Hearts United
TOC part 7
by Pam Jernigan
The stars had been bright when viewed from the terrace of his ship, but it was nothing compared to this. They were positively dazzling. Kal turned slightly, using his special vision to locate the asteroid, then began moving in that direction.
He was relieved to find that the lack of gravity hadn't impaired his flying ability at all, a worry which had only occurred after he'd taken off. He wasn't sure how these powers worked, after all. But however they worked, they were still working.
Through the bitter cold of vacuum, he still felt warmth where the direct sunlight hit him. It seemed almost... invigorating. He glanced back at Earth's sun. It was a bright and cheery yellow, brighter than the duller red of New Krypton's star. As he recalled, the "Lois and Clark: the Adventures of Superman" novel had mentioned something about Superman getting powers from the sun. The author *must* have known a Kryptonian, somehow.
Just chalk another thing up to the mysteries of the universe, he supposed, turning to look outward again. The asteroid was still only a small speck, blotting out the view of only a few stars. He added a little speed. The sense of her presence had gone, and he wanted to regain it as quickly as possible. Even though she'd put on a brave face, he knew Lois would be worrying about him. The sooner he returned to her, the better.
He could see more of the asteroid, now, as he got closer. He adjusted the breathing regulator to test the air tanks. Fresh oxygen emerged; good, the pressure hadn't ruined anything. He hadn't run out of air yet, but why take chances? He filled his lungs, and let himself breathe every few minutes.
Nightfall was very large, he could see that. Definitely a planet-killer, he thought, and shivered. He'd seen recorded images of Krypton falling apart; it was not something he ever wanted to see in person.
Come to think of it... if he'd delayed much longer on New Krypton, he would have arrived just in time to see Lois's world destroyed. He shuddered, and offered up heartfelt thanks to any deities who might be listening.
He poured on a little more speed. The asteroid grew bigger, blotting out more stars, but didn't seem to be getting any closer. Then he realized he'd misjudged the distance; with no scale for comparison out in the vacuum of space, he'd assumed it was a lot smaller and closer, instead of just looking small at a great distance.
It began to occur to him that this might not be quite as easy as he'd thought.
Still, the principle remained. An object in motion remains in motion until acted upon by an outside force. He was merely adding that outside force. He was still invulnerable; in fact, the sunlight seemed to be boosting his energy just a bit. He put his fists together in front of him, flying head-on toward the rock.
A few endless moments passed, then with shocking suddenness, the rock filled his vision and he was very close to it. Traveling very fast. Despite himself, he ducked his head between his two outstretched arms, and braced for impact.
****
Lois woke abruptly, shaking from the aftermath of her nightmare. She didn't remember much, other than the huge approaching asteroid slamming into her. She took a few deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. It wasn't any sort of connection to Kal; he would have been far beyond their range. It didn't mean anything. She was worried about Nightfall, was all; she didn't need any dream specialist to tell her that.
As she waited for her heart rate to slow, she realized that she could feel Kal's presence again. He was back! And alive, if not immediately in the apartment. The relief was so profound it almost left her gasping, and she laughed shakily at her own theatrics.
Of course he was back safely; it had been silly of her to ever worry about it.
Truly relaxed for the first time since his departure, she pushed herself up onto her pillow part-way, to await his return. As she waited, she let her mind wander. With Nightfall out of the way, the most momentous thing they had to worry about was planning a wedding. They weren't having a fancy affair, but they could still dress up. She smiled sleepily, her eyes closing to savor the mental image of Kal in a black tux. Her thoughts grew fuzzier, her eyes heavier, and she surrendered to a peaceful sleep.
****
The first thing he was aware of was confusion. His head felt groggy, and a gray fog muffled thought and sensation alike. He opened his eyes. It was dark, and he seemed to be in a hole of some kind. There were scattered patches of light above him, illuminating a few decrepit buildings, but he didn't recognize any of them. He felt a stirring of wind, and realized that he was naked.
"Hey buddy, you okay?"
He jerked his head up to see someone standing at the edge of the hole. It was a man every bit as decrepit as the buildings around him, and just as unrecognizable. "Uh... I guess so." The fog was parting, ever so slowly, but still hiding much more than it revealed. The words coming out of his mouth sounded strange and unfamiliar in his ears.
"Well, you can't go round naked," the man pronounced. He turned away from the hole for a moment, turned back and tossed down a bundle.
