PREVIOUSLY...
“What happened at the Press Club made me realize that I needed a life. All I’d been doing since the pheromone incident was thinking about what had almost happened - and what it might have been like if you hadn’t stopped us.”
“That’s all I’d been thinking about, too.”
“But I desperately wanted to stop thinking about it. Lex seemed a way to do it. Besides, I still hadn’t come up with a way to find out what the problem was with S-126. And so, with everything... I just wanted to have a little fun and relax. Lex seemed like a good way to do both.”
AND NOW...
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Chapter Fourteen
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**“I was pleasantly surprised to get your call,” Luthor said as they sipped champagne in the back of his darkened limo on the way to the opera. It was opening night and he’d told her that she seemed like the perfect companion for the evening. She’d been flattered. “I thought you’d tired of me.”
“Not at all, Lex,” she assured him. “I’ve just been rather... I don’t know. Frustrated lately, I guess. I wasn’t sure I’d be very good company.”
“Nothing’s wrong, I trust?”
She looked over at him, smiling when she saw the concern in his eyes. “Nothing important. It’s just a story that I can’t quite get a handle on.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“I doubt it.”
“Come on. Try me. Even if I can’t help, I’m sure it will do you some good to get it off your chest. And then you’ll be in a better frame of mind to enjoy the opera.”
She hesitated for a moment before acquiescing. “Well, okay. It’s this S-126. You know, the miracle source for electricity.”
“Yes, I read your article. I think it was the only one I’ve read that wasn’t... fully supportive of this project.”
She looked over at him. “So... what do you think? I mean, you don’t sound too... excited. Most times, all I have to do is mention S-126 and people begin chattering excitedly.”
“Well, they hear ‘free power’ and they get excited,” Luthor said. “And I suppose that’s understandable.”
“But...?”
“It’s just that in my experience, when something seems to good to be true, it usually is. But what’s the problem?”
“My editor took me off the story. I know there’s something there, something they’re not telling us, and yet I can’t figure out how to get to the bottom of it.”
“Uhh... Well, that is a problem,” Luthor said thoughtfully.
“Any suggestions?”
“Not a one,” Luthor responded, giving her a smile. “Guess you were right. I wasn’t much help. Maybe that’s why I’m not a reporter.”
Lois laughed. “It’s okay. And you were right. I feel much better for having talked about it.”
After that, the conversation turned to other, more pleasant matters and in no time at all, they found themselves at the opera. Getting through the crowd of photographers there to cover opening night was not exactly one of Lois’ most pleasant moments of the evening. She was used to covering the news. Being covered was not nearly so much fun - as Lex had playfully whispered into her ear as they had emerged from the limo.
Still, by the time the curtains went up and the opera began, she was thoroughly enjoying herself. She wasn’t thinking about Kent or Linda or anything else unpleasant. She was enjoying a great view from Lex’s private box of a beautiful opera with a charming companion. Nope. There was nothing else she’d rather be doing and no one else she’d rather be doing it with. Not her. She was perfectly content right where she was.**“Me thinks thou doest protest too much,” Clark said, bringing her out of her story.
She swept a strand of hair back over her ear and Clark was fairly certain the faint blush of pink was staining her cheeks.
“Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite as ideal as I was trying to portray it. It’s just... thinking about you with Linda...” She shrugged uncomfortably.
“So you were trying to make me jealous?”
“Maybe. Just a little.”
“Well, you don’t have to try. I was jealous. I saw your picture in the society section of The Star the next morning - you and Luthor getting out of the limo together. He was leaning over, whispering something in your ear, and you were smiling. And, trust me, I was jealous. So... why not tell me how it really went?”
**Lois was bored out of her mind. She hated the opera. She had always hated the opera. Why had she even agreed to come tonight? She should have simply told Lex how she felt and, if he insisted he wanted to go, had him invite another companion. After all, really, she should be home, trying to put together a plan that would get her the real story about S-126.
Kent. He was responsible for this. Flaunting his... whatever Linda was to him - Lois could think of a number of names, none of which were fit for polite company - in front of her. He’d probably deliberately provoked her to get her to back off the S-126 story.
Okay, so she was being ridiculous now. He didn’t even know she was still looking for the story. Still, how could he be with Linda?
