PREVIOUSLY...
“No. I meant in this reality. Did you love me?”
She let out a breath as she thought back. “I don’t know,” she said after a moment. “In the dream I did. But in the cold light of day... I just don’t know. I do know that I didn’t want to love you.” She gave a confused shrug. “But then, the dream... I mean maybe I’m mixing up memories. In fact, that’s probably what’s happening. Because it was about this time that in our reality that you did ask me to marry you, but... I don’t know, Clark. It just seems like a dream somehow.”
“It was a dream,” Clark said, leaning in to kiss her lightly. “Not quite as good, of course, as the one where you asked me to marry you, but...”
“You know what I mean.”
Clark nodded. “Okay, well, let’s get back to work. Maybe our next memory we have will tell us how to get Vicky back.”
* * * * * * * * *
END OF SEASON TWO
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AND NOW...
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
* * * * * * * * *
Once they finally settled down and got back to work, both Lois and Clark found the depression of earlier lifting. For a while, they worked in relative silence, only briefly speaking to read various headlines, hoping something would further jog their memories.
‘Church Group Patrols City,’ by Clark Kent and Linda King.
‘Churches Arrested: Bomber Confesses,’ by Lois Lane.
‘Love Fortress Linked To Organized Crime,’ by Lois Lane.
“Wait a minute!,” Lois finally said. “There’s something about that story, but I can’t...”
“I remember,” Clark said before starting to tell his story.
**Four bodies, all male, had been found in a shallow grave just outside Metropolis. Two bodies were I.D.’d and reportedly last seen at Love Fortress International - Spencer Spencer’s answer to the Playboy Mansion. The thing that made this case unusual was that all four of the bodies were headless. Linda was currently meeting with the coroner about cause of death - although Clark suspected losing their heads might have had something to do with it.
Still, it had given him the chance to slip away. Love Fortress International was located on a small private island in the middle of nowhere. A tropical paradise according to the billings. And completely inaccessible to the press - unless said member of the press could fly, of course.
One quick, covert flight later, Clark found himself on the grounds of the small island as the sun was beginning to set. Just a quick look around, and then he was out of here, hopefully with a better idea of what had caused those men to lose their heads... literally.
Spotting what appeared to be some sort of patrol, fully decked out in military gear and carrying submachine guns, he ducked back into the foliage. Wondering suddenly if the headless men had been involved in some sort of military game, Clark cautiously followed the men through the woods, being careful not to touch the ground. He wanted to be sure he didn’t make any noise.
“I see them, Klavel,” one of the men said.
“Keep your voice down,” Klavel hissed while using a series of hand signals to instruct his men.
Clark looked in the direction they were heading. A small bonfire was burning in the distance. Were these men going to attack the young couple he could see cuddled together next to the fire? If so, there was no way Clark was going to stand by and allow that to happen. On the other hand, if this was just some sort of game, he didn’t want to give himself away. After all, how could he explain being there?
The military men approached stealthily and Clark tensed in anticipation. He could tell that the couple weren’t yet aware that they were being stocked as the man moved in to kiss the woman.
“On your feet!” Klavel said as three men shoved the barrels of their machine guns into the couple.
As the couple jumped apart and scrambled to their feet, Clark had to fight back a gasp.
Lane. And... an unusual flash of jealousy rose in his chest. Lane had been kissing... that man.
The man with Lane attacked, taking one of the armed men to the ground before freezing when he felt a barrel in his back. When things calmed, the man was slowly allowed to rise, once again, to his feet.
“What do you want?” Lane demanded.
Clark felt his body tense at the way Klavel ran his eyes up Lois’ body in response. Given the way Lane’s stance changed, he could tell she recognized the look as well. So did her companion.
“Hey!” her companion said, taking a determined step forward, causing Klavel to turn towards him.
“We don’t need him. The boss only wants the babe,” Klavel said.
Hearing Klavel’s words, one of the men raised his gun and...
Clark shifted into superspeed and in less than a second, he caught the bullets before they impacted the chest of Lane’s companion, pushed him to the ground, stunning him so that the military men wouldn’t know they’d missed, and disappeared back into the darkness.
