My Own Worst Enemy
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 3
***
“Gunshot to the back of the head. No identification on the body. No sign of a struggle. Nothing remarkable on the persons or body.” Warren read off, setting his tape recorder down. He turned toward his newest hire, “That’s the fourth one in the last month. All around the same area. Tell me, Lane, what does that tell you?”
Lucy Lane, bit her lower lip, uncertainly as she seemed to ponder his question. “Well, given that all the victims were shot in the back of the head with no sign of a struggle I’d say all victims were walking away from the assailant. Which tells me, they knew their attacker.”
“Very good,” Warren smiled, “They do teach you more than book smarts at the academy.” He paused a beat as he thought of how to get her to figure out her next step in preparing the report. “Part of our job as Criminal Science Investigation is to look beyond the crime scene and the pressure that comes from the detectives and go with what the science tells us. Where do you think you should start?”
“Well, given that the victim probably was leaving the scene—given the location of the body—I’d assume he probably made contact with the assailant. Maybe by shaking his or her hand?” Lucy suggested.
“Bingo.” Warren smiled, motioning for her to take the test tube in front of him. “This is the DNA swab we took from our victim today. We’re going to compare it to the DNA samples on the previous victims and see if we have a match.”
“Then what?” Lucy asked, her tone curious.
“Then we send our report to the lead detective on the case, and he’ll take it from there,” Warren explained.
“Do you think they’ll catch this guy?” Lucy asked.
“All I know right now is the assailant isn’t in the system, and it’s a man,” Warren said sadly. “But I hope when they do find him, they nail him to the wall.”
***
“Asabi?” Perry grabbed the picture Lois laid on his desk.
“He used to work for Lex Luthor as everything from a bodyguard to his personal assistant.” Lois reminded him, pacing around her editor’s office. After leaving the police station, Clark had gotten a call for help across town. She had headed back to the Planet to catch Perry up on everything they’d learned.
“And any idea how Bill knows him?” Perry asked, tapping his fingers on his desk.
“Not really. He eluded to the fact that he’d hired and promoted him because he saw something in him.” Lois said, rolling her eyes. She knew there was something here.
“That sounds like Bill,” Perry said reasonably.
“Does it?” Lois pressed, arching her eyebrow at him, “How well do you know him?”
“I’ve known him going on thirty years,” Perry recalled with a smile. “I was there when his son was born.”
“The police never could prove it, but I know Asabi was responsible for cleaning up after Lex Luthor’s business—legitimate and illegal. The problem is, we can’t prove it and neither can the police.” Lois said with a discouraged sigh.
“Just because this Asabi did illegal jobs with Lex Luthor doesn’t mean he’s doing that for Bill.” Perry reminded her.
“But what if he is?” She asked.
Perry gave her a pained expression, “I don’t want to think about that.”
“No one ever does.” Lois countered.
“Just…let me know what you find. If Bill is doing anything…unethical. I want to know about it.” Perry began cautiously. Lois nodded, and Perry continued, clearing his throat, “So, where is that husband of yours? First day back and he’s already—”
“He’s covering Superman’s, uh, numerous rescues this afternoon. It seems Superman’s been picking up the slack with Law and Order today.” Lois said with a frown.
“Speaking of which, what have you got on this police scandal?”
“I don’t know.” She said with a heavy breath. “All we do know is for some reason all the police are taking their time to respond to calls for help.”
“Everywhere?” Perry asked, intrigued.
“No, not everywhere.” Lois frowned, “Just the neighborhoods in the Lower East Side.”
“Low-income housing,” Perry observed.
Lois took a seat across from Perry with a concerned expression on her face. “People that need the help the most and aren’t getting it.”
“Any theories?” Perry pressed.
“Nothing we can prove.”
Lois looked up to see Clark in the doorway of Perry’s office and smiled. Perry cleared his throat and gave a gruff nod, “Kent, I thought you were covering Superman’s rescues.”
“I was. Superman’s been pretty busy this afternoon.” Clark walked into the office, standing behind Lois. “Everything from muggings, gang shoot-outs, and armed robberies. Every single time the police didn’t show up for hours.”
“Just like Uncle Mike’s restaurant?” Lois asked.
Clark nodded. “Luckily Superman was able to fly the people that needed immediate care to the hospital, but the ambulance and police didn’t show up until two hours after the shootout.”
“All right, Lois, forget Cost Mart and Asabi. I want you two on this. Find out what’s going on.” Perry ordered.
“But—” Lois began to argue.
“We’re on it, Chief,” Clark said, cutting her off and helping her to her feet.
