By Betty Huang <quiettornado7491@gmail.com>
Rated: PG
Submitted: January 2007
Summary: In an alternate world, Superman is not a super hero but a super foe. Rather than Martha and Jonathan Kent finding this alternate world's Clark, it was the notorious Alfred Delamonio, a robber, murderer, and drug dealer. What could be the fate of this dimension's version of Clark?
Note: I also wanted to write a note to thank Classicalla for helping me to correct this story in which I could not see the numerous mistakes. Thank you, Nancy.
***
~April 2035~
It was a spring evening; the flowers were beginning to bloom. The trees were budding, and some of the birds had already migrated back to Metropolis. As darkness began to descend on Metropolis, the temperatures started to drop quickly.
Jimmy was now in his late fifties but still retained his teen-age look. Many were astounded at how Jimmy never seemed to look like he was aging. Jimmy knew why he looked so young but wasn't telling anyone.
As Jimmy was in the park waiting for his wife, Beth, he began thinking back to the days when he found out why he was aging slower than most humans. A smile spread across Jimmy's face when he remembered the blood test that Dr. Klein had done. It had confirmed that he was indeed aging slower than most people his age. He didn't know whether to be happy or mad at the Kryptonian that had done an experiment on one of his ancestors. And he had inherited that gene. Maybe now he would age at the same rate as a Kryptonian.
Jimmy was now getting cold waiting for Beth to show up. He had been waiting for her for an hour. She had abruptly left in the middle of their walk in the park to assist in an emergency.
Jimmy pondered for a few minutes about the first moment that he had met her at a coffee shop. It had been evident that Beth was a Kryptonian and was seeking Kal-El's help.
Beth returned to find Jimmy shivering in the cold night air, and she was worried because he was cold. "Need some warming up?" Beth proceeded to use her heat vision to warm Jimmy up. Then, she spun out of her Burning Star outfit. Jimmy and Beth resumed their romantic interlude which included loving embraces and long, slow kisses.
***
Three nights later, Jimmy was over at his grandparents' place and had invited Lois and Clark to come along. Mrs. Olsen took Jimmy to the garage with Lois. Jimmy's grandma was getting rid of some old stuff when Lois saw what looked like a huge sled under a cover. Lois was curious to know what was under it so she lifted the cover up. She immediately became shocked. She would recognize the sled anywhere. It had belonged to H.G. Wells. "Mrs. Olsen, where did you get this sled?"
"It used to be my uncle's. My name before I married George was Janice Wells. If you want it you can have it. My uncle used to claim that it works. It was his time machine."
"Did your uncle H.G. Wells tell you about any of his stories?"
"If he did, I wasn't really listening, but he did have a diary of his travels. It's here somewhere." Mrs. Olsen searched for the diary and once she found it, she gave it to Lois. "You can have it."
"Are you sure? H.G. Wells was a famous author, and this might be worth a lot."
"Yes, I'm sure."
Jimmy was always the gadget kind of guy and was interested in machines. He thought to himself, 'Maybe I can get it working again.' "Grandma. Do you mind if I take it home with me?"
"No, not at all. I'll ask George for you if you can use his truck to move the huge thing to Metropolis."
Lois, however, was planning to read H.G. Wells' diary when she got home.
***
The next day, Jimmy went to his job at the Daily Planet as the lead reporter. He'd been the lead reporter for quite a long time now since Clark and Lois had retired from the newspaper business and opened their own little literature shop. He may have been at work, but all he could think about was the time machine.
***
That evening, at Jimmy and Beth's new townhouse, he pushed the time machine into the garage. It was going to be his little pet project to get the machine working again. Jimmy then entered the house through the garage.
Jacqueline soon greeted Jimmy. She was his six-year old step-daughter and was three-fourth Kryptonian. "Hello, daddy. Had a nice day at school today."
That night after Jacqueline had gone to bed, Jimmy sat on the living room couch with Beth. Jimmy could see that Beth was thinking really hard about something. "What is it Beth? You look a bit depressed."
"I was just thinking about how I am going to tell Jacqueline who her real dad is. I wish I had never agreed with Dr. Klein to do that test. I just can't get myself to tell Jacqueline that her real dad is Clark's son, Joey."
"What test?"
"He wanted to see if he could create a Kryptonian that is immune to kryptonite."
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did. When Jacqueline was two, they exposed her to both red and green kryptonite. If it weren't for the money that Dr. Klein offered to pay for my schooling, I wouldn't have done it. Now I have to explain to Jacqueline that the only reason I conceived her is not because I wanted a child but because I want to be immune to kryptonite."
"Wasn't it all worth it? Now neither you nor Clark have to worry about kryptonite killing you."
"True. But I wish there had been some other way. And I wish I didn't have to tell Jacqueline who her real father is."
***
~April 28, 2035~
Weeks later, Jimmy spent a week's worth of labor hours on the old machine. Jimmy got it to work within two-and-a-half weeks. While Beth was still at her job as a nurse's assistant, Jimmy was tinkering with the time machine and accidentally turned on the parallel universe switch. Jimmy time traveled 35 years into the past of another parallel universe. When the machine had stopped, Jimmy saw Clark running away from the cops. He crouched against a wall facing away from the sound of the siren. He looked at Jimmy in shock.
"Where did you come from?" the alternate Clark said with a surprised look on his face.
"A parallel universe. I think I might have switched something on by accident."
