This story is reminding me more and more of "The Count of Monte Cristo".

Hmmm, if more parallels continue between this and "Purgatory", Lois will marry Lex, and they'll have a son, who doesn't have Lex's evil nature. Wait a minute, Clark had been intimate with Lois. Could the son be ...? But Edmund and Mercedes never got back together. Will Clark and Lois not get back together too? Oh no.

I'm enjoying this so far. More soon, please.

--meclone2--

Meclone,

now that you mentionned it...I wouldn't like a conte of MC ending...or this wouldn't be Purgtory, but pure hell!!

SQD, I'm so glad you posted part 7...I was litterally craving for it!

Okay, first, I like how we slowly discover about the storyline, part after part it's taking the reader (well me in that case ) deeper and deeper into mysterious places (and I'll echo Clark here by saying: I love mystery!!)

Second thing you never know what kind of end to expect with that story of yours and...not that I like surprises but, it leaves me no choice but to devore each now parts you're posting (though playing with my patience could rally be hazardous...i'm not the patient type!, LOL)

To sum this up I like it a lot

This is just an afterthought, but...

Whatever happened to that Kryptonite that was taken away by Luthor's goons?

--meclone2--

Another afterthought:

The background of Travis has not been made clear yet, but I'm thinking that Travis is pretending to be dead? And Luthor has control over most of Travis' holdings?

Anyway, can Clark appear and claim Travis' fortunes just like that? Will it happen without any competition, questions, suspicions etc? Surely at least a blood test is needed for proof of paternity, if nothing else?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but assuming that Luthor's-goons-posing-as-lawyers have power of attorney, even a positive blood test only gives Clark the right to contest this state of affairs. It'll be a hard fought battle to actually be able to claim the fortune?

--meclone2--

P.S: Dear Carole, my nick is meclone2. Number included

good point meclone2...and whoops for missing the 2.

I still can shorten it to MC2 nextt time we'll come around in the same FDK folder, right?

for me: Cyad, Cy or Carole...I don't really bother.

Still waiting with baited breath what happened to Lois and the Kents. You are truly

As asked above, how many parts do you think this will take. With 7 parts to just the setup, sounds like this one will run for quite a while.

Hmm, this is getting more and more interesting.

I'm not sure that Clark can work against his innate "goodness" to be a man bent on revenge and suffering against one person. Not say that he doesn't want Lex to pay for taking away his life (and his love *sniff*)

I can't imagine the scene when Lois sees him after he assumes this other identity and realizes that it's Clark!!

I'm so glad you posted this SQD..I was wondering where you were!

Keep it coming....can't wait for Pt. 8!!


~Liz

Well, an interesting twist here that I hadn't expected. Hmmm...

And then I read the comments folder. I hadn't thought about the parallels to "Count of Monte Cristo", but they are there, aren't they? A classic tale of revenge. But Lois and Lex - oh, please no. I don't think I could take it, and no matter how cold and unfeeling that Clark thinks himself now, he would be devastated if he found out that Lois had gone back to Lex.

meclone2 wrote:
Not in the book, no. But in the movie version that came out last year...well, Hollywood tweaked a few things, let's put it that way, so there would always be hope for Lois and Clark...

And Liz wrote:
Well, depending on how closely SQD follows the Count of Monte Cristo parallel (assuming that is what she is doing), Lois may not realize that it is Clark, at least not right away. Mercedes didn't. I guess it depends on how much, if at all, Clark's outward appearance is altered.

I really liked the whole scene with this mysterious Devon. I'll be curious to see how this develops. When the time comes, will Lois recognize Clark through the facade? I'd sure like to think that somehow, impossibly perhaps, she'll just sense it. But I'm probably worrying about that a few sections too early...

And I just have to say that reading this line will bring me nightmares tonight.
Visions of Clark interposed with Tempus in my head. Aargh!!!

KathyM

Hi,

Great part.

This remind me a lot of "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alejandro Dumas

What did Luthor do to Travis Devon?

Why can't travis do it himself?
Why Clark have to claim his fortune?
Is travis supossed to be dead?

