After all, the police has the cage now

Part 5 / TOC

Thanks for reading!

Michael

*claps loudly* Oh bravo! Loved this fic! Loved how Lois found out about Clark being Superman. I wondered how you were going to tie all the loose ends up - and I guess I'll have to wait for it!

A very awesome and enjoyable fic! Thank you so much!

I liked the chapter...

But....

You are evil to end there!!!!! =p

Well, Lois being galactically stupid, it makes sense she would send her loved one to the stars. :rolleyes:



Bye, bye!

Ann

Michael I'd love to see if you can top your oh-so-wonderful treatment of Lex.

Bob

Delightful tale. Nice ending.

You, sir, are evil. Pure evil. How can you leave it there?? I hope you get that sequel up soon!

Well... I usually hate the NK arc, and all its people - I really do. But you know what? it actually worked pretty nicely, in this story. Your way of doing it pretty much cuts out all the crap that I hated from the NK arc anyway. hehe! So, yeah, well done on this!

It was quite a gripping story, too! Kept me on the edge of my seat - love that. The plot was interesting, and I like how you fixed things.

However......... this is so extra evil. There's no end!! And things *obviously* cannot be left this way. That's... seriously... EVIL.

You know... I was reading this, telling myself that it was likely this would be the last piece of FDK I left on an L&C story before I went back to Gotham for good. ...and you've made it impossible for me to go. I'm sure, wherever he is, Batman is probably fuming right now. *lol*

Well alright you can do a sequel for me because this is just mean<g> But it has to have an insy weensy bit of romantic smut in it as your penance for torturing us with this ending.

Argh!

I read the comments and then sneaked in and read the last part. I knew that I was right to put off reading this. I will read it all, I promise -- but only after you fix this mess. So get busy, Michael!

Nan

Wow... I can't believe that you let it end like that,that is so mean!

But still I loved it!

Aarrgh! How could you end it like that? Well, very easily, obviously.

But I'm champing at the bit for a sequel! In fact, I'm demanding a sequel. You just can't leave Lois and Clark separated by galactic distances? And what about Lois? What's her reaction to realizing that she just sent her best friend off to an alien world to marry an alien princess? In the sequel, I'd like to see/hear more of her reaction.

And what about Perry and Henderson? And what about Clark? What a shock this must be for him. And will he regain his powers? After all, he's away from Earth's yellow sun!

There's so much you have to cover in a sequel.

Get writing! Right now!

Michael, you know what? I don't think I want a sequel. Oh, I'm not saying that you shouldn't write a sequel, only that I don't really want a sequel. And that is for two reasons. First I don't much care for this Clark and this Lois. She is too galactically stupid, and he is too notorious a liar to warrant much sympathy.

But there is a second reason why I don't want a sequel to this. In its own perverse way, this fic is perfet as it is. It is, in its own strange way, a perfect tragedy. No, I'm not talking about a LnC version of Hamlet here, where bodies litter the floor everywhere and only Horatio is left standing. But a tragedy does not necessarily have to mean a profusion of deaths. A well-written tragedy is is above all relentlessly logical, where the fatal flaws of the main characters inevitably lead to the tragic ending.

Now consider this fic. We all know what has ensued before the start of Michael's story: Clark has come to Metropolis and become smitten with Lois, but she dismisses him as a hack from Kansas. Clark makes his debut as Superman and Lois is incredibly taken by him, but Clark dismisses her adoration as shallow hero-worship.
Lois, somewhat frustrated by Superman's ambiguous response to her and contemptuous of Clark's advances, allows herself to be flattered and courted by Lex Luthor; also, with her usual galactic stupidity when it comes to discerning the character of men, she completely fails to see through Luthor's charming exterior. Clark, in desperation, offers her his farmboy persona in a proposal of marriage, Lois naturally turns him down and asks for Superman instead; Clark, superheroically miffed, denies her his spandex-clad persona, and Lois, being left with what she thinks is second best, accepts Lex's proposal.

Now consider Michael's fic. Lois is on the verge of marrying super-criminal Lex Luthor. Clark finally feels bad about having driven the woman he claims to love into the arms of such a horribly unsuitable suitor, so, full of hubris, he walks into Luthor's lair and flexes his Superman muscles, certain that he can bend the billionaire to his will. However, Luthor, unlike Clark, has come prepared for this encounter, and with contemptuous ease and a chunk of Kryptonite he saps the strength of the marvel of Metropolis.

