Injustice
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 4: Push me Past the Breaking Point
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Four Years Ago…Jack Davenport placed a hand on the table in front of him, glancing over at the couple seated across from him. He let out a chuckle noting the stolen glances exchanged between the couple in the short while they had been seated at the small coffee shop. He reached over to take a sip from the ceramic coffee mug, wincing from the heat and setting it back down to cool.
A smile crossed his face as he looked up at the couple, “So, your message said this was important?”
The couple exchanged a look and then turned back to him before turning their attention back to Davenport. “A confidential source alerted us about what appears to be corruption within the entire police department. Our confidential source also hinted that this might be the work of someone or something bigger than just corrupt officers.”
Davenport let out a chuckle, “Boy, you just go for the jugular, don’t you, Lois?”
“I don’t like small talk,” Lois flashed him a quick smile. “Waste of time.”
“We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on where to look with these guys.” Clark interjected, taking a sip from his own mug of coffee.
“We understand there are things you can’t tell us on active investigations, but …someone’s got to know something about whoever is behind all this.” Lois pleaded with him.
Davenport grew quiet. Though it was true the FBI didn’t actively work with members of the press unless there was a benefit to the case given what they were bringing him was for an investigation that had hit a brick wall time and time again when it came to sourcing out the kingpin behind Intergang he could probably argue the point of sharing a part of the investigation with the duo. They had afterall proven their trustworthiness during the case with Luthor’s downfall.
“I’ll talk with our director and see if he’s willing to brief you two in on a restricted basis.”
“So, you know who is behind this?” Lois prompted, her eyes lit up happily.
“I suspect I know who is behind this. The FBI’s had a case open for at least a decade.” Davenport looked cautiously over at the duo. “But certain concessions will have to be made on what can be printed.”
Lois and Clark both agreed in unison. “Understood.”
“I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make any promises.” Davenport turned his attention back to his coffee and stirred it with his spoon, adding in another spoon of sugar.
“Do you have a name at least you can give us?” Lois asked, taking a sip of her own coffee mug.
“Depends on which name you’re searching for,” Davenport shrugged. “In Hong Kong they’re called
Èmó bāng. If you ask the contacts in Portugal they’re called
Diabo gang.” He grew quiet and then let out a deep sigh, “The official name the FBI refers to these guys with is Intergang.” He shook his head and sighed, “And that’s all I’m willing to say on this subject for now.” He then took another sip of his coffee, “Now, if that’s all with business…” He gestured to them, “I hear congratulations are in order. A little birdie mentioned a nomination you two and Perry were nominated for. Something about a Most Influential Voice Award?”
He chuckled when he saw the blush cross the couple’s face. Lois was the first to speak up, “It’s a PR stunt by Mr. Stern. It’s nothing really.”
“Well, most of those nominations come from pretty high up,” Davenport grinned back at her.
“We’re just happy we were able to stop Luthor,” Clark shrugged his shoulders. “It’s really unnecessary.”
“Maybe,” Davenport allowed, “But the reality is without you two leading the charge and doing a lot of the groundwork for this case Luthor would still be running this city with an iron fist.” He grew quiet. “A lot of good men and women put their lives on the line to stop him and you all helped make sure it wasn’t a fruitless effort.” Davenport grinned back at them, “I’m sure it’ll look nice next to that new Kerth.” He winked back at them. “I’ve got to get going but it was great to catch up.” He patted his briefcase, “I’ll take this up the chain and see what they say. Give my best to Jon and try to stay out of trouble.” He gave a warning gaze to Lois, “You don’t know what you’re getting into with these guys. Regardless if the FBI does brief you two…just be careful.”
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Ingrid took a long puff from her cigarette, feeling her hands tremble as she watched the light emit into a white smoke. Her teeth chattered in the cold as she looked around the vacant lot behind the halfway house she was staying in.
“Escaping the sisters, eh?”
Ingrid jumped startled by the familiar voice. She let out a sharp cough when she saw the burly man behind her. “Yusif, you scared me.” Ingrid patted her chest
“A beautiful night,” Yusif pulled out a long white paper roll from his pocket with a lighter. She eyed the paper roll with an uneasy gaze. The smell hit her nostrils with a punch and she winced when she saw the white smoke emit in the air. She scrunched up her nose, turning away and Yusif snorted, “Takes the edge off.”
Ingrid flashed a weak smile, taking another puff from her cigarette. “Something like that.”
“Wanna try?” Yusif held the rolled up white paper he had been puffing on and handing it to her.
She shook her head, holding up a hand to push it away, “I don’t think so…”
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Clark looked around the dark walls of the conference room he was seated in, taking note of the lack of anything in the room other than the telephone centered on the table. He glanced across the large wooden table to where Mayson Drake was diligently taking her notes.
“You're going to make a great witness, Clark.” Mayson commented, looking up from her notepad and added, “Now, the hearing will be set for this Wednesday. Be sure to arrive on time. Judge Andrews is very punctual and runs his courtroom with precision. If the court time is for seven then you should be there by a quarter till.”
“Understood, Ms. Drake,” Clark answered, leaning back in his seat.
She paused, seeming to mull over something before speaking up, “I really appreciate your willingness to stand up against these guys, Clark. In my line of work, you don't see much bravery.”
“I’m just telling the truth.” Clark commented, looking back at the ADA with a shrug of his shoulders. He glanced to his right where Lois was seated comfortably next to him. “What I saw I will tell in court.”
