Investigate: IntergangBy Blueowl
Summary: Act II of AU series, Investigate. With Luthor's empire in shambles, another quickly moves in to take its place. However, they didn't account for Kent, not to mention Superman's direct approach. Private Investigator & prior military Kent. More assertive and proactive Superman.
A/N: Another special thanks to Morgana, Chereche, and Mary who helped beta this fic and/or acted as soundboards ^_^. And thanks to those on FOLC's Skype group who helped me clarify ideas.
A/N 2: Reading Investigate is strongly recommended. It can be found here:
Investigate______________________________________________________________
However, since regaining his memory, he knew one thing: He needed to be Kal-El as much as he needed to be Clark.
He could not be whole otherwise.
Entering his apartment, he turned on the television, preparing to wind down and call it a night. Unfortunately, what he saw on the news channel instantly changed his mind.
A sonic boom roared overhead.
O o O o O
--End of Act I
CHAPTER 1: ReturnThe azure blue skies were blissfully clear and the ocean below churned lazily as a cruise liner rode the waves, but the people onboard were a far cry from enjoying the spring day.
“To the main deck! This way to the rafts!” the crew ordered, ushering the frightened and confused passengers as calmly as anyone could given the situation.
Smoke was pouring from a cluster of windows on the port side, even as the waterline continued to creep closer to the level of the lower deck, eclipsing many of the cabin windows.
They were sinking.
Hundreds of passengers were on the main deck, and hundreds more were clamoring from their cabins, quickly realizing this was a real emergency. Suddenly, the vessel rocked violently to the side with a resounding boom. The black greasy smelling smoke thickened, billowing up from areas it had not been moments earlier.
“What’s happening?!” someone cried.
“The engine room! Oh, Lord, has the fuel ignited?!”
Panic ensued.
The screams and cries of terror drowned out the clap of a sonic boom and the splash a dozen yards from the blackening hull.
The crew worked on preparing the rafts for loading, moving as swiftly as they could, even those within the area of smoke.
However, before any rafts could be launched, an immense thrum of what the crew and passengers could only describe as a disturbance rumbled beneath them. Fear of not knowing what it was made everyone freeze, but it was just as well.
The smoke gushed out faster than ever, as if something more than fire was propelling it as its dark hues began to rapidly fade into gray. A metallic cluster of whines followed, droning through the walls worse than nails on a chalkboard and screeching more piercingly than all the panicked screams combined.
And then it stopped, but only long enough for most everyone to gasp in a large breath as the entire vessel, all 225,000 tons of it, rose.
Those who could see over the ship’s guardrails stared at the water line descending along the bow of the ship and for a long moment no one could comprehend how it was happening.
"It's Superman! It's got to be Superman!" someone cried.
"Thank, G-d!"
Where seconds before there was a loud cacophony of frightened voices, now the ship grew quiet as everyone waited to see what would happen next as the deck beneath their feet stopped moving up and instead the entire vessel began moving forward, even as the smoke thinned and finally disappeared.
The Captain, standing in the command deck, updated the Coast Guard on their situation as best he could, grateful disbelief thick in his voice.
They would be joined by the Coast Guard within an hour.
O o O o O
Lois shook her head with a grin as she folded the newspaper on the way to her desk. Kal-El's return hadn't disappointed. The cruise liner had made it to a safe harbor and no one had been lost at sea, although, tragically, there had been some loss of life which had occurred from the explosion in the engine room.
It looked to be an accident, but the Office of Marine Safety had its investigation underway.
Superman gave a brief but happy report that he had regained his memories and stated he would be meeting with his doctor in the near future.
Things were getting back on an even keel.
"Lois, I left a message for you on your desk. From Henderson," Jimmy said as she sat down.
"Thanks, Jimmy," she said, quickly spotting the note and picking it up.
She immediately gathered up her things and rushed out after she read it. If she hurried, maybe she would catch him!
