Three RulesFolc4evernaday
Chapter 14
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A/N: Hey all. I know it's been a long while. As I posted awhile back I've been dealing with a lot of RL stuff that slowed my muse down quite a bit. Well, I'm finally feeling in the right headspace to get this fic wrapped up and dipping myself back in. Hope everyone enjoys.
For those that don't remember the previous chapters can be found
here.
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The morning rays peeked through the flannel curtains of the bedroom, gradually coaxing Clark Kent awake from the sleep he had drifted into in the late hours of the evening. He rolled onto his side, casting a cautious glance over to the sleeping figure next to him. A soft breath escaped his lips as he let his gaze linger on each soft curve wrapped in the bed sheets. The curve of his lips twitched as he let his mind push out the chaos that had transpired over the past few days and instead focus on this moment. He wanted to savor it. This moment of serenity for just a little longer before the unknown of the day brought forth more chaos.
He didn’t want to think about what the day would bring. There was so much unknown.
The investigation into Lex Luthor could end up backfiring.
The treacherous journey into space to stop Nightfall could be a deadly one if he wasn’t careful.
He had stopped forces out of this world before but this felt …different.
It
all felt different.
The world had been turned on its axis, preparing for doomsday.
Selfishly he wanted to forget the peril the world was in and focus on the serenity he felt, savoring the solace of lying in Lois Lane’s arms. They both had succumbed to exhaustion early in the morning hours.
He’d never experienced anything like it in his life. He had scoured the Earth, traveling from place to place in search of where he would fit in and find where he would fit in. For so long, he thought he would be destined to live in isolation – a curse to bear as his cross – unable to find anyone who would ever understand or accept him for who he truly was.
It was a fate he had been sure would follow him until his golden years.
Until he had met Lois.
Something in him changed the moment he met her. As if he was meant to find her.
Not only had she helped him discover a way to use his gifts to help the world and not put those close to him at risk, but he had found someone he could share everything with. The one person that saw past the flashy superhero and from the beginning was able to see the man behind the ‘S’.
Every second he had spent over the evening cradling Lois Lane in his arms and making love to her made him forget everything. The peril that loomed over him. The close calls. The rescues that haunted him. The fear he wouldn’t dare admit to anyone.
Every caress.
Every touch.
He knew from the moment he had met her that he never wanted to part from her. She was the one for him. This was it. There would never be anyone else. He loved her. Every curve, moan, smile, frown, and sigh that was wrapped into Lois Lane. He loved everything about her and would continue to love everything that made her the woman he loved until the day he died.
He reached his hand up brushing a stray hair out of her face as he did so. Lois’ eyes fluttered open as she lazily stretched her arms over her head, sighing as her eyes met his with a brief smile crossing her lips. “Hey.”
“Hey,” his hand brushed against her cheek, cradling her face in his palm.
Her eyes fluttered open sleepily, reaching out for him. “You’re still here.”
A weary smile crossed his lips and he nodded, “Yeah.”
He glanced down at their current state of undress. Her legs were still wrapped snugly around his waist from their lovemaking the night before. He wanted desperately to forget about Nightfall and pick up where they had left off in the early hours of the morning, he knew he couldn’t. The weight of the world was literally on his shoulders. As much as he wanted to forget about the asteroid’s imminent path toward Earth he knew he had to act now before it was too late.
Her lips pursed as she seemed to read his mind, “I guess you should talk with EPRAD about Nightfall. Any idea how long something like this may take?”
“I have no idea,” Clark frowned, shrugging his shoulders.
________________________________________
Bill Henderson paced around the interrogation room and read off the list of charges, “Let’s see, Beverly Cox. What do we have here?”
“I’ve already asked for my attorney.” Mrs. Cox interrupted.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure Detective Ryder will come in with your attorney as soon as he arrives. Right now I’m just reviewing the list of charges. You do want to know what you’re being charged with, right, Beverly?”
“It’s your funeral, Detective,” Mrs. Cox slowly smiled back at him. “What are the charges?”
