STEEL THY HEART
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
A/n: I want to give a "thumbs up" and a "thanks so, so much!" for all of those kind souls who dropped a review, or alerted me, or made this story a favorite. I do want to say that I appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart. I also deeply apologize that it has taken so long to update. Between work and dialysis issues (which are numerous,) it has been an uphill battle, but I am still here, and alive and kicking.
This chapter was a long time in coming. I still have some minor issues with it, but I hope you all like it. It is a little longer and it features a "surprise" at the end of it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable props, characters, or any dialogue from any series, movies, or comic books. DC, those who created Smallville, and any partners or subsidiaries own them.
Previously: From out of the darkness, a man with a thick salt-and-pepper beard and a finely cut grey suit said, "Why, revenge, Mr. Kent, or should I say, 'Superman'?"
Selina and Lois had the same reaction: pure shock. The man smiled a triumphant grin of superiority, and Clark's mind raced as he considered the best way to talk his nemesis, Igor Shardov, out of his declaration.
For a moment, no one said anything; then, Clark was the first to speak. "S-Superman?! You think I'm—" he made a flying motion with his hand, then said, "—Superman?!"
Holding up a restraining hand, the older man said, "Please, don't bother to deny it. You know it, and I know it." Leaning into the shy journalist, Shardov promised Clark, "and soon, Superman, the whole world will know it, unless you meet my demands."
"Come on, Shardov," Lois said. "Surely you can do better than that! I've worked alongside this guy for years, and there is no way under God's green Earth that he could be Superman."
Clark gave Lois a look. Secretly, he was pleased about his post hypnotic suggestion that he'd made when he had erased her memories of his secret—which was that she keep doubting that he was Superman—had worked.
A jerk of Shardov's head had his guards removing Selina's clawed gloves and her belt. She didn't blink an eye as they left the room, one's laughter at their predicament dying on the wind.
"I wonder…what proof do you have that he's Superman?" Selina asked, cool as a cucumber.
As he gazed at Catwoman, trying to read her, Clark realized that of all the people in the room, the one whose reaction he feared most was hers. Although he placed his trust in her, something was gnawing at him. He stood to lose the most if she somehow betrayed him. His instinctual voice was now screaming at him that she was hiding important secrets from him. Clark had known it ever since their first dinner in the Moroccan restaurant, when Selina didn't tell him everything about herself. But he'd told himself then that she was what she seemed: a once dishonest thief who wanted to redeem herself.
He still didn't know what had made him risk everything for the tenuous relationship they had formed. Maybe it hurt to have no one in his life after Lois and he was desperate on some level for happiness; maybe it was attraction, pure and simple, and he wanted to explore a sexual lifestyle with Selina complete with no strings attached; or maybe, just maybe, he really was ready for a fascinating, deep relationship with a woman who would pose a real challenge.
Whatever the reason, he hoped that they'd have something to cherish when all this was over.
And what about Shardov? Clark knew that the smuggler was the finest in the business because he excelled at playing games, particularly those which hid layers and kept one guessing at the truth.
The human trafficker of stolen goods and antiquities addressed Selina, his gaze piercing almost through her. "Undeniable proof, Ms. Kyle," he said.
"You're insane," Selina breathed. Shardov paid her no mind. He continued to regard her as if she were a minor annoyance.
Lois thought she'd never seen a more calculating, emotionless look on a human before. Her eyes strayed to her partner, and she whispered, "Next move is yours, Smallville."
Clark concentrated on his acting skills. He wasn't about to give anything away; not to Shardov, and not to his buyers. All the players in the room waited for Clark to make his move on the "chess board" Shardov had set up.
"Well, I wish I could say that I am, but you're barking up the wrong tree, Igor," Clark said. Shardov wasn't the least bit phased by Clark's remark.
Flashing a superior grin at him, Shardov told him, "You are a very worthy opponent. I shall have the greatest fun outwitting you." He now looked deadly serious. "When it comes to what I am willing to bargain for, Man of Steel, you'll find I have a Will of Iron."
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While Clark, Selina and Lois were talking with Shardov, Jimmy woke up in another dark cell, or at least, he thought it was. The room felt smaller and more compact. It had a metallic smell, like that of rusting iron. Feeling the ground, the titian haired photographer could tell that his earlier synopsis had been correct. The floor felt smooth, like the finest cut stainless steel. Jimmy stumbled in the darkness, trying to find a light source, when he felt something soft and—he gasped as he drew his hand away—bumpy.
Scrambling to his feet, he found a switch and turned it on. As the cell flooded with light, Jimmy saw a blonde's body on the ground. He reached out and connected with a pulse. Breathing a sigh of relief that she was alive, Jimmy saw the bars before him. He searched his pockets on his jacket but they'd been emptied.
