Author's Note: I'm sorry that's it's taken so long for me to write this
chapter. Things have been crazy lately. I know that some of you want to
see Clark and Lois get together, and I want to let you know that is going
to happen at some point. However, right now it's Clark and Chloe, with
Lana in the background. The relationship with Lois is something that is
going to play a major role later in the story, but right now it isn't
really present at the surface. I guess you'll just have to stay tuned to
find out what happens…:-)
When Clark and Lois finally emerged on the roof of the Daily Planet building, they were greeted with a blast of sunlight. "So, Miss Lane, how are you doing since your ordeal the other night?"
Lois was a little surprised that he was the one asking the questions; wasn't that her job? "I'm doing ok. A lot better than I'd be without you around."
"I'm glad that I could help you." Clark smiled at her, glad that they had broken through the ice, so to speak. "So, what would you like to know?"
"Ahh…I see you're one who likes to cut tot he chase." Lois returned his smile and took a seat on the base of the giant globe that rested atop the building. "The first question I have is where did you come from?"
"That seems like as good a place as any." He joined her. "First, the people should know that I have lived my whole life here on earth, but I'm not originally from this planet."
The shock of what he had just told her was plainly evident on her face. It took her a moment to wrap herself around it. "So, you're an alien?"
"In a manner of speaking. My home world was destroyed by a natural disaster, but before its destruction, my parents placed me in a ship that brought me to earth." He still wasn't completely sure how much he should reveal to Lois about himself, but he knew that the public would need to know at least the basic things about him in order to trust him. "I was raised by parents here on Earth, just like any other child."
"That's amazing." Lois just sat there, trying to soak everything in. "So, what exactly can you do?"
This was an area that Clark was unsure about. He didn't want to let potential enemies know that full extent of his powers, but he did feel that a bit of foreknowledge could keep potential wrongdoers from perpetrating an act in the first place. "Well, first off, as you know, I can fly. I am also invulnerable, extraordinarily strong, can see through solid objects, and move exceedingly fast."
Lois could sense that he was holding something back but she didn't want to pressure him. Perhaps it was better that he didn't give away all of his trade secrets. "So, why did you pick Metropolis?"
"I didn't really 'pick' Metropolis; it picked me." Clark stood and walked over to the edge of the rooftop. "This city needs a hero, this world needs a hero. I have the ability to do things that are great, and I feel that I have to. This world has given me so much, and I want to give something back to it."
"Have you met any of the rest of Earth's superheroes?" She could tell that he was deeply moved by his statement of purpose. "Besides Batman, I mean."
Clark turned to her and smiled. "Not yet. I imagine I will, but not yet."
Just then, Clark heard a woman shout for help and snapped his head to the side. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but someone needs my help."
Lois simply stood there. "That's fine, this is great for now."
"We'll do it again, sometime," Clark replied as he rose from the roof and flew away.
After he was gone, Lois spoke under her breath. "Yes, we will, Superman, yes we will."
As she turned for the door leading back down to the office, she jotted down super hearing on her list of powers.
"I'm fine, Lex." Lex had called her about an hour after Clark had left. "I'm just glad that Superman was there."
"That makes two of us. The police told me that Superman thinks that the guys that grabbed you are some of the same guys that interrupted the benefit."
"Yeah. Any idea what they could be after?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Not really. About the only business that LuthorCorp isn't in is the weapons industry, and that seems to be what these guys are interested in." She could tell he was holding something back. He always was.
"Money, then?" She didn't want to pressure him. He'd tell her when and if he was ready.
"Perhaps. I'm going to put in a call to some of my Vice Presidents and check on the status of some of our more sensitive projects just in case. I'll see you at home tonight."
"Ok, Lex. I love you, and be careful." She was more frightened than she had realized. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You won't have to find out, Lana. I promise." Lex hung up the phone and left Lana sitting on the living room couch holding the phone to her chest.
"Mr. Luthor." Dr. Emmit Hamilton answered the phone after his secretary informed him that his boss was on the phone.
"Dr. Hamilton. I'm glad that I was able to catch you. How are things going down in the lab?" Lex knew that he'd be there, the man hardly left the office.
"Things are going well. We're about to enter phase three on the project tomorrow. Things are very exciting." Dr. Hamilton was seated at his desk, watching a slew of data scroll down his computer screen.
"I'm going to be doubling security at all of out top-secret projects beginning today. There might be someone out there trying to get their hands on something that we're working on. Of all the projects, yours is the most important, so I wanted to let you know about this development personally. For security's sake, I'd appreciate it if you'd not leave the lab for a few days. Wouldn't want anyone to kidnap you." Lex punched up a security blueprint of the LuthorCorp labs outside Metropolis, formerly the Cadmus facility.
"No problem, Mr. Luthor. Thank you for calling me and letting me know." Dr. Hamilton quickly began encrypting all the data on his computer.
"I'll speak to you later, Dr." As Lex hung up the phone, he buzzed his secretary. "Marilyn, could you call Gustaf in Security and tell him to come by my office."
