Collateral Damage
Folc4evernaday
Part 5
***
Lois and Clark sat huddled together at Lois’ desk, pouring over the files. Lois had her feet propped up on Clark’s lap as he massaged her calfs while reading over the files in his hand. Lois had a file of her own in her hands. Clark shook his head, “I feel like I’m getting a sense of déjà vu here,” he said as he scanned through the file in his hand.
“What do you mean?” Lois asked.
“These guys remind me of Lex Luthor.”
“Lex? How?”
“Well, they were all successful businessmen; cut throat in the business world…Plus, a lot of them have taken over businesses that used to be owned by Luthor.”
“Coincidence?” Lois suggested.
“I don’t know.”
“Lois, CK, this package just came in for you.” Jimmy handed them an envelope.
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Lois called.
“What is it?”
“That ATM tape from Inspector Henderson.” Clark opened the package and headed towards the conference room, “Come on, we’ll watch it in the conference room.”
***
In the Conference room, Lois and Clark watched the tape. The image showed the bank chairman taking a few steps then vanishing a millisecond later. “Did you see that? He literally did vanish!” Lois gasped.
“No.” Clark shook his head and lowered his glasses as he rewound the tape. He froze the frame where the chairman disappeared. “There. You see that?”
“What?”
“The frame where the chairman disappears…” He pointed at the screen, “These blue pixels…They turn a goldish hue, but only in the one frame where the chairman disappears.”
“Gold?”
“As in Vixen.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Clark sighed, “I’ve got to stop her.”
“Do you think she’s behind the CEOs murders as well?”
“I don’t know.” Clark sighed, “She seems to be treating all criminals the same; I guess embezzlers aren’t even safe from her wrath.” He cupped her cheek, “Please don’t do anything adventurous while I’m gone.”
“I’ll be fine.” Lois kissed him, “Don’t be gone too long. I’m not allowed to leave without you, or don’t you remember Perry’s orders?”
“I know. If I can’t find her within the hour; I’ll come back here and take you home.”
“Okay, be careful.” She kissed him once more. She watched him leave and headed for her desk to work on the Diticom file once more.
***
“The evil Hitman will be attacking Mr. Luckabee,” Mr. Smith told Vixen, “You must stop them from attacking him. Is that clear?”
“Completely.” Vixen was quiet a moment then she spoke once more, “I want to kill Superman.”
“A noble desire, Vixen.”
“He is interfering with my mission to eradicate evil. He must be destroyed.”
“But he is not evil, Vixen.”
“But he is interfering with my work.”
“Very well, if he tries to stop you, you may kill him.”
***
Perry walked into the bullpen with Leslie in tow, “All right, everybody! I want everything you’ve got on Vixen! Photographs! Editorials! The works!” Perry then stopped in front of Lois’ desk, “Have you gotten anymore on Vixen yet? What does Superman think of her actions?”
“We haven’t spoken with him since yesterday, Chief. We’re still trying to figure out where she even came from. She doesn’t seem to want to disclose that information to anyone…Not even Superman.” Lois explained.
“Hmm, kinda suspicious…Okay, I want you two to stay on this.”
“What about the missing CEOs?” Lois asked.
“Oh, honey, I’ll reassign it. We’ve got a new superhero in Metropolis. This is much bigger than missing CEOs.” Perry then looked around, “By the way, where is that husband of yours?”
“Oh, he went to …try and find Superman…so we can find out what he plans to do about Vixen.” Lois explained.
“Good. Let me know what you two have when he gets back. I want our front page to read, ‘Vixen: Superfriend or Superfoe?’ We just need to fill in the gaps.”
“Hmm, looks like we’re all going to be here awhile. Maybe we should order something in?” Leslie suggested.
“Sounds great. I’m starved.” Lois replied.
“What about you, Perry?”
“Oh, well, I just had a T-bone.” Perry acknowledged, patting his stomach for emphasis. He then turned away towards his office, leaving Leslie and Lois to themselves.
“Well, I guess it’s just you and me.” Leslie smiled, “Say, how about we just go out? It’ll be faster. We can have that dinner we talked about.”
