Hate Myself For Loving You
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 19: Chasing You
________________________________________
Amir Munour sniffed at the rats inside the cage, waving his hand in dismissal as he stood up to leave, “I can see my time has been wasted here, Dr. Wilder. I was promised a drug that would allow me to control the populous. This is nothing more than a game of cat and mouse on a wheel!” He shook his head in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked to the doctor in disappointment. “What exactly am I supposed to do with a rat that turns on its own kind? Feed it to the rioting villagers?”
Dr. Wilder looked down in disappointment, “Mr. Munour, unlike my father you lack vision!” She stood to her feet, imagine the possibilities of taking a drug and marketing as a flu vaccine to your country. Every man, woman and child would be at your control…”
“You have yet to even prove this will even work on human test subjects. All you’ve given me is rats!” Munour shouted in disgust.
“I don’t have the test subjects yet, but I know where to find them,” Dr. Wilder promised.
“Well, then don’t bother calling me until you’ve located them,” Munour growled, turning on his heel. He exited the office and tapped on his bodyguard’s shoulder for him to follow, motioning to the elevators. He fished for the mobile phone in his pocket and pulled it out to dial, “Yes, Mr. Swanson? I’m very interested in this Resurrection drug. When can you meet?”
________________________________________
The streets of Metropolis were filled with the usual hustle and bustle of the passersby. City bus wheels squeaking as exhaust escaped the tailpipe of passing vehicles. Lois looked over her shoulder as the wind bristled through her hair, tossing a few strands in her face as she looked to the site that was sectioned off by the police barricade guarded by the patrol.
“Chilling, isn’t it?” Clark murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder as she took in the crippling scene. She gasped, feeling the cold air hit her lungs as she watched the scene behind the barricades unfold. Men and women covered in protective gear, surveying the crumbled remains of what was once the dignified home to the courts of Metropolis, New Troy.
“Still no statement from the mayor on the bombing last night," Lois commented, turning back to where Clark was standing behind her.
"Probably won't be until she knows who is stepping in for Clemmons, " Clark reasoned, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You think?"
"There's nothing to tell." Clark pointed out.
“I suppose,” Lois agreed, turning back toward the street where she had parked. After a few steps in silence she turned over her shoulder to look back at Clark and asked, “So, Henderson seemed...blunt.”
Clark shrugged his shoulders, “I think Bill Henderson will look at the facts and make an unbiased decision based on what he’s been presented with. As he should.”
“I know he will. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.” Lois gave him a weak smile, “Still, I know it can’t be easy, potentially looking at someone that was once a friend and colleague as a…”
“Potential criminal?” Clark shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess I’m still rolling through everything in my head. We still don’t know anything for sure and until we do I’ll keep an open mind…”
“But if it is her?” Lois wondered aloud. “How in the world are we going to get her the help she needs without…”
“I don’t know,” Clark said abruptly, shaking his head as they reached where the Jeep was parked at a parking meter. “Guilty or not Mayson needs ...someone to help her. Unfortunately, she appears to be shutting everyone that wants to help her out. Whoever is behind the threats, we will find them and stop them. McCarthy is still out there along with that Albie Swanson character….”
Lois nodded, reaching over to place a hand on his chest, “McCarthy will be brought to justice.”
“How many more people are going to get hurt between now and then?” Clark asked, placing his hand over hers.
She kept his gaze for a moment, seeing the turmoil of ‘what-ifs’ cross his face. She circled her hand around his wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze, silently reassuring him he wasn't alone in his struggle to come to terms with the horrific events from last night.
He reached his hand over to cup her face with his palm, brushing the outline of her jaw with his thumb. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch into a smile as his lips brushed against hers. For the moment at least the nightmare of last night's bombing was a distant memory as she found her mind drift into the serene fog of bliss, blocking out the world around her.
