Missing Lois - TOC Author's Note: Just a reminder, Lois and Alt. Clark have now told Sam Lane that she is really a Lois Lane from another dimension. She calls her Clark, Kal, to lessen the Clark-confusion. Everyone else in the alternate dimension (with the exception of Moonbeam / Star) thinks she is Lucy El (wife of Kal El), an old college friend of Alt. Clark's.
To refresh your memory on what happened last time, please click this link:
Chapter 2: Part 6 Chapter 2: The Twilight Zone - Part 7Superman landed outside the hospital, between two parked and empty ambulances. He landed as Superman and stepped out as Clark Kent. He went to the information desk, got Jaxon’s room number and headed upstairs.
Clark took a deep breath outside the room to focus. Don’t get angry, he reminded himself. Stay calm. He knocked on the door and peered inside. “Jaxon?”
Jaxon was sitting in bed, a bandage wrapped around his left shoulder. “Clark! How’s Lucy? Is she okay?” He looked anxious.
Clark stepped into the room. “She’s fine.”
Jaxon sighed in relief. “I was worried. Superman zoomed in, grabbed her, and disappeared. And then nobody heard from either of you. I was afraid she’d…”
“No. She’ll be fine.” Clark thought he should add more, though he didn’t want to. This man was in contact with the shooter and gave him Mayson’s name. But Jaxon didn’t know that Clark knew; he had to keep his cover. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.”
“I understand.” Jaxon placed a smile on his face before it fell. “It’s all my fault.”
Clark’s gaze narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“If I had just gone to lunch with her…”
“What?” That wasn’t what he was expecting.
“I had been on the phone when she asked me to lunch. If I had just hung up and gone, she wouldn’t have been shot. Of all the days for her to finally agree…” Jaxon’s face turned to ash.
“Jaxon, Ralph wants me to interview you for the story.”
“I know. He told me.”
“Can you describe everything leading up to you being shot?”
Jaxon’s eyes went wide before darting around the room. “Ah, okay.” He was trying to think what he should say. “I was on the phone with my brother.”
“Brother?” Clark sat down in the chair next to his bed. So, Junior was Jaxon’s brother. He couldn’t believe he let that slip. Lex Luthor, Jr? Oh, dear. Lois wasn’t going to like that.
“Yeah. Lucy was fixing her makeup at her desk and then she rolled her chair over to my desk. She asked if I wanted to eat lunch with her. I held up a finger, telling her to hold on, because I was on the phone. She must have misunderstood, because she rolled back to her desk, saying ‘maybe some other time.’ Do you really think she meant that?”
Clark raised a non-committal shoulder.
“Hmmm. Then she started to act all weird-like. If she were in my VR, I’d have called it a software glitch, but…”
“VR?”
“Virtual Reality. You should really come over and try it out sometime. It’ll blow your mind.” Jaxon seemed a little loopy and Clark wondered how much pain medicine he was on.
Clark remembered Lois saying something about Jaxon kidnapping her and Kal in his VR machine. On how he was working on some kind of mind control with it. “No, thanks. I prefer my mind in one piece.”
“Okay.” Jaxon looked slightly disappointed, but not surprised, by Clark’s response. He shook his head. “Lucy is human, right? Not a hologram or a robot or a cyborg or from Krypton or something strange like that, is she?”
Clark raised an eyebrow at that question.
“Not that being from Krypton is strange in the least. Gosh, I’m sorry, Clark.”
“She’s human, Jax,” Clark reassured him.
Jaxon released a breath in relief.
“What do you mean by acting weird?” Clark asked, hoping he was wrong about Jaxon’s analysis.
“Well, her color was off, I mean way off. She was so pale, she was grey. No, she was almost transparent. You know. I mean she couldn’t have been transparent, right? She doesn’t have the power to be invisible, does she?”
Clark looked at him skeptically. “I doubt it.” It wasn’t in Lois’s nature to be invisible.
