Champion of the Multiverse
by The Power Company
When an entire federation of planets is being threatened, who you gonna call?


Self-control.

All of his life he was constantly having to remain in control.

Things that came so easy, so naturally to other men, even the slightest
gestures, required constant self-monitoring for him. Of all the super-human
things he was able to do, this is the one power that he always was counted on
to use and the one that no one really thought about.

He was thinking about it now though. As he lay in his bed and stroked his
wife's tender face with hands that could crush the side of a tank as easily as
other men could crush a beer can. The slightest mistake, and he could kill
her instantly. It was hard enough just to give her an affectionate hug. It was
superhumanly difficult while making love. How can you lose yourself in the
pleasure of the moment and still retain enough control so as not to crush your
loved one? It could only be accomplished by keeping detached from the
situation, like a casual observer. And yet how can you remain dispassionate
when the situation calls for you to be passionate? No ordinary man could do
it. But he was no ordinary man. He was ...

Superman!

The two lovers floated above the bed locked in a delicate dance of desire. As
their movements increased in tempo and force, the woman let out a little
growl. This was the part she loved. He was so big and so hard inside her.
Making love with him drove her crazy, and she could get as crazy as she
wanted with him. Not like her other lovers who were merely human. She could
pound on his chest in her rapture, scrape her fingernails down his arms and
squeeze him with her strong legs all she wanted and never worry about hurting
him. In fact it seemed to her that he rather enjoyed it when she did those
thing to his invulnerable body.

Eventually they both reached their climaxes at the same time. She muffled a
scream so as not to disturb the neighbors. He skillfully released a long
stream of jism into her, controlling it so as not to injure her delicate,
human insides. Finally, she collapsed onto his massive torso and fell sound
asleep. Nights like this where they could actually spend the entire evening
together were so rare, and she wanted to enjoy every second of it. She drifted
off to sleep caressing his broad chest.

He was satisfied, too, but in a very different way. He closed his eyes and
thought back to the day when he had first met Lois Lane, the famous reporter
for the Daily Planet. She was beautiful and feisty, as strong in will as he
was in body. They butted heads immediately but, as happens in many such cases,
eventually fell in love with each other and now they were happily married.

He knew from his early experiences with the opposite sex in high school that
he would always have to be vigilant with normal human women. For a while he
kept his relationships to only super powered women. Wonder Woman was always
first on his list of women he wanted to make love with, but she had all those
Amazonian hangups about men.

His brief fling with Power Girl, though, had been a blast. God, what a rack on
that girl! Her breasts, so big, so incredibly firm. They were almost
otherworldly. Thinking about her started making him hard again. But she
was much, much too young for him.

And then there was that wild weekend spent at the Fortress of Solitude with
Rampage. He smiled as he remembered how they almost knocked the place down. He
had flown her there to help her control her energy absorbing power. All was
going well until she grew into a fifteen foot tower of muscle and began to
have her way with him. (Hmmm ... sounds like a great idea for another story!!
- the Power Company)

But the allure of Lois was too great. He knew from the instant he met her in
the newsroom of the Daily Planet that there was something special about her
that even those super powered women didn't have. He also knew that he would
never be truly happy with anyone else. So he accepted the limitations of her
body and even came to love this special style of careful, caring lovemaking
that they shared.

As the morning sun greeted the two, they were still slumbering in each
other's arms. Even in sleep, Superman controlled his actions lest he
accidentally crush his wife. Suddenly a bright light filled the bedroom. The
light was accompanied by a strange static sound that seemed to fill the whole
room. A doorway appeared in the light and an being stepped through it.

Superman was instantly awake and rising from the bed as quickly and carefully
as he could. In a flash he stood between his slowly awakening wife and the
strange being dressed in his Superman costume. "Stop right there," he
commanded in his most authoritative voice, his hands planted on his hips and
his back flared out wide like a cobra spreading its hood to scare off an
attacker.

"Peace," the old one said quietly. He raised his hand in a non-threatening
gesture, "I come in peace, Kal-El."

Superman looked at the ancient man with a quizzical look, searching for any
bit of familiarity with the face. The old man continued, "No you don't know
me, but I know you ... or at least know of you, Superman, Clark Kent,
Kal-El." Superman's face went from inquisitiveness to astonishment with just a
flicker of fear thrown in.

"As a matter of fact," the old man said as he stepped closer, "we've followed
your life very closely. The last son of Krypton, one of the most advanced
planets in this dimension."

"This dimension?" asked an unbelieving Superman. "Are you ..."

"Yes, Kal-El. Or do you prefer to be called Superman while in this costume?
Yes, this is a gateway to my home dimension," he said, gesturing toward the
doorway of light. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. I am Hitahrr, President of
the Federation of Allista. We are a group of ten planetary systems. And we are
in need of your help."

"How can I be of help, Hitahrr?"

"Our federation has been at peace for a thousand generations," Hitahrr
explained as he pointed to a holographic image of a strange dimension that was
being projected from a disk laying on his outstretched hand. Federation space
was clearly delineated and as the map rotated, it was possible to see the
ten systems that made up Allista. Superman used his super vision and was even
able to see cities on the planet. It even looked like there was movement
within the cities. Was this simply a map or was it an actual transdimensional
picture relayed in real time to his apartment?

"This is a transdimensional picture of Allista, relayed here in real time,
Superman. As you can see if you look closely enough with your super
microscopic vision, these planets are teaming with beings. Sentient beings."

Indeed, as Superman looked at the planets, he could see cities and farms.
Looking closer, he could make out transportation systems, stadiums, individual
beings going about their daily lives.

"Oh, good morning, Mrs. Kent," Hitahrr cheerily greeted as Lois peered around
her massive husband. "Or do you prefer 'Miss Lane'?"

