Sorry it's late but I was attacked by RL
----------------------------------------
TOC----------------------------------------
Another heart attack victim with blotches on the skin over his heart. This time it was a fifty-five year-old general contractor. Again the medical examiner had no idea what caused the blotches or what caused the ischemia that fatally damaged his heart.
According to Alexa's sources, the MPD was still looking for Jefferson Cole and Avery Wolcott. Unfortunately, Metropolis was a very large city with lots of places that were perfect hideouts for people who didn’t want to be found.
Then came a call from Bernie Klein at S.T.A.R. Labs: "We've just had a security breach here. I'd appreciate it if you could let Superman and Supergirl know I need to talk to them."
Bernie Klein was waiting in the lobby with S.T.A.R. Labs' senior administrator Katherine Faulkner and a man neither Lane nor Alexa had met before. Faulkner introduced him as Timo Virtanen, their new head of security.
"The message we received indicated you've had a security problem?" Supergirl said.
Faulkner clipped guest badges to their suits and beckoned them to follow her into her office just off the lobby.
"It's a complicated issue," Faulkner began once the door to the lobby was closed and locked. "Over the past few months we've been upgrading our security systems, sequestering various computer systems, taking out back doors to our systems that some of our employees put in." She gave Klein a sour look before continuing. "We've also added some very stringent biometric verification methods and a personnel locator system. The personnel locator system is not common knowledge and we'd rather it stayed that way."
She nodded to Klein who began to speak. "This morning, one of my associates came into my office to talk about a project he'd been working on. The discussion became rather heated – I'd gotten promoted over him and we all know he wasn't happy about that…"
"He wasn't qualified," Faulkner stated.
Klein shrugged. "In any case, he started defending Jefferson Cole. In fact he was sounding a bit unhinged, claiming that 'Visionaries should be exempt from the laws of lesser mortals.'"
Supergirl rolled her eyes. "To quote a cop I know, 'Why is it all the squirrels think
Nietzsche was talking about
them?'"
Klein managed a chuckle then continued. "When he left my office, I got a little concerned. I went to
his lab and his assistant claimed he hadn't come in yet. I notified security and their records showed that he hadn't checked into the building."
"And you're thinking somebody was impersonating him?" Supergirl asked.
"We're thinking Wolcott got his image projector working with a few more refinements than were in his original proposal," Faulkner said. "Doctor Klein says he saw Doctor Bains and interacted with him, however the hallway cameras didn't catch Bains anywhere in the facility."
"The problem as we see it is this," Klein said, "How was Wolcott, or whoever he's working with, able to see and hear me in order to have the image respond appropriately to what I said and did? And if Wolcott's device could see and hear me, what else has it seen and where else has it been used?"
Alexa heard a high-pitched whistle and saw Superman frown as the door to the lobby opened and a young woman stuck her head in. "There's a radio report... a giant meteor is about to hit London at any moment..." The young woman shut the door even though Superman was already moving toward her. The whistle stopped.
"It
could be real," Superman said as he opened the door and hurried out. The sonic boom of his departure shook the building.
Supergirl turned to face east and peered out through the building to catch sight of the meteorite.
"That door was locked and London's below the horizon," Faulkner said.
"But the meteorite, if it's real, shouldn't be otherwise London would already be gone," Supergirl said as she scanned the air above London. "There's no heat trail. I should see atmospheric effects…"
[It was an illusion,] she heard Superman say. [I took care of the local transmitter but London's a mess from the panic.]
"We know the girl was faked so there's got to be a transmitter/receiver somewhere in this building," Supergirl said. "It's probably patched into an outside phone line. When the transmitter is on it squeals at about 50,000 hertz. I also figure it's either got a mobile camera and microphone or your security system has audio surveillance along with the video and Wolcott's managed to tap into it."
"We do not have audio surveillance," Virtanen said simply.