Mayson nodded, tapping her hand on the table. “Hopefully this will be enough to put Baby Rage behind bars for a long time.”
“Any luck on getting the police to actually show up when someone calls?” Lois inquired, tapping her hand on the tabletop. “Or are we just telling half of Metropolis too bad so sad you better just call Superman if you want someone to protect you?”
Clark caught the mildly irritated expression cross the ADA’s face before he added, “I’m sure Superman doesn’t mind helping, but any insight your office could give on why the police aren’t showing up would help.”
“I’m sure Superman has everything under control, but you’ll have to check with the police chief on the officers’ response times.” Mayson rolled her eyes. “It’s not like he minds crashing into crime scenes and bragging about what a big hero he is…after all, he is Superman.”
“I’m sorry, brag?” Lois choked out with a critical tone at the same time Clark interjected with his own response.
“You heard Superman brag?” Clark glanced back at Lois, questioning if he’d heard Mayson right.
“Well, not in so many words…but you can tell…” Mayson began carefully.
“How about not ever.” Lois practically hissed out.
“Tell what?” Clark’s brow furrowed as he waited for Mayson’s response, wondering where she would have gotten the idea Superman was bragging about anything.
Mayson put the last of her things in her briefcase. “Look, I know he’s a …friend of yours. I’ve read the stories. He’s done a lot to help you both out over the years. But he also disappeared for months and left this city to fend for itself. Where was he when Lex Luthor was tearing this city apart? Where was he when Nigel St. John was taking out the police force in broad daylight? Nowhere. Then he comes back to town and expects everyone to fawn all over him as if nothing happened? No thank you.” She looked toward Lois then back at Clark, “Superman has helped this city. I’ll give him that, but you’re ten times the man he is, Clark. An ordinary guy, about to stand up in a courtroom and help put a known gang member behind bars. That takes guts. I’d like to see Superman try that without his cape.”
Clark chuckled, sharing a look with Lois before smiling, “Well, maybe you will.”
“You seem to have a lot of resentment toward Superman.” Lois observed. “Yet he was the one showing up to help everyone today when your police officers didn’t. He was the one stopping muggings, and assaults, and providing backup on shootouts and apartment fires. He showed up!”
“For how long?” Mayson questioned, shaking her head. “How long before Superman moves on and this city is left to fend for itself?”
“What makes you so sure he’s going to disappear again?” Clark asked.
“He’s done it before.” Mayson shrugged.
“Well, right now he’s the one protecting the areas of this city that the Metropolis P.D. won’t.” Lois snapped irritably. “A lot of people could have been hurt or worse if he hadn’t.” Lois flew her hands in the air and challenged the ADA, “What is up with your hostility with Superman?”
“I guess I don’t like dealing with someone I don’t know anything about,” Mayson responded carefully.
“There was a pretty in-depth interview done with him when he first arrived on the scene.” Clark reminded her.
“And when he re-emerged after Lex Luthor’s downfall,” Lois prompted grumpily.
“And there are still things about him that still remain a mystery and that worries me.” Mayson said haughtily.
“Such as?” Clark pressed, curiously.
“Such as why does he do what he does? Where does he go when he’s not rescuing someone?” Mayson began to list off the questions one by one on her hand.
“I think even Superman is entitled to his privacy,” Lois interjected, reaching over to grab Clark’s hand. “Even if there are questions that can’t be answered isn’t the good he does worth something?”
“You might be willing to put your trust in him, but I’m not. He goes around catching criminals with this immense power and no way to control him. What happens if he loses control? What if he hurts someone?” Mayson continued. “Doesn’t that worry you in the slightest?”
“Well, I…” Clark began, but Lois cut him off.
“Superman would never hurt anyone.” Lois said firmly.
“How can you be so sure?” Mayson asked.
“How can we be sure you won’t turn around and do the same things you’re accusing Superman of being?” Lois challenged.
Mayson appeared to be taken aback by her statement before pointing out. “I’m licensed and insured by the state bar.” Mayson folded her arms across her chest, “I’m not going around acting like judge and jury. There are rules and protocols that have to be followed.”
“Superman is just there to help when the problem is bigger than the police can handle.” Clark answered gently, unsure how to respond to the attack Mayson was putting his alter-ego under.
“Well, I guess only time will tell,” Mayson said, swiping her hand across her cheek, “Thank you for taking the time to go over your deposition, Clark.” Mayson cleared her throat as she grabbed her bag, “I should get going.” She walked toward the door then seemed to hesitate, looking back, “I should warn you, it's not going to be easy. This whole thing happening with you’re the Lower East Side isn't just about gang turf. There's big money and big players in the shadows. I think Baby Rage knows a lot. Whether he’s willing to turn on those people is another story though.”
“Do you think he could be connected to the police suddenly disappearing?” Clark guessed.
“I should get going,” Mayson responded, not confirming nor denying anything. She gathered her things and exited the room
Clark let out a low whistle, turning back to Lois, “Did she just …?”
“Blow you off and basically accuse your alter-ego of being an out of control enforcer?” Lois let out a long breath, “Yeah, I got that too.”
“This is who is taking Baby Rage to trial?” Clark let out a shudder.
“Yeah,” Lois bit her lower-lip, standing up and reaching over to take Clark’s hand in hers.
“Superman!” The sound of a male voice with a Brooklyn accent reached his ears.
“Clark?” Lois stopped, glancing back at him with a curious gaze, noticing Clark’s attention was elsewhere.
