Epiphany
Folc4evernaday
Part 25
A/N: In honor of my son's birthday tomorrow I decided to grace you all with an early posting of Epiphany. Yes, there will be another next week. Lots happening in here...including a revelation. Enjoy! ....And Comment? Seriously getting kinda lonely over here on the boards lately.
***
Alfred Pennyworth’s image displayed on the screen as Bruce continued typing away. “Wayne Tech’s launch party is scheduled for the end of the month, sir. Shall I set the location for Metropolis, sir?”
Bruce looked up at the screen, “It looks like I’ll be tied up here for at least a few months, Alfred, so any social gatherings we can move here would be best.”
“Right, sir,” Alfred made a note and continued, “Master Dick has requested a change in uniform.”
“No,” Bruce cut him off before he could continue.
“But you didn’t eve hear his request, sir,”
“If it has anything to do with flames or fireballs like the last request the answer is 'no,'” Bruce smirked. “How about the background checks on Wayne Enterprises new clients? Did we get those back?”
“Yes, everyone but one came back clean. I’m sending you the report now, sir.” Alfred explained.
“Which one?” Bruce asked, his interest piqued.
“HM Weapons.” Alfred said, “It’s an international alias for Honeybraun Industries.”
“Who just got bought by LexCorp.” Bruce’s face was grim.
“Yes, well their practices before LexCorp attained them weren’t exactly of the humanitarian either. You should be receiving the report now, sir.”
A flashing icon appeared in the bottom of his screen and Bruce clicked on it, reading report after report on illegal arms dealings HM Weapons had been a part of in the last ten years. “What was he trying to ship?”
“Uranium. A Lot of it, sir.”
“Cancel the order.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
Lois sat numbly in the gallery with Clark watching as Constance and Perry argued in hushed whispers on the other side of the courtroom. “It’s fixed.” She muttered aloud. “The whole damn system is rigged.”
Clark gave her shoulders a supportive squeeze. “He didn't have a chance did he?”
“Nope,” Lois muttered bitterly, staring at DA Clemmons who was all smiles as he approached the bench with Judge Stephens, shaking his hand.
Brian from research squeezed his way through the crowd and tapped Clark on the shoulder, pulling him back to the present, “Clark?”
He turned to look at him, “Brian? What are you doing here?”
He held up a thick manilla envelope and smiled, “Remember when you asked me to see if anything odd happened with WayneTech and LexCorp?” He asked. “Well, this couldn’t wait…” He handed him the file and whispered, “I wouldn’t open that here if I were you.”
They nodded, making their way out of the courtroom and following Brian out into the hallway, “What is it?” Clark asked in a hushed whisper.
“Apparently LexCorp’s newest acquisition had their shipping partner back out on them.” Brian grinned. “Go ahead take a guess. I dare you.”
“I don’t know.” Lois shrugged, “ONeal Industries?”
“Nope. Wayne Enterprises. They canceled an order of 900 kilos of Uranium with HM Weapons; now a subsidiary of LexCorp.”
“Nine hundred kilos?” Lois repeated. “That’s like…”
“Sixty-four Trillion dollars down the toilet.” Brian gave a low whistle. “If I were Luthor right now I’d be pissssseddd.”
Lois gave Brian a weak smile, looking at Clark who had a stern look on his face, “Uh, thanks for bringing this by, Brian. Let us know if you come across anything else, will you?”
“Oh,” He held up his hand and pulled a folder out of the envelope and handed it to them, “Apparently there’s some war going on between LexCorp and WayneTech. They’ve been going at it for years apparently, but here recently it’s gotten more vicious. WayneTech bought all of LNN’s timeslots, and LexCorp canceled their power…”
“Bruce Wayne finds out the project is for Luthor and he cancels it.” Clark rolled his eyes in disgust. “Great.”
“Guess they never learned to play nice as kids, huh?” Brian teased, “Anyway, I’ll see you guys back at the office.”
