Delusions of Grandeur
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 9
Two Months Ago…Lois let out a sigh of frustration, counting the change out for the one bag of groceries at the register. She was running out of money fast. She knew the longer she went without having an income the worse things would get. She couldn’t keep the nosy Melinda Hemingway from visiting throughout the day, wondering how she could afford to keep the place up and pressing for more details on her past. She needed to do something so she wasn’t staring at the same four walls driving herself crazy with every what if scenario.
The red headed cashier gave her a weak smile, taking the pile of change she’d pushed toward him. She bit her lower-lip, watching as he counted out the total of the exact change for the groceries. This was getting pathetic. She had to do something. The cashier handed her the receipt and she made her way toward the exit with the single bag in her hands.
She needed to find a job, but doing so would take her attention away from what she was working with Jimmy on. What if she had to leave? What if there was a break in the case? She couldn’t just drop everything if she had a job here, could she?
Then again, she couldn’t justify not being gainfully employed either. She hated living on half a sandwich and water everyday. She knew she couldn’t keep this up. She had to do something. The longer she went without work the more susceptible she was making herself to the unknown.
An orange flyer pinned to the corkboard in the entryway of the grocery store caught her attention. She stopped, taking a look at the flyer. ‘Help Wanted.’ She grabbed the flyer, reading it carefully. It wasn’t much but it might be enough to keep her afloat.
***
Lex took a puff of his cigar, reading through the morning edition of the Metropolis STAR. The editorial on Metropolis Power’s recent hike in prices being a long overdue change for the city stood next to the article on an inside source divulging Franklin Stern’s torrid affair with his secretary. A smile crossed his face as he read through the orchestrated story he’d spun for the gullible new editor of the Star, James Stark.
The bold, power play that Carpenter had made for the STAR had planted a seed for Lex. Though he wouldn’t go so far as to assassinate an international leader in order to sell papers, Lex knew Carpenter had the right idea. Control what people read and you control what they think. He stared at the doctored image with a smile, enjoying the upper hand he’d allowed himself in negotiations with Stern Media for the Daily Planet. As long as he owned the Planet he kept the people of Metropolis under his control. No one would take that from him.
“Sir, you can’t go in there!” the voice of Asabi could be heard from the hall.
Lex set the paper down, preparing for his confrontation with the hostile Franklin Stern that had just stormed through his office. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Luthor!”
“Mr. Stern,” Lex smiled, leaning back in his chair. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?”
“You know good and well what you’ve done you little maggot!” Stern retorted, his vein popping from his throat as he threw a copy of the Metropolis STAR at him.
Lex frowned, looking down at the paper in mock sympathy, “Such a shame, Franklin,” Lex clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I know you had high hopes for this deal to go through too, but I’m afraid in light of this new information the board and I feel you can’t be trusted.”
“You yellow bellied, scum sucking piece of garbage. Do you think I’m an idiot?” Stern snarled at him angrily.
“Watch that temper,” Lex warned, narrowing his eyes at the older man. “You’re upset. As you should be, but don’t forget who you’re talking to.”
“I know exactly who I’m addressing,” Stern growled back angrily. “You won’t get away with this.”
Lex pointed to the television behind him, showing Stern Media’s stock prices plummeting, “How sure are you, really?”
“This isn’t over!” Stern growled, pounding his fist on Lex’s desk and leaving Lex to wonder momentarily if he’d poked the wrong bear.
***
It seemed like the perfect opportunity. Something quiet and out of the way where she wouldn’t be expected to interact with a lot of people. The hours weren’t full-time, but she didn’t need a full-time job. Just something to keep her mind occupied and give her enough money to pay for groceries and gas for the week. Perry and Alice were covering all the utilities for the place and the FBI was paying a stipend for letting Lois use the place as a safehouse.
Lois straightened up in her chair, watching the man sitting across from her’s face change as he read through her resume. She offered a smile as she waited for a decision, gripping the
envelope in her hand nervously. She had to start working somewhere. Sitting alone in that cabin was only making her go crazy and she had to have some income. She couldn’t afford to burn through the money Davenport and Henderson had given her to keep her out of Lex’s clutches.
“When can you start?” the man across from her finally looked up from the resume in his hand, setting it down on the desk.
Lois was taken aback from the question. It usually took at least two interviews to land a position. She wasn’t normally asked when she could start until the end of the second interview. She swallowed hard and shrugged, “Now?” Lois offered a broad smile, silently trying to quiet the nervousness in her abdomen.
It was quiet here. That was good. There were plenty of computers and books to keep her mind busy. Taking a job as a librarian wasn’t something she had on her bucket list but it wasn’t the worst profession either.
He offered his hand to shake, “Welcome to the Clover City Library, Ms. Kane,”
***
Present Day…Lois glanced out the window, seeing the car lights fade. False alarm. That was what Davenport had called it, but the look on his face had told her otherwise. She glanced back at Clark who was sitting at the table across from her. Picking up on their conversation from earlier wasn’t something she felt like diving into.