"Superman ..." Lois began.

"It's alright Lois," Superman comforted his frightened wife, "it seems there's
not much that is hidden from our visitor. But I'm still not clear on why
you need me, Hitahrr."

"Yes, as I was saying, our federation has existed for thousands of years in
peace. In that time we have made remarkable progress in science, technology,
philosophy, government, the arts, every aspect of endeavor save but one. The
universe, even the multiverse, is still a violent place with violent beings
trying to gain power over others. The lust for power and wealth is not only a
problem here on your own planet, but it seems to pervade all of life.

"Our federation is currently under attack from an alliance of very war-like
peoples. Right now all they want is Quintao, an agricultural planet near the
borders of the federation. Yet is is home to more than ten billion beings. All
the alliance wants is to take whatever natural resources they can from the
planet. They will suck it dry and leave it for dead. We have seen them do it
throughout the universe time and time again. But this time, the federation has
stood up to the alliance.

"A great war for the freedom of Quintao has been waged for the last 100 of
our years. As you can see," Hitahrr caused the holographic display to rotate
so that a small greenish-blue orb floated in front of the couple, "the war has
nearly caused the destruction of the planet and we've lost tens of millions of
our best fighters in the struggle. The alliance has suffered astounding losses
as well. In order to bring the war to a conclusion we have come to an
agreement.

"Eons ago, the alliance and the federation were one race of people. Back then,
our ancestors devised a way to settle disputes that would spare the lives of
the many by offering the lives of a few. When two groups came to war, the
leaders would choose a champion to do battle. The two sides agreed to abide by
the results of the contest. As our technology advanced, so did our system of
arbitration. Now each leader must be willing to sacrifice his or her own
life for their people. We are able to link our consciousness with our champion
and do battle ourselves."

"And you want me to be your champion?" Superman asked, turning his gaze toward
the old man.

"We have searched the galaxies, through multiple dimensions, to find our
champion, Superman. We believe you have what it takes to win this battle,"
Hitahrr said as he placed a feeble hand on Superman's mighty arm. "And I will
be with you. It will be my life on the line as well, my friend. Yes indeed,
the fight is to the death or until one champion is so incapacitated that he is
not able to fight on."

Superman pulled himself to his full height. Lois could see in his eyes that he
had already decided. He looked down at her and cupped her dainty face in his
powerful hand. "Lois, my love," he began, "I love you more than my life,
you know that. But this is who I am, and you know that as well. When truth and
justice calls, I answer. If I can help stop the advance of this madness, then
I must go."

A tear welled up in Lois' eyes as she bravely fought to control her emotions.
"I do know you, Clark, and I would give anything to go in your place. I know
you are Superman and the universe needs you, it's just ... just ..." Lois
steeled herself once again. "Go with my love, Clark. But you better come back
to me mister, or so help me I'll never forgive you!"

Superman smiled and grabbed Lois, lifting her up for a passionate kiss, "You
bet I'll be back lady!" He set Lois down and faced Hitahrr, "So Hitahrr, who
are we up against?"

The image of the federation planets flickered and changed into a 3-D image of
a massively muscled creature. As the creature's image rotated, a list of
characters appeared. Superman and Lois stared in amazement at the formidable
looking opponent. He stood on two legs and had two arms, but that is where its
similarity with humans ended. His body was covered with short course fur and
his face resembled a lion except that his teeth were much longer. His hands
looked like the talons of an eagle. On his back, large leathery wings swept
up, each tipped with claws similar to a bat's wing. Apparently these could be
used both for flying and as appendages.

"The Alliance has chosen Gorthran the Destroyer for their champion," Hitahrr
narrated. "He and others of his race have won ten challenges such as this. He
is unbelievably strong and as cunning as he is brutal. I know so much about
him because I joined with him for our last two challenges."

"I thought you said you were a peaceful people for the last thousand
generations?" Lois quizzed.

"That is how we have remained peaceful, by dealing with threats to our
security quickly and effectively."

"If Gorthran is so expert at these challenges, why come to me?" Superman
asked.

"Well ... to tell the truth ... I lost the rock flip." Hitahrr paused and then
continued, "It is an ancient and time-honored ritual. You see, we flip a rock
to see who chooses their champion first and ... well ...," Hitahrr settled
himself and sighed, "I didn't get the first pick."

Superman was stunned. He stepped back a little as if he had been hit with a
ton of kryptonite. No, even that would not have wounded him as deeply as this.
He had never been chosen last for anything in his life. He was never the
last kid picked for kickball in grade school. Or when his high school
buddies chose up sides for a sandlot football game. Not even at the annual
'girls-ask-guys' dance!

Hitahrr saw the hurt look on Superman's face and quickly reassured him, "But
the last challenge was more than fifty years ago as you count time in this
dimension. Long before you came into your own as a superhero."

This seemed to brighten Superman visage some. But he still was turning over in
his head the fact that Gorthran had never been defeated.

"Besides," Hitahrr continued, "because my counterpart, a man named Methiort,
choose the champion first, I had the option for the place for the battle."
Again the disk flickered from the ferocious image of Gorthran to a floating
map of a planet. "This is the planet called V'qinoch. Our federation had
tried to establish some colonies on the planet, but the conditions were too
harsh. It is totally deserted now so we have no fear of destroying sentient
life. However, the one advantage that V'qinoch has is that it is very similar
to Earth and it is orbiting a yellow sun. From my research I have come to know
that Kryptonians draw a certain power from a yellow sun and that might be all
the advantage we need."

Superman had gained back his indomitable confidence once more, "Good! When do
we get started? And how do I get there?"

