Ghost From the Past
Folc4evernaday
Part 23
NOTE: I'm sorry. I know I'm late. No, I haven't forgotten about this one. I'm actually starting to tie up some loose ends. Errr...Sorta. I hope everyone enjoys this part. I know a lot of people write Ralph and Cat as incompetent reporters but I wanted to make them more competent and capable of helping with bringing down the bad guys and helping L&C.
***
Ralph sat crouched down behind a couple of wheel barrels in a darkened alley with Cat Grant next to him, “Remind me why I’m doing this?” He asked, taking shot after shot of a busboy standing in front of Luthor Towers looking bored.
“Didn’t you hear Lex tonight?” Cat hissed. “He had information before anyone else, and I guarantee you he’s getting his information from the inside. We’re going to sit here all day if we have to but we’re going to catch whomever it is on camera.”
“My leg is falling asleep,” Ralph complained.
“Fine, go back home to your cushy bed, and I’ll grab the scandal on Lex without you.” Cat sneered.
“Scandal.” Ralph scoffed. “What scandal?”
Just as he spoke a limousine pulled up, and Cat whispered, “Get your camera ready.”
“I’m recording,” Ralph warned, holding his video camera up.
“Keep it focused.” Cat warned, “Remember what happened last time?”
“Shhh…” Ralph admonished, pointing at a young woman with sunglasses and a sash covering her hair that had just stepped out of the limousine.
Behind her was an Indian man with a turban, holding her coat as she stepped inside Luthor Towers. Ralph stopped the camera and turned to Cat, “Who do you think that was?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out. Let’s get this down to the photo lab and get stills from the video footage.”
***
“It’s too early to tell,” Lois argued, staring at the white plastic pregnancy test that was facing down on the corner of the bathroom counter. After her revelation, Clark had gone out to get a pregnancy test for her. She’d changed into one of his old t-shirts which came just above her knee; since she didn’t have a change of clothes and she really didn’t feel like trying to put her dress back on. He had changed into a t-shirt and his sleeping shorts. It had been three minutes. Three minutes and she just couldn’t bring herself to look at that test. “Way too soon to tell. I mean normally you have to be late. I don’t even know if I am late. I mean, I know, but I don’t. What if I’m wrong? Oh, God, what if I’m not…”
Clark placed two lips against hers, silencing her panicked ramblings from going any further down the path of ‘what-ifs’ she had taken them on. She could feel the anxiety that had been rising into panic-mode slowly subside somewhat as she kissed him back. “Better?” He murmured against her lips.
She nodded, letting out a long breath after he slowly broke off the kiss, stroking her cheek with his palm as she rested her head against him, tucking her head into the nook between his chin and shoulder. “Now, you said you wanted to know…even if the test didn’t say anything. If it’ll make you feel better I’ll take you to the hospital right now, and they can get a blood test done, but since you’ve already gone to the trouble…” He pointed at the test still face down on the counter.
“Here goes nothing right,” She sighed, reaching for the test. She turned it over and looked. All the color drained from her face as she stared at the white window. She set it back down on the counter numbly.
One line.
She wasn’t pregnant.
She was just making herself crazy and….
She could feel tears building up in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the lonely pink line She had been positive. She stared at the test tearfully, burying her face into Clark’s chest. He held her tight, running a hand through her hair as she spoke. “It’s going to be okay, honey,” He reassured her.
“I’m sorry,” She whispered hoarsely, unwilling to lift her head up to look at him. She shouldn’t have told him her suspicions. It was too soon. Why hadn’t she just gone to the doctor and …
“Sorry?” He asked, confused. “What are you apologizing for?”
“I got your hopes up and scared you with a false alarm. There’s only one line and…”
“Lois, there are two lines,” Clark whispered, tilting her head up to look at him.
“What?” She gasped, looking back at the test. Sure enough, there was a faint pink line next to the other solid pink line. “Oh, God,” She cried, muffling her cry of relief as she cupped her mouth, trying to control the array of emotions that had just washed over her. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby…again. She was going to be a mother…again. She could feel the panic from before slowly try to seep through the forefront of her mind, and she quickly squashed it. She had a second chance. A second chance she never thought she’d ever get. She wasn’t going to waste a single moment stressing like she had before. She wanted this baby. More than anything.
“Lois, honey, are you all right?” Clark asked, nudging her shoulder slightly.
“Fine,” She managed to squeak out.
