I'm really glad that you seem to like this.
I'm posting this (and maybe Part 4 as well) before I go on a little vacation. I will be missing for about a week. I'm happy about every bit of feedback that I get.
From Part 2 But there was also the other possibility. Lex was lying. But why? Was it because he had something to hide as Clark kept saying?
Lois couldn’t really see the point in telling her that Clark was married if he really wasn’t. Why should someone tell her a lie that was so easily proven wrong? On the other hand Lex' explanation for Clark’s hate sounded so logical.
Again the trusting Lois was speaking. It didn’t help to consider what was wrong or right. Lois needed proof.
Part 3: When Clark woke up in the morning, he didn’t remember having returned to his apartment. But somehow he had managed to get there and was lying in his bed. He was still wearing the suit. Obviously he hadn’t cared too much about undressing himself. That wasn’t really astonishing since he didn't really care about anything.
The apartment seemed darker than it ever had before. Everything, including the colours of his suit, was less bright. Of course, this was just his imagination. Clark knew that. He didn’t feel like getting up; he didn’t feel like doing anything but mourning the loss of Lois. This seemed like more than enough to do for the coming days. She had been the most precious thing in his life. Tears weren’t enough to express his feelings.
He had lost her. *Lost Lois, lost Lois,* the thought resounded in his head. But unlike an echo, it didn’t fade away but grew even more intense with every repetition. Clark seemed to drown in his misery; he was aware that it was his fault that he had lost her. If he hadn't rejected her, he wouldn’t feel so lousy now. Would this be an ever present pain, or would he learn to live with it, someday?
At the moment it seemed more likely to last forever. And he couldn’t help but feel that he had perfectly deserved that for exposing Lois to Luthor. He hadn’t saved her, and he didn’t know how he ever could, now that she had accepted the proposal. He had let her down. She might never have asked for his support and protection, but he had known that she relied on him.
*Lost Lois, lost Lois, lost Lois,* his conscience repeated the mantra mercilessly until an ear shattering knock on the door caused Clark to jump out of his bed. He clutched his hands to his head involuntarily as someone knocked again.
Clark let out a moan of pain; his head felt like someone had placed a knife in it. He tried to re-collect his senses to control his powers. Since he was out of bed, he could also see who was trying to contact him so violently. He spun out of his suit and grabbed his glasses.
Clark wasn’t dressed accurately. His shirt was turned inside out; his trousers still gaped open , and he hadn’t shaved for more than twenty-four hours. His hair was a mess with remnants of hair gel in it in an attempt to wear it in Clark style. Another knock on his door didn’t hurt Clark anymore; his hearing was under control now. That was about the only thing he managed to control these days, he thought grimly.
“Hey, C.K., I’m starving. You don’t wanna see me die from hunger right in front of your door, do you? The cops will ask questions. Open up, big guy!” Jimmy complained after having waited a long time.
Clark had seen him with his x-ray vision, and he opened the door, greeting his friend monosyllabically.
“C.K., you look awful. What’s the matter with you?” Jimmy asked when he entered the apartment.
Clark closed the door behind him and didn’t reply. He descended the stairs and walked mechanically into his kitchen. What had he wanted in the kitchen? He barely remembered. Jimmy wouldn't stop talking, asking questions or anything. Clark didn’t listen. He hated himself for it, but he just couldn’t concentrate on his friend. He answered with yes, no or maybe to Jimmy’s words, hoping that they would fit in, somehow.
Suddenly Jimmy tapped on his shoulder. Clark awoke from his own sad thoughts.
“What?” he asked confused.
“Clark, you don’t listen to a word I said. I have just asked you if we were going to hunt us a zebra, and you said ‘yes’. What is eating you?” Jimmy wanted to know.
“I’m sorry, Jimmy. I didn’t mean to be so unfriendly,” Clark said unhappily.
“So what’s bothering you, bud?”
“Lois is going to marry Lex Luthor,” Clark replied.
“Great shades of Elvis. Does he know what to expect?” Jimmy said wryly. Then he became serious again. “If Lois thinks, that he’ll make her happy, then I guess we should be okay with it.”
“You think Luthor will make her happy? He’s most definitely the worst imaginable choice as a husband,” Clark exclaimed.
“Do I hear jealousy? Clark, I know she’s a great woman. It’s hard to see the rich good looking guys win, but you have to accept her choice,” Jimmy said.
