My Own Worst Enemy
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 10
***
Present Day…Clark set the infant carrier down on the coffee table, turning Jon to him as he unbuckled the five-point harness that held him in the seat securely. “Hey, little man,” Jon gave him a half-smile and gurgled as Clark reached for him.
“Do you have a few minutes to watch him while I get changed?” Lois called over her shoulder, kicking off her shoes and shedding her jacket.
“Of course.” He said, cradling Jon in his arms as he watched Lois’ retreating figurehead up the stairs. “Why don’t we play airplane?” he looked at Jon with a grin. He leaned back, lifting him up over his head as he floated them up in the air. He did a soft motor noise moving Jon from side to side as he let out a light laugh and wide toothless grin.
“Do you like that, bud?” he asked with a smile.
***
The red and blue blur disappeared from the monitor. Gretchen Kelly hit a button, then another and another. “Something’s wrong.” She said, looking at the monitors. “He’s turning around, Lex!”
“That’s impossible!” Lex pressed the button on the device once more and spoke. “Destroy Metropolis!”
“It’s not working.” Gretchen said, shaking her head, “We need to get out of here.” A loud white flash appeared behind them. “Run!”
***
The image of Luthor Towers disappearing into thin air replayed over and over again. Clark buried his head in his hands, uncertain of what to do. A bright blinding light filled the air, and then the building was gone.
Jon’s cries reached his ears, and he looked down and saw he’d wriggled himself out of his receiving blanket. “Hey there buddy. It’s okay. It’s okay.” He reassured him, bouncing him on his knee.
“Oh my God!” Lois gasped behind him.
He turned to see her standing behind him and stood up, cradling Jon in his arms. “I need to go see what’s going on.”
“But what about Dr. Klein?” Lois asked, placing a hand on his chest.
“It’ll have to wait.” He said, gesturing to the television. “That can’t wait.”
“Be careful.” She pleaded with him, taking Jon in her arms.
He ran his hand against her cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He looked down at Jon who was gnawing on his little fist and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek before disappearing in a blur of red and blue.
***
Six Months Ago…Lois looked around the living room, putting the last of the empty boxes in the corner of the room. After Pete had left, Clark had started unloading boxes and moving furniture at super-speed. Tonight was Pete’s gallery opening. Her mom had helped him put it together to help introduce him to some of the big names in the city and help him establish himself as a serious freelance photographer. Clark was supposed to pick the Kents up and bring them here.
She let out a long sigh, glancing at the black and blue blur that continued to sprint around the room. She hadn’t seen her in-laws since the wedding. Every weekend they had the intention of going to Smallville then something would come up. She was beginning to get the impression that Clark didn’t want to go to Smallville.
So far he’d gotten away with not going back to his hometown—until Pete had announced his gallery opening. Of course, the Kents wanted to attend as well. They’d offered to take a flight which she and Clark had both insisted they let Superman give them a lift.
It had been a whirlwind of a few weeks. Three days after they put in an offer on the place they had closed thanks to Clark insisting on a quick turnaround on the closing. He probably wasn’t expecting that fast of a closing date, but thankfully the lease at his apartment would be up at the end of next month so they’d only be paying rent and mortgage for two months. She had to admit it felt good to put her name on something permanent. After everything, they’d gone through these past few years having that permanence in her life felt reassuring.
“Clark?” she called, watching as the black and blue blur came to a stop, and Clark appeared in front of her with a large stack of flattened boxes in hand.
He threw the boxes in the corner. “We are officially moved in.” He said, pulling her to him.
“Everything’s unpacked, huh?” She asked, fingering the lint on his shoulder as she picked it off of him.
“Boxes have been unloaded. Beds have all been made, and bathrooms are set up with towels and toiletries.” He listed off each item, wrapping his arms around her.
“Well, the kitchen and living room are all done.” She sighed, “Not that the kitchen is getting much use these days.”
“Now that we’re not living in a shoe box maybe we can actually try and eat at home.” He grinned at her.
“That would be nice.” She smoothed her hand over his chest. “Now that I’m not as nauseous I may even give cooking a meal or two a try.” She laughed when he visibly cringed. “I can cook.”
“Following the directions on the box and cooking are two very different things.” He grinned back at her mischievously.
