Delusions of Grandeur
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 12
***
Jack Davenport set the paperwork in his hand down, and let out a long sigh. Victor Talley had sent word to all the appropriate people of Nigel’s warrant. It was only a matter of time before someone led them to the hitman’s whereabouts and gave the FBI the opportunity to seal the lock on Luthor’s cage once and for all. Talley refused to arrest Luthor until he had him dead to rights. While Jack had his qualms with the plan he knew given the debacle with Malone last month it was for the best.
He read the latest note on the file once more and grinned. It was only a matter of time. He leaned back in his seat and wore a broad grin, “Beverly Cox you will be the key to Luthor’s downfall.”
***
Lois glanced over at Clark as he pushed his empty plate away front of him. Her mind kept drifting to their uninvited guest that had just shown up on the doorstep. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about someone in town knowing too much about them let alone their address. She had done her best to keep her head down in the past few months and not draw attention to herself and now all of that seemed to be fading into oblivion as Clark not only seemed to be forging friendships with strangers but taking jobs from them.
He hadn’t thought twice about accepting the job or making small talk with the man that could easily give them up if Nigel or Mrs. Cox came through looking for new strangers. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen but Clark seemed to be genuinely looking forward to the opportunity. What was she supposed to do, kill the excitement with facts?
The phone on the counter rang and she placed her hands on the table, preparing to check who it was when Clark jumped up, “I got it,” She watched in shock as he grabbed the phone and checked the caller id before answering it, “Hey Jimmy,”
Her eyes widened, trying to process the scene that had just unfolded. Since when was Clark okay with answering the phone? She bit her lower lip, listening for clues to the conversation.
“Really? No sign of forced entry?” Clark’s brow furrowed as he leaned against the counter, jotting a note down on the notepad. “Anything else?”
Lois stood up, walking toward him as Clark continued to jot notes from his conversation with Jimmy. “Any idea who the patent was filed with?” Clark asked, glancing back to Lois as he mouthed, ‘Toasters.’ Her eyes widened, realizing the conversation had to do with the Toasters weaponry they had Jimmy look into.
“Okay, thanks,” came his response after a few minutes.
Lois ran her hands up and down her upper arms, waiting impatiently for Clark to finish the conversation with Jimmy. What had Jimmy found out? Was it something they could possibly use in the case against Lex? She could feel her adrenaline pulse into action as she began planning her next move without even hearing the news from Jimmy. From Clark’s body language she could tell whatever it was was good news. That had to mean Jimmy had found something, right?
Clark hung up the phone and turned to her with a satisfied grin. She couldn’t hold in her excitement any longer. He barely had time to set the phone down before she pounced on him, “What did he find out? It was Lex, wasn’t it? I knew it. That low-life put all those people’s lives in danger just to turn a profit and he’s going to…”
“Lois!” Clark shouted, trying to get her attention.
She let out a sheepish laugh, “Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself there.”
“A little?” Clark snorted.
Lois sighed, changing the subject, “What did Jimmy say?”
“Plans for the weapons the Toasters were using aren’t a part of any public files. Whomever designed them hasn’t filed a patent on the plans within the last year.” Clark explained with a frown.
“Damn,” Lois groaned shaking her head.
“But Jimmy was able to find something interesting,” Clark continued with a smile on his face, “The weapons the Toasters were using came from a metal compound that was patented through LexLabs under a scientist named Emmet Vale. It’s supposed to be resistant to extreme temperatures, able to keep it’s form even at over a thousand degrees.” Clark gave a dubious look and shrugged, “Don’t ask me how.”
“What’s so special about this metal compound?” Lois asked, not following where he was going with this information.
“So glad you asked,” Clark grinned happily, “That metal compound is still pending patent review as of last week. It hasn't even been released to the public yet'.” Clark wore a smug expression as he announced the news.
“If it hadn’t been available to the public then how did a group of thugs get their hands on it?” Lois wondered aloud, following his train of thought.
“Precisely,” Clark cheered happily.
Lois plastered a smile on her face, trying her best not to get too excited. Afterall, this was just a lead. They’d had several before that had dried up before Davenport and his team could put together anything tangible to tie to Lex. All they needed was one shred of physical evidence and Phillip would agree to testify. His testimony combined with hers would be enough to shut Lex and his empire down for good. Then maybe she could return to her life—whatever would be left of it after this.
She felt a flutter of something she hadn’t dared think about in months. Hope. Hope that she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and bring Lex to justice for his crimes. Hope that she could reclaim her life and quit looking over her shoulder 24/7. Hope that one day she wouldn’t have to train herself to respond to the foreign name that had been thrust upon her. Hope that one day she would hear her name uttered from those around her and be able to respond without fear of being targeted by the professional killers Lex had at his disposal.
“Lois?” Clark placed a hand on her shoulder and she bit the inside of her lower lip, savoring the moment of being recognized as Lois Lane instead of Leila Kane.
“Um, well, good,” Lois nodded, trying not to let where her train of thought had drifted become too apparent as Clark took another step toward her.
“You okay?” he asked, squeezing her shoulder.
“Fine,” Lois lied, avoiding eye contact with him as she looked away.
“You don’t look fine,” he observed cautiously.
“I’m just…cautious is all,” Lois shrugged him off. “Um, was there anything else?”
