Time for another chapter.

The next couple of months dragged on. Neither I nor Bruce could find something useful on the Intergang mystery. And we tried, but it seemed that their tactics changed once again. Now, I did not see the tablets at all. There were no meetings, no suitcases, or anything that would get my attention. It seemed that they went aground on me. I couldn't pick them out from the background noise. Whoever was directing them understood the nature of my powers and acted accordingly. They made sure that I would not find the tablets so easily ever again. Which was odd considering their contents. Why would you need to hide from me if you were really selling toilet paper and hand soap? It didn't make sense. As Bruce said before, there is nothing illegal about selling that. They do not have to hide it from me or the law. So, why hide it? It didn't make sense.

It seemed that only Lois and Lex hit pay dirt. Both of them seemed to have a lead. Of course, Lex hadn't told me that he made headway, but I could tell since I had been watching him closer than normal. He was up to something and I bet it had to do with Intergang. I decided that I would pay him a visit to him later. For now, I needed to follow up on Lois's lead.

Lois managed to convince one of her sources to meet with me. (Provided that Lois tag along.) Which I didn't like one bit. Lois was starting to show and this was not the place for her. Alas, it was the only way that the source would agree to meet with me. So, I caved. However, I insisted that Lois wear a special suit that I had made for her made of Krypototian fibers. It would not make her bulletproof, but it would go a long way. She would only end up with bumps and bruises if shot by a shotgun. Which was a lot better than one could say of a 'bulletproof vest.' Plus, it was thin. Unlike the latter. Meaning it could be worn under her normal clothes. No one would know that she was wearing it. It was the only reason that I got her to agree to wear it. She hated this kind of overprotection as she called it. She liked to show her subjects that she was not afraid of them. That she trusted them. Even if she didn't. It was part of her charm. Part of what made her an amazing journalist. Alas, it was a luxury that we could not afford. She needed that protection. I would not back down the issue. Fortunately, she did not test me. She agreed to wear the suit without an argument. Making me more comfortable with this arrangement. I did not want to lose my family over this.

We met in the most obvious location possible: A parking garage. Then again, it was hard to sneak up on someone there. Even if you did not have superpowers. One could hear someone coming miles away. The downside was that it was very easy to overhear our conversation. It was also dark and hard to make out who was there. Particularly, at night. Which when Lois's contact insisted on meeting. It was highly unsafe. Particularly, for a pregnant woman. The location made me leery.

Fortunately, I brought Krypto as backup. Nothing keeps people in line like an attack dog from space. He would stand guard just out of sight. Nothing would get past him. He would respond instantly if anything or anyone got too close. Even if I was distracted or otherwise detained. I hoped that I was getting worked up for nothing, but instinct told me otherwise. It screamed at me. Told me that Lois and children were in danger. I had to keep them safe. I did not trust this source one bit.

We arrived at least an hour before the scheduled time. That gave me plenty of time to prepare in case things went wrong. When we got there I found the place eerily quiet. There were no cars or signs that this place had been used in quite some time. It was falling apart and was in a part of town that had mostly been abandoned. Most of the houses in the area had been torn down. It really didn't feel right. This all felt like a trap. Hence why I was so nervous. I didn't want anything to happen to her. She shouldn't be here. I should be here alone. Alas, there was little that I could do about it now. For that was the condition of this meeting. I had to accept it and do the best that I could to keep her safe.

"Lois, darling, it's good to see you." Spoke a woman with a heavy eastern European accent that I could not quite place.

Lois stiffened. Something told me that she was not expecting this woman. "You're not Natasha." She stated.

The woman shrugged. "No, I am not. I'm afraid that Natasha has had an accident. She cannot make it. So, I am here in her place." Instinctively, I stepped in front of my wife. I could see where this was going. She laughed, "How adorable! Your husband moves to protect you. It seems that you have ensnared his heart, Lois Lane. As you should have. The only men worth dealing with are those trapped in your wake."

"He is not my slave." Lois growled.