“Let’s see here,” Henderson flipped through the pages in the file and let out a low whistle. “Murder conspiracy. Arson in the third degree. Oh, and Federal charges for racketeering….tsk tsk tsk… What did you get yourself involved in, Beverly?”
“That’s a question, Detective. I’m waiting for my lawyer.”
“Of course,” Henderson claimed the seat across from her, looking toward the door that was still open. “How long you think it’ll take him?”
“Got somewhere to be, Detective?” Beverly Cox challenged.
“Just curious.”
“If you think you’re going to get me to break down and confess or give you anything you’re…”
“Who says I need you to give me anything?” Henderson asked. “Seems to me you’re set up nice and pretty…until you take the fall.”
“What are you muttering on about?” Beverly Cox rolled her eyes with a disinterested glare.
“You were identified by several individuals at E.P.R.A.D. and the plans for Fences anecdote that magically disappeared was found to leave a trace on your property. We can go back and forth all day long, but we both know it’s over. You want to wait for Sheldon Bender to come charging in and keep doing the dirty work that will most likely end up with you being cast out by Luthor taking matters into his hands or you can do the right thing for once.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Have it your way.”
________________________________________
General Zeitlin paced the E.P.R.A.D. Command Control room looking to where Professor Daitch stood at the large telescope the E.P.R.A.D. team had been using to track the Nightfall asteroid’s projected path. Though he tried not to show it he could feel his stomach churn in knots as time grew nearer to the impact date. This wasn’t something he could simply fight or go to war with. An inanimate object from space was plummeting toward Earth and there was nothing he or anyone in this room could do. The glimmer of hope they had was to attempt to meet the asteroid’s projected path with a rocket in hopes it would destroy Nightfall. Even that had little hope of success with so many unknown factors about the asteroid.
“Anything?” Zeitlin called out to Professor Daitch.
“Asgard rocket is approaching Nightfall.” Daitch responded calmly, clicking a few buttons on his control panel and projecting the image of the rocket moving through space toward the large asteroid.
The room grew quiet as they waited for a sign that the prolonged uncertainty, they all struggled through over the past few weeks would finally meet its end.
“Oh, no,” Daitch frowned, shaking his head as the rocket veered left of the center of the asteroid, knocking a clip of it off into the deep space and leaving the large pass of space rock to continue its trajectory toward Earth.
“That’s it.” Zeitlin let out a heavy sigh. “We’re out of options.” He looked around the room, preparing to give his apologies to the team he had been tasked with to stop the asteroid. As he swallowed the hard lump in his throat the red light on the phone in the middle of the table blinked and a voice came on the line.
“Professor Daitch, I have Superman for you.”
Zeitlin’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked to Daitch who shrugged, “I had put out feelers but hadn’t heard anything back.” Professor Daitch reached over to press the button to speak and responded. “Yes, please send him in.”
________________________________________
Sheldon Bender made his way through the maze of open cubicles in the Metropolis police station, craning his neck as he looked for the name he was searching for. He held in his hands a thick manilla envelope as he approached the corner office of the police captain. He fished his wallet out of his pocket and tossed it on the captain’s desk. “My name is Sheldon Bender. The Sheldon Bender of New Troy and legal counsel of Beverly Cox. I need to see the detective interviewing my client now. I don’t care what he’s doing or who he’s with. I can assure you nothing is more important than me.”
The captain lifted up Bender’s wallet from his desk and tossed it in the trashcan. “Oops.”
________________________________________
Clark held his stance, squaring his shoulders as he looked up at the large asteroid that showed no signs of slowing down from its projected path to Earth. The room was somber as introductions were exchanged and Professor Daitch caught him up to speed. Some of what they covered had been revealed in the whistleblower report Lois and he had received. Some had yet to be discovered. The more recent news of a military rocket being used to destroy the Nightfall asteroid and failing caught him off guard as he contemplated how he would fair any better.
Professor Daitch pointed to the screen as he explained the gravity of the situation, “Nightfall is close to seventeen miles across and traveling close to thirty-thousand miles an hour.”
