Why did she have to go to classes? Lois thought as she followed the other kids down the hall. She was the only Earthling child here, but she was forced to sit through boring classes with the Kryptonian kids. What's his name? Troy? Trey... Yeah, Trey! He'd decided it would be best to keep her occupied. 'And since he's the head of the council,' her father had said.
The group passed a corridor on their right side and Lois' curious eyes searched the bright white expanse for something, anything, more exciting than the geography of Krypton. She was thrilled to see Lord Kal running their way.
'Look at him', she thought. 'He thinks he's so much better than anyone.'
She glanced ahead to see her group turn the corner and quickly made the decision to stay and rattle the little jerk's cage a bit. She waited with folded arms as he approached.
"Where ya' off to in such a hurry?" she asked as her neared.
Kal stopped in front of her, barely winded from his run down the corridor. "Why aren't you in class?" he countered.
"None of your business," she replied. "Shouldn't you be in class learning how to pick on my people?"
"I don't have time for games today," he said as he started to go around her.
"Think that's what your daddy said the day he killed all those people?" Lois wanted to cock her arm in triumph when her words stopped the boy dead in his tracks. He slowly turned back to her with an expression she'd never seen on his face before. "I'll bet you'll grow up to be just as mean as he was."
Kal took a deep breath and stood a bit straighter. "The ruler of his world is not mean. He's stern in his rule."
"Call it what you want. It's still plain ole mean." Lois shrugged her shoulders a bit. "Who knows? Maybe you'll have a bit of your mama in ya'. Maybe you'll be whiny and mean."
"What does that mean?"
"I heard your mama was nice and that's why your daddy killed her. He didn't want her to turn you into a patsy, crying all the time. Taylor, a girl back home, says your daddy was just crazy. She says her daddy said that you and your brother were supposed to go on that trip, too. See? He didn't like you neither!"
And she stopped. The air left her lungs in a rush when she looked into the eyes of the little boy in front of her. Huge crocodile tears had filled his eyes and he stared at her, pain marring his normally controlled expression. Her daddy had grounded her once for saying mean things to others. Most of the time she simply spoke the truth, nothing intended to be hurtful in any way. But since she'd met this boy all kinds of things had rolled off her tongue. She just couldn't help herself. She'd hadn't liked the First Lord from the moment she first saw him, and upsetting him was too easy.
So why did she feel so bad about upsetting him now? He was trying so hard not let his tears fall. His lip quivered slightly. If her guess was right, he'd never had anyone pick on him to the point of tears. Suddenly she saw more than just a mean little person. She saw the little boy behind his brown eyes. And she felt a bit of his pain. She'd lost her mother and wouldn't like it very much if someone said something about her. This boy had lost both his parents. It didn't matter what they had done. They were his parents.
"I'm... I'm... " she stammered, almost to the point of tears herself.
Kal lifted his arm and swiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his suit. "You're what? Mean? You must have gotten that from your mother because your father is quite nice," he spat at her, then turned and strode away.
Lois was left in utter disbelief. He had never stood up to her. All the times she'd picked on him, all the things she'd said... He had always just looked down his nose at her and continued on his way. But this time he would have made the Earthling kids proud.
"Way to go, Kal," she said softly to his retreating back. "Way to go."
~~
That had also been the day he'd become Kal instead of just Lord Kal. She'd never called him that, of course. She did continue to take shots at him every time she saw him. Only he began to throw them right back. To an outsider, you would have thought they were just friends sharing good natured ribbing with one another.
And maybe on some level that's the way she'd viewed it as well. It wasn't long after that encounter that Lois and her father left Krypton. Lois had been excited to return home, but a little saddened as well. It was years later before she realized just why.
Back on Earth she returned to her childhood, only occasionally thinking about the mean little Kryptonian ruler. It wasn't until she started junior high school that Kal became a pasttime for Lois. She began to keep up with him. More than once she asked herself why. Why did she care? Then she'd argued she didn't. That she just wanted to know his plans concerning her world. By the time she saw him again in her father's lab she probably knew as much about the First Lord as anyone could without actually being him. Or at least she liked to think so.
