The familiar characters of this story are not my own but are the property of corporate entities (DC Comics, December 3rd Productions, ABC television, etc.) other than myself. This work is a labor of love and is presented with no expectation of remuneration.
“The End Of The Road” is the third story in the author’s “Road” trilogy, comprised of the stories “The Road Taken” and “Further Down The Road.” This trilogy is not to be confused with several other excellent long-form multi-part stories featuring the word or the concept of “Road” in either the title or the narrative.
<<< Chapter One >>>
Lex pulled the throttle back and slipped into the tiny island’s harbor. “The shore drops off fairly quickly here, and it can be difficult to climb up from the water when the tide is this low. How close do we need to get to the island for you to stay dry?”
Clark leaned over the side railing and eyeballed the distance. “Six feet closer would be better.”
“Done,” Lex replied. He slowly turned the boat so that the stern pointed at land. He backed the boat several feet, then shut down the motor. “Any closer and we risk damaging the screws against the rocks. Can you make that jump?”
“I think so. Hand me a rope in case I fall in.”
“Sailors refer to ‘ropes’ as ‘lines.’”
Clark tilted his head and grimaced. “Then hand me a ‘line,’ please.”
Lex gave him one end of a line, the other end of which was secured to a cleat in the stern. Clark climbed up to the stern railing on the launch and got his balance, then leaned forward and pushed towards the land. He jumped the twelve-foot distance with four feet to spare.
Lex nodded as Clark secured the launch to a rock. “Impressive leap, Clark. I believe your powers are coming back.”
“Not as quickly as I’d like.”
Lex shrugged. “One cannot disregard either the laws of physics or our own physical limits with impunity.”
“Superman does it all the time.”
“Superman is a very special case. You should endeavor to emulate him.”
Clark almost grinned. “Toss me Lois’ swimsuit, please. I’m sure she’s ready for it by now.”
Lex turned and grabbed the suit from the seat cushion in the stern. “Please don’t peek while she’s changing.”
Clark caught the wad of fabric and turned to climb the slope to the island’s peak. “As if I’d survive a stunt like that. Be right back.”
Lex watched Clark scramble up the rocky incline and marveled at his agility. He was close to death not two hours ago, thought Lex, and now he’s fitter than I ever was.
Lex shook his head and turned away. There was something he needed to do, something that at the moment even Superman couldn’t do. Something that his guilt in allowing Nigel St. John so much access to, influence over, and control of LexCorp’s executive suites all but demanded that he do.
He had to take care of Arianna Carlin Luthor.
And he had just the tools to perform that job.
*****
Clark stopped just below the lip of the small depression which topped the island. “Lois? Are you up there?”
“Yeah,” she called out. “Don’t come up just yet.”
“Okay. I have your swimsuit with me. Are you coming to get it or should I toss it up to you?”
“Just toss it over the edge. I’ll come get it.”
“Okay.” His hook shot would have been true from mid-court, he mused. “Hey, why can’t I come up there?”
“Because I’m sunning myself. I really need the energy.”
“So? You’re sitting in the sun?”
“Maximum solar exposure, Clark.”
“What?”
He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was embarrassed. “The more skin I can expose to the sun, the faster I can recharge.”
He grinned. “I see. Or, rather, I don’t see, but I understand.”
Her embarrassment segued into exasperation. “Yes, Clark, I was sunbathing naked. Are you happy now?”
He shook his head. “Only if you are, Lois.”
He listened as she grunted and skidded and wrestled her way into her swimsuit. Finally, her head appeared over the lip of the island’s top. “My powers aren’t recharged yet. I used up just about everything I had to get this far. Can you give me a hand getting down?”
“No problem.” He looked to his left and pointed. “I think the footing is better over here. It’s not as steep a drop.”
“Thanks.” She scrambled down the grade with little trouble and grabbed his hand to steady herself. Then she looked directly into his face. “I’m sorry about Rebecca, Clark. I really hope she’ll be okay.”
