9-11-01
5:45 A.M-
Lois awoke Tuesday morning before the sun even rose. She looked over at the clock on her nightstand and read the time. Sighing, she then sat up and looked around the room. Clark was nowhere in site. She called out to him and received no answer. He must not have come home last night. She sighed and got up out of bed. If she was lucky, she'd get an extra hour or two at the Planet. She walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She was showered and dressed and ready to go in fifteen minutes.
Lois didn't even stop in the kitchen to have breakfast by herself. She completely bypassed the kitchen by going down the stairs into the front room. She picked up her bag and her jacket from the desk and walked out the front door. She'd pick up a bagel and orange juice from the lobby of the Daily Planet. She walked out the front door and down the front steps to where her new 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo parked at the curb. She got in the jeep and pulled out onto the road heading for the Daily Planet. The sun had still not risen yet over the city of Metropolis.
She arrived at the office shortly after six fifteen. She enjoyed getting to work before everyone else. She liked to work in peace and quiet. It wasn't as though she couldn't do that at home, she just felt like she was able to work better in the newsroom environment, and with no one there, it was as if she had the place all to herself. She walked into the lobby of the Daily Planet and over to the cafИ. Looking over the menu, she realized she was really hungry. The server walked over to her and greeted her warmly.
"Good morning, Ms. Lane. Where's Mr. Kent?"
Lois sighed. That's what she'd like to know. "Oh," she thought quickly, "he's out covering a story. He'll be in later."
"Would you like to take him up some coffee as well?" the server inquired.
"Oh, no coffee for me for a while," Lois informed him.
The server nodded, "Juice then?"
"Yes, orange. Oh, and I'd like to have a apple fritter and a banana. Could I also get some yogurt and a cup of fruit?" Lois ordered.
The server smiled, "No problem. So, when are you due?"
"Is it really that obvious?" Lois wondered.
"Well," the server informed her as he went about preparing her order, "you are radiating."
Lois smiled, "Well, thank you, Charlie."
He put her order in a bag and proceeded to fill her tall plastic cup with orange juice. "So would you like me to put together something for Mr. Kent?"
Lois shook her head, "No. I'm sure he'll stop in if he wants something."
Charlie placed a lid on her cup and handed it to her, "Well, have a nice day then, and congratulations."
Lois smiled and thanked him for the food before heading to the elevator.
7:02 A.M -
Lois walked into the newsroom just after seven a.m. She liked getting there early in the morning, when not many people were there and the place was calm, as oppose to most of the day when the whole floor was a buzz of conversations. She made her way over to her desk and sat down to enjoy her lunch before actually turning on the computer and getting down to work.
Looking over at Clark's desk, she placed a hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. She missed him. She missed talking to him about things, especially the little life they created growing inside of her. She wished nothing more than for him to breeze into the office at that very moment. Instead, she ate her breakfast in solitude.
8:15 A.M-
Perry White stepped out of the elevator and noticed Lois sitting at her desk, but no Clark, as usual, but not so usual for this early in the morning. Lois usually walked out of the elevator at exactly 9:00 a.m. on the dot, with or without Clark, more often than not with. But for some reason, there she was, typing away at her computer sans her partner.
He made his way down the ramp and over to her desk. "Morning, Lois."
Lois continued typing, not even looking up at Perry as she greeted him, "Hey, Chief."
"Shouldn't you be taking it easy, honey? Where's Clark?" Perry asked, leaning against her desk.
Lois sighed. There were times, especially in times like now when she herself didn't know where he was. She was tired, mentally and physically. She wanted to tell him she had no idea where her better half was, but that wasn't who she was. That wasn't who she and Clark were. They always had an answer, even if it was just an old fallback like, "He's working on an angle for a story."
Perry liked and disliked that answer. He didn't like knowing Clark wasn't helping Lois, knowing she's most likely tired and worn out, but loving that Clark was chomp and bit just like Lois at most times. "Lois, why don't you go home and get some rest. You look like you could use it," Perry suggested.
Lois shook her head, "That's alright, Perry. I'd rather be here."
Perry patted her shoulder, "What ever you say, darling. Well, I'm going to get some work done."
Lois nodded her head and Perry walked off toward his office.
Lois looked up and watched Perry walk past Clark's desk and into his office, then her gaze drifted back to Clark's desk. "Oh, Clark. Sometimes I wish you could just call me."
She turned back to her computer and continued to type away.
8:45 A.M-
Perry runs out of his office yelling at some one, anyone, "Turn that TV on. What in the Sam Hill is it doing off in the first place?"