"Damn!" He swore.
Looking at the girl again, Jimmy turned her over. It was the same girl who'd jumped him before he'd managed to fight her off. Since the bad guys had taken his stuff, maybe they'd overlooked something when they'd placed her here. He felt around in her pants pockets, but he didn't feel anything. His hand moved to the top of her jacket, where there was one of four small pockets. So intent on probing her attire was he that he didn't notice her stirring.
When Jimmy reached gingerly into the bottom left pocket, he heard a "you again!" He felt her moving slightly; then he heard a: "move it, or lose it!"
Jimmy lowered his hand, but said, "you know: your threat would be so much more convincing if you had your gun, but I'm guessing they removed your little toy before putting you here, right?"
The girl sat up and said, "So?"
Jimmy shook his head back and forth. "Soooo…" he said, "you don't have a weapon, and you can't threaten me."
"Oh, yeah?!" The girl thundered, her hand flying in Jimmy's direction. He ducked to avoid her long red fingernail connecting with his cheek. "Guess again! I knocked you out once; I can do it again!"
Jimmy grabbed her wrists, pinning them on the floor. "You were the one who hit me after I hit the other girl in the dark?"
The girl didn't answer. She thrashed about, trying to break his grip. "You want me to squeeze tighter?" He asked, getting steamed. "Maybe break your wrist?"
She said, "You and what army, fun boy?" Before he could stop it, her knee went flying as she knocked him in between his legs. Jimmy cried out in pain, clutching his bruised testicles as he sank to the ground.
"Shut up!" The girl hissed, rising. She crossed to the bars on the opposite side. Looking down to regard him, she said, "You want to bring the guards down on our necks?"
Still clutching his damaged scrotum, Jimmy retorted, "'shoulda thought of that before you kicked me in the balls."
Unexpectedly, the girl agreed as she admitted, "Yeah, you're right. I should've picked someplace where you'd be completely knocked out so you wouldn't cry like a girl."
Jimmy returned sarcastically, "Hello to you too." Jimmy ignored the pain and got up slowly, looking around using the light, dim though it was, to aid him. After a few moments, he looked at the wall. Jimmy saw some water dripping down some stones. Touching the rocks, he smiled as he realized what the moisture indicated.
"Well, it looks like our troubles are over," he said.
"What the heck are you doing?" The girl asked. He ignored her. When she repeated her question more forcefully, Jimmy slapped his hand over her mouth.
"Mmmph..." she said.
Whispering, he told her, "look, I'm trying not to invite the Terrorist Malevolence League to party either, all right?" After a moment, Jimmy quietly reported his findings.
"So it's wet...so what?" She asked, exasperated. Jimmy loosened one of the rocks to prove his point.
"Sssooo...that indicates there is moisture coming from somewhere. If so, that could've loosened the rocks. Maybe we can push one of these stones out of the way and escape," he said triumphantly. His co-captive snorted, putting her tiny hands on her shoulders.
"Really? Well, first of all, how are we going to lift one of those gargantuan rocks out? It must weigh a ton! Second, how are we supposed to get past the guards without them knowing? Third, even if we accomplished all that, how are we gonna find the exit out of this mausoleum?" She returned. The smile Jimmy had vanished.
"You sure are a ray of sunshine, you know that?" He retorted. Moments later, his eyes misted with sadness as he considered her words. How would they escape with endless tunnels and an array of guards who were bigger than they were?
They rested their chins in their hands, trying to come up with a viable solution to their predicament. Suddenly, Jimmy brightened, suggesting, "One of us can distract them, and…" he looked at the stone. It looked too heavy for either one of them to lift, let alone use. His blue eyes fell on another idea, as he looked at her jacket. The girl tugged it against her almost like it were a shield.
"What…?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"We could use that to drop over one of the guards' faces; then…" he began. She smiled.
"Not bad," she said. "Maybe it could work, especially if we got the gun. You know how to use an AK 47?"
Not wanting to say that he couldn't fire a pistol, Jimmy told her, "Sure."
She looked at him, telling him, "You don't exactly sound confident."
"If we could knock one guard out, we could use his body as a counterweight to push the stone," Jimmy suggested, refusing to give up. Mari admired his optimism even if she thought it was crouched in stupidity. This guy was definitely one to get to know better.
Thrusting out her hand, she said, "So what's your name?"
"James Olson," Jimmy said. "Most people call me 'Jimmy'."
"Marilyn Shraver-Munroe," she said. To his credit, Jimmy didn't laugh.
