Collateral Damage
Folc4evernaday
Part 8
***
“What are we doing here?” Jimmy asked when they stopped in front of the Metropolis General Hospital.
“Jimmy, we need to tell you something...in private.” Lois began hesitantly.
“Penny, could you give us a minute?” Jimmy asked.
“Sure.” Penny stepped a few feet away from the trio, allowing them some privacy.
“We're sorry we didn't tell you earlier; we just didn't think it was the right time. Lois and I were still in shock.”
“In shock?” Jimmy echoed, “What are you talking about, CK, you're starting to scare me. “Why are we not at the Planet? Why are we at the hospital?”
“Perry had a heart attack earlier today,” Lois explained slowly.
“What??” Jimmy's face fell, the pain was evident upon his face as he struggled to take in the information Lois and Clark were telling him. “No.”
“Jimmy...” Lois placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him.
“No. This is just some sick joke. Perry's fine. He-He..” the tears fell at their own avail. He slumped to the floor of the hospital lobby, unable to remain standing.
Lois and Clark stared at one another, unsure of what to do.
***
“Imagine the look on Superman's face when he realizes everything he holds dear is being ripped away from him little by little.” Mr. Smith proclaimed giddily. “LexCorp is slowly regaining its hold on Metropolis; soon we will be as powerful as Lex was before his demise in '94.”
“How exactly do you plan to infect Superman with Kryptonite? It's not like he won't be able to see it coming.” Leslie remarked bored as he watched Mr. Smith spray a bottle of green liquid on the bouquets of roses and different flowers that were now occupying their hideout.
“Every woman loves to feel appreciated. Flowers are always a sure way to her heart.” Mr. Smith laughed. Leslie wasn't sure what he was talking about but decided it best to just ignore him. The man was obviously unhinged.
***
“Hey, kids, come on in here.” Perry opened his arms and motioned for them to enter the room. “I guess I'm long overdue for a vacation, huh?” He tried to joke. Nobody laughed. It broke his heart to see these people he had come to care about as family on the verge of tears at his expense. Lois and Clark were expecting their first child; this was no time for them to be worried about him. Lois took the seat next to Perry's bed. Clark stood next to her, resting his hands on her shoulders.
“How are you doing, Chief?” Clark asked.
“I'm okay. They did a triple bypass on me and the doctors said I'd be as good as new in a few weeks...Well, not exactly a few weeks...But you get what I'm saying. I just got to watch my blood pressure and my diet I guess.” He shuddered. “I guess I should go back to eating those pavva leaves, huh?”
Clark couldn't help but laugh. The first thing he had said to Perry during his first interview with the man was for him to try pavva leaves for blood pressure. He never knew Perry had actually taken him up on it.
“Perry, you didn't really eat those, did you?” Lois asked in between her laughter.
“Of course.” Perry smiled back at her. “But those things tasted so awful I could only stomach it for a week.”
“Chief, even I didn't EAT those things. You're supposed to grind them up into a paste....” Clark laughed.
Perry laughed, “What can I say? You never told me THAT part.” He noticed the looks of concern Lois and Clark were giving him. “I don't want you and Lois fretting over me. I'm an old man. These things happen. You two need to focus on that baby.” Perry's face lit up as he spoke of the upcoming arrival of his reporting duo, “I know there'll be some changes at the paper after the little one is born, but we'll work it out.” He watched Lois and Clark exchange a glance at one another; the look spoke volumes. “What is it? What's wrong?”
They looked at one another, unsure of whether to share their news with Perry or not. “Don't you dare start trying to coddle me or I'm going to stick you both on Dog Shows for the rest of the year!”
“Perry, we can't right now,” Clark explained. “It's just....it's not the right time.”
“But I promise we will tell you...just not right now,” Lois explained.
Perry relented. He knew when not to push. “Where's Jimmy?”
***
Jimmy sat in the waiting room staring at the ground. Penny sat next to him unsure of what to do.”Jimmy, aren't you going to go see Mr. White?”
“I can't....I just...I can't see him that way.” Jimmy's voice was hoarse as he fought to keep the tears in, not wanting anyone to see him like this.
“Is there anything I can do?” Penny asked.
“No.” He shook his head. He was quiet for a moment before he was able to find his voice again, “Perry...He's always been like a father to me...my dad wasn't ....Well, let's just say he wasn't around much.”
Penny nodded, “I'm really sorry, Jimmy.” It unnerved her to see him so distraught. Could she be wrong? He sure didn't look like Superman now....
