The Luncheon was that in name only. That is to say, there was food; trays and trays of food. Smoked Salmon, roasted chicken, inch thick grilled steaks, fresh steamed vegetables, and a fresh tossed salad.
None of which had been so much as touched since the group returned to the dining hall. What Dr. Stangin had originally intended to be a meal and conversation had turned into a full-fledged press conference.
He and his team now sat at a large round table in front of the large transparent wall, a small group of sea lions swimming curiously behind them in the crystal blue waters. On the table before them were a dozen handheld digital recorders.
The rest of the group crowded around the other side, all jockeying for position, waiting for their chance to ask their burning questions.
Lois was seated at the table, her own digital recorder on the table just in front of her. She held her pen and pad in her hands, but as of yet, had not written down a single word. It wasn't that nothing interesting had been said. Point to fact, there were numerous times during Dr. Stangins' explanation of his research that the rest of the group would either "OHHH" or "AHHH" or even applaud. Lois was sure that anyone with a PhD in Nuclear Science, Physics, or Quantum Mathematics would have found this the most interesting conversation in history. Lois, on the other hand, only heard words she would have to look up later, if she ever figured out how to spell them.
"Once we solved the reverse fusion dynamic principle," Dr. Stangin continued. "The rest was relatively easy. It was simply a matter of finding the right fusion to mass ration, compensating for the energy to cubic inch output, and developing a generation and storage unit that could withstand the positive and negative ion flux. I'm sure Einstein could have done it half asleep while translating the bible to Latin…"
Everyone laughed. Everyone, except for Lois.
"Dr. Stangin," she said loudly, taking the opportunity to ask the only question she could think of amidst all the math and science.
"Yes, Ms. Lane." He answered with a pleasant smile.
"You said earlier that Mr. Kuttler and I were in some way responsible for your breakthrough. Could you elaborate on that, please?"
His smile widened and he leaned forward. "Ah, yes," he said softly. "Well, it's a little known secret that Jeremiah Kuttler and I attended MIT together."
All eyes turned to Jeremiah then. They found him sitting off to the side, his pale green eyes sparkling slightly at the mention of his name. He looked at Dr. Stangin and smiled.
"We were close friends then," Dr. Stangin continued. "And bitter rivals, as most alpha males tend to be. Our IQ's and egos often got the better of us, I'm afraid. It seems we were in a constant game of one-upmanship, whether it be test scores, class projects, science exhibits, you name it. We were always at each other. But there was always respect and I can only speak for myself when I say a great deal of admiration for the other. Jeremiah has one of the keenest minds I've ever seen. He tackled the most complicated expressions like it was child's play. What most students took weeks or even months to understand, Jeremiah took mere moments. It was as if math was his native tongue and we were all trying to learn his language."
The two men eyed one another for several moments of silence, years of unspoken words passing between them.
"It wasn't until senior year that Jeremiah proved without a doubt that he was the far superior intellect. He proved that there are far greater passions and pursuits in life than mathematic equations and theories. Far greater… loves."
The dark shadow passed over Jeremiahs face for an instant, then disappeared as he lowered his head and eyes, looking at the floor.
Lois noticed it, but doubted if anyone else did.
"It was our junior year that Kryptonite was first introduced to the world; a strange alien substance that was found in a small town in Kansas. Smallville to be exact. I small fragment was brought to MIT for study. Jeremiah and I were selected to the lead research team there. Out job was to quantify and categorize all the fragments properties, its possible origin, and its possible application.
"It was originally Jeremiahs idea to consider it for possible nuclear applications. He postulated that because of its density, that there had to be a colossal amount of atoms that made up the whole, which could possible allow for a near infinite amount of perpetual energy if the atoms were somehow split and then harnessed. It was his ideas that lead to the experimentation in the Ukraine."
"But Monsieur Kuttler was not part of ze Ukrainian team." This from the French physicist.
"That's because I stole his idea and presented it as my own." Dr. Stangin admitted with a slight grin.
Gasps of disbelief, astonishment, and even contempt washed over the group like a wave. "That is tre despicable." Frenchy commented.
"Completely unprofessional!" someone else stated.
"Unbelievable."
