Note: This is an updated repost of a story that began in April 2004.
Prologue:
This is the sequel to “Jungle Love”. It is set in the alternate universe of “Tempus, Anyone?” For those who have not yet read Jungle Love, it begins in March of 2003, when the war in Congo has finally ceased. Three and a half years prior to that, in the fall of 1999, H.G. Wells brought Clark an alt-Jonathan-and-Martha-Kent from another parallel universe overrun by rogue Kryptonians. They had witnessed their own Clark and Lois (and unborn child) murdered by Lord Nor’s cronies; since there was nothing left for them in their world, Wells brought them to this alt-world to try to ease Alt-Clark’s loneliness. Lana Lang, who is married to Peter Ross, arranged for them to legally become her Aunt and Uncle, Joe and Mary Lang. Townsfolk believe them to have recently retired to Smallville, Kansas, from California, to be near their relatives. They rent the Kent family farmhouse from Smallville’s most prominent and world-famous citizen, Clark Kent/Superman.
Over time, Clark and his alt-folks forged real family ties. He refers to them as “Ma and Pa”. They share mutual angst and sorrow. The Kents continued to suffer emotional trauma from the memory of watching the tragic murders of their beloved son, daughter-in-law, and future grandchild; and Clark remained a solitary figure, waiting for “his” Lois to appear one day. In his soul, he believed her to be alive, and at night he communed with her in his sleep.
An e-mail sent to the Daily Planet from Congo, after ten long years, in March 2003, resulted in Clark traveling there to bring “his” Lois home. After five days of continuous togetherness, their soul mate connection surfaced, and they were married in Las Vegas on the very evening of their return to the United States. They have yet to have a real honeymoon.
While in Congo, Lois discovered that the late Lex Luthor had a twin brother who goes by the name “Lenny Thorul”. She has made a deal with him to protect his true identity, unbeknownst to Clark, because he has a large chunk of kryptonite in his possession. Lex Luthor’s business had been taken over by the conglomerate Edge Enterprises, run by Morgan Edge. It was rumored that Edge was the kingpin of the underworld criminal organization, Intergang.
Clark and Lois recently learned that they have a telepathic connection that was activated by strong emotions… fear, jealousy, love… and Lois has been attempting to shield her thoughts so Clark won’t gain the knowledge that Lenny Thorul, VP of Acquisitions, Edge Enterprises, is really Lex’s (fraternal) twin brother.
If you're wondering why Lois calls Clark "Propaganda": when Lois was in Brazzaville she would walk to an internet cafe and read about this "Superman" back in the states. Being naturally suspicious, she figured that no one could be that "super" and assumed his abilities were just a bunch of propaganda. When they first met, Clark offered to take her flying to prove that his abilities weren't just a bunch of propaganda, and the nickname stuck. In the comics, Lois calls Clark "Smallville"; in my fic, in this alt-world, she calls him "Propaganda"!
As the sequel begins, Clark has just brought Lois into the newsroom and re-introduced her to the staff; most of them didn’t know her since she was overseas for ten long years. James Olson is the current owner of the Daily Planet, and his cousin, Timmy Olson, unbeknownst to him, was a mole for Edge Enterprses.
It may be helpful to read “Jungle Love” first. However, I have repeated a few key sections and, through dialogue, restated some of the background information, so that it is not really necessary, although I would love it if you would!
Standard disclaimers apply.
CONCRETE JUNGLE LOVE
PG-13
From Jungle Love:
After meeting the remainder of the staff, they headed toward Olson’s office.
James had his head down on the desk. He was crying.
Clark gently knocked on the door and stepped into the office.
“James – Mr. Olson – what’s the matter? How can I help?” asked Clark, putting his hand on James’ back.
“Timmy was just found dead. An apparent suicide,” he said, tears openly flowing down his cheeks.
<*They* didn’t wait long, did they?> "James – Jim – I’m so sorry. What happened?” Lois asked, giving the younger man a hug.
“His mother – my Aunt – found him hanging in the bathroom. He left a suicide note apologizing to me for what he had done, how he was so jealous of me.
“That’s not all. The rumor that the Planet’s computer was compromised has affected the stock price and the circulation numbers. I’m going to have to meet the payroll out of my own pocket this week. Just to keep everyone employed, I may have to accept the offer I received from LNN to buy the Planet. What a rotten day,” he lamented. “What else could possibly go wrong?”
“You got an offer from LNN? But they’re owned by Edge Enterprises,” protested Clark. “I can’t prove it, but I know they’re dirty as Hell.”
“I know. Their slick new VP in charge of acquisitions, a Lenny Thorul, gave a presentation to my board of directors on Monday. LNN is willing to pay double the stock price to acquire the Planet. Perry and my father were going to try to help me fight this. It looks like it might be too late, now.”
Lois turned white when she heard the name “Lenny Thorul”. Clark felt her anxiety immediately and unwittingly picked up parts of her thoughts. It seemed as if Lois had deliberately closed her mind to him, but before she did, he definitely “heard” the name “Luthor”.
<"Lois, don’t shut me out here. This is the 'Lenny' from the phone call, isn’t it?">
<"Yes. *Later*, Clark. James needs us now.">
<"You’re right.">
“Jim, let’s get you out of here. You need a change of scenery. Let’s go over to Timmy’s apartment and see what the police have come up with for clues,” Lois suggested.
James looked up, hopeful, but somewhat uncomfortable at their offer to help. “You guys are supposed to be taking the week off. And, what, you don’t think it was a suicide any more than I do, huh?”
“NO!” Clark and Lois replied in unison.
“Then let’s hit the streets. I can learn a lot from my two best investigative reporters, even though you’ve both been pretty inactive lately. But I know from my relatively short time in this business, once it’s in your blood, it’s like riding a bike. You never forget, huh?”
“Never,” said Lois. “Never,” agreed Clark.