“Now?” Lois asked uncertainly.
“Why not? I was hoping you could show me a good Mexican restaurant. Not many in Brisbane, I’m afraid.”
“I’d probably better take a rain check, Leslie.” Lois smiled apologetically at him, “Clark’s trying to find Superman and I’m still trying to work on this story..”
“It’s just that I’m really anxious to learn everything I can as fast as I can. And, as far as I’m concerned, the only way to do that is to learn from the best, and that’s you. At least that’s what Perry keeps telling me. What do you say?” Leslie shot her a mega-watt smile.
“I’m flattered, Leslie, but I really should get on this story. Besides, Clark’s not back yet.”
“So, just leave him a note, tell him where to meet us. As far as the story’s concerned—I’ll talk to the owner myself and make sure you don’t get in any trouble.”
Lois debated for a moment. She had promised she would wait here for him, but she really was hungry, and it was just dinner. She’d probably be back before he returned. She looked at her watch and grimaced. He’d been gone almost an hour now. He would be back soon. She then turned her attention back to Leslie who still had a warm smile on his face, “Leslie, is it okay if we wait for Clark? He should be back any minute.”
Lois noticed his smile fall a bit, but he quickly covered it up, “Not a problem. How long do you think he’ll be?”
“Um, I’m not.,” she then noticed Clark stepping off one of the elevators. She smiled warmly at him then turned her attention back to Leslie, “Speaking of which..” Clark made his way down the steps towards Lois and kissed her, paying no attention to Leslie who was left as an awkward observer. She slowly broke off the kiss, “Miss me?”
“Always.” Clark smiled, cupping her cheek gently.
Leslie cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence. The couple reluctantly pulled away. Clark kept a hand on Lois’ abdomen, a gesture that had not gone unnoticed by Leslie.“Ah, Clark, there you are mate. We were just about to head out and grab a bite to eat.”
“We were thinking Mexican,” Lois interjected, “Were you able to get in touch with Superman? Find out if he had been able to track down Vixen?”
“Uh, yeah, I spoke with him briefly. He’s looking for her as we speak.”
“Well, hopefully, Superman will be able to find her. We still don’t know if she’s friend or foe.” Leslie said. “Shall we?” He gestured towards the elevators. Lois and Clark followed Leslie into the elevators hand in hand. “I’m really looking forward to picking your brains a bit. I want to know everything there is to know about the newspaper business.” They stepped off the elevator and into the lobby.
“Why did you buy the paper when you don’t know anything about running it?” Clark asked curiously, opening the door for Lois and Leslie. He followed them outside the Planet.
“Well, I’ve always enjoyed a challenge. Makes life interesting..”
“Hey LUCKABEE!!!” a shout from a black sedan interrupted them. They all turned to look and saw a man holding a gun, aimed at Leslie.
Clark pushed Leslie and Lois to the ground, behind one of the columns outside the Planet. “Get Down!” The echo of a sonic boom could be heard in the distance as he moved to shield them from the rain of bullets that poured over them. He felt a few stray bullets ricochet off his back. He held Lois against him tightly, assuring that she was close enough that his aura would protect her as well. He continued to hear the gunfire but didn’t feel any more bullets making contact with their surroundings. Concerned, Clark looked up and watched in horror as Vixen approached the sedan. The gunshots stopped and the sedan began to drive off. Vixen lowered her arms and aimed them towards the escaping sedan. A large ball of fire appeared, floating above her arms; she narrowed her eyes and then released the ball. The retreating sedan exploded on impact, disintegrating the car as well as the drive-by shooters.
Clark slowly stood up, helping Lois to her feet. He looked at Leslie who was still crouched down on the ground, “You okay?”
Leslie slowly stood up, “Yeah, I think so. Friendly town you’ve got here.”
Jimmy emerged from the Daily Planet building, psyched about the scene he had just witnessed, “Whoa! That was totally cool! Did you guys see that?”
“Yeah, I-I’m gonna call the police.” Clark moved at super speed, changing into Superman to confront Vixen. “Vixen, what are you doing? You just killed them!”