________________________________________
Dan Scardino perched himself on the corner of the stool he was halfway seated on, searching for any sign of hesitancy from the subject in front of him. There was of course anything but hesitancy coming from Nurse Berkley as she squared her jaw, narrowed her eyes and silently told him he was not going to get through her with the usual tactics he had at his disposal.
Getting access to the files on the victims from last night’s explosion required getting through Nurse Berkley who was not budging without a call from Washington or orders from her superiors. Unfortunately for him it seemed getting access would require a call to Washington in order to get the ball rolling. He still hadn’t been granted privileges at the Metropolis P.D. which made investigating McCarthy’s latest stunt with City Hall all the more challenging. He was not looking forward to explaining how McCarthy had managed to level the city’s judicial building with himself being just a few streets away and still having no inclination of what McCarthy had been planning.
“You really want me to turn this into a bureaucratic nightmare, I will.” Scardino muttered, giving a last-ditch effort to try to sway Berkley. He noted the steely gaze she was giving him and resigned himself to the phone call he had to make. He stood up, backing away from her station and headed down the hall he had just come through. As he was walking toward the corridor that led to the exit, he heard a thick Middle Easter accented gentleman screaming into his phone. He ducked back, trying to remain in the shadows as the subject of the conversation peaked his interest.
“This Valhalla drug could revolutionize the way our country and its supposed leaders conduct business. The doctor promises great things but I’ve still yet to see just what an assassin can do under the influence of this Valhalla.”
Scardino narrowed his gaze as he checked his phone to be sure the conversation was being picked up by his phone recorder. He held his breath, listening for anything that might help him identify the caller.
There was a pause and then the caller added, “We’ll need to expedite that shipment of Ticeon to the states. If this exercise proves fruitful, I want mass production to begin immediately.”
‘Ticeon?’ Scardino wondered silently to himself at the mention of the highly regulated drug’s name. The caller continued, exposing himself even more unwittingly to the recording Dan continued to take.
“I’ll need to make arrangements. You know Kasparov won’t take kindly to the interference of our resistance.” A light chuckle escaped the caller’s throat and he added. “Not that it will do much good.”
Scardino heard footsteps approaching and quickly put the phone to his ear, setting up the pretense that he was preoccupied with his own phone call to notice as he spotted the caller cross the doorway with two suits behind him. He waited for his opportunity and then quickly snapped a few shots with the camera on his phone. He knew the quality wouldn’t be the best but it would be better than nothing.
He held his breath, waiting for the suits to disappear from his line of vision before he hit the red square button on his phone to stop the recording. As quickly as he could he began to dial the number he knew by heart. The phone rang and he tapped his toe, impatiently waiting for his boss to answer the call.
“This better be good, Scardino,” his boss’ response came from the other end of the phone line when he answered it. “You really screwed up big this time. How in the hell did you let McCarthy pull something like this off? Were you sleeping on the job? Maybe I should send Marcus down there to help you?”
“Marcus is as green as you can get. He doesn’t know the first thing about field agent work,” Scardino spat back on instinct.
“I’m beginning to think he might be a step up, Scardino. What in the hell happened?”
“I don’t know, but I am trying to find out.” Scardino quickly added in a hushed whisper. “I’m over here at the hospital trying to get the records of the victims and I’m hitting a few roadblocks…”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You let McCarthy level Metropolis square just about and you want me to come in there and save your hide?”
“It’s not like that,” Scardino said quickly. “There’s something else going on here. I’m sending you a recording and some photos now…”
“What now, Scardino? McCarthy is now the culprit behind the Kennedy assassination?” There was a pause and a sharp gasp, “Christ, is that Munour? What the hell is he doing stateside?”
“Trying to smuggle Ticeon into the country and mass produce something called Valhalla.” Scardino responded with a grim expression. “This is bad, isn’t it?”
“What do you need?”
“Full access to everything I can get my hands on.” Scardino answered.
