Part Thirty
The Metropolis Museum’s Annual Grand Exhibit Gala, after the White Orchid Ball, was the most prestigious and glamorous event of the city’s autumn social season. Hollywood actors, rock stars turned philanthropists and International celebrities mingled with the elite of the academia and antiquities world.
As had been widely reported, the board members of the museum had spared no expense making the unveiling of the Age of Napoleon exhibit one of the most lavish and chic in the institution’s 150 year history. Old-fashioned Hollywood type arc-lights scraped across the clear, moonlit sky, a wide, thick cobalt blue carpet edged with gold threads spilled from the main entrance doors and ran fluidly down the granite steps, welcoming the guests as they exited their limousines and luxury black SUV’s. Several of the ladies were magnificent with exquisitely fashioned gowns and spectacular jewelry that caught the lights of countless flashbulbs. The men were sartorial perfection itself in sober black tuxedos and white dress shirts, some wore cobalt ties that added a dash splash of color to their evening attire.
A block away, far from the line of celebrities’ vehicles, Clark and Lois exited their modest Metro silver Towncar and paused on the sidewalk, looking up at the massive limestone structure outlined against the night sky.
“Can you believe this?” Lois asked, staring up at the billowing cobalt blue-and-gold horizontal banners as they hung from iron poles in front of the building. “It’s amazing! The museum is as sparkling and brilliant as Empress Josephine’s jewelry box! I’m glad we were invited to cover this event.”
Clark nodded soberly, this would be the first time he would see Lana since that late-night visit to his apartment shortly after her return from Europe with a husband. He was nervous about that possibility; after all, this kaleidoscopic swirl of lights and celebrity was now her world. He and Lois, along with their fellow members of the Fourth Estate were outsiders peering in to catch a glimpse of their storied lives. He reached over and gently placed his hand on the small of her back, careful that it be seen as a gesture of friendship rather than anything more. Nonetheless he couldn’t help gazing at the beautiful woman walking by his side; wearing a floor-length gown of white chiffon, her long dark hair pulled back into a stylish chignon. The whole look was flawlessly, set off by a dazzling array of sapphire jewelry.
She looked terrific, even better than on the night of the White Orchid Ball. He recalled at that event Lois Lane was more of an irritating boss than his partner, now they were on an equal footing.
Lois felt Clark’s hand and smiled shyly to herself, she cared about the man at her side, but she was aware that the wound of Lana’s betrayal was still fresh in his mind. The quiet self effacing young man had matured a great deal since she had first met him nearly a year ago. Gone were his awkwardness, as well as the longish hair, boxy suits and wild ties. In his place stood a respected journalist, who had survived personal betrayal and nearly having his career ruined by a man who was originally her enemy not his.
She was proud of the way he had handled himself over the past few weeks. Especially how he had even managed to win over her parents. Mother had been impressed with his confidence and easy manners, while Sam Lane was at first quiet, even a little stern, yet Clark had won him over by simply being himself. It was a small triumph, one that bespoke of better days ahead.
“We had better hurry and get inside before there’s no place to stand.” Clark said breaking into her thoughts.
“Ha! Gregory Daae and the board of directors will make sure there is plenty of room. Even if it is a little crowded, come on partner!”
A dazzling smile replaced his contemplative expression; despite his nervousness he couldn’t help but be excited walking in with Lois. She just loved to dive right in! He noted with satisfaction not a few male heads turning to watch her with admiration as they walked towards the granite steps.
<Eat your heart out fellas!> he thought mischievously, <The lady is with me!>
They joined the crush of lesser attendees; sports heroes, television entertainment magazine hosts and other members of the print media as they walked up the wide granite stairs. They passed through the heavy oak doors and stepped into the Metropolis Museum Great Hall. With its three immense domes, eight dramatic arches, and a marble mosaic floor, the Great Hall was the majestic main entry of the museum, filling visitors with awe for more than a century.
When they reached the massive octagon security desk in the hall’s center, a grim-faced, middle-aged guard took their invitations and checked them against a list. His expression lightened slightly, as he gave them each an ID badge and then said, “Clark Kent and Lois Lane welcome to the Metropolis Museum. You will find retractable badge holders inside your tote, have a pleasant evening.”
A pretty young woman handed each of them a tote bag filled with various gifts and giveaways, it was decorated with a picture of a young and dashing Napoleon carrying a flag, the description at the bottom read, “Napoleon Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole” by Antoine-Jean Gros. “Good evening. The event will be held in the European Wing. Reading the name tags and noting the table number on it, she said, “You will both be seated at table twelve with the rest of the Daily Planet’s attendees. Please feel free to get a drink from the bar and mingle with the other guests.”
They thanked the attendant and began walking towards the expansively lighted staircase leading to the European Wing. Scanning the massive entrance lobby as they moved, Lois observed several men and women in dark clothing on the perimeter of the lobby, carefully observing the guests. “This place has more undercover security and MPD than the White Orchid Ball.”
Clark nodded in agreement, “It makes sense. The White Orchid Ball is a Metropolis event whereas this affair is more on the international level. This is quite an experience, it’s great to be able to report about this from the inside and not hang around outside with the rest of the news pack.”
“You and me both partner! Come on, let’s do what the young lady said and mingle!” she said excitedly.
Lois, he mused, was so comfortable and relaxed with him now that, this was definitely not at all like the White Orchid Ball! Of course he failed to mention the ‘extra’ special security detail who were currently mixed into the crowd. He wondered where Wanda and CJ were.
Not ten feet away stood Wanda, disguised in blond wig, contact lenses that made her eyes blue and wearing an unremarkable red gown, in her hand was a gold bronze beaded evening bag that looked like it came from the forties. She was careful not to be seen by any Daily Planet staffer, so when Lois and Clark walked towards her, she quickly turned her back. Once they had passed she resumed scanning the crowd, confident that she would recognize Tempus. She had seen him enough in various outfits, with and without a beard, that she didn’t think he could fool her. Glancing up at the second balcony, she smiled when she spotted CJ as he was watching the happenings from the deepest of shadows.
Whispering so only CJ could hear. “Still no sign of Tempus yet. Should we apprehend him as soon as we see him?”