Now the stage is set for utter tragedy. Lois, blissfully ignorant but full of hubris and confidence in her own judgement, is about to marry one of the most dangerous criminals in the world, while her hero Superman, felled by his own hubris, lies dying in a Kryptonite cage in Luthor's wine cellar. Nothing can save the day. However, now enters deus ex machina, gods from above, in the shape of Kal-El's wife from Krypton, her lieutenant and a shape-changing killer from Krypton. The shape-changer learns of Kal-El's interest in one Lois Lane and changes into Lois's mother, so that he can find Kal-El by making Lois Lane take him to his target. He is brought to Lois as she is preparing for her wedding to Luthor in the Lex Tower. Zara and Ching are in hot pursuit of the changeling to prevent him from killing Kal-El, and they find Tez with Lois. She realizes that her 'mother' is an impostor and takes him out. Zara and Ching inform her that Superman is being held captive in the Lex Tower. With the help of Zara and Ching, but mostly thanks to her own heroic efforts, Lois manages to liberate the almost unconscious Superman. Meanwhile, the changeling has changed into Lois and married Lex Luthor in his continued efforts to find information that will lead him to Kal-El. Lex, jealous that 'Lois' is talking so much about Superman, takes 'Lois' with him as he plunges to his death to avoid capture by the police.

Thus tragedy has seemingly been avoided. Lex Luthor is dead. The changeling that would kill Kal-El is dead. Lois has been saved from a fate worse than death by Zara and Ching, and and she has broken her hero out of Luthor's Kryptonite trap and saved his life.

But alas, Clark and Lois are unable to break out of their own tragic pattern. Clark can't tell Lois that he has lied to her, and that he is two different people. Lois can't stop seeing Clark and Superman as two different people. And the 'gods' from Krypton demand their dues. By the laws of Krypton, Zara is already married to Kal-El. She needs him to go to Krypton with her to prevent a war there. Lois, having 'learnt her lesson', now realizes that she loves Clark more than Superman. So, generously, she helps Zara ship Superman off to Krypton to be married, certain that Clark is waiting for her at home.

There is an abundance of delicious little ironies, comebacks and symmetries here, the most drool-worthy probably being Luthor's marriage (and kiss of) Tez-as-Lois. But consider the Lois-Clark-Superman triangle, too. As Superman, Clark risked his life to save Lois from Luthor, and he almost lost his life that way, too. So Lois owed him. But Lois settled her debt to Superman by saving his life. Superman, on the other hand, ultimately did nothing for Lois. He never came through for her in any way at all. He didn't accept her romantic ouvertures. He didn't warn her about Lex Luthor. He didn't interrupt her wedding or save her from Lex Luthor. He did, in fact, prove himself utterly useless. So Lois sent him back to Krypton. What a delicious irony!

Ah, but Lois was cruel to Clark. She turned him down both in favor of Superman and in favor of Lex. So when she finally decided that he was the man that she loved after all, she belatedly realized that she had indeed gone past the point of no return and shipped Clark off to Krypton! Delicious irony is just the middle name of this!

It is perfect. It is relentlessly logical. It needs a sequel about as much as Romeo and Juliet needs a sequel.

Romeo: Bluuuurrrrrphcchhh!!!!

Juliet: What, Romeo, dost thou puke?

Romeo: What, Juliet, dost thou bleed?

Juliet: 'Tis only a flesh wound. The knife only cut off my ring finger. But, Romeo, why ist thou not dead?

Romeo: Damn apothecary sold me some cheap vodka. 'Tis not much of a poison.

Juliet: Well, I needst to go home and change. There is puke and blood on my dress!

Romeo: What? Thou can't go home! Dost thou want them to kill me? And dost thou want to marry that sissy Paris?

Juliet: Now that thou bringest it up, the man dost have a certain charm... and this dress dost smell yucky....

Romeo: Juliet!!!! Come back!!!!

So... sequel? No, I don't think so!

Ann

Hi Everyone !
Now I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy
/looks/ No way! /looks again/ Oh, wow. I mean, WOW. Really, that’s… wow! Thanks so much, Lara!

