Delusions of Grandeur
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 4
***
Three Months Later…Lois Lane tightened her grip on the paperwork in hand as she watched Davenport leave. The distant sound of police sirens and cars driving over the bridge in Hobb’s Bay could be heard as she stood there, taking in the familiar sounds that had become so foreign in such a short amount of time.
Three months.
The memory of the news footage that had aired a few short hours after the police had questioned Lex rang through her mind. There had been no doubt in her mind at that point that Lex had killed him. He had been way too cocky when he’d taunted her with Superman’s absence during his attack. He knew Superman was gone. He knew and had taunted her with it.
<<“Superman is dead.”>>No matter how long it had been she still couldn’t think of that day without crying. She felt the sting from her tears as she recalled the torn cape covered in blood that had been recovered from Hobb’s Bay. It had been a nightmare watching the scene unfold and seeing the hero Metropolis and the world had come to love be mourned all around the world.
The headlines everywhere screamed the news and people all over continued to talk about it. No matter where she went, the news of Superman’s death haunted her. Just as her own ‘death’ continued to weigh on her mind. Gone were the days that Lois Lane, famous investigative reporter could be fighting the good fight among her fellow reporters. Instead she lived a life on the run, constantly moving and hiding as she did everything in her power to survive until the day would come where she would have her revenge.
That was what drove her.
That was what made all the lonely nights of pain and anger worth it.
The thought of revenge for what he had done to her and everyone she loved was what drove her. She would make him pay for the hurt he’d caused and watch him rot in prison for the rest of his days.
That day was coming.
***
Bill Henderson sat outside the Luthor Mansion, taking a sip of his coffee as he stared at the iron gates. His jaw tightened as he stared at the balcony where lights lit up the street. The valets stood outside, making jokes about the elite guests that had entered the Luthor Mansion. He’d heard the rumors. He would never understand how the Governor or anyone in politics could continue to trust Lex Luthor after what he’d done.
No proof.
That was what he kept coming back to. No hard evidence could be found even months later linking Lex Luthor to the confession he gave Lois Lane. The confession had been used to bring the case forward on the racketeering charges but they still needed hard evidence. They needed something other than Lois Lane’s testimony to nail that manipulative bastard to the wall forever. So far there was talk and rumors and circumstantial evidence but nothing concrete. They were running out of time.
Once Luthor knew Lois Lane was alive he knew it would all be over. More and more of the details of their case seemed to be falling apart at the seams. She was all they had left. Fingerprints, photographs, eye-witnesses… All of them continued to disappear. Luthor’s influence had a long reach inside the department. He was becoming increasingly aware that Luthor’s reach wasn’t limited to just the Metropolis P.D.
‘Unbelievable,’ he thought to himself with a shake of his head as he watched the FBI director enter the Luthor home. If Luthor was rubbing elbows with the politicians running the country what hope was there in making sure justice was served?
***
Three Months Ago…Lois gripped the chair she was sitting in as if it would save her from the mental blow Bill Henderson had delivered. Everything. Everything she had worked for and sought after for years had been tied to one thing: her name. Now, thanks to Lex she was losing even that. The anger pulsed through her and she felt a painful pull on her side from where she’d been stitched up. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought a plastic surgeon’s clinic could be a cover for the police and federal government.
Witness Protection.
That was what they wanted her to do.
Flee and run from everything. No more late night chats with Lucy. No more awkward brunches with her mother or even having the option to pick up the phone and call her dad. It was all gone.
“I can’t do this,” Lois finally spoke, staring back at them in a panic.
“Lois, this is your best shot to rebuild your life,” Henderson tried to persuade her. “Luthor is the third richest man in the world. Taking care of problems and making people disappear would be easy. Look what happened to Kent. Look what happened to you.”
“Clark is
not dead,” Lois argued adamantly, her tone turning to ice.
“Someone sure is going out of his way to make sure the world thinks so,” Henderson shot back, placing his hands on the table in front of them. “Lois, this is your only shot.”
