Delusions of Grandeur
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 6
***
Present Day…Shock.
Lois knew that was what she was experiencing. There was no other way to explain the range of emotions that ran through her as she took in the sight of her former partner in hospital scrubs and covered in wounds around his face and neck. She noticed the round red marks around his temple and briefly wondered just what Lex had been doing to him.
Gone was the clean-shaven Clark Kent she’d come to know over the past year. In his place was a man with a callous expression on his face, staring back at her as he seemed to struggle to remain in the present.
‘I’m not crazy.’ Those were the words he’d used when she’d called out his name, again and again, trying to get a reaction. Then he’d smirked at her, and she felt relief wash over her when he seemed to recognize her and note the change in haircut. She never should have pushed him. He’d retreated back as soon as she delivered the questions that had been haunting her for so long.
Gone was her friend.
Gone was the man she’d known for the past year.
Gone was her hero.
In his place was someone she didn’t recognize, but before she could get the answers she needed, she found herself trapped by two oversized orderlies that looked like anything but hospital workers. The piercing stares and overpowering weight they tried to use in order to drag her from the room were the work of Lex. She struggled against the massive weight behind her as one of the two orderlies that had stormed into Clark’s room tried to forcibly remove her.
She couldn’t leave him.
She couldn’t lose him again.
She knew in her heart that if she left she would never be able to track him down again.
“Lois, wait!” she heard Clark yelled just before falling to the ground.
“Clark!” she shouted, looking on in horror as she saw the man hover over him like a vulture circling his prey. He was bleeding. She lifted her leg and extended it, delivering a hard blow behind her, allowing the orderly’s grasp on her to be released. She quickly moved to where the other one was hovering over Clark and delivered another blow to the back of the orderly’s head.
“Clark?” she turned him over, tapping his cheek with her palm in an effort to wake him up. She choked back a sob as she saw the blood dripping down the side of his cheek from where he’d been struck earlier. “Please wake up,” she whispered, suppressing her tears as she stared at him for what felt like an eternity.
The emotional roller coaster she’d gone through over the past few months ran through her mind as she ran her hand against his cheek, feeling the flesh beneath her fingertips. A range of emotions ran through her as she placed her hands around him, feeling the solid frame against her as she attempted to help him to his feet in what appeared to be a half-conscious state.
He was alive.
He let out a soft groan, and she turned behind her to see the orderlies still on the ground. She didn’t have a lot of time. She had to get Clark out of here before that doctor escaped the supply closet she’d locked her in. Jimmy had done a purge of the security system and introduced a virus in order to keep her from being discovered, but in doing so, that meant he didn’t have eyes on her either.
“Just stay with me,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked for the best way out. She dragged her foot across the floor, pulling Clark with her as she attempted to make him walk with her, a task that proved to be difficult while holding up the weight of someone double her size.
“Lo…is,” she heard Clark mumble incoherently as they exited the room.
***
Lex stood in the corner of his balcony watching as his guests continued to float toward the liquor being served freely. He glanced over at the clock and scowled. She was late. He moved to his office study, closing the door behind him and ensuring there were no unwanted guests nearby to overhear his phone conversation.
He moved to his desk and picked up the phone, dialing the familiar number he knew by heart. Four rings and he hung up, feeling the tension begin to build within him as he reached down to dial again.
***
Silence.
The water swished against the wooden posts on the pier, giving a silent lull in the background as Nigel lit a cigarette and looked around the dock for any sign of his missing colleague. It was quiet. Too quiet. He reached the corner, turning to see the warehouse with a faded ‘7’ on the side.
His phone in his pocket rang, and he reached in to grab it. There was only one person that would be calling at this time of night.
“Yes, sir?”
“Oh, so there
is someone that still works for me alive,” the voice of Lex Luthor echoed from the other end of the phone line. Before Nigel could respond, Lex cut him off. “Gretchen and Mrs. Cox seem to have taken an early leave. Meet me at the penthouse. I have news.”
“Yes, sir,” Nigel responded, ending the call and turning back from where he came.
***
Three Months Ago…John Baker took a puff from his cigarette, enjoying the last taste of nicotine he would have before his flight to Washington later. It had been a long and stressful day already. The entire airport of New Troy International had been shut down by a Federal Aviation Administration agent coming in, flashing a badge and pulling everyone into that tiny room in the back to question them about a missing doctor.
No one had been provided any information other than the names and a copy of the drivers license photos of the doctor and his family. He wasn’t sure what the big deal was, but it seemed whoever this Dr. Sam Lane was he was in trouble with someone. He himself hadn’t recognized the doctor, but he had recognized the youngest daughter. She had caught his attention on the flight to Belize a few weeks ago and made him take the extra initiative to check on that section of the plane. He hadn’t seen her come back through, but he hoped he would be on the flight when she did.
