Whine No More
Folc4evernaday
Part 5
***
Lois watched Clark leave and sighed. At least now she KNEW where he was running off to. She turned in her chair and spotted the pastry bag Dan had brought from earlier. The confrontation from earlier echoed in her mind. She needed to nip this crap with Dan in the bud and make sure he kept his nose out of her relationship with Clark for good. Recalling how secretive he had been with his work an idea began to form. She grabbed her things, calling over her shoulder, “Jimmy?”
“What’s up?” Jimmy called, poking his head up from his desk.
“I’ll be back in a little bit. If Clark comes back tell him to meet me at the café…He’ll know what I’m talking about,” Lois said as she climbed the steps to the elevator.
“You got it,” Jimmy called, waving as she stepped on the elevator.
***
After stopping the carjackers and safely delivering the crying infant back to his mother, Clark did a quick patrol around the area to make sure there were no other pending disasters. Thankfully, everything seemed to be quiet for the most part. He headed over to the courthouse to try and see if he could catch some of the attorneys Perry had recommended after court.
Constance had said he needed a shark. He still hated that Constance wouldn’t take his case.
A throng of reporters was crowded on the steps of the courthouse steps. Curious he turned to see what the commotion was and saw at the top of the steps seven men in sharp suits surrounding Bill Church Jr. His eyes widened as Bill Church Jr. continued to give his statement to the press, “No, I’m certainly not bitter and…” Bill Jr. spotted him in the crowd, “Superman!”
Clark took a few steps toward him, “Don’t tell me you made bail…”
“Bail? No. They’re dropping charges.” Bill Jr. sneered.
“What??” He still recalled all too well how Bill Jr. had kidnapped Perry, drugged him with Red Kryptonite and tried to kill both Lois and Perry.
Bill Jr. patted him on the shoulder as he strode down the steps with the crowd of reporters moving with him, “All you need’s a good lawyer. Trust me; you’re gonna love it in there.” Clark watched him descend the steps, resuming his statement to the press, “I just signed to write a book on the whole experience, called ‘Why This Is The Greatest Country On Earth...’”
Clark shook his head, heading into the courthouse. “Open mind, open mind, open mind…”
***
“Bobby?” Lois tapped on the window of “Marco’s Italian Buffet.” He looked up through the window, mouth full of pasta, as usual, motioning for her to come in and join him.
Upon entering the establishment, she looked past the servers setting up for lunch and found Bobby in the corner eating a plate full of spaghetti. “Hey, Lois, you ya doing?” Bobby asked in between mouthfuls.
Lois took a seat across from him, trying to divert her eyes from the sight of him slurping his food. It was enough to make her stomach churn. “Oh, you know chasing bad guys, writing stories, same old same old…” She shrugged.
“Yeah, I heard you and Clark finally made up after locking horns like the Hatfields and McCoys…”
“How did you…?” She began to ask, but stopped, “Never mind, uh, Bobby I need a favor..”
“And I need to eat…” Bobby said in-between bites, “I’m a starving artist here…”
“Artist?” Lois asked, cocking an eyebrow.
He puffed his chest out, smoothing his hair, “I used to make a real good Olly Winter,”
“I’m sure you were, Bobby,” She smiled pulling out her notepad, “I need you to do some research for me on an Agent Scardino,”
He nodded, “Yeah, your uh DEA Agent boyfriend?”
“He is
NOT my boyfriend,” Lois corrected.
“Figure of speech,” He shrugged.
“Find another one,” Lois said, “Anyway I need you to find out what he’s working on,”
“Okay, but it’ll cost you extra,”
“Panda House?” Lois asked.
Bobby shook his head, “Too greasy. Hunan House is better. Chicken Lo-Mein….extra won-tons….Oooh! Don’t forget the egg rolls!”
“I’ll tell you what, you get me what I need by this afternoon and after lunch, I’ll get Clark to get you some of those Belgian truffles you like so much.”
