Bruce returned to the room he had left General Lane and Lois in, and could see he had interrupted some sort of argument.
"What's going on?" Bruce asked, eyeing them both.
"I was just explaining to Lois, that it might be helpful to know the name of her source, so we can ascertain if what Jor-El was alleging was true." General Lane explained. Bruce shook his head.
"That won't be necessary now. Kal-El followed you here, Lois. I have him locked up with his father. General, you can interrogate them both on that matter." Bruce said. He had decided that his part in this was over. He was sure there were people that knew how to get the truth out of Davis Bloom if need be. Besides, he had actually seen Davis and his wife, Cat, together. He clearly loved her and oddly, did not come across as authoritative as the other Kryptonians. Somehow, General Lane and his people would find out what they needed to.
"What do you mean he followed me?" Lois asked suspiciously. "When did you see him? And how did YOU stop him?"
"Just now. He was in another part of the house. I used the weaponry created to subdue him and put him with Jor-El."
General Lane nodded.
"I have had men parked at a distance down the road. I'll bring them in now to take them both away." he said.
"Wait a minute!" Lois snapped. "So when you called me, you knew Kal-El would follow me, didn't you? This meeting was never about the story, was it?"
General Lane could see Lois's temper beginning to show itself.
"Calm down, Lo. Your story can be written AFTER the Kryptonians leave this planet."
"Yes," Bruce agreed, "and we'll just keep it about the Kryptonians and their marriage deceptions, alright?"
Lois did not like being handled. And right now, Bruce Wayne suddenly wasn't looking so cute anymore! Bruce sensed this and looked at General Lane.
"Why don't you get your men why I stay and talk to Lois? Okay?"
General Lane turned to walk out but Lois ran after him, jumping in front of his path!
"Daddy, I can't just go home and pretend to mom that Jor-El is still on some business trip! And when Kal-El does not return, she's going to be even more suspicious. What am I supposed to say?"
"I'll handle your mother." General Lane said curtly. "Now I have to take Jor-El and Kal-El out of here. Very carefully. You just listen to Mr. Wayne here and everything will be put right again."
"You're not taking mom back, so how is anything going to be right again? Not to mention Chloe is going to be pretty heartbroken." Lois told him.
"That relationship would have ended as badly as your mother's with Jor-El. Now I have to get going, Lo. Just trust Mr. Wayne and I, okay?"
Lois nodded and gave her father a quick hug, before watching him leave the room. She then slowly turned to face Bruce.
"I want to see them before my father takes them away."
Bruce raised a brow.
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked.
"I need to know something. And Kal-El might tell me the truth if Jor-El is standing right next to him." Lois replied.
"Hmmm." was all Bruce said to that. Lois tilted her head.
"What?" she asked.
Bruce hesitated, then answered her.
"Kal-El said something strange to me before I subdued him. He hinted that you only appeared not to care for him before, but that was 'all about to change'. Do you know what he was talking about?"
Lois sighed.
"I don't really know. But in a way I do."
"Lois, what the HELL does that mean?" Bruce asked in a no nonsense tone.
"Kal-El grabbed me the other day. His hold was so hard that I thought he just left a mark. But it turned out to be his family crest."
Bruce raised a brow.
"Kal-El marked you with his family crest? On purpose?"
"The doctor I went to did not seem to think that. And apparently he knew a lot about Kryptonians." Lois said. Bruce nodded slightly. Lois had to be talking about Dr. Emil Hamilton. He had worked closely with Oliver Queen in Star City. Dr. Hamilton had relocated to Metropolis once the Kryptonians appeared on this planet.
"Where is this mark? Let me look at it." Bruce suggested, but Lois coughed just as Bruce's cellphone rang, saving her from having to explain Kal-El's groping.
"Bruce Wayne." he answered.
"It's Dinah. Oliver and I need a meeting."
Bruce glanced at Lois.
"I have to take this. I'll be back. I want to see this mark!" Bruce said firmly before walking off down a hallway. Lois bit her lip, then looked around. She decided she was going to find Kal-El and Jor-El and give them both a piece of her mind!
Meanwhile, Bruce didn't like what he was hearing at all...
"Lois just told me that she had been marked with the House of El family crest. You're saying Dr. Hamilton saw a mark like that on Cat Grant recently?"
"Yes," Dinah said slowly, "and then she came in for another reason, only to find out that she was pregnant! And Dr. Hamilton is saying that the crest, which apparently was a House of Zod thingee, has completely disappeared from her body. I think you need to get here so we can understand what we're dealing with."
"Dinah," Bruce said in between clenched teeth, "Lois doesn't even understand that much of it. I'll be there when I can. I'm waiting for General Lane to come in and collect your boss and his father. After that's done I'll leave here. Dr. Hamilton is with you now?"
"No, he had a shift at the ER. But he said he could get someone to cover as soon as you came to Metropolis."
"Good. I'll say nothing to Lois for now." Bruce said.
"Uh, Bruce?"
"Yes?"
"Dr. Hamilton was a bit concerned because the crest on Lois is on her inner thigh. Lois hinted that she had given no such permission by any Kryptonian to actually touch her there. So we need to really tread carefully with this one." Dinah advised him.
Bruce's jaw hardened. Lois hated Kal-El. There was no way on God's green earth, she would have allowed Kal-El to willingly put his hand on her bare, inner thigh! Goddamn him!
"I see your point. I'll let you know when I arrive in Metropolis." Bruce said in a clipped tone before hanging up. He took a deep breath and looked around. Now he had to find Lois and have a rather unpleasant talk about that mark on her, and how it actually got on to her thigh.
Kal-El didn't know what was happening to him, but he didn't like it!
