When Churches Come Crashing Down
Folc4evernaday | Rated: M| Chapter 19
The next day, Lois stared at the coverage of her father's trial. Every channel was covering the same story, and they had no problem reminding the viewers over and over again of the ordeal Leigh-Anne had gone through during Jesse's kidnapping. It was hard to believe her own father could be connected to something like this. She didn't believe Sam had kidnapped Jesse, but she did believe he had knowledge of the kidnapping that he wasn't sharing. When she had visited him in lock-up he had seemed reserved, as if he was holding something back.
The sonic boom announcing Clark's arrival broke her from her reverie and she clicked off the television. "I know; it's been all over the place," Clark said as he stepped into the living room.
She smiled up at him, "Hi, you're home early."
"Yeah," He took a seat next to her, "I wanted to check in. Still no word on Mayson. No one seems to be able to find her."
"Lucy is going to have a conniption fit. Mayson is supposed to be heading up the case against Amanda too. How could she just vanish?"
"I'm not sure. Perry wants us to make this our number one priority. Apparently, everyone in the DA's office has made calls to everyone trying to call in favors…" Clark added.
Lois shook her head fearfully, "If Mayson's not there to prosecute Amanda…."
"Then worst-case scenario, Ryan Knox will prosecute," Clark finished for her. He gently squeezed her shoulder, "They're not going to drop the ball on this."
"Ryan Knox is too busy practicing his smile for the camera and brown-nosing the mayor and every other official in this city. He doesn't know the case. He doesn't know the background. How is he going to keep her from getting out on bail? How is he going to make sure she never comes near Jordan again? I may not like Mayson that much, but at least she did her homework. I don't want this case being handled like a publicity stunt waiting to blow up in everyone's faces and another thing…."
Clark leaned in to kiss her, stopping her rambling that was headed into full Lane babble mode. "Shh," he whispered, "You're getting yourself worked up over all these what-ifs."
"I'm fine," Lois said sternly, pushing away from him. She stood up from the couch and he followed her to the kitchen where several files lay on the counter tops. She picked up the brochure she had been looking at earlier. She handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"I thought maybe we could check it out. They seem like a great school on the outside. I figured we could take a tour and take it from there." Lois explained quietly.
"Sunshine Metropolis?" Clark read the name of the school skeptically. She smiled back at him, "How long's Jordan been down for his nap?"
She thought for a minute, "About thirty minutes or so,"
A sharp knock at the door interrupted her train of thought. Clark sighed, raking a hand through his hair, "Always something. I'll get the door while you get Jordan up. We'll head over to this Sunshine Metropolis in a few."
Jordan was already beginning to wake up when she entered his room. He was sitting up in his crib, playing with the plush bunny he always slept with. She picked him up, tickling his tummy for a quick laugh from him. He squealed in delight. After checking his diaper and changing him, she headed back downstairs only to find her father standing in the living room with Clark.
"I know what that judge said, but no one has the right to tell me not to be a part of my grandson's life. I have every right to see him." Sam argued.
"You need to leave," Clark said firmly.
"What's going on here?" Lois asked.
"Princess," Sam smiled soothingly, "Perhaps, you can help talk some sense into your husband. All I want is to visit with my grandson. That's not too much to ask, is it?"
"No, it's not," Lois replied coolly, "as long as you're not ordered to stay away from children. Clark's right, daddy, you need to leave."
"No," Sam shook his head.
"Excuse me?" Lois scoffed.
"This mess has destroyed everything else in my life. I refuse to allow myself to be deprived of being a grandfather."
"You do realize you're going to force Lois and I to call the police on you, don't you?" Clark asked.
"Do what you must," Sam said sternly. "I just wanted to see my grandson,"
Clark looked pleadingly at Lois. She knew he was looking at her for confirmation. Did she want him to call the police on her dad? No. Was she going to have to do so? It looked that way. Why would he do this? Why would he purposefully violate the conditions of his bail like this?
"Daddy, please don't make me do this," Lois pleaded, reaching for the phone.
Sam just stared blankly at the wall.
"It has come to the attention of this station that our friend, our protector, Superman is nothing but a liar. He has hidden among us, lying to us every day about who he really is." The footage of the Superman suits being revealed in the secret compartment in the townhome flashed on the screen as Barry continued, "Superman is in reality…"
Perry clicked the stop button once more and rewound the tape for the tenth time. Why would Barry Dunning allow himself to be cut off the air like that with no rebuttal? What was he up to? It had been over a month since the famous newscast had aired. There had been debate after debate on why the station had not finished the story and supposed exclusive. Many believed the story had been proven false and the station wanted to protect itself from a lawsuit, but Perry wasn't so sure.
