Barbarians at the Planet – Matchmaker Style
Rated – PG - 13
Previously:
A few minutes later, Luthor exited the office and approached Eduardo's desk. He had a printout in his hand and he didn't look happy. Eduardo was an old hand. He had already been there as a reporter when Lois started as a probationary. As Luthor approached, Eduardo looked up.
Seeing Luthor in the bullpen, Lois stood and moved closer so that she could overhear the exchange. She was behind Luthor, so he didn't know she was there.
Luthor leaned over Eduardo's desk. His manner was friendly, but confrontational, "Excellent piece of writing, Eduardo, but I think we'll hold off on running it."
Eduardo challenged, "Why? It's a hot topic."
Luthor countered, "'Controversial' would be a better word."
Eduardo reposted, "Allegations of excessive rate hikes at Metropolis Electric is 'controversial'?"
Luthor replied, "That
necessary rate hikes are 'excessive' is
your opinion, not the opinion of this paper."
Eduardo challenged, "This wouldn't have anything to do with your being on the Board of Metropolis Electric, would it?"
Apparently, Eduardo had struck a nerve because Luthor jerked upright and said in an insulting tone, "That inference is insulting and unprofessional. I expected more from you, Fraise."
Eduardo challenged, "Is this how it's going to be, Luthor? The 'free press' is free only to do your bidding? You are starting to sound like Preston Carpenter."
Luthor was turning away as he said, angrily, "If you don't feel 'free' enough around here, Fraise, you're 'free' to leave." The way he turned, he didn't see Lois or realize that she had overheard.
As she approached Eduardo's desk she heard him mutter, "Why tamper with greatness?"
Rather than speaking with Eduardo, Lois turned on her heel and followed Luthor. He was just settling into Perry's chair when she entered.
Looking up he saw her and his entire demeanor changed. He smiled and said, "Lois, just the woman I wanted to see."
Lois had to pretend that she didn't know what was going on so she asked, in a heated tone, "Lex, what's going on? Did you fire Perry?"
Always the consummate actor, Lex put on a hurt expression as if he were being accused unjustly. "What? No, of course not. I just hired another fellow to work with him. Take some of the load off."
Knowing that she needed to behave in character, Lois defended Perry, "But Perry wants the load. He won't accept this. He'll quit."
Feigning shock, Lex said, "I sincerely hope not. It would be a great loss to the paper. If he only weren't so resistant to progress." He rose from the chair and paced for a few seconds, finally stopping, he leaned on a file cabinet and looked sincerely at Lois before continuing, "If I've made a mistake ... I'd better talk to him. I'll apologize."
Not letting up, Lois challenged, "And Jimmy?" And what about Eduardo? What were you arguing about?"
Luthor put on an act of magnanimity as he replied, "I gave Jimmy a job, the only one available. I'll have him back up here as soon as humanly possible. I promise. By the way, wasn't there another young man? A copy boy? I think his name was, Jack." Lois did not react to the name so he paused a second before addressing the rest, "As for Eduardo, he seems to have this unreasonable hostility toward me. I don't know why. I have nothing but respect for him. His work has always been top tier." He paused as if considering his words carefully, "Lois, I'm working to save the Planet. Give me a chance. Trust me. Everything will turn out fine."
Lois felt that she needed to cover for Jack. She said, dismissively, "I haven't see Jack since yesterday. He might have decided to find himself another job." She pasted a fake smile on her face and then added to the lie, "He really didn't fit in around here anyhow." She turned and left the office. She didn't see the predatory smile that crossed Lex's lips as she did.
She made her way to Eduardo's desk and tried to encourage him, "It's going to work out fine, Eduardo. Trust me. Just give it time. Things will turn around."
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 6
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As Lois was about to turn away from Eduardo, he muttered, "Incredible."
Lois stopped and looked at him. She asked, "What?"