This alternate Clark did not care where Jimmy came from; all he wanted was to get out of there. The alternate Clark took out his gun and then hopped into the machine. "Now get moving!" He didn't want to be thrown into the kryptonite prison cell built just for him. He thought, 'What a time to lose my ability to fly. But at least I won't be caught by the cops again.'
As the time machine came to life again to return them to the other Metropolis, Jimmy saw a cop coming around the corner. He saw that the man looked like him. Jimmy Olsen watched the alternate Jimmy Olsen's expression turn to shock as he saw the two of them leave his world. During the return trip, Jimmy realized that in his rush to comply with Ted's demand that he had set the year for 2000, rather than 2035.
Jimmy did not hesitate to leave as the alternate Clark stepped out of the machine and walked a few feet ahead to see what things were like in this new world. Jimmy quickly hit the switch to head for another time where technology would be further advanced than in his own time. He time traveled into the future to see if he could get a scientist's help. It turned out that the scientist he got help from was Lois and Clark's descendant, the Kent scientist that had married Dr. Klein's grandson. All the scientist managed to do was help Jimmy turn the big machine into one that fits on your wrist. Jimmy then destroyed the old time machine and put the new one on his wrist. He set the date for February 28, 2000 and the place for the alternate Metropolis. While he was in the alternate world gathering some information about that world's version of Clark and his life, he found out that he went by the name of Ted Thomas. Jimmy listened to the news and found out that the alternate Clark, Ted, had terrorized the citizens f Metropolis in his universe.
***
~February 28, 2000, 1 PM~
Jimmy knew that he had dropped Ted off in his own universe rather then Ted's but not in the exact time period from which he had first tinkered with the time machine. Ted was about thirty years into the past. Jimmy headed for the Daily Planet and snuck into the conference room without bumping into his younger self. He thought back and remembered that his younger self would be out of the office.
Jimmy looked into the newsroom and realized that Clark and Lois had come back from lunch. Jimmy saw Mary, a fellow office gofer, hand Clark the note that he had given to her to give to Clark. He knew his younger self was out to lunch on his first date with Beth and would be back shortly. He saw Clark coming to the conference room.
"Jimmy. What did you want to see me for?"
"I'm here, C.K."
"What is this all about, and why are you hiding behind that screen?"
"I need to talk to you about the recent robbery. You know how some people have speculated that Superman was behind the robbery? Well, I know you didn't do it C.K. — even if some of the eyewitnesses told the cops that you did." Clark looked through the glass window of the conference door just as the younger Jimmy Olsen exited the elevator. Perry called him, and Jimmy headed to his office.
"I know. It's just some guy who looks like me. You told me that already in the note. Who is it?" Clark sat on the desk looking at Jimmy behind the screen. Jimmy didn't want to bump into his younger self and didn't want to find out if the same mass can occupy the same space without something terrible happening.
"Actually, C.K., it is you." He looked up and noticed the younger Jimmy talking to Mary. He asked her where Clark was. Mary told Jimmy that Clark was in the conference room talking to him.
The younger Jimmy thought that was a rather weird answer. 'How can Clark be in the conference room talking to me when I'm out here?'
The older Jimmy stood on one side of the screen, and the younger Jimmy was outside the conference room door. This caused Clark to look back and forth between the two of them. The older Jimmy had hardly changed at all. Clark was confused. Except for a few minor wrinkles, they looked alike.
"C.K., are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," said the younger Jimmy who had just entered the room.
"Yes, I'm fine. What did you want?" Clark couldn't believe that these two men were identical twins. He thought to himself, 'Who is this other guy?'
"Perry wants to see you as soon as you can. He wants to talk to you about the recent robberies." Jimmy turned and left the room.
"Tell him I'll be there in a minute."
After the other Jimmy had left and closed the door behind him, Clark said, "Okay, who are you?"
"I am Jimmy, C.K. The Jimmy from the future."
Clark frowned. "Not another time traveler." He wondered why, if this was a future version of Jimmy Olsen, he had hardly aged. Clark made a note to ask that question when the time was appropriate. "So what do you know about these robberies, Jimmy?"
"Well, I was tinkering with the time machine that belonged to my uncle, H.G. Wells, and I landed in an alternate world. The Clark of that world came up to me with a gun and made me turn on the machine. That's how he got here, C.K."
"Why is he robbing people?"
"Well, I went back and found out that this alternate Clark's parents were the notorious Alfred Delamonio and Debbie Delamonio — the modern day Bonnie and Clyde. They're dead now.
"Yes, I know who they are. I did an article on them."
"Anyhow, the Clark — or rather, Ted Thomas — from that universe took after his father and started stealing at a young age. He committed his first robbery at the age of 14. Soon after that he dropped out of high school. I tell you C.K., his police file was a mile long."
"If he is the alternate me, he should have the same weakness as me."
"The Serum7 drug made him resistant to kryptonite. He also has made another chemical that allows him to look like whomever he wants to look like. I don't know what to do, C.K. I made a mistake with the time machine and look what I've caused."
"It's okay, Jimmy. We'll figure out something."
***
Meanwhile, at a nearby bank robbery, two cops were observing the crime scene while another officer was talking to a teller.
"This is weird; it's like he has super hearing. As soon as I pulled the switch, he stuck his hand through the marble, took hold of the wire and cut off the alarm with his laser vision." The cops started thinking that there was only one man they knew that had heat vision, and that was Superman, but from the lady's description, the man did not look anything like Superman. Was it another Kryptonian settling on earth the way Burning Star had?
