Chapter 11
Metropolis; June 1st, 09:01 EST
Lois was led to the large double oak doors of Lex Luthor's executive suite office by the secretary who had greeted her. She was more than anxious to find out something about Luthor that could expose his real plans for destroying Superman. She knew that he wasn't going to be forthcoming, but hopefully she would come across something useful.
While she had promised Clark on her life that she would be careful today, she wasn't going to pass up any opportunities that might present itself. Even though he believed trouble followed her everywhere she went, she was more under the belief that she managed to just stumble into it.
"Come in," Luthor called through the thick doors, the secretary opening them for her and Jimmy.
Lois heard a low whistle emitted from Jimmy as he followed close behind her, his camera in hand. Lois paid the extravagant office little mind, not impressed in the least by the billionaire's opulent surroundings meant to amaze and astound his visitors. It was all just an act on Luthor's part as far as she was concerned. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing and she was determined to prove it before Clark got hurt.
"Lois," Lex cheerfully greeted her, coming around his desk to grasp her hand in his. "Always a pleasure to see you."
"Lex," Lois coolly replied, watching as he brushed his lips against her knuckles. She swallowed back the bile that rose in the back of her throat. "Thank you for allowing us to tour your new robotics lab."
"Anything for an old friend, Lois," he told her.
Her stomach churned with how thickly he was laying on the charm. It was nauseating. "Well, I really appreciate the opportunity. I'm excited to see the projects that you're developing."
"And I'm hoping for a great article that reflects positively on myself as well as my company," Luthor replied. "You know I'm trying desperately to recreate my image. I want to show everyone that I've turned over a new leaf. I'm a new person, Lois. No more secrets, no more plans to rule the world."
"No trying to destroy Superman anymore?" she muttered with a forced smile.
"I have learned my lesson, Lois," Luthor flatly stated. "Superman is a hero that should be lauded, not destroyed."
Lois bit her tongue to keep the words that she wanted to say at bay. "You know Jimmy is anxious to get some great pictures of your lab so let's get started."
"Right this way," he told her, offering her his arm.
She refused to take it, walking towards the door of Luthor's office. She kept reminding herself that she was doing this for a good story as well as for Clark. She just hoped sacrificing her pride was going to be worth it in the end as Luthor followed her out of his office and down the long winding hallway with Jimmy in tow.
"You're free to take pictures, Mister Olsen," Luthor called back over his shoulder. "But once we get into the lab, I can only allow certain things to be photographed. I can't afford to have my competition getting wind of what I'm doing."
"Understandable, Mister Luthor," Jimmy agreed. "I'll only photograph what you tell me to."
"Now, Lois, what are you doing running around with that hick reporter Kent?" Lex questioned her, giving her his most charming smile. "You know you could do so much better than Clark."
"There's no one better than Clark, Lex," Lois insisted.
Lex chuckled with her response, a bitter sounding laugh that raked up her spine like fingernails. "I beg to differ, Lois."
"Sorry, but you had your chance a long time ago," she reminded him. "So, what makes this robotics lab stand apart from all the others especially the one at Wayne Enterprises?"
"If I told you my secret then everyone would be scrambling to duplicate our work," he replied. "Can't have that happen, now can we?"
"I have to say that I'm rather hurt, Lex," Lois told him. "I heard Wonder Woman got to see your new robotics lab before me."
"Well, that was a bit of a spur of the moment decision," he said. "We were at this charity event and we got talking—"
"I was at the event too," she pointed out with a frown.
"Really?" he said with feigned ignorance.
"We spoke, Lex," she bit out.
Luthor cocked his head in thought, pretending to consider it. "Hmmm…I guess we did now that you mention it."
"I want the exact tour you gave Wonder Woman, and don't you dare leave anything out."
"Fine," Luthor conceded, knowing that she had him. "Right this way."
Lois and Jimmy followed Luthor through the robotics lab, taking note of the droid they were working on assembling. It was almost lifelike, causing an eerie feeling to creep over Lois. She couldn't help wondering just what he was planning on doing with these droids he was making.
Jimmy took several pictures of various aspects of the lab that Lex Luthor allowed him to capture. None of it, however, gave any hints about what was truly taking place here. As much as he wanted to get a picture of the droid they were building, Luthor refused to allow him to.
