Live Another Day
Part 14
Lois couldn’t believe that she let Clark leave without putting up any kind of fight. A tear slipped down her cheek. He’d said goodbye to her and she felt that he was serious about never wanting to see her again. Or rather he wanted, but felt that he shouldn’t. And somehow that was even worse than being dumped because he just wasn’t interested in her. Or was it? Lois was just so confused. How could she feel dumped by someone she hardly knew and didn’t love? Or did she? Her heart twisted.
Needing to at least see him one last time, she stood on her toes, but realized that unlike Clark she wasn’t tall enough to look out of this window.
She sneaked back into the corridor and went toward the exit. Lois managed to catch one last glimpse of Clark as he headed for the staff entrance of the old hotel. His steps were heavy and uneven. He pulled the door open. Then he was gone.
As Lois retreated back into the room where she was supposed to be waiting, her mind reeled with what had happened between them. She buried her face in her hands as she once again remembered that her curiosity had almost killed him. She cursed herself. If he died at Luthor’s hand, it would be her fault.
And for now, she could do nothing but wait. Lois growled in frustration. She let her hands sink and started to pace the room. Now and again, she got on her toes to look out for Clark, but try as she might, she could see nothing but the brick wall of the old building.
Muttering yet more curses, Lois started to search for something she could stand on. She was trying to make out what was lying around her in the dark. All the while she kept her ears trained on every sound she heard from outside the building. But the street remained quiet. Finally she found an old metal bucket that she hoped would still carry her weight.
Lois returned to the windows and placed the bucket on the floor upside down. Careful not to make any noise, she stepped onto the bucket and grabbed the window sill for support.
For a while the street was quiet. The van was still parked in front of the window beside her. While she was waiting, her thoughts returned to what Clark had told her about himself.
<Yes, it’s that important to me. Duh, I’m a freak. Now, you’ve found out>
<I’m more freakish than you could possibly imagine.>
What was he hiding? He hadn’t wanted to tell her. Could it really be that bad? Did he have some kind of medical condition? Was that the reason the green stuff affected him and not her? But why would he talk about himself like he was some kind of monster if he suffered from some illness?
Lois tried to think of the strangest people she had encountered so far and ended up by her father’s cyborgs. Her breath hitched. Could Clark be some kind of advanced machine? Was that the reason Dan believed him to be invincible? But could cyborgs bleed? And if he indeed was a machine, did she still want to be his friend? She wasn’t sure she could answer that question. And before she had a chance to think about the implications, there was a commotion outside the old hotel.
Two men came out of the door, dragging the limp body of a third man between them. It was Clark. By the way his head was lolling to the side Lois could tell they had knocked him out cold. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from crying out.
As they stumbled toward the van, Lois recognized Hank and Joe next to Clark. Ray was following them a short distance away.
“Man, this guy weighs a ton,” Joe complained, panting. “We shouldn’t have knocked him out.”
“Are you crazy?” Hank growled. “I for one wasn’t planning on takin’ another beating from this guy.”
They stopped in front of the van and Ray closed the distance between them. He stuffed a mobile phone into the pocket of his jacket.
The three men manhandled Clark into the van. Lois thought that she heard a soft groan from Clark. Then the door of the van slid shut. Lois’ heart was beating fast. If they left now, she had no idea what to tell Bill and Dan.
Hank climbed into the van. Ray went around the car to slip into the driver’s seat.
“Where are we supposed to take him?” Joe asked.
Ray opened the door of the van. “The Metropolis’ Marina.”
Lois breathed a sigh of relief while she listened to the resounding thud of the closing doors. Then the engine roared and the van drove off. However, the relief of knowing where they were going to take Clark was only short lived, because that piece of information was completely useless without Bill knowing about it.
Lois got in motion and had almost left the building when she realized that she neither had her handbag nor her wig. Hastily she returned to the room in the back. This time she didn’t care how much noise she made and stumbled over several pieces of rubble. It was pure luck that she managed to keep her footing.
When she arrived in the room, she felt rather than saw her way and moved to the sleeping bag. The two items she was searching for were lying next to the makeshift bed. She disguised herself and returned to the street as quickly as the darkness would let her.
The area around the old hotel was deserted again. It was a good thing that Clark had given her directions; otherwise Lois would have been lost. It had been a small miracle that she’d found the old hotel and Clark in the first place. The quick staccato of her running feet sounded unnaturally loud in this eerily quiet part of town. Soon, Lois passed the hotel and approached the riverside. And just like Clark had told her there was a phone booth close to the bank.
