Fly Hard- Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously
Just then, Remy stuck her head out through the office door and said, "We're in."
"Good! Load the bags."
Boldly, Lois asked, "What about us?"
Fuentes shouted, "Remy!"
Remy was carrying two overstuffed bags as she responded to his summons.
Fuentes said, "I believe I've come around to your way of thinking. We'll take these up and meet you at the chopper. They're all yours." He looked around at the group and then added, "Except her," as he pointed at Cat and finished, "We may need a hostage if anything goes wrong."
George tried to jump Fuentes, but he was still too weakened. Remy was easily able to handle him.
Lois knew that Clark would be able to deal with them more easily if they were divided and was confident that after dealing with the rest he would save her. Lois looked at Clark, trying to convey her confidence in him and then stepped forward and said, "Take me instead."
Fuentes looked back and forth between her and Cat and decided that one was as good as another and said, "Okay. You go with us."
Seeing the look on Remy's face, Lois said, "You can't just kill them."
Fuentes laughed and said, "You'd be surprised what you can do for thirty million dollars." To Remy he said, "We'll meet you on the roof."
Fuentes dragged Lois out of the room as Remy pointed her gun at the group and said, "Get him up. Let's go."
Hoping that Lois knew what she was doing, Clark played along and helped George to his feet. He took most of his weight as they headed for the stairs.
Clark saw Fuentes and Schumak enter the elevator before they entered the stairwell. He knew that if he had any chance of getting them all out of this he would have to act now. He pretended that George was too much for him and said, "Jack, can you help me with him?"
Jack moved over and took some of George's weight.
As he did, Clark sent a beam of heat vision at the light fixture. There was a sudden, blinding flash and then the stairwell was plunged into darkness.
Suddenly, Jack found that he was supporting George by himself and almost collapsed under his weight.
The flash followed by the profound darkness disoriented Remy and Blackman who were both behind the hostages and in reflex they both brought up their weapons. Before they were able to do anything else they were both knocked out, laid out on the steps and their weapons thrown down the stairs.
Jack heard the clatter of the weapons and eased George to the steps. Once this was done he started feeling around. His hands encountered the unconscious forms and he shouted to Jimmy, "Help me ties these two up. Clark knocked them out in the confusion."
Cat asked, "Where is he?"
Jimmy replied, "I don't know, but I feel sorry for Fuentes if he tries anything with Lois."
And Now:
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Chapter 8
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
While Remy and Newberry were herding the prisoners down the stairs, Fuentes, Schumak and Blackman took Lois up in the elevator to the top floor. Fuentes, Blackman and Schumak were all burdened down with bags of loot.
After exiting the elevator the group moved down the hallway to the roof access stairs. Lois dawdled as much as she felt she could to slow them down. She didn't know what was happening, but she had confidence that Clark would think of something.
Blackman asked, "How long will we wait for them?"
They started climbing the stairs. Fuentes, noting that between them they carried the lion's share of the cash and willing to cut his losses said, "Not as long as they need us to. We might not have the full thirty mill here, but it should be enough to make this night's work worthwhile."
When they finally reached the door to the roof and stepped out, Fuentes looked around. He noted the landing lights for the Daily Planet helipad. When he did, he blurted out, "Where's the chopper?"
Lois smirked as Schumak answered, "I don't know."
Fuentes jumped to a conclusion, “Newberry!"
Blackman answered that one, "He can't even drive a car!"
Frustrated, Fuentes shouted, "Then who took it?"
Lois smiled a self-satisfied smile and supplied the answer, "Superman."
Fuentes grabbed her arm and shoved her back toward the door. Schumak and Blackman followed.
They almost tumbled down the stairs in their haste to get away. Fuentes shouted, "Down to the garage. We'll take the van."
Unknown to them, Clark was in the basement. His plan was to disable the elevator and turn out the lights by tripping the main breakers.
Just as Fuentes and the group reached the elevator, Clark threw the breakers, plunging the entire building into darkness. Fuentes hit the button for the elevator, but there was no response.