“I'm contacting you on a hypersonic frequency that only you and a few bats can hear. I don’t know where you spend your off hours, but if I were you, I’d be at the Arboretum, east gate, inside of three minutes…or someone is going to die.”
“No…” He whispered before jetting off into the air, leaving a very confused Lois Lane behind.
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Yusif grinned to himself as he carried the unconscious body of Ingrid over his shoulder and into an unmarked van. He fiddled with the keys in his pocket, unlocking the van and dropping Ingrid’s unconscious body into the back. He slammed the door shut and then turned to leave.
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“This is who is taking Baby Rage to trial?” Clark let out a shudder as he looked back to Lois. He had done his best to keep his personal thoughts to himself as far as the ADA’s position on not answering the questions asked regarding the police not responding to calls for help and despite his own personal stake in the argument for Superman to help he tried to see things from Mayson’s view. But it was clear she was hiding – or possibly even covering up something.
“Yeah,” Lois reached over to take Clark’s hand in hers. Clark gave her hand a gentle squeeze, uncertain what to say. Lois had been worried sick about her uncle for the last few days. Mike was now staying with Ellen and would be traveling with her next week to one of the conventions she was involved with. Not an ideal place for Mike while his restaurant was forced to remain closed as a safety measure. Though he could continue to work and keep the doors open the threat of the Skins retaliating and not having the police there to respond was too big of a risk. He had been thankful Mike had been receptive to Lois’ pleas and taken Ellen up on her offer. Though he knew it had to be difficult.
“Superman!”
A voice echoed in his head and he winced, looking around in surprise, unsure what to make of the Brooklyn accented voice that appeared to be calling out to him not for help but as if he was having a casual conversation with him – in his head.
“Clark?” Lois called out to him and he held a hand up, motioning for her to wait a minute.
“I'm contacting you on a hypersonic frequency that only you and a few bats can hear. I don’t know where you spend your off hours, but if I were you, I’d be at the Arboretum, east gate, inside of three minutes…or someone is going to die.”
Clark felt his heart lurch in his chest as he heard the invading voice’s threat, looking panicked in Lois’ direction. He motioned for her to wait mumbling incoherently as he flew through the air, leaving her behind.
“No…”
Clark landed in front of a bench where a smarmy looking man sat with what looked like a small tape recorder in his hands. “Hey, there.” He smiled, looking up at Clark. Clark moved to approach him, “Martin Snell, good to meet you.” He waved the tape recorder looking device in his hand. “Some little piece of equipment…” He pressed a button and spoke into it, “Superman, let’s talk.” Clark heard the echo of it in his head. “Neat, huh?”
“If this is your idea of a joke, you’re going to need a lawyer.” Clark warned, glaring coldly back at the man.
“No, I won’t. Because A, I am a lawyer. And B, this is no joke. I’ll even give you the name of the person who’s going to die. I think you know her…Lois Lane?”
Clark glared at him, unsure how to respond to the tidbit of information he had just learned. He reached over and grabbed Snell by the front of his expensive suit jacket and hoisted him in the air, ready to propel him in the air at any minute as he growled out, “If you so much as breathe in her direction, I’ll…”
Snell let out a chuckle as he looked at his watch, unfazed by Clark’s threat. “Well, then you’d better hurry. I’d say she’s got about,
ohhhh, ten seconds? Think you can get there in time?”
He dropped Snell against the bench and flew into the air, heading back towards the DA’s office where he’d left her moments ago.
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Without a second thought, he flew through the DA’s office, scooping Lois into his arms as he flew her out of the office, flying higher and higher into the sky until they were floating above the clouds.
“Clark, what…?” Lois stammered, looking down at the shrinking city below. “Clark?” He wasn’t listening. He watched with his enhanced vision as a missile headed towards them. He grabbed it at super-speed, stopping it in its tracks. “Clark, what…Oh, my God!” Lois gasped in surprise as he tossed the missile in the air and fired his heat vision at it.
Yellow paint droplets exploded above them and he let out a short mutter, “Paint…”
“Clark, you’re scaring me.” Lois reached over to stroke his cheek, “What’s going on?”
Clark grew quiet, cradling her in his arms as Lois waited for him to respond. “Somebody’s idea of a sick joke,” Clark finally answered grimly. “I..I need to get back and take care of this guy.”
“Take care of who?” Lois pressed, running her hand across his cheek.
“Some lawyer…Martin Snell.” Clark frowned, shaking his head. “He seemed pretty certain those missiles were headed for you and were going to…” He grew quiet, unable to voice what Snell had threatened to do. “He won’t be bothering you again.”
Lois drew her hand through his hair, “Okay, I really don’t like the sound of that. I’m sure that whatever you’re planning or not planning to do is well deserved but before you fly off and do something incredibly reckless just take a second and breathe.”
“He just…” Clark scowled as his jaw tightened, glaring back at her. “He is not going to get away with this.”
“I’m not saying he or whoever is behind this should, but…” She leaned against him, reaching up to stroke his cheek and pressed her lips to his. “Just be careful. That’s all.”
“I’m always careful,” Clark whispered, reaching over to stroke her cheek. Lois placed a hand on his chest, resting her head there as he flew them to the Daily Planet. He gave her one last reassurance before disappearing into the sky once more to confront Martin Snell.
________________________________________
At the arboretum, Clark found Snell still sitting on the bench, waiting patiently for him. Clark zoomed down at super-speed, landing in front of him. He folded his arms across his chest and hissed out with a warning glare, “You want my attention? You’ve got it.”
