Rules of Engagement
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 4
***
Fifteen minutes.
Lois stared at the red digits on the digital clock staring back at her. In fifteen minutes the alarm would go off and put an end to the pure bliss she was feeling, being held in her fiance’s arms. She didn’t want to think about everything they had to do today. She didn’t want to think about the investigation or the messed up wedding plans....but more importantly, she didn’t want to think about the threatening gifts that kept arriving at her and Clark’s doorstep and place of work.
Fourteen minutes.
She heard a soft groan and turned to see Clark staring at her, a stray lock of hair had fallen over his face. “Hi,” he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, nuzzling her neck as he held her close.
She grinned back at him, “Hi,” She let out a long sigh.
“You’re up early.” He noted, looking at her in concern. “You okay?”
“Couldn’t sleep.” She said simply, avoiding eye contact. He knew. He always knew, but right now she didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted to ignore it and try and enjoy the few moments of peace she had before the world intruded once more just as it always did.
He seemed to sense her hesitancy and nodded, nuzzling her ear as he held her close. He ran his hand against his cheek, “Still thinking about it?”
“Yeah,” She gave a sour expression. “I just can’t figure out what the end game is.” She sighed, leaning her head back on the soft feather pillow. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why send the threats?”
“I don’t know,” He said, letting out a breath as he tightened his arms around her. “Maybe there is no reason.”
“It just doesn’t…” She let out a soft gasp as the bridge of his nose hit the sensitive flesh of her ear. Her train of thought quickly disappeared as his hands moved against her.
It had only been a few weeks since they’d finally taken that step in consummating their relationship. Already, she found her body responding to him in a way she’d never experienced in any of her previous relationships. The connection she felt when she and Clark made love was more than just physical. It was a connection on all levels that made her feel like she was learning something new about him and him about her each time they made love. She’d never felt that before, and she knew she never would. It had taken some time to get here, but it had been worth it.
She let out a low moan and felt a flutter inside her abdomen as his limbs intertwined with hers. “I’m starting to like this whole waking up with you here thing.”
“Yeah?” He grinned, moving his attention to her jaw, “I really enjoy waking up with you too.” He nibbled on her throat, running his upper lip against the curve leading to her shoulder. “Makes for great practice for this whole marriage thing.” He teased nuzzling her ear as she let out a soft giggle.
“Marriage thing, huh?” She whispered, moving her hands to cover his as they moved up and down her ribcage. “I guess that means you’re not backing out?”
“Nope.” He said simply, tightening his arms around her as she concentrated on the feeling of his palms as they moved up and down her sides, moving the sheet wrapped around her further and further down as he did so. “Have I told you how much I love you?” he whispered in her ear, tugging on her earlobe with his lips.
“Not since last night.” She breathed heavily, feeling a pleasurable jolt run down her spine when the last of the sheet was pushed to the side, and she felt the skin to skin contact against her.
“I am hopelessly in love with you, Lois Lane.” He murmured, against her neck.
***
Sarah poured herself a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot, inhaling the fragrant scent as the aroma hit her nostrils. It was strange staying with someone she hardly knew and hiding out from an enemy that had no name and no face. She’d spent most of her life studying human behavior, but she still had yet to come to a plausible conclusion for what made a person choose to perform malicious acts against another.
A sharp knock at the door intruded her thoughts, and she sighed, setting her coffee mug down, then made her way to the front door where whoever was on the other side continued pounding. “I’m coming already.” She said to herself, stealing a glance at the clock that read ‘7:05.’
She opened the door and saw a man with dark curly hair and a khaki jacket on the other side. She recognized him from the day before at STAR Labs but couldn’t recall his name.
“Hi, is Lois home?” he asked, looking at her with a broad smile.
Sarah stared him down for a minute, uncertain if she should let him in or not. The encounter she’d witnessed yesterday didn’t seem to be that of colleagues or friends between the reporters and...whomever this man was.
“No,” Sarah supplied, crossing her arms over her chest. “Who are you again?”
“I’m a friend.” He said as if that explained his presence on Lucy’s doorstep at seven a.m.
“A friend?” She looked him up and down, sizing him up as she countered, “You didn’t seem that friendly at STAR Labs.”
“I’m what you would call an acquired taste. ” He defended, taking a step inside the apartment. “Once you get to know me you’ll love me. Everyone does.”
