This one is a bit short, but it packs a lot of information. So...
Enjoy!
Oh, I need to add a little warning here... there's one sentence that's a bit crude. Not overly so (IMO) but others might think so. Read at your own risk!
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Lois stared down at the spilled juice on the table. There was white powder near the bottom of the glass. She turned it up and watched the thick substance pour out slowly. As she heard footsteps coming toward her room, she quickly picked up a napkin and mopped up as much of the gritty material as she could. Just before the door opened, she carefully stuffed the paper into her pocket. Glancing up at the camera above the table, she was sure she hadn't been seen. Not exactly certain why she'd done so, suddenly it seemed vital for her to know what was in her morning beverage.
She smiled up at the woman who helped her with the twins. Didn't she say her name was Sara?
And why couldn't she remember after all of this time? The girl had been helping her for over six months now.
No matter. The girl was nice and often argued with Lex for her. Anybody who did that was okay in her book.
****
Jack pulled the collar up on his jacket and waited patiently. It was quarter of three. Not long now.
Two minutes later, the door opened on the bottom floor of Lex Towers and out strolled the two women with the baby carriage. They crossed the street and entered the park through the west entrance. He waited until the bodyguard took up his post on the bench near the fountain before he approached and sat down on the bench directly behind the one the women sat on.
"Afternoon ladies," he said with a smile, though he didn't turn around to look at them.
"Hey," Sara said as her face turned bright red. "Mrs. Luther, say hello to the nice man."
Lois gazed across the park, apparently looking for Jack over there.
"Behind us," Sara whispered.
Again, the woman just stared unseeingly ahead.
"How old is the baby?" And why was there only one? Always one. What about the little girl? Had they done something to her? Why didn't they bring her out?
"Seven and half months old now," Sara informed him. Just then the baby began to cry. Sara stood and peered down into the carriage trying to discover the source of the child's discomfort.
"Could you... discard this trash for me?"
Jack was surprised to hear Lois speak. She hadn't done that since he'd been coming to the park nearly five months ago. He leaned forward as if he was checking his phone for a call so he could glance at the bench. She dropped a ball of paper on the ground, still staring ahead. Sara, nor the bodyguard had seen what she'd done.
"We need to get back to the penthouse, Mrs. Luthor," Sara turned and told her. "This little one is running a fever." She helped Lois stand and Jack watched them leave. When the guard followed them through the gate, he reached down and picked up the paper. It was a napkin. He opened it carefully, noticing that there was a thick grit on the inside. He folded it back in, got up, and hurried out of the park. His patience had paid off. Perry had asked him some time ago to see if he could manage to check on Lois now and then. He'd done that in various ways. Sara, whom Jack had learned was the nanny, brought Lois to the park every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Whenever he was able, he was there as well. And it appeared Lois wasn't as fried as Perry thought she was. If his guess was right, that lady had just given him the mother load.
****
"I'll be damned!" Perry said as he read over the report Jimmy had just given him. They had taken the napkin Lois had left for Jack to Bernie Klein at Star Labs for him to analyze. Being as the man had worked with Lois on more than one investigation, they all felt he could be trusted. Bernie was also told not to disclose anything about anything to anyone. It had taken him nearly a week to get the results. "I was right all along."
"What was it?" Jack wanted to know.
"It's a mind altering drug, capable of rendering total and complete psychosis."
"Holy hell," Jimmy declared. "We have to get her out of there."
"How?" Clark wanted to know. "We can't waltz in there and declare that Luthor has been giving her drugs."
"Clark's right. We have to have proof." Perry scratched his head as he continued to read the report. "If Lois got this to you, she's not totally gone."
"How did she know to give it to you?" Jimmy asked Jack.
"No idea. That was the first time she's ever indicated that she's aware of the world let alone anything else."
"Could we... prick her skin? Get a little blood and have it tested?" Jimmy threw out. Anything was better than doing nothing.
"How? When big brother's watching every move she makes?" Jack had actually thought of the same thing, but he hadn't been able to come up with anything that wouldn't raise suspicions.
"Let me think on it a day or two. In the meantime, I have a friend at the Forty Second who owes me a few favors."
"I thought we decided some time ago the cops were on the take, Chief?" Jimmy asked his boss. They'd gone to a couple of detectives before only to have things happen that were unmistakable warnings.
"Yeah, yeah. I should have contacted Bill from the get go. But right now I need you all to hustle down to City Hall to cover the inauguration of our new mayor."
All three nodded and left. Progress was slow, but at least they were making some. With any luck, Lois might actually be back where she belonged before she turned gray.
****
Lead after lead failed to pan out and none of the men could figure out that it was actually Lois who had been receiving the drugs. Bill Henderson, Perry's friend in the police department had told him that without absolute proof that Lois had consumed the substance, there wasn't much they could do. The detective had also issued a grave warning to his old friend. Bill suspected Luthor of several illegal activities, but had been unable to prove any of it. He also pointed out that Luthor was powerful enough to cause them all to disappear. One didn't take on an opponent like Lex Luthor unless one had serious ammunition.
On top of that, the news world refused to rest. There was barely time for any of them to eat, let alone work on their secret investigation. Clark tried a bit when he could, but between the Planet and Superman, there wasn't much time left in the day. They had to settle for the fact that Lois seemed to be fine. Jack continued to go to the park when he could, although Lois had stopped coming. He'd asked Sara about her a time or two and was told she was fine.
