Missing This story is set immediately after the second season episode
Church of Metropolis. I've always wondered what might have happened if Clark disappeared for just a little too long.
My planned posting schedule is once a week. I have another part ready to go, but I could use a good beta reader/motivator to keep me on the right track. My muse is often fickle.
Part I Lois Lane was worried. When she left on her assignment that morning, Clark had not yet come to work. He wasn’t there when she returned either, but his absence came as no major surprise. Though he was reliable in so many ways, her partner had an annoying habit of disappearing for no reason at all. He was probably meeting a source or running one of his crazy errands. Still, when Perry stopped by to comment on her story and ask if she knew anything about Clark's whereabouts, her finely honed reporter's instincts began to set off some alarm bells.
Seeing the look on her face, Perry quickly sought to soothe her. “I’m sure he’s out getting us a front page headline, darlin’. If he’s not, I’ll….”
Before he could say more, Perry was called away to handle a crisis, and Lois immediately checked her phone for messages. She impatiently listened to callers babbling about her dry cleaning and an Elvis sighting, but her efforts yielded no results. She searched her e-mail next, but to no avail. Clark hadn’t been home when she called a couple of times late last night either. It wasn’t like him to be gone for this long without at least checking in with her. She tried his home number, but she was greeted only by his recorded voice on the answering machine.
Could he have gotten himself into some trouble? When she and Clark talked on Sunday morning, he mentioned that he had some ideas on the Intergang case. Had he followed up on a lead that had turned dangerous?
"Jimmy," she called out to her young friend and colleague. "Have you heard from Clark?"
Jimmy looked concerned. "Perry asked me the same thing, but I haven't seen him since the charity ball on Saturday night."
She winced as the image of Clark dancing with Mayson popped into her head. "Do you have any ideas about what he was working on? Has he asked for any research?"
"The last thing he asked for on Friday was research on Snell, but he's a dead end."
"Yeah,” she frowned. “I heard the police were about to get some information from him when he was silenced by a bomb. Clark and I followed up some leads on Sunday morning, but we didn't turn up anything significant. I wanted to keep working, but I had to go to that family get together with Mom and Lucy. I think he might have decided to work on his own. Can you check his computer to see if he came into work on Sunday?"
"Lois...," Jimmy said in a warning tone.
"I'm worried about him, okay,” she said begrudgingly. “He's my partner, and he would want me to make sure he was safe. That's what partners do."
"Okay, Lois, but you are going to explain to him why I broke into his computer if this turns out to be nothing. You know CK--he's disappeared for longer than this," he said soothingly.
She shook her head. "This just doesn't feel right to me, Jimmy. Will you do it?"
Jimmy sat down at Clark's terminal. "Just give me a sec," he told her as he typed a few commands into the computer. "CK really needs to improve the quality of his password. That was far too easy," he grinned.
“What’s his password?” she asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
“Oh, no, Lois. I’m not about to break CK’s trust like that.”
“He’s my partner, Jimmy. What if there is an emergency?”
“Would you want me to tell him your password?”
“No,” she retorted, sufficiently chastened. Clark would probably think that her password was
Superman, but there was no reason for him to know that the code she used to protect the most important aspects of her professional and personal life was
HottestTeamInTown.
"Don't waste time, Jimmy,” she commanded, bringing them back to the task at hand. “What has he been up to?"
Jimmy knew better than to argue. "Alright, let's see what we've got here." Frowning, he delivered the bad news, "Lois, he hasn't logged on to this computer since Friday.”
“Has he accessed the system remotely?” she asked hopefully.
“Let me check,” he said, launching into a series of furious keystrokes. “Nope, he hasn’t accessed the server in any way since Sunday morning. That’s when you were working, right?”
“Right,” she told him, deflated. “What about his e-mail? Are there any leads there?”
Jimmy helped her access Clark’s e-mail account, and she scoured the messages for any helpful information. Unfortunately, there was nothing to indicate a message from a source or any lead he could have been tracking. Perhaps she could find some clues at his apartment.
“Jimmy, can you print out everything Clark was working on last week and put it on my desk? I’ll be back for it later.”
“Sure. Where are you going?”
