driftfleet | [ audio ]

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[ audio ]

Who: Clark Kent and you.
Broadcast: Fleetwide.
Action: Aboard the Marsiva.
When: The week of his arrival.

I don't suppose I could click my heels three times. . . [ Only Clark gets his little joke. ]

I'll keep this brief. My name is Clark - I'm from Kansas.

[ He's been the new guy at work often enough to sound chill about this, but he is feeling a little shaky having woken up here in the middle of his workday. To top it off, not being able to hear his mother's heartbeat is jarring.

There's some stress baking in Clark's future. ]

What do you make of this place? I'm curious to know how it compares to where you come from.

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Yes. Our dads were brothers.

It's a lot to take in, I know. And to make it all the more complicated, I think we're from parallel earths, because you're definitely not the Clark I know, but clearly there's something here.

But, um, I don't want to just... I promise I won't just treat you like we know each other. But I'm also just... really excited you're here.

[ Her father was his uncle. He had an uncle and now a cousin.

His cousin Kara is on the other side of the screen. ]

No, it's. [ She's right, it's a lot. He feels like he needs to stop and make sure he's breathing normally.

He wants very desperately to be in the same room as her, just to be sure she's real. ]

How? I thought I was the only one.

[ she really wants to hug him. stupid Marsiva ]

The details might vary... I'm not sure. The fact that you don't know me makes me think that maybe... things didn't go the same way on your earth.

But here's how it happened where I'm from: I was 12 when the destruction started. You were an infant. We both got in pods—my mother made me promise to protect you and make sure you were safe on Earth.

I got knocked off course, though, and stuck in the Phantom Zone, where time doesn't pass. By the time I got free of it, 24 years had passed on Earth and you—well, my Clark—were all grown up. I was still 12. I was raised by a great family in California, and you were already established as a reporter and... well, the other guy.

You're still the other guy, right?

[ even though it's encrypted, she still feels weird about talking openly over a video ]

[ Clark nods. It sounds like it could happen, even though there's no way to open the Phantom Zone anymore that he knows of. Someone could still figure it out down the line.

They'd have to deal with Zod's followers, but if it freed Kara. . . Clark already knows he'd be willing to move mountains for the smallest chance to succeed. ]

Yeah - I am. [ He can't just take off his shirt in the middle of the corridor, so Clark places his hand over his heart where the symbol usually is on his uniform.

He's older than the timeline she mentions, but she'd said they were from different places.

The thought of her drifting out there is worse than her being dead. ]

How come you didn't stay with us? The Kents, I mean.

[ He's sure her family is wonderful, but Clark doesn't know anyone he'd trust that much. Does he get to meet them too, in the future? ]

The Danverses have a daughter who's about a year older than me—I think everyone involved wanted to make sure I had a "normal" childhood—as much as I could at that point. My Clark worked with Jeremiah, who was a biological engineer focused on, well, aliens. My sister Alex followed in his steps, and we work together now to help protect our world from extraterrestrial threats.

And rescuing kittens from trees, obviously.

Yeah, okay.

[ That does sound like him. His family are still the best people Clark knows, and he'll always have a home even when Dad isn't there anymore. She should have one of her own. ]

And. . . do you have a suit and cape as well?

Yep! Except mine has a skirt.

Edited 2018-05-06 15:24 (UTC)

[ He smiles. ]

And. . . is it okay to be us, here?

[ He doesn't want to keep a secret if he doesn't have to, but Clark will follow her lead on this one. ]

So far so good, though I usually don’t bother with a costume or anything. There are lots of different people here, many with very cool abilities as well.

That's amazing. [ It already feels so freeing. ]

We've probably got to go shopping for me when I'm off this ship, right?

[ she grins and giggles. clark! is! here! maybe a little different but he's clearly still her cousin. cornfed personification of the american way, and he wants to hang out with her! it's a really big day. ]

Yes. Immediately! And I promise you only have to wear plaid button-ups if you want to.

But, okay, I have a really important question for you. Your world has a Lois, right?

Edited 2018-05-07 15:51 (UTC)

I can't believe my own family is trying to stop me from wearing plaid! Oh, the agony!

[ Clark Kent: Fashion Icon. ]

[ Her question makes him duck his head.

He smiles a little shyly. Kara must know her too if she's asking about her. ]

Yeah - I just met her. Isn't she great?

[ Someone has a crush. ]

[ aren't you just a puppy ]

Are you blushing?

[ He blinks abruptly. ]

No! Gosh. [ There is a little colour in his cheeks. ]

Kara!

Oh come on, you know she's swell.

Does that mean you just started at the Daily Planet?

[ Kara's right, but Clark sticks out his tongue at her like an adult. ]

A few weeks ago. I'm. . . new to this whole thing.

Wait, whole thing whole thing? The saving people thing too? Or just the reporter thing, because honestly I'm pretty new at the reporter thing, too.

The reporter thing. I thought I should have a good reason to show up if the situation's going south, right?

[ Before that, he hadn't given it that much thought. He just went to help people and then moved to the next town. ]

Wait, how long have you been doing it?

A few months, then I got fired for releasing a story my editor didn't want published. I got rehired though? So, there's that.

Sounds like a story.

[ She can tell him whenever she likes: Clark wants to know everything about her. It already feels so unbelievably natural just talking like this. Even though they can probably wait, the distance feels unbearable. ]

You don't work at the Planet, do you?

[ It would be nice if they were close, but it might get crowded sometimes. ]

Well, it involves Luthors, so.

[ she shrugs. she doesn't know if he knows them yet, but with the Planet and Lois and Kansas being constants, she can't help but assume Lex is, as well. You don't just randomly have different arch-nemeses, no matter parallel world you're in. ]

I don't. I live in California, and work at CatCo.

The Luthors of LexCorp?

[ Everybody in Metropolis knows that symbol. He hasn't met anyone with that surname yet, but Lois doesn't have anything nice to say about Lex.

Clark trusts her opinion. ]

Cat Grant's CatCo? [ She's all the way across the country.

He could fly over at super-speed, but that's still not an insignificant distance. ]

Do you like it there?

Yes. You haven't met any?

And yes, I started out as Ms. Grant's personal assistant and moved up to being a reporter. And I do like it there. A lot. It's hard to balance... everything sometimes. The cape, the job, the personal life. But I think I'm getting close. Maybe.

[ the personal life thing doesn't seem to be going well at home but at least here it's fine ]

I haven't had the pleasure. [ He's not sure it'll be one. ]

I'm sure you'll get there, just give yourself time. [ He grins encouragingly. ] Anyway. . . have you made any friends?

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