Collateral Damage
Folc4evernaday | Rated: M | Chapter 11
"Hello, Pookie!" Ms. Cross approached Mr. Smith and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"I see you cleaned up after me. How kind of you," Mr. Smith replied.
"Yes, you've been a naughty boy. Making a mess like that..." She pulled out a cigar and lit it as she spoke.
"Well, I can always count on you." He lifted a glass of wine, signaling a toast. "To our partnership."
"Yes." She raised her own glass to toast as well. "To partnership." Her gaze hardened as she got down to business. "Has the call been made?"
"The White House has been issued our demands."
"Good."
STAR Labs was a frenzy of activity. Superman was brought in on a gurney via trusted ambulatory workers that were friends of Inspector Henderson. "How long has he been unconscious?" Dr. Klein asked when he entered the lab.
"Approximately thirty minutes," Inspector Henderson replied.
Dr. Klein cut open the front of the Superman shield, exposing his expansive chest to the surrounding staff. He concentrated on hooking Clark up to the various devices in his lab, checking his blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. "This isn't good," he muttered, studying the readouts in front of him.
"Dr. Klein?" Lois' voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Lois! No, you have to get out of here! You can't-" He stopped himself short when he noticed Sam Lane standing behind her. He didn't want to expose Clark's secret to her father unless necessary. That wasn't his decision to make. Lois and Clark had trusted him with this secret, and he would prove his trustworthiness.
"Lois, Superman has been exposed to Kryptonite – a RADIOACTIVE substance. YOU can't be IN here." He hoped his subtle message would be received. Lois had a knack for ignoring instructions, but he doubted she would risk the welfare of her unborn child.
"I just wanted to see how he is," Lois managed, her voice cracking from the tears she was holding back.
"I don't know yet, but please... just wait in my office?"
She obediently left the lab and headed towards Dr. Klein's office. Sam followed behind in a short pursuit. "Lois, are you sure you want to be here? Where's Clark? This can't be good for your baby."
"Daddy, I... I really just need some quiet right now," she began in-between tears. "Please if you're going to wait with me... just please don't talk right now."
Sam was about to argue, but the determination in her eyes made him reconsider. There was something more going on than what met the eye. "Okay." He took a seat next to her and waited.
Leslie stepped off the elevator with a spring in his step. Everything was coming together without a hitch. Soon, he, Ms. Cross, and Luthor Jr. would be richer beyond their wildest dreams, and they could finally successfully execute Lex Luthor's ultimate goal: World Conquest.
The voice of Franklin Stern interrupted his thoughts. "Well if it isn't the new owner of the Daily Planet... Lex Luthor Jr. The rat that decided to crawl out from the sewer and finally make an appearance!" Stern stood a few inches away from Leslie and had a look of anger on his face.
"Franklin, pleasure to see you here." Leslie held out his hand for the man to shake.
POW!
Leslie fell to the ground from the impact of Franklin Stern's fist. "I warned you not to mess with the Daily Planet. You think you're going to pull the wool over everyone's eyes? Think again! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!"
"Hey someone, call the police; Leslie's bleeding!" Ralph called.
"Yes, call the police for your fallen owner to explain why he lied on official documents regarding his name! I'm not an expert or anything, but I think that makes our contract void," Stern sneered.
"Wow!" Ralph watched in awe as Stern disappeared behind the elevator doors. "Talk about your bedside manner, huh?" He looked around for someone to laugh with him but found no willing participants.
"Lois?" Dr. Klein sat down next to Lois; he wrung his hands nervously, unable to voice his concerns.
"What is it, Dr. Klein? Please, tell me he's going to be okay."
"I don't know what to do. I've tried sun lamps. I can't extract the Kryptonite from his body because it's still invulnerable; the kryptonite is just slowly eating away at him from the nasal passage down."
"Nasal passage?" Sam asked, intrigued. "How did that happen?"
"He, uh, inhaled something coated with kryptonite," Dr. Klein explained hesitantly.
"Uh-huh." Sam was quiet a moment. "What is kryptonite? Is there anything that can counter react its effects?" Sam asked.
