Injustice Folc4evernaday
Chapter 16: Hear That Sound
One Year Ago…Jon squealed happily as he lifted his arms in the air, making a buzzing noise to imitate an airplane. Lois laughed as she held him in her arms, settling him on her side as they exited the daycare’s playroom. They walked through the glass doors and into the Daily Planet lobby.
She had tried to stick around as long as she could before heading out, but it was getting late, and well past the normal hour, she left the Planet. Clark was still out searching for the new superhero that had shown up in Metropolis two days ago. She identified herself as Vixen, and not much else had been discovered about her much to Perry’s dismay.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Lois chuckled, running her hand across Jon’s back.
“Lois …”
She turned to see Leslie Luckabee approaching them from the corner of the lobby where the elevator doors let out. Lois sighed, spotting the Planet’s new owner as he waved his hand toward them, quickening his pace to catch up with them. He’d introduced himself yesterday morning and appeared to have implanted himself in the middle of the newsroom’s day to day activities. Assess what the day to day life of the journalists he now employed were like — a much different approach than what Franklin Stern had taken.
“Mr. Luckabee,” Lois nodded in his direction.
“Ah, heading out?” Leslie asked, pointing to the door.
Jon slowed his airplane imitations, growing shy with the stranger he was unfamiliar with and resting his head against Lois’ as they walked toward the door. Lois kept a hand on Jon’s back as they exited, responding to Leslie’s question with a frank, “Well, I think we’ve done all we can for the night. Superman’s still looking for Vixen, and this little guy is ready to go home.”
“Of course,” Leslie gave a good-natured smile as they walked through the rotating glass doors, coming out onto the busy street in front of the Planet. He pointed to the sign that read ‘Roberto’s’ two buildings down from the crosswalk. “I was planning on catching a bite to eat before calling it a night. Care to join me?”
Lois patted Jon’s back, pondering if she shouldn’t try to stick around close to the Planet with Clark still out looking for Vixen. She turned to Jon and asked him, “What do you think, bud? Enchiladas sound good?”
Jon nodded mutely before lifting his head from her shoulder and looking at Leslie with a furrowed brow that resembled his father when he was trying to size up someone new. Lois shrugged her shoulders, cradling Jon in her arms as she nodded her agreement. “I’ll need to leave a message for Clark, so he knows where to meet us, but not cooking sounds divine right now…”
The words traipsed out of her mouth, just as a familiar sonic boom echoed from the alleyway behind the Planet. She bit her lower lip, turning her head toward the crosswalk Clark was on, walking toward them with a wave. “Daddy!”
“Your ears must be burning, mate,” Leslie commented as Clark reached them. “We were just talking about you.”
Lois pointed to the sign for Roberto’s, “We were just going to grab some dinner before heading home. I wasn’t sure when you’d get back from your, uh, search for Superman, so I thought I’d buy some time…and Jon loves their cheese dip.”
“You’ll join us, of course,” Leslie interjected.
“Cheese dip!” Jon demanded with a grin.
“Of course,” Clark smirked, leaning over to press the call button for them to cross the street to where Roberto’s was. “As long as Jon’s not having chips for dinner,” He raised his eyebrows at Jon, who stuck out his lower-lip in defiance.
“So, any luck with the search?” Leslie asked, gesturing to the dimly lit sky above them.
“Search?” Clark looked at Leslie with a distracted expression as a loud shrieking of tires filled the air.
“Vixen,” Leslie prompted.
Clark’s face didn’t even register Leslie’s response as Lois found herself pushed toward the alley, and Clark’s voice boomed through her eardrums with a sharp, “Get down!”
“Mommy!” Jon’s fearful cries rang in her ears as she crouched down against the pavement, hovering over him, shielding him from any stray bullets as they rained around them. She kept one hand over his eyes, protecting him from seeing the gunfire.
“Don’t move!” she heard Clark whisper in her ear with a shaky breath.
She let out a shallow breath, keeping a tight grip on Jon as she craned her neck to look up, feeling relief wash over her when she saw Clark standing in front of her. She looked to her left, seeing Leslie crouched down behind one of the pillars outside the Planet.
“Hey, Luckabee!” could be heard from a man’s voice through the gunfire. The squealing of tires could be heard as the rain of bullets came to an end.
“Clark?” Lois called out, trying to assess what had happened. She glanced at Clark as he tugged on his tie, preparing to retreat. Before either of them could excuse him from the scene in front of Jon or Leslie, a rain of gold filled the air and, in its place, was a fierce and determined Vixen, staring the retreating car down. A split-second later, a blast of fire formed in front of her and ricocheted through the air and right on its target – the retreating gunmen – disintegrating the car and shooters into ashes.
Lois tightened her arms around Jon as she stared at the burning street, keeping her hand over Jon’s face to keep him from seeing the disturbing scene. Clark reached his hand out to help her up, looking her over and asking, “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Just a little rattled,” Lois responded, shaking her head. She glanced toward Leslie, who was still crouching down on the pavement. “Mr. Luckabee, are you all right?”
He glanced toward her shaking his head, “Yeah, I think so. Friendly town you’ve got here…”
Clark gestured to the street that was still in flames, “I'm gonna call the police...” he reached his hand over to cup Jon’s face. “You okay, bud?”
Jon shook his head, burying his face against her shoulder. “He just needs a minute.”
“I’ll be right back,” Clark promised, moving off.
________________________________________
Clark barely registered the street around him as he moved toward the alleyway, making a quick change of wardrobe and reappearing barely a second later to confront Vixen who was still standing in the middle of the enflamed street where the retreating gunmen’s car had been moments ago. One bullet. That’s all it would have taken for Lois or Jon to have been killed or possibly injured. He could feel the rage within him rising as he clenched and unclenched his fists, blowing the flames on the street out with a long cool breath that covered the street in ice.
Vixen registered his presence with a blink of her eyes and held her hand up, “That’s alright, Superman. I’ve got this situation under control.”
“Vixen, what are you doing? You just killed them!” he growled, gesturing to the ashes in front of them.
“I don’t understand.” She stared back at him, confused. “They tried to kill him.” She gestured toward Leslie Luckabee.
“But, with your speed and strength, you could've easily arrested them, instead!” Clark fumed through gritted teeth.
“Why would I have done that?” Vixen looked at him with a vacant expression, barely registering the deaths of the gunmen as more than anything but a formality rather than a cold-hearted over-reaction on her part.
Clark feigned a calm he didn’t feel, burying inside him the rage that threatened to consume him as he growled out, “Because that’s the way the system works here.”
“Why would I have done that? They just would've gotten out to kill again.” Vixen jutted her chest out proudly, unfazed by the information he’d relayed.
“You can’t go around hurting people… not even the bad guys! You have to use your powers responsibly!”
Vixen’s eyes glowed as she narrowed her gaze at him. “I did. I eradicated evil.” She pushed past him with a hard shove. “You do it your way; I’ll do it mine!”
