Thank you to smallvillegirl92, Gemrosa, katetd369, Angelp316, Tigger101, and winthjo for reviewing my story. I appreciate your feedback!
A/N: Just so you guys know, I had no idea what the cars really were, either of them, so I just guessed. Also, for those of you who haven't seen the Lois & Clark series, you'll notice that throughout the story Perry isn't overly ill-tempered and grouchy – that's because in Lois & Clark he didn't get that way until his wife, Alice, left him in a later season. And my interpretation of Jimmy is a little more juvenile than it's supposed to be, but I really wanted to bring out the innocence in the character. Having that said – thanks again guys and I hope you enjoy it!
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Two days ago…
PERRY'S HOUSE
Perry pressed the button to open the garage door and laughed when he saw the expression on Jimmy's face. It was a wonder the kid didn't drop the toolbox. He stood, stock still, admiring the classic vintage car that took up the entire left side of Perry's two-car garage. It was positively gorgeous; a work of art from an era just coming to grips with the beginnings of technology. There weren't very many of these beautiful cars in existence anymore.
"Awwwww, man," Jimmy said, his awed expression melting into a grin.
"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Perry replied. "1934 Plymouth Coupe, fully restored, all leather interior. She's on loan to me for the Planet's anniversary party this weekend."
Jimmy pushed his way past his boss and began running his fingers reverently across the sleek black paint. Although he'd seen these cars in movies, he'd never seen one in real life. "Is this what they used to drive when you were my age, Chief?"
Perry almost choked. He wasn't sure if Jimmy was playing with him or if he was actually serious. "I may have gray hair but that's from my job," he replied, walking around the historic automobile. "I wasn't even born when this car was built."
Jimmy laughed lightly. He'd chosen to wear jeans and a loose T-shirt today, completely opposite of his normal attire, which usually included a pressed button-up shirt and slacks, sometimes with a vest or tie. Perry didn't much like the casual look; made the kid look like…well…a kid. But he had to admit, Jimmy did look a whole lot more at ease today. He looked more his age
Perry himself had dressed down for the lesson today, putting aside the suit and tie for a T-shirt and sweats. Teaching Jimmy how to change the oil in a car was first on his agenda today.
He motioned toward his Toyota Corolla, "Come on, let's get this here done so we can get inside and get out of this heat," he said. "Now Jimmy, open up that tool box and get me a socket wrench."
The confusion on Jimmy's face was evident: he had no clue what Perry had just said. Perry dropped his arms in disbelief. "Jimmy! Don't you know what a socket wrench looks like?"
The kid shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, Chief. I guess I'm better with computers than I am doing handy work."
Perry sighed. He was right. Jimmy Olsen was a whiz with computers. He could hack and crack codes with the best of them, make a computer do practically anything he wanted it to. Taking care of the network at the Planet was just one of Jimmy's many jobs. The kid also had an interest in taking pictures, and often begged Perry to send him out on photography assignments.
Perry didn't know much about Jimmy's background, but from the very start he'd been taken with the energetic young man. He had interned at the Planet while he was still in school and after proving to the editor-in-chief that he was a hard worker, Perry hired him on as a copy boy after graduation.
But their relationship had grown into something more than just boss and employee. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, Perry had taken to Jimmy like a son. It was the same with several of his other employees, namely Lois, Clark, and Chloe. The trio was considerably older than Jimmy, but the kid had landed himself a family when he landed himself a job at the Planet.
Still, there was no need to pamper the youngster. "Gimme that," Perry said, snatching the toolbox from Jimmy. He fiddled through the tools until he found the wrench. Holding it up, he shook it in front of him. "This is a socket wrench. Remember that."
Jimmy grinned and attempted to defend himself, "I've used on of those before, I just didn't know what it was called."
"Boy, I'm gonna turn you into a handy man yet," Perry retorted, getting down on the floor and onto his back.
As Perry wiggled into position under the car, Jimmy sat on the ground next to his legs. "Why don't you just take it in?" he asked. "I mean, this just seems like an awful lot of work for something that a professional could do in like five minutes."
Perry's voice was muffled under the car. "That's what's the matter with kids these days," he grumped. "Nobody wants to do it themselves. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty. They just wanna sit in their rooms and play games and listen to…"
Perry's ramblings were cut off by a new voice. "Excuse me?"
