300 Years of Solitude

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Chapter One

Metropolis: July, 2309

The light was bright and white, stunning Lois as she tried to open her eyes. She felt as though she had pins and needles all over her skin, throughout her entire body. Her head felt even worse, far worse than any hangover she'd experienced. She could barely form the words, "What happened? Where am I?"

"It's all right," a voice said. "You're all right now."

Lois blinked, turning her head a little to try and focus somewhere away from the bright light that was blinding her. She squinted, trying to make out images or see where she was. Her vision was still blurry and she could only make out vague colors. However, everything seemed to be white, or varying shades of white, from the walls to the ceiling. Glancing down at the bed she lay on, she realised she was dressed in a plain white, flimsy gown but was otherwise naked. Around her left wrist was a plastic band with numbers and letters on it, although her head was starting to throb and she couldn't make heads or tails of the printed information. Great, I must be in a hospital, she decided.

A feeling of relief washed over her. It must've all just been a dream after all. Just some crazy dream or a hallucination of some sort, she happily thought to herself. The moon? Yeah right.

Forcing her body to move, she tried to push herself up from the bed, but felt weak and nauseous. She focused on the woman before her, someone she did not recognize. The woman had bright red hair and was wearing white scrubs, and a surgical mask covering her face. A nurse or a doctor Lois assumed. Doctors and nurses would have answers. "How'd I get here?" Lois asked again, louder this time.

Her question was ignored and a large hand pressed against her shoulder with force. Lois turned to see a dark man gazing solemnly at her, also dressed in plain white scrubs. "Let me up," she demanded, trying to move again. He pushed her down once more, firmly.

"Relax," the man said soothingly, "you're still weak, don't talk."

Lois closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head as if to clear it, then opened her eyes again. The light didn't seem as bright anymore. "Where are my friends?" she asked, her gaze flicking between the man and the woman. No doubt Chloe, Jimmy and Clark would be worried about her; they were probably waiting impatiently outside her room to make sure she was okay.

The man's face fell slightly and he glanced quickly at the other woman. A few moments of silence passed, and Lois began to worry. She glanced around the room, this time more carefully and it dawned on her that if she was in a hospital room, it was unlike one she'd ever seen.

The machinery was compact, smaller than the usual hospital equipment that usually littered her room when she found herself waking up in hospital beds too often in the past. There was another vividly lifelike screen in the corner right, flashing holographic images and data that seemed remarkably similar to the one she'd seen on the street. A mirror on the opposite wall reflected back a startling image: the bed she was laying on had no legs and didn't touch the ground. A simple metallic slab with a thin mattress on it, the bed was floating, suspended, in mid-air.

Could this be another mind trick? She was so ready for this bad dream to end. She closed her eyes tight and slowly opened them again. Crap, still the same scene. The seriousness of the situation started to sink in.

"Where am I? What year is it?" she asked, slowly, softly, afraid of the answer as she stared into the mirror.

"This must be confusing for you," the red-haired woman said, for the first time sounding sympathetic, as she pressed a cool hand gently against Lois's other shoulder. She'd taken off the mask and appeared to be close to Lois's age and was quite beautiful.

"Confusing would hardly begin to describe what I'm feeling," Lois stated flatly, sizing her up. She was taller than Lois, fit, and probably able to handle herself in a fight judging from her posture and graceful movement. Years of living with the General had bequeathed Lois with the ability to gauge most people's physical combat skills with a moments glance. Although fighting with the one person who could provide her with answers at this moment was probably not the best idea.

The red-haired woman seemed to force a smile on her face and asked, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Lane. Lois Lane. I work at the Daily Planet," Lois replied automatically, without thinking.

"That's what her records say," the man said with a nod before Lois could speak gain. "The DNA never lies."

"We should never have doubted the data," the woman affirmed, speaking directly to the man as if Lois was no longer in the room with them. "The other test results have also come back, all negative. She's not a clone. I will inform the others," the woman concluded and quickly left the room.

At the mention of the word clone, horror filled Lois. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded, her frantic gaze resting on the man, who finally eased his grip on her shoulder. Her muscles felt like jelly, but Lois tried again to get herself to sit up and succeeded partially. She wanted answers this instant.

The man stopped her again. "Miss Lane, you need to calm down and remain here for your own safety." He had hold of both of her shoulders, gripping her tightly in an effort to restrict her movements. He wasn't a particularly big man, and in any ordinary situation Lois was sure she could have kicked his ass. Why didn't she seem to even have the strength to sit?

Lois's flight instinct was kicking into high gear. She had to get out of here now. "Let me go!" Lois screeched, finally getting her arms to work a little and pushing back on his arms.

"Miss Lane, please control yourself!" he commanded loudly, struggling with her for a minute. "I understand that you must be distressed, but you are in safe hands, I assure you."

Still using every single drop of strength she could muster, Lois fought to try and free herself from his grip. "Get your hands off me. Now!" she demanded, screaming now. She was in a strange place, being held down by a strange man and as each moment passed, she felt only more desperate.

Hearing the ruckus, the red-haired woman came running back into the room, followed by two other men. The three men struggled to restrain Lois, while the woman moved swiftly to a metal cupboard in the corner and returned seconds later holding a syringe filled with light yellow liquid.

