44
The dark, cold apartment feels unwelcoming as I step in from the balcony. It’s been a really long day, and I’m tired. I quickly spin out of the suit, my nose turning up from the stench of oil and smoke, and I wonder briefly if the blue and red spandex is even salvageable. After a quick shower, I move to the kitchen. Liquid dish soap and baking soda will usually do the trick for oil stains, but this looks excessive. I start scrubbing.
The huge oil spill off the Alaskan coast had taken me hours to clean up, pulling me away from my primary task of the day: tailing Lex Luthor. I glance at the clock. 8:43 p.m. He’ll be meeting with Bill Church Jr. at the warehouse where the new Cost-Mart store is to be built in New York City very soon, and I suspect they will be discussing more than just plans for the store’s layout. I scrub faster.
From the table behind me, my new cell phone buzzes with a notification, and since Lois and Clark are the only ones with my new number, I quickly set the soapy spandex in the sink, wipe my hands dry, and pick up the cell, unlocking the screen with a swipe of my finger. I frown as I note that the notification is several hours old; Lois had texted me just after I’d left for Alaska.
“Give me a call when you get a chance. We’ve got a lead on Luthor and need your help.”It’s quite a short, impersonal message. I wonder if everything went okay with them at the Planet today. Or if she’d even tell me if it hadn’t. The events of the morning flash through my mind again, and I rub my neck with a weary hand before dialing her number. After a very brief hesitation, the line rings once, twice, three times before going to her voicemail. Hmm. I dial Clark’s number, but also get his voicemail. Uncertainty ripples through me. Trust your instincts, Martha had told me. And right now, my instincts are saying something is wrong.
Reluctantly, I reach out to him telepathically, opening my mind up.
Everything okay? I just got in from Alaska and saw Lois’s message. Tried to call but no answer. I cannot sense his mood, but I know he hears me. It is a moment before he answers, however.
“We need you in New York City at the new Cost-Mart warehouse right now. Luthor is meeting with Church. Lois insisted we drive ourselves here when we couldn’t get a hold of you earlier. I don’t like it. I have a bad feeling.”My whole body tenses.
Be there momentarily. And I am. Within three seconds, I’ve dressed in a clean suit and flown north to New York City. Lois’s black Jeep is inconspicuously parked along a road lined with other vehicles, just outside a chain link construction fence, which surrounds an expansive parking lot and large warehouse. The Jeep is empty, of course. I hover several hundred feet overhead as I survey the area below me. Two large black SUVs are parked near the entrance of the warehouse, and the drivers of each SUV stand outside chatting quietly. Using both our telepathic link and my special vision abilities, I easily locate Lois and Clark, who crouch behind a row of boxes toward the back of the warehouse. Lois’s heartbeat is rapid but regular. Clark’s, on the other hand, is erratic, and he nervously glances through a crack in the stack of boxes. The objects of his concern, Luthor and Bill Church, amble leisurely between two sets of industrial shelving not fifty feet away from them. My keen hearing picks up their conversation.
“I’m glad you see things my way, Bill,” Luthor says with his characteristic air of unshakable confidence. They stride closer to Lois and Clark, and I feel a panic rising in Clark, along with the beginnings of strongly nauseating pain. Realization hits me. The kryptonite in Luthor’s ring. Dammit.
Thinking fast, I fly around the back of the warehouse and through an open window. I stay in the shadows, safely away from Luthor and the kryptonite, and I make my way silently toward the front entrance. I then blow a strong breath of air at a stack of boxes along the opposite wall, eliciting a loud crash as the boxes topple over.
Luthor’s voice cuts off, and Bill hisses, “What the hell was that?” as two sets of footsteps start my way.
Almost immediately, I feel Clark’s relief, the painful sensation fading, and I float carefully in the shadows along the wall as Luthor and Church march purposefully toward the front of the store.
“Thank you. I assume that was you.”Yes, it was me, I answer shortly. A second later, I land lightly next to them, but my focus is on Luthor and Church at the front of the warehouse.
“I don’t see anything, but maybe we should wrap this up, Luthor. I do have places to be, you know,” Church rasps uneasily, his eyes darting around the darkness of the old warehouse.
