Okay, I apologize. There's a little more action in this than I foresaw when I outlined it, but at least Lois and Clark are together in most of it and it's all about what's happening with them. I promise, though, that pretty soon the A plot will be concluded and we'll get on to the impulsive fun parts. (No, not *that* impulsive. I don't write nfic, remember.<g>)
Wedding Rearrangement: 8/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
Rachel reached for her radio. "Jane, are you there?"
"Right here, Sheriff," the dispatcher's voice responded. "I was just leaving."
"Radio Cal and tell him to take over for me. And then call Dan Wilson for me. Tell him we've had a murder and the killer may be headed for Dan's favorite fishing spot -- the one where he caught the forty-two pound cat." Deputy Wilson in the little sheriff's office in Pepper would know what she meant, she thought. The reporters all over Smallville probably had their scanners tuned to the police frequency, but nobody but she and her deputies knew where Dan's favorite fishing spot was -- at Domino Lake where he'd caught the biggest catfish she'd seen in several years. "Tell him to have an ambulance on standby and to contact the ranger station. Tell them to try to locate Clark Kent and Lois Lane. I'll be there in an hour."
**********
And now, Part 8:
Lois crouched in the shrubbery, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as she could. Beside her on the ground lay a heavy length of dry branch that she had located after Clark had reluctantly left. For some reason, while Clark had been here, even without Superman's powers, she had felt safe. As soon as he had gone to call the police, the feeling of safety had departed. Still, Lois Lane had been in very bad situations before and had come out of them, if not unscathed, at least alive and with the story. And, assuming that the man out there was David Waters who had a seven year old girl as a captive, she had every intention of not only coming out of this alive but making sure that Bethany Ann Gordon did as well.
A quick glance at the fluorescent dial of her watch told her that Clark had been gone nearly forty minutes. Surely he must be on his way back by now. Waters had poured loose dirt over his campfire but it was still smoking and the breeze blowing toward her made her want to cough. She fought the tickle in her throat, aware that the man in the clearing would hear her if she did.
The campsite was still illuminated somewhat by the row of lights strung along the small guard rail that ran around the roof of the camper and in its illumination she could see Waters -- or whoever he was -- moving about.
The problem was that what he was doing was making her very uneasy. He was digging a large hole at the edge of the clearing. A very large, deep hole. Large enough for a seven year old girl to fit inside.
The thought made her skin crawl at the realization that he might be planning to dispose of his victim right here. It made sense -- but if he tried to do anything of the sort before Clark returned, it would be up to her to stop him.
The smell of smoke was heavier. Surely the little campfire wasn't putting out that much smoke. Again, she managed to overcome the urge to cough, although the tickle in her throat was becoming more pronounced. Waters stepped back from the hole, evidently considering his work, and then tossed the shovel to the ground and turned toward the camper. Lois fought the almost overwhelming urge to cough and lost. A small, strangled sound escaped.
But Waters didn't appear to hear it. He coughed harshly several times and spat on the ground. Suddenly, she saw him lift his head and sniff the air.
The smell of smoke was stronger than it had been only moments ago. It was definitely not coming from the campfire, Lois thought. Somewhere not far away, someone must have started another fire. Maybe he was having trouble getting it going.
Waters reached the camper and she saw him unlock the door. It had been secured from the outside, she realized all at once. The little girl had been locked in. Lois choked back another cough, her attention riveted on his actions.
"Come on out," he said.
There was no answer. Waters stepped up into the camper and she heard a faint cry from the girl. Lois had started to stand up when he emerged again, dragging the child after him. Lois froze.
He thrust the girl toward the hole he had dug and Lois's suspicions crystallized into certainty. She came to her feet as silently as she could manage and eased forward squeezing through the branches until only a thin screen of brush separated her from the clearing. Bethany Gordon struggled futilely in Waters' grip as he forced her toward the hole. His back was toward Lois and his attention was all on the squirming girl.
Lois stepped into the clearing.
With an exclamation of annoyance, Waters seized Bethany by the throat, strangling her with one large hand. Bethany choked and struggled but her movements began to grow weaker almost at once. Lois came forward at a half run, the branch held in her hands like a battering ram. The end of the branch rammed Waters in the back. He staggered forward, dropping Bethany, and landed heavily on his hands and knees. Lois lifted the branch and swung.
Half-stunned as he was, Waters tried to dodge and partially succeeded. Lois's blow hit him on the shoulder instead of his head but the blow knocked him sideways. Bethany was trying weakly to sit up but Lois couldn't spare any attention for her at the moment for Waters was trying to get to his feet again. She swung again and connected with his ribs. He plunged forward on his face and lay still, panting harshly.
The smoke wafted over all three of them again, thicker than ever. The smell of burning wood.
