After Nightfall: The Return of Superman
Chapter 8: Gone
Lois looked at her investigation notes with distaste. No matter how much she tried to get back into the swing of regular reporting, she just didn't seem to be able to get away from the Superman stories. In many ways, that was ironically funny. During the period before Nightfall, she had thought that any story which didn’t' revolve around Superman wasn't worth her time. Now that she could have all of those that she wanted, she was much more interested in going back to regular news and more conventional investigations. However, now that she wasn't looking for them, those stories of her husband's exploits seemed to come looking for her.
It had been almost two weeks since Clark had been trapped by the collapse of Lex Tower. The revelation that Superman had suffered a permanent loss of abilities after Nightfall had been a shock to the world, but it did make it easier for Clark to not respond to every incident.
“What did I miss?”
Lois turned to find Clark behind her. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before she could answer. “Nothing,” she said. “I thought you would be back sooner.”
“I would have been, but–” Clark looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before continuing. “I'd barely arrived in Metropolis when there was a mugging just down the block. Since I was right there, and already in the suit, I stopped it.”
“Was there anything newsworthy?” Lois asked.
“Not really. It's just...”
“What?” Lois pressed.
“I swear that there's been a big increase in the criminals trying to shoot me since they learned that I'm not as powerful as I used to be.”
“What happened?”
“There were two bad guys in what looked like a run-of-the-mill mugging. When I intervened, both of them immediately pulled out pistols and started firing at me. In fact, once I arrived, they appeared to lose any interest in their original target and only seemed interested in me. Their guns were loaded with armor piercing bullets and they made a point to aim at my head.”
“Are you all right?”
“Sure. Dr. Klein was right when he said that any reduction in my overall abilities doesn't seem to have any noticeable effect. I wish there was some way to get that message out.”
“Well, we did try. That article...” Lois trailed off without finishing. She'd tried to warn him that this exact result was likely if Superman admitted any weakness, but Clark had insisted on going ahead. Sometimes Lois hated being right.
Clark grimaced at the reminder of his mistake. “That's okay. I should have listened to you when you said that an interview where Superman discussed his new limitations was a bad idea. I should never have made any statement on the matter.”
“Well, it might have helped,” Lois said, in a conciliatory voice. “After the news came out that your powers had been reduced, some people were bound to try to challenge you anyway.”
“Yeah. But the fact is that having Superman come out and say that the loss of powers wouldn't have any effect, did exactly the opposite of what I'd hoped. I think that just about everyone assumed that Superman was lying and really was vulnerable. Now every criminal that I encounter feels like they have to find out for themselves.”
“It won't last too long,” Lois comforted. “According to my sources, the underworld is figuring out that your announcement was real. Bobby was telling me earlier today that the air is thick with stories of every kind of cop-killer and armor piercing bullet failing to do anything more than annoy you. Some of the stories of the expression on your face when people start shooting are priceless. Apparently, you have a very telling, 'not again' look of exasperation.”
“I hope you're right,” Clark said. “So, what are your plans for today?”
“You know that we've never been able to get a lead on who is running crime in this city since Lex's empire collapsed. Remember that I told you that I had a lead that might prove promising?”
“Yes,” Clark said cautiously.
“This morning I got a call from a woman who claims to be a secretary in City Hall. She says that she's seen some people coming and going who feel very suspicious.”
Clark looked skeptical. “That doesn’t' sound like much of a lead.”
“I know. But one of the people she described sounded a lot like Casey Maze.”
“Crazy Casey Maze? The guy that was too dangerous for Nigel St. John?”
“Relax, Clark. I'm not meeting him. This woman – she's going by the name Sally – described a few of the people she'd seen. Maze's tattoos make him stand out, which was why she remembered him.”
“Do you need me to come with you? I'm supposed to cover the city council meetings this afternoon, but I can switch it.”
“No need,” Lois reassured him. “We're meeting in a public place and only for a few minutes. If I were considering a meeting with someone like Maze, then you can be sure that I'd want you with me. But this Sally woman is just a low-level secretary that likes my work and wants to do something to help. She may not know anything, but if she does, then this will be a chance to establish another contact in city hall.”
“If you're sure...”
“Clark, we've had this discussion before. I'm glad that you care, but you can't get in the way of me doing my job. You know that I know how to do first-contacts with sources.”
“I know, but I will worry, so please be careful.”
~~~***~~~
The absence of the sound of Lois's heartbeat surprised Clark when he got home at 6:35 in the evening. The advantage of Superman's hearing, meant that he didn't need to bother with calling out. He looked quickly around the apartment but there was no note to be found. As near as he could tell, the apartment was exactly the way they’d left it this morning. He picked up the phone and dialed Perry's house.
