A/N: Hope any readers out there are enjoying the story so far. Please share with your friends if you do. :)
I plan to post a new chapter every week if possible. I have about 13 chapters written in various stages so far. And I'm outlined out to about 30 chapters, so prepare yourselves for a long haul.
I'm a designer and illustrator even more so than a writer, so I'm sure I'll be posting fanart along the way. You can follow me on Tumblr: crimson-amarone / .com
Chapter Summary:
Previously, Mr. Mxyptlk asked Clark to help with a 'small' problem he had caused. Clark wants information in return. Meryl was on the road back to December, reminiscing about the last two years and her big story.
Now, Lois and Jimmy realize Clark might be missing. They also bump into a few familiar faces. On No Man's Land, Meryl spots something unusual and heads to investigate. Out in Kasted City, something big is about to go down.
—
Lois Lane rolled over in bed. She pulled the comforter closer to her face to hide from the sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window. Usually, she was an early riser, enjoying a brisk jog in the morning before heading to work. Weekends and holidays were a whole different story.
The smell of fresh coffee and breakfast foods wafted up into the room, making her grumble and finally sit up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched her arms high over her head, rolling her neck. A wide, drawn-out yawn crinkled up her face.
Slipping into bunny slippers and grabbing the fluffy purple robe she'd brought with her for the weekend at the Kent's, Lois trudged her way downstairs after freshening up in the hall bathroom.
Mr. and Mrs. Kent were both already downstairs in the kitchen. Lois wasn't surprised to see Jimmy still wasn't awake yet. She was, however, surprised to see Clark wasn't up and about. Even on the weekends, he was always early to rise.
"G'morning," Lois mumbled as she walked into the kitchen. "It smells wonderful down here."
"Well, good morning, Lois, dear. I hope the guest bedroom was comfortable for you," Mrs. Kent replied with a cheery smile. She was wearing a Thanksgiving-themed apron and standing in front of the stove preparing a delicious looking breakfast spread.
Jonathan sat at the island counter with a newspaper and coffee mug in front of him. "Morning Lois, hope those ghosts didn't keep you up," Mr. Kent added in jest, making Lois chuckle.
No wonder Jimmy and Mr. Kent get along so well.
Lois was curious about what Clark's father was reading and glanced over his shoulder. She was surprised to see a copy of the Daily Planet rather than a local Smallville paper. She shook her head slightly because she really shouldn't be surprised. After all, their son, his girlfriend, and best friend worked at the Daily Planet.
Plus, we all just got promoted!
"Clark hasn't been down yet? He's usually awake at the crack of dawn," Lois inquired.
Martha came over with a cup of coffee for Lois and then started setting the table for breakfast.
"That's true. But I can only imagine how tired he was after everything that happened yesterday," Martha said quietly, looking upwards in the direction of his room with a frown. Then, she glanced out the window but couldn't bear looking outside for long.
Lois and Jonathan followed her gaze with mirrored expressions, also looking away after a moment.
For a minute, everyone was silent. They could hear the light creaking of the floorboards, alerting them that one of the boys upstairs was up and walking about.
The quiet broke suddenly when they heard Jimmy shout, "What?!" The bedroom door upstairs slammed open, and the lanky young man came tumbling down the stairs.
Lois practically jumped out of her stool at the counter. The Kents were equally alarmed.
"Jimmy, what's wrong?" she called out as he turned the corner into the kitchen.
"Mr. Superhero is what's wrong! Read this!" He shoved a piece of notebook paper in her face.
It read:
Jimmy,
Couldn't sleep. Going to check out the spaceship and make sure there are no more robots. I'll be back soon. Please don't let anyone go outdoors until I know it's safe.
Clark
PS. Tell Lois and my parents not to worry.
"Like hell, we won't worry! Or leave the house!" Lois snapped, finishing the note. "C'mon, Jimmy, let's go find Smallville." She began to drag him to the door. She yanked the door open a second later before she stopped mid-stride through the door, immediately closed it, and turned around.
"Ugh, bunny slippers and pajamas!" she groaned, heading back upstairs to get changed.
