From Chapter Five:
“Boyle here.”
“Boyle, I’ve been waiting to hear from you! What the Hell is going on there?”
“She left with the American boy scout, Kent, some time ago. Should be back to Le Meridien by now.
“They’re not back yet. I just called the hotel. Kent hasn’t been seen for hours.
“So what happened, anyway?”
“I had just gotten her to trust me when HE showed up unexpectedly. I didn’t have time to follow through with the plan. I’m not stupid enough to take on Superman!”
“All right. They will be there for several more days. They have to take an airplane home. Find an excuse to visit them at the hotel, so we can find out what flight they’re taking. We’ll have to go with our back-up plan.”
“You got it,” said Boyle, hanging up the phone. [Damn pushy Americans!] he thought, as he went back to sleep.
Chapter Six
Clark landed on the roof of Le Meridien hotel and gently set Lois on her feet. She had fallen asleep on the way back. It was about 12:30 a.m., local time.
“Are we here? That was fast!” Lois sleepily said.
“Are you OK to walk? I can carry you, if you want,” said Clark. [There I go again. I need to stop doing this. I’ve got to stop coddling her or she’s going to get sick of me REAL fast.].
“Clark! Please, you’re spoiling me. Really, I’m OK. But thanks,” she said, smiling brightly.
They walked down the hall to the hotel room. “Are we staying in the same room?” Lois asked.
“Well, it’s a suite. You have your own room. There is only one bathroom. Are you OK with that?”
Clark asked tentatively.
“Clark, have you SEEN where I’ve been staying? A room like this is heaven compared to where I was. The way all those poor people have to live, each day,” she said, with sadness in her voice, “is horrible. Some day, down the road, I’m going to come back here and really make a difference for these poor women and children!” Lois promised. “And you, with all your great ‘propaganda’, should come back here with me and help!” She had the famous Lois Lane fire and passion in her eyes.
[Wow, this is a very different Lois Lane than the one the guys back at the Planet described. Lois has really grown as a person in the last ten years. She’s a crusader of sorts. Makes me love her even more].
“Lois, believe me, if I could, I would stop famine and disease all over the globe. But the U.N. has restricted my ability to give assistance. I am considered to be a representative of the United States, and my presence in certain types of conflicts is considered interference. It really does upset me that my hands are tied here. And if you want to come back here some day and volunteer for some type of relief organization, I’ll be right there alongside you. But it will have to be as Clark Kent, ordinary man, not as Superman,” Clark explained.
“But it’s still you, no matter what you’re wearing,” Lois argued. “You AREN’T an ‘ordinary man’! That doesn’t make sense to me at all.”
“It’s like the difference between a military man or a policeman being on duty, wearing his uniform, and one that is off duty, wearing regular clothes. When I wear the suit, I am perceived to be representing the United States. When I am dressed in ‘civilian’ clothes, I represent my own interests, live my own life. It’s a fine line, but it does allow me to have somewhat of a personal life,” replied Clark. “And it’s been really hard for me to have any privacy, so I’ll take what I can get.”
“Anyway, the point is, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable with me being here all the time. As soon as you have your Yellow Fever vaccine, blood tests, and physical, which we will schedule tomorrow, we can prepare to leave.” Clark stated. “So hopefully we’ll be on that wretched airplane heading home by the end of the week.”
After sorting through the suitcase that Clark had brought for her, (and discovering the chocolates he had packed), Lois washed up. She came out to the living area where Clark was reading the copy of “Le Choc” that Mark Boyle had offered him. Since it was all in French, it was both a challenge and an education to try to translate it.
“Well, good night, Clark. I’ll see you in the morning,” Lois said. “Remember, no eye-spying!” She was wearing a long nightshirt with the Daily Planet logo on it. Thin as she was, she still had great legs, Clark thought to himself. It did take a lot of self-control not to use his X-ray vision to see the rest of her. A Superman without those Smallville “heartland” values could be a dangerous animal, indeed. His parents, then the Langs, had instilled those values in him growing up.
