Lois staggered back, as if struck. She stood frozen for a brief moment, and then rushed to the door, desperately trying to unlock the locks. Her fingers were shaking so hard, she couldn’t get them undone.
“Wait!! Miss Lane! He isn’t who you think!”
“I won’t! I won’t go back! I won’t!” She was crying now, in sheer panic. Why can’t I open these damned locks!
“This isn’t Lord Kal! This is Clark Kent and Lois Lane from that other world … this is the Lois who was brought here by Tempus – who encouraged Clark – this universe’s Clark to become superman! Please!! Please - don’t leave!”
Her hand was frozen on the locks as she heard his words.
Very fearfully, she looked over at the woman, seeing her clearly for the first time. The woman had short hair, but was otherwise, her identical twin.
“You’re… you’re – the one? H-he’s not… “
“I don’t know who you think he is,” said Lois carefully, recognizing the woman’s blind state of panic. “But his name is Clark Kent, and he’s… not a threat. You have nothing to fear from us.”
She turned frightened eyes to this man, this imposing and frightening man who wore the clothes she had last seen on Lord Kal. Black, with a blue emblem. She felt herself trembling out of control as she made forbidden eye contact.
If this is Lord Kal, he’ll kill me. But maybe that’s the best alternative. Oh god. He looks like Lord Kal!
Clark eyed her warily. Her reaction had shocked him to the core. Why was she so scared?
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, repeating Lois’s assertions. “Why…if you don’t mind my asking… did you think I would?”
A horrible thought struck him, and he looked at Herb.
“Is … is Clark… is he… does he hurt people?”
“No! No – oh…n-no,“ stammered Herb, nonplussed by Clark’s appearance. “I… Um… he’s … he’s a good man.”
“I didn’t think he could have – but… the way – Lois reacted… it’s – “
“I’m sorry,” muttered Lois hastily. “I guess I – “ She broke off, still frightened by his appearance. “I’m sorry. You... I have trouble talking to you – dressed like that.”
“Why? Why does this bother you?”
“I suppose you know that I was presumed dead in this world,” she began nervously.
“Right… when I was brought here, everyone said that,” said the other Lois.
“Well – I … just like you – Tempus abducted me and dropped me in another universe. I’d never even met Clark.”
“Where did he take you?”
“Another … Earth. But this one was overrun by - ” she looked over at Clark nervously. “Uh – “
“Are you telling me that you were taken to an earth that had been taken over by Kryptonians?” Clark was aghast.
She bowed her head, nodding slightly in acknowledgement.
“And… my counterpart was a part of this invasion?” Clark was beginning to feel very ill at where his thoughts were going.
She nodded, still unable to look at him for long.
“Lord Kal was one of them?” He said, quietly, looking over at his Lois. She put her hand on his arm for comfort.
“Yeah,” muttered Lois.
“And… I take it, he wasn’t a nice person,” asked the other Lois.
“Not by any definition of nice that I know,” interjected Herb. “Why - he enslaved Miss Lane, and he – “
“Herb. Please!” Her voice was pleading as she implored him to stop talking.
“Oh. Yes. Quite. I’m sorry. Sorry about that.”
The other Lois looked at her counterpart in worried silence, and then she turned to look at Clark, her expression troubled. He returned her look, and then returned his attention to her doppelganger.
“I’m sorry,” he said, feeling hugely inadequate.
“It’s not your fault,” she said quietly.
“But – my appearance – my clothes… it’s upsetting you. And understandably so.”
“Clark, why don’t you change into something of Clark’s. He won’t mind.”
Lois looked over at her double, feeling a quick surge of resentment. How do you know what he would or wouldn’t mind. The resentment died quickly as she realized her double was just trying to help.
“He wouldn’t mind,” she said quietly.
“Sorry for being presumptuous,” the other Lois said, embarrassed now by her words.
“No. You were trying to help.”
“Uh… I’ll be right back.”
Clark zipped over to his double’s apartment, and quickly changed. He was back out in a matter of seconds.
He looked so much like her Clark that tears sprang to her eyes.
“Oh… not good? I’m sorry – I – “ Clark saw her tears, and felt like a heel for making her cry.
“No. No – you just… look like Clark.”
“Is… is he okay?”
Lois looked helplessly at them, and then she started in with her tale.
“He’s missing! Last night, he was on a charity date… and we were talking telepathically. He was bored,” she said, smiling at the memory. “And then… nothing. Our connection was terminated … painfully.”