Mr. and Mrs. Kent just exchanged forced smiles with Jimmy, and they all shrugged.
—T&J—
"You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours, as the saying goes, eh? There is sooo much I could tell you," Mr. Mxyzptlk said with a crooked smile.
"Wh-what? You would? Really?" Clark gaped, standing back up in a flash.
Mxy turned around so his back faced the taller man. "Hmm, I don't know if I should, though." He shrugged, raising his hands.
"It's really not my place to divulge such crucial information. I do follow a code of 5th-dimensional imp honor, ya know."
Mxy glanced over his shoulder to glimpse the hero's expression. The look of desperation on Clark's face must've been oh-so amusing to the troublemaker.
"Please, there's so many questions I have. I don't even fully know who I am. You'll tell me more if I agree to help?" Clark was getting close to begging, and he hated it.
The imp's grin widened, almost splitting his face. His eyes twinkled in pure delight. Mxy spun himself around with a flourish of his arms and cape.
"Sonny, you have a deal! Ready to pack your bags and get this show on the road?"
Clark almost tripped over the rock behind him. "Wait!"
"Whyyyy? What's the holdup?" Mxy groaned, flinging his arms.
"Well, how can I be sure you'll uphold your end of the bargain? I trusted you before, and then you attacked me and my friends! And you still haven't explained what I can do to help to begin with."
Mxy rolled his eyes and swiped his hand. "Psht, that wasn't anything personal. I may have overreacted because those mean Lois's stole from me. You can't blame a guy? You'll forgive me?" The puppy-dog eyes returned, and his pointy ears drooped.
Clark starred deadpanned.
"Okay, okay. Gimme a sec." Mxy vanished, causing Clark to spin around, trying to find him.
A minute later, Clark heard the imp call out and pivoted to face him.
"Follow me~!"
Clark hesitated, so Mxy added, "No, we're not leaving your precious little Smallville yet. Just over there." He pointed toward the giant crater where Clark crash landed the day before.
Clark sighed yet again and followed as Mxy took off. As they flew over together, he couldn't help but think how weird his life had gotten.
Peering down into the crater from the air, Clark was still a little surprised at how much more damage he had caused to the earth as opposed to his own body. The hole tapered off about three hundred yards back and was maybe a good fifteen feet below ground level at its deepest.
He hoped his parents had always wanted a few olympic-sized swimming pools in their fields.
There wasn't much debris left from the small escape pod he crashed back to Earth in, but he did notice a few larger pieces wedged into the loosened dirt.
"Uh, what exactly are we here for?" Clark asked, turning his gaze back to the imp.
"Ain't sure what exactly it'll look like, but you're gonna look for something like one of these," Mxy said, making a few small objects float in the space between them. Some sort of semi-transparent crystal, a silvery-metallic hexagonal disc, a teal pyramid-shaped thing with strange patterns, and a sleek tablet-looking device, among others.
Clark examined each object, looking for something familiar. He tried grabbing one for a closer look, but his hand merely passed through it. Instead, he walked around to memorize each one. "What are they supposed to be?"
"Oh, usually it's something along the lines of your folk's parting words, or Krypton's millennia of history, or the knowledge of 28 known galaxies—or some combination of all the above—all stored in a little do-hickey your old man sends along with you.
"Seems like you haven't gotten the 'Superman for Dummies' guidebook yet. Otherwise, you wouldn't keep asking."
Clark frowned, looking back into the crater. No, obviously, he hadn't. All he'd gotten was a hologram he couldn't understand, a traitorous spaceship that almost killed his family and friends, and other alien ships trying to invade the planet. Oh, and his costume that he sorta kinda liked now. It'd grown on him.
He sighed and hovered around the crash zone, using his enhanced vision to look through the debris.
At first, he didn't spot anything that stood out, certainly nothing that looked like the objects that Mxy'd shown him. But as he hovered over the far end of the impact site, he felt something hum or pulse—he couldn't quite describe the feeling. However, it reminded him of the feeling and sound his ship had made when it detected his presence and activated the obelisks. Following that sensation, he floated down and dug into the unpended soil.
