Previously on TP&S II...

"Bill? Bill!" Her voice trembled and cracked. "Clark?"

Now...

TP&S II chapter five

It was raining hard now as Lois lurched and stumbled along the sidewalks of Metropolis. She was barely conscious of her movement as her mind continued to torture her with the images of the horror she'd witnessed.

She hadn't been able to move, so stunned was she by what she'd seen. It was a shock to find out that the two people she'd heard at the other end of the alley were her partner Bill, and... Superman. But there wasn't any Superman.

When she'd finally peeked around the corner, the argument between the two men was just about over. She had been able to see the fear in her friend's eyes and the sneer on the face of Metropolis' resident hero. She'd just been able to hear Superman threaten to kill Bill by dropping him into a volcano. Then, in a blur, they had vanished into the air, vile laughter ringing in her ears.

Lois' legs were like silly putty as she forced herself over to the spot where moments ago her partner had stood facing the Man of Steel. There was nothing. No indication that a man had been standing there just seconds ago. No evidence that a kidnapping had just happened and a murder was about to take place. Bill Henderson was just... gone.

A chill had run through her body and she began to shake. A single inarticulate cry erupted from her mouth as she fled from the alley and into the streets.

Somewhere deep in the back of her mind she knew she was in shock. She couldn't stop her body from shaking but she couldn't force her thoughts away from the continuing replay of the terrible scene she'd witnessed. It was all she could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other without falling over.

Zombie-like, she continued on.

*****************

Clark had been upset that no one had answered at Lois' when he'd called earlier, and again just recently. He knew it didn't mean anything ominous. She was probably just either working, or out. It was obvious that she'd been really worried about her partner, and after his recent visit, Clark figured she had even more reason to be than before. Maybe she'd finally tracked him down. Found him before he had a chance to do whatever he was planning. Maybe she was talking some sense into him. It was possible, but not likely.

Clark had an uneasy feeling. It was obvious from his actions that Henderson was planning something dangerous. Why else would he come over to make sure that Clark was going to be there for Lois if she needed him? It sure sounded like someone who didn't plan to be around in the future. And now he couldn't get a hold of Lois either. He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.

In the old days he'd just spin into the spandex and take a cruise around the city until he found her. He could've then, from a distance, seen that she was fine and she'd have never known he'd been worried about her.

But this wasn't the old days. Superman didn't fly around the city any more. So, his choices were to go out and aimlessly wander about the city with no clue, or sit home and worry, waiting to see if she called. He didn't care for either choice.

Suddenly there was a weak knock on his front door. Instantly he knew it was her, and he rushed to answer it. He was stunned by the vision that greeted him upon opening the door.

Lois was standing on his stoop, soaked to the skin in the now pouring rain. She was dressed shabbily and she was visibly shaking. The look on her face scared him the most. Her eyes appeared glazed, as if her sight were focused on something that wasn't part of the real world.

"Lois! Omigod, what's wrong?" He ushered her into the apartment. She didn't seem to know he was there. "Let me help you out of these wet things." He began tugging at her outer jacket. "You'll catch your death."

At the word 'death' she perked up and finally was able to focus on Clark. His heart ached. She seemed so lost.

"Bill's dead." Her voice was a flat weak monotone.

A chill of dread raced through Clark's body. "Oh no! Lois, what happened?" He prodded her farther into the living room, pulled the afghan off the couch, and using it like a towel, began to rub her down with it.

"He was killed." Her gaze slipped away from Clark and seemed to wander about the room. The emptiness of her stare nearly broke Clark's heart. Finally her gaze found its way back to Clark. Her veiled eyes met his concerned ones. "He was killed... by Superman."

********************

Lois was standing, naked, in the middle of a small, white-tiled room. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten there, and it took her a few moments to realize that she was in a bathroom. In fact, she was in Clark's bathroom. A pile of wet clothes was lying in one corner next to the tub and shower. She had a large soft towel around her shoulders and it felt wonderful. It was nice to finally feel warm again.