It was strange for an FAA agent to conduct an investigation like this, but he’d seen stranger things in New Troy. After all, this was where a man had defied the force of gravity and flown the Messenger into space. Anything’s possible, right?
He threw the butt of his cigarette on the ground and scrunched it into the pavement with the tip of his shoe before returning inside. Stranger things had happened.
***
Lois and I were able to find the missing kids from the Beckworth State School. Who knew that all those years of hiding in isolation would come in handy someday? Dr. Hamilton may have been the one to administer the Metamide 5 to those kids, but Lex Luthor was the one calling the shots.
It took everything in me not to fly him to a deserted island and leave him there. The world would probably be much better off if I had but robbing him of justice and due process for his crimes isn’t what Superman does. Testing on children? Is there no level too low for Lex Luthor to stoop. I want to tell Lois, but all I have are his veiled pleas in front of Superman and a child that’s been paid off with anything a ten-year-old could ever dream of. She wouldn’t believe me anyway.Journal after journal laid on the old wooden floorboards of Clark’s childhood treehouse. Lois set the red leather journal she’d been reading down, running her hands up and down her face, trying to push away the tension around her eyes from reading for so long. She leaned back against the wooden wall behind her and heard a creak as she moved. Her mind continued to race through everything again.
Clark was Superman.
Lex was a murderer.
Those were the two truths that continued to press against the forefront of her mind as she continued to reel from the information she’d read. Clark had been meticulous about keeping documentation of every encounter with Lex as his alter-ego. Journal after journal went through everything that Clark theorized and couldn’t prove. Veiled threats and the like were documented there in Clark’s handwriting in black and white, but they could never see the inside of a courtroom. Doing so would only bring to light the secret Clark had harbored for who knows how long.
She felt tears sting in the corners of her eyes as she reflected on the last year through a fresh set of eyes. Lex had been manipulating her from the start. She saw that now. Poisoning children for his own gain, setting off bombs for his amusement in order to test Clark… It was hard to imagine how she’d been fooled for so long. She could see it all so clear now.
The controlling tendencies.
The manipulative behavior.
The narcissistic arrogance.
<<“He’s a monster!”>>How many times had she dismissed Clark’s accusations against Lex? She’d lost count. Time and again Clark had made digs at Lex, and she had ignored every one of them. Not once had he come to her as Superman and told her what he knew. Not once had he given her more than empty accusations without anything to base them on. Nothing.
‘She wouldn’t believe me anyway.’“You never gave me a chance,” she muttered through the tears she was trying to hold back.
Clark was Superman. The truth stung. The man she’d idolized for the good part of a year was the same man she’d confided her schoolgirl crush to. She should be angry. She should be furious at him, but after everything, she found herself unwilling to devote the energy it took to continue with her anger. He’d lied to her. He’d kept things from her. But at the end of the day, it didn’t change anything.
He was still missing.
Martha and Jonathan had said the only thing that could weaken Clark was Kryptonite. The same meteorite Jason Trask had insisted could kill Superman. It was real. Another lie. Clark had let her believe that Jason Trask was a lunatic—though by all rights the man was certifiable—and allowed her to print a story stating the mysterious Kryptonite was nothing more than a myth in Trask’s mind. What she had published had been a lie. She felt sick, realizing the predicament he’d put her in. She was no better than the reporters that wrote stories about Elvis sightings.
She couldn’t blame him really. It was a life-threatening piece of news that could have put him in danger. But if she’d known she never would have even mentioned it in the article. That thought probably never even crossed his mind.
Jonathan said Clark trusted her. That was his reasoning for having Martha tell her what Clark had been lying to her about for the last year. Though she was sure part of it was to force her to give up whatever information she might have to help find their son. She knew the Kents had to be just as torn up about everything as she was—if not more.
It had been three days.
She was no closer to finding a connection now than she was a few days ago when she’d had that bombshell dropped on her. Nothing made sense anymore. He claimed to trust her yet he kept the biggest part of himself from her. He claimed to love her yet pushed her away instead of telling her what she needed to know to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life. Had it been revenge? Callous mistreatment for not returning his feelings? Though now she didn’t even know what those feelings were anymore.
Whatever it was it hurt more than the betrayal Lex had laid on her. It hurt more than the pain she’d felt when she thought her life was over. She knew she wasn’t perfect, but she never pretended to be. She never lied to her friends or attempted to manipulate their emotions for personal gain. She’d laid it all out on the line and instead of giving her something to help her understand why he didn’t trust Lex he left her with more questions—isolated and alone.
She let out a disgusted grunt and stretched her arms up over her head, curving her back against the wooden wall behind her and allowing the tension to release from her tired muscles. Her mind drifted back to that night in her apartment. It seemed so long ago. How had it only been a few short weeks?