The great, mysterious P.I., Clark Kent.
O o O o O
Clark left the police station with a quick apology, stating he had just been paged by a contact and needed to go. He would have to meet with Ms. Lane later. As he dashed out, he told Henderson to ask her to call him.
Hopefully their ‘first’ meeting would go well, whenever that happened to be.
The smell of ash reached him before the sight of flames spewing out of the side windows. An apartment complex was engulfed and he could hear the fire engines two minutes away, too far to save the family huddled in a stairwell filled with smoke, the old man trapped in his bedroom, and seven others panicking throughout the doomed structure.
He acted quickly, depositing people he removed from smoke-filled rooms across the street into the willing arms of good Samaritans as the ambulances began loading the most severely burned onto stretchers to take them to the nearest hospital.
Superman swooped into the building, blowing out the remaining flames he hadn’t been able to extinguish as he ensured everyone was out.
There were two fatalities: an elderly couple.
It was doubtful he would have been able to save them even if he had managed to arrive right after ignition.
He slowed his pace, hearing the firemen enter the first floor beneath him. With a skilled eye, he examined the evidence before him. Taking in the charred path and propellant smell, coupled with the mangled gas line, this had not been an accident.
“Superman?” a fireman asked, approaching the closet---or rather the gaping black hole that remained.
“This wasn’t an accident. I can smell remnants of jet fuel.”
“Jet fuel?” a second fireman asked, surprised.
“I imagine whoever is responsible for this didn’t want the building to remain standing,” he said, scanning the walls, ceiling and floor around them, which would appear odd to the firemen if they didn’t know he could look through them. “The fire went up from here and the floors above are not safe to walk on. The beams have all been severely damaged. If you have chalk or paint, I can mark where the damage is beneath the floors and in the walls.”
“Yes, we have a spray can in the truck," the fireman said, happy they would be reducing the hazards to the inspectors and cleanup-crew as they carefully walked out.
O o O o O
She had just missed Kent, but it was just as well when she heard about the apartment fire from Henderson's police scanner. She flagged down a cab and hurried over to the fire, knowing it was unlikely anyone from the Planet would be there already considering the location. She frowned, recalling earlier that morning when Perry was fuming over the fact the paper’s sales were plummeting since Preston Carpenter bought the Metropolis Star.
Apparently, the Star was scooping the Planet on all major stories occurring within the city. The only reason they were still in the black was because of her previous stories on Superman and Nightfall, as well as the ongoing investigations into Luthor and LexCorp.
Her taxi pulled up just as it seemed like the worst was over. Pulling out her notepad, she hurried to the nearest fireman and quickly learned Superman had already headed out. But then she spotted a familiar face.
"Linda," she said loathingly.
"Lois, it’s nice to see you too," Linda King said, quite pleased with herself.
“What are you doing here?” Lois asked, failing to ignore how perfectly coiffed Linda’s signature red hair appeared. Did the woman have a stylist living with her?
“Scooping you, apparently. I even got a quote from Superman. Very helpful,” she informed her.
“What?”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m working for the Metropolis Star.” Not waiting for a reply, she walked off, victorious.
“Just--my--luck,” Lois hissed slowly to herself, not looking forward to telling the Chief that they had been scooped once again.
O o O o O
The week passed faster than he would have liked, but at least he had arranged a meeting with Lois Lane on the ongoing investigations into Luthor and LexCorp.
He felt bad. For the past week the Daily Planet seemed to be coming in second place in reporting the city’s news, especially in Superman rescues.
Which was odd, now that he thought about it. Suspicious more like, considering how many of them he was certain were not accidents. Hmm, something to look into for sure.
He paused as his television gave a blurb of the coming trial of Lex Luthor at the end of the month. He shook his head. So many horrendous secrets were coming to light. What a waste of a human being. So much waste in general. How much good could Lex Luthor have done if he had set his genius on generosity and compassion instead of greed and power? But such questions aside, there were other things he needed to focus on now.
