Taking advantage of the alien's absence, Lois decided to explore further. It wasn't as empty as she'd originally thought the further she went back into it.

She found a bedroom and on the bed was a robe similar to what he wore except that it was more feminine and looked to be her size. All this invisible waiting on her and recent events was starting to make her feel like she was in a horror movie.

The fabric was as white as everything else here and didn't look to be that thick, but when she slipped it on over her head, it kept her as warm as wearing a parka.

Back out into the hall, and she went deeper into the fortress.

She nearly screamed when she saw a woman in a robe like hers. What was going on here? An alien invasion or did he have other prisoners?

"You can't go any further," she said.

She said the wrong thing because now she wanted to check out what was back there more than ever. Her curiosity was more than piqued. "Why? What's back there?"

"Nothing like what you might be thinking. It's really the only rule here."

"Along with not being able to leave," she said sarcastically.

"That too," she agreed.

"Who are you?" she asked. Now that she looked at her, she bore a resemblance to the alien.

"A clone of Kal-El's mother. You can call me Lara."

That was very direct and not at all what she expected. "Oh. So his name's Kal-El. Good to know, I guess."

"You must forgive his manners. He doesn't get much company out here."

No surprise that his mother clone would defend him. "Are there others of you?"

A man appeared at her side. She didn't think she was ever going to get used to this.

"This is Jor-El. He's a clone of his father."

This whole situation got freakier by the minute as she studied the glowering man. "Any more surprises?"

"You know too much already," Jor-El said firmly and without a drop of pleasantness. "You and your father shouldn't have come here."

He looked as if he would like for her to be anywhere but here, and she wished she was. "Yeah, I have come to that conclusion already."

Lara tried to smooth things over by changing the subject. "I see you found the clothing I laid out for you."

"I did. Thank you, and it's very comfortable. I'm kind of surprised I was given a room with a bed to be honest."

"We all want you to be comfortable here."

Lois had a feeling that "we" was a party of one, Lara.

Another whoosh and Kal-El was back.

"Has anyone heard of walking here?" Lois asked with irritation.

He didn't respond to that. Apparently he hadn't.

"Where did you take my father?" she demanded. "If you hurt him further, so help me..."

He seemed amused. "I hurt him? He is the one who punched me; I did nothing. He broke his hand on my unbreakable ribs. It is your people who thinks the world can be solved by violence."

There he went being condescending again. "And yet, here you are on my planet for some reason. And you still haven't told me where you took him."

"I took him back where he came from through the cave." He raised the key. "And I made sure he, or anyone else for that matter, can't come through it again."

She would have liked to wipe that smug look off his face, but that would have only proved his point that they were a violent race, and she didn't want to break her hand on what she assumed was his equally unbreakable jaw.

"You will join me for dinner."

It was a statement more than an invitation. Politeness was definitely not in his vocabulary. Like father like son. "Prince Charming you're not. Why do you think I would want to eat with you?"

He took a deep breath that proved she was trying his patience beyond his icy reserve. "It is not something I particularly desire either, but you're here now and we should strive to make the best of it."

"Thank you, but no thank you." She turned to his clone parents. "I'll just have my food brought to my room if you don't mind."

"If she wants to eat, she comes to the dining room like a civil human being."

"Ha!" she said. Like he was a civil human being? She stomped off toward her room. She might have been stuck here, but she wasn't going to pretend to like it and make believe that she was a guest here and he was her host.