***
“Excuse me, I'm looking for my daughter, Lois Lane.” Sam Lane approached a balding man that was seated at her desk. “Who are you?”
“Oh, Bernard Klein. I'm sure she and Clark will be back shortly. I'm waiting to speak with them as well.”
“Bernard Klein? Dr. Klein? You're the one that's specialized in the study of Superman, aren't you?”
“Uh, yes..” Dr. Klein blushed modestly.
“I'm Dr. Sam Lane.” He held a hand out for Dr. Klein to shake.
“Pleased to meet you. It's an honor. I've heard a lot about you.”
“Good things I hope.”
“Excuse me, I'm looking for Lois Lane?” A young man about mid-twenties interrupted their exchange, carrying a large basket of flowers.
“Um, she isn't here yet.” Dr. Klein responded.
“Could one of you just sign for these please?” the young boy was obviously had several deliveries on his route and didn't have time to wait.
“Certainly.” Dr. Klein signed the paper and gave the young man a smile as he left. He looked at the flowers. Strange..He'd never seen flowers with a green hue like that before. Maybe it was a new breed?
“Interesting breed,” Sam commented.
“Yes,” Dr. Klein muttered. The hue of the flowers was so familiar to him but he just couldn't place it....
***
Jimmy stepped off the elevator with Penny, “Thanks for coming with me. I really need to get this research done. I've got to figure out how to bring Luthor Jr. down. I know he's up to no good.”
“Well, anything I can do to help.” Penny nodded, following him to his desk.
“Jimmy, good to see you son!” Franklin Stern approached them with a grim look on his face.
“Mr. Stern?” Jimmy turned to face him. “What are you doing here?”
“Hmm, I'm looking for that yellow-bellied Luckabee; any idea what rock he's hiding under? Nobody pulls the wool over Franklin Stern and gets away with it.”
“Uh, no...” Jimmy shrugged.
“I'll be holed up in the conference room waiting for that scumbag...When he shows up...Look out!”
***
“How are you doing?” Alice asked, handing Perry a cup of water.
“I'm good.” Perry smiled back at her. A silence fell between them. “This is awkward, isn't it?”
“It's been over a year.” Alice smiled, “We've hardly spoken since last Christmas...”
“I know.”
“This isn't easy for me, Perry....seeing you like this. You've always been so strong...It's a bit unnerving.” Alice began to cry.
“Oh, honey, please don't cry.” Perry put an arm around her.
“It's so hard...Over twenty years down the drain...I thought I was fine...Then they called and told me you had had a heart attack; it was like my world had shattered.” Alice cried.
“I'm so sorry...I know this isn't easy. You've probably moved on...”
“No....” She looked at him shyly. “Not that I haven't tried, but when you spend almost twenty-five years trying to build a life together; it's hard to let that go.”
“I know, darling. I still love you. You know that, right?”
Alice nodded, “I love you too.”
***
“Hey, guys, I've got that information you wanted on Lex Corp. You remember that company that was showing up in the Cayman Islands?” Jimmy approached Lois and Clark as they stepped off the elevator.
“The one that was connected to the Annihilator murders?” Lois asked.
“That's the one. LexCorp just merged with them.”
“What?” Lois and Clark asked in unison.
“Cross Industries...I did some digging. Turns out they've only existed for about a few months.” Jimmy handed them a file. “I ran the companies they do business with to see what popped up. Guess what name came back from the dead...err...so to speak?”
“What?” Clark asked.
“Church.”
“Church? As in....Mindy Church?” Clark asked.
“As in Intergang?” Lois asked.
“Yeah....” Jimmy nodded.
“Lois?” Sam Lane approached Lois as she and Clark made their way to her desk.
“Oh, yeah, Dr. Klein and your father want to see you,” Jimmy added sheepishly.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” Lois asked.
“I saw the news and wanted to make sure you were all right,” Sam said, giving her a hug.
“I’m fine,” Lois nodded, looking back up at Clark. “We’re fine,”
“You have to be careful. This on top of the preeclampsia isn’t good for you or the baby…” Sam warned.
“I know,” Lois nodded. “I’m doing the breathing exercises…and…”
“Where did these come from?” Clark asked gesturing to the basket of flowers on her desk.
“A courier brought them by earlier,” Dr. Klein replied. “They have a strange hue to them. I've never seen anything like it...”
Clark sniffed at the flowers. They did have a strange .....almost glow to them...He felt a tickle in his nose. “Ah-choo!”
“Bless you, son. I guess you must have allergies, huh?” Sam asked.
