From part 19...
"Go, Lois," Agnes urged, giving her a little shove toward the elevator. "Go see that young man of yours. Tell him you're sorry. Grovel if you need to. But don't let love get away from you. I did once, and I've never forgiven myself for it."
Lois stopped. With a slight frown, she regarded the woman who had tears of regret sparkling in her eyes. Lost love was something she'd never heard Agnes talk about, and it surprised her to see the woman so emotional. She was usually such a rock.
"Agnes," she began, unsure of what to say. "What do you mean, you let it happen once?"
But Agnes shook her head and made a valiant effort to pull herself back together. "Right now this isn't about me. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it. Right now, you have a plane to catch."
And with that, Agnes shoved Lois toward the open elevator with more force than expected from a body so seemingly frail. Then the woman smiled and wiggled her fingers at Lois, staring at her in stunned silence.
"You tell that Clark 'hello' for me, you hear?"
The elevator doors slid shut, and Lois was alone. She adjusted the leather carry-on bag on her shoulder and then crossed her arms. Agnes's words of encouragement filled her head. 'I've always found it's easier to stay mad at someone you don't see. I bet he takes one look at you and all will be forgotten.'
Lois sighed. Only time would tell. And when she got to Metropolis, she could only hope that Agnes was right.
**********
Now on to part 20...
**********
Lois sat on Clark's couch, fidgeting with the pages of a Sports Illustrated she'd found on his coffee table. Even though it had been a long, yet thankfully uneventful flight from San Francisco, she still felt as tired as she did nervous.
She glanced up at the clock on Clark's wall. Six o'clock. She sighed and looked back down uninterested at the magazine. Where was he? She'd been there for almost two hours already, hoping to meet him coming home from work.
When she'd arrived in Metropolis that afternoon, her first thought was to go to the Planet to see him. But then she'd quickly realized how stupid that would be. Her editor knew Perry. What if Perry saw her, and mentioned to Jim Langley how surprised he'd been to see her in his newsroom that day? Jim thought she was still home, sick. If he found out where she really was, she could pretty much kiss her job goodbye. No, meeting Clark here at his apartment was definitely the better option.
"If only he would hurry up and get here," she grumbled to herself, growing more and more impatient and nervous with each passing minute.
She glanced once more at the magazine, then tossed it onto the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. She folded her arms and let her head rest back against the couch. Maybe he went off to do Superman duties after work. That aspect of his life was yet another thing she knew very little about. His life schedule was still very much a mystery to her.
The sound of a key in the front door's lock made her jump, and she sat up quickly. Her adrenaline pumping, she looked around quickly, wondering where she should position herself. Should she stay there on the couch? Should she be in the kitchen, maybe attempting to cook something for dinner? What was the protocol in a situation like this.
In spite of herself, she grinned. Protocol? Somehow she doubted there was protocol for flying across the country on an impulse, then picking the lock of a boyfriend's apartment to get in to wait for him to come home from work so she could force him to talk to her. No, somehow she suspected this was a first.
Before she could dwell on it even a moment longer, the front door swung open, and Clark's muscular form filled the doorway. Her heart did a little flip. He looked as great as she remembered in his suit jacket and slacks. He was even wearing one of those colorful ties he seemed to like so much. But she couldn't help noticing the frown winkles around the corner of his mouth, or how tired he looked. It made her wonder if he'd been getting as little sleep as she was.
He took a step into the apartment and started to close the door behind him when he suddenly spotted her sitting on the couch. He froze. She thought she saw a mixture of surprise and delight flicker into his eyes, but just as quickly, the look was gone. He frowned and shook his head as he closed the door the rest of the way, then walked warily down the steps leading into the living room.
"Why do I even bother having a lock on my door?" he asked dryly, dropping his keys onto the end table.
She shrugged and smiled a little. "I don't know. To keep out the petty thieves who aren't as good as I am at picking locks?" She stood up and walked cautiously over to him. "I see you still haven't taken my advice and bought that deadbolt."
