Chapter Six: Hunt
Metropolis Journal – Metropolis"So, Miss Lane, welcome to the bigs." Perry White said, as Lois made her way into his office. "Come in, sit down. We've got lots of ground to cover."
"Right." Lois nodded, and sat, looking at Perry attentively. She took out a pad and pencil, and he smiled.
"You're not really going to write down everything I say, are you? Look, Ms. Lane, this is a newspaper, not a coffee shop. I'm not ordering a black coffee and danish here." He held out his hand for the little notebook. "Please." Lois handed it over and frowned, confused, but she shook her head a little and straightened her shoulders. He set the notebook down on his desk. "Survive without this, Lois. Keep it all up here first." He tapped on his temple.
"I'm a military brat, sir. I can remember anything without writing it down."
She blustered and Perry smiled indulgently. "You don't grow up taking orders without developing that skill."
"Okay." He nodded, sliding his glasses on. "You've done some investigative reporting…."
"What I did for the Inquisitor…." Lois cleared her throat, remembering Perry's comment during her interview about lining his cat's litter box with the tabloid. "And for the Torch."
"Great. Then here's what I want you to do. Word is that Lex Luthor is trying to build up steam for a run at the U.S. Senate…."
"But, Martha Kent is too, and Lionel Luthor has been promoting her." Lois said, and Perry nodded. "Why would he run if he didn't have his father's support?"
"Exactly. Get your ear to the ground and trot out the contacts you may have in Topeka and Washington D.C., Lane. With your political background, sniffing this one out should be a good way to introduce you to the process." Perry handed Lois a thick manila folder. "I want hard facts, verified and unassailable. No leaps, no assumptions, every source locked in. There's no deadline for this, Lane, so take your time. Okay? I want to see you put this together, so show me all the pieces before you throw them together."
"Right." Lois looked at the folder. "That's it? That's all I'm supposed to do?"
"All?" Perry laughed, shaking his head. "No, but I promise you'll wish it were. There'll be more. Think of that like extra credit. Don't worry, Lane, we'll keep you busy." He waved her out. "Go. I have an open door policy, so just stick your head in and ask questions."
"Right." Lois nodded as she stood. "Mr. White…"
"Oh, and that's another thing, Lane. Mr. White was my father. Call me Perry." He pulled off his glasses. "Think you can get past your military brat upbringing for that much?"
Lois nodded uncomfortably and then grinned, a glint of glee in her eyes. "Sure, Chief."
"Oh God, not that." Perry put his glasses down on his desk quickly, his face a study in comical shock. "Get out. GO." He stood and gently towed Lois to his office door. "Chief. She calls me Chief. The clichés abound." He pushed her out the door. "Get to work, Lane." The door slammed behind her and Lois grinned, nodding her head.
"Right." Lois said to herself and walked to the desk that would be hers. She had only set her things down on it and went to see Perry, but a small mountain of work had already collected on the otherwise empty surface. Word that the new intern in was in the department travels fast, Lois thought, looking around at the Metropolis Journal's City desk team. She slid the folder Perry had given her into the bottom drawer of her desk, and then began to sift through the pile that had been left on her desk. Without thinking twice, she organized it into groups by the names scrawled on the yellow sticky notes and set to work. While she made the calls and photocopies, Lois mentally worked on the file Perry had given her, thinking of the list of people she could contact to get her story rolling. Chloe often teased about Lois not understanding how the journalism process worked, but if Lois had learned one thing in her time in Topeka it was that reporters would stop at nothing to get their story, regardless of the official process. She'd fended off press enough during Jonathan Kent's campaign and her time as Martha Kent's Chief of Staff to know that. Perry had called the Metropolis Journal the "bigs" and Lois had no intention of going back to the minor leagues again.
Vista Ski Resort and Spa – Telluride, CO…."So, listen, Gorgeous," Bart leaned over and rested his head on Diana's shoulder. "I
have to room with Hal, but does that mean you have to ignore me on the ski lift?" They were suspended together on the lift to the expert run, and Diana was scanning the landscape ahead of her for any sign of the mountain stronghold Clark had told her about. It was beautiful, Diana thought, wondering how the gods had created so many truly magnificent places and did not claim them as they had Olympus. Cloudless blue sky wrapped the white mountains in light, and now distracted by Bart's flirting, she sighed, turning away from her search.
