A/N: I'm trying to update quickly, see? I'm sorry about no Clana in the
last chapter, but my mind hasn't really been on them.
Clark and Lana strolled arm in arm. Clark glanced over at Lana, and realized she was near tears. He squeezed her hand. "What's wrong?"
She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at Clark. "I was just thinking how things would have been different if we had ended on better terms eight years ago."
He jostled her out of the thought. "Lana, you can't think like that. What's done is done."
Clark kissed her cheek tenderly, and it touched her. Lana felt instantly better. She shot a silly grin his way. "Of course, you're right."
Suddenly what appeared to be a homeless man walked up to them from an empty alleyway. He looked harmless at first glance; however, Clark noticed a certain gleam in his eye.
The bum walked directly up to Lana and took a strong hold of her arm. She glanced down in surprise, and said, "Get your hands off of me!"
The bum sneered. "You let him," indicating Clark with a strong jerk of his head, "put his hands all over you. Why can't I have a little fun?"
Clark picked up the bum by his neck and held him above his head. "Don't ever touch her again. Do you understand me?"
The bum sneered again. "Do you think I take orders from you? The only one I listen to is Lex Luthor."
Clark was so surprised; he dropped the man on the ground.
The bum picked himself up, dusted his clothes, and continued. "Here's my advice to the both of you. Keep that blonde friend of yours away from the company Glow! or she and your brunette girlfr . . . let's say, friend, might suffer."
Lana balled her free hand into a fist. "Are you threatening me?"
The bum patted her face; she shirked away in revulsion. "No, just conversing."
Clark pushed the bum away from Lana. "Harm one hair on her head and it will be YOUR face I hunt."
The bum backed away into the same alleyway he had come from.
Clark was about to go after him, but Lana put a restraining hand on his chest and said softly, "Clark, beating him up won't solve anything. Let's just go back to the Planet."
As they were walking away, though, Lana said, "Although I would have liked to take a few shots at him myself." Clark still didn't seem mollified.
She kissed him lightly on the lips, and said, "Clark! Earth to Clark!" He shook his head and looked at her. "Just tell Chloe what he said and we'll figure this all out. Together."
Back in the alleyway, the bum pulled out an expensive cell phone and made the imperative call to his boss.
Lex answered on one ring. "Have you done what was demanded of you?"
The bum smiled. "Everything's taken care of, boss. I told the boyfriend to keep the blonde away from everything related to Glow! and Lex Luthor."
Lex slammed his fist down on the mahogany desk. The glass of brandy on the desk shook lightly. "You idiot! You were to tell Lana, and Lana only, about our little deal. Why did you bring Clark Kent into this?"
The bum whined. "Lana would have told him anyway."
Lex's voice grew suddenly chilly. "Not acceptable."
The bum got angry. "I did what you asked. Now, I expect my one-hundred thousand George Washington's in the bank by 3:30."
Lex said, "Of course. 3:30." He hung up the phone with a deadly click. Lex picked it up once more and listened for a dial tone.
He dialed another number. "You know who this is. I need you to take care of something for me . . ."
Exactly five minutes later, a young woman out for a stroll with her two children came across a homeless man, dead, shot directly in the heart.
Lana and Clark speculated on the bum all the way back to the Planet.
When they took the elevator up, Lana looked at Clark and said, "Why would Lex warn Chloe off researching Glow!. Obviously she knows something we don't. She's got to tell us what happened in that interview."
Clark leaned against the wall of the elevator. "She won't. Journalist- confidentiality, remember?"
Lana shrugged. "Surely she'll see this is different. We'll tell her we have information, and use it to bargain."
Clark grinned. "You act like she's some kind of businessman. Lana, she's our friend."
Lana closed her eyes in frustration. "A friend who won't tell us anything. We have to use anything we've got."
As they entered the mailroom, they noticed it was dead silent. Everyone's gaze was drawn to the 13-inch TV that was showing a 'Breaking News Special.'
A distinguished older man appeared, and said, "Metropolis has reason to believe that a sniper is on the loose. Let's go on the scene where the first supposed 'attack' has taken place. Diane?"
Lana walked up to Chloe, who was leaning on Ethan casually, and said, "What's going on?"
Chloe mumbled, "Something about a sniper. Now, hush and listen!"