He reached for the phone, dialing a number he knew by heart, "Yes, I'll hold," He spoke gruffly into the phone as he waited to be connected, "Congressman, …. Yes, it's Perry White….. I know, I know. I just haven't had the time. Listen, there's something I need to look into and I need your help…."
All he could do was stare blankly at the walls around him. He had done the right thing. Inside these walls he was safe; his family was safe. Nigel had made it very clear what would happen if he slipped and told someone who he'd been working for and what they'd been working on. His family would suffer.
He hadn't been there for his family. He'd left his wife and daughters to follow his dream. His wife had become an alcoholic, raising their two daughters alone. He would stop by occasionally, but his focus had never been on his family. It had always been on his work. He dreamed of becoming a respected scientist of his field, but so far he had not been successful. Once his research in cloning studies was known he would finally have the respect he wanted, but at what cost?
"You all right?" Clark asked as they reentered the townhome. Lois just gave an inaudible nod and took a seat on the couch. They'd just toured the daycare center. Jordan seemed to like the teachers well enough, but Lois had been quiet and subdued, "So, it looks like Jordan liked the school. The teachers seem nice enough,"
"Yeah," Lois nodded, brushing back a strand of hair behind her ear.
Clark glanced down at his sleeping son, resting securely in his arms, and smiled. It had been a stressful afternoon and its stresses had definitely taken its toll on Jordan. It wasn't even six o'clock yet and the baby had already passed out. "I hope he's not out for the night,"
"Maybe it'll be good for him. It's been a hard day for him," Lois said softly, "For all of us,"
"I know," Clark said taking a seat next to her. "That wasn't an easy decision for you to make."
"Why would he purposefully break his bond agreement like that? Did he want to go back to jail?" Lois asked softly, resting her head against his shoulder. His arm instinctively wrapped around her.
"I don't know," Clark whispered. "I can't make any sense out of any of this." Jordan lifted his head up in his sleep, moving his head from one side to the other before allowing his little body to fall back against Clark's shoulder again.
Lois smiled up at him, reaching for Jordan, "I think it's time for someone to go to bed," She gave him a peck, "I'll be right back,"
Clark nodded, watching as Lois carried Jordan upstairs. He headed toward the kitchen and began preparing dinner at super speed to take his mind off the day's events. Lois was right. It had been a hard day for all of them. Jordan had had to watch his grandfather be taken away in handcuffs. Lois had had to call the police on her own father. It still bothered Clark, the way Sam had just shown up on their doorstep, adamant about seeing Jordan. Sam knew he wasn't supposed to be around any children until the trial was over. Why would he purposefully do something that would land him back in jail?
"You don't have to do that," Lucy said, taking the bouquet of roses from Dan.
"I don't have to, but I want to." Dan smiled at her. "Yellow roses are supposed to be for friendship, red for passion and white for purity."
"I notice you have one of each, so how am I supposed to tell what your intentions are with the bouquet?" Lucy asked.
"You don't," Dan smiled back at her, "That's what makes things interesting."
"I really don't know about this," Lucy said softly, "I mean, I don't understand why you would even want to date me. I'm pregnant with another man's child and…" She stopped when he placed his index finger against her lips.
"None of that matters. Let's just go out and have a good time and not worry about the reasons you think we shouldn't."
Her face softened as she looked up at him, "All right."
"You can't fire me, Amanda," Bender snapped at her vehemently.
"I didn't kill that woman. How many times do I have to say it for you to get it? Obviously, you think I'm guilty. I refuse to be represented by someone that doesn't believe me," She snapped back.
"Fine!" Bender retorted, grabbing his briefcase and heading to the exit, "I hope you make friends in here, because you won't be seeing the outside for a very long time!"
"Okay, buh-bye now!" She snapped back as the door slammed shut. Amanda angrily punched the table in front of her. She hated that man. From the time he'd been assigned to her case, she'd felt like he was sabotaging her. She knew she'd been wrong. The counseling she'd been forced into had made her see that, but she wasn't a murderer and she refused to take the fall for something she didn't do.
There had to be at least one person who could see that. She glanced up at the night sky through the small window in the corner of the room. The clouds were darkening, showing the signs of rain. A storm was brewing.
