Chapter Nineteen
After Thanksgiving, and her conversation with Lois, Lara decided to do something about getting her father’s ship back. Ever since her dad had told her about the little ship he came to Earth in and how it had disappeared Lara promised herself that, someday, she’d get it back for him. To that end, Lara picked up her phone and called Lois’s number.
“Hello?” Lois said.
“Hi, Lois, it’s me, Lara.”
“Lara! It’s so nice to hear your voice, how are you?”
“I’m well, and you?”
“I’m well, thanks. So what’s up?” Lois asked as she sat down on her couch and tucked her legs underneath her.
“I hope you can help me. I know you have contacts all over and I need someone who can dig up information that might not be easy to get.”
Lois was intrigued, “Sounds interesting, what do you need?”
“I don’t want to talk about this over the phone,” Lara said, pausing, “Could I come to see you sometime?”
“No time like the present, can you come over now?” Lois said, excitedly, “I’m at home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, when can you get here?” Lois replied, eager to help her daughter.
“I’ll be there in less than a minute!” Lara ended the call, spun into her suit, and flew out her balcony window towards Metropolis.
Before Lois could get off the couch there was a knock on her balcony door. Lois hurried over and opened it so that Superwoman could enter.
“Boy, you weren’t kidding!” Lois said. She closed the door as Superwoman became a blue and black blur that coalesced into Lara Kent, dressed in a cotton t-shirt and jeans.
“This must be very important. Sit down, please,” Lois said, and she joined Lara on her couch. “Do you want anything to drink? I have coffee, tea, or cream soda.”
“Umm, cream soda sounds good, if you don’t mind?” Lara said.
“No problem, be right back.” Lois hurried to her kitchen and returned with two ice-cold cans of A&W cream soda. She passed one of them to Lara.
“That’s good,” Lara said popping open the can and taking a sip, “I haven’t had cream soda in a while.”
“It’s my favorite drink, I always have some in the fridge.” Lois took a sip then she turned to Lara. “So how can I help you?”
“I don’t know if you know any of this but when Dad showed me his globe—”
“Yes, we talked about that at Lucy’s,” Lois said interrupting Lara’s tale.
“Do you know how Dad found it; he’s never said?” Lara said curiously.
“Clark and I got a tip about Bureau 39, a quasi-legitimate government group that was into tracking aliens. We snuck into their warehouse and nosed around. Clark found the globe there and took it but by the time we were able to come back with a warrant to search the warehouse it had been cleaned out, not even a speck of dust remained.”
“That must have been when the ship disappeared,” Lara said, gaining a new understanding of the circumstances. “Anyway, Dad told me about the ship and I want to find it and surprise him. I hope you can help me. I know you have contacts, contacts I don’t have. I hope one of them can give me a clue as to where it might be. I know it’s a long shot, it’s been twenty-plus years after all, but I have to try.”
“Hmm, there may be someone who can help. He works for the government and he seems to have his fingers in every pie there is,” Lois said, warming to the task ahead.
“Oh, Lois, that would be great. I have no idea where to start looking so your contact would be a godsend. How soon can you contact him?”
“I’ll put out a message tomorrow that I need to speak to him as soon as possible.”
“You can’t contact him directly?” Lara asked, incredulous.
“No, he’s a very secret source, someone who guards his privacy very closely. He’s a friend of Perry’s super-secret source, a man I only knew as Sore Throat. When Sore Throat retired a few months after Perry did, he introduced me to his replacement. I call him Sore Throat Two, keeps things simpler.”
“Thanks! I appreciate this Lois,” Lara said, gratefully.
“It’s no trouble at all. I can’t promise he’ll have any information but if he doesn’t no one else will, that’s for sure.” Lois sat back, taking a sip of her soda. “As soon as I hear something, I’ll let you know.”
“Great! Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, so I’ll be going,” Lara said as she took the last sip of soda then rose from the couch. Spinning into the Suit Lara walked to the balcony and opened the door. “See you soon, Lois and thanks again.” Lara opened the door and stepped out. She closed the door behind her then she disappeared in a blue and black streak.
