Three RulesFolc4evernaday
Chapter 4
________________________________________
Clark kept a careful eye out as he pushed through the swinging doors of the Daily Planet. The lobby was filled with the usual rumblings for the morning as everyone moved through to their different destinations. He tugged at his collar, wondering what fate waited for him in the bullpen but knew the only way to find the answers to the questions that had kept him up the better part of the evening was to break the silence and talk to Lois.
He wanted to believe he was right about her.
He wanted to believe she wouldn’t reveal his secret to the world.
He desperately needed to believe that.
He reached the corridor where the elevator panel was, standing with the small crowd awaiting the elevator car. He glanced at the time, wondering how chaotic the newsroom would be after the events that had transpired at E.P.R.A.D. The elevator doors opened, pushing that concern to the side as he stepped inside among the others that had been waiting. He let out a heavy breath, watching the doors close, and then a hand slipped inside, nudging the doors open at the last minute.
His eyes darted to the opening, catching Lois’ gaze as she stepped onto the elevator car and then quickly looked away, wondering if he should say anything. Two floors up, half the patrons left the elevator car, and another floor later, they arrived at the newsroom, where they were greeted by the booming voice of their editor.
________________________________________
Lois fidgeted in her seat, looking across the conference room as Perry paced in front of the staff, listing off what sounded like the agenda of any other staff meeting. Only this wasn’t any other staff meeting.
She knew it.
Perry knew it.
Clark should have known it was coming.
Perry turned to the staff, stopping mid-pace, stopping in front of Lois and letting out a low whistle, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Daily Planet has prided itself on being the pilar of journalism among the worldwide news organizations. We are the first always. We are the best.”
There was a soft murmur of agreement and Perry let out a low breath.
“We are the best, and yet the world watches with bated breath as the Daily Planet has nothing to say on the subject of E.P.R.A.D.’s rescue yesterday and the mysterious flying man that supposedly flew the Messenger into space? Now, why is that?”
“Chief, no one has seen this guy…” Jimmy stammered.
Perry looked down at Lois with a piercing stare as Lois fidgeted nervously in her seat, “Is that so?” There was a murmur of agreement, and Perry continued to stare suspiciously at Lois. He knew. She knew he did, but he wasn’t saying anything. “Our publisher called this morning and demanded to know what the Daily Planet was doing about landing the exclusive on this mysterious flying man and what happened at E.P.R.A.D. last night. Are we clear?”
Lois cleared her throat, “I thought E.P.R.A.D. was mine.”
“Well, apparently not,” Perry shrugged his shoulders. “Unless there’s a lead you would like to share with the rest of us?”
Lois glanced toward Clark across the room then back at Perry, shaking her head. “No.”
“Then we’re clear. E.P.R.A.D. is fair game. Every reporter for him or herself,” Perry said.
“All right!” Jimmy cheered.
Perry smiled at Jimmy. “Enthusiasm. I love it.” Perry grinned across the room. He motioned for everyone to leave, and Lois gathered up her things, preparing to leave when she heard her name, “Lois, I want to see you in my office.”
Her gaze darted to Clark, who looked equally curious as she was to what Perry wanted to see her for.
________________________________________
Lex Luthor sat outside his penthouse, enjoying the view. Asabi, his manservant, stood by his side. Lex read the headlines in the various newspapers in Metropolis. All the headlines read ‘Well, I see our mystery visitor has made quite the entrance,” Lex mused aloud, tapping his hand against the table in front of him.
The phone rang, and Asabi answered, “Mr. Luthor’s office.” He was quiet a moment, then turned to Lex. “Mr. Luthor, a George Thompson, is calling for you.”
Lex nodded. “I’ll take the call in my study.” He walked into his office and waited for Asabi to depart before picking up the phone. “Mr. Thompson, this is a surprise. I thought I told you never to call me directly.”
“My apologies, Mr. Luthor,” Thompson eased into the conversation, “You wanted me to alert you if anything new came up with the Bureau?”
“Of course,” Lex agreed, taking a pen in hand. “Was there any action on the movement to dissolve Bureau 39?”
“A closed hearing is taking place next Thursday. If Bureau 39 is dissolved then everything will be dissolved and available for auction to anyone.”
“Then I suppose it works in my favor that the hearing on Thursday goes well, hmm?” Lex murmured more to himself than to Thompson.
________________________________________
Lois wrung her hands, biting her lower lip as she sat across from Perry, feeling as if she had been called to the principal’s office for talking during class. She knew what was coming. It was inevitable. Perry could read her like a book. She could of course, turn yellow-bellied and let the truth of what she knew roll off her tongue, but what would that say about her? No, she had to keep silent.
