Different Worlds by Arcadia
Part Three:
The Date
Part Three:
On the other side of the world in Metropolis, Lois Lane was in a
great mood as she entered her apartment. She got her hair done, a
manicure and pedicure and a full body massage. She followed that up
with some major shopping. She was also giddy because in a few hours,
the biggest story of the century will be in her hands and she would
scooped Clark Kent out of the story!
Lois entered her bedroom and dropped her bags on the bed. She hadn't
paid attention to the news while she was out so she decided to catch
up on the world as she unpacked her clothes. She turned on the TV,
flipping to a news channel and froze at the image on her screen.
Superman and Wonder Woman were on TV helping the villagers during
the aftermath of an earthquake in the Balkans. Lois dropped the
remote, grabbed her phone and dialed Myndi's number.
Myndi picked up the phone on the third ring. "Hello, Lane. I see you
finally decided to call."
"I was out pampering myself," Lois said through clenched teeth. "I
come home and I see Superman and Wonder Woman on the TV. What the
heck is going on? Did you go back out on our deal?"
"Like I would blab to the media about Superman and Wonder Woman's
date like this. Do you know how much money I've lost now that the
world knows?"
"I can kiss scooping Clark Kent and that Pulitzer goodbye," Lois
grumbled. "How did this happen?"
"An earthquake. My people were following them as planned when the
quake happened. As they say, the Lord works in mysterious ways. My
people got the footage then so did the rest of the world."
Lois caught on to what Myndi said. "Wait a second. If only your
people were filming Superman and Wonder Woman, then how did the rest
of the media get the story?" Lois became angry as they pieces came
together. "You *did* go to the press first. You used the
convenience the earthquake to completely screw me out of the deal!"
Myndi laughed. "Hey, I did call but you weren't answering your
phone. You gotta strike when it's hot, Lane. You know that better
than anyone. Besides, not only did the villagers see them but people
at the hospital saw Superman bringing in the injured. They would've
told the press and either way the story would've broke. I just had
my people come out first. Inquiring minds want to know what's going
on between Superman and Wonder Woman."
"And now other members of the press are releasing the story with the
footage your people took. I bet you're more than making up for the
money you lost with our deal."
Myndi laughed cockily. "Well, maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. Sorry,
darling. It's business. Nothing personal. Don't worry. I'll sell you
the Daily Planet footage at the cheapest price."
*Bitch.* Lois thought. "It's the least you can do since you stiffed
me. Where are they now?"
"They left the Balkans over an hour ago," Myndi said. "Who knows
where they are but I'm sure this time, they are finally alone."
Lois hung up on Myndi and watched with a heavy heart the footage of
Superman and Wonder Woman holding hands as they flew from the
Balkans. "I hope I haven't lost him."
****
Diana looked around in awe as she entered the Fortress of Solitude.
A castle made of crystals. It was unlike anything she had ever seen
and yet it was fitting for it to be located in the
artic. "Astonishing."
"Wait until you see the whole place," Clark said and wondered,
*Inviting a girl to your place, isn't that a third or fourth date
type of thing?*
A growl was heard as Krypto came out of the shadows. He bared his
dangerous teeth at Diana. Clark sighed. "I forgot about him. Sorry.
He doesn't like strangers," he told Diana and turning to his
dog, "Krypto, be quiet! Diana is my friend."
Krypto continued to snarl at Diana. Diana took a step
forward. "Allow me." Diana knelt before Krypto and held her hand
out.
"I wouldn't do that," Clark warned. "He may bite your hand off."
"I don't think he will. Would you?" she asked Krypto kindly. "Would
you bite my hand off, Krypto?"
Krypto stared at Diana. Her eyes were so warm, her voice so
soothing. He took a step forward and Diana's urge him. "Come here,
you handsome dog." She ran her fingers over his white fur. "You have
such a beautiful coat. Krypto."
Krypto stared at Superman. He could smell sexual excitement from his
master and wondered if this female was the cause of it. He could
detect a whiff of his master's scent on this female. They weren't
mating but they have been in close contact with each other. With
this knowledge and Diana's voice, Krypto began to trust this woman.
Superman watched amazed as Krypto licked Diana's hand, wagging his
tail in excitement as Diana rubbed his coat. He nearly jumped in her
arms as he licked her face. "Unreal," Superman thought.
Diana laughed at Krypto's affections. "He's adorable, Superman."
If his dog can trust her, certainly he can trust Diana with his
identity. "You don't have to call me Superman. You can call me
Clark."
"Clark?" Diana looked at him questioningly as she stood. "Are you
Clark Kent?"
