Kal-El looked away in disgust, as Jor-El began taking notes on a clipboard, while 'Davis' rested in a hospital bed, hooked up to machinery. Kal-El could see that his father was very involved in this mission to 'save Lor-Zod'.

Kal-El did not believe that worthless wretch could be saved! Nor did he want to. The Fortress had repaired itself, despite Lor-Zod's beastly destruction. And right now, all he wanted was to spend time with Lois here, alone.

But no, that would not be happening. Not with this leeching abomination, taking up their good time and resources! Kal-El walked over to the two of them. Jor-El glanced at his son.

"Kal-El, would you hand me that syringe? I need to take some blood."

"I will do no such thing, Father. I think Lor-Zod needs to show us good faith here. And he could do so by telling us where the crystal is, that he stole from Krypton." Kal-El said firmly. Jor-El clenched his jaw, but had to silently admit that Kal-El did have a point. He looked over at Lor-Zod, who was glaring at Kal-El!

"Lor-Zod," Jor-El began, "what your parents did was unspeakable. But THEY are the ones that wronged you. By taking that crystal from Krypton, you have sentenced innocent people to death. Tell us where it is so we can return it."

"And then what, Jor-El? You will leave? Will you take all the other Kryptonians that mean these good people harm, with you?" Davis argued.

"No one is harming anyone here." Kal-El said tiredly.

"Really?" Davis asked sarcastically. "Chloe Sullivan is my sister. And Lois and Lucy Lane are my cousins. You have acted in a disrespectful manner towards MY family! Is this the kind of behavior Earth women can expect out of our kind?"

"You are not 'our' kind," Kal-El replied, "and I would think that the people of this planet would much prefer Kryptonians that didn't turn into savage beasts and slay them."

"Alright," Jor-El interrupted, "that is enough. Lor-Zod, I can help you. But you need to help us. Where is the crystal?"

Davis said nothing for a moment, then spoke.

"It is at Wayne Enterprises."

"Where at Wayne Enterprises?" Kal-El asked crossly. "Because we don't want to be hunting for it all day."

"You kept such a valuable item at your place of employment?" Jor-El asked in wonder. He was actually shocked. What they needed had been close by and he never even realized it. For some reason, Jor-El suspected Lor-Zod was lying. But he decided to take the young man at his word on this. For now.

"I will tell you the exact location after I am cured." Davis offered.

"My father agreed to TRY to help you. If there is no help for your condition, you should do the honorable thing and tell us the exact location of the crystal anyway." Kal-El argued.

"And you should self deport yourself from this planet, Kal-El, today. If you agree to do that, then I will tell you the exact location." Davis replied. Kal-El took a menacing step towards Davis, just as Dr. Hamilton arrived, along with Bruce, who was carrying Lois!

"What is the meaning of this?" Jor-El demanded to know. "How did you get in here?"

"Mr. Bloom gave me a special disc, to be used in emergencies or in case of his death. We have an emergency." Dr. Hamilton said, now looking over at Bruce and Lois. Kal-El moved towards Bruce, holding out his arms.

"Turn her over to me." Kal-El said coldly. Lois had not been ready to leave the Fortress! But that beast over there in the hospital bed, had forced them to make other plans that were to Lois's detriment!

"I can set her down in one of your 'guest rooms', Kal-El." Bruce said in a testy tone. "But I am staying here with her."

Kal-El's reaction to that reveal, was to shoot a beam from his eyes, at one of Bruce's arms! Bruce yiped in pain, dropping Lois! But Kal-El sped over to keep her from crashing onto the ground! He then carried her off to THEIR bed.

Jor-El walked over to Bruce to look at his arm.

"You will live. But I do have a special salve that will speed up your healing process. Unless you plan to rest it for a night?" Jor-El asked. Dr. Hamilton and Davis looked at one another. What did Jor-El mean by that 'rest it for a night' part?

"No. I can't rest. Do you what you can, please." Bruce said quietly, his eyes leaving Jor-El's and focusing on the last spot he had seen Kal-El with Lois. He could not leave her here with him.

He had decided that he would need the disc Dr. Hamilton had used to get in here. Or some sort of copy of it. He looked at Jor-El again.

"Why did you break your word to General Lane and myself? And what do you honestly think you can do for Davis over there?" Bruce asked.

"Because of new developments learned in the last 12 hours. Lor-Zod's real mother is my wife's sister, Moira Sullivan. I heard enough from Moira and Lor-Zod to change my way of thinking."

"Jor-El, I want to hear what you have learned, but Mr. Bloom here has killed many people. He has to be taken into custody." Bruce argued.

"Bruce, even the military would not be able to stop Lor-Zod if the creature re-appeared. How would General Lane even contain him?"

"That is not our concern, Jor-El! You made a deal with the General and myself. It needs to be kept. And I am sure that the military has scientists that can help Davis over there." Bruce told him.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hamilton, who was by Davis's bedside, put a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry. Jor-El will be able to convince Mr. Wayne that you should stay here until we can find a cure for your condition."

