Rules of Love
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 5
Nigel moved swiftly through the crowd at the Metro Train Station. Passengers getting off the train scurried toward the stairwell leading up to the streets of Metropolis. He scanned the crowd, looking for the familiar face.
A tall man in an Armani suit and a cigar in hand stood in the corner a few feet away from where Nigel stood. He recognized him immediately, tipping his hat down over his brow as he approached. The man looked up and smiled when he saw him, “I trust you didn’t come empty-handed?”
“Dr. Kelly is just as easy to manipulate as before.” Nigel nodded, patting the box in his hand.
“She still thinks we were testing the Kryptonite for her to use?” the man asked, lighting his cigar.
“Something to that effect.” Nigel mused, uncertain if he wanted to divulge Lex Luthor’s miraculous resurrection to his business partner or not.
The man stood, motioning to the box, “So this is the last of what was at LexLabs?”
Nigel nodded, opening the case, feeling a slight thrill as the green light hit his face. “The very last of it, Mr. Church.”
“How interesting that something so powerful could come from somewhere so ...mundane like Kansas.” He took a puff from his cigar, leaning in to examine the Kryptonite more closely. “Your efforts won’t go unnoticed, Mr. St. John.” He straightened up, looking at Nigel with a broad smile. Nigel slammed the box shut and moved to follow as Church motioned for him to walk with him. “Loyalty like yours is rare to find among criminals these days. I can see why Mr. Luthor kept you around.”
“Yes, I suppose,” Nigel mused aloud. He looked up, seeing a hidden doorway behind the staircase. A path he knew all too well.
“With Superman gone and Lex Luthor out of the picture Intergang can do what it does best.” He let out a loud laugh as they reached the end of the staircase. “Destroy everything and make money.”
***
Lois looked around the crowded room of officers, searching for the familiar face in the crowd. They hadn’t even pulled into the Daily Planet parking lot when she’d gotten the call. Mayson Drake’s life had been threatened. She knew Clark would probably be on his way as Superman, so she’d made a detour and headed right over with Jimmy in tow. Ready to cover the story for the Planet, but also to check and make sure Mayson was okay.
In the corner she found Detective Ryder standing next to Mayson who was sitting in a chair with her head in her hands. She’d never seen her look like that before. Terror-stricken and distressed. Her hair looked like she’d run her fingers through it at least a thousand times, her eyes were blotchy, and worry lines were visible in the corner of her eyes.
“Mayson?” Lois cleared her throat, trying to prepare herself for the worst. She didn’t like the woman. She thought she was loud and opinionated and unfairly critical of Superman. Still, she knew how it felt to be targeted. Given that they had both agreed to put the past behind them and work together she figured this was a step in the right direction. “I heard what happened.” She said carefully, glancing around the room. “I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
She could tell Mayson was debating internally on whether or not to respond. There was a tapping on the wooden table from where the ADA was drumming her fingertips against the grain. Finally, she spoke, “I guess good news travels fast.”
Lois wasn’t sure how to respond, “Perry said you got a package from Intergang?”
“Kiss of death.” Mayson held up a familiar looking monogrammed notecard. “There was a bomb on my desk.” Lois’ eyebrows rose, but she didn’t say anything. “I’m still not sure how anyone could have gotten through the security here.”
“Could it have been someone you knew?” Lois guessed, knowing all too well the disagreement they’d had with Mayson regarding Bill Church’s association with Intergang.
“I don’t know,” Mayson whispered shakily.
“Lois?” She turned to see Jimmy standing behind her. “Detective Zymack said he needs to see you outside.”
“Uh, can’t it wait?” Lois asked, unsure what Zymack could be needing at that moment.
“It’s about earlier.” Jimmy reminded her. “Bender’s office.”
“Oh, right.” Lois frowned, recalling Inspector Henderson telling them that Zymack would be assigned to this case.
“It’s okay.” Mayson let out a sigh. “I’m a big girl. Not my first death threat.” Lois still wasn’t sure, but followed Jimmy to where Detective Zymack was to give her statement on what had happened with Sheldon Bender and Lex.
