CHAPTER 4
It was dark outside by the time the last costumer left the Talon and Lois sighed heavily, relieved that the shift had finally ended. Luckily Martha had given her the following day off, so she could finally sleep in. Something she had been doing constantly before she moved in with the Kent's.
"Ready to go?" Brad suddenly asked and Lois looked up.
"Go… where?" she asked with a confused look and put on her jacket.
"We made plans for tonight, remember?" Brad asked and Lois slowly shook her head. She grabbed her car keys and walked out from behind the register.
"No, we didn't. Brad, I'm sorry but I just planned on heading home. Gotta get up early for Metropolis tomorrow. I'm sure I must have told you in between all the lattes," Lois said, knowing that wasn't true. She hadn't had a chance to even say two words to Brad in hours, but sometimes a white lie sounded better than the truth.
"Oh. Well how about a quick coffee then?" Brad asked and Lois did a dramatic hand gesture around the room.
"I work in a coffee shop. Look, Brad, I'm sorry but tonight you will have to fly solo because I got a date with the TV," Lois said and turned off the light.
"Don't you mean Clark Kent?" Brad asked in a low voice and Lois turned around with a confused look on her face.
"Excuse me? I wouldn't go out with Clark Kent even if he were the last man on Earth!" she said and started walking towards the door.
When she realized that Brad still wasn't moving, she sighed and quickly turned around and walked back again.
"What part of this isn't getting through to you? It's time for you to leave now, because I really need to close the place up, okay? How about I give you a call tomorrow?" Lois asked, getting more annoyed with Brad.
"No problem. I just gotta do something first," he said with a shrug.
"And what's that?" Lois asked sarcastically and an evil smile spread across Brad's face. Before Lois had the chance to say anything else, time had stopped.
"Lois, where have you been? We were getting worried about you!" Martha said with a concerned look when Lois walked in through the kitchen door.
She looked down at her watch and realized that she was over an hour late.
"Sorry. Guess I lost track of time," she mumbled and took off her jacket. Clark exchanged confused looks with Jonathan and Martha.
"Lois, are you all right?" he asked and Lois stared at him for a while, trying to find the right words.
"I don't know. The weirdest thing just happened," she said and took a seat at the kitchen table, still trying to remember.
"What? At the Talon?" Martha asked and Lois slowly nodded.
"Yeah. It's really weird because I don't know what happened. The last thing I remember is talking to Brad and then… it's all just a blur," she said and sighed.
Jonathan and Martha glanced over at Clark, and he knew he had to tell Lois what he had found out about Brad in Metropolis.
"Look, Lois, I might know what happened," he said and Lois gave him a confused look, seeming even more lost than before.
"What? How could you know when I don't even know myself?" she asked.
"Because when I was in Metropolis, I went to see Dr. Palmer who is in fact Brad's doctor at the Summerholt clinic. After the first meteor shower Brad showed signs of having powers and one of them might be to freeze time," Clark explained hesitantly and Lois stared at him, completely stunned.
"Lois, did you hear what I just said? Brad probably froze you, which explains why you don't remember anything and the time just flew by. And if I'm right, then there probably won't be any money left in the register tomorrow," Clark continued and Martha sighed.
But Lois didn't make a sound; she just kept staring at Clark. During her time in Smallville she had experienced some pretty weird things, and she had met people with powers due to meteor rocks before but this time it was different.
"So, Brad froze me? And then he robbed the Talon? While I was… frozen?" she asked and got out of the chair.
"Pretty much, yeah," Clark said with a sigh and Lois started pacing back and forth.
"Lois, are you all right? You look a little pale. Perhaps it's best if you go upstairs and get some rest," Martha said but Lois didn't seem to be hearing her.
"That bastard! When I get my hands on him he's gonna wish he was never born!" Lois cried out, and headed up the stairs before even Clark had the chance to react. They listened to her stomping footsteps and finally the door slammed shut.
"Clark, you better make sure that she doesn't find Brad before you do, because if she does… well we don't even know how dangerous Brad really is," Jonathan said and Clark nodded.
He didn't want to imagine what could happen if Lois found Brad first, but he had a feeling that it would probably be Brad finding Lois before then.
The next day Lois was acting as if yesterday had never occurred. She had even attempted on making lunch but luckily Martha managed to talk her out of it, which Clark was very grateful for. Even though a part of him liked seeing Lois back to her old annoying self, he wanted to talk to her about Brad.
Lois had just finished her breakfast and was all set to leave for Metropolis, when Clark decided to take the chance and have a little chat with her.
"Hey, Lois," he said, trying to sound casual. Lois put on her jacket while staring at him, waiting for the rest of the sentence.
"Yeah?" she asked while checking the pockets for her car keys.
"About yesterday; I just hope that you don't go after Brad. I mean, we hardly know anything about him and he could be dangerous. Besides, I'm sure the police will catch him soon enough," Clark said hesitantly, not believing a word of it himself.
"Thanks for the pep-talk but I'm kind of in a rush. Chloe's got a lot of exams this week so we only got today to get together," Lois said with a teasing smile and opened the kitchen door.