He felt his face darken despite his attempt to control himself. “So do I.”
*****
Clark got to the bottom of the incline just in time to catch Lois and keep her from falling into the water. “Thanks,” she muttered.
“You’re welcome.” He reached down to release the line from its impromptu mooring and stopped to listen as Lex spoke over the radio.
“That is an affirmative. Operation Omega Alpha Gamma Lambda. Execute. I say again, execute. No delay. Over.”
The speaker crackled to life. “Confirm operation Omega Alpha Gamma Lambda. Over.”
“Confirmed. Authorization two-gamma-eight-one-zero-echo.”
“Two-gamma-eight-one-zero-echo confirmed. Hermes base out.”
“Zeus is ten-four and ten-ten. Out.”
Clark glanced at Lois and sent, -* Did you hear that? *-
-* Yes. *-
-* Know what it means? *-
-* No idea. Why? What’s the problem? *-
Instead of sending a response, Clark jumped into the boat and turned to lend a hand to Lois, who leaped aboard nimbly. When she was safely aboard, he coiled the line and stowed it below the cleat at the stern. “We’re clear of the shore, Lex.”
“Good. I estimate that we should reach the harbor in fifty minutes, plus ten to fifteen more to maneuver to the LexCorp docks.” Lex looked back and asked, “Are you both ready to go?”
“More than ready,” sighed Lois. “Get us out of here.”
Lex turned over the engine and started it, then guided the boat out of the rocky harbor and pushed the throttles all the way up. The resulting roar made Lois flinch and cover her ears. “Ow!” she yelled. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
Clark looked at her and shook his head.
“Why didn’t you tell me that my powers would come back before my control did?”
Clark shook his head and touched his ear. -* Can’t hear you, Lois, *- he sent. -* The motor’s too loud. *-
-* The stupid motor’s so loud that I – Oh. Ha and ha. Not to mention chuckle, guffaw, and chortle. You need a new joke writer. The one you’ve got is terrible. *-
-* Sorry. To tell you the truth, I didn’t warn you because I don’t have to re-learn my control. I guess your powers work a little different than mine do. *-
-* Yeah, flaunt your heritage at me! Make fun of the mere human girl! *-
He grinned at her. -* Why don’t you try to get some rest, lay back in the sun? *-
-* That’s my plan, farm boy. Don’t disturb me until we get close to land. *-
Clark nodded and stood, then made his way to the cockpit of the small boat where Lex was holding the wheel as they cut through the slight chop. He looked at Clark and smiled. “The surface is flat enough to run the craft at full throttle, but she’ll have to be serviced when we get back. There may be some dents in the hull and the engines will probably have to be rebuilt.”
“If you say so. Remember, Kansas doesn’t have very many large bodies of water. I don’t have much experience on deep-water boats.”
“I understand. May I ask you a personal question?”
Clark hesitated a moment, then nodded again. “Sure.”
“Do you plan to retrieve that sample of green crystal from the ocean?”
Clark blinked. That question hadn’t even been on his radar, much less on the list of things Lex might ask him. “No. Besides the danger of drowning I’d be in if I did find it underwater, I don’t know exactly where it is, and it’s extremely unlikely that anyone could find it out there. I’m pretty sure Arianna Carlin won’t think to go get it, even if she knew where it – “
Suddenly it hit him. Alpha Gamma Lambda, the letters of the Greek alphabet corresponding to the English letters A, C, and L – there is no Greek letter C and Gamma was the third letter. ACL was Arianna Carlin Luthor.
He suddenly realized that Lex was staring at him. “What’s wrong?” Lex asked. “Did you forget something?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten anything. But I just realized something.” He leaned closer to Lex and spoke with more force. “You’ve done something, started something with Arianna Carlin, haven’t you? Who were you talking to when we got here? What did you tell them to do?”
Lex checked the boat’s heading and made a slight correction. “That conversation was not for your ears.”
“Really? Remember that I’ve got great hearing! If the boat weren’t roaring so loudly, I’d hear your heart beating faster, wouldn’t I? You’ve done something. What is it?”