"I'm not ignoring you, Bart. We're here for a reason. You remember what you are supposed to do?" Diana shrugged Bart's head from her shoulder and eyed him coldly. "Make sure you do not forget your part in this with your foolishness."
"Yeah, yeah." Bart nodded and then looked at Diana over his sunglasses. "I'm no fool. I can hold my own, don't you worry." He looked behind them. "Bruce is staring a hole into the back of your head, there, Princess. Why don't you tell him to quit being foolish?"
"I will if I need to." Diana squinted at the drop area, and nodded when she noticed a long, black shadow against the snow. "There's Jones." She turned and nodded. Bruce looked ahead and gave Diana the thumbs up.
"What's he doing here?" Bart asked, spotting Jones on the ski slope, waiting.
"You didn't honestly think you were going in 33.1 alone?" Diana laughed. "You've been in Luthors hands before. Jones can travel through the mountain with you and he can shapeshift into any form he needs to." Diana got ready to leap off the lift chair. "Here we go." She jumped down and landed easily next to Jones, and Bart followed.
"Hello, Marvin." Bart said, and Jones frowned. "You know, the little cannonball headed guy from Bugs Bunny?"
"I am aware of the many faces my people have been given by Earth culture, and that is my least favorite." Jones said, his smooth brown face impassive. "Bartholomew, you must really learn to be more discreet." The Martian looked over at Diana, in silent appeal, and the Amazon woman shrugged.
"I thought Clark was a stiff." Bart waved to Hal and Bruce. "Over here!"
"Good." Bruce nodded at Jones and surveyed his team. "J'onn, you and Bart get in there, and let me know when you're in. Get as much information as you can about what's inside that mountain. I don't want Clark near this place until I know."
"You're all worried about Clark." Bart frowned. "Why?"
"I'm thinking a stronghold inside a mountain might be a problem…possibly even a place to keep someone with Clark's abilities locked up permanently. J'onzz has all of Clark's abilities, and Diana has most of them…" Bruce looked at Diana and her eyes widened.
"And none of his weaknesses. Bruce, are you sure that's what they're after?" Diana shook her head. "It's vile."
"It's the way the Luthors think. Lex has been trying to get his hands on Clark for years. Even if one of us gets caught, it's small potatoes. Even J'onz" Bruce clapped Jones on the arm. "You get anywhere on the other matter?"
"Contact has been established with one of the targets, but the other has been difficult to locate. When I do, I'll let you know. He's not been easy to find." Jones replied. He looked at Bart. "It's time." In a flash, suddenly "Jones" was gone and in his place was a small, pale faced girl with dark hair that hung in her eyes. A restraining collar weighted down her thin neck, and she smiled at Bart sweetly. "Are you ready?" Her voice was a harsh croak. "We don't have much time."
Bruce nodded, and checked his watch. "Keep in contact. Use the tech only if you need to. I don't want a traceable signal." J'onz nodded, and Bart, still stunned, managed to nod as well, covering his head with the hood of his jacket. "Rendevous at 2100."
"You and me, Princess, hot chocolate and footsie by the fire. I'll be there, 9:05 sharp." Bart blew Diana a kiss and chuckled at her scandalized expression. "Make sure they have extra marshmallows in mine. I need to stay primed." He put on his sunglasses. "Let's do this." Standing in place, Bart began to speed up his molecules, slipping into the mountain, the transformed J'onz behind him. The remaining three stood on the mountainside in silence until finally, Diana looked up and shook her head, meeting Bruce's dark eyes in mute apprehension.
"I don't like them going in blind." Hal watched them go, shuddering. "They could be phasing into a trap."
"J'onz has the ability to see through things, Hal." Bruce put his ski goggles on and turned to sail down the slope. "They're far from blind. Let's get down to the resort and put our end of this into play."
