My Own Worst Enemy
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 2
A/N: Yes, I know. I've been a bit....delayed in getting this posted. First I was out of town for Nashville with family, and then Irma happened which sent my muse into hiding. She's back and writing with a vengeance though. Hope everyone enjoys Chapter 2.
***
Lois tugged at her blazer for the umpteenth time, looking around the crowded elevator and noting the familiar faces of the Daily Planet staff. Ten days. It had been ten days of nothing but her and Clark in the beautiful city of Milan. They’d actually managed to get out and see some of the city. Though admittedly most of their honeymoon was spent in their hotel room.
She moved her right hand over her left, fidgeting with her wedding band as she rested her hands over the small bump that had begun to form. She was starting to show more and more lately. So much so that she’d had to pull out a few of the maternity suits she’d had with Jamie in order to find something to wear this morning. She’d have to make time this week to get a few things. She hated having to spend so much on clothing she was only going to wear when pregnant. Why the maternity clothing lines thought it was okay to charge so much she didn’t know.
The elevator chimed, and the crowd of people stepped off. She sighed in relief, seeing the doors close behind them as her husband’s arms encircled her expanding waist from behind.
“I thought they’d never leave.” He murmured, pressing his lips to her collarbone as his other hand moved up the front of her blazer, tugging the fabric open with the flick of the button.
“Clark, it took me half an hour to….” She moaned in approval as his lips moved up the side of her neck, turning her to face him. She gasped in surprise, feeling the corner of the elevator walls against her back as his hands moved up and down her sides. “Ten days…”
“Not nearly enough time.” He murmured in her ear.
“I know.” She sighed as she felt his hands slip up the back of her thighs, fingering the sheer material of her stockings.
“I think we should go home for lunch.” He whispered in her ear.
“If we can make it that long.” She gasped feeling him lift her in his arms. He nibbled at her throat, grazing the edge of his teeth against the sensitive flesh. She could feel her body responding to him. It wouldn’t take a lot of convincing after spending the last ten days doing nothing but what his body was suggesting. It was so tempting. So very,
very tempting….
The ding of the elevator indicated another floor had been passed. She looked up toward the light above the elevator doors that indicated the floor number they were on. Two more floors and they would be on the newsroom floor. “Oh, God, we’ve got to stop before we get caught…”
He nodded mutely, setting her back down on her feet but keeping his arms wrapped securely around her as he leaned in to kiss her, “Something tells me it wouldn’t surprise anyone.” His right hand rested on her growing abdomen.
She linked her arms around his neck and grinned, “Maybe, but I don’t think giving the newsroom a preview of our honeymoon is the best idea.”
The elevator chimed once more in the background. “No, but I’m going to take advantage of every second I have you alone in this elevator.” He murmured leaning down to recapture her lips.
***
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Lucy let her service weapon down, removing the ear muffs and protective gear as the target moved toward her for her to look over.
“Nice shot, Lane,”
Lucy turned around and saw Bill Henderson standing in the corner behind her. “Bill!” She smiled at him, “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t have your first day on the force without a proper welcome.” He shrugged, walking toward her. “Almost all of them dead center. You’re dangerous.”
“Not that I’d be needing to use it. My job’s in Criminal Science, remember?”
“Yeah, but you couldn’t resist the urge to come down to the firing range and let loose.” He teased, “Admit it. You know you want to investigate more than a test tube.”
“That’s not all I’m doing, and you know it.” Lucy countered with a teasing smile. “Watch, I’ll be your new best friend six months from now. You better be nice to me.”
Oh, I see you’ve got that same cocky attitude as your sister. I guess I’ll have to invest in those Double Fudge Crunch stocks with how much I’ll be buying to push my lab work through.” Bill said, walking with her out of the firing range.
“I prefer Nutter Butter bars,” Lucy said with a grin.
“Noted,” Bill said with a smile, “So, all joking aside how do you like it here?”
Lucy grinned ear-to-ear, “I love it. I’m helping families and solving cases. It’s exhilarating.”
“Everyone treating you all right?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, “Still my first day so haven’t really given anyone a chance to hate me yet.”
“You’re not doing your job right unless you’re making someone mad,” Bill said with a smirk.
“I’ll try to remember that.”
