TOC Part 3 Lois and Clark, in the meantime, weren't getting anywhere. Lois decided to start looking into anyone who could be the thief. They knew it had to be a Yi Chi master, but Chen's grandfather had had many students over the years. Clark went to check back with Chen, to see if he'd made any progress in contacting the Figure and to see if he had any more useful information. To save time, he changed into Superman and flew over.
He had just gotten to the area when he heard Chen calling for help. Clark flew towards the sound. Soon, he spotted his friend. He had been badly beaten. A large muscular Chinese man was in the process of throwing him off a rooftop. As Clark swooped in, he noticed there was a rope around Chen's neck. Quickly, he severed it with his heat vision, then dove down to catch the plummeting Chen. "It's okay," he said, gently lowering Chen to the ground. "You're going to be all right." He looked back up at the rooftop. Chen's assailant had vanished, leaving only a few glittering motes of dust behind.
"Harlan..." Chen managed to rasp. "I tried to pay him... He thought I was the robber... He hired Jzuk..."
Clark nodded his understanding, but he was more concerned about his friend's health. "Don't talk. I'm going to take you to a hospital."
The doctors at the local E.R. were obviously concerned, but assured Superman that Chen would make a full recovery. Clark nodded his thanks, then flew to the Chow's place. It was empty, though. They were out, probably looking for the bracelets. He considered leaving a note, but didn't want to take the chance that the wrong people would see it first. Instead, he returned to the newsroom, resolving to check back with the Chows later.
As soon as he arrived, he changed back into Clark, then filled Lois in on what had happened with Chen. She told him that she hadn't gotten anywhere with her search; there had simply been too many students. She hadn't been able to find any solid proof of Harlan Black's dealings with Son Kwon, either. They went to Perry, to see if he could offer any suggestions. He told them that Harlan had done most of his business at the club, so if there were any records to dig up, they'd probably be there.
Perry took Clark to the club, introducing him as a potential member. They'd left Lois at the Planet, having insisted that it would be easier to get Clark inside. Once inside the club, Perry insisted that he would be the one to go to Harlan's office. He missed his days as an investigator, and, he pointe out, he belonged in Harlan's office more than Clark did. Clark was reluctant, but Perry left him no choice by sending him off on a tour of the club.
"
Uhm, Perry? Why did you bring Clark if you were only going to send him off anyway?"
"I thought he might be useful, as a backup. I hadn't planned to send him away."
"
Hmm. I guess... By the way, why weren't you surprised to hear me?"
"We've met before, haven't we?" Perry thought back over things. "No, wait. You're right." He blinked, then looked around, confused. "Who are you? Where are you?"
"
I'm Beta. I'm... a friend of Clark's."
"Oh. Well, uh... that's good. Nice to meet you."
"
Thanks. You too."
"Thanks. Now, about Clark. Like I said, I hadn't planned on sending him away. Its just that, when it came down to it, I wanted to do this myself."
"
Fair enough, but, uhm, don't you mean 'it's'? The contraction for 'it is' rather than the possessive of 'it'?"
"Well, yeah... Wait, you can
hear apostrophes?"
"
What can I say? I'm just that good."
"Uh, right. Look, I'm going to go to Harlan's office now, okay?"
"
Go right ahead."
"Thanks." Just outside the office, Perry bumped into a slim man with a cigar. Perry apologized, but the man simply walked off. Perry never even saw his face. He shrugged and turned back to Harlan's door just in time to see Harlan himself coming out. Perry tried to pretend that he'd come looking for Harlan, but Harlan must have realized what was happening. Carefully guiding Perry away from the door, Harlan insisted on taking him out to dinner so that they could have a nice long talk about insurance claims and the situation with Perry's money. Perry tried to talk him out of it, but it was no use. The two walked off down the hall. Unnoticed, the man with the cigar snuck back and proceeded to break into Harlan's office.
