As always, huge thanks go to the best betas ever – Beth, Mark, and Carol!
From Chapter 57
“Is she okay?” Clark asked, and in astonishment Superman realized he had gone back to the apartment.
Superman nodded his head. “I didn't tell her…”
“What?!” Clark asked, and the compassion that had been on the younger man's face disappeared in an instant. “How could you not tell her? Were you lying to me?”
“No,” Superman insisted. “I meant to tell her. But then she kept talking and I couldn't… It was hard to do. And then when she kissed me…”
“What?” Clark asked quietly, his voice full of recrimination. “When she kissed you, what?”
“I forgot myself,” Superman answered in a quiet voice.
“You kissed her again?” Clark asked.
Superman nodded.
“Well, that certainly is not the same as letting her know you're not dating, is it?” Clark said. “You know, I was trying to understand before, but I can't understand this. You are not at all who you made yourself out to be.”
With that, Clark moved to his bedroom, slamming his door shut behind him.
Chapter 58
“Okay,” Perry said as everyone sat around Perry's table. “What do we have?”
“The Planet board all originally voted not to sell to Luthor,” Jack said. “Then, they changed their minds. But, two of them have brand new Ferraris, another has a new "summer' home in Switzerland, and two more have recently acquired Rolex' watches with diamond studded faces.”
“I found John Black,” Jimmy said. “We need to do something to set him up, but at least now we know where he is.”
“I've tried to talk to the advertisers who pulled out of the Planet. Most of the companies won't talk to me,” Lois said. “But the woman at the Florist Emporium cried when I asked, talked a lot about how much she loved the Planet. When I asked why she pulled her ads, she got fairly quiet, but then admitted that she had just moved. Apparently, her old location was half the size of her current place and was in the suburbs. Now she's right across from the train station. She was paid off by…” Lois paused for dramatic effect, “the Boss.”
“Just about every criminal element you can think of in Metropolis pays protection money to the Boss,” Clark said, “but most don't know who he is, and those who might, seem terrified and won't talk.”
“And I found additional insurance on the Planet,” Perry said, “through a subsidiary of Lexel Investments. I don't know how much it's for…”
“But it's through Lexel,” Clark offered.
“So, no real cost to Lex,” Lois concluded.
“If Luthor manipulated the Board to sell the Planet to him, then blew it up to collect the primary insurance which was not from a LexCorp subsidiary, well…” Clark paused, afraid the others might still think his idea was too radical.
“Then what if Lex is the Boss,” Lois finished his thought. “Oh my… I considered marrying the biggest criminal Metropolis has ever seen.”
“We don't know that yet, Lois,” Clark rushed to reassure her. “And even if it's true, he fooled a lot of people.”
“Not me,” Jack said, but Clark glared at him.
“I idolized him when I first got to Metropolis,” Jimmy said, winking at Clark.
“And I thought he was the same thing you did, Lois. A smart, generous business man,” Perry said. “A bit cocky maybe, but nothing like this.”
“You didn't,” Lois said looking up at Clark. “You've never liked him. Have you?”
Clark sighed. “I don't think it's fair. I think… I don't know. Lex and I don't mix. He was rude to me the first time we met, but I think I just rubbed him the wrong way.”
“Maybe he knew you were going to be the reporter who was going to bring him down,” Lois said with a smile.
“No idea how,” Clark smiled back at her. “I'm sure you were letting him know what a hack I was.”
Everyone laughed at this and Lois' mood seemed to lift.
***********************
Clark walked in the door, feeling more hopeful. At least the attempt to bring down Luthor seemed to be going well. Lois was on board and they were finding good information. They were not finished yet, but they were heading in the right direction.
That had no bearing on Lois' relationship with Superman, of course, but at least she was safe.
He was on his way to his bedroom when he saw the blinking light on the answering machine. Pushing the button to play the message, Clark then turned to go into his bedroom. He stopped still at the voice on the machine.
“Mr. Kent, this is Lex Luthor. I'm looking to have a word with Superman about Lois Lane. Would you ask him to stop by when you see him?” Click.
What did Luthor want with Superman about Lois? Was this sour grapes? Had he somehow figured out that Lois was dating Superman?
