Degrees of Separation: 15/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
Lois and Ally crossed the street. Lois stashed Marta's bicycle in the deeper shadow next to the flight of steps leading up to the building's main door and went up the short stairway. The door, understandably at this hour, was locked.
'Can you take a look with your x-ray vision and see if there's any alarm attached to this?' she asked. 'Look for any wires attached to the lock. Anything that doesn't look like part of the lock, itself.'
Ally swallowed and bent over the lock. 'I don't think there is,' she said finally. 'I don't see anything but the lock.'
Well, there probably wasn't anything, Lois thought, hopefully. The section of town was better than Suicide Slum, but it wasn't particularly affluent. She reached in her pocket and took out her trusty lock pick.
The lock was easy to pick. Lois got it open within less than a moment and she eased the door open.
**********
And now, Part 15:
Marta Kent wiped food from the face of the youngest triplet. Rachel was taller than the other two, and wiry, and she squirmed as Marta applied the washcloth to her mouth, forehead and neck. "How do you get so much goo on you?" Marta asked, more to herself than to Rachel.
Her Aunt Lucy laughed. "I remember you when you were three," she remarked. "I used to wonder the same thing. Then I got married and had your cousins and realized it's a talent all little kids have." She finished washing Billy's face and set him on the floor. "I think it's time we got these three into bed. What do you think?"
Marta glanced at her watch. "It's almost eight, so it's bedtime for them, and Jonny and Jimmy, too." She pinned her younger brothers with a determined glare. "Tomorrow's Friday, so you guys need to go to bed right now. Go on and brush your teeth."
Jimmy stuck out his tongue. "You're not the boss of us," he said.
"She is, right now," Lucy said. "Do what Marta says."
Jonny galloped for the stairs. "Come on, Jimmy! I'll race you!"
Lucy shook her head as the two boys thundered up the stairs, but turned back to Marta. "How about these guys? Do they get a bath before they go to bed?"
"Usually," Marta said, "but they got a bath before dinner, 'cause they were all covered with sand, so I don't think they need another one. We should just get them into their PJs and brush their teeth. Come on, guys, let's go get your night clothes on."
Fortunately, the triplets were cooperative. Marta recalled something her mom had said about three being a very sweet age. That was good, because Marta didn't want to have to chase them down and carry them up the steps. She often cheated a little and used her super powers when she was watching the triplets, even though she was careful that they didn't see what she was doing, but she couldn't do that while her Aunt Lucy was here. As it was, it took both Marta and Lucy almost forty-five minutes to get the three into their pajamas, their teeth brushed and into their beds. Then they had to deal with the requests for water from all three, plus Jimmy's inevitable trip to the bathroom several times before her Aunt Lucy finally laid down the law. Marta was just breathing a sigh of relief when she heard Wyatt's voice in her head.
'Marta!'
'What?'
'I need some help!'
'What's wrong?'
'That Morris Myers guy is here, and he's got all of them!'
'*What?*'
'I'm the only one he doesn't have! I tried to call your dad, but he can't hear me. He's too far away or something. I need you right now!'
'I'll be right there!'
'Be careful! He's got Kryptonite!'
Marta gulped. 'Okay! Hold on!'
"Marta?" Her Aunt Lucy was watching her. "Is something wrong?"
"Uh --"
"They're in trouble, aren't they?"
"What?"
Lucy shook her head. "You and the kids and Lois have some kind of communication going, haven't you?"
Marta opened her mouth. Lucy smiled a little. "I know about your dad," she said. "I've known for a long time, but I figured if your mom and dad wanted me to know, they'd tell me. Are they in trouble?"
"Yeah. I need to go."
"Can you call your dad?" Lucy asked.
"Wyatt already tried. He's too far away."
Lucy hesitated. "All right; go. But be careful!"
"I will." Marta headed for the front door, leaving a gust of wind behind her.
**********
Lois eased the door open.
The door opened onto a hallway, from which several doors opened at intervals on both sides. Ally entered at once and went directly to the second door on the left, numbered 103, and looked over her shoulder at Lois. "This is the apartment."
"All right. Keep an eye out for anyone coming." Lois bent quickly over the lock and again employed her lock pick.
The lock snapped open.
"Wow; you're good with that," Ally said.
Lois didn't answer. She eased the door open.
The door opened into a small sitting room. It was dark, except for a tiny light opposite the entrance door, glowing with a green tinge. Ally stopped and took a step back. "I feel funny."
Lois glanced quickly at her. "Go back outside," she said at once. "That's Kryptonite. Find a place to hide and I'll go let Ben out."
Ally backed out the door. Lois pulled it shut behind her and extracted her penlight from the outer pouch of her bag. She flicked it on, shading it with her hand and flashed it around.
The room was probably thirty feet by twenty, and carpeted with a cheap shag carpet. There was an opening to her left that showed a small, shabby kitchen and a short hallway opening to her right, with a door on each side -- probably a bathroom and a closet, she thought, and another door at the end. But from the opposite side of the sitting room was another door, from which the glow of Kryptonite came. Getting closer, Lois realized that the stuff was affixed to the wooden surface by cellophane tape -- evidently a crude lock established by Morris Myers to keep his super powered son inside.