She waved Lois off. "Is that why he protects you so? He would lay his life down to protect you. He would murder me to keep you safe. I can see it in his eyes. Only a devoted slave would do so." I narrowed my eyes. Which caused her to laugh again. "Do not worry, Superman, I will not harm your wife. Nor will I harm the babies within her belly. I am not that stupid. This is a friendly chat. You do not need to guard her so."

I took a step backward. I did not know how the hell she knew that I was Superman. Or that Lois was pregnant. That wasn't public knowledge. I did not know who the hell she was. How in the world did she find out? I was completely caught off guard. I didn't know what to say or do then I recovered. Refocused my attention on keeping Lois safe.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

She took a step into the light. What I saw was concerning. She looked like she was not of this world. Her skin was scaly and tough. Like a lizard or a snake. Only the skin around her face was smooth. It was harder to see in this light, but I could have sworn that it was orange. She had slits for irises. It looked closer to what you would expect a cat to have. She didn't make sense. Particularly, when I used my x-ray vision. It was baffling. She had no bones, only cartilage. However, beyond that, her anatomy matched that of a human. Looking further, I could see that she was human. With some strands of reptilian DNA spliced in. None of it made sense. I had no idea who she was.

Her black dress shimmered as it caught what passed for illumination. It restricted her movement yet I had the feeling that it would not stop her if she chose to attack. Lois was in a lot of danger. This snake lady could easily kill her if she wanted to. I was once again the only thing between Lois and oblivion. My instincts told me that this was going to go downhill quickly. I had to be ready. I had to keep Lois safe.

"I am Whisper A'Daire." She paused for a moment before going on. "From the look in your eyes I can see that you are not familiar with me. A pity. For I think that you will find that I am a very useful ally. One that should not be met with such distrust. I am here to help you. As hard as you find it to believe, I am telling the truth."

"Are you?" Lois challenged. "Then tell me this: Where is Natasha? What did you do to her?"

"You wound me, Lois Lane. To think that I would harm another is troubling. I did not kill Natasha. That was another. One more unscrupulous than I. Her death was not by my hands. You have my word. I did not kill that one."

"Then who was it?" I asked even though I doubted that she would tell me the truth.

"A former associate of our organization. One that I believe that you are acquainted with: Lex Luthor."

I narrowed my eyes. "Luthor, what does he have to do with this?"

A'Daire waved me off. "Oh nothing, he found out that your friend was passing information to you. He thought that he could 'encourage' her to talk. He was wrong. Natasha Vanin was a loyal member of Intergang. She would not leak information without authorization."

"You're saying that she had the authorization to speak to me then?" Lois asked.

"Yes. We know that you share your bed with the man of steel. Along with a propensity to dig until the truth is found. You were the perfect vehicle to pass information to him. So, Natasha made contact with you. Her job was to pretend that she was 'unhappy' about the new direction that Intergang was going. As well to leak information about Kryptonian tech. As you can see, it worked. Even if there were a few glitches. "

I realized in that moment that I hated this woman with all my heart. She manipulated Lois into being her pawn. Not only that but she treated my wife as if she was a common slut or whore. I would not forgive that easily. This woman cared nothing for people that she hurt. She didn't even care that her subordinate was murdered. Assuming that she was not the one who killed her. For right now I didn't believe a word she said. She had no honor. She would kill Lois to get to me. She could not be trusted.

"Such as Natasha's death." Lois cut to the chase as always. She didn't have time for this bullshit.

A'Daire shrugged. "Such as Natasha's death. A truly regrettable thing. It would have been better if Natasha was here instead of me. I can see that my message would be better received if she was."

"And that message is, what, exactly?" I demanded.

Whisper pulled a gun out of her companion's pocket. I tensed for a second, waiting for the inevitable shot. However, that never came. Instead, she threw the gun at my feet. I picked it up and examined it. It was not of earth or apocalypse design. It was far more familiar. Indeed, it seemed to be of Kryptonian origin. I would have to examine it at the fortress to be sure, but it seemed genuine. Which begged the question, how did she get this?

"This is a gift from our new leader. She sends her greetings. She also says that if you wanted the list then you should have asked her." She pulled a small book from another companion's pocket then threw it at my feet. "This will help your friend decode the tablet. Although, I'm not sure that it matters anymore. That gun is genuine. Well, mostly, that is." After seeing the look on my face she added. "You'll understand once you examine it more closely."

