Chapter Nineteen
Captain Fortier was barely peeking over the back of his squad car when a sudden hand on his shoulder made him yelp in surprise. He spun around to see a bright-eyed young brunette woman staring at him.
“Are you in charge here?”
“What?” he panted.
“Are you in charge? If not, who is?”
He forced his breathing to slow. “I’m Captain Robert Fortier, and yes, I’m in charge.” Then he grabbed her arm and pulled her down beside him. “What are you doing here? This area’s off limits to civilians!”
She lifted her free hand and flashed her press pass. “Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet. What’s going on?”
He blew out a breath between clenched teeth. “If I tell you, will you stay down?”
“Of course I will.”
He didn’t completely believe her, but he nodded and released her arm. “There was a bomb threat called in – “
“I know that much. What’s Superman doing right now?”
Fortier wondered for a moment who in the department was feeding information to the media, then he pursed his lips and answered. “He’s checking the bomb to see if it can be moved safely away from – “
BAAWHOOOM!!!
The blast blew the museum’s doors off their brackets and against the sandbag barrier. As soon as the minor shock wave subsided, Lois jumped up and sprinted towards the dust cloud billowing out of the museum, barely avoiding the captain’s desperate grab.
He heard her call out to the caped hero, and then they were both gone. The last thing he saw was Superman flashing up from the ground with the young reporter in his arms, heading south and west across the sky.
*****
Nigel watched Superman stagger out of the wrecked museum entrance, then witnessed his panicked flight away from what had to be the source of his pain. He waited until he was alone in the men’s room of the Metropolis Men’s club to dial the special cell phone he always carried.
The distorted voice answered. “Yes?”
“Phase Two is an unqualified success, and in fact may have exceeded our most optimistic expectations.”
“Really? Tell me more, Nigel.”
“Superman exited the building in obvious distress, grabbed a bystander, and flew off in a southwesterly direction. What I could see of his flight path appeared erratic, even unguided.”
“Hmm. That’s very good news. How much of the sample did we use?”
“Approximately fifteen percent. If the remainder of the crystal is as effective as this dusting was, then we can eliminate Superman at the time of our choosing.”
The voice was silent for a moment. “A time of ‘our’ choosing, Nigel?”
He knew he’d made a serious mistake and tried to backpedal with as much dignity as he could muster. “My sincere apologies. I misspoke. I meant that Superman might be eliminated at a time of your choosing.”
“That’s better. As a matter of fact, I do have a timetable to get rid of the Man of Steel.”
“Of course. What shall I do with the remaining two pieces of the crystal?”
“Two pieces?” The voice almost sounded alarmed. “Why do you still have two pieces?”
“The jeweler to whom you referred me did his best, but the crystal fractured along an unforeseen fault line. I assure you, there was no way to anticipate that occurrence.”
“You’re sure the jeweler wasn’t just being sloppy?”
“I am certain of it. It was an unavoidable consequence of splitting the crystal.”
The disguised voice sighed. “Very well. Don’t kill him. Send back the larger piece using the usual channels. You keep the smaller piece, but make sure you keep it in a lead-lined container. I don’t want Superman accidentally brushing up against you and figuring out you’re the one with the only thing on Earth that can hurt him.”
Of course I will take such precautions, you moronic simpleton, he thought, but said, “An excellent suggestion. I will implement it at once.”
“Good. Your bonus will be wired to the usual account by ten tomorrow morning. Is there anything else?”
“Not at this time, no.”
“Then I’ll wait to hear from you on the numbers receipts. They haven’t been keeping up with last quarter’s pace.”
“I will see to it myself.”
“Make certain that you do.”
With a click, the line disconnected. Nigel shook his head. His employer was highly intelligent, he knew, but didn’t seem to realize that not all employees were, as an American had said to him recently, ‘dumb as a box of rocks.’ He marveled anew at the colorful expressions to which the Yanks were so prone. He’d have to concentrate more assiduously at not allowing such crude idioms to color the purity of his own Queen’s English.
*****
For Lois, flying with Superman the first time on her journey away from the doomed freighter in the mid-Atlantic months before had been nauseating, despite the protection his aura had provided. Slung over his shoulder like a sack of fertilizer and unable to see where she was going, she’d gone from zero to over two hundred miles per hour in less than a second, been tossed about by Superman’s abrupt changes of direction, then had been crushed against his upper body while he circled an inflating life raft. The tight spinning motion combined with the abdominal pressure had pushed her stomach control past its limits, and she’d vomited into the ocean as soon as he’d set her down in the life raft.
The second time, just days before, had been much smoother. She’d enjoyed the trip from Metropolis to Smallville and had managed to tolerate the return journey to Metropolis. Her emotional upset hadn’t been his fault, but she’d still resented the close contact they’d had to maintain in order to keep her from suffocating from the high wind speed pulling air from her lungs.
