Previously on Seed of Doubt...
He stood up and paced to the dining room table where they had shared their dinner. "Last night...it wasn't a mistake. At least, it wasn't for me. What I...gave up...last night? It was to exactly the person I'd been waiting for my whole life."
"So, why did you try to push me away?" Lois asked.
Clark ran his fingers though his hair. "Because I was sure that you viewed last night as a mistake. I know you haven't had a great track record with sharing a bed with men you work with. I was afraid you'd mark me off as another disaster, even though I wasn't going to go out and steal an award winning investigation from you."
"Clark?"
"Yeah?" he asked, now feeling thoroughly punched in the gut.
"Come here," Lois instructed him, and he did what he was told, retaking his seat on the couch. Then, "I never said last night was a mistake."
"You...what?" he asked, wondering if he'd possibly heard right.
"Look, I'll admit it. I hate the idea, in general, of starting a relationship off by exploring the physical aspects of it. But, I don't know. Last night...it wasn't some stranger that I was...doing that with. It was...I don't know. Different. I thought I knew Paul and Claude when we finally...you know. But you. I know you, Clark. I know you wouldn't hurt me."
Clark nodded, in an effort to conceal how hard he was swallowing.
But I already have, he thought bitterly. And I have to continue to do it for some time to come. I need to know. Will you - can you - choose the ordinary man, without knowing of his super side?
"I guess I owe you a real date," he said instead, being as cheerful as he could. "Do you accept I.O.U.s?"
Lois smiled. "Only from special people. But don't make me wait too long, Kent. I'm patient, but I have my limits." She waggled a warning finger at him in mock remonstration.
Clark laughed and felt the last of his apprehension falling from his shoulders and chest. "I'd say tomorrow, but I doubt we'll get a table at Chez Reynaldo's with such short notice."
"Chez Reynaldo's? Clark, that place is ridiculously overpriced!"
"Maybe, but they have some of the best food in the city."
"Clark, you realize that you don't have to prove yourself by emptying your wallet on one meal, don't you? I don't mind something more low-key."
"Well..." he said, thinking. "If you're not on board with Chez Reynaldo's, there's always Lucia's on Edison and Hickory."
"Much better. I could go for their shrimp parm. Besides, we'll definitely be able to get a table there. And it's a more intimate setting - so much easier to have a conversation in."
"It's settled then," Clark said with a grin. "Tomorrow night, we'll have a real first date."
***
"Lois! Clark! What in Elvis' name are you doing here?" Perry growled at them the next morning. "You're supposed to be off."
"We know, Chief," Lois said, sipping her second cup of coffee.
"So? Why are you here?"
"We think Miranda might strike again," Clark said, looking up from the research papers they'd printed off.
"You have evidence of this?"
"Not yet," Clark said. "Just a gut feeling. But we're looking."
Perry eyed them dubiously. "Okay then."
Once the Chief had moved on, Lois and Clark exchanged a look.
"You think Alice is still giving him a hard time about Rehalia?" Clark asked.
"Probably," Lois said with a soft sigh as she watched the Chief bark at Wally. "I wish there was more we could do for him."
"We can," Clark said decisively. "We can put Miranda behind bars."
"I'm not sure that will appease Alice," she replied doubtfully. "Still, it won't hurt things, that's for sure."
The phone at Clark's desk began to ring. He quickly jumped out of the chair he'd pulled up to Lois' desk and ran across the aisle to his desk. He picked up the phone as he stood in place.
"Clark Kent."
"Clark? It's Dr. Friedman."
"Oh, hi," he said, sinking down into his seat and grabbing a pen and pad to take notes.
"You told me to call you if I discovered anything else about that perfume sample."
"Yes," he confirmed. "Did you find something?"
"Yes. Something disturbing, actually."
Clark's heart beat faster in dread. "What?"
"Well, in order to understand it better, we attempted to replicate the perfume," she said. "And, while the ingredients aren't easy to get a hold of for the average chemist, we had everything on hand here in the lab."
"And?" Clark prodded.
"It seems that the solution you gave me was around twenty percent. Of course, we wanted to see what would have happened with a higher concentration of the pheromones included in the solution. Anything higher than twenty percent runs a higher risk of permanently overriding a person's normal restraint. In fact, a one hundred percent solution is guaranteed to cause permanent damage to a person's brain."
