Hi Guys!
Reading all this wonderful FDK has been really great. Thanks so much for reading and letting me know. You’re an awesome audience and I’m really happy to see the Lex/Tez pairing is so well received
My BRs helped a lot (duh!) in figuring out the details of the plot twists. Thanks, Mona, Kmar, and Carol! You’re the best
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.
Blocks in < > are literal thoughts by the character or telepathic communication.
Rating: PG
**********
Last time, Lois broke Superman out of his cage, and now the illustrious quartet is heading back to the ground floor, ready to leave Lex’ party. But will they succeed?
Part 4 /
TOC /
Comments **********
The elevator was slowly rising to the ground floor level and stopped. Again, a soft ‘ding’ announced their arrival, and Lois took a deep breath, steeling herself for their escape. She expected that she would have to spin a tale to some unsuspecting guard about how she was discreetly escorting a drunken guest off the premises. The doors opened and she stared into about half a dozen muzzles.
“Freeze!” a harsh voice filled the elevator. “MPD!”
Lois felt her companions grow rigid beside her, Zara to her right and Ching with the still unconscious Superman to her left. Slowly, she raised her hands and peeked past the wall of policemen in front of her until she noticed the fiftyish man with tinted glasses standing a few feet away. “Henderson? Is that you back there?”
“Lane?” the inspector asked, his voice clearly reflecting his surprise. “What are you doing in a freight elevator?”
“Trying to escape from Lex Tower!” she called back. “What are *you* doing here?”
“Serving an arrest warrant, if you don’t mind?”
“Luthor?” she asked, still a bit breathless from the shock of being ambushed by the police.
“Yeah. Amongst others.”
“Good.” She slowly lowered her hands. “Could you please tell your boys here that they can put their guns away? There are no conscious crooks in here.”
“Sir?” one of the officers turned his head towards his superior.
“Put the gun down, Sergeant.” Henderson stepped closer, looking again at Lois. “And what do you mean by ‘*conscious* crooks’?”
Lois lowered her hands the rest of the way and stepped aside, allowing Henderson to see the tied-up and half-naked butler lying in the back of the car. “You don’t by any chance have a warrant for Nigel St. John, do you?”
“Christ, Lane!” Henderson exclaimed. “Any other surprises?”
“No, not really.” She stepped outside, beckoning the Kryptonians to follow her. “And just so there’s no misunderstanding.” She shot Henderson her best Mad Dog Lane glare. “*I* get the exclusive on this.”
“Now, Honey,” a deep voice with a southern accent came from somewhere to the left. “I’m not sure Clark would agree to this. After all, it was *his* lead first.”
“Perry!” Lois turned and saw her former editor standing safely outside the danger zone. “Oh god, Perry, I was so…” She wasn’t going to say ‘stupid’. That’s what might describe it the best, but she certainly wasn’t going to say it out loud. Lois raced across the floor and flung herself into the older man’s arms. “Thanks for coming.” She held on for dear life as she tried to suppress her tears. And she almost succeeded. “Luthor… He’s such a… a…”
“I know, Honey.” Perry patted her back. “I know.”
Someone tapped her on the back of her right shoulder. “Lane? I know this is an emotional reunion and everything, but you still have some explaining to do.”
Lois sniffled and tried to look composed as she turned back towards Henderson, who was using his left hand to point at the elevator. She noted that Zara and Ching had moved to the sidelines while two officers examined the unconscious form of Nigel St. John. “Well, my… friends and I were just trying to… get out of the building… when we happened to run into Nigel here,” Lois answered evasively.
“Uh huh…”
“Sir, look at this!”
Lois shifted her focus to see one of the officers holding up the red cloth that had at one time been Superman’s cape. The yellow crest was still distinctly visible.
Before Lois could come up with an excuse, Henderson had taken a closer look at the Kryptonians and the sort-of incognito Superman. His eyes widened noticeably. “That’s not by any chance Superman back there, is it?”
“Uh...” Lois squirmed under the intense gaze of the policeman. “Henderson, can you keep him out of this?” She looked back at her unconscious friend. “I’m sure you have enough on Luthor as it is…”
Henderson’s eyes narrowed and he studied her companions in greater detail before he raised an eyebrow. “Yes. I think I can do that. But only because I owe your *partner* for this coup.”