***
Gretchen Kelly walked through the security checkpoint, looking over her shoulder with a smile as she saw the bag she’d left had been mistaken for the man she’d intended it for. Enough of a diversion to ensure no hiccups arose on the escape plan. She still hadn’t heard from Lex yet but had received the deposit in her offshore account as promised. As far as she was concerned the plan would continue as intended.
She made her way to the waiting area for her flight, checking the time on her watch when she saw the flight was already beginning to board. “Right on time.” She said to herself.
“Enjoy your flight, Ma’am. We should be leaving for Zürich within the half hour. A complementary set of headphones for your inflight movie.” The stewardess said to her, handing a plastic bag with black foam headphones and a cord connected.
“First class,” Gretchen commented. “I could get used to this.”
The screen in the front of the plane lowered, and she let out a long sigh, plugging her headphones into the console as she leaned back in her seat, enjoying the extra leg room.
“Hot towel?” She heard a voice say.
She looked up and saw a stewardess with a white towel in hand and nodded, “Sure.”
“This is an LNN Special Report…” the familiar voice from the announcer came through the speakers. “Authorities have taken Sheldon Bender into custody in connection with...No, I’m not joking. Helping Lex Luthor escape. It seems the elusive billionaire is alive and well and trying to flee the country…”
“Oh no…” Gretchen dropped the towel in her lap, staring in shock at the news coverage.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?”
***
Clark set down his cup of coffee on the conference room table. He glanced to his left where Lois was tapping her pen against her notepad as Jimmy updated them with the latest information on Sheldon Bender and Lex Luthor. Shortly after he’d finished giving his statement to Henderson, he heard about the bomb at City Hall. Thankfully he was able to get it out of there before it could go off. He’d finally met up with Lois as she was finishing being questioned by Detective Zymack. It had been one thing after another.
“Police picked up Sheldon Bender outside Metropolis Savings and Loan. He’s not talking.” Jimmy said, looking down at his notes. “No sign of Luthor, but the Feds have put a hold on all of Bender’s assets to prevent any money being sent to him.”
“Any sign of that Dr. Kelly?” Lois asked, looking up at Jimmy. Clark noticed her face had fallen into a permanent frown throughout most of the afternoon and evening as they’d been working on the latest story on Luthor’s rise from the dead.
“No,” Jimmy shook his head. “It’s like she disappeared. There was a receipt for three passports in Bender’s office though. They’re just waiting to hear back from them on who the other two were for.”
“Great,” Lois said, looking down at the conference table.
Clark sighed, placing an arm around her shoulders, unsure what to say at this point. He turned to Jimmy, “Thanks, Jimmy,”
Perry looked up from the Planet’s mock-up with the headline reading, ‘Lex Luthor Alive And On The Run!’ He cleared his throat, tapping his hand against his chin as he found his words, “Lex Luthor rises from the dead?” Perry snorted, shaking his head, “I never thought I’d see the day.” He shot a look to Lois and Clark, “Think there’s hope for Elvis?” He half-joked.
Lois cracked a smile, but Clark couldn’t afford one at that moment. All he could think about was the fact that Lex Luthor was back. His last encounter with the monster weighed heavily on his mind as he watched Lois out of the corner of his eye.
<<“I know this must be hard for you. Seeing me all decked out, on my way to marry Lois Lane, while you lie here helplessly and suffer.”>>
<<“ I love Lois, but she's much too independent, don't you think? Well, leave that to me.”>>
<<“Sorry, Superman, no time to chat. I'll just take my pound of flesh and…”>>“Clark?”
He heard his name and shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the present, looking from Perry to Lois who was giving him a concerned look. “Sorry, what was that?”
Perry peered at him with a perplexed expression and then added, “I was saying you two better keep a close eye out. With Lex Luthor on the run, there’s no telling where he’ll show up.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, Chief,” Clark began to interject.
“Well, Clark, no offense but after the stunt, he pulled on the Planet last time I’m not taking any chances,” Perry argued. “I’ve arranged for police protection for both of you…”
“Perry, that’s really not necessary,” Lois interjected, throwing Clark a worried look. “We’re both grown adults and are capable of …”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Perry wagged his finger at her. “Need I remind you about the recent kidnapping Superman had to rescue you both from...on your day off?”
They both exchanged a look, but didn’t say anything. “We don’t need a babysitter.” Lois quipped.