But what had shocked her was the thrill that had coursed through her veins that day in her father's lab so long ago. It had been difficult to think straight, let alone talk. Yet, she'd been unable to help herself. Standing toe to toe with Kal, pushing his buttons, had been irresistable.
And absolutely intoxicating.
Even in the midst of an all out war, barricaded within the shelter beneath her father's lab, there was no denying the attraction she'd felt for the First Lord. She'd argued fervently against it; denied it even. But it was there.
Why? She'd asked herself so many times. She was attracted to the one man that could literally end her life. Sure, he'd grown into a handsome man. That was still no reason to be attracted to the devil!
There was more. As she'd stared down the Lord of all Lois had seen more behind those dangerous brown eyes. It was a mere glimpse, but it was there. She wasn't sure if it was compassion or just wishful thinking on her part. Call it traces of his mother or hope in a better life, whatever you want. It was there.
That's why she was aboard a space ship headed for a world and life that would forever change hers.
++
The transport ship slowly entered the docking bay of the large hangar on Krypton. Loud hisses and a hue of vapor escaped the enormous machines as the vessel settled into place with a clang.
One by one, the individuals who had given a year of their life to the First Lord’s service stepped from the transport. Worried and hopeful eyes roamed their strange new surroundings, thoughts running wild as to what would come next. They were told they would be debriefed, then assigned tasks suitable to their station in life. But first they were searched, photographed, and issued an identification card. An auditorium was utilized to present the three hours worth of holograms about the life they’d be expected to lead.
Inside his state room, Kal perused the file of photographs taken of the Earthlings that had arrived for service. He had not been pleased when Council had decided to start this new 'phase' of their relationship with Earth. For reasons he still questioned, Council had been adamant and so the offer was made to the Earthlings. An offer of better living conditions in exchange for services.
Though still not very happy Council had taken such liberties, Kal had to admit that the few Earthlings that had made the journey had adapted quite well and were performing their duties beyond expectations. He figured there was something to be said for safety and a decent meal each day.
Only the second group to be brought to Krypton had just arrived, and he liked to look at the files before handing them over to an advisor to issue assignments. His shuffle through the photos came to a halt when he saw a face he recognized.
It had been so long since he'd thought about her. Lois Lane. The only person who'd ever had the audacity to stand up to him. Even as far back as childhood she alone had challenged his position. He'd thought of her over the years, wondered what she was doing. He'd known she'd survived the attacks on Earth because he'd inquired about her. He'd known she worked as an assistant in her father's lab. So why had she agreed to come here?
“This woman…” He held the electronic device up to the advisor. “Why is this woman here?”
The man looked down at the number on the file before focusing on his handheld computer to retrieve the information his Lord sought. “Lois Lane, age 20 years. Under reason for coming…” The advisor turned shocked eyes to Kal.
“Well?” the Lord asked.
“Milord, it says… “For the hell of it.”
For the first time in a long time, Kal did something he rarely ever did. He smiled. It appeared Lois Lane was just as stubborn as she’d always been. “Bring her to me.”
“Yes, Milord.”
Ten minutes later, Lois entered Kal’s state room.
Kal was a bit surprised to feel a sudden rush as the door to his state room slid open. He was actually... excited to see this woman again. And he wasn't entirely sure it was because he held complete authority over her new station in life.
He rose from behind his desk as the young woman stepped further into the room. His breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes on her. Even from a distance he could see that she was not the same person she’d once been. She looked weary and seemed more guarded than he remembered her to be. When she finally lifted her eyes to his he noticed the fire that had once danced behind her dark orbs had long been extinguished and she appeared less than enthusiastic about being there.
“Miss Lane…”
“Lord Kal,” she said softly, almost too softly.
“I was surprised to see your name in this group,” Kal told her.
“Yeah, well, a girl needs to eat.” Lois slowly walked around his large state room, inspecting things as she went.
Kal had to take a moment to let what she’d said sink in. Had the war done that much damage to the fiery little woman that had once inhabited this body? He stepped around the desk and to her side. “My uncle,” he told her as she stared up at a large portrait.
“I know. I’ve seen him in the transmissions on Earth.”
“And what else do you know?” Kal turned to face her, his hands clasped behind his back.
