( I forgot where we left off, so what the heck, let's just plunge ahead... wink )


CHAPTER SEVEN

Clark stared at the screen of his computer. The problem was that there were no words staring back at him. It had been two days since Lois had stumbled into his apartment babbling about Superman kidnapping her partner. He hadn't heard from her since then. Many times he wanted to call her, but he held back. She needed time, and some space, to come to grips with the loss of her friend and partner. If she needed his shoulder he would be there for her, but he wasn't going to force it on her. He knew she was a proud, independent woman. She was proud of her independence. She would need to talk more soon, and he would be ready for her when she did. But right now he would allow her to deal with this in her own way. At least for a while longer.

"Kent! In my office."

The bellow came from the direction of Perry's office. Clark glanced up in time to see his boss duck back into his sanctum. Giving his blank computer screen one last frown, he rose and headed for his editor's office.

"What's up, Chief?" Clark closed the office door behind him as he approached the large wooden desk and took the chair in front of it.

"I think that's my question."

Clark shot his boss a look of confusion. "I don't follow."

Perry made a gesture in the general direction of the bullpen monitors which were always tuned to LNN. They were currently rerunning the press conference that Arianna Luthor had called late yesterday, where she had announced more changes in the upper management of LexCorp. The media had been stunned into silence by the 'new look' Mrs. Luthor, but the real bombshell had been her announcement of the firing of Thomas Deverson as the head of her board of directors. He'd been her handpicked choice only a few weeks ago, but apparently had already fallen out of favor with her. She had cited a growing difference of opinion as to the direction of LexCorp as her reason, and stated that she would be taking over as Chairman of the Board as well as her position as CEO.

"How come we haven't printed anything much beyond a press release on this Carlin woman's take over of LexCorp? There's got to be more here than meets the eye." Perry spread his hands wide. "What's with the new look? The haircut and the clothes? This is a woman who used to grace the covers of all the celebrity mags. Now she looks like she's trying for the cover of Business Monthly."

"Actually, I heard that she's been contacted to do the cover of Corporate World Weekly." Clark grimaced as his editor fixed him with a glare.

"That's what I'm talking about. What's going on with the woman?" Perry leaned forward, his forearms on the desk. "You've written several pieces on this so far, yet they've been as dry as toast. I can tell that there is something just behind your words. You're holding back. I don't know what it is you're not saying, but that's what we need to print."

Clark sighed and stared out at the television screens. Shaking his head, he turned back to Perry. "I can't, Chief. It's only a feeling - a gut instinct about her and about how she came to be where she is. It's just too convenient - but I have nothing, no concrete evidence or proof to hang any accusations on."

Perry leaned back, giving his top reporter a searching stare. "But you do think there is something hinky about her? Do you think that she was really in cahoots with Luthor all along?"

Clark clenched his fists and shook his head again. "No, I don't think she and Luthor had any kind of relationship anymore. But I've learned that Luthor's downfall wasn't all about the combination of good investigative journalism and good police work. His demise was engineered from within."

Perry began to fiddle with his pencil. "But nothing you can print." It wasn't a question.

"No. It's a good source, but not one that is willing to go public, nor can I get corroboration from anyone else." Clark frowned again. "I'm certain that Nigel St. John was the main force behind the betrayal of his boss, and I know he had a partner, or partners, in the scheme. I just don't know who." He shrugged. "Arianna Carlin-Luthor is a likely candidate in my book."

"But..."

Clark smiled sadly. "But, I can't prove anything."

Perry nodded and held Clark in his penetrating gaze for several moments. "You know you can trust me, don't you?"

Clark bit his lip as he nodded. "I know, Chief. But not yet. I'm not the only one involved here."

Perry nodded. "Okay, you keep on it. If there's anything you need let me know."

Clark smiled at his boss, friend, and mentor. "Thanks, Chief, I'll keep that in mind."

Clark got up and turned to leave.