"Help!" Mayson cried as she fought against her restraints. What had that meant?
"You don't remember me…"
Who was she supposed to remember? Why had he trapped her in this eerie cage?
The rain drummed against the window panes, creating a soft rhythm across the homes of Metropolis. Superman had already patrolled the city, assuring himself that his beloved home would be safe for the night. His attention was needed elsewhere. The storm may have broken in the skies but it was just beginning to brew elsewhere.
"You live here now?" Detective Wolf asked, walking by Inspector Henderson's office.
Henderson stared at the photos on the wall in front of him. Dr. Benzen's photo was on the right. Dr. Kelly's photo was on the left. "I'm trying to figure out the connection, but for the life of me I can't."
"Well, there you go," Wolf patted him on the shoulder, "Maybe there isn't one."
"You don't find it odd that two famous doctors got murdered less than six months apart from one another?" Henderson asked. "There's something here,"
"Why don't you try putting this energy you got trying to figure out how Dr. A is connected to Dr. B and use it in connecting the dots with Mayson Drake's disappearance?" Wolf asked. "Try and get some sleep, will ya?"
"I cannot believe you have a pair of headphones on my stomach," Lois shook her head as she watched her husband continue to talk to their child.
"It's music. It's supposed to help stimulate the mind." Clark shrugged.
"Somehow I don't think Garth Brooks is what they were talking about," Lois said, shaking her head.
"Hey, that is classic music." Clark then whispered down to her stomach, "She just doesn't like Garth Brooks,"
"You are so weird," She rolled her eyes as she pulled the headphones off her stomach, "Enough for the night. I'm sure he or she will get plenty of music to listen to over the next few months."
Clark grinned and began to sing the lyrics teasing her, "I'm shameless, oh honey I don't have a prayer. Every time I see you standin' there. I go down upon my knees. And I'm changin' swore I'd never compromise Oh but you convinced me otherwise I'll do anything you please."
Lois laughed, lightly smacking him. "Don't quit your day job,"
"Oh, really?" he laughed, wrapping his arms around her as he tried to tickle her.
"Clark!" she laughed, twisting out of his grasp, "You are going to pay for that…"
He grinned, floating a few inches out of her grasp, "Am I?"
"That is so not fair," Lois muttered, throwing a pillow at him as he floated out of her reach once more.
Clark floated back down to her a few inches above the bed "Since when does Lois Lane play fair?" he teased, wrapping his arms around her, resting his hands on her abdomen. She smacked him lightly on the chest. He laughed, leaning his chin on her left shoulder blade as he whispered, "A few more weeks and we'll find out for sure … girl or boy,"
She smiled up at him with a forced smile, "I know,"
He saw the hesitation on her face and readjusted himself to tighten his embrace with her, cupping her left cheek as he looked at her, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, really," She stammered, "It's just…"
"What?" Clark asked concerned. She was stammering, unable to get her thoughts out properly, which was uncharacteristic for Lois.
"Last time we found out what Jordan was… " She shook her head, "I don't know. I guess I'm a bit apprehensive after everything."
"We don't have to find out if you don't want to. I can wait." He offered.
"No, I want to know. I can't stand surprises. You know that." He smiled broadly at her comment. That was the understatement of the year. She hated being surprised about anything. "I just have to force myself to adjust. Nothing about this pregnancy has been the same as Jordan's. I just have to remind myself of that."
"I know; there are still a whole lot of unknowns. How long a normal pregnancy is for us?"
"Jordan came out all right," Lois pointed out.
"I know," He nodded, "He's strong, just like his mom,"
She smiled broadly up at him. "And his daddy," She leaned up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. He moaned as she pulled him on top of her. His hand cupped her face, tracing the outline of her jaw.
Her hands raked through his hair, fingering his silky hair as they began the exploration of one another. He never got tired of kissing Lois. The feeling of her skin against his was pure bliss.
He moaned into her mouth as she lightly tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth. The tip of her tongue dipped inside his mouth, inviting him for further exploration.
"Clark…" She moaned against him.
No matter what they were going through they always seemed to find solace in one another. They'd lost that for a while; choosing to tear one another apart rather than work together. That mistake would never be made again. His life; his very existence depended on this beautiful spitfire of a woman that made him weak in the knees every day. He'd fallen head over heels at first glance and had to fight for the love they shared now; the family they had.
