"Why have our investors pulled their support?" said Perry into the phone.
Clark overheard him. Something was terribly wrong at the Planet. This week's checks had all bounced, and things weren't looking good. It almost seemed like sabotage. But who would do that?
Clark wasn't in the best of moods, anyway. And the circumstances around the office weren't helping. Lois had broken his heart the other night. He knew he didn't deserve the way she was treating him, yet he had promised her that he would give her as much space as she needed. Yet, at what point was he little better than a doormat? She was walking all over his heart, and he was supposed to just take it? Didn't his feelings matter in this relationship?
He looked over at her. She was staring intently at her screen. He had caught her glimpsing over at him now and then all morning, a pained look on her face. He didn't understand it, didn't understand her. Why did she need a week away from him? Did it really have to do with their work relationship? <<Maybe she just wants more time to worry that this relationship whatever it is won't work out>>, he thought bitterly. Clark suddenly had a fantasy of walking over there, pulling her up out of her chair and claiming her with a passionate kiss. Wrapping his arm around her waist, leaning her back and just kissing her senselessly. Giving her a kiss that would make her forget all the other men in her past that had made her so damn paranoid of being in a real loving relationship. Giving her a kiss that would erase all these doubts she seemed to be having. Giving her a kiss that should have happened last night...
Suddenly the elevators dinged open, knocking Clark out of his fantasy as a nightmare walked in.
Lex Luthor.
Luthor stood on the landing, his presence sending all eyes to him. He looked like he was relishing what he was about to say. "For those of you that don't know me, I am Lex Luthor. Like you, I have been greatly distressed by the--problems that have suddenly struck this great newspaper. Therefore, I have taken the one step that would guarantee its future well-being: I bought it."
He turned and looked directly at Lois. "I am the new owner of the Daily Planet."
Lois tried to keep her jaw from dropping. She felt like the walls were closing in on her. First a proposal and now the Planet? Lois knew the paper was having some financial issues, but she couldn't be sure Luthor's gesture was entirely altruistic.
Lex made his way over to her.
"Lois, my darling fiancee," he pronounced loudly, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He noticed the quiet in the room when he said those words and made a shrug. "What, my dear, have you not shared the glorious news?"
Lois felt her cheeks burn red and wouldn't look at Clark. She knew he must be fuming, hurt, and completely confused.
She turned to Lex. "So, you bought the Planet?"
"Well, yes, my dear. It's a glorious institution and I just couldn't let it flounder. Besides, it will allow our interests to--coalesce, if you will."
Her eyes darted unbidden to Clark. He looked like he had been punched in the stomach. Her own was in knots. It seemed Lex was pulling her in deeper and deeper, making it harder for her to escape him. She wanted with all her might to reach out for Clark to save her, but it would be his demise. And that one thought is what kept her rooted to where she stood to deal with Lex.
"I can't believe you announced our engagement to the whole office. I haven't even said 'yes!'" she said through clenched teeth.
"Well my dear, I knew you'd see reason. And I didn't see any reason to keep it a secret. You are mine now," he leaned in to her ear. To the casual observer, it looked like a lover's whisper. But his intent was far from loving. "And I see Mr. Kent over there is terribly jealous. I can't tell you how pleased I am that you shook him off so easily. I was certain that I would have to carry out unpleasantness where he is concerned when you went out on that date with him the other night--"
"You spied on me?" she hissed.
"Just keeping an eye on you, darling. But I was glad to hear that he didn't get so much as a good-night kiss."
He suddenly pulled away from her, leaving Lois gaping at him in shock.
"I have business to attend to, now that the Planet is my responsibility." He lifted Lois' hand for a gallant kiss. "I'll see you tonight."
When Lex left, Lois glanced again at Clark. She suddenly wondered if he had heard the exchange she had had with Lex. She sighed, by his scowl, she determined, he had not. She was a little disappointed. She almost wanted him to find out, to know exactly what was going on. But the fear of Kryptonite hurting him squelched that wish. He couldn't know... she just had to take down Lex by herself.
******
Clark couldn't believe it! She was *engaged* to Lex Luthor?! It felt like the worst kind of betrayal. As soon as he heard it he had turned within himself, trying to keep from going to pieces. He saw the way Lex leered at her and it sickened him. But he was too wrapped up in his own turmoil to see how Lois was handling it. He hadn't listened in on their exchange, too sick to his stomach to even want to.
So she had made her choice. She didn't want to be with him. She had been making her good-byes on the dance floor the other night. It wasn't the beginning of something wonderful, it was the end! He looked around, suddenly feeling too constricted, as if the walls were closing in on him. He wanted to get out of there.
He began tugging on his tie, wishing there was a Superman emergency to occupy him. Something big, like a mudslide or an earthquake. Something he could throw himself into. He sighed. What was he thinking? He shouldn't be wishing for disasters, putting people's lives at risk.
Besides, he was already in one.
********
Some time later, Perry waved Clark into his office.
"What is it, Chief?" he asked, trying to keep his darker thoughts from affecting his attitude.
"Close the door, Son. I want to talk to you a minute," Perry said, a look of concern across his own features.
Clark sighed and took a seat.
"Is it over, do you think?" Clark asked, a double meaning in his question.
"Well, I think Luthor taking over the Planet could be a good thing. The man is a known philanthropist--" Perry caught Clark's glance towards Lois through the window. "Oh, you mean Lois. Yeah, I heard about the engagement, Son. Something isn't sitting right with me about it, and I can pinpoint it. I mean, it seemed you two--- well, how are things between you two?"
Clark threw up his hands. "I wish I knew, Chief. Things were going so well. I thought---and now she wants all this distance from me. And she's engaged to Luthor, of all people!"
