Previously...Part 5
Luthor just sold the Planet to Franklin Stern. Said it would be a loss to him. Now I’m figuring that this marriage to Lois, you being stuck in Japan and this exchange of money is all tied together. Luthor doesn’t need the Planet anymore because he’s got Lois. He can control her now that she doesn’t work here anymore. She works for LNN, officially, now. Mr. Stern didn’t want to see a good newspaper’s demise, so he bought it. The closing takes place in the morning.”
“That’s great, Perry. So…?”
“Well, now I can maneuver because Luthor won’t be looking over my shoulder anymore. I’ll just explain the situation to Mr. Stern and we will probably get you home sooner.”
“Think so, Perry?”
“Yea, son, I do.”
“Thanks for calling, Perry.”
“See you soon, son.”
Clark turned over and went back off to sleep. Maybe things would be okay.
What A Husband Should Be 6/?
Thursday morning, Lois woke up early and got dressed for her new job at LNN. She wanted to make a quick stop by Lex’s penthouse to have a cup of coffee with him and go over some last minute details before work.
When she arrived at the entrance of the penthouse, then guard was preoccupied on the phone. Lois stood there for a few minutes waiting for the guard to get off of the phone, but he continued to talk. It seemed that the conversation involved someone complaining. Lois decided to just take the opportunity and catch the next elevator up. She had never been able to surprise Lex because he was always buzzed and told that she was coming up. Now was her chance.
When Lois arrived on the 120th floor where the entrance to the penthouse was, she got off of the elevator and proceeded to the door. There was a vestibule right inside of the main door and then the door to Lex’s office. A security person always stood at the entrance to his main living quarters. Once inside of the vestibule Lois was about to turn to head down the hall to Lex’s living quarters when she heard Lex’s and Nigel St. John’s voices coming from his office. It was mostly Lex and it seemed that he was talking on the phone. She stopped at the door and tried to listen and what she could hear was very frightening.
“Kent wont be able to get back until after the wedding, at least a month…Ms. Cox at the department of vital records deleted him from the US government system. She should have destroy all hard copies as well. I’ll just keep her stringing along…eventually she’ll forget about him…I’ve destroyed Superman, what makes you think Kent would be any kind of challenge? I’ll control Lois, like I said, and after we’re married, she’ll do as I say or pay the consequences…”
“Mr. Luthor, will you be needing my services?” the English accent inquired.
“I’m sure that some…exterminating…will be in order. Oh, are the surveillance devices in Ms. Lane‘s apartment?”
“Yes, Sir, and the Daily Planet, Sir.”
Lois had heard all she needed. Clark was right…again. He saw through Lex all the time. <Oh my God, I’ve got to help my best friend. He would have never left me.>
Lois had to make this visit to Lex look authentic because she didn’t want him suspicious. So, she turned left and proceeded in her initial direction, towards the main living quarters to make it look like she was there looking for him.
When Lois approached the door, the guard asked, “May I help you?”
“Yes, Lois Lane for Lex Luthor,” Lois responded, trying to keep her calm.
“Just a moment, Ms. Lane. He’s in his office. I’ll get him…”
“Oh, no, that wont be necessary. It’s really not that important. I can just catch him later,“ Lois stuttered.
“Are you sure, Ms. Lane?“
“Absolutely. But if you would, please tell him to give me a call later.“
“Sure thing, Ms. Lane.“
Lois turned and headed back for the elevator. When the elevator car arrived, Lois noticed that there was another elevator at the end of the hall without floor markings, like the others and wondered where it went. Her curiosity got the best of her so she decided to get on to see where it went.
When the door closed to the “secret” elevator, it started to move without any instruction, downward. After a short time on a ride that seemed only fit for the freight elevator, the car stopped and the door opened. Lois got off and looked around. It seemed that she was in an old closet or cellar. There was a lead door to her left. The door was cracked just enough for a shimmer of light to escape. Lois went over to it and pushed it open. There were stairs immediately and what seemed to be wooden barrels at the foot of the stairs. A wine cellar…Lex aged his own wine she thought.
Lois proceeded down the stairs, periodically looking over her shoulders to be sure that she wasn’t being followed.
When Lois got to the bottom of the stairs, what she saw made her gasp out loud. She saw a cage the had slightly green bars, like a jail cell, and Superman’s cape inside of it, in the middle of the cage floor. The door stood open. And no one had to tell her what the green bars were made of.
Lois reflexively covered her mouth in angst and ran back up the stairs the same way she came. She got onto the elevator and headed back up to the 120th floor as it proceeded back to without instruction. Apparently it was a private elevator that only went between the basement and 120th floors.
Once on the 120th floor the door opened and Lois stepped out, right into the security guard.
“Ms. Lane…?“
“Oh…I…um..I seemed to have gotten on the wrong elevator. As…as soon as I got on I realized it and got right off.“
“Yes, Ms. Lane,” the guard said suspiciously. “Now you have a good day now, hear?“
Lois got onto the proper elevator, went down to the first floor and exited Lex Towers. When Lois finally exited Lex Towers she couldn’t get to her Jeep fast enough. She got inside of her Jeep, started the engine and proceeded out of the area headed towards the Daily Planet. Upon arriving inside of the parking garage of the Daily Planet, Lois sat quietly in her Jeep and began to replay all that had just happened. She had dared not think until she had made it to a safe place.