She knew the comment about loving him as an ordinary man had to hurt but so did the remark about her robe and the cold way he just left her like that. Not even giving her a chance to respond. He just left. She didn’t claim to be perfect, and she knew she had her faults, but given the situation, she couldn’t help but continue to come back to that day at the park.
If he had all this information on Lex why didn’t he tell her? Was he trying to test her? Make her earn the right to be told the truth? It didn’t make sense. After all this time why did he choose then to make a declaration like that? Why now? What she needed more than anything at that moment was her friend. Not more conflicting emotions to make her more confused about what to do.
A thousand questions and no way to answer a single one. She doubted she’d ever get the answers from anyone other than the source himself. No matter what the answer was, she was still stuck in a lose-lose situation. She didn’t know where Clark was. She had no way of finding him without returning to Metropolis. She couldn’t do that until she’d healed from her wounds. Martha had been watching her like a hawk to make sure she didn’t try to leave until then.
Clark was
Superman.
He had lied to her and manipulated her to protect his secret and continue to toy with her emotions even now. She should be angry, but all she felt was numb. She should just walk away but she couldn’t. She had to know what was the real Clark Kent and what was a façade. She had to know…
The hard truth had been weighing on her for a long time. She didn’t want to even admit it to herself let alone anyone else…especially after discovering his deception. She let out a strangled sob, burying her face in her hands and allowing the tears to fall freely. She had to know if any of it had been real.
***
Present Day…Lois swiped the card on the door panel, watching with a satisfied smile as the door sealed closed, enclosing the orderlies inside. She tapped her hand on the card she’d swiped from the doctor earlier. Clark seemed to physically relax against her when they exited the room. She looked down the narrow hallway from where she’d come in and pulled him against her, “Clark, please,” she pleaded with him, hoping to get him to wake up.
The weight of his body on her was slowly wearing her down. They had to get out of here before she was discovered. Mrs. Cox wouldn’t stay tied up forever and lug the enormous weight of her former partner wasn’t helping matters. Lex had obviously gone out of his way to turn this underground fallout shelter into a makeshift hospital. A cold chill ran through her as various scenarios for why Lex would invest so much money and time into a place that would only ever house one patient.
Was his hatred for Clark that deep?
She felt some relief on her shoulders as they reached the end of the corridor. She turned back to see he had straightened up and was now supporting his weight on both legs. He still seemed out of it, but at least he was able to provide her some relief.
Muffled shouts and curses could be heard from a few feet away. She looked to the corner where she’d locked the doctor inside one of the closets. The door still remained closed, and she could see the door handle shake from the rattling inside.
“What is…?” she heard Clark mumble in her ear.
“Don’t worry about that,” Lois assured him, smoothing her hand against his chest. It seemed to have the desired calming effect over him as his face relaxed. She looked at him, staring at the scars and bruises on his face.
What had they done to him?
She forced a smile at him, hoping to see some sign from him of cognitive thinking. He continued to stare blankly at her, and she wondered for a moment if he’d been drugged then quickly squashed that thought, recalling what she’d learned over the past few months. She tightened her arm around him, silencing her tears at the familiarity of him that she’d missed.
‘Stop it,’ her mind screamed, forcing her to focus on the task at hand. She couldn’t allow herself to get swept up in her emotions right now. She had to get them out of here.
She felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at the cold metal panel doors of the small elevator she’d entered the floor on. The only reason she’d been able to get as far as she had was because she’d had that doctor with her. Would she be able to make it out of here with Clark without raising any red flags?
She glanced toward the silver camera by the elevator and swallowed hard, recalling Jimmy’s warning of the blinking red light. It was still blinking blue. She had time. She felt her stomach tighten as she knelt down to grab the pistol from the holster wrapped around her ankle. She felt a calm wash over her as her hand tightened around the frame of the gun. A loud click echoed in the vast space as she released the lock. She surveyed the room, preparing to defend herself and Clark from any potential intruders.
Silence.
She smiled to herself, tugging on Clark’s waist and pulling him toward her as she crossed the aisle to where the elevator was. She pulled the badge she’d retrieved from the doctor and waved it in front of a scanner that had been hooked up to the computer outside the elevator. A beep echoed from the corridor, and she looked up to see the elevator doors open. She pulled Clark with her inside the elevator, praying she wasn’t walking into an ambush.
She glanced up and saw the blue light on the camera inside the elevator. Hopefully, Jimmy would be able to keep the signal scrambled long enough for her to get Clark to the truck. That’s all she needed to do, and then they were home free.
How long would whoever was monitoring the security footage be fooled?
How long before they discovered the orderlies and that doctor?
She glanced at Clark, seeing the blood that had fallen across his face appeared to have stopped. She reached over to brush the wayward curl of black hair from his face. The short beard that had begun to grow covered up much of his face. It was strange to see him like this. He seemed lost and incoherent as they had made their way out of the tiny prison he’d been trapped in for who knew how long.