“Yeah,” Clark’s face fell as he handed her the notepad he’d been jotting his notes down on.
“Who’s Gretchen Kelly?” Lois asked, seeing the name written at the top in Clark’s neat handwriting.
Clark looked down to the floor, his hand fell from her shoulder and his face grew tense. She looked up at him cautiously, noting his closed off behavior. She could press him for information on who this was or she could let him tell her on his own. Though she suspected she already knew who it was.
Her eyes moved down the notepad in her hand, “She was killed in a drug bust?”
Clark scowled shaking his head, “Among a few corrupt officers and drug addicts in Southside according to the report Jimmy found.”
She could tell from his tone that Clark didn’t believe it was just a drug bust gone wrong. “You think there’s more to the story?”
“I don’t know,” Clark said with a shrug, pacing around the dining room. “It just seems a little convenient is all.”
“Convenient?” she asked, taking a seat at the table.
“What’s a doctor like that doing in the worst neighborhood in town? Why would decorated officers go to that part of town?” Clark listed off the holes in the story on his hand.
“Could be a setup,” Lois reasoned aloud, leaning back in her chair, allowing him to continue.
“He’s getting rid of people that can point the finger at him is what he’s doing,” Clark mumbled under his breath just loud enough for her to make out. She watched him pace around the room angrily, wondering just what this Dr. Kelly’s role had been in his kidnapping and torture, but didn’t dare ask. “Luthor never leaves any loose ends.”
“Well, he’s left a few,” Lois tried to reassure him.
“Name one,” he scowled.
“Phillip Manning,” Lois breathed the name cautiously, “Me.”
Clark’s hardened expression immediately softened. He seemed to be having trouble formulating a response as he claimed the seat across from her. He finally found his question, “What kind of loose ends?”
Lois frowned, “Dr. Alfred Carlton. The testing at Beckworth State School by LexCorp…” She looked down at the table in front of her, “And the mistake of admitting to being the boss of Metropolis.” She felt a lump in her throat at the last admission and quickly looked away.
“He admitted it to you?” Clark looked back at her in surprise.
“Among other things,” Lois said quickly, shrugging it off. “Anyway, we should definitely look into this Emmet Vale. If we can prove opportunity and access then that should help with the case.”
“Lois?” he reached across the table to take her hand and she pulled away.
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” she said hastily, straightening up in her seat.
He nodded, “Okay,”
A silence fell between them and then he stood up, walking over to the kitchen counter and grabbing the keys from the hook on the wall, “You going somewhere?” she asked, watching him curiously.
“We both are,” he said firmly, striding toward her with a purposeful look on his face. There was a glimmer of something on his face she hadn’t seen for a long time. He seemed relaxed and even playful as he extended his hand forward and pulled her up from her seat at the table. “Come on,”
She gave him a skeptical look, “Where exactly are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he grinned back at her.
“A surprise?” she echoed back at him.
“Come on it’ll be fun, I promise.”
“I hate surprises,” she retorted uncertainly.
He let out a groan, “Sometimes you can’t know everything about everything,”
“Where are we going?” she pressed.
“I’m not telling you,” he chuckled. “Just get in the car and you’ll find out when we get there.”
“This is ridiculous.” Lois shook her head.
“You’re just mad I won’t tell you anything,” he smirked, pointing out the obvious reason for her uncertainty.
“We don’t have time to play games,” Lois retorted. “We should be looking into Emmet Vale.”
“Jimmy’s already on it,” Clark reminded her. “There’s nothing we can do until he finds something.”
“I still want to help,” she argued.
“I know you do,” he sighed, “but right now the best way to do that is to do what we can to fit in around here and not drawing attention to ourselves.”
“And fitting in is a part of this surprise drive you want to go on?” she asked cautiously.
“Maybe,” he shrugged, “I do know this from living in a small town. It’s the people that don’t socialize that end up drawing more attention to themselves.”
She sighed, staring back at his hopeful eyes and relented, “Fine,”
***
From a distance, the local Florida State Patrol watched as a sleek dark blue town car pulled into the parking lot of the rest stop just outside of Jacksonville. One of the patrolmen looked on, nudging his partner as a tall slender man stepped out of the car, stretching his arms over his head.
“That guy look familiar to you?”
His partner looked up, “Pretty expensive ride. You want to check him out?”
“Hold on,” he pointed to the man stepping out of the backseat of the car. The dark hair and stern features were unmistakable. “Is that…?”
His partner let out a low whistle, “Mr. Lex Luthor himself. What do you think he’s doing all the way out here for?”
“No clue,” he shook his head.
“Wanna check it out?”
“Not in a million years,” was his gruff response.
***
Clark smiled to himself as he pulled into the parking lot, eying the familiar looking setup with a large screen on the lawn. He could feel Lois’ eyes on him and knew she was probably imagining every ulterior motive she could as he pulled into a space in the corner of the lot.
It wasn’t crowded which was a pleasant surprise given the feature for the night was a dollar night special. He’d seen the ad outside the shopping center he’d gone to the day before, advertising showings for classic movie night. Tonight’s special was Trading Places.
He put the car in park and turned the ignition off but keeping the radio on. He fiddled with the radio until he found the station printed on their ticket stubs. An advertisement came in over the speakers inside the vehicle, welcoming them to the Clover Drive In followed by an ad for the local butcher shop.