***
~Three days later, March 2, 2000, 3PM~
Five robbery victims testified that the man was unusually strong. The fifth bank that was robbed had a teller who had used a portable electrical taser to strike the robber. She told the cops that after the shock, the thief's face had changed to that of Superman. In reality, it was Ted's alter ego, Dark Night. So the police investigator went to the Kent's literature shop to ask Clark Kent if he could tell Superman that he wanted to speak to him. Everyone knew that Superman had been busy at a recent fire, but the police officer still needed to talk to him and ask him about the man that looked like him but was dressed in normal clothing.
Lois and Clark decided to do their own investigation. They went to the bank to observe the marble wall that Ted had thrust his hand through. They also wanted to talk to the witnesses.
***
That evening Clark Kent was patrolling the city to try and catch up with this Ted person. He caught Ted at yet another bank. Ted, now able to fly again, walked out of the bank and flew off into the sky, followed by Superman. Ted left after Superman tried to talk to him, as all he wanted to do was fight or try to get Superman to leave him alone.
After observing the fight, Jimmy knew there was only one person who knew how to catch Ted, and that was the alternate world's Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy walked to an alley to turn on his time machine so no one else could get caught in the time rift. He tapped a few numbers and then hit the appropriate button.
***
~March 3, 2000~
In the alternate world, Jimmy appeared in the alleyway just in time to see Ted leave with his gun pointing at an earlier version of himself's head.
Jimmy walked up to the alternate version of himself and said, "Hi, there. I bet you were wondering what happened back there."
"My name's Olsen, soon to be NIA Agent Olsen. Yes, I would, before I start to think that I've gone crazy. Oh, and explain why you look so much like me."
"Well, that is because I*am* you — the you from another universe."
"Alternate universe. You mean like the show Sliders with the scientist Quinn?"
"Yup. What you saw back there was Clark taking me hostage so I would take him to my universe. I'm afraid he's causing a lot of trouble in my world."
"Clark? You mean that man with the gun aimed at you a few minutes back?"
"Yes."
"His name is Ted Thomas."
"Yes. I knew that when I came back here the last time." He scolded himself for becoming so forgetful.
"Anyhow, I've been tracking him down because he caused my boss to suspend me, pending an investigation of some false crime that I didn't commit. But luckily, my dad's ex-boss got me a job with his old agency."
"Sorry to hear about your suspension."
"That's okay. I start working at the NIA in three weeks. This was only a temporary job to tide me over until then."
"I was wondering if you would come with me and help me capture Ted Thomas."
"Sure, but I need a few things first." He paused for a few seconds to contemplate if this other world's version of him was any good at computers like he was. "Are you any good with computers?"
"Computers! I'm a natural with them. There's not one machine I can't learn or figure out how to operate."
"Good. You'll need to learn fast in case I need your help."
***
The following day in the alternate world, the alternate Jimmy was teaching the other Jimmy how each gadget worked in case they needed them. By noon, they were packing up everything in their backpacks and were set to go. The alternate Jimmy was particularly curious as to the life of his alternate self. "So how are your parents?"
Jimmy answered, "Well, great. Mom was thrilled when Dad finally explained to her why he'd been absent all those years and when he told her he wouldn't be gone for long periods now. Fortunately, instead of being gone ten years at a time, he comes home every three months plus holidays." Before he turned on his time machine, he asked, "So, how's your dad?"
"Oh, the last I saw him was at my college graduation. I'm 54."
"Wow! That's a long time to be away." As they talked, Jimmy switched on the time device and took them back to the Metropolis where Ted currently was.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Both Jimmys arrived in Metropolis on March 4, 2000 at 7 PM. The alternate Jimmy changed the subject after seeing that his alternate self was getting depressed at the thought of an absent father. "You sure don't look older than 20."
"I know. That's what everyone tells me." The alternate Jimmy followed the other Jimmy to Clark's and Lois' home.
Jimmy and Lois talked while Clark was out doing a rescue that Ted had caused. Within seconds, Superman came flying in.
"I lost him, Lois." Just then Clark, still dressed in his Superman suit, saw two Jimmys on the couch. "Hi."
"Hello. I'm Jimmy Olsen, the one from Ted's world." He stood up to greet Clark before sitting back down.
"I'm Sup… " Clark started to say.
Jimmy interrupted, "I told him already, C.K."
"Oh." Clark spun out of his suit and into his regular clothing. "Tell me about Ted"
"The other man who looks like you, C.K.," said Jimmy.
"Yes. He'll be back to his normal self soon. The drug he used to help him change his face lasts only for a short time," the alternate Jimmy informed them.
"So, how are we going to catch this alternate world's version of me?"
"Well, for one thing, he hangs out at bars a lot. Oh, do you have any female blonde cops? Ted likes blondes, especially if they're as good looking as your wife."
"Lois. I know what you're thinking. No, you can't do it. It's too dangerous."
"Why? I look pretty good in a blond wig. So, how do you propose getting him to your dimension after I subdue him?"
"With this." The alternate Jimmy took out a small device that was no bigger then a dime. Ted already has the other end of this device installed in the back of his neck. It's called a P3. If you can put this in, it will render him helpless like a human. He won't be able to use any of his superpowers."
"So where exactly is the other end of this device located?"
"May I, Clark?" The alternate Jimmy asked. Clark allowed him to demonstrate it on him. He then pointed out the exact spot.
