Twins: 26/27
by Nan Smith
Previously:
"Let her go, Luthor," Henderson said. "You can't get away."
Luthor's lips stretched in a humorless smile. "On the contrary," he said, "There's still one way out." He swung one leg over the stone wall, still holding Lois tightly against him. She made a convulsive attempt to escape, but he clamped his arm around her. "Lex Luthor will not live in a cage," he said.
In an instant, he had swung his other leg over the wall. Lois cried out. Clark leaped forward, grasping for her, and Luthor pushed himself away from the wall, dragging Lois after him.
Clark was off-balance, all of his weight thrown into his desperate lunge for Lois, and he had barely grasped her arm when the sudden jerk yanked him forward. He somersaulted over the barrier; then he was falling, trying instinctively to fly, without results. He heard Lois scream, and insanely, Lex Luthor's triumphant laugh. The sounds were whipped away on the wind as they plunged helplessly toward the pavement two hundred stories below.
**********
And now, Part 26:
The wind roaring past his ears made it hard to think, but the incredibly smug expression on Luthor's face jolted Clark's brain into belated action. Luthor thought he had won by taking them over the edge with him, but he and Lois had an ace-in-the-hole.
He hoped.
*Brian!* He thought the words at his twin as loudly as he could. *Brian, help!*
A scream for help almost certainly wouldn't have worked. There were too many noises in the city, and his brother hadn't learned to "listen" the way he did for that certain kind of call, but the response to his mental SOS was immediate. Brian's startled reply resounded through his brain. *Where are you?*
*LexTower! We're falling! Help!*
They were gaining speed every second, the wind whistling past Clark's ears like a hurricane. Somehow, he managed to "swim" in the manner of a skydiver to where his partner flailed helplessly in free fall, and closed his arms around her. She clung to him tightly and he could see that her eyes were squeezed shut. The ground was rushing toward them at warp speed, and still there was no sign of Brian.
No! The red and blue of Superman's uniform was suddenly within his range of vision, but there was something wrong. Brian's flight was too slow and unsteady. His brother's powers were fading, he realized in dismay, but in spite of his obvious difficulty, Brian had come to help.
He saw them and seemed to exert all his strength. It was strange how, even in these desperate circumstances, Clark could feel the boy's thoughts. His whole body hurt, and the effort of flight was almost too much, but he *had* to reach them! He *had* to!
Then, he was there. Brian grabbed the two of them in one arm, and Clark could sense the boy struggling to hold them, fighting to keep his altitude. Slowly, they started to fall. He threw an arm around his brother's shoulders to take some of the strain and gripped Lois with the other.
"Take us down!" he shouted. "Get us on the ground! Quick!"
Brian nodded and obeyed. They swept toward the pavement, barely in control. Clark only hoped his twin could stop them before they all became pavement pizza together. Then he saw what Brian was trying to do.
"Hang on!" his brother gasped.
Clark nodded and gripped him tighter as Brian reached out with his free hand to grab Luthor by the arm.
The billionaire saw him, and to Clark's horror, began to struggle.
"Let me go, damn you!" he shouted.
The burden was too much. Brian's flight was rapidly becoming an out-of-control plunge. And then it happened. Luthor wrested his arm free and fell. Brian nearly fell too, as he fought to regain control.
"Father!" he screamed.
"Don't look!" Clark commanded. There was nothing any of them could do.
Brian brought them to a rough, half-controlled landing on the sidewalk, seconds later, his face a mask of distress.
"I couldn't hold on," he whispered.
Clark put an arm around his shoulders. "Don't look," he said again. "It wasn't your fault. You tried."
"I couldn't," Brian whispered. "I couldn't hold him."
Lois grasped his other arm. "Even Superman can't save everybody," she said firmly. "You did your best, Brian. That's all anyone can do. He didn't want you to save him."
Tears were running down Brian's cheeks, but he nodded, looking determinedly away from the thing that had been Lex Luthor. Clark turned to Lois.
"He's losing his powers," he said. "Get him back to Dr. Klein right away. Minutes count. I'll deal with Henderson."
"Do you think you can still fly?" Lois asked Brian.
The boy nodded, the tears still trickling down his face.
"Then let's go," Lois told him. "There's nothing more you can do here." She patted his shoulder. "It's all right," she said, more gently. "You saved our lives. Now it's time for you to let us save yours."
**********
It was hours later, and the sun had already set, when Inspector Henderson delivered Clark to STAR Labs. As he started to open the door, the Police Inspector reached out to shake his hand.
"Thanks, Clark," he said. "I owe you and Lois one, as much as I hate to admit it. We've been after The Boss for a long time, but no one dared to say out loud that The Boss was probably Lex Luthor. Now that he's gone, I have the feeling that a lot of unsolved crimes are going to change their status." He leaned back in the driver's seat. "You and Lois nearly gave me a heart attack on the spot this afternoon. I know Lois makes a habit of falling off buildings on a semi-regular basis, but it doesn't seem exactly your style. Try not to do it too often, okay?"
