A/N: The last couple of chapters were kinda short, so I am putting up the next chapter. Thanks a ton for the reviews. I will definitely be checking out your stories as soon as I get a chance. In the meantime, if anyone is looking for something to pass the waiting period with, check out my website (see the profile). I made a fun little video the other day from the Spell episode. Okay, the adventure continues below! Let me know what you think...
Ch 5 - Reconnaissance
Inside the secret elevator shaft privately accessed via Luthor's office, Clark found the entrance to the hidden floor. Pulling a crowbar out of his bag, he set to work clawing at the steel door. It was 10 inches thick and immovable. Using enhanced strength allowed Clark to make some depressions in the crease, large enough to place his hands inside to get a grip. He was standing on a shallow ledge, jutting about 7 inches from the wall. It wasn't a great deal of space for him to maneuver, and his footing nearly slipped on his first attempt at sliding the door open.
He heard the sound of an engine whirring and knew that an elevator car was approaching. Placing a foot against the ladder he'd climbed to reach the floor, he took a deep breath and pulled, panting as the door began to slide. When it was open wide enough for him to get through, he sped through the opening, darting away as the door slammed shut.
The approaching elevator could mean that Luthor was back from the prison- or that someone else was checking on the 'projects'. Either way, it was bad. Clark scanned his surroundings. The area looked unfinished and dark. 3 corridors led from the elevator to other locations on the level. Choosing the one furthest to the left, Clark sped through the hallway until reaching the first door.
Lex had said to start the self-destruct sequence. Clark scanned the door for a hint at how to bypass the security system on the entry. As he stepped closer, sensors in the floor acknowledged his presence.
"Please insert keycard and submit for retinal scan," a mechanical female voice requested.
Clark stepped back from the door. He was at a loss for what to do. Narrowing his eyes, he sent blast of heat at the door, hoping for a mechanical breakdown. Instead, flashing lights began to bathe the hallway. There was no evidence of sirens blaring, so he assumed that silent alarms had also been triggered.
"Self destruct," he mumbled to himself, trying to calm his growing anxiety.
"Acknowledged," the computer responded.
Clark was startled. It couldn't be that easy.
"Please enter the code."
Clark stepped back up to the door. He didn't see a keypad. He reached for the door handle, thinking that maybe he could break it off, when it came loose in his hand. It was tethered to the door by wires. On its rear was a keypad and a small display.
Clark sighed and typed L-I-L-L-I-A-N. Lex's mother's name. The screen blanked and turned red. A line of numbers informed him that the pad would lock in 30 seconds. Using super speed, he typed in every word he could think of starting with the letter 'A'. 28.54.19 seconds later, he achieved success with the word 'Machiavelli'.
"Sequence started."
Time to go. Clark hesitated as the sound of running entered the hallway. He needed to make sure that the sequence wouldn't be stopped. Ripping the pad away from the door, he shoved the it open; no longer worrying about setting off alarms… it was too late for that.
Once inside the room, his mouth dropped open. To his right, an area about 10 square feet held a suspended scale model of Lex's Porsche. A computer screen near the center of the room showed an image of the hexagonal key, with streams of data scrolling in a separate window. On one of the adjacent walls, pictures of every one in his family accompanied pictures of the farm from all angles, including aerial shots. But that wasn't all… the mausoleum wasn't focused solely on the Kent clan.
Hundreds of pictures of other people Clark didn't recognize graced the remaining wall space. Stopper-capped beakers and tubes were organized on tables throughout the room. Looking through the wall, Clark saw that there were several other rooms connected. One of the rooms was occupied, and the person seemed to be quickly packing a briefcase while moving toward a door.
Moving quickly, he fried the computer's mainframe and set fire to the images on the wall. He then turned his attention to the sprinkler system, busting the embedded heads so the water wouldn't halt the damage he'd created. That ought to keep his pursuers busy for a while.
Jumping on top of a table, he moved a ceiling panel and pulled himself up. Carefully replacing the panel, he gingerly walked across the ceiling structure until he reached the wall to the elevator shaft. Below him he heard shouts as security became aware of the fire and tried to control it. Using the rafters for support, Clark climbed until he came in contact with a large vent. Removing the grid, he slid inside and pulled it closed behind him.
The vent took him through a series of vertical and horizontal tunnels. The smoke had somehow been contained onthe hidden floor.Clark guessed that it was already being sealed off from the rest of the building. He assumed that it was part of the self-destruct process.
After a while, Clark guessed he was somewhere past the 26th floor and looked for another vent opening. The one he found looked down into a stairwell. Kicking the grid, he dropped onto the landing and was startled by a yelp.
