Nuclear Option: 2/4?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
She was bound to be annoyed with Superman right now, too -- especially after the way he had treated her that night in her apartment. Clark winced now at what he had said. He had been angry, but that had been unnecessary and cruel. He could have let her down a little more gently. In fact, he could have told her about Luthor if he'd been thinking of other things than his hurt feelings. Well, it was time to set his hurt feelings aside. Lois had never given him any reason to hope, and she was legendary for the way she dismissed the feelings of others. Why should he have expected anything else?
Because he was her partner and, he'd thought, her friend. Obviously their friendship wasn't as deep on her side as his. He was going to have to accept that and live with it, but he couldn't let Luthor destroy her because he, Clark Kent, couldn't act like an adult. Lois's life was more important than anything else right now. He could say his good-byes later, after this was all over, after Luthor was under arrest and Lois was safe and free.
Then he would decide whether he ever wanted to be Superman again.
**********
And now, Part 2:
Lois Lane slammed down the phone after she'd got Clark's phone message for the third time. Either he wasn't there or he was ignoring her calls, which wouldn't surprise her in the least. He'd been acting like a sulky child ever since she'd accepted Lex's offer of marriage. Well, before that, actually.
Why couldn't he respect her choice and remain her friend? Instead, he stubbornly insisted that Lex was a criminal of hideous proportions and that she was blind to his faults -- but he'd offered no proof. He'd said she should take his word for it -- no, he'd told her to investigate, and she had. And everything Clark had said had been disproven -- or if not disproven, at least nothing he'd said had panned out.
What was she supposed to think? After his declaration to her, it was so obvious that his accusations sprang from jealousy that they weren't worth her consideration.
Still, she'd wanted him to come to her wedding. She'd wanted Perry and Clark and Jimmy there, but Alice had told her that Perry had gone fishing, and Jimmy had completely vanished. According to his landlord, he'd been unable to pay his rent. And Clark had told her flatly that he had no intention of coming to see her married to a monster.
"He's a liar, a thief and a murderer so many times over that I couldn't begin to count," he'd said heatedly, "and you expect me to come and be happy for you? I might be happy if you were marrying a decent man, but Lex Luthor? I'm sorry, Lois. I won't be at your wedding." And he'd walked away.
"What's wrong, my dear?" Behind her, Lex's voice, smooth and cultured as always, interrupted her thoughts.
"Oh, nothing really." Lois turned to face him. "Clark and I had another argument, and now he's not answering my calls."
"I see," Lex said. "I wonder if he would be willing to listen to me?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
Lex smiled. "You never know. I know Mr. Kent's opinion of me, Lois. He disapproves of my wealth and success. I think I offend Mr. Kent's Midwestern upbringing."
Lois could feel her face burning. "Lex --"
"I long ago stopped worrying about people's opinions of me," he said. "Let me try. What harm can it do?"
"I suppose," she said. "Clark can be hard-headed at times."
"Well, the worst I can do is fail." Lex put an arm around her. "Have faith in me, my dear. If it makes you happy, it's important to me, too, you know."
"All right," Lois said. "I suppose it can't hurt to try."
**********
When Clark returned to his apartment, he discovered that Perry White, Jack and Jimmy had arrived. He could smell the aroma of one of Perry's culinary masterpieces simmering on the stove, so apparently his partners in the Luthor offensive had finished their work for the day.
Involuntarily, he glanced at the telephone answering machine, whose light was blinking, and at the indicator that showed he had three messages. He punched the "play" button, but stopped the playback as Lois's voice emerged, demanding that he pick up the phone. He didn't want to listen to her right now any more than she had been willing to listen to him a little while ago. Lois had it stuck firmly in her head that because he was (admittedly) jealous of Lex Luthor, everything he said about the man could be dismissed as irrelevant. Sometimes he thought that she didn't *want* to see Luthor's failings for some strange reason or other. Was it just because she couldn't admit that her judgement might be in error, or was there some other reason? In any case, it didn't matter at this point. Lois was bound and determined to become the wife of one of the worst crime figures in current history, and somehow he had to stop her and damn the consequences!
Jack emerged from the kitchen, a bottle of soda in one hand and a sandwich in the other. He didn't glance at the phone. "Hi, Clark. Come get some dinner. Perry's been cooking, and Jimmy and I can take only so much Cajun cuisine. You and Perry seem to be the only ones who can handle it." He sat down next to the telephone table and parked his bottle on it.