"Believe me, if it never happens to me again, it'll still be about a thousand years too soon," Clark said. "We were just lucky that Brian was still able to fly."
Henderson nodded soberly. "I hope he's okay," he said. "He may be only a copy of Superman, but he's a genuine hero in my book. Tell him I said so, would you?"
"I will," Clark said. "Are you sure you don't want to tell him in person?"
Henderson shook his head. "Superman's clone died tonight, as far as I'm concerned. He deserves to start with a clean slate. On the other hand, if you find time to bring your visiting friend by the Precinct, say, in a day or two, I could probably grab a few minutes to be polite to him."
"I'll see if I can squeeze the time in," Clark said. "Thanks, Bill."
"Don't mention it. Tell Lois I expect to see her at the Precinct tomorrow morning to give her statement."
"Will do."
Clark shut the door and stood back, watching as the Inspector's car pulled away. He'd had to tell the man more about Brian when he explained the events surrounding Luthor's death, and Lois's sudden departure immediately afterwards. Henderson had said independently that certain aspects of the story didn't need to be known. He had all the information that his report required, and the last thing the kid needed would be curiosity seekers all interested in the fact that he was Superman's genetic twin -- especially now that the cloning technology existed. It was things like that, Clark thought, that made Henderson a good deal more than just a public official.
Clark had spent hours with the police, and even more time and creativity in writing the article that would appear tomorrow morning in the Daily Planet, under the Lane and Kent byline: the article that told the (somewhat edited) story of the Superman clone, and how he had saved their lives even as his powers were failing. That part was necessary to help the public understand why the man in the Superman costume had been unable to save Lex Luthor. In it, he had implied that the clone was dying, which wasn't a lie. The rest of the story would remain untold, however. As far as the world was concerned, the clone no longer existed. In the future, Brian wouldn't have to worry about criminals after him for his Kryptonian DNA, and the one man who might guess the truth was gone. Although he wouldn't have wished for Luthor's death, all in all it hadn't been a bad day's work, he thought, as he made his way along the sidewalk toward the entrance to STAR Labs.
Lois was dozing in one of the armchairs in Bernard Klein's office when he opened the door. He entered quietly and took the other chair, watching his partner sleep. He had nearly lost her today -- for good. They had very nearly lost each other, but thanks to the brother that he hadn't had until this week, they both had another chance.
He bit his lip, thinking of that, and made a promise to himself that he would take care of certain unfinished business as soon as he had the opportunity. It was time, he decided, to bring some things out into the open for better or worse.
Speaking of Brian, where *was* he? The hum in the back of his mind that indicated Brian's thoughts, and that he only noticed when he thought about it, was still there. He must be around here somewhere, or Lois wouldn't be here. After a moment, Clark rose and went to look through the blinds into the lab.
The lab was empty, but light was coming from a small, round window on the opposite wall, and when he listened, he could hear two sets of heartbeats in the room beyond. Instinctively, he tried to look through the wall, and after an instant's effort, the scene on the other side became visible. His powers were coming back. They weren't one hundred percent yet, but the worst was over. Superman was back.
Brian was sleeping soundly in a hospital bed. A clear tube ran from an IV bag positioned above him into his arm, and as Clark watched, Dr. Klein checked the readout on a machine that appeared to be regulating the speed of the drip, then turned and exited into the lab. Clark knocked lightly on the window. Dr. Klein saw him, and beckoned.
Clark made his way to where the scientist stood, threading his way between lab equipment and other obstacles, and peeked through the window at his brother. "How's he doing?"
"Very well," Dr. Klein said. "It was touch and go there for a bit, but the medication seems to be suppressing the production of the accelerated growth enzyme, and the latest blood tests show that his body's processes are stabilizing."
"He's going to be all right, then?" Clark said.
Klein nodded. "I think so. If everything goes according to plan, he should be able to leave in the morning."
Clark gave a sigh of relief. "I was worried," he said. "When he saved our lives, I could see that he was losing his powers. I was afraid he might not get back in time."
"It was close," Klein admitted, "but I was ready for him. Ms. Lane told me what happened, and we were listening to the news, of course." He pointed with his thumb at the thirteen-inch set that occupied one corner of the lab. "Superman should be proud of him."
"He is," Clark said. He reached into a pocket and extracted the lead box that he had picked up from his apartment on his way to the lab. "He wanted me to give you this."
Klein took it and started to open the catch. Clark stopped him. "Superman said not to open it anywhere around Brian," he explained. "It's Kryptonite. It's why he hasn't been around for the past day. He thought you might want to study it, but don't let anyone know it's here."
