The Adventures of Superboy
Who wants to be a Super Billionaire?
Chapter 3
The outskirts of Capital City (Original dimension)
Superboy raced into the giant laboratory that housed the re-designed Inter-Dimensional portal. The entire staff was horrified over Dr. Winger's shooting and put extra guards on duty. Superboy approached Professor Peterson from Shuster University. With Dr. Winger hospitalized, he'd assumed oversight on the "IDP" project. Although Dr. Winger had created the portal with no temporal movement between dimensions, the Professor was hard at work trying to incorporate time-travel capabilities.
Peterson cleaned his glasses. He looked tired. "Superboy, I assume you know what happened to Dr. Winger?"
"Yes I do, I'm sorry I was too late to help him."
"It's not your fault. You can't be everywhere. I just heard on the radio a woman was apprehended. That wouldn't be Lex Luthor's gal, would it?" He shook his head.
Superboy nodded, feeling a sense of defeat. "Yes, it's always them! Why can't they just catch him and put him out of his misery already! Why can't I?"
Superboy was tempted to slam something, but he didn't want to damage Peterson's lab. The professor approached him in his perpetually calm and genial manner. He patted his shoulder.
"You will, Superboy, he can't escape forever. Winger's tough. I got a call from the hospital and they said he's unconscious, but stable. Something else is bothering you. I know you didn't come just to say hello. What's going on?"
Superboy glared at the Portal's swirling blue vortex. "It's Lana. She tried to stop Darla from escaping with the hand-held portal and she disappeared! Dr. Winger told me there's no telling where the portals will take you, she could be lost forever. I know she'll look for me, and I have no idea which version is out there."
Peterson stared at him grimly. "I know. Hopefully you don't have to worry about a Sovereign. I'm sorry this happened."
"The Sovereign was one of billions, professor. At least he had a love for Lana. There may be others worse than him! I have to find her no matter what!" He marched forward.
Peterson jumped up and blocked the steps to the entrance. "Wait, Superboy, you can't just yet."
"Why not? She's out there alone! She needs me!"
"I understand that…but I'm running a series of tests for a new portal function and it can't be interrupted, it could destroy the whole apparatus and it'd take months to rebuild."
Superboy's pulse quickened. He wanted to just run past and dive straight through.
"Professor, this is life and death for her!"
"Superboy, you have to trust me. I'm finishing up a component that'll allow the portal user to see the other dimensions. Then we can catalog them and name them if we want. We'll be able to program this portal to go immediately to the others without second guessing."
Superboy stared at him quizzically, and he remembered the portal in Utopia. Their scientists had the same capacity, and the older Superman who ruled that benevolent world told him they'd often helped other dimensions. At that time, Superboy needed to save an seven-year old version of himself from being kidnapped and manipulated by a stuttering, hen-pecked Lex Luthor and a cunning Darla.
"Are you serious, professor? How far along are you?"
"It needs a day or so to calibrate, and then I'll need a test subj…"
Superboy grasped his shoulders. "You got it! I'm your guinea pig! Just like I was for Winger. I really waiting, but this can't go wrong. We might never get her back."
Peterson smiled. "I knew you'd do it. Don't worry, Superboy, remember what you always tell us."
Superboy took a deep breath and stared at the vortex again. "What's that?"
"We always have hope. I'll work on this over-time for you and Lana."
"I know you have your hands full, Professor. I'll help you however I can."
"Thanks, Superboy, I'm sure you will."
Peterson returned to his desk. Superboy swallowed hard to fight back tears.
"Lana, please be safe wherever you are. I'll find you, I promise…I love you."
~Oo~
Capital City: (Alternate dimension)
Darla escorted Lana to a luxurious pink and gold bathroom Kal specially prepared whenever women stayed at the mansion. The idea of Superboy being a "Super Playboy" bothered Lana, but she kept her emotions in check. Kal was not the Superboy she loved.
The long, warm shower and flowery scented soaps, scrubs and lotions felt wonderful. Lana retreated from the bathroom in a pink terry cloth robe, brushing her hair. She jumped; alarmed to find Kal lounging on the bed dressed in a white silk shirt, open at the chest, and a black vest with elegant black slacks. She took in a sharp breath, she'd never seen Superboy outside of his costume. He looked amazing.
Kal smiled. "Boo! Sorry I scared you. Dinner's ready."
"But I'm not…I mean Darla didn't come back with my clothes."
Kal sauntered to the chaise lounge chair in the corner and showed her five outfits. "Take your pick, I caught her on the way upstairs and told her she could leave for the night. The Luthors live a few floors down."
"They're married?"
"I was best man at the wedding last year."
Lana rolled her eyes and made no comment. She shifted through them. They were all beautiful, even the jeans and tee-shirt. "She bought way too much. I don't know what to pick."
"Want my opinion?"
"It's your dinner."