“Indeed, as do I,” Luthor agrees. I watch as he pulls several large stacks of $100 bills from the pocket of his coat jacket and hands them dismissively to Church. “Consider this your retainer. When your father is out of the picture, by whatever means you decide appropriate, I’ll quadruple that. Then, after you sign over everything to me and officially relinquish control of all of Intergang’s…assets, I’ll give you the remainder of the amount we agreed upon.”
Church nods, still warily glancing around the room, and, after stuffing the money into his coat pocket, he pulls out a large manila envelope.
“The documents you requested,” he explains, handing the envelope to Luthor.
Quickly, I scan the papers in the envelope. Listings of Intergang’s assets, profiles of heads of the various branches of the crime organization, and a calendar of shipping schedules fill the pages, along with a signed agreement between Luthor and Church Jr. describing the details of their arrangement. Solid evidence that Church is planning to pass the torch to Luthor as head of Intergang.
“Everything is here?” Luthor’s tone is accusatory and untrusting. Church nods and pales slightly, although I doubt it is visible to anyone but me in the low light of the warehouse.
“Yessir.” Church backs away a step from Luthor and pulls his coat around himself tighter.
“One last thing, Bill,” Luthor adds, his voice low and serious. He pulls a small black box out of his pocket, and my jaw clenches as I recognize the box Henderson had two days prior. “I’ve decided I need Superman gone. I thought maybe he could be persuaded to join my growing empire, but no, the goody-two-shoes has morals to uphold, and I’ve decided that the only way to ensure that we succeed in our goal here is to get rid of him. An associate of mine attempted and failed, and he will pay dearly for this failure. If you can take care of this problem for me, I’ll double my earlier offer.”
I swallow hard as Luthor opens the box momentarily to show Church the deadly green glowing rock inside. Next to me, Clark tenses as well. He senses my alarm, I suppose. My eyes dart down to meet his.
We have a big problem.He nods. Lois silently shifts closer to him, and I hold my breath as I watch Church take the box from Luthor with a sneer.
“Consider it done. I’ll personally take care of it.”
“We have a deal then,” Luthor states. Both men shake hands briefly and then exit the building.
Once they’ve climbed into their vehicles, I exhale sharply and back up a few steps away from Lois and Clark to give them space. For a moment, I keep my senses tuned in on the retreating vehicles, which turn opposite directions out of the parking lot. Then, I lower my eyes to the two kneeling on the ground in front of me.
“They’re gone. Are you both okay?” I ask in a hushed tone. I offer a hand to Lois, but she waves me off and stands up without assistance. Clark pushes himself up stiffly and dusts his hands off on his pants. I feel his heart rattling and a dull aching in his chest. Maybe he was the one I should have offered to help. Our eyes meet briefly, but he looks away quickly, and the pain sensations of his fade as he blocks our connection. I swallow hard and turn back to Lois. “After I get you two out of here safely, I’m going to follow them,” I say hastily.
“No, we should all follow them,” Lois corrects. Clark and I both eye her nervously.
I’m not comfortable with this, I communicate to him silently.
I don’t want her anywhere near Luthor or Church.“Me neither.”I decide I’ll be the bad guy here.
She’s gonna be really mad at me. I cast a glance at him, but he carefully ignores me. It’s self-preservation, I’m sure. If he pretends that he didn’t know my plan, she can’t get angry with him for it.
“Let me get you guys to the Jeep,” I say, stepping up between them before she has a chance to argue. I wrap one arm around each of their waists, instinctively extend my protective aura out around them, and then swiftly fly out and set them down next to her car. Lois pulls the keys out of her pocket.
“Which way did they go? We’ll follow and you can tell Clark where they are headed using your little telepathic gizmo thing,” she suggests. She unlocks the Jeep and then looks up at me expectantly.
I scan the direction Luthor had gone and easily locate the large black SUV turning onto the highway, headed toward Luthor Tower in downtown New York City. He’s going back to his penthouse, I assume. Shifting my focus, I locate Church heading south, back toward Metropolis. It’s a good three-hour drive.
“Luthor is headed back to his penthouse, and Church is headed back to Metropolis,” I respond.
I quickly explain what I heard and saw in the warehouse, and Lois pales at the mention of the kryptonite. She looks at her fiancé, her lower lip trembling.
“Here, get in,” I propose, reaching in front of her and opening the driver’s side door.