Lois strode to the door and ripped the stuff down. She turned at once and began opening the closed doors in the hallway until she located the bathroom. Opening her bag, she found one of the tools she used for safe-cracking, laid the piece of Kryptonite in the sink and proceeded to grind it into tiny pieces of crystalline dust. Kryptonite shattered easily, and Lois had taken to doing this with any she encountered. It had been a long time since she had seen any of the dangerous mineral, but the thought of leaving it around to potentially ambush her husband or children in the future went against the grain. She did her best to make sure that it couldn't.
It took only a moment, and she washed the deadly green dust down the sink. Once dispersed into the sewer system, it would never again pose a threat to anyone.
Finished, she returned to the door that opened from the living room. "Ben?" she called softly.
Silence. Then a young male voice said, "Who's there?"
"My name is Lois Lane," Lois said. "I'm a friend of Ally's. We're here to get you out."
"Where's Ally?"
"I sent her back outside. There was a piece of Kryptonite stuck to your door. I got rid of it." She consciously shifted to telepathic speech. 'Ally?'
'Yes?'
'The Kryptonite is gone. Tell Ben who we are.'
She sensed Ally's quick comprehension. 'These are my friends, Ben. You know who Lois Lane is, don't you? She works for the Daily Planet and is a friend of Superman's. She's been helping to try to find you.'
Lois set to work on the lock. There was no key and the door was fastened, but it took less than a minute for the lock to click back. She shoved the door open. 'Come out, Ben. Let's get out of here before your dad gets back.'
Ally's brother was lying on a cot on the opposite side of the room. A flashlight, lying on the floor, glowed dimly, its batteries obviously almost exhausted, illuminating the nearly bare room. A single, straight-backed chair sat askew in one corner, and there were no windows or other doors. Ben had been literally a prisoner.
Ben sat up and got to his feet, grasping at the bedpost for support. Even in the dimness, Lois could see how thin he was, and she suppressed a surge of anger. Morris Myers must have decided that his son had to be restrained by any means necessary, once he had started to develop his super powers. How could anyone treat his child like this? The boy had grown up as Myers' son -- didn't the man have any feeling for him at all? Was it some sick game with a child's life and happiness, simply to spite his former wife and deny her the son she loved, or was there something more sinister behind it? Her investigation into Morris Myers didn't end here, she told herself. The man didn't have any idea what was about to happen to him.
Lois crossed the room, and an instant later Ally was there. Together, they helped Ben to stand.
"Oh, Ben!" Ally's expressive features revealed horror at the appearance of her twin. Lois could understand, but they didn't have the luxury of time at the moment. Morris Myers could return at any moment.
"Come on, kids," she urged. "Let's get out of here. Once we're safe, you can talk all you want."
Together, Lois and Ally guided Ben from the room. Ben hesitated as they approached the door, obviously afraid of the Kryptonite that had kept him prisoner, but Ally urged him on. "Ms. Lane got rid of it," she said. "Hurry!"
They traversed the outer hallway in a few seconds and stepped out into the warm night air. "Can you carry Ben?" Lois asked. "Or should Linda help you? I can give Wyatt a ride home on Marta's bicycle."
"I'm not sure." Ally hesitated. "I've never done it before. I might drop him."
'Linda,' Lois called. 'Come help Ally get Ben out of here. Wyatt and I will follow on the bicycle.'
With a swoosh of air, Linda Lennox landed beside them. Ben flinched at the sudden arrival, and Lois gripped him around the body a little more firmly. "It's all right. This is Linda. She's like you and Ally."
A car turned the corner, and came sedately toward them down the street. Its headlight washed over them and Lois stood still. Any attempt to help Ben walk down the steps was likely to draw attention.
It came to a stop in front of the apartment house. A short man got out and shut the door of the vehicle behind him. Whistling softly, he came up the steps of the apartment building and stepped past the small group in front of the door. He paused.
"Is something wrong?" he inquired.
"No," Lois said. "I'm just walking some neighborhood kids home."
"Oh." He turned back toward the door. "Don't move," he added.
Lois looked down to see a snub nosed revolver pointed directly at her middle.
"Run, kids!" she commanded.
No one moved. The man's face was an indistinct blur in the darkness, but she could see his teeth as he smiled. "If any of you moves, I'll kill her," he said. "I don't need her."
The passenger door of the car opened and another man got out. His tall figure was an indistinct blur for Lois in the darkness, but Ally gave a shrill gasp. "Daddy!"
Morris Myers came quickly up the steps. He didn't speak. Instead, he reached into his pocket and withdrew something that looked to Lois like a cigar box.
He opened it.
Around her, Ben, Ally and Linda collapsed to the ground, almost before the green glow that emanated from the box was visible.
"That was stupid," The man who held the gun on Lois sounded annoyed. "Now you're going to have to carry them."
"You don't know how dangerous they are," Morris Myers said. "They're superkids. Those two are Nor's kids."
