Title: METROPOLIS: Guiding Light
Rating: PG to PG-13 (some mild violence, some sensuality, nothing more than you would see in an episode of Smallville)
Relationship: Lois and Clark legend with a Smallville twist!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Smallville/Lois & Clark TNAOS/The Superman Movies, Books or DC Comics – I wish!!! This story is borne from my enduring love of those Universes and is in no way intended to cause offense in any way, shape or form and is NOT written for any profit or gain - unless you count comments from readers. (N.B. It should be noted that some of the scenes in this story are from these sources and have been adapted/added to in order to combine the varying Superman Universes into one continuous story with Smallville's Lois and Clark at the center. They may not be in order or complete and parts of the original continuity will have been changed to line them up with Smallville's continuity until the end of Season Seven and the continuity of this story.)
Summary: Second part of the Metropolis trilogy. If you haven't already it might be worth reading Metropolis: New Beginnings so you can see how we got here… This story picks up where that one left off. Clark and Lois are both still at The Daily Planet investigating stories as they come their way, Superman is now head of the Justice League, Lex Luthor has the final 'ingredient' he needs for his army and everyone is under the impression that Vicki Vale aka Chloe Sullivan is in a coma and being cared for in Wayne Manor…
Lois and Clark, having fallen in love, are dating/'trying this' (depending on who you ask) so this story follows them in the next stage of their relationship as more dangerous enemies come to battle Superman.
CHAPTER ONE:
Daily Planet – Afternoon (a few weeks later):
"Hey look, it's Lois!"
Clark glanced up from his screen, confused about why Lois's return to the bullpen was such a source of great excitement to Jimmy. Then he realized Jimmy wasn't looking at the elevators – he was looking at the screen above Clark's head.
Pushing back from his desk, he joined Jimmy as he pointed upwards, "See? Right there – in front of the guy from The Post…"
On the screen was a live feed of a press conference, a PR woman at the front of the plane completing her spiel; "…in the past, the space shuttle needed twelve million pounds of thrust just in it's initial launch phase. By piggy-backing The Explorer on this Boeing 777-"
A hand shot up, practically blocking the screen.
"Yes?"
"Lois Lane, Daily Planet. Piggy-backing – is that official terminology?"
"Yes Miss Lane, it is."
"You stated that this shuttle will usher in a new era of travel, enabling the average person to afford transcontinental flights via outer space – but can you tell us the exact price an 'average person' will be expected to pay?"
The camera panned to the calm face of the PR woman, "I think you'll find the answer in your press packet, Miss Lane. Feel free to take your time looking for it."
Jimmy nudged Clark and smiled proudly as Clark adjusted his glasses. It wasn't that he didn't feel proud of Lois for doing what she did best but he'd learned several things since he got to his feet. The most recent was that Lois had obviously got on the PR lady's nerves before the press conference started… the second most recent being that it looked like she was on a plane…
If she was, then some of the other things they would be having a talk about when she got back to The Planet, but meanwhile; "Jimmy, what is this?"
"It's the first dual-craft launch of a privately funded orbital shuttle that uses on-board SRB's instead of external fuel tanks." He shook his head as if Clark should have known, "They're going to launch it off the back of a jet."
Jimmy was right. That was information Clark should have known. He breathed deep to quell his impatience, "Sounds dangerous."
"Shush, I can't hear her," Came Cat's voice from behind them, "Turn it up!"
Grabbing the remote, Jimmy tried to increase the volume; accidentally managing to change the channel to a live basketball game. There were groans from around the bullpen, "Sorry, sorry! I've got it."
As he tried to change it back Clark breathed deep again and glanced at Lois' desk. Okay, so their path's had been crossing a lot of late, but in his mind that didn't excuse what she'd done. Just some boring press conference his ass!
From the screen the PR woman's voice returned, "Now when we hit forty-thousand feet, the shuttle will detach, ascend, and then fire the first of two propellant systems; the liquid fuel boosters."
She stepped in front of an on board screen, the second-hand pictures fuzzy on the high-def screen in the Planet; the fake shuttle doing exactly as described on an animated version of the jet; "Then, when the shuttle reaches the stratosphere, the insertion boosters will fire, sending the craft into orbit…"
What was possibly supposed to be a whisper but hadn't quite succeeded came from off-screen, "I'm sorry, did she just say 'insertion boosters'?"
"Yes Miss Lane, I did."
"Right. Of course." Lois made an attempt at hiding a smile when the camera panned her way; sitting back down and turning her head to look out the window as the jet roared through the clouds with the screen in the Planet briefly showing a shot from outside where two F-35 Fighter Jets were following them.
Then a shot of what was obviously the interior of the shuttle appeared; four astronauts strapped into their seats as a countdown in the bottom of the screen ticked downwards. Booster ignition in one minute…
The screen suddenly crackled. Not for long. Less than four seconds Clark reckoned. Then a voice sounded; "Mission Control? Come in, over."
"Explorer, not quite sure what just happened. The jet experienced the same power loss. Looks like we're going to have to scrub the launch…"
"Roger that."
Clark frowned as the screen came back to life and another astronaut said; "Sir, boosters are not responding. We are still counting down for ignition."
"Can we release the couplings?"
There were sounds outside the shuttle as Clark began to step away, "Jimmy-"
"Negative sir." And the countdown was continuing on the screen.
"-I'm gonna-"
"Mission control, we have a malfunction, can you do a remote override?"
"- go see what I can-" Clark unconsciously lifted his hand to his tie.