“Oh, good idea, you can fly us there to catch up. We should tail Luthor, since Church will take some time to get back to Metropolis. Maybe we can get our hands on those documents he has. That should be enough proof to take to the police. Or the FBI, I think,” Lois rattles off, the glint in her eye changing from fear to excitement.
“Uh, right, yeah, something like that,” I reply, my eyes darting to Clark’s. He looks guarded. He knows my plan, without even reading my thoughts.
I swallow anxiously as I usher her into the car. He gives me one more furtive glance before climbing into the front passenger’s seat of the Jeep. I shut the door after Lois takes her seat, and, after I hear both seatbelts click into place, I easily lift the Jeep, launch up into the dark night sky, and speed south toward Metropolis as quickly as I can without damaging the vehicle.
The darkness saves me, I suspect, because it isn’t until we’re descending toward her street that I hear her mutter several expletives, followed immediately by, “You knew about this, didn’t you?” And then, “Clark, don’t even think about it. Turn this car back around and get us back to New York, now! You can’t do this alone!”
Maybe she’s right. I don’t know. But there’s no way I’m going to put her in danger. Not after what happened yesterday.
I’m sorry. Please tell her I’m sorry. “It was the right thing to do. But do be careful.” She is fuming. I hear her seatbelt retract as I set the Jeep carefully on the ground, and before she can jump out, I take off into the sky again, speeding back toward New York. I hear a strangled cry from her as she slams the door to the Jeep.
“No fair, you know I can’t fly!” I almost laugh, but then I hear her next words, filled with fear. “God, Clark, please, please be careful.” A small sob escapes her lips, and I shut off my superhearing.
I’m so sorry. I didn’t want her to cry. I feel him hesitate again, and I know he’s comforting her.
“She cares about you. Don’t be stupid, don’t get yourself caught or killed. And she’ll eventually forgive you. Maybe.” I sense that he’s trying to lighten the mood, and I allow myself a weak smile. I reach New York City just as Luthor’s SUV pulls up to his private entrance at the back of Luthor Tower.
I’m here. Luthor just arrived back at his penthouse, I tell Clark silently.
He doesn’t respond, so I focus my attention on Luthor as I land lightly on top of a high rise nearby. He is escorted to his private elevator by two bodyguards, the manila envelope stuffed under one arm. Moments later, he emerges from the elevator on the top floor of the building, a lavish penthouse walled with ceiling-to-floor windows and decorated with expensive antiques from around the world. He steps into what looks like a combination of a library and an office and sits heavily at his desk. He briefly opens the envelope and peruses the contents before slamming a hand down on the desk. Then, Luthor stands, the envelope in one hand, and moves to a small painting on the northmost wall in the office. He shifts the painting upwards, revealing a hidden combination safe set into the wall. After entering a combination of numbers, which I easily commit to memory, he opens the door to the safe and stuffs the envelope inside. Then, he closes the safe and heads out of the room, yelling for his servant as he marches down the hallway toward his bedroom.
It can’t be that easy.
I try to scan the safe, but it is lined with lead. Of course. However, the door to the balcony is unlocked, and Luthor and all of his bodyguards and servants are several rooms away and otherwise occupied. But I hesitate.
There are security cameras. And it would be breaking and entering and stealing.
If I were just going in to take the kryptonite back, I wouldn’t feel conflicted. However, this seems wrong. And probably inadmissible in court anyways. At least, it would be on my world, and I think things generally work the same here. Don’t they?
I try to connect with Clark, but he seems to be blocking me out for some reason. I scan the room again. The security cameras can be dealt with easily; a quick burst of heat vision could short them out. And I don’t see any kryptonite anywhere in the room. Luthor is far enough away that the small stones in his ring wouldn’t affect me. As I continue contemplating my next move, I sense Clark.
“Sorry, I was still calming Lois down. She’s hysterical. You’re okay, right?”
I’m fine. Just trying to figure out how to get the envelope in a way that will be legally admissible. He seems confused for a moment.
“Legally admissible? Do you know where it is?”Yes. In a safe in Luthor’s penthouse. I have the combination. “Good. Assuming it’s safe for you, grab the envelope and then take it to Dan Scardino at the New York FBI office. It’s late, but he’ll still be there. I don’t think the man ever sleeps. Superman’s word is, as you say, legally admissible. Tell him everything that happened and where you got the documents. As long as the documents are sufficiently incriminating, they’ll be able to use the evidence in court.”I can’t hide my surprise.
