Chapter 10:
"…A reward of 1 billion dollars to anyone who captures or kills Superman. The White House spokesman made it official this morning after some speculation during the night after Superman escaped from the Stryker's Island, Metropolis meta-human prison. President Luthor was wounded during the escape but his condition is stable. However, his location is unknown…"
She turned away from the TV, disgusted with news distortion. Luthor had spread his influence across the media including the paper she worked for: The Daily Planet. - "Is everyone blinded? A guy in a single bound leaped to that prison and bam! Third World War..."
She sat on her desk and looked at the front page, frustrated. – "S***!". – The frustration became rage and she grabbed the paper and tossed to the trash can next to her desk. She considered resigning the night before but between the angst of knowing nothing about Superman's condition, the anger of hearing the distorted rumors about Superman and speculation of a prize for Superman's head, she decided to let the dust settle down a bit.
She felt a little lost with all the recent events and especially since she had a lot of circumstantial evidence but nothing concrete to put against Luthor: fortunately for her, there was a small light at the end of tunnel.
"I've got it!" – Jimmy shouted, walking to her, bringing his laptop.
He was one of her last hopes: Jimmy wasn't far away when Metallo arrived at the Metropolis harbour the day before and while Metallo fought and defeated rapidly Metropolis P.D before he leaped into Stryker's island, it gave time for Jimmy to go back and take a few photos.
He put the laptop on her desk and opened it, revealing the photos he had taken. – "There weren't much to work with and this one has what you want." – She leaned forward, focusing all her attention on the best cleared image Jimmy had worked with and what she saw, made her astonished.
"Do you know him?" – Jimmy asked seeing Lois's dumbfounded face.
"It's Corben, don't you remember?" – Lois asked Jimmy but Jimmy's blank expression left her disappointed but she insisted. – "Remember Metropolis's downtown smackdown between him and Superman, almost two years ago?"
"Yeah, I remember that." – It was still fuzzy for Jimmy but Lois's mention revived his memory. – Didn't he die about around then?"
"Is it just me or are we witnessing the rise of the living-dead?"
"Anyway, I've got to go to the Metropolis General Hospital's morgue to spot the coroner's records to see if there's anything missing." – She grabbed her purse and took her car keys and headed to the elevator.
"I'll go with you in a minute. Let me get my camera." – Jimmy affirmed , already walking towards his desk.
"I'll meet you downstairs." – She declared when she was already at the elevator. The door closed and she grabbed her cell phone and dialled.
"Hello? This is Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. I wish to speak with Senator Pete Ross."
"…due to security measures the President's location is classified and it's unclear whether the Vice-President will assume leadership or President Luthor will continue. Meanwhile every military force began preparations for what appears to be a full war against the Man of Steel and there's been some speculation about the implementation of martial law in the major U.S cities…"
He shut down the T.V: the worst case scenario his best friend had feared had become a reality. He got up and walked to the window from where he could see some anxiety in the streets. He too felt the anxiety for the outcome of this war scenario and manhunt: the previous day's news left him concerned but a small message addressed to him hours later cheered him up a little.
"Fly Crows, Fly."
By reading the message, he knew where to go. Suddenly someone knocked at the door.
"Yes?"
The door opened and his secretary entered. - "Senator Ross? There's a Lois Lane from the Daily Planet who wishes to speak with you sir. What should I say?"
Pete knew Lois's intentions but she had to wait. – "Tell her that I had to solve family matters. She'll understand. I'm leaving now: so any calls, take a message and when I get back, I call back."
"Yes sir, I'll notify the security…"
"No…" – Pete interrupted. – "I'm going alone: there is no discussion." – His serious made his assistant immediately understand, he wanted to go alone.
He grabbed his coat and his car key and left the office, heading to the parking lot. He entered inside the car: the journey was going to be long since the distance between Topeka and Smallville was a little longer than the distance between Metropolis and Smallville.
Lois hung up the phone: Ross's secretary told her he wasn't available due to family issues. She took the elevator and headed for the parking lot where Jimmy was already waiting for her to go to the Metropolis Morgue to find any clue about Corben's apparent resurrection.
They entered in her care and exited the Daily Planet parking lot and headed to the morgue.
"Do you know anyone who can show us the morgue records? I mean, it's confidential: they don't let anyone near those files except the cops."
"You don't have to be a guest to enter someone's house, do you?" – She showed a sly smile to Jimmy which Jimmy fully comprehended.
"I see…"
They were the first ones to stop at a red sign in a cross road: they waited a couple of minutes and the sign shifted from red to green again and they were about to take off, a black van coming from the left side stopped right in front of them, blocked their way: one of the van's doors opened and two masked individuals stepped out with machine guns and pointed them at Lois and Jimmy.