“I know more about Kryptonian history than I care to,” she told him. She walked the distance to the window and looked out over the garden.
“Why are you here?”
She faced Kal again. “I thought I could make some kind of difference,” she told him.
“And how would you do that?”
“I don’t know.”
Kal eyed her closely, certain there was more to her being here than her desire to make a difference. "Tell me, Miss Lane," he insisted after a moment.
"How can you live here in all this comfort while so many are suffering? You have so much and those people, your subjects by decree, are dying," she told him after a moment.
Kal furrowed his brows in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“The people of Earth, Lord Kal-El! Your provisionary leader is running that place into the ground.”
“You must be mistaken. I’ve read the reports…”
“Oh, the reports...right. Those wouldn’t be misleading, now would they?” She crossed her arms in an act of defiance, one Kal had seen many times.
But he resented her implication. “I’m the ruler, nothing goes on that I don’t know about...”
“Maybe you don’t want to see, then, Lord Kal, that your reports are wrong. That your eyes are closed.” She sighed and sank heavily down on Kal’s chair.
The young man raised his brows at her audacity, but didn’t comment on her actions. He chose instead to take the seat across from her. "What is actually happening and what you see..."
“What I see a pompous, arrogant, self-centered bastard who chooses to turn an entire world into his servants," she interupted him before he could finish.
"As I've said..."
“The reports are wrong! For God’s sake, Kal, open your eyes! Go there. See what’s happening.” She leaned forward to rest her arms on the desk. “I know you’re a tough leader. I’m aware you expect perfection from your subjects. But look at your world. It’s healthy and prosperous. Kryptonian law *does* state that all, *all* people under the rule of this world shall be taken care of. Isn’t that called the Humanitarian Acts?”
Kal was surprised by her knowledge of the law, but he took in what she’d said. Could she be correct? Was the population of his other world suffering? If so, why did he receive reports that stated otherwise?
“I will take your words under advisement.”
“Under advisement?!” Lois shouted as she shot to her feet. “Get off your *** and do something!”
There she was. The little fireball he’d met had definitely returned. And with her came something else. A jolt of excitement jumped through Kal's system as he looked at her. It was the first time he'd ever felt such a rush. Yet, all he could think was how truly enchanting this woman was, completely unlike any other he'd ever known.
“Is that why you came here?” he said, changing the subject. “Did you believe I’d see you? Listen to you?”
Lois stopped for a moment, then stammered for words. “Well, that, not really, um, I…”
“You took a huge gamble with your life,” Kal told her seriously. “I have read your file. You were only a student on Earth before the war. You have served as laboratory assistant for your father since then. Such positions here are filled with skilled middle-classmen. Your education would warrant no more than a position in a service field. More precisely that of a professional caregiver.”
Earthlings may not be good enough to attend to the Kryptonian Royal family in the form of maids or butlers, but the men certainly weren’t adverse to using them as instruments of pleasure. How... absurd was that logic, Kal thought for the briefest moment.
Lois turned her head, unable to deny his words.
“Do you know what that means?” Kal asked her when she didn’t speak.
“Yes.”
“You’d be subjected to a sterilization procedure, taught how to pleasure a man, and sent for over and over. If you’re lucky, a noble may find you satisfactory enough to take you as his concubine. Then you’d be subject to his wishes and only his.” Why did Kal care if this woman knew these things?
And why did it bother him so much?
“I know that!” Lois shouted at him.
“But you chose to come anyway?” He found himself most impressed with her actions; it was very brave, and noble.
And stupid.
“Yes, I came! I was determined that one way or another, I’d see you and tell you what was really going on back there. I may not like you very much, but I had to see for myself if you're the kind of person to let your subjects continue to suffer.”
Those last words sank in slowly. Was he that kind of ruler? Did he care about the conditions in which his subjects lived? He certainly provided well for his Kryptonian subjects, and he felt he'd done so for his Earthling ones as well. Was she right? Had he *not* done that?
“If you’ll go to Earth, I’ll do anything,” Lois suddenly said. “Please, please go. See for yourself.”