The source reported seeing Nigel heading south on I-95, leading away from them. As long as the agents on his tail didn’t lose him again they could sleep somewhat better tonight. Though a good night’s sleep wasn’t something she imagined coming easy for her or Clark anytime soon. She had her own inner demons she was battling and he continued to fight the mental battle, sometimes screaming so loud it left her trembling as she listened to his cries for help.
If she wasn’t afraid he’d lash out or close himself off even more than he already had she would try to help him somehow, but considering he’d completely shut her out for the last three weeks it wasn’t a move she was comfortable acting on. She took a sip from her water, debating on whether she should say anything. Clark seemed lost in thought as he stared at the top of the table.
“I guess that’s good news about Nigel,” she finally said.
Clark looked up, meeting her gaze, “Yeah, just as long as he isn’t on his way to hurt anyone else.”
Lois nodded, letting out a deep breath, “I’m sure they’ll catch up to them. They’ve got a whole team working to track him down.”
“He got out of Metropolis, didn’t he?” Clark reasoned aloud, looking around at their current surroundings, “And wherever this is.”
“Clover,” Lois supplied, setting her glass on the table.
“Clover?” Clark echoed, his face scrunching up as he looked at her for confirmation. “South Carolina?”
“Well, on the outskirts of it,” Lois nodded and tilted her head with a halfway shrug, “Clover is just below us.”
“And where is this?” he asked, gesturing to the mountain terrain behind them.
“One of Perry and Alice’s rental properties,” Lois explained. “I didn’t trust the FBI to keep me safe so I took relocation into my own hands.” She let out a sigh, leaning back in her chair.
“Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Clark asked, looking up at her. “I mean, they’re the experts at this kind of thing, right? And knowing Luthor it’s only a matter of time before they connect the place to you. Luthor knows how close you were to Perry.”
Lois glanced down, forming her answer as carefully as she could. “The cabin is still in Alice’s late uncle’s name so there’s no way to connect it back to either of them.”
“And what happens if Nigel or one of Luthor’s cronies shows up here?” Clark asked.
“Then we move onto the next location,” Lois said with a shaky breath.
“How many times have you had to do that?” Clark asked.
“Twice,” she said, shaking her head. “I actually didn’t make it to the first one. I, uh, called for help from a friend and they helped me out for a few weeks until I could get my bearings.”
He seemed to sense something in her tone and peered up at her curiously, “A friend?”
“I left as soon as I could. I didn’t want to put them in danger,” Lois looked down, “But not soon enough.” The remorse was evident on her face but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him what had happened in Smallville just yet.
“Nigel?” Clark guessed.
“Yeah,” Lois bit her lower lip. “I, uh, hid and as soon as the coast was clear got the hell out of dodge.” Her tone was quiet, “Not my finest moment,”
“I’m sure you did what you had to do,” he reasoned aloud. The hopeful outlook almost sounded genuine. She forced a smile and nodded, unwilling to meet his gaze. He placed a hand on hers from across the table, “For what it’s worth I am thankful for you getting me out of there.”
Lois looked back at him shyly, “Well, I couldn’t just leave you there.” A half-smile crossed her face, and she added playfully, “We’re partners, right?”
A half-smile cracked across his face and he nodded, “Yeah, but there’s not much of a partnership when your place of employment is blown to pieces.”
“Semantics,” she shrugged, “We have a lot of ground to cover in order to get you caught up on the story that’s going to rack up all the Kerths next year. Possibly even a Pulitzer.”
That earned her a grin. “I’m guessing Perry caught you up on the investigation.”
“More or less,” she said carefully, taking a sip of her water.
“More or less?” he looked at her with a frown.
Lois looked back at him, uncertain how much she wanted to divulge at that moment about how wrong his investigation into Lex had gone. She knew it would come out eventually, but she wasn’t ready to delve too deep into what had happened nearly four months ago. Talking about the investigation that had blown up in their faces would only bring back the memories of that night.
“How long has it been?” Clark asked, pulling her back to the present.
“Um, almost four months,” Lois said, tapping her hand on the table. “I’m guessing you were in that place the whole three months you were missing…?”
“Three months?” Clark shook his head. There was a silence between them.
Lois watched as Clark seemed to process the information. The memory of being alone in her apartment covered in her own blood flashed through Lois’ mind. Clark cleared his throat and looked up at her. “Last time I saw you, you were still ignoring all my warnings about Luthor. Now, you’re leading the charge in the investigation against him. What changed?”
“Does it matter?” She looked up at Clark’s expectant eyes, still waiting for her to continue the conversation but she found herself unable to. She cleared her throat, standing to her feet, “Um, I was going to make a sandwich. You want one?” she pointed to the kitchen behind her.
“Does it have to be peanut butter?” Clark groaned after her.
“What is wrong with peanut butter?” Lois asked in mock indignation.
“Nothing unless you’re eating it every single day.” Clark rolled his eyes.
“I’m domestically challenged. Burning the cabin down isn’t exactly the best way to lay low,” Lois remarked with a grin.
“I’ll risk it,” he said, pointing to where the kitchen. “Come on, there’s got to be something we can make in there that doesn’t require two slices of bread.”
