When Churches Come Crashing Down
Folc4evernaday
Part 45
***
Lois and Clark walked through the Daily Planet lobby carefully as they headed towards the stairs to walk up to the newsroom. Thankfully the only thing that had been destroyed at the Planet was the glass pane doors from a car crashing through earlier. The maintenance crew was already at work fixing it, but the elevators had been shut off as a preventative caution.
“So, the effects were temporary?” Lois asked as they climbed the stairs.
“Yeah, apparently this transfer they did only temporarily gave Mindy powers,” Clark explained.
“Well, we can all be grateful for that.” Lois reasoned, “She’s only had them less than 24 hours and look what all she’s done to this city.”
“I know,” Clark sighed, “I’m sure things will get cleaned up soon, but I just can’t believe how much she destroyed.”
Lois patted his shoulder softly and smiled, “I’m sure things will get back to normal soon.”
***
“And another one bites the dust,” Lex mused as he pushed Nigel St. John’s limp body over the harbor. He had the Kryptonite, the gun, and now he had a plan as well. Every person that had been implemental in destroying him and his former life he would destroy. At the top of the list were two meddlesome reporters for the Daily Planet.
***
“I’m not sure I understand,” Mayson said, tapping her pen against her notebook. “You’re saying you know who is behind all of this, but you won’t give me a name. You want immunity, but you won’t give me anything to go to the DA with. What am I supposed to do with this?”
Miranda smiled at her, “You’ll have to trust me, Ms. Drake.”
***
Jimmy was the first to greet Lois and Clark as they entered the newsroom. “That staircase’ll give you quite a workout, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess I don’t need a visit to the gym today,” Lois said wryly.
“Guess what I got?” Jimmy asked, walking with them to their desks.
“I don’t know,” Lois said. She wasn’t in the mood for games. They had way too much to deal with. The business with Clark’s identity being leaked all over the media still had to be dealt with. Then there was Lex Luthor who had been masquerading as James Turner for the past year, and now they had to deal with Mindy Church and how she’d gotten superpowers to destroy the city.
“Ta-da!” Jimmy showed them the front page of the morning’s edition to the Daily Planet.
‘DIANNA STRIDE STORY: HOAX!!’
An image of Clark Kent and Superman in Perry White’s office was right beneath the headline and the story was written by both Perry White and James Olsen.
“My by-line! What do you think?” Jimmy asked. “The Chief wanted it front page this morning so we stayed late working on it.”
Lois smiled at him. He’d come a long way from the gopher that had worked with her on the Prometheus story last year. His own byline with Perry white, now that was something; because Perry White didn’t share a byline with just anyone.
“That’s amazing, Jimmy,” Clark said. “Absolutely amazing.”
“You’ve come a long way,” Lois said wistfully, dabbing the corner of her eyes to cover up the tears that were trying to form. She willed them back as she spoke, “You stayed all night to work on this?” This was one thing she and Clark wouldn’t have to worry about.
“Yeah, pretty cool, huh?” Jimmy asked.
“Very,” Lois smiled.
A loud buzzard sounded through the newsroom. A red and white siren glowed from across the room. Perry hollered from his office, “Code red, everyone! We have a shooter in the Planet! This is not a drill!”
Lois and Clark looked at one another in surprise. Clark looked to Lois who nodded. Everyone around them began taking positions beneath their desks when…
“No, it’s not a drill at all!” Lex Luthor warned as he entered the newsroom. He held a gun in the air, firing at the ceiling.
“Let’s play a game, shall we? It’s called who destroyed Lex Luthor more?” He approached Lois and Clark faster and faster. Clark moved in front of Lois to protect her, hoping to shield her from any stray bullets.
“Who destroyed Lex Luthor and his empire more?” He pointed the gun at Lois, “Lane,” he then moved it towards Clark, “or Kent?”
“You disgusting sociopath,” Lois hissed angrily, unable to hold in her anger.
“Tsk tsk tsk… Didn’t they teach you how to act in a hostage situation in journalism school?” Lex asked.
“Go to hell!” Lois snapped.
“Been there; done that,” Lex snapped back, pointing the gun back towards her.