Kal had never seen a woman beg for anything, had never seen anyone beg for that matter. Life on Krypton was more cut and dry. You fulfilled your duties and that was that. But to listen to this woman plead with him stirred emotions inside the man he hadn’t known existed.
“I beg you, for the lives of my people,” Lois pleaded softly.
Kal slowly rose from his chair, clasped his hands behind his back and walked around behind his desk. Lois had moved when he did and stood just on the other side, impatiently waiting for him to say something. The young leader looked up at the person before him. Each encounter with this woman came flooding back. She had stirred something inside him, forcing his subconscious to realize that he might actually have a compassionate side.
He sat again slowly, on *his* throne, placed his hands in his lap, then spoke softly. “What do you get out of this?”
“I get the knowledge that you’ve seen the cruel treatment of humanity. And if you decide it’s inexcusable, maybe a few people won’t have to suffer.”
Kal watched her for several more moments. There was just something about this woman that intrigued him. He could have any woman of his choosing, yet for some reason, his mind was beginning to tell him that he wanted *this* one.
“Because of your education and position on Earth, there would be only one way to keep you from serving as a professional caregiver.” He waited for her to digest that. “I could claim you as my own.”
“Your own?” It only took a moment for her to realize what he’d said. “I’d still be a whore no matter how you look at it,” she spat and averted her gaze from his.
“I assure you that such women are not treated with disrespect here. The services they provide are considered a skill.”
“No matter how you dress it up, a professional caregiver is still just a prostitute. Her only duty is to have sex with men.” She glared at Kal, as if challenging him to argue, her mind clearly processing a multitude of information all at once.
“There should be no illusions here, Miss Lane. The agreement you signed is quite clear. To break it would constitute treason to this world, punishable by death.”
Again, she didn't argue. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest again, an act Kal now realized was a defense tactic when she felt cornered.
He sighed and leaned forward to rest his arms on the desk. “Miss Lane, I assure you that serving the population would be far worse than staying here with me.” She still didn’t speak. “You’d be well cared for and as my wife can attest, as long as your duties are fulfilled, I would not bother you.”
Lois’ head shot around and she glared at Kal. “Or you could just send me back! Or take me when you go! You’re the lord of all. Why do I have to fulfill any duty if you order otherwise? I didn’t come here to be anybody’s whore. I thought you’d understand that. I thought that once you’d seen me and listened to me, you’d send me back.”
Kal sat back in his chair again. This woman was priceless. She was in no position to be attempting to bargain for anything, yet here she was, giving it her all. “And who’s to say I have that much of a conscience?”
Lois looked away, staring out the window.
“Or patience,” Kal added softly. “The trip to Earth does take a month and a man shouldn’t be forced to abstain for that long.” He felt it time to give Lois a taste of her own medicine. His words had the desired effect because Lois was rendered speechless. At her flush, he continued. “Here on Krypton, the pleasures of nobility are a very serious matter. We take great pains to ensure that men are content and well cared for… especially the First Lord.”
Apparently tired of the game they were playing, she leaned forward to place her hands on the desk and glared at Kal. “I couldn't care less about the nobility and their sex drives. All I care about is *my* world!”
“Don’t you mean *my* world?” Kal shot right back.
“You may be ruler of all, the leaders of Earth may have decided to sign some obscene agreement for Krypton to… protect it, but that world will never be yours. The people of Earth possess something that you soulless, logical, unfeeling sons of bitches never will! They have compassion and feeling and determination. One day they *will* rise again!”
“It’s so easy for you to call my people names and conclude that my house cares nothing for them.” He rose to his feet as his temper flared. “You know nothing of who I am!”
“I don't need to know who you are to know you're just like your father!"
Her words cut to the core. Kal straightened and stepped briskly to the door. It slipped open and he called for a guard. “Return her to the others.”
“That’s it?! What about…”
“A suitable position will be found for you,” he cut her off. Just liked she'd done when they were children, she wounded him deeply. She’d also injured his ego. That was something new to the mighty Lord. The damage brewed anger and Kal acted accordingly.
Lois could only stare at him for a moment before following the guard from the room. The cards had been dealt; she’d played the only hand she could, now she’d have to settle her debts.
