Home: Vendetta 3/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
*Everyone's out of the building,* CJ's voice announced in his mind several moments later. *Coming.* He arrived as he spoke. "Lori's inside something that's blocking the signal?"
Clark nodded. "Apparently."
"Can you still feel her mind?"
"Yes. She's to the north of us, somewhere. She was moving pretty fast there for a few minutes but now I think she's stationary."
"Can you communicate with her?"
"A little. The sense I get is that she doesn't know where she is. In a house, she thinks, inside a private bomb shelter."
"Like the ones people built fifty or sixty years ago," CJ said. "If she's north of us, that puts her in a fairly circumscribed area."
"I know. But we can't go bursting into people's houses without warrants. And if we go around asking to see their shelters, it'll alert Gaia's Children that we have some idea where she is. They could move her -- or kill her."
*Are you getting all this, John?* CJ telepathed.
*Yes,* the editor replied. *I'm going to pass what I can to Velma. I don't know how I'm going to tell her what part of town to concentrate on, though.*
Clark met CJ's eyes. "What should I do?"
CJ looked steadily back at him. "Tell her, of course. Lori could have that baby any minute. We don't have much time. If anybody can be trusted, it's Velma."
**********
And now, Part 3:
Velma Chow was not having a good day. The demonstration by Gaia's Children had struck her as a bad idea when she had first heard about it, but, of course, she didn't have any say in the matter. So the demonstration, as she had expected, had degenerated into a riot, a good deal of random destruction, the bombing of the Daily Planet building -- which she suspected wasn't random at all -- and now the Daily Planet's leading female journalist had apparently been kidnapped by the people that Velma privately characterized as lunatics. Which, of course, was something that she would never say on the record.
Lori Lyons could sometimes be a pain in the rear from some of her colleagues' point of view but Velma had never regarded the young woman as such. Lori was bright, intelligent, and likeable. Velma had always found her so, at least. More to the point, Lori was trustworthy and always gave the police a fair shake, which was something that couldn't be said about a lot of her contemporaries.
The vehicle, the license number of which John Olsen had given her, couldn't be found within the borders of the city, and Velma was in the process of sending two officers to check out the home of the owner when her wrist talker beeped.
"Yes?" she said sharply.
"Um -- Lieutenant Chow, a Mr. John Olsen is here to see you. He says he has some information for you."
"Send him in," Velma said. She straightened up in her chair. A moment later there was a knock on her office door.
"Come in," she said.
The door slid aside and John Olsen entered.
The editor of the damaged main branch of the Daily Planet was a man in his early to mid forties, at least so she judged by his appearance. The profile she had pulled up on her computer said he was fifty-two. She had met John Olsen in person twice before in the course of her duties, and had spoken to him many times on the vidscreen, and each time had been struck by a feeling of familiarity. It was as if he reminded her of someone she knew.
She'd had that feeling more often than she was willing to admit these days and for more than one person. Maybe it was middle age catching up with her. John Olsen was fairly tall: about six feet, she estimated, fit and trim, and he moved with the easy grace of a man fifteen years younger. He must work out, she thought, to keep that flat middle and those broad shoulders. His hair was dark and thick, with only a faint sprinkling of grey at the temples to give him a distinguished appearance, and his heavy eyebrows were still black. He was a very good-looking man in a faintly exotic sort of way, and had probably been a heartbreaker in his youth. Unfortunately, as with so many handsome, successful men of his age, he was in a committed, long-term marriage. At forty, Velma had pretty much shelved the idea of marriage but a girl could still appreciate the scenery, she reflected with dry humor.
As he stepped into her office, Velma saw that he was frowning, and his jaw was set. Obviously, the kidnapping of his top female reporter had upset him more than he might like to admit. His eyebrows were drawn together, and suddenly she was able to pin down the nagging feeling that he resembled someone else.
It was the eyes, she thought. They were brown, with gold flecks in them, and had a faintly Asian appearance. He looked almost like a combination of Superman and Blue Lightning. It had to be a coincidence, of course, but the notion that she had discovered something important wouldn't quite go away.
"Can I help you, Olsen?" she inquired.
The Editor of the Planet smiled perfunctorily. "Superman wanted me to relay some information," he said. "He told me to tell you that he'll be here a little later to explain more fully."
