Injustice
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 20: I am a Fighter
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The tall white boats were covered in police tape, marking them off from anyone entering them. Jack Davenport lifted the tape up and stepped onboard, motioning for the red-haired woman behind him, Detective Betty Reed, to follow him onboard. In the center of the boat was a large pole that held several chains with cuffs on them.
Davenport pointed to the bloodstains on the floor, shaking his head in dismay, “Blood spatter across the deck here.”
“How many total have been processed?” Detective Reed asked, biting her lower-lip.
“Too many,” Davenport answered with a shallow breath.
“Who would do something like this?” Reed wondered aloud, more to herself than anyone.
Davenport shrugged his shoulders, catching sight of a familiar face from the entry of the boat. He nodded his recognition to Agent Scardino. “You keep following me like this, I’m going to have to take out a restraining order.”
Scardino rolled his eyes and lifted the police tape to enter, “Talley said you’d be here.”
“So, you are stalking me?”
“We got a name,” Scardino answered him, tapping his hand across the bar behind him. “Ingrid confirmed the man that kidnapped her was a Yusif who we were able to match up to a Yusif Ligor in our system. Wanted for promoting prostitution, sexual assault, and endangering a minor among many other things.”
“This Yusif working with anyone?” Davenport asked, raising his eyebrow with interest.
“Tobias. Tobias Berg.”
“Berg?” Detective Reed crinkled her nose, shaking her head. “That can’t be right.”
“According to Ingrid, that’s who was holding her captive and keeping the gentlemen callers coming…” Scardino explained with a growl.
“Tobias Berg is a deacon at the St. Nicholas Catholic Church. He’s a businessman that donates his time and money to help rescue kids like this…” Detective Reed argued, aghast at the thought.
“That’s what they thought about Lex Luthor.” Jack Davenport pointed out.
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Lois reached her hand out for Jon’s as they turned the corner to approach the crosswalk leading them into the parking garage where she had parked the Jeep. She took a glance behind her, feeling as if there was a pair of eyes on her as they walked toward the crosswalk.
“Mommy, can we get ice cream?” Jon pointed to the ice cream shop he would sometimes stop at with his grandparents.
Lois shook her head, “We’ve got some ice cream at home, bud. Maybe we can make some sundaes after dinner, hmm?”
Jon frowned but nodded his understanding. She reached over to press the button to change the crosswalk signal, frowning as the signal blinked back ‘Don’t Walk’ at her. She glanced up to where a construction crew was working on the streetlights above them and sighed.
“Figures,” Lois muttered.
A man who had already been standing there, flicking his lighter turned to her. “Got a light?”
Lois shook her head, holding up a hand, “I don’t smoke. Sorry.”
The man nodded, holding out the cigarette in his hand. “That’s a shame.”
“Mommy!” she heard Jon squeal out in tears at the same time she felt something prick the back of her neck. A dizzy, euphoric haze washed over her as she opened her mouth to scream, and nothing came out. She reached her hand out but found it wouldn’t listen to her as her mind screamed for help where her body and voice failed her.
‘Clark! Help!’Jon’s tears reached her ears as she watched the two men come toward him as she laid helpless on the pavement, trying to process what was happening. The first man came toward him and then stopped, seeming to move backward. That didn’t sound right. The second man tried to grab Jon, and he lunged toward him, knocking him to the ground.
“Mommy?” Jon’s little voice reached her ears and she blinked back tears trying to find her voice as she stared at the two unconscious bodies a few feet away from her.
She couldn’t move.
She couldn’t speak.
‘Clark!’ her mind screamed, desperately seeking him out and then she felt it. The familiar arms that had cradled her countless times before.
“Superman?”
“Jon, what happened?” she could hear the panic in Clark’s voice as he held her.
“They tried to take my mommy.” Jon’s voice trembled as he admitted softly. “I didn’t let them.”
“Okay,” Clark’s voice was shaking as he cradled her in his arms. “Lois?” His voice cracked as he spoke, and she blinked back tears trying to control her emotions as she stared back at him.
‘Baby…’ her mind screamed at him.
He nodded, placing a hand on her abdomen, seeming to read her thoughts. “The baby’s fine. You’re going to be fine.”
“Mommy?” she heard Jon’s voice echo around her and darkness faded across her consciousness.
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Clark ran a weary hand across his face, sitting next to Jon in the waiting room while he waited for his parents to arrive. So many emotions ran through him he wasn’t sure what to focus on first. She had been less than a block away from the Planet.
Jon said the men who tried to grab her had been on different places around the corner. They had been waiting for them. A sick sinking feeling in his gut washed over him and he shook his head. She’d been on her way home with their son.
Was this how the families of all these kids that had been kidnapped felt?
He glanced over at Jon, who was kicking his feet back and forth, wiping the tears from his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh, unsure how to even approach the subject of what had happened this afternoon with Jon.
He had stopped four grown men in their tracks from kidnapping his mother and unborn brother or sister. He couldn’t understand how. Jon didn’t know how. The only explanation was the one that sent a panic through him. Jon had his powers. That was the only explanation for what had happened.