What Sara was unaware of was that Lois was more than well. Since the discovery of a foreign substance in her juice, she'd stopped drinking it. She'd moved the table in her room so that the camera missed her pouring the offending liquid into the plant in the corner of the room each day. Her mind was once again as clear as a bell and she'd almost laughed aloud when Asabi grumbled about the dying plant in the corner. Thank goodness it was replaced with another one.
With the clarity of mind came an unimaginable realization, followed closely by numbing depression. However, it was in the wee hours of the morning, as she sat and stared out at the night sky, that she came to the conclusion that if she was going to get out of the mess she was in, she'd have to drag herself out of her funk. She had to get out, for herself and for her children.
That also caused her a fair amount of pain. She was mother to two children that was made during a night she couldn't remember at all. Hell, she couldn't remember much of anything, other than the fact that she'd married the devil. She'd been shocked to discover nearly two years had passed since she'd given up her position on the newsroom floor of the Daily Planet and walked out of her life and into that of... whatever she was in now.
But her babies were blameless. They didn't ask to be brought into the world. They were also part of her and it was her responsibility to protect them. She fully intended to do that.
Lois watched and she listened, a task made easier because everyone thought she had lost touch with reality. She'd taken to roaming the halls and was allowed to do so because Lex felt she was harmless. Of course, she had to stay within the main living areas of the penthouse.
She discovered that the only place there was a camera was in her room. When she went to any other room, there was usually someone there. That is until Lex declared her 'gone'. After that, she was nearly ignored. That's when she started hearing things.
Lois huddled as far in the corner as she could get. She was hidden behind the floor length drapes that covered the wall of windows in the expansive ballroom. She'd listened as Lex grunted and growled through his encounter with Mrs. Cox. He'd declared that the best yet. Wanting to vomit, she thanked God he was having sex with everyone else but her these days. Apparently he found it beneath him to bed a wife without a coherent thought.
"Inform the doctor we will begin the final stage of Lois' treatment next week," she heard Lex tell his assistant.
"Very good."
Loud clicks resounded around the room as the woman walked away. Lex called out to her just before she exited the room. "Ask Lang if he's still interested in taking the girl?"
"Has she become a problem?"
"You know me well enough to know I don't trouble myself with such trivial things." Cox laughed. "I want a few tests run and since I need the boy, the girl will have to do."
"Do the tests involve operation super cell?"
"Yes. Most fortunate we have an extra puppet to play with, huh?"
"Most fortunate, but what about... your wife?" The woman practically spat the last words.
"My wife hasn't a clue she's even alive. And when we start the shock treatments, she'll do whatever I want her to do."
"Honestly, Lex, I will never understand why you felt you had to marry that woman and claim her bastard as your son."
A few hurried strides and a loud pop, as if skin had contacted skin, nearly caused Lois to shriek. She had to bite her lip to control herself.
"Don't you ever question my motives again!" Lex yelled. "I might show you favor by allowing you to please me, but you are nothing more than an employee. One that can be replaced. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Cox managed after a second. "I'll make the call right now." This time Mrs. Cox's steps were closer to a run.
Lois was glad Lex left right behind Mrs. Cox, so she could slip from the room. She was standing outside another room a while later when she overheard Cox tell Lex that Lang would pick the girl up a week from Friday. Lex was furious to have to wait that long, but finally stopped cursing long enough to make another call about one of his utility companies. Even as Lois slowly walked back toward her room, her mind was already jumping ahead to how she'd save her daughter.
And she knew that's who Luthor was talking about. During her pregnancy there had been times of lucidness that she remembered, even if she wished she couldn't. Those were times when Lex made sure to let her know that he wanted a boy and only a boy.
It took her all afternoon and half the night, but she finally formed a plan.
The next day was Wednesday and she went with Sara to the park. She nearly wanted to cry when she saw Jack sitting on the bench near the fountain. When she'd dropped that napkin, she really hadn't known who he was. But she did now. She recalled that he'd begun working at the Planet right before she left. If he was here, Perry had sent him. That was a good thing.
She waited, until Sara took the baby closer to the fountain for a better look. "Pretty day," she said and looked up.
"Very," Jack said and that was all.
A few minutes later she was on her way back toward the Tower.
****
"What do you think it means?" Jimmy asked Perry as he read the note Lois had dropped.
"I have no idea. All I know is if she wants you to leave a baby doll in that bathroom, you'll damn well leave it there," Perry told him.
"Are you sure you haven't been seen?" Jimmy asked Jack again.
"Who would think it's the same person?" Jack grinned as he leaned back in his chair. "A young professional, a work-out freak taking a break, a bum in dirty clothes, even an old lady. Come on, Jimbo, give me more credit. I only go as myself enough to let her know I'm still coming."
"Sorry, bro," Jimmy said as he clapped the other man's shoulder.
"Does anybody know where to buy a doll?" Perry wanted to know.
"We'll get Clark to do it," Jimmy said as the other man arrived late to the meeting.
"Huh?"
"Lois left another note." Perry held it out to him.
"A doll?" He looked up at everyone.
"Who knows?" Perry stood and rounded the table. They'd decided to meet in the conference room tonight. "Go get us a doll, Kent. Jack, you rustle me and Jimmy up a disguise. We're all going to the park Friday."
