The continue of a Super story: Lois, Clark & Sharlynn – Part 15
***
Welson held his breath, thinking. Both Clark and Henderson were thinking the same thing: ‘He’s going to confess.’
Indeed, Welson finally opened his mouth. “It was Catherine Owen.”
“Great,” Henderson said. “Now, what exactly was her involvement in this?”
“When the funding for the ‘Treasure’ stopped, Dr. Owen tried to make sure she wouldn’t miss the benefit it was going to provide her. So she asked us to threaten Rachel Thorn in order to force her give us what she had. She refused to do it, and I believe you know what happened then,” Welson explained.
Henderson turned to Clark. He nodded, showing that they indeed knew what had happened. “But why did you blackmail Rachel Thorn and not someone else? She was just an assistant!” Henderson went on asking.
“It was Dr. Owen’s idea. She thought that, as an assistant, she would succumb more easily.”
“Was Dr. Owen’s husband involved in this in any way?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Were you told not to tell him about the orders you had?”
“He was never even mentioned.”
“Good.” Henderson turned to Clark again, who nodded negatively to show he had nothing to ask at the moment. “All right, Howard,” Henderson called the guard that was standing beside the room, “take Mr. Welson to his cell. I’ll let you know when to bring the next one.”
Howard dragged Welson, whose hands were in handcuffs, from the arm without being too gentle with him. Then, Clark and Henderson were left alone in the room.
“Superman, there are many things you haven’t told me,” Henderson reminded him.
“I know, but it was urgent that these men were caught.”
“What about the Thorns?”
“They’re not completely innocent, but they remain the victims of the story.”
“I want them here, today.”
“All right.”
“And Dr. Owen, too.”
“All right.”
“Thank you, Superman,” Henderson said, grabbing Clark’s hand in a handshake. “You are a great help.”
“Just doing what I can do, Inspector. I have to leave now. I’ll bring the people you asked for just as soon as possible.”
He left, heading for the Thorn’s lab.
***
Rachel, Sharlynn and Jane were pacing nervously in the lab. They knew that, any moment now, Superman would arrive. After the Black team’s arrest, it was their turn.
Someone knocked the door. Rachel ran to it, unlocked it and opened it.
“Superman!” she exclaimed.
“It’s time for you to go to the police.”
“Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to us?” Sharlynn asked him.
“Well, Welson already confessed, so, if luck is by your side, you’ll be free soon. You didn’t do anything you should be punished for, did you?”
The women remained silent, thinking.
“Not really,” Rachel said. “Except, of course, that I stole some Kryptonite.”
“OK, we’ll handle it. Now, let’s go. I’ll take you there.”
“Excuse me, you mean you’ll *fly* us there?” Sharlynn incredulously asked.
“That’s what I was thinking of. I’ll take two of you there, and then I’ll come back for the others.”
Rachel blanched at the idea. Clark caught her expression and thought that she probably had a phobia of heights.
“Never mind,” Sharlynn told Clark, seeing her sister’s expression too, “we’ll take the car.”
“Okay. I’ll be following you.”
They all left the lab, Rachel exiting last and locking. Soon, the Thorns were inside Sharlynn’s old Ford, and Clark flying a few feet above them, making sure they would be all right.
***
After dropping the Thorns at the police station, Clark flew to Catherine Owen’s office. He came in by the window, and she was genuinely surprised to see him.
“Superman?”
“Yes, it’s me. You must come with me.”
“Where?”
“At the police station.”
She paused for a minute. “Why?”
“Do you know some guy named Thomas Welson?”
She blanched.
“All right. You’ll tell the police everything they need to know.”
She took her in his arms and flew away.
***
When they arrived, Clark left her in the hands of the officers and he headed to the investigation room to see how things were going. He stopped, though, to see the Thorns first. They were all sitting on a couch just beside the door, pretty bored.
“When are you going to be investigated?” he asked.
“Who knows?” Sharlynn said in obvious anger. “The line is long. First, they have to investigate the entire Black Team, one by one!”
“Who’s in now?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know him.”
“How many are there yet?”
She grimaced.
“Four,” Rachel answered the question. “Each investigation doesn’t really take a long time because they all confess, but I get the feeling that the Inspector isn’t exactly aware of what happened.”
“And how would you know that?” Sharlynn ironically asked.
“Come on, Sharlynn. If they told him everything they did to us, they would take several hours each.”
“Several hours?” Sharlynn asked in her previous tone.
Rachel grimaced. “In a manner of speaking. They did a lot anyway. And get that irony off your face.”