“I know it’s sudden. We didn’t plan on…” He began, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
She wasn’t paying any attention. Her face broke out into a huge grin, and she turned in his arms, planting her mouth on his as he had done a few moments ago to stop her ramblings. “I love you,” She whispered against his lips, “…so much.” She placed a hand on his chest.
“Are you okay with this?” He asked, holding her hand in his palm. She couldn’t help but smile at him struggling to hide his own grin.
She moved her hands up and down his chest, toying with the cotton of his t-shirt, “Right now is a close second to the day Jamie was born.” She whispered, leaning in to kiss him as she watched his face break out into a wide grin.
“I love you so much,” He murmured against her lips before lowering himself down to where he was eye-level with her belly button. He lifted up the t-shirt she was using as a night gown at the moment and brushed his lips against her stomach. She could feel tears stinging in the corners of her eyes as she watched him place his hands protectively over the faded stretch marks she still had from carrying Jamie. “All of you,” He whispered against her abdomen.
She had missed this. Seeing his eyes light up with wonder at the knowledge of their unborn child’s existence and the way he looked at her with such love in his eyes. She fingered the hair on the back of his neck as she watched him run his hands up and down her sides in wonderment, resting his head against her abdomen. Even from this angle, she could see the sea of emotions that were running through Clark’s mind as he held her.
Relief
Terror
Love
They were all there.
“I’m still going to have to get it confirmed.” She whispered hoarsely, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as she watched him.
“I know,” He whispered, standing back up so that he was eye-level with her. He cupped her cheek, leaning in to kiss her, “Tomorrow we’ll figure everything out, but right now I just want to enjoy the feeling of holding you in my arms and hoping that that test is right. If I’m disappointed tomorrow so be it.”
She smiled back at him, “I’d like that.”
“Good.” He whispered, scooping her in his arms to carry her back to bed, intent on doing just that.
***
“I’m still going to have to get it confirmed,” Lois whispered hoarsely. He could hear the strain in her voice as she spoke. Her words stung. He knew he was getting ahead of himself. Getting excited about something they hadn’t even confirmed yet. He didn’t care. He wanted this. He wanted his family…his life back.
He’d watched Lois as the wave of emotions ran across her face after seeing the test results. At first, he’d been afraid she was upset about the pregnancy then he realized she was upset because she’d thought she wasn’t pregnant. It had taken every ounce of restrain in him not to jump in the air with her when he saw that faint pink line on the test.
He stood up, watching her cautiously as he cupped her cheek, whispering, “I know,” He leaned in to kiss her, “Tomorrow we’ll figure everything out, but right now I just want to enjoy the feeling of holding you in my arms and hoping that that test is right. If I’m disappointed tomorrow so be it.”
He watched her cautiously and sighed in relief when her face broke out into a grin, smiling back at him, “I’d like that.”
“Good.” He whispered, scooping her in his arms to carry her back to bed, intent on doing just that. The phone from the kitchen rang, and he groaned. “I should probably get that.”
Lois nodded. “Do you have to?” She asked, running her left hand up and down his chest seductively.
He smiled back at her, tempted to forget the phone, “It could be important.” Perry was still looking into Luthor’s involvement with EPRAD when they left. He could have found something. He glanced down at Lois in nothing but his old Met U t-shirt that came just above her knees. His eyes were full of regret as he headed for the kitchen, setting her down on her feet as he reached for the phone, “Hello?”
“Clark? Is Lois there? I tried her place, and Lucy said she hadn’t come home yet…” Cat’s voice echoed on the other end of the line.
He did his best to focus on what she was saying as Lois chose that moment to begin nibbling at his neck as she pinned him against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. He let out a muffled groan and heard Cat ask, “Clark? Are you still there?”
“Uh-huh,” He managed, suppressing another groan as Lois ran her hands up and down his chest, kissing her way down his neck, laughing against him. As much as he wanted this to continue, he had to get her to stop so he could string together a coherent thought to put an end to the conversation before Cat got a new one on one earful of his and Lois’ love life. He grabbed her hand, removing it from his chest and mouthed to her, ‘Stop it.’
She laughed again and whispered, “Who is it?”
“Hello? Anyone there?” Cat called from the phone.
“Cat….looking for you.” He said handing the phone to her.
“Me?” Lois asked confused, taking the phone from him, “Hello?”