"A neutral delivery team will arrive in a day with the consciousness
transference device and will take you to V'qinoch through a trans-dimensional
portal such as this," Hitahrr responded, gesturing to his glowing doorway.
"When we arrive on the planet, the contest will begin. By the way," Hitahrr
put his disk away in what seemed a fold in his garments and produced a bright
yellow belt with several compartments, looking for all the world like Batman's
utility belt, "this has some handy devices that you may need, including a
universal translator like I'm wearing now."

Superman accepted the belt and extended his hand in a gesture of confidence
and solidarity, "Thank you, Hitahrr. I'm proud to be serving such a noble
cause."

Hitahrr accepted the hand and bowed, "I am honored to be fighting with one
such as yourself." Then he turned back to the portal. "I will be with you
soon," he said as he stepped through the glowing doorway. The doorway seemed
to close in on itself and in a moment the apartment was dark once more.

Superman turned toward his wife. He didn't need his super vision to tell
that she was about to break down in tears. In a flash he was naked again and
holding her against his warm skin. This was usually the time he went on early
morning patrol, but right now all he wanted to do was be with his wife for as
long as he could. She collapsed into his arms and softly choked back her
tears. If she could have she would have held him like this forever.

Clark gently held Lois as he floated back to the bed. The world would have to
get by without Superman for just little while. Right now, this was where he
needed to be.

Lois and Clark made love again as they had the night before, that delicate
dance of two very mismatched but made for each other partners. Afterwards,
Clark lay stroking Lois hair and just soaking in all the wonderfulness of his
wife. Suddenly his super hearing picked up a distress signal. He mentally
zeroed in on what was happening and then using his x-ray vision looked through
the wall of the apartment to Metropolis harbor, miles away.

"Lois, something is happening down at the Metropolis harbor district. I hate
to leave you right now, but this looks really serious."

"What about the police, can't they handle this?" Lois asked sleepily.

"They're on the scene, but they seem to be pulling back." Even as he spoke, he
rose from the bed and quickly dressed, all the while keeping his eyes on the
incident. "Hopefully I'll take care of this in a couple of minutes. I'll see
you later at the office." With that Superman flew at super speed out of the
window so no one could see where he had come from. In a couple of seconds he
was slowly landing at the docks.

Lois sighed and slowly got up. Even her vaunted reporter instincts had
abandoned her just as her husband had otherwise she would have immediately
turned on the TV to see what was happening. Instead she dragged herself to
the closet and pulled on some workout clothes. She figured that if she were up
this early, she may as well put on an aerobic tape and get some exercise.

When she emerged from the bedroom she was wearing black stretch shorts and a
black leotard with a big Superman logo stenciled across her chest. She had
found the leotard in a shop someplace in Metropolis and liked to wear it on
days that she was especially missing her super husband.

As Lois was tying her tennis shoes, she flicked on the TV. It was then that
she first saw the devastation that was happening down at the Metropolis docks.
She sat stunned as she watched the scene on the TV. Superman had confronted
what looked to be like several alien women, the reporter was saying
breathlessly, and they seemed to be giving him all that he could handle. The
station flipped to a picture from a hovering helicopter that showed the path
of destruction the fight had taken. Luckily it had been through mostly
abandoned areas of the docks and miraculously no one had been hurt.

Another camera angel showed a closeup of one of the women. Lois gasped at the
sight. She had seen plenty of wild things in her years hanging around
Superman, even met some of his super friends from time to time, but she had
never seen a woman like this before. Her clothes looked like Wonder Woman's
but her body was incredibly muscled, much more so than any woman she had seen,
almost as large as Superman. Her large breasts seemed like they would spill
out of her top at any moment. Suddenly Superman came flying at her and, with
what looked like practiced ease, she delivered a powerful uppercut that sent
him flying up past the skyscrapers.

Another camera was focused on another woman. She was dressed in a one piece
outfit that extended to her thighs and half way down her arms. Her huge
muscles bulged as she tore an old crane from the dock and lifted it above
her head. The with a shrug of her beefy shoulders, she sent the crane flying
upwards towards the bay. Superman recovered from his last blow in time to
swoop down and catch the crane before it hit a boat in the middle of the bay.
He flew it back to the dock and less than gently returned it to its place.

The Superman swept up behind another woman and grabbed her by the wrists
pulling her up into the air. He seemed momentarily to be unsure of what to do
with her. She did not suffer from such indecision. She kicked her legs over
her head and into Superman's face with such force that he was stunned and fell
to the ground. The other women were waiting below and each grabbed an arm or a
leg. Individually, Superman was more than a match for the women, but together
they were able to hold him down.

Then a fifth woman walked up to the captured superhero. She was easily the
biggest of the group although she was still several inches shorter than
Superman. She tensed her huge muscles as if she were going to finish off
Superman with a killing blow but instead reached up and stroked his crotch.
The TV crew quickly switched to the view from the helicopter and the
commentators cleared their throats trying to decide what words to use to
describe the action.

Lois was stunned to say the least. This wasn't the physical attack she had
assumed it was. These women were trying to attack her husband sexually!
Quickly she tuned into the local FOX TV affiliate. She knew that they never
shied away from sensationalism. Sure enough, they had one camera trained on
Superman's reaction as he struggled to free himself while at the same time his
enlarging penis was clearly outlined under his costume. That's when Lois
noticed that all five women had undeniably beautiful faces to go along
with their massive muscularity. They seemed to be laughing and talking to
themselves as they held they captive.

Lois was furious! What were they saying about her husband? Suddenly she
remembered the utility belt that Hitahrr had left. She bolted into the bedroom
and found it on the night stand where Superman had left it. She was looking
for the universal translator that Hitahrr had spoken of. Frustrated by not
having the proper angle to open the different sections, Lois slipped the belt
around her waist. It immediately resized itself to fit perfectly around her
small waist and allowed her access to the compartments.