"Negative, Explorer. Override not responding." The picture from the inside of the shuttle was replaced with one from inside the plane just as the shuttle began to shake.
"-find out from mission control," Clark loosened his tie but didn't take it off, dropping his hand to point at the elevators, "I'll call in when I know something."
Jimmy nodded, his face tight with worry as he continued to watch the screen transfixed; "Sure C.K."
Clark doubted very much if anyone in the bullpen would have even noticed him changing in front of them at that point. But he ducked his head and glanced around the room before stepping past the elevator and taking the stairwell; his enhanced hearing continuing to pick up the broadcast as he ripped at his shirt and headed for the roof.
The PR woman's voice sounded, "Now, if you look out the right side you'll be able to see the shuttle climb into the stratosphere. And if you're lucky, you may hear the faint pop of the sonic boom-"
A sound louder than the faint pop of a sonic boom and closer to an explosion made Clark frown hard as he took to the air. The primary boosters must have fired. And if the shuttle was still attached to the jet then the tail would melt under the intense heat. Both crafts would be hurtling through the sky at a speed one of them wasn't designed for and the other wasn't used to having company with, so…
Another voice sounded in Clark's ears; "Mayday, mayday… boosters have fired and we are not disengaged, I repeat, we are not disengaged!"
"Interrupt the regularly scheduled program-"
"This just in-"
"- the inaugural flight of the Shuttle Explorer appears to be experiencing extremely serious technical difficulties…"
Clark clenched his jaw and punched through layers of cloud. There were lives in danger. People to save. But that wasn't the reason his heart was pounding harder and his chest was tight. Lois. Lois was on that plane.
"…live from Cape Canaveral, where it seems there is a problem with the inaugural flight of the new orbital shuttle Explorer. Reports are coming in but it appears the shuttles boosters have fired before detaching from the jet, veering both craft dramatically off course and out of control…"
Then through the sound of over-lapping transmissions and chattering airwaves he heard her whisper; "Clark. Clark I need you!"
She sounded breathless. Like she was fighting for air. Why wasn't she wearing her oxygen mask? They would have fallen from the overhead compartments by now. I'm coming Lois. Hold on. I'm almost there.
"Entering stratosphere in sixteen seconds…"
"Explorer, Houston, UHF com check. Do you read?"
"Wait! What is that?!"
The fighter jets were doing their best to keep up with the conjoined craft but they couldn't fly any higher. They weren't designed for it. Then from behind them there was a trail of white that looked like another jet was approaching. It was only as it sped between them and their wings waggled with the sharp displacement of air that they could see who it was…
Almost there. The secondary booster had to be counting down. But how close were they to –
They fired, blowing off the jet's tail, sending both crafts rocketing forwards as Superman was knocked backwards in the air. He tumbled, spun, then re-orientated himself as the shuttle climbed towards outer space – dragging the jet with it. No!
Taking a deep breath he rocketed towards the jet; the vast curvature of the earth as visible below as the blackness of space was above. Superman flew faster than he'd ever flown before – driven by the demands of the agonizing pain in his chest. No-one was dying up today. No-one.
Boom. He broke the sound barrier. Boom. And again.
Then he was there. A boot slammed hard on the roof of the jet, then another. His chin lifted. His gaze dropped briefly to the fixed couplings. Then his large hands pressed against the belly of the shuttle.
Fighting wind and gravity, he used all of his strength to push it upwards, the couplings straining until they finally snapped; detaching the two crafts. Lifting higher with all of his might and groaning with determination through gritted teeth, Superman sent the shuttle upwards into the darkness – away from the jet. It was enough of a boost to send it into zero gravity.
"Explorer. Houston. UFF com. Check. Do you read? Over."
"We have… lift off? Everything is…okay. Over."
But everything wasn't okay. Because once Superman had watched the shuttle orbit, he turned. And saw the jet spiraling downwards. His breath caught. His heart twisted in his aching chest. Then he dived after it.
The jet fell like a bomb, spinning uncontrollably as smoke trailed out behind it and Lois' heartbeat went off the chart. She was scared. Trying not to be if he knew her, but she was as scared as she'd been the very first day he stopped her from falling from a helicopter. She had to know he would be there. He was there. Flying as fast as he could, swooping down behind the jet and grabbing onto the right wing. Then he was fighting gravity again, pulling back against it, straining to stop the spin so he could get control.
He pulled harder but it wasn't working; he couldn't slow it down. It was spinning too fast and too hard. The wing strained, bent, then broke free and sent him tumbling with the debris. Reaching out an arm he caught it, spun, tossed it off into space out of harms way. Then he hovered for a split second, trying to re-orientate himself as the jet continued plummeting, arching downward into a nose dive.
Superman raced after it.
The left wing broke free, tumbling behind the jet on a collision course for him. But he punched through it without stopping, shattering it into pieces and sending up a silent plea that they wouldn't do too much damage as they hit the ground. There just wasn't time to stop them and send them into space. Not enough time. He was running out of time. And Lois-
The horizon spun sickeningly as the jet careened towards the ground, Superman racing along the hull, shooting past the windows toward the nose as astonished passengers in oxygen masks gawked at him from inside. For a moment he even thought he heard her say Clark again…
Fifteen hundred feet… twelve hundred feet…
He got beneath the nose, grabbed it, pushed up against it with his cheek flat against the smooth metal as he tried to slow it down and control the descent. Come on. Come on! COME ON! Slow down!
On the ground below there was a pop. A batter hit a fly-ball, shooting it straight up into the air. Spectators squinted as they followed it's path, some raising their hands to shade their eyes – but then they saw something else. Something much larger than a tiny ball. A plane. A large plane falling to earth. With a spec of red and blue at it's nose.
