The Return of Ultra Woman
Chapter 8
Clark and I have been investigating some worrisome rumors that have surfaced since the bridge disaster. There have been some rumblings in the Metropolis underworld about how to take advantage of Superman being “tied down” such as what had happened with the bridge incident. According to various sources, some people are trying to develop plans to pull off an especially big job if they know Clark is unavailable to help.
This all began with a bank robbery that took place at the same time as the bridge collapse. It wasn’t anything special, just a lone-gunman job. There was no evidence of any connection between the robbery and the bridge, other than fortuitous timing by the bank robber. The timing was such that not only was Superman tied down on the bridge, but most of the Metropolis emergency services response teams were also diverted. It might have gone largely unnoticed except the Star plastered it on their front page with a large-type line of “Crime in Metropolis: Timing is Everything”. The headline was very effective in boosting their sales for the day. It also seems to have brought the potential of crime-while-Superman-is-busy into the minds of many people.
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to pull a story out of these rumors. When we started this investigation, we figured we’d be able to break it open in a few days. It hasn’t been as easy as we thought. After nearly two weeks of investigation, our findings are a mixed-bag. A lot of the so-called plans are nothing more than pipe-dreams on the part of two-bit thieves. There does seem to be an undercurrent of something bigger. It feels like there’s some sort of organized effort at work to encourage the belief that if Superman is out-of-the-way, the Star headline will prove correct and the city will be easy pickings. Do these people expect MPD to close their doors because Clark may not be able to help? This doesn’t seem to make sense. Even so, according to the word on the street, there are a lot out there who seem to believe exactly that.
It’s late morning when Clark approaches me with a question I wish I would have thought of.
“Do you think the police know about these plans?” he asks.
“Probably. MPD is usually fairly good at picking up on trends like these.”
“But Lois, what if somehow they’ve managed to miss it this time?”
I think Clark’s still feeling residual stress from the bridge incident. He’s usually not this worried about things, but he does have a point here. “Why don’t I call Bill Henderson and set up an interview. We can share some of our findings and ask what the official Metropolis Police Department view is on the situation. If he hasn’t heard anything, then we can stress to him that our findings suggest this is something MPD should look into.”
Bill is available right now so we head over the MPD headquarters immediately. As we enter Bill’s office, he seems to be in a good mood. “Lois, Clark, good morning. Have you gotten around to replacing your car yet?”
Since the car bombing, Bill seems to open every conversation with this question. I think it represents a special connection between us. He was particularly appreciative that we called him first to tell him we survived the bombing unharmed. I’ve come to believe the car represents a bridge of trust we’ve established. When I think about it, he may be right.
“No,” I reply. “We’re still arguing with the insurance company. They’re trying to say they don’t have to pay because the coverage we have differentiates based on if the car was totaled due to a front, side or rear collision. Since it was none of the above, they’re trying to say we aren’t covered.”
Bill starts laughing at this. “You must be kidding. Your car was completely destroyed in a murder attempt. I wrote the police report.”
I drop heavily into one of the chairs facing his desk. “They’re just trying to delay as long as possible so they can make a low-ball offer and we’ll take it just to get the process over with.”
Bill had closed the door to his office and was just sitting down in his own chair. “They have obviously never come up against Lois Lane.”
Clark laughs slightly at this as he takes his seat. “You’re telling me. It’s not that much money.”
I cut him off. “Clark, it’s the principle. Every time they bully someone into taking less than they are supposed to get, it makes it more likely to happen again. *I* will not be a willing participant in that system.”
Clark turns to Henderson, obviously anxious to change the subject. “Bill, we’re getting lots of chatter about ways to try to take advantage the next time Superman is tied down like he was last month. Are the police aware of this and if so are any plans being made to deal with the possibility?”
Bill’s expression turns defensive. “On the record?”
I take this one. “We have to print something. The rumors are everywhere. You know we’ll be straight up on this, but Bill, we’d rather not go to press with something like “No Comment” from MPD.”
There’s a pause, as Bill seems to consider what to say. “Okay. On the record. The MPD is aware that the tragic events of last month may have created the perception of a possible window of opportunity among some of the less reputable members of the Metropolis community. MPD is committed to being prepared for any eventuality. We know there are those among us that may feel tempted to take advantage of a situation where Superman is otherwise occupied. MPD…”
“Bill, what the hell are you doing?”
My outburst puts him back on his heels for a second. “You said you wanted something on the record.”
“Don’t read us a damn press release. Bill, you know us. I thought we were way past that stage.”