“Yeah, that would be weird. So, her color was off and she looked completely out of it, like she was about to pass out. No, wait, before she looked like she was about to pass out, she stood up and started calling your name, like she was looking for you, but her voice kept getting softer and softer. Then she looked like she was going to pass out. I was on my way to help her and Bang! That’s when we were shot. The bullet passed right through her like… like she was air… and right into me. I’m not air; I stopped that bullet good.”
“She’s flesh and blood, Jaxon. The bullet hole in her shirt and her shoulder will profess that she isn’t air.”
“She got shot in the shoulder? Just like me.” He shook his head. “You know, when you see something crazy, you begin to wonder if you’re really crazy or if you saw what you think you saw.” Jaxon stopped rambling at Clark’s expression. “Do you think she would say ‘yes’ if I asked her out, again?”
“No,” Clark said automatically.
Jaxon looked crestfallen.
“She doesn’t date.”
“Oh, right. She mentioned that. Do you know why?”
“She has her reasons.”
Jaxon sighed. “There’s just something about her.”
Clark must have unconsciously given him a cold glare, because suddenly Jaxon looked uncomfortable.
“Sorry, Clark. I know Lucy’s your friend and all, but, I mean, there isn’t anything going on between you, right? I mean, you’re dating Mayson Drake that detective that was in here earlier.” Jaxon whistled. “Now, she’s…”
“Let’s not spread that around, Jaxon,” said Clark, trying to keep a cool head.
“Okay, you don’t want anyone to know. Mum’s the word.” Jaxon locked his mouth with a pretend key. “But, Clark, if you don’t want people to know. I recommend you stop kissing her at work. Everyone in the bullpen was talking about it.”
Clark rubbed his forehead. He didn’t know someone wanted to kill his girlfriend when he had kissed Mayson at work earlier. He looked down at his notepad. “Let’s finish up the interview, okay, Jaxon?”
“Sure.”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“Me?” Jaxon gasped.
“So, you think that Lucy was the main target of the shooter?”
“Of course Lucy,” Jaxon stammered. “Why would anyone want to shoot me? I was a mistake.”
“Why, indeed?” Clark raised an eyebrow. “For that matter, why would anyone want to shoot Lucy?”
“I don’t know. I hardly know the woman. She works next to me, that’s all. You would know better than me who her enemies are.”
“As far as I know, she has no enemies.”
“Maybe some jealous ex-boyfriend. It could be why she doesn’t date.”
Clark pretended to consider this. “She does have some nasty ex-boyfriends. But I doubt any of them would want to kill her.” None of them knew she existed in this dimension. “Maybe it was just a random shooter. A crazy guy who doesn’t like the editorials at the
Daily Planet. Or someone who thinks the sports reporters favor one team over another. Or the restaurant critic was too picky about a review.”
“Maybe someone knew she’s a friend of yours?” Jaxon grinned, nervously.
Clark laughed and laughed, so hard he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to pick on Superman’s friends. Do you, Jaxon?”
Jaxon laughed uncertainly.
Clark stopped laughing and leaned forward, staring straight into Jaxon’s eyes. “I mean, if someone were to try to finish the job on Lucy, or go after my friend Mayson, or even you, Jaxon… I mean, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Jaxon nodded with a swallow.
“That would be bad. Very, very bad. Unforgiveable, really. Don’t you think?”
Jaxon swallowed, again.
Clark waited, staring at him, swinging his glasses around and around.
“You know, Clark. If I tell you something, off-the-record, could you promise not to tell Detective Drake? I know she’s your girl and all, but if word got out that what I told you went straight to the police…” Jaxon shook his head. “I shouldn’t even be telling you… My father isn’t a forgiving sort of man and I’m already his least favorite.”
Clark raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“If you agree not to tell Mayson Drake, I’ll tell you who shot Lucy.”
Clark closed his notebook. “I’m listening.” His glasses still dangled from his fingertips.