Later, Perry and Clark met up outside the club. Perry was upset that he'd lost his chance. Clark decided to go back inside. He'd just taken his first step when a man called out from the darkness nearby. "Got a light?"
"Sure," Perry responded, absently.
"On second thought, smoking is a bad habit," Lois said, stepping out of the shadows. Smiling, she handed them a computer disk. Never one to be left behind, she'd disguised herself, talked her way into the club, broken into Harlan's office, and gotten the files. Clark and Perry grinned, happy that she'd succeeded at the task which luck and circumstance had kept them from completing, amused by thoughts of the reactions of some of the club members if they ever found out that a woman had been inside, impressed with her daring and resourcefulness, but not surprised that she'd pulled it off. She grinned back. Perry pulled her into a hug.
A man coming out of the club looked at them strangely. Perry was suddenly conscious that he was hugging someone who looked like a man. He stepped back. "Hey, she's a girl! She, uh... She... Come on, Lois, tell the man..."
"
Perry? Why are you concerned about what this guy thinks? Besides, what are you embarrassed about?"
Perry thought about this. He hugged Lois again. "What are you looking at, anyway? Haven't you ever seen a guy hug another guy? A father hugging his son? A couple of best friends? Random strangers who like the same football team?"
The man shrugged and walked off.
Clark chuckled.
"
Hey Clark," Beta said playfully, "
I dare you to kiss her!"
"What? But..."
Lois grinned mischievously.
Clark thought about it. It was weird, but, on the other hand, how could he pass up an opportunity to kiss Lois? If he closed his eyes... He stepped forward, pulled her into his embrace. Their lips met. It started out playful, but quickly became more. Soon, all thought of what she was wearing dropped away. The woman of his dreams was in his arms, he was kissing her, and she was responding. Oh, was she responding! There was a connection between them, undeniably strong. It felt good. It felt right, on the most basic fundamental level. They belonged together. They --
"Ahem!"
Perry's polite cough reminded them that there was a world outside, and an audience. They stepped apart, reluctant but embarrassed. Silence reigned.
"So..." Perry tried desperately to find something that would shift the focus from the uncomfortable moment. "No one even suspected that you weren't a man, Lois?"
Lois looked at him, grateful for the change of topic. She shrugged. "People see what they expect to see, Perry."
Clark thought about that. He couldn't deny that it was true; it was the principle that made his secret identity possible. Who, looking at mild-mannered unassuming Clark Kent, would think to see Superman? It was amazing how easy it was for people to just overlook... "That's it!"
Lois snapped around, startled. "What?"
"We've been missing someone... it's not Chen or his grandfather, but it's a master... Or someone who has been around one for her whole life. Chen's sister, Lin Chow."
"You're right, Clark! We should go find her! Where do you think she is?"
"I don't know. There was this shop Chen mentioned. He said she liked to go there at night to buy tea for her grandfather. We could start there."
"
Excuse me? She and her grandfather have been out of the house all day. Her brother was just put in the hospital. You just figured out that she might be the one who's been sneaking around playing Robin Hood. The bad guys are after her and her family. You think she's going to be out buying tea?"
Clark looked sheepish. "Well, when you put it like that..."
"So... what? We search all of Chinatown for her?"
"
Well, Lois, you've got that disk with Harlan's files. Maybe you should go back to the Planet with Perry. You can look through what you have, try to find something usable. Clark knows Chen and his family. He can look for Lin."
Clark thought about it. If they split up, he could change into Superman and search more effectively. "Makes sense to me." The others agreed, and went their separate ways.
Flying over Chinatown, Clark soon picked up the sound of Lin's voice. He focused on it, trying to find out where she was and what was happening. She seemed to be pleading with someone... It was Harlan! He was threatening her and her grandfather. He wanted her to return the money she'd stolen. The sounds led him to the Chow's loft. He paused, hovering outside, and surveyed the scene with his x-ray vision.