Quickly she found what looked to be a small ear piece and tried it out.
Suddenly she could hear every word the women were saying to each other. Just
as suddenly she realized maybe she didn't want to know what they were
saying about her husband! Those super bitches were actually having a lark
getting Superman turned on! And why wasn't he stopping them? Why didn't he
fight back? Was he enjoying this rough treatment? Were they really turning him
on in a way that she was incapable of doing?

At the same time that Lois was struggling with her feelings about the scene in
front of her on the TV, a bright light appeared behind her in the bedroom.
Lois spun around in time to see two rather lumpish looking figures emerge from
the inter-dimensional portal. One was tall and thin and the other short and
round. Images of an alien Laurel and Hardy popped into her head.

The tall one, carrying something like a clipboard, approached. "We're here to
make a pick up." It was still strange to Lois to watch their mouths - or what
seemed to be mouths - move in a way totally unrelated to what she was
hearing. It struck her that it was like a dubbed Japanese movie.

They advanced towards Lois and she realized that they thought she was the one
going. "Wait," she said gesturing to the TV, "I'm not Superman! You want him."

The two beings stared in amazement at the box in front of them. Then the
shorter one whispered something to the one with the clipboard who nodded his
head in agreement.

"He says that guy looks like he's too small to be a champion." He held up what
must be an appendage and peered through one of his four eyes as he sized up
the image of Superman on the TV screen between what seemed to be fingers.
"Yeah ... yeah ... that guy would definitely be too small to be a champion."
He paused as the short one whispered again. Again the tall one nodded in
agreement, "He says maybe we're supposed to pick up you."

Lois was panic-stricken. "No! I'm ... I'm ... I'm not a superhero!"

The shorter guy whispered something else which the taller one seemed to
agree to again. "He says you've got a sign on you like that little guy and
your clothes are really tight. And besides, you're wearing the standard issue
champion's utility belt.

Suddenly Lois began to look for a way to unhook the belt, but was unable to
figure it out. What the hell was going on here? It went on so easily but she
was in such a hurry that she didn't pay attention to how it worked. She began
to plead with the delivery guys, "Look, there's been a mistake ... you weren't
supposed to be here until tomorrow ..." Her frustration with the belt and the
whole situation was mounting, "I am not a freaking superhero!!"

"Listen, whoever you are," the taller one was again checking his clipboard
while the other one pulled a circular device from a box he was holding and
began to step around the still struggling Lois, "we're busy guys and we've got
a schedule to keep. Besides, we've got another ten deliveries to do in about a
half dozen different dimensions and our boss hates it when we get behind.
So why don't you come along nice and easy now, hmmm?"

Lois finally saw the short one creeping up behind her. She tried to spin
around to avoid him but the taller one grabbed her and held her still. In a
last ditch effort to escape she screamed at the top of her lungs, "HELP!!!
SUPERMAAAA ..."

Lois' voice went silent as the short one slipped the circular device on top of
her head. She was frozen with her mouth open and her eyes wide with terror.
The two delivery guys picked her up, one on each arm and escorted her to the
dimensional portal which was still glowing in the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Superman was struggling himself, trying to understand how these
relatively small women were so able to ensnare him. Try as he might, he
couldn't free his arms or legs from their powerful grasp. He even tried to
fly, but it seemed that they were applying pressure with their thumbs in
certain spots on his arms and feet that stopped him from using his flying
power. He had never experienced this before, but they seemed to know exactly
what they were doing. Obviously, they were well schooled in Kryptonian
physiology.

Then there was the problem of his raging hard-on. He was already totally
turned on by these muscular beauties whose strength levels approached his very
own. But when the leader began to finger his cock and play with him, he had
not been able to exercise his famous control of his sexual faculties. Even
though he knew the cameras were trained on him and that perhaps even Lois
might be watching, he couldn't stop the beautiful amazon. He had tried hitting
her with his heat vision, but she just laughed off his attempt and made some
cute remark that the others laughed at as well. Probably something about
getting a great tan because it really had no effect on her whatsoever.

The thought of Lois seemed to coincide with a familiar voice that reached his
super hearing, a voice he had tuned into many years ago. Probably because she
was always getting into some kind of trouble and needed him to rescue her.
Once more her voice reached him, but strangely was cut off in mid scream. Lois
was in trouble! That thought galvanized his resolve.

Suddenly he found the strength to flail his arms and legs free of their
bondage. In one massively powerful move, he threw the women aside and crouched
to the ground. In an instant the women had recovered leapt for him. But he was
faster than they were this time and shot into the air. At least I have the one
advantage that I can fly and they can't, he thought to himself as he scanned
the city with his x-ray vision.

Superman looked into his apartment just in time to see what looked to be a
comatose Lois being led by a couple of alien looking beings into a
transdimensional doorway like the one that Hitahrr had used. He flew as fast
as he could to the apartment without breaking too many windows. If anyone
sees me, he thought as he zipped in and out of the buildings, my secret
identity may be compromised. On the other hand, these things were leading his
wife to what would surely be her death!

He crashed through the window and came to a fast halt just as the doorway
glimmered and closed behind the three. "No!!" he shouted, not caring who heard
him now, "I can't be too late!" He used every super powerful sense he had to
look for any trace of the doorway or anything else he could use to get Lois
back. All he saw was a faint heat trail that ended where the doorway was. He
did notice that there was four different heat images with one hovering above
the ground approximately at the height of Lois' head.

