Aurora Borealis – The Complete Story 7/11
By Ken Janney
This story is rated PG-13.
Comments are always welcomed at ken.janney@kjanney.com
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.
This story originated with a single scene that I had written as a suggested plot device for another author. It was rejected in favor of another one. I still liked the idea so I wrote a story around it. This is only loosely related to my Matchmaker series.
I wish to thank Artemis and Morgana for the beta on this.
< > denotes thoughts
* * denotes emphasis
Previously
“I’m glad she found someone she would be happy with.”
His reply tripped her reporter’s instinct as he said, “Yeah, so am I,” in a relieved tone.
She challenged, “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”
He stuttered, “Huh, uh, wha … what do you mean by that?”
His response confirmed her suspicion and she challenged, “I mean that there’s more to the story about Lucy than the fact that she married Jimmy. Come on, give.”
“Can’t we just leave it at that and go on?” Remembering just what had passed between him and Lucy he started to blush.
Lois noticed his blush and Mad Dog took over as she challenged, “No, we can’t just leave it at that. She made a play for you, didn’t she? *Didn't* she? Come on, tell me.”
“Well, yes, kinda.”
“I shoulda known. That little witch. As soon as my back was turned. What’d she do?”
“You don’t really want details, do you?”
“Give me the whole gory mess. Don’t worry; she’s not here anymore so I can’t kill her.”
He gave her the details on how for five long years Lucy had pursued a relationship with him. He did edit the story somewhat not including all of the detail on the encounter after the funeral. Not so much to shield her from what her sister had done, but out of embarrassment at his failure to avoid the encounter.
When he had finished she said, “You know, it’s a good thing she isn’t here because I *would* disembowel her. Much as I loved her, she tried to poach *my* husband.”
“She tried to have you declared legally dead thinking that if that were done I’d move on and she’d be there for me. I filed a counter suit and prevented that from happening.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, “Thank you, my loyal husband and thank you for not giving in to her. She was a Lane woman and I know how persistent we can be.”
“Fifteen years after you disappeared, Perry retired, I was promoted into the editor’s office and Jimmy moved to the city desk. I retired twenty years later and Jimmy became Editor.”
“Thanks to investments I made early on, eventually I had accumulated enough finances to purchase my apartment building. I would have just moved but I had hopes that someday you would reappear. Push came to shove when they announced that they wanted to buy me out so that a new high rise could go up. I refused to sell and they delayed their plans. When we get back, maybe we should sell out and move. The latest offer was twenty times what the building is worth.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As they had planned while on their vacation, when they returned to Metropolis they accepted the offer to sell the apartment building and as soon as the contract was signed they looked for another place to live. They found a house out on Wisteria Lane for sale and made an offer which was accepted.
After they settled in Lois started getting anxious at all of the inactivity. She was happy to be spending time with the love of her life, but her constitution was not such that inactivity would satisfy her. She needed to be out there investigating, exposing the seedy underbelly of society and bringing corrupt officials to account. In a way she was gratified to see that society hadn’t changed all that much in the ninety years she had been away.
Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to be there for her all of the time, Clark reluctantly agreed to Lois going back to the Planet.
And Now
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 7
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They had been in the new house for about six months when one morning Lois woke up and found that his side of the bed was empty and the sheets were cold.
She thought, <I hope he wasn’t called away on a dangerous mission. He really isn’t up to those anymore.>
He had been in the habit of leaving her a note whenever he was being called away, letting her know what it was and about how long he expected to be away, but this time his bedside table was empty. Seeing this she thought that he must simply be downstairs, perhaps fixing the morning coffee. She took a sniff and didn’t smell coffee. This started to concern her. What was going on? Where was Clark?
She went downstairs and started looking around. She found his note on the counter near the coffee maker.
“Lois,
I came down to get something to drink and I heard a broadcast asking for Superman’s assistance.
Star Labs wanted a research packet delivered. It should still be within my reduced capabilities.
There have been some very strong and unusual solar flares which are creating a spectacular aurora borealis. They wanted to examine the phenomenon and wanted an electronics package flown through the effect to record the strength and composition of the anomaly.
It would appear that this is a once in a lifetime event. The last time the flares even approached this intensity was in 2013.
I expect to be back before you get up.
In case I’m not, I love you and will be back soon.
Your loving husband,
Clark”Lois was relieved. This was a simple science mission. It was nothing that would tax his abilities. She just had to wait for him to get back so that she could get the details to write up for the paper. She went back upstairs to get dressed for work while she waited for him to return.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That had been six months ago and she hadn’t seen Clark since. She couldn’t get over the fear that somehow Tempus was involved.
For the first weeks she had been almost frantic in her efforts to locate him. She had been calling STAR Labs several times a day, but they were no help at all. Since she had returned to the Planet she had developed a new set of contacts within the MPD. She contacted Inspector Marlowe and asked him to use his contacts both in the US and Canada to initiate a search.