"So, they'd be a slave to their every desire?" Clark asked, his dread giving way to fear. "For life?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Dr. Friedman said. "I'm sorry. I wish I had better news."
Clark shook his head, even though the woman obviously couldn't see it. "Thanks. You've been a huge help."
"Glad to hear it. Goodbye."
"Bye," he said as a click sounded in his ear.
"What was that about?" Lois asked as he returned.
"That was Dr. Friedman. She discovered that the concentration of pheromones in the perfume we gave her was just enough to override a person's restraint, but higher concentrations, particularly if the full one hundred percent is used, is permanent."
"You mean, people would run around for the rest of their lives...doing what we all did here yesterday?" she asked in a horrified tone.
"I'm afraid so," Clark said with a shallow nod.
"We need to stop her."
"I think we should head back to the shop with the police this time," Clark said after a moment. "We have evidence enough that she's the perfume's creator, and that this concoction could have dire consequences. At the very least, they can perhaps confiscate whatever she has left of it."
"I'll make the phone call," Lois said with a grin.
Clark knew the smile well. It all but said "we're about to score a huge victory." It made him smile to see it. He wanted this case to be over and done with so he could devote more time to proving that Luthor was the head of Intergang, and so that he could focus on his upcoming first date with Lois that night.
Two hours later, Lois and Clark led a small contingent of police officers to Scentsational Perfumes. Detective Thomas Pines was in charge of the officers, and Clark was pleased to see how quickly and efficiently he handled the men and women who were taking their orders from him. But the shop was empty and dark when they arrived. Once the place was secured, Lois and Clark were allowed to enter. Clark showed Detective Pines where he'd seen the few sampler sized vials of Revenge, though none were left.
A search of the back room turned up nothing more than empty containers, though they were marked with the names of the ingredients for Revenge, at least according to the list Dr. Friedman had given Clark. The police got to work, busily snapping photos and bagging the evidence. It should have made Clark feel a little better. But all it did was to make him feel more frustrated and worried. He had the sickening feeling that Miranda was up to something.
He only wished he knew what.
***
"May I help you?" Nigel asked the blonde woman who had turned up on the doorstep of Lex Tower.
"I'm here to see Lex," Miranda said, brushing off the manservant. "Tell him Miranda is here, and that I can prove that my perfume works."
"I'm sorry, that won't be possible," Nigel said in his slow drawl.
"Oh, please. He can't possibly be too busy for me to sneak in for ten minutes."
"Tell me, have you picked up a newspaper in the last day? Or turned on a television? A radio, even?"
Miranda furrowed her brow. This was not the reception she'd been anticipating.
"No," she admitted. "Why?"
"Mr. Luthor has been taken into police custody," Nigel said, his voice betraying no emotion at all.
"He...what?" Miranda asked, jaw hanging slack as a phantom punch took the wind out of her lungs.
"Yes," Nigel said with a shallow nod of his head. "Something about him sexually assaulting a woman. Oddly, it was just hours after you left here the other day that this supposedly happened." His tone told her that he suspected that she had a hand in things.
"Pity," Miranda said, choking back her anger. "Well then, I guess I have no further business here. I'll let myself out."
She turned on her heel and stalked off, her anger boiling inside and threatening to spill over into her demeanor. Her Lex! In jail! She would make the entire city pay for their crime against Lex. And she knew just where she was going to start.
***
"Clark!" Cat purred as she sidled up to his desk, not long after he and Lois returned - empty handed - to the bullpen. "The Metropolis Winter Fest is today. I was wondering if you might want to accompany me."
"Cat," Clark sighed, "we've been over this. I'm not interested."
"So you say. You know, I don't get it. You moon over Lois like she's some rare gem. But, in reality, the Winter Fest has less ice than she does."
"I'll take my chances," he said firmly.
"Suit yourself. You'll be sorry. Anyone who's anyone will be there, and I would have been just the woman to introduce you to them."
"That's it!" Clark said as a sudden jolt of realization hit. "The perfect target for Miranda!"
Cat wasn't lying when she said that just about everyone would be at the Winter Fest. Most of the city normally turned up for the event, which had everything from food, to hot drinks, ice carving demonstrations, snowman building competitions - using snow machines if Mother Nature didn't provide any of her own, roped off areas for kids and adults alike to throw around snowballs, free ice skating in the park's rink, and booths filled with winter themed knickknacks to purchase. Usually, the Winter Fest was held in January, but a series of bad snows alternating with heavy rains had forced the city to reschedule until the beginning of March.
