From Part 2:
By the way, how did you feel, discovering that your sister Lucy married my assistant?"
"What?" exclaimed Lois.
<"Huh? Lois, you didn't tell me that!">
"You didn't know? Will Church, your sister's husband, is my assistant. He has asked to be transferred here to the East Coast, to assist in the acquisition of the Daily Planet, as well as to be close to his newfound sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Superman," Thorul informed her in a gloating tone of voice.
"Mr. Thorul, is there a point here?" Lois responded, feeling weary and sickened all over.
"Ms. Lane, there is *always* a point. One that I don’t plan on verbalizing, however. We're all done here. You have a nice day. Did you even have your honeymoon with the Boy Scout yet?"
<"Ah ha! The Luthor connection surfaces. He *always* referred to me as the 'Boy Scout'!">
"Mr. Thorul, that's really not your business, and if you're all set with the verbal sparring, I would like to start enjoying my paid afternoon off!" Lois retorted.
<"That's it, honey!">
"Ms. Lane… as I recall, you're not on the payroll until Monday… isn't that correct?"
<"That bastard!">
"Whatever," she snarled, leaving the conference room. "Good day, Mr. Thorul."
"Good day, Ms. *Lane*," he replied, oozing a cynical smile, as only a Luthor could.
3
Lois walked over to Clark's workstation, rolling his chair away from the desk so she could sit on his lap and give him a big hug and a *very* passionate kiss. The fact that Linda King was observing them made it that much sweeter. "I'm so glad we're married," Lois gushed. "The Daily Planet may be going down the tubes, but like you said, we're stronger together than we are apart. We have to find a way to bring Edge Enterprises down!"
<"Yuck, Clark! Being in the same room with him gives me the creeps, knowing he's Lex's brother. Their mannerisms are *very* similar".>
<"I heard the whole sordid conversation, Lois. But you held your own with him. Sooner or later, they'll make mistakes. I - *we'll* be watching them. No one's perfect. We'll trip them up somehow.">
<"Did you hear the part about Lucy being married to his assistant? Omigod, what a tangled web this is turning out to be! I knew her husband was an affluent West Coast businessman, but who knew that he'd be in bed with all these creeps? Poor Lucy!">
"We have to try to handle this whole situation one crisis at a time, Lois. Let's first go talk to James and find out why he decided to accept a position with the Daily Planet instead of suing Edge Enterprises' butts off!" Clark exclaimed.
James was just leaving his office with several boxes full of personal items when they caught up with him. "Hey," he said, with a dejected look on his face as they walked with him up the ramp, toward the elevator. "Sorry I let you down, but it was either 'cave', or the Daily Planet would cease to exist." The three of them entered the elevator, found it to be empty, and, after the door closed and they were in-between floors, James hit the "stop" button so they could talk privately.
"I didn't tell you before, but I called Perry after I got word about Timmy, and he wanted to help. He's sick of politics and feels he can 'fight city hall' better if he's not *working* at city hall! How ironic, huh? I was his campaign manager and helped him get elected! Anyway, I told Thorul that I had offered Perry his old position back, and that I would only sell my shares to them if it was agreed that they not only honor my offer to hire Perry, but retain all of the existing employees. I have that in writing, at least."
"I have to admit, Jim, I was surprised at your announcement that you were staying on in the IT department. I thought you were planning on suing Edge Enterprises on the basis of 'loss revenues due to technology disruption and corporate espionage'," Clark commented. "How can you do that if they are your employer?"
"Well – I can't, actually. As part of the deal, I had to sign a waiver agreeing not to pursue litigation alternatives," James conceded. "Right about now, I hate myself. My cousin's dead and I just sold my soul to the devil, all for the sake of keeping the Daily Planet solvent. I accepted his offer to work in IT so I could keep an eye on things. No one is ever going to compromise the DP's security and integrity ever again, as long as I'm around!"
"Jim, we all need to get together and talk. How about if we see if Perry and Alice would like some company tonight and we can start brainstorming our way out of this mess?" Lois suggested.
James' expression brightened, albeit briefly. "Sounds like a great idea. Call me later at home and let me know what time. I'm in!" He hit the "start" button and the elevator car continued its descent to the ground level.
"By the way, Jim, what are the arrangements for Timmy? Will there be a wake and funeral?" Clark inquired.