“Thanks, Brian.” Lois called after him before turning to Clark, “Well?”
“I don’t even know how to respond.” He muttered in disgust. “Maybe Superman needs to pay Mr. Wayne a visit? Find out what’s really going on between those two but right now…” He gestured to the DA and Judge Stephens walking out of the courtroom surrounded by a mob of reporters, “I’m going to take advantage of the distraction of the DA and see if I can get in to see Jimmy.”
She gave him a quick kiss, “I’m going to check in with Lucy and probably work from home the rest of the day. This…” She shook her head in disgust, “I just can’t.”
“I know.” He nodded, holding her close. “I’ll come by once I’m done here.”
“Okay.” She whispered, leaning in for one last kiss before watching him approach Constance and Perry. There seemed to be some questioning before she nodded her head and motioned for Clark to follow her. She sighed, hopefully, Clark would be able to get in to see Jimmy.
***
Lucy was finishing her notes on the last photo still when the front door opened. She looked up to see Lois holding her laptop and a large stack of file jackets in her arms, “Hey, sis,”
“Hey,” Lois’ face fell when she saw her. “Did you hear?”
“Yeah,” Lucy sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I’m not sure why anyone’s surprised. The whole case is a conspiracy.”
“Yeah,” Lois said with a sigh, taking a seat next to her, “What are you doing?”
“Recording movements,” Lucy explained, pointing at the stack of photo stills she’d gone through already.
“Movements?”
“Detective Jenkins,” Lucy explained. “He goes in with a duffle bag and comes out with nothing. Where did the duffle bag go?”
“Probably burnt to a crisp by now, Luce.” Lois reasoned aloud.
“Or not.” Lucy shot back, “It’s gotta be worth a shot.”
“Okay,” Lois shrugged her jacket off, taking the stack of photos from her. “Hand me a pile.”
“Here.” Lucy handed it to her.
“We missed you at the courthouse.”
“I needed to do this,” Lucy said softly. “Jimmy didn’t need me there. He had you guys. He needed me doing this. No one is looking into this, so I’m going to.”
“We’re looking into it.” Lois shot back with an annoyed look.
“No one official.” Lucy corrected.
***
Footage of Detective Jenkins talking with Bill Henderson in the hospital played on the large screen, “It appears we have a problem, Lex.”
“Handle it, Mrs. Cox. You know what to do.” Lex ordered with a puff of his cigar.
“Of course Lex,” She smiled back at him slowly as she jotted down a note in her planner, “And what do you plan to do about the canceled order of Uranium from Wayne Enterprises?”
“Cancelled?” His brow furrowed, “All of it?”
“All 900 kilos.” She sighed. “Do you want me to find another buyer?”
“I need it to power the satellite and complete testing on our latest project. Get me that uranium. I don’t care if you have to carve it out of the Iranian’s dead hands. I want it here now.” He ordered.
“Yes, Lex,”
***
“CK!” Jimmy smiled when he saw his friend in the room. “I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life.”
Clark smiled weakly. Jimmy could tell the stress of everything had taken a toll on him, “How are you?”
Jimmy shrugged, trying to deflect, “Well, the room’s small and drafty. The company’s not much to speak of, but on the other hand, the food stinks.”
“Jimmy,” Clark looked pleadingly at him.
“I’m hanging in there, CK,” Jimmy reassured him. “It’s hard.” He was quiet a moment before adding, "I didn’t do this. You believe me, right?”
“Of course, I believe you, Jimmy. We all know you would never do anything like this. It’s a set up plain and simple.”
“So how do we get the judge to let me out of here?” Jimmy asked.
“By finding the guy that did do this.” Clark ran a hand through his hair, “Jimmy is there anything you remember from that day? Anything at all that may help us?”
“I’ve been racking my brain for the last week trying to think of anything that could help but so far nothing. Nobody stood out. Nobody out of the ordinary.”
“What about someone you know, acting out of the ordinary?” Clark asked.
“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked.