/off prepping FDK part 2/

Laura, romantic smut? Hmm, I guess Lois can go and get herself a job as a concupain in Clark’s royal butt Thanks so much for reading and I’m glad you enjoyed

Hi, Nan! LOL and wow and thanks
Aye, Ma’am! /points to bottom of post/

Hey, Kathryn! You came in here and read and FDK’ed! Thanks
/points to bottom of post/
Thanks. And *yay* to loving it

Iolanthe, LOL to your first line and thanks so much
Yeah, yeah, yeah… And this from the woman who took out Lois Lane
Oh, yes. Definitely. Can’t wait to find out myself how much Lois will be angry, how much she will feel guilty, and what will happen when she tells M&J that their only son got shipped off on a one-way trip to Never-Never-Land.
ASAP. I promise.

I guess Tank had it *way* easier with his endings, huh? All he had to do was post a story and Wendy would do a sequel So, since I’ll be doing this one myself, it will take a couple of weeks. Sometime end of February, I hope, given how I’ll be shooting for another 5-parter.

I’m really glad the ending wasn’t a total bust. Thanks for being such a great audience and it’s been a real pleasure posting this for you

Michael

Nope, a massive star forming region. You can see a cluster of bright blue stars whose radiation has blown a bubble in the surrounding gas cloud. As the gas is compressed, parts of it are collapsing into new clusters. Unfortunately I don't recognize this particular cluster and nebula - I just googled 'space' and 'universe' to see what I would find - but you can see the similarity between the cluster I posted and massive star forming region NGC 604 in our neighbouring galaxy M 33:

Massive star forming region NGC 604

Here is a famous supernova remnant, the Crab Nebula. You can see that the nebula is torn and tattered, as it is made up of the outer atmosphere of the star that blew itself apart. And there is no obvious cluster in the center, although you can see the incredibly hot and compact remnant of the star that blew up.

Crab Nebula supernova remnant

Ann

Michael

Hah!!!! I found the nebula and the cluster!!!!

It is obvious from the picture that we are talking about a huge, massive cluster and a huge, massive, multiple kind of nebula. And yet I didn't recognize it. I think I have a moderately good idea of what all the massive well-known clusters with associated nebulae look like in the Milky Way, and this wasn't one of them! And I realize I'm sort of overstaying my astronomy welcome here, but I can't resist posting the only two Milky Way nebulae with clusters that resemble the complex I posted. The most well-known would be the Rosette Nebula - please note the central cluster and the central bubble blown in the nebula by the cluster:

The Rosette Nebula

There is also the magnificent RCW 49 nebula with the spectacularly massive Westerlund 2 cluster in the center:

RCW 49 and Westerlund 2

But apart from these two magnificent nebulae I don't know of any other nebula in the Milky Way which has this elegant cluster-bubble-surrounding nebula kind of structure. So we'd better look for my mystery nebula in another galaxy. But which one? Well, the Large Magellanic Cloud would be an excellent candidate, since it is the nearast of all moderately largish neighbouring galaxies, and it has a lot of star formation and therefore an abundance of nebulae. So I needed a good image of the Large Magellanic Cloud, so I could scrutinize the nebulae!

Here is an image of the Large Magellanic Cloud which really brings out the nebulae:



Look at the nebula at top right! Doesn't it look a lot like my nebula?

I needed a better image of the Large Magellanic Cloud! Here is a labelled image of this galaxy, where all the important clusters and nebulae get names:

Labelled image of the Large Magellanic Cloud

And take a look at that complex named NGC 1760-63!

So I googled NGC 1763, and look what I came up with! Woo-hooo!!!



It's the same cluster and nebulae, only with a somewhat different color balance and orientation. But it is the same complex! Hah!

Ann

Thought of something... Lois never had to get to the 'Lois Lane... Kent' stage... nor did she face Luthor at the alter...

And I forgot to say... ending off on just "Holy..." was classic, =P

Ann, I can't believe you actually know nebula's by sight

Thanks for encouraging me to do some nebula hunting, Michael, because I do think that kind of thing is fun!

I hope that my knowledge of nebulae will make up for my lack of knowledge of the episodes of LnC:TNAOS. In other words, I think that the House of Luthor arc and the wedding fiasco followed after the Nightfall business. But if not - well, you can guess what I think you should give us in the sequel, right?



Ann

You're welcome

And yeah, Nightfall was Mid-Season One, HoL was the season finale And that's a cool image. But that's not Nightfall, that's more like Dottie from 'Armageddon'

Michael

Okay, Michael. You have officially lost all rights to call me evil. I think you may even have lost all rights to call Carol evil - and that's saying something! I mean, neither of us have ever finished a story with an evil ending.

