From Chapter 12:
Passion overwhelming the two of them, Clark’s tongue found its way inside of Lois’ mouth. While they were kissing, both of them started undressing each other with a hunger that would only be fulfilled by the physical expression of the love they felt for each other. There wasn’t a moment’s doubt that it wasn’t right for either of them. It was magical, it was musical, it was beautiful. It was the perfect union of two lost soul mates finding each other again for what seemed to be the very first time.
It was the perfect distraction from the deal that Lois had made with the devil.
Chapter Thirteen
Metropolis
4:00 p.m.
Perry entered the Planet’s newsroom, muttering to himself, “if I knew I would be coming back
here *this* often, I would have never entered politics!”
Olson’s office was empty. “Hey Ralph, where’s Olson?” Perry bellowed.
“He got a phone call, Mayor, and then left unexpectedly. He didn’t leave word where he was going,” he replied.
Perry spotted Timmy Carlson at his desk, apparently in the middle of research. He couldn’t resist the urge to throw an innuendo his way.
“Hey Carlson, blood is thicker than water. Remember that, son.” Timmy didn’t look up at the voice, but he knew it was Mayor White.
He went up the stairs to the elevator. As the door opened, a very-disturbed-looking James Olson got out, focused on the paperwork he was carrying. Looking up, he spotted Perry staring at him curiously.
“Hi, Mayor - Perry. I’ve seen a lot of you lately. What’s up?” said Olson.
“Son, we need to talk, but not here. Let’s go downstairs and grab a coffee,” Perry asserted.
“I’m in the middle of a thousand problems, right now, Perry. Can it wait?”
“Look at me, son. Would I be here, the Mayor of this fine city, if it could wait?”
“I guess you have a point, Mr. Mayor,” responded James.
They sat down with their coffees in the diner near the Planet. Perry began with, “James- oh Hell, I’m going to call you ‘Jim’ – if that’s OK – did you run those tests on your computer system the other night like you said you were going to do?”
“Yes, I had my cousin Timmy run the interloper system and the test printouts showed that our system was impenetrable,” ‘Jim’ said rather confidently. “As I knew it would.”
“How the Sam Hill can I say this? Jim, what if there was someone inside the Planet that was leaking information? How would you determine that?”
Olson’s eyes opened wide. “Like a mole? Perry, are you telling me that this is an inside job? There’s only one person on the entire payroll that’s as good with computers as I am, and it’s Tim-“ he stopped talking, staring at the expression on Perry’s face.
“Timmy? My own cousin? I don’t believe it! Now, based on the emergency stockholder’s meeting that I just attended, this is all starting to make sense. Damn!” he shook his head and looked down at the table.
Perry looked at him, feeling for him as if he were his own son. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Apparently someone has been purchasing large blocks of Olson Technologies. I will always have a 51% controlling interest, but, just the way Luthor Corp was brought down, the stock price has dropped dramatically in the last several weeks. I’m being pressured to sell the Planet to Edge Enterprises to raise cash to purchase more shares to ward off a possible takeover. I don’t want to do it, but I’m up against the wall here. Got any suggestions, Mr. Mayor?”
“Edge Enterprises? Not a surprise, they’re getting to be the big gorilla that’s swallowing everyone up.”
“Some new V.P. in charge of acquisitions, Leonard Thorul, was representing Edge. The offer they made to purchase the Planet was above market-share price, and I’m going to have a mutiny on my hands with the board of directors if I don’t agree to sell it,” James said, with disgust in his tone of voice.
Perry’s ears perked up. “Did you say Leonard? Could his nickname be Lenny?” he asked. [Aha! Should have known this mysterious ‘Lenny’ had a connection to Edge Enterprises. And I asked Timmy to investigate that name. What a joke! All I did was tip them off].
“Sure, I guess so. He’s just another suit to me,” James said. “Maybe my father was right all along, he warned me not to get in over my head in the newspaper business. He always told me to stick to the stuff I was an expert at. Creating productivity and security software….that’s what I’m all about.
“All these great people working at the Daily Planet – they’re going to feel like I fed them to the dogs if Edge Enterprises, LNN division, ends up owning them. I’m sick about this. Mayor, do you have any suggestions?”
“First off, you’re going to have to show some backbone and fire that cousin of yours. All the e-mails that have been sent and received on your web server has been read by Edge Enterprises. Any stories that your reporters are investigating…...they know about them as well. You’ve got damage control to take care of first, Jim…..let’s get upstairs and kick some cousin tail!” Perry said, sounding like a football coach in the locker room at halftime during the Superbowl.
“Thanks, Perry…by the way, how do you know all this to be true?”
“Blood *is* thicker than water, Jim…..you may not talk to your Dad, but he has your best interests at heart.”