Every fiber of his being was telling him to grab this weasel by the ankles and hang him from the tallest building in Metropolis and give him a lesson in putting other people’s lives at risk but he knew he couldn’t do that. An emotional reaction is what Snell wanted. He had to know what this guy’s endgame was. Without it, he couldn’t stop him and Lois, Jon and everyone he cared about could be at risk.
“Whoa! You get that look on your face you remind me of a few judges I know.” Snell chuckled, crossing his leg across his lap as he stared casually back at Clark, “You certainly cut to the chase, don’t you? Like everybody else on Earth, you’ve got me dazzled. I’m a big fan—numero uno. So, I don’t want you to stop being the Man of Steel. It’s a beautiful thing, it gives us all hope. But what my partners and I want is for you to stay out of our business.”
“Partners?” Clark raised an eyebrow at him.
“Business acquaintances.” Snell acknowledged.
“Puppet masters?” Clark growled, jabbing a finger in Snell’s chest.
“I prefer to describe it as a mutually beneficial relationship,” Snell said smoothing his hand across his chest. “Either way, we want you to stand down.”
“I don’t stand down for anyone.” Clark practically snarled out, “Especially not some invisible partner with a sleazy lawyer I’ve never met in my life.” Clark narrowed his eyes at him, “If your puppeteer wants to give orders he can step out of the shadows and talk to me himself.”
“Non-negotiable, Supes,” Snell countered, straightening the lapels to his suit out. “He doesn’t like to get involved in these matters in person.”
“Oh, so you just do his dirty work?” Clark glared back at him. “That’s going to be a hard pass. I don’t know who it is you’re working for but if you so much as lay one finger on…”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Supes, I don’t think you understand the deal here.” Snell shrugged, “Call it what you will. An order. A suggestion. A very strong suggestion.” Snell took on a sinister tone, “The next bullets won’t miss. And even as fast as you are, you can’t be two places at once, but our bullets can.”
Clark grabbed him by the arm, “How about we take a little trip down town and talk this over with the DA.”
Snell nodded, “Sure, you could take me in, you’re Superman and I’m just a guy from Paramus. But do that and two things happen—A, someone you care about dies…” He pulled his arm free, “…and B, my replacement steps in. Now, you don’t want ‘A’ and I don’t want ‘B’ so I think what we need is a little attitude adjustment. By that I mean, be the best Superman you can be. Street crime? Wipe it out. Terrorists? Kick their butts. Carjackers? Hey, I drive a Ferrari myself, put those guys in orbit….But you stay out of the Southside. I don’t care if it’s a cat chasing a mouse, you flash cape in that part of town, you’re going to find yourself singing the blues. This time it was that reporter friend. Maybe next time it’ll be those friends of yours at the police station. Or we could always aim for your friends at S.T.A.R. Labs. Unless you want to be planning their funeral I’d think long and hard about my next move. Are we clear?”
“On one thing. This is not over.” Clark hissed before flying into the air once more.
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Bill Church Jr. stepped off the private jet, grinning ear to ear with the blonde and brunette on each arm. He descended the stairs leading to the tarmac and smiled his recognition to where Anwir was awaiting him. “Anwir, my friend, I take it you have some good news for me?”
“As I told your father last week, there are some rumblings just outside of Al Wakrah but nothing we can’t handle I’m sure.” Anwir responded as he gestured to the car awaiting them. “I took the liberty of arranging a car for you, Mr. Church.”
“How good of you,” Bill Church Jr. responded, looking to the girls on each arm. “I’m afraid this is where we go our separate ways.” He looked to Anwir, “Make sure they find their way back for my return trip.”
“Of course, Mr. Church,” Anwir nodded.
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Present Day…Lois sat across from Bill Henderson, waiting patiently for him to look up from the file laid across the desk. She bit her lower lip, waiting for him to blink or react in some way. Instead, all she could make out was a grunt and ‘hmm’ escaping his throat as he read over the file.
“Well?” Lois prompted, finding herself unable to wait for Henderson to hmm his way through the file in front of him.
“Well, I’m sorry, Lois, there’s just not a lot here.” Bill Henderson apologized, waving at the file in front of him in dismay. “You have a young girl that left school at the same time she did everyday and was probably followed somewhere between her bus stop and home. The police have scoured the neighborhood and of course you know how everyone in Southside just loves to be seen talking to Metropolis’ finest…” He tossed his pen across the desk in frustration and asked, “What do you want me to say, Lois? This happens every single day.”
“That doesn’t make it any less important to chase down the kidnapper,” Lois argued.
“I don’t even know that she was kidnapped,” Henderson argued. “How do I know she didn’t runaway?”
“Her sister…”
“Look, I’m not saying there isn’t a case here, Lois,” Henderson interrupted her before she could get into a full tirade. “Lord knows you’ve brought enough to light over the years for me to know to trust your instincts on things, but there just isn’t anything to chase. I have no witnesses. I have nothing but a blurry photo from the crappy security camera at a bus stop and the word of a very worried older sister.” Henderson let out a heavy sigh. “If I had somewhere to look I would.”
“Who’s assigned to the case?” Lois asked, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair, feeling the despair and defeat threaten to overpower her.
“Detective Reed,” Henderson said with a frown. “She’s giving it a fair shake, Lois.”
“I’m sure she is,” Lois said standing up from her seat. “Thanks for your time, Bill.”
