The Ides of Metropolis - Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously:
In an attempt to change the subject, Lois said, "Eugene, let's go over what happened the day Harrison died."
Eugene nodded and said, "Well, like I said, I found this new program he was working on. It wasn't in the regular files, but I figured out his security bypass pretty quickly ..."
Lois interrupted, "I mean about the fight …"
"That's what I was getting to. Henry asked me how much of the program I'd seen. Suddenly he was screaming at me, saying that I had stolen his wife and now the 'Ides Of Metropolis.'" Eugene paused for a breath and then continued, "I started yelling back at him. I said I'd kill him if he hurt Lena again."
Clark offered, "So, Lena came to your apartment …"
Eugene nodded his agreement as he continued, "I told her about the fight and she said she was going to the office, to have it out with him. When she didn't come back, I got worried, went to the office."
Lois remembered having been told something and offered, "You smelled something burning, went into the utility room. That's when you found him ..."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Clark looked around and pulled his glasses down his nose so that he could x-ray the door. Having done that he quietly said, "It's Reed."
Eugene asked, "How do you know?"
Lois offered, "It was a police ... kind of ... knock." Lois leapt into action, "Quick, into the bedroom."
As soon as Clark and Eugene had disappeared down the hallway, Lois answered the door. When she opened it she saw not only Detective Reed, but two other plainclothes cops.
Without being invited, Detective Reed entered the apartment followed by the other two. When she was inside, she walked past Lois and looked around. Speaking to Lois, without even turning to look at her, Detective Reed held up a folded document and said, "I have a warrant to search the premises."
Lois was incredulous, "My apartment? Are you crazy?"
"I don't think so, Ms. Lane. According to my information, you don't actually live here any longer."
"Well, yeah, but the apartment is still in my name. My sister is coming back from California. She's going to be living here."
"So, that explains why you've been visiting it so often?"
Lois sputtered out, "You've been tailing me?!?!?"
"Well, let's just say that I wondered about just how involved in Eugene Laderman's disappearance you were. Call me wild, call me crazy, but I have a hunch that you're hiding something ... or someone." She nodded to the two plainclothes cops and said, "Check." While they started going through the apartment, Reed stood there, staring at Lois, observing her reaction. Noting the fact that Lois was somewhat apprehensive, Reed said, with conviction, "Why don't you just have a seat on the couch. This won't hurt much, and it'll be over real soon."
Lois was worried, but tried not to look it as she sat on the couch. She hoped that Clark would be able to do something.
After what seemed an interminable time to Lois, but which was actually less than a minute the two plainclothes cops returned to the living room and reported, "No one there." They checked behind the drapes and out the window in case he was on the fire escape. The second cop said, "Nope. Nothing."
After receiving the report, Reed was somewhat disappointed. She had really expected to find Lois harboring the fugitive. She said, "Sorry to have bothered you, Ms. Lane. It appears I was mistaken ... for the time being."
The reason that the plainclothes cops hadn't found Eugene was actually fairly simple to explain, Clark had taken Eugene out through a bedroom window. This window did not have a fire escape attached so when the cop looked out, not seeing a fire escape he didn't look any farther. Clark had taken Eugene to the side and had him pressed up against the side of the building, the tips of his toes on a small ledge. With their dark clothes it would be nearly impossible to see them from the street. That was especially important since the ledge stopped short of where Clark hung motionless, in mid-air.
In reply to Reed, Lois said, "I hope you never find him. Eugene didn't kill Harrison."
Reed was skeptical, "Do tell?"
Lois spoke with conviction, "Lena Harrison killed her husband."
Reed was quick with the repost, "Interesting theory. Unfortunately at precisely the time of Harrison's death, Lena was at a Neighborhood Watch meeting. She was seen by at least twenty people who positively identified her."
All of the wind left Lois's sails. This didn't square with what Eugene had told them. She sputtered out, "But why would a man set fire to the room the body was in to destroy the evidence, wait there for the police, then sign a confession? And why didn't he take the stand in his own defense when his attorney begged him to?"
Reed maintained a cool exterior, but Lois could see that her argument had struck home. There was a flicker of something in Reed's eyes that convinced Lois that her argument had struck a nerve.
Reed resumed her professional demeanor and said, "Good night, Ms. Lane. Remember to lock your doors and windows. We've got an escaped killer on the loose."
