Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Trusting Me, Trusting You 2:Bridge (24/25)

In the kitchen, she opened the pantry and crammed several packets of cookies, a handful of candy bars, and some cans of soda into her overflowing bag.

She put her bag next to Jonas in the trunk of the Buick and then checked the oil and water levels. The gas was over two thirds full. She wouldn't need to go to a gas station in Metropolis and risk someone linking her with her father's car.

The Buick started easily despite the length of time since it had been used, and Lois drove it into the street before parking her Jeep in her dad's garage.

She locked the Jeep and the garage and then got into the Buick and drove to Scardino's office.


Part 24

Scardino was nervous.

The moment he opened the door of his office, Lois knew that he was nervous.

"Ms Lane," he said in a choked-off voice.

His nervousness confirmed Lois's suspicion. This was the end. They were taking her from the operation. Her focus now had to be about ensuring they allowed her one final shift.

Scardino sat on his side of the desk and fidgeted with a pen before gathering enough poise to look in her direction.

"Is this about your meeting with Menzies?" Lois asked.

Scardino took a moment to compose his reply. "It's about the outcome of that meeting," he admitted.

Yup, Menzies had ordered her removal.

"Go on," she said.

Scardino withered under her gaze.

Lois felt the rise of her impatience. Why wasn't he just telling her? These weren't his orders; he had at his disposal the perennial excuse of anyone in a chain of command when delivering unpalatable orders.

"What is it, Scardino?" Lois demanded. "I'm due at the compound soon."

"Menzies wants the operation terminated."

"Terminated?"

"He's ordered that all trace of it be destroyed."

Lois's heart telescoped on itself. "What is to happen to the prisoner?" she asked, managing to bully her voice into steadiness.

"He is to be killed."

The telescope twisted violently, and Lois gasped. "Killed?"

Scardino nodded, his eyes shifting back and forth and never coming close to looking at her.

"How?"

"Menzies has ordered that he be exposed to the rods until he is vulnerable enough - and then he is to be ..." Scardino had paled. In fact, he looked within a hiccup of vomiting.

"He is to be *what*?"

"Shot."

Her brain cells felt like an unruly mob threatening to riot. "Can he do that?" she asked, toning down - but not completely eliminating - her disgust. "Can Menzies order that someone be murdered?"

"It isn't murder - it's national security. The prisoner is an alien. Human rights don't apply."

"I can't believe this," Lois said slowly.

"The compound is to be demolished. By Monday, there will be nothing left to show that any of this ever happened. There will be no record of his existence."

"And no record of his death," Lois said cuttingly.

"Death is an inevitable part of this job."

"When done in self-defence."

"Not always."

He was right, but it did nothing to diminish her outrage.

"The assistants are to be deployed elsewhere," Scardino said quickly. "You are to be offered three months of compassionate leave with full pay."

The blueprint of Lois's plan was already in the throes of adapting to this development, but she needed to try to act as if it had caught her unprepared. "Is Menzies in any mood for an appeal?" she asked.

"Has Menzies ever been in the mood for an appeal?" Scardino asked.

Lois grimaced. "OK," she said. "But I want to be the one who supervises the final day of this operation."

Scardino's eyes shot into hers. "There's no need for that," he said. "I'm higher up; I don't expect you to do the dirty work."

"Are you saying that because I'm a woman?" Lois asked with biting resentment.

"No," he said, too quickly to be believable. "I can't give orders unless I'm willing to carry them out."

"Then shouldn't Menzies be the one doing it?"

Scardino's acerbic look said plenty.

"I want you to call Longford and tell him not to come for his shift tonight," Lois said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Longford freaks out when he has contact with the prisoner. I had a pet door installed so he could push food into the cell without having to open the door."

"OK," Scardino said. "I'll call Longford and tell him."

"What has Menzies ordered for him?"

"Retirement."

"A pension?"

"Yeah. A generous one."

"Good," Lois said. "And Shadbolt?"

"He's to be given a foreign assignment."

"No," Lois said. "He needs to stay in Metropolis."

"Why?"

"He told me things in confidence," she replied. "But I stress that he must remain in Metropolis. If you force him to leave, you will lose him."

"It's *that* important to him that he stay?"

Lois nodded. "I can guarantee it. He's a fine man and a good operative. You need to find him an assignment that allows him to stay here."

"I'll do what I can."

"And I accept your offer of three months' leave," Lois said. "I'm going to do what I should have done anyway - I'm going away for a long vacation."

"What about your father?"

"My father's condition isn't going to be resolved quickly. If I go away and get some perspective, I'll be more able to help him when I get back."