“My only shot at freedom is stopping Lex,” Lois countered through gritted teeth.
“How are you going to do that with a mark on your head?” Henderson asked before his face turned solemn and his jaw tightened, determination washed over his face.“The Feds can protect you.”
“And what makes you think Lex doesn’t have a mole in the FBI?” Lois countered, her tone eerily calm. “You think I’m going to trust my safety to a bunch of under-paid suits that could easily double cross me and offer me up on a platter to Lex? No!”
“Lois!” Jimmy’s voice came from the hallway and Lois and Henderson got up from their seats, exiting the office they had been occupying to see what the commotion was. A shriek came from one of the rooms down the hall. A loud sob and scream followed by another.
Lois found Jimmy numbly standing in the corner and staring at the footage on the television. Lois barely gave the screen a glance as she turned to her friend, “Jimmy, what is it?”
“Superman,” Jimmy pointed at the screen and Lois followed the direction of his hand to the screen where the image of a torn red cape with the familiar ‘S’ emblem ripped in half.
“What in the world?” Lois stared at the screen in shock, unable to believe the scene that was unfolding. The scene continued to unfold and Lois numbly stared at the team of divers holding up the tattered red, yellow and blue uniform for the world to see. In the distance she could make out a gurney where a body bag that had been sealed stood behind one of the men.
“This shocking discovery continues to bring the world to its knees as we all pay tribute to the man of steel,” the anchor spoke as footage from the Messenger launch, Nightfall, and various amateur camera footage played of Superman coming to the rescue time and time again.
“No,” Lois instinctively placed a hand to her face, staring at the screen. In bold red letters the ticker across the screen read,
‘Superman Found Dead in Hobb’s Bay’“Lois,” Jimmy placed a hand on her shoulders and she felt the floodgates open up as she felt her knees give out, pulling her to the ground as her young friend attempted to console her. “Easy,” his voice croaked in her ear.
“No, no, no, no,” Lois shook her head adamantly, sobbing uncontrollably as the flood of emotions overtook her.
***
The sound of metal clanging against metal echoed down the long narrow hallway. Memory after memory flooded to the forefront of his mind as Clark sat up in a cold sweat, staring at his surroundings in confusion.
‘Where am I?’ He looked around the room and saw a white panel in the corner of the room with a metal doorframe surrounding it. Where the doorknob should have been, was a round lock emitting a green light from the bulb. He stood up from the bed, staring down at his chest in confusion. The Superman suit he’d been in earlier had been replaced with a plain grey scrubs. On the shirt the name ‘Kent’ was printed in bold black letters.
Confused, he ran his hand against the label, uncertain of where he was and how he’d gotten here. He looked up in the corner, searching for a sign of light from outside but only found the dimly lit light bulbs above. Another bulb emitted a bright green light in the corner.
He placed his hand on the panel but found nothing he could get his hands on to escape with. The realization that his powers might permanently be gone hit him and he squared his shoulders, pressing against the corners of the frame with all his might. He heard a hum and the panel opened, revealing a blonde haired woman in a white jacket.
“Mr. Kent, so glad you’ve decided to join us,” her tone was friendly but there was something eerie about the way her piercing blue eyes stared back at him.
“Who are you? Where am I?” he asked, looking at her for answers.
“I think Miguel gave you too high of a dose last night. I’ll make a note of that,” she began to jot a note in her notepad and he grabbed her by the arm.
“Dose? What are you talking about?” he demanded, doing his best to control the rising panic in his mind.
“Clark, we’ve discussed this before.” She tried to soothe, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Do I need to prescribe another tranquilizer?”
“I want some answers!” he demanded, jerking her arm as he shouted at her vehemently.
“Let go of my arm,” she ordered, placing a tight grasp on his wrist. He felt the prick from her nails against his skin and stared back at her coldly. He felt a piercing pain run through him and he hit the floor, grabbing his head as he fought the urge to throw up.
