Thanks for the reviews and favs.
This was brought to you thanks to the editing skills of Hellacre, a debt I'll never could pay.
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Chapter 23 – Breathe.
Day 27 (cont.)
Planet Fred –Eastern Islands – 03:30hs PM
"Wha…H-how?" Diana began to examine his head looking for bumps and lacerations; there were so many on poor Clark's head, she finally realized, "You've lost your memory...Obviously, you remember who we are, thank goodness. What's the last thing you remember, Kal?" She was holding him more carefully now.
"You…I mean, the meeting at the Watchtower when we admitted Fire as a regular member of the League…," Clark began.
"And you trying to make me laugh," Diana interrupted.
"Succeeding in making you laugh," he interrupted.
"I still have to make you pay for that." She paused. "Kal, you've lost thirty six months of your memory."
"Damn! I was hoping for less. Where are we? How did we get here and why? If this is our first date, it's turning into a nightmare, for which I think I should apologize," he joked.
She let it pass because she knew he was trying to minimize the drama. "How do you feel?"
"Like a piñata, only weaker. I think I've lost a lot of blood too. If it wasn't for that green substance I took from that dead beast…It did miracles in stopping the bleeding and started to heal the injuries," he said.
"Yeah…that substance…" Her face showed she was hiding something. " I'll take you back to our settlement! I'll bring you up to date on our way." The Amazon lifted off the ground with Clark in her arms.
Diana was flying as steadily as she could, to avoid harming her beloved even more. As soon as they were several dozen yards of altitude, six of the winged beasts approached them at great speed, with the clear intention of taking them down. "These creatures are starting to get on my nerves! May I have my sword back, please?" Clark handed Eunice to her. "Now, I'm going to need both hands, Agapitos, don't panic and don't make sudden and violent moves, okay? It will be just a second." Saying that, she threw him up and turned around to face the birds fast as a cannon ball. Dodging the animals' savage attack and with surgical precision, she inflicted flesh wounds to the wings of each and every one of them, enough to make them descend to the ground still under them.
Meanwhile, as soon as Clark found himself ascending, he crossed his arms to his chest, exclaiming "Oooh, shiiit!" He tried to be as still as possible. For a moment, he could feel the cold of the upper troposphere.
As soon as his descent began, he felt a soft breeze and Diana's loving arms holding him as softly as pillows of the finest feather.
"Hey there!" She said, "I'm so sorry for that, but I had to discourage any further incursion to our camp, if possible. Are you okay?" It wasn't more than twenty five seconds since she threw him up.
"Now I know how it feels when you get caught in mid fall!" he said, and immitating a desperate fan's voice, "My savior!"
Diana checked his injuries thoroughly before resuming their journey. She gave a summarized account of the events and circumstances that brought them there. Clark listened without saying a word. He was realizing how strange and terrible it was, for someone with an eidetic memory, to lose more than a year of his life. He kept his mouth shut.
"And we've been an 'item', as they say, for only two days now," concluded Diana, landing in their camp, as if downplaying the issue. She let him down and was about to turn away when Clark caught her arm.
"I'm glad we've been together only for two days. I would hate missing more memories of us." Saying that, he took her by her waist and kissed her passionately. When they finally parted, he added, "I may not remember some things but how could I ever forget I love you, Di? I've been in love with you for a long time now. And, if I've finally had the courage telling you how I feel, I won't let it go to waste."
"My love! I was so scared!" She exhaled as if for the first time since he got lost.
A long hug followed, very painful for Clark's shoulders, but one he would never let go even if he could. When Diana raised her head, her eyes were wet. In that moment, she swore to herself the ordeal of the past two days would never happen again. The Princess took him to the pond to wash his injuries and assess the seriousness of his state.
"Given the length of the claws on those creatures, I would assume the wounds could be deeper," said the Amazon. She stripped herself and him completely. From the Kryptonian's point of view, this was the first time he'd seen her totally naked. Naked and touching him. His ability to speak was impaired by all his senses going amok.
"…and they tried to avoid crushing any bone…" She was studying him very closely, so she couldn't help noticing something was growing between them. "Kal? Oh- my-goddess! B-but you're too weakmmph..!" Clark's kiss shut her up. They began touching each other feverishly.
He insisted in pleasing her first, in case his strength wasn't enough to hold him afterwards, as it was the case. He passed out immediately after. Diana panicked, but her concerns were put at rest when she saw his regular breathing (somehow agitated) and placid smile. She carried him to the Fortress.
Faintly opening his eyes, Clark smiled at her. "You are a goddess…"
"And you need to recover! Enough fooling around!" she chided him.
"It was worth it. Every second. Even if I died…"
"Don't even joke about it!" she warned.
"It's your fault and I…" He fell asleep again. When they were inside the house, she put him on the bed and lay down beside him, holding him as to share her body heat with him. She also fell asleep with a smile on her face.