Her grip tightened on the trigger, preparing herself for what could be waiting for them when the doors opened. The soft lull of the elevator moving could be heard through the deafening silence that filled the elevator car.
She glanced at Clark. There was so much she wanted to say but now was not the time. “No matter what happens just stay with me. You got it?”
She looked at him for any sign of recognition, but all she was awarded was a mute nod.
Did he understand?
***
Mrs. Cox could taste the blood in her mouth as she crawled her way to the front door. Her chin, neck, and knees were torn from dragging her body across the cement floor. The sharp edge of the box cutter was just a few feet away….
Freedom would be hers, and Lois Lane would pay dearly.
***
Three Months Ago…
<<“I own you. I own this city. No one does anything in this city without me knowing about it.”>>
<<“Well, it’s no matter. His interference has been taken care of permanently. Mrs. Cox saw to that.”>>
<<“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.”>>
<<“That idiot Kent never could figure that out. I was always twelve steps ahead of him. I’m unstoppable.”>>
<<“How does it feel to know how close you were to bringing down the boss of Metropolis…and fail?”>>
<<“Do you really think Superman will take you back once he knows I’ve had you?”>>“No! Lex, no!”
Lois shot up from the bed, sweat dripping from her face and heart hammering in her chest. She looked around the room, trying to catch her breath. She swiped her hand across her cheek, wiping the tears away.
It had been two weeks since the attack. Two weeks of sleepless nights and looking over her shoulder every two seconds, thinking any second he’d find her. Any second she’d be staring into those beady eyes and smelling the stink of bourbon on his breath as he tortured her with the details of what he’d done to those she cared about most.
It never stopped.
***
Nigel pulled up the old dirt road, looking for a sign that would lead him to the house he was looking for. After some debate of what the consequences would be both he and Mrs. Cox had agreed no good would come of telling Mr. Luthor of Lois Lane’s survival. It was a mistake he planned on correcting after all. No sense in causing his employer to worry unnecessarily. And no reason to give Mr. Luthor an excuse to take his anger out on either him or Mrs. Cox unjustly.
From the time Ms. Lane had entered Mr. Luthor’s life he had had a bad feeling. He knew she was trouble and had done his best to warn him. The thrill of the chase and enchantment of something Mr. Luthor referred to being sweet revenge on his enemy was what kept him entranced. It was also what nearly destroyed him.
He wasn’t sure how but he knew someone was helping Lois Lane. He just had to determine who. As of right now, he’d eliminated the option of family given the current location of each family member was out of the country. Then there was the question of friendships, and fortunately for him, the few she kept were easily accessible. One of which had crossed paths with Lex Luthor already and met his own demise.
Still, the connection to Clark Kent seemed strong according to neighbors and those that knew her well. It wouldn’t be a far leap to think that those closest to Clark Kent might also be willing to help Lois Lane.
He let out a sigh as he ran his hand against his forehead, wiping the sweat from his brow. The search for Lois Lane continued.
***
Jonathan Kent looked up from his paper, eying Lois Lane out of the corner of his eye as she limped into the living room. Martha sat on the couch next to him, keeping a keen eye on her over the book she was reading. Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Martha had found Lois bleeding to death in the cab of that pickup truck in Kansas City.
The blood curdling screams of terror continued to come. Every night he prayed for peace. He prayed for something to take away the images that continued the young woman that he knew had captured his son’s heart so completely. The nightmares continued, and despite everything, they tried nothing took away the sheer terror that washed over Lois when they came.
He knew whatever hell Lex Luthor had put her through his son was suffering the same ten-fold. That was what kept him up at night. That was what made him watch the news day in and day out and continue to help dig out each and every meticulous note Clark had taken on his interactions with Lex Luthor. Something in there had to help bring this monster to justice.
He’d never believed in the death penalty until now but for what Lex Luthor had done to Lois alone was enough to make him wish a slow painful death on that sociopath. How he’d been raised and how he’d raised his son was to always treat others with respect. To think anyone would treat anyone the way Lois had been treated made his blood boil on a dangerous level that would make his doctor blow a gasket. Martha said the scars were beginning to heal, but the wounds were deep. He hadn’t seen them since that night he helped bring Lois to the farm. He didn’t want to see what that monster had done to her. He’d seen enough in watching Lois continue to process everything.
Something had broken deep inside her. The vibrant young woman he’d met a few short months ago was gone. The woman that kept his son on his toes and gave him a reason to want to settle down had disappeared. In her place was a shell of that person, focused on one purpose: finding Clark. It was hard to hear her refer to Clark in the past tense. Despite the admission that Clark was Superman she still had doubts as to whether he was still alive. She did try to put on a show for him and Martha, but he could tell in her tone she thought he was lost to her.
