Origins – Chapter 20
Author's Notes: Isn't life grand? No, not really. But, here's another installment of Origins. A mixture of quips, action and drama, hope it's not a total loss. Enjoy and when you've got the chance, please review if there's something to say. Words will do, some times even paragraphs. Have a good day.
En route to Docks
In the car, Lois continues her assessment on the billionaire's cool ass vehicle. "So what do you call this car anyway?" Lois asks. "Batcar? Batrider? Bombatstic? The Batmobile? Howard?"
Clark throws her a look to leave it alone but she ignored it. She wasn't teasing, she honestly wanted to know. Can't blame a girl for finding the entire superhero thing fascinating. Maybe after tonight she can throw in a tiny article in the Gotham Gazette about the dark knight prowling Gotham with his very expensive looking car, she mused.
"Haven't really thought about it," Bruce as Batman answered.
Batman reached for the center console and activated the built-in radar systems. "We're several clicks away. See the red?"
Lois and Clark nods.
Batman continued. "That means it's being guarded." He paused realizing the inevitable. "I should never have brought you two to this but since I know you'll find a way to get there anyway, I might as well have you both where I can see you"
"You don't have to worry about us," Clark assured him.
"He's not lying," Lois adds on Clark's behalf, but all Batman gave them was a skeptical look.
"I don't want you two to get yourselves killed. I've got enough in my conscience," Batman says with finality.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, Bruce, but Lois and I are going to do what we got to do"
"And how are you going to get through their defenses, exactly? These aren't college bullies or turf wars we're dealing with. Thorne is a criminal whose powerbase extends farther than the average dirty cop or petty thief"
"I've dealt with people like them before"
Batman has had enough of this and pushes on the brakes. If it wasn't for Clark's quick reflexes, Lois would probably have gone head first through his unbreakable windshield.
"What are you, crazy?" Lois spat out. After looking at his outfit one more time she realized what she just asked. "Don't answer that"
"There's more you're not telling me, I can tell that long before we left the mansion. What is it about you that you're not telling me, Kent?"
Lois looked away and Clark clenched his jaw. The initial shock gone, she is still getting used to the idea of her boyfriend being a super-powered alien from another planet. Clark on the other hand is just worried for everyone's safety, whether they knew about him or not.
One thing Clark knew for sure, he wasn't going to tell Bruce Wayne everything until they find Chloe. Luckily for him, Lois covered for him first.
"Look, when this is over, we'll answer your questions but right now, our focus is Chloe and I don't know about you but I'm anxious to get her back"
Batman breathed out before pressing on the gas. She was right, of course. Despite how worried he is that too many people know who he is now, he couldn't help but notice Lois and Clark's hands intertwine, as if holding onto each other is giving them the strength to move forward.
Bruce can't help but appreciate such a small and genuine action and only wished that he had that same affection with somebody.
Rachel is great. His best friend. His first love. But as adults, they grew apart. They were still the best of friends but it wasn't the same. He knew that wasn't a bad thing. Change. Next to loss, it's one of the worst experiences a person can go through. It'll either bring you up or take you all the way down. You can never know with change. It's very unpredictable.
Empty Warehouse
"Thirty two bottles of beer on the wall. Thirty two bottles of beer. Take one down. Pass it around. Thirty one bottles of beer on the wall. Thirty one UGH!" Chloe yelped in her cell. She's been down here for lords knows how long and still no sign of escape. 'Come on Lois. Surely you're not making me wait'
If anyone can find her, it's Lois and Clark together. She's never wished so much for Clark to be with Lois right now at this moment planning her rescue.
"This is what I get for saying 'no,'" she recalled to the other night when Lois insisted she stay at Uncle Luke's.
The knowledge of Lois and Clark being together was a shock. It still is but the sting lightened considering the situation she's in right now. After hours upon hours of internal thinking, she's come to realize that she's truly happy for them. Now if they can only get their butts down here and rescue her, all would be perfect.
Clark has probably told Lois his secret by now, so there's no excuse for her extreme lateness, she thought with a smile.
Lois and Clark.
Who would've thought?
The Docks
"Find your cousin, I'm going after Thorne," Batman ordered. They exited the vehicle that Bruce is against calling it the Batmobile. It sounded far too caricature for his tastes, and his car deserved better than that.
"Bruce," Lois calls out, using his real name instead of his alternate persona.
He turned reluctantly and faced her, sincerity shone across her eyes.
"Thank you"
He tried not to smile but did so anyway. Normally, this is the part that he claims no one should have to thank him for. But between her and Clark, he wanted to take credit.
"You're welcome"
Then he disappeared.
Lois looks at Clark with appreciation. "You've got to have a cape too"
"Lois!"
Outside the Main Warehouse
Clark led the way, scanning through walls and all kinds of solid materials in order to find the shortest path possible to Chloe. Lois cursed herself for not at least bringing in a weapon. God forbid, Bruce's lair was filled with all kinds of gadgetry.