The closest person to the television scrambled to turn it on. Perry walked over to Lois' desk. "Lois, the FAA just notified NORAD of two suspected hijackings. I didn't think anything of it when they thought they had one, but two-- There's got to be something to it. Get on the phone with the FAA see if they can confirm these hijackings."
Lois nodded and picked up the phone, but before she could dial, the CNN reporter from the television stated, "We have unconfirmed reports that an airplane has just flown into the World Trade Center. I repeat, We have just received unconfirmed reports that an airplane has just flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center."
Lois dropped the phone and began to stand up, gathering her stuff.
"Lois," Perry called to her as she was walking up the ramp toward the elevator, "where do you think you are going?"
"I've got to get down there, Chief," she told him matter-of-factly. "I have to get the story."
"I can send some one else," Lois heard Perry yell as she stepped into the elevator.
She couldn't believe he was actually suggesting that to her of all people. She simply smiled to him as the elevator doors closed.
9:05 A.M-
Lois crossed over the George Washington Bridge just shortly after nine a.m. She had been listening to the radio the whole way from Metropolis. Every station was covering the unconfirmed reports of the airplane flying into the World Trade Center, even stations that usually played music. They were all buzzing about flames and smoke coming from the th floor of the north tower. Some stations were even reporting of people jumping from the building. It was then that they gave an unconfirmed report that another airplane may have flown into the second tower. Lois couldn't help but wonder how they were all going to get out of the buildings, but even more pressing on her mind was the whereabouts of her husband. Where was Superman? It had been twenty minutes since the television had informed the public of the incident and yet no one had seen Superman at the site. Where was her husband? p Driving into Manhattan wasn't too much hassle considering everyone was going the opposite way, however when she exited the freeway, it was a different story. People were running everywhere, people were driving on the wrong side of the road; it was chaos. She was actually able to get within a mile of the WTC before having to park her car. She parked, and because of the madness, didn't even worry about putting money in the meter. She didn't think anyone would pay any mind to it. It was going to take her quite some time to get up there, so she took off toward the confusion.
It took here about ten minutes to get to the site, people were running all over the place screaming and scared. She started to go over to talk to some people who were standing around administering aide to people who had been hurt in one way or another as a result of this catastrophe but was stopped by someone grabbing her by the shoulder. She turned, hoping to see her husband, but was almost as happy to see Jimmy Olsen on the other side of that hand.
"This is just terrible, isn't it?" Jimmy asked.
Lois turned to look up for the first time at the cloud of smoke that loomed above. "Terrible doesn't even describe it, Jimmy." She turned back to him and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I was across the street with Phil at the Marriot helping him with his travel piece. I saw the second plane hit. It was so bogus."
There was a reason Jimmy wasn't a reporter, Lois subconsciously thought to herself. "So, it is true, all of it?"
Jimmy got very somber, "I'm afraid so."
"Just think of all those people up there," Lois sighed.
"Yeah, not to mention all those people on those flights," Jimmy added. "What do you think possessed the pilots to do something like that. I mean, one I would think would be an accident, but two? That's just not right."
Lois looked Jimmy squarely in the eyes, "This was no accident. This was planned and perfectly executed, Jimmy. This is some one's twisted terrorist attack in reality."
"Terrorist?" Jimmy repeated as if the word was foreign to him, not really wanting to believe that some one would want to attack New York City or the World Trade Center specifically. "Man, where's Superman? Can't you call him or something?"
Lois felt like breaking down bawling. Yes, she wished she could call him. Something had to be terribly wrong for him to not respond to this situation by now, but she couldn't think about that right now. She had to be a reporter first and a wife last right now. She shook her head, "Don't you think people have been screaming for him since this happened? Don't you think the people on the plane were crying out for help before they crashed, Jimmy?"
Jimmy could tell that he had struck a nerve with her deeper than usual even though he knew she and Superman were close. "I'm sorry, Lois. I just thought that over the years, you and he would have found a quicker way of communicating with each other."
Lois took a mental step back. 'Great job of being a reporter first,' she chided herself.
Lois' cell phone began to ring and she took it out of her pocket, seeing that it's Perry calling. She answered, "Hey, Perry."
"Lois," Perry's voice came over the line crackling, "you're never going to get into the city, Lois. All bridges and tunnels are closed."
"I'm already here, Chief, and Jimmy's here too with his camera," Lois reported to him.
"Oh, well... Where's Phil?" Perry wondered.
Lois placed a hand over the receiver, "Jimmy, where's Phil?"
"Oh, he ran off long time ago. Once that plane hit and mass hysteria followed, he got out of here as quickly as he could," Jimmy informed her.
"Jimmy said he left soon after the first plane crashed," Lois related.
"So, it's true then?" Perry asked. "Planes have struck both towers."
