When Clark returned to the Planet several hours later, he had a tired look on his face. Catching Lois's eye, he motioned to an empty conference room. She got up and followed him over, surprised when he stopped and asked Jimmy to join them and to bring his laptop. It was then she noticed the disks in Clark's hand.
After they were all in the room, Clark shut the door and turned to them.
"What we talk about here goes no further than this room. We can't discuss it out on the floor, we can't discuss it over the phone, and we're going to have to be very careful where we meet."
"Going cloak and dagger on us, CK?" Jimmy joked.
Gazing over his glasses at Jimmy, Clark nodded curtly.
"A few days ago, Lois and I viewed a videotape which showed several men plotting something nasty for our country. The plans seemed practically non-existent, but the intent was there."
Lois nodded. "The hatred was so thick, you could smell it."
"Since then, I have given the tape to a contact I have with the CIA. His superiors showed great interest in the tape. This morning, before I went to meet with them, I asked my source to show me where this tape came from. He let me search his brother Oman's apartment. I made copies of all the data on Oman's computer. Jimmy, we're going to need your help deciphering some of the files on there. I also found a notepad in the apartment - shading the top page let me see this," Clark held up a page with several scribbled numbers and letters.
Lois scrunched her nose as she looked over the paper. "Looks like it could be flight numbers and times - did you leave the notepad behind?" she asked, looking back up to Clark.
"Yeah. If the spooks are going to search the place eventually, I want them to be able to get everything they might need. I looked around pretty carefully and didn't notice anything else suspicious. Not that there was a whole lot to search. The place was Spartan."
Jimmy had finished booting his computer and was busy trying to decipher some of the files on the disk. Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath while typing in commands. Loading the second disk, he smiled.
"All right, CK. You finally learned something from me. This is a full system backup?"
Clark smiled.
"Yeah. I figured we wouldn't be able to get his actual machine, so that would be the second best thing. If we can format a machine and load this, it will be almost as if we have his machine."
"I'm all over it. Do you need anything else from me?"
"Not right now. Just let me know when you've got it operational."
Nodding, Jimmy got up, taking his laptop and the disks with him. "Will do. I'm off to it!"
Lois shook her head as she watched him go. "If we could harness whatever he runs on, we'd solve the energy crisis for the next ten years!"
Clark chuckled, then sobered as he looked at the paper in his hands.
"Does it look bad?" Lois asked.
"Lois, some of the men on that tape are leaders in different terrorist organizations. This is the first indication that anyone has had that these groups are working together towards an end. They're bad enough separately… together…"
Lost in the memories of covering the WBTH bombing, Lois shivered. She remembered the feeling of guilty-relief that so few people had been killed, and she remembered thinking that it was just the beginning - a portent of evil to come. The terrorists had very easily placed a large bomb in the basement of the world's second largest building - only Luthor's own tower stood higher. The bomb had gone off, but due to the solid engineering of the building, the explosion actually yielded little physical damage. It seemed to her that this failure had been nothing but a red flag waving in the face of an angry bull.
"Did they tell you who the Chronos guy was?"
Clark gave a brittle laugh. "Lois, they didn't tell me anything. I happened to sneak a peek at one of the documents they had - that's how I know they have id'd at least five of the guys on that tape. They were more concerned with my source."
"What did Ahmad say?"
"He told me to tell them everything. He thought it would be better in the end for his family if he cooperated fully. I'm not so sure about that, but I did my best to help his defense." Sighing, he seemed to melt into the chair, resting his head against the top of the back cushion and staring at the ceiling. "They were very interested in every detail I know about Ahmad and Oman. I hope they don't give Ahmad too many problems."
"Did they give you any grief over your travels?"
Sitting up, Clark thought for a moment. "Not really," he started, shaking his head slightly. "They asked a few token questions about how often I had traveled and what my destinations were. They seemed, strangely enough, more interested in my contact with the Guardian. One of the agents in particular - Trask was his name - asked me a number of questions about the Guardian, and what I thought his motivations are, where he's from, all kinds of stuff."
