Collateral Damage
Folc4evernaday
Part 9
***
Clark zeroed in on the ever so familiar underground subway tunnels below the Daily Planet. The area was lead lined, so he was going to have a hard time looking for Lex Luthor Jr. Although, since he was following in his father's footsteps....Maybe his best bet would be to examine the area Luthor had died in. He flew down and landed in the abandoned subway where he and Luthor had fought so long ago. He still remembered how Lex’s hate for him was so strong he was willing to kill himself to make sure Superman died. He turned the corner and came face to face with a troll like man dressed in black.
“Superman! This is a surprise...Last I heard you were having breathing problems..” Mr. Smith remarked slyly.
“You sick, disgusting sociopath...” Clark took a few cautious steps towards the man. “It was you!”
“Yes. You thought maybe it was someone else?” Mr. Smith smiled back, “Maybe Lex Luthor Jr? What if it was?”
“What are you talking about?”
“He's a very good actor. He should get an Oscar for his performance.” Smith remarked as he approached Clark, “Wouldn't you agree, Clark?” Clark was unable to hide his surprise at the man's knowledge of his alter ego. “Don't act so shocked, Clark. WE know all about you. Daddy made sure he left that information for me.”
“Daddy?” Clark was even more confused.
“Oh, I'm sorry. You know him as Luthor. Lex Luthor. My father.”
“You tried to kill my wife and child.” Clark crossed his arms across his chest in the infamous Superman pose many criminals had come to know.
“Yes, it's a pity you took the bait before she did. It would have been much more delightful to watch you suffer through a life without her than to just kill you.”
“You sick son of a..” Clark reached towards Luthor to grab him, but Luthor moved out of his grasp at the last time.
Luthor smiled, “Ah ah ah, “ he scolded. “Temper temper, Clark. Yes, that wouldn't be a good example for the baby....Your child will suffer the same fate I suffered. To live a life as an orphan, raised in seclusion....”
“You stay the hell away from my family!” Clark warned.
“Or what? You killed my only family; you and Lois Lane....Now, it's time you both feel what that's like.”
“Yes, look what I found....” Leslie appeared from behind one of the pillars holding Lois against him with a gun to her temple.
“Lois!” Clark's face went pale when he saw his wife in Leslie's clutches.
“Ah, yes, intrepid reporter Lois Lane...always finding herself in danger.” Clark moved to approach Leslie and Lois only to be stopped by a searing pain coursing throughout his body. Only one thing could cause this kind of pain...Kryptonite. “Not so fast, Clark....We're just getting started.”
“Clark!” Lois shrieked when she saw him slump to the ground. She watched in horror as Luthor pulled a chunk of kryptonite out of a lead lined box and set it down just out of Clark's reach.
***
Leslie tightened his grasp on Lois’ arms. She winced in pain. “What's wrong, Lois? Too much green in the room?”
Lois struggled to remain in control of her emotions. The pain began to course throughout her body. She felt like her body was on fire. The baby....She couldn't let something happen to the baby...”No, please, the baby...” she pleaded when Leslie brought her closer to the kryptonite's radiation.
Leslie smiled, “Yes, the baby....”
“Yes, you haven't done a very good job of staying out of trouble for your baby's sake, have you, Lois? The stress of new management, a big investigation into missing CEOs....Kryptonite....Not good for the baby, is it?”
“Get....away....from....her...” Clark hoarsely ordered between ragged breaths.
“You're not giving out on me yet, are you, Clark?” Luthor leaned down towards Clark so that he was inches away from him. “Because I want to make sure you remember this for the rest of your life. The death of your wife and child....” He stood up and walked towards Lois; forcefully grabbing Lois by the arm and taking the gun from Leslie. “You could have been my mother....pity.”
“Go to hell!” she spat back.
Leslie took the opportunity to approach Clark who was obviously having difficulty breathing and remaining conscious. “Not so tough now, are you, Clark? How does it feel to know your family is going to die right before your eyes and there's nothing you can do to stop it?” He was a few inches away from Clark, enjoying the game he and Luthor were playing. “Perhaps, we should torture her a bit, hmmm? Kill the child with the kryptonite and then put her out of her misery after she watches her baby die, hmmm?”