Lois sighed, leaning forward to turn the volume down. He let out a chuckle, noticing her skittish demeanor as she curled herself up against the passenger side door, glancing anywhere but at him. “You’re going to get awfully uncomfortable leaned up against that door for an hour,” he finally remarked, hoping to get her to loosen up. “What’s wrong, haven’t you been to a drive in theater before?”
She gave him a dismissive shrug, straightening up and looking out the window cautiously, “Of course I’ve been to a drive in before.”
“What are you looking for?” he joked, lowering his voice to mirror the sound of a demonic announcer, “The Drive In Massacre Serial Killer?”
“That’s not funny,” Lois glared at him, not even awarding him a smile.
“Come on, lighten up,” he laughed, pointing at the screen that had begun to flicker. “It’s a movie not a horror show.”
“I’m just…careful,” Lois said cautiously as she eyes the semi-full parking lot.
“Of what?” he laughed, “You act like the boogie man is gonna jump out at any second.”
“Unlike some people I like to be aware of my surroundings,” Lois sniffed, straightening up as she reached for the bag of popcorn in the middle of the seat.
“You really don’t socialize well with others do you?” he commented, noting the wary way she was eying the couple that walked past them.
“We’re supposed to be laying low,” she snorted.
“We are,” Clark shrugged his shoulders.
“Between the nosy neighbors and the way too friendly clerks at the store…” Lois mumbled under he breath.
“You keep avoiding them and then they’re just going to keep pushing.” Clark said with a sigh. “Believe me I know,” His gaze shifted down as he recalled the many times his parents had gone above and beyond to make everything appear normal even when it wasn’t.
It worked like a charm.
No one suspected that the baby adopted by Martha and Jonathan Kent was anything other than what he appeared to be. They lived in a town where there was nothing to do but drive somewhere else, cook, shop or gossip. Little did anyone know the biggest piece of gossip was right under their noses the whole time. Strange Visitor from another planet raised just like anyone else in Smallville.
Lois placed a hand on his arm and offered him the bag, “Want some?”
“Thanks,” he took a few pieces of popcorn from the bag and took a bite.
She slid closer on the bench seat, letting out a sigh, “I guess you’re saying I’m being paranoid.”
“Just a little bit,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You have every reason to be cautious but the more you close yourself off the more you’re going to make people question what it is you have to hide. Small towns are funny like that. They want to know everything about everyone.” He then pointed to the screen, “Besides I doubt Nigel or Luthor could appreciate a classic film like this.”
Lois let out a groan and laughed. “Probably not,” She sighed, leaning back against the seat. “Eddie Murphy’s comedy is wasted on those two.”
“Yeah, they’d probably interpret it as a horror film.” Clark joked.
“No money and no power.” Lois said with a sigh. A silence fell between them and Clark leaned back in his seat, trying not to acknowledge the uncomfortable air that had fallen between them. He never should have brought Luthor up, but it did at least help coax Lois out of her paranoia.
Her head leaned over, just enough to rest on his shoulder and he held a breath, unable to move. He remained still, doing his best not to react at the sudden contact. He could make out the faint scent of her shampoo as she leaned in closer. He swallowed hard, wondering how long he could hold his breath like this. His chest tightened and her head settled more comfortably on his shoulder. The intoxicating scent of vanilla and lavender hit his nostrils and he bit the inside of his lip. His heart felt like it was pounding a hundred miles a minute and he teetered on the edge of wanting to die right there and yet never wanting her to move away from him.
“I’m sorry,” Lois spoke up and he blinked uncertain what she was apologizing for.
He lifted his head, clearing his throat, uncertain how to respond as he lamely shrugged, “For what?”
She lifted her head, looking back toward him, “For not believing you,” Her tone was solemn as her eyes cast downward. He swallowed hard, uncertain how to respond as she continued, “I have a knack for getting in over my head and this time I’m so deep in I’m not even sure if I’ll ever get out.” She looked back up at him and gave him an apologetic smile, “Anyway, I know you tried to warn me and like an idiot I didn’t believe you. I’m sorry.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond to the never before seen side of Lois Lane. Humility wasn’t something he’d ever seen Lois handle well. Apologizing or even admitting she was wrong about anything had been rare if it ever even came about. Now here he was faced with the rare unicorn that was an apology coming from a very humble Lois Lane. A far cry from the overbearing, no-nonsense woman that refused to admit she was wrong on anything, going so far as to turn her invitation to the Orchid Ball an opportunity he should have jumped at rather than a request.
He cleared his throat, uncertain if he should acknowledge her apology or not. Deciding on the former he chose to cautiously respond, “You were able to see the truth eventually. That’s what matters.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, “Before it was too late anyway.”
“Right,” Lois flashed him a weak smile turning her attention back to the screen that was lighting up. “Looks like the movie’s about to start.”
To his surprise she took the opportunity to scoot closer to him, resting the back of her head more fully on his shoulder and nestling her chin against him as the movie’s opening credits began to play. He wasn’t sure if he should acknowledge the closeness or just continue to sit there, soaking up the close contact of having her relax against him. His hand moved to her side, reveling in the feeling of having her in his arms even if it was just for the span of a movie.