Just then his attention was diverted to the TV, still showing the coverage
of the scene down at the wharf. Superman heard the announcer talking about how
he had suddenly given up the fight and flown off at super speed. But now the
destructive alien women seemed to be leaving. Superman watched as they
strutted toward what looked to be a doorway made of light. The women would
pause to smile at the cameras and wave at the people. One raised her arms, not
in a sign of victory, but in a double-biceps pose. The crowds were hushed by
her display of muscularity, then a whoop went up and people were actually
clapping for her. The four others joined her in showing off their huge, hard
muscles. Then they blew kisses to the appreciative crowd and walked through
the doorway.

The doorway! It finally sunk in to Superman's spinning head. It was
exactly like the one that he had seen in his apartment! In a blur, Superman
was jetting back to the docks. Again, he was too late to catch them as the
doorway vanished like before. Confounded, Superman tried to find any clues as
to how the doorway worked, but as before, nothing was left behind. I was set
up, he realized to his horror, these women were a distraction while Lois was
being kidnapped ... or worse.

Much worse, as it was turning out for Lois. She had been kidnapped before.
Kidnapped, tied up, gagged, punched around, even got really close to dying a
few times. But she had never experienced anything like this before. Her whole
body was stiff as a board. She had no control. Even her sight had gone. She
was totally enveloped in darkness. And she was scared. All she could think
of was something along the lines of, "Ohshit ohshit ohshit ohgod ohgod ohshit
..."

[Ohshit? What does that mean? Where does that come from?]

Now Lois was sure that she was going crazy or had already gone there. She
thought for sure that she had heard some voice in her head as those silly
questions.

[I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound silly. I'm just not used to your idioms]

There it was again. But this time it was answering her, like it was reading
her thoughts.

[Of course I am. Just as you are 'reading' my thoughts. Don't you know who I
am? It's Hitahrr. We became joined once the circle of transference was placed
on your head.]

Finally Lois answered back with her thoughts. [But ... I'm not Superman!!
I'm Lois!! Those idiots you sent got the wrong Earthling!!]

[Lois? Mrs. Kent?]

[Yes!! Why do you think I'm panicking. I'm not your champion! We need to go
back and get the right guy otherwise ... well, we don't stand a snowball's
chance in hell!]

[Snowball? Hell?] Suddenly vivid images jumped into Lois mind. Memories of
snow so real that she was nearly overcome with the sensations; the touch, the
smell, the taste, the sight of snow. Then just as quickly, like a computer
doing a word search in her brain, images of hell and people teaching her as
child about hell and her father swearing and her using the word so commonly as
an a adult. Hitahrr was rummaging around inside her mind to understand her
words.

[What?? Get out of my mind you ... peeping Tom ...] Before the question could
be raised, Lois jumped in again. [It's someone who is looking where they
shouldn't be looking!]

[I'm sorry Lois. It's just my natural curiosity plus my desire to be able to
communicate with you effectively. As for turning back, I'm afraid I have some
bad news for you. Once we were joined and you went through the portal, there
is no turning back. We should be reaching the battle planet right about ...]

Before he could finish his thought, Lois' body and its two confused occupants
did indeed arrive on the planet that had been chosen for the battle. The two
delivery men removed the circle from Lois' head and she immediately collapsed
on the ground.

It took her awhile to gain regain her senses, but she finally got her eyes
adjusted to the light. Lois' head was still spinning and she fought back the
urge to throw up. All she had had time for was a quick cup of coffee back in
her Sapartment. Back on Earth. Back in her former life that she probably
would never have again.

Now Lois was fighting back tears as well as a topsy-turvy stomach. It was then
that she lifted her head to look around. A quiet sob suddenly stuck in her
throat as she was greeted by the most massive creature she had ever seen.

Lois was kneeling at the feet of Gorthran the Destroyer! He was practically
seething with a macho kind of intimidation. The hairs on the back of Lois'
neck stood straight out. She had dealt with this kind of male domination
before, but this guy was really something else. Lois was sure that even with
all her wits and guile, she would still need the strength of Superman to
defeat this monster.

[Unfortunately, my dear, we'll need more than Superman's strength today.]

Damn! Lois reprimanded herself, Hitahrr was still inside her. [If you've
got a plan, buddy, now would be a good time to pull something off!!]

Through squinting eyes, Lois could barely make out a huge clawed hand reaching
for her. Suddenly her body sprang to its feet, seemingly of its own volition.

"Wait!" Lois saw her hand upraised to the monster and then looked to what
seemed to be a judges stand. "The contest hasn't begun, Gorthran, you pile of
Vaspood puss!"

The huge beast lifted its maned head and roared an almost ear-splitting laugh.

"You try to intimidate me, Hitahrr? What sort of strange creature have you
joined with today?" Gorthran reached toward Lois, "You look so soft. Maybe you
could make a nice afternoon snack!"

It was Lois who reacted to his approach. She ducked under the big hand and
rolled to the other side of the monster coming up with a quick kick to the
back of his knee. The move and the viciousness of the kick surprised even
Hitahrr. And Gorthran even bent his knee slightly although the puny kick did
no harm to his invulnerable skin.

"The contest has begun," a figure on the judges stand intoned. "You both know
the rules. May the best fighter prevail." Then the judges stand flickered and
disappeared leaving the two combatants alone in the middle of a great field
covered with what looked like purple grass and wildly colorful flowers
interrupted only by several large outcroppings of rock.

Lois stood in a classic karate ready position as Gorthran turned toward her.
[Oh shit! Hitahrr, what are we going to do?!?]

Gorthran dropped his jaw further than it seemed it was supposed to go and
looked like he was sucking air, the same way a middle school boy sucks air
into his stomach to work up a really juicy belch.