“Lois, it may not hurt…” Clark finally spoke up.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Lois glared at him.
“You said yourself Luthor was chasing after you and Jimmy. What would have happened if he’d caught up to you?” Clark reminded her, trying not to let his mind wander too far down the what-if scenarios that had been plaguing his mind all afternoon. He’d gotten there in time–this time. What if he wasn’t next time?
<<“ I love Lois, but she's much too independent, don't you think? Well, leave that to me.”>> Lois met his gaze, her anger slightly wavering as she relented, “Lex is on the run. If he’s smart, he’ll be trying to get out of the country not come after me.”
“We don’t know that.” He said, running his hand against her cheek. “We still don’t even know how he was able to come back to life and until we do…”
She let out a long sigh then finally caved, “Okay. I guess we’ll be one a first name basis with Metropolis’ finest before all of this is done and over with.”
“Good.” Perry nodded, “I’ll make the call and have the police chief send the first patrol over.”
***
Bill Church Jr. made his way into the underground office with Nigel in tow, holding the large metal box under his arm. He grabbed a remote off the table and clicked it, exposing a wall of television monitors that came to life with different lieutenants within the Intergang organization. The first monitor had the head lieutenant, Mr. Darryl sitting at his desk, “Good evening, Mr. Church.”
“Good evening. I’d like you all to meet our newest lieutenant, Nigel St. John. He’s already proven his loyalty is where the money is. He’ll be heading up our newest takeover in New Troy.” Bill Church Jr chuckled slyly as he spoke.
“I can assume this means everything went well with the exchange in Metropolis?” Mr. Darryl inquired, giving a knowing look.
“Yes, we are moving forward with the drug market in Metropolis. Project Nirvana will be on the shelves by the end of the month. We’re pulling our resources there to play ball with Gables and hopefully use his experiment against him.” Bill Church Jr turned to Nigel. “With the latest resource from Nigel, the Superman problem will be no more.”
“Excellent news, Mr. Church.” Mr. Darryl commented. “I’m just sorry your father isn’t around to see how well you’ve stepped into his shoes.”
“Yes, that heart attack came at just the right time, didn’t it?” Bill Jr. looked to Nigel and wagged his finger at him, “Just don’t forget who’s really in charge when the old man comes back.”
“Of course, Mr. Church,” Nigel nodded, smiling back at him.
“We’re all aware of who’s been running things, Mr. Church.” Darryl piped in. “It sounds like this will be Intergang’s year. Metropolis won’t know what hit them.”
***
Luthor Alive and On the Run!
By Lois Lane and Clark Kent Lois looked over the evening edition of the paper with a proud smile, “Hopefully we can write a happy ending to this one soon.” She rolled the paper up and tucked it into her bag, glancing up at Clark who was standing by her desk, waiting for her to shut her computer down.
“Yeah, the idea of Luthor being out there…” He shook his head as she stood up, taking his arm in hers. He looked around the newsroom as they began to walk and spoke in a hushed whisper as they made their way to the elevator. “I keep checking the police radios but so far no luck in finding him. There are roadblocks set up everywhere. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Are you sure you want someone watching your every move right now with…” She gave a flying gesture with her hand that both of them had come to associate with ‘Superman’ after his revelation to her a few months ago.
“I’ll risk it.” He said, leaning over to press the call button. “I’m not putting anything past Luthor.”
“Okay,” Lois said cautiously, uncertain how to respond. They stepped on the elevator in silence, listening to the mundane elevator music that played in the background as they waited to arrive in the lobby. She knew something was bothering Clark. He’d been distracted all afternoon. Though she wasn’t exactly engrossed in their investigation of Lex either. She’d found her mind drifting to those weeks before her wedding and what Clark had told her about what Lex had done to him. How close she’d come to losing everything…She could feel a lump in her throat forming and pushed it back. She wouldn’t give in. She wouldn’t give Lex that power over her.
“Lois?” Clark broke the silence as the light moved from the third to the second floor. He turned to face her, “How are you...really?”
She looked up at him, seeing the concern in his eyes and sighed, “I’m fine.” She lied, not wanting to get into this conversation right before they were supposed to meet their assigned protective unit.
