Injustice
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 5
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Present Day…Lois held her hand out for Jon, watching with a smile as he pointed his nub of a crayon to her palm, tracing the path from her wrist to her index finger as they waited patiently for Lucy’s flight to get in. Lucy had spent the last six months on the coast, finishing up her first year of interning at one of the more prestigious hospitals on the west coast. Though she missed her sister something awful she held an immense sense of pride in watching the young woman she had grown into over the last few years. Her decision to follow their father’s footsteps and attend transfer to MMU to finish her degree in their pediatric program had caught her by surprise. But seeing the way Lucy lit up when she spoke about the work she was doing told her this was the right move.
“Look!” Jon squealed when he saw the passengers entering from the arrivals terminal.
“There she is,” Lois beamed happily, reaching down to hoist Jon up when she saw Lucy from behind the slew of passengers that were climbing up the ramp toward them.
“Aunt Lucy! Aunt Lucy!” Jon squealed happily seeing the familiar brunette’s smiling face.
Lois’ eyes widened when she saw her sister on the arm of a familiar face. “Jack?”
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Ingrid took a long puff from her cigarette looking over her shoulder as she looked around the crowded bar. A familiar face poked its way through the crowd and she feigned a smile, reaching up to tuck a stray strand behind her ear.
“Stefan,” she took another puff from her cigarette. “Long time.”
It had been nearly two months since she had found herself on the train tracks ready to end it all. She had been able to survive here and there with the generosity of others and getting by on the money she had successfully lifted from the mission’s safe, but in order to truly escape and remain off of Tobias’ radar she would have to secure a new identity. Unfortunately, the only person she knew to do this was deeply rooted in with Tobias and the thugs she was trying to escape from.
“You’re a hard young lady to track down, my dear,” Stefan remarked, taking a seat across from her. His hard chiseled jaw squared as he jutted his chin out, stroking the rusty blonde hair of his goatee as he inched his chair toward her. Her eyes moved to the center of the table where he had set the small envelope.
She eyed it with intrigue, hoping she hadn’t made the wrong move in requesting his help. Stefan had helped her a time or two in the past during her time under Yusif’s thumb but he still worked for Tobias. Stefan was his own wolf in sheep’s clothing but the brutality she had been subjected to had never come from him. In part she suspected he questioned the actions he was sometimes forced to commit.
Ingrid nodded, reaching her hand over to take the envelope from him. “Is that what I think it is?”
“It took some time, but yes,” Stefan answered, tapping his hand on the table. “New identity with passport like we agreed.”
She nodded, tearing the seal, “Abram works fast.” She frowned when she saw the diskette inside. “What is this?”
“Yes, directions and your required documents ready to be printed.” Stefan said, reaching his hand across her lap from beneath the table.
“You didn’t bring the documents?” Ingrid hissed angrily, jerking his hand away.
“Do you really want me knowing your new identity, hmm? It’s safer this way. Plausible deniability with Tobias,” Stefan answered, moving his hand up her thigh.
She jerked his hand away, “How do I know you even have what we agreed to?”
“You don’t,” Stefan leaned over to take the cigarette from her hand. “But it does ensure our mutual agreement is adhered to.” His gaze darkened as his brow furrowed, “Don’t think I won’t collect, my dear Ingrid.”
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Clark set a mug of coffee on the counter, catching Lois’ gaze out of the corner of his eyes. She was stewing. He had been just as surprised as she was to find Lucy exiting her flight with Jack on her arm. Neither one of them had heard from him since he had taken Pete Ross’ offer to take an entry level position working with doctors without borders. At the time the Planet was still in ruins and after the work he’d done to help bring Luthor to justice Jack was left wondering what the next step was. Pete had connections everywhere and had introduced Jack to a few friends that worked to help those in need -truly making a difference. To his surprise, Jack had taken the job with enthusiasm and signed on with the Human Rights organization to travel around the world helping those in need, one city at a time. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Jack and Lucy connecting.
He cast a glance toward the living room, noting the laughs coming from his sister-in-law as she joked with Jack, wondering just how close the two had gotten over the past five years. He turned toward Lois and broke the silence, “We stay in here any longer and your sister will send in a search party.”