[Lois, Gorthran wants to end this quickly. He's getting ready to hit us with a
plasma plume. I don't know how fast you are, but we better put some distance
between us.]

Lois seemed frozen in fear, not sure which way to go.

[NOW!!!]

Hitahrr's command surprised Lois into action and she bolted away from the
monster. Gorthran unleashed a blast of plasma energy that started as a low
rumble in his belly and ended up like a butane torch exploding out 50 feet
from his mouth. Everything in its path was incinerated. The resulting heat
wave caused a loud sonic boom and threw Lois to the ground even though she
was already a hundred feet away.

[Holy shit! What was that?] Lois jumped quickly back to her feet.

[That's the plasma plume.] Gorthran unfolded his dark wings and stretched
them. [We won't be able to outrun him once he's in the air.]

[Great! do we have any weapons at all?]

[No. We're not allowed to bring any weapons.]

[What? Why didn't you say so?]

[Lois relax.] Lois reached her hand into the utility belt still strapped
around her waist. This was so weird to see her hand move but not be doing it.
She retrieved a strange looking device that was coiled up. With an flick of
the wrist, the device uncoiled to form two round pads connected by a thin
wire. She threw the pads down toward the ground and then stepped on them.
Immediately a holographic display appeared in front of her along with two
holographic joysticks.

[Do you know how to ski?]

[Yeah] Lois replied, beginning to understand what was going on [I've done it
lots back on Earth.]

[Good. I hear this is a lot like your skiing]

The flying pads ascended quickly and silently. Lois struggled for balance on
the alien craft, then finally got the hang of it. [What do you mean, you
'hear' it's like skiing? Haven't you ever flown one of these before?]

[Not really. But I have read the manual if that makes you feel any better.]

[Not really.]

Lois circled around the slowly rising Gorthran. It was obvious that her craft
was faster and more agile than the monster. [Are we just going to play dodge
the plasma blasts with him? Or do you have something more productive in mind?]

Hitahrr caused the flying discs to swoop close to the ground and snatched
a small rock. On the next circle around Gorthran, Lois flung the rock at the
winged beast. It bounced harmlessly off his tough hide.

[You know, I've always thought it was incredibly stupid of the bad guys when
they're shooting their guns at Superman that they throw their guns at him
after they fail to harm him with the bullets. Like the guns are supposed to be
worse than the bullets! But now I've seen everything. Did you really think
that that rock would do anything to Gorthran? He probably didn't even notice
it.]

[On the contrary, Lois, that was a most important rock.] The discs glided
swiftly and gracefully away from the battlefield and seemed to be picking up
speed very quickly, out pacing Gorthran's lumbering attempt to follow. [Your
kick was a bold first move, and that was what started the battle. Gorthran's
plasma blast, although it really didn't do any serious harm to us, was his
first move. By hitting him last, he will feel the need to catch up to us
and respond.]

[Great! Here we are on a far off planet, playing tag for the future of ten
billion lives. Can't we just keep ahead of him? Obviously, we're a lot faster
than he is.]

[For a while, yes. But the energy in the discs is fairly limited. It will only
last for approximately eight hours. However, we should have a sufficient head
start by then. Make no mistake, Gorthran will find us. He is the most skillful
hunter in the multiverse. Once he gets the scent, they say he can track the
movements of a wild throary worjin thradbeater through the densest jungle.]

[A worjiwhatsit?]

Again, Lois felt Hitahrr searching through her memories. [It's like a housefly
... only smaller.]

Gorthran was indeed trying his hardest to follow the quickly disappearing
woman. He had felt nothing but shame in their brief encounter and he knew that
Methiort would not leave him alone to do what he did best.

{You big lummox! Why didn't you crush that puny female when you had the
chance! You could be on your way to spending the immense fortune we're paying
you and I could be getting on with my planet conquering!}

{Ease up you insipid little man! She took me by surprise with her speed and
agility. Obviously she is a skilled fighter, but I let her diminutive size
lure into thinking she would be easy prey. Next time we meet - and I will find
her - she will not walk away alive. No being in the multiverse can face me in
combat and prevail!}

{Yes, so I've heard. I just hope I won't regret our alliance. Can you fly any
faster?}

Lois rode along in silence for a while (Okay so the whole thing has basically
been in silence since they're just thinking back and forth to each other, or
didn't you catch that yet? See we didn't know how to represent thoughts so we
just figured that we would put them into the [square parentheses] thingys and
{set parentheses} thingys that we have on our keyboard. We hope they look
the same on your computer. If not, well, just pretend. - The Power Company)
skimming over the alien landscape at an incredible speed. It seemed to Lois
that they were flying faster than most commercial airliners and almost as fast
as a fighter jet. Yet she felt no unusual wind resistance. Going this speed on
Earth would have knocked her off these flying discs long ago. Lois made a
quick check behind herself and saw no signs of the pursuer.

[Okay, Hitahrr, so now what's the plan? You better have something really great
up your ... umm ... well you better have something really great 'in mind' if
Gorthran is as good as you say he is.]

[I know from personal experience that he is indeed. But I do have a 'super'
plan 'in mind', as you say. Back in your apartment you said that you would
gladly go in place of your husband. I was hoping that you would say something
like that. You see, from the very beginning, my plan was to lure you to the
battle, not your husband.]

Lois reflexively raised an eyebrow and was about to formulate a question, but
she was so stunned by Hitahrr's comment that she couldn't think of any.