Sharlynn gave an angry look to her sister and then turned her head to the other side.
“They should have investigated us first,” Rachel commented. “This way they’d know what happened.”
“It’s my fault…” Clark skeptically said. “I didn’t tell him what happened because I didn’t want to waste time.”
“What’s going to happen?” Jane worriedly asked.
“I’m not sure…” Clark said. “There will be a trial, eventually, but until then… I don’t know.”
A man walked out of the investigation room, and another entered.
“Three to go,” Rachel commented.
“I’ll see you later,” Clark promised and headed to the investigation room.
***
“Superman! Here you are!” Henderson exclaimed, seeing him.
“How’s it going?” Clark asked.
“We’ve been having no problem with them,” Henderson whispered, “but things are not so clear yet. They say Rachel Thorn is dead, but you said that she’s outside waiting to be investigated!”
“I told you she disappeared. She actually faked her death. And these men believed she was really dead.”
“I feel sorry for the judge that’s going to judge these people. Both the Black Team and the Thorns.”
“Inspector, if the Thorns were just trying to protect themselves, shouldn’t they be considered innocent?”
“Yes, but that’s not so easy. Listen, Superman, after the investigation is finished, the Black Team stays here and the Thorns at their house, at least for the moment. And I want Clark Kent and Lois Lane here.”
“All right, Inspector.”
“OK. And who has the baby now?”
“The Kents.”
“Great. Now, if you excuse me, I have to investigate this man.”
“Sure, Inspector. I’ll see you later.”
***
(Two weeks later)
“At last!” Lois exclaimed, exiting the Hall of Justice with Clark by her side. “Everything’s over. The Black Team isn’t going to bother anyone anymore.”
“Yes,” Clark agreed, turning his head around. Lois followed his gaze, and saw that a crowd of reporters and photographers had literally fallen on Sharlynn’s, Rachel’s, Jane’s and John’s heads, who were trying to get out of the building.
“No comment,” Sharlynn was saying in a loud voice. “No comment. Let us go.”
The crowd kept on asking questions, not letting them walk but a few steps. Jane, with her baby in her arms, was having a hard time and could only whisper ‘please’. Rachel was holding John’s hand, and was trying to walk through the crowd and be sure she was holding him at the same time.
Sharlynn tried to push, but it was useless. Then, angry, she yelled:
“What the heck are you, deaf? I said we have no other comment! You were in the court and saw what happened. We are all very happy that the Black Team was found guilty, now get out of my sight!”
Everyone started backing away. The Thorns walked to where Lois and Clark were standing.
“You know how to scare people, don’t you?” Clark asked Sharlynn, somewhat ironically.
Sharlynn only shrugged in response. “Now, I believe we have something that has to be arranged?”
Everyone turned to look at the baby girl in Jane’s arms. Jane’s face was red.
“It’s Superman’s business, not ours,” Lois sadly said, after a long pause.
“Yeah, but we can’t talk to Superman. I mean, how could we ever deny giving him Sharlynn, since he did so much or us?”
“I talked to Superman yesterday,” Clark slowly said, searching carefully for his words, “and he… thinks you could… have a… deal.”
The Thorn women looked up, interest on their faces. “What kinda deal?” Rachel asked.
“I don’t really know. He said he wants to talk to you. When are you available?”
“Whenever,” Sharlynn simply answered.
“OK then, when we get home I’ll get in touch with him and tell him to go see you.”
“Sounds good. So, we’re going home. Bye.”
“Bye.”
The Thorns left, but Lois and Clark stayed there, watching them leave.
“What’s in Superman’s mind?” Lois teasingly asked.
Clark put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. After a minute he answered in a low voice, staring blankly in front of him.
“I thought that Jane has to keep Sharlynn. She got the custody for her other children too.”
“Yes,” Lois sadly agreed.
“But they could give us something in return for giving them the baby.” His eyes shined.
“What are you talking about?”
He turned to look at her.
“Rachel is a scientist. She could help us with our… problem.”
Lois hesitated. “You think she could?”
“We could try it.”
“If Dr. Klein couldn’t…”
“He didn’t really try, Lois. But, anyway, I think that she is a capable scientist and she could do something.”
“Well, sure, it’s better than nothing. So, when are you going to tell her?”
“I’m going right there, if you agree. You don’t want to think it over, do you?”
“No… No. It’s OK.”
“Then, go home, and I’ll see you there.”
He kissed her and walked away to a deserted alley. She watched him, working on her mind his idea. Yes, this could work.
With a smile of hope on her face, she walked to the Jeep.
***