“On it?” she echoed, mildly irritated at Clark as he guided her out of Perry’s office. Once they were out of Perry’s earshot, she turned on Clark. “What do you mean we’re on it? I’m not letting this thing with Asabi go, and I’m not going to agree to –”
“Of course we’re not dropping it, but we are going to focus on more pressing matters for the moment.” He said, holding up a notepad.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Names of all the officers that have shown up late today. I thought we could do some digging.” He said.
***
Present Day…“It’s been three days since the subway collapse. Superman and construction crews have worked tirelessly to rebuild the underground subway system that many depended upon for transportation. Bill Church has generously donated funds to go toward a new transit system that would remove the need for all other forms of public transportation. Some call this transit system a curse while others praise Mr. Church for his generosity.”
The screen filled with images from the last few days. The subway collapse. The hundreds of people that had been rescued. The pained expressions of passersby watching and waiting to hear everyone was okay.
Clark reached for the remote, clicking the television off. “I think that’s enough of that, don’t you, buddy?” he turned to the sleeping figure of his son that was nestled in the crook of his arm. He smiled down at him, brushing his finger against his cheek. It was moments like this that made him count his blessings.
Jon was eight weeks old today. He’d officially be two months in two days, but he was pretty close to meeting most of his two-month milestone already. A point Lois reminded everyone when they tried to argue with her about the nursery that remained vacant. Her parents and his had both been more than understanding, but the aunts and uncles on the Joanne side of Lois’ family seemed to have opinions on everything from bottle feeding to sleeping arrangements and the connections to IQ scores. A point he and Lois didn’t entertain. Keeping Jon safe and happy was all either of them cared about.
The last few months had been hard on both of them. Jon’s sleeping schedule seemed to work against theirs, making it a struggle at the beginning for any of them to get any rest. That combined with Lois’ apprehension about going to sleep and not being able to hear Jon made the first month almost unbearable. She was tired, irritable and hormonal. It wasn’t easy for either of them. He’d done his best to help where he could all while juggling both his job at the Planet and his duties as Superman.
It wasn’t until Lois had gone on maternity leave that he could really appreciate how much she worked to keep his alter-ego under wraps. Simple questions about where he’d been or what story he was working on or why something wasn’t turned in were hard to keep up with on the three to four hours he’d been awarded the last few months. Thankfully Perry had been understanding and not pressed the issue, but he knew it would only be a matter of time if he didn’t do something.
After Lois had Jon, he’d been grateful for the two weeks he had off. Granted he had to use every bit of his vacation time for it to happen but it had been worth it. He’d cut back on Superman’s public appearances during Lois’ pregnancy so as not to arise any suspicion when Jon arrived. He couldn’t have anyone connecting his son’s arrival with Superman’s disappearance.
Thankfully Perry was being lenient with both him and Lois on their schedules until Jon turned six months old. They’d gone back and forth on what to do. Neither of them were comfortable with the idea of someone else watching him when he was still so little.
The past three weeks Lois was finally allowing herself to get the rest she needed. The first month both of them had been a basket case, checking on him every two minutes to make sure he was breathing. Now, they seemed more at ease and reassured that he was okay. They’d bought every monitor out there and tried everything, but Jon was stubborn and refused to sleep with the monitors on him. They’d put the sensor on him, and he’d find a way to pull it off. Finally, they gave up, and he opted to keep his super-hearing tuned into Jon and only Jon at night. Any change in breathing or heart rate made him wake up and check on him.
The soft gurgling of his son brought him back to the present. Clark looked down to see the sweet smile spread across Jon’s face. He couldn’t help but smile back. “You are so lucky, little man.” He patted him on the back, “You’ve got so many people that love you more than life itself. Grandparents that think you hang the moon. And an incredible mother that would do anything for you.”
“Don’t forget his
super daddy,” Lois whispered from behind him, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.
“Hey,” He grinned back at her. “How was your shower?”
“Rewarding.” She sighed, walking around the couch to take a seat next to him. “Someone thought spitting up in my hair earlier was hilarious.”
“He does have a cute grin though.” Clark chuckled.
“I know. He’s already perfected that ‘you-can’t-be-mad-at-me’ look.” She said with a wry grin. She held her hands out, “You want me to take him?”
“No, we’re bonding.” He shook his head. “I don’t get to watch him sleep like this much.”
“Okay,” she curled up on the couch next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. He smiled wrapping his arm around her. “How long has he been asleep?” Lois asked.
