From Part 4:
“Any word of Kent?” Perry asked without further ado, gesturing towards the chair in front of his desk, inviting Lois to sit down. His eyes conveyed concern.
“I went to his hotel, yesterday,” Lois offered. “He had already checked out.” Briefly she thought about mentioning his visit at her apartment. But Lois felt that Clark had not said anything Perry might find important – unless she could prove to him that Clark’s powers actually existed.
The editor’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “You don’t happen to have that box of evidence you mentioned a couple of days ago?” Perry enquired.
Lois shook her head no. “He kept that to himself. I had hoped that maybe he would come by to give it to me in order to continue his investigation after he has obviously given up on it. But I figure, if he wanted to do that, he would have brought it in by now.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Perry nodded thoughtfully, his intense gaze resting on Lois. He studied her for a moment, unconsciously shifting his pen from one side of his desk to the other. He harrumphed before he spoke again. “I watched you this morning. Your attention seemed to alternate between the elevator’s doors and Kent’s desk. I might be drawing the wrong conclusion here, but I haven’t seen you this distracted in ages. Was there more between the two of you than this brief partnership?”
“Perry!” Lois protested, completely taken aback. Was her boss actually insinuating that she might be in love with Clark Kent? That was ridiculous. “I hardly know him. We were working together and surprisingly, he proved to be a pretty good partner. I could use his help investigating Luthor, if there even is anything to investigate. That’s all this is about.”
“Good,” Perry seemed satisfied and leaned back in his chair. “In that case – I trust you to get me one hell of a story. If Luthor has any skeletons in his closet, I`m sure you will find them. But in the meantime, please don’t forget that we’ve got a newspaper to publish. While I’m willing to give you the time you need to investigate Luthor, I can’t have my best reporter spend all her time on a wild goose chase, if it might turn out to be just that.”
“Sounds fair,” Lois agreed and got up, anticipating that their talk was over. As if on cue, Perry dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “I will bring you something better than the article on the launch of the Colonist transport,” Lois promised on her way out.
“I sure hope so,” Perry muttered in reply. “I sure hope so.” He resumed editing an article that had been sent to him, his expression once more as impassive as the one of Elvis on the picture that hung on the wall above him.
...I Knew The Truth
Part 5
Lois went back to her desk, allowing herself one last look over to Clark’s. Not surprisingly, it was still empty. Shrugging off another pang of regret that threatened to take hold of her, Lois reached for her almost empty cup of coffee and poured the rest of the liquid over the pitiful excuse for a fern that currently resided on her desk. Then she drew a pad of paper out of one of her desk drawers and sat down on her chair. She took a pencil and drew a line, dividing the paper into two sections.
On the left side she wrote “Luthor guilty” and then she tagged the other column “Luthor innocent.” Letting out a soft sigh, Lois shifted on her chair as she started to fill out the two columns. His own project which was supposed to replace Space Station Prometheus quickly made it on the ‘guilty-list’. She thought back to her first interview with Luthor and added his reluctance to answer her questions. His donating money for countless charity organizations made it on the ‘innocent-list.’ Lois hesitated, letting her pencil hover over the sheet of paper. So far, the decisions had been easy.
Lois thought about what Antoinette Baines had said and how little sense it made that she would sabotage her own career. If she was not just delusional, driven by some insane need for attention, then there had to have been someone else behind this ploy. Lois remembered that Baines had named her motive – profit. And who would profit from the early demise of Space Station Prometheus, if not Luthor who was almost ready to launch his very own Space Station – should the international program fail. Though she had by no means any proof for this particular accusation, she decided to write it on the left side. Still, there could be someone else behind this, someone she might not even have heard of, someone who had decided to kill Dr. Baines, before she could give away more details of their plan.
Lois put down her pencil, admitting to herself that so far, she had no more than a couple of unfounded allegations. What she needed was something solid, some kind of real lead she could follow. She skimmed over her list, her attention always returning to the same line – the explosion of Dr. Baines helicopter. Even if it turned out to be a dead end concerning a connection to Lex Luthor, following up on the investigation would certainly help her to write another article to go with the one on the Messenger disaster. A smile crept across Lois’ lips as she remembered that she had already told Jimmy to find out what the authorities already knew.
As if Jimmy had read her thoughts, he chose right that moment to walk by her desk on his way over to the coffee machine. He looked a little frightened as Lois jumped up all of a sudden and stopped him in his tracks.