He took advantage of her distraction and scooped her back into his arms, groaning his approval as she wrapped her legs around his waist, letting his hands rest on her hips as she continued her conversation with Cat.
“Bad Time?” Cat teased.
“What do you want Cat?” Lois asked, letting out a long sigh as he turned her in his arms, so she was pressed against the wall and began returning her earlier treatment to him as he placed feather light kisses against her jaw and moved his way downward.
“I got some video footage of some woman visiting Lex tonight.” Cat explained.
“How is this news?” Lois prompted breathlessly as her legs tightened around him and he let out a muffled groan.
“I think it’s more than just his fling of the week,” Cat argued.
“Like what?” She asked, leaning her neck back to allow him better access to her throat as he devoured her hungrily. What had begun as teasing was slowly becoming something more. He could feel his body begin to respond to her closeness
Five years. How had he survived five years without her? He slowly set her down on her feet, letting out a shaky breath, running his hands up and down her sides as he waited impatiently for her to finish her conversation.
“I don’t know. Someone with EPRAD maybe? It’s just a theory. I’ll have the prints in the morning to….” Cat said.
“EPRAD?” She asked breathlessly, slipping her free arm around his neck, then back down his chest until her hand rested at the waistband of his sleeping shorts. He caught her gaze, and she leaned in to kiss him.
“Lois, would you please pay attention?” Cat asked annoyed. “I need you to focus.”
“Focus?” She echoed, licking her lips, “I’m very…” She clicked the end button, cutting the conversation short as they focused on satisfying a more urgent need at the moment.
***
Cat stared at her phone in disgust. “Unbelievable,” She muttered, stepping out of the cab and heading up to her apartment. “She hung up on me.”
“Have a good night, Ms. Grant,” The cab driver called after her.
“Night, Joe,” She called over her shoulder.
Unnoticed by either of them a tall man watched in the shadows, pulling out his phone as Cat locked the door to her apartment building behind her. “Ms. Baines? You were right.”
***
Lois stared at the ceiling, stroking Clark’s hair as he rested his head against her abdomen, silently celebrating the possibility of hope as he ran his hands up and down her torso. It hurt. The fear that was consuming her right now was crippling. The fear of repeating the devastating loss she’d already had to go through. She kept telling herself it would be different but reminding her broken heart of statistics on child loss with siblings. The chances were low, but that wasn’t enough. The chances of Jamie dying were low as well, and with Clark’s difference, there were so many things they didn’t know.
“Lois?” She gave him a watery smile as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He seemed to recognize the anxiety on her face and sighed, stroking her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her, “It’s going to be okay. I’m scared too.”
Without warning, the fears and anxiety she’d been holding back for the last few hours became too much for her, and she let out a muffled sob, burying her head into his chest, “I’m just so scared. I don’t think I could go through that again…losing another baby.”
“I know.” He whispered, holding her close. “It’s scary.”
“Terrifying.” She corrected.
“A gift.” He reminded her, placing a kiss on her forehead, “A miracle.” He rested his head against hers, stroking her cheek as he whispered, “Are you going to be okay?”
“Are you?” She asked, looking up at him. “I mean, I know how I feel…which is complicated.” He smiled at her, and she placed a hand on his chest, “You’re still dealing with everything with Jamie and…”
He leaned in to kiss her, “I’m fine. It’s a bit overwhelming with everything else, but I couldn’t be happier.”
“Me too.” She said softly, “I didn’t realize how much I wanted…until I thought…” She trailed off tearfully, trying to convey the emotional rollercoaster her mind had been putting her through, “I guess you could say I’m cautiously optimistic.”
“I love you,” He whispered, “No matter what the doctor says.”
“I love you too,” She whispered back. “Dumb decisions and all.”
“Dumb decisions?” He asked, confused.
“Disappearing act…” She placed a kiss on his cheek, “Going into hiding…”
“Ah,” He nodded his understanding. “Not going to let that one go, are you?”
“You can’t disappear like that.” She said, feeling a lump in her throat begin to form. “You can’t try to protect me by disappearing. It’s not fair to me, you, or any potential children we may or may not have.”
“I know,” He nodded his agreement, “I haven’t been easy to deal with these last few weeks.”
“No more running away.” She repeated.
“No more running away,” He promised, sealing his words with a kiss.