"Get out of the car, now!" – One of them shouted aggressively to Lois and Jimmy. Jimmy tried to press the help button in his watch for Superman's aid but one of the masked individuals anticipated him.
"Don't even think about it or your brains will be splashed all over the car!"
Both Lois and Jimmy put their hands up in the air while the two individuals opened the car's doors and both exited. A third masked individual came out of the van and came close to them.
"I need her and his watch." – The third individual declared while pointing at Jimmy's watch. Then the individual next to Jimmy took his watch and with the back of the gun, hit Jimmy and he collapsed.
"Hey, wait! Don't…" – terrified about the possibility of Jimmy being killed right there, she shouted but she felt a prick of a needle in her neck and the substance entered in her blood stream causing almost immediate effect and she fainted.
"Let's go people!" – The third masked individual yelled and the remaining individuals dragged Lois into the van and left the scene leaving Jimmy lay down on the road, unconscious next to Lois's car.
Hours later, He arrived at his old high school, a place he last visited at the elections for the senate. It was Saturday therefore Smallville High was empty: he looked at the main building and instantly he smiled, recalling some of his memories, times when he along with Clark and Chloe investigated the Smallville's paranormal phenomenons, just the Scooby Doo gang.
He parked the car and walked into the building: the main door was opened and walking through the corridors of Smallville High, he searched quietly for his old friend, looking for an open door or any sort of indication which could lead him to his friend.
After a few minutes, he started wondering if he misunderstood the message sent to him but a voice relieved him from that burden.
"Fly Crows, fly."
He turned around to see his old friend Clark Kent standing in the middle of corridor.
"It's good to see you again, pal." - They hugged.
"How are you holding up?" – Pete asked, observing carefully Clark.
"I've been better…" – Clark confessed, still slightly shaken: he never thought his rendez-vous with Metallo and Lex could leave him so exhausted. Although he needed the time to rest, time was a luxury he couldn't afford to.
"I've been watching the news and at each hour it passes, things are getting worse: the military are prepared for war, there's a reward for you. People are scared, Clark." – Pete shook his head in sign of disappointment.
"I'm not the villain of the story, Pete." – Clark replied, bitterly but he realized he was talking to friend and apologized. – "I'm sorry…"
"That's ok, I can't blame you." – He assured Clark with his hand on Clark's shoulder.
"How is Chloe?"
"Well she's busy trying to find to good evidence to bring down Luthor. She's working overtime."
"I just wished she could get her old life back." – Clark confessed with some sorrow.
"Like you she's been one of Lex's victims." – Pete stated. – "Anyway, I'm here: What can I get you?"
Clark looked seriously at Pete. – "I need Chloe to dig information about John Corben or anything related to the word Metallo."
Pete looked oddly at Clark. – "Corben? Isn't he dead?"
Clark saw the confusion on Pete's face and explained. - "I thought that too until I saw him and he nearly killed me."
"How?"- He was somehow sceptical about Clark's statement: he had a mental picture of his friend being unstoppable, a true force of nature which could be only stopped if someone existed like him or kryptonite. – "Has he Dragon Eye again?"
"No." – Clark shook his head, negatively. - "He has been transformed into some kind of cyborg and I'm sure Lex had something to do with it."
Pete saw no other option than the one Clark was pointing out. - "OK, I'm telling Chloe to look into it. Meanwhile you have to stay off radar: I don't you to take any unnecessary risks. There's a full scale war against you."
Clark shook his head, unconvinced. – "You can't expect me to stand still, hidden like a rat in his hole when I need to prove my innocence."How?"How?
Instantly Pete knew where the conversation has going to. -"Not when there's a full set of traps outside your hole! It's not the just the government who's after you. The underworld is on to you too: rumours of several criminals joining forces jut to get you to collect the prize and a full pardon. Besides, Chloe's on the trail."
"I can't depend on Chloe's investigation: I need to confront Luthor, to force him to open his game, to make a mistake." – Clark insisted: he always hated to be all quiet when it came to Luthor but his life had too many twists and turns.
"I agree with you in some points but I need to remind you that Luthor planned with every detail whatever he had in his mind, for months. Any hostile action will definitely reinforce his position and give him, more power."
Pete observed his best friend: clearly Clark was thinking of something but Pete was unable to decipher whatever Clark was thinking. After a few moments, Clark began shaking his head in a sign of a possible solution for his dilemma.
"You're right: I can't be hostile but I can still force Luthor to open his game." – He ran backwards while he continued to talk with Pete. – "Find what you can about Metallo!" – He could no longer be impassive and numb to the situation he was facing: he need to go offense.
"Clark! Clark!" – Pete tried to chase Clark but at turn of corner, Pete no longer saw his friend.