She moaned against him as she felt his tongue trace the outline of her mouth. She moved her hands up to trace his jawline, deepening the kiss. She smiled against his mouth as she slowly slipped her tongue inside his. He tightened his arms around her as he pressed his hard frame against her.
She moved her left leg up and down his leg. She moaned in approval as his hands gently massaged her thigh. "I love you so much." He whispered against his lips.
She smiled up at him broadly, "I love you too…Oh!" She glanced down at her abdomen.
"What?" He placed a protective hand over her abdomen.
"I don't know. It felt strange. Not a kick, but…"
"Hiccups?" Clark guessed.
"Yeah," She smiled up at him. They laid together in silence, holding one another, neither wanting to break the moment. It was the first sign of movement from their unborn child thus far. Kicking and hiccups galore would be soon to follow, but this was the first sign.
"You all right?" Clark asked in concern when a faraway expression crossed over her face, "I think my father's hiding something," Lois said abruptly, turning to look at him.
"I know," He sighed, "I just wish we knew what he was hiding and why he's so scared."
"What happened?" Wolf asked, stepping through the remains of the jail cell wall.
"Superman happened," The investigating officer said, pointing to the surveillance footage. "He just broke Dr. Lane out of here like we were the ones in the wrong. I don't know where that guy gets off…."
"Are you sure it was him?" Wolf asked.
"Yep," the officer nodded, "Red, blue and yellow. Big 'S' on the chest. I thought he was supposed to be one of the good guys. I guess not."
Lucy tugged at the hem of her suit jacket as she examined her reflection in the mirror. A month ago this suit had hung off of her; now she barely fit into it. She placed a protective hand over the small bump that had formed at her waistline. It was hard to believe that in a few short months this bump would soon form into a baby.
A baby she would bring into the world to face the mess she'd made of her love life. Her baby's father was suing her for custody before the child had even been born. There had been a time that she had thought of Jimmy Olsen as her best friend. That was also the time that she had believed in true love and happy endings. Lex had brought her back to reality on that notion.
She had no desire to allow herself to be drawn into another man's spell the way she had with Lex, even if that meant she would spend the rest of her life alone. She was just beginning to rebuild her relationship with her sister and that would have to do for now. She couldn't take having her heart broken again.
It was early morning when Jack opened the door to the archive department at Top Copy. He yawned as he made his way to the desk he'd come to be very familiar with. He'd been holed up in the archive department for the last few weeks. The research he'd been sent to do along with filing away reporters' stories had been tiresome. Along his daily route, he'd also learned from his colleagues that Sarah Doughtery's presence was not as welcome as he'd first thought. She talked a good game but had not revealed her cards yet. Many were resentful of her climb up the ladder without paying her dues. Jack wasn't sure what that meant, but he had an idea.
There was something off about her and Jack was determined to find out what it was. She was very guarded around everyone. The story she had pitched to Barry had brought the ratings up, but she still refused to divulge that last piece of the puzzle in order for him to strike gold with the viewers.
Jack had his suspicions about who Sarah was hinting at as Superman's alias, but he had no proof. He'd recognized the living room the pictures had shown. It was the same living room he'd been caught in a few months ago. An innocent man that had gone out of his way to assure that Jack and his brother were taken care of. Was it fair that his life be turned upside down for a few ratings?
"You doing all right?" Clark asked, taking a seat on the edge of Lois' desk later that morning.
"I'm fine," Lois nodded, "It's just hard leaving him with anyone…"
"I know." Clark sighed, placing his hand on her shoulders. "He'll be fine."
"I think we should start looking into what Mayson was working on," Lois said, changing the subject. "She's been missing for over twenty-four hours. I'm sure the DA's office is loving this, but we need to find out what cases she was handling. Maybe someone wanted to send a message?"
"Could be," Clark nodded. "I've got a call into Mr. Knox right now,"
"Don't hold your breath," Lois muttered.
"He may surprise you,"
"Hey, Lois, CK, Henderson just called for you. He said it's urgent," Jimmy said handing them a message slip.
Clark nodded, "Thanks, Jimmy,"
"No prob,"
"No way," Lois said, shaking her head.
"I understand where you're coming from," Henderson began.
"Do you?" Lois asked angrily. "That woman kidnapped my son and …."
"Lois…." Clark placed a hand on her shoulder for support, a silent message for her to calm down. It still scared him whenever she got upset. The close call she'd had …
Lois took a couple of shallow breaths before continuing, "She made everyone think he was dead. Now she wants us to HELP her?"