Lois closed the door behind the representatives of the MPD. As she started throwing the locks Clark and Eugene came in from the bedroom. Eugene headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water to soothe his nerves as Clark approached Lois.
"Talk about being out on a ledge." He noted the look on Lois's face. It was not a happy look. "You okay? What'd Reed have to say?"
As Eugene came into the living room Lois pinned him with her eyes and said, "Oh. Not much. Just that Lena Harrison has an iron-clad alibi for the night of her husband's death."
Clark had been starting to believe Eugene, but this revelation threw him back on the side of doubt. He joined Lois in staring at Eugene.
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 8
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast prepared by Jonathan, Lois and Clark made it in to the office. They were both working the phones trying to get to the bottom of the story. Both were spending significant amounts of time on hold so they had plenty of time for banter.
Lois held the phone to her ear with her hunched shoulder, freeing both hand to gesticulate as she spoke, "Clark, men and women lie to each other all the time. It's a national pastime. Sometimes it's okay to lie."
The Superman side of his personality couldn't be denied, "It's never okay."
With an arched eyebrow, Lois came back at him, "So, you never lied to me?"
Clark, chagrined, replied, "I didn't say that. I said, it's not okay. Besides, we're talking husbands and wives here and that was before we were married." He turned his attention to the phone, "Yes, I'll hold." He turned his attention back to Lois and said, "I just happen to think that it's always better to tell the truth, for a husband and wife to get everything out in the open."
"So, you're saying that you'll never lie to me?"
Lois could hear the sincerity in his voice as he gave his simple reply, "That's right."
Suddenly there was a voice in Lois's ear. "Transfer me to who? I've been holding ten minutes.... Ugh." Pinching the phone between her ear and shoulder, she turned back to Clark. "Okay, here's the scene. Your loving wife of twenty years has spent the entire day at the beauty shop. Dyed her hair red, got it cut ... all to please you. Except she looks ghastly. She stands there when you open the front door, so hopeful ... and says 'Honey, do you like it?' What do you do?"
Clark smiled at this little game, "My wife of twenty years would know I love her the way she is. Why would she dye her hair red?"
Their banter was interrupted by Perry White walking by on the way to his office. He stopped between their desks and gave them each a look before he moved on. Lois and Clark both smiled at him, but he maintained a stern expression. It was always best to occasionally instill a little fear in the staff, but when he got into his office with the door closed he smiled at what he had seen and heard. He was very pleased at how their relationship had been developing. Lois had always been like a daughter to him and it hadn't taken long for Clark to become like a son. Seeing them together and happy pleased him very much.
Clark returned the conversation, but in the middle it suddenly changed from the impersonal to the personal, "Okay. I'd ... tell her … you … the truth. That I love you, that I liked your hair better before, but that, if you're happy with it, that's the important thing.
Lois heard noise in her ear again and listened. When they were finished she said, "But I've already left a message. Ooooo, never mind!" She hung up in frustration. Looking at Clark with adoration, she said, "I guess I'm lucky to be married to you, Mr. Right. No, Mr.
Always Right."
Just then, Perry stuck his head out of his office and called, "Lois? Clark? A moment of your time?"
Lois gave Clark one last smile, picked up her notepad and a pencil, stood and preceded Clark to Perry's office.
When they walked in, Perry was behind his desk. He said, "Clark, why don't you close the door. Thanks."
Clark closed the door and joined Lois near Perry's desk as Perry sat down. Perry was silent, for a long time, so long that both Lois and Clark started to become uncomfortable.
Finally, Perry broke the silence, but it did nothing to relieve the unease that the pair was feeling, "Is there something the two of you want to tell me?"
Lois was still uneasy, but now she was also mystified. She had no idea as to what Perry could be referring, "No, not really, Chief."
It was almost too easy and as a result, Lois was still uneasy, especially when Perry continued, enigmatically, "Huh. Well ... good." He looked down at his desk and then back up at them before he continued, "You're sure now? Nothing you want to get off your chest, uh, chests?"
Now, instead of unease there was distinct worry. Could he be asking about The Secret? Lois looked at Clark and he looked at her and their worry looked like they were suffering from a guilty conscience.
Lois decided to keep it vague, "We'd like to tell you, Chief, but we can't. It's better this way."
Picking up on where Lois was taking this, Clark played along, "Better off
not knowing."
Perry's reply didn't relieve their anxiety in the slightest, "Well, I think it's a little late for that." Perry paused, possibly for emphasis, "I know."