“Uh, yeah.” Clark shook his head, unsure of what just happened. He didn't normally sneeze.
“Allergies?” Dr. Klein eyed Clark hesitantly.
***
Across town, an entire block of restaurants and businesses exploded. The cries for help echoed throughout the streets. “What a mess! We should clean up for Mr. Smith, don't you think, Pooky?” Angela turned to the man standing beside her and winked at him.
Leslie smiled and lifted the handheld satellite and aimed it towards the burning buildings. A white beam shone across the entire block. What had been chaos a moment ago had now been replaced with a street filled with ashes.
“Let's get out of here before the authorities show up. I wouldn't want anyone to recognize me.”
“Of course, Ms. Cross.” Leslie responded with a smile.
***
Back at the Planet, Clark's super-hearing picked up the explosion. He shot Lois a look and she nodded, “Clark, could you pick up some Chinese? I'm starving!” She patted her abdomen for emphasis.
“Right.” He headed towards the stairwell, disappearing a moment later into the sky. He zeroed in on the source of the explosion and was shocked to find the block covered in ashes. “What happened?”
“Superman!” Inspector Henderson motioned for him to approach him. “They’re all dead.”
“Who? What?”
“From what we've been able to gather; this entire block exploded then a white beam disintegrated the burning buildings. One of the witnesses said there was a meeting concerning LexCorp and a possible union going on in here. I guess someone didn't like that idea.” Henderson pulled out a burnt explosive device that looked to be pretty advanced. “We found this in the debris. It looks like some sort of radio controlled explosive device.”
Clark nodded in agreement as he looked at the device. He tried to use his enhanced vision to get a better look but was rewarded with a searing pain coursing through his head. He winced in pain.
Henderson looked at him in concern. “Are you okay, Superman?”
“I'm fine, Inspector, I just...” he fell to the ground with a thud.
“Oh, my God! Superman? Hey, get me someone from STAR Labs. We need help! Superman's in trouble!” He yelled at the surrounding officers.
***
***
Lois took a seat at her desk, readjusting everything on her desk as Dr. Klien took a seat next to her and whispered in a hushed whisper, “Where did Clark go?”
She whispered back, “Superman…”
Dr. Klein’s eyes widened, “He sneezed…”
“I know…” she whispered.
Dr. Klein noticed Sam looking at them and continued a little louder, “Lois, the string of robberies that took place yesterday? The Kryptonite vault was broken into.”
Lois' face fell, “What?”
“These flowers really are interesting. They almost have a glow to them.” Sam Lane took a sniff of the basket of flowers on Lois' desk.
“Yes.” Lois stroked the petal of one of the leaves.
Dr. Klein's eyebrows shot up in recognition. “LOIS, NO!! Don't touch those!!!” He moved to push the flowers as far away from her as possible.
“Dr. Klein? What are you doing??” Lois asked in confusion.
“KRYPTONITE! The flowers have been laced with Kryptonite. That's why they're glowing.” Dr. Klein explained.
“Oh, my God!” Lois couldn't believe she had been so close to....She laid a protective hand over her abdomen.
Her phone rang at that moment. “Lois Lane,” she answered.
“Lois, it's Bill. Listen, Superman’s in trouble.” Henderson’s voice echoed on the other end of the phone.
“What do you mean?”
“He came to the site of one of the explosions from earlier and I was showing him the explosive device we found...Lois, he just collapsed.”
“Oh, my God!”
“Lois??” He was speaking to dead air now.
***
“Hello, Pooky!” Ms. Cross approached Mr. Smith and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“I see you cleaned up after me. How kind of you.” Mr. Smith replied.
“Yes, you've been a naughty boy. Making a mess like that....” She pulled out a cigar and lit it as she spoke.
“Well, I can always count on you.” He lifted a glass of wine up to toast. “To our partnership.”
“Yes.” She raised her own glass to toast as well, “To partnership.” Her gaze hardened as she got down to business. “Has the call been made?”
“The White House has been issued our demands.”
“Good.”
***
STAR Labs was a frenzy of activity. Superman was brought in on a gurney via trusted ambulatory workers that were friends of Inspector Henderson's. “How long has he been unconscious?” Dr. Klein asked when he entered the lab.
“Approximately thirty minutes,” Inspector Henderson replied.
Dr. Klein cut open the front of the Superman shield, exposing his expansive chest to the surrounding staff. He concentrated on hooking Clark up to the various devices in his lab; checking blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. “This isn't good.” He muttered, looking over the readouts in front of him.