Her husband’s voice sounded tinny over the ear bud link. “No. Even though he out on bail as long as he doesn’t do anything illegal we can’t stop him from attending the event. When you spot him, just keep an eye on him honey … but don’t let him see you!”
“Yeah, the last thing we need is for Tempus to discover we are here.”
***
Outside a tumultuous clamor was starting to take place when Gregory and Lana Daae emerged from their Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. They were dressed in understated yet striking elegance. Lana looked stunning in a gold gown which showed off the slight curves of her petite figure and he wore a European cut tuxedo. With an almost practiced ease they started to walk up the steps. A solid wall of flashbulbs erupted. Reporters and photographers started shouting questions from behind a red velvet rope.
“Mrs. Daae! Lana! Over here! Is it true you are going to be on the cover of Vogue magazine as the most fashionable American woman of the year?”
Deftly she put on a public smile and generously acknowledged the statement. What she didn’t say was that Arianna Carlin-Luthor had been bumped to make way for her.
“That was a great press conference Gregory! Do you think Jasper Templar will implicate you to save his own hide?”
“Hey Mr. Daae, look this way! How does it feel to be married to a fashion icon?”
Gregory smiled tightly, irritated by the stupidity of the questions, played along and said it was just fine.
“Is it true you are both leaving Metropolis shortly after this event is over to live in Zurich?”
Neither Daae answered that question as they made their way up the stairs. The silence was evidence of the answer. A reporter managed to aim his camera directly in front of them, an intense flash lit up the night, blinding Lana. There was an unyielding barrier of lenses all the way up to the main entrance.
Lana grabbed her husband’s arm in support. “I… I can’t believe how many reporters there are,” she said, hesitating slightly.
“Look straight ahead Mon Cheri and smile,” Gregory coached, although he most definitely did not feel like smiling. “Do not stop your feet, until we are inside and away from these ignorant peasants.”
***
The tables, heavily laden with flowers awaiting diners to take their seats were positioned among the various Greek and Italian statutes to offer a clear view of the darkened entryway leading to the Age of Napoleon exhibit at one end of the room. Each table was covered with thick, white linen cloths and decked with gold cutlery and blue napkins.
Catherine Grant, wearing a sea green gown, took a dainty sip of her champagne and scrutinized the fashionable horde crammed into the European wing, all waiting for dinner and then the unveiling of theAge of Napoleon exhibit. It was a welcome relief to know she no longer had to cover these events on a regular basis anymore. Now such occasions were actually a treat, not an unpleasant task. She was scrutinizing her co-workers expertly working the room. Perry and Alice were in the corner talking to an older, distinguished looking black man in a classic tuxedo, Kip Terrell, the editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Gazette. While Jack was moving inconspicuously among the statutes taking pictures.
Suddenly her eyes were drawn to Lois and Clark as they passed through the double doors. Just by their body language she could sense something had positively shifted in their relationship. Although they were not touching, even the most casual observer could see they were more than just workmates. With a gentle shake of her head she wondered when the two of them would figure that out for themselves.
A cherished and familiar voice broke into her thoughts, “Darling, aren’t you supposed to be working?”
Her expression was one of quiet delight as Arthur Chow came over and kissed her gently on the cheek. When they parted she said. “Of course I am! All the details are being stored in my head, just waiting to be written down. As a matter of fact, I intend to speak with the Ambassador of Lampur in a moment. Care to join me?”
“Good. When you’re done I need to talk with Amjai myself. Can all that mental writing take a backseat while dancing with me?” He asked hopefully.
She couldn’t help but laugh and laid a hand on his shoulder. “My first dance of the evening is all yours kind sir.”
“After the dance, we need to talk about where I am going to live after announcing my retirement.”
A little surprised at this bit of news, she said, “I know we’ve discussed this Arthur, it’s a big decision … for both of us.”
He nodded quietly, took her hand, gave it a mild squeeze and answered. “Completely.”
She whispered huskily in response, “Then darling, after the dance, the conversation will be about where we both shall live.”
“I was thinking more about what kind of engagement ring you might like.” His eyes crinkled with amusement.
“An engagement ring … at my age? No, that’s not necessary; a wedding band is all the rest of the world needs to know my name has changed to Catherine Grant-Chow.”
Mindful of where they were, the journalist and billionaire lightly touched their hands and then walked as one towards the Ambassador. The elegantly garbed people milling around the European Wing of the museum were ignorant of their plans to marry in the near future.
***
Outside the museum all the important guests of the event had arrived, so most of the journalists had gone to file their stories. Peggy Becker was moving along with the rest of the pack when she noticed that a black Towncar had pulled up, away for the main group of limousines. The door opened and Jasper Templar emerged, dressed to the nines. He strode up the granite staircase with a jaunty, even brazen air.
“It takes a lot of guts to show up here. Since he’s out on bail so there can’t be any problem. I wonder if he’s going to face Daae and get into a loud and heated discussion. What a scoop that would be!” She said to no one in particular. She turned and walked away, the usual annoying clickity-click of her cheap heels were swallowed up by the sounds of camera equipment being dismantled and carted away. The failure to not follow-up with the D.A.’s office about Templar’s appearance was yet another example as to why she was not as good of a reporter as Lois Lane or Catherine Grant.
***
As soon as Jasper had been released on bail he returned to his apartment and decided to put into play his fallback plan. He never dreamed that it might actually be used.
He waited until nightfall and easily eluded the detail assigned to watch him and made his way to the museum. Loitering near the back doors that were used by the service staff, he waited for a particular individual, Calvin Hobbs, to arrive. Ever since Daae’s wedding to Lana Lang, he had known that a contact on the inside of the museum was necessary, someone who could keep him abreast of Lana’s movements should he need her as a pawn against Daae. Therefore he had made the acquaintance of one of the janitorial staff. He was an individual unhappy with his lot in life and particularly with the amount of pay he received on his job. Calvin was a somewhat slow, but avaricious man that Jasper found ridiculously easy to bend to his will.
Jasper had been liberal, paying for the drinks when he met him at a local bar, the Corona, a few blocks from the museum where many of the lower-tier staffers met after work. He had worked to increase the minion’s displeasure with the state of things and was happy to see the results of his efforts. Tonight, when he saw Calvin he smiled. He intercepted him as he approached the door. “Calvin, good to see you.”
