5790/Meeting Lois

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Meeting Lois
Date of Scene: 30 March 2021
Location: Common Area - Milano
Synopsis: Jon meets his mother and his father...five years before his birth. General chaos ensues.
Cast of Characters: Lois Lane, Jon Kent, Clark Kent




Lois Lane has posed:
When things go bad, Lois generally dives into work or drugs. There's no work in space so, well, drugs it was. She's been drinking since Clark and company disappeared, trying to calm her brain down enough to actually relax and still not succeeding. She's staring at a tin on the common room coffee table in front of her, drunk frame draped across the arms of the chair she's in. She's debating harder things, but hasn't gone there yet. Still just draped in her robe and wearing a set of Clark's shorts and undershirt, she looks a ragged mess. She takes another pull from the whiskey bottle in her hand.

Jon Kent has posed:
     After being checked up on by the ship's medbay, Jon, ever the obedient one, had decided to look over the ship. It was his first time getting to be in a spaceship, even if he had much more questions than answers at this point. The teen couldn't help but be amazed at all that the ships had to offer.

  He had been dressed in his House of El hoodie, with cape, the sweater a little too small for him, and jeans with ripped knees, and his red sneakers. A bit...terran, for someone who had been found around Oa, but thanks to his parentage, he had little need for a space suit.

  The door to the common room hisses open and in walks Jon, shaggy hair, blue eyed, and not paying attention at all to who is in the room with him, he's looking all around. "A real spaceship. So cool." He comments.

Lois Lane has posed:
"...The cool wears off after a week or so. It's just *weird* now." Lois rasps out quietly. She looks probably nothing like the mother he knows, having gotten most of her shit together and doing her best to be a mom and wife. Right now, Lois looks like a trainwreck in mismatched clothing, her bangs badly in need of a haircut and the bags beneath her eyes at least a matching set. She's got a cigarette hanging out of her right hand near to the closest air vent that is sucking most of the smoke away. She looks him up and down, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. He looked weirdly familiar, but she's far too drunk to figure out why.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's attention goes to Lois, and her...habits. "You know, lung cancer doesn't just harm you, it harms your loved ones." Yes, he just said that to someone he just met. Though, he wouldn't be so bold as to just X-ray vision her to check for tumors. That would be rude.

  "Isn't...nevermind." He stops himself. Not wanting to even broach that subject. He looked at her with some familiarity, but has no idea who she is, much less even think that she could be the same woman from his time.

Lois Lane has posed:
A husky laugh escapes her throat as she looks him over after giving that PSA. She smirks deeply at the young man, shaking her head, "Yeah, kid, well, we just had half this ship kidnapped out from under our noses, are flying through space, and I got people trying to kill me every other week. If I live long enough for the cigarettes to do it, it'll be a fuckin' miracle." She sounds almost proud about that, or very tired. Both, really.

Lois takes another, deeper drag, but isn't so rude as to blow it in her face. She's keeping it near the air vent, to be almost polite. "You...just got puked out here, eh?"

Jon Kent has posed:
     "Sorry it's just something my...mom says." He comments, now looking at his phone, taking it out and seeing the home screen. Of course, the full-blooded Kryptonians hardly look different twenty years from now, but Lois...can't escape time like they can. "No cell service in space I guess..."

  His eyes flare open in shock from someone actually cursing in front of him. Obviously, not something he had been used to. But something about it...was familiar.

  "Yeah, dad and I were working on the Phantom Zone projector when...it sucked me in. I found a portal to the other side...and it kinda just...barfed me out? I was in there for...like a month? I dunno, really. What's the date?" He got sucked up in January...2040.

Lois Lane has posed:
A slightly worried frown crosses her lips, brow knitting as well, as she hears that he was working on something with his father. "I can't say I totally understand the Phantom Zone, but if your father knows you got pulled away, he'll... move everything in the worlds to find you. At least, I suspect he would. Good dad's are like that. And it's, uh... sometime in March, 2021. I lost track of exact earth dates about a week ago." There's something in her pale blue eyes which might be achingly familiar. Only his mother's are generally far more protective and worried, not carelessly drunk.