“I don’t understand.” Vixen began, “They tried to kill him.” She pointed to Leslie.
“But with your super speed and strength, you could have easily arrested them instead.”
“Why would I have done that? They would have just gotten out to kill again.”
“Because it would’ve been the right thing to do, that’s why! You can’t go around hurting people…not even the bad guys! You have to use your powers responsibly!”
“I did. I eradicated evil.”
“Is that what you did to those CEOs?”
“I was following orders of a higher authority!”
“What authority?”
“The Master.”
“Master?”
“He has taught me well. You have much to learn Superman. Violence is the only answer!”
“No, violence should be used only as a last resort!”
“Whatever. You do it your way; I’ll do it mine!”
“No, you’ll do it the right way or you won’t do it at all!” He warned. She locked her gaze with him for a moment then jerked her arm away.
“I don’t take orders from you!” She pushed Clark back a few feet. Clark was surprised by her behavior.
“Then who do you take orders from, Vixen?”
“My job is to eradicate evil, Superman, and you’re in my way!” She approached him with a menacing look in her eyes.
“You can’t destroy people just because they make the wrong choice.” Clark tried to reason with her.
“They made their choice.” She aimed her arms at him and a ball of fire began to form once more, “Just as you made yours.”
***
Lois watched in horror as Vixen began to create a fireball and aimed it at Clark. “Oh, my God!”
“Now, Superman is invulnerable, isn’t he?” Leslie asked uncertainly.
Lois just nodded mutely and watched the scene unfold.
***
“Vixen..” Clark began but was cut off by the impact of the energy ball striking him. He found himself pushed back several hundred feet. He stood up and approached Vixen once more at super speed. “Enough of the games, Vixen!”
“You want more where that came from?” Vixen began to aim her arms at him once more.
This time, Clark didn’t give her a chance. He moved at super speed and knocked her back a couple hundred feet. He moved towards her and noticed mechanical parts on her shoulder. “What? You’re a machine?”
She stood up, angered by his discovery and aimed another energy ball in his direction. He moved at super speed, surrounding the energy ball into a whirlwind until it vanished. He then landed in front of Vixen once more. “Two out of three?”
Angered, she grabbed him by the neck, attempting to lift him from the ground, “Two can play this game!”
“It’s time you and I had a little chat, Vixen, you’re going about this the wrong way.” He grabbed her hands and removed them from his neck. She stretched her arms out once more allowing an energy ball to form once more. He allowed the fiery ball to strike him once more; only this time he was prepared. The energy from his aura acted as a shield, ricocheting Vixen’s energy ball back onto her. He watched in horror as she disintegrated before his eyes.
Clark looked over towards Lois, unsure of what to do. He approached everyone who had begun to gather around the Daily Planet, “Everyone all right?”
“I think so.” Lois nodded.
“Man, that was so cool! Superman, you kicked some major butt!” Jimmy noticed the look he was getting from Superman and caught himself, “Which I don’t necessarily approve of in most cases, but this was definitely an exception.”
Lois turned her attention to a young girl who was crying, holding onto her mother for dear life. She was shaking and unable to stop the tears from coming down her face. Lois turned to the mother, “Is she going to be okay?”
“I..I..I’m sure she’ll be okay.” The mother replied, “Superman, that- that Vixen was out of control! If you hadn’t of stopped her…” the tears overtook the young woman as she held her daughter close.
Clark gazed at Lois hesitantly unsure of what to say or do. Lois placed a supportive hand on the young woman’s shoulder and offered the young girl a reassuring smile. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“Mr. Luckabee, did you recognize those men that tried to attack you?” Clark asked.
“Uh, I only caught a glimpse, but no. I didn’t recognize them.” Leslie responded.
“And since Vixen disintegrated them I don’t think we’ll be able to figure that out either,” Lois interjected. “Why would someone want to kill you, Leslie?”
“I don’t know,” Leslie replied solemnly.
***
“Incredible. Who would have thought Vixen would give Superman such a fight?” Leslie laughed.