So far, no one had connected that she had been on site at E.P.R.A.D. last night and as far as she was concerned, she’d like to keep it that way. She had still yet to talk to Clark since the rescue and trying to talk about the events without really knowing the facts of what had happened felt as if she was feeling her way through the dark, searching for a light switch. A frustrating exercise that left her with more questions than answers.
“Lois?”
“Yes?”
“Did you hear me?” Perry asked, tapping his pen across the notepad in front of him.
She looked back at him, feeling as if she was holding back a damn that was threatening to burst. “I heard you.”
“Did you go to E.P.R.A.D. last night?” Perry asked, pushing the photograph across the table to her.
Lois swallowed hard, shaking her head, unable to cover up her presence with Perry, “Yes.”
“Mind telling me what you were doing there?” Perry asked with a raised brow.
“I …thought I might be able to get an interview with the colonists before take-off,” Lois supplied lamely. “But it was a good thing I was there!”
“And why is that?” Perry folded his hands across the table in front of him.
He knew.
“I don’t know anything more than you do,” Lois replied calmly, shaking her head. “There was a bomb. I called for help and next thing I know this crazy man shows up and swallows it. End of story.”
“Sounds eerily like the story the director at E.P.R.A.D. told everyone.” Perry mused.
“That’s all I know,” Lois supplied, crossing her arms over her chest.
“That’s all you know? That’s your story, huh?” Perry pressed.
“I don’t have another one to give.” Lois sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“Hmm,” Perry mused, picking up a thin file off his desk, “Well, I guess that’s that then. We’ll see what comes up.”
“Right,” Lois smiled back at him, standing up from her seat to leave. “I’m sure something will turn up.”
Perry nodded, seeming to mull over everything for a moment before waving the file in his hand, “Well, until something does turn up, the police department reported a string of burglaries from their car lot. Seems we have a thief inside the impound lot stealing hubcaps, rearview mirrors…” He handed the file folder to her.
Lois felt her face fall as she begrudgingly took the file from him, “There has to be a more important story you can assign me to than petty thieves breaking into the impound lot.”
“Or an inside job.” Perry corrected her.
“Even if it is an inside job, it’s still ….”
“Now, Lois, ordinarily you’d be right, but letting a big story like this get away can rattle anyone, fill a reporter with self-doubt. Seen it happen.”
“Perry…”
“Lois, just take the story. It's a good little confidence builder.” Perry instructed.
Lois gritted her teeth, realizing she wasn’t going to get anywhere, nodding in defeat as she made her way out of Perry’s office.
________________________________________
Clark spotted Lois storming out of Perry’s office from the corner of his eye, he quickly jumped up from his seat, intersecting her on her way to the break station to most likely refill her morning dose of caffeine. He had so many questions rushing through his mind since yesterday. He had gone through the events that had transpired over and over in his mind wondering what – if anything, he could have done differently to not aim a giant spotlight on himself and reveal the side of himself he’d spent his entire life hiding from the world.
He had to cling to the hope that his gut instinct about Lois had been right.
He wanted to believe she wouldn’t reveal everything she knew to the world.
The conversation he’d overheard in Perry’s office moments ago, told him his trust was properly placed for now, but given the subtle low-ball assignment Perry had given her he wasn’t sure how long she would continue to remain silent.
‘Just say something,’ he chastised himself as he reached the top of the steps, watching as Lois poured the remaining brew into her coffee mug.
“Unless you’ve got a lead on the E.P.R.A.D. story I’d turn back around,” Lois warned, not looking up from the mug she was staring into or attempting to make any eye contact with him.
“Well, I haven’t had a chance to look at anything since yesterday’s…” He began to trail off and then finished with a hurried, “You know as much as I do at the moment.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” she quipped with a smirk, taking a sip from her coffee mug as she walked past him, heading toward her desk.
A crimson blush crossed his cheeks. He reached his hand up to run a hand through his dark locks, “I suppose I owe you an explanation at least…”
Lois shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. “What you do on your own time is….whatever you do.”
His jaw tightened and his eyebrows rose up in surprise, uncertain if he had heard her correctly. He opened his mouth to question her, barely getting out his quizzical “But…”
She shook her head, gesturing to the bull pen behind them, “Unless you’ve coughed up some magical lead to drag me out of Perry’s doghouse, it looks like I’ve got another story to chase. Impound lot thieves won’t rest for anyone.”