"What exactly are we supposed to be able to do?" Clark inquired. "We're not exactly her biggest fans. If she is being railroaded…"
"I don't buy it." Lois cut him off. "All the hiding and manipulating she did. I wouldn't put murder past her. It wouldn't surprise me if she was responsible for Dr. Benzen's murder."
"That's still under investigation," Henderson said dryly.
"I'm sure it is, but what business is that of ours? Last I checked, that was your job. She wants to cry about being railroaded\, you can investigate." Lois sniped.
"She asked for you specifically," Henderson said before cocking an eyebrow at her, "And last I checked it was your job to get the exclusives. Don't you think this falls under both our jobs if she's innocent?"
"You can't keep me here!" Mayson yelled at her captor. "People are looking for me,"
"Don't worry, you'll soon be moved to a more cushioned cell," Nigel snapped back.
"What do you want from me?" she cried.
"Leverage," Nigel said coolly.
"What a waste of our time," Lois muttered as they stepped into the Daily Planet lobby. "I don't care what Henderson says. We are not getting sucked into that woman's lies."
Clark silently nodded as he pressed the call button for the elevator, "It's probably for the best."
Lois turned to look at him, "What?"
"Nothing," Clark shrugged, feigning ignorance.
"You think we should take the case," Lois guessed, reading him.
"I didn't say that."
"But you're thinking it," Lois glared at him as they stepped into the elevator. "I don't care. I am not doing anything to help that woman."
"Even if it turns out she's being charged with a crime she didn't commit?" Clark pressed.
Lois closed her eyes a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"I've never seen you turn down a story before. Henderson is practically spoon feeding it to you," Clark said.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Lois asked.
"I think we should look into it; make sure the right person is being charged," Clark edged cautiously.
"Fine, but I refuse to work this story unbiased," Lois said as the bell rang announcing their arrival to the newsroom floor.
Lucy stared out the window at the morning sky as Ryan Knox paced in front of her shouting out the District Attorney's plan of action on Mayson's disappearance. She never realized how gray the sky looked in the morning. Was it because they were in the city?
Her friend was missing. Mayson was the only one she'd been able to open up to about her fears regarding the pregnancy. Her mother didn't understand; her father was Dr. Sam Lane, a famous scientist with no intentions of changing himself for family. He wasn't exactly the ideal grandfather. She understood now why Lois had waited so long to tell their parents about Jordan.
I feel it everyday it's all the same
It brings me down but I'm the one to blame
I've tried everything to get away
So here I go again
Chasing you down again
Why do I do this?
Her relationship with Lois was just now getting back to where it had been. Their relationship had been strained ever since Lucy had woken up after the attack on the Planet. Seeing Lois made her remember all the mistakes with Lex, so Lucy had gone out of her way to avoid her sister. Then there was the whole not-accepting-her-son's-death thing that had built what seemed like an immovable wall between them. She had enjoyed the time she'd spent with Lois the other day. They'd laughed like they hadn't in ages. There was still an awkwardness between them but a lot of that had to do with the lawsuit Jimmy had filed. Lucy wasn't sure whose side Lois was on regarding the custody suit and she didn't want to put her sister in a position to have to choose so avoidance was the best solution. It just hurt not being able to share everything with Lois the way she used to.
Over and over, over and over
I fall for you
Over and over, over and over
I try not to
It feels like everyday stays the same
It's dragging me down and I can't pull away
So here I go again
Chasing you down again
Why do I do this?
The radio played a soft song in the background. Lucy smiled at the irony. Had Mayson been there she would have been shouting at whoever had their radio on in the middle of a meeting. The plan was to pretend like they were doing everything to find Mayson and keep the press out of everything. How exactly was that supposed to happen?
Over and over, over and over
I fall for you
Over and over, over and over
I try not to
Over and over, over and over
You make me fall for you
Over and over, over and over
You don't even try
"Mr. Knox, what are we supposed to do about those reporters from the Planet that keep calling?" Knox's secretary asked.
Lucy sighed inaudibly. She already knew who was calling about Mayson's disappearance.
So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head
I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead
I know what's best for me
But I want you instead
I'll keep on wasting all my time
"Nothing," Knox replied hastily. "They'll give up eventually. Remember, no press. Whoever kidnapped Mayson is obviously looking for free publicity. That's the last thing we're going to give them."