“You got anything on the explosion of Baines’ helicopter?” she asked him, realizing with a sense of guilt that she sounded a little rude in her impatience to dig her claws into a new lead. For a moment, she felt the urge to apologize, but quickly pushed back the sentiment. Jimmy would probably suffer a heart-attack if she was to do something of that sort.
“Apparently, the investigation is still pending,” Jimmy replied, ducking his head. “I called the public relations offices of the NTSB and the FAA. Both were unwilling to give any statements and told me to wait for the press release.”
“Did you also call the DA’s office?” Lois enquired, her mood sinking by the minute.
Jimmy nodded and shrugged his shoulders. “I got the usual answer: ‘No comment’. They wouldn’t tell me anything about a pending investigation, much less if there was any hint of someone causing the explosion.”
“Figures,” Lois muttered with a sigh. “So, who is leading the investigation, the NTSB or the FAA?”
“Since an explosion was involved, it would be the National Transportation Safety Board,” Jimmy offered. “But that’s pretty much all the information I’ve got. Sorry, Lois.”
“Thanks Jimmy,” Lois said in a weak attempt to make up for her rudeness. Jimmy merely nodded at her, an expression of disbelieve crossing his face, before he made a run for the coffee machine, probably deciding to get out of her reach, in case Mad Dog Lane would raise her head again.
Lois knew most of her colleagues called her that and were afraid of her. For the most part, she was proud of her reputation, because it meant she was respected. But it also made her kind of lonely, which only served to increase the strange sense of loss she felt over her missing partner Clark Kent. He had never seemed intimidated by her, quite the opposite in fact. Yet, she knew that he also respected her and that was a rare thing, in her book.
Lois cringed again at the unwanted feelings. For the life of her, she could not understand why she was thinking about Clark so much. She hardly knew him and the fact that he could fly was the only thing about him she should be interested in.
Looking at her notes, Lois realized that she had unconsciously scribbled down the names of the two agencies Jimmy had named. She blinked a few times as she looked at the first four letters – NTSB. Her heart started to pound, as she realized that she actually knew someone working for this organization. She just was not sure if she actually wanted to contact him. Lois had seen Paul Myers no more than a couple of times since their college years, when he had been editor of their newspaper.
They had dated once or twice, before he had fallen for her best friend Linda. He had broken up with Lois, honorably before things had gotten really serious, on either side of the love triangle. Still, it had hurt and Lois had had a hard time getting over the premature end of their budding relationship. Her friendship with Linda had been pretty much ancient history after that incident. Later, Paul had decided that his success as an editor had rather been founded in his ability to organize than his talent as a journalist. He had changed his major to sciences and had finally entered the university to become an engineer. A couple of years ago, a mutual friend had told Lois that Paul had specialized in aeronautics and since he had not been able to get a job with the EPRAD, he had finally started working at the NTSB. Lois remembered seeing him there during a press conference, though she had no idea what that had been about.
Leaning back in her chair, Lois fought with herself whether to give Paul a call. He certainly was not one of her regular sources and with most of them she had spent years winning their trust, before she used them as informants. On the other hand, Paul was no stranger and once upon a time they had worked together well. Most importantly, it would not hurt to try – or so Lois hoped.
Straightening her stance, Lois picked up the phone and dialed the operator to get the number of the NTSB in Washington, D.C.. After a surprisingly short amount of time, she was put through to Paul and listened both to the ring tone and the frantic beating of her own heart.
“Myers,” the phone was answered a moment later.
“Paul? It’s Lois. Lois Lane,” she replied a little nervously, starting to wrap the chord around her index finger.
“Lois?” Paul asked, surprised. “It’s been a long time. How are you doing?”
“Fine, thank you very much. How are you?” Lois said pleasantly.
“Can’t complain,” he chuckled. “Are you still working for the Daily Planet?”
“Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” Lois answered.
“So, what can I do for you, Lois? I don’t suppose you’re calling just to exchange pleasantries, are you?” he guessed, still sounding amused.
Lois felt her cheeks grow warm and was grateful that Paul could not see her. “Well, actually, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the investigation on the helicopter explosion in Metropolis, two days ago,” she admitted.
“You’re working on that helicopter explosion?” Paul sounded surprised. “Is this going to be a local interest story or do you believe there is more to it?”
“Well, is there a hint that there may be more?” Lois asked immediately.
“I wouldn’t know, Lois. I’m not assigned to this particular investigation. But you should know that I couldn’t tell you anything before the press release, anyway,” Paul said soberly.