Scardino nodded, his relief obvious. "I ... I thought you might have more ... opposition."

Lois pinned him with a cold stare. "I think this is a cowardly and despicable way to solve a problem caused by Trask's paranoia and bigotry," she said. "But having witnessed the situation firsthand, I think it could be argued that keeping him alive is just as inhuman as finishing this."

"Have you had any contact with him?" Scardino asked. "Have you communicated with him at all?"

Lois looked unwaveringly into his eyes. "No," she said. "I've made a few improvements to his conditions because I cannot tolerate needless cruelty, but I quickly realised that the damage is too severe for rehabilitation to be possible."

"So, you'll do it?" Scardino said. "You *will* expose him to the rods?"

"Yes."

"And you definitely want to go back?" Scardino's fingers tapped a rhythm on his desk. "You can just go home and begin your leave now if you want to."

Lois pretended to consider his offer. "No," she said. "This was only a short assignment for me, but I feel the need to see it through to completion."

Scardino leant forward, elbows on his desk, hands melded together. "Ms Lane," he said. "Lois, I think you seeing it through to completion will be unnecessarily distressing for you. After what happened in your previous assignment, I don't think -"

"It's *because* of my previous assignment that I need to do this," Lois said, her voice rising. "I deserted my partner. I *never* want that feeling again."

"Linda had passed away," Scardino said gently. "You *didn't* desert her."

"Yes, I did," Lois countered. "And I will never do that again."

Scardino leant back. "OK," he conceded. "You can be there until he has become sufficiently vulnerable. Then, you're to call me. Understand?"

Lois eyed him as she silently counted to ten. "All right," she agreed grudgingly.

"I ... I'll be unavailable during some of tomorrow morning. How long do you think it will take ... until he is weak enough?"

"At least twenty-four hours," Lois said. "Earlier than that, and you risk it going horribly wrong."

Scardino blanched. "OK," he said. "My appointment should be completed by noon."

"I'll call you ..." Lois nervously brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'll call you when ... it's time."

He nodded, looking like a man who wished he were somewhere else.

"I'll go to the compound now and explain the situation to Shadbolt," Lois said.

"You'll start the exposure as soon as possible?"

"Yes."

"Will the alien resist? Is there a chance that implementing these orders could be dangerous for you?"

Lois shook her head. "No," she said. "The rods have a totally debilitating effect on him."

Scardino nodded uncomfortably. "Menzies says everything is to be done by Monday. That will give us two days to have the compound demolished."

"You'll organise that?" Lois asked, accepting his steering them towards the practical aspects of the orders.

"Yes."

"And the disposal of the body?"

"Yes."

Lois stood.

Scardino stood also and offered her his hand. "I appreciate the way you have accepted this," he said.

"I wish to reiterate my revulsion," Lois said solemnly. "But way too much time has passed for this situation to be redeemable. Although, perhaps there is a lot to be learnt about keeping people like Trask accountable."

Scardino made no comment. "If you need *anything*- if it gets too hard, if you need a break - call me."

"This is my operation," Lois stated firmly. "I need to do this. I need to see it to the end."

Scardino opened the door, and Lois walked through it without even glancing in his direction.

||_||

Lois drove to the compound, stopping only once - to withdraw five hundred dollars from an ATM. As she drove, her anger seethed. How could Menzies reduce Clark's life to a nuisance that needed to be eradicated? Had Moyne poisoned his thinking? Was this Moyne's idea?

She would probably never know.

She hated their callousness. She hated their bigotry. She hated their lack of conscience simply because Clark was different.

And all of that hatred fired her determination.

In a really weird way, this was a better outcome than her being removed from the operation. This way, no decision was required. If they didn't escape, Clark would be killed.

She was going to get him out of the cell. Today. As soon as possible. His readiness or otherwise to rejoin the world was no longer a consideration. It had to be today.

And hopefully, they would have close to twenty-four hours before anyone discovered they were gone.

Lois parked the Buick and let herself into the compound. Shadbolt was in the staffroom. He looked up as she entered.

"You're early," he said.

Lois knew that if she told him that the prisoner was to be killed, he would insist on staying while they took the rods into the cell. Whatever she told him had to hasten his departure.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

His face immediately creased with concern. "What has happened?"

"They've decided to pull all of us from this operation."

"*All* of us?"

"Yeah. I've told Scardino that you are to be given something so you can stay in Metropolis."

Shadbolt scowled. "What do you think are the chances of that?"

