My heartfelt thanks to all the gentle readers out there, whether you've commented or not. It's been fun sharing this story with you.

TOC is here .

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From part 16:

“It’s over, Lex.” I announce. “Inspector Henderson has all the evidence he needs to put you away for several lifetimes. You’re finished.”

“Finished?” He scoffs, turning back to me. “I’ve hardly begun. No matter what you think you’ve accomplished, my control over Metropolis is complete and soon I’ll own the country, if not more. I’m a god amongst the pitiable dregs of humanity. You could never hurt me, Lois. I’m invincible.”

I hear the sound of guns cocking and I turn to look out the office door, expecting to see Metropolis’ finest. Instead, I am shocked to see three men decked out in combat fatigues.

It’s Colonel Trask.


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Master of Disguise - Part 17
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I close my gaping mouth with a click. Whether Trask’s arrival is a godsend or a curse, I can’t say, but when Lex lowers his handgun and turns slightly away from us to deal with these new intruders, I breathe a momentary sigh of relief. Anything that delays death is a good thing, even if it comes in the form of an obsessed xenophobe.

Looking from one man to the other, I’m hard-pressed to know who is more surprised by the situation – Trask at finding us in Lex’s office, or Lex for being interrupted. Actually, Lex looks more annoyed than surprised, a thought that brings me a small measure of satisfaction.

Trask, on the other hand, isn’t able to focus on any one person. His look of incredulity and confusion focuses first on Clark and then on Lex, his beady little eyes swiveling between the two men. If I believe his ravings from our encounter in San Francisco, Trask had already made up his mind that Clark was linked to Superman in some way and the only good thing about Clark’s pain is that it’ll debunk any lingering suspicions.

I watch Trask’s eyes take in Clark’s barely conscious form, the blood oozing from his shoulder, nose and a cut on his lip and he sneers. Seeing that we bear no immediate threat, Trask turns to look at Lex once more and the fanatical light rekindles.

“Put down your weapon, Mr. Luthor,” Trask demands

“Colonel Trask, I said I would contact you when *I* was ready,” Lex replies testily. “Now get out of here before I decide not to fund your operation anymore.”

Trask’s eyes narrow as Lex’s threat sinks in and then his gaze slips behind Lex to focus on the Kryptonite on the desk. His face hardens as he mumbles something about “infusing him with power” and “invincible.” Remembering how Trask thought Superman had taken over Clark’s mind, I can see the moment Trask decides Lex is a menace.

Fantastic – the delusional fanatic against a homicidal megalomaniac. It’s obvious that a confrontation is imminent and I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.

Clark shifts at my side, pulling my attention back by pushing slightly away from me, shifting to look around the room and I realize that he’s probably constructing an escape plan. Good idea. I take a brief glimpse around as well, but other than the office’s main entrance currently blocked by Trask and his men, there is a door to the library, an exit to the balcony and the secret elevator, all of which would be virtually impossible to reach quickly and two of them would take us closer to the Kryptonite. The library it is, then.

As Lex and Trask square off, I nudge Clark to get his attention. I tilt my head toward the library door and then scoot slightly in that direction. Clark nods and then starts inching away from the brewing fight and the ever-glowing poison on Lex’s desk.

As we slowly creep away from them, I hear Trask practically sneer in response. “You think you’re better than us, don’t you?”

“I *am* better than you, Trask,” Lex responds. “Now get out of here before I get angry.” I hear a gun cock and Lex’s voice stops me in my tracks. “Stay right there, Lois. I’m not finished with you yet.”

Trask, visibly angry at Lex’s dismissal, steps in between us with his gun now pointed straight at Lex. “I want Superman. I won’t be denied.”

“Superman is mine to do with as I please, Trask,” Lex explains frostily. “You cannot have him.”

“Give him to me!” Trask screams.

I’ve crawled as far as the antique chaise when my movements slow down. Clark tugs at my arm and whispers my name, but I can’t turn away. I know what’s coming, but I don’t seem able to drag my eyes away from the oncoming carnage. Time slows down as I watch Lex lift his gun to shoot, but Trask is faster. Several shots are fired in succession and I yelp involuntarily when Lex’s body shudders backward on impact.