She spied a neatly folded sweatshirt and sweat pants on the turned-down toilet lid as her mind gradually became aware of her situation and her surroundings. She clamped down hard on her thoughts before the memories could come rushing back and threaten to overwhelm her again. She forced herself to stay in the here and now.

Draping the towel over the edge of the bathtub, she reached for the warm, dry clothes that Clark must have provided. The pants were absurdly large on her, but the waist had a drawstring and she was able to cinch it tight enough so they wouldn't fall off. She rolled the legs up until they were just below her knee. The sweatshirt was also large, but it was soft and comfortable. It hung down to below her butt, the neckline plunging to an almost indecent depth. She rolled the sleeves up. A small smile found its way onto her face when she saw the pair of thick woolen socks that had also been provided. They caressed her cold-numbed feet like a pair of favorite old slippers. Leave it to Clark to have thought of those.

A shiver ran through her body, but she was able to keep it from manifesting into a full blown attack of the shakes. She knew she'd been in a state of shock and probably still was, but felt a little more in control now. She glanced at the closed bathroom door. She wasn't really looking forward to leaving that ceramic sanctuary just yet. She knew she had to go out and explain everything to Clark, but that would just bring back the horrible memory of what she'd seen, and that she wasn't looking forward to doing.

She stalled a few more minutes trying to comb out the tangles in her hair, absently thinking that she needed to make an appointment to get in for a trim. Finally, realizing that she could put it off no longer, she turned and faced the door again. With a sigh, and a firm set to her lips, she took a step and reached for the knob.

*************

Clark paced about his living room like someone caged. He'd been appalled at Lois' condition when he'd first opened the door to her. She'd been dressed in old ragged clothes. A disguise of some sort, he guessed. But she'd been soaked through to the skin by the rain, and was shivering from the cold. But that wasn't all.

Something terrible must have happened. She'd been clearly in a state of shock. Her gaze had been unfocused and she didn't even seem to know exactly where she was. Then, something he'd said had triggered a reaction in her because she looked squarely at him and said something nearly incomprehensible. He could swear she'd said that Bill Henderson had been killed by Superman. Before he could even express any shock or surprise of his own, she'd collapsed in his arms.

Knowing that she could be in serious danger if he didn't get her out of those wet clothes and warm, he'd carried her into the bathroom. Quickly stripping the wet clothes off her, he turned on the shower and helped her into it. Allowing himself to get soaked, he held her up in the warm spray until she regained enough of her senses to be able to stand on her own. He then left her to finish without his assistance, hoping that she'd forgive him the liberties he took in taking her clothes off. At any other time holding a naked Lois next to him would have been the definition of heaven, but he was much too scared for her to even have it register.

Changing into dry clothes himself, he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt for her. He also grabbed a pair of thick athletic socks. Noting that she was still in the shower, he slipped in and laid the dry clothes on the toilet seat.

After that he'd begun pacing, which was what he was still doing. Her words hadn't made any sense. What had happened? Was Henderson really dead? Why did Lois think that Superman had killed him? She knew there wasn't a Superman anymore. And what did this have to do with what Bill had hinted at when he'd been there earlier? Had he been planning to meet with Superman? But there wasn't a Superman anymore. He knew that all his jumbled thoughts would become sorted out once Lois came out of the bathroom, at least he hoped that they would be. But that didn't stop his mind from its confused conjectures.

Suddenly, he heard the knob on the bathroom door begin to turn. He hoped that she was all right. She'd really put a scare in him.

When the door opened and she came out, he could feel the burn at the back of his eyes. She looked so small and forlorn, drowning in the sweat clothes that were so much too big for her. She walked over to the sofa and sat down. She bit her lip as she looked at him.

"Do you have anything warm to drink?" Her voice was quiet, but relatively calm.

Clark glanced up to see that the pot of water he'd started heating earlier for some tea was still on the stove. The burner had been turned down low but it was probably still hot enough so he hurried over to make her some tea.

As he worked in the kitchen, he repeatedly glanced over his shoulder at her. She just sat on the couch, hunched over, with her arms resting on her thighs, staring straight ahead. He was beginning to worry that she might slip into some sort of delayed shock. She must have been through something truly awful.

