Okay...here's Part 5b. Enjoy!
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“-and thank you for your help,” Clark said in flawless Arabic before hanging up the phone. He turned to Lois and grinned. “The Cairo police department confirmed that things have been happening at Saqqara; broken ornaments in the tombs and other tombs suddenly appearing where none had been before. These people sure don’t seem to care if anyone knows they were there.”
“Or they’re just mindless thugs who’re told where to dig,” Lois answered wryly. Then she brightened. “But this information ties in with the things I heard at that warehouse, Clark! We’re getting closer to having proper evidence that we can show Perry…I can feel it!”
Clark just kept grinning. The previous night they’d kissed for a period of time and things had gotten pretty heated. But both had made a conscious choice to step back and give things some time; Clark because he knew Lois and Lois because while she didn’t want to take things too slowly, where they were going and the speed at which they were going there was just a little too fast.
After sitting back so that they were still cuddling side on, they’d gotten into a discussion about the best way to tackle the Intergang investigation. Lois had felt herself getting more clear-headed every minute as they debated the pros and cons of talking to Henderson and the FBI to see if they knew anything. It had been Clark’s suggestion that he phone the Cairo police department the next day to ask them for information; Lois had readily agreed. It was a good idea and she didn’t know Arabic: Clark did.
So there they were in the newsroom, crowing over the facts the man at the Cairo police department had given Clark. They’d waited until Dougal had left with Diana to call – they weren’t taking any chances of him overhearing anything. This investigation was too important – Lois’ life was at stake.
“Next stop, the Metropolis police department,” she continued. “Henderson will know something – he always does.”
“But whether he’ll want to talk is another matter altogether,” Clark reminded her. “He has been reluctant in the past…”
Lois waved this off with her usual disregard for Henderson’s judgments. “He’d be better off if he tells us what he knows. Then we might tell him what we know in return. I’m sure he’d like to know what I heard in the warehouse.”
“Probably,” Clark agreed, knowing it was no use arguing with Lois. And besides, she usually did get Henderson to confide in them, though the police sergeant generally did it grudgingly.
Lois had turned and grabbed her coat. “So…are you coming, Mr. Bodyguard?” She fluttered her lashes at him beguilingly.
“Well, I suppose I’d better,” said Clark with a mock sigh. “To keep you out of trouble and everything.”
“Oh, of course. To keep me out of trouble,” Lois replied, rolling her eyes. “That’s what a bodyguard’s for, after all.”
*****
“Well, at least he confirmed that they knew something was going on, and he was very pleased to get the information you provided,” Clark said in an attempt to appease Lois as she stomped down the police station’s steps in front of him.
“But he refused to tell us anything else,” Lois complained. “That’s just like Henderson: always holding out on me.” She threw her hands into the air as they reached her Jeep. “Oh, perfect; just perfect!”
Clark reached over and plucked the parking ticket from her windscreen. “Well, at least you’re in the right place to go and pay it right away,” he said cheerfully, handing her the piece of paper and pointing to the county courthouse across the way.
Lois glowered at him. “Bah!” she retorted as she snatched it from his hand. “Stupid ticket-happy parking wardens…” She trudged into the courthouse with Clark following her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Oh, it was so good to have Lois back to normal!
*****
After calling the FBI later that day and talking to an agent who was an old friend of Clark’s, Lois wasn’t in a much better mood than she’d been when paying her parking ticket. The agent, Tom Harper, hadn’t been much help either. Like Henderson, he was able to confirm that the FBI had an ongoing investigation into stolen artifacts being smuggled into the States, but he couldn’t tell them much else. His superiors would have jumped on him immediately if he compromised the investigation any more.
“Sorry, Clark,” he’d said. “I wish I could help you more, man. Just a hint, though I can’t confirm anything… Keep an eye on the finances of a company called ‘Right Fast Enterprises’.”
Lois had scoffed at the name of such a company. “Right Fast Enterprises? Who names a company that?”
“I don’t know, but Tom mentioning it has to mean something,” Clark insisted. “Maybe it’s a shell company of some sort?”
