One level below, Dr. Hines stood watching the surveillance monitor with a slack jaw as Lila, the annoying reporter Clark, and a blond woman entered his lab and started snooping all over the place. Lila Lotz was even on his computer! iThe nerve of them/i, he thought. He watched them gather around his computer, then he saw them all start laughing. This enraged him even more. When they all stopped laughing, the reporter Clark, and the other woman started searching the lab. He knew they would never find the hidden door. Tech workers who hung their coats in the closet every day had no idea the door was there.
Dr. Hines watched with amusement as the reporter walked the perimeter of the lab. Dr. Hines used the control pad to follow Clark around the lab. When Clark approached the metal cabinet, Dr. Mason Hines saw him pause. For a moment there was a flicker of fear in Mason's head. But he shook it away. What he saw next firmly cemented the fear. Clark opened the cabinet and threw the coats on the floor. A few minutes later Chloe and Lila were there, and the next thing Mason realized, the three of them had disappeared into the cabinet.
Dr. Hines whirled around on his heels to face the door into the lab. He quickly picked up the phone at the surveillance desk and punched Katherine's pager number. When he got the message he dialed his number, and 911.
Lois glanced at her computer clock. iDamn/i, she cursed herself, ialmost five and I'm still here/i. Lois reread the last part of her story again. It just wasn't coming together the way she wanted.
"Lane! What's the status of that Symphony story? I gotta have it by five," Perry White, the editor of The Daily Planet called into the office as he stood in the doorway.
"Almost got it, Chief," Lois responded. It would have to do as is, she thought. Lois submitted her article through the computer, and immediately got confirmation that it was received.
"There, it's been sent," Lois turned in her chair to face the editor.
"Good, where are Kent and Sullivan?" Perry asked.
"Oh, they got a tip on Lionel Luthor," Lois vaguely offered. Not really lying, but not sure if it was the truth either.
"That covers Sullivan, what about Kent?" he came back at her.
"Oh, I think he's, uh, getting some follow up information from Dr. Lotz about the I.O.N.A. story," Lois lied.
"He never talked to me about a follow up," Perry replied
Lois looked at himblankly, feeling like a complete jerk for lying.
"Well, I'll have to talk to Kent Monday about it then," Perry finally said, "Have a nice weekend, Lane," he called as he walked back down the hall to his own office.
Lois left the building and started the short walk to Chloe's apartment, still feeling awful for having lied to Perry. She made a mental note to give Chloe and Clark a good verbal lashing for putting her on the spot like that.
Ten minutes later, Lois was in front of Chloe's building. She entered the brownstone and hiked three floors to Chloe's apartment. Lois knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Chloe's home number. She heard the phone ringing inside, but no movement otherwise. She disconnected her call and knocked again, louder this time; still no answer. Lois stood in front of the door, unsure of what to do.
Lois flipped open her phone again, and hit her speed dial for Chloe's cell phone.
She heard one ring, then a message about the caller she was trying to reach being out of the service area. Lois furrowed her brow in concern. Her call was then forwarded to Chloe's voicemail.
"Chloe, its Lois, call me. Lana is still not at your apartment, and now your phone is out of the service area. You're freakin' me out cous'. Call me!"
Lois considered calling Clark's cell phone as well, since Chloe had said they were together. Lois slowly exited the building and once back on the street she dialed Clark's cell phone. She didn't hear the ringing from the third floor apartment where Clark had left his phone. All she heard was her call going straight to voicemail.
Twenty minutes later Lois walked through the front door of the penthouse apartment she shared with Lex. She could smell dinner being prepared. Lois dropped her bag and keys on the entry table, and walked through the penthouse, searching for Lex. She found him in his study. He was sitting on the leather couch-a glass of Brandy in his hand. He looked up at her as she entered.
"Before you start in on me, I didn't think you needed to be at work today, and what better way to show the public that you're mourning for your father than to close business for the day?" Lois defended herself from just inside the doorway.
"I know," Lex answered, unconsciously reaching a hand up to pat the bandages on the back of his scalp.
Lois looked at him curiously, expecting the axe to drop. She crossed her arms in front of her and shifted her weight.
"But," she added, her eyebrows raised, waiting for the lecture on staying out of his business, letting him handle Luthorcorp, blah, blah, blah.
"But nothing," he said, dropping his hand, setting his glass on the side table and standing up. He walked over to her and gave her a long, deep kiss, his hands gently framing her face. Lois's arms relaxed and she reached around his torso, embracing him.
Lex released her from the kiss, and reached his own arms around her, lowering his head into the crook of her neck.
"You were right to close the offices today, I couldn't have handled being there," Lex said softly while they held each other. He decided not to tell Lois about the second dream.
"Thank you for always looking out for me," he added. He seemed sincere.