“She’s been gone for six months,” Lois said, running a weary hand across her face. She shook her head, “Sorry, this just took me by surprise. I mean…” She looked over her shoulder to glance in the direction of the living room and whispered, “Lucy doesn’t exactly have the best track record. Look what happened with her and Jimmy.”
“I know,” Clark reached over to squeeze her shoulder, “But to be fair we don’t know if there is anything going on.”
Lois cast a ‘yeah right’ expression in his direction and grunted, “I know my sister.”
“One way to find out,” Clark pointed to the living room.
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Ingrid reached for the other half of her dress, trying to force the last hour and a half’s events from her mind. She’d done it. Served herself up on a silver platter in exchange for the price of her freedom. She stared off into the darkness of the dingy office she had allowed herself to be drug into. Though she had found herself in worse places it didn’t make this any easier.
She felt a twinge of relief washed over her as she finished fastening her dress. Feeling she had reclaimed some sense of modesty come back to her as she glanced over to where Stefan was standing behind the desk she was propped up on.
Stefan let out an uneasy breath, “You’d be best to disappear for awhile. Tobias is raising the stakes on bringing you back into the fold.”
Ingrid felt a bile raise in her throat as she lifted her hand up to stroke her cheek as she staggered to her feet, straightening the skirt to her dress as she self-consciously tugged on the collar of her dress, tugging it closed from where one of the buttons had popped off. “Tobias doesn’t own me anymore.”
“Hmm, try telling him that,” Stefan snorted, straightening his jacket. “He won’t stop.”
“I know.”
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Jack looked across the table to where Ellen Lane sat with a look that reminded him of some judges he had gone head to head with in his youth. He reached for his glass of water, wondering what he could have possibly done to find himself in her crosshairs. He noted his friends appeared less than forthcoming as they conversed, talking through some of the stories they had covered in the last few years as Lucy grinned ear to ear about her internship at Southern California. A half-smile peaked across his face as he looked over at her.
Never in his wildest imagination would he have dreamed he would find himself being grilled by the infamous Lois Lane over just what his relationship was with her sister. Her sister. How had he not put two and two together before now? The name of course had been familiar but given how common it was across the coast he hadn’t thought anything of it. Not until he found himself being asked to join her on a flight back to Metropolis.
“So, Jack,” Ellen said his name cautiously, stirring the sugar into the mug in front of her with a silver spoon with a sharp clang that sent every creature that knew better running for the hills. He glanced over at Jon who was oblivious to the tension at the table as he quietly ate his concoction of spaghetti sauce and macaroni noodles. “What brings you to Metropolis?”
“Honestly, not a whole lot.” Jack shrugged his shoulders. “I figured I hadn’t been out here and while and just wanted to catch up and see how everyone was doing since Luthor’s conviction.” He took a sip from his water. “Lucy and I ran into one another working on a case for some orphans my group brought back to have an emergency surgery.” He smiled in her direction, “She was assigned to the case and we’ve stayed in touch over the last few months.”
“I figured it would be fun to catch up with everyone,” Lucy grinned sheepishly, “once I realized who he was that is.”
“We’d only been talking for a few weeks,” Jack said hurriedly before adding, “By the way, you’d be surprised just how common the name ‘Lane’ is out there in Cali.”
“So, how long are you in town for?” Clark asked, speaking up from the corner where he’d been somewhat brooding for the last half hour.
“A few weeks I think,” Jack flashed Lucy a smile. “I wanted to catch up with everyone and there is some work I need to do for the HRO.”
“HRO?” Ellen asked curiously.
“Human Rights Organization,” Lois answered on almost auto-pilot. “They travel around the world to help bring light to some of the unjust conditions people around the world are forced to live in. They collaborate with the Doctors Without Borders organization you and daddy used to work with.”
Ellen smiled fondly at the memory and sighed, “Yes, I remember. It was on one of those trips your father actually proposed.” The table grew quiet and Ellen then added sharply, “Well, we all know how that turned out.”
“Mom..” Lucy glared in her mother’s direction.