The bundle revealed itself to be a shirt and pair of pants, and he donned them gratefully. At least he wasn't cold. "Um, thanks."
"Just give 'em back when you're done. I'm Jed."
"Jed," he repeated. "Okay. And I'm..." He stopped, unable to continue. His name was still lost in the gray mists of his mind.
"Hey, don't tell me if you don't want to," Jed offered, shrugging. "You gonna stay down there all night?"
Reminded of his surroundings, he made his way up to the street level, then stood, at a loss. "I... don't know where to go."
Jed frowned at him. "Well, I ain't leaving you here. C'mon to the shelter with me; they'll feed ya, anyway."
"I guess." There was a nagging sense that he was supposed to be somewhere in particular, *with* someone in particular, but all the details were still lost in the gray fog. With a shrug, he followed Jed toward the shelter. It seemed as good a destination as any.
****
When Lois next woke, the sunlight was filtering into her bedroom, and she was surprised to find that Kal wasn't with her in bed. She closed her eyes, checking the bond. His fire seemed to be damped down, or something, but he was probably just sleeping -- she hadn't ever paid attention to what the bond would feel like when he was sleeping. There was no need for her to worry. Flying millions of miles ought to be enough to tire anyone, even him. She dragged herself out of bed, reaching for a robe to throw on over her pajamas.
Why hadn't he come to bed with her? After last night, she'd thought he would understand how comforting that would have been. Still, the important thing was that he was still alive, and somewhere nearby. She hurried out to the living room, unable to banish her worries, needing to feel his arms around her. "Kal?"
The living room was empty, the sofas un-slept on. The first stirrings of panic gripped her gut. She frowned, and rechecked the bond. She was still learning to interpret the nuances of color and heat, but it was definitely still there, which meant he was back. So why wasn't he here?
There must be some reasonable explanation. There had to be. On cue, the phone rang, and she lunged for it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Lois, it's Brenda. How's things?"
Lois sat down abruptly. "Not so good, Bren. He's back, but he's not here, and there's no note or anything..."
Brenda seemed to do a good job of interpreting that. "Hold on, girl; we're coming over."
****
The shelter was fairly quiet, as they geared up for another day, but they were already serving breakfast, cafeteria-style. Following Jed's lead, he picked up a tray and stood in the short line.
"The food ain't that good," Jed confided. "But it's hot. And we're in luck today; we got the pep squad serving it."
He looked down and across the counter. He saw three young women handing out various plates; they seemed rather dour for a pep squad. "Why do you call them that?"
"Oh, they're just all idealistic about stuff. Can't be a day over twenty-one, but think they know all the secrets of the universe. I just ignore 'em." True to his word, Jed shuffled forward and collected a tray of food without making any eye contact.
When he moved up to take his turn, he realized that the woman pouring the coffee was staring at him. She seemed harmless enough, in a baggy dress and braided hair. He smiled politely before focusing on the food again.
She frowned at him. "Kal?"
He looked up sharply. "You ... know me?"
"Well, yeah, sort of. I'm Kari."
"Oh. Hi." He tried to decide what to say. He hesitated to give away too much information and expose his vulnerability.
"I'm a friend of Melanie's," Kari explained, sounding impatient with him now. "I don't suppose you know where she is, do you?"
"Um..." Did he know a Melanie? And was his name Kal? It sounded vaguely familiar.
Kari rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, I forgot, it's a state secret or something."
He tried to figure out what that meant. "Uh... a state secret?"
"No, never mind, forget I asked. Here." She thrust a mug of coffee at him, splashing it a bit into the air.
Deftly, he reached out to take control of it and place it safely on his tray. "Thanks. Um... I'm sorry, I'm not trying to keep secrets. It's just... well, I can't remember much of anything. I was wondering if you might be able to help me."
****
"Where is he?" Lois paced around her living room, looking tired. "I've been calling everyone I know, getting the word out that he's missing, but so far no one knows anything."
"Did you talk to Big Louie?" Brenda asked. "Cause I could..."
Lois waved the offer away. "He was the first one I called. I tried to act like this was just a normal missing persons case for me, but I don't think he bought it. I've been trying everyone else I can think of, too -- which was a short list, but I couldn't just *sit* here..."
"Calm down, honey," Francine said soothingly. "You said he's okay, right? So don't worry about it. I'm sure there's some reason he hasn't got here yet."
