TOC Part 2 They went first thing the next morning. When they got there, though, the place was a wreck. It looked like it had been thoroughly searched by people who lacked a basic respect for the property of others. Scanning with his x-ray vision, Clark noticed that Chen and his family had been left, bound and gagged, behind a screen on the other side of the room. "I think I hear something..." he told Lois as he lead her towards the screen. Quickly, they untied the Chows. "Chen, what happened?"
"Four guys broke in, tore the place up."
"Who were they?" Lois asked.
Chen's grandfather answered. "The Tong."
Lois raised her eyebrows. "The Chinese Mafia?"
"What did they want?"
"They think we have those Dragon Heart Bracelets Grandpa was talking about," Chen answered him. He seemed bewildered that they had thought so.
"Well, that's part of the reason we're here," Lois said. Obviously the idea didn't seem so far-fetched to her.
Clark explained. "The Hooded Figure has been robbing Son Kwon Industries. We saw him yesterday, and he was wearing the bracelets. We realized he had to be a Yi Chi master, so we came here."
"He threw Superman around like a rag doll..."
"Well, I don't know about 'rag doll,' Lois..."
"... and then disappeared."
Chen's grandfather nodded. "A Yi Chi master makes use of many devices. A smoke that can paralyze, a sound that confuses, a dust to make an image so real that even another Yi Chi master would be fooled..."
"
Smoke bombs? Devices that make confusing sounds? Is that what being a Yi Chi master is all about?"
The old man didn't seem to think it strange that a voice spoke to him out of nowhere. "No, of course not! I meant that a Yi Chi master can make those devices and employ them skillfully. A small part of a master's talents."
"
I see. So what about throwing Superman around? That doesn't sound like smoke and mirrors."
"That would require much power," he admitted.
"The bracelets?" Clark prompted.
The old man studied Clark closely for a moment. "Your Chi is strong," he said. "Very strong." He hesitated a moment longer, then decided. "Yes, I will trust you. I have the bracelets."
"Whoa, Grandpa. For real?" Chen seemed truly stunned.
"
Chen? When did you become a surfer?"
"Huh?" He thought back over what he'd just said. "Oh." He tried again. "What?" he asked, astounded. "Grandpa, you really have them?"
"When my Grandfather died, he gave them to me to hold for the next worthy one. I thought it would be a student of mine... Jzuk Mao... but he was seduced by evil and greed. My last action before I left for America with my grandchildren was to have him arrested."
"
Gee. Someone who knows you have the bracelets, knows how to use them, is greedy and evil, and has cause to resent you. I wonder if he has anything to do with all this..."
For once, everyone ignored Beta. Instead, Chen's grandfather walked over to the side of the room and pressed a particular spot on the wall. "Like so many, the Tong search without seeing," he said, trying to be mysterious while he waited for the secret panel to open. When it did, however, it revealed an empty shelf. "No, it can't be! Someone has stolen them!"
"
Why are you surprised, exactly?"
"What? This is my secret safe. No one knows about this."
"
You knew the bracelets were being used in the robberies."
"Well, I uh..."
"
You couldn't have thought they were fakes. Obviously, the robber was using their magic."
"That's true, but... They were here yesterday. I checked while you were here, Miss Lane."
"
While she was there? You trained your students, sat down, had tea, told her she couldn't join your class, and then watched her storm out. When did you check them? Why would you have done it while she was there, anyway?"
"Okay, I checked them just after she left. That's not important."
"
It matters. You have to be careful with these things."
"Fine. It's settled now. The important thing is that the bracelets were here yesterday, after the previous robberies, but they're not here now."
"
Obviously, the Hooded Figure took them for his robberies, then put them back so you wouldn't be suspicious. You should have realized that by now."
"I wasn't thinking, okay? Are you happy?"
"
I just want things to make sense."
"I'll see if I can come up with a better reaction. Can we move on for now?"
"
Okay by me."
"So, where were we?"
"
You were surprised that the bracelets were gone, and I think someone was about to come into the room."
A middle-aged asian man ran into the room. "Chen!" he said, excited.
"How did you know...?"
"
I'm an angel. I have psychic powers."
He considered questioning Beta some more, but the excited man distracted him by dumping a large amount of cash out of the bags he'd been carrying.
"Liu," Chen asked, more concerned than excited, "where did you get this?"
"The Hooded Man left it with us. I can pay back the factory... My boy can go to school... Please, Chen, you understand these things. Can you make arrangements to pay the men, so they won't bother us again?"
Chen nodded. "I think I know who to talk to in order to straighten things out."
The man thanked him and left.
"Where does he work?" Clark wanted to know.
"Son Kwon."
"So the thief has been hitting Son Kwon..." Lois said, thinking out loud.
"... to hand out donations," Clark finished. "So why did he hit Perry? What's the link? Chen, do you know anything about Son Kwon? We've been looking into them, but we haven't been able to find out who's in charge."
"There are rumors. Nothing's been proven, but everyone is talking about Harlan Black."
"That's Perry's broker!" Lois said, stunned.
"So, Harlan has been bringing in illegal immigrants to use as cheap labor..."
"... Keeping even more of the money because he claimed they owed him for getting them here..."
"... And using investments to help fund it. Meantime, the robber has been stealing from Son Kwon to help the people pay their debts..."
"... And he thought Perry's money was just as dirty!"
"So to get the money back..."
"... We'll have to convince him that Perry was out of the loop."
"If only we knew where he was," Clark said, looking directly at Chen. Chen, who had been watching the exchange with fascination, seemed taken aback by Clark's implication.
"You thought Chen was the Hooded Figure? A mild-mannered reporter, really a superhero? Clark,
please..."
Clark's face took on an odd expression. Lois was about to call him on it when Beta spoke up again.
"
Clark, what could make you think it was Chen? He didn't even know the bracelets were here."
"Well, yeah, but... you know... Never mind. ... Look, Chen, even if you're not the robber, maybe you can put the word out that we want to talk to him...?"
"Well, I guess I could try. Don't know if it'd work, but I could give it a shot."
"Thanks, Chen."
"We should go, Clark. Maybe we can dig up a solid connection between Harlan and Son Kwon."
"Right. We'll check back with you later, Chen."
Back at the Planet, Lois and Clark had Jimmy start looking for information on Son Kwon and Harlan Black. After he dashed off, they headed to Perry's office to fill him in on the latest. Horrified, he confirmed that he'd known nothing about Harlan's real business. They comforted him as best they could, then got back to work.
As they sifted through the pages Jimmy had brought them, a man came out of the elevators, unnoticed. He was wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt and was carrying a strange-looking sculpture or mobile of some sort.
"
Dan, what are you doing here?"
"Who said that?" he asked, dropping the... thing.
"
Never mind that. You have to leave. You'll only get in the way."
"In the way of what? Actually, you know what? I don't care. I'm not leaving."
"
Okay, how about this? It's too early. Mayson hasn't even shown up yet. You're supposed to be in D.C. now."
"What?" he ran over to a nearby copy of that day's Planet. Glancing at the date, he turned pale. "Oh no, you're right!" He rushed back to the elevator. "I have to get to the airport!"
"
Well, that took care of him."
A staffer walked by, noticed the thing Dan had left behind, correctly identified it, and deposited it into the nearest trash receptacle.
Part 4 Comments on all 4 parts
