I must insist on part 17 immediately.

If chocolate is what it takes, then chocolate it is. Otherwise, that sword could certainly come in handy. Would threatening your family work?

Trask was completely unexpected there at the end .

There was something else I wanted to say but I better double check before I do .

Carol [who finished what she thinks is the next to last chapter in the as yet untitled new fic a few minutes before this was posted]

Okay - checked - I get why she crawled to Clark but why not towards the desk to close the box with the K in it?

/now biding time for more MoD and Ricochet by feeding kids and hopefully working on that hopefully last chapter/

Yeah, sure, blame me. In fact, blame me some more and post part 17 tomorrow (see how I gave you 24 hours instead of just demanding the rest now? That kind of courtesy should be rewarded).

I love how Lois gives Lex the silent treatment - that must have irritated the snot out of him. I wish she would have been able to hold her tongue, but I fully understand the need to see that slimy, condescending bastard squirm a little. You did a great job of portraying not just Lois, but Lex and Nigel in this part. I was really hoping that Lois would get in a good kick to the crotch for at least one of them, since they were stupid enough to leave her feet free, but alas...

Which is all the more chilling when you finish the line - "I'll have her. But I will not keep her long…"

I'm always a huge sucker for Lois in danger and Clark saving her regardless of the risk to himself, so I thank you for feeding my mania so deliciously. Huge kudos to you for writing an action scene that's quickly-paced but contains so much description and detail that I'm never left wondering what's going on. That's so hard to do and yet you make it look effortless.

OMG! It's not just raining - it's a frickin' hurricane! It's like the perfect storm of "what else can go wrong" right there in Lex's office.

And I shall. I have to help my son build Shakespeare's Globe Theatre out of popsicle sticks and then go to my brother's b-day party this afternoon, but when I return home tonight I will pony up.

Twenty-four hours until you post part 17 - the clock starts now…

NOW would be a good time for Lois to stick the k down between her girls. It'll make Clark weak but- hey.

It's not too often that I really understand the phrase 'choking with laughter,' but this is in fact one of those times.

I think I'm laughing too hard to enter any real feedback.
Loved this part!
JD

Trask, huh? Well that was completely unexpected. I must say that I completely enjoyed the exchange between Lois and Lex, and I am quite proud at what she was able to hold in for the majority of the conversation. Of course, boy scout Clark did have to come charging in like a one-man cavalry.
I'm glad that my little incentive helped to get the chapter up earlier. Hmmm, what will it take to get the next installment up early as well?

Lois totally rocks. And I understand that she wants Lex to know that even if he kills her, she's still won. She probably said more than was wise, but hey... it's a difficult situation

Clark totally rocks, too. Even after getting exposed to green K and knowing that Lex has some, he still charges in (well, with more sublety than usual!) to save her, heedless of his own fate. He hasn't quite figured out yet that she can't live without him.

Trask... was shocking. Can I root for a falling-out between thieves? That was Trask's guy who gave the K to Lex, right? I can hope anyway.

PJ

I'll give you a chocolate chip muffin if you post again today....

I guess I got what I asked for A really intense part. And so soon after pt 15

So, what's up with Trask? Is he here to shake hands or to put a bullet into Lex's head?

Michael

/begin author's musings
"Let's see, Clark and Lois are being held at gunpoint by an enraged and bloodthirsty Lex Luthor and Clark is down from green K and a beat down. What else can I do to them? I know! Bring in the certifiably insane xenophobe and his troops! That'll just rock!"
/end author's musings

Ditto on Lois' guts. Hard to believe that she knows how to tweak Nigel so easily, yet at the same time not hard to believe. Criminals may be dumb, a few may be smart, but either way they possess massive egos and they can't believe that everyone else in the world doesn't see just how brilliant they really are. The really smart ones (like Lex and Nigel) are probably the worst, because they really are very smart. But they're not invulnerable, and they have to believe that they are in order to present the facade of civilization to all who see them.

Not like Trask, who's just plain loco in the coconut. If he were there to shake hands or join forces with Lex, the guy on the other side of the intercom would have answered Lex's call. Or Nigel would have come back with Trask. This does not look good for any of our participants. In fact, we're one insult away from a complete meltdown from almost anybody except Lois and Clark. The suspense is ripping me up, y'all!

