Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to anything Superman
A/N Thanks to my beta Mak5258
After the reporters saw Martha off, Richard had another chance to see how Lois had changed in the last few days. He had heard stories of "Mad Dog Lane", and knew that she was never one to put a story off, but he had never really seen her in action like this.
"Now that we have the preliminaries finished," Lois started looking at Clark, "we need to put together some basic facts for Perry. I really don't know that much about Zod, but from your reaction when you saw the news reports after, umm our time together, I figured he had to be a pretty bad guy."
Clark looked down at some imaginary speck on the carpet, removed his glasses and placed them carefully on the coffee table, then sighed. "Krypton was a peaceful planet. Crime was almost unheard of, and we had no capital punishment. General Zod was the head of Krypton's security forces. His job was to protect the people of Krypton. When my father discovered that Rao was dying, Zod tried to use that to seize control of the government. His idea for saving Krypton was to send a colony to another planet and rebuild Kryptonian society there.
"There was just one problem: the planet was already inhabited, with what he considered a very primitive and therefore expendable people."
Richard spoke up first, "Let me guess, he wanted to send them here."
Clark nodded before he continued. "The counsel wasn't convinced that my father's findings were accurate. They felt that another scientist's theory was more accurate: that their sun was going through a cyclical expansion, but it would eventually return to normal."
Lois and Richard listened as Clark explained how Zod eventually led a group in rebellion against the counsel, was charged with sedition and exiled to the Phantom Zone. The irony was not lost on any of the three: Zod, Ursa, and Non lived, when everyone else on the planet died.
"Zod is not someone to trifle with," Clark said. "Perry said that he specifically asked for you and me to interview him. If Clark doesn't accompany you to the interview I doubt that you'll even get one word out of him."
"Clark! You are not going into that prison! You'd be powerless, he might figure out who you are," Lois shouted.
"You're not listening, Lois," Clark said, speaking in his natural register. "Zod asked to speak specifically to Clark Kent. Why would he be so specific, unless he already knows who I am?"
"Clark's right, Lois. From what we know about Zod, he wouldn't ask to speak with just anyone," Richard agreed.
Lois looked at both men, and sighed resignedly. "I still don't like the idea of you going in there. What if you are mistaken, and he just asked for us both because he saw our by-lines together?"
"Lois, my by-line hasn't been with yours in five years. It hasn't been anywhere in five years. Zod has to have figured out who I am," Clark argued back.
"I say we play our cards close to our chest, and find out exactly what Zod does know," Richard asserted, trying to calm the tension between Lois and Clark. I wonder if Lois realizes how crazy she makes the guy, he thought as he noticed the muscle of Clark's jaw twitching slightly, as if he were clenching it.
"How do you suggest we do that?" Lois and Clark both shot back to Richard. He smiled slightly to himself as he realized the dynamic that these two indomitable forces created together. "We test him. Lois, you and I go to the prison, and introduce me as Clark. If Zod speaks with us, we'll know that he doesn't know that Clark is Superman or whoever."
"Kal El" Clark answered softly. "My given name is Kal El. Zod knows me as Kal El, the son of Jor El."
This must be difficult for him. Richard thought to himself. He has kept everything secret for so long. I'd have just as difficult time opening up my life to a complete stranger. I hope I deserve his trust. Richard notice a change in Clark's position as he turned his head to a sound that nobody else had heard.
"Jason," Clark said in a firm but happy voice.
"What are you doing up?" Richard started to stand up to sweep the boy up to bed, when Jason quickly ran and climbed up into Clarks lap, burying his head in his father's chest.
"Make it stop!" Jason cried as he thrashed his head back and forth. "I don't like it, it hurts!" The child exclaimed
"What hurts?" Clark asked patiently as Lois and Richard looked on helplessly.
"The sound, its high, like a bug buzzing around my ears, but it won't go away," Jason cried.
"Maybe your ears are just ringing," Lois said.
"No, Mommy!" Jason yelled, then looked down apologetically, "Someone is talking. They keep saying 'son of Kalil.' Who's Kalil? You told me my father was Clark!"
Kissing his son on the top of his hair, Clark quietly answered him "I am Kal El,"
Jason gave his father a puzzled look, "I thought your name was Clark,"
The three adults in the room broke out in laughter, Jason's innocence breaking the tension that had been building in the room all evening. Clark looked at the child in his lap. "Jason, what can you tell me about me?"
Jason looked at his father with a look that was completely Lois when she didn't quite get where you were coming from. "Gramma Kent said that they found you when you were little. She said that you have always been really really strong and fast, and when you got bigger you couldn't get hurt. You're Superman, right?"
Clark smiled, "Yes, Jason, I'm Superman. But that's what your mom called me in an article she wrote about me a long time ago. When Grandma Martha, and Grandpa Jonathan found me when I was little, they named me Clark. When I was born my birth parents named me Kal El. But you can't tell this to anyone. Can you keep this a secret?"
Jason nodded his head, "That's why I could do that,"
"Do what?" Clark asked, looking puzzled.
"I threw a piano at a bad man who wanted to hurt Mommy," Jason said looking down at his chest "I'm sorry," he added.