Eduardo decided that it was time for a confrontation. "You! Kent has only been missing for a few months and already you are taking up with Luthor and defending him. You still don't even know what happened to Clark and you are already globetrotting with Luthor." Noting the shocked expression on her face at this statement, he pressed on, "Don't play innocent with me. Everyone knows. The fact that you are the only one defending him is telling. Lois, you are an award winning investigative journalist."
Lois was shocked. She hadn't anticipated this kind of response from Eduardo, quiet, laid back, Eduardo. She asked, "Is there a point?"
Eduardo glanced in the direction of the office as he said, "How can you be so blind? I mean, you look right at the guy and you don't have a clue as to who he really is. I should think that after Kent you'd never look twice at someone like Luthor. It's like you've forgotten him already."
Realizing that she had to be careful with what she said because she still didn't know who the spy in the newsroom was, Lois leaned in and spoke, quietly, "Eduardo, trust me, I know exactly who he is. I know Lex didn't reach his station in life by being a nice guy. But look at the
good he's done. Luthor Hospital, Luthor Home for Children, Luthor Foundation for the Arts. Not to mention employing hundreds of thousands of people in Metropolis and, most recently, saving our jobs."
"Lois, all of those good works is just camouflage. A cover to hide what he really is … a cut-throat businessman. He'll do anything for the bottom line. He apparently is attracted to you. He treats you differently from everyone else. I wouldn't be surprised if he proposed marriage to you."
Lois replied in a heartfelt tone, "He did, but as to Clark, he is never far from me." She held out her left hand and said, "This ring symbolizes Clark. It embodies our relationship. As long as I possess this ring, I possess Clark and he possesses me."
"But for how long? How long will it take for you to throw him over for Luthor? How long before you accept Luthor's proposal?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Clark was sitting at the breakfast table with his parents and they were discussing the investigation.
"So, Luthor bought the Planet. Did you anticipate that move?"
"We knew he would be doing something, Mom. Lois let slip that the Planet was her ‘home' and the staff her ‘family'. We knew that Luthor wanted to get rid of me so that he could have her. Now he wants to force her to depend on him by removing that ‘family'. Yesterday, Lois sent Jack to Bill Henderson. Bill immediately placed him and his brother in protective custody as one of our star witnesses."
"What about, Lois, Son?"
"Right now, Dad, we think she is safe. As long as Luthor has designs on her he won't do anything to drive her away. She has to string him along until we can gather the final pieces of evidence that we need to put him away."
"I wish Lois wasn't doing this. With all that you've told us about Luthor, it could be dangerous."
"We know, Mom. I'm keeping an eye on her."
"You can't be there for her 24x7, Son."
"I know, Dad and that's what has me worried. So far we've almost been able to predict what Luthor is going to do. It is surprising how quickly he moves though."
"You need to think about it like it's a chess game. Luthor has planned his moves. You need to plan yours accordingly. That's the only way to finish this and get back to normal."
"Yeah, Dad, you're right." Clark was thoughtful for a second before he continued, "You know, all I've ever wanted was a normal life, well at least as normal as it can be for someone with my abilities. To find someone and settle down and have a family. All those years wandering the globe … then I moved to Metropolis. Remember?"
"Yes, we do, Clark. At first we were concerned how it would turn out."
"It still amazes me that I found what I was looking for, finally, Lois. As soon as I arrived in Metropolis I knew it was where I wanted to be. Then I met Lois. I didn't know it at first or maybe I just didn't want to admit it to myself, but she was the woman I wanted to spend my life with."
"Your father and I are just glad that the two of you are together now." Martha laughed and added, "You might not have admitted it to yourself, but your father and I knew right from the first that you spoke about her that you were in love with her. It was written all over you."
"Having to be away from her this way … I think it's hurting our relationship. I can't help but worry about the attention Luthor is paying to her."
"Oh, Honey, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure Lois misses you just as much as you miss her."
