Ended up working the whole afternoon =(
Next part on Monday!
Thank you again Nancy (anonpip), Rel and Michael!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both Sides of the CoinPart 31
Table of Contents Dr. Carlton was fluttering around his office while Lois and Clark tried to conduct their interview. “The streets of Metropolis are no place for unsupervised delinquent children.”
Lois and Clark shared a glance and Lois jumped on him. “Unsupervised? So you don’t think there’s an adult behind this?”
Carlton stiffened. “I didn't say that. We simply don't have the facts... I'm a scientist. I abhor rampant, unsubstantiated speculation...”
Clark jumped in. “In fact, you’re a *distinguished* scientist.” Carlton drew back. “Your work in experimental neuro-psychology is world renowned.”
The other man preened. “You've done your homework, Mr. Kent.”
Clark moved in for the kill. “So, why is a man of your reputation and credentials holed away in a tiny private school acting as a volunteer psychologist?”
Carleton’s eyes flitted across the room. Lois caught and held his gaze while Clark tipped his glasses down his nose and began to scan the room, reading documents and looking for evidence.
“I think of it as ‘grounding.’ After all, the doctor-patient relationship is the framework for all medical science...”
Lois pounced again. “Then why, after the breakout, didn’t you think it necessary to counsel the rest of the students immediately, to help them cope with any anxiety?”
Carlton was momentarily flummoxed. Then he gathered himself up. “I made an evaluation based on criteria a lay person, such as yourself, couldn't possibly understand.”
Lois sneered. “That's convenient.” She stormed out of the office, Clark in her wake.
Once outside the office, Lois began to rant. Once they were further out of range, she took a deep breath. “Find anything?”
Clark held up a tiny tube labeled “Mentamide 5.”
Lois broke into a grin. “Good job, Flyboy...”
***************************
Lois arrived home after work and froze just inside her door.
Jimmy glared up at her from the floor. He was wrapped in what appeared to be blue rope.
Lois raised a brow. "Jimmy?"
Jimmy scowled. "Can you let me go?"
Lois folded her arms. "First, tell me what happened?" Giggles interrupted her and she looked over to find Aymee and Lucy in her kitchen. Lois watched them for a moment. "Girls?"
Lucy nearly collapsed into laughter.
Aymee shrugged. "We make that stuff. He was being annoying..."
Lois watched her. "Will it stain my carpet?"
Aymee blinked. "No, it's a polymer that breaks down into water and dissolved organic compounds. The color goes away when it dissolves."
Jimmy glared at them. "Are you going to let me go now?"
Aymee and Lucy looked at one another for a long moment.
"Naaaah."
Lois shrugged. "Suit yourselves, I'm going to have dinner with Rachel. The boys are out."
***************************
That night both twins scoured the city for the missing children. Clark was in the suit while CJ was in dark clothes.
<Let’s call it, Jay... We aren’t finding anything...>
<Okay, Cal, I’ll see you tomorrow...>
Clark landed near the Planet and changed into his normal clothes. He headed up to the newsroom to do some research.
A few hours later a messenger arrived and brought him a note. Clark opened the hand-written note and was flooded with shock.
<Clark?>
<Cal?>
<I... just got a note...>
<Spit it out, Flyboy...>
<‘Dear Clark Kent, we know you’re Superman. You work for us now. Ha ha.’ Signed: ‘The Smart Kids’...>
<Holy...>
<Clark...>
***************************
The next day found a somber group in the Daily Planet conference room. Except for Lucy, who was with Aymee, everyone in Metropolis who knew the Kent secret was present. CJ and Clark leaned against the end of the table with identical stony expressions on their faces. Rachel was sitting next to CJ, one hand grasping his tightly while the other rested protectively over their children. Lois sat on the table. She had both of her arms wrapped around Clark and was resting her head on his shoulder. Jimmy sat on the other side of Lois. His face was also grim.
