The World Falls AwayFolc4evernaday
Chapter 4: Eyes of the Devil ________________________________________
Lois looked around the hallway, eying the dirty handprints and stopping when she found yet another guard that had been knocked unconscious. She gave a pleading look to Clark, hoping to grasp some recognition from him or a response of some kind, but found nothing. He seemed to be in a daze, not quite present in the dangerous situation they were in and unable to recognize the danger he was putting himself and everyone he cared about in with this order to confess to the world.
“Looks like they’ve been here.”
“Yes, quite,” Wells agreed with a grim expression.
“Luthor must be stopped,” Clark advised, looking around the corridor with a determined scowl. “He must be brought to justice.”
“Yes, yes, of course, he does,” Wells agreed, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder.
They reached the end of the corridor and approached a large steel door with a lock and a monitor where a retinal scanner was set up to grant access. “Oh …” Lois gasped out, “I think this is the end of the line.”
“Not quite, is it, Superman?” Wells asked, looking to Clark for confirmation.
Clark nodded, understanding what Wells was referring to. Lois watched in amazement as Clark removed his glasses and positioned himself to be scanned and the doors and alarms ceased their warnings before the steel door in front of them slid open. She smiled, eying the hallway in front of them, “Makes you wonder just what they did to get in here.”
They walked down the hallway, and Lois stopped in front of a large vault with an entry that was as tall as Clark, and a caution sign was taped outside the massive metal spoke that held the vault door closed. “Is that what I think it is?”
“It’s best if we just keep walking…” Wells pointed to the anxious expression on Clark’s face.
“Oh, Herb, please stay a while. It’s been so long since we’ve caught up.” A voice came from behind them.
Lois whipped her head around, finding herself face to face with Lex holding a weapon on her with a glint in his eye. He stood next to the mysterious man she could only guess was Tempus.
“Lois, when will you ever learn I always get what I want?” Lex growled, keeping the gun trained on her.
“Tempus,” Wells responded vehemently. “I believe you’ve caused quite enough trouble in the twentieth century.”
“Oh, but I’m just getting started,” Tempus grinned impishly, keeping his weapon trained on Clark as he pressed a button and ordered, “Open the Kryptonite vault and step inside.”
“No!” Lois screamed, reaching her hand out to stop Clark from moving toward the vault he was being directed toward, but she found him an immovable force as he pushed past her to open the deadly entrance.
She fumbled to her feet only to find herself faced with the cold metal barrel of the gun Lex held on her. Her eyes shifted to the left, where Wells was in an equally precarious situation with Tempus holding a gun to Wells’ temple.
“You won’t get away with this. The police know where we are.” Lois warned, feigning a boldness she didn’t feel at that moment.
“Ah, that famous Lois Lane spunk,” Tempus chuckled, looking at her with a twinkle in his eye before turning back to Wells, “Don’t you ever get tired of this game, Herb? You try to one-up me. I capture you and Superman, then you find a way to escape, and then comes the big blue boy scout here to save the day and whisk me off to prison…” He let out a deep sigh, “How about we cut to the chase and put an end to this charade once and for all?”
“You’re an incomprehensible fiend beyond redemption,” Wells growled out at him. “You cannot stop a future that is destined to happen.”
“No?” Tempus looped his arm around Wells’ neck and grabbed him by the collar, “But I’m going to give it my best shot.”
“Where are we going?” Wells demanded.
Tempus ignored the question and gestured to Lex, grinning ear to ear. “See to it she doesn’t get in the way of Superman’s press conference. I want her to have a front-row seat.”
________________________________________
11:45 a.m.
The television monitor flashed a quick image of the empty podium in front of City Hall. The sound of the newscaster’s voice filled the room, detailing the coverage. “A press conference has been called by Superman, promising answers to the burning question. Just who is the Man of Steel?”
Clark’s head jerked up, and he looked around, recognizing the apartment and everything in it as his own. A flood of images rushed through his mind in a jagged puzzle, not quite fitting into place. He looked to the television in confusion, looking down at the Superman suit he was in.
What had happened?
A man.
A threat.
A revelation.
They all jumbled together in chaos as he struggled to process each piece.
The phone on the side table rang, and just as he had before, he found himself unable to stop himself from reaching for the phone. He winced in dreaded apprehension, wondering if pain was what greeted him on the other end of the phone.