Jimmy quickly stood, wiping his hands on his shirt, and regarded the newcomer. He must have walked in while Perry was ranting. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"You sure can," the man said pleasantly. He pointed to the Coupe. "Ya'll got the keys to my car?"
Perry scooted out from under the Corolla and pulled himself to a sitting position. He eyed the stranger; not bothering to hide his irritation, then glanced at Jimmy for an explanation. Jimmy shrugged, signaling Perry he was just as confused. The man who had loaned Perry the car had no family so the stranger could not have been a relative. What is this? Some kind of practical joke? "You wanna run that by me again?" Perry asked sternly.
"Oh, it's not that confusing pops. Ya see, this here's my car and I want it back," the stranger said, extending an open hand towards them. "So hand 'em over."
Getting to his feet, Perry scowled. The stranger, a younger man wearing a plain brown suit and button up, collarless shirt, had sharp eyes and thick, dark hair. He wore a cocky smirk, one that said he was either really enjoying his joke or he actually believed what he said.
Perry wanted to wring that smirk right off of his face. "Look son, I don't know what your game is but this car is on loan from a publisher at my newspaper. So why don't you just turn your tail on around and get outta here."
The stranger sighed, bored, and clasped his arms in front of him, seeming to size up Perry. "Newspaper man, huh?" he said. He had a touch of an accent, one that Perry couldn't quite place, but it definitely wasn't from Metropolis.
Seeming to come a conclusion, the man continued, "Yeah, you boys always were gutsy. Bonnie!"
A gun cocked from somewhere outside the garage and a woman stepped out from the shadows; blonde, beautiful, and pointing a Tommy gun right at them.
At the sight of the gun, Jimmy put his hands in the air. Perry stiffened, but didn't move. A Thompson submachine gun had been a common sight during the Prohibition era, but anymore the weapon was only seen in gangster films. Seeing the recognition on Perry's face, the stranger flashed them a handsome smile. "Too bad I never cared much for gutsy."
The woman, Bonnie, cocked her head toward the empty vehicle. "In the car. Both of you."
With a precision that bordered professional, Perry and Jimmy were both frisked and tied to their seats in the Corolla. Bonnie took a moment to run her fingers through Jimmy's tousled hair, seeming to enjoy the anxiety in his eyes when he stared back at her. She was sexy, in that dangerous sort of way, and apparently she knew it by the way she leaned lazily on the hood of the Corolla. Having taken their wallets, she began going through them, flinging pictures and credit cards over her shoulder as she did so and pocketing any cash they had.
Perry was furious. "You two are working up quite a resume," he snapped. "Carjacking, armed robbery, kidnapping. When the feds catch up to you both of you are gonna go away for a long time."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile touching the corners of her lips. "We've already been away a long time," she replied.
Beside her, the man scowled indignantly. "Feds? You think I'm afraid of Hoover?"
Jimmy turned to Perry, now thoroughly confused at what was transpiring around him. "What on earth would a vacuum cleaner company want with them?" he whispered.
"Jimmy!" Perry admonished. "J. Edgar Hoover; head of the FBI, 48 years!"
Jimmy frowned. "Never heard of him."
The man turned his attention back to his beautiful partner. "The car ain't got much gas. They got any money?"
Bonnie shrugged. "Not enough. Just some pictures and a bunch of these horrid things." She handed him one of Perry's credit cards. He took it and studied it carefully, turning it over in his hand and examining every inch of the shiny plastic.
"What is it?" he asked, puzzled. He read the insignia, "A gold card?"
Are they for real? Perry thought. The man put the corner of the credit card in his mouth and bit down on it, as if testing to see if the card was real gold. "The hell it is," he said, making a face and throwing it on the floor. "I guess we'll just have to get our gas the old fashioned way. We'll steal it."
Bonnie stood and traced the side of the car with her fingers, fixing a vixen's gaze on Jimmy that made him want to squirm. She stopped right at the window and cupped a hand under his chin, lifting it so that she could study his face. "Do we have to kill 'em Clyde?" she asked nonchalantly. "The kid's kinda cute."