"Really? They've got a conglomerate of terrorists, and they're concerned about the Guardian? They ever hear of priorities?"
Shrugging, Clark answered, "Guess not. But I think they've decided I'm harmless. And I'm sure glad I went to Oman's apartment before they did, because I've a feeling they're going to empty the place. I've already been told that it would probably be wise to forget writing a story about this. Of course, I didn't say anything to that suggestion."
"I'd have throttled them," Lois stated, with an angry gleam in her eye.
"You'd have done worse than that, I'd bet. I've seen you in a temper, and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end!" Clark teased. Lois's back straightened, then she noticed the gleam in Clark's eye, and she realized he was teasing her. That was definitely a good sign. He felt comfortable enough to tease her.
"Ok, so where do we go from here? Any ideas?"
"Well, when Jimmy gets that computer put back together, I'll start working there. I've a feeling some of the notes will be in Urdu, and I imagine I'm the only one of us who can read that. You want to track down these numbers, see if it's a flight or train or something? I'll do some deep background on the names I got from the spooks. Do we need to clear this with Perry?"
Lois nodded. "Yeah, we better, as it looks like it might take time from our other work at this point. I got the article on the Golden Boy Barnes and the gang finished - if you want to put any finishing touches on it, we can turn that in. Did you get the side bar on Alan Morris done? What am I saying - you could hardly have had time to write that…"
"Nope, I worked on that early this morning - I don't need much sleep, and I get some of my best work done at 4am - so I just need you to look it over, and they'll both be ready to go." Clark opened the door and waited for Lois to precede him.
They were both back at work when Lois realized that once again, he had turned the conversation before she could ask him about his connection to the Guardian. She had the perfect situation, they were already discussing that very topic, and once again, he steered them away from it… if she didn't know better, she'd think he had something to hide. Actually, she did know better. She was convinced Clark was hiding something. The beeper and the Guardian - they might even be one big secret. She was equally convinced, as she was a good judge of character and had decided Clark's character was a morally strong one, that his secret wasn't anything terrible. So she would wait for him to confess.
That didn't mean she had to be patient, or that she couldn't nudge him toward that confession…
*****
Perry viewed the digitized video with a grim look in his eye. Clark had typed up a translation while Lois had compiled all the information she could find quickly on the identified men.
"You've given a copy of this to the CIA? And they're investigating?"
"Yes. They warned me off the story, but they didn't forbid it."
"Well, son, that's because they can't. Don't be surprised to find agents going through your things today, though, confiscating anything they think might be 'tangential to their investigation.' It's hard to write a story when your notes disappear."
"Already on that, chief. I've made two copies of everything so far, and I'm keeping the second copy stashed where they won't be likely to look." <unless they search Greenland a lot, that is,> Clark added mentally.
Perry nodded. "OK, this is gonna be a fine balance. National security versus the biggest story since the Guardian showed up ten years ago. I trust you and Lois to handle it - but make sure to finish up the other stuff. You have twenty-four hours to see what you can verify - then I want a preliminary story, before the competition gets it."
Leaving the office, Lois tried not to show her anxiety over the deadline. She had worked in tight situations before, but never with such pressure, and certainly not with adversaries as hard to track as these.
"OK, Clark, I've tracked down some potential matches for travel on that information you gave me. There's an Amtrak route to Seattle that has that number, a flight to Berlin, and another domestic flight to Orlando. There were other flights and such, but none that match the potential times - at least, I think these other numbers are times. Anyway. Any of those flights can be connecting flights. I'm going to see if I can't track further…"
"Why don't you see if you can link him on a passenger list?" Jimmy asked as he placed a laptop on the conference table between Lois and Clark. "Here you go, CK. I've rebuilt this system based on the recovery disks you gave me. It looks like everything's there. There are some pretty intense math applications there - but you're right. All of the notes are in Urdu, and I don't have a translator handy to load. It took me a long time because there was some basic password protection built in there, but I got through it."