“You can do your elaborate meals, and I’ll stick with the box dinners.” She laughed, leaning in to kiss him. “This is nice.”
He let out a grunt of approval, cupping her face with his palm, “I’ve missed you.”
She let out a long sigh. It had been a crazy few weeks trying to get the paperwork on the townhome done and then packing and unpacking and painting and cleaning before they could move in. Between that and his responsibilities as Superman, they’d hardly seen each other.
“I’ve missed you too. Been a long few weeks.” She leaned in to kiss him once more. “We’ve got some time to kill until Pete’s showing.” She reasoned aloud. “When did you want to go pick your parents up?”
He let out a long sigh as he ran his hands over the small of her back. “Maybe in a few hours,” His hands slipped to the edge of her blouse as he spoke. “We don’t have to be there till seven. It only takes a few minutes to fly from here to Smallville, and we’ve still got plenty of time.” He leaned in to kiss her, tightening his arms around her waist. “I just want to enjoy this for a bit.” He moved his hands up her ribcage, and she felt a vibration go down her vertebrae.
“Clark,” she called out his name in a throaty whisper, feeling his hands move up and down her sides.
“Do you realize this is the first time we’ve been alone and awake in the last seven days?” he murmured against the nape of her neck.
“Well, you’re the one that was pushing for a quick closing on this place.” She giggled as he walked them back toward the dining room.
“I wasn’t expecting them to get everything done in three days.” He murmured against her lips.
“Well, now we have the rent at your apartment and the mortgage for the next two months.” She gasped when she felt the edge of the dining table against the back of her thighs as he leaned against her.
“And we’re homeowners.” He grinned against her jaw, nipping at the sensitive skin with his teeth.
“Oh God,” she moaned as she felt his solid frame press against her. “Do we have time to…”
“There’s always time.” He assured her, capturing her mouth with his in a soul-shattering kiss.
“Clark,” she gasped as he lowered her back on the table.
***
“He’s waking up.” Sam Lane said, checking the vitals on Metallo as his eyes fluttered open. A soft groan escaped his lips and Sam looked up.
“Burn.” He said softly.
“Burn?” Sam crinkled his nose, moving to check that nothing was out of place. “What burn?”
“It’s…gone.” He said.
“Mr. Corbin your body has been through a tremendous ordeal. It will take you some time to adjust.” Sam instructed slowly. “You were in a car wreck. Your friend brought you into the hospital for help. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to save –”
Corbin’s face scowled as he felt his chest, “What is this?”
“There was too much damage, Mr. Corbin. The only way to save you was to build a new body.” Sam explained, keeping his tone calm.
“I’m a robot.” Corbin shrieked in dismay.
“Technically, you’re a cyborg. Your mind is still your own, and your body is machine—controlled by your mind.”
“I’m a freak!” Corbin glared at him angrily.
“You’re alive.” Sam implored.
Corbin frowned at that and looked to Sam in dismay, “I can’t feel anything.”
“I can work to fix that,” Sam reassured.
“Good. I trust phase one is complete, Dr. Lane?” Rollie Vale asked from behind Sam and Corbin.
***
Clark took a deep breath as he flew to Smallville, mentally preparing himself. It should feel like the most natural thing in the world, but it didn’t. Every trip to Smallville was met with dread and anxiety after Nightfall. The memories that plagued him from his time in captivity all led back to his home—Smallville, Kansas.
He landed outside the barn and quickly changed into the t-shirt and jeans he’d been wearing earlier, eying the fields behind him warily before super-speeding inside to see his parents. The sooner he got them back to Metropolis the better.
***
Lois took a sip of her hot tea, leaning back in the rocking chair as she stared out the window of her master bedroom. Something was bothering Clark. For the last few weeks, he seemed guarded, and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
She was grateful Martha had suggested her and Jonathan coming up to Metropolis for the week otherwise she probably wouldn’t have seen them until the baby was born. They still hadn’t told the grandparents about the baby’s gender yet. There was so much they still needed to do to get ready for this baby and so much to catch the Kents up on.
“Lois?” Clark called from downstairs.