And Now,
CONCRETE JUNGLE LOVE
Chapter One
Lois, Clark, and James rode the elevator down to the lobby in silence. James was consumed with guilt and grief over Timmy’s death. Lois and Clark were certain that Edge Enterprises and the mysterious “Lenny” were the culprits.
Since Clark was attempting to regain his position as an investigative reporter, apart from his Superman persona, he hailed a cab to bring them to Timmy’s apartment. Because he wasn’t in the suit, but instead was wearing his casual clothes (since they weren’t supposed to be working today), the cab driver didn’t think a thing of it.
“Where to?” the cabbie inquired.
“516 Grove St, thanks,” replied James, as they climbed into the back seat. “And ASAP.”
“You got it,” the cabbie replied, speeding off, lane-weaving and displaying his God-given taxicab driver proficiency in beating red lights, narrowly missing pedestrians along the way.
Clark turned and admired the profile of the lovely lady sitting next to him. <God, how I love being able to call Lois my "wife"! > She had just gotten her formerly waist-length hair styled short, like the “other” Lois, and now, they could be twins. Except that his Lois was more beautiful, somehow. Perhaps it was the love they shared; her gorgeous brown eyes shone brightly. There was so much fire and spunk there.
<“Clark, I love being able to call you my ‘husband’, too!”>
<”Oops!”>
<”Yeah. This stuff is hard to control sometimes.”>
They arrived at Timmy’s apartment; after tipping the driver (for not killing them with his road-rage driving styling), they exited the taxicab. They saw several of Metropolis’ finest, gathered outside of the building. Detective Maggie Sawyer, who was one of the more “Superman-friendly” officers in the MPD, smiled when she spied Clark approaching her.
“Superman – Clark - is this ‘dress-down day’ for super-heroes?” she grinned. “You -getting out of a cab - wearing your civvies? Is your spandex in the wash? What’s the occasion?”
“Just trying to blend in, officer,” he replied, smiling broadly. "I'm on official Daily Planet business. We're investigating the death of Timmy Olson. Oh, and Maggie, I’d like you to meet my wife, Lois Lane. She –“
“Lois, I'm so happy to meet you. The way Bill Henderson has described you has made you appear larger than life – you're a real legend, you know.”
Lois’ face lit up as she shook hands with the detective. “Nice to meet you as well, Maggie. Bill and I go way back. He hated me at first, but then he realized that an investigative reporter *could* be a cop’s best friend, after all.”
“Clark – it’s true, then. You and Lois are married? Must have been quite a whirlwind romance,” Maggie commented.
“Yes, it was quick, but it was very right,” he said, putting his arm around Lois and kissing her on the forehead.
“You both look insanely happy. I can guess why you’re here, though.” She turned to look at their boss. “James - is it true - the victim was your cousin?”
James, who had been half-listening to the playful banter going on around him, snapped to attention. “Yes, Ms. Sawyer, it’s true. Unfortunately, he worked for me at the Daily Planet, and due to his involvement in corporate espionage, I had just fired him.”
“Yes, he mentions that in his letter. Do you want to see the suicide note? He apologizes to you in it… ”
Clark looked at James, and it was quite obvious that he was having a real difficult time – anyone that knew him would see that he was unraveling quickly. He was young, only in his early thirties, and not hardened to life yet. Clark’s heart went out to him. As Superman, he had witnessed countless tragedies. Although he had never quite become callous to death and destruction, he had mastered a coping strategy to help him through the dark times. Ironically, prior to the “real” Lois entering his life, one of his coping mechanisms was talking things over with an “imaginary” Lois. Clark was very thankful that he no longer needed to summon a ghost to make it through the oftentimes-nightmare that was his real life.
“Jim, let’s go upstairs and read that suicide note that Maggie mentioned," Clark said, placing his arm on his back for moral support. James was like a younger brother to him. He was “cool”, in the regard that after Clark had been “outed” as Superman, James still treated him like an ordinary guy. And, because Clark received no special favoritism from him, just because he was Superman, the rest of the newsroom had followed his lead. Not that he was there that often, anyway; but the Daily Planet was the one place that felt like “home” for him. Besides Ma and Pa’s in Smallville, that is.
Lois was already in the building when he looked up. Clark grinned. <I will learn a lot about investigative reporting from my “Type-A” wife!>
<“Watch it, Mr. Propaganda, or it’ll be my by-line *only* on the story!”>
<“Stop listening!”>
<“You started it!”>
Timmy’s apartment was a typical bachelor’s pad: no food in the refrigerator, clothes lying around, and rug in need of vacuuming. The bathroom, where he had supposedly hung himself, was closed off as a possible crime scene. Maggie handed the alleged suicide note to James; it was encased in plastic so as not to disturb any possible fingerprints that might be revealed when it was brought to the lab.
"James,
I’m so sorry for what I did to you and the Daily Planet. I let my jealousy of you get the better of me. Everyone hates me now, and no one will hire me. I can’t face you and the rest of the world. Forgive me for being so spineless. Give my love to Mom too.
Sorry again,
Timmy".
James handed the note back to Maggie. “It’s a forgery, all right,” he said decidedly.
Maggie’s eyes opened wide. “Why? How do you know that?”
“Timmy always called me ‘Jimmy’. You know, ‘Timmy’… ‘Jimmy’. We grew up together; it was a kid’s nickname that stuck like glue with both of us. Even though I go by ‘James’ in the business world, so I would be taken more seriously, he never, ever, called me ‘James’. I’m sure I have some of his cursive writing hanging around at the Planet. Have a handwriting expert analyze it. You’ll see. This was a murder, I’m sure of it. Those bastards at Edge Enterprises that hired him to spy on us did it. I’d bet what’s left of my bank account on it!”
James walked away, needing to regroup and regain his composure. Maggie, Clark, and Lois observed a moment of silence to respect the emotional pain that was traumatizing him.
“Maggie, can you show us the bathroom?” Lois asked, breaking the reverie. “Clark may be able to perceive something that the rest of us can’t,” she suggested.