As time went on she became more and more discouraged, but she determined that if Clark could wait for her for ninety years she could do the same for him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After six months had elapsed, one day Lois was at STAR Labs doing some follow-up on a story and was in the Solar Energy lab interviewing the head of the lab when a tech shouted from the other side of the room, “Dr. Branson, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we just started receiving telemetry from that electronics package that we asked Superman to deploy six months ago.”
“What? How can that be? That signal terminated unexpectedly when Superman flew into the aurora.”
“All I know is that all of the sudden we are receiving a signal.”
“Send the recall signal. Use the audio link to ask Superman to bring the module back here.”
Lois was a very interested observer to all of this. She looked at Dr. Branson with a hopeful expression. Could it be possible? Could Clark be alive? She remembered his note and this fit. She asked, “What does this mean?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Let’s finish this interview while we wait.”
When they finished the interview Lois said, “Dr. Branson, I’d like to be here when Superman returns. He’s been gone for six months and if he’s back, it’s newsworthy.”
As he was exiting the lab he replied, “I understand. Right place at the right time and all of that. Sure, you can wait here in the lab.”
After a short wait the lab door opened and Dr. Branson hurried back in. He had a shocked expression on his face as he did. He sped across the room, picked up a radiation detector and started for the door again.
Seeing this, Lois was apprehensive and blurted out, “Dr. Branson, what’s going on? What has happened? What have you heard about Superman?”
He said, “This is highly unusual. It will require a significant amount of study. I just hope he allows it.”
Lois couldn’t understand what was going on but his reference left little doubt that Superman had returned. Her heart was screaming for him and she had difficulty restraining herself. She clamped down her emotions and asked, “Would you please inform him that I’m here and ask if he would grant me an interview?”
He nodded in understanding and stepped to the door. Holding up the detector he said, "Just let me check a few things first." He stepped out for just a few seconds and then the door opened again. When Branson stepped back in he was standing directly between Lois and the door opening but Lois still caught a glimpse of a familiar blue leg and red boot as it came through the doorway.
Lois was instantly on her feet and almost running to the door but stopped abruptly when he stepped around Branson. This wasn’t Clark, the Clark she knew. Not the Clark that had left her six months ago. This was a younger version of him. She found her voice and choked out, “Dr. Branson, is this a clone or what?”
Dr. Branson replied, “We’ll know in half an hour. He provided a DNA sample. It’s being mapped. We’ll compare it to the stored record.”
This apparition turned to Branson and said, “Please clear the room. I need to speak with Ms. Lane … privately.”
Nodding in understanding Branson turned to his support staff and said, “You heard the man. Clear out.” When the last individual had moved out through the door Branson also left, closing the door behind himself.
When the door was closed Superman crossed to Lois, put his arms around her and said, “No, my love, I’m not a clone and I don’t need a DNA mapping to prove it. When I left that night, I left you a note by the coffee maker explaining that I had to fly a science package into the aurora.”
His expression became one of joy as he continued, “Something very strange and wonderful happened. As you know, my powers are derived from sunlight and the fact that these were unusually violent solar flares must be the reason they affected me so. The unusually intense solar flares hyper excited my body. Since they are an intense form of solar radiation the flares rejuvenated me. I’m young again, just like you. We can now have a lifetime together. The life we were supposed to have had ninety years ago!"
Looking up into his young again face with a questioning look she asked, "Why did it take you so long to get back?"
"The reason I was gone was the electronics package they wanted flown through the aurora. The ionization of the solar flares interacted with the electronics I was carrying. That interaction opened a portal right in front of me and I couldn’t avoid passing through. That portal sent me six months into the future.”
With a wicked grin and a raised eyebrow he asked, “Do you think the Planet will let you have time off for your long delayed honeymoon?”
With a wicked little grin of her own and an arched eyebrow matching his, Lois asked, “How can you be so sure I want to spend this lifetime with you?” At his look of shocked dismay she couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. She started to giggle and said, “Come here you lunkhead. There is no one else I’d want to spend every possible lifetime with,” and throwing her arms around his neck she gave him a kiss like they hadn’t been able to share for ninety years.
As her body melded to his she knew that they would finally be consummating their marriage the proper way. She couldn’t wait. She still had that teddy that she hadn’t been able to use.
She whispered in his ear, “I’ve got news for you buster. We’re not waiting for Hawaii. How quickly can you get us home?”
“I think, for the sake of appearances I will need to meet you. We need to come up with a plausible explanation for a young Clark showing up.”
“We’ll deal with that second. We have something else to do that’s more important. I’ll type up this story later,” she gave him a come-hither look, “after we consummate our wedding. I think we’re overdue.” With a final wink she put her Reporter's Assistant in her bag, threw the strap over her shoulder and headed for the door. She said over her shoulder, “I’ll see you at home, Handsome. Don’t keep me waiting any longer than necessary.”
comments go here TBC in Chapter 8