***
The room flickered from the fluorescent light, buzzing with a light hum above the bruised and bloodied man that sat hunkered on the exam table. Christina Wallace swallowed hard as she surveyed the scene, seeing the team of federal agents bagging and tagging evidence in the room while the doctor continued to treat the injured Dr. Kahn.
“What happened?” Agent Wallace asked, turning to the investigator on the scene.
“Hospital staff found him in the stairwell,” the investigator pointed toward the open door where agents were picking up the evidence that had been left there.
Agent Wallace walked through the room, approaching Dr. Kahn. His face was covered in round burn marks and small cuts around the chin and neck. “He’s…” Kahn coughed, holding his chest before taking a deep breath, “…after…Lane.”
“What?” Wallace squinted, uncertain she’d heard him right.
“Lois…Lane,” Kahn gasped out heavily.
Wallace turned to the investigator, “Call Davenport,”
***
Clark stole a glance at Lois as they made their way through the local grocery store in town. He’d been nervous at the suggestion to venture out of the cabin. In his search through the cabinets and refrigerator he’d found himself face to face with a flashback of the contents in Lois’ kitchen back in Metropolis. Scarcely anything in the kitchen but staple items like bread, the all too familiar peanut butter, jelly, and honey and of course her cream soda. As fearful as he was about venturing out, the idea of eating another peanut butter sandwich was enough motivation to make him make the scary leap of riding shotgun with Lois down the mountainside and into town to the store.
So far he’d been able to make his way through the bakery section without any tremors. He was actually starting feel confident that maybe just maybe he’d be able to make it through the short grocery trip without one. He glanced over at Lois who was pushing the cart toward the produce section, eying the bread in the cart as he guided her to the fruit and vegetables.
“Apples,” he pointed to the cart, smiling to himself as he felt the cherry red skin of the apple against his palm.
***
Lois’ eyes widened as one by one another bushel of vegetables or fruit was added to the grocery cart. She looked over her shoulder nervously, feeling exposed the longer she was out in public. Normally she did her shopping at times when she knew there were less people to run into at the store.
“That’s a lot,” Lois eyed the cart uneasily.
“I’ll make it last,” Clark promised, reaching over to examine the squash, holding the yellow and green vegetables up to his face to look at them more closely.
“You do remember the part about me not cooking, right?” Lois reminded him.
“Uh-huh,” he grumbled, handing the squash to her. She sighed, grabbing the plastic bag off the roll and shaking it open. He grinned at her, watching as she put the squash inside the plastic bag. “See? You’re learning already.”
“I don’t like squash,” she scrunched her face up at him.
“You haven’t had good squash though,” Clark responded, pointing behind her.
“There is nothing wrong with sandwiches,” she retorted with a sigh.
“Vegetables are important. So is protein,” Clark reminded her, “There’s the meat section right there.”
Lois sighed, “There goes the budget for the week…”
***
Garlic, onion and the slight hint of bell pepper simmering in the skillet. Lois glanced up from the cutting board, seeing Clark shake the handle of the skillet, expertly flipping the vegetables around with the flick of his wrist. He seemed confident, finding himself at ease in the kitchen. A place she’d never been comfortable.
“Smells good,” Lois said, looking down at the cubes of raw chicken she’d help cut.
“Thanks,” Clark flashed her a half-smile, turning his attention back to the dish he was preparing. The tight grip he kept on the handle of the skillet began to loosen and his hand began to shake. She reached over to grab his wrist, calming the tremor flowing through him from the involuntary movement.
He looked down, staring at the skillet and she tightened her hand around his, helping him through the pain. She stared at him for a moment and then cleared her throat, “Um, so, what’s the next step?” She gestured toward the pan in his grasp.
“Add the chicken,” he said, looking back at the chicken that laid on the cutting board. His voice was strained as he spoke.
Lois nodded and reached over to grab the cutting board, brushing the chicken cubes into the pan. She watched as the skillet began to sizzle with the white meat simmering with the vegetables in the pan. He reached his hand over to grab a spoon of butter, tapping its contents inside the pan. She caught sight of his hand trembling again and placed her other hand over his.
“It’s okay,” she nodded to him. “I’ve got it.” She smiled back at him nervously. “Just, uh, what’s next?”
He met her gaze, his resolve slowly disappearing as her hand rested over his. He cleared his throat, looking away, “Um, add the broth.” Lois felt him pull his hand away and she turned her attention to the cup of broth sitting next to the stove. Slowly she continued to put the dish together that Clark had started, following his direction and praying she didn’t screw it up.
***
Clark stared up at the ceiling, sighing in relief. His stomach was full from dinner. A real dinner. A meal that didn’t mirror that of something he tried to live off of in college. He closed his eyes, flashing back to the kitchen where Lois had been helping prepare the dinner. It was strange seeing this side of her. She seemed less hostile, less guarded now.
She had helped him.
She hadn’t said anything when his hand began to tremor. She silently helped calm his nerves and took over, preventing his well-intentioned dinner from burning. He swallowed hard, recalling the fear that had flooded through him when the tremor had taken over him. He’d tried to put on a good show. He’d been desperate for the change of scenery and the opportunity to put something in his stomach that didn’t come between two slices of bread.