“Sure. Please put these plastic gloves on, however, so as not to disturb anything.”
“No problem. And thank you.”
There was a rope hanging from the ceiling in the bathroom. Clark X-rayed the room, looking for signs of a struggle, blood, anything that might smack of an intruder entering the building. Nothing. It was clean – too clean.
“I’m sorry, Jim, I don’t see any evidence that would reveal that it wasn’t a suicide. That doesn’t mean that I believe that it was, however,” he assured him. "The crime scene is a little *too* immaculate."
“Maggie, I assume you’re testing for fingerprints and will have forensics up here to investigate more thoroughly?” Clark asked.
“Yes. Check with me after the weekend, and we should some of the test results ready by then,” she replied.
Maggie pulled James aside. “I know how hard this is. I know you suspect Edge – believe me, we will interview him and a few of his business associates to determine if there is any connection to this. We will check Timmy’s phone records for the last month and I will personally head up the investigation. I won’t rule his death an official suicide unless I am forced to by Bill Henderson personally,” she promised him.
“Thanks, Ms. Sawyer, I appreciate your help with this,” said James earnestly.
Clark, Lois, and James gathered curbside waiting to hail another cab. “Where to, now, my investigative heroes?” James asked, trying to lighten the moment a bit.
“How about Chinese?” suggested Lois. “I’m too hungry to plan our next move.”
Clark looked at James and they both cracked up. “How did we ever survive without Lois Lane in our lives?” asked Clark.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure glad you’re with us now, Lois,” replied James. “If Chinese helps you think better, I’m all for it.”
Suddenly Clark’s expression changed to one of alarm. All the symptoms … the tilted head, scrunched up forehead – that meant that he was aware of a situation requiring his super-services.
“Oh, no! I know that look already,” exclaimed Lois. “Go! Go! Just bring back food from my favorite Chinese restaurant and meet us in Jim’s office!”
Clark kissed his wife passionately, albeit briefly, and said, “You got it!” He spun into the suit and lifted off. There was a fire ten blocks away.
“Bring us back the exclusive, Clark,” yelled James. “The paper needs it badly.”
“No problem, boss,” Clark shouted back, before he was out of hearing range.
<”Jim is really a mess, Lois. Take good care of him. I know you don’t know him well, but he’s really a sweet, caring kind of guy and in a little bit over his head.”>
Clark’s thoughts filled Lois’ head and she glowed in response. <”No problem, sweets. I know just how to handle him. Now remember, General Tso Chicken, pork fried rice, a poo-poo platter, and whatever you want! Oh, and be careful!”>
Clark grinned ear to ear. <“You got it, honey! Love you.”>
<“Love you too!”>
~~~~~
An hour later, Clark gingerly landed on the roof of the Daily Planet building, adjacent to the ever-spinning globe. He morphed into his Clark clothes; then, armed with a variety of Chinese containers, he took the stairs down to the bullpen. He left the food in James’ empty office. Lois’ purse was in there, so he assumed that they would be returning shortly. Perhaps they had gone downstairs to the morgue to research a lead.
He went over to his desk and turned on his computer. Instead of the normal Daily Planet sign-on screen, the monitor instead displayed a bright blue screen with an ominous message. He assumed it was a faulty boot-up; but when he powered the computer down, and then turned it on again, the result was the same. <Uh-oh, this can’t be good. More computer problems!>
Clark looked around the room, and spotted Linda King. “Linda, is it just my computer, or is there a problem?”
“Oh, Clark. I didn’t see you come in. Yes, James went down to the computer room with Lois to see if he could find out why the network won’t boot up. We’re all having the same problem. Just happened about fifteen minutes ago,” she informed him.
“By the way, Clark,” she continued, “between you and me, I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that you would actually prefer Lois over me. I realize that she may not be the same person I knew years ago, but… she was quite a selfish bitch in those days. I hope for your sake, she’s changed.”
“I’m going to ignore your comments, Linda, and pretend I didn’t hear them. Lois is my wife, and by insulting her, you're insulting me as well,” he replied, as sardonically as he could. “I’m going down to the computer room to see what’s up. By the way, jealousy is not an attractive quality in a woman. I would have thought you had a little more class than to make that kind of remark to me.”
Linda turned red and walked away silently, somewhat surprised at Clark's sudden assertiveness.
<It’s about time I put her in her place; after all these years, I finally gave her a piece of my mind. Lois must be rubbing off on me in a positive way. Speaking of Lois…>
<“Lois! Where are you?”>
<“Clark, you’re back. Thank God. We have a real problem here. James- Jim - is as close to a nervous breakdown as I’ve seen him… it looks like the entire server has been shut down, attacked by some type of virus that deleted everything!”>
In a flash, Clark was by her side. “Hi honey,” he whispered, kissing and licking her earlobe as furtively as possible. Lois felt a shiver from the contact.
“Jim, what happened?” Clark inquired, dreading the answer.
Lois was right. He had a completely blank stare on his face. He needed some kind of tranquilizer ASAP. He was totally freaked out.
“Everything is gone, Clark! It’s gone. The entire database has been wiped out! This is unbelievable. How did they get past my firewall?”
Clark and Lois shared a knowing look. Timmy. Was this his one last act of corporate espionage before James had fired him? Maybe he did commit suicide, knowing how ruinous this would be for the Daily Planet.
“Jim, you have all of this backed up in storage, right?”
“Yes, Clark, but it will take at least one week to fully restore all this. The Daily Planet will not be able to publish a newspaper tomorrow for the first time in its history! They win! Damn Edge Enterprises! They win. Game over, I guess. Dad was right. I *was* in way over my head, trying to run a newspaper. I should have stuck to what I was best at – computers. Focusing my energy on running a newspaper allowed this to happen. I’m going to sue Edge Enterprises’ pants off, but in the meantime… how can we publish a newspaper with no computers? We can’t.”