"Good, if you stick to your guns," Lois said. "Scardino always does what is easiest. You just have to threaten him with more trouble than anyone else, and he'll give you what you want."

"You make it sound easy," he said dubiously.

"Emphasise that you've served in this difficult and important operation for seven years. I know you don't like mentioning your daughters, but if that is what it takes to keep you here, use them."

"If I can't get something suitable, I'll resign."

"That's what I told Scardino," Lois said. "And I also told him that you're a valuable operative and that they'd be idiots to let you go."

His scowl eased. "Did you really?"

"Yes, I did."

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Shadbolt gestured to the cell. "What happens to him?"

"Scardino wouldn't say," she said.

"Do you think they'll kill him?"

"They couldn't, could they?" Lois said. "Surely that violates human rights conventions."

"They'll say he isn't human."

Lois sighed shakily. "You're finished here - as of now. Scardino will contact you."

"That's it?" Shadbolt said. "It's finished? Just like that?"

"It happens," Lois said. "I'm wondering if any of the media have been sniffing around, asking questions. Perhaps they are going to move him to somewhere more remote."

"When do you finish?"

"This is my last shift - I'm staying overnight. I thought it would be easier that way. I don't need Longford freaking out."

"So ... tomorrow morning, you hand over to Scardino ... and it's finished?"

"Yup."

"What will you do?"

"I've been offered leave."

"And Longford?"

"I shouldn't say too much."

"Will he be looked after?" Shadbolt demanded.

Lois nodded. "That was the impression I got."

"Good."

"You can go," Lois said. "I wouldn't contact Scardino today - he's being pressured by the higher-ups to have this dissolved by Monday."

"Monday?"

"Yup. This place is to be demolished, so you should take anything that is yours."

Shadbolt rummaged through the cupboards and packed a few items of crockery into his bag. He added the magazine from the table and then looked around the staffroom. "That's it," he said. "Nothing else here is mine."

"I haven't been here for long, Evan," Lois said. "But if we ever get paired up on an assignment, I wouldn't have any reservations about working with you."

He grinned and tried to hide it by scratching his neck. "But I don't like women," he reminded her.

"Tough," she said with a smile. "You'll survive."

"Seriously," he said. "I would gladly work with you again, too."

Lois put out her hand, and Shadbolt shook it. "Thanks, Lois," he said.

"Bye, Evan."

Lois watched him walk out of the compound for the last time.

It wasn't unusual in their job. Things could happen very quickly. Operations could be terminated. New assignments could be given.

She waited until the sound of Shadbolt's vehicle had faded, and then she turned to the cell door.

How much had Clark heard?

Lois took a deep and fortifying breath and unlocked the door to the cell.

Clark was halfway across the room, coming to greet her. His welcoming smile drained away when he saw her face. "What's wrong, Lois?" he said.

The sight of him evaporated her carefully maintained veneer of control, and hot tears of fury erupted in her eyes. Lois reached for Clark, and he swept her into his embrace. His arms closed around her, clasping her into his strong chest.

He held her for long moments as his support and understanding soaked through her.

Her tears ebbed.

And still he held her. His large hand moved higher to cup her head.

Lois could have stayed in his arms forever, but she eased back from him. His arms dropped immediately.

She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dried her eyes before looking up at him.

"Lois?" Clark said. "What happened? Is it your father?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just ... it was a shock ... and I couldn't let anyone see how shocked I was ... and I was holding it all together ..." She gave him a wobbly smile. "... until I saw you."

His confusion deepened. "What happened?" he repeated.

"I was summoned to Scardino's office. Menzies has decided that they are going to terminate this operation."

His shoulders drooped, and his eyes slid shut. "They're taking you away."

Lois shook her head. "No. They are closing down this operation. We have to go. We have to get out of here. We have to go now."

He gripped her shoulders. "Lois. I *can't* go. I -"

"Yes, you can," she cut across him. "We don't have time to pull down the wall, so we're going to have to get that implant out of you. I have the things we'll need."

His eyes cannoned into hers. "Lois," he said quietly. "You don't understand. I'm invulnerable. I haven't been exposed to the poison for days. *No one* can take out that implant."

"You can," she said. "You're strong. You're so strong, you can do anything. I got a scalpel -"

"Lois, the scalpel will break."

She stared at him. "You *can't* do it?" she gasped.

"No," he said. "I can't cut my own skin. I've healed from the effects of the poison."

"There's *nothing* you can do?"

"No, nothing."

Panic was threatening to overwhelm her. "You have to be able to do *something*," she squeaked. "Can't you use your eyes?"