“Oh, Swiss Chocolate! Even better! You’re on girl!” Bobby grinned.
***
The first lawyer Clark ran into was Arnold Sharp, Attorney At Law. He was intense, to say the least. He had caught him on his way out of court after getting a vehicular homicide case tossed. He was brutal. “Lemme tell ya a little about my strategy in a case like this, Superman. I don't just beat the other side... I kill them. You think I'm kidding?” He could smell the sour onion on his breath as Sharp got in his face with a glint of insanity wavering in his eye. His face then softened, and he laughed, “I’m not kidding,”
He swallowed hard, looking around the elevator nervously at the crowd of disapproving looks. Sharp continued to illustrate his ‘strategy’ as his face turned red with anger, “You choke ‘em on paperwork,” He illustrated his point by making a fist in the air, “…cut off their air, then go after their families, friends…” Clark sighed, shaking his head. This guy was out of his mind. “…and when their bones are breaking in your fists…”
“I don’t think…” He began to argue.
“You squeeze harder!” The elevator dinged, and he stepped off grateful for a way to escape as Sharp continued, “…
Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“I, uh, really have to go….” He began. What? Run as far away from your crazy self as possible? It wasn’t like he could say he had a doctor appointment, “rescue someone…or something…”
Sharp looked down at his watch and nodded, his softer demeanor returning once more, “Oh, yeah, I’m late for yoga. Listen, we’ll talk soon, huh?”
***
Back at the Planet, Lois finished placing the order for Bobby at Hunan House with a sense of satisfaction. If her plan worked, then hopefully this would get Dan to back off and keep his nose out of her and Clark’s relationship. At first, she’d felt sorry for the way she ended things with Dan, but after the way he’d been acting lately, she now felt she hadn’t been hard enough on him. The constant digs about Clark and him showing up everywhere wanting to ‘talk’ was getting old.
Clark still wasn’t back yet. She sighed, glancing at his desk. He was still holding out on her. When he’d told her about the kryptonite cage yesterday, he was holding something back. After last night she’d figured the best way to get the information out of him was a bit of slow seduction and teasing. She had to admit she was enjoying every minute of it.
“Hey, Lois?” Allan called from across the aisle.
“What’s up Allan?” Lois asked.
“Some guy with a Brooklyn accent is on line three for you. Sounds like he’s trying to shovel a dump truck of food in his mouth while he’s talking,”
“Thanks, I’ve got it,” Lois said, grabbing her phone, “Bobby? That was quick! I just finished ordering the food.”
“Yeah, I know,” He said in-between bites, “I got some information for you. I’m headed over to Hunan House right now. Nirvana…” Bobby mumbled in-between bites.
“Nir-What?” Lois asked.
“Nirvana,” Bobby said a little clearer. “Project Nirvana. It’s a code name for the case Scardino is working. Lois, are you sure that guy is DEA?”
“Pretty sure,” Lois said.
“Well, from what I heard he’s not DEA. He’s FDA.”
“What?”
“Food and Drug Administration, Lois.”
Lois rolled her eyes, “Bobby, I know what FDA stands for…Are you sure we’re talking about the same Scardino?”
“That’s what my guys say,” Bobby said.
“All right, well what does the FDA have to do with Project Nirvana?”
“From what I hear Project Nirvana is something to do with Intergang. They’re looking to get a drug approved.”
“Which would make sense for the FDA and the DEA to be involved,” Lois reasoned. “FDA says 'yes' or 'no' to companies that want to market new drugs, but if the drug is harmful the DEA is involved...”
“Sounds like a tangled web,” Bobby said, “but I’m not sticking my neck in that noose any farther than I already have. Remember you didn’t hear any of this from me. Don’t forget about my chocolates.”
“Well enjoy your lunch,” Lois said.
“Remember, the Swiss Chocolates, and then we’re even.” He repeated before hanging up.
Lois sighed, hanging up the phone before turning to Jimmy, “Jimmy!”