Superman dropped his chin as he continued straining. They were headed for a packed baseball stadium?! Aw c'mon! The damn thing had hundreds if not thousands of square miles to fall into and it was attempting to take out all those people as well? Someone, somewhere had to be kidding him! Yeah, sure, 'cos losing the love of his life along with a plane full of passengers wasn't enough, was it?!
He pushed even harder against the nose, feeling the strain against his spine and his muscles in a way he normally never did when he had full use of his powers. But he pushed harder, pushed until it really started to hurt. And it was working, they were slowing down. But fast enough? They were already past the stadium lights.
Passengers inside screamed. Superman doubted any of them were Lois Lane. Not his Lois. She wouldn't even have her eyes closed for fear of missing a single piece of information for her goddamn story. When. He. Got her. Off that plane-
He looked over his shoulder. They were directly over the diamond and still falling too fast. So he braced himself, gave the plane one last massive push that almost tore his hands off at the wrist, or certainly felt like it. Metal groaned in protest the same way he did. A wave of kinetic energy rippled through the hull then travelled along the length of the jet until it finally slowed, slower, slower… s-l-o-w-e-r… and came to a stop. Only a few feet from the ground.
Superman hovered over home base, holding the jet straight up in the air above his head. Straining again, he lowered it as gently as he could to the ground; grimacing at the thud it made before kicking up clouds of dirt. Then he stepped back and took a deep breath, exhaustion and the weight of what could have been slumping his shoulders as spectators and baseball players stared at him in shocked silence. Suddenly remembering he wasn't alone his gaze flickered around his surroundings as he forced himself to stand tall and walk round to the nearest door.
The metal screeched in protest as he ripped it off it's hinges and tossed it aside, the immediate and somewhat redundant inflation of the yellow rescue slide causing him to sigh as he moved aside to make room for it. Then he stepped inside.
"Is everyone all right?"
There were several dumbfounded nods from inside the chaos of the cabin.
"I suggest you all stay in your seats until medical attention arrives…"
Unerringly his gaze found Lois where she was peeking out from behind a seat. Oh nice try. She looked frazzled but as beautiful as always, and try as he might Superman couldn't seem to stop his feet from carrying him towards her. He should wring her neck, yell at her, at the very least grab hold of her shoulders and shake her. He wanted to kiss her. But as reporters stepped to one side she tentatively rose to her feet; long lashes rising to reveal the sparkle of her eyes to him. Dammit woman.
Somehow he kept his tone calm; "Are you okay Miss Lane?"
Lois' eyes glowed at him, her gaze locked on his as if he was the only other person on the plane. Her mouth opened as he silently willed her not to say anything that might slip them up in the intensity of the moment. A small squeak came out. Superman almost chuckled. Instead he smiled a small smile and nodded once before glancing around at the curious bystanders;
"Well, I hope this little incident hasn't put any of you off flying…" He glanced at Lois from the corner of his eye and saw the edges of her mouth lifting, "Statistically speaking, it's still the safest way to travel."
She rolled her eyes. So before he really did chuckle, Superman turned and walked back up the aisle, stopping at the open doorway to glance at her one more time before he stepped out into the sunshine and gazed across the crowd. Cameras were trained on him, but he was used to that now; the continued debate on the redesign of the suit had even abated some. He was old news he supposed. They were all used to him being around. And truth be told he liked that they were. He felt… accepted…
Oh. Okay. Now that was new. Clark Kent flinched inside while Superman remained impassive on the surface. But c'mon! He was like fifty feet high on that screen. And that was just his head!
The stadium broke into thunderous applause. So Superman smiled, raised his fist above his head, lifted off the ground and disappeared into the sky…
Lois tripped her way into the open doorway seconds later, her gaze automatically rising to watch as he became a speck in the distance. That's my guy. Then she looked around at the cheering crowd and felt pride swelling in her chest. Every time she thought he'd done something as amazing as it was within the realms of possibility to be he raised the bar higher, didn't he? She loved that about him. And she'd bet he hadn't even taken a bow. He never did. A nod of his head was as close as he ever got. But then that was the unassuming Kansas farm boy in him. And she loved that too.
Dropping her chin she sighed heavily at the yellow slide. Oh what the hell. She wasn't taking her shoes off though. Apart from the fact they were her favorite shoes, she was gonna need them. She didn't have time to go searching for them afterwards. So with a concession to the stewardess talk by crossing her arms so that her hands rested on her shoulders, she dropped onto her ass and slid to the ground. Then, with an exit sign in sight she ran across the field, only turning when she remembered a picture might be a good idea.
Reaching into her pocket she found her cellphone, sliding it open with her thumb and spinning round to get the plane in frame. Holy crap! She blinked at it, forgetting to breathe for a moment. O-okay. Not much of a plane any more. And she'd been inside that thing while it plummeted to earth at what had felt like a gazillion miles an hour. Into a packed stadium. Still, no wings meant no jet fuel, right? Where was jet fuel kept anyway? She shook it off with a shudder of her shoulders, took the picture and then hit speed dial.
"Perry? Lois. You might wanna hold the front page for me…" She grinned as she started running down the corridor towards the exit, "I'm on my way now."