Lin was being held, her arm twisted painfully behind her back, by a large man whom Clark could only assume was Jzuk Mao. He was wearing the bracelets. That wasn't good. Harlan was in front of her, talking. Behind him, Lin's grandfather was being held at gunpoint. Clark recognized the one holding the gun as the man who had been talking to Harlan the day before, when he had searched Harlan's office and found the markings on the safe. Thinking rapidly, Clark realized the man was probably associated with the Tong. That wasn't what mattered at the moment, however. What mattered was getting Lin and her grandfather to safety, and, if possible, capturing the bad guys.
"You know, I like this," Harlan was saying. "Your arm is about to be torn off, and you're little miss spunk. Tell you what. We'll table the money thing for now. There's something I want more... Superman. You have until eleven o'clock to bring him here, or your grandfather dies."
"Why wait?" Clark asked, flying in. "I can be here right now."
Harlan grinned. Jzuk tossed Lin aside and turned to face his foe.
Lin looked up in dispair. "Superman, you should have waited! Your chi is strong... I could have taught you, used the time to prepare you..."
"
Teach him? Prepare him? Just what did you think you'd be able to teach him in so little time that would offset a lifetime of training?"
"Well, I... Uhm..."
"
Right. Look, big guy... He's got magic and martial arts skill. You've got super powers. Even if he's somehow strong enough to hurt you, if you focus on dodging, he'll never be able to hit you. If you try to hit him, he can do what Lin did and use your strength against you. He can't do that, though, if you attack him indirectly. That should be everything you need to know."
Clark nodded. He circled Jzuk, staying out of reach, but maneuvering him away from the others. Like Beta had said, Jzuk couldn't lay a hand on him. When there was nothing behind Jzuk but the wall, Clark used his super breath. His opponent was blown across the room, slammed into the wall. Clark had been careful, not wanting to risk killing the man. The impact should have been enough, though, to knock him out, or at least hurt him enough to give up. Jzuk was momentarily stunned, but the magic of the bracelets made him tougher than an ordinary human.
He got up, and reached for a pouch at his belt. Probably more of that illusion dust. Clark blew again, a little harder this time. Then, while Jzuk was still recovering, Clark dashed across the room, grabbed some handy belts and sashes, and tied him up tightly. Even bound, he tried to struggle, but Clark just raised an eyebrow. He slumped, defeated. Clark took the bracelets, then turned to face the others. Harlan looked like he was about to bolt. The grandfather looked impressed. The man holding the gun looked nervous, but he held on to his hostage. Lin was focused on them. She crept up behind the man with the gun and freed her grandfather with a few quick strikes. Seeing that they were okay, Clark went after Harlan, catching him before he could reach the door.
Clark and Lin tied up Harlan and the man who'd had the gun while the grandfather called the police. After that was taken care of, Clark brought the bracelets to the grandfather.
"Thank you," he said, "but they're not mine. They belong to Lin, now." He took the bracelets and formally presented them to her. "My granddaughter... Tenth Level Yi Chi master." They bowed to each other.
Clark smiled, touched by the scene. He waited until the police arrived and everyone had given their statements, then flew back to the Planet. He found Lois and Perry there, and filled them in on what had happened.
"How did Jzuk get the bracelets?" Lois asked him.
"He used an illusion to trick Lin into thinking that he was her grandfather. He told her that she had stolen the bracelets and demanded them back. She didn't realize it was Jzuk until after she'd handed them over."
"What's going to happen to her now?"
"The police said things would probably go well for her if she returned the money. It shouldn't be a problem. She was taking it to help people pay off illegal debts to Harlan. Now that he's in custody, he won't be collecting."
"Speaking of which, I found a lot of interesting information in those files I took from his office. With that and the rest of what we dug up, they should be able to put him away for a long time."
"Now Perry just needs a new broker and everything will be fine."
"Oh, I've already got that covered," Perry assured them. "Jimmy's been telling me about his investments. Seems he's been playing the market on the computer, as a hobby. Kid really knows his stuff. I'm going to get working with him tomorrow, see how he does with real money."