Perry looked at Clark, sympathetic, "Well, she told me that it wasn't you. That you weren't the reason she wants to work on her own for a while."
Clark looked up, "Oh? What did she tell you, then?"
Perry deliberated a moment, debating whether he should tell Clark all he knew. But he suspected that Lois was in some sort of trouble, and if anyone could sort her out, Kent could.
"She said she was on to a big story. Something so big that she couldn't work with anyone else on it. Not even you." Perry leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers over his chest. "Now, just between you and me, that doesn't add up. If she's on the tail of something big, I'd think she'd want all the help she can get, and especially *your* help. So, well, I don't want to alarm you Son--"
"Just tell me, Chief. Anything you're thinking has got to be better than what I've been coming up with," he said sadly.
"Clark, I think Lois has got herself into some trouble. Something big, and I think she's scared to tell anyone. Especially you."
"Luthor," Clark suddenly said, sitting up straighter.
"Hello, gentlemen," came a smooth voice from the doorway.
Perry stood up and reached over to shake Lex's hand. Clark noticed Luthor did not make the same gesture to him.
"Perry, I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I did want to arrange to discuss some matters with you later this afternoon."
Perry nodded. "Sure thing, Mr. Luthor. I think it's a very generous thing you're doing, rescuing the Planet like this."
Clark tried to resist rolling his eyes. He stood up. "I got to go, Chief." He left, barely acknowledging Luthor with a nod.
Luthor watched as Clark made his excuses, a smarmy smile on his lips. "It was the least I could do, Perry..."
*********
Clark sat at his desk, thinking. *Was* Lois in trouble? Why wouldn't she come to him about it? She knew he was Superman, surely he could help her handle anything she was dealing with. Did she not trust him?
His thoughts then turned to Luthor. Somehow, he knew Luthor was behind all this. There was something terribly suspicious about Luthor buying the Planet and announcing an engagement to Lois.
Clark glanced over to his partner's desk. She was apparently working, but she kept looking up from her screen towards Perry's office. To where her fiance was making his good-byes to the editor. But Clark didn't think she had a lovesick look in her eyes. He knew enough about *that* look to recognize it. But he did notice something that intrigued him and gave him hope that he hadn't lost Lois.
She looked at Luthor with wariness.
And that, was a cause for concern for an entirely different reason.
Luthor came over to her desk and asked her to walk him down to the lobby. She seemed reluctant to go, but couldn't make a plausible enough excuse. Clark was tempted to follow, but suddenly he had another idea.
All morning Lois had been very protective of whatever she had been working on. Anytime anyone had come near her screen she had shut it down immediately.
Clark got up after Lois and Lex left and walked over to her desk. He tried to make it seem normal; they used each other's desks all the time. He sat in her chair, noticing she had shut the program again. He needed a password.
He smirked, sure of himself and typed SUPERMAN.
A no go. He knew that had been her password before... He thought again, intrigued. Then, really hoping he was wrong, he typed LEXLUTHOR. Wrong again. He sighed in relief.
CLARKKENT? he tried... no...
BATMAN? He grimaced. No.
Hmmm....
Then, inspiration.... CKISSUPERMAN
Bingo.
"Oh, Lois," he sighed with a low laugh. "I really hope no one else ever needs to ask for your password."
Then he started going through her files. She had one labeled 'Top Secret,' which was a little too obvious. But he opened it anyways. He needed another password. He tried the others again. None of them worked.
He was certain though, that Luthor was involved with this 'big story' she was on to. So, knowing how Lois' mind works, he was also certain her password had something to do with Luthor.
LEXCORP? No, too obvious anyway.
Then he went through a list of names he'd like to call Luthor... He knew he'd be delighted if Lois had used one of those for her password... but none of them worked.
He did all of this in a matter of seconds, yet he didn't know how long he had until Lois would come back. He had to think... why wouldn't she tell him what was going on? What was the one thing that would prevent her from telling him the truth? Telling Superman the truth? Was there a reason? Was she backed into a corner somehow? Or was she just trying to protect him? But the only thing he'd need protecting from was--
K-R-Y-P-T-O-N-I-T-E
That did it.
He felt a chill go up his spine.
In the folder were dozens of files on Luthor. All his shareholdings, as well as a list of crimes they had covered over the past months that Lois suddenly was suspicious Luthor was behind. Clark sighed in relief. She *did* know Luthor was dangerous. Then, why wouldn't she let him help her?
"*What* are you doing?" Lois came up behind him, giving him no time to shut the screen.
"Um. Lois, we need to talk," he said, noticing the fearful look on her face.
She hesitated a moment. "I--Clark, just *what* were you doing on my computer?"
He stood up, taking her elbow gently as he pulled her to the conference room.
When he shut the door, he turned to her. "What is going on, Lois?"
She shook her head. She couldn't say. She pointed around the room and he got the hint. Clark did a quick scan discovering the whole office was bugged. He sighed heavily.
Suddenly, the building shook. Clark x-rayed a few floors below and saw an explosion happened a few stories down!
"Lois, get out of here, now!" he said, ushering her and some others along the way towards the exits. Clark stepped into a janitor's closet and spun into the Suit.
His main concern was to get everyone out of the building as quickly as possible. He went to the emergency stairwell, and noticed one had collapsed. He easily lifted it so people could get down the stairs.
He got out of the building a short time later and helped the firefighters tamper down the blaze. Clark looked around in dismay. He had wanted a Superman emergency---<<Be careful what you wish for.>>
An hour later, the blaze was gone and everyone had evacuated the building safely. The firefighters and Superman had done what they could, but it was still too late.
The Planet was destroyed.