"No," he said. "Nothing will penetrate my skin."

And then she understood what he was trying to tell her. She forcibly smothered the smoking volcano of panic and refused to think about anything other than how they were going to get Clark out of the cell. She looked directly into his eyes. "Tell me how we can get that implant out," she demanded.

"Lo-is."

"Tell me."

He took a ragged breath. "There's only one possible way."

A wave of horror almost capsized her. "How long will it take?"

"Hours."

"How many hours?"

"I'm not sure. At least six. Maybe eight. Maybe longer."

Lois pressed her fist against her mouth to stop her tears from exploding into an uncontrollable blizzard of despair. There had to be another way. There had to be. "We'll cut the wires," she said, her words tumbling out. "You can fly up there, put a hole in the wall, and cut the wires."

"Lois." Clark's hands squeezed her shoulders, calming her. "Lois. Trask was not the sort of man to make it that easy."

"What do you mean?"

Clark stepped sideways and ducked his head to look through the door. He gazed for a long moment and then grunted with frustration.

"What?"

"There is another system of wires around the next door," Clark told her.

"We'll cut them, too."

"That wall isn't lead-lined, so I can see ..."

"See what?"

"There's a back-up system that activates the implant if the connection is broken."

Lois closed her eyes as the reality pummelled her.

Clark's hand gently lifted her chin so that when her eyes opened, they locked with his. "There is only one way," he said quietly. "I understand if you don't want to do it. It's not too late. You can -"

She jolted from his touch and glared at him. "Don't offer me a way out now," she said in a shaky voice. She pointed to the window. "Just a few hours ago, you told me that you loved me. You can't retreat from that now."

"I'm not retreating," he said, clearly taken aback by her outburst. "I'm offering you the chance to -"

"Didn't you hear what I said to you?" Lois cried. "Or did you think I didn't mean it?"

"I'm sorry," he said. His shoulders drooped further, and his head hung low. "But this is too much to ask you ... It's too much to ask anyone."

"Either we walk out of here together, or we wait for them to come and get us."

He seemed to be considering that as a viable alternative.

Lois put her hands on his shoulders and squeezed. "Clark," she said. "I've already left one partner. I'm not leaving another one." She shot into his eyes, daring him to contradict her statement about them being partners.

He chose not to. "Have you thought about this?" he said. "*Really* thought about this?"

"No," she admitted. "I don't want to. But I do know that I can't face the alternative."

"If we do this ... it's going to be *you*. You are going to have to do most of it ... and I will be powerless."

"I know that." She moved her hands along his shoulders and slid them onto his neck. Her thumbs reached for his jaw and caressed his smooth skin. "We can do it," she said. "We have to do it."

He took a breath that lifted his shoulders, and his brown eyes filled with purpose. "I have to ask you just once more," he said. "Are you sure? Are you totally sure about all of this? From beginning to end?"

Lois nodded resolutely. "From the beginning to the end - I'm sure. I want to be with you. I'm willing to do *anything* so we can be together."

"I hate asking you to do something that I don't think I could do."

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't watch you in pain," he said. "I just don't think I could do it. This is going to be harder on you than on me."

Lois closed her eyes and drew strength from every reservoir she had. "We have to," she muttered. "We have to."

"Is there anything we should do before we begin? Anything I can do to help before -"

"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"

"No." He looked around the room. "Is there anything here we should take? Do you want my help to move it?"

"What do you want? Do you want me to be with you all the time? Or would it be all right if I leave you for a few minutes to get things organised?"

He paused as he glanced around the cell. "I think we just need to get started. We need to leave as soon as we can."

The moment she dreaded crawled closer.

"Do you have a marker?" Clark asked.

"Yes."

"Could you go and get it, please?"

Lois turned and ran up the stairs to her office. She unlocked it and hurried in. If she was really going to do this, she couldn't think about it. She couldn't think about the long hours when she would have to watch Clark suffer. That would be the worst. That would be worse than actually cutting the implant out of him.

She snatched a black marker and ran down the stairs with it.

Clark had taken off his tee shirt and was holding his mirror. He looked so robust with bulging curves of muscle, but now, that just accentuated the horror of what was to come. He held out his hand for the marker and looked into the mirror.

"I can't pierce my skin," he said. "But I can see through it."

"Could you try?" Lois asked in a hopeful voice. "Could you just try and see if it were possible to cut it out? Like you cut the wood?"

His eyes swung from the mirror and onto her. "I have already tried," he said quietly. "I can't do it."

He needed her reassurance, and that was easier than dwelling on her own fears. "Thanks for trying."