“Yes, best five hundred million dollars we’ve ever spent as far as I’m concerned. Now those traitorous CEOs have been eliminated and we can move on to the next stage of our plan.” Mr. Smith said as he put the finishing touches on the bonsai before him.
“Yes, how long do you think it will take everyone to figure out the Pulse Converter the police have in their custody is a dummy?”
“Not long, but holding the world hostage is only a small part of the plan.” He lifted a glass of wine in the air to toast with Leslie. “Lex would be proud.”
“Yes, too bad he didn’t live long enough to watch his son follow in his footsteps. “ Leslie trailed off a moment, “Are you sure this Angela Cross can be trusted?”
“Her support is crucial. We merge LexCorp with Intergang and we become an unbeatable criminal organization. No one will dare threaten us….Not even Superman.”
***
“What’s wrong?” Lois asked as she slipped into bed. She wrapped her arms around Clark, holding him close.
“Do you trust Leslie?” He asked.
Lois was a bit taken aback by his question. “What?”
“Do you trust him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know the guy. He seems nice I guess.” Lois began. She noticed that look on Clark’s face, “I’m guessing you don’t?”
Clark shook his head, “No. There’s something off about the guy. I mean, he buys the Daily Planet then poof he’s insinuated himself into everyone’s lives. He’s following Perry around like a lost puppy, he’s constantly sucking up…Why? He owns the paper. Why does he need our approval? Why does he need to know how the newsroom is run? He doesn’t. He has to know how to manage it; hire the right people…That sort of thing. The entire time Franklin Stern owned the Daily Planet we’ve seen him in the newsroom maybe about thirty percent of the time that we’ve seen Leslie, and Leslie’s only owned the paper for a few months.”
“When you put it like that; it is a bit suspicious.” Lois acknowledged.
“And then there’s Vixen. I mean, she was at least partially robotic. Albeit, a highly sophisticated one with superpowers, but that still means someone had to of built her.”
Lois snuggled closer to him, “Begging the question who and why...”
“Exactly, plus there’s the whole attack on Leslie tonight.” Clark continued to ramble as Lois lazily curled up to him, tracing patterns on his arm. “There were no warning shots yet there Vixen was; almost like she knew it was going to happen….Why would someone build a super-powered robot?”
“I don’t know. Someone wouldn’t go to all that trouble just to build a vigilante.” Lois acknowledged.
“Yeah, there’s got to be something more to it than that.”
“Honey, I think ridding the world of the evil Vixen is enough for one night,” Lois whispered, slipping her arms around his neck and leaning up to kiss him. “We can worry about the ‘who’ and ‘why’ tomorrow.” She moved to straddle him, pressing her body against his as she deepened the kiss.
“Mmmmm, honey,” He pulled her close, enjoying the feel of the heat from her body against his skin. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
Lois pulled back a little. “Clark, I’m fine.” She smiled at him; a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Now, enough talk.” She pushed him back against the pillows and continued their embrace.
She let her hands roam up and down his expansive chest, exploring his taut muscles as she explored his mouth with her own. She smiled against his kiss as she felt his hands roam up her back, bunching her negligee up around her bottom as he did so.
***
Angela Cross read through the reports on her desk. “Excellent. I want these plans implemented as soon as possible. It’s time Metropolis realized who was in charge.”
“Yes, Mrs. Church.” The young man replied.
She slapped him across the face in anger. “Do not ever call me Mrs. Church again. My name is Angela Cross. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Ms. Cross, it won’t happen again. I swear.”
“See that it doesn’t.”
***
The next day, Lois and Clark were hard at work, trying to research all they had on Vixen and the CEOs. She had been linked to their deaths. The police had declared the businessmen’s deaths to all be caused by electrocution, but Clark was still unsure of how culpable Vixen was for their deaths. Also, Lois and Clark had Jimmy working on the research into Diticom and all its competitors and partners over the past few years; anything that could give them a clue as to where the real Pulse Converter was and who was behind it. It was at this time when they received an unusual call from Dr. Martinelli. “He’s going to kill me!”
“Who’s going to kill you?” Lois asked on the phone.