“Dr. Klein?” Lois' voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Lois! No, you have to get out of here! You can't--” He stopped himself short when he noticed Sam Lane standing behind her. He didn't want to expose Clark's secret to her father unless absolutely necessary. That wasn't his decision to make. Lois and Clark had trusted him with this secret and he would prove his trustworthiness.
“Lois, Superman has been exposed to Kryptonite—a RADIOACTIVE substance. YOU can't be IN here.” He hoped his subtle message would be received. Lois had a knack for ignoring instructions, but he doubted she would be putting the welfare of her unborn child at risk.
“I just wanted to see how he is.” Lois managed, her voice cracking from the tears she was holding back.
“I don't know yet, but please....just wait in my office?”
She nodded and obediently left the lab and headed towards Dr. Klein's office. Sam followed behind in a short pursuit.”Lois, are you sure you want to be here? Where's Clark? This can't be good for your baby.”
“Daddy, I...I really just need some quiet right now.” She began in-between tears, “Please if you're going to wait with me...just please don't talk right now.”
Sam was about to argue, but the determination in her eyes made him think better of it. There was something more going on than what met the eye. “Okay.” He took a seat next to her and waited.
***
Leslie stepped off the elevator with a spring in his step. Everything was going off without a hitch. Soon he, Ms. Cross, and Luthor Jr. would be richer beyond their wildest dreams and they would finally be able to live out Lex Luthor's ultimate goal: World Conquest.
The voice of Franklin Stern interrupted his thoughts, “Well if it isn't the new owner of the Daily Planet....Lex Luthor Jr. The rat that decided to crawl out from the sewer and finally makes an appearance!” Stern was a few inches away from Leslie and had a look of anger on his face.
“Franklin, pleasure to see you here.” Leslie held out his hand for the man to shake.
POW!
Leslie fell to the ground at the impact from Franklin Stern's fist. “I warned you not to mess with the Daily Planet. You think you're going to pull the wool over everyone's eyes? Think again! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!”
“Hey someone, call the police; Leslie's bleeding!” Ralph called.
“Yes, call the police for your fallen owner to explain why he lied on official documents regarding his name! I'm not an expert or anything, but I think that makes our contract void.” Stern sneered.
“Wow!” Ralph watched in awe as Stern disappeared behind the elevator doors, “Talk about your bedside manner, huh?” he looked around for someone to laugh with him, but found no willing participants.
***
“Lois?” Dr. Klein sat down next to Lois; he wrung his hands nervously, unable to voice his concerns to her.
“What is it, Dr. Klein? Please, tell me he's going to be okay.”
“I don't know what to do. I've tried sun lamps...I can't extract the Kryptonite from his body because it's still invulnerable; the kryptonite is just slowly eating away at him from the nasal passage down.”
“Nasal passage?” Sam asked intrigued. “How did that happen?”
“He, uh, inhaled something coated with kryptonite,” Dr. Klein explained hesitantly.
“Uh-huh.” Sam was quiet a moment. “What is kryptonite and is there anything that can counter react its effects?” Sam asked.
“Kryptonite is the nuclear core of Superman's home planet, Krypton,” Dr. Klein explained. “It's the only substance that can kill him....Well, the green variation can kill him. The red variation seems to have an alternate effect on him.”
“What do you mean?” Sam asked
“Well, the red affects him in various ways. Sometimes mentally or emotionally. The last time he was exposed to it; his powers went out of whack....” Dr. Klein's eyes lit up. “That's it!”
“What's it?” Lois asked, confused.
“Red kryptonite!” Dr. Klein exclaimed. “The green counter-reacted the red; so why wouldn't it work in reverse?”
“What?” Lois wasn't sure she was following, “Are you suggesting we purposefully expose Superman to red kryptonite?”
“Sort of. I'm suggesting we create an inhalant, laced with red kryptonite. It's the only guaranteed way to make sure all surfaces the green kryptonite has harmed; the red will cover as well.”
“Hold on. I'm not going to let you just experiment like this....Especially with kryptonite.” Lois argued.
“Lois, this is the only way I know of to fight this. The sun lamps aren't working. He still hasn't even woken up.” Dr. Klein explained.
“What?” Lois asked.
“It is worth a shot, Lois.” Sam reasoned, “Do you need an extra hand?”
“I could use all the help I can get.” Dr. Klein acknowledged.
***
Lois paced around Dr. Klein’s office nervously. He and her father had left a few hours ago to begin creating their Red Kryptonite inhalant for Clark. She hated that they were resorting to using Kryptonite, but she also knew it was the best shot they had right now.