“No,” Clark grabbed her arm to stop her. “You’ll do it the right way, or you won’t do it at all.” She locked her gaze with him, and he saw the emotionless determination behind her eyes, sending a surge of fear through him as the thousand what-if scenarios ran through his mind.
She jerked her arm away. With a blink of an eye and a whirlwind of gold and blue she disappeared before him. He scanned the streets, noting a few pedestrians that had been crossing the street and were knocked to the ground from Vixen’s retreat. A man reached his hand out to help them up and he caught the shaken expression on both their faces.
Vixen was a serious threat.
He was going to have to stop her.
“Mommy!”
His eyes clamped closed, and his attention zeroed in toward the doorway of the Planet where Lois was crouched down next to Jon, cradling her in his arms. His heart lurched in his chest, feeling the raw emotions that were threatening to consume him rise. He needed to stop Vixen. Every fiber of his being wanted to fly off and chase her down, enforcing the justice system she so ceremoniously spat at with her degrading tantrum. He wanted to seek her out and bring her to justice. He wanted justice, but more than that – he wanted his family safe.
Jon had already witnessed more than he ever should have. He let out a heavy sigh and then turned back to the frozen street. The best thing to do now was to take Lois and Jon home. Vixen would be brought down, but not tonight.
He flew at super-speed toward the Planet, changing back into his suit and tie, readjusting his glasses as he approached Lois and Jon, who were talking with Leslie Luckabee.
“Where do you think she went?” Leslie asked, glancing toward the space Vixen had vacated earlier.
“The police are on their way,” Clark heard a siren in the distance and smiled as he knelt down to pick up Jon, taking a moment to hug him a little tighter than usual. “You ready to go home, bud?” Jon nodded, wrapping his arm around Clark’s neck as he turned toward Leslie, “We’ll have to take a raincheck on that dinner, Mr. Luckabee.”
“Understandable.” Leslie nodded. “Uh, thank you for everything…” He motioned to the chaos around them. “You saved my life, Clark, I won't forget that.”
Clark flashed him a weak smile, “You’re welcome. Have a good night.”
________________________________________
“I hate you.”
“I know you do.” Dan felt his physical therapist pat his knee as he gritted his teeth, holding the bright green spandex in place, biting his lower lip in an effort to hold back the pain that was rushing through him. She glanced at the timer in her hand and nodded to him. “And time.” He let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling the tension dissipate. He reached a hand up to wipe his brow as he leaned back on the table.
“I still hate you,” Dan remarked grimly, staring up at the ceiling with a heavy breath.
He winced as he raised himself up for her to place a cold pack on his shoulder, letting out a heavy sigh as he felt the relief wash over him.
________________________________________
Lois laid next to her husband, watching the rise and fall of his chest as she gazed lazily over at him. A slow grin covered her face as his hand brushed against her chin. “I can’t move my legs,” she giggled, craning her neck as she looked back at him.
“Uh-huh,” Clark lazily reached over, pulling her to him as he breathed a whisper in her ear. “I love you.”
After two hours of qualming their son’s cries with a few reruns of cartoons and ice cream, Jon had finally fallen asleep. The gunfire and explosion from earlier had left them all shaken, trying to grapple with the trauma by clinging to the comfort of one another. Her hand drifted across her abdomen, pondering momentarily if by some miracle they might have finally made a baby.
It had been six months since they’d received the news from the specialist surrounding her injuries after LiveWire’s attack. It had been six months of negative test results and painful reminders of what they had lost. Tonight had been a jarring reminder of just how fragile everything was.
Tonight could have easily become a deadly situation like that of the attack LiveWire had struck on the city and her. Thankfully Jon was safe, but her mind kept drifting to the horrible scenarios that could have happened.
“Clark?” she lifted her head up to look at him.
“Hmm?” His chin nuzzled against her head, running his hand across her face, tracing the worry lines away with his thumb.
“Vixen going after these criminals like this…” Lois began, biting her lower lip as she thought through the fears that were roaming through her mind. “What if she starts going after people that aren’t criminals?”
“I don’t know,” he responded with a heavy sigh. “Vixen is out of control. Anything’s possible, I suppose. I just hope we don’t find out the hard way how dangerous she is.” He pressed his lips to hers, tangling his breath with hers as he whispered. “She won’t get away with this.”
A whistle of relief washed over her as she stared into his eyes, letting go of the anguish she was toying with over the events that had transpired this evening. The power this Vixen character had was alarming and to think she carried these powers without the same morals Clark held himself to. Even when Superman was just a stranger that had shown up and rescued her and the other passengers on the Messenger, not once had she feared what he might do with the power he held. Here was this powerful man that had the strength of gods but was more human than those that were born here on Earth. Vixen was different, though. She was cold and unfeeling, unfazed by the brutality she subjected to her victims and even those she claimed to be saving.
“I love you, you know that?” she whispered, looping her arm around his neck.
“I recall you mentioning it a time or two,” his breath tickled her ear, and she tightened her grasp on him. His lips teased hers with slow languishing caresses, dipping his tongue into the crevices of her mouth as he rolled her on her side.
A soft moan escaped her throat as his hands roamed up her sides, tracing the outline of her curves as her hands roamed through his hair, fingering the dark silky strands as the urgency behind each caress grew more insistent.
“I love you,” she whispered breathlessly as he rolled them over, so she was hovering over him. She ran her hand down his chest, tracing an imaginary ‘S’ across his chest. His hands ran over her bare back as she leaned forward to capture his mouth with his, readjusting herself across him, so she was straddling him.
The blaring of the phone on the nightstand quickly pulled both their attention away from one another. Clark let out a groan, craning his neck to look toward the intruding ring coming from the wireless phone.
“It’s almost ten o’clock…Ignore them.”
She giggled as he drew his hands up her back, tugging her back down to capture her lips with his. The incessant blaring of the phone continued to ring in the background until finally, the voicemail picked up.
“Hello, Lois, Clark, I know it’s late. This is Leslie Luckabee…”
“I’m going to strangle him,” Clark groaned from beneath her as she attempted to stifle her laughter. “That man needs to get a life.”
“…I have a plan to stop Vixen. I know it might be a bit presumptuous of me, but I need your help to pull it off and…”
Clark groaned, rolling his eyes as Lois reached her hand over to answer the phone. “Hello?”
“Ah, Lois, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you…”
“No, we weren’t sleeping.” Lois bit her lower lip, holding her index finger to her husband’s lips as he choked back a hard chuckle. “What was it you needed help with….?” She held back a comment about the late hour, leaning forward and holding the phone out for them both to respond to Leslie.
“I was hoping to persuade you and Clark to come down to the Planet straight away. You see, the problem is, I couldn't wait to put the plan into motion because it's a timely one, and we’ll need Superman’s help to pull it off.”
Lois glanced at Clark, who was shaking his head, “Now? It’s pretty late…”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I could come there.” Leslie offered.
Lois shook her head, “How about we meet in the morning?”
“It may be too late to wait till morning,” Leslie argued.