Lex’s motion carries him against his desk and the force knocks several objects to the floor, including the lead box containing the Kryptonite. The glowing fragment is tossed from the box as it hits the floor and it rolls far enough under the corner display cabinet that even its unnatural glow is hidden in the shadows.

There’s a silent pause in the room as Lex looks down. He stares incredulously at his blood-stained fingers as they swipe at the holes in his chest, bearing testimony to his mortality. Lex’s gaze lifts to lock on mine and for a split second, his shock turns to hatred before his eyes finally roll up into the back of his head. His body slumps first to his knees and then slams forward to lie still on the carpet.

I’m frozen in place, too stunned to move as Trask approaches Lex’s body, digging a toe under his shoulder to roll him over. I see Lex’s glassy-eyed stare and I shudder as Trask nods in approval of his handiwork and then gestures to one soldier to retrieve the Kryptonite. It feels like an eternity before I feel Clark tugging at my shoulder and I’m finally able to tear my eyes away from Lex’s prone figure.

“Lois,” Clark whispers.

I nod and scramble forward on hands and knees only to halt my movements at the sound of several guns cocking. A gruff, slightly familiar voice commands us to “freeze.” I look carefully over my shoulder, expecting to see one of Trask’s men walking toward us, his gun at the ready, but am surprised to see Trask and his men scrambling for cover as Henderson and several of his men enter the room.

“This is the police. Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air,” Henderson calls.

From the corner of my eye, I see one of the soldiers lay his rifle on the floor before rising with his hands up. From the side of Lex’s desk, I see Trask’s face pinch in fury as he turns his gun on his own soldier, firing once at the “traitor.” His actions cause Henderson’s men to take cover as well and a firefight ensues.

Clark crouches behind me to protect my body as Trask open fires on the policemen. As each side trades a volley of gunfire, Clark and I creep away from them again. We make it as far as the library door when Clark bumps into my back, knocking me to the floor. His soft grunt of pain quickly follows our descent, his body landing on top of my legs.

“Clark, what are you doing?” I complain. I try to shove him off of me, but can’t move him. “You weigh a ton.”

“Sorry, I’ll try not to land on you the next time I’m shot,” he says wryly. My head snaps around to look at him and I can see how much he’s hurting by the pinch around his eyes.

“You’re shot? Oh my god – where did they hit you? Are you all right?” I twist around and my hands run over his chest and arms, the only part of him I can reach. He gasps in pain when I touch his injured shoulder and I pull my hands away quickly. Another round of shooting makes his answer almost indecipherable.

“Lois, can we continue this discussion *after* we’re out of the line of fire?”

“Right, sure. Follow me.”

We slip through the library doorway and I look around quickly. As more shots ring out from behind us, I gesture toward the back of the library toward the balcony and Clark nods. We continue to scoot toward the balcony door, and we eventually escape into relative shelter. We crawl around the corner and I settle against the concrete wall, trying to catch my breath. Clark follows me, but remains on his hands and knees. I tug on his arm, trying to get him to move further until he collapses on his backside beside me. He cries out in pain and immediately rolls onto his stomach.

“Clark,” I yell and lean forward, noticing for the first time the blood spot seeping into the seat of his pants. Irreverently, the first thing to cross my mind is to wonder when Clark changed into jeans. The second is to register where he was hit.

“Oh!” I exclaim softly.

We both lean around to look at his butt and he winces in pain when he tweaks his wound. “Ow,” he mumbles.

The shooting stops and we both hold our breath. I look around the balcony as my mind races, trying to figure out how to get away. I see Clark looking around as well and I lift my eyebrows and make a wavy gesture with my hand in silent question. He closes his eyes and then shakes his head in defeat. His powers are gone, so we can’t depend on Superman to get us out of this.

I tense as I hear footsteps approaching the balcony and Clark pushes his body up to position himself between me and the doorway. When I hear Henderson’s voice calling our names, I let out my breath in relief.

“Out here, Bill,” I call.

A second later, Henderson pokes his head around the wall to look at us. “You two okay?” he asks.

“Thank God it’s you.” I say with relief, following it closely with an irritated, “what the hell took you so long?”

Henderson ignores my question and eyes Clark’s wounds with a grimace. “It looks like you need some medical attention, son.”

“I’m all right,” Clark declares. “This,” he points to his shoulder, “isn’t as bad as it looks and the bullet must have grazed me; it isn’t in my … um, leg.”