***
The sand crunched beneath the Louis Vuitton’s as Lex Luthor took in the evening sky. The ocean waves crashed in the distance and he breathed in the ocean air. He gave a pleased smile as he noticed the small beach house on the pier. “This the place?”
“Yes, Mr. Luthor,” Asabi smiled, pointing to the pier.
“Keep an eye out,” Lex instructed. “No surprise visitors,”
“Of course,” Asabi nodded with a dark expression.
***
One Month Ago…
All hairs stood on edge as Lois flattened herself on the ground, hearing gunfire echo around her. The flashes of light and smoke surrounded her and the weight of the bullet-proof vest weighted her down as she planned her next move. She could feel the panic rising but quickly squashed it as she lifted her arm up, aiming at the red and white bull’s eye target. She quickly rolled to the side, taking aim at the moving target and firing her shots off.
“Bull’s eye,” she said confidently as the smoke began to clear and the lights flickered on.
“You’re getting better,” Christina Wallace’s voice came from behind her. “You still need to work on your aim though,”
Lois stood to her feet, brushing herself off and examining the end results. The bullet holes all centered around the center circle of the bull’s eye. She held a satisfied grin as she turned back to Christina Wallace, “It’s within target,”
“You want to go up against a trained assassin you have to be dead on,” Christina reminded her.
***
Jack Davenport walked through the empty corridors, checking for anything out of place in the safehouse. He nodded for John Black to follow him once he checked the last closet and the young man set his bag down on the ground, tossing his jacket on the back of the rocking chair in the corner.
“Boy, they must pay you extra for all that paranoia,” John Black commented as Jack took a seat on the sofa next to him.
“Comes in handy in my line of work,” Jack retorted with a smirk.
There was a quiet lull between them and Jack watched as Danny Malone moved toward the kitchen, checking the area and calling out, “Looks like they stocked the good stuff this time, Jack,”
Jack turned to catch the brown beer bottle Malone tossed toward him, stopping to take a look at the label. “Name brand.” He let out a low whistle, “I guess someone finally removed the stick up Talley’s ass.”
“Hey, now, don’t go talking about our frugal director like that,” Malone joked around, making his best impression of Talley, “What do you mean you went over budget? Money doesn’t grow on trees, Agent. In my day we had to make due without amenities. Do you know what it’s like to go a month without running water?”
“That is an awesome impression,” Davenport grinned, popping open the cap to the beer and handing the other to John, “Beer?”
“Too nervous to drink,” John shrugged. “So when is this hearing?”
“Tomorrow,” Davenport said taking a sip of his beer. “Director called for an emergency hearing so we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning to present the case in front of a federal judge to determine if there’s a case.”
“And if there isn’t?” John asked.
“Then we keep digging,” Jack said with a smile. “We’re not going to let him get away with this.”
“How can you be so sure?” John asked.
“I just am,”
***
Present Day…
Jimmy flashed his identification to the attendant and made his way into the car lot, searching for the car he’d been assigned. He looked behind him and saw Jack struggling to keep up as he lugged the large bag filled with the laptop and camera he’d been working on for the last few months.
“You all right?” he asked, slowing down and readjusting the bag on his back.
“This is an idiotic idea,” Jack mumbled as they reached a dark blue sedan that matched the license plate on the paperwork they’d filled out inside “Are you sure this Gordon guy can even tell you anything?” Jack asked with a grumble. “Everything we’ve come across has been a dead end.”
“He’s the one that reached out to me, remember?” Jimmy reminded him.
“Any idea how he got roped into all of this?” Jack asked, catching up to him.
“He said he had some information on Luthor’s secretary.” Jimmy said with a sigh as he unlocked the car. “Just get in.”
***
A loud bang and the crash of glass came from the front of the house. Alice quickly grabbed the shot gun hanging above the bed, loading it with the shells and pumping the barrel before she made her way down the narrow hallway. The sound of Perry’s bark coming from the living reached her ears and she felt tension rise in her body as she prepared herself mentally for whatever she might find.
“You’re nothing but a coward, you scum sucking vermin!”
“Aren’t we full of colorful language,” came the comment of none other than Lex Luthor as he stood in the doorway of the beach house. “Surely a man of your stature can come up with a better monologue to use when welcoming an old friend to your home?”
Alice felt a bile rise in her throat as she flattened herself against the wall, watching from a safe distance. Right now Lex Luthor thought he was in control. She would let him think that and hopefully he would give something away that they could use. Her grip tightened on the barrel of the shotgun in her hands.
“If you seriously think I’d do anything but deck you for what you did to Lois…”
“A sad situation if any,” Lex nodded in agreement. “But that’s what happens when you live dangerously as she continued to do, chasing leads…”
“You can lie to the police and lie to your circle of A-list wannabes but we both know you’re responsible!” Perry growled out angrily.
“If anyone’s responsible for Lois Lane’s demise it’s her former partner, Clark Kent,” Lex responded smoothly. A flicker of something crossed his face and his tone turned dark, “Which brings me to why I’m here.”
“I didn’t think it was for directions,” Perry barked angrily through gritted teeth.
“So, where is he?” Lex asked.
“Who?” Perry asked.
“Don’t play games,” Lex countered.
“I know you can’t be talking about Clark,” Perry responded, “I mean afterall he died in the fire, didn’t he?”
