Lois finished another Cosmopolitan and stared at the bottom of the glass.
"Hmmm, whoa, empty." She sounded disappointed.
She was about to order another when an older man in a tailored brown suit sat down next to her. Lois studied him and then the bar which was fairly empty at this late hour. Or early depending on how you look at it. Then back to him.
"I think that's enough."
"Who died and made you my boss? I want another one." He held her hand gently and firmly, preventing her from summoning the bartender.
"Ms. Lane-Kent, please." She looked at him in shock for a moment.
Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She looked for a moment in the mirror behind the bar. The man next to her was silent, giving her a chance to come to her senses.
"No one calls me that anymore, not since..."
"Since the solar storm a month ago." She nodded silently. "Many things are not as they should be." She looked at him.
"I would say. Superman does not exist, has never existed. In his place there is only this creature... Kal." She emphasized the name, "And my Clark is gone."
"I noticed."
"Well, you're the only one. Well, besides me."
"I know what my excuse is. What's yours?"
"I was unconscious, in the hospital. I woke up expecting to find Clark gnawing around me and instead my father appeared to give me orders."
"I think I might be able to help. Maybe."
"I don't even know who you are."
"My name is H.J. Wells. I'm a time traveler." Lois laughed.
"I must have really had too much to drink. I think I'll go."
"Ms. Lane, I'm telling you the truth." She looked at him. "Give me ten minutes. What have you got to lose?" Lois watched him for a few moments.
"Okay, you have five minutes." He nodded.
"I travel in time. Originally my time machine was the size of a room but I met a scientist in a world much more technologically advanced than this and we made the machine much smaller." He showed Lois a large gold pocket watch and opened it.
On the face of the clock was another small clock that showed a date. The man turned the watch inside the golden case. The back of the watch was smooth.
"On the face of the clock I set the exact time to which I want to move and on the back of the clock I choose the location. I move not only in time but also between universes."
"I thought only Kryptonians had the technology to do that." He smiled at her.
"One thing I've learned in my travels, anything is possible."
"So, what brought you here?" The man put the watch back in his vest pocket.
"The first time I moved between worlds it was between my world where Lois Lane disappeared, and Kal El was not Superman..."
"Was he a criminal like here?"
"No. But he was in trouble. In the only world I was able to move to, Superman died in a battle against Doomsday and never came back to life. Together with the Lois of that world, we managed to fix both universes. Then I discovered other worlds I could move to, worlds that needed my help. That's how I came over here."
"I don't know how you can help. I can't even get his attention for more than a few moments."
"I'm afraid it's too late to affect him now."
"And that's supposed to help?"
"When I got here, I was trying to figure out what was the point where everything changed. Your Clark ran away from home once."
"Yes, he was in high school. He blamed himself for the accident that happened to his mother." Wells nodded.
"And that's the point where everything changed. Originally your cousin, Chloe Sullivan, found him in Metropolis and two months later told Lana Lang about it..."
"Who confronted him and started a chain of events, at the end of which he returned home."
"This solar storm, what caused it?"
"An experimental communications satellite developed jointly by Lexcorp and Galaxy Communications. It caused problems all over the world, that's why I was in the hospital. Clark had to throw it into the sun. At least, that's what he was going to do before I passed out."
"I think that solar storm caused Chloe Sullivan to not find Clark in Metropolis. I went back in time to the point where she was supposed to find him, and she misses him by seconds."
"Then get back there! Make her see him!"
"I can't do it, but you can."
"But..."
"You don't remember? You were the one who took Chloe to Metropolis."
"Oh… you're talking about then." She looked at him determinedly. "What should I do?"
"And what will the general say about you being here?" Lois smiled at Chloe, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"He would never know." Chloe laughed.
"Okay, so where are you taking me?"
"Maggie hasn't stopped talking about this place." They walked down the street. Chloe could see the line in the distance. "I still can't believe she managed to get accepted to Matt-U."
"I still can't believe she's graduating next year." They both exchanged a smile. "Atlantis?" Chloe looked at the sign.
"Turns out it's the hottest place in town."
"Will they let us in? We're not exactly of legal age."
"Leave it to me."
The guard at the door glanced appraisingly at Lois and didn't even look at Chloe. It helped that Lois was wearing a black leather mini skirt and a leopard print semi-sheer tank top over a black bra. She was also wearing a black leather jacket that was currently rolled off her shoulders. She was wearing black high heels. On the other hand, Khloe wore tight jeans and a green shirt with a boat neckline that exposed her shoulders. Even with her green platform shoes she barely reached Lois's shoulder. The guard opened the silver velvet rope and allowed them both to pass. Lois gave him a five-dollar tip.
The place was amazing. Busy, noisy with rhythmic and innovative music. Lois and Chloe stood at the bar and ordered drinks.
"Wow!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Exactly." Lois said with a smile.
"Hey, there's Maggie!" Chloe happily waved to their cousin who was on the other side of the club with some friends.
Someone pushed Lois into the bar. She gasped and blinked. A bright white light dazzled her for a moment. Lois stared ahead. What? What happened? It worked? Wow, she had a bit of a headache all of a sudden and her body didn't feel quite right. She looked at the mirror in front of her. What exactly happened?