"Father! What is happening? Why have we been weakened in this way?" he asked tiredly.
"Lor-Zod is to blame," Jor-El said carefully, "he has invented something that will help the earthlings stop us."
"Why? I do not understand why a Kryptonian would do this?!" Kal-El hissed weakly. "And Wayne turned himself invisible before I could defend myself! Did Lor-Zod help as well with that?"
"Yes, unfortunately. I am sorry, Kal-El. You were right. You were right this whole time. I should have been more aggressive in finding out what Bruce was up to."
"It is done," Kal-El said wearily, "and there are other concerns now."
"Other concerns? Kal-El, we have nothing else to be concerned about, except getting that crystal from Lor-Zod or infiltrating another planet. We still have some time before Krypton becomes too unstable to live on..."
"Father, I touched Lois's thigh the other day. It left a mark. THE mark." Kal-El said solemnly. Jor-El's eyes widened!
"Mother of Krypton, Kal-El! You're telling me that Lois can..."
"Yes, she can carry a full blooded Kryptonian child. MY child. But she is already showing signs of fatigue and strain. And she is unaware as to why. That can't be allowed to continue."
"No. It cannot. Nor can Lois stay on this planet unschooled on the ways of how to carry a full blooded Kryptonian child. She does not know then, I take it, that she has to be impregnated by you, in order for the mark to disappear?" Jor-El asked.
"I did not tell her. But I fear that a doctor that she has seen...I think I can hear someone coming! Just barely though! What IS this cage made out of?" Kal-El seethed.
"From what I've overheard, Lor-Zod not only absconded with that crystal, but with rocks from Krypton. Mixed with a yellow sun, they weaken us. He is a true traitor."
"Yes, Zod should be ashamed..." Kal-El began to say then stopped abruptly.
"What is it?" Jor-El asked.
"I hear Lois coming."
Jor-El raised a brow.
"How can you tell? I hear two heartbeats."
"I'd know Lois's anywhere. She is in the area somewhere." Kal-El stated then looked around weakly. "Where is the control device to this prison?"
"On the wall over there. It is the lever on the wall. Pushing it down all the way would free us. Bruce and his elderly servant, raise it when they want to make us so uncomfortable that we can do nothing but writhe on the floor here." Jor-El told his son.
"Good! I want you to follow my lead. We're going to get Lois to let us out of here." Kal-El said knowingly.
Meanwhile, Lois stepped off of a freight elevator and closed the doors. She was surprised to find Alfred standing by two dryers, which were running. He was about to pour detergent into a washing machine.
"Miss Lois. How did you find your way down here?" he scolded more then asked.
"Alfred, we have talked about this. I am not 'Miss Lois'. I'm just 'Lois'. And Bruce has a phone call so...why are you doing laundry all the way down here? Isn't there a laundry room off of the kitchen?"
"You really should head back up and find Master Bruce. There is a stairwell over behind that door." Alfred informed her. But Lois looked around him.
"Yeah and there are a lot of dark hallways behind you over there. What's going on, Alfred? Why are you all the way down here? Is this where Bruce is keeping Kal-El and Jor-El?"
"Shoo!" Alfred said in an authoritative tone, just as the sound of someone in the stairwell, could be heard approaching. Alfred walked to the door to open it to Bruce, who stepped into the underground area quickly!
"Have you seen Lois? I can't find her anywhere on any of the upper levels."
Alfred turned quickly to find Lois had slipped away from him! Curses!
"She was JUST here! She is looking for the prisoners."
"Of course she is!" Bruce snapped. God, WHY couldn't Lois Lane just keep still for two minutes? Why?
Lois entered the room Kal-El and Jor-El were being held in. They were inside a green, glowing cage and were huddled on the floor. They looked weak and helpless. Lois grinned at the sight and practically skipped up to the cage!
"Boy! You two look like living hell, you know that? Hi, Jor-El. Do you have any parting words for my mother? Nice that you're leaving me to tell her that you're a bigamist."
Jor-El looked up at her looking quite pained.
"Tell your mother I am sorry."
"You certainly are, buddy! And not half the man my father is!" Lois snapped. Her eyes then moved from Jor-El's to rest on the top of Kal-El's head. His head was down.
"What about you Kal-El? Anything to say?" Lois asked in a jeering tone. But Kal-El slowly lifted his head. Lois could see a glint in his eyes!
"I think," Kal-El said slowly, "that Lois is allowing Bruce Wayne to make a fool of her. I think he didn't bail her out of jail because he was in bed with my secretary, Dinah Lance. And what's worse than that, is that Bruce is actually running around nights as some kind of caped avenger. Yes, HE is Gotham's Batman."
Now, Lois rolled her eyes! She had been all set to buy that Dinah Lance crap until Kal-El threw in that last bit!
"Kal-El please!" Jor-El 'pleaded', "do not antagonize her or she'll pull that lever down and weaken us even more!"
Lois took the bait and looked around wildly until she saw the telltale lever! She hurried over to it then glared back at Kal-El!
"You're going to stop lying on Bruce or your father and you are both going to get it!" Lois yelled.
"I'm going to have my father make a clone of you," Kal-El replied, "once we leave this planet. It will be a Lois that will do as I say, when I say to do it and..."
Lois yanked the lever down just as Bruce and Alfred entered the room!
"Lois, NO!" Bruce yelled but it was too late. Lois pulled the lever down and the green cage all but disappeared! And with their newly returned powers, Kal-El grabbed Lois and used his superspeed to whisk her off of the estate! Jor-El grabbed Alfred by the throat and lifted him, then looked over at Bruce.
"You should tell General Lane and his men, that your plans have now changed." Jor-El told Bruce coldly.