________________________________________
Mayson moved through the crowded streets of Metropolis with a fog of uncertainty weighing her down as she spotted the blue and white sign for the Metropolis P.D. from the crosswalk. The Metro bus came to a stop as the light turned red and the crosswalk signaled it was clear to cross. She reached the other side of the street, mentally preparing herself to walk past the wreckage from last night’s bombing.
A shudder ran through her as she spotted the men in orange and yellow vests circling around the blockade that had been put up to keep prying eyes away from the site. She felt her throat go dry as her mind flashed back to the horrific events from when she found herself buried in scorching hot concrete with white-hot flames billowing around her and threatening to take her last breath with each creeping second. She felt a cold tear pierce its way past the painful memory, running down her cheek as she turned her head away, desperate to escape from the place that reminded her of how simple life had been just a mere twelve hours ago.
Then she saw it.
Her.
Mayson ground her teeth as her hand clenched and unclenched, flexing the tension that coursed through her veins as she stared in a quiet fury, watching as Lois Lane dug her traitorous claws further and further into Clark Kent. She tore her eyes away, unable to watch any further as she saw him lean closer to….her. Unbridled fury rose up inside her as she fought to keep the simmering flames deep into the pits of despair she was struggling with and searched the street for the staircase leading into the Metropolis P.D. Each step was met with a loud clank from her heel as she pushed forward, unwilling to look back for fear that she might be met with an even more disturbing image from the street below.
She pushed the double doors open, hearing the familiar voices around her. She nodded with a non-committal shrug and grunt as she wandered through the precinct, catching sight of the expressions being thrown her way by fellow officers.
"Uh, nice haircut, Mayson…"
"You changed your hair!"
"Good to see...uh, straight, I mean, uh, see you."
She finally stopped at the elevator leading to the wing of offices she was searching for. The tall, slender detective brooding at his desk was a sight for sore eyes. She ran a hand through her newly darkened locks and stopped in front of the detective's door.
"Miss me?"
“Mayson?”
________________________________________
Clark wandered through the empty halls of Metropolis General with Lois a few paces behind him. After finishing up with Bill Henderson this morning they had made a detour to Metropolis General to talk with the doctor on call last night and get a statement for the afternoon edition as well was check on how the victims from last night’s bombing were doing. He already knew Michael Clemmons didn’t make it and he was aware that Judge Thompson’s clerk had succumbed to her injuries early this morning as well. News of the condition of the other ten remaining victims had not been released. He took that as a sign that no news meant good news for the moment.
“This is it,” Clark pointed to the hallway leading to the Physician’s plaza as he motioned for Lois to follow him.
“I don’t understand why that nurse couldn’t at least point us in the right direction,” Lois grumbled readjusting her bag on her shoulder as she read the names on the directory. “What was the doctor on call’s name again?”
“Dr. Katherine Wilder,” Clark answered as they approached the elevator the sign was pointing them to.
“Third floor,” Lois said with a shrug. “I don’t understand why they make these things so hard to navigate. Isn’t the idea to be able to find people?”
Clark shrugged his shoulders, uncertain how to respond as the elevator pinged, letting off an elderly couple and a middle-aged man who was wheeling the older woman in a wheelchair. Clark nodded to the couple, stepping aside so they had enough room to exit the elevator car and reached his arm out to hold the elevator for himself and Lois. They stepped onto the elevator and Lois scanned the elevator panel for the third floor, pressing the button with a sigh.
She turned to him and flashed him a quick smile, “Hopefully we can wrap this up and get back to the Planet in time for the afternoon edition.”
Clark nodded his agreement. “He’s left three voicemails since we left the police station. I think Perry’s getting antsy.”
“We do our best work under pressure,” Lois grinned back at him as the elevator doors opened on the third floor. “Perry needs to relax we’ll have his front page story all tied up in a nice pretty bow in time for the evening edition.”
“Afternoon edition.” Clark corrected her with a smirk.
“You can’t rush perfection. Evening edition.”