===============================
Lois woke up and sleepily squinted at the alarm clock. It was after midnight. She was wrapped up in Clark’s arm, naked, with all the lights in the room blazing. She gingerly attempted to remove herself from Clark’s embrace.
“Lois, honey, where are you going?” Clark asked, her movement immediately rousing him.
Lois leaned over the kissed Clark on the lips. “I like it when you call me honey, honey,” she whispered to him. “And I like what we were doing before, mmmmmmmmmmm.”
“Not too bad for a guy with no previous experience, huh?” Clark asked.
“Clark, that can’t be true! You were wonderful, so unselfish, so …….super,” she protested. “You’re what – 37 years old - and I’m your first? I’ve heard of Midwest values, but that’s taking it to a whole new level.”
“You were definitely worth the wait. And if I was any ‘good’, it was because I was doing it with you. And we *will* be doing that again,” Clark said with a sexy smile. “Practice makes perfect, I hear. So, why are you getting up again?
“Clark, we need to pack!! We have to leave early to get to the airport. Customs and security will take us about two hours to get through, and the hotel shuttle is going to leave at 6:30 a.m.”
“You’re right, Lois. I wish I had my speed back, I could clean up this room and pack in the blink of any eye,” he said with regret. “Soon, I guess. At least I know that you would love me even if I’m an ordinary guy.”
“There is *nothing* ordinary about you, Clark. You are the sweetest, kindest, selfless, most wonderful man I could ever dream of knowing. And the fact that you love me….is just unbelievable. I’m the luckiest woman on earth. In the solar system!
“And, I *have* to admit, I do love flying with you, and…..if you never got your powers back, I can’t deny that I would miss that.”
“Flying *is* the best ability I have,” Clark agreed. “I would miss that the most too. The feeling of freedom when you’re up there, the perspective you get…it’s awesome.”
“But now that I’ve met you, I never want to live *without* you, Clark. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and certainly never this quickly. I have always had my wall up…but with you, you tore that wall down in one morning.”
“Which morning was that, Lois?” Clark asked, with a broad smile on his face.
“Paradise Island. When you went skinny dipping with me and didn’t try to put the moves on me, I knew you were a different type of guy right then and there.”
“Well, then, if we ever get married, which I hope we will someday, Lois, we’re going to have the ceremony there. It would be perfect,” Clark said. “I can see the invitations now….’You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, ceremony to be held in the lagoon on an uncharted isle in the Fiji Islands’,” Clark laughed and flashed a beautiful smile Lois’ way.
“Wow, Mr. Ex-Propaganda, that’s as good as a marriage proposal,” Lois said.
“I was ready to ask you to marry me the day I met you, Lois. That offer will *always* be on the table. Give me your answer – hopefully *yes*….whenever you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I will, Clark, and it might be sooner, rather than later. Life’s too short…..I just lost ten years of my life…I am planning on living the next ten to the fullest, and I’m not going to waste time analyzing if it’s right or wrong anymore. If it *feels* right, it probably is, and I’m going to go with my gut feeling from now on. No more procrastination and indecision!” Lois declared.
“That almost sounds like a ‘yes’, but I won’t get my hopes up,” Clark grinned. “I’m just happy you didn’t flat out say ‘no’!”
“I might say ‘yes’ faster if you get up and help me pack. And don’t worry about putting any clothes on…..you’re just going to have to take them off again, anyway. And I’m admiring the view,” Lois said, complimenting Clark on his chiseled frame.
“The view from here’s not so bad, either, Lois.”
Suitcases packed, by the door, boarding passes, vaccination notices, driver’s licenses, passports…all proper documentation was well-organized by the bureau. They set the alarm for 6:00 a.m., and climbed back into bed for “round two” of the Lane-Kent “Love Story”.
The alarm seemed to go off just minutes after they finally fell asleep, exhausted from making love most of the night.
“Clark, look! We’re floating, just a little bit!” Lois exclaimed. “You’re starting to get back to normal already. Well, normal for *you*”, she clarified.
Clark tried his vision powers. “Well, nothing else is working. I can only levitate a few inches off the ground. Too bad I have to spend 18 hours in an airplane. Maybe if I can get a window seat, I can catch some sun to speed the process along,” Clark suggested.
“No sun today,” Lois said, peeking out the window. “But the sun *will* be shining when Lois Lane gets back to Metropolis, for the first time in ten years!”
“Now that you’re in *my* world, Lois, the sun will be shining for the rest of my days,” he declared.
“You’re so sweet, Clark Kent. Now remember, as soon as we touch down in New Troy, you’re going to start spilling the beans about all the secrets you’ve been keeping from me.”