***
On his way back to Clinton Street, Clark stopped by
The Planet to type up his story and turn it in to Ralph. It was a bare bones story. Just the facts. What happened, where and to whom it happened, even a little of how it happened. But the why – the why would have to wait. And the who-done-it – that too would have to wait. He ended the story with the usual ‘police are still actively searching for suspects.’ No ‘Superman flies off with the victim or saves the detective from the bomb.’ Those colorful stories were for another reporter, not Clark Kent.
Clark called his home phone from work to check for messages. Mayson had called twenty minutes before. She said she was leaving the station in a half-hour with or without him. He called the station and told her he was on his way. Then he called Lois’s apartment. Sam answered.
“How is she, Sam?” Dr. Lane’s first name still felt uncomfortable on his lips.
“Better. She’s resting.”“Still?”
“No, again. We had a difficult afternoon. She disappeared on me and, well, I’m sure you know what that’s like. My heart was in my throat.”“I’m sorry, Sam. I was hoping to save you from that experience.”
“I wish you could save her from that experience.”“Unfortunately, it’s beyond my control.”
“Lucy said it has something to do with what’s happening in her dimension.”“O-K.” Clark tried to tie his mind around that information. “We’ll talk more about that later. How do you know she’s better?”
Sam chuckled.
“She asked for a roast beef sandwich with Swiss cheese and a chocolate milkshake.”Clark smiled. Lois was back. “I’ll pick one up on my way over. I’ve promised Detective Drake that I’d bring her to see Lucy tonight. Do you think she’s up for visitors?”
“I think so, but she said she wants to spend tomorrow in bed. No interruptions.”Clark sighed. Sounds like Lois and Kal finally got their wedding. He hoped H.G. Wells was able to find a cure in time, or this might be the last time he ever saw her. And then he realized that if he did find a cure, it might be the last time as well. He still hadn’t had to the courage to ask her how she was going to convince her younger self to return to the worst day of her life.
“Sam, I hate to ask this, but do you think you could make yourself scarce for the interview? Your presence might raise some extra questions.”
“Sure. I’ve got a date tonight anyway. Well, I’m thinking of it as a date. I’m sure Lucy meant it as a chaperone after the day I’ve had today. Afraid I might want to take a drink.”“Do you?”
“Tempting though that sounds, Lois needs me. I’ll resist for her.”Clark smiled. Good for him. “I have one more request. It’s a strange one. Everyone thinks that Lucy was shot in the shoulder today; so, could you tape up her shoulder…”
“Already done. Lucy said how you had used your heat vision to seal her wounds. Smart thinking. They look like old scars, already.”“I…” Clark realized that this wasn’t the time or place to discuss Lois’s new abilities. “Yeah. Great. I’ll talk to you later, Sam. I’ve got to go.” He hung up the phone. Probably best if Lois didn’t know about her ability to heal quickly; she was a bit of a dare-devil already.
***
Superman landed in front of the police station, carrying a paper bag. He was running late. He hoped Mayson had waited for him. Scanning the building, he saw her sitting at her desk, impatiently tapping a pen. He walked in and she glanced up at him and scowled. Oh, now what? he thought. He crossed to her desk.
“I’m sorry, I’m late.”
“You’re not late, Superman. Clark is.”
He winced. That was what pressed her buttons; he forgot to change.
“And I’m not walking out of here wearing a bullet proof vest with Superman as my bodyguard. I’ll be the laughing stock of the whole station.”
“I’ll go change.”
“You do that.”
Superman found the men’s room in the hall and was back to her desk as Clark Kent in under a minute. “I picked up some sandwiches. I also told Lucy we’d stop by so you could get her statement.”
“Thanks, Clark.” Mayson grabbed her purse. “Let’s go. I hope you don’t mind if I drive.”
“That would be great.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t like to fly as Clark.”
“I’m okay if I never fly again. I kind-of like having both feet on the ground,” she said stopping by the desk sergeant. “I’ll be at Lucy El’s getting her statement and then I’m going home.” She turned to Clark. “She is at home, right, not tucked away in some secret lair?”