Jimmy looked up from Allan’s desk where he was in conversation, “What’s up?” Lois motioned for him to come to her and he sighed, getting up to walk over to her desk and Jimmy wheeled himself to her desk, “You bellowed?”
Lois grinned “Yes, I’m guessing you’re about as sick of the intrusions by Dan as I am?”
“You have
nooo idea,” Jimmy said shaking his head emphatically.
“Well, I have an idea to put an end to all of these intrusions, but I need your help. You still got those contacts at the FDA?” Lois asked, pulling out a notepad to begin jotting
Jimmy puffed his chest out, “I might,” He said with a grin.
Lois smiled, “Well, how about you do a little research for me?” She handed him the paper from her legal pad. “See what you can find out about Project Nirvana and let me know what you find out…”
“Nirvana?” Jimmy asked, “Like the band?”
Lois rolled her eyes, “It’s a code name for a case Dan is working on. Just let me know what you find out…”
“I don’t know, Lois isn’t that a bit…”
“Intrusive?” She asked with a smile. “That’s the idea.”
***
Richard Smith seemed like a much more reasonable attorney than Sharp. His demeanor was a lot more relaxed and friendly, “You're right to shop carefully for an attorney. I've handled dozens of cases like this, and none of them have ever gone to trial. I’ve always settled amicably and cheaply.”
‘Finally, some good news.’ Clark smiled, “That’s great. How?”
Smith smiled back at him, “Find the plaintiff's darkest secret and threaten to print it unless they back off.” Blackmail? No way. Smith handed him a bowl of mints, “Mint?”
***
Richard Bowler was a professional. He’d been handling litigation law for years. He seemed to be a reasonable man. Clark listened as he explained his strategy. “Superman, you're the one being exploited here, and I've got an idea. Let's sue them.”
‘What?’“And not just them -- let's go after those guys selling Superman t-shirts and not cutting you in and the comic books, let's get you a little taste of that action.”
‘Those go to the Superman Charity for helping those in need. I’m not going to sue them!’ Clark thought before trying to interrupt, “But…”
“I know, I know, no money, right? Don't worry; the first few are on me, pro bono... if you just sign over the TV movie rights to me.”
‘TV Movie rights?’***
Lois arrived at Marge’s Café a little before noon. She spotted Elise in the corner and was preparing to confront her when she spotted Calvin sitting at a table in the corner. Discreetly she grabbed a menu and headed inside the café, so she was sitting across the table from where Calvin was sitting.
She glanced at the time. Where was Clark? Elise grabbed her bags and came to sit down next to Calvin, “Did you bring it?” He asked.
‘It?’ Lois wondered. Could he be on drugs?
“Yes,” Elise said, pulling a hand-held, portable television set from her purse.
The sound from the portable television echoed around the café, but Calvin and Elise seemed oblivious. Lois craned her neck to see what they were watching, “Is Superman getting too big for his britches? Next on Jerry...”
“Oh, no,” Lois muttered, “He didn’t…”
“Isn’t this great, Elise?” Calvin beamed at Elise, “I’m on national TV, and Barry Barker says there's no way I can lose the case.”
“Over my dead body,” Lois muttered under her breath.
“That's wonderful, Calvin... If you win a lot of money, then can we tell people we're married?” Elise asked cautiously.
‘WHAT??? That pig won’t even admit he’s married to her??’ Lois did her best not to react verbally. A server approached her table, and she pretended to be on her phone, nodding back and forth so as not to miss anything and to not draw attention to herself. The server filled her water glasses, and she mouthed
‘Thank you…waiting on someone.’ The server nodded and left.
“Absolutely, honey. You know the only reason I wanted to keep it secret was so your friends wouldn't think you'd married a bum.” Calvin reassured Elise, taking her hand in his. Elise smiled intently back at him.
‘Is she seriously buying this crap?’“You understand what you have to say when you're on the witness stand, don't you?” Calvin asked.