Startled, Lois blurted out, "You know?!?"
Clark asked, "What exactly do you know?"
Perry's reply finally brought the relief that they needed, "You know ... about ... him. Where he is."
Lois almost swooned in relief. Perry
wasn't talking about Superman. He was talking about Eugene!
Clark was also relieved, "Oh. You do know."
Lois asked, "How do you know?"
Still being deliberately vague and secretive, Perry replied, "It's better you don't know." He looked down at his hands for a second before he continued, "'Course, I don't know officially. But, let's face it. If a man in my position
didn't know, unofficially, then, well, he wouldn't be a man in my position."
Now, Lois was worried, but for a different reason, "So, now that you know, unofficially, are you going to tell anyone else that you, you know, know?"
Perry sat back in his chair and said, "No. I just wanted you to know."
Clark was actually relieved, "Thank you, sir. I feel much better knowing that you know."
Lois added, "Me, too."
As Lois and Clark started to turn to go, Perry added, "There is something else I'd like you know, though."
They stopped and turned back to him. Lois asked, "What's that?"
Perry steepled his fingers as he said, "The minute you step outside that door, I no longer know. And I don't want to know anything else worth ... knowing ... in the future."
Lois and Clark both nodded an acknowledgement and headed out the door.
Perry watched their retreating backs and smiled. He had reasserted his supremacy again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A little later, Lois and Clark walked into Lois's old apartment. Clark was carrying a couple of pizza boxes while Lois had a bag containing sodas and napkins. Eugene was still hard at work on Lois's laptop. As soon as he heard them he jumped up and rushed over to them.
In a very agitated tone he said, "Thank God you're back. You told me not to use the phone or go out, or ..."
Lois was wary, "What happened?"
Still in an agitated tone, Eugene replied, "Nothing happened. It's what's
going to happen. I think."
Lois and Clark exchanged a look. Something, as yet unspecified, was going to happen, but they had no clue as to what.
Seeing their look of confusion, Eugene elaborated, "All the programs on your computer were sluggish today ... so I tapped into the Daily Planet computer bank. Their systems are slowed down, too."
Lois metaphorically shrugged this problem off, "Eugene, there are more important things going on than a temporary computer slowdown."
Eugene finally came to the point, "That file that Henry was working on... it wasn't a program. It was a virus. A virus designed to destroy all other software programs. A polymorphic encrypted virus."
Lois shook her head, not understanding, "Come again?"
Clark showed some level of understanding as he said, "The worst kind. It can attack any computer system, taking on different shapes to avoid detection.
Gleaning some understanding from Clark's explanation, Lois said, "Makes sense. The man was about to lose everything, might as well take everybody else's system with you."
Clark asked what could very well be
the critical question, "Can a virus just start up without the programmer initiating it?"
Eugene thought for a second before answering, "Maybe. If it had some kind of doomsday code on it. That would activate it if no kill signal was received by a predetermined time or date."
Lois still didn't know a lot about computers or computer systems. She used them on a daily basis, but to her it was simply a tool to use, like a hammer. How much did you need to know to use a hammer? "How bad could this virus make things?"
The level of concern was evident in his voice as Eugene answered, "In a nation entirely dependent on computers ... it could mean ... disaster."
Clark started to enumerate for Lois's benefit, "Banks, the stock exchange, air traffic control ... even our nuclear missiles. They're all run by computers."
Seeing the enormity of the problem, Lois asked in a hushed tone, "What can we do?"
Eugene's reply was succinct, "You have to break me into MUT."
Clark wasn't familiar with that acronym and asked, "MUT?"
Eugene explained and expanded, "Metropolis University of Technology. I need a powerful central computer system to work off of. I have to find the antidote. I teach a class there ... my students can help."
Even before doing so, knowing that it was a foregone conclusion, Clark looked at Lois and asked, "We're already harboring a fugitive, you want to add breaking and entering to our rap sheet?"
Lois shrugged and said, "Clark, look, apparently you understand these things more than I do and I don't know if he's telling the truth. But if he is ... and the virus gets out ... Besides, there's a critical facility that you left off of your list … hospitals. There are lives at stake."
Clark was still somewhat skeptical and he voiced his skepticism, "Lois, all we have is a guy, a wanted criminal, looking at a computer screen and telling us the nation's at risk." He paused to take a breath, "We need more proof. We'll have to get back to you, Eugene. Let's go, Lois. Dad's going to be waiting for us. Mom's due any time now."