Lois rubbed James’ back and shoulders. “Let’s go upstairs and make some calls, Jim. Clark, did you bring the Chinese?”
“Of course I did, Lois, but I doubt Jim is in the mood to eat right now.”
“Food always makes *me* feel better when I’m depressed,” she replied, with a wink.
The three of them rode the elevator back to the bullpen, and, as they emerged, they observed a tall man, with curly red hair, standing in James’ office, holding an oversized leather attaché case. It was apparent that he was anxiously awaiting their return.
“Time to sell, Mr. Olson,” he said, as the trio entered the office, spoken in a tone so icy cold that it sent chills down Lois’ spine. It was the voice of Lenny Thorul - the man on the phone. She was careful to shield her thoughts from Clark; unbeknownst to Lois, Clark immediately felt Lois’ anxiety and “heard” the name of the man he was about to be introduced to.
James resignedly turned to Lois and Clark, and said, “Mr. Thorul, please meet my best reporters, Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. Clark and Lois, this man looks to be the new owner of the Daily Planet: Leonard Thorul, VP Acquisitions, Edge Enterprises.”
Lois didn’t want to make eye contact with him, but she had no choice. Summoning all of her strength of character she had garnered while in Congo, Lois faced him square in the eye, and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Thorul,” she forced herself to say in a pleasant, businesslike tone of voice.
Lenny took her hand and kissed it, saying, “Ms. Lane, you have no idea how thrilled we are at Edge Enterprises to know that you made it safely back from Congo-Brazzaville. What a pleasure to finally meet you. Your reputation as a world-class investigative reporter is simply … amazing.”
Clark was completely perplexed. Why would a man Lois had never met, even if it was the man she had heard on the phone, while eavesdropping on Lex Luthor, so many years ago, cause her this much discomfort? She was a bundle of nerves, even though she was hiding it well. He tried to mentally communicate with her, and found she had shut him out. Meanwhile, Thorul was now directing his attention at Clark.
“Mr. Kent… Superman, as it were; again, it is very exciting to meet you as well. Since I’m from the West Coast, I haven’t really seen you in action as 'Superman'. I’m looking forward to witnessing your exploits in person, now that I’m going to be relocating to the East Coast,” Thorul informed him, shaking his hand rather vigorously.
Clark felt another wave of anxiety from Lois when Thorul mentioned he was moving to the East Coast. <“Lois, what’s up here? Talk about your nervous breakdowns! Honey, you can tell me… please!”>
Lois looked over at Clark, but didn’t reply. In the meantime, Clark returned Thorul’s handshake a little too aggressively, causing him to wince in pain. “I’m sorry, Mr. Thorul. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” he said, trying to cover up his true displeasure at meeting this man who was causing his wife so much internal turmoil. He wanted to pick him up and drop him and his expensive briefcase in Hobb’s Bay. But his usual self-control wouldn’t allow him to do that.
“Mr. Olson, we need to meet in private to discuss … matters,” Thorul said to James.
Lois grabbed the Chinese food containers off of James’ desk, while Clark quietly said to him, “Jim, we’ll be over at my desk if you need to talk, afterwards.”
James nodded to him in reply. His office door closed, leaving Clark and Lois stupefied.
They spread out the food containers at Clark’s desk. Lois hadn’t been assigned a workstation, as of yet; and now, it appeared the entire future of the Daily Planet was a question mark, anyway.
Lois buried herself in the food, eating ravenously. She didn’t look up at Clark, just continued to chew and pick from each container, like an assembly line at a factory. She was totally immersed in rote behavior.
“Lois, I know that this guy is somehow connected to Luthor. I know he’s the one that you heard on the phone all those years ago with Nigel and Lex. But he doesn’t know you were listening on the other line… or does he?”
Lois didn’t answer the question. Her silence spoke in volumes to Clark.
“Lois… what really happened to you, when Nigel and Mark kidnapped you?”
Again… there was only a stony silence. Lois didn’t dare think or speak, lest she inadvertently reveal Lenny’s true identity to Clark.
Clark moved his chair directly next to Lois and gave her a bear hug. “Honey, it’s OK. You can tell me. We’ll work it out, together. We are stronger together, than we are apart. Remember that. We’ll fight those bastards… whatever we have to do, we’ll do it.”
With that, Lois burst into tears. “Clark, take me away from here for a few minutes… please. And don’t forget the Chinese,” she added, trying to laugh through the tears.
Clark cracked a smile. “Honey, you are sooo one of a kind,” he purred to her, kissing her forehead as he grabbed the food and Lois simultaneously, floating them to *his* window. When he had been "outed", James had a special window designed and installed for Clark's comings and goings as Superman. It was located right in the bullpen, very close to his workstation; this way, no other reporters had to grab their paperwork, lest it be blown away by his entrances and exits. None of the other windows in the room opened, for security and air conditioning reasons.
In a flash, he had them back at the apartment. They sat down at the kitchen table and Lois continued to pick at the Chinese.
"Lois… OK, I've only known you a week now, but you can't hide this from me. I swear I won't tell anyone, but you need to share this with me. I know that this Thorul character is causing you anxiety. My best guess is that when Mark and Nigel grabbed you, he was involved somehow. Am I right so far?"
Lois looked up at him, completely a mess. "Clark… I promised them… I just found you, and I don't want you to die because of my big mouth!" she wailed, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Lois, for the short time in my life that I had my *real* parents, I saw them share everything. They were each other's best friends. There was nothing that couldn't be overcome, as long as they were together."
