The gap between human civilization and Lois and Clark broke into a burst of clouds and sky as they continued to travel onward. In moments time, the warm summer air quickly melted into something much cooler and, eventually, the first signs of ice and snow began to form on the horizon. The Fortress was a ways in, tucked off in a wild area that no human could have possibly found unless they knew exactly what they were looking for. That had been part of his wish when Clark had asked for the Fortress during the bauble invasion. With the Fortress out of sight, it was also well out of mind, which meant that he would never have to worry about scientists and explorers stumbling upon the crystallized fortress that he had wished onto the northern edge of the planet.
Clark had noticed that Lois had swapped her unrealistic dream of becoming a bird for a more vocal approach. He let her grumble and complain. It was better than anxiously flying her across the country while she squirmed around. He could handle her giving him a hard time ; it was the idea of Lois hurting herself that had worried him. For the most part, he tried to ignore her. Clark knew that he wasn't going to be able to win an argument with her right now, nor did he want to. That wasn't why he was doing this. Their field trip to the north pole? It wasn't for him. It was for her.
Ignoring her was pretty easy when he was focused on flying. Yet, the second she touched his face, Clark found his head instantly turning in her direction.
She did not look happy.
"And it's not how I wanted to show it to you," he said, voice surprisingly quiet. Bringing her to the Fortress was supposed to have been a good experience. It was a personal place, one that Clark felt defined him, and it was going to be brought into her life with a bad memory. Maybe that's all it ever would be, once this was over. The thought worried him, but not as much as the idea of Lois shutting herself down. He'd take bad Fortress memories over Lois torturing herself any day of the week. "Your way was...it's not doing anything. It's only hurting you and I can't watch you do that to yourself, Lois. I know you're angry and I know this isn't what you want, but you need this. I know you do. I'm really sorry." Another apology. They were definitely going to be a recurring theme.
In the distance, Clark could see the familiar shape of the Fortress falling into view. It was best defined as an ice castle, what with it's jagged crystals shooting up out of the snowy ground, standing as the very foundation of the alien structure that Clark took comfort in. It looked enormous on the outside, even from a far off point of view, and it only stood out even more in contrast to the miles of flattened snow and ice that spread out on the ground in every direction that surrounded it. It was out of sight to the world that didn't know it existed, yet it was one that was hard to look away from to those who were looking at the Fortress dead on.