He saw Lois approaching, taking a seat in the rocking chair on the other side of Martha. Her face was downward cast with something he hadn’t seen since she’d been here. Determination. She had a notepad in her lap as she toyed with the spiral binding.
“I think I have an idea.”
He set his paper down and looked over at her. Martha placed the book she had been reading across her lap and followed suit. They both looked at Lois, waiting for her to continue.
“I’m not sure how well it will work, but we need to try something, right? There are names of people Clark said may have been paid off. Hundreds really,” she began to ramble nervously. “There’s got to be a trail for that, right? I mean, start by showing a connection to Lex for all of them and then press them for the truth.”
“It’s a start, but Lois how would you even do that? Most of what Clark had in those journals were of the stories you and he worked on in Metropolis.” Martha frowned, looking confused as she continued, “Lex Luthor thought he killed you. Do you really want to give him a chance to correct his mistake?”
“I know,” Lois replied instinctively placing a hand to her midsection. “The first step is finding the connection, and that can be done from anywhere.”
“And the next step?” Martha spoke up, the concern evident in her voice.
“My next step would be to reach out to some of the people that helped me and have them look into it.” She finished lamely. “It’s not a lot to go on right now, but it is a start.”
Jonathan nodded his agreement. He frowned when he heard a car door slamming outside. Martha looked at him and asked, “Are we expecting anyone?”
“No,” Jonathan shook his head, standing up and reaching for the rifle he kept over the fireplace.
***
The squad room was quiet. They’d just taken the last group of inmates from the holding cell and moved them into general population at the correction center. He had been working later and later nights for the past two weeks. Marie was getting worried about him. Heck, even his Sargent was getting concerned about all the overtime he’d been putting in. There was no official case. There was no case period as far as City Hall was concerned but he refused to let it go.
Davenport had assured him there would be a case based on Lois’ statement to them, but he had to confirm she was even reachable. Perry White still refused to give any information on her whereabouts.
He didn’t trust the police.
Henderson couldn’t blame him there. Trusting his colleagues was something hard to come by these days. No one could find where that evidence locker had disappeared to. No one could prove it had even been checked into evidence, so there had been nothing to go after the crooked officer with.
He’d been told to drop the case. His Sargent knew better though. He knew dropping the case after everything that had happened wasn’t possible.
Henderson stood up, heading toward the break room for another refill of his coffee. He caught wind of a conversation at the front desk and couldn’t help but listen in.
“I’m telling you this guy’s been missing for almost two weeks!”
“Sir, I don’t know. If you could just fill out the form and in the morning…”
“In the morning?” the man scoffed. “You tellin’ me I got to wait till morning to find out if my guy is in your system or not?” He pulled out a photo and laid it on the desk. “That’s Barry. My top seller and I’m tellin’ you it ain’t like him to just not show up for a gig…let alone ten or twelve.”
Curious, Henderson approached the man at the desk and cut in, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help but overhear…” he motioned to the quiet waiting area. “Who did you say you were?”
The man grumbled an incoherent introduction, “Sammy. I run Sammy’s Look-Alike Agency off Broad Street.” He shoved the photo in Henderson’s face. “You seen this guy?”
Henderson frowned, staring at the 8x10 glossy photo. The man in the photo was wearing a black t-shirt with the Superman emblem on it and a pair of jean shorts. The face was hard to mistake. He looked exactly like…
“Superman?” Henderson looked at the image in surprise.
“Not Superman.” Sammy corrected. “Barry. My lookalike. He’s been missing for over two weeks. No show to every gig. I been getting the runaround for the last week and a half and I want some answers!”
Doris, the dispatch manning the front desk gave him a pleading look and Henderson nodded, “Why don’t you come to my office, and we’ll see what we can find out.”
‘Thank you’ Doris mouthed to him as he escorted Sammy through the doors that led to the squad room.
***
Present Day…Lois felt the strain on her back muscles as the elevator doors opened. She held her breath, looking around the empty room. Clark’s breath hit her cheek as his neck slumped down and she felt the weight on her double.
“No, no, no, no,” she tapped his face, trying to wake him back up as she attempted to pull him back up. “Clark?”
He fell to his knees and pulled her with him, letting out a groan. She let out a muffled cry, trying to push him off of her. She pushed his shoulder, shaking him as she pleaded with him. “Please, Clark, you’ve got to help me here…”
She heard him let out a deep breath, coughing as the weight on her lessened. He took another deep breath, and she looked up and saw his eyes flutter open. She placed a hand on his cheek, and he looked back at her before squinting his eyes shut, lowering his head as he flattened his hands on the concrete below them. “I…can’t…move,”
“Okay,” Lois took a deep breath, running a hand against his neck. He was really here. Staring at her with those eyes she never thought she’d see again. She felt her throat tighten, feeling the sting behind her eyes from the tears she was holding back. “It’s okay,”
“I’m…” he let out a low moan, straining to lift himself off of her and she tapped her hand against his shoulder to help roll him over on his back.