**********
Lara had about given up hope when a week passed with no word from Lois and her secret source when her cell phone rang.
“Lois! Do you have anything?” Lara asked excitedly.
“Well, hello to you too!” Lois said with a chuckle.
“Oh, sorry, hello. Do you have anything?” Lara responded, not chastised one bit.
“Yes, I have something. Can you meet me tonight, about midnight?” Lois said conspiratorially.
“Sure, I’ll be there. Umm, would you like me to bring dinner first?”
“Dinner sounds wonderful! Do you know the Chinese place your dad went to?” Lois replied, hoping that she did.
“Oh yes, Mrs. Kwan’s restaurant! I love that place,” Lara said, excitedly. “What do you like?”
“Bring an assortment, I loved everything your dad brought that time,” Lois replied.
“Okay, I’ll see you about 9 o’clock then we can eat and discuss plans for tonight,” Lara said, “Bye!”
“Bye, see you tonight!”
**********
At 7:30 p.m. Central time Lara spun into her suit for a leisurely flight to Shanghai. Touching down in a deserted alley Lara spun into her casual clothes then she made her way to Mrs. Kwan’s restaurant, The Dream Palace. As she walked Lara took in the sights, sounds, and smells of this vibrant city as the people went about their daily tasks.
“Miss Kent! How are you?” Mrs. Kwan exclaimed running over to hug Lara.
“I’m fine, Mrs. Kwan, how are you?” Lara replied in perfect Mandarin returning the hug enthusiastically.
“Oh, you know, the usual aches and pains but nothing to worry about. So, what can I get you today?”
“I want the dinner assortment for two, please,” Lara said.
“For you and your new man?” Mrs. Kwan said with a grin.
“No, not this time. I’m having dinner with a friend. I promise to bring Ken with me soon though,” Lara said.
“I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Kwan disappeared into the back of the restaurant so Lara sat down to wait. Spying a newspaper she picked it up, anxious to see if her efforts at reading Mandarin Chinese were proving fruitful. Like her father, Lara had an affinity for learning languages but that usually extended only to speaking them, so she had to try to be able to read and write them. So far, she was able to read Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and now Mandarin Chinese. Lara perused the news of the day when Mrs. Kwan reappeared carrying five bamboo containers filled with steaming, wonderful smelling food.
“Here you go, Miss Kent, I hope you and your friend enjoy it.”
“We certainly will. My friend hasn’t had your food in years and she’s looking forward to it. Take care!” Lara paid for the food and headed out of the restaurant. Lara scanned the alley then spun into her suit and took off, heading for Metropolis.
When Lara entered Metropolis airspace, she sought out Lois’s apartment to make sure she was home. She saw Lois bustling around the kitchen so Lara landed on the balcony and knocked.
“It’s open!” Lois called out upon hearing the knock. Lara slid the door open and entered the living room. She set the food down on the coffee table then closed the door. After changing into her casual clothes she picked up the food and proceeded to the kitchen.
“Hi, Lois,” Lara said as she set the containers on the kitchen table.
“Hi to you too, Lara. Boy that smells good! Did you get dumplings?” Lois asked. She leaned into the refrigerator and took out two cans of cream soda.
“Of, course! Here let me heat this a bit more then we can eat.” Lara quickly gave the containers a shot of heat vision and soon fragrant steam was rising from them. Lois and Lara dug in, placing heaping portions on their plates.
“Ummm, it’s just like I remember it.” Lois sighed contentedly.
“If you don’t mind my asking, when did Dad get you food from Mrs. Kwan’s?”
“It was very early in our partnership before he invented Superman. Perry assigned me a story to investigate sabotage of the Messenger shuttle and I needed help. Everyone I wanted to work with was either out of town or on another assignment so he gave me the rookie, your dad, and I was not best pleased. We’d been trying to figure out Dr. Platt’s report and getting nowhere and we were getting hungry. Clark volunteered to get Chinese food and was halfway out the door before I had a chance to tell him what I wanted. He said he’d get an assortment and he was gone! It didn’t seem like he was gone all that long when he returned with a bunch of bamboo containers like these.”