"But, in the meantime." Perry's words caused Clark to pause. "There's a mayoral press conference happening in about thirty minutes."

Clark chuckled. "Gotcha. I'm on it."

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

Lois frowned as she stared at the few scraps of paper lying in front of her on the desk. There had been two more incidents of youth gangs assaulting people in the downtown area in the last two days, yet she was no closer to an answer than she'd been at the start. She couldn't tell if these were just random acts by different groups, or a series of premeditated acts of violence by one particular group. Thankfully no one had been killed yet, but one old man had tried to fight back and had been beaten very badly. He was in critical condition in Metropolis General, but the prognosis was optimistic.

None of the witnesses had been very helpful in their descriptions of their assailants. Even Clark, a trained investigator, hadn't been able to give more than generic descriptions. It was very frustrating for Lois on more than one level. First, the absence of her partner was clearly affecting her work. She didn't have the same drive, and energy she usually had. She had a hard time staying focused and involved in the case.

And that was the other problem. She wasn't sure there really was a case here. Muggings were an unfortunate reality in a city the size of Metropolis, as were disaffected youth who formed into gangs and committed such acts just for the hell of it. It may seem like there was an increase in muggings over the last couple of weeks, but was it really more than just one of those statistical fluctuations which were needed to balance out 'quiet' periods to produce averages? Was two weeks really enough time to form a 'trend'? Maybe the kids were just crankier than usual, or maybe people were becoming more careless and stupid when they wandered around downtown after hours. She didn't know, and despite not wishing injury on anyone, Lois was having a hard time caring. And that was the real root of her problem.

Since she'd lost Henderson she just didn't seem to care about much. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The truth was, at present, she only cared about one thing. Finding that bogus Superman and making him pay for Bill's murder. Unfortunately, it was hard to go to your chief and ask to be assigned to investigate a murder that no one knew ever happened.

The other problem was; she couldn't even push to investigate Bill's apparent disappearance. Henderson had been covering his tracks even before he'd gone to that fateful meeting in the alley. Given what he'd intimated in his conversations with her, Lois figured that he must have been planning to not return to the force no matter what the outcome of that late night rendezvous would have been.

When she had come in yesterday she'd been told that Henderson had mailed in his resignation with an apology that he hadn't done it in person. A quick trip to his apartment had yielded nothing telling. His landlord had mentioned that Henderson had prepaid a couple of months rent in advance, claiming that he was going to be out of town for a while. Lois, who knew where Bill kept a spare key, had gone into his apartment but found nothing that could help explain what had led to the scene she'd witnessed in the alley that horrible night.

So she was stuck going through the motions on cases she didn't give a fig about. If she was going to find out what had been going on between St. John and Bill she was going to have to do it unofficially. That meant she was going to have to include Clark. If there was a Superman copy involved, who better to have on board then the original.

Of course, that meant she was going to have to call him, or stop in to see him. She'd been staying away from Clark for the last couple of days because she needed time. Time to come to grips with her loss. Time to adjust to not having her best friend around anymore. She was not adjusting well. It actually irritated her once she realized how much she had come to depend on having Bill around all the time. She had always prided herself on her independence. Yet, without her partner, she felt like she was 'less' somehow.

Clark was a wonderful man, and she had hopes for the two of them, but it wasn't the same. She and Bill shared the danger and excitement of their jobs every day. He had understood her like no one ever had, not even Lucy. With Clark, she had a solid friendship and expected it to grow as their relationship did, but it was different. While she greatly enjoyed Clark's company and loved being with him, she couldn't help but feel that nagging little urge when around him. She was very much attracted to him, sexually, and even if they were just having dinner together there was always that itch in the back of her mind that wanted to rip his shirt off and throw him down on the table right there. It embarrassed her to feel that way, and she worked at suppressing such thoughts, but they were there nonetheless.