Lois ran her fingers gently up and down Lex's back. Her face nestled into his chest. She breathed him in. They stood there for several minutes before Lex pulled away. Lois reluctantly let him go.
She watched him retrieve his glass and cross the room to his mini-bar. She felt frustrated anger deep within her at his apparent dependency on alcohol, and she racked her brain for some conversation to keep him from pouring another glass of Brandy.
"I've got some interesting news," she changed the subject with the first thing that popped into her mind. Lex looked at her, smiling.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Lana's back in town," Lois blurted, unsure how to sugar coat the news, and she realized as she said it that this might not be the topic to prevent more alcohol consumption.
Lex visibly paused and looked at her, not surprised.
"You knew?" she asked, not able to help the accusatory tone.
"I got a postcard in the mail from her yesterday. She wanted to meet and talk," Lex stated.
Lois wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't understand why he didn't just tell her. Lois was not the jealous type, especially when it came to Lana. If anything she felt more jealous with the closeness Chloe and Clark seemed to share. They were able read each other so well. Lois was certain that was a closeness she would never see with Lex.
Her eyes hardened on him.
"Don't look at me like that," he said.
"What am I supposed to think?" she replied.
"Don't think anything," Lex abandoned his refill, and walked back over the Lois. He took her hand, and raising it to his mouth, he kissed the inside of her wrist. Lois couldn't help but smile weakly. iIf all else fails, Lex resorts to seduction/i Lois thought, fighting with herself whether to let it go and trust Lex, or argue the point more.
"She stopped by today and there's nothing more too it," he said absently, "it's over, Lana and I-,"
"Wait, Lana was here?" Lois interrupted, pulling her hand back.
"Yes, but we just talked, it wasn't-," Lex started.
"No, that's fine, I understand. But Lex, Lana was supposed to meet Chloe at her apartment tonight, and she never made it there and no one can reach her on her cell phone," Lois said, absently running her hand through her thick, lose hair.
"Well Lana left here about three," Lex offered.
"So where is she?" Lois asked, worry creeping into her voice.
"Don't worry, we'll find her," Lex calmly responded, not really worried. "Where is Chloe now?"
"I don't know, I can't get her or Clark to answer their cell phones," Lois exasperatedly stated. "The last time I spoke with Chloe, she and Clark and Lila were heading to Luthorcorp."
Lex walked over to the phone on the side table, and dialed the downstairs desk. He spoke for a few minutes then hung up the phone.
"The doorman confirms that Lana left the building and was fine. He says he watched her walk down the street, then she turned the corner and was out of sight," Lex relayed the information to Lois.
"Maybe if we retraced Lana's steps, there'll be some clues?" Lois offered, heading for the door.
Lex grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Lex, Lana is my friend, Chloe is my cousin, and Clark..." Lois trailed off, unsure of how to define what she felt for Clark.
"If they're in trouble, I'm going after them," she set her jaw firmly, her Lane stubbornness showing through, full-force.
Lex sighed.
"Fine, we'll both go," he said.
Lana was still trying to figure out what was going on. She could hear the man who was holding her captive, cursing under his breath across the room.
While her captor's attention was diverted, Lana struggled with the ropes around her wrists. She pulled, and strained but finally gave up when she pulled a muscle in her shoulder. She bit her lip against the sharp shooting pain. She wanted to cry, but she knew that would do nothing to better her situation. She heard the man walk towards her again.
He was mumbling under his breath, something about showing them who's suited for power. Lana felt the ropes binding her to the wood-backed chair loosen.
"Stand up," the man ordered, "Quickly! Come on!" He added impatiently.
Lana leaned her body forward, and slowly stood, her legs were weak from the drugs. The man she was with grabbed her elbow and led her across the room. Lana stumbled, unable to see where she was going. He stopped her a minute later and she heard some rustling, then a click like a door opening.
"Get in," he instructed, shoving her by her elbow through the unseen doorway. Lana stumbled in, tripping and landing on her face, her arms tied helplessly behind her. She gave a small groan as her face made contact with the hard floor, her forehand and cheek stinging with the pain of fresh cuts. She rolled onto her back, and attempted to sit up. The floor she was sitting on was cold, it felt like untreated concrete. She scooted back on her behind until she felt the wall behind her. She hoped there were no mice or spiders in this room, wherever it was.
She heard the man enter the room after her, and the door they came through closed with a click. She could no longer see any light when she looked out the bottom of her blindfold.
Lana tilted her head to the side to keep the blood from the cuts on her forehead from running into her eyes.
"Just be quiet now," he instructed in an angry whisper. Lana sat there, considering her options. She didn't know if he still had that knife he'd threatened her with earlier. She could either scream, as it seemed he was afraid there were people coming who he didn't want to see, or she could sit quietly and do as he said.
Lana thought for a moment, and then made her decision.