Without responding to her attempt at levity, he jammed his hands into his slacks pockets. "How did you get here?"
"I took a plane out this morning." She stopped a couple of steps away from him, uncertain how her arrival was being received. "You wouldn't return my calls, so I decided to fly out here and talk to you in person."
Clark lifted one eyebrow. "And your boss gave you the time off out of the goodness of his heart?"
"No." Lois shook her head. "He thinks I'm home, sick."
That brought the hint of a smile to Clark's face. "I see." Then he suddenly remembered he was still supposed to be mad, and made a valiant effort to return his lips to a neutral position. He sighed again. "What do you want, Lois?"
"I want you to believe me, Clark," she began, her voice repentant. "I have no intentions of printing that story. Ever. In fact, the story is long gone. I deleted it and emptied my computer's recycle bin. There's nothing there for anybody to find. But even if I hadn't, I would never print it. You mean too much to me to hurt you like that."
"But you did, Lois." His eyes met and held hers, and she could see the shimmer of tears in them. "You hurt me more than you could ever imagine. How do I even know for sure you weren't pretending to like me just to get me to let my guard down so you could learn more about me, then put every new detail into that article?"
"How do I know you're not pretending to like me just to keep me from *printing* that article?" she challenged, the hint of frustration and anger in her voice. "That's why I vented and wrote that thing in the first place. I was feeling insecure about where I stood with you, and it's obvious you're feeling insecure about our relationship, too, or we wouldn't be having this fight."
"But how do I know--"
Lois's anger and pent-up frustration from the week finally boiled to the surface. "Clark, stop! I'm sorry I ever wrote that damned article, okay? What else do you want me to say? I'm sorry! I've said it a hundred times already, but apparently that's not good enough for you. I just told you I deleted it! The article is gone. Forever. But I doubt that will make you feel any better, because you obviously don't believe me when I say I would never have printed it."
Tears lurked in her own eyes as her voice trailed off, and silence weighed heavily in the air around them. Clark's gaze dropped to a spot on the floor that he rubbed at with the toe of his shoe. The silence continued to drag on, but still Clark refused to look at her.
Her heart sank. His silence and indifference spoke more than words could ever say, and she realized she was fighting a losing battle. He obviously wanted nothing more to do with her. Her entire body ached at the realization, and the moisture in her eyes finally started to spill down her cheeks.
Hoping to save what little dignity she might have had left, she turned and picked up her carry-on bag sitting beside the coffee table. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," she said, trying to keep her voice from wavering with emotion. "I guess I should never have come. At least no one can say I didn't try."
She slid the bag onto her shoulder, then headed for the door. She kept waiting for Clark to stop her, but he didn't. She climbed the stairs, her heart heavy, and reached for the doorknob. When her fingers curled around the cool metal, she paused. With dying hope, she glanced over her shoulder at Clark. He hadn't moved. His hands were still shoved deep within his pockets and his eyes remained on the carpet in front of him.
A sob tightened her throat. She fought it back, refusing to let herself become any more emotional than she already was. With as much steadiness as she could muster, she whispered, "Goodbye, Clark. For what it's worth, I--I do love you."
And with that, she opened the door and slipped out into the night.
~*~*~*~*~
The sound of the doorknob clicking shut echoed through Clark's head, as loud as an explosion. He stood in shocked silence, unable to breathe.
Had she just said she loved him?
The words replayed in his mind over and over again, cutting through the arguments that had previously filled his mind the last three days. She loved him.
His heart twisted painfully in his chest as he looked over at the closed door. She loved him. Any other time the words would have made him soar into the sky even without his power of flight. He had waited his whole life to hear those words uttered from a woman other than his mother, and he finally had.
'So what are you doing standing here like an idiot?' the voice in his head asked urgently. 'Don't let her go! You love her, too, and you know as well as anybody that doesn't come around every day. Go after her, before it's too late!'