Not that Lois cared of course. No. It didn’t bother her at all, but if she was ever talking to him again, she was going to have to insist that he raise his standards.
But why wasn’t he going after the real S-126 story? After all, she’d seen him stumble out of Star Labs looking weak and pale. She’d been so certain that he was the one who’d had the adverse reaction to the crystal when Clyde had told her about it.
Maybe she had been wrong.
No. No. She wasn’t wrong. If her instincts told her there was something there, then there was something there. She hadn’t won three Kerth awards by not having good instincts. And somehow Kent was right in the middle of it. But if that was true, why hadn’t he printed the story?
She growled in frustration.
“Are you okay?”
Lex’s voice in her ear made her jump. “Uhh... yeah. Just a tickle in my throat.” She growled again, as if trying to clear the blockage.
“Here,” Luthor said, placing another glass of champagne in her hand.
She smiled at him and took a sip. Great! Just what she needed. More champagne. Still, maybe if she got drunk enough, she’d pass out. And then she would have the perfect excuse not to watch the end of the opera.
She set the glass down. No. Probably not a good idea. After all, passing out would attract the attention of the press corps and that was not exactly the type of attention she was looking for from that particular crowd.**“What?” Lois demanded, interrupting her story when she heard Clark laugh.
“Was the whole evening like that?” Clark asked.
“Pretty much. Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating how much I wanted to get drunk and pass out, but... yeah. Pretty much.”
“You’re not just trying to get me to feel better, are you?”
She shook her head. “No. Trust me. It was really that bad.”
“But I thought you loved the opera. You went with Luthor all the time.”
“But have I gone once, or even suggested that we go, since Lex died? Have you ever heard me listening to it on the radio or watching it on television?”
“No, I guess not, but... Why did you go if you didn’t like it?”
“Because Lex liked it. And I... I guess I thought it sounded... sophisticated or something to say I had spent the evening at the opera. But trust me, a glass of wine, some popcorn and a good Mel Gibson video while snuggled up with you in our living room after we’ve put Vicky to bed is a much more enjoyable evening to me.”
“Well, good. ‘Cause I can always manage that.”
She gave him a smile. It wobbled somewhat at the mention of Vicky. After all, right now they couldn’t put Vicky to bed. Would they ever be able to again? “So what’s next?” she asked, turning back to her computer screen, determined not to let that question overwhelm her. “Oh, right,” she said a moment later. “The terrorists who held us hostage at the Daily Planet while they tried to find Dragonetti’s safe.”
“Hey, it seems I got that story, too.”
“How is that possible? I would have thought that since it happened at the Daily Planet, it would have been our exclusive.”
Clark thought for a moment before remembering how that came about.
**Clark cleared off his desk and picked up his jacket. Seeing a picture of Lane with that snake Luthor in the morning paper had left him in a funk. Still, he glanced at where the morning’s paper was sitting on the corner of his desk. After hesitating a moment, he quickly picked it up, opening it to the society page and hastily tearing out the picture of Lane and Luthor. Before he could change his mind, he folded it and put it in his inside jacket pocket. He could cut out the picture of Luthor later. But... it was the only picture he had of Lane. Tossing the rest of the paper in his trash can, he turned towards the door. He really was the world’s worst fool.
Maybe he’d take a nice long walk. Maybe that would clear his mind. Usually, he’d go flying. And although his powers had come back a couple of days ago, he just didn’t feel up to flying tonight.
It was funny how he’d been almost disappointed when his powers had come back. To have these powers and not be able to use them... Maybe it would be better not to have them at all. Not that he didn’t help when he could. But there were just so many times when he knew he could do so much more, but he couldn’t. Not without jeopardizing his normal life.
“Clark?”
Clark turned back when he heard someone call his name in time to see Linda coming towards him. He sighed. He really didn’t have time for this right now. He wanted to get out of there - go somewhere to lick his wounds.
“Do you want to grab some dinner?” she asked.
“Sorry, Linda. But I’ve got plans tonight.” He hated lying, but the truth would hurt her. She just wasn’t the right woman.**“Now for that, you deserve a kiss,” Lois said, leaning in to do precisely that.
“Mmm. Well, if that’s the reward, I’ll have to be sure to turn Linda down more often in the future.”
Lois smiled. “You do that. I promise... I can make it worth the effort.”