Taking a chance, Lois screamed, "
Superman, we're up here!"
Fuentes threatened her, "Shut up or I push the button and boom!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Clark had heard Lois's scream just as he finished severing the wire from the radio receiver to the detonator of the bomb and said, "Hang on, Lois. I'm on my way," and took off at super-speed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Fuentes had a small flashlight in his pocket. He pulled it out and used it to light the way back to the stairs. He had one of Lois's arms in his grip as he did.
Lois noted a sudden disturbance in the dark, behind her and yanked on her arm to distract Fuentes.
He needed someone else to open the door so he called, "Schumak!"
When he didn't get a reply he shouted louder, "Schumak! Where are you?"
There was still no answer so he tried, "Blackman!"
Again there was no answer.
Becoming increasingly frustrated, he shouted again, "Blackman? Where are you? Answer me!" With the failure of his accomplices to answer him he was becoming increasingly frustrated and afraid. Where could they have gone? Could the Lane woman be right? Could Superman be here, queering his pitch? Preventing his escape with the loot?
In a smug tone, Lois said, "I told you, it's Superman."
In a very threatening tone, Fuentes said, "And I told you unless I make it out of here with the money, the whole building goes."
He decided that the shortest distance he would need to travel would be up, so they returned to the roof. He dragged Lois over to the side and looked down over the edge. A few seconds later, still holding onto her he jumped off the ledge.
As he did, Lois screamed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Clark was moving at super-speed, but hearing a door opening into the stairwell above him, slowed to a run. It was a good thing that he did because Jack was just coming through the door. He stopped and asked, "What are you doing?"
Jack was huffing and puffing from is run so his reply was succinct, "Helping you."
Just then, they both heard Lois scream. Clark looked at Jack and commanded, "Go back!" and without a backward look he was off at a run, up the steps.
When he burst out onto the roof he was followed by Jack. Moving to the edge and looking down, Clark and Jack saw Lois and Fuentes on a window washer's scaffold, fifteen feet below.
Seeing him, Lois shouted, "Clark!"
She tried to climb up the cable at one end of the scaffold, but Fuentes was preventing her from doing so.
Clark needed to get rid of Jack so that he could act. Thinking quickly, he shoved Jack in the direction of the door and said, in an urgent tone, "Jack, quick, get the police!"
Jack had seen enough and knew that urgency was required so he took off like a rabbit. The door slammed closed after him.
Seeing that he was now alone, Clark spun into the Suit and lifted off. He went up and over the Daily Planet building and around from the other side.
He heard Fuentes shout, "I'm going and I'm taking you all with me."
Lois didn't know that Clark had disarmed the device so she tackled Fuentes and tried to get the trigger mechanism away from him. In the struggle the scaffold lurched and Lois fell off the side, screaming as she fell.
Superman was there to catch her. As soon as she felt his arms under her she stopped screaming and her arms went around his neck. He floated her down to the street and landed gently with her. Seeing a crowd around, Lois immediately stepped back and said, "Thanks, Superman."
Just as she was saying that they heard a scream as Fuentes fell off the scaffold.
Superman took off and intercepted him as he fell. As they neared the street, Fuentes lost his grip on the trigger device and when it fell, Lois caught it.
Landing next to Lois with Fuentes, Lois held up the device and said, "Other women catch the bouquet, I catch … bombs." She couldn't help flashing back in her memory to Superman's debut when she found the bomb on Prometheus and shrugged.
Superman smiled and said, "That's what makes you so special, Lois."
Lois smiled in reply.
He maintained a grip on Fuentes as he took the detonator from Lois. "I disabled the bomb. It was on the first floor."
Just then, in response to Jack's summons, the MPD started to arrive.
Bill Henderson was among the first on scene and he moved over to where Lois and Superman were standing. He signaled a uniformed cop over. When the cop was there, Superman handed Fuentes over. Henderson said, "Cuff him and read him his rights. He turned back to Superman and asked, "What do we have?"