“Painfully?”
“Searing headache.”
“Oh … ouch,” said the other Lois sympathetically.
“Then today – I was mugged in an alley – and – “
“Are you okay?” Clark’s concern was urgent, and she was once again reminded of her Clark.
She looked at him and gave him a brief grateful smile for his concern.
“I am. I wasn’t hurt. Just scared… and when I didn’t see a weapon, I thought I’d take my chances and call for Clark. I know it sounds stupid – but at the time, I didn’t want to be without my keys, my … everything…”
“I hear you loud and clear,” her doppelganger said fervently. “It can be a huge hassle to get all that stuff replaced.”
“But – the risk to your life,” protested Clark. “It’s not worth it – he could have –“
“Clark,” the other Lois said, gently admonishing him. “No lectures. Okay?”
“Okay. Sorry. “
“It’s okay. I’m betting my Clark would have felt the same – only he probably wouldn’t have said anything for fear of upsetting me.”
Clark looked at his Lois puzzled, and she shrugged her shoulders.
“Anyway,” she continued hastily, well aware that they were trying to figure her out, “Superman came when I called for help.”
“So he’s okay?”
“It wasn’t him! I know this sounds nuts… but – he looked like Clark, but it was obviously not him.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“The way he acted… he was brutal with the mugger – hurled him against the alley wall – with really hard force – for all I know, the guy’s dead now. The … imposter… seemed amused. You… you wouldn’t …do that…would you?”
“Never.”
“I – I didn’t think so. I’ve never actually seen Clark stop a criminal like that, but – it was way out of character. And when he turned to me, he wasn’t – he was… leering… and – he just picked me up and flew me to Clark’s apartment. And then – he was really different… strange… said strange things, things that were totally un-Clark-like… and then… he kind of … “ She stopped and shook her head, wincing with disgust. “He was all over me… I was lucky to get out – without…” She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.
“Did he, by any chance, tell you that ‘might is right’?”
She looked at her double in amazement.
“Yes!”
“Luthor’s in this universe, right?”
“Yes.”
“Luthor must have cloned him,” Clark said, turning to the other Lois.
“God… not that guy again.”
“Well – he didn’t end up being such a bad guy after all,” said Clark, wistfully.
“Clark – he got fresh with me, AND he kidnapped me and used me as bait.”
“He said he was sorry,” Clark said in a small voice. “But you’re right… “
“So Lex cloned you, and the clone was a little dangerous?”
“He was childlike… and aggressive, but he kind of grew out of it. In the end, he did help stop Luthor.”
“This one seemed to get a kick out of the fact that he had hurt the mugger, and – he seemed to be enjoying my fear of him. I don’t think he’s going to turn out so good. He was really menacing.” She shuddered.
“Oh god. This isn’t looking good,” said the other Lois. “Looks like Luthor’s managed to incapacitate Clark, and replace him with his clone.”
“Clark is still alive,” offered up Herb. “I brought you two here in hopes you would help Lois.”
“Is this okay with you,” Clark asked his Lois.
“Of course! We have to help.”
“Will we be able to go back at the same time that we disappeared,” he asked Herb anxiously. “The… uh… some of the Kryptonians are holding my parents hostage,” he said, worriedly. “If I disappear, they might kill them, thinking I’ve run away.”
“Of course, of course… don’t worry. I’ll get you back in time.”
“You’re parents are being held hostage by Kryptonians,” Lois asked in horror.
“Yeah,” he said, expelling a worried sigh. “They are using them to try to get me to agree to charges of treason. It’s a long story,” he said. “One that probably can wait until we’ve rescued Clark.”
“Okay… and then – maybe I’ll share my story too,” she said uncomfortably. “I’m sure you’re wondering …”
“Only if you want to,” he said. “Please don’t do anything that causes you more pain.”
“Thanks… but what’s causing me pain right now, is that the man I love could be dying… afraid, and probably suffering. I can’t bear the thought. We have to find him!”
“We will.”
She looked at them, a worried expression on her face.
“So… what do we do about the clone? He thinks we have a date!”
“Why does he – “
“I had to tell him that to get him to let me go. He was all set to… to…” She grimaced. “He was all over me… and I had to fend him off – so I reminded him of our date… the one I had planned with Clark. He ought to be here around seven, so that doesn’t really give us a lot of time.” She shuddered as a shiver of dread shot through her.