'Yeah, right,' Lucy thought to herself. Little did Knox know she'd already gone to the press…her sister anyway. He didn't know what he was doing and everyone in the room knew it. Was Lucy really going to let her friend's fate fall in his hands?
Over and over, over and over
I fall for you
Over and over, over and over
I try not to
Over and over, over and over
You make me fall for you
Over and over, over and over
You don't even try to
Someone really needed to turn that radio off.
"I told you Knox wasn't going to call you back," Lois remarked smugly as they sifted through several files in the Daily Planet conference room.
"I still have faith," Clark shrugged. "I like to give people the benefit of the doubt."
"He's too busy worry about his election year. He's not going to want any bad press," Lois retorted, "Which by the way, we are known for giving,"
"Only the criminals."
"Exactly," Lois winked, "He doesn't want his dirty laundry exposed."
Clark scanned the next file in front of him at super speed. "I wish we knew what we were looking for."
"Anything that Mayson's worked on in the last few months that could have gotten her kidnapped," Lois said, reaching for another file.
"What about this?" Clark pointed to the file on Dr. Benzen and handed it to her, "Henderson said he doesn't think the case is what it seems."
Lois rolled her eyes, "I'm not doing anything to help that woman."
"So you've said repeatedly," Clark sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Isn't it possible that Amanda Marshall is not guilty of every crime she's been accused of?" Clark pressed. "And maybe, just maybe, the real killer is still out there?"
"Maybe, but highly unlikely," Lois retorted. "If Mayson was investigating a murder like this she would have had someone working with her."
"What makes you say that?" Clark asked.
"It's a dangerous case. She's smart; she wouldn't put herself in danger like that."
"Huh, kind of like you wouldn't put yourself in danger for a story? No matter how dangerous?"
Lois met his gaze and glared at him. "Point taken, but that doesn't mean Mayson would do what I do."
"You never know. Maybe you don't know her as well as you think," Clark pointed out.
"Hey, guys, I think I've got something for you," Jimmy said, entering the conference room with a large file in hand.
"Great, more files," Lois grumbled.
"What is it, Jimmy?" Clark asked.
"ACL Industries," Jimmy said simply, laying the file on the table in front of them.
"What about them?" Lois asked.
"It's a dummy company all right," Jimmy said with a broad smile, "but not for who you'd think. Did you know Luthor was married?"
"What?" Both of their heads shot up in unison.
"Arianna Carlin. They divorced a few years back, but she was set up with a pretty handsome annuity package. More recently, ACL Industries has been busy buying up every company Luthor ever owned, making it another Lex Corp,"
"Are you saying Lex's ex-wife is out there picking up where Lex left off?" Lois asked.
"I've still got some calls out there to try and find out more on his ex, but that's what it looks like right now," Jimmy said.
A commotion in the newsroom caught their attention and the trio headed out into the bullpen to find out what was going on, "Benson, I want you downtown with a cameraman in tow. Find out what the Mayor plans to do about the situation. Schwartz, I want you on the fire department. What's the take on a situation like this? How do they plan on keeping the prisoners incarcerated and not running amuck in the city…."
Perry continued shouting out orders as Lois and Clark looked up at the television monitors to find the answer to their questions. Superman stood in front of the city jail as it continued to burn in flames behind him. Sam Lane stood in the background, watching the scene, "Oh, my God…"
Lois looked to her right where Clark had been seconds ago; only to find an empty space, "Be careful," She whispered in a low inaudible whisper she knew only he could hear.
Letter by letter she taped the anonymous message to the sheet of paper in front of her. Her knowledge of Superman's identity would prove an advantage. Right now she needed to remind him of who had the upper hand so as to remain safe. Intergang was still intact, but its leadership had changed and she needed protection. Protection would only come from money and power, neither of which she had right now.
The air was filled with smoke. Alarms buzzed in the background as people screamed for help. Clark steadied himself as he approached the center of the chaos. The center of the chaos was a duplicate copy of himself, parading around in his Superman suit. Clark had no idea what to expect.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Marshall, but I haven't heard anything back from the Kents," Henderson replied, watching Amanda's face fall through the double pane glass.
"I didn't kill her," Amanda cried, "I was angry and hurt, but I didn't kill her. I don't know how to be that…cold."
"Cold? You don't know how to be cold?" Henderson asked, skeptically.
"I know. I know I did something horrible."
"Your arraignment is …."
A blast filled the room, knocking them to the ground, unconscious.