Diane came on, looking very grim. "Here we have the woman who stumbled upon the man, after he had been shot."
The woman was in her thirties, blonde, and completely hysterical. "I was just out taking a walk with my two children! And he was just lying there! I knew he was dead when I first saw him, so I sent the kids into that store," she pointed a shaky finger to the local ice cream shop, "and called the police."
Diane patted the woman's hand in sympathy, while trying not to drop her microphone. "What a horrible experience."
Back to business again, Diane dropped the sympathy and said, "Police have identified the man as Anthony Rissinger."
A police sketch of the man flashed on the screen.
Lana gasped and elbowed Clark. "Clark, isn't he the bum . . .?" Clark cut her off by saying, "Yah. He's the one."
The reporter continued. "It was concluded that he was shot from about 25 feet away. Other than that, the police are not releasing any more details. There are no suspects. Back to you, Jim."
Jim hadn't realized he was on-air again, and was having someone touch up his makeup. When he realized he was on-air, he shooed the makeup artist away with a frantic flutter of his hand.
"Thanks, Diane. This was a Channel 22 'Breaking News Special.' Now, back to your regular programming."
The TV flipped back to a Seinfeld rerun.
Everyone began to chatter at once, and the noise escalated. Perry bellowed out, "Be quiet!"
The silence was deafening. "Instead of sitting there like a bunch of jaybirds at a feeder, get out there and DO something! I want facts, figures! And a hell of a good story on my desk at 5!"
Lana turned to Clark. "Who would have killed him?"
Clark frowned. "I don't know. Obviously, someone with a very good shooting arm."
Chloe's reporter instincts honed in when she heard Lana. "Did you two know that guy?"
Lana responded, "That depends. What do you know about the company Glow! ?"
Chloe clutched her notebook to her chest. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Lana set her chin firmly and looked at Clark. He sighed and said, "Then, no, we didn't know that guy."
After a very long pause, Chloe gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine, we'll trade."
Ethan had been halfway listening to the conversation, and said, "Can I help?"
Chloe grimaced. "You might as well hear this too. Sit." Ethan pulled out a reclining chair and looked up expectantly.
Lana sat down at Clark's desk and said, "Spill your guts, babe."
Clark and Lana strolled arm in arm. Clark glanced over at Lana, and realized she was near tears. He squeezed her hand. "What's wrong?"
She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at Clark. "I was just thinking how things would have been different if we had ended on better terms eight years ago."
He jostled her out of the thought. "Lana, you can't think like that. What's done is done."
Clark kissed her cheek tenderly, and it touched her. Lana felt instantly better. She shot a silly grin his way. "Of course, you're right."
Suddenly what appeared to be a homeless man walked up to them from an empty alleyway. He looked harmless at first glance; however, Clark noticed a certain gleam in his eye.
The bum walked directly up to Lana and took a strong hold of her arm. She glanced down in surprise, and said, "Get your hands off of me!"
The bum sneered. "You let him," indicating Clark with a strong jerk of his head, "put his hands all over you. Why can't I have a little fun?"
Clark picked up the bum by his neck and held him above his head. "Don't ever touch her again. Do you understand me?"
The bum sneered again. "Do you think I take orders from you? The only one I listen to is Lex Luthor."
Clark was so surprised; he dropped the man on the ground.
The bum picked himself up, dusted his clothes, and continued. "Here's my advice to the both of you. Keep that blonde friend of yours away from the company Glow! or she and your brunette girlfr . . . let's say, friend, might suffer."
Lana balled her free hand into a fist. "Are you threatening me?"
The bum patted her face; she shirked away in revulsion. "No, just conversing."
Clark pushed the bum away from Lana. "Harm one hair on her head and it will be YOUR face I hunt."
The bum backed away into the same alleyway he had come from.
Clark was about to go after him, but Lana put a restraining hand on his chest and said softly, "Clark, beating him up won't solve anything. Let's just go back to the Planet."
As they were walking away, though, Lana said, "Although I would have liked to take a few shots at him myself." Clark still didn't seem mollified.
She kissed him lightly on the lips, and said, "Clark! Earth to Clark!" He shook his head and looked at her. "Just tell Chloe what he said and we'll figure this all out. Together."
Back in the alleyway, the bum pulled out an expensive cell phone and made the imperative call to his boss.