"So you promise me you'll leave it alone?" Clark asked and Lois slowly turned around with a questionable look on her face.
"Look, that bastard is gonna pay one way or the other for what he's done," Lois snapped and marched out the door.
"Lois, wait!" Clark called out as he came running after her. Lois walked over to her car and unlocked it, completely ignoring him.
"Hey!" Clark snapped and she quickly turned around.
"Just mind your own business, Smallville!" Lois said and got in the car, slamming the door shut right in front of Clark.
As she started the car engine, Clark tried to think of something to do to stop her but he knew it wouldn't help. So he just stood there, watching her speed off down the road.
"Whoa! You're here early! I didn't expect you for another hour!" Chloe said with a surprised look and Lois gave her a quick hug, before walking into the room.
"Yeah, well, we haven't seen each other in weeks. Besides, Clark is getting on my nerves more than usual," Lois muttered and felt the anger bubbling up again. But she quickly suppressed it and looked around the room.
"Again? What did he do this time?" Chloe asked and sighed heavily.
"Oh, just put his nose in other people's business as always. You know, this room could use some serious decorating! It's got this whole hospital look about it and trust me, that's not a good thing!" Lois said and did a hand gesture at the pale grey walls.
Chloe walked over to the computer and decided to ignore that last comment.
"Let me guess; it has something to do with Brad," she said and Lois gave her a suspicious look.
"Clark wasn't the only one who visited Summerholt the other day. You were with him, weren't you? I pretty much expect him to lie about something like that but not you, Chloe! You know, this whole 'Protecting-Lois-Thing' was kind of cute at first but now it's starting to really annoy me. Why do people suddenly assume I'm incapable of taking care of myself? Brad is my problem which means I will deal with him," Lois said and started pacing back and forth again.
"Lois, don't be like that. How many times haven't you lied to me? And I have forgiven you every time, which is a lot!" Chloe said, trying to force on a smile.
"Oh, this is totally different! This isn't some little innocent lie about taking your doll, which I didn't by the way, this is about you and Clark having the need to investigate people, and then lying about it! Whatever happened to doing things together?" Lois cried out with a dramatic hand gesture. Chloe sighed and turned around.
"Lo, slow down. I promised Clark not to say anything in case it turned out Brad was clean, which apparently he's not. So it seems that Clark was right… again," Chloe said and Lois grunted.
"I know! God, he's gonna be impossible to live with after this!" she said and fell backwards onto the bed. Chloe walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Look, how about we go out and make a day of it? Just like the old days? Huh?" Chloe asked while nudging Lois.
"Why not? I could sure use some fun," she said and got off the bed.
"That's the spirit!" Chloe said cheerfully, getting all excited.
"Oh, you have seen nothing yet," Lois said with a mischievous smile.
"Okay just so you know; this wasn't what I meant when I suggested we should go out. The cinema and the restaurant were just fine, but this… well, this is not really my thing," Chloe whispered to Lois as they were standing in line outside of the nightclub.
"I know, which is why I figured we should make it your thing," Lois said deviously and the line started moving again.
"How thoughtful of you, Lois," Chloe said and raised an eyebrow at Lois' outfit.
"You can thank me later!" Lois said with a perky smile and Chloe sighed.
"Lois, why are we really here?" she asked and suddenly they were standing in front of the bouncer. Chloe froze up but Lois just smiled at them, flashing her ID.
"You're in; as long as you leave your little friend outside," he said.
Lois' smile disappeared and Chloe knew this whole thing could get pretty ugly.
"Come on, Lois, let's just go," Chloe whispered and managed to drag Lois away with her before things got out of control.
"Any suggestions?" Lois asked as they were walking down the street, passing a lot of other nightclubs.
Chloe glanced around and wished that she could think of something, but nothing came to mind.
"I'm afraid not. And even though I might regret asking this; do you have any?" she asked.
"I do, but they all involve being twenty-one so that's out of the question. Well, I guess we could always rent a movie or whatever. Still beats being stuck in Smallville with the cattle and Clark," Lois said and Chloe laughed.
"And here I thought you were such a happy family!" she said and Lois gave her a warning look, but couldn't help smiling.
"Funny. Almost as funny as Clark…"
Lois immediately grew quiet as she saw a familiar face across the street; Brad.
"Lois?" Chloe asked and looked across the street, seeing the same person that Lois did.
This time he hadn't just disappeared in a blink of an eye, which made Lois even surer that she hadn't been imagining things yesterday. Brad was staring at her and suddenly started moving into the dark alley. Lois started crossing the street and Chloe quickly followed her, knowing it was useless do anything else.
Soon they were walking down a dark alley but Lois didn't seem to take notice, although Chloe did on the other hand. She looked around; getting chills down her back knowing what kind of dangerous people could be hiding out in the dark.
"What the…? Brad!" Lois called out and looked around, finding herself staring right at a brick wall. No Brad anywhere to be found. She turned around and faced Chloe.
"That's weird. I mean, he couldn't just have…" Chloe trailed off and her eyes grew wide.