Kal smiled. "Go with this, it'll bring out your beautiful eyes." He handed her a silvery-blue two-piece satin evening dress.
"I'll be on the veranda when you're ready, the shoes are in boxes near the bed. Don't take too long, natural goes a long way. That's the way I like my women."
"I'm not your woman."
"Are you sure about that?"
Kal edged behind her. He gently rubbed her shoulders and Lana caught wind of a fresh, manly musk. It was the same fragrance she often smelled on Clark. His cologne that kept her secretly hovering over him and his desk throughout the workday.
'Why am I thinking about Clark?' She thought, her face warmed. "Yes, Kal. I'm positive."
"I like it when you ladies play hard to get. It makes the conquest more fun." Kal laughed when she finger flicked his chest annoyed and left her to finish dressing.
Looking in the mirror, she was surprised how perfectly the dress and shoes fit. She left her hair tousled and dabbed a hint of makeup and lipstick. She hurried on the veranda. She'd do her best to please Kal in order to get what she wanted. A way home.
"I'm up on the deck, Lana." He called.
The scent of a delicious, grilled meal made her mouth water. As she approached, she marveled at the décor. Mini pale blue and white lights dotted rose bushes and Kal had set up a white cast iron table, intricately welded with matching chairs. He'd adorned it with candles, and steaming bowls of vegetables, rice, and a crisp salad. Gentle, classical music played in the background.
Kal knew how to romance a woman. She smoothed out her dress and he pulled out a chair for her.
"Darla has good taste in clothes. You look gorgeous." He said. "I went with Hawaiian style chicken kabobs. Hope you like pineapple."
"Sounds great. I do. Umm, thank you, Kal… for everything. You could've just sent me to the streets. Technically I am trespassing."
Kal pulled two wine bottles out of an ice bucket and Lana pointed to the red. He popped the cork and they laughed as it spilled over. He poured it into tall-stemmed glasses.
"Why would I ever do that, Lana? It's not every day a gorgeous woman from another dimension crashes in my swimming pool! I still need to give you the grand tour of the place."
"From what I've seen so far, it's enchanting."
As he took his seat across from her she fidgeted and wrung a table napkin in her hands.
He sipped his wine. "Do I make you nervous? Look, I say stuff, I joke around, I'm somewhat aggressive when I like a woman, but you don't have to be scared. If you're comfortable around Superboy, you can be even more relaxed with me. Come on, eat up, I made it myself."
"So you're a chef too?"
"I even guest-hosted cooking shows with Julia Child. She loved it when I used my heat vision instead of the oven, it brought in a lot of viewers. It was the best pot roast she ever had."
Lana grinned as her tensions melted. Kal-El seemed to have the same gentle disposition as her Superboy. She hid her attraction and focused on eating heartily.
"This is delicious. I'm not used to this luxury. How did you get rich, what do you do for a living?"
Kal dug into his food and after a minute sat back with his hands behind his head.
"I'm a Renaissance man. I dabble in everything, Lana. When you have powers like mine, the world's your oyster. I'm an honest businessman, in case you thought otherwise. I own crude oil wells that I dug up and discovered myself. I run the world's largest jewelry corporation that showcase precious gems and diamonds I shaped with the palms of my hands. I've excavated gold and silver mines and I keep the planet's wealth in a tight reserve. I give to nations in need, but just enough to get them on their feet. The people of this world need to work hard and support themselves, not depend on handouts."
Lana cocked her brow. "You mean people shouldn't have welfare and medical aid, things like that?"
"No, that's all man-made, governmental stuff, and that's fine, because they're helping themselves. I'm talking about expecting handouts from me."
"Oohkay." Lana sipped her wine.
"I'm a philanthropist in every sense of the word. Over a million people are employed by my companies. I've done work for governments world-wide by helping them create new technologies to keep law and order. I own high-scale architectural firms that have re-structured some of the largest cities around the globe. I've taken the liberty of making sure that the farming industries grow enough food for all, I support the arts…I can go on and on, but from the look on your face I think you get the picture."
Lana was thunderstruck. Kal-El's deeds were noble to be sure, but something vital was missing.
"Kal, what about all the people that need you? The little people in the world that die every day in disasters, wars and tragic accidents that your powers could've prevented?"
Kal snorted a laugh. "I knew you weren't that impressed. You mean I should be like your blue boy scout, helping old ladies cross the street, saving cats out of trees, and baby carriages rolling down stairwells? Unless it's happening right in front of me, I don't have time for trivial events. The world survived just fine before I existed and they'll continue to help themselves into the future. But now they have me to give them a boost.
Kal held his head. "I should end wars? They'll have them no matter what I do to stop it. It's part of human nature and that's something I can't control. Natural disasters are also a part of life and so are…accidents."
