Chapter Fifteen
>>>Monday, 7:38 AM
Clark exited the elevator and glanced towards Lois’s desk. He already knew she was there, working on her assignments, but it felt good to have his eyes confirm what his brain already knew.
They’d spent the remainder of the weekend deliberately not communicating mentally. This morning had been the first time Clark had received anything from Lois besides frustration. He hoped she really was adjusting to their situation. If not, they’d be in for a tough time, both separately and together.
He’d come in early to write up a series of Superman rescues from the night before, when he’d stopped two attempted rapes and captured five different muggers in three separate incidents. All of the victims had given statements to the police and had agreed to testify against their attackers, something that didn’t always happen in the early days of Superman. Back then, a woman who’d been sexually assaulted often didn’t want to testify, usually out of fear of either being exposed as a victim or becoming more vulnerable to other attacks. And even Superman’s assurances of protection usually didn’t help her change her mind.
But a series of freelance articles Clark had written in the weeks before he and Lana were married had changed many attitudes. He’d summarized the usual police and psychiatric advice, then had interviewed as many victims as he could identify, hiding their names if they desired, and contrasted them with the attitudes of convicted rapists. He’d discovered that the vast majority of the victims were chosen because their attackers believed that they could intimidate the women into silence. They usually acted as if they were frightened even before being approached, and they walked with their eyes on the surface just ahead of their feet, unaware of their surroundings. Almost all of the men would refuse to consider attacking a woman who walked confidently with her head up and who was paying attention to what was happening around her. And the majority of the victims remained too intimidated to identify or help to prosecute their attackers, even with all the support that was available to them.
As the articles gained readership, however, a victims’ organization contacted Clark and purchased reprint rights to the articles and published them, along with more detailed information from police and medical authorities, in a handbook on how to avoid becoming a victim of sexual assault. Clark’s royalty checks from that organization wouldn’t ever make him rich – and, in fact, hardly made a ripple in his savings accounts – but the sales were steady and he was pleased to have helped make more people safe.
He grinned to himself as he pictured the second man he’d held for the police. The woman was nearly a foot shorter than her attacker and at least sixty pounds lighter, but when he’d reached out from the alley and grabbed her arm she’d turned and snapped a kick into his groin, then had pummeled him to the ground when he hadn’t hobbled away quickly enough to suit her. When Superman had arrived, he’d folded his arms and casually asked the man if he needed any help. The woman had snarled that she was the one who’d been attacked and where was Superman when that had been going on? Superman had lifted an eyebrow and remarked that it looked to him like she didn’t need his help, except perhaps to call the police. The woman had relaxed, grinned, and handed Superman her cell phone while she stood guard over her erstwhile assailant.
The article was longer than Perry would probably want, so he split the story of the second attempted assault into a separate piece and sent them to the editor. Just as he leaned back and exhaled, he realized Lois was standing beside him. She bumped his shoulder with her wrist and said, “Early morning for you, too?”
He nodded. “I was lucky. I got a Superman exclusive, and I wanted to be sure Perry got it early.”
She grinned and spoke softly. “Lucky, huh? Sometimes I wish I had abilities like yours.”
He glanced around and she chuckled. “Relax, Clark, I checked already.”
He thought back at her instead of speaking aloud. -* It’s still risky and I’d rather we didn’t talk about my powers in public. *-
-* If you prefer, *- she thought back. -* I’m sorry, and I won’t speak of it again unless you’re sure we’re alone. *-
“I can live with that,” he said aloud. “And thanks.”
-* You’re welcome, *- she responded mentally.
He looked away but sent back, -* You seem to be adjusting to this instant communication deal pretty well. What changed your mind? *-
He was surprised to feel a mental sigh from Lois. -* Well, since I realized that either of us can control how much information we exchange, you won’t be peeking into my head when I don’t know it or when I don’t want you to. I guess I just feel a lot safer than I did a couple of days ago. *-
-* You were worried about me peeking in on you? *-
-* Not on purpose! I trust your ethics, Clark, and I know you’d never force your way in and poke around in my private memories or steal my story or anything like that. I was worried about not being able to keep my thoughts private. *-
-* That wasn’t all, Lois. There’s something else. *-
-* And how do you know that? *-
-* Remember what Bob told us? That we can’t lie or even shade the truth when we’re communicating mentally? What else was bothering you? *-
-* Well – I was a little worried that – that you’d send me stuff I absolutely didn’t want to know about. *-
-* That’s intriguing. What kind of stuff? *-
-* I – I didn’t want you to look in the mirror after you got out of the shower and – and send me that image. Or any others like it. *-
He tried not to, but he burst out with a spluttered laugh. Lois glared at him and said aloud, “I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
He couldn’t look directly at her. “But you were, Lois, you were!”
