Chapter 10
Metropolis Sky

Clark had been flying over Metropolis for hours, scanning every corner of the city. He had searched every warehouse in Suicide Slum, visited every suspicious location where he thought Lois might be held. His super-hearing was desperately trying to pick up the familiar sound of her heartbeat or a cry for help. But the more time passed, the more his hope of finding her faded. A sense of failure grew within him, weighing heavily on his mind.

He felt powerless. Lois's absence was a void he couldn’t bear. It was as if a stone sat in the pit of his stomach, and the weight of the world pressed down on his shoulders. For the first time in a long while, Clark doubted himself. His powers felt useless in this situation.

Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, he decided to take a break. He gently landed on the roof of the Daily Planet, his last refuge. Perhaps the police had made some progress. Maybe Perry had new information.


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Daily Planet

Clark entered Perry White’s office, dejected, his shoulders slumped with fatigue and despair. Perry looked up from his desk, his expression grave, and asked with a concerned voice:
“Clark, my boy, I take it you don’t have good news?”

Clark collapsed into a chair, his gaze vacant.
“Unfortunately, no, Perry. I’ve scoured the entire city, searched every nook and cranny… and nothing. No leads, no clues. Do you have anything new on your end?”

Perry shook his head, visibly frustrated.
“Not much more. The surveillance cameras at the parking lot exit caught the plate of the vehicle that took her, but of course, it was a fake plate. Jimmy’s reviewing all the security footage to try to track the vehicle, but there are gaps. There are still areas in this city without cameras...”

Clark let out a heavy sigh, filled with regret.
“Why did she go alone, Perry? She should’ve waited for me. Sometimes, I think my powers are more of a curse than a blessing… If I hadn’t heard that accident on the highway, I would’ve been with her.”

Perry slowly stood, approached Clark, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Clark, you know as well as I do that without your powers, you wouldn’t have been able to save her dozens of times before.”
“And it’s because of my powers, because of her connection to Superman, that she’s constantly in danger,” Clark replied bitterly.

Perry gently shook his head.
“No, I can’t let you think that way. Lois is a strong, independent woman who puts herself in danger all the time, all on her own. It’s not Superman who pushes her into it. You know as well as I do that what you two have, that love, it’s because of who you are, not because of your powers. Destiny brought you together, Clark. It likes to test you, sure… but it makes you stronger.”
“I just wish destiny would give us a break once in a while,” Clark said, bitterly, his gaze lost in the void.
“You should try to get some rest. You’re exhausted. You can’t work miracles without sleep, and she needs you at full strength to find her.”

At that moment, Jimmy entered the office.
“Clark, Chief, I think I found something.”

Clark’s face lit up, hope slowly creeping back into him.
“I think I saw the SUV that took Lois on a road near a gas station on the northern outskirts of the city.”

Clark leapt to his feet, grabbing the photo Jimmy had pulled from the video feed.

Jimmy continued:
“I can’t make out the plate, but I sent the video to the lab for enhancement.”

Clark adjusted his glasses and asked:
“What plate number are we looking for?”
“MET-8723.”

Clark zoomed in on the plate with his super vision, and the number that appeared was indeed the one Jimmy was searching for. A deep sense of relief washed over him. Clark continued:
“I’m sure this is the right vehicle. Jimmy, send this image to Henderson. Which station was it? What time?”

Jimmy checked his notes.
“It was the NorthSide station, and it was at 2:42 PM.”

Clark glanced at his watch.
“It’s 8:15 PM, so they have over five hours on us… She could be anywhere.”
“Clark, I don’t think so. She must’ve been taken for a specific reason, and it’s likely her captors need to stay close to Metropolis. I’d bet she’s no more than 120 miles from here.”
“All right, I’ll start searching from there,” Clark said before realizing Jimmy was still present. “I mean, I’ll ask Superman to focus his search in that area.”