Chapter 12
After thirty agonizing minutes, Lois was at her wit's end, continuing to talk to Clark, softly encouraging him, while checking his vital signs regularly. She monitored every heartbeat, hoping for a sign of consciousness.
Finally, she saw his eyelids flutter, and then Clark's eyes opened slightly, blurred and confused. The wave of relief that washed over her was instantaneous, her face lighting up with almost uncontrollable joy.
“Clark…” she murmured, a hopeful tear sliding down her cheek.
But seeing the pain reflected in his gaze, her joy quickly gave way to concern. Clark was trying to speak, his lips moving faintly, but no sound emerged—his throat too dry and weak to form words.
Lois immediately placed a finger gently on his lips, shaking her head with tenderness.
“Shh, Superman... Don’t say anything. It’s going to be okay. I’m here, and you’re safe now.”
She knew he wasn’t fully recovered yet, but just seeing him awake gave her the strength to keep going.
Determined to get water and food, Lois headed for the door and began pounding on it, hoping their captors would eventually respond. After all, it had been over twelve hours since they’d been locked in without any provisions. But no sound came from the other side. Silence reigned.
She banged harder, frustrated, before leaning against the door, disheartened. Then, a faint, raspy voice rose behind her:
“It’s no use…” murmured Clark, his breath short. “I... tied them up before coming to get you.”
Lois spun around abruptly, surprised that he had enough strength to speak, but more so by his words. She dropped her arms, torn between relief that their captors were neutralized and growing anxiety over being trapped in the room without outside help.
“Great…” she muttered, biting her lip, torn between irony and apprehension. “We’re stuck here, and if that door doesn’t open, we’ll starve or die of thirst.”
She returned to Clark, who seemed to be recovering slowly but was still too weak to be of much help. Lois’s mind raced, searching for a plan, an escape—anything to get them out of there before the lack of water or food became a real problem.
Lois knelt beside Clark, evaluating his condition.
“How are you feeling?” she asked softly.
Clark looked at her, visibly still weakened but conscious.
“I’ve been better, but I’m okay. Can you tell me what happened?”
Lois nodded and began recounting the events, explaining her abduction at the Daily Planet and the video call with Mindy Church.
“Mindy’s behind this?” Clark asked, his brows furrowing at the mention of Intergang’s leader.
“Yes, and she’s after you too. She used me as bait and prepared that kryptonite gas for you... but I still don’t fully understand her plan. If she wanted to kill us, she could’ve done it right away. Yet, she stopped the gas and gave us fresh air. And then she mentioned my appearance and something about national television… none of it makes sense.”
Clark was about to reply, but before he could utter a word, the television screen in the room suddenly flickered to life. Mindy Church’s image appeared, her smug smile and mocking tone sending a chill through Lois.
“Ah, Superman! I’m so thrilled you could join us,” Mindy said with exaggerated exuberance. “I was just telling Lois last night how much I looked forward to organizing a little party—with some… smoke effects—to welcome you.”
Clark’s gaze hardened as Lois clenched her fists, trying to keep her anger in check.
“What do you want, Mindy?” Clark asked, his tone firm but measured, despite the exhaustion weighing on him.
Mindy’s smile widened, her voice sweet yet laced with menace.
“Oh, Superman… I just want a show. You see, nothing grabs attention like a heroine and her hero, captured and desperate… and all of it broadcast live, of course. Viewers love that kind of drama. And I thought it’d be fun to show the world the truth. Superman isn’t the moral symbol he pretends to be. Beneath that cape is a bad boy. He’d rather spend time with women of… questionable reputation than save people in distress. And, of course, he’s having an affair with his best friend’s wife.”
Suddenly, the image on the screen changed, showing a photo of Clark leaning over Lois, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Out of context, it appeared as though they were sharing a passionate kiss.
“Look at this picture,” Mindy continued triumphantly. “You’re so adorable, sneaking kisses in a luxurious hotel room.”
Lois felt fury rising within her as she saw the scene distorted to look like something entirely different, but she kept her composure.
Clark, still weak, frowned as he saw the manipulated image. He understood Mindy’s attempt to tarnish his name but couldn’t allow Lois to be dragged into this sordid ploy.
With difficulty but unwavering determination, he pushed himself upright, standing tall in front of the screen, adopting Superman’s characteristic stance. His gaze was icy, his tone firm:
“You want to ruin my reputation—that doesn’t surprise me. I suppose I’m interfering with your business. But what does Lois have to do with this?”
Mindy chuckled, her face glowing with smug satisfaction.
“Mr. Muscles,” she said mockingly, “you’re smarter than I thought. Don’t you see why I trapped your little girlfriend too?”
“She’s not my—”
“Tsk, tsk… no need to lie,” she interrupted with a sly smile. “We all know she’s special to you. And she’s just as much a nuisance to my business as you are. So I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone? You see, everything is perfectly planned. Isn’t my scheme brilliant?”
Clark’s gaze darkened further, while Lois, despite her calm exterior, seethed inwardly at Mindy’s manipulation.
Mindy continued, still mockingly cheerful:
“Well, I must go now to arrange your provisions. I can’t let you starve—that would be rude; you’re my guests, after all. And it seems I’ll need to find new staff, since you scared off the previous ones. That wasn’t very polite, Superman.”
She giggled again, savoring every word.
“Oh, and one more thing… behave yourselves. I still have plenty of smoke bombs, and I wouldn’t want to use them. Green doesn’t suit your complexion, Superman.”
The screen abruptly went dark, leaving Superman and Lois alone in the room.
