When Lois awoke, she could sense it was a new day. There were no windows in the Fortress to prove this for a fact, but she just knew. And she felt good again. Awake, strong and raring to go!

Then the events of the other day came to mind and she sank back down into the pillows. Kal-El was not beside her, though she sensed he had been there at one point. Lois got up, still wearing the clothes she had had one the other day, and looked around until she saw her own iPhone sitting on a table. She picked it up and saw that it was 7:34 AM.

She knew she had promised Kal-El she would stay put, but she couldn't! She needed to check in on Chloe and check in with Perry and...

Apologize to Bruce, for accusing him of buying the Planet to shut down her anti-Batman stories.

Lois walked over to a closet and found some new clothing. But her eyes strayed to a cute dress of sorts that had the same mark that was on her thigh, on the front of it. The garment itself was silver and the emblem was black. It looked to be knee length. Lois pulled that one out of the closet and then began to hunt up some sort of shoes to match. She suspected Kal-El had just scooped up shoes, with the tags still attached, from someplace without any thought to whether they were suitable for ice flooring or not.

She found some underwear and one bra, that Kal-El had probably grudgingly brought for her. He told her once he didn't like them and didn't see why they were worn. Her answer to him had been, 'I bet'.

Lois also found a robe and headed off to the shower she had used before when she was here. Wherever Kal-El was around here, maybe she could convince him to let her pay Chloe a quick visit before her strength ran out again.


But Lois got quite the surprise, when she made her way out to the front part of the Fortress and found Dr. Hamilton standing next to Davis Bloom! And he was in some kind of hospital bed, hooked up to machinery!

"What the hell is this?!" Lois snapped, looking from one man to the other. "Where is Kal-El?"

Davis gave Lois a wary look, while Dr. Hamilton approached her.

"Good morning, Lois. Would you like some breakfast? Kal-El left some for you over there..."

"Don't give me that 'Good Morning, Lois' crap! And I don't want to hear anything about any breakfast! What is HE doing here?" Lois asked, peering at Davis with suspicion. She then looked from him to Dr. Hamilton.

"What are YOU doing here?" Lois asked as well. Dr. Hamilton cleared his throat.

"Kal-El said that you still needed to be filled in on some things. Long story short..."

"No." Lois interrupted quietly. "How about the whole story whether it is long or not. That guy over there blinded my cousin and killed a lot of my co-workers! And don't you know Bruce?"

"Yes, Lois, I do. You are another reason I am here as well. I am now fully aware of your 'situation' here with Kal-El. I think I may be able to help."

Lois stared at him for a moment before forming words.

"What do you mean by 'help'?"

"Let's just say that when I am not here, I will be using the lab at Wayne Enterprises. It occurred to me that the women of Krypton have to have SOME form of birth control. I find this whole concept of your having to conceive a child, in order to remove a debilitating mark from your body, a bit extreme." Dr. Hamilton said bluntly.

"So you think Kal-El is lying?" Lois asked.

"That's what he does!" Davis called out in a sing song voice from his bed. Lois had forgotten he could probably hear. She nodded over at him.

"Why is he here? If he changes we're both toast!"

"I have been Mr. Bloom's doctor for some time. I know about his condition. He just has to keep calm until we can find a cure."

"A cure? I don't understand! I thought he was being captured?" Lois questioned. But Davis interrupted.

"Dr. Hamilton, could you leave Lois and I alone for a few moments?"

"I'm not staying here alone with you!" Lois snapped at him, before looking at Dr. Hamilton again. "How did you get in here? Kal-El just let you in here with him?"

"Lois, we need to talk." Davis said in a firm voice. "Dr. Hamilton, could you excuse us?"

"Uh, I am not staying alone in a room with you!" Lois practically snorted. "And you can apologize to my cousin for blinding her!"

Dr. Hamilton walked back over to Davis.

"Are you sure about this, Mr. Bloom? I just don't think she's ready to hear anything from you." he noted.