“What?” Ellen shrugged her shoulders, “We’re all adults.”
“Except for the J-O-N sitting at the table,” Lois added with a disapproving look.
“Fine, consider the subject dropped,” Ellen held her hands up in defeat. “What is your group doing in Metropolis?”
“I’m not sure,” Jack said with a shrug. “There was a report a few weeks back of a call for help from a victim of human trafficking but no one was able to track down where the call came from.” Jack frowned, shaking his head, “At least not from across the country.” Lois and Clark exchanged a look seeming to silently be saying something to one another and Jack felt somewhat self-conscious. “What?”
“Nothing,” Clark said a little too hurriedly.
That was the same tone he had used over the years when covering for his super extracurricular activities. Jack silently mulled over whether to confront the denial head on or wait them out. Given how long it had been and the bumpy start to their first meeting in five years he chose to remain quiet.
“Well, at any rate, I’m supposed to check and see if we can track her down.”
“Her?” Clark’s brow furrowed and Lois reached a hand over to cover Clark’s hand.
“Unfortunately, all I’ve got is a first name. Not a whole lot to go on,” Jack responded a bit defeated.
“Do you recall her name?” Lois asked curiously.
“Ingrid.” Jack said, taking a sip from his water. Lois’ face fell and Clark frowned, tapping his hand on the table. “You heard of her?” Jack pressed.
“Maybe,” Clark said softly. “Though it’s a common name. There was a girl that was rescued a few months back by Superman and taken over to the Fifth Mission.”
“The girl that jumped in front of the train,” Ellen snapped her fingers recalling the story. “I read about that.” Her face fell with worry, “I hope that’s not the same girl.”
“Me too,” Clark answered, glancing over at Lois before squeezing her hand in his. A gesture that was not lost on Jack. Something told him they knew more than they were letting on and he was going to find out what.
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Four Years Ago…Anwir fidgeted nervously from side to side as he felt himself be shoved forward, falling to his knees. He reached out to stop himself with this bound hands. The linen bag used to cover his face was pulled back with a jerk and he took in a deep breath, savoring the fresh air as he looked in front of him to see what appeared to be an unfazed Bill Church Jr. looking down at the binds his hands were in with amusement.
“You seem nervous, Anwir,” Bill Church Jr. commented, eying him with a narrow gaze. “For God’s sake get up.”
Anwir stumbled to his feet and found his footing, looking over his shoulder to the heavyset men behind him who were glaring at him with menace. The chirp of a walkie talkie startled him and he lost his footing, catching himself at the last minute on the square corner of a table.
The swinging doors, leading into the back of the store swung open and a man in his late forties plowed through them with a hard shove. Anwir swallowed hard as he stared at the tall man with a wide-eyed gaze. This was him. This was the one he had been warned about.
“Mr. Church…” Anwir began only to have him waved off by Bill Church Jr.
“Elias,” Church beamed back at the tall man dressed in a pale yellow suit that highly contrasted with his dark tan skin. “Quite a show of force here, but don’t you think you’re skirting the line a bit here?” He held up his hands that were still bound to articulate his point. “I mean, really what is this? We’re so much better than this.”
“Mr. Church, please don’t lecture me. You are in my home.” Elias snarled with a low hiss. “My country.”
“Of course,” Church shrugged his shoulders, “I understand there is some miscommunication regarding the territory in Qatar.”
“There is no confusion,” Elias snapped back. “You bring your girls and dirty money through my country and they’re mine. Intergang has no place here. Are we clear?”
“Elias,” Church’s gaze darkened.
A rumble echoed through the room and fire burned through Anwir’s chest. He let out a staggered cry as he fell to the ground, clutching his chest. The world around him began to blur as he watched chaos around him erupt. Church broke his binds on the edge of the table and reached out to strike Elias with a broken glass. A flash later Elias was on the floor, hovering over Church brandishing his own weapon. Another flash and the images blurred into a pixeled mixture of darkness and colors as he heard Church give Elias a warning.
“This is far from over, Elias. I will destroy you.”
“Step foot in Qatar again and you’ll be leaving in a body bag.”