Lois' eyes suddenly widened with fear. <"This apartment might be bugged or videotaped…">
Clark smiled. <"Ok, I'll check it out. I do this about once a week anyway, since the world found out about me.">
<"Really? That really stinks that you –*we* now- have to deal with such a breach of privacy.">
<"Superman is a public figure. You're a reporter; you know the rules of privacy when it comes to that.">
<"Yes, but I never thought it would affect me personally. Really comes back to roost, doesn't it?">
<"Sure does, honey. I'll be right back!">
There were no bugging devices, but he had noticed a microscopic camera pointed at the apartment from a nearby telephone poll. He had quickly determined that that the receiver of its transmission was the LNN building. He couldn't be sure if that was the normal paparazzi, eavesdropping, or if it indeed had a connection to Lois' obvious concern for privacy.
He flew back into the apartment. <"All clear, now. Tell me the story *this* way. No one can possibly hear our thoughts!">
<"Leonard Thorul is Lex Luthor's long-lost fraternal twin brother. I think you can figure out the rest. I promised him I would never publish this information or tell *anyone*, or they'll use the kryptonite to kill you. Clark, I can't lose you… we have to keep this to ourselves, please… ">
<"Twin brother? But they were *never* seen together when Lex was alive!">
<"Exactly!">
After Lois telepathically communicated the entire story of her kidnapping and the threatening speakerphone conversation she had had with Thorul, Clark was stunned. The widespread implications of this new information gave him an ominous feeling. Luthor commits "suicide" supposedly; his "twin brother" works for Edge Enterprises, who just-so-happened-to-have acquired Luthor Corp; Timmy Carlson also "commits suicide"; and now, Thorul is on the verge of owning the Daily Planet!
<"Let's go back to the Planet now, honey. You can tell me the rest when we go to Smallville this weekend.">
Lois smiled at the newfound love of her life. <"I love you so much.">
<"Ditto.">
<"Have you been watching 'Ghost' or something?">
<"Not recently, but when I was waiting for you to show up in my life, that movie *did* keep me going.">
<"You're so sweet.">
They whooshed back into the newsroom and only Linda King, apparently, had noticed that they were missing. As sweet as sugar, she waltzed over to Clark's desk.
"So, what's going on in there?" she asked, referring to Olson's closed office door. "Does it have to do with the computers going down?"
"There's a virus, Linda. The fatal kind - which apparently destroys all the data on the network. The man in there with James is pressuring him to sell the Daily Planet. He works for Edge," Lois informed her, with a serious, yet saccharine, look on her face.
<"How do you do that, Lois?">
<"Do what?">
<"Make her feel so… insignificant, just by your tone of voice.">
<"Stick with me, Propaganda… you'll learn a lot.">
<"First time I've seen you smile in an hour.">
<"Revenge will do that to a girl.">
Clark smiled to himself, probably inappropriately, since they were having a discussion about a very serious situation.
"Yeah, I've seen him here before. Leonard Thorul, right? Poor James. He's really a good boss, I would have to think twice about working here if Edge Enterprises & LNN ends up owning the Planet," Linda replied, attempting to continue making small talk.
"Linda, when did *you* see him before?" asked Clark. "I never remember seeing him in here."
"When you went to Congo to collect *Lois*," she said, with thinly disguised sarcasm, "he came over here several times. Mayor White was here a lot too, come to think of it. And James has been looking frazzled for about a week now."
At that point, Ralph sashayed over to the group. "Hey, what's happening? Computers went down?"
"Yes, Ralph, where've *you* been?" Linda asked in a condescending tone of voice.
<"Wow, Lois, no wonder the two of you never got along. Meow!">
<"Well, believe it or not, Clark, she started it, all those years ago.">
<"I think it was probably a dead heat!">
<"You *do* still want a honeymoon, don't you?">
<"Sorry, honey!">
At that, they both turned to listen to Ralph's response to Linda's question.
"I was out covering a news conference. Didn't you hear? Mayor White just announced he was stepping down, for personal reasons."
"What?" Lois, Clark, and Linda said in unison.
"Yes, he said that effective April 15th, he would be handing the city's reins, so to speak, over to his Deputy Mayor, Michael Walker!" Ralph exclaimed, obviously pleased that he had "scooped" his fellow colleagues.
"We just saw Perry at our party last night, and he said *nothing* about stepping down! Omigod, maybe he wants to come back to the Planet, what with all the problems here!" Clark reasoned.
"Well, good news and bad news, Ralph," Lois crowed. "The good news is, you were there at the right time, and you scooped me and Clark. That's only because technically, we're not working today; the bad news is, you have no computer to write the story up on, and, by the end of the day, we may be owned by LNN and Edge Enterprises!"
<"Lois, I'm *so* glad you're on *my* side, honey!">
Lois smiled, in response to Clark's thoughts.
Ralph's balloon deflated. "I have it all written up on my laptop. Are you saying the server's down? And James is no longer our boss?"
"We're saying the server's caput, Ralph. Who knows when we're going to be able to publish the next issue? The Star is going to make some serious money from increased circulation without the Daily Planet competing with them. And, yes, James is being forced to sell, with all the problems he's been having lately," Clark informed him.
"Uh-oh! I think James' meeting with Thorul is over. The door's opening," Linda interjected.
Thorul stood next to Olson in front of his office. "Those of you that are here, I would like to make an announcement," James stated somberly.
Ralph, Linda, Lois, Clark, and several other clerical staffers gathered around the two red-haired men. James had written what appeared to be a canned press release, and he began reading from it.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have decided to sell my shares in the Daily Planet, which represents a 51% controlling interest, to LNN, which is a subsidiary of Edge Enterprises. They have promised me that they will retain the present staff, that there will be no layoffs, and that they will be able to improve the Daily Planet's circulation with their links to satellite technologies and the resources of LNN. In addition, I would like to announce that Mayor Perry White is going to re-join the staff as Editor-in-chief, the position he formerly held here prior to his election as Mayor of Metropolis. As some of you may know, he has resigned his position as Mayor, effective April 15th; he will report to work at the Daily Planet the very next day, April 16th.
"Mr. Thorul, here, has asked me to stay on as Manager of the IT department, and I have accepted his offer as well. I am pleased to remain with the Daily Planet, and to continue to be able to work with all of you, even if it *is* in a different capacity.