"Thanks, Jimmy." Lois smiled at the young man. "Now, do you think you can get a hold of some passenger lists for us? I know it's not exactly legal…"
"Say the word. I just wish you'd give me a challenge once in a while." Jimmy smiled cockily.
Lois rolled her eyes. Chuckling, Clark sat down at the laptop and started paging through files and taking notes. Lois passed the notes on the flight plans to Jimmy, then booted her own machine to do more research on the identified terrorists and their groups. She wasn't as talented a hacker as Jimmy was, but she knew her way around.
Both of the reporters jumped slightly when Jimmy burst into the room minutes later.
"CK - they're taking your machine! And they're going through your stuff! Oh, and they're looking for you, too."
Glad he had taken the precaution of backing up his systems earlier, Clark walked quickly to the agents who were silently and methodically going through his desk.
"Can I help you?"
"Mr. Kent? We have a warrant for the search and seizure of all information pertaining to an open investigation in a matter of national security. We have already spoken with your employer, but we would appreciate your aid in this."
Clark nodded curtly. He wasn't going to win, so why bother fighting?
"I don't take notes on paper - anything I might have would be on that hard drive. I've already given you my copy of the tape; I made a digital copy that is on that computer. I met with agents from your office earlier today, and have already told them everything I know."
"And we appreciate your cooperation. Your machine will be returned as soon as we are finished with it. We also have served a warrant on your apartment, and if you will come with us now, we will complete our work as quickly as possible, with as little inconvenience to you as possible."
Not trusting himself to say anything polite, Clark simply nodded again.
"How can you just stand there and let them do this?" Lois demanded in an angry whisper.
Clark turned to her. "Not much I can do about it, is there? Besides, these guys are just the messengers. Yelling at them wouldn't help the situation, and would only make their day as bad as mine is turning out to be."
"Why are you two standing here watching these gentlemen work? Don't you have a corporate investigation to work on?" Perry reprimanded the two reporters with a knowing look in his eye. "I want that in by tomorrow evening. Got it?"
"I'm on it, Chief. But Clark here has to baby-sit the vultures when they go pick his apartment to pieces."
"Sorry about that, son. That's the business, sometimes." Perry shook his head, then looked around. "What, did someone declare this a holiday? All of you get back to work, or I'm going to be looking a little more closely when the board asks if I can make any staff cuts! Capiche?"
The rest of the newsroom quickly went back to work, leaving Clark to monitor the agents' progress.
"Mr. Kent? We're done here. I've got to say, you have one of the neatest desks I've ever had to clean out." Smiling, the agent tried to make a friendly statement in acknowledgement that Clark had been extremely cooperative, and the agent was thankful. "Now, can we go to your apartment?"
"I'd like to read that warrant first, if you don't mind. The desk is Planet property. The apartment is mine. I think I want a lawyer present, also. Just, you know, to make sure you guys are on the up and up. No offense intended."
"None taken, but getting your lawyer will take some time…"
"No, it won't." Clark interrupted, dialing his cell phone. "I alerted her earlier, when you so politely asked me in for questioning."
The agent raised her eyebrows but said nothing. It was arranged that Constance Hunter would meet them at 344 Clinton Street in half an hour.
*****
Lois looked up from her screen when Clark entered the conference room. He had a grim set to his mouth, and she had to stop herself from standing and giving him a hug. He looked as though he really needed one, but she didn't think he was ready for that kind of closeness. Yet.
"Well, did they take everything but the kitchen sink?" she asked.
Sighing, Clark sat down and loosened his tie. He unlocked the laptop while answering. "No, they couldn't take much because Constance was there. She's my lawyer - mostly represents me for writing stuff - but she was more than happy to help me out here, too."
