Clark Jerome Kent had come out of the side entrance of the hospital in his street clothes. There were no cabs to be seen so he walked over to the Daily Planet building to meet up with Perry and his Lois. The city was a mess with collapsed buildings and boarded up windows. He hadn't paid much attention to the damage the night before – everything had appeared under control and he hadn't detected any life signs in the demolished structures. In the daylight it was obvious the city had been hit by a major earthquake.

The Daily Planet was in slightly better shape than many of the surrounding structures. The building was habitable although many windows were boarded up or covered with tarps, and many of the large decorative sculptures had been damaged. The ornate globe that should have been on top of the structure was missing, no doubt having fallen during the quake.

He paused at the entrance to this version of the newsroom. It wasn't quite the same as the one he'd left the day before, but there was a familial similarity to it. The flat screen monitors overhead, the maze of desks, the beehive busyness of people on the phones. The colors were lighter, more 'industrial.' In his own newsroom wood was favored over metal. The differences were simply part of the mystery of tripping the planes.

Jerome heard sirens in the near distance and debated with himself as to whether or not a visiting Superman would be welcome in the skies above Metropolis. It was rarely a problem when there was a close physical resemblance between himself and the resident Superman. It was much more problematical when it was obvious he wasn't the original.

His own world was well aware that Superman wasn't the only survivor of Krypton's demise. They knew that New Kryptonians occasionally visited Earth with the permission of Kal-El. They also knew that Earth's military forces were capable of defending them against rogue aliens. That wasn't true here and as much as it bothered him to ignore the cries of help, he needed to keep the illusion alive, for this world at least, that their Superman was the only one.

A young man with a boyish face wearing a sweater vest and bowtie noticed him in the doorway. "Can I help you?"

"I'm waiting for Mister White," Jerome told him. "I'm Jerome Kent."

"Oh, I'm James Olsen, but nearly everybody calls me Jimmy," the young man introduced himself, shaking Jerome's hand enthusiastically. "Mister White hasn't come in yet, which is a little strange. Actually neither of them have come in yet…" He stopped and gave Jerome a curious look. "Kent? You wouldn't be related to CK, would you? Clark Kent? He's one of our reporters… and he hasn't come in yet either…"

"We're related," Jerome confirmed with a smile.

"Oh, wow," Jimmy said. "I didn't know he had any relatives besides his mom."

Jerome shrugged and smiled noncommittally as he followed the younger man through the newsroom to what had to be the editor's office.

"I guess you can wait for Mister White in here," Jimmy said, opening the door to the office.

"Actually, if you have a computer terminal where I could log on as a guest, I have some research I need to get started on for Clark," Jerome told him.

Jimmy's face screwed up in thought. "There's a free terminal in the conference room," he said finally. "But I don't know the login or password."

"I'll see what I can do until Mister White gets here," Jerome said, following the young man to the conference room next to the editor's office

He sat down at the computer in the corner of the room and checked the underside of the key board. Some things never change. A slip of paper with the login and password was taped to the bottom of the keyboard. He logged on and began searching.

0 0 0

Richard and 'Joanne' drove out of the hospital parking garage in Richard's Passat. Earlier, Richard had taken a cab to Perry's house to pick up his car. Perry was taking his own car to the Planet.

"So, how long have you two been married?" Richard began conversationally.

"Ten years," Joanne answered. "We have four kids."

She was interrupted by the sound of sirens as several police cars and a police van sped down the street toward the hospital.

"That was the SWAT team," Richard said, suddenly worried. "Something big's going down… Hold on." He threw the steering wheel over hard, crossing two lanes to turn at the intersection. Other drivers wailed on their horns in protest but he ignored them. Another block and they were heading back, parallel to the route taken by the police team. He pulled the car into the nearest parking garage then headed toward the action at a run, pausing only long enough for Joanne to catch up.

"Richard White, Daily Planet," he announced himself, holding out his press pass to the officers who had taken position behind their cars. They were watching the main entrance of the hospital. Other Kevlar-vested officers were inside the building. Richard spotted someone he recognized, a hard-looking woman with close cropped auburn hair. "Maggie!" he called out.

The woman saw him and waved him over.

"What's going on?" Richard asked.

"Hospital security called us," Maggie Sawyer told him. "Possible hostage situation, possible kidnapping."

"Do we know anything?" Richard asked.

Maggie gave him a look he couldn't quite identify, part worry, and part something else. "All we know so far is four people came into the building from the roof," she told him, keeping her gruff voice low. "One of the reception people is missing and so are two kids and their parents. The kids were taken from intensive care. One from pediatrics, the other from the newborn nursery."