"Kryptonite is the nuclear core of Superman's home planet, Krypton," Dr. Klein explained. "It's the only substance that can kill him. Well, the green variation can kill him. The red variation seems to have an alternate effect on him."
"What do you mean?" Sam inquired.
"Well, the red affects him in various ways, such as mentally or emotionally. The last time he was exposed to it; his powers went out of whack..." Dr. Klein's eyes lit up. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Lois asked, confused.
"Red kryptonite!" Dr. Klein exclaimed. "The green counter-reacted the red,a so why wouldn't it work in reverse?"
"What?" Lois wasn't sure she was following, "Are you suggesting we purposefully expose Superman to red kryptonite?"
"Sort of. I'm suggesting we create an inhalant, laced with red kryptonite. It's the only guaranteed way to make sure all surfaces the green kryptonite has harmed will be covered by the red as well."
"Hold on. I'm not going to let you just experiment like this, especially with kryptonite," Lois argued.
"Lois, this is the only way I know of to fight this. The sun lamps aren't working. He still hasn't even woken up," Dr. Klein admitted.
"What?" Lois asked.
"It is worth a shot, Lois," Sam reasoned. "Do you need an extra hand?"
"I could use all the help I can get," Dr. Klein acknowledged.
Lois paced around Dr. Klein's office nervously. He and her father had left a few hours ago to begin creating their Red Kryptonite inhalant for Clark. She hated that they were resorting to using Kryptonite, but she also knew it was the best shot they had right now.
The office door opened and Sam stepped inside. "Lois, can we talk?" Sam asked, pulling up a chair next to her.
"I'm trying to avoid as much stress as I can right now, Daddy," Lois remarked quietly.
"I know and I'm sorry for that, but Clark isn't the reason I wanted to talk to you."
Lois did a double take. "Clark?"
"It doesn't take a rocket science to put two and two together," Sam said tightly. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?"
"I don't know," Lois said softly. "How did you figure it out?"
"Oh, I don't know." Sam narrowed his eyes at her. "Superman is attacked with kryptonite through the nose at the same time you are delivered kryptonite coated flowers? Do you really think I'm that stupid, Lois?"
"Daddy..."
"Are you okay?" Sam asked cautiously, placing a hesitant hand on her abdomen.
"I don't know," Lois confessed, shaking her head. "I don't know what I am anymore."
"Lois, this isn't like a cold or flu. It's not something you can just take a pill and be fine. You have to be careful."
"I know that. Don't you think I know that?" Lois asked, aghast.
"If you're not careful you could…" Sam sighed. "You can't just run into every scenario like you always do. You have to be more careful."
"I am careful. I'm doing everything I can to keep this baby safe. You're always pulling out the doctor card; aren't you? Will you please just BACK off?"
"Back off? No, I'm not going to just back off," Sam retorted angrily. "You have a serious condition, Lois; you could DIE!" Sam was near tears at this point as he tried to relay his feelings to her. "What good would your story or… or… awards… and accolades be then? Hmm, won't do your son or Clark any good either…"
Lois shot back vehemently, "I might take a few risks now and then, but I do not put my job over my family. I refuse to allow my job to dictate my life to the point where I've given up on my family."
Sam's face fell when her words hit home. "Lois, I never gave up on you."
"No? You just, what? Took a vacation and never came back? Why? Why would you do something like that to me... to Lucy... to Mom?"
"I don't know," Sam said quietly, "I can't explain my actions that well. Your mom and I got married young and we weren't prepared for a family." Lois just scoffed at him. "We weren't expecting... complications."
"Oh? Now, I'm a complication? Nice to know you think so much of me," Lois snapped.
"Not you, Lois. The pregnancy."
"What are you talking about?" Lois asked.
"Lois I've already watched one woman I love go through preeclampsia at its worst. I am not going to watch my daughter go through the same thing if I can help it. You have got to listen to me!" Lois glanced at him curiously, unable to speak. "Your mother had preeclampsia during your pregnancy. It nearly killed her."
"What? Why didn't either of you tell me?"