He took a good look, comparing her to the sexy siren of the 1950's that his mom liked. In a remarkable similarity, this Marilyn had the platinum hair, with a pale complexion. But that was where the similarities ended. Her lips were smaller, not as plump; her figure, while curved, was a little thinner. She had a smaller chest, and was tinier in the waist. Her eyes, rather than the striking blue of the actress's, were pale green, and she had a rounder face without the trademark mole obstructing her chin. She also had a nose ring.
"Call me 'Mari' or 'Lynn'," she was saying. Jimmy shook her hand, deciding that she looked pleasing enough. He wondered what she was doing in the cell.
"Pleased to meet you, Mari," he said. "I sure wish it was under better circumstances." Jimmy set to work, testing the stone to see if it moved. When it did, Mari helped him. They kept easing the rock out of the wall. After several minutes, the stone gave way.
"It's out!" Jimmy cried.
"Cool!" Mari said. "Now, what?" Her eyes measured the opening. After a short moment, she cried, "We can't fit through there! It's too small."
Jimmy thrust his arm inside and waved it around. As Mari watched, he soon reported, "There's air coming from on the other side. We just need to loosen more rocks. If we do that, we can escape."
"Like in that movie, 'Escape from Alcatraz'?" She asked.
"Something like that," the photographer said. As they both worked on the rocks, Jimmy asked, "So what were you doing here?"
"Freelance stuff," Mari answered. "I'm hoping that there's a story here. Sorry about jumping you earlier, but I thought you were one of them."
"What story is in this place?" Jimmy wondered.
"The people they took when they thought I wasn't looking," she reported. "They're in the cell up ahead. One of 'em is Lois Lane. She was with two other people—one of which looked like Catwoman."
"Where?" He asked.
"Not too far from here," Mari responded.
Jimmy could hardly contain his excitement. Unwittingly, Mari had told him where his friends were. She'd spared him from searching the endless block of cells. Now he worked harder than ever to find a way out of this place so that, in the absence of Superman, he could rescue them.
When a third stone had been removed, Jimmy and Marilyn tunneled through the vent shaft, searching for an exit. Presently, the duo came to a large room which was dimly lit. Jimmy carefully lifted the vent grille off of the wall, then set it down on the ground. He eased himself through the opening then helped Marilyn. There was a low level hum all around them.
Listening for any sounds of human life Mari said a moment later, "Sounds like computers."
"Certainly not an exit," Jimmy reported, "but if there is a machine we can discover where it is."
"I don't think anyone's here," she said. "I can keep a lookout while you're working."
He nodded, cautioning, "I'll be fast. We should be ready to run at a moment's notice after I find what we're looking for." Marilyn turned on the light, then her eyes widened.
"What the hell…?" Mari asked. Her eyes roamed around the room. Unlike the others, which were solid stone, this chamber was metal, yet the walls had a curious sheen. Mari's fingers ghosted along the walls then drew back. A substance lingered on her skin. "Unlike anything I've ever seen."
Jimmy touched another wall. "You can say that again," he said. "I wonder why the bad guys have this here."
"Maybe I can supply an answer," Mari said, "or at least a partial one. Ever hear of Igor Shardov?"
Jimmy nodded. "The notorious smuggler?" He inquired. "Yeah. Miss Lane and Mr. Kent were obsessed with finding out everything on him. Is that the story you were working on?"
"One of my informants let slip that Shardov has been using areas like this for his operations," Mari confirmed. "So, I followed a hunch."
"I don't buy it," Jimmy said, reaching out to touch the unusual material again. "How would Shardov manage to get this kind of stuff? It doesn't feel like anything I've touched before…".
"Yeah. Still, it has a sort of denseness to it, like hardened glass," Mari mused.
Jimmy kept looking around until he found the thing he was looking for: a computer with a monitor embedded in the side wall. Spying the keyboard beneath it, Jimmy accessed it and started typing.
Mari tapped her nails on her cheek impatiently. "Jim, I'm not cleaning up your mess if they find out we've been here!" She snapped.
"Relax," he told her. "This is my area of expertise. He'll never know I was even in here." Jimmy didn't turn around, but put in password after password to try to see what Shardov was up to.
After a moment, Jimmy said, "I'm in!"
"Which password did you…?" Mari wanted to know.
"Phaze," he said. "It was a drug that was marketed by LutherCorp. I figured that was as good as any access code." Mari leaned over his shoulder to look. The files blurred by, but what caught her eye and Jimmy's were the words "shimr" and "Superman".
Mari noted something also. Pointing to it, she quoted, "Requisition: one containment unit for transportation. Shardov wants to contain something and then transport it. Where?"