“Luthor’s reach is long because he pays the right people to talk,” Clark explained. “Maybe it’s someone you know, that we know and wouldn’t suspect?”
“Like who?”
“I don’t know.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Lucy suspects that Officer…uh, I’m sorry DETECTIVE Jenkins is involved, but I’m not sure how.”
Jimmy’s face scrunched up as the wheels began to turn. “Jenkins? The beat cop?”
“Yeah,” Clark nodded, “Why do you remember something?”
“I saw him and Steve talking outside the Planet that morning. Steve said they went to the same gym.”
“Steve the sports guy?” Clark asked.
“That’s the one.” Jimmy rolled his eyes, “Can’t stand that guy.”
“Me neither,” Clark muttered.
“How’s Lois?”
“She’s good.” Clark smiled, “Worried about you. We all are, but she’s good.”
“Tell her I’m okay and not to worry. The Tai Chi she taught me has really come in handy.”
He smiled back at him, “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Thanks, CK.”
“For what?”
“Fighting for me.” He smiled at Clark, “You’re a good friend.”
***
Lucy sighed, taking a look at everything she’d gathered on the screen stills happily. “I think that’s everything.”
Lois began pulling out one of the folder jackets, opening it to reveal a stack of weathered looking file folders in her hand. “Yeah, now onto fun reading.”
She pointed to the other folder in her sister’s hand, “What’s that?”
“A list of everyone Lex Luthor ever came in contact with from the time he was seven years old when his parents moved him here from Central City,” Lois explained
Lucy flipped through the large stack of papers, “Yikes.”
“He’s hiding something. When I first tried to interview him all he did was evade questions about his past. Not once has he given me a real interview…or any other reporter for that matter.”
“No, instead he tries to marry them.” Lucy gave her a teasing look, but Lois didn’t smile. “I’m teasing Lois you know that. You didn’t know what he was like otherwise you never would have…Heck, I’m the one that pushed you into the relationship with the guy.”
Lois let out a long sigh, “Sometimes I look at all this and wonder how I was fooled for so long.”
Lucy wrapped her arm around Lois and nodded her head, “You and I both have this awful trait where we try to see the best in people despite evidence to the contrary staring us in the face.”
“Claude.”
“Jake.” Lucy reminded her. “But it looks like you’ve broken that streak. Clark seems…like a good guy. You seem happy.”
“He is.” Lois smiled, “I am. We are.” Her smile spread across her face, “I’ve never known anyone like him, Luce. Don’t think I ever will.”
“Love bug.” Lucy teased.
“Mmm, you have no idea,” Lois said. “I love him…really really love him in a scary and terrifying forever…pretend to like his taste in music, let him eat the last piece of chocolate kind of way.” She let out a soft chuckle as the words she spoke hung in the air.
Lucy stared at her stunned, “The Last piece of chocolate, huh?” She let out a low whistle, “Something you need to tell me?” She picked up Lois’ hand examining it.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re giving chocolate away is a commitment. Just checking.” Lucy grinned. She was quiet for a moment, “You must really love him.”
“I do.” She pulled her hand back, “I really do.”
“I’m happy for you,” Lucy rested her head against Lois’ shoulder. “You deserve that.”
Lois turned on her side to face Lucy, “Thanks, Luce.”
***
“Hey, Kent, how ya doing?” Scotty James, the youngest Medical Examiner in Metropolis and also the most honest welcomed Clark into his office as he finished jotting down his notes from his latest autopsy.
“Scotty,” Clark nodded to the young medical examiner as he stepped into his office, “How are you?”
The young man looked worse for the wear, “Third one this week.” He whispered hoarsely.
“One? He asked, taking a seat at Scotty’s desk as he was finishing jotting down notes in his file.
“Heart failure in the middle of a crowded hospital with doctors and nurses all around.” The young man tossed his pen across the desk in disgust. “Tell me that makes sense to you.”