Supergirl stood still and motioned for the others to stay still as well. She listened for the tell-tale squeal of the transmitter signal. Finally she found the nearest source – very faint but close. Faster than the human eye could detect Supergirl grabbed the pen holder from Faulkner's desk and used it to snag the miniature camera from the air, trapping it inside the mesh cup as she put the cup upside-down on the desk.
Faulkner and Klein peered at what she'd caught. It was the size of a large fly but no natural fly had eyes like this one.
"Amazing," Klein murmured. "Pity Cole was so unstable. This is incredible…"
Faulkner swept the 'fly' into a box, closed the lid and handed the box to Virtanen. "Get this locked up in a secure place," she ordered. "And then find someone to help you locate the tap that's feeding it."
"I believe it's on the main phone trunk into the building," Supergirl said. "But that may not be the only one."
Virtanen nodded acknowledgement and walked out through the door to the rest of the facility after keying in his pass code.
"I think your people would have caught the 'bug' once you actually started looking for it," Supergirl stated. "So, why would Cole choose Bains to impersonate?"
She caught the almost guilty look that passed between Klein and Faulkner.
"Bains was working on a DOD project, one that Cole was involved in before. It was called Project K, for kryptonite. Bains had discovered that kryptonite could be alloyed in such a way that it becomes deadly to humans," Faulkner said. "Project K is in the process of being mothballed for a number of reasons, not least of which was that Bains was not able to devise a way to deliver his poison to a mass target and that's what DOD wanted – a potent, non-biological, non-chemical, non-nuclear, weapon of mass destruction specific to humans."
"How deadly is this alloy to Kryptonians?" Supergirl asked.
"We don't know," Klein said. "We only know how deadly it is to humans because Cole accidentally exposed one of Bains' lab assistants to a microscopic particle of it and she was dead within minutes."
"Do you think Bains could be working with Cole?"
Klein thought about the question for a long moment. "I suspect if he was, Cole wouldn’t have needed to send in his fake Bains. But I've little doubt that Cole is after Bains' research and the kryptonite alloy."
"Call Mister Virtanen. I have an idea…" Supergirl said.
-o-o-o-
Alexa stifled a smile as she collected forms from the people standing in line in front of Klein's desk and handed them to him for his initials while he was on the phone with
someone. "No, I
haven't looked at the vacation schedules..." he was saying, "Do you understand I am a
scientist? …What? No I haven't thought about the Christmas party..."
Alexa was wearing lab coat over her street clothes. Her hair was in a severe bun and she was wearing thick glasses. Her S.T.A.R. Labs name tag identified her as Helga Swenson.
The door to Klein's office was open and Superman strode into the room.
Klein waved him in as he hung up the phone. "Superman. Take it from me, don't ever become an administrator. My life is a living hell."
"Hi ho, Dr. Klein," Superman said. The squeal was back. Alexa extended her senses. Superman was an image with no heat signature, no heartbeat.
"'Hi ho?'" Klein repeated.
"Oh, Superman," Alexa gushed, putting on her best imitation of a fangirl. "You're here… I mean you're really here. I've been
so looking forward to meeting you…"
"I am here on a matter of urgent national security," Superman told Klein. "A terrorist cell has become aware of Project K."
"
You know about Project K?" Klein asked. He sounded nervous and a touch amazed. The other people in the room simply looked mystified.
"You know I have the highest security clearance," Superman stated. "Otherwise I couldn't even be in this room. The Defense Department wants the Hybrid Kryptonite moved to safe storage until extra security can be installed here."
Klein looked worried. "Superman, you know it's deadly stuff. I uh, suppose you have written orders...
"Of course. Now if you'll fetch the Hybrid Kryptonite, I will instruct you where to take it."
"You see what I mean, Superman?" Klein complained. "If I weren't New Projects Chief, I wouldn't be stuck doing this..."
"Yes, Dr. Klein, I see what you mean..."
Klein went to his safe and brought out a heavy box.