Clark nodded, impressed with her sharp mind. "Yes, I am."
"I guess that explains why you can easily get a hold of Superman,"
Diana quipped
"Yes, and it allows me to walk among the people without getting
mobbed or bringing attention to myself. Superman is what I can do.
It allows me to use my powers to help others while I maintain my
Clark Kent identity."
"And Clark Kent is just a reporter for the Daily Planet in
Metropolis?" Diana questioned. "Did you move to Metropolis after
living in Kansas?"
"Yes, I grew up on a farm in Kansas and was raised by two of the
best people possible. They helped me become the man that I am."
Footsteps were heard as another person welcomed them. Diana noticed
he looked just like Superman. She wondered who he was. "Diana, this
is Kel-ex. He's a robot I built. He keeps an eye on the place while
I'm gone."
"Hello, Master Kal-El," Kel-Ex greeted Clark.
"Kel-Ex, this is Diana. She is my guest."
"Hello, Mistress Diana."
"Diana is fine," Diana told Kel-Ex.
"Hello, Diana is fine."
Clark rolled his eyes. "I still have some kinks to work through." He
held a hand to her in which she took. "Come on. Let me show you the
rest of my place."
Krypto followed the pair as Clark gave Diana a tour of his home. One
of the rooms they entered was of two giant statues of a man and
woman holding a globe. "Those are my birth parents: Jor-El and Lara.
They named me Kal-El."
Diana glided to the top of the statues to get a better inspection of
Clark's parents. Clark followed her. "Your parents sent you here to
save your life?"
"Yes." He floated closer to her. He hadn't disclose that information
to her so he asked, "Have you been reading up on me?"
Diana didn't understand why her heart was racing with Clark so close
to her. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Yes. I've
collected articles about you. I was curious." She looked away from
him staring at his parents when she confessed, "In fact, it was
after reading so many articles about you, I had a dream about you."
"Really?" Clark was intrigued. "What did you dream about?"
Diana blushed leaving Clark to wondered if she had the same dream he
had about her. Diana shook her head coyly, her dark curls
bouncing. "I…I don't think so."
"Come on," Clark urged gently. "I won't laugh."
"It's not that." Her smile was so bright it lit up her face. She
looked as if she wanted to tell but just couldn't confess. The look
was very attractive on her. "You mentioned having a dream about me."
Diana turned the table on Clark. "I'll tell you my dream if you tell
me yours."
Visions of Clark and Diana between the sheets in the fortress
flashed in his mind. "Er… you know what. It's not that important."
Diana said nothing but there was a knowing smile on her face. She
floated to the floor and they continued the tour of the
fortress. "Have you been reading up on me?" Diana asked.
"Yes," Clark answered. "I wanted to know everything about you. I
even tried calling the newspaper in Boston to get a chance to see
you again. I did everything I could think of and luckily Myndi
called my office."
Diana noticed the sincerity in Clark's voice. She didn't understand
why but she was touched at how much Clark wanted to see her again.
The moment was cut short with Krypto paws on Diana's legs. He tugged
at Diana's lasso.
"Krypto, get down," Clark ordered.
Krypto whimpered and got on all fours. "I think he's curious about
my lasso."
"Is it true your lasso compels anyone to tell you the truth?" Clark
asked.
"Yes."
"And is it really unbreakable?"
Diana looked at Superman playfully. "Do you want to test your
strength with my lasso?"
Clark shrugged. "I'm just curious."
Diana removed her lasso and handed it to Clark. "Go ahead. Try to
break it."
Clark pulled at the lasso and to his surprise it wouldn't
break. "Hephaestus created it from the girdle of Gaea. No God or
mortal can break it."
"Magic," Clark mused. "I'm vulnerable to magic."
"Is that all you're vulnerable to?"
"Kryptonite. Green rocks from Krypton. It's deadly to me. Ironic any
remains of my home world can kill me. Under a red sun, I lose my
powers and become mortal. Red kryptonite has a different affect on
me each time and never in a good way. Bizarro exposed me to red
kryptonite and I grew six arms. I--" he suddenly stopped and stared
at the lasso then Diana. He handed the lasso back to her. "This
lasso really does make you tell the truth. I think you should take
this back."
Diana could read what he was thinking as she placed the lasso back
on her girdle. "You have nothing to worry about, Kal. I won't ask
you anything personal."
A smile tugged the corner of Clark's lips. "Kal. No one's ever
called my by my Kryptonian name."
"Why not?" Diana asked innocently. "It's your name, is it not? The
name your birth parents gave you."
"Yes, but my friends call me Clark. It's what they are used to."