If my calculations are correct, in a little over four days it will hit Earth and knock the Earth off its axis.” He pointed to the digital white numbers printed across the screen. ‘99:54:23’
General Zeitlin cleared his throat, choosing that moment to add in, “E.P.R.A.D. and its team of scientists have been working day and night with the military’s personnel trying to find a way to destroy it. But our efforts have been futile, Superman.”
Daitch held his hands up over his head to symbolize the expansive size of the asteroid that loomed over the Earth, “All predictions show that Nightfall will throw Earth off its axis and possibly even throw us out of our current solar orbit. This is by far larger than the meteor that is thought to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. The crater alone will throw enough dust into the air to start the new ice age.”
Clark’s brow furrowed as he took all the information in, reading the worried expressions in the room and recognizing just how little had been inside the report the Daily Planet had been leaked. The entire world’s existence was at risk and though the people deserved to know the threat existed hearing the worst-case predictions would do nothing but incite panic.
“Superman, the world needs your help.” Zeitlin pleaded with a weary palm running across his face. The stress and worry that he had been carrying over the past several weeks were painfully obvious on his face.
“You’re asking me to fly a million miles into space to stop a piece of rock the size of Metropolis.” Clark held his stance, hiding the uncertainty from his tone as he looked across the room. He had been powerless a mere twenty-four hours ago and here he was contemplating a feat that was greater than anything he had ever attempted in his twenty-eight years on Earth.
“You're our only hope.”
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Henderson looked at the clock behind him, stretching his arms out over his head. He craned his neck to look at the clock, “Forty-five minutes. Hmm, maybe Sheldon Bender had an emergency come up.”
“Maybe,” Cox replied coolly as she repositioned herself in the chair she was seated in for the umpteenth time.
“Yeah, I mean, you’re one of Luthor’s most trusted comrades, right? He wouldn’t leave you high and dry, would he? He wouldn’t tell your lawyer to make arrangements for you before coming in here to set you free only to …. make sure you never talk, would he?”
“What do you want?” Cox snapped. “I have nothing to say. I …You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Of course not,” Henderson responded shaking his head. “You have no idea why Sheldon Bender is representing you and Lex Luthor. You have no idea why people keep dropping dead and missing around LexCorp and you have no idea where your supposed attorney is. Do I have that right?”
“Lex trusts me.”
“Oh, it’s ‘Lex’ is it?” Henderson scoffed. A knock at the door caught his attention and he looked over to see Sheldon Bender standing with Captain Lawrence. “Well, look who isn’t lost after all.”
________________________________________
Lex stood on the balcony of his penthouse, taking in a deep breath as he took in the evening sky. He had planned it all out. Down to the infinite detail but what he hadn’t prepared for was the danger that fate, and Mother Nature brought with it. He let out a heavy sigh and turned back to his emptied out penthouse.
“Is that everything?”
Asabi nodded, gesturing to Nigel who stood at the doorway. “Mr. Bender has confirmed the case against Mrs. Cox is iron tight. With or without her assistance LexCorp is the next target.”
Lex muttered under his breath, holding up his thumb and index finger together, “This close to discovering where this Superman came from and I’m forced out of my home like a common criminal.”
“A necessary step to remain on the higher ground,” Asabi advised with a nonchalant shrug.
“Self-preservation.” Lex mused with a disgruntled shake of his head. He turned to Asabi with a raised brown, “And the Kryptonite?”
“We’ve acquired a source from Mr. Trask,” Asabi assured him.
“Excellent,” Lex smoothed the wrinkle from his jacket and turned back to Asabi who was closing the briefcase on his desk for him. “Oh, Asabi? Do make sure Mr. Bender takes care of Mrs. Cox. We don’t want any temptations for her to succumb while in custody.”
“Of course, Mr. Luthor.”
“Lex Luthor will never live in a cage,” Lex fumed.
________________________________________
Twelve hours.
He had bought himself twelve hours to prepare for a mission that could very well mean the end of life as he and the rest of the inhabitants of Earth knew it. Still, Clark couldn’t help but question the responsibility that had been bestowed on him. Hours. It had been hours ago that he had been wrestling with the stark reality of never being able to fly again and now here he was burdened with the responsibility of flying further than he’d ever flown and destroying something that remained a true mystery to him.
