Pheromone, More Likely: 7/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
The butler poured wine for both of them and then departed. Lois took a bite of the excellent food, glancing at the panorama of the lighted city below them. "Your chef is wonderful, Lex."
He nodded. "Andre has been with me for ten years." He swallowed half a glassful of wine without seeming to notice, his eyes still fixed on her face. "Why haven't I noticed before how incredibly beautiful you are? It's as if I've been blind, and now I really see you for the first time ..."
Lois sighed inaudibly. It was going to be a long evening.
**********
And now, Part 7:
Lois Lane unlocked the door of her apartment and let herself into the dimly lit room. It hadn't been as long an evening as she had expected, but only because Lex had become drowsy over his sixth glass of wine. Lois suspected the perfume's effect of lowering the inhibitions had contributed to the situation, and had been all too willing to leave when Nigel had suggested that he drive her home. Now, she closed and locked her door with a sigh of relief. Lex would undoubtedly be thoroughly embarrassed in the morning, assuming that the pheromone had worn off by then.
But her questions hadn't been answered this evening. If anything, they had grown more urgent. Where and why had Lex encountered the pheromone? And, what was his connection with Miranda?
She hesitated, looking at her watch, and made a reluctant decision. She was going to need Clark's help with this one, much as it went against the grain to admit that she needed anyone's help. There were just too many questions to let the subject lie. It was barely midnight. Hopefully, her partner wasn't in bed, yet. She knew he often stayed up late watching sports events that his VCR had recorded for him while he was out. Having made the decision, she picked up the phone and dialed Clark's number.
She had pulled off the elegant cocktail gown and the heeled shoes and was sliding into a pair of pajamas when he answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Clark, did I wake you up?" she asked, slightly dismayed at the sleepy tone of his voice.
"Lois?" He sounded surprised. "No, I was just getting ready for bed. Is something wrong?"
"Kind of." She hesitated for a long moment. She was handing Clark ammunition, but hadn't she already decided to talk to him about Lex, anyway? "Something pretty strange happened tonight."
"What?"
"I think Lex has been sprayed with the perfume."
"*What*?" Clark's voice was sharp. "How could you tell?"
"Believe me, I could tell."
"What happened?"
Briefly, she related the events of the evening that had led up to her concluding that Lex had received a dose of Miranda's perfume. Clark listened in silence until she had finished.
"Is Luthor all right?" he asked, when she had finished.
"I left him sleeping in his chair. Nigel St. John drove me home."
"This is an interesting development," he said. "Did he give you any idea at all what might have happened?"
"Nothing."
There was silence at the other end of the phone for a good thirty seconds. "It probably happened this afternoon," he said, thoughtfully.
"Why do you think that?"
"I'm guessing, but I've been keeping an eye on Miranda. I followed her to LexTower around five-thirty today. She was in Luthor's penthouse for about twenty minutes or so and when she came back out she was pretty upset about something. She must have sprayed Luthor, then."
"Why would she have sprayed Lex?"
His voice became cautious. "How about we talk about it in the morning, Lois, after we've both had some sleep? I'm pretty tired, after spending all last night wide awake."
The memory of why he'd spent the entire night awake made her blush. Still, it served to remind her that Clark Kent was an honorable man, unlike a number of others with whom she had had relationships in the past. After she'd figured out his code of ethics, she'd doubted that it would survive the big city for more than a few months, but he'd surprised her. Although that same set of ethics might annoy her upon occasion, she had to admit that she could count the kind of men like him that she knew on the fingers of one hand and have one or two left over. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea, after all, to give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to what he had to say.
"Lois?" Clark's voice said, and she realized she'd been looking blankly at the wall for nearly a minute.
"Um, sure. We'll talk first thing in the morning, then. I'll pick you up at seven."
**********
After he hung up the phone, Clark sat staring at the instrument for several minutes, trying to decide what to do. It didn't seem likely that anything would be going on at this hour, but taking a quick peek at Luthor and Miranda probably wouldn't hurt. An instant later, Superman was out the window and headed for LexTower.
Luthor was sleeping in an armchair in his study. After a startled moment, Clark concluded that his servants had decided not to disturb him after he'd fallen asleep in his chair. Lois, he recalled, with some amusement, had related the fact with apparent relief. Apparently Luthor in an amorous mood wasn't to her taste, at least when it was something like this pheromone that released his inhibitions. He wondered, somewhat grimly, what she thought of the obvious fact that the billionaire found her attractive. He hadn't quite dared to ask such an inflammatory question. Besides, it didn't fit with his new campaign to bring the inconsistencies of Luthor's actions quietly to her attention. It did seem to have her wondering, which wasn't surprising. Lois, when she wasn't in defensive mode, was a very intelligent woman. When she actually thought about Luthor's behavior, instead of simply trying to defend him against Clark's perceived criticism, she was bound to notice that something wasn't quite right. At least, he hoped so. Lex Luthor was a foe to be reckoned with, that was for certain, and he would never knowingly give Lois any reason to doubt the sterling character that he showed her at all times. However, he already had done so, unintentionally. The minor fact that he had visited the newsroom while everyone was under the effects of the pheromone and hadn't reacted to the unusual circumstances seemed to have set Lois to wondering. Hopefully, the tiny chink in his armor would in the end prove the man's undoing.