Two hours later, Diana made her way through the lobby of the resort, aware of Lex Luthor's grey eyes following her every move. She had changed from her outside ski clothes to something appropriate for the lodge, and specifically for catching Lex's attention. Diana turned to meet his eyes, smiling briefly before walking to the fireplace. She didn't have to turn again to know that Lex was making his way toward her, and Diana's lips curved in a seductive smile. Clark had not been told about this part of the mission, and Diana knew that when she got back to Metropolis, she'd have to tell him.
"I was just thinking that I didn't get to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room on New Year's Eve and then you just appeared out of nowhere. An answered prayer, I guess." Lex's voice was smooth as glass, and Diana turned to meet his eyes. "What brings you out to Telluride?"
"I've never seen Colorado." Diana replied, turning to the windows that displayed the majestic view to perfection. "Bruce mentioned he was coming out here and I couldn't resist." She sipped her warm cider. "And your fiancée is quite lovely, Mr. Luthor. I'm sure she appreciated every moment you spent with her."
"She did." Lex said, dismissing any thought of Lana with a brief wave. "I hope you'll let me show you Telluride, Diana. That is, if Clark isn't with you."
"No, Clark isn't with me. He had some things to take care of in Kansas. So, yes, I'll be glad to take you up on your offer. That would be lovely." Diana nodded. "I'd appreciate that. I let Bruce know I was here, but he's so private. I hate to intrude on his private time."
Lex gently took Diana's cider from her and waved for one of the uniformed staff. "First, we get rid of this." He set the cup on the waiter's tray. "Please bring us two of those special hot chocolates everyone is talking about."
"Hot chocolate?" Diana smiled, reaching for her cider. "I'd rather have the hot spiced cider…"
"Trust me. The bartender here makes a hot chocolate that is strictly for grownups. Perfect after a day out on the slopes." Lex caught Diana's hand in his and sent the waiter away. "Now, Diana, why don't you tell me about yourself while we wait." His eyes shone, and Diana recognized it for what it was. Predatory and seductive. "He's not my favorite subject, but I'd love to hear how you and Clark met, especially how it is he met you before I did."
Across the lobby, in the cozy hotel lounge, Hal watched the tall blonde settle down at the bar, looking at her watch as if expecting someone. Bruce had told him that Mercy was always in the lounge at this time, having stumbled on the 'routine' Bruce had seemingly established in the past three days. Hal walked to the bar and sat down two seats over from Mercy, taking out the magazine he'd brought with him. Although she seemed to be lost in thought, Hal recognized the fact that she was paying attention to everything he did. He let the bartender disappear and then laughed ruefully.
"I'm pretty bad at this." He gestured with the magazine, letting the picture of the skier on the cover be visible. "Not much skiing where I'm from."
"So why waste your time?" Mercy asked, not looking at him. "You should come out here in the summer. I'm told the ski runs are full of rock climbers and adventure types. That might be more your thing." She turned and smiled. "I'm not a skiier, either."
"I'm Hal." He held out a hand, and she shook it warmly. "So what brings you out here, then?"
"I work for the owners as a consultant. Troubleshooting." Mercy nodded. "The kind of work that takes me all kinds of places. Fun stuff for a kid from the bad part of town." She saluted him with her drink. "I'd say a Cinderella story, but I'm still in the ugly stepsister part."
"Ah, me too." Hal grinned, and Mercy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I go all kinds of places too. I'm a pilot. Private charters? And, this charter brought me here. At least the guy I'm flying around is paying the tab, right?" She laughed, the dangerous look gone and Hal shrugged, sipping the beer the bartender had brought him. "We're starting out on the right foot, huh? Neither one of us ski, and we're at a ski resort. Both of us are at the beck and call of big spenders. So, being the hired help, what do we do with our time off?"
"I'm going to this club in downtown Telluride tonight. There's this really great band playing. I'm off tomorrow, so I figured what the hell." Mercy eyed Hal and smirked. "You on call? I know the private jet folks can be pretty moody. Pillows in their room a little lumpier than they like they're on the way back home."