“Uh, hey Jasp, what brings you around?”
Wincing at the nickname, but surreptitiously checking to ensure that they weren’t going to be overheard, Jasper said, “Join me at the Corona on your break. I have a proposition for you.”
Looking around, Calvin said, “Okay. See you at ten.”
Jasper was sitting at the bar, with a scotch in front of him and a glass of beer on the bar in front of the stool next to him when Calvin walked in.
Calvin crossed from the door to the bar, slid onto the stool next to Jasper, picked up the beer and greedily downed half of it in a gulp, before he spoke. “So, I’m here, what kind of proposition?”
“One you will like immensely … the kind that pays well.” Jasper said with a smirk.
“I don’t want no trouble. I got enough as it is.” Calvin mumbled looking up morosely from his glass.
“No trouble at all. I just want you to drop something off for me.”
“Drop something off?” He snorted derisively, “Use a messenger service.”
“I need it dropped off inside the museum.”
Even with as slow a wit as Calvin was, he was starting to get an inkling that something could be wrong with this. He asked, “It ain’t a bomb, is it?”
With a shocked expression, Jasper, asked, “Why ever would you even think that? I would never ask you to do anything illegal!”
Mollified, Calvin asked, “Well, then, what is it?”
“Just a small package that I want you to place in a locker in the change area, a special ‘gift’ for one of the guests. Now, if it was a bomb, why would I want it put there? It wouldn’t do any damage. Besides, why bother the working guys area?” Jasper pulled the package from under his jacket and placed it on the bar, between them.
“I guess that would be right. What’s in it?”
“It’s just a present for Gregory Daae.”
Eyeing the box, Calvin asked, “A present, huh? According to the papers, you two ain’t exactly on the best of terms right now.”
“Yes, that’s true. My present should settle all that.”
“Why can’t you just bring it with you?”
Jasper shook his head in dismay. “Look at it. It would ruin the line of the tuxedo I’ll be wearing. It’s worth $100 to me.” He pulled a $100 bill from his pocket and laid it on top of the box.
“Nope.”
Suddenly irritated that this imbecile of a janitor was giving him a hard time, Templar snapped, “What’s wrong? Can’t you do an old friend a simple favor?”
“Sure. But I need more. Elise skipped out on me, so I have to make up her half of the rent.”
Annoyed, Templar put another $100.00 on the table.
As Calvin reached for the bill, Templar stopped him. “There’s one more thing.” Tapping the box, he said, “This one goes to the locker room.” He pulled out a smaller package, one a little bigger than a cigarette case and placed it on the bar. “Tapping the second box, he said, “This one goes up on a balcony, out of sight.” He laid another $200.00 on top of the second box.
The light of greed lit up Calvin’s eyes and looking around he scooped up the bills and stuffed them into his pocket. As he picked up the packages he said, “Sorry Jasp, they both gotta go into Locker 25. Nobody is using that one. Security is tight, none of the janitors are allowed near the balconies until the event is over.” Tucking the packages under his arm he headed for the door without looking back.
Tempus watched him go, swallowed the remainder of his scotch, threw a bill on the bar and left. Now all he had to do was be a good little boy on bail and wait until the day of the Exhibit opening.
***
Templar checked his watch as he entered the Great Hall, presented his invitation and received the gift bag. He smiled, thinking while putting on the badge, instead of quickly discarded the bag behind a statute he could use it to hold the other ‘present’. He needed to get past a guard who stood in front of the corridor which lead to the janitor’s locker rooms.
At that moment the loud, surly voice of a man arguing with the security guard was heard at the reception desk. “My name has to be on that list, I paid good money to attend this event! Get whoever’s on the board over here this instant!”
The security guards – including the one guarding the passageway Templar wanted - moved speedily through the glittering assembly of patrons and celebrities in order to subdue the situation. He thought, <Talk about perfect distractions! That noisy lout has made my entry into the locker area a hundred times easier!>
The route to the janitor’s area was simple. He drifted in the direction of a side corridor and then ran down the long passageway and burst through the door to the locker room. Locating locker 25 he opened it and pulled out the two packages. Ripping the larger of the two open he revealed his favorite .50 caliber chrome plated Desert Eagle. He unbuttoned his jacket and slipped it into his waistband at the small of his back. The other package was quickly opened to reveal a simple lead box which he opened, removed the contents and then dropped the empty box into the gift bag. He put the empty packages back in the locker, closed the door and went back the way he came. Cautiously peering out into the hall he noted that the guards were still dealing with the now even more irate man. Seeing this he became more confident.
He made it back to Great Hall and past the desk before the guards returned because they were in the process of escorting the obnoxious guest out. He merged with the crowd and walked over to the bar, coolly ordering a gin and tonic. Eventually after taking a few casual sips of the poorly made concoction, he moved towards the staircase leading to the European Wing. He was determined to wreak his vengeance on Daae and dear Arianna at the same time.
***
Gregory and Lana walked arm-in-arm as they entered the vast room and wound their way past several tables until they reached the table, closest to the dais. Not too long afterwards, the Luthors and Lana’s parents joined them. Lois and Clark, careful to avoid the other couple, drifted over to where Perry, Alice and Jack were standing by the punchbowl.
“Well now, it’s about time you two got here. The food is great, a lot better than what we had at the Journalists conference in Seattle last year. Right Jack?”
Jack muttered, “How would I know? Because of Mr. Olsen’s initial cutbacks when he first brought the Daily Planet,
Photographers/research assistants couldn’t attend. But the food here is better than what I usually eat and this is just the cocktail hour! Guys, try the wild salmon coated with of all things - brown sugar!”
Alice White said, “Where is James? Surely he was invited?”
Lois rolled her eyes and answered. “He’s in Chicago, looking to buy a computer company called Micro something or other. The owner, Mr. Fences obviously did not have the financial savvy to keep the business afloat. Apparently he feels applying the ‘Olsen touch’ to that company is more important than attending this event.”
At that moment Catherine came over, her green eyes twinkling with excitement “Good evening everyone, working this event has been fantastic! Tonight is garnering more than a story for me. The ambassadors of Erani and Lampur have agreed to interviews about the upcoming treaty.”