“Quite confident there, aren’t you?” Sarah countered, taken aback by the self-absorbed attitude the man had as he walked through the apartment, making himself at home without even being invited in. “Please, make yourself at home.”She added sarcastically.
“Don’t mind if I do,” He said, leaning back on the sofa and propping his feet up on the coffee table.
“I can’t see why you have trouble making friends,” Sarah muttered under her breath.
He seemed oblivious to her comment as he looked around the apartment with a frown, “So, where is Lois?”
“Why?” Sarah asked, giving him a mock pout. “Am I not good enough company?” He just laughed at her comment.
“Sarah? Who was at the door?” Lucy called coming out of the bedroom in a pair of yoga pants and t-shirt. She stopped short when she saw the man sitting on the couch. “Uh, who…?”
“Apparently he’s a friend of your sister’s,” Sarah said, pointing at the man sitting comfortably on the sofa.
“I doubt it,” Lucy said, looking at him with an annoyed look. “Who are you?”
“Agent Scardino.” He stood up, handing his card to Lucy to introduce himself. “You can call me Daniel.”
“Scardino? The DEA Agent?.” Lucy asked with a curious expression.
“You’ve heard of me?” Scardino asked.
“Vaguely.” Lucy handed him back his card. “Look, I’m not sure what it is you’re doing here, but Lois doesn’t live here anymore. You’ll have better luck tracking her down at the Planet.”
“I tried there already.” He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, “And unfortunately this can’t wait.”
“What can’t wait?” Sarah asked, curious as she watched Lucy stare Scardino down suspiciously. She wasn’t sure what exactly was causing her host to give the man such a cold shoulder, but given his behavior, since he’d been there, it wouldn’t surprise her if there was a history.
“That’s confidential.” He said quickly, looking back at Lucy, “So, where can I find Lois?”
“Well, she’s probably still at home,” Lucy said, pointing to the door.
“Home?” Scardino looked back at her expectantly.
“Not here.” Lucy snapped irritably, pushing him toward the door, “Now, if you don’t mind?”
“Right,” Scardino seemed to take the hint and headed out the door.
***
Bill Henderson took a sip of his coffee from the styrofoam cup as he laid the three notecards out in front of him. Each one had a different message. Each one was carefully put together on standard white cardstock with letters from magazines, newspapers, and other published papers.
There was nothing unique about anything in the threatening notes.
The only commonality was the message that came through the colorful yet menacing words spelled out with scissors and glue.
‘Marrying Clark will be the beginning of the end.’
‘You’re Next.’
‘Marry him and die.’It was clear the sender had a strong need to prevent Lois Lane from going through with her upcoming marriage to her partner. Who the sender was still remained a mystery.
His first instinct told him it was Lex Luthor, but after a thorough search of his cell and combing through his mail, there was no sign of any outgoing mail nor any calls to anyone other than his attorney. This was someone else’s doing. The question remained, who?
***
Clark glanced at the time as he stepped off the elevator. It wasn’t even nine thirty yet, and already Superman had been busy. Just as he and Lois had been heading out the door, Detective Zymack had called requesting a confidential meeting with Superman about the Mallow case. When he’d arrived, he found himself in the middle of a SWAT mission to rescue G.E. Mallow from Metropolis General.
It was the very place he and Lois had been the day before. GE Mallow had been right under their noses, and they didn’t even know it. He knew there was nothing to alert them that G.E. Mallow could have been there, but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt over missing a chance to help him sooner.
Everything seemed to be going well until he saw him.
Daniel Scardino.
He wasn’t sure what it was about the guy, but everytime he saw him he felt like he had to be on guard. He didn’t play by the rules others did which was helpful in some instances but proved to be detrimental in cases like this. Thankfully Zymack’s lieutenant had intervened and gotten him escorted off the property until Mallow had been rescued.
It had taken them ten minutes to get in and out after evacuating the hospital of its staff and patients. G.E. Mallow had been found in an old wing of the hospital, unconscious and obviously drugged. The hospital was now a crime scene.
After making sure his help wasn’t needed any longer he’d left to update Lois. Hopefully, Perry wouldn’t be too upset with his late arrival. He planned to have Superman give Lois an ‘interview’ about what happened before the scheduled press conference that was supposed to be set for eleven. Perry’s bark usually disappeared when he smelled a scoop.
“Morning, CK!”
Clark turned and saw Jimmy approaching with an armful of files.
