Winner Takes All
Folc4evernaday
Part 22
***
Lois glared at Mayson as she walked up to them, “What the hell is going on? My uncle gets attacked and all these cops are too busy stuffing their faces with doughnuts to realize what’s going on before it's too late…If it wasn’t for Superman…”
“Honey, calm down…” Clark said, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your uncle, Ms. Lane, but there’s not much I can really do. I’m already overbooked on these cases against the Skins…” Mayson argued. “I can only stop them when the police actually do their job…”
“What about them threatening Lois? Or Lucy? Or their mother?” Clark asked.
“When was this?” Mayson asked.
“It was when Superman tied them up. They were talking about me having weaknesses in my family. If they hurt Lois or anyone…I’ll…” Mike’s anger began to boil to an extreme high as he fought to control his emotions.
“Unfortunately, it’s your word against theirs, Mr. Lane,” Mayson argued.
“No, it's not! Superman was a witness. You can call him in..I want their asses nailed to the wall!” Lois argued angrily. “Why are you being so…so…CALM?”
Mayson glared at Lois a moment then looked around, noticing the looks she was getting from the officers. “Come upstairs with me.” She said quickly, motioning for them to follow. “Mr. Lane, I’ll have my assistant come down to get your statement; then you’ll be escorted home.”
“Thank you.” Mike nodded.
Lois and Clark followed Mayson upstairs to the DA’s office. Once they reached her office she closed the door behind them then locked it. “I can’t have you making outbursts like that, Ms. Lane. You could get yourself killed.”
“So, Lois’ life IS in danger?” Clark asked concerned.
“I don’t know.” Mayson acknowledged. “It could just be thugs talking trash or it could be a real threat. What I do know is this screams Intergang. Southside was supposed to burn down to a crisp. Every other business owner was killed except your Uncle. My guess is, the Skins were hired to finish the job.”
“So, what do we do?” Lois asked, concerned.
“Stay out of trouble?” Mayson suggested. “Intergang is a powerful organization and if they think you’re a threat then you will be targeted. Many journalists and investigators have been killed over the years.”
“How do you know so much about Intergang, Mayson?” Lois asked, eyes narrowing.
“I’m afraid that’s all I can help you with. I’m sorry I couldn’t’ be of more help.” Mayson replied briskly, opening the door for them.
Taking the hint, Lois and Clark left. “I don’t trust her,” Lois muttered. “Let’s find Lucy. I need to tell her about Mike.”
“Okay.” Clark nodded, following her down the hall.
“Lucy?” Lois asked, knocking on her sister’s door.
“Just a sec!” Lucy called. The door opened and Lucy gestured for them to come in. “Come on in, Lois. What’s up?”
“Did you hear about Uncle Mike?” Lois asked apprehensively.
“No.” Lucy said, “Why?’
“A bunch of thugs from the Skins jumped him earlier and tried to kill him,” Clark said, placing a protective arm around Lois. “They threatened you, Lois, and your mother’s lives as well.”
“What?” Lucy asked dumbstruck. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah.” Lois nodded. “He’s giving his statement right now.” She sat down next to her sister taking a shaky breath.
“Are you okay, sis? Is it the baby? Oh, my God! Do I need to call an ambulance??” Lucy asked, noticing the pale look in Lois’ eyes.
“I’m FINE, Lucy.” Lois glared at her. “I do have a bone to pick with you, though.” She said, wagging her finger in Lucy’s face. “Why did you call Mom and tell her I needed to tell her something?”
“Because you do…” Lucy said with a smile, patting the small bump on her sister’s abdomen as Lois tried to remove her hand from her abdomen. Lucy grinned when she saw the sparkle on her sister’s hand and teased, “What is this?” She grabbed Lois’ hand and brought it closer to her for inspection. “Did you forget to tell me something?”
Lois smiled, “I was going to call you this morning…but we were already running late…”
“Oh…I already knew. Jimmy told me last night ….along with everyone at the Charity Ball…I’m so happy for you…” Lucy said sighing, “When’s the wedding?”
Lois laughed, “Lucy, you are the third person to ask us that…”
“Let me guess, Jimmy was the first, right?”
“How’d you know?” Clark asked.
“He’s always impatient,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes. “You did good, Clark. Very nice.” She said, examining the ring on Lois’ hand more critically. “I always hate those people that think they have to do some extravagant thing for an engagement ring. I mean, it is just so unrealistic to have a gawky ring like that. This is perfect. Not too big; not too small. Perfect. Congratulations, sis. I’d keep him.” She joked.
Lois let out a light laugh, “You’re so funny.”
“I try.” Lucy grinned. “Guess who’s arguing her first case? Well, it’s an arraignment…” Lucy shrugged.
“Nice…” Lois nodded. “The case on the Skins?”
“Yeah. Mayson will be supervising. I’m a little nervous, but I’m so excited. I love the thrill of throwing the bad guys in the slammer where they belong. Justice, you know?” Lucy asked.