"Dr. Hamilton, I am worried for my wife. I need assurances that she is safe and will be looked after. Can you do that for me? Please?" Davis begged. Dr. Hamilton nodded.

"Don't worry, Mr. Bloom. No one here is going to let anything happen to your wife. She was checked over at Metropolis Emergency and sent home. She and the baby are fine." Dr. Hamilton assured him. But he honestly did not know what General Lane's plans were. All he did know was that in the case of Davis Bloom, he needed absolute calm. And if he was agitated or excited in anyway, they were all dead!


Lois slowly came awake and was surprised to see Kal-El sitting on the bed by her side. She raised her head slightly and looked around. She was back here at the Fortress. The idea of it relaxed her and she sank back onto the pillow.

"You look pleased." Kal-El noted, moving some of her hair away from her face.

"I like it here." Lois admitted. Kal-El actually smiled at her words.

"That pleases me to hear that. However, I have to ask how you came to be with Bruce Wayne? He brought you here along with Dr. Hamilton."

"Dr. Hamilton is here?"

"Yes. You fell asleep at the hospital with Chloe and somehow Bruce is the one that brings you here?"

Lois sat up a bit. She wasn't going to lie to Kal-El about what had happened between herself and Bruce in Gotham City. Lies never got you anywhere anyway. She had watched her mother lie to her father about Jor-El, before she even admitted to Jor-El's actual existence in her life!

"I was in Gotham City with Bruce. He offered me the chance to witness the creature's capture."

Kal-El looked appalled!

"He was willing to put you in harm's way? Well, thank the Gods that never happened." he sniffed. Lois tilted her head.

"What do you mean, 'it never happened'? You were going ahead to Gotham to help with Davis Bloom's capture, right?"

Kal-El took a deep breath before speaking.

"Lois, much has happened since we last saw one another in the hospital. You need to rest and when you are fully awake, I will tell you everything."

"Okay, but I need to tell you something now. When I was in Gotham with Bruce, he did not take me to Wayne Enterprises. He took me to his home. And he showed me enough evidence that proved you were right about his being Batman."

Kal-El raised a brow.

"He confessed?"

Lois nodded. Kal-El felt unease creep through his body. Why would Bruce Wayne share this with Lois? The only reason to do so, is if he felt he needed to pursue a relationship with her, and wanted to be honest. He gave Lois a sharp look that she almost withered under, but she felt she had to tell him everything.

"What happened after you realized I was telling you the truth?" Kal-El asked.

"Bruce left to go to Wayne Enterprises, or so I thought. He left me to sort of take things in and I found I couldn't. That revelation just brought up more questions and I felt like I needed to get out of there. I was going to call a cab or someone to come and get me in Gotham City, when I saw that Bruce had left a limo for me. Or so I thought."

Kal-El said nothing and just waited to hear the rest of it.

"Bruce never went to Wayne Enterprises. He was in the backseat wearing his Batman mask...and nothing else. I just got caught up in the moment and well...I sort of broke my agreement to 'pretend'. And I know I swore on our unborn child's life and all. I feel really crappy about that too! After, when reality set in, I found myself saying things to him that probably hurt his feelings." Lois said.

Kal-El now rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Lois, the man knows you like I know you. He knew that his being 'masked' would excite you. That was why I brought you the two 'costumes', remember? I am not upset or worried. Your liaison with him does not count." he said dismissively.

"It doesn't count because he was in a mask?" Lois asked in disbelief.

"Yes. You said yourself you were 'caught up in the moment'. But you would not have given yourself to him if he had just been sitting in the backseat unmasked, THAT I am sure of. But worse yet, he thought seducing you would get you to understand what he was. I get the feeling it did not?" Kal-El asked quietly.

Lois ran a hand through her hair.

"I found myself wondering if squashing my negative Batman stories, was the real reason he bought the Daily Planet. I don't know. He seemed to be hurt when I told him that..."

"Which was all part of his play act. So is this hero thing he does at night. Half of the criminals he leaves for the police, end up on the streets again. He loves that. He can just beat them up again and tell himself he is helping mankind." Kal-El said blithely.

"I think he is doing some good, Kal-El, but I don't know if there is any room in his life for me. I guess I should have given him more of a chance to explain. Did he bring me here?" Lois asked in wonder.

Kal-El did not like how much time they were spending talking about Bruce Wayne! Though he strongly suspected that what Lois was feeling now, was not longing for the man, but more like pity. And she did not seem to like the fact that she could not understand why
'Batman' was so important to Bruce.

"Yes, he did," Kal-El said answering her question, "and I suspect he is still in the front part of the Fortress. I will be sending him home. Lois, the reason what happened between yourself and Bruce Wayne, happened, was not just about 'masks'. We have not had enough time together, alone here to keep outsiders from coming between what we are trying to build. I want you to stay here. I will deal with Chloe and she will have enough help to see her through this crisis. Now, will you agree to stay here with me?"

"I don't know, Kal-El. I mean how long are we talking here?" Lois asked. The story of that beast attacking the Daily Planet, blinding her cousin and being the husband of a fellow reporter, had to be written!