“I’ll get Jimmy to see if he can find anything out,” said Lois. “I’ll tell him not to mention anything to anyone about it though. Not even Perry. That way word can’t get back to Dougal.”
“Right,” answered Clark. He looked at his watch. “Then I suppose we’d better get out here…”
“Oh yeah…the governor’s ball.” Lois grimaced. “And I haven’t got anything to wear.”
“You’ll look wonderful in anything, Lois,” Clark said tenderly. “Though I do like that dress you wore on our first date…”
“The black one? Well, it’s nice but I think it’s a little too short for a ball… But I *do* have something similar in blue and it’s a little longer. It might just do…” She stared off into space for a moment. “Yes, it just might do.”
“I can’t wait to see you in it then,” said Clark wiggling his eyebrows up and down comically.
“And I can’t wait to see you in your tux again,” Lois replied with a suggestive look upon her face. “I thought I was going to have to wait until the Kerths, but I’m going to be lucky this year.”
Clark felt his face heat up considerably. ‘Oh boy, it’s going to be a long night…’
*****
When Clark picked Lois up for the ball, she opened the door and left him completely speechless. The long gown she wore sparkled blue in the glow from the hallway light. It had a V-neck and thin straps and flared out a little at the bottom. The dress hugged her curves perfectly.
“That is…I, uh…what I mean is…” Clark finally began to speak again, though he wasn’t entirely coherent.
“You like it?” Lois did a little twirl and smiled somewhat shyly. “I brought it a while ago, and just realised that I never got around to wearing it.”
“Please,” Clark begged in all seriousness, “wear it everyday.”
Lois raised one eyebrow and giggled. “That might be a little difficult to do, Clark.”
“I, uh… O-of course.” Clark realised what he’d just said and laughed at his own words. “You just look absolutely fantastic!”
“You’re not looking so bad yourself,” Lois responded, sashaying up to him and placing one hand upon his chest. “I’m liking the tux…*very* much.”
At this pronouncement, she pressed a kiss to one of his cheeks. “Shall-” Clark’s first syllable came out as more of a croak than word. He cleared his throat and tried again: “Shall we go?”
Lois smiled. “We shall.” She linked her arm with his and, locking the door behind her, they went to the ball.
*****
“At least we have something to keep us occupied while we wait for the governor to make his grand entrance,” said Lois some time later as they swayed to the music. Her head was upon Clark’s shoulder and the slow song they were dancing to was almost hypnotic in its rhythm.
“I think I like being occupied like this,” Clark responded, pulling Lois closer.
They swayed in silence for a few more minutes before the music stopped and a man stepped up to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “tonight we are here to present the new face in the role of Governor for New Troy. He has been a senator for several terms and before that was known in local politics as ‘a visionary’. Metropolis, please welcome Governor George Watson!”
A middle-aged man walked on the stage, his silver head of hair making him look distinguished and his charismatic personality evident as soon as the wide smile appeared upon his face.
“Looks just like every other governor to me,” Lois said, stepping away from Clark but keeping her hand in his. “Grey hair, power suit, cheesy smile: check.”
“He could be different, you know,” was Clark’s reply. “He might be the best thing this state’s ever seen.”
“You always think the best of people,” said Lois from the corner of her mouth as she noticed a woman beside them take on an irritated expression. “Oops…I think people actually want to listen to his speech.”
“Well, we should listen too,” Clark whispered. “We are, after all, reporting on this event and what the new governor is like.”
Lois nodded, forcing herself to contain any further criticisms. She vaguely listened to the man’s speech, her mini tape recorder held out just enough to capture his voice. This also made it possible for her mind to wander a little – the speech would still be there later on.
‘Hmm… Life in general has definitely been a heck of a lot better these last few days.’ She let out a small happy sigh and saw Clark immediately glance in her direction. At his questioning look, she simply tightened her hold on his hand and beamed – he responded in kind.
“-and so making the state of New Troy affordable to live in, for every citizen, is imperative, as is keeping families safe. I-”
Here Lois tuned the governor out completely. His speech seemed almost exactly the same as the previous governor’s, which she had reported on four years previously. He hadn’t done much to ‘make Metropolis affordable’ and Superman had done more to ‘keep families safe’ than any government official ever had or would. She loosely recalled the former governor saying something in his most recent speech about how crime rates in Metropolis had plummeted during his term in office.