Lois nodded, "Yes, Chief. Jimmy saw the second one strike."
"I can't wait to see his pictures..." Perry trailed off for a moment before muttering, "Judas Priest."
"Perry?" Lois interjected into his muttering."
"The Pentagon's been hit," Perry conveyed.
"What!?!" Lois couldn't believe it.
Perry sighed heavily, "Lois, where is Superman?"
Lois wanted to yell, she wanted to scream, 'I don't know where Superman is, ok? Just stop asking me where he is. I have no idea where he is. I have no idea where my husband, the man I love, is.' But she couldn't do that. She simply sighed as well, "I wish I knew, Chief."
"Well, you let me know if anything else happens down there and I'll..." Perry's voice crackled out of reception.
"Chief?... Chief?..." Lois tried before looking at her phone, seeing the message saying 'call lost.' She shrugged and put the phone back in her pocket.
"What's up?" Jimmy asked Lois.
Lois tucked a fallen lock of hair behind her ear, "The Pentagon was just hit."
"Oh, man! What's going on here?" Jimmy was sure it was the end of the world.
Tears started falling uncontrollably from Lois' eyes. She needed her husband there with her. The thousands of people stuck up in those buildings needed him here to help them. She felt her knees become weak beneath her. Jimmy was already reaching over to wrap his arms around her. She turned into his arms and held onto him tightly as he walked her over to a free spot on the bench.
"Oh, Jimmy, I wish Clark was here," she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Where is he?" Jimmy inquired.
Lois took a deep breath, trying to stop crying, "I haven't seen him since yesterday. Perry gave us a lead yesterday on this terrorist attack and Clark went out to see if he could dig up anything on it. Oh, Jimmy, I'm so worried. It was so dangerous, but sometimes I think he's invincible and I don't worry as much as I should. Jimmy, I'm scared."
Jimmy hugged her tightly, "Come on, Lois. Clark will be just fine. He always is. I'm sure he'll contact you when he can. Or, he'll even come up here when Perry tells him where you are."
Lois closed her eyes and held on to Jimmy, "I don't know, Jimmy."
Jimmy simply held her. He didn't know what else to say or do.
After Lois managed to compose herself, she and Jimmy sat on the bench and just observed their surroundings for a while. Lois could describe the entire scene with one word: pandemonium. It was sheer pandemonium. With all the people running this way and that, bodies dropping from the sky, paper floating down from above, the smell of smoke and soot falling to the ground, she could think of no better word to describe what was taking place at, what was only yesterday, a national trademark.
Once Jimmy was sure Lois was ok, he told her he was going to walk around and take some photos. Lois agreed. She didn't need anyone to baby sit her. She was Lois Lane, intrepid reporter. She didn't need anything or anyone. She sighed after Jimmy walked away. That was a lie. She did need some one. She needed the man underneath the man that everyone else at this site needed right now. She needed her husband. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. She couldn't think anymore about Clark at the moment. She had to focus on her job. The job she had spent so many years at, pulling in Pulitzer after Pulitzer. She had made a name for herself, and that name had nothing to do with the fact that she was married. That name was based on her impeccable journalistic coup. And since she had made that name for herself, she decided it was now that she really had to prove herself. It was now that she had to go above and beyond what everyone expected of her. This was a huge, monumental day, one that would go down in history, and she was there to record it all in the name of journalism.
She started to walk toward a group of people who were attending others who had been wounded, and then she heard something. Something that sounded like crushing metal. She then felt the ground begin to shake between her feet and thought that, on top of everything else, an earthquake was beginning. She then realized that the quaking was originating from the south tower. It was buckling and about to come down.
"Everybody run!" she cried and she started trying to help people up from the ground to help them run. That building was coming down and she didn't know how much of it or how quickly. She just knew she had to get as far away from the building as possible.
She got as many people up and running as she could before she decided she had to start running herself. She had more than just her life to think about. She had Clark and her baby growing inside her stomach to worry about. She ran as fast as she could, looking all over for Jimmy, not knowing where he was or if he even was running for cover. She continued to run until there was nothing. Everything went black.
10:05 A.M.-
Clark opened the door to the brand new nursery for Lois who was carrying their beautiful newborn son. They had just returned from the hospital.
"This is your room," Clark told the baby over his mother's shoulder. Wrapping his arms around his wife, clasping his hands just beneath her arms. "He's perfect."
"Just like you," Lois told him, leaning her head back onto Clark's shoulder.
"And you."
Lois smiled and looked down at their baby. "I've never done anything so miraculous in my entire life, Clark. He's the most incredible little angel."
"He's us. Our love created this little miracle," Clark added.
