Chris, I was sorry to see that Ellen Lane died in spite of Lois's best efforts to save her. But now Lucy is alive... that's a good thing, isn't it?
“What’s that expression I’ve heard you Americans say? ‘One out of two ain’t bad’?” Wells asked. “I’m happy for you, Ms. Lane, I really am.”
“I want you to realize that if you were successful in changing the past, something else might have happened also. Tell me what you did. Give me the Reader’s Digest version… please,” Clark said.
"One out of two ain't bad".... "Give me the Reader's Digest version, please".... I like your expressions, Chris!
This was kind of harrowing:
An air traffic controller would come to work impaired that morning and would inadvertently assign an arrival and a departure to the same air strip. Therefore, the two airplanes would collide in mid-air, killing over 250 people instantly. There would be no survivors.
“Herb, why don’t we just try to stop that controller guy from reporting to work instead of my calling Lucy? Then we can save a lot more lives than just my sister’s,” Lois suggested.
“Ms. Lane, that’s an honorable suggestion, but again, you’re talking about changing the past, and it is –“
“Very tricky business, I know, Herbie,” Lois finished for him. “What’s the problem?”
Lois
could, technically at least, save 250 people, and H.G. Wells won't let her do it. I'm not criticizing you or your story for sentencing those 250 people to the death that history condemned them to anyway, but I'm just saying.... Boy, if it had been me, I would have had nightmares about those 250 people I could have saved, but didn't.
And like H.G. Wells said, the repercussions of saving all those people would have been far-ranging and unpredictable:
“Well, consider that 250 people died that day. Their families, friends, and coworkers were all affected in some way by their deaths. Some inherited life insurance policies, some of their spouses had to change their life styles and go to work. Their coworkers probably received promotions that they would have otherwise have had to wait years to receive. Their friends were forced to make other acquaintances to fill the void that was left by their deaths. If these people live, then some of the good that occurred by their unfortunate deaths won’t happen. It’s the ‘butterfly effect’. One person’s life or death can impact so many.”
This was just hysterically funny:
We’re going to get a room, Mr. Wells. This way, Lucy will have a place to call me back. Don’t worry,” she said with an impish grin, “we’ll get separate rooms.”
Shortly, the odd couple checked into the Metropolis Hideaway Motel, a real dive,
I don't know why, but I just think this is so hysterically funny. I can just see the three of them, Lois, H.G. Wells and the dive of a motel!
“All right, Lois – what if she ends up spending the night with a gentleman and never comes home?”
Don't you just love H.G. Wells' old-fashioned British way of putting something that could have been described in so many other and rather graphic ways?
Without waiting for Herb’s reply, Lois opened the nightstand, where the take-out and delivery menus for the areas were kept. “Do you like Chinese?”
Wells stared at her. “Chinese? I’m afraid I’ve never had it, Ms. – Lois.”
C'mon, Herbie - you're from a time and a country where the sun never set on your Empire, remember? You've never had Chinese? You're not from the day of the Battle of Hastings, before Marco Polo became the first European to travel all the way to China, are you?
By the way, as for being on a first-name basis - in the opening of this chapter, which in chronological terms happened after Lois and Wells' night in the motel, Wells is still calling her Ms. Lane. But I don't mind, honestly. I think the ability to call people by their first names is a skill that H.G. Wells would find particularly hard to master!
I’m going to San Diego in the morning. I want you to stay there. I’ll meet you at your hotel tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, Lois, I can’t. I’m scheduled to fly out of here in four hours, at 7:00 a.m. I’ll be in Metropolis by dinnertime, though. Why are you coming out here, anyway?
“It’s a really long story, Luce. I’ve been away for awhile and I’m only back in town for a day. I’m heading west and I can only see you today, then I won’t be back again for 2 ½ more years. Can you get someone else to work for you? Please? It’s so important that I see you.”
“Lo-is! You’re being very mysterious! What is going on with you? Where have you been all these years?”
“Lucy, listen. Don’t get on that plane back to Metropolis. I’ll be there by dinnertime. Please?” Lois pleaded.
“OK, Lois. I might get fired for this, but I’ll wait for you. What flight are you on, anyway?”
Sorry about the long quote, but - yeah! Lois persuaded Lucy not to board that plane!
“So you don’t know for sure that she *didn’t* get on the plane, then? Let’s see if there was still a double airplane crash that day,” he said, searching the Planet’s archives.
“Clark – she couldn’t have. She’s right there!” Lois exclaimed. “In a big fat lip lock with the owner of this newspaper, in fact!”
"In a big fat lip lock with the owner of this newspaper, in fact" - oh, Chris, your Lois is killing me!
Lois looked over at Clark, who had disappointment written all over his face. “That’s a great offer, Luce. But I think for now I want to stay in the city.” She noticed Clark’s face brightening up out of the corner of her eye.
Yep... they are....
Lois gave her new friend a hug. Clark shook hands with the petite gentleman.
“I couldn’t have done this without you, Herb. I’m forever grateful to you.”
“And all of Utopia will be someday, too,” Herb replied. “Trust me on that.”
Woo-hooo!!! There
will be a Utopia, founded by Lois and Clark's descendants! And if Lois and Clark are going to have descendants, that means... yes, it does!!!
Ann