"RAH!" Roland Desmond crashed straight through from the other wall pushing Clark down.
"Lois! Stay back!"
The guy was strong. A body builder on steroids is more like it. He threw Clark from one wall and then another, breaking anything that came in contact with him. Lois could do nothing but watch in horror while Desmond beats her boyfriend to death.
So she did the next thing instinct told her to, grabbed a loose pipe and beat him in the head with it.
Didn't work and Lois ends up flying towards Clark.
Lucky for her, he was conscious enough to see her coming and took the kind liberty to break her fall.
"Sorry honey"
"It's okay." He helped her up. "I'll handle this"
Clark super speeded towards Desmond, knocking him unconscious before throwing the only other power he had thought gave him little use since discovering it. He breathed out a strong smoke of 0 degree ice from his breath, encasing Desmond in a clear white ice cube that reached all the way up to his neck, exposing his face.
Lois thought she had seen all of it, but damn.
"I love my boyfriend"
Lower Level
With Batman's high tech equipment and Clark's x-ray capabilities, it didn't take long for the three to find her cousin. On the way there, they had split up. She was after Chloe, Bruce is after Thorne.
"CHLOE!" Lois screamed in relief when she caught Chloe in her line of sight. Clark literally broke the bar doors off its hinges leaving Lois amazed every time he used his gift. "Gotta love it"
Chloe sprinted towards Lois and Clark with a massive hug. Just as they thought it was going to be a touching moment, Chloe let them go and shoved them both on the shoulder.
"What took you guys so long?"
Lois and Clark gawked.
"What?"
"Come on"
"You didn't exactly leave bread crumbs for us to find"
"We came as fast as we could"
They bantered off one another with excuses, leaving Chloe highly amused. Lois crossed her arms and gave her dear cousin a deathly glare.
"That's so low, Chlo"
"Thanks, guys." Chloe smiled brightly. "I needed that"
Clark interrupts them. "Let's go you two, before they…" The goons approach from a rear entrance. "Come"
"What do we do now?" Chloe asks. Things always end up from bad to worse.
Lois eyed each of them before whispering, "You can always incinerate them with your heat vision, Clark"
Chloe chuckles at the thought while Clark sighs.
"I'm not going to incinerate them, Lois"
"Got a better idea"
On cue, Batman falls from the roof, his cape slowing his descent landing him perfectly on the ground. Several goons including the younger Desmond close in on him and Batman fights them off with strategic movement.
Jab. Punch. Hook. Front kick. Back hand. Roundhouse kick then a sweep. Batman was too quick leaving them all incapacitated in a matter of seconds. Chloe watched him with certain awe. Not since Clark has someone truly impressed her.
"Whoa. What the hell is that?" She asked Lois while pointing to the masked figure.
"Oh that. That's Batman," Lois says like it's the most normal thing in the world to say. Her younger cousin looks at her with an odd expression. "What?" Lois asks.
Chloe shook her mind off the guy in the black bat suit and turned her attention back to the current situation.
"So what's the plan, cuz?"
"Uh…" Lois looked around. "Give me a sec"
"Tell me you're kidding, Lo." Chloe looks at Clark. "She's kidding right?" She looks back at Lois. "Tell me you didn't bust your way in here and not have a plan"
"Hey!" she spun prepared to defend her integrity. "The Desmond Brother's tried to murder me a few hours ago; we were all under some serious time constraints." She turned to Batman who was busy tying the bad guys up.
"Batman!" Lois yelled for him, and then she looks at Chloe. "I'm never gonna get used to saying that and sound serious," she says before looking back at Batman. "Get my cousin out of here"
"What about you?" Chloe already didn't like this idea, but then again there was Batman to consider.
"Look, I know you think this isn't my fault, but I feel like it is"
"Lois. Don't worry," Chloe says. "I'm not mad at you. Can we talk about this later; there are people that's trying to kill us"
"Ladies, we've got to go," Clark says in between them. "It's better that we split up."
Batman appears by their side surprising Chloe.
"You take Chloe," Lois says pulling Chloe towards Batman.
"What? Why me?" Chloe argued before a strong arm wrapped itself around her face. She looked down and felt gravity leave her as Batman shot something up into the sky.
"Hold on!" he says.
It all happened so fast, Chloe could barely get a thought out.
As Batman and Chloe ascended from their view, Lois looked at Clark, a grateful sigh escaped her. "I love you"
Clark smiled. "I know." His super hearing caught he sound of police sirens closing into the area. With one last look at the unconscious criminals tied together in a bungle, he lifted Lois in his arms. "You ready?"
"It's my favorite part," she says with a grin.
Clark knelt down slightly before blasting off and out of the warehouse leaving nothing but a blur in his wake.
To be continued…