“We’re here,” said Clark, trying to offer up some comfort. “We aren’t leaving, and we will protect you.” His voice was resolute.
“Lois? You said that Clark was on a charity date?” The other Lois was in investigative-mode.
“Yes. A super-model named Carissa. She’s been kind of hounding him.”
“Maybe she was an accessory to Clark's abduction.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Lois. “Clark had mentioned that she made him uncomfortable. I thought he was trying to make me feel better… I should have listened.”
“How about I try to contact him telepathically?”
“I’ve tried – and to no avail,” said Lois.
“Do you mind if I try?” His expression was apologetic. “Maybe my being Kryptonian will … “
“Oh – right – right… “ She shook her head. “Of course.”
He closed his eyes and concentrated. After a few moments, he opened his eyes, and looked troubled.
“Anything?”
“Um… I think… just a memory,” his face flushed a little in embarrassment. “Uh… he’s… I think a memory of him lying in your … uh – bed. If your bedroom is anything like Lois’s, that is…”
“He’s never been in my bed,” she said, turning pink. “He’s been in my room – but… is the vantage point really from a lying down position?”
“Yes.”
“He’s never been in my bed. But… Luthor had my apartment duplicated in his … he had this creepy – he called it the ark – an asteroid was going to hit the earth, and he had this thing built so that he would survive the impact. He…”
“He did that in our world too,” said Lois. “Ugh, and to think I was actually flattered.”
“You were flattered?” Her voice was incredulous.
“You weren’t, I take it?”
“Menaced, is a better word. Lex scares me badly.”
“With good reason,” sighed the other Lois. “In retrospect, the whole duplicate apartment thing is so creepy.”
“I felt so violated,” she said quietly. “He’d been in my place, touching my things. Horrible.”
“I guess I thought he was doing it out of… a desire to make things easier for me after the impact. But now that I know what he really was, I realize how utterly depraved it was.”
“I think I just looked at it differently because of my experiences… men with power scare me,” she said. “It took a long time for me not to be scared of Clark. But –the reason I brought this up is that … maybe that’s what you’re seeing, Clark. Maybe that’s where Luthor has him.”
“Then that’s our first stop,” said Clark.
“We still have to figure out what to do about the clone,” said the other Lois.
“We could wait for him to show up here, and then I could overpower him.”
“And then what? I mean – you can’t overpower him for long, and it’s not like you can kill him…”
“Good point.”
“Herb – can you send him into another world?”
“That seems most unwise.”
“Can we just try to go get Clark, and deal with the clone later?”
“He’ll be looking for her, fairly soon. He won’t stop until he finds her,” Clark said apologetically, noting how his words affected the Lois from this world.
“God… this is so much like – before,” she said, bleakly, sinking down on the couch and resting her head in her hands.
Clark looked at his Lois, uncertainty in his eyes. He hated to see her doppelganger in such pain, but he had no idea how to help her, or reassure her.
Lois shot him a reassuring look, and then she went over to where her doppelganger sat, and sat down next to her.
“Listen,” she said calmly. “We have no idea what you’ve been through, and we aren’t trying to minimize it in any way. But we are here… and we won’t let anyone hurt you. Clark won’t let anyone hurt you. You aren’t alone in this, okay? We are committed to finding Clark and bringing him back safely. As far as this clone – we’ll find a way to take care of him.”
Lois looked up and looked at the other-Lois bleakly.
“But how,” she cried softly.
“I don’t yet – “ There was a knock at the door, and they all looked up apprehensively.
“I don’t think – the clone would come to the door,” whispered Lois nervously.
“It’s a woman,” said Clark quickly. “She’s got long blonde hair, she’s really slender, and looks to be about six feet tall. Very elegant and beautiful.”
“Carissa! It must be Carissa!”
“The woman he went on the charity date with? This is good – maybe she knows what happened!”
“Or maybe she’s come here to harm Lois,” warned Clark. “If she had anything to do with this – she might be a threat.”
“Lets hide,” said the other Lois. “Come on… we’ll be in there,” she said, indicating the bedroom. “We’ll be waiting – if she tries anything, we’ll be right out in a jiffy. Okay?”
Lois nodded, hastily brushing the wetness from her eyes. Her doppelganger seemed to be in control, so capable. It was like having an older sister. Part of her felt weak and stupid for letting the other Lois take charge like this, but another part of her recognized that she desperately needed this right now.