***
Kill her baby? What was wrong with these people? Why were they so bent on seeking revenge for Lex's death? Didn't they know he had done this to himself? He had destroyed that pillar then he had shot Clark when he was holding it up...
She struggled in Luthor's grasp as he pushed her towards the Kryptonite, “A perfect plan. I'm ashamed I didn't think of it first.” Luthor's menacing tone echoed through her mind. She had to act fast. The pain....It was so much.....Why hadn't Clark told her how much it burned?
She looked around at her surroundings. Nothing. Luthor was standing over her. Leslie was over by Clark taunting him. The kryptonite lay in the middle of the room. The smell of the sewers reached her nostrils, causing her to blanch.
Wait a minute, sewers? She was near the sewer line. She looked around and sure enough; a few feet behind Luthor and Luckabee was the underground storm drain for the city's water system....If she could just push one of them over...Maybe she could get the kryptonite away from Clark?
'Here goes nothing' she thought to herself before reaching her leg out to give Luthor one swift kick...
***
Clark's eyes narrowed when Luckabee's words began to sink in. They wanted to kill his child and Lois. They wanted to torture her....Everything they had planned...They knew what effect it would have had on their baby...
He pushed through all the pain coursing through him and tackled Leslie to the ground. He heard a shot ring-out but was too focused on keeping Leslie within his grasp to pay it any attention. He heard a splash from behind him and felt the absence of the kryptonite. He continued to wrestle with Leslie as he tried to subdue the man...
***
Luthor bowed over in pain when Lois kicked him. She gave him no time to react; using her training in martial arts, she delivered several blows to his abdomen and knee caps. She had never been in so much pain in her life, but she had to keep fighting...For the baby...for Clark...
Luthor aimed his gun at her; she rolled out of its aim at the last moment. She took advantage of his distraction with the weapon to deliver one more blow to his side; causing him to fall into the water behind him. The kryptonite remained in the middle of the room. She inched her way toward it and kicked it as hard as she could. She sighed with relief when she heard the small splash of the kryptonite falling into the water.
She was numb....The pain....
***
Leslie raised his arm to strike a blow against Clark's face. He was met with a piercing pain when his fist made contact with the dense molecular structure of the man of steel. Clark smiled to himself. His powers were returning. He gave a small push to Leslie and watched him fall back into the water.
“Help! I can't swim!” Luthor cried out.
Clark approached him apprehensively. The man had just tried to kill him. Did he want to risk another attack by trying to save him? He silently cursed himself. No matter what evil this man had done; he couldn't with good conscience allow him to drown. He reached out to pull Luthor up and was met by a blow to the head. Kryptonite....
Clark fell to the ground in pain. Luthor rose from the water and hovered over him. “Do you really think you're going to get rid of me that easy?” He aimed his gun at Clark's head. “Say goodbye, Superman!”
A shot echoed throughout the room and darkness overtook Clark. His last thought before losing consciousness was that of Lois....
***
'Clark...' Lois' mind cried out to him. She had to wake up, but it hurt so bad... The pain was excruciating. Was there still kryptonite in the room? She tried to focus on the sounds around her.
Leslie's voice penetrated her thoughts, “He's not moving? Do you still want to shoot him?”
“I still have to take care of one more loose end....” Luthor's voice sounded menacing. She turned to see Luthor point the barrel of the gun at Leslie.
Leslie backed away from him, “What are you doing?”
“Never underestimate the need to tie up loose ends....Daddy always said.” He fired his weapon and Leslie's body fell into the murky water below. Lois watched Luthor kneel down to aim the gun at Clark's motionless body. 'No!” her mind cried out as she struggled to move. When she did; it felt like she was trying to move lead plates. The pain was excruciating..
Clark...She had to get to Clark...A gun shot fired and she cried out in pain, “No!” her voice was hoarse and the words escaped her lips in a mere whisper.
***
Inspector Henderson watched in horror as Luthor struck the Man of Steel with a large glowing rock. Superman fell to the ground; blood was everywhere. He couldn't help but get a sense of déjà vu from when Randy Goode had attacked Lois and Clark with Kryptonite as well. That's when he began to put the pieces together. Clark was hurt and Superman was missing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
He continued to watch the scene unfold before his eyes. Leslie had crawled out of the water as well and stood behind Luthor as the barrel to a gun was pointed at Clark's temple... He had the perfect shot. All he had to do was raise his gun and shoot. He hadn't fired his weapon in over five years. He just hoped he would be able to save Clark...