“Hey, Jimmy,” He smiled at his young friend. “How’d everything go with your sister?”
Jimmy gave a slight cringe as he responded, “Let’s just say there’s a reason we only see each other once a year.” He shook his head, “I ended up going over to Perry’s. It was closer and definitely safer considering the alternative.”
“I’m sorry,” Clark gave him a sympathetic look.
“It’s fine.” Jimmy shrugged. “I’m used to it.” He looked back at Clark, “The sooner we get to the bottom of this the better. Any word from Dr. Klein?”
“Nothing yet, but I’ll let you know,” Clark said, catching a glimpse of Lois in Perry’s office. “I’ll catch up with you later.” He called over his shoulder, moving toward the Editor-in-Chief’s office. He cringed when he caught sight of the familiar looking DEA Agent standing with his back to the door.
‘Oh, no.’ he thought to himself, uncertain what the DEA Agent could be doing at the Planet. He remembered all too well the last investigation he and Lois had been involved in. He was grateful Scardino had been there to help, but the way he went about it had put Lois in harm’s way. That combined with the man’s pompous attitude and need to make subtle digs at him while attempting to hit on Lois right in front of him made Clark’s tolerance for the man meager at best.
“All I’m saying is let’s work together on this. You’ve got sources that could be beneficial to my investigation. I’ve got information that could be helpful in your, ahem, investigation.” Scardino said with a roll of the eyes as Clark opened the door to let himself into Perry’s office.
Clark cast a glance toward Lois who was standing next to Perry in the corner of the office with a pleading expression on her face. Perry seemed to be contemplating something and didn’t notice him come in. He decided to make his presence known by jumping in, “What information would that be, Scardino?” He pushed past the agent to make his way across the office to where Lois and Perry were standing.
“Well, Kent, nice of you to join us.” Scardino gave a broad grin. “Boy, I thought you guys hit the pavement before dawn. I guess you needed your beauty sleep, huh?”
“No, just doing something you’re not familiar with...investigating. You know, instead of showing up and getting escorted off the property during the SWAT Team’s raid? ” Clark shot back, snapping his fingers as he looked at Scardino with a sympathetic expression, “Too soon?”
“I was not escorted.” Scardino shot back defensively, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Well according to several sources you were,” Clark said, raising his eyebrow to challenge Scardino’s statement.
Scardino opened his mouth to counter, but Perry chose that moment to interrupt. “Okay, what’s this about a raid?”
Clark turned to his editor and explained, “Police rescued G.E. Mallow this morning.” Clark glanced at Scardino, watching him shift uncomfortably as he spoke. “Apparently they got an anonymous tip this morning.”
“That’s probably what that press conference is about.” Lois guessed aloud.
“Could be,” Perry pondered aloud, tapping his index finger against his chin. “Make sure you two are front and center on this.”
A curious expression crossed Scardino’s face as he turned back to Clark, “How exactly did you hear about this, Kent?”
“Right place at the right time I guess,” Clark said evasively, uncertain of how much he could trust Scardino.
“Superman and the police are pretty good about keeping the Planet in the loop as long as we hold off on printing things like this before the official announcement.” Perry supplied, pointing at Lois and Clark, “These two especially get a lot of exclusives because of that.”
“Which brings me back to why I think it would be a good idea to work together on this one.” Scardino pointed out, looking to Clark. “The DEA put me on this case a few weeks ago. I finally got a break, and now I’ve been stonewalled again. You’ve got the sources, and I’ve got the information. I’m pretty sure if we compared our notes we could probably figure out who’s behind this and stop them before it’s too late.”
“Before what’s too late?” Lois asked curiously.
“First I need to know you’re on board,” Scardino said, looking at her expectantly. There was a hitch in Scardino’s voice and an expression Clark had never seen there before: fear. Whatever was going on it was something that scared the agent enough to turn to them.
Lois cast a glance at Clark, and he nodded. He may not like Scardino, but he could tell whatever it was, was big enough to harm a lot of people. He could tolerate the aggravation of working with him for the greater good of keeping Metropolis safe from whatever danger was lurking in the shadows.
“On one condition,” Lois said, pointing her finger at him. “Our sources are our sources. You keep your mouth shut and you don’t pull them into any of your official investigations. They work with us because they can trust us. If we can’t guarantee their anonymity, then we can’t work with them, and we can’t help you.”
