So, while I really appreciated the reference section, I didn't actually use it until I glanced at it once I hit the end. I thought that this was totally clear, so kudos on that successful balancing act!
“What did you have in mind?” he asked, tilting his head and directing a half smile her way.
Blackness enveloped them. The elevator lurched to a halt, and a rattle echoed above them.
She answered dryly, “Sitting in an elevator, apparently.”
“Help me?” His request caught her off guard.
That's such a crazy hitch to start off! What could take his powers that isn't also painful?
But it wasn’t floodlights that blinded them. Instead, they were met with bright sunlight gleaming through a dense canopy of leaves.
Looks like they're not in Kansas anymore? This is a wild start!
Blood trickled slowly from the point where the rusty metal met her skin.
Oh, yikes!
“Just bruised, and there’s a little cut.”
“Yeah, that trap isn’t meant to kill, just hold.”
That is SO lucky!
He bowed, sweeping his arm in front of him. “Lady Loisette.”
How fun to come back here!
At that moment, Jonathon Kent, though they both knew it was not Jonathon Kent, emerged from the forest on a cart pulled by a horse.
Aw, yay! Nice to see him pop up!
Clark nodded. “Another question is are we Lady Loisette and Sir Charles?”
They have such a wild set of problems.
Why did it sting so much? Gritting her teeth, she breathed out slowly and relaxed into Clark as much as she was able.
That's bad news! But such a sweet picture of him comforting her!
“No,” Lois said firmly. She pointed at Clark. “He will.”
I like that she doesn't play into the rules of the time period here, and keeps them together instead.
Ooooo. That's interesting!
Regardless of who she was, she required assistance.
What a good guy! I mean, he's Clark, so it tracks, but it's nice to see here.
“No leeches!” Charles said as Marta closed the door in his face.
Such a funny follow-up!
They crossed the space without thinking, clapping each other on the shoulder in an awkward, lopsided embrace.
Yay! Alt-Clark came back! I love getting a little more of that character, and it's super fun to see him with Charles, too!
“Before we speak to any other, we must agree what tale we will tell of…this.” He lifted one hand vaguely, encompassing both of them. “It will not do to contradict each other.”
Very clever.
“I don’t remember all of it,” she rephrased.
That's another fun anachronism!
There was no sense in lying. “She looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember her name until you said it.” Forming a plan, Lois relaxed more into the pillows. “You are right. My… uh, memory is cloudy. Can I ask some questions?”
Great excuse to grab onto this and get some information!
“So, I turned him into a stick.” A smile brightened her face. “A nice small branch, oddly cylindrical with no knobs and a single small twig protruding from one end. He’s in the forest somewhere. And there he will stay.”
That's a great fate for him!
“And how long have I been married to Sir Charles?” Lois asked hesitantly.
“Near a fortnight” Marta answered quickly.
Oh, so this is actually close in time to their last visit. Interesting!
“But he was only jestin’! ’Tis funny, that.” Her head shook as she laughed. “That Fox, he’s ever the mischief.”
I love that this goes back and forth in this timeline, too.
“He’s right familiar with yer lady,” she whispered, leaning in closer.
I feel like this is so in character for Martha. Caring and just a little scandalized.
Her absence stung all the more, yet somehow, he knew she was safe, wherever she was.
Awww. This is sweet! And nice to know that the soulmate connection is intact.
“I could feel it,” he began slowly, “or rather I could not. I suppose I simply knew.”
“Well, there you have it,” she said as if that settled everything.
He nodded his understanding.
Thank goodness they can tell each other apart.
“It is said there is a soul energy flowing through each one of us. And some of these souls are bound together—not merely in this life in and this realm, but across all lives and all realms.”
“Soul mates,” Lois and Clark said in unison.
Aww!
“They named it The Gathering of Echoed Souls, when many of these bound souls were brought together and were parted."
This is such a cool, epic, mystic name.
“I had only just found my Lois.” Kent’s voice caught.
Oh, no, that's SO tragic!
Superman swung around to see Lois standing in the doorway. “Lois, you have to go!”
“I can’t find Clark!”
Aw, she went back for him!
“I wanted to tell you at dinner tonight.” He relaxed as Lois stepped into his arms. “But I didn’t know how else to calm your fears.”
“It worked,” she whispered, smiling up at him.
This is definitely what she should have done in the real universe, lol. TOGOM could have ended very differently! It's nice to be seeing a version of it here!