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The screams for help continued to multiply through the streets as Clark sped through the streets dressed in disguise. After the confrontation with Martin Snell, he couldn’t be too careful so he had obtained a police uniform for him to use as a disguise to continue protecting the parts of Metropolis that had fallen to the waste side of Metropolis P.D.’s radar. A scowl crossed his face as he came across a gang of thugs tossing bricks into one of the diners, laughing as they shot a fire cracker through the window.
“Isn’t it past your curfew?” Clark called out, tugging the bill of his patrol cap down.
He looked over to where the gang was continuing to throw inanimate objects through the glass pane windows. On the ground was the store owner, huddled up in a fetal position as the gang surrounded him, attacking him with jabs, kicks, baseball bats and rocks.
It had been hard to make out, but his muffled cry for help had been unmistakable. “Get out of here you, punks!”
“We just wanna talk,” one of the gang members taunted, tossing a firecracker in the air deadly close to the store owner.
Another thug swung toward him with a knife in his hand coming inches away from his face when Clark fully dressed in the police uniform intervened, grabbing the thug’s hand back.
“You have the right to remain silent.” He said, ducking as the thugs began to try and turn on him.
One of the thugs began swinging the chains toward him, and Clark ducked again, “Anything you say can and will be used against you.”
As Clark ducked, the thug swinging the chains hit one of the thugs that was holding a baseball bat. The thug with the baseball bat struck the guy with the chains in the ribs causing his to groan in pain.
“…in a court of law.” Clark saw the baseball bat coming toward him and ducked, reaching for the bat in mid-air, jerking it and the thug that still held it toward him. With a healthy use of super strength, he jerked the bat toward the awaiting tin trash cans in the corner.
“You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.” Clark said, advancing toward the thug that had tried to assault Mike with the knife earlier.
The thug screamed and went into a karate stance running toward Clark. He smirked to himself, holding his hand out and allowing the thug to run into his palm. The thug fell to the ground, and Clark looked down at the now unconscious thugs, “Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?”
A low moan escaped from the thug he’d just dropped, and the store owner chuckled, placing a hand on Clark’s shoulder, “Officer, I think that’s a ‘yes.'”
Clark smiled, readjusting his police cap to assure himself his face was covered, “I better call for a, uh…”
“Backup?” the wounded store owner guessed.
“Right.” Clark nodded, bending down to tie the wounded gang members up. It would have to hold them for now until the real police arrived. He then looked to where the store was in flames and checked to make sure the injured store owner was distracted and blew a blast of freezing breath toward the store, squashing the fire.
In the distance, he heard the sirens from the firetrucks approaching. Help was on the way at least.
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Yusif slammed the door to the unmarked van, securing the keys in his pocket. He let out a satisfied grin as he looked across the alleyway, seeing the police officer running away from the what used to be a burning building. The recent disappearance of the police force on this part of town had made his job all the easier. He walked toward the driver’s side door and climbed in.
He looked over his shoulder, glancing through the rearview mirror to be sure no one was behind him as he backed out of the parking spot. He looked to the back where the two girls he had picked up were still unconscious. A chuckle escaped his throat and he reached for the flask in the door, taking a swig before pressing his foot on the gas and jetting out of the alleyway.
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Lois let out a deep breath, feeling the hot water from the showerhead beat against her. After a few rounds with Jon she had finally gotten him to settle down and stolen a rare quiet moment to indulge in a hot shower for more than five minutes.
Her mind kept drifting back to her showdown with Mayson Drake in the courtroom, kicking herself for losing her cool with Mayson. Any hope she had of coaxing information out of the ADA was long gone now. She reached out to grab the bottle of shampoo and poured the liquid in her hand. She let out a deep sigh, feeling the soapy suds lather in her hair.
“Lois?”
“In the shower,” she called out, backing up to allow the suds to wash down the length of her body, circling around the drain.
“Hey,” she heard her husband outside the shower stall.
“Hey,” Lois tugged the curtain back, poking her head out to see him still in the patrol uniform. Her gaze wandered over his body, admiring the way the dark blue uniform fit him so perfectly. “How was your patrol?”
