Next part on Friday!
Thank you again Nancy (anonpip), Rel and Michael!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both Sides of the CoinPart 30
Table of Contents That afternoon Lois and Clark met up with Perry.
Clark sighed. “It was on *every* television...”
Lois chimed in. “On *every* channel...”
Clark finished. “CJ and Jimmy think that they got access to the emergency broadcasting protocols somehow... but that doesn’t explain why the TVs turned *on*.”
Perry scowled. “Well, *someone* has to be behind it. No way a bunch of kids could pull this off...”
Lois and Clark left his office and headed for Lois’ desk. Jimmy rushed over to them. He held out a few printouts. “Phillip Manning, Aymee Valdes, Dudley Nickolas... Twelve, eleven, and eleven... They’re three of the four who escaped from the Beckworth School last week. How’s that for something new?”
Clark grinned. “Good work, Jimmy.”
Lois sighed. “So, what is this? A prank? A scam?”
Cat joined them. “Kids do the *darndest* things.”
Lois sighed. “Clark?”
Clark nodded. “I’m pretty sure these are the kids we saw walking by the other night... I don’t know if that helps us any though.”
***************************
Lois groaned and buried her face in Clark’s shoulder. “This is a total waste of time.” They were stuck in traffic on the way to check out the school the kids escaped from. Jimmy played with his camera in the front seat while Clark was reading a brochure for the school.
The cabbie glared in the rearview mirror at Lois. “Whatta ya want? I should pick up the cab and fly like Superman?”
Jimmy jerked as he tried to control his laughter while Clark just shook his head. Lois glowered. “In your dreams.”
The cabbie just shrugged and started drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
Clark wrapped an arm around Lois and tried to distract her by showing her the brochure he had. <You okay, Honey?>
<Just tired of all the inactivity. First we had a slow news week then we *finally* get a story, and we get stuck in traffic...>
Clark placed a kiss on her temple. <At least it’s been quiet for Jay and me, too...>
Lois smiled. <Yeah...>
Lois looked at the brochure. “I wonder what life is like in a school like that. These kids lost their families and now get stuck in some ‘special’ school...”
Clark squeezed her. “Makes you wonder why they ran off...”
Lois sighed. <And makes me glad Daddy took Lucy and me in after Mom...> She couldn’t finish.
<And makes me even more thankful a certain couple in Kansas not only found two babies in a spaceship but decided to keep them...>
Lois smiled and snuggled closer to her boyfriend. Clark kissed her temple.
Jimmy peaked in the back then turned to the cabbie. “Aren’t they sickening?”
The cabbie just chuckled.
Lois reached forward and whacked Jimmy on the back of the head. “That’s it, we’re walking... How much do we owe you?”
The cabbie grinned. “With that entertainment? Nothing.”
***************************
Lois, Clark and Jimmy finally reached the school. Once there a woman named Mrs. Powell gave them a tour.
Clark looked into yet another classroom. “All your students live here full time?”
Mrs. Powell nodded. “That is correct...”
Jimmy frowned. “Any of ‘em ever get adopted?”
Mrs. Powell sighed. “At their ages, the chances are poor.” She took a deep breath. “This is their home. The escape has been very unsettling for all of us.”
Lois considered the woman. “Was there any possibility they were kidnapped or coerced to leave?”
“The police have been looking into that. We think it would explain a lot...”
Clark focused on the woman. “Is there any other link between these four kids? They seemed... unusual on their broadcast...”
<Unusual, Clark?>
<CJ and I were very smart as kids. But we wouldn’t have been doing a full-blown critique like that on anything, let alone a cartoon...>
<You have a point...>
The woman avoided Clark’s eyes and he heard her hear rate pick up. “No, nothing... I mean, for what it's worth, they're very bright kids...”
<She’s lying...>
<You sure are handy, Flyboy...>
Jimmy jiggled the handle on a door marked ‘Infirmary’.
