Previously on Spark of Discovery:
Lois shrugged. "They couldn't find much on the lakebed. But they did find two interesting things."
"Okay, I'll bite. What were they?"
"A mini motor, like the type you'd find on a remote controlled helicopter, and some sort of electronic box."
Clark's eyebows shot up into his hairline. "Electronic box? What kind of electronic box?"
Lois shook her head. "They don't know yet what it is. But they've passed it along to S.T.A.R. Labs. The theory is that it may be some sort of timer."
"Or a computer," Clark suggested.
"Could be."
"Or it could have housed the...you know." Clark lowered his voice to a whisper, gesturing vaguely.
"It's possible."
"Did you get to see them? The box and the motor?"
Lois shook her head again. "No, the police had already passed them on. I called Dr. Klein though. He said it will be a couple of days at the earliest before they can analyze everything. He'd going to send over some pictures when he can."
Clark sighed. "A couple of days," he echoed.
"Don't worry. We'll get whoever it was," she said, rubbing his arm affectionately.
"I hope so, Lois. I'm genuinely worried about this."
"Well, of course you are. Someone tried to...you know."
Clark shook his head. "It's not even about me," he said, keeping his voice low. "It's about all those people. The longer it takes to put this person behind bars, the longer people will be in danger."
Lois nodded and sighed. "I know." She took another sip of her drink. "Did you come up with anything?"
"No," Clark admitted, feeling himself growing frustrated again. "I've got a few messages in with the event coordinators. I'm waiting to hear back. And I guess...I'm still a little distracted."
"About last night?"
Clark nodded. "Some parts more than others. An attempt on my life I can handle."
"But you're worried about me? I thought we settled this, Clark."
"That's not exactly it," he said, smiling. "It's just...did you know that Jimmy had a bet going with some of the others here at work?"
"A bet?" Lois arched one eyebrow. "What kind of bet?"
"Oh, you know. Just how long it would take before I'd ask you out." He chuckled.
Lois laughed too. Clark could see it dancing in her eyes as well. "You're kidding."
"Oh no. Jimmy's quite happy it happened last night before the fireworks. Seems he won fifty bucks in the bet."
"Good. Now he can pay me back for last month when he borrowed my car and got a parking ticket," Lois said, crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair a bit.
That elicited another chuckle from Clark. "Come on, let's see what we can find out, partner."
***
Two days later, Clark entered the newsroom. He glanced at his watch. Only a minute late. That wasn't bad, considering the wildfire he'd been helping to fight that morning. It had taken hours of his most intense effort and concentration, but he and the California firefighters had managed to finally get the blaze extinguished. Still, five college-aged campers had perished in the inferno, though Clark had managed to evacuate ten other camping families before they too could succumb to the flames. As always, the lives lost weighed heavily on his mind, and he found himself cursing the fact that even his speed and flight hadn't been enough. The lives saved did little to cheer him, though he knew he should be proud of what he'd accomplished. Thousands more would have lost their lives and homes as well, had the fire still been burning.
"Hey. Rough morning?" Lois asked, as he reached her desk.
"Brutal."
"I saw that Superman did a great job on that wildfire out west." She was so casual the way she spoke of Superman as a separate entity from Clark.
"Yeah. But people still died. Five kids barely Jimmy's age."
"Hey," Lois said, grabbing his elbow and drawing him close. "You did the best you could. No one blames you for not being everywhere at once." Her tone was confidential, barely a whisper in his ear.
"I know, Lois," he said with a sigh. "It just...sometimes it takes a while for the horror to sort of...wear off."
"Well, maybe this will cheer you up. I just got off the phone with S.T.A.R. Labs."
Clark perked up a little at that, thankful for the distraction. "What'd they say?"
"Well, the electronic box? It was a small computer. A very sophisticated one at that. It's damaged beyond repair, so they can't pull any data from it, but it looks like it was probably wired to the propeller, to give it directions."
"So the rogue rocket wasn't a rogue at all."
"That's what it looks like," Lois said, tapping her pencil on the yellow legal pad before her.
"Sabotage."
"Just like you suspected from the start."
Clark didn't say anything toward that comment. "Any idea who manufactured the computer?" he asked instead.