She stood up, setting her mug down on the nightstand and heading downstairs. Pete’s exhibit opened up tonight, and he’d invited everyone to it. It had been the perfect excuse for the Kents to come to Metropolis.
“Jonathan, Martha,” Lois wrapped them both in a warm hug when she saw them. “Feels like it’s been ages.”
“Lois, good to see you,” Jonathan said warmly, looking down at her midsection where their grandchild was growing.
“You’re positively glowing.” Martha complimented, placing a hand on the bump that was slowly becoming more prominent. She felt a soft ripple against her stomach, and Martha smiled, feeling the baby move. “Oh!”
“Careful, you got a kicker in there,” Clark warned, walking up behind her and placing his own hand on her expanding midsection. She felt a ripple and jab against her stomach once more and laughed when Clark added. “See what I mean?”
“A miracle,” Jonathan spoke softly. She caught the emotional exchange between him and Martha. No matter how much they tried to tell themselves that, they wouldn’t let Jamie’s death taint this child’s life it was still hard. Jonathan and Martha had been there helping her through the pregnancy and the early weeks with Jamie as well as helping her mourn his death. She knew it had to be hard for them to see her pregnant again.
“Always.” Clark’s arms wrapped around her securely.
She looked to the emotional Jonathan and Martha and wracked her brain for a way to change the subject. “Uh, Pete and Rachel said they’d meet us at the gallery.”
“Right,” Martha nodded, “It’s amazing how much work he’s collected over the years. The places and photos he’s taken—”
“Yeah, we’re really proud of him,” Lois said in agreement, leaning her head back against Clark’s broad shoulders.
“He’s certainly come a long way.” Clark agreed.
“The place looks great,” Jonathan said, looking around the living room. “Lots of room.”
“Yes, plenty of room to grow.” Lois acknowledged, placing a hand on her abdomen for emphasis, “but that wasn’t why we decided to go with it.” She pointed to the bookcase. “There’s a secret compartment behind the fireplace there for Clark to keep his suits. Finding that in a structure this style is so rare, we knew we couldn’t pass it up.”
“Plus, Lois liked the idea of having room for everyone when they come to visit,” Clark added, tightening his arms around her.
“And I really love the place,” Lois added with a grin.
***
Gretchen Kelly watched from the north wing of the Metropolis Museum of Art as a man in a black suit and tie stepped into the lobby and nodded to her. She looked to the handheld device in her hand and smiled when she read the words ‘armed’ off the screen. She picked up her phone and dialed, watching as people began to gather near the entrance.
“Everything is set.” She said, “Are you ready on your end?”
“Nine o’ clock and we’ll have the test results we need on Superman,” Lex said.
***
Pete Ross looked around the gallery with a nervous smile, “If I start babbling like an idiot hit me.” He instructed to Rachel.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She reassured him, readjusting his tie. “You look kinda cute all dolled up in a tux.”
“I feel like a monkey in this thing.” He said, looking down at this tuxedo. He would have been much more comfortable in his jeans and t-shirt, but he knew this wasn’t that type of crowd.
Making it as a freelance photographer meant rubbing elbows with the elite and making connections. Even though a lot of his work had already been featured with many prize-winning articles and magazines over the years, he still wasn’t as well-known in Metropolis as he had been on the West Coast. His and Rachel’s decision to move here and put down roots so she could continue to move up in her career in law enforcement. It didn’t hurt that his best friend lived here too.
“You want me to get you a banana?” Rachel teased.
“Always with the jokes.” Pete grinned.
“Mr. Ross?” the museum coordinator approached. “The gallery is ready for your approval.”
She gestured to the corridor that had a bronze sign with his name on it. He couldn’t help but feel a burst of pride in seeing his name engraved for all to see. This was his night.
“Thank you.” He nodded to the coordinator and headed inside and up the stairs where a dining area had been set up, and the roof turned into an exquisite dining experience. Each table had a slideshow of his work playing on the table. He looked around in awe, still amazed that it was his work on display. Ellen Lane had certainly outdone herself in putting this event together.
“Oh, Pete, it’s gorgeous,” Rachel whispered, looking up at the moonlit sky that lit the dining area.
“It’s out of this world.” Pete agreed, struggling to find the words. Ellen had certainly outdone herself.
