Lois called in her request to dispatch for backup, and then ran lightly back to where Clark had been only moments earlier. Frustratingly her partner had now disappeared, and the only means of entry had been destroyed. She peered questioningly at the ruined swipe unit that had somehow been seared through, then began to hammer on the metal shutter with her fist.
"Kent, let me in! We're supposed to be a team. You're not a one man army!" The words echoed in the alcove she stood in, but there was no reply.
Standing back, Lane looked up to the second story of the building to see if there were any lights or signs of life, but there was nothing only darkness and the quivering of a bat as it hunted some unknown prey. She turned; hoping to gain entrance through the door the guard had used, but before she could attempt to shoot out the lock a faint rumbling caught her ear. On impulse she looked up again just as the sound built to an earth shattering crescendo. As the noise became unbearable the upper story windows exploded in a shower of glass and flames, sending wreckage and burning debris raining down from the heavens. Lane's first instinct was to try and get inside once more, then her training took over and she ran back to her vehicle to call for more help. The duty sergeant took her rushed request in hand; whilst Lois watched the structure that held her partner burn with an intensity so fierce she feared he had no way to escape...
Raging flames flapped in the night breeze, licking up the secret facility's walls unhindered. Smoke billowed into the cloud filled night sky, its strange green hue illuminating the surrounding area with a devilish glow. Lois watched from her vantage point, powerless to help the fire crews as they battled the impossible blaze. She placed a disillusioned hand to her temple, wondering how to explain this to Manning and Chloe. The captain told me Kent could have some kind of death wish, why didn't I take more care?
A patrolman scurried passed and Lois caught his arm. "Do we know if anyone made it out? There were at least three in there, maybe more."
The inexperienced officer shrugged. "Not as far as I know ma'am. The fire department say whatever caused this is burning pretty fierce though..."
Lane took in his words; the news was nothing more than she expected. Dejectedly she began to head back towards the car when a blur of motion caught her eye. Through the jumble of cops, fire crews and E.M.T.'s she had seen someone being carried from the rear of the blazing building. Recognizing Clark's suit, she hastily began to push her way through the milling crowds towards the ambulance gurney where he had been deposited. Her mind stayed focused on her partner, never thinking for one moment that the Rainman himself had just saved Kent from the jaws of death.
More sirens wailed in the distance as she approached where Clark now lay. At first he remained unmoving, and she prayed the two paramedics at his side were not working in vain. Then as she drew closer and one unbuttoned his shirt to sound his chest, something hit her so hard she had to pause in mid step. What's wrong with this picture? She blinked, thinking her eyes were playing tricks from all the smoke and dust in the air. Kent's not wearing a vest...he had no time to remove it...how the hell did he survive those shots earlier?
Realizing her partner was now coming too and pushing off both medics in a panic, Lois decided to keep quiet about her discovery and see how the scene played out. After all there had to be some rational explanation. She trotted over just as Clark finally convinced the E.M.T.'s he was capable of sitting up.
"I don't need to go to the hospital!" His voice rose slightly as he argued with the two men, then when he noticed Lois his mind turned back abruptly to the case. "Did you see the guy who brought me out?"
Lane considered it. Truthfully all she had seen was a fleeting glance of a long black overcoat, and Clark slung gracelessly over someone's shoulder. "I didn't see much beyond a half dead partner." She scowled growing angry at his recklessness. "Manning warned me about you! Next time don't bring me along if you want to commit suicide!"
Clark glanced at the medics for support, and then rolled his eyes when they appeared to agree with his partner. "I'm fine. The thing I don't get is who carried me out? It had to be our killer, but why?" Stealing a look down as he spoke, he hastily re-buttoned his shirt hoping Lois hadn't noticed his very bare chest.
She played along, saving the cross-examination for later. "Maybe he's one of those psycho's that actually want us to catch him?" Lois raised a brow, "but why did he lure us here in particular?"
Clark coughed as the microscopic particles of kryptonite still tickled the alveoli in his lungs. "There has to be a reason. He even had a swipe card to gain access...and why was that guard so hell bent on stopping us seeing inside?" He wheezed out the last sentence as he coughed out more of the tiny deadly green molecules, and Lane frowned yet again.
"You really should go to the hospital," Her voice softened, "Smoke inhalation can be pretty dangerous. Even if you feel okay, symptoms can surface hours after you were exposed..."
Clark pulled a face of frustration, and to prove he felt fine tugged himself up from the gurney and on to his own two feet. "You sound like a doctor, not a detective." He complained, heading as far away from the ambulance as he legs would carry him.