“I can’t watch her running into a disaster of life and do nothing about it. Luthor is evil. He will put her into a golden cage and never let her go again. Can you imagine Lois being trapped like that? She needs her freedom; she will wither like a flower without water when Luthor gets her.”
“Aren’t you exaggerating things there a bit?” Jimmy asked cautiously.
“I’m not exaggerating,” Clark blurted out. “I know Luthor better than almost anybody in this whole big city. He’s not the nice guy he pretends to be.”
“So you say Lois is in danger. Why don’t you go and save her? The girls fall for those knights in shining armour on their white horses.”
“I tried, but I blew it, somehow. She doesn’t want me the way I am.”
“Still that Superman obsession?” Jimmy asked sympathetically. “What can I say? The girls always want the rich and good-looking guys. You and I, we have no chance.” When Jimmy realized what he had just said, he blushed. “Not that you’re not good-looking, Clark”
“It’s okay, Jimmy.” Clark tried to smile but failed.
“Hey, what do you think? Let's go out tonight and enjoy ourselves until we’re completely drunk.” Jimmy offered.
Clark shook his head. “Alcohol won’t help me in any way. Someone has to convince Lois that Luthor is a bad choice,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe Superman will be able to do that.”
“Not just anyone, Clark - you! My mother always says that you shouldn’t wait for someone else to do your work. If you want it done, do it yourself. You can’t hope that Superman will help you with the nasty job of getting Lois away from her fiancé because maybe he won’t do it.”
Jimmy was right. Though Clark knew that Superman would do whatever was needed, maybe this fight against Luthor was Clark's, not Superman's. The villain hadn’t exactly taken Superman’s woman. It might have been a major reason for Luthor’s sudden interest in Lois, but she was and had always been Clark’s girl. It was his task to save her.
“Okay, what do you think? I prepare breakfast and you tell me what you’re going to do about Jack,” Jimmy said.
“I don’t need to eat,” Clark muttered.
“What?”
“I’m not that hungry, Jimmy.”
* * *
Lois was sitting at her desk in the modern newsroom of LNN. She trying to read a press release, but she just couldn’t concentrate on a word. She had been stuck on the same paragraph for over ten minutes now. Once she had read it, she tried to remember what it was about, but she couldn’t. After the tenth time reading it, she still hadn’t been able to comprehend the text.
Instead, she was thinking about Clark. Who could she ask to find out if he was married? Even if Jimmy had been available at this place, she couldn’t have asked him. Would he spy on his friend? Lois didn’t think so. And what explanation could she give for her curiosity? Clark wasn’t of public interest. She couldn’t claim that she was going to write about him. Everybody in the city knew that they had been partners.
Wouldn’t it look quite odd if she wanted to know about the marital status of her partner and didn’t ask him directly? Yes, that definitely was a weird situation. Maybe she should find someone who didn’t live in Metropolis. A private investigator could check it out. She might even choose someone from Kansas. Lois began to like the idea. She put down the papers in her hand and turned to her computer.
It took her a few minutes to find a directory of the phone numbers in Kansas via Internet. Another couple of minutes later, she had found a private investigator's office close to Smallville. Lois took the receiver of her telephone and dialed the number.
“Detectives Harrod and Greene, hi, this is Mary, how can I help you?” a young woman with a very squeaky voice said when she answered the phone.
“Hi, this is…” Lois hesitated a moment and considered giving Mary a false name. ”Lois Lane. I want to place an order with your bosses.”
“Wait a moment, I'll give you to one of them,” Mary replied.
Lois waited several moments, listening to the music in the meantime. When it ended, a male voice greeted her. Lois explained to him what she wanted to know. She gave him some information about Clark and mentioned that she wasn’t sure where exactly he had married the unknown woman. Lois also asked him to find Clark’s wife if he had one. The whole thing was over in about ten minutes. The detective had promised to call her back if he had news. Lois hung up when their conversation was finished and sighed. She had made the first step.
What was she going to do when she got the results? What was she going to do if Clark really was married? Lois had an unfamiliar feeling of loss burning in her chest with the mere thought of Clark being married. Why was that? She didn’t love him; she had recently told him so. Was she envious because he had found this person in his life he wanted to grow old with, while she hadn’t? But he was her best friend, and she wanted him to be happy.