***
At 6PM, in Alfred's Bar, Ted was drinking his sixth glass of vodka. Eventually he noticed the blond female dressed in a tight leather outfit which showed off her slim waistline and her legs. While sitting in mid air, Ted started to move towards the left edge of the counter to take a better look. Lois showed a coy interest in him. Ted came closer and saw that she resembled his universe's Nurse Lane. She had been his nurse at one time. But he knew that he was in an alternate universe, and that things might be different here.
"Hi, there. I'm Ted Thomas."
"So, what's a good looking man like you doing at this bar all alone?"
"I'm a regular here. I come to this bar every week." Then Ted thought, 'At least in my universe, that is.' He then asked, "What are you here for?"
"Oh, just picking up some men. How about you?"
"Do you want to go somewhere?"
"How about just outside, where we can have some privacy?" Once outside of the bar, she said, "Have you ever kissed a lady before?"
"No." Ted lied, but he didn't want to talk about the dark part of his alter ego.
Lois smiled. "A man like you should have at least a dozen women."
Then they proceeded to get closer to a private alley where Ted made his move, coming up really close to Lois. Lois grabbed the small coin shaped object from out of her pocket and then put both arms around Ted's neck. Using both hands, she snapped it in place and then turned the dial up.
"Hey! What did you do that for?" Ted managed to say before passing out.
***
In the alleyway, the alternate world's Jimmy put Ted in the special blue cuffs made of a new kind of alloy that even Ted couldn't break. Jimmy then turned the dial down on the device at the back of Ted's neck allowing him the ability to stand and walk. Clark soon noticed that Ted's right shoulder was quivering slightly. "Hold on a second, Jimmy." He searched Ted's pants pockets to find a bottle of pills that he recognized as Serum7.
"Hey, that's mine." Ted told Clark.
"Thank you, Lois. Thanks for helping me catch Ted. We've been trying to catch him for years. He sold the M7 drugs which resulted in several deaths." Ted tried to use his super strength to get free, but with the device on the back of his neck, he was unable to do so.
"Do you know what these are?" Clark asked as he showed the alternate Jimmy Olsen the pills.
"Yes, back in our universe we call it the M7 poison. Why?"
"Then you know it's a mind altering drug. To humans it may be poison, but to a Kryptonian it can change a person's personality. It can also cause nerve damage."
"Kryptonian?" the alternate Jimmy asked Clark in confusion. But all Clark did was walk up closer to Ted. He noticed Ted's obvious slight trembling shoulder getting a little bit worse as time passed.
All Ted wanted was to get his hands free so he could get his pills back; he was starting to feel the drug slowly wearing off.
"How long have you been taking this?" Clark asked Ted.
Ted remained silent and tried unsuccessfully to get the cuffs off as the alternate Jimmy answered, "Since he was ten. Why?"
"Jimmy.. uhh… this universe's Jimmy, take us to S.T.A.R. Labs to see Dr. Klein. He might be able to help."
But Ted refused to go. He resisted their attempts to get him into the car. The alternate Jimmy then proceeded to turn the little device at the back of Ted's neck to a higher level causing Ted to collapse to a state where he was conscious but could not use his muscles.
***
On the way to S.T.A.R. Labs, Clark explained to the alternate Jimmy what a Kryptonian was and how the Serum7 affected them.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Klein was shocked to see another Clark in the room. Clark explained that this person was from an alternate universe, that his name was Ted, and that he had been taking Serum7 since he was ten. "Do you have anymore of the antidote?"
"Sure. But I need to conduct an examination first."
"Let me turn down the P3 first." Then the alternate Jimmy turned the machine down. Ted took the opportunity to immediately burst out the door, but Clark quickly caught him.
"Let go! Who asked you to meddle?"
Clark set his look-alike right down on a chair for Dr. Klein. But then right in the middle of the examination, Clark could see that Ted was starting to lose it as the Serum7 withdrawal was starting to reach a point where he knew that Ted would be getting desperate to take more of the drug. Sure enough, Ted was getting desperate and tried hard to get his hands free. He even went as far as to bargain with them to give him just one pill.
"Oh, oh." The alternate Jimmy recognized the look on Ted's face. He had arrested Ted many times and had seen him fall unconscious in his car, but he never seen Ted shake this violently before. Jimmy had even lost one patrol car because of Ted's shaking.
Dr. Klein noticed that Ted had passed out and was going into a seizure. As soon as he stopped shaking, Dr. Klein motioned for Clark to put him onto an exam table. Clark lifted Ted onto the table. Dr. Klein took a blood sample with a red kryptonite needle and looked at it under the microscope. But to confirm his suspicion he had Clark X-ray Ted's body. Clark noticed that as the chemical started to filter out of Ted's system, big gaps were left behind in the nerve cells. It was interesting to Clark because the nerve cells were rapidly repairing themselves
"It's severe," said Dr. Klein.
That was when Beth came in and wondered what was going on. She had an appointment with Dr. Klein, but it seemed like he was busy. Beth wondered what Clark was scanning for and did the same thing herself. The Serum7 was carrying the nerve impulses through.
"Whoa! That's worse than the last time you got hit by the drug, Clark." As the police officer looked up, Beth could see that it was Jimmy. Beth then looked at the Jimmy next to her and thought that it was the younger Jimmy that she knew. "Jimmy. How come there are two of you and two of Clark here?"
The older Jimmy took her outside the lab and explained. Then he said, "Beth, don't go through with it. You'll find another way to help Clark find a safe cure for kryptonite."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your going to allow Dr. Klein to produce a test tube baby out of your eggs and Joey's sperm. Then he'll make alterations to the DNA structure of the embryo with the hopes that she won't be affected by kryptonite."
