Hi!
Thanks as always to my betas and this time to Ann for sparking the plot bunny that caused a little bit of A-plot to slip in here.
Michael
Disclaimer: The recognizable characters and settings in this story are the property of D.C. Comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions, and anyone else with a legal right to them, and I have no claim on them whatsoever, nor am I profiting by their use. It’s just the original stuff, that would be mine, written down to bring some entertainment to other FoLC.
The setting is right after “Season’s Greedings” in Season 2.
Blocks in >> << are literal thoughts by the character.
Rating: PG-13
**********
In part 14 Clark got the impression that Lois was using him as a lab rat to test the compound she later wanted to use on Superman. Utterly destroyed in his belief in Lois, he decided to just ignore her from now on.
Lois on the other hand had realized that she still had to tell Clark that she had known before she had begun to slip him Winninger’s drug for increased male potency. Unfortunately, by this time Clark has already vanished and her only chance at getting to talk to him was to catch him before his date with Mayson Drake. And since she couldn’t just ask him about the time the date was supposed to take place, Lois had decided to simple check the court-schedule for the session Mayson was attending this afternoon.
Part 15 /
TOC /
Comments **********
Clark was cruising the skies of Metropolis. The Arctic wasn’t going to cut it this time. Lois had made it perfectly clear how she felt about the ordinary man underneath the suit. He could have learned to understand that she didn’t consider Superman worthy because he had feet of clay. He could have learned to do that. Because underneath it all, he would still have been Clark Kent, the man she considered a friend, perhaps her best friend. That was why he understood how his secret had hurt her. He could have worked with that.
But then she had shown him that Clark Kent wasn’t anything but a convenience. A disposable tissue to be used and discarded. And by that she had broken an unspoken trust between them, because whatever else she had done to him over the past 18 months that they had been partners, she had never maliciously hurt him because it was the expedient thing to do. Even when she had told him to fetch Superman for her during the Luthor affair, had she thought him to be just her naïve partner and friend.
This time, he had been just a lab rat to her. Someone to experiment on. He never wanted to speak to her again. To see her again. To-
Clark suddenly heard the newscast of the Amtrak derailing between Boston and Metropolis. It took him a mere two seconds to get to the scene of the accident, about halfway between the two cities.
**********
Finding out when the floozy had her court-sessions today had been easy. After all, Lois was a member of the press and most court-sessions were a matter of public record. The clerk, a man in his mid-twenties, had been extremely helpful, and ten minutes later she had been on her way back to the ground floor and the main exit. She now knew that the other woman would be in court until at least six-thirty, which meant the new time of their date would be somewhere between seven-thirty and eight. She doubted that it was later than that, given how the session had been just pushed back one hour due to some schedule hiccup in the morning.
So there she was, waiting for one of the elevators to arrive to take her downstairs, when she saw the second elevator’s doors open and a woman in her forties exit into the hallway. Lois was about to turn back to wait for her own elevator to arrive, when her gaze fell upon the three men in the back of the car. They all looked to be in their early thirties, they all had buzz-cuts and a bulky physique, and despite their suits, they didn’t look like lawyers, at all. Then she focused on the eyes of the one in the middle, and Lois realized something was wrong. She had seen eyes like that before, and they usually looked at her from behind a gun. A moment later the elevator’s doors slid shut and Lois was left to look into her hazy reflection on the bronze-colored door.
She knew they meant trouble. And trouble meant a story. And a story meant she could distract herself from the pain she still felt aching in her heart. Clark wasn’t at the Planet, but instead flying around somewhere. And she doubted he would return to their place of work before he had his dinner date with the slut. So when she rushed into the stairwell to catch up with the elevator, she wasn’t really worrying about whether this would be a good idea.
Lois finally caught up with the men on the fourth floor, a full three stories from where she had started her jog. She was somewhat winded, and the fact that she was wearing heels hadn’t exactly helped her in her impromptu exercise. But it didn’t matter because the men had just sneaked into the dark, tall double-doors at the end of the hallway.
Lois started after them, barely registering the voice calling for her from behind. As she reached the door, Lois realized it was the entrance to one of the courtrooms. She was oblivious to the fact that it was courtroom 4A, currently used to try an associate of Intergang, and a case on which Mayson Drake was a member of the prosecution team.
“Ma’am!” she heard the voice from earlier. Turning around, Lois saw a deputy standing six feet away from her. “Would you please explain your business?”
“My what?” Lois tried to figure what the problem was.
“Your business here, ma’am.” The deputy was now resting his hand on his hip, just a few inches from his gun.