He had finished providing Henderson with all he knew that could help the side investigations and had been interviewed by several agents from many government agencies. He provided copies of his research as well as relevant recordings and the like that he had collected. He knew dozens of arrests soon followed those meetings and he felt reassured by the thoroughness of the investigators that were taking the torch from him, so to speak, and closing a multitude of cases. From assaults to missing persons and murders, he did not envy the Attorney’s Office.
Although, throughout this time, Mayson Drake was in her element, bouncing from one case to another, tying up loose ends and preparing the courts for the coming trials of individuals who had participated in the tangled web of Luthor’s empire.
He looked at the time.
Spinning into his suit, he shot to the Foundation where the investigators had agreed to meet and discuss the coming trial with him. He had been selected as a prosecution witness and would likely be cross-examined by Luthor’s defense. He wasn’t surprised.
O o O o O
"So you finally locked in a meeting with Kent?" Henderson asked as she finished compiling her notes and was getting ready to head back to the Planet and write up the story following up on the dozens of cases with clear ties to LexCorp.
"Yeah, tonight. He's a hard man to lock down," she admitted.
Henderson laughed. "He certainly is, but he's dependable."
"Anything I should know about him?" Lois prodded curiously. Now that the conversation had started down this vein, she had no desire to stop it.
"I'm sure you've already looked into his background, what are you fishing for?" he asked, amused at her not so subtle attempt at gathering information.
"What happened to make you trust him so much? I mean, I've gleaned a bit of his personality from his profile I've compiled, and he's certainly a good investigator and likely a good man, but you require more. So what did he do?"
"It's really killing you, isn't it? I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. Although it was just before Congress's meeting with Superman, the Luthor mess, Nightfall and all of that. It was easily buried."
"What?" Lois asked.
"He took a few bullets for me, four actually. He had a vest on, but still. He saved my life."
"He did?! When?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"During the Tibs' case. Gregory Tibs, missing persons cold case, fifteen years. He solved it in less than two weeks. Anyway, he took bullets meant for me when we went in to arrest Tibs' murderer."
Lois blinked.
"He's never mentioned it since. He's extremely humble, despite how much he's done. You will never meet a better guy," Henderson said.
"I see. Thanks."
She left soon after, looking forward to meeting Kent more than ever.
O o O o O
Clark couldn’t believe he was this nervous. It was just sad, and yet it wasn’t. This was the first time he would see her since recovering all of his memories. Maybe he should have made time to see her as Kal before doing this? But what time? The last few weeks had been horrendously busy. He hoped she wasn’t as bummed as he was about not seeing her -- or maybe he did hope that. Good grief, he needed to get a hold of himself.
He still didn’t know when he should tell her. Certainly soon, if they ended up working closely for whatever reason, but how should he define ‘closely’?
He shook his head, wondering if that was moot. Maybe she would see through Clark and right to Kal-El upon their first meeting. Would that be good?
He swallowed. He didn’t think so. He was as much Clark as he was Kal. Immediately seeing right through Clark would make that part of him unimportant, or at the very least second. That certainly wouldn’t feel good.
Pushing his internal struggle aside, he stepped into ‘Café Americana’. Lois had suggested it, and after confirming it had no ties to anything shady and discovering her uncle, Michael Lane, was the owner, he happily scheduled a reservation after agreeing to a meeting time.
“Reservation at 1?” the man behind the counter asked after Clark gave him his name.
"That's right," Clark said.
"Very good. Please, follow me," the waiter said, taking two menus and leading the way.
He didn’t have to wait long before Lois entered and was quickly escorted to the table.
They exchanged smiles as she sat down and he hoped his nervousness wasn’t noticeable. Fortunately, her uncle distracted her by asking what she would like to drink. Soon after, they decided on an appetizer and they were soon alone.
“Good to finally meet you, Mr. Kent,” she said, busying herself with her napkin.