The seldom meals he’d been afforded over the past few months weren’t what he’d consider fine dining. Dry scraps of slop and stale water. He had learned a long time ago he could survive a long time without water and food, but the last few months had definitely tested his limits. He’d spent the first few days in the cabin drinking bottle after bottle of water, quenching the thirst he couldn’t seem to be able to satisfy.
Lois had been determined to try her best at preparing the dinner tonight. Given it was her first time cooking something that didn’t come out of a box with directions and a seasoning packet she’d done pretty well. The chicken had come out a little overdone but overall it had been satisfying. The small luxuries he’d been accustomed to, cooking for himself and being able to enjoy some of the cuisines he’d discovered throughout his travels were now something that remained out of his grasp. He chopped it up to another thing that Luthor had taken from him.
His mind drifted to the day and Davenport’s conversation with him as well as the conversation he’d had with Lois. She wasn’t the same. That much was obvious. She seemed…more guarded than before yet softer with him at the same time. It left him wondering how to react to such a drastic change in someone he thought he knew inside and out. His last thoughts before drifting into a fitful slumber were of the small smile on Lois’ face as she struggled her way through dinner. Things were changing between them. He just wasn’t sure if it was for the better or not.
***
One Month Ago…Lois tapped her hand on the folder in her hand, reading over the information Jimmy had sent over. The facial recognition software he’d run Mrs. Cox through had found a match. She wasn’t sure if she should be more worried knowing the woman responsible for taking care of Clark was a trained assassin or the fact that she had been trained under Ra’s Al Ghul.
Mercy Graves. That was her name. Parents were murdered by the Al Ghul society. She was adopted by Ra’s Al Ghul at the age of eight as many of the children that are trained up by Ra’s Al Ghul were. She was rumored to be linked to at least twenty-five assassinations during her training.
Jimmy’s handwriting at the bottom of the page had ‘League of Assassins’ with a question mark next to Mercy Graves. Lois felt the skin on her arms fill with goosebumps and the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She’d heard about the League of Assassins. Cut throat killers trained in the art of taking out their enemy in some of the most gruesome ways. There were rumors that Lionel and Lillian Luthor’s deaths were a mark by the league but no one could prove the connection.
Lois turned the page and read through some of the rumored marks Mercy Graves was responsible. Prominent businessmen that had been tortured for information before she put them out of their misery. The last sighting of Mercy Graves had been in 1983 during Ra’s Al Ghul’s attempt to take over Gotham City years ago. At the same time of her disappearance from Gotham, Vivica Cox appeared in Metropolis. Three months after the deaths of Lionel and Lillian Luthor. Six months later she was in Lex Luthor’s inner circle.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
She set the file down, turning her attention to the nearly vacant library she was sitting in. One of the benefits of working here over the last few weeks had been the flexibility for her to connect with Jimmy and not worry about leaving a trail to her location. The library was a good fifteen miles out of town and out of the way. The salary wasn’t much but it was enough to keep adding more to savings and take care of her needs throughout the week.
She moved toward the cart of returned books and began to scan them into the system, listening to the short beep as she tried to occupy her mind with something and help distract herself from the possibly hell Clark was in at the hands of Mercy Graves. Lex had said she had taken care of Clark. Knowing what she knew it wasn’t hard to imagine Lex might have gotten his hands on Kryptonite. He had a knack for wanting to collect rare objects. What she didn’t know was could Kryptonite kill him. Martha said it made Clark weak and vulnerable. Would prolonged exposure kill him?
That thought sent a shiver down her spine.
‘He’s not dead’ her mind forced the thought of Clark being gone away. ‘He’s not dead.’
A loud thump caught her attention and she jumped, startled, dropping the book in her hand. She looked up and saw a young woman with her three-year-old staring at her curiously. “Are you all right? I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Fine, sorry,” Lois lied. “I was just…someplace else.” She reached for the cardboard books on the desk and closed out of the screen she was in to load the Check Out menu. She typed in her login and clicked the button for check out.
The little girl smiled at her, “I gah book.”
“I see,” Lois smiled back at her and glanced at the cover of the book. It was one of the books the Superman foundation had put out this past year. ‘Learn Your ABCs with Superman.’ She felt a lump in her throat, staring at the cartoon image on the cover, uncertain if she would ever get a chance to find the real Superman before Lex took him from her forever.
Silently, she picked up the scanner and heard a beep, loading the book’s information on the screen. She typed in her login once more to confirm the checkout and printed the checkout label, tucking it inside the book and handing it back to the little girl.
“I hope you enjoy your book,” Lois smiled at her.
“Tank yooou,” the little girl waved at her and walked with her mother out of the exit. Lois watched them leave, staring at the door for a long moment. She still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had fallen over her.
***
Phillip took a sip of his drink, looking across the table at Jack, the man that had approached him earlier. Lex Luthor. He was after information about Lex Luthor. Of course he was. He knew someone would come looking eventually. He just didn’t anticipate it’d be this soon.
“What do you want to know?” Phillip asked, meeting Jack’s gaze.