“The people that made Vixen. They’re going to kill me. I’m not safe. You’ve got to help me.”
“Where are you right now?” Clark asked.
“In my office. The door is locked.” An echo of a scream could be heard. A short blast was heard and the line went dead.
“What just happened?” Lois asked confused.
“I’ll be right back.” Clark moved to change into Superman. He was in the sky within moments, zeroing in on Dr. Martinelli’s office. He approached the office in record time and knocked on the door. “Dr. Martinelli?” He received no answer. He scanned the room and was stunned by what he found. The remnants of the room had been disintegrated to ashes.
***
“Ashes?” Lois asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. The whole room had been destroyed. Forensics is going through everything right now, but my guess is that the ashes are--”
“Dr. Martinelli?” Lois guessed.
“Exactly. It's the same thing we saw with Steve McBride's disappearance.” Clark raked a hand through his hair. “We need to find out who had access to this Pulse Converter that Grady had built.”
“And who would want to use it.” Lois spotted Jimmy approaching them with a file, “Jimmy, what did you find out on Dr. Martinelli?”
Jimmy opened the file, “Dr. Martinelli, an expert in bioelectronics, specializing in fiber optics.” He handed Lois the file.
“He said the people who made Vixen were going to kill him,” Lois recalled.
“Maybe Martinelli had something to do with building her...or it.” Clark offered.
Lois nodded, “And now he's dead, along with the heads of the four biggest corporations in Metropolis.”
“A bit suspicious, don't you think?” Clark asked.
“Guys? I found something else on Martinelli.” Jimmy interrupted. “He received over two hundred thousand dollars in the past year from a company called the Caribbean Imports in the Cayman Islands.”
“The Cayman Islands? I'll bet that money's been washed so often you can't see the faces of the dead presidents.” Lois joked.
“Yeah, but here's the interesting part. About a month ago he got a deposit from another corporation called Cross Incorporated.”
“Let me guess, they're from the Cayman Islands as well?” Clark asked.
“Bingo!”
“Jimmy, dig up what you can on those two companies and cross reference them. See if there are any similar transactions between the two.”
“And while you're at it, see if there have been any other deaths where the victims have been reduced to ashes,” Lois added.
“You got it,” Jimmy said, scurrying off to his desk to get started.
Perry's guffaw could be heard through the newsroom as he and Leslie approached Lois and Clark. Leslie smiled and extended his hand towards Clark, “Clark, there you are! I didn't get a chance to thank you last night for saving my life!”
Clark just shook his head, “It was nothing, really. How's your head?” He asked trying to divert the attention away from him saving Leslie last night. He really didn't want too much attention drawn to him.
Leslie smiled, “It still aches, but thanks to you I still have one. You took a big risk for me, Clark, I won't forget that.” He then winked at Perry, “Which brings me to my news.”
“News?” Lois asked curiously.
“Yes, yesterday Perry told me about a convention in Atlantic City...” Leslie began.
Lois and Clark nodded in recognition, “The Association of International News Writers?” Lois asked.
“That's the one.”
Perry smiled, “Very big deal.”
“Anyway, I called the organizers and raised hell that none of my people were invited.”
Clark looked at Leslie a bit skeptically, “Well, only a couple U.S. Papers are invited every year...”
“It'll be three this year. I'd like you two to represent us.”
Lois and Clark looked at one another a bit taken aback. Perry interjected, “It's a fantastic opportunity. What do you say?”
Lois was at a loss, “I ...We appreciate the offer, but we're in the middle of a pretty big story here.”
Perry continued to push, “Come on, Lois, I've seen you and Clark juggle four or five assignments at a time.” Lois and Clark looked at one another a bit uncomfortably. “Besides, it’ll be a chance for you two to stay out of trouble…” Perry wagged his finger at Lois. “You need to take it easy. This is the perfect opportunity for both of you.”
Leslie then chipped in, “And it's not like you're going to be out of touch. There are such things as telephones, email, fax machines..”
“He does have a point.” Lois acknowledged. She turned to Clark, “What do you think?”