Daily Planet Bullpen – Night:
She knew she was in trouble. Mainly because no-one could do a 'you're in trouble' look quite like Clark Kent. Lois shrugged inwardly. Whatever. She'd been silently rehearsing her come-backs to whatever he threw at her ever since she'd gotten back to the bullpen. And if all else failed… there was always her secret weapon…
Kissing might have been deemed out of the territory of a 'get out of jail free' card for him, but it worked pretty darn well for her. She knew. The game of who-caves-first had been ongoing for weeks. And if the world would ever get round to taking care of itself for a few goddamn hours some evening when they weren't chasing down a story she had every intention of adding other weapons to her arsenal. Hell, she might even do them both a favor and cave first so she could find out what was the most effective…
The thought made her squirm on her seat and bite down on a smile.
Her skin tingled the way it always did when he looked at her, then his deep voice informed her in a low tone, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing right now."
"Finishing up my front page headline."
"That's not all you're doing."
When he pushed his glasses back into place and looked at her from the corner of his eye she couldn't hold back her smile, "Am I multi-tasking again? No wonder I always manage to get more work done than you. I mean if I'm doing it without even knowing I'm doing it… I'm a phenomenon. That's what I am."
"Oh yeah. You're somethin' all right," He shut his computer down and leaned back in his chair, studying her with lazy blinks of thick dark lashes, "And I might have got more work done today if I hadn't been distracted."
Lois grimaced guiltily. Yup. She was in trouble.
"You ready to go?"
"Nope I just have-"
"Mmm-hmm." He jerked his chin at the back of her flat screen monitor, "Hurry up then."
Finding the words in the right order in her brain wasn't made any easier by the fact that five minutes later he started swinging his chair from side to side. It squeaked. She sighed. When she looked at him he lifted his brows in question – the light dancing in the blue of his eyes telling her he knew exactly what he was doing. There were times when he could still be the most annoying man on the entire planet.
"Done." And she'd have been done a lot quicker without the squeaking. But she he didn't say that. Lane's knew plenty about strategic withdrawals. Not so much about how often to use them, granted, but there was a first time for everything Lois felt.
"Good," The squeaking stopped abruptly, "We'll drop it down to copy editing on our way out. You spell checked, right?"
Funny guy. Lois smiled sweetly, "Of course I did. Snookie."
Clark shook his head.
Two blocks from Lois Lane's Apartment – Night:
He made her sweat for several blocks. She already knew she was in trouble. And yes, he had calmed down some, but she really had no idea what it did to him every time she got herself in trouble.
Before he could open his mouth to broach the subject, the skies opened. So he reached for her hand, tangled their fingers, and they began to run - out of the park and across the street to a lighted doorway. Stepping into the dry, they both shook themselves off. Then Lois shivered, fat drops of moisture dripping off her darkened hair and running down her cheeks.
"Hold still." Releasing her hand, Clark stepped back, lowered his glasses and a carefully controlled spray of heat vision caressed her body from head to toe; drying her in seconds.
She smiled, "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Despite his best efforts not to, he smiled back.
Then they stood side by side in the doorway and watched the rain fall.
"So…" When he glanced sideways at her she was chewing on her lower lip, "How did that boring press conference pan out for you?"
"Not so boring."
"Really?"
The rain stopped as suddenly as it began, so they stepped out of the doorway and started walking again. In the same silence as before.
Then Lois surprised him by sighing heavily, ""Damn it. Alright then. I'm sorry."
Clark faked a staggered step, turning to look at her, "Who are you? I was talking to Lois Lane. You might know her, she was standing here just a second ago..."
"You're hilarious. Lap it up while you can smart ass. We both know it might never happen again."
Well since she'd told him to he did, turning on his heel to walk backwards so he could continue looking at her disgruntled expression, "Since I'm unfamiliar with the words 'I'm sorry' leaving your lips maybe you could just run through what it is you think you're apologizing for. You know – just so we're on the same page."
"Pushing your luck Smallville."
He lifted his brows.
It made her frown at him, "Fine. So I failed to mention it was on a plane. Teeny omission. Not like I knew I was about to become the first Daily Planet reporter in space, was it?"
"Second. Technically."
She sucked in her cheeks, and let her mouth open with a pop, "Still pushing it... snookie."
"Yeah. We're not going with snookie either."
"You nixed poodle, muffin and cupcake - we're running out of originality here. And I already told you I can't use the words babe or stud without laughing uncontrollably. How about pookie?" She nodded enthusiastically.
"No."
"Twinkle-toes?"
"No. And stop changing the subject," He leaned his face closer to hers, their steps slowing as he lowered his voice, "Still trying to scoop me Lane? Cos if I wanted to bring big stories to the table I think we both know I could…"
"Pshhsstt," She scoffed, "We both know you wouldn't dare. Not anymore. We made a deal – you bring me the inside information – I let you do all the research it takes you about half a nano-second to read. And then we write the story together. It's what partners do."
"Partners tell each other the truth, the whole truth and nothing but-"
Lois poked him in the chest, just above his heart, "Listen up boy-scout. We both do what we do best. I cover for you at least a half dozen times a day with enough finesse to throw a bloodhound off the trail – letting you do what you do. And when it comes to what I do, I consider my sliding scale of danger and where I'd rather you were – in this case, inside the plane where you couldn't do anything, or outside the plane where you could do your thing if everything went horribly wrong."
"Which it did…" He captured her hand when she poked him for a second time, flattening her palm over his heart and holding it there as they came to a standstill, "Do you have any idea what it does to me every time you get into trouble like that?"
"Yeah, 'cos I'm in planes attached to psycho Space Shuttles all the time… "
"Lois."
Lifting her chin, she looked into his eyes from beneath lowered lashes; the angle of her head defiant even as her voice softened, "I'd guess the same thing it does to me every time you zip off to deal with something you've heard, right?"
