A Future in Utopia
By Nancy V. Sont
This is a sequel to 'A future for Us'.
“Let’s fly together, okay?” Lois pushed her hand through her hair as she stood up and walked to the glass doors of their honeymoon suite.
“Okay. What brought that on?” Clark asked, still lying on the bed.
“I just haven’t done much flying yet and want to find out what it was like for you all those times you flew away somewhere.” She turned to look at her new husband. Was it possible that he was even more handsome now than the last time she looked at him?
Lois’s powers were still quite new to her and she was anxious to try them out. They were still on their honeymoon in the ship Jor-El had given them as a home and palace from which to rule Utopia. She hadn’t a clue what Utopia meant, but she was going to find out. “And we need to talk about what Utopia is and how we’re supposed to create it.”
“Maybe we should do what Jor-el said and follow the instructions of the globe.” Clark turned to look toward the globe which was sitting on the ‘throne’ that had appeared for it when they’d first been introduced into the ship.
“Oh, No!” Lois’ eyes opened wide. “Not a chance. I don’t want to touch it again. I’ve got more instructions than I can digest in a lifetime.”
Clark’s puzzled look drew her back over to the bed. He scooted over for her to sit down beside him, his arms open and ready to receive her. “It really bothers you?”
“Of course, it bothers me, Clark! It’s just turned my whole life completely upside down. Now I can’t be self-centered and moody all the time, I have to be this other person that I don’t even know, that probably doesn’t even exist!”
“Lois, you’re just fine the way you are. Jor-El wouldn’t have given you these powers if you were self centered and moody all the time.”
“Well, the thought of being ‘Lady Kal-El’ really wasn’t in my life description if you know what I mean.” She leaned against Clark’s side as he raised his arms and stroked the side of her arm.
“It’s not exactly Mrs. Clark Kent, is it?”
“No, but you know what I mean.”
“What, that maybe your purpose on earth is more far reaching than you’d ever allowed yourself to imagine?”
“No, Clark!” She stiffened. “I’m not about to be Lady anybody. I’m Lois Lane.” She eyed him to see how he was reacting to her words. Her thoughts were full of emotions and memories. He was calm and accepting, soothing her with his gentle hand moving on her arm. She knew he could read her thoughts as well as she could read his, but she had to put it all into words, but she didn’t have words for the shock, the awe, the refusal for all that she’d heard. She sighed. “I don’t have to have your name in mine for me to love you. But…”
Clark nodded, understanding. Her name meant more to her than most people’s did. It was a name that came with fame and respect, not to mention years of hard work. It wasn’t something that was just tagged onto her, it was something she sought to maintain, something that defined her. She wasn’t a failure. Her name proved that to her and hopefully to her parents every time they saw it in print or heard it on the news. It wasn’t something to just push aside.
“Nobody’s going to call you Lady Kal-El. Except maybe me. But nobody is going to call me Lord Kal-el either. You and my parents are the only ones in the world that know my name is Kal-el in the first place.”
Her mind was racing as she tried to come to terms with the name, the ship, the things Jor-El had said, and being married.
So far, she liked the layout of the ship, since it was whatever she fancied. Weren’t there limits to what she could have though?
Clark met her gaze, their telepathy having been enhanced since their wedding. He smiled as he watched her think about what being able to have anything in the ship meant.
It was nice not having to speak to talk to one another unless they wanted to. She pulled her legs up underneath herself.
One thought led to another and before she knew it she was asking, “How do you fly to the moon and around it? Do you just focus on it and head that direction? Do you have to do anything when the air runs out? And what about the hot re-entry thing? And can you just land anywhere on the moon and wander around? I guess I know the answers to some of those questions. What’s the moon like?
He slid his arms around her and pulled her to him.. “We could go for a moonlight walk!”
She smiled widely. “Wow. Can you imagine?”
He nodded as she saw his memories about a moonwalk he’d taken once. “You know, I was pretty worried about the time I left footprints on the moon. I thought for sure some telescope or some space craft would see them. But now that Superman exists, it’s no big deal. If anyone sees my footprints, they wouldn’t be too concerned, especially if they just ask me if I’ve been there.
“But what if we both go and walk on the moon together? That’ll mess up their scientific information pretty quickly.”
Clark smiled and raised his eyebrows. “I guess. Maybe they’ll wonder if there are others like me. Did we ever decide what to do about your powers? Are you going to be Superman’s wife publicly?” Clark smiled and kissed her forehead. “I would like that if Superman had a wife that was invulnerable. He could be seen with her in the skies and at disasters and such.” He looked up at the sky through the ceiling of the room. “Have you thought any more about an outfit? Your disguise has to be really good. It’s more important than ever that nobody can link you to Lois Lane, partner with Clark Kent.”
She stretched out beside him, her head leaning on his shoulder. “No. I thought we’d talk about it together. I’m not in a big hurry.”
“I know, Lois, but if we’re going to be going flying together we have to come up with something.”
She didn’t answer but her mind was filled with possible disguises. Finally she spoke aloud. “She has to be someone that would be as respected as Superman. I don’t know.”
He rubbed her arm. “There’s no hurry I don’t suppose.”
Tired of thinking about all of this new stuff, she sat up. “Are you ready to go? To the moon, that is. Do I need to take anything with me?”
“Just your ability to hold your breath.” He thought fleetingly what would happen if her powers diminished when they were in outer space together. Of course they wouldn’t, they’d been given to them by Jor-el. Thinking again about Jor-El as they took hands and walked over to the sliding doors, Clark wondered if he and Lois could find out more about Krypton, the mysterious red planet that blew up as he left for earth. He’d never tried to fly there, or to find it. Maybe it was possible to do it together.