"Get the door open and get 'em inside before anybody sees us." The other man's voice sounded impatient. "We don't have all night."
Morris Myers turned to unlock the door. "It's already unlocked."
"Good. Open it."
Morris Myers did so. Lois's captor gestured with the pistol. "Grab one of 'em and drag 'em inside."
Moving slowly, Lois obeyed. She lifted Linda under the arms and dragged her through the door. 'Stall,' she thought. 'Maybe someone will see us.'
"Get in there!" A sharp shove between her shoulder blades pushed her farther into the vestibule, and she slipped, falling to one knee.
In her mind, she 'heard' Wyatt calling for Superman, and the realization flooded her that she could call her husband for help. 'Cl --'
A sharp blow to the back of her head made stars explode behind her eyes. Then there was nothing.
**********
Marta Kent arrived at the apartment building from which Wyatt's mental touch had called her and she paused in the street, looking around.
Her flying skills were, as yet, not particularly reliable. She could float, but propelling herself through the air was a fairly slow and clumsy process, so she had simply run. She might not be as fast as her father, or CJ, but she was respectably fast, and it had taken only about five minutes for her to traverse the miles between her home and here.
'I'm up here,' Wyatt's mental voice said softly.
She looked up and instantly saw him waving from the top of the building, five stories above. Marta concentrated and felt her feet leave the ground. She floated with commendable speed up to the roof and touched down. "Where are they?"
"Two guys took your mom, Linda, Ally and Ben into the apartment house." Wyatt gestured to the building on which they stood. "I heard Ally call one of them Daddy. I couldn't see much, but he had something that made all three of them collapse, so it must have been Kryptonite."
"Yeah." Marta didn't waste time discussing that. "Just a minute. I'm going to look and see where they are."
Wyatt was silent as she focused her x-ray vision on the building under their feet. It didn't take long. Using her super-hearing as well as her enhanced vision capabilities, she quickly located her mother, Linda and the other two.
They were in one of the apartments and Lois and Marta's friends were sprawled on the floor, unmoving. She might have thought they were dead if she hadn't been able to hear their hearts beating. Two men were also there, she saw, and one of them, who must be Morris Myers, was holding an open box that had to be made of lead, since her x-ray vision couldn't see through it. Inside it was a chunk of green, glowing rock that could only be one thing. Marta had never actually seen Kryptonite, but this stuff fit the descriptions she had heard of it, and she had no doubt that Wyatt was right. The second man was holding a revolver negligently in one hand, and as she watched, he stuffed it into his pocket.
"Now's the time to get these kids out of here, while the power's still out. Go get the car and bring it around to the back of the building. This place has a back door, doesn't it?"
"No, but there's a window in the bedroom, down the hall. There's an alley back there. We can load 'em through there."
"Good. Bring the car around there, and then come back."
"When do I get my money?"
"After we've got the kids safe. Hurry up!"
Myers hesitated, and opened the door. "All right, I'll be right there."
'He's going to get the car,' she told Wyatt.
'What do you think we should do?'
'I don't know. Maybe we should follow the car and see where it goes.'
'How am I supposed to do that? I can't run as fast as you can,' Wyatt pointed out practically. 'Besides, we need to get them away from the Kryptonite.'
'Yeah,' Marta said. 'Come on. Let's get down in the alley before the car gets there.'
'Can you lift me down?'
Marta considered the question and nodded. 'Yeah. Just hang on tight; okay?'
Getting down into the alley behind the apartment house wasn't nearly as hard as Marta expected. Even though she wasn't as good a flyer as Linda, carrying Wyatt wasn't hard at all. They floated down as softly as a feather and landed on the broken asphalt of the alley bare seconds later. Together, they crouched behind a Dumpster, out of sight as the headlights of a car illuminated the alley. A moment later the car that Marta had seen parked in the street eased to a stop by the back window of the old apartment building. Morris Myers killed the engine and got out. He reached up to knock on the window.
The glass slid aside. "Turn off the lights, you idiot!"
Myers leaned back in the car and the lights went off. "Pass them to me one at a time."
Marta watched, holding her breath, as the figure inside the darkened bedroom lowered the limp form of Ally through the opening. One by one, the two men transferred the three children from the window to the car. Then Myers' companion lowered himself through the window as well.
"What about the woman?" Myers asked. "She's a witness."
"She can't identify us."
"She has to know about me if she and the others found the place!"
"Fine. You take care of it. I've got a delivery to make."
"Where's my reward?"
"You know," the other man said, "you're some piece of work. That kid is your son, and all you want is money?"
"He's not my son. He's an alien halfbreed. Intergang's welcome to him. Both of them. I'll take the bounty on them. Where is it?"
"You'll get what's coming to you," the other man said. He withdrew his hand from his pocket and pointed the revolver in it straight at Morris Myers. "But I get the money."
Myers stared at him as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "What --"
"I said Intergang had offered a bounty for superkids. I didn't say I was part of Intergang. 'Bye, sucker." He fired.
**********
tbc