They were waiting for the Smart Kids to turn in their report. The broadcast was surprisingly inane. They only commented on their stunt with the water supply and reiterated that they wanted to be left alone. The TV clicked off and Clark sagged into Lois while CJ and Rachel shared a kiss in relief.
Jimmy frowned. “So, they’re counting on blackmail...”
Clark sighed. “Looks like. So, we convince them that they’re wrong... and solve this mess...”
Lois squeezed him. “What they don’t know is that there are two of you. Let’s work on finding them and nailing Carlton. We probably can’t convince them they’re wrong until we can do it in person...”
Clark and CJ nodded.
“What have we found on the Mentamide 5?”
Jimmy and CJ reached for their notes. Jimmy started. “It’s an organic stew: amino acids, herbs, neurotransmitters, you name it. It’s so complex that even Star Labs’ computers couldn’t analyze it completely. They *were* able to produce a synthetic facsimile using some of the more unique chemicals.” He handed a few papers to Lois of some molecular structures.
She frowned at it before handing it off.
“They're testing the synthetic. Nothing conclusive yet, but it *seems* to stimulate cerebral hyper-activity in lab rats.”
Lois frowned. “Translation?”
“They got smarter...” Clark whispered.
Jimmy nodded. “A *lot* smarter...”
Lois was appalled. “They *are* on their own...”
Clark said in disgust, “Carlton used them as guinea-pigs...”
CJ cut in. “Interesting financial information, guess whose secret accounts are cutting checks to Carlton?”
Lois raised a brow. “Our favorite suspect?”
CJ grinned. “Yep, Luthor. The fun part, though? It looks like *someone* got a hold of his credit card. They maxed the 5 million dollar line...”
Lois started to snicker while Clark and Rachel shook their heads.
Jimmy just stared at CJ. “How...?”
CJ grinned. “My biggest secret, aside from the whole alien thing: Charlie King, at your service...” he half-bowed.
Jimmy’s eyes grew huge. “Charlie... King?”
CJ sighed. “Yeah, not one of my brighter moves: accepting a government contract to ‘test’ their security. Once it was done, they didn’t want me to remain a threat... and so the legendary ‘hacker’ was born...”
Jimmy’s eyes filled with awe. “Charlie King, I don’t believe I’m in the same room with *Charlie King*...”
CJ eyed the younger man warily.
Clark chuckled silently at his twin. <You have a devoted fan there, Jay.>
<Great...>
Lois stood and picked up the phone. “Let’s schedule another interview...” She dialed the school. “Hello, Dr. Carlton, please... Lois Lane... Oh really? When?... Thanks.” She hung up. “He’s gone to ground...”
Jimmy shook off his awe and stood. “I’ll go back to the Labs and keep tabs on them.”
CJ helped Rachel up. “We’re going home. I’ll see what I can do to find Carlton and the kids...”
Alone, Lois hugged Clark again. “It’s going to be ok, Flyboy...”
Clark kissed her forehead. “Thanks, Lois. How’s Aymee?”
Lois sighed. “I think I drove home a few key points... and I’m not an enemy anymore. But her loyalty is to her friends. She won’t do anything to give them away...”
“Between being in that school and subject to Dr. Carlton... I bet those four formed a pretty close bond.”
“Yeah...” Lois sighed.
Clark squeezed her. “Are *you* okay?”
She smiled. “Yeah, this hits close to home. But I’ll survive.”
Clark caressed her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I bet you were a cute kid...”
Lois poked him. “I’m still a cute kid...”
They grinned at each other.
A stranger knocked on the door. The couple broke apart. “Yes?” Lois snapped.
“I’m looking for Clark Kent...”
Clark frowned. “That’s me...”
The man placed the box on the table and left.
Lois and Clark shared a worried glance before Clark opened the box. Two silver balloons floated out, at the bottom of the strings hung a card. It was styled as an invitation and instructed Clark to be at his apartment at 2p.m., as Superman.
***************************
At 2pm Lois and Clark sat on Clark’s couch, waiting for a video camera they had found there to turn on.
