Rules of War
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 13: Full Disclosure
***
The newsroom Clark was used to entering seemed duller and quieter without Lois there. Maybe it was just the knowledge that he knew she couldn’t be there. He felt a hard lump in his throat as he spotted the brown box that had been placed on her and several other female staffer’s desks. He spotted Perry in his office arguing with two large men in suits. He didn’t dare try to overhear the conversation for fear that it would only fuel his anger.
His visit with Bruce had given him an idea of where to go next. Knowing what had been done without his knowledge to the Metropolis SWAT Team and Bill Henderson further solidified his anger at Luthor. Bruce was putting together a team to explore the tunnels and hopefully find something they could use to connect Luthor to their kidnapping.
Though he still wasn’t sure what good that would do given the hold Luthor appeared to have over the President. It just didn’t make sense. Nothing in Garner’s past would even hint at him being capable of such atrocities yet here they were living in a world where his wife and every other female within the country’s borders had been downgraded to second-class citizens. It took everything in him not to react. He wanted to throttle them and demand answers just like the protesters that were now marching in the streets.
“Clark, where’ve you been?” Ron Troupe called out, walking up behind him.
Clark turned to the political analyst, unsure how to respond to him as Ron reached over to pat him on the shoulder. He caught the sympathetic expression on the young man’s face and momentarily wondered how much trouble he’d be in if he just bolted and worked the rest of the day from home. He cast a glance over the newsroom, and responded to Ron with a defeated sigh,
“Anywhere but here.”
He wanted to be anywhere but here at the moment. Surrounded by his co-workers that offered sympathetic stares while walking on eggshells around their editor. He needed to get some answers from Perry and hopefully have some semblance of a lead to fill in the gaping holes in his theory of how or why this was happening. He could speculate all day long, but he still lacked the missing pieces to tie everything back to where he was sure everything stemmed from.
Luthor was up to his neck in this mess. He was sure of it, but he couldn’t prove it. That seemed to be the underlying theme with everything. He had his theories, but he couldn’t prove anything.
He spotted Jimmy walking near the elevators with his mobile phone tucked in between his shoulder and ear as he continued his conversation. The worry on the young man’s face told him something was wrong. Without realizing it, his super-hearing tuned into the conversation, picking up his sister-in-law’s voice as she cried over the phone.
“I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go…”
“I know,” Jimmy said with a deep sigh. “It’s fine. We’ll put my name on the lease and figure everything else out after that.”
“We shouldn’t have to,” Lucy’s response came.
“No, but we can’t have you being homeless either.” Jimmy’s voice was quiet as he added. “Listen, Luce; I’ve got to go. I’ll catch up with you tonight. I sent a courier to the café with the key.”
“Thanks, Jimmy.”
Clark ran a hand through his hair, turning to excuse himself from Ron. He caught Jimmy as he stepped into the bullpen, placing a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Hey, Jimmy.”
“Hey, CK,” Jimmy barely looked up from the papers in his hand as he walked to his desk, “Where you been?”
“Uh…” Clark was caught off guard by the question. He could answer, or he could test Lois’ theory that his young friend knew more than he was letting on. The choice was up to him.
“I had a…Cheese of the Month delivery.” Clark responded, waiting for any reaction that would tell him his friend didn’t know he masqueraded in a red cape and ‘S’ in his spare time.
He didn’t even blink.
Jimmy just nodded and smiled, patting him on the shoulder, “Well, good to have you back.” He pointed toward the television where coverage of the protests outside the White House was beginning to grow. “We certainly need you.”
Clark bit his lower-lip, closing his eyes as the truth hit him for the second time that day. For the second time, he was confronted with someone outside of his immediate family knowing the truth he had kept hidden for so long. Unlike before where he was tempted to deny or divert Bruce from the truth—this time he was prepared. He calmly placed a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder, “We need to talk.”
***
Jimmy stared at the table in front of him, uncertain why Clark had ushered him inside the conference room. He looked around the room, waiting for his friend to speak up. Maybe it was about the new law that had been passed. Maybe it was about the several stories he and Lois were juggling and trying to do research. Maybe it was about Lucy.
He wasn’t sure.
He watched as Clark paced around the room, closing the blinds one by one. His jaw tightened as he contemplated what Clark could have to talk to him about that made him so nervous. A sideways glance at his friend gave him his answer.
“How long have you known?” Clark finally asked.
“Known?” Jimmy stared blankly at him, unsure if he should respond.