As Superman handed the detonator to Bill he said, "This was the trigger device for a bomb you will find on the first floor. You will find four more of the team tied up on various floors, mostly in the stairwell."
Lois added, "There are other members of the Daily Planet staff in the building, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Jack and Clark. Cat Grant and her boyfriend are in there as well. I hope there's an ambulance on the way, George was shot."
Superman said, "If that's all you need from me, Inspector, I need to go."
"That's fine, Superman. Thanks for your help."
"That's what I'm here for, Inspector." As he finished speaking he took off at super-speed.
Just then, Perry White and Jimmy came out through the doors. They spotted Lois and Henderson and moved over to them. Perry, relieved at being rescued said, "This has been the damndest night."
Henderson said, "I'll need statements from all of you."
As they were speaking, Jack came stumbling out the doors. He looked beat and was breathing hard, trying to catch his breath.
Spotting him, Lois shouted, "Jack, have you seen Clark?"
He wheezed as he replied, "Last I saw him, he was on the roof."
An ambulance rolled up and Lois rushed over to it. As the attendants stepped out, she shouted, "Hurry! There's a wounded man inside."
Suddenly they were all business, "Where?"
Perry replied, "Stairwell. Fifth floor landing."
One attendant opened the back and removed a stairchair while the other grabbed a trauma kit and they headed in.
While they waited for the medics to come out with George, Clark made his appearance, coming out through the doors. "I passed the medics as I was coming down the stairs. I think George will be okay."
As soon as Clark had come out, Lois had rushed over to him and thrown her arms around him. He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her.
A few minutes later the medics came out with George and Cat. She was holding his hand as they wheeled him to the ambulance.
They overheard part of their conversation as he was moved, "How are you, Red?"
"I'm fine. You're the one that was shot."
"What an experience. At least I got to spend the night with you. It didn't exactly turn out the way we had it planned, did it?"
Cat said, "There will be other nights for the opera. As soon as they finish with you, I'm taking you right home and putting you to bed."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
Cat smiled and said, "Promise."
The rest of the conversation was lost to them as they loaded George in back and Cat climbed in with him for the trip to the hospital.
Clark said, "Amazing night."
Lois agreed, "Yeah, really amazing."
Jack said, "I'd call it … unbelievable."
Jimmy replied, "Yeah, I'd have to agree with that."
Jack said, "I mean, if I ever told anybody about it they'd think I was crazy, right?"
Jimmy replied, "Probably."
Jack looked at Jimmy and said, "You still owe me a movie."
Jimmy smiled and said, "Next weekend."
Smiling, Jack said, "You're on."
Perry was standing there shaking his head. He muttered, "Willie! Who'd'a thought?"
Lois said, "I guess we should actually call him Bill."
Perry mused, "He was Dragonetti's partner."
Henderson perked up at that name, "Dragonetti. Wasn't he a gangster back in the twenties or thirties?"
Perry nodded and said, "That's the one. This whole shebang was an attempt to recover the loot that Dragonetti had stashed in a vault in what is now the Daily Planet building. You see it used to be his headquarters. A few months back I hired an old guy as a security guard. Turns out he was Dragonetti's partner in crime. He had been sent up the river on a bum rap and when he got out he decided to get ‘his' money. He hired these thugs to do the hard work, but they double-crossed him. You know what they say, ‘There's no honor among thieves.'"
The police started coming out of the building one at a time with Remy, Blackman, Newberry and Schumak all in cuffs and others bearing bags of currency.
Bill called one of the officers with a bag of currency over. He asked, "This is what it was all about?"
Perry replied, "Yeah. That was Dragonetti's loot from when he was a big crime boss."
Bill held out a hand and said, "Let me see that."
The cop handed a bag over. Bill delved into it and pulled out a handful of bills. He looked at a few and whistled before he said, "I don't know where they expected to use this money."
Lois quipped, "Any supermarket."