***
Perry did his best not to react when he saw Lois and Clark separate from a very heated embrace. Recalling his own Honeymoon in Graceland with Alice he couldn’t suppress a smile. The couple stepped out on the newsroom floor, walking into the pit when he met them at the staircase, “Lois, Clark, welcome back!”
“It’s good to be back, Perry,” Lois beamed, looking around. “I see the place didn’t fall apart without us.”
“Hey, guys!” Jimmy approached with a grin, “How was Milan?”
“Beautiful,” Clark said, sharing a glance with Lois.
“Yes, the water was….” Lois couldn’t seem to find the right word. “The art… I mean….” She glanced back at Clark and then to Jimmy, “But the food was ….It was
beautiful.” She finally finished.
“Sounds like you had a great time.” Jimmy chuckled, “Welcome back.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Clark said.
Lois looked around the newsroom as they walked toward their desks, “So, no major disasters while we were gone?”
“Perry almost killed Ralph,” Cat said, walking up to them.
“Cat, I told you not to bring that up.” Perry admonished.
“He did.” Cat continued, ignoring Perry.
“What happened?” Lois asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.
“We had a disagreement over his story. Words were said.
Regrettable things were done.” Perry continued carefully.
“Ralph’s suspended for another week.” Cat supplied.
“Yes, which means I’ll need you two to help pick up the slack now that you’re back,” Perry said, reaching for the file he’d placed on Lois’ desk earlier.
“Great.” Lois grinned, “What have you got for us? Corruption? Scandals?”
“Ribbon cutting.” He said handing her the file.
“
Ribbon cutting?” Lois and Clark asked in unison.
“Starts in forty-five minutes. Read up on it and get going.” Perry instructed.
Lois looked down at the folder in confusion then back at Perry, “Cost Mart? How many of these things are they going to build?”
“I don’t know.” Perry shrugged, “Maybe you can ask Mr. Church when you go to the ribbon ceremony.”
Lois glared at him, grabbing her purse and hooking her arm into Clark’s as they turned back toward the elevator to leave.
***
Lucy Lane made her way through the crowd of police officers and detectives on Hobb’s Street.
“Lane?”
She looked up and saw the red-headed Jack Warren motioning for her to follow. She readjusted the bag on her shoulder before she crossed the street, seeing Warren crouched over a blue tarp. Jack Warren was the Senior Criminal Science Investigator at Metropolis P.D. and her current supervisor. She’d covered two crime scenes with him this morning, but this was her first homicide.
She put on a brave face and asked, “What do we have here?”
“Gunshot victim,” Warren said, pointing at the yellow markers around the blue tarp. “No witnesses.”
Lucy pulled out her collection kit, “Well, let’s see if our victim took anything from his killer with him.” She said, pulling out a sterile swab and reached for the right palm of the victim.
“Who says dead men tell no tales?” Warren chuckled, opening his own collection kit.
***
Lois and Clark made their way through the crowd of reporters at the Grand Opening of Cost Mart’s third store in Metropolis. “Pretty big turnout,” Lois said, looking around. “I still can’t believe Perry’s big story for us was a stupid ribbon cutting.”
“Well, look at it this way, you don’t have to worry about any crazy criminals or secret government agencies popping up here.” Clark grinned, tightening his arms around her. “Just a nice boring ribbon cutting.”
“Don’t remind me.” Lois groaned. “This past year has been one thing after another.”
“I know,” he nodded, “We need to start digging into this mysterious organization.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” Lois said, shaking her head. “Daddy said they didn’t even tell the employees the name of the organization.”
A soft whining from the feedback on the microphone that had been set up on the podium rang. Lois looked up at the stage and grabbed Clark’s arm in a panic when she recognized the man standing there. “Clark!
Look!”
“What?” He looked up and frowned when he saw who she was pointing to. “Isn’t that…?”
“Lex Luthor’s manservant. Asabi.” Lois whispered.
“What’s he doing here?” Clark asked.
“Good morning people of Metropolis. It is with great honor that I introduce you to the esteemed Bill Church, founder, and chairman of the Cost Mart stores. Please…” He stood back and began to clap. The crowd began to applaud as well.
A man in his late 50’s with balding hair approached. To look at him, you wouldn’t think he was a billionaire. He wore a conservative button-down shirt with a green cardigan sweater and dark grey slacks. He reached out to shake Asabi’s hand and approached the podium.