Letting out a small sigh, Lois hung her shoulders. “You used to be a reporter, too,” she argued.
“I edited your copies and tried not to let it show, that I didn’t contribute that much, myself,” he quipped. “Lois, I understand what you’re trying to do and I feel like I still owe you one for hurting you, like I did, back in College. But I’m afraid, I really can’t help you. It would look suspicious, if I dug into anyone else’s investigation. I promise you’ll hear from me, if I find out anything, but I probably won’t. I’m sorry, but I think you’ll have to wait for the official statement.”
“Well, thanks, Paul,” Lois replied, disappointedly. “It was nice hearing from you again.”
“Yeah, you too. I wish I could have been of more help,” he said softly. “Goodbye, Lois.”
“Goodbye.” Lois ended the call.
She hung up, but her gaze remained trained on the phone. She did not know what she had expected. Help? A condescending answer, advising Lois to mind her own business? Paul had been polite to the point of being awkward. Lois was not sure whether he was truly sorry about dumping her for Linda and what had become of their friendship afterwards, or if this was just his very own version of the governmental training of how to avoid the press. His reaction had confused her, so much so that she had not insisted on getting her answers.
Lois wondered if she might be losing her edge. First, Luthor had complimented her into forgetting her interview and then Clark had flown off without telling her the first thing about who or what he was. Paul seemed to be just another one in a row. Lois sighed and straightened her stance. Tonight, Luthor was going to give her some answers if it killed her. She would turn the tables on him and charm his pants off him - not in the literal sense of course – until he surrendered into telling her everything she ever wanted to know.
* * *
Lois was mesmerized as she watched the Queen of the Night, dressed in an elegant and opulent black dress. She stepped down a short staircase, handed her daughter Pamina a dagger and started to sing. Though she was not particularly fond of operas, Lois knew the aria and it never failed to impress her how it was possible to put so much fury into such a beautiful melody. She had heard the coloratura was one of the most difficult ones that existed, yet the opera singer seemed to sing it almost effortlessly. Lex had told Lois that Mozart, the composer of the “Magic Flute” had written the aria specifically for an extraordinarily talented soprano singer of his time. Until today, only a few singers had come close to her abilities.
Leaning back in her chair, Lois listened to the Queen of the Night ordering her daughter to kill her arch enemy Sarastro. The supertitles informed her, that Pamina was threatened to be disowned, should she not obey her mother. When the last notes died down, there was frenetic applause before the play went on.
Tamino and Papageno completed the three tasks the good magician Sarastro had assigned them with in order to get their respective girls, Pamina and Papagena. Finally, the evil plan of the Queen of the night was prevented and everyone lived happily ever after. Lois stood to join into the standing ovations the singers got and felt a little sadness as the lights came on and the people started to shuffle out.
“That was fantastic,” Lois breathed on their way out. “Thank you for taking me, Lex.”
For some reason, his first name now came naturally to her lips. Lois pushed the thought aside, figuring that now was not the best time to contemplate problems like that.
He smiled at her warmly. “Thank you for giving me another chance to make it better. I’m glad you liked it.” He held open a door for her, waiting until she passed through, before he followed her. “We could go to the opera again next week, if you like. They’re playing ‘Rigoletto’,” Lex offered.
Lois slowly shook her head. “Oh, that’s really kind of you, but I’m afraid I’m not that into operas. I liked the ‘Magic flute’ very much, partly because it wasn’t too difficult to follow the story line. My Dad dragged me to the opera a few times when I was a teenager. I never really understood what happened on stage.”
Lex chuckled. “Well, it certainly helps to read a summary, first. It took me some time to really learn to appreciate the genius of all those wonderful composers. But then, I did not have the money to go to the opera, when I was a teenager,” he added a little ruefully.
Lois just stared at him, realizing that he had let her get a short glimpse of his carefully protected past. But before she could dig any further, they had reached the checkroom where Lex went to fetch their coats. When he was back, the moment was gone. He helped Lois into her coat before he shrugged into his own.
“Are you hungry, Lois? I made reservations for the ‘La cullière’,” Lex said softly.
“The ‘La cullière’?” Lois exclaimed, taken aback at the mentioning of the restaurant that had three Michelin stars. “Isn’t that awfully expensive?” Lex just raised his brows mockingly. “Oh, right,” Lois muttered, slightly embarrassed and admitted. “Yeah, dinner would be nice.”