"... You obviously weren't ready for the promotion," Superman added. He made no move to take the box from Klein.
"Well, that's a little rude..." Klein commented.
Superman shrugged. "Hey, if the shoe fits..."
Alexa watched as Klein left with the faux Superman. [They're leaving,] she sent to the real Superman. The next part was up to him.
-o-o-o-
Loq-El followed Klein at a discrete distance as the scientist drove out to an abandoned warehouse north of the city. 'Superman' was seated in the passenger seat giving directions. Klein handed the box over to a man in an overcoat. The man's face was hidden by a pulled up coat collar and a wide brimmed hat, but he did hand Klein a receipt for the box. Then 'Superman' appeared to take to the air and vanished.
Klein drove back to the city while Loq-El followed the box.
The man drove into the city, to an old church in the south part of Midtown not far from PP-One and the courthouse. The church was closed for renovations but Superman spotted a Jefferson Cole in the bell tower along with some electronic equipment. The man in the overcoat made his way up to where Cole was waiting.
Superman watched as Cole put on a breathing mask, opened the box and poured the green dust-like contents into a container that was connected to a series of tiny spray valves installed around the exterior of the church. Once the box was empty, he sealed the container. "Memo to self! Kudos are in order! I could win a Nobel Prize. If they ever add that 'atrocities' category," Cole said into a voice recorder.
He turned to the other man. Loq-El guessed he was the missing Avery Wolcott. "It's so simple," Cole said excitedly. "The kryptonite is broken down into sub-molecular particles, which are ionized with the larger water molecules and then blasted into the atmosphere like a turbo-charged aerosol... And they were worried about ozone!"
Cole flipped a switch and a blue-green mist began to spray out into the air.
-o-o-o-
"Where have you been?" Perry demanded when he caught sight of Alexa coming into the newsroom.
"Over at S.T.A.R. Labs."
"Well, there was a news bulletin on GNN..." Perry stated. "An anonymous source is saying most of Metropolis will die in exactly fifteen minutes. And that survivors, if any, can thank Superman and Dr. Bernard Klein for their misery."
"And GNN fell for that?" Alexa asked, looking around at the people sealing window edges with duct tape.
"You mean it's a hoax?"
"I mean, it's being handled," she said.
"Eyewitnesses say Superman and Klein took this hybrid stuff from the vault in S.T.A.R. Labs and delivered it to some terrorist group!" Perry said.
"That 'terrorist group' was really Jefferson Cole out for revenge against Klein. And not everything is exactly as it seems, Chief."
-o-o-o-
"They're not dying!" Cole screamed. "Why aren't they dying?"
"Because the Hybrid Kryptonite had already been moved out of the small vault and replaced with something non-toxic," Superman said, floating outside of the tower. The Special Crimes Unit was already deploying around the church. "You were spraying phosphorescent dust. Nothing more," he added.
"You...
freak! You're just like the other one! Why can't you ditch the goofy outfit and get a
job?" Cole screamed as the SCU team entered the tower to take him into custody.
-o-o-o-
"So, between all the stuff the police found in Cole's hideout, Cole's voice memos, and Wolcott's written notes, it looks like there's more than enough evidence to put Cole and Wolcott away for the rest of their lives, if not longer," Perry said the next morning at work. "The acting D.A. has dropped all charges against yours truly and apparently that Danko woman has cut a deal to testify against Cole and Wolcott in trade for the D.A. dropping all charges against her for evidence tampering and perjury."
"Congratulations, Chief," Lane said with a grin.
"And I can move back into my apartment and get out of you guys' hair," Perry added. "I know that babysitting your old boss here was crimping your style."
"Not at all, Chief," Alexa protested mildly.
"Sure…" Perry drawled. He looked around his domain. "Lovella, how does Coles' arrest affect what's going on with Clemmons?"
"Still working on it, sir," Lee answered.