"How did you know?"
"Like I said, I'm from the future. You should think carefully about this, but I promise you won't and you shouldn't regret it if you decide to proceed with the experiment. Promise me that you'll have no regrets."
"O..kay." She then briefly spoke to Dr. Klein about rescheduling her appointment since it was obvious that he was very busy right now. She also told him that she would like to think things over. Beth didn't know if the experiment would go well or not, but Jimmy seemed to indicate that it would.
***
Later, Dr Klein had finished analyzing Ted's blood and gave him a massive dosage of the Kranite. The blood poisoning chemicals of Kranite would neutralize the effect of Serum7. Dr. Klein didn't want to risk an overdose so he decided to wait thirty minutes before the second injection of Kranite and the antidote. The alternate Jimmy turned off the device on Ted's neck for Dr. Klein to try and differentiate the extent of the nerve damage. Then, as if on command, Dr. Allison came into the office wondering why Dr. Klein hadn't showed up at their dinner arrangement.
"Sorry I forgot about our dinner. I'm just trying to do some tests."
"Clark. Why don't you use your X-ray vision and tell me where the damage is located?" Dr. Allison said to Clark.
"Sure." Clark pointed them out. "But it's like the nerves are healing at a rapid rate with some sort of chemical helping. It started as soon as the Serum7 was filtered out of his system." Clark also saw the evidence of Kranite chemical attaching itself to the Serum7 chemical.
Sure enough, Ted was conscious and quickly grabbed a knife. He held it to the alternate Jimmy's neck. "Get back, or I'll cut his throat!" Ted left the lab with Jimmy as a hostage.
***
Three miles away from the lab, Ted landed on solid ground and let go of the alternate Jimmy. "Go." Ted could feel the Kranite reversing the Serum7's effect on him.
"You're letting me go?" Jimmy said in surprise.
"Yes," Ted managed to say as he held on to the nearest object he could find.
"Why are you letting me go?"
"Because I don't want to hurt you. Okay? Go," Ted said as he managed to fight off the rising urge to take more pills. His limited will power was rapidly fading and in weakness he took out his last remaining Serum7.
Jimmy noticed right away that this was the real Ted, one he had rarely seen, so he took a risk and took the pill from Ted.
"Hey! That's mine."
"Tell me Ted; how did you get started on this?" He showed Ted the pill but kept it out of his reach. Ted grabbed for it.
"My parents. Okay? Now give it back! I need that." Ted tried to get it back from Jimmy but since his head was spinning rapidly, he found it hard to stay standing without using a post to steady himself.
"Ted, I want to know the whole story."
Ted then began telling the story from beginning "All right. My dad was visiting Smallville when he saw a meteor. He went to investigate and found a mushroom. Mom found me. He thought he could make a new kind of addictive drug with the mushroom to sell, but Mom wanted to keep me. They took me to Metropolis and assumed another name. They tried to raise me to be a crook, but I wouldn't steal and lie for them. They found out later that I had accidentally taken Serum7 in my food and that it would make me evil like them." Ted didn't want to continue. "Jimmy, please, give that back."
"And what else, Ted?"
"That's all there is."
"Okay." Jimmy played a hardy game of bluff. He walked up to a nearby manhole and then said, "Three seconds, or I throw it into the hole."
"All right! Every night after that, they would shove those things down my throat until Dad managed to make a liquid version of it. After three weeks or so, I was hooked. I started to do little robberies here and there for dad, so I could get those pills. When I turned 17, I tried to quit one time but couldn't. I felt like I was out of control. I was going into seizures almost every hour. At age 13, I started developing my powers, so I plotted to steal the formula and kill my parents for what they did to me when I was younger. Now can I have that back?"
Jimmy reluctantly did it and waited till Ted was engrossed in the effect of the pill. Then he turned on the device at the back of Ted's neck to the second highest point.
"Jimmy!"
As Ted collapsed unto the pavement, Jimmy said, "Believe me, Ted, it is for your own good."
***
Later at Lois' and Clark's apartment, Jimmy carried Ted into the house with the help of another of his gadgets.
"Cool," The other Jimmy commented after his observation of the device. The alternate Jimmy set Ted down in the guest bedroom and turned the mini coin size device down allowing Ted to observe them and respond, but he was not able to move. When everyone left the room, Ted tried hard to move but soon gave up.
***
Down in the living room, the alternate Jimmy was giving Lois a look as if she had reminded him of someone, but he could not place her face. While Clark was calling Dr. Klein's office, the alternate Jimmy told the group about what Ted had told him.
"I know Ted is at least five years older than me. When he was 13, I used to play with him on the basketball court. Sure he beat me a couple of times, but he always apologized for it. I never figured out that things were so bad for him. I also settled a few of their family fights."
"Poor man," Lois commented. Then she remembered a friend of her's that might be able to help. "Do you have a Nurse Hammerson in your time?"
Then a light bulb went off as the alternate Jimmy remembered something. "Nurse!" Jimmy said as Clark came into the room. "Of course! That's where I've seen your face. Nurse Lois Lane. She's a nurse at Pallerson's drug clinic. She's personally attended to many of Ted's personal problems." Jimmy started remembering the time he sneaked a peek into Ted's room at the hospital to see Nurse Lane holding onto Ted saying, "That's okay Ted, let it all out." And then he remembered the time he saw two very strong males that had Ted by the arm and were taking him back to his room. "Let go!" Ted had screamed. He then shared his thought with the group.