He prepared to line up his shot when Luthor turned to shoot Leslie. Leslie fell into the water behind him. Luthor then turned to the motionless body of the man of steel and cocked the trigger. It was now or never. He lined up his shot and fired two shots. Luthor fell to the ground. He moved towards the scene, “Henderson? Are you all clear?” His radio went off.
“Yeah, we're all clear. The suspects are down, but we're going to need a medic.” Henderson approached the motionless body of Superman and gasped at the sight before him. There was blood everywhere. The floor was covered in it. He knelt down next to Clark and rolled him over to get a better look at the wound. “Superman?” There was no response. He surveyed the scene around him and spotted the menacing green glow coming from a rock in the middle of the room. He got up and hesitantly approached the meteorite. He sighed in relief when he felt no adverse effects from holding it.
He heard a soft moan from across the room. He looked towards the source and found Lois wincing in pain as she struggled to get up. Kryptonite. The baby...He had to get this away from her and Clark, but how? He scanned the room and found a small metal box by one of the computer screens. He deposited the rock inside the box and slammed the lid closed.
“Clark?” Lois' voice penetrated through the silence in the room. He looked toward her and saw she was still lying on her back, struggling to sit up.
“Lois, don't move...Help is on its way.” He responded, approaching her slowly.
“Bill?” she rasped out questionably.
“You're going to be fine.” He reassured her.
“My baby....” she cried.
“Please don't move.” He pleaded, kneeling down next to her. He lay a hesitant hand on her abdomen; a gesture of reassurance. He was a bit taken aback to see tears in her eyes. Lois Lane had always seemed invincible to him. She never showed emotion.
“I want...my....husband.....” she rasped out in between tears. “I ....want....Clark.”
“I know.” He stood up and walked away from her, continuing to survey the scene. He knelt down next to Clark and noticed the wound he had seen on him earlier seemed to be healing itself rapidly. He sighed in relief. He was going to be okay. A moment later the room was filled with chaos as police and ambulatory workers swarmed through the scene. He stood on the sidelines as he watched two people he had come to know as friends be tended to by the ambulatory workers. Unnoticed to anyone else he slipped the small metal box out with him as he left the scene.
***
“Where is Smith?” Angela spat as she dialed the number once more. “Some partnership; he can't even hold his end of the bargain when the President won't cooperate.”
“Do you want me to pay him a visit, Ms. Cross?” one of her goons asked.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, “I want you to launch the satellite and blow the President of the United States out of the water! Nobody and I mean, NOBODY rejects me!”
“You got it.” He left to attend to his business.
***
Bill Henderson entered the Daily Planet hesitantly. He scarcely came into this building. The last time he had been here was when it had been blown up by Lex Luthor Sr. Police weren't supposed to work with the press, but he had found Lois and Clark to be an exception to the rule. He spotted Jimmy Olsen sitting at his desk with a young blonde. He approached them hesitantly. “Jimmy?”
“Inspector Henderson? What are you doing here?” Jimmy asked, standing up to greet the man.
“I – I have some news.” His face was grim.
“What's wrong? Why do you got that face?”
“What face?”
“That face that cops get whenever they're about to break some horrible news...” Jimmy shot back. “Oh, God....it's bad, isn't it? You never come in here...”
“Jimmy, something happened earlier....to Superman....and Lois....”
“What?”Jimmy's face went pale as Henderson continued to relay the events that had transpired earlier.
“Superman was exposed to a lethal substance...” He wasn't sure how much this young man knew about Kryptonite, but he didn't want to divulge too much information with his girlfriend sitting right next to him. “He's going to be okay, but he's still unconscious.”
“What happened to Lois? She's okay, right? The baby? She and the baby are okay? You know she had this high risk pregnancy… It's lethal? Oh, God...please don't tell me ....she's not dead, right?” He pleaded with Henderson as the tears fell from his eyes. He looked around the room in a panic, “Where's CK?”
“He's at the hospital with Lois,” Henderson replied hesitantly. He still wasn't sure how much Jimmy knew about Lois and Clark.