Mrs. Powell instantly turned. “The infirmary stays closed when Dr. Carlton isn’t here.”
<Hmm... I’ll take a peek...>
Lois gained the woman’ attention. “Dr Carlton?”
“Alfred Carlton. Staff physician. He gives his time to the school free of charge.”
Clark tipped his glasses down and looked through the infirmary door. Inside he saw a man shredding papers. <Lois, they’re cleaning house in there... Shredding papers...>
<Think you can get a hold of the scraps?>
<Have to see...>
“He also has a degree in Clinical Psychology. He’s been enormously helpful with our testing and counseling programs.”
A moment later a man walked into the hall from the infirmary carrying a large trash bag.
<Bingo...>
Jimmy joined in. “He must be busy now, the kids being upset about their missing classmates and all...”
Mrs. Powell frowned slightly. “Actually... no. He... wanted to let things calm down a bit before he began therapy. Frankly, waiting seemed contra-indicated to me, but... he’s the expert.”
The three reporters exchanged incredulous looks.
<She’s right, Lois, that is strange...>
<I’ll say. When Mom died, the police and everyone wanted Lucy and me in therapy as soon as possible... Same even with the divorce...>
Now flustered, Mrs. Powell directed them onward. “If you'll come to my office, I'll get you those copies of the kids’ files.”
As they moved on Jimmy and Lois kept asking the woman questions. Clark quickly pocketed several handfuls of shredded paper.
As they headed onward Lois felt something hit her from behind. Whirling around she found a young girl smiling her. “That hurt...”
The girl’s smile faded. “I’m sorry... I’m Inez, what’s your name?”
Lois relaxed. “That’s okay. Just try not to surprise someone like that. You could really hurt someone if you aren’t careful. My name is Lois, Lois Lane. I’m a reporter for the Daily Planet.”
Inez considered her. “One of the kids who escaped is my sister... Aymee...”
Lois’ eyes widened and she knelt down in front of the girl. “How can I help?”
Inez’s eyes filled with tears. “She'll come back for me... I know she will. But then *he’ll* catch her...”
Lois met her eyes. “Help me help your sister. Who will catch her?”
Inez bit her lip. “Can’t say...”
Lois looked her in the eye. “Inez, I can’t help if I don’t know where to look. Please give me some clue... If your sister were an adult I would say that she should come back and trap whoever you’re afraid of...”
Inez looked at her for a long moment. Then her eyes darted to the infirmary door before she began to pull away.
Lois caught her arm and mouthed: ‘doctor’?
Inez nodded and pulled away.
<You catch that, Clark?>
<Yeah, I wonder just why the good Dr. Carlton is willing to donate his time... and why at least one of the four kids felt the need to escape him...>
***************************
Hours later Lois and Clark stood in line at an ATM. Clark was sifting through the strips of paper he had managed to gather.
“Anything?”
“I don’t know what I’m looking for...”
Lois took a peak. <Mentamide 5?>
<No idea... but it’s mentioned a lot... A medication maybe?>
A creaking noise caught Clark’s attention. <Uh oh...> He stowed the strips.
<Uh oh?>
<That car is slipping off its jack...>
<Are you going to warn the poor guy?>
<Nope...> Clark stepped back and caught a corner of the car. He watched the owner pull out from under the car and slowly lowered it to the ground.
<You are *so* lucky I know about you! That was a neat little stunt...>
<I did things like that for years before Superman ever existed, Lois. You’d be surprised how much people miss...>
He moved back to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “We really need to get an interview with that doctor...”
Lois nodded, leaning back into him. “As soon as possible... Inez seemed terrified, but she was brave enough to give me a clue...”
Clark sighed into her hair. “Poor kid...”
Lois turned her head towards him. “Yeah...”
After a moment, Lois pulled away. “You know... those kids on TV seemed awfully smart...”
Clark sighed. “Too smart...”
Lois looked at him. “How do you mean?”