“It’s how we make a statement here in Metropolis,” Ellen said, walking up behind them. She motioned to one of the waiters, “Can you get Mr. Ross and Ms. Harris something to drink?” The waiter nodded and headed toward the outdoor kitchen that had been setup. A fire pit stood in the corner with seating around it for socializing.
“This is amazing, Ellen. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Thank you.” He said, following her gaze to the photos that reflected off the makeshift walls to display his photos one by one. Each one brought back a memory of his time overseas and across the globe. While he’d loved every minute of it, he yearned to find a place to call home and hang his hat at. Whether Metropolis would be his forever home, he didn’t know but was willing to try it out for a little while.
“You’re very welcome,” Ellen gave him a smile that reminded him of Lois before adding, “Truth be told, it was a lot of fun.”
“Opening starts in five.” The coordinator called out, holding her hand up.
“Here you are, sir,” the waiter handed Pete a glass of champagne.
“You ready?” Rachel asked.
“I better be,” Pete said, taking a deep breath.
***
“Very good.” Sam congratulated Corbin on a job well done after the tenth board of metal fell to the ground in a crumpled ball. “Your strength is impressive.”
Corbin began throwing punches in the air, bouncing on his toes and taking a fighting stance. “I’m stronger than I ever was.”
“More powerful too.” Sam said, “But we need to go slow so we can make sure you don’t overdo it. You may have limitations we don’t know about.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Dr. Lane.” He turned and saw Bill Church Jr. and Rollie Vale standing behind him.
“What is this?” Sam asked, seeing the gun Bill Jr. had trained on him. He held the radio device used to control Corbin in his hand. If they tried anything, he’d have to use him to escape.
“Let’s call it an early retirement.” Bill Jr. said, waving the pistol in the air. “Seems you’ve been busy playing both sides, Dr. Lane. Those days are over.”
A shot fired and he hit the button on the remote, “Get out of here now!” He shouted before everything went dark.
***
Lois looked around the rooftop that had been transformed into an exquisite dining experience for the elite. “This is amazing.”
“Your mom really came through for him.” Clark nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder as he handed the usher their tickets.
“What in the world?” Martha looked up at the sky where a hologram of Pete’s work was on display.
“That’s one way to wow the crowd.” Jonathan chuckled, “I’m gonna go tell Pete we’re here. Why don’t you all go grab us a table?”
“Lois, Clark, over here!” her mother waved them over to the main table where she was seated with an elder woman she wasn’t familiar with.
They made their way to her table, and her mother excused herself and stood up to greet them. Martha looked around and complimented, “Ellen this is absolutely gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you and Jonathan were able to make it.” Her mother gestured to the crowd that filled the room. “I’m sure Pete really appreciates your being here.”
“We wouldn’t miss it.” Martha smiled back at Ellen. “Gives us an excuse to catch up with everyone.”
Her mother let out a long sigh, “I know we live in the same city and it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen either of them.” She gave Lois and Clark a pointed look.
“It’s been a busy month.” Lois offered weakly.
Her mother’s facial expression softened as her focus changed from their lack of visits to the more prominent bump Clark had a protective hand on. “I told you things would start changing sooner with this one.” She beamed, placing a hand on her abdomen. “The human body is a remarkable thing.”
The feedback of the microphone on stage pulled their attention to the museum coordinator who stood in front of the crowd, addressing everyone. “If everyone will please take their seats the first course is about to be served.”
***
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Bill Jr. called in the dark.
Sam took in a shallow breath, calming his breathing as he listened around him. In the darkness, he could make out the shadows around him.
“Did you really think we wouldn’t notice Superman’s spaceship was missing!?”
A shot fired behind him and Sam did his best not to react for fear he’d give his location away. Corbin had gotten away—or at least he thought he had. He’d heard the gunfire and the sound of the bullet’s ricocheting off of Corbin’s metal body before the room had gone quiet. Now all he could hear was the footsteps of Bill Jr. as he laid on the floor trying to inch his way to the nearest exit.
“How long have you been working with him, Dr. Lane?”
Sam let out a slow breath as he crawled toward the exit. He could see the red letters blinking on the doorway a few feet ahead. He just had to get there.