“It's up to you.” He replied. The look of concern was evident upon his face. Lois contemplated the situation a moment then nodded at Clark. He then turned to Perry and Leslie, “Okay, we're in.”
“Wonderful! I'll let them know.” Leslie headed towards the Conference Room, “Oh, if anyone needs me, I'm holed up in here 'till they have my office ready upstairs.”
“Leslie, thanks for using your clout to muscle us in,” Perry remarked.
Leslie smiled modestly, “Well, I'm just the new kid from down under but I try.” He closed the door behind him.
“He is such a great guy.” Perry smiled and headed towards his office.
“Yeah,” Clark muttered skeptically.
***
Leslie entered the conference room only to find Mr. Smith standing with a file in his hands, waiting for him. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, clearly you have their trust, Master, but are you ready to move forward with the next stage in our plan.”
“Of course,” Leslie remarked, adjusting his jacket. “I've never been more ready in my life.”
Mr. Smith looked out the window, watching Lois and Clark with a look of hatred. “Don't mess this up. It's a crucial part of our plan.”
“I know what the plan is.” Leslie snapped.
Jimmy knocked on the door, “Mr. Luckabee?” He noticed Mr. Smith in the conference room and backed away, “Oh, you're busy. Sorry.” He cringed at his bad timing as always.
“Not a problem, Jimmy.” Leslie smiled warmly at the young man. “What can I do for you?”
“Uh, Lois wanted me to get the flight information from you.”
“Ah, right.” Leslie pulled out the flight itinerary from his briefcase and handed it to Jimmy. He then introduced Mr. Smith to the young man, “Jimmy, this is my assistant, Mr. Smith.”
“Nice to meet you,” he offered his hand, but Mr. Smith just stared back coldly. “Right.” He muttered under his breath.
“Mr. Smith isn't really a people person,” Leslie explained. “A bad childhood. You understand?”
“Yeah.” Jimmy nodded, backing away from the man. “Well, I gotta get this to Lois, so...I'll – I'll see you around.” Jimmy left the office, shaking his head. “Weird.” He muttered under his breath.
Leslie watched him leave. “That was close.”
“Clearly. It's no matter. Soon we will be able to drop this ridiculous charade.” Mr. Smith retorted, “I'm getting quite tired of carting you everywhere.”
“Well, Lex Luthor Jr. doesn't drive himself,” Leslie responded with a smile.
Outside the conference room, Jimmy stood in shock by what he had just overheard. He hurried back to his desk, unsure of what to make of this new revelation.
***
Across town, Professor Rankin sat in his office going over his notes. He heard a rustling sound outside his window and looked up. Nothing. He then turned back to his work. A light buzzing sound could be heard. A moment later Professor Rankin and the desk he had been sitting at had disappeared along with the notes he had been working on. All that remained was a pile of ashes.
***
Later that afternoon, Lois and Clark sat on the bed, packing for their trip. Lois had six different outfits picked out. “Honey, it's just for a few nights.” Clark admonished when Lois laid a stack of clothes on the bed and prepared to pack.
“This coming from the man who brings a change of clothes with him everywhere he goes?” Lois teased.
“Guilty as charged.” He relented.
Lois smiled seductively at him and pulled out a piece of lingerie, teasing him with it. “I could leave this home.”
Clark spotted the ensemble and immediately buckled, “You know what if there's no room for it in your suitcase there should be,” he looked in his suitcase and found an empty space, “Yep! Plenty of room for it in mine.”
“I hope you don't plan on getting much sleep.” Lois teased.
Clark folded the ensemble carefully and placed it in his suitcase. “Furthest thing from my mind.” Just the thought of Lois in any ensemble like that was enough to make him sweat. He personally didn't care what she wore; as long as he got to take it off at the end of the night. He was enjoying the hike in her sexual drive lately. He couldn't wait to see what other interesting side effects came with the pregnancy.
“Well, enjoy it while you can, Farmboy. Pretty soon I'll be as big as a whale and be lucky if I can even fit into your shirts.”
Clark sensed her mood changing and sat down on the bed next to her.”Honey...”