[When I lost the rock flip I knew that I would need someone very special to
fight on my side. I needed a Kryptonian. But alas, your husband was the last
of that glorious race. And I mean no disrespect, but as Kryptonians go, Kal-El
is, well how can I put this gently ... he is rather ... average. To tell the
truth, he's actually somewhat below average for a Kryptonian male. If there
were other Kryptonian men around, he would probably be considered to be a ..."
Hitahrr searched around for an image that Lois would understand. "...a 98
pound weakling! However, our records show that Kryptonian males were by and
large much weaker than their females. So you see, I reasoned that if I could
locate a Kryptonian woman, then I had an excellent chance of being
victorious.]

[He's below average? My Superman?]

[I'm afraid so. Not that it has held him back from being a great hero on your
planet. It's just that on Krypton he would have been kind of a science geek
like his father was.]

[ You knew his father?]

[My people have kept very detailed and precise files on many races in the
multiverse. I'll show you our library when ...]

[Hold it. Hold it! This is all well and good, but as you know, I'm NOT a
Kryptonian! You picked the wrong gal, genius!]

[Yes, I know. However, you are an Earthling. You may not be aware of the fact
that your DNA is remarkably similar to Kryptonian DNA. With slight
modifications, you could become as Kryptonian as your husband.]

[What? You mean ...]

[What's more, our scientists feel that just the amount of exposure that you
have had to Kal-El's bodily fluids, saliva and the like, is slowly having an
effect on your DNA, transforming it, making it more Kryptonian all the
time. They estimate that at the present rate, you will be a fully functioning
Kryptonian woman by the time you are 78.]

[78!?! Great I'll be a super-senior citizen! Faster than a speeding
wheelchair. More powerful than a liquid laxative. Able to bend a bed pan in my
bare hands. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a long way away from 78,
buster!]

[We are not without our options.]

[So what are you suggesting?]

[Because your DNA is already being affected by Kal-El's, it would be a fairly
simple procedure to speed up the process, to help it along. We would be able
to change your DNA into Kryptonian DNA in a matter of hours.]

[So as I see it, there's only two ways off this rock and headed for good old
Mother Earth. I can go out in a million little pieces in a body bag after
Big and Ugly gets done with me, or I can have my DNA messed with and hopefully
get turned into some kind of alien life form that might have enough power to
kick BU's butt.]

They had been flying low along a long row of mountains up a huge valley.
Suddenly they turned to the right and shot over the mountain range through a
pass between two unbelievably high mountains. Even though they had made an
almost immediate ninety degree turn, Lois felt not appreciable tug of gravity.

[Hell. I don't have a whole lot of choice, do I? Am I still going to be able
to recognize myself after we're done? I mean, I know what a Kryptonian male
looks like. But what about the females?]

[Don't worry, Lois. We'll look 'mahvelous'.]

Descending the other side of the mountains, they flew over a large lake,
ant least as large as Lake Michigan. From the height of the pass Lois could
barely see the other shore of the lake. Hitahrr was now in control and he took
the discs down to the shore and then splashed into the water. Lois panicked
until she realized that there was a bubble surrounding her body.

[The old fox trick, eh? Use the water to make the hunter lose the scent?]

[It won't make him lose our scent entirely, but it will probably slow him down
a bit. He will have to check the entire coastline to see where we emerge and
that could buy us valuable time.]

Lois' progress was slowed in the water, but still they kept up a quick pace.
As they silently sped through he depths of the lake, Lois was amazed at the
size and variety of the fish on this planet. Some were as small as gold fish
while others were twice as large as a sperm whale. When a school of fish each
the size of a bus came towards them, Lois quickly dove and maneuvered
around them. Any one of them could have sucked her up in its huge mouth.

Finally the number of fish grew less and less. A loud roaring sound filled
Lois' ears. She could even feel it in her body. And suddenly it seemed that
they were caught in a current. The current grew stronger until Lois was sure
that they were being sucked down some cosmically large drain.

[Don't fight the flow, Lois. We'll be out of it in just a little while.]

Lois used all of her skiing skill to keep the flyer steady as it felt like she
was about to ski right off the edge of a cliff. Suddenly they burst through a
wall of water and were out in the sunlight again. Lois looked down and
realized they had just flown out of a waterfall. Not just any waterfall! She
was staring down at a thousand foot drop! Looking up she saw the waterfall was
easily two miles long, curving around into a horseshoe shape. It reminded
her of Niagara Falls except maybe from the perspective of an ant.

Hitahrr was once again in control and slowly lowered the flyer down the face
of the waterfall a hundred feet. He approached the roaring water and then
slipped back into the waterfall constantly compensating for the incredible
force of the water. Once on the other side of the cascading waters, Lois could
see that they were heading toward a fissure in the moss covered rocks.

The gap that they went through was just barely wide enough for the flyer to
pass through. Lois had to stand straight up and down and still just barely
made it through some of the smaller passages. They crept down one passage way
after another, twisting right and left in the near total darkness. Finally
Lois could see a light ahead.

[Obviously you know your way around here, Hitahrr. Where are we?]

[This was an old observation post that the Federation established centuries
ago. As you can tell, we try to keep our presence a secret on planets that
are not officially friendly. I checked in on this station a while ago and
found out that it still had a fully functional med center.]

[So what's the plan? Do you have some sort of rapid aging machine here that
will make me old?]

[That would be of no use to us. Remember, it is only through the constant
contact you have with Superman that is causing the change in your body.
Without that, you would just be like any other older earth woman.]

Lois dismounted from the flying discs and stood at the entrance of a dimly lit
room. Hitahrr punched in a code on a flat panel display and the whole room lit
up like Christmas. Again, Lois could 'feel' Hitahrr rummaging around in her
mind for images of Christmas.

[Stop already! I'll try not to use words you aren't familiar with anymore,
okay? Just stay out of my brain!]

[Sorry. Just naturally curious.]