Richard felt his blood go cold and his stomach started doing flip-flops. "You're sure?" he asked, hoping against all odds she wouldn't confirm his worst fears.

"Jason White and his mother, Esperanza Kent and her father," Maggie told him. It was as if the world had stopped as the cold wave of fear washed over him. "Witnesses say they were taken at gunpoint." Maggie looked over at Richard and this time he recognized the look – pity. "We're doing everything humanly possible," she assured him. "Pity the Boy Scout hasn't shown up. He could probably take care of the problem without breaking into a sweat."

"Not if the perps are working for who we think they are," Joanne commented.

Maggie gave her a curious look. "And who is that?"

"Lex Luthor. We have reason to believe he's in Metropolis, and he's after Lois and Jason," Richard told her. "If we're right, then this is part of a plan to take out Superman."

There was the sound of the helicopter overhead and all three of them looked up to see what was happening. Richard had excellent eyesight and spotted a white helicopter with a red cross on the side, but no other markings that he could see.

Maggie started swearing. "That damned thing was supposed to have been secured!" The radio that was secured to the front of her vest squawked and she pressed the receive button on its face. "Yes?"

"We found the receptionist, Captain," a man's voice reported. "She's dead."

Maggie turned to Richard. "Tell me everything you know about this."

0 0 0

Perry strode across the newsroom, ignoring Jimmy and several others as they tried to catch his attention. He spotted Jerome in the conference room and veered off to go there instead of his office.

Jerome looked up at him from the computer as Perry closed the conference door behind him. "I just got a call from Richard," Perry announced. "Those sirens belonged to the Special Crimes Unit responding to a kidnapping and murder at Metropolis General. Somebody grabbed Lois, Clark and the two kids at gunpoint, and killed one of the reception people. The police are chasing the helicopter they were supposedly taken off in."

"Oh, this just keeps getting better," Jerome commented sarcastically. "I just got off the phone with Wells. His contacts with the Peace Keepers finally tracked down some of the information we needed."

"And?" Perry prompted.

Jerome took a deep breath before continuing. "According to what they've found – and apparently this comes from the time-line just adjacent to this one which should be very similar to this one – the skew began when your Lois and Clark disappeared for three days. Originally, they didn't disappear and Richard White stayed in Metropolis. In fact, he and Lois ended up getting married. Your Superman was injured or poisoned at the refinery fire and was missing for nearly three months. But Clark Kent was at work during that time. In fact he won a Pulitzer for his investigation into government malfeasance in regards to their response following the near destruction of Metropolis at the hands of Lex Luthor."

"So, what happened to change things so much?" Perry asked.

"As near as I can tell, the fact that Lois and Clark were gone allowed Luthor a couple extra days to put together whatever he had planned," Jerome said. "Originally, Luthor and the woman with him were caught by Superman two days before the refinery fire. Superman handed Luthor over to the government of Ghana and he died there."

"So, how does it get put back the way it's supposed to be?" Perry asked.

"It doesn't," Jerome answered. "In my time-line, I was originally out of the game for several months as well, following an assassination attempt. My youngest daughter was murdered that same night by someone who wanted my entire family out of the way. Believe me Mister White I will do anything to protect my family."

Jimmy knocked on the door to the conference room, then stuck his head in. "Uh, Chief, it's all over the WGBS that the chopper the cops were chasing was forced down."

"And?" Perry demanded.

"And the only people on the chopper were the pilot and a woman the police are identifying as Katherine Kowalski," Jimmy reported. "She's the one Lois said was working with Luthor."

"So where are Lois and Clark and the kids?" Perry wondered aloud.

"Rats hide in holes," Jerome commented. "And this one doesn't want Superman to find him." He turned to Jimmy still standing in the doorway. "We need a list of the bomb shelters, places Luthor has been known to hide out, sewers, subway side tunnels, places like that, within Metropolis."

"Okay, I'll get research on it," Jimmy promised, heading back to the newsroom.

"And then what?" Perry asked.

"And then we figure out how to neutralize this version of Luthor and get your people back safely."

0 0 0

Luthor had urged Clark toward the waiting helicopter on the roof of the hospital then stopped. The baby was still wailing and Clark was trying to shield her from Luthor and the kryptonite. Clark couldn't remember ever feeling so powerless, not from his super powers being gone, or even being a prisoner of Lex Luthor, but that he could do nothing to comfort a tiny baby.