"No, but it did have a chip design that Dr. Klein said he hadn't seen before. At least, not in person. He said it resembled a drawing he'd seen in a magazine a couple of months back. Guess what company was working on it?"
"Lex Labs?"
Lois nodded. "Which isn't to say that your theory on who's behind it is necessarily true," she reminded him. "Even with as much sense as your side of things makes."
"I know," Clark said, dipping his head in acknowledgement. "What else did Dr. Klein have to say?"
"He's sending over some copies of the photographs he took of the recovered pieces, now that the lab's had some time to process the items."
"That's good."
"Well, he offered to show us in person too, but I thought under the circumstances...I didn't want to risk having you hurt again." Lois cupped his cheek gently with one hand for a moment, leaving Clark's flesh ablaze where contact was made.
"Thank you. I appreciate that," Clark said sincerely.
"Lois!" Jimmy called, his voice cutting through the constant noise of the newsroom. He waved a manila envelope. "This just came for you."
"Speak of the devil," Lois said, giving Clark a smile. "That must be them." She took the proffered envelope. "Thanks, Jimmy."
"No problem."
She tore open the sealed paper to find a plain black folder inside. Inside the folder was a small assortment of black and white photographs. Dr. Klein had, on a few of them, marked arrows in red marker, labeling the components in distracted, spidery script.
"Here, let me see those," Clark said, moving toward his desk.
Lois handed him the photos as he sat in his chair. With a quick glance around, Clark lowered his glasses ever so slightly. He zoomed in on the photos, searching every square inch for a clue. He found nothing.
"Not even a serial number to speak of," he said, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Whoever did this didn't want anyone to follow their trail back."
"Filed off?" Lois asked.
"No," Clark said, shaking his head. "Nothing looks scratched in that way. It's broken and charred, but there's no scrape marks like a file might leave."
"So it was specially made?"
"Probably. Or a prototype."
"Wouldn't that have some indicator on it? In case it was stolen?"
Clark shook his head again. "Possibly. I'm not sure. It would make sense though." He frowned, then went back to searching, lowering his glasses again and going back over the images again in case he'd missed something. "Wait a second. It looks like there's a number here, under this charred section here. I missed it the first time around."
"What's the number?"
"Looks like a one."
"Okay, so it's the first one off the assembly line, you think?"
"Possibly." He paused for a moment. "You know, I was thinking."
"About what?"
"Well, Jack."
"What about him?" Lois asked as she glanced around the bullpen.
"Think about it. He's a street kid. He used to deal with items that weren't exactly legally obtained. He might know someone who knows something about the, uh, stone."
"Assuming it was stolen."
"It has to be, Lois. As far as I know, the piece that Wayne gave my dad for safe keeping was completely destroyed. But the piece that got sent off to the lab for testing was never recovered. My guess is that it got into the wrong hands and wound up on the black market."
"Okay," Lois said, nodding her agreement. "Even if that's the case, what are you going to tell Jack?"
Clark bit his lower lip in thought. "I haven't quite worked out the wording yet. And I'm only thinking of it as a last resort. Let's try to track down the chip's owner first."
"Didn't you have a call in with the committee who oversaw the firework display?"
"I did, but they claim to be just as mystified as we are about the whole situation. Although, guess whose payroll they're on."
"Wild guess. A certain billionaire who happens to live in town?"
"Bingo," Clark said, raising his eyebrows.
Lois frowned. "Two connections to Lex," she muttered.
Clark nodded but did not comment.
"And Lex has never been the one to sponsor the fireworks before," Lois said, apparently thinking aloud. "It's usually done through the city. But with the budget cuts this year, the city couldn't afford the display."
"Enter Luthor, appearing as the noble savior of a beloved Metropolis tradition," Clark said, picking up Lois' train of thought. "With pockets like he has, the fireworks display would have been chump change. Meanwhile, he would be privy to exactly what the display would entail."
"Which would put him in the perfect position to know when the most opportune moment would be for one very different firework to be set off," Lois finished for him. She sipped thoughtfully from her coffee.
Clark nodded again. "Makes sense to me."
Clark's phone rang then, shattering their thoughts and sending tendrils of ideas shooting off into every direction at once. He picked up the receiver and cradled it between his ear and shoulder, giving Lois and apologetic smile as he did so.
