Ghost From the Past
Folc4evernaday
Part 26
***
“Every parcel on the list? Excellent. Nothing like a little firestorm to lower prices on real estate. Let's move directly to phase two. I'd like to break ground on LexHarbor sometime next month… No, I wouldn't worry about that. Toni Taylor and I have an arrangement. … Destroy them. Plans, too. Should we ever need to revive the Toaster technology, it'll be easy enough. I know you will. That's what I pay you for.” With the click of a button, Lex ended the phone call, taking a puff from his cigar.
“Asabi?” He called out. “Any news from Lois Lane in the Daily Planet?”
Asabi stood by the door, “No, sir, it appears she’s been placed on administrative leave after her attack.”
Lex nodded, “Keep close tabs on her, Asabi.”
“Yes, sir,”
***
Present Day…Judge Walker read over the warrant in front of him with a furrowed brow, “What’s this?”
“Your honor, we’ve received an anonymous tip that Dr. Antoinette Baines, the Director of EPRAD was seen leaving Mr. Luthor’s home within twenty – four hours of her untimely demise last week. All we’re asking for is permission to watch him. If nothing comes up, then there’s no harm, but if something does come up…”
“We’ll be happy we did it.” Walker nodded, “You know you’re treading on dangerous territory here, right?”
“I do, your honor,” Henderson nodded solemnly, “but a woman is dead, and it is my job to find out why.”
Walker nodded, scribbling his signature on the warrant, “Go get him.”
***
Clark watched Lois squirm in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. After everything that had happened at Dr. Platt’s apartment, he’d insisted on getting her in to see an OB to make sure everything was fine. Even though the doctors at the hospital had reassured them both Lois was okay he still needed that extra reassurance. They’d sent in what they had on Platt to Perry, but neither of them were hopeful on it getting to print with the lack of hard evidence they had at the moment. Dr. Platt was their source, and he couldn’t corroborate their story because he was in a coma. The Messenger was scheduled to launch in two days, and so far they hadn’t come up with anything solid to prove sabotage or convince EPRAD to postpone the launch.
“Here.” Lois handed him a pamphlet from the table that was next to her.
“First Trimester Q&A?” He read through the pamphlet. It seemed there were a lot of changes to be expected in the first trimester. Mood swings, sensitivity to smell, loss of appetite, bloating… He glanced over at Lois once more and couldn’t help but smile when he saw her place her left hand over her right which was covering her abdomen. ‘Definitely more than cautiously optimistic.’ He thought to himself. He glanced around the room, noticing the different sizes of the women’s protruding bellies that filled the waiting room. Some were small, medium, large …All were carrying a new life. He wondered what it had been like for Lois to go through this without him.
He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as he ran his thumb against the base of her ring, “You okay?”
“Just uncomfortable.” She sighed, twisting in her chair once more to look at him. “Five years and they still have the same uncomfortable chairs they had before.”
He smiled at her attempt at humor and brought her hand up to kiss. She smiled at him, and he sighed, running his thumb against her ring. The ring he’d given her five years ago. He could tell from the imprint on her finger she’d never taken it off. He’d had no intention of making her wait five years when he’d given her that ring. With impending fatherhood and the changes, they were looking to make with his alter-ego he wanted to have some permanence in their lives. The question was, was she ready?
She stroked his cheek, leaning in to kiss him, “We’ll figure this out. You’ll see.”
He gave her a weak smile. “No, I was just thinking how much our lives are going to change…”
“Yeah,” She smiled at him, resting her head against his shoulder as he spoke. “but in a good way.”
“A very good way,” He smiled, placing a hand over her abdomen, “I love you so much, Lois, I…”
“Lois Lane,” The nurse called.
Lois sighed, reaching for his hand as she stood up and headed toward the door, “That’s us,”
***
“Mr. President?” Shepard Wilson called into the Oval office, “General Newcomb to see you.”
“Send him in,” Thompson said, not looking up from his notes.
“You must like playing chicken,” Newcomb said as he closed the door behind him.
Thompson looked up at him in surprise, “Chicken?”
“Lex Luthor,” Newcomb said firmly. “He’s becoming a problem.”
“I know.” Thompson said bitterly, “He’s getting more demanding.”
“People are going to start to put two and two together and then where will be?” Newcomb asked. “I stepped aside because it was what was good for the mission. He’s becoming reckless. The FBI has opened a file on him….”
“What am I supposed to do?” Thompson asked, “He’s got us both by the…”
“I know,” Newcomb said, pacing the room uneasily, “He knows too much.”
***
Five Years Ago…Lois stared at her lap as Perry paced in front of her. It had been six weeks since her attack. The man that had attacked her had suffered a heart attack in his hospital room. She’d thought it suspicious as did Henderson but there was nothing either of them could prove.