***
Clark stared at the ceiling, watching Lois sleep. It had been a long night. Pregnant. He couldn’t help but grin at the prospect of being a father. He had missed so much in the last five years. The thought that Lois had had to go through so much alone made him want to crawl under a rock in shame. She had been pregnant with Jamie when they’d gone to Smallville and then had been forced to go through her pregnancy, the birth of their child, caring for him, and even burying him…alone.
He hated himself for allowing that to happen. He knew in his head that he’d tried to escape so many times…unsuccessfully, but that knowledge was little comfort when faced with the reality of everything he’d lost. She’d made him promise not to disappear anymore, and that was a promise he would keep, no matter what.
She wanted him to use his gifts. He wanted to help, but he was terrified of losing another five years. Maybe Lois was right. Maybe he could use the disguise they came up with and control the dialogue through the Planet? It could work. He was tired of ignoring calls for help or situations that he knew he could help with. Everything had been so easy when he was blissfully ignorant to the real dangers that exposing his true self could bring. Still, it was something he felt deep inside …almost like it was calling to him…a need to help. He couldn’t deny that part of himself. It was coming out in more ways than one the more he ignored it. He grimaced, recalling his confrontation with Ralph in the elevator. His mom would have boxed his ears if she knew what he’d done.
He was becoming more and more angry and short-fused. He had to get some control. He had to find a way to be himself without having to control himself 24/7 because he was afraid of rouge government agents. Lois had asked him tonight if he had to think about floating but the opposite was actually true. He had to focus and think not to use his powers. He had lived so long, keeping tight control over his abilities. It was becoming unbearable not to fly, or float, or use what he’d been given to help.
Lois’ arm tightened around him, and he smiled down at her, noticing her left hand instinctually placed over her abdomen. It appeared she was a little more than cautiously optimistic. If he did do this, there would have to be boundaries set. He couldn’t just fly off to rescue anyone on a whim. He had a child to think about. What if someone got a hold of that meteorite again? Lois said it had all disappeared. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.
There was so much he had to catch up on. Tonight at Lex Luthor’s ball he’d felt like he was in the twilight zone. The same faces, five years older, and the same conversations all in the same room. He’d had flashback after flashback of the conversations they’d had with Lex Luthor.
<<“Don’t you think it’s odd that LexCorp seems to come up in almost ALL of our research in corruption?”>>
<<“Tallest building in Metropolis. I must confess I enjoy the fact that everyone has to look up in order to see me.” >>
<< “How’d the interview go?”
“He spent the whole time trying to evade my questions while trying to hit on me. Needless to say, there won’t be a follow-up,”
“I’m sorry, Lois, I know you wanted that exclusive,”
“It is what it is, but there was something very odd about him. Every time I asked him about his parents or the first company he took over his eyes did a little dance. Almost like there was something more going on. May be worth looking into,”
“Definitely,”>>
<<“It is my understanding that due, in part, to the terrible tragedy that befell the Messenger earlier today with the deaths of Captain Jack Ladderman and his crew, the United Nations intends to cancel Space Station Prometheus.”>>
<<“ I cannot stand by and allow that to happen to the citizens of this planet. Profit aside, potential benefits that a zero-gravity laboratory could bring -- most importantly, pharmaceuticals that could end crippling diseases here on Earth -- must not be lost. I had been toying with a Space Station of my own for quite some time.”>>
<<“I believe we can be ready for launch by Prometheus’ target date. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you... Space Station Luthor. An engineering marvel. Signpost to a new age of exploration and scientific advancement. A gift to the future of mankind.”>>He still didn’t trust Lex Luthor. He wasn’t sure if it was the way Lex had treated Lois years ago or if it had something to do with the look on his face when he’d been talking about people looking up at him. Lois said her research never got anywhere. Maybe he needed to take a look at everything and see if he could take a second look.
***
The next morning Dr. Baines stood in the doorway of Lex’s penthouse with her arms crossed over her chest in defiance, “Lex, we have a problem.”
“Oh?” He looked over at her in confusion. “What problem do WE have?”
“Reporters are crawling all over EPRAD after that stunt with Commander Ladderman. You said no one would get hurt!” She accused angrily.
“No, I promised YOU wouldn’t get hurt or implicated.” He corrected.
“That’s another thing,” She began pacing in front of him, “I was followed to your place last night.” She replied coldly. “One of those reporters…I think she’s onto me.”
“What reporter?” He asked, alarmed.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged.