Clark had published his work in several journals while he was an independent reporter. He had needed someone to do the middleman stuff while he was off in the remote areas he had tended to stay in - before he met Lois.
It was strange to him that his life was segmented in his mind into distinct time periods. It had always been before his parents were killed versus after. Now, he had a new time-post: meeting Lois. She had changed his life so much and wasn't even aware she had done so.
"So, CK, what did they take?" Jimmy asked, looking up from the computer he was working on. He had moved his work into the conference room, also, so that he could be on hand if Lois or Clark needed something quickly.
"A few video tapes - blanks mostly, or tv shows I hadn't gotten around to watching. They took my electronic pocket notebook, but as I back that up to my laptop daily, and I backed *that* up this morning, I don’t think I lost anything. They rifled through my cabinets and books, but couldn't prove any possible relationship to this investigation, so weren't able to take anything. Constance was a real help. One of them did compliment me on my décor, though."
"Well, wasn't that nice of him?" Lois asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Her." Clark corrected, then shrugged. "It was nice to see they have some personality. Anyway, glad they didn't look in here, eh? I called in on Ahmad, and he said they emptied Oman's apartment, as we suspected they'd do."
Lois nodded, then proceeded to show what she'd been working on. She had biographies of the suspected terrorists roughly outlined, and had been able to partially identify one of the other men by association. Jimmy was working on the passenger lists, but wasn't having a great deal of luck, despite his previous enthusiasm.
As he paged through the files on the system in front of him, trying to make some sense of them, Clark heard Lois's stomach growl. It was then he noticed how late it had gotten. He glanced up and watched her momentarily while she worked. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, taking her back and forth between research and writing. She paused only to take a swig from her ever-present bottle of spring water, and even then, her eyes continued to scan the screen in front of her.
"How about I order us some food?"
"Sounds aces to me," Jimmy piped in without looking up.
Working quietly, none of the three noticed how quickly the time went. When the food order came, Clark left the room to pay the delivery boy. He heard Jimmy's gleeful shout across the bullpen.
Jimmy was grinning from ear to ear when he exited the room. "Just going to get some print-outs. Save me some lo mein!"
As he moved some papers aside and opened containers, Clark asked Lois what Jimmy was so happy about.
"Don't know. Maybe he won the lottery. Man, that smells great. I hadn't realized how hungry I am!" Lois saved her work, then stood and stretched. Making her way around the table, she started loading a plate.
Jimmy came back into the room and grabbed the half-empty container of lo mein and a fork. Dropping the printout in front of Lois, he sat back in a chair and kicked his feet up on the table.
"Sierra Leone. Your boy went to Sierra Leone." Jimmy said around a mouthful of pasta.
"How on earth?" Clark began.
Waving his greasy fork toward the papers, Jimmy continued to eat and explain. "I got him on the plane to Berlin. He used his own identification for that. Then he continued on to Freetown, in Sierra Leone. He used his brother's name here, with his neighbor's last name. I happened to remember from traveling with my dad that there's a small airport outside Berlin that sometimes handles private flights. My dad said it was a great way to hide your tracks if you were trying to get out of Berlin. Sometimes, he knows stuff that scares me… anyway… It was a matter of hacking into their system and looking at the flight plans from that day… He's there - I'm like 90% positive."
"What about the other ten per cent?" Lois asked.
"Dude, I defy anyone to do better. I bet the spooks won't even get that far. Well, maybe they will. But you know… I learned my detective skills from the best - my dad and you!"
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Jimmy. Thanks!" Lois smiled, then sat back to enjoy her meal.
"So, we have a math geek who just happens to be a religious fundamentalist. He takes off for Western Africa. Vacation?" Clark pondered aloud.
"Religious retreat?" Lois postulated.
"No way to tell." Shaking his head, Clark swallowed more eggplant with garlic sauce.
