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8 Weeks Later...
The Rear Of A Rundown Metropolis Motel.

Jez Tanner sniffed at the night air as if it would bring his contact to the motel faster. He didn't like being out here alone, and the fact that Lucas Luthor had sent him wasn't exactly comforting. Luthor was a boss with unparalleled associates in the crime world, and some even came in the form of the Japanese mafia, or Jakuza. He suspected these were the people he had been sent to meet tonight, and it made him feel even worse. Tanner shivered at the very name, and recalled how Luthor had threatened him a few short months ago with a Jakuza style death if he ever failed.

Impatient to be back where it was warm and safe, Tanner squinted, searching the gloom, and forcing his contact lens to do the work his myopic eyes couldn't. It was ironic really, because somehow he felt his own short sightedness had brought him here tonight, but it was a short sightedness that had nothing to do with vision, and much more to do with bad decision making. Why the hell did I get involved with one of the biggest crime bosses in Metropolis? Tanner rubbed a hand over his chin and realized he had dug himself into a hole, and now there was no way out. Maybe I could go to that cop...the one named Kent? Maybe even prison is better than mass murder...

A squashed tin can clattered, breaking Tanner from his musings, and rolled harmlessly to his feet. Suddenly alert, he whirled about, his left hand edging under his jacket towards his sidearm. At the figure before him, he paused, taking in the size and movement of the newcomer.

Tanner nodded his head. "You're from Kazuku?" He assumed from the black clad interloper's silence, and mask that they were the one he had come to meet. "Luthor asked me to give you this..." Reaching into a pocket he briskly pulled out an envelope and offered it up.

His newfound friend drew nearer, acting as if they intended to retrieve the item, then at the last moment pulled away to his left and made a lunge for his neck. Tanner responded with equal force, surprising the attacker somewhat, and they retreated, pulling out a serrated blade.

"I'm not as dumb as you guys think..." Tanner circled, looking for a weak spot, should the assassin show one, "you Orientals think you can come over here and take over the whole damn crime underworld, well you're wrong!"

This time Tanner was first to strike out, punching at his opponent with enough energy to flatten a raging bull. The foe however was no clumsy bovine, and sidestepped the assault with ease, bringing their knee into the pit of his stomach in a retaliatory maneuver. Tanner grunted, the wind momentarily knocked out of him, and fell forward, only just managing not to collapse.

"Just what the hell do you want?" Jez Tanner was becoming weak, and it showed in his suddenly more servile attitude. "You were supposed to close the deal with me...Luthor won't let this go..."

The masked aggressor kicked high in typical martial arts style, finally dropping Tanner to his knees, then leaned over and offered a few sneering, whispered words. "Who do you think sent me here fool? Lucas already made the level 3 deal with Kazuku, over four weeks ago in fact. You were simply a loose end he didn't trust anymore."

Tanner found a booted heal pressing him firmly down from above, then a mace spray appeared in his face. He squinted again, this time in terror, because unlike Alf Wilmore he knew what the tiny canister contained. He would be dead in no time at all, and all because of his own foolishness in getting involved with Luthor. In one last attempt to save himself, he pushed against the boot in his chest and rolled to the side, but it was all too late. A fine mist oozed into the night air, the microscopic droplets instantly finding their way into his lungs and beyond. The energy draining from him, Tanner fell backwards, his eyes becoming bloodshot as he wheezed his last hopeless breaths.

The attacker ignored the look on his tormented countenance, the frantic, forlorn emotions of a dying man meaning nothing to them as they continued the next task. "Consider yourself a field test of a new project Tanner, and lets just say up to now that project is proving one hundred percent efficient..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Clark sighed as he watched Lois dig into her overfilled sandwich, then glanced at his watch for at least the third time in twenty minutes. They had been sat in their car for over an hour waiting for a call, and the lack of action was reminding the cop of more pressing matters on his mind.

"This must be the quietest night in the M.P.D's history." Lois noted his impatience, and commented on it as she washed down her meal with an almost cold coffee. "Relax Clark, Chloe will be back soon, and I'm sure dispatch will find us something to do before the night is over..."

The twenty eight year old scowled, then smiled. In the months he had worked with Lois Lane, she had come to know his every mood swing and concern, without him ever voicing them. In fact, the only things she didn't fully know about him where his true origins, although she still understood more than most about his abilities.

"Sorry..." He exhaled, letting the apology come out sounding half hearted. "It's just that with Chloe away on this assignment for Perry, it leaves me far too much time to think about the having kids dilemma..."

Lois nodded knowingly, and took a bite from her second B.L.T. "I really think this thing might work, you have to be patient. Did Klein say when he might know something?"

