Delusions of Grandeur
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 3
***
Three Months Later…Clark stared at the blank walls surrounding him, uncertain if it was safe to move yet. He’d heard them talking. The doctors continued to disbelieve him while he fought to have his story heard. How he’d gone from not wanting anyone to know to having his story told countless times to these prison guards in white jackets and discounted. Time and time again he said the scariest words he’d known.
‘I’m Superman.’Each time it was met with laughter.
Each time it was met with disbelief.
He was trapped in a prison of his own making. His own arrogance had brought him here. He knew Luthor was up to something. He knew Kryptonite was in Metropolis. Now here he was trapped in a mental ward of all places –doomed to be forgotten while his enemy continued to tighten his grasp on Metropolis.
<<“You lost control, Lex! Since when do you get your hands dirty?”>>
<<“Lois Lane won’t be a problem. She’s sure to have bled out by now anyway.”>>
<<“You stabbed her. Left her to bleed out. I’d say that’s personal.”>>He felt a bile rise in his throat as the memory of Luthor boasting about his attack on Lois rang in his ears. He could still feel the pain from each blow as his enemy had taunted him with the details. His stomach churned in knots as Luthor painted the picture of Lois helpless, unable to escape as she screamed for help and no one came. All he could do was pray it was another trick. He had used all of his strength to deliver a swift kick to Luthor’s gut.
That was when he saw it.
The scratch marks and the blood on his hands.
It wasn’t a trick.
He’d heard a loud crack as Luthor responded with an attack of his own. He could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness as he became flooded with memories he wasn’t’ even sure were real.
Then it had all been over. He’d woken up in this hell hole and faced with a man he’d never met and a room he didn’t recognize. No matter what he did it was always the same.
The blood curdling pain of Kryptonite filling the room and his screams of agony that continued to be ignored. He plead with everyone to make it stop. He could show them if it would just stop.
It didn’t.
It would never stop.
***
Three Months Ago…Clark looked around the stone covered wine cellar, uncertain what Lex Luthor could possibly want from Superman. Surely Luthor wasn’t foolish enough to try and attack Clark on the eve of his and Lois’ wedding but he never could be too sure. After his run-in with Jason Trask in Smallville he’d discovered how humbling being human truly was. Given the recent encounter outside Metropolis Savings and Loan he was sure the missing sample of Kryptonite from the lab had made its way to Metropolis.
Lex Luthor’s secretary wore a smug expression as she closed the door behind him. A sense of dread filled him as he stared down the man he knew could very well destroy everyone and everything he loved. The fall of the Daily Planet and Jack’s framing reeked of Luthor. He just had to prove it…and he would.
“What do you want, Luthor?” Clark finally responded, tightening his arms across his chest as he glared at Luthor, giving him an unimpressed look.
“A favor,” the man responded with a smooth smile.
“A favor?” Clark choked back a laugh, “From me? You must be joking.”
“Hear me out,” Luthor insisted, turning toward him with an innocent expression that Clark knew was just a cover. He was up to something. Clark stared at him, refusing to respond and Luthor continued, “My fiancée, Lois Lane,
should be deliriously happy at the prospect of our forthcoming wedding.” Clark rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to throw out a sarcastic retort. Luthor shook his head, continuing on with his plea, “Unfortunately, she is not. She misses her friends from the Planet. Namely Clark Kent.”
Clark stared at Luthor, uncertain how this affected him and wondering briefly if he should try to reach out to Lois again. Despite everything he knew losing the Planet and their colleagues had affected her just as much as it had him. Luthor said she wasn’t happy. Could she be having doubts? Could she finally be seeing there was more to Lex Luthor than met the eye?
“So?” Clark asked warily.
“So, you and Clark are friends. He was able to bring you here.” Luthor motioned to him, strolling among the row of casks and Clark despite his wariness followed him.
“I'm not following.” Clark responded, looking at Luthor in disbelief.
“I was hoping you could use your influence to convince Clark to attend our wedding. You're invited, too of course.” Luthor said quickly, turning to face him. A slow smile spread across his face and Clark stared back at him in disbelief.