He sighed, reaching over to pull the emergency stop. “No, you’re not.”
“Clark!” She gaped at him in surprise, “What are you doing?”
“You’re not fine.” He repeated, taking a step toward her. “I’m not fine.” He reached over to cup her cheek, feeling the tears she’d been suppressing escape as he spoke. “This is not fine.” He whispered, cupping the other side of her face with his other hand.
“He was dead.” Her voice cracked as she let her defenses down, feeling the tears she’d been holding back for most of the day release.
“I know.” Clark’s hands hesitantly moved through her hair, fingering the silky strands as he rested his forehead against hers. “He’s not going to get away.”
“You don’t know that.” Her voice squeaked through the muffled sob as he held her. “After everything he…”
“What?” He asked, looking at her with his dark brown eyes. “What is it?”
<<“Lois, I've lost everything. My fortune, my reputation.. everything but my feeling for you. We must take the miracle of my resurrection as a sign that even death can't keep us apart.”>>
<<“Never question a miracle. We're together again and that's all that matters.”>> She swallowed hard, looking down as she recalled Lex’s vain attempt to draw her back under his spell before she’d delivered a hard blow across his face. She looked back up at Clark who was watching her with concern in his eyes. She let out a sigh, “After everything he did he still acted like nothing had changed.” Clark nodded in understanding, not saying anything as she cried, “How he could think...after everything…”
“Luthor never was very good at accepting defeat.” Clark tried to joke, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Lois, we’re going to get him. We’re going to get him and make him pay for everything he’s done. We’ll figure out how he rose from the dead in the first place and get Luthor and whoever he’s working with behind bars before he can hurt anyone else.”
“You promise?” Lois asked, meeting his gaze with a half-smile.
“Promise.” He leaned in to kiss her.
She smiled against his lips, sighing happily as his arms wrapped around her. Her arms looped themselves around his neck as he leaned into her. She felt a slight jolt as he pressed against her. He let out a soft moan against her lips as his hands moved up and down her sides. She felt the heat from his touch begin to take effect on her. In the back of her mind, she could hear the soft hum of the elevator moving. They should probably stop, but she really didn’t want to…
Her hands wandered up the back of his head, wedging her fingers into his hair as her lips parted ever so slightly. She could feel the stress and weight from the day disappear with each caress. His body molded against hers and his hands buried themselves in her hair. She could feel the uncomfortable tightness in the pit of her stomach the deeper their embrace went. Her legs felt weak, and her body was on fire. Her skirt and blouse felt like anvils weighing her down. She lifted her left leg, running her calf against the side of his knee.
He tensed for a moment. She thought he was going to pull away again...like he always did when things became too heated between them, but this time he didn’t. His hand moved to her hip, tracing a circular pattern on her hip as he hiked her skirt further and further up before letting out a shaky breath, “I love you, Lois.”
Before she could voice a response his lips were on hers once more. She could feel his fingertips moving dangerously up her skirt as his body molded itself against hers. There was something different about the way he kissed her...touched her. She could feel the desire and need behind every caress. Each touch and caress against one another was a reminder of how unbearably hot the elevator car was becoming. They really needed to get out of here, but doing so would require stopping, and that wasn’t something she could convince herself to do at the moment.
He let out a low moan against her lips before moving his attention to her jawline, raining a heated trail down her throat. She let out a soft moan, unable to voice the thousands of thoughts that were racing through her mind. “Clark…”
The sound of someone clearing their throat from behind them pulled her back to the present. They both pulled away, neither of them showed any signs of regret as they turned to face the two officers standing by the elevator. The first officer was a man in his his early forties with a thinning hairline. He extended his hand to them, “I’m Detective Mark Davis. This is my partner, Detective Juliette Gray.” He pointed to petite red-haired woman in her mid-thirties with green eyes.
Lois nodded her recognition to them both, recalling the names Perry had given them earlier. “I guess this means there’s still no word on Lex?” She let out a sigh, following Clark out of the elevator and further into the now almost vacant lobby of the Daily Planet.
“Our car’s parked right out front.” Detective Davis informed them, pointing to the unmarked sedan parked in front of the Daily Planet building. Lois nodded, following them both to the undercover patrol car. So much for forgetting about everything.
TBC...
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