<Not today. I’ve got to learn to fly first!> She smiled and leaned her head up for a quick kiss. “This is a good place to start my flying lessons from instead of down on the planet. Of course if we’re not on earth, I haven’t a clue where we are, actually.”
They walked hand in hand out to the back yard which was more beautiful than an exquisite painting on the wall. “One two three?” Clark looked at her.
“Okay.” She bent her legs and raised her free arm as he did. They rose into the air and shot off into the deep blue of space. <When do I have to hold my breath?>
<You’ll feel it.>
<What if I don’t?>
He looked over at her and smiled at her fear. <I’ll let you know when. Just pay attention.>
Lois was captivated as the clouds fell away behind them as the earth became smaller and smaller. Clark took a deep breath and Lois followed suit. Then together they shot in high speed at the slice of moon high overhead. <I guess I could let go of your hand, but I’m not going to, okay?>
<You can hold my hand anytime you’d like, Lois.” He liked it when she needed him, even on those rare occasions.
As the moon came into view, becoming larger and larger, Lois’ emotions began to overwhelm her with excitement. Memories of the moon, of the moonwalk, of the movies she’d seen and the things she’d learned in school and in University classes flooded through her mind. Would it be anything like what she’d imagined it would be?
<Imagine Clark! Going to the moon on your honeymoon. I’ve heard about places that were out of this world, but this is definitely over the top!> She met his smile with one of her own. <Of course, our whole honeymoon has been over the top, hasn’t it!>
He squeezed her hand. The light brown moon was visible even though only a sliver was bathed in sunlight. The craters that had always looked like the eyes of the man in the moon were deep and covered in dust. What a barren surface! Other craters came into view as the orb overtook the size of the sky around it.
<Over there.> Clark pointed toward a mountainous ridge. They landed on the dusty ground. It didn’t feel like earth at all. Not only were they holding their breaths in the nonexistent air, they were also barely touching the ground, that lack of gravity thing. Lois swung her hand to feel the no-air sensation. It was different than a vacuum, too. She could feel the sensation that would have killed her if she’d not had superpowers. The air pressure didn’t exist. This was why astronauts had to wear space suits. She held her hand in front of her face, expecting to see something different, but invulnerability was immune to the lack of air pressure against her body and her blood pressure. She wasn’t sure how that all worked.
Having heard her thoughts, Clark tried to explain it to her mentally as they walked along in the fine dust. But her attention had wandered to their surroundings as she dragged the toe of her shoe in the dry surface. She wondered if Clark’s footprints would still be there from the last time he’d been here, or if they’d been blown away by the wind. How could there be wind? No, they must still be there somewhere.
<Over here.> Clark floated them up and through the strip of light and into the darkness. The intense cold impacted upon Lois’ skin, but not painfully, just a different sensation than the intense heat of the sunlight.
<This isn’t a moonlight walk you know. This is a moondark float!> Lois chuckled at her joke as he squeezed her hand.
Clark led her toward a rock dappled mound. He pointed to his footprints in the dust, smiling at her reaction. <Wow, Millions of miles from home and I find your footprints. You sure do get around, Big Fellow!> She patted his chest, then paused to look at him. She’d patted his chest thousands of times, but now that they were married she knew that chest better than she ever had before. Their eyes met as their minds tossed thoughts back and forth.
Lois stood alongside Clark’s tracks, looking into the distance at the strip of light that showed the earth that it was a waxing moon. <Strange to call it that. How did rocks get to be here? How did any of this come to be this way? I know all about earth, well somewhat, but not this.>
They walked for awhile, mentally exchanging what they knew about discussing the moon’s geology, looking at its surface and finding interesting rocks and formations.
<Let’s go in the crater.>
<First, I want to have a kiss on the moon. After all, I’m on the moon with my honey, and this IS our honeymoon!>
<You mean…This is our moon, honey!>
<Right> He drew her close for the honeymoon kiss they would likely remember throughout their marriage.
Would they come back to the moon again one day? Probably often if he knew Lois. But of course next time they’d come with oxygen tanks.
When they’d almost run out of air, it occurred to Clark that the ship would be where ever they were. Lois acknowledged his assumption and immediately it appeared ahead of them. He turned to his sweetheart and motioned, <Shall we go home now?>
She smiled when she saw the place that was beginning to redefine the way she thought of ‘home’. <Your wish is my command, Kal-El.> she winked at him. <As long as it’s something, I want to do anyway.>
Inside the ship, there was air. The view they’d created out the bedroom sliding doors and all the comforts of home, but now out the front window was the dark moonscape.
“So, next time we go to the moon, or come to the moon if we’re still here, we really don’t have to fly. We just have to want to be there and voila!” Lois was talking as she poured a glass of water from the jug in the fridge. She tasted the water. “Umm. Nice. I think I saw a spring when we were out walking earlier today.” She nodded toward the back of the house. The contrast between the two views was incredibly startling.
Clark took a tall glass down from the cupboard and poured himself some water as well. “What’d you think of flying to the moon?”
Lois licked her lips and turned toward him. He was leaning against the kitchen counter with a smile on his face. “It was faster than I thought it would be. The sky was darker on the way there than I’d expected, too. The stars were much brighter than whenever you’ve taken me out flying before. And the moon was dustier. I also missed breathing!” She grinned, putting her palms against his chest. He bent his head down towards her.
“I had no idea how nice it would be to go there with you. I’ve been there before, but you know how lonely it’s been all my life. I just can’t believe you can do all these things the same as I can. Life will definitely never be the same.”
“I hope not!”
***
Now before you go do something else, please please make a comment on this story! All ideas accepted gratefully!
Nancy