“You know who he is, don’t you?” Bill Jr. taunted. “We’ll find out. We always find out.” Bill Jr. sneered. “You think you can protect him from us, but you can’t. No one crosses Intergang and lives to tell about it. No one.”
‘Just a few more feet.’ Sam continued to crawl. He could feel the air from the vents across his face, and he smiled. He was almost there. He was nearly home free.
Another shot fired. He felt a sharp burning sensation graze against his side as he crawled to the doorway. He muffled his cries against his arm and bit down on the fabric to keep himself from making a sound. When the pain had subsided enough that he could take a breath, he lifted his head up and felt the cold air from the vent against his face. He was shot. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get help. He needed to warn Clark.
He reached his arm out and felt for the metal door but was surprised to find an open space with shards of metal wedged together against the opening.
‘Corbin.’ He thought to himself. He must have forced it open.
He crawled through the doorway, careful not to make a sound as he heard Rollie Vale call out. “Is he still in here?”
“I don’t know.” Bill Jr. muttered.
***
Lex Luthor stood on the roof of Luthor Towers, staring out at the cityscape. The lights from the party lit up the sky. He smiled to himself as he pulled out his phone to give the order. He would put Superman to the test tonight and discover just how fast he could really move and just how indestructible he was.
“Now.”
***
“Thank you, everyone, for this warm reception…” Pete began to address the crowd.
“Help!!” Clark stiffened when he heard a cry for help from across town. He quickly motioned to Lois and made his way to the nearest exit, not stopping to check on the usher he’d just bumped into on the way down the stairs. Once he was out of sight, he ripped his shirt open to reveal the Superman suit and took off in the night sky.
***
Lucy took another look in the mirror to check that everything was in place before walking out into the living room. She searched the couch cushions, trying to find her purse. Finally, she found the black and white clutch in between the last two cushions. Grumbling under her breath as she grabbed her things she headed for the door. She was late. Extremely late but it was better to be late than not show up at all, right?
She opened the door and was surprised to find her father holding his side and his lab coat soaked in blood. “Daddy?”
“Please, let me in.” He pleaded with her. “I’ll explain everything.”
***
“Cameras are ready?” Lex asked, turning to look at Asabi who nodded.
He pulled up the screen to show a man falling from Luthor Towers at a harrowing speed. Just before he reached the ground, Superman arrived and grabbed him mid-air, floating him down to the street below.
“Target two is in position?” Lex asked. The cameras showed the rooftop party on the Metropolis Museum of Art. They zeroed in on their target, showing the image of Lois Lane with Martha Kent and Rachel Harris.
“Ready when you are, Mr. Luthor.” A voice came over the radio.
“Now.” He ordered.
***
Pete looked to the corner of the crowd, watching as his friend made his way to the exit. He frowned, uncertain what had just happened. “I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. This event wouldn’t be possible without the work of Ellen Lane and the Marketing coordinator, Margot Kline. I hope everyone enjoys the dinner and the photography. Thank you.”
He took a step down from the podium and heard the sonic boom in the sky and what sounded like screaming.
“Someone fell off a building!”
“No, he was pushed!”
“No, he jumped!”
“Did you see that?”
“Superman caught him!”The crowd began to murmur back and forth, and Pete looked to Rachel who was standing with Lois and Martha. Something seemed off. He couldn’t shake the feeling in the back of his mind that gave him a sense of dread.
Where had Clark gone?
That guy was getting awfully close to Lois and Rachel. His eyes narrowed as he watched a man in a black suit move toward the women, pushing his way through the crowd to get to them. He had something in his hand.
“Hey!” Lois shouted as the man pushed her toward the ledge of the balcony.
“Back off!” Rachel shoved the man, and he pushed her to the ground.
“Rach!” Pete shouted, making his way toward her as the man grabbed Lois. He saw something on Lois’ face he didn’t often see. Fear. The attacker leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Panic was written on her face as she struggled against him.
Pete looked back at the crowd that was still staring at the skyline on the other side of the rooftop. No one seemed to notice what was going on. No one seemed to register the screams for help over the loud music and sirens from the streets.
“Get away from her!” Pete called out angrily, jerking the attacker’s arm toward him. The motion went unnoticed as the man sneered back at him with a menacing stare.
