Three Rules
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 7
______________________________
Cat Grant watched from the corner of the newsroom as Lois exited Perry’s office with Clark a few steps behind her. The duo moved almost immediately toward the elevator doors, rushing out without even a nod of recognition to anyone else in the bullpen. She tapped her fingers against her chin, straightening up and walking to the collection of desks where Jimmy Olsen was hovering by the secretary pool.
She pursed her lips, pinching her cheeks as Jimmy turned to head back to his desk, bumping into her in the process. “Cat, I didn’t see you there…” Jimmy blushed as he combed his fingers through his hair nervously.
Cat smiled, slowly, no stranger to the instant gratifying fumbling in her interactions with Jimmy. He was a nice enough kid but much too young for her. Still, it was flattering to watch his sense of speech become challenged when he was around her.
“So, Jimmy, you’re an insightful young man…keeping up with the comings and goings around here.”
“I try to keep up with everything,” Jimmy nodded in agreement as he walked back toward his desk with Cat in tow.
“What’s the deal with Lois and her newly acquired green shadow?” Cat inquired, brushing her auburn hair back over her shoulders.
“What, CK?” Jimmy looked back at her in surprise. “I don’t know. They’re working together.”
“No…sparks? Cat fights?” Cat teased with a knowing smile.
“No, nothing,” Jimmy responded with a shrug, not quite catching onto what she was hinting at.
Cat let out a heavy sigh, frustrated she wasn’t able to obtain any further information from Jimmy as he moved off to answer a call from Perry. She glanced toward the empty desks Lois and Clark had recently vacated, wondering momentarily if an answer would ever come to her suspicions, but for now she was willing to wait.
________________________________________
A bright light shone across the darkness, sifting through the cracks between the doors as the opening grew wider. The metal sign on the door read, ‘Unit 238’. A loud crash filled the air and a flood of footsteps creaking with a shuffle across the floor echoed through the darkness.
A loud crash could be heard as a large crate was lifted and cracked open with a crowbar. The intruders eagerly claimed the crate’s contents. Classified files and photos of unknown objects were shoved inside each intruders’ bag, emptying out the unit with precision. Off in the corner a light blue and green globe fell out of the bag and was tossed inside the bag.
________________________________________
That evening, Clark finished up dinner at his parents’ in Smallville, helping them clean up. The conversation had been lulled to a quiet pause as they sat on the front porch, looking out on his childhood home, taking in the peace that came in the solace of the blanket of stars twinkling down over him.
“Looks like the name is catching on,” his dad commented, handing over a copy of the Smallville Press with a familiar photo of himself rescuing the passengers from the Messenger launch at E.P.R.A.D. A chuckle escaped his dad’s throat as he asked with a bemused expression, “Superman, eh?”
Clark blushed, shrugging his shoulders, “Well, it’s all a part of the disguise, right?”
“I like it,” His mom remarked taking a sip from her tea cup before setting it down on the side table next to her. “How are things in Metropolis? Any news on who was being the bombs and suicide jumpers?”
Clark let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head, “Lois and I have our suspicions but it’s nothing either of us can prove at this point.”
“How is Lois?” His mom asked innocently, grinning with a twinkle in her eye.
Clark smirked, shaking his head. “She’s fine.” He grew quiet a moment, collecting his thoughts. “I can’t prove anything yet, but I suspect Lex Luthor is behind the disasters over the last week or so.”
“And you said Lois agrees with you on this?” his dad asked.
Clark nodded in agreement, “Yeah we both have come across enough suspicious activities with Lex Luthor and it’s no coincidence that every disaster leads back to Luthor. It’s him. I know it is. He’s smart enough not to admit to it when I confronted him with it, but the only thing I can put together from all of this is Luthor is trying to test me.”
“You can’t give into him, son,” his dad placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I know,” Clark tightened his jaw and remarked solemnly. “Luthor has put an entire city in danger, searching for everything he can about … me. Or Superman, rather.” A long pause fell and he contemplated his words and then cleared his throat, looking at his parents, “I need to know everything you know about how you found me.”
His dad looked between Clark and his mom and then answered. “It was May 17th, 1966. We were driving past Schuster’s Field that night when we saw what looked like a meteor in the sky.”
His mom’s face lit up as she remarked, “At first we thought it was one of those ICBMs….”
“It came streaking across the sky in front of us.” His dad chuckled. “It was hard to ignore.”
His mom smiled, “We found you and took you home. Your eyes were so big and wide, and that diaper-thing they had you in made you look so cute…”
“Martha!” His dad interrupted as Clark felt his face flush red with embarrassment. His dad cleared his throat and continued, “There were some men who were snooping around a few days later, asking questions.”