"What other projects are you developing here?" Lois pressed, hoping to gain more information.
The fine lines around Luthor's eyes tightened as he studied her. "If you're only here fishing for some ulterior motives, you're not going to find it, Lois," he icily stated. "I told you I've changed. I'm no longer the man that I was."
"I was just asking a simple question, Lex," she told him in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "LexCorp is known for its research and ventures into various areas of business, technology, and genetics."
"Sorry," he muttered with a frown. "I guess old habits die hard."
"Forgiven," she replied with a smile. "I guess we have everything we need then."
"It's been a pleasure, Lois," he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "I hope Clark knows what he has and doesn't take you for granted like I did."
Lois noticed a note of sincerity reflecting in his eyes, but she knew better than to fully trust anything that he had to say. "He does know what he has," she reassured him. "I make sure to remind him every chance I get."
Lex chuckled softly as he walked them towards the main entrance of LexCorp. "That's the Lois Lane that I know and love."
"If there's anything else that you want me to add to the article, just let me know."
"You'll be the first one I'll call."
"Good," she uttered with a smile. "Thank you, Lex."
Lex tipped his head in acknowledgement, a small smile curling the corners of his lips. He intently watched her as she left with Jimmy Olsen, his mind racing with thoughts of regret over the past as well as what she could be up to by coming here.
There was more to this visit than just an article on his robotics division. She was here snooping for the synthetic Kryptonite that he was secretly trying to have created. His pleasant smile morphed into a smug smirk, knowing that no one was going to be able to figure out where his research was being conducted nor would they ever discover his ultimate plan until it was far too late.
Trenton, New Jersey; June 1st, 16:23 EST
"Got it," Diana responded, her hand on her commlink. "I'm close to it now. ETA three minutes."
"Roger that, Wonder Woman," Mister Terrific confirmed. "Batman is about ten minutes out, Lantern fifteen at least. He's finishing up another mission nearby. Call if you need more back up."
"Thanks, but we should be fine," she replied. "I'll keep you posted. Wonder Woman out."
Diana pushed herself harder, flying with the gifted speed of Hermes towards her destination. Trenton, New Jersey was dead in her sights as she headed towards the collapsing Lower Trenton Bridge and the mass chaos that consumed it at that moment.
The sounds of people screaming, and horns honking filled the area as she drew closer to the scene, the bridge crumbling even further. Cars jammed the bridge, some teetering over the edge while three others were already sinking in the water.
Police were swarming upon the area, their sirens blaming as they attempted to direct traffic away from the fractured bridge and out of harms' way. Unfortunately, panic was running rampant as people abandoned their vehicles in order to get to safety.
Rescue personnel found it difficult to get to those who needed medical attention, deserted vehicles as well as those caught in the cascade of rear-ending collisions clogged the parts of the bridge that were still intact. Another explosion rocked the bridge again, causing more pieces of it to break loose and crash into the water.
Diana flew like a missile beneath the bridge, ducking around large chunks of concrete and pieces of steel before plunging into the water to rescue a car that was on the verge of disappearing below the water's surface. Holding her breath, she came up underneath it, bringing it up out of the Delaware River above her head.
She quickly set it down before going after a couple of others that had plunged into the water. Unable to carry two cars at once, she gathered up the three people who had escaped them, making sure that the child had a tight hold around her neck before flying them all to safety.
"Hold on to me," she told the crying child as she flew towards land. "It'll be all right, little one. I won't let anything happen to you."
She carefully set both adults down before crouching down to allow the child to climb off her back. She heard their cries of gratitude but didn't have time to talk as she flew straight towards a bus that was teetering precariously on the edge. The concrete fractured even further beneath the weight of the bus, propelling it over the edge. She immediately braced herself as it impacted her, hefting the bus above her head before flying it back up towards safe ground.
Gently setting it down, she swiftly flew back towards a mini-van that was already dropping towards the water below, her wet hair clinging to her back and shoulders. She managed to get beneath it just before it could hit the water, carrying it safely back to dry land as well.
Parts of the truss exploded one after the other, causing the bridge to become even more unstable on one side. People screamed in terror as the bridge began to sway, running in every direction in an effort to escape before it fully gave way beneath them.