Where was Clark when you needed him? Clark may not fight much, but he was at least bigger than Pete’s slender profile and able to make someone think twice about messing with him.
“Let go of me!” Lois screamed angrily as Pete began to form a plan, seeing how close the mysterious man was to pushing Lois over the ledge as she fought against him. With all his might Pete threw himself forward and lunged himself on top of the assailant, knocking Lois to the ground and freeing her from the man’s grasp. He noticed a small blinking red light coming from the device that fell to the ground. Pete reached for it only to have his hand crushed by the attacker’s foot as he grabbed it.
“Pete!!” Lois screamed as he was lifted off the ground over the man’s head.
“You want to play hero pretty boy? Try rescuing yourself from this!” he snarled as he tossed Pete over the ledge of the building.
“Pete!!” he heard Lois scream in unison with Rachel’s “Pete, no!!” as he fell toward the street.
The wind was blowing in his face so hard he couldn’t catch his breath. “Su-Super-man!” He tried to scream. Barely a second after he’d shouted for help he felt something grab him from behind. “I’ve got you.”
Pete looked back and let out a sigh of relief, “You have no idea how glad I am to see you.” He shifted his gaze up to where the party had been hosted and frantically pointed at the flames that were engulfing the building’s top three floors and rising. “Su-Superman…”
“Wha?” Superman looked behind him and let out what Pete could only describe as a muttered curse. “Why do I get the feeling your falling fifteen stories wasn’t accidental?” He landed on the street below and released Pete before moving at super-speed to attend to the flames.
***
Lex Luthor took a puff on his cigar and looked at the screen that showed his marksman attempting to force Lois Lane over the ledge of the Metropolis Museum of Art. He scowled when he saw a blonde-haired man tackle the aggressor to the ground.
“No!” Lex fumed angrily, slamming his fist against the table.
Gretchen Kelly jumped back, “Lex, calm down it’s fine.”
“Stop the timer.” Lex hissed angrily.
“But…”
“Look!” Gretchen pointed at the screen.
Lex looked up and saw the hired thug lunge toward the ledge and throw the blonde-haired man that had interfered earlier. “Get ready.” The screen filled with a red and blue blur and Lex ordered. “Now.” He smiled watching as Superman caught the meddler that had been pushed off the roof and ordered, “Fire.”
The screen filled with flames as Gretchen typed in a code to set the explosives to go off. They watched as Superman landed on the street with the man and moved at super-speed to freeze the flames into non-existence, effectively snuffing them out.
“Time,” Lex ordered.
Gretchen stopped the timer and gasped, “2.1191416 seconds. That’s faster than a speeding bullet.”
Lex took a deep breath, “Did you see what just happened? He breathed the fire in and let out …what?”
“The units are at temperatures below zero.” Gretchen read from her monitors. “He froze the flames.”
“Interesting.” Lex took another puff of his cigar.
***
“Deep breath.” Rachel urged, running her hands up and down Lois’ shoulders. “He’s fine. He’s Pete. He’s fine.” Lois could hear the crack in her friend’s voice as she spoke but didn’t say anything.
‘The boss has a message for you and Superman.’The words rang in her ear over and over as she did her best to calm her breathing. Stress usually ended with her in the hospital hooked up to a thousand machines while the nurses tried to force feed water to her. Stress was bad. She had to calm down. She couldn’t panic.
‘Punishment for betrayal is death.’She stared at the man that was effectively being pinned down by two of the captains on Rachel’s new Special Forces squad and Jonathan Kent who looked like he was mad enough to spit nails. After throwing Pete off the roof, Jonathan had tackled the man to the ground, and the two captains had helped to pin him down to keep him from escaping.
“I’m calling the police.” Captain Raymond said to Rachel.
“Good.” Rachel nodded, “See? Everything’s fine.” She tried to reassure Lois tearfully.
“You know where I’m from we have a special little cell block for people like you.” Captain Friez hissed angrily.
A loud bang and what felt like a tremor beneath her caused her to gasp. The simultaneous sound of glass shattering from below them as flames below them began to rise created an atmosphere of hysteria on the roof. Where was the hysteria when that man had been attacking her and Rachel? Where was the panic and screaming when he’d hoisted Pete over his head and thrown him off the roof?