Henderson’s mouth twitches a little at Clark’s mortified tone. “Right,” Henderson says, his sardonic drawl in place. “You should still get that checked out. What about you, Lane?”

“I’m fine,” I answer. “What happened to Trask?” I ask. “Are they …”

Henderson shakes his head. “He and his men are dead.”

“And your men?” Clark asks.

“I’ve got two wounded, but none of them are critically hurt.” Henderson’s eyes show his appreciation for Clark’s concern. His mouth quirks up again. “The bad guys don’t win today.”

“Lex is dead,” I say dazedly. My voice sounds remote, even to myself and I feel my mouth twist into a grimace. “The bastard cheated justice after all.”

I see Clark and Henderson shift uncomfortably and look away from me, neither of them saying anything in response. I feel a sudden chill and wrap my arms around my knees, looking through the stone balusters at the city as my mind spins. Lex is gone; there’ll be no trial, no public unmasking of Metropolis’ favorite son and no jail time. I feel almost cheated by his death and I’m appalled at my own callousness. Still, I can’t say I’m sorry he’s gone, but I would have rather seen him go to jail to pay for his crimes. At least I got the satisfaction of seeing him dethroned before he died.

Henderson clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him. “Stay there,” he orders, pointing at me. “I’ll send medics to you when they arrive.”

Henderson disappears back into Lex’s office, leaving us alone again. Clark tries to scoot closer to me, but his leg buckles under him and he ends up flat on his stomach again, groaning in pain. His look of utter humiliation and the high content of adrenalin in my body give me a fit of the giggles. His glare informs me that laughing is not allowed and I’m barely able to contain a snort of laughter. I am in big trouble.

“Having a little trouble there, Superman?” I whisper.

He glowers at me and then drops his head onto his folded hands, rolling his head back and forth. “If you include this in the story, I’m never speaking to you again,” he mumbles, his threat lacking in any conviction.

I sputter with laughter and then as the shock of what happened starts to wear off, I laugh harder until I’m unable to stop. At some point the laughing turns to sobbing and I feel Clark move next to me, wrapping his arms around me. Before I know it, he’s holding me tightly while the hurt, humiliation, fear and anger bleed out through cleansing tears. By the time I run out of tears, I feel numb again. I feel Clark rubbing gentle circles on my back while he whispers quiet reassurances into my hair.

“Everything’s going to be all right, Lois. He can’t hurt you any more. It’s over.”

“It’s over,” I echo on a sigh.

“Better?” he asks.

I nod. “Thank you, Clark,” I whisper into his shirt. “You’ll never know what it means to me to be free of Lex. It’s … just … thank you.” I stumble over my words, wondering how I’ll ever be able to repay him.

“Anytime, Lois. Besides,” he says with humor in his voice. “It was for purely selfish reasons. I haven’t had near enough time to learn all your investigative secrets. How am I supposed to win the Pulitzer if I lose my partner so soon?”

I roll my head back onto his shoulder to look him in the eye and the twinkle makes me smile. “You’re assuming a lot, Farmboy. What makes you think I’ll share all my secrets with you?”

He shifts uncomfortably and glances down at his butt. He’s leaning awkwardly against the building in an effort to hold me without having to sit on his injury. Horrified that I might be causing him pain, I try to move, but he tightens his arms around me. I relax back into his embrace before he answers.

“Well,” he says with a grin, “I obviously need pointers on having an escape route available in a dangerous situation.”

I laugh softly at his tone and his reference to my first rescue by Superman before sobering quickly. The reality of what he did for me settles in and I whack at his uninjured shoulder in mock irritation.

“You lunkhead. Why did you do that? How could you rush in there to protect me in spite of the Kryptonite?”

“You were in danger,” he shrugs. “I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

My eyes fill with tears again. “You took a bullet for me, knowing it could kill you.”

“Always,” he says.

Clark smiles tenderly and places his hand on my cheek and I cover it with my own, leaning into his tender caress. His eyes are shining with a light I never thought I would see directed at me, filled with a love I never thought I would receive. My eyes shimmer with a new kind of unshed tears and my breath hitches with the knowledge that Clark loves me. With that thought, my heart fills to bursting, banishing the numbness.

“My hero.”

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to be concluded...