“The extra money in the scholarship?” Jack prodded, tapping his hand on the table, “It was hush money, wasn’t it?”
“An investment in my future,” Phillip rolled his eyes in disgust, quoting the words Lex Luthor had used in his statement to the press. “It’s got a nice ring to it when you’re eating it up at the press conference, doesn’t it?”
“I’m not buying it though,” Jack responded, tightening his jaw as he stared back at Phillip.
“Why not?” Phillip shrugged, “I’m just a troubled kid that nobody wanted anything to do with until Lex Luthor, right?”
“Or a kid that got dealt a bad deal who did what he had to to survive,” Jack countered, leaning forward. “I know what it’s like to have the world turn against you, Phillip, and I know you know what Luthor did was wrong.”
“It’s a lot of money,” Phillip said uneasily.
“And that must mean whatever dirty secret you’re hiding for Luthor is a doozie,” Jack said, lifting up his cup to drink.
***
I went through something I never thought I would. The world almost came to an end…literally. With all my strength and knowing what I can do I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what I was sent here for. This moment was the first time I saw not only Metropolis, but the world support Superman. I still don’t understand how Lois can have so much blind faith in this façade I’ve created in Superman yet continue to hold up so much distrust to Clark.
I think I scared her. I scared myself. Not knowing who you are can be pretty terrifying. I still don’t understand how it happened. I’ve never been able to be hurt. I’ve never had injuries. So why would reentering the Earth’s atmosphere cause me to have amnesia? Even in my disoriented state I still found a way to stop Nightfall. I guess I have Lois to thank for that. I wonder if there will ever be a day when I can tell her the only reason I got there in time was because she found me in the alley behind my apartment. Lois set the journal down, uncertain if she should continue. She felt a sense of dread wash over her as she read through the anguish in Clark’s words from the time of Nightfall. He had been scared.
It was strange, reading through these journals with fresh eyes and seeing the past few months through Clark’s eyes. He hadn’t lost his memory from a car crash. He’d lost it trying to stop Nightfall.
<<“Clark, please. Superman put it all on the line, not just once, but twice. You, you fell into some garbage cans in the dark. No offense, but I don't think you can put yourself in the same league with him.”>>It seemed insane that she had dismissed him so easily back then. How blind had she been not to see what had been going on?
<<“Are we more than friends?”>>A lump formed in her throat as she contemplated what her answer would be if he asked her that now. She glanced at the time. It was getting late.
***
Bill Henderson sat in the driver’s side of the unmarked car, looking around the underground parking garage suspiciously. After months of chasing their tails around they finally had a solid lead on something tangible to help build their case against Luthor on the RICO charges Victor Talley was chomping at the bit to bring against Luthor. Henderson reached for the hat he was wearing, readjusting it and pulling the rim of the hat over his eyes when he spotted John Black exit the elevator around the corner.
Henderson grabbed the handle to the door, rising out of the driver’s seat to greet Black. John Black looked around, gripping his briefcase as he met Henderson’s gaze but didn’t say anything, “Mr. John Black?” Henderson asked, confirming his identity.
“You must be my ride?” John Black eyed the car behind Henderson.
“To the airport?” Henderson nodded, opening the car door for him. He waited for John Black to slide inside and then closed the door behind him. He climbed inside the driver’s side and closed the door behind him, looking up in the rearview mirror to see John Black looking back at him. “You ready?”
“Let’s just get this over with before I change my mind,” Black responded.
***
<<“That idiot Kent never could figure that out. I was always twelve steps ahead of him. I’m unstoppable.”>>
<<“You think the boss is behind this, don’t you?”
“What do you think? Clark’s missing. The evidence we gathered against the boss is gone.”>>
<<“Clark was looking into a possible lead on who he thought the boss was,”>>
<<“Do you really think Superman will take you back once he knows I’ve had you?”>>
<<“How does it feel to know how close you were to bringing down the boss of Metropolis…and fail?”>>
<<“Well, it’s no matter. His interference has been taken care of permanently. Mrs. Cox saw to that.”>>Lois shot up in bed, screaming from the invisible threat that continued to attack her in her dreams. Gone were the peaceful nights of sleep and the comfort of safety and stability. In its place were the nightmares of what could happen the moment she stopped running. The moment she stopped it was over.
<<“Well, it’s no matter. His interference has been taken care of permanently. Mrs. Cox saw to that.”>>She glanced at the clock, running a hand through her tangled hair. Her heart still pounding against her chest as she instinctively reached for the rough skin on her side where the wounds were beginning to heal. Determination crossed over her face and she reached for the burner phone on the nightstand, pressing the speed dial for Jimmy Olsen’s phone.
After a few rings a groggy, “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“I need a secure line.” Lois said, reaching for her laptop that was tucked safely in its bag on the floor by her bed.
“It’s three in the morning,” Jimmy began to argue.
“Please,” Lois said, choking back tears. “I know it’s early and I’m sorry, but I just…need this.”
Jimmy sighed from the other end of the phone line and responded, “Fine, I’m getting up.”