He uncovered an object buried shallowly in the dirt that, coincidently, was shaped just like those obelisks, only much smaller. The center crystal brightened in a blueish-green glow when he picked it up. Clark wasn't certain, but he had a strong feeling that was what he was looking for.
He super-leaped out of the crater, still staring at the object, not sure what to make of it. Holding it out to Mxy he asked, "Is this it?"
Mxy looked and considered for a moment, then shrugged. "Meh, no idea. But hey, it's doing the glowy, reacting-to-the-superboy thing, so I'd say there's a good chance that's it."
"So, how does it work then?" Clark prodded. He toyed with it in his hands, looking for buttons or something that indicated how to operate it.
"C'mon, Clarkie, even I don't know everything. (Drat, pretend I didn't say that.) Anyway, I can't give away all the secrets yet. You play around with your little toy on your own time, and if you still can't figure it out, maybe I can give you a hint later."
Clark stared at the imp for a moment before hmphing and storing the mini-obelisk in his jacket pocket. "Alright, I'll give you a pass on this. Now, what about my part in your multiverse problem?"
Mxy grinned widely and instead turned to the side, raising a palm in a sweeping gesture as it started to glow with a purple aura. "No more stalling, pal!"
Suddenly a blinding purple-tinged portal opened, and the two were sucked in with barely any warning. Fallen leaves swirled around them as Clark yelped and scrambled to hold on to something to no avail.
"I'll explain on the waayyyyyy," Mxy's voice trailed off, and the portal winked out.
—T&J—
About six hundred iles southwest of Lost July, Kasted City sat on a plain of sturdy bedrock just off the coast of the West Equatorial Sand Sea. The so-called city didn't really live up to its title as a city. Rather, Kasted was a halfway-populated town that once had the potential for growth. That was until the aquifer dried out years ago in an attempt to fertilize a swath of land for farming, and then one of their Plants had been stolen. Folks left the town in droves to cities with more plentiful and hardier Plants.
With the surviving Plant, the remaining citizens of Kasted were able to stabilize the town's resources and make a modest living. The fertilized land, while not as grandiose as once imagined, was humble and growing more bountiful each year. After a long period of rationing and with a strong sense of community, the town became stronger than ever—if not smaller than at its peak decades ago.
For two years, Kasted City was home to a stranger-no-longer who went by the name of Eriks. When he showed up one day wandering alone and without a single double dollar to his name, a brave, ten-year-old girl named Lina showed the man compassion he hadn't known in a long time.
She talked to him without any judgment in her eyes and asked if he needed a meal and a place to stay. Grandma Sheryl always loved getting visitors. Plus, their house had a spare bedroom. The room used to belong to Lina's parents before they passed away from a horrible sickness that plagued the town when she was only four. Medicine was always hard to come by, and knowledgeable doctors even harder.
Lina thought of Eriks as the big brother she never had. For Granny, like the second son she'd wished for. They became, in a sense, his adopted family after a couple of months once he decided to stay in Kasted. Lina begged Granny to let him live with them. Although Eriks politely declined the offer a dozen times, Sheryl had finally convinced him herself, and that was that.
Lina and Granny thought the world of this stranger who walked into their lives once he started to open up.
Eriks was funny and kind. Even with his one good arm, he was so strong—Lina could hang off him like he was a set of monkey bars. He always had the most interesting stories and gave the best hugs—he'd swing her around in circles, making them both giggle. He spoiled her with sweets and snacks he bought at the store that Granny never let her get. He made her feel better when she skinned her knee playing tag or when the boy down the street was mean to her, making fun of her tomboyish looks.
Eriks was so smart—he helped her with homework when Granny was too tired or didn't know the answer—she wondered if he had studied at the university in November. And he could read really well and always used different voices for the characters in a book—deep, gruff voices for men and high-pitched, girly voices for women.
He was so silly riding a Thomas around town, having trouble holding the reins with just his right hand. He fell off so many times there was an Eriks-shaped butt print on the ground by their fence. But he was so nice to the bird-like riding creatures. He sometimes worked at the stables, feeding them or brushing sand out of their feathers to earn a little spending money. And he brought Lina over when the chicks were born, and she squealed with delight despite her tomboyish reputation.