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Day 28
Planet Fred –Fortress of Solely Two – 06:30hs AM
After thirteen hours of sleep, Clark opened his eyes to the morning sun first rays coming from the outside. He could hear Diana's crystalline voice singing as she was chopping vegetables and fruits for breakfast. Her morning prayers for that day were mostly to thank her goddesses and the universe for finding him alive. She was happy. Clark threw some clothes on. Dressing was a not so pleasant experience, but he felt better than the day before. As his sneakers were all muddy and dirty, he put on a pair of beach sandals. He went out, looking for somewhere to wash, when he saw her. Wearing a tank top and jean shorts, swinging her hips following the song's beat, she looked more ravishingly beautiful than any woman he'd ever seen.
She heard him approaching and turned her head to the side to greet him. "God morning, sleepy head! How are you feeling?"
When he got beside her, he firmly grabbed her butt cheek. "Desperately needing you, but better than yesterday. And starving."
He kissed her face, and she responded with, "What's that? You call 'that' a good morning kiss?"
"Sorry, morning breath…" He tried to shrug, but his shoulders didn't let him.
The Amazon put down the knife and, tip toeing, gave him a proper kiss in the mouth, grabbing both his butt cheeks in the process. "There!" asserted the Amazon when finished. She wrinkled her nose because his beard tickled her.
"Oh, yeah. This beard. I'll get rid of it. Don't know what made me grow it," he apologized.
"Don't you dare touch it! It was I who asked you to keep it after your accident! It's MY beard! Now go wash for breakfast," she bossed him.
When they sat to eat, Diana started digging. "What else do you remember, Kal?"
"I…uh…um…well, I guess it doesn't matter now. I have to go on this week…'that' week, to Japan to check on my ship."
"You have a ship? In Japan? What for?" The Amazon was puzzled.
"It's not MY ship per se. It's a Super Tanker…," he began.
"Obviously," she interrupted.
"Yeah…You see, some years ago, when I started helping people with my abilities, and they named me 'Superman', there was this earthquake in Otsuchi, Japan. I helped minimize the damage, well, you know, usual stuff. It was the first time Japanese folks heard my given professional name and they adapted its sound to their language, they started calling me 'Suberu Maru'…"
"Sounds like the name of a ship. It's like when they call your Base Ball 'Bessu Boru'! Many cultures adapt foreign names they don't have a replacement for, to their way of speaking. You Americans call 'thong' what was originally 'tanga' in Brazilian Portuguese," she said.
"Exactly. Well, thing is they had this enormous shipyard which would've lost everything due to the catastrophe, so they were most grateful after my intervention. Four months later, I received an invitation for a launching and baptism of a ship in my honor, the 'Suberu Maru'. The ceremony was broadcasted all over. I couldn't decline, but, being the ship a super tanker, transporting large amounts of oil throughout the oceans, I couldn't afford to let her have a mishap, spilling it's cargo into the water. I mean, she carries my name, for Pete's sake! Imagine the headlines 'Superman's ship causes a disaster…' etc., so every six months I go to wherever she is and check every security measure and the general state of the hull. I can't prevent everything, I'm not a god, of course, but I'll do whatever I can to guarantee her safe journeys. By the way, now I'm 'Superman' in Japanese as well. The ship is the only reminder of that first way they had to call me," he concluded.
"That's amazing, Kal. You'll never run out of stories to tell your grand-children."
" Our…," he timidly said.
"What?" she asked.
"I hope they'll be 'OUR' grand-children…but I'm getting way ahead of myself! Please forgive me and don't say anything. Just wishful thinking." His face turned red. The Amazon took his hand between hers and neither of them said a word. Truth was even if their romance prospered, and the current physical difficulties could be overcome, none of them had any certainty whether or not they could have progeny together, being from different planets. That was a thing that only happened in comic books.
It was Clark who broke the awkward silence "Say, Di, I meant to ask you for a time now about a very superficial aspect of your culture. Did you Amazons acquire the shaving habit in the world of man, or do the Amazons do it as a standard practice...you see…just curious, you know? I didn't mean to stick my nose in your business, but since I know you, you never had...uh...hairy legs...or armpits...and it always peeved the curiosity of the male League members and mine." He was looking at his hands. "A very silly thing, really…but ever since I've known you and your people. I've noticed that. Yeah, I know, I know…I pay attention to the stupidest of things. Forget I asked." He felt embarrassed and stupid. He wasn't looking at her, running his hand through his hair.
"Kal, that's a very personal question." She wasn't looking at him either.
"I know, Sorry, forget I asked. Silly me. Stupid question, ha-ha!" The Last son of Krypton wanted to be swallowed by the ground beneath his feet.
"No, no. We're beyond personal level now. I think it's normal for you to feel intrigued. Men usually have this idea of Amazons being some kind of barbaric, hirsute women." She turned to face him. "I'll answer if you swear that this has nothing to do with any bet you have with the other male members of the League."
"Cross my heart and hope to die," he lied. Behind his back the fingers of the other hand were crossed.
"Okay. This is a secret you won't be able to reveal. Ever. It may cause women all over the world to hate me and my sisters for generations to come and I will eat your intestines for that. Deal?" she asked in a menacing tone.
"Again, you have my word." This time he meant it.