Lois and Clark went into the bedroom, and as they did, she heard Clark mutter to Lois: ‘No funny stuff, darling.’ She saw Lois gently elbow him in the ribs, and she felt a sudden surge of longing for her Clark. I want someone to banter with.
She composed herself for a brief second, and then she opened the door.
“May I help you?”
Carissa rushed in, and slammed the door behind her, fear evident in her movements. The woman had been crying, and looked like she hadn’t slept.
Lois uncharitably wished for a camera right now. I’d love to get this picture on the front page of the gossip rags.
“What do you think you’re doing,” she asked in mock-indignation.
“Look. I need your help. Lois Lane … I – I really need your help!! “
“What’s wrong? What’s happened? Is this about Clark – do you know where he is?” She dropped all pretense and got to the point.
“I think I’ve killed him,” she wailed, and gave into the tears that she had been holding at bay. “Oh god…”
“Okay. Okay. Start from the beginning. What happened?”
“I… I – I’m going to go to jail for this,” she whimpered. “I can’t go to jail. I can’t!”
“Look. Whatever it is- I promise – I’ll help you- if you just tell me what’s going on. What did you do? Where’s Clark?”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I know you two have been seen together. I – I wanted him, Lois. I thought he was mine –and then- he just didn’t seem interested. I was able to fool myself into thinking he might not find earth women attractive – but then – he was seen with you – and the rumors were flying – and… well – I – I …”
“You… you what?”
“One of the makeup artists that I work with had an assistant, and she told me that she could help me. She told me that she knew of a substance that would make someone fall in love – a chemical substance. Like a love potion. She sold me some, and I was supposed to put it in his drink and then some in my drink as well. It was supposed to make him fall in love with me. But it didn’t. I gave it to him, and he ended up losing consciousness.”
“Where were you?”
“I arranged for exclusive use of my favorite restaurant. We were alone – and then – he passed out… I didn’t know what to do – I was panicking, and then – somebody grabbed me, and injected me with something. It was dark, and I couldn’t see… and then, I lost consciousness. I woke up alone.”
“Oh my god!”
“I think I killed him!!! Somebody set me up – but I don’t know who, and now – now – he’s … he’s probably dead!”
“Did you drink this stuff too?”
“No… at the last minute, I decided I’d give it to him first, and see if he fell in love with me without my taking it. If it didn’t work, I figured I’d take it. I was afraid that it might somehow affect my looks,” she said, looking down. “I’ve heard horror stories of how other models have agreed to backroom anti-aging treatments, only to end up permanently disfigured. I couldn’t take the chance…”
“But you were willing to give it to him,” she said, her voice icy and pained.
“I – I was desperate. I love him so much! I just didn’t think I could stand another day without him!”
“I know how you feel,” she muttered, despite herself.
“You love him?”
“It’s not important. Wait… didn’t you see Superman at all today? He was out … stopping a robbery – I’m surprised you didn’t.”
“Oh god! Thank god – that means he’s okay!! I assumed – I just woke up – and came directly here. I assumed that – that he must have been abducted – that it was some kind of setup! Why would someone go to the trouble of knocking me out – “
“It’s not him,” said Lois hastily. “I ran into him. Whoever… whatever – he’s not Clark.”
“That’s impossible,” she wailed, regaining her hysterical state.
“Do you still have more of the chemical?”
“Yes – the stuff I didn’t take.”
“Is it equal to the dose you gave him?”
“Yes, but why? How can this help us?”
“We can use it against his imposter. If it knocked Clark out, it may well have an effect on his clone.”
“His clone? Did you say clone?”
“Yes. I think someone cloned Clark.”
“But – but that’s impossible!”
“Nothing would surprise me at this point,” she said. “Look – the clone is coming here soon – he thinks we have a date. You have to get out of here – lay low. I’m going to have to get ready for this date, and – “
“Where can I go,” she wailed. “Wherever I go – I’m going to be in danger!”
“Whoever did this could have killed you – but they didn’t.”
“But maybe the chemical also contained poison for humans – maybe it would have killed me if I took it – and it would have looked like suicide.”
“Good point,” she said. “But you can’t stay here. He’ll find you – I need him to not be suspicious. I need him to drink the wine when I offer it to him – wine laced with this chemical.”
“Where can I go,” she asked, panicking.