Lois smiled for the first time in awhile. "I must get that from my dad, he's retired now though." She peeked at Clark for a reaction, and noted the information seemed to startle him. What are you so afraid of? What dark secret are you hiding? Still not ready to confront him, Lane carried on with the far more important murder inquiry. "While you were attempting to spontaneously combust," she quipped, "I spotted that car over there. I'm guessing it was the guard's."
Clark followed her hand gesture and saw the tail end of a late Chevy poking from a nearby tree line. It bore no markings, but he agreed with his partner about likely ownership. The question was could it be linked back to Luthor? Reading his mind Lois reached in through the open window of their Ford and unclipped the radio mike.
"Henry-Victor Seven requesting a 10-28 on late Chevy..." She paused, leaning over to get a better view of the license plate, "Lincoln, Adam..." Unexpectedly Clark took the unit from her hand and cancelled the call. He smiled and was greeted by a scowl in return. "Just what did you do that for?"
"I doubt the car has any direct link to Luthor...at least not registration wise. I think if we take a look inside we just might find a better clue..." He raised a brow perceptively, and Lane was reminded of the all-knowing Spock in Star Trek. Secretly she chided herself for watching such a show even as a kid, and for classing her new partner as some would be alien.
"So what do you think is in there?" Lois peered into the dimness of the vehicle as Clark donned a pair of latex gloves and tugged open the passenger door. "In fact, why don't you tell me just why you suspect you'll find anything? Especially if these people are pros..."
Kent ignored her remarks and leaned across the seat at an angle, slipping his free hand underneath, and tugging out a barely legible piece of paper. The edges were torn and ragged, and the ink had long lost its depth, but to Clark the words written on it were still quite readable.
"It's a pretty old pay check..." He held it to the light and Lois squinted to see what he had, but her efforts were in vain.
"How can you see that?" Lane made the comment sound like a jest, but truly she meant the words more seriously with every moment she spent with him. "Okay...so who paid whom?" She was getting so impatient for answers now she could almost punch someone.
"Metron Pharmaceuticals paid Richard Cummings several hundred dollars. And seeing as Metron have been out of business for quite some time this must be a pretty old paycheck..." Abruptly Clark began to cough again, and this time he found it hard to stop.
Lois grabbed his arm in no uncertain terms and deposited him in their car's passenger seat. "So we have our Luthorcorp connection with this Metron thing. I think in your condition that's quite enough for tonight. I insist you go home, or in that ambulance..." She motioned with her thumb back to the emergency vehicle, but Clark wasn't giving in so easily.
"We should stay on top of this! Kids lives depend on it." Casually he wiped a hand across his mouth, wiping away tiny droplets of green moisture, "maybe we should get some surveillance on Luthor before he realizes we're onto him...."
Lois stomped on the floor like some incensed buffalo and grabbed the car radio once again. "You either go home and rest up, or I call Manning and have him pull you off the case. It's your choice, but I know Manning is shadowing you..."
In truth Clark knew it too and right now the way he felt, maybe an early night wasn't such a bad idea. Reluctantly he shrugged and hauled his legs into the car's foot-well. "I guess if you're so concerned you better be my chauffeur home!" A grin spread across his weary face as he opened the glove box and slipped the check into an evidence bag.
Relieved, Lois jumped behind the wheel and hastily headed out to Kent's apartment before he decided to change his mind.
Kent's Apartment Twenty Minutes Later...
Clark ambled down the passageway, expecting Chloe to be still waiting for him after their guests had departed. Instead as he rounded the corner he realized the flat was in darkness. No light filtered below the door, and no sounds came to his highly trained ears. Puzzled, the detective tried the door and found it locked. Slipping his key in he undid the door and flicked on the lights. The room, and indeed the whole apartment were quite empty.
Patiently awaiting him on the dining room table sat a carefully folded note in Chloe's handwriting. Smiling, he opened the paper and read the lovingly composed message.
Clark,
When I explained to Lana and Byron about your case they said they'd come over Friday instead. Your dinner is in the microwave...I have to run, Perry has an exclusive scoop for me that won't wait!
P.S. You know it would still be easier if I lived closer...
The not so subtle hint on the bottom of the page made the detective smile. One day this girl was going to pin him in a corner like no bad guy ever could. Delicately Clark placed the note back down, not wanting to destroy it for some irrational romantic reason, and then dropped himself down into his favorite chair and sighed. Maybe now that Lois had gone home he could go back out on the streets? He toyed with the idea whilst loosening his collar, and then froze as his almost radar-like hearing picked up a movement at the door.
Without even turning to use his extraordinary visual skills he grinned. "Mayor Ross, shouldn't you be at home planning a campaign speech or something? And don't you know it's rude not to knock?"