With Bill, she never had those 'feelings'. She had loved him like a brother. There had never been any sexual tension to get in the way of their friendship. In a romantic relationship you had to work to keep it good and fresh. Granted, when it was good, it was really great, but it took a lot of effort from both parties. If one side failed, or let down even just a little, the relationship was likely doomed. She had seen it in so many couples. She had seen it with her own parents. Her folks had loved each other, she knew that they had, but they'd grown complacent and had taken each other for granted. That was all it took. The slide had been quick and nasty.

With Bill, there never was any effort required. Their friendship was so natural and comfortable, it was like slipping into a favorite pair of slippers whenever they were together. None of that hormonal stuff to get in the way.

That wasn't to say that they hadn't tried the other route. They had both mistaken their deep friendship for something more, but they'd been lucky. They had realized their mistake early enough to correct it, and their friendship was quickly restored. No recriminations, no regrets. They were both able to put their little 'experiment' behind them. At least that was what she'd thought.

Now she wasn't so sure that Bill had actually managed to do that. Her conversation with him the day before he was killed, and things that he'd told Clark made her wonder. Had Bill harbored romantic feelings for her? Was that why he let himself get in so deep? They were best friends, and friends would do whatever they had to in order to help the other. She knew that she would've gladly risked her own career to help Bill with the mess he'd gotten into. There didn't have to be any feelings deeper than friendship involved, did there?

She placed her fingers against her temples and rubbed vigorously. This was getting her nowhere. She'd been asking herself the same unanswerable questions for that last two days. She was never going to know exactly what had been going through Bill's mind when he'd decided to work with St. John. The only way she was ever going to get any peace was to expose the parties behind Henderson's murder and bring them to justice.

Of course, that presented another little problem. How does one go about bringing a Superman to justice? Even if anyone would believe her, it's not like any prison would be able to hold him.

She closed the thin folder she'd been basically ignoring for the last several minutes and tossed it back into her 'active' tray. She was going to have to talk to Clark. She'd call him tonight, after she got off her shift. They had things they needed to talk about... many things.

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

Arianna sat behind her massive mahogany desk going over some figures. Things were looking good. Much of the down sliding that LexCorp had been experiencing since Lex's death had stopped and was now starting to show positive movement again. She couldn't keep the satisfied smile from sneaking onto her face.

She regretted having to fire Deverson. He had a great business mind and a dynamic personality, but she needed to make a statement. One that would shock all the others and leave no doubt in their minds as to who was in charge. Besides, maybe his personality was a little too dynamic. She didn't need someone who might get too popular with the others and become a serious rival to her authority sometime down the line. Better to remove the risk now, while she could use the unexpectedness to her advantage.

"Mrs. Luthor?" The ubiquitous black box on her desk was paging her again.

"Yes, Gloria?"

"I have a Mr. Kent, from the Daily Planet on the line. He'd like to make an appointment to interview you."

Arianna's brow rose a bit. So, the Planet's top reporter was finally taking notice of her. She had wondered how long it was going to take for the city's top paper to stop parroting her press conferences and news releases and go after the 'real story'. Who was this woman, and where did come from? How did a former media celebrity suddenly find herself in charge of one of the world's largest conglomerates? Especially now that things seemed to be going well, her story would have even more impact.

Her office had been contacted by most of the other papers in town already, but she'd declined all the interview requests. She didn't trust them to get the story right. At least, the story she wanted out there. For that she'd need a well respected reporter, from the city's primary paper. Someone who would be believed.

Arianna turned her attention back to the intercom. "Gloria, tell Mr. Kent that I agree to the interview and make a hole in my schedule tomorrow to accommodate it."

"Very well, Mrs. Luthor."

Arianna picked up a pencil and began tapping it on the desk top. No stranger to the media and knowing the value of good publicity, she was looking forward to the interview. It should dovetail nicely into her campaign to solidify her position here, and prove to the outside world that she was more than capable of running LexCorp.