Scardino seemed to ponder that for a moment then agreed, “Okay, no names will be used unless they agree beforehand.” He held his hand out for her to shake, “Deal?”
Lois pursed her lips then nodded, shaking his hand, “Deal.”
“Great,” Scardino grinned turning to Clark, “Looks like it’ll be us three amigos, partner,” He said, patting Clark on the shoulder.
“Why don’t you three exchange notes and get back to me before the press conference. I want to hear more about this raid when you’re all caught up.” Perry instructed, pointing to the door. “I’ve got a ten o’clock with the board.”
They made their way into the bullpen and headed toward the conference room. “Let me just grab my notes,” Lois said, turning to Clark and Scardino who were a few steps behind her. “I’ll meet you in the conference room and we can…”
Clark looked back to where Lois was standing, noting the hike in her heart rate as she stared at her desk “Lois?” His face fell when he saw the flower arrangement on her desk and the pale expression on her face. Leaving Scardino by the conference room door, he made his way to where Lois was standing, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder as he whispered, “It’s just me.”
“This is stupid. It’s probably stupid, right?” She pondered aloud. “I mean most girls love gifts and flowers, and here I am scared of a stupid flower arrangement.”
“What’s wrong, you allergic?”
They turned to see Scardino standing behind them, oblivious to the threat that they both knew to possibly be hiding in the colorful flower arrangement with a single white envelope sticking out. Lois glanced back at Clark, silently pleading him to look for her.
He caught Dan Scardino’s frown at the lack of response but didn’t pay it any mind as he took the card from the plastic floral pick. ‘Please don’t be another one.’ He silently prayed, catching the annoyed expression on Scardino’s face. Right now he didn’t care how rude his actions might seem to the agent. Getting into why Lois was so apprehensive about a bouquet of flowers wasn’t something he or Lois were prepared to deal with at this point.
He tore the envelope open, expecting to see another menacing note. But it wasn’t there. He sighed in relief when he saw the handwritten note on the card. The flowers were from Lois’ father. ‘Congratulations! I’m in town until Friday. Send me the Save the Date, and I’ll be there.’
It appeared he’d finally gotten Lois’ messages, but a phone call would have been better. He held up the card and handed it to Lois, “They’re from your dad.”
“My dad?” Lois sighed in relief as she took the card from him and read it. “Unbelievable.”
“Birthday?” Scardino guessed.
“Congratulations,” Lois explained with a smile as she waved her left hand in the air, showing the ring to Scardino.
Scardino’s face visibly fell as he caught a glimpse of the diamond on Lois’ hand. Clark could have sworn he saw a scowl before Scardino quickly tried to save face and smiled, “Well, uh, congratulations.” He seemed to be at a loss for words as he struggled to sound genuine, “Uh, who’s the lucky guy?”
Lois’ face softened as she pointed back to Clark. “Clark.” Scardino seemed to still be reeling from the news as Clark placed his arm around Lois.
“Kent?” Scardino finally echoed in shock. “You two are, uh…”
“Engaged.” Clark supplied, studying Scardino’s body language as the word hit him like a ton of bricks.
“Right, engaged,” Scardino said, forcing a smile. “Well, uh, congratulations.”
***
“What do you mean you lost your test subject?!” Amir Muunour practically screamed as he stared at the two incompetent women standing outside his town car. He could feel his anger rising further and further. He should have known better. He never should have trusted them to complete a task that required a man’s firm hand.
“Sir, your blood pressure.” Kahnan, his bodyguard reminded him.
“Thank you, Kahnan.” Amir took a deep breath, attempting to calm his rage before he breathed. “We’re done.”
“What?!” Dr. Wilder practically screeched. “You can’t do that.”
“You have wasted my time.” Amir shook his head, “No, you promised a demonstration. I have yet to see any proof that this scheme of your father’s has any merit.” He turned to Kahnan, “We’ll leave on the first plane out tomorrow. Make the arrangements.” He hit the button to close the window, thus ending the conversation.
“No, you don’t understand there are other test subjects we can use…” Dr. Wilder called out to him.
Amir lowered his window, staring at the desperate woman with a solemn expression. “You have until nine a.m. tomorrow to prove your worth. Otherwise, consider our business arrangement terminated.” With that, he hit the button to close the window and instructed his driver to leave.
***
TBC...
Is anyone even reading this version?
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