“Tell that to the three voicemails from Perry.” Clark waved his phone in front of her.
“I left my phone at the office.” Lois grinned happily.
They stepped out onto the floor, following the signs that led them to where Dr. Wilder’s office was located. They reached the office that read ‘Wilder and Associates’ and opened the door, uncertain where to go once they entered as there was no receptionist at the front desk and no one seated in the waiting room.
Clark looked to Lois who shrugged and then lowered his glasses, scanning the office for a sign of where to go next. He spotted an office in the back of the long hallway the waiting room led to where Dr. Wilder was seated at her desk with none other than Dan Scardino across from her.
“Oh, brother,” Clark let out a heavy sigh.
“What is it?” Lois asked, raising an eyebrow at him with a curious gaze.
“Scardino,” Clark pointed to the hallway in front of them. He heard a creak of the door from Dr. Wilder’s office and saw the doctor and Scardino walking toward them from behind the wooden door. The door rattled and Scardino stepped into the waiting room.
“Thanks for your time, Dr. Wilder, I…” Scardino stopped when he saw Lois and Clark standing by the door. “Well, fancy seeing you two here. What are the odds we all go to the same primary for our checkup?”
“Cute,” Lois rolled her eyes at the agent. “But I’m not buying it.”
Dr. Wilder looked at them with a questioning gaze, “May I help you two with something?”
“Lois Lane, Clark Kent. Daily Planet.” Lois pulled out her business card and handed it to her. “We understand you were the doctor on call last night when the twelve victims were brought in. We just wanted to get a statement from you on how the victims are doing.”
“As I told Agent Scardino here, I can’t discuss a patient’s medical treatment with anyone without the patient’s permission. HIPAA.” She prompted with a smile.
“We understand,” Clark interjected, “Can you at least confirm the remaining ten victims are stable?”
She paused for a moment pursing her lips before responding. “I can confirm the hospital is doing everything we can to treat the injuries and keep the patients comfortable as they try and recover from this horrific tragedy.”
Lois nodded to Dr. Wilder, “Of course. Thank you, Dr. Wilder.”
Dr. Wilder motioned to the door behind them, “Now I hate to be rude but I do have a pressing appointment.”
“Of course,” Lois flashed a smile to the doctor and made her way to the exit. She waited until the door was closed behind them and the trio were standing in the hallway before turning to Clark, motioning to him to slide his glasses down.
He nodded, getting the hint as Lois turned to Scardino to press him for more information, “So what exactly does the DEA want from Dr. Wilder?”
Clark lowered his glasses and spotted Dr. Wilder opening a side entrance where an older woman and man with long blonde hair was entering her office. He focused his super-hearing to pick up the conversation taking place.
“What took so long?”
“I had to get rid of a couple of nosey reporters and a DEA Agent. What’s your excuse, Mother?”
“Has Amir Munour responded yet?”
“He is interested in a field test. To do that we have to have a subject. Which we don’t have.”
“Nonsense, there’s three subjects here in Metropolis.”
“What are you rambling on about, Mother? Valhalla was never approved by Congress. There are no…”
“Officially no, but your father being the man of vision that he was never was one to wait for permission.”
“Where are they? Who are they?”
A hand waved in front of him, breaking him from his concentration followed by a whistle. “Woo, hoo, Earth to Kent? Come in Kent! Houston, we’ve got no contact…”
Clark reached out to take Scardino’s wrist and pushed it back, mildly irritated with the agent’s antics. “Something tells me Dr. Wilder knows more than she’s letting on.”
“And this came to you from staring at a door?” Scardino asked, mildly amused.
“Would you stop it already?” Lois rolled her eyes.
“Well, up to something or not we just got kicked out of there and have nothing but a gut instinct to go on.” Scardino pointed out.
“Maybe,” Clark let a small smile crack across his features as he pointed to the office in front of them, “but I got a hunch Dr. Wilder’s supposed appointment isn’t happening in that office.”