“Frustrating,” he sighed, leaning his head back against the wall he was lead up against.
“That bad?” she asked, reaching over to turn the water off.
“Gangs are running the streets, attacking businesses and just fanning the chaos. Fires are everywhere and everyone’s scared.” He let out a heavy sigh. “The police are noticeably absent and …I don’t know how much longer I can keep hiding.”
“Well, all the more reason for us to find this Snell character and figure out who he’s working with,” Lois said, pulling the curtain back and reaching for her towel. She caught his gaze as he watched her tie the terry cloth material around her. A warm smile spread across her face as she glanced over at him in the patrol uniform. After the threats from Snell they had agreed Superman couldn’t risk being seen in Southside. The patrol uniform was the perfect cover.
She stepped out of the shower, stepping on the plush bath rug. Clark reached over to wrap his arms around her from behind, letting out a heavy sigh as he buried his chin into her damp hair. She reached up to pat his cheek and he leaned over to press his lips against hers. “Did Jon settle down okay?”
“After a few rounds he finally gave in.” Lois glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile. He nodded, leaning in to press his lips against the nape of her neck. “You want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” he murmured, tightening his arms around her as he pressed his lips to hers. “Cries for help I can’t show up to as Superman…” He let out a snort. “This is getting ridiculous.”
She smiled back at his reflection, noting the dark blue uniform he was still in as his hands moved toward the front where her towel was knotted. “It’s a loophole.” She reminded him, reaching behind her to run a hand across his side, smiling to herself when he let out a low moan.
“It’s technically illegal to impersonate a police officer,” he reminded her, nibbling at the sensitive flesh against her throat.
“Sometimes you have to break a few rules to highlight an injustice,” she let out sharp gasp as his hands continued their treacherous path up the smoothness of her legs. She turned in his arms, looping her arms around his neck and fingering the edge of the police cap on his head. “I suppose if I hadn’t blown it with Mayson earlier we might have an actual lead.”
“Or not,” Clark allowed, leaning into her as he brushed his lips against her shoulder blade. “If she is as dirty as you think she is she may have just given us another wild goose chase to go down and we’d be no more closer to stopping Snell than we are now.”
“I’m just not sure if she’s dirty or just untrustworthy,” Lois reached up to finger the top button to his patrol uniform.
“You seemed pretty convinced earlier,” he reminded her, running his hands against her upper thighs.
“Now I’m not so sure,” she sighed, hanging her head.
“Well, so what do you want to do?” Clark asked, resting his forehead against hers.
She gripped the side of his collar, pulling him to her, “Maybe do a little digging in the morning.” She looped her finger through the top button of his uniform, smiling as she saw the bare skin peek beneath the dark blue material. She giggled, leaning into him as he pressed his solid frame against her. He ran his hands up the back of her thigh, smoothing its way past the terrycloth fabric that still hung draped around her.
She spread open the top half of his uniform and brushed her hand against the warm, smooth skin of his chest. She leaned her head back against the doorframe of the bathroom, reaching up to prop the cap on her head.
“You’re gorgeous,” Clark whispered in her ear. He leaned in to kiss her, running his hands up and down her terrycloth covered sides. She murmured her approval against his lips, draping her body against him. He let out a shallow breath as she ran her hands up and down his chest seductively.
His lips smoothed their way across her body as she folded her hands through his silky hair. She let out a low moan as she threw her head back, feeling the weight of his body pressed into hers as his hands smoothed their way up and down the back of her thighs, kneading the flesh as he inched himself closer and closer. An inaudible moan escaped the back of her throat as he hoisted her up, allowing her legs to wrap around his torso.
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out, forming an ‘oh’ as she felt the wooden door frame against her back. “Cl…”
He fingered the knot that kept her towel securely wrapped around her, “I think you’re overdressed, Mrs. Kent.”
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Martin Snell felt his hand tremble as he reached the end of the hallway. The news had come through an hour ago. An hour of pondering what to do as he weighed the pros and cons of sharing Anwir’s death with Bill Church. He finally summarized the point that there was no hiding what had happened. All that was left now was to get Church’s son home and extract Intergang’s revenge. He reached the end of the hallway and noticed the door leading into Bill Church’s office was ajar.
