Barbarians at the Planet – Matchmaker Style
Rated – PG-13
Previously:
After dinner they returned to the island and made love several more times before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The rest of the time on the island was spent either in the water, on the sand or in bed together. They had a very enjoyable weekend.
Sunday night as they were cuddling, Lois asked, "How much longer do we have to do this?"
"We are making progress with Toni, Miranda and Nigel. They are the main witnesses. The other's just put the noose around Nigel's neck. That's what is making him talk. The deal of reducing their sentences to time served and the witness protection program for Toni and Miranda was enough for them. As I thought, Lex was actually the one behind the ‘Toasters'. He provided the technology. Lex commissioned Miranda to create the pheromone compound. We are getting the information we need, but it's a slow process. Nigel keeps adding conditions. Every piece of info he gives comes with a new condition. We need to go through with this until we have an iron clad case. We can't afford to miss crossing any ‘t's or dotting any ‘i's with this one. Once we put him away, it has to be for good and all."
"As long as we can have these occasional weekends, I'll put up with it. The problem is that Lex is watching me with an eagle eye. If it hadn't been for Lucy's help I don't know if I'd be here right now."
"Maybe next time I should just pick you up from the roof of the Planet at the end of the day."
"If we did that, Lex would be even more convinced that I am dallying with Superman. He accused me of that, you know. Switching my affections from Clark to Superman as soon as Clark was out of the picture. Seriously, he sees you as his principle rival for my affections."
"Maybe that's what we need to push him to the edge."
"Are you sure that's wise? He can be dangerous."
"What can he do to me?"
"Remember that green rock that Trask had?"
"Yeah, but I got rid of that."
"Where there's smoke there's usually fire. How can we be sure that was the only piece there was. What if he got hold of more? He could seriously hurt or even kill you." There were tears in her eyes as she finished.
He put his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that she was looking at him as he said, "Hey, none of that. You have memories of us together and a baby, remember? According to Herb it will take a while so Luthor isn't going to kill me."
"What if ... What if these memories aren't really mine? He made a mistake and gave me memories of a time after we had a child. What if that error was compounded by those memories being from another Lois. The one he told us about." She was becoming visibly upset.
"He told us about several others."
"There, you see what I mean? These memories could be from any one of them." Her upset was increasing as was the tone of her voice.
"Honey, we are just going to have to trust that they are really your memories."
She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest as she finally got her emotions under control and sighing said, "Yeah, I really hope that they are. It is a comfort. The problem is that he might not succeed, but he can still try. I remember what you went through in Smallville. I hate the thought of that. We will need to be extra careful. Okay, I can do this."
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 4
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Clark had flown Lois home, landing on the balcony under the cover of darkness. Before he flew off, Lois put her arms around his neck and kissed him, one final time. "I wish you didn't have to go. I miss you already."
"I'll be around, you know that."
"I will need to visit Lucy sometime this week."
"I'll be there."
"You'd better be, buster. It's hard enough being away from you when I have to. I do need to see you occasionally."
He kissed her and said, "I need to go before it is so light that your watcher will spot me."
Reluctantly she let him go and with one final kiss he took off.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Things at the Planet had been somewhat unsettled ever since Clark had disappeared and Lois wasn't looking forward to going in, but she had to. She had to maintain her routine so she went in and took a shower before dressing for the office.
When she was ready she locked up, climbed into her Jeep and headed downtown. In her rearview she noticed a dark blue sedan following her. She smiled and muttered, "The other guy must have gotten fired when I shook him off my tail."
He followed her all the way to the entrance to the parking garage where he dropped off. She started thinking about that. <Why would he drop off if Luthor is keeping a close eye on me. The obvious conclusion is that Luthor has a spy or spies in the building, maybe even the newsroom, keeping an eye on me. Clark's idea of him picking me up from the roof will have to be reconsidered.>
She parked and took the elevator to the newsroom. When she stepped out she was greeted by what amounted to a mob frenzy. Perry was on the landing of the stairs so that he was slightly above everyone else. The entire staff was below him, looking up. The mood wasn't good.
Jimmy was yelling, "So when will we get paid?"
Perry made a calming motion with his hands and said, "They didn't say. I guess when there's money to pay you."
There was a renewed roar of protest and Perry held out his arms and waved them trying to quiet the crowd. "I'm just the messenger, boys and girls. I can only repeat to you what I've been told. And that's not much."
Sanchez shouted, "What are we doing to resolve this? I mean, what is the paper doing?"
Perry was just as annoyed as the rest and tried to let them all know it, by the tone of his voice, "I have no idea. They haven't asked for my input.”
While he had been speaking, Lois had moved to Jimmy's side and asked, "What's going on?"
Jimmy looked at Lois and asked, "Have you tried to cash your paycheck?"
Lois replied, "I deposited it."
Jimmy sighed and said, "Rubber."
Lois was surprised, gasped and asked, "Again? They said that the last time it was a clerical error."
Jimmy smirked this time and said, "Yeah, like being broke." He looked around, trying to gauge how much to say and deciding that no one was paying attention to his conversation with Lois and lowering his voice said, "There's a rumor that the paper's going under."