"I guess you're right, Mom. It's just …"
"I know, it's still new. You're newlyweds and you've been thrown into this situation, but your love will see you through. Your father and I have confidence in the both of you. Clark, we love Lois just as much as you do, maybe not exactly the same way, but we do. She's the perfect daughter. We couldn't have picked a better girl for you if we had tried. You know, when you dated Lana, we had some concerns. Now, Rachel, she was a different story. I could have seen you with Rachel, but that never happened and actually, I'm glad. Lois is the perfect wife for you. She compliments you. She is rash where you are cautious. She pushes you to be a better man."
Jonathan reached over, took Martha's hand and said, "It's a gamble, son, but when you find the right woman, it makes everything worthwhile. I found mine more than thirty years ago. It paid off. You have found yours and you have been happier ever since you did than you ever were."
Just then the phone rang and Martha moved to answer it. "Kent residence."
In a hushed tone, Martha heard, "Is you-know-who there?"
Picking up on the need for secrecy she held the phone out to Clark and mouthed, "Lois."
Fearing the worst, he grabbed the phone. Cautiously he said, "Hello."
She whispered, so low that only with the use of super-hearing could he hear, "New recruit. Meet Perry at his fishing cabin. He'll explain what's happening."
"All right. I'm on it." He hung the phone up.
Picking up on his expression, Jonathan asked, "What's happening, son?"
"I don't know, Dad, but apparently I'm supposed to meet Perry White at his fishing cabin. Lois said that he'd explain what was happening and that he was a new recruit, whatever that means."
"Could she mean in the Luthor investigation?"
Thoughtfully, he replied, "Maybe. I wonder what happened."
Martha, always the practical one, said, "Well, don't wait around here. Go find out."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After leaving his parent's house, Clark, as Superman, did a fly-over of Perry White's fishing cabin. The cabin was empty, but he saw Parry's car on the access road.
He flew back to Metropolis and changed into his Charlie King disguise, jeans and a ripped T-shirt, leather jacket, spiked hair, fake beard and shades and then borrowed Lucy's car for the trip to the cabin.
When he arrived he parked next to Perry's car and climbed out.
Perry had heard the car approaching and stepped out onto the porch. He looked at Clark with curiosity as he approached. Apparently the disguise worked because Perry asked, "You lost, friend?"
Clark smiled and replied, "I don't think so, Chief." Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out his glasses and as he slipped off the shades, replaced them with his regular ones.
Perry put a hand to his chest as if feeling a heart attack coming on and said in a tone of disbelief, "Clark? Clark Kent? Is that really you?"
"Yeah, Perry, it's me. In the flesh."
"But you've been missing and presumed dead for months now."
"Well, Perry, as you can see, I'm neither missing nor am I dead. I'm undercover."
Perry started to smile and said, "Yeah, I can see that now. Okay, what's the story? Why the get-up. Why the missing and presumed dead?"
"Let's go in and sit down. This is going to be a long story."
"Sure, come on in. I think there's some sodas in the fridge. You want one?"
"Thanks, Perry. That sounds good."
Once they both had beverages in hand, Clark started to explain, "For some time, Lois and I have suspected that Luthor is actually the boss behind all of the rackets in Metropolis. He has fixated on Lois. He has decided that he has to have her, at all costs. There were two other attempts on my life before the one that I disappeared after. Obviously none of them succeeded. Bill Henderson has been helping in the investigation. He helped me disappear. We were hoping that by allowing Luthor to court Lois she would be able to get on the inside and get the final pieces of evidence that we need to put him away. We have the ones that tried to kill me in custody. After the third attempt, Superman caught Nigel St. John at the scene. Bill has him in custody and he is spilling his guts, but we need more. Lois told me that you would fill me in on what is happening."
As Clark had been speaking, Perry's expression had gone from joyful to thoughtful. Then he started to speak, "Well, son, that all fits. That was the final pieces of the puzzle. With his connections I can see how Luthor pulled it off. After you disappeared things at the Planet started going downhill. A little too fast, if you asked me. Looks like Luthor pulled some strings or else he bribed some people, anyhow the Planet was going down and he came riding in on his white horse like the white knight to save the Planet by buying it. Looking back on it now, I think he deliberately hired that kid to replace me just so that I would quit."