>>Great. Don’t they have someone else to harass?< Lois shook her head, trying to appear calm. “Look, I’m just trying to attend this court-session in there.“ Lois pointed at the door over her right shoulder. “It *is* a public session, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But since you came rushing from the stairwell-“
“Geez, I was late and the elevator wasn’t coming.” Lois tried to suppress rolling her eyes. “Is that a crime now?” She began to open her purse and upon seeing the deputy stiffen slightly, stopped to say with more calm then she felt, “I’m just getting my press-pass, okay?” Then she proceeded to drag the laminated card from her purse. “See?”
The guard eyed her disapprovingly, but ultimately relaxed and stepped back. “Running in a secure place is never recommended, ma’am.”
Lois was about to roll her eyes and ask him why he hadn’t bothered to check the three men who looked far more suspicious than a petite woman, when a shot rang out from behind her.
The deputy was already moving to rush forward when Lois had turned around and began to push the door open. “Ma’am, wait!”
It was too late and a rather dumb move, as Lois later reflected. A moment later she felt herself pulled inside and the door was thrown shut again. Immediately after that, someone pressed her against the wall and wrapped her wrists and ankles in flexi-cuffs. This was just not her day.
**********
And now she was sitting in the corner of the courtroom, huddled together with about five dozen other people, including the jury, the judge, the defendant’s council, and last but not least, the prosecution, including Mayson Drake who had ended up right next to her. The defendant himself was standing in the other corner with the leader of the hostage takers, whom Lois had decided to call Goon A. The other two men were keeping the hostages in check.
She sighed while staring at the muzzle six feet in front of her. It was maddeningly tedious, being a hostage. She had already determined that wiggling against the restraints that bound her wrists behind her back, as well as her ankles, was of no use. The only thing she’d managed to accomplish so far was to cause some abrasions on her wrists. Why did those things always happen to *her*? And why today of all days?
Finally fed up over her current indisposition, Lois decided to do something about it. “You know this isn’t going to work, don’t you?” she called to the man closest to her. He had reddish-brown hair and was clean shaven. He was known to her as Goon B.
“Shut up!” Goon B barked back at her.
“I mean, what *are* you trying to accomplish here, storming a courtroom like that.”
“I said: *Shut Up*!” He was now eying her dangerously.
“Ms. Lane, I would recommend you follow his instructions,” the blonde whispered into her ear.
Lois head swiveled around to face her. “And how did you figure that out? Have you ever been kidnapped? Do you have *any* experience in being a hostage?”
“What sort of question is *that*?” The assistant D.A. looked completely lost to Lois’ train of thought as she asked back in a low voice.
“An obvious one.” Lois straitened herself a bit. “*I’ve* been kidnapped *numerous* times. *I’ve* faced *dozens* of goons with guns and I’m *still* here. So, unless you’ve something to add to-“
“I’ve told you: *SHUT UP*!” Goon B now shouted at them, catching the attention of their leader, Goon A.
“What is going on?” Goon A called over to their guard from the other side of the room.
“Nothing, Boss.” He looked to Goon A. “Just the chick whom we caught entering the courtroom making trouble.”
“Would you please get her to keep quiet!” Boss replied before turning back to the defendant.
“You *do* realize that *Superman* will be here soon, right?” Lois explained to Goon B, making sure she put extra volume into saying ‘Superman’.
“Are you *deaf* or do you just have a death-wish?” Goon B was now pointing the gun straight at her face.
“You think that’s the first gun I’ve faced?” Lois stared back at him blankly. “*SUPERMAN* is going to save us. Just wait and see.”
Lois flinched when Goon B fired a shot straight into the ceiling above her, causing dust and plaster to rain down upon her and the blonde. “Hey!” she replied indignantly. “Somebody is going to get hurt if you keep shooting like that!”
“Ms. Lane, I believe that’s the point,” her fellow hostage replied. “Now, if you could be so kind and just*shut up*?”
Lois huffed and decided to keep quiet for a little while longer until the cavalierly had time to arrive. He always did.
**********
It was an hour later, and she was still sitting there. Goon A had already talked with the police outside but apparently no agreement had been reached.
“So, what’s this case all about?” Lois whispered to the assistant D.A. after Goon B had walked a few steps down to check on the rest of the hostages.
“See the defendant over there?” the blonde nodded over to the wall opposite the windows, the blinds long since lowered.
“Yeah?” Lois whispered back.
“That’s Mark Calvers. He’s a high ranking member of Intergang in Chicago.” Mayson took a breath. “They’ve decided to try him here in order to get an unbiased jury.” She shook her head. “Apparently Intergang is stronger here than we had expected if they are daring enough to pull this off.”
“I’m surprised that Intergang is *stupid* enough to pull something like this off, here in Metropolis.”
“Why. Because of Superman?” Mayson’s voice dripped with disdain. “I don’t see him here. Do you?”
