From Chapter Nine:
“St. John here.”
It’s Boyle. I need you to come with me to Maya Maya airport tonight. We have to be there at 6:00 p.m., sharp, at the Lex-Air International Wing.”
“Why? You know I can’t afford to be recognized right now, until after my surgery.”
“So, wear a bloody mask for all I care. I can’t-won’t do this alone. It’s up to you. Otherwise, I’m out of here.”
“I’ll pick you up in front of Le Choc at 5:00 p.m. Look for my jeep, I’m not going to get out.”
“Fine. See you then.”
Mark reflected on the mess he had gotten himself into. He even considered going to Le Meridien and coming clean with Kent and Lane about the operation going down. If “Superman” could promise to protect him, maybe it would be worth it. Well he had a few hours to figure it out.
Chapter Ten
Clark and Lois took off on foot for the hospital around 2:00 p.m., since the rain had stopped. They figured they wouldn’t be back until suppertime, at which time they would check their e-mail and see if Perry had replied to the e-mail Clark had sent him that morning. In addition, since he was meeting with John Olson around 10:00 a.m. (4:00 p.m. Brazzaville time), perhaps Perry would share some information garnered from that meeting as well. That is, if he was able to without breaking any necessary confidences.
Once they were a distance from the hotel, and no one could see them, Clark picked Lois up and they floated a few inches off the ground, since it was extremely muddy from the rain.
“Clark, this is really great, but I’d gain weight fast ‘walking’ this way! It’s not exactly aerobic exercise,” Lois joked.
Clark looked Lois over, admiring what he was seeing. “Lois, believe me when I tell you, you will NOT have to diet for a very very long time! Now, not to change the subject, but please tell me about this ‘Johnny Jabbermouth’ that you mentioned. Was he a source or something?” Clark asked.
Lois laughed. “Yes. One day I was walking down the street to pick up Chinese and this bum crept up on me from the alleyway and scared the ‘bejesus’ out of me! He said he had some leads for me, and all he wanted in payment was food! At first, I thought he was BS-ing me, but when I checked out his information, it was right on target. There began our relationship…he’d give me tips, I’d feed him. It worked out well.”
“What do you know about him? Do you know his real name or anything?” Clark inquired. “I’m only asking because you said he’s the one you gave you the lead on Luthor Corp’s gun-running.”
“No, he didn’t want to give me his real name, just said to call him “Johnny”. He was about 40-something back in 1993, so I guess he’d be in his fifties now. His hair was strangely very neat, although his dress was that of a street person. I always thought that was bizarre, but since his information was always right on target, I didn’t question him too much.”
“How did you get in touch with him?”
”Sometimes, he would call me. Other times, I would walk by the alley and ask if anyone hanging around there had seen him. Usually he would find me once I put word out I was looking for him. He knew where my favorite deli and Chinese restaurants were,” Lois recollected, smiling.
“That’s funny, I don’t recall anyone meeting that description hanging around by the Planet. You would have thought after you disappeared, he would have contacted another reporter, if just to get a free meal,” Clark remarked.
“Yes, that is strange. He definitely looked like he lived on the street, with no where to go. I wonder what happened to him, after all this time,” Lois mused.
“Or if his name was really Johnny, or John. Hmm,” said Clark. “Interesting.”
===========================
Metropolis
Perry had been looking forward to his meeting with John Olson, out of sheer curiosity, if for no other reason. Right on time, his secretary intercom’d him to advise that his 10:00 a.m. appointment was waiting.
“John, come in. I must say this is quite a surprise.”
“Mr. Mayor, thanks for seeing me on fairly short notice,” John said, shaking Perry’s hand. “Can we get right down to the point of this meeting?”
“Absolutely.”
“There are problems at your former employer that you should know about.”
“The Daily Planet?”
“Yes.”
“Why involve me? Why not talk to the owner, your son?”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
John sighed. “I can’t get into it right now. Do you want the information or not?”
“You’re every as bit as stubborn as your son. I see where he gets it,” Perry observed. “OK, what do you have for me?”
“The Daily Planet is about to change ownership.”
“What? How?”
“My son is a bit too trusting, and he hired a family member that was working undercover for Edge Enterprises.”
======================
“Le Meridien, Brazzavile, front desk, Jean-Marc speaking. May I help you?”
“Yes, I’d like to speak to Clark Kent, if it’s possible.”
“I believe he's gone out for the afternoon, monsieur. Would you like to leave a message?”
“Please have him contact James Olson of the Daily Planet. He knows the number.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll give him the message.”
“Thank you. Merci.”