Maybe she felt this loss because his being married would mean that he hadn’t been honest with her. It would mean that he had concealed an important part of his life. Of course she hadn’t told him everything either, but she wouldn’t have kept silent about such an important thing. She still refused to believe that Clark would actually do that. But if he really had done it, she was going to lose her friend a second time. She’d lose him even more completely than what had already happened. Was that possible?
Lois shook her head. It couldn’t actually get worse than it already was. After being partners with Clark for almost a year, their professional relationship had grown into a real friendship. She had seen him almost every day since he had walked into their newsroom for the first time. They had shared a hotel room, had fought really smart madmen like Trask and she had helped him regain his memory.
And now they hadn’t talked to each other for days. She didn’t know what was right or wrong. Worst of all was that they had separated after an argument. How had it been possible to lose him so totally in just one little moment? The bomb hadn’t just destroyed the building of the Daily Planet; it somehow had cracked the invisible links between the reporters working for the newspaper.
Lois hadn’t seen Jimmy or Perry either. She didn’t know where Cat was. She had never thought that she’d miss Cat some day, but she did.
* * *
Lex Luthor was content with his work. He had made a few phone calls after his conversation with Lois. It was almost too easy to have Clark’s marriage certificate appear in the archive of Smallville’s county office. He had called the office and to his delight and surprise found a classmate of Clark's who had been jealous over his success playing football. The amount of money he had needed to bribe the clerk was ridiculously low.
It hadn’t been a challenge for Lex to install those parts of the trap, so he decided to put some more effort in it. He didn’t want to be bored too soon. Finding a suitable Mrs. Kent was very amusing. Lex had paid special attention at this task. Maybe his effort was wasted on the guy. He was quite sure of a quick victory and sighed at the thought. Mr. Kent would surely be devastated when he found out that he was reportedly married. When he became acquainted with his wife, he would be crushed.
Lex allowed himself to smile at the thought. Fighting Kent would be an awfully brief pleasure, but none-the-less enjoyable. It provided him with a foretaste of his battle with Superman. The Man of Steel would struggle a bit longer to win over his enemy, but he would also perish into nothingness. It was somehow sad to lose a worthy adversary, but killing Superman was an inevitable step on his way. Lex would stop for a moment and thank the hero for being an interesting challenge for him. Then he would go on and never look back.
“You’ve asked for me,” a woman’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Ahh, Mrs. Cox. I’ve got a paper here, and I’d like you to place it in Mr. Kent’s apartment when he goes out. Would you please be so kind?”
“With pleasure, Mr. Luthor.” The assistant smiled broadly. There was something demonic and cunning about her smile that Lex had always loved to see.
* * *
Jimmy had convinced Clark to leave his apartment by telling him how badly Jack was doing in prison. It wasn’t a lie, but Jimmy had exaggerated things a lot. Clark noticed this as he sat in front of the younger man and studied his face. Jack hadn’t cried as Jimmy had claimed, but his face was pale and lined with hopelessness.
“Do you really think you can get me out of here?” Jack asked, making it perfectly clear that he didn’t believe that he could. “Luthor has put me into this prison and he won’t let me out of it. “
“I know, Jack,” Clark said hoarsely. “But someone has to stop him. So far, you’re about one of the only other people in this city who sees him for who he really is.”
Jack stated wryly, “That’s gonna help. Sorry, Clark, but that guy is way too rich and way too powerful to stop, even for Superman.”
Clark nodded. “Yes, Superman won’t be able to stop him without betraying his own ideals. We can’t arrest Luthor because we have no proof that he destroyed the Planet, but I’m going to find it. And I will save Lois.”
“What’s Lois gotta do with it?” Jack asked.
“She will marry Luthor if I can’t stop him soon enough.”
“Boy, you’ve got a problem!”
“You can say that again, Jack.” Clark sighed.
The now familiar feeling of being helpless and desperate again took hold of Clark. It had cost him an awful lot of effort to just leave his apartment. But for Jack’s sake he had managed to do it. What was he good for if he couldn’t help his innocent friend? What could he do against Luthor? That man was so good in hiding that not even the police suspected him of being responsible for any crimes. He had been trying for a year to stop the madman, but he hadn’t made a single step in the right direction. Why should it be different now?