“What? None of my pant suits fit me anymore. All I can wear are skirts and dresses…”
Clark wiggled his eyebrows at her, “I know…”
“ I'm blowing up like a balloon,” She was on the verge of Lane babble mode. Clark decided the best solution was to cease her babbling the best way he knew how.
He leaned in and kissed her, pressing her back into the mattress. She moaned in approval as she felt his hand cup her face, tracing the outline of her jaw. She loved kissing Clark. She lightly traced a path through his hair with her fingertips, enjoying the feel of his hair against her hands. What had started as an innocent kiss had turned into a passionate embrace. The inferno burning between them had ignited and showed no signs of slowing down.
He moaned in pleasure, feeling her lightly tug on his bottom lip, the tip of her tongue teasing him; inviting him to explore the inner sanctum in between her lips.“Clark...” she moaned against his mouth as he allowed his hands to explore her body more thoroughly.
He gently hiked up her skirt, exploring the skin beneath the soft cotton material. “Lois...” he murmured, whispering soft kisses against her skin.
“Mmmm, we still have to pack..” she argued half-heartedly, moaning as his hands inched higher and higher up her thighs, massaging them.
“I can have it done in two seconds,” he whispered. “We have more important things to concentrate on,” he remarked huskily, massaging her inner thighs.
“Clark,” she arched her back into his embrace, “Oh, God,” she moaned as he lazily traced patterns up and down her chest with his tongue. Her blouse was unbuttoned and spread open as he continued exploring her body. “Yes,” she pleaded with him as he tugged at the clasp to the front of her bra, “please.”
The moment was interrupted by the ringing of the phone, “You've got to be kidding me.” Clark muttered, rolling off of Lois slightly so he could answer the phone. “Hello?” He allowed Lois to pull him back into her arms, teasing him as he finished the phone conversation that had rudely interrupted them. “Hi, Bill…” He pulled away from Lois for a moment and held a hand up, motioning for her to stop for a minute, “Murdered?”
The mention of a murder perked Lois' interest out of her passion filled daze, “Who was murdered?”
“Okay, thanks.” Clark hung up the phone. He then lay back down next to Lois, “Professor Rankin was just murdered.”
“Let me guess, ashes?”
“Mmmm hmm” Clark nodded, resting his forehead against hers, “We'll pick this back up in Atlantic City I guess.” The disappointment was evident on his face.
Lois nodded. “The sooner we check out this Professor Rankin; the better.” She gently pushed him off of her.
He groaned not wanting to lose contact with her just yet, but he released her, “When we get to Atlantic City I'm disconnecting the phone line.” Clark muttered under his breath.
Lois laughed as she began buttoning her blouse back up. “Well, think of it this way. It just gives you something to look forward to.”
***
“Henderson? What's going on here?” Lois asked, getting the Inspector's attention.
“Char-grilled Professor.” Inspector Henderson gestured to the room behind him which had been destroyed. “Someone's out there turning their victims into ashes left and right and we haven't a clue as to who is behind it. Grady isn't talking and Peters, the only other person that had access to the Pulse Converter is gone.”
Clark scanned the room and spotted a file on the floor. He x-rayed the contents and noted it included plans for the design of a super-powered robot.
Inspector Henderson walked away and headed towards his Forensics team. Lois grimaced at the sight of the room. “What is going on? This is the third murder this week that's resulted in a cremated victim.”
“I don't know, but something tells me this is all connected. It's too coincidental. Let's go. We've got a plane to catch.” Clark said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
***
Leslie slammed the phone down in irritation. He had worked so hard to get an interview with Peter Massey lined up for Clark Kent, but now he wasn't able to get a hold of him. He needed to change his approach. Something they wouldn't expect.
Jimmy watched Leslie leave the conference room in a huff. He wasn't sure what to make of the man. Leslie Luckabee was Lex Luthor's son? He had a hard time wrapping his mind around that concept. He needed to talk to Lois and Clark when they got back. Meanwhile, he was going to find out everything he could about Mr. Luckabee.
***
TBC...
Part 6 next.
Comments Go Here 