"As I said," Dr. Stangin continued. "We were rivals. And I was desperate to step out of the shadow of his genius. I know it was wrong and I have attempted to contact Jeremiah numerous times to apologize, but he has past declined my attempts at contact.
"But as he is here now, I want him to know how sincerely sorry I am for what happened, and to tell him that, as this is as much his brainchild as it is mine, I plan to ensure that any and all patients that my research generates will be in both my name… and his."
Jeremiah looked up then, his eyes wide with surprise. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "I… I don't know what to say." He breathed.
"Nothing needs be said, old friend." Dr. Stangin smiled. "It is the least I can do."
Applause filled the room. Lois herself, who was admittedly lost in all the science and math, understood dollar signs. She realized that Dr. Stangin's research could very well revolutionize the way the world produced energy. She could envision dozens, if not hundreds of Stangin Model Nuclear Fusion reactors being built all over the world. That meant millions, perhaps, billions, for the one holding the blue-prints!
She looked from Jeremiah to Dr. Stangin.
"That explains his part in it all," she said loudly, her voice cutting through the applause. "But what's was my part in all this?"
Dr. Stangin smiled brightly at her.
"You spent the night with Superman." He said plainly.
Tanya made a sound that was half laugh, half cough.
"Excuse me?" she blushed, slightly taken aback.
Jeremiah leaned forward in his seat slightly.
Dr. Stangin's smile widened. "You did right an article entitled 'I spent the night with Superman', did you not?" he beamed.
Lois's throat was suddenly very dry. "I did." she answered, her voice weaker than she would have liked. "But that was a long time ago."
"It was." Dr. Stangin continued. "I remember reading it by sheer chance; on a flight back to the United States, just after the incident in the Ukraine. A most serendipitous turn of events, I must admit. There I was, sitting in my small coach seat, between and elderly woman who decided her cat was a perfect carry-on, and a gentleman that I can only describe as having the hygiene schedule of a water buffalo," a few laughs at that. "When, in an attempt to escape the aftermath of nearly destroying half a country, and trying to find a distraction from the hell of flying coach, I found an old folded up page from the Daily Planet. On it, Ms. Lane, was your article. I began to read it, at first as a distraction, but then, I was captivated by your description of your evening with the Man of Steel; your uncanny interview with him, and most importantly, your description of what you called his "Fortress of Solitude"."
"Of course." Jeremiah breathed. Lois and Stangin both turned and looked at him. Jeremiah's eyes went from Lois to Stangin and back again.
"See…" Stangin said softly. "The sharpest of minds." he whispered.
"What about the fortress?" Lois asked, turning her attention back to Stangin.
"To quote your own words:" Dr Stangin responded. "A vast structure hidden in the barren Arctic landscape, this 'Fortress of Solitude' stands as a shrine dedicated to the memory of a distant world. Walls of angled crystal, floors of carved ice, and a ceiling of pure light, the alien structure is both awe inspiring and welcoming, as the internal temperature somehow stays a cozy seventy-two degrees. While the frozen sphere known as Krypton may have been lost to the cosmos, its last surviving son has ensured that its memory will live own here on earth."
"I wonder how long it took you to memorize that." Lois smiled.
"A few minutes," Stangin answered absentmindedly. "But you see… your article was the missing piece of the puzzle Ms. Lane. It made me realize exactly what we had been doing wrong!"
"I don't follow." Lois admitted.
"Kryptonite is from Krypton." This from Jeremiah.
"Well duh!" Lois teased.
"According to your article," Jeremiah continued undaunted. "Krypton was a frozen planet."
The light went off over Lois's head. "So it only makes since that it would react differently in a sub-zero environment than in what we consider a normal climate." She felt like she just got a "B+" on her science mid-term.
"Exactly!" Dr. Stangin beamed. "We ran test at both room temperature and then again at minus fifty degrees Celsius. And wouldn't you know that the readings in the Sub-zero experiment showed not only stable readings, but an energy output that far exceeded our original estimates. And now, four years later, here we are, Ms. Lane. Here we are!"
"So does that mean I get a portion of the patients too?" Lois asked.
Everyone laughed; except Dr. Stangin.
"No." he smiled. "But how does a twenty-five million dollar grant sound?" he said, his face suddenly serious.
And in one of the very rare moments in her life, Lois was speechless.