Luthor kept eyeing him suspiciously and Clark knew he was wondering why Clark was looking so ill. Clark put on his most innocently pathetic face. "I ate something that disagreed with me last night," he told the villain, who only seemed slightly mollified.

Luthor grunted and guided Clark around the back of the helicopter. "Watch him," he ordered Smith then he stepped closer to the open door of the copter. "Heads up everybody!" Luthor shouted. "There's been a change in plans. Kitty, you and Joe there get this thing as far away from here as possible, as fast as possible." He looked straight at the pilot. "There'll be a bonus in it for you." He turned to Baxter and Lois. "Out," Luthor ordered.

Baxter climbed out of the helicopter, not bothering to help Lois with her blanket wrapped burden. Clark stepped forward to help her, shrugging off Smith's hand on his arm and giving in a foul glare. Clark watched as Smith gave Luthor a questioning look and shrugged.

"It's nice to know chivalry isn't dead," Luthor said with a dark chuckle. "Misplaced perhaps, but not dead."

Clark ignored him, taking Jason from Lois's arms and handing her the baby instead. Without his powers, Jason actually felt a little on the heavy side. "Are you okay?" he asked Lois, keeping his voice low.

"So far," Lois told him.

"Hey, no talking, you two," Baxter warned, waving his gun around.

Wordlessly, Clark helped Lois out of the helicopter with his free hand. Then they followed Luthor through the open door on the far side of the roof. Clark hoped the sardonic grin Luthor gave them didn't mean things were going to get worse soon.

Lois took his hand as they started down the stairs and he stopped abruptly, startled at what he sensed. 'What?'

It was Lois's mental voice in his head. He'd thought that he'd lost that power too when everything else went, although the telepathy seemed to be touch-based at the moment. Or maybe there was something with the physics of this reality that made his powers, especially the telepathy, work a little differently. Clark already suspected he reacted differently to kryptonite than the other Clark did.

'It's going to be okay,' he promised before letting go of her hand. Outside he heard the helicopter rev up its rotors and take off.

Behind him the goon called Smith was peering at the black PDA and frowning. "Boss, I just picked up a spike."

"Blue Boy's on the move?" Luthor asked.

Smith shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Let me know if it happens again," Luthor ordered.

0 0 0

Jimmy brought in the research in record time. "I've also got Penny putting together everything we know about Lex Luthor – his modus operandi, financials, real estate, relatives," he told them as Perry took the maps from him and spread them over the conference table.

Richard and Joanne walked into the conference room. Perry noted how worn out they both looked. He knew Richard had little sleep last night and he doubted Joanne had slept at all.

"Kowalski gave the police the location of Luthor's latest hideout," Richard told them. "An abandoned underground train station."

"Isn't that where Luthor was hiding when he hijacked those missiles and tried to take out California eight, nine years ago?" Jimmy asked. Richard shrugged and Perry saw the blank looks of incredulity on both Jerome and Joanne's faces.

"I think you're right, Olsen," Perry agreed, suppressing a chuckle.

Jimmy was watching Jerome and Joanne, a puzzled look on his boyish face. "You guys don't know about the nuke Luthor set off on the San Andreas? I mean Superman practically had to knit the fault back together to keep everything from falling into the ocean," Jimmy said in obvious disbelief. "Where are you guys from?"

"Never mind, Olsen," Perry ordered. "Go see where Penny is on the rest of that research."

With one last look of disbelief, Jimmy left the conference room, closing the door behind him.

"How the devil did Lex Luthor manage to nuke California?" Joanne asked, looking from Perry to Richard then back again.

"The air force was testing a new missile control system," Perry said. "Somehow, Luthor and his gang managed to put live warheads in the missiles being used and reprogrammed them during the test. One ended up being aimed at New Jersey, the other at the San Andreas. Superman was able to dump the east-bound one into space but the California one went off. Set off a major earthquake, but Superman was able to minimize it, somehow."

"And this madman was just allowed to walk the street?" Joanne asked. "Wasn't there enough room at Belle Reve or Arkham?"

"Luthor has a talent for escaping justice," Richard told them. "Believe me, he should never have gotten out of prison after being convicted of two consecutive life sentences without parole, but he managed it. By the time the DOJ got wind that he'd co-opted a federal judge, he was home free and had access to the Vanderworth fortune."

"So, what's this one's beef with Superman?" Jerome asked.