“Good night, Lois,” replied Clark. In the back of his mind, something wasn’t sitting right. Mark Boyle’s timely appearance in the hotel and his stating that Perry had e-mailed him….didn’t seem to fit. He was so elated at the time that “his” Lois was safe that he hadn’t questioned it. That e-mail that was sent anonymously to him and Lois said that the Daily Planet’s web server had been compromised. If that was true, all the e-mails sent to Lois from the Daily Planet were readable by the perpetrator. The e-mail Lois had sent to him detailing where she would be, waiting for him in the hotel lobby, could have been read by them as well. Was Mark Boyle a friend or foe? He did say he knew Perry. Perry had been a foreign correspondent stationed in the Europe back in the 80’s. Perhaps that’s where they had met.
Interestingly, James Olson, the owner of the Daily Planet was the most computer literate man he had ever met. Surely he would have ensured that his web server had the best firewall in the world! It just didn’t add up. With limited phones and no cellular service out of the country, he would have to rely on e-mail to figure this out. He took his room key, and slipped out the door. It was now about 1:00 a.m. Perhaps no one was using the internet kiosks in the lobby at this time of night.
He took the elevator down to the first floor and checked the sign-up sheet. No one had signed up until 6:00am. Clark quickly wrote his name in the current slot and proceeded to log on to the computer.
Dare he check his e-mail from the Planet? Knowing that someone maybe reading it right now? Surely if James Olson knew that it had been compromised, he would have taken swift action against the hackers. Well, if it HAD been read, at least he would be on an even playing field with his unknown foe(s).
He clicked on “Read Mail”. Three e-mails popped up. One from James Olson himself, one from Ma and Pa, and one from Perry White.
He suddenly realized that the hackers might realize who “Ma and Pa” were now. He had so carefully created their new identities as Lana’s Aunt and Uncle from California to protect them from his enemies. He hoped it wasn’t a really personal e-mail message. He didn’t want to have to worry about their lives being in danger, also.
God, he couldn’t wait to get out of Brazzaville and get back to Metropolis, where he could use his powers openly. He realized the irony of that statement. He had for so many years, longed to be just plain “Clark Kent”. What’s that old saying, “be careful what you wish for, you may get it”?
=========================================
To: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com
From: JOlsen@DailyPLanet.Com
RE: Hacker Rumors
Clark, I realize that there is a rumor going around that the Daily Planet has been hacked into. I hope you know me better than that. I don’t know how or why the rumor got started but you can rest assured that your e-mails to us are secure.
I hope by now you have located Lois and you’re in the midst of preparations to bring her home. We plan to have a big “Welcome Home” party for her when you guys return. Please e-mail me your flight number and the date of your arrival, as soon as you are aware, and we will have a limo at the airport waiting for you.
Good luck and thanks again,
James
Rather than replying, he clicked “next”:
============================================
To: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com
From: JMLang@MSN.Com
Re: Hi Honey!
Hi son, we know you can’t really call us from where you are so we wanted to let you know that we were thinking about you and hope that you have finally found “your” Lois. We can’t wait to meet her either. I know you won’t be able to bring her over to meet us right away (it wouldn’t look right), so maybe we’ll make a trip to Metropolis and we can just pop into the Daily Planet and you can introduce us. I’m sure she is just as wonderful as the Lois we knew and loved so much!
Call us or stop by as soon as you’re back. Can’t wait to hear about your trip.
Love, Ma and Pa
============================================
[So much for not too personal an e-mail], he smiled to himself. It was so nice to have quasi-parents again. However, if someone was indeed reading the Planet’s e-mails, he didn’t want any more mail to go to this address. Hopefully, the hackers wouldn’t know where the “JMLangs” were from. Luckily, Ma hadn’t mentioned Smallville in her e-mail, just Metropolis.
He clicked on “next” to read his final e-mail:
To: CKent@DailyPlanet.Com
From: PWhite@MetNT.Gov
Re: Your Trip
Hey, Kent, how are you doing over there? Did you find my gal yet? Please give her my love and tell her that I can’t wait to give her a big bear hug when I see her! I just sent her an e-mail, too, but she hasn’t replied. Hope everything is OK and that she is safe. If she’s with you, then I’m not going to worry.