“Boy, you’ve got a problem!” Jack repeated and interrupted Clark’s thoughts for a moment,
Clark leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. He breathed in and out, trying to get out of this inner trap of despair. He concentrated on the task like he did when he prepared for one of his rescues. Clark wanted to sort his problems out and note them down on a mental list. What came first?
How much time do you have? He didn’t have the faintest idea how much time he had left. Clark knew very well that as soon as Lois wore the wedding ring on her finger, it would become much more difficult to pursue the enemy. When he finally managed to reveal the real Luthor to the world, his wife would be one of the suspects as well. Clark had sworn himself to protect her and not let her get into trouble with the police. Okay, he had found his first assignment. Find out more about the wedding.
He felt Jack’s eyes on him, watching him anxiously. Jack obviously feared that Clark wouldn’t dare to fight against Goliath. But Clark wasn’t going to run away. He laid his hands back in his lap and watched Jack with the stern look he usually wore when he was Superman.
“I’ve got to find out which day Luthor has scheduled his marriage with Lois,” Clark said, breaking the silence.
“Do you really think you will be able to stop Luthor on your own?” Jack asked doubtfully. “You know that this isn’t a battle of strength but a battle of the mind.”
“And I’m not smart enough, huh? I have no idea, Jack, if I will be able to hunt him down. But Luthor has no idea who’s going to be his worst foe either. I’ve gotta go.”
“I wish you luck, bud, and I somehow think you're gonna need it even more than I do.”
“Thanks, Jack. Is there anything else I can do for you now?” Clark asked, turning to Jack as he was leaving.
“Maybe you can ask Superman if he’s going to get me out of this,” Jack replied.
“Jack!” Clark admonished him.
“I can at least give it a try.” Jack laughed as he saw Clark’s shocked expression.
Clark said good-bye to Jack quickly and turned to leave the visitors area of the prison. A guard opened the door for him, and he left the depressing coldness of those walls.
*I will get you out of this, Jack.* Clark promised silently. *I’ve been watching Luthor long enough without stopping him. It won’t go on that way.*
* * *
Chapter 2
I will never bring you down,
I will always stick around,
I will heat you when you’re cold
(Dragonfly)The sunlight greeted him, when Clark got out of the Metropolis Juvenile Detention Centre. He was still concentrated on his task. What would be the second step? His father had taught him how to manage seemingly impossible things. Years ago, when he had been a boy and hadn’t developed most of his powers yet, they had planned to build a barn on their land. Clark had thought this was impossible. He hadn’t understood how his father could dare to do that. The task seemed too big; he didn’t even know where to start.
Jonathan had explained to him that Rome wasn’t built in a day. It wasn’t necessary to make the barn appear in a wink. They would separate the whole big task into a lot of minor ones, each easy to manage. They worked day after day, and the building looked more and more like a barn until they were finally finished.
Clark had used his father’s advice to manage controlling his every power. And he still used it when he thought that even a Superman was too weak and small to do the rescue that lay before him. So Clark considered what his second step would be. * Find help.* He would look out for allies in this fight. He wouldn’t endanger them voluntarily, but he would find help.
Help was always an important thing even for Superman. Whenever Clark had approached a disaster, he had searched for the medical staff and for the fire-fighters. They were more important than him. Without them he often would have been no help to the victims. He flew them out of danger, but saving their life, that was what the physicians and nurses did.
But who was going to help him? Clark needed proof as to the evilness of Lex Luthor. Witnesses would be useful to bring him to court. But while Clark was pretty sure that there were people who had witnessed Luthor's crimes, he feared that none of them would tell anything.
They were criminals themselves, and that was certainly a reason to remain silent. The other reason was that they feared Luthor’s revenge. Even in prison, the man would be powerful. So he would need assistance from the police. Inspector Henderson might be the right person to ask.
Clark made the second note on his mental list. Where should he start his investigation? The answer was obvious: It had all started at the Planet. Maybe he would find something there. The building was the third note on the mental list. With a little bit of super-help, Clark hoped to work through his list easily.
The first step was likely to be the easiest. Luthor was vain; he would want everyone to know when the marriage was going to happen. The fact that Clark didn’t know yet was more because he had refused to find out than because Luthor had kept it a secret. He searched for the nearest newsstand to buy a newspaper. Lex Luthor would definitely have told the press, when he was going to marry.
The answer shocked him, though he wasn’t too surprised. Within three days he had to find enough evidence to imprison Luthor for the rest of his life. He glanced at his watch. It was noon. He had 70 hours left; he should get started then. Clark turned in the direction of the police station where Henderson worked.