“Well, then let’s find out,” Lois challenged, pointing to the long corridor behind them.
“You want to what?” Scardino chuckled, “Sit here and wait for her to lead you to …what? An old and crusty patient she’s probably treating? No thanks.”
“Suit yourself, Agent Scardino,” Lois shrugged, making her way toward the corridor where a wooden bench had been placed for visitors to wait.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Clark chimed in, taking a seat next to Lois. “Seeing who all is involved in this Valhalla experiment.”
“Val- what?” Scardino turned to them with a questioning gaze and pressed, “Where did you hear that name?”
________________________________________
Albie Swanson.
The name had been mentioned time and time again over the last few months. Sometimes in disdain. Other Times with admiration. Rollie Vale had heard it enough times to know eventually Albie’s time would run out. He gritted his teeth as he mulled over the threat that loomed over him.
To say he felt grateful to the powers that be had given him the second chance would have been an understatement. Rollie knew he had been blessed with a unique opportunity to right a wrong done to him. He also had the added bonus of using his second chance to help extract revenge on the very being that had snuffed his life to a screeching halt in a mere nanosecond.
His hand tightened on the handrail as he stood to his feet, mulling over just how far he had come. He looked back at the makeshift office that had been built to keep track of the criminal activity cropping up throughout all three hundred thousand locations Intergang had worked hard to infiltrate. Metropolis had been a challenge for the Intergang lieutenants to take over but with his help they would soon take possession of each weakened position of power in the city and with it the city would fall into Intergang’s control without the interference of the city’s self-serving super-powered boy scout.
Unlike his brother, Emmet, Rollie knew a good deal when it was presented. Taking his place in an organization that had as far of reach as Intergang did and ensuring with each action taken he would help keep Lex Luthor stewing in the prison cell he had been isolated in for the next nine hundred years. The more power Intergang had the more power he knew Lex Luthor was without. Even behind bars, the former criminal mastermind had a reach that would threaten Rollie’s very existence.
Unfortunately, Albie Swanson was not one to understand just how far his benefactors’ reach was. The traitorous move of turning on Gables had landed them all in a compromising situation. Now as payment for Albie’s traitorous move the rat would pay and be one of many victims McCarthy would take with him on his siege of Metropolis. They were unstoppable.
________________________________________
Dan Scardino stole a glance to the duo of reporters who seemed to be oblivious to just how big of a case they were on the verge of unveiling by pure accident. He had barely gotten the information to Washington before setting his sights on Dr. Wilder’s daughter, Katherine Wilder on just a hunch. How had Lane and Kent even heard the name Valhalla?
He wasn’t sure if he completely bought Kent’s story about hearing it from their interview with one of the victims from last night’s bombing as random ramblings but for now he would remain quiet and bide his time until they saw movement from Wilder’s office. He was too deep in this to back out now. Worse case scenario he would have to put a gag order on the Planet in order to keep Lane and Kent in check. For now he’d work with them and hold his tongue.
The door to Wilder’s office rustled and they watched as an unfamiliar older woman exited the office with Dr. Wilder in tow. “I guess that’s our cue.”
________________________________________
Detective Ryder fidgeted in his seat, stealing glances to where the dark brunette sat across from him with her hair newly dyed and straightened. It wasn’t as if it was a bad look for her. Quite the opposite really. Had he not been an engaged man he might even consider …. As quickly as the thought flooded through his mind he quickly dismissed it, catching sight of the bloodshot gaze coming from Mayson. Something was wrong here.
“So,” Mayson twirled a strand of her dark hair on her index finger, “I wanted to talk to you about this case you’re handling for this Gomez character…”
“Christopher Gomez’s testimony is recorded and will go into the record as identifying Melissa Scott as the supposed nurse that administered the resurrection drug to him in the hospital.” Detective Ryder reassured her. “We spoke with Mr. Clemmons a few days about the precautions he needed.” He let out a long breath, unsure how to address the clear conflict of interest here. “Mayson, do you really think you’re the right person for this case?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You just watched your boss die. You’re grieving. You’ve been through a traumatic event…” Ryder continued cautiously.