"That depends on who you ask," Perry answered. "According to the people with him when he hijacked the missiles, he was ranting on that Superman was the perfect adversary to prove himself against, but that his superior intellect should have carried the day. Superman stole his glory and that simply wasn't to be tolerated. But, according to the manifestoes Luthor used to send to all the major newspapers, the Planet included, Superman was supposed to be the front man for an invasion and was just lulling us poor stupid humans into a false sense of security. Luthor, with his genius insight, was the only one who wasn't fooled."

"I don't remember ever reading anything like that," Richard said.

"The only paper in the country that bothered to publish them was the National Inquisitor," Perry told them. "And, as you no doubt remember, I refuse to have that rag in my house, not to mention my newsroom."

"At least it sounds like this Luthor's not pissed because Lois Lane chose Superman over him," Jerome said. "He's just pissed because Superman stopped him." Jerome studied the maps, pursing his lips. "Okay Luthor, where the devil are you hiding this time?"

"Pity Lois or Clark can't just call us and let us know where they are," Richard said. "I mean, there's a hundred possible places he could have them, and that's just the ones we know about. Unless you can pick up their heartbeats or something."

Perry watched Jerome's expression turn thoughtful. "I don't know either of them well enough for that, at least not in a city the size of this one. But maybe…"

"Clark, even at super-speed you can't possibly check out every one of these locations," 'Joanne' reminded him.

"No, I can't," Jerome agreed. "But I think I've been looking at this the wrong way. Luthor grabbed Lois and Clark and the kids because he figures he can force Superman to react. He wants Superman to find him but only under his terms."

"So he can spring his trap," Richard said.

"So, what will he do if Superman doesn't respond?" Jerome asked.

"He'll do something to make him respond," Perry answered. "Luthor will give directions to the trap knowing that Superman, our Superman, isn't devious enough to avoid it. He's a good kid. But he's still a kid."

"Uncle Perry, Clark's my age," Richard said.

"Um, he was in stasis for five or so years. He's five years younger than his driver's license says," Jerome said.

"Besides, from where I'm standing, he's a kid," Perry said, pointing a thumb in Jerome's direction.

0 0 0

Down several flights of stairs, across a darkened hallway to a pass key protected elevator which Smith made quick work of, down into a subbasement Lois never knew was beneath the hospital. The markings on the walls indicated it was an old bomb shelter.

Clark had carried Jason the entire way, but Lois could see that carrying the boy's weight was taking its toll on the tall man. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but Lois was sure Clark was growing paler and there was a pained, pinched look in his face. The baby had exhausted herself and was now asleep, or unconscious in her arms.

Through a maze of access and utility tunnels to… Where? Here. Another subbasement, another bomb shelter, only this one looked like it had been recently refurbished. There was a microwave oven on the 'kitchen' counter and lab equipment she didn't recognize on a counter against the far wall.

Lois sank into the broken down sofa that was shoved against one water stained wall. Clark was close behind her, tripping over his own feet in exhaustion. Smith gave him a shove and he nearly fell, barely catching himself to avoid dropping Jason. Clark made his way to the sofa and dropped beside Lois.

"Smith," Luthor said conversationally. "There's no need to abuse our 'guests.' You can have your fun later."

Another man walked in from a side room. His expression was one of bored disinterest as he looked Lois and Clark over. He turned to Luthor. "Kowalski's singing like a bird to the cops," he said.

"Naturally," Luthor said. "And I have every faith that she will lead them on a merry chase." He turned to Smith who had walked over to the equipment counter and was hooking the black PDA up to one of the pieces of equipment. "Any sign of that flying busybody?"

Smith shook his head. "Not a peep," he said.

Lois leaned close to Clark. "He has a way to track Superman?" she murmured.

Clark nodded. "It tracks brainwaves that are supposed to be unique to him."

Luthor peered at the device then shrugged. "It looks like Superman isn't too interested in finding you or your bastard, Miss Lane."

"If you're expecting me to start screaming for him, forget it," Lois told him.

"Oh, I wouldn't want you to strain your voice, Lois," Luthor said smoothly. "There'll be time for that later." He jerked his head toward Clark and Jason. "Start getting the samples," he ordered.

Baxter and Smith started toward Clark, who tightened his grip on Jason and glared at the two men.

Lois's heart was beating like timpani in her chest. "Kitty told me you wouldn't hurt him," Lois stammered out.

Luther seemed surprised. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? Miss Kowalski is a pathological liar. You can't believe a word she says, which I'm sure Metropolis's finest are finding out already."

Baxter and Smith started forward again.

"I won't let you hurt him," Clark stated. Lois could hear the tremor in his voice, but his expression was grimmer than she had ever seen it.