I can't believe you did this. I kept watching the scroll bar on my screen and thinking "How is he going to wrap this up? We're getting closer and closer to the end and Lois still hasn't realized that Clark is Superman." And then she went and sent him off to New Krypton without knowing.

How could you end the story this way? How could you? It's just so... well really, there is no word for it but evil.

And you could have redeemed yourself slightly if the sequel was already written and you were going to start posting soon, but we have to wait for it? This is like some sort of torture device.

You might try applying to some TV network and offer to write the end of season episodes - because this may just be the best cliff-hanger ending ever.

I don't think I've posted publicly though I did give Michael plenty of 'argh how can you leave us there!'s when betaing, but I gotta go with Nancy on this one...

Carol

I know. It was fairly easy, too. And I think I came up with the ending somewhere during the 'bad' spots of OTOH

I checked. The Genevea Convention doesn't list fictional cruelty as a form of torture



Yeah, you did, Carol. Especially when I sent you the last part in sections while I was finishing it. Thanks so much for being such a great BR

Michael

PS: I wonder what would happen if a certain Mindy Simmons where to apply for the position of concubine in the household of Lord Nor...

Okay, so I finally got to read your fabulous story - and in one part, too! Waiting does have advantages.

Quoting all my favorite parts here would be too much, I'm afraid, because in the whole five parts, there's a lot to quote.

In a way, I love the ending, with Lois realizing whom she has sent away. Galactically stupid does get a whole new meaning, doesn't it? The only thing I don't like (yet) is that there is no real ending. The story sure lacks closure.


If I may suggest something for a future crossover: Let Clark (Kal-El) be amnesiac (as in ASU) and try to figure things out on NK. Show us how Zara and Kal-El plan their wedding - and end the story in front of the altar (or whatever equivalent there is).

Then, write another sequel to wrap everything up - mainly how Zara and Kal get out of the situation and Clark returns to Lois. I even have a few ideas for the titles of the sequels: Wedding Planners (yeah, right) and something like Wedding Stoppers. (What might stop the wedding? Nor invading Earth? Nor kidnapping Lois and taking her to NK? Nightfall approaching the Earth? Clark regaining his memory?)

Hi Mellie!

So glad you found the time to squeeze it in

Thanks, *hugs*, and LOL

Oh, by the way, I found a perfect nebula for the situation, too.



Doesn't it look like an evil little DarthMike laughing at Lois' galactical stupidity?

Good question. Really good question. The two bright spots actually remind me more of eyes. Evil eyes. Like this one:

Maybe crossed over with a Sith robe

/mwhahahahahahahaha/

Michael

Hey, we are only talking about Lois's stupidity here, but what about Clark's lies? He should be proud of his deception skills, right? How about he does a bit of repentance, too?

Repent

(Sorry about the weird cartoon, but the guy in it does look a bit like Clark, doesn't he? But whatever you do, Michael, don't have Clark follow the cartoon's advice when he meets up with Lois - remember that he should do some repentance himself! And as long as he is powerless, Lois could have some fun punishing him for his lies the way the cartoon suggests, right?)

Ann

P.S. Oh, and yes, Mellie, that nebula does look like an evilly grinning Darth Michael!!!

Artemis

/points to earlier FDK and mentioning of supposed evilness. Of course, I still argue that that's just unsubstantiated rumors and flat out defamation by the National Inquisitor

from a galaxy far, far away.

Artemis

This was originally supposed to be in my first post on this thread, but due to a technical glitch it didn't make it. But here it is - TWO GALAXIES COLLIDING!


Artemis

Cool and *g* to the pics

I wonder, that Lois-in-a-white-dress pic could make for a great formal concubine gown. You know, when the concubine is taken out in the entourage during visit to the subjects.

Michael

I loved the ending. I read parts 4 and 5 together and, if I didn't say so earlier, I also loved the thought of Lex marrying Tez. Talk about a match made in... not quite heaven.

I think that Tank has met his match. Of course, Tank makes it look easy. There's an artform to it. But your humorous taunts of evil-ness are pretty horrific, as well.


Elisabeth

Hi Elisabeth!