“I’m going to head over to Clark’s neighborhood to see if anyone’s seen him,” she told him as she rushed over to her desk to grab her purse. “I might even talk to Bobby if I can’t find any answers.”
“What about Superman? Doesn’t Clark usually go with him on big stories?” Jimmy theorized.
“Yes, but Superman has been dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in the Philippines since yesterday. Clark would have reported back by now if he were with him. All we have are wire reports.”
“Let me know if you find anything,” he requested as she strode towards the elevator.
“I will. Tell Perry I’ll be back later,” she managed to reply just before bumping into a visitor.
“Sorry,” Lois mumbled distractedly, hoping to catch the elevator before it closed.
“And good afternoon to you, too, Lois,” said Mayson Drake sarcastically. “Have you seen Clark? I was hoping to catch a late lunch with him.”
“So you haven’t seen him either,” Lois replied, ignoring the feeling of jealousy that flared briefly as Mayson made her point clear.
“Not since Saturday night, but we made plans to meet sometime this week for lunch,” Mayson stated with just a touch of smugness. Registering the look on Lois’ face, however, her tone quickly changed to one of concern. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s probably nothing,” Lois hedged, not wanting to share her depth of concern with this woman. “I’m sure he’ll turn up soon. Now if you will excuse me.”
Mayson would not be put off, however. “If he’s missing, maybe I can help. I do have some pull with the justice system in this town.”
“Look, Mayson, I’ve got to go. If I need your help, I’ll call, okay.” With that, Lois slid between the closing doors of the elevator and sighed in relief.
After a moment, however, she felt her throat begin to close up and her eyes begin to mist slightly. Concern, annoyance and jealousy were all playing havoc with her feelings, and she found herself wishing that Clark were here to help her regain her focus. There was something about his presence that helped her manage even the worst situation. What would she do without him?
Don’t think like that, Lane. You know Clark and his disappearing acts. Surely he’s out collecting his Cheese of the Month subscription while helping his elderly neighbor win the baklava bake-off.Mercifully, the elevator door opened and Lois was able to temporarily ease her troubled thoughts with action. She rushed to her Jeep and set several speed records in her journey to Clinton Avenue. She parked her vehicle hastily and immediately began scanning the area for clues to Clark’s whereabouts. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, she rushed up the stairs and knocked on the door. “Clark, are you there?”
Upon receiving no reply, she fetched his key from its secret hiding place and invited herself inside. Again, she saw nothing unusual in his apartment. There were no signs of a struggle, but, as she moved into the bedroom, it became clear that Clark had not been home since sometime yesterday. His dirty laundry remained in the hamper, and Lois knew that he was a stickler for his Sunday night washing routine. Even more worrisome was the fact that his wallet, glasses, and cell phone remained on the nightstand next to his bed. What would cause Clark to leave his apartment without those items?
She checked his answering machine for any clues, but the only messages on the tape were left by her the night before. As she listened to herself babble on about the horrible time she had with her family, it occurred to her that, if she had just started looking for him earlier, he might be home now. Why didn’t she start worrying sooner? Her intuition usually served her well, but it seemed to have failed when she needed it the most.
I have to find him. I just have to.Fishing her phone out of her purse, she dialed a familiar number. “Henderson, please. Tell him it’s Lois Lane.”
After a few moments, the detective came on the line. “I’ve got nothing to say about the Snell case, Lane. Go to the press conferences like everyone else,” he told her sourly, with just a hint of humor and respect.
“I’m not calling about that, Henderson. Clark is missing. No one has seen or heard from him since yesterday.”
Sensing her worry, he softened considerably. “Slow down, Lane. Are you sure this isn’t just another one of his disappearances. You’ve complained about them enough.”
Lois launched into full babble mode. “Of course I’m sure, Henderson. Clark didn’t show up for work today, but he didn’t leave a message like he normally would. No one has seen him…not Perry, not Jimmy, not Mayson…no one. And then I came looking for him at his apartment. He’s gone, and he hasn’t done his laundry!”
“He’s a single guy, Lois. Lots of guys don’t do their laundry.”