“Great shades of Elvis! Switching you to cover Eduardo’s international political beat was a good move.” Perry said with a huge grin. “You were right, that Political Science degree from Wharton has come in handy.”
“I’m still in transition, but it is much better than covering local politics, best to leave that to Lois and Clark on the City desk. They can handle those disreputable people in City Hall far better than I.”
“Speaking of disreputable, Isn’t that Jasper Templar, the fellow causing all that trouble for Daae’s company?” Alice asked, tilting her chin in his direction. They all observed as Jasper passed by, working his way around the room until he located a table directly across from where the Daaes and Luthors sat with the Langs and other museum board members.
“Amazing, it takes a lot of gall for him to show up here.” Lois snorted.
Clark had his back to the crowd as he and Lois we sipping on their drinks and chatting as Templar passed by. Templar hadn’t noticed them as Clark had his back to him and Templar was concentrating on finding a point of vantage. He was about fifteen feet away from him as he passed Clark and he felt the pain associated with Kryptonite exposure. Even with his back turned, he knew that Templar had just passed because of that. Who else would have Kryptonite? Although the pain was not enough to cause him to collapse, he could feel beads of sweat form briefly on his forehead, plus a slight tingling sensation. This was nothing like in the previous timeline. Then he had been within ten feet and the pain had been enough to bring him to his knees. That had been bad enough, but then Tempus had moved closer, eventually placing the Kryptonite on the floor only a foot away.
Despite the pain, he vividly remembered teetering on the brink of unconsciousness when Lois had finally been released by her captor and grabbing the stone, thrown it into a far corner of the studio. With every inch, as Tempus moved closer, the pain had increased. Tempus had done it slowly, as if torturing him. When Lois had thrown it away, the relief from the pain had been immediate although it had taken some seconds for him to recover enough to formulate a plan to handle the bomb.
Overhearing Lois’s comment, Arthur Chow said as he joined them, “Not a lot of nerve, merely a donation of over one hundred thousand dollars. Apparently no one thought to remove his name from the guest list after he was arrested.”
“Can’t he be asked to leave? Surely the Daaes and Luthors will complain?” Alice asked.
Arthur shrugged, “There’s really nothing they can do. Asking him to leave might create more problems than it is worth.” He turned to Catherine a worried expression on his face and said, “Unfortunately, business has called me away. A central solar power station in Manila has gone offline. I promise to be back as soon as possible.”
Clark, with a very concerned expression asked. “How bad is it? Is there any likelihood of loss of life?”
“No. But I need to make an appearance before some of the news agencies in the Philippines to assure them we are doing everything possible to fix the problem.”
“Sorry to hear you have to leave Arthur. If the board members are not going to eject him, then it’s best to leave him alone. Now that I think of it, his being here will be a good way to start off the DMG series. I’ll think up a proper title to the story before the night is through. Come on, the wait staff is setting out plates for dinner.” Perry said as he took Alice’s arm and led her to table twelve.
Catherine walked off arm in arm with Arthur. Lois couldn’t help but smile to herself something special was going on there. Sooner or later, her friend needed to enlighten Lois.
Clark, realizing that Tempus had arrived, did not move as the rest of the party walked towards their table, but turned and looked around, seeking Tempus and finding him quickly.
Templar, having found a location he was satisfied with, looked around. He finally spotted Clark who was staring at the interloper, who noticed Clark and smirked. In a show of arrogance, he took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, held it in salute to Clark and then drank off the contents with one shallow. He then patted his left breast pocket with a self-assured smile.
A brief scan with his X-Ray vision revealed a chunk of green Kryptonite. That confirmed what he felt earlier. It was time to warn Wanda and CJ.
Lois noticed he was not following them, turning to him and asked, “Is there a problem, Clark?”
Trying to cover, he reached up and wiped the sweat from his forehead which gave him the excuse he needed so he replied, “Just a slight headache.” He wasn’t exactly lying since the Kryptonite had that effect on him.
Instantly solicitous, Lois said, “Poor guy. Is there anything I can do?”
He tried to reassure her with a gentle smile, “No, it’ll pass. I just need some fresh air…” As he said this, he looked around, trying to spot CJ. He needed to warn him. He knew since Tempus was here they had to be extremely watchful. Failing that, he looked for Wanda and finally spotted her on the far side of the hall, near the doors.
Concerned, Lois asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”
“What? There’s no reason for both of us to miss the party. I’ll be back in a few minutes. You won’t even notice that I’ve been gone.”
Lois watched him go, and then made her way to the table. When she arrived, Perry asked her a question, “Where’s Clark going?”
“He suddenly had a headache. He’s going for some fresh air.”
“Shame, he’s going to miss the first course.”
Lois shrugged, used to her partner’s inexplicable comings and goings. “I’m sure he’ll be right back.”
***
At the Daae table, heads turned when they noticed Jasper Templar sit down, grin, give a slight wave and then begin talking to the person next to him, as if without a care in the world.
Jefferson Bailey, the creative director behind the Age of Napoleon Exhibit, face paled, “His name should have been pulled from the guest list! Everyone, please accept my deepest apology! I will ask security to have him removed from the premises immediately!”
Lex’s eyes were touched with a hint of amusement rather than apprehension. “What possible harm can he cause? The man is an imbecile who simply wants to rattle us with his presence, nothing more. With nerve like that, he should be in business. What do you say Gregory?”
A humorless smile came to Daae’s lips. He shrugged and then nodded to his Father-in-law saying, “Ask Professeur Lang. I may be a keynote speaker this evening, but he, my wife and his team are responsible for this event. I for one have no concerns regarding his presence. I am more disappointed that my former assistant, Stephanie Aronnax, could not come. Apparently she is about to become a grand-mère and has decided to remain in New Mexico helping her daughter decorate the nursery.”
During this exchange, Bertram glowered at Jasper Templar. “After all the months of planning and preparation, one man is not going to ruin everyone’s evening. He can stay. Nonetheless, as a precaution, security is going to keep an eye on him. If he makes a move towards this table or any of us he will be escorted out.” With those words, the professor stood and departed for a conversation with the security team leader.
Mrs. Lang looked around and said to no one in particular, “Bertram will handle this.” Jefferson nodded in agreement and then they started talking about what an excellent job the staffers had done in decorating the room.
