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Chapter 8: Fear
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At any other time, Lois might have found irony in the fact that the mayor had been protected by Superman--the man she had ordered shot and killed just two days before. Any appreciation of that fact was, however, overshadowed by the fierce triumph and utter vindication she felt to witness the crowd of her own peers and fellow citizens rise up in support of her husband.
Clark might think he was feared and suspected, but Lois knew better.
She might have briefly felt ashamed of her city, but now they reasserted themselves in her heart.
No Kryptonite bullets would be issued to police officers; no orders to shoot to kill would be handed out like flak jackets; no military would be targeting Superman on the off-chance that he sneezed wrong. The people would never stand for it, not now--if Lois had anything to say about it, not ever again.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Lois didn't see the bloody wound scoring Clark's neck when she closed her eyes. Instead, she saw his smile.
It was an image that was more than enough to sustain her for the rest of her life.
She had recognized the direction Clark had been flying when he disappeared, and the nod he had sent her was enough to confirm her suspicion that whatever he had heard had originated from S.T.A.R. Labs. It took only about fifteen minutes to get there from the Hall of Justice, at least when Lois was driving, so she wasn't surprised to see Superman still there when she strode into Dr. Klein's lab.
Clark gave her a tiny smile and a nod a shade deeper than usual. Lois thought she might burst with happiness at the confidence and contentment once more so apparent, shining from his being as brightly as integrity and goodness. When Clark lost himself, she lost a bit of herself with him. It was good to feel restored and whole after so long a period of dismay and uncertainty.
"Ah, Lois, it's funny you should show up," Dr. Klein greeted her in his usual absentminded manner. "We just had an incident here. Unfortunately, I don't have much to tell you."
"What happened?" Lois gaped at the damage obviously done to the vault. The box supporting the locking mechanism of the vault door had been torn from its setting and tossed to the side. The heavy door itself had been wrenched open; from within the vault, Lois could see evidence of things thrown about.
"We're not sure," exclaimed Dr. Klein. "The security cameras all blanked out for forty-five seconds. That's not enough time for someone to get from the vault to outside the range of the cameras, let alone set up the machinery necessary to do this kind of damage."
"Didn't you see anything, Superman?"
Clark grimaced and set his hands on his hips as he surveyed the vault, his eyes narrowing as he employed his telescopic vision. "Whoever--or whatever--did this was gone by the time I arrived. The alarm went off as soon as the vault was breached, but not before, so the thief must have had some way to access the outer doors."
"They're checking the surveillance videos," Klein interjected. "I don't understand how whoever this was managed to open the vault, though. It should be impossible for anyone besides...well, besides *you*, Superman."
"Well, I was in the middle of a press conference," Clark told him, his voice colored ever so slightly by that teasing quality so unique to him.
Klein's eyes widened in horror. "No--I-I certainly didn't mean to imply that you--well, of course, it wasn't you! I mean, why would *you* need to break into our vault? It's utterly ridiculous! Of course not!"
"I understand." Clark dropped a hand on the doctor's shoulder, and Lois read the sincerity in his gaze as he said, "We're friends, Dr. Klein. I trust you, and I know without a doubt that you trust me."
Lois nodded, almost adding her own thanks before realizing that might just confuse the poor man. After all, he couldn't be expected to understand that both she and Clark were thinking of a different situation entirely. Lois knew she would never be able to repay Dr. Klein for the favor he had done them both in warning her of the mayor's plan.
"Oh. Well." Klein blushed and tilted his head in a self-conscious fashion, prompting a smile from Lois. Clark glanced toward her, amusement evident in his gaze even if Superman couldn't smile as easily as Clark could.
"So, what was stolen?" Lois asked, eager to return to the story. The editorials she'd been doing were for a cause and they expended a great deal of the fury that had been slowly boiling within her...but they just weren't the reporting she was used to. It was far past time to sink her teeth into a story that could grace the front page of the Daily Planet.