It would be the perfect place for Miranda to ambush the vast, unsuspecting population of Metropolis with her pheromone spray.
"I need to go," he said as a way to excuse himself from his conversation with Cat. "Excuse me."
"Where are you running off to?" Lois asked as she returned from the ladies' room.
Clark halted for a moment as he tugged on his coat. "I think I know where Miranda's going to strike next."
"Where?"
"Metropolis Park, at the Winter Fest."
"And what? You were going to run off and leave me here? I don't think so."
"Lois," he pleaded, feeling every second slip by. "I can't risk having you there. If she hits the place with the hundred percent formula..."
"And you think I'm going to sit here while you go risk yourself? Not a chance, Farm Boy." She shrugged into her coat as she talked.
"Lo-is!"
"No way, Clark. I'm not missing out on this. I want to see her get what's coming to her just as much as you. More so," she added pointedly.
"Fine," Clark relented, knowing he'd never win, and afraid that if he pressed too hard for her to stay at the Planet, she'd think he was no better than Paul or Claude who had slept with her and then stolen her story. "We'll call Detective Pines from the cab."
A light snow had sprung up in the short time they'd been back at the Planet, making it slightly harder for them to finally get a cab to stop. Clark gave the man their destination as Lois pulled out her cell phone to call the police. After that, Clark sat anxiously tapping his foot as the cabbie navigated the streets of midtown. To give himself something to do, he estimated the fare in his head and took out some bills from his wallet, hoping to shave off a few seconds when they reached their destination.
He was only a couple of dollars off when they finally pulled up outside the nearest entrance to the park. Instead of wasting precious seconds, he gave the man the full amount he'd extracted from his wallet, making the tip far more generous than the cabbie truly deserved. He pointed as Lois got out of the cab.
"Let's split up," he suggested, desperate to separate from her so that he could don his Superman disguise. "I'll go this way. You start that way. We can meet up somewhere near the middle." He frowned, wondering how she could avoid any possible exposure to the spray. "Here. Wear your scarf up over your mouth and nose. I don't know if it will help if Miranda gets that stuff into the air, but it's all we can do for now. I'll do the same." He pulled his own scarf up. It was just cold enough that no one would side-eye them for it.
Then he was off, forcing himself to walk, not run, in the direction he'd chosen. When he was far enough from Lois, he found a secluded spot outside of the festivities. He ducked behind a screen of tall hedges and spun into the suit before anyone could possibly see him. Then he took to the air, flying slow, searching the crowd with his telescopic vision. He just wasn't sure what would happen if he did find Miranda. If she was wearing that chunk of red Kryptonite, he couldn't be sure that exposure to the hundred percent formula, if she had it, wouldn't permanently alter his mind the same as it would a normal person's.
He was just starting to wonder if he'd made a mistake, and that Miranda wasn't going to launch an attack at the festival, when he spotted her. She was over by the one of the snow machines, several jugs of liquid by her feet, each marked in thick black marker that it was the one hundred percent solution. She was busily at work pouring out the contents of one of the jugs into the machine. So that was one of the ways she was going to launch her spray into the air and cover people. This particular machine would soon be throwing snow into the air in the middle of the festival, where almost everyone would walk through the artificial winter wonderland, now that the light snow from earlier had stopped.
He angled into a descent, slowing as he approached the ground. He landed directly before Miranda, who looked up, startled by his appearance, though she quickly regained her composure. He crossed his arms before him, though he felt the strange presence of the red Kryptonite necklace.
"Funny," he said in the commanding tone of Superman, "you don't look like someone who's licensed to operate this machine."
"Oh, I'm just improving on it," Miranda said in a smug tone.
"I'll bet," he replied in a tone that let her know she wasn't fooling anyone. "That's a nice necklace. Mind if I take a closer look?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He reached out and removed the choker at super speed. The piece of Kryptonite surprised him when it didn't burn his hand the way the green always did. He hefted it for a second in his palm before sending it sailing into the stratosphere. Immediately, he felt better, the strange feelings the rock had caused vanishing completely.
"You overgrown baboon," Miranda hissed. "Do you know how many people I had to con to get that?"
Clark simply cocked on eyebrow at her, a silent "you're kidding me, right?" that she didn't directly respond to.
"At least I still have this! And there's nothing you can do to stop me!" she said, grinning.