Making a sharp turn in the air, he headed for Miranda's shop. There was a light on in the show room, but there was no sign of the woman and he concluded that she was probably home asleep. Well, there was nothing he could do for the moment. Superman headed back to his apartment. Even he needed some sleep after the last forty-eight hours.
**********
He was just tightening the knot on his latest tie when someone rapped sharply on his door. The clock on the table said 6:42. Lowering his glasses, he saw Lois as she raised her fist to knock again.
Quickly, he finished adjusting his tie and hurried up the steps to answer, opening it as she started to knock. She almost fell through the door and he caught her arm. "Oops! Are you all right?"
She regained her balance almost at once, and her composure with slightly more effort. "Yeah." She cleared her throat. "I wanted to talk to you before we go in to work. I already phoned Perry and told him we'd be a little late. I said we were working on the pheromone thing."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are we?"
"Yes. Kind of."
"Okay." He waved at the kitchenette. "There's some coffee left. Help yourself. I'll be finished dressing in a minute."
"Sure." She seemed to seize onto the suggestion with more enthusiasm than she usually displayed about coffee. He cast her an uncertain glance as he retreated to his bedroom to run a comb quickly through his hair and retrieve his wallet and the new pager he'd managed to find time to pick up, yesterday. When Lois got into one of these moods it meant that something was up, and usually foreshadowed some delicate verbal tap dancing for him.
A quick glance through the wall showed her pouring herself a cup of coffee and dumping in the remainder of the artificial sweetener and creamer that he'd acquired for her yesterday. She stirred so vigorously that some of the coffee slopped onto his sink board. Obviously agitated, she snatched a paper towel off the roll by the sink and accidentally jerked the roll from its holder. The roll promptly fell into the sink and Lois pulled it out, nearly knocking the plate and cup that he'd set in the drainer to the floor.
Deciding that he'd better make a reappearance before Lois destroyed his kitchen, he stepped out of his bedroom, whistling so as not to startle her and strolled into the kitchenette. Observing her mopping up the puddle of coffee, he picked up her coffee cup and set it on the small table out of the way of her clean-up attempts. "Is something wrong, Lois?"
She threw the wet paper towel into the trash and turned to face him. He could hear her pulse pounding hard and fast. Oh boy; this wasn't good.
Quickly, he pulled out one of the kitchen chairs. Best to get her sitting down before she broke something or launched into a rant that involved pacing and waving arms, to the imminent peril of his kitchen crockery, and where he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. "Here, Lois, why don't we sit down and you can tell me what the problem is."
After an instant's hesitation, she obeyed, nearly knocking over the coffee cup in her haste. He grabbed it, trying not to look apprehensive, moved it back a few more inches from the edge and took the seat across from her.
Lois picked up the cup of coffee and took a long drink. Clark folded his hands in his lap and fixed his eyes on her face. And waited.
**********
Lois took a gulp of the coffee to steady her nerves. She'd nearly chickened out on her way here, not once but twice. The infuriating thing was, she couldn't even put her finger on why. It couldn't be that she was afraid of what Clark would say. She hadn't been at all hesitant about crushing his criticism of Lex before, which meant that she didn't really doubt Lex, didn't it?
Then, why was she so nervous?
"I need to ask you something," she blurted out.
He looked slightly wary. "Yes?"
"I know you don't like Lex," she said. "I need to know why."
He stared at her, and then his face lost all its expression. "I think I've already said enough on that subject, Lois."
She glared at him and then took a grip on herself. She could hardly blame the man. The last time they'd argued over Lex, they hadn't spoken to each other for two days except in the line of business. He obviously wasn't going to risk that again.
"No, Clark, I have a reason for asking. I know I got angry the last time, but I really need to know. Is there a specific reason, or is it that you just don't like him?"
"I have several reasons, but I don't have any proof to give you, Lois. I'm not going to make allegations I can't prove."
She had never believed the old adage of one's heart dropping into one's shoes until now. "What do you mean, proof? You know something about Lex that you haven't told me? Why not?"
He hesitated. "I tried to tell you a while back. You made it clear you didn't want to hear it. Look, I really don't want to fight with you over Luthor. Let's just drop it, okay?"
"No, Clark, I can't drop it. If you know something incriminating about him, I want to know what it is."
He hesitated, obviously thinking it over. "I think you should ask Superman," he said, finally. "He was there."
Lois stared at him in real shock. "You mean *Superman* told you?"
He didn't answer the question directly. "I think you should ask him, Lois. He can give you the whole story."
She stared at him, her mind whirling. "Why would he tell you and not me?"
He shrugged. "He knows that you're seeing Luthor. Superman doesn't want to put you in da... in a bad position, any more than I do."