Jon Kent has posed:
     If Jon had a bottle of water, he would have spit it out about now. "March?" Terrible liar. His mind starts racing and racing trying to figure out and reason what's going on. "Three months."

  Then, just then, he gives Lois another look over. This time bringing his phone up, looking at the Home Screen with himself, Clark, and Lois on it. It was from his perfect attendance award last year. "Oh heck. Oh heck. Y-y-you're Lois Lane?" Quickly shoving his phone back in his pocket, his eyes moving each way, as if it helped him concentrate and figure out something.

Lois Lane has posed:
"Yeah, shit...Maybe April. But march, I think. We haven't been here THAT long. I'd be completely out of the good stuff if we had been." Lois admits with a deeper smirk, looking back to her bottle of whiskey. She gives it a little shrug, knocks back a gulp of it, and then offers it in his direction. "You want some, kid? No drinking age in space. Just don't puke."

And then her sharp reporter's instincts, only blunted with booze, seem to pick up on the fact that she might have missed something. She narrows her pale eyes at him thoughtfully, head tilting at that question, "Uh... yes. Don't tell me I'm a space-famous reporter? I mean, I could be, I am that good, but... I didn't know the PLanet published out here. But yeah. I'm Lois. Who are you?"

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's eyes close just a little upturning and smiling. "Hehe, no. No. I'm from Earth..." Shut up, don't say too much, Jon.

  "I-I I'm Jon." No last name. This is gonna be one HELL of a talk when Superman is back... "I'm a...a Daxamite." CRAP, then why the H are you wearing a Superman hoodie, dum dum?

  Jon grabs at the bottle of...whatever it is that was offered. Taking a swig, and immediately regretting it as it Burns it's way down his throat, exhaling dramatically. "Oh that is awful. I can't even get drunk...I think."

Lois Lane has posed:
"...Daxamite? What is *that*? And you're from Earth? How are you from Earth and a Daxamite? And why are you so damn nervous, kid? Siddown. Take a breath. Maybe put that in something like... coke. Or whatever sweet shit the raccoon has around here. But relax. Not much we can do from here, so you might as well kick back and relax. I can't even file copy from up here." And it's driving Lois quietly insane. But the whiskey helps.

She then leans forward, stealing her bottle back and taking another good drag from it before she finally kills her cigarette and tosses it in the little refuse bin. Now she's got something far more interesting to distract her and his name is Jon.

Jon Kent has posed:
     "Daxam, it's...like...okay you ever seen Star Trek?" Yes she has, of course she has. She SHOWED you the original series. Or was that dad? Oh god this is terrible.

  "Daxam is like...Romulus, and Krypton is like...Vulcan. Same ancestors, long long ago. And..." OH GOD what if this conversation makes her not want to have kids? I'm gonna Marty McFly myself out of existence. Look at your phone! No, DON'T. She'll see her picture. "And my mom is a...a human."

  Jon just...takes a deep breath and tries not to look like he's about to pee himself from fear. It's not going well.

Lois Lane has posed:
The somewhat tipsy, wild looking woman who one day will be his mother stares at him in blank confusion. "...so, you're like Superman, but not? Or...half like Superman, if your mom is a human? Which human? I mean, we can just *call* her when we get back to earth. Make certain she knows you're alright, see if she can get in touch with your dad. Badda bing, badda boom, you're fine kid. See, not so bad? So take a breath and stop freaking out. You look like you're gonna have a coronary."

Jon Kent has posed:
     "Yeah, kinda. It's just a little different." Oh god. Did she just ask what her own name was?

  Jon's brain goes alight, before answering. "She's from New York. L-isa. Lisa Lamb." Such a lie.

  "Yeah, I mean. I'm. I'm okay. I just...I'm calm...kinda."

Lois Lane has posed:
While Lois is drunk, she's not stupid, and she's been an incredibly sharp reporter for most of her life. Now she pulls her legs down off of the couch and stares over him a little harder, eyes narrowing. "Why... are you lying to me, kid? I'm not gonna go stalk your mom from space, I promise. The people on this ship can be trusted. We just need to get you back to her. So, stop playing dodgeball with these questions and just work with me. Capiche?"