"Bodily hair removal was a practice originated by the Amazons," she dropped.
"What? How...uh...Why?"
"Warrior women often used heavy armor, leather and metal, mostly, not totally separated from our skin by a thin piece of clothing. After a few miles marching under the unmerciful Mediterranean sun, you can imagine the heat and the sweat inside your body shielding, hampering your actions, lacerating your skin, not to mention the insufferable odor. Amazons discovered that removing pilosity greatly reduced those problems, aided by very thin and soft powders like talcum. Another advantage was that, in hand to hand combat, your opponent had less chance to have a firm grip onto a smooth, hairless skin. What your athletes are practicing nowadays, concerning the reduction of friction among other things, we were doing millennia ago. I'm lucky because Aphrodite blessed me with very scarce villus," she said, thinking she was giving too much information away. "Some of my sisters had to work really hard and very often to eradicate what they have in abundance."
The problem for non-Amazon women began when those of my sisters who enjoyed the sexual company of men -before Heracles' betrayal and our retirement from the world of man- showed themselves shaved from the neck down. Those men came to fancy the new look and feel, and so, they demanded their women to do the same, privileging those who did, over those who didn't shave. It caused a very unfair and unnatural selection and extending the practice worldwide, with an exclusively aesthetic edge. Some even made it a divine law. Besides, as typical males, they ridiculously started to identify a hairy body with masculinity and make it a sign of pride and strength (It didn't matter that my sisters beat them in every tournament and/or battle of that period). The suffering and struggle of all women trying to get rid of their bodily hair had its origin in a warrior's practice born out of necessity. If women around the world happen to know this piece of information, they would declare war to the Amazon Nation, and deservingly so." After a pause, she added playfully, "You know? I recommended it to Bruce, because he spends great part of the day attired in his armor. He put it into practice and was amazed by its effectiveness."
"So that's why he no longer showers at The Kitchen's baths, but in his personal quarters! He doesn't want to be seen! Oh, Di, this is priceless info."
"Kal, again, nobody must know what I told you in confidence! Please!" the Amazon begged.
"Muah-ha-ha!" he joked, rubbing his hands.
"KAL!"
"Just kidding! Truth be told, this is incredible and probably no one would ever believe me if I tell. Still, I'll continue to squeeze you for more amazing facts like this, though." He stopped as if he was thinking about something of great importance. "I got it: 'Wonder Woman and her astounding Amazonian revelations' a compilation by Clark Kent." His hands moved in front of him 'displaying' the words on an imaginary billboard, "An instant best seller."
"In your dreams! Not going to happen! Never, ever!" The Amazon was shaking her head.
After breakfast Diana decided to skip the orbital search of the beacon until Clark could make at least an 80% recovery.
"Okay, let's resume our lives here: what was I doing before all this happened?" asked the Kryptonian.
"You were going to strip the Javelin and some parts of the Almerachy ship for wiring, to use it to distribute electricity all over our camp and house, although I think, in light of recent events, it would be wiser to adapt what's left of our personal communicators to the comm System of the alien ship. We can no longer stay out of touch from each other," said the Amazon.
"Yes, I agree." Clark's comm was scorched and Batman's was with him inside the stasis pod, the only one available was Diana's. There were half a dozen spare ones in a drawer in the Command Room of the Javelin, but, when the titanium glasses of the cabin exploded they were scattered into space. "Mmmm. No luck here. Let's see if the Almerachy left something in their ship."
"Let me look for them. You better save your strength," the Amazon said. She moved to the other ship and started opening every compartment, panel and drawer she could find. There was a hand weapons cabinet, similar to that on the Javelin, where she saw what seem to be Bluetooth transmitters perfectly aligned "Bingo!" she exclaimed. She went to the cockpit to see if there was some switch to turn on the remote communications system. She could read some Almerachy, so it wasn't so hard to find. "Here goes nothing…" A yellow light turned on on the console and another on each device. "Yes!" she flew to where Clark was.
"I think I was successful, Kal! These were intact inside a weapons locker!" They put on the transmitters. "Testing-1-2. Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear! Now we are connected! Congratulations, Di! You've done it!" he said.
Diana was very happy. "They are not as discreet as our own, but they'll do. What about the EM field from the debris ring up there? There's gonna be interference."
"Let me see…" Taking his comm off, the Kryptonian start to examine it. He pressed a little protrusion and the gizmo turned off. "Here. Can you see this? It's an on-off switch. Did you notice when I turned it off?"
"Yes, I could hear it as a low click," Diana responded.
"How about this?" He started turning it on and off with a regular pattern.
"I…love…you…Morse code! Of course! When everything else fails, we have Morse code to communicate! League's standard procedure! Brilliant, Agapitos!" and then she added, "I love you too."
"I think we make a great team. I am brilliant and you are pretty. Perfect combination!" he joked.
"So…I'm just pretty, huh?" she approached him seductively. "Well, you are not so bad yourself, hunk…"
"And, to be honest, you have some bright moments too, babe," he retorted.
The next moment they were entangled in a torrid kiss.