"Well..." Klein's brow furrowed. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Clark repeated. "You mean...someone went to all the trouble of sneaking into S.T.A.R. Labs, getting past the security cameras, and ripping a vault door out of the walls--and then they just walked away?"
"Apparently." Klein shrugged. "Maybe it was a prank."
"Or a show of power," Lois suggested. "If someone's planning on doing something even bigger soon, they might have wanted a way to build suspense or test their gadgetry."
"Uh, Superman, I..." Klein's head bobbed back and forth for a moment before he blurted, "The Kryptonite was the first thing I checked. It's all still there--both colors," he added hastily when both Lois and Superman noticeably tensed. "So, obviously, that wasn't what...whoever did this...was looking for."
"Good," Clark said slowly. "Thank you, Dr. Klein."
A bashful smile peeked through the doctor's timid demeanor. "No problem. So, I'll let Lois know if we find anything more?"
"Yes." Superman nodded decisively. "She or Clark Kent will get word to me."
Superman met Lois's gaze briefly, then disappeared with a familiar whoosh. Biting back her smile, Lois followed him more sedately. When she emerged from S.T.A.R. Labs, Clark was waiting for her by her Jeep.
"Fancy meeting you here," she said playfully.
Gallantly, Clark opened her door for her. "I'd follow you anywhere."
From their giddy conversation as they returned to the Daily Planet, one might have thought that there had never been any fear concerning red or green Kryptonite and no order to assassinate Superman. Lois knew they were both elated and relieved that it seemed Metropolis would not be asking Superman to leave, but she treasured the moments anyway. There were far too many times when Clark obsessed over rescues gone bad or worried about her or brainstormed with her on how to hunt down the latest criminal--and while she loved Clark for all those things, she also very much enjoyed getting to see him relaxed and content.
"So," Lois said when she parked, turning to face Clark before he could jump out to get her door. "No more talk of leaving?"
His eyes softened, gleaming with that inner light she had feared the red Kryptonite had quenched. His fingers were light and warm on her cheek. "I could never leave you, Lois."
"Not even Superman?" She was startled to hear the fragile note in her own voice. Only now, when the danger was less imminent, did she realize just how much she had feared losing her husband. Clark might have stayed with her, but a vital part of himself would have been lost had he been forced to give up so much of Superman.
"Honey, I asked you if you were all right," he murmured, his eyes widening as he heard the fear leak into her voice. "Why didn't you tell me you were afraid?"
"Because I was more angry than afraid," she replied seriously. "I was *furious*, Clark. Maybe I still am. I just...I'm just glad everything's working out."
"Me too," he said softly. "And Lois," he caught her hand and waited until she met his gaze. "Superman or Clark, I can't leave you. You're the one who completes me, who makes me belong, who gives me a home. I'd be lost without you."
"Me too," Lois managed to say past the lump in her throat. "I mean...you're all of those things for me, too."
Leaning forward, Clark brushed his lips against hers, a quiet symbol of their connection.
It was enough to bring the smile back to Lois's lips, the gleam of victory back to her eyes, and the determined bounce back to her stride as she entered the newsroom. Even better was the fact that over the course of the day, Clark caught her eye several times, his hand already loosening his tie, and ducked out of sight before returning, radiating a bit more confidence and happiness.
Maybe things *could* go back to normal, Lois thought, tentatively hopeful. Maybe they could put this incident behind them just like all the rest. Maybe in a couple months or a year, they would look back on these days and not feel the pain as sharp and serrated as it had been just hours earlier.
"Lois?" Jimmy hovered at the edge of her desk, clearly uncomfortable with interrupting her. Fortunately for him, Lois was in a good mood.
"What is it, Jimmy?" she asked cheerfully. Belatedly, she wondered if he was still worried about his relationship with Perry.
"Uh, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something. See, I--"
"Just a second," Lois told him when her phone rang. "Hello?"
The click sounded loud and suddenly ominous.
Lois frowned at the phone as she hung it up. It was true that there were a lot of wrong numbers in large cities, but it seemed to her there had been an inordinate amount in the last couple days. Or was she just being paranoid?