“You live in a fantasy world, Luthor. Neither Clark nor I will ever do anything to support your marriage to Lois.” Clark bit back, still in disbelief Luthor would ask such a thing. Surely he had to know he would never do anything to support what he was doing to Lois. The obvious manipulation and controlling behavior Luthor exhibited made him sick. He just prayed he would be able to get Lois to see it.
“I see,” Luthor sighed, turning away from him, “Then, I suppose, you're of no further use to me.”
A loud cranking noise could be heard and Clark stared up in disbelief, watching unimpressed as a hidden cage fell from the ceiling. ‘Surely he’s not this obtuse.’ He thought to himself. Did he seriously think steel bars would hold him? He took a step forward, “Bars won’t hold me…” He felt a sick feeling wash over him as a familiar green light fill the walls around him. “…Luthor.”
‘Don’t react,’ he told himself, hoping to keep the bravado up and prevent Luthor from discovering his weakness.
“Oh? I think they will.” Luthor called out to him as Clark fell to the ground, feeling the burning sensation from the Kryptonite pulse through his body. “I live in a fantasy world? Perhaps, but my fantasy’s about to come true.”
***
The rich walls were covered in wood paneling and souvenirs from important people in history Franklin Stern had met. It wasn’t every day that he took a meeting late at night. This was typically the time he spent prepping for the next day and handling any emergencies before retiring home to Loretta and the kids. Normally he’d have let the request go to one of his Junior Partners but when he saw the name he decided to take the meeting. It wasn’t everyday Perry White himself called you.
Franklin Stern felt a smile cross his face when he saw the elderly gentleman, worn down from life it appeared, standing in his doorway. “Come in, Mr. White. Please, sit down.” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
“Thank you for seeing me at this late hour,” Perry White said, taking a seat in the lavish seat across from him.
“I work a fourteen-hour day, always have. If I show my face at home before eleven p.m. my wife calls the cops.” He shared a good natured smile with the man and Perry let out a hearty laugh.
“I know what that’s like all too well, Mr. Stern.” Perry commented with chuckle before his face grew more serious and he jumped into why he was there. “Knew.”
Franklin Stern nodded in agreement, setting his pen down and folding his hands across his desk. “I miss reading the Daily Planet. It has imitators but no true successor. Metropolis has lost an asset.”
“Those of us who worked there were proud to call it home.” Perry remarked, his voice full of emotion as he continued, “That’s why I’ve come.”
Franklin Stern raised an eyebrow and nodded, “I didn’t think you were looking for a fourth for Bridge.”
Perry cracked a smile and continued, “Mr. Stern, you own television and radio stations. You have interests in book publishing, but have you ever considered owning a newspaper?”
Franklin Stern sighed, looking at the man across from him in sympathy. It wasn’t an easy task he knew—looking for a buyer—especially for a paper that was out of business. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. White, but there is no newspaper.”
“The Daily Planet was more than concrete and girders. It was people with ideas and principles. Those still exist.” Perry pleaded his case and Franklin Stern felt his chest flood with sympathy. It was apparent Perry White was one of those people that cared for the paper and held those ideals he talked about. “There is a newspaper. There is just no place to print it.”
“Even if that were true, why would I want to own the Daily Planet?” Stern asked.
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting anything else,” Perry said softly.
Franklin Stern mulled it over before shaking his head, “I'm sorry, but my answer is no.” Perry White looked down, standing to his feet and Stern stood. “I wish you luck, though, in finding some way to rebuild. If you do, you have my subscription.” He held his hand out for Perry to shake.
Perry nodded and turned toward the door, “I just hate to see Lex Luthor win.”
Franklin Stern looked up sharply, “What’s that?”
He could swear he just saw a smirk cross Perry’s face as he turned back to him. “Lex Luthor. We've gathered evidence that suggests he behind the Planet's fall. just like to see the expression on his face when...” Perry stopped and turned back to Stern. “Well, thanks again for seeing me.”
***
“Why would I want to own the Daily Planet?”
The bold question caught Perry off guard for a moment before he was able to form his response. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting anything else,” Perry remarked solemnly, hoping against hope he could sway the older man to take a chance on the Daily Planet and everything the paper had stood for and meant to him and his fellow colleagues for so long.