“I’m not a doctor.” Clark answered carefully, “but it does sound suspicious. Who were the other heart failure victims this week?”
He shook his head, “A couple of nobody’s. I had a dock worker, age sixty, divorced and healthy then kaput. Then I had a young nursing assistant; yes a nursing assistant that keeled over in the middle of her shift.”
“What’s the connection?” Clark scowled, realizing the death of Detective Jenkins and the other two victims were most likely related. He’d been too late when he’d heard the radio calls asking for an ME at Metropolis General when Detective Jenkins had been found unresponsive in his hospital room.
Another victim of Lex Luthor.
Another life lost.
He’d diverted disaster after disaster all afternoon. Airplanes being detoured and running out of fuel. Ships lost in the middle of the Atlantic and out of fuel. Each one said the same thing.
“There was a flicker on the navigation system and a long beep, and then it was back again.”
Since they all relied on the navigation systems to guide them, it usually took the pilots and crew hours until they realized what was going on and by then they were out of fuel or completely lost.
Now it seemed there was another mystery in the mix. Unrelated victims dying of heart failure. Scotty leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, “That’s the sixty-four billion dollar question.”
After doing a quick patrol around the city to ensure himself everyone and everything was okay, he headed back toward Lois’ to catch her up on everything he’d learned only to get a distress call from a news helicopter outside the city. “What is going on today?” He muttered to himself, detouring mid-flight to help.
***
Lex pressed a button, watching on the screen as Superman arrived on the scene to save the helicopter minutes before it hit the ground. He pressed another button, watching, waiting for a response.
Nothing.
He frowned, turning the dial up he watched the man of steel’s face scowl as he looked around. After holding at almost max-speed, he lowered the dial and watched as the man of steel’s face relaxed.
“It seems we have some reprogramming to do,” Nigel ordered the technicians. They all scrambled around them as Lex pulled out his cigar, taking a puff of it, staring at the screen in concentration.
“I want him gone, Nigel.”
“Then why not use the Kryptonite? Why all these tests, sir?”
“Because I don’t want him simply gone, Nigel. I want him destroyed. I want to know who he is so I can break him…and everyone and everything he holds dear.” He took a long puff of his cigar and exhaled the smoke slowly.
“And if who he cares about most is Ms. Lane, sir? What then?”
“This is war.”
***
Lois watched the coverage of the near miss helicopter crash from earlier and winced. Clark had barely gotten there in time. Looking at his face on the screen she could tell he was tired. It seemed as if all day the news reports had nothing but disaster after disaster that Superman was being called to.
Helicopter crashes.
Airplanes detouring.
Missing ships.
She wasn’t sure, but her reporter’s instincts told her there was something more to it than a coincidence. She glanced at the time, seeing how late it was she sighed. Clark probably wouldn’t be coming by tonight. She frowned, looking around the apartment, feeling lonely without Clark there.
Lucy was curled up on the couch clutching her notes on the still images she’s been going through earlier. They’d made it halfway through everything before she’d finally fallen asleep. Lois picked up one of the throw blankets and placed it over Lucy, readjusting her head on the pillow, so she didn’t wake up with a crick in the neck. “Night, sis,” She whispered, giving her a peck on the cheek.
“Superman! Can we get a statement?” Lois turned her attention to the television, seeing Clark’s face on the screen as the news team he’d rescued attempted to land an interview with him.
His face was grim as he turned away, unwilling to speak to the camera. She grimaced, watching as the red and blue blur disappeared in the night sky. The day’s stresses were taking a definite toll on him.
She cast a sideways glance at her sister who was still slumbering blissfully unaware of the stresses of the day. She really missed Clark. She toyed with the idea of surprising him at his apartment for a moment before getting up from the couch and heading to her bedroom.
He had given her a key.
It would be a waste not to use it, right?
***
Clark landed on the balcony of his apartment, scanning to make sure the apartment was still clean of any monitoring devices. He’d barely been by for more than a shower and change of clothes the last few days, opting to spend the night at Lois’ instead. He didn’t find any bugs thankfully, but he did find a surprise guest.