Alice held the barrel of the shotgun to her chest, wondering if Lex Luthor would give himself away or not.
There was a long moment of Lex Luthor staring Perry down and then a pause. “Perhaps some of your other co-habitants will be more forthcoming,” He looked behind him, “Check the rest of the house. Perhaps Mr. White needs some persuasion.”
That was all she needed. Alice gripped the shotgun in her hands and stepped out, holding it on Luthor, “Get the hell out of my house!”
***
Lois climbed out of the truck, slamming the door behind her. The sun was beginning to set and she could make out the crescent orange sun along the horizon. The movie had been fun once she allowed herself to let her guard down and enjoy it. She wasn’t sure what had triggered her need to make amends but afterward she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her. The colossal mistake she’d made with Lex had been weighing on her for months.
Every conversation she and Clark had had since his rescue felt ingenuine as the guilt she carried around over not listening to him continued to eat at her. Here he was trying to be nice to her and give her a worry-free evening and all she could think about was how they never would have been in this situation in the first place if she hadn’t ignored Clark’s warnings.
Clark walked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” She gave him a quick smile. She glanced toward the walkway where a car was driving down the massive hill the long line of cabins were built off of. In the driver’s seat was the nosy Melinda Hemingway with a young man in the passenger seat next to her.
“Just smile and wave,” Clark said, walking up behind her.
Lois sighed, recalling their conversation earlier about drawing attention to themselves. She really couldn’t stand that woman. Something about her felt fake and reminded her of the women that had grouped together and gossiped with one another at the country club as her family began to crash down around her. Her mother’s supposed friends were quick to point the finger and blame her father’s infidelity on her mother. It had been a brutal blow and had pushed her mother to seek refuge in the bottle rather than deal with her crumbling life.
Still, she knew he was right. He had a lot more experience with hiding things from people than she did. Being friendly to someone she didn’t know or didn’t particularly like wasn’t something that came naturally for her. But if it would help keep their cover she was all for it.
Lois lifted her arm and waved, offering a forced smile. Melinda smiled back at them and waved before driving past their driveway. She looked around the wooded area surrounding the driveway and sighed.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Clark grinned back at her.
“Right,” Lois sighed, walking up the steps that led to the front door. She fished the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. The phone in her purse began to chirp and she reached inside to pull out the mobile phone as she stepped inside.
Clark closed the door behind them and she made her way inside the living room, “Hello?”
“Lois, it’s Alice,”
“Alice, hi,” Lois felt her features relax when she heard the familiar voice on the other end. “Everything all right?”
“Lois, where are you right now?” Alice asked.
“The cabin,” Lois said, glancing over at Clark who had taken a seat on the couch.
“You need to be careful,” Alice said in an eerie tone.
“Careful?” Lois looked to Clark and mouthed, ‘Something’s wrong,’ before she pressed the speaker phone button. “What’s going on?”
“Perry and I got a visitor this evening.” Alice’s voice was shaky as she added in a harsh whisper, “It was Lex Luthor.”
The blood drained from Lois’ face as her hand immediately went to her mouth, trying to calm her nerves. “Are you…I mean, is anyone…?”
“Mrs. White, this is Clark Kent,” Clark took the phone from her. “Are you sure it was Luthor?”
“Positive,” Alice let out a low breath over the line. “He was searching for someone…though he didn’t come out and say it we all know who he was looking for.”
Lois shared a look with Clark, placing a hand over the tight fist that gripped the edge of the coffee table. “Are you and Perry okay?”
“We’re fine,” Alice gave a chuckle. “Though I don’t think Mr. Luthor’s driver was so lucky. I fired a warning shot and I think I scared the poor guy stiff.”
“What about Jimmy?” Clark asked.
“He and Jack are on their way to meet a detective that had information on that Cox woman.” Alice explained with a sigh. “Thankfully they weren’t here when the confrontation happened.”
There was a silence between them and she added, “I know he doesn’t know where you are, Lois, but is there anyone else close to Clark that he might try to go after?”
The tight grip on the table caught Lois’ attention and she moved her hand up to his wrist, rubbing her palm against the top of his knuckles, trying to get him to relax. He glanced over at her and loosened his grip before speaking up.
“My parents.”
“I’ll give them a call and warn them,” Lois offered.
“Just be careful,” Alice added.
***
The sound of the ferry horn blaring in the distance caught Jack off guard as he boarded the ferry to cross over Gotham Bay, leading into the heart of Gotham City. He knew this trip was risky when Jimmy had suggested it but he also knew it would possibly pay off in a big way. He watched his friend pull out the tickets and get in line to board the ferry.
“Where are we supposed to be meeting this guy at?” Jack asked, looking around the crowd that had begun to form near the dock leading to the ferry.
“He said to take the ferry into Gotham and he’d meet us there.” Jimmy said with a shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“Any idea what this guy looks like?” Jack asked as the line began to move.
“Nope,” Jimmy sighed.
“How about something other than the name Gordon?” Jack pressed.
“He didn’t give me a lot of information to go on,” Jimmy said, moving with the line to where the attendant was checking tickets. “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous Gotham City is?” Jack asked. “The crime rate there is insane….literally. The criminals aren’t just bad…they’re crazy.”