Perry chose that moment to lean out of his office and save Clark’s life. “Kent, good work on those Superman stories. You saved me the trouble of telling you to split them. You aren’t bucking for my job, are you?”
Clark turned towards his boss and shook his head. “Are you kidding? No way. I like not having to make all those extremely difficult editorial decisions.”
At that moment, Jimmy bounced down the ramp from the elevator and held up a large paper bag from the local coffee shop. “Here you go, Chief, one espresso, one latte with cinnamon, one latte without cinnamon, one cappuccino, and one black coffee with three sugars. Which one do you want to start with today?”
Perry glared at him for a moment, then Jimmy stuttered, “I’ll – uh – I’ll just – p-put these on – on your – your d-desk, okay?”
Jimmy fled as quickly as he could, leaving Clark and Lois holding back their laughter. Perry focused his laser vision on them for a moment, then when they didn’t dissolve into smoke and flame, he huffed and growled, “Lois, you got a minute?”
She forced her face to smoothness. “Sure, Chief. What is it?”
“Come on in here.”
Clark turned back to his computer and pulled up his e-mail inbox, but before he could do more than scan the subject headings, he heard a loud “What!” from Perry’s office. He turned his head to look, then heard Lois in his mind.
-* That loud yell you just heard was Perry. I told him we can communicate telepathically. *-
-* I see. And why did you do that? *-
-* He asked me how I was doing with your feelings leaking into my head. *-
-* Uh-huh. And how did he even know that was happening? *-
-* I mentioned the other day that I could sense what you were doing and what you were feeling. At the time, I had no idea the connection was two-way. I hope you aren’t angry. *-
Clark sighed. -* What’s done is done. What’s the matter? *-
-* I’m not sure he believes me. *-
Clark crossed his arms in irritation. -* I supposed he wants a demonstration. *-
-* Um, actually, he does. Are you up to it? *-
-* Why? Does he want to book us as a mentalist act at his next party? *-
Lois’s mental tone became flatter somehow. -* Cut it out, Clark. He’s asking as our friend and our boss. Now are you willing to do this or aren’t you? *-
Clark spun his chair to face away from Perry’s office. -* Fine. Have him write down something for me to do. *-
Clark heard Lois tell Perry to write something on a pad and let her read it. He waited while he did.
-* Clark? He wants you to knock on the door with – what is this? *-
-* Can you maybe read it to me? *-
-* You needn’t think at me in such a condescending manner. *-
-* Sorry. What does it say? *-
-* It says, “knock on the office door with ‘shave-and-a-haircut’ rhythm.” What does that mean? *-
He laughed through the link. -* I’ll show you. *-
He stood and walked to the office door, then tapped out a dah-di-di-dah-dah rhythm on the frame. He waited for two answering taps from Perry, then he pushed the door open and walked in.
Perry sat behind the desk with his mouth open. “Great Caesar’s ghost! Elvis has re-entered the building!”
Clark smiled. “That was the ‘shave-and-a-haircut,’ Lois.”
She nodded in comprehension. “I recognize the rhythm, but I’d never heard it called that before. Why did Perry knock twice?”
Perry answered, “Because the last two words in the chant are ‘two bits.’ It’s supposed to be something Yankee barbers back in the eighteen-nineties would call out to attract customers.” He shook himself and stood. “Son, you come in here and sit down. And close the door. I want to ask you some questions about this ‘link’ of yours.”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
Perry sat cautiously. “Well – I guess, first thing I want to know is, just how much information can you transfer to each other?”
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. Lois answered, “As much or as little as we want, I guess.”
Clark added, “It’s still pretty new to us, too.”
“I see. How fast does this – thing – go?”
Clark frowned. “You mean, how quickly can we transfer the information?” Perry nodded, and Clark answered with a shrug. “Pretty fast, a lot faster than normal speech, but I don’t really know how much faster. We haven’t timed it.”