‘Just during the latter half of it,’ Lois had thought at the time. ‘No thanks to you either, Governor Marshall. Try thanking those who really do all the hard work.’
As she remembered this, Lois looked up at Clark. His attention appeared to be completely focused on the man at the podium, but just when she was about to glance away he stole a quick peek in her direction and smiled so lovingly that it left a feeling of warmth deep inside of her.
Finally she realised that the governor had finished his long-winded speech and was beginning to wander the floor, greeting the guests. Nobody seemed to be paying him much attention until he arrived at their group, though the event they were at was a ball in his honour. Lois supposed that many of them, like she and Clark, were only there because they had to be.
Eventually the governor was nearby, but stopped to talk to a petite blonde who had her back to them. The conversation between the two seemed to be rather intense for a casual meeting at a ball and Lois was beginning to wonder whether what they were saying wouldn’t be worth listening in on. Then the woman turned and she realised whom the governor had been talking to: Mindy Church. Oh, now she was definitely going to listen to them! She watched as they retreated to the side of the room and tugged Clark to come with her.
“Come on, Clark!” she hissed. “That was Mindy Church talking to the governor. Now they’re over there!” She pointed to the couple that stood close together, their stances suggesting familiarity. Once again, Mrs. Church had her back to them.
Clark’s placid expression rapidly changed to one of protectiveness. “You’re sure?”
“I just saw the woman saying she wanted me dead the other day, Clark. I don’t think I’d forget that face.”
“Good point,” Clark said dryly. When Lois tugged at him again he tugged back, gently. “Hey, we don’t have to go closer and risk exposing ourselves. I have…help, remember?” He pointed at his ears.
“Oh…right. The ‘help’.” Lois grinned. “Okay, well, do your stuff.” She gestured towards the pair.
His head cocked to one side slightly, Clark began telling her what he heard.
“She’s asking when he wants it delivered,” he repeated.
“‘It’? What’s ‘it’?” Lois questioned impatiently.
“They haven’t said yet,” Clark replied, his voice soothing in its calmness. “Oh, now he’s telling her that Friday night would be best; that he’s going to be home from a gala about eleven thirty at night and would she mind dropping it round then.”
“Clark!” A sudden thought had occurred to Lois. “Do you think that he’s the ‘special buyer’ Mindy Church was talking about down at the warehouse?” Her eyes widened as she considered the possibility. “This could be big.”
“Huge,” Clark agreed. “Oh…now she’s saying that that would be fine and…” He paused, a frown appearing upon his face.
“And?” Lois prompted.
Clark turned towards her. “Trust me, Lois. You don’t want to know.”
“But I do!” insisted his partner. “Come on, Clark…”
Clark looked uncomfortable. “Well he’s…and she’s…” His hand flapped loosely in the air before falling to his side.
Just then, Lois understood. “Oh.”
“Let’s just…get out of here, okay?” Clark laid his hand on the small of her back. “Perry won’t fault us for bowing out early.”
“But we haven’t greeted the governor yet!” Lois pointed out.
“Lois… Do you *really* want to meet him after…” he gestured towards the couple, “well, that?”
Lois shuddered. “No, you’re right. Let’s go.”
*****
The following day, Lois was thinking hard. “Who else can we talk to provide more information on this? Come on, Clark… Someone. *Anyone*.”
Clark, who was sitting next to her toying with the pen in his hands, balanced the writing implement on the tip of one finger and said, “What about Bobby? I mean, I know you already talked to him earlier on with Dougal, but don’t you think he might be far more likely to provide information with just you and I there? And besides, he may know more now.”
Lois looked unconvinced, but she nodded. “Okay, Clark. I guess it’s worth a shot. But you’re picking up the tab for the Peking duck I just know he’s going to demand this time. Deal?” She held out her hand and raised her eyebrows expectedly.
Clark brought his hand to meet hers and winked. “Deal, partner.”