Luthor looked at him, eyes wide in mock astonishment. "I can't believe there's so much gallantry in this day and age. You know you're defending Superman's bastard, don't you? Granted, I never imagined until I heard what happened to the piano that Superman was a dead-beat dad. Who'd a' thunk it, that strait-laced holier than thou invading bastard was the love 'em and leave 'em type? Or has she convinced you the little murderous brat is yours?"

"I'm defending a helpless child who happens to be the son of a friend of mine," Clark stated. "As to whether Superman is his biological father or I am, or Richard is for that matter, that's our business and I'll thank you to stay out of it."

"You mean you still think there's a chance the little bastard is human? Luthor asked incredulously. "What was it, a ménage a trois? Or did the slut throw you over for the alien the way she threw him over for the boss's nephew? Or do you think you can get in her pants again by agreeing to raise the alien's bastard since her 'fiancé' won't do it?"

Clark just glared at him, holding on to Jason tightly enough the boy was starting to squirm in discomfort. Lois laid a hand on his leg and he calmed a little, but she saw tears running down his face and he was shivering.

"Oh, how positively touching. I so love the female of the species," Luthor commented. "Cold and mercenary, the lot of them." He turned to Smith and Baxter. "We'll do it later. Besides, it might be more interesting if we wait for 'daddy' to show up."

0 0 0

The ultrasonic whistle felt like it was going right through Jerome's head before resolving into a voice. "Superman, it's your old buddy Lex Luthor calling you on our own special frequency. I'm a little disappointed you haven't come looking for your girl friend and her kid. Did she tell you he was a murderer? Oh, and I have your buddy Kent and his brat too."

"Clark…?" Joanne was saying. He held his hand up to stop her so he could listen to the message, slowly rotating his head to get a bearing on the source of the sound.

"I'm going to leave this transmitter on so you can home in on it, Superman. But don't take too long. My associates… well, you know how hard it is to get good help and these guys… wait too long and I can't guarantee anybody's safety… So long, Superman."

Jerome straightened up and looked over at Perry. "You were right. Luthor couldn't resist telling Superman where to come for them. He's left a homing beacon. And he's warning Superman not to take too long."

"Only Superman's in no position to make an appearance," Richard said, saying aloud what Jerome knew everyone was thinking. "And there's no way you can pass yourself off as him."

"But what if you went in as someone else?" Joanne asked. "Undercover?"

"Supercop isn't going to cut it, sweetheart," Jerome told her.

"But Lord Nor might," Joanne said with a grin.

"Not Nor," Jerome corrected. "A name Clark would recognize, though… and I need a Kryptonian military uniform…"

"And we need to warn Clark," Joanne reminded him.

"Assuming we can," Jerome said. "I may end up hurting him."

"Is there a choice?" Perry asked.

Jerome shook his head. He didn't really want to try contacting his counterpart telepathically. New Kryptonians had taken the mental gift for granted, training their children into the ability from birth and looking down on anyone without it. Clark Jerome hadn't even known about it except on a subconscious level until he was twenty-nine. And he freely admitted he wasn't exactly skilled. He wasn't even sure if it would work in this universe.

He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, seeking out the one other Kryptonian on the planet. There…

'Jerome?'

'Clark, we have a plan. Stall…'

0 0 0

"Mister Luthor, there's another spike on the detector," Smith announced.

"Where?" Luthor demanded, his back to his prisoners.

"I don't know," Smith said. "It's not localized like when he's flying."

"Luthor," Clark began. "Did it ever occur to you that the reason Superman hasn't come after us is that he's already down for the count? That maybe your little surprise at the refinery worked?"

"If you're right, which I seriously doubt, then who was it that was flying around last night?" Luthor demanded, turning to glare at Clark. He stopped suddenly, staring at the dark-haired man. "What's going on with you?"

Lois turned to stare at him. "Clark, your nose is bleeding."

He reached up and wiped away the blood from his upper lip. He stared at the sticky redness that had come off on his fingers. Lois reached into her purse and carefully pulled out a small packet of tissues. She handed the packet to him and he pulled out one sheet, wiping the blood from his face and hand.

"Luthor, what if what your gadget detected wasn't Superman, but something, someone, else?" Clark tried again.

Luthor's eyes narrowed. "You think there's another super alien on Earth?"

"Mister Luthor," Smith interrupted. "Whatever it is, it's on the move."

"Heading here?" Luthor demanded.

"Maybe…" Smith said. "I don't know… It's faded out. No wait… oh crap… it's right on top of us."

Luthor turned on Clark. "If that's not Superman, who the devil is it?"