Lex sighed. “I don’t want to involve either of you.”
Clark goggled at him. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think? We were involved when Nigel came aboard your boat to kill us! Now tell me what you’ve done!”
Lex’ head snapped around and his eyes flashed. “I am no criminal to be harassed by an out-of-uniform superhero! I will not be commanded while on my own property!”
“You don’t own the ocean!”
“I own this boat and I am captain, by both statute and precedent! You cannot order me to do anything!”
Lois’ hand snaked between them and pulled the throttles back. “You boys are interrupting my beauty nap. Either of you want to tell me what the problem is?”
Clark glared at Lex for a moment as if challenging him to speak, but Lex only set his lips in a firm line and returned the glare. Finally, Clark crossed his arms and said, “He’s started something with Arianna Carlin, some kind of operation. Someone from LexCorp is going after her.”
Lois’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “What? Lex, are you nuts? That’s a job for the police, not your security people!”
Without looking away from Clark, Lex replied, “My people are all former military, former law enforcement, or former mercenaries, and they are quite well-trained in all aspects of small-arms operations. They can handle whatever security Arianna might have around her.”
“It doesn’t matter! You’re not the cops and your people have no authority to make arrests! What do you – “
She stopped talking and her eyes widened. Clark frowned as he tried to follow her reasoning, then the same conclusion came to him. “Your people are going in with guns blazing, aren’t they?” he demanded. “They have orders to kill her, not capture her!”
Lex huffed. “Of course they have no such orders! I doubt that they would obey orders such as those even if I were foolish enough to issue them. They are to capture and hold Arianna and anyone else found with her for the police, preferably without any injuries and definitely without anyone dying.” He turned to Lois and glared at her. “I would have believed that you, of all people, would not think me so petty and vindictive. My only goal is to put a stop to her depredations, not to become an armed vigilante.”
Lois put her hands on her hips and took a breath to respond, but Clark lifted one hand. “Wait a minute. You already had this plan in place, didn’t you? All you had to do was tell your people to execute it.” Clark shook his head. “I suppose you have contingency plans in place for any number of situations, don’t you?”
Lex froze to the deck with his mouth partly open. Before he could respond, Lois asked, “Do you have any plans for Ultra Woman or Superman?”
Lex’ mouth snapped shut and he took a deep breath. He let it out slowly and inhaled again, then said, “Yes. I do.”
“What are they?” Lois demanded.
“Lois, my dear, I’m not certain that this is the right place or time to – “
“I’m making it the right place and the right time. Tell me what you had in store for us.”
Lex sighed and looked over the prow of the boat. “At first, the plan was to discover some weakness of Superman’s and hold it at the ready in case he – you, Clark – turned out to be less than you were advertised. Later, the plan was revised to present you with a refuge if you were somehow injured. That plan was later expanded to offer the same refuge to Ultra Woman should she become incapacitated.”
Lois nodded, apparently mollified. Clark leaned forward. “What caused you to change your mind about me?”
Lex still didn’t look at Clark as he answered. “The growing body of evidence that your self-ordained purpose was to help people in trouble. I had my staff compile dossiers on both Superman and Ultra Woman, and we were unable to discover a single instance where either of you had acted in obvious self-interest or against the public safety.”
Lois crossed her arms. “How about that, Clark? We don’t act in obvious self-interest.”
Clark caught a twinkle in the other man’s eye as he responded. “That is true. But, after reviewing the logs of each of your public appearances, we also decided that Ultra Woman either had anger issues or suffered from periodic bouts of something akin to PMS.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. “You – you what?”
Clark chuckled. “Lois, you do tend to handle the bad guys a little roughly sometimes.”
Her jaws snapped shut and her eyelids narrowed. “Oh, really? Well, I think you two can just swim back!”
She spun and marched to the stern of the boat with a huff. Clark lifted one eyebrow at Lex and said, “Well played, sir.”