“Dan!” Lane yelled. The anguish in her voice was unmistakable.
“Come on, babe,” Klavel said, grabbing her and pulling her away.
She struggled; she threatened; she swore; she begged them to let her check on Dan, but even someone as tenacious as Lane was unable to do much against men with guns.
He waited until the group were out of the camp before dashing over to check on Dan. He was unconscious, having hit his head during the fall, but otherwise unharmed.
Deciding Dan would be okay where he was for the time being, Clark turned, following through the woods in the direction Lane had been taken, looking for an opportunity to rescue her without being spotted.**
“I remember this,” Lois said quietly. “I was terrified. Seeing how quickly they’d killed Dan... Or at least, I thought they’d killed Dan. They seemed to want me alive, but shooting Dan told me just how ruthless these people were.”
“What were you doing there with Dan in the first place?” Clark asked, careful to keep his tone neutral.
Lois shifted uneasily. “Well, Perry had noticed how much I’d been working and was afraid I was going to burn out. So when this opportunity came up to get away for a few days, he insisted that the travel editor was too busy, and assigned the story to me. Thing was...”
**Lois juggled the large promotional basket and her briefcase with her keys as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Finally getting inside, she slammed the door closed with her foot and began walking towards her kitchen to put down her burden.
She was about half way there, when she heard a knock on the door. With a sigh, she turned back. She tried to look through the peephole, but was unable to do it while holding the large basket.
In frustration, she finally reached around and opened the door.
“Hey, good-looking,” Dan said, stepping inside. He leaned in to kiss her and she turned her head, allowing him to kiss her on the cheek.
Then she turned back to the kitchen. Dropping her briefcase on the table, she began trying to stuff the promotional basket in the garbage can.
“What’s that?” Dan asked.
“Promotional for some stupid tropical resort.”
Dan’s eyebrows rose. “Why are you getting promotional baskets for tropical resorts?”
“Actually, Perry got it. He tells me that the travel editor is too busy so he wants me to go and do a story about it. At least, that’s what he said. Personally, I think this is just his way to get me to take a vacation.”
“So what did you say?”
“What do you think? I told him I’m too busy.”
Dan pulled the pamphlet out of the trash can and opened it. “Hey, this looks pretty decent.”
“Not you, too,” Lois said, rolling her eyes as she walked into living room.
When she sat down on the couch, Dan leapt over the back of the couch, landing next to her with a bounce. She shook her head.
“What do you say we go together?”
“Where?”
“The resort! Come on. We’ve been talking about taking a vacation for a while now. So... why don’t we take advantage of it?”
“You’ve been talking about taking a vacation. I’m too busy.”
Dan turned towards her. “Are you scared to spend time alone with me?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” Lois said indignantly.
“Prove it. Go away with me.”
Lois regarded him through narrowed eyes. “This wouldn’t be some veiled attempt to get me into bed, would it?”
A small grin quirked at the corner of his mouth. “The idea never even crossed my mind.” The grin morphed into a full fledged, roguish smile that told her he was lying - and not even trying to hide it from her.
“Look, Dan, I’m serious about this. I’m really... not ready.”
He took her hands, suddenly serious. “I just think we need some time together. Time to get to know each other better. So... what do you say? I know you might not be ready for us to make love. And I’ll respect that. Let’s just spend some time together, have some fun.”**
“So instead of necking with me on that beach, you were necking with Dan?”
Lois shifted uncomfortably. “We didn’t build our own hut,” she said, attempting to hold out an olive branch.
Clark closed his eyes. “And if Spencer’s people hadn’t shown up when they had...”
“Would I have slept with him?”
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. It’s just... In spite of everything that happened, when I look back on that day in our reality...” He shrugged. “It’s a good memory for me.”
“For me, too.”
“Really? You didn’t seem to be having much fun at the time.”