Lois’ ears perked up.
‘Witness stand? He’s probably going to get her to lie for him. That no good…’“Yes, Calvin.” Elise nodded.
She was just about to open her mouth to say something when Clark arrived taking a seat next to her. “Hi,” She noticed he was eyeing her legs that were crossed from beneath the table appreciatively as he sat down, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
Still seething from what she had witnessed she muttered, “Men are pigs.”
“What???” He looked at her in surprise.
Realizing she’d said that statement out loud, she whispered, “Not you…” She motioned toward Calvin and Elise, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Here it is, it's starting!” Calvin said excitedly.
On the television set, Jerry is on the screen with Calvin, “Today we'll be talking to Calvin Dreggs, a master guitarist on the cusp of major stardom…until he suffered a career-ending injury at the hands of Superman. Yes, folks, Superman. Is The Man of Steel the Champion of Justice, or is he just a bully in a cape? You decide.”
“There I am! There I am! I'm so photogenic!” Calvin cheered happily.
“We tried to contact Superman to hear his side of the story... but The Man of Steel apparently feels he's not answerable to anyone. Well, we'll see if he's answerable to the law.” Jerry continued.
“Lying, no good…” Lois muttered under her breath, and Clark placed a hand on hers to calm her down.
“You look so good on TV, Calvin,” Elise gushed.
“Shhh! Shhh!” Calvin shushed her.
On the television, Calvin said, “According to the doctor my attorney found for me, I have permanent nerve damage, I'll never play the guitar again.”
Lois couldn’t take any more of the show. She glanced at Clark and saw him lowering his glasses and realized he was just as frustrated.
“…and Superman didn’t even apologize.”
ZZAP!
The television sparked and the signal died, filling the screen with static. Lois couldn’t help but laugh, “Nice aim.”
“Nice legs,” He said, glancing down at her stocking covered legs beneath the table as he wriggled his eyebrows at her seductively. She smiled back, leaning over to kiss him.
Calvin threw the TV set across the table missing Elise by a few inches, “You idiot! You bought a defective TV!” He stood up in his anger and Elise cowered down.
“Clark…” Lois breathed.
Before she could finish saying his name, Clark had already stood up and approached Calvin who had his arm raised as if he was about to strike Elise. “Don’t even think about it,” He warned sternly, grabbing Calvin by the arm.
“Who the bloody hell are you?” Calvin asked, “Mind your business!”
“Where I come from it is never okay to treat a lady like that. I’m making this my business. Take a walk.” He warned sternly.
Calvin was about to argue but saw the stern look on Clark’s face and thought better of it, jerking his hand back, “Come on Elise, let’s get out of here…”
“But….” Elise began to argue.
“I said let’s go!” He argued. When she didn’t move, he threw his arms up, “Whatever, I need to find another TV set anyway…” With that, he stormed off.
“Are you okay?” Clark asked, kneeling down, so he was eye-level with Elise who was holding back tears.
She shook her head, holding back tears. Lois got up from the table and approached, “Can I get you something?”
“I, uh…” She began to stammer, “He’s never done that before…I’m sorry I’m kind of in shock right now,”
Lois pulled up a chair, pulling out a pack of tissues from her purse, “Here,”
“Thank you,” Elise said, wiping her eyes with the tissue. “I don’t know what got over him. He’s never acted like that before.”
“He shouldn’t have been talking to you like that,” Clark said, shaking his head in disapproval.
“He just gets upset,” Elise tried to cover. “Uh, thank you, but…I think I should probably try and go after him…” She said, getting up from the table. “When he’s angry like that he could get himself into a lot of trouble.”
Lois was quiet for a moment, “Elise, don’t you think you should distance yourself a bit?”
“How did you know my name?” She asked suspiciously.
“I, uh…” Lois pointed to the table she had been sitting at, “…overheard him call you Elise,” She managed not so convincingly.