Kal's expression darkened and he poured more wine. Lana sipped hers and studied him carefully. Kal resisted his noble conscience in a large way and chose to focus on self-interests. If his pursuits happened to benefit the world, that was fine. But saving it or the people was not a priority to him. Perhaps something very painful occurred that made him indifferent.
Kal cleared his throat and continued. "You don't agree with me."
"I didn't say that, Kal."
"You don't have to. You're too quiet. I know that look…I mean…I've seen it on people before."
Lana bit her lip. "Sure, it's called skepticism."
Kal toyed with the kabob sticks. "Imagine you're Supergirl. Once you start getting involved with your powers, you become the world's crutch. They look to you for everything and then just as soon they'll curse and spit on you if one thing goes wrong. Humans are so damn fickle. I can't be bothered and I don't like the unjust criticism."
"It's not always like that, Kal. You have to understand, humans are fragile, we don't have your powers."
"Gee, I didn't know that." Kal smirked.
Lana tossed a sharp kabob stick at him and it split in two the second it hit his chest. "You see? You could crush us like bugs, thankfully you don't…but why not help us?"
"Everybody needs help. It's too much."
Lana reached across the table and clutched his hands. "I'm not saying to save everyone. That's impossible. But you can do enough."
His hands trembled in her grip and he pulled away.
"I can help them financially, economically, and socially in most cases…but I can't have the responsibility of every human life weighing on my shoulders. I bet if you talk to your flyboy he'll admit the same thing. Lana, no matter how different we are in lifestyle, we're the same person."
Lana considered his side carefully as she finished her meal. Not long ago, Superboy was convinced he'd taken a human life. Regardless of how many people told him it was an accident, he was torn apart over the event and went into hiding. Everyone was thankful that he truly wasn't at fault. It was a clever set-up by a Caribbean militia group that wanted control over Capital City. She'd helped clear Superboy's name.
Her gaze burned into him. "You might be the same person outside, Kal, but you're missing his heart and compassionate nature. Superboy would…"
Kal tossed down his napkin. "This is great. You don't know anything about my life here, but you spout platitudes and tell me everything you see is wrong. Nothing's wrong! This isn't your world. Superboy runs things his way, and I run things my way!"
Kal strode off and stared at the glittering pool. His eyes bathed in tears. He crossed his arms and glanced at the sky, wishing that the neon lights of the raucous city below didn't obscure the natural radiance of the stars, even if he saw them for the balls of gasses they really were.
"Kal, I'm sorry, but maybe that's the difference. Superboy doesn't run things, he just does his best to keep peace. If at the end of the day he only caught a man falling off a roof, he's content knowing he saved a life and one family's needless suffering. All life is precious and valuable to him."
Kal gazed at her. "Do you really think I'm so heartless? Tell me something, Lana, has Superboy ever lost anyone?"
"Well there were times when he couldn't save…"
"No. I'm talking about people he personally knows and loves."
Kal didn't mention Clark Kent's favorite aunt Cassandra. He knew even in his dimension that cancer was a losing battle and he couldn't prevent it. But it also pushed him to build Research Centers for cures. Lana couldn't name anyone.
"When that day comes, when someone he loves dies from something he could've prevented, then come back and tell me how he takes it. You may see we're not much different after all."
Lana caressed his cheek. "Kal, what happened to you? I get the feeling your life wasn't always like this."
Kal lowered his head. "Lana, let's just say if someone with my powers can't save the ones he loves, then there's no point in trying anymore."
Lana forced his gaze. "Who, Kal? Who couldn't you save?"
A stray tear escaped his eye and Lana caught it on her finger. Kal embraced her and buried his face against her neck.
"I wish you'd stay with me, Lana. I promise I'll always protect you…I promise." His voice drifted off and he kissed her collarbone, then brushed his lips over face. Lana's resolve weakened and they fell into a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, they drifted on air in slow circles. It was the most romantic sensation she'd ever had.
"You must be used to this, you're not even panicked." He whispered.
"Not…not in this way. I didn't even feel it."
He tried to kiss her again, but she held back. "Kal, do…do you know me? Am I a part of this dimension?"
The sliding patio doors opened. Fear struck Lana as a tall, smarmy-faced man in a white panama hat and matching suit strolled to the grill and helped himself to a heaping plate of food. He glanced her way with a mixture of shock and malice, but then quickly grinned.
"Hey lover boy, don't drop her like you did the last bombshell." He licked his fingers as he ate. "Oh, but that was just some love game, wasn't it? You do it to scare them. This one looks like she's ready to fly off herself. Brave chick."
Kal's jaw clenched. Their tender moment was ruined and he flew down. Lana's body language changed from relaxed to edgy and she clung to his side. She'd said this man was a deranged genius in her dimension and always out to kill Superboy with her as the bait. Kal drew his arm over her.
"Lana Lang, I'd like you to meet Lex Luthor."