“Mm-hmm. How close do you have to be to send these messages?”
Clark answered, “I could tell Lois was already at work before I walked in the building this morning.”
“And I could tell when he was coming into the building.”
Perry nodded and put his hands together behind his head. He looked from one reporter to the other and back again before he spoke. “I’m sure you’re wonderin’ why I’ve been asking all these fool questions.”
Clark and Lois glanced at each other again, then nodded to their boss. “Well, kiddies, it’s partly because I’m curious, and partly because I’ve never worked with people who actually qualified to be on the front page of both the National Whisper and Scientific American, leastwise not for the same reason. You do know that there’s never been anyone who’s produced scientific proof of telepathy, don’t you?”
Clark raised his eyebrows. “Chief, I can’t speak for Lois, but I’d prefer not to be written up in tomorrow’s morning edition.”
“You sure?” Perry’s eyes twinkled. “I bet the two of you could put on a whale of a mind-reading act, and you wouldn’t have to fake it one bit.”
Lois frowned slightly. “I can’t speak for Clark, Perry, but I don’t like magicians, so there’s not much chance I’m going to go on the vaudeville circuit.”
“Whoa, that’s a load off my mind.” They shared a brief chortle. “No, I was curious to know how you two plan to use this – this talent.”
Clark frowned. “You mean, like, in our jobs?”
Perry nodded. “Well, yes, that’s one way you could use it. But, I was also thinkin’ that, well, maybe you could use it in your personal lives?”
Lois and Clark both straightened away from each other. “Wait, no, Chief, Lois and I – “
“ – don’t have a personal life – “
“ – at least not together – “
“ – except for work – “
“ – and that’s all it is – “
“ – I wouldn’t say never – “
“ – and neither would I – “
“ – but – “
They ended in unison. “ – not right now!”
Perry waited a moment, then grinned and said, “That was the best duet performance I’ve seen since Alice and I saw Roger Kenny and Polly Darden out in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. You two rehearse that all weekend?”
After a moment, they smiled and relaxed. Perry said, “You know, this could come in handy, especially since Lois is still fixated on finding whoever was heading up that gun-running operation.”
Clark felt her stiffen beside him and inside his mind. He leaned forward. “Chief, once again I can’t speak for Lois, but I’d rather not get too dependent on this. We don’t know enough about it to rely on it in a tight spot.”
Perry nodded. “Understood. Still, if Lois gets in a jam, it’d be easier for her to holler for help.”
-* For super-help, anyway. *-
“Lois, it’s not polite to speak telepathically in front of the – the non-telepathic.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “If you say so, Clark.”
-* I do. *-
Clark grinned and saw Perry’s face fade into a puzzled grimace. “You know, a man could feel left out of a conversation like this one real easy. Both as your friend and as your boss, I’d advise you not to be too obvious about talkin’ inside each others’ heads.” Perry leaned forward on his elbows. “There’s some who wouldn’t understand like I do.”
Clark’s grin faded. “I see what you mean, Chief. I’m sorry.”
Lois nodded in agreement. “Me, too. So, why did you want to see us?”
“Oh. Right.” He shifted in his chair. “I wanted to make sure that Luthor interview was still on for tomorrow. And that Clark was still ready to go with you as backup.”
Lois glanced at Clark. “All systems are still go, as far as I know.”
He nodded back. “No problems here. We still leaving at ten, Lois?”
“Yes. I thought you could interview whoever’s at the reception desk, hopefully Rebecca, and maybe get some background from some of the so-called ‘regular’ workers.”
Perry nodded. “Sounds good. Lois, you need any help with those interview questions?”
“I don’t think so, Perry, but thanks.”
“Good. Make sure you ask Luthor where he studied swing dance.” Perry chuckled. “Alice wants me to take some lessons.”
Someone beat a rapid tattoo on the door. “Come in!” shouted Perry.
Jimmy leaned in and said, “Lois, there’s a Bobby Bigmouth on line three for you.”
“Thanks, Jimmy. Perry, anything else?”
“Yeah. What’s a Bobby Bigmouth?”
She grinned. “One of my best snitches. He trades information for food.”
Perry smiled back. “I hope he does good work. You just be careful.”
Clark stood and escorted Lois out the door. She headed straight for her desk and picked up the phone.