The news had been hard to receive and even harder to deliver. He had spent most of the afternoon struggling through the emotions, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to attempt. Seeing as how the resources in Smallville were stark with the shutdowns of all satellites he had flown his parents to Metropolis in hopes that if things went south he’d at least know they were with Lois.
<<“I don’t believe you’re supposed to be back here, Ms. Lane.”
“Well, I won’t tell if you won’t, Smallville.”>>
<<“Lois, come on, there’s no reason for Mr. White to reassign you.”
“Well, I have no lead on the E.P.R.A.D. story…”
“You had a story.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You killed your story.”
“I did what I had to do.” >>
<<“I guess I owe you that exclusive.”
“As long as you’re not planning on running with your tail between your legs back to Nebraska…”
“Kansas.”
“Midwest Nowheresville without a syndicated paper…”
“They have newspapers…”>>He swallowed the hard lump in his throat, pushing the tidal wave of emotions that threatened to overcome him. It would be so easy to give into the world of what-ifs and fall apart but he couldn’t. He had to focus and approach this as if he would anything else. Everything depended on it.
He cast a wayward glance across the street to where the neighbors continued to chatter about nonsense from the balcony, oblivious to what was happening. His jaw tightened as he struggled through the emotions that continued to tumble within him.
“You get that look on your face and its going to stick like that.” He turned his head to see Lois staring at him with a sheepish grin. “…or at least that’s what I was told growing up.”
A weak smile crossed his lips and he shrugged his shoulders, glancing up toward the moonlit sky with a defeated sigh. “Two-hundred thirty-eight nine hundred miles. That’s how far the Earth is from the moon.”
“Seems a lot closer from here,” Lois murmured, taking a seat next to him on the chair next to him.
“Nightfall’s at least two million miles away. By morning it will be one million eight hundred thousand miles and get closer with each second.” Clark murmured aloud, ticking off the statistics he had been running through for the past several hours.
“It wouldn’t be the first time you flew into space,” Lois responded calmly, reaching her hand out to cover his.
“No, but it would be my first time flying that far …that fast.” Clark felt the hard lump rise up again.
“You can do this,” Lois gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
“Since when are you such an optimist?”
“Well, if you’re going to take up the pessimist mantle then someone’s got to do it.” Lois grinned, reaching a hand over to stroke his cheek.
“I’m being realistic,” Clark corrected, reaching a hand over to cover hers.
<<“Still think putting your life at risk for a headline is worth it?”
“Rule number one, always get there first.”>>“This will work,” Lois leaned her head back to look at him, meeting his gaze with a gorgeous smile that threatened to undo him right there. He wanted desperately to have the faith she held in him. He wanted to believe that everything would turn out alright, but he couldn’t seem to shake the dread he felt looming over him.
“If it doesn’t…”
“It will.” Lois cut him off, shaking her head, refusing to give into the possibility of Nightfall getting the better of him.
“Just …please take care of them.” He gestured toward the living room where his parents had fallen asleep hours ago.
<<“The world is ending and I can’t even find the words to write the story. How ironic is that.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Yes, we do...I love you.”>>Her eyes clamped shut for a brief moment and then she shook her head, “This will work. I’m sure of it.”
His face softened in wonderment as he reached his hand out to cup her face, "You have so much faith….” He pressed his lips to hers, savoring the soft caress of her lips to his. “I love you.”
________________________________________
Henderson let out a low whistle, sifting through the papers that were scattered across the fine oak desk in front of him. Remnants of the office that had once run LexCorp filled the room but little evidence had been left for him to go on. He let out an aggravated groan, running a hand through his thinning hair as he tossed the warrant onto the wooden planked floor.
It was over.
Lex Luthor was one the run.
“No!!!” Henderson punched his fist against the wall.
Gone.
Everything was gone.