Clark had really hated running out on Lois like that, but that poor old woman was being mugged. She'd been surprised when he landed behind her assailant and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned a gun and pointed it directly at Clark's chest. He just grabbed it before the man could even figure out what had happened. Now, he was just glad that he'd been able to get dinner for him and Chloe. As he descended the stairs to her apartment, he straightened his tie and adjusted his glasses. Then, he knocked.
"Clark!" she threw her arms around him, nearly crushing the food he held in his hands. "Wasn't sure you'd make it."
"Miss dinner with you? Never!" He gave her a big kiss before entering the apartment.
She followed him in and got out a couple plates for them to eat off. "Hey, thought you might be interested. One of the guys that you nabbed earlier, the ones who kidnapped Lana, used to work at LuthorCorp Biotech. He was maintenance worker. Apparently he was fired for trying to sell company secrets."
"You don't say?" Clark dumped out his food onto the plate. "I was planning on dropping by Lex's later tonight, talking to him about what is going on."
"That's probably a good idea." Chloe joined him at the table. "He's one of our best friends, but there's still a lot we don't know about him, or his company. Who knows what his dad had peculating."
"Did Lois say anything about the interview?" Clark stuck a his chopsticks into the pile of rice on his plate.
"Other than it's running front-page tomorrow, no." Chloe smiled a big mischievous grin. "I'm kinda jealous."
"Ahh, that's cute. You shouldn't be, though. You're the one who gets to do this." He leaned over and kissed her, hard.
After the kiss broke and Chloe regained her breath she was able to respond. "I better be!"
They both sat in relative silence, simply eating their food, each occasionally stealing a glance at the other. Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Hello," Chloe picked up the receiver. "Yeah, Clark's here."
She handed him the phone. "This is Clark Kent."
"Hello, Clark." A familiar voice greeted him.
"Bruce!" Clark took the phone and sat back down at the table. "How'd you find me here?"
"I'm Bruce Wayne, Clark. I can do about anything I want, remember." Clark could hear an unusual lightness in Bruce's voice. It quickly faded. "The reason I called was to ask you if you have anymore leads on the guys from the conservatory the other night. I've been digging here in Gotham, and I found an abandoned warehouse that I think they used to work out of. Or, at least I thought it was abandoned the first time I discovered it."
Clark wasn't sure he liked where this was going. "What was in there, Bruce?"
"I don't know if you're going to believe this, Clark, but I found a hidden medical facility under the building. In it, there were what appeared to be…" He struggled with the last part. "People, Clark, people. Only they weren't alive. They were floating in tanks, suspended in some sort of amniotic fluid. I checked out some of the computers and found some information that was very interesting. They weren't just people; they were clones."
When Clark and Lois finally emerged on the roof of the Daily Planet building, they were greeted with a blast of sunlight. "So, Miss Lane, how are you doing since your ordeal the other night?"
Lois was a little surprised that he was the one asking the questions; wasn't that her job? "I'm doing ok. A lot better than I'd be without you around."
"I'm glad that I could help you." Clark smiled at her, glad that they had broken through the ice, so to speak. "So, what would you like to know?"
"Ahh…I see you're one who likes to cut tot he chase." Lois returned his smile and took a seat on the base of the giant globe that rested atop the building. "The first question I have is where did you come from?"
"That seems like as good a place as any." He joined her. "First, the people should know that I have lived my whole life here on earth, but I'm not originally from this planet."
The shock of what he had just told her was plainly evident on her face. It took her a moment to wrap herself around it. "So, you're an alien?"
"In a manner of speaking. My home world was destroyed by a natural disaster, but before its destruction, my parents placed me in a ship that brought me to earth." He still wasn't completely sure how much he should reveal to Lois about himself, but he knew that the public would need to know at least the basic things about him in order to trust him. "I was raised by parents here on Earth, just like any other child."
"That's amazing." Lois just sat there, trying to soak everything in. "So, what exactly can you do?"
This was an area that Clark was unsure about. He didn't want to let potential enemies know that full extent of his powers, but he did feel that a bit of foreknowledge could keep potential wrongdoers from perpetrating an act in the first place. "Well, first off, as you know, I can fly. I am also invulnerable, extraordinarily strong, can see through solid objects, and move exceedingly fast."
Lois could sense that he was holding something back but she didn't want to pressure him. Perhaps it was better that he didn't give away all of his trade secrets. "So, why did you pick Metropolis?"
"I didn't really 'pick' Metropolis; it picked me." Clark stood and walked over to the edge of the rooftop. "This city needs a hero, this world needs a hero. I have the ability to do things that are great, and I feel that I have to. This world has given me so much, and I want to give something back to it."
"Have you met any of the rest of Earth's superheroes?" She could tell that he was deeply moved by his statement of purpose. "Besides Batman, I mean."
Clark turned to her and smiled. "Not yet. I imagine I will, but not yet."
Just then, Clark heard a woman shout for help and snapped his head to the side. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but someone needs my help."