“And you, Ms. Lane. I’m sure Henderson has been telling you a lot of things about me just as he has been telling me about you,” Clark said.
“Henderson really does like to talk, doesn’t he?” she agreed with a smile.
“Just to those he trusts,” Clark pointed out with a smile.
“So how is it that I haven't been able to meet you until now? Considering how much you uncovered about Luthor, I would have expected us to run into each other at some point," she said, dipping a slice of red pepper into the caramelized onion appetizer dip.
"Maybe we have but were both undercover," Clark offered.
"That sounds possible," she said with a laugh. "You do seem familiar, and it's not just because Bill has told me your life story."
"My life story?" he asked with a wide grin.
“Okay, so maybe not that much, but a fair amount,” she admitted.
“Well, I suppose if he told you my life story we would pretty much be even," he said.
"Is that a roundabout way of admitting that you've investigated me?" she shamelessly asked.
"Got me," he said, enjoying the banter as the waiter came over.
Two minutes later, their order was taken and they were back to talking.
"So what did you find out?" she asked, referring to his ‘investigation’ of her.
"You're twenty-six, you were born here in Metropolis, your parents are Dr. Sam Lane and Ellen Lane and your sister is Lucy Lane. Some people call you Mad Dog Lane, as you’re a ruthless investigative reporter for the Daily Planet, which you have worked for just over four years, although if you count your time as an intern there, it would be six. You are dedicated to your work and admittedly don’t have many interests outside of that. Simply, you’re a workaholic, which certainly benefits the Daily Planet and the city, but I can’t say it’s exactly healthy for you.”
“Is that concern I hear?” she asked, amused.
“Definitely.”
“Well, I could say the same for you. You’ve been traveling the world how long now? And the speed in which you solve cases is extraordinary. How often do you sleep? Bill mentioned a case you solved in two weeks that had been cold for over a decade.”
“Luck is sometimes involved, but I also have experience to help me know where to look,” he said quietly.
“‘Know where to look’?” Lois asked, intrigued.
“For that case, I saw the signs of sex trafficking and, due to the time frame, assumed someone arrested on a separate but similar charge around that same time might know something so I went and questioned some inmates fitting that profile. Criminals talk, especially if they have something to gain.”
Lois hummed, impressed. “I suppose we all have techniques we use to uncover the truth. By the way, how did you get so much on Luthor?”
“I spotted signs of corruption throughout Metropolis while I was working on other cases. Gathering enough breadcrumbs, the path was clear, as I’m sure you found as well. Which, now that it’s been brought up, have you been looking into anything lately?” he asked.
“Unfortunately, since Superman’s recovery, my time has been focused on Luthor’s upcoming trial, the cases coming forth from the ongoing investigations into his activities, and trying to keep up with the Metropolis Star. The Planet’s been having some bad luck lately covering stories in the city, I’m sorry to say,” she said, a little bummed that the conversation was curving into less enjoyable topics.
Clark frowned and glanced around. He seemed reassured by what he saw and refocused on her.
“I’ve started another investigation, but it doesn’t involve Luthor at all. I think you should know that there is a new threat to the city.”
“What?”
“Have you ever heard of Intergang?” Clark asked grimly.
“Not a whole lot, just rumors really. Why?”
“They’re trying to move into Metropolis, now that Luthor is out of the picture.”
Lois sighed. “Gotta love power vacuums.”
Just then, their food arrived.
“So, why Metropolis?” Lois asked before taking a bite of her spinach lasagna, moving the conversation away from Intergang as a family was now being seated at the table across from them. One could never be too careful.
“Felt it was time to take a break from traveling and since a city as big as Metropolis has a surplus of cases to investigate, why not here?” Clark answered simply.
“Job security is certainly a plus,” she agreed. “So what do you think of Metropolis so far? You got here, what, about a year ago?”
“Yeah, a little over a year, and I like most of what I’ve seen. It's a good city and I like the diversity."