Kent chewed his lip; could he tell Lois just how far things had gone? "Actually, it's all up to Chloe now...she'll probably know before Klein..." He watched Lane for a reaction, and was almost covered in the remains of her sandwich when she nearly choked on it in shocked surprise.

"You're that close? God Kent, why didn't you say?" Lois felt like punching her partner affectionately for being so secretive, but in his case, she knew the reasoning behind his concealment was more than valid. "Wow, what does it feel like to think you might be a dad soon?" She smiled as she said the words, but deep down something was niggling her, and she hated herself for thinking it. Why can't it be me with him? Ashamedly she hid the thoughts in the darkest recesses of her mind, hoping they would never resurface. Chloe was her cousin, she should be glad for them, nothing else.

Clark shrugged; so far he hadn't let any of it sink in. When Lex had come up with a geneticist who said it just might be possible to help, it had been too good to be true. In fact it had scared him. Now after weeks of tests and repeated visits back to Star labs, he still wasn't going to get complacent about it. "I'll let you know when I'm sure it's going to happen..."

Lane's eyes narrowed, and she was about to chide him about being a pessimist, when the radio at last buzzed to life. "All units, we have a possible attempted homicide in progress on 34th Street, to the rear of Hobbs motel and diner. All available units please respond..."

Throwing the remains of her half chewed lunch out the open driver's window, Lane cranked the ignition and gunned the gas. "About time!" The Ford's wheels spun fleetingly in the loose gravel, then took a tenuous grip on the ground as the traction control kicked in, allowing the car to shoot forward.

Kent grabbed a hold of his door handle as the vehicle gained momentum, but he wasn't holding on for dear life, even though it looked that way. "Litter bug!" He jokingly scolded his partner for ditching her sandwich, then before she reached the main highway, his door was flung open, and he had seemingly vanished into the night air.

Lois frowned, even though she had fully expected his actions, and floored the Crown Victoria's accelerator in the futile hope of keeping up with her airborne partner. "Next time, shut the door behind you Kent!" She rolled her eyes, knowing full well with his auditory range, he would still have heard her half a block away...

Clark landed outside Hobbs motel with a slight thud, and looked cautiously around. The building was derelict, overgrowing weeds creeping onto the porch like some invading army in the night. It was a forsaken place, where only vagrants usually hung out these days, so what could be going on here right now was a mystery in itself. Determined to find out without tipping off the villain, he scanned through the broken down wooden building to its rear. Using his x-ray vision to its maximum potential, Kent soon had a crystal clear view of the crime, and from what he could tell it was a pretty nasty one. A man lay sprawled on the ground, his heart deathly still, and leaning over him a figure was about to remove a finger with a razor sharp, notched blade.

Without thinking further Clark hit super speed, wanting to catch the criminal in the act. A whoosh of air was all that signaled both his departure, and arrival in less than a millisecond.

" M.P.D. Move away from the body..." Kent didn't bother to flash his badge; he had long since learned that it was a very rare occurrence that it did any good. Usually the bad guy had no intention of giving in without a fight, and tonight he was sure wasn't going to be any different. Still he gave them the benefit of the doubt, and waited for a response.

None came, except in the form of a wild hiss from his adversary, before they launched into the night in a vain escape attempt. Clark had been expecting the move, and again used his speed to place himself in front of the murderer. "There's nowhere to run..."

This time a huff of complacency from the runner, told Kent all too late that something was wrong. This person wasn't amazed at how he had gotten in front of them, his lightning speed or reflexes hadn't come as a surprise, and that could mean only one thing. He knows...

As the revelation hit Clark's mind, a gloved hand darted outwards with yet another canister, this one somewhat different to the one used on previous victims. Abruptly alarmed by the strange and unpredicted action, Kent shot a short burst of heat from his eyes, searing through to the attacker's flesh just enough to make them want to drop the deadly spray. The action half worked, and with an angry yelp the foe shot back, but not before releasing the tiny trigger mechanism.

Like earlier victims, Kent's reaction was a spontaneous one and he still inhaled, his body's autonomic functions continuing their routine before his racing mind could stop them. Somehow knowing he shouldn't breath in anymore of the deadly particles, he tried to dive from the rest of their path as he saw each minute atom racing towards him, but even his speed wasn't enough. A burning sensation at the back of his throat told Clark he had breathed in some of the fine mist, and that somehow it was already affecting his normally invulnerable body.

The perpetrator watched as Kent's form slumped to the wet ground, unconscious, and they considered walking over to give him another dose, just in case. It would be the humane thing to do...The sarcastic idea was a pleasing one, and they began to amble over to make sure Kent stayed dead. From the roadway a shrill siren cut off the murderer's run of fun however, as Lane finally made it to the scene, perhaps all too late for her partner...