Gritting her teeth, Diana pushed herself harder, grabbing her lasso as a taxi cab gave way as more of the bridge collapsed. Looping the lasso around the cab, Diana forcefully arched her back and pulled on her magical rope with all her might as Batman arrived on the scene.
Putting the Batwing into hover mode, Batman immediately leapt into action, jumping off the nose of his Batwing and using his cape to guide him as he landed on the unstable bridge. He set to work helping the police evacuate as many people as possible, spotting a man trapped in his damaged car.
Batman raced towards him as smoke began to billow from the wrecked vehicle, knowing that it was about to go up in flames at any moment. The man's car door was jammed, the entire side smashed in and blocked by the car that had hit him. Panic gripped the man as he struggled to get out the passenger side, but that side was blocked as well.
Batman leapt onto the hood of the car, his cape billowing around him. "Get down!" Batman yelled at him, lifting his boot and slamming it into the fractured windshield.
He immediately reached in, grabbing hold of the man by the front of his shirt and yanking him free from his car. They jumped off the hood of the vehicle, racing towards safety as the car abruptly burst into flames. Green Lantern arrived at that moment, encasing the burning vehicle in a green bubble to keep the fire from spreading to other cars. He quickly lowered it into the water, releasing it from the protective bubble.
Turning back to the chaos, Batman spied a small girl wandering among the abandoned cars towards the edge of the collapsed bridge. He instantly fired his grappling line, swinging towards her and scooping her up into his arms before she could topple over.
He felt his grappling line beginning to waver and grow slack, forcing him to release his hold on it in mid-air. He tucked into a protective roll just as the truss his line had been attached to exploded in two, propelling him into a freefall. He cradled the girl carefully in his arms as he rolled across the ground, coming up onto the balls of his feet.
Batman pulled his cape aside, revealing the little girl he'd rescued. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked up into his cowled face, sniffling and breathing hard. He gently held her up against his chest as he patted the toddler's back. "Shhh…it's all right," he softly told her. "Let's go find your mother."
She wrapped her little arms around his neck as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, her tears wetting his uniform. His gauntleted hand nearly covered the entirety of her back as he held her in the safety of his embrace, his heart softened by her overt trust in him despite his fearsome appearance.
"Abby! Abby!"
Batman straightened up to his full height as he handed the little girl over to her mother. He acutely missed the feel of the child in his arms, the unfamiliar feeling somewhat startling to him. It was unexpected to say the least, blindsiding him with the sense of serenity it had provided him.
"Thank you…thank you so much, Batman," the mother cried, tears streaming down her face as she cradled her daughter against her chest. "I…I was trying to get my son out of the car and when I turned around, she was gone."
"Go with this police officer, ma'am," Batman instructed her with a gentleness that would've surprised many. "He'll get you all to safety."
The police officer nodded his head at Batman before wrapping an arm around the terrified woman, guiding her and her children away from danger. Batman turned just in time to see another huge chunk of concrete and steel break free from the collapsing bridge, propelling a semitruck into a freefall.
Diana raced towards the semitruck that had been sitting on top of it, amazing him once again as she dove towards the falling truck. She effectively grabbed hold of the trailer, saving it just seconds before it hit the water. The semitruck dangled from her capable arms as she hovered several yards above the water, the cab of the truck thankfully empty.
Knowing that Diana could handle the situation, Batman was about to turn away when the semitruck violently exploded into a burst of flames. "Diana!" he yelled as he raced towards the edge of the bridge, watching in horror as she was thrown several yards away into the water.
His heart was hammering wildly in his chest as he waited with bated breath for her to surface. He had to fight against every single instinct to dive into the water to save her. He began to race towards his hovering Batwing to go after her, his hand going towards his commlink.
"Lantern!" he growled. "Do you see Diana?"
"No," he replied, turning in a tight circle to search for her. "I saw the explosion, but she hasn't come up yet."
"Get her out of there…now!"
"I'm on it," he said, flying towards the site of the explosion.
Just as he was about to dive into the water, Diana finally surfaced, breathing heavily as she took a moment to catch her breath. She pulled her wet hair out of her face, before finally rising up out of the water and flying towards the bridge.
Batman released the breath that he'd been holding, relieved to see that she appeared relatively okay, but he wouldn't know for certain until he could see her and touch her. Of course, knowing her, she wouldn't admit to it even if she were injured.