"We didn't want to burden you. Lois, I know you're a grown woman, and you can make your own choices, but understand where I'm coming from. We drifted apart after you graduated high school; we're just now starting to reconnect. I know it sounds selfish, but I don't want to lose you." The tears rapidly fell down his cheeks. He didn't even bother to wipe them away. "Every time I hear another news story about a close call you're involved in, I remember how close I came to losing your mother. If something happened to you, I don't think I could survive it."
"I don't know what to say," Lois murmured softly.
"You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know where I'm coming from. Please don't shut me out."
Dr. Klein poked his head into the office. "Lois, he's waking up!"
Penny stared in horror at the screen. The newscaster narrated through the scenes of Superman collapsing on the ground and officers and medical teams surrounding him. "The scene before you is shocking. Superman collapsed at the scene of the destruction of the lower half of downtown Metropolis where LexCorp union leaders were meeting to bring about a union in LexCorp. This dream seems to have died a tragic end. The condition of the Man of Steel is still unknown."
"Where's Jimmy?" Penny looked around the newsroom but couldn't find him. She spotted Ralph, one of Jimmy's co-workers. "Excuse me. Have you seen Jimmy?"
"Yeah, he's taking a leak." Ralph pointed towards the men's room.
"Are you sure?" Penny asked. A feeling of instant relief overwhelmed her. He was okay! Jimmy stepped back into the newsroom, and Penny engulfed him in a huge hug. "Jimmy, thank God you're all right."
"Penny, what's wrong?" Jimmy asked, confused.
"I don't know. She started freaking out when they showed that footage of Superman collapsing earlier," Ralph replied, taking a bite from an apple as he spoke.
"What?" Jimmy's face went pale. "Superman collapsed?"
"Jimmy, you okay? You don't look so good..." Ralph noticed Jimmy's face was turning white, and he seemed to be having trouble balancing.
"Jimmy, I was so relieved," Penny cried.
Jimmy sighed. "Penny, I've told you a million times. I'm NOT Superman."
"I know. I guess it was just. I don't know what it was. I saw those images and it scared me," she replied sheepishly.
"Ralph, where's Lois and CK?"
"Don't know. They left out of here in a hurry with that doctor and her father, though," Ralph remarked.
"Hey, check it out!" a voice called from across the newsroom.
"Turn that up!" another voice demanded.
The image on the television showed President Garner, surrounded by his Secret Service detail. "It has come to this office's attention that a threat has been made against the safety of both this country and the planet. A threat was issued this morning demanding payment of one-hundred billion dollars and the transfer of power over to Lex Luthor Jr. I'm here to assure the American people as well as our allies that we are not giving into these terroristic threats. We are doing everything in our power to assure the safety of everyone."
"Oh, my God!" Jimmy wasn't sure what to think of this newest development.
"How exactly do your friends get a hold of Superman?" Penny asked apprehensively.
"Clark, you can't," Lois pleaded.
Clark ignored her pleas and turned to Dr. Klein. "Dr. Klein, that explosive device that Henderson gave you. Were you able to make any sense out of it?"
"I was able to trace the source of the signal," Dr. Klein began hesitantly.
"Great." Clark stood – ready for action. "Where is it?"
"I have to say something, Clark, as your friend. I don't think you should be doing this. I have to agree with Lois. You're still recovering from your exposure to that kryptonite..."
"Dr. Klein, where is it?" Clark asked a bit more forcefully.
"Clark..." Lois begged.
"I have to stop him, Lois," he explained. "Dr. Klein?"
"Under the Daily Planet. The abandoned subway..."
"Isn't that the same place where Luthor died?" Clark asked.
"The same," Dr. Klein confirmed.
"Clark, don't," Lois urged. "He already attacked you with kryptonite once; what's going to stop him from doing it again?"
"Lois, I have to. You know I have to." He kissed her, silencing any more protests. "I'll be back." Before she could voice any more concerns, he was gone.
Lois' eyes narrowed, and she headed towards the exit. "Lois, where are you going?" Dr. Klein asked when she brushed past him.
"I need to help Clark. He can't do this himself." With that, she left a concerned Dr. Klein in her wake. He picked up the phone and dialed. "Yes, get me Metropolis P.D.," he demanded.
"I'm not exactly sure what you want me to do here," Henderson admitted as he watched Lois pace in front of his desk.
