DISCLAIMER: I claim none of the characters. They are all DC's; a good majority of the characters are from the Superman comics, but there are a few of them from the Supergirl comic series. In short, they're not mine; I'm just borrowing them. I'll return them, I promise!
- - - -
“And so Clark ended up marrying a clone of Lois,” Jimmy said to Linda as they arrived back at the Planet, getting off the elevator in the newsroom. They headed over to the lounge area to get some coffee and doughnuts. They quickly made their coffees (both with lots of cream and sugar), grabbed their favorite doughnuts (bear claw for Jimmy and chocolate cream-filled for Linda), and headed over to their desks. “Turns out Lex Luthor made the clone and substituted her at the wedding.”
“And the clone of the President was used to get a pardon for Lex to be released?” Linda asked.
“Yeah, it was a nightmare,” Jimmy replied.
“Poor Clark and Lois,” Linda said.
“Thankfully, Lex was killed shortly after that,“ Jimmy added.
Linda shrugged as she took a sip of coffee, then she stopped short when she saw Perry standing with Captain Sawyer and Inspector Turpin at Jimmy’s desk. She was so startled she nearly dropped her cup, but she quickly recovered.
“Oh, good, you two are back,” Perry replied. “Jimmy, Linda, this is Captain Sawyer and Inspector Turpin with the S.C.U. Captain, Inspector, this is Jimmy Olsen and Linda Lee.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Sawyer said briskly. She turned to Jimmy. “Mr. Olsen, where were you between the hours of five o’clock and seven o’clock this morning?”
“I was sleeping in my apartment,” Jimmy replied slowly.
“Can anyone verify that?” Turpin asked.
Linda carefully looked at Jimmy.
Jimmy glanced over and saw her expression. He smiled at the officers. “No,” he replied. “I sleep alone.”
Sawyer eyed the young couple. She saw the look they shared, and she knew there was something more going on between them; she could feel it, but it wasn’t her job to meddle into personal matters. She had a job to do. “What took place at your apartment at around eleven-thirty last night?”
“Three guys broke into my house,” Jimmy replied. “Supergirl came and helped me, and she took them to the police.”
“Was she pretty rough with them?” Turpin asked. “Too rough, perhaps?”
“Hey, she did her job,” Jimmy said, frowning. “She saved my life.”
“What’s this all about, Inspector?” Linda asked. “I thought the S.C.U. dealt with special cases only.” The officers shot her a look. “I’m friends with Supergirl; she told me everything about you and the S.C.U.”
“Miss Lee,” Sawyer answered, “the three men that Supergirl apprehended last night escaped this morning at around four thirty while en route to a new precinct. A car ran a red light and collided with the transport vehicle - whether by accident or if it was planned, we’re not sure; we’re still investigating. Anyway, they escaped, and their bodies were discovered in Hobb’s Bay by some fishermen around eight this morning. They’d been beaten up pretty badly.”
“Are you accusing Supergirl of murder?” Perry asked incredulously.
“She’s a suspect at this time,” Turpin replied. “With that temper of hers, and using unnecessary force to capture criminals.”
“I don’t believe this,” Perry said. “Supergirl is not a killer.”
“She barely tapped them,” Jimmy protested. “She just knocked them out.”
“Look, I understand that you’re friends with her and Superman,” Sawyer said patiently, “but unless she can provide an alibi for where she was this morning, she will be taken into custody. We will not tolerate anyone taking matters into their own hands, especially superheroes.” She sighed. “Do you know where we can find her?”
“If you think we’re going to tell you - even if we knew - you’re mistaken, Captain,” Jimmy replied, folding his arms.
“Watch it, kid,” Turpin said. “We could take you in for obstructing justice.”
“I have to go to the bathroom,” Linda spoke up. “Excuse me.” She quickly left the group, heading around the corner toward the restrooms. Jimmy watched her with a worried expression on his face before turning back.
“Look, we don’t know where she is,” Perry said. “The only way to get her attention is if you’re in danger or something.”
There was a small whooshing sound, and Supergirl dropped in from the open windows above, landing gracefully a few feet away from the group. The newsroom effectively halted as everyone stopped and stared at the young heroine. Jimmy shot her a worried glance, but she ignored him as she faced Perry.
“There are other ways to get my attention, Mr. White,” she said. She nodded at the officers. “Captain, Inspector, I hear you’re looking for me.”
“We need to ask you a few questions, Supergirl,” Sawyer replied. “Would you please come with us?”
“Am I under arrest?” Supergirl asked.
“No, we just want to talk with you for a few moments,” Sawyer answered.
Supergirl asked, “Then there’s no reason that we can’t do it on these premises, correct?”