Shocked, Clark asked, "He did what?"
"Hired some snot-nosed kid fresh out of Harvard or Yale or one of those schools and put him over me."
"What did you do?"
"Probably exactly what he expected me to do. I quit."
"Perry, you can't do that. We need to make it look like he succeeded, but not on his terms, ours. Go back, apologize and tell him that you are retiring. That way you go out on good terms. Can you do that?"
"I'll have to swallow my pride, but yeah. I can do that."
"Good, then you can join the task force that is investigating Luthor."
"Task force?"
"Yeah, well it's a small task force. Lois, Bill, me and, of course, Superman. Now we can add you and I'm going to approach Jack. He is one of our witnesses."
Perry was stunned, "Jack? Jack the copy-boy?"
"Yeah. He's the one that broke into our apartment and stole our stuff. By identifying Luthor as the receiver of stolen goods he was the first link in the chains that are going to secure Luthor in prison for a very long time. I got him the job at the Planet so that I could help him and his brother and also keep an eye on him. He's really a good kid that was put into a bad situation."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, Lois arrived at the Planet and was appalled to see the state the newsroom was in. So many familiar faces were missing that it didn't seem like the same place anymore. The relationship that she had with Cat had been changing over the last several months, ever since she and George had started dating. She had become less competitive with Lois. As she approached Cat's desk, Cat had her feet up on the corner, a catalogue open in her lap and the phone to her ear.
Lois had come in planning to speak to Cat about George and see if he had heard anything through the LexCorp grapevine about the Planet. When she was by Cat's desk she said, "Cat, I need to talk to you."
Without removing the phone from her ear, she said, "Give me a minute. This is important." Apparently the service operator came on the line just then because Cat said into the phone, "Grant. G ... R … A ... N ... T..." She read from the mailing label, "Catalogue number B2C9141. I.D. number 77466L." Then she rattled off from memory, "Work number 217-555-9241. Home number 217-555-2364." In answer to a question she said, "Yes." Picking up her credit card, she started reading, "Card number 9236-7249-3820-6423. Expiration 1-1-95." She picked up the catalog and looking at it read off the pertinent information, "Item number L as in 'lame,' C as in 'comatose,' 2, 4, D, as in 'dim-witted.' Color code: wheat. Size: 6B." She waited a second for a reply and after getting one was very unhappy, "What do you mean 'discontinued?' No I *don't* have another selection. You mean I just told you every intimate detail of my life for nothing?! Yes, I *would* like to speak to your supervisor."
Seeing that Cat was going to be tied up, Lois said, "I'll catch you later, okay?"
Cat nodded in reply.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That morning, Jimmy had reported to work in the printing plant. Instead of his normal business casual attire he was wearing a workman's coverall. After punching in on the time clock he went to the shop steward for his work assignment.
"Ah, the new ugly person."
"Huh?"
He laughed and said, "That's just a nickname we give to a utility worker. It's an ugly job because you don't know from one hour to the next what you will be doing. You'll come to me for your assignments."
Just then the presses started up and they had to start yelling to be heard over the noise. The steward pointed off to the side and said, "In a closet over there you'll find a broom. Start off by sweeping up."
Jimmy nodded and started his assignment. He found a broom with a wide head and started pushing it around the floor collecting debris in piles that he collected and deposited in receptacles. While he was working he started to wonder about Jack. He had disappeared just as they found out that they still had jobs. When he finished that job the steward had him assist in delivering ink to the printers. It was hot and sweaty work and Jimmy wiped his forehead. When he did he left a streak of ink across it making him look like an Indian in war paint.
It was almost time for lunch when Mrs. Cox, dressed in a workman's coverall and a ball cap walked through the plant and set a lunchbox on a table among others. Without stopping she walked out through the other side of the plant.
Jimmy was on the far side of the plant, dragging some heavily laden bags of trash out to the dumpster when the bomb went off.
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