She now remembered what Dr. Palmer had said about Brad's power. At least the one he had before arriving at Summerholt.
"Hey, I know that look! What is it, Chloe?" Lois asked and Chloe bit her lower lip, hesitating for a minute.
"Remember how Clark mentioned Brad having powers due to the meteor shower? Well, the power to freeze time is just one of them. That one he probably got after being committed to Summerholt while this other one… well, he got after being exposed to meteor rocks," Chloe explained and Lois gave her an impatient look.
"And? How did he manage to get away again?" she asked.
"Right. Well, see, Brad has the power of teleportation. It means that…"
"Wait, are you telling me that he just disappeared into thin air?" Lois asked and pointed at the brick wall over her shoulder when her eyes fixed on Chloe.
"Pretty much. Which is probably a good thing after all. Lois, you can't just run off after him. What did you expect to do if you actually caught him?" Chloe asked.
"You don't usually think these things through, Chloe. I wasn't about to let him get away but apparently he had a small advantage," she said and glanced over at the brick wall, still finding it hard to believe Brad actually passed through it. But it also explained a few things that had happened over the past few days.
"Come on, let's get out of here. I'll promise you that we will catch him. Just not tonight," Chloe said suddenly and they slowly walked out of the alley together.
Lois glanced over her shoulder, hoping that he would reappear again but nothing happened. The alley remained empty but Lois was more determined than ever to get a hold of Brad. Even if it meant doing it all by herself; something she was used to.
"So we know for a fact that he robbed the Talon and those five banks in Metropolis. My guess is that he will probably strike once more in Smallville, considering that nobody will ever figure out he did it," Chloe said while Lois stared at the surveillance footage from Metropolis United.
"Right. Well, the only other thing worth robbing in Smallville would be the bank. Not that I would call that a bank but it probably holds an interesting sum of money," she said and Chloe nodded along.
"Exactly. Although for all we know he could already have robbed it. There's really no way telling when he will do it… but I think I know how we can get him," she said and looked at Lois with a devious smile.
"Oh, you wanna play it that way all of the sudden? Sure, just sacrifice me; your own cousin! Hey, why don't we throw in a 'Two-For-One' special?" Lois said sarcastically.
"Quit being such a drama queen. Besides, if anybody is capable of catching Brad then it's you. He likes you and he thinks you like him too," Chloe said and Lois suddenly looked away.
At first Chloe didn't take notice of this but when she realized Lois didn't say anything, she glanced over at her cousin.
"Lois…?" she said and Lois turned around facing her, flashing a big innocent grin. Which was never a good thing because that only meant she had done something that was anything but innocent; Chloe of all people knew this.
"Let me guess; you and your big mouth?" Chloe said sarcastically and sighed.
"Hey, it's not my fault that the guy can't handle rejection! Besides, how was I supposed to know that he would freeze me and then rob the place?" Lois said and Chloe sighed again.
"I should've known. Okay, well, this doesn't have to mean he hates you. Especially not after considering last tonight's stalking," Chloe said.
"I would say that's a pretty safe bet. Now, how do you plan on us getting even close to him? I mean, he might not hate me but he definitely knows how I feel and considering what he did at the Talon, I would say he's being cautious," Lois said.
"That's one way of describing it. Okay, how about we…"
Chloe suddenly stopped talking and Lois stared at the computer screen for a few seconds before turning her attention to her cousin.
"Uhm, Chloe? Hello?" she said and couldn't help but smile as she waved her hand in front of Chloe's face. Her eyes stayed opened, not even blinking. Lois quickly stopped smiling and got out of her chair with a terrified look on her face.
"I thought she would never shut up!"
Lois looked over at the doorway and saw Brad standing there with a smirk.
"What are you doing in here? How did you even get in here?" Lois asked, moving sideways towards the bed where her jacket was thrown; her cell phone still inside it.
"It's not there anymore," Brad said coldly and Lois stopped.
"Well, we are just full of surprises today, aren't we?" Lois said sarcastically, trying to remain perfectly calm. But in fact, she was close to panicking.
"Just like you were two days ago. So tell me, Lois, how does it feel being rejected?" Brad asked and moved away from the doorway, towards Lois.
"Look, if you came here to get some sort of apology or whatever, then you might as well teleport back to where you came from! It's not my fault that things didn't work out for us! And for your own sake you better return what you stole from the Talon," Lois said and Brad started laughing, which gave Lois the chills.
"I see that a certain person has informed you about my 'abilities' but no, I won't go away. This time I won't just disappear," he said.
"This time? How many other times has there been?"
"Quite a few. And every time I've nearly been caught. But I gotta say; you're the first person I've not managed to fool," he said, looking impressed.
"I'm honored. Now, unfreeze her," Lois said and pointed over at Chloe.
"Nice try. But I'm afraid she will remain frozen for a while," Brad said and looked over at Chloe for a moment.
That's when Lois made a run for the door, but like expected, Brad beat her to it. He appeared in front of the door and Lois was speechless. She slowly took a step backwards, realizing that she was trapped.
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~