Clark tuned into the conversation. “Hello, Bobby? What’cha got for me?”
A whispery male voice answered. “You know that space station thingy Luthor announced last Friday?”
“Yes.”
“How LuthorTech and LexLabs are working with EPRAD to build the colonists’s shuttle?”
“I was there, Bobby. I heard the announcement.”
“Well, this wasn’t in the press release. The word on the street is that something’s wrong with that deal. There’s a Doctor Samuel Platt who’s working on some electronic docking gizmo for the shuttle, and he says that some of the plans are flawed and he can’t get any of his bosses to listen.”
Lois sat down and dug for a pencil. “Is that Platt with two tees?”
“That’s it.”
“And he says something’s not kosher with the shuttle’s docking system?”
“That’s what he says. Here’s his work number.”
Lois scribbled it on a sticky note and pulled it off the pad. “Thanks, Bobby.”
“Yeah. Look, speakin’ of kosher, you owe me for this one.”
“You got it. Dinner at Burger Whiz, on me.”
“Burger Whiz?” The voice on the phone made a disparaging sound. “No way! This is gonna be hot, Lois! It’s the best tip I’ve given you in weeks!”
“It’s the only thing you’ve given me in weeks, Bobby.”
“You want me to keep feeding you tips or should I find someone else?”
Lois opened her mouth for an angry retort, but Clark’s thoughts broke in. -* I’ll pitch in, Lois. This might really be big.*-
Lois glanced his way, then sighed and nodded. “Okay, Bobby, you want steak or seafood?”
“Ah, I’m not that picky. Steak sounds good to me.”
“Then check at the main entrance to the Round Table after five tonight. The concierge will be holding a table and a meal in the name of Robert Bass. And if this is as good as you say it is, I’ll pop for another meal at the same place next week.”
“Great! As usual, it’s a pleasure doing business with you, Lois. Talk to you later.”
She slid the phone onto its cradle. “You’re helping me pay for this, right, Clark?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good. Then remind me before lunch to make that reservation.”
“Will do.” She turned towards the coffee machine but stopped when Clark called out, “Hey, Lois!”
“What?”
“Don’t forget to make that reservation for Bobby tonight.”
Her eyebrows rose, then drew down. “I asked you to remind me before lunch!”
Clark shrugged. “Have you had lunch yet?”
“Of course I haven’t had – “
“Then my work here is done.”
She struggled to restrain her laughter for a long moment but failed. “You – I’ll get you for that!”
“Yes, ma’am, yes, ma’am, three bags full. How do you like your coffee?”
Lois’s finger pointed at her desk. “Right in front of me. Right now.”
“Your slightest wish is my command.”
“Hah! If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that line – “
Perry turned away from their fake bickering and smiled to himself. Almost like Norcross and Judd, he thought, both professionally and personally, and these two were even more talented. Less tension, but some great easy banter between them. Their combined presence made the newsroom a little brighter.
He hoped there was a happier ending in store for these two than for Norcross and Judd.
*****
Cat Grant made her way to the storeroom for liquid paper and fresh pens. When she was sure she was alone, she dialed her special cell phone.
“Yes, Miss Grant?”
Cat swallowed hard. “Lois – Lois Lane and Clark Kent have an interview with Lex Luthor tomorrow morning at eleven.”
“Kent will be there?” The voice betrayed surprise.
“Yes. I think he’s going to get some background information on the company.”
“Is there some other purpose for sending him along?”
“Um.” Cat licked her parched lips. “I think he’s going as – as backup. Just in case Lois needs the help.” She laughed nervously. “She’d never admit she needed help, of course.”
“I see.” The person on the other end hesitated, then spoke decisively. “Thank you, Miss Grant. This is indeed valuable information. Do you have anything else for me?”
“Not at the moment, no.”
“Keep your ears perked up, little kitten. And call me as soon as you have anything else.”
“I will. What about – “ but she was speaking to dead air. The person on the other end had already cut the connection.
Every call was harder to make. Every piece of information was harder to give up. Every time she spoke into that special phone, her soul shriveled a little more.
Cat knew it was only a matter of time before she either couldn’t do this any more or became as amoral and lacking in scruples as the person she was calling. And she had no idea which way the scales would tip when the time came to make that final, irrevocable choice.
