Aurora Borealis – The Complete Story 9/11
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
Lois shrugged out of the other strap and lay there as he slowly peeled the teddy from her body.
She was moving as one in a dream, a dream driven by her lust for her husband, a lust that had waited uncounted years to be satisfied. Her head was shaking from side to side as the tension built within her body. This fulfillment of her long delayed desires was almost more than she could handle. She was out of her mind with the pleasure created by their joining, the fulfillment of the act.
Her body was as tight as a violin string and vibrating like a tuning fork when suddenly it was like the fourth of July and an entire fireworks display went off behind her eyes. She started to scream her delight, giving voice to the ecstasy she felt.
Their love was complete and so thoroughly satisfying that she was totally spent and lay on his chest in contentment.
After a time she recovered enough to turn her head and start kissing the side of his face and neck.
It had been a little more rushed than she had wanted but totally enjoyable and there would be ample opportunity for slow. This was only the first time. There would be many, many more.
She was about to move when she first realized just what had happened. She had been on top of Clark and he had floated them up nearly to the ceiling. Looking down at the bed she giggled and asked, "Do I have this to look forward to all the time?"
Smiling he replied, "I don't know. Maybe only when I'm this happy." He slowly floated them back down to the bed.
As he did, she showered him with kisses and he gave as good as he got while she lay next to him. As they continued to kiss he was stroking and petting her in a very possessive yet gentle way which she loved. They both drifted off to sleep, arms and legs entwined.
After a while, when they both awoke they had a slow, sweet encounter. Lois knew fulfillment, total happiness and total love for the first time in her life.
And Now
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Chapter 9
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The next day Superman showed up at STAR Labs and asked to speak again with the head researcher, Dr. Branson.
After being shown back to his office, Superman didn’t waste any time, “Dr. Branson I have an unusual request to make.”
“What do you want Superman? If STAR Labs can help you in any way, we want to.”
“I appreciate that doctor. It is my understanding that the life force transfer machine that Veeda Doodsen used on me back in the 1990s is here in storage. Is that correct?”
“Ahhhhh yes, *that* machine. Yes, it is. That is a very strange machine. Some years ago we ran some trials on it. The concept was intriguing. We ran some animal studies with it and have found it to be promising, however it is very dangerous. We haven't as yet been able to overcome the side effect, the rapid aging of the donor. We have even tried cross species experiments. The results were disheartening to say the least. The life force transferred; however the effect was not as great as had been hoped. We've decided that the device is too dangerous to use. We have halted all testing."
"Doctor, I've been a donor and that was a successful operation. I would like to borrow the device. I have one final use for it."
"Do you think that is wise Superman? You will lose a portion of your life force. Of course, with the way things are now that may no longer be an issue."
“What do you mean doctor?”
“The data from the studies we performed when you returned has been analyzed and we have found some interesting facts. We have known for years that your powers originate with the Earth’s sun. We were able to compare that data with readings taken years ago. There have been some significant changes. The energy levels we read recently dwarf the previous readings. We checked the dates that the previous readings were taken and it appears as though they were done after the Veeda Doodsen incident. As a result of your exposure to the extreme solar flares we experienced a little over six months ago your body was not only recharged and rejuvenated, your body was super charged. Your body’s energy reserves are no longer in the depleted state they had been since the machine was used.”
“Can you explain that in simpler terms, doctor?”
“It means that you now have energy to spare. It’s like this. Imagine your body is a battery and your battery has been on half charge for years and not able to fully recharge because some of the cells were damaged. Well, now, those cells have been repaired and recharged, in fact they are carrying an overload. When we measured your aura, instead of extending only millimeters out from your skin it now extends out centimeters. It is much more intense. Still, you would be giving up a portion of that if you used that machine again and became the donor.”
Elated at what he was hearing, but managing to control himself he asked, "How long will this overload last?"
"We have no way to determine that. It may be depleted as you use your powers in the normal course of your activities. Then again you may remain in this state indefinitely, replenishing your energy from sunlight and maintain these new levels which would then become your new norm."
Superman replied, "Thank you for that information doctor. Still, I can see no other way to do what needs to be done. I will prepare a lab to which I can transport the device and set it up. If you have no objections I will pick it up tomorrow."
"As long as you know what the risks are, I have no objections. When you come right down to it, we really don't own that machine. We have just been the custodians. You actually have more of a claim to ownership because it was used on you."
"Thank you, doctor. I'll be back tomorrow."
The next day Superman picked up the device and took it to the Wisteria Lane home and placed it in the basement.
Later that same day a young Clark Kent made his debut, claiming that Superman had used the device to rejuvenate him.
Lois and Clark finally departed for their long delayed honeymoon in Hawaii.