Bill looked at her in disbelief, "I don't think so. These bills must date back to the twenties or thirties at the latest. I don't know anyone outside of coin and currency collectors that would have anything to do with it. Most people would think it was counterfeit. Look at it. They're the wrong size and the pictures are incorrect. The printing is all wrong."
Perry took a bill and scrutinized it. "Well, I'll be! All that trouble for nothing! Thirty million dollars and not worth a red cent!"
Clark and Lois, Jimmy and Jack all laughed.
Lois was leaning against Clark as they started to walk away. "You know, it's times like these I think maybe I should get a regular boring job, settle down with my guy and have two-point-four kids."
Clark stopped and pulled her around so that she was facing him. The grin she displayed relieved him and they both said, "Nah. I don't think so."
They started walking again and Lois sighed and said, "My life will never be boring as long as I'm with you, will it?"
"As long as I'm with you, you mean. You're the one that makes life interesting."
She giggled and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just glad that you're there to pull me out of the messes I get into."
"Always, Lois. Always."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Once they were home, as soon as the door was closed behind them, Lois was in his arms and he sped them into the bedroom. They took turns removing each other's clothes.
After he unbuttoned her blouse he pushed it off her shoulders, caressing those shoulders with his hands as he did. When he was pushing her pants down her legs he was stroking them their full length. Reaching behind her he unclasped her bra and then slid his hands under the fabric and around to the front to cup her firm globes in his hands. Once the bra was off he released them with his hands and replaced them with his mouth. He stroked his hands down her legs once more as he removed her panties. She was moaning her desire the entire time.
Once they were off, Lois pulled his face up to hers and kissed him before saying, "My turn."
She quickly stripped his T-shirt off of him and leaning in took one of his nipples between her teeth, nipping it as he in his turn moaned. While her mouth was busy her hands were occupied with releasing his jeans. Once she had the button undone and the zipper down she released his nipple and started to push his jeans and briefs down his legs. That started a period of marital intimacy.
When both of them were finished, Clark floated them back to the bed where they cuddled in the afterglow until they both dropped off to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When they arrived at the Planet on Monday morning the place was in an uproar. Workmen were scrambling to repair the damage done to Perry's office, techs were replacing the damaged sprinkler head, and computer techs were replacing computers damaged by the water.
Lois spotted Perry as he was watching all the activity and asked, "How's it going, Chief?"
Perry just shook his head and said, "Oh well, I guess the place needed a lift."
While Lois was talking with Perry, Clark grabbed their box of tax info and moved it to his desk and as he and Lois sat down to start typing up the story, Cat came in. She looked insufferably pleased with herself.
Lois asked, "How's George?"
"
What a weekend. You know, I usually use handcuffs … a different way. I know he may not look it, but under that plain, mild-mannered facade, George is a wild man. When I left him a little while ago he was resting peacefully."
"Your place or his?"
"Mine, naturally! How could I take care of him properly at his place? I have this apparatus that hangs above the bed …"
Lois was mystified by this and asked, "Why would he have to have his arm suspended?"
"Not his arm, silly, ME!"
Lois started to flush and said, "TMI!"
Cat smiled and said, "Try it, you might like it. I can just imagine that it is what it would be like with Superman, floating above the bed …"
Lois's flush deepened as she recalled doing that very thing with Clark.
Cat spotted Lois's blush and walked up close to her, put her arm around her shoulders and lead her to a more private area before she said, "Lois, I saw that blush. You can't hide that kind of thing from me. Did you really do the dirty with Superman that way? Does Clark know?"
Lois stammered out, "No … no … uh, no I didn't … didn't do that with … with Superman. No, not with Superman. No."
Cat challenged, "But you fantasized about it, didn't you?. Come on, you can be straight with me. I won't tell Clark."
In order to throw Cat off the trail, she went with what Cat was suggesting, "Well, yeah. I guess every girl has her fantasies." She thought, <In my case they came true.>
Nodding in understanding, Cat let it drop at that point and strode back to her desk.
All this time Clark had been humming to himself to block his hearing from listening to Cat. Well, that, and the reason it had been a really good night.
comments go here TBC