The silent words seemed to jump-start his feet, and he found himself stumbling up the stairs as he chased after her. He flung the door open and hurried out into the night. He paused on the steps outside his door and pulled his glasses down his nose. With a hasty glimpse through the buildings blocking his sight, he saw her walking down the deserted sidewalk away from his apartment. He had no idea where she was planning on going, but he rushed down the steps after her.
When he reached the sidewalk, he started jogging after her. "Lois, wait!"
Her steps slowed, and she glanced over her shoulder at him. Tears were evident on her cheeks. He was beside her in a moment, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She looked at him expectantly, the pain of rejection clear in her eyes. The hint of hope shone, there, too, giving him the courage to go on.
"Lois, please don't go."
When no other words came, Lois's jaw tightened. "Why? So I can keep making a fool out of myself by telling you over and over again that I'm sorry? I can see it's a waste of time, since you obviously don't believe me."
She turned and intended to keep walking, but his fingers tightened on her shoulder. She sighed and looked up at him again. "What?"
Clark swallowed. Then he cleared his throat. Even still, his voice was thick with emotion when he spoke. "I do believe you," he whispered hesitantly. "And I--I love you, too."
Lois stared at him in surprise for a moment, then her face started to crumble. "Oh, Clark..."
In the next moment they were in each other's arms, his tears mingling with hers. He felt her shoulders start to shake as she cried tears of relief. He tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss into her hair.
After several long moments, he pulled back slightly and met her watery gaze. Then he inclined his head toward his apartment. "Can we go talk?"
She nodded, her expression one of pure relief. Clark kept one arm firmly around her shoulders as they climbed the steps into the apartment. Once they were inside, Clark let his arm fall from her shoulders and he grasped her hands tightly. She looked up at him expectantly, but it was a moment before Clark finally spoke.
"I'm sorry I'm so stubborn," he said quietly, his gaze dropping from hers to their joined hands. "My mom's always telling me it's my worst trait."
"I'd have to agree with her," Lois replied, only half teasing. "She seems like a wise woman."
The hint of a smile tugged at one corner of Clark's mouth. "Oh, that's right. You've spoken."
Lois's eyebrows lifted. "So she told you?"
He nodded. "Last night when I was over there for dinner. Apparently you called while I was out in the barn with my dad." His smile grew. "What did you say to her? I think it was safe to say you'd won her over."
"I did?" She seemed pleased. "Well, I'm just glad she didn't think I was a stalker or something. I was really worried about calling there, but your mom was really sweet about it." She frowned as her thoughts turned back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, I was just so upset when you left, and then you wouldn't return my calls. I was worried that I'd ruined what seemed like the start of something really great..."
A leftover tear escaped and slid down her cheek. Clark sighed as he lifted a hand to gently wipe it away. "So you still think we have something worth pursuing?"
Lois nodded, her eyes bright. "I do." Then she paused, and her expression became cautious. "Don't you? I thought you said--"
"That I love you," he finished for her quietly, a slight blush creeping across his cheeks at the memory of his bold admission. He inclined his head slightly, then sighed and let his hand slip from her cheek and return to his side. "I do. I guess I wanted to make sure you thought still felt that way, too."
He didn't say anything else, but Lois saw the muscle working in his jaw and the pensive expression on his face. It was clear he still had something more on his mind.
"Clark?" she spoke quietly, reaching for his hand. "What is it? What are you thinking?"
"I don't know," he began, breaking eye contact and sliding his hands into his slacks pockets. "I was just thinking about what you said earlier...about how we're both so insecure about where we stand with each other, and where this relationship might be going. You're right. That's exactly what I'm feeling." He shook his head and finally looked back up to meet her gaze. "I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I've never felt the way about anybody the way I feel about you. I've dated a little, but I've never felt comfortable going out with anybody on more than a casual basis because of who I am and what I can do. It just seemed too risky. If something slipped and that person found out about me, and decided to reveal what they knew...well, you know what consequences I'd be facing."
