A very big thank you to my husband who was essentially forced to listen to me describe this story in detail and help me come up with a solution to the problem. The earthquake explanation contained here is his idea and based on his knowledge of geology (which is quite extensive). However, given that I don't have a nearly as much knowledge of geology as him, please blame any scientific errors here on me. I tried to understand what he said and then put it into easily understood English, but I'm sure I made mistakes in the translation.
Also, I as this is definitely getting closer and closer to a close, I thought I'd ask again. I'm looking for beta readers for my next story. I have two already, so I'm hoping this won't be a lot of work for any one, but would love additional help. Please email me if you are willing to help at
anonpip@gmail.com.
“Ow,” Lois exclaimed. “You
are freakishly strong.” Clark loosened his hold on her hand. “Even when not super,” she added under her breath and Clark loosened his hold even further.
“Sorry,” he muttered staring resolutely ahead.
Lois sighed. “It's just an airplane, Clark. Normal people fly in them all the time. The chance of an accident is even lower in a plane than a car.” She placed her free hand on his arm to soften the sting of her words.
“I know,” Clark said, still staring ahead. “But I haven't been on a plane in forever. And I hate the feeling when they take off and land. Did you know the average 747 is about 340,000 lbs? And that's empty! Things that heavy aren't supposed to hang suspended in midair.”
Lois giggled and moved closer to whisper in his ear, “Neither are people, but you seem to do it just fine. And after a couple of days in Metropolis you'll be back to being able to bench press 340,000 lbs with one arm. In your sleep.”
“But if something happens today…” Clark started.
“You'll hold my hand and break my fingers and it will all be over before you have a chance to apologize,” she told him. “And for the record, I'm looking forward to taking Superman Express home, too.”
Clark finally seemed able to peel his eyes off the seat in front of him and graced Lois with a smile. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Lois fought the urge to laugh. He was way too old to look like a little boy, but somehow he still managed to pull it off with ease.
The moment passed too soon, though and a cloud flitted across Clark's face. “Do you think my folks are safe?” he asked her.
Lois nodded. “Perry seemed pretty convinced that the bug finder he borrowed from that guy was genuine and it didn't find anything. So, there's no reason for someone to go after Clark Kent and therefore no reason why your parents won't be fine on their flight back to Kansas and staying at the farm.”
**********************************************************************
It was a couple of hours later when Lois woke up. She did not remember falling asleep, but realized she had missed the movie. That was just as well as it was a boring action movie she'd seen before, but she had hoped to get some good thinking done today about what their plan should be. Instead, she had wasted the flight asleep.
Clark must have relaxed a bit, too, she realized as he had let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her and draw her head to his shoulder. His head was resting softly on top of hers and she could hear his even breathing.
She tried not to move as she thought Clark could probably use some more sleep. He had not been out of range of the kryptonite for long and besides, there was still some of it in the plastic container in her bag. They had wrapped it in aluminum foil, but Clark did not think that would do much good.
It was only a moment or two longer before he awoke. The flight had started its descent and he woke up disoriented. When he seemed to realize that the drop was not from him losing altitude while he slept but from the plane, his face showed panic and Lois, who had now sat up, grabbed his hand. “It's okay, Clark. We'll be down in a minute.”
He smiled gratefully at her before taking to staring at the seat ahead of him again.
After landing, it did not take long for Lois and Clark to get out of Metropolis International. Clark had only a few clothes with him that his parents had brought from home and Lois also packed light. They had kept everything to a carry-on suitcase.
It was only after getting into the cab on the way to Star Labs that Lois realized she did not miss the big city. San Diego, while the eighth largest city in the country, was really a sprawling suburb with a very small downtown. Living within that downtown as she had, Lois had felt like she was still a city girl. But she realized now how different San Diego was from where she used to live. Plus it was cold here. Not that San Diego had lived up to the stories she had heard about it being 70 degrees every day, but it rarely got too much below freezing and that was only after dark. While she used to think she missed the winter, she already realized how wrong she was. And it was only October. She gave another shiver as they exited the cab and Clark put an arm around her shoulders.
She smiled at him gratefully as he rolled their bag into Star Labs, but was not sure if she was grateful or annoyed that he moved his arm as soon as they entered the building. Bernard Klein came out as soon as they were announced.