It took him a moment to connect the dots to the truth he’d unearthed inadvertently. He watched in rapt attention as Clark let out a long breath and removed his glasses, setting them on the table in front of him. It felt strange to stare at the mixed image of the superhero everyone adored and his friend and co-worker.
Jimmy let out a soft sigh, “That obvious, huh?” He didn’t wait for a response, instead of reassuring his friend, “I would never tell anyone.”
“I know that, Jimmy,” Clark said carefully. “I would have probably told you eventually.” There was a silence between them, and then Clark asked, “You remembered what happened when you were under control the Wilder’s control, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” Jimmy nodded, feeling the weight of the world come off his shoulders as he stared back at Clark. “At first I thought I was going crazy and then it started to make sense…and then the pieces just sorta fit.”
“Any reason why you never brought it up?” Clark asked.
“I figured you’d bring it up if you wanted me to know.” Jimmy cracked a smile. His face fell slightly as he looked out toward the newsroom where the remaining reporters stood around the television set, watching the chaos unfold. “We could really use Superman right now.”
“But thanks to that stunt the other day he can’t help, Jimmy.” Clark let out a long breath. “I don’t think he could—even without the fugitive status.”
“What happened?” Jimmy asked, curious to finally have a chance to ask the burning question that had been weighing on his mind since the incident of Superman being declared an enemy of the United States.
“I honestly don’t know.” Clark explained carefully, “One minute I was tending to a rescue, the next minute I was waking up at home with jagged memories of everything I’d done the previous day.”
A silent lull fell between them, and Jimmy broke the silence adding, “I covered for you. That’s how Lois figured it out.”
“Yeah,” Clark nodded.
“How’s she doing?” Jimmy asked curiously.
Clark shook his head, “How would you be?”
***
The lock turned on the deadbolt and Clark turned the knob to the front door, pushing it open as he juggled the three boxes of files he’d brought home from the Planet. His other arm held Chinese Takeout from Lois’ favorite place in Bangkok.
“Lois?” he called out to her, setting the boxes down in the foyer as he shut the door behind him. He turned to the living room where he found Lois in the corner, staring at a large board propped against the wall and post it notes that were surrounding the board with questions. “I’d ask how your day was, but I guess I don’t have to.” He observed, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey,” she flashed him a weak smile and leaned up to kiss him. “I tried to order dinner, but all the usual places are closed due to them having to let go of most of their staff.”
Clark squeezed her arm and held up the bag in his other hand, “I had a feeling that might be an issue, so I went international.”
A defeated sigh escaped her lips, and she rested her head against his chest. “So, Superman’s been reduced to food delivery?”
“Well, given his current status is persona non grata in the United States I didn’t want to risk flying in the suit,” Clark explained, pointing to his dark attire.
“Lex Luthor Vice President and Superman a fugitive,” Lois muttered aloud with a look of disdain as she turned her attention to the board. “How did everything get so screwed up?”
“How are you holding up?” Clark asked, uncertain if he wanted the answer.
“I’ve gone from uncontrollable rage to furious and frustrated,” she said with a bitter expression. “Every time I think about it…”
“I know,” Clark murmured leaning over to kiss her forehead.
She looked down, contemplating her words for a moment before meeting his gaze, “That lo-mein smells amazing,”
“I got some dumplings and wontons too,” He said, holding up the bag for her inspection.
“My hero,” Lois tugged his arm with her to the kitchen. “I’m starving, and that food is getting cold.”
***
The majestic columns and earthy scents of worn pages from the books that filled the handcrafted bookshelves. Lex looked around the narrow walkways with his Secret Service a few feet away. Finally, he reached the sign he was looking for. The visitor’s tour of the library of Congress. There at the edge of the crowd was the man he’d been searching for. Though you couldn’t recognize him from his appearance. Carmine Falcone was dressed in a blue polo shirt and tan dress slacks, appearing to be just any other visitor.
Lex looked back at his Secret Service agents, nodding to them. “I appreciate the spirit, but given where we are I think a little distance would be wise, don’t you?”
“Of course, Mr. Vice President,” the agent nodded.
After ensuring the agent had indeed hung back, Lex took his place at the end of the tour next to Carmine. “A bit public for a last minute meeting.”
“That’ll be the least of your worries if you don’t take care of things,” Carmine shot back bitterly, slapping a copy of the STAR across Lex’s chest.
Lex looked down to see the article on the front page under the coverage of Garner’s new law. He let out a sigh when he saw the picture of Alberto Falcone and the headline,
‘Falcone Family Bloodline Ends!’ “I’m not sure what this has to do with me, Carmine,” Lex responded slowly.