Unexpectedly, he felt Lois's fingers grasp his, and he squeezed them lightly. "You were the first person I've wanted to take that chance with, and when I saw that article on your computer, all those fears came to the surface. Like I said, I've never shared so much of myself with anybody before, and it's scary, no matter how many reassurances you give me that my secret is safe with you. In my heart I trust you, but I've spent so many years protecting and distancing myself from everyone that it's hard to get past that instinct. I guess that instinct has produced a lot of insecurities."
He swallowed, trying to muster his courage to ask the question that had been on his mind since the day Lois had boarded her plane to go back to Metropolis. Finally he forced himself to go on. "I know this is pretty early to ask this question, since we've only been seeing each other a couple of weeks, but...where do you see us going, Lois? Where do we stand with each other? I mean, we just said that we loved each other. Did you really mean that? I know I did when I told you that, but--"
Lois grinned at the beginnings of his own babbling and reached out to clasp his other hand, as well. She squeezed them both, causing him to fall silent. "Clark, I meant it," she reassured him softly, taking a half step closer. "I do love you. Which is crazy, I know." She shook her head. "We *have* only known each other for a few weeks, like you said, but...I feel something very strong between us, a kind of connection I've never felt with anybody else before. Not that I've dated that many people, either; I've always been kind of a loner. And to be honest, I really don't have any desire to see anybody else right now. What you and I have is more than I could have hoped for, and...well, I'd like to give this a chance to see where it might go."
Clark let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Oh, Lois, I was hoping you would say that. I feel the same way." He pulled his hands from hers and reached up to cup her face gently in his hands. He stroked the skin along her cheekbones with the pad of his thumbs and met her gaze unwaveringly. "Right now I can't possibly imagine feeling the way I feel about you with anybody else. I feel the same connection you do. It's so strong I don't dare let it go."
For what seemed like forever, they stood there in silence, enjoying the warmth their words had brought. Their fingers lingered on each others, touching, soothing, comforting. Finally Lois voiced the question she knew was as much on Clark's mind as on hers.
"So, where do we go from here?" she asked, her voice contemplative.
Clark's fingers tightened around hers. "Like you, I would really like to give our relationship a chance and see where it goes. If you can forgive me my insecurities, that is." He smiled wryly and was rewarded with a responding smile from Lois. "I have to be honest with you, though--I'm kind of struggling right now with the whole trying to be two people thing. If I seem distracted from time to time, or end up darting out on you when we're together, I hope you'll understand that it doesn't have anything to do with you; it's just me trying to find a way to make everything work."
"I understand." Lois caressed the back of his hand with her thumb. "But I want you to know that you don't have to do everything by yourself. I've known you long enough to see that you have this real stubborn streak, and seem to think you need to do everything yourself and never ask for help. Well, those kinds of habits are going to make you unhappy in a hurry. You have a lot of people who care about you, and want you to be happy--especially me. If you start to feel overwhelmed or need help...or even just somebody to talk to or vent, ask. I know that's hard for you to do, but if we're going to make this relationship work, we need to communicate better."
"I know we do. And I promise I'll do better. You have to promise me something, too, though."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "What's that?"
"That you'll be honest with me about your feelings. If you feel frustrated or angry with me about something, promise me you'll let me know. I don't think I could bear to have another few days like we just had, with things unresolved. I know it was my fault for flying off the handle and not listening to what you were trying to explain, but if we communicate better, I think we can get through any rough spots down the road."
"I agree."
"But there's one more thing I need you to promise me." His tone was serious, and his brow furrowed in a slight frown. "You have got to promise me you'll be careful about what you say about us to Agnes or anybody else back home about us. Long distance relationships are supposed to be hard, and I don't want anyone getting suspicious about our frequent visits. If someone finds out I can drop in on you at the drop of a hat, my cover would be blown, and *you* could be in danger. You'd be a target, just like we talked about two weeks ago."
"Clark, don't worry; I won't say anything that will make anyone suspicious."