“Oh, it had its moments.” She touched his cheek gently. “It definitely had its moments. But as for Dan... I remember thinking that I wasn’t ready . He was a good distraction. And, I admit, I did enjoy spending time with him. But, Clark, I wasn’t about to jump into bed with him. Like I told him at the time, I wasn’t ready for anything like that. How could I be? I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” She paused when he leaned in to give her a kiss. “Anyway, after the paramilitary men carted me away...”
**Lois struggled against her restraints to no effect. Not only was she locked inside a cage in what had all the makings of a dungeon, but she was also shackled to the wall. Talk about overkill. Whoever was behind this certainly appeared to be serious.
The sound of the locks turning caused Lois to stop struggling. She could hardly believe her eyes when Kent was pushed into the room.
“What are you doing here?”
“Following a lead,” Kent responded.
Klavel snorted. “You call passing out behind the medical lab ‘following a lead.’ Next time, maybe you should try staying awake. Hear it works better. Not that you’ll have a next time.” He pushed Kent towards the cell next to Lois, causing him to practically trip over his feet. Without giving Kent time to recover, Klavel pulled open the cell door and pushed him inside.
A few minutes later, Kent was trussed up, same as her, waiting for whatever would come next.**
“So what happened?” Lois asked. “How did they end up catching you?”
Clark sighed as he thought back.
**Lead was everywhere. It appeared that the secret corridors under the main mansion had been built as a fall-out shelter. Still, since this was where he’d seen them taking Lane, this was where he needed to be. He couldn’t see her because of the lead. He also couldn’t tell where she was by listening because of the way sound echoed around the tunnels. Still, he did have a few things going for him.
He zipped from room to room faster than the human eye could follow. And suddenly, he felt it. Clark sped into what appeared to be some sort of operating room and suddenly felt as if he’d slammed into a wall of pain. He collapsed to the floor, passing out almost immediately.**
“They must have been using kryptonite as some sort of power source to operate their medical equipment,” Clark said.
“Well, we know that Spencer Spencer somehow had access to kryptonite in our reality. So it makes sense that he might have had access to it in this one. So when you were brought into that cell, did you have any of your powers?”
Clark shook his head.
“Great! So how did we get out of there?”
**“Oh, this is just great,” Lois mumbled as soon as Klavel left the room.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kent asked.
“What do you think it means?”
“I think it means that we’re trapped in a cellar and for some reason you’re blaming me.”
“Well, if you hadn’t decided to take a nap in some first aid station...”
“Take a nap? Did it ever occur to you that I could have fallen and seriously hurt myself?”
Lois’ annoyance instantly fled. “You didn’t, did you?” she asked, suddenly concerned. Was he hurt? They had killed Dan. And now they were going to kill Kent, too. She found herself blinking back tears at the thought of Kent’s life being snuffed out as suddenly as Dan’s had been.
“Oh, hey, it’s okay. I’m okay.”
“Okay,” she said softly, pondering the word. “We’re going to be killed any time now, but... hey, no problem. Everything’s... okay.”
He let out a breath. “They haven’t killed us yet. So maybe they have something else in mind.”
“That’s what worries me.”
After a long moment of silence, Kent spoke again. “Look, Lane, I was wondering if we could talk.”
She felt panic begin to rise in her chest. There was no doubt in her mind what topic he wanted to pursue. Problem was, she’d never been very good at true confessions. Still, how did she stop him? She was, after all, a captive audience. He hardly needed her permission. “Nothing’s stopping you,” she said as casually as she was able, cursing the slight tremor she heard in her voice. Besides, a small part of her hoped that whatever he had to say, it would be enough to overcome all the barriers keeping them apart.
“It’s just... I’m so completely in lo...”
The door banged open, cutting off whatever Kent had been about to say - had he been about to say what she thought he’d been about to say?
“Lane, the boss wants to see you,” Klavel said, stepping into the dungeon. In the corner of her eye, she could see Kent struggling against his bonds as she was forced from her cell.
“Don’t worry. Boss wants to get a look at you, too,” Klavel said, turning his attention to Kent.