Smirking to himself as he stepped inside and spun out of his oil covered suit and into shorts and a sleeveless tank. He closed the window behind him, making sure the window was locked, and the curtains were closed securely before turning to face his guest.
“Hi,” Lois looked at him with an impish grin, her trenchcoat securely wrapped around her as she sauntered toward him.
He noticed the black silk stockings she wore and black heels, groaning his approval, “Hi,”
“I saw the helicopter crash.” She ran her hand over his right shoulder briefly, fingering the fabric of his cotton shirt.
“Yeah,” He frowned, recalling the series of rescues he’d had throughout the day.
“Are you o-kay?” He watched mesmerized as she pushed the hem of her trenchcoat up, massaging her upper thighs as she revealed the hint of black lace and blue silk beneath the mundane tan material.
He stared at her thighs intently, responding slightly distracted as he let himself be led into the living room. “I’m perfect…now.” His arms encircled her waist, running his palms up and down her sides.
“Good.” She whispered, running both hands down his chest seductively. “Because I have a surprise for you.” She pushed him back against the couch, moving to straddle him.
“I like surprises.” He whispered, running his hands up and down her sides.
“I know.” Her thighs tightened around him, and she whispered, “You’ll really love this one.” She whispered a kiss against his ear.
***
The next morning after getting dressed for the day and having breakfast Clark caught Lois up on everything he’d learned from Jimmy the day before.
“Steve? As in Steve the Sleaze? That Steve?” Lois asked in surprise.
“That’s what he said.” Clark sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. “Unfortunately, Detective Jenkins isn't around to verify that.” He shook his head in disgust.
Lois placed a supportive hand over him, “We’ll figure this out.”
“I know.” He sighed, taking her hand in his.
“Did Jimmy say anything else?” Lois asked.
“He said your Tai Chi lessons are helping.” He grinned at her, getting up from the table to rinse out their cups. “He’s hanging in there.”
“Lucy fell asleep going through the ….Oh, crap!” She got up from the table and headed for the phone.
“What?” He asked her as she began to dial her number frantically.
“I forgot. I can’t believe I forgot.” She put the call on speaker as she listened to the phone ring repeatedly before the voicemail message came on. “Crap.” She muttered, hanging up the phone. “I forgot to let her know where I was.”
He raised his eyebrows at her, “Lois! She’s going to have a cow!”
“I know, I know. I was distracted and not thinking…” She sighed, “I wonder where she is.”
“Maybe she left you a message?” He suggested, finishing up rinsing the coffee mugs in the sink.
She redialed her number then hit * and her access code. “You have three new messages.”
Lucy's chipper voice filled the air when Lois hit the play button, "Hey sis! So, I woke up and this crazy thing happened: you weren’t home. Not sure where you went, but I’m going to assume you’re either working or at Clark’s and not panic right now. Just saying, a phone call would have been nice...Call me."
Clark gave Lois a disapproving look, and she blushed, shrugging her shoulders and mouthing, 'I forgot.' Clark shook his head, and she sighed, "I'll call her mobile and leave a message, so she knows I'm okay..."
The beep of the voicemail playing another message interrupted her thoughts when the familiar voice of Mrs. Cox filled the room, "Hello, Lois Lane. I understand you and your partner are looking for information on Lex Luthor."
Lois glanced at Clark who rose from the couch to stand next to her as they listened to the rest of the message.
"Something about the key to his downfall?"
Clark rested his hands on her shoulders, running them up and down her arms while they listened to the woman she knew had in-depth knowledge of Lex's criminal history taunted her through the voicemail message.
"If you want to know Lex's weakness and how to bring him down meet me at the mausoleum tonight at seven. Don't be late and come alone."
"Not in this millennium." Clark breathed, "It's a trap."
"I know." Lois said, leaning back against him, "but still they don't know we know that..."