He turned back to Lane and Alexa. "So, what are you working on now?"
"Another heart attack death," Alexa answered. "Same mysterious marks on the skin only this time it's a retired cop turned security advisor. No apparent links between him and the previous two deaths with the same markings. CDC isn't ruling out a new poison or even a rare virus they've never seen before. But poison would imply a poisoner and a virus would imply a possible contagion source. I'm still looking, though."
"And you?" he asked Lane.
"Grant Gendell's lawyer hasn't turned down my application for an interview with his client,
yet, so I'm still hopeful," Lane said with a grimace. "This is
after Gendell's lawyer contacted me and Alexa about Gendell coming out of hiding."
"I suspect Alexa would have a better chance at him than you would," Perry said. "Rumor has it he liked them young and pretty before he locked himself away from everything."
"Don't look at me," Alexa warned. "Everything I've pulled up on the man says he may not be the criminal mastermind that Luthor was, but you wouldn't want to work for him or his companies. At least Luthor didn't have employees collecting donations to hire a hitman."
"That was only a rumor," Lane stated. "The police never found any evidence to support it."
"But still, the fact that there
was a rumor and so many people believe it even now… makes you wonder," Alexa said. "Plus his companies still get bad press from closing stores and factories in depressed communities because he allegedly didn't like the new governor or mayor or new state environmental laws, firing employees who dared to take sick leave or family leave or got injured on the job, having managers move across the country on their own dime and then firing them after three months, and firing high level employees on trumped up causes only months away from retirement. No, I'm afraid I would not be a good candidate for conducting an interview with the man. I'd end up treating him like the villain I suspect he is. I mean, there's a reason he's been sued so many times."
"He's rich. That'd make him a target for every squirrel with a lawyer," Lane said.
"You're saying every single suit against him and his companies was filed by a nut case?"
"Maybe not
every suit against him," Lane said. "I'm sure the government agencies had some basis for suing Gendell Industries..."
"Over a thousand law suits against Gendell Industries by government agencies," Alexa reminded him. "G.I. pays the fines and then the companies go back to business as usual. At least Luthor made a show of cleaning up the problem so there wouldn't be a repeat."
"You're saying Luthor was a more reputable businessman than Grant Gendell?" Lane asked.
"No, I'm saying that Gendell may well be as bad as Luthor but not nearly as good at hiding the fact. Of course, there's the possibility that Gendell lost control of G.I. when he went into hiding, in which case it's long past time he came back and took care of business."
-o-o-o-
Lane and Alexa agreed to not discuss the matter of Grant Gendell and Gendell Industries.
"So, who are these people you met and we're having dinner with?" Lane asked as they walked down Luciano's Restaurant.
"Bob and Carol Stafford," Alexa said. "I met them at Vintage Books over in Racine, struck up a conversation with them about Machiavelli and Medicis. They're new in town and they're Lois and Clark's age, so I figured what the heck, we have to look for friends
somewhere."
Lane shook his head. "I don't know why we're even bothering. I just know we're gonna hate them and…"
"Hiiii," Alexa interrupted, suddenly beaming at the couple standing in front of the restaurant.
Lane pasted a smile on his face. Alexa had been right. The couple looked to be their early thirties. The man was dark haired and wearing glasses. The woman was dark blonde with understated makeup. Both were nicely, but not expensively, dressed.
Dinner went surprisingly well. Bob was a doctor. Carol was a chemist by trade.
"We know some people at S.T.A.R. Labs if you're looking for a position," Alexa said.
"No, I'm taking some time off on this move. Bob's work takes us all over, a year or so here, a year or so there," Carol said.
"Must be hard, almost like being in the military," Lane observed.
"Well, I admit, it's not a fun as it used to be," Carol said. "We're really hoping we can settle down in Metropolis."
"So, what do you two do for fun around here, besides hang out in dusty old bookstores?" Bob asked.