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Jack readjusted the bag on his back, looking over his shoulder as he made his way toward the terminal to make his awaiting flight. He swiped his brow, feeling a smile spread across his face as the reminiscent aroma that filled the airport teased his nostrils. He let out a heavy sigh, feeling his mouth water at the greasy salt covered snacks that were being offered up in the food court. He checked his watch to make sure he had enough time to catch a bite to eat before his flight.
“Plenty of time,” he chuckled to himself.
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“What do you mean you don’t know anything, Bobby?” Lois pulled the sandwich out of his mouth.
“Hey!” Bobby glared back at her.
“I’m not feeding you for nothing,” Lois shot back in disgust.
“I didn’t say I had nothing.” Bobby eyed the sandwich in her hand appreciatively. “Taking food from a hungry man?”
“If you want to eat, you have to talk. That’s the deal. Got it?” Lois retorted.
“Motherhood has made you cold.” Bobby reached across the table to grab the sandwich back just as she pulled it away.
“You’re not helping your case.” Lois snapped, sliding the sandwich closer and closer to the edge of the table.
“I don’t know anything concrete.” Bobby shrugged his shoulders, “But there’s chatter…”
“There’s always chatter,” Lois rolled her eyes. “I’ve got a girl that’s been missing for three days and no one on the police force appears can get anyone around that block to care. What’s going on?”
“It’s complicated.” Bobby offered up half-heartedly.
“Isn’t it always?” Lois folded her hands across her chest. “Why does no one want to find this girl?”
“Sandwich!” Bobby pointed to the empty plate in front of him.
Lois held the sandwich in the air, “I need a name.”
Bobby grumbled, eying the sandwich hungrily. “Police have been looking the other way on runaways and kidnappings for years.”
“They’re not looking the other way. People aren’t talking to them.”
“Well, they can’t trust ‘em.” Bobby said eying the sandwich she continued to taunt him with. “Some of it relates to Intergang as you know.”
“But Intergang is out of operation now,” Lois reminded him. “Right?”
“As far as I know yes,” Bobby said hurriedly, “but the guys they were working with are still out there.”
“So, what some sort of lone gunman?” Lois inquired, handing the sandwich back to Bobby.
Bobby took a bite of his food. “Remember, you didn’t hear this from me.”
“I never do,” Lois reassured him.
“No one can really pinpoint a name. So, I’m not able to help you there,” Bobby took another bite of his sandwich. “All I’ll say is the rumblings point to something more than police corruption.”
“Why do you keep bringing up police corruption?” Lois arched an eyebrow at him.
“I’ve said too much already,” Bobby said hurriedly, finishing the last of his sandwich. “These guys …they’ve got a lot of pull in a lot of powerful places.”
“What guys?” Lois pressed.
“The boogeyman.”
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Ingrid let out a labored sob as she leaned her head against the pane glass, watching the greenery fly by. She patted her head, feeling the bandage that had been placed there earlier. It had been a close call, but she had done it. She had escaped.
A tear trickled down her face as she watched the city fly by through the window she was looking out of. The heavy weight that bore down on her felt as if it would never move. For years she had dreamed of this. Ached for that moment of clarity that would bring her the freedom to escape the clutches of Yusif and Tobias and hopefully find a way to start her life outside of their world. Outside of the torturous life of becoming nothing more than an accessory or plaything to be traded like livestock to the powerful men that moved in Tobias’ inner circle.
‘Never again,’ she promised herself.
She reached her hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes, looking on to the duffle bag on the seat next to her. She was free. That freedom came with a price but with it would also come the dismantling of the throne Tobias had planted himself on. Even if it was with her last dying breath, she would see him pay for his crimes.
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Clark searched the newsroom in an almost panic, trying to find Lois. He had spent an exhausting five hours buried in rubble and bricks and mortar remnants trying to fish out the victims from the Foster building bombing. He hadn’t seen or spoken to Lois in the last several hours and every second he went without seeing her sent his mind into a panic he couldn’t control. Finally he found her holed away in the back of the smaller conference room going through a file box with the lights dimmed down.
He frowned, sensing there was something to the lighting she had set as he made his way into the conference room. He let out a heavy sigh as he sunk into the chair next to Lois’, wrapping his arm across her shoulders and savoring the much needed reassurance that she was safe. After the rescue in the Southside district he had scoured the city for any sign of anything that could point himself and the police to the saboteur. Unfortunately, whoever had been behind the bombing had long disappeared. The initial investigation into the bomb found nothing that stood out that would help lead them to who was behind this. It was just another random act of violence that would be left unexplained while he and the other first responders would be haunted with the faces of the victims from the bombing.
Lois reached her hand over to squeeze his, “Jimmy said Superman was helping rescue all the victims from the bombing most of the day.” She leaned her head against his chest and whispered, “How are you?” He didn’t answer, unable to find the words to reflect the emotion simmering inside him. She let out a heavy sigh as he leaned over to press his lips against her forehead, “You saved a lot of people today. More than would have been saved if you hadn’t been there.”
“I just wish I’d gotten there before it went off,” Clark buried his face against the nape of her neck, savoring the feeling of having her in his arms. “Maybe some of this could have been avoided.”
“Hey,” Lois turned her head to look at him, “You can’t be everywhere at once, Clark. You can’t stop every disaster. You can’t be everywhere. It’s impossible.”
“I am impossible, Lois. Superman is supposed to…” Clark argued, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I should have…”
“Should have what?” Lois pressed, placing a hand on his chest. “You…have a lot of extraordinary gifts, Clark, but even you have your limits.” The words hung in the air blankly staring at him waiting for him to accept them. Accepting it. That was always the challenge. A challenge he balanced between for quite a few years now. Lois patted his chest, leaning her head against him as she whispered to him, “There’s only so much one person can do.”