Seriously? They just take Superman’s word?I stand up from my perch on the ledge of the roof and gaze out over the city. That would never happen on my world. In fact, Superman’s involvement had caused so many cases to be thrown out of court that I’d lost count.
“Yes.” I feel him hesitate, and then there is the slightest hint of sympathy in his words as he adds,
“Superman is a trusted figure here. They will believe you. Even against a man as respected as Luthor.”Unbelievable.
I scan the penthouse again. Luthor sits in a lounge chair in the corner of his room, reading a novel while smoking another of those expensive cigars he had at the hotel in Metropolis. His servants seem busy preparing a light meal in the kitchen. The two bodyguards who have shadowed him all day are down on the lower floor of the building, where the elevator is located, looking bored. The coast is clear, as they say.
Clark’s voice once again inserts itself into my mind.
“Lois insists that I ask if you’ve checked everywhere for kryptonite and that I tell you to please be careful. Though I’m sure you have and you will.”I have, and I will, I repeat. I triple check, and then, possibly faster than the speed of light, I swoop down through the unlocked balcony door and carry out the heist.
45
An hour later, from the safety of a hundred feet away, I watch as Luthor is handcuffed and unceremoniously shoved into the back of a police cruiser. The scowl on his face is unnerving, and I turn away from him as I again locate Dan Scardino.
Just as Clark had said, Scardino had been working at his desk at the New York FBI office, despite the late hour, when I’d shown up earlier with the envelope. Many tense minutes later, after listening to my descriptions of the conversations I’d overheard and the evidence Lois Lane and Clark Kent had gathered and skimming the contents of the envelope, he’d assembled a large group of FBI agents, SWAT teams, and police officers and led the way over to Luthor Tower. I’d supervised the raid and arrest from outside the penthouse. And although I’d expected a huge struggle, maybe even ending like Nigel’s arrest had, with Luthor deciding he didn’t want to live in jail and taking a flying leap off the side of the building, the arrest had gone smoothly; no one, not even Luthor, had been injured.
Police and FBI now continue to search the entire premises looking for additional incriminating evidence, and Scardino is on the phone with the Metropolis FBI office, directing them to arrest the Churches. I step toward him as he hangs up the phone, and he looks up at me, a serious expression on his face.
“Superman,” he greets me, reaching his hand out in a familiar gesture. I reciprocate the handshake and watch him as he gazes toward where Luthor sits in the police cruiser. Luthor’s eyes narrow at me, and I frown and turn back to Scardino.
“Thank you for your help with this, sir,” I say formally.
“Are you kidding, Superman?” Scardino grins at me and claps me on the back. “Call me Dan. We’ve known each other long enough. Thank you for your help. And please thank Lane and Kent for me when you see them next. This is huge. We knew that Intergang recently expanded into New York, and we’ve been trying to infiltrate the organization for several months now, without any success. Once we have the Churches in custody, maybe I can take a vacation.”
His grin grows, and he laughs heartily. His cell phone rings at that moment, and his smile turns into a scowl as he glances at the screen. “Please excuse me, Superman. My wife.”
I nod, and he moves away from me to take the call. I survey the scene one more time before lifting up into the sky and flying south again, toward Metropolis.
Immediately, as though he had been monitoring my thoughts and waiting, I hear Clark’s voice in my head—a question summarized in a single word.
“Luthor?”
Done. Arrested. Scardino is happy. I’m tired, so I’m succinct and to the point, and I feel that he understands.
“Lois has been writing the article. Can you stop by to answer some questions? Sorry, it feels weird to ask.”Despite my exhaustion and the seriousness of the day’s events, I laugh to myself. Clark Kent actually interviewing Superman for a story. This new reality of mine is so weird.
No problem, of course. Let me just make sure they get Bill Church Jr. He’s still on the road. I easily find the black SUV, and I begin following it from several hundred feet in the air. Church has taken the kryptonite out of the black box and is studying it. I cringe involuntarily and rise up a few hundred more feet. Yep, I’m scared of a glowing green rock. Especially
that glowing green rock.