“Um,” she looked at Clark helplessly, and he reached over to take the phone, letting out an aggravated sigh.
“What do you need from Superman?”
“Ah, Clark, good, you’re there as well. It’s a bit too complicated to detail over the phone…”
Clark reached his hand up, pinching both sides of his temple as he let out a very irritable response, “Mr. Luckabee, it’s after ten, and our son is asleep in his bed. Neither of us are comfortable waking him up or leaving him here with a sitter, so if it’s that time-sensitive, just try to tell us what it is you need.”
“Of course, I didn’t even look at the time. I apologize.” Leslie quickly rambled on, and Lois stifled a giggle as her husband held the phone out for her to listen, rolling his eyes as he did so. “Given Vixen’s knack for nabbing criminals, I thought I might bait the hook if you will. Make me look like a crooked CEO like the bank chairman that was kidnapped so that when she comes looking for me, Superman is there to stop her.”
“Vixen goes after bank robbers and armed hitmen…” Clark argued, not following how this would draw Vixen out. “Unless you know something we don’t.”
“Well, I just assumed it was worth a shot. Still, with what happened tonight, if there’s even a chance this might work, isn’t it worth a try?”
“Say we go along with this …
questionable scheme and Vixen does show up.” Clark’s eyebrows rose, and he rolled his lower-lip inside his mouth. “How do you know Vixen won't kill you once she’s grabbed you?”
“That’s where Superman would have to come in I’m afraid,” Leslie responded. “He’d have to follow her and then stop her once and for all,” Leslie explained plainly as Clark let out a long breath. “I’ll need you and Lois to help keep a lookout to alert him when she does grab me, and we’ll of course, need a way to ensure Superman can keep up with her…”
“We could talk to Dr. Klein and see if he can get us a tracking device,” Lois suggested, looking over at Clark with a raised brow.
Clark nodded and turned his attention back to Leslie, “We’ll see what we can do.” He let out a low breath and then added, “Mr. Luckabee, you do realize if Vixen picks you up at super-speed then you might not survive…”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
“Why?” Clark’s brow furrowed, moving his hand absentmindedly across her hip bone as he spoke. She arched her eyebrow, silently agreeing with her husband’s train of thought and wondering what Leslie would have to gain from all of this.
“I like challenges,” Leslie responded. “Now, all I have to do is hope Superman’ll be able to defeat Vixen. Of course, if he can’t, I suppose we’re all in a lot of trouble.”
“When are you printing the story on the corruption scandal?” Clark asked, unfazed by Leslie’s comment as his hand ran over her bareback once more, drawing her closer with the subtle motion.
“Just within the hour,” Leslie answered. “We’ll need to meet early tomorrow to go over logistics.”
“We’ll try and contact Superman and update him on the plan,” Clark answered with a long sigh. His breath tickled her ear as he leaned forward, running his hands across her bare legs suggestively.
“Thank you, Clark. I really do appreciate your help.”
Lois reached over to take the phone from his hand, pressing her thumb over the end button on the call.
Clark grinned and looked back at her with an impish grin, “I suppose we should update Superman.”
Her eyebrows rose, and she grinned back at him, “If we only knew how to find him…”
________________________________________
Dan Scardino pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked across the waterway, shielding his eyes from the sunlight over the horizon. He looked over his shoulders to where the line of deadbeat addicts had been corralled out of a rundown warehouse in Berlin. He winced as he made his way toward the building, nodding to one of the officers, feeling the shooting pain in his knee. Nearly six months of physical therapy and a few surgeries and he still hadn’t completely recovered from the injuries he’d received.
“Anyone talking?” Dan asked, pointing to the crowd of deadbeats behind the police line.
“Nothing,” the first officer shook his head. “If Omer Demir was here, he’s long gone now.”
Dan shook his head with dismay, letting out an aggravated sigh. “But the information you had…”
“That was nearly three weeks ago,” the officer reminded him. “I’m sorry, Agent Scardino.”
“Me too.”
________________________________________
Clark reached his hand over to pick up the paper coffee cup from the Jeep’s cup holder. He looked over at Lois, who was craning her neck out the window to see the front of the Daily Planet entrance. The plan itself seemed risky, and he still couldn’t comprehend why Leslie would put his life on the line like this. His explanation had been evasive at best, and the quick change of subject only made him more suspicious.
“This is ludicrous,” Lois grumbled, gesturing to the globe above the Daily Planet building. “We’ve been out here for three hours. Meanwhile, no one is getting anywhere on the missing CEOs and Vixen’s probably off killing gangs in Southside…”
Clark tapped his ear, leaning over to brush a kiss across her lips. “She hasn’t come through Metropolis since last night.”
“Small miracles,” Lois grumbled. She pointed to the street they were parked across, “I still don’t get how this is supposed to connect with the missing CEOs.”
“Maybe Leslie thinks Vixen treats corrupt white-collar crimes the same way she treats street criminals?” Clark shrugged his shoulders, not that convinced. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s pretty brave what he’s doing. I’ll give him that.”
“But?” Lois raised her eyebrows, looking at him with a knowing look.
“I don't know, there's just something about the guy…I don’t trust, I guess.” Clark tightened his jaw as he tried to voice the concerns tumbling through his mind. Leslie had been more than helpful throughout the transition of ownership and remained very much involved in the investigations the newsroom was working on. Still, his overly friendly nature and constant presence set off red alerts for him that he couldn’t shake. Even last night, when he had called hours after being nearly killed to hatch another plan that could get him killed felt out of place.
“You’re just mad he keeps interrupting us every time we get a moment alone,” Lois teased him, placing a hand suggestively on his kneecap.
“Well, he certainly didn’t earn any points last night.”
A heavy sigh escaped his lips, recalling the awkward moment when Leslie had called moments after he and Lois were basking in the afterglow of making love to one another. He had to acknowledge at least internally the timing of the new owner’s intrusions had something to do with his hesitancy to trust Leslie Luckabee fully but much of his distrust came from something deep in the pit of his stomach, sending alarms off every time he encountered him. They were eerily similar to that of Lex Luthor and even Bill Church Sr. Knowing his gut instinct had yet to steer him wrong, he wasn’t about to question it now.
“We could have just let it go to voicemail.” Lois teased, reaching her hand over to trace the outline of his jaw.
“Yeah, sure, then have him show up on our doorstep at ten o’clock at night.” Clark groaned, resting his head against his folded palm. “We already have a hard enough time getting a spare moment alone as it is.” He reached his hand over to take her hand in his, running his thumb across her knuckles, lifting his gaze up to hers.
“He’s needy,” Lois agreed with a chuckle, “But he’s been nothing but complimentary since he got here. To both of us. Plus, he’s putting his life on the line…”
Clark snapped his fingers, letting out a frustrated sigh, “See? That’s exactly my point. He’s putting his life on the line for what? A headline?”
“Maybe he’s doing it for attention?” Lois wondered aloud. “Notoriety?”