“Impound lot thieves?” Clark asked, following her back to her desk. “Lois, come on, there’s no reason for Mr. White to reassign you.”
“Well, I have no lead on the E.P.R.A.D. story…” Lois shrugged her shoulders. “
Clark felt his head hang down, letting out a heavy sigh, “You had a story.”
“No, I didn’t,” Lois bit her lower-lip. She looked away for a moment and then turned back to him, seeming to mull over her response.
“You killed your story,” Clark accused.
“I did what I had to do,” Lois corrected him, shaking her head as she pushed past him.
He reached his hand out to stop her, “Wait.”
“What?”
“I…” he paused, not sure what to say. He wanted to say so much but found him unable to finish his sentence.
She sighed, shaking her head and gathered her things, preparing to head out. “See you around, Smallville.”
________________________________________
Lex Luthor moved through the winding staircase, letting out a low whistle as he paused in front of a doorway that was hidden behind the corner of a hidden panel and brick. He placed his hand on the center of the panel, unlocking the hidden door and revealing the entryway. Waiting by the door was his butler and trusted confidante, Nigel St. John.
“Everything’s set up for you, Mr. Luthor,” Nigel gestured to the darkened room, lit only by the recessed lighting and casting a dark shadow over the room.
Lex nodded, looking across the executive level of the room which positioned him at a table with the trusted experts from LexCorp Nigel had summoned. Jules Avery was the lead man of his street operation, heading up security and keeping his organization running like a well-oiled machine. Monique Kahn was his lead scientist at LexLabs, brilliant and cunning. With his trusted team, he would unsurface the strengths and weaknesses of this caped hero that dared darken his door and threaten him.
He looked across the room with a nod and smiled, “I’m sure everyone’s seen and heard the news. No one knows much about this mysterious savior that flew the space shuttle to Space Station Prometheus. I’d like to change that.”
________________________________________
Lois watched on as the clerk from the impound lot was led away in handcuffs. She shook her head, wondering momentarily just how long he had been swindling the impound lot’s owner out of parts. She let out a heavy sigh, trying to hang onto the momentary relief that at least some good had come out of the fluff piece she had been assigned.
“I can’t thank you enough, Ms. Lane,” the owner said, pointing to the clerk that was being led to the patrol car. “We had been searching for the culprit for months, and he was right under our nose.”
“Well, just glad there’s a happy ending to this story,” Lois replied, making her way to the exit, preparing to write up the story she’d uncovered over the last few hours. She checked her watch, grimacing at the late hour. It had taken her longer than anticipated, but thanks to the nicely timed arrest of the clerk, she had enough to write up and give her story a place in the city section.
She reached the street where her car was parked and stopped when she saw the familiar figure of Clark Kent standing in front of her Jeep. She let out a heavy sigh as she approached, cocking her eyebrow at him as she muttered a quick, “Are you hard of hearing, Smallville?”
“No, I actually hear very well,” he responded with a smile. He pointed back to the patrol car that was pulling out of its parking spot. “I see you wrapped up the impound lot story.”
“I did alright,” Lois replied shyly. “And what brings you out here? Not another guilt trip?”
“It wasn’t a guilt trip,” Clark argued, lifting his left brow and letting out a low chuckle.
“Uh-huh,” Lois smirked at him as she fished her keys out of her purse. “Then you so happened to drop by because you enjoyed the scenery of the Metropolis Impound Lot?”
“No,” Clark allowed, shaking his head. “I’m less inclined to just ignore everything we uncovered in the Prometheus story…”
“I’m not ignoring anything.” Lois frowned at the same time Clark added, “I think Lex Luthor is behind the Messenger sabotage, and I want to prove it.”
Lois’ head jerked, and she crossed her arms over her chest, “Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’re asking for? You want to go after the man that employs over half the city’s population?”
“Well, follow the lead, right?” Clark shrugged his shoulders.
Lois nodded, “I suppose.” Her lips pursed, and she looked at him with a frown, “I guess as long as you aren’t hanging him from Luthor towers as an interview tactic…” She gave him a warning glare, “That was a joke, by the way. Don’t do that.”
Clark chuckled, pausing as his gaze met hers, feeling the corners of his lips curl into a smile. “So, does this mean you’ll help me?”
“It is bad form to let a lead die,” Lois smiled back at him.
He felt the coners of his lips tighten and his smile broadened. “Right.”
She cast a quick glance at him before looking away. Her eyes softened, and she cleared her throat, “Listen, I just want you to know what I saw at E. P. R. A. D…I’m not going to tell anyone.”