“Maybe ten minutes.” Clark shrugged, leaning down to press his lips against hers. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Shhh,” she whispered, throwing a grin at him. “We’re bonding.”
He heard her stomach growl, and she blushed. “You were saying?”
“Dinner sounds great.” She said, taking Jon from the crook in his arms, holding him against her chest. He let out a soft cry and then fell back asleep.
“Honey, I think we should probably put him to bed so he can take his nap in peace.” He said, pointing to the bassinet in the corner of the room that had been set up for Jon’s naps.
“I guess you’re right. He’s just so cute when he’s sleeping.” She hummed lightly as she carried him to the bassinet. He watched her with amusement as she laid him down, running her hand over his chest for a moment before leaning in for one last peck on the cheek. It was the same thing with him for every nap and every bedtime routine. A soft peck on the cheek and a pat on the chest to make sure he was okay.
He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “He’s fine. I promise.” He whispered in her ear.
“I know.” She grinned back at him. “Now about dinner…” She turned in his arms to face him, running her hands over his shoulders as she spoke.
“Anything you want.” He leaned in to kiss her, reveling in the few quiet moments he had with his wife.
It seemed everything was working against them having any time alone. Her last month of pregnancy had been a challenge for both of them. The very active love life they both enjoyed had been put to a halt when the doctor voiced his concerns about the baby coming early. As a precaution, she’d been put on pelvic rest which meant a very frustrating last month of pregnancy for both of them. Then, when she’d finally been given the green light to resume sexual activity by the doctor, everything seemed to get in the way. Perry, Lucy, Superman, and of course Jimmy. The boy seemed to have picked up on his girlfriend’s habit of calling or showing up at the most inopportune times.
“Anything?” She grinned against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Anything.” He could feel the heat from her breath tickle his lips. He moved his hands to cup both sides of her face as he lost himself in the art of kissing her. Knowing all too well everything would come to a halt if Jon woke up, his desire to take advantage of the rare quiet time he had with Lois outweighed the disappointment he knew could occur if they were interrupted again.
Her hands roamed up and down his chest as she nibbled at the sensitive skin on his collarbone. He let out a soft moan, walking them back toward the couch. Twelve long weeks of bad timing, sleep-deprived nights and missed opportunities. His hands roamed up and down her back as they sank down to the couch. He rolled them over, so she was hovering over him as his hands began an exploration up the back of her robe.
He let out a soft moan as she began moving down his chest, feathering each layer of exposed skin with heated kisses as she worked her way down his cotton dress shirt. “Lois…”
“Take this off.” She ordered in between heated kisses, tugging at the shirt that now hung off his shoulders as she undid the last button. He obliged, lifting himself up just enough to throw the garment to the ground.
He pulled on the knot to her robe, allowing it to fall off her shoulders. He groaned in approval when he saw the cotton grey shorts and white tank top she wore.
She leaned down, moving to straddle him as she layered his chest in heated kisses. His hands moved up and down the front of her chest, feeling the sensitive flesh pressed against his palms. “Oh, don’t stop.” She pleaded with him.
“Baby,” he groaned as he felt her hips grind against him. She hooked her hands into the edge of her tank top, pulling it over her head and tossing it to the floor. He pulled her to him, running his hands up and down the smoothness of her naked torso.
“Oh, yes,” she sighed against him, reaching between their bodies to unfasten his belt buckle.
Twelve weeks.
God, he’d missed this.
He’d missed her.
Twelve weeks.
He let out a soft moan of approval as she pressed her small frame against him. He suppressed a groan as he felt the constricting length of the couch arms against his feet. They needed more room. So much more room for him to do the things he wanted to do to her. But that would require moving.
If they moved then, Jon would have to be moved. Then he’d possibly wake up, and the incredible things his wife was doing to him would stop. He let out a frustrated growl, pulling her to him, recapturing her mouth with his. His hands moved up her bare back, savoring the feeling of her soft skin against his palms as he floated a few inches off the couch, allowing him the room he needed.
A soft cry from across the room reached his ears, and he stilled his motions, floating them back down to the couch. He felt Lois tense up in his arms, muttering under her breath. “No, no, no, no…Not
now.” Jon let out another cry, and Clark sighed, leaning over to grab her tank top from the floor. “I’m sorry.” She gave him an apologetic look.
“Don’t apologize. I was
thoroughly enjoying myself.” He whispered, watching as she slipped her top back on climbed off of him.
He suppressed a groan as she gave him a flirtatious grin. “So was I.” Jon let out another cry, and she quickly scooped him up, “Hey, sweetie. What’s wrong?”