>>>Tuesday, 9:41 AM
Lois glanced at her partner. “Ready, Clark?”
He nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good. Now, do you think we need to go over anything else?”
Clark looked away, thinking, then shook his head. “No. I think we’ve got everything covered.”
“Good.” Lois glanced around to see if anyone was staring into the conference room, and when she saw no one, she turned back to Clark and thought, -* We don’t use the link today unless it’s a real emergency, right? *-
-* Right. I’ll close it from my end and I won’t intrude. *-
-* Same here. Ready? *-
-* Ready. *-
Each of them turned inward for a long moment and applied the mental disciplines Bob the globe had taught them. Almost in unison, they looked back at each other and grinned shyly.
“Can you sense me, Clark?”
He shook his head. “No. How about you?”
Her grin faded. “Wow. If I didn’t already know you were right here in front of me, I wouldn’t know where you were.”
“Well, that’s what we wanted, isn’t it?”
She frowned slightly. “I guess so.” She stood abruptly and grabbed his arm. “Come on, partner, let’s get moving. We don’t want to be late for an interview with Lex Luthor.”
*****
Clark watched the traffic flow by from the passenger seat of Lois’s Jeep. He noticed that she glanced his way more often than she normally did.
“Something wrong, Lois?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Clark, I’m sure.”
“Okay.”
She stopped at a red light and flexed her fingers. “Well – there is something, actually.”
“What?”
She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “You’ll laugh.”
“No, I won’t. Now what’s wrong? Are you nervous about this interview? It’s understandable. This is a big deal.”
“No, it’s not the interview. I’m as ready for that as I’ll ever be. It’s just – you’re sure you won’t laugh?”
“Positive.” He shifted in the seat to face her. “Now what’s bothering you?”
She pursed her lips and glanced his way again, then stared at the traffic signal as if challenging it to rescue her. It didn’t, of course. “You – you’re not in my head.”
“What?”
The light changed and she accelerated. “You’re not in my head. I can’t sense you mentally, through the link.”
Clark frowned in confusion. “I thought that was what we wanted. I don’t eavesdrop on you, you don’t eavesdrop on me.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well, I kinda got used to being aware of you.”
“I see.”
She flipped on her turn signal – a courtesy to other drivers she often ignored – and negotiated a corner. “I kinda miss it.”
Clark nodded slightly and said in a small voice, “Oh.”
She frowned harder. “Don’t get all big-headed, Kent. It’s not unlike the feeling you’d get if an ankle-nibbling dog suddenly wasn’t underfoot.”
He almost took offense. But then he realized that she was still defending herself and keeping her emotional distance from him. She wasn’t trying to insult him. “I understand, Lois.”
“Good. See that you remember that.”
“I will, Lois.”
“And don’t patronize me!”
“Of course not, Lois.”
“You big – just be quiet, okay?”
He leaned back in the seat and was silent for a slow count of three, then quietly said, “Woof.”
She stopped abruptly behind a city bus which was discharging passengers, looked at him in open-mouthed astonishment, and slowly dissolved into laughter.
*****
They spent the rest of the brief journey in companionable conversation. Lois reminded Clark – unnecessarily, he told her – about the kind of companion piece she was looking for from him. Clark reminded Lois – unnecessarily, she thought – to maintain her journalistic objectivity despite Lex Luthor’s charm, suave manners, rugged good looks, and nimble dance steps.
Lois pulled into the underground parking lot and was waved through by the sharp-eyed security guard after she and Clark presented their credentials. She pulled into one of the visitor’s parking spaces with fourteen minutes to spare.
She beat Clark to the elevator and impatiently waited for him to enter the car. He smiled indulgently as she punched the ‘close door’ button and tapped her toes as they slowly lifted upwards.
“Security is tight,” he blurted out.
“So?” She reacted as if she’d been challenged somehow. “Lex Luthor is an important man, and the company works on a lot of sensitive stuff. I’d be surprised if security wasn’t tight.”
He smiled. “That’s not what I meant. I was checking out the camera angles in the garage. It looked to me like every foot of the floor is covered. I don’t think an intruder could get from one side of the area to the other without being spotted at least four times.”
“Oh.” Lois sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I am a little nervous.”
He nodded. “That’s perfectly understandable. This is a big interview.”