“Intelligence without wisdom...”
Lois frowned at him, waiting.
“A person with the intelligence to do whatever they want, but without the maturity or the morality to show restraint...”
Lois’ eyes went wide. <Like Luthor...>
<Exactly, except instead of not *caring*... they could just not be *able* to make the emotional and moral connection to their own actions.>
An angry shout from the front of the line caught the reporters’ attention. The man in front was yelling that the machine had eaten his card. They walked around the line to look at the screen. It showed an error message that read: ‘Leave us alone, -Smart Kids’ followed by a more standard failed PIN entry message.
Lois looked at her boyfriend with wide eyes. <I think your point just got proven, Clark...>
***************************
That evening Lois prepared for a relaxing night alone. Lucy was out with Jimmy and Clark was spending the evening with Rachel and CJ. She started to fill her tub, only to frown, as a miniscule trickle of water was all that came out.
<Lois?>
<Try the water at CJ’s, Clark...>
As she waited for his response, her phone rang. She picked it up. “Hello?”
“Ms. Lane? It’s Inez...”
Lois blinked. “Inez? How did you get my number?”
“I... found it on Mrs. Powell’s desk...”
<The water seems to be out. Is it the same at your place?>
<Hold on, Clark...>
“What’s wrong?”
“Aymee came back... They caught her...”
“Who caught her?”
“Police...”
Lois sighed. “As long as she’s with the police, she’s safe...”
“But *he’ll* get her!”
“I know you’re scared, Inez... Clark, my partner, and I are trying to get him... You know, I have an idea...”
“An idea?”
“Yeah, hold tight until tomorrow, Inez.” Lois hung up.
<Lois?>
<Did you hear that?>
<Yes.>
<Come over here in about 20 minutes...>
<Why so long?>
<I need to get dressed.>
<Oh...>
***************************
The next morning, Lois and Clark were in Mrs. Powell’s office. For the first time they met Dr. Carlton. He was currently protesting Lois’ plan vehemently.
After a long speech he finally finished with, “In short, it’s not in the child’s best interests!” He looked triumphantly at the reporters. “Besides, legally...”
Clark cut in. “*Legally* we have an authorization from Mrs. Valdes, Aymee’s mother.” He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to the doctor.
Carlton scoffed. “The mother has no legal rights. She gave the child up for adoption.” He passed the paper to Mrs. Powell with barely a glance.
Lois smiled coldly. “*The child’s* name is Aymee. And just because she doesn't currently have custody doesn’t mean she has no rights.” She watched his face tighten before turning to Mrs. Powell. “Aymee's already escaped from this school once. Maybe this isn’t a place she wants to be...” Mrs. Powell held her gaze. “Maybe we should try something else.”
Carlton’s frustration was growing. “Children don't know what they want. Or what's right for them.”
Lois glared. “Is that your *professional* opinion?”
Carlton blinked, aware that he had been too insistent. “Oh, well, I'm only concerned for the child’s welfare.”
Mrs. Powell finally entered the fray. “We all are, Doctor.” She looked at Lois. “I see no reason why Aymee can’t stay with Miss Lane on a temporary basis. I’ll leave word that she is to be released into your custody.” Dr. Carlton glared furiously at Lois.
***************************
Once outside Clark pulled Lois to him, gently rubbing her shoulders. <You okay?>
<It was more nerve wracking than I counted on... Thank god for CJ...>
<I like the sound of that, Lois!>
<Really CJ, thanks for finding Mrs. Valdes...>
<It was an honor, Lois. Anything to help these kids.>
They began to head back to the police station. “Mr. Valdes left when Aymee was four and Inez just a baby. No money, no job, no family to help out. She felt like she had no choice but to give up her kids...” Lois’ shoulders sagged. “That so easily could have been Lucy and me, Clark, my mother may have been an alcoholic, but she was still there...”