***
“It’s been three days since the subway collapse. Superman and construction crews have worked tirelessly to rebuild the underground subway system that many depended upon for transportation. Bill Church has generously donated funds to go toward a new transit system that would remove the need for—”
Lex Luthor clicked the remote turning the television off. “Destruction and mayhem in the city. A billionaire steps in to save it and no one asks why.”
“Well, dad never was one to be discreet.” Bill Church Jr. took a long puff from his cigar.
“A trait that will become a weakness in the end.” Lex mused. “Is everything set?”
“My contact at EPRAD said the satellite platform for the annihilator was put into orbit without anyone in the country knowing about it.” Bill Jr. said tapping his hand on the side table as he spoke.
“It’s a shame Congress pulled the plug on such an inspirational project. Imagine being able to take out your enemy from outer space.” Lex chuckled, “We’d have a whole lot less wars that’s for sure.”
“How long before your team will have the pulse converter commissioned?” Bill Jr. asked.
“We should have the prototype ready for installation by the end of the week,” Lex said, lifting his glass of scotch, breathing in the aroma from the expensive liquor he’d been denied for so long. “It’s the little things that count, don’t you agree?”
Bill Jr. chuckled and took a sip of his own drink. “Little things like world conquest?”
“And being able to pin everything on your father while we reap the rewards.” Lex smiled.
“The perfect plan.” Bill agreed.
***
Seven Months Ago…“So, what have we got?” Lois asked, taking a seat next to Clark as she took a bite of the frozen yogurt in her hand. It had been a long first week back. She and Clark had reached out to all their sources and everyone they could talk to that might know what was going on with the Metropolis P.D. No one wanted to talk. No one knew anything. At least that’s what they claimed.
“Not much. No one I spoke with in Cost Mart knows how or why Church hired Asabi. He just showed up one day suddenly in charge of…everything.” Clark explained, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.
“Everything I’ve found on Bill Church says the same thing. Everyone loves him. He’s the most modest billionaire you’ll ever meet. Lives well below what he earns and donates to a different charity a month.” Lois explained, taking another bite from her frozen yogurt. “And don’t even get me started on the police and the Lower East Side. No one is talking.”
“Well, they didn’t just decide out of the blue not to respond to calls for help.” Clark reasoned. “Something had to trigger the sudden slowdown.”
“Yeah, but what?” Lois asked, setting her frozen yogurt on the coffee table. “We’ve got to get to the bottom of this fast before someone gets hurt. You can’t continue being the only one keeping law and order over there.”
Clark had been busy off and on all day with rescues in the Lower East Side neighborhoods. It was always the same. No police response or a delayed response to all calls for help. When confronted about the delay the police never had an excuse.
“I know.” He wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her to him. “But there’s not a lot we can do about this tonight. We’ve put the feelers out there, but I doubt anyone’s going to be calling back at nine o’clock at night.” He leaned in to kiss her. “There are no more rescues.” He gave her a peck on the cheek. “Or cries for help.” He pressed his lips against her jawline.
“You do have a very good point.” She relented, turning in his arms to face him, fingering the top button of his cotton dress shirt. “Not much can be done at…” She glanced at the red digits blinking on the clock across the room. “…nine fifteen at night.” She sighed against him, working on unbuttoning his shirt while he continued his teasing.
“Uh-huh.” He murmured against her neck, leaning into her as his hands roamed up and down her sides. “No working after nine.”
She giggled as his teeth grazed against the side of her neck, finally freeing the last button to his shirt. “You won’t hear any arguments from me.” She helped tug his arms out of his shirt and tossed it to the ground.
“God, you’re beautiful.” He whispered, lifting her blouse up and pressing his lips against her swollen abdomen.
“I love you.” She sighed against him, unbuttoning her blouse as he inched his way up her body. “Oh, Clark,”
A soft knock echoed through the living room.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lois muttered as Clark lifted his head to look toward the door. “Is it someone in peril or severely injured? Because that’s the only excuse I’d accept for us to stop…”
Clark groaned, “It’s that district attorney from your uncle’s case.” He sat up, propping himself up and pulling himself out of her arms.
“At nine o’clock at night.” Lois fumed irritably, working frantically to refasten the buttons. She looked down and noticed she’d missed a button, making the bottom half of her blouse askew. Another knock at the door echoed in the room. “Just forget it.” She saw Clark reaching for his shirt and shook her head. “Nope. Don’t move. I’ll get rid of her and then I plan on picking up exactly where we left off.” She gave him a lingering gaze before dashing across the room to answer the door.