"Superman went to the abandoned subway tunnel where Lex died to find the person responsible for the explosions earlier. I NEED you to go down there and help him. He's still really weak," Lois clarified.
Henderson looked at her with a dubious expression. "I know that. Dr. Klein already called me. What I'm trying to figure out is why you actually came to ME? You didn't decide to go chasing after him and throw yourself in danger like you usually do…"
Lois narrowed her eyes. "I can't."
Henderson smiled. "I'll get a team together. You," he began, pointing at her with his finger, "stay out of trouble. Don't worry I'll tell you everything once we catch the guy."
Lois nodded. "Thank you."
Henderson patted her on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you. I know sitting on the sidelines isn't easy. Keep your cell phone on," he hollered as he left the office to organize a team of officers.
Lois sighed in relief. It was true. This was hard for her to do. Knowing Clark was in danger and there was nothing she could do to help him was driving her insane, but she had to do what was best for her son. She would do everything she could to protect him. She glanced around the station, noticing Henderson's team suiting up in their SWAT gear. There wasn't much else she could do here. She decided to head back to the Planet and wait to hear from Henderson. Maybe digging into some research would help distract her.
"Be careful," she shouted over her shoulder as she left. Henderson nodded and turned back to his team.
Lois raced down the steps to the Metropolis P.D. and headed to her Jeep. As she reached for her keys from her purse, she felt a slight pain in her right side and winced. She began to practice the breathing exercises her doctor had taught her. A hard metal object pressed itself against her temple. She whimpered in pain.
"Shhh… Don't even breathe the word Superman, or you're dead."
Her eyes widened as a hand grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the Jeep. She glanced at the police station that she'd just left, cursing her luck. She couldn't see any officers leaving. Lois winced as she felt another pain shoot through her abdomen.
Clark zeroed in on the familiar subway tunnels below the Daily Planet. The area was lead lined, so he was going to have a hard time finding Lex Luthor Jr. Although, since he was following in his father's footsteps, maybe his best bet would be to examine the area Luthor had died in. He flew down and landed in the abandoned subway where he and Luthor had fought so long ago. He still remembered the strength of Lex's hate for him, which was proven by his willingness to kill himself to make sure Superman died. He turned the corner and came face to face with a troll-like man dressed in black.
"Superman! This is a surprise. Last I heard you were having breathing problems," Mr. Smith remarked slyly.
"You sick, disgusting sociopath..." Clark took a few cautious steps towards the man. "It was you!"
"Yes. You thought maybe it was someone else?" Mr. Smith smiled humorlessly. "Maybe Lex Luthor Jr? What if it was?"
"What are you talking about?"
"He's a very good actor. He should get an Oscar for his performance," Smith remarked as he approached Clark. "Wouldn't you agree, Clark?" Clark was unable to hide his surprise at the man's knowledge of his alter ego. "Don't act so shocked, Clark. WE know all about you. Daddy made sure he left that information for me."
"Daddy?" Clark was even more confused.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You know him as Luthor… Lex Luthor. He paused before simply stating, "My father."
"You tried to kill my wife and child." Clark crossed his arms against his chest in the infamous Superman pose that many criminals had come to know.
"Yes, it's a pity you took the bait before she did. It would have been much more delightful to watch you suffer through a life without her than to just kill you."
"You sick son of a…" Clark reached towards Luthor to grab him, but Luthor moved out of his grasp at the last minute.
Luthor smiled. "Ah, ah, ah," he scolded. "Temper… temper, Clark. Yes, that wouldn't be a good example for the baby. Your child will suffer the same fate I suffered. To live a life as an orphan, raised in seclusion..."
"You stay the hell away from my family!" Clark warned.
"Or what? You and Lois Lane killed my only family. Now, it's time you both feel what that's like."
"Yes, look what I found." Leslie appeared from behind one of the pillars, holding Lois against him with a gun to her temple.
"Lois!" Clark's face went pale as his wife stiffened within Leslie's clutches.
"Ah, yes, intrepid reporter Lois Lane… always finding herself in danger." Clark moved to approach Leslie and Lois; however, a searing pain coursed throughout his body, stopping him. Only one thing could cause this kind of pain... Kryptonite. "Not so fast, Clark. We're just getting started."