“Thank you. Thank you, everyone.” He smiled at the crowd, “I just want to say how glad I am to be a part of this great city. We’re not just here to do business—we’re here to be a part of your lives. Thank you.”
Lois stole a glance at Clark as Bill Church backed away from the podium and Asabi resumed the announcements. “Mr. Church would like to invite all the members of the press to follow us.” He motioned for everyone to follow.
A few feet away a large red ribbon hung in front of the doors of Cost Mart with a sign that read ‘Grand Opening.’ Bill Church posed in front of the ribbon with a large pair of scissors with a smile, shaking hands with the mayor as cameras went off in all directions. After the ribbon was cut Bill Church walked to the front doors and turned the sign to mark ‘Open.’ He smiled at the crowd and announced, “Open for business!”
Lois crossed her arms over her chest, clapping with a weak smile, “He seems nice enough I guess.”
“Perry said he and Bill Church were golfing buddies,” Clark reminded her. “But I wonder if he knows he’s working with Asabi.”
“One way to find out,” Lois said, pulling him through the crowd that was lining up to enter the doors that had just been unlocked. “Let’s see if he’ll agree to an interview.”
***
News coverage of the Cost Mart grand opening echoed in the background. Lex Luthor paced among the questionable looking men standing in front of him. Lex carried an aluminum baseball bat in his hand as he spoke.
“We are at war gentlemen. A war for our city.” He pointed toward the television, “You see this? Betrayal. Ten years of loyalty down the drain.” He was silent a moment before continuing, “You are the most ruthless, vile thugs this city has ever seen…and you’ve proven your loyalty by standing with me during these times of hardship.”
“Yeah, but we still got bills to pay, Luthor. You ain’t exactly building up our confidence with articles like these showing up.” One of the men said, holding up the front page of the Daily Planet that read, ‘Luthor Estate Auction Success!’
“Yes, well things aren’t always what they seem,” Lex said smugly.
“We do this for you; you better be good for it.” Another man spoke up.
Lex pulled up a large briefcase, unlocking it as he spoke, “Oh believe me you’ll be taken care of handsomely.” He stepped aside to show the large bills inside the briefcase. “Any other questions?”
“Who’s the target?” one of the thugs sneered.
***
Lois and Clark sat across from Bill Church in the Cost Mart café while they finished up their interview. For the most part, the man had been more than cooperative during the interview as Lois started out with feeler questions, leading into his connection to Asabi. How long had Cost Mart been in business? Did he personally look into everyone that managed the stores?
“I hope that answers all of your questions.” Bill Church stood up from the table, looking around the Cost Mart café with a smile.
“Mr. Church,” Lois interrupted. “Just one more question.”
“Certainly.” He smiled back at her.
“What is your connection to Asabi?”
“Asabi?”
Lois noticed the friendly demeanor fall for a split-second before he quickly recovered. Bill Church seemed to have an art at playing the part of well-known billionaire—much like Lex Luthor. Whether the slip was from being caught off guard or something more sinister she wasn’t sure yet.
“Yes, the man that introduced you this morning.” Clark prompted.
“Oh, yes!” Church chuckled, “I came across him at one of our offices. He seemed to have an enormous talent for management, so I offered him a job as my personal assistant. Do you know him?”
“We’ve come across him from time to time is all,” Lois said, unsure how to respond.
“I’ll give him your regards.” Church offered.
“Yes, well, um, I think we have enough for our article,” Lois said, putting her pad and pen back in her purse.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Church,” Clark said, standing to help Lois with her coat.
Church smiled at them as he finished signing the receipt the waitress had just brought him, “Bill, please.” He pulled out two tickets from his pocket, “Perry’s agreed to have the Planet co-host a Charity Ball this week. I do hope you two will come.”
Lois cast Clark an uneasy look before offering Bill Church a forced smile, “We’ll see what we can do.”
“Excellent!” he beamed, “So good to meet both of you. Perry’s told me so much about you.”
“How…fortunate,” Lois said uncertainly. “If you’ll excuse us. We have a deadline.”
“Of course.” He nodded, “Thank you for coming.”
***
“So, what are you thinking?” Clark asked, looking back at Bill Church who was standing at the front entrance greeting patrons.
Lois rummaged through her purse, searching for her keys as she muttered, “I think he seems to have an answer for everything. He seems nice enough.”