“That is why they expanded Arkham Asylum,” Jimmy said with a sigh, handing his tickets to the attendant to check.
The woman checking their side of the line nodded for them to continue on and Jack followed Jimmy to the dock where the ferry was boarding. “So, say this Gordon guy has info on this woman Cox. Then what?” Jack asked. “It’s not like we can go run to the police with it.”
“We figure out what we’re up against and use it to help us break the hold Luthor has on everyone,” Jimmy said with a determined expression.
“The only way to do that is to give them something to be more afraid of,” a voice came from behind them and they turned to see a tall man with gray hair and a mustache standing behind them.
“Who are you?” Jack asked.
“I’m assuming you’re Olsen?” the man asked, looking at Jimmy.
“You Gordon?” Jimmy asked.
The man pulled out a Gotham P.D. badge identifying him as Commissioner James Gordon. Jack’s eyes widened as he stared back at the man, “Commissioner Gordon?”
“Call me Jim,” he corrected, motioning to the ferry. “Looks like they’re boarding.”
***
Martha sighed, setting the coffee cup on the table as she listened to Lois’ voice on speaker phone. She glanced over at Jonathan who was hurriedly packing a bag for them. She did her best to remain calm as she responded, not wanting to worry Lois or Clark.
“We’ll be fine, Lois,” Martha forced a smile.
“I don’t think you understand, Martha,” came Lois’ warning. “He showed up at Perry’s. Not one of his goons. Him!”
“Lois, it’s going to be okay,” Martha reassured, looking up at her husband who wore a grim expression on his face.
Jonathan thankfully took that moment to add in, “Lois, just try and focus on keeping you and Clark safe.” His gaze shifted to Martha as he added. “Luthor can send all the goons he wants but no one in this town is going to help him.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Martha added, swiping her cheek, “We’ll be fine.”
“But…”
“No buts,” Jonathan cut her off. “We’ll be in touch.”
With that he ended the call and Martha gave herself permission to release the emotion she’d been holding back on the call. Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she felt a hard lump build in her throat from the tension. “He’s never going to give up, is he?”
“They’ll stop him,” Jonathan said firmly.
“And if they don’t?” Martha looked at him accusingly. “This man …this monster was holding our son hostage and…”
“And it’s our job to make sure that doesn’t ever happen again,” Jonathan said firmly. “The only way we can do that is to make sure Luthor never has an opportunity to hold anyone over Clark’s head.”
“Are you sure Wayne will be all right?” Martha asked.
“He’s made of tough stuff,” Jonathan grinned. “Wayne knows how to rattle guys like Luthor.”
“He knows,” Martha said in an eerie calm.
“We don’t know that,” Jonathan said grimly.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Jonathan, how else do you think Clark was hurt?” Martha asked tearfully. “He knows.”
Jonathan still refused to acknowledge the fact that she laid at his feet, “We’ll got to Topeka and figure it out from there.”
***
‘He knows,’ Lois thought to herself, staring at the blank walls surrounding her in the living room. It was a fact she’d held in the back of her mind, fearful of letting it out and letting the terror that was associated with that fact out. She knew there was only explanation for how Clark had been rendered powerless and how he had been locked away from everyone and everything he knew.
Lex knew Clark was Superman.
She wasn’t sure how or when he figured it out but she knew it couldn’t have been an intentional revelation. She glanced toward Clark who was sitting on the other side of the couch. She knew he had to be struggling to deal with everything. Knowing Lex was hunting him down, searching for everyone he cared about and Clark not being able to do anything but sit back idly. She reached her hand out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it.
He looked up and smiled at her, “You okay?”
“Okay,” she shrugged. “I, uh, called your parents to warn them.”
“Good,” he nodded, shifting his gaze down to her hand.
She did her best not to react to the lack of response on his part. It had been nearly two months since his rescue and he still hadn’t tried to call his parents. She tried…really tried to rationalize what could possibly be preventing him from at least talking to them but try as she might she couldn’t comprehend it. It was cruel punishment to listen to his parents ask questions she didn’t know the answers to. It was even crueler to know how tormented his parents were in wanting to know how he was doing and she couldn’t honestly answer the question because he refused to talk to her until recently. That at least had changed but the silent wall he kept up was still there, peeking through in times of stress. She wanted desperately to shake him and tell him to snap out of it and talk to the Kents but found herself unable to speak up.
***
“I, uh, called your parents to warn them.” Lois’ words were mixed with torment as she glanced toward Clark.
“Good,” Clark nodded, shifting his gaze down to her hand, admiring how perfectly her palm fit in his.
Panic had flooded through him when Lois had offered him the phone to call and warn his parents that their lives could be in danger. Perry, Jimmy, Jack…everyone he knew and cared about was at risk. Still he couldn’t bring himself to have that conversation with his mom and dad. It was easier this way. Pretending there wasn’t imminent danger lurking around every corner, waiting to strike.
There was a plan in place of course. There had been a plan from the beginning. His dad had insisted on having some way to rebuff any threats to exposure. The paranoia his dad carried with him had been irritating at times but in those early days of Superman’s first appearance in Metropolis he had been grateful to know there was something protecting those he cared about most.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel as if he’d let them down. He had been the one to insist on going public to satisfy his need to help where he could. He had been the one to step into the lion’s den and put everyone’s lives at risk. He had been the one to reveal everything to his mortal enemy and put their lives at risk.