"That's all I am at liberty to divulge at this time. Let me just state that LNN assures me that we will have a server up and running by tomorrow morning, and that the Daily Planet *will* be able to publish an afternoon edition."
At the conclusion of his "speech", James shook hands with Thorul, and went back into his office, closing the door behind him. It appeared that he was beginning to clean out his desk, and that he wanted to be alone.
Thorul now cleared his throat, to make a statement of his own.
Clark could feel Lois' tension. <"Honey… it's OK. Really! We'll handle this.">
"We at Edge Enterprises would like to extend an offer to the entire staff of the Daily Planet to stay on in your present positions, at your present salaries. We have a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset when it comes to personnel. Since it will take most of the next 24 hours to install a new server, we are granting everyone the rest of the day off, with pay. Please report to work at your typical time, tomorrow morning."
There was a hush, as the employees began organizing their desks before they left for the day. Thorul called out to Lois: "Ms. 'Lane-Kent' – is that your name now?"
"I'm retaining my maiden name, Mr. Thorul… it's simply Ms. 'Lane'," she responded in a professional, assertive tone of voice.
<"Keep it up, Lois… don't let him intimidate you. 'Mad Dog Lane'… oh, 'Mad Dog Lane'… where are you? Calling all 'Mad Dog Lanes' to the Planet newsroom!">
<"Don't make me laugh, sweets! He won't take me seriously.">
"Ms. 'Lane' then… may I see you privately for a moment?"
Clark was psychically assaulted with a wave of nausea and anxiety. Using his enhanced vision and hearing, he followed Lois and Thorul into the conference room.
"It is very nice to meet you in person, Lois. You are just as beautiful as Mark described. No wonder he all but fell in love with you. Oh, may I call you 'Lois'?"
"I think 'Ms. Lane' would be more professional, Mr. Thorul," she responded. "After all, I'm not calling you 'Lenny'."
<"Good for you, Lois!">
"Yes, that clearly would not be appropriate, would it, 'Ms. Lane'? I'm curious, are you going to be uncomfortable, working here now, under the circumstances?" he asked her.
"I haven't had a chance to give that much thought, now have I, Mr. Thorul?"
"True, true. Well, we're going to make every effort to ensure that you are treated like gold. You are *the* premier investigative reporter in the United States, Ms. Lane… at least, you *were*. "I'm *sure* you haven't lost your touch."
"By the way, how did you feel, discovering that your sister Lucy married my assistant?"
"What?" exclaimed Lois.
<"Huh? Lois, you didn't tell me that!">
"You didn't know? Will Church, your sister's husband, is my assistant. He has asked to be transferred here to the East Coast, to assist in the acquisition of the Daily Planet, as well as to be close to his newfound sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Superman," Thorul informed her in a gloating tone of voice.
"Mr. Thorul, is there a point here?" Lois responded, feeling weary and sickened all over.
"Ms. Lane, there is *always* a point. One that I don’t plan on verbalizing, however. We're all done here. You have a nice day. Did you even have your honeymoon with the Boy Scout yet?"
<"Ah ha! The Luthor connection surfaces. He *always* referred to me as the 'Boy Scout'!">
"Mr. Thorul, that's really not your business, and if you're all set with the verbal sparring, I would like to start enjoying my paid afternoon off!" Lois retorted.
<"That's it, honey!">
"Ms. Lane… as I recall, you're not on the payroll until Monday… isn't that correct?"
<"That bastard!">
"Whatever," she snarled, leaving the conference room. "Good day, Mr. Thorul."
"Good day, Ms. *Lane*," he replied, oozing a cynical smile, as only a Luthor could.
Lois walked over to Clark's workstation, rolling his chair away from the desk so she could sit on his lap and give him a big hug and a *very* passionate kiss. The fact that Linda King was observing them made it that much sweeter. "I'm so glad we're married," Lois gushed. "The Daily Planet may be going down the tubes, but like you said, we're stronger together than we are apart. We have to find a way to bring Edge Enterprises down!"
<"Yuck, Clark! Being in the same room with him gives me the creeps, knowing he's Lex's brother. Their mannerisms are *very* similar".>
<"I heard the whole sordid conversation, Lois. But you held your own with him. Sooner or later, they'll make mistakes. I - *we'll* be watching them. No one's perfect. We'll trip them up somehow.">
<"Did you hear the part about Lucy being married to his assistant? Omigod, what a tangled web this is turning out to be! I knew her husband was an affluent West Coast businessman, but who knew that he'd be in bed with all these creeps? Poor Lucy!">
"We have to try to handle this whole situation one crisis at a time, Lois. Let's first go talk to James and find out why he decided to accept a position with the Daily Planet instead of suing Edge Enterprises' butts off!" Clark exclaimed.
James was just leaving his office with several boxes full of personal items when they caught up with him. "Hey," he said, with a dejected look on his face as they walked with him up the ramp, toward the elevator. "Sorry I let you down, but it was either 'cave', or the Daily Planet would cease to exist." The three of them entered the elevator, found it to be empty, and, after the door closed and they were in-between floors, James hit the "stop" button so they could talk privately.
"I didn't tell you before, but I called Perry after I got word about Timmy, and he wanted to help. He's sick of politics and feels he can 'fight city hall' better if he's not *working* at city hall! How ironic, huh? I was his campaign manager and helped him get elected! Anyway, I told Thorul that I had offered Perry his old position back, and that I would only sell my shares to them if it was agreed that they not only honor my offer to hire Perry, but retain all of the existing employees. I have that in writing, at least."
"I have to admit, Jim, I was surprised at your announcement that you were staying on in the IT department. I thought you were planning on suing Edge Enterprises on the basis of 'loss revenues due to technology disruption and corporate espionage'." Clark commented. "How can you do that if they are your employer?"