**From the other side of the street, Clark looked at the front doors to the Daily Planet. How he wished his interview with Perry White had gone differently that day. Working there, working with Lane... He was certain they would be involved by now. Dating, certainly. Engaged, possibly. Married... Well, probably not yet. But still...
Or maybe it would take a little longer. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he suspected that Lane would have been one tough nut to crack. He’d overheard her that day in the warehouse, talking about her three rules. No. If he were working at the Daily Planet, he would have to gain her trust, become her friend. Maybe by now, though, he’d be her best friend. What he wouldn’t give for that.
He sighed.
Stopping at the newsstand across the street, he watched the front door for a moment. If wishing could make it happen, Lane would appear any moment.
On the other hand, she probably wasn’t even there. After all, it was late. And a Saturday night. No, there were not likely many people in the newsroom right now.
Still, he couldn’t resist a quick peak. Pulling down his glasses, he looked to the floor where the newsroom was located - and his heart dropped. Luthor was there. And Lane... He had to make a conscious effort to keep his feet touching the ground when he saw her in that sexy black dress. My goodness. It was almost illegal.
“Lois, our dinner reservations are in thirty minutes.”
Clark cringed at the sound of Luthor’s voice.
“Well, how was I to know that one of my sources would get arrested tonight?” Lane responded impatiently. “I have to rewrite my lead.”**“Wait a minute,” Clark said. “I thought the night the terrorists invaded the Planet was the night you were supposed to go see Madam Butterfly. So why did you end up going the previous evening?”
“I guess my call made Lex decide to take in the opening night performance. So in this reality, we decided to go out for dinner tonight. Anyway, go on.”
**Clark fought back a grin at hearing the annoyance in Lane’s voice. Still, he shouldn’t be standing there, watching and listening. Not only because he had no right to do so, but because it wasn’t doing his heart any good to see her preparing to go out on a date with Luthor.
“You gonna buy something?” the man behind the stand asked.
“Huh? Oh right... uh...” Clark directed his attention to the various papers and magazines. Did he want something to read? He wasn’t sure. On the other hand, the Sports Illustrated looked interesting. He picked it up and began flipping through it, unsure, when a new sound cut into his hearing. Gun fire.
He spun around, looking over his glasses. It only took a few moments for him to find the source of the sound. The newsroom in the Daily Planet. Since the last time he’d looked, newsroom had been invaded by men and women with guns. He began striding purposely across the street.
“Hey, you gonna pay for that?”
“Oh, right.” He quickly returned, placing the magazine back on the stand before turning to face the newsroom once again. Maybe rushing in wasn’t the best course of action. How was he going to be able to help without giving away his secret to a roomful of reporters?
Still, how could he stand by and do nothing?
He turned back towards the newsstand proprietor. “Do you have a phone?” he asked.
“Does it look like I’m in the phone business?” the man responded, gesturing to the magazine racks.
“Right,” Clark said, looking again around his environment. A little ways away was a phone booth.
He rushed over, searching his pockets for change. Finding what he needed, he stuck it in the phone and placed a call to 9-1-1. Once that call was finished, he paced in front of the Planet, glasses resting part way down his nose, trying to figure out what to do next.
“In case any of you feel the need to contact the authorities,” the lead terrorist said, “you can tell them I’m holding a small but dirty nuclear device and if I catch as much of a glimpse of police blue, the gene pool of Metropolis will pay the price.”
Just then, Clark saw the police begin to arrive. He immediately rushed over to fill them in.
Once he was satisfied that they understood the situation, he turned his attention back to the newsroom. He had to be able to do something. Or at least be in a better position in case Lane was in danger. Because no matter what it might mean to him personally, there was no way she was going to die tonight.*** * * * * * * * *
**Clark watched the proceedings from inside the Daily Planet’s storage room. He just needed to wait for the right moment. The time had to come where the leader put that nuclear device down and then... He was certain he could get to it before anyone would be any the wiser. After that, he could begin taking out the terrorists - one by one.
The telephone rang, causing Clark to jump in surprise.
“I thought these were disconnected,” the leader of the terrorists said. “You!” He pointed directly at Lane. “Get it. And I’m warning you, no heroics.”
Clark tensed as Lane rose to her feet and zeroed in on the phone, ready to spring into action if she did anything stupid. A very real possibility - at least in his mind.
