Clark and Lois The Lost Years Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 3 37/46
By Ken Janney
This version is rated PG-13
* denotes emphasis *
< denotes thoughts >
[ playback of a recording or TV Commentary] / telepathic communications /
(#) footnotes
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Reminder:
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 - Canon Lois and Clark universe also called – Prime
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 – Canon Alt Clark universe also called – Alt 1
Previously:
Clark picked up a petroleum type odor when a breeze hit him from across the parking area. He pulled his glasses down his nose slightly and scanned the parking lot. He noticed a small pool of fluid under a blue Pontiac.
A couple of minutes later Adams and Crawford joined them at the car.
Clark addressed Dr. Crawford, “What do you drive?”
“Blue Pontiac, why do you ask?”
“Bill, you may want your people to go over his car. Luthor wanted Dr. Crawford to have an accident. Failed brakes would be just his style.”
If Dr. Crawford had regained any of his color since leaving the conference room he lost it again as he looked over at his car.
Henderson said “I’ll have the car towed to the police garage to give it a going over. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Just doing my job.”
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 37 – Foiling Luthor’s Plans
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Clark picked up the recording that evening and they had listened to it they knew that they were going to have a busy night. After their conversation with Henderson they knew that he wanted video to go along with the audio.
“We know that Luthor has two meetings scheduled for tonight. How are we going to get video?”
“I think a little super surveillance might be in order, what do you think?”
“Now you’re talking! I get to try out my new powers? What are we going to do?”
“I think we need to hide what we’re doing so I think that a black outfit would be the dress code for the night. We need to get the camera from the equipment shop. To be sure that the audio matches the video we should have a wireless mic for the camera. I’ll hover out of sight with the camera while you get the mic in place.”
“I could fly to the roof and reach down and use the suction cup appliance to stick it to the top of the window. Sounds like fun.”
That night it went without a hitch. They recorded the meetings with the head of the protection rackets and prostitution.
The next morning they actually watched what they had.
[(Voice 1 – Luthor) “Your revenues have been falling off for the last quarter. What seems to be the problem?”
(Voice 2 – Izzie Banks) “The customers have been giving my people a hard time. Like they’re not scared that something bad will happen any more. It’s been a long time since someone suffered.”
(Voice 1) “Then it’s about time you made an example of someone, don’t you think? Who’s been the leader of the resistance?”
(Voice 2) “That would be Jake’s Flowers on Woodbine”
(Voice 1) “Do you think a little fire would change his mind?”
(Voice 2) “I’ll see to it.”
(Voice 1) “See that you do and I expect to see an increase of twenty percent in your revenues by the end of the quarter.”
(Voice 2) “You got it Mr. Luthor. Piece of cake.”
(Voice 1) “It had better be. There are plenty of others within the organization that would like your position. Do I make myself clear?”
(Voice 2) very subdued
“Perfectly.”
(Voice 1) “You may leave now and get to work.”
(Voice 2) “Right away Mr. Luthor, right away.”]Lois put the machine on pause and said. “Well, what do you make of that?”
“I think that we need to do a little protecting ourselves. Let’s ride by Jake’s this afternoon and see what we might be up against.”
Lois nodded and pressed play again. She fast forwarded briefly until they saw the Madam enter.
[(Voice 1 – Luthor) “Mitzie, nice to see you.”
(Voice 2 – Mitzie) “What did you want to see me about Lex?”
(Voice 1) “Always jumping right to the point, no small talk. ‘How are you this evening Lex? What have you been doing lately? Have you been enjoying the girls I’ve been sending over?’ No, right to the point. Okay, here’s the point. Your girls haven’t been generating enough revenue. They either need to start charging more or start shortening the time per john. Do whatever they need to enhance his experience so that he finishes quicker and they can move on to the next client.”
(Voice 2) “The main problem is that in the last group that was supposed to show up two of them failed to make an appearance and then in the last couple of weeks I’ve lost a couple of my girls.”
(Voice 1) “Lost them, how?”
(Voice 2) “Suicide. I’m sure you’re aware of the problem. The girls that come to me don’t come willingly. They are coerced into it. You fire them and then black list them so that they can’t get any other work. Then you have someone suggest that they contact me for work. Girls that come to me that way are not happy. They are selling their bodies, not because they enjoy it and are making money as an added benefit. These girls are forced into selling their bodies. They are no better than sex slaves and you know it. You put them in that position. These girls I just lost were torn up with self-loathing because of what they were doing to survive. It got to the point that they couldn’t handle it any more so they took the only way out that they could see.”