Lex’ eye twinkled again and he let out a long breath, then pushed the throttles forward to their stops. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure that I would not be swimming in fact as well as in her wishes.”
“Yeah, right after you accused her of being hormonal? That was either dumb or very cagey, and I’m inclined to think the latter.”
Lex’ smile dimmed. “It was for the sake of my own ego, I admit. Nigel’s perfidy will have far-reaching consequences.”
“Like that operation you kicked off a few minutes ago?”
Lex turned to face Clark’s bland expression. “I hoped you had been deflected from that little detail.”
“Not likely. You want to tell me what’s going on?”
Lex took a deep breath and said, “I would rather not. The less you and Lois know about what is going to happen in regards to Arianna, the safer you will be. Should something go amiss, there will be legal and business repercussions, and I would prefer not to drag either of you down with me.”
“You’re going to have legal problems whatever happens, don’t you think? You’re a civilian, not a law enforcement agency.”
“Do you recall Ross Perot of EDS sending his security people into a hostile foreign nation some years ago and effecting a hostage rescue? Should my operation succeed, that is how it will be spun in the media and to the police. My people really are trying to capture Arianna, not execute her.”
Clark shrugged. “Okay, I give. But I want an interview with you about this operation, no matter which way it goes.”
Lex appeared to consider Clark’s proposal, then nodded. “Very well. My only condition is that you take whatever time you require to see to Rebecca. If she – when she awakens after her surgery, she will need to see a sympathetic face.”
“That goes without saying.” Clark looked out over the water. “How much longer before we make port?”
Lex checked the instrument panel. “I estimate arrival in port in approximately forty minutes, depending on the traffic on the harbor at the time.”
“So we should get there before dark?”
“Easily.”
“Good. Thanks.”
Clark sat back and studied the waves they were currently skipping across. He’d been unable to prevent Nigel from shooting Rebecca. He’d been helpless when it became obvious that she wouldn’t survive the boat trip back to shore. And he’d had to allow Lois, in her depleted state, to carry her to Metropolis Hospital.
Would Rebecca survive? If she did, would she blame him for her injuries? Would she renew her declaration of love or would she fear the thought of him for the rest of her life?
The biggest question – to him, at least – was how he felt about her. He did care for her. He liked her a lot. She was brilliant, hard-working, stunningly attractive, quick-minded, and utterly fearless. On top of all that, she claimed to love him without reservation. He hadn’t needed her last-minute avowal of love to know that. No, she loved him.
But he didn’t know if he loved her, nor did he know if her love was like Lana’s had been, unreserved and pure and complete. He wondered if his life would be better with her or without her in it.
Then he mentally berated himself. Lana had loved him, that was undeniable, but they’d had some serious issues in their time together, both before and after they’d married. Her almost pathological need for financial security had caused friction between them, and her tendency to grab control of whatever situation she was in caused more. It would take some time to list all of her virtues, but it would take a similar amount of time to list her faults. Of course, he could say that about anyone, including himself.
One thing at a time, he told himself. First we get to shore. After that, he’d visit the hospital and find out if there was still a choice for him to make. Then he’d find out how Lex’ little operation was going.
As highly as he thought of her, he was beginning to believe that, while Rebecca was a wonderful person who loved him very much, she might not be someone he should consider marrying. What kind of life might they have together? She was as committed to her career as he was to his, and she hadn’t given him any indication that she might moderate her commitment in any way. And she hadn’t had time to factor his secret identity into her view of their relationship. That might change things completely for both of them.
No, he thought, it definitely will change things.
He felt a nudge in his mind. -* Clark? Be strong, okay? Be strong for her. For all of us We need you. And I’ll be here for you no matter what *-
A smile grew on his face. Lois was very good at reassuring him. He sent a wave a gratitude to her, then sent, -* Thanks, Lois. You’re a good friend. *-
He felt a soft flow of warmth from her, then she gently closed the link. Probably giving me some privacy, he thought.
He was going to need it. His thoughts at that moment weren’t for public consumption.