"I have to talk to my Aunt Margaret when I get home, and I'll let you know tonight. There are some out-of-town relatives that haven't arrived yet, so we'll be letting everyone know after the weekend's over," he replied.
"That's good, because we want to attend, but Lois and I are having our honeymoon *and* visiting my folks in Smallville this weekend," Clark said.
"A quickie honeymoon, huh? Wow, I appreciate your wanting to be there for me, you guys. Talk to you in a bit." At that, James hailed a cab, and with Clark's help, loaded the boxes in it. Clark and Lois were left standing at the curb, contemplating their next move.
"Oh, sweets… we can't have our honeymoon, with all of this going on around us!" protested Lois. "We can do that another time."
"Lois… honey… I promised you another night at our special place… this will all be here on Monday when we return," declared Clark. "This situation can't be solved overnight, that's for sure." <"And there are things I want to do… just read my mind, honey.">
Lois blushed as a wave of psychic erotica flooded her mind. <"Can't argue with that, Propaganda! You win!">
"Now… where to next, Lois? You're the one who has been away for ten years, you call it."
"Bill Henderson. I want to see my old buddy who has turned me into a larger-than-life legend in my own time," she announced with an impish smile.
"Metropolis PD it is," Clark agreed. "What is your travel medium of choice, Madame? Car, foot, or fly?"
"Fly this time… it's quicker," Lois replied.
In response, Clark walked them over to the nearest alley, spun into the suit, and they lifted off. Moments later they were landing on the roof of the Metropolis PD, Main Precinct. Clark spun back into his casual clothes, and seconds later, they were in Bill Henderson's outer office, chatting with his administrative assistant, a Ms. Betty Blake.
"Bill's in a meeting with the D.A., Mayson Drake. Do you know her?" Betty asked.
Clark nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid she doesn't like me very much. She would be very happy if Superman disappeared tomorrow and never showed his face again."
Lois' eyes opened wide. "Clark, you can't mean that! With all the good that Superman does? You're the best thing to happen to law enforcement since… God spoke to Moses!"
"Believe me, honey, I'm serious. She thinks I have an ulterior motive and that I make crime scenes 'messier' somehow. Watch her expression when she comes out here. You'll see," he told her.
"All right, I will. <"Sweets, how could someone – especially a woman – not like you? Maybe she just *acts* like she hates you because she really *likes* you?">
<"Love that reverse psychology, honey, but this time, I'm afraid, I'm right and you're wrong. Sorry.">
<"We'll see.">
<"You're stubborn!">
<"You just figuring that out, Propaganda?">
At that moment, an attractive blond woman in a *very* expensive business suit came striding out of Bill Henderson's office, appearing quite animated about the meeting that had just concluded. When she spotted Clark in the outer office, her expression became much more somber, although her eyes lit up for just an instant.
"Well, if it isn't the Spandex Man! Where's the suit, in the wash?"
"Sorry, Ms. Drake, but Maggie Sawyer already used that line on me today. You two women get together and buy your jokes from the same guy? Like a two-for-one sale?" Clark joked, diffusing her sarcasm and blessing her with his 1000 watt smile. "We're here to see Bill; it's official Daily Planet business."
<"Clark… she really does like you. I can tell. It's a 'woman thing'. Best introduce me before she gets any ideas to ask you out!">
Clark tried to suppress an insidious grin in reaction to the thoughts directed at him. "District Attorney Mayson Drake, please meet my wife, and the heroine of the April Fool's Day terrorist attack, Lois Lane. She just returned from Congo-Brazzaville after ten long years in a refugee camp. Doesn't she look great?" Clark put his arm around Lois and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. If Mayson had any designs on Clark, his actions toward Lois would surely have sent her the message to "back off"!
"Lois Lane… what a great pleasure is it to meet you," Mayson said with apparent sincerity. "You are a role model to women everywhere. Surviving ten years in a hellhole like Congo-Brazzaville, then dropkicking a terrorist in an airplane on the way home. Aren't you slumming it, hanging out with the 'Circus Man' over here?"
Clark winced, then grinned at Lois. <"That suit continues to be an embarrassment to me.">
<"You only tease the one you love, Clark. She's very pretty and she does what I used to do, pre-Congo: hides her feelings with jokes and snide remarks. I'm going to have to watch her like a hawk!">
<You have *no* competition in this, or any world, Lois! Don't even bother!">
"I'm happy to meet you too, Ms. Drake. I'm sorry that you don't seem to share the same high opinion that I have of my husband, however. Perhaps some time you'll explain your attitude about him to me."