Clark halted her and hugged her tightly. <CJ and I could have ended up in a lab somewhere... or with some maniac like Luthor...> “But it didn’t happen Lois...” He drew her into a kiss. <And we have each other now...>
Lois pulled back and took a shaky breath. <Thanks, Clark...>
<I love you, Lois.>
<I love you, too. Let’s go get Aymee...>
***************************
Aymee slammed ahead into Lois’ apartment.
Lois sighed. “Aymee, I promised your sister I would keep you away from Dr. Carlton... whether this is easy or hard for *either* of us is up to you...”
Aymee glared. “You just want me to give up my friends!”
Lois sighed. “Whether you do or not is up to you...” She eyed the girl. “You know...”
Aymee glared. “Now you’re going to make some lame attempt to “relate” to me, right?”
Lois continued, unperturbed. “My parents divorced when I was about your age... *My* mom drank herself to death by the time I was sixteen. At least your mom is still around, even if she had to make what had to be a hard choice...”
She had Aymee’s full attention now. She smiled sadly. “My sister, Lucy, was 11 when Mom died... We went to live with our dad, but I’d guess he wasn’t much different from a lot of your teachers. You can meet Lucy later, she’s at work right now...”
Aymee walked away from her.
Lois sat on one of her loveseats. “If you want me to try and help your friends, fine. I’ll do everything in my power to stop Dr. Carlton from continuing whatever he’s doing that scares your sister so much. But, you’re here because I look at you and see myself at your age... slowly closing myself off from everyone but Lucy... Did you know I didn’t talk to my father from the time I moved out at 22 until just a week ago?”
Aymee was watching her intently. “You don’t seem... ‘closed off’ now...”
Lois smiled. “I blame Clark... He shattered my defenses almost without trying... I’ve known him for barely two months, yet I think I know him better than even Lucy... He’s fast become my best friend as well as the man I love...”
<I feel the same, Lois, and our bond probably helps a bit...>
<Don’t ruin the moment, Kent!>
Aymee sighed. “We just want to be left alone...”
Lois placed a hand on her shoulder. “Aymee, *no* one your age should be made to feel like that. You should be able to enjoy being a kid! I know, because I wasn’t allowed to. I was taking care of my six-year-old sister and, to a large extent, my mother when I was just a little older than you.”
Aymee jerked away. “What about your perfect Clark?”
Lois sighed, “Clark and his twin brother were foundlings, Aymee. Now, I envy Clark Martha and Jonathan Kent... Those two are the best parents I have ever seen! But the twins have no idea what their parents are, or were, like... or why they gave up their two sons... Jonathan and Martha never hid that from them. From the time they were old enough to realize they didn’t look much like their parents they knew they were adopted. That means no matter how much they love their parents and their parents love them... part of them will still wonder about their origins. CJ is even married to his high school sweetheart and she’s pregnant... and they’re worried in part because they know nothing of his history...”
<Nicely done, just add the developing of powers and the whole spaceship thing...>
<Cute, CJ... Are you spying on me?!>
<No, I’m spying on Clark... He’s listening to you...>
<You are *both* impossible...>
Aymee looked at her. “I might have to pay more attention to your Clark when I see him again. But about my friends... I *won’t* betray them...”
Lois met her gaze. “I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to
stay with me until we can nail Dr. Carlton.”
“Okay, I can do that...”
The door opened and Lucy rushed in. “CJ said you needed my help with something, Lois...” She skidded to a halt and stared at Aymee.
Lois smiled. “I do. Lucy this is Aymee. Aymee? My sister, Lucy. Aymee’s going to stay with us for a while, Luce.”
Lucy winked at the girl. “So long as you don’t steal my bed...”
Aymee giggled. Lois smiled, knowing her sister would put Aymee at ease. “Luce? Clark and I have an interview soon, are you two going to be ok?”
Lucy grinned. “So long as I don’t have to cook...”
Lois threw a pillow at her. “You have a job: order take out!”
tbc...
