TOC ~
Part 13
~ - ~
Alt-Metropolis – January 1993
“World Travels”
~ - ~
Lois was just setting the telephone receiver down when she heard a frantic knocking at her door.
“Lois?” Star called. “Lois, open up!”
Lois unlocked her door and opened it to see her friend rush through and grab her arm. Star’s eyes scanned over Lois’s body and then pulled her into a tight hug.
“Oh, my gosh! I was so worried. I was sitting in my apartment planning ways to get Mel Gibson to answer my calls for an interview while he’s in Metropolis. He’s been dodging my attempts to contact him in person, by phone, by letter, by telegram… Anyway, I was sitting there and I suddenly heard you cry out. It was a frightening sound. Are you okay?”
“Star, slow down. I’m fine.”
Lois accepted another tight hug from her and then extricated her arms from Star’s grip and led her to the sofa. They sat down and Lois patted Stars hand. “I’m fine. Nothing has happened. I haven’t even been in a dangerous situation for a week.” Lois sighed. “It’s actually been a little boring.”
“Star breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the sofa cushions. She tapped her left temple. “I’ve got to get this thing fixed. I could have sworn you yelled out a name. You sounded terrified and in pain.”
“A name?” Lois asked. “What name?”
“Luthor.”
Lois’s back stiffened and she blinked in surprise before standing up and walking toward the window. Star sat back up, her eyes narrowing. “What just happened? I know that look. Saying Luthor’s name means something more to you than just getting an invitation to the White Orchid Ball.”
Lois turned around, her bottom lip between her teeth. She looked at Star, assessing, and then crossed the room again to sit down beside her. She couldn’t share all the information; that would put her friend in danger, but it would be so nice to share this secret.
“Late last night I got a pretty solid tip about a shadowy criminal organization run by someone called ‘the Boss’. The tipped linked the Boss to gun running in the Congo and numerous other criminal activities in Metropolis – murder, extortion, drugs, and prostitution. I just booked my ticket to Brazzaville to follow the gun running lead.”
“What does that have to do with Luthor?”
“My source linked the Boss with someone high up at LexCorp.”
“Are you sure about this, Lois?”
“As sure as I can be. The tip came from one of my most reliable sources and I don’t have any reason to doubt his intel.”
“But I’ve been to Lex Tower and to various LexCorp parties, Lois. You know my friend, Angie. She has given me dozens of tips about the executives at LexCorp, but I’ve never gotten even a hint of anything illegal. She’s also married to a cop, so I would think she would know if something criminal was going on. It’s so improbable that the third richest man in the world wouldn’t know if one of his trusted people was like some gangster in a godfather movie.”
“Star, you and I are living, breathing proof that nothing is impossible. What better cover than a hiding behind a businessman and philanthropist? Angie probably doesn’t know. No, this is the best lead I’ve had on ‘the Boss’ since I first heard the name. If this tip pans out, the Boss would make Al Capone look like a middle school bully. And my instincts are telling me that this tip is the key to busting this investigation wide open.”
“Well, if it is true, then isn’t it better to stay here to find evidence? Why go all the way to Africa?”
“Because my information on the Boss isn’t conclusive. If someone is running guns to the Congo, then gathering evidence at the source will lead me back to the person in charge. I want to make sure that I’ve got everything I need to break the story. Think about it! If I can prove this, I’ll expose one of history’s biggest criminals of all time. We’re talking Pulitzer, for sure.”
Star closed her eyes for a second, shook her head and then opened them again, her face brightening. “I can ask Angie to keep her eyes open for suspicious behavior at Lex Corp. Maybe she could find the evidence for you! Oh, I’d love to snoop around Lex Corp’s executive offices and boardroom. Lex Luthor lives above them, you know? I’ve only heard about his gorgeous, neoclassical penthouse apartment, but I’d love to get a full tour someday. Did you know he has an antiquities collection that put’s the Metropolis Museum of Fine Art to shame?”
Lois took Star’s hand and shook it gently to get her friend’s attention back to the present. “No! Absolutely not, Star. I don’t want anyone at all to know anything about my trip to the Congo or my suspicions about the Boss.”
“But, Lois, if she could help…”
Lois shook her head. “No, Star. Not a word. I’ll only be gone for a few days. I need you to keep this to yourself.” She held out her hand, her pinky extended. “Promise me?”
Star’s forehead crinkled with worry and then she sighed resignedly. “Psycho Freak promise.”
~ - ~
Alt-Metropolis – Thursday, July 17, 1997
~ - ~
“Everything seems to be in place.” Lois checked off a list of last minute preparations. “Star’s column caused the huge media furor as we had hoped. There’s no way that the murderer isn’t aware of the time and place of our wedding tomorrow.”