The baby yawned and Lois cooed at the sight, "Oh, he's just so adorable."
Clark laughed softly and kissed his wife's shoulder, "Why don't we lay him down in his crib and let him get some rest. Besides, you look like you could use some as well."
Lois agreed by walking over and laying the baby down in his brand new bed. She turned to look at Clark who, for some odd reason was looking really blurry and distorted. "Maybe you're right. I probably should go lay down. I'm feeling rather dizzy." She grabbed her head, "I think I have a head ache as well."
The room began to spin as she fell to the ground. All she could hear was her husband calling her name, but she couldn't respond. Everything went black.
10:25 A.M-
"Lois," she could hear her name being called, but she couldn't find her voice to reply. "Lois."
The voice continued to call and she realized after a few more times that it was Jimmy calling out to her. She tried to open her eyes, but they stung with dust. She tried to blink all she could so she could try to focus on Jimmy. She opened her mouth and was barely able to mutter out his name.
"Oh, thank God!" He exclaimed. "I thought you were... I'm so glad you're ok, Lois."
"What--?" Lois choked, trying to clear her throat. "What happened?"
"The south tower," Jimmy started, "it just came down literally on top of us."
She closed her eyes, wincing at the pain she felt in them. She remembered now. She was in Manhattan at the World Trade Center where two planes had hit the Twin Towers.
"Are you ok, Jimmy?" Lois asked, still choking through the dust.
"I've got something pinning me down, some sort of wall slab or something. My leg was in quite a deal of pain, but I think I'm used to it by now. You?" He really was in quite a great deal of pain, but he didn't want Lois to worry about him.
Lois tried to move. She didn't feel any muscular pain, but her head was aching excruciatingly. She couldn't seem to move though. She was stuck between what she could only determine were wall slabs as well. "I must have hit my head or something, but other than that, I just can't move. I can't even push," she told him as she attempted to do so, "things out of the way."
"Lois," Jimmy started slowly, "why is it so quiet? It was so noisy before."
"I don't know Jimmy. I don't know what's going on. Do you know where we are?"
"I don't," he regretted informing her. "I can't see anything. Hello?" he decided to call out in case anyone else were around them. "Hello?"
"I'm here," came a voice from not to far from them.
"Are you hurt?" Lois asked the man.
"There's not a lot of room to move, and even if there was, I think my legs are crushed," the man responded. "But I don't think my friend is in such great news. He under a lot of ruble."
"I'm Lois, sir. What's your name?" Lois decided to make nice, considering they might be down there for a while.
"My name's Charles, but everyone calls me Bubba," the man told her.
"Ok, Bubba. Listen, we're going to get out of her some how. Do you think you can yell to see if we can get anyone's attention?" Lois asked him.
Bubba nodded, "Yeah, I believe so."
Lois called to Jimmy, "What about you, Jimmy?"
"Yeah, no problem," Jimmy told her.
Both Jimmy and Bubba started yelling for help. With any luck they'd be out of there in no time. Lois suddenly noticed that her both of her arms were wrapped around her stomach. She had protected Clark's and her baby from the fall, or at least she hoped she had protected him. She'd just found out yesterday that she was pregnant. She didn't want to come out of this only to miscarry the precious little one growing inside of her. She tried tightening her embrace around her torso. Closing her eyes, she prayed for Clark to come and find her.
Jimmy and Bubba stopped screaming as the heard a loud upheaval above them and the wreckage starting to shake around them.
"Oh, not again," Jimmy voiced all of their concerns.
Bubba screamed out in pain, not being able to keep it in. Jimmy gripped the wall slab holding him down, not wanting to scream out for Lois' sake.
Lois closed her eyes and started to cry, holding on to her abdomen. Before everything went black again, she made one final attempt to call for her husband, "Superman!"
And then it was black again.
10:29 A.M.-
When Lois opened her eyes, she was laying down on her bed. She was alone in her bedroom. She took a breath which made her head pound. With in seconds, Clark was by her side.
"You're awake," he gratefully acknowledged, laying down beside her.
"How's the baby?" Lois asked her husband.
Clark smiled, "He's sleeping like a little angel in his crib."
"Oh," Lois smiled. "I thought I lost him."
"No, you laid him in his crib before you passed out," he informed her. "You gave me quite a scare. I never felt so helpless."
Lois placed a hand on her husband's cheek. "No, Clark. I was talking about the World Trade Center."
Clark looked at his wife confused, "What are you talking about, Lois?"
Lois realized, as much as she'd wish to just deny it and stay right where she was, she was dreaming. "Clark, I'm stuck. I need you. I'm at the World Trade Center. It's terrible. So much devastation."