Eriks even made Granny smile when he helped shop for groceries and cooked dinner. He wasn't even ashamed to wear the cute apron Granny made for him last year. He was always helping Lina with chores around the house too.
Whenever Granny became sad, missing her dear son and daughter, Eriks made the evening lighter at dinner with his daily tales and compliments on Sheryl's cooking.
Despite all that, Eriks and Lina were almost equal at getting into trouble. Now, at the proud age of twelve and a half, Lina made it her mission to be the best troublemaker in town.
So it was Eriks' new job to bail her out of her latest mishap. A mishap that started off with a bang.
A literal bang from an explosion. The sound could be heard throughout Kasted City, with a cloud of dust billowing from the source near the town's north gate.
—L&P—
Half an hour later, Lois and Jimmy began navigating their way through the crop fields towards the crashed ship. After calling for Clark with cupped hands but having no indication that he'd heard them, no sudden whoosh of his arrival, the two reporters set out.
The pair wore warm coats and knitted hats to fend off the late autumn chill. The sun was just high enough that the frost on the ground and crops was starting to melt.
Every so often, they stumbled upon the remains of those inanimate robots. Dull greenish crystals jutting out from them, contorting their frames in unnatural angles. Lois gritted her teeth at each scene, each one fueling her determination.
That, and her anger at her father for what she'd found out about him yesterday. She shoved those thoughts aside, having spent all night with them swirling around in her head already.
Jimmy, who'd brought his camera along against his better judgment, would pause and snap numerous photos of each 'corpse.' As much as an opportunity like this should have excited him, he couldn't help feeling numb, merely bringing himself to capture shots of the specimens like a clinical scientist.
Jimmy jumped and squeaked a little when Lois yelled, "Clark?" again to his right. He glanced to look up in the sky for a flying blur but never saw it as expected.
Lois and Jimmy caught each other's gaze, the worry in their eyes and furrowed brows mirrored.
"Why isn't he answering us?" Lois asked.
"This isn't like him," Jimmy replied. "Let's keep going."
Lois nodded silently. She rubbed her hands together, breathing warm air onto them, then pulled on a pair of gloves.
The looming structure of the spliced spaceship grew ever bigger as the two got closer. The scale of it left both speechless—especially knowing the ship got cut in half like a hot knife through butter when the portal had suddenly closed.
Lois and Jimmy pushed through the leafy stalks of grain sorghum. Lois—who was a few feet ahead—halted suddenly and raised an arm, blocking Jimmy from walking further. Jimmy opened his mouth to ask a question, but Lois ducked down and turned her head, raising a finger to her lips.
Jimmy snapped his jaw shut and raised an eyebrow. He mimicked Lois, squatting down—which wasn't all that comfortable for the lanky young man. He adjusted his camera strap so it rested against his side.
Lois tilted her head back in the direction of the ship and cupped an ear, a signal to listen. Jimmy also turned, focusing.
They could hear a faint voice speaking, but it was hard to make out the words.
She made a couple of military-esque hand signals that he didn't quite know what they meant but guessed through context and just followed her lead.
Lois slowly began to sneak even closer.
Jimmy gulped and shuffled along behind her. Getting closer to the voice, it became more clear. The voice was definitely not Clark's. It was eerily familiar yet held a certain edginess and impatience.
"... energy signature is still strong. We must have just missed him." A different voice—feminine but also weirdly familiar.
The pair was just nearing the edge of the field where they could get a look without being seen—if they were careful.
"Are we able to track his next destination?" came a third voice, oddly similar to the first. Yet, the tone was distinctly different, slightly more masculine and self-assured.
Jimmy knelt, frowning at getting his new jeans dirty. He pushed aside the stalks of grain just enough to get a decent view of the clearing.
He barely held in a gasp as he recognized the three figures conversing in front of the spaceship. They all wore similar uniforms of white and blues. The colors formed an abstract "L" on their chests. Two of the people had matching olive-colored skin and short brownish-black hair, though worn in different styles.