She let out a sigh of relief feeling the relief on her diaphragm as she let out a heavy breath. She looked behind her, making sure the warehouse was still as empty as it had been when they had come out of the elevator.
A labored cough came strangled out of Clark’s throat. “Clark?” She turned, placing a hand on his chest. She felt a hard lump beneath his skin. She swallowed hard, running her fingertips over the hard object again. There was definitely something there. She moved her hand to his cheek, and he turned to her with a dazed expression. He still seemed out of it. “What did they do to you?”
His arm hung around her. His hand was shaking as it brushed against her back. They had to get out of here. “It’s okay,” she said, placing a hand over his. Determination crossed her face, and she placed an arm around his waist. “We’re going to get out of here.” She tightened her grip on his, steadying herself as she stood up, helping him to his feet. She let out a short gasp as the weight of him on her shoulders hit her knees.
“Lois…” She heard him whisper as they straightened up. She could feel the strain on her back, reaching for the pistol that had fallen to the ground.
“Clark, it’s okay,” she whispered, smiling as she felt the metal barrel against her hand. “I’ve got you,” She tightened her hand on the barrel, bringing the pistol to her, letting out a low groan as she brought her arm back to her. The tension from stretching her arm out released itself, and she could feel her shoulder tingle under the weight of Clark’s body pressed against hers. It wasn’t as heavy as before. He seemed to be supporting himself at least halfway on his left side. That was better than before. “Just walk with me,” she whispered tugging him with her to the exit. She tucked the gun in her back pocket then moved her other hand to Clark’s chest. “I’ve got you,”
***
Two Months Ago…Lois flattened herself against the wooden boards of the hayloft, listening intently to the conversation happening outside the barn. The straw bristles scratched her face as she breathed heavily beneath the bales of hay. She could feel her breath against her face as the sound of Jonathan Kent’s voice reached her ears.
“You get off my property now!”
“You don’t want to do that,” Nigel St. John’s voice had a sinister tone as he threatened Jonathan. “How many loans have you taken out on this farm? Quite a bit of luck you’ve encountered with the extensions you’ve been granted for repayment.”
“What’s your point?” Jonathan barked angrily.
“Cross the wrong person and your luck could change, Mr. Kent.” Nigel hissed back at him. “What happens when those purse strings close, hmm? Lose the farm, your home, everything…”
“Go to hell!”
“If she hasn’t reached out to you she will,” Nigel threatened. “See that you make the right decision.”
“You can tell your boss that I know exactly what he is and what he’s done and I won’t rest until justice is served. You low-life piece of garbage are nothing more than an errand boy and the day will come when you have to answer for all the pain and suffering you’ve caused. You want to threaten me? Go ahead! There’s nothing you can do that’s any worse than what your boss has already done to me and my family.” Jonathan growled back in defiance.
“Get off my property!” A shot fired and she heard a muffled scream that sounded like Martha. Lois jumped, clamping her mouth with her palm to keep herself from screaming out. She silently sobbed, letting out a shaky breath beneath her palm.
‘Don’t panic,’The sound of a car door slamming in the distance and the gravel moving beneath the retreating tires reached her ears. She counted to ten, waiting for a sign that she could move. She had to get out of there. She had to…
“Lois?”
***
Seagulls honked in the distance as the waves crashed on the shore. Perry took a deep breath, taking in the sea salt air and turned to the porch swing where Jimmy Olsen sat vigil on his laptop tapping away at the keys. After ensuring Lois had made it out of Metropolis safely, he’d gathered up Jimmy and what he could carry and brought him back to the beach house. Alice thankfully had been more than understanding given the circumstances. She didn’t even mind him helping pitch in on some of the research they were pulling together on their case against Lex Luthor.
He pulled up a chair, setting his coffee mug on the wooden railing and turned to Jimmy. “You been at it all night, son,”
Jimmy pointed to the mobile phone Lois had gifted him with and then glanced back at the screen. “Lois had a few leads. I’m checking them out.”
“What kind of lead?” Perry asked, standing up and taking a look over Jimmy’s shoulder.
“Phillip Manning,” Jimmy said, tapping away at his keyboard.
“Isn’t that one of the Smart Kids?” Perry scrunched his face, glancing at the report Jimmy had pulled up on the screen. “How’d he end up in Westminister Academy?”
“Every kid that was tested on ended up with a scholarship under Lex Luthor’s name to different private boarding schools around the world,” Jimmy explained, pulling up the reports on each kid from the Smart Kid case. Jimmy clicked on the window with Phillip Manning and pointed to the screen when the scholarship information displayed a number that made both of them raise their eyebrows. Jimmy glanced back at Perry and smirked, “Phillip Manning was the only one to receive an extra hundred thousand grant from his scholarship that can be liquidated once he turns eighteen.”