Clark smiled in sympathy, raising his eyebrows at the sight of the sandwich, which was now oozing grape jelly. "Peanut butter and jelly?"
"Yeah." Jack licked away the stray jelly before it could drip and took an enormous bite. "I had to do something to stop the indigestion, and you're out of antacids," he said, rather thickly through the mouthful. "I figured bread was pretty thick, and peanut butter and jelly couldn't hurt." He chewed and swallowed convulsively.
Clark couldn't help smiling. He'd tasted Perry's cooking at the company barbecue. His boss's barbecued ribs were the only food he had even encountered that could rival Jonathan Kent's extra spicy chicken. "I'll give it a try. Any luck so far?"
"We think so. It seems the Planet board originally voted not to sell to Luthor. Then, suddenly, they all changed their minds. They're all also driving new Ferraris."
"Why isn't this a surprise," Clark said.
"And," Jack continued, "Jimmy found the pool hall where John Black hangs out and spread the word that we might have a job for him. Now all we have to do is set him up. We're supposed to go back later tonight to talk to him."
"That's great," Clark said. He turned to head for the kitchen where he could hear Jimmy's voice, strangely muffled, speaking.
"Chief, my stomach's not cast iron. That stuff should be served with a fire extinguisher on the side."
Perry laughed. "You kids today are too soft for your own good."
"I thought I heard the door." Perry emerged from the kitchen trailing the aroma of some exotic Cajun dish. Clark could smell the cayenne pepper in the air. "Ah, there you are, Clark. Come on in and get some dinner."
"Smells good," Clark said. He hesitated. "Jack tells me you've made some progress."
Perry nodded. "Turns out there *was* additional insurance on the Daily Planet building through a subsidiary of LexCorp -- called Lexel Investments. Now all I have to do is find out how much. How'd you do?"
"Like I said on the phone earlier," Clark said, "Just about every criminal element in the city pays protection money to a shadowy character they call 'The Boss'. Most of them have no idea who he is, and the ones who might are too terrified to talk. If Luthor first manipulated the Board to sell the Planet to him, then burned it down to collect the insurance ... what if 'The Boss' is actually Lex Luthor?"
"That would sure explain a lot," Perry said. He glanced past Clark at Jack. "You and Jimmy better get going, kid. Time's gettin' short."
"Yeah," Jack said. Clark looked over his shoulder as the boy shoved the remainder of the sandwich into his mouth and reached out for the soda bottle.
As he grasped the bottle and picked it up, preparing to take a swallow, the bottle slipped and fell, striking the edge of the table and dousing the telephone answering machine with its sticky contents. Jack grabbed frantically for it and righted it.
"Oops, sorry," he said. "I'll clean it up." He got hastily to his feet. "I think only a little got on the rug."
Clark stepped into the kitchen to retrieve the paper towels for Jack's cleanup efforts, reflecting that it was just as well. He didn't want to listen to Lois's accusing voice demanding that he pick up the phone. Later tonight, when he could slip away, he intended to fly home to see his parents. A talk with them might help him to decide what he should do. His father was pretty good at listening and helping him to talk out a problem, and his mother's questions always made him think more clearly. He had until the day after tomorrow to make up his mind. Then, if they didn't have the proof ... well, then he would do something. What he wasn't quite sure, but there was no force on Earth that could convince him to let Lois go through with this marriage. Whatever he decided, the responsibility would be on his shoulders. He'd made the mistake that had driven Lois to do such a crazy thing. She had dived in again without checking the water level, and it was up to him to make sure she didn't hit the bottom of the pool. Very likely it would be the very last feat Superman would perform, anyway. Without Lois to give him the courage to go on, his heart wasn't in it. Maybe he could get a job with the Borneo Gazette again, he thought unhappily. Then he would never have to see her again, and wouldn't have the short year that she had driven him crazy constantly rubbed in his face. It wasn't as if the people there would have any reason to connect him with Superman, after all.
**********
"I'm sorry, Lex." The tall, elegant black woman put down the phone for the fourth time. "No one answers."
Lex Luthor struck the surface of his desk with one fist. "Where *is* he? The one time I actually need to get hold of Lois's pathetic partner, and he seems to have vanished."