Clark’s ears perked up. “What kind of men?”
“They said they were with the space program. Said they thought some debris from a Russian satellite came down around here. Wanted to know if we knew anything about it,” his mom answered.
“What’d you tell them?” Clark asked.
“Nothing,” his dad replied firmly.
“There was something scary about them,” his mom added.
“We didn’t want people who’d shoot you into space to get their hands on you. We figured even if you were a Russian, you were ours,” his dad answered firmly.
“Is that what you think I am, a Russian experiment?” Clark asked, uncertainly.
“Honey, we don’t care if you’re a Russian or a Martian. And we didn’t care then. You were ours. That’s all we knew and we weren’t giving you to anybody,” His mom reassured him. “That’s why your father did what he did.”
“Did what?” Clark asked, curiously.
“Your mother had me go back to where we found you. We figured that your spaceship had to be destroyed so nobody would ever have any evidence how you got here,” his dad explained. “I planned to burn it, and then haul it to the dump.”
“It’s okay, Dad.” Clark smiled weakly. “Destroying it was probably the right thing to do.”
“Probably was,” his dad admitted, “but I didn’t.”
“Jonathan, why didn’t you ever tell me?” his mom asked.
“I couldn’t, Martha,” his dad apologized. “It was a part of you, son. I just couldn’t.”
________________________________________
Lex Luthor poured a glass of bourbon into a crystal glass, letting a heavy sigh escaped his throat and turned to the Senator sitting in the corner of the office. “A military base protected by this nation’s finest and yet no one can explain how the entirety of Bureau 39’s property was plucked out of your control?”
“Mr. Luthor, this is a breach of our nation’s security. We will commit all our resources to finding the responsible party and…”
“Mr. Senator, I’m surprised at you. Do you really have to ask who is responsible?” Lex took a sip of his bourbon, shaking his head. “No, the responsible party is your very own Jason Trask. Finding him … that will prove the challenge.”
________________________________________
Clark followed his dad and mother through the woods as his dad counted his steps. “68 paces due north. Thirteen paces west.”
His mom looked around the darkened woods. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
“That’s the wagon wheel. Hasn’t moved in over twenty-five years,” His dad pointed to the wheel barrel a few feet away.
His mom patted Clark’s arm, looking at him in concern, “Are you okay? I know this must be hard.”
Clark reached over and hugged his mom. “What’s hard is not knowing. My parents had to give me up. Why? I have no idea where I came from or why I can do the things I can.” He noticed a hurt look cross her face and quickly went to reassure her. “You and Dad are my parents. You know that. Nobody will ever replace you.”
His mom smiled weakly. “Oh, we know that, Clark. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have questions.”
“Mom, what if I’m not human?” Clark asked, voicing his own fears as he wondered who would place a baby in a space craft.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have told you...you were adopted.” His mom reasoned.
“That would have been hard after I started bench pressing cars.” Clark smiled back at her.
His dad stopped and pointed at the ground. “Six feet down.”
Clark took off his jacket and handed it to his mom. He walked over to where his dad was pointing and steadied himself to dig out the last connection he had with his life before finding his home here in Smallville. His fear and apprehension rushed through his veins before he spun through the ground, digging for the space craft that had carried his infant self to Smallville.
He looked around the deep pit he had dug, calling out to his dad, “Dad, are you sure about this?”
“Hundred percent. Right there. You don’t forget something like this,” his dad remarked. Clark shook the dirt from his hair and floated up from the hole he had created.
His dad and mom looked into the empty hole with him and his dad’s face grew grim, pointing to the hole with a firm, “It was here.”
Clark shook his head in dismay. “Not anymore.”
________________________________________
One Month Later…
Superman Gets Key to the City
By Lois Lane
Mysterious Wave of Arson Takes Over Southside
By Clark Kent
Lex Luthor’s New Fling – An Inside Look at Fashionista Miranda Thatcher
By Cat Grant
Lois smoothed her hand across the notepad in front of her, reaching for the mug of coffee next to her. She took a quick sip, looking around the room as everyone slowly filed inside the conference room for the morning staff meeting. She turned to the copy of the morning edition sitting in front of her, smiling to herself at the headline. Another front page story. It seemed Clark and Superman were keeping her and the rest of the Daily Planet staff on their toes.
Superman had stopped everything from runaway trains to attempted bank robbers within the last month, earning him the public’s trust with each good deed. A change that she could tell was helping Clark become more and more comfortable in his skin as Superman. It was a unique experience, attending these public events or rescues knowing the man the public fawned over was the same one she sat alongside working on the latest copy with. The surreal awe of it all had faded and in its place was a genuine admiration and respect she felt for him. Though working with anyone was a challenge and having a partner had always been met with disdain she had to admit working together seemed to make both their work change for the better.