The last few weeks she’d begun taking self-defense classes with Lucy to help build up her confidence again. After her attack, she never wanted to be in that position again. Never wanted to feel helpless again. Surprisingly the evidence of her pregnancy remained hidden beneath her clothes quite well. She’d had to loosen some of her skirts and pants, but for the most part, the little one remained inconspicuous. The morning sickness was completely gone and left her wanting to make up for the loss of appetite for those five weeks.
Today was her first day back at the Planet, and Perry had summoned her in his office before she could even set her things down. She was surprised when he’d begun asking about the pregnancy then recalled how he’d found out when she was being loaded up on the gurney. He seemed hurt that she hadn’t told him about the pregnancy but even more upset that she’d agreed to go undercover for Henderson knowing she was pregnant.
“You were lucky to make it out of there alive,” Perry said gloomily, looking at Lois uneasily.
“I know,” Lois said cautiously, looking at Perry uncertainly. “Perry, I was going to tell you…”
“After everything you’ve been through why would you take such a huge risk like that???” He fumed angrily.
“I didn’t realize how big of a risk it was until I was already neck deep,” Lois explained.
Perry fingered his chin for a moment seeming to be trying to stop himself from losing his cool, “I think right now …. Considering what you’ve gone through you need to stick to the smaller stories. No more investigative pieces.”
She knew this was coming. She couldn’t really argue with him at this point, “Okay,”
“Once you’ve had the baby and come back from leave you can start working on the bigger stuff again, but for now…”
“Dog shows and obituaries,” She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“This is no reflection on you as a journalist,” He explained, “It’s just after what happened in Smallville then with this fiasco with the Metros and Claude MIA I don’t want to take any chances.”
“MIA?” Lois asked, “What are you talking about?”
Perry sighed, “That lead you were so adamant about chasing that you claimed Claude stole from you?” She nodded, recalling the gun-running story, “Claude’s been missing for the last four weeks. No one’s heard anything from him. I’ve got people looking, but it doesn’t look good.”
“Oh, my God…” Lois gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
“Lois, you’ve got to drop this. We’ve got reporters dropping like flies. I don’t know what you stumbled onto here but YOU cannot follow-up on it while you’re pregnant. It’s too risky and …”
“I get it.” Lois nodded, trying to suppress the strain in her voice at the moment. She didn’t like it, but she did understand. “What do you got for me?”
“Ah,” He pulled out a file folder from his desk and handed it to her, “Christening of ‘LexHarbor’ at noon.”
Lois visibly cringed, “Oh, fun,”
“Now you take it easy.” Perry wagged his finger at her, “Take care of that young’n and stay out of trouble.” His face softened slightly, “When I mentioned to Alice …. Well, she wanted to talk to you about your plans for a nursery.” He handed her a card, “Just give her a call when you get some time.”
“Thanks,” Lois nodded, “I will.” She got up to leave.
“Lois?” Perry called. She turned back to look at him, “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too,” She smiled back at him.
***
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you LexHarbor…” Lex said, cutting the ribbon on the pier with a smile. Lois watched as he made his way through the crowd, posing for pictures with the different officials that had made their presence known. The police commissioner, the mayor, and even the governor had made it to the christening of LexHarbor.
She had to admit. It did look good. The older buildings that had been run down were revitalized, and new apartment buildings had been built to replace the rundown apartments that had been an eyesore for so long.
Across the street, she spotted a group of middle-aged women in a small crowd, watching the presentation with a frown on their face. She noticed the looks of disapproval and pointing at Lex and the apartment buildings with nods and looks of contempt on the women’s’ faces. Sensing there was more to the story, she approached them, notebook in hand, “Excuse me, can I ask you a few questions?”
One of the young women, dressed in worn out jeans and a worn knit top looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow, “Don’t you have a boardroom meeting to get to Miss Congeniality?”
Lois glanced down at her skirt and blouse then back up at the woman, folding her arms over her chest, “A simple ‘no’ would suffice.”
“You don’t want to talk to us.” Another woman said. “We’re part of the ‘problem’” She did air quotes over the word ‘problem’ as she spoke, giving a disgusted look toward Lex as he posed for pictures with the Mayor.
“What problem?” Lois asked.
They pointed toward the apartment building, “This used to be our home. Now we have to move to West Side. We can’t take our kids there.”
“I’m not following,” Lois said, looking at them in confusion, “They revitalized the neighborhood. Why can’t you stay here?”
“Sure,” The first woman said, “They ‘revitalized’ it and made it so everyone that used to live here can’t afford it.”
“But…” Lois began but was cut off by another one of the women.