Franklin Stern seemed to mull it over a moment longer before shaking his head and giving Perry the painful response, simultaneously crushing both his and the Daily Planet’s dreams of a second chance all at once. “I'm sorry, but my answer is no.” Perry looked down, mentally preparing himself for the questions he knew that would follow from Jimmy and Jack. This was their last chance. He stood to his feet and Franklin Stern stood along with him, extending his hand to shake, “I wish you luck, though, in finding some way to rebuild. If you do, you have my subscription.”
Perry nodded and turned toward the door, “I just hate to see Lex Luthor win.”
Franklin Stern looked up sharply and Perry wondered what was behind the pensive look he saw on the man’s face. “What’s that?”
Perry suppressed a smile as he turned back to him. “Lex Luthor. We've gathered evidence that suggests he behind the Planet's fall. just like to see the expression on his face when...” Perry stopped and turned back to Franklin Stern, uncertain how much information he should really be sharing given the circumstances. He cleared his throat and nodded, “Well, thanks again for seeing me.”
Franklin Stern nodded seeming to contemplate something and Perry turned to leave. His phone rang and he turned to answer. Before he could respond with a greeting Bill Henderson`s voice crackled on the other end. “Perry White?”
“Henderson?” Perry immediately recognized the inspector’s voice.
“I don't have a lot of time. I need you to meet me at the Lexor in an hour.”
“Lexor?” his brow furrowed.
“Come alone,” Henderson instructed before hanging up.
***
There was eerie calm in the dimly lit office as Nigel darkened the hallway inside the Luthor penthouse. His mind continued to race as he went over and over the possibilities to explain what he’d found in Lois Lane’s apartment. Each possible solution resulted in nothing good for his employer.
Nigel cleared his throat as he entered the study. At the desk he spotted the beautiful but deadly Mrs. Cox. "We have a problem "
"You said you would take care of it," Mrs. Cox responded, standing to her feet. He felt a chill run down his spine as he met her deadly gaze, eyes filled with fury as she approached him and hissed angrily, "You didn't take care of it?"
"When I arrived there was no one there.” Nigel replied coolly, trying to reflect a calm he didn’t feel at the moment. He felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck as he stared back at the fiery brunette who looked unimpressed with the information. “The landlord was repairing a broken door."
"What about the blood?" Mrs. Cox asked in a harsh whisper. Her face tensed as she stared back at him in disbelief, panic written all over her face.
"Clean as a whistle. No sign of any struggle and no sign or Ms. Lane." Nigel remarked with a cold expression. "Would you like me to keep looking?"
She shook her head, allowing a slow smile to cross her face. "No, Nigel, I'll take care of it."
Nigel felt the skin on the back of his neck shudder when he heard the deadly mutter from behind him. “Take care of what Mrs. Cox?”
***
Clark doubled over in pain from the poisonous meteorite that surroounded him. All he could focus on was the blood curdling pain that resonated through his body. His skin felt like it would melt off. His bones ached from the painful radiation emitting from the cage around him. What he wouldn't give for just a second of relief.
A sound from above could be heard. He lifted his head a few inches off the cold cement ground, preparing himself to face whatever and who ever might appear. He caught a glimpse of the keyhole in the cage. Why would Luthor build a cage with a door?
***
“Take care of what Mrs. Cox?”
The question loomed in the air as Lex watched both Nigel and Mrs. Cox look to the other. Lex tightened his fist that was still stained in blood. His dress shirt and jacket were still torn. He hadn’t even made it upstairs to change before he’d overheard the exchange between his top two lieutenants.
“Well?” He stepped inside the room, staring coldly at Mrs. Cox and Nigel. The loud crack of thunder could be heard outside as the drops from his soaked hair dripped down the back of his neck. He could feel his anger and distrust boiling over as he stared back at the two people he’d come to trust the most in his business dealings. Something told him he wouldn’t like the answer when Mrs. Cox responded.
“Lex, you haven’t changed,” Mrs. Cox remarked, looking at him in surprise. She did her best not to meet his gaze as she looked everywhere but to him. He followed her gaze to the puddle at his feet.
“I’m fine,” he snapped angrily, glaring back at her. “I have everything under control.”
“Control isn’t what I’d call what happened tonight, Lex,” Mrs. Cox remarked boldly.
“Airing our opinions now, are we, dear?” Lex frowned, his tone turned to ice as he caught his personal assistant’s steely gaze. “Now, you know me well enough to know I don’t take criticism well.”