"Well – I can't, actually. As part of the deal, I had to sign a waiver agreeing not to pursue litigation alternatives," James conceded. "Right about now, I hate myself. My cousin's dead and I just sold my soul to the devil, all for the sake of keeping the Daily Planet solvent. I accepted his offer to work in IT so I could keep an eye on things. No one is ever going to compromise the DP's security and integrity ever again, as long as I'm around!"
"Jim, we all need to get together and talk. How about if we see if Perry and Alice would like some company tonight and we can start brainstorming our way out of this mess?" Lois suggested.
James' expression brightened, albeit briefly. "Sounds like a great idea. Call me later at home and let me know what time. I'm in!" He hit the "start" button and the elevator car continued its descent to the ground level.
"By the way, Jim, what are the arrangements for Timmy? Will there be a wake and funeral?" Clark inquired.
"I have to talk to my Aunt Margaret when I get home, and I'll let you know tonight. There are some out-of-town relatives that haven't arrived yet, so we'll be letting everyone know after the weekend's over," he replied.
"That's good, because we want to attend, but Lois and I are having our honeymoon *and* visiting my folks in Smallville this weekend," Clark said.
"A quickie honeymoon, huh? Wow, I appreciate your wanting to be there for me, you guys. Talk to you in a bit." At that, James hailed a cab, and with Clark's help, loaded the boxes in it. Clark and Lois were left standing at the curb, contemplating their next move.
"Oh, sweets… we can't have our honeymoon, with all of this going on around us!" protested Lois. "We can do that another time."
"Lois… honey… I promised you another night at our special place… this will all be here on Monday when we return," declared Clark. "This situation can't be solved overnight, that's for sure." <"And there are things I want to do… just read my mind, honey.">
Lois blushed as a wave of psychic erotica flooded her mind. <"Can't argue with that, Propaganda! You win!">
"Now… where to next, Lois? You're the one who has been away for ten years, you call it."
"Bill Henderson. I want to see my old buddy who has turned me into a larger-than-life legend in my own time," she announced with an impish smile.
"Metropolis PD it is," Clark agreed. "What is your travel medium of choice, Madame? Car, foot, or fly?"
"Fly this time… it's quicker," Lois replied.
In response, Clark walked them over to the nearest alley, spun into the suit, and they lifted off. Moments later they were landing on the roof of the Metropolis PD, Main Precinct. Clark spun back into his casual clothes, and seconds later, they were in Bill Henderson's outer office, chatting with his administrative assistant, a Ms. Betty Blake.
"Bill's in a meeting with the D.A., Mayson Drake. Do you know her?" Betty asked.
Clark nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid she doesn't like me very much. She would be very happy if Superman disappeared tomorrow and never showed his face again."
Lois' eyes opened wide. "Clark, you can't mean that! With all the good that Superman does? You're the best thing to happen to law enforcement since… God spoke to Moses!"
"Believe me, honey, I'm serious. She thinks I have an ulterior motive and that I make crime scenes 'messier' somehow. Watch her expression when she comes out here. You'll see," he told her.
"All right, I will. <"Sweets, how could someone – especially a woman – not like you? Maybe she just *acts* like she hates you because she really *likes* you?">
<"Love that reverse psychology, honey, but this time, I'm afraid, I'm right and you're wrong. Sorry.">
<"We'll see.">
<"You're stubborn!">
<"You just figuring that out, Propaganda?">
At that moment, an attractive blond woman in a *very* expensive business suit came striding out of Bill Henderson's office, appearing quite animated about the meeting that had just concluded. When she spotted Clark in the outer office, her expression became much more somber, although her eyes lit up for just an instant.
"Well, if it isn't the Spandex Man! Where's the suit, in the wash?"
"Sorry, Ms. Drake, but Maggie Sawyer already used that line on me today. You two women get together and buy your jokes from the same guy? Like a two-for-one sale?" Clark joked, diffusing her sarcasm and blessing her with his 1000 watt smile. "We're here to see Bill; it's official Daily Planet business."
<"Clark… she really does like you. I can tell. It's a 'woman thing'. Best introduce me before she gets any ideas to ask you out!">
Clark tried to suppress an insidious grin in reaction to the thoughts directed at him.
"District Attorney Mayson Drake, please meet my wife, and the heroine of the April Fool's Day terrorist attack, Lois Lane. She just returned from Congo-Brazzaville after ten long years in a refugee camp. Doesn't she look great?" Clark put his arm around Lois and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. If Mayson had any designs on Clark, his actions toward Lois would surely have sent her the message to "back off"!
"Lois Lane… what a great pleasure is it to meet you," Mayson said with apparent sincerity. "You are a role model to women everywhere. Surviving ten years in a hellhole like Congo-Brazzaville, then dropkicking a terrorist in an airplane on the way home. Aren't you slumming it, hanging out with the 'Circus Man' over here?"
Clark winced, then grinned at Lois. <"That suit continues to be an embarrassment to me.">
<"You only tease the one you love, Clark. She's very pretty and she does what I used to do, pre-Congo: hides her feelings with jokes and snide remarks. I'm going to have to watch her like a hawk!">
<You have *no* competition in this, or any world, Lois! Don't even bother!">
"I'm happy to meet you too, Ms. Drake. I'm sorry that you don't seem to share the same high opinion that I have of my husband, however. Perhaps some time you'll explain your attitude about him to me."
"Yes, perhaps someday; I suspect that you are a bit prejudiced, though," she said, looking at her watch. "Oh, gosh; I'm late for court. Nice meeting you, Lois; goodbye, SuperKent." She turned away abruptly, walking out the door and down the hallway. The rhythmic clicking of her heels finally faded away as she reached the elevator.
Bill Henderson came barging out of his office and at once had Lois enveloped in a big bear hug. "I never thought I'd see you again, Lane! You don't know how good you have it until it's gone! Boy did I miss you! Welcome home, and congratulations – Clark's a great guy. Don't listen to Mayson – I think she's one of those women who just hate men. She's a fantastic District Attorney though – can't fault her there."