"What in the hell are you doing here?" he gasped, swearing out of shock at the sight of his companion.
Lois put a hand over her heart, trying to control her breath. "Funny," she panted, glaring at him. "I was thinking of asking you the same thing."
Lois glanced up at the hole in the ceiling. "I'm guessing you weren't invited for this visit?"
Clark frowned. "What are you doing here?" he tried again, his voice lowered.
"I'm working on a story."
"Damn it, Lois. You don't work for The Planet! What kind of story could you be working on?"
"LuthorCorp, LexCorp, and its founders… I don't trust corporate dynasties."
"You don't trust Lex? He helped you get into Met U!"
"As a favor to you, yes. Outside of whatever 'friendship' you two have going," Lois replied, indicating quotation marks with her fingers. "There's still too much gray for my liking."
"Lex is a good guy," Clark said, trying to listen for anyone coming. "We need to go."
"I think you're naïve. He's a Luthor. A power-junkie. Why are you all Cloak and Dagger if you think he's…"
"You're here illegally!"
"Oh, and I suppose that you and your buddy Lex are just playing Hide and Seek."
Clark didn't have time to argue with her. Grabbing her arm, he headed up the stairs.
"Wait a minute! Why are we going up?"
"Because the guards are down there," he said pointing down. "Come on."
As she was about to say something else, alarms sounded throughout the building, echoing loudly in the stairway. A loud metallic 'thunk' followed as all of the stairwell doors were automatically locked.
"We need to go. Now." Clark turned and began running up the stairs. Immediately, Lois followed.
As they rounded each corner, Lois noticed that the security cameras popped, and she ducked to avoid the flying sparks. To herself, she thought that Clark Kent had some serious mojo. She would have said it aloud if she didn't think her chest would burst for lack of oxygen. She really should have quit smoking earlier. Better yet, she shouldn't have ever started smoking at all.
Clark felt Lois slow down. There were more than 20 flights left before they would reach the roof and he knew their luck was running short. Almost carrying her the rest of the way, he was able to increase their speed without making it overly obvious. At the landing for the roof, Lois slumped against the wall.
She couldn't speak for panting, but her expression told him she was wondering what they were going to do next. They both knew that the doors were locked. Clark reached out to the door and pushed it open, not meeting her bewildered stare.
"Come on."
On the roof, vertigo made Lois stumble as the night illuminated the bustling downtown Metropolis skyline below them.
"Sh!t," she muttered, closing her eyes to gain her balance. When the world stopped spinning enough for her to open them, she found Clark looking over the side of the building.
"You wouldn't have happened to pack a parachute in that thing, would you?" she asked, pointing to his bag.
Shaking his head, Clark moved to another part of the low wall and gazed down. "We'll go this way," he said, gesturing for her to come closer.
Lois looked down. Way down. The Daily Planet was about 200 feet away. It's globe rested on top of the building 100 feet below where they stood.
"Go what way!" Lois exclaimed, her mind spinning. Sure there was something strange about Kent. He was fast. Check. He was strong… really strong. Check. He could pull explosions out of a hat, she thought. Fuzzy memories of the exploding pipe at the gym and the bursting of the mid-evil psychopath who attacked Chloe collided in her mind. She looked over the wall again. Add delusional to the list. Check.
"Stand right here," he said, positioning her by the wall.
"Okay, tell you what," she tried, panicking. "Let's just wait here. We'll explain it was all a misunderstanding. I'll give the stolen keycard back… Lex is your friend… we can work…"
Her voice faltered when she noticed that he was no longer standing by her.
Looking around wildly, she thought she saw the silhouette of someone on the other side of the roof. The figure was at least 50 yards away. They still might be able to get away- if she could coax Crazy Kent back into the stairwell. Turning in a full circle, she didn't see him anywhere. The fool jumped, she thought, exasperated, and turned to look over the building.
Without warning, she felt herself being lifted and carried over the edge. The only thing that flashed through her mind was the image of her mother.
That flying thing would come in handy right about now, Clark thought, trying to command his body to defy gravity. It wasn't working.
He'd taken a pretty good running start; starting at the other side of the roof. Right before jumping, he'd grabbed Lois. He'd been confident that it would kick in. It had to.
The horizontal progress was good. They would make the globe- but they were falling too fast. Lois was extremely quiet- probably in shock.
As they neared the globe, Clark put all of his concentration into one thought - 'Up!' It happened only a millisecond before contact, but it was enough to slow their descent to the point where they wouldn't crash through the thing. Tucking, he rolled Lois on top of him, breaking her fall at the last second. Even using him as a cushion, the back of her head hit his chest - hard.
tbc