He poured her a cup and brought it over. She favored him with a weak smile as she gratefully took the cup. After a few sips, she set it down and looked at him. Clark had taken a seat in the chair across from her.

"I suppose I wasn't making too much sense when I came to your door earlier," she began.

Clark gave her an encouraging smile. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

"Really?" she said with an almost laugh. "I'd imagine you'd be nearly bursting wondering what I was yammering about when I first came in here."

Clark stretched his hands in the universal gesture. "I'll admit that my curiosity has been piqued."

"I'll bet." Lois closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Placing her hands on her knees, she meet Clark's eyes and began her story.

Clark's emotions ran the gambit from worried irritation at Lois' solo 'undercover' investigation, to stunned horror at her description of the 'Superman' she saw and the abduction of Bill Henderson. He was also amazed that she was even able to sit there, calmly, telling him about the tragic events she'd been forced to witness just hours earlier.

"I want you to know that I never thought that the... the person who took Bill was you." Clark cocked a brow at her. "Well, maybe in the first confused minute or two I wasn't so sure. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I know you well enough to know you could never do anything like that." She sniffed back an errant tear. "You could never kill anyone."

Clark nodded, grateful for her words. "And I don't have my powers anymore either."

She bit her lip. "That too." She ran her hand through her hair, mussing up the smooth careful style she'd spent so much time trying to achieve. "Which leaves us with a serious problem. There's someone out there with Superman's powers... killing people."

"We don't know that Bill is dead. You never saw this... person, actually kill him."

She bit on her lower lip as a tear rolled down her cheek. "He said he was going to have Bill get 'up close and personal' with an active volcano. You do the math."

Clark had been watching Lois all during her recitation. Her body was wound tight like a coiled spring. She had continued to clench and unclench her fists, alternating between that and wringing them. He could see that she still had trouble controlling her voice, even though, to the average person she would have sounded completely in control. She was on the edge.

He got up from his chair and she watched him as he came over and knelt down in front of her. He took her hands in his. "It's okay, Lois. You don't have to put on any brave front here. You can let it go."

She frowned. "I don't know what..." Her eyes suddenly began to glisten. A deep shudder wracked her slender frame. "He's gone, Clark. He's really gone." She tried to look away, but he knew that she couldn't hold on any longer. "I'll never see Bill again." Tears began to flow in earnest as Clark drew her to him. A tear snuck out of his own eye as he held the sobbing woman tightly to his chest.

*******************

Arianna Carlin-Luthor pulled the large brim of her hat lower to help obscure her face, and adjusted the sunglasses that weren't needed for their normal purpose since the sky was overcast. It had become quite a burden being the suddenly reestablished widow of the late, but not lamented, Lex Luthor. Her privacy had become non-existent. Due to the splash that had been made when it was discovered that her long-ago divorce from the billionaire had never been final, she was instantly recognized anywhere she went. If she ever did want to go out, alone, and not be bothered, she had to go in disguise.

Of course, there were compensations for the loss of her privacy. Mostly, she had access to so much money now that she didn't really need to go out anywhere. Practically anything she might need or want could be brought to her. She had staff, aides, and dozens of hangers-on just waiting for the chance to do her bidding. So, normally, it wasn't so bad to be the famous widow.

But there were a few occasions when her fame was less than convenient. Times such as now, when she had to meet with people it was best not to draw attention to. Nigel was good at coming and going with a minimum of risk to their 'arrangement'. He'd been Luthor's aide and so had become somewhat known around the offices of LexCorp and the boss's private suites, yet was never obvious or obtrusive about it. It was also generally known that St. John had been retained to help Arianna, and the new board of directors, in their transition of rule over the vast Luthor empire. At least, that was the official story.

It was the other man that she was to meet with that complicated matters. Mamba was still a wanted fugitive from justice. When the plot to take down Luthor had been devised it had necessitated the exposure of the secret lab outside of Boynton. This had compromised Dr. Mamba, who was too well known by many of the lab's complement of researchers and general staff as the head of the facility. He couldn't very well plead ignorance of the actual work being done there as could a large percentage of the staff that had been rounded up during the initial police raid.