“Get away from her,” Clark warned.
“Always the hero,” Lex mused. He nodded his head. “I understand,” With that, he fired a single shot.
Clark looked down in shock. He was bleeding.
“Clark!”
***
Perry White had gone back into his office to call the police and find out what the status was of the threat that had been reported to him. He sat in his office frozen to his chair. He knew that sound. After years of working as a journalist in territories of conflict, Perry had come to know the sound of gunfire. It was coming from his newsroom. He pushed the emergency button beneath his desk and stood up to face the intruder in his newsroom. He wouldn’t leave his staff to face this intruder alone. After all, he wasn’t Editor-in-Chief just because he could yodel.
***
Hannah Dorsey stood outside the Daily Planet stairwell nervously readjusting her vest.
“You okay?” Henderson asked, looking back at her.
“This is my first time...on the field.” She stammered. “I’m a bit nervous.”
Henderson shook his head and placed a hand over hers. “We can’t afford to be nervous. We have to be precise. This guy’s got a room full of potential victims and he’s escaped justice before. We have to get him.”
“I know,” Hannah nodded.
“Just take a deep breath. You got put on my team because they said you knew the background. Don’t let your nerves ruin your chances. This is Lex Luthor, career criminal.”
“I thought his name was James Turner?”
“It is. I..I’ll explain later.” Henderson pulled out the map of the Daily Planet and showed it to Hannah and the rest of the team. We’ve got men on every window to catch him if he tries to make a jump for it.”
“Jump?”
The team replied to Hannah’s question in unison. “He’s tried it before.”
Henderson sighed. He didn’t know if it would be beneficial or not to leave Hannah on his team for such a big job. This was Lex Luthor. Unfortunately, his captain didn’t leave him much choice.
***
Jimmy Olsen was no hero. He sat crouched beneath his desk as he watched his best friend fall to the ground in pain. His shirt was covered in blood. Clark Kent had been shot.
“Clark!” Lois screamed, kneeling down next to him.
He knew Lex Luthor was behind the mask of James Turner. He’d listened to Lois, Clark, and Lucy discussing the investigation as well as Perry White. It was different now to see the man that had destroyed Lucy so completely with a different face.
Had he been responsible for Lucy’s shooting? His child’s death? He could feel the adrenaline pumping through him as his rage began to rise.
“What in the Sam Hill?” Perry White came out of his office.
“Ah, Perry…” Lex turned away from Clark and turned toward the elderly editor-in-chief.
Jimmy could see Lois sobbing as she held Clark’s head in her lap, attempting to wipe the blood off of him. He wasn’t sure but it looked like his chest was glowing.
***
Blood. There was blood everywhere. Why was there blood? “Clark..” Lois cried, applying pressure to the wound as she scanned the newsroom for an answer to why her husband was lying on the newsroom floor covered in blood. He was Superman. He was invulnerable.
Was there Kryptonite somewhere?
It didn’t make any sense. Why was he bleeding?
***
Detective Wolf sat across from Mindy Church in the Metropolis City Hall’s conference room. “You destroyed over half of this city. You’re looking at quite a few years in prison and yet you still won’t tell us how you just happened to temporarily end up with Superman’s powers?”
“I’m waiting for my attorney,” Mindy said coolly.
“Uh-huh,” Wolf said dryly. “Well, I’ve got a witness that’s willing to testify to your involvement in the murders that have been taking place across Metropolis for the last year.”
“What?” Mindy scoffed.
“The headless bodies. I’ve got a witness that puts you in the room during these murders. Whether you committed them or not that still makes you an accessory after the fact.” Detective Wolf explained. “You’re in trouble, Mrs. Church, big trouble.”
He got up to leave when Mindy called after him, “Wait!”
“I thought you wanted to wait on your attorney?” He asked.
“If I give you information on these murders and who really committed them what happens to me?” Mindy asked.
“I’m sure we can work something out with the DA,” Detective Wolf assured. “Don’t you want to wait on your attorney?”
“I’ll sign a waiver.” She said, shaking her head. “Just get me the DA….I’ll even throw in the real kidnapper of Jesse Stiponavic as a freebie.”