Clark shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, taking a step toward her as he responded softly, “I didn’t think you would tell anyone, Lois…or at least, I hoped you wouldn’t.” His eyes softened as he added, “Thank you.”
She nodded, keeping her features relaxed as she continued. “Anyway, thank you for ….stopping the bomb.”
“I’m glad I was able to get there in time,” Clark responded, cocking his head to the side as he kept her gaze, seeming to almost be looking through her as he spoke.
“Me too.” She cracked a smile and shrugged, “Well, you want to tell me why exactly you want to look into Lex Luthor?”
“Besides the fact that he was behind the Messenger bombing?” Clark asked as the crease on his forehead tensed.
Lois nodded, feeling the intensity of his stare as she spoke, “You don’t know that for sure.”
“Maybe not with physical evidence, but I know.”
Lois sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, convince me.”
________________________________________
Surveillance video coverage showing the grainy image of the rescue at E.P.R.A.D. The mysterious stranger lifted the Messenger transport with ease and flew out of the camera’s view. The screen blinked, and the white and black snow covered the screen before Lex Luthor reached over to turn the screen off.
“Greatness of man has just been challenged. Our world has lived by the rule of whoever controls the technology of the world, controls the world.” Lex paused, pacing in front of the experts Nigel had gathered, and he mused, “The Roman empire ruled the world because they built roads. The British Empire ruled the world because they built ships. America; the atom bomb. And so on and so forth.” He pointed to the image of the caped hero on display and asked, “A man that can break the laws of physics and challenge everything we think we know is a great advancement that could make all those opposed tremble in fear of destruction. Who do you think could harness and control such an advancement?”
Nigel nodded his agreement, “A god.”
Lex scowled, shaking his head and dismissing the comment, “Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little capes looking down on mankind. Many like to think of God as all-powerful. The beacon of perfection. Dating back to the Roman empire man strived to compete with the gods. A god who is all-powerful cannot be all good. And if he is all good, then He cannot be all-powerful. That is why we will win.”
Monique spoke up. “He’s still a man. All men are weak,” she said seductively.
Lex smiled grimly. “Obviously, we know very little about this god-like being that has graced our city. It is up to us to see just what he is capable of and expose his weaknesses. I have designed a series of tests and. I’ll need your help.”
________________________________________
Lois perched herself on the edge of her desk, flipping through the slender file in her hand, noting the circumstantial evidence pointing back to LexLabs and LexCorp as culpable in the sabotage of Messenger. She bit her lower-lip, pondering how to pitch this angle to Perry.
“What do you think?” Clark asked, tipping his chin up and looking at her with a hopeful expression. She could see the determination in his eyes. He wanted this so badly to be enough to start an investigation into LexCorp, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t nearly enough to convince Perry.
She let out a heavy sigh, fingering the loose strands of hair that covered her face, “There’s something there for sure, but unfortunately, I don’t think it’s enough to take to Perry yet.”
Clark’s face fell, “But the patents show a motive…”
“And Lex Luthor isn’t the only one with skin in the game.” Lois reminded him. “Look, I get it. I’m no fan of Lex Luthor either, but we have to stick to the facts and right now is not the time to test Perry’s patience. Unless you’d like to be on dog shows instead of chasing after the City beat?”
Clark shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh, “I’m sorry about that, really. I guess I owe you ...” His voice trailed off as his attention was pulled to the announcement coming from the television across the room. “We interrupt your regular programming to bring you this breaking new story…”
Lois glanced toward Clark as the murmur in the newsroom turned silent, with every reporter’s attention focused on the screen as the newscaster narrated the danger of the current situation unfolding.
“We have just received word that there has been a bomb threat made to the Carlin Building.”
Clark’s jaw tightened as he looked over and saw the scene of people being rushed out of the Carlin Building and the newscaster being ushered back as sirens could be heard in the distance.
Lois crossed her arms, staring at Clark expectantly, “Isn’t this the part where red, blue, and yellow rushes in to save the day?”
“Red, blue, and yellow?” He echoed the phrase aloud with a bewildered expression.
She grabbed her things off her desk and shrugged, “Well, either way, I have a story to chase.”
“Do you always rush onto the scene where bombs are set to go off?” Clark asked, following her toward the staircase.
“If that’s the story.” Lois shrugged as she led the way down the steps, turning the corner for each floor with precision until she found herself in front of the door that read ‘Ground Level.’