"Oh, my God." Lois held her hand over her mouth, fighting the tears that were threatening to overtake her. It was surreal to watch the scene unfold. Two Supermen fighting each other in the middle of the streets. She couldn't keep track which one was hers and which one was….
She didn't know what to call the other one.
They continued to move at super-speed across the screen, neither one of them backing down. Clark was invincible, but could he be invulnerable to his own strength? His heat vision? Could this imposter hurt him?
Everything hurt. Clark threw another punch at his opponent, wincing as he felt the hard chiseled steel of his muscle meet his fist. This was nothing like the fight he'd had several months back with the clone that had come to Metropolis.
This clone was just as strong as him.
He wasn't dying.
He was stronger.
Lois subconsciously placed a hand over her abdomen, gently stroking the tiny bump that had begun to form. She had the blinds in the conference room drawn as she pored over the files in front of her. She refused to allow herself to be sucked into the what-ifs. Clark was going to be fine. He always was. He was Superman.
She was still on restricted duties and Perry refused to budge on any of the conditions. She'd made several attempts to try and leave to find out more information about what was going on downtown, but Perry had stonewalled her on every attempt. Even Jimmy hadn't been very forthcoming. She had resigned herself to barricading herself in the conference room and researching anything and everything she could get her hands on that might explain the Superman double.
"Everyone in positions?"
Clark's super hearing picked up on the voice of an officer a few feet away. They were surrounded by a SWAT team. The perimeter had been blocked off. He shook his head in disgust. He'd allowed himself to become a part of the destruction, "Don't you see what you're doing?"
"I'm standing up for what's right! You are an imposter, getting in my way!"
Clark winced as he found himself thrown through another window. It was a good thing he was invulnerable. "Imposter…? Ohhh!" He fell back to the ground when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He looked to the right in surprise to find his shoulder bleeding and agreen and red glow coming from the wound.
The Superman double looked around nervously as the SWAT team moved in. "This isn't over." With that he was gone.
"Far from it," Clark muttered as he struggled to stand up.
Everything hurt.
The light was too bright. The unfamiliar sounds in the room irritated him. Someone was in the room with him. He couldn't place the sound. He really didn't want to wake up and face the pain, but curiosity soon won him over. Bill Henderson slowly opened his eyes to look around. He was surprised to find ADA Lucy Lane sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, patiently waiting.
"What the hell?" He grumbled, carefully moving his arms to readjust himself in the hospital bed.
"You're at Metropolis General," Lucy explained softly.
"I figured that," Henderson grumbled, lifting up his arm with the hospital bracelet attached.
"Do you remember what happened?" Lucy asked.
"I was in the visiting room, preparing to take Amanda Marshall to her arraignment," Henderson grumbled.
"And?"
"I got nothing else," He shrugged. "Listen, can you do this later? I need some pain killers right now and thinking and remembering is the last thing on my priority list,"
"Fine," Lucy shrugged, "You obviously don't care,"
He rolled his eyes irritably, "I swear, between you and your sister…" He muttered under his breath, "What? What don't I care about?"
"Your prisoner escaped,"
"What?"
It had been an exhausting day. Lois rested her head against the rocking chair, holding Jordan close to her chest as she rubbed his back. She'd been covering for Clark all afternoon in between doing background information on everyone's coverage on the fight in downtown. Criminals had escaped during the altercation. After the double had disappeared Superman had been busy trying to find the escaped criminals and return them to police custody.
There was still no word on everyone who had escaped. Lois hadn't received confirmation, but she suspected Amanda Marshall was on that list. Her arms instinctively tightened around Jordan. His head turned from one side to the other, readjusting himself against her. He held a strand of her hair tightly in his fist.
Henderson would have called them by now. Lucy would have called them. No one had called.
It had been an exhausting day. She hadn't seen Clark since this morning and her anxiety was growing with every minute that passed by. Nothing was making sense. The only explanation she'd been able to find to explain the Superman double was a clone, just like before. Unlike before, though, Dr. Leek was not around, testing frogs for his experiments. One scientist was, however, linked to clone research. He was a respected scientist in the community; and he was Lois's father.
Lucy heaved a sigh of relief when she closed the door to Henderson's room. The hundreds of doubts that had raced through her mind for the past few hours had now been squashed. Bill Henderson had not betrayed her. He had not helped Amanda escape. She couldn't bear it if she'd found yet another friend she couldn't rely on.
"Lucy?"