Elise looked between them for a moment then started gathering her things, “I should go,”
“Wait!” Lois started to argue.
“Thank you, but I have to go,” Elise said heading out the door.
Lois sighed, getting up from the table. “Unbelievable,” She muttered staring out the entrance Elise had left from.
“Tell me about it,” Clark muttered, in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind “Come on,” He motioned to their vacated table. “Might as well get something to eat while we’re here,”
***
Back at the Planet, Jimmy was sifting through the files on his desk when he ran across his message pad with half the carbon copy torn off. On the bottom was a number
‘555-0373’. Trying to recall who the message could be from he picked up the phone to dial the number. After a couple of rings, he reached a recorded voice, “You have reached the office of Charles Knox, president of OmniCorp. Please leave your name, number and the purpose of your call. Thank you for calling OmniCorp.”
He hung up the phone before the beep. He didn’t know anyone that was researching OmniCorp. Why would there be a message on his pad? Maybe someone jotted the number down by mistake? No, the top two copies had been torn off. Almost like someone didn’t want to leave the number lying around. Not something someone that worked at the Planet would do…
The wheels in his head began to turn, and he pulled up his browser to do a search: ‘Charles Knox Omnicorp’ in the search engine. He smiled when he read the first article that popped up, ‘Charles Knox pushes for New Pain Pill Approval.'
“Bingo,” He said in a sing-song voice to himself.
***
After ordering their food Lois and Clark sat in silence, unsure of what to say after the incident with Calvin and Elise, “I shouldn’t have done that,” Clark muttered bitterly.
“I admire your restraint,” Lois said, sipping her water, “If I had heat-vision Calvin Dreggs would have been missing a
very crucial body part,”
Clark laughed, “It was just that show…all those lies he was telling…just eats me up.”
“I know,” Lois smiled up at him, placing a hand over his, “It was kinda funny to watch you scare the pants off him, though,” She grinned back at him, placing a peck on his cheek. He smiled back at her, still a bit distracted from what had happened earlier. She decided to change the subject, “So, any luck on Superman finding an attorney?”
He sighed heavily, “No, everyone on that list is dishonest or cruel or greedy…Superman can’t be represented by someone like that,”
Lois sighed, “Well, maybe go back to Ms. Hunter? Maybe Superman can convince her to take the case?” She slipped her hand up his thigh, “He can be very
persuasive when he wants to be,” She giggled when he took a sharp breath.
“Lo-is…” He hissed, pulling away from her.
“What?” She asked innocently, reaching for her glass of water from across the table. She smiled inwardly when she heard him groan as she made sure to brush up against him ever so slightly, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage from beneath her blazer.
“You know…what,” He whispered, “
Stop it. We’re in
public.”
Deciding she’d pushed his buttons enough for the moment, she pulled away but not before brushing her leg against his calf seductively as she re-crossed her legs from beneath the table. He glanced down at the table, and she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs again, watching as he continued staring intently at the table as he took a shuddered breath.
She gave him her best innocent smile, “Something…
wrong?”
He narrowed his eyes at her, and she laughed. He leaned in to kiss her but stopped before their lips touched, getting a familiar look on his face. He hung his head in defeat, “You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“Is it a…?” She motioned a flying motion, and he nodded, leaning in to kiss her before he disappeared.
As he left she could hear him muttering under his breath, “Kinshasha, Moroni, Bangui, Praia, Algeiers, Rabat...” She couldn’t suppress the laugh that escaped her throat as she watched him disappear through the corridor. A few minutes later she heard a familiar sonic-boom.
***
Clark landed at a cross-walk where he’d heard the cries for help. It had been a child crying for Superman to help. When he landed, he saw no danger. He looked through the streets and saw a group of people that had fallen, trying to fake injuries.
“Superman, what did you do?”
“Oh, no, my back!”
“My leg!”
“Superman, it’s all your fault!”