“Be that as it may, sir, there is a need for concern,” Nigel spoke up, clearing his throat.
“Nigel, shouldn’t you be at the docks handling business?” Lex inquired, narrowing his gaze at the older man. Nigel’s response was a stare to Mrs. Cox and a silent frown as Mrs. Cox jumped in to rescue the older man from Lex’s wrath.
“I called him,” Mrs. Cox cut him off. At Lex’s confused expression she shook her head, “What did you expect me to do? You lost control, Lex! Since when do you get your hands dirty?”
“Or bloody for that matter,” Nigel interjected with an unamused expression as he stared at the bloodied sleeve of Lex’s suit.
Lex glanced down at the bloodstain on his shirt and smiled to himself, “You’re only as strong as your biggest weakness, isn’t that right, Nigel?” His gaze darkened, “I have none.” His tone remained detached as he remarked calmly, “Lois Lane won’t be a problem. She’s sure to have bled out by now anyway.”
“Oh, has she?” Nigel asked, closing the distance between them. “That wasn’t the scene I came across when I was called to her apartment.” Nigel shook his head in disgust. “Since when am I cleaning up your messes, sir? Since when do you take matters into your own hands?”
“No one is cleaning up my messes, Nigel,” Lex barked back menacingly as his brow furrowed.
“What would you call it then?” Nigel asked, shrugging his shoulders. “You stabbed her. Left her to bleed out. I’d say that’s personal.”
“It was a delicate matter that required my attention,” Lex corrected, straightening his jacket as he turned to face Nigel. “Now, can I assume your presence here means the matter is handled? I don’t need any surprises.”
Nigel exchanged a look with Mrs. Cox before opening his mouth to respond. He could tell from the expression on Nigel’s face he wouldn’t like the response. “The matter has been taken care of,” Mrs. Cox interjected.
A loud crash came from below and Lex looked to Mrs. Cox who nodded. Lex raced out the door and headed toward the corridor leading to the wine cellar below the study. He frowned when he noticed the door that led to the cellar was ajar. His palm tightened on the doorknob as he jerked the door open and raced down the stone staircase.
***
Clark heard the door slam upstairs and listened as footsteps moved about in a frantic pace. He tensed, preparing himself for the worst when he heard the door above leading to the hell hole of a cellar he was in creak. Another confrontation with Luthor. Could he really stomach another conversation with Luthor’s smug, arrogant, narcissistic face?
A board cracked and he heard a creak then footsteps walking away. He let out a sigh of relief as he heard the retreating steps. His energy was diminishing by the second and he could feel the piercing pain pulse through his veins. His vision was blurry as he tried to focus on the lock to the cage he was in.
He felt a piercing pain as he did his best to muster any ounce of heat vision. He let out a low growl as the burning emitted from his eyes. He shouted in pain as the fire burned from his eyes and hit the keyed lock.
His head hit against the cement below him, letting out a low moan. His blurred vision came in and out as he tried to focus. He looked up and saw the melted keyhole and breathed a sigh of relief.
He was close.
“You lost control, Lex! Since when do you get your hands dirty?”
“You’re only as strong as your biggest weakness, isn’t that right, Nigel? I have none. Lois Lane won’t be a problem. She’s sure to have bled out by now anyway.”
“You stabbed her. Left her to bleed out. I’d say that’s personal.”A rage like he’d never felt ran through him as Clark let out a loud scream of agony, propelling himself up into the poisonous door. He crashed into the ground, staring in awe as the poisonous doors that had trapped and weakened him flung across the room and crashed into the stone wall. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he stumbled to the ground, gasping for air as he felt a mild sense of relief wash over him. The mind numbing pain began to dissipate as he drug himself across the floor. He let out a wheezy breath.
<<“Lois Lane won’t be a problem.”>>
<<“You stabbed her.”>>
<<“You’re only as strong as your biggest weakness, isn’t that right, Nigel? I have none.”>>Another flood of rage pulsed through him and he let out a short gasp as he found solace behind one of the barrels a few feet away. The piercing pain that had enveloped him left and he tightened his fist, letting out a silent vow as he mulled over what he’d just heard.