++
‘For the good of all,’ Lois repeated to herself as she was led to the auditorium once more. She may have to be some Lord’s plaything, but she was beginning to believe it had been worth it just to take Kal-El down a notch.
She had reached him. She was sure. Undoubtedly she’d also hurt whatever feelings he had. Men tended to lash out in anger when their feelings were hurt and the Lord of Krypton was no different. She'd convinced herself he was an unfeeling, soulless blop of a man when she'd finally admitted her attraction to him. Any kind of reaction other than loathing was unacceptable. There was no way she'd ever allow those feelings to become known, so she'd made up her mind to view Kal as the monster he portrayed. She'd done a good job until now. She'd needed whatever spark of good lay buried so deeply within the might First Lord he didn't even know it was there if this expedition were to be successful. And though his words were meant to prove that he was indeed a monster, his reaction to her had proven differently. There was no denying that he'd been affected by her words.
She’d also known coming here was a gamble. She was left to pray that some small part of what little heart Kal did have would soften enough to at least show compassion to the people back on Earth. Her fate was nothing compared to that of some of her fellow humans.
++
Inside his library a few minutes later, Kal dropped to his chair. How dare that woman! Who did she think she was? No one spoke to him in such a manner.
But she’d given him something to think about. She’d opened his eyes somewhat.
How was it one small, defiant woman could cause him so much stress?
Maybe it’s because she’s the first woman you’ve ever found enticing to the senses, his conscience reminded him. Who wouldn’t? Lois Lane had grown into a very beautiful creature. Even the First Lord could not deny that. Her crass attitude should have been enough to turn any man away, but for some reason, it only attracted Kal more.
And what of the accusations she'd made? Were the people of Earth suffering as much as she said they were? If so, why was he told otherwise?
He turned his chair around slowly to gaze out into the darkening sky. For the very first time, he thought about what the lives of his people, 'all' of his people, might actually be like.
++
Hologram after hologram had been viewed, protocols drilled into their heads, and a course in proper respect had been the main focus of the past week. They were taught how to dress, how to speak, and would soon receive more detailed instructions in their appointed positions.
Lois sat in a room along with about thirty other women. Most had been heard at one point or another stating how being able to eat regularly was a fair exchange for the life they would soon have to lead. The sterilization procedures, devised as 'protection against procreation with a hostile people', would begin the following morning, then a location would be chosen for each woman. They would be provided with modest quarters and supplied with a living expenditure. Their only duty was to be on call for whichever Lord sent for them. A handful had been chosen by a particular Lord and would live inside his house or somewhere inside his province. All in all, everyone had come to accept their new station in life.
All but one. She sat in the corner, fear gripping her for the first time in her life. Speaking out for her fellow humans would cost her innocence, her fertility, and her dignity. Lois could hardly fathom that she’d gambled at such a price. It was hard to admit that her arrogance would now be her jailor. Could she really have been so naive as to think she could have made a difference? Apparently Kal was as big a royal *** as the more intelligent part of her brain had always told her he was.
She’d felt there was just no other way. She'd had to try to make the Lord think. She’d been completely prepared to throw a full temper tantrum to see him if necessary. He just had to see her, hear her out. That would be enough, she'd convinced herself. He couldn’t be as completely soulless as Earthlings made him out to be.
Yeah, right, she thought ruefully. Why had she ever believed that? Was it because she desperately wanted it to be so? Did it have anything to do with the intense attraction she’d felt for the First Lord the last time she’d seen him? Maybe it was because of the insatiable curiosity she’d always had to know this man? Over the years that interest had bordered on obsession, pushing her to learn everything there was to know about the young Lord. She hated how she felt about the mighty Lord Kal-El. And even the realization that he was every bit the person she'd heard he was didn't dampen her curiosity.
But she'd had to try to make him listen, even beg. She'd never stooped to begging before, but there was just too much suffering on Earth. Men, women, and children died every minute. She and her father were spared from many hardships because of Sam’s profession, but others weren’t so lucky.
A silent tear slipped from under her lids as she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. Never again would she be able to trust her own instincts; they'd led her to this awful place. She'd bet her life that there was some goodness behind Kal's eyes. Faint, but there nonetheless. Now he was going to call that bet.