"Yes, perhaps someday; I suspect that you are a bit prejudiced, though," she said, looking at her watch. "Oh, gosh; I'm late for court. Nice meeting you, Lois; goodbye, SuperKent." She turned away abruptly, walking out the door and down the hallway. The rhythmic clicking of her heels finally faded away as she reached the elevator.
Bill Henderson came barging out of his office and at once had Lois enveloped in a big bear hug. "I never thought I'd see you again, Lane! You don't know how good you have it until it's gone! Boy did I miss you! Welcome home, and congratulations – Clark's a great guy. Don't listen to Mayson – I think she's one of those women who just hate men. She's a fantastic District Attorney though – can't fault her there."
Lois was in tears. "Bill, you're so sweet. I missed you too – missed you teasing and harassing me – missed your lectures, even. It's so great to be home, even though everything is just a big mess!"
"Come in my office, you two. What mess are we talking about now? James Olson's cousin's murder?" Henderson motioned them through the door and they sat down adjacent to his oversized and extremely disorganized desk
"Where do we begin, Bill?" said Clark. "Yes, we think Timmy Carlson was murdered by one of Edge's goons. Perry just announced his resignation from the Mayor's office, so he could take a spot as Editor-in-Chief back at the DP, to help James bring it back to solvency. But it turns out it's too late, because the server crashed, so James just sold the Planet to LNN & Edge Enterprises, under duress. Now, our paychecks will be funded by their tainted money!"
"I heard about Perry. That's a real shame about James selling his shares of the Planet. I had a feeling he might be a little out of his league there. Well, at least all of you will be working together again. I know – but I can't prove it – that Edge is the mysterious leader of Intergang. They're dirty, but they're clean too, if you know what I mean. They cover their tracks better than any company I've ever seen. Better than Luthor Corp ever did. It's really amazing!" Bill exclaimed.
"And his new VP of Acquisitions, Leonard Thorul – is a real creep, too," Lois declared.
<"How I wish I could tell Bill the *real* story, sweets!">
<"Honey… I know.">
"And Bill – it gets better. It turns out that my sister is married to Thorul's assistant, and the two of them are relocating to the East Coast to personally handle the acquisition of the Daily Planet. Isn't this great? My brother in law is probably a member of Intergang, and I'll have to visit him at Lucy's house, making small talk and pleasantries, when really what I'll want to do is have him arrested. Welcome home, Lois Lane, huh?" Lois babbled.
"Now, you see? Bill smiled. "That's what I missed. No one can rant like you, Lois Lane. *No one*."
"Yes, it's an art form with Lois," Clark commented.
<"Wise *** !">
<"Honey, it's true. I love your babbling. I love *you*">
<"Sweet talker! Love you too!">
"Anyway, according to Detective Sawyer, you two believe that an associate of Edge Enterprises murdered Timmy Carlson and somehow made it appear to be a suicide. Well, the preliminary results from the coroner state that it the cause of death *was* the noose around his neck. There were no bruises on his body, no signs of struggling with anyone, no other fingerprints. I may have my suspicions, like you two do, but I have no concrete evidence to base it on," Bill admitted.
"I know… I thought the crime scene was a bit too perfect myself," agreed Clark. "But James said that the suicide note was a fake, because his cousin always called him 'Jimmy', not 'James'. And only someone that grew up with them would know that. Can we start with the letter and somehow prove that it is a forgery?"
"Yes, come see me Monday after the forensics results have come in. They're presently testing the suicide note for latent fingerprints, etc.
"So, not to change the subject, but you guys got married pretty quickly, didn't you? Have you even known each other a week?" Bill asked, with a faint smirk on his lips.
"About that," they both answered simultaneously. They made eye contact and started laughing hysterically.
"We haven't really been separated since we met, Bill. Except for –" Lois forced herself to shut up. She couldn't tell Bill how she was kidnapped by Mark Boyle and Nigel St. John, and then threatened by Leonard Thorul. Not if she wanted to keep Clark alive.
"Except for when she has to – you know – go to the bathroom and stuff," Clark finished for her, flashing Lois a knowing smile.