The glass of the booth was broken. Lois’ heart sank, because she had no back-up plan in case the phone wasn’t working. As Lois opened the door of the booth, she smelled the stench of urine. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she picked up the phone and much to her relief heard the dial tone. She produced the note Clark had given her from one of her pockets and fumbled for a few coins. Then she punched in Henderson’s number.
“Please pick up, please pick up,” she whispered to herself.
The phone rang a couple of times. Then she heard Bill’s sleepy voice. “This is Bill Hender-.”
She interrupted him. “Hi Bill, it’s Lois. They-”
Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Henderson growled. “What the hell were you thinking? Never in my whole life-
Lois interrupted him again. “Clark was captured by his goons. They’re taking him to the Metropolis Marina. You need to hurry.”
“Damn. He gave himself up already?” Henderson groaned. “And here I was hoping to get some sleep. Perry and Jimmy managed to get one of the members of the board to talk. I don’t even want to know how they did that.” Henderson muttered something that very much sounded like a curse before he seemed to focus his attention back on Lois. He sounded all business. “Okay, Lois, you come back to my place and help them put the pieces of the puzzle together. I’ll find Scardino to rescue this hot-head who obviously can’t get himself killed fast enough. I give you a call when we’re ready to meet you at the precinct to get your statements.”
Before Lois could say anything else, Henderson had hung up the phone. She pressed the hook and dialed again to call a cab. When she was done, she needed a moment to collect herself and remember what direction upstream was. Then she hurried on to get to the harbor area. Her mind was racing as she thought about her next steps. Clark had asked her to lay low and Henderson had told her in no uncertain terms that she was supposed to help Perry and Jimmy.
But how could she leave Clark alone in the hands of Luthor? How could she idly sit in Henderson’s apartment and just piece together evidence. She knew that both Perry and Jimmy were very capable of dealing with the evidence on their own. She needed to be with Clark.
When Lois arrived at the harbor, the cab was already waiting for her. She climbed in and told the driver to take her to the Marina.
***
Clark came to in the back of the van. They were driving, but the car soon turned a corner and slowed down to a halt. Clark heard doors open and decided that it would be better for his health if he pretended to be unconscious just a little while longer.
The door slid open. Clark did his best to relax. He focused his concentration on the trickle of his powers and tried to slow his breathing. Hands touched his body and grabbed his clothing. They reached underneath his armpits and then they pulled him out of the van. Pain shot through his feet as they hit the ground, but Clark managed to stay limp as they lowered him to the floor.
“Oh man, we should wake him up,” Hank protested. “My back is killing me already. I’m not going to carry him all the way to the pier.”
Ray didn’t seem to like the suggestion. “He’s only going to give us trouble as soon as he’s awake.”
“Ray’s right,” Joe said. “Chuck’s not goin’ to let us take him like a lamb to the slaughter. He’ll fight us every inch of the way. And he’s stronger than any of us. We better get him there as long as he’s out cold. Come on, between the three of us we should be able to move him.”
Once again they grabbed him firmly. Someone dragged him up into a sitting position. Clark felt a leg in his back supporting him. Then first his right arm and then his left one were draped around two pairs of shoulders.
Clark heard Ray’s voice again. “On the count of three. One, two, three.”
Together they lifted him up, two people on his sides and a third grabbing his waistband. Clark sank even deeper into his meditation to find and channel what was left of his strength. It was a difficult task since he was jostled around and fear was bubbling up inside him. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, one that might very likely cost his life.
When he’d come up with his plan, he’d expected that by the time he’d have to face Luthor he’d have bounced back to at least a state of near-invulnerability. He couldn’t be farther from that state. Maybe he should have waited until he’d healed before giving himself up. But with Lois around, there was no telling when the next well-meant but completely reckless idea would blow his plans to pieces.
What he wouldn’t give to see her again.
The Shamrock of Horrors slowed down, panting with the effort to carry Clark. He moaned and let his eyelids flutter to see where he was. To his right he saw glistening dark water in the faint moonlight. He heard the splashing of water hitting the pier.
There were several sailing ships and a few motor boats, but as far as he was able to tell, they were not anywhere near the expensive yachts. Clark closed his eyes again and continued to pretend he was still out.
The Shamrock of Horrors dragged him a little closer to the water and then lowered him to the ground.