"Who is your boss?" I demanded.

A'Daire smiled, "Now, that would be telling. Take care. For the next time we meet, I fear that we may not be friends."

With that, she ran off. Leaving me angry and confused. Still, I could not pursue her. For she was gone before I could figure out where she went.

I took Lois home as soon afterward. We didn't say a lot until we got home. Even then we didn't know what to say. There was so much to unpack that it was insane. I wasn't sure how much of what Whisper A'Daire told was true. I didn't trust her at all. Still, she did give us two very useful pieces of evidence. I had to take advantage of it. I dropped off the price-book at Bruce's then whisked off to the Fortress. I had a gun to analyze.

What I found was interesting. It was a Sorcha-type sidearm. Once used by the Kryptonian Military for domestic peacekeeping. As far as Kryptonian weapons go it was neither powerful nor rare. It was mass-produced right up until the destruction of the homeworld. It was by far the simplest of the bunch. It should have never found its way here. For they were never taken off-world. There was no need. For once you were off-world weapons such as the Sorcha were useless. It would barely phase a Krypotian's invulnerability field. If you wanted to stun one of my species off-world you would use something more impressive. Like a Daka-nii or a Zello; weapons that could easily vaporize a human. You wouldn't bother with this.

What was even more interesting was the fact that this wasn't an original. It was a copy made using earth metals and materials. Making it inferior to the original in almost every way. Still, great care was taken to make everything work. From the tests that I conducted, I found that it was almost as good as the original, almost. How they did that was a mystery. It would suggest that the one who designed this fake had intimate knowledge of the original's design. Then applied that knowledge to create this facsimile. That would suggest that the designer was in fact a Kryptonian like me.

A supposition that was supported by A'Daire's message. It seemed that whoever is leading Intergang knows me personally. But who is it? It was not my adopted son, Chris. He is still trapped in the Phantom Zone. Regardless, he always tried to help people, not profit off of their deaths. Besides, A'Daire said she, not he. I doubted that this was a slip-up. Her boss was female. Which shortened the lists of possible suspects greatly.

There are not many female Kryptonians on earth anymore. I knew only of Kara and Powergirl. Kara would not get involved with intergang. Nor would she leak the designs of Kryptonian weapons to the back market. The same went for Powergirl. This may not be her universe, but she would never sell weapons of any kind. I trusted them emphatically. It was not them. It had to be someone else.

But who was it? Why were they doing this? How the hell did they know me? And why wouldn't they tell me?! It was all frustrating. I had few answers. That was not going to help me get this tech off the street. Nor was it going to help me keep people safe. On top of that intergang knew who I was. Which put Lois and twins in danger. I needed answers.

However, since I had none of those I decided to head home. I decided that I would tell Lois what I learned and see what she had to say about it. I guess that I could have kept from her, but she would figure it out somehow anyway. She was really good at that. No, it was better to tell her directly. That way my pregnant wife did not follow this lead directly. There was no way in hell I wanted that. It was better to satiate her hunger rather than to starve it. Besides I could really use her perspective on this. Maybe she could point out something that I had missed. Something that I had forgotten. I wanted her opinion on the matter.

"Hmm . . . I don't know anything about Kryptonian weapons, Clark."

"I know that. I'm not asking you about the weapon. I know all about it. It's a masterpiece of reverse engineering. Earth metals and crystals are not well suited for the task. The fact that this works so well is amazing. It would take someone of extraordinary abilities to pull it off. No, I'm interested in the gun's maker, not the gun itself. Only I can't figure out who that is."

Lois was silent for a second then said, "Well, let's break it down carefully. Let's start with who would have enough expertise to do this."

I thought about it for a short time then said. "Kara, Powergirl, myself."

She looked at me funny, "Are you leaving out a couple of people?"

"No, those are the current Kryptonians on Earth that could reverse engineer a weapon like this."

"Okay, then how about Chris's girlfriend. Hmm . . . What was her name?"

"Thara Ak-Var. And no, it can't be her, she died fixing the sun. Chris told me that before he sealed himself away."