Unable to stand the chaos any longer he flew away, hoping to catch Lois before their food arrived to pick up where they’d left off. A small grin crossed over his face when he thought of the sweet torture she’d been putting him through earlier.
***
“Okay, thanks, Jimmy,” Lois nodded as she spotted Clark returning to the table, tugging at his tie. She hung up the phone as he took a seat next to her, “That was fast…I mean, I know you’re faster than a speeding bullet but…”
“False alarm,” He said simply turning to face her, irritation written all over his face.
“Sorry,” She said apologetically, placing a supportive hand on his. He intertwined his fingers with hers, looking up at her with a smile when the server arrived with their food. He released her hand, and they began to eat.
***
“Calvin, I’m sorry!” Elise tried to apologize again.
Calvin shook his head, “I don’t understand what’s gotten into you? How could you embarrass me like that?”
“It all just happened so fast! I just…panicked.” She stammered.
“I would never hurt you. You know that, don’t you?” His face softening as he cupped her cheek.
“I know that Calvin.” She smiled weakly back at him. “I was just in …shock. I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” Calvin smiled back at her, “It’s not your fault. It’s that big bugger’s fault for sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong.” Elise smiled weakly at him, and he continued, “Come on, we’re supposed to meet with Barry about our testimony…”
***
As they finished up their meal and paying they headed back to the Planet. Clark decided it was a good time to ask her about what had happened earlier with Scardino when he’d been meeting with Constance. “So, Lois, about what happened earlier today…”
She grinned, “I thought you were enjoying the teasing. Do you want me to stop?” She asked with a teasing tone.
He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows at her, “Never,” He cleared his throat, “No, I was talking about what happened back at the Planet when, uh, Superman, was meeting with Constance Hunter,”
“Oh, that,” She sighed, pulling away from him. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle. Besides I’ve got a plan to put a stop to it once and for all,”
“Define
‘nothing,’” He pressed before adding, “…and what do you mean you have a plan? Your plans always include unnecessary risks and…”
She pressed her lips against his, smiling as he moaned against her lips, “Not now,” She said, tugging on his tie, “We need to work on getting Superman, a lawyer. We’ll deal with Dan later.” At his disapproving look she relented, “Okay, he was under the misinformed impression that there was a chance to work things out after Sunday ….which after I corrected that he just got petulant and started with his sarcastic comments and digs…Then Perry kicked him out. It was nothing.”
“That’s not
nothing,” He retorted.
“It is now,” She corrected, leaning in to kiss him. “Come on, “She loosened his tie some more as she tugged his hand to lead him into the Daily Planet lobby.
He followed, still intent to finish his argument, “About this plan…”
Lois spotted a magazine from the newsstand, “Oh, look a new ‘MetroWoman,’” She flipped through the magazine as she pulled out her wallet to pay for it.
“Lois…” Clark continued, giving her a warning tone. She continued to ignore him, so he got her attention the best way he knew how he kissed her. He ignored the catcalls around them as he focused on kissing her. She melted into his arms, linking her arms around his neck as he moved his attention to the sensitive spot behind her ear.
She sighed against him, and he could tell the effect his nearness was having on her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, walking them back toward the elevator, pressing the call button without losing contact with her. He brushed his lips against her earlobe, smiling as she shuddered against him.
The elevator dinged, and he pulled away slightly seeing the empty elevator car behind them and walked them towards it, intent on continuing their embrace inside. As he moved to step on the empty elevator car with her, she held up her hand to stop him, pushing him away, “What are you doing?”
“Getting on the elevator,” He said simply.
She shook her head, “No, you’re not,”
“I’m not?” He asked, confused.
“You have to go ….meet Constance Hunter,” She corrected.
“But…” He began to argue.
She shook her index finger at him, “No, no, no, you said it yourself. She was the perfect attorney for Superman. She just needs a gentle nudge. Go. Grovel if you have to.” She said leaning in to kiss him before pushing him back. He was about to argue, but the elevator doors closed behind her.