‘Kryptonite,’ he immediately recognized the sickening feeling of the poison. He looked up and saw the room had filled with a green glowing aura, bringing him to his knees. Where it was coming from he still wasn’t sure.
Her voice continued to speak to him calmly as he felt the mind numbing pain run through him. “Now, Clark, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. You and I both know these fantasies of yours aren’t real. The sooner you face the truth the sooner we can help you but attacking me isn’t going to get you anywhere.”
Clark stared back at her, feeling the pain subside as a smile crossed her lips. His eyes narrowed as he saw the green light disappear. ‘Luthor,’ his mind shouted as his aching body tried to recover from the lethal attack. She was working for him. He knew it. She couldn’t be trusted.
***
Three Months Later…The music played a mellow tone as Lex entered the ballroom. He could feel the power pulsing through him as he moved through the room. Senators and Judges and Congressmen were all here for him. This was the start of everything he’d been striving toward. It was a shame he couldn’t share this moment with anyone outside of his inner circle.
A twinge of sorrow washed over him as he allowed his mind to drift into the world of ‘what-if’ briefly. If things had happened differently between him and Lois he’d be celebrating tonight with her. A double victory—taking what his enemy cherished most ten-fold—Lois Lane and soon the world.
“Lex, quite the turnout, isn’t it?” Governor Pierce asked as she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.
“Governor, thank you for the endorsement,” He smiled broadly at the woman.
“A drop in the bucket compared to the endorsements that I’m sure are to follow, Lex,” she reached up to straighten his tie.
“Now, Governor, you know I’m a man of tradition,” Lex responded in kind. “You never forget your first.” He leaned in to kiss her, enjoying the flirtatious game he was playing with the woman.
“Lex, you’re good for my ego,” she swatted him away and then turned to leave, calling over her shoulder, “Don’t do anything to make me look bad, Lex. I don’t take a chance on just anyone.”
“Of course, Governor,” he smiled back at her, “Save me a dance,”
He watched her leave and smiled to himself. This Senate seat would be the stepping stone into the world of politics that would lead him to taking the reigns of the most powerful nation in the world.
***
Lois watched from a safe distance as the figure entered the warehouse on Pier 23. She’d spent the last two months tracking this woman’s every move. Two months of careful planning as she watched and waited for her moment. Lois smiled to herself when she saw the figure turn and look behind her. She was paranoid.
Lois tightened her grip on the baton in her hands, waiting for the signal from Jimmy. She kept her breaths even as she tapped the headset and spoke, “Are you getting all this?”
“Loud and clear,” Jimmy’s voice came through the headset. “I’ve just sent a signal to scramble the security system’s signal but they keep trying to debug the system. You’ve only got a few minutes before I get kicked out.”
“How long do I got?” Lois asked, keeping her breath even.
“Security system should kick back in in seven minutes.” Jimmy responded.
“Let’s do this,” Lois said, taking a deep breath as she approached the double doors leading inside the warehouse. What could Mrs. Cox be doing coming to a warehouse district on a weekly basis?
‘One way to find out,’ she thought to herself.
***
Three Months Ago…Detective Zymack led the SWAT team through the expansive doors of the Luthor Mansion. The woman he’d met earlier stood in the corner unfazed as he and his men stormed inside Lex Luthor’s home, flashing a search warrant for any evidence leading to Lois Lane’s murder. His orders were clear. He would be damned if Lex Luthor got away with what he’d done to his ex-fiancée.
“What is the meaning of this?” Luthor shouted as handcuffs were placed on his wrists by Agent Wallace.
“You’re being detained as a possible suspect, Mr. Luthor,” Agent Wallace responded with a smug grin.
“Suspect in what?” Luthor growled, his face showed no ounce of doubt or fear as he looked to Agent Wallace for answers.
“The murder of Lois Lane,” Agent Wallace responded coolly as she pulled him along with her. “We have some unanswered questions regarding your whereabouts last night, Mr. Luthor.”
“Call Bender,” Luthor ordered to the woman in the corner.