By the way, everything is great here in Metropolis. The Star did have an article about you taking a commercial flight out of Presley Airport, but there was no mention of Lois in it. The Planet printed a rebuttal article explaining that you were temporarily re-assigned as a foreign correspondent in Brazzaville to interview survivors in the refugees camps that survived the war.
Anyway, the sooner you guys get back the better. Let me know when you schedule your flight home, so I can meet you at the gate.
Perry
=========================
Clark anxiously logged off the Daily Planet’s server, and signed on to Yahoo.Com.
His fears had been realized. Mark had been lying! Perry had not mentioned anything about e-mailing Mark Boyle to warn them of danger. Surely, he would have included that important fact! He also, upon closer scrutiny, realized that the e-mail from James Olson was a fake! Olson’s name was spelled wrong and the “L” in Daily Planet had been capitalized. He had to warn his folks and Perry that something was terribly wrong!
He had no new Yahoo e-mail messages. Well, the only other person, besides his folks, that had this address was Lois, and he had found her before she had had time to reply to him.
He clicked on “create new mail”:
\
=================================
To: JMLang@MSN.Com
From: CJKent@Yahoo.Com
Re: Hi folks
Hi, Ma and Pa. Thanks for the nice e-mail. Please be very careful until I get back. Don’t use my Daily Planet e-mail address until I tell you it’s safe. I’ll explain later. Please reply only to this Yahoo e-mail address.
Lois is beautiful, and even though she is thin and needs TLC, which I’m more than happy to give her, she is everything I dreamed she would be. I have to hold back telling her how much I love her. I just have to believe that we really are soul mates, and that she will eventually love me back. She will need a lot of time, and I’m more than willing to give it to her.
That sounds great about you coming to Metropolis to meet her. Maybe in a month or so, when she has settled into somewhat of a routine again.
Love you both,
Clark
He clicked the “send” button, then immediately clicked on “create new mail”.
=======================
To: PWhite@MetNT.gov
From: CJKent@Yahoo.Com
Re: Please Read ASAP!
Perry, I need to know if you ever worked with or met a Mark Boyle. He works for the BBC now. It’s very important that I know. Please don’t e-mail me at my Daily Planet address until further notice. I think that something is very wrong. Use this e-mail address: CJKent@Yahoo.Com.
I did find Lois, and I’m going to keep a close watch on her. I think someone related to Luther Corp is still out to harm her. I’m not actually sure yet, this is just my guess. She is very thin and fragile, but she’s still beautiful. I will give her a big bear hug for you!
Don’t tell James Olson about any of this until I tell you it’s OK. Please.
Thanks,
Clark
Again, he clicked on “’send”.
=========================================
Clark logged off the computer. It was now 1:30 am. He signed up for an available 8:00 am spot to check his e-mail again in the morning, and said good night to the desk clerk on duty.
He didn’t notice that the desk clerk quickly made a phone call as soon as he was out of sight.
He took the elevator back up to the sixth floor. Entering the room, using his X-Ray vision, he checked on Lois. He was relieved to see that she was sleeping peacefully. She looked so angelic resting, with her long dark hair flowing around her. He realized that the time they had alone would soon come to an end, and she would be an entirely different person when she returned to her familiar environment, Metropolis and the Daily Planet.
Now was the time to really get to know her, and establish a bond with her. A familiarity that would transcend to their world in Metropolis as well. He thought that their trip to “Paradise Island”, as she had called it, had been a great first step in that direction. There, with no stress and reality to deal with, they had spoken openly about their private lives and established a rapport with each other.
He was certain that slowly, the “Mad Dog Lane” personality would take over and he would be left in its wake. But he realized he could love that part of her as well. Her enthusiasm, straightforward talk, and spunky attitude was what made her Lois Lane. Her circumstances may have mellowed her out a bit, in the last 10 years, but he was sure that she hadn’t lost that part of herself. Nor should she.
Clark laid down on his bed, and within minutes, was floating in his sleep. In his dreams, Lois was resting in his arms.
