You've met Lois and Clark as well as most of the supporting cast, now let's get on with the story (posts will also start getting a little longer after this as well, work issues have been delaying me somewhat). This is a bit earlier than my self imposed Wednesday night posting, but enjoy! 
CHAPTER 9“Keep that freak away from me!” Maxwell screamed out the window pressing the gun even tighter to the head of his hostage.
“Freak?” Maggie said turning to Henderson.
“Think that would justify constituting it as a hate crime if he fires on Supes?” Henderson asked.
“Probably not. We’d better just go for the usual Reckless Endangerment charges if he does that.”
“You charge everybody that shoots at me with Reckless Endangerment?” Superman asked as he approached the two.
“Hell, yes,” Maggie said. “We charge them with Jaywalking if we can. Bastards usually have a hundred different attorneys waiting for us by the time we reach the station house. We hit them with enough charges then something has to stick.”
“Besides,” Henderson added, “when some idiot starts bouncing bullets all over the place he needs to be held accountable for the danger he places everybody else in. We just charge them for every crime they commit and let the D.A. decide what’ll he’ll use and what he won’t.”
“In Maxwell’s case,” Henderson added with a grin, “in addition to what he was originally being charged with he’s already added Resisting Arrest, Terroristic Threatening, Possession of an Illegal Firearm, and False Imprisonment. He tangles with you and we’ll at least get Reckless Endangerment and Discharging a Firearm Within the City Limits. All of it in full view of the news crews who are capturing it all for posterity if not material evidence.”
Superman shook his head and offered a slight smile before continuing with the business at hand.
“What’s the situation?”
“Pretty much what you see.” Henderson replied. “Maxwell has one hostage, his secretary, and as far as we know only one handgun. He’s threatened the hostage and ordered the police out of the building, but so far hasn’t made any other demands.”
“But, well see in a second,” he added nodding toward the hostage negotiator who had apparently made contact with Maxwell as he now had a phone to his ear.
“We don’t believe he’s really thought this through,” Maggie said. “It seems like the whole thing was more spur of the moment when he got surprised with Henderson showing up with a warrant. “
“You’d think after living in this town as long as he has he’d know better than this,” Henderson said turning his gaze back to the window where Maxwell had been a few moments before.
“I’ll never understand what makes anyone do something like this,” Superman said shaking his head as he too looked up toward the window.
“You know what they say, Superman,” Henderson said. “We’re all just one bad day away from becoming our own worst nightmare.”
Superman looked at Henderson briefly seeming to contemplate the statement, but quickly returned his gaze back to the window without comment.
“Do you see anything?” Maggie asked.
“Like you said, only one handgun and he has it to the poor girl’s head. We’ll need to coordinate a plan to make this end as easily as possible.”
“Can’t you just grab the gun at super speed?” Maggie asked.
“No,” Superman replied “too dangerous. If I moved too slow it would give him an opportunity to shoot and if I moved too fast to be seen I would probably rip his arm off grabbing the gun.”
Maggie continued to look at Superman without speaking.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m not seeing the downside of the plan yet,” she said.
Superman’s eyed widened slightly as he realized he couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, but was interrupted by Henderson’s hand on his arm before he could ask.
“Don’t mind her, Superman, she skipped Due Process at the Academy in favor of extra credit riot control classes. Come on, it looks like the negotiator has him on the phone. We’ll see if talking things out is an option.”
“Humphhh, it’s like people think riots take care of themselves,” Maggie muttered to herself.
Henderson rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored her as he approached the hostage negotiator with Superman at his side. The negotiator was hanging up the phone as they approached.
“What happened?” Henderson asked.
“He’s loosing it,” the negotiator said. “He won’t talk until Superman gets out of here.”
“He has to know that it doesn’t matter whether Superman is here or not, he’s not walking away from this,” Maggie said.
“I don’t think it matters at this point,” the negotiator said. “He’s panicked and becoming irrational.”
“I agree,” Superman said staring up at the Deputy Mayor’s office window. “His pulse and blood pressure are elevated and his voice is becoming high pitched with hysteria. He could lose control at any moment.”
“So what do we do?” Henderson asked.
“Maggie,” Superman said still staring up at the widow, “tell your men to stand down. They’re about to hear a single gunshot and then it should be over.”
Maggie stared at Superman for a second and then quickly grabbed her radio and then began broadcasting the stand down order.
For his part Superman continued to stare intently at Maxwell watching his every movement. His finger was tensing and untensing on the trigger of the gun as was his hand on the grip as stiffness began to set in. When his grip loosened briefly on the gun and he straightened his finger Superman fired a short burst of heat vision at the sprinkler head above him.