Across the table, Lana took her husband’s hand; this evening was full of surprises; first of all, sitting with the Luthors. Arianna treated her as before, but she could sense defensiveness from the older woman. After all, for five years she had been the undisputed leader in Metropolis’ society, now she was suddenly being pushed aside by a young woman who six months ago, no one but a handful of people in this room knew was alive. Next seeing Clark enter the chamber with a clear, pure confidence he had never displayed when she was with him. Could it be due to his new alter ego or the influence of that partner of his? Finally Jasper Templar slithering into the Museum on what should be the day of triumph for both her father and husband. She could sense Gregory’s body growing tense, but to his credit, only she knew how displeased he was.
***
Wanda had seen Clark leave the group of reporters and moved to intercept him near the doors. When they were close, she asked,
“What’s wrong.”
In clipped tones, he replied, “Tempus, he’s here, seated a table away from the Daaes and Luthors. He’s keeping a very low profile, but he let me know he’s carrying a small piece of Kryptonite. He’s passed within twenty feet of me and I felt it.”
Wanda nodded in understanding and said, “I’ll let my Clark know.” She placed a hand to her ear in order to relate the bad news. Then she said, “OK, he’s aware of it and will keep his distance. He’s had a lot more experience with that stuff. He said that the effects decrease with distance. After about twenty feet you might not feel it at all because the strength is reduced to one quarter of what it is at ten feet. He said something about the square of the distance. I didn’t get it all.”
“I’ll have to ask him about that later, but that’s great, I have to get back to my table. Lois is probably going to chalk this up to another one of my ‘mysterious’ disappearances.” He said this with a touch of humor.
Blue, doe shaped eyes pierced him with a sharp glance, yet she said nothing about Clark’s remark, he was aware she wanted him to reveal himself to the Lois of this world as soon as possible. But instead she said crisply. “You can’t go back in there! The whole point of our being here is to make sure your life is not destroyed. All Tempus has to do is get within ten feet of you and our efforts will be for nothing. Like before, at ten feet, it’ll bring you to your knees.”
“Don’t you think I know that? But Lois and a lot of other people I care about are in that room. Would CJ allow you to be hurt because of the fear of exposing the secret? I’ll just have to be careful to keep my distance. Besides, our table is far removed from where Templar is seated.”
She opened her mouth to argue, than thought better of it. Neither this Clark nor her husband could stand by while others were in danger.
“Time for me to get back to my surveillance of Tempus. Be careful Clark, that man is one of our worst enemies and one of the cleverest.” Without waiting for his response, she melted back into the crowd.
He watched her go and thought, <This woman who was Lois-yet-not-Lois was right; she and CJ had much more experience facing off with Tempus and several other criminal masterminds than he had. Their work this evening could not fail, it was the perfect opportunity to put an end to his interference in their lives forever.>
Once Wanda was back in the ballroom, she looked up to where she had seen CJ before. He had shifted his position and she didn’t see him immediately, but when she did and realized he was looking at her. She knew that there was too much noise in the room for him to hear her whisper so she nodded in the direction of the table where Tempus was seated. When he nodded his understanding, she started to move around the perimeter, always with her eyes trained on Tempus.
After taking pleasure in a delectable meal the room became noisy with conversation and the chink of fine china and sparkling crystal glassware. Amusing anecdotes were exchanged among the guests after the main course had been whisked away, replaced with an array of chilled tropical fruit and French pastries, still hot and flaky from the ovens.
Jack excused himself from the table. It was time to position himself for taking photos of the various speakers as they went up to the podium.
All the dinner hour, Wanda remained in the shadows, behind a statute of Apollo, watching Tempus, her stomach growling with gnawing hunger in ever increasing volume. When a waiter passed her with a silver tray loaded with croissants literally dripping with warm milk chocolate, she almost reached out to snatch one. Involuntarily she groaned mentally, this evening could not come to an end quickly enough.
Jefferson Bailey walked up to the podium and began to speak. After making comments about the time and effort it took to create the exhibit he said, “Now without further delay, I am certain we all want to hear from a person who has been one the guiding lights behind the creation of this magnificent exhibit. Mr. Gregory Daae!”
Applause filled the space as the spotlight moved from the podium to shine upon Table One. The light glinted off Daae’s glasses as he said in a low voice to the guests at his table, “Mes aimees, I shall endeavor to not spoil your dessert by making a boring, long winded speech …”
At that moment, waiters were carrying large silver trays holding several bowls of Baked Alaska, the fiery desert caught the eye of everyone in the room, even CJ high above was watching.
***
As Daae began to stride towards the podium, one of the waiters tripped when a guest unwittingly stuck out his foot. The poor man fell, sending a tray of the dessert crashing to the floor. Amidst the cries of dismay from the startled guests and the confusion as several waiters ran forward to help clean up the mess, Templar knew this distraction was his opportunity.
In the confusion, Templar hastily moved from his table and secreted himself behind a statue with a vantage point of the podium. Templar reached behind himself and pulled the Desert Eagle from his waistband. There was a subdued click as he cocked the hammer and a second click as he took off the safety. He had loaded a round into the breach before packaging it up.
After being briefly distracted like everyone else, Clark looked for Tempus and found that he had moved. He knew that Tempus couldn’t have moved in his direction as he didn’t feel the green K radiation. High above, in the confusion CJ had also lost sight of Tempus.
Fortunately, not everyone was distracted; Wanda had kept an eye on Tempus and saw him move behind the statue.
Quickly, before anyone could stop him, he leveled the gun at Daae’s back.
Wanda had been moving in that direction, from statue to statue, concealed position to concealed position, and when she saw Templar step from behind the statue, gun in hand she was slightly behind him and to one side, she shouted, “Tempus!”
CJ was distracted by his wife’s shout and looked in her direction, briefly, but it still delayed his response and Tempus was able to get off a shot.
Her shout, using his real name, startled Templar and Daae both. Daae stood frozen in position, but Templar, catching her movement out of the corner of his eye, flinched as he pulled the trigger. His bullet went wide of its mark, striking Daae in the left shoulder. The impact of the .50 caliber slug slamming into his shoulder spun him around and threw him forward onto the table, his silver framed glasses, tumbled from his head and landed not too far away, one lens cracked and splintered, but the other intact.