________________________________________
The news coverage showed the scene from Clark’s departure several hours ago. The newscaster relayed the events once more, “Several hours ago, Superman said his final goodbyes to the crowd. He was described as calm, but determined. Witnesses say his last words were to the President -- I'm quoting now — 'll do my best.' —And with that he took off, gaining speed as he rose into the sky. And this time the entire world was watching.”
Rule Number Two. Never Get Involved With Your Story.The irony of the rules she had set for herself hummed through Lois Lane’s mind as she prepared to finish the last touches to what was the most earth-shattering piece of journalism she or anyone could write and yet she found herself unable to distance herself from the reality that she was writing. The world as everyone knew it would wake up to a new reality. A world where the only hope was a man they had come to trust and befriend and was willing to put everything on the line for the mere chance that he could stop the imminent doom that loomed over the Earth’s orbit.
<<“Help! Somebody! There’s a bomb! Please! Oh, thank God! We’ve got to get the bomb squad down here and...”
“If you’ll excuse me, Ms. Lane,”
“How did you know my name?”>>
<<“Lois, trust me on this. I am not your typical male.”>>
<<“You had a story.”
“No, I didn’t.”>>
<<“Do you always rush onto the scene where bombs are set to go off?”
“If that’s the story.”>>Her gaze drifted to the corner of the apartment where Clark’s parents were glued to the television set, waiting for the glimpse of hope to grace the screen. She pushed the anguish and fear that threatened to consume her to the back of her mind as she focused on the task at hand. It had to be done.
<<“We?”
“If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a bully. And stopping a bully and exposing them to the world is what I do best. Come on, I’ve got to get this checked out, and we’ve got to find whoever’s behind this.”
“There you go using that word again,”>>
<<“Still think putting your life at risk for a headline is worth it?”
“Rule number one, always get there first.”>>Hours. Had it really just been a few hours ago that she had stood in this apartment and said goodbye for what could have been the last time?
Everything felt so surreal.
<<“Us?”
“Well, it was a team assignment, I wouldn’t want to be accused of being unfair.”
“No one could accuse you of being unfair, Lois.”>>Martha’s voice cracked with enthusiasm and Lois lifted her head up from the screen she had been focused on, “There he is!”
Lois walked over to them, watching as the footage from Clark’s flight preparation filled the screen with a side-by-side camera of the EPRAD Nightfall footage which had the familiar red and blue of his suit billowing in the air. With Clark on board the true nature of the danger Clark was about to face had been revealed.
There was nothing left to hide.
<<“I guess I owe you that exclusive.”
“As long as you’re not planning on running with your tail between your legs back to Nebraska…”
“Kansas.”
“Midwest Nowheresville without a syndicated paper…”
“They have newspapers…”>>“I'm being told we have a transmission from Superman. Let's take that 'live' feed, direct from mission control.”
Lois winced as she looked over to where Jonathan and Martha sat with anticipation, staring at the screen and the crackle of Clark’s voice came through the speakers. She could barely make it out but it was there.
“I can see it now. It’s hard to see anything else. It’s immense.”
<<"Lois, you’re not yourself. Something has changed, and…”
“I don’t need to be myself… I love you.”>>Mission Control crackled through the speakers and responded, “Roger, Superman. We copy you on the ground. Do you have stress point acquisition in visual?”
“Yes.”
“Stand by for final briefing procedure.”
“I know what I have to do.”
“Superman, you're cleared for initiation on your cue.”
“Well, here I go.”
<<“You are Superman,”
“Not anymore.”
“Superman is more than just a suit, Clark.”>>“Impact in five…four….three…two…one.”
The footage went blank and Lois looked to Martha and Jonathan on either side of her, hoping for some reassurance as she shook her head in a desperate plea, “His microphone went out. He’s fine.”
“This is EPRAD control. We have lost transmission with Superman.”
“His microphone went out.”
<<“The world is ending and I can’t even find the words to write the story. How ironic is that.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Yes, we do...I love you.”>>________________________________________
On the outskirts of town, a dim yellow light shone across the parking lot of an abandoned building. The signage held a worn out red print where the words ‘Fish Fry’ could be made out and from the shadows a dark figure below a low brim hat. The figure pulled away as the light moved across the parking lot.