"Daily Planet. This is Clark Kent," he said, identifying himself to the caller. "Hey, Bobby. Uh-huh. Right. I see." Clark nodded as he spoke. "Okay, that's great. Give us twenty minutes. 982 Union. Got it. Thanks, see you then." Clark hung up the phone, a hint of a smile on his face. "That was Bobby Bigmouth."
"He have something for us?" Lois asked, excitement creeping into her voice.
Clark nodded again in affirmation. "Seems like one of the committee members approached him with some information."
"Why wouldn't they come straight to us?"
"I don't know," Clark said with a slight half-frown. "But he's with Bobby now."
They stood together. Lois hooked her arm intimately with Clark's, which brought a smile to his face and caused his heart to skip a beat. It was amazing, he thought, that after her initial shock and anger over his secret, she had so quickly come around to acceptance. And, more even astounding to him, their friendship had not only survived, but had strengthened and thrived.
"Let's go, partner," she said, giving him a smile.
***
Bobby met them in the very back of a fresh fish store. Lois gagged as they entered and even Clark's eyes watered. The stench of raw fish assaulted his sensitive nostrils like a literal blow to his face. He silently gave credit to the workers who milled about, seemingly oblivious to the overpowering odor. Even Bobby looked a little green around the gills. The professional snitch didn't even so much as glance into the bag full of food Lois and Clark gave him in exchange for the lead he'd brought them.
Bobby was with the committee member; a short, red-faced, overweight, if not nervous but kindly looking man in his late forties. Bobby introduced him as Jeff Lawson. Jeff nodded to them politely, but did not offer his hand. His blood-stained apron told them that he worked at the store as a butcher.
"Miss Lane. Mr. Kent," he greeted them warmly, though his eyes darted about the room as if expecting someone to jump out of thin air to attack him. "I'm glad you could meet with me."
"Thanks for having Bobby contact us," Lois said.
"You have some information for us?" Clark chimed in. "Regarding the incident at the Metropolis park the other night?"
Jeff nodded. "I do. But, uh, you won't reveal that I'm the one who told you anything, will you? If it was ever discovered that I was the one who tipped you off..."
His voice trailed for a moment as he used his bare forearm to wipe at his brow. Despite the refrigerator-like temperature of the place, he was sweating. Once again, Jeff's eyes swept the room, looking for potential enemies.
"No, of course not," Clark assured him. "We'd never reveal a source who wanted to remain anonymous."
"Everything we say and do here is completely confidential," Lois added. "You can trust us."
Jeff nodded once again. "I know. That's why I chose to contact you out of all the other reporters in Metropolis. You get results."
"We do try," Clark said, giving the man what he hoped was a comforting smile.
"Yes, you certainly do," Jeff agreed.
"So, what do you know?" Lois asked after the man fell silent, as if in thought.
"Nothing for certain," the butcher said, his eyes again attempting to ferret out spies. "But, well, I saw someone enter the area where the boat was docked. You know, the one with the fireworks. The whole operation is computerized, from driving the boat to where it needs to be, to shooting off the fireworks with nanosecond precision. Our system even handles the music that gets pumped into the park."
"And you saw someone by the boat?" Clark prompted, trying to steer the man back on course.
"Yes," Jeff said, inclining his head ever so slightly. "He had a briefcase with him. He didn't see me; I'm sure of it. I was pretty far away. I saw him through a pair of binoculars. I like to go to the park and do some bird watching from time to time. It's sort of a hobby of mine. Anyway," he said, pulling himself back from his tangent, "I saw a man heading toward the boat area. That's off limits to the public when we're setting up for the display. A minute or two later, he came back, still holding his briefcase, strolling back across the park acting casual."
"Did you see what this man did?" Clark asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm and neutral.
Jeff shook his head. "No. A line of tall hedges provided a screen. I lost sight of him. But, as I said, it was only a couple of minutes before he reemerged. When he was out of sight again, I went to check on the fireworks. I thought maybe he'd stolen some. But they were all accounted for. I thought maybe he was just someone who wandered into the area by accident and realized his mistake before turning around to head back the way he came from."
"But you're not convinced of that now," Lois said, looking for confirmation of her own suspicions.
"That's correct," Jeff said. "I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days. I think he did steal a firework, and replaced it with the one that went rogue. It wouldn't have taken him long, if he knew what he was doing."