Jimmy neatly typed in information that would leave no trace, once the computer carried out the last instructions. He switched off the machine. "Good question. Better question is: why is Shardov interested in Superman?" Mari took out an object resembling a cell phone.
"C'mon," Jimmy urged. Mari pressed a button on the phone then put it into her pocket.
They exited the room presently. "We have to escape; write the story," Mari said.
"Easier said than done," Jimmy told her.
"Why?" She asked. They headed toward the left.
"We don't have any evidence," Jimmy responded. "I don't have my camera, and you don't have anything, either." Mari smiled, holding up her phone again. When she flipped it open, Jimmy saw a picture of the chamber.
"Cool, but, um…how come you never used that to dial out for help?" Jimmy asked, adding, "we're splitting the byline, by the way." Mari gave him a censuring look.
"Unless you're Jack Bower, there's no way to get a signal of any type this far underground, and there are no cell towers here," she said. At Jimmy's confused look, she clarified, "You know: Keifer Sutherland, 24? He plays an agent who has a phone that literally works anywhere and…Never mind!" Mari rolled her eyes, then asked him, "how about you leaving a signal for the police when you were on the computer, huh? And, okay, we split any story we co-write 50/50."
They walked toward the right. "Yeah, sure, and why not sky write or use a loud speaker shouting, 'we're here, we're here!'" He retorted. "I had to make us vanish so that they wouldn't catch on that we ever been there. But, one thing I did find out is which cell they're in. And, fair enough on the story."
"I suppose you want to get them out before we go, right?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jimmy said. "I don't abandon my friends." He pointed to a wider corridor to the right. After checking to make sure there were no guards, they walked down it.
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Meanwhile, Selina thrust her hands behind her. The guards had removed her external tools, just as she thought they would. But, they had not bothered with the hidden seam in the midsection of her costume. Working her fingers into the lining, Selina found her small pouch and then focused on her shackles using a sharp object resembling a nail file. Once she was free, she would do what she could to get them out of there.
She thought about what Shardov knew...and what he'd do if he was proven to be right. Besides, if he really was Superman, she decided that she wanted to have that knowledge all to herself. She didn't exactly believe Shardov, but even so, if he were to release any information true or untrue about Clark being Superman, he would ruin everything. Clark would never be able to walk around in public, and he certainly couldn't have a relationship with her. She couldn't let Shardov get away with that!
"Your notion that this kitty cat," Selina indicated Clark with a jerk of her head, "is a mountain lion like Superman is totally unfounded."
Shardov arched a brow, saying, "Methinks you and Mr. Kent are protesting too much. Act indifferent next time you choose an identity, I might believe you." He chuckled. "Now, the truth will come out."
He grabbed Clark, and then shoved him, hard, to the ground. "Ow!" Clark exclaimed. He hoped his acting would pay off.
"Clark!" Selina exclaimed. But, she reigned in her dismay over his injury and concentrated on freeing herself.
"So, in response to this...theory of yours," Lois asked, concentrating on the keys at Shardov's belt. If she could find a way to grab them, somehow…. "Do we just sit here listening to a madman like you?"
"Mad, am I?" the smuggler snapped. "You will pay for that, Miss Lane. I would think that, of all people, you would seek the truth about your partner. We will see, Miss Lane, how mad I am when you see this!" He withdrew an object from his pocket. Selina briefly glanced at the device. It was a black mini ball, no bigger than the size of a golf ball.
"Recognize this?" He asked.
"That looks like a mini camera LexCorp invented last summer," Lois answered. "I remember doing a story about Lex's invention."
"Quite correct, Miss Lane," Shardov told her. His eyes, however, were on her male partner. "In point of fact, this is the same one that was in Clark Kent's apartment the night the Sylemite was supposed to go off. I sent spotters after getting a reading confirming that the bomb had detonated."
Clark felt a sinking in his stomach. He had checked for the bomb, but he hadn't figured that there was also a camera. He suddenly realized that he'd been so fixated on the exploding device when he'd flown out that he never saw or heard anything like the camera.
How could I have been so stupid? He mentally chided himself. Simultaneously, Shardov said, "Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the bomb had disappeared, and not only that, but the other device had some very revealing information." He took out a communication device and ordered, "Guards, get in here!" He said slowly, "Now, Mr. Kent, everyone that is here will discover the your little secret! After that, the world will know!"
The door swung open. Shadov saw one of the guards fall forward. His gun was missing.
What is going on? The smuggler thought. Two more guards came inside the room, but with their hands held high.
"Jimmy…?" Lois asked as she saw the titian haired boy and his blonde companion. They held the guards' guns in their hands. Shardov reached inside his pocket for his gun but Selina wrapped the chain around his neck, pulling with all her might.