Thanks so much. I'm really happy Lex/Tez worked



Michael

Still looking for the next story in the series. /taps foot impatiently

I guess I'm weird. When I saw that, my first thought was, "Oh, the Doctor has a bowsprit on his Tardis now?"

Terry (who has entertained the notion that the Doctor should regenerate as a female just for one season. Would be interesting, no?)

Hi Terry! So great to know I'm not the only one looking for the sequel Thanks, I'm glad you liked this enough to want to see the sequel.

LOL on the bowsprit. I've never seen Dr. Who and just checked up on wiki a bit, but wouldn't it be fun, too, if Tempus where a Doctor, too

On a more serious not, the sequel will be the first thing with more than a part I'll work on. But right now, I'm totally swamped in work (and a little on the side BRing )

Michael

Yes, I didn't see the resemblance. It's off the folcsite page. I was having trouble getting my colliding galaxies uploaded and picked that up instead!

Artemis

Actually, he wouldn't be another Doctor, he would be another Time Lord. (The race that The Doctor belongs to.)

I could see Tempus as a cross-dimensional (and startlingly incompetent) version of The Master. (The Doctor's chief adversary.)

Bob

*g*, Artemis

That strange, Bob. I thought the Doctor was a good guy? So, why would you cast Tempus as the main baddie Are you trying to tell me something about thee seldom used main-hero of Lois and Clark, who just happens to be a darn nice guy, too? /hangs up phone/

Michael

Ok, I finished reading this when I was at pretty high pain levels and the brain wasn't working and I just didn't get the interplay between Lois, Superman, and Clark.

Elisabeth read it and explained it to me. Now I get it!

Looking forward to the next story.


The thought of Tempus as an incompetent version of the Master nearly had me spewing out my breakfast with mirth!

James

I'm sorry to hear that, James, but I'm glad you have such wonderful support in your wife
Thanks so much and as soon as work isn't eating up all my creative energy, I'll be back
LOL on the Master/Tempus. It sure sounds funny.

Michael

Michael, sometimes I wonder if we work for the same company. I have also been completely buried by work since mid-December. I am struggling to get outside time even to read. I have three different stories that I'm itching to get going on but have no time.

Tempus as The Master (dollar store version) is a fun concept. There could also be an interesting cross-over where The Doctor worked with LnC and The Master teamed up with Tempus. Hmmm...

Bob

Michael, I'm just handing you a free pass into the Kings and Queens of Darkness Club. Don't worry about the initiation period, they'll wave it off.

Unbelievable ending, sir!
JD

LOL, Bob! Yeah, but no, wrong continent
yah...
The Cr. Who xover sounds like fun. I've never watched LnC-verses strongest competition for writers so no idea about it and sure won't write any So any plot-bunny on that are out for adoption

JD, woohoo, a new reader Thanks so much and even more on the evil bit.
WOW, thanks

Michael, who's now going to look for the K&QoD-Club

Oh, Bobbart, that is sooo sounding...I'd read it.

Is that Numbr 4???

I even threw together a pic for it.

Hi Michael

Did you write the sequel, yet?

Hi Kathryn! Sorry, not yet. I do have a sort of outline though. Well, the first bits of it anyway. But what I've seen of 2009 so far, it's been pretty much killing Muse and she's only now starting to get some of her life back. But the plan and resolution still stands. The sequel will be the first thing I write that's more than a vignette-sort-of thing.

Michael

Michael

Yay sequel ...

Hi Michael,

I just read this story on the archive. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it ended on a cliffhanger with an indication that it would be continued in a follow-on story. There is no such sequel on the archive. Did you post a sequel here and, if so, what is it called? If you haven't yet written the sequel, consider this a request that you do so. Thanks.

Joy,
Lynn

Hi Lynn!
So happy you enjoyed this one!
Here's the TOC of the sequel. Unfortunately, it's umm... got kind of this situation here going on: http://www.starwarsuncut.com/empire/384

(The sequel's Han, btw)

Michael

Thanks for the reply and the pointer. Any chance of resuscitation?

If I start reading this sequel, will I be ending at even more of a cliffhanger than I am in at the moment?

Joy,
Lynn

Good question about the cliffy. The first two parts are still the setup, so it's more about moving everyone in place.

I definitely want two finish it some day. Got another couple of parts done or half done, including some fun payoff scenes, I so want to share with my fellow FoLCs.

which reminds me, need to go and bid for a banner for Wedding Crashers.

Michael