“Maybe,” Clark scrunched his nose up, not sure what to make of the new owner. “Something just feels off with him is all.”
“Well, whatever it is that’s motivating him to help, I just hope it’s enough to stop Vixen.” Lois leaned her head back against the headrest. “The sooner she’s off the streets, the better.”
“Yeah, you think it was a good idea to leave Jon with your mom this morning?” Clark asked, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. “I mean, breaking him from his routine every time something happens isn’t something he can do when he starts elementary school…”
“He was scared,” Lois said with a heavy sigh. “I just want to baby him a little longer.”
He nodded, catching the silent pain hidden behind her eyes as she looked down at her hand in his. The older Jon got, the harder it was for both of them. He desperately wanted to give Jon as normal a life as he could without disrupting his friendships and school life with what was becoming a usual occurrence for them. No matter how hard they tried to keep away from the more dangerous stories that would draw his alter-ego out and put Jon at risk, they always found their way back to him and Lois in some way. Much like the run-in with LiveWire, the gunfight last night had been pure happenstance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lois didn’t even have to try to seek out a dangerous criminal anymore; they found her as easily as she found the last Double Crunch Bar in her desk drawer.
“I just worry is all. I don’t want him missing out on something because of the choices I’ve made,” Clark explained gently.
Lois reached her hand out to caress his cheek and kissed him, “Those gunmen weren’t looking for Superman.”
“I know,” Clark frowned, meeting her gaze and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Sometimes, I wish it would be easier if it were that simple.”
“Maybe we need a vacation,” she grinned, tracing the outline of his tie with her index finger. “Somewhere without deadlines or crazed gunmen trying to kill our boss?”
He chuckled, looking at her in surprise, taken aback by the sudden change of subject. “Am I talking to the real Lois Lane? Kerth award winner? Mad Dog Lane?”
“I haven’t been Mad Dog Lane in years,” Lois reminded him, leaning in to kiss him.
“I beg to differ,” he whispered, cupping her cheek. “The stories we chase now are more crooked politicians and taking down criminal enterprise compared to crazed Bureau 39 agent convinced that little green men are going to come after him…but you’re still just as tenacious as ever.”
“You’re biased,” Lois laughed, loosening his tie. “I’ve lost my edge. I’m not nearly as fearless as I used to be.” Her hand planted itself on her abdomen, searching for the life that was lost close to a year ago. He reached his hand over to cover hers,, and she lifted her eyes up to meet his. “It’s been six months. I just thought maybe a change of scenery might do us some good. According to all the experts, reducing the stress can help increase our chances…”
He let out a heavy sigh, squeezing her hand as he whispered, “Stressed isn’t exactly how I’d describe the last few months…”
She flashed him a flirtatious smile, flashing him a heated gaze before responding with a quick. “We’re working.”
“You said it yourself. This isn’t going to work.” Clark grinned back at her.
“Hmm, I take it that’s a ‘yes’ on the weekend away?” She traced the path across his shoulder to the space where his neck and shoulder met with her palm, pursing her lips with a gaze that was anything but innocent.
“Make it a week away, and you’ve got yourself a deal,” Clark reached his hand over to cup her cheek.
Lois giggled, “Well, we may need to put in that request for time off pretty soon then.” She turned her head back toward the Planet, pointing to where Leslie had exited the building. “I guess we should get back to watching Leslie.”
He nodded, watching Leslie exit the Daily Planet and approaching the crosswalk. “Here he comes…Now let’s see if Vixen shows.”
Within a few footsteps, a blur of gold and blue filled the air, and Clark looked at Lois for confirmation. She had the handheld tracking device Dr. Klein had given them in her palm, checking the location as the device’s incessant beeping grew more intense.
“Okay, it's stopped.” Lois looked up at him, pointing to the tracking device. “…at an alley by Fifth and Troy.”
Clark tugged at the knot on his tie, opening the passenger side door to leave, “On my way.”
“Be careful.” She leaned in to kiss him before he pulled away.
________________________________________
Clark landed outside the corner of Fifth and Troy, glancing up at the tall skyscraper building and then turned the corner, walking toward the alley where he saw Vixen standing over a disoriented Leslie. He stopped behind her, folding his arms over his chest and greeting her with a stern tone.
“Hello, Vixen.”
She turned to meet his gaze, her bright blue eyes, though hollow of emotion glowed with recognition and surprise washed over her features as she turned toward him. “Superman…”
“You and I need to talk, Vixen,” Clark said, approaching her with a slow progress, taking in the vacant lot behind them with his senses to be sure there was no one here that could be hurt inadvertently. He just had to find a way to get Leslie out of here…
“Talk about what, Superman?” Vixen challenged, “You can’t stop me.”
“Your only way out is past me.” Clark took another step toward her, blocking her from where Leslie laid woozily on a pile of trash bags.
“I’ve been looking forward to his,” Vixen grinned happily, squaring her shoulders as she reached her arms out. Clark shot a beam of heat vision at her before she could form the firestorm she was trying to draw out, and she let out a shriek in surprise, looking down at the mechanical wires and microchips that had suddenly been exposed.
“You’re a machine?” Clark gasped, focusing his x-ray vision inside her. From head to toe, she was entirely made of metal and microchips. A super-powered robot programmed to wreak havoc on the city. But how and by who?
She glared back at him with a ruthless glare and reached out to press a button on her chest. The trigger initiated a count down, and a digital voice spoke up, “Self-Destruct on project Vixen authorized in two seconds. Time’s up, Superman.”
At super-speed, Clark flew her into the air just in time to have Vixen explode in his hands, sending parts flying in flames across the alleyway around them. He stared down at his hands, trembling from the encounter. He flew back down to the alley, where he found Leslie starting to come to.
“S-superman, what happened? Did it work?” He looked around the alleyway and frowned. “Vixen exploded everywhere, didn’t she?”
Clark frowned, trying to control his reaction as he stared back at Leslie, “It looks like your plan worked, Mr. Luckabee.”
‘How did he know Vixen exploded if he was unconscious?’________________________________________
Present Day…Senator Michael Harris watched as the headlights flooded the street below, careful to remain out of sight from the street lamp a few feet away as he looked over at Leo Nunk, who was tugging on his tie nervously. “Any particular reason for the urgent call, Senator?”
“Here,” Harris handed him the file in his hand, drawing out a long puff from his cigarette. He exhaled with a shallow breath and added. “We’re taking things up a notch.”
“But the defamation suit…” Nunk began to argue.
Harris quickly cut him off, “Is not your concern. There’s a witness that has been brought forward for the Special Prosecutor. Everything in there is a hundred percent accurate as far as you know.”
“As far as I know?” Nunk scoffed, shaking his head.
“Just have it on the front page before morning,” Harris let out a sharp grunt as he jabbed a finger in Nunk’s chest.
“No,” Nunk jutted his chin out and puffed his chest, straightening his shoulders as he stared Harris down.
“I beg your pardon?” Harris scoffed, glaring at the paparazzi reporter in surprise.