“Damn you, Chuck,” Hank cursed. Pain shot through Clark’s side as Hank kicked his boot into his ribs. He couldn’t stifle the cry that escaped his throat.
Hank laughed. “Look at yourself. Who is the boss, now?”
Once more, Hank’s boot hit him hard and Clark rolled over to escape his attack. He scrambled to his knees and held his aching ribs with one arm.
He glared at Hank. “You’re a fool.”
“And why is that?” Hank grinned and prepared to kick Clark once more.
Ray held him back. “Are you insane? The Boss said to bring Chuck alive.”
“Phsaw,” Hank spat. “One more kick won’t kill him.”
He started for Clark again, but his kick fell short as Ray grabbed him from behind. “Let’s better not do anything to get on his bad side.”
“You should run for your lives as long as you still can,” Clark suggested. With difficulty he managed to get to his feet. He was still hunched over in pain as he let his gaze drift over the Shamrock of Horrors. “Or do you really believe that the Boss is going to let you live?”
Ray pointed the Walther PPK at Clark and handed Joe the revolver. “You should better worry about your own life. When I talked to the Boss, he was livid. Seemed like he didn’t like what you did with the chick. He-”
Ray was cut off by the sound of an approaching car. The group was bathed in the headlights of what looked like a dark sedan. The car rolled toward the pier and stopped just before the wooden planks. Clark was blinded by the headlights. All he could see was that one of the back doors opened and a dark figure climbed out. The way that figure moved, Clark didn’t think it was Luthor.
The man had a distinctly British accent. “Did you bring him?”
From his voice, Clark recognized him as Nigel St. John. He was a former spy who had been working for MI5, before he’d turned to more sinister business dealings. Now he served as Luthor’s right hand and did most of his dirty work.
“Yes, Sir,” Ray said eagerly and pulled Clark to his feet. “This is Chuck.”
He pushed Clark back to the ground and the Shamrock of Horrors moved a few steps back toward the water.
St. John’s reply was the spitting sound of three shots fired from a pistol with a silencer. The Shamrock of Horrors never knew what hit them. They went down quietly. St. John kept his pistol trained on Clark and went around him. He picked up the revolver and the Walther PPK and stuffed them into his pockets. Then he used his leg to roll one body after the other into the water. He grunted with effort as he struggled to move Ray. Clark heard the splashes as one body after the other hit the water.
Clark’s heart raced as the second back door of the car was pushed open. Another man climbed out. His motions were a little more agile, his statue a bit shorter. His whole demeanor told Clark that the shadow behind the headlights was Lex Luthor himself. Clark didn’t move. He knew that St. John’s pistol was still trained on him.
Luthor walked around the car and stepped into the cone of the headlights. His features were creased in what Clark could only describe as white-hot rage. His eyes were wide and darting around with madness. He, too, carried a gun. As he approached Clark, he raised it to point it at Clark’s head.
Luthor’s voice was dangerously calm. “Nobody crosses me and gets to tell the tale. Your friends were lucky to die a quick and painless death.”
Clark glared at his opponent. “That’s debatable.”
Luthor sneered. “Oh, you’ll come to wish that you could be just as lucky.”
“I’m not afraid of you Luthor,” Clark spat.
“Is that so?” Luthor cocked his brows. “Well, you should be. How could you dare to take what was mine?”
Clark gave him a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about? You told me to blow up the paper.”
“The woman.” Luthor ground out between clenched teeth. “She was mine!”
Clark knew that he’d to stall Luthor as long as possible to give Henderson the time to get to the harbor.
He plastered a vicious grin on his face. “Oh, do tell! Did she give you a good time?” Luthor’s jaw worked, confirming what Clark had already suspected. Lois and Luthor hadn’t been intimate yet. He barked with laughter. “Don’t tell me she didn’t put out for you.” If at all possible, Luthor’s expression turned even sourer. “I thought she was a little on the frigid side. Can’t say that I didn’t enjoy myself, though.”
Blind with rage, Luthor struck Clark, using the hand that carried the gun. Bone and metal connected with Clark’s jaw and pain exploded in his skull. Dizzy, he tilted to the side and found himself on the ground. It took a moment for the ringing in his ears to subside. Clark couldn’t stifle the groan that escaped his throat. Blood was trickling from his mouth. He could only hope that Henderson arrived while he still had a chance to escape. Scrambling back to his knees, Clark faced Luthor again.