So Mamba had been forced to flee to the safety of another secret lab located in Switzerland. But he'd made sure he had certain valuable notes and specific DNA cultures in his possession when he left. The first lab might be gone but the research went on. And apparently, very successfully.

So now Arianna found herself forced to make a clandestine rendezvous with her other co-conspirators in this little restaurant on the west side of town. Not one of the high class places she was used to, but hardly a dive either. It only took her a minute to find the table occupied by Nigel St. John and another man wearing sunglasses and sporting a moustache which hadn't been there when last they met. Obviously, Mamba, had felt a disguise was necessary also.

Neither man made any move to stand as she approached the table and slid into the unoccupied seat. "So, gentlemen, I take it from the urgency of this meeting that you have some news?"

A slight smile cracked the normally stone-like expression on St. John's face. "We just thought it would be prudent to inform you that you'll soon be hearing some remarkable news in the general media."

Arianna wasn't stupid. She could guess what that news was going to be, just not what direction it might take. "I gather, from Dr. Mamba's presence here, that our project has been successful?"

Mamba's smile was more of the self-congratulatory type. "Beyond our wildest dreams."

"That is good news." Her smile was one that she usually reserved for her clients. All on the surface, nothing underneath. "So, have you had time to look into our *other* problem?"

Nigel waved his hand dismissively. "Already taken care of. No need to worry your pretty little head over it."

Arianna's eyes narrowed as she glared at the former Luthor factotum. "Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that there isn't a brain behind this face. I didn't get my doctorate on my looks, nor am I foolish enough to think that either of you actually think of me as an equal." Her hands clenched into fists under the table. "Get one thing straight, *boys* , you need me more than I need you. I'm the one controlling the Luthor fortune now, and if you want to keep getting your pieces of that sizable pie, you'd better treat me with a little more respect."

Nigel inclined his head. "Sorry, Miss Carlin. No offense intended. But if I may? A bit of advice." He raised his head until his grey-eyed gaze met hers. She shivered involuntarily. "Never make a threat you aren't willing, or able, to back up."

Arianna jerked back in her seat as if she'd been slapped. Mamba put out a hand. "Enough bickering," he said. "Let's just tell her what we came to tell her and get out of this place. I feel too conspicuous."

"Very well," Nigel aquiesed. He turned back to her. "We have decided that our villa in Switzerland is too far away to act as a base of operations. After all, it has always been our intention to implement our plan here in the States. It just makes sense that we find a more convenient place to work from."

Arianna spread her hands out, inviting St. John to elaborate. "So?"

"We're going back," Mamba interjected.

She could see by the look on Nigel's face that he was enjoying her confusion. "What the good doctor means is that there is a perfectly good laboratory set up just a few hours outside of Metropolis that isn't currently being used. No sense in letting it go to waste."

She gasped at their audacity. "You don't mean the old mine site?" Nigel merely nodded. "But... but... that's been exposed. The police and the feds know about it. They've shut it down and locked it up."

"The authorities may have crawled all through the place, collecting all the data, and information, that we wanted them to have months ago. But I hardly think they give it much thought anymore." He shrugged almost imperceptively. "I imagine they've put a nice padlock on the front and back doors to the facility. Maybe they've even posted a guard out front, but there are other ways to get in beside the front door."

"Aren't you concerned that someone will notice?" she asked.

Mamba shook his head. "No, the only risk of being noticed is if we are seen coming or going, and we won't be. The facility was purposely built sound-proof, so no one on the outside will have any reason to suspect there is anyone on the inside." This time it was Mamba who shrugged. "Besides, we are not talking about a fully staffed research facility anymore. Just a place we can call home, while we continue with our project."

Arianna was still unconvinced. "What if someone decides to come in, for what ever reason?"

This time it really was a smile on St. John's face. "I have some ideas in that regard. We'll just have to provide some discouragement."