"I hear there's a great rave scene in Metropolis," Carol added.
"We haven't tried that yet," Alexa admitted. "But we do know some places with good jazz bands. We have season tickets for the Generals at Metropolis Gardens if you like basketball. Charlie Hill looks like he's off to a really good season. And the Mammoths are always good. You know they won the Stanley Cup last year…"
"The Metropolis Symphony has had a very good season with their new conductor. The Morpheus Theatre has some interesting stuff coming up," Lane added. "Judith Wilson's one woman show is opening next week. It got great reviews in Gotham and National City. And you should see her spoof of 'Ironic'."
"I thought 'Ironic'
was a spoof," Alexa said. "I mean, it's the weirdest song."
"I know, I know..." Bob interjected. "We like it, but..."
"But, I'm sorry…" Carol added, "A fly in your chardonnay is not ironic."
"Making thirty million dollars on a song called 'Ironic' that isn't even about irony…" Lane chimed in.
"
That's ironic," they all said together, laughing.
Lane checked his phone again.
"Lane, you promised…" Alexa chided.
"I... don't usually keep one of these in sight at all times..." Lane said apologetically.
"Expecting an important call?" Carol asked.
"I'm trying to land an interview with Grant Gendell. I'm waiting to hear. Sorry," Lane explained.
Carol's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? If the richest man on the Eastern Seaboard were calling me, I'd be checking my phone, too."
"Well, it's just his lawyer..." Lane said with a shrug.
"How'd you ever score an interview with Grant Gendell?" Bob asked, sounding impressed. "No one's even seen the guy in what, twenty…"
"…twenty-three years," Lane said. "But I don't have the interview yet, just a shot at it."
"The Planet ran the Lois Lane's article defending Gendell when he got hit with his two thousandth lawsuit a couple years ago," Alexa explained. "So apparently Gendell decided to give the Planet first shot at reintroducing him to the world."
"A rich guy like that'd be a target for every wacko with a lawyer," Carol said.
"That's what
I've been saying," Lane said. "I think that's what drove him into hiding in the first place. But now he wants to come out. Anyway, blah blah blah, let's talk dessert."
"Then let's talk chocolate," Carol stated with a grin.
"My thought exactly," Lane agreed.
-o-o-o-
"So? How do you think it went?"Alexa asked as she and Lane headed home.
"They seemed nice," Lane said.
"But..."
"But.... I suspect we're sending out some weird signals. You're talking sports to Bob and I'm talking Arts and Entertainment to Carol. They're probably figuring we're both gay or something."
"In a very real sense we are," Alexa said. "I still notice women's legs and stuff like I did as a guy. And except for you, I don't find guys sexually appealing. The guys over in Sports have finally gotten it through their skulls that when I come over to chat, it's not because I'm interested in their manly charms. Well, Lombard hasn't figured it out, but he's a moron."
"I never did hang out in other departments much," Lane said. "Although I admit that Joel is a hoot sometimes. He's talking about a photo essay about Thanksgiving and wants to know what
we're doing for the holiday."
"We need to coordinate that with M… Aunt Martha and 'Aunt' Ellen. But back to Bob and Carol… really, how do you think it went tonight?"
"I don't know," Lane admitted. "They seemed nice but frankly, it feels a little weird for them want to be hanging out with us. It would be like Lois and Clark hanging out with Jimmy and whoever he's dating this week."
"Aurora," Alexa said. "This week it's Aurora of the black lipstick."
"Still I could be over-reacting," Lane said with a shrug. "Everything in stages. Right now we're in Possible Friendship, Stage One; next comes Stage Two…"
They both heard the sirens – a fire over on East Third – and hurried into the nearest alley.
"No such thing as a weekend off for us," Lane said. He spun into his suit. "Meet you back home?"
"Unless something else comes up. Be careful," Alexa said, giving him a quick kiss. He was off.
