CHAPTER 15
On the cab ride back to the Planet Lois couldn’t help but notice the dark mood Clark was in.
“Ok, Smallville,” she said, “spit it out. I’m the one who should be mad because you ditched me, but you look like you could chew up a piece of steel and spit out nails. What’s up?”
Clark looked over at his partner for a second, opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again. Finally finding the words he tried again.
“It’s nothing, Lois. I guess I’m just irritated by this whole thing. I don’t understand the mindset it would take to endanger others just for money and I certainly don’t understand hunting someone down to kill him ‘just for fun’. What kind of person does that?”
“A sick one. Your friend said that Wilson was part of some military experiment that gave him superior strength and speed. Maybe it damaged his mind too.”
“Possibly,” Clark said seeming to consider the theory. “What else did my friend say?”
“Not much else, just what I told you. He did say to let you know that just because this guy wasn’t in Superman’s league didn’t make him any less dangerous. It was kind of strange. He sounded like he was afraid you’d take on Wilson yourself. He said if you needed him he could be here in less than an hour. What was that all about?”
Clark laughed and smiled for the first time since they had gotten into the cab.
“My friend’s a bit of a mother hen whether he likes to admit it or not. He’d tell you he’s a loner, but he’s always picking up strays. He’s probably just afraid I’ll get too close in the investigation and it could get dangerous.”
“Uh hum,” Lois said. “Who is this ‘friend’ anyway? I hate referring to someone in the third person when I don’t know who they are.”
“He prefers to keep his anonymity, Lois. Besides, it’s not important. His part in this is done.”
‘Sure, no problem,” Lois said. “I understand protecting a source. I just thought that since we were in this together I might need to know in case there is a problem and we need his help.”
“If I need him I’ll call him, but I won’t need him.”
“Well, what if you do and you’re not able. Doesn’t it just make sense that I know so I can call him for you?”
“I think the only thing around here that makes sense,” Clark said smiling at his partner, “is that you hate not knowing something and it’s killing you not to be in on a secret.”
Lois’ expression turned sour.
“I think farmboys who think they’re so smart should leave psychoanalysis to the professionals.”
Clark laughed and leaned his head back on the seat with his eyes shut. The half-smile he kept on his face the rest of the way to the Planet did nothing to make Lois’ expression less sour.
**********
“You two are late,” was Perry White’s greeting as Clark and Lois entered the newsroom.
“And a good morning to you too, Perry,” Lois said as the two approached their Editor-in-Chief. “I’ll try not to take too much offense at that as I hand you a front page story.”
“We,” amended Clark looking briefly toward the ceiling as if seeking divine understanding for the trials and tribulations he endured.
“What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine, Smallville,” Lois said with a smile as she poked an elbow into his side. “We’re partners, remember?”
“And I’m sure he’s bowled over with gratitude, Lois,” Perry said his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now give with this story of stories.”
“International Hit Man Hunts Fleeing Felon,” Lois said gesturing with both hands to pantomime the layout of a headline.
“You’re alliteration could use some work,” Perry said making clear his lack of enthusiasm, “but I’ll withhold criticism until you give me the body of the story. I’ll warn you though, front page or not it’s not going to be the lead.”
“What?” Lois said indignantly. “What could be bigger news this early in the morning than that?”
“This,” Jimmy said joining in on the conversation and using the remote to turn on the newsroom TV.
The screen came to life and showed a press conference already in motion. The cameras zeroed in on the man at the podium, Forrest Hagan, who was fielding questions from various reporters.
“What’s this?” asked Clark.
“Hagan declared his candidacy for Governor early this morning,” Jimmy said.
“It’s not exactly news, Chief,” Lois said. “Everyone’s been expecting this for the past couple of months.”
“Knowing something is going to happen doesn’t make it any less newsworthy when it does,” Perry replied. “And don’t call me ‘Chief’.”
“He’s one of the most respected men in the city if not the entire state,” Clark said. “And his conviction record is one of the best in the country. The people of this state have been waiting for a Governor like him for a long time.”
“Gubernatorial candidate, Clark,” Lois corrected. “He hasn’t won yet.”
“I don’t see a whole lot of chance of his losing,” Perry said.
“Especially if he cracks Intergang wide open and puts the principal players behind bars before the election,” Clark added.