“Those ritzy types don’t care about us. You don’t care about us.” She sniffed, “We’re just a foot note on someone’s contract. An inconvenience. You think Mr. Luthor cares about the fact that my boy’s gonna have to walk to school through the roughest neighborhood in Metropolis? You think he cares that all of our children are now going to be at risk of being shot by gangs? No, of course not. He doesn’t care.” She pointed at the crowd around him, “They don’t care. You…”
“I care.” Lois interrupted. The woman gave her a look of disbelief, “I do. Please, let me tell your story.”
***
“No.” Perry shook his head adamantly.
“But Perry…”
“I said no investigative pieces, Lois, and I mean it,” Perry argued. “Let it go.”
“Someone has to tell their story.”
“I’ll give it to Ralph,” Perry interjected.
“Ralph couldn’t investigate his way out of a paper bag.” Lois snapped. “Please, Perry this is important…”
“So was the Gunrunner story and look what happened.”
“Perry, you and I both know Ralph won’t give this the attention it deserves.” Lois pleaded.
“Fine,” Perry gave a heavy sigh, “You can take Cat. No undercover work. No getting yourself mixed into anything. IF it requires investigations, you let her handle it. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Lois said flatly.
“I’m serious Lois. If I get even a whiff of you trying to get yourself thrown into another story like what happened with the Metros. You are going to be pulling desk duty for the rest of the year. Are we clear?”
Lois smiled, nodding her agreement, “I’m looking at real estate, not gangsters.”
“Promise me?” Perry encouraged.
She sighed, “Fine. I won’t go undercover. I’ll leave it up to Cat.”
Perry nodded, “That’s my girl.” When she let out an exasperated sigh he continued, “You’ll thank me when you’re holding that healthy baby.”
“You are so overprotective.” Lois sighed.
“Just looking out for ya,” Perry smiled. “Go find Cat and get to work.”
***
Lois stepped into the newsroom and found Cat at her desk, “Cat?”
“Just a sec, Lois,” Cat said finishing up typing her notes on her computer. She had a pen in her mouth, and her nose was crinkled as she stared at her screen typing at an insane speed across her keyboard.
Lois tapped her foot while she waited. Cat glanced up at her curiously, stopping what she was doing, “Yes?”
Lois claimed a seat next to her, “I’ve got a story I need your help with.”
“And you’re coming to ME??” Cat asked with intrigue. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch. Perry won’t let me work alone after what happened last month.” Lois sighed, running a hand through her hair.
Cat nodded, “Yeah, I heard what happened. How you holding up?”
“Fine,” Lois said a bit too quickly.
“Uh-huh,” Cat said, not believing her, “Well, what have you got there?” She pointed to the file in Lois’ hand.
Lois glanced down at the file and handed it to her. “You remember those fires last month….”
***
Lucy Lane stepped off the elevator of the Daily Planet, scanning the newsroom. Seeing her sister at her desk, she sighed in relief before heading her way. She hadn’t called. She hadn’t come home. It was nearly nine o’clock at night, and she’d been worried sick. When she reached her sister’s desk, she was ready to light into her for worrying her when she realized the problem. She was asleep. Lois had fallen asleep, hunched over her desk.
She let out a long breath, reaching for her sister’s shoulder, “Lois?” She groaned a response but didn’t wake up, “Lois, it’s Lucy,” Another grunt. She shook her a little harder, “Lois, you need to wake up.”
She lightly tapped the back of her neck, and Lois’ head shot up, jerking away from her in fear, “No, don’t!”
“Lois, relax, it’s me,” Lucy reassured her, holding her hands up in defense.
“Lucy?” Lois looked around the newsroom, reaching for the back of her neck as she lightly massaged it, trying to focus on her surroundings, “What time is it?”
“Nearly nine,” Lucy said, looking at her sister in concern.
“Nine?” Lois gasped in shock. “How long was I asleep?”
“I have no idea.” Lucy shrugged. “When you didn’t come home or call I got worried and came looking for you.”
“Oh, Luce, I’m sorry,” Lois apologized. “I remember packing everything up and then scanning over these notes one last time and…” She let out a long yawn, “I guess I fell asleep.”
“You’re in your second trimester. You need more sleep…” Lucy sighed, “Come on, let’s get you home.”
***
Present Day…The loud thumping filled the room as the sonographer rolled the wand over Lois’ goo covered belly. “Definitely pregnant,” She smiled at Lois. Clark watched as tears fell one by one down her cheeks. She didn’t brush them away. She just kept staring at the screen where the small gummy bear shaped organism the sonographer had found and labeled as ‘baby.'
“It’s pretty mind-blowing, huh?” the sonographer remarked, “That tiny little dot will grow into a beautiful baby in just nine short months.” She handed Lois a towel to wipe off with, “I’m gonna grab the prints off the machine. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you get cleaned up and meet me outside?”