“I am a capable district attorney, Detective Ryder,” Mayson snapped back.
“I know you are, Mayson, but, uh…well you just don’t seem yourself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Mayson demanded.
“Well,” he was quiet a moment and finally decided to just bite the bullet. “What is up with the hair Mayson?”
“I dyed it.”
“I can see that.”
“It makes me look more sophisticated, don’t you think?” Mayson ran a hand through her silky strands.
“Mayson!” Bill Henderson walked up to them, resting a hand on Ryder’s shoulder as he approached. “You look…different.”
“Well, I figured a change of pace was needed,” Mayson sniffed, straightening her shoulders as she glared back at Henderson. “Any luck finding the cowardous traitor that decided to try and take me out with a collapsing building to the head?”
“We’re running down all the leads we can, Mayson but we like McCarthy for this.” Henderson explained motioning to the busy police station. “Everyone is working on this.”
“Hmm, convenient the finger gets pointed at the bomber we were hunting down just a few days ago that by all rights should be headed for the hills.”
“McCarthy is an animal,” Ryder explained calmly. “What equates to normal reasoning to you or me doesn’t click for him. He gets off on the adrenaline of almost being caught and getting away with it.”
“What’s your point, Mayson?” Henderson asked.
“Well, I just find it interesting that you’re looking at McCarthy when he was nowhere near the City Hall building when it exploded yet a certain nosey reporter with an axe to grind with the DA’s office was.” Mayson quipped with gritted teeth.
“You were buried in nearly ten feet of rubble, Mayson. How do you know who was around when the bomb went off?” Ryder challenged.
“Michael and I were on the steps when the bomb went off.” Mayson growled back. “I saw her.”
“Who?” Henderson demanded.
“Lois Lane.”
________________________________________
Clark glanced up from the printout in front of him, catching a glimpse of Lois as she chewed on her lower-lip, staring at the open manilla folder on her lap. The trip to the hospital had given them a small tidbit of information regarding something called Valhalla and a reason to be suspicious of Dr. Katherine Wilder but unfortunately the tail they had attempted to put on Wilder had ended with them losing her behind the city morgue where every inch of the walls appeared to be lined in lead.
Scardino had sulked off to wherever it was he had been hiding out the last few days and he and Lois had returned to the Planet and written up Perry’s cover story on the bombing. Despite not having anything other than a name to go on he had asked Jimmy to pull everything he could with the name Valhalla and gather what he could on McCarthy. As of right now McCarthy was the only known suspect anyone could pinpoint with the motive and the opportunity to pull off something like this.
“Anything on this Dr. Wilder?” Clark asked, looking to where Lois was curled up in her chair, leaned over reading through the file in her hands.
“Lots of accolades and overall praises for her work in neuroscience,” Lois said not looking up. “Army brat. Her father was a doctor and worked with the military as a doctor too.”
“What kind of doctor was he?” Clark asked.
“Doesn’t say,” Lois reached over to hand him the file. “Most of everything from the army is redacted.”
Clark pulled his gaze away from the printout in front of him, hearing a light tap from the conference room door where Jimmy was standing with a thick file in his hand. Clark waved him in and Jimmy entered, holding the file in his hands, “Hey guys so I’ve dug up what I can on this Sean McCarthy guy.”
“Anything interesting?” Clark asked, turning his chair toward Jimmy as his young friend spoke.
“Most of it’s the same stuff we already knew but some not so much,” Jimmy handed the thick file to Clark. “Apparently, this guy has connections to criminals all over. He’s known as the Mr. Fix It and he’s got an impeccable reputation of always finishing the job. Rumormill with all the top agencies is that he did some work with Mrs. Cox – that personal assistant of Lex Luthor’s – just before the Planet was bombed.”