Hal took out his cell phone and set it on the bar. "24/7, but I think I'll be free tonight. Great band, huh? How great?" Mercy laughed as Hal asked this and rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, they could be playing combs with tissue paper over them and I'd go. I did say it was my night off, right?" Mercy smiled, and pushed the phone back to Hal. "I'm going for the second set. If you want to go with, just meet me here at quarter of." She finished her drink and stood. "See you later, Hal."
"Yeah, later." Hal watched her walk away and shook his head appreciatively. "Mercy, mercy, have mercy."
Sullivan-Queen Residence – Metropolis….Clark paced the length of Oliver's apartment like a caged bear. Oliver and A.C. were looking over more maps. Chloe had not come home from work yet, and found himself growing more and more anxious. Not being able to go with Diana was bad enough and at least she could handle herself, but knowing that someone was following Chloe and Oliver around and then had disappeared without a trace, Clark felt his nerves on edge.
"You look like you're about to explode, Clark." A.C. observed, looking up from the map he was studying. "Isn't there something you could be doing? You are sending out a serious negative vibe right now."
Oliver nodded, looking at his watch. "He can go over these with you. I'm going to the Daily Planet to get Chloe." Oliver grabbed his jacket. "Clark? You okay with that?"
"Yeah. I think so." Clark nodded and then looked at the desk. "No, you know what? I'll go with you, Oliver. I need the air."
They hadn't gotten far when Clark felt the skin on the back of his neck crawl, as if he were being watched. He turned, searching the crowd, but he couldn't find any sign of anyone that might have been following them. "I think we're being followed." Clark looked into the border of Centennial Park, hoping to spot something.
"We are." Oliver confirmed, not looking around. "I haven't been able to find the bastard, but he's out there."
"Are you just going to ignore it?" Clark asked, dropping his voice to a whisper.
"Yes." Oliver's answer was a sharp syllable rather than a word. "That's exactly what I'm going to do. Whoever this guy is hasn't tried to hurt us. They've been content to just watch this daily walk to and from the Planet. I've not noticed them around any other time." Oliver shook his head. "When I catch him, I'll be glad to wring what he wants out his miserable hide, that's for sure."
Clark scanned the surrounding area. "Do we know this isn't a Phantom?"
"I'm thinking not." Oliver smiled. "What would one of your Phantom Zoners want with me and Chloe? My first thought was someone Lex hired, but unless this is a graduate of 33.1, I'm not sure what we're dealing with."
"Look." Clark pointed, but by the time Oliver turned his head, the shadow man was gone, lost to the deepening gloom of the evening. "There he is. You go get Chloe. I'll see if I can track him down."
"Be careful, Clark." Oliver called, but Clark was long gone before he finished the warning. Moving through the crowd at superspeed, Clark dropped a heavy hand on a slender black shoulder and turned the spy around roughly. The man was dressed in clothes that made Clark immediately think of every version of "A Christmas Carol" he'd ever seen, black frock coat, ruffled shirt, neatly tied cravat. The stranger made no attempt to escape, but instead calmly regarded his elegantly booted feet with almost a bored air.
"Who are you? What do you want with my friends?" Clark asked and the man smiled jauntily, raising his antique looking walking stick to the brim of his tall hat.
"Americans. So forceful and rude. If you would be so kind as to unhand me…" The man said, and Clark let go slowly, ready to stop the stranger from trying to escape. "What I want with your friends is my own affair. But tell young Mr. Queen that Richard Swift will soon be calling on him. We may have some matters of grave importance to discuss before long." Swift looked Clark over and laughed, vanishing into a deep dark shadow. "You may refer to me as Shade, young man." Clark reached out again for him, and all he heard was a mocking laugh that faded with the rest of the light.
Chloe bit her lip as she typed in the name Clark had told her. "Richard Swift. Well, according to this, he's been dead for a hundred years." Oliver, Clark and A.C. all looked at the picture on the laptop's screen "Are you sure this is who you saw, Clark?" The smell of beef stew hung in the air, and the bread they had picked up on the way home from the Daily Planet was warming in the oven.
"I'm positive." Clark shook his head. "He said to tell Oliver that Richard Swift would be calling on him soon. And then he vanished. Like a ghost, but not."
"Great." Oliver looked at the picture on the monitor. "We're being watched by a guy who can literally disappear into shadows. Perfect."