A couple minutes later, they found themselves being escorted into a large office, grotesquely decorated in some sort of tactless imitation of Sodom and Gomorrah. Statues of naked men and women - some in obviously provocative positions. Paintings of naked women feeding men grapes while declining together on couches. Handmaidens wearing togas stood in the background, slowly waving large fans. Deep reds and dark woods and overstuffed... everything.
Lois blinked in surprise when a man entered the room in what appeared to be an ornately decorated box on wheels.
“Hi ya, toots. I’m Spencer Spencer. Welcome to my windowless lair.”
“You’re Spencer Spencer,” she asked in disbelief. “I thought you’d be... taller.” She quickly shook off her surprise. “I don’t know what this is all about, but you might as well let us go. My editor knows where we are.”
“Really? So it probably wouldn’t concern you to learn that the pamphlet I sent about this resort was actually for another resort. I just had one of my men bring you to the wrong island.”
Lois tensed. Dan was dead. No one knew where they were. And, if she was right, they were on Spencer Spencer’s island - where no one ever came except by invitation.
Spencer Spencer seemed to sense the feeling of defeat that washed over her and smiled in response. “You know, I was just gonna kill you for all that crap you wrote about me, but then I thought you might prefer an exciting career opportunity.”
“What do you mean?” Lois asked.
“You can be my sex slave.”
“Kill me.”
Lois felt Kent tense, as if ready to spring in front of her if Spencer Spencer ordered one of his men to take her up on her invitation. She couldn’t allow that. She’d been responsible for Dan’s death today. She couldn’t be responsible for Kent’s, too. She glanced over at him, silently trying to warn him not to do anything stupid.
“I know, I know... the body,” Spencer Spencer said, not appearing to notice the interplay between her and Kent. “Maybe I shouldn’t hide it in a box. Maybe you imagine it worse than it is.”
“Maybe.”
“You couldn’t imagine worse than this! My only chance with girls like you is shooting them up with cobra venom, and then it’s iffy. Well, all that’s about to change, thanks to modern medicine...” His attention shifted abruptly.
“So this is the specimen you thought I might be interested in seeing,” Spencer said, turning from her to look at Kent.
Specimen? Lois glanced over at Kent.
“Bring him closer so I can get a look.”
The men brought Kent closer. Then, without warning, they tore off his shirt. He struggled momentarily, but quit when the end of a gun barrel was stuck in his ribs. A moment later, they had his trousers off as well.
Lois tried not to stare, but it was difficult. He just had the most amazing body. Broad shoulders. Powerful arms. Rippling pecs. A washboard stomach. The really interesting parts were covered, but even with that, it was obvious that he was... not missing anything. She quickly jerked her eyes away, pushing back the memories his current lack of attire brought all too vividly to the forefront of her mind.
“So what do you think, toots?” Spencer Spencer asked, circling around Kent’s half-naked form. “Think it might be more satisfying being my sex slave if I had his body?”
What? Suddenly, the pieces fell into place. The headless corps she’d heard about before she’d left Metropolis. It was insane. It was impossible, but... “The headless bodies... It was you.”
Spencer Spencer rolled his eyes. “So what do you think? Think you’d find this body more satisfying?” He almost seemed to be salivating. “After all, how could any woman resist all these muscles?”
She looked down, studying the floor even as a blush rose in her cheeks.
Spencer Spencer obviously noticed her reaction. “Or maybe... you already have taken it around the block a few times.”
She couldn’t quite keep herself from shifting from foot to foot.
“Uhh... so it’s true,” Spencer Spencer said, sounding as if he’d just discovered the best kept secret in Metropolis. “But... don’t the two of you work for different papers? Or, Lane, is this one of your not-so-famous fact-gathering techniques? Seduce the competition?”
Lois opened her mouth to respond, but Kent got there first.
“Enough!” he growled, his voice somehow deeper, more authoritative than Lois had ever heard. Her eyes snapped up to him in surprise. Even standing half-naked in the middle of the room, hands bound behind him, he looked imposing. Spencer Spencer must have noticed the change too because he backed his chair up a few feet.