The officers glanced at each other. They weren’t expecting Supergirl to be so cooperative and controlled, Turpin especially; they were expecting snide comments and resistance, none of which Supergirl exhibited. Sawyer nodded.
“Okay,” she replied. “We can talk here.” She turned to Perry. “Mr. White, may we borrow your conference room?”
“Sure,” Perry answered. “Anything to get this over with as quickly as possible.
Sawyer nodded and glanced at Supergirl. The young heroine headed for the conference room with Sawyer and Turpin following behind.
Perry and Jimmy remained at Jimmy’s desk, Jimmy in his chair, Perry leaning against the desk. They stared at the conference room as the two officers and the young woman took their seats around the table.
“What I wouldn’t do for superhearing right now,” Perry said.
“No joke,” Jimmy mumbled. He hated the fact that his girlfriend was having to fend for herself against a murder accusation, and there was nothing he could do or say without blowing her secret identity.
“Speaking of which,” Perry said, “where is Superman? Surely he’d be here to help clear his own cousin.”
Jimmy glanced up. This was the first time that he was having to cover for either Clark or Linda, and he wasn’t exactly sure what to say. He tried to rack his brain, and he remembered all the lame excuses that Clark and Linda would give, but it was only to disappear to change into their other identities. He didn’t think it would work with the superheroes. “Uh . . .” he said slowly.
“Oh, he must still be in Australia with Lois and Clark,” Perry replied, not seeing the young photographer’s hesitance. “Probably helping them out with getting information on Lex.”
“Uh, yeah,” Jimmy said slowly. “That’s what he's doing.” He turned back to watch the conference room.
Inside the conference room, Supergirl sat in a chair across from Sawyer and Turpin. She was sitting straight, not leaning or slouching, her wrists resting on the table. Sawyer and Turpin eyed her warily for a few moments, then shared a look.
Sawyer took a breath, sat straighter, and looked right at Supergirl. “Supergirl, where were you this morning?” she asked.
“Out,” Supergirl answered.
“Watch it,” Turpin said warningly.
“I *was* out, Inspector,” Supergirl replied. “I was doing what I normally do every morning.”
“Beating up punks?” Turpin asked.
“Turpin, knock it off,” Sawyer glared at her partner.
Supergirl frowned slightly. “Look, I know both of you are just doing your jobs, but I didn’t kill anyone, even those three clowns who attacked Jimmy Olsen.”
“How did you know we were talking about that?” Sawyer asked suspiciously.
“I have my ways,” Supergirl answered. She sighed. “Look, I know I probably shouldn’t have been so rough with them, but they were attacking my friend. I would have done the same if it had been Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Perry White, Linda Lee, or even my cousin. Surely there have been times when you’ve been rough with someone because they messed with your friends.”
“That may be the case, but it doesn’t justify the use of unnecessary force,” Sawyer replied. “Especially by someone of your strength. It will *not* be tolerated. You have to follow the rules just like everyone else.”
Supergirl stood up and leaned forward, resting her knuckles on the table, speaking low and even. “Look, if I had really killed those goons, do you think I would have brought them to the police in the first place? I would have killed them then, and you would have never even known about them or what they did.”
“She’s got a point, Maggie,” Turpin said, almost smiling.
Sawyer eyed her partner; he was practically applauding Supergirl standing up for herself and acting . . . normal. And she had to admit that Supergirl made a good point; her gut was telling her the same thing too. She sighed. “Alright, Supergirl,” she said. “I believe you, and I think my partner does as well.” She stood up, and so did Turpin. “You do understand that we had to follow procedure. No hard feelings?”
“I do,” Supergirl smiled a bit, shrugging. “I’m learning very quickly not to take things personal.” She cleared her throat. “And I would like to apologize for my behavior at Centennial Park when we first met. I was frustrated, I took it out on you, and I shouldn’t have done that. I am sorry.” She put on her sweetest, most innocent grin; she knew it never worked with Clark, especially when she was in trouble, but it came in quite handy with people who barely knew her.
Turpin and Sawyer glanced at each other, shifting a bit. Turpin looked especially guilty as he took off his derby and scratched his balding head. He replied the hat and cleared his throat. “Eh, it’s okay,” he mumbled, trying to avoid eye contact. He shrugged. “And I’m sorry about . . . you know.”
“Have you gotten any new leads on the Guardian or those kids?” Sawyer asked, shifting back into professional mode.
“No,” Supergirl replied. “But if anything shows up, I’ll let you know.”
Sawyer stared at her intently, not sure if she was telling the truth. She nodded after a few moments. “Okay,” she replied. “Same here.“ She turned to Turpin. “Let’s go.” She and Turpin left the conference room, with Supergirl following behind. Perry and Jimmy watched the officers head over toward the elevators, then turned back as Supergirl approached them.