“Thanks,”
***
Jack sighed, setting his uniform on his lap as he rode back to the beach house with Perry. He had what he needed from Phillip. Lex Luthor had admitted to being the one testing on the smart kids and had attempted to encourage Phillip to continue Metamide 5 in front of Superman. No wonder Clark hated the guy’s guts. If he would willingly expose kids to poison like that there was no limit to what he could do.
Phillip said he would testify to corroborate other witnesses but he wouldn’t be the only witness taking the stand. The only thing they had to do now was find those other witnesses. Hopefully Alice and Jimmy were having better luck than him.
***
Lois sat at the desk, looking up every time the bell on the door rang. She could feel the tension in her neck building as she jumped at every sound. She was sure her new boss thought there was something wrong with her given how skittish she was behaving with every patron that entered the library. She could recall countless afternoons of reading for hours on end in the Metropolis Library and not once did she feel as anxious as she did here.
A stack of books landed in front of her and she forced a smile, trying to hide her reaction from the young teenager staring at her with an impatient look. She reached over to scan the first book, “Hemmingway,” she commented, reading the title.
He let out an annoyed look, “Yeah, it’s for school.” He looked to the door with an impatient expression. “Can we hurry this along?”
Lois nodded silently, taking the next book and scanning it in the computer. She did her best not to meet the skittish teenager’s gaze. He looked nervous. Really nervous. The reporter in her would push for answers to why he was so anxious but that would draw unwanted attention to herself. That wasn’t something she could afford to do. She had to sit here and do nothing, keeping her head down.
She finished scanning the books and handed them to him. “Return date is next Thursday,”
***
Victor Talley stood outside the interrogation room, watching as Agent Danny Monroe, one of the newest agents on the Major Crimes Unit took John Black’s statement. The young John Black couldn’t be older than twenty but the years hadn’t been kind to him. Black’s face was covered in scars and worry lines as he spoke into the microphone in front of him.
“Pete Black was hired to plant a bomb inside the Daily Planet on May 2nd of 1994. He didn’t ask questions. He just did the job.” John looked down, “Pete never had what you would call a moral compass.”
“Did you ever see or hear who hired Pete to complete this assignment?” Malone asked carefully.
“The boss,” John Black responded. “The woman that hired him said it was the boss of Metropolis. She called herself Mrs. Cox.”
Pictures were laid out in front of him and Malone asked, “Do you recognized the woman in these photos?”
“That’s her in all of them,” John responded.
“You’re sure?” Malone prompted.
“Positive,” John responded. “That’s the woman that hired Pete.”
“Was there another assignment your brother was hired to complete for this woman?” Malone asked.
“Yes,” John looked down, unwilling to meet Malone’s gaze. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to look up, “Pete was given a quarter of a million dollars to plant explosives in someone’s apartment, framing them for the bombing of the Planet.”
Malone jotted down something and pressed, “Any other jobs?”
“Yes,” John continued, “He was hired to go to the jail this Jack kid was in and make it look like the kid offed himself out of guilt.” Tears ran down John Black’s face and he said, “Pete had a hard time doing it. He’s not a murderer. He’s not a killer. He told her that.”
“He planted the bomb, didn’t he?” Malone asked.
“He didn’t build it.” John responded. “The agreement was John would let Cox know when Jack was alone and someone else would do the job. “He’s just a kid.”
“So was Jack,” Malone responded coldly.
“I know,”
***
Lois gathered her things, checking behind her as she made her way toward the exit. The tall trees leading up to the entryway outside caused a long shadow to cast over the steps. She saw a figure waiting outside the front door. Her grip tightened over the strap of her purse, mentally preparing herself for any potential confrontation.
It seemed odd to have someone waiting outside the door like that. She couldn’t make out the face. She glanced back at the dim night lights behind her. The manager was sitting in his office, going over the books, unaware of the possible intruder. What would someone want with a library?
She glanced toward the side door, wondering momentarily if it was still unlocked. The alarm over the door blinked red, indicating the security system was on and the door was locked. She turned her attention back to the front door and saw the figure move, stepping into the light of the doorway. She let out a shaky breath when she recognized the face.
“Get a grip on yourself,” Lois told herself, jogging toward the exit and tugging the door open to confront her surprise guest. “What are you doing here?”
Christina Wallace smiled back at her, “I didn’t mean to scare you,”
Lois cleared her throat, closing the door behind her and making her way down the steps, unwilling to look the woman in the eye, “You didn’t scare me,”
“You could have fooled me.” Wallace followed her down the steps and to the truck parked on the side of the building. “You’re pale as a ghost.”
Lois tightened her jaw, ignoring the comment, “I’m fine,” she lied, walking toward her truck. The sooner she got inside the sooner she would feel in control. Three weeks since she’d started working here and she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that continued to haunt her. Everything and everyone was a possible threat. Her mind was constantly racing, trying to stay ahead and her nights were filled with nightmares of either herself or Clark being tortured by Lex. She couldn’t escape it.
“We need to talk,” Wallace said following her to the drivers side of the truck. “There’s been a development,”
“Great,” Lois said, not really sure how a development would affect her. She muttered under her breath a profanity as the nightmare from the previous night flashed through her mind.