<"Honey, please stop fixating about saving me. In the end, we're going to have to do what's right.">
<"I'm not breaking my promise to them, Clark. Not until you can prove to me that Kryptonite can't kill you.">
<"Ok, then our next stop is going to be a visit to Dr. Klein at Star Labs – he's been working on an antidote – remember I told you? We'll have to push him along a bit.">
Bill interrupted their mental dialogue. "Well, Clark, you've been alone for a long time – since you and Lana broke up, right? You both have been through enough, you're both great people – I'm so happy for you!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Lois – Clark *did* tell you about his ex-fiancée, Lana Lang, right? I'm not talking out of turn, am I?" Henderson looked a bit flushed, like he had a let a noisy Siamese cat out of a very large bag.
"Yes, Bill – but I'm going to get the full details this upcoming weekend, believe me," remarked Lois, with an edge in her tone of voice.
"*This* weekend?" Bill asked. "Uh-oh, Clark, that doesn't sound like much fun to me, for newlyweds to spend their first weekend together like that: the husband explaining to his wife of one week about his fiancée of ten years ago," he grinned.
"Oh, we'll have fun, believe me," Clark replied. <"Just wait and *see* how much fun we're going to have, honey!"> "We're taking a brief honeymoon tomorrow night, in the Fiji Islands, then we're going to spend the weekend in Smallville. Then – back to work Monday morning, to a *very* different Daily Planet. Oh, and somewhere in there, we have to attend Timmy Carlson's funeral services too."
"Wow, you're going to be busy. And Superman emergencies will have to fit in there as well, I'm sure! Well, thanks for stopping by. It will probably be good for both of you, as well as Perry, to be at the Planet. Maybe they'll slip up and you can nail 'em… just keep me in the loop, as always," Bill said.
"Of course," they answered in unison. <"We keep doing that!">
<"I told you we're connected – I knew you were still alive – I felt you. Now I'm going to *really* feel you!">
Lois blushed inappropriately at Clark's thoughts. "Bill, so good to see you again. You haven't changed a bit." She gave him a kiss on the cheek as he again enveloped her in a warm embrace.
"Thankfully, Lois, neither have you. Clark, you have quite a feisty woman here. Hope you can handle her," he joked.
<Handling her is what I do best!> "Thank God I'm Superman, Bill, is all I can say," he replied playfully.
<"Don't think I can't dropkick you too, Propaganda">.
<"Yeah, right!">
~~~~~
Another quick flight and they were descending upon the roof of Star Labs. This time, Clark kept the suit on because he was on official 'Superman' business. After scanning Dr. Klein's lab to verify he was there, Clark then floated them through his open balcony window, where he kept a small greenhouse full of flowers and exotic plants.
"Hey Bernie, I made it back from Brazzaville and even got married along the way," Clark announced after Dr. Klein had turned his head towards the window, hearing the all-too-familiar "whooshing" sound.
"Lois Lane! I am so happy to finally meet you! You are one very brave lady. We're all so proud of you!" Bernie gushed. "And congratulations on your whirlwind romance and marriage! It's all over the papers today!"
<"Geeky, but sweet. Typical scientist type.">
<"Lois… he's great. Don't judge the book by its cover here.">
"Thanks, Dr. Klein. Clark has told me so much about you as well. You're almost a miracle worker in his eyes," she said sincerely.
"Ok, Clark… you just got married to the beautiful woman of your dreams, and you're coming to see *me*. What's up?"
"Have you inventoried your supply of Kryptonite lately, Bernie? I heard through the grapevine that a large specimen was stolen recently," Clark informed him. "And that it might have been an inside job."
<"The 'grapevine'? They almost *killed* you with that chunk of Kryptonite… oh yeah, you can't tell him that whole story without mentioning Mark, Nigel, and Thorul. Geez, I have a big mouth. You're so much better at this than I am, Clark. I'm terrible at keeping secrets, aren't I? I just know I'm going to blow it!">
<"As long as you babble thoughts, not words, honey – you'll be fine">
"Oh, my. Let me check. That is important news."
Dr Klein left the room for ten minutes. He returned with a terrified look on his face.
"I don't know how that happened, Clark. You're right… the largest specimen that we had… it's gone. How did you know?"
"Reporter's privilege, Bernie - can't give away my source. How are you coming with that antidote, anyway?"