“She’s at home,” Clark stated. He gave the desk sergeant Lois’s phone number. As they stepped away from the desk, he whispered, “I don’t have a lair, Mayson.”
They walked in silence to her car. As she looked for her car key, Clark remembered Lois telling him about Mayson dying in a car explosion. “Mayson, wait.”
“What’s up?”
He lowered his glasses and scanned her car. No bomb. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
“You seem jumpy. Do you really think this psycho is going to come after me just because we ate a few meals together?” Mayson watched with a raised brow as he buckled himself in.
“What? It’s the law.”
She smiled.
“Is that all I am? A dining companion?”
Mayson reached over and patted his hand. “No, Clark. You’re more.”
With a smile, he took her hand in his and kissed it. “Good.”
She pulled the car out. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “A lair might be nice. A little home away from home. What do you think? A cave? No, too clammy and bat like.” He shivered. “A tropical island, perhaps? Oh, how about a castle of ice up at the North Pole?”
Mayson laughed.
“Nah. I guess, I’ll just stick to my apartment for now.”
Soon, they pulled up to the row of brownstone apartment buildings on Lois’s quiet street.
“This is nice,” she said in the elevator.
“Yes,” Clark agreed, wondering what she was thinking.
He knocked on the door.
“Very nice.”
“Can you get it, James?” he heard Lois ask.
“Great,” he groaned under his breath.
“What?” Mayson asked as Mr. Olsen opened the door. “Oh. Hello, Mr. Olsen.”
“Is that you, Clark?” Lois called from the other room.
“Yes.”
“Have you seen my glasses? I’ve seemed to have mislaid them.” Her voice seemed panicked.
Clark patted his pockets. He pulled her glasses from his inside pocket quickly, pretending to find them on a side table. “Here they are,” he said, bringing them to her.
“What’s he doing here?” he asked under his breath, holding out the glasses.
Her arm reached into the hall and took them. “I don’t know,” she hissed. “He just showed up. He said he called you…”
Clark winced. “I didn’t have a chance to call him back.”
“I need to talk to you,” she whispered, coming into the hall. She had put on her glasses and changed into a different shirt. “Privately.”
“Later.” He motioned toward the living room. “Mayson’s here.”
“I know. My father warned me. Later is no good, I plan on being on my honeymoon.” She glanced over at him with a smile.
Clark sighed, the light dimming in his eyes. “Congratulations.”
Lois took hold of his arm. “You’ll have your day. I have it on great authority that happiness is in your future.”
He raised a skeptical eyebrow at that remark, but said nothing.
They walked slowly out to the other room. “Hi, Mayson.” She held out the shirt she had been wearing when she had been shot. Then her eyes lit up. “Do I smell sandwiches? I’m starved.”
Mayson took the shirt and glanced at her holding on to Clark’s arm with pursed lips. He helped Lois to her seat.
“Do you have a clean paper bag?” Mayson asked her.
“Ah…” Lois thought a moment. “Clark, could you?”
Clark took the shirt and the sandwiches into the kitchen. Mr. Olsen tagged along behind him. Clark returned with the shirt in a paper bag, which he handed to Mayson. Mr. Olsen followed with a plate of sandwiches.
Mr. Olsen turned to Clark. “These are all roast beef. Where is Lucy’s vegetarian sandwich?”
Lois blanched, then gazed at the plateful of sandwiches with longing and a sigh.
“What? Oh, don’t tell me that they forgot her Portobello and Swiss sandwich.” Clark covered this error with aplomb.
“Well, at least, you didn’t forget my chocolate shake. Right?” she asked, with a hopeful glance at Clark. “Right?”
“Ooops.” He smiled weakly.
She pointed at him with a fierce look. “Clark Kent….”
Mr. Olsen grabbed her finger. “Lucy, honey, I will order you whatever you want.”
She glanced up at her boss and jerked her finger out of his hands. “Don’t call me ‘honey,’ Jimmy.”