“Martin?” a cold tone escaped Bill Church’s throat as the door opened for Martin to open. In the doorway, Bill Church stood. His features were stern as he stood in the doorway, glaring down at him as he held his place, almost statuesque.
Snell felt a chill run down his spine as he met Bill Church’s gaze, feeling his insides shiver beneath his boss’ stare. “M-Mister Church, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Large 8x10 photos were flashed in Church’s hand and slammed across Martin Snell’s chest. “Why don’t you tell me, Martin?”
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The monitors beeped a monotone ping and the semi-crowded hallway left Bill Church Jr. groggily listening in on half conversations. He lifted his arm, glancing over at the phone he had just hung up, wondering how many phone calls he should make before returning to Metropolis. He pinched the bridge of his nose, steadying himself as his mind flashed back to the previous evening and the close call he had with Elias.
One of Intergang’s lieutenants had been killed.
That couldn’t go unpunished.
For now, though he would have to wait.
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Jon clapped his hands happily as the red siren from his toy fire truck sounded. A soft giggle escaped his lips and Clark grinned down at his son, scooting closer to him as he helped push the truck along the tile floor. He cast a glance toward the dining room where Lois was sitting with the phone tucked neatly between the crook of her arm and chin. Most of the day had been spent reaching out to all of their sources to see if anyone knew anything about what had been going on in Southside. Not surprising, no one was talking, but that didn’t stop Lois from grilling every last source she had.
“Well, fine! See if the Planet brings their business to your run down dump any more!” Lois screeched into the phone before slamming the phone down.
Clark winced, looking back at Jon who was giggling at his mother’s outburst. Clark leaned in to whisper to Jon, “Mommy is mad.”
“You’re dan…” Lois clamped her mouth shut when she saw Jon looking at her with a goofy grin. She let out a light chuckle and turned to Jon, “Mommy is going to teach you how to write an expose when you get older.” She took a seat on the floor, flashing a half-smile at Clark before adding, “No one’s talking.”
“Intergang is connected,” Clark said gently. “No one wants to speak up.”
“No one at the police department is returning my calls either,” Lois remarked bitterly, leaning over to help push the small red and white fire truck. “Starting to wonder if anyone in this city cares about this corrupt justice system.”
“They care, but probably just don’t know what to do about it,” Clark sighed, running a hand across Jon’s back.
Lois let out a deep sigh, shaking her head, “Perry won’t let us print our theory either.”
“Hard facts,” Clark did an impression of the editor. “We don’t have enough of them. The FBI isn’t willing to back anything up without the Metropolis P.D. taking action.”
“And the District Attorney’s office is ignoring my calls,” Lois added with a grunt. “I think my snapping at Mayson might have something to do with that.”
“Well, maybe something will turn up,” Clark offered weakly.
“This is insanity. Keeping law and order is what the police are supposed to do. Convicting criminals is what the courts are supposed to do.” Lois vented.
“When someone is willing to speak up,” Clark reminded her.
“I’m guessing you haven’t heard anything about the hearing?” Lois asked, reaching over to pick Jon up as he let out a long yawn.
The phone in the kitchen rang and Clark stood up to answer it, crossing the path from the living room into the kitchen to answer the phone. “Hello?”
“Clark?” Mayson Drake’s voice echoed through the handset.
“Mayson,” Clark motioned to Lois to pick up the other handset to listen in.
“Hi,” Mayson breathed into the receiver and was quiet for a moment before breaking the silence. “I, uh, know things got a little heated yesterday over Mike Lane’s case.” Clark bit back the impulse to remind her of just where the resistance had been coming from yesterday. Instead waiting for Mayson to collect her thoughts, “You’re both right. Intergang has gotten its hold on this city and if someone doesn’t do something fast…”
“Someone being?” Clark prompted calmly.
There was a pause on the other line and then Mayson cleared her throat, “Would either of you be willing to meet me at my office? It’s better if I just show you?”