On the other side of the door, Mayson Drake stared back at her in surprise, “Uh, hi, I…” she looked down at the papers in her hand.
“Can I help you with something?” Lois asked, noting the way Mayson was staring at her obviously disheveled appearance.
“I’m sorry. I was looking for, uh, Clark Kent.” Mayson said, clearing her throat.
“He’s busy,” Lois said hurriedly. “What do you need?”
“Well, since we had to reschedule the deposition this afternoon I thought we could, uh…” Mayson looked over her shoulder, “It would probably be easier to just explain it to him myself. Isn’t this
Mr. Kent’s apartment?”
Lois fought back the urge to throw the obviously clueless woman a sarcastic comment and instead forced a smile, “Well, it was until a few weeks ago. Now it’s
ours.”
“Oh!” Realization seemed to dawn on Mayson’s face as she stared at the wedding band on Lois’ hand. “I didn’t realize. I thought you were just, um, colleagues.”
“Uh-huh,” Lois gave her a disapproving look. “What do you want? We’re kinda busy.”
“So, I see,” Mayson said, clearing her throat and staring at the ground for a moment.
“You do realize how late it is, right?” Lois asked, giving Mayson a pointed look.
“Yes, I’m well aware, but I just thought…”
“What?” Lois asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Mayson took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I thought I could squeeze in the deposition and…”
“Lois?” Clark walked up behind her, pulling the door open. “Just let her in.”
“Clark, hi,” Mayson beamed at him happily.
Lois turned to see him back in the dress shirt he’d been wearing earlier. She mouthed to him,
‘You weren’t supposed to get dressed.’He leaned in to whisper, “It’s for your Uncle Mike’s case.”
After toying for half a second on whether she wanted to allow Mayson into her and Clark’s apartment or not she finally relented and opened the door the rest of the way. “Fine. Come in.”
“Great.” Mayson nodded her thanks and walked toward the living room. “Again, I’m sorry about the late hour.”
“Uh-huh,” Lois grumbled irritably before throwing a look at Clark, “She better be gone in an hour, or I’m kicking her out.”
***
Martin Snell walked down the long corridor and into the office across the hall from Bill Church’s office. He knocked on the door frame before entering. Inside, he found the young Bill Church Jr. on the phone.
“I see. Well, how about this? How about I give you nothing, and you hand over your company? No, you forget I know where you live. I know where your kids go to school. I know where your wife gets the car worked on. It’d be a shame if something happened to her….Oh, you do. That’s very wise.” Bill Church Jr. grinned as he lit his cigar. “I’ll send my attorney over to finalize the deal.”
With that, he hung up the phone. “Martin, we ready to move forward with our testing on Superman?”
“Ready when you are, Mr. Church,” Snell said with an evil grin.
“Good. Make sure the guys are in place and have it all on video for analysis.” Bill Jr. ordered.
“Anything you say, Mr. Church.”
***
Mayson sat across from Clark, finishing up her notes. “You're going to make a great witness, and I appreciate it. In my line of work, you don't see much bravery.”
“I’m just telling the truth.” Clark shrugged, getting up from the couch to carry the coffee mugs back to the kitchen.
Lois watched Mayson’s gaze linger on Clark as he left the room and gave the woman a disapproving look. Mayson forced a smile and continued as Clark came back to the couch, “Well, true, but you're also not flying around with a big 'S' on your chest, bragging about what a hero you are.”
“I’m sorry,
brag?” Lois echoed, zeroing in on the word with a critical tone at the same time Clark interjected with his own comment.
“You heard Superman
brag?” Clark glanced back toward Lois, seeming to question if he’d heard Mayson right.
“Well, not in so many words…” Mayson began carefully.
“How about not
ever.” Lois shot back irritably.
Mayson sighed, putting the last of her things in her briefcase. “Look, I know he’s a …friend of yours. I get it. He saved your wife’s life.” She looked toward Lois then back at Clark, “But you’re ten times the man he is. An ordinary guy, about to stand up in a courtroom and help put a known gang member behind bars. That takes guts. I’d like to see Superman try that without his cape.”
Clark chuckled, sharing a look with Lois before smiling, “Well, maybe you will.”
“You seem to have a lot of resentment toward Superman.” Lois observed. “Yet he was the one showing up to help everyone today when your police officers didn’t. He was the one stopping muggings, and assaults, and providing backup on shootouts and apartment fires. He showed up! That’s a lot more than I can say for any of your officers at the Metropolis P.D.”