But Clark's frown deepened and he shook his head. "I don't think you're getting the gist of this," he went on. "It can be the little things that could make people suspicious without even realizing we're doing them. Take last Friday night, for example. I was on my way out of the Planet after work to go home and get ready to see you when Jimmy asked me if I had a hot date." His frown relaxed a bit and he smiled at the memory. "I barely managed to stop myself from telling him I had a date with you. It's things like that that could get us in trouble. And take that tabloid reporter you ran into the other day while you were out talking to sources. What if that guy had stumbled onto your article instead of me? You would have instantly become a target. And I don't want that to happen."
"The article is gone," she reminded him matter-of-factly. "It's no longer an issue."
"I know, but I'm just using that as an example. It's too easy to slip up and think nobody's going to find out something. It's a worse can scenario, but I'm just concerned about protecting you. You're already way too impetuous for my liking." He smiled a little, but his eyes reflected the seriousness of his request. "Please promise me you'll be careful, both with what you tell people and what positions you put yourself in. Now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you."
"You're not going to lose me," Lois told him, slipping her hands out of hers and placing them on his cheeks lovingly. "Unless you decide to let that stubborn streak of yours get the better of you again." She made a face, and he smiled.
"I'm sorry about that," he said, reaching up to run his hand lightly along the back of her hand and over her wrist. "I promise I'll try to talk things out before flying off angry."
"Promise?"
He nodded. "I promise. And you?"
She rolled her eyes, but a smile lurked at the corners of her mouth. "Fine. I promise, too. But being impetuous is part of who I am. I can't promise I'll stop entirely, but I will try stop and think before rushing in from now on. Deal?"
Knowing that was as probably as much as he could ask for, he nodded. "Deal."
They didn't say anything for a moment as they stood, inches from each other. Finally Clark grinned, his eyes mischievous. "What do you say we seal the deal with a kiss?"
Lois smiled back. "I thought you'd never ask."
Without hesitation, Clark leaned toward her and kissed her lightly, savoring the sweet touch of her lips on his. He felt her slip her arms around his neck and his heart started to pound. Even a couple of hours ago he hadn't been certain he would ever kiss Lois again. But here they were, still very much together. And in love. He couldn't think of any place he'd rather be.
When their kiss finally ended, he leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers, feeling dazed and breathless. He grinned at her when he saw she looked just as affected by their kiss as he. "You're going to have to be careful. I can get used to doing that."
She giggled softly and lifted herself up onto her toes to kiss him again lightly a couple more times. "Then maybe we need to do it a little more often to desensitize ourselves, don't you think?"
"Mmm," he mumbled in between kisses. "Somehow I don't think it works that way, but I'm game to try."
She laughed again, and their light teasing kisses continued for a few minutes. At last Lois forced herself away and asked, "So, tell me. What happens now?"
Clark's confusion at her question was evident on his face. "What do you mean? I thought we just talked about--"
"No, I mean *now* now," she tried to clarify with a shy smile. "I mean, my boss thinks I'm home in bed, sick."
A look of sudden understanding registered on Clark's face. "Oh! I get it." A slow smile started on his lips and worked into a broad grin. "In other words, you're finding yourself in a bind. You somehow need to get back to San Francisco, probably before work tomorrow. And if I know you, you only bought a one-way plane ticket. Is that it?"
Lois rolled her eyes and reached out to pinch him. "You're enjoying rubbing this in, aren't you?"
He laughed. "Yeah, you could say that. What would have happened if I'd continued to be my usual stubborn self, and hadn't run after you when you left my apartment earlier? What would you have done then."
"I didn't even want to consider the possibility." She frowned. "I was trying to think positive."
"I see. So, now you need an alternate form of transportation home. Am I right?"
She nodded. "If that's possible. I mean...*is* it possible?"
Clark smiled and shrugged. "Sure. It might be a little chilly, but I can loan you a jacket or something. And it would probably take a lot longer than if I were to fly the route alone because I wouldn't want to risk hurting you."
