As always, all feedback welcomed.

Nice twist! Totally didn't see that one coming!

Good one. I so totally did not expect that.

I did wonder how it would play out.
* Would Wells get the powers instead of Tempus?
* Would the device simply blow up?
So, what did Wells do different than the Newtrich sisters?

Michael

Yea! Lynn, revenge on Tempus always fun! I can't understand Wells actually listening to Tempus or building him any sort of device at all though, not after the man keeps wreaking havoc all the time.

Wonder what the reference to the Congo had to do with anything? Was this alt-Clark? Did Tempus disguise himself as alt-Lois? No, that doesn't work, because Superman said "sir" and because Alt-Clark isn't Superman when Lois disappears in the Congo. Confusion...

One last question about this line:

If Tempus stole Superman's powers, i.e. like the Newtrich sisters, wouldn't that mean that Superman was no longer super? And now poor Clark Kent is stuck in the Congo with a dead man and no way to get home? And because Tempus died of Earth poisoning, there is no way to zap him again and give Superman back his powers.

Or am I overthinking this? Probably.

Enjoyed the story, Lynn.

I'm glad that the ending succeeded in being a surprise.

Virginia, sorry for the confusion. This is alt-Clark, after 'our' Lois showed him how to be Superman. By that time, alt-Clark would have recognized Tempus; hence the villain's need of a disguise. It only needed to be effective for a few seconds, and Tempus (rightly) figured that unless alt-Clark had had a reason to do so, he wouldn't have used his special vision to see through the disguise. Alt-Clark said, 'Sir' to be polite; Tempus' disguise (whatever it was) was effective.

The story took place in alt-Metropolis. I had only mentioned Lois being lost in the Congo to clue the reader into the fact that this was the alt-universe.

Tempus 'convinced' Wells at gunpoint to design the mechanism. Wells has shown himself willing to do just about anything Tempus tells him to, provided that Tempus is pointing a weapon at him. He might protest, but he will comply. This time, he decided to comply, but in a way he knew would be detrimental to Tempus.

The reason it took me so long to write such a short story (I had had the idea for over a week before I started typing) was because I wanted this to have a humorous ending, and so I didn't want to kill anyone in it, not even Tempus. I left it very open-ended about what happens next: Does Tempus die? Is alt-Clark permanently powerless? Or (as is my take on it), does alt-Clark figure out what is up, use the device to reverse the process and regain his powers after Tempus passes out but while he is yet alive, and then immediately destroy the device and take Tempus captive? (I imagine that Tempus would still be wanted by the police because of his actions in his previous visit to alt-Metropolis.)

Did that clear up all of your questions?

Joy,
Lynn

Very clever! Enjoyed this- though I had to read the last line twice (foggy brain from getting no sleep last night) about the home planet allergy... *wait for the delayed reaction*

Perfect! What a great way to give Tempus a sucker punch!

Yes, Thank you. I must have been quite tired when I read it because I missed by the quotes around "convinced" and the entire line:

Which explained the Congo reference better. Sorry. It was me, not you.

Glad to hear the alt-Superman not stuck in the Congo with dead Tempus and no super powers. That would have been horrible indeed.

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Next time I will read more carefully.

Hi Virginia,

*Whew* Glad my story wasn't so unintelligible that it needed an explanation nearly as long as the story itself.

No harm done. Actually, it was a relief in another way -- you know from first-hand experience that I have asked some questions stemming from exhaustion-induced-poor-processing. I'm relieve to know I'm not the only one.

I hope you get a rejuvenating night's sleep.

Joy,
Lynn

Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

Happygirl, I don't think I've ever been the recipient of happy-devil graemlins before.

Glad you enjoyed the story.

Joy,
Lynn

Cute tale. somehow I missed it until it hit the archive .

You do realize it cries out for a sequel, after all you left a powerless Superman with a dead body and no explanation for the police.

Since Clark is powerless no one, especially the Police, will believe he is Superman.

I wonder what the autopsy will show? Radiation damage? That might get folks thinking the guy in the Superman suit has something to do with Terrorists.

Assuming that the transfer happen as with the lightning in time Clark's body will recharge, in time. But Clark does not know if his powers will ever return.

You said this is AltClark, if this happen just days after his exposure as Superman, interest in Superman might die down.

Of course the military will want to learn how Clark was able to pull off his "hoax" of having super powers.

If they believe he is an alien they might want to "study" him.

With both the device and Clark in police custody all sorts of complications can arise.

With his parents dead, his relationship with Lana over, he has no one to speak up for him. Yes indeed, life could get real interesting for Clark Kent.

Assuming Tempus did away with Lex Luthor, then Luthor's empire is likely beginning to crumble. Thus we can expect all sorts of villeins to arise, and no Superman or reporting team of "Lois & CLark" to put a stop to them.

Might be a very good time for alt-Lois to return from the Congo.

Hi Patrick,

You have some interesting ideas. If your muse is so inspired, feel free to run with them. Unfortunately, my must tends to eschew sequels. More than once I have asked her for one and her reply was , "We'll see." But then she would never get back to me after that, even if I queried her about it in the future.

I'm pleased that you enjoyed the story enough to wonder what happens next.

Thanks for the feedback. :-)

Joy,
Lynn

Sadly I don't write well. So muse of no muse, no tale.