“I’ll look into it.” He promised, taking her hand in his, “Just think, this time next year we will be celebrating the anniversary of Space Station Luthor as it becomes both a deadly weapon and a source of scientific breakthroughs…”
“…and untold millions in patents,” Baines added.
“This isn’t about profit. It’s about power, real power,” Lex said, smoothly, staring toward the sword of Alexander the Great he had pinned to the wall.
***
“We are so late,” Lois muttered, rubbing her arm as she and Clark stepped into the elevator at the Daily Planet. After rushing back to her apartment to get ready and avoiding Lucy and Jimmy who had awkwardly fallen asleep on the couch with an old movie in the living room they’d gone by Metropolis General’s clinic to get a blood test. After receiving the positive result, the doctor on staff had written a prescription for prenatals and recommended a few doctors in the area for her to follow-up with.
“I’m sure the Chief will understand,” Clark said placing a protective hand over her abdomen. She couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.
She wrapped her arms around her chest as another thought occurred to her, “I’m not telling him yet.” She shook her head, “It’s too soon. I don’t want to jinx it.”
“I know,” He smiled, leaning in to kiss her, “I just meant we were here pretty late last night…”
“Yeah,” She nodded, running her hands up and down her arms as she stared at the elevator doors that were taking forever to open up to the newsroom. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I do. I will. Just not now. Last time I ended up on dog shows and obituaries for seven months. I can only imagine what he’ll do this time around.” She explained.
“Things are different this time,” He said softly, leaning in to kiss her. “Besides, I can’t have my partner benched before we have time to land the story of the year on EPRAD, can I?”
***
Ralph laid a stack of printouts on Cat’s desk with a yawn, “Here. Fresh off the printer.”
“Thanks, Ralph,” Cat said, flipping through the photos one by one.
“Yeah, yeah,” He muttered, “Do me a favor? Next time you need a lackey get Olsen or one of the interns to help you. I lost a good four hours of sleep doing this.” Cat rolled her eyes, watching Ralph saunter back to his desk. The man was as annoying as all get out but when it came to sniffing out dirt he had a nose of a blood hound.
She cast a glance toward the elevator, watching as Lois stepped out of the elevator with Clark in tow. To the outside observer, Lois looked completely professional. Her no-nonsense attitude rang in the air as she walked to her desk and began barking orders to the interns in research that got in her way. Yes, to the outside observer she was professional.
To Cat, however, that knew better, she was a mess. She saw the worry lines around her eyes were strained. The tension in her eyes gave away the anxiety Lois was hiding. Clark placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze and her mask faded somewhat, giving him a smile before leaning in to kiss him. A gesture, not many around the office that hadn’t been around years ago were used to. During the past five years, Lois had built up a reputation of being a force to be reckoned with. She worked hard and had earned the respect and accolades that came with it. The softer side, though, that was reserved for a select few: herself, Perry, and of course, Clark Kent.
Cat caught the gaze of the newest intern, Brady that was standing by her desk, watching the scene unfold in shock. “New guy’s got a way with the ladies, huh?”
Cat laughed, unable to hold it in, “Oh, Brady, if you only knew…”
“He moves fast,” Brady said in admiration.
“Only with one lady,” Cat corrected, “That is Clark Kent. Lois’ fiancé.” She looked back over at the couple long enough to catch Clark placing a hand on Lois’ abdomen as he whispered something in her ear.
“Since when?” Brady asked, “Everyone said …”
“Since before your time,” Cat said, rolling her eyes as she watched Lois laugh, turning to look at Clark, and just as quickly he removed his hand from her abdomen. She looked back at Brady who seemed oblivious to the exchange.
“Guess things are gonna be different around here, huh?” Brady asked.
“You have no idea,” Cat smiled, watching as Clark leaned in to kiss Lois once more and once more placing a hand over her abdomen.
***
“Preliminary reports on the Annihilator,” Nigel said, setting a folder down on Lex Luthor’s desk.
“Excellent,” Lex said, reading through the file in his hand. “If everything goes according to plan we’ll have a new age of military weaponry at our disposal.”
“Yes, having satellite aerial vision to annihilate any enemy from the Space Station is a stroke of genius, sir,” Nigel mused with a half-smile.
“With Ladderman dead. There’ll be no one left at EPRAD to point to Dr. Baines as a conspirator either,” Lex said proudly. “She’s the only one left that can point the finger at me, and after tomorrow night she won’t be an issue.”