This flight was different from all the previous trips. He was desperate to get away, desperate to escape whatever was causing him pain, and she didn’t need the link to tell her that. She’d called to him as soon as she’d seen movement through the settling debris. Then he’d grabbed her almost as a reflex action as he’d stumbled out of the museum with his fists clenched and his eyes squeezed shut, holding her so tightly that she could barely move. Now they were zooming away at a rate of speed too fast for her to speak to him, except through their mental link.
-* Clark! Tell me what’s wrong! Where are we going? *-
-* Have to get away! Hurts! *-
-* What? What hurts, Clark? Tell me! *-
-* Green dust hurts! Have to get away *-
Green dust? She thought she’d noticed green sparkles in the dust from the explosion, but she hadn’t given it any real thought until now. But if the dust was hurting him, how could she get it off him? What did he expect her to do? And when would he slow down enough for her to breathe?
Then a bad thought hit her.
-* Clark! Did you breathe in any of the dust? *-
-* Hurts! Get away! *-
No help there. She didn’t know how to get the green dust off him –
Unless she washed it off –
-* Clark! We have to wash it off! We have to wash the dust off! *-
-* Hurts – *-
-* Find a lake, Clark! Land in a lake and we’ll wash it off! *-
-* Lake? *-
-* Yes! Find a lake or a river and come down in the water! *-
-* Where – lake? *-
She looked down and saw an inviting body of water surrounded by a thick stand of trees. -* There! Down! *-
-* Can’t – can’t see! Can’t tell – where – *-
-* Slow down, Clark. Good. Now turn right – a little more – good! Now go down! Not so fast! Good. Easy, easy, slow down, almost there – *-
They hit the water harder than she’d expected and it stunned her for a brief moment. She didn’t know how far they’d flown, but the water was warmer than she’d thought it would be. She let go of Clark and struck out for the surface, hoping they hadn’t dived too deeply.
They hadn’t. She broke water within three strokes and flipped her head to clear her eyes, took several deep breaths to catch up on her oxygen debt, then scanned for Superman’s cape, figuring that it would probably be floating above him. She saw the trailing edge just below the surface, so she reached out and grabbed it.
The sinking body attached to the other end of the cape pulled her under. She had a choice to either let go and surface alone or try to get Clark out of the water. In his current state, he might drown if he didn’t surface soon, so she mentally screamed at him to get his attention.
-* CLARK! *-
There was no response.
-* CLARK! COME UP NOW! *-
-* Wh – what? *-
-* CLARK! COME UP OUT OF THE WATER RIGHT NOW! *-
-* tired so tired *-
-* CLARK JEROME KENT! GET UP HERE RIGHT NOW! *-
-* Okay. You don’t have to – Lois? *-
-* Yes! Get me out of here, Clark! *-
-* Where are we? *-
-* Under the water and I can’t breathe! Get me out of here! *-
He rose from beneath her and pulled her to the surface. As her head split the water, she again gulped in great droughts of air.
“Clark?” she coughed. “Are you okay?”
He stiffened. “No. Still – still hurts.”
She looked around and saw the shoreline not thirty feet away. “Okay, Clark, we’re going to swim. You try to relax and float and I’ll get us to shore.”
“Ow! O – okay. Go – go fast, huh?”
Great, she thought. He gets super-simple when he’s sick and hurting. Typical male.
She stroked until she found the bottom, and then she simply dragged him to shore and griped at him between lunges. “You weigh – a couple of – tons when – you’re wet, Kent. You have to – go – on a – diet – if we – plan to do – this again – any time soon!”
She fell against dry dirt sloping up away from the water, then gave him one last pull to get his head out of the water. “Clark?” she puffed. “You okay now?”
His only response was a groan. She sat up and leaned over him, examining him by the bright moonlight, and she caught a shimmer of green against the blue of his spandex suit.
“Clark? Your suit still has those green flecks on it. You have to take it off.” He panted but didn’t respond verbally. She shook him by his shoulders as hard as she could. “Clark! You have to get out of your suit!”
His only response was to flutter his hands near his cape. Oh, terrific, she thought, now I’ve got to undress Superman.
*****
Clark sat on the muddy shore in his damp briefs with his knees pulled up in front of his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. Being wet and cold stinks, he thought. Why did I ever think it would be a fun thing to be like everybody else?
He glanced at Lois, who was standing in thigh-deep water and trying to rinse his suit in the fading daylight. She’d rolled up her pants legs to keep them dry, but to no avail, and had pulled off her windbreaker and tossed it away from Clark, in case it had some green dust on it. He appreciated her efforts and had tried to thank her, but she’d refused to talk to him or look at him directly, and she had even shut down the link from her end. He hadn’t gotten the impression that she was angry, but he couldn’t tell what she actually had been feeling before the link had gone dry.
“Lois?” he called out. “I think my suit is clean now. And I’ve decided I don’t like sitting here in my underwear.”
Without turning, she snapped, “You wouldn’t have to if you could get to your Clark clothes.”
“I told you, I can’t do that until I get my powers back. And even a damp Superman suit is better than damp bare skin at this time of the evening.”