Lois sighed and said, "You're right. We'll get back to you, Eugene."
They headed out the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After they left Eugene they returned to the Clinton St. apartment. Upon entering, they saw that the apartment was deserted.
After throwing their coats over the back of the easy chair, Lois moved over to Clark, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. When they broke from the kiss, Lois asked, "What are we going to do about Eugene?"
Gazing into her eyes, Clark said, "He could be right. Computer viruses are such a new thing, not that many people know anything about them. If this one does what he says it will, it could be disastrous."
"He seems to think that he can come up with a cure for it."
"If we break him into MUT, he will be ‘out there' and the police can find him."
"What alternative do we have?"
Lois was about to answer when there was a knock on the door interrupting her.
Without waiting for anyone to answer, Martha Kent opened the door and entered. She stopped just inside the door and looked around. She smiled when she saw Lois and Clark in an embrace.
Lois and Clark both smiled and arm-in-arm approached and started a group hug with Martha.
Martha basked in the love she felt from her children for a few seconds and then asked, "Where's your father?"
Clark answered, "We don't know. We just got in. Perhaps he went to the store. I'm sure he wanted to be here when you arrived. Aren't you a bit early?"
Concern in her voice, Martha asked, "Is he all right?"
Clark said, "Yeah, he's okay, but I'm not sure I am." He looked at Lois for support. "Dad says that you're having an affair with that art teacher of yours. Is that true?"
Martha pulled Lois and Clark along with her as she moved to the sofa and sat down.
In a very serious tone, Martha said, "Clark, there are a lot of things that go on between a man and woman, a husband and wife, that you two have yet to experience."
This really wasn't answering, Clark's question and he asked, "Mom … what are you saying?"
Just then their conversation was interrupted by the door opening and a joyous Jonathan entering. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers. He exclaimed, "I found them."
Lois turned to look at him and asked, "Found what?"
"Peonies! She loves peonies! These are her favorite flower ..." He saw Martha and stopped.
Martha stood, faced him and slowly moved in his direction as she asked, "Are those for me?"
Lois stood and pulled Clark to his feet. Once he was up she started pulling him in the direction of the kitchen so that Martha and Jonathan could have some semblance of privacy.
Before they got out of earshot they heard, "There's nobody else."
In a quiet tone, Martha replied, "For me either, Jonathan."
Jonathan, seeking reassurance asked, "Is that true?"
Martha put the palm of her hand on Jonathan's cheek in a gesture hauntingly similar to how Clark cupped Lois's cheek frequently and said, "Yes. You were the first man I ever kissed. You'll be the last."
Jonathan choked out, "So … no affair?"
Martha almost laughed and said, "Well ... not unless you call two cups of coffee at Maise's an affair ..."
Jonathan's expression was sheepish as he said, "I should never have doubted you. I know you too well."
Martha almost shocked him as she said, "Yes, and you should also know that just because I may qualify for membership in the Gray Panthers, that doesn't mean I'm slowing down. And it doesn't mean that I have to stop growing, experimenting, thinking, making friends with interesting people."
Jonathan replied, "I just hope I can keep up with you."
Martha smiled and said, "You don't have to. Just understand me, like you always have. Just be there for me, like I know you always will."
"But what about that picture?"
"That was an experiment. It was supposed to be one of your Christmas presents, but it wasn't finished in time."
"But, you posed …"
"Just once. He took a Polaroid, which he gave me and painted the picture from that."
"I don't know where we would hang that picture. Surely not in the living room. I don't want people ogling at my naked wife."
Martha thought for a second and then with an arched eyebrow said, "I was thinking of the bedroom."
"I'd be satisfied with the Polaroid. I can put that in my wallet."
Martha pulled Jonathan into an embrace.
Lois and Clark were standing in the kitchen also embracing watching all of this unfold. As Martha and Jonathan started a gentle kiss, Lois reached up and wiped away a tear, just before Clark started to kiss her.
After a few minutes, Martha turned to Clark and asked, "Should we take our bags and go to the other apartment?"
Lois pulled away from Clark and said, "Uh, no. About that, the other apartment isn't available."
"Oh? Has your sister arrived? I didn't think she'd be here for a few weeks yet."
Clark replied, "Uh, no, it's not that. There's someone … someone else there right now."
"Oh. Okay. Well, we've slept on the pull out before. Come on, Jonathan, let's make the bed."
comments go here TBC