“What happened?”
“Luthor....When the newscast had broadcast about the ransom and transfer of power Superman went looking for him; knowing he was behind it. Lois came and found me to help…then got herself kidnapped...”
“What? Why can’t she stay out of trouble?”
“Jimmy, she did the best she could but you and I both know it doesn’t matter how good her intentions are…she’s a magnet for trouble. She said she was worried about Superman going after Luthor right after an attack from....” He trailed off, unsure of Jimmy's knowledge of kryptonite once more. Jimmy nodded and he continued. “Anyway, after I got my team together I got a bit lost in those subway tunnels but when I finally caught up to where Superman was Leslie had grabbed Lois and was....” He trailed off, unable to finish. “I'm sorry. I'm trying. I really am...it's just really hard...”
Jimmy nodded and grabbed his coat. “Why don't we go for a walk, Inspector?” He turned to Penny, “Can you stay here for me? Take a message if anyone calls? Let me know what comes back on that research into Cross Industries?”
“Sure.” Penny nodded.
Jimmy left with Henderson and they made their way toward the hospital. “Bill, how much do you know about CK?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I know a lot of things that people don't realize I know.” He began. “I kinda feel like I'm invisible sometimes. I hear things I'm not supposed to hear and I see things I'm not supposed to see. I know CK has a lot of talents that keep him pretty busy. Do you?” The question was subtle and to the point, but evasive enough to not give away what he was talking about if Henderson was out of the loop.
“How long have you known?” He smirked at the young man.
“Since that news story came out claiming CK was Superman. I know Lois and CK have dabbled in time travel in alternate dimensions...I did my own research on Tempus when everything went down. CK looks exactly like Superman.” Jimmy raked a hand through his hair as he spoke. His apprehension of discussing this topic was evident.
“Do they know you know?” he asked.
“No,” Jimmy replied coldly, “And you're not going to tell them either. It's safer this way. I pretend to be clueless and no one realizes I'm Superman's best friend. It's a win-win situation.”
“Don't you think you should tell them, though?”
“They're not ready to tell me,” Jimmy replied flatly, “CK is one of my best friends. I don't want to push him or Lois away by bringing this up before they're ready.” Jimmy sighed then turned to face Henderson, “Now, what happened in the subway station?”
“You don't give up, do you?”
“I was trained by the best.”
“Yeah, no kidding, “ Henderson sighed, “Like I said, Leslie had kidnapped Lois and was taunting Superman. They had ....Kryptonite.” he whispered the word kryptonite. “They were threatening to kill the baby then kill Lois in front of him....as revenge for Lex Luthor's death.”
“What?” Jimmy was outraged, “Where the hell is that son of a... I'll kill him myself...” He muttered bitterly.
“Clark fought them with everything he had...even with the kryptonite right there....it was evident he was in pain....but his good nature got the better of him....Luthor pretended to be drowning...”
“Oh, no.” Jimmy shook his head.
“And he tried to help him up....he was met with a blow to the head....with a chunk of Kryptonite....Luthor then turned the gun on Leslie and shot him...He's dead. I ended up shooting Luthor before he could shoot Clark....The kryptonite is back at STAR Labs now....They said exposure to sunlight should help Clark heal....Dr. Klein's with him right now.”
“What about Lois?”
“She's in ICU,” Henderson replied remorsefully. “I figured since her husband couldn't be here...it might help to have a friendly face with her.”
“Yeah.” Jimmy pushed opened the doors to the hospital entrance. “I hate hospitals...I couldn't even visit Perry when he had his heart attack because I couldn't see him like that......but I'll deal with it.....like I said, CK's my best friend....I'd do anything for him.”
***
“What is all of this?” Detective Wolf looked over the data they had retrieved from Luthor’s hideout. There were plans for creating a super-powered robot, a satellite weapon of some sort that had been converted to a handheld form. He wasn’t sure what all this meant, but he was certain Inspector Henderson would be interested in this.
***
“Ms. Cross? There’s police all over the place…What do you want me to do?” the goon asked over the phone, hesitantly.
“Get back over here! I need to get out of town before anyone begins to put the pieces together.” She replied. She hung the phone up and headed towards her office; she had to pack.