Obviously, Jimmy hadn't lowered his voice enough because Perry overheard. "Jimmy, there's always a rumor."
Lois quipped, "And it's usually true."
Perry started addressing everyone again, "Look, y'all know that the paper has been doing better, but we still hadn't completely recovered from what Preston Carpenter was doing to us. Things were getting better until …" Perry looked at Lois and there was hurt and sympathy in his eyes as he continued, "until we lost half of the hottest team in town and things went from bad to worse."
Eduardo asked, "Anything else, Chief? Any
more surprises?"
In response to Eduardo, Perry replied, "They talked about lay-offs."
That statement triggered a new round of angry shouts. Perry raised his hands again for quiet.
Denise and Steve had been talking together on the side, finally they separated and Denise addressed the issue, "That's not fair. What about the union? They can't do that to us."
Perry nodded and replied, "All I know is if we don't find ways to save money around here, we're gonna be out of business."
With those words a hush fell over the assembly.
Ralph, in a sarcastic tone, asked, "So they haven't been paid upstairs either?"
Perry gave him a sour expression and said, "I'm not so sure about that."
That revelation generated a new groundswell of angry shouts.
Lois, Cat, Jack and Jimmy drifted over toward Lois's desk. When they were there, Jimmy handed Lois a preprinted note.
As she accepted it she asked, "What's this?"
Jimmy sighed and said, "Read it. It is self-explanatory."
Lois started reading aloud, "'No business lunches, no payments for sources, no cabs ..." She looked up from the document and said, "We might as well hang up our word processors."
Cat said, "We'll adjust. Hopefully it's only temporary."
Jack replied, "Easy for you to say, you've got George." Seeing Lois wince at the mention of Cat's boyfriend, he felt bad and apologized, "Sorry, Lois. I didn't mean to make you think of -"
Interrupting, Lois said, "That's beside the point. We're newspaper people. We're supposed to have the resources to write the news
as it happens. Old news isn't news, it's history. I wish Clark was here." The last was said with a sob. Sometimes it was harder for Lois to pretend that Clark was dead than others, but sometimes she just missed being with him all of the time and it came out making her grief more believable.
Cat put an arm across Lois's shoulders and said, "We all do, Lois. We all do."
Trying to break the mood, Jimmy said, "Well
I think it's a scam. The pinstriped pinheads upstairs only *want* us to think the Planet is broke."
Jack challenged, "Why would they do that?"
Lois offered, "I've seen this before. Management pretends there's this big crisis to panic everyone into cutting costs.”
Cat said, "I heard some people talking about a strike."
Jimmy blurted out in a strangled tone, "Strike? A walk out? No way, not me I feel like I just walked *in*."
Jack responded, "Tell me about it."
Jimmy offered, "Besides, this is the Daily Planet."
As they were talking a messenger was circulating through the staff. When he got to their group he handed envelopes to Jimmy and Jack.
Jimmy was still speaking and waved the unopened envelope around as he spoke, "We may be down, but we're not out. Things could be a lot worse. At least we're still ..." As he was speaking he idly opened the envelope to see what it contained. He stopped speaking when he and Jack simultaneously pulled out pink sheets of paper.
In a desultory tone, Jack finished Jimmy's statement, "Unemployed."
Jimmy was staring at the pink slip in disbelief as he said, "Amazing, they really are pink."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Luthor was on his balcony, preparing to enjoy his breakfast at a wrought iron table when Mrs. Cox came out through the doors. He was reading a copy of "Metropolis Business" magazine. As she approached, he laid it aside. When he did, the title of the article he was reading was face up. It read:
Financial Woes Mount!" Under the headline was a picture of the Daily Planet building.
Mrs. Cox was pushing a serving cart containing Andre's breakfast offering. When she stopped next to the table, she asked, "Shall I pour?"
Buoyed by what he had been reading, he smiled and said, "Here, let me."
His mood was quite elevated as he poured the coffee for both of them and handed her a cup. Then he spooned some eggs onto a plate as she sat across from him. He took a dainty bite and savored Andre's offering before placing his fork back down.
Indicating the magazine, Mrs. Cox asked, "Should we begin to switch some of the LexCorp advertising accounts to other papers?"
He thought for a second before replying, "Not yet. We need to preserve the
illusion of loyalty." He continued to smile, though his tone became philosophical as he continued, "Metropolis won't be Metropolis without the Daily Planet."
"How will this affect your proposal to Lois Lane?"
His look became predatory as he continued, "It's
designed to help. If you expect to utterly defeat a battlefield opponent, you must destroy their support system, their allies, and any avenue of retreat. As I explained, I intend to remove her support system so that she will come to me."
"Lois Lane? 'Battlefield opponent?'"
Luthor smirked and replied, "Figuratively speaking."
Mrs. Cox pointed out a possible flaw in his plan. "We haven't been able to locate Kent's dentist. It's almost as if he never went to one. We have no way to switch his dental records for some bum."
"That is becoming less and less important. Soon she will need something more than a memory to sustain her and I will be there."