***
<<“I have been in love with you for a long time. You had to have known.”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>
<<“If that’s what you want Lois then fine get in bed with the devil!”>>
<<“Where are you going? Get back here!”
“Stop! Get out of my way, Lex!”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>Lois stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was stained with tears from where she’d been crying earlier. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and the baseball cap she wore covered her face enough to hide the bruises.
It had been five hours since her confrontation with Lex. Five hours since her entire world had come crashing down around her because she dared to tell the most powerful man in Metropolis ‘no.’
‘Bastard,’ she thought to herself, feeling the swollen redness around her skin from where she’d been struck.
<<“I have been in love with you for a long time…you had to have known.”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>
<<“Goodbye? We’re partners!”
“You don’t need a partner, Lois. You never did.”
“Maybe not, but I was starting to like having one.”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>
<<“What?”
“I..I can’t. I’m sorry.”>>To think she’d actually been concerned about
his feelings when she had readied herself to tell Lex it was over. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t go through with it. She couldn’t imagine a life with that....
‘Vermin,’ her mind supplied for her as she grabbed the last of her bags, staring in the reflection at her newly colored locks.
“You ready, miss?” the sound came from the corner where the agent in charge of her relocation was standing, holding the door open for her.
“Ready,” she said, readjusting the strap to her bag on her shoulder and making her way toward him. “Just get me out of here.”
“What about this?” One of the officers held up the hanger where her wedding dress hung, never worn.
Lois let out a dismal grunt and muttered, “Burn it for all I care.”
<<“But that would have to mean that I found you…Clark, you were sprayed. How come you didn’t fall for me?”
“I guess I’m just not attracted to you, Lois.”
“Liar! You are so attracted to me.”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>
<<“You think I wouldn’t have a contingency plan, hmm? Your precious Superman? Gone. Your partner? Gone. Your career? You won’t be able to show your face anywhere without me knowing. I’ll make sure you never so much as edit a note on a post-it. You never should have crossed me.”>>
<<“Clark, whether or not that memory of yours comes back, I just want you to know I think you’re terrific.”
“Likewise,”
“I mean, I love you…like a brother.” >>
<<“You’re mine!”
“I don’t belong to anyone, Lex!”
“I will not be made a fool of!”
“Go to hell!”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>
<<“I have been in love with you for a long time. You had to have known.”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>
<<“What did you do to him? Where is Clark?”>>
<<“I own you. I own this city. No one does anything in this city without me knowing about it.”>>“Everything’s gone.” Lois let out a shallow breath as the door closed behind her.
***
Lex sat in the chair provided, glancing around the dimly lit room he was in. It wasn’t his first interrogation room and he knew it certainly wouldn’t be his last. He enjoyed this game of cat and mouse. The truth of the matter was the police might suspect him but they could never prove anything.
“We’ve got a witness that places you at Ms. Lane’s apartment,” the detective said coldly as he slammed his palms on the table in front of Lex. “You want to tell me what really happened?”
A witness. He wasn’t sure who could have possibly placed him in Lois’ apartment. Before moving all of Lois’ belongings out a sweep had been done of the entire building. It was amazing to see how quickly the apartments of all the neighbors could be vacated at the mere mention of asbestos and black mold. He had learned early on to never leave witnesses that could misinterpret a situation.
“I’m certain your witness is mistaken,” Lex remarked coolly. “I was nowhere near Ms. Lane’s apartment tonight.”
“Yes, yes, you told us.” The detective waved him off. “You were with your assistant.”
“
Personal assistant,” Lex corrected with a sardonic smile.
The detective glared at him but continued on with his questioning, “I’m sure you were, but I don’t think you two were at home.”
“Oh, no?” Lex asked, raising his eyebrows at him. “Do tell.”
“How is it that you were so comfortable with your personal assistant after supposedly having your heart crushed by Lois Lane’s betrayal, hmm?” the detective paced in front of him. “Do you think we’re idiots?”
“I don’t think anything, detective,” Lex replied smoothly. “You asked a question and I gave an answer.”