***
“Lois? NO! LOIS!” Clark cried out, sitting upright with a jolt. He looked around the room; it was familiar, but not. He looked down at himself and found he had been stripped down to a hospital gown; a monitor stood next to the bed he laid on, beeping. He felt his face for his glasses and found none. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like he was in a hospital of some sort. The question was: was he here as Clark or Superman?
“Clark?” Dr. Klein’s voice penetrated his thoughts, “Clark, how are you feeling?”
He sighed with relief when he recognized Dr. Klein entering the room, “Where’s Lois?” he asked.
“She’s at the hospital.” Dr. Klein began.
“What?” He began to climb off the bed. The monitors began beeping in protest when he began removing the monitor tags one by one.
“Whoa!” Dr. Klein pushed him back on the bed, “Not so fast!”
“Dr. Klein, I have to see Lois…” he argued, standing up once more. This time however he was met with a slight case of dizziness as he stood up.
“Clark, you’ve just had two very close calls with kryptonite back to back; you need to rest.”
Clark began to walk around the room, searching for his clothes, “I need to get out of here; I need to see Lois….The baby? Is the baby okay? Why is she in the hospital?”
“Clark, please, can’t you just rest for a minute? You’ve been unconscious for hours!”
“Dr. Klein, I need to see Lois now! I don’t care how long I’ve been unconscious or how many times I’ve been exposed to kryptonite…Please, I need to see my wife. I need to make sure she’s okay.” He pleaded.
Dr. Klein saw the intensity behind Clark’s gaze and relented. He knew no one would be able to keep him from leaving. It was times like this; he realized Superman was just as stubborn…if not more…as Lois Lane. “Fine, but no flying…I’ll drive.” He sighed.
***
“I never thought I’d see the day….Perry White in a hospital bed? This is why you need to watch your stress level, old man.” Franklin Stern joked, entering Perry’s room.
Perry laughed, happy to see his old friend, “Who are you calling an old man?”
“The ugly guy sitting on the hospital bed.” Mr. Stern smiled, letting Perry know he was just joking.
“You’re no prize yourself.” Perry shot back.
“How are you doing?” He was concerned for Perry’s health. Over the years, he and Perry had become good friends; he didn’t want to lose that.
“I’m good. I’d be even better if I could get out of this darn hospital bed…” Perry winked at Mr. Stern, “It gives me an excuse not to deal with Luthor though.”
“Oh, you won’t be dealing with him anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Perry asked curiously.
“He lied on those contracts when he purchased the Planet. That makes the contract void. I’m still the owner.” Mr. Stern couldn’t hide the grin on his face. He looked like the cat that had just swallowed the canary.
“You mean—“
“I’m still the owner of the Planet. I was so mad when I found out Luthor had tricked me…I decked him one!”
Perry laughed, “You didn’t!”
“Afraid so…” He rubbed his knuckles gently, recalling the incident.
“Oh, man, I would have paid money to see that!” Perry laughed.
“See what?” Alice asked, entering the room with two cups of coffee.
“Hello, Alice, how are you?” Franklin asked.
“I’m doing well.” Alice acknowledged. She looked at Mr. Stern apprehensively. She hoped he wasn’t going to try and drag Perry back to work.
“I wanted to talk to you about something, Perry.” Mr. Stern began. He looked warily between Alice and Perry. It had saddened him to hear of their separation. He hoped this idea would help make things easier between the two of them. “I’m hiring an assistant editor.”
“WHAT???” Perry exclaimed in outrage.
“Hear me out.”
“Oh, no…The last time someone tried to make me share my job was when Lex Luthor hired that featherbrained, snot-nosed, pimply-faced, under-aged cow, Chip! I don’t need help. I’m doing just fine running the bullpen how it is.”
“Really? You could have fooled me!” Mr. Stern shot back, “Perry, you’re not a young man anymore. You can’t keep working these kinds of hours without it taking a toll on you. You got lucky this time. I’m cutting your load a bit. I know it’ll be hard, but it’ll be worth it.” He nodded towards Alice. “Besides, this way you can find other ways to fill your time that are more …. fulfilling. We’ll talk about this later.” Before Perry could protest further he was gone.
Perry scowled after the man. He knew Franklin Stern was right, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to let go. He had lived and breathed the Daily Planet for so long; it was like second nature to pull an all-nighter. Working regular hours with a lighter load…He didn’t know if he could do that.