“He probably doesn’t know that there is trouble. It’s not like you can phone him, you know?” But despite her brave words Lois began to worry about where Clark really was. He usually didn’t wait this long to save her.
“And you wonder why I can’t figure out where he fits inside the network of law and order.” Mayson replied with a smug voice. “He’s just a vigilante.”
“Now wait just a second, you blonde-“ Lois voice had risen again, and Goon B was pointing his gun at her, cutting her off.
“I thought we’d discussed this already. You keep shut and you survive.” He glowered at her menacingly. “You keep yammering and *I* shut you up.”
And this time, Lois did indeed keep shut.
**********
It was another half-an-hour later when something changed. Goon A hung up the telephone and walked over to them, studying them carefully. “Ladies and gentleman,” he began. His dark gray suit actually looked like it was tailored and he had a very cultured and soft spoken-voice completely in contrast with his muscular build. He looked like a drill sergeant in a suit. “I have bad news for you. It appears the local authorities do not believe that is a serious matter. Therefore, I am unfortunately forced to prove our seriousness to them.”
And with those words he stepped in front of Lois. “Would you please stand up-” She prepared herself to fight this out, when she heard him add, “-Ms. Drake?”
Lois’ head shot over to the blonde woman sitting to her right, noting the stricken look on her face. “Mayson?” she pressed out. That one was a new one. A bad guy who *wasn’t* looking for *her*.
When Mayson wouldn’t move, Goon A bent forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her roughly to her feet. “I hope you will excuse the inconvenience, Ms. Drake, it is nothing personal. But your colleagues from hostage negotiations demand proof that we are serious. You will help me deliver this proof.” Goon A’ eyes belied his soft-spoken words as he looked at Mayson with an absolute lack of compassion. Then he dragged her off to one of the windows.
“Would you please stand right there?” Goon A pointed out the place directly in front of the covered glass pane. Once Mayson was positioned according to his whishes, he pulled out a small wire cutter and released her wrists. Then he moved to stand three feet further down the wall. “Now, if you would be so kind as to open the blinds and look outside.”
Mayson gripped the rod with shaking hands, otherwise frozen in panic. She then began to slowly swing the fins into a horizontal position.
Lois attempted to see outside even as she tried not to think about what was about to happen, but her position was too low to see much but the sky beyond the window.
“Thank you.”
Lois saw in horror as Goon A’s index finger tighten on the trigger and the next moment a loud crash was heard as the shot rang out. Mayson was sitting on the floor, and a heartbeat later, the whole courtroom erupted into turmoil were it had before been eerily quiet. Then she realized that the hostage-takers where lying on the floor, obviously tied with the same plastic straps they had used on their hostages.
Taking a deep breath, Lois finally understood what had happened as she saw the familiar blue and red figure – standing close to the blonde floozy. The doors to the courtroom burst open and the Metro PD began to swarm the room. What was Clark doing, talking with that slut? Lois tried to pull herself to her feet and rush over to prevent him from leaving again. And from talking to the man-eater.
“Hey, hey, hey. Take it slow, miss,” a male voice told her. Lois’ head shot around to look at whoever had just entered her private space, ready to chew his head off. A young police officer was standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder, a wire cutter similar to Goon A’s in his hand.
She huffed, realizing she couldn’t really rush over if her ankles barely allowed her to shuffle. Resigned, Lois turned her back to him, allowing him to release her hands before he crouched and freed her feet as well. “Thank you,” she pressed out before getting back to her mission.
*** A Few Minutes Earlier ***
Clark was still tearing the deformed carriages apart, digging out the last survivors from the tons of twisted metal. The disaster had been complete. Apparently the train had been at top speed when the engine had left the tracks, taking all 20 cars with it. The train had not even been half full, but with a thousand passengers divided between the cars, it was still an extremely tedious effort.
Not that he minded helping. It was something he could do. It was also something that helped him to forget the pain he felt in his own heart, as his sympathies went out to those he dug out, alive, maimed, and dead.
Then he realized something was wrong. He felt a pull on his insides, tearing him away from this scene. The urgency soon became unbearable and he shot from the site of the disaster with even greater speed than he had used to get there.
A second later Clark was back in Metropolis, zeroing in on the federal courthouse located on Seymour Street. He had no idea what was going on, but something was pulling him there. The next moment he saw the police cars, the tape cordoning off the area.
Clark immediately scanned the building, certain he could determine the problem faster if he just searched for himself than asking one of the officers below. Then he shot forward, burst through the window, and grabbed the bullet as it left the muzzle. The rest of the work was routine, tying up the criminals – who had been thoughtful enough to bring their own restraints – and making sure the intended victim was okay.