Mayson grew thoughtful for a moment then spoke, “You’re right. He
did show up. A lot of people could have been hurt or worse if he hadn’t.”
“So why the hostility?” Lois asked. “He’s doing what needs to be done to protect the people of this city when the police can’t.”
“I guess I don’t like dealing with someone I don’t know anything about,” Mayson said uncertainly.
“There was a pretty in-depth interview done with him when he first arrived on the scene.” Clark reminded her.
“Yeah, right after he you know…saved everyone from annihilation after the Nightfall asteroid?” Lois quipped irritably. “And the bombing of the Messenger.”
“Like I said before there are things about him that still remain a mystery and that worries me.” Mayson said haughtily.
“Such as?” Clark pressed, curiously.
“Such as why does he do what he does? Where does he go when he’s not rescuing someone?” Mayson began to list off the questions one by one on her hand.
“Those are pretty
personal questions.” Clark began uncertainly.
“He goes around catching criminals with this immense power and no way to control him. What happens if he loses control? What if he hurts someone?” Mayson continued. “Doesn’t that worry you in the slightest?”
“Well, I…” Clark began, but Lois cut him off.
“It would if we thought Superman was capable of hurting someone, but we both have met him on numerous occasions and know…” she met Clark’s gaze, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “…he’d never do anything to hurt anyone.”
“How can you be so sure?” Mayson asked.
“How can we be sure you won’t turn around and do the same things you’re accusing Superman of being?” Lois pointed out.
Mayson appeared to be taken aback by her statement before pointing out. “I’m licensed and insured by the state bar.”
“He’s a guy in a cape that wants to help. It seems to me you both are trying to make the world a better place. You with the criminals you lock up—largely in part to Superman who helps catch them.” Lois crossed her arms over her chest.
“But he can’t go around acting as judge and jury either.” Mayson pointed out. “There are rules. Protocol that needs to be followed.”
“He isn’t placing anyone under arrest.” Clark pointed out. “Superman is just there to help when the problem is bigger than the police can handle.”
“Speaking of which,” Lois cut in, trying to steer the subject away from her husband’s alter-ego. This conversation had taken a dangerous turn that was getting too close to home for her own comfort. “What’s really going on with the Lower East Side?”
“Pardon?” Mayson asked. The apprehension in her eyes told Lois she had heard her perfectly.
“You heard me,” Lois continued. “Cops looking the other way. Families and businesses put in danger. What’s going on? And don’t tell me it’s from budget cuts.”
“Thank you for taking the time to go over your deposition, Clark.” Mayson cleared her throat as she grabbed her bag, “I should get going.” She walked toward the door then seemed to hesitate, looking back, “I should warn you, it's not going to be easy. This whole thing happening on the Southside isn't just about gang turf. There's big money and big players in the shadows. I think Baby Rage knows a lot and I might just find out how much...”
“You think he could be connected to the police suddenly disappearing?” Clark guessed.
“I should get going,” Mayson repeated, neither confirming or denying what he said.
Clark looked back at Lois, “What do you think that was about?”
“I don’t know, but we can worry about that tomorrow,” Lois said, tugging his shirt out of his trousers. “We have more pressing matters to attend to.” He groaned his approval as she pulled him to her, capturing his lips with hers.
***
Present Day… “Goodnight sweetie,” Lois whispered, peering over her son’s bassinet. She ran her hand over his dark silky hair, watching as he gave in and finally drifted off to sleep. She walked toward her closet, keeping the door open as she changed into something more comfortable for the evening. Clark would probably be back from his patrol soon.
It was hard to believe Jon was already eight weeks old. Time had gone by so fast. Everything was so different this time around. While she felt comfortable and sure of herself in some aspects of motherhood she still felt apprehensive in others. He was still sharing a room with her and Clark.
Clark had been wonderful with making sure he was around as much as possible. Unfortunately, the Planet didn’t provide paternity leave so he’d had to dip into his vacation time and negotiated a working from home schedule with Perry while Lois was on leave so he could be there if she needed help. He’d cut back on the Superman rescues—only going when it was absolutely necessary.
There were, of course, some things he couldn’t ignore. Now that Intergang had been exposed each move they made seemed to be more and more bold. Their last attack on Metropolis had caused the Metropolis Subway tunnel to collapse. It aggravated her to no end knowing so much was going on and she couldn’t be the one pounding the pavement and getting the story.