***
Jimmy sat in his car across the street from Ruby’s coffee shop, watching from a safe distance as Daniel Scardino grabbed his things from the table he was sitting at outside and left. He saw Scardino get in his car with a briefcase and take off. After waiting a few minutes, he pulled out into traffic and began trailing Scardino a few cars behind him.
If his information was correct, then Dan Scardino was a crooked DEA Agent, and he was going to be the one to catch him in the act. He’d grab the story of the year, and then the Chief would have to give him a shot at reporting. Lois seemed too sidetracked at the moment to deal with another investigation. She’d thank him later.
***
Lois sat at her desk going over everything Jimmy had filled her in on about her investigation into Dan Scardino. What had started out as just a revenge investigation, had morphed into an investigation into Intergang. If what Bobby Bigmouth said was true and Intergang was involved with Project Nirvana, she was going to be the one to nab the exclusive when they finally were able to arrest the organization for all their crimes. She pulled out her and Clark’s file on the criminal organization trying to find any mention of a ‘Project Nirvana’ that might give her a clue.
How was OmniCorp connected to Intergang? The background check on the company as a whole didn’t have a whole lot of info. It was a large pharmaceutical company that nearly went bankrupt a few years ago until it made its stocks public…
“Wait a minute…” She murmured looking at the paperwork on the investors that had bought up OmniCorp stock, ‘CostMart, Church Industries…’
“Son of a…” Lois muttered as realization began to dawn on her. Intergang owned OmniCorp. That was the connection. She glanced back at Clark’s desk. He still hadn’t returned from his meeting with Constance Hunter. She glanced at the clock. It was just after five. OmniCorp closed at five-thirty. She could go down there and ask a few questions then fill Clark in when he got back. She grabbed her purse and headed out.
***
At Constance Hunter’s office, Clark did his best to put on his ‘puppy dog’ face and plead with her to take his case, “I can't find a lawyer I'd want to spend five minutes with, let alone entrust my entire career to. Please.”
She sighed, grabbing a file from her file cabinet as she huffed, “You're being pathetic.”
He nodded, “I know, I'm sorry...”
She looked at him aghast, Don't say you're sorry, it's pathetic... I can't say no to pathetic, I never could... and
you being pathetic is...
really pathetic.”
Clark bit his lower lip. She was right. Superman being pathetic and begging for an attorney was pathetic. “Ms. Hunter, I thought I'd seen every kind of evil there is... every perversion of man, law, and God. And I thought I knew how to fight them all. But there's something out there I've never really seen before, and I can’t fight it because I don't understand it. Greed. I need an ally, Ms. Hunter, someone who does understand it but doesn't want to be a part of it... and if that's pathetic, well...”
She took a deep breath, staring at him intently for a moment. He held his breath, praying against hope that she would take mercy on him and save him from the pack of rabid animals that Metropolis called lawyers. “God, just once, I'd like to have a client come in here with a case I thought I could win.”
“So, you’ll do it?” His face lit up when he realized she was going to take the case.
She nodded, waving her arms in the air, “Go... wherever it is you go and rest up. We'll start at nine tomorrow. You bring the bagels.”
***
Scardino pulled up to a building with tall glass windows covering the sides, opening his trunk and pulling out what looked like a radio of some sort, tucking it into his jacket pocket before heading inside. Jimmy parked across the street.
Inside, he watched from a corridor as Scardino met with a man by the elevator and listened intently from the corner, behind one of the office doors, “Hi, Charles Knox, right? Dan Scardino, FDA,” Jimmy cringed listening to the fake tone as Scardino tried to charm his way into Knox’s good graces. Scardino pointed at the metal case in Knox’s hand, “Is that the, uh, money?”
Knox lifted the case up and snapped it open, revealing cash. He couldn’t how much was in there, but from where he was standing he could tell it was a lot. “Let’s talk dates,” Knox said sternly, unaffected by Scardino’s attempt to be charming.