"Maybe that's why he's been looking at me so differently. Jimmy, what are you going to do with Ted once he's back in your universe?" Lois asked.
"I was hoping that Dr. Klein would give me the formula for those antidotes."
"I'm sure he won't mind. But what are you going to do with Ted?"
"Hopefully, he'll agree to therapy. The last time he was there was when he was twenty and had committed another crime. The government won't send him to the hospital unless there is a good reason."
Then all of a sudden, Clark started feeling as if a kryptonite whip had hit him. Clark soon figured out that it was Ted's feelings. "Lois, I think we better go check on Ted."
Lois replied, "Okay, you stay, and I'll go up and check on him."
***
While Lois was on her way upstairs, Ted was trying his best to get the controls to turn. Ted concentrated on the dials of the P3, and by sheer mental power he was able to turn the dial down. A picture on a night stand caught his eyes. He picked it up to look at it and saw the way Clark and Lois looked at each other. Ted began to envy Clark.
"This is so unfair. He has everything I've always wanted!" Ted thought about that and right away threw the picture across the room. The crashing sound made Ted remember a time in his life where he did not have his powers. He remembered his father pushing him up against the dresser and hitting him with that kryptonite whip of his.
Just then Lois came in. "I heard from Jimmy that Nurse Lane is one of your special friends."
"No. Just a nurse I once knew."
"Did she look like me?"
He didn't want to bring back old memories, so he wouldn't answer her question.
"Ted. Did she?"
"Yes, she looked like your twin," he said quickly and looked away, refusing to say anything further.
***
The alternate Jimmy observed the device on Ted's neck and went to see if it was in working order. It was. Dr. Klein had arrived and came in with another dose of the Kranite and the antidote. Even without his super powers, Ted pushed Klein away from him as soon as he got close.
Ted was able to turn the device down further but did not want to give Jimmy a chance to change it. Ted succeeded at his first try and stood up from the chair. "You're not injecting me with that thing." The machine was wise to Ted's tricks and had locked itself up. Ted tried to turn it down but got zapped by the machine. "Shoot! It's on safe mode. I guess I'll have to do it without any powers."
Before Ted even got a chance to get close to Lois to take her as a hostage, Clark blocked Ted's attempt. Everyone left the room except for Dr. Klein and Clark. "Ted, let Dr. Klein help you. He can get you back to normal again."
Ted said, "There's no way that you can help. Move out of my way."
Clark said, "Ted." Clark grabbed one of Ted's arms to stop him from leaving. "Ted, fight it. You still have a lot of things to look forward to."
Ted's eyes turned from blue to brown indicating that it was Ted replying rather than his alternate ego, Dark Night. "No, I don't. Don't you think I've tried? There isn't any sense of trying. I can't do it." His eyes turned blue then Dark Night spoke in a deeper voice, "Let me go."
"Ted, I've seen your reaction whenever I mention Lois Lane's name," Clark said to Ted as he tried to inject a bit of hope in Ted's life. "I know you were thinking of Nurse Lane. She brings new light into your shattered life. Things may be bad now, but they will improve. You have to work at it."
Ted didn't want to hear anymore and certainly didn't want to start remembering his horrific childhood. He immediately knew what Clark was thinking about, but he was positive that Nurse Lane would never be interested in a man like him. Dark Night, his alternate personality, immediately rose to the surface and took over. "Let go of my arm." Clark tried distracting him so Dr. Klein could come closer. Dark Night replied, "That won't work, Klein."
Clark then pinned Ted against himself. Ted wasn't able to move. "What are you doing? NO!" Dark Night struggled against Clark's hold on him, but Ted / Dark Night was in a weakened condition. "Get away from me." Dark Night struggled to get loose of Clark's hold on him. "No!" Dark Night shouted as Dr. Klein rolled up Ted's sleeve. "You can't do this! I have rights, too," Dark Night said as he kept on trying to get free before he was injected with the two medications.
"Ted has the right, not you," said Clark.
Dark Night at first tried to kick Klein, but he wasn't successful. As a last resort, Dark Night tried tightening his arm muscles with the thought that Klein was using regular needles. But Klein wasn't using a regular needle. He was using a red kryptonite needle.
"NO!" Dark Night felt the needle go in. Klein inserted the needle with the Kranite mixture in it meant to neutralize the effect of Serum7. Clark waited until Dark Night stopped struggling in his arms. Ted was unable to move, but he was back to his normal personality. He also had no idea what had happened for the past few days. He fell unconscious, and Clark set Ted down on the bed. Klein had another syringe ready in case Ted needed more antidote. The nerve cells began a slow steady pace of repairing the damage left behind by the Serum7.
***
Later on in the evening, Clark was talking to the alternate Jimmy about his world and how Ted was going to live in that world. The doorbell rang, and Clark went to get it as Klein explained to Jimmy about the effects of Serum7.
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
"I hope you don't mind me dropping by for a visit."
"Where is dad?"
"Still on the farm. It's the start of planting season. There's an event in town so I'll just be here for a day or two."
A few minutes later after Martha had gotten settled in the spare room, she was looking around the house. Martha looked into the guest room to see a man in the room. Clark noticed that his mother was looking into the room and explained the whole incident to her. He explained to Martha what the alternate Jimmy had told him. It made Martha's heart break to listen to the story.
***
~March 5, 2000, the following day~
Ted woke up not feeling entirely himself and was still unable to move. He had recovered some portion of his memory of the last few days.
All of a sudden he felt extremely odd. Then he started vomiting. And Martha stayed right by his side.