The familiar sound of police sirens—a lot of them—catches my attention, and a quick scan shows that the highway ahead of the SUV is blocked off. Then, from behind, a multitude of marked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles appear and surround the SUV. I smile to myself as I watch Church hastily stuff the kryptonite back into the box, shove the box into a compartment under the seat, and then panic as his driver begins to slow down. Many curse words are muttered. Moments later, the SUV comes to a complete stop, and the driver and Church step out, their hands held up high in the air, as the police draw their weapons. Another uncomplicated arrest.
I execute a smooth barrel roll in the sky and then land lightly down next to the woman who appears to be the commanding officer. She tips her head to me as though not surprised to see me and finishes addressing the other officer next to her before turning to me.
“Superman, I hear we have you to thank for this arrest. What can I do for you?”
“Good evening, ma’am. I’m just here checking in. Mr. Church seems to be in good hands.” I cross my arms over my chest and make a show of glancing toward the cruiser where Church now sits, a grimace on his face. His driver is standing next to another police cruiser, answering questions.
“Indeed, Superman, thank you for checking in. They just arrested Church Senior in Metropolis as well. It’s been a productive night,” she says, a hint of amusement in her voice. “If you’ll please excuse me, Superman, I need to check on a few things. Thank you again. We’re all very glad to have you back, you know.”
I give a small smile and nod as she turns and walks away toward one of her colleagues. Then, as fast as I can to avoid being seen, I speed toward the SUV, grab the lead-lined box from the hidden compartment under the seat, and launch up into the air, away from the chaotic scene.
The box seems to hum in my hands, the deadly rock inside making my stomach churn. I know I’m safe—it’s locked away behind a generous layer of lead. But I cannot control the sense of dread growing in my gut.
Clark feels it too, and he reaches out to me with alarm.
“What is it?”
Nothing. I’m fine. I have the kryptonite box is all. The stuff terrifies me. Yep, I’ll admit it. To the one person in the world who might actually understand.
Do you want—can I destroy it?
“Please do. Into the Sun works.”
Yep. And tell Lois I’ll be by after. Just a couple minutes.
“You got it.”And the connection fades as I streak toward the Sun, carrying a deadly box containing a glowing green rock.
46
Is she still mad?
“Very.”I sigh as I hover outside the window to Lois’s apartment. She is typing almost furiously at her computer, sometimes pausing to check her notes. Clark sits next to her, his shoulders tense as he follows along. Tentatively, he reaches out and points to a few words on the screen, suggesting a minor change to her wording for clarity, and she glares at him a moment and then lets out an exasperated breath, wipes a tear from her cheek, and fixes the error. He then makes the mistake of glancing toward the window, and she immediately twists in her chair and jumps up.
“Is he back? Is he here?” she asks anxiously.
Clark hesitates and then nods and stands up after her. He reaches out and places his hands on her shoulders, but she shrugs him off and hurries over to the window. I swallow hard and then push the window open and descend into the room. My eyes meet hers, and I see a confusing mixture of anger, fear, and relief in her expression.
Oh, boy, I’m in trouble.
I smile weakly and turn around to shut the window, gathering myself for whatever onslaught she throws at me.
She stands there for a moment, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her beautiful face. Then, she shakes her head and rushes up to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. I’m so confused that I don’t move right away; my arms remain stiffly at my sides, and my eyes dart up to meet Clark’s as he lingers a few feet back. He sort of shrugs at me, almost as though to give me permission to hug his fiancée, and he turns back toward the table, taking the seat where Lois had been a moment ago and resuming where she left off on the article. Some of the tension in my shoulders eases, and I return her embrace, closing my eyes briefly to savor the moment.
And that’s when she loses it.
Her hands move to my chest, and she pushes back against me hard. Unprepared, I stumble backwards into the window, barely reacting fast enough to prevent myself from shattering the glass. She then steps up to me and pokes her finger in my chest.
“Don’t. You. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again.”
Each word is punctuated with another poke to my chest. I glance desperately at Clark, who has twisted in his chair to watch the exchange, but his expression is unreadable, and he offers me nothing telepathically as well. I lower my eyes back to Lois. Her eyes are ablaze now, and her mouth is set in a tight frown.