He felt a lump build in his throat as he listened to her. She was right. She was always right. A scary reality he had long since accepted in their five years of marriage. It never ceased to amaze him, how fiercely Lois continued to fight for him even if it was a battle with himself. They had suffered through some of the most treacherous trials a couple could endure but through it all her devotion never wavered. Her unwavering faith in him was what continued to keep him going in the darkest of times.
Despite everything he knew breaking himself from his unyielding need to take on the responsibility of bearing the burdens of the world on his shoulders was not something he could simply switch off. Defending those that couldn’t protect themselves was a burden he had taken on at around the same time he had discovered his abilities. It had almost been on instinct this desire to use his gifts to help those that couldn’t help themselves. Using his gifts for good and helping those in need, but when he couldn’t…the pain and guilt was all consuming.
“How is it that you always know just the right thing to say at exactly the right moment?” Clark asked, glancing over at her with a gentle smile.
“Hmm,” she gave him a half-smile, “Well, I’ve had practice in helping put a broken Superman back together.” Clark allowed his smile to spread across his face and leaned over to kiss her. She reached her hand up to stroke his cheek, “At least that’s one problem I can solve today anyway.”
“Getting bored with the Mayor’s Tax Plans already?” Clark teased, wrapping an arm around her.
“No,” Lois shook her head, “I had this girl—she had to be at least Lucy’s age I think—she was looking for some help to find her sister.”
Clark’s brow furrowed, “Did she go to the police?”
Lois let out a yawn, readjusting her head on his shoulder, “Yeah, she isn’t getting anywhere and no one’s really telling her anything.” She sighed softly, “I spoked with Bill and he said Detective Reed is working the case, but no one is wanting to talk to the police. I talked with Bobby and all I got were whispers of chatter and him acting spooked about possible police corruption.”
“Police corruption?” Clark echoed, uncertainly. “Any idea what he’s referring to?”
“No,” Lois shook her head, “I’ve tried going through the last few months of reports to see if anything stood out but it’s just a never-ending list of close call muggings and assaults mixed in with your white collar crimes.” She let out a frustrated sigh, “And no closer to figuring out what happened to this girl’s sister.” She pushed the file toward him.
Clark flipped the file open, skimming through the few details that were in the missing persons report. “Looks like Reed and the reporting officers were covering most of the radius around where this girl went missing.”
“Bobby is hiding something,” Lois remarked sadly. “He seemed…jittery.”
“Well, that’s just Bobby, isn’t it?”
“No, this is different,” Lois shook her head. “I had to practically pry information out of him. The talk about police looking the other way on runaways and kidnappings…The chatter.” She waved her arm in the air in frustration. “Something’s going on there, but I don’t know what.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to at least get some attention out there for this girl.” Clark suggested, “Maybe put some public pressure to help find this girl?”
“Maybe,” Lois sighed, “but if no one wanted to talk before what’s an article on the last page of the city section going to do?”
Clark frowned, “So, how do you get it on the front page?”
“I don’t know,” Lois frowned, running a hand through her hair, “That’s the problem.”
“Well, I think it’s a problem for another night,” Clark sighed, reaching over to close the file in front of them. “We need to pick up Jon.”
“I should bring this home,” Lois said looking around the files in front of her.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Clark shook his head, taking the file folder from her and tucking it inside the file box off to the side. “This can wait till tomorrow.”
“Clark…” Lois began to argue.
“You said it yourself,” Clark reminded her. “You don’t even know where to look right now. Obsessing over it and chasing yourself into circles isn’t going to help.”
“I’m going to do it anyway. I might as well have the file with me.” Lois argued.
“Yeah, but I’m not encouraging it.” Clark leaned over to kiss her. “Come on, it’ll be there in the morning and we can run through some of the angles then.”
Lois’ mouth twisted and she let out a heavy sigh, “Fine. I’ll leave it here, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be thinking about it.”
“I know,” Clark leaned in to recapture her lips once more. “But I can at least try to distract you.”
________________________________________
Four Years Ago...Lois ran a hand across her face as she paced around the conference room. She looked over at the board where a picture of Martin Snell was pinned along with other publicity photos they had acquired. Some of the officials Martin Snell had been linked to included senators, a few judges and even the police chief in Metropolis.
“We still don’t have anything here that would link Snell to a supposed partner…” Lois grumbled unhappily as she took a seat in one of the chairs at the conference room table.“This is getting us nowhere,” Lois tapped her forehead on the table.
Clark placed his hand over hers, wedging his fingers through hers as she looked over at him. He let out a shaky breath, running his thumb across her wedding band “I almost didn’t make it. If that missile hadn’t been a fake….”
“I know,” Lois gave him a watery smile.
“I don’t know what to do, Lois. If I show up over there trying to put out a fire they’ll try to kill you…or Jimmy…or Perry…or even Ralph.”
“I’m fine,” she reassured him, resting her head against his shoulder. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“We have whispers of underhanded deals but nothing pointing us to who this mysterious partner Snell is working with …or for.” Clark let out a disgusted grunt.
“You think it could be that Intergang, don’t you?” Lois asked, placing a hand on his chest.
“Yeah,” Clark whispered hoarsely as he reached over to stroke her cheek. “If those missiles had been real… You could have died… Jon would be left without a mother. I.. Lois, I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost you.”