“Sorry.” He blushed. “So, a chocolate shake and a Portobello and Swiss sandwich. Anything else?”
Mayson took Clark aside. “I was wondering how she could afford this place on her salary.” She looked over at Mr. Olsen. “Now, I know.”
“What?! No! Mayson, she’s subletting this place,” he whispered to her. “While the owner’s away.”
Lois glanced over to them and glared.
“I don’t think she likes me much,” Mayson whispered back.
Clark sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
“My sentiments exactly.” Mayson stepped toward Lois and pulled out her notebook. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks to Clark.” She gave him a smile. “If he hadn’t zap-zapped my shoulder right away, I’d be a whole lot worse off.”
“Zap-zapped?” Mayson wondered with a glance at Clark.
“Heat vision,” he murmured.
“Oh.” Mayson took another step closer to Lois and away from Clark. “Can you tell me what happened this afternoon, Lucy?”
“Not really. It was kind of a blur.”
“Clark said you overheard something. Tell me about it.”
Lois gazed wide-eyed at Clark. “At the desk next to mine Jaxon was on his mobile phone.”
Mr. Olsen set down Lois’s red telephone receiver. “Jaxon? Jaxon was involved with this? I knew I should have fired him when you first told me about him.”
Mayson turned to Mr. Olsen with interest. “Told you what, exactly?”
Mr. Olsen gulped and looked at Clark.
Mayson then turned to him as well. “Have you been holding out on me, Clark?”
He swallowed. “One thing at a time, Mayson. Why don’t you finish with Lucy first?”
She thought about that. “OK. I’ll come back to you two in a minute.”
After she turned her attention back to Lois, Mr. Olsen mouthed an apology to Clark.
“You were saying, Lucy?”
The telephone rang and Lois looked like she wanted to answer it, but didn’t want to move at the same time. “Clark, could you?”
“Of course.” He picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Oh, good. There you are, Clark. How is Lucy?” Mayor White said on the other end.
“She’s fine, Chief. Resting.”
“Trying to,” Lois mumbled, rubbing her temples.
“Glad to hear it. I need to talk to you, Clark. I’ll be right up.”“No, Perry. This is not a good time. Perry? Perry?” Clark hung up the receiver. “Mayor White’s on his way.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Great. The whole gang.” She grabbed a blanket and draped it over herself.
“Mayor White?” Mayson glanced at the three of them, curiously. “OK. Go on, Lucy.”
“I couldn’t hear exactly what Jaxon was saying, but he did say something about a test. It sounded like he wanted whoever he was talking to… Junior, I think he called him… to cancel the test. And he mentioned you and Clark and me and Superman and…” She thought for a moment as if trying to remember another name, but then shook her head. “I don’t know, but it really frightened me.” Lois pulled her knees up to her chest. “I wanted to get away, but I didn’t know where to go, where I’d be safe. I wanted Clark… to warn Clark, but I didn’t know how to contact him. I knew he was off with you.” She swallowed.
“Jaxon said you fixed your makeup and asked him out to lunch. That true?”
Lois chuckled. “I don’t wear make-up, Mayson. And I moved closer to him to see if I could hear his conversation better, but it didn’t work. That’s when I got lightheaded and dizzy. I don’t remember much after that. I think I called out for Superman, but I don’t know.” She gazed up at Clark. “Did you hear me?”
Clark nodded, kneeling down beside her. “Did your blood sugar get low again, Lucy?”
“Blood sugar?” Mayson asked.
“Sometimes, I forget to eat and I get dizzy.”
Mr. Olsen jumped out of his chair. “I’ll get you a banana.” He went into the kitchen.
“You’ve got quite an admirer there,” Mayson commented.
“Tell me about it,” she said with a shake of her head. “Any advice on how to repel men?”
“No.” Mayson squeezed her lips together, before taking Clark’s hand with a smile. “I do all right.”