Jimmy took a seat across from her, giving a quick thumbs up, as he added, “Another page one. Going for a record, Lois?”
“Hmm, well, it’s not everyday a superhero is given the key to the city,” Lois smiled back at him, tapping her pen against the notepad.
Cat claimed the seat next to Jimmy, eying the newspaper laid out in front of Lois, “Yes, another front page Superman story. That makes what…eight in the last few weeks?”
“It’s been a busy few weeks,” Jimmy admitted as Clark claimed the seat next to her.
Cat raised her eyebrow with a sharp angle, not quite ready to end the conversation just yet. “You have to admit, it’s quite a bit of luck lately.”
“What is?” Clark asked, looking between them.
“It was an assignment.”
“Of course, still one has to wonder just what happened on that Space Station to make our new hero so inclined to given …eight interviews exclusively to the Daily Planet?” Cat tapped her long fingernails against the wooden table, staring back at Lois expectantly.
“I don’t make the news. I just cover it,” Lois harumphed taking a sip of her coffee.
“Oh, no,” Cat groaned.
Lois turned, following Cat’s line of vision and let out her own groan of contempt when she saw Perry with a large sign reading ‘Metropolis Charity Ball’ and a handful of tickets being laid out across the table and suppressed a groan.
The Charity Ball was one of Perry’s favorite events the Daily Planet put on and it was a requirement that everyone from the stockholders to the janitor showed up. Last year she had lucked out with her attendance and was able to send in a donation while she recovered from the flu. Each year a lucky organization benefited from the funds that were raised, however, the cheesy dances and fundraising activities left a lot to be desired and continued to remind her of her status of ‘table for one’ in a setting which was planned for couples.
Perry called the room to attention with a quick bellow, “Alright everyone let’s get started.” He pointed to the sign behind him, gesturing to the bold red and black letters printed on the banner. “Now, as you can all see the Charity Ball is upon us. I expect everyone to be in attendance. Are we clear?”
The room filled with non-committal grunts which Perry appeared to be unfazed by as he dove right into the meeting’s agenda. “Now, Cat, why don’t you get us started?”
Cat nodded, tapping her pen against her pad of paper as she looked up and addressed the room, “I’ve got an interview setup with Miranda Thatcher regarding her new perfume line and I’m hoping to get some information regarding her new relationship with Lex Luthor.”
“Boy, he jumps around like a hot potato, doesn’t he?” Perry commented, with a shake of his head. He then pointed to Lois. “Lois, Clark, what’s on tap for today?”
Lois looked up, glancing at Clark briefly before jumping in, “We’re following the fires that began erupting at Nanosoft and Hinkley’s medical facilities and are now following the trend in Southside. Theory is they’re connected,” Lois explained with a shrug.
“Sounds promising. Keep me posted,” Perry instructed.
“Myers, how about you…?”
________________________________________
Lex looked up from his desk as the doors to his study opened and the stunning blonde haired beauty stepped into his office. He set his pen down, standing up from his desk to greet her, “Miranda, always a pleasure. To what do I owe this surprise?”
Miranda held out her hand for him to take as she entered his embrace with a purr, “Why Lex, since when do I need a reason to drop by?”
“I’m assuming this visit isn’t strictly a pleasurable one?” Lex whispered seductively in hear, watching the lines across her face smooth as she turned back to him giddily.
“Of course not,” she purred back. “I’ve spent hours upon hours examining the reports you confiscated and the only conclusion I’ve been able to determine is that this landing Agent Trask was obsessed with coincides with the same time a rift was detected in the Earth’s orbit…”
“And what does that mean exactly, my pet?” Lex crooned.
“It means, if you find the space craft that crashed into the Earth’s orbit we can use it to reverse engineer a way to track and destroy Superman.”
“And this can’t be done without the space craft?” Lex asked with a defeated sigh.
“I’m afraid not, Lex.”
“Very well, then I’ll find the space craft.”
“I thought you said everything disappeared,” Miranda folded her arms over her chest.
“I might know someone who can help us find it.”
________________________________________
Clark Kent looked around the room he was in, sizing up the collectible movie posters and autographed comic books that were framed on the walls. The rumor mill was filled with Bob Fences’ eccentric habits, but from the looks of it the eccentric nature truly seemed to be more of Fences being a child at heart.