A loud thumping above echoed and he let out a low growl. The creak of the floorboards moving up and down as panic rose inside him. He couldn’t survive another confrontation. He couldn’t survive another…A hard blow came across the back of his head and he fell to the ground in agony.
“Ohh, still a little green around the gills I see.” The mocking laugh from Lex Luthor echoed in his mind as he willed the spinning and double vision to stop. Another blow came and then something hard and cold pressed against his back as he took in a heavy breath. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, someone has been getting into trouble, hasn’t he? How very un-Superman of you to leave before the party’s even…begun.” A maniacal laugh came out of him as he hissed in her ear. “I’ve often wondered, what does it take for you to bleed…”
Clark gritted his teeth, struggling to push the massive weight off of him as the sharp edge of an already bloodied blade grazed against him. Panic rose inside him as he stared at the blood.
<<“Lois Lane won’t be a problem.”>>
<<“You stabbed her.”>>He could feel the piercing pain as the blade pressed against him. Luthor’s tone grew almost thoughtful as he taunted him with the edge of the blade, pressing it into his now vulnerable skin but not far enough to make the cut necessary for Clark to bleed. “A blade is so underused and underappreciated these days, don’t you agree?”
The starkness of Luthor’s tone sent a chill through Clark’s veins as he struggled to breathe from beneath his enemy throughout Luthor’s monologue. “This one was nabbed from a dealer that had less than a scrupulous reputation but a knack for finding one of a kind artifacts.” His tone darkened as the solid object pressed into Clark’s back further. “Much like the rarities and one of a kind pieces you so graciously donated to Metropolis’ Museum of Art…”
Clark wheezed out a painful gasp, pushing his shoulder blade up, giving himself the room to take in the massive breath he so desperately needed. Luthor’s admission sent a cold chill through him as realization began to dawn on him. Luthor had been behind Jack’s kidnapping. He had his globe. He knew everything Jor-El had spoken of in the messages from the globe.
The sharp edge of the blade pressed into him and Clark could feel the piercing of his tender skin as Luthor hissed in his ear. “The original Bowie Knife used to carve out my enemy’s heart with the simple slice. Almost feels poetic, hmm?” His tone grew dark as he hissed in his ear. “The man of steel brought to his knees by a simple rock and unable to hear the screams for help from Lois Lane herself.”
‘No,’ his mind screamed, unwilling to venture down the path Luthor continued to taunt him with.
“Oh, you should have seen her face when she realized her hero was indeed not coming to her rescue. It’s only fitting she should die from the same blade as her hero.” The eerie calm that washed over Luthor caused the hair to raise on the back of Clark’s neck.
‘She’s not dead. He’s just trying to get in your head. Even Luthor wouldn’t do something that diabolical.’ Clark did his best to calm the rising panic inside him.
“Every delicious yell for help met with silence. What do you think her last thoughts were, hmm? Knowing her hero had let her down with the ultimate betrayal …as she had me.” The eerie calm with which Luthor spoke of Lois sent a panic through Clark. Then he saw it. The blood on his sleeve and the bloodied skin with tears and scratches to his hands.
‘He did it,’ It was the only thought that crossed his mind before Clark found the strength to deliver a hard blow, throwing Luthor off of him and lunging at him in a full-on attack. Then he felt the searing pain flow through his veins weakening his already weakened body just as Luthor delivered a hard blow, throwing him across the room with little to no effort. He heard a hard crack inside his head and heard Luthor move toward him.
“Lu-th-or!” he roared in his delirious state, anger pulsing through his veins as he struggled to focus on the dark shadow standing over him.
“How strange,” Clark heard Luthor hiss in his ear, reaching over to grab him by the front of his bloodied suit, “Strange to hear you say my name and know it’s probably for the last time.” His tone grew almost thoughtful as he asked himself, “But am I making a mistake? Will the pain of losing the challenge you represent be worse than the discomfort of constantly losing to you?”
“Go to…hell!” Clark spat out between uneven breaths.
“You first!” Luthor held up the long blade he’d revealed earlier. Clark stared at the blood stains still fresh on it and his mind began to race, wondering if his admission of what he’d done to Lois was true. Had he really…?
