All right, so I couldn't quite finish it in 4.
Part 5 will be an epilogue, and it would be nice if someone could tell me what they would like to see in it.
Nan
Nuclear Option: 4/5
by Nan Smith
Previously:
She wasn't going to give in to curiosity this time. If she didn't have enough faith in Lex to trust him without proof, she wouldn't have agreed to marry him. Would she?
'Maybe,' a little voice in the back of her mind whispered softly, 'you don't want to listen because you're afraid of what you'll find out.'
'That's ridiculous,' she scoffed. 'I know everything I need to know about Lex. I know he's cultured and intelligent, and one of the greatest philanthropists in the world. I know he supplies jobs to thousands of people. I know he's not perfect, but no one is, not even Superman. What could possibly be on there that would make me change my mind about marrying him?'
She was halfway to the kitchen before she made herself stop and return to the bedroom. She wasn't going to think about this any more. She was going to go to bed and get a good night's sleep so she could look her best at the ceremony tomorrow afternoon. She was just going to forget about the blasted tape!
An hour later, she was gritting her teeth in frustration, and wide awake.
All right, that was it! She sat up in bed. If she flushed the tape down the toilet then she wouldn't be wondering about it anymore. It would be beyond her reach. Quickly, she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen.
The tape was still sitting in the trashcan on top of the little pile of broken microphones. Lois picked it up and headed toward the bathroom.
And now, Part 4:
She was in the doorway when she stopped, irresolute, staring at the tape. This was crazy! What was she doing? Why shouldn't she listen to the tape? If she trusted Lex, what difference could it possibly make?
"All right!" she said aloud. "But if this is a scam, Clark Kent, you're history!"
She spun on her heel and marched into the living room. Her tape recorder was in the drawer of the end table and she retrieved it, slipped in the tape and pushed the "play" button.
**********
Morning dawned bright and clear in Metropolis, the morning of the wedding of Lex Luthor to Lois Lane. Clark hadn't slept all night as he waited for the phone call from Lois that never came.
Had she listened to the tape? If she had, had she believed what she heard?
He didn't know. There had been no contact with William Henderson, although he knew the police inspector had been working hard to verify the information brought to him by Jimmy and Jack, and not a word from Lois. It was beginning to look like he was going to have to act. If he forcibly prevented Lois's wedding to Luthor, he had no idea how she would react even after the evidence came out. She would probably never forgive him for taking the decision out of her hands, but he couldn't let Lois's pig-headedness ruin her life, even if it ruined his.
In the bathroom, he could hear Perry's electric razor buzzing away. Jimmy and Jack were just stirring, and a glance out the curtained front windows showed him that the patient watcher was still at his post.
The razor went off, and he heard water splashing. A moment later, Perry stuck his head around the partition. "If you hurry you can get the bathroom before these two get their act together."
Clark nodded and headed for the bathroom. Behind him, he heard Perry rousting Jimmy and Jack. "Come on, you two. We've got places to go and people to see this morning."
Clark made fast work of showering, shaving and dressing while Perry was toasting bread for a hasty breakfast, and handed the bathroom over to the two junior members ten minutes later.
"Better get some breakfast," Perry told him. "Today looks like it's going to be a busy one. There's only a few hours left before the wedding." He looked shrewdly at Clark. "Henderson may still come through in time, Clark. I'm headed over there with Jimmy and Jack. I've got an assignment for you, too."
"I'm not sure there's anything left except something pretty drastic," Clark said. "I guess I could kidnap Lois off the steps of the church or something, if it looks like Henderson's not going to make it."
"I talked to him last night," Perry said. "He's having to be careful so as not to tip off Luthor. He's waiting for a particular judge to get back into town this afternoon -- one that he knows for sure isn't on Luthor's payroll. I want you to attend the wedding -- but no kidnapping; got it? I'm givin' you my cell phone, and if it looks like we might be late, I'll call you. If I do that, you're gonna have to delay the wedding by any means necessary. Can you manage it?"
Clark accepted the cell phone, set it on vibrate and slipped it into his pocket. "You can count on me, Chief."
Perry nodded, then took a second sharper look at him. "I mean it, Clark. No goin' off the deep end. It won't help us a bit if you get yourself arrested for doin' something stupid. You got me, son? And tell Superman the same thing. We're gonna beat Luthor the *right* way."
"What if Henderson's not in time?" Clark said. "She'll be tied to a sociopath for the rest of her life."