"Yes, it is essentially a world in a city. Though, with Superman, maybe more than a single world now," Lois said.
“I suppose that’s true," Clark said, before finishing up his grilled chicken sandwich. "So what's it like being the one who found Superman? Or would it be discovered? ---Revealed maybe?"
"I would say 'introduced'," Lois corrected.
"That's the word. So?" Clark asked, curious.
"Sometimes it's hard to believe it. For a long time I had been trying to solve a mystery and then when the proof of what I suspected actually appeared in my apartment. . . . Surreal doesn't even begin to cover it."
Clark smiled before movement at the table beside them caught their attention.
"Oh my gosh, you're Lois Lane!" a pre-teen girl squeaked before immediately being scolded by her mother.
"Sorry, please don't mind her. We don't want to disrupt your meal," the mother said.
"It's no trouble," Lois said, just as amused as she was taken aback.
"Could I have your autograph, please?" the girl pleaded before wilting under her mother's glare.
"Sure," Lois said, her pen seemingly appearing in her hand as she tore a page from her ever ready notepad. She jotted down her signature with a simple, kind message, but then Clark held out his hand in silent request.
Confused but curious, she relinquished the pen and paper.
Clark jotted something down in the bottom corner out of the way and then handed it to the girl.
"Don't ever lose that. It'll be worth something someday," Clark stated kindly.
"You wrote the date and 'CK'," the girl said, confused.
"This will give it credibility. My signature is on record in many cities," Clark explained with a knowing glint.
"Oh! Thank you both so much," she said, bringing it close to her chest.
The girl and mother turned back to their meal, both embarrassed but for different reasons.
Clark and Lois shared a smirk before Clark jumped slightly and pulled out his pager that apparently just vibrated.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm going to have to cut this short," he said regretfully while getting up. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you. Shall I call you to arrange a time for me to drop off that information I mentioned before?"
"Yes, please. And I'm glad we got to meet as well," she said, hiding her disappointment of him leaving fairly well with her professional tone as Clark pulled out a fifty and placed it on the table.
"Please tell your Uncle Mike to keep the change," he said, enjoying her look of surprise.
"You're good," she said appraisingly.
"I'll try to call you before the end of the week," he said on his way out.
O o O o O
Lois turned on her television, knowing the trial of Lex Luthor had already resumed.
The last few days had been what most would expect. She wondered how it compared to the Nuremberg Trials after World War 2. It didn't involve as many people, obviously, but the atmosphere itself was solemn with surges of heated testimony and tear-jerking words spliced between damning evidence.
The courtroom itself appeared identical to the chamber used for the Nuremberg Trials and was set up similarly. Dark wood paneling and heavy mahogany furniture adorned the room. The only substantial difference was the technology, which included cameras more discreetly lining the walls and ear buds instead of headphones for everyone participating.
They had gone through all of the criminal actions of Luthor's organization, going deep into the human trafficking that had occurred, racketeering, blackmail, etcetera (which impacted many nations), and the murders Luthor had personally ordered--which included Miranda Fairchild, Dr. Antoinette Baines, Commander Jack Laderman, and Dr. Samuel Platt.
Luthor was done for long before they started on the primary charge: conspiracy to commit mass murder.
After hearing several testimonies, which included personnel from EPRAD, they played the recording from Superman's helmet that had been backed up in EPRAD's communication system. The recording that would have contained Superman's final words had things gone worse.
Lois grinned as she watched Luthor's darkening expression throughout the trial, but his face went absolutely livid when Superman was called to the stand.
Everyone's eyes were on him as he entered the courtroom and stopped in front of the witness chair. His cape flowed behind him, his entire form a beacon of color.
He was introduced, sworn in and sat down.
"For the court's record keeping and translators, please try to speak slowly and pause between each question and answer," the Associate Trial Council for the United States, Colonel Gallagher, said.
"Understood," Superman said.
"Where were you born?" Gallagher asked.