Lois nodded tearfully, unable to say anything. He kept a firm grip on her hand, pulling it to him as he brushed his lips against it. He glanced up at Lois who was still staring straight ahead in tears. He felt his own emotions overcome him as tears began to escape the corners of his eyes. This was their child. A miracle. He leaned in to kiss her, cupping her cheek as he ran a hand through her silky hair. “I love you so much,”
“This is really happening,” She sniffed, “We’re really having a baby?”
“Yeah,” He said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb, “I guess we are.”
“I’m not crying because I’m upset,” She sniffed.
“I know,” He whispered, leaning in to kiss her tears away, “It’s just overwhelming. I get it.”
She covered his hand with hers, lacing her fingers through his, “I love you,” He leaned in to kiss the top of her head, and she sighed, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” He promised, resting his head against hers.
***
Nigel set a small portable disk on Lex’s desk. He looked up, “What’s this?”
“All the files from Dr. Baines,” Nigel explained.
Lex picked up the disk and walked toward the painting of Alexander the Great that hung on the wall, feeling for the familiar latch to release the hidden door. Once it opened a safe was revealed, and he began typing in the code as he spoke, “So kind of Dr. Baines to give us this information, don’t you think so, Nigel?”
Nigel wore an amused smile, “Yes, so it would seem, sir,”
“Such a tragedy,” Lex shook his head, reclaiming his seat as he wrote in large capital letters ‘I KNOW YOU’RE WATCHING…’ and held it up toward the ceiling.
***
“Damnit!” Henderson fumed, watching the surveillance tape as Lex held up his message to their undercover team. “He knows we’re watching. He’s not going to do anything to slip up now.”
“But how did he…?” Officer Raegan asked, looking up from his place in front of the computer with headphones, listening in on Lex Luthor.
“I don’t know.” Henderson kicked an empty chair nearby. “I don’t know.”
“The warrant just came through this morning.” Officer Raegan began.
“I know.” Henderson sighed.
***
Five Years Ago…Lois sat at her desk going over the eviction notices in front of her shaking her head, “This is insane.”
“Tell me about it,” Cat said, “Look at all of this. These people were basically booted out of their homes because the place burned down and given no compensation to rebuild or relocate. How is that legal?”
“They were given money by the insurance.” Lois pointed out.
“That’s pocket change compared to what they should have gotten.” Cat said in disgust.
“They got around it because they were listed as subsidized income tenants meaning the insurance only had to give them three months of what they were actually paying not what the full value was.”
“It’s sick.”
“I agree.” Lois sighed, “It’s not right.”
“You know I grew up with a single mom struggling to put food on the table. I could have been any of these kids. This…” Cat shook her head in disgust.
“I never knew that,” Lois said softly, looking at the older woman in a new light.
“It’s not exactly something I advertise.” Cat shrugged. “We struggled a lot, and I promised myself if I ever made it out of there I’d do everything I could to take care of my mom for everything she did for me.”
“And did you?” Lois asked with a smile, “Make it?”
Cat smiled, “I like to think so.”
“Your mom must be pretty proud,” Lois said sadly, placing a hand on her abdomen as she spoke.
“She was.” Cat began, “Didn’t agree with some of my choices at times, but she was proud.”
“Was?” Lois asked picking up on Cat’s use of the past tense verb.
“Was.” Cat nodded, “She died of breast cancer a few years back.”
“Oh, Cat, I’m sorry.” Lois placed a hand over Cat’s.
“It’s fine. In the past.” Cat shrugged. “Anyway, the point is we can’t let them get away with this.”
“So what do we do?” Lois asked.
Cat gave her a half-smile, “Well first you deal with your visitor while I discreetly hide all of this,” She said, taking the files from her desk and shoving them into a drawer.
“Visitor?” Lois looked behind her to see what Cat was talking about and groaned when she spotted the problem. Lex Luthor was descending the staircase, heading her way. “Oh, no,”
“Oh, yes,” Cat said, getting up to leave.
***
Lois closed the door the conference room, turning to face Lex who was watching her with a careful eye. “What can I help you with, Lex?”
“I heard what happened last month. How are you doing?” He asked concerned.
“I’m fine.” She shrugged it off.
“It must have been traumatizing having someone you thought you could trust break into your apartment and attack you and your sister like that.”
“Yes, it was…” She stopped for a moment, “How did you know that?”
“Know what?” He asked
“That he attacked Lucy.” Lois pressed, crossing her arms over her chest. “No one but the people that were there knew about that.”
<<“The boss liked your song. Wanted me to send his regards…”>>“I have friends in high places,” He shrugged it off.
“Uh-huh,” She muttered, not quite believing him. “What were you doing at the MetroClub with Toni Taylor?”
“Pardon?” He asked.
“Toni Taylor? The new head of the Metros…”
“Well, I wasn’t aware.” He brushed it off, “I was meeting with her about the revitalization of the Southside district.”