He wondered how he would ever get the message to Superman. It seemed quite likely that Superman was being even more careful about ignoring him now. With a sigh, he picked up the phone.
“Hi,” he said quietly.
“Hi, Clark,” Lois replied.
“Um… is Superman there?” he asked.
“No, I haven't seen him since yesterday,” Lois said, sounding disappointed. “I don't understand either. I asked him to come back after his rescue.”
“I'm sorry, Lois,” Clark said, not really feeling all that sorry. “Um, thanks.”
He hung up the phone, wondering what to do. Should he fly around the earth looking for him? Actually, the first thing he should do is check. He turned the television on, but LNN showed no Superman coverage right now.
Maybe he should just go himself? It was not like Luthor would be able to recognize the difference.
***********************
“They say that civilization was invented so that men could cooperate in the making of wine,” Luthor said as Clark entered the wine cellar.
“What do you want, Luthor?” Clark asked. His heart was pounding a mile a minute. What if he was wrong and Luthor realized he was not Superman?
“A favor,” Luthor replied.
Clark looked at him in surprise. “From me?” he asked wondering why on Earth Luthor would think Superman would do him any favors.
“My fiancĂ©, Lois Lane…” Lex started.
“I thought Miss Lane rejected your proposal,” Clark interrupted.
“Precisely,” Luthor said with a smile. “And I've been trying to figure out why. I'm a reasonably attractive man,” he said, gesturing to himself. “And I do fairly well. I've never had problems with female partners in the past. So what would make Lois say no?
“I also know that she was not completely against the idea, given that she took some time to think about it. However, I don't think it's much of a secret that Lois has a little bit of a crush on you,” Luthor motioned to Clark dismissively.
Clark watched him, but decided to say nothing.
“You and I both know, Superman,” Luthor continued, “that you can't really have a relationship with Lois. She would be a target for all sorts of criminals and even you can't keep her safe all the time. She would be much better off with me.”
“So, what is it you want me to do?” Clark asked coldly.
“I want you to make it clear to Lois that nothing can happen between you and that you give her your blessing to accept my proposal,” Luthor concluded.
Clark gave a bark of laughter. “I think you're delirious, Luthor. Regardless of my potential to have a relationship with Lois, I would never push her towards you!”
“I see,” Luthor said with a strange smile. “Well, then, I suppose you are of no further use to me.” With a flick of his wrist, Luthor turned a nozzle on one of the wine caskets, but rather than releasing wine, it seemed to release a cage from the ceiling above Clark.
Clark watched the bars surround him with amusement. Surely Luthor knew enough about Superman to know this would not work. “Bars won't hold me, Luthor,” he said.
To his surprise, Luthor smiled at him. “Oh, I think they will,” he said as he took a small box with a dial on it from his pocket and turned the dial. “It was too bad you missed my test run this afternoon at the bank,” he said, “but I'm fairly certain this will work out fine.”
Clark had no idea what Luthor was talking about. There had been an attempted break-in at Metropolis Mutual, but he had not responded to the call as he assumed Superman would take care of it. He heard later that everything was fine – nothing had been stolen. What had Luthor been trying to test?
Right as Clark reached forward to grasp the bars and escape, the bars glowed a sickly green. Clark's hands closed on them and he screamed. It felt like the bars had burned his hands. He stood in the middle of the cage in silence for a moment, before the obvious occurred to him – the cage was somehow coated in kryptonite.
“I'll be back later to check on you,” Luthor said with a smile, as if Clark was a guest in his hotel.
The pain from the bars drove Clark to the floor before Luthor exited the cellar.
***********************
Superman watched as darkness approached. He had come back to the Great Wall last night after his argument with Clark. However, as opposed to his normal Wall visit, where he sat on one of the sections that was closed to visitors, he had gone to a more populous location. Being alone with his thoughts was not helping. What he needed was something to block out those sounds.
He knew he really needed to go see Lois again and explain this time that they were not dating, but he was afraid. His reaction to her was alarming. He felt like he had no control over his actions when she was around.
He knew he needed to talk to Clark some more and settle the problems they were having, but given Clark's anger at him right now – Clark's reasonable anger at him, it did not seem to make sense to even try to see Clark again until he had straightened things out with Lois.