The office door opened and Sam stepped inside, “Lois, can we talk?” Sam asked, pulling up a chair next to her.
“I'm trying to avoid as much stress as I can right now, Daddy,” Lois remarked quietly.
“I know and I'm sorry for that, but Clark isn't the reason I wanted to talk to you.”
Lois did a double take, “Clark?”
“It doesn’t take a rocket science to put two and two together,” Sam said tightly. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?”
“I don’t know,” Lois said softly. “How did you figure it out?”
“Oh, I don't know.” Sam narrowed his eyes at her, “Superman is attacked with kryptonite through the nose at the same time you are delivered kryptonite coated flowers? Do you really think I'm that stupid, Lois?”
“Daddy...”
“Are you okay?” Sam asked cautiously, placing a hesitant hand on her abdomen.
“I don’t know,” Lois shook her head. “I don’t know what I am anymore.”
“Lois, this isn’t like a cold or flu. It’s not something you can just take a pill and be fine. You have to be careful.”
“I know that. Don’t you think I know that?” Lois asked aghast.
“If you’re not careful you could…” Sam sighed, “You can’t just run into every scenario like you always do. You have to be more careful.”
“I am careful. I’m doing everything I can to keep this baby safe. You're always pulling out the doctor card, aren't you? Will you please just BACK off??”
“Back off? No, I’m not going to just back off…” Sam retorted angrily. “You have a serious condition…Lois, you could DIE!” Sam was near tears at this point as he tried to relay his feelings to her. “What good would your story or…or…awards…and accolades be then?? Hmm, won’t do your son or Clark any good either…”
Lois shot back vehemently. “I might take a few risks now and then but I do not put my job over my family. I refuse to allow my job to dictate my life to the point where I’ve given up on my family…”
Sam's face fell when her words hit home. “Lois, I never gave up on you.”
“No? You just, what? Took a vacation and never came back? Why? Why would you do something like that to me...to Lucy...to Mom?”
“I don't know,” Sam said quietly, “I can't explain my actions that well. Your mom and I got married young and we weren't prepared for a family.” Lois just scoffed at him. “We weren't expecting ....complications.”
“Oh? Now, I'm a complication? Nice to know you think so much of me.” Lois shot back.
“Not you, Lois. The pregnancy.”
“What are you talking about?” Lois asked.
“Lois I've already watched one woman I love go through preeclampsia at its worst. I am not going to watch my daughter go through the same thing if I can help it. You have got to listen to me!” Lois glanced at him curiously, unable to speak. “Your mother had Preeclampsia during your pregnancy...It nearly killed her.”
“What? Why didn't either of you tell me?”
“We didn't want to burden you. Lois, I know you're a grown woman and you can make your own choices, but understand where I'm coming from. We drifted apart after you graduated high school; we're just now starting to reconnect. I know it sounds selfish, but I don't want to lose you.” The tears fell down his cheeks at a rapid pace. He didn't even bother to wipe them away. “Every time I hear another news story about a close call you’re involved in I remember how close I came to losing your mother…If anything ever happened to you…I don’t think I could survive it..”
“I don't know what to say.” Lois murmured softly.
“You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know where I'm coming from. Please don't shut me out.”
“Lois, he's waking up!” Dr. Klein poked his head into the office.
***
Penny stared at the screen in horror. The newscaster narrated through the scenes of Superman collapsing on the ground and being surrounded by officers and medical teams. “The scene before you is shocking. Superman collapsed on the scene of the destruction of the lower half of downtown Metropolis where LexCorp union leaders were meeting to bring about a union in LexCorp. This dream seems to have died a tragic end. The condition of the Man of Steel is still unknown.”
“Where's Jimmy?” Penny looked around the newsroom and was unable to find him. She spotted Ralph, one of Jimmy's co-workers, “Excuse me, have you seen Jimmy?”
“Yeah, he's taking a leak.” Ralph pointed towards the men's room.
“Are you sure?” Penny asked. The relief she felt that he was okay overwhelmed her. Jimmy stepped back into the newsroom and found himself met with a huge hug from Penny. “Jimmy, thank God you're all right.”
“Penny, what's wrong?” Jimmy asked confused.
“I don't know. She started freaking out when they showed that footage of Superman collapsing earlier.” Ralph replied, taking a bite from an apple as he spoke.
“What?” Jimmy's face went pale. “Superman collapsed?”