"Mr. Lawson, can you give us a description of the man you saw?" Clark asked.
"Better than that," Jeff said. "I can give you a name."
"A name? You know this person?" Lois asked.
Jeff nodded. "As a committee member, I've recently had a lot of dealings with him. His name is Asabi. And he works for..."
"Lex Luthor," Clark jumped in, finishing the man's statement for him. He took a breath and let it out in a controlled manner.
"Yes," the butcher said. "Like I said, I can't confirm anything. I'm only telling you what I saw and what I believe happened."
"Mr. Lawson," Clark said, noting the man's distinct unease, "why come to us? Why not the police?"
"Because, Mr. Kent, I'm afraid. LexCorp owns this business. If I went to the police and things got traced back to me, I don't know what might happen. The store gets shut down, maybe. I get put on a blacklist so no one will hire me. I have a wife and four kids to provide for, as well as mortgage to pay. I can't afford to lose this job...or...or have other unfortunate things happen to me."
"Asabi could find out that you spoke with us too," Clark argued.
"That's true. But everyone knows that you and Miss Lane have a connection with Superman. Perhaps you could get word to him to watch over things?"
"We'll talk to him," Lois said, nodding, knowing the message was already delivered.
"Thank you," the nervous little man said, sounding genuinely grateful, and breathing a small sigh of relief.
"Anything else?" Lois asked, scribbling notes on a small pad of paper.
Jeff thought for a moment. "No, not that I can think of."
"Thank you," Clark said, dipping his head toward the man, rather than grabbing his hand, which bore the same overpowering odor of fish. "We appreciate the help."
"My pleasure, if it will help you find out exactly what went on," the butcher said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my post."
"By all means," Clark said, gesturing toward the door, beyond which the man's knives and coworkers awaited.
***
"I'll be damned," Perry said, wandering over to Lois' desk. "I still can't believe this."
"Believe it, Chief," Lois said, putting down her mug of coffee.
"This has got to be the story of the year. Maybe the of the decade." Perry shook his head in disbelief. "One of the world's biggest philanthropists turns out to be one of the world's biggest criminals. And to think, I used to admire the man."
"It's not your fault, Chief," Lois said. "Lex had just about everyone fooled."
"Yeah, well," Perry tried to argue before finding it difficult to verbalize the right words.
"At least he's behind bars now, where he can't hurt anyone anymore," Clark said. "Although it does bother me that he escaped some of the charges, simply because the people he'd used were conveniently unable to take the stand. Like Dr. Carlton, who has basically been in a comatose state, ever since the smart kids incident. Or all the others who are no longer alive."
"Well, son, even Elvis didn't knock 'em dead with every song. Either way, Lex is away for life. He won't ever see the sun shining again except through metal bars and barbed wire lining the exercise yard."
"Yeah, I know," Clark said, not convinced. He wished he could have done more, somehow, to ensure that every charge stuck and that every person affected by Lex's actions had their closure.
It had been a month since Lois and Clark had gotten the tip from Jeff Lawson, the man who'd indentified Asabi. Asabi, in turn, had identified Luthor as the brains behind the experiment, after Superman had brought him into the police station. The police, of course, had been notified of the man's involvement in the firework debacle, and had been looking for him. They had been most thankful for Superman's help.
Henderson and Wolfe had interrogated the man for hours. Asabi must have known how deeply in trouble he was. He'd cut a deal, offering up as much of Lex's criminal activities as he knew about, in exchange for leniency from the judge. He too, was currently behind bars, and would be for the next thirty years. Clark wasn't happy about that. After all, the man had been instrumental in some of Lex's illegal dealings. In fact, he'd been the one to carry out some of those activities, to say nothing of the fact that he'd never once tried to talk Lex out of his plans. He'd even admitted it, for crying out loud! Thirty years somehow didn't quite feel like justice.
Still, it was a relief to Clark that both men were locked away and no longer possessed the ability to hurt anyone else. He just hoped that Lex didn't still have any cohorts on the outside, who could still carry out his wishes.
Perry laid down the copy of that afternoon's edition of the Daily Planet. In bold, defiant letters, it proudly proclaimed that the House of Luthor had fallen with the trial's conclusion. One of Jimmy's photographs, of a snarling, enraged Lex, graced the front page of the paper, right alongside the article Lois and Clark had both worked on.