Clark looked at Lois with pain behind his eyes, "I can't, Lois. The Kryptonite. I'm trapped."
"What?" was all Lois could utter. And then it was black again.
5:30 P.M-
Lois heard some talking off in the distance. She recognized one right off. She called out to him, "Jimmy, are you alright?"
"Oh, man, Lois!" Jimmy practically started celebrating. "We thought you didn't survive that last cave in."
"No. Still here. Bubba, you alright?" Lois asked, turning the attention away from herself.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Bubba told the lady. "But I don't believe my friend here was that lucky. I believe he stopped breathing about an hour ago, give or take. I can't tell time down here. All I know is it's been a long time."
"Please accept my condolences on your friend, Bubba," Lois offered and after a moment continued. "Ok, listen, you two." She inhaled deeply. It pained her to have to tell them this, but if they were going to survive, she had to gather all the internal strength she could and tell it to them straight. "Superman is not coming to save us, at least not any time soon, and I don't know who they have looking for us, if anyone. So, it's up to us. We've got to do what we can to get ourselves out or at least make enough noise so some one somewhere can hear us and find us."
"Lois, we can't move," Jimmy told her. "Bubba and I were just talking about this before you woke up. We were thinking. Your phone started ringing a few hours ago and it's been ringing off and on since then. Do you think you could maybe reach it and dial some one? Anyone?"
Lois didn't think about that. "I can try." She moved one hand down, over her stomach, caressing it as she moved her hand. She gave a tiny little whisper, "Everything's going to be ok, baby." She sighed and was barely able to slip her hand into her pocket. Pulling it out of her pocket and sliding it back up her torso, she pressed and held the nine button which dialed straight to 911.
"911, what's your emergency?" the dispatch operator's voice came over the line.
Lois sighed, "Oh, thank God. This is Lois Lane, Daily Planet reporter. I'm at the World Trade Center. The buildings have collapsed."
"Yes, I know, Ms. Lane. We have crews down there right now. Now, this is an emergency line. If you want a statement--"
Lois cut off the operator, "No, you don't understand. I'm caught underneath the wreckage!"
The operator's tone changed to a more concerned one, "I do apologize, Ms. Lane. What's your situation?"
"There's three of us caught down here, none of us can move."
"Do you know where you are?" the operator asked.
Lois sighed, "I don't know. We started running away when the tower started falling."
"Which tower were you at, Ms. Lane?"
"We we're near the South Tower and we just started running down the street," Lois Lane tried to remember.
"Ok, Ms. Lane. Do you have a number where you can be reached and is the ringer on so we can hear you if we call it?"
Lois gave her the number, "And yes, the ringer is on."
"Ok, we'll send crews over in your direction." And with that, the call ended.
"Oh, Thank you, Lois," Bubba couldn't express his appreciation enough. "But you didn't say you were no fancy reporter from a world-famous newspaper."
Lois sighed, "Oh, well. It's not important right now."
"No," Bubba disagreed. "I think it shows great guts that you are down here to report on this. I don't think any other reporter would do what you're doing."
'Clark would,' Lois thought to herself, 'It'd probably be better if it was him here in stead of me.' Lois thanked Bubba and sat there, hoping that some one would find them.
6:15 P.M-
Over head, miles and miles out over the Atlantic Ocean, Superman raced as fast as his weakened body would allow toward the eastern shore of the United States. He could see smoke coming from New York just as he had told there would be. He pressed forward. He had no idea exactly what he would find when he got there, but he knew that nothing good would be coming from such a catastrophic sight.
He touched down right in front of where only some of the South Tower still stood. He looked around and could see through the remains of the towers, seeing all the people who had not survived and all that were still needing help.
From behind him he heard a familiar cell phone ringing. He shook his head. There was no way Lois was up here, but he decided to check it out. Whoever the phone belonged to may still be alive and need some help.
He walked up to where a rescue team was searching through the rubble.
"Superman, where've you been?" a police officer wondered.
Superman decided it best to shrug off the comment and get down to business. "What do we have here?"
"We've got some reporters and a street vendor down there somewhere," a firefighter told him.
Again, Superman was shook with the thought that it could be Lois trapped down there. He started helping the officer's clear away the debris.
From somewhere above, Lois heard a voice she didn't want to let herself hope it belonged to, but then she heard some one call him Superman.
"Help is here, boys." Lois told the men before she yelled up to her husband, "Superman. Superman, we're here."
Superman started clearing the wreckage away a little quicker. He hated thinking that his wife and child were stuck underneath this rubble and he wasn't here to protect them.
"Lois," he called to her. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, Superman. We can hear you," Lois told him.
"Help us, Superman," both Jimmy and Bubba yelled up to him.