“Oh, no, Mayson, I didn’t mean…” Lois looked at Clark with a ‘forgive me’ glance.
Clark rubbed his free hand down his face. “Can this day get any worse?” he mumbled to himself as someone knocked on the door. He scanned it and saw Perry. He let go of Mayson’s hand and went to answer the door.
“Hi, Chief, what’s…”
“What in the King’s name do you think you’re doing?” Perry pushed a newspaper at Clark’s face. “How could you do this to…” At that moment, he realized they were not alone. A big embarrassed grin spread across his mouth. “Hello, everybody.” He lowered his voice and murmured through closed lips, “Clark, I thought you said Lucy was resting.”
Clark glanced down at the newspaper. Well, technically, it wasn’t a newspaper, it was the tabloid,
The Daily Whisperer. His heart sunk; this couldn’t be good. Perry never read the tabloids.
Superman’s Main Squeeze was the headline and the photo was of his rooftop kiss with Mayson. Only the tabloid had changed the photo, so it wasn’t Clark kissing Mayson, but Superman. He couldn’t hold in a growl. Mayson was going to hate this. “Ask and ye shall be answered,” Clark mumbled. He glanced over at her.
“What is it?” Mayson asked.
He hugged the paper to his chest. “Mayor White, have you met my friend, Mayson…”
“Mayson Drake, nice to meet you,” Perry said, holding out his hand.
“Likewise, Mayor White,” she replied, shaking his hand. “Clark can only say nice things about you. I didn’t know you knew who I was, though.”
“Sweetheart, everyone now knows who you are,” Perry said cryptically.
“Clark?”
He pulled the paper away from his chest and held it out to her. “I’m so sorry, Mayson.”
She turned sheet white and stumbled backwards to the sofa. “What? I didn’t. Wouldn’t… Clark!”
Mr. Olsen rushed to her side to look at the paper. “White, you cannot believe these lies this rag… We’ll sue them for slander.”
“What’s going on?” Lois asked.
Perry stood between her and Mayson. “How is everybody doing, darling?”
Lois looked up at him. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure you’re all right, honey?”
“Oooh, don’t call her that, White,” Mr. Olsen warned.
“Stop patronizing me, Perry. What’s going on?”
He looked at her as if speaking in code. “Is everybody doing all right?”
“Clark, what in the world is he talking about?” Lois growled. Her glare would have burned holes in his jacket if she had had heat vision.
Clark put his arm around Perry and moved him away from Lois. “Everybody’s fine, Chief,” he whispered. “Just fine.”
“Good. Good to hear.”
“Is anybody going to tell me what’s going on?” Lois said pushing herself to her feet.
Mayson held out the tabloid. “Take it.”
Lois scanned the front page. “Oh, this isn’t good. Not good at all.” Then she opened to the story. “Clark, you’ve got to stop kissing Mayson in public, especially as Superman.”
“I didn’t!”
“Lucy, honey, are you okay?” Perry asked again.
“Stop asking me that. Why wouldn’t I be fine, Perry?”
Mr. Olsen pulled Perry aside. “Apparently, she doesn’t date.”
“Appearances can be deceiving,” murmured Perry.
“This photo is a fake?” she asked Clark.
“Doctored. I wasn’t dressed as Superman when I kissed Mayson.”
“Well, there’s that. But the world couldn’t have expected Superman to remain celibate, could they? For heaven’s sake, he was engaged when he came on the scene,” she said, sitting back down.
“Lucy!” Clark coughed as he flushed.
“The wrong word?” She winced. “Sorry.”
“But this makes Mayson a target. Anybody who wants to have power over Superman will try to do so through her,” Clark tried to explain to Lois.
“Can we get her Secret Service, White?” Mr. Olsen asked.
Lois shook her head as if she’s heard this argument before. “You Kent boys,” she murmured under her breath. “Mayson is a big girl, who carries a gun for a living. I bet she can take care of herself. At the end of the day, it’s up to her.”