“I said, ‘N’-‘O.’” Nunk jabbed a finger in Harris’ shoulder. “I am not going to lose my career for this circus show you and your boys are trying to pass off as just another smear campaign. I want out.”
Harris chuckled to himself, noting the clear defiant tone in Nunk’s voice and wrapped his hand around the Glock 48 tucked inside his jacket. “Out?” He pulled the Glock out and fired it at Nunk’s right foot, hitting the middle toe as Nunk yelped out in pain, falling to the ground. Harris lowered himself to the ground and hissed out in a harsh whisper, “You get out when we say. Got it?”
Nunk stammered out an unrecognizable response as he held his foot in pain.
Harris then narrowed his gaze at him and added, “Next time I won’t miss.”
________________________________________
Lois was right.
Everything about this trip had been a mistake. Clark ran a ragged hand through his hair and let out a labored breath as he looked across the dirt-covered road just outside the local authorities of Qatar. He had foolishly thought he could come here and find Omer or the people he worked with and put the authorities on his trail, and that would be all he would have to do. But he was a fool.
They were just as crooked as the men that continued to reign their terror in this region. He had to do something. He had to do something to stop them, but he couldn’t find a single soul willing to go up against them.
Esma was nowhere to be found.
Omer was in the wind.
All he had was the number Jack had been given a ransom demand. Whether that demand was truly from the kidnappers or a ploy for something else by Omer was anyone’s guess at this point.
He scowled inwardly and took off into the pitch dark sky, preparing for his flight back home.
________________________________________
Lois felt the sudden movement against the edge of the bed and shot up, startled, and half-asleep before she realized the movement was coming from her husband. A second glance in his direction and she caught the turbulent emotions across his face as he reached over to place a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s just me, go back to sleep.”
“You’re back already?” Lois heard her voice crack as both his arms wrapped around her. His chin nestled its way between the space between her neck and shoulder as he laid on the bed behind her, cradling her in his arms while his heavy, uneven breaths told her just how tormented he was. “Clark?”
She turned in his arms, forcing him to look at her as she reached out to cup his cheek. A pained expression was seared across his face with the mental scars he’d endured leaving him near tears as he croaked out. “I…tried. I couldn’t find her, Lois.”
Lois bit her lower lip, letting out a heavy sigh as she leaned into him, pressing her lips to his, trying to wash away the heavy mental burden he had been subjected to. “If it was that easy, we would have found her a few months ago.”
“The authorities over there are just as crooked,” Clark let out a shuddered breath, holding her against his chest. “I don’t know what to do. No one wants to stand up to these guys.”
“We don’t know that, Clark,” Lois tried to soothe, not feeling completely convinced of her own words.
“Right? I guess we can hold out hope that Davenport or Talley might have some pull with Washington to take these guys down, but Lois, they’re the same people that passed the law to prevent any action from being taken in the first place. I just don’t know how much good it’s going to do.”
“Well, I know at least a few people that aren’t going to give up.” Lois sighed, resting her head against his shoulder. “As long as it remains prominent and on everyone’s mind, they can’t hide.”
“Well, they’re certainly going out of they’re certainly going out of their way to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Clark pointed out with disgust.
“So, maybe we go after them,” Lois replied with a sigh. “Maybe we’re going at this the wrong way.”
“You saying you want to take on the paparazzi now?” Clark asked with an amused expression.
“No, but maybe I want to go after whoever’s lining their pockets and possibly whoever pushed this bill through to give child traffickers a free pass to come pluck kids off the street and disappear into the night without a way for us to rescue them back.”
“I love you,” he whispered, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “You are the most tenacious, incredible woman I’ve ever met. I don’t know how I would be able to get through any of this without you, Lois.”
“Oh, Clark,” She leaned over to capture his mouth with hers. “I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.”
“Lois, I’d be nothing without you.” He whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “You and Jon are what keeps me going. Especially when I hit dead ends like this that make me want to scream.” He let out a heavy sigh and added, “There wouldn’t even still be a Superman without you.”
“You would have found your way eventually,” she replied confidently. “You always do.”
“Well, thankfully, for the rest of the world, I have this tenacious and stubborn partner that refuses to let me get stuck in my own head too long.” He smirked back at her, and she chuckled. They laid in one another’s arms for what felt like forever before Clark broke the silence, smoothing his hand across her face and asking, “Are you feeling any better? I know it was a lot that got laid on us at once yesterday…”
“I’m fine,” Lois insisted, looking back at his concerned expression. The worry lines on his face tugged on her heartstrings, and she let out a heavy sigh, unable to continue keeping him in the dark even if she hadn’t confirmed the news just yet. “I, uh, it wasn’t the interview with Ingrid that made me sick earlier.”
Clark’s brow furrowed in concern, “Are you coming down with something? It’s not the flu again, is it…”
“No, no, no,” Lois shook her head, scrambling to find the words as she blinked back tears, “I still have to actually confirm it, but the call earlier this afternoon was the pharmacy. Apparently, the blood tests last month got backed up and ….” She let out a heavy breath, hearing her voice crack as she finally ripped off the Band-Aid. “Clark, they think I might be pregnant.”
“What?” Clark’s voice wavered as he stared back at her with a bewildered expression. “Are they sure?”
She quickly began rambling the speech she’d been rehearsing all afternoon, trying to prepare him for the news. “I know it’s crazy, and I’ve been over here wracking my brain trying to figure this out. There’s a very real possibility that it could have been a lab result, right? So, I went to Vaughan’s and picked up a test. The chances of it being a lab mix-up are a little less realistic now because that came back positive.” She felt her voice catch, and she let out a whimper, “We tried for almost three years and …”
The last of her ramblings were quickly silenced as her husband’s lips covered hers, devouring her to the depths of her soul as she rolled on her back, tugging on her lower lip with his teeth. A moan of approval escaped her throat as his tongue slipped inside the inner confines of her mouth. She drew her hands through his hair, fingering the silky strands encouragingly.
His lips parted, and he ran his hands through her hair, hovering over her as he whispered, “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she murmured against him, running a hand across his face. She bit her lower lip and smiled back at him, “I made a tentative appointment for eight a.m. to have the ultrasound and try to determine how far along I am. With everything going on I …I don’t have a clear timeline.”
He nodded, wrapping his arms around her protectively, resting his head against hers. “I love you.” He repeated the words, unable to hide the smile that was pasted across his face.
She smiled at him, leaning in to capture his lips with hers. “It’s going to be okay.”
________________________________________
One Year Ago…Dan Scardino looked across the table to the top brass officials that sat on the other end of the table, surveying the report of his time in Berlin. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat, letting out a shallow breath. Berlin was his first assignment since the scuffle in Qatar. Twenty-eight stitches, three surgeries, and never-ending physical therapy, yet it still wasn’t enough to discourage him from continuing to pursue Omer Demir.