Klein's eyes opened wide. "Actual Kryptonite? I'll put this in the vault right away -- with a radioactivity warning. That will keep unauthorized people away."
"Good idea." Clark glanced through the window again. "Can I see him?"
"Sure. Just don't disturb him."
**********
Lois was awake when Clark and Dr. Klein returned to Dr. Klein's office. She blinked sleepily and glanced at her watch. "Wow. I slept for almost two hours. How's Brian?"
"He's doing okay," Clark said. "Dr. Klein says he can probably leave in the morning."
"That's good," Lois said. She glanced at her watch again. "You know what? I'm starved."
"We never did get our lunch," Clark said. He glanced back in the direction of Brian's room. "I just hate to leave him alone. He was lonely last night."
"I'll be here," Dr. Klein said. "Go ahead."
"You'll call us if anything happens, won't you?" Clark said. "I'll give you my pager number."
"Sure," Dr. Klein said. He grinned. "It's good to know Brian has people that care about him. It worried me to think of him out in the world by himself, after he's normal. He's a pretty nice guy."
"He won't be alone," Clark said. "Some friends of Superman have offered him a place to live, and to teach him what he needs to know."
"That makes me feel better," the scientist said. "Why don't you -- or Superman, if he can -- come by about seven. He should be ready to go by then."
**********
"So, where do you want to go?" Clark asked, as they left STAR Labs.
"You pick. And did you call a taxi?"
Clark smiled. "We don't need one, now."
"You mean Superman's back?"
"More or less. How about we go back to my apartment. I'll make you that steak dinner."
"But I haven't had a chance to earn it yet," Lois protested.
"That's all right. I'd call the performance you put on for Luthor this afternoon worth an Oscar, at least. Or would you rather have Mexican?"
"No, I'll take the steak."
They had strolled some distance from the lighted parking lot when Clark paused in the shadows, and stepped away from her, glancing quickly around. "I've always wanted to do this in front of you," he said, removing his glasses. With one fluid motion, he pulled open his shirt, revealing the red S on a field of blue. Then he became a miniature tornado that stopped a second later to reveal Superman. He held out his arms. "Ready?"
She gaped at him for a second, then stepped toward him. "Ready!"
He scooped her up, and a moment later, they were soaring through the clear night sky. Clark was grinning in a very un-Superman-like way, and Lois found herself grinning back. "Do I get rides like this more often, now that I know?"
"Superman Express, at your service," Clark said. "I guess in a way I'm grateful to Luthor and Leek."
"Why?"
"I've been wondering for a while how I was going to explain this dual-identity thing to you. They solved the problem for me."
"Oh." She felt the smile fade. "You were really going to tell me?"
He nodded. "When I worked up the nerve," he said. "But, I knew I was going to have to tell you sooner or later."
"Why?" she asked.
He was silent for a moment, then drew a deep breath and it seemed to her as if he was gathering his nerve. "You know, sometimes you think you're immortal -- and then you start to think the people around you are, too. It can take just a second to realize how wrong you are about everything -- like today."
"I know."
He gave the ghost of a smile. "I almost lost you, and that scared me. If you'd died, never knowing ..."
"Never knowing what?"
He blew out his breath. "A lot of things," he said. "The most important one scares me to death, but you deserve to know. The pheromone didn't affect me, for obvious reasons, but if it had you'd have learned pretty quickly how I feel about you. At first I didn't say anything because you didn't seem interested in a hick from Smallville, and later, when I realized that maybe you actually did feel something for me, I was afraid I'd scare you away. I don't want to rush you into anything, but at least you'll know, and then we can decide if it can go anywhere. I've been in love with you from the day we met."
She stared at him in shock, then felt her eyes start to fill with tears, and impatiently brushed them away. Clark said something under his breath that might have been a swear word. "Lois, I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."
She shook her head. "I don't want to forget it." She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. "You can say you love me, even after the way I treated you?"
His arms tightened a little. "Didn't we decide a couple of days ago that that's over and done with?"
She sniffled. "I guess so."
"Anyway," he said, "I just wanted you to know. I don't expect you to feel the same way."
She wiped her face again. "Clark, I've been in relationships before. You know that, right?"
"Yes," he said cautiously.
"Every one of them was a federal disaster," she said. "Mostly, I think, because I have a habit of picking men who are jerks. I think this time is different, maybe because I didn't pick you. You picked me."
"Well, maybe," he agreed.
"The point is," she said, "I've been thinking for a while that there might be more to our relationship than just friendship. Do you mind if we go slowly and -- and find out?"
In the dimness, she saw his teeth flash in a wide, delighted grin. "Do you mean it?"
She nodded. "Yes, I do."
"I don't mind a bit," he said, and she could hear the happiness in his voice. "It sounds great."
**********
tbc