“The support you gained is only because of me, Lex.” Carmine threatened. “Intergang needs to be shut down. There’s only room for one criminal organization in this country.”
“I can’t just shut Church down, Carmine, it doesn’t work like that.” Lex hissed. “He knows too much.”
“You’ll figure something out, or the next headline will be reading your obituary.” Carmine threatened.
“Is that a threat?” Lex challenged.
“Take it however you like. I put you here, and I can take you down.” Carmine snarled. “Clear enough for you?”
***
Clark set the last stack of dishes in the cabinet as Lois wiped the counter down. He closed the cabinet and turned his attention to Lois as she tossed the last of the soiled paper towels in the garbage. “I think that’s the last of it,” he said.
“Yeah,” Lois agreed, running her hands up and down her arms. Her gaze shifted once more to the living room where her wall of questions stood on display.
Clark walked up behind her, placing both hands on her shoulders, “We’ll figure this out, Lois, we always do.”
“When?” Lois asked, turning to face him. “He’s out of control. What’s next? World War Three? Another Holocaust?” Tears trickled down her cheeks as the frustrations from the day made their way out. “I have gone from being a respected professional to a second-class citizen demoted to being a helpless invalid that can’t be trusted to drive, or manage money without my husband’s okay.”
“Lois, you are a lot of things, but helpless is not one of them,” Clark reassured her, pulling her close to him.
“I’m
furious. ” She fumed against his chest.
“I know. I am too, but unfortunately thanks to Superman’s stunt a few days ago I’m limited on my options for how to handle this. I can’t just go storming into the White House and demand answers without leaving you high and dry.”
“As tempting as that idea is, it’s probably not a good idea to storm into the lion’s den without a plan.” A small smile crossed her face, “Metropolis is running low on heroes at the moment.”
“They’ve still got the tenacious Lois Lane,” he smiled back at her. “I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you, Lois.”
“I just don’t know how much more I can take,” Her voice caught slightly as she spoke, “It’s not easy….being forced on the sidelines like this.”
“You’re not on the sidelines, Lois,” Clark whispered, cupping her cheek. “We’re a team. No matter what. I don’t care what that law says. It will always be Lane and Kent.”
She cracked a smile at him, wiping the tear from the corner of her eyes, “I know you think that, and it’s sweet, but Clark look around. I can’t even drive my own Jeep. Every cent I worked for is gone. It’s like my voice has been snuffed out with a swipe of a pen and…”
She stopped, freezing mid-sentence as the words escaped her lips. He ran a hand across her cheek, gently trying to coax out of her whatever had clicked in her mind.
“Like a swipe of a pen,” she repeated the words once more, running her hands across her face and stepping away from him as she mumbled, “God, this is all my fault. I never should have…”
“What?” Clark asked, not following her train of thought.
“That afternoon…when you were…whatever it was that had taken over and made you act so crazy…” she trailed off and then quickly routed herself back to her train of thought, “Anyway, Lex and his Secret Service goons were here when Mayson and I stopped by to pick up some files.” Lois muttered bitterly.
“
Here? ” Clark asked, careful not to overreact as he waited for Lois to finish retelling the events he’d been updated on by Bruce.
“I’m sorry, I know I should have mentioned it earlier. There’s just been so much going on, and…it slipped my mind.” Lois said hurriedly, beginning to pace in a small circle as she spoke.
“It’s fine, really,” Clark reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. “How did he get in?”
Lois continued to ramble as she paced. “He paid the landlord a visit and got him to let him in.”
“He did what?” Clark could feel his anger fester further at the knowledge that not only had Luthor been here in their home –waiting for Lois to arrive—but he’d been given entry by someone they had trusted. “I swear if Luthor laid one hand …”
“I’m fine, really,” she reassured him. “He just wanted to gloat, really and I think to test what he could get away with. He was spewing threats about being able to change any law he wanted with the swipe of a pen…” Lois ran a hand across her face, “I might have thrown a retort back saying I could basically do the same thing.”
Clark chuckled, unable to help himself as he stared back at Lois. Though she was probably petrified, facing down Luthor, she never would show it. Leave it to Lois to threaten Luthor right back. “We can stop him, Lois,” he reassured. “You got him to back down.”
“Sorta,” Lois shrugged, “Your friend…that Bat guy showed up and scared him off.”
“Batman,” Clark corrected.
“Yeah,” Lois shrugged her shoulders. “I think he spooked Lex.”
“Good,” Clark wrapped a protective arm around her.