“Lois and I have tried to be very conspicuous this week as a couple, dining out, shopping for flowers, and renting my tux,” Clark added. “The paparazzi have been around every corner and the tabloids have been printing their usual ‘stories’ speculating on everything from Lois’s mental health to our secret alien baby. It looks suspiciously like Jake, the Alligator Man from Long Beach, Washington, if anyone was wondering.”
Perry grumbled about ‘those yellow journalism rags’ and Lois smiled. The media attention this week had been a pain in the butt, but what really annoyed her was that the murderer hadn’t tried to attack either her or Clark yet. Given that they had announced that they would honeymoon at an ‘undisclosed and inaccessible location,’ she was sure that their engagement would flush him out. She mentally crossed her fingers; they still had another shot at it tomorrow.
“We’ve got the county courthouse set up for tomorrow with surveillance equipment,” Sorenson said. “Are you sure you don’t want a couple of undercover cops to attend the ceremony? I still think we should have more uniformed officers patrolling the outside for crowd control.”
“No,” Lois answered. “If there are too many police, it might scare him off. The idea is to entice the murderer by keeping it low-key. Inspector Henderson will be there. Along with our own preparations and special advantages, that should be enough.”
“I hear congratulations are in order, Bill,” Perry said. “Lois tells me that you were able to nab another of Luthor’s henchmen yesterday.”
“Angelica Cox. She was Lex Luthor’s personal assistant. She was cleared of wrongdoing during our original investigation because no one could prove that she was personally involved with any of Luthor’s illegal operations. Her husband, Lieutenant Douglass Cox, has been a distinguished member of my force for a number of years, which gave her claims of innocence legitimacy. We were wrong, though. He hoodwinked us. Cox has been one of Luthor’s best sources in my department.”
“It wasn’t until I connected Angelica Draden of Draden Enterprises to the Angie Cox that worked for Luthor that the pieces slid into place,” Lois said. “Lieutenant Cox took the Kryptonite bullet from Henderson’s office and Mrs. Cox has been communicating with Luthor since he went to prison.”
“We isolated Luthor as Lois suggested and then set up a sting for Mrs. Cox at the prison. She showed up and we arrested her, but unfortunately, she didn’t have the Kryptonite on her.”
“What happened to it?”
Henderson shook his head. “We couldn’t find it. We searched, but Mrs. Cox said that it disappeared from a locked drawer two nights ago. As far as we can tell, she was telling the truth.”
“Unless it was in a lead-lined container, it wasn’t in her office, home, or in any buildings belonging to Draden Enterprises. I checked,” Clark added.
“It’ll show up sooner or later. If our murderer didn’t get his hands on it, then some other criminal will try to use it against you.”
Lois and Clark shared a look. “Clark and I suspect that it may find it’s way into the courthouse tomorrow. We’ve taken precautions.”
“Well,” Sorenson said, “You three have had a very productive week already. First you helped us arrest Klaus Mensa and rescue three young hostages and then added another nail to Lex Luthor’s coffin. Are you sure you want to try to flush out a serial killer tomorrow?”
Lois looked incredulously at Chief Sorenson. “Of course.” She sighed in annoyance. “I still feel like the Kryptonite is tied to Mensa and the celebrity murderer somehow.”
“We found the financial link between Luthor and Mensa, but there doesn’t seem to be anything connecting them with the celebrity murders.”
Lois grimaced in frustration. “Not with Luthor, no. The murders and disappearances have the same pattern with Mensa’s ‘recruiting’ method, though. And then there’s ‘Oracle.’ I understand why Fat Head wanted the drug, but where was his supply? I don’t think he would have started to collect his victims without having some on hand.”
“It seems like a stretch, Lois.”
“I know, but there’s something…”
No one seemed to have anything to add to Lois’s query. After a brief silence, Perry stood and clapped his hands together. “Well, if the murderer takes the bait tomorrow, I suppose we’ll find out if there’s a link. Okay, folks, that’s it. I need to pick up my monkey suit from the shop before it closes. I’ll see you two,” he pointed to Lois and Clark, “tomorrow at five o’clock sharp. I get to give the bride away.”
Lois hugged Perry and then she and Clark left his office. As they stepped out of the room, Lois stopped as the camera flash bulbs started to flicker. A group of fans, tabloid journalists, and photographers were gathered on the street just outside the front door. Clark touched Lois’s elbow to get her attention. He tipped his head toward a side hallway. She eagerly followed him away from the mob outside, hoping that he had another way to leave the building.
Clark stopped mid-hallway and looked both ways before turning the knob on an unmarked door. Lois heard the crunch of the lock and crooked an eyebrow at Clark. He smiled sheepishly and then ushered her into an empty office. He walked straight to the only window and bent the blinds aside to look outside. He smiled at Lois and extended his hand.