“Okay, then tell me this, smart guy. Why did he leave his apartment without his wallet, his cell phone, and his glasses? Something is wrong, Henderson.”
Henderson sobered quickly, asking, “That’s definitely unusual. Is there any sign of a break in or a struggle?”
“Not that I can see,” she replied quickly.
“Well, why don’t you come down to the station and fill out a report? I’ll make sure the investigation is done right.”
Though she trusted Henderson implicitly, she had a gut feeling that involving the police formally was the wrong move. Their recent investigation had revealed that there were several dirty cops in the department, and she couldn’t take that risk.
“I don’t want to make a report, Henderson. I just needed to know if you’ve heard from him lately.”
“You know I can’t do anything officially without the report,” he warned.
“I know that, but I also don’t want to jeopardize an investigation if Clark is working on something. Did he ask you for any information?”
“He got in touch with me on Sunday morning asking for information on Snell and Intergang. Why? Do you think there is a connection?”
“There could be, but I don’t know enough yet. What was he asking about?”
“He just wanted to know if we had any leads on Snell’s killer, and I told him I couldn’t comment. Why don’t you let me handle this, Lane? I want to see Clark get home safe and sound so he can keep you out of my hair.”
“He’s my partner, Henderson. I’ve got to take care of this,” she stated resolutely. “Thanks for the information.”
Henderson was a dead end, but she was determined to find more details about Clark’s whereabouts. She went door to door in the hopes of finding someone who had seen her partner. Although one elderly neighbor recalled seeing him return home in a “dapper looking tuxedo” on Saturday night, no one had seeing him entering or leaving the building since. Her questions about whether there were visitors to Clark’s apartment or suspicious looking characters in the neighborhood were all answered with a firm no.
By late afternoon, Lois was at her wit’s end. How could her partner simply disappear without a trace? Convinced she could learn no more from the neighborhood, Lois set out to find Bobby Bigmouth. To ensure his full attention, she decided to stop by her Uncle Mike’s restaurant for an enticing meal.
“Hi , Uncle Mike,” she said wearily.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” he asked knowingly.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” she stated without conviction.
“I don’t believe you for a minute. Come with me to the back so we can talk,” he told her, putting his arm around her shoulders.
“Okay, but can you put in an order for me?”
“Sure. What would you like?”
“Give me an extra large order of today’s best dish…to go.”
When her uncle looked at her strangely, she added, “It’s an important negotiating tool for information.”
“Ah, I see. Go on back. I’ll meet you in my office in just a second.”
Finding the door to her uncle’s office open, she sat in the comfortable guest chair and collected her thoughts. She simply couldn’t understand how Clark could disappear without leaving a single clue behind. She had checked in with Jimmy on the way over to Mike’s place, but her young colleague had no news to share other than the fact that Perry was making inquiries with some of his most trusted sources.
Where are you Clark? I miss you.“Okay, sweetie, what’s this about?”
Startled by her uncle’s abrupt appearance, Lois took a moment to regain her composure enough to say, “Clark’s missing.”
Immediately concerned, Mike asked, “Since when? You don’t think this has anything to do with the case, do you?”
She shook her head. “Not directly, but I’m worried that it is related to a story we’ve been working on.”
“When was the last time you saw him? I know he has a habit of disappearing at odd times.”
She looked at him forlornly. “No one has seen or heard from him since I talked to him yesterday morning. It’s like he has vanished from the face of the Earth.”
Mike pulled her into a hug and promised, “I’ll do everything I can to help you out. I really like that young man.”
“I do, too, Mike. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“And maybe a little bit more?” he asked gently.
She pulled out of his embrace slightly. “Maybe,” she conceded for the first time aloud.
“You’ll find him, honey. You’re the best investigator I know, especially when you’re motivated,” he told her with a wink.
One of Mike’s employees popped his head into the office. “Here’s your to-go order, Mike.”
“Thanks, Ned.” Turning to Lois, he handed her the bag and said, “Keep me informed, okay. I’m here for you if you need me.”
Hugging him again, she told him, “Thanks, Uncle Mike. I love you.”
“Love you too, sweetie. Now go and find that partner of yours.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, managing a small smile despite her worries. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Before he could reply, she was gone.