Mayson looked at Lois in surprise. “Thank you, Lucy. But I think Clark’s right. I wouldn’t want anyone to use me against him.”
Clark took her arm and practically flew her into the kitchen. “What are you saying, Mayson?”
“I think we’re going to have to categorically deny this story. Claim the cover photo is the fake it is and put the other photos in doubt.”
“Oh,” he whispered, looking down.
“And.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “We’re going to have to be a lot more careful.” Then she placed a kiss upon his lips. Happily, he pulled her closer.
“Thank you, Mayson,” he whispered. “For not giving up on me.”
“Let’s hope you’re worth it.” She smiled. “Let’s get out of here.”
“OK,” he replied. “There’s something I have to do first.” He kissed her again.
A knock on the door interrupted them. Lois’s sandwich and chocolate shake had finally arrived. Clark grabbed a large bottle of water from the fridge and five glasses. They walked back into the living room.
Mr. Olsen shut the door and handed the bag with Lois’s food to her. Clark grabbed the platter with the sandwiches and passed it around as Mayson filled the glasses.
“I should have ordered some beer. Do you have any?” Mr. Olsen asked.
“I’m not allowed to drink,” Lois announced and then gulped.
“But you could keep it on hand for guests,” he suggested.
“I am a recovering alcoholic, James.” She sighed with a glance at Clark.
“Really?” Perry seemed surprised. “How long?”
“A couple of years,” she said with another sigh.
“Good for you.”
Lois smiled weakly at Clark. No meat, no alcohol. Not that she would be drinking, anyway. She would kill him if she had to continue this persona after the baby was born. If Lucy El had to give up sweets, she might end up doing something drastic. Clark decided to bring her some more roast beef and Swiss sandwiches for the weekend.
“Lucy had an idea,” Mr. Olsen said. “If it works, you won’t have to deal with lawyers. You’d be defeating those tabloids at their own game.”
Perry grinned and took a bite of a sandwich.
Mr. Olsen continued. “But there is a drawback to this plan.”
“What’s that?” Clark asked.
“You both are going to absolutely hate it,” Lois answered. “James was telling me that Clark saved you from a bomb this afternoon. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Mayson replied. “What about it?”
“If anyone asks, you tell them that the photo was taken after he saved you and that you were just thanking him.”
Clark smiled. “That works under your idea of categorically deny. Sounds good. Women kiss Superman all the time after I save them. It could work. Why would we hate this idea?”
Perry patted his shoulder. “Because, son, that’s only phase one.”
“Do we need a phase two?” Mayson answered.
“If you want to keep seeing each other.”
“Superman gets invited to lots of events, doesn’t he?” Lois asked.
“You know I do.”
“Well, we’re going to overload the tabloids and the public’s senses with Superman by having you bring a different date to every one of those events.”
Clark groaned, “Lucy, no!”
“Well, not Superman, but Clark Kent. Superman is a symbol and should not date. We’re all in agreement on this?”
“I, for one, won’t kiss him,” Mayson stated, crossing her arms.
Clark looked at Mayson for a moment, before glancing at Lois.
Lois was shaking her head. “The one woman in Metropolis. I’ll never understand it.”
“What?” Mayson asked.
“Nothing.”
Perry grinned like a cat at a saucer of milk. “I knew it.”
“What?” Lois asked.
“Nothing.”
“This would be torture, pure unadulterated torture. I don’t want to do it,” Clark said as everything about him fell. His face, his shoulders, his spirits.
“I know a few lawyers, I could recommend, Clark.” Mr. Olsen took another bite of his sandwich. “And you could fight
The Whisperer in open court.”
“Do you know how hard it is to find an honest lawyer in this town?” Clark shivered. “OK, explain your theory, Lucy.”
Lois took a long sip from her shake. “If Clark Kent is seen with every woman in Metropolis on his arm, no one is going to think twice, if he has lunch or even dinner with Mayson, every once in a while. Everyone will think they are just friends, because no sane woman could handle their man out on the town with a plethora of other women.”