"No," He shook his head defiantly folding his arms over his chest.
"You could come. Maybe we could finagle some information out of her." She turned to face him, resting her hands on his folded arms.
"It's too dangerous." His lips tightened into a thin line.
"We can't just sit around and do...nothing.” She pulled away, pacing around the room, “This is the closest thing to a real lead we've got." She pointed at the answering machine to emphasize her point.
"What about Bruce Wayne?"
"What about him?” Lois scoffed, “ You said yourself you don't trust him."
“I never said that….exactly.” Clark edged.
“Oh, really? What changed?” Lois asked.
“Nothing. I’m still a little suspicious about his intentions. There’s not a whole lot we know about him, and there’s that history with him and Luthor…”
“Well, maybe we can ask Mrs. Cox about that tonight?” Lois suggested.
“Lo-is…No.” He shook his head.
Lois crinkled her nose looking at her planner, “I’m not going to have time to change after work. Maybe if we stop by the apartment before work. We’ll be a little late.”
“I'm serious. I’m putting my foot down. This is too dangerous.”
“Uh-huh.” Lois looked at him in disbelief.
“I’m serious.” He added, “There is no way…”
***
Thunder clapped in the night sky as they made their way toward the Metropolis Mausoleum. Lois glanced over her shoulder to see Clark right behind her. "See anything?" She asked cautiously as they entered the iron gates.
Clark lowered his glasses, scanning the area and shaking his head. "Cemetery's right over there." He pointed. "There are a few people at some of the graves but no sign of Mrs. Cox."
"This place is spooky," Lois muttered, looking around at the gravestones.
"It is a cemetery, Lois," Clark pointed out, resting his hands on her shoulders. Thunder clapped once more, and a strike of lightning hit across the street.
"Oh, geez!" Lois jumped back, and Clark instinctively wrapped a protective arm around her.
"I've got you." He whispered.
"A cemetery. It had to be a cemetery." She muttered, climbing the steps to the mausoleum.
"Well..." He stopped mid-sentence getting a familiar look on his face.
Lois winced, looking at him in concern, "What is it?"
He motioned toward the sign that read Perpetual Pines Cemetery and pointed at the top of the hill where a short man stood at a gravestone.
Lois didn't understand. "I'm not sure what..."
He lowered his glasses and shook his head, spinning at super-speed into his suit and whisking her to the hill with him. She felt a gust of wind rush through her hair and on her face. She looked around to see a short man in his mid-forties standing at a grave marked 'Waldecker.' Clark had landed her a few feet away and was approaching from the sky. She still didn't understand the problem until she heard the man's words, "I can't afford to keep Sister in the rest home past the end of the month, and being as how I am just worthless as a one-legged bird dog, well..."
The man raised the gun toward his temple at the same time lightning struck, and Clark landed next to him, grabbing the gun to stop him from using it on himself.
The man looked at Clark in his Superman suit, shaking his head in disgust, "Well my goodness..."
Clark didn't give the man a chance to recover, diving into a speech he had made countless times when trying to talk people down from suicide attempts, "Sir, please listen to me: Life is a precious gift. Every new day that we're alive is another chance to be the best that we can be."
To Lois' surprise, the man scoffed, "Oh, puh-leeze, what would you know about it, Mr. Nothing-Can-Hurt-Me- And-I-Don't-Need-Money-To-Live...?" The man looked Clark's Superman costume up and down critically, "...and didn't anybody ever tell you that two primary colors just do not work together?"
Clark gave him a small smile, "You can criticize my appearance, or you can talk about what's really bothering you. Which would you prefer?"
***
On the other side of the cemetery, Lex exited his limo dressed in black. He wore an oversized hat to hide his face and a long dark coat with a hood that hid his face. "Where is she?" Lex snapped, looking around.
"She'll be here." Mrs. Cox reassured, pulling a cigar out of its case for him. She held out a lighter for him to light it and he took a puff.
"It's 7:03. She's late." He stated.