"You mean I'd be stuck in your arms with your undivided attention for a long period of time? Yeah, that sounds just awful," she teased, moving in closer and putting a hand on his chest.
His heartbeat quickened, and he was certain she could feel the extra movements under her hand. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair lovingly behind her ear and smiled down gently at her. "I agree. It sounds terrible. But, seeing you have no other way to get home tonight..."
She grinned and stood one her tiptoes once again to press a light kiss to his lips. "I'm glad I could talk you into it."
Clark savored her kiss, then took a step back reluctantly. "Let me grab a jacket and then we can go."
He hurried off to get the warmest jacket he could find, then spun into his Superman costume in his bedroom, leaving his work clothes on the bed. He returned moments later to find her picking up her carry-on bag from its place next to the coffee table.
"Here, let me get that for you," he told her, lifting it from her shoulder and placing the strap on his. A slow grin crossed his face. "If you were thinking so positively by only purchasing a one-way plane ticket here, why did you bother packing an overnight bag?"
She shrugged. "I'm a girl, okay? The thought of not packing at least the barest essentials in case of emergency goes against everything I know. Besides, I planned to stay until you agreed to hear me out, even if it took an extra day."
She turned to slip into the coat her held open for her, and Clark straightened it on her shoulders. "I hope it's warm enough," he said. "Being invulnerable, I don't exactly own the world's warmest clothes."
"That's okay," she said, snuggling into the fleece lining of the suede work jacket. "This is nice and warm. It looks like something you'd wear out on the farm."
He grinned. "It is, actually. It was a Christmas gift one year from my mom and dad's neighbor, Wayne Irig."
"That was nice."
"Yeah, he does things like that. He only has a couple of daughters who have grown up and moved away, so he liked to have an opportunity to spoil me when mom and dad would let him." He took a step toward her as soon as she was done zipping up the coat. "You ready?"
She tipped her face up to see his from their close proximity. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Clark picked her up and gathered her into his arms. Then he smiled down at her. "I can get used to this, too."
"Sweeping me off my feet? I'm already used to it," she breathed, straightening in his arms to treat herself to another kiss.
He groaned. "Okay, that's enough of that. You're making it impossible for me to maintain any kind of self control. If we don't leave now, I might be forced to keep you here forever. And I'm not sure your boss would like that."
She smiled and gestured to the window where she'd seen him enter his apartment during her last visit to Metropolis. "Then let's be on our way."
The trip didn't seem to last long enough for Lois's liking, and before she was ready, they were touching down on her apartment's private balcony.
He set her down carefully and grinned at her moan of protest. He reached up to place his hands over her pink cheeks. "You look like you're freezing. Maybe I should come in and help you get warm."
She lifted her eyebrows and the innocently phrased suggestion. "Oh really?" she responded mischievously. "And just how do you plan to do that?"
A blush instantly colored his cheeks. "Oh, I didn't mean--I mean, I didn't--"
Lois laughed at his obvious discomfort. "Relax, Clark, I was just teasing. You are welcome to come in, though--even though I'm not sure it would be a good idea. If you did, *I* might be forced to keep *you* here forever, and I know Perry wouldn't be happy about that."
Clark relaxed and chuckled at her turnabout of his previous words. "You're probably right. It is getting late--even here on the west coast--and you look exhausted." He reached up to run the pad of his thumb under one of her eyes. "It doesn't look like you've slept much the past few nights. I'm sorry about that."
"Our fight was more my fault than yours. If I had never written that story in the first place--"
"Shhh." He put a finger on her lips to silence her words. "Let's forget about that, okay? It's over. Let's move on."
She relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."
Clark let his finger trace along her lower lip, and his eyes flickered down from hers to the softness of her lips. Then, unwilling to stop himself, he bent over and kissed her one last time, savoring the heady feeling that clouded his mind whenever he was lucky enough to find himself kissing her.
Finally they pulled apart, and Clark's hand lingered on her cheek. "Goodnight, Lois. I'll call you tomorrow?"