"Well, this is new." Chloe smiled up at Oliver and Clark brightly. "What we have here is someone who has had some kind of power for at least a hundred years, and he's scoping you out. Maybe he's a good guy, but a shy one." She shrugged, and Clark frowned.
"I don't know, Chloe." Clark said, shaking his head. "If he wanted to be part of what we were doing, why not just say so?"
"Well, at least we know who we're dealing with now." Oliver took Chloe's hand and kissed it before Chloe stood. "The why will have to wait until he's ready. And, speaking of ready, I think I'm ready for dinner. How about you, Ms. Sullivan?"
"I am." Chloe nodded, handing her laptop to Oliver. She turned and studied Clark for a minute. "You okay, Kent? I know this guy acted like ghost, but you look like you're seeing one right now."
Clark nodded absently. "Yeah. Hey, did anyone hear from Lois?" He made his voice casual, and Oliver raised an eyebrow, looking at Chloe who nodded, her expression neutral.
"She's at the Journal tonight. First night of her internship. I think they aren't exactly breaking her in slowly, because when I spoke to her, she said there was a mountain of stuff on her desk to deal with." Chloe sighed. "Ah, those first glorious days of the life of a journalist."
"Poor Lois." A.C. said, smiling. "She's really nervous about all of this. I'm going to go meet her, so count me out for dinner." A.C. pulled on his coat. "There's a vegetarian place that opened near the Journal that I want her to try." He winked at Chloe. "I read about it in the Daily Planet. Okay, see you all later."
"Bye, A.C." Oliver waved as A.C. got on the elevator. "Keep in touch. I should be hearing from Bruce in a little while."
"Sure thing." A.C. closed the elevator and Clark sighed.
"I think I'm going to go. I'm feeling to antsy to stay here. I'll be back later." He kissed Chloe on the cheek and shook Oliver's hand. "I'll leave my usual way."
"I'm going to hire air traffic control for that balcony soon." Oliver said, making Clark grin. "You sure you don't want to stay?"
"Yeah." Clark nodded. "See you later." Clark went out to the balcony and flew off.
"Well, lady, it's just you and me." Oliver sighed, pulling Chloe close. "I feel like this place has been the Star City Grand Terminal. Listen to how quiet it is with all the team gone."
"I know." Chloe smiled. "I also now have enough stew for 6 months on the stove. I planned on Clark at least." She kissed Oliver sweetly and tipped her head. "Dinner and a movie?"
"I like it. Simple, elegant and will take up just enough time." Oliver grinned. "Pick the movie. I'll serve up the stew."
"Okay." She nodded, going to pick out a movie and then turned. "Oliver, what do you think this Richard Swift wants, really?"
"I don't know." Oliver shrugged. "I'm just glad Clark caught him so we could get a name and a face. It bothers me less knowing he's real." He ladled the stew into bowls and frowned. "I'm going out tonight, so maybe I'll run into him. He might tell the Green Arrow what he didn't want to tell Clark."
"Maybe." Chloe nodded, taking a DVD from the stack on the coffee table. She looked around and shuddered. "Just be careful."
"I'm always careful." Oliver informed her seriously as he carried a tray with the stew and warm bread into the living room. "I have a reason to be now. Knowing you're here waiting is powerful incentive to return in one piece."
"I know you tell me you're careful." Chloe said, setting the movie down again. Their eyes met and Oliver set the tray down and hugged Chloe tight. "But, really be careful now. You don't know what else this guy can do, or what he wants."
"I'll really be careful." Oliver promised, smiling at her reassuringly. "I'll also really have Clark stay with you here until I get back. You're right to say I don't know what he wants, and that means you get company when I'm not around."
"I don't need Clark to stay with me. I'll be fine." Chloe dismissed the idea quickly and Oliver shook his head. "Don't do that. I really don't need Clark to stay."
"I do." Oliver kissed her lips and smiled. "Call me overprotective."
"Over protective." Chloe smiled, and Oliver laughed.
"Okay, Goldilocks, let's watch the movie." Oliver kissed her nose and handed her a bowl of stew. "An evening of normal before the weird starts up again."