Friends or Lovers
Folc4evernaday
Part 12
***
Stanley Gable sat at a desk looking at a large computer screen. Sean McCarthy looked at the screen and asked Gables, “Hey, Mr. Gables, when’s Buster going to be here?”
Gables looked at the screen and watched a picture of a coffin float from one end of a maze to another. “Any second now…”
Diego and McCarthy walked over to Gables’ fireplace and watched as the head of a coffin appeared in the opening. The men pulled the coffin into the room and Diego grunted as he lifted it up. “Man, this is heavy. I thought you said Buster was a little guy!”
McCarthy grunted as well and dropped the coffin. He then pried open the lid and discovered Lois lying on top of Buster. “What are you doing in there?”
Lois stood up and looked around at the handful of convicts in the room, with a shaky breath and then asked, “Would you honestly believe anything I said?”
Gables shook his head no and McCarthy commented, “Looks like we got us a stowaway, Mr. Gables.”
“Ms. Lane, I presume.” Mr. Gables sighed. “My man at the cemetery was baffled by your disappearance. A unique escape plan; I’ll give you that.”
“I could return the compliment,” Lois replied dryly. She spotted a man, tied up and gagged, sitting on the love seat.
Gables noticed her line of vision then smiled. “Albie looks lonely. Aren’t love seats made for two?”
***
STAR Labs’ front entrance was guarded by several security guards. McCarthy tapped on the glass doors, holding up bug spray equipment, dressed as an exterminator.
The guard at the front desk nodded and allowed entry for McCarthy. McCarthy smiled as he walked up to the guard. “Hate to tell you, but you’ve got bugs. I’ve got to spray.” He then sprayed the toxin into the air and leaned over the counter to open the door for the rest of the crew to enter as well.
The guards lay helpless on the floor as their bodies absorbed the lethal toxins.
“Let’s go,” Gables ordered as they made their way through STAR Labs.
***
Outside of Stanley Gables’ estate, Clark was getting annoyed with Scardino’s insistence on following him. He needed to find Lois and he couldn’t do that with Scardino on his tail.
“I don’t know, Kent. Are you sure about this? It looks kinda quiet to me.”
Clark x-rayed the house and smiled when he spotted Lois sitting on the love seat with who he assumed was Albie. She was halfway done trying to untie herself from her bonds. “Uh, why don’t you just head back? If you don’t think they’re here. There’s no sense in both of us wasting our time.”
“Nah, I’ll stick around.” Scardino looked around the property critically.
“Okay. Why don’t you try around back? See if there’s an open window?”
Scardino broke the window to the front door. “This one’s open.” He then gestured towards the door. “After you.”
Clark stared at him in disbelief as Scardino opened the door. “Does destruction of property mean anything to you, Scardino?”
“Hey, you’re the one that suggested breaking and entering,” Scardino shot back as they headed upstairs to the office.
***
McCarthy and Diego stood below an air vent in the lobby of STAR Labs as they lifted Buster into the vent. Diego then moved to the security panel on a nearby security door leading to the most secured part of STAR labs.
Diego pulled out a cobra pick and inserted it into the security door. After a few moments, the door clicked open. He then moved to the security panel and opened it in the same manner. Once the security panel was opened he removed a disk from the computer before him and replaced it with a disk of his own. After a few keystrokes, he turned to Gables.
“Done. The security system is down.”
“Excellent,” Gables replied with a smile.
McCarthy looked on with a smile. “Hope everyone’s ready for some fireworks.”
***
Scardino rushed in front of Clark, trying to play the hero, and opened the door to Gables’ office. Inside they found Lois untied and working on untying Albie Swinson.
“Lois?”
“Clark!” Lois ran up to him and threw her arms around him, kissing him soundly.
“What happened?”
“Well, that grave digger came after me while you were on the phone with Jimmy and I couldn’t very well scream for help while I was trying to avoid him so I jumped into what I thought was an empty coffin and ended up getting buried alive and now I’m here.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. This is Albie Swinson by the way. He says Gables is insane. He wants to kill all of Metropolis with — “
“The Omega Virus?”
“How did you — ?”
“That’s what Jimmy had called to tell me this morning — research on Gables.”
Scardino, tired of being ignored, jumped in. “Uh, hi, sorry to interrupt. Remember me? DEA agent? Here to work on the investigation? Mind filling me in?”
Lois rolled her eyes. “We can fill you in on the way to STAR Labs.”
“What’s at STAR Labs?” Scardino asked.
“The Omega Virus,” Lois and Clark replied in unison.
“Do you two always do that?”
“Not always,” Lois replied warmly.
Clark smiled back at her. Things were definitely different between them now. “I’m going to call the police. Make sure Superman knows what’s going on.”
Lois nodded, catching onto what Clark was saying. “Right.”
Clark left and Scardino watched him, shaking his head, trying to figure out what Lois saw in him. “So, are you coming?”
“Coming?”
“To STAR Labs? We’ve got to stop this thing!”
“I think Superman has got this under control, Dan.”
“Suit yourself.” Scardino turned and left.
Lois watched him leave then counted to ten. She couldn’t let Scardino go over there by himself. He could risk hurting himself or someone else. He had a grudge against McCarthy. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath and headed out the door. “The one time I try to be rational and level-headed.”
***
TBC..
Last edited by folc4evernaday; 10/28/16 08:16 AM. Reason: Update