Just then a chime sounded from inside, at Luthor's desk. They both rose and moved inside. On Luthor's desk was a small television monitor. It was a closed circuit system and Luthor flipped a switch to complete the connection. When he did the TV came to life and contained the image of Devane. Luthor addressed him, "Mr. Devane."
Never one to beat about the bush, Devane came right to the point, "I'm ready to make delivery. Are the funds available?
Luthor challenged, ""Have you authenticated the item?"
Devane started to smile, but the smile held neither mirth or happiness, it was hard and cold. "It's genuine." He leaned back and turned as if listening to someone out of pickup range. When he came back he said, "Don't jerk me around, Luthor. It'd take me about ten seconds to find an alternate buyer."
Luthor blustered, "Aren't you forgetting whose sources turned up the existence of the stone in the first place?"
Devane was cold and calculating. "No, I'm not forgetting. That and five million dollars'll get you your stone." He paused a second before he continued, "If you keep irritating me the price will go up. Do you want it or not?"
In a placating tone, Luthor asked, "May I see it?"
Devane nodded, reached off screen and when his hand returned to the field of view it contained something wrapped in a cloth. When he opened the cloth wrapping he revealed a glowing green rock. It looked like a piece of granite that had been painted with luminous green paint.
Luthor licked his lips and said, "I want it."
Devane wrapped it up again and moved it out of the field of view. He had seen Luthor's avaricious response to the rock and decided that he and his team could use a bonus. He calmly said, "The price just went up. Six million."
The shock was evident on Luthor's face as he said, "The deal was for five."
"Like I said, it just went up to six. If you continue to irritate me it will go even higher."
Giving in, Luthor said, "Okay, six it is, but no more."
He pushed the button severing the connection.
Turning to Mrs. Cox he said, "Highway robbery. We must turn the tables on Mr. Devane. You know what to do."
"Consider it done."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was later in the day. Jimmy and Jack had both been packing their belongings, but prior to leaving they were still grumbling with their ‘former' co-workers.
Lois said, "I could talk to Perry."
Cat added, "We both could."
Jimmy smiled at the offer, and replied, "Nah. It's not his fault. He would have prevented it if he could. He probably feels bad enough."
Sarcastically, Jack quipped, "I guess it's back to a life of crime for me." They all looked at Jack in disbelief. He shrugged and said, "It's always nice to have something to fall back on."
Jimmy tried to be upbeat, "This could be a good thing."
Lois challenged, "How?"
Still upbeat, Jimmy replied, "Remember my friend Buzz? We've been talking about going into business together."
Cat asked, "Wasn't Buzz your reform school roommate?"
Jimmy shrugged that off, "He was in on a bum rap too. The guy is a marketing genius."
Lois translated, "He's a con man."
Jimmy smiled and said, "Same thing."
Jack showed interest, "What kind of business?"
Jimmy was warming to the idea, "We had this great idea: 'A Day in the Life of ... You.' Anyone can do a wedding or a bar mitzvah, but
we go into your home and capture an ordinary day on video. Kind of like your own personal 'Truth or Dare.'"
Lois asked, "Wouldn't that require equipment and capitol?"
Jimmy shrugged and said, "I've got money saved. Not that much, but enough to get us started. Once it catches on, we'll be rolling in it."
Showing a little sentimentality rather than sarcasm, Cat commented, "That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to lose my cousin."
Jimmy smiled, pleased at this, for Cat, outpouring of emotion. He was becoming more enthusiastic as time went on. He turned to Jack and said, "Maybe you'll come and work for me."
Jack snickered and replied, "A little breaking and entering?"
Shaking his head in disbelief, Jimmy said, "No! I'd make you a vice-president." Then he looked over at Lois and Cat, "You too."
Just then, Sanchez walked by. He was in a daze and not even realizing where he was or where he was going, clasping a pink slip in his hand.
Seeing him, Lois was concerned and asked, "Steve, are you all right?"
Snapping out of his daze, slightly, he answered, "I've just been laid off. I've been with the Planet twenty-five years. Where am I going to go?" When no suggestions were forthcoming he shook his head and wandered away.
Jack made the comment, "It's a massacre."
Lois was bewildered, "It's all happening so fast."
Cat, who always seemed to be up on the latest rumors said, "Maybe not. Maybe management's been having serious money problems for months." She looked around to assure herself that there weren't any ‘suits' around before she continued, "The employees are always the last to know."
Lois, who had been making calls around to friends and acquaintances in the various departments said, "We've got to strike back. I've been polling: we have the people from printing, maintenance, distribution, administration, news staffers, even accounting."
Jack quipped, "Sounds like a party!"
Lois was serious as she said, "Only drastic action will convince the Board we're not fooling around."
Cat gasped and said, "You're talking about a full scale walk out?"
Nodding, Lois said, "If that's what it takes." She looked around before continuing, "I, for one, refuse to accept these indignities lying down."
Jimmy was in the process of taking a breath preparatory to making a smart comment in response to that line when Lois cut him off, "Don't even think about it."
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