The TV clicked on, revealing two boys. The older one glared. “What’s she doing here?”
Lois glared back. “You’re messing with my boyfriend, why wouldn’t I be here?”
The boy looked at Clark. “Where’s your Suit?”
Clark looked at his business suit then raised a brow. “Why do you think I’m Superman?”
They ignored him. “Here's what we want: An F-18 Hornet fighter jet...”
The other boy whispered in his ear.
“...painted red and yellow, four mountain bikes, an emerald, ten carats at least, three aqualungs, one hundred pounds of gooey bears and an island...” He put down his list. “That's all we could think of for now, Superman.”
<Interesting assortment...>
<I’ll say...>
<Focus, Boys!>
Clark just stared at them. “I'm not Superman. What makes you think I am?”
The younger boy waved. “We saw you land.”
Lois snorted. “Land?”
The boy glared at her. “Last night, in the alley behind the Daily Planet.”
<They have surveillance...>
<*Extensive* surveillance...>
Clark shook his head. “I was *waiting* for Superman... he had been...”
A thump interrupted him. “Mr. Kent?” Superman walked into the camera’s view, “My latest search turned up...” He stopped and stared at the television. “What is going on here?”
The two boys were looking between the two men in shock.
Lois said, with glee. “Superman, *these* are two of the kids you’ve been searching for...”
Clark picked up. “They saw you go to our meeting point last night and when I headed back they somehow decided I was you...”
Superman frowned. “That you were me?”
The kids suddenly rallied. “Sorry for the mistake, Mr. Kent, no harm done...”
“Wait! We want to help you!” CJ cried.
The TV went dead.
CJ almost absently fried the camera before dropping down beside his twin. “Think that worked, Cal?”
“It better have... The alternative is that they *really* figure it out.”
***************************
That evening, Lois and Clark headed for her apartment. When they got inside, they found Lucy trying to comfort a crying Aymee.
Lois rushed forward to sit beside them, “Aymee! What’s wrong?”
Aymee fell into her arms. “I’m not so smart anymore... I was trying to figure out how to make your stereo work better... but I couldn’t think of anything...”
Lois rocked her. “It’s going to be okay, Aymee...”
Lucy quietly withdrew and Clark knelt down in front of the love seat. “We know about Mentamide 5 Aymee... and that Dr. Carlton was giving it to you and your friends...”
Aymee sniffled. “It made us smarter...”
Lois cupped her chin. “It made you into someone you aren’t ready to be. We start out as kids to *learn* to be adults.” Lois smiled. “I always thought I knew what was best for everyone when I was a kid...”
“And she was almost always *wrong*!” Lucy returned and handed a glass of water to Aymee. Suddenly she frowned. “Wait, when did you stop thinking that?”
Lois glared. “Luce...” She shook her head. “*Anyway*, I thought every adult was incredibly stupid. I figured growing up just meant you got taller, not that you got smarter...”
“But it’s not that simple...” They both turned to Clark. “You may learn more, store more knowledge, but the most important thing you can ever learn is judgment... When you’re a kid, you can do everything on impulse, like spend all your allowance or play a prank. But as you grow, you start to learn that everything you do affects other people. Like the prank you guys played with the water? It may have been mostly harmless, annoying, but harmless. But what if someone had really needed water? Someone could have died! The only way to learn that is through experience... time.”
Aymee looked at Lois. “You were right... He *is* something...”
“I said he was *hot* the first time I saw him...” Lucy chimed in.
Aymee wrinkled her nose. “Hot?”
They all started to laugh as Clark blushed.
Calming down, Aymee looked between Lois and Clark. “Do you guys know how the smart stuff works?”
Clark considered her. “We know what it *does*... but not how...”
Lois smiled. “But if you’re ready to tell us...”
Aymee took a deep breath. “At first you don’t notice. Then, things get easier. You start to understand everything, and you remember everything. But, if you stop taking it, you get dumb again... like me now.” She sniffled again. “It’s hard going back and forth from smart to dumb. That’s why we escaped.”