“Lois Lane,” she said into the phone, keeping her eyes on the terrorist. Clark could almost see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to find a way to take advantage of this contact with the outside world. Her eyebrows suddenly rose and she removed the phone from her ear, holding it out to the terrorist. “It’s for you,” she informed him.
The police. It had to be. That analysis was confirmed a moment later when Clark could hear, without the aid of superhearing, the terrorist yelling into the phone about nuclear bombs and hostages.
“So what now?” asked a beautiful woman terrorist when he finally slammed down the phone.
“Nothing changes. We get Dragonetti’s treasure and get out of here.”
“Look. It’s not worth it,” the woman responded. “This was supposed to be a straight forward job. Willie promised no one would be here. And now not only do we have them...” She gestured to their hostages. “...but we also have the police outside. We can’t even locate Dragonetti’s safe. I say we cut our losses and get out now while we still can.”
The leader chewed on his lower lip for a moment before nodding. “Okay, you tie them up. We’ve got our hostage right here.” With that, he grabbed Lois, subduing her struggling form quite easily when she noticed the nuclear device in his hand.
Things moved quickly after that as the terrorists, together with their hostage, rushed up the stairway for the roof. Clark took out the lights, allowing him to sneak up behind them, taking out the last one on the stairs, one at a time until... only the leader and Lois were left. Lois was slowly being dragged towards the helicopter on the roof.**“I remember what happened then,” Lois said, taking over the story for Clark.
**The terrorists seemed to be disappearing one by one. How, Lois had no idea. The police probably. But she hadn’t seen any of them. Still, by the time she arrived on the roof, the only one with her was the lead terrorist. The others, by all appearances, had gotten lost in the dark.
Seeing the helicopter on the roof, she knew the time had come to make her move. If they got her in that helicopter and took off, she was dead. Given her previous acquiescence, the lead terrorist was not prepared for her quick movements when she spun out of his grasp and took off at full speed across the roof. Suddenly, she was tackled from behind. Losing her footing, she watched in horror as she flew towards the edge of the roof. She grabbed onto a small railing that ran around the edge and held on for dear life as the rest of her body flew over the side, the terrorist still hanging onto her.
She felt him grabbing at her clothing and then... nothing but his scream was left as he lost his grip. She cringed when she heard him hit the pavement below and waited for the blast that was sure to follow.
When nothing happened, she let out a breath of relief and then... in spite of her best efforts, she felt her hand, which was getting increasingly slippery, begin to slide off the railing. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip, only to feel it continue to slip and then... a scream escape her lips as she let go and began to fall.
A strong grip was suddenly holding her wrist. She looked up in surprise and into the eyes of... Clark Kent? Where had he come from?
Oh, what the hell. She didn’t care. “Don’t let go,” she begged.
“Never,” he responded, pulling back slightly from where he appeared to be off balance as he hung onto her arm over the side of the roof. Still, he must have been balanced, because he managed to pull her back up easily enough, over the side onto the roof and... into his arms.
She held onto him as tightly as he was hanging onto her as she allowed the adrenalin to drain from her body. “That’s the third time you’ve saved my life, Kent,” she said into his chest. “Thank you.”
“Lane,” he whispered, pulling back far enough to look in her eyes. And then his eyes drifted lower, to her mouth.
She found herself moistening her lips and then, they were kissing. Her arms slid up his chest to wrap around his neck as the kiss deepened. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was doing this. A result of the adrenalin rush, no doubt. She was just proving that she was alive. It didn’t mean anything.
Damn! It might not mean anything, but it did feel good. In fact, she was fairly certain she could kiss this man forever. And at the moment, that sounded like a really great thing to try.
“Lois?”
The sound of Lex’s voice caused Lois to jump back, almost causing her to lose her balance once again. Kent’s arm quickly darted out, steadying her. She looked into his disappointed eyes once more, before hearing Lex call her name a second time. It almost felt as if she were moving in slow motion as she turned towards Lex. He was there almost immediately. And suddenly, she found herself being pulled into a different man’s arms before she could object.
“The police will undoubtedly have some questions,” Luthor said, keeping his arm around her as he led her back inside - barely letting her feet keep up with the quick pace he was setting. “And afterwards... I’d like to see you home.”