“If you want Clark back, you’re going to have to comply,” she said, in exasperation.
Later, after she finally got the frightened woman to leave, Lois and Clark emerged from her bedroom.
“This is a bad idea,” said Clark.
“It’s a great idea,” said Lois.
“Lois! She’s setting herself up as … as… bait. This is really dangerous. I’m sorry – it’s just a bad idea.”
“Says you,” said Lois sweetly. “But you always say that about my more… dangerous schemes. Usually my ideas are good ideas that pan out in the end.”
“That nearly get you killed.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that you’re here, then, isn’t it?”
“Lois!”
“Clark! We have to get that stuff into the clone. He’s not going to be suspecting anything, and he doesn’t know enough about their relationship to suspect anything’s wrong when she gives him wine to drink. Lois – this is a good idea… but are you sure you’re up to doing it?” She said this, as she took in her doppelganger’s frightened appearance.
“No,” she laughed mirthlessly. “I am anything but ready for this.” She expelled a frightened breath. “But I have no choice. Clark needs me. We have to do this.”
“I … I could do it for you…” She looked at Clark warily as she said this. As expected, his expression became alive with horror and refusal.
Lois caught the interchange. This was her problem, and she couldn’t put these two through additional hell. They were already doing so much for her as is, and finding Clark would surely involve personal danger on both their ends.
“I’m okay,” she said with a firmness she had to fake. “Come on – I have a date to prepare for.”
“Lois,” said Clark. “I promise you. I won’t let things get out of control. I’m right here, okay?”
Nervousness squeezed her heart as she looked at him. Just how out of control can things get here? She nodded, not really feeling the reassurance he was clearly hoping she would feel.
She turned to look at her twin.
“The clone… in your world… did … did he… “
“He got fresh,” she said. “But… Clark burst in and saved the day – and in the end, he wasn’t such a bad person after all.”
“We won’t let him hurt you,” said Clark again. “I can’t imagine how scary this is for you, but remember- we’ll be here.”
“But you can’t be here,” she said. “He’ll see you. Or he’ll sense you... he’ll hear your heartbeat.”
“Fine. I’ll be nearby… out there,” he said, indicating outside.
“And where will I be," asked the other Lois.
“Uh… someplace safe…?”
“Not on your life.”
“Lois,” he said, exasperated.
“Clark.”
“Fine. We’ll be out there.”
“And I’ll just pop out of this dimension for a while,” said Herb.
An hour later, she waited nervously for him to arrive. She smoothed down the silky fabric of her dress, as she sought to keep calm. The wine was already poured and waiting, and she stood, holding the glass, trying to make it seem like some kind of regular ritual.
Her heart tightened in terror as she saw the familiar red, blue and yellow of his costume. He looked so much like Kal-El, and even his body language failed to soothe her. If anything, it made her even more afraid. This man was dangerous, and if he knew what she was up to, he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her.
He flew in, and took in her appearance.
“Glad to see you followed my orders,” he said, in a voice meant to be teasing.
She shivered at his words. I can’t do this!
She forced a smile on her nervous lips, and roundly scolded herself into standing her ground.
“I… I have your wine- just as always,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
“Oh… like always?”
“Like you like it…”
Sudden fear gripped her. What if Lex had been spying on them? What if he knew that Lois and Clark never shared wine like this. What if the clone knew that she was lying through her teeth? What if he was just playing with her. She waited tensely for him to call her on it.
<I know you’re lying, Slave. I always know when you’re lying.>
She forced thoughts of Kal back into the dimmer recesses of her mind and kept her eyes locked on his.
I’m doing this for Clark. I love Clark. He needs me. He’s in trouble.
The clone approached her slowly, enjoying the slight flash of fear in her eyes. Lois was probably used to a much milder mannered lover, but he couldn’t bring himself to play it that way. He liked the little hint of fear in her eyes. Soon, when he took over… he’d see that in everyone’s eyes, and that was as it should be.
He gripped the glass, deliberately letting his fingers brush against hers. He lifted it up to his lips, keeping his gaze locked on hers. Her lips were so mesmerizing. He had to kiss her. Idly, he placed the glass down, and then, he pulled her close against him.
She tried hard not to cringe from him.
Lois and Clark are nearby. They won’t let anything happen.