After years of listening to the fears his parents had carried and living with that fear inside him as well he found himself more afraid than he’d ever been in his life. Afraid for his parents, afraid for his friends, and most of all afraid for himself. What would be the end result when they finally did catch Luthor? He held the bargaining chip that guaranteed Clark Kent’s life would never be what it was.
In one moment life as he had known it ceased to exist. Lois continued to talk about reclaiming her life after this was all over but he didn’t have the heart to tell her he couldn’t do the same. Luthor would make sure of that.
He had failed everyone.
Now all he could hope for was to see justice served for the pain Luthor had caused and pray by the end of this his friends and family didn’t hate him for what he’d done. Luthor was hunting everyone down because of him. All because he had selfishly taken the risk and put on that red and blue suit, essentially putting a target on his back.
“Clark?” Lois squeezed his hand, pulling his attention back to the present. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he cleared his throat and forced a smile on his face. “It’s really late.” He let out a yawn, hoping to present a believable semi-exhausted face to her.
She stared at him for a moment and nodded, “Yeah, we should turn in. We can check in with Jimmy tomorrow. Figure out what our next move is then.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, looking down to his lap.
She pursed her lips for a moment, staring at him for what felt like eternity. “For what it’s worth, I think you should give them a chance.”
“Who?” he looked back at her in surprise.
“Your parents,” Lois said, running a hand through her hair, releasing her other hand from his. “You know whatever it is…it can’t be as bad as leaving them wondering.”
“It’s not that simple,” he replied carefully.
“Then explain it to me, please,” Lois looked at him in disbelief. “You know you can’t shut them out forever.”
“Lois, please, just let it go,” Clark groaned.
“Fine,” Lois remarked in a huff, standing to her feet. “You want to keep shutting everyone out. Go right ahead.” She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her in a huff.
He let out a groan, leaning his head back against the couch and staring up at the ceiling. “Life, one million three hundred and eighty-six. Clark, zero.”
***
Jimmy looked around the gloomy building he and Jack were being led inside. Gotham City certainly lived up to its reputation of having a dark and creepy vibe to it. He looked over his shoulder for what felt like the umpteenth time, following Commissioner Jim Gordon into a small room with a single window. Jimmy glanced at Jack who shared the same uncomfortable expression.
“Nice place,” Jimmy said uncertainly.
“It’s not mine,” Gordon shrugged with a snort, “Salary isn’t the best at the police department but I can afford a lot better than this dump.”
“So, what is this place?” Jack asked staring at the rundown appearance.
“It’s where I typically meet a, uh…we’ll call him a consultant.” Gordon offered a smile beneath the mustache and glasses and Jimmy glanced over at Jack uneasily.
“Consultant?” Jimmy asked, unsure he wanted to know.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Gordon pointed to the desk in the corner. “You wanted information on Mercy Graves?”
“That’s Beverly Cox’s alias, right?” Jimmy asked, recalling the name he’d come across in his research.
“This is where it happened,” Gordon stared at the empty room.
“Where what happened?” Jack asked.
“Where Mercy Graves died,” Gordon’s tone grew dark as he pulled out a large file and handed it to Jimmy. He then added with a smirk, “Supposedly that is.”
Jimmy stared at the file in his hand, pulling the first page out detailing the suspected victims of Mercy Graves. He frowned and turned to Gordon, “What’s this?”
Gordon let out a long breath and turned toward the window, “A disease. That’s what the league called Gotham during the raid.”
“Raid?” Jack asked.
“Twenty-four hours of nothing but fire, blood, death, and carcasses covering the streets of this city.” Jim Gordon’s face took on a solemn tone. “Ra’s al Ghul, their leader disappeared when he realized he was losing the fight for Gotham. Mercy Graves and many of the league’s members disappeared along with him.”
“And became Beverly Cox,” Jimmy reasoned aloud, following what Gordon was saying.
“They say trouble travels in threes, don’t they?” Gordon asked, turning to look back at Jimmy and Jack. “Ra’s al Ghul found the best of the best and trained them to be cold blooded killers, capable of taking out the world’s most nefarious criminals and the most powerful leaders in the world. And he’s still out there.” Photo after photo were laid out on the desk of some of the richest families in the world that had been killed over the years.
“Mercy Graves was responsible for destroying Gotham and if you’re not careful she’ll take Metropolis down with her.” Gordon warned, then added more darkly, “You are dealing with a woman trained to torture and kill people for sport. You will never break her.” He gave a snort, “Or her employer.”
“Seems like you got personal knowledge on this Ra’s al Ghul,” Jack remarked with a knowing look, “And something more.”
Jim Gordon took a deep breath, “I’ve devoted my life to restoring Gotham to the once prestigious city it was before the plague of this city was engulfed in scum like the league.” He then snorted, “The man your city looks to as its golden child is nothing more than a puppet for the league.”
“What do you mean?” Jimmy frowned.
“Ra’s al Ghul brought the plague with him and he infected many. One of which is the man signing the checks to most of Metropolis citizens.”
“Luthor,” Jimmy spat the name out and Gordon nodded in recognition. “But, why haven’t you done anything? Said anything?”