Lois raised her eyebrows. "You sure you want to give him that much responsibility, Chief? He's smart, good with computers, and all that, but we're talking about your life savings here..."
"Don't worry, Darlin'. I'll be cautious. Invest slowly, run things by a professional first... Still, I think Jimmy will prove himself, in the end."
"Sounds like a plan," Clark said with a smile. If it worked out, and he thought it would, it would be good for both of them.
He and Lois left Perry's office a short while later. As he walked with her through the empty newsroom, Beta whispered in his ear.
"
Hey, Clark, why don't you ask her out? After that kiss today, I don't think she'll say no..."
Clark thought about this. It did seem worth a try. "Lois...?"
"Yes, Clark?"
"Would you...?"
"Yes, Clark...?"
"Well, I..."
"Clark, what is it? Spit it out already!"
"I wanted to know... if you'd like to go out sometime, see a movie or something..."
"Clark, are you asking me out?"
"Well, yes."
"Like, on a date?"
"Yes..."
"A real date? Like where I take out my best perfume, the one I bought after seeing 'Love Affair', the good one not the remake, and put a dab behind my knee, even though I have no idea why?"
"Er, yeah... I guess so... What do you say?"
She hesitated for a moment, but the kiss was still fresh in her memory. "I think I say... yes."
Clark was excited, to say the least, but remembered to keep his feet on the floor. They made some tentative plans, and agreed to firm them up in the morning. It had been a long day, and they both needed to get some sleep.
When he got home, however, Beta spoke up again.
"
Hey, Clark... whatever happened with those moose?"
"Moose? Oh, I forgot! Hopefully they haven't bothered my parents too much. I think they're asleep now -- my parents, that is, not the moose. I should probably take the moose back to Alaska now."
"
Good idea."
He picked them up and flew out with them. Fortunately, his balcony had double doors. The moose weren't happy about flying, but they held still. "Beta," Clark said as he flew across the country, "I want to thank you for everything you've done. You saved us from making some big mistakes, helped me beat the bad guys, and even got me together with Lois. I don't know what we'd have done without you!"
"
Oh no!"
"What's wrong, Beta?"
"
I just realized... I have a funny name, I know your secret identity, I have unique psychic powers, I helped you beat the bad guys, I got rid of Dan, I brought you closer to Lois..." There was a sobbing sound. It was another second before Beta continued. "
I'm... a Mary Sue!"
"What?"
"
I'm sorry, Clark. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I have to go."
"Beta, no!"
"
Don't worry, I'll still watch out for you. I'll look out for your mistakes, and, if anyone from New Krypton shows up, I'll take care of them..."
"New Krypton?"
"
Supposedly, a colony settled by Kryptonians who fled the destruction of the planet."
"What are you talking about? There was no colony!"
"
That's right, Clark."
"I'd know about it if there was. Jor-El would have mentioned it in his globe messages."
"
Exactly."
"Besides, there'd have been no reason for him to even send me to Earth. He'd have sent me there."
"
You're preaching to the choir, Clark."
"Come to that, I'm pretty sure he said that no one would believe him about Krypton being unstable..."
"
Clark! I know! Don't worry about it!"
"Sorry. It's just that..."
"
I know. Look, I have to go now. I'm sorry."
"I don't really understand, but if you say so..."
"
I do."
"Then, goodbye, Beta. Thanks for everything."
"
Goodbye, Clark."
By now, Clark had reached Alaska. He set the moose down in Denali National Park. They took a little while to realize that they were free and safe, but once they got the idea, they were quick to start roaming around. Assured that they were okay and knowing that they were where they belonged, Clark took off. On his way, he saw a park ranger patrolling the area on a dogsled. He smiled to himself. Whatever else happened from now on, he knew that, like the moose, there was someone watching over him. High above the mountaintops, he whispered once more into the wind. "Thank you, Beta."
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