Lois reached her hand over to trace his jaw line with her index finger, “I know. But I’m fine. It was a dud and no one got hurt.”
“This time. We have to stop these guys…I can only imagine with all these officers have been threatened with in order to stay out of what this group is considering their territory.” Clark hung his head in dismay.
“Well, you’ve got one name right,” a familiar voice came from the doorway of the conference room. They both looked up, surprised to see Agent Jack Davenport with his briefcase in hand.
“Jack?” Lois smiled at the familiar FBI agent, “What brings you by?”
“What can I say, the wheels of justice turn slowly most days, but Director Talley was intrigued when I asked about briefing you two in.” He pointed to his briefcase, “Redacted of course.”
“Well, great,” Clark cheered, straightening up in his chair.
Jack closed the door behind him and began moving across the room, taking a seat at the table as he propped his briefcase up on the table. “Martin Snell is one of the many lieutenants used within Intergang to snake into a city and get a stranglehold on the very justice system used to stop crime. Pretty soon it won’t be a sigh of relief citizens will be feeling when they hear a police siren but a panic. It starts with a slowing down of enforcement and next the actual officers sworn to protect the city become the ones enforcing the criminal activity.”
“I don’t suppose there’s anything in that file that says who is behind all of this?” Lois wondered aloud.
“Nothing concrete,” Davenport shrugged, “but we have our suspicions.” He tapped the photo on the table and pushed it back to them. “Cost Mart founder Bill Church. Nice guy. Too nice.”
“The Cost Mart guy?” Clark prompted. “You think he’s connected?”
“We don’t know,” Davenport took a seat across from him and pulled two files out. “Most of this has been redacted to protect our agents, but the main stuff that can be printed is in here.”
The door to the conference room opened and Jack Davenport slammed the file in his hand closed, looking over his shoulder to where Jimmy was standing with a startled expression. “Uh, guys?” Jimmy looked around the room suspiciously, “What are you doing in here? You afraid Ralph is going to scoop you or something?”
“Or something,” Clark responded carefully, looking over at his friend who had barged in unknowingly into a classified meeting.
“Hey, Jack!” Jimmy smiled broadly at the FBI Agent, recognizing him from when they had worked together to bring down Lex Luthor. “Man, I haven’t seen you since Luthor’s trial. How’ve you been?”
“Hanging in there, Jimmy,” Jack let out an aggravated sigh, motioning to the door, “As much as I’d love to catch up with you and Perry, but I’m afraid this meeting is classified.”
Jimmy’s face fell, seeming to put the pieces together, “Oh!” He blushed slightly, realizing he was intruding, “Sorry, I’ll let you guys get back to it.”
“Uh, Jimmy, what was it you needed?” Lois prompted, before he could back his way out of the door.
Jimmy turned back to Lois offering a half-smile her way, “Oh, um, I got that research you guys wanted on Martin Snell.” He held up a red file folder in his hand and leaned over to set it on the table in front of Lois.
Clark leaned over Lois’ shoulder to read through the file. “Martin Snell certainly gets around, doesn’t he?” He pointed to the glossy photo of Snell on the arm of one of a super model and one of the CEOs to a new up and coming tech business that had emerged in the last two years. He flipped to the next page and pointed to the photo of Bill Church with Martin Snell and Mayson Drake at some sort of formal gala.
Lois glanced at the photo and compared it with the redacted file Davenport had provided them with. “You seem to really like Bill Church for the head of Intergang.”
“Everywhere Intergang has hit a Cost Mart store has cropped up,” Davenport shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair. “The FBI is just following the data, but unfortunately, that’s as far as a correlation we could connect.” He frowned, shaking his head. “Kinda hard to stay on a case when all your agents keep disappearing.”
“Yeah,” Clark frowned, “I’d say it’s a place to start.”
“And maybe with the ADA that’s supposed to be prosecuting my uncle’s case,” Lois tapped the photo in front of her. “Mayson Drake worked under Snell in Bill Church's acquisitions division.”
“For five years,” Clark grimaced, noting the dates in the file.
“First presence of Intergang was in Sydney, Australia.” Davenport let out a deep breath. “We lost three agents out there and a delta soldier.”
“I’m sorry,” Lois whispered sadly.
“So am I,” Davenport grew quiet before adding. “Intergang has a deadly reputation.” He stood up from his seat and looked back at them cautiously, “Just do me a favor and don’t become another one of their casualties.”
________________________________________
Ingrid felt the sharp pain in her throat as she began to come to. She heard the sound of water dripping and the echo of footsteps through the hollow space she was in. She let out a faint moan, lifting her head up as her lips parted, trying to find her voice.
A hard blow came across her face and she winced in pain, attempting to reach up to touch her face, only to find her hands were bound behind her. She let out a sharp yelp as the tears trickled down her face. Another blow came, and she felt her body fall over, trying to find her bearings.
“Wh…?”
She let out a yelp in pain as she fell back against the hard flooring. She struggled in her binds, attempting to gain some kind of leverage to escape. She attempted to open her eyes and winced when she felt the pain of something preventing them from opening.
‘Taped shut,’ she realized, feeling a weight press against her, grasping her throat with a firm grip. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.
________________________________________
Lois frowned as she folded her arms across her chest, watching Mayson suspiciously as the ADA paced in front of the courtroom, prepping Clark for his testimony against Baby Rage. The more they had begun to dig into her involvement with Bill Church the more she grew to distrust her. Unfortunately it seemed as if there just wasn’t enough to implicate Mayson in any wrong doing. Though every instinct within her was screaming not to trust her.
