Thank you to everyone that provided comments. It's great to see what works (and what doesn't). As I mentioned in the fdk folder, I'll try to post about once per week. Part 2 is going up tonight because my schedule this week is a bit unpredictable, so I wanted to get it done while I had a few extra minutes.
As always, I don't own the characters, but the mistakes are all mine.
From Master of Disguise - Part 1:
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
I’m embarrassed and hurt and angry at being deceived, but I realize I’m wallowing and that won’t help me. I shove away all the emotions, everything but the rage, and even that I tamp down to a simmering anger. Now that I know how corrupt Lex is, I need to rethink my investigation plan. I need help from someone on the outside that isn’t watched as carefully as I am. Without Perry or the resources of the Daily Planet, there is only one place to turn.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
It isn’t hard to maintain my snit as I stalk out of the penthouse. I know that the scowl on my face is fierce enough to keep anyone, including Lex, from questioning me and I make the most of it. Once I’m clear of the building, I make a beeline for the nearest Fudge Castle, a location that I know has a conveniently large restroom window that opens into a narrow alleyway. I confirm my tail’s location outside before ducking through the restroom and into the dingy alley beyond.
I don’t linger. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, I run until I leave the business district behind. Ten minutes later, I step into a low-end department store on the edge of the Slum. After catching my breath, I slip some money into a public phone and dial.
“Come on, pick up,” I plead to the ringing tones.
“Hello?”
“Jimmy? It’s Lois.”
“Hi Lois! Hey, I’m sorry I haven’t paid you back yet. I did sell one photo freelance to the Star, but they don’t have any positions open, so I...”
“You can consider the money a signing bonus, Jimmy.”
Even through the phone his confusion is obvious. “Really? I thought you didn’t have any openings at LNN?”
“It’s not with LNN, it’s working directly for me. I’m investigating … uh, something personal and I need someone I can trust to help.”
“You know you can trust me, Lois. I’ll do whatever I can to help you while I job hunt.”
I shake my head. “No, Jimmy. You don’t understand. I’ll pay you – I need someone full time.”
“Oh man! That’s great, Lois. I’d love to work with you. What are you investigating?”
I pause, unsure whether to put my friend in danger. “I won’t lie to you, Jimmy. What I’m investigating, it’s huge and potentially dangerous.”
“Whoa, coming from you, that’s saying something.” I wait while he chews on that information for a minute. “Kerth-worthy?” he asks.
“It could be worth the Pulitzer, if we survive to print it. Are you up for it?”
“When do I start?”
I smile at his enthusiasm. Jimmy has lost as much or more than I have but he never let it beat him. I know I can count on him. “Meet me at that spy shop on Baylor in half an hour.”
“You got it.”
I make a couple of quick purchases at the department store and make my way to the spy shop. Twenty minutes later, I’m waiting for Jimmy in the shadows of an alleyway, dressed as a stereotypical B-movie spy: red wig, glasses and long overcoat. I see Jimmy enter the store and I sneak inside the shop after him. An hour later, I’m secreting bugs and monitoring devices into crevices even I didn’t know I had. I take one of two scramblers and hand Jimmy the other, paying for everything with cash.
As we make our way to an upscale computer store, I shed my wig and glasses. I buy everything Jimmy says he needs and use my credit card for the purchase. When we’re done, we head back to his flat, picking up a new tail on the way. Jimmy notices and glances at me, worry pinching his forehead.
“That was quick,” he observes.
“I figured it would be. It only took ten minutes after the purchase; at least we have a baseline now.”
“Do you think they traced the credit card?”
“They must have, unless that kid in there knows who I am and called Lex.” I take a deep breath. “OK, we’ll buy the mobile phones and anything else we need with cash. Oh, by the way, the computer equipment is an early birthday present to help with your freelance work, in case anyone asks. Got it?”
“Got it. Boy, it sure is nice having rich friends.”
Jimmy’s impish grin makes me smile and he ducks out of the way when I reach over to ruffle his hair. We continue on in silence until we turn on to Jimmy’s street. “Do you still have my stuff?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’ve got the box hidden under my bed.”