Superman got a little closer down to the three and asked them, "What's your situations?"
Lois called up, "None of us can move. But you're going to have to get Bubba and Jimmy up first. I think they're in worse shape than I am."
"Lois, think of the baby," Superman said, not even thinking about the people around them.
"Wait, Lois," Jimmy snapped his head toward her, "You didn't tell me you were pregnant. Superman, you've got to get her out first."
Lois disregarded Jimmy's comment for the moment and replied to Superman, "I think the baby is fine, Superman. Please, just get Jimmy and Bubba out, then you can get me to the hospital."
"Lets get the two men out and we'll take care of them and you can fly Ms. Lane to the hospital," the fireman suggested.
Superman liked the idea. He continued to clear the metal and wall scraps out of the way until reaching the street vendor.
"Oh, Superman, am I glad to see you!" Bubba practically started crying.
Superman nodded, "We'll have you out of here in just a moment."
Some more paramedics ran over with a flat board to lay Bubba on as Superman cleared the metal and other debris from off of Bubba's legs. He helped the paramedics lay him on the board and then continued to sift through the wreckage before getting to Jimmy.
Jimmy was laughing out of pain and disbelief, "Oh, Superman. I thought for sure we were goners."
"Let's just get you out of here, bud," Superman told him.
As Superman was lifting him out of the position he'd been laying in for practically the entire day, Jimmy looked at him rather strangely.
"Are you alright, Jim?" Superman asked his friend.
"Clark," Jimmy slightly whispered, noticing something he'd never seen in his super friend before.
Superman's face washed white, "We need to get you to the hospital, Jimmy. Just relax."
Superman had never called him 'Jimmy' before. It was always Jim or some nickname. He didn't know whether to take that as an admission or what, but being his friend, he hoped Superman knew that he wouldn't say anything to anyone about it, except maybe Lois and Clark himself.
Superman laid Jimmy on another board the paramedics had rushed over to them. "Don't worry, Jimmy. You're going to be alright. I'll stop in later to check up on you."
"Thanks, man." Jimmy said before the paramedics took him away.
Superman turned back toward the debris and took a deep breath as he plunged back in, clearing away the wreckage to get down to his wife and son.
Once down to her, he cradled her in his arms and held her tightly to him.
"Oh, Lois," he said in her ear, "what are you doing here?" He pulled her up out of the debris and started to fly toward the hospital.
"I came up just as soon as we heard that the first plan head crashed into the first tower," Lois told him. "I didn't think anything like this would happen. Are you ok?"
"Am I ok? Lois, you're the one who has survived a building being dropped on them. Are you ok? Where do you hurt?"
Lois shook her head, "I'm actually ok, Clark. My head really hurts. I've been in and mostly out a good part of the day. But Clark, I have to know if you're ok."
There she was being stubborn again. He conceded, "Well, I've been locked up since late last night in a cage."
"Was kryptonite involved?" Lois asked, recalling her dream.
"Yeah... The bars were infused with kryptonite," he told her.
"I knew it." She took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, "When I was out, I was dreaming and it was very confusing at the time, but you told me you were trapped by the kryptonite."
Superman looked at her intently, "I was dreaming about you as well. You told me you were at the World Trade Center, but I thought it was just my worse fears invading my dreams."
"Yeah, but why would your worse fears be of me at the World Trade Center if you had no idea what was going on here?"
Superman looked pained as he relayed, "I knew exactly what was happening, Lois. I watched the whole thing on satellite."
"What? Who would be so vile as to subject you to that, knowing full well you could do nothing about it?" Lois wondered.
"His name is bin Laden," Superman told her. "He's a leader of a very powerful terrorist group called al-Qaeda. He's the one who's behind all this."
Lois sighed heavily, wincing at the pain, "I can't believe all of this."
Superman kissed the top of his wife's head. "Shhh. Don't worry about anything more tonight, honey. Let's just focus on getting you checked out and getting you back on your feet."
Lois nodded, "Ok. But don't worry about me. I'll be fine now, knowing you're ok. Just go and save as many people as you can and I'll see you later."
Superman kissed Lois tenderly on the lips before descending down in front of the ER at the closest hospital. "I'll be back later," he said, discreetly caressing her stomach. He whispered, "I love you."
Lois mouthed the words "I love you" before Superman flew off. She turned around and walked into the hospital.
Superman flew back to the World Trade Center to help the rescue crews look for survivors. Once back there, the rescue crews told Superman that maybe he should go check out the Pentagon to see what can be done up there. Superman told them he would be back.
He flew toward the Pentagon with a billion things on his mind. He felt terrible that he hadn't been there to prevent all of this bedlam from happening, but he had been trying to prevent it, from the source. He had tried to stop it before it even began, and all that ended up happening was that he ended up walking into a trap.