***
Jimmy watched in horror as Lex cocked the gun and aimed it at the esteemed Editor-in-Chief. He couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. He was going to shoot Perry … unless he could do something to stop it.
“All those editorials, demanding investigation…” Lex droned on about how Perry had worked with the police and Metropolis in dismantling his empire.
Perry was standing just a few feet away from him. Luthor was a foot or two away from Perry with the gun aimed at him. He had to do something. He had to get out from under this desk and do something. He couldn’t let anything happen to Perry. He had to…
“I hope they have newspapers where you’re going, Mr. White. Say hello to Elvis for us…” Lex said.
“Noooo!” Jimmy shouted, jumping out from under the desk. He knocked Perry to the ground.
***
“She’s claiming to have information that will put the headless killer behind bars for good,” Lucy said, going over the file with Mayson.
“How do we know that?” Mayson asked. “She could be taking us on a wild goose chase. So far we’ve got two people willing to spill on the supposed ring leader of these killings. What do we have on this Miranda?”
“At the very least she’s an accomplice after the fact,” Lucy said, “but there’ve been three other bodies found this morning after Mindy Church’s rampage.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?” Mayson asked. She took a deep breath, shaking her head as she tried to regain her balance.
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked.
“I’m-I’m fine. I just got a bit—“ Mayson leaned against the wall for support. “Okay, I lied.” Lucy leaned next to her to check on her. As Mayson slid down to the floor, taking a shallow breath Lucy knelt down next to her.
“You’re scaring me, Mayson. I’ll get a doctor down here.” She got up to leave.
“No!” Mayson grabbed Lucy’s arm to prevent her from leaving. “No doctors.”
“What? Why?” Lucy asked confused.
“Just promise…” Mayson snapped.
“Okay okay, I promise. Let go of my arm!” Lucy pulled her arm out of Mayson’s death grip. “What’s going on?”
“I have to talk to someone before I know,” Mayson explained.
“You’ll have to elaborate for me. I’m not understanding.”
“I don’t know what’s going on. I have to find out from S.T.A.R. Labs.” Mayson then went on to explain to Lucy her experience in the Kryptonite cage and the effects she’d been suffering the past few weeks after.
***
“No!!!” Jimmy lunged forward, knocking Perry to the ground in front of him. He knew it was coming. He was going to get shot. He could almost feel it. He couldn’t let someone he loved get hurt if he could help it. He hadn’t been able to help CK but he had had time to prevent Perry from being shot.
This was it.
How would it end? Would his life flash before him? All he seemed to be able to think about was his family at the Planet and of course Lucy Lane. He’d wasted so much time worrying about the what-ifs. If he’d made his move earlier maybe they’d of had a shot. Maybe she never would have gotten involved with Lex Luthor. Maybe he would be a father right now.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t go back in time right now. He couldn’t change the past. He hoped and prayed everyone in his life knew how much he loved them as he waited for the inevitable bullet to cut through his body like a burning knife.
There it was; a loud resonating sound of a gun being fired. Why did it sound so far away?
***
Henderson watched as Turner fell to the ground. He sighed in relief then called out to his team, “Clear!” The door opened on all entrances and the team moved in to survey the scene. It appeared Turner had been neutralized. He’d taken his shot after Perry had been knocked down by Olsen, but he couldn’t be sure. After all, this was Lex Luthor they were dealing with.
He approached the body, checking for a pulse. “Is he--?” Lois asked from behind him.
“Yeah,” Henderson nodded, turning towards her. “He’s gone.” She was covered in blood. Her face was tear-stained, “Are you all right?”
She shook her head, looking down at Clark who lay unconscious in her lap. “Clark—He won’t wake up.” Lois cried.
“Oh, okay, it’s gonna be okay.” Henderson did his best to keep calm, but the strain in his voice still managed to come out. There was a lot of blood. “We have to get you to a hospital.”
“No,” Lois shook her head. “Clark—He won’t wake up,” Lois repeated.
Henderson sighed, looking down at Clark’s blood stained shirt and face. She wasn’t going to let him do anything for her until he looked at her husband.