That's definitely his mom. She used to say that the whole time he was growing up, something picked up from her days deep in the Italian part of the city. "And Lisa Lamb is a ridiculous name."

Jon Kent has posed:
     "I'm not a Daxamite. I'm not a Romulan. I'm half...kryptonian. And my mom is human...but she...is" Oh god Jon. Please let this not erase yourself out of existence. "Sitting in front of me...smoking a cigarette and just gave me my first drink of alcohol." Reflexively, Jon puts his arms up in front of his face, shielding himself from being McFly'd out of existence.

  About ten seconds passes before he opens his fingers, one cobalt blue eye peeking out to survey the damage.

Lois Lane has posed:
Suddenly, she's very glad that she has put her bottle of whiskey down because there might be a moment there where she could drop it. And he doesn't blink out of existence, but Lois stares at him hard, like she's trying to figure out what the joke is. Then the laughter comes. A bit too loud, too hard, drunk but also very much in denial because there is NO WAY she has a kid. She laughs even more, shaking her head to him.

"Look, kid... if I had a son your age, I think I'd know, besides, I'm not THAT old and sure I was wild in high school, but not THAT wild. So what gives? This is more crazy a lie than the Lisa Lamb thing..."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Okay, he isn't...what is it if you were never alive? Un-alive? Whatever the name is, he isn't that. But that's about when she starts laughing. And suddenly he's blushing hard, mostly from embarrassment, but there's a little frustration there too. "I'm serious. My name is Jonathan Samuel...Kent. I'm an A-B student, and I was born September 30th...twenty twenty-five." He didn't even think about the possibility that Kent would be so telling...until he saw the lack of a ring on her finger. "Oh crumbs."

Lois Lane has posed:
While Lois is still a little checked out and on the edge of laughter, when he looks more serious about it and that frustration comes through his voice? She's starting to sober up a little bit more. Her head tilts, eyes narrowing on his face as she really tries to get what the joke is. But all she can see is how much more honest he seems to be. And how vaguely familiar his features are. The laughter completely dies on her lips as she can't see any hint of lying and he puts forward that name. And date. It was a name she'd love to give a kid. And that date hasn't happened yet.

"...w-what...what do you mean... 2025? W-when did you...disappear? And..w-who...Who's your dad? This is a joke.. This... this has to be a joke..."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon starts looking just a bit more meek as she continues asking questions. "I mean...the Phantom Zone...barfed me out...five years before I was born. I left in January 2040....surprise?"

  In terms of who his dad is...he takes out his phone, and slides it over to her, the Home Screen illuminating before her. Lois, Jon, and Clark. Jon and Clark wearing those glasses of theirs, the ones that dim their eyes. Clark wearing one of his work suits, oversized and himself slouching just a bit. Jon was on the...wiry side, wouldn't quite need to alter how he held himself quite yet.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois is very firmly about to deny any of this, but then there is the phone. She can't deny the phone. Sure, she looks a little older and a little more straight laced, but not like a complete stiff, in her defense! And they all look happy. So. Damn. Happy. For once in her life, Lois Lane finds herself dead quiet as she pieces through several pictures of them, carefully sliding to the right over the timeline of happy photos. Her smile grows a bit more sad as she sees one of Clark looking happy. Truly, completely happy. No clue where he could be now, if she'll get him back. Her fingertips trace across the screen before she finally stares back up to him.

"...this isn't some sort of...joke... or game? Not one of Clark's enemies playing a... mean trick?"

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon bites his lower lip a bit. Before picking up the phone again and looking to the screen, the weight of the truth was heavy. "I promise. On my honor, a scout is truthful...among other things."

  He doesn't know how else to put it, if he's being honest. "I've been to the farm in Smallville, I met Grandpa in Washington once. He took me to the Washington Monument, and to see the constitution in the National Archives."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark is currently sitting in an Oan sciencell. They're cooling their heels a little, waiting for the Guardians to figure out what exactly they're going to say outside of 'execute them!'. All of that, and no one listened to him in space, so the war he hoped to avoid still might be happening. That's the problem, sometimes, with working with family; with the League, he's comfortable knowing his friends understand that when he pulls that noble self sacraficing stuff, he has a trick up his sleeve.