<Fly with me?>
<Anywhere.>
Clark scooped her into her arms.
“You’re not going to change into the Superman suit?”
“No. I want you to fly with me – the real me. Stay close. I’m going to go fast.”
Lois blinked a sudden tear from her eye and wrapped her arms around Clark’s neck. She laid her head on his chest and then gasped as she felt her stomach drop. Almost instantly, they slowed to a stop above the clouds. She opened her eyes to see the setting sun casting an orange-tinged glow all around them.
Lois sighed. “It’s beautiful, Clark, and so peaceful.” She reached up and brushed a light kiss on his cheek. “I needed this. Thank you.”
~
Clark kissed the top of her head and held her close with one arm. With the other hand, he reached into his pants pocket and fiddled with the little box again. It had been burning a hole there all day and although he knew what he wanted to say, he was still nervous. He’d known for a week that Lois was his best friend, his soul mate, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to make the ceremony tomorrow real. He wanted Lois to be his wife.
“Lois?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve been thinking about tomorrow’s ceremony and there’s one change that I’d like to make to our plans.”
Lois looked at him. “What is it?”
Clark pulled away from Lois and knelt down in mid air, giving her a place to sit on one knee. Lois sat down and hooked her foot around Clark’s leg while he pulled the box from his pocket. He showed her the ring box and flipped it open. It was a modest diamond ring, brilliant cut and flawless. It was dazzling and untarnished in the light, but showed signs of age in the worn band of gold.
“It was my great-grandmother’s ring,” he said. “My mother always wanted my wife to wear it.”
“Oh, Clark. It’s beautiful. I would be honored. I’ll take good care of it for you.”
Clark smiled and placed his hand on Lois’s cheek. “You misunderstand me, Lois. I want my *wife* to wear it.”
Lois’s eyes snapped up to his and his smile softened. “I know it seems sudden, but it would be *my* honor if you would agree to marry me tomorrow, not to catch a killer, but for love.”
Lois opened her mouth and then closed it. She tried again. “I … I know you love me. How could I not? But marriage, Clark… Are you sure?”
“You’re the one person that supports me, encourages me, and comforts me. You love me unconditionally. You are my best friend. It’s the only kind of relationship that I ever wanted, the kind that my parents had.”
Clark stared into Lois’s eyes. There was no doubt that Lois knew he meant what he said. Even so, Clark wasn’t completely surprised to hear her little voice of doubt whispering from her mind to his. <The other Lois…>
Clark immediately shook his head. “No, not the other Lois. You. The other Lois was simply a reminder of what I had lost. You and I share a connection that I will never have with another person in *any* universe. You are my Lois.”
Lois smiled tremulously and nodded. “Yes, Clark. I will marry you.”
The brilliance of Clark’s smile eclipsed the setting sun. He took the ring from the box and held it steady as Lois offered her left hand to him. He slipped it on her finger and then lifted her hand to kiss it quickly before wrapping Lois in his arms. Lois laughed out loud and the joy that he felt from her made him spin through the air and whoop with delight. After they finished several barrel rolls, they gently drifted into a slow rotation, their feet skimming the tops of the clouds.
Clark looked at Lois again, her eyes shining, tear tracks trailing down her cheeks. He held her face with both hands and wiped them away before kissing her gently to seal the deal. He started to pull away, but Lois had other plans. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and hauled him into an insistent kiss that let him know exactly how she felt about him.
They didn’t return to earth for a very long time.
~ - ~
Lois’s mind was still in the clouds; her body humming as she absently turned the corner of her street. Clark had dropped her off in the alley next to her building. She hadn’t wanted to say goodnight and only the lure of a weeklong honeymoon persuaded her to finally let him go. She absently noted the lack of paparazzi and her smile widened as she saw Star sitting on her stoop, a videocassette and paper bag in her hands.
“Did I forget something? Did we talk about having a movie night?”
“Nope. Bachelorette party. I got your message.”
“Star, I didn’t send you a message about a bachelorette party.”
Star stood and tapped her temple with a finger as she showed her the cassette and a quart of ice cream. “Sure you did. You told me to pick up “Mission: Impossible” and some rocky road ice cream and meet you at your place at seven.” Star looked at her watch. “You’re a bit late.”
Lois’s grin spread. “I was with Clark. I must have lost track of time.”
“Of course you were. I should have known.”
“Yes. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the next twenty-one hours and forty-two minutes is going to be the worst torture I’ve ever had to endure.”
“Even with Mensa and Luthor in your past? That is saying something. Girl, you have got it bad.”
“I know.” Lois sighed. “How about you? Are you ready for tomorrow?”
Star stood and handed the bag of ice cream to Lois. “Just about. There are only a couple of things to take care of tonight and then on to ‘happily ever after.’”
~
TBC