Clark could see my irritation. He reaches out and puts his hand on my arm in what I guess is a ‘calm down’ gesture. For just an instant, I’m afraid he’s going to try to lecture me about letting Bill do his job. Instead, he turns and addresses Henderson. “Bill, Lois is right. You know us. I can’t believe you would feed us a predigested pile of… well, that speech you just delivered.” Sometimes I’m so proud of my husband I can barely contain it. When we first met, he would have taken that speech and walked away. It’s nice to think he really has learned from his senior partner.
Bill still looks fidgety. Finally, he seems to come to a decision. “Okay, but this is big and I’m trusting both your judgment and discretion on this.”
Clark and I both nod.
“We’re not sure of what to make of the information that’s trickling in to us. All of our normal sources are full of plans to take advantage of the situation, but we just can’t get any specifics.”
“Bill, we’re getting the same from our sources. Why did you read us a ‘press release’ speech that doesn’t say anything?” Clark asks.
Bill stands up and walks over to his window. “Two-bit smash and grab we can handle. MPD already covers most of those with no help from Superman. Certainly we have for the past year or so.” Bill pauses for a second. “By the way, do you two know anything about why he cut back on his activities starting about a year back?”
I wish Bill would have been looking at me when he asked the question. Unfortunately, when he finished he was looking straight at Clark. Clark’s reply was a well-prepared, “Um…”
Bill almost shouted with glee. “You do know why!”
Clark is so… Clark! One minute I’m thinking about how far he’s come and the next he’s freezing up trying to think of what to say to Bill. I figure I’d better step in before he comes up with a lame Cheese-of-the-month quality excuse that will do nothing other than reveal to Bill that he’s lying. “Yes, Bill, we know. But we’re sworn to secrecy on this, so please don’t ask us for the reason.”
My interjection pulls his eyes off Clark. He stares at me for a long moment. “Fine!” The irritation in his voice is unmistakable. “I wish I knew what the connection was between you three.” I give him my best ‘get real’ look but he just shakes it off. “Don’t roll your eyes at me. You just admitted you know personal information no one else does. Everyone knows the three of you have been all mixed up together ever since Superman first appeared. Every once in a while we get someone new in the department, and when they find out how well I know you two… well, more than once I’ve been asked if there really was something to those pictures a few years back.”
“Bill!” My outburst surprises even me.
Now he looks really defensive. “You don’t need to shout at me. But you’ve just admitted I don’t know the whole story.”
We seemed to have reached to point where even Clark has had enough. “Bill, please, can we get back to business?”
He shakes his head for a second. “I’m sorry. Whatever it is that ties you all together is just one of those issues that nags at the back of my mind. I know you two, and I don’t believe for a second there’s any funny business going on. I’m sorry I even mentioned it.”
I need to get past this and back on subject. “It’s just… well, you know what we’ve been through because of those pictures. Now, can we get back to the reason we’re here. What’s the message MPD wants to send? We won’t be your propaganda machine but we certainly don’t want to make the situation worse.”
Bill slumps down into his chair again. “Lois, the problem is that I’m not sure if there’s a particular message at all. There are hints and rumors. When we’ve tried to dig deeper we can't find anything. It's like grasping at smoke. We can see the patterns but there doesn't seem to be any substance to it. In some ways, I'm tempted to ask you to help us send a message along the lines of, “We know you're making plans but we are ready.” But that would be just the kind of false propaganda I won't ask you to print.”
“Do you have any response plans if a Superman absence does trigger a crime wave?” Clark asked.
“The whole problem is that we don't have anything concrete to go on. We’ve taken what steps we can. We’ve gone over our existing emergency response protocols and made sure our officers have been fully briefed on all of the appropriate emergency and high-alert procedures. Our dispatchers have been given updated phone lists to make sure we have the best chance possible to call in extra officers on a moments notice if something happens. Again, we just don't know what we're facing.”
Clark had been nodding his head at all these plans. When Bill finished he followed up almost immediately. “These plans sound reasonable. Given what you know, what else can you do?”
Bill responds with a heavy sigh. “That's just it. I can feel in my bones that there's more than we are seeing here. The problem is there's no evidence. And, even if there was, what could we do?”
“It sounds like we're in the same boat. We've been trying to put together a story and we've run into the same problems you have. We can't find any evidence on which to build a case. Perry will not let anything into The Planet on the sort of rumor and innuendo we have so far.”
It's been rare that I see Henderson this frustrated. I would like to help if I can. “Bill, if we do find anything more substantial than the smoke we've all run into, we'll let you know immediately.”
Bill’s smile was forced. “Thanks Lois. I’ll take the help.”
As we leave, I can't help but feel that despite the lack of evidence, the next time Clark runs into a 'can't leave' situation will be the day of Ultra Woman’s return.
TBC
Bob