"Clark!" Lois shrieked as he slumped to the ground. She watched in horror as Luthor pulled a chunk of kryptonite out of a lead lined box and set it down just out of Clark's reach.
Leslie tightened his grasp on Lois' arms. She winced in pain. "What's wrong, Lois? Too much green in the room?"
Lois struggled to control her emotions. The pain began to course throughout her body. She felt like her body was on fire. The baby… She couldn't let something happen to the baby. "No, please, the baby," she pleaded when Leslie brought her closer to the kryptonite's radiation.
Leslie smiled. "Yes, the baby," he mocked.
"Yes, you haven't done a very good job of staying out of trouble for your baby's sake; have you, Lois? The stress of new management, a big investigation into missing CEOs, and Kryptonite aren't good for the baby, are they?"
"Get... away... from... her," Clark hoarsely ordered between ragged breaths.
"You're not giving out on me yet; are you, Clark?" Luthor leaned towards Clark so that he was inches away from him. "Because I want to make sure you remember this for the rest of your life. The death of your wife and child." He stood up and walked towards Lois, forcefully grabbing Lois by the arm and taking the gun from Leslie. "You could have been my mother... pity."
"Go to hell!" she spat.
Leslie took the opportunity to approach Clark who was obviously having difficulty breathing and remaining conscious. "Not so tough now, are you, Clark? How does it feel to know your family is going to die right before your eyes, and there's nothing you can do to stop it?" He was a few inches away from Clark, enjoying the game he and Luthor were playing. "Perhaps, we should torture her a bit, hmmm? Kill the child with the kryptonite and then put her out of her misery after she watches her baby die, hmmm?"
Kill her baby? What was wrong with these people? Why were they so bent on seeking revenge for Lex's death? Didn't they know he had done this to himself? He had destroyed that pillar; then he had shot Clark while he had strived to hold it up...
She struggled in Luthor's grasp as he pushed her towards the Kryptonite. "A perfect plan. I'm ashamed I didn't think of it first." Luthor's menacing tone echoed through her mind. She had to act fast. The pain... It was so much. Why hadn't Clark told her how much it burned?
She studied her surroundings. Nothing. Luthor was standing over her. Leslie was over by Clark, taunting him. The kryptonite lay in the middle of the room. The smell of the sewers reached her nostrils, causing her to blanch.
Wait a minute, sewers? She was near the sewer line. She looked around and sure enough – the underground storm drain for the city's water system was a few feet behind Luthor and Luckabee. Maybe she could just push one of them over and get the kryptonite away from Clark?
'Here goes nothing' she thought to herself before giving Luthor one swift kick...
Clark's eyes narrowed as Luckabee's words began to sink in. They wanted to kill his child and Lois. They wanted to torture her. They knew how everything they had planned would affect their baby...
He pushed through all the pain coursing through him and tackled Leslie to the ground. He heard a shot ring-out but was too focused on keeping Leslie within his grasp to pay it any attention. He heard a splash from behind him and felt the absence of the kryptonite. He continued to wrestle with Leslie, valiantly trying to subdue the man...
Luthor bowed over in pain when Lois kicked him. She gave him no time to react. Using her martial arts' skills, she delivered several blows to his abdomen and knee caps. She had never been in so much pain in her life, but she had to keep fighting. For the baby... for Clark...
Luthor aimed his gun at her; she rolled out of its aim at the last moment. She took advantage of his distraction with the weapon to deliver one more blow to his side, causing him to fall into the water behind him. The kryptonite remained in the middle of the room. She inched her way toward it and kicked it as hard as she could. She sighed with relief when she heard the small splash of the kryptonite falling into the water.
She was numb from the pain...
Leslie raised his arm to strike a blow against Clark's face. He was met with a piercing pain as his fist contacted the Man of Steel's dense molecular structure. Clark smiled to himself. His powers were returning. He gave a small push to Leslie and watched him tumble into the water.
"Help! I can't swim!" Luthor cried.