She pulled the door open and felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw Clark on the other side wearing the blue and red suit he’d shown up at E.P.R.A.D. in. “Took you long enough.”
“How did you…?” she breathed out, jerking her head back, trying to process how he’d suddenly appeared in front of her after being a few steps behind her moments ago.
“I’m fast,” he said simply.
“Uh-huh,” Lois nodded, tucking her lip into a thin line as she continued to process the newly discovered information he’d provided to her.
“I should get going…”
________________________________________
Lex Luthor took a long puff from his cigar, holding his breath as he waved the cigar in the air between his index and middle finger and then releasing the smoke he’d been holding into short round puffs. A slow smile crossed his face and he looked to his right where Asabi stood, holding the trigger in his hand.
Lex looked to the monitors in front of him, watching as the crowded chaos erupted on the screen as people ran out of the Carlin building. He turned to one of the monitors with the current coverage of the scene.
“If you’ve just joined us, the original report of a bomb planted in the lobby of the Carlin Building has now been confirmed. Currently, the Bomb Squad is awaiting the arrival of what they term a ‘containment blister’ as well as a team of deactivation specialist. Once the blister is in place, they’ll attempt to neutralize the threat. Meanwhile, the building has been evacuated and we’re being told to move back….”
“Are you sure he’ll show, Mr. Luthor?” Asabi asked.
“He’ll show,” Lex replied confidently.
The resounding sonic boom echoed through the sky, announcing the strange subject of their tests’ arrival. “What in the world?…Can we get a shot of that?”
Asabi smiled and nodded to Lex as the mysterious stranger in blue and red appeared on the screen. “Now, Mr. Luthor?”
“Hold,” Lex instructed.
“Excuse me!” the reporter called out from the crowd, waving at the man in the red and blue suit. “Can we get a statement?”
“Uh, not right now.” He continued making his way toward the crowd, then stopped and turned to apologize. “Sorry,” He then bounded up the steps of the Carlin Building.
Lex watched Superman enter the building from the private surveillance monitors he had setup inside the building. He watched the red cape disappear inside the building, then nodded to Asabi, pointing to the trigger Asabi held. “Now.”
________________________________________
Lois raced from the taxi cab, pushing her way to the front of the crowd, watching as the SWAT leaders pushed the crowd back, trying to urge everyone to get away from the building. She stood near the barriers, watching as a familiar red cape billowed on the corner of the crowd. A smile tugged on the corners of her lips and she spotted Clark’s retreating figure pushing past the barriers and entering the building.
She barely had a chance to register him entering the building when she felt a huge wave push her back, knocking her to the ground. Her mind registered the chaos around her as sirens went off, and the chaotic screams around her seemed to resonate in her mind. She blinked and everything around her had been set on fire. Carefully she craned her neck, ensuring she was indeed safe from danger, and then pushed her weight up to stand, staring at the remnants of the Carlin building.
“Oh, my God…”
________________________________________
Lex held his breath, watching the fiery scene on his screen. Police cars had flown across the crowd and crashed upside down onto the street and the less than sturdy barriers were lying in the street where many of the officers working to control the crowd were struggling to make sense of the chaos.
Still, his coverage from inside the building had been knocked offline from the blast. He had to be sure. Just when he thought the challenge he’d been sizing himself up for had ended before it had begun he saw the flicker of red and blue exit the building.
“Invulnerable,” Lex commented with admiration.
“A man of steel,” Asabi remarked.
________________________________________
Glass crunched below the heel of Lois’ shoes as she walked through the debris from the explosion, examining the site carefully. A makeshift triage had been setup on the side where several ambulances were lined up, looking over the injured and treating them as best as they could before sending them either to the hospital or home. Off to the side where many of the SWAT team and police officers talking with other fellow journalists. She scanned the crowd, wondering where Clark had disappeared to. He had exited the building and a moment later disappeared amid the smoke that had yet to clear from the explosion.
Had he been hurt?
Could he be hurt?
The question was one she couldn’t answer among many others she found herself hesitant to even ask. She barely knew him yet had inadvertently been given a glimpse into something that had to be his biggest secret. It was daunting and frightening all at once. She wasn’t sure how she felt about any of it, but she was sure of her decision to keep his secret safe.
It seemed his presence had been noticed by someone – someone looking to make an example of him. Her mind flashed back to the explosion when the building had erupted into flames just as Clark had entered. It was no coincidence.
Where was he?
She felt the nagging question push to the forefront of her mind as she turned the corner and spotted Clark in his navy blue suit from earlier standing with Bill Henderson at one of the tables that had been setup to examine the evidence extracted from the site.