She lifted it to her face and examined it as closely as she could. After a full two minutes of poking and prodding, with an occasional added dunking of one corner or another of the fabric, she nodded agreement, still facing away from him. “I think it’s clear of those green specks. I’ll toss it to you. Throw it back if you find any more green stuff.”
Her body turned halfway around and she threw the suit underhanded in his direction without looking directly at him. Before it slapped against the edge of the water, she’d turned away and was moving to rinse out her windbreaker.
After another few minutes, he called, “Lois? I’m done, except for the cape.”
She turned around slowly and gave a soft exhalation when she saw him that sounded like relief. What was wrong with her, anyway? She acted like he’d deliberately done something to offend her.
“Lois? What’s the matter?”
A half-smile flitted across her face, but she stifled it. “Nothing. Are your powers back yet?”
He gazed at the water in front of his feet and tried to heat it to a boil. When that failed, he tried to look through the water to the bottom, but the glare from the setting sun made the water impenetrable. He tried floating in place, but his feet remained adhered to the mud.
“No. Sorry. We may be stuck here for a while.”
She slogged through the water towards him, holding her windbreaker in front of her. “Okay. My sister was a Girl Scout for a while, and she taught me a few things about wilderness survival, so if we can find enough dry wood I should be able – Clark! What is it?”
The pain was back. It was much less intense, but increasing as she approached. “Lois! You have – “ he sank down to the ground again “ – you must have some of the green dust on your clothes!”
She stopped abruptly and ran backwards. “Tell me when the effect goes away.”
The pain eased, then stopped. “Now.”
He looked up and saw that she was almost back to her original washing location. “Lois? I have some bad news for you.”
She dropped the windbreaker on the dirt again and crossed her arms. “We’re on the shore of some lake somewhere in the wilderness. Neither of us knows where we are. You don't have your powers. We have no shelter available. We don't have any food or fresh water and there is neither a bathroom nor a dumpster in sight. The sun is going down and I’m wet and am about to get cold. What news you could possibly have for me now that would be worse that all that?”
He suppressed his smile, knowing that she probably wouldn’t appreciate the humor of the situation for some time to come. “You’re going to have to wash your clothes like you did mine.”
Her eyes bulged and her jaw wobbled. “I – I what?”
“You’ve got that green dust embedded in your clothing. It probably rubbed off my suit onto you. You can’t get close to me without hurting me. You have to get rid of it.”
Slowly, she put her hands on her hips. “This better not be some kind of get-even trick, Kent.”
“What?” The accusation startled him. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I mean! I’ve seen you in your Navy blue briefs, now you get to see me in my – my underwear.”
The smile returned before he could control it. “I’ll turn around until you tell me I can look, Lois.”
“You’d better! Or I’ll come over there and throw my green dust-embedded self on top of you until you give up!”
He turned away before she could see his smile widen even further. If not for the green dust, that probably would have been an activity he’d enjoy. She certainly wasn’t anywhere near ugly, even with wet clothes and disheveled hair and muddy feet.
Then Rebecca’s face rose in his mind and he thrust the thought away along with the smile.
He didn’t stop to consider until much later why he’d thought of Rebecca instead of Lana.
>>>Wednesday, 7:06 AM
Perry checked the timestamp on Lois’s e-mail and story attachment for at least the eighth time. Five-fifteen that morning, it stared back at him. Way too late for the readers to check it out during their morning commute or read it over breakfast, but more than enough time to make the afternoon edition. The question remained, however, as to where she’d been when she’d sent the e-mail.
He knew she’d been at the museum the previous night when the bomb had exploded. The chief of police had called him at home before six that morning and complained about Daily Planet reporters not respecting the lawful instructions of the officers in charge of a dangerous event, parking her vehicle too close to a police line, and interfering with an ongoing investigation. It was vintage Lois, and he was pleased that she seemed to be mostly recovered and back on top of her game. But why had it taken so long for her to send in the story? Where was she now? And where was Clark?
Perry had done his best to placate the police chief, who was obviously rolling the chewing-out he’d received from his higher-ups downhill to lesser targets. Then he’d called Lois’s home number and gotten her answering machine. Clark’s machine had picked up as well, so wherever those two had gone after the explosion, apparently they hadn’t spent it together.
Or so he’d thought. He looked up as the elevator dinged and saw a pair of dirty and disheveled reporters shamble towards his office. Despite their obvious fatigue, they were both intensely sniping at each other verbally without looking at each other. He was glad the door was closed and that he could hear the harsh tone of their conversation but not the words they spoke. This is going to be a legendary story, he thought.
Lois pushed into his office in front of Clark, who closed the door and leaned against the door jamb. “Son,” drawled Perry, “maybe you’d better not get my wall dirty. Rahalia will give me another one of those ‘how-did-you-do-that-you-gotta-be-kidding’ looks when she comes in.”
“Oh.” He straightened. “Sorry, Chief.”