(Voice 1) “That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t solve the problem of your decreased revenues. I would suggest that your girls take less time with each john so that they can service more each night.”
(Voice 2 ) “You know my girls don’t do that. My house has a reputation for satisfying the customers and that means that the girls spend time with them before and after. It’s not ‘Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma’am’ and off to the next customer. We have a reputation to maintain.”
(Voice 1) “Then increase your prices! I don’t care how you do it; I just expect to see a twenty percent increase in revenues by the end of the quarter. Shall I have two or three new girls sent over?”
(Voice 2) “Lex, you haven’t heard a word I’ve said have you. The girls that come to me that way don’t fit in. They are not happy with what they are doing. It’s only a matter of time until I lose more of them. Personally, I don’t like having that on my conscience. I don’t think I could handle much more of this. These are good girls being forced into doing something that they would never normally consider. Every time they sell themselves they die a little inside. It doesn’t take too much of that before they are ready to die for real.”
(Voice 1) “I don’t care how much they die inside. If they kill themselves that’s their problem. I’ll send some more girls over by the end of the week. I still expect to see a twenty percent increase in your revenues.”
(Voice 2) “Lex, you have got to be kidding. Even if you do send me some more girls, they will be raw. I’ll need to train them. They wouldn’t start turning tricks for a week or week and a half.”
(Voice 1) “Why would it take so long? They're women aren’t they? Sex is a natural act. Any woman is capable of performing the act. All she has to do is spread her legs and the john will do all the work.”
(Voice 2) “If that’s all you expect then I’ll send an inexperienced girl to you the next time you ask for one. I’m sure that you will see the difference immediately.”
(Voice 1) “Don’t threaten me, Mitzie. I’ll expect to see that twenty percent increase by the end of the quarter.”
(Voice 2) “Lex, a twenty percent increase is impossible.”
(Voice 1) “How would you like to back to being ‘one of the girls? You’ll manage the increase or you’ll be spending al lot more time on your back with your legs spread to make up the difference. Do I make myself clear?”
(Voice 2) in a subdued tone
“Perfectly.”
(Voice 1) “You can see yourself out and send my secretary in as you leave.”]Lois was the first to comment “He is so callus. He is destroying the lives of those girls and he doesn’t care! All he cares about is the revenues to be derived. We’ve got to stop him. This is unconscionable! I wonder how many girls he has treated this way and ruined their lives? Wow, and that madam, he sure has her under his thumb. Do you think we could get to her?”
“I don’t see how.”
“Maybe I could go undercover, so to speak.” She smiled at her double entendre.
He got a shocked expression on his face which turned to stern conviction as he said “No way is my wife going anywhere near a bordello. What if something happened?”
“You’re forgetting, I’m super powered now.”
“All the more reason for you not to. Just imagine if something were to happen. You might be exposed and we’re not ready for that yet.”
Tongue firmly placed in cheek she replied “But I thought that was what the girls there did, expose themselves.”
He replied “You can expose yourself to me anytime you want.”
As soon as he said it he regretted it because she reached up and started unbuttoning her blouse. He reached over and stilled her hands. “I mean in private. Not here in the newsroom.”
She looked around. She was enjoying his discomfiture and continued. “We’re in the conference room and the blinds are drawn.”
“But, someone could walk in on us any second!”
With her characteristically wicked little grin she said “We’d hear them in plenty of time!”
“I don’t know about you, but, my superhearing doesn’t always work the best while we’re ‘active’ if you know what I mean. You distract me too much.”
“Okay, spoil sport. We can save it for later, at home.”
He let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, now, what can we do about the prostitution?”
“I don’t know. Could we get the girls better paying jobs? Nah, I don’t think so. How about this – we get them to organize! Form a union, other than the one they do so much of. Maybe we could have them go on strike! Better wages and fewer johns. How does it sound?”
By this time Clark was laughing so hard his sides were starting to hurt. She looked at him. “I’m serious!”
Seeing her mood he tried to settle down. He finally succeeded. “How are we going to convince them to organize?”
“I don’t know just yet. Let me give it some thought and I still think I could go undercover.”
They drove by Jake’s that afternoon to get the lay of the land and noted that it was on the ground floor of a high rise building so it was going to be difficult to protect from fire. They’d have to think of something though and do it quickly.
comments go here To be continued in Chapter 38 – Enter the Karate Kid