“Clark?” she called out to him, rolling her shoulders back and squaring her jaw to hide the fear and panic that had been running through her mind for the last half hour. He was okay. He had walked into a building and survived being blown to pieces. She let that news sit with her for a moment, wondering what else he was capable of.
“….somewhere within a two-mile radius…” Henderson was explaining as she approached them, noting the evidence set out on the table of melted bomb components.
Clark looked up, registering her presence, and his face immediately changed to concern when he moved to her side in concern, “Lois, you’re hurt…”
“I’m fine.” She tried to shrug him off.
“Let me see,” Clark pleaded, stepping between her and the table Henderson was looking over to look at her forehead.
“Clark, I’m fine. It’s nothing,” Lois let out an exasperated sigh, feeling the frustration begin to boil over. “A bomb just blew up. A lot of people are more injured than I am.”
“But…”
“You guys want to hear this or not?” Henderson asked, his face showed a cross between amusement and annoyance as she let out a heavy sigh.
“Yes!” Lois cheered, pushing Clark aside and pointing to the table.
“The explosion was radio-controlled, activated from an unknown point of origin within a two-mile radius of this site. Also, there were video cameras installed in the lobby that were not a part of the building’s security system or any other system that the management company knew about. We think the two are connected.” Henderson held up the melted plastic for her to see.
“So, what you’re saying is someone watched …” Clark trailed off, trying to process what it was Henderson had explained to them.
“It was a trap.” Lois summarized for him. “They waited until this guy showed up and then triggered the bomb inside.”
Clark looked across the parking lot, noting the chaos around him and muttered a disgusted, “So many people were hurt.”
“A lot more people could have been hurt had the bomb been pointed at the door,” Henderson explained. “See here,” he pointed to the melted plastic of the bomb. “It looks like someone pulled the bomb back mid-blast.”
Lois cast a glance toward Clark then looked back at Henderson, “Well, I guess we’ll never know.”
“Unless someone finds that guy in the cape and asks him. He walked out,” Henderson said firmly. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
“Me neither,” Lois nodded in agreement and turned toward the remnants of the bomb scattered across the table. “How soon before the report is finalized?”
“There’s still a lot to go over,” Henderson explained. “These are all preliminary estimations right now, but that’s the working theory right now. Hopefully, we’ll be able to recover enough from these pieces here to try and track down the source of this within the next forty-eight hours.”
Lois nodded numbly, “You’ll call us if there’s an update?”
“If not, I’m sure you’ll be calling me,” Henderson smiled back at her. He pointed to her forehead, “Get that checked out before you leave.”
Lois crossed her arms over her chest, looking across the chaos and turning to where Clark was standing off to the side lost in thought. Her heart lurched out of her chest, feeling a protective urge to reach out and comfort him. Here he was trying to help and then someone turns around and tries to kill him…or test him? She wasn’t sure which it was but at this point the working theory was that someone had watched Clark enter the building and triggered the bomb. He could have been killed if he wasn’t…
What?
She bit her lower-lip, tucking it inside her mouth and approached Clark with a heavy sigh, “Hey, you okay?”
“Look around,” Clark shook his head in dismay. “No one is okay.”
“So, is Henderson right?” Lois asked, tucking her chin into her chest, looking down at her feet.
“About what?” he asked.
“About the bomb being triggered when you entered the building.” Lois looked back at him with an expectant gaze. “Look, I know we don’t know one another that well, but that was a huge blast, and you haven’t got a scrape on you.”
“I’m invulnerable,” he commented in a hushed whisper. “Swallowing bombs or stopping something like this is nothing…” He shook his head. “Had I just gotten to the bomb in time...”
“Well, if someone was watching, that would explain a lot.” Lois shrugged her shoulders.
“Except for why so many people had to be hurt and caught in the crossfire,” Clark growled with frustration. “It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s the people that could be hurt or worse…” He frowned, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“Maybe we need to find out who’s behind this before you hang up your boots for good.” Lois interjected.
Clark chuckled, shaking his head. “We?”
“If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a bully. And stopping a bully and exposing them to the world is what I do best.” She tucked her arm through his, pulling him with her, “Come on, I’ve got to get this checked out, and we’ve got to find whoever’s behind this.”
“There you go using that word again,” Clark teased.
“Shut up.”
“Still think putting your life at risk for a headline is worth it?” he asked.
“Rule number one,” Lois shrugged her shoulders as they approached the line for triage. “Always get there first.”
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