“What does that have to do with Toni Taylor?” Lois asked.
“Yes, well, according to her, we have similar interests in the Southside district.” Lex began cautiously.
“How does the head of the Metros have common interests with LexCorp?” Lois quipped.
He looked away, “She talks a good line: slum clearance, uplifting the neighborhood, micromanagement, growth and prosperity.”
“She should run for Congress.” Lois mused wryly. “Sounds like Congressman Harrington’s promises from a few years ago,”
“I never said I believed her.” He said with a smile, growing thoughtful for a moment, “In fact, I think the whole thing was designed to get me to slow down my own plans for reviving the area…”
“Not everyone’s happy with the changes you’ve made to the area.” Lois countered. “A lot of families are being moved to West Side.”
“Well, you can’t please everyone…” He shrugged.
“You can’t ignore them either,” Lois countered. “What is LexCorp planning to do to make what the insurance companies did to those families right?”
“Why should LexCorp do anything?” He asked. “We’ve already done more than our fair share to revitalize the community that those people—you say are angry with the changes—destroyed.”
“What are you doing here?” Lois asked, changing the subject as she realized she wasn’t going to win this argument. Not today at least.
“I came to warn you. I think Toni's hiding something.” He began cautiously.
“Hiding what?” Lois asked.
“I wish I know. I only know that if I were a smart reporter looking for answers, I wouldn't bother to look any further for the source of all the problems in Southside district than Toni Taylor.”
She narrowed her eyes, at him uncertainly. “Toni Taylor?”
“Yes, she’s up to something. What, I’m not sure.” She clicked her tongue in her mouth, sizing him up as she let his last statement sink in. What would Clark say?
‘Pretty convenient he’s come all this way to point the finger at Toni Taylor,’She opened her mouth to respond but was caught off guard when he gave her a warm smile and whispered, “Let’s do it.”
“Excuse me??” She choked out, uncertain if she’d heard him right.
He then snapped his fingers, humming to the song of ‘Let’s Do It Let’s Fall In Love’ by Bing Crosby and she visibly relaxed. He then smiled, “A song request. I never knew you to be so….sultry, Ms. Lane,”
<<“The boss liked your song. Wanted me to send his regards…”>>“Your memory must be clouded.” She blushed, turning away, “I was just playing a part.” She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “No danger of repeating that again.”
“Oh, why not? You were wonderful!” He crooned.
“Thanks, but local gangster hideouts aren’t where I like to hang my hat.” She gave him a half-smile, “No offense.”
“None taken.” He smiled, “Actually Toni Taylor wasn’t the only reason I came down here.”
“Oh?” She asked, trying to feign a bit of surprise.
<<“The boss liked your song. Wanted me to send his regards…”>>“I wanted to follow up on our dinner a few months back and see if you’d be interested in accompanying me to the Opera.” He smiled taking a few steps towards her.
She shifted uncomfortably, “I don’t think so, Lex,” She gave him a weak smile. “I’m just not in a good place right now.”
“I heard about your partner.” He continued with a frown. “Tragic.”
“Fiancé.”
“Pardon?”
“He was more than my partner. He was my fiancé.” She corrected. “Listen, thanks for coming by, but I’m really busy right now and…”
“I understand.” He nodded, “Another time then?” She gave a nonverbal shrug, and he stepped out, “He’s a lucky man.”
***
“Asabi?” Lex called in his office, knowing the man was waiting just outside the hall.
“Yes, sir?” Asabi called as she stepped into the office.
“I want you to find out everything for me that happened in Smallville, Kansas regarding the disappearance of Clark Kent.” Lex said as he pulled out a file in his desk marked, ‘Bureau 39.’
***
“Are you sure?” Cat asked, looking at Lois in disbelief.
“Positive.” Lois breathed shakily. “It took everything in me not to strangle him. He knew about Lucy’s attack. No one but the people that had been there that night knew about it. He was there when I was singing at the Metro Club. Wilder said ‘the boss’ liked my song. Don’t you see? Lex is the boss.”
<<“The boss liked your song. Wanted me to send his regards…”>>***
Present Day …Clark slipped his arms around Lois from behind, whispering a featherlight kiss on her cheek, “How was your shower? Feeling better?”
“Yeah,” She gave him a weak smile, placing a hand over his. “Sorry about dinner. I guess this one doesn’t like chicken.”
“I’ll try to remember that. You sure you don’t want me to make you anything?” He asked in concern. “I could whip up some soup or something…”
“No, I’m not that hungry right now anyway.” She gave him a weak smile before turning back toward the window. “In less than twenty-four hours Prometheus is supposed to launch.” She said staring up at the sky from her bedroom window. “If we can’t prove there is sabotage…all those lives…”
Clark tightened his arms around her from behind, whispering a kiss against her cheek, “Don’t think about that. We are going to prove it. We’ll figure this out.”