"Not if I know Lois," Perry said. "Once she knows the truth and comes to her senses, Luthor will be the one in hot water. You've never seen Lois in nuclear mode. I have. It's not a pretty sight." Perry looked him directly in the eyes. "In any case, we'll deal with that if it happens. Go get yourself a tux and be sure to take your invitation."
**********
The penthouse ballroom was lavishly decorated, Clark saw as he took his seat near the front in the section reserved for the bride's guests, next to the aisle down which Lois would walk to meet her bridegroom. The room was wreathed in flowers, and almost as heavily populated with the cream of Metropolis's high society. He saw the mayor and his wife seated near the front, directly behind the place reserved for Lois's family. The rest of the seats were rapidly filling up with a veritable who's who of politicians, wealthy businessmen, CEOs of various international companies and their husbands or wives.
A full orchestra was assembled on one side of the room, complete with a conductor. Now and then a squeak or a soft toot could be heard as the musicians tuned their instruments. Clark watched the scene with a sense of unreality. He'd sworn to Lois that he would not attend her wedding, but here he was -- if for a slightly different purpose than might have been assumed.
An usher moved down the aisle, escorting a small, blond woman who must be Lois's mother to the spot in the front row reserved for the mother of the bride. Clark shifted uneasily as the last persons took their seats.
The cellular phone in his pocket vibrated. He glanced around and removed the phone covertly, ignoring the dagger-like glare of the small woman in the row ahead.
"Kent."
"Clark," Perry's voice said. "We're on our way. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. If it looks like things are going too fast, you're going to have to delay it. Got it?"
"Got it," Clark said briefly. He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket.
There was a stir at the altar, and a man in the robes of an Archbishop moved out to take his place. A moment later, Lex Luthor, accompanied by a younger man, who must be the best man, entered from an inconspicuous side door.
A familiar wave of nausea washed over Clark as Luthor took his position in front of the Archbishop. He fought back dizziness, looking cautiously around for the source. He'd felt like this at the farm when his father had first uncovered the Kryptonite meteorite, and more recently at the Bank of Metropolis a few days before. It was fainter than it had been on the previous two occasions but very far from harmless.
There it was. It was as if his eyes were drawn to it like a magnet. Luthor was *wearing* it! The green stone on his right forefinger glinted evilly in the sunlight streaming in through the glass of the window that filled the entire outer wall.
If he tried to leave now, people would certainly notice, he thought, and Luthor could not fail to add two and two together. The man might be a sociopath, but he was malevolently intelligent. Grimly he stayed in his spot, fighting the influence of the poisonous crystal. He could feel the beads of sweat springing out on his forehead as he struggled to appear relaxed and normal. If he were somehow able to stagger out of here without anyone noticing anything wrong he would lose his one chance to stop what was about to happen. He sat still, clenching his teeth as the strength slowly drained from his muscles.
The orchestra struck up the wedding march, and he resisted the urge to look around, keeping his eyes fixed on Lex Luthor. The man's gaze was riveted on something behind Clark, and he could guess what it was. Lois was advancing down the aisle toward her bridegroom.
Why was the man wearing that thing? There had been the reference to Series K in the tape, and he could guess what the K stood for: Kryptonite. And something in the wine cellar. He must have planned all along to attack Superman, Clark thought. Even now, he was wearing a piece of the one thing that could harm his greatest enemy. Had he guessed that Superman would do everything in his power to stop his marriage to Lois? Or was it merely symbolism? Had he known somehow what Lois Lane meant to the Man of Steel?
Lois was passing him now. She didn't turn her head, but he saw her eyes flick in his direction. Then she was past him, and Lex Luthor stepped forward to draw her arm through his. Together, they faced the Archbishop as the orchestra went silent.
The Archbishop began to speak. Clark listened with his heart thumping like a hammer to the words of the traditional wedding ceremony, but in his mind he was casting about frantically for an idea, anything that he could use to delay the wedding ceremony and give Henderson and the others time to get here before it was too late.
"... Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together - let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
The Archbishop paused for a second, but of course, no one really expected anyone to speak. No one ever did; it was just part of the ceremony.
"I have a reason!" Lois's voice spoke up, loud in the silence.
The Archbishop stared at her, apparently shocked into open-mouthed astonishment. Even Luthor seemed stunned. The room was completely silent, and then a low murmur began. Lois turned, facing the guests who had come to see her married. The white, delicate bouquet dropped unheeded to the ground, and Clark saw through the haze that was beginning to drop over his vision, the small tape recorder clutched in both of her hands. She pushed the "play" button, and into the echoing space of the enormous room, amplified by the microphone that had been positioned perfectly to broadcast the vows of the happy couple to everyone present, Luthor's voice began to speak.