The same was true with the Kents. How could he go see them until he had straightened this mess out? They had been so kind to him during the time that he had been here, but could he really expect them to understand what he had done now? How could he when he barely understood it himself?
So, after a fitful flight to China in which he went over each of his options over and over again, but accomplished little more than making himself feel a little sick with anger at himself, he had made his way to the Badaling Section of the Wall. It was the shortest distance from Beijing and therefore had the most tourists on any given day. Having changed into some old clothes of Clark's that the Kents had loaned him when he first arrived, he had blended in with the other tourists.
The day was over now, and tourists had left to head back to Beijing hours ago. He had stayed at the Wall for several hours after the day had ended, but he was getting tired. After two nights without sleep, even he needed to rest. So, the question was where to spend the night?
It was early afternoon in Metropolis now, maybe Clark would be up and about looking into Luthor. Maybe he could sleep in his bed there? While he was not sure, it seemed like a possibility, and making sure that he was indeed alone, he took off.
He was over the Pacific Ocean when the thought occurred to him - Luthor's test of kryptonite at the bank. It was supposed to be today, this morning. It was unlikely Clark would go since Superman was still supposed to be answering calls in the middle of the day, but he had forgotten, having spent the better part of the early morning in China
He pushed himself, trying to get to Metropolis faster, although he was not sure why he was rushing. What would Luthor do if he did not show up for the test? In all likelihood, he would stage another test. He would not want to tip his hand by letting Superman know he was might have kryptonite without making sure he had the genuine article first.
Arriving in Metropolis, he flew directly over LexTower. Using his x-ray vision he saw Luthor in his penthouse office. “Please try to locate Miss Lane, Mrs. Cox,” he was asking his assistant.
Not particularly useful, although this meant that perhaps he and Clark should keep a closer eye on Lois. It sounded as if Luthor had not given up yet. He was about to fly off to go home and tell Clark this – whatever their differences, he knew Clark would support him in protecting Lois, when he had another idea.
Was the cage built yet? Using his x-ray vision, he looked at the space between the ceiling of the cellar and the floor of the room above. If he recalled correctly, that is where the cage had come from, but the space was empty now. Everything was probably okay for now, although he needed to stop feeling so sorry for himself and start helping out more here.
Just as a precaution, he gave a quick sweep of the cellar itself. What he saw there made him drop ten feet in the air. Either Clark had shown up at the test this morning, or Luthor had decided to take the risk. It was possible that he was feeling a bit more panicky given Lois' rejection. Regardless, the outcome was the same. Clark was lying on the floor of the cage, looking very weak.
***********************
“Where's Clark?” Perry asked as Lois entered his kitchen.
“I don't know,” Lois said. “I haven't seen him all day.” She sat down quietly. Things were not right today. She could not pinpoint what the main issue was, but she had not been able to find Clark all day. Actually, now that she thought about it, she had not seen him since they left here yesterday.
Additionally, Superman still had not come by. Stranger still, she thought she saw him a few times out of the corner of her eye. If she did not know any better, she would think he was following her. Why would he follow her and not come see her, though?
“Are Jimmy and Jack here?” she asked Perry.
“Right here,” Jimmy said with a smile. “We hit pay dirt. It turns out John Black'll do just about anything he's paid to do. Just like he did for a Mrs. Cox. He even gave me Mrs. Cox' number.”
“Mrs. Cox is Lex' personal assistant,” Lois said.
“Bingo!” Jack added with a smile.
“How about you, Jack?” Lois asked as Perry served them each a soda.
“Simon Truesdale suddenly had an attack of conscience,” he said.
“Isn't he one of the Planet board members?” Lois asked Perry.
“Yes, he is,” Perry said turning to Jack. “What did he say?”
“He's willing to confess to a receiving a substantial cash inducement to support the sale of the Planet to Luthor,” Jack said.
“How'd you do that?” Lois asked.
“Oh, I'm not sure. But I think it might be related to a certain tape he's hoping his wife doesn't see,” Jack said with a smile. “It stars a blonde woman about half his age.”
Perry shook his head with laughter. “You don't play fair, son. Lois?”
“I looked into the insurance from Lexel you found, Chief. I'm curious. Just how much would it take to rebuild the Planet building?”