The mastermind behind all this mayhem was ready and waiting for Superman. He knew that if he wasn't able to confine Superman, he wouldn't be able to carry out this heinous plot. Because this terrible man had locked Superman up, thousands of people had died. Superman had been locked in that kryptonite cage for over twelve hours. With that much exposure to kryptonite, Superman was surprised he had enough strength to fly all the way home from the Middle East.
Locked in that cage, he thought he would never see Lois ever again. He didn't think he would be there to see his son born, the son he and Lois had been waiting so long for and trying so hard to conceive. He was so thankful to be alive, that Lois was alive. Now all he had to do is hope and pray that she and their child check out and that both will be given a clean bill of health.
He touched down in front of the fallen wall at the Pentagon. He was greeted almost immediately by a security detail and a Pentagon official.
The official stepped forward and addressed Superman, "There's nothing more that can be done here, Superman. I've been told to inform you that President Bush wishes to meet with you at the White House at seven p.m."
Superman nodded and took off. Seven p.m. wasn't too far off. He flew toward Washington D.C.
6:58 P.M-
Superman landed on the front steps to the White House. One of the security guards by the door opened it and let Superman in. Another security guard led Superman to the Oval Office. The security guard opened the door and allowed Superman to step in.
"The president will be with you shortly," the guard told Superman curtly.
Superman walked into the room and the security guard shut the door behind him. Superman stood in the center of the room waiting for the president to arrive. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was just a few short seconds before seven p.m. Just as the second struck the seven o'clock hour, the president walked into the room from the door just opposite the one Superman and walked through less than a minute ago.
"Good, you're here, Superman," the president noticed as he walked across the room to stand just mere feet from the Man of Steel.
"You said seven o'clock, Mr. President," Superman stated his punctuality.
"Yes, I did, Superman. I have to be quite honest with you. I didn't expect you to show up," the president told him.
"Sir?" Superman didn't quite understand.
"Where were you earlier?" He didn't even give Superman a chance to respond. "Thousands upon thousands of Americans are missing, and most of them are probably dead. Where were you when these catastrophes were taking place. Where were you when the Twin Towers fell? Where were you when our Pentagon was attacked? Where, Superman?"
As if Superman didn't feel bad enough already, here President Bush was driving it in harder. Superman had already almost lost his wife. He still didn't know if his unborn son was alright or not, yet here the president was drilling it in deeper and deeper. Superman had to take a mental step back. President Bush didn't know how close of a tie he himself had to the devastation that occurred on American soil today. Superman acknowledged that the president had every right to be asking him that question. He was after all his commanding officer.
Superman hung his head, "I was out trying to prevent this atrocity, Mr. President, but all that happened was that I walked right into his trap."
This time, it was President Bush who had to take a mental step back. Superman hadn't abandoned the American people on this horrific day. He was actually trying to stop the terror before it occurred. But who was it that had set the trap for Superman. Who was it that had planned this act of violence against his people?
He was about to ask Superman about the man who had done all this, but there was a knock on the door and one of the president's men stuck his head in.
"Sir, it's time for the briefing," he told the president.
President Bush nodded his head and turned back to Superman. "I'm sorry, Superman. I should have known you would never let us down. I hope you will accept my apologies."
Superman nodded, "No apologies necessary, Mr. President."
President Bush nodded again before walking toward the door. "We'll talk later, Superman," he said before leaving the room.
Superman decided to go out the door he came in. The security guard showed him to the front door and Superman took off toward New York City once more.
8:20 P.M.-
Superman ducked down into an alley near the hospital where he had dropped Lois off earlier. He had just spent an hour helping the emergency crews sift through the wreckage before deciding it would probably be ok for him to go check on Lois and Jimmy. They were his friends after all, and the search and rescue crews told him he could probably go help out some where else. p He came back out of the alley in a pair of slacks and a button up shirt. Fixing his glasses, he hurried into the emergency room admitting area.
"I was told my wife was brought in here," Clark said, almost panic-like to the attendant.
The attendant nodded, "Ok, sir. What's her name?"
"Lois," Clark told her. "Lois Kent."
The attendant nodded again, after typing her name into the computer database. "Yes, sir. She was taken up to the fourth floor for over night observation. Room 415."
Clark thanked the attendant before running toward the elevator.
Stepping out of the elevator, he quickly located the direction of room 415 before hurrying off in that direction. He opened the door to see an empty bed and an emptier room.
A nurse walked in the room behind him.
Clark noticed and turned to face her, "Where's Lois?"
The nurse replied, "She's visiting a patient down the hall. I'll take you."