She'd have to be at her best. Kent was no dummy. He wasn't going to fall for a haircut and some new clothes. She would have to feed him answers to his questions that would allow him to arrive at the conclusions she wanted him to make. She'd also have to be careful. She'd have to be on constant guard not to give him any reason to suspect that she was more than just the unfortunate ex-wife who Lex had tried to use, and then through luck, became the fortunate benefactor of a totally unexpected clerical mishap.

A sly smile turned up the corner of her lip. She'd been in more than her fair share of interview situations and prided herself on her ability to fashion the outcome she desired. She was smart, and quite a good actress. She had no reason to doubt that the outcome of her interview with Kent would be any different. Kerth winning journalist or not, he was still just a man.

Just then the door to the private elevator opened and Nigel St. John stepped out. Arianna looked up from the figures she'd been studying. Nigel ignored the raised brow that she gave him.

"I think it might be better if you gave me warning before you pop in," she said. "What if I was in the middle of a meeting or a conference? It wouldn't do my position here any good if it were known that you came and went as you pleased."

"It wouldn't do *your* position any good?" Nigel's tone was only slightly condescending.

She met his somewhat bemused gaze with a hard stare of her own. "Yes, Nigel, *my* position." She stood and walked over to the french doors which opened out to an elegant balcony overlooking the city's downtown district. She turned. "I think you are forgetting something here, Mr. St. John. I'm the head of LexCorp now. It's my name that's now on the letterhead. I think our future dealings will be much more productive if you remember that."

Nigel looked a bit taken aback by Arianna's almost hostile attitude. "Don't forget, my dear, who put you in that position."

"I'm sorry, did I forget to thank you?" A wry smile graced her lips. "I do appreciate your efforts in my behalf, which is why you and that crazy doctor are still being funded by LexCorp. But I am the one in power now, and I don't plan to sit quietly on the sidelines while my *betters* pull my strings. I'm not going to be your puppet, Nigel."

A frown that bordered on anger transformed St. John's face. "You think that cutting off your hair and wearing corporate couture is suddenly going to turn you into a tycoon? Don't forget, I know where you came from."

"Don't be stupid," she retorted. "You know as well as I do that this haircut and the clothes are strictly for public consumption. Just as my former look had been. People will more readily believe in you if you look the part." She began to pace. "But, as for knowing where I came from? Do you? Do you really, Nigel?" She pointed to a framed diploma hanging over the mantel in the large sitting room adjacent to the den. "Contrary to what you might think, I didn't sleep my way to my doctorate. To quote that old fart from the TV commercials, I got my diploma the old fashioned way - 'I earned it.'" Arianna found her way back to her chair. "I'm quite capable of running this company, and that's exactly what I plan to do. So if we are to continue our *partnership* get used to the idea. Remember, I'm the one who has to sign your checks."

Nigel St. John stood silent, staring at Arianna for several moments before he spoke. He gave her a slight nod of his head. "As you wish." She couldn't tell if his tone was deferential, or mocking.

She sat heavily back down into her large leather chair. "Oh don't give me that unflappable Brit crappola. I know you hate this situation. That you have always hated needing me to make your plans work. Well, tough." She picked up her pencil and pointed it at him. "Your impeccable English manners don't fool me for a second. You're a misogynistic creep who absolutely hates the idea of a woman, any woman, in a position of power over you. You'd gleefully slit my throat if you didn't need me to be the public face of this company. But you do need me, and I am not only the public face of this company, but the one who is actually holding the reins. And I have no intention of handing them over to anyone."

Arianna made a show of picking up several of the papers that were currently spread across the broad expanse of her polished desktop. She shuffled through them a couple of times before she allowed her gaze to settle back on St. John.

"So," she began. "Was there a specific purpose for this visit?"

A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corners of Nigel's lips. "Actually, I came by to fill you in on our progress. We have now moved Dr. Mamba back into the Boynton facility. He will be able to resume his researches by the morning."

Arianna nodded. "That's good, I guess. What about the authorities? How are you going to keep them from discovering you're there?"

This time an actual smile did grace St. John's lips. "That is being taken care of as we speak."


Edited to add part number