First section of a little something I've been working on in the background. Probably won't be updating super quickly as I have lots in the works right now. Enjoy!
“Now Nigel, we’ve seen that Superman can be affected by hypnosis and pheromones. Whose to say Dr. Crane’s dust won’t also be able to affect him?”
“Mrs. Cox has already been dispatched to acquire the needed samples, sir. Once she returns we will begin testing immediately. We are hesitantly optimistic these tests will be exactly what we hope.”
“Excellent. Ensure this will not change anything with regards to the primary objective with this substance. Superman is not the focus, simply caviar on the blini.” Lex responded as he moved towards a mirror to straighten his tie. The cigar smoke wafted around the man, the night light causing the imposing figure to blend into the darkness. A small glint of light caught the rather ornate ring on the man’s hand for just a moment as it blinked against the blackness. Nigel St. John’s footsteps echoed as he left the room.
“Forgive me, my sweet Lois. I am aware this will be unpleasant but you are still a bit too independent. The time has come and yet I can’t be sure you’ll easily acquiesce to my proposal. Knowing your greatest weakness will ensure you not only marry me but never stray. A necessary evil for both you and Superman to be put in your places.”
He smirked into the mirror as he placed a gentle finger against his clothed chest. He stared back at his own reflection, the cold eyes piercing against the pale unmarred skin.
“And Superman’s place will be underfoot. Where he will always be looking up at the Great Lex Luthor.”
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“Time check.”
“Thirteen minutes and seven seconds.”
“And what time did you get?”
“Fourteen minutes and thirty-two seconds.”
Lois glared down at the page in front of her, pencil gripped firmly in her right hand. She bit her lip before turning it to a frown.
“And no hints?” She asked shyly, her gaze quickly flitting to her partner. Her lip curled into a small smile, though whether she actually smiled or simply wanted to butter up her partner was unclear.
“You swore you wouldn’t need any hints.” He quipped back and threw a balled up piece of paper into a nearby wastebin. The ball fell into the basket with ease and the man pumped his fist with victory.
“Well now I swear that I do. So will you just give me the hint already?” She pouted as the paper taunted her with all the empty boxes.
“Five down is ‘ISOPOD’.”
“What?”
“Five down. Dynoides are a species of isopods.”
“This is so unfair! You have a photographic memory or something so you have all these stupid little factoids stored away up there!” Lois growled as she stood from her chair. She threw her pencil down on the desk and glared at her partner.
“So are you finally conceding defeat?” Clark asked with his typical teasing smirk. Lois simply rolled her eyes and huffed, her foot giving a swift kick to her waste basket under her desk.
“All I’m ready to concede is whoever Perry hired for these stupid crosswords should be fired,” Lois continued to grumble, another small kick given to the basket.
“Thirteen across for ‘What the Thai Ministry of Energy manages’ is ‘EGAT’.”
“Exactly my point! How is a regular old nobody in Metropolis supposed to know this stuff? I rest my case.” Lois turned from her place and towards one of the nearby tables to steal from a box of pens.
“You know, when I gave that speech last week about budget cuts I was under the impression it’d light a fire under your bums, not try to figure out which one of you is smarter than a third grader.” The gruff voice of their editor broke in, the man himself coming to stand near Clark’s desk. His hand currently rested at his jawline, as if he were contemplating the employment status for them both.
“I’d love to meet a third grader who knows the inner workings of Thailand’s governmental duties.” Clark began as he swiveled his chair towards Perry, “Besides Chief, right now we’re just waiting for Henderson to give an official statement then we can put this front page robbery to bed.”
“Perry tell Clark he’s being ridiculous.” Lois responded petulantly as she opened the pen box, pilfering three red pens from the batch.
“And what is Clark being ridiculous about?” Perry asked as he leaned against Clark’s desk. Though he still held his gruff demeanor, a teasing glint appeared in his eyes. He focused his attention completely on Lois and the two men waited for her response.
“Expecting someone to know all this stupid nonsense!” Lois explained, her voice taking on a somewhat shrill cadence as her annoyance grew. She stomped back to her desk before waving the open paper in Perry’s face. The man took it from her hands, an eyebrow raised in reluctance as he glanced what had his reporters fighting. The Daily Planet crossword section stared back at him, less than half of the sections complete.
“Seven across for ‘Hernando de blank bridge’ is ‘SOTO’. I remember driving across it when Alice and I were over in Memphis a couple years ago. We got lucky, not five minutes later a truck hauling one of those campers tipped on its side and caused everything to be a standstill for hours.” Perry reminisced as he stared at the incomplete crossword. Lois let out a load growl and slammed her hands back onto the desktop. Surprisingly, both men appeared composed under her deadly glare.
“CK I’ve got Inspector Henderson on line 3 talking about some statement you wanted.”
“Thanks Jimmy!” Clark answered as he cradled the receiver against his shoulder.
“And there’s the final piece of the puzzle. Now if you’ll excuse me, Lucy is making me meet her stupid boyfriend tonight. Says she thinks this one is actually somewhat serious. I expect he’s just like all the other buttheads she dates.” Lois announced, her briefcase in one hand and her her other hand worked to shut down her computer. She straightened her suit jacket quickly before making a beeline towards the elevators.
“Well if he does end up being a butthead feel free to send Lucy on over. I’m told my shoulders are real great to cry on!” Jimmy called after her as she strode towards the elevator. They watched as Lois sent one final glare over her shoulder towards Jimmy before she entered the waiting carriage.
“Just sent over the story chief. And don’t worry, I’m the one who typed it up so no Lois Lane spelling choices to be found.” Clark answered with a small chuckle, his voice filled with a teasing tone.
“I don’t know what I did before you started editing Lois’ copy. That woman sure knows how to write, if only she could learn to spell.” Perry muttered back with a quick pat on Clark’s shoulder. Though his voice did not hold the same teasing, the glint in his eyes made clear his respect for the missing reporter.
“Now get. Higher ups won’t unfreeze overtime anytime soon and I need you and Lois bright and early tomorrow. Remember-”
“You’re only as good as your next story.” Clark parroted with Perry and gave a small head shake. A quick shut down of his computer and Clark found himself on the Daily Planet roof, ready to change for the nightly patrol.