“James, squire to Sir Charles.”
Cute!
When at last he was ready, he moved on, seeking purpose, bringing justice where it was needed. But it could not cover the gaping wound in his heart, one he felt would never heal.
So sweet and so Superman-coded.
And yet here he was, feeling her loss once more.
Based on Lois and Clark, I suspect this won't be the last timr, either. But this is a sweet bit of introspection that does a nice job of also catching us up on plot.
Jerome—Clark Kent’s middle name—was what they had elected to call the third Clark to arrive.
This is structured in a really neat way - to see him in context in his own universe, and then to jump here, making the assumption that this is him. Very neatly done. And it's fun to see him from Charles' POV, so that the story moves along instead of showing the 'how did I get here? what's going on?' scene again that was already saw with the primary Clark. It's a really clean structure/device.
“I found her right before I was brought here,” Kent clarified. “Like seconds before.”
Again, this is so evil, Author!
Charles wondered whether either of them knew how to make a horse jump.
This whole premise is hilarious!
“Don’t,” a voice warned him from behind.
What a fun introduction! Really nice variance between them!
“I don’t know where you come from,” the man said, shaking his head and standing up, “but where I’m from, glowing rocks typically hurt me in some way.”
Aww. I feel like this version is somehow more damaged?
“Our souls were brought here. We’re all echoes.” Kent nodded at Kal and the others.
So interesting because Charles is back in time, but the other 4 are from different 'realms.' It's almost like the timelines split after this, resulting in (at least) these 4 parallel universes.
A woman opened the door before Charles’s knuckles touched the wood.
Fun detail!
But when Friar Harry explained with his soothing, story-telling voice that this stone would save mankind from a terrible fate, the man chiseled it out himself.
That's such a great use of Lane Smith's voice!
“I believe I am the soul, and the rest of you are the echoes,” Charles said.
This totally makes sense with what you've set up. That's an exciting idea for them to uncover.
“She’s truly a fine one,” Marta said, smiling up at him.
I think it's really sweet that Star and Martha are buddies in this story. I'm not sure I've seen that before!
Jerome just wasn’t like the other Clarks.
This is such an interesting section, and I like what you've done with this character. It's fun to get to know his differences a little better.
And Jerome wondered what his life might have been like if Martha Kent hadn’t passed away when she did.
That's so sad.
She must have felt the same, he thought, because her hand reached for him. He reached for her at the same time, and their palms met, just as the Resonant Stone would align them, and when they touched, he could feel her soft skin, warm and comforting.
So sweet! And such a great detail that the stones connect them like this.
“You know you’ll end up together,” Kent said, raising his eyebrows. “None of us did. We just knew we wanted to.”
Aw. That's a great point. And so much more meaningful coming from the Clark whose Lois was lost.
When he touched the stone, it grew warm against his palm, and brighter—so bright that he closed his eyes just for a moment, waiting for pain.
I feel so badly for this Clark, for whatever it is he's been through.
“Neither can I live without you, my love.” He bent and kissed her softly, as though she were a treasure not meant to be lost.
This whole scene really makes it clear why the others are echoes of this particular relationship.
“Sorry,” she said. “Inappropriate humor is a coping mechanism of mine.”
How fun! A really self-aware Lois!
Shaking himself, Jerome glanced down to see his Resonant Stone on the ground cracked in several pieces. “I’m sure it’s fine,” he said, smiling at her again.
It's adorable how much of a golden retriever this version is!
“Is that one of H. G. Wells’s dimension traveling devices?” Kent asked, his brows deeply creased.
Something was engraved on the side. Clark lifted it closer to his face and read it aloud, “H. G. Wells.”
What a great twist!
Lois released Clark’s arm and stepped forward to hug a startled Loisette. Clark blinked in surprise when Charles offered his hand for a handshake.
I love this little moment.
“Let’s do exactly the same thing we usually do on Friday nights,” she teased.
Adorable tie-in back to the beginning!
Of course, could they be too late? he wondered. He smiled at his joke.
It's so fun to see a Wells POV pop up at the end here!
“Hello, Mrs. Kent, I hope I haven’t—”
The door closed.
Curious.
“Would you like some tea?” Mr. Kent asked, smiling.
What a perfect ending!
I loved that Wells was behind this, but also behind them in time when he showed up, lol.
Such an imaginative story that really worked with a lot of the loose threads of the show!