He still does, but does he have enough favor in Brpxz's court for THREE safe passages? Superman'd feel better if he hadn't lost track of when his enemies there were...busy, or at least shifted into more prosocial forms. The Fifth Dimension's hard enough to navigate without getting into the politics of the omnipotent.

"I hope that kid's alright." Clark says, leaning against the litle bench the Lanterns gave him. The Sciencell is supposed to neutralize his powers, but Clark manages to get his finger into a pouch on his cape anyway, pulling a slim, white crystal out of it. "Let's see if I can get some reception through here..."

Lois Lane has posed:
As he brings up grandpa, that seems to seal it. Lois hardly ever talks about her father, certainly not to anyone on this ship. And to know where the General would have taken him? She can't deny this any longer. She looks up to him with oddly glassy eyes, trying not to dare let herself cry but she's a little too drunk to easily control emotions. She studies him closer, seeing Clark's eyes and the cut of her chin there. The similiar hair. Her nose. His forehead. She swallows back a bit tighter, "God. Fuck. I mean... darn... you... You really are my son, aren't you?" She rasps out. She doesn't know if she wants to hug him or puke.

Then her mind goes back to Clark, eyes geting a bit wider. "And your father is... gone, now, god... I don't know where they took him. Hell, I never thought he'd stay with me long enough for... This..."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon nods solemnly, some corner of his mind still thinking he could blip out of existence at any moment now that it's known. "Yea...yes ma'am." Of course he would say that. He's Clark's kid. "I saw the Green Lanterns...and they called us war crimes...and a hegemony? But Krypton is...gone. I didn't understand much, but they went with dad, Aunt Kara and Aunt Karen... oh that's why she spoke to me in Kryptonian...she doesn't know I'm from Earth. I'm pretty sure I asked her where the bathroom was, for an answer." Yes, yes he did.

  He was sure the shock was a bit much for Lois, but he was holding back all he could to not reach out and hug her right now.

  "He's probably on that planet, at least...that's where...oh my gosh. That was...oh no."

Clark Kent has posed:
Kelex insisted the device would let him communicate through anywhere, and anything. Kelex also thinks, Clark relfects, that mushrooms belong in an omelette, so maybe this isn't the best idea. The Guardian tech basically manipulates light, right? Maybe they can listen in, but...

"Hello?" Superman says, "This is Superman broadcasting. Can anyone hear me? Try pressing the crystal with your thumb, I think."

Lois Lane has posed:
Just as Lois is about to dive deep into a bit more drink and depression over the fact that she might have lost Clark for good now (even if there is living, breathing proof sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HER that somehow they find him again), there is that voice coming through something in Jon's hand. Her eyes go wide, looking down at the young man's palm and then back to his face, "Is...is that him from the future? Did you keep a recording of your father?" Oh goodness, she's going to have a lot of explaining to do if Clark heard that!

She still takes one quick sip of whiskey again, she isn't getting through this mess sober, but then is sitting up straighter. She moves gently closer to Jon, her body language already gently protective of him, even if she'd deny it.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon jumps just a little, at the sound of Superman's voice. He inhales with a little shriek as he is just as surprised as Lois. "I mean, yes but that's on my phone, and that isn't what the recording says." He feels around his phone pocket before thumbing around his other pocket, taking out the crystal and looking at it. "Oh god. Should we tell him? I don't want to...not exist anymore. I like being alive. Even if I'm...negative five."

  He presses his thumb to the crystal and answers. "Superman...this is J-I mean umm. Hi. Are you ok?" Maybe not a good idea to say his name if the Oans are listening.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman literally projects out of the tiny crystal like...

...well it looks a little like the Star Wars projection. Clark is a little bashful about this. "Ah, hellO, young man! I see you're alright, that's..."

Father?

Clark pauses because he clearly heard that, and his brain is screaming this is not possible so clearly he didn't, while the wiser part of his brain runs over how many time traveling assholes he knows and cross indexing who'd be stupid enough to put his hypothetical future son in a time bubble and drop him off in a war zone.