Lifting his free hand he cupped her face, his fingers threading into the hair at the nape of her neck as he lowered his head another couple of inches, "Right. So could we both-"
Before he could utter his next syllable, he heard a scream from around the corner. They both turned towards it, then Lois arched a brow at him, "You were saying?"
Clark dropped his hands and took a step back from her, "We're not done with this."
"Well duh. We've still to get to the kissing and making up part. Would you go already?"
Handing her his glasses, he glanced around them, then whirled at super-fast speed and became Superman. Lois blinked in surprise, then pushed her lower lip out, "Okay. That's new."
"I've been practicing," He grinned, "Saves on shirts. Not like you were gonna sew the buttons back on for me, was it… sweet-cheeks…"
Lois laughed sarcastically then stopped abruptly, smiled sweetly and crinkled the bridge of her nose, "You really need to go now."
As if to prove her point, a second scream brought them back to the immediacy of the moment.
"Stay here." He was gone in a super-blur.
Lois snorted, "Yeah. Like that's gonna happen…"
One Block Away – Night:
A leather clad man was on his knees, arms twisted behind his back by two men in dark suits. The leather clad man was the one screaming; unwilling to let go of his knife. So the dark suited men exerted more pressure until the knife dropped.
Then Superman shot into sight, "Let him go."
A timid man stepped out from the shadows, his sweater torn, rounded glasses askew; obviously shaken up in more ways than one, "No, Superman, they saved me. I was walking home and that guy jumped me. These two came out of nowhere. If it wasn't for them, I... I..."
Lois ran around the corner as Superman looked at the men in black and noticed the insignias on their breast pockets: brightly stylized "C's."
The taller of the two smiled, "Hello, Superman. We're Members of the Church Group."
He handed him a card that Clark glanced briefly at as Lois got to his side. Couldn't stay put, could she? Simultaneously, the shorter of the two men cuffed the thug and flipped open a cell-phone, muttering into it.
Superman studied the card again, "Church Group... as in Bill Church?"
Lois took the card out of his hand, "As in the latest branch of Intergang…"
The tall man smiled at her the same way he had at Superman, "Mr. Church wants Metropolis to be a better place to live and he's committed his fortune to that end."
As Superman and Lois looked around them more men and women dressed in dark clothes appeared at every corner, near and far. Then a black sedan with the stylized "C" on the side appeared.
The tall man spoke into a wrist mic a-la-the-CIA; "Situation green, continue patrols."
The men and women at the corners touched their ears, nodded and moved off in pairs. It was creepy. Lois obviously agreed from the look she gave them.
Then she turned her attention to the tall man, "I get it, you're some kind of vigilante group, Church's private storm troopers. Well, I hate to tell you - but that's against the law –"
"Miss, if you'd like to check with the police, you'll find we're operating under their purview." He looked at his partner, "Let's get this man into custody." Then he reached an arm towards the timid man who'd been attacked, "Sir, come with us, the police will need your statement." And finally to Superman, "Superman, thanks for trying to help."
The condescension wasn't lost on him, a brief look passing between them while Superman managed a small nod. Oooooh-kay. Not nearly as done with this as the Church group might like to think. He'd been fooled by 'help from the blue' in Metropolis once already. And once bitten…
With no-nonsense efficiency, the men in black slid into the sedan with the thug and the timid Man.
Lois took a deep breath, "Well, you've got to give Church and his son credit – they obviously love Metropolis…"
He waited for the punchline.
And it came with a smirk, "They never stop trying to take over…"
"I should probably take a look around the city, make sure everything's all right. Just in case."
"I know. Go. I think I can get home in one piece without yelling for my friendly local vigilante." She looked up into his eyes as the sedan pulled away from the kerb, "I'll make a few calls to our contacts in the Metropolis PD and see what I can find out while you're doing your thing. That's if it's okay with you, obviously. I mean…"
She took an exaggerated intake of breath as he folded his arms across his chest, "Phone calls can be dangerous things. Especially when they're made on a cell-phone. I could be frying thousands of brain cells. Not that I don't have plenty to spare but-"
"You done?"
"I can keep going for much longer."
"Oh I know."
Thrusting her lower lip out even further than before she set a palm on the 'S' on his chest, forcing him to glance around for spectators, "I'll be fine pumpkin."
Certain they weren't being observed he leaned his head closer, lowering his voice to one octave above a whisper, "Remind me why I love you?"
The palm on his chest patted lightly before she stepped back, "Cos I'm me – hello? I'll call you later if you don't, you know, drop by…"
With a quirk of her brows and an angling of her head she spun on her heel and sashayed away from him, "Bye pumpkin."
If she thought pumpkin was staying, she was wrong. But Clark smiled as he took to the sky. Now if the world was at peace for a few hours, maybe he could get back in time to engage in some kissing and making up and –
He willed his mind to think calmer thoughts. Bad idea straying into that territory in a form fitting suit. Bad. Idea. So he thought about what had happened earlier and the brief moment of power loss on the shuttle, the jet and at Mission Control. What had caused it? There had to be something. And if the past few months had taught him anything it was never to take things at face value. He looked down at the city…
When 'face value' involved a similar dress uniform to Luthor's clone army it didn't sit well with him. The man had been too silent since he'd tried to take Chloe. And Chloe remained lying in a bed, still and silent. Something he knew was always in Lois' mind the same way it was his.
The city seemed peaceful, so he arched his back and headed upwards to begin a wider, more all-encompassing patrol.