"Kill us?" Jimmy squeaked
Annoyed, Clyde batted her hand away from the kid. He pushed past Bonnie and leaned into the car, reaching for the keys in the ignition and turning them so that the car roared to life. He then leaned on the window and smiled cheerily at his two hostages. "Well, boys, I'm gonna take it easy on you today. Just sit back, relax, and breathe deep."
He gave Jimmy a good-natured tap on the shoulder before handing Bonnie the keys to the Coupe. "Pull the car out. I'll meet ya outside."
Bonnie grumped, but complied. She threw one last look at the terrified kid and his older companion. Such a shame, she thought. She really did hate killing, but when Clyde set his mind to something there was no convincing him otherwise. At least it'll be painless.
Once the car was outside, Bonnie slid into the passenger's seat. Clyde always did like to drive and she was sure at least that hadn't changed.
Clyde joined her in front of the garage, holding in his hand a little black box, which he studied dubiously. "How's this here little contraption work?"
"Just push the button," Bonnie answered.
He pushed it, and was immediately rewarded with the sound of squealing metal as the garage door began its slow descent. Clyde tossed the little black box into the bushes. "I think I'm gonna like the 21st century," he said.
Inside the garage, Perry and Jimmy froze. They were closing the door! They really were going to kill them!
"Chief! Chief! What do we do?" Jimmy cried, panicking.
Perry tried to stay calm, "I don't know Jimmy! Just calm down and let's think this through. Now, can you move?"
Jimmy squirmed in his seat, but the ropes held tight. He shook his head. "No, I can't. What about you?"
Perry jerked in his seat but had no more luck than Jimmy.
With the garage door fully closed, the exhaust from the running Corolla was filling the room. Jimmy had no clue how long it took for a person to die from carbon monoxide poisoning, but he wasn't willing to find out.
He continued to struggle, not fully willing to resign to the painless death set before them just yet. The car bucked and rocked with Jimmy's struggles but his confines didn't budge. Finally, he collapsed in his seat, breathing hard.
"Sorry, Chief," he said through clenched teeth.
"It's all right son," Perry replied. "Save your strength. We'll just have to wait. Maybe Alice will come home early and find us."
Reluctantly, Jimmy settled in his seat, not content but willing to hold on to at least that little thread of hope. He knew Perry's wife had gone to visit family earlier in the day, but he had no idea when she would return.
It wasn't long before a strange exhaustion came over him and soon Jimmy was fighting to stay awake. The heat wasn't helping either. He squirmed uncomfortably and glanced over at the Chief. His boss had his eyes closed and was leaning back against the seat, sweat dripping down the side of his face. For a moment, Jimmy feared the toxic gas had already claimed him.
"Chief? You all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just resting my eyes."
"Just stay with me, Chief. I'm gonna find us a way outta here," Jimmy replied. He looked around the car. There had to be something he could do. Think Jimmy! Think! Lois and Clark were always getting into situations like this and they somehow always managed to find a way out. What would they do in this situation?
Wait…maybe he was trying too hard. Maybe the answer was right in front of him. Then, the obvious occurred to him. Perry would have programmed the garage door remote into the console above their heads. "Chief! Chief!" Jimmy cried. The realization that there was still a chance of survival sent a surge of adrenaline through him. "The button to open your garage door – which one is it?!"
Perry blinked. "Uh, the first one on the left."
Jimmy jerked against his confines, trying to reach the button with his head. The console was on the roof directly between them. If he could just get to it…
He pulled with all his might, stretching out his body until the ropes that bound him dug into his skin. Normally the pain would have discouraged him from continuing, but not now. Desperation fueled him; if he didn't succeed then they would really be done for.
Suddenly, one of the ropes restricting him to his seat broke, throwing Jimmy off balance and hurtling him forward. At the same time he unintentionally hit the gearshift with his right elbow, he accidentally hit the gas too. The Corolla lurched forward and crashed through the garage door, tearing through the thin metal with a squeal.
Before he realized what was happening, Jimmy hit the breaks. The car screeched to a halt…
…in the safety of Perry's driveway!
His heart pounding, breathing hard, Perry managed to find his voice. "Great shades of Elvis," he said, "What just happened?"
Jimmy turned his eyes, still wide with disbelief, to his boss. "I told you I'd get us out of there," he said.