His lips crushed against hers, and she fought against her gag reflex. She forced herself to fake a response so that he wouldn’t get suspicious, all the while, wishing she could get as far away from him as possible. Her body was trembling wildly, and she hoped that he would think it was desire. If this clone were young, perhaps it was also inexperienced, and wouldn’t really be able to read her body language. As this thought
occurred to her, it also gave her an idea. She would pretend to be inexperienced, in order to fend him off.
His hands started to move roughly on her body, and she gripped his hands frantically, trying to still them.
He stepped away a little and looked at her, cold arrogance in his eyes. It was obvious he didn’t like her resistance.
“Lois? What are you doing?”
“I- uh… I – I … well – Clark… you know that I’m … inexperienced,” she gasped out. “You know how this kind of thing still kind of makes me nervous… maybe if I had some wine.”
“Here,” he said, lifting his glass and tipping it against her lips. “Have mine.”
“Oh… but – I thought you didn’t like to share,” she burst out frantically. “And that’s the last of the vintage that you really like. I’ll open a different one for me,” she said. “I saved the best for you. After all, you deserve it – after all that you do for us!”
That sounded right. He didn’t like to share. And he did deserve the best. He deserved worship from these pathetic and puny people. Might was right, and he would be their god.
She stepped away, and he saw her move to open another bottle of wine. He watched her movements lazily, enjoying the play of her curves under the tight dark-red silk. She was gorgeous, and if she were also truly inexperienced, he would enjoy being the first… and only… to have her… tonight. It made sense now that she was afraid.
She looked up at him to see what he was doing, and the unfettered lust in his expression nearly sent her into a full-blown panic attack. God, I can’t do this! Somebody help me get through this!
She poured herself a glass with a shaky hand.
Forcing a smile on her stiff features, she walked over to him, and held up her glass. “Cheers,” she asked, forcing her voice to sound a little husky.
“Cheers,” he murmured back, clinking his glass against hers.
Her heart leapt. God – he could have broken our wine glasses. And then what?
Oblivious to her panic, his gaze locked on hers. He lifted his glass to his lips and drank down its contents.
She drank down hers as well, keeping her eyes directly on his, fearing that if she broke eye contact, he would somehow escape the effect of the drug.
He tossed the glass down carelessly, and then he pulled her glass from her trembling grip, and tossed that aside as well.
“Relaxed enough?” His voice was slightly edged with mockery as he pulled her close again.
She squeezed her eyes shut as his lips descended down again, and her heart was beating wildly. Why wasn’t he –
Her wild thoughts broke off as he stepped away from her, gasping. He looked at her, rage in his eyes, and she suddenly was pushed down to the ground. A bolt of heat vision shot over her head, and then she saw him drop to the ground, unconscious.
She first looked down at him, trying to calm her wildly beating heart. After a long moment, she looked upwards at the man who was kneeling beside her.
“Did I hurt you?” His voice was urgent and apologetic.
“No,” she gasped. “You… thank you… you… saved my life,” she gasped.
He stood up, and helped her up as he did so. She didn’t flinch from the contact. Like Clark, he was nothing like Lord Kal – or even this clone.
“That was close,” gasped the other Lois.
“I didn’t think he was going to drink the damn thing,” said Clark. “That almost didn’t work!”
“But it did work,” said the other Lois. She looked over at her twin, and then said the first thing that popped into her mind. “You look nice,” she said, amazed by the dress. God, am I that beautiful? Maybe I should grow back my hair? She stole a look at Clark to see if he was struck by her twin as well.
Clark did not appear overly affected by Lois’s dress. Rather, he seemed a bit agitated by the events of the evening. She stepped over and placed a hand on his arm.
“It’s okay, honey.”
Lois watched them wistfully. I want Clark.
“I should change,” she said. “And then… we go find Clark?”
She went into her room, and quickly changed. She came out, and eyed the clone fearfully.
“Let’s just go,” said Clark. “If it was Kryptonite, it’ll be a while before it leaves his system.”
“Right. Lets get out of here.”
“Do we drive… do we fly…?”
“Both,” said Lois firmly. “We’ll need the car, to escape. If Clark is doped up with Kryptonite, then Clark won’t be able to pick him up to fly him out of there. Clark – you can fly us and her car together… okay?”
“Sounds like a good idea. Are you okay with that?”
She looked at him, appreciating his asking her opinion.
“Oh… sorry,” said the other Lois. “I keep taking over, don’t I?”
“I don’t care! I just want Clark back. It’s fine with me. Let’s go!”
[tbc]