Subterranean Lair beneath Metropolis – Night:
The elevator doors opened and Bill Church Jr. appeared, carrying an overnight bag, "Dad?"
Bill Sr. met him halfway across the room, surprising the younger man by embracing him in a tight hug that was returned somewhat stiffly, "Son. It's so good to see you. How was Tokyo?"
"The little territory spat with the Yakuza's all settled, stores are going up, the Japanese Foreign Minister took the bribe. How're you feeling?"
"The doctors say I'm doing great. A new heart, a new man, that's my motto these days..." He held him at arms length for a moment, "Ah, Billy, I've got so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start…"
His son eyed him warily, "Uh-huh."
They moved into his father's office, the office that had apparently been torn apart in his absence, "Redecorating?"
"That's part of what I have to tell you."
"Darlin?"
The older man's expression changed, "Mindy? In here beautiful."
Billy sighed deeply as he turned around and watched the stunning redhead making her way across the room. She was gorgeous. And dressed to show off every curve. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Billy, meet your new stepmom."
And there it was.
"Hello, Billy." She kissed him on the cheek, then draped herself around his father, "Your Dad's told me so much about you."
"Well, that certainly gives you the advantage... Mindy."
His father smiled like the old fool he was, "Son, I know what you're thinking - the old man's gone soft from that heart attack, married his pretty nurse and now he's a few grapes shy of a bunch." He paused to kiss her upturned cheek, "But I'll tell you, I've never seen things clearer... or known with more absolute fervor my true destiny."
Billy set his bag down and stepped towards the one cabinet that hadn't been removed from the room, "I'm guessing I'll need a drink."
He tugged the dust cover to one side and reached for a glass and a decanter; pouring a generous measure of ten year old scotch.
While his father continued behind him, "Billy, we're criminals. Greedy, opportunistic vermin preying on the innocent."
His son nodded as he swallowed down a large mouthful of the liquid; welcoming the burn on the back of his throat, "And...?"
"I can't do it anymore."
"You want to retire?" About goddamn time. He'd waited long enough for the Edge family to screw up and step aside as it was. It was time for a new regime as far as he was concerned. A more efficient, less lenient one.
"I want to dismantle Intergang. Ever since the operation, I've had visions. I've tried to ignore them, but I can't. It's all been a waste. The money, the power. It's meaningless. We're gonna pull the plug on this whole stinking operation and use our resources to make the world a better place."
Billy stared at him, his voice flat; "You're serious."
"Totally."
He drained his glass in one long mouthful before setting it aside, "Considering the jet lag and the airplane food, I think I'm taking this pretty well... don't you, Mindy?"
Mindy blinked blankly, "Huh?"
"Exactly."
While they stared at each other Bill Sr. moved to a wall map of Metropolis, "I've already started step one."
It showed dozens of green Church Group Stations every few blocks, "I've earmarked five hundred million dollars for the Church Group...four thousand men and women patrolling Metropolis, with the singular goal of making this the safest city on Earth. And if it works here, we'll do it in other cities; we'll give every cent we have to make amends for the horror we've caused."
"Boy." Billy stared at Mindy again, "You shell out some pretty good drugs in that hospital, huh, Min?"
She was still completely vacant, "What?"
Bimbo. Billy dismissed her. She would be easy to get rid of. Shame really. She was certainly easy on the eyes. And it had been a long trip. Under different circumstances…
"Well I'm gonna head home and turn in. You can tell me all about your great scheme in the morning Dad," He retrieved his bag and turned away, "Can't wait."
Daily Planet – Morning:
Lois sat at her desk, typing, trying to concentrate, but her eyes kept drifting over to Clark's empty desk. She tried not to let it unsettle her. He was fine. She'd have heard something on the wire if he wasn't. It was a little volcano; inconsequential really when compared to say Mount Saint Helens or… she frowned as she tried to remember the name of the only other one she knew… oh yeah, Vesuvius, that was it. Superman could deal with a baby volcano. One big rock shoved in the hole et voila!
It was using a cell-phone he still had difficulties with…
Perry and Jimmy hovered in the near-distance, looking at Lois, then looking at Clark's empty desk, then looking at Lois looking at Clark's empty desk.
"Chief, I know we said we weren't gonna talk about..." He jerked his head sideways, "... certain people so obsessively any more but..."
Perry glared at him.
"You're right Chief. We have lives of our own, we're interesting, we don't need their daily dramas."
"Exactly."
Jimmy nodded, "So."
"So."
There was a moment of silence as they looked back at Lois, who was tapping her pencil off her desk in a way that indicated trouble. Then Jimmy took a breath, "How's the golf game?"
"On Saturday, came this close," He held up his thumb and forefinger to peek through a small gap, "to sinkin' a hole in one."
"That's great Chief."
Perry dropped his arm and looked back at Lois, "How's your love life?"
"Pretty much the same as your golf was Saturday."
"Uh-huh." He took a sip of his coffee as he continued watching Lois, "She look like she's been crying to you?"
"Lois Lane?" Jimmy laughed, "I don't think she knows how… erm… no, no I don't Chief."
"Okay." Perry nodded brusquely, "Let's go dig up some news then."
Lois froze as the skin on the back of her neck tingled. She turned, looked up and saw Clark walking towards her. Then she mentally sat on the brief flash of brightness she felt and lifted her chin, "Hey."
Clark smiled as brightly as she'd felt, "Hey."
She stood up. He stopped by their desks. Then there was a moment where time seemed to stand still, as if neither of them was quite sure if they should kiss or shake hands.