Lois walked over to a bank of displays and monitors. A few more touches
and a cylindrical device on one side of the room came to life. Suddenly there
was a young woman standing in the tube. She looked vaguely familiar to Lois.
Even though she was wearing a lab coat, Lois could see that she had very broad
shoulders and a tiny waist. Her body was covered in a white outfit that
covered her from her neck to her toes and was so tight that it was obvious
that she was extremely well muscled. She stepped out of the tube and bowed
down to Lois.

"Welcome President. I trust your journey has been safe and uneventful," the
woman said as she pulled a device out of her coat pocket and began scanning
Lois' body.

Hitahrr could feel Lois about to respond with a number of questions that would
ultimately slow the entire process down. [Lois, please allow me to control the
body for a little while. We are short of time and it would be most
efficient if I didn't have to explain everything as we go.]

[Alright, Hitahrr. I've trusted you so far. Don't screw it up. By the way, who
is the nurse?]

[That is my holographic assistant. She has been programmed with all the
medical knowledge at the federation's disposal. The rules of the challenge
preclude bringing any other people with you onto the battle world. However,
holographs are not yet registered as people. That was another part of my
inspection a while ago - to make sure that she was operational. I must admit
that I did play around with her display a bit. I wanted to feel like I was
back home, so I gave her a physique similar to my wife's.]

[Wait a minute! It just hit me! She looks just like one of those women
that were down at the docks fighting with Superman!]

[Ah yes. That would have been my wife. I needed a distraction so that Kal-El
wouldn't have been able to come to the challenge and yet he wouldn't have his
ego bruised by me asking for his wife instead of him. He probably wouldn't
have allowed me to take you, so I had to keep him occupied at just the right
time. And that's where my dear wife came in. Actually, my dear wives. I'm
married to all five of them. It's one of the perks of being President.]

A force field enveloped Lois' body and slowly lowered her to a horizontal
position. The body was floating several feet off the floor supported only by
the strange field. Somehow the field allowed the lab assistant to reach in and
touch various parts of her body while still holding her in stasis.

Lois tried to formulate a thought, to protest Hitahrr's deception, to
delay the process that the holographic doctor was beginning. But something
about the force field seemed to be suppressing her consciousness. Then again,
maybe she was just too tired from one of the weirdest days she had had in
quite a while. As Lois' consciousness drifted off in what could best be
described as a dream state, she fluttered her eyes open long enough to see the
doctor carefully removing the clothes that she had but on that morning. Back
in her apartment. That she shared with the man she loved. Superman....

Meanwhile back in that apartment, back in Metropolis, Superman was frantically
searching for any clues he could possibly find to lead him to where his wife
was. Suddenly he bolted for the window and flew as fast as he possibly could
without causing major damage to the surrounding buildings. He landed
seconds later at STAR Labs and used a secret back door to enter the office of
his friend, Prof. Emil Hamilton.

"Professor!" Superman, nearly shouted, "I need your help right away!"

Prof. Hamilton looked up from a workbench where he was working on some
incredibly tiny project. The magnifying lenses he wore made his eyes seem to
bulge outward reminding Superman of a giant bug with a beard. "What is the
problem Superman? Are those alien super women back?"

"No." Superman replied curtly. Then he paused, "Did you see that fight on TV?"

"Well yes," the professor said, removing his glasses and wiping them on his
white lab coat, "I even taped it to watch ... I mean ... to analyze ... later.
Those women looked to be nearly as strong as you are, Superman. Any ideas
where they came from?"

"I was hoping that you could help me find out. You see, Lois Lane, you know,
the reporter for the Daily Planet? It seems that Lois has been kidnapped
and possibly taken to another dimension. The portal that the super women
stepped through looks to be identical to the one that Lois was taken through."

"Did you actually see Ms. Lane being abducted? Where was she?"

Superman looked quickly around the lab. He scanned every inch of the floors,
ceilings, and walls with his microscopic vision and then again with his x-ray
vision. Satisfied that there were no listening devices hidden, he lowered his
voice and said, "Doctor, what I'm about to tell you must never leave this
room. I trust you more than almost anyone I know, and I hope that I can trust
you with this as well. My secret identity is ... Clark Kent."

Superman held his breath and waited for the importance of his disclosure to
sink in. Dr. Hamilton merely cocked his head slightly and raised an
eyebrow.

Superman continued, "I'm Clark Kent ... and Lois is ..." He gestured like he
was hoping that he didn't have to explain everything, "Well, Lois is my ...
wife."

"And?"

Superman was taken aback, "And?!?"

"And where was she abducted from?" the scientist asked again.

"Professor, I just revealed to you my secret identity!" Superman was stunned.
"Doesn't that shock you at all that I'm Clark Kent?"

"I'm sorry Superman, but I figured that out some time ago."

"You've known for a while that I'm Clark?" Superman was nearly beside himself.

"Well, yes. I hope that it doesn't bother you too much. I swear I never told
anyone else, if that makes it any better."

"You just figured it out! First Hitahrr and now you! I wonder how many other
people have 'just figured it out?' I wonder if I even need to bother with
a secret identity any more. I may as well show up to work at the Daily Planet
dressed in my super suit. I could save a lot of time looking for empty janitor
closets!" Superman practically deflated into a nearby chair, shaking his head,
"This has got to be one of the weirdest days of my life!"

Suddenly Superman remembered why he had come to the lab in the first place and
all thought of himself and his own problems disappeared. He stood bolt
upright, "Oh my god, they have Lois! They took her from our apartment just a
few minutes ago!"

"Yes, yes, Superman," the old scientist comforted him as he gathered a few
devices, "then we must hurry to your apartment while some clues to this
mystery may still be there."

In a flash, the two men were rocketing skyward toward the empty apartment of
Lois and Clark.

(to be continued...)

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