Clark approached him apprehensively. The man had just tried to kill him. Did he want to risk another attack by trying to save him? He silently cursed himself. No matter what evil this man had done, he couldn't with good conscience allow him to drown. He reached out to pull Luthor up and was met by a blow to the head. Kryptonite...
Clark fell to the ground in pain. Luthor rose from the water and hovered over him. "Do you really think you're going to get rid of me that easy?" He aimed his gun at Clark's head. "Say goodbye, Superman!"
A shot echoed throughout the room and darkness overtook Clark. Lois was his last thought before he lost consciousness...
'Clark...' Lois' mind cried out to him. She had to wake up, but it hurt so bad. The pain was excruciating. Was kryptonite still in the room? She tried to focus on the sounds around her.
Leslie's voice penetrated her thoughts. "He's not moving? Do you still want to shoot him?"
"I still have to take care of one last loose end," Luthor's menacing voice insisted. She turned to see Luthor pointing the barrel of the gun at Leslie.
Leslie backed away from him. "What are you doing?"
"Never underestimate the need to tie up loose ends – Daddy always said." He fired his weapon, and Leslie's body fell into the murky water. Lois watched Luthor kneel and aim the gun at Clark's motionless body. 'No!' her mind cried. She struggled to move, but her body felt like lead plates. The pain was excruciating.
Clark... She had to get to Clark. A gun shot fired and she cried out in pain. "No!" her voice screamed hoarsely, the words escaping her lips in a mere whisper.
Inspector Henderson watched in horror as Luthor struck the Man of Steel with a large glowing rock. Superman fell to the ground; blood was everywhere. He couldn't help but get a sense of déjà vu from when Randy Goode had attacked Lois and Clark with Kryptonite as well. That's when he began to put the pieces together. Clark was hurt, and Superman was missing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
He continued to watch the scene unfold before his eyes. Leslie had crawled out of the water as well and stood behind Luthor who held the gun's barrel to Clark's temple. He had the perfect shot. All he had to do was raise his gun and shoot. He hadn't fired his weapon in over five years. He just hoped he would be able to save Clark.
He prepared to line up his shot when Luthor turned to shoot Leslie. Leslie fell backwards into the water. Luthor then turned to the motionless body of the Man of Steel and cocked the trigger. It was now or never. He lined up his shot and fired twice. Luthor fell to the ground. He moved towards the scene. "Henderson? Are you all clear?" his radio squawked.
"Yeah, we're all clear. The suspects are down, but we're going to need a medic." Henderson approached the motionless body of Superman and gasped at the sight before him. There was blood everywhere. The floor was covered with it. He knelt next to Clark and rolled him over to get a better look at the wound. "Superman?" There was no response. He surveyed the scene around him and spotted the menacing green glow coming from a rock in the middle of the room. He got up and hesitantly approached the meteorite. He sighed in relief when he felt no adverse effects from holding it.
He heard a soft moan from across the room. He looked towards the source and found Lois wincing in pain as she struggled to a sitting position. Kryptonite. The baby... He had to get this away from her and Clark, but how? He scanned the room and found a small metal box by one of the computer screens. He deposited the rock inside the box and slammed the lid closed.
"Clark?" Lois' voice penetrated through the silence in the room. He studied her and realized that she was still lying on her back, striving to raise her weak body off the ground.
"Lois, don't move... Help is on its way," he responded, approaching her slowly.
"Bill?" she rasped questionably.
"You're going to be fine," he reassured her.
"My baby," she cried.
"Please don't move." He pleaded, kneeling next to her. He lay a hesitant hand on her abdomen – a gesture of reassurance. He was a bit taken aback to see tears in her eyes. Lois Lane had always seemed invincible to him. She had never shown emotion.
"I want... my... husband," she rasped between tears. "I… want... Clark."
"I know." He stood and walked away from her, continuing to survey the scene. He knelt next to Clark and noticed the wound he had seen on him earlier was rapidly healing itself. He sighed in relief. He was going to be okay. A moment later the room was filled with chaos as police and ambulatory workers swarmed through the scene. He stood on the sidelines as he watched the EMTs tend to the two people he had come to know as friends. Unnoticed to anyone else, he slipped the small metal box in his pocket as he left the scene.
TBC...