Lois came to a stop on the far side of Perry’s desk, her arms folded in front of her. She stared at the painting on the wall as if trying to memorize it for a very important test.
“Lois?” Perry tried. “Where have you two been all night?”
The only part of her that moved was her mouth. “Tell him, Clark.”
Clark looked exhausted. “Until about four this morning, we were at a lake in a state park in eastern Tennessee. That’s when my powers started coming back.” He raised his hand to forestall his boss’s obvious question. “I’ll explain in a minute. As soon as I could, I changed out of my blue suit and into my regular clothes and we flew to a Ranger station, which just about wore me out, where Lois managed to talk the young man in charge into letting us use his Internet connection to get to her e-mail account so she could send you the story. I flew us back to the Planet as quickly as I could.” He stopped and produced an immense yawn. “Sorry. No sleep last night, too cold on the muddy shore. Lois wanted to come in tell you in person why we wouldn’t be in today.”
Perry frowned. That wasn’t the entire tale, he was certain, but he couldn’t figure out what was missing. Lois’s article was good stuff, with lots of Superman quotes and detailed descriptions of both the bomb and Superman’s unsuccessful effort to defuse it, none of which was in any of the other accounts in other publications, but there was something else they hadn’t told him yet.
“Okay. We didn’t get your story in the morning edition, Lois, but it’ll be page one above the fold in the evening. You two go get some sleep – wait a minute.”
He had almost decided to let them leave, then he decided to ask the question which had been bugging him since the night before. “Clark, why did you grab Lois and fly off like that? What happened?”
Clark shook his head. “Remember that afternoon I came back late and told you I’d felt something that could hurt me? I felt it again.”
Perry’s eyebrows sought his hairline. “Where was it? Wait! I bet it was in the bomb, wasn’t it?”
Lois finally looked at him. “Yes. There was a lead sphere nestled in a pretty big charge of gunpowder in a funnel-shaped impression in the fake bomb. We figure – “
“Fake bomb?” Perry stood abruptly. “What do you mean, fake bomb?”
Clark stepped forward. “We decided not to tell everyone that the bomb had very little actual explosive in it, and I’m assuming from the news reports I’ve heard that the police haven’t released that information either. Lois suggested that we just say that the bomb malfunctioned and not all of it went off. The gunpowder was the only real explosive material in the crate. The rest of it was painted Styrofoam.”
“Styrofoam?” said Perry. “Why would someone do something like that?”
Clark continued, “I suggested to the captain on the scene that it might have been a diversion, but we both believe that the whole thing was a setup to test some green dust on Superman. I’d have to say that whatever it is, it works very well.”
Perry sat one hip on his desk. “So? What’s the rest of the story?”
“I picked up Lois purely by reflex. I didn’t even know she was in front of me until I heard her call out to me. I only knew I had to get away from there before I breathed in some of that green dust. And Lois had to guide me, because I was afraid that if I opened my eyes the dust would get in them.”
Lois added, “Aside from the fact that I had to wash both his uniform and my clothes in the lake, and aside from the fact that I nearly suffocated while flying with him and nearly drowned when we hit the water and nearly froze before his powers came back, that’s about it.”
Clark’s eyes lit up. “There is one more thing, Chief. Lois is still mad that she slipped in the mud and fell into the water while washing her clothes and that I came to her rescue.”
Perry frowned in confusion. “So? How is that a bad thing?”
“She thinks I set it up.”
Oh, this had to be good. “Lois? Why would you think Clark would do something like that?”
She set her jaw and refused to answer, so Perry turned to Clark and said, “Are you gonna tell me, or is this some big state secret?”
Clark leaned on the desk, resting his hands on the edge. “She thinks I set it up so I could get a look at her in her wet underwear as payback for her seeing me in mine.”
Perry goggled at Clark, who didn’t blink. He turned to Lois, whose clenched jaw was joined by a furious blush which began at her neck and infused all the visible skin on her head. The editor flopped down in his chair, stunned. “You mean that all that talk while you were coming in was about – “
“It’s a privacy issue, Perry!” Lois finally broke her silence. “I refuse to allow myself to be paraded in front of this – this hack from Nowheresville like a prize cow!”
Clark straightened. “Hack from Nowhereseville?”
“I bet your powers weren’t really gone!”
“What?”
“You were just faking it, weren’t you?”
“Honest, I couldn’t do anything more than any normal man – “
“You just wanted to ogle my body like any normal man!”
“Lois, if I was going to peek at your body, I would have done it already.”
She spun on him furiously. “You’re telling me that you’ve seen me naked?”
He assumed a Superman pose, with arms across his chest. “Unless you’re wearing lead-lined clothes, Lois, you can’t hide from me and you know it.”
“What – why – you perverted – no, you super-perverted – “
He didn’t let her finish whatever it was she was going to call him. “I have to tell you, Lana looked better.”
That stopped her. Wearing a face like a Greek fury, she snatched up the windbreaker and pounded out the office door, her breath hissing in and out between her teeth.