"I'm alright." Superman says slowly, looking at Lois, and then Jon. "They've got me in a cell while they panic. I'm hoping we can work this out like adults now that whoever was trying to start a war got dragged away from the big red button. Are you two alright?"

Lois Lane has posed:
If there was any doubt about how much this wreck of a woman loves Superman, it'd vanish the moment Jon sees her looking up at the faint hologram. Something softens in Lois, the gritty, careless exterior gently dropping to someone who seems far softer and much more like the mother he knows. She's head over heels for the man and worried in a deep way that's probably driven her to pick up that bottle today. She ignores it for now, fingertips stretching out to try and touch the man she cannot.

"It...it's good to see you. To know they're at least keeping you alive and not trying to torture you or... Or something. I hope you all can also. There's no sensible reason for this to have happened but then we're in space and J... the kid here is...here... so maybe very little makes sense right now."

She looks back tp Jon, eyes a bit wider, as if implying that he should SAY SOMETHING about it all even if he's trying very hard not to reveal himself.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon watches Lois as she starts talking to Superman, a familiar smile creeping onto his face. "I am okay! I think three months out from the real dimension just...drained me a little. But the sun here is really powerful. I feel just fine now. But..." He looks a bit uneasy before he steels himself and comments further. "You haven't met me before, sir. But I'm Superboy. Hoping that was enough of a hint. "I didn't exit the Phantom Zone where I thought I would." And when for that matter.

Clark Kent has posed:
"I..."

Clark's sitting down, or he'd need to. Suddenly all of this is very, very serious; not that it was a lark to begin with, but...a son? A son in the PHANTON ZONE?

"Did it hurt you?" Is the first thing Clark can think; his tiny hardlight hand reaches out for Lois's, causing his tiny hand to touch her outreahed fingertip. "The Zone, I mean."

Lois Lane has posed:
A faint smile flickers across her lips as she sees his tiny hand reaching to her fingertip. Lois keeps her palm up, fingertips open, like she could give him more surface to touch or more welcome even in that tiny bit of non-contact. It makes him feel a little bit more real. "...yeah, I wouldn't have really believed him either, Superman, but... there's... There are photos. He has so many photos. And he's got your eyes..." And somehow Lois isn't having a complete panic over this all. Maybe he's not *her* son?

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon shakes his head to Clark's question. "It was an accident. The projector in the Fortress needed fixing. Y-umm. I was asked to help, and there was supposed to be a surprise...but the projector went unstable, and so did the portal. I got sucked in. I didn't get hurt, but I got lost, I thought that portal was the right way out. Then you found me."

  Jon's face looked quite worried, but he was literally a boy out of time. Much earlier than he was even born. "I am glad you found me though. I didn't know which way Earth is from this place." Jon unzipped his sweater the one with the House of El sigil, wearing just a plain white tee underneath it.

Clark Kent has posed:
Lois probably woke the kid up. Clark can't think of anyone else he'd HAVE kids with at this point, though if you've got multiverse theory going on...

"He's got your hair, more than mine." Superman says, softly, taking this all in. It's. A lot. It happening right now is a real lot, and he very much wants to toss out this entire mission to revive a dead planet and go home and help this young man.

He breathes. Is this how Bruce felt, stumbling on a half grown son? Who almost died in space? Who the Green Lantern Corps want dead?!

"Okay." Superman squares his jaw. "Okay, we can figure this out as soon as I'm out of this dumb space prison. Worst case sceneario, Lois, call the JLA and get Hal on the horn about what his bosses are pulling. He can at least make sure everyone gets out of here alright."

Lois Lane has posed:
As Clark comments about her hair, not even asking who the young man's mother is, those tears which Lois had been so good about holding back finally are blinked free. Only one streaks down her face, but she's definitely emotionally overwhelmed into tear territory by this all. Instead of reaching for her bottle, her other hand reaches out for Jon's free palm. She wraps small fingertips protectively over his hand and gives a gentle squeeze.