======================
“Tonya, can you check on the status of the package I sent to Brazzaville?” It’s on a Lex-Air cargo plane that should be arriving in Maya Maya airport at 6 p.m. Congo time.”
“Right away, sir, I’ll check the airline’s schedule and see if it’s going to be on time.”
“Good. Also, get me Mark Boyle ASAP.”
“Yes, sir.”
========================
Mark paced around in the newsroom. Even though he was having second thoughts, he knew that backing out of this would be like committing suicide. Since it was almost 5:00 p.m., he grabbed his coat and went downstairs to wait for Nigel.
He didn’t hear his phone ringing as he went out to the elevator lobby.
The jeep was already waiting for him. The driver’s side rear door opened, and Mark got in.
“So where is this package going to be?”
“Baggage claim. Supposed to be around 6:00 p.m.”
“We should make it in plenty of time.”
Clark and Lois were almost back to the hotel when Clark spotted a jeep crossing the road ahead of them.
“Omigod, this can’t be good news,” he blurted out.
“Clark, what? What is it?” Lois exclaimed.
“That was Mark Boyle and – I think – Nigel St. John - in that jeep that just drove by.”
“What are you waiting for? Go after them!” Lois shouted.
The brush was thick along the side of the road they were walking on. Clark quickly scouted the area, and pulled Lois into the treed area. Flying just above the vegetation he followed the jeep at a safe distance until the brush cover disappeared as they were nearing the hotel.
He continued to follow them with his enhanced vision.
“Lois, I think they’re heading toward the airport! They are traveling down that Boulevard that leads to Maya Maya!”
“Clark, what can we do? You’re not supposed to use your powers, and there are no rental cars.”
“Let’s see if there is an airport shuttle leaving soon from the hotel.”
“OK.”
Entering the lobby, they walked up to the front desk. “Monsieur Kent, there is a message for you to contact Monsieur James Olson,” the desk clerk informed him.
“Thank you. By the way, when does the next shuttle to the airport leave?” Clark asked.
“There are no flights out this time of day, only mail and baggage flights come in or go out after 4:00 pm. Therefore, no shuttle service until tomorrow morning, 6:00 a.m. Are you leaving us so soon?”
“Soon, yes. We have to arrange to switch our tickets to the next available flight,” Clark said. “So we need to go there in person and talk to the airline.”
“Do you have any kind of jeep we can borrow?” Lois piped up. “We’ll pay you,” she said with a gleam in her eye.
It was well known that corruption was a way of life in Congo-Brazzaville. For years, oil companies had been secretly financing crooked government regimes, hiding their profits by doing so. Lois figured that the desk clerk could be bought for a price as well.
“Put it on my hotel tab,” said Clark. “Whatever you want for it.”
[This better be worth the scoop of the century, or James is going to fire his newly appointed foreign correspondent when we get back when he sees my expense statement].
“Green jeep parked on the circle. Here’s the keys. Have it back before my shift gets done at 7:00 p.m.,” the clerk stated.
“You got it! Let’s go, Lois!”
“I’m driving, Clark. I know my way around here better than you,” Lois shouted.
“Yeah, right. When’s the last time you were behind a wheel?” Clark asked.
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll drive, you focus on their whereabouts.”
“OK, you win.”
Lois sped off, only at the last minute realizing that she forgot to notice what side of the road they drive on in Brazzaville.
Clark had been following Mark and Nigel into the airport with his telescopic vision. Noticing they were heading toward the Lex-Air wing, they parked the jeep and kept a safe distance behind. Their suspects went to the baggage claim area and entered the office.
“Clark what’s going on in there?” Lois asked.
“They’re asking about a package that was to arrive at 6:00 p.m.”
“Is it there?”
“Apparently not. Looks like Nigel is giving the guy a hard time in French, with a British accent. Funny.”
“Like a heart attack!! Is that them coming out? Let’s duck over here,” Lois suggested, moving them over to the foyer fronting the rest rooms.
“They’re sitting down. Looks like they’re waiting for this package.”
“So, what are they saying?” Lois was clearly frustrated that Clark could hear the conversation and she couldn’t.
“Oh, no! We have to get out tickets switched and get out of here tomorrow if possible,” Clark whispered. “Someone is sending them a package with Kryptonite in it.”
“That stuff that can kill you? Omigod.”
“Yeah. Lois, you MUST know something more than what you’ve said. They’re going to try to kill me, because they know I’m protecting you. They obviously want to get you alone. Let’s go to the airline and get those tickets switched. You still have all of those medical certificates we just got at the hospital?”
“Yes, got ‘em right here in my pants pocket.”