“Mr. Kent, Ms. Lane,” A tall brunette in a sharp business suit with a skirt that showed off way too much leg approached them and Clark felt the heat rush to his face as he stood up, looking anywhere but at the plunging neckline of Fences’ secretary.
“I’m Simone,” She held her hand out as Lois took it to shake, “Mr. Fences executive assistant,” She motioned for them to follow her. “He’ll see you now,”
She opened the door for the duo to enter and he saw a young man in his late twenties with brown hair and large rimmed glasses in a polo shirt and khakis sitting at his desk with what looked like action figures of the Star Wars franchise.
“Look out!” Fences imitated the sound of a laser, “Bzzzt!” He made one of the figurines fall down, “Ahh, the death ray! Skkkk… Don’t worry I’ll save you, Princess Cleavage. Gzzzz!”
Lois bit her lip, turning to Clark who was equally put off by the self-made billionaire’s behavior. Clark let Lois take the lead as he focused his attention on keeping a straight face and listening to Fence’s vitals as they began the interview.
“Mr. Fences, I’m Lois Lane, this is Clark Kent. We’re from the Daily Planet. We had spoken off and on about the EPRAD story and your patents?”
“Yes,” Fences pushed the figurines to the side and gestured to the chairs across from him. “I recall a few conversations. So, are you here to help me get my patents back from LexCorp?” he grinned impishly at Lois.
“Actually, Mr. Fences, we wanted to ask you about the woman you met with that represented LexCorp,” Lois pulled her purse out on her lap to retrieve the photo she’d taken. “Would you be able to identify her from a photograph?”
“If she’s in the photo, but like I mentioned before I don’t remember much about her. Her name was some non-discreet code name that was obviously made up and had been sent to be the handler. I haven’t seen or heard from her or Lex Luthor since the check cleared.” Fences advised with a shrug. “It was my own fault for selling. I just never thought they would get the Messenger launched with all the sabotage going on.”
“Seems like you weren’t the only ones that felt that way,” Clark added, shaking his head. At least three major medical suppliers had sold their rights to medical advancements made at EPRAD’s Space Station. Those were just the ones they had discovered.
Lois revealed the photograph she’d taken from EPRAD and Fences focused on it for a brief moment before nodding. “That’s her. Why?”
Lois stole a glance toward Clark before they quickly cut the interview short. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Fences.”
Clark paused before leaving, asking Fences, “Mr. Fences, the fire that broke out in your lab last month. What was your company working on?”
“A competing vaccine for dementia,” Fences responded. “We lost everything.”
“Who was the competitor?”
“Luthor.” Fences shrugged his shoulders. “It was the only one we didn’t sell the patent to because we were so close.”
“Thank you, Mr. Fences,” Clark called out to him before leaving, continuing to contemplate the motivation for the fires that had sprung up in Metropolis.
________________________________________
Back at the Daily Planet, Lois fumbled with her notes, spreading them out on her desk as she contemplated how to use the latest tidbit of information, they had gleaned from their interview with Bob Fences. “Did you find it strange that Fences would sell all patents but one?” she asked.
“Not if they were close to completing the vaccine,” Clark commented. “It takes years to develop and test a vaccine and if he was close, he wouldn’t have wanted to sell.”
“Why would they go after all of them but the one Fences was working on?” Lois wondered aloud.
“Maybe they thought they’d get it by other means?” Clark asked.
“Lois, Clark,” Perry called out to them waving them over from the doorway to his office.
Lois stood up from her desk and walked with Clark to Perry’s office. “What’s up, Chief?”
Perry pulled out four tickets, handing them both two a piece, “Good work on the follow up on those fires. Really top-notch stuff.” He pointed at the tickets. “Now, all funds this year are going toward the Coates Orphanage, so I want to be sure we have a good turnout. Which is why we need a big name on the bidding for our auction this year…a, uh, super name if you will?”
“Bidding?” Clark asked as Lois cut him off, shaking her head adamantly.
“Perry, can’t you get someone else to do it?”
“Are you volunteering?” Perry asked with a raised brow.
“Not in this millennium,” Lois grumbled, shaking her head.
“Bidding what?” Clark continued to try and follow what Perry’s nefarious plans for Metropolis’ recent hero were.
“Yes, what exactly are you planning to bid, Perry?” Lois asked with her arms folded across her chest.
“It’s for charity,” Perry insisted, holding his hands out as he shook his head. He finally relented and sighed, “Look, you don’t have to ask him. I just want to plead my case and since the two of you have built up a rapport with him, I’d appreciate it if you’d pass the message along.”
“That’s it?” Lois asked.
“That’s it,” Perry advised, pointing to the tickets in her hand. “And don’t be late.”