“Great. We’ll take it to a room at the Apollo Hotel tonight after I give you that make-over.”
He sets his packages on a bench and bends down to retie his shoe. “Do you think it’ll work? You’re the best at undercover work; I don’t want to blow it.”
I reach down and succeed in ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry, Jim. When I’m done with you, you’ll look like a different person.”
We pick up a couple of movies and some take-out on the way back to his apartment as further cover for our planned activities tonight. Hanging out with Jimmy is something I’ve done once before when the sadness of losing the Daily Planet had been too much. Lex had suggested that I call Jimmy and ‘hang out,’ doing something mundane, like pizza and a video. Being seen with Jimmy should deflect any suspicions about my tantrum earlier, explaining it away as moodiness.
We wait at Jimmy’s place until it gets dark and then slip down the fire escape and into a waiting taxi at the end of the alley. We settle into the back seat and pull around to the front. Jimmy reaches up to smooth out his now light-brown hair as we pass Lex’s men watching the front door; they don’t even glance at us as we pass.
We set up the computer equipment in a dismally dirty, two-room hotel suite and Jimmy gets to work, trying to break into LexCorp. He tries several paths into the computer network and is able to hack into the main administrative and scientific divisions, but when he tries to get into the executive files, he’s kicked out. After a few more tries, Jimmy sits back, growling in frustration.
“I’m sorry, Lois. Security is too tight and if I try anything else, they’ll know I’ve been here.”
I look up from the pages we’d already printed. “It’s not a complete bust. You found a few things that look promising.”
“Not to me. I can find information, but I don’t understand it. You need someone with more experience than me to help figure out what it all means.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll think of something.” I worry my bottom lip in thought for a minute before asking, “What will it take to get into Lex’s system?”
“I’m going to need his access codes,” he sighs.
“I was afraid of that.” I stare at the screen for a minute and then stand, pulling on my coat and wig. “Let’s call it a night. Lex is at a business meeting tonight and if I hurry, I’ll beat him home.”
We hail a cab and slip back into Jimmy’s apartment. I leave by the front door, making sure my tail sees me. To the casual observer, it looks like I spent the evening watching movies with a friend.
My luck holds long enough for me to get home and hide the devices in the penthouse, setting up the recorder in a seldom-used storage closet. Between security shifts, I place my own bugs in his office and try to peek into his filing cabinet and the large safe, but can’t get close enough due to a surveillance camera. Never one to give up easily, I try the small safe in the bedroom, cracking it on the second try. There’s nothing incriminating there, but I decide to stash some of the cash for future emergencies.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
Over the next week, I meet Jimmy at the hotel a few times to listen to the recordings of Lex conducting business. We try to use the information to map out his organization and activities, but it’s slow going and I grow more despondent the more I hear. Lex is more crooked than I could have possibly imagined. ‘The Boss’ is a crime lord controlling every illegal – and legitimate – game in town. Nothing happens without his authorization and no one ever crosses him.
“Lois, we’ve got to stop him.”
“I know, Jimmy. We need to let the police know what’s happening.”
Sitting on the faded bedspread at the Apollo, I shut off the recording equipment and bite my lip as I think about the latest revelation. Hearing Lex order a hit on one of his thugs turned whistle-blower makes me feel sick to my stomach. Judging by the look on Jimmy’s face, he’s not feeling too well either.
“Do you think the police will take it seriously?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” I ask.
“They certainly took their time yesterday. A hot tip on the location of an illegal gambling den and they took thirty minutes to get there?”
He’s right. By the time the police had arrived, the people and evidence were long gone. Now that I know how far Lex’s reach extends into the law enforcement agencies, I’ll be more careful about whom to trust. I set my notes aside and slip my feet into my shoes.
“Call Henderson and tell him about the hit,” I suggest as I pick up my coat. “He’s a pain in the butt, but he’s clean.”
“Where’re you going?”
“I’m going get the evidence. If we can link a murder back to the Boss, we’ve got him.” I grab my purse from the table and open the door, but a passing glance at the afternoon edition of the Metropolis Star stops me in my tracks. “Jimmy, wait.”