“About thirty million,” Perry said. “Why?”
“Because the insurance Lex had through Lexel was for seventy-five million,” Lois said with a grimace. “It was all a lie. A way to create a situation where he controlled me.”
“Now, don't be so hard on yourself, darlin'. You backed away. Luthor has not won!” Perry said, putting an arm around her shoulder.
“Thanks, Perry,” she said softly.
***********************
Clark could barely hear the door to the wine cellar when Luthor came in. He was in so much pain, he was starting to wish the kryptonite would work a little faster. Death would be better than this.
“And how are we feeling today?” Luthor asked somewhere near Clark's left ear. He could not get up enough energy to respond. He heard a small squeaky noise and realized Luthor had let himself into the cage, but Clark was in no position to take advantage of this.
“I am feeling wonderful,” Luthor said. “Do you know what I have planned for the evening?” he asked Clark, then continued on without waiting for a response, “I am going to visit the lovely Miss Lane. With you out of the way, she may be more amenable to my proposal.”
“Never,” Clark said as strongly as he could. “Lois will never marry you.”
“Strong words from the man on the floor,” Lex said, giving Clark a kick in the stomach. “You won't exactly be around to stop it, Superman. Trust me. Lex Luthor always gets what he wants one way or another.
“Now, which one would be better for a visit with Miss Lane?” he asked holding up two ties, “Red for passion or white for purity?”
When Clark did not say anything else, Luthor answered his own question. “I agree. In this position, white is definitely better,” he said, draping the red tie around Clark's neck as he leaned down. “Have a nice death,” he whispered in his ear.
A moment later, Luthor had locked the cage behind him and left the wine cellar, the key sitting on a wine casket several feet away.
***********************
Lois let herself into her apartment wishing she knew where Clark was. Where had he disappeared to? And what was going on with Superman? Was he avoiding her? Why would he do that?
The knock at her door surprised her and hoping that it was Clark, she went to open it quickly. She was surprised to see Lex on the other side.
“Lex,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. She did not want him to know she was investigating him. The sight of him made her nervous now, given all she knew. How could she ever have thought of spending her life with him?
“Lois,” Lex said, his voice warm. “How are you?”
“I'm okay,” Lois said. “I didn't expect to see you again. After the way we left things…”
“I'm sorry about that,” Lex said, his voice still warm. It was giving Lois the creeps. He really was quite the actor. “I admit, I was surprised by your answer. I'm… I'm not used to people saying no to me,” he said, and Lois realized why she had assumed that was the excuse for his behavior in New York – he had given it to her. Was she really that malleable?
“I can be a bit of a spoiled child,” Lex said. “I'm sorry. I don't want to lose what we have just because you're not ready to get married yet.”
Yet? That was not what she had said. She had given no indication that with time, her answer would change to a yes.
“Lois, you said you still wanted to be friends,” Lex said. “Do you?”
Lois looked at him. She was afraid to let him know she was suspicious of him and she was afraid to let him into her apartment. Finally, she decided letting him in was probably safer. Besides, if he actually hurt her, she could call for Superman.
“Of course, Lex,” she said with a smile. “Do you want to come in?”
Lex followed her inside. “Coffee?” she asked him.
“No, I can't stay long,” he said in an eerie replay of the last time he had come by. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked as he sat on the couch.
Lois moved to the seat across from him before answering, “Of course.”
“I'm just wondering… why did you say no? Did it have anything to do with Superman?” he asked.
Lois suddenly felt very cold all over. “No,” she said. “I just didn't feel like I knew you well enough.”
“Because, it's not like your crush on Superman was a secret, m'dear,” Lex said casually. “But you must know that you can't date Superman. It would be far too dangerous for you.”
“It really didn't have anything to do with Superman, Lex. You're right. I had a crush on him at one time. But that's all it was. I'm over it now,” Lois said. It was true, sort of. She no longer had a crush on Superman. Her feelings were much stronger than that now.
Lex shook his head before standing up. “Well, I must go,” he said, making his own way to the door. Once he reached it, he turned back to Lois, saying, “If you ever change you mind, Lois, please let me know.”
Lois nodded her head and sagged in relief when he left.