Lois bit her lower-lip, glancing at the tickets in her hand with defeat. Lucy had just left for California to start her second semester at Cal Tech. It wasn’t like she could drag anyone along to help cut through the boring stale atmosphere with Lucy’s witty humor. One of the downsides to her sister’s absence was she now had no one to accompany her to events like this.
She tapped the edge of the tickets to her other hand, silently shuffling out of Perry’s office with no comment. She stopped at the coffee station to get a fresh cup, shaking her head in frustration as she fiddled with the creamer lid to get it open.
“So, what exactly does Perry mean by bidding?”
Clark’s question sent a flush across her face as he reached over to open the cap to the creamer for her. She glanced over at his innocent eyes, wondering if she should tell him the embarrassing events she had seen take place at the Charity Ball or let him discover them for himself. Finally taking pity on her naive partner and part-time superhero she opted to rip the band-aid off.
“It can mean anything really. Bidding for time, the idea of spending time with a big name, or having a photo-op. I’m not really sure what the plan is this year because Perry keeps a pretty tight lid on it until the day of…”
“Well, that doesn’t sound too horrible,” Clark shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, Superman’s had a few appearances at charity runs.”
“But has he done it with the upper crust of Metropolis?” Lois asked, stirring the sugar into her coffee.
“Well, no…but it can’t be that bad if it’s for charity, right?” he looked at her for confirmation and she let out a heavy sigh. He had a point. It was for charity, but would the event be without the usual embarrassing antics – only time would tell.
“Right,” she flashed him a weak smile. “If it’s something you want to do you should do it. Perry would certainly get a kick out of it, but don’t let that sway your decision. He has other celebrities he can rope into whatever he’s bidding on.”
“Superman’s not a celebrity,” Clark clarified.
She raised a brow with a smirk, “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
He opened his mouth to argue further and stopped as a faraway expression crossed his face. The same look he often got right before he disappeared for a Superman appearance usually coupled with a rescue. She had become more and more accustomed to his quick exits followed by something coming on the line of the next big story.
As much as she’d like to take the opportunity to beat everyone to the lead by following Clark she found herself standing back and waiting for the signal to compete with her fellow journalists. It felt wrong to use what she knew of Clark for a story or to one up her competition. She wanted to be the best, but not by cutting corners. Her friendship with Clark had grown over the last month and the closer they became the more protective she found herself of him. Keeping the distance between herself and his alter-ego to appear as just another reporter following a lead was a necessity for both of them.
Clark motioned toward the stairs, tugging on his tie as he made a quick exit and she nodded, silently counting to ten as she took a sip of her coffee and walked back to her desk, gathering her travel mug to pour the fresh brew into and securing the lid. Just as she had spun the lid on tight the television in the newsroom reflected the image of a fire in the warehouse district with Superman flying overhead.
‘That’s my cue,’ she thought to herself, heading for the elevator doors with her fellow reporters on her heel.
________________________________________
A loud crack sounded inside the fiery warehouse as Clark lifted a large beam up over his head, allowing those trapped under it to escape. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the smoke to clear the way for them to find the exit. He set the beam down, letting out a blast of cold breath, extinguishing the flames on the side of the building he was in. A large door with a restricted access sign over the door was covered in flames he applied the same application of cold breath, snuffing out the blaze that consumed the frame of the metal door. He frowned when the smoke cleared and he saw the gasoline cannister from a few feet away and the melted metal state the door was left in.
He took another look around the warehouse, examining the contents of the debris and noting the supplies appeared to be associated with hospital equipment. A cold chill ran down his spine as he looked around the ashy residue covered building, noting the markings around the doors and windows. The fire was intentional but what was to gain from setting fire to a building full of medical supplies? It was too soon to tell much of anything but the intention was clear.
He helped ensure all the firefighters made it out of the building in one piece and addressed the crowd of reporters with the fire inspector who confirmed his findings indicating an investigation would be conducted into who was responsible for the fire.
“This fire was intentional and this office will not rest until those responsible are found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
With that, the inspector moved off, returning to the remnants of the warehouse and leaving the crowd of reporters to disburse. Clark let out a heavy sigh, taking his own leave to head back to the Planet and take care of some unfinished business with Perry White.
________________________________________
Dr. Gretchen Kelly set the box of vials with the Nanosoft logo printed on them on top of the blueprints spread across the large table inside her lab. With the help of the switchblade in her hand she cut the seal, revealing a cooling case, keeping the vials in a set temperature.
The double doors behind her opened and the fragrant scent of rich cigar smoke tickled her nostrils, “Careful Lex you don’t want to disrupt the chemical makeup of these vials before I’ve had a chance to examine them.”