Quickly he changed the suit revealing the big red cape and its symbol, leaving his friend behind: up, up and away, he headed to the skies, going far beyond the birds and the clouds, reaching the silence of space.
He closed his eyes, focusing his audition to hear the right word, the right voice. – "…President Luthor's condition… it's unclear President Luthor is…How's the President?...The President only receives…I don't care, I'm Lex Luthor, the President of the United States!…"
Superman found what he was looking for: blocking every voice except one, resolute, he flew straight ahead towards the voice, the people he wanted to find without any delay, focusing all his attention in that voice.
He was aboard of what it could be the most expensive plane on the entire planet: the Air Force One. It had become a second home for him since the election and since he was attacked, his security made him felt like a nomad, shifting from a place to another, restrictions imposed to him because he was the leader of the free world.
Alone in his room, enjoying his 29 year old kyland scotch, he was reading the latest memos about Superman's possible hideouts but he couldn't help remembering what happened before at Stryker's Prison: he looked at his right arm and the mind almost played tricks on him. It felt he still had his right hand but the pain and the dramatic memory told me otherwise. War was claiming its price and in his case, the right hand was its cost. He felt rage, wrath not only because Metallo, a creation of his own, had smashed his hand forcing the medical staff to amputate his hand but also he had let slip the opportunity to bring down Superman. but an incoming call interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to reality.
"Mr. President: There's a call from Dr. Dabney Donovan. He says it's urgent."
"I'll take it: Pass it through." – He waited until the videophone aired the image of Dr. Donovan. - "Dr. Donovan…What seems to be the problem?"
"Mr. President, the subject of the project is becoming highly unstable…"
"Dr. Donovan!..." - Lex shouted at Donovan, interrupting him. – "Project B.I.Z.A.R.R.O is closed, effected immediately. The project has served its purpose and no longer its services required. Dismantle the project and do whatever it takes to neutralize the subject…" – he wasn't able to continue as the connection was somehow lost.
Suddenly the door opened and two security guards entered in Lex's office, stressfully.
"Haven't you ever heard to knock before you enter?" – Asked Lex, bothered with the interruption.
"Sir, an unidentified object is approaching Air Force One and it's coming fast. It's safer if we go to the escape pod in case of evacuation."
For a few moments, Lex turned his attention to Donovan and the broken link, finding oddly the abrupt interruption from Donovan. Without delay, Lex got up and exited the room but he didn't follow the guards' suggestion. Instead he went to the pilot cabinet in spite of the guards' protests.
"What is it?" – Lex asked as soon he arrived at the pilot's cabinet.
"An unidentified object is approaching Air Force One but two planes of our escort have been dispatched to intercept the object and neutralize it." – declared one of the pilots.
"What could it be? Bird? Plane?" – asked the other pilot.
"Let me talk to the F-117's pilots." – Lex grabbed the comm. Link and talked. – "Listen soldier, I'm President. It's your job to protect me. Intercept whatever it's heading our way and take it down."
"Understood, Sir." – The pilot declared. – "Wait! Something has passed by us."
"What is it?"
Silence came of the other side until it was broken by the pilot. - "I have a visual Sir."
"Shoot it down!" – Ordered Lex, aggravated but suddenly they hear something coming from the ceiling of the plane but their attention shifted back to the pilot's description as the plane was approaching Air Force One.
"I can't Sir: it's on the Air Force One…Sir, It's Superman…"
She woke up in an old warehouse: her sight was cloudy but as time passed, it became clearer and saw people walking around, busy doing their chores.
She was being held prisoner with handcuffs on both her arms and chains in her ankles: the chair which she was sit on was attached to the ground.
Lois had no idea why someone who kidnapped her: basically she had so enemies since her stories exposed so many crimes and people therefore almost anyone of the underworld of crime would want a piece of her.
She looked for a reference which could reveal her where she was but unfortunately she found none. Meanwhile someone noticed she had waked up and approached her.
"Listen people, sleeping beauty finally woke up!" – The man smiled viciously at her: his hand reached her hair. – "Beauty runs in the family."
"I can't say the same about you." – Lois remarked sarcastically in an attempt to show she wasn't intimidated by him.
"And witty too!" – The man smiled but immediately his smile shifter into a more aggressive expression and he pulled her hair aggressively. – "So, are you going to tell us where prince charming is?"
"Back off Michael!" – A female voice shouted behind Lois. The man stepped back as Lois heard the footsteps of the woman approaching her from behind.
"Finally the family ties are useful for something..." – Lois was familiar with the voice but she didn't recognize who was until the woman was right in front of her. -…isn't that right, my dear sister?"
"Lucy?"
To be continued…