***
“Is that…?” Clark began, staring at the still images on display in the conference room.
“Dr. Baines,” Lois said accusingly as she took one of the pictures off the pin it was on. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t like her.”
“She met with Lex last night a little bit before I called you,” Cat said, throwing an annoyed look at Lois.
“Why were you following Baines?” Lois asked.
“I wasn’t.” Cat explained. “I was watching Lex Luthor’s place to see if anyone from EPRAD would show up.”
“You didn’t buy the manure he was selling either, huh?” Perry asked, examining one of the images with a magnifying glass.
“If he’s working with Dr. Baines then he’s probably behind the sabotage,” Clark concluded.
“I don’t doubt it,” Perry said, “but we’re lacking a key ingredient to turn that theory into something we can print.”
“Hard evidence,” They all said in unison.
“Hey, I don’t make the rules,” Perry shrugged. “We can’t go around printing theories without any facts to back it up. We’d be no better than the National Inquisitor. You all could kiss your careers goodbye. You know what he’s capable of.”
“All too well,” Lois said, shaking her head. “So what do we do?”
“Drop it,” Ralph suggested, entering the conference room with a video and files in hand.
“What?” Clark gasped, uncertain he’d heard him correctly. “You can’t be serious!”
“You’ve been out of the loop for a while Kent. You don’t know what Luthor’s capable of. These two…” He gestured between the Lois and Cat, “seem to think they’re untouchable. They forget what happened to a few well-respected journalists that thought they could go up against him. Drop it.” With that, he dropped the file on the table, "Some of the video footage stills had to be redone." He explained then turned to leave the conference room, leaving them to contemplate what he’d just said.
“Chief…” Lois began.
“You know better than anyone what he’s capable of,” Perry began, shaking his head.
“You cannot be serious!!” Clark fumed angrily.
“Now, just hold your horses both of you,” Perry interjected, “All we have are theories, and a Space Station set to launch next Friday.”
“How about a murder?” Lois added.
“You have no proof.” Perry reminded her. “I can’t have you risking your neck and the paper’s reputation on a theory…”
“How is this risking the paper’s reputation?” Clark asked, confused.
Cat sighed, “The last paper that ran a story about Lex Luthor ….or even began to research him got drug through the mud. They were attacked from all sides until they lost all credibility.”
“He fights dirty,” Lois explained solemnly.
“If all of you know this then why not go to the police? Why hasn’t he ever been questioned in some of his shady dealings?”
Lois shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and Perry interjected, “Well, the problem is the amount of control he has over Metropolis.”
“What do you mean?” Clark asked.
“Police, detectives, District Attorneys, The Governor, even some senators are rumored to have been bought by Lex Luthor.” Cat explained.
“What?” Clark shook his head in disgust. “How has he gotten away with this for so long?”
“No one’s willing to go on the record against him,” Perry explained, placing a supportive hand on Lois’ shoulder for a moment before continuing.
“So, he’s just able to get away with anything, and no one is going to do anything about it?” Clark asked in disbelief. “Someone needs to do something…to stop him.”
“We’ve tried.” Cat scoffed. “We can’t ever find anything to stick. No one is willing to go against him because they all know what would happen if they did.”
***
“This is Brett Aldridge coming to you live from this morning’s press conference at the Untied Nations. The members of the Untied Nations have been in deliberation all night after the catastrophic explosion that claimed the life of Captain Jack Ladderman and his crew late yesterday afternoon. Lex Luthor, self-made billionaire has submitted a proposal to replace Prometheus with Space Station Luthor, promising to meet EPRAD’s deadline. We will hear today what that decision is…”
***
“Are you sure you want to go in there?” Clark asked, looking at Lois apprehensively as she readjusted the EPRAD engineering suit she’d borrowed.
“I’ve got a mask this time. I’ll be fine.” Lois reassured him, “Just see what you can find, and I’ll see if I can get anyone to talk.”
Clark nodded, turning to walk behind a secluded fenced in the area marked ‘REPAIR.' Lois finished adjusting her mask then turned to the building marked ‘RESEARCH’ and closed the door behind her. Clark was going to scan the building and hopefully find some proof that Baines or someone at EPRAD knew about the sabotage to Prometheus. She was intent on taking as many photos of the damaged space shuttle as she could.
“What are you doing here?” A familiar voice from behind her asked.