“Thank you, Henderson.” Lois reached forward and hugged the policeman before she realized what she was doing and disentangled herself again. “Thanks…, Bill,” she mumbled sheepishly.
The inspector smirked and shook his head. “You should thank your partner.”
“I will.” Lois smiled. And she really meant it. Clark really *did* deserve her thanks. And her apologies. Or, well, maybe she wouldn’t bite his head off instead for stealing her exclusive on Luthor’s arrest. She looked around and then turned towards Perry. “So, where *is* Clark?” When she couldn’t find him immediately, she added with a smirk, “Returning another book to the library?”
Henderson choked and Perry stepped closer. “Um, Lois…” His voice grew somber. “Clark has been...” He looked past her and raised an eyebrow just like Henderson had done earlier, Then he engulfed her in a bear hug and whispered, “But I guess that’s not an issue anymore. Just take care of him, and I’ll make sure you get the exclusive that the two of you deserve.” Before Lois could say anything in return, Perry pulled back and looked to Henderson. “Do you think you could give them a ride to Lois’ apartment?”
“Sure, Mr. White.” Henderson raised his right hand and indicated one of the officers that had been standing in the back. “Jones, would you give Ms. Lane and her friends here a lift to her apartment?”
“Perry!” Lois was starting to feel more than a little bit antsy. What weren’t they telling her about Clark? “I can’t…”
“Lois, listen,” Perry barked at her in his best editor-voice. “You need to get Superman some rest and then you and Clark can talk about everything.” He pointed his right index finger at her. “And I still want that exclusive when this whole mess is over.” His eyes narrowed. “Got it?”
Lois felt the cold fist around her heart relaxing at those words. Perry had just told her that Clark was okay, right? After all, she couldn’t write the story with her partner if he were dead. “Got it.” She grinned back before another thought penetrated the haze that had enraptured her mind in the past few minutes. “But where are we going to print it?”
“Let me worry about that, okay?” her editor reassured her. “I didn’t return from retirement just so I can slink back to Florida when this over.”
“Thanks, Chief.” Lois turned towards the representative of Metropolis’ Finest. “Henderson?”
“What else, Lane?” Henderson answered. “And make it quick because I still have a fish to fry.”
“My mother,” Lois replied seriously. “She’s still locked up in this building somewhere…”
“Don’t worry,” the cop reassured her. “We’ll find her.”
Lois closed her eyes and nodded.
“Ms. Lane?” The young officer Henderson had indicated earlier touched her arm. “Are you ready to head to your apartment?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Lois mumbled and nodded towards the Kryptonians who had silently observed the entire exchange. “Let’s go.”
**********
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The archbishop smiled benignly at Lex and Lois. “You may now kiss the bride.”
“My dear?” the new husband looked at his bride before he raised the veil and lowered his lips for an appropriately chaste kiss to the sounds of festive organ music.
Lois had been a little bit stiff during the whole ceremony, and Lex wondered if the events of this morning might have been too much for her. After all, she *was* just a woman despite her illustrious career.
His bride pulled back after a few moments, and Luthor ran his tongue over his lips. She definitely tasted strange this morning. “Are you all right?”
“This.” Lois’ voice was just above a whisper. “You are in control of everything here, yes?”
“Of course, I am.” Luthor forced a smile to his lips. “Is this about earlier this morning? Because I can assure you, there is no need for worry. Nigel has the situation well under control.”
“He also controls Kal-El?” Lois continued unperturbed.
Lex stiffened. “What are you talking about?”
“Kal-El.” Lois looked thoughtful for a moment. “The super man.”
He was about to choke. How could Lois suspect about Superman? Lex turned towards his assembled guests. “My friends, I’m terribly sorry but my lovely bride and I need to retreat for a few minutes. The stress of this morning’s events has taken a toll on her.”