“I think you should do it.” Alice’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“What?”
“I think you should take on an assistant editor, Perry.” At his dubious look she continued. “You just had a heart attack. You’re not going to be able to do everything you used to do. You’re going to need help.”
Perry was quiet a moment then he nodded, “I know. I just don’t know how I’m going to adjust…”
“Well, maybe I can help.” Alice smiled at him warmly.
Perry smiled back at her, “I don’t know. It might be a full-time job.”
“We’ll take it a day at a time.” Alice acknowledged.
***
“Jimmy?” Penny knocked lightly on the STAR labs door. Lois was sleeping on the bed motionless. The only sound in the room was the monotone beeping of the many monitors that were hooked up to Lois.
Jimmy looked up, slightly dazed, “Hi, Penny.” He smiled lightly at her.
“I thought you could use some company,” Penny said as she took a seat next to him.
Jimmy smiled, “I’m fine. I’m just worried about everyone.” Jimmy acknowledged.
“No change?”
“Nah. The doctors said …. The exposure to the kryptonite…it’s not good to be exposed to radioactive substances when you’re pregnant. That along with the abdominal pains…They’re keeping her under observation to be safe….”
“She’s a really good friend of yours, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, Lois has always been a good friend of mine… Everyone always saw me as this big nobody, but she took me under her wing and taught me everything she knew…Her and CK both.”
Penny recognized the bitter tone in his voice when he called himself a nobody. He had used the same tone the night she had confronted him about his supposed alter ego. “Jimmy, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Just everything…I was too busy chasing some fantasy to realize what was right in front of me. I called you a schmoe.” She noticed Jimmy wince at that description, “I’m so sorry.”
Jimmy put an arm around her and smiled, “I know.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?” Penny asked with pleading eyes.
Jimmy opened his mouth to speak only to cut himself short when he saw Clark enter the room. He looked nothing like the Clark Kent he was used to seeing. He wore an untucked gray dress shirt and faded blue jeans with his leather jacket. His forehead still had a shadow of a bruise from where he had been struck with his fight with Luthor Jr. and Leslie.“CK!!” He jumped up and hugged his friend fiercely. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you. What happened to your head?”
“Uh, it’s nothing…” Clark gently hugged him back, “It’s good to see you too, Jimmy.” He broke free of the young man’s embrace and moved toward the unconscious figure of his wife, “How is she?”
Jimmy watched as Clark took a seat next to Lois’ bed. Clark held Lois’ hand as he kissed her forehead. “She’s been unconscious since I got here. The doctor said they think her body is trying to over compensate for the trauma she’s been through.....They’re surprised she didn’t have a seizure from all the stress….” Jimmy finished quietly. He knew that was the last thing Clark wanted to hear right now, but he knew Clark wouldn’t appreciate him not being completely honest with him either.
“What about the baby?” Clark asked in concern, gently pushing a strand of hair out of Lois’ eyes.
“Everything seems to be normal, but it’s too soon to tell.” Jimmy explained remorsefully.
“Thank you for being here, Jimmy.”
“No problem.” He gently patted Clark on the shoulder, “Hey, you guys’ll pull through this. You always do.”
“I hope so.”
Jimmy’s phone went off and he turned to read it. “It’s the office. CK, I’ll be back later. I’ve got to get back to the office.”
“Sure.” Clark nodded.
“Keep me posted. Let me know if you need anything?”
“I will, thanks, Jimmy.” Clark nodded as Jimmy and Penny left. He sighed with relief when he found himself alone with Lois …finally. “I almost lost you…” he whispered hoarsely, holding back tears. “I can’t believe I almost lost everything…”
***
“What's the big emergency, Wolf?” Henderson asked, walking up to the detective’s desk.
“This.” Detective Wolf pulled out the files he had found in Luthor’s hideout. “Everything from this Pulse Converter to Vixen…It’s all here.”
“So, Luthor was behind this the whole time?” Henderson mused. “Doesn’t surprise me.”
“There’s more.” Wolf pulled out a contract he had found.
“What?”
“Cross Industries was footing the bill for most of this stuff.”
“Who runs Cross Industries?” Henderson asked, confused.