She turned around and saw Dr. Baines standing in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest defiantly. Putting on her best brave face she stared her down, “I know yesterday’s accident wasn’t an accident. I’m just trying to find out what happened.”
“By breaking in?” Dr. Baines accused.
“You lied to me about that report.” Lois shot back.
“I never got a report!” Baines argued. “Platt was Looney Toons! I don’t know what report he’s talking about.”
“He knew enough to know that the Messenger was going to explode,” Lois said coolly.
Dr. Baines was quiet for a moment before she replied softly, “I know. I’ve been combing through the wreckage for hours trying to find a cause…Jack. He was a friend. Naturally, we're all still in a state of shock. I don't suppose I have to tell you what a catastrophe the explosion was. Jack Laderman... he was one of our best. Three kids, his wife, Anna...”
Lois watched Baines’ expression soften as she spoke. She cared. She genuinely cared. “You seem to care about them a lot,” Lois observed.
“I worked with them for years.” Baines pointed out. “Of course I care.”
“Then help me. All I want is the truth. I just want to find out what happened and get Ladderman and his family the justice they deserve. Don’t they deserve that?”
“I…” Baines began.
“Please…” Lois pleaded with her.
The soft tone that had come over Baines washed away, replaced with a cold calculating expression, “I’m sorry Ms. Lane. I can’t help you. We won’t know the cause of the explosion until we examine the burned wreckage…as I told you before there is no press allowed. Please leave.”
Lois nodded, pulling out her card, “If you change your mind.” With that, she left.
***
Back in Baines’ office, Clark was moving at super-speed, scanning document after document that had been filed away, keeping an ear out for anyone that might walk in on him. Hopefully, Lois would be able to get enough photos of the wreckage to piece together what had happened and prove Dr. Platt’s theory correct. He just needed to find that report.
Nothing.
No reports at all from Platt.
No reports.
The wheels began to turn in his head.
Why would there be no reports at all from Platt? Baines was his supervisor. Surely he had to send in weekly reports on the progress of the Messenger’s work. There was nothing here. Almost like someone was trying to hide something.
A noise outside the door caught his attention. Realizing he wouldn’t have enough time to leave the office without being seen he floated up to the ceiling, hoping to avoid detection.
Dr. Baines entered her office, looking around the room as she laid a card down on her desk. He read the card and recognized it immediately. It was Lois’.
She pulled out her phone and began to dial. After a few minutes she left a message, “Yes, Mr. Luthor, please? Tell him it’s urgent. What? What do you mean he isn’t accepting any calls? Yes, I do mind…” She slammed the phone down in anger.
He watched as a calm washed over her face and she pulled what looked like a flash drive from her purse. “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Isn’t that what they always say?”
She pulled up a file on her computer, and he scanned it. ‘Bingo.’ He thought to himself. It was Platt’s reports. All of them. He waited as she sent the files to her printer and grabbed the papers from her printer. Once she was done, she removed the flash drive and took it with her down the hall.
Clark waited a few minutes, scanning across the hall where he saw her getting on an elevator with the papers in hand. He floated down and approached the printer. Smiling to himself, he hit the reprint button and watched as report after report began to print again. Once he was done he folded the papers up into his back pocket and headed out to find Lois.
***
On their way back to the Planet, Clark explained what had happened in Dr. Baines’ office. “We still have to get more evidence, but this does prove the reports were sent to Dr. Baines. I used to read scientific journals, but even I can’t understand what he’s trying to say in some of these reports. We’ll probably have to have someone decipher it.”
Lois scanned the report in his hand before handing it back to him as she scanned the crowded street in front of them. “We’ll call Dr. Klein at S.T.A.R. Labs. He can help make heads or tails of it.”
“Dr. Klein?” He asked, curious.
“A source…well, friend. He helped make sense of a lot of the terminology in the autopsy report after Jamie died.” She explained softly.
He caught her gaze before turning away. Another thing he hadn’t been there for. “I’m glad he was able to help. I guess when we get back we’ll give him a call.”
Lois reached for his hand and smiled, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Hey, things are different this time.”
“I know.” He sighed, turning toward the crowd of cars still unmoving in front of them. He glared at the meter in the cab that was still ticking away, “Maybe we should just walk?”
“Sure.” Lois nodded.
“How much?” Clark asked, pulling out his wallet.
“Twenty even.” The cab driver said, holding his hand out.