“You expect me to believe Lois Lane just up and decided to leave for no reason?”
“As I said before detective…”
“You didn’t say anything, Mr. Luthor. Your assistant did. I want to hear it from you!” the detective narrowed his gaze on him.
Lex smirked as he met the man’s gaze, “Why detective I do feel like you’re accusing me of something.”
“Well then let me be clear.” The detective’s brow furrowed as he growled back, “I am!”
“That’ll be enough, detective!”
They both turned to see the infamous Sheldon Bender standing in the doorway. The detective frowned as he responded, “Right on time.”
“Now, detective, you wouldn’t be trying to question my client without counsel, would you?” Sheldon Bender asked as he motioned for Lex to stand up.
“We’re in the middle of a murder investigation. Your client is a material witness.”
“Yet he’s being treated like a suspect,” Bender responded with a scoff. “Charge my client or let him go. The choice is yours.”
***
Bill Henderson stood outside the interrogation room, watching through the two-way mirror as Zymack began questioning Luthor on his whereabouts and how his relationship with Lois Lane had ended. His friend, Jack Davenport had called in to report everything of Lois Lane’s had been successfully removed from Lex Luthor’s mansion and the personal assistant was currently in FBI custody spinning a sordid tale similar to the one she’d presented earlier.
He did his best not to react to the news of Luthor being brought in for questioning when Zymack had called it in. In order to protect Lois he had to keep everyone believing she was really dead. He felt his blood boil as he stared at the calm and collected Lex Luthor sitting at the table unshaken by the accusations against him. He was the picture of a cooperating witness as he continued to dance around the questions Zymack asked. He squashed down the guilt he felt at deceiving his friend, staring at the man he knew to be responsible for almost killing Lois Lane.
He knew Lois wouldn’t adjust to witness protection easily but it was for her own good. He was able to get a call through to Ellen Lane before she’d boarded her flight to return to Metropolis. Davenport had arranged for a secure line where they explained the danger of returning to the city. He had been unable to follow through on the lie when pressed by Mrs. Lane. All she knew was her daughter’s life was in danger and they were trying to help. All he had to do was find a way to keep Luthor behind bars and have Lois testify as a surprise witness and then this would all be over.
The phone in his pocket rang and he answered, “Henderson,”
“Your girl ran,” Davenport said evenly over the line.
“What?!” Henderson looked around, noticing the eyes on him as he lowered his voice and addressed Davenport as calmly as he could. “What do you mean?”
“Agent stopped to take a leak and she was gone with the car when he came back out. She’s gone.” Davenport repeated once more.
“What do we do?” Henderson asked, staring at the crowded room of officers.
“We can’t do anything,” Davenport responded evenly. “Look she’s smart she’ll reach out when she’s ready.”
“You sure she did this on her own?” Henderson asked.
“If she didn’t we’ll find out one way or another, won’t we?” Davenport reminded him solemnly before adding. “She had enough to get her anywhere she wanted to go and what funds were approved for the relocation. I’m sure she’ll turn up.”
“You better hope so,” Henderson said, looking toward the room where Sheldon Bender had just entered.
***
Lois ran a hand through her newly colored hair, still uncertain how she felt about her new appearance. Bill’s friend, Agent Davenport had promised to help change her identity and create a new life for her. The problem with that scenario was it left her powerless. The only way to stop all of this was to stop Lex. She couldn’t do that if she were constantly looking over her shoulder. Superman was gone. Jack had disappeared. Clark was still missing and probably dead too. With her sister and father out of the country and her mother updated by Henderson not to return from her trip abroad, she found at least some solace in the fact that Lex couldn’t get to them.
She stared back at her reflection, feeling the tears threaten to overtake her. She agreed with Henderson on one thing: leaving Metropolis was her best bet in surviving this. She just wasn’t going to do it on his terms.
She couldn’t use her bank account or her credit cards. All her accounts were set up with LexTrust Savings and Loan. There was no way she would make tracking her that easy. She needed help.