“Dr. Platt’s been in a coma for almost a week.” Lois said sadly, “Dr. Klein said the reports are about fifty percent deciphered…”
“Well, Jimmy said STAR Labs was recreating the launch for EPRAD officials to determine the cause of the explosion. If they can prove, there was sabotage maybe…”
Lois sighed, “Even if we prove it was sabotage I doubt we’ll be able to prove WHO was behind it.” She walked back toward her bed, leaning back against the pillows in defeat.
Clark followed her, taking his place next to her on the bed. She was quiet, staring up at the ceiling. She’d been quiet since they’d left the doctor’s office that afternoon. After a failed attempt at dinner which had ended up with her in the bathroom for half an hour, she’d spent most of the night lost in thought. It was driving him crazy not knowing what was going through her mind but he didn’t want to push her. Her moods seemed different lately, and he didn’t want to set her off.
He watched her nose crinkle as she seemed to be contemplating how to stop Prometheus from being launched into space with the sabotaged ion particles like a ticking time bomb set to explode at any moment and kill the innocent passengers on its voyage.
“Lois,” He began slowly, turning on his side to look at her, “proving who is behind this isn’t nearly as important as stopping it. You’re right,” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as he spoke, “with how well Lex Luthor has been playing the game all these years he probably already has a fall-guy lined up. We may not prove what he’s doing, but we have our suspicions…” She visibly winced at that remark, “…and we can use what we know to help stop him.”
He watched as her facial expression changed to remorse as she stroked the skin beneath her tank top just above the waistline of her pajama bottoms. She fingered the spot on her abdomen gingerly, and he noticed the pained expression on her face, “What is it?”
Lois looked back at him and gave him a watery smile, leaning into his arms, “This feels so weird.”
“What does?” Clark asked, tightening his arms around her.
“This.” She set the printout on her nightstand, turning back into his arms as she rested her head on his chest. “I went through all of this with Jamie, but it was different…scary, but…”
“But?” Clark prompted, brushing a few stray strands of hair that had fallen across her face with his fingers.
“I guess I’m scared for different reasons this time,” Lois said, covering his hand with hers, “I mean last time I was worried I couldn’t do it on my own….and don’t get me wrong Lucy was amazing.” She sniffed, “You should have seen her with Jamie. She would do this game with his blanket, and he would laugh so hard…” She stopped when she saw the solemn expression on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” He whispered, tightening his arms around her, “I love hearing about him.”
“Are you sure?” She asked uncertainly.
He stroked her cheek, resting his head against hers, “I’ll admit it is…hard hearing about him, knowing I’ll never get the chance to make my own memories with him…” She sighed, lowering her head as he spoke. He tilted her head to look at him, “but getting to know him through your memories is as close as I’m going to get—So, no, I don’t want you to stop telling me about him.”
She sighed, leaning her head against his chest as she tapped her fingers on his shoulder, “I miss him. Right after ….” She couldn’t finish her sentence, unable to say the words, “…I used to wake up looking for him…thinking I heard him crying.” He placed a kiss on her head, remaining silent as he allowed her to finish.
“He had your smile.” She said wistfully, letting a few tears fall down her cheeks. He felt the tears hit his chest and tightened his arms around her.
“I’m sorry,” He ran his hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear.
“I’m happy about this baby, really I am, but at the same time I’m just so…” He leaned in to kiss her, brushing featherlight kisses against her lips.
She met his lips with a surprising intensity fingering the back of his neck as he rolled them over on the bed, so she was beneath him. “I know,” He murmured against her lips. “We’ll get through this.” He whispered his lips against her cheek, holding her to him.
“I know,” She whispered, stroking his cheek, “I’m just so scared of reliving the nightmare I went through with Jamie. I don’t know if I could survive losing another baby.”
His head rested against hers, and he held her to him, “I know. I am so sorry you had to go through that all alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.” She whispered, stroking his cheek, “I had Lucy…and your parents…and I made sure he knew who you were,”
“You did?” He asked hoarsely, feeling his voice giving away the emotions he was feeling.
She bit her lower lip, “Of course,” She let out a low breath, “I never gave up hope …especially after…” She stopped, frowning as a dark cloud washed over her face.
He looked at her in concern, “After what?”
She pulled away, sitting up as she folded her knees below her arms, “It’s not important.”
“Lois, what is going on? I can tell something’s bothering you…” He pleaded, sitting up to look at her.
She glanced back at him with a pained expression, “Clark, please, don’t…” She shook her head adamantly in tears.