Lex answered on one ring. "Have you done what was demanded of you?"
The bum smiled. "Everything's taken care of, boss. I told the boyfriend to keep the blonde away from everything related to Glow! and Lex Luthor."
Lex slammed his fist down on the mahogany desk. The glass of brandy on the desk shook lightly. "You idiot! You were to tell Lana, and Lana only, about our little deal. Why did you bring Clark Kent into this?"
The bum whined. "Lana would have told him anyway."
Lex's voice grew suddenly chilly. "Not acceptable."
The bum got angry. "I did what you asked. Now, I expect my one-hundred thousand George Washington's in the bank by 3:30."
Lex said, "Of course. 3:30." He hung up the phone with a deadly click. Lex picked it up once more and listened for a dial tone.
He dialed another number. "You know who this is. I need you to take care of something for me . . ."
Exactly five minutes later, a young woman out for a stroll with her two children came across a homeless man, dead, shot directly in the heart.
Lana and Clark speculated on the bum all the way back to the Planet.
When they took the elevator up, Lana looked at Clark and said, "Why would Lex warn Chloe off researching Glow!. Obviously she knows something we don't. She's got to tell us what happened in that interview."
Clark leaned against the wall of the elevator. "She won't. Journalist- confidentiality, remember?"
Lana shrugged. "Surely she'll see this is different. We'll tell her we have information, and use it to bargain."
Clark grinned. "You act like she's some kind of businessman. Lana, she's our friend."
Lana closed her eyes in frustration. "A friend who won't tell us anything. We have to use anything we've got."
As they entered the mailroom, they noticed it was dead silent. Everyone's gaze was drawn to the 13-inch TV that was showing a 'Breaking News Special.'
A distinguished older man appeared, and said, "Metropolis has reason to believe that a sniper is on the loose. Let's go on the scene where the first supposed 'attack' has taken place. Diane?"
Lana walked up to Chloe, who was leaning on Ethan casually, and said, "What's going on?"
Chloe mumbled, "Something about a sniper. Now, hush and listen!"
Diane came on, looking very grim. "Here we have the woman who stumbled upon the man, after he had been shot."
The woman was in her thirties, blonde, and completely hysterical. "I was just out taking a walk with my two children! And he was just lying there! I knew he was dead when I first saw him, so I sent the kids into that store," she pointed a shaky finger to the local ice cream shop, "and called the police."
Diane patted the woman's hand in sympathy, while trying not to drop her microphone. "What a horrible experience."
Back to business again, Diane dropped the sympathy and said, "Police have identified the man as Anthony Rissinger."
A police sketch of the man flashed on the screen.
Lana gasped and elbowed Clark. "Clark, isn't he the bum . . .?" Clark cut her off by saying, "Yah. He's the one."
The reporter continued. "It was concluded that he was shot from about 25 feet away. Other than that, the police are not releasing any more details. There are no suspects. Back to you, Jim."
Jim hadn't realized he was on-air again, and was having someone touch up his makeup. When he realized he was on-air, he shooed the makeup artist away with a frantic flutter of his hand.
"Thanks, Diane. This was a Channel 22 'Breaking News Special.' Now, back to your regular programming."
The TV flipped back to a Seinfeld rerun.
Everyone began to chatter at once, and the noise escalated. Perry bellowed out, "Be quiet!"
The silence was deafening. "Instead of sitting there like a bunch of jaybirds at a feeder, get out there and DO something! I want facts, figures! And a hell of a good story on my desk at 5!"
Lana turned to Clark. "Who would have killed him?"
Clark frowned. "I don't know. Obviously, someone with a very good shooting arm."
Chloe's reporter instincts honed in when she heard Lana. "Did you two know that guy?"
Lana responded, "That depends. What do you know about the company Glow! ?"
Chloe clutched her notebook to her chest. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Lana set her chin firmly and looked at Clark. He sighed and said, "Then, no, we didn't know that guy."
After a very long pause, Chloe gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine, we'll trade."
Ethan had been halfway listening to the conversation, and said, "Can I help?"
Chloe grimaced. "You might as well hear this too. Sit." Ethan pulled out a reclining chair and looked up expectantly.
Lana sat down at Clark's desk and said, "Spill your guts, babe."