“Hello?”
“CK?”
Clark signed in relief when he heard his friend’s voice on the other end of the phone. “Hey, Jimmy, what’s up?”
“Not much, I guess. Listen, I’m logging the research from last night. The phone records and wanted to see what story you wanted me to file that under.” Jimmy prompted nonchalantly.
The flood of images came back to him, and he recalled the call Lois had made to Jimmy last night asking for a trace on the call they’d received earlier. The mind-numbing pain that had taken over him during the call and the order he’d been given.
Lois.
She was still at STAR Labs.
Or was she?
He reached into his mind, searching for a memory of how he got here but found nothing. Realizing Jimmy was still waiting for a response, he cleared his throat and quickly said, “Luthor. You can put it under the Luthor story.”
“Okay, thanks, CK…everything, okay?” Jimmy asked.
“I don’t know. Hey, see if you can get ahold of Bill Henderson? I think there might be something going on at STAR Labs.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.” Clark sighed, realizing how it sounded. “I just think there might be something there connected to Luthor.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll give him a call.”
“Thanks, Jimmy.”
________________________________________
11: 55 a.m.
Lois struggled within the binds that held her in the wobbly steel chair she was tied to. Her tired muscles ached as she looked across the room where Tempus and Lex were. The villainous duo stood by the monitor watching the press conference's coverage where a crowd full of reporters stood outside of City Hall waiting for Superman. It had been hours since she’d been tied up by Lex, listening to them taunt her for hours of how the destruction of Superman would somehow make things right in their world.
After Clark had been sealed in the Kryptonite vault, Tempus had released him and knocked him unconscious with a stun gun, then disappeared a few hours. She’d been tied to this painfully uncomfortable chair for hours waiting for a sign or word from somewhere, telling her that Clark was indeed okay. All she had left was this empty monitor of the news cycle passed between different journalists, theorizing on what Superman’s big announcement was.
The clock ticked closer and closer to noon, and Lois shook her head, looking at Wells, “He’s still not there. Maybe he’s found a way to fight it?”
“Let’s hope so, Ms. Lane.”
A loud tapping came from the other side of the room, and she jerked her tired muscles to where Lex was tapping against the screen, demanding from Tempus, “Where is he? You and your big plans, hmm? He’s a no-show and in the wind…” He released the safety on his gun and hissed out, “I’m done letting you take the lead. It’s time I take care of Superman once and for all…”
A loud crash came from up above them, and Lois screeched out a sharp gasp as the ceiling tiles above them came crashing down. White dust from the ceiling tiles covered the lab, and she could feel the dust inside her nose. Carefully she peeled her eyes opened and saw Clark standing in the blue and red spandex with his cape billowing behind him.
“Why Superman, you’re late for your debut,” Tempus admonished, scolding him as he walked toward Clark.
“Yes, your long overdue debut – the key to your destruction, Superman.” Lex taunted him.
Clark was frozen in place, seeming to be fighting an internal battle as Lois felt the binds give way. She let out a sharp breath feeling instant relief as her tired muscles felt the tension released. She stumbled to the ground, crawling her way to where Wells was still tied up, and helped free him. Her attention moved to Clark, who was frozen in place as Tempus taunted him.
“You are unbelievably stubborn, aren’t you, Clark, but you can’t fight it. Even with all your powers, you can’t fight the unyielding desire to unburden yourself and….”
With a loud yelp, Lois swung her leg around, knocking Tempus to the ground as Lex stormed toward her. She reached her hand out to grab the device Tempus had been holding and tossed it to Wells. “Run!”
With the binds freed and their limbs no longer hindered, they both soared toward the doorframe that was half-cracked from the crash Clark had put it through. She stopped when she reached the hallway and found two locked doors with retina scanners keeping her from leaving.
“Oh, dear…” Wells looked back at her in dismay.
Lois reached her hand over to take the device from him and dropped it on the floor, “One thing about delicate technology is it can’t always take a hard blow.” With that she stepped on the illuminating ring and silver square in the center that had the yellow blinking light squashed beneath her heel.
“If you think that’s all it takes to….”
Tempus stopped mid-sentence when Clark stormed past him, approaching Lois with a smile as he reached down to pick up the device. “Need a hand?”
She smiled, looking back where a long metal beam was wrapped around Lex, holding him in place and keeping him from escaping.