The phone rang only twice before being picked up. “Hello?” It was Alice.
“Hi, Alice. It's Clark.”
“Oh, hi Clark. Would you like to speak to your parents?”
“Thank you, but not right now. Has Lois been by there?”
“Lois? No. I haven't seen her since the two of you came over for dinner a few nights ago. Were you expecting her to drop by?”
“No,” Clark answered. “I just came from the office, and she wasn't there and now she isn't at home either. I'm just trying to figure out where she went. I'll make some more calls. Tell my parents 'Hi' for me.”
“I'll do that. Good luck finding Lois. You know how she can take off after a story sometimes.”
“I do. Well, thanks Alice. Bye.”
He heard Alice say “Bye” as he was hanging up the phone.
Of course Lois could be off chasing a story, but since they'd been married she had been very good at letting him know when she was going to be working on something after hours. Sometimes she got a little secretive about the details – the habits from her time as a solo reporter were hard to break – but she almost always made sure that he knew when she was going to be out. Tonight felt wrong. Very wrong. Something had to be happening. Clark changed quickly into the Superman suit and did a quick check of the city. His first stop was the Planet, just in case he'd just missed Lois when she left. When he saw Perry in his office, he switched back to his Clark clothes and went in.
“Perry?” Clark asked as he stuck his head in Perry's door.
“Clark? Why are you here, I thought you went home?”
“I did, but I can't find Lois. Do you have any idea where she might be?”
Perry shook his head. “No. The last I heard was when she went to meet that source early this afternoon. I haven't seen her since then. Do you think something went wrong?”
“I don't know,” Clark answered. “But this doesn't feel right.”
“I'm sorry, Clark. But she's a big girl. I'm sure she's fine.”
“Yeah,” Clark said doubtfully. “She's probably at home now wondering where I am.”
“Head home and try to relax,” Perry said. “She'll turn up. Probably with a story.”
“I'll do that. Thanks Perry.” He headed out of the office and – just to be careful – verified that she still wasn't at home. Then he spent the next fifteen minutes buzzing the city trying to look for either her or something happening that she'd find newsworthy. Unfortunately, Metropolis was unusually quiet tonight and the search came up empty. Then he spent five more minutes making slower-speed passes over all the areas of their ongoing investigations. There was no sign of her at all.
When, after half an hour, Clark returned home, Lois was still not there. Now he was worried. He checked the time, picked up the phone and dialed another number. After a single ring he heard a gruff voice. “Forty-Third precinct.”
“This is Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. Is Inspector Henderson in?”
“One minute.”
After only a few seconds Bill answered the phone. “Henderson.”
“Bill, it's Clark Kent.”
“Kent, what do you need this evening?”
“I'm sorry to call you about this, but I'm having trouble finding Lois.”
“Clark, I like you two, but it isn't my job to keep track of your wife.”
“I know, Bill. But she's seemed to have disappeared, and something about this doesn't feel right. Do you know of anything going on in the city tonight that might cause her to forget to tell me she was chasing a story?”
“No, the day has been quiet and I haven't seen any reports of anything that fits that description.”
“Okay. Thanks, Bill.”
“Don't worry, Clark. I've known her for a long time. She'll turn up. Just try to relax and enjoy a quiet evening. I'm sure she'll have a great story when she comes in.”
“You're probably right. Have a good evening, Bill”
The click of the Bill hanging up the phone sounded unusually loud.
Four hours later, Clark was at his wit's end. He'd buzzed the city several times and talked to every snitch that he could contact at this time of night. He'd even called the White's house once more to see if Perry had heard anything. Unfortunately, all of his efforts came to the same end. Lois was nowhere to be found. It was as if a hole had opened up in the universe and swallowed her whole. With nothing left to try, he finally climbed into bed alone for the first time since he'd been married.
~~~***~~~
The bullpen lacked color this morning. But that only made sense, Clark's whole world had gone cold and grey. Lois was missing and he was lost.
After he went to bed, he'd lain there for a few hours listening for any sign of her coming in. After 2:00 a.m. he'd given up completely on sleep and started doing patrols. He spent the rest of the night covering Metropolis like a blanket. He'd been careful to never go more than a few minutes without returning home to see if Lois was there, but she'd never come. Other than causing a number of petty criminals to have a really bad evening, the exercise had been a waste of time.