"Well, Superman's not here and you are." If what he was saying was true, he hadn't been passing judgement on her taste in men, after all. He'd been trying to tell her what Superman had told him. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Clark, I realize I might have been a little ... harsh with you last time, but I promise not to jump down your throat. I want to know what you know."
"I don't have any proof," he reminded her.
"I'll take that into account," she said. "Come on, Clark. Spill it."
He hesitated for long enough that she was beginning to think that he might be going to refuse after all, but finally he nodded. "All right, but remember, you asked. Lex Luthor has been Superman's enemy since the day he appeared in Metropolis." Lois opened her mouth, and he held up a hand. "There have been a number of attempts by Luthor to get rid of Superman, and at least one nearly succeeded. Do you remember the tests that someone subjected Superman to, not long after he arrived in Metropolis? There was the so-called double suicide attempts of Jules Johnson and Monique Kahn, and the bomb in the Carlin Building where someone waited until Superman went in and detonated it."
She nodded. "I remember."
"Superman had reason to suspect Luthor was behind it. He confronted him, and Luthor hinted that the tests would continue, thereby threatening the lives of Metropolis's ordinary citizens, as long as Superman was around. Superman called his bluff, but Luthor almost drove him out of Metropolis with that threat, Lois."
She felt her face whiten. "Did he tell you that?"
He didn't answer, but his expression said it all. Lois stared at him, appalled. He was still wearing the older set of glasses, she saw, and it made him look different. "What else?"
Clark shrugged. "There have been a number of other incidents that I won't go into. The one that worries me right now was the one that took place yesterday afternoon."
"What happened?" Lois whispered.
"I told you I followed Miranda to LexTower. Well, Superman did, too. He listened in on their meeting from the top of the penthouse. They sealed a partnership to produce the pheromone. Sixty-forty," he said, quietly.
"Lex *knew* about the pheromone?" she said. She didn't bother to wait for him to answer. "But then why did Miranda spray him, too?"
Clark hesitated. "I'm guessing, okay? Superman said that she and Luthor apparently had a ... relationship at one time, but he broke it off. She wanted to resume it and he refused."
"Superman overheard that, yesterday?"
He nodded. "Miranda was pretty angry when she left the meeting. I saw her leave."
Lois bit her lip, a little surprised that she didn't feel more upset. "It makes sense," she said, slowly. "She wanted him to fall in love with her again, so she must have sprayed him with the 'Revenge'. Only he didn't."
"Probably," Clark said.
"And then, I came in and he fell in love with me," she said, barely hearing him. "I guess I'm more to his taste than Miranda." She stared at her partner across the table, with an almost unreal sensation of calm. The nervousness had vanished, as if she'd half-expected what she had heard all along. Clark didn't look happy. "I'm sorry, Clark. I ought to have listened to you. I should have known you wouldn't dislike anyone that much without a good reason."
He shrugged again. "I'm sorry you took what I said the wrong way. I'm good at sticking my foot in my mouth."
"I guess I knew something wasn't right," Lois said, quietly. "Lex must have come to the Planet that day to see the effects of the perfume, not to talk to me. And he knew I'd been sprayed. He had to have."
"How do you know?"
She looked down, feeling the heat flooding her face. "It was strange. I didn't feel anything for him at all, and I told him you were the only man for me. He gave me the oddest look."
"Oh," Clark said. "I guess I should feel flattered that you liked me better than Luthor. I shouldn't have run off, but Hamm ..."
She managed a feeble smile. "I guess he liked you as much as I did, huh?"
"Lois!" He had gone beet red.
"Anyway," she said, trying not to smile at his expression, "I guess we'll have to figure out a way to prove what Lex and Miranda are up to. He probably won't be much trouble until the stuff wears off, anyway."
"There was one more thing," Clark said. His face was still red, but he had gone serious again. "Miranda told Luthor that up until now, she's been using a one percent solution. The one hundred percent stuff is permanent."
Lois stared at him in complete dismay. "Permanent?"
"That's what she said. I've been trying to decide what to do since I found out about it."
"We'll figure something out," Lois said. Suddenly Lex's perfidy had become of secondary importance. She didn't wonder until later why she had accepted what Clark had to say without question, and why she wasn't more upset at what he'd told her. Somehow, it all fit, and she had no doubt that he was telling the exact truth. Clark didn't like Lex, but he wouldn't make up something like this about anyone. They had a problem to deal with, now: how to prove to the satisfaction of the law that Lex Luthor and Miranda were conspiring to produce a mind-altering substance that had almost unlimited potential for disaster. She jumped to her feet, nearly knocking her coffee cup on the floor. Clark caught it as it teetered at the very edge of the table and stood up, setting it in the sink.
"Come on!" she ordered.
"Where?"
"To the Planet. We have to get to work on this right away!"
"You believe me?"
"Don't be silly; of course I believe you, Clark! Let's get on this now!"
Looking slightly stunned, he followed her from the apartment.
**********
(tbc)
