Okay. I won't keep everyone waiting any longer - I think part 9 is ready for viewing. Thanks again to Sue for all her help...any errors in punctuation remain mine. Enjoy!
Table of Contents From Part 8: **********
He looked down on the face of his sleeping daughter. She was so beautiful, so precious. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if...no, he didn’t even want to think about it. It wouldn’t happen because he wouldn’t let it happen.
He walked over to the rocking chair in her room and sat down in it watching his daughter as she slept. It wouldn’t happen because he would stay awake all night watching her if he had to. They would not take Laura from him, not if he had any breath left in his body.
**********
PART 9: **********
Clark followed Lois off the elevator, yawning. He was a little tired from the lack of sleep he’d gotten the night before, but at least he was feeling better. The knot in the pit of his stomach had subsided. It was surprising how the dawn of a new day could give you hope. Problems always seemed worse in the dead of night.
The Daily Planet newsroom appeared to be busier than normal that morning. People were milling about everywhere, barking orders, carrying research, and there was already a line forming outside Perry's office door. Inside his office, Perry looked like he was reveling in the activity.
Clark smiled. This was when the Chief was at the top of his game.
After helping Lois out of her coat, Clark set his stuff down at his desk. He was headed off to get some coffee when Perry's office door opened.
"Lois! Clark! I need you in here pronto!" Perry barked.
They both immediately dropped what they were doing and headed into his office.
"Close the door, we need to talk about this kidnapping story," he told them. Clark closed the door, taking a seat beside Lois.
"I need to know what the two of you've got," Perry told them, coming around his desk to sit on the corner of it. "We've been running bits and pieces of this story as filler for the last three days. I need something more concrete to put in our page one spot today. Especially in light of what's happened this morning."
"What's happened?" Lois asked him.
"My source down at police headquarters just called me. The other two kids, Matthew and Jeffrey, were returned to their parents last night. Same circumstances as the other girl. No note, no ransom demanded, nothing."
The door to Perry's office opened and Jimmy stuck his head in. "Sorry to interrupt guys, but there's a call for Lois on line one. It's the daycare center downstairs."
Lois looked at Clark, her eyes full of concern. He watched her as she got up and went to her desk, picking up the phone.
Perry continued talking to Clark after she left. "Clark, I need you and Lois to go to the homes of these children and get statements from the parents."
Clark was half listening to Perry but was continuing to watch Lois, out of the corner of his eye. He watched as she put down her phone, got up from her desk, and walked to the elevator without ever looking back at him. What was going on, he wondered, flashes of his nightmare coming back to his mind.
"Clark? Hello? Am I talking to myself here?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Chief. I was just distracted," Clark said, pointing towards the elevators. "Lois headed downstairs after that call from daycare. I was just hoping everything’s all right with Laura."
"Oh, uh, I'm sure it is, but why don't you go ahead and go check on her. Don't take too long, though, I need you and Lois back up here as soon as possible. I need to know what your theory is about these kidnappings."
"Sure thing. We'll be right back," Clark said, getting up and leaving the office. He ran into Jimmy on the way to the elevator.
"Hey, Jimmy. Did the daycare say what they were calling Lois about?"
"No, not really. Is something wrong, CK?"
"I don't know. I hope not, but I'm going to find out."
Clark moved off to the stairwell, suddenly not wanting to wait on the elevator. He and Lois always told each other everything. Why would she run off like that and not say anything? He didn't like it. Something wasn't right.
He literally flew down the stairs, his feet not even touching the ground. Once he got to the door, he slowed to normal speed pushing through the door and hurrying towards the daycare. He walked inside looking around, trying to spot Lois or Laura. He didn't see either one of them.
"Mr. Kent? Can I help you?" the main receptionist asked him.
"Yes. My wife just got a call from you about Laura and came down here. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, but I don't see them anywhere."
"No, they left," she told him, as he continued searching the room for them with his eyes.
"Excuse me? Did you just say they *left*?"
"Yes. Ms. Lane came down here, said she had an errand to run and was taking Laura with her. She signed her out and they left," she said, pointing to the front door.
"Thank you," Clark told her, turning to leave.
"Uh, Mr. Kent, I don't know if this will help you or not, but since that bomb scare yesterday we’ve been asked to watch for anything out of the ordinary..."
"What did you see?" Clark said, interrupting her.