“Always.” She responded warmly.
He picked the device up and held it up for examination. “There’s something in there.”
“Kryptonite,” Tempus responded coldly.
“Something different from what we found in Smallville,” Clark answered, turning to Lois. “It’s silver.”
“Yes, a freak accident that created a…delightful effect on Kryptonians.” Tempus cheered. “Give it a blast and see what happens.”
“Don’t touch it, Superman,” Wells warned.
Clark looked pleadingly at Lois, and she took it from him as he cowered down in pain. Tempus laughed, circling around him in laughter. “A vain attempt to stop the effects of Kryptonite ended with a weapon that drove the man of steel mad. Ironic, isn’t it?”
Before Clark could respond, Lois knocked the weapon in his hand to the ground and kicked it across the hallway. Her knee pressed into his back, holding him in place. She looked to Wells, “Is he okay?”
Wells picked up the device and tapped on the side with a white ring illuminating in gold. “Yes, he’ll be fine in just a moment.” He looked to Tempus, “Are you really that naive, Tempus? You aren’t the only one that came prepared.”
“What is that?” Lois asked.
“The antidote Dr. Klein developed for Silver Kryptonite poisoning,” Wells advised as Clark’s face relaxed from the slumped over position he was in.
“Always so smug,” Tempus growled from the floor.
Clark staggered to his feet, looking at Wells, “Do I want to know?”
“Best not to know too much yet, my boy,” Wells smiled back to him. He pointed to Tempus, “I think it’s time we take our annual visit back home, hmm, Tempus?”
“What are you going to do with him?” Clark asked.
“Wasteless prison of boredom and self-loathing,” Tempus grumbled, staring back at Clark in disgust. “Are you even sorry about the torturous world you’ve built? No crime. No guns. A world so boring you’d blow your brains out, but there are no guns…”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Clark frowned, “Perhaps you should find a hobby…that doesn’t involve guns.” His eyes narrowed as he headed back to where Luthor was tied up. “Maybe you both could do with a change of scenery.”
“You won’t get away with this!” Lex howled. “I’ll tell the world your little secret... If you won’t tell them, I will, and everything you care about will be destroyed. The lying hero.”
“I’m not sure how much faith they’ll put into a hardened criminal,” Lois shot back as the door to the left opened, revealing the SWAT Team with Bill Henderson leading the charge.
“Superman! We got word that Lex Luthor was hiding out here.” Henderson explained.
“In here,” Clark gestured to Luthor and watched as the SWAT Team worked to free him.
Wells chuckled to himself. “I suppose that’s our cue.”
________________________________________
Lois tugged on the heavy knit blanket wrapped around her as she waited outside STAR Labs. H.G. Wells had disappeared with Tempus with a plan on just what to do with him, while Clark helped the SWAT Team take Luthor into custody. She felt a heavyweight on her shoulders as she looked around, trying to process everything that had happened. Even after everything that had happened, she couldn’t bring herself to address the mixed emotions she was feeling over the revelation and how close they’d all been to him admitting his identity to the world. How dangerous that identity was. No matter what happened, she promised herself she would keep his confidence. The world needed Clark and Superman.
Lois looked over at Clark as he appeared around the corner with a smile, humming to herself as she took in the sight of him in the red and blue suit. How had she not seen it? The same eyes, jaw, and features were all there. Then of course, he seemed to show up when she needed him. It all made sense.
“Is this going to feel as weird to you as it does to me? Knowing you’re Superman from now on?” Lois asked, toying with the end of her blouse as she walked with him out of the STAR Labs vault.
A clearing of the throat came from behind them before Clark could respond, and they both turned to see HG Wells shaking his head, “Oh, I’m afraid that can’t be, Ms. Lane.” A knowing smile crossed his lips, and he added with a wink. “Not just yet, anyway. We've tampered with history enough.”
“Well, it's a little late...don’t you think?” Clark asked with a raised brow.
“Not at all.” HG Wells responded. “I’ll simply drop each of you back before Tempus ever showed up. You’ll both remember nothing, and none of this will have ever happened.”
“I don’t know. Sounds like a bad Sci-Fi movie to me,” Lois commented.
“Perhaps, but it’s worked before.” H.G. Wells commented with a wink.
“Before?” Lois asked with a curious gaze. “How many times exactly?”
“Just a few.”
~The End
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