“
But…?” Clark prompted, recognizing that tone in Lois’ voice.
“But he’s working with someone we know is responsible for a lot of the blood on Lex Luthor’s hands. How the police haven’t pinned anything on him yet…” she stopped mid-sentence and cheered, pulling the keys out, “Ah-ha! Found ‘em.”
“Just means he hasn’t been caught,” Clark said, opening the door for Lois as they walked to the driver’s side of the Jeep. She climbed in, taking a deep breath as she settled herself comfortably in the drivers’ seat. “Where to next?” He asked.
Lois glanced toward the rural neighborhood around them, “Let’s check with some of the other shop owners. See what they think about Cost Mart moving in. Uncle Mike’s restaurant isn’t too far from here. We can check in with him while we grab an early lunch.” She placed a hand on her growing abdomen. “Someone’s getting hungry.”
“Okay,” he leaned in to kiss her. “You sure you don’t want me to just grab you something to eat real quick? It’ll only take a second.”
“No, we need to talk to Uncle Mike. He’s pretty connected around here.” She sighed, “He’ll know if there’s any information to be had about Cost Mart or Bill Church. Besides if we don’t stop by I won’t have an excuse to try some of that chocolate raspberry torte of his.”
“Ah, the secret motive exposed.” He grinned at her.
“You haven’t tried it before. You don’t understand.” She grinned at him with a sigh.
“All right, let’s get going.” He leaned in to kiss her before closing the driver’s side door for her and walking to the passenger side.
***
“Any idea what it does?” Martin Snell asked, looking at the black glowing stone in front of him.
“No,” Sam Lane said cautiously. “This power source Darryl provided us with is powering Metallo but it isn’t stabilized yet. Until we can stabilize him, we won’t know the effect this has on Superman.”
“Soon to be Super-History-Man if the organization has anything to say about it.” Snell sneered.
“Of course,” Sam Lane forced a smile, waiting until Snell left the lab before he unlocked his computer once more, resuming his task of copying everything he could to an external flash drive.
***
Lois and Clark approached the small bistro with a painted sign of ‘Mike’s’ in white lettering against the green signage. Three middle-aged men stood on the outside of the gate that surrounded Mike’s outdoor eating area.
“I’m telling you it’s trouble.”
“It could be good for business.”
“It could put us out of business.”
“Lois, Clark, good to see you!” Mike pulled himself from the conversation that was becoming more and more heated to greet them.
“Hi, Uncle Mike,” Lois gave him a peck on the cheek as he greeted her with a hug.
“Starting to make his presence known now, huh?” he teased, looking down at the bump that was becoming more and more prominent.
“Or her.” Lois grinned, placing a protective hand over her abdomen.
“We won’t know for a few more weeks,” Clark added, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“Hey, Mike?” a middle-aged man with thinning blonde hair waved at him to return to the heated argument the trio had been involved in.
“I’ll be right there,” He shook his head, turning back to Lois, “Sorry, kiddo, these guys are trying to stir up trouble. Everyone’s got an opinion about these Cost Mart stores.”
“Really?” Lois asked, happily, “What a coincidence that’s actually what we came to talk to you about.”
“Well, pull up a few chairs.” He pointed to the outdoor chairs on the outdoor eating area. “You may be here awhile. These guys don’t know when to shut up about it.”
***
A long corridor in a dimly lit high-tech facility lit up in sensor lights as Bill Church made his way toward a set of large metal double doors. A touch screen pocketed out as he placed his hand on the screen. A green light blinked from the screen and the doors slid open, revealing a high-tech office, filled with a monitoring system for the entire city of Metropolis. In the middle of the room was a long conference table with a jet-black projector in the middle of it. A red light blinked in the center.
Bill pulled out a remote from his pocket and clicked it. A Functional, high-tech and sinister. Dominated by a 3-D hologram projected off the table of a smartly dressed woman in her late 20’s. The ticker on the bottom of the hologram identified her as ‘Minaru – Japan.'
“Good morning, Mr. Church,”
“Minaru, what's the latest on the election?” Church asked, getting down to business.
“The candidate wants five hundred thousand for the endorsement.” She spoke with a frown.
Church sighed, taking a seat at the table, “That's a lot of money for a speech and a handshake. What are his vulnerabilities?”
“A twelve-year-old daughter.” She said with a smirk.