"I'd like that." She smiled. "And if you really were serious about us trying to see more of each other, I'd love to see you every chance you get--even if it's just you popping by after a rescue out west or something."
"It's a deal." He grasped her hand and gaze it a squeeze. "When I call you tomorrow, let's talk about what we can do to make this as normal a relationship as possible. I'm going to want to see a lot of you, you know."
"Good, because I want the same thing." Lois squeezed his hand back, then released it.
Clark moved past her to check the sliding glass door. When he found it unlocked, he slid it open and gestured inside. "Go on in and get warm. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
She walked toward him and the door, pausing in the opening to smile at him. "Thanks for the ride home."
"It was my pleasure, Lois."
He made sure she was safely inside, then slid the door shut behind her. "Goodnight, Lois," he mouthed, then smiled as she mouthed a 'goodnight' back. With a heart lighter than it had been in days, he lifted off into the sky and headed back to Metropolis. He took his time, enjoying the sense of peace that always came from being among the dark, night sky. This time, however, he realized it was no longer the only place he could find that sense of peace. He had found it in a beautiful, energetic, impulsive young woman named Lois Lane, a woman who told him tonight she loved him.
He sighed happily. In the past he'd always found a sense of peace and belonging in the heavens, but now, knowing the woman of his dreams loved him, he realized he had found his own piece of heaven right there on earth. And now that things were finally right between them, he couldn't imagine anything ever dragging him down again.
**********
Lex was just shutting down his laptop for the night and turning off his desktop lamp when Nigel appeared in the doorway.
"Nigel," Lex greeted him indifferently as he stood up from his chair and started putting papers in his briefcase. "You're here late."
"Yes, sir, but I thought you'd like to see what just came in." He walked over to Lex and handed him a sheath of papers.
Lex took them and glanced down at the papers briefly. "What is it?"
"It's a report I managed to obtain from a group designated as Bureau 39."
"Bureau 39," Lex repeated, his interest mounting. "I know that name."
Nigel nodded. "The covert military group on the outskirts of approval that we've managed to connect with in the past regarding other matters. I received a tip yesterday that they had developed a sudden interest in Superman, so I managed to pull some strings. What you're holding is their latest intel. They have one rather promising theory."
Lex turned his attention from his briefcase to the papers, glancing through the first couple of sheets. "Really? And what is their theory, exactly?"
"Apparently they've been studying a piece of meteorite discovered in Kansas back in the mid '60s...near the site of a space capsule that crash landed in a farmer's field."
Lex's eyebrows crawled clear up to his hairline. "A space capsule?"
Nigel nodded. "Their working theory is that this...Superman...came to earth as an infant in the space capsule. They had been tracking meteorite activity for a couple of weeks before the day they found the capsule, and found it had grown increasingly heavier until the time a few locals reported a flash in the sky and some UFO sightings. They went to investigate, and that's when they found the capsule and a large amount of glowing meteorites."
"Glowing?" Lex frowned. "Were they radioactive?"
"They appeared to be, which is what caught their interest in the meteorites at first. When the capsule was found, the scientists surmised the two could have possibly come from the same origin. If that's the case, they may have something to do with Superman."
Lex's eyes held a new gleam of interest. "Have these bits of meteorites been tested? Were they indeed radioactive?"
"Yes, but not strongly enough so to be harmful to humans. It does seem to contain an unknown toxin, however. The reports give the test results, and scientific opinion suggests the combination of radioactivity and toxicity could have been responsible for a planet's explosion."
"Which could explain why someone would launch a space capsule and possibly jettison a child off to another planet." Lex looked thoughtful. "And while the meteorite may not appear to be harmful to us..."
"...it might prove to have an effect on Superman," Nigel finished. "It is a possibility, sir."
Lex contemplated for another few moments, then resumed his task of putting his papers into his briefcase. "Nigel, pay them whatever they ask for pieces of this meteorite. I think we'll do a little testing of our own...firsthand."
**********
to be continued in part 21...