She hit the power button on the machine. It sputtered for a long moment as it adjusted itself internally, giving Clark a couple of seconds of opportunity. With a blast of super breath, he froze the other jugs of liquid into solid, useless masses while Miranda screamed at him in frustration. Then he severed the power cord to the snow machine, right before it could start spitting out the pheromone spray that would leave the city permanently crippled by love.
"You idiot!" she shrieked, stomping her foot like a child, her fists balled at her sides.
"You know, if you're having so much trouble with love, you can always check the personals," Clark sarcastically joked as he waved over a few police officers. They weren't Detective Pines' men, but they were more than able to put Miranda into handcuffs and read her rights to her. Moments later, Detective Pines and a handful of his officers appeared on the scene, each leading a trained canine unit member on sturdy chain leashes.
"Gentlemen," Clark greeted them, inclining his head in respect to the badges they carried.
"Superman!" Detective Pines said, sounding happily surprised to find the superhero had beaten him to the arrest. "Thanks for the help. How'd you know?"
"I like to keep my ears open for trouble," Clark said. "I overheard Lois Lane and Clark Kent talking as they were on their way here, so I thought I'd check things out for myself. I got here just in time." He pointed to the snow machine. "This is filled with the one hundred percent perfume solution." He moved his hand and gestured to the frozen jugs, plus the one empty one that Miranda had gotten into the machine.
"I'll have one of my guys take care of this."
"Be careful," Lois broke in, coming up behind Clark. "That stuff causes permanent damage, from what I understand."
The older man nodded. "Don't worry. It'll be handled as gingerly as a live explosive. Matthews! Get this stuff to the lab and take every precaution. Do not break the seals on the lids. Breathing in this stuff makes you go permanently crazy in love."
"Yes, sir," the young man said, nodding gravely. "Peterson! Give me a hand getting these to the cruiser, would you?"
"Sure thing," came the reply.
"And this?" Clark asked, pointing to the machine. "I'm not sure if I can safely get it all out."
"Maybe you can take it someplace harmless?" the police detective said, pointing upwards at the overcast sky.
Clark nodded. "I'll be back in a moment."
"Be careful, Superman," Lois said, concerned.
"Don't worry, Lois. I will."
Carefully, he lifted the machine and flew off into the sky. Once he was clear of the Earth's atmosphere, he sent the hunk of metal hurtling away from his planet. He watched it for a long minute as it raced away into the vastness of space.
He'd always taken solace in that space he was in now - trapped between the world where he was raised and the universe he'd come from. It was a lonely place, that much was sure. But it had provided a wonderful refuge when he'd needed to get away from the chaos that too often ruled the planet and his life, especially once he'd taken up the persona of Superman. And sometimes, it was just nice to find a place that was as lonely and isolated as he felt.
Hopefully not any longer, he thought to himself as he briefly gazed down at the blue, green, and white swirls of water, earth, and clouds. Hopefully tonight will go well with Lois. And if it does - if we can make a relationship work - I may never have to be lonely again. Please, God, let tonight go well. I love her.
Once the snow machine was well out of the range of even his telescopic vision, he turned his back on the stars and began his descent back to the world that he knew. He came to a landing in the same place he'd taken off from. Lois was there, watching and waiting, as he'd anticipated. She smiled when she saw him.
"Superman? Are you all right?" she wanted to know.
"I'm fine. And that perfume is beyond the reach of anyone now."
"Good," Detective Pines said, nodding. "Thanks, Superman."
"You're welcome," he said, giving the man a smile and a friendly touch on the shoulder. "Is there anything else I can do?"
Pines shook his head. "I don't think so. I'll speak to the owner of the machine and let them know what happened here."
Clark nodded. "Okay, thank you." He made ready to fly off.
"Superman?" Lois asked and he immediately turned to her.
"Yes?"
"Can we talk for a minute? In private?"
"Sure," he said.
He gestured away from the small crowd that had gathered to watch the arrest and the superhero in action. They walked along a row of evergreen bushes, still laden with snow that hadn't yet melted from a few days prior. To ensure their complete privacy, they kept walking until they could no longer hear the muttering from the crowd as they discussed the things they'd seen before stopping. Clark automatically put his arms over his chest, though he relaxed his body language by leaning against the bark of a tall, naked oak tree.
"Is something bothering you, Lois?" he asked, taking his cues from her own body language.
"You and Clark...you're close, right?"