“True,” Lois conceded. “I guess we could do worse than a Governor who’s not a wimp on crime.”
“Then let’s see what we can do to contribute to his campaign efforts, partner,” Clark said. “We have the name of at least one player now. Let’s see if we can track him back to one of the companies on our list.”
“Yeah,” Lois said casting one last look at the television screen, “I’m as anxious to crack Intergang open as Hagan.”
“I just want to see the faces of the people who like to play with the lives of others when they’re pulled out into the light of day,” Clark said darkly.
**********
Three hours later they had accomplished little except to agree on what to order for lunch. There was plenty of circumstantial evidence to bag a few of the companies on racketeering charges, but nothing to prove any connection to Slade Wilson or to Intergang. Certainly nothing to prove a vast conspiracy to control the free market.
“I need coffee,” Lois said closing her eyes and resting her forehead on the palms of her hands with her elbows on her desktop.
“I’ll agree with that, Lois,” Clark said rising from the chair beside her. “My treat.”
He headed off across the newsroom to the small refreshment area on the far side of the room. Lois leaned back in her chair and began to stretch the kinks out of her neck as she thought about her partner. Clark had been his usual polite and efficient self since returning to the Planet, but she had gotten hints throughout the day since this morning’s events that something was bothering him. No, “bothering” was too polite a term. He seemed irritated as hell. It was only the good manners that had probably been instilled in him since birth that kept him from acting on that irritation and snapping at people.
Most people wouldn’t have seen it and would have called Lois crazy for even thinking such thoughts, but she knew better. She had been around Clark long enough to pick up signs that things weren’t normal if she paid attention. And she had been paying a great deal of attention of late. The question she found herself asking in her own head though was whether or not she was paying attention because things were starting not to add up where Clark was concerned or was it because she was developing a deeper and more personal interest in the tall, dark, and handsome Mr. Kent.
As Lois sat at her desk pondering this question and Clark’s strange behavior her attention was drawn to where Jimmy turned up the sound of the corner television set to catch the tail end of Renee Guest’s news spot on the afternoon edition of Channel 6 news.
The news footage caught the end of Superman’s battle with Deathstroke and as the hit man fired his final rounds the camera dropped to the ground and the perspective changed to a sideways view of the lower half of the alley. Lois saw Superman’s running feet approach the camera and saw Renee Guest’s move to intercept them.
“Superman,” the newswoman could be heard as she jumped in front of him, “Renee Guest from Channel 6 news. What happened here? And who was that man after Robert Maxwell?”
There was no answer from the Man of Steel and he could be seen stepping around the newswoman.
“Superman,” Renee Guest’s voice said pressing the issue, “the people have a right to know why you were engaged in a gun dual in broad daylight that endangered innocent civilians.”
“Ms. Guest,” Superman replied, “the trouble with you people yelling about right to know is that you don’t think to ask yourself first if it’s right to do something. You’re blundering in here endangered both yourself and your cameraman and now he’s paying the price for your mistake.”
Lois’ head jerked up to stare at the TV screen.
The camera cut to scenes of Superman’s rescue of the injured cameraman and finally switched to Renee Guest and Richard Reed in the Channel 6 studio.
“While I can’t say too much about our Defender of Truth, Justice, and the American Way’s views of the 1st Amendment, Richard,” Renee said to her co-anchor, “all of us here at Channel 6 would like to express our thanks and appreciation for his rescue of our beloved cameraman, Andy Thompson.
“Yes, Renee,” Richard chimed in, “it was that prompt action we’re told by the fine physicians at Metropolis General Hospital that saved Andy’s life. So, thank you, Superman and don’t worry…you won’t be billed for the damage to the van.”
Richard Reed unveiled a blindingly white set of teeth to the TV camera as he laughed at his own joke and the Channel 6 News show faded to a commercial.
“That woman’s a real piece of work,” Jimmy said. “Blaming Superman when it was her bonehead decision that got her cameraman shot. And then saying he doesn’t respect the First Amendment.”
“Some people will do anything just to be on TV,” Perry replied shaking his head.