Clark and Lois went over to the airline ticket window and they managed to get a flight leaving Brazzaville for the following day, 10:00 a.m. It was an 18 hour flight back to Metropolis, but due to the time zone changes, it would be 6 hours earlier in Metropolis. They could conceivably be back in Metropolis by 10:00 p.m. tomorrow night, jet lag and all (it would feel like 4:00 a.m. to them).
They crept back to the baggage claim area again, and Clark saw Nigel and Mark again talking in the office. This time, Mark appeared to be signing for a box. Clark was frustrated that he was unable to see though the package to determine its contents.
“Lois, it must be in a lead lined box,” Clark explained.
“Why? You can’t see through lead? Wow, that’s interesting!”
“Lead is the only substance that shields the harmful rays of Kryptonite from me, also. That’s probably a good thing for you to remember, in case things get crazy before we are able to get safely home.”
“Clark? Why don’t we say the Hell with all this politically correct stuff, and just fly me home. We can deal with the U.N. and the Daily Planet later. Let’s just go home!” Lois pleaded.
“When James first received that e-mail from you, that’s exactly what I suggested to him. But you’re a high profile person, Lois. An award-winning reporter re-surfacing after ten years is big news. Imagine the U.N.’s reaction to the news that you were stranded in Brazzaville for ten years, and didn’t return home through the proper channels! It would look like you, ’Superman” and the Daily Planet were above the law. No, James is adamant that we must return home this way,” Clark explained."And he's paying for this 'rental car' too, by the way."
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s all political B.S. to me,” Lois said. “And by going home the ‘correct’ way, we may get killed. Makes a lot of sense to me.”
“Lois, here they come. Jump into the ladies room till they walk by!” Clark instructed.
“Are you coming in with me?” she said with a devilish grin.
Clark x-rayed the bathroom. “Well, actually I could…....” he smiled, as he entered the men’s room.
Several minutes later, Clark determined that they had left the airport and were walking to their car, package in hand.
“Let’s go. We still have a few minutes before we have to bring the jeep back!” urged Lois. “We can follow them. We need to find out who’s behind all of this.”
“Ok, but Lois…I’m only going to ask you one more time: are you sure you’ve told me everything you know? This just isn’t making sense to me.”
“Yes, Clark. I swear I’ve told you everything I know,” asserted Lois.
They found the jeep, paid the parking attendant, and drove down the Boulevard. Clark spotted Nigel’s jeep fairly far ahead of them. Soon, they were past Le Meridien and headed down a muddy mostly unpaved road which took them away from the city.
“OK, well then, who is powerful enough to have access to Kryptonite? I thought I had Star Labs ‘round up every rock on this planet,” wondered Clark. “Star Labs and Bernie Klein have been my best friends in so many ways since I became Superman. I can’t believe someone broke in and stole Kryptonite.”
“May I ask why they didn’t just destroy it, instead of storing it, if the stuff can kill you?” Lois inquired.
“Bernie is trying to find an antidote for Kryptonite poisoning. Every now and then he tests his latest experiment on me. So far, no luck. It came in handy when I had to have a Yellow Fever vaccine just to come here,” Clark explained.
Lois laughed. “YOU had to have a vaccine? Ridiculous!!! You couldn’t get a waiver? Like you could catch Yellow Fever! You’re invulnerable…well almost.”
“Yeah, I thought so too, but I was so happy to have the chance to come over here and bring you home, I didn't care. Bernie had to coat a needle with Kryptonite so it would pierce my skin.
“Let’s see…..with Luthor supposedly dead, the only other big corporate icon in Metropolis is Morgan Edge, and he’s been linked to Intergang,” Clark continued.
“Intergang? Is that as ominous as it sounds?” Lois asked.
“No proof that it actually exists. But rumors had it that Luthor and the mysterious kingpin of Intergang were at war over control of Metropolis. That’s why I don’t know why they’re after you. Luthor Corp is part of Edge Enterprises now, and whatever criminal activity Luthor Corp was up to is pretty insignificant now that the company’s extinct.”
“Lenny!” they both said at once.
“He must be the mysterious kingpin of Intergang and because I heard his name mentioned on the phone….” Lois speculated.
“Or, he was Luthor’s mole at Edge Enterprises…..in any event I have a feeling that no one is supposed to know a ‘Lenny’ existed…or exists, as the case may be,” Clark said, playing devil’s advocate.
“Hey, I noticed that this is not the way to Le Choc. I never did ask Mark where he was staying,” Lois commented.
The jeep ahead of them turned right onto a side road. There was a small sign on a tree on the corner.
“Elf Aquitaine-ELEL Oil Co, Brazzaville division”, the sign stated.
TBC