"Lois? Are you okay?" It was Chloe and she looked so young, a real girl.
"I... I'm fine. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
She rushed to the bathroom, miraculously the place was empty. Lois looked in the mirror and saw Wells, but he wasn't behind her. She hurried and locked the door and returned to the mirror.
"Wells? What's going on here?"
"You are in your body."
"Yes, I noticed. This is not what was supposed to happen!"
"It's probably fallout from the solar storm."
"What? What am I supposed to do now? I really don't feel like going back to high school. I couldn't stand high school the first time!"
"Ms. Lane..."
"You're right. I need to concentrate. Is this the night Chloe is supposed to find Clark?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll focus on that, and you'll find a way to get me out of here!" The apparition of Wells in the mirror nod.
Lois rushed out and joined Chloe and Maggie who dragged her to the dance floor. Three hours later people in the club started to leave and Chloe and Maggie were already tired. Lois finally gave in, and they left the club for the hotel room Lois had rented.
Chloe and Maggie were sleeping, and Lois was standing on the balcony looking out at the city spread out below her. She remembered that day. In the previous round Chloe noticed someone while they were dancing and left for half an hour. She came back a bit upset, and they left the club shortly after. This time Chloe didn't leave. The truth is that Lois didn't notice Clark either. And she searched. What will she do now? Clark had to go home!
"Ms. Lane-Kent." She heard a voice behind her and turned back.
"Mr. Wells! He wasn't there!" Wells nodded, his fingers playing with the clock. "And I'm stuck here. Tomorrow the general will show up and drag me back to the base."
"Mr. Kent noticed Chloe standing by the bar. He quickly left." Lois bit her bottom lip, lost in thought. "That would have to be you."
"How, Mr. Wells? He doesn't know me; he has no reason to listen to me."
"You know the truth." She looked at him.
"No. No. That's a bad idea, Mr. Wells. If I've learned one thing from Clark, it's that you shouldn't mess with the past. There's always a price."
"Ms. Lane-Kent, I tried to get you back to your time several times, it didn't work." She bowed her head. "I think whoever is directing my travels wants to keep you exactly where you are until the problem is fixed."
"But if I intervene there is no way to know what else will change."
"So, I guess the question is, are you willing to take the risk?"
"Clark won't like that." she smiled. Wells smiled back.
Lois, wearing a short, tight red mini dress, stood by the bar at the Atlantis club. She knew Clark had always loved her in red. He appeared after half an hour accompanied by a sluty blonde. To Lois's surprise he dismissed the girl quickly and stayed by the bar talking to the bartender. She waited for him to turn and comb the club and then she tossed the hair, flipping it and letting it go. When he looked at her, she felt his gaze like an electric touch and smiled to herself. Even from a distance of years, even when they had never met, he still managed to arouse her with a look. She wet her lips and slowly sipped her drink. Clark stood behind her, his hands imprisoning her. Her smile grew. She still didn't look directly at him. He was wearing a black shirt with the top buttons open; his long black hair was wild. Lois ran her tongue over her upper lip.
"I don't think I've seen you here before." She laughed sensually, tilting her head back. Their eyes met in the mirror.
"Is that your best opening line?" He smiled and Lois tightened her grip on her libido. He turned her to him and placed his hands on the bar beside her. Lois didn't take her eyes off his face.
"Words are not my forte." He leaned in to kiss her, but Lois put her hand on his chest and pushed lightly. There was something lumpy through the fabric. His chest was not as smooth as she remembered. Lois kept a poker face and continued as if she didn't feel anything under her hand.
"I actually like words. For example, names. Like what's yours?"
"Everyone calls me Cal." Clark clung to her. "And your name, beautiful?"
"As if you really care." She moved away from the bar she was leaning on, and Clark moved away from her.
This girl interested him, he was intrigued. It had been a long time since anything had intrigued him like this. She was attracted to him, he knew it, he saw it in her eyes, he felt her body's reaction to him, but she didn't do anything about it. In fact, she was acting cool, playing hard to get. He didn't want to let her get away. He held her hand, preventing her from leaving.
"Where are you going?" She looked at his hand on her arm and then back at him. Her smile warmed.
"Outside." He pulled her back to him.
"Let's dance."
"What about the blonde you came with?"
"Who?" She gently removed her hand from his hand and placed it on his chest.
"You're cute, really, but I'd rather dance with a little more mature guy."
"Am I not mature enough for you?" She looked him up and down and back. Her smile grew. He held her hand on his chest.
"You're just a farm boy who ran away from home because life got a little hard." He tightened his grip, almost hurting her. "Cal."
"This isn't true!"
"I'll need my hand."
"Who sent you here? How did you find me?" He started to hurt her. Ignoring the pain, she pulled out a small note from her bra.
"Afraid I'll tell?" He opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. "I'll be here tomorrow." She handed him the note. Clark took it hesitantly. "Don't worry, Clarky," she whispered, "I'll keep your secret with me." Stunned, he let her slip away and before he could stop her, she disappeared into the crowd of dancers.