She wouldn’t be returning to the office for another few weeks. It was supposed to be a slow transition. Working part-time in the office and part-time at home until Jon was six months old. After everything that had happened with Jamie, they were taking every precaution to ensure Jon’s safety and well-being. After checking around with different daycare centers and possible nannies, they had decided to go with the child care at the Planet. At least with Jon in the same building with them, they could visit him when they needed without going across town. The teachers there were wonderful and having Jon so close was reassuring to both of them.
Lois slipped the sheer red robe over the red and black silk negligee she changed into. Today marked her son’s eighth week of life, and it also drummed the reminder of something else. Twelve weeks since she and Clark had made love. Her last month of pregnancy she’d been placed on pelvic rest. Despite being cleared by the doctor to return to business, as usual, another hurdle she and Clark seemed to be facing was finding the time and energy to make love. Everything seemed to interrupt them lately when they came close. Jon, the Planet, Superman…That was about to change.
She heard the familiar sonic-boom outside and smiled to herself. Clark was home. She reached for the portable baby monitor and turned the volume up as she left the bedroom, heading downstairs and into the living room where she found Clark leaning over the desk as he finished up his phone call.
“Hey, Jimmy. No, you’re fine...How many?” Clark jotted down notes from whatever Jimmy had found. His forehead wrinkled once more as he pinched the bridge to his nose, jotting down more notes at super-speed. Whatever news Jimmy had was obviously bad.
“What are their names?” Clark asked.
Lois sighed, taking a seat on the couch while she waited for Clark to finish up his phone call. She leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs as she set the baby monitor on the coffee table.
“How long ago was that?” Clark had his back to her, jotting down more notes at the desk in the corner of the living room.
She was growing impatient, waiting on Clark to finish his phone call and knowing Jimmy he’d probably start rambling on about some video game or movie that somehow related to the research he was doing.
“Uh-huh,” she heard her husband sigh.
She knew that tone all too well. The humoring tone Clark gave her when she pitched an idea to him he thought was ridiculous. Obviously, the important part of the conversation was over. Growing tired of waiting for him to hang up the phone on his own she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. “I thought we had a rule about no work after nine.” She whispered in his ear.
“I know honey, I’m sorry I…” He turned away from the phone, seeming to finally get a good look at her in the red and black negligee. His eyes moved up and down her body for a split-second before he hurriedly mumbled, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Jimmy.” At super-speed, he scooped her in his arms and whisked them to the bedroom.
***
After finishing up his patrol, Clark changed out of the suit and back into the grey dress shirt and black slacks from earlier in the day. It had been a long and tiresome day. The attacks on Metropolis from Intergang were growing more and more over the past few months. Ever since the article giving the mysterious organization that had been wreaking havoc on the city over the past few years was unveiled and connected to the international crime organization, Intergang, they seemed determined to cause as much mayhem as possible.
He smiled to himself, hearing the soft snores upstairs. Had it not been for the subway collapse earlier this week he would have been home a lot sooner. Superman had been helping the emergency crews dig out the tunnel each day. He couldn’t do it at super-speed because there was still several unstable beams the city was working on stabilizing as they continued to clean up the wreckage. So, each day Superman would go by and help out for an hour or two then he’d come home. By the time he got home, Lois was usually asleep with Jon.
The sharp chirp of his cell phone rang, and he groaned, looking down at the caller id on the phone. It was Jimmy. Hopefully, he had more information on the subway bombers. Three days and he still hadn’t gotten anywhere on the individuals behind the subway bombing other than the message sent to the Metropolis P.D. The author of the letter claimed ownership of the bombing and named Intergang as the power behind the attack.
“Hey, Jimmy,” Clark answered the phone, walking toward the desk to grab a notepad and a pen.
“Hey, CK, I’m not calling too late, am I?” Jimmy asked.
“No, you’re fine,” Clark said, trying to hide the weariness from his voice. He was exhausted, and all he really wanted to do right now was crawl under the covers of his bed and hold his wife. He knew from experience, trying to sneak a hug or kiss to Jon would only wake him.
“I’ve got some information on those bombers. Possible names for the guys that were responsible for the subway collapse.” Jimmy said excitedly on the other end of the phone.
“How many? What are their names?” Clark asked, listening as Jimmy began listing off the names. First thing in the morning he’d have to check into them.
“My guy down at Luke’s said some of them were bragging about the job they pulled,” Jimmy explained.
“How long ago was that?” Clark asked.
“About a day and a half ago,” Jimmy said nonchalantly. “Listen, while I’ve got you on the phone, I wanted to run something by you—”
“Uh-huh,” Clark sighed, not sure if he should be agreeing to this conversation or not.