“Jimmy, you okay? You don't look so good...” Ralph noticed Jimmy's face was turning white and he seemed to be having trouble balancing.
“Jimmy, I was so relieved...” Penny cried.
Jimmy sighed, “Penny, I've told you a million times. I'm NOT Superman.”
“I know. I guess it was just...I don't know what it was...I saw those images and it scared me.” She replied sheepishly.
“Ralph, where's Lois and CK??”
“Don't know. They left out of here in a hurry with that doctor and her father, though.” Ralph remarked.
“Hey, check it out!” a voice called from across the newsroom.
“Turn that up!” another voice called.
The image on the television showed President Garner, surrounded by his Secret Service detail. “It has come to this office's attention that a threat has been made against the safety of both this country and the planet. A threat was issued this morning demanding payment of 100 Billion dollars and the transfer of power over to Lex Luthor Jr. I'm here to assure the American people as well as our allies that we are not giving into these terroristic threats. We are doing everything in our power to assure the safety of everyone.”
“Oh, my God!” Jimmy wasn't sure what to think of this newest development.
“How exactly do your friends get a hold of Superman?” Penny asked apprehensively.
***
“Clark, you can't.” Lois pleaded.
Clark ignored her pleas and turned to Dr. Klein. “Dr. Klein, that explosive device that Henderson gave you. Were you able to make any sense out of it?”
“I was able to trace the source of the signal...” Dr. Klein began hesitantly.
“Great.” Clark stood up, ready for action. “Where is it?”
“I have to say, Clark, as your friend...I don’t' think you should be doing this. I have to agree with Lois. You're still recovering from your exposure to that kryptonite...”
“Dr. Klein, where is it?” Clark asked a bit more forcefully.
“Clark...” Lois pleaded.
“I have to stop him, Lois.” He explained. “Dr. Klein?”
“Under the Daily Planet. The abandoned subway...”
“Isn't that the same place where Luthor died?” Clark asked.
“The same,” Dr. Klein confirmed.
“Clark, don't.” Lois pleaded. “He already attacked you with kryptonite once; what's going to stop him from doing it again?”
“Lois, I have to. You know I have to.” He kissed her, silencing any more protests. “I'll be back.” Before she could voice any more concerns he was gone.
Lois' eyes narrowed and she headed towards the exit. “Lois, where are you going?” Dr. Klein asked when she brushed past him.
“I need to help Clark. He can't do this himself.” With that, she left a concerned Dr. Klein watching her leave. He picked up the phone and dialed “Yes, get me Metropolis P.D…”
***
“I’m not exactly sure what you want me to do here…” Henderson said as he watched Lois pace in front of his desk.
“Superman went to the abandoned subway tunnel where Lex died to find the person responsible for the explosions earlier. I NEED you to go down there and help him. He’s still really weak…” Lois pleaded.
Henderson looked at her with a dubious expression. “I know that. Dr. Klein already called me. What I’m trying to figure out is why you actually came to ME? You didn’t decide to go chasing after him and throw yourself in danger like you usually do…”
Lois narrowed her eyes, “I can’t…”
Henderson smiled, “I’ll get a team together. You…” he pointed at her with his finger, “…stay out of trouble. Don’t worry I’ll tell you everything once we catch the guy.”
Lois nodded, “Thank you.”
Henderson nodded, patting her on the shoulder, “I’m proud of you. I know sitting on the sidelines isn’t easy…Keep your cell phone on…” He hollered as he left the office to begin getting a team of officers together.
Lois sighed in relief. It was true. This was hard for her to do. Knowing Clark was in danger and there was nothing she could do to help him was driving her insane, but she had to do what was best for her son. She would do everything she could to protect him no matter what. She glanced around the station, noticing Henderson’s team suiting up in their SWAT gear. There wasn’t much else she could do here. She decided to head back to the Planet and wait to hear from Henderson. Maybe digging into some research would help distract her…
“Be careful…” she hollered over her shoulder as she left. Henderson nodded and turned back to his team.
Lois raced down the steps to the Metropolis P.D. and headed to her Jeep. As she reached for her keys from her purse she felt a slight pain in her right side and winced. She began to practice the breathing exercises her doctor had taught her. A hard metal object pressed itself against her temple. She whimpered in pain.
“Shhh. Don’t even breathe the word Superman or you’re dead…”
Her eyes widened as a hand grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the Jeep. She looked back at the police station that she’d just left, cursing her luck, unable to see any officers leaving. She winced as she felt another pain shoot through her abdomen.
***
TBC...
Part 9 next.
Comments Go Here
