Hello all!!
I'm really sorry for the delay, but I've been through sooooo many things lately.
First, it was my school exams, then the Odyssey I went through until I found a new BR, and then my BR’s RL... which is still taking place, so this part hasn't been B-Read yet
I promise I'll behave from now on... (/me not sure which smilie she should use here - lol)
So, if there are any people still reading, enjoy.
AnnaBtG.
*****
When Rachel said these words, she stopped talking, took a deep breath and looked around, calm and, at last, back to her normal self.
Her words had caused various reactions. John was looking at her, with the same idiot look in his eyes. Lois and Clark were staring at Sharlynn, without letting any feelings show. Sharlynn’s face had a strange, false – indifferent expression. Was it anger? Was it fear? Was it something else? Nobody could tell.
Jane, at the same time, was torn in a million pieces. Everything she thought she knew about her sister had turned out to be a big lie. Her soul was full of sorrow, and she was hardly keeping her tears inside.
“Really?” she asked Sharlynn.
Sharlynn looked around the room, unconsciously. Finally turned to Jane, and, she said – or, more precisely, apologized: “Yes.”
Jane, hurt, opened her mouth, tried to say something, but couldn’t. The tears were already glowing in her eyes.
“Why?” she managed to ask.
Sharlynn hesitated, not knowing what to say. “…Look, Jane. …Look, you come here, and tell us… I mean, he’s your husband, it’s a bit weird. I…” But she stopped.
Jane’s face was now full of tears, and she was biting her lips nervously. “You could have told me.” she said, bitterly.
“Look, Jane, I’m sorry, but…”
Jane leaned onto Rachel’s chest. Rachel was looking strictly to Sharlynn.
“Rachel, I…” She couldn’t go on. Silence fell in the room, and the only sound was Jane, trying to swallow her sobs.
“OK, now wait a minute.” Sharlynn said, finding her old self. “How do we know that she’s not pretending right now? She may really be a spy!”
That could be logical, Lois and Clark thought. However, Jane denied it at once. “I’m not a spy.” she said, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand.
“Really, Sharlynn, I think you’re going too far now.” Rachel said. “How about leaving behind all this nonsense and try to do something to help the baby?”
“No problem.” she said.
“Wait a minute.” Clark protested. “Since we’ve started clearing this mess up, why don’t we finish with it? If you’re willing to collaborate, it won’t take long.”
“OK.” Rachel agreed. “So, what do you want to know?”
“Everything we don’t know yet. For example, what you said about your project is true?”
“Yes. Every single word. Oh, we haven’t told you, I think, that Sharlynn was working as a cop in Guadalajara. And, of course, she’s been spying upon you, since we decided to give you the baby. And today, when you left the apartment, you took the baby and went home, remember, Mrs. Lois?” she asked.
“Oh, please, call me Lois.”
“Whatever. Sharlynn followed you. And then went to the Daily Planet, and passed a while watching Mr. Clark, to be sure he wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Clark, as a perfect actor, pretended he was feeling a not – so – well hidden surprise. Lois’ surprise, on the other hand, was perfectly clear. What if Sharlynn had seen Clark flying, or she’d heard him talking about his super – self, or… who knows what?
However, she was quick, as always. She could hold back herself and not ask her if she’d seen anything weird, and just yelled – knowing well what she was doing – “What?!”
“Yes. And I was happy to see our secret is safe with you. Still, I didn’t see you getting in touch with Superman.”
Lois was pleased. It had worked; Sharlynn revealed – without knowing it – that she didn’t know their big secret. She needed an answer in her indirect question, though. “We called his girlfriend, and it was her who told us they were too busy to keep the baby. I guess you were not around when we did.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Anything else? More information?” Clark asked.
Rachel remained silent for a moment. “I think there’s nothing more.” she said. “But if we think of anything we haven’t told you we’ll let you know. It was about time we where honest with each other.”
“Oh, wait!” Lois exclaimed. “Why did the Black Team kidnap John?”
“Oh, that.” Rachel said. “Compulsion. The Black Team actually wants two things from us: First of all, my research, accompanied by me so that I finish it, and secondly Jane. Well, Tommy is the one who wants her more.”
“Thomas Welson?” Clark asked.
“Yep, he’s the one.”
“And who’s behind all this?” Lois asked.
“We don’t know, yet.” Sharlynn said. “OK,” she continued, after a few moments, “I guess that we have to plan our moves to find the baby.” Sharlynn proposed. She turned to Lois. “Will you call Superman?”
“Oh, Clark,” she turned to him, “before we do, can we go and have something to eat? I’m starving, it’s long past lunchtime and I have hardly eaten anything since breakfast.”
“Yeah, you’re right, I’m hungry too. So, we’ll have something to eat, and then we’ll call Superman, OK?” he asked Sharlynn.
“Yes.” she simply replied.
“Is the baby fed?” Jane asked, worried.
“Yes.” Lois said. “I fed her here.”
“Right.” Rachel agreed.
“Well, she’s still a baby, and she must have driven her kidnappers crazy by now.” Sharlynn kidded. “A crying baby isn’t that easy to be handled.”
Everyone smiled. At least the atmosphere in the room wasn’t as grave as before now.
“So, we’re leaving.” Clark said. “See you later.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Sharlynn said.
“Bye.” Rachel and Jane said.
“Bye.” Clark and Lois replied. Lois tried to turn the handle.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot.” Rachel unlocked the door and opened it.