"We don't have time on our side, Dr. Hamilton. I have to tell her the truth." Davis said.

"What's going on over there?" Lois asked, her tone full of distrust. Dr. Hamilton helped unhook some wires from Davis's body and he got up out of the bed. He put on a nearby robe and walked over to Lois.

"Lois, we need to talk." he repeated. "There are some things you need to know."

"Like when you'll be turning yourself in?" Lois asked coolly.

"No, more like the fact that Chloe and I share the same mother. That makes us cousins." he told her.


LUTHORCORP-

Kal-El made sure his office door was locked, before going to his safe and pulling out a few of 'Batman's' gadgets, along with several of Green Arrows, 'arrows'. He then opened up a shopping bag and removed a large towel, which he spread across his desk.

Kal-El placed the arrows and the bat gadgets on the towel, then sat down. The gadgets were shaped like bats, and appeared to be small boomerangs of some sort. Kal-El carefully placed a boomerang against one of the arrows, then used his laser vision to seal them together. He did that for quite a few more, before he wrapped them up in the towel and walked back over to his safe. He put everything inside and closed the door.

He was deeply unhappy about leaving Lois at the Fortress. Jor-El and Dr. Hamilton swore that between the two of them, they had things under control with that beast, Lor-Zod. But Lois was going to be horrified if she awoke and found him anywhere near her. Kal-El needed to get some things done quickly, before returning to the Fortress to face Lois's wrath...something he was actually looking forward to very much!

Kal-El straightened his tie and walked towards his office door. He unlocked it, opened it and was a bit surprised to see Dinah Lance sitting at her desk. Tess Mercer was nearby.

"Kal-El?" Tess said, moving towards him. "Could I have a word?"

"Yes, of course." Kal-El said, his eyes sweeping over Dinah. "Miss Lance, hold my calls please?"

"Of course." Dinah murmured and watched the two of them disappear into Kal-El's office. Once the door closed, Dinah took out her personal phone and called Oliver. He picked up on the second ring.

"What's happening?" Oliver asked.

"Your meeting with Tess must have went well. She's in with Kal-El now." Dinah reported.

"Well Tess and I have history." Oliver replied casually. Dinah made a face at that, but did not directly respond.

"Well they have to be talking about your merger offer, which Kal-El doesn't believe is real." she noted.

"Yeah and it still isn't! If you think for one moment, I want the stink of LuthorCorp even associated with Queen Industries, think again! But this will keep Kal-El preoccupied while we work on gaining access to the Fortress. So far, Emil is the only other person with one of those discs. Bruce thinks he has pinpointed the location without needing one." Oliver told her.

"Well just...the door is opening now! I have to go!" Dinah said quickly before hanging up. The first thing she noticed was Tess's facial expression. It was filled with frustration.

"Kal-El, I think you are making a mistake. Why would Oliver Queen reach out to us if he wasn't sincere?"

"I have my reasons for feeling the way that I do. Just ignore any offers from his people."

"The offer did not come from 'his people', Kal-El. It came from the man himself." Tess said, now tossing her hair.

"I did not realize you were overly familiar with Mr. Queen." Kal-El noted.

"I never said I was 'overly familiar' with him. I'm just saying that when the head of a billion dollar company offers a merger with another billion dollar company, it should be treated seriously."

"I have reason to believe that Mr. Queen is mentally ill. I am sure he doesn't even remember making such an offer to you, Miss Mercer." Kal-El said coldly. Tess's eyes widened!

"Where did you get that information?" Tess asked, resentment creeping into her tone. She could understand Kal-El's reasons for turning down the idea of LuthorCorp merging with Queen Industries, if Kal-El heard Oliver out. But Kal-El didn't even know the specifics and he was still turning the concept down. And now this mental illness rumor? Tess knew Oliver intimately. If he was crazy she would know it!

"Miss Lance is the one that told me so, didn't you, Miss Lance?" Kal-El asked, now smiling at her in a way that dared her to contradict him.