***
“Jimmy! I’ve been paging and texting you for over an hour!” Brian exclaimed when Jimmy and Penny stepped off the elevator.
“I can only move so fast, Brian. What’s up?” Jimmy asked.
“That research you wanted on Cross Industries.” Brian shoved the box of files in Jimmy’s direction, “Have fun.”
***
Clark lay on the bed with Lois, holding her close to him. “I love you so much.” He whispered, kissing her lightly. He hadn’t been able to sleep since he had woken up. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Luthor and Leslie with the kryptonite. It had unnerved him; the lengths at which they had been willing to go to seek revenge for Lex Luthor’s death.
His family had nearly been destroyed tonight. If it hadn’t been for Inspector Henderson both he and Lois could have very easily been killed. He lightly stroked the small bump on her abdomen where their child was growing. He had dreamed of this for many nights; to have a family of his own…a child of his own. In one split second, he had nearly lost all of that. He couldn’t understand why Lois had followed him into the subway tunnels. If she had just stayed out of danger…
“Cla-“ the whisper that had escaped her lips was barely audible for him to hear.
“Lois?” He turned to face her, gently stroking her cheek as he did so. “Lois, honey?”
“Clark…” she whispered hoarsely, slightly louder than the last time.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her eyelashes flutter as she opened her eyes. “Lois…” he pulled her closer to him. “I was so afraid…”
“You’re hurt…” she reached up to touch the light bruise on his forehead that remained after his encounter with the kryptonite.
“It’s nothing..” Clark shrugged it off, leaning in to capture her mouth. She smiled against his mouth. He slowly broke off the kiss, reveling in the fact that she was okay. They were both going to be okay.
“What happened?” Lois asked. “The last thing I remember was Bill telling me not to move.”
“Yeah, he saved both of our lives.” Clark mused.
“I still can’t believe you went after Luthor right after being exposed to kryptonite like that.” Lois scolded.
“Me? I can’t believe you followed me down there like that.” Clark shot back.
Lois smacked him lightly on the chest, “I didn’t! I went to Henderson to go help you then got grabbed when I was getting into my Jeep.”
Clark lowered his head and stroked her cheek, “They nearly killed you.”
“Clark, I’m fine.” She reached up to caress his cheek.
“Lois…” She had scared him. That much was evident in the look he gave her.
Lois tried to change the subject once more, “What about the baby? Is the baby okay?”
Clark sighed, “The doctors told Jimmy everything looked normal, but it was too soon to tell.”
“Jimmy?” Lois asked in confusion.
“He was sitting with you until I was able to make it down here. Dr. Klein said I had been unconscious for a couple hours.” Clark explained, averting her gaze. “I’m fine.” He reassured, unconvincingly. “I was so worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay? Can I get you anything?”
“Clark, I’m fine, really.” She reached up to kiss him certain that words wouldn’t get through to him right now.
He groaned in approval when he felt her tongue lightly trace the outline of his lips. “Mmmm” he moaned when she dipped her tongue inside his mouth. He moved to pull her closer to him. “I love you.” He whispered before recapturing her mouth. She moaned in approval, reveling in the feeling of being in his arms once more.
***
“This is insane…” Jimmy muttered to himself. They had been so close to exposing Intergang so many times in the past, but now they had the proof. The financial reports of Cross Industries connected with Cost Mart, Caribbean Imports, and LexCorp. All the pieces were coming together. He picked up the phone on his desk to dial Inspector Henderson. Mindy Church was going to see justice this time if he had anything to say about it.
***
“Alice, are you sure?” Perry asked in concern.
“I’m positive.” Alice evaded his gaze slightly then with a shallow breath met his eyes with her own. “We’re only given one life; so why waste it being miserable.” She smiled at him through her tears. It had taken a long time for her to realize what it was she wanted. Now that she knew she wasn’t about to let Perry walk out of her life again. She wanted to make this work. She had to. She’d be miserable otherwise, and she had a feeling he would be too. Didn’t they owe it to themselves to try and be happy?
***
“Let me get this straight,” Bill Henderson began, eyeing Jimmy Olsen critically from across his desk. “You want me to take a team of officers down to the abandoned air strip and stake this place out for an undetermined amount of time…because you THINK Angela Cross is Mindy Church…The head of Intergang? Does that about sum it up?”