“Bye.” the Kents repeated.
“Bye.” the Thorns replied, while Rachel was shutting and locking the door once again.
***
Lois and Clark were now at the Uncle Mike’s restaurat. They had finished eating, and they were planning their next moves.
“Do you know what I think?” Lois whispered intensely, looking around her to be sure that nobody was paying any attention to them. “Let’s let them do whatever they want with each other. You, fly around, find the baby, take it back and then let’s forget their existence! We’ve had enough, it’s got to be over.”
“Come on, Lois,” Clark tried to calm her down, “we can’t do it! They need our help! Besides, the baby is theirs! We can’t just keep her!”
“Well, I may be wrong, but I think they gave it to us. Didn’t they?” Lois insisted on her idea.
“It doesn’t matter, Lois!”
“Oh, OK!” she said, sitting back in her chair and crossing her hands over her chest. “Do whatever you want.”
This had proven to be the best way to convince Clark to do as she wanted.
“Lois, really…” He could resist no more, so he tried to find a solution they’d both like. “Look, I’m going to go out and search for Sharlynn. Once I find her, we’ll go to the Thorns and all together we’ll decide what’s going to happen with her.” He proposed. “Is that OK?”
“Fine.” She grumbled.
“Not “fine”, Lois. Yes or no?”
“…Fine, Clark!” she exclaimed, deciding that she’d better give in – this was not time for disagreements. “Just do it!”
“OK, I’m leaving.” He leaned over the table and kissed her gently on the lips. “Don’t worry, Lois. It’s all going to be OK.”
“I hope so.” She smiled, and kissed him back. “Go, now.”
“See ya,” he just said and hurried out of the restaurant.
***
A few minutes later, he was flying above the big city, wondering where should he look.
It was simple, he suddenly thought. The first place he should check was the secret room in the sewer, where he had found them a few hours ago. He silently wished they were silly enough to not think of changing refuge.
Luckily, he could remember the way there.
He reached the place easily. The door was still broken, of course. All the furniture had disappeared, but the iron door at the back wall was still there, and he could hear voices from inside.
He x-rayed the door. Behind it there was a small room. The chairs were all around the walls, leaving just a little space for the people inside it – six men in their black uniforms, and their chief, Thomas Welson, holding Sharlynn in his arms. Sharlynn was crying loudly, and Welson didn’t seem too pleased about it. In fact, he was ready to strangle her.
“Doesn’t anyone know how to make this stupid baby shut up?” he yelled to his men, angry.
“Chief, you already have three children…” someone dared to say.
“I was not the one who raised them, you idiot! Shut up, you little bitch!” he barked to the baby. “If I didn’t need you, I would throw you on the wall! Shut up!” He was rocking her intensely, but she just kept crying.
Clark was ready to rush in and beat the guy up, but he held himself back. What if it was a trap?
Still, he reconsidered, how could they trap him? They could hardly move in that small room. He could easily open the door, take the baby, and then take them to the police.
On a second thought, they were seven. He couldn’t carry them all. He’d have to carry three of them the first time, then three more, and then the last one. He had also to explain the situation to the police.
However, time was precious now. What if someone escaped?
Maybe he should call the police, and they would catch them all in the act. Nevertheless, the Black Team could shot and kill the policemen; they were all armed.
Clark racked his brains to find the best solution. He could disarm the Black Team, and then call the police. Or he could call the police first; they’d come close and hide themselves, then he’d go in, he’d disarm the Black Team and then the policemen would arrest them. This could work.
But… wouldn’t it be better if he let them free, for the moment? Perhaps they’d lead him to their Boss.
If they had one.
The only way to find, was to wait. Sooner or later, if they did have a Boss, they’d contact them. And then he’d know.
Then, a brilliant idea crossed his mind. He had the perfect plan.
***
Lois had gone home. She was pacing around the living room nervously, worrying about Clark. Had he already found the Black Team, or not? Had he taken back the baby, or not?
The baby… She sighed and sat on the couch, thinking.
Jane had given the baby to Superman – or, that’s what she’d wanted to do. Later, she told them that it’d be OK if Clark and she kept it.
But that was when she thought Sharlynn wasn’t safe. What if, when Welson and the Black Team were arrested, Jane asked for her daughter back?
They wouldn’t be able to keep her. They had no right on her. She wasn’t their daughter. In addition, they hadn’t kept her for a long time and they couldn’t claim she had learned them as her parents.
They would be back to their previous position, unable to have kids or adopt any. Doomed.
Lois rested her head on the cushions, full of sorrow.
***
Clark took a deep breath. His plan would succeed, he was sure.
He approached the door, opened it easily and, just in a blink, took the baby from Welson’s arms and ran away.
He got out of the sewer and hovered above the Victory Avenue, with the baby in his arms, using his superhearing and x-ray vision abilities to watch the Black Team, who was just under that part of the Avenue. Many people had gathered around him, wondering what he was doing, but he didn’t care.
“What the heck just happened? What the heck just happened?” Welson was screaming, furiously. “It was Superman, wasn’t it?”
“Chief,” someone hesitatingly said, “we were behind you, we didn’t see…”
“Shut up! It was Superman! Who else could it be?”
The others nodded.
“Just what we needed.” Welson grumbled. He stepped out of the small room, cursing. “OK, now what can anyone tell to Dr. Owen?”
