Fanfic: Salvation (5/11)
Chapter 5
Lois could not stand another day in this damn hospital bed. She’d been resting for a week, doing nothing but sleeping and eating the meals left for her whenever she woke up, and then feeling strangely exhausted again soon after. She couldn’t understand why she was always falling asleep after eating such delicious energy-giving meals. Hot pancakes and blueberry muffins for breakfast, roast turkey and swiss sandwiches for lunch, and grilled chicken with corn on the cob and a baked potato for dinner were just a few things she’d devoured so far. She still didn’t believe she was in Metropolis General, but she wasn’t about to complain if the food was this good. Despite that, Lois was growing extremely bored and increasingly lonelier every day she didn’t get a visit from Chloe or Clark. She’d managed to get Doctor Rokk to tell her that they hadn’t been able to contact either of them, which Lois wasn’t too sure if she believed or not. They had to be wondering where she was, right?
Imra entered the room, holding a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. It smelled incredible. “I thought you could use a caffeine boost.” Imra said. She hated having to drug Lois’s food with powerful sleeping substances, but Rokk insisted that it was the only way to keep her from leaving her room and wandering to places in headquarters that she could never see. Imra knew Rokk wasn’t being paranoid - it was the exact kind of thing Lois Lane would do. Rokk was working on a new time-travel ring that would send her back to Kal-El’s time period. It would be ready very soon.
“Thanks.” Lois said gratefully as she took the drink. “You’re the only doctor who’s ever encouraged my java addiction.”
Imra smiled and watched her sip the coffee. She still couldn’t believe that she was having daily interaction with the Lois Lane, one of the most well-known and highly esteemed women of human-kind. There were entire books written about her whole life from childhood to her days in Smallville where she had met Clark Kent, the man who would be known by every man, woman, and child for centuries to come. Her name was just as well known as his. People would’ve killed to have the chance to talk to Lois Lane, even if it was such a young version of her.
“Lois, I know you must be terribly bored here,” Imra began. “And I truly am sorry that I can’t let you leave your room, but I thought… well, that maybe we could talk for a while? I would very much like to get to know you better.” She said with a little smile.
Lois nodded. “I have been lonely. I thought Chloe would have visited by now…”
“Tell me about her. What’s she like?” Imra asked, taking a seat next to Lois’s bed.
“Well, she’s incredibly smart. Amazing with a computer - I swear the woman could hack into just about every one. And she’s very good at getting into trouble.” Lois chuckled. “I think I may have rubbed off on her a little.”
Imra smiled. The situations Lois Lane had gotten herself into were well-known to say the least.
“I love her to death.” Lois continued. “She’s more like a sister to me than a cousin. In fact, she’s more of a sister to me than my own sister.” A moment of silence passed before Imra spoke again.
“So, Lois, what… uh, what do you do?”
Lois smiled. “I’m the best damn reporter the Daily Planet has ever seen. Or, well, I will be. I’m working on that particular title at the moment, unless Clark ends up beating me to it -”
“Clark?” Imra asked, trying to contain her excitement. She’d been hoping this subject would come up. “Who’s Clark?” As if she didn't already know. It was hard to keep herself composed and not let on that she actually knew more about Clark Kent than Lois coul imagine. Imra noticed at once the faraway look that appeared in Lois’s eyes and the slow smile that crept up her cheeks.
“He’s, uh…” Lois cleared her throat. “He’s a guy that I work with. He’s known Chloe ever since they were kids and I’ve known him for a few years now. He’s usually the one who ends up getting us out of the jams we set ourselves up for.” She chuckled again. “He um… he’s pretty amazing, to be honest, and I don’t usually dish out high-praise compliments like that. He may be annoying and thick-headed and he has this irritating way of always knowing the right thing to do, but he’s still… I don’t know, different from any guy I’ve ever met before.” She smiled a little wider and her cheeks tinged pink at some memory Imra was not going to mind-read. Some things should be kept private.
“Lois,” Imra said gently. “Does Clark know how you feel? How you really feel?”