Clark held his pose until he heard the elevator doors close and the car start down. Then he dropped his arms and laughed ruefully.
Perry shook his head. “Boy, she’s mad. She may not speak to you before Friday, if she does by then.”
“I know. She shut down the link, too, like slamming a phone down.”
“I’m not surprised.” Then he got a devilish look on his face. “Son, did you mean it when you told her that Lana looked better?”
Clark smiled. “Truthfully? I’d say it was pretty much a dead heat, Chief. And I’m not sure now if she was mad because I’d seen her wearing so little or because she was afraid that she didn’t measure up to the standards she thinks Lana set for me.”
Perry leaned back and partially stifled his laugh. “I’m sure glad you didn’t tell her that!” He shook his head, and after a moment asked, “Just why did you say what you did?”
Clark pursed his lips. “I don’t really know. I just got this irritated feeling when she was ragging on me. I know I shouldn’t have said that, but it just popped out before I knew what I was saying.”
“Uh-huh. Didn’t one o’ y’all say that your mental link might affect your behavior?”
Clark dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. “Yeah, one of us did. And maybe that’s part of why I was so rude to Lois just now.”
“Could be. But I’d try to put a cork in that particular bottle if I were you. I don’t think you’ll make many friends with that attitude.”
“I think you’re probably right. Say, is Jimmy coming in at his regular time today?”
“I called him in early, should be here in ten minutes or so. He didn’t like it, but that’s the newspaper business. Oh, I assume you know that we won’t print any part of what you two just told me.”
“I figured that, but thanks for saying it anyway. Well, let me get what I need to give to Jimmy and then I’ll be off to dreamland.”
“Anything in particular you want him to look at?”
“Yes.” Clark’s face cleared. “Lana’s boss at the museum, Dr. Roger Bean, keeps popping up in and around this gun-running investigation. We found his name five times in the file Jimmy gave Lois yesterday. I want Jimmy to run down some more of his business associates and financial activity.”
Perry frowned. “I thought Bean was on the boat when it – when it went down.”
“He was. But he may still be able to lead us back to whoever it was he was reporting to.”
Perry nodded. “Good thinking. I assume Jimmy’s going to ask the Dangerous Boys to help him on this one?”
Clark’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You know about them?”
“Son, I didn’t get to be editor because I can quote all the lyrics to the King’s first three albums. You tell him to be extra careful on this one, okay? I’d hate to lose the boy at his age.”
“Yeah. Speaking of Jimmy, what are you going to tell him about both me and Lois being gone today?”
“Nothing, except that you and she are on assignment and neither of you will be back in the office today. Since you’re here now and Lois isn’t, I doubt the gossipmongers will get their teeth into you.”
He sighed. “Good. Being accused of dating me is just about the last thing Lois would want floating around on the rumor circuit right now.”
>>>Thursday, 2:14 PM
Perry had been right about Lois. She hadn’t said one word to Clark since Tuesday morning. She hadn’t even looked in his direction. And the link was shut down tighter than a medieval chastity belt. Clark was certain that she wouldn’t so much as loan him a paper clip if he begged her for one on both knees.
He grinned to himself and turned back to his computer. That school board election story wouldn’t write itself.
Just as he finished the first draft, and before he could refill his coffee cup prior to editing the piece, his phone rang. “Clark Kent, Daily Planet.”
“Clark! This is Rebecca.”
Her voice warmed his ear. “Hi. I’m glad to hear from you. What’s up?”
“Well – you may not be so glad to hear from me in a minute.”
He knew it. She was calling off their date. She didn’t like him that much after all. It was too good to be true, anyway. For a moment, that teen-age feeling of being left out of everything was back.
She must have felt his hesitation. “Look, Clark, I don’t want to call off our date, I just want to reschedule for Saturday evening. Would that be okay?”
He sighed with obvious relief. “Sure, that’s fine. Same time, or a little earlier?”
“Can we meet for dinner at six? That’ll leave plenty of time to watch the movie and dissect it together.”
He chuckled. “Sounds fine with me. If you’ll make the tea and provide the garlic bread, I’ll bring the main course and the salad.”
“That’s awfully sweet of you, but are you sure that’s not too much trouble?”
“If it were a problem for me, I wouldn’t have volunteered.”
“True. Thanks for understanding, Clark. Oh, I forgot to tell you why we’re not doing the movie thing tonight. The Dangerous Boys are coming by to do some on-line stalking for Prince Edmund.”
“Edmund? Oh, right, Jimmy.” Then he sobered. “You do know that what you guys are doing may be dangerous, don’t you?”
She laughed musically. “Jimmy already told us how worried you were. I promise, no one will be able to trace anything back to any of us. We don’t leave clues like that just lying around.”
“Good. I just want to make sure – “
“Clark! Good grief, you’re such a mother hen. We’ll be fine. And hopefully Jimmy will have a lot of info for you tomorrow morning.”