The slug passed through Gregory’s shoulder and struck into a wall.
At the sound of the gunshot and the outcries of pain, some of the people in the ballroom started to stand while others dove for the floor. Lana, seeing Daae topple forward, threw herself over him as if to protect him from further harm.
The screams of pain served as another distraction for CJ. He used his super-vision to check on the injuries. He saw that Daae’s injury was serious, but not life threatening. The distraction was enough to allow Tempus to get off his second shot.
After the sound of the gunshot Luthor, who had been seated next to Daae, stood when he saw him falling forward and spun to see where the shot had come from. As he did, he saw Templar, with a very large gun in his hand. The recoil had jerked his hand up, but he was bringing it back down and shifting his aim away from where Daae had been.
Since Luthor wasn’t looking directly down the barrel, he realized that he wasn’t the target of the next shot, but at the same time the realization hit him that the actual target was Arianna. That realization galvanized him into action and he jumped in her direction with the intent of knocking her out of the way. Just as he reached her there was the boom of the next discharge. Instantly, Luthor felt a searing pain in his left side and he was thrown forcibly into Arianna and they both toppled onto the table with Luthor on top. That position only lasted a second before Luthor slid off of her and fell to the floor, unconscious, with blood flowing from his wound.
One horrified scream tore from Arianna’s lips, and then she sank to the floor by her husband’s body and took his hand. Clark and Lois, with Perry not far behind, started to cross the space, to reach them, but stopped, several feet away when they realized Templar held a gun on Lana.
CJ turned his super-vision on Luthor and realized that his wound was life threatening. They needed to end this, quickly, but with Tempus in possession of Kryptonite, he couldn’t approach him.
The room was plunged into silence as guests, wait staff and security watched in horror as Templar pointed the gun at Lana who knelt by her husband’s side. His sarcastic, ugly tones filled the great space as he barked out, “All of the security guards leave the room and close the doors behind you; otherwise Mrs. Daae will be my next target!”
“Templar, this is madness! Why are you doing this?” asked Kip Terrell his voice hoarse with shock and fear.
“Revenge.” Templar spat out. “The media holds up such social giants as Gregory Daae and Mrs. Luthor as civic minded and kind. What would the dumb locals think if they knew what frauds they truly were hmmm?”
The crowd, despite their dread, anticipated his next words in apprehensive silence. All except one individual, who crept closer, looking for an opening so that she could strike.
Waving the Desert Eagle as a way of emphasizing his power over them, Templar continued. “Mrs. Luthor sold some Picasso and Degas paintings a few years back in order to,“ his voice became mocking as he finished. “help some poor urchins. What was neglected in the Metropolis Star’s splashy coverage of her generosity was that only a fraction of the money was used for that purpose. The rest was spirited away to a bank in Zurich. Gotta love those Swiss, they really know a thing or two about hiding money for the wealthy of other nations - money that cannot be taxed in their own country.”
Kip said aloud, “This whole thing is about a … a tax dodge?”
Templar smiled, exposing bright teeth. “Nice isn’t it? Arianna gets to look gracious in front of her wealthy friends and she has a tidy little nest egg should her marriage to dear Lex flounder. Best part of all? She only paid taxes on part of the sum.”
Arianna’s expressive eyes glared at him with an expression of pure hate, one angry word hissed from her lips, “Monster.”
He turned from the crowd, his smile grew cruel and devoid of mercy looked down at Arianna in her blood spattered gown and said with a sneer. “Maybe we ought to ask Mindy Church about that.”
Arianna turned her back on Jasper Templar and focused her attention on Lex, refusing to dignify his statement with a reply.
Lana used a linen napkin to staunch the flow blood from Daae’s shoulder wound. Her husband’s face was white with shock and despite considerable pain, barely suppressed rage. Her voice cracked from shock said, “Stop this petty arguing, Gregory needs medical attention!”
Waving the gun around as if it were a toy Templar answered, “Oh let him suffer for a change, he’s not innocent. Far from it! Ask him about the plot he and Mrs. Luthor cooked up to bilk poor Lex out of his corporation. Also there is not enough time this evening to relate Mr. Daae’s numerous strategies to manipulate the media to his will.” Tempus shook his head in mock pity. “In this one instance … Lex Luthor is the innocent bystander!” Looking at the figure lying on the floor, Templar shrugged and said, “Sorry to have shot you old man. I really was aiming for the missus … God, how I love irony!”
“Clark … help us.” Lana said in a strained voice.
Hearing that, Templar’s’ face twisted into a malevolent sneer and turned his attention to Clark. “Don’t expect the man in blue spandex to show up and save the day. Isn’t that right, Mr. Kent?”
Horrified, because now he was as helpless as any human, Clark said nothing, at that moment, he felt Lois take his hand.”
“Cat got your tongue? Maybe this will loosen it! “Tempus reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the greenly glowing rock. “A little gift from your old home something that can only harm Superman … Kryptonite!”
In the few seconds it took for Tempus to pull out the rock, Clark re-lived the last time this man had exposed his secret. Now despite everything he and Wells had done, his life would be turned upside down again. He looked into Lois’ beautiful brown eyes and saw that a peaceful existence with this woman would forever be denied him.
The sickly green glow was evident to those closer to Tempus. Although Clark was much further than ten feet, he braced his body, ready for the wash of pain to engulf him.
Nothing happened.
No pain lancing over him, crippling muscles and sinews.
No sweat running out of his pores, just a light beading on his forehead.
But he did feel the tingling sensation again, stronger this time, enveloping him in its grip.
Nothing happened to Clark, high above he could hear CJ’s sharp gasp of surprise. You’re so much closer to the Kryptonite why y … why isn’t it hurting you?”
But Clark was unable to hear CJ’s words. His powers were gone, but he was not in pain. It was as if his abilities were muffled, wrapped in some kind of cocoon.
Since Tempus needed to keep his gun on his prisoners, he couldn’t close the distance so nothing happened to Clark, because he was still out of range of those deadly rays.
Templar, his shocked voice echoed CJ’s comment, “This is Kryptonite! You’re Superman! Fall on the floor!”