She smiled. "Then what about that other Kryptonian that you found before Kandor was restored. Y'know the one with all the space weed."

I raised my eyebrow. "'Space Weed?'" I repeated. I just could not believe that she said that. "Lois, there is no such thing as 'Space Weed.'"

She waved me off. "I know, I know. There is no such thing as Space Weed, but what would call it? Kryptonian Weed?"

"What?"

"Y'know the stuff that one lady was growing. Some kind of Kryptonian medicinal herb that made humans trip. You remember her, right?"

I gave her a strange look. "You mean Karsta Wor-Ul?"

"Yeah, her. Whatever happened to her?"

"I don't know exactly." I shrugged. "She decided to face justice for what she did so long ago. At least that's what she said before she left the Earth."

Lois snorted. "And you believed her? Smallville, you are so gullible sometimes."

"I prefer to look for the best in people."

"That's why I love you." She kissed me. "And why you need me. To save you from yourself. I mean one of us needs to be a bit more cynical." She sat down at her computer and started to work. "What was her name again? Y'know the one that she used as an Alias?"

Her tone and body language had completely shifted. She was no longer teasing me. She had found her angle and she was going to pursue it regardless of what I thought. Lois meant business. The time for discussion was over. It was better to go along with her on this. Lois was good at finding people. If Karsta Wor-Ul was out there then Lois would find her. Besides, if I worked with her then I could make sure that she stayed out of harm's way. Which was more important to me than finding this ringleader.

"Kristin Wells." She typed her name into the computer. "Lois, you're not just trying to google her, are you?"

Lois's eyes drifted up from the keyboard for a few moments. "You would be surprised what a google search will turn up. Remember that my last expose on Lex?" I nodded. It was a thing of beauty. I couldn't stop talking about it for weeks. "Well, it all started with a humble google search. I still had a lot of leg work to do afterward, but it really helped to get started. You can't hide very well from Google."

"Lois, honestly I don't . . ."

She cut me off. "There we go. Kristin Wells, CEO of Cain Enterprises. Joined the board about five years ago. Became CEO just a few months ago." She showed me her picture. "Does she look like Karasta?"

I studied the woman's face. She looked almost exactly like the woman that I encountered almost six years ago. Only real difference is that hippie-vibe is long gone. Replaced with a fine suit, makeup and long, flowing hair. At least it was still silver like I remembered it. Everything else seemed to be transformed. Still, I remembered that face. It was her. It was Karsta Wor-Ul. It seemed that she lied to me after all.

"It's her."

"Cain Enterprises. Cain Enterprises. Where have I heard that name before?" Lois asked herself. "Oh! I know!" She ran off to find a discarded pad. Once she found it, she started to flip through it erratically. "Here we are! Cain Enterprises was founded by Cassandra Cain. Who is rumored to have led the League of Assassins for a while. You remember her, right?"

"Vaguely, the League of Assassins is more of Bruce's thing. Not mine. They tend to leave me alone and stay out of Metropolis."

Lois nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that. It seems that most of their activity centers around Gotham. Why? I don't know, but it is weird. I thought about investigating it, but I never really had anything solid and worth pursuing."

I had an idea why. Ra's al Ghul had made several attempts to get Bruce to join him and replace him. They all failed, but that did not mean that the assassin had given up. He would probably never give up. Even after Bruce Wayne died. He would get Batman to replace him as leader if it took a million years to accomplish. Of course, my information on Ra's al Ghul was all second hand. I had only seen the man once or twice in passing. I knew only slightly more about him than Lois did. It seemed that the League of Assassins could keep themselves out of the limelight. Even I could barely track their movements. They just blended into the background.

I must have stayed silent for too long since Lois started to get antsy. "Clark?"

I shook my head. Now was not the time to get lost in thought. "Sorry. What were you saying about Cain Enterprises?"

She shot me a dirty look then repeated. "They're a front for the League of Assassins. If your 'friend' is associated with them then she is associated with the League of Assassins."

"That doesn't make sense. I was following Intergang, not the League of Assassins. How did we get here?"