Diana landed on the bridge next to Batman, leaning over and placing her hands on her knees. He put a hand on her back to help steady her as his worried gaze roamed over her. "Are you all right?" he asked, trying to keep the concern from his voice but knowing that he had failed.
"Yes…I just need a moment," she replied, her voice somewhat shaky and breathless. "Was there anyone in the cab?"
"No, it was empty," he reassured her as he watched the burning pieces of the semitruck as it floated on top of the water.
There was something about this that did not sit well with him, something beyond the fact that Diana could have been killed by that explosion. That semitruck shouldn't have exploded like that unless it had been specifically rigged to explode.
"Why don't you rest here for a little while?" he suggested it. "Lantern and I can finish up."
"No, it's all right," she tried to tell him.
"Diana…" he ground out her name.
"I'm fine…really," she insisted, hooking a wet raven strand behind her ear as she straightened up. "It just took my breath away."
Batman glared darkly at her, unconvinced by her attempt to reassure him. His eyes roamed over her, not finding any visible signs of injury but that didn't mean that there weren't internal injuries. Needless to say, she was just as stubborn as he was when it came to being sent to the infirmary.
"Stay here, princess," he practically ordered her. "You've done enough for one day."
Diana's hands found her hips as she returned his glare with one of her own. "You cannot order me around," she informed him with all the haughty authority that she could muster. "Now, we can either stand here and argue or we can help Lantern finish this up. Which is it going to be?"
Batman growled a curse as he turned his back to her, knowing there was little he could right now to keep her out of this. "Just don't—"
Before he could finish, Diana was flying past him, throwing herself right back into danger. Despite the fact that he greatly admired her tenacity and resolve, he wished that she'd listen to reason for just once in her life. It would give his paranoid mind a break from worrying about what trouble she found herself in next.
The trio worked quickly, freeing people still trapped in their cars and getting them to safety while John used his ring to stabilize the bridge until Batman and Wonder Woman were finished. None of them had any idea that they were being carefully watched as they worked.
Actually, it was Batman and Wonder Woman who were carefully being studied, their every single move being scrutinized. He had planned out all of this just for them, wanting to see what would happen. The bombs on the bridge had done the job, but it was the semi-truck fully loaded with explosives that had provided him the most information.
His last three attempts to get Batman and Wonder Woman to answer the call for help had resulted in other Justice League members arriving on the scene much to his disappointment and anger. This time, though, he had gotten exactly what he had wanted…the two superheroes he was most interested in and the woman who had become his current obsession.
He couldn't help wondering what she had thought of the gift that he had sent her, if she would wear the diamond necklace to the President's Ball. His lips curled slightly as he thought about their first meeting. He had great plans in mind for her when he finally had her all to himself.
He watched as Batman and Wonder Woman stood off to the side on the bridge talking, wondering what was being said between them. Was Batman still showing concern for his fellow teammate…worried about her possible injuries from the explosion?
His jaw tightened and clenched as Batman placed his hand on her shoulder, leaving it there far longer than what was necessary. He only removed it when Green Lantern landed on the bridge beside them, putting a little distance between him and Wonder Woman, but Batman's attention was still clearly focused on her.
The more he watched them the more his suspicions were confirmed. Their feelings for each other were well outside the constraints of teammates, far beyond the bounds of friends. Batman and Wonder Woman were in love with one another.
He crushed the cup in his hand, its contents flowing over his hand and onto the ground as he watched through his binoculars. He can't believe that he had never seen this coming in the beginning, never considered that something like this might happen. It had blindsided him when he had discovered the connection between them several months ago, but he would not be deterred.
He might not have seen this relationship coming, but he was determined to make sure it ended…permanently.
Metropolis; June 1st, 23:54 EST
Lois entered her apartment, completely exhausted and more than relieved to finally be home. It had been a long day to begin with but had only been made longer by the catastrophic bridge attack in New Jersey. Perry had wanted her there on the scene as quickly as possible, getting a front-page article for the Daily Planet's paper tomorrow morning.
She tossed her purse down on the chair by the door, kicking off her high heels before heading to the kitchen. Flipping on the light, she went to the refrigerator and opened the door, sighing in frustration at the rather empty shelves staring back at her.