"Aw man, you got me!" Pete Ross dived into the apartment, and to Clark it was suddenly like being back in Smallville. Out of the reaches of the public eye, Metropolis' youngest ever Mayor reverted to his former fun-loving self, and even wore jeans and a t-shirt to prove it. He looked his old chum over, then took a seat opposite. "You look beat! Which is kind of worrying, because you never get tired..."
"Let's just say I had a busy day with our 'Rainman', and a pretty unexpected cloud of kryptonite vapor." Kent pulled himself from the now very restful seat and headed for the kitchen to make coffee. "You do realize the time?"
Pete nodded and padded in to take the beverage his friend was making. "I figured if I wanted an update on our killer I would have to catch you home. Which from what I understand is a pretty hard task..." Gratefully he took the black coffee he was handed and took a sip from the steaming mug. "This string of murders is getting to everyone...we need answers..."
Clark nodded and whilst pouring his own drink recounted the day's events to his old friend. "Ever since I spotted the sword particles in that kid's neck I've had my suspicions, but this last lead just seems to prove my theory...It has to be Luthor."
Pete agreed without reservation. "My family knew what the Luthors were all those years ago, when they cheated us out of our business. The question is Lex is so good at what he does, how do we pin all this dirty work on him?"
Kent smirked and placed his mug down on the worktop. "I think it's time the Torch's finest came out of retirement..." Without saying more he ambled through an adjoining door and into his humble bedroom, while Pete waited patiently for his return.
The area where Clark slept greeted him with its soft blue hues and dancing shadows, and he felt grateful for its relaxing aura. On the brief occasions he had time to himself it was nice to simply lie on the bed here and pretend he was as normal as the next man. Now though there was more to do.
Swiftly he jerked open the wardrobe door and looked at the clothes in the last compartment; their simple, purposeful design bringing back thoughts of home. He hadn't worn them in quite awhile, but as he slipped on one of the dark flannel shirts its familiar comfort seemed to fill him with warmth. Next came jeans, followed by a pair of buckskin leather boots.
When he reappeared into the kitchen moments later, Pete grinned. "Now that's the Clark Kent I used to know! So, what are we about to do?"
Clark shrugged and took one last sip of his almost cold drink, then tipped the remainder into the sink. "I'm going to do a little spying on Luthor. You better go home...we can't have Mayor Ross getting his name in the papers. And besides I don't want you in harms way. Luthor is playing for keeps this time..."
Pete had heard all this before. Clark had always been the overprotective one, always wanting to shield his friends from danger, but Pete had responsibilities to the people of Metropolis now, and he wasn't about to shirk them. "I'm not that kid in Smallville anymore Clark, and neither are you. I can take care of myself. And anyway, I won't stay Mayor long if I don't get to the bottom of this mess!"
Clark stifled the urge to laugh, because he knew his chum was blaming politics for his own inquisitive nature. "I don't know who to blame most for how you turned out. Mayor Siegel for training you up in affairs of state, or Chloe for your zest for adventure."
"Ha! At least I didn't turn out a cop like you! I still can't get used to the idea, but seeing as your partner is absent, I feel it's my civic duty to accompany you..." Pete feigned a deadly serious deep voice, and contorted his face into a grave and solemn expression.
"Okay..." Kent waved a hand in defeat and reluctantly grabbed the car key's he had thought he wouldn't need, "but you owe me for this. I want Lane reassigning at the very least! I can't do anything with her watching over me."
"I wish I could, but it's too tricky right now. Your captain Manning is onto something, and if I push it...I don't know how you've gotten away with all this for so long with just my influence..."
Pete's suddenly humorless features told Clark he wasn't joking this time, and that his life as a cop might soon be coming to an end. The thought sobered him and his resolution doubled. If he was to be forced into retirement, his one last act would be to take Luthor down with him...
Senator Lex Luthor's Office Building...
The dark night skyline seemed to be filled with towering edifices of power and graceful beauty. Each structure closely packed to the next for maximum use of space in the ever growing central area of the city.
Clark looked up at the immense skyscraper that belonged to Luthor, and was glad of the architect's skill in cramming it in so tightly next to the neighboring buildings. Tonight he would need to be both stealthy and covert if he and Pete were to achieve anything, and the close proximity of each building would surely help shield him if the need should arise.
"So what do we do now?" Pete raised his hands questioningly, and then glanced warily around the back street as if Lex already had spies watching them.