“Wow, thanks for telling me. Dad never talks about his past, especially his time at the Daily Planet.” Lara pushed her plate away having eaten more than her share of the delicious food. When Lois picked up a fortune cookie and opened it, she chuckled.
“I see some things never change, the fortunes are still in Chinese,” Lois said with a grin.
“Let me see,” Lara said taking the small piece of paper from Lois and turning it vertically. “’ You will have success in your next endeavor.’”
“Now, that’s a fortune! Not like the one I got that first time,” Lois exclaimed.
“Oh, what did you get then?” Lara asked, curious now.
“‘A good horse is like a member of the family.’” Lois quoted disgustedly.
“That’s not a fortune!” Lara said.
“I know! That’s what I said to Clark!” Both women cracked up laughing companionably. With their meal over Lara helped Lois pack up the few leftovers and put them in the refrigerator then they retired to the living room. Seating themselves Lois pulled out a folder from her briefcase and set it on the coffee table in front of them.
“Okay, my source gave me this just today. The only thing he found that could be what we’re interested in is a warehouse, ostensibly rented by the Air Force. It’s been unused for at least fifteen years as far as he could tell. Since Bureau 39 was an offshoot of Project Blue Book, the Air Force’s program to investigate UFOs, it looks promising. Sore Throat Two gave me this blueprint of the warehouse but that’s about it. He had no information on security measures if any, but I’d be surprised if there weren’t some,” Lois said seriously.
“Where is this warehouse anyway?” Lara asked, studying the blueprint as she committed it to memory.
“Gotham City. From what I was able to determine it’s on the riverfront in a not nice neighborhood,” Lois replied.
“Okay, what do you recommend?” Lara looked to Lois for suggestions.
“I think we should fly over the warehouse to see what kind of security measures they have. After that we determine the easiest way in then, if the ship is there, we get in quickly, grab the ship and get out of Dodge,” Lois said confidently.
“I agree.” Lara glanced at the clock and saw that it was now almost midnight. “We should probably get going then.” Lois nodded her agreement.
“I’ll just change into more appropriate clothes.” Lois got off the couch and returned a few minutes later clad in a black turtleneck, black slacks and shoes, and a black stocking cap.
“Ready for a little B and E?” Lois said as she reentered the living room.
“B and E?”
“Breaking and Entering! God, I haven’t done this in years, this is going to be so much fun!” Lara nodded her understanding then she spun into her suit.
“Can you ditch the cape? It’s not exactly inconspicuous.” Lois asked.
“Sure thing,” Lara said. She detached her cape from her shoulders and draped it over the couch. She also took off the blue briefs she wore with her uniform and placed them on top of the cape, leaving her clad only in her black bodysuit with the big blue S on her chest, the boots, and the black mask.
“No wonder you wear the cape and briefs. I doubt your father would let you out of the house looking like that!” Lois said eyeing the younger woman, admiring her shapely form.
“Grandma said something similar when we were designing my suit. She said she was too old to pick Dad up when he fainted!” Lara said with a grin. Lois returned the grin then she gestured for Lara to precede her out the door.
“How do we do this? Your dad carries me in his arms,” Lois said.
“I only carry people like that during rescues. Normally I have my passenger wrap their arm around my shoulder or waist then I hold them the same way, it seems more dignified somehow,” Lara replied.
“Okay then.” Lois, being shorter than Lara, wrapped her left arm around her daughter’s waist and Lara grabbed Lois by her shoulders and they lifted off the balcony into the night. Lara rose above the city lights, higher and higher until you could see the stars shining brightly.
“The view being carried this way is sure different,” Lois said glancing at Lara. “I can see a lot more this way, though being held in Superman’s arms does have its appeal… but don’t tell your father that,” Lois said with a grin.
“Your secret is safe with me Lois.” Lara flew through the silent sky north towards Gotham City. The closer she got the more a feeling of unease settled over her. The city seemed darker somehow and it had nothing to do with a lack of lighting. Lara wondered, idly, if they’d get a glimpse of the elusive Batman. Lara headed towards the riverfront and slowed down until they were hovering silently above the warehouse.