Okay, I give up. Tell me where to send the ransom chocolates! I promise, no police or Utopian Time Guardians! Please, I just want to know how it ends!

Well, I would hope.

Carol - Thanks for your comments. I'm glad that Trask took you (and others) by surprise. [insert diabolical laugh and hand rubbing here]. It sort of goes along with my reasoning for having Clark burst through the door instead of Superman. Clark Kent is just a normal guy, so if he gets the crap beat out of him by Lex, no one will think twice about it. But if Superman gets the crap beat out of him, everyone will know something is seriously wrong.

Same with not having Lois go for the Kryptonite. What if she had closed the lid (after Clark was in the room)? It's not like she could call for Superman, could she? I hope that makes sense (it did in my head, anyway).

Sue Yes, irritating the snot out of Luthor was the main goal here and I think Lois did a superb job of it. It's been too long since Lex had someone defy him - I think it's made him lazy You're welcome. Would it be sucking up too much if I say I wrote it just for you?

Hi Michael. Heh, I warned you. As for what's going to happen with Trask? ...


Terry You slipped in there while while I was answering. I love your musings. They are so very interesting and fun to read. I'm taking notes, BTW.
What? Too much?

I think Lex hit it on the head himself - his downfall was his pride. He thought he knew Lois and yet, he still underestimated her. He also thinks he knows Superman, but although they used Clark's abilities during the investigation, it was really Clark's skill as an investigator that hurt Lex.

/me cackles evilly.

Good points, Terry! Thanks, I feel more cheerful now

PJ

Delightful parts, delightful tale.

I love the sword wound. Perfect, no one will ever connect Clark and Superman.

Trask, let me guess, Trask is going to kill Luthor and recover the green k and toss Lois and Clark out with a warning?

I'm sure the sword wound is aimed at tossing Trask off balance.

Now, Trask doesn't know that Clark is Superman, does he? If Lois could just get rid of the Kryptonite and hope that Trask doesn't have kryptonite bullets. So many what ifs...

You've got to fix this. In a hurry. I've got a test Monday! I can't be distracted like this!

~Sheila

This reminded me of two warriors, circling each other, both jockeying for the high ground. Luthor had it physically, Lois had it every other way. (Even to her partner being Superman, while Luthor had to make do with that sop, St John).

The ending is a worry, of course, but Clark usually manages to overcome Kryptonite, so I'm hopeful.

I think Luthor has to die. If he's merely in jail, Lois would obviously divorce him, but death has a much greater termination of the Lois/Luthor marriage - which would clear the path for a certain Superhero to fly in.

Really?!?! Would it be an imposition to tell you that I have a list and I'd love to see your take on some other situations?

Lord Nor? That'd sure throw Trask for a loop.

Perhaps it's worth noting that this was a school assignment and that I don't usually spend Saturday afternoons constructing world-famous buildings out of household objects with my son? :p

Don't think that I didn't notice that yesterday went by without part 17 being posted. Still, there's a chance for redemption today. I'll just sit here and hit the refresh button over, and over, and over, and over, and over…

…and over

…and over

Just post it already!

Wait! That was supposed to be Henderson! Is he the slowest cop on the planet or what?!?

I was glad to see that Clark was the one who busted in...until Trask showed up! Now I'm just worried that Trask knows who Clark is.

If it's bribery that you need...how do you feel about cheesecake?

Amber

I don't have much time, but I did want to say thanks for the wonderful comments.

Since I'm going to post part 17 in a couple of minutes anyway, I'm not going to try to confirm or deny your statements about what comes next. However, after seeing your various musings, I realize I need to work on my predictability a bit. Heh, I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Specifically, though, thank you Patrick, Shiela (sorry about distracting you from your test), Female Hawk, Sue (again!) and Amber for the feedback. I feel the love.

Part 17 is SOLD! to Amber for cheesecake.
Brenda

I so totally didn't expect Trask!

I also didn't expect Clark Kent to come barging in! I like my Kryptonians to be more resiliant to Green K than most incarnations of Superman. Of course, Lex could just have an inferior variant...

Oh, another part is up! Bye.

James

Hi James! Thanks for popping in and providing feedback.

Yes! I'm so glad I was able to surprise you.

Yes!

Sorry to disappoint you, but Clark is very susceptible to this green-K. But you've already gone to read part 17 (I hope), so you know how it turned out.

Thanks again for the comments.