There was no one to be seen, but the darkly lit area could hold a plethora of secrets. In the distance a security alarm to some downtown building began to scream, heightening the sense of apprehension. Slight traces of steam billowed from a nearby grating in the cool night air, adding to the trepidation both men felt.
Clark stared for a moment back at the upper stories, knowing Lex occupied the penthouse. "I can get up there without tripping one single sensor or camera..."
"Can't you just see and hear from where we are?" The Mayor hopped lithely from foot to foot, becoming nervous at their nocturnal endeavors. He wasn't scared of being caught, or the repercussions on his position, but mostly for his friend's secret.
Clark nodded. His vastly tuned senses could penetrate the high rise without moving from the spot. He could hear and see anything he so chose unless it was shielded with lead, but tonight for some reason he had to see Lex, and after all this time look into the man's eyes without using his visual gifts...
"I have to see it from up there." He pointed into the darkness where only faint lights indicated Lex's office; it was so far into the heavens. "It's hard to explain..."
Pete suspected he knew his old friend's reasoning and stayed silent. Clark had thought the world of Lex, and even now it was still hard for part of him to think of the man as anything less than a surrogate brother. Maybe tonight the final remnants of that bond would be broken forever, and a murderer would finally be brought to justice.
"I guess I know why you put your Kansas farm gear back on then...I imagine it's darn uncomfortable flying in a suit!" The lighthearted Mayor winked as he watched his chum launch himself towards the stars, then turned swiftly to lookout for any clandestine interlopers that may intrude on their mission.
Clark let his body become weightless in the earth's gravity, his agile form showing just how elegantly he could control his own flight. A breeze wafted past him, ruffling his hair as he almost seemed to float up to Lex's huge Plexiglas windows. An invisible air current carrying the airborne cop to his final destination. From within he could hear angry voices as he began to hover like a hummingbird to survey the scene...
The thunderous tones of Tchaikovsky's 'Tempest' blared throughout the office, the very walls reverberating with the power of the amplified orchestra. Perhaps Luthor is trying to hide his illicit conversation from possible surveillance devices? Music might just work with conventional taps, but not with Kent's abilities, he simply edited the music out of his auditory range and continued to listen.
"I want that sword back!" It had been a long time, but Clark instantly recognized Lex's irate tones. "How the hell did you let it come to this? You do know its incriminating evidence?"
A short and very robust man stood before Luthor, taking the verbal slamming without flinching. He appeared to be about forty with already graying hair. Below his jacket he wore a standard Smith and Wesson in a shoulder holster, and was probably had already used it in Lex's service. "I didn't expect it to come to this sir, but I will retrieve 'the item'."
Lex slammed himself hard down in to the office chair he had recently vacated, and threw a letter opener that just happened to be available at the employee before him. It clattered harmlessly onto the carpet just short of its target, and the unabashed minion retrieved it, returning it to its former home.
"I'm sorry Simpson..." Luthor's boiling temper dropped a notch, but the raised veins in his very bald forehead showed he was still simmering. "This whole mess could ruin my career, and for what? That sword has to be destroyed or it will cost me more than my seat in office. I know the cop working on this case, and believe me Kent won't back off now..."
Simpson nodded, acknowledging he wasn't doing enough to protect his superior. "I'll get the sword back..." The man paused as a fleeting reflection caught his eye. It had been nothing but a silhouette on a far wall behind Lex, but it had intrigued him. Flipping his jacket back and placing his hands on his hips he braced himself for the impossible. "Senator Luthor...move away from the window please."
The words were firm and authorative, and for a second Lex thought about complying. He had been taught however that a Luthor always faced fear, so instead he whirled about in the direction of his protector's gaze. It was crazy to think that anyone could attack from the window, and yet Simpson appeared certain he had seen something. In unison the two men raced to the glass façade that served as a window, and for one split second something flashed before them in a blur of distorted motion.
"What the...?" Simpson hauled his handgun from his holster in one adroit motion, and rammed open the security latch to slide the top portion of the monster sized pane. Before anyone could say other wise, he let off two rounds into the blackness and heard them ricochet on the next building's metallic fascia.
"Put that down!" Lex grabbed the weapon and pulled down Simpson's outstretched arms, "Do you want every cop in Metropolis out here? Besides, what the hell were you shooting at?" Luthor looked at the man as if he had lost his mind.
Simpson shrugged, "There was something out there, I don't know how you could have missed it..." A cold shiver ran down the man's back as he said the words. He had heard all about the rumored Luthor experiments; maybe he had just seen one in the flesh.
Lex looked at Simpson as if he were delusional. "Just get me the sword..."