He cautiously nodded. "Yes."
"I wanted to tell you...before anything happens...Clark and I are dating."
"I know," he said, still wary.
"He told you?"
"He didn't have to. He cares a great deal for you, Lois. It didn't take me long at all to know that he'd be asking you out."
"Is that why you and I never...?"
He nodded. It was simpler than trying to explain the more complicated details. At some point, he would be telling her the whole truth anyway. Lois nodded in turn.
"You're okay with that?" she asked.
"More than you can imagine," he replied truthfully. "Clark's a good guy, and it makes me happy to see him so happy."
"He is a good guy, isn't he?" Lois agreed.
Again, Clark nodded. A stiff wind sprang up and his cape snapped in the sudden breeze.
"Speaking of," Lois said, craning her neck to look back the way they'd come from, "I wonder where he is." She frowned.
Oops.
"I'm sure he doesn't even know Miranda's been caught yet," he threw out as a limp cover, but it seemed to work.
"Maybe."
"I should probably get going anyway. Why don't you go find Clark? I'm sure you two will want to get your story written up as quickly as you can."
"Yeah," she distractedly mused. "Thanks for talking with me. I had to know."
"I understand. Goodbye, Lois."
"Bye."
Clark rose into the sky and streaked away, just enough to cause a sonic boom to mark his departure. Then, at a slower speed, he circled back to the park. As before, he found a secluded place to change, this time donning his civilian clothes. He had to pass through a section of vendor booths in order to reach the place where he'd left Lois. As he made his way through the crowds, one particular booth caught his eye.
Necklaces of every shape and size hung from display racks or lay nestled within display cases lined with black velvet. The extra lighting in the booth made each of them sparkle and shine. But it was one particular necklace that had drawn his attention. He stopped to take a closer look.
"Can I help you?" the shop owner, an elderly Asian woman, asked.
"I couldn't help but notice this snowflake pendant," Clark said. "How much?"
"Ah! That one is the only one I have. Those are genuine Swarovski crystals. A hundred."
Clark bit his lower lip in thought, the knowledge that Lois was looking for him pressing heavily on his mind and making each second fly by with supersonic speed.
"Can you go any lower?" he asked. "I don't think I even have that much on me."
The lady looked him over, silently appraising him. Clark threw a nervous glance backwards, hoping, for once, not to see Lois approaching. She wasn't. At least, not yet.
"For a certain young lady?" the shop owner asked knowingly.
"Yes," Clark said with a nod. "Our first date is tonight."
The woman smiled. "For young love? I'll take off twenty-five dollars. That's my best offer though."
Clark looked again at the necklace as the woman placed it in his hand. It was the most elegant, stunning snowflake he'd ever seen, the entire thing white and ice blue crystal, with the barest hint of silver holding everything together. It hung from a slender silver chain that he estimated would settle the snowflake just an inch or two above Lois' breasts.
"Take a moment to think about it," the owner urged him as she turned to ring up another man's purchase.
As soon as she took her eyes off him, Clark slid his glasses down and checked the internal structure of the pendant. He was pleased to find it to be of top quality. He pushed his glasses back up, just in time. The owner turned back to him.
"I'll take it," he said.
The woman smiled, took the necklace, and got it boxed up for him. He refused a bag as he counted out money from his wallet, making a mental note to stop at an ATM on the way back to work. Once he was done, he slipped the slender box into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, then pulled his winter coat tighter around himself.
"Thanks," he said, smiling widely.
Lois is going to love this, he thought, already allowing himself to feel pride in the smile he knew he'd elicit from her that night.
He left the booth and continued on his way to meet up with Lois. He found her not far from where Miranda's evil plot had been foiled. She impatiently waved him over. He jogged a little to get to her that much faster, his breath misting in the freezing air with every exhalation.
"Clark! Where have you been?" she asked when he finally reached her side.
He feigned confusion. "Looking for Miranda."
"Superman caught her already. He found her messing with the snow machines. The police arrested her."
"That's great," he said. "Was anyone...affected?"
Lois shook her head. "Thankfully, no. Superman got to her before the machine could start pumping out that witch's brew."
Clark breathed a sigh of relief. "Great."
"I got us the story," she said, waving her notebook for emphasis.
"Then let's go get it written. After all, we have a date to get to tonight," he said with a conspiratorial smile. "And this time, I refuse to miss it."
To Be Continued...