The shout from above pulled Luthor’s attention away and the man stood up. “Until next time,” he remarked, setting the blade on the barrel above him. “Have a nice death, Superman,”
***
Bill Henderson stared at the stern features on Perry White’s face waiting for a response-any response to what he’d just told him. It wasn’t every day you found out one of your friends—someone you’d come to think of as another child—had been left for dead. It certainly wasn’t every day when you had to seriously think about making that person disappear for her safety. He glanced around the rundown diner Perry had insisted on going to for coffee and grimaced.
“Perry, say something,” he pleaded with the man, praying for some sign that what he’d said had reached Perry.
“Where is she now?” Perry asked, not looking up from his folded hands at the booth they sat in. His coffee mug sat on the table in front of him, forgotten.
“Safe,” was the only response Henderson could muster up. “I couldn’t risk taking her to a hospital.” Perry glared at him, his look told Henderson he better tell him everything or else. “There’s a doctor that works with us and runs a top of the line clinic. It’s got everything…He was able to stitch her up. She’s going to be fine.”
Perry threw him a disgusted look, “Yes, she’ll be fine. She just has to change her identity because of this animal that you are too scared to prosecute.”
“I told you before this is not something to be taken lightly,” Bill Henderson growled in a harsh whisper. “Do you think you and Kent are the first people to begin digging in Luthor’s backyard? The man is the third richest man in the world. How much money do you think he’d throw around to make sure he doesn’t go to prison?”
“Since when does money have anything to do with it?” Perry asked in a heated growl.
“Since the amount of zeros at the end of some people’s checks began to decrease. “Law and order is fine when you can afford it, but I know plenty of guys that would easily look the other way if enough money was offered. I can’t take that risk and neither should you.”
“So, what’s the plan then?” Perry asked with a disgusted grunt. “He gets away with attacking Lois? He gets away with destroying the Planet? He gets away with everything?”
“We need a smoking gun and right now we don’t have one,” Henderson warned. “We can build a case and yes the attack on Lois will help keep him in jail but I can’t guarantee her safety if she stays in Metropolis. Hell, I can’t guarantee her safety as long as Luthor thinks she’s alive.”
“What are you saying?” Perry narrowed his eyes at him.
“I’m saying Luthor thought he killed her.” Henderson’s eyes narrowed, “We need to make sure it stays that way.”
***
Lex wadded the suit jacket he wore into one of the barrels and turned to Mrs. Cox. “Have this destroyed.” He looked to his arms and saw her eyes widened as she stared at the wounds on him. “It’s no matter. A few days and they’ll be gone.”
She shook her head and whispered just loud enough for him to hear, “Lex, the police are here.”
“Stall them,” he ordered, ridding himself of the last of his bloodied and torn clothing.
The echo from the police in the other room came, “Lex Luthor, we need to ask you some questions.”
Lex did his best to squash the panic he felt rising in the pit of his stomach. “Say nothing.” He reached behind her and grabbed a long sleeved jacket and a pair of golfing gloves to cover up the wounds he’d received from his attacks on both Lois and Superman.
“Lex Luthor!” the pounding came from the door again and Mrs. Cox looked to him.
“What do you want me to do?”
***
Christina Wallace’s cold features remained unmoved on the car ride to Lex Luthor’s home. She didn’t say a word when they parked in front of the massive gate and were escorted in by security. Her features remained stoic as she exited the squad car and climbed the massive steps leading up to the Luthor Mansion.
Detective Zymack glanced to the agent that had been assigned to him for such an important task. He grimaced, recalling the bloody scene at Lois Lane’s apartment and the chilling orders Henderson had given him. He still didn’t know what had happened after he’d been ordered out of the apartment and told to pick up an FBI agent from the station before questioning Lex Luthor. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
He lifted his fist to pound on the door when he heard muffled shouting coming from the back of the house. Wallace peered over at him and silently moved toward the sounds. He heard a woman’s voice grow louder with accusations.
“You could have lost everything. What are you going to do when the police show up here, looking for you?”
“They won’t find anything!” Wallace looked back at Zymack, tightening her jaw before responding, “Let’s move,”
***
Clark felt the world around him turn on its axis as his mind raced through everything that had happened. He was dead. He knew it. If he didn’t find a way out of here he would be faced with the same fate as…
<<“Clark, I’m sorry. I just don’t feel that way about you…”>>
<<“If that’s what you want Lois then fine get in bed with the devil!”>>
<<“I have been in love with you for a long time…you had to have known.”>>
<<“Lois, trust me on this I am not your typical male.”>>
<< “I said nine. I thought you’d be…naked…um, ready.”>>
<<“I’m a friend.”>>
‘Don’t,’ he told himself, squinting back the tears that were threatening to overtake him. He couldn’t think about that. He wouldn’t allow himself to dwell on that.