Pete heard the sound of gunfire resonate through the air, and his fears became suddenly all too vivid. Clark was bullet-proof, but if he had been seen that could still cost him his life. The anxious Mayor looked up, squinting for some sign of what was occurring, but there was nothing only the twinkling of the odd star through the clouds.
A rogue piece of the previous day's Daily Planet blew past on an unexpected current of air and Pete whirled, the sudden movement causing panic and dread. "Aw Man!"
Clark stood before him, arms folded, gently blowing the ragged paper around with tiny puffs of his breath. Pete's eyes narrowed and he scowled, then punched Clark on the shoulder without thinking. It was a playful punch, but his fist still came off the worst for it.
"Ouch! Sometimes I wonder why I hang around with you. And what was all that shooting?" Ross rubbed his already bruising hand as Clark looked on apologetically.
"I was used for target practice by one of Luthor's goons. I don't think he saw me, but I saw him, and I heard what they were discussing..." The detective's face seemed to turn somber. "Come on, I'll tell you about it on the way home. It's just a pity we can't use my evidence in court..."
Outside Kent's Apartment An Hour Later...
Dull, low hanging clouds drifted across the Metropolis skyline as night became day, and another morning began for Clark Kent. He had just dropped Mayor Ross off at his home on the outskirts of town, and now it was time to start another shift for the M.P.D. Getting no sleep however, didn't bother his ever powerful body; nothing short of the deadly green kryptonite could bring fatigue to this cop.
A light drizzle began to break from the heavens as he eased the Crown Victoria into the parking spot he always used, and as he killed the ignition a thought of the assassin ran through his mind. He's never murdered in the daylight, what makes you think he will now? Kent didn't know why, but the rain, coupled with Luthor's rage the previous evening worried him. If it hadn't been for the change of clothes he desperately needed he would have sped straight into his office. Walking into work in farm clothes wasn't the kind of impression he wanted to give to Manning right now though.
Reluctantly Kent hopped from behind the wheel of his vehicle, and squirmed when he spotted the red Jeep that had just turned onto his street from the next avenue. It was Lane, and he had no intention of letting her see him like this. Lois was no fool, and it wouldn't take her long to realize that he had still defied her and pulled an all nighter watching Luthor. The only option now was what Pete had once jokingly referred to as a 'quick change'. Checking for people who might spot his actions, Clark launched into super speed and raced up his apartment's stairwell, taking several steps at a time. Zipping through the door, he was in his best work suit and back down just as Lois was exiting her Grand Cherokee.
"I see you're up bright and early. Feeling better after a good night's sleep?" She looked him over; convincing herself he was fit for duty, and then pulled out a folder from the passenger side of her vehicle.
Clark's heart sank as he saw it. Usually those folders meant only one thing. "I'm alright, but I suspect from what you have in your hand that someone isn't?" He offered to take the documents from her and she passed them to him as if she were glad to be rid of them.
"There was another murder in the early hours, and another bizarre note too. Take a look."
Clark flicked through the preliminary report till he came to the page he required. A crystal clear photo of the evil message glowered at him from the file. Its edges were splattered with dark red blood, and it was obviously attached once again to the macabre remains of some unfortunate's body.
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me...
Lois watched as he read the message, then flicked a stray piece of hair from her eyes as the breeze and drizzle did their worst. "Our people are checking on the source of these notes. I've also got those two medics who helped you last night to work with our sketch artist. Their description is a little vague, but it's a start."
Kent pursed his lips as his rapidly functioning brain collated the evidence to its optimum usage. What if I was right, what if Luthor is pushing the killer to work faster? And now it's raining again...
"Are there any kids we haven't contacted on that list from yesterday?"
Lois was way ahead again. "We haven't been able to make contact with two families. We've sent patrol cars to both homes though."
Clark's face contorted with a new kind of anguish. "You have the addresses on both? I really don't think our guy would care if he had to kill a couple of uniform cops..." Without waiting for a reply he jumped in the waiting Ford and fired its still warm engine back to life. Lane attempted to jump in beside him, but Clark waved her off. "No, you take one family, I'll take the other just in case. Give me one of the locations..."
Knowing her unconventional partner had a valid point, she nodded and reeled off the address in double quick time. Without pausing to thank her Kent gunned the gas, leaving streaks of rubber adhering to the roadway as he raced the unmarked car's engine to its limits.
After a quarter of a mile, he checked the rearview and sighed with relief. There were no other vehicles in sight, so he pulled the overheated Ford into the nearest alley. Speeding through early morning traffic, sirens blaring was far too antiquated a way to catch a mass murderer. Instead Clark peeled off his jacket and tossed it back in through his car window, launching himself into the heavens with one sinuous leap...