"A strange looking man standing out in the lobby, but I dismissed him since Lois and Laura left with him. I figured she must have known him, but I've never seen him before."
Something definitely was not right. Lois wouldn't leave like that, not without telling him, something. And she definitely wouldn't take Laura with her, not with a stranger.
"Do you remember anything else?" he asked her, desperation in his voice.
"No, I don't think...wait a minute, yes, I do. He was holding a weird looking gadget in his hand. That’s the reason I thought he looked suspicious in the first place. I don’t know what it was. It didn’t look like anything I’ve seen before."
"Thank you. If Mr. White calls looking for us, tell him there's been an emergency, and I'll call him later," he told her, rushing out of the daycare as fast as he could without calling undue attention to himself.
He ran out of the building into a side alleyway and reemerged at the roofline, flying into the sky.
**********
"Lois Lane, I want you to give Laura to me." Lois complied with his request, handing her precious bundle over to him.
Aaron took the baby, shifting her to one side so he could hold both her and the subliminator. He walked out onto the LexCorp balcony and stood in plain sight. He looked back at Lois standing next to the doorway into the penthouse.
"Okay, I want you to scream for Superman. Say 'help Superman!'"
Lois obeyed. "Help! Superman!"
"Good, and again."
"Help! Superman!"
"Good, Lois," he told her. "Go wait inside the penthouse for further instructions." All he had to do now was wait for Superman to arrive.
"Little Laura, you and I are going to have some fun now, aren’t we?" he asked her. She grinned back at him, happily, unaware of the reason why she liked him. It was Aaron’s turn to smile. What irony. He had programmed her to be afraid of Superman, her parents’ *friend*, while at the same time programming her to like Aaron, who was about to become Superman’s worst nightmare.
He shifted the subliminator to his other hand, making sure to keep his arm firmly around Laura, and reached into his pocket. As he pulled his hand back out, a green glow began to pour from his pocket until the Kryptonite could be seen in plain view.
It really was a beautiful stone. Lex had obtained a large piece of Kryptonite back before his wedding to Lois. He'd had a piece of it carved out and turned into a necklace for Mrs. Cox. He had given that necklace to her as a symbol of his appreciation for her loyal service to him. But, unbeknownst to him, Mrs. Cox had put the stone in his laboratory safe, with the note he had found earlier. She hadn't kept it. And now, it was his. As Aaron stood contemplating his treasure, a figure approached unseen from the sky.
"Give Laura to me. This is over," Superman's voice commanded.
"Why don't you come and get her, Superman." As Superman strode toward him, Aaron hid the Kryptonite out of sight in the lead-lined cloth he'd found it in. Superman seemed to pause slightly in his approach and shook his head, as if trying to clear a haze. He glanced up at Aaron with a knowing look in his eyes and pressed forward towards him, grabbing the child out of his arms.
Laura reacted by crying and pushing away from the alien, reaching back for Aaron. Superman looked down at her, momentarily distracted. In that instant, Aaron pulled out the Kryptonite, shoving it in his face.
Superman faltered, his legs giving way under him. He wrapped his cape around him, and the baby he held, and began crawling toward the penthouse away from Aaron and the piece of Kryptonite he was holding.
"Do you like the programming I've given little Laura?" Aaron asked him.
"Programming? You...used the subliminator on her?"
Aaron enjoyed seeing the pained look in his eyes.
"Yes, I told her that Superman was a bad man and would hurt her mommy and daddy. Elicits a pretty strong response from her, don't you think?" Aaron smiled smugly. "Not that it will really matter anymore since you'll be dead shortly."
Aaron watched as Superman continued crawling backwards away from the effects of the Kryptonite. He had made it inside the penthouse. Aaron needed to get the Kryptonite closer to Superman without putting himself at risk. He knew long-term exposure was deadly to the alien, but he wasn't sure just how weak the rock rendered him at first.
Aaron looked inside at Lois. Superman followed his gaze and seemed to notice for the first time that Lois was standing there behind him inside the penthouse. Aaron took advantage of his distracted gaze to move to the side of the door, out of Superman's line of sight. The Kryptonite had definitely weakened him but it was better to not take any chances.
"Lois?" Aaron could hear Superman calling out to her.
Aaron peeked around the corner. She was still standing in the same spot, waiting for his instructions.