Once he was at the Planet, he headed straight for Perry's office. Perry saw him coming and waved him in before Clark even reached the door. “Any word?” Perry asked.
“No. I filed a missing person report this morning. While I was there, I talked to Bill Henderson.”
“Now does he believe that Lois is missing?” Perry asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
“Yes,” Clark answered. “It turns out that he'd gone ahead and put out a bulletin to be on the look-out for Lois last night.”
“Well, Bill is a good man. I'm glad he believed you.”
“Yeah. He told me that after our call ended last night, he realized that Lois would have let me know if she was going to be doing anything that would keep her out. Unfortunately, that extra time didn't seem to help.”
“Are you sure Lois didn't have any plans other than that meeting with this Sally woman?”
“That's all she said. Now, something might have come up suddenly, but I have no idea what that could have been.”
“And Lois didn't give you any indication of where this meeting was going to take place?”
“No. Lois only said that it was going to be in some place public. It was clear that she viewed this as a very simple low-risk first contact.”
“Do you think this meeting was a setup?”
“Of course,” Clark answered quickly. “Don't you?”
“I didn't want to say so, but yes. I'm surprised that Lois would be able to be caught in something like this. She knows how our business works.”
“Well, she didn't seem to think this was a high-risk contact. Still, the fact that she had arranged for the meeting to be in a public place tells me that she was trying to exercise at least a normal level of caution. The problem is that generally we have some clue when to be extra cautious. Right now neither Lois nor I are involved in any particularly sensitive investigations. The research that involved this Sally woman was basic old-school influence peddling. Lois's background work had only just started, and so far all we had was a little hearsay. Kidnapping Lois to stop this investigation doesn't seem to make any sense.”
“Are you going to be able to work today? I didn't really expect you to come in if Lois didn't turn up,” Perry said.
“I need to try to do something to keep my mind occupied,” Clark replied. “I can't just sit at home. I've asked mom and dad to stay at our place in case Lois comes home, so I'll know immediately if she shows up there. The police have the number here and at home, so they can reach me at either place. If it's okay with you, I'd like to be here.”
“I understand. Do you need anything from me?” Perry asked.
“Just bear with me that I may not be at my best today.”
“Do what you can. And try not to worry. Lois can take care of herself better than anyone I've ever met.”
~~~***~~~
The phone didn't even complete its ring before Clark had the receiver to his ear and was saying, “Clark Kent.” It had been that way all morning.
“We have your wife.” The voice sounded artificial and electronic. The person at the other end was clearly using some kind of voice altering device.
“If you've harmed her–” Clark started, not bothering to contain his anger.
“She's fine,” the voice cut him off quickly. “We mean no harm to either you or your wife.”
“I want to talk to her!” Clark demanded.
“No. If you follow my instructions she will be released completely unharmed. But until then, you will not be able to talk to her.”
“Then I won't cooperate!”
“Then we will kill her. If that's what you want, you should hang up the phone right now.”
Even through the voice distortion device, Clark could feel the icy callousness of those words. “What do you want?” he asked.
“Better,” the voice said. “You are to contact Superman and tell him to appear on the roof of the Jefferson building at precisely 12:15 this afternoon. He will receive further instructions from there. Once he meets us, we will consider you to have met your obligation and your wife will be released.”
“What if I can't find him? I know Superman, but I'm not his keeper.”
“We understand. In that case then we will try again tomorrow. But that does mean that your wife will remain our prisoner for this evening. Also, if this goes on for more than a day or two, we will be forced to kill your wife and move on to our backup plan to contact Superman.”
“I'll do my best,” Clark said, “but please promise not to hurt her if I can't reach him today.”
“I promise nothing. However, I will say that we are unlikely to kill her today. Still, I advise you to do your very best to reach Superman quickly. I'm sure your pretty wife would rather be in your company than ours.”
“Twelve fifteen on top of the Jefferson building. Is there anything else?”
“Only that we will consider it an act of bad faith on your part if you tell the police about this call. We don't have any particular objection to your having spoken to Inspector Henderson last night and again this morning. But if you were to tell him about this phone call before we have the chance to meet with Superman... well, we would have to consider that an alteration of the conditions for your wife to be released unharmed. And, as is obvious, we have connections into MPD and will know if you chose to act foolishly in this regard. So, do you understand what we require of you?”
“I understand,” Clark answered seriously.
There was a click of the phone being hung up on the other end. In some ways this was comforting. At least now he knew what had happened to Lois. The kidnappers said that she was all right, but they could be lying. Still, what choice did he have? This operation had clearly been planned carefully. These people knew what they wanted, and seemed to be able to monitor his activities. At least, they knew when he'd contacted the police. Clark thought for a few seconds, then stood and headed for Perry's office.