“Good?” Lois looked back at him in amusement, “I thought you weren’t sure about him.”
“I’m not,” he said evasively, lowering his head and burying his face in her hair. He needed to tell her everything. Bruce had given him the okay to share his secret with the condition it was only with Lois, and it didn’t make it into the papers. They needed all the help they could get if they were going to stop Luthor.
Lois being Lois quickly picked up on his hesitancy. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“So….remember when Superman went a little haywire….” Clark grew quiet for a moment, trying to formulate the words he wanted to convey without alarming Lois any further than she was.
“How could I forget?” she gave him a teasing grin, tracing an invisible ‘S’ across his chest. “It’s the greatest hits for the week on the 24-hour news circuit.”
“I know,” Clark said shamefully, raking a hand through his hair. “Superman may have crossed a line he shouldn’t have.”
“May have?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Definitely,” he corrected, leaning back on the edge of the couch. “I never should have done it.
He was just trying to knock some sense into me.” Clark admitted sheepishly, “but I couldn’t or
wouldn’t listen.”
“Who?”
“Bruce…well, Batman.”
“I’m sorry.
What? ” Lois’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Bruce Wayne is Batman. I x-rayed his cowl.” Clark admitted, and before Lois could respond, he quickly berated himself for her. “I know. I know. It was a huge mistake. I still can’t believe I did that, but then again there’s a lot of things I did that day I can’t believe.”
“You…
what?” Lois’ jaw dropped in surprise, frozen in place as the shock seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks.
He quickly took advantage of the shock and continued, “I talked to him this afternoon. He agreed that considering everything it was important I let you know.”
“Things?” Lois asked, struggling to find the words she was searching for.
Clark glanced down then back at her face, “Things like…he knows I’m Superman.” Before she could react, he quickly added, “And no I didn’t tell him. He figured it out…I wasn’t the best with the excuses in the beginning if you remember. He’s known for a few years apparently.”
“Bruce…as in Bruce Wayne—the billionaire that runs Wayne Enterprises is really—Batman?” Lois asked, finally finding the words she’d been searching for.
“Yeah,” Clark nodded, looping his arm around her waist and taking comfort in the closeness.
“This just keeps getting better and better,” she muttered in disbelief. “Well, that explains his insistence on us covering those puff pieces on him.”
“I don’t think he’ll do anything with the information. I know his secret, and he knows mine.” Clark explained, “but for the moment I’m okay I guess.”
“You guess?” Lois asked with a half-smile.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “It’s just a lot to take in. Jimmy knowing—I can handle that. I know Jimmy. I trust him.”
“But you don’t trust Bruce,” Lois guessed.
“I don’t know,” Clark admitted honestly. “I want to. I just don’t know.”
Lois smiled back at him, leaning in to kiss him, “Well, then I guess we fake it until you do. It is in your best interest to trust him.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, running his hand through her hair. “Oh, one more thing,”
“I don’t think I can take any more big surprises,” Lois muttered, resting her head in her hands.
“It’s not a big surprise,” he said carefully. “I talked with Jimmy earlier. He and Lucy are moving in together.”
Lois nodded and sighed, “Not because they want to but because they have to. I talked to Lucy earlier. She said Jimmy had to put his name on her lease in order to keep her from being evicted. Thankfully Ron was able to hold her apartment for her until she could figure stuff out.”
“Yeah, I heard,” Clark said with a deep sigh.
Lois turned to look at him, the silent question on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to continue. “So, did you and Jimmy talk about anything else?”
“And you were right,” Clark said, running a hand across her cheek. “He knows I’m Superman.” Lois bit her lower-lip, opening her mouth to ask her next question and he rested his forehead against hers. “It’s fine, really. He took it a lot better than I ever would have guessed. He figured it out and was ready to remain quiet about it until one of us clued him in.”
Lois gave him a watery smile, “That was really lucky.”
“I know,” Clark let out a shaky breath.
“That’s a relief, I guess,” Lois sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Still, not exactly planned.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Clark said with a heavy sigh. “I would have preferred to have decided to let Jimmy in on the secret myself—not have him find out by accident.”
“Well, I guess it could be worse,” She murmured, turning to face him. “I think,” her gaze shifted to the board on display.
“They never did find that guy, did they?” Clark pointed at the board to the picture of Vice President Johnson with a sticky note next to it noting,
‘Assassin at Large?’ “Yeah, there’s been no mention of any attempt to investigate his murder,” Lois said sadly.
