"Rainbow Canyon is here," said Kal-El, "and Meteor Valley is here. I think it's more likely that the criminal is hiding out in Meteor Valley since it's closer to the scene of the crime."
"Yeah.," she said and she placed her hand on her head.
"Should we tell the council our theory or check it out ourselves?"
Lois squinted at him and seemed a little disoriented.
"Are you feeling okay, Lois?" Kal-El asked with concern.
"Why wouldn't I? This Doz guy stole a valuable Kryptonian artifact. Are we positive? Kryptonian criminals are rare. Sometimes the invisible race of people that Raf Arlo discovered are behind it."
"There were witnesses. You look like you're in pain."
"It's nothing. I've just been getting a lot of headaches lately."
"What are headaches?" he asked.
"This stabbing pain on the inside of my head."
"Ouch. Have you went to see a doctor?"
"Yeah right. I hate doctors. If they can't figure out what's wrong with you, they bring in scientists. I'm perfectly fine."
Kal-El looked a little doubtful but he didn't push the subject. Lois went back over to her desk.
"I guess we should check out Meteor Valley," she said, as she took out her key.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in, Kal-El said.
It was Zara and her bodyguard, Ching. Zara's family was wealthy and it made her father paranoid about ransoms and such. Therefore, he made sure every family member had a bodyguard.
"Zara and Ching, I'm glad to see you two. The 4 of us need to sit down and have a talk," Kal-El said.
"I can guess what this is about. It's about our arranged marriage, right?" Zara asked.
Kal-El nodded. "It's no secret between us that I'm in love with Lois and you're in love with Ching. The question is what are we going to do about it?"
"We have to do our duty despite our personal feelings," Ching simply stated.
"He's right." Lois said. "Most of the time, I'm all about breaking rules for a good cause but this kind of rule-breaking means to sacrifice our lives."
"What are our lives worth if we're not happy and with the ones we love?" Kal-El asked. "I'm not talking about an open defiance. I think we should have secret weddings. You and Ching are not betrothed to anybody, so the whole problem is with Zara and me. We could go through the motions of an arranged marriage but it wouldn't be real because we would already be married."
The 3 of them stared at Kal-El like he had gone off the deep end.
"Yeah and I would probably be the one to get us sentenced and caught," Lois said.
"What do you mean?" Kal-El said in confusion.
"If Zara gets pregnant, it's no big deal. They'll assume you're the father. If I get pregnant without a husband…"
Realization dawned on Kal-El's face, causing Lois to smile. He was so naïve sometimes. It was one of the things she loved about him.
"I'm an alien so that might not be an issue but it wouldn't be a good idea to take that kind of chance."
The 4 of them were lost in thought for a while.
Lois broke the silence with, "Kal-El and I have a story to chase down."
She stood up and looked a little unsteady. She fell to the floor unconscious, causing the room to shake.
---
Kal-El, Zara, and Ching were in the waiting room of the hospital.
"I don't understand what could be wrong with her." said Kal-El in a distressed manner.
Zara gave him a sympathetic smile.
The doctor came out and he didn't look like he had good news.
"Your friend has regained consciousness but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for her. She has something Earth people called a brain tumor. It's a growth in her brain that will eventually be fatal. Kryptonians have reached a physical perfection and other than injuries, which can be healed most of the time, green death, and old age, we're not prepared for anything else. By the time we figure out how to cure it, it will be too late and there's no one else to benefit from the discovery."
Kal-El had tears rolling down from his eyes. "Can I see her?" he asked.
The doctor nodded.
---
Lois looked small and helpless, as she lay on the bed. She gave him a weak smile.
"How do you feel?" he asked her through his tears.
"As well as can be expected," she replied, "and don't cry or you'll get me crying."
He smiled and dried his eyes the best he could. He pulled a chair next to the bed and took her by the hand.
"I guess I'll have to call my parents and tell them the news."
"No!" Kal-El shouted rather suddenly. "I'm not going to let you die."
"I don't think I have a choice, Kal and anyway aren't you the one who believes in the whole life after death? I guess now is as good a time as any to get in touch with my spiritual side."
"You should. Rao will take care of you no matter what happens but I'm hoping that He will help me find a way to save you. I know He will!"
He kissed her on the forehead before running out the door. She placed her hand on the spot where he had kissed her. The kiss wasn't illegal. She got similar kisses from her relatives but it made her feel like she was floating when Kal-El did it. She smiled. Kal-El was crazy. Crazy enough that he might find a cure but she wasn't going to get her hopes up.
TBC