Perry was busy so he waited for Perry to finish chewing out Ralph for his latest story gaffe. In less than a minute Ralph left the office and Perry waved him in. “You've heard something?” Perry asked anxiously. He was clearly worried about Lois.
“Yes. Lois was kidnapped. I just got a call from the kidnappers.”
Perry's face went cold. “What do they want?”
“They want to meet Superman. Since there are clearly ways to meet him without kidnapping anyone, I'm not sure how much I believe that's the whole story. I hope that they just want to be sure that he comes, but there's no way to know for sure.”
“Have you called the police yet?” Perry asked.
“No. They warned me against that. They seem to have some way to know when I talk to the police. They certainly knew about my two conversations with Henderson last night and this morning. Also, given the nature of their request and the timing, I don't see what the police could do.”
Perry was silent for a moment. He seemed to be thinking through options. “How are you supposed to arrange this?” he finally asked.
“They told me the time and the place. I really don't know what to expect, but that will be for Superman to decide.”
“Clark...” Perry started, then paused. The older man stared at him for several seconds then started again. “Can you reach Superman that quickly?”
“Yes. Chief, you know that Superman is closer to Lois and I than most people know. I'm sure I can reach him and that he will be there.”
“Okay... if you're sure this is the best course of action then you should go ahead.”
“I am. I have to do whatever I can to keep Lois safe. I know Superman will feel that way as well.”
“I'm sure he does,” Perry replied. “Did they give you any clue what they want from Superman?”
“No. But obviously it can't be good. One thing was very clear from that phone call. These people are smart and capable. They aren't doing this to get Superman to help with some small problem. Whatever this is about, it's big.”
“So, how does talking to Superman do them any good? They can't force him to do anything.”
“I don't know. They might try to keep Lois and try to use her as a lever against him. I also have some other ideas of what they might want, but those ideas don't feel reasonable. But the fact that they set all this up worries me.”
“So what's your plan?” Perry asked.
“I need to contact Superman. Then I want to talk to my parents. I'm going to ask them to remain at our apartment until this is all resolved. Perry, I'd like to take the rest of the day and see if I can get all this straightened out. In fact, depending on what... Superman needs of me, I may have to be out even longer than that.”
“Of course, Clark,” Perry said. “Do what you can to get Lois back safely.”
~~~***~~~
“Well, at least this one doesn't smell,” Clark said to the empty tunnel in which he found himself. It had been a long afternoon. Clark had arrived on the top of the Jefferson building right on time. Less than a minute later he heard a cell phone start to ring. It was under a ledge near the door that provided access to the roof. Clark picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. “Superman speaking.”
He heard the same electronically distorted voice that had delivered the original instructions. “Go to the corner of Baxter and Lake. On the southeast corner you will see a yellow newspaper box. Next to the box is a door. Go through the door and wait inside. You will receive further instructions. Bring the phone. You have twenty seconds.” Clark heard the click of the cell phone disconnecting.
It took far less than twenty seconds to find the door. The room behind the door looked like it might have once been the store room for a shop. There was another door, but since Clark had been told to wait, he didn't try to go through it. The room itself was bare except for a chair in the middle of the room, a clock on the wall and a camera pointed at the chair. At the twenty second mark, the cell phone rang again. “I'm here,” he answered.
“Sit in the chair for fifteen minutes. Under no circumstances are you to leave the room for any reason. You will receive further instructions.”
That instruction seemed odd, but with Lois at risk, Clark didn't know what else to do, so he sat down. Precisely fifteen minutes later the phone rang. “Now what?” Clark said when he answered the phone.
“You will find a map with instructions taped to the bottom of the yellow newspaper box outside. Follow the instructions on the map. You have three minutes to arrive at the next destination. Leave the phone on the chair.”
The map was right where they said. The reason for the map became quickly obvious. The instructions were very detailed and led to a deep, dirty section of the city sewer system. There was an old service phone at the end of the path. Obviously the next method of contact. At what he guessed was the three minute mark the phone rang.
“Count slowly, out loud, to three hundred. When we hear you reach three hundred you will receive your next destination.”
“One, two, three...” Clark started. He'd never heard of anything like this. He guessed that this was part of making sure he was not being followed or communicating with anyone.