"He's right, Jon. Whatever happens... we're here for you. You're safe, you're not alone, we'll get you back to earth and talk to the JLA and... we... We'll get you back to your time. I promise. But you're here with *us* and... that's enough." As much as Lois would probably lose her head if she got pregnant right now, she seems to be falling into mother role easy enough. Sometimes protective instincts trump fear, especially with children.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's blue eyes well up just a little bit as Lois reaches for his hand, he accepted her hand and squeezed gently, he had to practice that after he started gaining powers like his dad. But he managed, Jon was a gentle soul at heart, but of course, when needed, he was just as helpful as Superman. "Thank you, both. I...I didn't realize..." He didn't realize just how much he would feel if he was lost. Somehow, even in the Phantom Zone, time passed differently, to Jon, it didn't feel like he was there for months. He didn't get hungry in there, he didn't have to sleep. "D-sir. Why are the Lanterns calling us war crimes?" He didn't know if it was appropriate to call this Clark dad. He didn't want to make anyone feel bad, regardless of if they would eventually be his parents.

Clark Kent has posed:
It's kind of sweet, really. Clark'd be impressed under different circumstances. As it is...

"That's why I tuened myself in, to find out. I know my people and the Oans had a war, a long long time ago, but it couldn't have been so bad as to warrent all this, could it?"

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois is fairly happy to be quiet and watching. To see how Clark would (and does) interact with his son. It's nothing she ever thought she'd want or dream about, but now that it's in front of her she has this soft, touched look on her face. She didn't think she could love him more and yet here they are. She returns that gentle squeeze to Jon's hand, the pad of her thumb rubbing over the side of his palm, something reassuring and stablizing about it.

"...You're not alone any more, Jon. We'll get this figured out. I promise." It's like she could read his mind, or the unspoken end of his sentence, at least. Then she's looking back to Clark for the answer to Jon's question, her head shaking gently, "Even if it was, that wasn't YOU. Or your family. That was generations ago... you have no blame for it."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's smile grows as both Lois and Clark reassure him. He could barely express his gratitude for them at this moment. But of course, there was the current situation. "That was like...ancient times right? I dunno who would hold a grudge that long but, I guess it's not impossible. Even then...earth has a Green Lantern, do you think they would listen to him that we don't mean any harm?" Just like the House of El. They could probably fight their way out, but not until other means were exhausted.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark shrugs. He doesn't get it either. "The biggest grudge I've ever dealt with was Luthor." Superman admits, putting Lex above basically any other hatreds he's dealt with because sometimes Superman has to be honest. "I don't get it either. I thought these guys were supposed to be wise, and if not kind than at least just...but if we were that much of a threat, why wait for us to come to them?"

"I need to sort this out. I can't have it hanging over my family's head forever." Clark finally admits, sighing. "As much as I want to blow all of this off, I won't have..." I won't have YOU deal with this in a few years, Superman thinks, and stands up again. "Enough's enough. I can't think about how much damage their little show of force caused throughout the galaxy. It's unacceptable."

A light flashes, and Clark frowns. "Damn, they're calling me." He reaches out to 'touch' Lois's finger again, and it's almost like you can feel him. "Look after each other, alright? I'll be right back." Superman winks, grinning. "Just have bail money ready in case you're my phone call, huh Lois?"

Lois Lane has posed:
A crackled little laugh escapes her lips at Clark's last words over the holo projection. She gives him a faintly tearful smile, "You... you got it. I didn't think I'd be the first to bail YOU out but... anything you need, Kal-El. I love you." Her fingertips flicker against his tiny hand once more and then she lets her palm drop.

Tired, now rather too-sober eyes flicker back over to Jon, trying not to let all that worry show on her face but she can't well hide it. "We... we should get you settled in, kid. Find you a bunk, some food... Come on. I think I know the place by now. Your da... Superman will be fine. He's smart and has been through worse. We'll see him soon. I promise." She then stands up, mostly steady, to wrap one arm around Jon's shoulders and try to lead him back to the sleeping areas.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon nods, holding himself up strong. "Yessir." He adds in, before handing the crystal to Lois. "I'm back to full strength, if you need help." Not that Clark would give that approval, not even his time's Clark would. But volunteering helps, the fifteen year old was more than capable.

  As Lois leads Jon back to the bunks, he finally relaxes, for the first time since he realized just who Lois was. Just that touch around the fifteen year old's shoulder, that was all that he needed.