“Is mommy going to be okay?” Jon asked, looking over at him with a sniffle.
“I hope so,” Clark responded, unsure what to tell him at this point.
“Are those men going to be okay?” Jon asked, looking back at him with a scared expression on his face.
Clark reached his hand over to pull Jon to him. He let out a long breath and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. “Hey, how about we take a walk?”
Jon nodded, taking his hand, and they walked outside where the parking lot was mostly empty of any peering ears minus a security guard who was on his phone arguing with what seemed to be his sister over a babysitter.
“I didn’t mean to hurt them that bad. I just wanted them to leave mommy alone.” Jon said with a shaky voice.
“I know,” Clark said, softly, careful to stay away from any prying eyes and guiding Jon over to a small bench on the side of the building for visitors. “Look, what you did today was incredibly brave, Jon. Those men were trying to hurt you and your mommy, and you stopped them.” He let out a shaky sigh, placing his arm around Jon, unsure of what else to say to articulate the conflicted emotions he was feeling at that moment.
Jon gave him an uneasy smile, “I didn’t mean to hurt them, daddy.”
“I know you didn’t, bud.” Clark flashed him an uneasy smile. “I didn’t mean to hurt the first guy I hurt either. Sometimes we just don’t know our own strength.”
“Really?” Jon asked, looking at him curiously.
“Jon, what happened today. You can’t tell anyone but your mommy and me what happened.” Clark explained gently.
“Why not?”
“Well, because there are somethings that other people that are not your family won’t understand.” Clark tried to explain. “What you did was incredibly brave, but if people knew it was you that stopped those men, they might start to ask questions that we can’t answer.”
“Did I do something bad?” Jon asked.
“No,” Clark shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong, bud. You saved your mom, and you protected her from some really bad people. But you have to be extra careful. The strength you have could seriously hurt someone.” He looked back at Jon expectantly. “Does what I’m saying make sense?”
Jon nodded, “I can’t be too strong in front of other people; otherwise, people will find out you’re Superman.”
Clark’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead, and he stared back at his son in surprise. “Well…”
“It’s okay,” Jon shrugged his shoulders. “I won’t tell anyone.” He added with a whisper.
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Lois opened her mouth, feeling the dryness in her mouth as she began to stir. Her eyes blinked open, and she turned her head, seeing Clark slumped over against the edge of the bed with his glasses askew on his face and Jon asleep on the foot of her bed. She reached her hand out to place her hand on her growing abdomen, feeling a wave of relief wash over her when she felt a hiccup from inside her.
A smile washed across her face, and she leaned her arm out to readjust her husband’s glasses. His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled when he saw her looking back at him. “Hey, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
She reached her hand out to touch her forehead and grimaced, “I can feel the bruise on my face. It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Not as bad as it could have been,” Clark reassured her, reaching over to take her hand in his. He pointed to Jon, “We have quite the protector over there.”
Lois nodded, recalling the panic she felt when she saw Jon literally stop the attempted kidnappers in their tracks. “Like father like son.”
“More like mother like son,” he chuckled, leaning over to whisper. “He’s apparently known for the better part of a year.”
“He’s more patient than I would have been.” Lois chuckled. She reached her hand over to cover his, feeling the tears trickle down her cheeks. “I’ve never been so scared. I kept trying to call for help and nothing would come out. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I was just lying there helpless watching while these grown men kept coming at my baby, and I couldn’t stop them…”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Clark leaned over to press his lips to hers. “You’re fine. Jon’s fine. The baby’s fine. Everyone is fine.”
“They drugged me with something. Something that made everything just freeze up.” She shook her head in dismay. “That’s why no one hears the cries for help. Because they can’t…”
“We will worry about what all this means later,” Clark pressed his lips to hers. “Right now, you need to focus on healing.”
“I don’t want these monsters to get away with this,” Lois argued.
“They’re not,” Clark answered, wrapping an arm around her. “The guys that did this are sitting in a cell talking to Scardino and Reed right now as we speak. They’re not going to get away with this, Lois. We’re going to get them.”
“What makes you think they’ll talk?” Lois asked.
“Let’s just say our son put the fear of God in them like neither of us could,” Clark whispered, placing a hand over her growing abdomen. “I told you he was going to make a great big brother.”
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Four men sat chained to the table in orange jumpsuits with the identification number printed across their chest. Detective Reed looked to the DEA Agent, who was pacing around the room with an eerie calm that sent a chill down to her bones. She’d read the police report. The needle had been found a mere two inches away from the victim while her son cried for help.
How Lois Lane had lucked out and not been snatched up in the time it took for Superman to arrive on the scene would remain a mystery. The unfortunate part of this was the fact that these men’s attempt to kidnap her had involved disabling all cameras in the area, so any footage they might have obtained was gone. All they had to go on was the word of a very scared little four-year-old boy, and the statement from Superman.
The FBI was keeping tabs at the hospital in hopes that Lois Lane’s statement would help solidify their case against these men and secure information from them on who they were working for. One of the men wore beady eyes as he kept stealing glances in her direction. His thin lips seemed to be almost salivating over the idea of confessing. She knew it wouldn’t be hard to make one of them crack. The question was who.