The figure with the feminine voice spoke up again. She was brown-skinned with shoulder-length, black dreaded hair pulled into a thick ponytail. "I'm getting a strange reading. There's too much interference from another portal activation."
"Yeah, from whatever brought this hunk of junk here." The figure with the edgy voice kicked the side of the ship with a look of disgust. A loud clunk reverberated through the cool air.
That was Lois. Well, one of those other Lois's—from the League of Lois Lanes. The punk rock-looking one with spikey hair, leather jacket, and metal arm.
And next to her were Lewis Lane and Jalana Olsen. Punk Lois and Lewis were both armed with white and green blaster rifles. Lewis held his at the ready, Lois with hers strapped to her back. Jalana was busy examining something on her bulky sci-fi-esque gauntlet.
Jimmy looked over to Lois, trying to get a read on what they should do. She looked deep in thought as well, her lips pulled taut.
Jalana spoke again, "Do we need to alert HQ about the Kryptonian activity here?"
"We should add it to the report per protocol, but the tachyon signature indicates it's from this universe. So it doesn't require our oversight," Lewis replied cooly.
"Do you think this Earth's Superman can handle this, though?" Jalana said, her voice almost worried—concerned. "He seemed somewhat inexperienced in our last encounter."
Lois twitched beside Jimmy. She formed a fist with the hand resting on her knee. He could tell she was eager to defend Clark to the other Olsen but bit her tongue.
"Earth-12 is not our problem. We need to stay focused on our mission. Mxy's out there stirring up all sorts of chaos. I'm not letting that worm go rogue again," Punk Lois retorted. She smashed her fist into her metal palm.
Jimmy was so engrossed in their conversation. But, when he felt something slimy wriggling on his hand, which he braced on the ground, he let out a shrill yelp. In his startled attempt to shake his hand, he wobbled and fell over on his back. Jimmy rolled over and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. A big, fat earthworm flopped helplessly in the soil where his hand was a second ago.
For just a beat, everything went quiet. Lois was staring wide-eyed at her friend when he dared to look up.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Lewis called, raising his blaster in their direction. Punk Lois also pulled her rifle from its sling on her back.
Lois and Jimmy stared at each other with startled grimaces. Their expressions silently shouted, "Crap! What do we do?!"
—T&J—
The second sun was beginning to set as Meryl drove her dust-covered, satellite-equipped van over another sand dune on her way to December City. As the sky darkened, the green aura of a swarm of Glow Worms shone eerily in the sky above.
The sight triggered a memory from earlier that day.
Just before leaving the crater of Lost July, Zazie showed up, wearing that creepy mask over their face. A flock of worms had flown overhead moments before, forewarning of The Beast's arrival. Zazie had come to deliver a disturbing message.
"Thanks to the twins, a bridge was cast across the void. I'm just here to give a warning. Soon, they'll cross over the wall of light and arrive here. All the way from Earth. Just know we're always watching you."
Although Meryly always cringed a little at the sight of Worms, nothing could compare to the creep factor of that personified consciousness of the Worm hivemind. That, or being inside the belly of a Grand Worm. That she'd never get over.
As Meryl fiddled with the knob on the dashboard to find a radio station playing decent music, a bright flash of light caught her eye. Her shaky grip on the steering wheel caused the van to swerve over the uneven terrain. She quickly righted the van and snapped her gaze back out of the windshield. She pushed her sunglasses up to get a clearer view.
A purple glow grew in the sky until it was a blinding white circle. It was hard to tell how large or far away it was, but Meryl had never seen any phenomenon like it before. She gaped at the sight, leaning as forward as possible in her seat.
Whatever it was, it had to be at least a couple hundred yarz out. A moment later, two dark silhouettes, one much larger than the other, shot out of the circle of light, careening straight towards the ground.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she pulled the van off the caravan route, heading towards that light. If the Chief was looking for a front-page-worthy news story, maybe this would be her next big break.
The newbie might have to start training without her senior partner. A story waits for no one.
—L&P—