“ Oh, yeah. He’s perfect,” Spencer Spencer suddenly said. “Tell the doctor to scrub for surgery. I’ve found my new body.” He turned his attention back to Kent. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of it.” Then with a heated glance at Lois, added, “And I’ll put it to good use, too.”**
* * * * * * * * *
**Lois looked around her cell in frustration. At least this time they hadn’t shackled her. Still, if they were doing what she thought they were doing to Kent... It didn’t really matter what they did to her.
She was already feeling distraught enough about Dan. She never should have let him dare her into bringing him on this assignment. He’d been caught in the middle and now he was dead.
As to what Kent was doing here... Okay, so she wasn’t responsible for that. Still, if they killed him - or almost worse, if they gave his body to that maniac, Spencer Spencer... No! She rushed the door to her cell, throwing her body against it. She yelled out in pain when the door didn’t give.**
“So I take it you didn’t use your heat vision to weaken the locks?” Lois asked.
“I didn’t have my powers when they captured me.”
Lois nodded slowly as she thought back once again.
**Nursing her shoulder, Lois wandered around her small cell. There had to be a way out. There was always a way out. It just required a little creative thinking.
She wandered over to where the shackles were affixed to the wall. Maybe if she could get these out of the wall, she could rig up some kind of lever that she could use to pry open the cell door. She grabbed onto one and tried to pull. No. She did the same with the other to the same effect.
She let out a breath, looking around the room again. There had to be something here she could use. Problem was... there was nothing else in the room.
She looked at the lock on the door again. If she had something, she could try picking the lock. She patted her empty pockets before looking down at herself. Her shoes. Would a heel work? She removed the shoe and tried using the heel to pick the lock. No. Okay, so what else? Buttons on her dress? Watch? Damn, why couldn’t she wear glasses? Constant lock picking equipment within her reach.
Wait a minute! It couldn’t be that easy.
A moment later, she was undoing the top buttons on her dress to reach inside. It took some maneuvering and quite a bit of cussing, but she finally managed to slip it out.
“Wonder Bra: Your not so secret weapon,” she said, examining the underwire she was holding.
She doubted very much that they were talking about instant lock picking equipment when Wonder Bra created their slogan. Besides, she was far from certain that this was going to work.
Still, admiring her own ingenuity was not going to get her out of this cell in time to save Kent. She bent down in front of the lock and, using the wire, began to work.
A few minutes later, she’d tried everything she could think of. She’d doubled the wire over, she’d braided it. Anything she could think of to make it strong enough to move the tumblers in the lock, but to no avail.
Letting out a frustrated breath, she reached back into her dress, removing the second underwire. Braiding the two wires together the best she could, she tried again, but it was still too flexible. Next time she was going for steel underwires - regardless of how uncomfortable it was.
Tears begin clouding her vision as she thought of Kent lying on some operating table, about to have his head surgically removed from his shoulders. She’d failed. She’d failed to save Dan. And now... she’d failed to save Kent. What was she good for if she couldn’t even do that?
A sob rose in her throat. Kent. The only man who’d ever been truly able to excite her. Had he really been about to say what she thought he’d been about to say when Spenser Spenser’s goons had shown up? He couldn’t have been. Still, it had almost sounded as if he were about to tell her that.... Nah. He wouldn’t have been about to say... that. There was no future there. There were simply too many barriers to overcome. Still, she couldn’t stomach the thought that he wouldn’t be out there somewhere. That she’d never again be able to look at his handsome face or see the spark in his eyes of... whatever it was she saw there when he looked at her. That... something that sent shock waves running through her entire being.
Suddenly, the future looked unexpectedly bleak and empty, day dragging into day with no hope, no color. Would she ever again know that tingle in her spine when being kissed by a man? She’d certainly never felt it with Dan. Would she ever again understand what it felt like to be totally consumed by passion?
She’d never even fulfilled her mission of understanding the mystery that was Clark Kent. And now, she never would. His life had been stolen from him. She dropped her head into her hands as the tears finally overwhelmed her.**
TO BE CONTINUED...