Church smiled, “Offer him one-fifty. If he doesn't take it, get a picture of the daughter walking to school. Show it to him... then offer him nothing.”
“Done. How is the Metropolis franchise coming?” she asked.
“I’ll know more in a few weeks. Most of the operatives are at work in neutralizing our biggest threat. You were right about Asabi. His knowledge on how Lex Luthor was caught has come in handy.” Church noted as he pressed another button on the table, pulling up a 3-D hologram of Metropolis. “Once we’ve neutralized Superman we can begin work on taking over Metropolis just as we have every other city. Fifteen hundred cities around the world. Over half a million employees. None of which know who they work for.”
“The perfect crime,” Minaru said with a smile. “Keep me posted on your progress. We’re looking at moving forward with the Chen assassination next week.”
“Excellent.” Bill grinned, pressing a button to end the call.
***
Mike laid out two massive portions of dessert for Lois and Clark, “Chocolate torte in raspberry sauce.”
Lois’ eyes widened, “Oh, Uncle Mike, no. This is too much…”
“You said you were hungry.” Mike reminded her. “Besides, you’re eating for two.”
Clark returned to the table, taking a seat next to Lois, “Jimmy’s going to run another background check on Asabi and let us know.”
“Good.” Lois nodded, taking a bite of her torte before pushing Clark’s plate to him. “It’s to die for. Eat.”
“Mmm, this is great.” Clark complimented.
“He does all the baking himself,” Lois added.
“Really?” Clark asked, impressed.
“Been in business thirty-five years. This one,” he pointed to Lois. “Used to wait tables for me in high school to earn extra money.”
“It didn’t last long.” Lois shrugged, catching Clark’s amused expression.
“I can’t imagine it would with how impatient you are.” Clark teased.
“Oh, she’s mellowed out some over the years.” Mike winked at her. “She only loses her temper every three seconds instead of two.”
“Very funny,” Lois said sarcastically, taking another bite of the divine torte.
“So, you think you two have what you need on this Cost Mart guy?” Mike asked, tidying up the table next to them as he spoke.
“Possibly,” Clark said, picking up his fork to take a bite of his own dessert. “We still need to talk to a few other people to tie everything together.” As he spoke a few drops of the raspberry sauce dripped on his tie.
“Oh!” Mike winced, handing him a washcloth, “Dab, don’t wipe. That’ll prevent staining.”
“I’ll be right back.” Clark leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “No getting into trouble while I’m gone.”
Mike chuckled. “Bathroom’s in the back.”
“Thanks,” Clark disappeared inside the restaurant.
“So,” Mike took a seat at the table across from her.
“So?” Lois repeated, not sure why he was looking at her with that fatherly expression.
“How you doing, kid?” Mike asked, “
Really.”
“I’m great.” Lois beamed happily. “Couldn’t be happier.” She rested her hand on her abdomen for emphasis.
“You know I’m always here for you if you need to talk.” Mike continued, unfazed by her reassurance that she was fine. “I know losing Marie isn’t the same as what happened to you two with Jamie, but if you need to talk…”
“I’m really okay, Uncle Mike,” Lois reassured, squeezing his hand. “Clark and I have both agreed not to let what happened to Jamie taint the future. I’m married to the man I love and having a baby…and from the sound of it, I’m getting the sense that there’s a lot more going on at Cost Mart than what meets the eye. Which could bring in a big story for mine and Clark’s career.” She took a bite of her torte. “And this torte goes a long way at putting a smile on my face. I’m perfect.”
“If you say so,” Mike chuckled.
***
In the bathroom, Clark dabbed at his tie, checking that the stain was gone before the turned to leave. As he turned, he noticed a man in a dark hoodie and black beanie on his head placing a black box against the back door of Mike’s kitchen. Suspicious, he frowned, lowering his glasses to get a better look at what the man was doing. He typed in a code and walked away. X-raying the box, he saw the bomb ticking away inside.
At super-speed, he changed into the suit and grabbed the black box, throwing it into the air where it exploded mid-air, preventing any damage to the property or any pedestrians. The man he had seen leaving the box on the door was watching from around the corner. He turned toward him and met his gaze. The man panicked and began to run.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Clark grabbed the man by the collar, restraining him with a metal crowbar in the alley
“Man, you just stepped over a line! You’re going down!” the man yelled angrily as Clark flew the man to where Mike and Lois were seated.