“I was just making sure Mrs. Cox’s shipment had made it’s way to your more than capable hands,” Lex smiled, stopping in front of the large cooling case.
“I’ll get right on it, Lex,” Gretchen assured him with a smile. She ushered him out of the lab ready to focus on the container in front of her. After Lex had taken the hint and exited, she slipped on a pair of goggles and gloves. Time to get to work.
________________________________________
The newsroom felt different as Clark floated in from the high-rise window of the Daily Planet. He kept his focus on Perry’s office as he floated down, using the years of experience in training himself not to react to the world’s reaction of things they couldn’t explain. He still remained one of those things despite the fanfare that had surrounded his alter-ego over the last month since the first rescue.
“Wow, Superman…” the familiar voice of his friend Jimmy Olsen caught his attention and he flashed a quick smile his way.
“I’m here to see Mr. White,” Clark pointed to Perry’s office.
“Of course!” Jimmy’s voice squeaked as he struggled to maintain the calm he was trying to portray. He walked with Clark to Perry’s office and knocked on the door, “Chief?”
“What is it, Olsen, can’t you see I’m elbow deep in red ink?” Perry called out with his reading glasses on the tip of his nose and red pen tucked behind his ear.
“Sorry to interrupt, Chief, you have a visitor. A Mister, uh, Superman. Err, Man? Super?” Jimmy struggled to find the right introduction and Clark chuckled.
“Superman is fine.”
“Right,” Jimmy trailed off, clearing his throat. “Uh, Superman is here to see you, Chief.”
Perry set the pen in his hand down, straightening up in his chair when he saw Clark standing in the doorway, “Well, Jimmy don’t just stand there. Let the man in.”
Jimmy’s face flushed as he stepped to the side for Clark to enter. “Right, sorry. Sorry about that, Superman.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Clark responded, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch as he watched his young friend’s face fill with delight over his name being uttered by Clark’s alter-ego. The joy and boost in ego on his friend’s face made the charade he was forced to continue in worth it.
“Jimmy, why don’t you give us a minute?” Perry motioned to him to close the door.
“You got it, Chief,” Jimmy’s step had an extra bounce in it as he exited and Clark couldn’t help but smile as the door closed behind him.
Perry reached over to shake Clark’s hand, “Well, Superman, good to meet you.” He motioned to the chair in front of him. “Please take a seat.”
Clark looked warily at the chair, uncertain if he should remain standing or not. Instead, he asked, “I was told you wanted to meet with me about a charity event?”
“Yes!” Perry’s face lit up as he pulled a flyer out of the desk drawer. “An extremely worthy cause. The Coates Orphanage is being sponsored at our annual Charity Ball. Each year all the profits go to a worthy cause and this is a great one. It’ll go toward clothes, school supplies, and keeping the building in tip top shape for the kids that stay there. A part of it also goes toward keeping the spirit of Christmas and birthdays alive for them as well.”
“It sounds like a worthy cause I’d love to help, but I’m not sure exactly what you need me for, Mr. White…” Clark looked at Perry with a curious gaze.
“Yes,” Perry snapped his fingers and handed him the flyer. “This year we’ll be holding an auction for a photo-op with eligible bachelors of Metropolis. It’s always a big draw.”
Clark’s eyebrows raised slightly and he nodded, “Photo-op?”
“You meet with a lucky fan and take photos and make their year and in the process help feed and clothe the youngins at the Coates Orphanage.” Perry explained matter-of-factly. “What do you say?”
“Well, as long as nothing else comes up I can try to stop by...” Clark answered.
“Great, I’ll put you down for an early slot so we can let you get in and out. If anything comes up we’ll make do. I really appreciate your help, Superman.”
“Of course, Mr. White,” Clark answered, walking with Perry toward the exit. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d just signed up for, but it couldn’t be that bad, right?
________________________________________
Jason Trask tapped his hand against the table in front of him, sipping at the coffee in hand as he flipped through the old photographs of the Bureau 39 files he’d been able to confiscate. There was still so much left that he hadn’t been able to claim. He glanced at the newspaper headline laid across the table, shaking his head.
The coverage of Superman had been everywhere. He couldn’t escape it. He was like a disease. Continuing to wreak havoc on humanity in his mission to subdue mankind into a calm while he planned his attack. Trask flipped the photos until he found what he was looking for. He held the photo up against the image on the newspaper’s front page.
It was almost a perfect match.