"We could find out if any of these groups," Lois waved a hand to her research, "has any compounds in that area. There must be some way to get the record of sale of land in the area."
"If they bought it legally. Sometimes, purchase just means bribe of the local chiefs. In some countries, no one 'owns' the land except the government."
"It's still an angle," Lois muttered stubbornly.
"On another subject completely, did you guys hear about Bob Scrawes getting beat up in prison today?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah," Lois nodded. "Seems like three guys got him out in the yard and tried to beat him to death. The guards took forever to do anything. The Guardian was seen in the vicinity, and he didn't do anything, either."
"Well, I can understand the guards not doing anything. They had called for backup - they couldn't leave their posts," Clark chimed in. "There could have been a riot if they hadn't acted as they did."
Swiveling quickly toward him, Lois countered, "But what about the Guardian? How come he didn't step in?"
"Why should he, Lois?" Jimmy asked. "The guy was a convicted felon - a murderer!"
"Who was paying his debt to society," Lois interrupted, turning back to Jimmy. "It just seems like the Guardian picks and chooses… and I don’t know… how does he draw the line? Bob Scrawes killed someone, yes, but he did it because the guy raped his daughter! I'll bet the men who beat him up were in the same gang as his victim. Don't get me wrong - he isn't a good guy. He's a thief and a liar and he's probably ruined some lives. But he's also a loving father. And now, there's a girl who may never see her daddy again."
Clark paled as he listened to Lois. He heard Jimmy arguing with Lois, but the words didn't register in his mind. Placing his plate on the table, he looked down at his hands. It was true. He had heard the scream for help, and he had ignored it. He figured if the guy was in prison, then it wasn't the Guardian's problem. Suddenly, he wasn't so hungry anymore.
"CK? Earth to Clark Kent?" Jimmy waved his hands in the air, trying to get Clark's attention. "You look like someone stole your puppy. Hey, did those agents steal your puppy?"
"I don't have a puppy, Jimmy." Clark said solemnly.
"Yeah, I know. I've been to your place, remember?" Jimmy shook his head. "Just wanted to see if you were listening. I'm gonna go home for some shut eye. I'll see you guys tomorrow, ok? Thanks for the food."
"Thanks for the research, Jimmy. Great job." Lois answered.
"Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow. Drive home safely," a distracted Clark stated. Part of his mind kept trying to justify his lack of action earlier in the day. He had cleaned up a car accident on the turnpike, and was heading back to talk to Ahmad when he heard the fight. He just blew it off. He didn't even give the guy a thought.
<With great power comes great responsibility. Use your gifts, but use them wisely. We love you.> That was the last thing his mother had said to him. And he had tried. He had tried so hard.
Lois studied him, noting the remorse in his face. "You wanna talk about it? I don't think we're going to get much work done until you do," she asked quietly.
Looking up at her, Clark shook his head. His thoughts were bleak, and that showed on his face. Lois had watched him carefully through the conversation, and an idea was beginning to form in her mind. It had been there quite a while, right on the edge of her thoughts. It was the only thing that made sense, but it didn't make sense at all.
"I can't talk about it. Not really." Shaking his head slowly, Clark broke eye contact with Lois, choosing instead to look at the ceiling. The ceiling didn't look at him with eyes that accused and interrogated.
"No? You don't want to try to justify why he wouldn't save that guy?" Lois's voice was both insistent and slightly confrontational. She knew there was something there - just under the surface. A boil that needed to be lanced.
"Well," wearily, Clark ran a hand through his hair and tried to form a reply, "I don't really know. Maybe it was like Jimmy said, and he just thought the guy wasn't worth saving. Maybe he thought Darwin should take over."