A week after the confrontation in Qatar he had woken up in a hospital in Bahrain with broken bones and the after-effects from the beating of his life. He’d been left for dead after he’d come so close to catching the people responsible for Jenna’s death. When he’d finally found his footing and gotten his bearings, he’d returned to the Sudan and found Yvonne – What was left of her anyway.
“Agent Scardino, this is impressive work. The suppliers you’ve rounded up have put a stop to have been connected to many of the gun runners that were working the border.” The Chief Deputy commented, flipping through the file in front of him.
“Thank you, sir,” Scardino nodded, “I’m committed to stopping these guys.”
“So, Scardino, answer me this, what exactly is the DEA doing investigating a human trafficking ring?” the Chief Deputy asked.
“It was a part of the case…”
“Not anymore,” The Chief Deputy jabbed his finger on the folder in front of him. “Hand what you have over to the FBI.”
“What about my assignment in Saudi?” Dan asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Yeah, about that…We’d like for you to stick around Washington, Scardino.”
“These child traffickers are running drugs in and out of the country…”
“Then you can work with the FBI on capturing them. Missing persons is their territory.” The Chief Deputy instructed.
“Understood.”
________________________________________
Clark finished typing up his notes from this morning’s rescue, glancing over toward Perry’s office, where Leslie Luckabee was cutting up with his editor-in-chief. He needed to find some time to pull Perry aside and talk to him about Leslie, but now was not the right time. He was convinced Leslie was up to something, but after this morning’s rescue, he knew for a fact that the new owner was somehow involved with the creation of Vixen.
What he couldn’t quite understand was ‘why’ or what Leslie could possibly have to gain from the destruction Vixen had reigned on the city. He watched as the door closed behind Perry and then turned to where Jimmy was seated at his desk, head down on some data he’d pulled. Deciding he’d stewed over the recent epiphany long enough, he set the pen in his hand down and walked toward Jimmy’s desk to get his friend’s attention. If anyone could dig up dirt someone was trying to hide it was Jimmy.
________________________________________
The loud hum of the printing press machines echoed down the narrow hallway as Lois Lane turned the corner, searching for the dark green door leading to the file room that had been dubbed the ‘Archives.’ She reached the end of the hallway and tapped her badge against the electronic lock on the door, gaining entry where she found her husband in the center of the disarray around the room. She closed the door behind her, watching as the digital letters across the keypad entry read ‘locked’ in digital print. She looked over in the corner where Jimmy was seated behind a desktop computer that had to be at least two years old, lost in thought then over at her husband who was sifting through one of the file boxes in his hand that read ‘Acquisitions ’94.’
“Hey, Lois,” Jimmy said absent-mindedly, waving in her direction.
“Hey,” Lois looked around the room, trying to process the chaos of scattered blueprints and what appeared to be leasing contracts on the long table in the center of the room. “What in the world is going on in here?”
Clark glanced up from his position crouched over the file box, flipping through file after file with frustration covering his face. She heard the loud hiss come from the printing press next door and sighed, running a weary hand across her face,
“Let me guess, you think Vixen is a part of….” She picked up the file in front of Clark and frowned, “The Toasters? No, no, the Metros.”
“No,” Clark shook his head, setting the file down and placing it back inside the half-empty desk.
“What is all this?” Lois asked with a heavy sigh.
“Research,” Jimmy responded firmly, waving a pen in the air.
Lois turned her attention to her husband, trying to understand what he was trying to do here. “Clark, we just nabbed the bad guy. Err, bad robot in this case.” She looked at him expectantly. “This is typically the part where the reporters get to gloat…and not obsess over whatever it is you’re obsessing over here an hour past quitting time.”
“Someone created Vixen, and we’re going to find out who,” Clark responded firmly, tightening his squared jaw as he spoke. She bit her lower-lip looking at him with a questioning gaze, and he let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head, “Don’t you think it was a little too easy?”
“What was too easy?” she asked, propping herself on the edge of the table, swinging her legs aimlessly. “The part where we printed a fake story to draw Vixen out or using Leslie Luckabee as bait.”
“All of it,” Clark shook his head. “Vixen just shows up out of the blue trying to act as a superhero vigilante, and then all of a sudden is after white-collar criminals…” He shook his head in dismay, “It just seems too convenient.”
“You’re right,” Lois said sarcastically. “We should hunt down the evil microchips responsible and melt them down into aluminum cans. That’ll teach ‘em.”
Jimmy let out a muffled chuckle, “Well, that’s not exactly how you handle killer robots, Lois.”
Clark smirked at her, shaking his head. “Come on, look at the evidence, Lois.” He held up the paper from this afternoon’s edition, flashing the headline of ‘Faster than a Speeding Vixen.’
She reached her arm over to hang across his shoulders, letting out a long breath, “You sure this is about
Vixen?”
“It’s about Vixen…and Leslie Luckabee,” Clark grunted with a frown. “I don’t trust him. I know we’ve been over this before but there’s something there, Lois. I can feel it. He’s bad news.”
Lois looked toward Jimmy who was nodding his silent agreement with Clark from his seat. She let out a heavy sigh, “So, you think we should start looking into the new owner of the Daily Planet without any proof other than your gut?”
“We’ve run with stories on a lot less,” Clark pointed out.
“Okay.” She glanced toward the archive files he was currently pouring over.
He nodded, resting his hand on her shoulder as he led her to her chair to have a seat. “I’m comparing what we know on this Vixen and seeing if anything matches up with some of the crazies we’ve come against.” He frowned, “It’s all I have to go on so far.”
“We’re also looking into Leslie Luckabee’s assets,” Jimmy explained nonchalantly from his vantage point in the corner. “CK’s looking for deeds and acquisitions, and I’m looking for other identities…”
“He knew about Vixen being a robot but was unconscious the entire time Vixen was fighting Superman,” Clark shook his head grimly.
“We think he might have helped either build her or pay for her design and development,” Jimmy explained, looking over at her from behind the large screen.
Lois looked around the room with a heavy groan, “Any chance we can table this until tomorrow?” She asked, reaching over to toy with the end of her husband’s tie. “Something tells me Vixen’s microchips aren’t going to spring to life anytime soon and whatever it is that you think is going on with Leslie Luckabee can wait.” She folded the end of his tie, tugging him closer and closer until he was a mere few inches away. A sultry whisper escaped her lips as she leaned into him. “The bad guy’s been caught. Can we just go home and focus on taking Leslie down another night?”
His eyes crossed over her, seeing the look of determination as she gazed at him. “I suppose this can wait till tomorrow.”
Jimmy nodded his agreement, “You guys go ahead. I’ll finish up here, and we can compare notes tomorrow.”
She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and tugging on his tie. “Night, Jimmy…”
________________________________________
Lex Luthor stared at the darkened cell door as he listened to the maniacal laughter from down the halls. For years he had sat in this solitude, planning the moment when he would finally be rid of this hell hole. Appeals had of course, been filed to escape the torturous hands of Dr. Hugo Strange.