“Well, why would there be?” Clark asked, gesturing to the events Lois had marked right after it. “Cyber attack, prison riot with criminals roaming the city, Congress basically replaced…The entire country has had crisis after crisis.”
“And now everyone’s pretty much forgotten about it,” Lois muttered, shaking her head.
“And you have President Garner basically doing whatever Luthor says.” Clark pointed to the subsequent notes calling out different decisions the President had made over the past few weeks. “Congress has been replaced. The VP has been replaced. Most of the White House staff has been replaced…”
“I heard they let go of Michelle Grayson, The Press Secretary,” Lois added.
“White House can’t be seen breaking their own laws,” Clark retorted in disgust.
“The thing I couldn’t figure out is why,” Lois explained, gesturing to the board. “Lex obviously has something over Garner.”
“Or someone he cares about,” Clark added. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “I can’t believe you did all this in a day.”
“I had a little help,” she admitted, bumping her hip against him. “Mayson came by earlier and caught me up on some of what the DA’s office has been investigating. Helped fill in some holes.”
“How’s she holding up?” Clark asked.
“Okay,” Lois said with a sigh. “She’s got an uncle she’s staying with just outside of town. So, at least she has
somewhere to go.” Lois shook her head. “She was able to fill in some of the stuff the DA’s office was working on, and I filled in what I could find from our files.”
“I’ve got the file boxes you asked for,” Clark pointed to the boxes he dropped off by the door. “You think you can fill in the holes?”
“Maybe,” Lois muttered, running her hands up and down her arms. “I’m not sure if it’ll do much good. The more we push back and find the worse things get.”
“We’re not the only ones fighting back, Lois,” Clark reassured, watching the turbulent emotions move across her face as she worked her way through her emotions. “Bruce has got a team looking into this. Perry’s got everyone digging to see what they can find.” He looked at the board, “Of course no one has gotten this much headway…”
“There are still a lot of questions, and my sources are scattered everywhere,” Lois said with a defeated sigh. “I’m out of moves.”
“So, maybe we put our heads together with some other capable minds and see what we can come up with?” Clark suggested, tracing the frame of her face with his palm.
“Such as?” Lois asked.
“Well, a few scientists from STAR Labs are hiding out at WayneTech along with the recovering real Bill Henderson.”
Lois’ eyes lit up, “Bill’s memory is back?”
“Mostly,” Clark shrugged, “There are still some pieces that aren’t there, but Dr. Snow is working with him on it.” At Lois’ surprised expression he gave a nonchalant shrug, “Fake trusting him, right?”
Lois smiled, leaning into him as she reached up to cup his cheek with her palm, “I love you, you know that?”
“I think you’ve mentioned it once or twice,” he teased, leaning in closer so he could feel her breath against his cheek. “I’d be lost without you, Lois.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she reassured him, brushing her lips against his. Her hand relaxed against him as his other arm circled around her waist, pulling her to him.
He felt the electrical storm of emotions the moment their lips touched. He leaned in closer, hoping to not only reassure her but also himself from the undercurrent fears and turmoil that had been building up. Every moment of uncertainty seemed to wash away as the tidal wave of emotions began to overtake both of them.
He moved closer, stroking the side of her face with his hand. His lips found hers again and again, and lightning crackled between them as the stress and anxiety from the last twenty-four hours made its way to the surface. Her hands roamed up and down the back of his head, fingering the strands of his hair between her fingers.
“Lois,” he could feel the heat between them begin to build as his body sank down, dissolving the distance between them with a loud moan. His lips smoothed over hers in soft caresses as he fell deeper into the euphoria of her embrace. Her long legs curved over his hips and her arms wrapped around him, pressing the softness of her flesh against him.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured against her lips, vibrating the words against her mouth as each kiss became more and more insistent.
She placed a hand over his, gripping his wrist in a tight circle as she met his gaze. “I love you, Clark,”
His body settled against her, running his other hand against the length of her arm, tracing the curve of her elbow and with his palm, “I love you, Lois, so much.”
***
Carmine Falcone stormed through the doors of his vacant office, barking orders left and right. He turned to the empty room, realizing no one had followed him. He placed a hand on his head, contemplating his next move.
His son was gone.
His most trusted ally was the culprit.
His alliance with Intergang could not continue, but how could he take his revenge with the Vice President –soon to be President—that he’d paid for turning his back on him? He let out a long breath, contemplating his next move.
Luthor would have to be taught a lesson. As would Denetto. They would have to learn once and for all what the consequences were for crossing a Falcone.
***
TBC…
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