-o-o-o-
The fire was a small one, an unattended mini-fryer over heated. The owner had actually put the fire out but one of the neighbors had called the fire department due to the smoke.
It would have been a non-event except that it gave a good opportunity for a public safety article on the dangers of leaving deep-fat fryers and hot stove tops unattended.
Lane had to fight to keep interested in Jimmy's weekend adventure with Aurora, the Gothic poster child for urban angst.
"So then Aurora pulls me into this maintenance duct for the subway, and we walk past all these rats and broken glass, and just when you think you're about to meet the Mole People, there's a rave. A real party going on right there in the subway tunnels!" Jimmy went on.
"The children of the night, what beautiful music they make, y'know?" Aurora whispered throatily.
"You guys wanna come with us tonight?" Jimmy asked brightly. He turned to Alexa. "We're doin' a sewer. Whaddaya say, C.K.?"
Alexa gave Jimmy a puzzled look. "Jimmy, why have you been calling me C.K.?"
"I… it's just seems to fit you better than 'Alexa' or 'A.P.A', or whatever. And… well, when I was so sick from what Doodsen did, I saw Clark, only it was you," Jimmy said worriedly.
"Jimmy, you were dreaming," Alexa said gently.
"It seemed awfully real," Jimmy said. "And sometimes, when I listen to you, I hear
him. It's weird, I know… But when I call you that, I feel like maybe he's not really gone."
"Jimmy, the people we love are never truly gone because we carry part of them in our hearts," Alexa said keeping her voice low. "And I miss him, too. But my initials are not C.K."
Jimmy glanced at Aurora who was looking bored. "You don't really want to go tunnel crawling with us, do you?" he asked quietly.
Alexa shook her head. "The Generals are in town tonight, but I rather doubt Aurora would want to go to a basketball game. And she doesn't strike me as the cool jazz type."
"Honey," Lane called out. "Bob and Carol have invited us over tonight for coffee and dessert and fabric swatches."
"I thought we were in cautious Stage One..." Alexa said.
"Carol promised homemade chocolate éclairs."
Perry stuck his head out of his office. "Alexa, that series of deaths you've been following... the weird patches on the bodies? Just got a report of another one over on Kelton Drive. Might want to hustle."
-o-o-o-
The M.E.'s people were preparing to put the body in the back of their van for transport.
"May I see the body, please?" Alexa asked as two MPD officers moved to block her path. A familiar looking man in a gray suit stepped forward.
"Alexander, isn't it?" The man asked. "Let her through."
"Agent Rawlins, isn’t it? What's the NIA doing here?" Alexa asked.
"Mysterious deaths…" Rawlins said, opening the body bag. The victim had torn his shirt open as he died and his chest was mottled with dark patches. "… in healthy individuals, leaving these marks around the heart."
"Have I uncovered some secret plot?" Alexa asked.
"Maybe." Rawlins zipped up the bag and signaled for the M.E.s people to finish loading it.
"I thought it might be some kind of new virus..." Alexa said.
Rawlins paused as if considering his next words. "What I'm about to tell you is off the record, for now."
"Okay."
"Normally, we could handle this ourselves but... you see anybody standing next to me?"
Alexa shook her head.
"That's because there isn't anybody. They fired my partner. They fired
everybody's partner. Took away my car with all the cool stuff in it. Had an ejection seat, you know. A real one."
"I'm sorry about that, Agent Rawlins."
"Pete, please," Rawlins said. He grimaced. "Budget cuts. Anyway, there's been a series of deaths in town, all with striking similarities. We think they're the work of an assassin. Code named 'Deathstroke'. He always leaves these marks and signs of an apparent heart attack."
He paused as Alexa took notes. "He's said to be a male, possibly wears some sort of jumpsuit, possibly works with a female accomplice, settles down in a big city and makes a home before the kill. Word is, his next mission's not for money. It's for revenge."
"So if he's known to settle and make a base, you should…" Alexa started.