“I-I’m sorry,” I fumble, scooting around and away from her. “I-I thought—”
“I don’t even want to hear it,” she interrupts, throwing her hands up in the air. She turns back toward the table, angrily motioning for Clark to move out of her chair. He jumps out of the way, and she sits heavily, almost immediately resuming her typing where Clark had left off. She pauses only long enough to steal a quick glance up at him, her expression still angry. “And don’t even get me started again with you,” she hisses. He holds up both hands and recoils a bit, moving to the chair where he’d been sitting earlier. She points at me. “Sit,” she instructs tersely.
I immediately obey, moving to the empty seat at the table across from Clark. I push the cape out from underneath me as I sit, and my eyes stay downcast. Clark taps his fingers absently on the table, and I reach out to him telepathically.
She’s been like this for the last hour and a half? I feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look up.
“Pretty much. I mean, we sort of conspired to go against her wishes. I don’t regret it, but I understand why she’s mad.”
Yeah… Man, I’m sorry.
“Don’t be. I didn’t want her anywhere near Luthor just as much as you.” I feel him hesitate, and then he admits,
“I would have done the same thing if it were me with the superpowers.” I nod slightly at his admission.
Lois types for a few more minutes before reaching over and picking up her notebook and pencil with a long, sharp exhale. I raise my eyes to look at her. The anger is finally gone from her expression now, replaced by an intense, determined look, which I’m more familiar with. She clicks her tongue before launching into a barrage of questions regarding the documents I’d found, the law enforcement agencies involved in the arrests, and the arrests themselves. Her focus and attention to detail remind me that she’s a brilliant journalist, and I do my best to answer her questions clearly and accurately. Clark occasionally cuts in with a question or clarification of his own, though he mostly leaves it to her. At some point during her questioning, Clark moves into the kitchen and pours all of us fresh cups of coffee, and I thank him with a nod. The hot liquid is comforting, and I sip it slowly as we continue talking. Finally, she finishes with her last line of questions and begins typing again.
I swallow the last of my coffee and then rub my eyes wearily. I almost feel stiff; it’s been a long day after all, and I haven’t slept enough, even for me. But I still have my night patrols to do, including my overseas appearances, so I have several hours before I’ll be calling it a night.
I clear my throat, and Lois and Clark look up at me in unison. “Um, if you don’t have any more questions for me, I should probably—”
“Oh, no,” Lois interrupts, anger returning to her eyes. Clark swallows nervously and places his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugs him off. “No, you can’t just leave again. I’m not done—”
“Lois, he needs to go,” Clark says quietly but firmly, his hand returning to her shoulder. She tenses and glares at him before lowering her eyes back to her computer. Clark’s hand moves to her back, and he rubs gentle circles to soothe her. She takes several deep breaths.
“Fine, go,” she hisses, her voice low. Her hands move back to her keyboard, and she resumes her typing with shaky fingers.
I watch her for another second, and then my eyes meet Clark’s. He gives me a weak smile and tips his head toward the window, indicating I should go ahead and get going.
“I take it you’ve never seen her angry like this before.”
Definitely not like this, I respond silently, dropping my chin. My eyes close briefly.
“Then trust me when I say you should probably just leave. I’ll talk to her more after we get this story done.” I raise my eyes again. He’s looking back at the computer screen now, still caressing her back softly, and I see some of her tension ease. I nod almost imperceptibly, though he’s not looking at me to see it.
Okay. I stand up, move my coffee cup to the sink, and then step over to the window. I hesitate, and he glances over at me, sensing my reluctance.
If it’s okay with you, I’ll stop in tomorrow morning, just to check in. And to give her the birthday present I bought her. It’s nothing big, but…His eyes widen in alarm, and I frown as I recall that Lois told me he was terrible with remembering dates and numbers. I’m sure there’s also a certain degree of disorientation he’s feeling as well since he had been “dead” only a few days ago. With an inward sigh, I remind myself that I’m here to help them both, and that includes helping them rebuild their relationship. I give him a small smile as I push open the window.
I had made reservations for dinner tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at Le Chène, the French restaurant she likes downtown. I was going to call and cancel, but it’s yours if you want it. I feel his surprise, and he blinks several times.
“That would be really great. I appreciate it. Thank you, very much.” I nod to him again, and he scoots his chair a little closer to hers, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.
“Goodnight,” I say quickly, and I step out the window, close it behind me, and launch up into the sky.
Behind me, I hear Lois let out a sharp breath, followed by a quiet, “Goodnight. Be careful out there.”
