When he arrived, Superman was directed to meet Luthor in his wine cellar.
Clark sauntered in confidently, knowing that whatever happened, tomorrow Perry would be here with Henderson and would arrest Luthor. It would all be over soon, one way or another. He just hoped that Luthor hadn't done anything to Lois, because he didn't know how much patience he'd have if he found out that he had hurt her.
Luthor was pouring himself a glass of wine from a large cask when he saw Superman come in. He eyed the wine admiringly and then turned to Superman. "They say that civilization was invented so that men could cooperate in the making of wine."
"What do you want Luthor?" Superman asked sternly. "Where's Lois?"
"Patience. One question at a time... I've asked you here to ask a favor of you."
"From me?" Clark asked, taken off guard a moment. "You must be joking."
"Hear me out," said Luthor, casually sipping his wine. "My fiancee, Lois Lane, should be deliriously happy at the prospect of our forthcoming wedding. Unfortunately, she is not. She misses her friends from the Daily Planet. Especially Clark Kent," he finished with some derision.
"So? You're the one who separated them, Luthor."
He shrugged. "Maybe I've had a change of heart. I know you and Clark are friends..."
"I'm not following," Clark said, when Luthor didn't elaborate.
"I'm asking you to use your influence to convince Clark to attend our wedding tomorrow... you're invited too," he added as an afterthought. <<I'd love to see the look on Kent's face when I claim Lois for my own!>>
Clark shook his head, unable to believe the gall of the man in front of him.<<Tomorrow??>> "You live in a fantasy world, Luthor. Neither Clark nor I will ever do anything to support a marriage to Lois."
Clark began to feel he was wasting his time. Where was Lois? Why was Luthor playing this game with him?
Luthor stepped back over to the cask as if to refill his wine. The pleasant veneer he was so good at using suddenly vanished, as a bit of the devil within him showed its face. "I see," he said quietly, dangerously. "Then, I suppose, you're of no further use to me."
Luthor pulled a lever that brought down a metal cage around Superman. He almost rolled his eyes in annoyance.<<Is this the best he can come up with?>>
"Bars won't hold me, Luthor," Superman scoffed.
Luthor smiled devilishly, "Oh, I think they will."
Superman made a move to break free of the bars, but suddenly, he fell to one knee. Clark looked up at Lex in horror as he realized the cage was coated in Kryptonite.
Luthor strode over. "A fantasy world? Perhaps. But it's all about to come true."
"What have you done with Lois, you villain?" Clark cried after him. He wished he hadn't been so arrogant when he arrived. He wished he had looked for Lois from the start and not even bothered with Luthor. And now, it might be too late. Luthor was going to marry her tomorrow?!
Lex relished his power over the man of steel. "She's fine. She's having a nice rest before our wedding."
He laughed and ran up the stairs out of the cellar two at a time whistling, "Get me to the church on time."
*********
Lois sat seething a moment before getting herself up off the floor. She would not let Luthor get away with this! She picked up the butter knife and pulled a chair over to where the vent was, but she was afraid she was too short. She reached up, and could barely reach the lower screw. She grunted in frustration, hopping down to look for something with more height. Her sofa? Not high enough... a bookshelf? No, she couldn't possibly push it over. Aha! The fish tank! It was sturdy enough and moved easily, though she wondered how she'd do balancing on the cylinder. But, it was the best bet she had.
Lois laughed when she got up close to it. There were plastic fish in it, swimming in a suspended jelly. <<How tacky,>> she thought. Her own tank had been an odd purchase of hers that had been inspired by a visit to the Metropolitan Aquarium, and she wondered at the lengths Luthor had gone to have a replica made of it. But at least she could push it. And she wouldn't have to worry about disturbing any fish in the process.
In a few minutes, she had the tank positioned. She took off her socks, so she'd have better balance with her bare feet on the glass surface. Lois used the nearby chair to hoist herself up. It took her a second to get balance, but her Tae Kwan Do classes actually helped her find it. She stood on the tank, but still at least two feet from the vent. She'd have to walk it like a balance beam. <<What I wouldn't give for Clark's powers right about now,>> she thought.
She had one slip, but quickly recovered. She fell slightly against the wall, but once she regained her balance, she could easily reach the screws. It took her just a few minutes to take them off and remove the cover. She hoisted herself into the vent, glad that she had pretty good upper body strength.
The vent was dark of course, except for when it ran past other rooms that were occupied. She had no way of knowing where she was going, but she hoped that she'd eventually land in a room where she could get out. Lois wandered the twisting, turning pathways of the vent for about a half hour, though it felt much longer. She tried not to think of the bugs that she was probably running over or all the dust that she was probably covered in. Her one thought was to get away from Luthor.
She saw him through a vent at one point, crossing by his underground study. He was puffing a cigar and whistling a tune from 'My Fair Lady.' She quickly moved past, feeling her heart race in panic. <<God, what if the vent just gave way and I fell in that man's room?!>>
She moved further down, knowing she'd have to pick a spot at some point to get out at, but unable to decide on a suitable one to try. Then she saw something that drew her attention. A strange green glow came from a vent up ahead. She knew that glow. Kryptonite. But, when Luthor had revealed it to her, it was hidden in a bureau. That meant that if he was using it--Luthor may have Clark! Or at least was preparing to try and get him!