"I already made a list of all new residents… but with no partner, my staff laid off and my cool car…" His voice had turned bitter. He stopped, composed himself and continued. "Anyway, if you dig up anything let me know. I'll do the same and…"
"… I'll ask Superman and Supergirl to keep an eye out."
"Thanks, Alexander."
-o-o-o-
Lane's phone rang and he picked up. "Mister Alexander, I'm afraid you won't be hearing from Grant Gendell's lawyer today… … because this is Grant Gendell."
Lane stifled a cheer – he'd almost lost hope of hearing from Gendell. "Mr. Gendell. Hello. Thank you for calling."
"So. What do you think of trying to write something that makes me look halfway human to the world?"
"I guess that all depends. Are you?" Lane asked.
"That's what I like about you, Mister Alexander. You're a lot like Miss Lane was. All grit and no bull. People trusted her. I think they trust you too. You write something good about me, people'll buy."
"I don't write puff pieces," Lane warned. "I'm going to ask a lot of questions you might not like."
"It's not the questions I'm afraid of, Mister Alexander. It's whether or not I can trust the person asking them. You'll be checked out thoroughly... and if I smell something I don't like, you'll never see me." Gendell hung up before Lane could respond.
Lane's heart sank. Gendell wasn't going to be happy when the background check came back with the fact that Lane and Alexa hadn't even existed prior to Lex Luthor's death.
-o-o-o-
"You actually talked to him? Grant Gendell?!" Carol asked later that evening.
Lane and Alexa were going over fabric and paint swatches with Bob and Carol in the Stafford's living room in an older loft near the waterfront.
"Yep," Lane responded. He wasn't going to mention the likelihood was that the interview with Gendell would never happen.
"Think he really wears Kleenex boxes for shoes and eats cold soup from a can?" Bob asked.
"I don't know, I've heard all the same stories you have," Lane said. "Something kind of charming about him, though. And I get the sense he wants to come out of hiding for a specific reason."
"Any idea what it is?" Carol asked.
Lane shrugged and went back to the swatches, picking out one. "This is the one Joel and Francine picked out for us for the roman shades. We went with a nubby silk."
"You're kidding," Carol said. "That was my thought, too."
Alexa looked around the room. "I don't know what you were so worried about, Carol. This place looks great."
"I just think you have to feel at home when you're, well, at home. Especially when you have a husband who's always rushing out to save the world," Carol said, grinning at Bob.
"You knew I was a doctor when we got married," Bob said, returning the grin.
Bob's cell phone chirped. He answered then grimaced. "Battery's gone again. Lane, could I borrow your phone to return this call? Our main phone isn't hooked up yet."
Lane pulled out his phone and handed it to Bob who tapped in a phone number. As Bob spoke to whoever was on the other end of the call, he wandered away into the kitchen.
After a few minutes he returned. "That's some serious phone there," he commented.
"WayneTech prototype," Lane said. "Waterproof, shock-resistant, high capacity fast recharge battery, password and biometrically protected data. It should hit the market next year."
"How do you rate a WayneTech prototype phone?" Carol asked.
"They designed and installed the security system in our building. One of their guys figured we'd be good testers for it," Alexa said. "It's not like we know Bruce Wayne." Alexa's expression turned thoughtful. "Bob, you're a doctor. Remember that guy I was telling you about? The one with the weird marks around his heart? No one in the M.E.'s office knows what they are. Any theories?"
"Sounds like some kind of clotting," Bob said.
"But let's say, just theoretically, that this was murder," Alexa said.
"Murder?" Carol asked.
Alexa shrugged. "The death fits a pattern of a number of other mysterious deaths."
"You got any idea why somebody'd be killing all these people?" Bob asked.
"Not a clue," Alexa admitted.
"
The People V. Lois Lane" written by Grant Rosenberg
"
Dead Lois Walking" was written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming
"
Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark" was written by Brian Nelson
