thing to do. (See Clark and Lois - The Lost Years - Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 3) He did succeed, although he never knew it. In his success he created a new universe where Lois lived. The result of that exercise was that in his universe he was still left without a Lois while in the newly created universe he and his Lois were married and returned to Metropolis. It was during the White Orchid Ball that the attack took place that converted Lois's physiology and activated the Blue Star Sapphire Kryptonite jewelry that she was wearing and gave her Clark's super powers. That same Star Sapphire Kryptonite that is contained in the pendants and tokens that I give to the spouses when their bodies are ready."
"Fortunately for that Clark, I found a Lois for him in a universe that didn't have a Clark. Now that was an amazing match. She was actually Kryptonian herself having been made so by a Red Kryptonite laser attack on Superman. They now protect both universes since I gave them an inter-dimensional transport device." (See Clark and Lois - Hope Realized - Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 5 and Clark and Lois -Two Universes - Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 7)
"Ah, but I digress. Let us get back to Herb 10. I wonder how the changed relationship in Herb 10 affected additional adventures." Speaking up again and addressing the computer, he said, "Computer, you may proceed."
"Continuing. The globe that Clark had discovered with his ship was stolen and Lex Luthor almost learned from it the secret of Clark's origin. After they recovered the globe there was an attempt on Clark's life." (See Foundling - Matchmaker Style)
"Then the team of Lane and Kent worked together to save the Daily Planet from going out of business as a result of the machinations of an unscrupulous publisher at the Metropolis Star. In that adventure Lois was reunited with an old college rival and had to be rescued by Superman again, this time from suffocation." (See the Rival - Matchmaker Style)
"Shortly after that Lex Luthor, using a lock of hair that Superman had donated to charity, created a clone of him in an attempt to destroy him. Fortunately that ploy also failed. After the attempt on Superman failed there was another attempt on Clark's life." (See Vatman - Matchmaker Style)
"When a gang of criminals took possession of the Daily Planet building, Lois and Clark, along with some of their coworkers were trapped. Again with Lois's help, Clark was able to turn the tables on them. There was a third attempt on Clark's life. When that was foiled Lois and Clark went undercover. Clark pretended to be dead while Lois became the grieving widow." (See Fly Hard - Matchmaker Style)
"After some weeks, things appeared to return to normal. Clark, in disguise, moved in with Lucy Lane as her live-in-boyfriend, Charlie King. He was able to perform as Superman without hindrance and keep an eye on Lois. Lois was able, because of her sister, to visit with Clark on a regular basis. The investigation into Luthor proceeded, but progress was slow because they were both working undercover. They were hoping for a break in the investigation -"
Herb interrupted the playback, "Pause."
"Paused."
Herb yawned and said, "Arguing with you can be very tiring at times. I think I'll take a brief nap. We can resume playback … later."
"Acknowledged."
Rising from his chair, Herb moved into a sleeping alcove which adjoined his office. After kicking off his shoes and placing his wire rimmed spectacles on a nightstand he laid down on a trundle bed. At his command of, "Lights off." The lights immediately turned themselves off.
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After his nap, Herb slid his feet into a pair of slippers and donned his glasses and said, "Lights on." Making his way to the sideboard he prepared a cup of tea and then moved to his desk. He smiled at the familiar creak as he sat in his chair and placed the teacup on his desk. Speaking to the air, in his British English accent, he said, "Computer?"
The reply was immediate, "Working."
"Shall we resume the playback?"
Before the computer began to comply, there was a beep and then the computer added, "Tickle file reminder. It has been three days since your last mission. There are two reminders. Reminder number one: You are scheduled to go to the year 2034 in the Prime universe to deliver a pendant to Heather McLeod Kent. (See First Love - Matchmaker Chronicles chapter 2) She and Sean will have been married for more than two years after living together prior to marriage. The modification of her physiology has reached a point where she will start to manifest powers, although not the full set with the pendant as yet. More time will be required before her metabolism is ready and she will enjoy the full set of powers. Reminder number two: You are scheduled to go to the year 2035 in the Prime universe to deliver a token to William Davidson, husband of Celeste Kent Davidson. (See First Love - Matchmaker Chronicles chapter 3) He and Celeste will have been married for more than two years after living together prior to marriage. The modification of his physiology has reached a point where he will start to manifest powers, although not the full set with the token as yet. More time will be required before his metabolism is ready and he will enjoy the full set of powers."
"Ah, thank you, computer. Yes, two more superheroes are ready to join the family business, as it were."
Opening the drawer of his desk he pulled out two boxes, one marked with Heather's name and the other with Bill's. Opening the two boxes he admired the two pieces of jewelry. The pendant was made of silver and was the shape of the crest of the family El. The token that was given to the male spouses was also silver and made to act as a belt buckle to be worn on their uniform. It was also embossed with the El crest. After a few moments perusal, he closed the boxes and set them aside. As he had sorted through he had seen the one marked for Lois Lane - Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225. He mused, "Herb 10 is the new designation." He pulled it out of the drawer and looked at it thoughtfully. Noting the date he took a pen and scratched it out and inscribed November 1995 in its place. He thought, <I wonder what would happen if she received this immediately before the Wishing Well incident. Would the Star Sapphire Kryptonite be activated in the attack and keep Clark from losing his powers as a result? When I went into her future she already had her powers and I did not think to inquire as to just when she acquired them. It's worth a try.> He placed the box back in the drawer and pushed it closed.
As he stood he addressed the computer, "Computer, as soon as I am dressed I will be departing for the deliveries to 2034 and 2035. Oh, and change the tickle file reminder for the Lois in Herb 10. The new date is November of 1995, just prior to the Wishing Well incident."
"Change to tickle file reminder accomplished."
He finished redressing, stuffed the boxes in his pockets. Picking up his TaDT (Time and Dimensional Transport) device he headed for the transport center. As he stepped out he said, "Lights off." The lights died as the door closed behind him.
He proceeded to the ground floor by lift, drifting down on the antii-grav field. Stepping out of the tube he started walking toward the transport center. He passed through the barrier field that maintained the ‘clean room' conditions needed for transport.
As he passed through the barrier he saw Andrus step from a portal onto a pad. He was dressed in an olive green uniform, but … with a white straw hat! Under the uniform he wore a clerical collar. He carried what appeared to be a canvas dispatch case slung over a shoulder. <Ah, yes. The historical research mission he was sent on. Mid-twentieth century I believe. A military conflict of some sort. He went in as a non-combatant. I hope he hasn't done anything to affect history as we know it. I see he went as a chaplain. Better that than a physician. Can't have him preserving a life that was supposed to end and change history in that way.>
As he stepped up on the pad, through the shimmer of the field he could make out Andrus as he passed under the TTEMPO logo above the main portal, ‘Only Time Will Tell' that he had adopted as the organization's motto. He smiled as the portal opened before him and he stepped through on his first mission.
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