“My, my, you got it bad for her, didn’t you?” He mocked the billionaire.
“I should kill you right here, you bastard,” Luthor growled. “But you don’t deserve a quick death.”
***
Lois ordered the driver to stop at a safe distance to the marina. She jumped out of the car and hastily paid for the ride. Not willing to wait for the change she left the cabbie with a more than generous tip. Then she looked around and strained her ears, hoping to get at least a hint of Clark’s location. The marina lay in darkness. As Lois headed for the pier she was startled by the sound of her own steps. Instinctively she stopped, and then decided to slip out of her shoes. It wouldn’t help Clark in the least if Luthor or his henchmen caught her. She picked up her shoes and started to run toward the shore.
The marina was larger than she remembered. She’d been here for the occasional story, but never at night. The deep blackness of the night was beginning to fade as the first hints of dawn painted the sky in a lighter shade of greyish blue.
Soon Lois reached the long row of different piers. Countless larger and smaller boats were anchored around her, gently rolling in the water. She slowed down when she saw a car parked in a distance. It was standing close to the water front between two piers. As Lois snuck closer, she heard voices in the darkness.
Lex’ voice let her blood run cold. “Your friends were lucky to die a quick and painless death.”
Then she heard Clark. “That’s debatable.”
Lois moved even closer, trying her best to stay in the shadows of the ships next to her.
Luthor’s voice was still so cold and void of emotion that it made her shiver. “Oh, you’ll come to wish that you could be just as lucky.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Luthor.” Clark’s replied seemingly unfazed.
He’d obviously adopted his tough Chuck persona again. She couldn’t see him, but she imagined the defiant look on his face. With a pounding heart, Lois crept even closer and sent quiet prayers to heaven that no one was going to see her.
Lex spoke again. “Is that so? Well, you should be. How could you dare to take what was mine?”
Lois reached the pier that was closest to their location when Clark said “What are you talking about? You told me to blow up the paper.”
Nobody seemed to be paying attention to her, when she turned the corner and moved along that pier to find a ship she could climb on to get a better view of what was going on between Lex and Clark.
“The woman.“ Lex’ voice sounded raspy. “She was mine!”
Lois felt her insides burn with anger as he talked about her as if she was just a possession. She squared her jaw and spotted a boat that served her purpose. She reached for the ladder in the back and climbed over the railing. Then she ducked and crept towards the bow of the ship until she could see Clark kneeling on the floor and holding his ribs. Lex towered over him and pointed a weapon at his head.
Her throat constricted in fear as she saw that Clark was still grinning. “Oh, do tell! Did she give you a good time?” Clark laughed at Luthor. “Don’t tell me she didn’t put out for you. I thought she was a little on the frigid side. Can’t say that I didn’t enjoy myself, though.”
Lois covered her mouth with her hand to keep from crying out as she saw Luthor strike Clark with the gun in his hand. He toppled over and fell to the ground where he remained lying for long moments. Lois’ heart was beating so loud in her chest that she was afraid someone might hear it. She had to force herself to stay down and watch, while every cell in her body screamed for her to stand up and help Clark. But just as the tension inside her body became unbearable, Clark got back up on his knees. Blood was trickling down his forehead and out of his mouth.
And obviously he wasn’t done taunting Lex. “My, my, you got it bad for her, didn’t you?”
Lois wished he would stop doing that. It was obvious that her almost fiancé was already at the verge of exploding. He didn’t look anything like the charming man that she’d thought he was.
His true face became obvious as he opened his mouth again. “I should kill you right here, you bastard. But you don’t deserve a quick death.”
With his free hand Luthor grabbed Clark by his lapel and pulled him up. Lois stuffed her hand into her mouth to keep from crying out a warning. Where was Henderson? Someone had to do something!
Luthor pressed the pistol against Clark’s belly.
Lois wanted to scream, but her voice refused to work. The sound that came out was just a strangled whisper that was drowned out by the sounds of the rolling water. “No!”
A vicious smile played around Luthor’s lips. “I’m going to shoot you and watch until the life seeps out of you. And I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”
Clark struggled against Luthor’s firm grip, but he had no chance to escape. When the shot rang out, Lois couldn’t help but squeeze her eyes shut. A guttural groan escaped Clark’s lips.
As Lois opened her eyes again, his knees buckled underneath him and he collapsed as Luthor let go of him.
To be continued…
Last edited by bakasi; 09/01/21 08:54 AM.