"Yeah, Lois," Brenda chimed in, "he's probably just pulling a cat out of a tree or something."
Francine frowned repressively at her, then turned back. "He's a big boy, Lois. He can take care of himself."
"So then where *is* he?"
"You said you could *feel* him?"
"Yeah, Brenda, it's a telepathy thing -- probably empathy is a better term, because we can't talk to each other -- but anyway, I know he's alive, and I'm pretty sure he's somewhere in Metropolis. I just don't know where."
"Hey, as long as he's alive and on this planet, you can work anything out."
"I hope you're right--" Lois was interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone. She grabbed the receiver. "Lois Lane." She listened intently for a moment, looking impatient. "I'm fine, thanks. What do you know?" She scribbled something that Francine couldn't see on a piece of notebook paper. "I'll check it out. Yeah, please do."
She hung up the phone with an expression of guarded hope and turned back to her friends. "That was one of my contacts. Apparently a fireball crashed near West River last night. I've got the address." With quick efficient movements, she unlocked her deadbolts and opened her door. "Come on, let's go!"
With a shrug towards Brenda, Francine followed her out the door.
****
Gwen Porter frowned over her Accounts Receivable spreadsheet. Running the practice all by herself meant not having to pay salaries or worry about any staff's loyalties, but it also meant she had to do everything. And there were currently more accounts with balances due than not. Really, she ought to consider implanting post-hypnotic suggestions for people to pay her bill promptly. It wasn't strictly ethical, but it strongly appealed to her all the same. She would only be encouraging people to do what they'd already agreed to do, after all. Chances were, no one would catch her at it. She jotted down a note to herself.
She was adding up a long series of numbers when the phone rang. She groaned, tried to finish her calculations quickly, then lost her place and swore quietly. She picked up the phone on the third ring. "Dr. Porter."
"Porter. High Alert."
She rolled her eyes. Would it kill him to say hello? "What is it?"
"We've got possible alien activity."
All sense of pique vanished. "Tell me."
"Early this morning, a small meteorite -- suspiciously small and fast -- entered the Earth's atmosphere. It may have landed somewhere in Metropolis; it was too small to track with any accuracy. We need to discover whether or not this was the beginning of an alien invasion."
Gwen considered that. "Splashy misdirection? But why bother, since they can visit without being detected?"
"Maybe they needed to bring in some special equipment. I don't know. I want to know. Ask around. If you hear anything interesting, report it back to me."
"Right." There were a few people she could call. "I'll see what I can do."
"See that you do. Trask out."
****
Kari studied the man across the counter from her. Was he making fun of her? No, that didn't make sense. And he did look a little confused. "Okay. Let's go sit."
Leaving Glenda and Erica to mind the cafeteria line, she directed Kal to an empty table. "What do you remember?"
He shrugged, flashing a beautiful smile. "Not much of anything, I'm afraid. Did you say my name was Kal?"
"I always thought it was short for Calvin," Kari offered. "But I've only ever heard people call you Kal."
"What people?" He leaned forward hungrily.
"Um..." Kari tried to remember. She'd spent some time at the Metro Club, hanging around waiting for Melanie, but hadn't really paid much attention. There was something about him... a nagging sense that she'd seen him somewhere besides the Metro Club, but she couldn't pin it down. And the club had been closed for weeks, so how was she supposed to find anyone who knew him? "I'm not sure."
He sank back into his seat, looking defeated.
Kari's heart went out to him. "The only people I know who *might* know you would be these two dancers," she offered reluctantly, still hoping to find some other solution. "Mel never knew much of anything about you, though, so I doubt they would."
"Mel?"
"My friend, Melanie." She made a face. "She just *disappeared,* weeks ago. I think Brenda and Francine know where she is, but they never liked me or Melanie, and they won't *tell* me anything." She'd had to accept that, but it didn't mean she ever had to speak to them again.
"Never mind." Kari tried to concentrate on the problem at hand. "Maybe I should take you to a police station."
There was no mistaking the look of alarm that flashed across his face. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
He shifted in his seat. "I... don't know."
Well, Kari figured any regular patron at the Metro Club might have good reason to avoid the police. She was sympathetic to that, so she wouldn't push him. Especially now that she'd thought of a better plan. "You need some professional help -- and luckily for you, I know a really great hypno-therapist."
tbc