All this time, almost no one noticed a small figure behind Tempus, Clark had watched as Wanda moved silently in, ready to strike just waiting for the right moment. It was imperative he keep talking to Tempus as a distraction. If Templar’s attention was centered on him, he might not see Wanda until it was too late. He hoped the other guests would realize what he was doing and follow along. There had been more than enough violence tonight. Showing a bravado he certainly did not feel, Clark snapped back. “Are you insane? It doesn’t affect me because I AM NOT SUPERMAN.”
Lana glared at him with angry eyes, thinking he was refusing to help Gregory, wisely, she remained silent.
People were beginning to stir and murmur with restless confusion. There were others now who could see what Wanda was up to and they desperately wanted this mysterious woman in red to succeed. A voice, familiar in its southern accent was heard above the others, “Mr. Templar, please release the wounded and the ladies. Maybe then we can sit down calmly and some kind of deal can be worked out?”
A harsh bark of laughter escaped Tempus lips. “Make a deal with you? If it hadn’t been for that rag of a newspaper, my plans would have succeeded! RoyalPoint was not that far away from conquering LexCorp and DMG, making it the most powerful media conglomerate on the planet! I should kill you rather than waste time on Kent!” With that he and turned the pistol on Perry and his finger tightened to squeeze off a shot and that hit Perry in the leg. Alice screamed and Tempus immediately shifted his aim back to Lana.
From that moment things happened so quickly and simultaneously that the guests, when they were later questioned, said it was all a blur.
CJ was briefly shocked into immobility by seeing Perry shot. By the time he recovered, Tempus had re-aimed his weapon at Lana. He knew that he couldn’t risk getting close to Tempus so he would have to wait until the gun was not pointed at Lana, then he would have to send a narrow beam of heat vision at the weapon.
Seeing Perry shot threw Lois into a rage. Heedless of the threat posed by the massive automatic, she started to charge Tempus and her rage was such that she wanted to strike out any way that she could, but she wasn’t close enough so pulling back her arm she hurled the heavy beaded evening purse at him. Tempus, seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, started to turn to face in that direction and bring his gun to bear on this new attacker. As he did, the beaded bag hit him square in the face. With a cry of pain and indignation, his hands went up instinctively in protection.
He quickly recovered and started to bring down his hands. Before Tempus was able to bring the weapon to bear on his new target it started to heat. Tempus strained to keep a hold on the weapon to get off at least one more shot, this one at his attacker in the red dress.
Seeing that his wife was now being threatened by Tempus, CJ redoubled his efforts to heat up the gun. In his anxiety to protect his wife, Clark used more heat vision than was actually required and as a result the color of the weapon rapidly moved to a bright cherry red. Before Tempus could bring it to bear on Wanda he was forced to drop it. The rapid and excessive heating caused the round in the breach to fire. Fortunately the gun had tumbled from Tempus’s hand and the round went into the floor.
That was the diversion Wanda had needed. She had managed to get close to Templar and as he dropped the weapon, she lashed out with a round kick that took him in the stomach. With a whoosh all of the air was expelled from his lungs and he doubled over. Closing with him, she stuck him again, this time she focused all of her energy and with a shouted, “Keyaa!” used a sword hand chop on Tempus’s left arm. The result of the blow was that the sickening crack of a broken bone echoed throughout the chamber. That blow also dislodged the green Kryptonite from his hand and it fell to the floor, near the hole that the slug had created.
As he tried to retreat, Tempus screamed in pain and rage, “Get this Hellcat off me!” He had blood streaming down his face from a bleeding nose as he cradled his injured arm with his free hand.
“Be grateful I don’t do more!” She shouted back in fury. As she shouted this, she stooped, picked up the Kryptonite that had fallen from Tempus’ grasp and the beaded bag that had done such good service. As she started to run away, she dropped the Kryptonite into her evening purse and closed it. She was thankful Aunt Rita had given her that antique bag. It used lead threads to hold the beads in place and was an effective lead lined container.
Once Wanda was at a safe distance, CJ flew to the floor, grabbing Tempus so hard he nearly broke the man’s other arm. As soon as Superman appeared, all attention was on him and Wanda was able to use that distraction to make her escape. It took all his control not to do further damage, although the Perry of his world was safe, he still felt sick with shock and grief that this man who resembled his mentor was injured. A brief examination showed the bullet had not hit the femoral artery, after assessing the injuries, he decided that right now it was important to get Lex Luthor to MetroGen’s E.R. to treat his life threatening wound.
Perry had collapsed to the floor and Alice, heedless of her gown had knelt next to him and grabbing a handful of napkins, applied direct pressure to the wound in an attempt to slow the blood loss. Jack, who had appeared from out of nowhere, took off his jacket and laid it over Perry to keep his body temperature consistent and optimistically ward off shock.
“Alice … honey … are you … all right?” Perry asked in a strained voice.
She responded through her tears, “That was the craziest, bravest thing I ever saw! Don’t … don’t you dare die on me!”
He gave her a wan smile that turned into a grimace of pain, “Ah darlin’. I’m … like Elvis, no matter how bad I ache … the show has gotta go on.” Then with a deep sigh, he passed out.
At that moment, Inspector Henderson leading a team of police officers and a SWAT unit came storming into the room and began assessing the situation. Catching the attention of one of the uniformed police nearby, Superman said, “Please use your two-way radio to summon medical assistance. Mr. Daae and Mr. White shall require transportation to the hospital for emergency treatment.”
Bill snapped out to a uniform, “Allen! You heard the man! Call an ambulance! No, make that two!”
Before he was even finished speaking, the cop had keyed his microphone to comply.
Selecting another cop, he said, “Handcuff him,” he indicated Templar, “I have to fly Mr. Luthor directly to the MetroGen E.R.” So saying, he scooped up Luthor and flew off. As he did, the cop moved to comply.
Suddenly Jack said, “Hey, where is the Lady in Red? She’s the one who took Templar down.”
Everyone looked around for the elusive woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. Even Clark, using his enhanced vision to study the surrounding rooms could not locate her. Somehow she managed to leave without anyone noticing. Lois Lane of the alternative universe did indeed know more about covert operations than the Lois of his world.