“Clark,” he exclaimed. “You can not even imagine how good it is to see you.” And forgoing his usual reticent manner, he wrapped Clark in a hug and then turned and did the same to Lois.
“Come on in, please,” he said as he ushered them back into the lab.
Once they were alone and Dr. Klein had closed the door, Clark spoke up. “Thank you for taking this all in stride, Dr. Klein.”
“Nonsense,” Dr. Klein said. “And I think we're past Dr. Klein, now, don't you? It's Bernard. And I know I seem like an absent-minded professor and I admit I did not know you were him. But I had figured out that Superman had a day job. How I never made the jump to Clark Kent, I don't know.
“But it's good to see you as Clark. Now hop up on that table so I can get a look at you. Do you have a sample of the dust?” he asked.
Lois reached into her bag to get it while Clark made himself comfortable on the table Bernard had indicated. Ignoring Clark for the moment, Bernard came over to Lois and took the container from her, placing it within a lead compartment.
The room was silent for a few moments while Bernard examined Clark. “You seem fine, if not super,” he proclaimed a few minutes later. “Weak, but I think now that you are away from the kryptonite you'll recover well. Now let's see what we can find out about this dust.”
Bernard removed the container from the lead compartment. “I'm going to bring this over there so it will be pretty far away and I'll do it quickly. You can leave soon, but I want to take at least a preliminary look while you are here.”
Clark nodded his head and Lois could tell he was as nervous as she although she was not sure what it was they were nervous about. Bernard placed a small amount of dust under the microscope and then began moving it around with a pair of tweezers.
“Hmm…” he said and then straightened a moment later. He began moving all the dust back into the container Lois had brought it in as he talked. “I'm not sure why that weakened you so much,” he said while he packed. “It's only about 10% kryptonite. The rest is nothing more than green sand.”
“Well, he was coated in it when he came back from Belize. Would that matter?” Lois asked.
Bernard and Clark both nodded and Clark said, “Yes. I'm always much more affected when it touches me.” Looking at her for a moment more, he added, “So, if most of it is just sand, whoever is doing this wants me to know it's there.”
“Right,” Lois said.
“What purpose would that serve?” Bernard interjected.
“Scaring me off maybe,” Clark conjectured.
“Only someone who hasn't studied you well,” Lois said. “Most people I think are pretty aware of how much Superman will go through to help people.”
“Yes,” Clark agreed. “But if the plan was to use it to weaken me in Australia and Belize and then leave just enough of it around other places like your apartment to maintain that, I may hesitate to go out again. Even though the small amount of kryptonite wouldn't normally cause much damage on its own, once I'm weak, it doesn't take much to sustain and even exacerbate that.”
“So,” Lois continued, “if you were weak and thought the area was covered in kryptonite, you might hesitate to go out and help thinking you'd only get worse before you could provide any help.”
“Right,” Clark said. “Leaving, say, people whose homes are burning to fight for themselves.”
“And leaving you someplace that has just enough kryptonite to slowly kill you,” Lois finished. She turned to Bernard. “So, what would be the best way to get rid of the dust?” she asked him.
He looked at her startled. “Why would you do that? Aren't you worried that more would just appear?”
Lois nodded, “Yes, but we'll find who ever did this and make sure that doesn't happen. Clark needs to be able to go out again after that, so we need to make sure the stuff that's already out there can be collected by us.”
“I'll have to think about it,” Bernard hedged.
“You have time,” Clark said as he glanced at his watch. “Lois and I have to go. We have an interview in a half hour.” He smiled at them both, “And just being away from the kryptonite, I'm already feeling somewhat better.” At Lois' wide eyes, he finished, “Not super yet by a long shot, but better.”
The two walked out the door into the cold again. Lois pulled her gloves on and out of some long ago habit, tucked her arm into Clark's. He smiled as he placed a hand on hers.
“So, shall we walk to Weis'?” he asked her. “It's just a few blocks south of here.”
“Yes,” Lois said, smiling. “I should call Abby and John on the way, though.” She pulled her cell phone out of her purse with her free hand and punched in the speed dial for Abby.