A guard stepped into the room and called her name, pulling her from her self-pity. “Come with me,” he ordered.
Lois stood slowly; it was time for her physical examination. She sighed heavily and followed her captor, as she’d come to view these people. There was no way she could admit that she’d actually agreed willingly to subject herself to something like this.
The guard led her further and further away from the central part of the Palace, deeper into the private section reserved for the First Lord and his house. The sound of her shoes tapping the cold tile echoed in her ears, loud and threatening-- her death march.
That's what it was-- a death march, she thought darkly. Life as she knew it was about to end, even if she had no idea how. Everything had already been explained to her in great detail, so she wasn't entirely sure why she wasn't being led to an examination room.
Or maybe the clinic *was* this way. Maybe the sick bastards liked for their victims to have time to contemplate their fate on the long walk down what Lois suddenly dubbed the 'green mile'. Her eyes darted back and forth, soaking in every detail as her mind automatically began to plan a strategy for escape.
That's it, Lois, she thought sourly. Escape. Run...
Run where?! This wasn't Earth; she wasn't in Metropolis. And she certainly wasn't dealing with some two bit crook like she'd done during her short run as editor of her college paper. This was a strange world, foreign and deadly. She was dealing with the most powerful man alive and *his* army. If she ran, she wouldn't get very far at all.
The guard led her into a large room that looked to be some sort of study. Without a single word, he left her there alone.
Lois wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but her fear rose with each passing second. It was quiet, eerily so, as she stood in the sterile room. The bright white lights overhead were no comfort at all. Dread filled her slowly as she eased around the room, inspecting the contents. The swishing of the opening doors stopped her progress and she looked up as Kal stepped into the room.
He stood in the middle of the room, a picture of nobility in his perfectly taylored suit. “I will say this only once.” His voice left little to doubt his seriousness and Lois wisely remained silent. “You will live here at the Palace as my concubine, a position that will afford you amenities just short of being my wife.” Lois was about to voice her protest when Kal thundered, “And you will learn your place in this new world!” Apparently satisfied she wouldn’t speak again, he went on. “You’ll be given adequate living quarters inside the Palace and you will be free to take full advantage of the facilities that are not off limits. As long as you attend my needs, I will care for you as I do my own family. You have been instructed as to proper protocol and etiquette, so I trust that there will be no more outbursts that could be construed as treasonous. Do I make myself clear?”
Lois took a defiant stance, having shed her earlier melancholy. “I…”
“Miss Lane, you’d be wise to remain silent. This situation is far better than becoming… how was it that you put it?… A whore.” He lifted his hand as her mouth opened. “And if you say you will become my whore, I will take that as outright defiance and you’ll be subject to punishment.”
Lois clamped her mouth shut and studied Kal for a moment. She carefully folded her arms across her chest before speaking. “I can’t believe it actually worked.” Everything she'd said earlier about trusting her instincts fled, and she internally cheered.
“Worked?” His expression revealed the widening crack in his carefully constructed armor.
“What I said to you that first day got to you.”
Kal sucked in a breath to help take on a more forceful demeanor. “Miss Lane, I have taken what you said under advisement. A voyage to Earth is planned for the ninth cycle. I cannot go before then because of obligations here. As for me taking you into my home, I feel a certain… responsibility to do so. What kind of ruler would I be to allow the person that has delivered me potentially useful information to be sent away?”
Lois shifted a step closer to Kal. “Does that mean that… that… I… won’t have to…”
“Miss Lane, you will be my concubine,” he stated simply, leaving Lois little room to doubt what he meant. He looked at her for a moment more before he turned and started for the door. He stopped just as the doors opened and faced her again. “I can also tell you that I am not a violent man, but I believe in obedience and inside my own house, it would be wise for you to control your tongue.” Without another word, he was gone.
Standing in the empty room alone, Lois felt a mix of emotions. Relief that she would not be some plaything passed among men who thought their pleasure to be the most important aspect in existence. Apprehension and dread that she would still be a common whore. Sickening dread that the man who would take her innocence was the man she both loathed and secretly liked. And absolute fear of the unknown.
For the first time ever Lois Lane said a silent prayer for the future.