Lois didn't dare take her eyes off of Waters. She spoke to Bethany, who had staggered to her feet.
"Get behind me," she said. "Stay out of his reach."
"You're going to pay for this," Waters snarled.
Lois didn't remove her gaze from him but she spoke to the girl who was huddling behind her. "Are you Bethany Gordon?"
"Yes." Bethany's voice was almost inaudible. "Are you a cop?"
"No. But my friend went to call them," she said. "They're looking for you and him." She nodded at Waters.
Waters made a quick move, trying to grab for her ankle. Lois brought her club down on the arm, but he seized the weapon, trying to wrench it away from her. She twisted it free and brought the other end down on his shoulder. "Lie still!"
He obeyed, but Lois saw that he was now lying with his head twisted sideways so that he could watch her. "Don't try anything," she said.
"How long do you think you can keep me here?" he asked. He bared his teeth in a feral grin. "I'm gonna kill you, you know."
"Until the police get here," she said. "Or at least until my fiance gets back." She added, "Don't move."
"What are you gonna do if I do this?" He moved one leg to cross his ankle over the other. "You're not gonna hit me for that, are you? Or if I move my hand, like this?" He eased one arm away from his body, careful not to make a threatening move. Lois recognized the technique. He was trying to push the limits without her hitting him so that when he moved to attack her, she would hesitate for a critical instant.
A cloud of smoke wafted across all three of them. Behind Lois, Bethany squealed. "There's fire!"
Lois didn't dare to take her eyes off her captive. "Where?"
"In the trees!"
She could see the smoke blowing past them on the breeze, accompanied now by ashes, and the smell of burning wood was suddenly stronger. Waters moved suddenly, rolling sideways. Lois pushed Bethany back and lifted her branch. Waters came to his feet, facing her and then his gaze went past her. His eyes widened and he spat a four-letter word and then he was running away from Lois and Bethany toward the trail. He didn't pause but charged down the narrow path and disappeared into the darkness.
Lois turned, already sure of what she would see.
The woods were no longer dark. Through the trees a flickering, reddish orange glow was clearly visible and with it a glitter of sparks dancing upward on a rising draft of air. The night noises had disappeared. In their place, all she could hear was the boisterous crackling voice of fire set free.
**********
"Sir, I saw them -- rather, my fiancee and I *both* saw them. He has an old, beat-up camper and it's parked in campsite #4 on the Lakeside Trail of the Domino Lake Campground." Clark waited while someone in the background asked a question. The voice that had answered his call belonged to a ranger at the Domino Lake Ranger Station.
"Can you describe them, Mr. Jones?"
"Yes sir. The man is about 6'2", around fifty years old and has dark hair with some grey at the temples. He's wearing a T-shirt and jeans. The little girl is about seven or eight, wearing a white T-shirt that's kind of dirty, blue shorts and sandals. She's got brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. When I saw her she was crying."
"We'll send somebody to check it out," the voice said.
"Thanks," Clark said. "I'm on a borrowed cell phone, so you won't be able to call me back. All the pay phones here are out of order for some reason."
"We know," the voice assured him. "Wait at the Convenience Center. We'll have a car there in ten minutes."
"Hey, look!" someone shouted.
Clark turned to look in the direction of the man's pointing finger. Up the slight rise and some distance away, he could see the red flicker of flames in five different places, equally spaced, and five columns of smoke were rising to blot out patches of the stars.
He spoke again to the man on the phone. "I can't wait, sir. There's a fire up where I left my fiancee! I've got to get back to her right away."
"Now listen," the voice said. "We see the fires. Don't go up there or we'll have to rescue you, too --" But he was speaking to empty air. Clark had handed the cell phone back to the man from whom he had borrowed it and was already running toward the trail.
The owner of the cell phone spoke into the little device. "Save your breath. He's already gone."
A four-letter word answered him, for which he didn't blame the ranger at all.
**********
Clark ran up the trail as fast as his legs could carry him, considering the obstructions in his path. The trail was narrow and uneven, and he had to keep his speed down somewhat to avoid the worst of the hazards. Briefly, he wished that his power to fly would return as suddenly as his X-ray vision had this afternoon but it looked like he was going to have to handle this like an ordinary man. Almost, anyway.
He could see things around him clearly, even under the trees that blocked out the moon and starlight. His ability to see in all but complete darkness had obviously returned in full force -- but since that was the power that ten year old Clark Kent had noticed first, and the most un-alarming of them all, all it told him was that his recovery was progressing, although not nearly as fast as he would like. If only Superman were back to full operating capacity! If he were, most of the problems they were dealing with would be easily resolved, including the fires that he and the others had seen burning above him on the slope.