Lois looked back over her shoulder to see Kent standing there, watching them leave. In his hand was the nuclear device the terrorist had been holding when he’d plunged to his death. Or... no that wasn’t right. Kent couldn’t possibly have caught the bomb. It had gone over the edge of the roof with the terrorist. Or... had it. Obviously not.
Okay, well, that explained why there was no explosion. The terrorist must have dropped the device on the roof before going over the edge.**“Well, that didn’t tell us anything particularly useful,” Lois concluded. “But tell me something. Did the terrorist drop the bomb on the roof? Or did you fly down and catch it?”
“I caught it. Unfortunately, by the time I did, it was too later to save the terrorist. You, on the other hand, my heart almost stopped when I saw you fall. I knew there was no choice. Fortunately, your eyes were closed, so you didn’t realize that I actually flew you back to the roof.”
“You sneaky devil. What would you have done if my eyes had been open?”
“What do you think?” he asked in response.
She smiled, leaning forward to give him a kiss.
“So I guess we look for the next story?” Clark asked when the kiss broke.
“Yeah.”
Lois and Clark scrolled through their computers for a moment more before Lois broke the silence once again. “Hey, I got it.”
“Got what?”
“The story on S-126.”
“Really?” Clark got up, coming over to read her screen.
They read in silence for a few moments before Lois spoke. “What the hell is this?”
“At least ten percent of the population would suffer serious, and most likely deadly, side effects from exposure to this miracle substance,” Clark read. “The damage can be done in a matter of minutes.”
“Is this true?”
Clark shrugged. “I suppose it might be. Trask is the one who originally had it tested in our reality, and he maintained that it wasn’t harmful to humans.”
“Do we really trust Trask?”
“No. But you’d think Dr. Klein would have noticed some problem with all the testing he’s done on kryptonite over the years - looking for a vaccination.”
“True. But then... where did this story come from?”
“It has your name on it.”
“Which means I obviously felt I had enough evidence to go to print - and I convinced Perry that the story was legit. Still...” She gave her head a shake, even as she began scrolling absently on her computer. She halted when she came to another article with her name on it. “Take a look at this one,” she said after reading for a moment.
“What does it say?”
“Apparently, sponsors began pulling out of the development for an S-126 power source when seven dead bodies were dragged out of Hobbs Bay with apparent S-126 poisoning.”
“There’s something wrong here. Even if kryptonite does affect some people, I can’t imagine that so many people could be affected so quickly. And I’ve never heard of anyone, not even the bad guys, being affected. Surely we would have heard something.”
“I agree.”
“Do you remember anything about that investigation?”
Lois shook her head, before hesitating. “I remember getting a phone call from Lex - saying he had a name of a man for me to check out. But why would Lex...” Her voice trailed off. “Lex owned Metropolis Electric.”
“And from what I remember, Metropolis Electric was making huge profits around that time. I wrote a story about it - which Luthor cut when he took over the Daily Planet. The development of a cheap source of power would seriously undermine those profits.”
“Why that no good, scum-sucking, slim of a bottom-feeder!” Lois exclaimed.
Clark smiled. His wife certainly did have a way with words.
“He used me,” Lois continued. “He fed me a source and I swallowed it, hook, line and sinker. When I get through with him...” She didn’t bother voicing the remainder of her threat although images of castrating the man in question flitted through her mind.
“So what’s happening in this altered reality with the development of kryptonite as a power source now?” Clark asked, bringing her out of those pleasant thoughts.
Right. This was important. After all, they didn’t want Clark accidently running into kryptonite while they were in this altered reality. Lois scrolled further on though her stories, looking for more information. After a moment of unsuccessful searching, she sighed in frustration.
“Let me see if I have anything,” Clark said, scrolling through the stories on his computer before one finally caught his eye.
“What? What did you find?” Lois asked when she saw the look on his face.
When he didn’t answer, she rose to her feet to come over to his computer. Leaning over his shoulder, she read his screen.
‘Perry White Takes Bribes; News Stories Fabricated,” by Clark Kent and Linda King.
“No way,” Lois said. “I don’t believe it. Here... move over.” Without waiting for his response, she pushed onto his chair next to him and began scrolling through the article as fast as she could read. “Oh, god,” she breathed as she reached the end. “I think we might have just found the reason Perry dislikes you.”
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TO BE CONTINUED...