"The planet Krypton, 27.1 light years from Earth, in the constellation of Corvus, orbiting the red dwarf star, Rao or LHS 2520."
"How old are you?" Gallagher asked.
"Somewhere between 26 and 30 Earth years. I don't know my exact age."
Gallagher blinked but decided to press on. "During your mission to Nightfall, where, presumably, Luthor contacted you, you called him by name. Why did you believe it was him?"
"I recognized his voice."
"You've heard his voice before?"
"On television and in person. Just before I stopped the nuclear meltdown in Metropolis is when I first heard him in person," Superman explained.
“Audio analysis was conducted and it was confirmed that the voice on the recording is Lex Luthor’s. Do you know what he was referring to when he mentioned you lost him billions of dollars?”
“Yes. It’s because I saved Space Station Prometheus. If it hadn’t been saved, he would have put his own space station in its place. That would not only have allowed him to make billions from the patents of vaccines and other technologies developed but he’d have also become the supposed savior of the space program,” Superman said.
"This is outrageous! 'Supposed savior'?! I am Lex Luthor and I refuse to sit--” Luthor said, standing up despite his lawyer's attempt to get him to calm down.
The head of the court slammed his gavel. “Mr. Luthor, sit down or you will be held in contempt of court!”
“--here and listen to this abomination speak like this about me! You think you’ve won--” Luthor shouted, shaking his handcuffed fists about and bashing his chair over with his leg.
"Remove him from the courtroom," the head said, both resigned and disgusted by the scene before him.
“--but you haven’t! I still have sway, you'll see!" Luthor cried as they dragged him out.
Lois stared in shock and disbelief, certain the rest of the world watching was gaping as well.
“Well, how the mighty have fallen,” she muttered as the court adjourned and she picked up her ever present caramel-colored suitcase.
Retrieving a thick envelope within, she pulled out a stack of papers. She had work to do.
“Well, Mr. Kent, let’s see what you have for me,” she said, ignoring the commercial of oat cereal and getting to work.
O o O o O
The bank alarm went off silently as Jeff compressed the button under the counter. Hopefully help would come before too long. These people were unhinged. They kept jumping around, as if expecting someone to rush in and surprise them.
Jeff's manager was handling things fairly well, doing what he was told while keeping his co-workers calm. He was definitely doing a better job than Jeff felt he himself would be able to do.
"Everyone, up against the wall!" the biggest robber shouted suddenly as two other robbers continued piling money into bags.
"Is he gonna come?" one beside giant asked. Like all of them, he was in all black, armed, fully armored, and had a mask on. The only feature of note was that he was the shortest.
"I don't know, man," giant said. "We're just paid to do as we're told, so just chill."
"Doesn't he only show up when people are in danger?" shorty asked.
"That's usually how I work," a voice said near the hostages.
Jeff couldn't believe he hadn't seen or heard him arrive. Superman was just suddenly there!
"Shoot him!" giant ordered.
Several people screamed, but Superman was suddenly a blur. The bullets fell harmlessly to the floor until the gunfire stopped. Everyone stared, and Superman had the oddest look on his face as he focused on the single bullet still between his thumb and forefinger.
“A silver bullet? Are you kidding me? I’m a Kryptonian, not a werewolf," Superman said before glancing at the floor littered with dozens of other bullets. None were the same.
"Gold, cast iron, titanium, quartz," Superman listed off a few before shaking his head. "Sorry to break it to you, but none of these can hurt me. Whoever hired you sent you on a fool’s errand."
Jeff had never seen so many grown men slouch in defeat so dejectedly so quickly as police swarmed in. And Jeff had never been so grateful to another living being. He looked at Superman who was still standing there, watching the police handcuff each man who had fired upon him.
Jeff was suddenly struck by how he would have felt in Superman’s place.
These men had robbed this bank in the hopes of finding a way to harm Superman. How messed up was that?
O o O o O
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