“Impossible!” Rachel exclaimed. “Where did it go?”
“Are you asking me?” Sharlynn asked, loudly. “You were here, I wasn’t.”
“I don’t know… Let me see…”
“Seriously, you don’t know?” Sharlynn’s voice was as surprised as angry.
“No…” Rachel’s one, instead, was troubled. “Maybe Lois and Clark took it…”
“When? Where were you? And why did they took it without telling you?”
“I don’t know, Sharlynn…”
“Jane! Come on, we ‘re all going to search. Maybe it’s just fallen down.”
Clark, amused, quitted overhearing for the moment. He pulled something out of his pocket, and looked at it, with a big smile on his face.
The bug.
Yes… He now possessed, what these women were searching so anxiously.
And he hadn’t even realized what had happened.
In fact, while Rachel was boiling the milk and Lois was watching her, he ‘d turned his head vaguely, he ‘d seen the bug on the table, and he ‘d put it into his pocket. Even Lois didn’t know, yet.
The strangest thing was that… it almost happened by accident. He didn’t even know why he did it. Maybe he ‘d thought it ‘d be safer with him, or he ‘d wanted to examine it thoroughly at home, or maybe he didn’t trust Rachel enough to let it in his hands.
Neither did he know if it had kept it a secret on purpose.
Of course, when he took it, Rachel and Lois were talking. And he would tell Lois, eventually.
But Rachel?
He couldn’t tell if he ‘d intended to tell her but he forgot to, or if he had intended not to. All he knew was that he had just done it.
And now he was outside the lab, having it inside his pocket, while the women were searching for it.
Quite a funny situation, he thought.
Smiling, he x – rayed the door to see whether they were still searching. And he saw that they were.
“Let ‘s give them a break.” he thought.
He decided to focus to something else that had been troubling him.
The problem was, that he had been distracted and now couldn’t remember what it was.
He leaned with his back against the wall, closed his eyes, put his hands onto his forehead and tried to concentrate.
Nothing. He couldn’t remember.
Unconsciously, he put the bug out of his pocket and began to play it around his fingers.
And suddenly, it hit him.
How came that the Black Team arrived only after minutes than the bug had been deactivated?
Did they realize it was deactivated because they were having no signal from it? Or had someone informed them?
And if so, who could they be?
Rachel? But she was with them all the time… How could she ‘ve done it?
Sharlynn? But how could she ‘ve known?
John? No way.
Or maybe there was another bug, or a camera, hidden somewhere else inside the room?
“OK,” he thought, “let’s check this lab.”
He x – rayed the door, and then carefully the whole room.
Nothing under the table.
Nothing under the chairs.
Nothing on the ceilings, on the walls, on the floor.
Nothing between Rachel’s tools.
Nothing in the drawers.
Nothing between the garbage at the corner.
Nothing, nowhere.
So at least the last possibility was out.
“But what if the bug was on a person?” he thought.
He x – rayed the Thorns’ and Jane’s hair, clothes, ears…
Nothing.
The women had only their mobile phones, which seemed normal.
And inside John’s pocket he ‘d only found a toy plane.
He decided that Black Team had came just because they had realized that something was wrong with the bug.
“OK, it’s time to overhear a little more.” he thought.
The women had already given up the efforts to find the bug.
“Rachel, you should ‘ve been more careful!” Sharlynn was scolding her.
“Oh, Sharlynn, give it a break, for God ‘s sake!” Jane said calmly, but obviously bored of Sharlynn’s nervous attitude. “It ‘s not her fault. They probably took it without saying to her nothing, because they don’t trust her, or us, enough.”
“And you consider this a good thing?”
“No! Did I say anything like that?” Now Jane was getting irritated. “Just don’t react like this, OK? Lois and Clark need a little more time to trust us. And it ‘s not like we ‘ve told them the plain truth!”
“OK, then, just go and tell them everything. First of all, they won’t believe us. Secondly, we ‘re not completely innocent. And, after all, it ‘s not that necessary! They know everything important. OK, so they don’t know we ‘re sisters as well. Would it change anything? And, if you want me to be completely honest at least with you, I do not feel you as my sister yet. I love you and I care for you, but I love and care more about John and Rachel.”
Clark was not that shocked with the news he had just heard. He actually thought that Sharlynn could be right… What ‘s the difference if he and Lois learned that Jane was the Thorns’ sister? None.
Still, he would like to know what exactly was going on, and what they were hiding.
“I don’t blame you.” Jane was not disappointed, nor sad about it; she seemed to totally understand her sister. “I know you do, and I think it ‘s normal. It was easier to me to learn how to love you all, since I ‘ve never really had any siblings. But do not think about our relationship for a while. I am talking about Lois and Clark. They would easily understand that we were right, even if not completely legal. Just think that they haven’t told anyone that Rachel is alive.”
“I know, I keep spying upon them.”
Sharlynn was spying upon them? Oh, boy, that couldn’t be good.
“And what have you seen so far?”
“They have a normal life – as far as a reporter’s life can be considered as normal. And they love each other very much, and everybody appreciates them… That ‘s all I know.”
A pause.