“As long as no one gets hurt.”
“You are such a worrywart. Whoops, incoming call. Gotta go. See you Saturday night! Bye!”
And she was gone before he could return the salutation. And before he could repeat his warning.
Which was probably her intention, he told himself. You are a worrywart.
He wondered how long Lois was going to make him stew before she let him apologize. She could stay mad longer than almost anyone he’d ever met, including Lana.
He suddenly realized that he was once again comparing Lois to Lana. And that Lois seemed to be coming out the winner in more and more categories.
But he couldn’t be attracted to her! Not now, not ever. Sure, she was beautiful and talented and brilliant and a great writer and a terrific dancer and a top-notch investigator, but she was also pig-headed and stubborn and prone to awkward logic-defying deductions which might or might not be accurate. And she was sometimes too proud to admit that she needed help or that she might have been wrong.
Another part of his mind whispered to him that her heart was in the right place, though, and she was as honest as the day was long. She understood that money and fame were important, but not as important as the people in her life. It was a lesson that Lana had struggled to learn all of her brief life, and as far as Clark knew she’d never fully mastered it.
But Lois was dating another man and seemed to be happy. He couldn’t mess that up for her, not if he was truly her friend. And he did want to be her friend.
Besides, his conscience reminded him, he was dating Rebecca. And she didn’t seem to be the type to lean towards three-sided relationships.
For that matter, he told himself forcefully, neither did he.
*****
Without letting him know she was watching him – which took some doing – Lois saw Clark get the call which at first threatened to put him in a deep depression but which, by the end of the conversation, had lifted his spirits close to their previous level. As he hung up and leaned back in his chair to stretch, she remembered how well-muscled he was and how well-proportioned his body was. He could have posed for Michelangelo’s sculptured depiction of David without any extra enhancements.
He could have won almost any bodybuilding contest he cared to enter.
And she absolutely didn’t need to be thinking about any of that. Not now, not ever. She’d promised Lana to watch over him, not to stalk him or to leer at him. Besides, she wasn’t interested in him in a romantic sense, just in an ‘I like to look at good-looking guys’ kind of sense.
She wasn’t at all interested in him. No way.
She shot her gaze back to her computer as he moved, but instead of checking on her again he stood and walked to the coffee station. Getting refueled for a rewrite, she thought. He’s so predictable.
And that’s bad? asked another part of her mind.
The jangle of her own phone derailed that train of thought. “Lois Lane, Daily Planet.”
A cultured baritone voice curled into her ear. “Lois, this is Lex Luthor. I wanted to call and congratulate you and Clark on your well-written and well-received stories on me and on my business holdings.”
Her toes tried to curl up inside her shoes. “Thank you, Lex. You’ve made my day. I’ll pass those kind words on to Clark for you.”
“Please do. And while you’re up, you can check your social calendar.”
She frowned. “Why should I do that?”
“So you can let me know if you’re free to have dinner with me this evening.”
She almost gasped. “Tonight? Uh – well, I don’t know – “
“Please. I know this is short notice, but I’d really like to see you in a non-professional setting.”
She tried to get her mental feet underneath her. “Non-professional? What about lunch the other day?”
“Despite the thoroughly enjoyable company, it was still a professional meeting. May I pick you up at your apartment at, say, seven this evening?”
“I – I don’t have anything suitable to wear.”
“Oh, I was thinking we could go somewhere casual, you know, a jeans and polo shirt type of place.”
Stall while you think about it, she told herself. “Where were you planning to go?”
He chuckled. “There’s a wonderful little restaurant not far from Hobbs’ Bay which is owned and operated by a military veteran. I’ve eaten there a few times, and the owner knows me as Alex Winfield, computer programmer for LexData.”
Surprised, Lois asked, “You – you have a secret identity?”
“Yes, but please don’t tell anyone or you’ll have to kill them.”
Their shared laugh gave Lois time to regain her balance. “What’s the name of this wonderful little restaurant?”
“It’s called Mike’s Place.”
“What!” she almost screeched. “You want to go to Mike’s Place?”
He sounded almost hurt. “I’m sorry, Lois. The owner is an excellent cook and they have a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere, but it doesn’t have to be there. If you’d prefer to – “
“No! I mean, I know the place and that actually sounds like a great idea. Hey, since I don’t live that far from Mike’s, why don’t I just meet you there at seven? It’d save you a trip.”
“You know Mike’s?”
“Yes.” And she decided right then and there to tell him nothing else. “I’ll meet you at the front register at seven. Just tell Mike who you’re waiting for if you get there before I do.”
“If – that’s what you want, Lois, then, yes, I’ll meet you there at seven.”
She could barely contain her laughter. “I’m looking forward to it.”
If nothing else, she mused, Lex was very unpredictable.
And, she realized, so was she.