***
Meanwhile, downstairs on the first floor, the alternate Jimmy was listening to every word Dr. Klein had to tell him about Kryptonian physiology and how to treat Serum7 side effects. He knew all this was way over his head, but he needed to find his world's version of Dr. Klein and relay the message to him. It was important to him that he remembered what Dr. Klein said. He wished he had remembered to bring his recorder, but he had only brought the items that he had absolutely needed. But then, Klein gave him a piece of paper and told him that it was the formula for the Serum7 cures and for the medication to solve the addiction problem of Serum7. But just as they got up off their seats, Dr. Klein remembered something else.
"Here is some information about some other ailments that you might find helpful. The other list is a list of possible places I've worked at to help you find your world's version of me."
"Thanks".
Fifteen minutes later, he saw the alternate Jimmy putting some sort of a belt on Ted, and then Ted started floating off the ground. Jimmy pushed Ted as if he was a cart.
In the living room, Dr. Klein had explained the effects of Serum7 in laymen's terms. Jimmy realized that Ted now had severe nerve damage due to the Serum7. It was only because of the special device that Ted was able to stand upright. It had allowed Jimmy to get Ted downstairs for the coming time travel.
"Are you ready, Jimmy?"
"I'm ready, Jimmy."
Lois, Clark, and Dr. Klein both stood five feet from their universe's Jimmy. Jimmy set the time device and a circle of light started engulfing Jimmy, the alternate Jimmy, and Ted. Jimmy would drop the other Jimmy and Ted off in the alternate universe, and then he would return to his own time.
"Thanks, Clark."
"You're welcome, Jimmy," Clark said as the three of them vanished.
When they arrived in the alternate universe, our universe's Jimmy pointed to the device that the alternate Jimmy was using to make Ted float. "How does that thing work?"
"It just taps into Ted's anti-gravity ability and makes him float."
***
Ted stayed in the drug recovery room at Pallerson's Clinic in the alternate world, unable to move a muscle. Ted didn't even want to go outside in his depressed mood. He couldn't help but remember his past. The few memories he had were not good. Ted lay in bed getting paler and weaker. He showed no signs of recovery.
Jimmy had been working on finding the Dr. Klein of their universe, but when Jimmy did find him, he became cautious. Jimmy had found out that their world's Klein was not a very ethical man. The man had used humans on four accounts as guinea pigs for his experiments and had been arrested twice for kidnapping people and experimenting on them. Jimmy didn't tell him about Ted.
In the hospital, as Ted lay in bed, Nurse Lane sat on the edge of Ted's bed with a bowl in her hand. "Come on Ted. You have to eat something." Ted turned his head to avoid the spoon that she had put to his mouth.
Ted avoided looking directly at Nurse Lane. He could not bring himself to remember the alternate world's Lois Lane. He was starting to remember bits and pieces of his trip but not enough to make sense out of it. What he remembered most was the two photographs of Clark and Lois smiling at each other that revealed to Ted the feeling that Clark had for Lois. Ted longed for that kind of love that he had never had the delight of experiencing. He was hungry — not for food, but for love.
Two more weeks passed with no progress until Lois took action to try and get Ted to do what he had needed to do for a long time now. Lois decided to take Ted outside no matter if he wanted to or not. 'Since he's not eating, maybe he should get some sun if he is to recover.'
Ted protested at having been dragged out of his bed, but no one listened.
"Leave me alone!" Ted shouted. "I'm not going."
Once he had been outside in the afternoon sun for a few minutes, Lois could see the color returning to his face.
Lois tried as she might to start a conversation, but Ted wouldn't join in. He looked away.
***
Because of the special circumstances of Ted's parents getting him hooked on drugs, the Jimmy of his world had worked hard to get the charges against him acquitted. He also knew that Ted thought that no one was going to help him at all. But he was wrong because Jimmy had been helping him. Ted had tried to get help before, but this time Jimmy thought that he would be successful, especially since he wouldn't be facing jail time.
To help Ted's case, Jimmy interviewed an old neighbor of Ted's. "So, Mrs. Wright, why didn't you tell the cops about the abuse going on in the Delamonio household? You were their neighbor. Surely you knew something was wrong."
She answered, "I tried to hint to the cops, and this is what I received." She showed him her scars. "The Delamonios killed my husband, too. I believe he's buried in their old back yard." Hearing this fact, Jimmy proceeded to get a warrant to see if a body could be found.
***
Three weeks later, Ted was ready for release from Pallerson's drug clinic. Although he was fully recovered from Serum7, he was without some of his powers.
Ted could not fly very well now or remember much of anything from the alternate world that he had been to. But he did remember what Clark had said to him that night in the bedroom. Two things rang in his head: 'but they will improve' and 'bring in hope'. Even though Nurse Lane had volunteered her time to help Ted recover from the drug abuse, it was a rough road to recovery.
In addition to everything else, Ted realized that without a high school diploma he could only find a job at McDonald's or another fast food restaurant. He made plans to work on his GED and had signed up for the David family program especially aimed towards people like Ted.
Ted was thinking about his possible release from the clinic when his mind turned to all the times that Nurse Lane had taken him to the gardens for some sunshine despite the fact that he couldn't move a muscle. He was wondering why she did this when she approached him with a smile.
"Hello, Ted," she said.
>From his wheelchair, he answered, "Hello, Lois. I wanted to thank you for taking me outside."
"I'm glad I could help."
"How did you know that was what I really wanted? I could barely speak."