“Pay off?” Perry guessed.
“Yeah, the question is for what?”
The screen door creaked, and they both turned to see Alice with a mug in her hand, “Still hard at work I see.”
Perry gave her a weak smile, “Not our first all-nighter and probably won’t be the last.”
“I think I found something that might help,” she said, opening the door and revealing the rugged face of the young man that had gone missing after the fire on Clinton Street.
“Jack!” Jimmy shot up from the porch swing and crossed the distance, wrapping a strong arm around him. “Where have you been?”
Jack motioned to the man standing behind him. “I needed to lay low. I had some help.”
“Davenport?” Perry stood up, recognizing the agent standing behind Perry.
***
The motor roared and the rubber tires burned against the asphalt. Lois ran a hand through her hair, brushing the loose strands from her face, glancing in the rearview mirror. The exhaust filled the air as the wind blew in her hair as she drove past the state line of South Carolina. She saw the Rest Area sign and let out a sigh of relief. She had been driving for hours, and she could feel the fatigue from driving for so long on her body. She’d barely stopped to rest in the last few hours.
Jonathan had been shot. He’d been hurt, trying to protect her. After ensuring he was indeed alright and there wasn’t anything she could do for Martha she left after the sun had set, moving in the midnight hour across the states. She had brought all the journals with her and left a message with Jimmy on the burner phone detailing the names she’d found.
***
‘I’m Superman.’The confession escaped Clark Kent’s lips again and again only to be met with maniacal laugh as the doors closed behind the orderlies. He looked up at the blank walls, snorting in disgust. How far had he fallen to be pleading with these prison guards masquerading as doctors to believe him?
“Clark!”
His head shot up, looking around the room in a panic. It couldn’t be…
<<“Lois Lane won’t be a problem. She’s sure to have bled out by now anyway.”>>
<<“You stabbed her. Left her to bleed out. I’d say that’s personal.”>>“Help Superman! Help!”
“Lois!” He looked around the room in a panic, hearing her voice and knowing how impossible the sound of her voice could be. A bitter bile simmered in his throat as he looked around the empty room whose walls continued to close in around him. He clamped his hands around his head, mentally pushing away the pain that came with hearing the pleas for help.
“Clark! Help!”
<<“Lois Lane won’t be a problem. She’s sure to have bled out by now anyway.”>>
<<“You stabbed her. Left her to bleed out. I’d say that’s personal.”>>
‘It’s not real,’ he told himself, pushing the painful lump he felt in his throat down as he rocked back and forth.
<<“Lois Lane won’t be a problem. She’s sure to have bled out by now anyway.”>>
<<“You stabbed her. Left her to bleed out. I’d say that’s personal.”>>“It’s not real. Not real…” he continued to tell himself over and over, falling to the floor.
Lois was gone and was never coming back.
It was just another trick.
Lois was gone.
Luthor had made sure of that.
***
Present Day…The rain of gunfire filled the air as Lois flattened herself against the car door. She glanced behind her, looking at Clark lying on the ground next to her. She peered across the street to where the gunfire was coming from. She tightened her grip on the handle, squeezing the trigger to return fire.
She reached down to her thigh, looking at the dark red stain on her jeans from where she’d been shot. She heard another shot and heard the sound of return fire in the distance. This time the gunfire stopped.
She reached over to where Clark was hunched over and shook his shoulder. “Clark?”
“Lo…” He looked to her with a delirious expression.
“Everything’s fine. We’re going to get you out of here,” Lois assured him, placing a hand on his cheek.
“We?” he mumbled incoherently.
She looked behind the car, hearing footsteps approaching. The loose gravel crackled beneath the footsteps. The familiar face motioned it was all clear, and she breathed a sigh of relief, reaching for the door handle a few inches away and pulled the latch. The door creaked as the hinge widened and she reached inside for the small black bag on the floorboard. She ducked down, so she was eye level with Clark.
“Clark, just know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have to,” she began, hearing the shakiness in her voice as she unzipped the duffle bag next to her.
“Wouldn’t do wha…” He let out an agonizing scream, and she quickly silenced him, sealing her mouth over his as she felt the vibration from his shouts against her face. Her grip tightened on the metal scalpel in her hand, and she pulled away from him, looking down at the bloodied stain on his shirt. The cut just below his collarbone revealed what she’d suspected. There beneath the blood was a small silver object. She pulled it out and revealed a glowing green tip, and he let out another cry of agony.