A lightning bolt lit up the sky, and they both turned to see Superman standing with a man holding a gun at the top of the hill. Lois Lane stood a few feet away watching, "I think that answers our question, Lex."
***
"So, what with Wandamae being, um, in need of professional help and all, and me getting that very very bad advice about how biodegradable golf clubs were the wave of the future and I better get in on the ground floor, you can see how my life just is not worth living anymore." the man explained in a babble that would make Lois Lane's babbling look mild. "I feel so guilty; my daddy went to an early grave." He pointed to the grave behind him, touching the tombstone gingerly, "This one right here, in fact. Making all that money, and what do I do, I just go and lose every last bit of it in one fell swoop."
Clark took a deep breath, glancing at the man for a moment before finding his words, "Sir, Metropolis General Hospital has a referral service for counseling and therapy..." He fisted the pistol in his hands, crushing it into a small steel ball to ensure the man wouldn't be attempting to take his life again with it. The sound of a security guard a few feet away getting into an altercation with Lois caught his attention. He needed to cut this short. "...people you can talk to, people who can help you see that life is worth living."
He handed the man the steel ball and patted him on the shoulder before flying toward Lois.
***
"You're coming with me!" The guard grabbed Lois by the arm, tugging her toward the mausoleum.
Lois pulled her arm back and argued, "Hey! Get your hands off of me, you jerk!"
"Is there a problem here?" Clark's stern Superman tone filled the air and Lois raced toward him.
"No problem. I just found this lady trespassing...." The guard explained. "Gotta document it."
Clark glanced at the time, "There are still people visiting loved ones here. How is Ms. Lane trespassing?" His eyes narrowed at the question.
Lois knew exactly what Clark was getting at. The guard was probably one of Luthor's goons sent to spook her. She glanced at Clark then at the guard, watching as the guard took a few steps back, "I guess I"ll just let her off with a warning this time..."
"You do that." Clark said sternly, "And tell Luthor if he wants to talk to Ms. Lane he has to go through me first."
He took another step backward, and Lois couldn't help but laugh when he turned to run. "Nice work, partner."
"Are you okay?" He asked, taking her wrists in his hand to examine.
"Fine." She reassured, placing a hand on his chest. "Thanks for the backup." He smiled, turning to cup her cheek, leaning in to kiss her. The rain began to pour around them. Superman scooped her up into his arms, flying them out of the downpour.
***
Lex watched the scene unfold from a distance, seething as he watched Lois Lane willingly give herself so freely to the man of steel. His eyes narrowed as Superman’s hand moved to cup her cheek and his jaw tightened when he saw him lean in to kiss her.
She didn’t back away.
She didn’t push him away.
***
The man Superman had saved earlier watched as Superman disappeared in the night sky, shaking his head, "Easy for you to say." He looked down at the ball of metal in his hand and threw it to the ground, "Well, Mama, I guess I won't be joining you and Daddy after all. Not at this particular time anyhow." He half-heartedly kicked at the steel ball, watching in amazement as the steel ball flew into the sky, disappearing beyond the clouds.
"Oh, my..."
***
Another lightning bolt lit up the sky. By the mausoleum, Lex Luthor watched in amazement as the steel ball disappeared into the sky, glancing back at Mrs. Cox he puffed on his cigar, "Get LexLabs on the phone now."
***
Lois was covered in rain. Her hair and clothes were drenched when they headed back at her apartment. Clark wasn’t any better. His cape and spandex were soaked along with his hair. Rain droplets were dripping down his face. “Lucy is probably buried in those files.”
His forehead tightened as he scanned the apartment, “She’s asleep.” He corrected.
She pressed her face against his spandex soaked suit as he floated toward the window to her apartment, “Let’s get out of this rain.”
He opened the window to her balcony and landed in the living room with a wet thud, turning to close the window behind them. “I still can’t believe that officer wanting to file a police report instead of looking for that guy impersonating a security guard.”