“Speaking of Mayson, what is up with her? She seems kinda standoffish…” Clark commented.
“Really? I don’t see it.” Lucy commented.
“Yeah, she made some really rude comments about Superman the other day that kinda caught me off guard,” Lois added.
“Who knows?” Lucy shrugged.
“Hey, Lucy, Mayson wanted you to consult on this new…” Lana stopped cold in her tracks when she saw Lois and Clark.
“Oh, Lana, hi. This is my sister, Lois Lane and her fiancé, Clark Kent. They work at the Daily Planet. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.” Lucy said, introducing them. “Lois, Clark, this is Lana Lang. She just started here.”
“We’ve met,” Lois said coldly, narrowing her eyes at Lana.
Lucy noticed the chill in the air. “Am I missing something here?”
“Oh, it's nothing Lucy. Your sister’s just threatened by me.” Lana added sweetly.
Clark rolled his eyes. “Threatened?” Lois scoffed. “Get real!”
“Oh, come on! You seriously want me to believe you act like that in public all the time?” Lana sneered.
“If you’re talking about them not being able to keep their hands off one another then …yeah…believe it. I’m a witness to it.” Lucy interjected.
Lana rolled her eyes, “Well, I’ll be seeing you around.” Lana said, dropping the files on Lucy’s desk and left.
“You’re working with HER?” Lois asked aghast.
“Yeah….You know it's weird. They don’t really ask the new employees if they’ve had any past relationships with current employees’ relatives. They should really add that question on the application, huh?” Lucy asked sarcastically.
Lois glared at her. “Be careful, Lucy.”
“Lana has a very strong vindictive streak. She nearly ruined one of my good friends’ reputation a few years back.” Clark added.
Lucy sighed, “Whatever. She seems nice enough to me.” She shrugged.
***
“She’s up to something. It is no coincidence that your ex-girlfriend just happened to get a job at the same place my sister works.” Lois said grumpily as she pounded on the call button for the elevator in the Daily Planet lobby.
“I don’t know. It could just be a coincidence, Lois.” Clark reasoned.
“Give me a break!” Lois scoffed, stepping into the elevator car. “And don’t think I didn’t see the way she kept sizing you up…” Clark leaned in to capture her mouth, ending her tirade as the elevator doors.
“I think that’s enough of that.” He murmured against her lips.
“But…”
He leaned in to kiss her once more. “No ‘buts.’” He whispered.
“You don’t play fair.” She murmured against his lips. “How long until we can go home?” She asked.
Clark glanced at his watch. “Assuming Perry doesn’t make us work late for coming in late…two hours.”
DING
The elevator doors opened and he tugged at her arms lightly, guiding her out of the elevator car. They arrived at her desk and found a mysterious package marked in black ink: ‘LOIS LANE: SPECIAL REGARDS…THANK YOUR UNCLE MIKE. BOOM!’
“Oh, my God!” Lois stepped back from her desk.
“I’m gonna get the police,” Clark said, dashing towards the nearest stairwell to change. At super-speed, he moved through the newsroom to get rid of the package. Once he was in the air he found the package exploding in his hands. He moved higher and higher to assure himself the explosion wouldn’t affect anyone around him. After assuring himself the bomb had been disposed of he returned to the newsroom to address the broken glass window he had broken in his haste to get rid of the bomb.
“Is everyone all right?” He asked, looking around.
“Superman!” Jimmy beamed, looking at Clark in awe.
“Superman, what happened?” Perry asked, coming out of his office to discover what the commotion had been about.
“Mr. White, an unmarked package was left on Ms. Lane’s desk….” He explained, showing Perry the remnants of the explosive device.
“Lois, are you all right?” Perry asked, concerned.
“I’m fine Perry,” Lois said nervously.
“I think until whoever’s behind this is caught you should double check the employees that come on this floor,” Clark said sternly. “I’m going to take this to Inspector Henderson. He should know what to do with it.” With that, he left to head over to the police station.
Jimmy looked around the room, “Where’s CK?”
“Oh, he …uh, went to get the police. We had a bit of a break in the story. He’s probably at the police station..” Lois stammered. Perry and Jimmy just looked at her dubiously. “Don’t just stand there. Move! I have work to do.” She huffed, pushing past them.
***
“You say this was on Lois’ desk?” Henderson asked, looking skeptically at the burnt explosive device Superman had laid in front of him.
“Yes. I barely got to it in time before it exploded.” Clark said as he paced around the Inspector’s office. “Inspector, these people are dangerous. They nearly killed my fian….FRIEND.”
“I understand that Superman, but like I’ve told Lois and Clark; until I can get some REAL officers on this force I’m stuck with dead weights that refuse to do their job.” Henderson sighed when he noticed the superhero’s disconcerting look. “Listen, I’ll do a drive by Lane and Kent’s apartments. I’ll keep an eye on them. I know she’s your friend. I promise I’ll do everything I can to protect her.”