"And?" Velma asked.
"Lori Lyons is almost certainly in one of the old private bomb shelters on the North Side of Metropolis," he said.
"How do you know?" Velma asked. "Where's the proof?"
"I'm afraid there isn't anything tangible," Olsen said, regretfully. "Superman knows that she's in the general area, but he can't give you any solid proof."
"So I'm supposed to act on Superman's intuition?"
"It isn't intuition," Olsen said firmly. "He'll be here to explain in a few minutes. In the meantime, I had one of my researchers do a web search at the local library. She came up with a list of the homes in that area with private bomb shelters." He produced a sheet of hardcopy.
Velma took it and glanced perfunctorily over it. "There's nearly a hundred homes on this list."
"Ninety-two," Olsen said. "Lori Lyons is probably in one of them, and worse, her baby is four days overdue. She's running out of time."
Velma laid the paper down. "Do you have any idea why Gaia's Children would want to kidnap Lori?" she asked.
Olsen sighed. "Some. You're aware, aren't you, that she and Kent broke the story of Gaia's attempt to destroy the 'Mayflower'?"
"I remember it. It had to do with their idea that establishing a colony on another planet would cause the destruction of the human race."
"From the research Lori has done on their movement, it's not just a crazy idea -- it's one of the bedrock tenets of their organization. Kent and Lyons exposed Gaia's plot and put a lot of their leaders in jail -- but the followers haven't given up. My opinion is that they're going to try to punish Lori, and possibly Clark Kent, for their so-called crime. That's what their spokesmen have been calling it in their various press releases. As I understand it, the Daily Planet is also on their hit list. They seem to have carried through on that one as well." He met Velma's eyes steadily with his own. "I think Lori's life, and the life of her baby, are in danger, and, if she loses that baby, it will be a tragedy."
Velma sighed. Journalists, even those in positions like John Olsen's, had a definite flair for overdoing the drama. "Of course losing either of them would be a tragedy," she said. "I'm going to try to prevent it. But people die every day, and so, unfortunately, do children. Look, John --"
"This would be a worse tragedy," Olsen interrupted. "That baby, and that young woman, are more important to Metropolis -- and the world -- than you realize."
Velma cocked an eyebrow at him. "Would you care to explain that?"
"I'll explain it," a voice said, and Velma looked around to discover Superman standing by her desk. "Thanks, John."
Olsen nodded. "Shall I leave?"
"No," Superman said. He turned to Velma. "John told you where I said Lori is probably being hidden."
"Yes, and I'd like to know how you know," Velma said, acerbically. "All this mystery is getting a little annoying. Would you care to explain?"
Olsen turned to close the office door and lock it. Superman glanced around the room and Velma thought that he was examining it minutely for something. Then he reached out to disconnect her intercom. "Just in case," he said. "This is for your ears only. I need your solemn word that what we tell you will never leave this office, and that you'll never pass it along to anyone."
The look on his face was so serious that Velma Chow felt the short hairs on the back of her neck prickle slightly. "You have it," she said.
Superman stepped into the clear area in front of her desk, glanced once at John -- and his figure became a small tornado of red, blue and yellow that changed color quickly to grey. When he came to a stop another man stood in front of Velma's desk. She half rose to her feet. "Kent!"
He nodded. "That's right. This is who I really am. Lori, as you know, is my wife -- and her baby is mine: a baby that will be another super-powered human being when he or she grows up -- assuming my wife and child survive."
Velma Chow was literally struck dumb for several seconds. At last she took a deep breath. "I think I understand what you meant," she said to John Olsen. She looked back at Kent, examining his face closely and wondering now how she had ever missed it. "Now, explain to me, Kent, how you know your wife is in that section of the city."
"She told me," Clark said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Kryptonians are telepathic with each other," Clark said. "Some of the original Superman's descendents have that ability as well."
"And you do?"
"Yes." Clark nodded. "Those of us with the telepathic talent bond mentally and emotionally with our mates. Since Lori is a human, she and I can't talk the way two telepaths can, but I can pick up impressions from her mind, strong emotions, and sometimes some of her thoughts when she's very upset or afraid. And I can tell general location. I know she's north of us because I can feel her there but I can't pinpoint her. She's somewhere in that area, and she's very frightened."