"I wish ..."

"I know."

Clark looked back into the mirror and used the marker to draw a line above the protrusion in his shoulder. "The lead casing could be quite soft," he said. "We don't want to risk damaging it." He lowered the mirror. "If you cut along that line, you will avoid the lead."

"What ..." Lois regathered her strength. "What should I do after I've made the cut?"

Clark took her hand and laid her fingers on the lower curve of the lump above his collarbone. "I think it would be best to push here and try to get it to pop out."

"Is there only one?"

He nodded. "It's about the size of a walnut. Once it is out, just position the skin back together again. It will heal by itself when the poison is taken away."

"It won't need stitching?"

"No," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"OK." Lois felt like she was caught in a swiftly flowing river that was pushing her towards a huge drop. She had to keep clawing her way back. If she stopped scrambling for just a moment, she would go over the edge and disintegrate into a blubbering mess. "If we use four rods, will it happen more quickly?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is that what you want to do? Use four rods? Or just one?" Lois couldn't believe they were discussing this so calmly. Her questions were valid, but she knew that her real reason for asking them was to push away the moment when she would have to walk into the cell carrying a rod.

"Four," he said. His hand lifted to her face, and his thumb swept tenderly over her cheek.

Lois had to push ahead. She couldn't dwell on his touch. "Is there any benefit to putting them close to your shoulder?"

"I don't think so," he said.

"How will I know? How will I know when you're ... ready?"

"I'll know. My abilities will slowly diminish. You'll be able to cut through my skin about an hour after I can't float anymore."

"How do you know?" It was an irrelevant question, but it was out before Lois could stop it.

Clark looked away. "Moyne did tests," he said.

The memories carved into Clark's face pushed Lois closer to the edge. She fought her way back again with a shuddery breath. She had to do this.

"We need to discuss what happens after," Clark said.

"I get the rods away from you as quickly as possible," Lois said firmly.

"And then?"

"Then we get into my dad's car, and we start driving."

"When will they realise we've gone?"

"Hopefully not until tomorrow afternoon."

"We'll try to go during the night?"

Lois nodded.

"Where will we go?"

"I figure west ... possibly south-west. There's a lot of country to hide in."

"Lois ..."

She gripped his hand. "Let's not even think about that yet," she said. "By then, we will have the implant out of you, we'll be out of this cell, and you'll be starting to recover."

"It might take a few days before I'm stronger than normal humans," Clark warned.

"OK." Lois searched through her flustered mind for another question. Another clarification. Anything.

Clark looked into her face with a small smile. "Thank you, Lois," he said. "Thank you with my whole heart."

She could feel herself edging perilously close to the drop. "I wish ... I wish there was another way."

The ends of Clark's fingers slipped over the skin of her cheek. "Once ... once we get started, I won't be able to help you much. I'm sorry."

"We need to do it," Lois said. Her stomach heaved.

"Go and get them," Clark said with gentle resolve.

"Are you ready?"

He nodded.

Lois couldn't stand there looking at him any longer. It felt like the worst treachery - it felt like the heartless betrayal of a beloved friend.

She hauled her shaking body up the stairs in a blur. She had to get two rods and take them into the cell. She had to do it quickly. It wasn't fair to Clark to keep him waiting.

She had to do it.

She picked up two instruments of torture and used them to steady herself as she stumbled down the stairs.

She crossed the staffroom in a daze.

She reached the door and peeped through it, holding the rods behind her.

Clark was sitting on the mattress against the back wall. In his hands, he held the wig. When he looked up, his expression was not one of apprehension for himself, but concern for her.

She had to do this. She had to do it for Clark. She had to remember that by hurting him, she was giving him the only chance of life.

She had to remember that Menzies had ordered Clark's death.

"It's OK," Clark said. "We can do this."

Her heart was thumping, pushing acid dread into her throat. Her stomach was churning. Clark was about six yards away. Six yards. She had to go to him. She had to close the distance between them.

She clutched the rods and forced her right leg forward into the cell.

Then, she was walking towards him. She saw the moment he was hit by the poison, and it took every ounce of self-control not to turn and run, taking the rods with her.

She dropped the rods next to him and sprinted away to get the other two.

Her journey passed in a haze of torment. All she could think of was Clark, suffering and alone.

She was helpless to ease his suffering, but she could be with him.

She ran across the cell and placed the rods with the first two. He was lying down now, curled up, his hands clutching at his chest.

Lois fell to the mattress. She lifted his head onto her lap and looked down into his face.

A face that was contorted with pain.