“Well, Bill, when you put it that way it does sound a bit far-fetched…” Jimmy began.
“A little?” Henderson snorted. He leaned back in his chair as he contemplated the idea Jimmy had just presented to him.”What you’re asking me to do is against all regulations…You don’t have any hard evidence.”
“But everything we have on Intergang matches up with Cross Industries perfectly,” Jimmy argued.
“Circumstantial,” Henderson argued.
“Can’t you just trust me on this, Inspector?” Jimmy pleaded.
Henderson looked into the young man’s pleading eyes. He knew there was a 50-50 chance this hunch could pan out. Was he willing to take the risk?
***
The silence in the room haunted Sam Lane. Several scenarios of the what-if and could-have-been ran throughout his mind. “You okay?” Dr. Klein asked, breaking Sam out of his reverie, handing him a cup of coffee. “Here. You looked like you could use this.”
“Thank you,” Sam replied, taking the cup gratefully. Dr. Klein once more broke the silence between them.
“Clark's had several bouts with kryptonite in the last few months...Lois has been exposed too...I just hope they can stay out of danger long enough for her to deliver that baby...It's a true miracle.” Dr. Klein said quietly.
“Hmm..” Sam snorted, “Lois has always been a danger-junkie. She seems to attract danger. Now, she'll do her best to stay out of danger, but trouble just seems to find her.” He was quiet for a moment, “I wish she didn't have to go through this. Is there nothing in all your research that could get rid of this condition?”
“I'm afraid not. I've done my fair bit of research on the condition after Lois and Clark told me of the situation, but I haven't found anything...even experimental that could cure preeclampsia....”
“What if she has the more serious condition? She could die...” Sam felt the tears begin to build up in the corners of his eyes. He did his best not to let his emotions get to him. “I've just begun to get to know her again you know. We didn't really get along that well when she was growing up...I was always working....You know how it is?”
“Not really.” Dr. Klein apologized. “I don't have a family; so I can't really relate there. I'm kinda married to my work.”
“I just can't believe she went after him like that.” Sam shook his head. Dr. Klein patted Sam on the shoulder in support, unsure of what to say or do.
***
Dr. Pierce looked at the blood work in front of her, confused. “I have never seen anything like this in my life….How is this even possible?” She pulled out a stack of paperwork in front of her and began filling out the forms for one more test. Preeclampsia didn’t just disappear. It just didn’t happen unless the mother had given birth. This, of course, hadn’t happened yet; so what had happened here? She needed a second opinion.
She picked up the phone and dialed her assistant. “Angela? Could you get me in touch with Research and Development over at STAR Labs?”
***
“All right, Ms. Cross, everything's packed,” the pilot announced. He wore all black. His dark shades hid his face well from the outside observer. His dark black and silver hair poked out from the sides of the baseball cap he wore.
“Have you got the satellite loaded up?” Angela inquired. “You have to be extremely careful with it. It was a gift.” She pointed at the large cargo that still sat next to the aircraft; covered in a brown tarp.
“Of course, Ms. Cross,” the man hesitated a moment then spoke once more, “Ms. Cross? If you don't mind my asking...Who gave that to you? I've never seen anything like it in my life. Its design is...unusual. Is this a new type of satellite overseas?”
“No, hunky, I had this one made special.” She replied sweetly with a perfected blonde bimbo act as she spoke. “Mr. Grady had these plans that his company had inherited...and it just seemed like such a waste to let them go to waste...So, I contracted with the right people to have it built. We used it to clean up Metropolis a bit.” She explained lightly tracing the strong jaw line of the man before her.
“That's a very interesting story, Ms. Cross.” the man began to take his hat off and pulled out his wallet, “Or should I say, Mrs. Church?”
“What?” She noticed the plain clothes officers that were surrounding her, “What are you talking about?”
“Mindy G. Church aka Angela Cross, You are under arrest!” the handcuffs were slapped on her before she could even fully comprehend what was happening.
“You-you-you tricked me!” She accused angrily. “I'll have your pilot's license for this...You-you..”
“The name is Henderson. Inspector Bill Henderson, and I don't have a pilot's license; so, good luck with that.”
***
TBC...
Part 10 next.
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