She crawled a bit faster toward the strange green light. She tried seeing through the slits, but all she could make out was the top of some sort of--cage? Had Luthor made a *cage* of Kryptonite? She felt sick to her stomach. Clark would never survive something like that. She gave a swift kick to the vent, hurting her bare foot. She loosened it, but not enough to jump down. She grunted, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the pain to come, and kicked. There, the cover fell off with a clang.
Lois looked down. Still, all she could see was the top of the cage. But then she heard a groan, and caught a glimpse of red cape.
"Superman?" she called softly, afraid to use his real name in case he was being watched on camera. She cringed at the thought.
He didn't answer her, which meant he either hadn't heard her, or he was very bad off already.
Lois looked down from her vent. There was a wine barrel on its end about a half a foot away from being directly below her. She shimmied around so she could try to ease on to it, feet first. Her toes grasped for it. Lois' right foot caught the edge, and she got some bearing to get the rest of the way down. But as soon as her waist was out of the vent, the rest of her followed. She fell halfway onto the barrel, and it actually broke her fall a bit as she landed on her rear on the concrete. She stood up quickly, not even bothering to brush the dust off herself, running over to Clark.
Her heart was in her throat when she saw him. He was crumpled up on the floor of the cage, his brow broken out in sweat. He looked barely conscious.
"Can you hear me?" she asked through the bars.
"Lois?" he asked incoherently. He reached his arm out, but she wasn't sure he saw her.
She crouched down, feeling tears well up as she reached to touch him. "It's me, Lois."
He finally saw her. "The key," he murmured, weakly gesturing behind her.
"What?" she said, turning, and then seeing the key sitting on a barrel, just a few feet away, mocking Clark. <<Luthor, that arrogant bastard!>>
She got the key quickly and opened up the cage.
"Clark?" she whispered, tears coming down her face. "Can you move at all?" she asked, already beginning to tug him out of the cage.
He grunted, but couldn't give an answer. She took his arm and put it around her shoulders. "You have to try, Clark. You have to!"
She pulled him free of the cage, but she knew it wasn't far enough away yet.
Lois looked around the room, thinking. Luthor could come in at any minute. She had to hide Clark long enough for him to regain some strength.
"Clark, there. Over there. Do you see?" she asked. "Can you make it to that little alcove? You'll be hidden well enough, and I hope far enough away from the Kryptonite..."
She dragged him over, Clark trying to help as he could, though his muscles burned in agony. At last, she sat him down next to a barrel, hidden from view from the far side of the cellar should Luthor come in.
Once she sat him down, she stroked his face, trying to comfort him how she could.
"Lois," he whispered, turning so he could kiss her palm on his cheek. "What would I do without you?"
She felt tears streaming down her face. "I wonder the same thing about you."
He looked at her in the half light, some of his focus returning. He could see a red welt on her cheek. His jaw clenched. "Did Luthor hit you?" he asked.
She tried to play it off. "I'm fine. Please. Let's worry about getting you out of here, okay?"
"I can't move right now... Maybe, we have a few hours yet, I don't know. Before he, comes back." He looked off towards the direction of the cage. Lois sensed he could still feel some effect of the Kryptonite.
"Can you recover from here? Are we still too close?" she asked with concern.
"Well, without sunlight and it still in the vicinity, yeah, I won't get much better. But I don't see a choice."
"My apartment!" Lois suddenly said.
"Lois, if we could get to your apartment, that would be a miracle," he laughed ruefully.
"No, no you don't understand. Luthor. He had me in this replica of my apartment. I broke free through the vent. It was about a twenty or so minute crawl, but I think I can find the way back."
"Let's do it," he said with determination.
She walked him over to the barrels under the vent, her uncertainty growing with every step, as they were also approaching the Kryptonite again. Did he have the strength to even get up there?
She set up a barrel, directly under the vent this time.
"Could you give me a push?" she asked.
He gave one grunt and then half flew, half jumped up to the vent, grabbing Lois around the waist to hang on with one hand to the vent before she knew what happened. "Climb over me," he said.
It was a bit awkward, but she managed to climb up and over him into the vent. Then she reached down to help pull him up with her. When they were both inside, face to face, they leaned in forehead to forehead.
"We'll make it, Lois. Everything will be okay," he whispered, reaching to cup her chin.
"How? That man is a dangerous monster," she said, angry for what he did to Clark.
"Perry, Jimmy, and Jack have been working round the clock to get Luthor at his game. We finally got the evidence we needed. Henderson will be here tomorrow."
He felt her relax, literally melt towards him. "Thank goodness."
Clark's body still ached from the Kryptonite, but having Lois here, so close to him, her sweet breath just inches away--he closed the short distance between them and kissed her. He meant it as a gentle kiss, but suddenly she was answering him back with fierce passion. After a moment, they broke the kiss and pulled into a hug.
"I was so scared, Clark," she whispered.
"I know. So was I," he answered softly.
He suddenly sat up a little straighter, taking strength from her kiss. They could handle anything as long as they were together. "Ok, show me this apartment of yours."