Velma nodded. The whole conversation had a vaguely surreal feeling to it, as if she had stepped from real life into the setting of a science fiction novel. She ignored the faintly numb sensation that seemed to encase her brain and tried to focus on what he was telling her. It gave her at least the illusion of normalcy. "It must be hell, knowing how she feels and not being able to help her," she said. She looked back at John Olsen. "I take it this wasn't a surprise to you, Olsen."
"No," the editor said.
"I should have figured," she said. "I guess your resemblance to Superman isn't a coincidence."
"No," John said. "I'm the original Superman's great grandson, but without the super powers."
She tilted her head. "You look more like Blue Lightning."
"He's a relative," Olsen said. "So is Clark, here, obviously."
"Well --" Velma pushed back her chair. "Let's get busy, since we have a deadline. What did Lori's doctor say about the baby?"
"She could go another week or two -- or she could go into labor tonight," Clark said.
Velma scowled. "I want every bit of information that you and Lori have amassed on Gaia's Children," she said to Clark. "I trust the Planet has its information archived at some remote location, and not in the building itself," she added, turning to John. "If we start searching the bomb shelters in North Metropolis we'll alert them that we have some idea where she might be. They might simply decide to move her, or they might just cut their losses and kill her. We need to find a different approach." She spun her chair back to face Clark. "And if the situation changes -- if you pick up any information from Lori, let me know at once -- and would you mind reconnecting the intercom?"
"Of course." Clark did so quickly and effortlessly.
Velma's wrist talker beeped at that instant. She lifted it to her lips. "Chow."
"I have the information you asked for, Lieutenant." Mona French was Velma's new assistant. Chow's initial impression of the woman had been that she was an over-cocky young officer with an inflated view of herself. After two weeks of acquaintance, she had discovered that Mona's attitude sprang from a sense of self-confidence that was completely warranted.
"Let's have it," she said.
"The vehicle is registered to a Maurice Harkin -- address of record is an apartment house on Bolero Drive." She proceeded to reel off the address.
"Harkin?" John Olsen said. "Fred's name is Harkin."
"Did you catch that, Mona?" Chow asked.
"Yes ma'am. I already checked into that. Frederick Harkin, formerly employed by the Daily Planet, is his cousin."
"Put him under surveillance," Velma said. "If he's in on it, he might just contact his cousin -- or vice versa."
"Already done, ma'am. There's also an APB out on the suspect. We've questioned his neighbors, but he hasn't been seen since yesterday."
"Keep on it." Velma shut off the device and turned back to John Olsen and Kent. "We're interviewing the local leaders of Gaia's Children. All of them deny any knowledge of Lori's kidnapping."
"Naturally," Clark said.
"Let's say I'm not surprised," Velma said. "We'll keep an eye on them as well, but I suspect that this was arranged ahead of time to give the bosses plausible deniability." She drummed her fingers on the surface of her desk. "Superman --"
"Clark," he corrected.
"Sorry. 'Clark.' I want you to make sure your family coordinates with the police in this."
"They will," Clark said. "Superwoman, Blue Lightning and Cyclone are watching the section of Metropolis where we're pretty sure Lori is being hidden. If they see anything unusual, they'll notify me at once. Tan-El is busy in his own circle of acquaintances that live in that section of the city. Typhoon is covering the fraternities and sororities at New Troy State. There's a Gaia's Children student organization on campus. They'll let me know if they learn anything. The same for the others."
"What others?"
"Lori's baby is a big event for the family," John said quietly. "And Lori is important to all of us. There are several dozen of our family members living in Metropolis. I've already communicated with them. Some of them know members of the Gaia's Children cult. If any of them see anything unusual or find out anything of significance, they'll call me at once."
"Just make sure they don't stick their heads into a noose," Velma said grimly. "If anyone slips, I don't want him to wind up dead. These fanatics are playing for keeps."
"They know that," John said. "How much super-help can you use?"
"As much as you can provide. Why?"
"We have members coming in from all around the world," John explained. "They're ready to do whatever needs to be done."
Velma's eyebrows went up involuntarily. She should have expected it but she hadn't. She had an army of supermen and -women waiting for her to give them orders. It seemed that when one of their family was in trouble, the supermen banded together. This didn't bode well for Gaia's Children if they actually caused the death of Lori Lyons or her baby. "All right. How do I contact them?"