When he said the words three hundred, the voice picked up again. “Look down the tunnel. You will see that in one direction there is a blue light. Follow the tunnel in that direction. Go past the blue light and continue until you come to a red light. At that point, turn to the passage on your left. Follow that until you see another red light. You will find another packet of instructions hanging on the wall. Follow those instructions.”
An hour later Clark found himself in this location. He'd been in and out of the sewers several times. One stop had been a shack out in the country, but he'd had a feeling since early on that this trek was going to end in the sewers. This place was cleaner than most of the sewer locations he'd seen today, but not the cleanest. Clark moved to a spot where what looked like a red plastic plate sat on the floor of the tunnel. The instruction had been to go to this spot and wait for instructions.
He been there only a few seconds when a portion of the wall beside him opened. “Superman, please come in.” This was a real voice with no electronic distortion. Clark tried to look through the wall, but he couldn't see anything. The room on the other side must be lined with lead.
He passed through the door into a dark room. He'd barely cleared the entryway when the door slid closed behind him. He turned to the man standing at the far end of the room. “You must know that you can't imprison me with any kind of door. Not even a lead-lined one.”
“We know. The door didn't close to imprison you. It's simply that while it is unlikely that we will be disturbed, it is possible that a sewer worker could wander by. Closing the door simply ensures our privacy.”
“Has Ms. Lane been released? What’s this about?”
“I don't know the answer to either question. I am simply a link in the chain. My job is to bring you to my employer.”
Clark was furious. This had gone on all day. They must know by now that he was determined to cooperate. “Then let’s get on with it.”
“Very well,” the man said. “Follow me.” He walked to the far side of the room and opened another door. “Superman, if you please.” and he gestured Clark to go first.
In the room was a complicated wheelchair and what looked like a metallic hood. “Please sit down. From here out you get to ride. I am going to have to ask you to wear this hood so that for the rest of the trip, you can't see where we are going.”
Clark sat in the chair. The man put the hood on his head and buckled a strap under his chin. The hood had been well made. He could breathe, but he couldn't see anything. “Can you hear me?” the man asked.
“Yes,” Clark replied. “Let’s just get this done.”
“I'm about to turn on a sound and vibration unit build into this chair. It is intended to make it more difficult for you to tell where we are going.” Clark felt the chair begin to vibrate. “Relax, Superman, you will be at your destination in less than an hour.”
It felt like the chair was moving. Then he heard what sounded like a car engine start and he could feel the forces of movement. He must be in some kind of vehicle. Then he could hear what sounded like street sounds. And he picked up some smells. First there was a bakery and then what had to be an Italian restaurant.
Clark couldn’t tell how long he seemed to be in the vehicle. Based on his rough estimate of the time and the change in the things he’d heard and smelled, it was possible he’d left the city. Right at the end, all the sounds stopped except for a vehicle sound, and it had an echo that gave Clark the impression that they were driving through some kind of tunnel. Finally, the engine sounds stopped altogether and he heard a door open. He strained for voices but couldn't make out anything. He felt the chair moving again. With the chair vibrating it was hard to tell but he seemed to move at least another couple of hundred yards.
Finally everything went quiet. “Where am I?” Clark shouted. “I demand to speak to the person in charge!”
Nothing but silence answered his call for several seconds. Then he felt a wave of pain that he recognized too well. Kryptonite! He felt himself sag in the chair. Then he felt a sharp pain in his arm. “How about that?” a voice said right next to him. “He bleeds just like anybody else.”
“That’s what the boss said would happen,” came another voice.
The lead helmet was pulled roughly off his head. The heavyset man in front of him was different than the one he'd met in the tunnel. “Listen, Supes, you need to pay attention.” The pain was too great for Clark to look up. Suddenly he felt a rough slap and the man grabbed his head and lifted it. “See those openings up near the ceiling? Those are gun ports and they're manned continually. If you make any move to escape, the men behind those slits will open fire. Based on how easy it was to cut you just now, I don't think you want them opening up on you. So don't make any sudden moves. The boss will be here to see you in a minute.”
The man dropped his head and started away. Clark mustered enough energy to look around. He was in a large cylindrical room. It had to be at least twenty feet across with a high ceiling that towered at least thirty feet above him. High up on the wall there was a large glass section in addition to those gun ports. There was a single, tunnel-like doorway through which the man had just exited. Finally, there were green glowing crystals everywhere. Most were suspended from the ceiling on wires but some were sticking out of the walls all around him.
“Well, we meet again,” a voice said from the doorway. “You have no idea how much I've looked forward to this.”
He knew that voice. He'd just never expected to hear it again. Coming into the chamber was a smiling Lex Luthor.
TBC