“Deal,” Clark replied, with a pit in his stomach. How would Lois react to knowing that he had met her doppelganger….and almost kissed her….. and the entire ‘Alternate Universe’ story? It was a chance that he had no choice but to take.
Clark was never so happy to check out of a hotel room in his life. His credit card bill was much higher than anticipated, but he was certain that when Olson heard the details of the trip, he would be fine with it. Lois and Clark rode with several others from the hotel to the airport in their shuttle.
Lois started to feel a wave of anxiety engulf her. The thrill of her newfound romance with Clark had distracted her the night before, but now, in the daylight, the agreement she had made with the three of them last night was haunting her. Knowing there was a Pulitzer-prize winning story just waiting to be written - and having to bury it - was making her ill. And, not to be able to share this information with her new best friend and lover….who might be able to read her thoughts when his powers returned….made her feel worse.
Clark sensed her change of mood. “Lois, honey? Are you all right? Don’t tell me you’re going to miss this Godforsaken place after all,” he joked, trying to improve her mood.
“Absolutely not!! Not one little bit. I am sorry I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye to some of the people in the refugee camp though. But some day, you and I are going to come back here for a week and bring supplies and medicine and really try to make a difference.”
“As long as I can get the blessing of the government and the U.N., I’ll be right there with you, Lois. Perhaps in a year or two, when they’ve have a chance to rebuild the city, the U.S. embassy will be re-opened and diplomatic relations can be restored,” Clark suggested.
“I hope so,” Lois said wistfully. [Let him think you’re sad for the people you’re leaving behind. Don’t think about it, some day he’ll be able to read your thoughts again. Must train myself *never* to think about last night’s conversation, *ever* again].
After the anticipated two-plus hours of bag checking and customs, they were finally allowed into the gate area. They barely had time for a cup of coffee when their flight was called for boarding.
“I can’t believe it, we’re finally going home,” Lois said, as they got in line, smiling at the man she somehow knew she would love forever. “Amazingly, after ten years here, I found love in the jungle. They always say that the right person comes along when you stop looking. This time, that old wives’ tale came true.”
“And my seven-year itch was finally scratched,” Clark joked. “I can’t wait to be Superman again, and to be able to use my powers – when they come back – openly, to help people.”
“You really *are* a boy scout, aren’t you?” remarked Lois.
“Huh, that’s how Lex Luthor used to refer to me. What made you think of that expression, Lois?” asked Clark.
[Who would have known that??? Lenny must have picked up that expression up from his brother! See, I’m no good at keeping secrets. This isn’t going to work].
“I’m not sure, Clark…but you *are* like a boy scout….always doing good deeds.”
Finally, they found their row, put their small carry-ons in the overhead compartment, and Lois agreed to defer the window seat to Clark, to help recharge his solar batteries.
“Now that we’re all settled in, I want you to tell me all about last night, what Mark and Nigel said, and how you want to write all of this up for the Planet,” Clark said.
“Clark….in order to save my life and yours, I promised to kill the story. That whole Luthor Corp gun-running story is dead. Fini.”
“But, Lois….Mark and Nigel…they tried to kill us….me….. We found Nigel…that’s big news back in the States….and we never found out who ‘Lenny’ is, either!”
Lois could take no more prodding. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Clark, forget about it. All of it. Let’s just go home and start our lives fresh.”
“Lois Lane…passing up a story??? What’s the matter, honey? You can tell me.”
“I’ve lost my edge,” Lois lied. “I just want to live a peaceful life now. I don’t want to wake up every day in fear of reprisal.” Lois was thankful that the conversation was interrupted by the sound of the flight attendants reviewing the safety features of the airplane prior to takeoff.
After they were safely in the air, and homeward bound, Clark continued the conversation where they had left off. “Lois, I think I know you, and there is no way you have lost your edge. They threatened you, didn’t they? And because they have that big chunk of Kryptonite, you’re worried about me, too, huh?”
Lois nodded yes. “Clark, they’ll be other stories. It doesn’t matter. I haven’t written a news article for ten years. I don’t know if I’m any good anymore, anyway! Please, let’s just focus on getting home. If your friend at Star Labs ever develops that antidote, we’ll have this conversation again,” Lois promised.
Clark looked at Lois long and hard. “I know there’s more to this, but you’re a stubborn woman, Lois Lane….one of the things I love about you, by the way. Ok, I’ll drop it for now, but I’m not going to let them get away with this, Lois. I’ll find a way to protect both of us. That’s a promise!”
“I love you so much, Clark Kent,” she said, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the lips. “I believe that you will.” She put her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Soon, the warmth of Clark’s body and the roar of the airplane put her fast asleep.