She pulled up to the Metropolis Transit station and spotted a familiar figure standing in the corner. A smile threatened to spread across her face as she glanced toward him, wondering if this would be the last time she’d see him.
“You certainly don’t do things the easy way, do you?” Perry’s gruff drawl came out as he approached the driver’s side of the car.
“I can’t let him win, Perry,” Lois said shaking her head in disbelief. “Any sign of Jack?”
“No one’s seen him since they brought you in,” Perry explained solemnly, handing her a manila envelope. “This is everything I was able to salvage from Clark’s apartment that looked like it might be connected to Luthor.”
“Doesn’t look very thick,” Lois remarked with a frown.
“Some of the journals were torn out, and pages are missing,” Perry explained.
Lois pulled out the two phones she’d purchased earlier and handed them to him. “Give one of these to Bill. I’ll be in touch,”
“Lois, honey, where are you going to go?” Perry asked, looking at her in concern.
“I don’t know.” She responded honestly, uncertain where she could go and feel safe.
Perry pulled out a chain of keys and handed them to her. “Alice and I have a few rental properties out west and just on the coast. The property was owned by her brother before he passed away a few years ago. Address is on the keys.”
“Perry…” Lois began to argue, and he shook his head, holding his hand up to stop her. “Thanks,” she said meekly uncertain what else to say.
“Just take care of yourself,” With that, he stepped away and started toward his car. She glanced at the keyring he’d given her, reading the addresses. Washington. Maine. Texas. South Carolina. Kansas. She stopped, staring at the last key that held a familiar address on it. It wasn’t Smallville. Who was to say how far Kansas City was from where Clark’s parents lived? It was familiar, and right now she could use some familiarity.
‘Kansas it is,’ she thought to herself as she pulled out of the parking lot.
***
Three Months Later…Mrs. Cox looked over her shoulder as she made her way through the abandoned warehouse. Lex was beginning to suspect something. She did her best not to dwell on the veiled threats she received. Three months of quietly searching for Lois Lane’s body had proved to be futile. How had she allowed such a gross oversight to happen on her watch?
Nigel was the best as they came but he had not been fast enough. The police were continuing to watch Lex from afar, hoping for him to slip up. Now she not only had to worry about the police but Lex too.
<<“How does a body just disappear?”>>When they’d attempted to steal Lois Lane’s corpse from the morgue they found no body. It was then that she suspected something more might be going on than met the eye. The murder investigation remained open and the police continued to put pressure on Lex. In return, Lex continued to go over and over the details of what had happened that night with her.
She continued to lie.
He couldn’t find out that she’d yet to confirm Lois Lane’s death.
He couldn’t find out her suspicions.
He couldn’t find out that the witness the police continued to throw in his face was none other than Lois Lane.
She reached the end of the aisle and typed in a code to unlock the secret entrance. She turned behind her once more, feeling as if she was being watched once more. A flicker of the lights above pulled her attention away from her task at hand. She turned and gasped when she saw the familiar face staring back at her.
Lois Lane.
Before she could react she found herself pinned to the ground, with a force pressing her against the cement floor. She winced as she felt the piercing pain against the back of her throat. The sharp edge of a blade crossed the side of her neck and she readied herself for her moment. Try as she might to put on a tough face she knew Lois Lane couldn’t kill. It wasn’t in her nature.
“If you so much as breathe the wrong way I will not hesitate to pierce your carotid artery and let you bleed out all over this floor,” Lois hissed in a menacing tone.
“I…”
“Where is he?” the question came as her attacker’s grasp on her throat tightened.
“Who?” Mrs. Cox choked out, trying to hold onto the low supply of air that remained in her lungs.
“You know who.” Lois snarled in her ear. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out he was still alive?” The blade pressed into the side of her neck and a piercing pain ran through her body.
“You ca…”
“You think I won’t do it?” Lois challenged, whispering in her ear as she pressed into her back harder. “You should have let him kill me when you had the chance. You left me to bleed out and die.”
“Ho…w?”