He turned back to the window and almost spoke her first name when he saw the blonde district attorney sitting in shock on the floor. “Ms. Drake?” He crouched down next to her. “Are you injured?”
“What?” Mayson shook her head, the blond hair loose and distracting. “Superman? No, I’m-“ She paused for a second, before gripping his arm to help herself up. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”
Clark straightened along with her, trying to gauge her reactions. The last time they had met as Ms. Drake and Superman, she had treated him as if he was just barely above a criminal. Certainly not someone who helped people every day. It was the one big issue he had with Mayson Drake. And the reason why he wouldn’t be able to even contemplate a relationship with her beyond friendship. “I’m glad I could help.”
Mayson seemed to have finally composed herself enough to take in the scene around her. “*You* did all that?”
Clark was about to answer, when the doors burst open and the police began to swarm inside. He gave himself a moment to allow the biggest ruckus to subside before he answered. “Yes. It’s what I do.” He afforded her a congenial smile, trying to ward off the danger of her lecturing him about protocol.
“You just saved my life, didn’t you?”
Clark blinked. That was not what he had expected. Neither was her voice. Instead of the abrasive tone she had used when scolding him for being a vigilante, she talked to him in something akin to the voice she usually used with Clark. “Y- yes.” Had he just stammered? This morning really had taken it out of him. Clark took a deep breath and pulled himself into his best Superman posture.
“Thank you, Superman,” she said, affording him a small smile. Not one of her dentist’s views, but rather just a hint of white between her lips.
“You’re welcome, Ms. Drake. A friend of Clark is a friend of mine.” Now why had he just said that?
“I’ll have to think about it, if that’s alright with you?” She rubbed her wrists as she spoke.
“Are you hurt?” His eyes immediately focused on her actions.
“No.” Mayson stopped in her hands before lowering her arms. “No, it’s nothing. Just a few abrasions from the flexi-cuffs they used.
“Good.” He smiled at her in his best Superman-smile before turning to the room behind them. “Then I’ll check if anyone else-”
“Superman!”
The voice pierced through his mind like an ice pickle. Lois? Lois was here?
A moment later he found his arm wrapped with a very familiar hand. “Superman, it’s so good to see you. Do you have a moment’s time?”
Lois looked at him with a mixture of hopefulness and sorrow that he had never before seen on her face. Shaking his head, he tried to extricate his arm from her grasp. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lane. But I have to check on the other hostages.” It was a lame excuse, but it was enough of a pretense to leave her side.
**********
“What was *that* all about?” the floozy asked her after Superman had pulled away.
“What?” Lois tried fervently to figure out a way to talk to him again. He couldn’t just fly away now. This was even better than waiting for tonight.
“The ‘Ms. Lane’ bit. Last time I’ve seen you two talking, it was on a first name basis.”
Lois’ eyes narrowed at that. What business was her relationship with Superman to the blonde. “I beg your pardon, Ms. Drake?”
“Look, I’m sorry. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes here. It just surprised me, that’s all.” The other woman afforded her a smile.
“There is nothing wrong between me and Superman.” Lois suddenly had the perfect excuse. “We just think it better to not be too familiar in public. You know, perceptions, and all that.”
“Oh, good.” Mayson began to turn away, before thinking about something else. “Did you by any chance have the opportunity to tell Clark about the change of plans?”
That one she could answer. “No, I haven’t seen him since you called.” She carefully suppressed the addition of a customary ‘I’m sorry’.
“Oh, okay. That’s alright. After what happened here, I think the court-session is over, anyway, and I should be able to make our original appointment.”
Lois needed to find a way to extricate herself from her rival. Clark looked like he was about to leave, and then she might not see him until the evening. If then. “Yes, I understand, but I really have to-“ She turned away, stopped, forced herself to treat the blonde to a friendly smile and added, “So, I guess we’ll see each other later. Until then, Ms. Drake.”
“Yes, good bye.”
Lois rushed to get away from the district attorney. She needed to talk to Clark. Now.
**********
“Clark?”
Clark’s head snapped around at the whisper. It was barely more than a breath, but to him it was as loud as any word spoken during a normal conversation. Dammit, he’d thought he had been able to tune her out.
“Good. You can hear me.”
His eyes had now found Lois’. She was standing near the window, partially looking at him, her thumb at her lips as if she was deep in thought. “The thing I’ve discovered? You know, the one I wouldn’t ever tell anyone…”
Clark knew immediately what she was talking about. There was only one thing she’d learned recently, and that was his secret identity. He stared at her worriedly.
“You will talk to me now, or I’ll tell everyone.” Then she turned and began to walk towards the public entrance of the courtroom.
**********
tbc