‘She’s not dead,’ he told himself, hoping the thought would keep himself from drowning in the sorrows of what could happen if Lex’s taunts were true.
‘She’s not.’
<<“We? There is no ‘we.’”
“How do you know I don’t have the inside track on finding Superman?”
“Sure, Clark. And when you run across Jimmy Hoffa and the Easter Bunny why don’t you reel them in too?”>>
<<“Now there you go using that word again Clark. There is ‘you,’ there is ‘I,’ there is no ‘we,’”
“Not yet.”
“Not ever.”
“We’ll see.”
“How long can you hold your breath?”>>
<“Not exactly what you had in mind, huh?”
“Let’s see, so far I’ve been given a glimpse of ritual crop worship, been treated as your girlfriend, and insulted your parents. No, I couldn’t have planned this.”>>
<<“You feel normal.”
“I am…normal.”>>
<<“I’ll be back, Lois. We’ll go flying.”>>
<<“But that would have to mean that I found you…Clark, you were sprayed. How come you didn’t fall for me?”
“I guess I’m just not attracted to you, Lois.”
“Liar! You are so attracted to me.”>>
<<“Clark, whether or not that memory of yours comes back, I just want you to know I think you’re terrific.”
“Likewise,”
“I mean, I love you…like a brother.” >>
<<“Goodbye? We’re partners!”
“You don’t need a partner, Lois. You never did.”
“Maybe not, but I was starting to like having one.”>>
<<“Goodbye, Lois.”>>The walls around him began to close in as he lost consciousness, drifting into the solace of his mind where even Lex Luthor couldn’t reach him.
***
Jimmy stared at the screen, unable to move as the image flashed across the screen again. Perry had left him and Jack at the hotel and rushed off without a word. If he hadn’t been afraid of the police catching Jack he’d have followed him. The bored duo had been flipping through channels when he saw it.
The image of Clark Kent on the screen flashed again then moved on to the next supposed victim from the arson on Clinton Street. The only thing was he knew—they all did—that Clark Kent wasn’t in that building when it exploded. Someone was trying to make it seem like he was though.
The question was, who?
***
Mrs. Cox gripped the door with all her might as she stared at the detective and FBI agent standing on the doorstep of Lex Luthor’s mansion. Lex smoothed a warm smile across his face as he watched the detective enter his home, staring at the spacious entryway with awe.
“Come in, come in, detective,” Lex felt the adrenaline run through his veins as he felt the sense of danger creeping up on him at the idea he could get caught. It amazed him to no end how easily people could be manipulated into seeing or believing without little effort on his part. It had become a game for him over time to see how close to the edge he could get without losing everything.
“Mr. Luthor,” the detective nodded to him but his face showed no pleasure in his visit to Lex’s home.
“Something I can do for you?” Lex asked, staring at the young red-head who was silently staring him down from the corner of the entryway. “Miss, I don’t believe I know you,”
“Agent Wallace, FBI,” the woman responded, pulling out her badge.
He looked her uncertainly before allowing his face to fall to a frown. This was not someone on his payroll. “Well, Agent Wallace…”
“We’d like to answer you a few questions concerning your fiancée, Lois Lane,” the agent cut him off, not allowing him to continue his thought.
“Ask away,” he motioned to the expansive entry way, making a grand gesture, “I have nothing to hide.”
Agent Wallace turned to Detective Zymack before facing Lex, “Reports from neighbors suggest there may have been an altercation between you and Ms. Lane earlier tonight.”
“Lois and I had a disagreement over wedding planning earlier,” Lex shrugged his shoulders. “Words were exchanged and I’m sad to say I had to make the decision to call off the the wedding.”
“You called off the wedding?” Zymack asked, staring at Lex with a peculiar gaze.