"You have to help me," Superman continued. "He has Kryptonite. Lois?"
Aaron allowed himself an indulgent smile at his desperate plea.
"What have you done to her?" Superman shouted angrily in Aaron's direction.
"She's fine, for now. She, too, is just under a little subliminal suggestion, that's all."
"Lois, listen to me," Superman begged her. "You have to fight this. Remember, you fought against Tempus. You saw through his lies. You can fight through this, too."
Risking another peek into the room, Aaron watched as the expression on Lois’ face changed briefly, looking slightly confused. He trained the weapon on her again. She was still under his control but he didn't want to gamble on that.
"Lois Lane, I want you to come here and take this Kryptonite necklace from me. I want you to take it and put it around Superman's neck."
**********
Clark watched helplessly as Lois walked out on the balcony to take the Kryptonite from Aaron. Even at this distance the Kryptonite was rendering him helpless. If it came any closer the effect would be much more serious. And neither he, nor Lois, knew what effect it might have on Laura.
"Lois, you don't have to do this," he pleaded with her as she came back, walking towards him with the Kryptonite in her hand. "Please...please listen...to me."
The closer she came, the more pain slashed through his body. He wrapped his arms tightly around his little girl, trying to shield her from the effects even as she continued struggling against his embrace.
"Remember...Tempus...tried to get people...to follow...John Doe...but we fought," he managed to get out weakly as Lois bent over him with the Kryptonite. Oh, god, it hurt. He had to get her to listen to him. He looked up into her face, his eyes pleading with her.
The look in her eyes was hollow and far away. He wasn't reaching her. He watched helplessly as the woman he loved, more than life itself, brought the poisonous rock to his face.
He flinched back from the searing pain, his body writhing. She grabbed for his head, placing the necklace around it, and then she stood waiting for further instructions.
"Please," he whispered, one more time. The Kryptonite felt like it was burning a hole through him where it rested against his chest.
"It's no use, Superman. As long as I have this device on her she'll do what I tell her. Now, Lois, I want you to take the baby away from Superman and join me out on the balcony."
Lois bent down and began pulling Clark's arms away from his daughter.
"No, Lois!" he cried breathlessly, trying in vain to fight her off without hurting her. "Don’t...do this. Please...listen to...me," he begged her.
She ignored his pleas and continued to unwrap the crying baby from his arms. Clark’s arms fell away from her and came to rest beside him on the floor. He didn't have the strength to fight her and Laura. In one final attempt to reach Lois, he lightly grabbed one of her hands, pulling her down towards him.
"Lois Lane," came Aaron’s voice, "you must bring the baby out here, now," he commanded her.
"I love you," Clark whispered urgently. "Please know that...no matter what happens...this wasn’t your fault." Her only answer was to take Laura away from him, walking back towards Aaron, who still had the subliminator pointed at her.
Clark realized that as long as Aaron had that machine on her and kept commanding her, he wouldn’t be able to get through to her. His heart ached. If he died, would she ever know that it wasn’t her fault; that he didn’t blame her?
Lois was moving through the doorway out to the balcony when desperation hit Clark. His body was gradually becoming paralyzed by the effects of the Kryptonite, and he was fighting unconsciousness. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't end this way. Clark looked up at his two beautiful girls moving away from his dying body and towards their own unknown fates.
No! He had to help them. He rallied the strength he had left and pulled himself forward, inch-by-inch, as hot, searing pain coursed through his body. There was no way he could make it there in time, but he would try, with every last breath.
Another wave of pain hit him and his body spasmed. It wouldn't cooperate with him, refusing to move. His eyelids felt heavy and Clark had the nauseous feeling that he had lost. He wasn't going to make it this time.
But then, Aaron made his mistake. Clark didn't know if Aaron just thought Superman would be too weak to do anything, or if Aaron already thought he had won, but he stepped out into plain view attempting to take Laura from Lois.
Clark thought he might have just enough strength left for one last thing. He might not be able to save himself, but he could save the two people he loved most. He funneled the pain down deep inside him, concentrating his all his remaining strength to his lungs, and let go a freezing burst of cold breath that hit the subliminator full force.
Aaron, startled by what had happened, dropped the frozen weapon, and it hit the floor of the balcony breaking into several pieces.
"Lois, wake up!" Clark managed to scream at her, and then, the blackness took him.
**********
To be concluded...