***
When the paramedics arrived to collect Daae they found Lana lying on top of him weeping uncontrollably. They pulled her off so that they could examine him. They all heard the paramedic call in on the Med-channel to MetroGen, “Male victim, about forty, single GSW to the left shoulder, looks like the entire shoulder capsule is compromised including the clavicle.”
There was a squawk and then, “Stabilize, start a normal saline drip and transport immediately.”
As they were moving Daae to a stretcher, Superman returned in his blood stained uniform.
In order to hear the report on Luthor’s medical condition, Lois, Clark, Henderson and several others moved towards the Man of Steel while he spoke to Arianna Carlin-Luthor, he said gently, “Your husband took a bullet in the left lung. An inch or so to the right and it would have hit the heart. I believe I got him to the E.R in time. The doctor seemed very hopeful that he will survive.”
Her fine-looking silver designer gown was also stained bright red with Luthor’s blood and slumping into a chair in relief, she said, “Thank you, Superman. I … I need to get to him as quickly as possible. He saved my life.” She repeated shaking her head, “My husband saved my life.” At that her voice broke and she began to weep bitterly.
About this time, Templar was recovering consciousness. Realizing that he had lost and determined to still have his revenge, he started to shout, “Look at him! Look closely! Don’t you recognize him? The great Superman! He’s really that disgraced reporter from the Daily Planet, Clark Kent!”
The people standing around, including Lois turned their eyes on him and looked at him questioningly.
CJ turned to the crowd and said, “As you can all see, I’m obviously not Clark Kent. Clark is right here, right next to his partner, Lois Lane as he has been all evening, working to cover this event with his co-workers. The Daily Planet does not work with disreputable reporters.”
Templar snorted in disgust, “Of course the Daily Planet doesn’t work with ‘disreputable reporters’, but only recently they fired two of them! But it is him. This is obviously an imposter!”
Lois snapped, “Yeah, right! An impersonator with all of Superman’s powers? Over two hundred people saw him fly Lex Luthor to the hospital. Templar, no one is going to listen to such wild accusations. Whatever creditability you once had is long gone.”
“That’s enough out of you!” Henderson motioned to a couple of uniforms and said, “Make sure you get him into a squad car immediately.”
“Thanks Bill.” Lois said with a watery smile. It was fun to have the taciturn detective on her side for once!
“No problem Lane. It’s the least I can do. We’ve got a nice cell at the station all set for VIP prisoners like Templar. He was able to make bail last time, but the next time he sees daylight will be when we take him to trial. Now, if you will excuse me. I have to make sure he’s booked properly. I don’t want him getting loose on some cockamamie technicality.” He was about to leave, when he turned and said to Clark.
Shaking his head in disbelief he said, “Yeah, you’re Superman! No disrespect intended Kent, that’s crazy talk. The guy is a nut, maybe I ought to make that a padded cell!”
All Clark could manage was a lopsided grin. “Don’t worry about it Bill, none taken. With Superman standing right next to me, anyone can see that I’m not him!”
Catherine joined them at that point. “This has been quite the evening! I managed to get away and call Arthur to let him know what happened, otherwise he would have returned from the airport. I also called Denny for you Jack. The poor kid would have been out of his mind with worry once he heard the news.”
Jack couldn’t help but give her one of his rare smiles. “Thanks Cat!”
The older woman groaned and said, “Oh please, don’t call me that!”
“Cat?” Lois said with a raised eyebrow.
“What?” The young man shrugged, “It’s my nickname for her.”
Superman’s calm, deep voice caused all to turn around. "Excuse me everyone, but since the Metropolis Police and the paramedics have the situation in hand, I believe my services are required elsewhere.” With those words, the Man of Steel in a flash of blue and red, departed.
Lois said wearily, “I wanted to get a few quotes from him.”
Placing a reassuring hand on Lois shoulder, Clark said. “Don’t worry hon .. uh Lois, we have more than enough to write this story.”
Jack and Catherine exchanged amused glances and then pretended not to hear what Clark had nearly said.
After the police hauled Templar away, still screaming that Clark was Superman, the paramedics prepared to take Perry to the hospital. The reporters gathered their things and followed behind Alice White.
She halted, turned about and asked “Where … where are all of you going?” .
Clark, acting as spokesman for everyone said. “With you to MetroGen of course. My best friend and former roommate Dr. Pete Ross is working there tonight in the ER. His team will take good care of Perry. We want to stay with you until he’s out of surgery.”
Jack said softly, with a catch in his throat, “The … the Chief would want us to look after you Mrs. White.”
Lois and Catherine both voiced similar feelings.
Despite seeing her husband and others shot by a madman, Alice, a strikingly beautiful woman in her late fifties, managed to appear dignified and calm. Taking Clark’s hand, she gave it a maternal squeeze and said, “If your friend is there I have no doubt my husband will receive the best of care. But all of you have a job to do. This event had been turned on its head and the people of Metropolis need to know what happened from eyewitness accounts. All of us have been through an ordeal; nevertheless the story has to be written about for the morning edition.”
Catherine insisted. “But Alice, somebody has to stay with you. Besides, who will tell your sons?”
Kip Terrell stepped forward and placing a consoling hand on Alice’s shoulder and in his firm, but calm voice said, “It will be my privilege to stay with Alice. As soon as we get to the hospital we’ll contact the boys. It’s time for the Daily Planet reporters to get to the bullpen ASAP. We can’t have those TV talking heads scoop the best newspaper in New Troy! The only pity is there are no pictures to build the story around.”
“Not necessarily!” Jack piped up and patted his camera. “While Templar was waving the gun, scaring people, I was taking pictures! The story is going to be great!”
Despite the terrible events of this evening, Lois’ heart swelled with pride as gave she Jack a fierce hug. “Spoken like a true photojournalist! Great work Jack! We need to grab a cab, get to the bullpen and write up the story!”
A paramedic spoke up, “Mrs. White, we are ready. You can ride in the ambulance with us.”
She turned to the uniformed woman, gave a wan smile to express heartfelt thanks and then she continued speaking to her friends. “As soon as Perry is out of surgery Kip will call. I have no doubt when you arrive in the newsroom, Mitch will be pleased to know what a fantastic story has fallen to him to edit. Now, as Lois said, catch a cab and go to work!”