A hand went to the singe marks across his face, recalling the painful treatment he’d just received at the hands of Dr. Strange. To be subjected to the same torture he had put his enemy through was a humbling experience to say the least. The irony was certainly not lost on him. Though his body was beginning to fail him his mind was as sharp as ever.
“Luthor!” The cranking of metal against metal grated on his nerves as he saw the cell door open. In the doorway, one of the guards stood, waving his baton in his hands as he spoke. “You got a visitor.”
Lex did his best not to react, wheeling himself out of his cell, tightening his hands on the metal arch of his wheelchair and following the guard to the visitor’s room. He kept his head down, careful not to react in any way that might result in extra time on what Hugo Strange referred to as ‘Old Bertha’ – the electrodes on the electroshock machine were old but the power that went through them could make his entire jaw hum.
Arkham Asylum was like no other prison he’d had the pleasure of visiting from the other side. A creative maze of insanity and intelligence all kept in a precarious balance as Hugo Strange controlled each player like an intricate game of chess. What he wouldn’t give to take control of Hugo Strange’s torturous chess game and claim possession of it.
He had lost the function of the muscles in his legs, and over time he was sure other parts of him would soon follow. If only Bender would follow through with his work on the appeal. Freedom – even if it were to swap one set of bars for another – would be so sweet. This was a new low for him. He had fallen from grace. Gone were the days of yearning for uninhibited freedom. He knew the moment Lois Lane had darkened the courtroom doors he was done for. There was no going back from the treacherous line he had crossed. Arrogance and egotism had gotten to him in his rage, allowing the fatal slip of the tongue to hang him for all eternity.
The large metal door opened, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw two men sitting behind the old shabby table in the center of the room. “Am I supposed to know you?”
“Well, I would hope that you’d be able to recognize your own son, but I suppose an introduction is warranted after all this time.” The man with dark curly hair remarked, tapping his fingertips on the table.
A hard guffaw escaped Lex’s throat, and his eyebrows rose up his forehead, “Keeping up the pretense with an injured façade. Very smart, but a bit overzealous, don’t you think?”
“I’m Overzealous?” the dark-haired man laughed. “You took advantage of a diplomat’s daughter and then walked away like nothing ever happened. You stalk your prey like a vulture for months before striking, but yes… I must be the obsessive one, right? How dare I insinuate you have any part in the years of being an outcast by my mother’s family, right, Daddy?”
“I have no children,” Lex growled back at him.
“That’s what they all say.” The dark-haired man replied, folding his hands behind his head and leaning his head back. “Go ahead, deny it. I’m sure after all this time it’s like second nature.” The man’s jaw tightened. “Trying not to admit the awful ugly truth of what you did. You’re used to getting exactly what you want, aren’t you? An acquisition doesn’t go your way you turn to blackmail. A pretty face says ‘no’ and you pretend she’s just playing hard to get.”
“Is there a particular reason you insist on drabbling on about this imaginary history lesson, or do you always latch onto disgraced philanthropists to satisfy your daddy issues?”
A slow laughter came from the corner of the room, “Daddy issues?”
Lex craned his neck, looking over in the shadows to the man that remained hidden in the darkness, “Who are you?”
“Who I am is no matter,” the man said with a hiss. “You know it took me three years to track down every last traitorous board member that dismantled LexCorp? Three years of hunting each and every last one down.”
“LexCorp?” Lex’s brow furrowed, trying to follow what this mysterious man was doing sniffing around his corporation.
“Don’t worry, it’s in good hands now,” the man stepped out from the shadows, revealing his disfigured features as the fluorescent light shone down on his troll-like deformities.
Lex stared at the face, noting the scar along his right cheek, “LexCorp is nothing but a collection of businesses without …”
“A Luthor to run things?” the disfigured man held up a familiar ring on his leather-covered hand, revealing a gold plated ring with the initials ‘LL’ on them. He frowned, recalling the parting gift he’d given years ago. The man smiled and then shook his head, “I think I’ve got that taken care of.”
“Where did you get that?”
“I think you know,” the disfigured man slammed his hands on the table, causing Lex to jump from his seat in the wheelchair he was bound in. “My have the mighty have fallen. On top of the world and taken down by a reporter, tsk tsk tsk…I would have expected better from you.”
“Daniella,” Lex breathed the name out recalling the diplomat’s daughter he had found himself in hot water over years ago.
“Yes, unfortunately, your plan to rid the world of me and mom didn’t quite go according to plan,” the disfigured man glared at him. “Tell me, do you try to off all your offspring or am I just lucky?”
________________________________________
Present Day…Lois fingered Clark’s hand as she leaned back against the thin sheet that covered the exam table. This was it. In just a few minutes, they were going to know once and for all if the blood tests and urine tests were teasing her or if hope against hope had given them a miracle. A miracle she and Clark had so desperately prayed for.
She felt the tears in the corner of her eyes as the technician squeezed the warm gel across her abdomen, and a moment later, the wand roamed across her abdomen, filling the room with the hard rapid thumping of a heartbeat.
“You hear that?” the technician asked.
“This is really happening,” Lois grinned, feeling the tears trickle down her face. She looked at Clark, who was fighting back his own tears as the screen popped up the image of a much more developed baby than she’d originally anticipated. “Oh, wow…”
“I’m going to take some measurements, and we’ll see if we can’t pinpoint a close guess on a date of conception.” The technician advised.
The sound of their child’s heartbeat continued to fill the room, and Lois sighed happily, looking over at Clark who was focused on the measurements the technician was taking of their unborn child. Most of the morning had been spent in apprehension and excitement, coupled with the anxiety of knowing the ultrasound they had with their previous child had been the first and last time they had seen signs of life from their child. The painful memories to follow had haunted them both for years, but this would be different.
The mere fact she had succeeded in conceiving again was a miracle. Even though there was no danger of running into LiveWire or any other crazed psycho villain, the chance that there might be someone out there was enough for her to take the extra precautions needed to ensure the safety of both this child and Jon. Anything and everything she could do to ensure their child’s safety – she would do it.
She couldn’t imagine having to endure the pain of losing another child again.
Across the screen, she saw the little hand of their child moving in a waving motion, and she laughed, pointing at the motion. “Honey, look…”
“Looks like someone is waving ‘hi’ to mom and dad,” the technician grinned back at them. She turned to look back at the screen, taking some pictures as Lois and Clark watched in anticipation. “You look to be somewhere between twelve and fourteen weeks…”
“Wow…okay.” Lois nodded, wiping her cheeks from the tears she had shed earlier. “So, what does that mean?”
“Well, it means your high-risk window of a miscarriage has decreased tremendously.” The technician handed her a paper cloth to wipe her stomach with. “I’ll give you a few minutes to clean up and then just wait for your name to be called in the waiting room. The doctor will call you back and go over everything.”
“Thank you,” Clark nodded in her direction as she handed him the ultrasound photos.
________________________________________
Jeremy Novak leaned back in his chair, looking across the desk at Jack Davenport as he pushed his index finger against the large manila file on the tabletop. He let out a gruff snort as he jabbed his finger against the file. “Do you know what this is, Agent?”