Clark nodded and followed the nurse down the hall and into a room where Lois was sitting in a wheelchair beside Jimmy's bed. The nurse patted Clark's shoulder and walked out of the room. Clark walked over behind Lois and put his arms on Lois' shoulders.
"They said he passed out when they got him into the ambulance. He hasn't been conscious since," Lois told him, taking one of his hands in hers.
Clark kissed the top of his wife's head, "How are you feeling?"
Lois closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Can we go back to my room?"
Clark nodded and took the handles of the wheelchair to wheel her out of the room and down the hall to her room. They went in silence, not even speaking once the door was shut. Clark lifted her out of the wheelchair and laid her down on the bed. After pulling the covers up, Clark laid down beside his wife and gathered her in his arms. The only thing in the world that mattered to him at that moment was knowing that his wife and child were ok. He held her gently, not wanting to hurt her.
Lois knew how he was feeling and decided he needed to put her husband's fears to rest. "The baby is fine. I'm fine. The hospital staff is rather surprised at how fine we both are. They said we have a very strong child."
Clark couldn't help but feel a sigh of relief wash over his entire body after Lois said that they both were fine, but then when she told him what the hospital staff had said about their son, he couldn't help but chuckle a little as Lois did. "Maybe we will have a super baby."
Lois chuckled a little more, remembering something Clark had said to her a few times over the years whenever discussing having children.
Lois took a deep breath, "You don't know how scared I was not knowing where you are or what was keeping you from stopping what was going on or to save us after."
"Yes, I do, Lois," Clark told her silently. "I was so worried about all the people I wasn't going to be able to help. It wasn't until I dreamt that you told me you were there that I wanted to give up. It wasn't until then that I thought I was never going to get out of that cage."
"How did you get out?" Lois wondered, turning her head up to him.
Clark shook his head, "After a while, the cage door just opened."
"Why would he just let you out?" Lois was still confused.
Clark shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose because the damage had been done. I don't think he wanted to kill me."
"No," Lois agreed, "I'm sure he was just detaining you so that his heinous scheme could be carried out."
Clark smiled inwardly. It never ceased to amaze him how alike their thoughts always were. They were always on the same train of thought when it came to the stories they were working on and in their home life. They hardly ever fought, and that was why. They were happy in spite of the tragedies that seemed to plague their lives.
From the TV against the opposite wall of the bed came the President of the United States. He was addressing the American people. He reiterated the terrible things that had transpired that day and vowed that he wouldn't let that harm the spirit of the people of the United States. He also told the American people not to blame Superman for not being there when it happened. He asked them to not be upset with him because he had been trying to prevent it all from happening. He ended his address by blessing the people.
They laid in each others' arms for awhile, both thankful that the other was alive. They were both thankful that their child they had just learned they were having yesterday was still strong and healthy. Getting through the next few days was going to be a trying time for the United States, but at least they knew they had each other and the life they created. Clark held on to his wife for every moment until he knew it was time for him to return to help in the search and rescue effort. He knew he shouldn't have left in the first place, but he needed to be with his wife and know that she was all right.
9:15 P.M.-
Lois started to nod off and Clark left her to sleep. She needed her rest and he needed to return to the World Trade Center. He kissed the top of her head and left her room. He had faith that the hospital staff would take care of his wife and child, yet silently vowed to return as quickly as possible. He knew how important his Superman duties were, and even though Lois was always more important to him, he knew he had an obligation to the people of the United States to at least try to fix the atrocity that transpired earlier that day.
As he flew back toward the World Trade Center, he tried to push thoughts of Lois and Jimmy out of his mind so he could concentrate on the thousands of others still left in the debris. He had to focus on all the others he still had left to save. When he returned, the search and rescue crews weren't as cold to him as they were when he first got there. He supposed it was in thanks to what President Bush had said when he addressed the nation from the Oval Office. The search and rescue crews started thanking him for returning as soon as he could. They were glad that he was back to help them save who they could. And he did help. He helped pull as many survivors from the wreckage as he could and also located some of the missing dead as well. Throughout the next day, he pulled as many as he could, but in the end, they only managed to pull 16 survivors from all that remained of the World Trade Center. He hung his head and prayed for the lost and the families of those men and women who lost their lives both in the attacks and the pursuit of rescue. He prayed for all the children who lost their parents. He prayed for parents who lost their children. He prayed for the people of the United States who had to pick up after all this destruction. And when he finished praying, he vowed to do his part in making sure that the people of the United States could rebuild from this devastation. He vowed to find Osama bin Laden and let the United States hold him responsible for what he had done on this most miserable and overwhelming day. This day: September 11, 2001. This 9-11.