Tess slowly turned to glare at Dinah.

"You told Kal-El that Mr. Queen was insane?"

Dinah glared at Kal-El but decided that now was probably the time to give her notice. She had only taken this job to spy on Kal-El on the down low. Well, she wasn't on the 'down low' anymore.

Then another idea came to mind...

"I only said that because Bruce Wayne asked me to." Dinah said casually. Tess's eyes widened! This SECRETARY knew Bruce Wayne?

"Bruce Wayne told you this?" Tess asked skeptically.

"We've been dating. And he's expressed interest in merging with LuthorCorp. Kal-El is aware of this, aren't you Kal-El?" Dinah asked, giving him a triumphant smile. Tess looked from Dinah to Kal-El.

"Well which offer do I take seriously? The one from the insane billionaire or the one that's sleeping with your secretary? And by the way, I thought Bruce Wayne was seeing your step-sister?" Tess asked, now facing Kal-El.

Kal-El's cellphone rang. He carried it inside of his suit pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was Jor-El.

"I have to take this. Tess, we'll meet later. Dinah, continue to hold my calls." Kal-El said, before going back into his office and closing the door. Once it was closed, Dinah looked at Tess.

"Bruce's offer is the legit one. And I ought to know. I'm being sacrificed for it."

"What do you mean?" Tess asked curiously.

"There is talk that this possible merger will be 'sealed' with the marriage of Bruce Wayne to Lois Lane."

"Are you kidding me?!" Tess snapped. "Bruce could do so much better! If his parents were alive I'm sure they wouldn't go for this. God, Lois just always seemed to be...I don't know..."

"Not Bruce Wayne's type?" Dinah asked.

"Yes. Maybe that's it." Tess said thoughtfully, before she turned and walked away from Dinah. Dinah watched Tess leave before getting on her phone and texting Bruce the following message.

We may have a problem.


Bruce received the message, but could not answer it. He was currently in a meeting at one of the private clubs in downtown Metropolis, with General Lane and Vice-President Zod!

"Mr. Wayne, I really must thank you for arranging this meeting and in such a private atmosphere."

"It was no problem, Mr. Vice-President. Unfortunately your son is one, however." Bruce replied.

"You know where he is?" Zod asked. General Lane, who was smoking a cigar, gave Bruce a harsh glance.

"Yes. I do. As does Jor-El and Kal-El." Bruce replied.

"Jor-El and Kal-El welched on a deal we made, to capture your son, Mr. Vice-President," General Lane said, taking over the conversation, "and now they are under some delusion that your son can be cured. He claims you experimented on him. So you would know if there was a cure for what's going on with him, right?"

Zod rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"General, Mr. Wayne, I have been listening to my ungrateful son tell that lie for what seems like forever. But the true time period for when his affliction began to show itself, would be soon after he left Krypton. He did not come to Earth right away. He lived for a period of time, on another planet called Apokolips. It is not in our solar system."

General Lane and Bruce glanced at one another but said nothing. General Zod continued.

"Lor-Zod fell under the influence of a somewhat charismatic leader in this realm. He also began taking drugs. And gentlemen, let me explain something: a Kryptonian that does drugs on this planet, will probably fare better than a human. But a Kryptonian doing drugs on such a place like Apokolips...well...after, that was when Lor-Zod developed the problem he has. But instead of admitting this, he chooses to tell some preposterous tale about his mother and myself, 'experimenting' on him..."

"Yes," General Lane interrupted, "but your son is also claiming that your wife is not his mother."

Zod raised a brow.

"He is? Who pray tell is he saying IS his mother?"

"My ex sister-in-law, a woman named Moira Sullivan. She has told quite a tale about you, Mr. Vice President." General Lane informed him.

"I can assure you, I have never met your ex sister-in-law, General Lane. My wife Faora and I struggled for years before she could conceive a child. I know that Lor-Zod has committed atrocities as that creature, that can never be rectified. But he does need help for what is happening to him. President Luthor likes your cloning plan, General Lane."