“What? Why are you looking me like this?” she went on. “I ‘ve been a cop, not a detective. I ‘ve seen they are very good guys and… they ‘re very good guys.” Another pause, smaller this time. “Lois is a bit curious, but that ‘s OK. It just becomes a problem when she ‘s determined to clear a situation. When I sent them the letter, instead of accepting everything written, she began to search. But…” One more pause. “What’s wrong? We need their help, don’t we?”
“Sharlynn, I have to agree with Jane. They have to know.” Rachel said.
Sharlynn paused again, probably hesitating. “OK, if you two don’t trust me enough, think of a plan of your own, and I ‘ll follow it.”
“I thought we were a team.” Rachel said.
“Do whatever you want.” Sharlynn repeated. “I ‘m going to accept anything you say, and help you in any way I can.”
“The baby is safe with them?” Jane asked Sharlynn.
“Yes. In fact, maybe she ‘s better off with them than with Superman. Think about it. Superman will be around all the time, and we know nothing about his supposed girlfriend. At least the Kents care about her a lot and look after her very well.”
“By the way,” Rachel asked, “why do they still have her?”
“They had told me, that Superman had been very busy to keep her… or something like that. You know, Sharlynn, maybe you ‘re right, and I ‘ll tell them to keep her. And, if you both agree, here ‘s what I propose: The next time Lois and Clark come here, we tell them the truth. Everything.”
“I don’t disagree.” Rachel said.
“I don’t know…” Sharlynn said. “I want to agree, but I still have a bad feeling… But, let it be, we ‘ll do whatever you say.”
“Are we all OK with that? Tell the truth to the Kents?” Jane asked.
“Yes…” the other two women murmured.
“Good. And now, what?”
“Now, nothing. What do we have to do?” Sharlynn asked.
“Now, we should call for a new door.” Rachel reminded.
“Oh, yes, right.” Sharlynn said. “I ‘ll do it.”
Clark thought he had heard enough. He leaned his back against the wall, thinking.
What had he learned today?
First of all, Jane Jackson was a sister of the three Thorns he had known until now. Was she another Thorn, who had changed her name, or had been married?
There was also the possibility that she had been left by Rachel Lynn Thorn – the Thorn’s mother – or that she was a stepsister, from the father’s side. That would explain why Sharlynn didn’t really feel her as a sister, yet.
The second thing he had learned was that Sharlynn had been spying upon them. That didn’t seem too good, but was something, maybe not expected, but logical. She had given them her niece, and wanted to know if she would be OK with them. It was a good thing that she hadn’t already found that he was Superman. She could have.
And, even not very capable of finding information, she was brilliant in remaining unnoticed. OK, maybe she hadn’t been after them all the time. Still, although both Lois and he were very observing persons, they had never seen her around.
And the third thing he had learned today was that they had decided to tell them the plain truth. Whatever this truth was, now that he had heard them saying they were intending to reveal it, he felt that he wouldn’t have reason to doubt whatever he would hear.
Of course, he shouldn’t trust them blindly. This would be very childish of him. But, knowing the Thorns were not going to hide themselves any more, gave him a margin.
And, if he and Lois acted like they still didn’t trust them completely, that could press them reveal even more…
He smiled in this thought.
He stood up and was ready to leave, hovering again, so that they wouldn’t hear him, but his super – hearing caught something.
A robbery at the Metropolis’ Bank.
He spun into his suit and left, quickly.
***
Clark looked into the bank. Three of the robbers were threatening with their guns the bank’s clients, who had laid down. Another robber was pointing with his gun to the cashier, who was putting the safe’s money into a large bag.
His heart began to beat intensely. All of the robbers were dressed in black.
Was that a coincidence, or were they a part of the Black Team?
He got in the bank, wearing his Superman look.
The robbers turned to him.
“Let your weapons down.” he said.
The robbers turned the guns to the people. A few women screamed.
“OK, if you insist.” He would fly to catch them, but as the robbers saw he was going to move, they shot down to the people’s direction.
Clark was fast enough to change direction and caught the bullets before they hit anyone.
Then, he heard another voice, away from the bank, screaming: “Superman, help!”
He froze. This was Lois’ voice.
When he heard her, he felt rather worried. What could be happening to her?
But, he thought, coming to himself, now he was up to something else he had to finish. And he had to hurry. Maybe then he could be able to get to Lois in time.
In the few second that passed since Lois screamed until Clark got back to himself, the robbers began to run away. Clark, seeing them, ran to them, caught them all and gave them to the policemen, who had already gathered outside the bank.
His eye also caught a man in a black suit, who was escaping in an old, white car. He flew over it, picked it up, and brought it back to where the policemen were waiting. Then, he opened the door, pulled the man out and gave him to the policemen.
“Thanks, Superman.” a policeman said, gratefully.
“Nothing.” he said, politely. “Now, excuse me, I have to go.”
He flew away, in an attempt to find Lois as soon as possible.
He found her alone in an empty street, standing outside her car and staring unconsciously to the sidewalk under her feet. She was desperate, and tears were running down from her eyes.
He landed beside her.
“What happened?” he asked her, gently.
“Oh, Clark…” She turned to him. Her face was red. She tried to speak, but a sob was sitting in her throat.
She swallowed it, and answered Clark’s question. “The Black Team took Sharlynn.”