Jimmy and Perry stared mesmerized as Lois pursed her lips, nodded, and reached for her coffee mug before turning away.
"Yeah." Jimmy nodded, "News."
"They're doing this on purpose, aren't they? To torture us."
Clark lifted his mug and followed her to the coffee pot the way she knew he would, standing close enough that his upper arm rested against her shoulder and she could feel the heat of his body. She took a breath, "So, I called last night... a couple times…"
"Yeah, well, I was, uhhh..." He made an upward motion with his hand, "... you know."
"I heard on the news." She nodded, reaching for his mug and brushing her fingertips against his as he set it free, "Landslide in Malaysia. Building collapse in Norway."
He added sweet n low to her full mug as she poured coffee into his, "And a volcano this morning."
"Yup, heard about that one too."
Apparently her tone was enough to tell him something was wrong, "Lois, what's-"
She handed him his mug and lifted her own before turning round, "So, I've been doing some research on the Church group. There's a lot of them" When they got to her desk she handed him a file, "Here."
Clark took it, "Thanks."
But he didn't look at it. He was still looking at her. And he was doing it intensely enough for her to feel the need to curl her toes in her shoes. Damn it. How was she supposed to stay annoyed at him when he'd been out saving lives! It was so unfair.
"They're completely legit on paper, funded entirely by Church... You should take a look at the board he assembled - former Governor, Vice-President, a three star General..."
"Nice polite exterior." He kept on staring at her, the blue of his eyes darkening several shades.
Lois swallowed hard and sat down in her chair before she got cramp in her toes, "I say we find out what's under the surface."
"Okay." He towered over her long after she'd rolled her chair into place and buried her nose in her mug. But he did it long enough to force her to glance up at him over the rim.
How could she still be annoyed at him, feel guilty at the same time and have her palms itch to reach up for the lapels of his jacket to haul him down for the kind of kiss that would make it onto the cover of a romance novel?! Huh? How the hell did that work?
His gaze dropped to the increasingly labored rise and fall of her breasts beneath her fitted cherry red blouse. It lingered there long enough for her to feel the need to moan. And then it rose sharply and crashed into hers and she let out a low growl from deep in her throat, "Smallville-"
His chin jerked upwards, his gaze fixed at some invisible point in the distance. And Lois sighed heavily before raising her voice, "Do you think you could chase it up in archives for me?"
Jerking her brows meaningfully was rewarded with a smile, "On it. I'll be back as fast as I can."
"Hmmm…" She blindly reached for her pencil and began tapping it on the desk as he left. Again.
Some day soon she hoped she might get used to it. Probably not though. She'd told Superman she was selfish. But really, was an hour here and there too much to ask for? If she didn't know better she might think he was busier now she knew his big secret than he'd been before. Like hiding it or striking a balance by occasionally being-bloody-around was less important now she knew. He didn't even have to cover his tracks anymore. She automatically did it for him.
And now she was a possessive girlfriend? Lois rolled her eyes. Great. She glanced around the room and caught sight of Jimmy staring at her. So she frowned, "What?"
"Nothing." He scurried away.
Fantastic. Now she was kicking puppies too. She officially sucked as a Superheroes girlfriend.
Bill Church Senior's Office – Morning:
Mindy was there alone, dabbing at her eyes with a huge handkerchief and sniffling when Billy walked in. He froze. Caught in the age old male response to a crying female of 'get the hell out of there'.
"Mindy? What is it?" Because if there was a possibility it was something he could use…
"Oh, Billy, um, nothing..." She smiled and waved the handkerchief at him, "nothing..."
Mentally crossing his fingers for a negative answer he asked; "Is Dad okay?"
She looked at him with wide eyes, then, to his horror, burst into full blown tears. Maybe he'd got lucky?
"What is it?" He stepped closer to her.
"I know we don't really know each other... and there's no reason why you should trust me..."
To his amazement she stepped closer and pressed her incredible body close to his. In a very non-motherly way.
Billy cleared his throat, "Well..."
"I think your father's very sick." She mumbled into his shoulder.
"Sick how?"
"He's going crazy Billy..." She came out of hiding and looked into his eyes, "He keeps talking about his new mission and the way he's spending money…"
He smoothed a hand across her back and patted in a way he hoped made him seem sensitive, "Yeah, I've seen the reports."
"He just bought half-a-museum in London because he wants to be surrounded by beauty... If this keeps up, there won't be anything left..." She sighed breathily and lowered her voice to a husky whisper filled with innuendo, "... for us."
Their gazes met.
Then Billy answered somewhat cautiously, "The thought had occurred to me."
"I'm just his wife," Mindy pouted, "I don't understand all this business you two talk about... but I really think it'd be best for everybody if maybe he..."
"Yes?"
"... retired?"
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed tighter to his side; smiling uncertainly, "Then you could…"
"Run things the way they should be?" Billy eyed her with hooded eyes, a window of unexpected possibilities opening before him like manna from heaven, "He's not going to step down Min."
"Oh, I know." She blinked at him with wide, heavily made up eyes, "I'll do anything you say, Billy."
"Anything?"
She leaned in and answered with a long, hard kiss.
"Wait –" He pushed her back, not willing to play the hand he'd been gifted too soon, "- you're married to my father."
Then he realized the added bonus to that and grinned, "This is perfect!"
Kissing her hungrily, he allowed her to tear at his clothes…
Daily Planet Offices – Mid-Morning:
Lois was on her sixth cup of Java. Life was a lot better. Though not quite as fast as she wanted it to be. She glanced up at the screen above Clark's empty chair as a reporter talked direct to camera. Lois could do that job she reckoned. How hard could it be?