***
Martha and Jonathan watched the television screen in silence, unable to move. The news of the hostage situation at the Daily Planet had taken over every station. Laura was down for her nap and Jordan was playing with his blocks in the living room, oblivious to what was going on.
“Still no sign of him,” Martha whispered.
“We don’t know that Martha,” Jonathan reassured her, placing a supportive arm around her.
Jordan reached up to tug on his grandparents’ legs. Martha looked down and smiled at her grandson, “Hi Sweetie!” She reached down to pick him up, lifting him up in the air, making the sound of an airplane as she moved with him.
“Yah!”
Jonathan smiled, watching Martha move with Jordan. He looked back at the television and shook his head, “Be safe son,” He whispered before turning to follow Martha and Jordan into the kitchen.
***
Henderson watched as Clark Kent was wheeled out of the newsroom on a stretcher. Dr. Klein had shown up after seeing the news on T.V. offering his services to help. His reasoning was he couldn’t work as a scientist today, but he could work as a doctor. It didn’t make much sense to him, but he wasn’t going to argue. Lois seemed all too happy to have the man looking over her husband and was finally able to accept some help herself.
***
Dr. Klein did his best to stay out of the way as the ambulatory workers placed Clark inside the ambulance. They were headed to Metropolis General Hospital. With Lois’ permission, he had been able to ride along since they were carrying her to the hospital in an ambulance as well. She had been grazed by a bullet and they said she was in shock. Not surprising considering the week she’d had.
“Is it all right if I--?” Dr. Klein pointed at Clark’s motionless body. He was sweating. Not normal for Superman at all. He had to find where Clark had come into contact with Kryptonite and get rid of it as fast as possible.
The workers nodded as they closed the doors behind them. Then one of the workers came to Dr. Klein’s side and cut Clark’s shirt open. Dr. Klein took a deep breath, expecting to see the Superman suit beneath. He sighed in relief when he saw blood soaked skin. It seemed he didn’t keep his suit on beneath his clothes after all.
He gasped when he saw the green glowing inside the chest wound. He couldn’t take it out without risking Clark’s health even more. He could see the fragments of Kryptonite embedded throughout the skin around the wound and wherever else the bullet had managed to lodge into. His expression was somber. He couldn’t do this himself. He was going to need some help. Clark would have to have surgery. That much was evident, but he had no experience in the surgical field.
He’d have to call in someone to help; someone with experience and someone who could be trusted. He knew the answer before he even completed the thought, but would Lois be okay with trusting her father with his much responsibility? Dr. Klein sighed. She would have to be.
***
“You are the worst friend ever,” Mayson muttered under her breath as she glared up at Lucy Lane.
“You’re sick.” Lucy shot back. “You need a doctor.”
“I’m fine. It’s not something I can--” She began to cough weakly just as the doctor came back into the room.
“Ms. Drake, how long have you been feeling like this?”
“Last few weeks,” Mayson shrugged. “Why?”
“I’m going to have to run a few more tests before I know for sure,” She said solemnly. Both Lucy and Mayson knew by her face that the news wasn’t good.
***
“You want me to WHAT?” Lois hissed angrily.
“You promised you wouldn’t overreact!” Dr. Klein reminded her.
“I’m just now starting to speak to my father again. I can’t trust him to do something this …BIG.” Lois argued. “No, you –you have to do this, Dr. Klein.”
“I can’t. I can’t operate on him. I can’t perform surgery. I’ve never done it before.” Dr. Klein argued, “But your father has. He is world known for his surgical skills.”
Lois sighed, “I know, but how are we going to--?” She stopped when she saw her father and mother standing in the hallway, looking around. “You called my father?”
“And your mother.” Dr. Klein added. “He’s gonna need a surgical nurse.”
“But--”
“No, buts,” Dr. Klein retorted. “Lois, I wouldn’t do this unless it was necessary. Can’t you see this is Clark’s only shot.”
Lois sighed and nodded, turning towards her parents as they approached them. How was she ever going to explain this to her mother?
***
TBC...
Last edited by folc4evernaday; 11/01/16 09:44 AM.