She hadn't had any time lately to go to the store and neither had Clark…hence their current bare cupboard predicament. She slammed the door closed with a grumbled curse, too tired to even think about going to the grocery store especially at this time of night.
At the same time, she was starving, and an expired jar of pickles was not very high on the list of things that she wanted to eat at that moment. She hadn't had anything since lunch. She hadn't had any time to grab something before she was being whisked away in a helicopter to New Jersey. The scene that she had descended upon had been chaotic to say the least, but the three Justice Leaguers had handled it with amazing skill and proficiency.
She heard the apartment door open as she reached for a box of stale crackers, glad that Clark was home. She looked up to see him enter with a couple of take-out bags from the Chinese restaurant down the street. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
Clark grinned at her as he set the bags down on the kitchen table. "I knew we were out of food and you probably wouldn't get a chance to eat before coming home," he replied as he took containers out of the bags.
Lois grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a heated kiss, expressing with her lips how much she loved and appreciated him. He readily returned her passion as he wrapped his arms around her waist, savoring the taste of her on his tongue.
"You are so thoughtful," Lois breathlessly told him as she retreated, turning her attention to the food he'd brought home. "I told Lex that you were the best."
"What did you find out?" he asked, grabbing a couple of plates and forks.
"You haven't talked to Bruce yet?"
Clark shook his head as he sat down at the table. "No, I haven't had a chance," he confessed. "I've been busy myself. After doing some investigation into that factory for my article, I ended up in Taiwan helping with a landslide. What exactly happened to the bridge?"
Lois sighed heavily as she loaded up her plate, her eyebrows knitted with worry. "It was a bomb," she revealed. "Actually, it was a series of bombs that caused the bridge to collapse."
"Bombs?"
"Yah, there were several according to Bruce."
"Any ideas about who was behind it?"
"None," she stated with a shake of her head. "Bruce was still investigating it when I left there. I think he has some sort of an idea about it that he didn't want to talk about."
"That sounds like Bruce," he agreed with a nod, pausing to take a bite. "What makes you think that?"
"He seemed pretty angry…more so than is usual for him," she continued, getting up and going to the fridge to get a drink. "Something happened that really got under his skin. It might have to do with the fact that a semitruck exploded nearly killing Diana."
"What?" Clark exclaimed in shock, his head snapping up from his plate to stare at Lois. "Is she all right?"
"Yah, she's fine…at least from what I could tell," Lois reassured him. "There was a semitruck that went over the edge of the bridge. It exploded when she caught it before it hit the water."
"That's odd," he thoughtfully murmured. "The truck didn't have any damage to it before it exploded?"
"None that Bruce could tell," she replied with a frown. "It was as if someone was waiting for her to save it."
"That's probably what has Bruce all tied up in knots," Clark said. "You know how he is when it comes to Diana."
"When is he going to get his head on straight about her?"
Clark shook his head, releasing an exasperated huff of breath. "Lord only knows, Lois," he told her. "He's just so stubborn sometimes it almost blinds him to what is right in front of him."
"What's her excuse?" she asked. "She's so fiery and forthright. I'm surprised she hasn't shoved him up against a wall and had her way with him by now."
Clark's expression morphed from one of thoughtful introspection to a disgusted grimace. "Please, Lois," he uttered with a groan. "Don't put pictures in my head when it comes to my two best friends."
Lois chuckled with his response, reaching for the container of sesame chicken. "Come on, Smallville," she said. "Don't be such a prude. You know they want each other. You can practically feel it every time they're anywhere near each other. They just need to rip their clothes off and get down to business already."
Clark put his hands over his ears as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm not listening to this."
The feel of Lois's lips against his forced him to open his eyes and lower his hands. "You want them together as much as everyone else does."
"Yes, I do, but I don't want to hear about them in that way."
"What? Like us?"
Clark rolled his eyes as he lifted his forkful of rice to his mouth. "Can we please change the subject?"
"Only if you promise to help me get them together," she sweetly replied, leaning in close and batting her eyelashes at him.
"I never pegged you as a romantic, Lois."