Davenport’s brow raised and a smirk flashed across his face as he read across the tab on the file folder, “A closed case.”
“An incomplete case.” Novak corrected, setting a colorful tabloid on top of the file. “It seems the press knows more than the FBI. Why is that?”
“I think calling Tattletale Weekly the press is way too generous of a description there, Novak,” Davenport replied unimpressed. He pointed to the cover story and scoffed, “So what’s the story here, you think Lois Lane tried to kill herself and blamed it all on Luthor?”
“Maybe,” Novak snorted out with his hands folded across his lap. “That’s for you to find out.”
“You have got to be joking,” Davenport snorted out. He let out a chuckle and shook his head, “Oh, I get it. You’re pulling one over on me. Who put you up to this? Myers? Travis?”
“I’m not pulling anything over on you, Davenport,” Novak shot back with a gruff sigh, straightening up in his chair. “I have a witness that has agreed to come forward connecting Lois Lane to the criminal acts performed by the supposed Boss of Metropolis.”
“And did your witness charge by the hour?” Davenport shot back, growling with disdain as he glared back at the special prosecutor.
“Now, that’s inappropriate, Agent Davenport,” Novak growled.
“Oh, well, I just figured since we’re slandering witnesses on closed cases anything’s game, right?” Davenport shot to his feet and leaned over Novak with a sharp hiss, “Your witness is a pathological liar trying to grab their five seconds of fame. Nothing more.”
“How about you actually do your job and investigate before making that determination, hmm?” Novak snorted, glaring back at him. “You seem to be taking this accusation quite personally, Agent Davenport.”
“You’re damn right I am, Novak. We lost agents trying to bring this sociopath down and you think you’re going to destroy all of that with whoever conned you into thinking my key witness took a knife and stabbed herself to death? Please tell me where exactly I’m overreacting.”
Novak wagged his finger at Davenport, “You’ll be first on the witness list.”
“You have to get Talley to open the case again in order to add anyone to a witness list, Novak.” Davenport pointed to the office behind him with a grin. “Good luck.”
________________________________________
Lois hooked her arm inside Clark’s snugly wrapping her hand around his forearm. She let out a heavy sigh as they reached the elevator doors inside the Daily Planet lobby. Her head rested against his shoulder as Clark reached his hand out to press the call button.
“Perry’s done a good job of keeping the paparazzi away,” Lois commented, looking around the entrance behind them, which for the last month had been hounded by tabloid reporters looking for the right angle to harass them coming in and out of work. Whatever Perry had done seemed to have scared them off, however.
“Yeah, I’ll be glad when all of this dies down, though,” Clark patted her hand with his, brushing his thumb against her wedding band.
“Twelve to fourteen weeks,” Lois murmured, placing a hand across her abdomen.
“I guess there was a little more to that flu bug that we first thought,” Clark smirked, leaning over to stroke her cheek before they stepped onto the elevator car.
A soft hum escaped Lois’ lips as she turned in his arms, looking back at him with a twinkle in her eyes, “I suppose so. We may have accidentally gotten past the first trimester without realizing it…”
“…again.” Clark leaned in to brush his lips against hers.
“Again,” she repeated, smiling back at him. “But there’s still so much to do and to be cautious over.” She let out a long breath, “I haven’t been taking any prenatals.”
“The doctor said everything looks perfectly healthy,” Clark reminded her.
“I can’t lose another baby,” Lois whispered softly, looking back at him with a pained expression.
His hands moved to her face to cup her cheek, leaning in to capture her lips with his. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she looped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer. The elevator doors pinged open, and a group of collective catcalls caught her attention as they pulled away.
They exited the elevator hand in hand and made their way down the ramp leading into the newsroom when Jimmy approached with a somber expression on his face, carrying two rolled-up papers in his back pocket. “I, uh, guess you guys haven’t caught the morning news circuit?”
Lois shook her head, growing increasingly suspicious of Jimmy’s hesitancy, “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t about a new lead to chase?”
“Well, it’s certainly a lead…” Jimmy grumbled with a weary expression.
“Jimmy, come on, what’s going on?” Clark asked.
Jimmy shook his head, pointing at the prying eyes around them and escorted them to the smaller of the two conference rooms where they found Perry seated at the end of the conference room table.
“Chief?” Lois called out, crossing her arms across her chest.
“You two better, uh, sit down for this one,” Perry said grimly.
“I’d rather stand,” Lois argued.
Perry didn’t put up much of a fight, leaning back in his chair and extending his arms out on the table with a frown. “Suit yourself. Lois, I don’t know exactly how to say this.”
“Chief, there’s more than one now,” Jimmy said, holding a rolled-up paper in his hand and handing it to Perry.
“More than one of what?” Clark asked, growing more and more impatient with the lack of information coming out of the both of them.
“What is it, Perry?” Lois asked, narrowing her gaze at him.
“Tattletale Weekly.” Perry flipped over the tabloid, “National Whisper…Metropolis STAR.” Perry read aloud the headlines with a grim expression. “Luthor Lane Corruption? Investigative Criminal?” He shook his head in dismay, looking at Lois apologetically. “The list goes on and on…”
Before either Lois or Clark could react to the reveal of headlines, Jimmy elaborated, “The story broke this morning that a cooperating witness was looking into Lois in connection with the Rico charges Luthor was taken down with.”
“What?!” Lois snapped angrily. “You have got to be kidding me!”
“This goes way too far,” Clark growled pacing in front of where Perry was seated.
“Even so, it’s become a part of the news circuit platform now,” Perry explained, pointing to the STAR’s headline. “The Daily Planet hasn’t taken an official position on any of this, but the board upstairs has demanded a response by the end of the day today.” He wagged his finger at Lois, “I don’t care what you’re working on. This takes precedent.”
“Got it, Chief,” Lois nodded in agreement.
Perry gestured to Jimmy, “What was it you had, Jimmy?”
Jimmy revealed a cover to the National Enquirer with a photo of Lois with Jon. “Corruption and Criminal Neglect! Details Inside!”
Clark reached his hand out to take the paper from Jimmy and tossed it into the wastebasket with a quick wadding up of the tabloid. “These guys should be run out of town with pitchforks.”
“It’s garbage, CK.” Jimmy agreed with a shrug.
“It’s calculated,” Clark shook his head angrily. “Too careful. Too detailed.” A cold expression crossed his face, and he moved toward the door to leave.
“Where are you going?” Lois asked.
“To take out the trash.” Clark called out over his shoulder. The door slammed behind him and Lois shook her head, looking toward Perry.
“So, what do you want me to say?”
Jimmy pulled out a pen and paper, “Let’s start with your side of things.”
Lois blanched slightly, catching sight of Perry’s stern gaze. “I already put my side of things into the public record.”
“Well, it’s time to remind the public of that,” Perry advised, pointing to Jimmy. “Let me know once you two are done.”
________________________________________
TBC....
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