Lois was in tears. "Bill, you're so sweet. I missed you too – missed you teasing and harassing me – missed your lectures, even. It's so great to be home, even though everything is just a big mess!"
"Come in my office, you two. What mess are we talking about now? James Olson's cousin's murder?" Henderson motioned them through the door and they sat down adjacent to his oversized and extremely disorganized desk
"Where do we begin, Bill?" said Clark. "Yes, we think Timmy Carlson was murdered by one of Edge's goons. Perry just announced his resignation from the Mayor's office, so he could take a spot as Editor-in-Chief back at the DP, to help James bring it back to solvency. But it turns out it's too late, because the server crashed, so James just sold the Planet to LNN & Edge Enterprises, under duress. Now, our paychecks will be funded by their tainted money!"
"I heard about Perry. That's a real shame about James selling his shares of the Planet. I had a feeling he might be a little out of his league there. Well, at least all of you will be working together again. I know – but I can't prove it – that Edge is the mysterious leader of Intergang. They're dirty, but they're clean too, if you know what I mean. They cover their tracks better than any company I've ever seen. Better than Luthor Corp ever did. It's really amazing!" Bill exclaimed.
"And his new VP of Acquisitions, Leonard Thorul – is a real creep, too," Lois declared.
<"How I wish I could tell Bill the *real* story, sweets!">
<"Honey… I know.">
"And Bill – it gets better. It turns out that my sister is married to Thorul's assistant, and the two of them are relocating to the East Coast to personally handle the acquisition of the Daily Planet. Isn't this great? My brother in law is probably a member of Intergang, and I'll have to visit him at Lucy's house, making small talk and pleasantries, when really what I'll want to do is have him arrested. Welcome home, Lois Lane, huh?" Lois babbled.
"Now, you see? Bill smiled. "That's what I missed. No one can rant like you, Lois Lane. *No one*."
"Yes, it's an art form with Lois," Clark commented.
<"Wise *** !">
<"Honey, it's true. I love your babbling. I love *you*">
<"Sweet talker! Love you too!">
"Anyway, according to Detective Sawyer, you two believe that an associate of Edge Enterprises murdered Timmy Carlson and somehow made it appear to be a suicide. Well, the preliminary results from the coroner state that it the cause of death *was* the noose around his neck. There were no bruises on his body, no signs of struggling with anyone, no other fingerprints. I may have my suspicions, like you two do, but I have no concrete evidence to base it on," Bill admitted.
"I know… I thought the crime scene was a bit too perfect myself," agreed Clark. "But James said that the suicide note was a fake, because his cousin always called him 'Jimmy', not 'James'. And only someone that grew up with them would know that. Can we start with the letter and somehow prove that it is a forgery?"
"Yes, come see me Monday after the forensics results have come in. They're presently testing the suicide note for latent fingerprints, etc.
"So, not to change the subject, but you guys got married pretty quickly, didn't you? Have you even known each other a week?" Bill asked, with a faint smirk on his lips.
"About that," they both answered simultaneously. They made eye contact and started laughing hysterically.
"We haven't really been separated since we met, Bill. Except for –" Lois forced herself to shut up. She couldn't tell Bill how she was kidnapped by Mark Boyle and Nigel St. John, and then threatened by Leonard Thorul. Not if she wanted to keep Clark alive.
"Except for when she has to – you know – go to the bathroom and stuff," Clark finished for her, flashing Lois a knowing smile.
<"Honey, please stop fixating about saving me. In the end, we're going to have to do what's right.">
<"I'm not breaking my promise to them, Clark. Not until you can prove to me that Kryptonite can't kill you.">
<"Ok, then our next stop is going to be a visit to Dr. Klein at Star Labs – he's been working on an antidote – remember I told you? We'll have to push him along a bit">
Bill interrupted their mental dialogue. "Well, Clark, you've been alone for a long time – since you and Lana broke up, right? You both have been through enough, you're both great people – I'm so happy for you!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Lois – Clark *did* tell you about his ex-fiancée, Lana Lang, right? I'm not talking out of turn, am I?" Henderson looked a bit flushed, like he had a let a noisy Siamese cat out of a very large bag.
"Yes, Bill – but I'm going to get the full details this upcoming weekend, believe me," remarked Lois, with an edge in her tone of voice.
"*This* weekend?" Bill asked. "Uh-oh, Clark, that doesn't sound like much fun to me, for newlyweds to spend their first weekend together like that: the husband explaining to his wife of one week about his fiancée of ten years ago," he grinned.
"Oh, we'll have fun, believe me," Clark replied. <"Just wait and *see* how much fun we're going to have, honey!"> "We're taking a brief honeymoon tomorrow night, in the Fiji Islands, then we're going to spend the weekend in Smallville. Then – back to work Monday morning, to a *very* different Daily Planet. Oh, and somewhere in there, we have to attend Timmy Carlson's funeral services too."
"Wow, you're going to be busy. And Superman emergencies will have to fit in there as well, I'm sure! Well, thanks for stopping by. It will probably be good for both of you, as well as Perry, to be at the Planet. Maybe they'll slip up and you can nail 'em… just keep me in the loop, as always," Bill said.
"Of course," they answered in unison. <"We keep doing that!">
<"I told you we're connected – I knew you were still alive – I felt you. Now I'm going to *really* feel you!">
Lois blushed inappropriately at Clark's thoughts. "Bill, so good to see you again. You haven't changed a bit." She gave him a kiss on the cheek as he again enveloped her in a warm embrace.
"Thankfully, Lois, neither have you. Clark, you have quite a feisty woman here. Hope you can handle her," he joked.
<Handling her is what I do best!> "Thank God I'm Superman, Bill, is all I can say," he replied playfully.
<"Don't think I can't dropkick you too, Propaganda">.
<"Yeah, right!">
TBC - Tuesday evening!