"Through me," John said. "They don't want to be seen, naturally. It might alert the wrong people. Just tell me what you want them to do. I'll relay it."
She cast him a sharp glance. Of course, the man wore a wrist talker but this was more than that. "You're a telepath, aren't you, Olsen. Like Kent."
"Yes." Olsen didn't elaborate.
"I thought you said you have no super powers."
"I don't," Olsen said.
"I think that may be a matter of opinion," Velma said. "All right, here's what I want them to do --"
**********
Meriel Olsen wasn't unaware of the crisis that had overtaken the Kent clan. In fact, it occupied her mind to the exclusion of her summer studies and anything else. Classes had been suspended for the day, following the bombing of the Daily Planet, and Meriel found herself with nothing to take her mind off the emergency. Her friend, Lori, was in the hands of crazy cultists who probably blamed her for the end of the world that their particular dogma predicted when the 'Mayflower' reached the Alpha Centauri system and established a colony. Meriel found herself clenching her fists as she listened in with the telepathic talent that she had inherited from her father to the communications flying back and forth between her family members. If only she could *do* something!
A couple of years ago, she had helped Lori and Clark solve the case of a drug peddler on the NTSU campus. Watching Lori in action had inspired her more than she had been willing to admit. She and her Grandfather Clark had been taken prisoner by the ringleader and imprisoned in the basement of an old house. The woman had possessed a Kryptonite ring that she used to disable Superman and Meriel as well. Lori, however, had figured out who was behind it and where they were, and single-handedly captured the woman and her accomplice, and saved the lives of Meriel and of Clark. And now, when Lori was in trouble, Meriel couldn't do a thing to help her.
Well, maybe she couldn't help directly, but there was nothing to say that she couldn't try to figure out where Lori had been taken. She wasn't as good with a computer as Lori, but she knew someone that was. A few months ago, the new intern at her dad's office, Carla Rhoads, had helped Lori and Clark break the case of a serial killer. Lori had introduced Carla to Meriel one afternoon, and they had become friends almost at once. Carla wouldn't be at the Daily Planet, since the building had been damaged and wasn't safe, but Meriel had the number for Carla's wrist talker. Maybe Carla could help. Quickly, before she could change her mind, she spoke to the vidscreen.
"Call Carla Rhoads."
She had almost decided that Carla's wrist talker might have been broken in the emergency when Carla's voice answered. "This is Carla."
"This is Meriel Olsen," Meriel said. "I heard about what happened. Are you all right, Carla?"
"Yes, mostly." The other girl's voice sounded shaken. "We all got out alive, thanks to Superman and the others."
"That's a relief," Meriel said. "Did you hear what else happened?"
"No. What happened?" Carla asked.
"Where are you?" Meriel asked. "Dad doesn't want anyone else to find out yet."
"I'm at the Hob's Fitness Center with Connor," Carla said. "He picked me up after the paramedics finished checking me over."
"Oh." She guessed that was okay. "Can anybody hear you?"
"Just Connor."
"Okay, then. This is important. I need you to help me. Gaia's Children kidnapped Lori."
There was dead silence for a minute and then Carla's voice said softly, "Oh no."
"Yeah. Dad says the police are afraid they're going to hurt her -- maybe kill her. She and Uncle Clark stopped them from blowing up the 'Mayflower', and they --"
"Yeah, I know," Carla said. "I remember reading the story. I was still at NTSU at the time. But what can we do that the cops can't?"
"Well, I have an idea," Meriel said, "but I need somebody who's good with computers, and you're the best person I know, except for my Uncle Aaron, and he's out of town."
"All right," Carla said. "What do you want me to do?"
"I'll come over there," Meriel said. "In the meantime, can you get hold of a list of the membership of Gaia's Children? I know Lori managed to break into it when she and Uncle Clark were working on the 'Mayflower' case a couple of years ago."
"Maybe," Carla said. "I'll see what I can do. I don't suppose you have any of Lori's records or anything?"
"No, but she had all that stuff on her laptop. I can probably get it."
"Well, why don't you come over here and we'll decide what to do once you get here," Carla said, sounding suddenly very determined. "I don't think we should be talking about this over the phone."
"You're probably right," Meriel said. "I'll be there as fast as I can make it."
**********
tbc