Lois began to look uncomfortable. “I don’t even know how I feel.” She said. “I’ve had feelings like these before, but it’s different somehow. I don’t know what to make of it sometimes. It’s like… he makes everything I feel so much more intense and exciting. But he’s so hard to read. Sometimes I see something different in his eyes when he looks at me, but then it’s gone and I can’t help but wonder if I imagined it.” Lois cast her eyes down with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I’m rambling on about nothing.”
“No, it’s not nothing.” Imra said. “Lois, don’t give up on him. Don’t let those feelings burn out.”
“I don’t think they can now.” Lois said softly.
The door opened and Garth’s head appeared in the doorway. “Imra, Rokk wants to see you. Oh, and lunch is ready, Miss. Lane.” He said as he brought in a tray bearing a small personal pizza and chips.
“Garth, how many times have I told you to call me Lois?” Lois said with a grin. “And I hope there’s sausage on that pizza.”
“Just the way you like it… Lois.” Garth smiled.
Imra gave Lois another smile and touched the back of her hand. “Promise me you’ll think about what I said?”
Lois nodded. “I will. Thank you, Imra.”
As Garth and Imra left, Lois sighed softly and closed her eyes. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Imra. She knew how she felt about Clark, how those long-ago feelings of annoyance had bloomed into feelings of admiration, and how his friendship had somehow become one of the most important things in her life when just a few years ago she could barely tolerate him. How his smile made her stomach flip and his touch sent shivers down her spine. How one look could make her forget about anyone else in the room but him.
She was falling for him, fast, and she knew nothing could stop this downward spiral now.
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“You wanted to see me?” Imra asked, announcing herself. Rokk turned to face her and nodded. “Well?”
He held up something in his hand and it wasn’t until Imra had taken a few steps that she realized it was a silver glove. “What’s this?” She asked.
“This is the answer to all our problems.” Rokk said. “I’ve been contacting every major inventor around the globe trying to find something like this, and I finally got a reply early this morning.” He held up the glove, which looked very peculiar indeed. It looked like it had been made from some sort of metal, however, it was as flexible as if it were made from the lightest cloth. Rokk held it out to her. “Put it on.”
Imra slipped it onto her right hand and the glove instantly reshaped itself to fit perfectly. “When used, the wearer of this glove can sift through another’s past and remove whatever memories they wish. It was designed to attack our enemies’ minds, removing their knowledge of important information about us that would have catastrophic consequences if discovered. It erases the memory completely. I want you to use it on Lois Lane. Make her forget everything about these last two weeks. The ring is ready. She can leave immediately.”
Imra was shocked. She stared at her hand as if it were a deadly germ. “Rokk… you can’t be serious.”
“I am.” He said. “I was told that this is just a prototype, the first model of it’s kind. It was not developed for everyone to just slip on and use. You are the only one who has the powers compatible with this device.”
Imra continued to stare at the glove, loathingly. “To take away a person’s memories… it seems so cruel.”
“Imra, you will do this.” Rokk said. It was not a request. “She doesn’t belong here. She has to go back, and she must go back without knowing what her future holds for her, or Kal-El. She must stay uninformed. Please understand that.”
Imra hesitated. She seemed to be deciding whether to retaliate or not. She met Rokk’s hard eyes with an icy stare. “I hope you sleep well, knowing that millions of people will die and yet you did nothing to try and stop it.” Silence met them, and Imra turned to leave.
“I’ll do it in an hour, once the drugs have soaked into her bloodstream and she is unconscious.”
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Lois was in a deep sleep, her dreams filled with visions that made her feel drunk with contentedness. She was in her mother’s arms, as tiny as a baby, gazing at the beautiful smiling face looking down at her. She heard Chloe’s laugh echo all around her and her smile dazzled in the warm sun. And then she was dancing, her arms wrapped around Clark’s neck, her cheek pressed against his chest. Her eyes closed and the room spun. He held her like he never wanted to let go.
Imra quietly closed the door behind her and turned a small light on, creating just enough of a glow for her to discern Lois’s shape among the darkness. She was out cold. Imra took the seat next to her bedside and was quiet, listening to Lois’s soft breathing.