There were a few chuckles from the assembled crow in addition to some halting applause. Obviously, his statement had been taken as a double entendre, just as he had intended. After all, what better excuse is there for a virile groom and his blushing bride to excuse themselves after the wedding ceremony? His eyes found his new mother-in-law, and she nodded in understanding as she knew *exactly* about what events he had just spoken of.
Lex turned back to his wife and pressed his fingers a little deeper into her right biceps. “We will discuss this in my study,” he told her icily as he dragged her off towards the side door, trying to give the watchful eyes of his guests a very different impression of the state of their relationship.
“Up the stairs, Darling,” he told her when they had reached the corridor.
“Are you taking me to Kal-El?”
Lex suppressed the urge to fling his backhand across her face as he rushed her on. Maybe he should grant Lois her wish and take her down into the wine cellar so he could show his wife *her* ‘Kal-El’. And then he would show Superman his dominion over his *wife* before he ended the existence of the pathetic freak once and for all. “Shut up,” he snapped instead through clenched teeth.
Soon they had reached the doors to his private office, and Lex pushed Lois inside, not caring if she stumbled to the ground. He turned around and locked the door. “So, you want Superman, yes?” he snarled. “I had really thought that your wedding vows meant more to you than that.”
“You have Kal-El?” Lois asked him and he was surprised to see her still standing. She was obviously more agile than he would have expected.
“Is that what you call this freak?” he spat at her and stepped closer, looking down on her slighter form. “You told me you wanted to wait till our wedding night.” Lex raised his hand. “Did you also tell that to *him*!?” he shouted as his hand swung down for a well-aimed blow against her cheek.
Only, the blow never connected, and Lex found himself now staring down Lois’ arm as she held him by the throat. “I want Kal-El.” She pushed him back a little. “You will take me to Kal-El.”
Lex tried to pry her fingers from his throat but couldn’t. “I… will… make… you…”
He never got to finish his sentence as suddenly the doors burst open and two members of the Metropolis police department stumbled into the room. Next, several more followed, and then he saw Inspector Henderson enter as well, brandishing a folded piece of paper. “Lex Luthor, I have a warrant here charging you with arson and other crimes too numerous to…” He trailed off. “Lane? I thought you were…”
Before Henderson could say anything else, Lex felt himself being hurled against the assembled cops while his completely out of control wife jumped towards the window front.
“What is this!?” Lex raged, kicking and pushing against the shell-shocked cops. “How *dare* you break into my *private* office when I’m about to…” Henderson grabbed for him again but the younger man could see that the cop was distracted and threw him against the door before rushing after Lois. This time he didn’t waste a second and landed a right hook underneath her chin right as she flung her hand across his chest. He felt a sharp pain and looked down to see that his tux was ripped open and Lois was bowled over on the floor, her face to the ground. “You cut me, you…”
“That is *enough*, Luthor!” Henderson barked, and Lex could see several guns pointed at him. “You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right…”
Lex didn’t listen to his rights as the cop detailed them to him. He didn’t care. Picking up the telephone he shouted back. “I will not have this. I’m calling the governor! No, the *president*!” He glared at Henderson and then dropped behind his desk, the phone clattering onto the table. Lex reached up and retrieved the small revolver hidden underneath his desk and reached around his wife’s neck with the other, pulling her in front of him as he got back up.
A moment later he felt her elbow smashing against his ribs and yelped at the sharp pain and cracking sound that accompanied it. Ignoring the pain, he crashed his free hand against her head, the metal butt of the gun knocking her out. “I’ll have your head for this, Henderson!” He fired in the direction of the cops and they ducked, unwilling to shoot at his hostage.
“There is no escape, Luthor!” Henderson shouted from behind a chair. “You can end this now.”
“You’re right about that, Henderson!” Lex pushed through the open glass doors and onto the balcony. “And you can tell your friend *Superman* that he has lost!” He felt the balustrade behind him. “If you find him in time, that is,” Lex added with a snort.
“Superman is safe!” Henderson called back.
“Oh, yeah?” He leaned back, dragging his wife with him. “Too bad his little *playmate* isn’t.” And with those words he pushed back and pulled the lifeless form of his wife with him. They got separated in mid-air and Lex shouted out into the late morning air, “Superman! I still win! You will *never* have her now!” His eyes returned to his wife and he could finally see her face.