Mrs. Cox shrugged. "Our people have tried to follow Mr. Kent a number of times, Lex. He seems extraordinarily capable of losing a tail. The last our man saw of him was when he left his apartment, last night. He took a shortcut through the park. Our man followed him, of course. He swears he was never out of sight of Kent until he went through a stand of trees. Our man hurried to catch up, but when he entered the trees less than a minute later, there was no sign of Kent. He continued on to the other side, but Kent was gone."
"And he hasn't come back?"
"Our man returned to watch the place last night, and Kent didn't come home. Several other persons came and went during that time, but Mr. Kent wasn't one of them."
"And Superman?"
"No one has seen him since night before last," Mrs. Cox reported.
"Any reports of disasters around the world?"
"Minor ones, sir," Mrs. Cox said. "Superman didn't appear at any of them."
"Hmm." Luthor drummed his fingers on the polished surface of the desk. "Well, it's awkward but not insurmountable. He's bound to show up eventually, and so is Kent. Make sure all our people are aware that Kent is my first priority. He's the only certain route to Superman. When he reappears, I want to know it at once."
"Of course, Lex," Mrs. Cox purred. "Series K will be just as useful *after* the wedding as before. It's simply a matter of being able to maneuver Superman into the right position. I'm sure you'll be able to manage it. I have every faith in you."
"Very wise of you, Mrs. Cox," Lex said. "It's always wise to back a proven winner. In the meantime, be certain that the door to the wine cellar is locked. I want no one but you and I to catch a glimpse of our masterpiece. Especially not my bride-to-be."
"Naturally," Mrs. Cox said. Luthor ran his gaze over her, admiring the woman's sinuous body. He collected works of art, both animate and inanimate, and his personal assistant was certainly a work of art in all respects, from her exotic beauty to her highly intelligent and coolly ruthless mind, and the way she efficiently handled all his wants and needs. He got to his feet.
"Come, Mrs. Cox. I believe we had some unfinished business of a more personal nature."
"Of course, Lex," she murmured. "But what about your bride?"
"Lois needn't trouble you," he replied. "It isn't necessary that she know anything about our relationship." He removed a thin, silver key from a desk drawer and gestured to an unobtrusive side door of his office, which was always locked. "After you, Mrs. Cox."
**********
Perry glanced at the telephone when it rang for the fourth time. Clark's now-defunct telephone answering machine was unable to act as a screening device, so no one answered the call. Jack peeked between the curtains and glanced back at his boss. "The guy is still out there. Looks like he's waiting for something."
"Well, since he's outside Clark's place, I imagine he's looking for Clark," Perry said.
"Yeah," Jimmy said, "but why doesn't he just knock?"
"That's a good question, and it kinda worries me," Perry said. "The only person I can think of that might be watching Clark is Luthor."
"What would Luthor want with Clark?" Jimmy asked.
"That's what bothers me," Perry said. "He's Lois's old partner, and he's been the one spearheading this thing. I hope word of what we're doing hasn't filtered back to Luthor, but even if it hasn't, if what we think is true -- about him bein' 'The Boss' -- he didn't get where he is by bein' soft."
"What do you mean?" Jimmy asked.
"He means that Luthor probably would like to get rid of Clark. He's ruined practically everything else that Lois cared about," Jack said bluntly. "He tried to have me killed, probably just to cover his tracks. I can't see him leaving Clark alone, can you? Or even you and Perry."
Jimmy gulped. "We need to get this stuff to Henderson."
"Oh, I agree," Perry said. "I'd like to wait for Clark, but time's running out. The wedding is tomorrow. Henderson is gonna have to have some time to check out the tapes and the rest of the evidence." He found himself dithering, an activity he always detested when others did it. "Okay, I'm gonna call Henderson and tell him you're on your way. Can you go out the back window, kid?"
"Sure," Jack said. "No sweat."
"Don't get caught," Perry said.
"Not a chance," Jack said. "Come on, Jim. You can give me a boost."
"I'm coming with you," Jimmy said.
"Good idea." Perry hesitated, then slipped a hand in his pocket and produced his cell phone. "Take this. If you run into any trouble, call 911."
"Right," Jimmy said. He took the device and tucked it into a pocket. "Let's go, Jack. The sooner we get this to Henderson the quicker you're off the hook too."
"Gee, that never occurred to me," Jack said.
**********
tbc