“What do you see?” Lois whispered, though why she did she had no idea.
“No one is near the warehouse itself but I can’t see inside. It’s either slathered in lead paint or they lined the building with the stuff,” Lara replied in a normal tone of voice.
“That’s good and bad. Good in that someone has something in there they don’t want Superman to see, but bad in that we’re going in blind.”
“Yeah, looks like we don’t have much choice. Hang on, we’re going down.” Lara zipped down to land outside the only door. She released Lois so she could examine it.
“I don’t see any obvious security measures aside from this keypad.” Lara glanced around, scanning the area with her x-ray vision and her superhearing, but found nothing suspicious. She stepped over to the keypad and she punched in combinations of four numbers over and over, the screen on top of the pad flashed the digits, at super speed. Moments later the red light turned green and the door opened a crack.
“Let me check things out. Stay behind me,” Lara whispered. Lois nodded and crept along behind. Lara scanned the building for any security cameras and shorted out all that she found. “I disabled the security cameras but I don’t think they were active anyway. I don’t hear anyone in the building but they may have sensors in the floor so I’m going to float us, just in case.”
Lois quickly wrapped her arm around Lara’s waist and held on tightly as Lara rose slowly up to the ceiling. She scanned the shelves in a grid pattern so as not to miss anything, shelf by shelf. It wasn't until she reached the very last shelving unit that she saw the object she was looking for.
“There it is!” Lara whispered, her face alight with excitement. “Hang on.” Lara descended to within a few inches above the floor, next to a long, cylindrical shape covered by a dusty tarp. She pulled back the tarp with her left hand and drew it away.
“It’s so small,” Lois whispered upon seeing the little craft.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t think a baby could fit in that. Look there’s Dad’s crest!” There on the pointed nose of the little ship was the red and yellow crest of the House of El rising from the otherwise sleek metal.
“We can examine this later, we need to get going,” Lois said anxiously. Lara nodded her agreement and wrapped her left arm around the ship and tucked it into her side. She rose slowly to the ceiling then over to the door. Lara and Lois strode through until they were both standing outside the darkened warehouse. Once Lois had wrapped her arm around Lara’s waist again, she took off. The trip back to Metropolis passed by in silence, both women absorbed in their thoughts.
When Lara saw Lois’s apartment building on the horizon, she released the breath that she hadn’t known she was holding. They’d made it! Lara had retrieved her father’s ship and she couldn’t have done it without Lois’s help. Lara landed silently on Lois’s balcony and Lois opened the door. They hurried inside where Lara set the ship on the living room floor.
Now that they had time to look at the ship more closely, they realized just how compact it was. Near the middle was the passenger compartment which opened at the touch of Lara’s hand with a barely audible swish. There was a round depression at the front where the globe had sat and a hammock-like leather cradle where her father had lain while he traveled many light-years from the doomed planet Krypton to Earth. The remainder of the craft contained the little engine with some winged projections used by the guidance system.
“Clark’s parents sent him to Earth in this?” Lois said skeptically.
“The messages for Dad said that Krypton was quickly becoming unstable. This ship was a prototype of a ship they had hoped to build to be able to save their population but they ran out of time. Jor-El and Lara weren’t even sure it would work for their son but they had no choice. They could send him to Earth and hope they succeeded or keep him on Krypton where he would surely die.” Lara’s voice cracked and a silent tear trickled down her cheek.
“Your Kryptonian grandparents were brave people,” Lois said reverently.
“That they were.” Lara took a deep breath to calm herself. “It’s late. I really should be going.” Lara turned to Lois and enveloped her in a fierce hug. “Thank you seems so inadequate but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Without your help, I’d have never found this ship. I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never repay.”
“You don’t owe me anything. It was my honor to be able to help you and your dad. After all, we’re family, that’s what family does for each other.” Lois returned the hug just as fiercely then she stepped back, wiping her tears that had gathered there. Lara slipped on her briefs and cape then she picked up the ship and walked out to the balcony.
“Thanks again, Lois. I’ll talk to you soon.” With a quick wave, Lara took off towards Chicago.
**********
Continued in Chapter Twenty