Only it wasn’t Lois’ delicate features that stared back at him, but instead an ugly mask of pale skin, bloodshot eyes, and protruding teeth. The dress was hanging loosely around her suddenly not so feminine body and her outstretched arms sported long claws.
Screaming and cursing against everything and everyone, Lex never felt the impact as his body completed its tumble towards the pavement in front of Lex Tower.
**********
Lois was sitting in the front of the police cruiser while Zara, Ching, and Superman occupied the backseat. Thankfully, Officer Jones wasn’t a talkative guy and a much better driver than the cabbies she normally had to deal with. All this left her free to actually think about everything that had happened during the past three or so hours. Or, maybe, the past three or so months since she had started dating Lex Luthor.
She hated to admit it, even to herself, but Luthor had had her completely fooled, and it was *no* consolation that the rest of Metropolis had been fooled just like her. The great philanthropist. Lois snorted. The failed savior of the Planet. She rolled her eyes before they became hard as stone. That alone should have tipped her off. Luthor *never* failed at anything, so *why* would he let a bombing come between himself and his wishes? Just because it would cost more to rebuild the building than the insurance would cover? Lois shook her head. No, if Luthor had actually cared about her career at the Planet, he would not have let it crumble underneath his fingers. He might just as well have blown the building up himself…
Suddenly, Lois found it hard to breath. Luthor might just have blown the Planet up himself… She dragged a labored breath through her open mouth and exhaled again. She had never been happy at the position Luthor had found for her at his news station. Another breath rasped through her throat. She had been cut off from her friends since she had accepted his proposal. Before that, really. And Luthor had been *so* understanding in her need to talk to them. “*BASTARD*!” she screamed again as her fist hit the dashboard. “You damn, sick *bastard*!”
“Ms. Lane,” Officer Jones addressed her from the left. “Are you all right?”
“No.” She sniffled. “Yes.” She looked over into his concerned face. “I mean, hey, I was just about to marry the biggest bastard in the entire city.” She shrugged as she hugged herself. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?”
Jones nodded, and she heard Zara’s voice from the backseat. “Lois Lane, this ‘wedding’. Does it trouble you that it did not happen?”
Lois froze for a moment and then looked back. The Kryptonian woman was sitting there between Superman and her bodyguard and asking her if she was sorry that she hadn’t married Luthor? It was too much. “No!” Lois started to giggle. “No, of course not!” The giggle turned into almost hysterical laughter, and she turned back to the front so she could give her chest some room to heave as the spasms shook her body. “You don’t know… what a wedding… is, do you?” she managed to press out in between gasping breaths.
There was only silence from the back seat, and Lois took it as an affirmation. “It’s what we call… the ceremony when… two people get married.” Still no response but Lois was too occupied with laughing to elaborate further.
“It’s when two people join their lives together,” Jones added.
“Oh, a bonding ceremony,” Zara mused.
“Yeah, a bonding… ceremony,” Lois pressed out as she tried to calm her breathing down.
“Lois Lane, I understand why you are happy about this not happening.” Zara’s voice grew somber. Well, more somber. “In our world, unions are often arranged as well.” There was a pause. “So, what will happen now that you will not be united with this Luthor?”
“What do you mean?” Lois’ laughter had died down and she turned her head back again. “What’s supposed to happen?”
“There will not be upheaval and chaos?” Zara asked. “Was Luthor not an important lord on your world?”
Lois snorted. “No, that’s not it.” She wetted her lips. “You see, here in this *country*, we don’t marry to fulfill some medieval traditions.” She cast her eyes down. “I just…, I had thought Luthor was a good person, a person I could share my life with.” She looked up again, her eyes hard. “Well, I had been wrong about that apparently, and now all I have to worry about is how I’m going to pay my bills.”
Zara nodded and her face softened for a moment. “You are a very fortunate woman, Lois Lane.”
“Unit 316, Unit 316,” a female voice came through the radio. “Inspector Henderson wants to talk to you, Jones.”