Does that mean Travis knew Lois was looking for Clark?

Love it.

This was to short.

More soon, please.

MAF

A "Count of Monte Cristo" premise. I hope you change some things, like Lois and Lex getting together, it is the 90's so would be able to raise the child by herself. I'm pretty sure it's going to be like the movie version, because Lois and Clark have to get together, sooner or later.


Ja-10

I wasn't going to respond one way or another about whether this was like the Conte of Monte Cristo, but with so many of you speculating...

You're right, I did get the idea from the 'Conte'. But I am not going to tell if I followed the movie version or the book. Guess you'll have to keep reading and find out. I know it's hard to be patient, but just keep reading.

Kathy, do you think Lois will recognize Clark? It's just so much more interesting to throw in the angst. Don't you think?

Anyway, thanks one and all for reading and posting feedback. It's really meant a lot. Part 8 soon!

OK, since you asked...

The hopeless romantic in me that rises to the fore whenever reading L&C stories cries out "Yes!" Although I'm not a big fan of the "Soul Mates" episode, I do like to think that L&C have felt a kind of "cosmic connection" between them right from the start. And this Lois does seem to have stopped denying that a lot earlier than she did on the show...

But there are a number of external factors that come into play here.

1. Clark's appearance. How much has 9 years of imprisonment changed him? The Count of Monte Cristo emerged from something like 15 years looking like this (okay, he cleaned up a bit first):

Since Clark looked this gorgeous going in,
[img]http://images2.fotki.com/v2/photos/1/11220/95597/ClarkrejectedinBatP-vi.jpg?1015976889[/img]
I assume that he will also "clean up very nicely", but will his appearance have *changed*? How much will he have *aged*? We already know that it doesn't take much to alter his look so that Lois doesn't recognize him.

At this point I'm going to assume that his physical appearance will be sufficiently changed that no one will recognize him as looking like Clark Kent.

2. Lois presumably thinks Clark is dead. So even if she feels some "connection" to this mysterious heir of Devon, will she just automatically dismiss it as nothing? After all, wouldn't she assume that IF there had been any way for Clark to have survived that hellhole, he would have let her and M&J know once he was finally free... I don't think she would take this lunkheadedness of Clark's into account.

3. We, of course, still don't know what has happened to Lois. What kind of life has she been living over the past 9 years? So this kind of ties into #2 - does she just feel dead inside as well? Will long-dormant feelings suddenly come alive when she sees Clark again? That would be a nice clue.

I am at this point reciting a daily mantra: "Lois is not with Lex, Lois is not with Lex". I tell myself that even though Lois had no idea that Lex was responsible for Clark's imprisonment, just knowing how Clark had felt about the man, she would never have let herself get close to him. But I'm scared.

So, even though I'm still waffling on this because there are so many unanswered questions, I want Lois to recognize Clark, so right now I have to believe that's what will happen.

KathyM

Hi Kathy M.,

Lets cross fingers.

MAF

I must echo what was previously said in the thread...you truly are ! /me grins. I'm so proud. Keep going, I have to find out what's gonna happen to Lois and when they're gonna meet again and Luthor and and...

Jen

Well, don't take too long with the next part. As you can see, you have your readers in a *tizzy*!

As for me, I'm intrigued by what you are doing here, and I can't wait to see where you are taking us...

Melisma (going back into hiding here under her Rock)

Nobody recognised Superman as looking like Clark Kent either. Not even Lois.

I'm interested to find out how SQD is going to disguise Clark Kent. He's disguised himeself before, and Lois knows it. So the make-over will have to be far more elaborate. I'll arbitarily call the make-over Devon II.

Firstly, Devon II will have to grow a beard. Without the beard, there isn't even half a chance that Lois won't recognise him, even if she had long believed (and accepted) that Clark was dead.

Secondly, the hair. Slicked back like Superman's or left-on-its-own like Clark's? Or perhaps a third hairstyle (maybe a little longer, like artists, not like S1) and he finds a way to rebond his hair so it ends up straight, not slightly wavy. Potential chink in the armour of disguise here. Hair colour may have to stay as it is because hair dye may not work on Super-hair (another potential chink).