Lois grabbed another notebook. She rummaged through it for a minute then went on. "It gets more complicated. I've heard of Whisper A'Daire before. She's a loyal enforcer for Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins. She's got quite a name for herself. A real gem. Her body count is almost legendary." She smiled. "Now, she just happens to be working for Intergang, the League's rival. Coincidence? Somehow I doubt it."

She handed me her notebook. Which looked like a madwoman's chicken scratches. Lois often wrote in chaotic half-thoughts that only she could piece back together. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it. Even I have trouble understanding it. If I didn't know her so well then I would be completely and utterly lost. Fortunately, I knew how my wife thought. I could read what she wrote. It essentially corroborated what she had already said. Assuming that you could call rumors and hearsay evidence. Then this was a smoking gun. Otherwise, it was completely and utterly unprintable. Which is probably why Lois never ran with it. There wasn't enough here.

"I'll look into Wells. See what I can dig up. I'll see if she truly is Karsta Wor-Ul or not."

I shifted my tone. I wanted her to understand the importance of what I was going to say next. Even though a part of me knew that it was pointless. Still, it had to be said. "In the meantime, I want you to take it easy. I'm going to ask Kara or Conner to stay with you for a while. And don't give me that look! Lois, Karsta may be old, but she's a Kryptonian like me. That means that she's very dangerous. She could easily hurt you or the babies. And now that she knows that we are on her tail then she's going even more dangerous. You can't be alone, not now. I'm sorry, but it's too risky."

Lois shook her head. "Clark, Wells has known about us the entire time and she hasn't come after us yet. I doubt that she . . ."

"I'm not taking any unnecessary risks with our children's lives." I cut her off. "Lois, if you want to risk your life then so be it. I won't be happy, but I will accept it. It's part of who you are. And I love you for it." I took her hands into mine. "But Lois, you are not just risking your life. You are risking our children's lives. I'm sorry, but I have to put my foot down. I don't want you to pursue this any further. And I don't want you to be alone right now. Even if Wells never comes after you, someone else might. I can't take that chance. I won't take that chance."

I expected Lois to come right back at me, but she didn't. Instead, there was a long silence before she finally said. "You're right. I should back off. I can't drag them into this." She sighed. "I just don't like being sidelined, that's all."

I shook my head. "You're not being sidelined. Really you're not. You just need to be careful, okay?"

"Okay." She gave me a tight-lipped smile. "Just remember that the same goes for you."

I kissed her hand. "I will."

"Clark, I mean it. I want our children to know their father."

That stopped me. Somehow I never thought of it that way. Sure, I worried about my children's survival but I never thought of what would happen to them if I died. Would Kara be able to help them if something went wrong? Even if they were healthy, what would happen if they developed powers? Who would teach them how to control them? Conner? Kara? Who will show them right from wrong? Lois would fill the role well, but they still needed me too. They need both of their parents. I couldn't afford to die.

"They will, Lois." I said more seriously. "They will . . ."

With that, I sped out of the room. Effectively ending the conversation for now. Besides, I needed some space to think. So, I left it at that for now.

I sped up north to my fortress and reviewed what I already knew. These were indeed well-crafted reproductions of Krypotian weapons. Inferior, but nearly comparable to the real thing. It seemed that Intergang had a recent change of management. It was now likely being run by the League of Assassins. Which Whisper A'Daire was most certainly a member of. And Cain Enterprises was a front for. How Kristin ended up as CEO was a mystery that I was dying to solve. Assuming that she really was Karsta. Which seemed more and more likely to be the case. I wanted to know why she returned to Earth. Why she did not keep her word and pay for her crimes. And why she was now selling copies of Kryptonian weapons. None of it made any sense.

I thought about how best to proceed. Now, I could attempt to break in and dig up that information on my own. I might be successful. I may not. What was certain is that I would stir up a lot of trouble for quite possibly very little returns. Or I could walk in the front door and ask for Wells. Since I believe that I have an open invitation. At least if I am to believe A'Daire. I may not get the truth, but I may end up with more than if I simply broke in. Plus, it wasn't like they didn't know who I was. They used Lois to get to me. It seems only fair that I return the favor. I decided that I would pay them a visit as Superman and see what shakes out.

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