Fires that, he realized, had to have been deliberately set. The five fires were equidistant from each other, obviously meant to burn a certain area -- an area that encompassed their campsite. Unfortunately, they also included the other nearby campsites in their circles of destruction, not to mention the fact that they were bound to spread. Kansas hadn't had rain in several weeks and the woods were dry. With the addition of the brisk breeze that had sprung up a short time ago, it was going to be a miracle if the fire crews were able to contain it to one small area.
Someone was ahead of him on the trail. Their presence was announced by the excited voices of children and the frantic barking of a dog. Then the beams of flashlights became visible as the family group that he and Lois had encountered earlier came down the trail in disorganized flight. They must not have dared to try to leave in their camper, he thought in dismay. That meant that fire was probably blocking the driving trails.
He stepped aside to let them pass. As they did so, the children's father turned to him. "Don't go up there," he cautioned. "The fire's spreading fast."
"I have to," Clark told him. "I left my fiancee at the campsite!" He squeezed past the dog, sending the animal into another paroxysm of hysterical barking. "I'll be careful but thanks for the warning."
He ran on up the trail, leaving the family behind.
He could hear the fire now, he realized, the crackling of burning wood and the peculiar roaring sound that seems exclusive to wildfires. It was ahead and on both sides of him now.
Two more people, a man and a woman, were coming down the trail with more haste than grace. He moved aside to let them past -- the newlyweds whose campsite that Lois and he had checked out in their search for Bethany and her kidnapper.
"Don't go up there," the man panted as he hurried his wife toward the meager safety of the Convenience Center. "You'll be killed!"
"I have to get to my fiancee," Clark said. "Go on -- get out of here. This place is going to be burning in a few minutes."
The man nodded and together he and his wife half-ran on down the path. They should make it all right, Clark assured himself. The fire was blowing this way but it was still some distance away. Lois was in much more danger and no one was going to stop him from getting to her. There was no way that he would allow anyone or anything to take her away from him again.
Within ten minutes he was ascending the steepest part of the trail. This was the section of the path that required wooden steps to have been installed in several places. Clark went up the steps three at a time. The smoke was heavy in the air and the roar of the fire was louder. Somewhere behind him he heard the crackle and sizzle as a bush burst into flame beside the trail, and then another, and another. His path of retreat was cut off.
Another body was plunging toward him from above and it took him barely a second to recognize David Waters. He stepped aside and let the man go. He didn't have the time to deal with him now.
"Lois!" he shouted. "Lois, can you hear me?"
From not far away, Lois's voice answered him. "Clark!"
"I'm right here!" he shouted. "Where are you?"
"Right here!"
Her voice was coming from the side path that led to their own campsite. Clark dived into the narrower path and ran.
He arrived at the clearing to see Lois and Bethany Gordon huddled against the rental car. Bethany had a piece of cloth that he recognized as the shirt that Lois had used for swimming this afternoon held across her face. He ran toward them. "Are you all right?"
"Do we *look* all right?" Lois said with a trace of sarcasm. "The fire was all around the other camp. I was afraid we'd get trapped, trying to go down the trail!"
Bethany had flinched away from him and was now half-hidden behind Lois. It didn't surprise him at all after what had happened to her, but that would have to be dealt with later. "The path's blocked," he told them. "We're cut off. We can't go back that way. The fire's spreading fast."
"Waters went that way." Lois coughed, covering her mouth and nose with a frivolous little lace handkerchief that didn't look at all like something that she would buy. She had apparently soaked hers and Bethany's improvised masks in water from the canteen that swung from her shoulder.
"I know. He went past me. The path is blocked." Clark looked around, trying to decide what to do. "Get in the car, quick."
Lois reached into her pocket for her keys and pulled out an empty hand. "The keys are gone! I must have dropped them somewhere."
Clark grasped the handle of the driver's door and yanked. He was beginning to get his Superman strength back, he knew. He could only hope that he was strong enough.
There was a squeal of protesting metal and the door came off in his hand. He didn't have time to contemplate the implications of that now, but dropped it on the ground. Hopefully, Perry's insurance, or the rental company's would cover the damage. "Get in!"
Lois pushed Bethany into the car. "Get in the back seat," she told her.
"You too," Clark said. "Get down on the floor. This could get pretty hot." He got into the driver's seat, bent down to lift the floor mat and retrieved the spare key.
Lois didn't argue. He'd known that in an emergency he could count on her but it was reassuring to see it in action. Lois slid over the seat and scrunched down on the floor beside Bethany. Clark glanced over the tops of his glasses at the access road that they had come in on earlier this afternoon. The trees on both sides of it were smoking, and little flickers of flame were dancing from the branches. Farther down the road, however, the fire had taken hold. The smaller trees on both sides of the exit route were engulfed in flame. It looked like something out of Dante's Inferno, but at least what he was doing gave them a chance. It was a good thing he knew this camping area as well as he did.