"Oh, the last time you were here, I noticed how you looked after a week from lack of sunlight. Since you don't eat much solid food, I figured that the sun is your food." Just before she left, she said, "I almost forgot. The doctor's going to release you tomorrow, and you're coming home with me."
***
The following day, Lois was at the front counter talking to the head physician. "So, Ken, are you releasing Ted today?"
"Yes." Ken paused for a second. "Are you sure you want to do this? He'll be in that wheel chair for a whole two weeks like last time."
"Yes. Everyone deserves a second chance."
"You mean the tenth chance."
"You're exaggerating, Ken. It has only been four."
Another nurse was listening, and she soon chimed in, "It's the sixth, Lois."
"Anyhow, I'm taking him home with me. He doesn't have anywhere else to go."
After Lois had left for Ted's room to speak to him, the other nurse and the physician started talking to each other. The nurse said, "You know what I think? Lois is in love with that man."
"Well, I hope she's not wasting her time with that guy. He's just a freak of nature."
***
Weeks later, when Ted had fully recovered, he had an appointment with a counselor. On his way there, he stopped and bought Lois some thank you flowers. He didn't have a lot of cash, but what he had, he spent on Lois. Ted walked into an old building that used to be an old factory but recently had been renovated for charity work. While walking into the building, Ted started to think about all that had happened to him. He especially thought about how much Nurse Lane had helped him. He became lost in his memories.
Ted was soon snapped back to reality by one of the workers at the charity agency. A woman said, "Can I help you?"
Then a man walked up and said, "Hello, Ted. It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks."
"We've paired you up with an old couple that lives 20 miles due northwest of here. They've recently retired from their old farm and moved here. Here is the address and the directions. Do you need someone to show you there?"
"Do you have someone who knows them? It would be nice to be introduced. I can fly us there." But in truth, Clark was now a bit rusty in his flight.
"I know. The whole world knows that you can fly, Ted. Why don't you let Judy drive you there."
"Sure."
The volunteer introduced Ted to Judy. "Hi. My car is right around the corner. Do you have your bag with you?"
"Yes. I just have this one backpack."
"It looks heavy."
"Not for me."
***
A few minutes later at the Kent's home, Judy introduced Ted to the Kents, and then she left. But then Ted was alone with Martha and Jonathan Kent.
"This will be your room, Ted." Martha showed Ted a nicely built room with only the necessary furnished items in it like a small closet, a dresser and a desk.
***
Meanwhile, while Ted was getting to know these people who had taken him in, Jimmy was continuing to try to help him. When Jimmy had done a little bit of research on the life of the Lois and Clark in the other world to see what he could do to help Ted, he had accidentally come across an article about 'Bad Brain'. Jimmy had expected that his universe's version of 'Bad Brain' to be evil, but he found this wasn't true. He had gotten to know him, and he knew that he was not evil at all. So he took a chance and showed him the information that he had brought over from the alternate universe about Kryptonian physiology.
"You do understand that you need to keep this a secret from the criminal elements, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. I'll try to help him as much as I can."
***
Later, back in the Kent's home, Ted tried to sleep but having his own home again brought back unwanted memories of all those beatings and all those nights of being forced to consume those drugs. He buried his head under his pillow trying to forget. He was angry. Ted's super hearing kicked in. He could hear Martha Kent talking to Jonathan in a worried tone of voice in the downstairs kitchen.
"You know, Jonathan, I think Ted was beaten many times as a child."
"How do you know? They never gave us a history of Ted's background. How do you know that?"
"Jonathan, it's in his eyes. Did you see the way he keeps looking at his food? He didn't even touch a bite of it."
"Oh, Martha. He said that he doesn't need to eat. He is an alien."
"Jonathan, that poor man is starving for love. I can tell. What he needs is a lot of TLC."
"Be careful, Martha, don't push him into saying anything he doesn't want to. After all, he is the strongest man on this planet."
"I know, but even he used to be a normal child like every other boy."
***
In the following weeks, Ted decided to enroll in a nearby College to get his GED. Martha Kent had offered to pay for the class. She sat down at the desk as Ted was looking at his assessment test result. With this low of a grade, he knew he was far behind the others. Martha just put one hand on Ted's arm and said, "It's okay Ted. I'll help you." Sometimes when things got hard for Ted because he was tormented by the memories, he felt like he wanted to take revenge on everyone, but he stopped himself. Martha was there to listen, but Ted was not ready to admit the truth until the words finally sank in through all the anger he had felt. He then sat in bed trying to forget. Ted was almost in tears as he remembered Martha's offer to help with his painful memories and feelings.
Martha said, "Ted. Are you okay?"
"Just thinking about my parents again."
"You want to talk about it?"
Ted proceeded to tell Martha how the Delamonios had found him and how they had forced him to consume those pills. He also told her about how he had wished they were dead and how he had even considered killing them himself. He finished by telling her how hatred had dominated most of his life.
"It's not like I don't appreciate what you and Jonathan are doing for me, but sometimes it brings back those memories."
"Oh, Ted. We're not like that at all. We won't use kryptonite to make you obey. Besides, when the charity organization gave us a pile of photos for the 'Adopt a Family' program, we chose you. You were like the son we always wished we had."
Martha proceeded to give Ted a big hug. Many times, his parents had tried to hold Ted still for the injections of Serum7, but now for the first time, he had no feelings of fear while being held. He had no need to struggle. Ted was savoring every moment of his first real hug. He finally felt that he had a home and that his hunger for love was finally being fulfilled.
THE END