The car dinged before she could respond. The doors opened and showed them Rebecca Connors and the turbaned man they’d seen at the White Orchid Ball.
The man bowed slightly. “Welcome to LexCorp, Miss Lane, Mr. Kent. My name is Asabi. I am to escort Miss Lane to Mr. Luthor’s office for the interview. Mr. Kent, I believe you have already met Miss Connors?”
Clark returned the bow. “I have, yes.”
The turbaned man smiled. “Then I hope you have no objection to my leaving you in her quite capable hands?”
Clark nodded to Asabi and smiled at Rebecca. “None at all.”
Asabi put his palms together in front of him and bowed again. “Excellent. If you will accompany Miss Connors, I will escort Miss Lane to Mr. Luthor’s office.”
The dark man gestured in one direction as Rebecca led Clark in the other. Lois heard Clark say, “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“Not long. Security phoned and said you were coming.”
“I thought they would.”
“You two are early, in fact.”
“I hope we haven’t inconvenienced you.”
Rebecca’s gentle chuckle reached Lois’s ears. “Mr. Luthor prefers being early to being late. In fact, he prefers being early to being on time.”
“Sounds like a certain editor I know.”
Rebecca’s giggle faded as Asabi led Lois to the far end of the hallway. He stopped and pressed his palm against a panel on the side of the door-shaped opening. Lois wondered for a moment if the touch panel in Clark’s barn, the one which opened the door to the globe and his ship, was also made by Luthor Technologies. That would be a delicious irony.
As Asabi gestured for her to enter the elevator, he said, “Will the lovely Miss Lane be joining Mr. Luthor for lunch today?”
She smiled at his old-world courtesy. “Yes, thank you.”
“Good. I am responsible for the menu today. Have you any dietary requirements of which I should be aware?”
Lois frowned slightly. “What dietary requirements are you talking about?”
He smiled again and bowed. “My apologies for being unclear. I wish only to prevent any awkward situations. If you are a vegetarian, for example, or if you are perhaps allergic to certain spices, I am responsible for making certain you are not served something which offends you or which might injure you.”
“Oh. No, I don’t think there’s anything you need to worry about, as long as the main dish is actually cooked.”
He hesitated, then asked, “Would you clarify, that, please, Miss Lane? I am afraid that this time it is I who does not understand.”
She shook her head in apology. “I’m sorry. I meant that I’m not partial to sushi or to raw steak.”
He smiled and bobbed his head. “Ah, I see! Thank you, Miss Lane. I will make certain that such items are not on the lunch menu today.”
“You’re very kind. Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.”
He turned and faced the elevator door and placed his hands behind his back. Lois watched the floor counter tick over to forty and ran out of silence. “What can you tell me about yourself, Asabi?”
“Me?” He turned his head toward her and smiled. “I am merely Mr. Luthor’s friend and humble servant.”
“How long have you worked for him?”
“I have been privileged to serve Mr. Luthor for the past twelve years.”
Her eyebrows rose along with her interest level. “That’s a long time.”
“To serve one such as Mr. Luthor, it is not so long.”
“You’re originally from India, aren’t you?”
He nodded slightly. “Yes. From one of the northern provinces near Pakistan. I doubt you have heard of it.”
I bet Clark has heard of it, she thought. “How did you come to work for Mr. Luthor?”
“I was in mortal danger and he saved my life. Without his help, I would have died that day.”
Lois was impressed. “Oh.”
“I have been by his side ever since that day. I will never leave him.”
“Then you probably know where all the bodies are buried.”
He was visibly shocked. “Bodies? What bodies?”
Lois tried to backpedal. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t mean literal dead people. I just meant that you must know about anything that might be – you know – less than – uh – “
Asabi’s smile disappeared and he turned to face her. “It is not my place to criticize any guest of Mr. Luthor, nor to give unsolicited advice to one such as yourself.” He leaned closer. “But I must tell you that if you print anything untrue or salacious about Mr. Luthor, I would be most upset by it.” His black eyes turned onyx with menace and he continued in a whisper. “Most upset. I hope I am making myself clear to you, Miss Lane. Because Mr. Luthor saved my life, and I would protect him from harm with all of my being.”
For once, Lois’s common sense asserted itself and she said nothing as Asabi stared at her. After almost ten seconds of intense scrutiny, he slowly turned back to face the door again. His smile never reappeared.