*****
“I don’t know why you didn’t remember the plum sauce, Lois,” Bobby said, leaning against the brick wall of the alley they stood in. He pushed piece after piece of food into his mouth. “Tsk tsk. While I do like the Peking duck, it’s nothing without the plum sauce.”
“Blame Clark this time, Bobby,” Lois replied dryly. “He’s the one who got the duck.”
“Kent, you should know better,” Bobby scolded, waving a leg of his poultry dish in the air before ripping off a piece with his teeth. “What’s a beautiful Peking duck without the plum sauce that compliments it so nicely?”
“Enough about the plum sauce, Bobby. We’ll bring some with another duck next time, okay?” Lois rolled her eyes. “Now, what else do you know about what Intergang’s up to? The artifacts…how are they getting them and how are they finding their buyers?”
“The word is that they’ve hired some big-time archaeologist to do their dirty work in Egypt. He’s been out there for years digging and searching. So I guess that’s how he knew where to look.”
“And the buyers? We heard a rumour about Governor Watson…”
“Watson? Yeah, he’ll buy anything, legal or under the table if he thinks it’ll add to his ‘collection’.” Bobby pulled a carton of noodles from the bag they’d given him. “I don’t know who was stupid enough to vote for him.”
Lois cringed a little as their informant stuffed noodles into his mouth. “But how is it possible that no one’s heard anything about any of this? How did Governor Watson get elected?”
“Like I said, I don’t know who voted for the guy,” Bobby said, his mouth full of half-chewed food. “But he’s got a great team: they’re experts at cover-ups.”
“Thanks, Bobby,” Clark nodded at the other man. “We’ll be in touch.” He placed a hand on Lois’ back and began leading her out of the alley.
“Hey, just so long as you bring the plum sauce with the duck next time!” Bobby called. “I only ask for so much, Kent!”
“He never ceases to amaze me,” Lois murmured sarcastically as they walked back to her car. “Plum sauce: that’s all he can think about at a time like this!”
“Well, you know Bobby,” Clark shrugged, his smile ironic. “Food’s the ‘key ingredient’.”
“Oh, ha ha,” Lois grinned, nudging his shoulder. “Next thing you’ll be telling me he’s ‘cooking up’ a sneaky plan to make sure you bring him duck ever after!”
“Well, you know Bobby… I wouldn’t put it past him.” Just then, Clark cocked his head to one side in that familiar way. “No – not now!” he muttered. “Lois? I, uh…”
“Duty calls; I know,” Lois gave him a small smile.
“But people are out to kill you and I’m your bodyguard and…”
Lois stopped him with a finger to his lips. “I promise I’ll go straight to my car and straight back to the Planet, okay?”
Clark looked undecided for a moment, but a firm look from his partner made him nod resignedly. “Okay. But *straight* to the car, no detours, okay?”
“Clark,” said Lois, “I already promised, didn’t I? Straight to the car, no detours.”
“Wow, guess that’s the first and only time I’ll hear you say that,” Clark laughed, before looking around carefully and spinning into the suit. “See you back at the Planet?”
“Yes. Now shoo!” Lois waved her arms at him. “Whatever it is will be over before you get there.”
Clark smiled at her before lifting up into the air. “I love you.”
Lois just smiled and waved as he shot off into the stratosphere. “I love you too,” she replied, knowing that he could hear her.
The smile still fixed upon her face, Lois wandered around the corner to her Jeep and fitted the key into the lock. She opened the door, slid into the driver’s seat and then closed the door. Instantly she heard movement behind her and something cold was pressed to the back of her neck.
“Don’t move; don’t scream. If you yell for Superman, you’ll be dead before he can get here.” Lois’ insides froze as she recognised the voice of the man behind her: Dougal. Her brain quickly registered as to what he was holding against her neck too: a gun.
“What do you want?” she asked, even though she knew precisely why he was there. Better to play along so that when she got out of this he wouldn’t realise that she already knew nearly everything about the operation he was involved with.
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Dougal coldly. She could almost see the cruel smile upon his face as he spoke. “I want to kill you.”