Lois thought <Oh my God! Lex killed Superman. Clark was right. How could I have been so blind? I‘ve got to help Clark to get back home...I‘ve got to call him…I shouldn‘t have turned him down…what have I done…Clark will never forgive me…I‘ll never forgive myself if something happens to my best friend.>
Then Lois placed her face in her hands and started to sob.
A tap on the Jeep’s window startled Lois out of her depression. When she looked up, it was one of the Daily Planet security guards.
“Miss, are you okay. I saw you drive in almost an hour ago, but no one got out so I just wanted to make sure that you were alright.”
“Yes, I’m fine thank you,” Lois replied as she opened her car door. “Thanks for checking.”
“Sure thing Ma’am,” the security guard replied as he tilted his hat and walked away.
“Mr. Luthor, it seems that you had a visitor in your cellar. Look at this,” the security guard stated to Lex Luthor as he handed him a video surveillance tape.
“Apparently, Ms. Lane doesn’t know that her every move is being recorded,” Lex scowled in one of his most sinister voices. “So, she now knows that Superman was here. I just wish I knew what really became of that freak. But we’ll be married on Saturday, in two days. Then I’ll be sure that she understands who’s boss. And I will curb that curiosity of hers.”
Lois entered the Daily Planet newsroom, looking around. My how she missed it already. She walked over to what used to be her desk. It was unoccupied and cleaned out. She lightly touched it as she walked by. But that wasn’t enough. Lois pulled out the chair and sat in her old seat. Why did she ever give up her job at the Planet? In the back of her mind, she knew that going to work for LNN was a mistake and maybe she should come back to work at the Planet.
<Stupid…the whole marrying Lex thing was stupid. You should have listened to Clark…He’s your best friend and he loves you…what did he have to gain by lying to you? He had your best interest in mind all the time.>
She then looked over at Clark’s desk. It looked like Clark, neat and tidy but clearly the etiology of a lot of good work. She got up and walked over to it. She sat in Clark’s chair. Yea, she had to get him back home. She was missing looking over at him already and the way their desks were arranged was just…right.
Lois was caught up in her thoughts when Jimmy came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. The touch startled Lois back to reality.
“Oh, God, Jimmy you scared me…”
“Sorry Lois…talked to CK? We really miss the team around here. Sure wish things would go back to the way they were…”
“Jimmy! That’s sort of why I’m here…”
“To come back to work at the Pla…”
“I need to see Perry. Is he in?”
“Yes, darling, I’m right here,” Perry responded behind Lois.
“Perry, I need to talk to you, but not here. Here, let’s…” Lois started as she grabbed Perry’s hand and headed to the roof of the Daily Planet.
Once on the roof of the Planet, Lois began to pace. Perry knew this as a sign of nervousness. But he waited patiently for Lois to start talking. Just from knowing Lois, he knew that it was better if he just let her get to it in her own time and not rush her. He knew she’d eventually spit it out.
“Perry, Clark was right and I didn’t listen to him. Lex is responsible for whatever happened to Superman. He bugged my apartment and probably the Planet as well…he is the reason that Clark is stuck in Japan. He wants to kill Clark and probably me, too if I get in the way…”
“Hold just a damn minute…you’re rambling…what did you just say?” Perry asked in disbelief.
Lois proceeded to tell Perry what she had overheard in Lex’s penthouse. She told him how she snooped in the cellar and that she was virtually sure that no one suspects that she was even there.
“I have friends over at the department of vital records who owe me favors. I’ll get right on that lead.”
“I need to go back to Tokyo…to Clark. I think Clark and I can get more accomplished together. You should contact me by my cell phone. I’m going to get another one right before I leave for Tokyo with prepaid minutes so that no one can trace my calls. I’ll give you the number before I leave.” Lois then hesitated and said, “Oh, and Perry, one more thing…”
“Done…I’ll have a ticket waiting for you within the hour. But, Lois what about your wedding? I guess it’s safe to assume that there will be no wedding, that you’re not marrying Luthor.”
“Like you said Perry, you didn’t become Editor in Chief because you could yodel,” Lois smiled.
“When are you planning to tell Luthor?” Perry inquired.
“I’ll call him,” Lois responded, nervously. She then stood on her tip toes and gave Perry a kiss on the cheek.
“Uh, Lois, just for the record, Kent…Kent loves you unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. That boy’d walk on water for you, or die trying,” Perry conveyed.
“I know, Perry…now,” Lois responded sincerely.
“Be careful.”
“I love you, Perry…thanks.”
“You get outta here,” Perry demanded. Mr. Stern couldn’t close this Planet deal fast enough for Perry‘s sanity.
When Perry got back to his office, there was a voice mail from Mr. Stern. He now owned the Planet. Perry was ecstatic…a prayer had been answered.
tbc…