She shrugged her shoulders as she sat back in her chair. "I'm not really, but I guess I want them to be as happy as we are," she pensively replied. "If anyone deserves to be happy, it's definitely Bruce. He's just experienced so much sorrow and heartache in his life. It would be nice to see him actually find happiness and love. I think Diana is the perfect one to do that for him. Besides, Diana deserves to be happy too. She tries to hide it, but I think she gets pretty lonely at times."
"I'm sure she does," Clark agreed, feeling guilty about that fact. He knew that he really should make an attempt to be there for her more often, but it was difficult with how busy things were. It always felt like they were constantly running in opposite directions lately. "I know she really misses her home. Every since Shayera's betrayal, she's been a little more withdrawn and has been keeping more to herself."
"See?" Lois said with a devilish grin. "Bruce could make her feel so much better and in more ways than just one."
"Lois!" Clark yelled, his eyes wide. "Talk about something else."
"Fine," she agreed with a chuckle. "Were you able to find more information for your article on chemical dumping?"
"Some, but I still have a couple more processing plants to check out before I can really begin to write my article."
"You know I heard this morning that everyone thinks that you're the front runner for that award for your article on that embezzlement scam."
"Really?" he asked with sudden interest. "It's going to be a tough win, though. I've got some pretty strong competition."
"You'll win," she reassured him, patting his forearm before standing to take her empty plate to the sink. "I have faith in you."
Clark stood to his feet as well, his mind still going back to what had happened in New Jersey today. "Did Bruce tell you anything more about the bridge bombing?"
"Not really," she replied with a frown. "You know how tight-lipped he can be. I was lucky to get out of him what I was able to. I ended up getting most of my information from the Chief of Police. Even that wasn't very much. There were a lot of injuries, but thankfully no fatalities. Diana was able to get there in time to keep that from happening."
"That's good," he softly muttered more to himself than to her.
"What's the matter?" she asked, sensing that there was far more that bothered him about all of this.
"I don't know," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he followed her out of the kitchen towards their bedroom. "I just don't like the idea that someone could possibly be targeting Diana."
"Like Luthor is targeting you?"
"Yah…I guess," he confessed. "I mean we know that Luthor is trying to find the right combination in order to reproduce Kryptonite, but this attack on Diana was something altogether different. Someone went to a lot of work to hurt her or possibly kill her."
"They should've known that an explosion like that wouldn't necessarily be enough to actually kill her," Lois pointed out. "I mean it knocked her out enough to cause her to plunge into the water. She ended up coming up out of the water on her own, but it took a few minutes."
"I don't like this," he grumbled as he stripped off his clothes. "What if it was Luthor and he's trying to take out League members starting with the founders?"
Lois wrinkled up her nose as she considered it. "Blowing up a bridge seems a little extreme even for Luthor, but then again he set fire to an entire apartment building in order to test his synthetic Kryptonite on you, so I guess I wouldn't put anything past him."
"I just can't help wondering what he'll try next or who he might go after," he said as he climbed into bed.
"The two incidents might not even be connected, Clark," Lois pointed out as she climbed into bed next to him. "Let's wait to make any assumptions until we have more information. You know Bruce won't stop until he has it all figured out."
"I know," he reluctantly agreed. "I just can't stand the thought of Diana being targeted. If it is Luthor, I will personally make him regret it."
Lois cuddled up against Clark's side, her hand coming to rest against his muscular chest. "I have a feeling you'll have to get in line behind Bruce. There might not be anything left of him by the time he's finished with him."
Clark grunted his agreement as he wrapped his arms around the woman he loved. "That's probably truer than either of us can ever begin to imagine."
"See? No need to worry so much," Lois told him with a yawn. "Bruce already has the market cornered on that."
"You're right."
"I always am," she murmured as she tilted her head to kiss his chest, both drifting off to sleep.
A/N: Hmmm...things are not getting any clearer here, are they? Well, I'll give you a little hint. There are two sets of triangles going on here: Clark, Lois, and Luthor and then Bruce, Diana, and the secret admirer. They are kind of paralleling each other in a way.
UP NEXT: Bruce & Diana follow Dr. Karros, Bruce has a run in with Croc, and Diana finds an unexpected surprise in her quarters.
Thanks for the all the support! I hope you're enjoying this fic. I will be starting to work on Family Reunion soon. It looks like that's the one everyone wants most. :)