In the hysteria, Captains Raymond and Friez lost their grip on the assailant, and he tried to escape. “Grab him!” Jonathan shouted, trying to fight his way through the crowds.
“No, after him!” Captain Friez chased after him, but through the crowd of panicked members of Metropolis’ elite society, he quickly lost him.
Jonathan shook his head, letting out a muttered curse before turning back to Lois and Rachel. “He’s gone.”
“Did you see which way he went?” Lois asked, standing to her feet with Rachel’s help.
“Everyone over there is rubber neckin’ trying to see what happened.” Rachel said with a bitter tone. “No telling which way he went through that crowd.”
“Here, why don’t you sit down?” Jonathan suggested, pointing to one of the tables a few feet away. The crowd of people around them was getting thicker by the moment. She kept scanning the crowd for any sign of Clark. He’d gotten a call for help. Then all hell had broken loose.
“I’d rather stand,” Lois said, continuing to scan the crowd for her husband.
After what felt like an eternity a familiar face landed on the roof as the smoke behind him cleared. “Is everyone all right?”
Lois did her best to hide the relief she felt when she saw Superman standing in front of them. “Yes, Superman, but our friend…”
“Mr. Ross is a bit shaken, but he’s all right.” He pointed to the street where Pete was talking to an EMT that had arrived moments ago.
“Oh thank God!” Rachel cried out.
“I was able to put the fire out before it could do any real damage so you all should be safe to take the stairs to leave,” Superman instructed.
“Thank you, Superman,” Rachel ran up to hug him.
Lois watched as Clark fought a smile, tried to remain neutral as his longtime childhood friend hugged him fiercely. Keeping the Superman persona on for the world was one thing, but it had to be challenging to keep the pretense around Pete and Rachel.
“I should be going.” He said, stepping away and disappearing into a red and blue blur.
“No, wait!” Rachel shouted after him, but it was too late. Lois watched Rachel’s face turn from anguish to determination as she scanned the crowd. Pete was okay. That was what mattered right now, but the man that had attacked them was still out there.
“Clark should be reappearing any minute now.” Jonathan mused in a low whisper.
Lois shared a smile with her father-in-law, glancing back at the crowd. Pete’s beautiful night had been ruined. The sharp whining of the feedback on the microphone echoed in her eardrums, and she winced.
“Everyone? Can I have your attention?” her mother’s voice echoed from the podium. “As I’m sure you’re all aware tonight’s event has had some bumps in the road. We will need to evacuate the building to allow the police and emergency crew to do their jobs. Tonight is not over. Our staff will be moving everything to the Metro Plaza across the street. We should have everything ready within the hour. Thank you for your patience.”
“He’s still going through with it?” Jonathan asked in surprise.
“Well, Pete never was one to back down from a fight,” Clark commented, walking up behind them.
Lois did her best not to overreact to his presence for fear it’d draw attention to his absence earlier. “Hey you,” She gave him a half-smile as he pulled her to him, placing his hands protectively over her growing abdomen.
“I’m never letting go again.” He let out a shuddered breath against the nape of the neck and whispered in her ear. “Pete told me what happened. Are you all right?”
She moved her hand to cover his, intertwining her fingers with his as she sighed, “Been an eventful evening, but we’re fine.” She gave him a solemn expression, “Thanks to you and Pete.”
“I barely got to him in time.” Clark breathed. “I’ve never flown so fast in my life.”
“But you did.” Jonathan reminded him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Everyone’s fine.”
“Where’s mom?” Clark asked, looking around.
“She was with my mother when all hell broke loose,” Lois said, craning her neck to see if she could see Martha through the crowd.
Clark chuckled, pointing toward the dining area where Ellen and Martha were helping gather the centerpieces from each table. “She’s helping your mom clear the dining area.”
“Looks like those two will have the place cleared out before everyone’s even outside,” Jonathan said with an amused expression.
Clark looked to the doorway where the line of people was beginning to line up. “What do you think Rachel’s doing?”
“She may be checking to see if she can find the guy that attacked Pete.” Jonathan reasoned.
Clark lowered his glasses and shook his head, “I don’t see anyone fitting Pete’s description here.”
“Where do you think he went?” Lois asked.