Admittedly some of that might have something to do with the way she kept catching the ADA gazing at her husband when he wasn’t looking. Lois shifted in her seat from the gallery, sitting up as she uncrossed and recrossed her legs.
“And Mr. Kent, what exactly happened after you saw the defendant start the fire... ?”
Clark cleared his throat and answered into the microphone at the witness stand, “Superman flew down, apprehended him and put it out.”
Mayson flashed him a smile, “Great. Just be sure to keep eye-contact with the jury,” She pointed to the jury box. “You’ll do great.”
Clark flashed a weak smile as he exited the witness stand and made his way to where Lois was seated in the gallery. He took his seat next to her, leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek. “I’m not sure why we have to run through this so many times.”
“I guess she likes being thorough,” Lois sniffed uneasily, watching as Mayson stopped midstride to take a call from a phone that had been brought to her by her assistant seated at the prosecution table. “Odd…”
“Oh, no,” Clark hung his head, leaning over to whisper in her ear. “Mayson just found out the officers who arrested Baby Rage never read him his Miranda Rights.”
“That’s absurd!” Lois practically shrieked. “I was standing right there when they took him into custody.”
“Try telling the judge that,” Clark muttered under his breath. “Someone really wants to tank this case.”
“Okay, thank you,” Mayson hung up the phone and set it on the table.
Lois watched the ADA with anger and turned her attention back to Clark, “She’s probably in this up to her perfectly plastic sculptured chin.”
Clark let out a sigh and whispered, “The judge just gave her twenty-four hours to figure out who dropped the ball on issuing the warrant for Baby Rage’s arrest.”
“Think she’ll try to stop him from being released?” Lois wondered aloud. “Or is she as dirty as the police that didn’t show up?”
“Problem?” Lois asked, standing up and gathering her things as she prepared to pack everything up to leave.
“I’m not sure,” Mayson gave an uneasy answer, looking away.
“You’re not sure?” Lois asked, folding her arms across her chest. “Is everything okay with the case?”
“Yeah, fine,” Mayson said too quickly looking away from him. A classic sign of someone being dishonest if Lois had ever seen one. She let out a low breath, “Listen, apparently someone dropped the ball with issuing the warrant for Baby Rage. I’m going to see what I can do to see if I can save this case from spiraling down the toilet but just a head’s up there may not be a hearing tomorrow.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Lois offered, feigning a fake smile as much as she could in order to get the story on Mayson.
“Not a whole lot unless you know which officer issued the warrant,” Mayson let out sigh, “I have a few friends with connections. I may reach out to them to see if they might be able to get something moving for me.”
“Like Bill Church?” Lois asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Well, I…” Mayson frowned, staring back at Lois in surprise. “How did you know that?”
Clark placed a hand around Lois’ waist and explained with a sigh, “We’ve been doing our own investigation into what’s been going on in Southside. We’ve followed a few leads that led us from Baby Rage to Martin Snell. Martin Snell to Intergang.”
“Then from Intergang to Bill Church.” Lois finished for him, arching her eyebrow at Mayson, hearing the edgy tone in her own voice. The pretense of being concerned was long gone as she swiftly moved into accusatory mode. “How well do you know Bill Church?”
Mayson glared back at her and fumed at her in an admonished tone, “Bill Church is my friend. Martin Snell is a professional acquaintance…And I can’t even believe what it is you’re insinuating here. I have nothing to do with Intergang or anyone running it!”
Clark frowned, looking back at her with a curious gaze, “You don’t seem surprised at all to hear the name, Intergang.”
“Almost like you’ve heard of them before.” Lois glared back at her, “I asked you repeatedly if you knew who or what was behind the police slowing down around this city… You said nothing.”
“I am not your enemy,” Mayson fumed. “In this line of work, I have to know who I can trust and right now I’m not feeling like that’s either of you.”.
“Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” Lois snapped irritably. “What was it exactly that went down, Mayson? A favor for a friend to look the other way? Maybe get a cop you knew was crooked take Baby Rage in?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Mayson fumed irritably. “I have spent my career trying to bring down these guys and everywhere I turn they are three steps ahead of me and I…” She held up her hand, waving her off, “Look I don’t have a soundbite for you. I don’t know what angle you’re aiming for but I’m not it.”
“My uncle has been forced into hiding while the restaurant he built nearly twenty years ago is getting deeper and deeper in debt.” Lois shook her head, “This is not just a story to either of us. This is personal.”
“I am not letting them get away with anything.” Mayson grew quiet, then looked back up at Lois sincerely, “I’d like for you to trust me. I would never purposefully tank a case.”
“Well, trust is something I don’t exactly give out freely and I’ve yet to hear anything from you to convince me you’ve earned that right.” Lois snapped bitterly. “You’ve yet to be upfront about what’s really going on in Southside and your connections to very suspicious individuals aren’t winning me over either.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Mayson huffed, gathering her things and storming out.
Lois watched her leave, contemplating if she should have pressed further and caught Clark’s gaze. “What?”
“Did you really have to be that hard on her?” Clark asked, placing an arm across her shoulders.
“She’s as dirty as Snell is as far as I’m concerned,” Lois sniffed, tightening her arms across her chest.
“Maybe,” Clark shrugged his shoulders, “but if she’s not we may have just killed our chances of getting any information from her on what she does know.”
________________________________________
TBC...
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