‘Stop it,’“You’re not okay,” Wallace observed, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on?”
Lois spun on her heel to confront Wallace, “What the hell do you want from me? Fine, yes, you scared me.
Everything scares me. I can’t even go down the freaking street without being scared that someone or something is going to come out.”
“Are you done?” Wallace asked, looking back at her in concern.
“Not even close,” Lois growled out angrily.
“Get in the car,” Wallace ordered, pointing to the car in front of them.
“Go to hell!” Lois hissed out.
Wallace pursed her lips and pulled out a pistol, removing the clip and emptying the chamber in front of her before tossing it to her. “Take it,”
Lois reached out to grab it, “I don’t do guns,”
“Well, that’s too bad,” Wallace responded, “Because in order to survive this you’re going to need to know how to defend yourself in a gunfight.” Her gaze grew dark as she stared Lois down, “Your martial arts skills won’t help you when you have bullets coming at you.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Lois growled out angrily. “I almost died! Now everywhere I go and everything I do is colored by that. Maybe my car won’t start right and will be rigged to blow up. Maybe my drive will become too predictable and I’ll be taken out by a sharpshooter? I can’t breathe! I can’t think!”
“So, take your life back,” Wallace said, tossing her the clip. “Get in the car,”
***
Present Day…Lois stepped out of the bedroom and followed the fragrant smell of coffee brewing and the hint of pancakes and eggs from the kitchen. Cautiously she turned the corner, surprised to find Clark behind the stove, hard at work. He was flipping the last set of pancakes onto the awaiting plate when he looked up and met her surprised expression.
“Um, when did you find time to…?” she looked around the kitchen in amazement, seeing the mess from dinner last night had already been cleaned up. “You didn’t have to do this by yourself.”
“I wanted to,” he said, handing her a plate.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she pressed, recalling his tremor from last night. The last thing either of them needed was a trip to the hospital or a call to Dr. Kahn because he pushed himself too hard. She still wasn’t sure how obvious Clark’s differences were from humans and pushing their luck wasn’t something she envisioned going over well for him. She recalled some of the journal entries around the time the clone had been destroyed. The inner battle he had with himself regarding the nightmare of possibly becoming the subject of a scientist’s latest experiment had been terrifying. Here he was the strongest man in the world and the idea of being locked away and experimented on was his greatest fear.
‘A fear that came true,’ she reminded herself, staring back at Clark for a long moment. His eyes met hers briefly before looking down again.
She felt a flutter in her abdomen as he placed a hand on her shoulder and responded, “I’m fine,” He gestured to the table, “Let’s eat.”
***
Clark glanced across the table at Lois, watching her from over the top of his juice glass. He had so many questions that he wanted to ask but he was afraid of scaring Lois with the overwhelming volume of concerns that had plagued him throughout the night. He hadn’t slept. He had tossed and turned most of the night, thinking of what he’d learned over and over again.
He recalled going days without sleep when he needed to but this was different. He felt drained but couldn’t bring himself to give into the fatigue. Instead he’d busied himself with mundane tasks around the cabin. He’d cleaned the floors, dusted, scrubbed the kitchen and then as soon as it was late enough he’d started breakfast.
Lois seemed to have appreciated the gesture. He knew he still had a long way to go to make up for shutting her out the way he had in the beginning. He hoped the act of goodwill was seen as that. There wasn’t much he could do to repair what had already been done and said between them but he could try and take the first step.
He’d had time to do nothing but think last night as his body refused to give into sleep. He found himself replaying the last month with Lois and unable to rationalize his behavior. Was he really so messed up that he’d think Lois would do anything to hurt him? He hated the angry person he’d become. His hatred and resentment at his torturers had spilled over onto Lois—the person that rescued him.
That was still hard to wrap his mind around.
Lois had faced off against Luthor’s thugs and physically dragged him out of that poisonous room. She had put everything on the line and risked her life to save him. For someone who claimed to only see him as a friend he couldn’t understand why she would go to such lengths.
Whatever the reason he was determined to make a change. The silence had to stop. No matter how much guilt he carried around for what happened with Luthor he couldn’t let Lois carry that burden any longer. He couldn’t continue to be this person that lashed out at everyone trying to help him.
It had taken a few sloppy attempts but he’d finally gotten the hang of flipping the pancakes with the spatula. Cooking without his heat vision for assistance had taken some getting used to but once he got the hang of it he found it was easy to find his rhythm.
“So,” Lois twiddled with her fork, staring down at the syrup covered plate. Her eyes lifted up, meeting his gaze momentarily before hiding behind her fluttering eyelashes again.
“Do you want some more coffee?” he offered, pointing to the pot on the low bar. She shook her head and he smiled back at her nervously. “Is this weird?”
“A little,” she admitted with a shrug. “I guess I’m still getting used to you talking to me.”
“I know,” he nodded, “I didn’t handle any of this very well,” He glanced her way, meeting her eyes as they darted his way uncertainly. “I think there’s a lot we need to talk about.”
“Like what?” Lois asked, combing her fingers through her hair as she looked him in eyes expectantly.