* * *
Mrs. Cox had parked her car close to Clark Kent’s apartment. She had watched Kent leave his apartment and remained in her car waiting to see if he would be returning anytime soon. Since he was no longer employed he didn’t have to go to his job. Mrs. Cox smiled to herself. She liked seeing the Planet destroyed and devastated. She had enjoyed the desperate look in the employees’ eyes as the Planet had faced insolvency. The despair had faded for a moment when Luthor had seemingly saved their jobs. But it had returned and even increased, when it was definitely clear that Metropolis’ most famous newspaper was vanquished.
She had enjoyed all that very much though she couldn’t understand Luthor’s reasons. Had he done it just for fun or to demonstrate his powers, it would have been understandable, but he had done it because of Lois Lane. Mrs. Cox hated the weak woman Lex was chasing after. Lois Lane didn’t deserve Lex. She would never honour his talents, his brilliancy and ruthlessness. Lois Lane didn’t see Lex for who he really was; she couldn’t admire him the way he deserved it.
There were 70 hours left to win Lex over. She loved him; she was ready to serve him, to grant his every wish. He didn’t see it yet, but Mrs. Cox was the right woman for him. She had talents he hadn’t even dreamt of yet. She would make her beloved man happy.
Until she could do this, she concentrated on the task that lay before her. She glanced at the marriage certificate that lay on the front passenger’s seat and smiled. This was another proof of Luthor’s intelligence, though she would have preferred to kill Kent right away. But whatever reason Luthor had to set up this trap, he had thought a lot about it. She shouldn’t question his plans.
Clark Kent had been gone long enough now. She was pretty sure that she had enough time to break into his apartment to place the certificate there and get out afterwards. So she left the car and took the certificate with her.
Lex was wealthy enough to provide her with the best equipment available. She had no reason to expect someone would notice the break-in. In fact, there was nothing that was going to be taken away, but, rather, she would be leaving something behind. Clark Kent was unlikely to notice.
It only took seconds to get in. Mrs. Cox closed the door behind her. It was nearly embarrassing her how bad his security system was. Though he was living in Metropolis, he still behaved as if this was a small town with honest people around. She descended the stairs and looked around his living room. Where would he place the certificate assuming that he didn’t need to hide it? After all, she expected Lois to find the document.
Mrs. Cox found a desk in the room where Kent stored several papers. She searched the drawers and placed the certificate in one of them. Obviously, it shouldn’t be on top of his other documents. Lois Lane was in some respects smart enough to dig it out, even if it wasn’t right in front of her nose. She tended to ignore other things that were right in front of her, but documents weren’t among them.
When she had finished this, she left the desk as she had found it and glanced at her wristwatch. There was still time left, and though Lex hadn’t advised her to do it, she decided to investigate Mr. Kent’s apartment more thoroughly. It was always good to know the enemy.
Kent seemed to be a pretty boring guy, and Mrs. Cox didn’t wonder why Lois chose to marry Lex. There were loads of books on the bookshelf. Not all of them were written in English. She found a few travel guides and assumed that Kent liked to spend his holidays abroad. Most of the books were novels, some of them were from important authors like Hemingway and others were just for fun. He also had books about physics and chemistry. She glanced into one of them and found it pretty hard to understand.
She placed the book back on the shelf and turned her attention to other things. Closed doors were usually more interesting than open ones. She searched through his cupboards and found none of them very interesting. Mr. Kent was indeed a normal, boring guy. She was disappointed that the apartment held no secrets, and she didn't want to leave until she found something. Mrs. Cox always finished what she began, and so she turned with a sigh to the least interesting closed door - the wardrobe.
But when she opened it, a flash of excitement ran through her being. Behind Mr. Kent’s clothes there was a hidden door. He had obviously forgotten to close it properly. Mrs. Cox couldn’t resist looking behind it. The sight of red, blue and yellow was worth the previous fruitless search. It seemed that Mr. Kent wasn’t that boring after all. Mrs. Cox smiled with content about the knowledge she had gained today. She thought about telling Luthor about it but dismissed that idea. It might be more useful if she kept that knowledge for herself
Mrs. Cox remembered that she had a second assignment that day. She should leave the apartment and prepare for the things to come.
tbc...