John Devane flicked his whiskers with his hand as he moved his shift gear into park, reaching across the seat to grab the metal briefcase next to him. He eyed the dark figure standing on the edge of the alley entry to his left as he closed the door to his truck.
“You with Luthor?”
A smile crossed the man’s face behind the dark shades and hat as he responded, “In a manner of speaking.”
The man removed his hat and stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to Devane. “Mr. Luthor…” Devane corrected himself, looking around suspiciously. “I heard you were on the run.”
“Not without my prized Excalibur,” Luthor responded with a glean in his eyes. “I trust you had no issues with Mr. Trask.”
“Taken care of.” Devane responded. He nodded to Luthor, pointing to the briefcase in Luthor’s hands. “Is that my money?”
Lex nodded, opening the case in front of him, “Five million dollars.”
“The price just went up to ten.”
Lex’s eyes narrowed, “The price was five million.”
“That was before I had to take care of Bureau 39 for you, Mr. Luthor.” Devane smirked, “You don’t exactly look like you’re in a position to negotiate. I have buyers lined up for this. You want me to walk away I’m sure I can find someone willing to bargain.” Devane sneered.
“Fine,” Lex stared at Devane coldly. “Ten million, but only if you do me one quick favor…”
“I’m the one making demands here, Mr. Luthor,” Devane warned.
“Not anymore you’re not.”
A sharp pain washed over Devane as he fell to the ground, falling face first into the gravel below him as blood poured out of his chest. He struggled to gather his thoughts, mumbling, “You double-crossing…”
“Uh, uh, uh, careful,” Lex warned, cocking the trigger. “Might want to save that breath.”
Several shots could be heard in the background as Devane heard the hard crunch of Luthor’s footsteps walking away. Then darkness fell over him as a loud boom filled the night lit sky.
________________________________________
EPRAD control room was filled with technicians zeroing in on Nightfall, The military personnel and government officials stood sidelined, watching the screen as they waited for the moment of truth. Would Superman be able to come through?
“I mean, this is something that everyone talks about…history in the making…I guess we’ll finally get to see what it was like for the dinosaurs…”
“Dan!”
“What?” Dan, one of the lead technicians looked at the other technician irritated.
“Look!”
They both looked at the screen in awe as they watched as the infamous man in red and blue began to spin in space, heading head first toward the asteroid. “History in the making….”
Alarms began blaring over and over as the intercom announced, “Mission trackers reporting an anomaly. Switching to backup computers for corroboration.” The intercom announced, “Roger confirmation. Asteroid velocity and density is decreasing….”
“Superman did it! The asteroid seems to be reversing its course and…..losing its density….” Dan responded in his radio headset just before the screen went black. He tapped on his headset. “Mission Control, do you read me?”
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The force of the contact he made with the asteroid caused the air tank to explode. He couldn’t breathe. He could feel his body weakening as he fell toward Earth. Everything around him felt like it was on fire.
A loud thumping above echoed and he let out a low growl. A hard blow crossed his face as the wind whipped through his hair. His head fell back as he stared down at the ground below him. It felt surreal. The world was opening itself up and swallowing him whole as another blow came across his face.
‘Where was he?’The dimly lit sky fell to the back of his focus as he doubled over in pain, crashing into the ground below him with a bang.
A foot crunched in the distance, and he could hear it extraordinarily well.
‘Why could he hear everything so well?’His hands gripped the cracked pavement below him, crumbling it in his hand.
‘That’s not normal.’He looked down at the blue and red scraps of fabric that had fallen from his chest.
A hard crunch of footsteps inching toward him pulled his attention away and he looked up to see a man with a low rim hat and dark shades. He felt like he knew him but couldn’t place him.
“Well, well, well, how the mighty have fallen, hmm?”
His eyes twitched into a frown and he looked up at the man in confusion, “Who are you?”
A chuckle escaped the man’s throat and he smirked back, “Playing games, eh, Superman?”
“Who is Superman?”
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TBC....
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