“Lois Lane always did have an unhealthy infatuation with men of power,” Mrs. Cox cut in with a broad smile. “First Superman, then Lex.” She placed a hand on Lex’s shoulder in support. “I’m just glad Lex was able to see she was using him before it was too late.”
“I see,” Agent Wallace’s tone was cool as she jotted a note down in her notepad, glancing back up at Lex. “And what time was this?”
“About five-thirty or so,” Mrs. Cox responded. “Lex was very upset.”
“And so the cries for help?” Agent Wallace smirked as she stared back at them, gauging their reaction.
“I’m sorry?” Lex choked out.
“We had reports that screams for help were coming from Ms. Lane’s apartment,” Zymack interjected. “Where were you between the hours of seven and nine tonight?”
“He was with me,” Mrs. Cox lied smoothly, taking a protective step in front of him.
“The entire time?” Agent Wallace challenged.
“The entire time,” Mrs. Cox boldly responded. “Someone had to step in and take care of him. Lois Lane certainly wasn’t going to do it.”
“Well, let’s not be too hasty, Mrs. Cox,” Lex argued, shaking his head. “Lois was obviously very troubled.”
Agent Wallace’s eyes narrowed as she delivered a mighty blow, “Was?”
“Is,” Lex corrected hastily. “It’s easier to think of her as gone when thinking of the painful end to our courtship. I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Agent Wallace responded, a slow smile crossed her face. “Well, we won’t keep you. I’m sure you have a lot to do. What with the funeral to plan and everything?”
“Funeral?” Lex feigned surprise as Zymack interjected.
“Ms. Lane is dead.”
***
Perry stood in the hallway of what was supposed to be Lois Lane’s room. He felt a churning in his stomach as he went over and over what had happened. The doctor said the wound hadn’t been deep enough to do any permanent damage but the amount of blood she’d lost could have easily killed her.
The phone in his pocket chirped and he reached for it, “Hello?”
“Chief, it’s Jimmy,” he heard the young man introduce himself on the other end of the line. His tone was uneven as he whispered in the phone. “Are you alone?”
“I’m at the hospital, Jimmy,” Perry responded uncertain who could be listening. “What do you need?”
“CK’s been reported as one of the deceased from the fire.” Jimmy explained in an icy tone.
Perry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he turned toward the television by the nurse’s station. Sure enough the image reflecting back at him as one of the victims from the fire was Clark Kent. He didn’t dare respond, recalling the paranoia with which Henderson had warned him of Luthor’s reach.
“I’ll call you back, Jimmy,”
***
Lex smiled to himself as he descended the steps, leading him into the prison he’d built for his arch enemy. After feigning surprise and grief over the loss of Lois Lane the police had left, offering their condolences for his loss. Mrs. Cox had been brilliant in her display of affection and protectiveness as she had destroyed Lois Lane’s reputation and kept him out of the detective and agent’s radar as a suspect in Lois Lane’s murder.
He knew there would be the task of changing out the samples the police had collected from the crime scene for a lowly scapegoat. He’d have to evaluate those involved with Lois to determine who the lucky culprit would be. Nigel still hadn’t been able to track down Clark Kent. If only it was that easy. Frame that giblet of a menace for the murder of his former bride-to-be. It would have been the perfect revenge but sadly it wasn’t meant to be.
He turned the corner and heard the incoherent mutterings coming from the former man of steel as he withered in pain in the middle of the floor of the Kryptonite cell he was housed in. He walked through the open door and smiled when he heard it.
"I never should have created him."
His interest piqued, Lex knelt down and whispered in a menacing whisper, "Created who?"
"Superman."
Recalling the information, he’d learned from the globe he’d acquired some months ago he felt giddy as he asked calmly, "If you're not Superman then who are you?"
"I'm just me," he responded in a defeated tone. "Clark Kent. That's all I've ever been."
Lex’s features took on a dark tone as realization hit him. His greatest enemy was nothing more than a lowly reporter, traipsing around the city like a savior and taking everything from him. His fist tightened and he struck the panic-stricken face of Superman. A smile crossed his lips as he saw blood fall from his enemy’s nostrils.
“Well, well, well,
Clark, it seems you’ve been keeping a little secret, haven’t you?” Lex’s sinister features took on a humorous glare as he stared back at his enemy’s disoriented face, “Now is that any way to treat your best enemy?”
***
TBC...
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