“Don’t you think that Superman’s image would take a hit from being seen with all those women?”
“But Superman won’t be seen dating any women. Clark Kent will be. You go to a bunch of events at first and then slowly dwindle them down until you are only attending the one’s you want to attend. Hopefully by that time, the tabloids will be sick of photographing staid Clark Kent and have moved on to greener pastures. Then, you can go back to your life. As long as you never kiss another woman in public again.”
Clark sighed. “It feels like I’m still bending the truth, but it could work. And if it removes the target from Mayson, I’m willing to give it a try.” He looked at her. “Would you still want to … go out seems like the wrong phrase in this situation… date me under these conditions?”
Mayson took his hand. “If Clark agrees not to kiss all those women…”
“Trust me, Mayson, there isn’t another single woman in Metropolis I would even consider kissing.” Clark brought her hand up to his lips, but his eyes glanced at Lois.
She took a long sip from her shake and looked away.
“I’m beat. Can you escort me home now, Clark?”
“Did you finish getting your statement from Lucy?” he asked.
Mayson put a hand to her forehead. “I forgot. Let me check my notes.” She found her notepad on the coffee table and reread her notes. “No. I’m not finished. Why were you thinking about firing Jaxon, Mr. Olsen?”
“Great Caesar’s ghost, Jimmy! Did you let that slip?”
Mayson turned to Perry White. “You, too, Mr. White? What are all of you hiding?”
“We’ll get to that in a minute, Mayson. But first I need to tell Lucy about my interview with Jaxon.”
“Why would you interview Jaxon?” Lois leaned forward. “And more importantly, is he still in one piece?”
“Of course, Lucy.” Clark smiled. “I’m against killing people, you know that.”
Lois raised an eyebrow. “Against killing, yes. But if they threaten your friends….”
“Clark?” Mayson turned to him. “Is this true?”
“She’s exaggerating. I don’t torture people,” Clark stated firmly. “I just talked to Jaxon, that’s all. He wasn’t any more damaged than before I spoke with him.”
“He’s hurt?” Lois asked, surprised.
“He was standing right behind you when you were shot. The bullet passed through you and into him.”
“Oh.” She swallowed, touching her shoulder. “Is he all right?”
“The bullet shattered some bone in his left shoulder, but he’ll heal,” Clark responded.
“Why do you need to tell Lucy about your interview with Jaxon, tonight?” Mayson asked with a yawn. “Can’t she just read about it in tomorrow’s paper?”
“No. He said some things off-the-record that I need to tell Lucy.” Clark turned to Perry. “In order to get the information I wanted, I promised him I would not tell Mayson or the police.”
“Oh.” Perry nodded.
Mayson looked confused. “Should I wait in the hall?”
Perry grinned. “You want to do a Jericho Firestorm, don’t you, Clark?”
Clark nodded with a smile.
“What’s a Jericho Firestorm?” Mr. Olsen asked.
Perry took Mayson’s arm and moved her into the dining room. “Shall we move Lucy to the sofa by the door?”
“Jericho Firestorm is not a what, it’s a who.” Lois grinned, standing up and moving to the other sofa. “He was an evil arsonist who plagued the coast just north of the docks with fires for months. What was that, Perry, five years ago?”
Perry’s jaw dropped. “How in Memphis did you know about Jericho Firestorm, Lucy?”
Clark looked at Lois with wide eyes. Come on, Lois, lie on your toes, he urged with his mind.
“From Clark, of course.” She smiled, innocently. “He’s always telling me Lois Lane stories.”
“Oh.” Perry laughed. “For a moment there…” He shook his head. “Lois is quite a character.”
Mayson asked, “Who is Lois Lane?”
“Only the best investigative reporter that this city has ever seen,” retorted Lois.
Everyone turned to her, shocked.
She smiled, innocently, again. “Until Clark Kent.”
*** End of Part 7 *** Comments Chapter 2: Part 8/8