Trask turned the photo over, skimming over the notes on the back. ‘Smallville – 1966’
________________________________________
Lois ran a hand across the black silk of her dress, glancing across the rich décor that was setup inside the banquet hall that had been rented out. Her gaze moved up to the high vaulted ceilings, glancing around the familiar setting they were in. The light jazz from the live band filled the room as she cast her gaze over the attendees of the annual charity ball. Metropolis’ wealthy were among the guests. Everyone from the mayor to Lex Luthor himself stood front and center working the crowd.
In the center of the room was a stage that had been setup for the auction and a large photo booth in the corner where Jimmy was standing with lead photographer, Whit Jones ready to snap the winning bid photos.
“Lois, glad to see you made it,” Perry’s voice interrupted her thoughts as she spotted him approaching with his wife, Alice on his arm.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Lois fibbed, forcing a smile.
“Well, we both know that’s a bold face lie, but I appreciate the attempt to save face,” Perry chuckled, pointing to the large banner overhead with ‘Coates Orphanage’ printed in bold red letters. A small crowd of children were huddled by the long table where games and food had been laid out for them with a clown and magician. “Hard to say no with the kids right here. Kinda melts your heart, don’t it?”
“What makes you think the rich and famous have hearts?” Lois smirked with a teasing smile.
“It’s for a good cause.” Perry reminded her. “They’ll buy one.”
Alice White chuckled, interrupting with a smile, “And I’ll take any good excuse to get him out of the newsroom and into a suit.”
Lois chuckled as Perry blushed, wrapping an arm around her, “What can I say? She knows how to drive a hard bargain.”
The light on stage beamed down on the hostess as she approached the podium, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome friends and all to the 45th Annual Charity Ball. Without further ado, we would like to start the night off with our first celebrity photo auction…” She glanced around nervously and waved to Lex who was standing a few feet away. “…the fourth richest man…”
Lex leaned over to whisper something in the hostess’ ear and she quickly amended, “…third richest man in the world.”
Lois felt her eyes roll hard as she watched the small crowd begin to gather around the stage. She spotted Cat in a skimpy gold ensemble which at one point probably resembled a whole dress. Not that one could tell in its current state.
The hostess continued, “Shall we start the bidding at …five hundred dollars?”
A woman dressed in blue waved her number in the air, calling out, “Five hundred!”
“One thousand!” another called out.
The bidding continued as Cat approached Lois, sauntering with a sly smile as she gave her a once over. “You did remember this was a party, right, Lois?”
“Couldn't you afford a whole dress?” Lois groaned, shaking her head as Cat reapplied her lipstick in her compact.
“Less is more, darling.” Cat sneered, giving her a pointed stare. “Sometimes.”
The woman in blue held up her number, waving it in the air as she called out, “Ten thousand!”
“Ten thousand for a photo op?” Lois grumbled under her breath with a hard roll of her eyes. “Thank God, it’s for charity.”
“Sold! For ten thousand dollars!” the hostess called out.
Lois watched Lex move off with the winner, “Annette, I’m charmed.”
The hostess pointed toward the large window as a spotlight fell over the open windows Superman had just landed on. Lois watched as Clark nervously walked toward the stage, trying not to be fazed by the attention she knew he was uncomfortable with.
“And now, something really special. A super celebrity photo – op with our one and only Man of Steel.”
Lois bit her lower-lip as she watched the feeding frenzy erupt from the crowd before Clark could even finish approaching the podium.
“One thousand!”
“Fifteen hundred!”
“Two thousand!”
Lois turned around, surprised to see Cat waving her hand in the air calling out the latest bid. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to win some up close and personal time, what does it look like?” Cat grunted with a gleeful grin. “Why, jealous?”
“Of course not, I….”
“Five thousand!” another bid called out.
“Six!” Cat grinned, waving her number in the air.
“Would you quit it?” Lois growled, shaking her head.
“Why? Too rich for your blood, Lois?” Cat teased.
“Of course not, but…”
Lois waved her hands in the air and the hostess called out to her, “And we have seven thousand, ladies and gentlemen!”
Lois flushed, realizing what she’d done, desperately looking around for anyone to out bid her. Thankfully another called out to her rescue.
“Eight thousand!”
“Nine!” Cat called out desperately.
Lois looked on in disbelief at the frenzy when the final earth shattering number was called out by a woman in black standing in the corner, “Fifty thousand dollars.”
Lois let out a low whistle and turned to Cat, “What’s wrong Cat, too rich for your blood?”
“Her necklace is too rich for my wardrobe,” Cat responded letting out a soft gasp, “That’s Princess Charlotte. She just went through that nasty divorce with Prince Arthur.” A thoughtful look crossed Cat’s face, “I wonder if I can nab an interview later…”
“Fifty thousand going once, going twice!” a pound of the gavel later the hostess called out. “Sold!”