“You’re the only one that’s going anywhere.” Clark retorted, “And for your sake, I hope you don’t mind showering in groups.”
“Superman!” Mike stood up in surprise.
“Sorry to drop in on you like this, but it seems you had an unexpected visitor that enjoys playing with bombs.” He looked pointedly at the man that was still struggling in his metal binds.
“A bomb?” Mike asked aghast, “Little punk, you tried to burn me out!” he accused, stepping toward the captive thug. Realization dawned on him, and he turned to Clark, “Clark. Superman, there was a man…”
“I’ll check to make sure he’s okay,” Clark said hurriedly, leaving before Mike could argue.
“Can’t prove nothin'.” The thug taunted as Clark came out of Mike’s restaurant, “Nobody saw a thing!”
“I did,” Clark said, walking up to where Lois was dialing her phone.
“Yes, I’m reporting an attempted arson. My name is Lois Lane and…” She stopped short, looking up at Clark. “They put me on hold.”
The thug sneered at her with a chuckle, “Lois Lane? You’re Lois Lane?”
“Watch it, pal,” Mike warned as Clark took a protective step in front of her.
“I’m sorry, have we met?” Lois asked, peering over Clark’s shoulder.
“No, we ain’t met. It’s just funny to me ‘cuz you
dead.” He sneered with a laugh.” I know you're walkin' around but trust me, lady, go pick out a nice grave. And from what I hear, pick it out fast.”
***
“You okay?” Clark asked, handing Lois a cup of hot tea from the drink machine. The police station was littered with police officers, standing around, shooting the breeze. It had taken them three hours to show up at Mike’s restaurant. Three hours of ignoring calls for help because he was afraid that thug would get loose and make good on his threat against Lois.
True, he could have left her with Mike, but the way he’d threatened her….He didn’t feel safe leaving her until they’d arrived at the station. Even then he’d been apprehensive about helping out with the out of control fire even though it was only a few blocks away. The way the thug had thrown around the threat…It was almost as if it was a game to him.
Lois had finally talked him into going, and he was glad he did. He was able to rescue three rescue workers that were trapped in the top floor of the apartment complex that had set fire. A young mother and her three children were also saved. It was a good rescue. The fire was contained, and the Metropolis firefighters were able to put the rest of the fire out. No one was seriously injured. No fatalities. Everyone was okay. All in all, it was a successful rescue.
Superman’s presence was becoming welcomed more and more among Metropolis’ public service teams. Firefighters, ambulatory workers, and police officers often called for his help when situations became too much for them to handle. It was thrilling to finally be able to use his abilities in the open, but he still harbored many fears and doubts about how long he’d be able to do this. Especially after what they’d learned from Sam Lane. It was hard not to focus on what could be out there, plotting and waiting…He knew there wasn’t much they could do until they learned the name of the organization. When they did, they’d finally know who was responsible for the living hell he and Lois had been put through for so many years and hopefully get the justice they’d been robbed of with Trask’s murder.
“I’m fine,” Lois said, taking the paper cup from him gratefully. “Thanks.” She looked toward a group of officers that were huddled around a box of doughnuts, “All that crime out there and look what we’ve got in here—a doughnut commercial.”
Clark chuckled, tightening his arm around her shoulders, “They do seem to be taking it easy in here.”
“Too easy,” Lois said, throwing a concerned look at Mike who was pacing in the corridor in front of them. “Everything go okay?” she asked gently.
He nodded, throwing a cautious look toward the police nearby. “Everyone’s fine. No major injuries.”
“Good.” She smiled, placing a hand on his arm.
“Excuse me?”
A voice caught their attention, and they looked to see a blonde woman in her late twenties standing in the doorway of an office marked ‘Interrogation Number 3.’
“Is one of you Clark Kent?”
Clark turned and nodded, “I am.” He waved a hand at her.
“Mayson Drake, Deputy DA.” She held out her hand to shake his. “I’d like to see if you’re willing to testify against Baby Rage.”
Before he or Lois could even respond, the sound of the thug in question kicking, yelling and screaming from across the room could be heard. They all turned to see three officers searching him, patting him down and attempting to fingerprint him.
“
Baby Rage?” Clark observed with a smirk, “Gee, I wonder why they call him that.”
