Kal felt himself slogging through a wasteland of darkness that tried to hold him back, as if he were stuck in some thick, invisible sap that weighed down every movement he attempted to make.
Oh dear. Did he get sent to some Steven Kingequse afterlife?
In fact, the monotony was so intense, so completely uniform that after a while, he began to wonder if he was actually moving at all, or if he was somehow stuck in place, like some unseen treadmill.
Maybe he’s stuck in a sensory deprivation chamber as punishment for running away? And attacking Nor (a fellow noble) without provocation.
silently pleading for some shred of evidence that his loved ones were safe.
Well, they’re not here with him in the afterlife. So, either they’ve gone to Kryptonian Heaven or they’re still alive. Or afterlife is unlike anything the holy books have talked about.
Eventually, he felt his entire body grow lighter, and his feet seemed to lift right off the ground, though there was no way of knowing for sure.
Is he in suspended hibernation, on his way to Earth?
He felt relieved too, as if his body were floating to the surface after spending too much time underwater. Up and up he went, faster and faster until at last he felt that surely he could not go any higher.
Will he die of nitrogen poisoning?
he came to realize that that wasn't where he was now. Gradually, he became aware of the feather softness beneath him; a warm, comfortable bed.
They’re not allowed to try a noble man without him being healthy and strong.
He was greeted with a tightly balled mass of purring orange fur.
So, back at Lux Manor, since Nor had Fasa stolen, too. Also, I do keep imagining Garfield. Is that bad?
Beyond the sleeping cat, Kal could see the large windows in the chamber.
I just realized. With his being lower than the curtain walls, or the trees surrounding the palace, Kal has had a very limited view of the world until he snuck out for the first time.
The moons were the wrong shapes. And the stars were in the wrong positions.
Earth? Other side of Krytpon? Fortress of Solitude in the Lonesome Mountains?
There was no way this was the same night.
he’s quite observant for someone recovering from a concussion. Even if he spent his youth counting stars instead of playing with concubines.
She was slumped forward, her upper torso sprawled across the thick emerald green comforter.
Oh dear, they killed her and left her body for Kal to find!
She was slumped forward, her upper torso sprawled across the thick emerald green comforter.
No wonder he’s feeling so crappy. He’s covered in Kryptonite threads.
At last, he attained his goal. His hand brushed her soft cheek, felt the warmth of her perfect skin.
Awwww
Kal winced against the volume of Lois' cry. He'd had headaches before, but none quite like this.
See? A loud-voiced Lois is worse than a handover.
He wondered how badly he'd been injured in the fight with Nor.
He’s non-functioning from the waist down.
But his thoughts scattered as, one after another, as his family entered the room. Jor-El, Ching, Zara, Jai, even Samm Lyne
Where’s Luci? Oh, right. She’s taking care of her own husband.
They all filed into his room, each of them looking as though the weight of the world had just been lifted from their shoulders.
Nah, they just want to know who won the bet.
He patted his father's back with his good hand, trying to dispel the last of the Supreme Lord's worries.
And at last, Jor-El truly believed that his son would be fit enough again to stand trial.
"Here," Samm said, offering him a small white pill. "Take this. It should help some."
Oooooh! Milk of the Poppy, coagulated and pressed into form.
"Your skull is fractured," Jor-El said, sitting down in the chair Lois had been sound asleep in.
Yeah, this version seems to have a much less thick skull than our Clark.
"And some of the ligaments in your knee were torn."
/imagines leg nearly torn off at the knee.
All the scans I did couldn't tell us much, in terms of whether your brain had suffered any injuries itself.
Brain? Right, this is is said to have one.
I thought I could handle Nor on my own."
And he would have, had he brought a gun to a fist fight.
"We're fine. Ruce took a bullet in his shoulder, but he's fine.
/imagines scene from The Jackal with Bruce Willies./ But this time, it’s just a flesh wound.
"It really wasn't that big of a deal," she protested.
"Are you kidding?" Zara asked, beaming proudly at her surrogate sister.
Hush, Zara. Lois just got Kal to see her as a sweet wife and sexual being. Don’t want to tear open old wounds of her being an amazon.
"I couldn't just leave you to fight Nor all on your own," Lois said, her words spilling out in a rush.
She wanted to have fun, too.
"What about Bil's men? Did they...did they get out safely?"
Samm and Jor-El exchanged a weighted look. Neither one seemed willing to speak.
Not all of them. We’re still looking through Biter’s stomach to figure out just who got eaten and who deserted.
He thought that maybe it already had, as he saw Lois fairly beam with pride at her father's words.
Duh! She saved her important husband and thus her marriage.
"I feel kind of like a robot."
/whispers/ Cyborg.
. She and the guards went into your rooms, only to find that you were not there. She came to me in a panic."
That’s why he should have left a note that he and Ruce went to town to have some fun.
"Dad," Kal said after a moment of silence. "I'm so sorry. You gave me direct orders to stay within my chambers. I went and deliberately disobeyed you.
That’s right. That’s…that’s…*treason*! He’s going to be going away for a long time.
They acted rashly and they got themselves caught.
So, culling the herd?
"And Lux planned to kill you and take Lois as his own wife."
See? Lois would have been safe. She’d have been the next Supreme Lady of Krytpon.
To imagine that...that sadistic criminal being married to Lois was enough to make Kal ill.
Now now, Kal. There’s no proof of Lux being sadistic. And he has not yet been convicted, so it’s *alleged* criminal.
"Lux and his sons are safely locked away in the city jail, under heavy guard.
/imagines wooden shack with rotten walls, guarded by someone like Dogberry.
"And Jen Mai?" Kal asked. "He was there, at Lux Manor. I saw him. Did we get him too?"
“Yes. He told us everything. Can you imagine? He was there *undercover* helping us all the time. He even told us that he pointed the two of you in the right direction. Good thing he recognized you despite all the makeup. We’re going to promote him to Chief of the Elders for his service.”
yea! That Kal's not dead! Thank you for not making us sit through the 4 day vigil and cut straight to Kal's recovery. Ooooh. Lois finally got to feed Kal soup. About time, he's been asking for it since the Rao festival! Of course, with Lois cooking, it probably took all this time for Jon Ken to teach Lois how to make Krypton Chicken soup. Krypton chickens have blue feathers, that's how you can tell them apart from the Earth chickens. 
Right? And red frills and feet and yellow beaks?
)
I like it!
Sorry. But I *am* trying to write some other fics. As I mentioned on ff.net, I've begun to write Specimen S and I do have another fic that I want to read again, polish, and get off to a beta-reader.
Oh wow! Thanks so much, Sydney! That really means a lot. I loved working on this chapter. I really liked having the opportunity to explore more of Jor-El and Kal's relationship, since so much of the story doesn't really get to showcase it. So it was great to be able to write a private moment between them. And I enjoyed writing some quiet, Waffy moments for Lois and Kal to enjoy together.
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/boese/a037.gif)