Clark took the opportunity to size up the current situation while Lois was napping. All in all, the Congo trip had been successful. He had met, “dated”, and made love (losing his virginity in the process) to the woman of his dreams, all in a period of less than one week. He had also determined that the Daily Planet was having serious security issues, and that Lois was really scared of something that had happened while she was held captive at the oil company’s building. He knew that Kryptonite had something to do with it. Lois was afraid if she reneged on whatever “deal” she had made with them, they would kill her, and then him as well, with the Kryptonite they possessed.
When he got back, he would be determined to see what he could do to help Bernie come up with that antidote! He also was cognizant that his current “deal” with the United Nations needed to be re-negotiated. He should have “carte blanche” around the world to act as Superman. The good he could do would certainly outweigh the “politics” involved. If he could only get those stubborn bureaucrats to see it that way too!
Well, first things first. Hopefully, by the time the plane set down in Presley Airport, his powers would have returned. He couldn’t wait to put on the “suit” and patrol Metropolis again! Lois’ light snoring put him a sleepy mood as well, and soon he was nodding off, their breathing in sync, Lois’ hand held in his.
Only seventeen more hours to reach Metropolis.
=====================
Metropolis, 9:00 a.m. EST.
“Mr. Thorul, please. Yes, Timothy Carlson. Yes, I’ll hold, thank you.”
“Thorul here. Carlson, what’s up?”
“James found out I was working for Edge Enterprises. He fired me yesterday. Mayor White knows too. Who leaked the information?”
“We did,” Lenny told him.
“Wh-why would you do that? You promised me no one would find out!”
“Kid, you have a lot to learn about big business. And I wasn’t the one who decided to betray my own cousin. You made that choice on your own. Sorry it didn’t work out. You’ll be paid what we owe you. Take care of yourself.”
With that, the line went dead. Timmy felt a sense of dread. His jealousy of his older cousin had lead him to make a really bad decision……and now it had come back to haunt him. No job, with a reputation as a mole. Who would hire him now? His family would hate him. The only one he could possibly turn to would be Mr. Kent – Superman. Maybe he could give him some inside information about Edge Enterprises that would make a great investigative piece? He was coming back from overseas soon. He’d have to be careful. It would be really hard to know who he could trust. And, he realized, it would be hard enough for other people to trust *him* as well!
=====================
Perry sat in James Olson’s office for the second day in a row, trying to provide moral support and guidance. James – “Jim” – was really upset over having to fire his own cousin, and the possible sale of the Planet to LNN/Edge Enterprises.
“Perry – Mayor – do you think I have a legal leg to stand on if I try to sue Edge Enterprises?”
“Son, you would have to include Timmy in the lawsuit….what he did jeopardized the integrity of the Daily Planet. I’m sure the information was leaked to bring the stock price down. Edge Enterprises is counting on you being soft and not wanting to put your own cousin in jail,” Perry advised.
“If you really want my opinion, I think you should get in touch with your Dad – and I have his card right here – and find some common ground with him. He’s in the kind of business that can really offer you some assistance. More so than *this* old fool can,” grunted Perry, handing James his father’s business card with his home phone written on the back.
“OK, I’ll think about it,” James said, accepting the card. "And *only* because I don’t want this paper to be sold. I would do it for the greater good of the Daily Planet.”
“Well, whatever it takes to get you two back together is fine with me,” Perry smiled. “Now I need to get to my office, and get some work done. What time are Lane and Kent arriving at Presley Airport, anyway?” Perry asked.
“I tried calling him twice yesterday. I never checked my voice mail when I came back yesterday afternoon. It looks like there are several messages. Let me quickly review them and see if any of them are from Clark."
James nodded his head to Perry when he came across Clark’s message, and put the call on speakerphone so they could both make notes of Clark and Lois’ arrival in Metropolis.
“You want to put the Daily Planet back on the map? Here’s a newsworthy story…..have your best photographer out at the airport, and get tomorrow’s headline ready,” Perry enthused. “Something like this:”
{Clark Kent, on assignment in Congo-Brazzaville, brings prize-winning reporter Lois Lane home, after spending ten years in a refugee camp}
“You’re right, I’ll send a team out there. You’re coming with me, right, Mayor White?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world! You kids are like my family, son. Meet me at city hall at 9:00 p.m.
I’ll have an airport limo ready to go,” Perry said, standing up, shaking James’ hand.
“Perry – I really appreciate your help with all of this. Your newspaper experience is being wasted in the political arena, you know,” said James.
“Yeah, well, somehow, I don’t think I’m going to run for a third term. This old newshound is itching to get back into it….as long as there *is* a Daily Planet to come back to, of course,” Perry said.
“I’m going to do everything I can to ensure that it’s here for you to come back to, Mr. Mayor,” James promised.
TBC