"You did what you had to do, Jason," Clark reassured him, holding him slightly tighter, and kissing his head softly.
"Do you still hear the buzzing?" Lois asked, changing the subject.
Jason shook his head no.
"Then I think that you need to go back to bed, young man," Lois asserted.
Clark stood up with his son, "I'll put him to bed," He said as he headed to the staircase. Lois simply nodded.
"Now, Jason, did that voice say anything else?" Clark asked as he carried his son up the stairs.
Once Clark had ascended the stairs with Jason, Richard turned to Lois and said teasingly, "So, you really were Superman's girlfriend. You really did catch him"
"But I couldn't hold onto him," she answered shaking her head slightly.
"Clark had always been a puzzle for me to solve," Lois began. "Always disappearing, never around when Superman was. I put the pieces together, and knew that he had to be Superman.
"I started to play games with Clark, dropping little hints, trying to get him to slip, to get him to admit he really was Superman. One day, while we were on assignment, he really did trip, into a fire. He had to tell me the truth, then," Lois smiled at the memory. "He took me to his fortress, and there I learned everything I could about him."
"The other night, when I asked you if you loved him, why didn't you just tell me the truth?" Richard asked.
Lois sighed as she started playing with her hair nervously. "You asked me if I loved Superman. I did tell you the truth. Everyone was in love with him. But once I knew who he was, all of him, I knew that I could never really have him. Superman is the hero the world needs, but because of that need, I can't have the man. So answer me this, how can I love Superman, when it's he who keeps me from having the man that I love?
"Times like tonight are rare. When can he spend time on himself, with those he cares for most? He got to sit through dinner, visit with us, and tuck his son into bed. What every other man takes for granted; he can't, it's not possible.
"I don't love Superman. I'm in love the man who is Superman. And I'm too selfish to want to share him with the rest of the world," Lois admitted, unshead tears glistening in her eyes.
"Jason is asleep," Clark announced as he entered the living room. "We should finish up, I'm sure you both must be tired."
Richard looked up at the hero to see if there was any sign that he had overheard their conversation, but saw no evidence one way or another on his face. "Perry said something about Zod wanting control of your fortress, and Lois just told me about you taking her there, but I don't ever remember reading anything about it. What is this fortress?"
Clark returned to his spot on the sofa, "The fortress is a re-creation of Kryptonian architecture. Inside is stored all the knowledge of the 38 galaxies known to Kryptonian science. It is where I found out were I was from, and who I am. It is run by an Artificial Intelligence that was created by my father. He actually programmed it with my parents personality, their memories. I interact with the AI through holographic images of my parents," Clark answered.
"How did it get here?" Richard asked.
"It was constructed from a crystal that accompanied me in my spacecraft," Clark said as he looked at Lois.
Richard was intrigued with the knowledge that along with the otherworldly origins of his colleague, he had apparently been accompanied by some extraordinary technology. I wonder how big of a ship carried him here?
Lois piped up, "A crystal called to him one night. It led him to where it was to be constructed. He showed it to me when he took me there. It was a beautiful green, almost like Kryptonite, but it wasn't."
"Clark, I saw your crystals on Luthor's yacht. He took them!" Lois said, obviously upset by the memory of that day.
"It's ok, Sweetheart," Clark said comfortingly. "Luthor didn't get all of the crystals, and he didn't get the most important ones. What he did get were copies that I made to keep the fortress running while I was gone. You didn't think I'd be foolish enough to leave the originals behind, did you?" Clark smiled at Lois.
"I just didn't think that Luthor would have been able to penetrate the location of the fortress, or that he would steal the remaining crystals. I figured he would be out of the picture for the few years while I was gone. Just one more thing I concluded wrongly," Clark rubbed the bridge of his nose, fatigue showing on his face.
"What sort of information does your fortress contain?" Richard asked.
Clark looked uncomfortable, "The information the fortress contains is largely knowledge that you as humans are not ready to handle. Much of it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, as was proven a few days ago by Luthor."
"If this fortress is full of dangerous Kryptonian knowledge, Zod would be unstoppable if he's granted control," Richard said, stating the obvious.
"That's why it's so important for us to get that interview," Lois interjected. "I just don't think it is wise to put Clark in the situation where he is stripped of his powers, as he would be by entering the section that holds Zod, and his cling-ons," She finished, referring to the prison wing that was designed specifically to house the Kryptonian criminals.
"Why are you so worried about my safety, when you have no compunction about doing whatever it takes to get the story?" Clark snarked, his irritation with Lois apparent.
"Because you're you, and somebody has to look after you, because you won't!" Lois snapped back.
Richard was stunned when he realized that Lois was actually arguing with Superman. But was more shocked when he realized that Clark was actually fighting back, something that he didn't think the quiet man from Kansas would do.
Clark shifted in his seat, straightening his position, gearing up for battle with Lois. "Do you think I leap before I look? Do you really think I rely just on my powers? I don't like this any more than you do. I just don't see any other option," Clark said.
"That's because you are missing some important facts," Richard said, trying to defuse the situation. "You aren't the only one in this room with a secret life."
A/N I might be a while before I upload the next chapter. Real life will be hectic for me the next few weeks.