“Everything go okay?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah,” Supergirl replied. “They were just following procedure, and I’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing. Not that I ever do anything wrong, but you know what I mean.” She smiled politely. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be going.” She leapt into the air and flew out the windows. Jimmy and Perry watched as she disappeared from sight, then Perry patted Jimmy on the shoulder.
“Back to work, Jimmy,” he said. “You and Linda have a story to work on.” He glanced around. “Shouldn’t she be back by now?”
“Right here, Mr. White,” Linda said as she came around the corner and quickly walked over. “I guess those leftovers I had for breakfast should have been thrown out instead.”
“You feeling okay, honey?” Perry asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Linda answered. She glanced around. “Did I miss anything? Where are Sawyer and Turpin?”
“Supergirl came, and she was cleared of any wrongdoings,” Perry said. “Now, you two have a story to work on. How’s it coming?”
“Slowly, but surely,” Jimmy replied.
“Okay,” Perry said. “Get hopping.” He headed back to his office. Jimmy suddenly chuckled as he sat down in his chair.
Linda was confused. “What?” she asked.
“I can’t believe he didn’t recognize you,” Jimmy replied. He lowered his voice. “I mean, seriously, it’s just a pair of glasses, really.”
“And a tight, blue outfit, with a short, red skirt and a long, red cape,” Linda added quietly. She shrugged. “Not to mention the boots and the large S.”
“I like the boots,” Jimmy replied, grinning.
“Fine, I’ll get Martha to make a pair in your size,” Linda said, smiling. Jimmy gave her a look, but she leaned over and kissed him. “Okay, so, what do we do now? We have no leads to follow.”
“Well, I was thinking about what Hamilton said about Donovan,” Jimmy replied, “and I have this theory.”
“Tell me, tell me,” Linda grinned.
Jimmy chuckled. “Well, what if Donovan managed to pull of making a clone of the Guardian?” He saw Linda’s weird expression. “Just bear with me for a moment. Say this Guardian clone was created. Wouldn’t it be possible that Donovan would have tried to make him as much like the original Guardian as possible?”
“I guess,” Linda replied.
“I mean, that would explain why he was after those boys,” Jimmy said. “He was protecting them, thinking they were *the* Newsboy Legion. And, if that was the case, then he might also be operating in the same area as before - Suicide Slum.”
“You’re suggesting we go into Suicide Slum and look for the Guardian there?” Linda asked.
“Yeah,” Jimmy replied slowly.
Linda shrugged. “Okay,” she said. “We can do that?”
“We can?” Jimmy asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” Linda answered. “It’s a good idea. Besides, we don’t have any other leads, do we?”
“Oh, thank you so much,” Jimmy replied wryly. He took in a deep breath. “Okay, so, you want to tell Perry we’re going to Suicide Slum, or should I?”
“We need to figure out where we’re going to go first,” Linda replied. “It’s a pretty big area to cover, and I personally don’t want to be in there longer than I have to; that place gives me the creeps.”
“Well,” Jimmy said as he tapped his pencil against his desk, “we could go through all those stories about the Guardian I found, figure out where he was sighted, and triangulate a location from there.”
"Then let's get to it," Linda smiled. She pulled up her chair, and the two began working.
- - - -
Lois stirred and woke to the aroma of pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, coffee, and orange juice. She turned over and saw Clark sitting in a chair, watching her with a grin on his face, dressed only in his boxers. A tray of the aforementioned food items rested on the table next to him. She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was a little after eight.
“Good morning,” he replied.
“Good morning,” she mumbled as she yawned and sat up. “So, did anything come of Jimmy’s research?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Clark replied as he brought the tray over and set it in front of his wife, sitting beside her. “All the information was verified; I checked it all out during the night.”
Lois looked a bit upset. “You said you’d let me help if you got something.”
“I know, but you looked so peaceful sleeping; I couldn’t bear waking you.” He gave her his ‘you can’t resist me’ look.
Lois smiled as Clark handed her a cup of steaming coffee. “Well, I guess I can forgive you.” She sighed, her smiling fading. “So, Lex is really who he says he is?”
“It would appear so,” Clark replied. “I’d like to get something more concrete than just papers; something that couldn’t be argued.” He glanced at her. “You think we could head back to Metropolis?”
Lois put her coffee down and leaned over. “I have a better idea, Clark. Why don’t we take the rest of the day and just relax; we can return tomorrow morning, Metropolis time.”
“And what would we -” Clark stopped when he saw Lois’ smile. “Oh.” He chuckled as he took the tray and quickly put it back on the table. He jumped back into bed and pulled the covers over Lois and himself as Lois giggled.
(End of Chapter 15)