Lois eyes went wide as she looked at the needle descending towards her arm. She had no time to react and no time to scream or protest, wincing as she felt the sharp needle pierce her bicep as the liquid was injected. A sharp stinging coursed throughout her veins liquid started taking hold. An almost instantaneous numbness went through her body.

All the fight went out of her and she collapsed like a rag doll back onto the bed. "No. No." Her limbs felt paralysed, unable to follow any of her commands to jump up and run. "Why?" Lois asked, voice cracking. Her mouth felt dry. She could feel drowsiness creeping upon her slowly and knew in a matter of minutes she'd lose consciousness.

The men stepped away from her, remaining only silent witnesses; the woman stared down at her with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Miss Lane," she said softly, "We aren't trying to hurt you." She paused. "You must understand, this is confusing for us all. We are only trying to help you. You—" she stopped momentarily, as if unsure if she should tell Lois the rest. Her intense green eyes were full of sympathy. "Miss Lane, you died three hundred years ago."

Lois blinked one more time, eyelids heavy. The white light seemed to fill her vision again. It wasn't a dream or a hallucination after all. It was real, it really was the year 2309… and… she was alone. With that depressing thought consuming her, Lois felt herself drift reluctantly into darkness once more.

.-.-.

"What are you doing here?"

Joseph Martin turned towards the sound. A beautiful, tall red-haired woman stood a few feet away near the reception counter, dressed in white scrubs. She'd just taken off her gloves and her arms were crossed firmly across her chest. She didn't look particularly happy to see him.

"Hello, Nicole, it's good to see you," he replied politely with a smile, as if she hadn't used such a sharp tone.

Nicole narrowed her eyes for a moment, then sighed heavily and let her arms loosen. His expression wasn't giving anything away. She often wished that he was easier to read and other times she was secretly intrigued. She had made it her life's work to solve the mysteries of science, but when it came to unravelling the mysteries of human people, she found herself woefully bored. That had been until she met Joseph Martin. He was unlike anyone she had ever known and had been an unyielding source of intrigue and mystery.

Perhaps it was her medical background or just her desire to help people, but she had at one time desperately wanted to fix the hole that seemed to be at the core of Joseph Martin.

She forced herself to relax and reminded herself that she was at work. This was business. "It's good to see you too, Joe," she said, meaning it. She hadn't been prepared to come face to face with this man again, but she couldn't deny that her stomach wasn't doing little flip-flops at the sight of him.

Joseph Martin was a handsome man, although it wasn't always immediately obvious. He was tall, and appeared slender at first glimpse but had proved to be deceptively muscular when stripped of all his clothes as she had discovered their first night together. He had long, jet-black hair that reached just below his shoulders that he nearly always wore tied in a loose ponytail.

Nicole didn't know any other man who wore their hair long; it was considered far too old fashioned and out of style. A thick dark moustache and beard covered the lower half of his face and in all the years Nicole had known him, he had absolutely refused to shave it. Asking Joe if he'd ever cut his hair was always met with a similarly firm refusal. If only he would clean himself up, he'd look like a different man. His most striking feature though was his turquoise eyes that reflected all shades of blue light. His intense eyes had drawn her in like a beacon the first time she saw him. What had surprised her most was the softness behind the intense gaze, almost like it had been locked away deep inside him.

His eyes, she thought wistfully, could capture any woman's heart. "You didn't answer my question," she pointed out, eyeing him.

"I'm here for a case; a woman was brought in yesterday afternoon." Joe looked down at his holo-display device and looked back up at Nicole. "I don't have many details, but I was told to talk to you."

Nicole nodded. "I guess I should have known you'd end up on this one," she lied as she looked down quickly. It had been over for a while but she still felt the connection whenever she was around him. She looked back up at him. "It's definitely the strangest case I've ever seen."

Reaching behind her, Nicole picked up the case file that lay on the countertop and indicated with a jerk of her head that they should start walking. The case file looked like a thick clipboard, but it was a touch-screen device that displayed all the information gathered and pertaining to a particular case.

"I almost forgot you work in the Missing Persons Department," she commented, hugging the case file to her chest as they walked side by side down the long hallway. She hadn't forgotten really, she'd been preparing herself mentally for his arrival since the call to his department had been made. He didn't have to know that though. So she had tried her best to sound indifferent, as if she didn't really care what he was up to these days. What did it matter to her?

"I don't. I work with them, not for them." Joe pulled his free hand up and gently stroked his beard. She knew he always did that when he was anxious.

She laughed dryly. "I didn't know there was a difference." The awkward tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked troubled and he knew it was his presence that was troubling her, not the case. He stopped, sighing deeply. It took Nicole a few seconds to realise he wasn't following her and she stopped, startled, and turned to face him.

"I didn't know you were working on this case," Joe assured her, sincerely. "I would have asked someone else to take it if I'd known."

She shrugged. "Why should I be bothered, Joe?" She placed her hand on his and let it linger there for a moment before squeezing it. "You're the best the Department has and they know it; you should be on this case."