For her part, unnoticed by the rest of the newsroom staff, Lois sat in stunned silence staring at the television screen. For the rest of her life Lois would always remember the exact moment the dime dropped and realization hit her. She involuntarily gasped aloud and dropped the pencil she was holding. Purely by coincidence as she raised her eyes they locked with those of Clark who was on the other side of the newsroom by the refreshment area and he was looking at her with concern in his eyes. Lois quickly smiled as if to say nothing was wrong and looked back down at her desk thinking furiously.
She had to be wrong. Then it dawned on her that Clark being aware of any sound she made at all from across the room only verified her suspicions. As all of the clues came together all at once she felt a strange numbness begin to spread though her body.
“OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod” she said to herself as she tried to compose herself and stop it before she hyperventilated.
“Lois? Are you all right?” a voice asked startling her.
Looking up she found Clark hovering over her and she froze as she looked into his face. How could she have missed it all these years? It was like one of those pictures with a hidden image. Once you knew it was there you couldn’t miss seeing it. Clark Kent was Superman.
OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod
“Lois?” Clark prompted again.
“Huh? Oh, Clark,” she said shaking her head, “I’m sorry, my mind just isn’t at work today. No, I’m fine, really. Just distracted. Nothing important. News stories, shopping list, Christmas shopping, all of that. Yeah, Christmas shopping was the final straw. I just remembered a present I forgot to get. Have you finished your shopping?”
“Huh? I mean yeah, uh yes.” Clark said caught off guard by the sudden change in direction of the conversation. Lois usually kept him off balance, but today she was particularly confusing.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” he asked.
“Perfectly,” she said suddenly standing and grabbing her purse and coat. “But, I have to get to the store before it closes and pick something up.”
“But, what about the story,” Clark said gesturing at the notes strewn across her desk.
“Well, we’ve hit a stumbling block so let’s just take a break and come back at it later from a fresh perspective,” Lois said continuing to back away and heading for the exit.
“But,” Clark continued, “what about your coffee?”
By that time, however, Lois was though the exit and had disappeared. Clark stood there for a few moments feeling very confused until he realized that he was standing in the middle of the aisle holding coffee in each hand, staring at the exit and looking very foolish. He quickly sat the coffee down on Lois’ desk and walked over to his own to ponder his confusing partner. On the way, though, he too was stopped by the television. The commercial break had ended and the regular newscast had been interrupted by a breaking news story.
Someone had kidnapped Emily Rosen, Mayor Berkowitz’s 3-year old granddaughter.
**********
The kidnapping had been quick and violent, but had claimed no fatalities. This fact did little to improve Clark’s mood though because apparently the girl’s mother had been left alive simply to deliver a message. Her description of the kidnapper also left little doubt as to his identity. Slade Wilson had taken the young child scant hours after escaping Clark in the alley outside the Charleston Hotel.
Clark stood in the middle of Maggie Sawyer’s office dressed as Superman listening to Donna Rosen describe the events of an hour ago.
“Emily and I were sitting on her bed reading a story before she took her nap when he came bursting through the window,” Donna said as she attempted to control her sobbing.
“Take your time Mrs. Rosen,” Maggie said calmly to the young woman. “You’re doing fine.”
Mayor Berkowitz sat beside his daughter trying to comfort her the best he could. Donna’s husband, Marc Rosen, a local circuit court judge, paced the office clenching and unclenching his fists.
“He pointed a gun at me and then grabbed Emily,” Donna continued. “When I tried to stop him he hit me and knocked me into the wall. It was so hard I almost passed out. I tried to crawl after them, but he stepped on my hand and told me to stay down. Then he put the gun against my head and told me that if I ever wanted to see my daughter alive again I needed to listen carefully to what he had to say.”
“He said I needed to deliver a message to you,” she continued turning her attention to Superman who up until then had been standing quietly with his hands behind his back. On the surface he appeared the very picture of calm. Underneath, however, he felt like ripping something to shreds. Slade Wilson kept coming to mind as the perfect “something”.
“He said that it was your fault that he was having to go to plan ‘B’ and that now you were going to have to pay the price.”
“And what price was that, Mrs. Rosen,” Maggie asked.
“He said that he would be in touch with the police to arrange a meeting with Superman. He said he’d tell Superman what the ‘price’ was then.”
“Have we heard anything yet?” Superman asked, speaking for the first time.
“Not yet,” Henderson said from his position leaning against the wall.
“You’ll get her back won’t you, Superman?” Mayor Berkowitz asked looking up at the Man of Steel.