*****
Across the room, Clark frowned as he heard Lois hang up the phone and laugh. He didn’t approve of her dating Lex Luthor. Not only was he a news subject, he was on her list of suspects to be the elusive ‘Boss’ they’d heard about lately, and who Lois suspected had been the head of the gun-running operation which had sent Lana to her death. She seemed to have lost her objectivity where Luthor was concerned, and he didn’t understand why.
He tested the link, but it was still knotted shut at her end. Fine, he thought, go have dinner with a possible multiple murderer. Enjoy what might be your last meal with a sociopathic killer.
She didn’t register having heard or sensed him, which bothered him even more.
Superman would definitely keep his mental ears open for her tonight.
>>>Friday, 8:21 AM
Lois bounced onto the newsroom floor wearing a mega-watt smile that stunned Jimmy Olsen into silence as he poured a cup of coffee. He turned to follow her progress as she walked past Clark, tapped him on the shoulder, and asked, “Morning, sunshine! And how was your date last night?”
Clark turned a puzzled frown towards her. “We postponed to Saturday night. Rebecca had the Dangerous Boys over last night. And good morning to you, too.”
She grinned brightly and scrunched her shoulders up towards her cheeks like an especially happy cheerleader. “It is a great morning, isn’t it?”
Clark nodded slowly. “I’d guess your date went well last night.” He lifted his watch between them and stared at it for a moment. “Especially since you seem to be running a little late today.”
“Oh, Clark, don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud! Lex and I had a great time last night.”
Jimmy tried not to choke on his coffee. Mad Dog Lane had gone out on a date? During the week? With Lex Luthor? And she came in late the next morning? Smiling?
He glanced towards Perry’s office and thought, She’s super-lucky the Chief has an early morning meeting upstairs.
He tuned back to the conversation, trying not to look like he was eavesdropping. “You know Mike’s Place, right, Clark?”
“I’ve been down there a couple of times. They serve good steak.”
“Did you know Mike is my uncle?”
Jimmy knew, but Clark obviously didn’t. “You took your date to your uncle’s place?”
“No! Lex suggested it without knowing about Mike and me. Mike’s not really my blood uncle, just a close family friend, but he’s always treated Lucy and me like nieces or even better, and anyway when we got there I didn’t have to introduce Lex to Mike because Lex sometimes eats there and they already knew each other but they didn’t know I knew both of them and it was funny watching them make extra nice to each other for my sake.”
What a story! thought Jimmy. Billionaire Lex Luthor dines at small eatery near Hobb’s Bay with Daily Planet reporter! The National Whisper would pay big money for any dirt on Luthor, and Jimmy could use the extra cash.
Then he grimaced at himself. He could never sell out Lois like that. If they ever got that story, it wouldn’t be from him, no matter how many dollars they might wave in his face.
Clark was almost smiling by now. “You’re telling me that your uncle knows Lex Luthor?”
Lois pulled a chair close to Clark’s desk. “No, it gets better! I found out yesterday that Lex uses another name sometimes just to walk around and be invisible and when he does that he drives this old faded blue Ford sedan with a dent in the driver’s door. Uncle Mike knows him as Alex Winfield and – “
“What is this, a newsroom or a coffee bar? You people get to work now! We got a paper to publish!”
The tone of Perry’s bark suggested that his meeting hadn’t been all sweetness and light. Lois leaned close to Clark and whispered something Jimmy didn’t catch, then she hurried to her desk and booted up her workstation.
Jimmy began to turn away, but Clark caught his eye and waved him closer. “What is it, CK?”
Clark opened the folder that Jimmy had given him earlier that morning containing the raw data the Dangerous Boys had dug up the night before. “See that name on the top of the second page?”
Jimmy looked closer and nodded. Alex Winfield’s name was linked to several minor sub-contractors who dealt with Luthor’s companies. Clark pulled that page out of the folder and handed it to the young man. “Jimmy, I want anything and everything you can dig up on this guy. And do not – I repeat – do not let Lois know you’re checking out this name. Keep this page with you. Understand?”
Jimmy looked into Clark’s eyes and saw something he hadn’t seen there before, something intense and almost fierce. “You sure about this? If Lois finds out that you went behind her back – “
“I’ll tell her myself when I have solid information. Now get started on this as soon as you can.”
“Sure.” Jimmy hesitated, then asked, “CK, is this personal or professional?”
Clark turned obsidian eyes towards him. “Both.”
*****
After Jimmy left on whatever errand Clark had assigned him, Lois tried several times to catch Clark’s eye, but he seemed to be too busy to look in her direction. A questing touch over the link brought back only an impression of free-floating irritation, but she wasn’t sure it was directed at her.