“I thought that was Joe Black.” Clark’s brow creased at the mention of his former rival.
Jimmy shook his head. “Rumor is Joe Black was hired as the guy to bring the bomb in but McCarthy was the one to build it.”
“From inside prison?” Lois wondered aloud.
“It’s a rumor for a reason,” Jimmy shrugged, “but I’ve seen crazier things happen from behind prison walls. Afterall, it is Metropolis.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Clark said flipping through the file in front of him.
“Any luck getting a copy of the reports on Valhalla without the redaction?” Lois asked.
Jimmy shook his head, “Not unless you get some serious government clearance.” Jimmy shrugged his shoulders as he backed out of the conference room. “Sorry guys.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Clark called after him.
Lois let out a sigh of defeat, “So we’ve got nothing.”
“We’ve got clue half,” Clark corrected.
Lois glanced at the clock and groaned, “Is it really that late already?”
“You want to take a break?” Clark asked, setting the file down in front of him. “Get some air?”
Lois smiled back at him, “I might be persuaded. What’d you have in mind?”
________________________________________
Dr. Katherine Wilder waited patiently for Dr. Golden to leave his office. She held the key to his office in her palm waiting the momentary few minutes before approaching his office, key in hand and ready to take what was rightfully hers.
With a quick shallow breath, she fit the key into the lock and turned it, hearing the sharp click of the door hinge unlocking and quickly entered the office, preparing to find exactly what she needed to make Valhalla a reality.
________________________________________
The wind blew through Lois’ hair, catching her off guard as the cool air tickled the back of her neck and whistled in her ear. She flashed a quick smile to Clark who was watching her with a mesmerized expression. She then turned to the surroundings, taking in the serenity of nature as she looked around Hyde Park, watching the people around them go about their day in utter bliss.
She reached her hand over to take another fish out of the basket in front of her and turned to Clark, “You know when I mentioned fish and chips, I meant the cart over by Louie’s not London.”
“But those aren’t real fish and chips,” Clark responded taking a bite of his own lunch with a happy sigh. “And then we would have missed the sunset over Buckingham Palace.” Clark pointed out the sky that was dimming into a light pink. “If we were still in Metropolis you’d be complaining your fish was too soggy and the gang down the street needed to go home and read a book.”
Lois giggled, letting a smirk fall across her face in surprise. “I don’t complain that much, do I?”
“No, you just like things a certain way,” Clark chuckled. “I always liked coming here when I was traveling. You always see the most amazing things and meet the most interesting people.” A smile crossed his face, “I remember this one time there was this guy that came out for some big spring event they had going on and he was a one man band taking requests for some of the most versatile music you would ever think and he still was able to play every last request. It was amazing.”
Lois’ eyes lit up, watching Clark reminisce over the memory, “Sounds like an interesting character.”
“Yeah,” Clark reached over to take another bite, looking around the scenery. “I guess you run into people like that everywhere. I saw a lot of them when I traveled. The loners or the ones that would just kinda stand out or grab your attention doing something bizarre.”
“Like swallowing bombs?” Lois teased, nudging him in the side lightly.
“Bomb swallowing is an art,” Clark teased, wagging his index finger in the air for emphasis. Lois let out a soft giggle, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I don’t think I would have had the courage to try and do something that bold as to swallow a bomb in front of someone – especially you – a few years ago. It took me years to feel comfortable in my own skin – with these powers.” Clark gestured to himself recalling some of the challenges he’d come across over the years in learning how to control his powers.
“I guess that’s what makes everyone human…or Kryptonian.” Lois gave him a smile turning her head to look to where the sun was setting behind the majestic Buckingham Palace. “The view here is pretty amazing.”
“Perfection,” he agreed, looking back at her.
She smiled, reaching her hand up to stroke his cheek “I think you’re looking in the wrong direction, Farmboy.” She gestured to the sunset she had been watching a moment ago. “The sunset’s that way.”