“Hey, Ab,” she said a moment later. “So, you'll never believe who I'm on my way to interview…. Mickey Weis…. Yes, I know. Well, you know I'm old friends with James Olsen. He knows Weis and hooked me up. Well, actually us up. We have another partner on this one. My old partner from the Daily
Planet, Clark Kent is with me…. Yes, it's a long story, but he is alive and as it happens knows a few things about Skagle and Weis, so it's good to have him. You don't mind, do you?...Great! I'll keep you updated on what I find out.” Lois finished the call and immediately placed another.
While she waited for the phone to ring to said, “Abby is excited to have you working with us, Clark. She said she'd read some of your writing when I joined the Trib and thought you were fabulous.” Off of Clark's raised eyebrow, she clarified, “Her words, not mine.”
“John?” she talked into the phone again. “Hi. I just wanted to let you know I'm in Metropolis…. Yes, I'm with Clark. We're about to go interview Mickey Weis. Jimmy set us up…. Yes, Clark. I've already talked to Abby about it and she doesn't mind sharing the byline. Clark already has some knowledge about Weis and Skagle. And Abby is busy working on the fires anyway…. Yes, I promise you an exclusive with Jimmy after this. But John, this Weis story is huge. I'm telling you, maybe even Pulitzer material….. Of course, I'll be careful. Besides I'm with Clark. Trust me, he's protective enough for both of you…. Yes, I'll call you as soon as I get back into town and likely send you copy sooner.”
Clark smiled at her as she slipped the phone back into her purse. “You like him, don't you?” he asked.
“He's great. A really great editor,” she told him.
“And…” Clark paused, “as more than an editor?”
Lois looked up. His voice gave nothing away, he could have been making idle conversation. But his jaw was slightly clenched. “I don't know, Clark,” she started and then decided to be honest. “John is terrific and he's going to make someone very happy, but I don't think it's going to be me.”
To her surprise, Clark's jaw remained slightly clenched. He stopped suddenly and grabbing her hand moved her out of the flow of fast walking pedestrians. “Lois,” his voice was low and earnest. “Promise me something?”
“What?” Lois asked, feeling slightly concerned.
“You said yesterday that you couldn't have gotten married to someone else as you were in love with me. Can you find a way to move past that? Can you at least try to let go of that and find love with someone else? I really…” he paused for a moment. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but I really want you to be happy, Lois.”
Lois leaned up to kiss Clark lightly on the cheek. “I promise. If someone else shows up, I won't hesitate to get involved with them if I want to. And for the record, I am happy. Although, I'll be happier once we nail Weis and Skagle.”
Clark smiled. “Now come on, partner,” she said as she dragged him down the street.
**********************************************************************
Mickey Weis' office was decorated in muted greens and hardwoods. Lois and Clark sat in the chairs across from his desk both looking around and taking in the feel of the place.
“No pictures,” Clark whispered.
“What?” Lois asked.
“He doesn't have any pictures of family or friends. So either he lives a solitary life or he doesn't want to drag anyone he cares about into his nefarious dealings,” Clark observed.
Lois smiled. She had forgotten how different Clark's investigative style was than hers. He got clues from obscure facts he noticed whereas Lois was more likely to come up with obscure theories and then try to prove them.
Before she had a chance to reply, though, Weis entered.
“So, Lane and Kent. Years ago, you guys used to be the "Hottest Team in Town',” he said as he entered. “Of course that was before you bit the dust,” he said to Clark, “and you disappeared to obscurity,” he looked at Lois.
Lois could see Clark start to reach over for her hand and then change his mind. She smiled. While it was nice for him to try to show her support, it was better not to let Weis know that he had already rattled them.
“So, Olsen said you want to do an article on Mentmork and how the business strategy has changed since I took over last year?” Weis asked them.
“Yes,” Lois said. “Sales of your clothing line has tripled since you took over, but the personal care line of items has been suffering and we're interested in hearing about how you decide which business' to focus on.”
“Profitability,” Weis replied, sounding bored as he finally took a seat behind his desk.
“Well, but when you took over the personal care items were in growth mode,” Lois said.
“It had hit its peak,” Weis said.
“But…” Lois started, but stopped when a cell phone started ringing.