“I’ll do everything I can, Mr. Mayor,” Superman responded.
“Please,” Donna sobbed, “please. She’s the most important thing in the world. Please get her back.”
Superman stepped forward and knelt down in front of the woman. He took her hand and looked her in the eye.
“Mrs. Rosen, I’ll get your daughter back and make the people who took her pay. This I swear.”
Donna collapsed into tears again and Superman stood and turned to Henderson.
“I’ll start searching every square inch of this city. It sounds stupid, but if you hear anything just scream my name and I’ll hear you.”
Henderson nodded, but before Superman could leave the door to the office opened and an officer stuck his head in.
“I’m sorry to barge in, ma’am,” the officer said addressing Maggie before turning to Superman, “but there’s a guy on the phone who says he needs to speak with Superman. He says that you’re expecting his call.”
Everyone in the room froze for a second and Superman looked in turn at both Henderson and Sawyer.
“Line one,” the officer supplied.
Superman stepped over to the phone picked up the receiver and punched the appropriate line.
“Yes?”
“Superman?”
“Wilson,” Clark responded hoping to rattle the man by using his name.
“I’m impressed,” Slade responded sounding completely unfazed by his discovery. “You found that out very quickly.”
“You’re not as good as you think you are, Wilson. I’ve known all about you ever since you’re first attempt on Maxwell.”
“Oh, don’t doubt me, Big Blue. Trust me, I’m the best there ever was. But you’d better be as good as they say and use those super ears of yours because I’m only going to say this once and you’re on a time schedule as of now.”
“Go ahead,” Superman supplied as he used his incredible vision powers to scan the phone line and began the process of following the electrical impulses up and down the system and out into the neighborhood.
“Don’t bother to try and trace the line, Big Blue,” Wilson supplied as if knowing what Superman was doing. “I’m going to tell you where I am anyway. We need to meet face to face without the police overhearing.”
“As I said, go ahead,” Superman responded continuing his efforts to trace the call. He didn’t trust anything Wilson said and he didn’t want to be made the fool if Wilson was only saying that so the trace wouldn’t be made. Plus, the tricks that could fool the police’s tracing system wouldn’t apply to him.
“Meet me on top of the Parker Building in the next minute. I’m on the roof. Don’t wear a wire and just a piece of advice, don’t try to swoop down and grab me. You might be a bit surprised by what would happen.”
Superman glanced up when Wilson named his location and scanned through police headquarters walls toward the Parker Building. Sure enough, Wilson stood on the roof closing the flip cover of a cell phone. Even more irritating he was waving in Superman’s direction.
“He’s on top of the Parker Building,” Superman said addressing the others in the room. “He wants me to meet him there in less than a minute.”
“I’ll have squads blanket the area,” Maggie said jumping up from her desk and heading for the door.
“I’ll bring her back, Mr. and Mrs. Rosen,” Superman said before opening the window and diving out.
The chilled wind that blew through the open window didn’t make the woman shake any more as she continued to sob into her father’s shoulder.
**********
As he approached the Parker building Superman scanned Wilson already knowing what he would find. Wilson had a chunk of Kryptonite in a pouch on his belt.
Landing on the roof Superman could feel the fringes of the radiation as it attacked his cells, but the effect was lessoned by the distance. He stood with arms folded trying not to show the effect it was beginning to have on him.
“That’s it, Big Blue,” Wilson said, “keep you’re distance and we’ll both be happy.”
“What do you want, Wilson.”
“Straight to the point,” Wilson said, “I like that. Ok, here’s the deal. I have the Rosen kid and I’m going to hang onto her for a few days until I find Maxwell. You want her back, turn a blind eye to my search and his execution.”
“That easy?” Superman sarcastically.
“My word is my bond, Superman. You stay out of this and you get the kid back.”
“You’ll forgive me if I find the word of a kidnapper of children hard to take,” Superman said.
“Hey, don’t blame me, Blue. If you had kept your nose out of things to begin with I wouldn’t have had to involve Plan ‘B’.”
“The military taught you well, Wilson,” Superman said. “Too bad you didn’t learn the part about protecting the innocent.”
“You’d be surprised what I learned, Blue,” Wilson said. “And trust me, you’ll want to listen this time because you don’t want to meet Plan ‘C’.”