"You know, kids, I'm seeing a joint Kerth award in your future. Keep up the good work."
"Will do, Perry," Lois dutifully answered. She gave him a bit of a salute, making the editor chuckle.
"Now, I want you two to listen to me, and listen good. I don't want to hear any arguments, you understand me?"
"Of course, Chief," Clark said, from his perch on the edge of Lois' desk. "What's up?"
"Well, it seems to me you two have been all work and no play ever since that night in the park when this whole thing started. Now, I want you two to go and take a couple of days. Rest up. Relax. Recharge. Then get back here and give me more award-worthy stories. Got it?"
Clark shrugged and shared a look with Lois. She looked as eager as he did to take a step back from their work. Ever since the night of the fireworks and carnival, they'd barely got a break from their investigation. They hadn't discussed the Superman thing. They hadn't discussed their abandoned plans for a date. Clark was more than ready for the opportunity to spend some time with Lois outside of their work obligations, if she wanted to, that was.
"Loud and clear," Lois answered Perry.
At the same time, Clark said, "Sounds good to me, Chief."
Perry blinked as his two top reporters willingly and eagerly accepted his order to take a few vacation days. Clark knew the man was stunned, not by his own agreement, but by Lois'. It was rare that Lois ever seemed happy to get away from her work.
"I'll be," Perry mumbled. "Lois, honey, are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. I just happen to think you're right. Clark and I do need some time away from the bullpen."
"This, uh, wouldn't have anything to do with your budding romance, now would it?" the editor teased in his soft Southern drawl. His eyes twinkled and he smiled knowingly at them both.
"Are we that transparent?" Clark wondered aloud.
"Like glass," Perry said, chuckling.
"Were you in on the betting pool too?" Clark asked, chuckling himself.
Perry shook his graying head. "Nah. I don't like to get involved in things like that. I prefer to leave that for the younger crowd."
"Like Jimmy?" Lois said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Like Jimmy," their boss confirmed. "Now go on. Get out of my newsroom before I throw you two out of here," he teased lightly. "I better not see hide or hair of either one of you before next Monday. Got it?"
"Got it, Chief," Clark said.
Perry laughed again and walked away from the desk, heading to the coffee break area. Clark could hear him whistling a tune; "Don't Be Cruel" he realized after a few notes. It brought a smile to his face, to see Perry in such high spirits. There had been more than a few times during the course of the Luthor investigation when he was sure his boss was going to pop a blood vessel in his annoyance and stress.
Clark slipped from his perch and stood next to Lois' desk. He shoved his hands into his pockets, filled with the uncertainty that always plagued him when he wasn't exactly sure what to say to his partner. Lois didn't seem to notice his unease. She merely got to work shutting her computer down. That seemed like a good idea to Clark, so he drifted to his own desk and shut his machine down. After a moment, Lois appeared before his desk.
"Ready?" she asked, giving him a smile.
Clark nodded. "All set."
"Great. I'm starving. What do you say we go get something to eat?"
"Sounds great. You have any place in particular in mind?"
"I'm not picky," Lois said, with a shake of her hair. Her dark tresses bounced with the movement, captivating Clark. "Although, I do hope we can make it to Antonio's during our week off."
A slow grin curved Clark's lips. He let it come, unchallenged. "You still want that date with me?" he teased her.
Lois rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Like you haven't been thinking of it every day since I first agreed to go out with you."
Clark spread his hands in admittance. "You got me there. How does tomorrow sound? Say, seven o'clock?"
"Sounds perfect."
"Great," Clark said, his grin going even wider. "I'll call Kenny tonight. In the meantime, how about we go back to my place...or yours...and I get us some of that Chinese food you enjoy so much?"
Clark linked her arm with his. Together, side by side, they walked through the newsroom. A few coworkers gave them approving smiles as they passed, though Clark got the impression that he and Lois weren't supposed to see those looks.
"I'd say that it sounds like the perfect evening," Lois said, her grin matching his own. "I'm just glad this investigation is over now so we can focus on what's really important."
"Me too, Lois," Clark said, his heart soaring within the confines of his ribcage.
To Be Continued...