"... of course, it's getting to be a well-known fact that our streets are now dramatically safer from crime but the Church Group doesn't stop there."
Lois swung back and forth in her chair, chewing on one end of her coffee stirrer while her foot tapped rapidly under the desk and there were shots of members of the Church group checking the tires on a cab. Seriously? Who were these people?!
"They've taken it upon themselves to offer free auto assistance, safety checks of homes, businesses and all manner of public transportation."
When they showed a shot of a Church member helping an old lady across the street Lois rolled her eyes dramatically. Were they kidding her?
"Management of busy intersections, teaching kids about community service, cabs for the infirm and elderly..." A shot of a Church member studying fruit at an outdoor market and shaking his head, "... even going so far as to guarantee food freshness in restaurants and grocery stores. Polls indicate that citizens have never felt safer or more secure. The board of tourism is showing a dramatic increase in vacationers and housing sales have jumped twenty percent."
They were like goddamn Stepford people. Where had they all come from? And so fast? It was like they'd all been waiting in the wings to stage a coup. It was like being… invaded…
Lois frowned. Then checked her wristwatch and frowned harder. Where the hell was Clark? She reached for her coffee mug and found it empty. How had that happened? She was sure she'd had coffee. Maybe the nice Church people had popped by and initiated a ban on caffeine for the good of the citizens health. Well over her dead body. Nope. Over theirs!
Hugging her mug to her she pushed her chair back, the reporter's voice continuing over her head; "And what is Costmart CEO Bill Church saying about all this? Well, the one and only statement he's issued reads, 'I want the actions of the Church Group to speak for themselves'."
Lois scowled with suspicion as she walked away from the TV, picking up the late edition of The Planet from the day before off her desk as she headed for the coffee station. The stories had taken up two pages inside, only bumped from the front page thanks to a certain falling airplane; "WINDOW WASHER SAVED BY CHURCH MEMBER... Then: CHURCH MEMBER STOPS MUGGING... And: CHURCH MEMBER FINDS LOST CAT."
She wanted to stick her fingers in her mouth and fake a gag.
Jimmy and Perry met her at the coffee pot, Perry waiting next in line as he spoke, "Please tell me you're on a hot story full of mayhem and scandal."
"No such luck."
Perry raised his voice and shouted over his shoulder, "Denny, tomorrow's lead's gonna be: GIRL SCOUT JAMBOREE BIG SUCCESS." He took the pot from Lois, "This keeps up, we're looking at a one page city section."
Jimmy waited patiently for the pot even though it looked unlikely he would get more than dregs by the time it got to him, "Well, hold on, Chief, how come news always has to be bad? How come we couldn't report all the good things that happen?"
Lois and Perry stared at him as if he'd grown horns, Perry the first to speak, "This is a newspaper - it's catastrophe or atrophy."
Shaking her head in astonishment at Jimmy as Perry handed over the almost empty pot, Lois blinked hard and turned towards her desk, "I know the Churches are up to something, Chief, but I just can't get a fix on this. I put in a call to one of my contacts but I haven't heard back."
"Well, maybe it'd help if I arranged an interview between you and my old golf buddy Bill Senior. See if you and Clark can sniff out the stink under the perfume. Speaking of Clark, haven't seen him around much. He all right?" He glanced at Jimmy then added; "I mean, professionally, of course."
Lois avoided his gaze as she set her mug down, "Well, we're both trying to get all our facts straight..." She risked a glance and added a smile for authenticity, "... so we can figure out what's really going on and make some decisions...about the story."
"Right." Jimmy said as he joined them, took a sip of coffee and choked.
Perry nodded, "Yep. Good plan."
Jimmy swiped the back of his hand across his mouth before adding, "Absolutely."
Lois couldn't help but blink at them both again. What? What was going on? Her eyes widened before she could stop the tell-tale sign. Surely they hadn't figured something out?! Oh hell no. Not on her watch!
She silently cleared her throat as she crossed her arms over her breasts, "With the current popularity of the Church group it makes sense to have everything dotted and crossed."
They both nodded firmly as she narrowed her eyes. But the look of challenge she aimed at them in reply was enough to send them to different ends of the bullpen – Perry barking orders along the way.
Sitting back down in her chair she rolled it in tight and reached for her mug, the reporter on the screen above Clark's empty chair wrapping up with; "... so it has to make you wonder, with all the good work being done by the Church Group, what's left for Superman to do these days? Reporting from downtown, this is Grant Burton."
Good damn question.
Bill Church Senior's Office – Mid-Afternoon:
Mindy kissed Billy goodbye before he left for a meeting. But instead of running for the shower and change of clothes she needed before going to join her husband she swung her feet back and forth and watched the elevator disappearing while chewing idly on the tip of one red thumbnail.
With a slow smile she leaned back over the desk for the phone and dialed, "Let me speak to him."
There was a brief pause, then her smile changed, "Everything is going to plan. We should have control of the operation within a matter of days. Yes, I know. It's unfortunate that the Father's body proved too weak. But we will find another; have no fear of that Signor Oscuro."
With a final 'arrivederci' she hung up, wriggled off the desk and headed for the shower.
Intergang would get their new leader. But it wasn't who Billy thought it would be. Shame he hadn't been any more suitable than his father really. She shrugged one shoulder. Oh well. Little matter. All that mattered was the endgame. And oh what an endgame it would be.
She laughed musically and closed the bathroom door behind her.