“Lois, honey, please talk to me,” He pleaded gently. “Whatever it is is eating you up. I can’t stand to see you like this.” She let out a shallow sob, and he sighed, “Is it Luthor? Did he do something?” She cried harder, and he put an arm around her, pulling her to him, “Lois…”
“You’ll hate me…” She sobbed.
“I could never hate you.” He reassured her, tightening his arms around her. “Please talk to me.”
She looked down at her knees, seeming to be contemplating whether to tell him or not. After what seemed like an eternity she looked up and sighed, “The first big story I covered after your disappearance?” He nodded, and she continued, “It was a gunrunner story. I found connections to both the Somalian pirates as well as to the Metros and a mysterious ‘boss’ here in Metropolis.”
He looked at her in concern, “You didn’t go all the way to…”
She shook her head, “No, thankfully I had found out I was pregnant with Jamie around that same time, so I was focused on the Metros and the boss…Actually, Claude kinda wormed his way into my investigation …”
“I heard about that,” Clark nodded, “Somalian pirates seemed a bit out of character from his normal stories on corruption with politicians.”
Lois nodded, “I wanted to kill him when he was trying to pitch this story I’d uncovered as his own…but Perry decided the best solution was to team us up.”
“I’m sure that went over really well,” Clark remarked, recalling how much Lois couldn’t stand Claude in their early days at the Planet when he kept trying to hit on her and had even taken credit for some of their stories.
“Oh, yeah, he did nothing to help the investigation then when I wasn’t looking he stole my notes and pitched the investigation into the Somalian pirates before I could do anything. I mean I wasn’t going to go over there, but it was just…”
“The idea that he’d taken credit for something you did.” Clark nodded, “I’d have been upset too.”
“Anyway after that, there were a bunch of fires in Southside district. No one could explain how so many fires were getting started in such a short amount of time. The Metros leader had been killed a few weeks back, so there was a power struggle going on. The fires were in the same area the Metro Club was so I thought there was a connection.”
Clark realized where this was going, “So you went undercover.”
“Yes, I got a job as a singer…thought I’d be able to find something out…” She grew quiet, and he nudged her.
“Did you?”
“Yeah,” She said softly. “Perry had teamed me up with RALPH of all people on this one. Said I wasn’t the same and needed backup.” He did his best to suppress his laugh at the mental image of Ralph working with Lois, “It’s not funny.”
“Of course not. Sorry.” He apologized.
“So, I was working undercover when this group of guys comes in with these blow torches on steroids. It was insane. I’d never seen anything like it. They tried to burn the place down.” He looked at her in concern, “I didn’t get hurt. Just a little shaken is all.” She reassured him, and he placed a hand over hers, waiting for her to continue. “Anyway after that Ralph refused to go back there with me, and Perry wouldn’t let me go alone.”
“Good.” Clark nodded his agreement.
“So, he got Henderson to help.” Lois began shakily.
“Henderson?” Clark looked at her in concern.
“Yeah, they were watching the Metros too…since I was already undercover…” Lois shrugged, “They were trying to catch a meeting between the Metros leader and the boss on camera.”
“The boss again, huh?” He observed.
“I figured I was protected you know. The police were watching. Nothing to worry about.”
She let out a shaky breath, and he kissed her head. “What happened?”
“When I was up on stage I saw Lex there,” Lois said uneasily. His brow furrowed in concern, “I don’t know. I saw him talking with Toni Taylor…She apparently had taken over the Metros the night before.”
He let out a low breath, “Lois…”
“I don’t know what happened. Ralph showed up trying to warn me about a trap then before I knew what was happening the whole place erupted into gunfire. Johnny Taylor, Toni’s brother, showed up shooting the place up. I got out of there. Was shaking. I didn’t realize what Ralph was trying to warn me about until later.”
“Was it Lex?” Clark asked.
Lois shrugged, “I’m getting to that.”
“Okay, sorry.” He apologized, “Continue.”
“I got back to my apartment and took the camera off. Was sitting with Lucy when this Detective Wilder showed up. At the same time, Perry had called and warned me there was a leak at the police station with the boss. I turned around and found Lucy on the floor unconscious.” He tightened his grip on her, rubbing her shoulders as she continued, “She’d been hit upside the head with something.”
“Wilder was the leak?” Clark guessed.
Lois nodded, “He wanted the tape. I knew if I gave it to him he was just going to try and kill Lucy and me anyway so I tried to get away, but I wasn’t fast enough.” She cried. “Luckily Lucy came to when she did. I remember losing consciousness…” She let out a shaky breath, “and nearly dying.”
“Honey…” He kissed her head.
“Lucy still thinks I’m crazy to this day but almost dying…I saw my grandparents, but I didn’t see you. That’s how I knew…that you weren’t dead. For sure, I mean.”
“I’m so sorry,” He nuzzled her neck, holding her close, “I had no idea…”
“Lucy saved my life.” She said resting her hand on his knee, “and Jamie’s.”