"Would you prefer I didn't call you Kal?" Diana asked.
"Oh, no. You can call me that," Clark was quick to say. She could
call him anything she wanted as far as Clark was concerned.
"Ooh," a startled Diana said as Krypto rubbed against her right
leg. "You have an affectionate dog, Kal."
Seeing his dog rub against Diana they was he was, he realized he had
never been envious of Krypto until now.
Clark sent Krypto away and spent the next hour giving Diana the tour
of the fortress. He showed Diana his trophy room, his weapons room,
his lab where he worked on finding a cure for kryptonite and his
control room where he had monitors connected to satellites
surrounding the planet. He also showed Diana the city of Candor in a
bottle and relayed the story of what happened to them and his
promise to cure them.
Diana was impressed with Clark. He had amazing gifts but he wasn't
arrogant about it. He didn't use it to rule others or abused his
powers like the Gods have done on several occasions. He was so
humble. The only thing that bothered Diana was Superman using his
gifts to fight crime. She felt it implied violence condoned by
society all in the name of order. If only his way of thinking could
be converted. If only he saw violence was not the way, he could help
her spread her mission of peace.
Superman left her with much to think about and even though she
wasn't ready to leave him just yet, she knew she had to go. "Thank
you for showing me this, Kal. It was quite informative but I should
be going."
"You do?" Clark frowned. He was hoping Diana would stay a little
longer at least until he had some kind of idea where he stood with
her. Diana has been nothing but friendly, not sending any signals at
all she wanted more. "Well, I know this evening didn't go as planned
but I like spending time with you and I would like to see you again."
Diana wanted that as well and was pleased Superman did, too. "Yes, I
would like that."
*Yes! Another date. Another chance to impress.* Feeling confident
with that knowledge, Clark said, "There's another thing I wanted to
discuss with you. I know you turned down our offer to join the
Justice League but I think you would be a great asset to the team.
If you would think it over….."
"I don't think the point of my mission is to be a costume crime
fighter, Kal," Diana said bluntly. "You seem to relish in your role
as enforcer and guardian while I prefer to teach and inspire
humanity in ways of peace."
"Obviously, there is no crime where you are from, Diana," Clark
mused. "Believe me I don't enjoy fighting. Fighting is a last
resort for me. When I'm confronted with an enemy, I do my best to
talk them out of violence and if I have no choice I will fight but
only to defend the innocent and stop the wicked. I do not relish
fighting, Diana. Far from it. I prefer to help when I can and use my
heroic feats to inspire others and prove they can make a difference.
With the crystals of this fortress I'm able to contact my birth
father. He anticipated every question I would have for him. He once
told me humanity can be a great people if they wish to be. They only
need the light to show them the way."
Diana looked at Superman amazed. Her preconceived judgments of Clark
enjoying fighting and violence were completely wiped away with his
statement. "Perhaps, I misjudged you, Kal."
"I understand what you are saying, Diana. It's a big world out
there. Many will follow your ways but I have to warn you there will
be others, who will hate it and will want to harm you."
"Yes. I have encountered a few, including a wild Cheetah character
but I know I can reach them." Diana's eyes were so hopeful, void of
any doubt and cynicism. "At least I have to try."
Clark knew Diana would try but he knew the reality of the situation.
Despite her strength and nobility, Diana was also naïve and
innocent. He was now seeing that while she may have feelings for
him, she doesn't understand them and he had no idea if and when she
would ever reciprocate them. Should he keep up the faith and hope
she will reciprocate the feelings or should he cut his losses and
give up now?
"I must be going now" Diana cut through his thoughts, "but how
should we get in contact again? I prefer not to go the way of Myndi
Mayer. I'm sure she would help but I feel she would find some way to
exploit our meetings."
"I know what we can do." Clark left for a moment and returned with a
card in his hand. "Here is my business card. You can reach me
directly at the Daily Planet. The number on the back is my personal
number." He placed the card in Diana's hand and covered it in his
own. "You can call me anytime for anything."
"Thank you. You can call me if you like but I don't know the number
at Julia's home." She laughed lightly. "I guess I'm not good at this
sort of thing either."
"Don't worry. I believe I can find Julia's home."
Diana smiled amused. "Yes, I think you can." Diana released her hand
from Clark's. "I should go now. Good night, Kal."
Clark escorted Diana out of the fortress. Before saying good night,
he kissed Diana's hand. As he watched her fly home, Clark thought
over their date. It didn't go exactly as he planned but he thought
he made a good impression on Diana. She *did* want to see him again.
There was hope. Maybe, just maybe if he gave it a while, the
feelings he had for her would be reciprocated.