***
Present Day…Lucy Lane frowned as she examined the substance once more, uncertain if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She tapped her hand on her station when she found the same results. It was impossible. It was unheard of, but there it was staring her in the face.
She spotted Dr. Hamilton coming out of his office and grabbed her notes from her report to discuss her findings with him. “Dr. Hamilton?”
He looked up at her, readjusting his glasses, “Yes, Ms. Lane?”
“I’ve examined the ashy residue you found. Very interesting compound.” She began carefully.
“Haven’t found anything like it before.” Dr. Hamilton agreed. “Were you able to pinpoint what it was.”
“Who.” Lucy corrected.
“Pardon?” Dr. Hamilton scoffed.
“It wasn’t a thing, but a human being. DNA has been extracted and is being run in our database. We should have an answer within the hour.” She explained.
Dr. Hamilton crinkled his eyebrows at her. “Are you telling me that ashy residue is a person?”
“Yes, a human body was disintegrated into an ashy residue.” She crossed her arms over her chest, eying the uneasy expression on his face. “But I have a feeling you already knew that.”
***
“Luthor Towers has disappeared. No one can confirm where the blast came from, but it’s clear that the weapon Lex Luthor threatened Metropolis with is no longer in his control.” The anchor said into the microphone as images from the attack on Luthor Towers replayed.
Lois looked down at Jon who was sleeping in her arms. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Daddy will figure this out. He always does.” She leaned in to kiss his forehead, smiling at the sleeping figure of her son. “Naptime.”
She got up and carried him over to his bassinet to lay him down. After ensuring he was sleeping soundly and nothing could come near his face she walked back to the couch where her laptop was set up on the coffee table. Jimmy had promised to bring whatever he found on LexCorp by. She still hadn’t heard from him.
She frowned, recalling the obvious rift between Jimmy and Clark in the newsroom earlier. What could have created such a divide between the two men? Before she’d left for maternity leave, they’d been close friends. Jimmy had even turned to Clark for advice on his relationship with Lucy when things were heading south. What had changed?
A hard knock on the front door pulled her back to the present, and she stood up, walking to the foyer to answer it. She opened the door and found Jimmy with a large file box in his hand. “Jimmy, come on in.”
“LexCorp’s financial records.” Jimmy wheezed out, struggling to hold the three boxes in his hands.
“Here.” Lois reached out to take the top box from him.
“Thanks.” Jimmy sighed in relief.
“Just put them on the dining table.” Lois pointed to the dining room that had a few boxes lined up from the research she and Clark had been collecting on Intergang the last few months.
“There you go,” Jimmy said happily as Lois set her own box down.
Jimmy looked around hesitantly. “CK’s still not back, huh?”
“He’s following up on some leads,” Lois said sifting through the first box in front of her.
“Yeah, sure he is,” Jimmy muttered.
Lois pursed her lips. Unable to contain her anger any longer she slammed the folder on the table and walked to where the bi-fold doors were, slamming them shut with a loud bang. After ensuring the doors were closed, she turned to face Jimmy, “What the hell is your problem?!”
“My problem?!” he scoffed. “
My problem?”
“Yeah,
your problem!” Lois snapped angrily. “You’re like night and day. One minute you’re all best buds then the next you’re acting like Clark took your favorite toy. What is your deal?”
“You don’t want to know.” Jimmy retorted.
“No, I probably don’t, but I’m not going to deal with this any longer. It’s driving me crazy watching you go from one mood to the next. This isn’t you! Start talking!” She ordered.
Jimmy’s face twisted into a scowl for a moment before he finally relented and spat out. “Fine. You want to know why I can’t stand him? You remember a few weeks ago when that train collapse happened? I was running the research on Intergang’s latest terrorist attack?”
“Rings a bell or two.” She shot back irritably. At Jimmy’s annoyed expression she sighed, “Yes, fine. I remember. You and Clark were both working long hours that week to connect the attacks to Intergang. What does this have to do with anything?”
“You sure you want to know?” He asked with a pained expression.
“Spill it!” she snapped irritably.
“Fine! I think he’s cheating on you.” Jimmy spat out.
“What!?” Lois shouted, uncertain that she’d heard him right.
***
TBC…
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