So she decided to ask. -* Clark? *-
-* Yes, Lois? *-
-* Are you mad at me? *-
-* No. *-
-* There’s something wrong. You can’t lie through the link, and there’s something bothering you and I think it’s something to do with me. What is it? *-
-* I’d rather not have this conversation right now. *-
-* You can’t always get what you want. *-
-* Neither can you. *-
-* Please, Clark? All I want is to clear the air between us. I value your friendship and I don’t want us to fight for no reason. *-
-* You really want me to tell you? *-
-* I wouldn’t have asked if I hadn’t wanted to know. *-
-* Fine. I don’t trust Lex Luthor and I don’t think you should get too close to him while we’re investigating him. *-
-* Oh. *-
-* Is that what you wanted to know? *-
-* Yes. But it may be too late. *-
-* What may be – you mean you – oh, Lois, please tell me you didn’t sleep with him last night! *-
-* What! You – No, I didn’t sleep with him! Do you think so little of me? *-
-* No. I’m sorry, I just – then tell me what you meant about it being too late. *-
-* I’m not sure I should now. *-
-* Please, Lois. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to make that assumption. I know it was unwarranted. It’s just that I’m concerned about your well-being. *-
-* Hmm. Okay, that’s truthful, at least. What I meant was that I could see something in his eyes, something that makes me think I’m special to him. *-
-* The man is old enough to be your father, Lois! He’s dated dozens of the richest and most beautiful women in the world! What makes you think you’re that special to him? *-
-* First of all, he’s not that old. He’s in his late thirties. Second, he’s not the Don Juan you’re making him out to be. Third, he treats me like I’m a real human being and not just a pretty face with no brain. Among other things, he talked about some of the adventures he and Asabi had on the waterfront when he was starting out. Why would he tell me things like that if he were just trying to dazzle me with flash and sizzle? *-
-* Hmm. You have a point, Lois. But – *-
-* But you’re not dating him. I am. And I know how to be careful. *-
-* Okay, Lois. I just want you to guard your heart. *-
-* Guard my heart? Oh. I understand. Thank you, Clark. That’s – that’s actually very sweet of you. *-
-* You’re welcome. *-
-* And you guard your heart too, okay? Rebecca is a very nice girl. She deserves a good man. *-
-* You’re saying that it might not be me? *-
-* Funny, Clark, funny. Just be as honest with her as you are with yourself. Or with me. *-
-* I’ll try. I just hope she’s honest with me. *-
-* Well, I can’t tell you what to do, but even Lex thinks you two make a cute couple. *-
-* And how does he know about my private life? *-
-* That was one of our topics of conversation. He’s interested in my friends and the people I work with. And he likes your writing almost as much as he likes mine. *-
-* I’m going to take that as a compliment. Lois? Seriously. Do you think Rebecca and I should pursue our relationship? *-
-* I think you both should do what your well-guarded hearts tell you to do. *-
-* Good non-specific advice. Excellent for keeping the advice-giver out of trouble with the advice receiver. Thanks a lot. *-
-* Hey, what are friends for if not to give unwanted and ultimately useless relationship advice? *-
-* Now who’s being funny? *-
-* Not me. I’m being sensible. Now let me get to work before Perry puts me on the pooper scooper story. *-
-* Okay. We’ll talk later. *-
*****
Cat shook her pen as if trying to make ink magically appear inside it. When it didn’t, she sighed dramatically, rose, and headed towards the supply closet.
Two of the new interns, Deanna and Beverly, were inside the room giggling about something when she opened the door. They took one look at her and quickly scurried out, apologizing all the way.
Cat closed the door behind them and moved to the back of the room, then pulled out her special cell phone and dialed the only number she ever dialed on it.
The electronically filtered voice answered after three rings. “Yes, Ms. Grant?”
“Lois Lane went on a date with Lex Luthor last night.”
“Did she have a good time?”
Cat was surprised that the person on the other end of the line apparently wasn’t surprised at the news. “She seemed to. She came in almost a half-hour late this morning, smiling and bouncing along like a sophomore with a crush on the star quarterback.”
“I see. Do you know if they plan any future activities?”
“No, but I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Very good. Anything else?”
Cat hesitated, then plunged ahead. “What’s the status of my marker?”
A distorted chuckle reached her ear. “Let me see. Oh, yes, it’s down seven percent now.”
She smiled. “That must have been good news about their date.”
“The date? Oh, you misunderstand, Ms. Grant. I meant that it was down seven percent from its original value.”
“What? The original – but that was over a quarter of a million dollars! And it was more than four years ago! You mean that – “
“I mean, Ms. Grant, that you still owe me a great deal of money, and that if you want to keep both yourself and your parents healthy, you will continue to report to me. Now, if there’s nothing else?”
“No,” Cat whimpered.
The connection was broken at the other end. Seven percent! That was all she’d paid back, in all that time? She’d never, never pay off that immense debt!
She felt like a slave. She desperately wished she dared tell someone about this, but the voice had assured her that if anyone ever learned of their arrangement, her parents would pay the penalty. And the occasional candid photos of her parents which she received in the mail, taken when Mom and Dad were obviously not aware of being photographed, convinced her that the person at the other end of the phone line was completely serious.
She was still trapped, still locked into a life of betrayal and intrigue that was eroding her morals and threatening to destroy her psyche. For Cat Grant, it appeared that there was no way out of this snare.
