Chapter Sixteen - Variations
Lex had soon gotten bored of wandering around the Tardis. Apart from a locked sturdy door with a sign saying PLEASE KEEP OUT! there had been little of immediate interest, and so he'd deemed it prudent to return to The Doctor. Partly because, despite his feelings, he knew that The Doctor would be far more preferable as a friend than a foe, and partly because, with the Tardis' size, he ran the risk of becoming hopelessly lost.
And so Lex found himself back in the Tardis' control room while The Doctor brought him up to date on all that had gone before. While much of it Lex had already heard from Ursa, the parts about Clark's parentage were new to him and of particular interest.
"Have you read any time travel stories?" asked Lex, thinking about what The Doctor had told him.
"I try not to," replied The Doctor. "I invariably end up picking holes in the plots."
"It's just that I was thinking about Clark. He'd previously heard his father talking with Zod's voice, so when he suddenly had visions of someone who looked like Clark Kent and talked like Clark Kent visiting the past Smallville, I'm surprised that he didn't jump to the obvious conclusion…"
The Doctor looked at Lex with interest. "Which is?"
"Jor-El isn't Jor-El. He's Clark visiting the past - with your help of course."
The Doctor smiled. "But that wouldn't make sense. Clark wouldn't visit the past the first time around the time loop because he wouldn't know he'd meet Jor-El there. The cycle must start somewhere."
"Although we might have ended up visiting Smallville in 1961 anyway, somewhere on our journey back to stop this Cat Grant woman," theorized Lex. "That could have started the cycle. This could be the second iteration of time we're living through, one where Clark Kent remembers those events."
"That's what I thought," admitted The Doctor. "But Jimmy assured me that the wedding in Metropolis was the first time he'd encountered this reality. Therefore there's no reason we'd have visited here again."
While Lex frowned, his theory blown apart, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on the Tardis' door.
"Hope it's not a salesman," said The Doctor, walking to the door. At the door stood an out-of -breath Jimmy Olsen.
"This place … I've been here before," he gasped.
The Doctor looked sternly at him. "You're sure? But you said …"
"I'm sorry, Doc. All these Smallvilles look alike, but I thought this one was different. There was no Clark Kent and Lana was called Louise and …"
"It's okay, Jimmy," said The Doctor. "You go and bring the others back here and I'll try and work out the best course of action."
"So, looks like I was right," said Lex.
"Not necessarily," said The Doctor. "Although I'm reasonably sure this isn't the first iteration of these events, Jor-El could still turn out to be the real Jor-El, although now we've brought Zod back to the past he might end up taking Jor-El's place, thus explaining the voice discrepancy."
"So you're saying that you're not sure if we did or didn't come back here originally?"
The Doctor nodded.
Lex continued speaking his thoughts out loud. "In which case everything may be hunky dory, or Clark may end up meeting his future self and introduce enough paradoxes to destroy time itself."
"Don't be so melodramatic. Time's not going to be destroyed. It can take anything we throw at it, and still survive. After all, time's resilient -"
"I hear it's a great healer," chipped in Lex.
"Indeed," replied The Doctor. "Time will protect itself, even if it means erasing us."
An hour later, Jimmy Olsen entered the caves to see Clark sitting there.
"Hi, CK. Chloe said you might be here."
Clark looked up at Jimmy. "I'm waiting for my father."
"Well, The Doctor wants to see us all back at the Tardis," explained Jimmy. "I've already found Rose and Chloe, but I still need Ursa, Zod and Lana. I was wondering if maybe you could help."
Clark sighed and then got to his feet. "Alright, but when The Doctor's said whatever it is he has to say I'm coming right back here."
"Than-" started Jimmy, and then he found himself zooming down a road, towards the Tardis, being carried by Clark.
"Thanks for the lift," he said, as Clark dropped him off at the Tardis' door, but it wasn't fast enough as Clark was already heading back towards Smallville to find the others.
Ursa stood by the side of Crater Lake, looking up into the sky, thinking about Krypton. Suddenly she heard the sound of someone skidding to a halt behind her.
"Ursa, we need to return to the Tardis," explained Clark.
"Is there a rush?" she asked, her back still to Clark.
"The Doctor wants us," he replied.
"No rush then," said Ursa. She paused for a moment and then continued. "I'm glad we're alone, Clark."
"But we've got to get back."
Ursa ignored Clark's comment. "I saw the way you were looking at me, Clark, back in the Tardis."
"But I wasn't," protested Clark.
"Of course you weren't, Clark," said Ursa playfully. "I suppose you were just admiring my badges."
"That's right," lied Clark, not wanting to let her know that Zod sounded just like his father.
"I bet you're admiring my S now," she said, referring to the latest badge she was now wearing on her back, and then she turned around, walked over to Clark, and took his blushing chin in her hands. "Well, it's obvious you're in something of a hurry so you better give me a ride."
Moments later, nearly everyone was gathered in the Tardis, apart from General Zod and Lana. Clark sped out of the Tardis, soared towards Smallville, and soon his eyes and ears were combing it for any traces of them. For a second he thought he saw Lana, but then realized it was her great-aunt Louise. As seconds of searching turned to minutes, turned to an hour, Clark realized that neither of them was in Smallville, and so he headed back out of Smallville towards the Tardis, looking for any trace of them.
Suddenly he heard Chloe's scream coming from the Tardis, and so he raced there only to find a battered and bruised General Zod standing in the Tardis, holding the inert body of Lana Lang in his arms. Clark couldn't hear her heart beating.
Clark suddenly felt numb inside, felt guilty that tears weren't flowing down his cheeks, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and then he heard his voice asking "How?"
"Ultra Woman," replied Zod.