“I’ll have to thank her for that.” He whispered, tightening his arms around her waist. “Did they catch him?”
“Who?” She asked.
“Wilder?”
She shook her head in disgust, “He had a heart attack in the hospital room that next morning handcuffed to his hospital bed with two protective units standing outside the door.”
“That sounds convenient,” He observed cautiously.
“It took everything in me not to pursue it.” She placed a hand over her abdomen, “After everything that happened … I couldn’t risk losing the only thing I had left of you.” He let out a long breath as she turned in his arms, “I’ve often wondered if something might have happened to him when I was unconscious. Lucy said I wasn’t breathing when she found me…”
“Lois, you can’t do this to yourself.” He sighed, holding her close. “That is not your fault. Even if that was connected to what happened to him … That is on Wilder, not you.” He placed a kiss on her cheek.
She relaxed in his arms, “After that, I was put on leave for a few weeks to recover then Perry had me taken off of all the investigative pieces.”
“I’m sure that went over well.”
“I didn’t fight him on it.” Lois said calmly, “I wasn’t going to do anything to endanger Jamie like that again. Lucy made me promise not to take any more risks like that, so I didn’t. I owed her that much.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It was,” She said, “At first, but you know me. I can’t seem to cross the street without finding a story…” He gave her a playful smile, and she continued, “When he was attacking me…” Her voice cracked a bit, and he nodded for her to continue, “He said ‘the boss enjoyed my song.’” She let out a breath, “I still can’t prove it, but I know he was talking about Lex…and I know he was the one that gave the order for Wilder to come after Lucy and me.”
“Oh, Lois,” He sighed, holding her close as she cried.
“He’s a monster. I have been working with Henderson for years trying to prove it, but he is always one step ahead of me.” Lois fumed bitterly, “I just wanted him to pay for what he did.”
***
Five Years Ago…Jason Trask looked up and down the darkened hallways nervously as he approached the office ahead. He’d been told ‘the boss’ wanted to see him about his research into the alien threat. He wasn't sure who this 'boss' was, but he had been assured by General Thompson he was a great ally to their cause.
He opened the door and was surprised to find Lex Luthor on the other side, "Mr. Luthor!"
"Ah, Mr. Trask, so glad you could make it," Lex said with a warm smile. "Come on in."
"I don't understand..." He began, "You're the boss??"
"Yes," Lex snapped his fingers, pointing at one of the guards, "Get this man a drink, will you?"
"Yes, sir," one of the guards left to fetch the bourbon and ice from the bar, returning with the drink.
"How did you know I...?" Trask began uncertainly.
"Ah, ah, ah," Lex scolded, "I'll ask the questions from here on out."
"Yes, sir," Trask nodded his agreement.
Lex paced in front of him, "I'm told you were involved with a tragic incident in Smallville a few months back. With a....Clark Kent?"
How did he? Trask did his best not to react. He still wasn't sure if he could trust him. He just nodded. "Yes, we suspected he knew where an alien life form had come to Earth at."
"What brought you to this...conclusion?" Lex asked amused.
"Information we came across when a local sent an odd sample to the lab for testing." Trask began. "It doesn't matter now. We were right about the alien, and we have begun testing his abilities and are working on programming him to be used as a weapon."
"A weapon?" Lex laughed. "How?"
"Weak minds run amuck in the world, Mr. Luthor. No matter where you come from or what you do your mind can be controlled given the right circumstances..." Trask mused, leaning back against the wall behind him. "...even a powerful alien like this one."
"I'd be interested to see this." Lex said, taking out his checkbook, "maybe funding your mission."
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Mr. Luthor," Trask said briskly. "Introducing the alien to any outsiders would only hinder our work."
"And what work is that?" Lex asked.
"Breaking the alien's mind so that all he knows is what we tell him. All he's capable of is destruction. All he remembers is that he is our soldier...under our control." Trask boasted proudly.
"I see." Lex took a sip of his drink, thinking for a moment, "I was told you came across a special kind of rock..."
"Yes, Mr. Luthor,"
"May I see it?"
Trask shook his head, "If it's all the same to you, Mr. Luthor, I'd rather you didn't." At Lex's surprised expression he continued, "You've just met me, and I've just met you. I can guarantee the presence of alien life form, and I can confirm that a special rock connected to this alien exists. Anything else I'm unwilling to confirm until we get to know one another better."
"That wasn't the agreement General Newcomb made with me." Lex countered.
"General Newcomb doesn't run this operation; I do." Trask boasted. "He doesn't even know the identity of the alien or where he is. I do. If you want to be a part of this, I welcome the support but remember this is my operation."
"I admire your gusto," Lex said, taking another sip of his drink, "Who do I make the check out to?"
***
TBC...
Comments Go Here