===================================
The alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. Even though it meant they he only slept for 5 ½ hours, Clark wanted to make sure he didn’t miss his 8:00 a.m. spot on the computer. Lois was still fast asleep. He decided not to wake her. He went downstairs to the restaurant in the lobby, where there was a continental breakfast underway, and brought back some Danish, some bagels (with cream cheese on the side), and two coffees. No matter when she got up, he could re-heat the coffee for her to her precise requirements! [Spoiling Lois is going to be one of the greatest pleasures of my life], he thought.
He was reading the complimentary “Le Choc” that had put under the door, when Lois woke up. It was about 7:50 a.m., and he knew he had to get downstairs. He really didn’t want to leave her alone, however. Lois stumbled out of her bedroom and sleepily said, “Good morning.”
“Lois, we need to check our E-Mail at 8:00 a.m. I’d rather not leave you alone, so please get dressed and come downstairs with me. I brought you a coffee,” he smiled.
“Clark, I’ll just meet you down there. I need to wake up! Please, you don’t have to baby-sit me. I survived in this damn jungle for 10 years. I think I can handle taking the elevator downstairs to the lobby!” exclaimed Lois.
[Uh-oh!] thought Clark, [‘Mad Dog Lane’ came back to life sooner than I thought!]
Lois softened her tone, looking at the shocked expression on Clark’s face. After all, they had had a nice time on the island, and he did seem very, very caring. “I’m sorry Clark. I know you’re worried about me, and it’s sweet. I’m just not a morning person, and I only got about 6 hours sleep last night. Just let me have fifteen minutes to get myself together, and I swear I will be downstairs by 8:15am,” Lois replied. “Please?”
[Boy it’s going to be hard to say no to that woman,] Clark thought to himself. [Well, I can always keep an ‘eye’ on her with my X-Ray vision while I’m downstairs, to make sure she’s safe.]
“All right Lois, fifteen minutes. I just have my suspicions that Mark Boyle is not as friendly with Perry as we might think.” Clark added, hoping she would understand why he was so concerned for her.
“Really? Why?” Lois asked.
“Didn’t you read that e-mail that was sent to us, that was titled ‘WARNING’?” Clark asked.
“No, I thought it was that SPAM thing, and I deleted it. Omigod! You got it too? What did it say?” Lois’ tone of voice was getting higher-pitched by the minute.
“It said that something big was going down, and that the Daily Planet’s web server had been compromised. That means that any E-Mails sent to you from the DP’s server could have been read by someone. Someone who may mean to do you harm, Lois,” Clark explained.
“That means they know I’m alive!” Lois exclaimed. “God, I thought that it was safe to go home, after all this time! Please don’t tell me I have to keep hiding. NO!!” Lois was almost in tears now. “And, my family could still be in jeopardy!”
“Lois, please come downstairs with me now. I want to protect you until we’re able to get on the plane and get home.” Clark’s eyes and tone of voice were one of reasoning. “Once we’re home, and I can openly use my abilities, it will be much easier than here to make sure no harm comes to you.”
“OK, Mr. ‘Propaganda’, you can be my protector for now. Once we’re back in Metropolis, however, I don’t want to have you looking over my shoulder every five seconds!” she retorted. “I can take care of myself. I have done a pretty good job of staying alive under adverse conditions for the last ten years.”
“Yes, Lois, you have, that’s very true. Ok, it’s a deal. Let’s just get you home safely, and then we can take it from there,” Clark replied.
[Wow, either she’s not a morning person big-time, or she hasn’t mellowed out as much as I thought.]” Clark remarked to himself, a slight smirk visible on his face.
============================
Metropolis,
New Troy
He hung up the phone. [Boyle better come through for me], he thought. [He owes me some favors back from some twenty years ago or more].
The phone rang. “Yes, it’s me. Really? Ok. Thanks for the information. Keep in touch. Oui, au revoir.”
[Damn! Looks like the Boy Scout is going to stick to her like glue. Only one thing that will stop him. How can I get it to Brazzaville in time? Hmmm. I have some friends over at Presley Airport that owe me some favors too.]
He picked up the phone and pressed the intercom button for his secretary, Tonya.
“Tonya, get me ‘airport security’ at Presley Airport ASAP,”
“Yes, sir, right away” was the reply.
=============================
TBC