“Let’s just say I’ve got friends in high places,” Lois gave a low chuckle as she tightened her grasp on Mrs. Cox’s neck. “Where is he?” The pressure on her back became intense as she struggled to breathe. “How long do you think you can hold off before your body starts shutting down. The brain can only survive so long without oxygen. I’m not too worried about your heart.”
“I…”
“Lex said he got rid of Superman. The man they fished out of the bay was not Superman. Yes, I know all about your medical examiner and the payoff. Where is he?” Lois snarled in her ear, pressing the knife into her.
“Se-Sev-en.” Mrs. Cox choked out knowing the betrayal would come with a hefty price.
“I’m sorry I didn’t catch that.” Lois said, loosening her grasp on Mrs. Cox’s throat.
“Sev-en. Pier Seven.” She rasped out in-between heavy breaths.
“Anything else?” Lois pointed the blade to Mrs. Cox’s throat.
“You need a code,” she managed to squeak out.
“What’s the code?”
***
Jimmy watched the screen as he worked to override the security system. On one screen the image of what was actually being picked up the by security cameras was displayed. On the other screen was the footage he’d replaced all outputs of the cameras with. Anyone monitoring the security footage would see nothing but a few birds flying across the screen.
He swallowed hard as he continued to dig through the file marked ‘Pier Seven’ with previous footage to give Lois the advantage she needed to hopefully get Superman out of there. She kept insisting that Superman was alive and was the key to finding Clark. Over the last few months he’d almost given up hope.
‘Here we go,’ he thought to himself as he entered the last of the code. “You’re flying solo from here on out,” Jimmy said into his headset. “Virus has been installed and the system will shut down and reboot in ten. Be careful.”
“I’m always careful,” Lois responded over the frequency.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Jimmy grinned.
***
Three Months Ago…Lois reached Kansas City just before dawn. Her body felt the effects from the drive and her attack the night before as she exited the pickup truck and headed into the diner. She could smell the aromas of bacon and eggs in the air as she opened the door and found her way to a small booth in the corner.
“You look like you could use this,” a voice came from behind her as a cup of coffee was placed in front of her.
Lois took it gratefully and smiled at the waitress. “Thank you,” She tugged on the baseball cap, trying to avoid eye contact. The bruises on her face were more and more evident as time had passed. The purple and black colors mixed with her ivory skin told a story she knew would lead to too many questions.
“Breakfast?”
“Eggs scrambled. Wheat toast.” Lois answered quickly, not looking up.
“You got it sunshine.”
Lois watched as the waitress moved to the doors leading to the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the diner. Very few people were out this early…or was it late? She still hadn’t slept yet. “Five more miles until she got to the cabin. Then she could rest and change and hopefully begin to dig into whatever Clark had found on Lex.
A payphone outside caught her attention. Did she dare involve Clark’s parents in this? From her interactions with them over the past year she could tell they were good people—trustworthy. What could they possibly do?
A memory flashed through her mind from when the Nightfall asteroid had been headed toward Earth. The look in Clark’s eyes as he had tried to painfully grasp what the dynamic of their relationship was hit a chord with her. She had suspected he might have had feelings for her and the question he’d asked so innocently continued to keep her up at night for weeks after the fallout from Nightfall.
<<“Are we more than friends?”>>That had been the turning point in their friendship. She’d pulled away from him emotionally, doing her best to protect him from heartache…or at least that’s what she’d told herself. Looking back she knew the real reason. When faced with the possibility of losing everything she’d come to realize just how important her partner was to her.
Now, Clark was missing…reportedly dead if you listened to LNN’s news report. Being informed of that by the local news wasn’t something she wanted for Jonathan or Martha. She glanced down at the red stain that had begun to seep through her sweatshirt. She grimaced, placing a hand over it to hide the injury as she made her way to the bathroom.
<<“Be careful with Lex.”>>Once she was sure no one else was around she pulled her shirt up to inspect the wound. The bandage was soaked in blood as she peeled it off her side. She pulled the bottle of hydrogen peroxide from her bag and poured it over the wound, watching the white bubbles fizz up.