She wriggled herself out of her overcoat, tossing it to the ground in a wet heap on the ground. She reached for the end of her blouse to wring the water from it, “I’m soaked.”She complained, watching as Clark turned around from locking the windows, staring at her drenched blouse and pants with a lingering gaze.
The corners of his mouth twitched, “I…can tell.” He attempted to clear his throat mid-sentence as he worked on trying to detangle his cape which was a wet heap of red fabric, dripping on the living room floor at the moment.
“You’re no help.” She finished wringing the rest of her blouse out.
“Can I help it if I’m enjoying the…view?” He smiled, pulling her to him, “Come here.”
She glanced at her sleeping sister on the couch, “Lucy is right…”
At super-speed she found herself whisked into the bedroom and pressed against the locked door. He grinned back at her, running his hands up and down her sides seductively, “Better?”
She nodded, running her hands through his damp hair, wedging his hair between her fingers. He captured her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside hers. His hands found themselves inside her blouse, helping her shrug the wet garment off. It was soon joined by her dress pants and stockings.
Her hands ran up and down the back of his suit, “How…do you….take this…off?” She murmured against his lips. He moved her hands to the hidden zipper at the collar, and she grinned against his lips. Her hands clamped around the back of his neck, tugging the zipper down. She let out a soft moan when she saw him peel the top half of the spandex off his chest. The cape still wrapped around his shoulders and she stared at him hungrily. His eyes locked with hers. A moment later and a gust of wind later he was in her arms, stripped down completely. “Tell me,”
“Yes.” She sighed happily against him, wrapping her arms around him as the room around them disappeared.
***
Lex watched as the scene unfolded before his eyes. The technology LexLabs had been able to form for surveilling Lois Lane seemed to finally fit the bill against Superman. Although at the moment he wasn’t sure if it was the surveillance system or Lois Lane that was preventing him from spotting the latest surveillance on Lois Lane’s apartment. For now, he didn’t care.
<“Tell me.”>
<“Yes.”>***
Lucy bit her lower lip, trying to remain as still as she could. Had she just seen what she thought she saw?
She peered over the edge of the couch and noted the wet heap of fabric on the floor with a small puddle shaped like boots leading from the window to the middle of the living room. Nope. Definitely hadn’t imagined it.
The sound of something hitting the door frame in Lois’ room caught her attention and Lucy winced, realizing what she was hearing. Yes, she had definitely seen it.
***
Lucy sat numbly in her room. She’d debated whether to move for fear of running into either her sister or Superman. Or was it Clark? He definitely sounded like Clark in the living room. The way he’d been talking to Lois…
She shuddered involuntarily, recalling the intimate conversation she’d overheard.
Lois was sleeping with Superman. That much was certain. The question was whether she was cheating on Clark or not. If he and Superman were the same person, she wasn’t cheating. But if they weren’t… She shook her head, unwilling to let her mind go there.
‘She wouldn’t do that.’ Her mind told her over and over.
‘There has to be another explanation.’
‘Bruises. Blood. Superman doesn’t bleed, does he?’***
<“Lois?? There’s some Pest Control guy here….”
“Okay, let them in.”
“I did. They’ve sprayed everywhere already.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“They’ve sprayed everywhere but your room.”
“Oh.” >
<“I’m not liking that towel very much right now.”
“No?”
“No.”>The tape clicked over to another image as Lex seethed angrily, watching the footage over and over again. Mrs. Cox watched from the doorway, uncertain if intruding was wise at the moment.
<“I’m not liking that towel very much right now.”
“No?”
“No.”>“How dare she??” Lex fumed, clicking the remote angrily.
The image of Lois Lane and Superman filled the screen. First showing them in the living room and then in the bedroom.
<“Tell me.”
“Yes.” >
<“I love you…”>The screen began to flicker, and Lex cursed under his breath. Watching the screen in rapt attention as it closed in on Lois Lane as her mouth opened to say something just as the screen went black.
TBC...
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