“You boys are pretty bold. I’ll give you that. Trying to kidnap a woman in the middle of downtown with her kid inches away.” Detective Reed commented with a frown. “Bold. But stupid.”
“The kid wasn’t supposed to be there,” one of the men remarked.
“What was that?”
“Shut up!” Another shouted.
Scardino set a photo in the middle of the table, pointing to it with his thumb. “So here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to count to ten and the first person to tell me where this little girl is is the one that gets to play ball with the DA. Everyone else better roll up their sleeves and be prepared for that needle.”
“The death penalty is only for capital offenses,” one of the men commented with a snort.
“Child endangerment, kidnapping….” Scardino stopped in front of one of the men with the thin face and beady eyes. “Felony assault and rape with a First Degree Murder charge makes it a capital crime.”
“We didn’t murder anyone,” the man replied back smugly. “Only shut up a meddlesome tramp that needed to be taught a lesson.”
Detective Reed smirked, biting the inside of her lower lip as she paced around the room. “Oh? And what lesson was that?”
“Pfft, you women are all the same. Only good for one thing but still trying to force your way.” The man let out a sharp chuckle. “The nosey slut got what she deserved. I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to finish the job. I was really looking forward to some close and personal training.”
“Yeah?” Detective Reed chuckled, tightening her fists as she glared back at the beady-eyed man. “So attempted rape and assault, kidnapping, child endangerment…Please tell me I’m wrong.”
“Get your tramp,” the man shouted to Scardino.
“I’m sorry I don’t think I heard you right,” Detective Reed glared back at him with a scowl.
Scardino crouched down, so he was eye level with him and whispered, “I’m going to watch them stick a needle in your arm and enjoy every last second as the life slips away from you, you murdering, sadistic psycho. I know what you did, and when I’m through with you, I will go after every last friend and partner you have, Yusif.”
“You know nothing,” Yusif glared back at him with a chuckle. “Murder who? Your interfering whore is still alive, no?”
“I’ve got you on tape,” Scardino responded with a snarl as he held his hand out as if he was about to wrap his hands around his neck. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to find you…imagining how I’d choke the life out of you for what you did to Jenna.”
“The American agent,” Yusif flashed a smile before adding smugly. “She was delicious. A delicate flower ripe for the plucking. You’d be surprised the things a woman will offer to do in order to save their life.”
“You’ll be surprised at just how many friends you’ll have that don’t appreciate limp noodles that can’t handle a real woman,” Detective Reed cut in before Scardino could react to the confession. She stopped in front of the man, “I suppose you think you’re going to be the winner?”
“You have a deal, then I want it. Immunity and I testify against these scoundrels,” he looked around the room, and another man spoke up.
“You traitorous scum bag, you can’t just take a deal away from us.”
“You got something to offer, sunshine?” Detective Reed asked, looking to the man with a raised eyebrow.
“The girl.” The man smiled, gesturing to the picture. “Esma. I know who took her.”
“The deal is for her location,” Scardino shot back.
“Give me immunity, and I take you to her handler.” The man’s eyebrows wiggled as he added. “It’ll cost you, though.”
“No deal,” Scardino shook his head. “I need a guarantee you’re not yanking my chain.”
“No one knows where she is but her handler.”
“How many handlers has she had?”
“Four,” the man responded. “Five if you don’t hurry,” he chuckled.
“I don’t make deals with rapists,” Scardino snarled back at him.
“Your Esma will never be found,” the man responded with a growl.
“How quickly you think they’ll convict Mr. Congeniality and the aristocrat over here?” Scardino wondered aloud. “We got one that tried to kidnap and assault a pregnant woman and a four-year-old boy in the middle of downtown, and then we have another who thinks he’s going to get away with gang-raping my fiancée.” He pulled back his fist and let out a grunt as he knocked the man back in his chair as his fist came in contact with his face.
Reed looked around the room, “Anyone want to offer up a real location on this girl, or would you rather take your chances with a needle?” She held up her hand before adding, “And before you ask yes, we know you all work for Tobias Berg. Perhaps we should put them all in the same cell and sort this all out?”
“Good idea,” Scardino said, rubbing his knuckles back and forth.
“Wait!” a voice called out to them. “Tobias will kill us all.”
“Is that so? I thought you were business partners.” Scardino raised his eyebrow as he looked at the man with sandy blonde hair expectantly. “Weren’t you his little stooge, Stefan?”
“Not anymore,” Stefan growled.
“You certainly look a little worn around the edges,” Scardino chuckled. “He take away your favorite toy?”
“I want a deal.”
“I want a Maserati and a confession.” Scardino shook his head. “I don’t think I’m getting either.” He shook his head. “Have fun with Tobias.”
“I don’t know where the girl is, but I can give you locations.” Stefan stammered, shaking his head. “Just don’t let them kill me, and I’ll tell you what I know.”
Scardino looked to Reed, “I think we can work with that.”
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TBC....
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