Bernie proceeded to give Lois and Clark a technical explanation of his latest experiment, which left them both with glazed expressions on their faces. The bottom line was – nothing yet.
"Dr. Klein…"
"Please, Lois, it's 'Bernie' -"
"Ok, 'Bernie'… with that big green rock out there somewhere, it's really important that we find an antidote quickly," stated Lois. "I finally found the man of my dreams, and I don't want anyone taking him away from me."
<"Aww, honey…">
<"Don't let it go to your head, Propaganda… I just would miss the flying part!">
"I understand. I'm getting close to understanding why the specific level of radioactivity that Kryptonite emits is only harmful to Clark, and not to earthlings. Also, I'm going to call the police and have them dust for fingerprints. Of course, it's going to have to be discreet. We don't want the underworld hearing about this. Oh, dear," Bernie sighed.
"Lois and I are going to be away for a few days, Bernie, so we'll check back with you on Monday or Tuesday, OK?"
"Yes, yes, that's fine. Nice meeting you, Lois. You have a really great guy there."
"I know. Nice meeting you too, Bernie."
~~~~~
Almost immediately upon their return to 344 Clinton St., the doorbell rang. It was as if someone had been watching the apartment window to determine when Lois and Clark would return. They were surprised to find a large manila envelope that had been delivered by courier, left by the door. It was addressed to Lois Lane, and the return address was "LNN – a subsidiary of Edge Enterprises."
"This can't be good news," Lois said, feeling some anxiety well up in her chest.
Clark felt it too – a double dose – his and Lois'. As they closed the door, Lois had the package already ripped apart.
"Clark – they sent me an employment contract. It must have been drawn up in the last hour, since we left the Planet!"
Clark grabbed it out of her hands. "Lois, I can speed-read through this faster than you can. Oh wow- they want you to have a psychological evaluation before you report to work on Monday morning. They're stating it's because they don't want to status you as a full-time employee without a medical release, due to the 'severe emotional traumas' you experienced in Congo-Brazzaville. They've made an appointment for you, with a Dr. Maxwell Deter, for 8:00 a.m., Monday morning."
"What? Those bastards!" Lois yelled. "I'm saner than any of those losers!"
At that point, the phone rang. Only a select group of people - the President, the Daily Planet, Perry White, James Olson, the Metropolis PD, Lana and Pete Ross, and Clark's folks - had the non-published number.
Clark answered. "Hello? Yes, she's here. Please hold on." He motioned to Lois that the phone was for her, and continued to listen with his super-hearing.
"Lois Lane speaking. May I help you?"
"Ms. Lane? This is Mr. Thorul again. I just want to make sure that you received our employment contract. I hope you weren't offended that we went ahead and made the appointment for you with Dr. Deter. You have to understand that if we have you return to work full-time, before you're ready, we may be liable for any subsequent mental health issues that may arise as a result. It's on the advice of our legal counsel, of course. A physical examination is standard in all of our employment contracts; yours is expanded because you spent the last ten years in a war zone. Believe me, there is nothing personal about the request." His tone of voice appeared businesslike, but Lois could hear some gleefulness, which really set her off.
"Mr. Thorul – yes, I have your 'contract'; and, as much as I would like to tell you what to do with it – I *want* this job at the Daily Planet, so I won't! Fine, I'll report to Dr. Deter and keep the appointment. I'm sure he'll find that I'm perfectly sane. I'd take this 'concrete jungle' over the one in Brazzaville anytime!"
"Ms. Lane – your sanity was never in question. You ability to handle the stress of the job – which a premier investigative reporter like you is likely to experience on a daily basis – is what's in question."
"Yeah, yeah, this is just corporate baloney, Mr. Thorul, *sir*," Lois replied sarcastically. "You know it and I know it. No matter. I can measure up to whatever benchmark you can throw at me."
<"Holy cow, Lois. I hope you don't really want to go back to the Planet or anything!">
"Well, good. I'm glad to see that we're on the same page here. Report to the Planet after you leave Dr. Deter's office, and bring his sealed report with you. Our interim 'city beat' editor will be expecting you around 10:00 a.m. Good day, now."
Before she could ask the name of the "interim editor", the line went dead. "Clark, it's time to call Perry and schedule that meeting for tonight. After that, I'm going to be more than ready for the honeymoon," Lois lamented.
"You got it, honey. I'll call Perry right now."
~~~~~
TBC