He sets the phone down as I scan through the article declaring that the body pulled from the river this afternoon had been identified as the thug in question. I turn the paper around and show him the article. “It looks like we’re too late.”
“Oh, man. This bites,” he says as finishes reading the article. “Are we ever going to catch him?”
“We’ll get him.”
My tone holds bravado I don’t quite feel inside, but I’m not about to let Jimmy see it. Tonight, I’ll set up the equipment to transmit Lex’s conversations real-time and tomorrow, I’ll contact my sources and initiate the next phase of the investigation. I firm my resolve to expose Lex as a criminal and a fraud. What Jimmy needs – what we both need – is a bit of the Mad Dog. And Mad Dog Lane on a criminal’s scent is focused and intense and dangerous.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
“I want to talk to Louie.”
The burly Neanderthal Louie uses as muscle ignores my statement as he lines up behind the cue ball. Never one to be patient, I tap him on the shoulder and repeat my request just as he takes his shot. He cusses colorfully as it goes wide, the cue ball slicing just past its target and into the corner pocket. His partner crows his victory as Cro-Magnon man turns on me, clutching the pool stick menacingly in one beefy hand.
“Nice shot.” I try not to grin as he steps toward me, his temper boiling. I duck his fist.
“Beat it, kid, or I’ll use your face for punching bag.”
I slouch, unconcerned. His threat wouldn’t be very menacing no matter what disguise I’d chosen. This one seems to work the best on the seedier side of town – no one notices a scruffy teenage boy as long as he doesn’t bother anyone else. I wouldn’t have, either, if I hadn’t needed to go through the dumb muscle to get to Louie.
“I’ll leave after I speak with Louie. Tell him Trish’s partner is here.”
The Neanderthal glares at me for a moment, but I stare him down. He doesn’t want to do it, but now that I’ve invoked Trish’s name, the muscle has to tell Louie I’m here. He tosses the stick to his buddy and stomps into the back room. It isn’t long before Louie comes out, confusion twisting his genial face when he sees me. I smile at him and say hello. When recognition finally dawns on him, Louie doubles over with laughter. The Neanderthal and his buddy stare at me, wondering what the joke is and I roll my eyes. Still chuckling, Louie waves me into the back, wiping away mirthful tears before they can escape. Once we’re safe from prying eyes, he gives me a bear hug.
I hold up my hand before he speaks and pull out my handheld scanner to make sure the room is clean. Louie’s eyebrows crawl up his shiny forehead, but he doesn’t say anything until I put it back in my pocket. One meaty finger swipes down the edge of my goatee as he shakes his head.
“I gotta hand it to you, kid. That’s the best disguise I’ve seen on you yet.”
“Thanks, Louie. I needed to see you incognito.”
“You, uh, back on the beat or are you runnin’ from somethin’?”
His tone tells me he suspects why I’m here. “Little bit of both, I guess. I’m investigating the Boss.”
“I knew you’d find him out, sooner or later.”
“Can you help me Louie?”
He walks away, his hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t know, Lois. If anyone can take him down, it’s you. I’d like to help, but I won’t be able to do much.”
“Is his reach that far, then? I want to expose Lex, but I’d also like to live through it.”
“I don’t think I can protect you, sweetheart. Anyone finds out I’m goin’ against the Boss, it won’t be just my business in danger. No one escapes his wrath.”
My heart races with hope and trepidation in equal amounts. I know he will help me, but if someone of Louie’s stature is afraid of Lex, then I’ll have to be extra cautious from now on. I nod. “Don’t worry, Louie. I can take care of myself.” I hand him a list of supplies, a request for fake IDs and a stack of money. At his look, I reassure him. “Don’t worry, they’re clean. I’ve been all over town trading in the bills I filched from Lex’s safe.”
He takes a quick look at my list. “Consider it done.”
“Thanks, Louie. You get me these things and I can handle the rest myself. Can Maurice do the IDs by tomorrow night?”
Louie nods and smiles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Ladies and gentlemen, Lois Lane is back.” He tips his head toward the ceiling and whispers dramatically, “God help us all.”
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
tbc...