Clark looked to Lois who was shaking her head adamantly, pointing at Jon. Clark nodded and then turned back to the phone, “Mayson, unfortunately it’s too late to be venturing out, but if you’d like to meet us here at home in about an hour we can discuss everything then.”
There was another pause and then Mayson responded, “Sure.” Clark gave her the address and then hung up.
Lois let out a hesitant breath, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“We’ll find out,” Clark shrugged.
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Martin Snell paced through the dark conference room, looking at the 3-D hologram that was displayed on the long table, showing Intergang’s territory and the areas that had been compromised by this new threat. In the corner of the room, Bill Church Jr. sat with his arm in a sling and a bandage tied across his shoulder. Bill Church Sr. sat at the head of the table, examining the blue and white hologram with a focus that sent an eerie chill down his spine. He tightened his grasp on the glass in his hand and took a sip before claiming the seat a few chairs down from where Bill Church Jr.
“Any word from Qatar?” Bill Church Sr. asked, unfazed as he ferociously typed into the keyboard in front of him.
“All of our associates have been relocated out of Qatar and Anwir’s remains will be arriving in the States within the next two days.” Snell answered, stealing a glance in Bill Church Jr.’s direction. “Elias is still not taking my calls.”
“Elias doesn’t negotiate,” Church Jr. gestured to his arm that sat snugly in its sling.
“Well, he won’t see us coming. He may have caught us off guard this one time, but we will avenge Anwir’s death,” Church Sr. grunted, turning his attention to Church Jr. “Have we heard anything from Nagano on the demands?”
“No word from the Minister yet,” Church Jr. responded with a shrug. “He still has a few hours.”
“Send him a photo of his wife and child and ask the minister if he thinks the extra time is worth the risk.” Church Sr. scoffed bitterly and then pointed in Snell’s direction. “Any word on locating this Elias? How deep are his connections?”
Snell tapped his hand on the table. “Elias Diederich has deep state connections in Qatar that spreads into Germany and the Sudan.” He grew quiet, shaking his head, “I…I’m not sure we can stop him, sir.”
“The only one that might be able to take him on is Superman,” Church Jr. commented half-heartedly.
“Well, what good does it do us to control Superman if we can’t use him to our advantage?” Church Sr. let out a soft chuckle. His face darkened and he gave his order, “Call him here. It’s time we had a heart to heart.”
“Sir, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Snell asked.
“Did I stutter, Martin?” Church Sr. glared back at him.
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Clark looked over the rim of his coffee cup, stealing a glance to the seat next to him where Lois was leaned up next to him. He moved his attention to the file boxes sitting on the table in front of them, watching as Mayson Drake pulled out file jacket after file jacket.
“So all cards on the table?” Mayson prompted, pointing to the file jackets in front of them. Clark looked to Lois, and she nodded. “If this case gets thrown out and my office is implicated I can kiss my career goodbye. I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do, but I don’t know who I can trust anymore.”
“Seems to be going around,” Lois said, sharing a look with Clark.
“I guess if you want trust, you have to start by giving it,” Mayson said, softly, “I don’t usually make a habit of working with the press or let alone victims’ families but I think if we work together we might be able to prove Snell’s connection to Intergang. The Metropolis P.D. doesn’t necessarily erect a lot of confidence from me these days.”
“I thought Snell was a professional acquaintance?” Lois asked.
“He is, but I still don’t trust him.” Mayson shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe if we work together we can find the connection I keep missing?”
“If you are so suspicious of Snell then why were you defending him?” Clark asked, frowning as he folded his arms across his chest.
“I wasn’t defending him,” Mayson argued half-heartedly. “I was…” she stopped herself mid-sentence. “Look, that’s not the point.”
Lois watched the ADA for a long moment, pondering if she could trust her and noting something she hadn’t seen there before. “You lost someone, didn’t you?”
Mayson frowned, “One of the investigators I was working with from the FBI.” She shook her head. “They don’t give you a gravestone to go visit when they’re agents like that.”
“I know,” Lois said solemnly.
Mayson finally spoke up, ripping off the band aid. “I have a secret file on Intergang and …a personal file on Martin Snell.”