Lois sighed. “And you didn’t think anyone would listen to you?”
Aymee frowned. “We’re ‘problem kids’...”
Clark placed a hand on Aymee’s shoulder. “Do the other kids have enough... smart stuff to last them?”
Aymee blinked. “They have to be running out by now...”
Lois frowned. “It’s an addiction now. What will they do?”
Aymee looked stunned. “I don’t know...”
Clark stood, beginning to pace. “If only we knew where they are...”
Aymee stiffened. “I can’t tell you. If they get caught, no more smart kids.”
Lucy ruffled her hair. “Is it so bad being normal?”
Aymee looked at her. “It’s their choice...”
“Is it so bad for you?”
Aymee slowly smiled, looking at the adults surrounding her. “Not so bad...”
***************************
The next morning, Lois stared at the front-page story. “Now *that* is ironic, caught in his own scheme...”
Clark sighed. “Yeah, but kidnapping Luthor isn’t good for the kids...”
They reached the conference room and sat.
Cat was frowning at the front page. “Why Lex Luthor?”
Perry snorted. “If they wanted someone prominent, who better?” He considered for a moment. “What do you think they'll ask for?”
Clark and Lois shared a glance before Clark answered. “Could be anything.”
The kids’ broadcast turned on, gathering the reporters’ attention. The demands were simple: Aymee and Inez Valdes ‘released’, a written promise to leave them alone, an island, and one thousand pounds of gooey bears. The time limit was 24 hours.
Perry shook his head. “What, no military jet? Oh brother!” He left.
Lois choked on her coffee while Clark rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Cat followed him. “Perry! What’s a gooey bear?”
Clark’s eyes snapped open. He and Lois looked at one another in amused horror.
An exhausted Jimmy joined them. “Test results are in...”
Clark sat up straight, noticing his friend’s agitation. “Tell us.” His voice was laced with steel.
Jimmy nodded. “Again, this is from the synthetic. But, the stuff does boost intelligence... for a while.” He tensed up. “However, once enough residue has built up in your system, though, there’s a kind of an overload...” Jimmy was having trouble continuing.
Lois’ eyes started to widen. “Just spit it out, Jimmy...” Her voice was soft.
Jimmy took a deep breath. “Conscious cerebral activity drops to almost nothing... It burns out your brain.”
A crunch made them both turn to stare at Clark, shards of wood fell from his hand, the remains of a crushed pencil. On his face was a look only one man had ever seen before...
***************************
Aymee paced in agitation, visibly scared. Lois watched her, tense herself. Lucy was sitting on a love seat, white faced. Clark stared out a window, his expression unchanged from the newsroom.
Lois took a deep breath. “It isn't a game anymore, Honey. It's life or death.”
Aymee closed her eyes. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Lois swallowed. “We have the lab report.”
Aymee frowned. “That could be forged.”
Clark turned to her and her eyes went wide as she viewed his face. “Aymee, if there is *any* chance that we’re right your friends could *die*. Can you take that chance?”
Aymee swallowed. Lois and Lucy stared at Clark in shock.
<CJ?>
<What’s up, Lois?>
<Can you get in touch with Clark?>
<No, what’s happening?>
<I’ve never seen him like this before...>
<Last time he locked me out was when he was apparently facing off with Luthor after those tests...>
<I think Luthor should be worried... Can you see his face through me?>
<Holy...>
<My thoughts exactly, CJ...>
Clark held the child’s gaze. “If I had to guess, I would say your friends kidnapped Luthor as secondary objective... Their priority would be to get more ‘smart stuff’. As Lois said yesterday: It’s an addiction. So they have more now. It’s your call, Aymee, what do you want to do?”
Aymee nodded slowly. “I’ll take you two... *only* you two...”
Lois nodded, Clark only held her gaze.
“They’re in Metropolis Harbor...”
tbc...