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The years passed happily for Lois and Clark. After only a year Lois became pregnant. In 2089, their first child was born. It was a boy and they named him Clark Junior.
A year later, in 2090, Penelope (Penny) was born. In fairly rapid order there were six additional children which came as three sets of twins.
The first hint that there was a problem was with Penny’s birth. Clark Junior had been a week premature, but this was not unheard of, in fact it was still within the expected range for full term. Penny, however was another story entirely. Penny was four weeks premature, but when born was fully developed. Thinking there could have been an error in the timing they didn’t worry about this for very long.
With Sam and Ellen’s birth in 2091 questions were starting to be raised. They were born fully eight weeks premature. Initially this didn't raise any eyebrows either because frequently in multiple births the babies are delivered early, but like their siblings they showed complete development unlike other eight week preemies. Their development was that of full term babies.
STAR Labs was consulted and they began studying Lois. There was another unusual phenomena noticed. There was less and less time between pregnancies.
In 2092 the births of Sean and Celeste Kent were ten weeks premature and yet they showed full development as had all of their siblings. STAR Labs intensified their testing.
By the time Joel and Lara, their last children, were born the duration of the pregnancy was only twenty-four weeks. Because of the shortness of time between delivery and conception coupled with the shortened gestation this final set of twins were also delivered in 2092.
Physiologically, Lois in 2102, would have been forty-five years old, however, by 2102 Lois’ hair had started graying and she had been developing laugh/worry lines which is to say age wrinkles and shortly after Joel and Lara’s birth Lois experienced the early onset of menopause. Normally this would have occurred much later in her life. This became yet another data point for STAR Labs.
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As time went on other strange things started happening. Lois experienced an early onset of arthritis and osteoporosis. These diseases are usually associated with advanced age. In 2112, when Lois would physiologically been fifty-five, her health started to deteriorate rapidly.
Lois returned to STAR Labs and after two days of testing Lois and Clark were called into Dr. Branson’s office. After they were seated Dr. Branson looked up from the file he had spread out on his desk. He said, “There’s no reason to beat about the bush and every reason not to do so. What we have found is very disturbing. We have found that Lois’ body has been infused with an unknown form of energy. Because of the effect it is having on her body we have dubbed it, for want of a better term, Chrono-energy because it seems to be causing time to accelerate in her body. She is aging rapidly and earlier than she should. That explains the shortening of her pregnancies. The Chrono-energy was accelerating the development of the children in the womb. Our only conclusion is that it must have something to do with her disappearance. It is like her body is trying to move to the age she should be if not for the event of her kidnapping.”
Not liking what they were hearing, Clark reached for and took Lois’ hand in his, “Doctor, what is the prognosis?”
The doctor could see how they were taking this information. He was sorry that he didn’t have a better way to tell them. He shook his head in dismay as he continued, “Not good. The deterioration is accelerating. Within a year Lois will die of old age if we can’t find a way to drain off this Chrono-energy and even if that is done there is no guarantee that the effects will be reversed. In a worst case scenario Lois will be dead in less than twelve months. A better scenario has her stabilized at this point and living the rest of a normal, or as normal as is possible, life from this point. The best scenario would be complete recovery. The problem is that since we really don’t know the nature of the energy itself we have no way of knowing how to drain it off.”
In a weakened voice, Lois said, “Thank you doctor for being honest with us. At least this way we know.”
Dr. Branson said, “We will continue to try to find an answer for you.”
With a very determined tone, Clark said, “Thank you doctor for your diagnosis. I guess it’s up to us now. We are going to try to find our own answer.”
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After they were home Clark with anger and disgust evident in his voice spat out, “Tempus! It must be because he kept you in that active time portal for all of that time. The exposure to those energies is what has done this to you.”
Lois put her hand on his arm and in her weakened, frail voice said, “We’ll find a solution. We always do.”
Clark looked at her and with sadness in his voice asked, “How can we fix this when we can’t even be sure how it happened?”
Lois tried to encourage him, “Somebody once said, ‘Love will find a way.’ And we have enough love for a hundred couples. We’ll find a way. I believe in us.”
For the next four months all Clark could do was watch the love of his life deteriorate. By this time Lois was wheelchair bound. The children, who were all in college at this time, spent as much time as they could with their mother because they couldn’t be sure just how much time they would have.
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Finally one day a few weeks later, Clark came to Lois and kneeling in front of her wheelchair said, “I think I have a possible solution. It’s risky, but, what choice do we have?”
“Clark, if there’s a chance, I think we need to take it. What is it?”
In a less than hopeful tone he said, “Come with me.”
comments go here TBC in Chapter 10