Lois’ voice shook. “K-kill me?” Somehow, no matter how many times she looked death in the face (and for Lois Lane it had been a fair few times), it always affected her. It didn’t get old; she couldn’t stop her stomach from flipping over again and again or the sweat from beading upon her brow. She might know Tae Kwon Do, but at this angle there wasn’t much she could do.
“Yes, kill you. My…employers want you out of the way. Once we’ve safely disposed of you, it’ll be your partner’s turn.”
“What are you going to do with me?”
“Now, now, Lois… That would spoil the surprise.” She flicked her eyes up to the rear view mirror and saw him grinning ruthlessly at her, his white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. “Now drive.”
“W-where are we going? Where am I driving to?” If only she could stall him…
“Just drive; I’ll tell you when to turn and when to stop.” Dougal pressed the muzzle of the gun into her neck a little harder. “Now go!”
So Lois drove, not knowing where she was going or what was going to happen to her. She wished she could call out to Clark, but she knew that Dougal wasn’t lying; she’d heard the callousness in his voice.
“Turn in here,” Dougal suddenly said and Lois realised that she was back at the warehouse. She turned into the warehouse’s parking lot as instructed. “Now stop. Turn off the engine.”
‘I should have known,’ she thought, her heartbeat resounding in her ears. ‘Back to the scene of the crime.’
Dougal’s breath felt hot and moist on her neck. “Now. You’re going to get out of the car. But see those two men waiting?” Lois noticed the large men as they stepped from the shadows. She nodded. “They’re going to make sure you don’t try and run off.”
“And you?” Lois gulped.
“I’m going to be right behind you with this gun poised to fire should you even think about yelling for Superman or any other kind of help,” her captor hissed. “So don’t.”
Lois nodded once more, her legs feeling quite unsteady as she stepped from the car. One of the thugs took hold of her left arm, the other the right. They led her inside the warehouse with Dougal following close behind, the gun constantly trained upon her head as promised.
When they were inside, the man who’d been holding her right arm released his grip and produced two lengths of rope. He tied her wrists together and then her ankles and sat her down on a chair.
“Right…comfy?” Dougal said sardonically. “Then we’ll begin.”
“Begin what?” Lois started. “I don’t under-”
Then something struck her head and, her sentence unfinished, Lois slumped against the back of the seat as everything faded to black.
*****
As Lois slowly drifted from the blackness of oblivion back towards a conscious state, her eyelids fluttered once – twice. Something wasn’t right. She felt closed in somehow; trapped. And something was in her mouth. She tried to cough, but merely got a taste of whatever was partially obstructing her airflow. An attempt to move her arms outwards established the fact that they weren’t able to go more than an inch or two from her side.
At this discovery her eyes opened more fully and Lois was surprised to encounter yet *more* blackness. ‘I have opened my eyes, haven’t I?’ She opened and closed her eyes a few more times before accepting that the darkness was not just in her mind: it was all around her as well.
‘Alright…breathe deeply,’ Lois told herself. ‘Don’t panic; don’t panic… Good thing I’m not claustrophobic…’ Despite the commands she was giving herself, Lois found that her heartbeat was swiftly increasing in speed; she could hear the rapid pulsing of blood thudding in her ears.
Putting two and two together and thankfully making four, Lois deduced that she was gagged and inside some sort of long, narrow box. The last thing she remembered was Dougal talking. But something had hit her from behind…
‘That’s it!’ It was as if a light bulb had lit up above her head like in the cartoons. ‘Dougal was using himself as a distraction while his friend, some random Intergang thug no doubt, hit me from behind. Knocked me out cold too. No wonder my head hurts…’
Lois’ inner voice chose this moment to speak up. ‘Yes, your head hurts, but have you thought about how you’re going to get out of here? After all, there can’t be much air left. Isn’t it getting kind of stuffy?’
A wave of fear washed over Lois. Much as she was beginning to resent her inner voice, as it liked to have its say at the most inopportune times, she realised that this time it was right and she should listen to it. As far as she knew there was no gap between the lid of this box and the bottom. Therefore the air that was inside the box with her was going to run out if she couldn’t discover a way to escape.
It was then that Lois’ mind shrieked what her voice could not: ‘Help, Superman!’
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To be continued in Part 6...
~Anna.