Weis dug in his pockets to get it, and flipped it open with one hand. “Yeah?” he said into the mouthpiece. “Are you sure?” he asked the person on the other side. “Well, you need to be sure. That stuff doesn't grow on trees, you know.”
Clark and Lois glanced at each other. Clark could tell that Lois was hoping that he had his superhearing, but no luck so far.
Another moment and Weis hung up the phone. “Look, I need to cut this interview short. Talk to Marla out there. Maybe we can reschedule.” He reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a small box which he then placed in his coat. Once he got to the door to his office, he looked back at Lois and Clark expectantly.
With a sigh, Lois got up and Clark followed.
“Well, that was a bust,” Lois said as they exited the building.
“Not completely,” Clark replied. “The box he grabbed on his way out. It had kryptonite in it.”
“It did?” Lois asked, but she did not really need him to answer as when she looked at him, she realized he was sweating slightly. “Let's get you inside,” she said, once again tugging on his arm.
Right as they got into a cab, Lois' cell phone rang. “It's Dr. Klein,” she told Clark when she looked at the caller ID.
“Hello?” she said into the receiver. While she talked, she ran a hand over Clark's forehead. He had assured her he would be fine, but he still looked weak to her. He must not have been exaggerating when he said just a small amount of kryptonite exposure would effect him when he was already weak.
She snapped her phone shut a moment later and leaning forward said to the driver, “Change of plans. Can you take us to Star Labs instead?”
“Star Labs is the other side of town,” the cabbie grumbled.
“I know,” Lois said. “But we need to be there.”
“It's your dollar,” he spat back while he made a U-turn.
“Dr Klein… Bernard,” Lois corrected herself, “said he has news.”
Clark nodded to indicate he had heard her, but made no other moves until they got to Star Labs. Lois ushered him inside quickly and as soon as Bernard saw Clark's face, he moved a seat closer to the door.
“Are you okay?” he asked Clark.
Clark nodded, and Lois answered for him. “Weis had kryptonite.”
“Mickey Weis? Owner of Mentmork?” Bernard asked.
“The one and the same,” Lois replied. “Why? You know something about him?”
“Not much,” Bernard said. “A few years ago, Dr. Simpston had a young protégé working under her. He used to be into poker and played a weekly game with Weis. Dan said that Weis was a nasty loser. It was supposed to be a friendly game with a $10 limit, but Weis was always looking to raise the stakes. Dan eventually stopped playing and apparently the poker game broke up. But when Weis suddenly started picking up Luthor's old empire, I wasn't surprised. From what Dan said, Luthor and Weis were cut from the same clothe. Well, except that Weis doesn't seem to feel the need to hide his true nature,” Bernard clarified.
“Anyway,” he said, remembering why he called them. “I just heard something that I thought might interest you.”
Lois looked on in interest and could even see Clark perk up a bit.
“Dr. Conner in the next lab over is a seismologist,” Bernard started, “and she was doing some filing today and came across the data on the earthquake in Australia last week.”
Now Clark and Lois were both staring at him avidly, although Lois noticed that Clark still looked a little green around the gills.
“Apparently, according to her records, that wasn't an accident. There was a small nuclear explosion shortly before the earthquake,” Bernard explained.
“Excuse me?” Lois said, confused. “Would that cause an earthquake?”
“Well, it can if it's set along the fault line. Her records show a small blip just prior to the earthquake.”
“How can she be sure that wasn't a pre-shock or something?” Lois asked.
“Well, simply put, she can compare different seismographs. Depending on where they are with relation to the center of the quake they would look different as some areas would be compressing and some decompressing. But with an explosion, everything happens within concentric circles around the explosion. That's what happened here. Sarah was comparing two seismographs – one taken south of the earthquake's location and one north. During the earthquake they mirror each other with one showing compression when the other is showing decompression. But they both have a blip shortly before the quake and the blip shows compression at both points.”
“So, Weis was able to cause the earthquake. So getting dust there beforehand wasn't an issue,” Lois said.
“Exactly,” Bernard said.
“Thank you so much, Bernard,” Lois said. “But I think I'm going to take Clark home.”
“Thanks,” Clark whispered. “I am feeling better now, but a nap would be nice.”
“We're staying at Perry and Alice's while they are out of town,” Lois told Bernard. “So, just keep calling my cell if you need me.”