“Thanks, Inspector that mean a lot…” He stopped.
“Superman!” The sound of a male voice with a Brooklyn accent reached his ears.
“Superman?” Henderson asked, noticing the superhero’s attention was elsewhere.
“I'm contacting you on a hypersonic frequency that only you and a few bats can hear. I don’t know where you spend your off hours, but if I were you, I’d be at the Arboretum, east gate, inside of three minutes…or someone is going to die.”
“No…” He whispered before jetting off into the air, leaving a very confused Inspector Henderson behind.
***
Clark landed in front of a bench where a swarmy looking man sat with what looked like a small tape recorder in his hands. “Hey, there.” He smiled, looking up at Clark. Clark moved to approach him, “Martin Snell, good to meet you.” He waved the tape recorder looking device in his hand. “Some little piece of equipment…” He pressed a button and spoke into it, “Superman, let’s talk.” Clark heard the echo of it in his head. “Neat, huh?”
Tired of the man’s games, he grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up. “If this is your idea of a joke, you’re going to need a lawyer.”
“No, I won’t. Because A, I am a lawyer. And B, this is no joke. I’ll even give you the name of the person who’s going to die. I think you know her…Lois Lane?” Clark glared at him, tightening his grip on Martin Snell’s neck.
“If you so much as touch a hair on her head I’ll…”
Martin smiled, looking at his watch. “Well, then you’d better hurry. I’d say she’s got about, ohhhh, ten seconds? Think you can get there in time?”
He dropped Snell against the bench and ricocheted in the air towards the Daily Planet. For the second time that day, he crashed through the Daily Planet windows. “Oh, man!” The window installer yelled when glass flew everywhere.
***
Without a second thought, he flew through the newsroom, scooping Lois into his arms as he flew her out of the newsroom. “Clark, what…?” Lois stammered, looking down at the shrinking city below. “Clark?” He wasn’t listening. He watched with his enhanced vision as a missile headed towards them. He grabbed it at super-speed, stopping it in it’s tracks. “Clark, what’s going on here?” Lois asked.
Clark winced as he crushed the missile. “Paint…” He muttered. “I’ll explain later.” He said, flying her back down to the newsroom. They landed in the newsroom in time for Clark to see another missile headed towards Jimmy. He lunged for it, intercepting it before it hit his young friend.
“What the…?” Jimmy asked.
Clark broke it in half. “More paint.” He muttered grimly.
“HEY!!” Ralph screamed across the newsroom when a missile hit him in the chest, splattering yellow paint all over his chest. Lois had to suppress a laugh.
“What’s going on?” Lois asked.
“Somebody’s idea of a sick joke,” Clark said grimly. “Don’t worry. They won’t bother you again.” With that, he flew out of the newsroom leaving a very confused Planet staff behind.
“This is silk!” Ralphs cried out, trying to get the paint off his shirt.
***
Back at the arboretum, Snell was still sitting on the bench, waiting patiently. Clark zoomed down at super-speed, landing in front of him. Without a second thought, he grabbed Snell by the neck and hoisted him up, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t take you downtown right now!”
“Easy…easy…I just wanted to get your attention, Big Guy.” Snell wheezed out. Clark threw him against the bench.
“Well, you got it! If you ever come near her again I’ll…”
Snell laughed, “Whoa! You get that look on your face you remind me of a few judges I know.” Clark crossed his arms over his chest, giving Snell his best stare down, “Okay, cut to the chase: like everybody else on Earth, you’ve got me dazzled. I’m a big fan—numero uno. So, I don’t want you to stop being the Man of Steel. It’s a beautiful thing, it gives us all hope. But what my partners and I want is for you to stay out of our business.”
“I don’t take orders!” Clark glared.
Snell shrugged, “Fine. Call it a suggestion. A very strong suggestion.” Snell took on a sinister tone, “Face it; you got your little red shorts caught in a bad combo of high-tech and close friends. Even you can’t be two places at once, but our bullets can. So, where does that leave us?”
Clark grabbed him by the arm, “Let’s ask the DA.”
Snell nodded, “Sure, you could take me in, you’re Superman and I’m just a guy from Paramus. But do that and two things happen—A, someone you care about dies…” He pulled his arm free, “…and B, my replacement steps in. Now, you don’t want ‘A’ and I don’t want ‘B’ so I think what we need is a little attitude adjustment. By that I mean, be the best Superman you can be. Street crime? Wipe it out. Terrorists? Kick their butts. Carjackers? Hey, I drive a Ferrari myself, put those guys in orbit….But you stay out of the Southside. I don’t care if it’s a cat chasing a mouse, you flash cape in that part of town, you’re looking for an all-expenses-paid education in bereavement. Are we clear?”
“On one thing. This is not over.” Clark hissed before flying into the air once more.
***
TBC...