It looked like one of the stitches had come loose. She’d have to do something about that soon. She took some gauze and applied that to the wound along with the bandage, She took another layer of gauze and taped it on the outside of the bandage to provide an extra barrier between her clothes and the wound. She looked to the door, making sure she was still alone and turned her attention to her bruised face.
<<“You don’t know him like I do.”>>She swallowed hard, pushing down the lump that had formed in her throat. Clark had tried to warn her. Perry and Jimmy had tried to warn her. It wasn’t until she saw the side of Lex that Clark had apparently seen from the beginning that she took any of the warnings to heart. Now everything she’d worked for was gone. Her career. Her family. Her friends.
‘Clark,’ her mind nudged her, recalling the threats Lex had made. Though the news report had said he had been found dead in the Clinton Street fire she knew it wasn’t possible. He wasn’t there. He had been missing. A strangled sob escaped her throat and she stared at the image of her bruised face staring back at her.
<<“I have been in love with you for a long time.”>>
<<“Are we more than friends?”>>
<<“You don’t need a partner, Lois.”>>Her hand was shaking as she pulled out a tube of concealer from her bag and dabbed at the black and blue marks on her face. There wasn’t enough makeup in the world to cover up what Lex had done to her but if she could at least dull the impact of the dark colors around her face and neck hopefully she could continue to drift below the radar until the bruises faded. Still, there was no way to erase the pain on her heart as memory after memory flashed through her mind.
***
A flash of light filled the room and Clark let out a snarled growl as he felt the bolt of electricity run through him. He felt like his skin would melt off from the surge that ran through him, numbing his nerves as he struggled to remain standing against the metal wall he was standing against. The leather straps, holding him down kept him from falling as he smelt the burning of flesh against the metal discs pressed against him.
“I don’t want to do this, Clark, but you leave me no choice,” the doctor’s voice rung in his ear. “These delusions of yours have no place here,”
“I’m ….not…crazy!”
***
Lois stared at the dimly lit street, watching as the sun began to rise. The warm reflection of greens and reds caught her eye as she crossed the street to where the payphone was. The honking of a car horn could be heard in the distance as he picked up the handset and began to dial the number to the Kents.
Three rings and she heard the familiar voice of Martha Kent on the other line. A tear ran down her cheek as she readied herself to tell her what had happened. She heard a crack in her voice as she gripped the handset to the phone.
“Mrs. Kent?”
“Lois?”
“I…I need help.” Lois heard another crack in her voice as she made the plea, uncertain how to even begin to explain what had happened.
“Where are you?”
“Kansas City.” Lois said, looking at the street sign across the street, “I…”
“I’m on my way,” Martha assured her. “Do you have an address?”
Lois looked around. “Corner of Campbell Street and Mi-Missouri Avenue.”
“I’m on my way,” Martha assured her. A moment later the phone line went dead and Lois sighed, turning to hang the handset back on the receiver.
“Nothing left to do but wait,” Lois said, turning back to where the car was parked.
***
The sterile room was empty as Mrs. Cox walked down the narrow aisle. She looked up to see a tall slender man standing in the doorway, looking over his shoulder. “You’re late.”
“You said you had information?” she prompted holding up a manila envelope.
He smiled, taking the envelope from her and motioned for her to follow him. “County records for case 50936. Five foot eight. Twenty six year old female. Deceased name: Lois Joanne Lane.” He pointed to the numbers on the door for the cold storage container that read the numbers he’d just read out. With the jerk of his hand he pulled the door open and wheeled out the corpse of a man that looked to be in his late seventies.
He looked up at Mrs. Cox and smirked, “Now does this look like a twenty-six year old female to you?”
A stony expression crossed her face as she stared at the body on the slab. How could Lex be accused of Lois Lane’s murder when there was no body? How could she cover up a murder when there was no body to hide and no evidence of a crime to be found?
***
TBC...
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