“We have a redacted file from the FBI on Intergang,” Lois acknowledged.
“The FBI?” Mayson echoed softly, her eyes widening at the implication.
“Superman!” Clark heard the familiar voice echo in his ear. Clark immediately recognized the voice as Martin Snell’s. “Your presence is requested at the Cost Mart headquarters. You wanted to meet the puppeteer. You got it.”
Clark looked to Lois who seemed oblivious to his distraction, leaning over to whisper in her ear, “I’ve got to go.”
She nodded, opting to make a big show about finding the file Davenport had given and giving him the time he needed to make his exit.
________________________________________
Bill Church ran a hand through his thinning hair, taking a long puff from his cigar, looking around the deserted rooftop of CostMart. He looked to Martin Snell who was looking out on the city, waiting for Superman to make his presence known. The wind bristled across his face and he smiled, noting the presence of the man of steel.
“I do love it when the hired hands are prompt,” Church chuckled aloud, turning to face Superman with an arrogant sneer.
“Yes, Mr. Church,” Snell gestured to Church and smiled, “Superman, you’re in luck. Your request for an introduction to what did you call him….?” Snell snapped his fingers, attempting to feign no recollection before turning to face him with a smile. “Oh, that’s right! A puppeteer.”
“I prefer boss, or perhaps even the chief. I don’t really like to demean my position with nicknames so unbecoming.” Church pointed to his head. “I do love a good leader, don’t you?”
“When it’s not a leader of corruption, yes,” Superman’s eyes narrowed as he stared in Church’s direction. “Murderer. Criminal. Thief. Gangster…”
“Oh, please, I’m blushing,” Church chuckled proudly.
“You are destroying this city. Innocent lives are being put in danger every day for what?” Superman chastised, his eyes darkening with fury as he hissed out his accusations.
“I’m liberating the city from the stronghold they suffer from,” Church remarked proudly, puffing his chest out with an arrogant air about him. “Which brings me to the reason for our call.”
“I
don’t work for you,” Superman growled.
“Oh, that’s still up for debate,” Snell chastised, tapping the remote in his hand. “If you recall there are still quite a few people in this city that could be taken out at a moment’s notice.”
“And if you know what’s good for you, Superman, you’ll be a good superhero and fly your little cape over to Qatar and bring this man to me so I can ensure he’s properly repaid for the welcome he gave my son.” Church held up the photo for Superman to examine.
Superman narrowed his eyes and before Church could stop him he burned the photograph until it burst into flames, causing Church to throw it to the ground and stomp it out. “I don’t work for you,” Superman hissed out in slow breaths, leaning into Church’s face as he stared him down.
“I hear you’re quite close to those reporters at the Daily Planet,” Church took a long puff from his cigar. “Lois Lane?” Recognition crossed Superman’s face and Church chuckled. “I see I’ve hit a nerve.” He looked to Superman with a chuckle, “Last chance, Superman.” Superman stared at him with menace and then disappeared into a blur of red and blue. Church turned to Snell and ordered, “Fire away, Martin.”
“Here comes the headache,” Snell cackled, pressing his thumb to the red button on the remote, controlling the missiles.
“Initiate the compound’s self-destruct orders. I wanted Superman to know who he was facing, but I don’t want him to be able to prove it,” Church sniffed, straightening his tie as he made his way toward the door that led him to the emergency exit.
________________________________________
Clark zeroed in on the radio waves being sent to the isolated location just outside the city and zeroed in on the metal pistols erecting themselves from the stone wall that had opened up. Each pistol was melted into a pool of silver and white metal as the sound of a blast coming from behind the camouflaged weapon’s source shook the ground.
Clark flew inside the rocky entrance and found himself faced with a small room covered in computer screens and keyboards that appeared to be monitoring the city. Clark growled in fury when he saw his home on one of the monitors and ran his fist through the screen, turning on the tech in front of the monitor. “Shut it down! Now!”
The room erupted in flames and Clark flew the technicians out of the room and took them to the police station, intent of ensuring their arrest along with Bill Church and Martin Snell.
________________________________________
TBC...
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