Gaaahh!!! I have to tell you, DJ, that I would never allow Lois to use kryptonite on Clark, just because an enemy of theirs was trying to control her. Subliminator or no subliminator, I would never let her be sufficiently controlled to do that.
However, seeing that you decided to do it, I admire the emotion you filled the scene with. Clark's horror at being completely unable to reach Lois was heartrending and almost unbearable. Something I appreciate even more is the way you used Clark's horrible nightmare to foreshadow Lois's rejection of him and her taking Laura away from him. I found that nightmare so memorable in itself, and now that I can see that you used it to foreshadow the plot, I appreciate it even more.
It was wonderful to see Clark's love for Lois in this story, so that he worried more about how much Lois would blame herself if he died than he worried about himself dying.
Another thing I really liked about your story is that you had Clark use his ice-cold super-breath to destroy the subliminator. As a long-time comic book fan, I have seen Superman's powers come and go. When I started reading the comics in the 1960s, Superman had an assortment of odd powers that you never see (or hear) today, such as super-ventriloquism! I don't miss those oddest powers of his, but I was rather sad when his ice-cold super-breath disappeared from the comics in 1987. It's really good to see you bring it back!
Looking forward to the happy ending that I feel confident you will give us!
Ann