She turned to her right and saw Jimmy standing in the hallway. He looked like he'd been through hell. His clothes were wrinkled; he looked like he hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep for quite some time, and his hair was unkempt.
She hesitated a moment, "Hi, Jimmy,"
"How is he?"
She shook her head, "He had a building fall on him. He's in pain," she shrugged.
"Yeah," He nodded, "I hope he's going to be all right."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Jimmy,"
There was a long pause of silence between them for a moment, "How are you?" Jimmy asked.
"Fine," She nodded, "I'm fine. I'm busy. I'm keeping very very busy, but I'm fine."
Jimmy nodded, "That's good,"
"Good,"
"Well, I guess I should…" He pointed to the door she was standing in front of.
She nodded, "Oh, sorry,"
"Yeah," He nodded as he opened the door, "Take care of yourself, Luce."
Clark winced in pain as he hedged his way inside the townhome. It would probably have been easier to fly through the window, but his shoulder was in extreme pain and he'd already pushed himself to the limit most of the day.
He picked up Lois and Jordan's heartbeats in the living room. She was probably furious with him for not coming back after the fight. He'd taken longer at Dr. Klein's than he anticipated. The doctor had begun testing the Kryptonite that had been lodged inside Clark's shoulder. Klein called it 'synthetic' Kryptonite. Apparently, it was the military's weapon against Superman if he ever got out of control.
He grimaced as he looked down at the bruise on his shoulder. He knew the synthetic Kryptonite definitely worked on him, but would it work on the double?
Lois was lying on the couch with Jordan resting on her chest. They were both asleep. Clark smiled wistfully at the two of them. It looked like he was in the clear of Mad Dog Lane's rage for the time being anyway.
He knelt down next to them, brushing a strand of hair out of his wife's face. He wanted to carry them upstairs to bed where they'd be more comfortable, but he didn't want to risk waking them up. He lifted her head up and took a seat at the end of the couch, allowing her head to rest on his lap. He noticed a stack of folders on the floor. He reached down to pick them up and put them on the coffee table. A manila envelope fell out onto the floor. It was sealed with no return address. He looked at it curiously. It was addressed to himself and Lois with no clue of the sender.
Jordan made a tiny grunt in his sleep. He lifted his head up in the air. For a moment Clark thought all was over and Jordan would wake up, but the baby's head fell back down to his mother's chest and a soft snore could faintly be heard.
Clark shook his head at his son's antics. Even in his sleep, he was a trouble maker, just like his mother. He placed a hand on Jordan's back, feeling the soft rhythm of his breathing. Clark sighed in relief. It didn't matter how many days or weeks or months he listened to Jordan breathing next to him; he would always have the anxiety in the back of his mind that something was going to happen to Jordan if he didn't check on him.
Would he be like this with the new baby?
Clark knew he was over-protective. Lois had warned him about being too over-protective, but he couldn't help it. His family had nearly been torn apart and it was only by a miracle that he'd been able to piece it back together.
He turned his attention back to the envelope in his hands.
"What are you doing?" Lois softly whispered, looking up at him.
"Nothing," He whispered, looking down at Lois, who had woken up sometime during his daydreaming. "Just thinking,"
She sat up, holding Jordan close. "It's been a long day. Are you all right?"
Clark nodded, pointing to his injured shoulder, "Just bruised, but I'll be fine in a day or so."
"Bruised?" Lois asked concerned, gently stroking the shoulder he'd pointed at.
"Yeah, apparently 'synthetic' Kryptonite is the military's new weapon of choice," he explained, rubbing his shoulder as he spoke.
"Synthetic Kryptonite? What is that?"
"Something very very painful," Clark explained. "I don't know. Dr. Klein is going to run some tests and let us know. How are you?" He asked cautiously.
"Fine," She shrugged. "It's just been a long day." She rested her head against his chest.
"Where did you get this?" Clark asked, showing her the envelope.
She shrugged. "I don't know. It must have come in with the rest of the mail."
Clark ripped the seal to the envelope and a single 8x10 paper fell out. "I don't think so," He said, showing her the paper.
"What in the world?" She shot upright, grabbing the paper from him to read more closely.
"I know who you are." Clark read.
"You think it's that Top Copy sleaze, Dunning, again?" Lois asked apprehensively. "He did that news report and…"
"I don't know. This doesn't seem like his style."
"Then whose?" Lois snapped in a harsh whisper. "I'm getting a little sick and tired of the games being played."
TBC...