He nodded mutely, debating whether to say anything further. Nicole Brant worked as one of the chief researchers at the Metropolis Medical Research Center and they'd known each other for almost three years, having met several times through work as their paths crossed.

When Nicole had asked him out one day, he had initially told her that he didn't date. When she'd asked him out the third time, he knew she wasn't going to give up asking. He had thought that perhaps it was time to start opening up again and told her yes. She had proven to be smart, funny, thoughtful and was extremely attractive and didn't seem to mind his more reserved nature.

He had always tried to avoid getting too close to people. He didn't mind getting friendly with someone and being polite, no one ever suspected that he had a very real and very thick line in his heart he didn't let anyone cross if he could help it. He'd even been involved with various women over the long span of years, but casual sex with no emotion had never satisfied any of his real cravings.

They had been together for almost four months before things had started to get "serious". Nicole had started talking about taking him to meet her parents, and possibly moving in together one day. He'd ignored most of those suggestions, choosing to give a standard shrug in response.

Then she had started asking those little hinting questions that women seemed to ask. What did he think about children? This worried him because she was actually picturing a future with the two of them. He had tried to tell himself that this was just a natural progression within a relationship. Bedsides, it was far too soon in the relationship to be starting to panic about things that would never happen.

The moment that changed everything, though, happened on a warm evening not long after. They'd finished having sex and he lay on his back feeling quite satisfied. Nicole had wriggled close in bed that night and whispered, "I love you, Joe," into his ear quietly.

Unable to reciprocate, he had frozen, wondering if it was too late to pretend to be asleep. No one had said those words to him or hinted that they loved him since… well… for a very long time.

Noticing him stiffen, Nicole had added hastily, "I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything back." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him softly. "I just wanted you to know."

But in the moments after her confession, Joe knew that his relationship with Nicole had gone way too far, way too fast. It wouldn't be fair to her. He couldn't risk letting real emotions back into his life. They were all too painful. He had already lost too many people he had loved. He knew then that he'd been careless and selfish, letting someone get too close to him again and he couldn't silence the alarm bells ringing in his head.

He had pulled back sharply, closed off emotionally, and essentially shut down. And she knew it, because he didn't bother to try and hide or pretend. It didn't take long for their relationship to crumble completely. He had never meant to let things get so out of hand, he hadn't meant to hurt her or lead her on. The idea of being alone forever wasn't an easy pill to swallow but the idea that he'd have to really give his heart to that person terrified him.

He was more sorry than he had words for that he had caused her pain, but he knew he couldn't give her what she wanted from him. Nicole had yelled, screamed, begged, cried, pleaded, and tried to even provoke him to physical anger in order to talk to her. But she had eventually accepted that he would not change his position.

There was still tension there and he doubted it would ever disappear completely. They might not have been able to make their romantic relationship work, but professionally they had remained in each other's highest regards. She had always been his biggest fan and had always requested him for cases she was working on. In all likelihood she had lied when she said she didn't know he'd be working her case.

It seemed like only yesterday when he'd finally ended their relationship, remembering the pain and hurt she revealed in her eyes in that moment. In reality it had been almost two years, but the scars were still there for both of them. He knew Nicole had dated other people but they never seemed to last. She hadn't moved on the way he hoped she would.

She'd called him emotionally unavailable and immature for not being able to take a chance on them. He had remained silent and stoic as he always did, unable to express what was in his heart. Perhaps, in her own heart, even after all this time, she couldn't let go. He knew the feeling all too well.

He straightened and ran his hand through his hair. "Tell me about the case then," he said, deciding to move the conversation along into less dangerous territory.

She blinked, severing her intense gaze momentarily and then let out an audible sigh. "Right," she said, looking down at the case file and giving the screen a few taps. "A woman was found on Eddy Avenue unconscious at approximately 3:40pm, she was fingerprinted for identity since there was no ID on her person." She stared back at Joe and he nodded. "However," she continued, "an anomaly was picked up by the reading though and she was transferred here so we could verify the result."

It didn't sound like a strange case so far. "What was the anomaly?"

Nicole looked straight at him. "Well, it's just not possible."

Joe narrowed his eyes. "A case of the strange and unexplained?"

Nicole nodded. "According to the fingerprint identification and DNA results, she died three hundred years ago." She held out the case file to him as if daring him to open Pandora's box. "She's back from the dead."

That was impossible, he thought, and silently reached for the case file. It had to be a mistake. He stared at the information flashing on the screen before him. A small photo of a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties was displayed on the top half of the screen, with the case ID number 22836471. The woman had her eyes closed and was asleep, her skin pale, so Joe summarized this was taken upon her arrival into the Medical Research Center.

Startlingly, the woman looked vaguely familiar. No, actually she looked eerily familiar to him. A ghost from the distant past, memories he'd buried long ago seemed to come rushing back. His eyes travelled past the photo, his stomach seemed to do back flips inside him and he held his breath as he read the text below.

Name: Lois Joanne Lane

Birthplace/date: West Germany; 26 March, 1984

Missing: 8 July, 2009

Declared Deceased: 14 January, 2010

Cause Of Death: Unknown

DNA Match: 100.00%

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TBC