“So just turn a blind eye to a man’s murder and you’ll return the child safe and sound? You want me to choose between the lives of two people?”
“You’re the hero, Blue. Can’t stand the hard choices you should never have put on the suit.”
Superman took a step toward Wilson, but the worsening effects of the radiation reminded him of the danger of rash action.
‘That’s it, Blue. Remember each action has it’s own consequences.”
“You diseased worm,” Superman said through clenched teeth.
“Now, is that the type of language a role model for humanity should use? Maybe I just need to step over there and give you a big hug,” Wilson said laughing.
“Maybe I need to use heat vision to perform a vivisection on you to see what makes a worm like you tick.”
The line was delivered with such coldness that Wilson actually froze in place and began to feel a dryness in his mouth he hadn’t felt before. Superman took another deliberate step forward. The radiation sickness began to worsen and he had to concentrate to stay focused on Wilson.
As was often the case with Kryptonite exposure along with weakening him the radiation also made it seem as though his senses were in overdrive. As his powers diminished so did his ability to narrow his attention to one person or object and he often found himself looking at things using the full spectrum of his vision or being unable to turn off his super hearing. Superman fought to maintain his concentration on the man now in front of him, but something on the periphery of his senses began to nag at him.
“You piece of filth,” Superman finally said.
“Best mind your tongue, Superman and not waste your strength on self righteous anger. And don’t forget, I still have this Kryptonite.”
“Do you think that Kryptonite protects you?” Superman said stepping even closer bringing himself within a couple of feet of the other man. At this range the radiation was like a million little knives slicing through his stomach and head and he felt as if he was slowly being cooked from the inside out. The nausea was becoming overwhelming and his knees threatened to buckle, but he would be damned before he showed any weakness to this man.
“It’s a short range defense at best,” he continued. “Do you have any idea what I could do to you from a distance? I wouldn’t have to kill you. I could carve you up a piece at a time from orbit with my heat vision.”
He moved one step closer and his voiced dropped into a dangerously low tone.
“Or I could just drop a mountain on you and squash you like the bug you are.”
Superman’s hand came out and caught the man by the front of his uniform and jerked him forward.
“You still have one good eye, Wilson. I could look into it and with the smallest use of my heat vision lobotomize you. Or maybe you’d prefer I simply excise the part of your brain that allows you conscious control of your bowels. Or perhaps you’d like to have seizures the rest of your life?”
Beads of sweat were beginning to break out on his forehead as his pain was increasing and blood began to run down from one nostril, but he could see the man’s attempts to hide his own anxiety and he knew the man could see that he saw it.
“If anything happens to that child I’ll do all of that and more I swear it.”
“Just keep your nose out of business that isn’t yours and we shouldn’t have a problem,” Slade said putting as much bravado into his voice as possible when facing a demigod.
“Just pray I don’t find you later, filth.”
He shoved the man backwards and watched him fall to the ground.
“Because if I do I’ll show you exactly how little your strength and reflexes matter.”
Not waiting for an answer Superman stepped back toward the edge of the roof and launched himself skyward.
Once he was airborne and the effects of the Kryptonite began to fade he opened his senses up. Something had been nagging at the corner of his mind like an old memory that just wouldn’t go away. Something that was both familiar and important. As time seemed to slow he heard and saw everything in Metropolis at once. His computer like brain began the task of sifting through and discarding the incredible amounts of information that his amazing senses allowed him access to.
He cycled though various sights and sounds throughout the city. He heard a couple making love in a ground floor apartment on the upper west side. He heard a policeman’s whistle blow as he directed traffic over on Lincoln Avenue. He became aware of Lois Lane sitting in her apartment drinking a large margarita saying “oh my God” over and over again.
Suddenly he realized what he had been halfway hearing during his entire conversation with Wilson. The steady thumping of fists against metal and a child screaming over and over again for her mommy. He quickly isolated the sound and using his vision powers located a sealed metal box with oxygen tanks attached buried several blocks away under a construction site.
In an instant he was galvanized to action and hurled himself as fast as his weakened state would allow him toward the empty lot and it’s precious treasure. On the street below Maggie Sawyer saw his abrupt change in course and hoping against hope ordered the other squad cars to follow her as she stood on the gas pedal of her car trying to keep the rocketing figure in blue and red in sight.
TBC…