The murmur died as the recorded voice continued, and then began again. Luthor seemed frozen in place.
The doors of the ballroom flew open and William Henderson, accompanied by Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Jack Brown and a mob of uniformed police burst through.
"Stop the wedding!" Perry shouted. "You can't marry this man!"
Luthor snatched the recorder from Lois's hands and hurled it to the floor. The incriminating voice ceased with a dying hiccup. He glared at the uninvited guests. "What is the meaning of this?"
"The meaning, Luthor, is that you're through," Perry said, with obvious relish. "We have all the evidence against you we need."
"Evidence?" Lois asked. "You mean there's more?"
"He was behind the bombing of the Planet!" Jimmy's voice rose over the chaos that had erupted among the guests.
"I have a warrant here charging you with arson and other crimes too numerous to mention," Henderson said.
"You're out of your minds. All of you," Luthor said.
"You have the right to remain silent," Henderson said expressionlessly. Or, Clark thought, was he imagining the slightest hint of satisfaction in the officer's normally deadpan voice? It was hard to tell through the ringing in his ears as he struggled to stay upright. He had to hold out until they escorted Luthor away. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney ..."
The rest was a jumble of noise and confusion. Clark found himself leaning back against the seat, unable to sort out what was happening. There was a burst of shouts and a chorus of screams, and people were milling around in near-panic, and then the police were gone and so was the ache of the Kryptonite. Luthor -- where had Luthor gone?
"Clark!" Lois had dropped to her knees beside him, and he realized that he was leaning forward, his face in his hands. He made a tremendous effort and pushed himself upright, in spite of the feeling that his head was somehow divorced from the rest of his body.
"Lois?"
"Oh Clark!" Her face was very close to his. "Are you all right?"
He nodded, fighting the tendency of the room to tilt sideways. "Sorry. I haven't had a lot of sleep lately."
Lois had picked up the remains of her recorder, and was holding the tape in one hand. "Clark, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. I almost didn't listen to it ... but when I did ..." She took a deep breath. "You were right all along."
Things were steadying down, now that the Kryptonite was gone. "Where's Luthor?"
Henderson glanced at him. "Don't worry, we'll get him. We have the whole building sealed off." He hurried after his men. Lois looked after him and then sank onto a chair.
"I've always been such a good judge of character. I almost *married* him! Then I listened to the tape, and ..." She shuddered. "Clark, can you ever forgive me for being so stupid?"
"He fooled us all," Perry said.
"Not me," Jack said glumly.
"I never trusted him," Jimmy said.
"It was Clark who smoked him out," Perry said. "You okay, son?"
"Yeah." Clark got gingerly to his feet, but the room remained steady. "Let's get out of here."
"It can't be fast enough for me," Lois said. "I spent half the night trying to figure out what to do." She clutched the cassette. "After I got over the shock, I was just so *angry*... I heard him talking to that woman ..." She glanced at Perry, Jimmy and Jack and broke off. "Come on. I can't stand this place."
Together they made their way past the milling guests out into the hall. Clark ventured to touch Lois's hand. "I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way you wanted."
"Don't be. Last night while I was trying to decide what to do I realized something else."
"Oh?"
"I realized that this way, I didn't have to give up my best friend. It was actually a relief. You never gave up on me, did you?"
"I couldn't," Clark said.
"I know, even though I don't understand why." She swallowed suddenly. "Can you forgive me for treating you the way I did?"
"Do you even need to ask?"
"You're a lot more generous than I would be," she said. "I want to go home, if you don't mind."
"I'll take you there."
She nodded, and he saw her swallow again. She wasn't nearly as calm as she was trying to pretend, but she didn't want anyone to know, he thought, as he rang for the elevator. Here and there various persons who had been guests at the aborted wedding wandered about somewhat aimlessly as if they weren't quite sure what the protocol was for this kind of social situation. They would figure it out eventually, he thought, but he suspected that Lois didn't want to share the elevator with any of them. The car arrived within seconds and he and his companions boarded. The elevator doors closed and the car began its hundred-odd story drop.
Which was why none of them were aware, until they stepped out into the street and saw the crowd of onlookers, police and emergency vehicles, that Lex Luthor had fallen to his death after jumping from the balcony of his office to escape the avenging hand of the law. Justice, as Perry said later, had finally caught up with Lex Luthor. He had taken the easy way out, but not one of them could be sorry.
"Come on, Lois," Clark said. "I'll take you home."
**********
tbc