“I know.” He whispered, leaning in to kiss her.
________________________________________
Jimmy reached over to turn his monitor off, ready to call it a night when he felt a vibration in his pocket. He looked down and saw the number that was calling was from his doctor’s office and stopped to answer it.
“James Olsen.”
“Jimmy,” he heard the familiar voice of Dr. Golden on the other line. “Listen, I hate to call so late but it’s very important that you come down to the hospital immediately.”
“Is everything all right?” Jimmy asked, picking up on the slight edge in his doctor’s voice.
“Everything’s fine, Jimmy, I just need to talk to you about an experiment that took place at Fort Truman when….”
“Hello? Dr. Goldman?”
A gun shot could be heard through the receiver and Jimmy let out a muffled scream when a voice came on the line.
“Who is this?”
________________________________________
Lois felt a flutter run through her abdomen as she leaned her head back against Clark’s chest, feeling the warmth of his touch run through her as they walked up the steps to her apartment building. As tempting as it was to have a repeat of last night or even the enchanting evening they had shared over the last few hours she knew if she didn’t try to return to her normal routine and sleep in her own bed she very well could find herself tempted to give into the temptation of moving their relationship faster than a speeding bullet into a territory she felt neither of them were quite ready for.
Physically she felt an undeniable pull that continued to taunt her over and over again with the many many fantasies she had over the past year of that morning at the Apollo. Even prior to her reconciling the two identities and even before Superman had come onto the scene she had found herself undeniably drawn to Clark Kent. A truth she had tried to deny again and again – refusing to admit she had allowed herself to succumb to the physical desire that begged to find gratification in the arms of the farmboy that by all intents and purposes was much more than he seemed.
More so, now that she knew everything.
Emotionally the pull was still there but she knew they both weren’t ready to take that step just yet. They were just now finding the rhythm to their relationship and as satisfying as it was to finally say the words that had been weighing on her for months and feel as if she could say them without hesitation had been liberating. Emotionally she knew the temptation was there but a wrong move could put the brakes on everything they both had worked so hard to build.
She knew each and every one of these facts.
She had categorized them and emphasized their importance internally again and again.
Yet here she was ready to throw caution to the wind the second Clark Kent’s lips touched hers and she felt the array of deadbolts press against her back. It was so unbelievably tempting to indulge in the burning desire that had been fanned into a firey inferno as his lips smoothed their way across hers with the most exquisite precision.
“I love you, Lois Lane,” he murmured in her ear, pulling back to gaze into her eyes.
“I love you too,” Lois grinned back at him, looping her arms around his neck. “See, this is exactly why I need to stay here.”
His body rumbled from laughter as he asked, “Oh, really, why is that?”
“Too tempting.” She responded with a sigh.
“What exactly is…?” Clark stopped mid-sentence when he turned toward the hallway they had just entered from and saw Bill Henderson and Detective Ryder.
“Lane, Kent, I hate to interrupt, but….uh, this is important.” Bill Henderson spoke up as a hint of pink crossed his face to reveal his own embarrassment on barging in on the obvious intimate scene between the couple.
“What’s going on?” Lois asked, smoothing her jacket with her palm.
“I, uh, need to take you downtown for questioning,” Henderson explained.
“For what?” Lois asked, not following.
“It’s just routine,” Ryder interjected. “We don’t believe it for a second but…”
“Don’t believe what?” Clark asked concerned.
Henderson’s jaw tightened as he continued, “We have reason to believe you may have either witnessed or been involved in the bombing of City Hall.”
“What?” Lois gasped at the same time Clark let out a “That is ridiculous!”
“I’m sure it is,” Henderson responded. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I have a lead to follow up. Now, you can either come downtown willingly or I can get a warrant. Which is it going to be?”
Lois crossed her arms over her chest in defiance, “I don’t really have much choice, now do I?”
________________________________________
TBC...
Comments Go Here