"Lois?"
"Oh, sorry, Jimmy." Lois tried to turn her full attention to her friend. "What is it?"
Surreptitiously, Jimmy looked around before perching on the edge of the chair next to Lois's desk. "I probably should have learned my lesson after Jerry, but I just couldn't stop thinking about why he was doing it. So, I looked him up--and you'll never guess who he used to work for!"
"Who?" A frown was pasted onto Lois's features as she divided her attention between Jimmy and the phone.
"Orville Dorian."
Instantly, Lois's attention was completely focused on Jimmy. "What?"
"Well, see, after the news ran the story about Dorian pressing charges, I decided to do a background check on him--try to figure out why he's so dead-set on getting Superman out of the city. Turns out he just switched jobs about six months ago, moved to a small retail store downtown. Anyway, guess who he used to work for?"
Lois quirked her eyebrow, inwardly amused at Jimmy's breathless anticipation.
"Costmart!"
Instantly, Lois straightened, all hints of humor or smiles fading away. "Costmart! You mean, he worked for Intergang?"
"Could be. And I managed to get a hold of his bank records--seems there are pretty regular deposits that don't come from his job. I think he's still working for Intergang, or at least he's helping them get rid of Superman."
"Of course!" Lois exclaimed. "Nobody wants Superman out of the city more than Intergang. Do we have proof?"
"Well, that's where it gets a bit dicey. The extra money is deposited under the name of a small sales company that pays by commission for door-to-door sales. I'm pretty sure if we tried to take this to the police, they'd have to accept his story."
"But if we managed to make a solid connection between him and Intergang--"
"Already working on it." Jimmy tossed her a triumphant smile. "I'm going through a list of his business associates and trying to cross-reference them with the people we know work for Intergang. That's why I thought I'd tell you about this--you have way more sources than I do."
Leaning back in her chair, Lois studied Jimmy so intently that he started to squirm. "I'm really impressed, Jimmy. You've done a lot of work on this--and you actually thought to investigate it in the first place."
"Well," he ducked his head with a half-shrug, "it just burns me up that some people think they should punish Superman. I mean, the guy's saved my life more than once--we should give him a break, you know."
"Yeah. All right, give me the list and I'll get my sources looking them up. Our top priority now is discrediting Orville Dorian."
And, she added silently, getting the mayor out of office.
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The next two days passed in a blur of investigation and action. Nothing more turned up on the strange S.T.A.R. Labs break-in, and none of Lois or Clark's sources had heard anything about it. Clark was incredibly busy reestablishing Superman's credibility and attending to the hundreds of small crimes that seemed to have sprung up since the press conference; Lois suspected the increased activity was a ploy on Intergang's part to make Superman slip up again and get himself thrown out of the city.
The mayor still hadn't made an official announcement on her decision regarding Superman's future, but Lois had heard enough from the rest of the city government to be pretty certain that banishment was completely out of the picture. Nonetheless, she continued to write her editorials, moving from protecting Superman to denouncing the assassination order.
She and Jimmy had managed to connect two of Dorian's associates to Intergang, but they were waiting for the final paper trail that would prove the small sales company was nothing more than a front for Costmart or some other Intergang sham business. Perry was getting impatient to run the story, and Lois was impatient to dismiss all the doubt stirred up by criminal charges brought against her husband.
"Honey, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Lois looked up, her hand stilling in the midst of spreading honey over her piece of toast. ""What is it?"
"Well..." Clark shifted and stood to move nearer her, leaning against the island in the middle of their kitchen. "Have you noticed that we've been getting a lot of hang-ups here, as well as at both our work phones?"
Reminded of her earlier suspicion, she frowned. "Yeah, I have noticed. Why? You think someone's targeting us?"
A hint of a smile brightened his features. "Well, you may have forgotten, but there were those two men who attacked you and told you bad things would happen if I went after Intergang. And it's not as if I've stopped trying to connect Costmart to the criminal organization, so I think it's a safe bet to say we've been targeted. Anyway, yesterday I asked for the phone records--for our house, your work phone, and mine. I should be getting them today, and I know you and Jimmy were working on something tying Intergang to Dorian. So, I thought if they're connected, you might be able to recognize one of the phone numbers."