“See, Lucy’s been involved in like five of the attacks that have taken place. She doesn’t seem to see the issue with her job—” Jimmy began to ramble.
“I thought we had a rule about no work after nine.” He heard his wife whispered in his ear. He suppressed a groan as he felt her small frame press against his back.
“I know honey, I’m sorry I…” He turned away from the phone, seeing the silky red negligee that just barely covered everything. He felt his mouth go dry, trying to get his brain to function long enough to form the words he was looking for.
“CK? You there?” Jimmy’s voice echoed from the phone.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Jimmy.” He said hurriedly, hanging the phone up and turning his attention back to Lois who was watching him with an amused expression. Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their bedroom at super-speed.
She giggled as he readjusted her in his arms, allowing her legs to wrap around his torso. “I love you.” He whispered, capturing her lips with his.
“I love you too,” she murmured against his lips as he leaned them back on the bed, hovering over her. He ran his hands through her hair, nibbling at the sensitive flesh of her throat as she sighed against him. “Twelve weeks…”
“Too long.” He groaned.
***
“God, I’ve missed this,” Lois whispered, running her palm against his cheek, smiling as he pulled the covers back over them.
“I know,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Now, that Jon’s sleeping through the night and we’re both functioning on a somewhat average amount of sleep we can try to and get everyone on a normal routine.”
She gave him a half-smile, “It’s been a crazy few months.”
“For the both of us.” He leaned in to kiss her. “But I wouldn’t trade a second of it.” His hands ran through her hair, resting his head against hers.
“Me neither.” She grinned at him. A small whimper came from the other side of the bed where Jon’s bassinet was. She lifted her head up, preparing to make a dash for Jon.
Clark placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, “He’s fine. Just making noise in his sleep.”
She rested her head back on his chest. “How’d everything go tonight?”
“Good.” He nodded with a sigh, rolling them over, so they were on their sides, facing one another. “The foreman I spoke with said he thought the site would be secure to clear the tunnels out by the end of the month.”
“These attacks are getting worse.” She commented softly.
He pressed his lips against her forehead, “I know, but we’re getting close to finding them.”
“We still don’t know who’s behind Intergang though.” Lois reminded him.
“Not yet,” Clark said, running his hands over her jawline. “But we will, and then we’ll stop them.”
***
“Billy?” Bill Church called through the intercom of his expansive home.
“Right here, dad,” Bill Jr. stood in the doorway of his dad’s study.
Church frowned, “Where are the schematics for the Queensland project?”
“The engineer is looking them over.” Bill Jr. reminded him. At his father’s confused expression, he rolled his eyes, “You gave him the plans, dad, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right.” Church nodded with a hesitant smile. “When we get them back I need to see them.”
“Of course,” Bill Jr nodded. “Now about these changes to Division 23.”
“There’s no need to continue to pay that exorbitant amount of money for a department that is serving no purpose anymore. Robotics is the way of the future, Billy.” Church sniffed.
“I’m not shutting it down.” Bill Jr. countered. “I’ve got a lot of projects in the mix.”
“Like what?” Church scoffed. “We haven’t contracted anything out of that division since Sam Lane went missing.”
“Nothing you need to worry about, dad.” Bill Jr. said with a long sigh. “I’m working on something that’ll make us insanely rich and powerful. And you don’t have to do a thing.”
***
“I…I…I…”
Rollie Vale punched the large chest of Metallo.
“…feel tired.”
Rollie smiled to himself. He’d done it. He’d finally done it.
“Do you know who you are? Where you are?” Rollie asked, looking around the white laboratory.
“Corben. Johnny Corben.” He said with an uneasy expression, looking around the lab. “Where am I?”
“You’re in a place called Division 23,” Rollie explained.
“Division 23?” his brow crinkled and sat up, patting his chest with a confused expression. “I can’t feel anything.”
“Well, you see…about that. You were shot in a drive-by shooting. Your friend brought you to us, and we were able to save you. Most of you anyway.”
“What do you mean by most of me?” Corben asked angrily.
“It’s better if I show you.” Rollie rolled up the sweatshirt Corben was wearing and revealed the metal chest plate on his chest.
“Hey! What is this??” Corben stared at the metal plate in anger.
“As I said, we saved what we could, but the old body was…well, frankly full of holes. I saved your life.” Rollie said, backing away from Corben as he advanced toward him, grabbing him by the collar.
“What
am I?!” Corben spat angrily.
“Well, actually you’re a …”
“A
what?!” Corben spat angrily.
“Cyborg.” Rollie stammered out. “You’re a cyborg.”
***
TBC...
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