“The hold the league has is something that continues to be beyond my reach.” Gordon snorted. “If you can find someone willing to take a stand against him then you might have a shot but Luthor is small potatoes compared to the league.”
Jimmy stared at the file in his hand, uncertain how to respond to the information he’d just been told. His mouth felt dry and he cleared his throat, “Um, can I keep this?”
“It’s yours,” Gordon responded with a nod. “Not that it’ll do much good.”
“We’ll be the judge of that,” Jack retorted.
***
Emmet Vale tapped at his keyboard furiously, searching for something that would help lead him to something tangible for Nigel. He had heard the rumors of what had happened to those that disappointed Lex Luthor’s right hand man. The eerie calm Nigel remained in made it abundantly clear how at ease he was with the suffering and torture he put his victims through.
A frown crossed his face when he uncovered a hidden file marked ‘Mayday.’ He clicked on it and ran the decoder, filtering through the options for a password until the screen clicked green and access was granted. A smile spread across his face when the file and was greeted by the sight of a meticulously kept log of unnamed patients, injuries, dates, and addresses where the injuries were treated.
Curious, he began to scroll through, uncertain if this was what Nigel was looking for or not, but it was important to someone.
***
One Month Ago…
“Harder,” Christina Wallace cheered, tightening her arm around Lois’ neck from behind. Lois gasped, gripping Christina’s arm as she struggled to release herself from her grasp. “You think you can hope to hold your own with a few fancy kicks and punches?”
Lois found the leverage she needed and struck Christina in the abdomen, causing her to cry out in pain. Lois jumped back, turning to face her as she held her hands up, preparing herself for the next attack, “I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” Christina challenged, circling around her. “You want to take down a trained assassin,”
“I can hold my own,” Lois spat back, keeping her eyes on Christina as she lifted her arm to throw a fake punch her way.
“Can you?” Christina challenged, swinging her leg in a one-eighty to sweep Lois’ legs and knock her off balance.
Lois jumped back and spat out angrily, “You missed,”
***
Lex slammed his fist across the mahogany desk, vibrating the contents under the strength of his anger. He heard a sharp intake of breath as he looked up to see both Asabi and his Director of Communications standing in the doorway of his office, waiting for him to calm his raging nerves.
“How did this happen?” Lex demanded angrily.
“I…I don’t know, Mr. Luthor,” his director responded.
“You cannot let these setbacks take over your mind and spirit, Mr. Luthor,” Asabi advised carefully. “It is when we become consumed with anger that we lose sight of the true goal,”
“Yes, of course,” Lex gathered himself, straightening his posture. “This is just a …minor setback.”
Asabi nodded, “I’m sure your director can assist in finding a way to fight Stern Media’s recent purchase,”
“Well, actually, no,” the director winced, expecting Lex’s rage to be cast toward him.
“What do you mean ‘no’?” Lex demanded.
“The deal was pushed through a month ago. The publications were done in an obscure paper to prevent backlash. The deal is within the letter of the law.”
“I will not be at the mercy of Franklin Stern,” Luthor warned. “Fix this,”
“You can’t,” a voice came from the hallway.
Lex looked up to see Franklin Stern standing behind Asabi. “What are you doing here?”
Stern entered the office, pushing past Lex’s director and Asabi as he made his way toward the desk. “I’m here to make you an offer,”
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Lex spat out angrily,
“Sour grapes, Lex?” Stern laughed as he set a large manila envelope, “You’ll find it’s more than generous given your recent hiccups,”
“What makes you think I’d sell any part of LexCorp to you?” Lex hissed out angrily.
“Because if you don’t then I will make it so you can’t run any part of your multimedia empire anywhere,” Stern growled back. “You have to have a company willing to do business with you and Stern Media has no interest in keeping LNN on the air.”
***
Danny Malone set his beer bottle on the table and turned to Jack Davenport’s slumped over body on the floor. A smile spread across his face as he pulled out a syringe from his pocket, tapping the clear liquid as a few drops escaped. He turned his attention to the unconscious body of John Black and whispered, “Oh, Johnny Boy, you never should have left home.”
***
“We have a witness,” Christina said, setting a large 8x10 photo on the coffee table for Lois.
Lois wrinkled her nose, recognizing the name at the bottom of the photo, “John Black? Isn’t he…?”
“The same witness that Mrs. Cox scared off the first time?” Christina finished for her. “You bet. Jack is taking him into protective custody and he’ll be testifying to what his brother told him.”
“That’s everything with the Planet,” Lois reasoned aloud, instinctively reaching for her side where she’d been stabbed so many months ago. “What about the rest?”
“We’ll get there,” Christina reassured her. “We have to take the first step with John and then hopefully we can get Pete Black to testify on his involvement with Mercy Graves and any activities that might lead back to Lex Luthor.”
“It’s not enough,” Lois snorted.
“It’s a start,” Christina reassured her. “Given how little we had a few months ago I’d say we’re on the right track.”
“So any thoughts on getting Lexel Investments to admit to the insurance policy they had on the Planet?” Lois asked, “We prove intent and we can nail him to the wall.”
“Agent Malone is pulling the insurance records from the federal bureau. All polices have to be filed with the Insurance Commissioner of New Troy.” Christina explained. “If there was a record he’ll find it.”
The phone on the table chirped and Christina reached over to answer it, “Hello?”
***
TBC...
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