Thirdly, the eyes. Coloured contact lens are in order? I had a friend with brown eyes. After wearing green contact lens, her eyes looked greyish-green (surprise, surprise). Also, the issue of glasses. Will Devon II wear them (Clark) or leave them off (Superman)?

Finally, the overall attitude. Warm and friendly? Distant and formal? Or worse, cold and unfeeling?

The thing is, will Lois be fooled by a disguise, any disguise again? Will Martha and Jonathan be fooled at all? Or will it as though Clark was merely wearing a clown costume or Santa Claus outfit or a Super-suit; it fools most people, but not the people around him.

Will Clark's super-ears be able to tune out cries of distress? Especially if the person making them is Lois?

I await, not very patiently.

--meclone2--

SQD

WOW! What an intriguing twist! I can't see him wanting to hurt her in any way.

Please post the next part soon.

Tricia

SQD, another intriguing instalment. You've set up an interesting diversion here.

I've never read, nor seen the Count of Monte Cristo (I know, I know, it's supposed to be a classic) so everything is new to me here.

The next few instalments are going to be key for me, though. You are walking an extremely thin tighrope of characterization (for me) here, and I'm going to be very curious to see how you justify Clark's behavior. Part of me (the smaller part) can sort of understand Clark's williness to let Clark Kent stay dead, especially if he thinks he's 'changed' in such a way as to have a negative impact on Lois' and M&J's lives. I still think his first thought would be to check up on them, surreptiously, just to see that they are fine... without him.

Still, the larger part of me says that Clark would move heaven and earth to get back to Lois. So I need some logical reinforcement concerning his decision.

The other major aspect of this story that troubles me is one of plot. And that's entirely my problem. I'm automatically less enthused about a story that relagates Lois to supporting character role. I realize that this is a 'Clark' story (and I, myself have written 'Lois' stories), it's just that I like Lois a whole lot more than Clark so when she's not a large part of the framework I'm less involved.

I am looking forward to seeing where you plan to go with this, but a warning... If Lois is with Lex you will need to come up with some very solid reasons for it to be so. I can accept that Lois might have married Lex on the rebound but I can't see her staying with him very long (definitely not the nine years of your break) given Lex's personality and hers. This is another area (if that's the way you've chosen to go) where you would be balancing on a very narrow cliff.

So, that said... MORE!

Tank (who is still cranky and sore from having a chair dropped on his shin yesterday while unloading a truck)

I just caught up with this story, reading all the parts at once... And let me tell you one thing: Right now, I've got *steam* coming out of my ears!

I mean, how could you do this to poor, good ol' Clark?? You just got yourself a nice little spot next to Tank on the 'evil-scale'...

Wow! Look at all this feedback! This is so much more than I expected when I first started writing this story. I had initially planned not to post to the boards, but now I'm glad I have. You all really don't know how much this means to me. Thank you so very much.

That said, I am a little... how shall I say?... disturbed that some are chomping at the bit over what will happen next. Part of me wants to reassure you all that things will be fine, but the logical part is telling me to stay quiet and keep you guessing. I can say this... KEEP READING!!!!

I have to agree with Tank and Pelican's response to the fact that Clark would check on Lois as soon as possible, though for a different reason other than just wanting to be near her. Knowing that Luthor was responsible for his "misfortune" there's no way his protective instincts wouldn't have kicked in immediately. There was just no way for Luthor to do that to Clark without also having sinister intentions towards Lois. If there's one thing Clark's known for, it's overprotectiveness of his loved ones.

Even if he wasn't able to get away, he'd ask his host what had happened to Lois, especially since Travis clearly knew what had happened in the last nine years to his partner.

The lack of curiosity or concern for Lois' safety, always forefront in Clark's mind before his captivity, is a bit puzzling. I hope this will be addressed in the next part or two.

Can't wait for the next part! Monday, huh?

Stopquitdont
I'm finally catching up
you are evil
good part
ditto others
fix l&c
merry

Where's part 8? Sorry for being blunt.

Ja-10