Lois groaned but he handed him the money then opened the door and helped Lois out. “I wonder what’s holding everyone up,” He observed as they walked the remaining few blocks toward the Planet.”
“Who knows?” Lois shrugged, “Traffic in Metropolis is one of those everyday mysteries.”
As they turned the corner, they saw a crowd of people surrounding the middle of the street where a construction crew had part of the street cut off. “I guess that answers that question,” Clark observed, watching as one of the men with a yellow vest and hard hat lowered himself down into the open manhole with a toolbox in his hand and a light in the other.
“You’d think they’d wait until after normal working hours to do stuff like….” Lois was cut off by the sound of a loud explosion.
One of the men in charge began ordering everyone to move, “Everyone! Step back!”
Clark saw the steam from the explosion simmering from the manhole and sparks electrified the metal rails around the manhole. “There’s a man down there! Call the fire department!” The supervisor called out.
“Clark…” Lois breathed. He scanned below and saw the man that had lowered himself down a few moments ago caught on an electrical wire that was electrocuting him to death.
Without thinking, he moved toward the back of the crowd where another manhole away from the explosion was and lifted it up, climbing down into the sewer line at super-speed and pulling him from the wire that had been exposed. He laid him down on the concrete, examining him for any breaks. He listened for signs of breathing and a heartbeat. When he didn’t hear any rhythm of the man’s heart he grabbed the exposed electrical cord, using himself as a conductor to jump start his heart. The man let out a long muffled gasp as he choked on the air he was struggling to breathe. Satisfied he would be okay to move he then moved him to the manhole he’d come down from, lifting him up into the awaiting arms of the supervisor and fire department. Then at super-speed, he returned to the surface next to Lois.
Lois cast a worried glance at him, “What did you just…?”
Before she could finish her question, the man he rescued shouted, “That man. He…he saved me.” He was pointing at him, Clark Kent. He shifted nervously as Lois’ eyes widened at him.
“I, uh,” He stammered, trying to ignore the man’s accusations, “He’s delirious.”
Lois gave him a forced smile, “Obviously.” Then she patted at his suit that was now covered in ash and residue from the sewer he had been in a few minutes ago. Thankfully no one in the crowd seemed to take the man’s accusations seriously.
He caught Lois’ gaze for a minute. She was mad. “He didn’t have time to wait.”
“Maybe next time you should change…” She reminded him, with a stern look, “…so you don’t ruin your suits.”
He sighed, looking down at his now ruined suit, “Yeah,” He muttered, turning the corner with her toward the Planet.
***
After rescuing that construction worker, Clark had left to go home and change, leaving Lois to take the reports he’d found to S.T.A.R. Labs and try to decipher what Platt was trying to say in these. “So, what do you think?” Lois asked nervously.
“I think whoever wrote these last three reports was on drugs.” Dr. Klein said wryly.
“He was.” Lois said, “Whoever is behind the sabotage drugged him to discredit him.”
“Oh,” Dr. Klein nodded, scanning the reports. “That makes sense.”
“What about the Messenger sabotage? Is there anything in there about that?” Lois pressed.
“I don’t know.” Dr. Klein crinkled his nose, scanning the reports in front of him. “I’ll have to read through a bit and see what I can translate. Do you really think someone is trying to sabotage Prometheus?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Lois sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she paced around Dr. Klein’s lab. “I think Dr. Platt discovered what they were doing and called them out on it and now his life and everyone he’s close to are in danger. I just need some proof before I can do anything about it.”
“And you think this is your proof?” Dr. Klein asked.
“It’s all I’ve got,” Lois explained.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Dr. Klein sighed, taking the stack of papers and pulling out a notepad to begin.
***
Nigel set a stack of photos on Lex’s desk, “It seems we have a problem, sir,”
Lex sifted through the photos, and his eyes narrowed, “Antoinette went to the police?”
“Thankfully, she reported your involvement to a Detective Wilson that is currently on the payroll,” Nigel explained as Lex continued to sift through the photos. “There’s more.”
“More?” Lex prompted.
“The report she ‘lost’ from Platt? She found it and showed it to Metropolis P.D.” Nigel explained.
“Who has the report now?” Lex asked.
“Dr. Baines. She refused to leave it with Detective Wilson.” Nigel said calmly. “What do you want me to do, sir?”
“Do what you have to,” Lex said coldly.
“Yes, sir,” Nigel nodded before turning to leave.
TBC...
Comments Go Here