Bruce didn't especially like it himself, but he said nothing more on the matter. He didn't think Davis Bloom's creature being cloned, equated to justice for the families of the murdered.

"I also have to express some concern for my unborn grandchild. I would like to meet with my daughter-in-law. Could that somehow be arranged?" Zod asked.

General Lane looked at Bruce. Bruce spoke carefully.

"Your daughter-in-law is in my care now. I will see what she has to say about the matter. This whole thing has been quite distressing for her. Your son lied about himself to her."

"I understand. Please let her know that she has support from myself and my wife if she needs anything. I would like to tell her that myself, of course." Zod said.

Bruce nodded and Zod and General Lane began ironing out the details as to how Davis would be captured. He knew that eventually, they would need to know about the Fortress, though he suspected Zod had to know of it's existence. Hell, Zod probably knew his son was there at this moment!

Which brought Bruce to Zod's story about how Lor-Zod got to be this way and Moira Sullivan. Her twenty year stay in a mental facility, did not inspire confidence that she was telling the truth about this whole matter. But then again, she had been catatonic. She awakes and begins telling a tale, about a man she would not have known existed while she was in her state.

Bruce believed Moira Sullivan. He excused himself and eyed Dinah's message again. Yes, there was a problem alright. General Zod was in all likelihood, about to betray himself and General Lane in some way.

Meanwhile, back in Kal-El's office at LuthorCorp, Kal-El was on the phone with Jor-El. And he was hearing something he did not like...

"I am with Ella at the hospital with Chloe. Her father is with her and they both know about Moira. Apparently Lucy is in town and told Chloe everything. Ella is very angry...I cannot imagine how the revelation about Lor-Zod is going to go over. Kal-El, Chloe is asking for Lois and yourself. It would behoove you to try and balance your responsibilities better."

Kal-El tried to tune out his father's lecture, as he balanced the phone against his ear, while re-opening the safe.

"I will make an appearance. I will come up with some explanation as to why Lois cannot be there." he replied. "I do not appreciate the fact that I had to leave her with that monstrosity. Dr. Hamilton cannot stop Lor-Zod if he changes into that creature again."

"Yes...I really called to discuss Lor-Zod. I have a way I can help him. But I will need your help."

"Father, you have had my help! He is lounging at the Fortress with Lois! And I am sure she is finding his presence to be most upsetting."

"Kal-El," Jor-El said in a firm tone, "I need your help. Lor-Zod needs it as well. A blood transfusion should help eradicate the creature. But it has to be from a Kryptonian that is about the same age as Lor-Zod."

"I don't understand what that has to do with me?" Kal-El asked impatiently as he pulled out the newly crafted arrows he had made, and then tossed them into a canvas bag.

"I think you do. I need your blood, son. Once Lor-Zod receives it..."

"I will do no such thing for that creature and traitor! Where is the crystal he absconded with that sentences our people to death on Krypton? Have you discovered its whereabouts? Now I have to go. I have business to attend to here at LuthorCorp. And if you need to find a Kryptonian to help Lor-Zod, you should put an ad out on the internet." Kal-El said before hanging up. Ordinarily he would not have been so disrespectful towards Jor-El, but his frustration with his own father was at times, too much to bear. This Lor-Zod madness felt so much like the 'Bruce Wayne' thing.

And Kal-El sensed that Jor-El's helping Lor-Zod would end just as well as the fatherly attention he showered on orphaned Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Wayne. Kal-El picked up one of the arrows that now had bat boomerangs attached. He had plans for Bruce and Oliver Queen. These arrows would begin showing up in some of the citizens of Gotham City. No one would be killed, but they would be maimed, which was unfortunate.

Kal-El put all of the arrows into the canvas bag. He had to pay Chloe a visit then return to the house to retrieve Lois's Black Canary costume. They were going out tonight dressed as Green Arrow and Black Canary.