"You think Dorian's connected to the creepy phone calls?"
Clark shrugged. "Maybe. It's a long shot, but it can't hurt to check it out. I'd rather not come home to find you entertaining more menacing thugs."
"Ah, you're no fun." Lois grinned at his expression and patted his chest. "I think that's a great idea."
"Good. Oh, and...Lois, there was something else I wanted to say. I know I've been pretty busy lately, but I finally got around to--"
Both Lois and Clark looked over at the phone when its discordant chimes blared through the house. They exchanged a glance before Lois moved to answer the phone; Clark moved closer so he'd be sure to hear anything on the line that could give him a clue should it be their mystery caller.
"Hello?"
"Lois, honey, I need you to get down here right away."
A rush of relief flowed through Lois at the sound of her gruff editor's voice, mixed with disappointment. It would have been nice if it had been their mystery caller and Clark had been able to hear something that would have led to a solution. "What is it, Perry?" she asked with a reassuring smile at Clark. He returned the smile and went back to his breakfast.
"I think this is something you'll want to hear for yourself." She could hear a grin in Perry's voice. "Let's just say I've got a huge story for you--one you've been waiting for."
Exhilaration flared up within Lois and caused her heart to miss a beat. This could be what she had been working for since Clark had hid out in the cold night until she called him home. "I'll be right there." She hung up the phone and threw her uneaten toast in the trash. "I have to go in right now, Clark. Will you meet me there?"
"Sure."
"Oh!" She paused halfway out the kitchen door. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
He moved toward her. "Well, I finally read the--" His head cocked, and he looked off into the distance. With only a hint of frustration apparent in his eyes, he gave her a smile. "I'll tell you later."
"Be careful," Lois warned him, snatched a quick kiss, and then darted out the front door to the sound of a sonic boom echoing over Hyperion Avenue.
Perry grinned broadly as he ushered her into his office. "Well, darlin', I think you've nailed it right on the square head-and don't think I didn't know what you were lookin' to do. A friend of mine down at the City Hall just told me they've convened a special meeting--not a hearing, mind you--but an inquiry into the actions taken by the mayor over the past week. There're rumors that they're going to ask for her resignation."
Instead of the excited energy she had thought would fill her body, Lois felt strangely calm as she sank down into a seat. This was what she had determined to accomplish from the moment she had had a chance to think past her terror at hearing her husband was about to be shot with a green Kryptonite bullet. Her fury had birthed the plan within her; her talent and skill had shown her the way to stirring up public ire; her fierce love had demanded she see it through to the end.
And now it was done.
The mayor would pay for what she had done to Clark.
Vengeance wasn't sweet, Lois knew. Yet this didn't feel like vengeance...it felt like justice.
"Are you all right, honey?" Perry gingerly patted her shoulder. "I thought this was what you wanted."
"I'm more than all right," she said, her voice emerging even and measured. "This *is* what I wanted. Thank you, Chief. You don't know how much you've helped me."
There was a knowing gleam in Perry's blue-gray eyes as he studied her. "Well, then all's well and good. Now, what say you get down to the City Hall and get me the story?" he said briskly, moving back across the desk to take his customary seat. "I don't want to get scooped. And where's that story you and Jimmy keep promising me?"
"I'm on it, Chief." Lois stood, and as if the motion had summoned it from wherever it had been hidden, she was flooded with all the energy she had expected earlier. The taste of victory was as sweet as it had always been, sustaining her far more than food or even coffee.
"Jimmy, grab your camera and come on!" she snapped as she exited Perry's office. "We've got two stories to grab."
Clark was safe, she thought, only now allowing herself to believe it.
Clark was safe. Superman was back in the skies. Metropolis had not failed her. And she was still collecting front-page stories. In light of all that, Lois completely forgot about the mysterious phone calls.