“I’m sorry,” she threw the bloodied device to the ground and placed a hand over the area she’d cut, applying pressure to the wound as she reached in the bag with her other hand. She pulled out three butterfly strips, fiddling with the backing as she applied it to the area around the small half inch incision she’d made. She hadn’t cut deep enough to hit an artery thank God. She reached back in the bag and pulled out a thick square of gauze to apply over the wound. He let out a muffled moan, and she continued to apologize, “I know. I know. I’m so sorry, Clark,”
“Why?” he choked out in pain.
“I’ll explain later,” she said, running a hand across his cheek. “Just trust me,”
***
Two Months Ago…After stopping to rest and filling up the gas tank once more, Lois finally made her way to the cabin of Perry’s a little after dawn. The drive had been painful, to say the least. Her body needed sleep. She knew that but stopping for even a moment wasn’t an option.
It was just a flesh wound. The doctors said that as if it made anything better. Jonathan had been shot trying to protect her. She knew staying with the Kents was a mistake. She should have left earlier, but she hadn’t. She had stayed. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
She turned the truck up the incline of the mountain, angling up the steep hill and passing house after house. She was getting closer. ‘220. 222. 224. 226.’ She stopped when she reached the last house, pulling into the steep driveway for the house with a ‘228’ marker on the mailbox.
The flattop in front of the house had a carport to pull into. She looked up at the stone front of the cabin, mildly impressed with how Perry could afford a place like this on just an editor’s salary as she stepped out of the vehicle. The shrubbery and trees created a barrier around the front of the house and kept most of the windows that were without curtains hidden. She walked around the back, checking for any signs that the cabin wasn’t safe before fishing the key out of her pocket. The sound of a stream trickling nearby could be heard beneath the haven the trees provided above.
Any other time she would have found the silence and solitude alarming and intimidating. Gone were the sounds of the city she’d known almost her entire adult life. No local food carts to venture to and find food at. She was safe, but she was alone. It was a new feeling to grow accustomed to. Even in her early days at the Planet, she’d had someone to talk to. Though her trust of her colleagues had been limited even then, she had at least had someone. Now she felt the isolation envelop her, strangling her with the silence that surrounded her.
How long would it be like this? How long would she continue to look over her shoulder and wonder when Nigel or Mrs. Cox or some lackey of Lex’s would find her and get rid of her?
She approached the back door and fit the key into the lock, turning it with a sharp click. She glanced down at the door, only seeing one lock and pondered how safe that really was before opening the door. She stepped inside, sniffing the air as she inspected the back room. It had a musty smell in it, and the open room had a small T.V. set in it and a long couch against the wall with a lamp next to it. The walls had plain wood panels on the walls and looked like they hadn’t been touched since the place was built.
She turned the corner and found two doors across from one another in the narrow hallway and on the other side was the kitchen that appeared to lead up to the main living area. She turned to where the doors were, opening the first door that revealed the master bedroom. The bed took up most of the room, and the walls mirrored the same wood paneling that had been in the room and hallway she’d just come from. There was a decent sized closet next to the bathroom which led into another bedroom. That room was a decent size as well and had a window looking over the bed, letting in sunlight in the dimly lit room. She opened the door on the other side of the room and found herself out in the hallway again.
She made her way into the kitchen that had a large double-paned window overlooking the sink. There was a refrigerator and freezer, a dishwasher, oven and gas stovetop and a microwave. She sighed to herself, looking around the room that she had barely gotten any use out of in her apartment. She didn’t see herself cooking any elaborate meals here, but maybe she could figure out how to make something edible. She’d have to make a run to the store later.
Jimmy said he’d be in touch when he found something out about those names. It had been nearly twelve hours since she’d spoken with him. Calling again might draw attention to herself. She knew all too well the lengths to which Lex would stoop to in order to get what he wanted. Putting a target on Jimmy and Perry by calling the beach house again wasn’t a good idea. She knew it, but the signal from the phone he had was awful.
She saw a narrow sliding door in the corner of the kitchen and opened it up, looking for any sign of an intruder. All she found was a shelf of cleaning supplies that didn’t look like it had been touched in at least the last five years. She sighed, closing the door back and turning to where the main living area was. She heard a noise from outside and stepped back, hiding behind the white rectangular column that kept her out of sight to whoever was at the door.
‘Blinds’ she thought to herself, hearing the footsteps outside the door as she stared at the open windows. Why were all the blinds open?
‘Go away,’ she mentally pleaded, hoping whoever was at the door would just leave.
To her surprise, a key inserted itself into the lock, and she held her breath, listening to the loud click as the door unlocked. Should she run? Should she stay and try to find out who it was that had a key to Perry’s cabin? Were any of the places she’d been given safe?
Her chances of leaving disappeared as the door cracked open and a familiar face stared right at her. “Still think you can do this on your own?”
She scowled, staring at Jack Davenport as she stepped out from behind the column, “What are you doing here, Jack?”
***
TBC...
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