Clark gunned the motor. "Hold on to whatever you can hold to. This is going to be a real bumpy ride." He eased in the clutch and the car moved forward.
He slewed it around and put the accelerator down. The car lunged forward, straight toward the exit road and between the smouldering trees. He heard a faint scream from Bethany but Lois didn't make a sound.
The road twisted and turned but Clark took the curves as fast as he could. Ashes and little bits of burning matter speckled the windshield and blew against him through the open space where the car's door had been. They stung slightly where they contacted his exposed skin but he didn't try to brush them away. He trusted that his returning invulnerability would be enough to protect him against such minor irritants, because he needed all his attention to keep the car on the road -- until they reached a certain spot.
There it was, coming up ahead. The road crossed the narrow river channel that was one of the tributaries feeding Domino Lake. A wooden bridge crossed the water, and it was burning sullenly, sending off streamers of smoke. He could see the edges of the boards glowing orange and his keen night-vision showed him that the boards themselves were blackened. The flickering orange glow of the fires lit the sky with a nightmarish mixture of red, gold and orange and the rising air from the flames flung the embers swirling upward.
Clark aimed the car directly for the wooden safety rails that edged the banks on either side of the bridge. It was a ten-foot slope, but it looked like their best chance. The trees on the other side of the bridge were blazing.
"Brace yourselves," he told them. "This is going to be rough."
The front grill of the car contacted the wooden rails and they snapped. Bethany screamed as the car rolled and bounced down the steep incline and into the river.
The water came up to the axles. He turned the car toward the lake, hoping the engine wouldn't flood out too soon. There were uneven rocks and pieces of fallen debris in the water, but the river was remarkably clear of obstructions for a river. They bounced and jounced over the rocky riverbed and he thought irrelevantly that the shocks were going to need to be replaced, but he kept going. All around them, on both sides now, the smaller trees were blazing. Clark could feel the heat on his skin and prayed that Lois and Bethany weren't getting it too bad. It didn't seem to burn him, though, and he dared to hope that his invulnerability might have mostly returned. Still, there wasn't anything to do but go on and trust that their luck wouldn't run out too soon.
He heard the roar of an approaching plane and risked a quick glance upward. A huge tanker plane that the local forest service used for fighting fires swooped by overhead. The emergency services were already in action, he thought with relief. Still, that didn't mean that Lois, Bethany and he were out of danger.
Water sloshed across the bottom of the doorframe and he knew the river was deepening. The car's engine wasn't going to be able to stand this much longer but they weren't far from the lake now. If the engine quit, there was at least a decent chance that they could make it.
Two minutes later, the engine sputtered suddenly and went silent.
Out of habit, Clark put the car in first gear and set the emergency brake, even though logically he knew it wouldn't do any good. The entire floor of the car was several inches under water. It was a wonder that the engine had held out this far. The car swayed unsteadily in the current running past.
Clark twisted around to peer over the back seat. "The engine's flooded. We're going to have to go the rest of the way on foot."
Lois let go of Bethany and got up off the floor. "The engine's not the only thing that's flooded. Where are we?"
"In the river. We're about a quarter of a mile from the lake. If we can get there we can stay in the water until they get this thing under control." He'd been hearing the sounds of more fire fighting planes and helicopters for a good five minutes. "They're bombing the fire with fire retardant and water from the lake. All we have to do is stay out of the way."
He could see her hesitation for a split second, and then she nodded. "Come on, Bethany. We have to get out. Just stay with me. Clark and I won't let David hurt you again."
Clark unfastened his seat belt and stepped carefully out into the river. The water came well past his knees and he could see debris from the fire swirling downstream with the current. Lois helped Bethany over the rear seat and Clark held out a hand. Bethany flinched back. Clark backed away a step.
"I won't hurt you, Bethany. My name is Clark Kent. I'm Lois's fiance. Come on -- we have to hurry."
Bethany glanced back at Lois, who nodded encouragingly at her. "Clark won't hurt you. Go on. I'll be right behind you."
Bethany slowly got out of the car, clutching the frame. The girl was hip-deep in the water but she watched Clark warily.
He made no move to approach her. "You're safe, Bethany. I already called the rangers about you. Lois stayed to make sure you were all right while I went down to the phones."
Bethany glanced back at Lois, who was stepping down from the car into the river. She nodded to Bethany. "That's exactly what happened. I saw you down at the ladies room and Clark saw David waiting for you. We thought something was wrong so we came to find out for sure." She hesitated. "We're newspaper reporters. We won't let you get hurt." Lois reached out a hand. "Hold onto me, just in case, all right?"
Bethany slipped her hand into Lois's and Lois extended her other hand to Clark. Slowly, he began to lead Lois and Bethany downstream.
**********
tbc