Jones picked up the microphone. “Jones here. What’s going on, Inspector? You got the slime ball?”
“We did.” Lois thought the voice was unusually grave. “Is Lane still with you?”
“Yeah, she is. Why?”
“Oh, thank God the Almighty.”
Lois thought she would choke on a gulp of air at that. Henderson *never* invoked God’s name like that. Like he *actually* meant it. She reached over to Jones. “Hey, can I talk to him?”
The officer paused for a second, then shrugged and handed the fist-sized device over to her. “Henderson, what’s going on?” she inquired worriedly.
“Lane?” The older cop sounded extremely relieved. “Do you know anything about a double attending the wedding in your spot?”
“A double?” Lois’ head was spinning. “What are you talking about?” Then she remembered. “Rats!” She looked back to Zara and saw the woman was nodding her head. “Yeah, Henderson. That’s possible. But I would really not want to get into that over the air.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Lane?”
“A lot, Henderson. A lot.” Lois smirked. “But you should know that already. And as far as the double is concerned… He was sent to kill Superman.”
“Sent?” Henderson’s voice clearly showed his surprise. “Kill Superman? What is this, a superhero free for all?”
“No, just a really crappy day.” Lois paused. “Just… make sure my double is locked away really safely. He… is really dangerous.”
“Don’t worry about that. He won’t go anywhere anymore.”
“He’s dead?”
“Yeah. Took a dive from Luthor’s balcony. Together with your ex.”
Lois let out a whistle, and she heard suspiciously relieved sounds from the backseat, too. “Let me guess… You were worried about me, weren’t you?” Lois asked sweetly with a big grin on her face.
“Nah, of course not,” the hard-bitten cop immediately refuted the absurd claim. “So, you said he was there to kill Superman? Sent by whom?”
“Ah…” Lois bit her lower lip. “That’s a long story.”
“I’ll bet.” Henderson grew serious. “I guess I shouldn’t send his body into the city morgue, then, huh?”
“No, I guess that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Is there something about him that could be dangerous to Superman?”
Lois looked into the rear again and Zara and Ching shook their heads.
“Tez is from another… place than we are,” Ching qualified.
“No,” Lois answered. “Just make sure you don’t vanish together with the body. I’d hate to have to come to Nevada and break you out. Might bring me the Pulitzer, but the hassle… Oh, the hassle…”
“I understand, Lane.” Lois thought she could actually hear the wink. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Henderson,” she replied with a little smirk before turning serous, “Did you find my mother?”
“We did,” the cop told her and her heart jumped in relief. They might not get along, be she was still her mother. “Would you believe it? Your mother was actually right there with the rest of the wedding party. She’s giving her statement to Sergeant Zymak as we speak.”
“Thanks, Henderson,” Lois answered him gratefully.
“It’s my job, Lane. I’m just glad she isn’t living in Metropolis because it seems you Lane women are trouble magnets.”
Lois snorted at that. It probably really *was* a good thing her mother didn’t live in town. And not just for the sake Henderson’s mental health. She was her mother, but that didn’t mean she wanted her around all the time.
“Now give me Jones again,” the inspector told her in his version of a heartfelt goodbye.
“Aye, Henderson. Lane, out.” Lois handed the microphone back to her driver with a relieved grin on her face. Luthor was dead. The crazy alien hit man was dead, too. And Superman was safe and sound with her. More or less. But she would make sure he would get to fly again soon.
“Jones here.”
“Listen, young man.” Henderson’s voice was an odd combination of joyfulness and seriousness. “You’ll get Lane and her friends home and then… forget about this talk we just had. Got it?”
“Yes, Sir. Unit 316, out.” Officer Jones put the microphone back on its hook and looked into the mirror. “So, you guys aren’t from around here, are you?” he asked with a dead serious voice and a twinkle in his eyes.
Zara and Ching didn’t answer, and thankfully Jones dropped the issue after that, leaving Lois to contemplate in silence until they reached her apartment a few minutes later. And just before they arrived, she heard a groan from the backseat. Lois looked back and couldn’t help but grin. Superman was moving and holding a hand to his forehead. Things were definitely looking better and better.
**********
tbc