“Maybe someone else can bully
him for a change,” Mike commented, shaking his head in disgust.
“You must be Mike Lane?” Mayson asked, looking down at her report. “I’m sorry about what happened to your restaurant. We’re going to do what we can to make sure he pays for what he tried to do. If you’d like we can put a protection unit on your block to make sure the Skins don’t try and…”
Mike smiled, “Thanks, but they’re gonna have to do a lot better than that to scare me. I’ve been in business
“Skins?” Lois echoed, suppressing a chuckle.
“It’s the name of the gang Baby Rage is connected to.” Mayson explained, frowning at Lois, “I’m sorry. You are…?”
“That’s my niece, Lois Lane. She was with me when all this happened.” Mike explained. “She’s a little on the over-protective side.”
“I see,” Mayson said, looking over at Lois uncertainly.
“Yes, I’m the one who called the police and was placed on hold.” Lois glared around the police station filled with officers shooting the breeze, “But I can see they were slammed with their doughnut eating contest. I’ve seen maple drip faster than the police responded to my uncle’s restaurant. I mean…”
Feeling Lois was getting off-track, Clark added, “Also, that kid threatened Lois.”
Mayson looked back at Lois concerned, and Lois shrugged it off, “I’m sure he was just trying to scare me.”
“Well, now it's my turn to scare him.” Mayson threw a stern look toward where Baby Rage was being escorted into a holding cell. She then turned back to Clark, “With your help?”
“Whatever I saw, I’ll tell in court, Ms. Drake,” Clark reassured her.
“Mayson,” she corrected.
The loud bang across the room caused them to turn and see the officers slam the door to the holding cell for Baby Rage. “If only they’d showed that much enthusiasm in getting to Uncle Mike’s restaurant earlier,” Lois muttered in disgust.
“There have been
budget cuts,” Mayson explained weakly. She looked like she wanted to say more, but held back. She pulled out a card, and jotted something down on the back, turning back to Clark, “Call my office in the morning so we can arrange a deposition. And if you need to reach me during off hours, my home phone's on the back.”
Before he could respond Lois cut in, taking the card from Mayson, “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Drake.”
Mayson frowned at her but didn’t say anything. Clark cleared his throat, “I’ll have Superman get in touch with you too.”
“Oh, Superman, right.” A pensive expression crossed Mayson’s face, “I guess, I have to talk to him too, won’t I?”
“Something wrong with that?” Lois asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Most people I know would consider that an honor.” Mike chimed in. “He’s done a lot in turning this city around. Helps a lot of people feel safe in neighborhoods that used to be littered in crime.”
“I’m not most people.” Mayson smiled, moving past him. “Clark, we’ll talk soon?”
He nodded, and she smiled back at him before heading into the station toward the holding cell Baby Rage had just been escorted into.
“Unbelievable,” Lois rolled her eyes, “What is her problem?”
“It takes all kinds, sweetie,” Mike reassured her with a shrug, “As long as she gets that punk off the streets I don’t really care about her opinions on Superman. One nay-sayer ain’t gonna stop him from protecting our city.”
Clark smiled at the compliment from Mike as Lois looked around, “All these cops in here. How many calls for help do you think they’re ignoring to sit around and do nothing?” She wondered aloud.
“They’re not doing nothing.” Mike pointed out. “That one did take some fingerprints….after he cleaned out the doughnut box over there.”
Lois shook her head, grabbing Clark by the arm, “C'mon, we're going to find out why these cops are so slow all of a sudden.” She leaned in to give Mike a peck on the cheek, “Bye, Uncle Mike. If you need anything give me a call.”
“I will. Go get ‘em.” Mike cheered her on. “Clark, always good to see you.”
“Thanks for lunch, Mike. I’ll talk to Superman and make sure he checks your block on his patrols just to be safe.” Clark added.
“I don’t want to be a bother,” Mike argued.
"You're not a bother." Clark corrected.
“He’s got more to worry about than an old vet like me. I can take care of myself.” Mike reminded her, slapping his fist against his chest for emphasis.
“I know you can, Uncle Mike,” Lois began carefully, “but it can’t be a coincidence that this all starts at the same time the Southside neighborhood is up in arms about the arrival of Cost Mart.”
“You think they’re connected,” Mike observed.
“I don’t know,” Lois shrugged. “But we’re going to find out.”
***
TBC...
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