Lois simply stood there. "That's fine, this is great for now."
"We'll do it again, sometime," Clark replied as he rose from the roof and flew away.
After he was gone, Lois spoke under her breath. "Yes, we will, Superman, yes we will."
As she turned for the door leading back down to the office, she jotted down super hearing on her list of powers.
"I'm fine, Lex." Lex had called her about an hour after Clark had left. "I'm just glad that Superman was there."
"That makes two of us. The police told me that Superman thinks that the guys that grabbed you are some of the same guys that interrupted the benefit."
"Yeah. Any idea what they could be after?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Not really. About the only business that LuthorCorp isn't in is the weapons industry, and that seems to be what these guys are interested in." She could tell he was holding something back. He always was.
"Money, then?" She didn't want to pressure him. He'd tell her when and if he was ready.
"Perhaps. I'm going to put in a call to some of my Vice Presidents and check on the status of some of our more sensitive projects just in case. I'll see you at home tonight."
"Ok, Lex. I love you, and be careful." She was more frightened than she had realized. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You won't have to find out, Lana. I promise." Lex hung up the phone and left Lana sitting on the living room couch holding the phone to her chest.
"Mr. Luthor." Dr. Emmit Hamilton answered the phone after his secretary informed him that his boss was on the phone.
"Dr. Hamilton. I'm glad that I was able to catch you. How are things going down in the lab?" Lex knew that he'd be there, the man hardly left the office.
"Things are going well. We're about to enter phase three on the project tomorrow. Things are very exciting." Dr. Hamilton was seated at his desk, watching a slew of data scroll down his computer screen.
"I'm going to be doubling security at all of out top-secret projects beginning today. There might be someone out there trying to get their hands on something that we're working on. Of all the projects, yours is the most important, so I wanted to let you know about this development personally. For security's sake, I'd appreciate it if you'd not leave the lab for a few days. Wouldn't want anyone to kidnap you." Lex punched up a security blueprint of the LuthorCorp labs outside Metropolis, formerly the Cadmus facility.
"No problem, Mr. Luthor. Thank you for calling me and letting me know." Dr. Hamilton quickly began encrypting all the data on his computer.
"I'll speak to you later, Dr." As Lex hung up the phone, he buzzed his secretary. "Marilyn, could you call Gustaf in Security and tell him to come by my office."
Clark had really hated running out on Lois like that, but that poor old woman was being mugged. She'd been surprised when he landed behind her assailant and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned a gun and pointed it directly at Clark's chest. He just grabbed it before the man could even figure out what had happened. Now, he was just glad that he'd been able to get dinner for him and Chloe. As he descended the stairs to her apartment, he straightened his tie and adjusted his glasses. Then, he knocked.
"Clark!" she threw her arms around him, nearly crushing the food he held in his hands. "Wasn't sure you'd make it."
"Miss dinner with you? Never!" He gave her a big kiss before entering the apartment.
She followed him in and got out a couple plates for them to eat off. "Hey, thought you might be interested. One of the guys that you nabbed earlier, the ones who kidnapped Lana, used to work at LuthorCorp Biotech. He was maintenance worker. Apparently he was fired for trying to sell company secrets."
"You don't say?" Clark dumped out his food onto the plate. "I was planning on dropping by Lex's later tonight, talking to him about what is going on."
"That's probably a good idea." Chloe joined him at the table. "He's one of our best friends, but there's still a lot we don't know about him, or his company. Who knows what his dad had peculating."
"Did Lois say anything about the interview?" Clark stuck a his chopsticks into the pile of rice on his plate.
"Other than it's running front-page tomorrow, no." Chloe smiled a big mischievous grin. "I'm kinda jealous."
"Ahh, that's cute. You shouldn't be, though. You're the one who gets to do this." He leaned over and kissed her, hard.
After the kiss broke and Chloe regained her breath she was able to respond. "I better be!"
They both sat in relative silence, simply eating their food, each occasionally stealing a glance at the other. Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Hello," Chloe picked up the receiver. "Yeah, Clark's here."
She handed him the phone. "This is Clark Kent."
"Hello, Clark." A familiar voice greeted him.
"Bruce!" Clark took the phone and sat back down at the table. "How'd you find me here?"
"I'm Bruce Wayne, Clark. I can do about anything I want, remember." Clark could hear an unusual lightness in Bruce's voice. It quickly faded. "The reason I called was to ask you if you have anymore leads on the guys from the conservatory the other night. I've been digging here in Gotham, and I found an abandoned warehouse that I think they used to work out of. Or, at least I thought it was abandoned the first time I discovered it."
Clark wasn't sure he liked where this was going. "What was in there, Bruce?"
"I don't know if you're going to believe this, Clark, but I found a hidden medical facility under the building. In it, there were what appeared to be…" He struggled with the last part. "People, Clark, people. Only they weren't alive. They were floating in tanks, suspended in some sort of amniotic fluid. I checked out some of the computers and found some information that was very interesting. They weren't just people; they were clones."