Lois flashed the bewildered Clark a sympathetic smile as he moved off the stage into the Princess’ grasp. Thankfully for him this was just a photo-op. It was a large sum to drum up for charity even for a photo with a celebrity, but that’s what they were here for, right? She couldn’t seem to shake the bitter taste in her mouth as she watched Clark move toward the black curtains where the photo-op was being held with the Princess Charlotte on his arm.
“What’s wrong, Lois, jealous?” Cat teased.
“Not in the slightest,” Lois harumphed, moving off toward the open bar to get a glass of wine and sample the spread of food that had been laid out and leaving Cat behind her.
She reached the bar and called out, “Red Chardonnay.”
“I would have taken you for a champagne type of girl,” Lex commented as he turned around from his seat at the bar, looking at Lois with a pleased smile, seemingly getting a thrill out of surprising her with his presence.
“Lex, you certainly know how to draw a crowd.” Lois glanced around the bar at the bidders that had lost out on the photo-op.
“A pleasure to see you again, Lois.” Lex reached out to take her hand before diving into his line of questioning, “I was surprised I didn’t hear back from you last month. The Paper is keeping you busy I see.”
“Well, those front page stories don’t write themselves,” Lois shrugged, not wanting to address his first question as she pointed to Clark who was exiting the photo booth with a flushed expression. “Superman’s been quite the draw lately.”
“Yes, apparently not only for you, my dear,” Lex followed her gaze and pointed to the crowd of women that had rushed up to Clark trying to get a photo or autograph. Front and center was of course Cat Grant.
“Well, everyone needs a hero to look up to,” Lois brushed it off, trying not to show the bitterness that was boiling inside her as she claimed the glass of chardonnay the bartender had just slid across the bar to her.
“Yes, of course, it’s just a shame that a lovely woman such as yourself would have your attention taken by someone so…unattainable.”
Lois jerked her head back, giving him a sharp gaze as she replied coolly, “Where I spend my time and who I give attention to is none of your business, Lex.”
“Is that why you were bidding earlier?” Lex asked.
“I wasn’t bidding, I was arguing and…you know what? I don’t owe you any explanation. Excuse me.” Lois grabbed her glass and headed toward the long table where the spread of catered food was laid out.
“Shouldn’t you be heading for the nearest exit by now?” a voice behind her caught her attention as she reached for the plate on the table.
She turned to glance over her shoulder, spotting Clark dressed in a black tuxedo and his glasses tipped on the edge of his nose. “Decided to make an appearance at this travesty, did you?”
“Well, I didn’t think Perry would let me live it down if I didn’t,” Clark responded following her down the line as she gathered up the different samples on her plate.
“Probably not,” she agreed.
________________________________________
Clark claimed a chair next to Lois’ at the high top table, looking on as the bidding continued. Though he knew the event would benefit the children he could find much less embarrassing ways of raising money for charity. He turned to Lois who was sipping her glass of chardonnay. “So, how often do they throw this thing together?”
“Once a year,” Lois answered, handing him a bowl of chocolate covered pretzels she had gathered up from the buffet. “Here, you look like you could use this more than me.”
“I don’t know you were the one fighting with Luthor earlier…” Clark teased as she flashed him a quick smile.
“I wasn’t fighting. I was putting him in his place.” Lois corrected him, taking a bite of her cracker.
“Ah, is that what they call it now?” Clark asked, unfazed by the dirty look she gave him.
“You okay?” Lois asked, pointing toward the stage. “I mean, not everyone can rake in fifty thousand dollars in one bid and only have to pay with a smile and a camera…”
“I’m fine. It was…not as terrible as I thought it would be. Just more nerve wracking. I’m still not used to all the attention.” Clark responded with the tap of his hand.
“Yeah?” Lois took another sip of her glass, holding his gaze for a long moment. A smile slid across her face and she leaned in to whisper, “For the record I was not bidding.”
“I …” He bit his lower-lip, trying to hold back his laughter in his response. “I didn’t think you were.”
“Good.” Lois smiled back at him. “Because that would have been weird.”
“What would?”
“Well you know…” Lois waved her hand in the air, trailing off as she spoke.
“I know what?” Clark asked.
“It’s just not a good idea to mix friendship and … other stuff.” Lois amended as she reached her glass for another sip.
“Of course,” Clark nodded feeling the gut-wrenching blow as every fiber of him screamed at him for not arguing with her.
“So, we’re agreed then? Friends?”
Clark chuckled, shaking his head in misery as he repeated, “Friends.”
________________________________________
TBC...
Comments Go Here