“You are going to do great things.” Imra whispered. “Your name will be remembered centuries after you leave this Earth. Your love for Kal-El will rival all other love stories. His love for you cannot compare, for you are the woman incomparable to anyone else in his life. Neither of you will ever love someone the way you love each other. You are responsible for molding Kal-El into the man he was meant to become. And they will call him…” Imra’s voice dropped to a barely audible sound.
“Superman.”
A full second passed before Lois’s mouth fell open slightly and a faint snore broke the silence. Imra grinned despite herself.
"Although, it’ll be much more exciting when you experience these things for yourself.” She gently slipped the glove on, feeling it adjust as needed, and slowly moved her hand forward until it hovered over Lois’s forehead. Imra shut her eyes and concentrated. Rokk had said it would not take long.
The fingertips of the glove began to glow bright red and Imra’s hand twitched slightly. Then, without warning, she was inside.
A small little girl was running around a dandelion-filled field, chasing a tall woman who was the spitting image of her.
A birthday party, where the same little girl proudly held up a G.I. Joe with cake smeared on her cheeks.
A tombstone.
A father giving harsh orders.
A twelve-year old girl crying under the covers, pent-up emotion finally allowed to be released.
A cornfield, a man unconcious and stark-naked lying before her.
The image of a woman with long, raven-colored hair - jealousy attached to the memory.
Dancing with him, her heart beating faster and faster as his lips were just about to touch hers.
Bliss.
Imra shifted through the memories like pages in a book, trying not to feel guilty for seeing such personal moments. It took little time for her to find the memories she was searching for, and she pulled them out of existence one by one. When she was through, Imra opened her eyes and the connection broke. Reaching into a small pouch, she pulled out a Legion time-travel ring. Rokk had designed this one specifically for a one-time use. It would disappear when Lois returned.
Imra slipped the ring onto Lois’s finger. The room glowed with intense purple light, and then she was gone.
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Clark stood on the Daily Planet roof once more, surveying the city with little interest. It was a quiet night, and he had nothing to do. He knew he wasn’t focusing hard enough if he couldn’t hear any crime in any part of the city, and felt guilty for it. His mind was elsewhere, drifting to thoughts of Chloe and all that he’d seen and heard that day. He wondered how long she’d been seeing a psychologist and how high her dosage actually was. Eventually those thoughts led to other questions. What did she do with her time now? How was she making money and paying bills? Who was checking in on her to make sure she was ok? More guilt flooded Clark and he laid his head in his hands with grief. He’d never meant for this to happen. It seemed like for every person he’d ever tried to help, someone else had to suffer in their place. At that moment, he wished for nothing more than the ability to jump from the top of this building and fall to his death.
Just like a human.
He didn’t realize it at first, but his super-hearing had picked up the faint sound of a heartbeat. It grew louder and louder in his head until it was all Clark could hear as he finally locked his focus onto the source. His own heart began to beat in time with the other, and then Clark realized with a startle that this wasn’t just any heartbeat. It was hers.
Like a gunshot, he burst into the main newsroom of the Planet and was half-wild with the hope that had bubbled up inside him. He frantically scanned the room, and his heart skipped when his eyes found her. She was lying on her stomach with her arms stretched in front of her, and she was unconscious. Clark rushed to her side, fearing the worst.
“Lois?” He knelt to the ground and gently touched her cheek. The warmth that filled him was like a life-giving fire, and he’d never felt stronger. He x-rayed her body, but couldn’t find any broken bones or internal bleeding, and she didn’t have a concussion. His first thought was to take her to the hospital, but he quickly dismissed that idea. He didn’t want to share her with anyone right now until he was absolutely sure she needed medical assistance. From what he could tell, she looked like she was just in a very deep sleep. Believing it was safe to move her, Clark gently scooped her lithe body into his arms and cradled her close. She remained limp, but her head turned to press into his chest. Clark sped off, his feet hardly touching the ground and his heart lighter than it had felt in almost three and a half months.
Out of the shadows, Imra watched Kal-El’s red and blue blur streak into the night and smiled. “Goodbye, Lois Lane. It has been an honor.”