“Then let’s go.” Lex offered her his arm and Lois linked hers with his.
It was Lois’ second ride in the stretch limousine. One of Lex’ regular limousines had picked her up for the first interview. The limo they were sitting in now was even more comfortable than the first one, if that was even possible. The windows were tinted, barely allowing for light from the streets to come in. The sound absorption was excellent, effectively shutting out the city as soon as the chauffeur had closed the doors behind them. Lois knew that the quickest way from the opera to the gourmet restaurant led through darker parts of the city where people could only dream to make the amount of money in a year that Lex earned in a day. But it was easy to forget that among the soft leather seats and the quiet elegance of the car.
During the ride, Lois and Lex talked some more about the opera and the quality of the singers. Lex told her of other productions he had seen all around the world and raved about various composers in general and the Italian language in particular. Though Lois had difficulties joining into the conversation, she was amazed how knowledgeable Lex was. It seemed impossible to merge him with the monster Clark had made him out to be.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the usher already had seemed to be eagerly awaiting Lex and promptly showed them to their seats. A waiter appeared almost immediately, almost falling over himself to be helpful.
“I haven’t heard from Clark in a while,” Lex opened the conversation as soon as they had placed their respective orders and the waiter was gone. “I hope he is settling in well in his new job.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Lois said as non-committaly as she could.
She had not been prepared to talk about Clark. Taking a sip from the glass of water the waiter had poured them each, Lois tried to sort her thoughts. Had Lex invited her to ask her questions about Clark? She distinctly remembered that she had agreed to meet him to get the interview he had bilked her out of. Judging from the course of the evening up until now, it was not going to be easy to turn the tables on Lex. Perhaps it was time she got started. And this could be a good opportunity to learn more about Clark.
“Speaking of Clark, how do you know him?” she asked innocently and put her glass down.
“We first met during a lecture series I did after I was awarded business man of the year,” Lex explained. “He addressed one of his fellow students in flawless Japanese and talked about a rather complex topic. I have to admit, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, being multilingual is not a common feat in our society. It turned out Clark was also fluent in French, German and Italian. Besides, his beautiful girlfriend certainly helped to catch my attention.” Lex let out a soft chuckle.
“Is that what your argument was about? His girlfriend?” Lois prodded eagerly, realizing too late that she might have overstepped her boundaries. She bit her tongue, silently praying that the evening would not come to its premature end.
But Luthor did not seem to mind, he just shook his head. “No, Lana had nothing to do with it. I respected their relationship. After all, I owed Clark my life. Back then, I had an unhealthy thing for car races, I’m afraid,” he cleared his throat. “What I’m telling you is strictly off the record, of course.”
“Of course,” Lois nodded. Writing about Luthor’s involvement in illegal car races years ago was something she could let the tabloid papers handle.
“Someone tricked me, telling me about a race somewhere right in the middle of nowhere in Kansas. I was lucky Clark came by when he did,” Lex admitted. “I was mugged. They shot me and left me to die, when they didn’t find the amount of money they certainly had been hoping for.”
“That’s terrible,” Lois said sympathetically.
“Clark and I became friends. I tried to help him occasionally, but most of the time he insisted on making it on his own. I never really understood what drove the wedge between us,” Lex replied thoughtfully. “Or maybe I do, at least to some extent. Clark’s heart was broken and I seriously doubt that the wound ever healed completely. But that would be Clark’s story to tell. I don’t think he’ll ever be willing to reconcile if I went further into detail.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter serving their drinks. Lex raised his glass of wine in a toast when they were alone again.
“To a beautiful lady and a very nice evening,” he said.
“It’s a nice evening indeed,” Lois agreed and clinked her glass to his.
They both drank their wine and Lois savored the rich taste, while silently musing if a broken heart was really all that was going on between Clark and Lex. Though she did not know Clark all that well, he did not seem like the type to seek revenge at all cost. Lex had denied ever having been involved with Clark’s girlfriend. He might be lying, but Lois could not quite figure out why he would do that. After all, it would not be the first time two men fell in love with the same woman and turned from friends into enemies. Countless poets had written about exactly that.
“So, how did you make yourself a millionaire, starting from scratch? Is this the famous tale of the dishwasher in a shabby restaurant or did you somehow get by Scrooge McDuck’s number one dime?” Lois asked.
“Back to the interview, I see,” Lex chuckled.
“Well, it never hurts to try,” Lois quipped and took her napkin when the waiter appeared again with the first course.
to be continued...
