Yay! Another part!
"I'm crazy to be even considering this," Lois burst out as the four of them readied the things they would need to be brought to the other world.
Yes, after she escaped that world in "Long Strange Trip", she swore she would never go back, if I recall correctly. And now she's going back.
But let's look at it this way, Lois: It's the only way to confront your fears, confront the evil Lord Kal-El (the clone), and stop his reign of terror both on that world and in your own mind.
Lois was completely unafraid at yelling at the two Kal-Els. Zara was astounded by this because even she was afraid to make them angry despite the fact that their body language was entirely open and benign. She expected the undamaged Lois to be unafraid, but to see the one who had suffered so much degradation and abuse from their doppelganger's clone be so fearless in her interactions was a testament to the decency of these two Kryptonians.
This is a really interesting section. Zara is afraid of the the Clarks because Clone-El is a Clark variant and evil. Lane was never abused by a Clark. But Lois was abused by Clone-El, came back to her own world, and was able to work past the abuse and her memories to have a healthy relationship with her world's Clark. The fact that Lois *can* yell at the Clarks is a good sign.
(I hope that when our heroes rescue the real Lord Kal-El, the New Kryptonian Clark, that he'll end up with someone who can yell at him. Being yelled at tends to keep you humble. And given that Kryptonians on Earth, tend to have absolute power, it's a good idea to have someone there to keep them humble.)
[>ois] approached them to give both Lane and Kent hugs - another action which caused Zara inward surprise. She wondered how long it had taken before Lois would come within ten feet of Kal-El.
Good point! I believe that a large part of
"Long Strange Trip" dealt with this. Let's just say that it took Lois quite a long time.
"What if the resistance sells us out? What if Ching sells one of us out again to keep you safe," Lois rounded on Zara angrily. "He did it to me... what's to stop him from doing it again? What if he does it to her?"
Ooh, good plot thread! Why do I think that they'll be meeting Ching again? Why do I think that Ching will have to make a decision - Zara or the Loises? I hope you expand on this plot point in future chapters.
"I know," he said quietly. "It's easy to take a high ground [deciding to kill Nor] when you never actually have to face the decision."
Excellent discussion of Clark's ethics and what he would and would not do. This could be a whole long post in itself. Why do I think that this issue might be a plot point in later chapters too?
"I promise you, Lois. I will vouch for him. We will outfit you with red-radiation weapons so you can defend yourself against Kryptonians. Obviously we Kryptonians move very very fast and can disarm you pretty easily, but there are a lot of fail-safes built into the resistance complex which make it really hard for any of us to go rogue."
Aha! So it won't always be Kryptonians 100, Humans 0. I like that you will make the Kryptonians have to work for it.
Glad to get another update. But the suspense is killing me. And their conversations sure sound like there could be some terrible cliffhangers ahead. 