“We hardly know each other, but hell, if you're paying...” Scardino smiled. Jimmy held in a snicker.
Knox stepped into Scardino’s face, grabbing him by the collar as he spoke in a harsh whisper, “Go be Chuckles the Clown on your own time; on my clock, shut your mouth. Now... we want FDA approval on the drug. We want it by the first of the year. And we want it guaranteed.”
“You got it,” Scardino said. Knox left, leaving Scardino alone on the floor. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the briefcase, picking up his phone to dial, “Yeah, Carter? It’s Scardino. Payoff went just as you expected…” Scardino headed for the elevator.
“Mother of everything that is holy…” Jimmy muttered under his breath as he backed up into the cleaning woman, “Oh, excuse me, Miss I….” He stopped when he recognized the brunette in a cleaning uniform. “Lois?? What are you doing here?”
“Me? What are
you doing here?” Lois whispered.
“I was tailing Scardino,” Jimmy answered with a shrug.
“I was investigating Knox,” Lois whispered back.
“Shhh!” Lois warned, glaring at him, stepping out from behind the door to where Scardino was standing.
Scardino stopped, turning around, “Yeah, I got to call you back…”
“Uh-oh,” Jimmy said, realizing Scardino must have heard them because he was headed in their direction, “Lois, let’s get out of here…” It was too late.
Scardino approached them and gave a light chuckle, “Lois, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, you know I’m just taking a page out of the ‘Dan Scardino’ handbook of manners. Showing up where I don’t belong, horning in on another person’s investigation…Sound familiar?” She narrowed her eyes, as she circled around him.
He glared at her, “Are you out of your
mind??? This is a
Federal Investigation? Lois, there are things going on you can't know about...”
“Really?” She said, crossing her arms over her chest, “Like, you’re posing as a corrupt FDA researcher? And the man you just met is the President of OmniCorp, which wants to push through a new painkiller called... ... Nirvana, which the DEA suspects might have mind-altering effects?”
Jimmy spotted a red blinking light on the end of Scardino’s case.
‘Oh, no,’ He tried to get their attention by clearing his throat, “Guys?”
“How did you…?” Scardino fumed angrily. “Lois…stay away from this.”
“Excuse me?” She scoffed.
“Stay ….”
“What do you think I am, a house pet?” She scoffed before stepping into his face angrily, “Kind of annoying, isn’t it? Someone over there butting into your territory ….stepping on your toes?”
“This has nothing to do with you or Kent!”
“Really? Well, according to my sources Nirvana is linked to Intergang which is the story Clark and I. have been working on since November ….So yeah it kind of is my business!”
“Lo-is…” Dan warned.
“Lois…” Jimmy hissed, trying to draw attention to himself long enough to get them to quit fighting.
He spotted Jimmy, “Seriously??? You brought Kent’s side kick too??”
“Hey!” Jimmy fumed, irritably but he was still being ignored.
“I’m warning you, Dan, you make one more comment about my partner and see what the hell happens!” Lois warned.
“Still got you fighting his battles for him, doesn’t he?”
“Lo-is…” Jimmy said a little louder.
“Let’s get something crystal clear: I don’t tolerate anyone going after my partner. You go after him; I go after you. Got it?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Lois…” Jimmy said raising his voice a little louder.
“And one other thing, there is no
you and me so you can get that little idea out of your head before you…”
“
LOIS!!!” Jimmy yelled louder.
“
What??” Lois asked, irritably looking back at him.
“
Shut up!” He hissed, pointing at Scardino’s case. “You’re being spied on!”
“What?!” Lois asked, confused.
Knox reappeared with a gun trained on the three of them, “Looks like I’ve got a mess to clean up, Mr. Church,” He said into his phone, “I’ll call you back,”
Lois gave her best forced smile, “I don’t suppose you’d believe we’re the cleaning crew?” Knox shook his head, waving the gun at them to follow him into the elevator.
***
TBC...
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