As the sprinkler went off Maxwell moved the gun away from his hostage’s head as he cast a startled glance at the ceiling and Superman then fired a second burst of heat vision at Maxwell’s trigger finger. The sudden sting in his finger caused it to involuntarily convulse and contract on the trigger and the gun discharged into the ceiling. As the gun’s slide moved to eject the shell Superman fired a third and more powerful burst of heat vision. This burst flash welded the slide in the open position preventing it from moving back into place and chambering another round.
Before the police could react to these developments Superman disappeared from the crowd and reappeared at Maxwell’s side and grabbed his gun arm holding it aloft. The entire sequence of events had taken two seconds from the time Superman had told Maggie to issue the stand down order till he had Maxwell by the arm.
Maxwell stared in shock at the man beside him who held his arm in an unbreakable grip. When he finally found his voice though it was Superman’s turn to be surprised.
“I wasn’t in on the stadium thing alone. I was just following orders. If I can make a deal and you promise to protect me I’ll name names. I’ll give you InterGang.”
**********
When Lois exited the Daily Planet building she had already made up her mind that City Hall was a dead issue. Things happened with lightning speed in Metropolis and with Superman on the scene the matter would be settled and Maxwell on his way to booking before she even made it to the building. Besides she noted glumly, Clark Kent already had the jump on her. But, she reminded herself, she was Lois Lane and the Maxwell story had originally been half hers. While Clark may have the jump in speed, Lois knew how the system worked and had the jump in deviousness.
Henderson would know what a media circus there would be wherever booking took place and would take steps to avoid it entirely. Traffic would undoubtedly be blocked off when they left City Hall with his prisoner so he couldn’t be followed and he would avoid all of the logical places with high security because that would be where the media would be lined up waiting for him. No, he would choose an out of the way precinct not noted for being suited to deal with high profile cases, but one where the natural architecture and location could work toward limiting access and providing security. He would know that it would soon get out where Maxwell was being held, but at least booking could be completed with relatively little hassle and perhaps some interrogation as well. Or so he could hope she thought with a grin to herself because she knew exactly where he could go that would meet all of those criteria.
The desk sergeant raised his head when she walked through the front doors of the 102nd precinct and broke into a grin. Lois was puzzled until she saw him hold his hand out to another officer who had a glum look on his face as he placed a $20 bill in the sergeant’s hand.
“Hey, Murphy,” Lois called as she approached the sergeant, “don’t tell me I’m getting predictable.”
“Only for your unpredictability, Laney,” Murphy said as he pocketed the money.
“They here yet?”
“On their way. Henderson’s not going to be real happy that you’re here you know.”
“Since when is Henderson ever happy?” Lois said with a grin.
“Actually,” Murphy said, “I’ve seen him happy plenty of times. Just none that I can recall when you’re around.”
“Every Irishman thinks he’s a comedian,” Lois replied as she rolled her eyes.
“How’d you figure out he was coming here anyway?” Murphy asked.
“Because you cops *are* predictable,” Lois said with a smirk.
“Irishmen and girl reporters apparently share the same delusion,” Murphy said with a grimace.
“Girl?” Lois said her eyebrows raised and all trace of humor vanishing from her voice.
“Hey, it’s a felony to strike an officer of the law,” Murphy said holding his hands up and moving back from the desk slightly. “I just thought you should know.”
“I don’t see nothing,” the other officer said as he spun around to continue sorting through some mail and Murphy cast a sour glance at his back.
“With the number of witnesses apparently dwindling my criminal record might still remain secure should I take exception to the phrase ‘girl reporter’, Murph.”
“Point taken, Laney,” Murphy said laughing and returning to his paperwork.
Lois dropped down on a bench located beside the entrance to wait. A teenager that had been sitting there already turned to her with a large smile on his face. He was dressed in a silk jogging suit and had several gold chains around his neck and a large diamond pinky ring on his right hand.
“Hey, babe,” he said as Lois sat down.
She turned to him and stared. Her face was blank of expression and she never said a word.
The boy’s smile faltered somewhat and died completely after several seconds of silence before he finally turned away blushing scarlet with embarrassment.
Lois continued staring at him for a couple of seconds before turning away and leaning back with her arms crossed and her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
At his desk Murphy laughed even harder to himself.
“Hey, babe,” he said echoing the youth and shaking his head as he laughed.
The kid turned even redder and sank down further in his chair.
Lois closed her eyes and settled back to wait patiently for Henderson’s arrival.
TBC...