“Three months is a long time,” he began carefully. “I know Davenport mentioned you were testifying against Luthor.”
Lois’ face went from hopeful to mildly annoyed before she responded with a sigh, “Whenever they have enough to formally charge him, yes,” Lois tapped her hand on the table. “There’s supposed to be an evidentiary hearing in a few months. We had a lot more than we have right now. I’m working with them to help rebuild the case. Leaving my testimony as the backbone of the case isn’t exactly what I call a winning strategy.”
Clark watched her, wondering briefly what had caused her to pull back so quickly then turned his attention to her remarks about the case against Luthor, “What about everything Perry and Jack were able to get on Luthor?”
“Gone,” Lois shrugged with a pained expression. “All of it.”
“No one got hurt?” he pressed carefully.
“It was the middle of the afternoon,” Lois said carefully. “Thankfully most everyone was on their way home. Perry, Jack, and Jimmy were across the street with me when it happened. There were a few casualties of course, but it could have been a lot worse than what it was.”
“How bad?” he asked, his voice croaked in concern as he imagined the fate his neighbors and friends had been faced with all those months ago.
***
Lois closed her eyes, trying not to react when she heard Clark dive into his questions about the damage to his apartment and the injuries his neighbors and friends had sustained. Of course he’d want to know. Why wouldn’t he?
She mentally berated herself over the false sense of hope that had washed over her. For a split-second she thought he was actually going to open up and tell her what he’d been hiding from her all this time. As dumb as it sounded she actually thought he might try and open up about Superman to her. As soon as the thought crossed her mind it was quickly squashed by his question about the bombing.
“How bad?” Clark’s voice cracked as he stared back at her.
She silently counted to ten, pushing the memories from that day away as she got up from the table to retrieve the large file jacket from the shelf behind them. Her hands tightened around the tattered sides as she made her way back to the table.
“Fair warning,” she began carefully, handing him the file. “the first time you see it it might be too much.” She took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally before opening up the painful images. Clark nodded his understanding and reached for the string that held the jacket closed. She stopped him, placing a hand over his. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Lois asked, giving him one last chance to back out.
“Just show me,” he said, looking up at her
Lois nodded, releasing her hand from his. She did her best not to react as the photos of his apartment building in flames were laid out on the table. A hand flew across his mouth as he caught sight of one of the bodies being carried out by the fire fighters.
“Clark,” she reached across the table to stop him from pulling any more crime scene photos from the file.
He met her gaze with a pained expression and shook his head, “I have to,” he said simply, pulling out the next stack of photos.
***
Nigel held the hard drive he had retrieved from Dr. Kahn’s computer in his hand, setting it down on the desk of the computer expert, Dr. Emmet Vale. The man was a tech wizard and had been leading LexCorp’s charge in breakthrough technology advancements for military weaponry. But like all men he had a weakness. The last six months had been filled with long stints of drinking binges and gambling. That combined with his recent divorce had left the doctor hungry for something Nigel could easily acquire: money.
“I’ll need this to stay off Mr. Luthor’s radar,” Nigel said carefully, setting a large stack of hundred dollar bills next to the hard drive.
***
One Month Ago…Lois stared at the red and white targets flying through the air as she let off the round of shots, aiming with precision in the center of the target. A smile spread across her face as she saw the rounds enter the center ring. She was getting closer to the target. She let her arms down, setting the pistol down on the table in front of her, removing the ear muffs and protective gear as the target moved toward her for her to look over.
“You’re getting better,”
Lois turned around and saw Agent Wallace standing in the corner behind her. “Better? I’d say that’s dead on.”
“When no one’s firing back, yes,” Wallace reminded her, handing the earmuffs back to her. She held up a bullet proof vest. “Now that you’re comfortable with firing shots let’s work on your aim under fire.”
“Under fire?” Lois asked, looking around the empty firing range.
Wallace hit a button under the table and the target raced backward. The center ring opened and revealed a long barrel, “Put it on,”
“What the hell?” Lois looked back at her in disbelief, throwing the vest on and reaching for the weapon on the table and aiming at the target that was now firing back at her.
***
Victor Talley paced around the room, glaring at Jack Davenport and Daniel Malone. This was big. This was bigger than anything. If he was able to prove everything John Black said then this would be the biggest case the FBI cracked since the systematic taking down of mobsters like Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde and Machine Gun Kelly. This case was career making and he wasn’t going to let anyone or anything screw this up.
“Malone I want you on John Black like white on rice. He doesn’t even take a piss without you knowing it. Are we clear?” Talley responded with a grunt.
“Got it, Director Talley,” Danny Malone responded with a broad grin. “No one will get to him. I swear.”
“They better not,” Talley retorted before turning his attention to Davenport. “Jack, I need you and your team to dig up what you can to corroborate John Black’s statement. Let’s see if we can pull Pete Black from county and get him under federal protection. If we can get him to turn on Luthor that’ll go a long way in proving our case.”
Davenport nodded, “We still haven’t had Luthor arrested yet.”
“I’m not throwing him in that box until I’ve got him cornered like the rat he is,” Talley growled. “No mercy.”
***
TBC...
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