Aww, thanks for reading, Terry! For Clark, admitting he's Superman goes against everything he was conditioned to deny, just as he WOULD have denied being Clark when Lois first found him, if he'd been able to.
Clark will (eventually) reach out to the other heroes for help, but right now, he's got nothing to give them. No leads. No suspicions of who put him in the asylum. He's (once again) quite helpless in the situation. The question is: WILL he remember? I might just be evil enough to let Luthor get away with it...I mean, he already has, for 21 years. What's another 20 or 30 years? I mean, the guy's pushing 70 by now, right?
You're dead-on when you wonder if it's smart to bring Superman back. And Clark will be torn on the matter. On the one hand, Superman is needed in the world. On the other, he can't possible explain such a long absence.
He's not really hesitant about his relationship with Lois, either then or now. He loves her. He's unsure about himself and what he's still missing and that makes him scared to pursue an actual relationship with Lois at this point. He may not remember his fear that she might only love him for the Superman part of him, but he's afraid of giving only a part of himself to her now, because he still isn't completely "whole." Martha...well, Clark will always keep his mom in the back of his mind, but realistically, neither she nor Lois should influence his decision to either resurrect Superman or leave the hero in an unmarked grave.
I'm glad you're enjoying my characterization of Lex. I used to be afraid of writing for him, but now I can't help but have a lot of fun doing so. I'm hoping that you'll continue to enjoy where I take him in the remaining chapters. He still has plenty to do...
New chapter is coming this weekend. Today was the official beginning of the school's distance learning program...and I had two very grumpy 1st graders. Our first meltdown over having "homework" occurred at 8am...before we left the bedroom...an hour before the teachers emailed the curriculum to the parents. So, I have my hands pretty full. Plus, if I post it all in one sitting, we'll have nothing to do in the coming weeks. (Praying the posting schedule outlasts the virus...)