"I am sure Bruce will be fine with your stories being submitted electronically. He cares for you. He would not want your career to suffer for medical reasons. I want you to stay until you are fully recovered."

"Or fully pregnant?" Lois asked wryly. Why couldn't her relationships be easy? She had doubts about Bruce and she had doubts about Kal-El's wanting anything from her but a full blooded Kryptonian child. And yet, the situation was what it was. And she did feel tired and weak. She couldn't write anything in this condition.

"Will you?" Kal-El asked again, ignoring her sly question. "Will you stay here for the time being?"

Lois nodded.

"Fine, Kal-El. I will stay here until I get my strength back." she said, knowing what she had just said, was code for 'until she was carrying Kal-El's child'.

Kal-El bent down to tuck her in, before walking out of the room and pulling a small lever. It dimmed the lights so sleep would come easier for Lois. Once Kal-El left the room, however, his expression changed.

He was going to make Bruce Wayne pay for putting his hands on Lois in such a vulgar manner! The ONLY reason he seduced Lois was because he sensed their closeness and tried to come between them. Just the idea of that piece of...running around naked in that stupid mask of his, and forcing poor Lois to submit to him(yes, Kal-El REALLY thought that she had been FORCED to engage in some depraved sexual act) was more than he could stand. Not to mention that he blamed Bruce for weakening his father. Before Jor-El met Bruce Wayne, he would've never made some of the decisions he had been making as of late.

Kal-El walked back to the front of the Fortress and watched Jor-El tend to Bruce's wound. An idea was forming. One that wouldn't make 'Batman' look like quite the hero. But it would have to be planned out very carefully. Kal-El could not afford for anyone to think he had been behind was he was planning against Bruce.

He walked out into the front area and Bruce and Jor-El noticed him. Dr. Hamilton glanced over at Kal-El while he took Davis's vitals.

"Lois is asleep. That means it is time for you to go, Mr. Wayne. And you can take this monstrosity with you." Kal-El said coldly.

"Kal-El, Lor-Zod needs to stay here until we can cure him. We have been over this." Jor-El said in a calm tone. Why did Kal-El persist in being difficult about this matter?

"Lois needs to stay here to regain her strength. That THING cannot stay here while she is here. He almost killed her the last time he was here." Kal-El said coolly.

Davis started to sit up in his bed. Dr. Hamilton cautioned him.

"Keep calm, Mr. Bloom."

"I will." he whispered back, before addressing Kal-El. "Kal-El, I remember some of that and I am deeply sorry. Lois is family, which I did not know at the time. But I can assure you, with Dr. Hamilton and Jor-El here with me, Lois is safe."

"You attacked the Daily Planet while your wife and unborn child were in the building, Lor-Zod! No. I will not take that chance with Lois's life." Kal-El argued.

Bruce looked from Kal-El to Jor-El.

"Your son does have a point, Jor-El. What assurances do we have that he won't transform here while Lois is asleep or something?"

"I will stay here with the two of them." Dr. Hamilton volunteered. "And if something happens, I have the disc that will allow me to get Lois out of here."

"But nothing will happen, Kal-El," Jor-El said, now walking so that he could stand before his son, "believe me, I know how important Lois is in this situation. We can come back and check regularly. But we also have to resume our normal lives. Chloe will be depending on you. Ella will expect me to be by her side. I don't know how we will explain Lois's absence, but we will deal with it."

"Fine. I suppose that is somewhat acceptable." Kal-El said grudgingly. Bruce then made an announcement.

"I think it is only right that I have access to this place as well, so I can check in on Lois."

Jor-El walked back over to Bruce.

"No. And you know why I must turn down your request. Let us not make things worse here."

"Goodbye, Bruce. Surely you have 'something' to do tonight back in Gotham?" Kal-El asked, now folding his arms.

Bruce walked away from Jor-El and over to Kal-El.

"If you think for one minute, that I would leave Lois here to be used as some sort of brood mare, you are very much mistaken. If you do not give me what I am asking for, I will find a way around you to gain entrance to this place."

"And if you return here while I am here, you will be killed, I can assure you of that." Kal-El responded calmly. Davis stared at the two of them from his bed. What the hell was going on here? Why was Lois being used as a brood mare?

"Mr. Wayne," Davis called out, "I will be here. Dr. Hamilton will be here. No harm will come to Lois."

Dr. Hamilton bit his lip. Davis did not know the specifics of this 'arrangement' between Kal-El and Lois, thus his promise was not one that could be kept. He looked at his patient.

"Why don't we stay out of this. Just concentrate on getting well, Mr. Bloom."

Davis said nothing to that. Bruce Wayne had hired him in good faith and he felt as if he really wanted the best for this planet. It bothered him to see him so worried for Lois and now he knew more was going on here, than was being revealed.

Meanwhile, Bruce decided that he would have no choice but to leave-for now. But the minute he was ejected from this place that was called 'The Fortress', he was going to find a way back in. And he knew that there was one person that probably could get him in here, if the terms were right-Vice President Zod.