"But why?" Lois asked again. "Why would the Guardian act like that? He's so selfless most of the time. He's saved thousands of people and made a number of enemies in the process. He has to hide his face for fear of losing what private life he might have. He doesn't *have* to put himself on the line all the time, he chooses to. I've seen the set of his mouth when he's too late - when the crash is too fast, or the fire too hot, or the disaster too big. It hurts him - you can see it in his eyes. He's more human than most people. Why would he hesitate?" As Lois asked the questions, she noticed that Clark got more and more tense. The answer occurred to her, but she was going to give him one more chance to tell her himself. "Why would he consider some people not worth saving? What could make him do that?"
Clark shook his head, listening to Lois and asking himself the same question.
"Do you want to hear my theory, Clark?" Lois asked, leaning across the table toward Clark. "I think he lost someone. Someone important. Victim of crime, I'll bet. And maybe the criminals got away? So he's taking out his frustration and revenge every time he refuses to help a criminal. But that doesn't really make any sense. I mean, so someone died once. That doesn't mean that other people should pay."
"What would you know about it?" Clark fumed, the turmoil in him finally snapping. His face whipped down to hers, the anger and pain not at all concealed in his eyes. "Have you ever held someone you love as they died? Watch the light go out of her eyes forever? Knowing that you could have done something - should have done something. But you didn't. They took the only people who have ever loved me. The only people who have ever truly *known* me. They took them, and they walked away. They never paid the price. But I pay. *I* pay, Lois. Every day. Every time I want to share an accomplishment with someone, but don't have anyone to tell. Every time I see a beautiful sunset alone. Every time I get the rent check from the people who work *my father's* land. Every time I miss saving someone by seconds, and I don’t have anyone to tell me that my best is good enough because it's all there is. They took my life. Why should I save theirs? Tell me why?!" Leaning his head into his hands to try to hide his pain and loss inside himself again, Clark didn't seem to even realize that he had revealed himself to Lois. The events of the day and the constant pressure he was under trying to maintain two identities all built up and took over. He just wanted to gather himself again and force those wounds to close.
Tears formed in her eyes as Lois heard the pain and torment in his voice. She walked around the table to him and gently rubbed his back. Her touch broke the walls he was trying so valiantly to rebuild.
"Oh, God, Lois. I miss them so much," he hissed, anguish in his voice. "Every day. Every second. I never know if what I'm doing is right, and I don't have anyone to ask. I'm so alone."
"No, you're not. You're not alone." Lois cocked her head and looked into his eyes, her hand resting on his shoulder. He sighed as he looked at her, and pulled away completely.
"How long have you known?"
Shaking her head, she sat back down in a chair next to him. "I didn't know. Not for sure. There were just too many things that didn't add up. Except one way. When you've proved all of the possibilities are wrong, the impossible must be true."
Clark nodded, silent. He felt washed out inside. She knew now. She knew he was the Guardian - the freak who flew. Wasn't that what the Metropolis Star called him on a regular basis? She would want nothing further to do with him. Who would want anything to do with him? His life was a mess; *he* was a mess. There was nothing to offer to anyone.
As she watched him distance himself, Lois's eyes narrowed. He was building the wall. The one that she had been working weeks on tearing down. <No way, buster. You're not getting away from me that easily…>
"So, where to now? I understand that you're going through a lot right now, but we also have this," Lois gestured to the table and its strewn contents of information. "We have a lead and we have a computer with gibberish in Arabic on it, and we have a potentially huge terrorist organization, and I need my partner to get through this. OK?"
"You still want to work with me?" Clark asked, astounded. "When I've lied to you about who I am - *what* I am?"
"You lied by omission, and it's completely understandable. I don't agree with some of the choices you've made, but you've done the best with what you have - better than anyone would expect, actually." Lois nodded and sat back, studying Clark. "Deep down, you're still an honest, admirable man, and a damn good journalist. Almost as good as me, actually." Lois tried to add a light note to the conversation.
"But, Lois." Clark shook his head, frustrated with his circumstance once again. "I'm not *normal*. Why would you still want to work with me?"
Silent for a moment, Lois thought about what Clark said. "No, Clark. You're right. You're not normal."