"Uhhgghh…" Shardov gasped. He tried to pull on the chain, but Catwoman tugged tighter, causing the villain to drop the mini camera.
"Jimmy, the keys!" Lois exclaimed. "Get them from Shardov's belt!"
He nodded, reaching out to grab the keys. Once he had them, however, Shardov kicked out with all his might. The keys skidded toward the open door. Selina dropped him to get the keys, while, unobserved, two of the guards started regaining consciousness.
Shardov reached the gun in his pocket and began firing. Clark shouted, "Run for cover!"
A stray bullet hit Jimmy, whose hand flew to his arm. "Unnnhh…," Jimmy exclaimed.
"Jim!" Mari shouted seconds before everyone ducked and ran outside the cell.
"C'mon," Clark said. "We have to close that door so they don't get out!" Clark helped Lois and Mari close it; then, using his super strength, he effortlessly put the slab of wood across its metal fixing in its center to seal it shut. Two of the guards who'd escaped were fighting Selina and Lois.
"How did you…?" Mari asked.
"Funny what adrenaline will do for a person," Clark said. One guard and Shardov were still inside, banging on the door. He moved down the corridor. After knocking both guards out cold again, Selina and the others followed while Clark observed, "That won't last long. They'll manage to escape."
"I'll look for a way out," Selina said.
Jimmy was still bleeding. Lois pulled a handkerchief out of her skirt pocket and pressed it against Jimmy's wound. "It's not bad..." he confirmed.
"Save your strength, Jimmy," Lois advised. But the photographer shook his head violently.
"Listen! I studied some of the schematics of this place. If we go down then up about three or four steps and keep walking to the right, there should be an exit where the tunnels divide."
"Can you stay awake long enough to lead us there?" Selina wanted to know. Jimmy grimaced as his wound started smarting, but whispered in the affirmative.
Suddenly, there was a slight distortion of a wall; then, Selina saw the last person she thought would be there: her nemesis. Their eyes met. "Go!" She shouted to the others. To Clark, she said, "Get them out!"
"I can't leave you…" Clark said. But Selina started fighting her doppleganger.
"Go!" She told him. Jimmy had started to lead the others toward the corridor with the exit. "I'll be right behind! Help the kid!"
While Selina and the doppleganger were engage in a life and death struggle, Jimmy and the others came to a flight of steps. "According to the data it should be around here," he said. They ran downstairs, then headed up. Clark hesitated, ccoming to a decision. Seeing him hesitate at the bottom of the stairs leading upward, Lois stayed behind.
"I've got to help her," he said. Lois snorted.
"What are you supposed to do Smallville?" She asked. "Curse them to death?"
Clark glared at Lois. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. You, Jimmy and that girl go, and I'll think of something."
"Like I'm going to let you grab the story?" Lois countered. "Nothing doing."
"Lois," Clark said patiently, "You've got to get Jimmy to a hospital. He's not going to be conscious forever if that wound keeps bleeding, and you're the only one with some medical experience. I don't care about the story." His eyes found Mari's. "You haven't been trained as a nurse, have you, Miss?" He asked the yellow haired girl.
"No," Mari confirmed, "And I'm Mari. Okay, we stay or we go, but whatever we do, we gotta do it now." Before anyone could restrain him, Clark ran back into the dark corridor.
Meanwhile, Jimmy started going in and out of consciousness. "Why should we get out now?" Lois asked.
"Because, Jim thinks I don't know, but," Mari said quickly, "we found a room that was designed to contain Big Blue."
"Superman?" Lois asked. At the top of the stairs, there was a wall blocking the escape. Lois pushed with all her might, but she couldn't open or slide the wall.
"Yeah, so, anyways, I think Jim programmed the computer to self-destruct or something so it couldn't be used on Superman," she said. "He thinks I don' know about computers, but isn't that what they do in movies? Program the works to blow up any time? Besides, it would destroy one of Shardov's headquarters."
Lois tapped Jimmy on the cheek. "Jimmy, is that true?" She asked. Jimmy was sweating, but he regained consciousness temporarily.
"Lois…?" He asked. He willed his mind to focus on Lois's question. "Yeah. 'figured stopping Shardov from getting one of my best friends was what really mattered. Sorry about any story."
Lois couldn't help but agree with Jimmy, at least partially. She wanted more than anything to see the room, and the stories it contained, to say nothing of whether it would be able to hold Superman. But if destroying it would help him, then she was all for it. And, there was Jimmy to consider.
Besides, she determined, she would be there when the police or whoever found the remains went through it to see what they could find. Lois would do whatever she could to make it great.
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Shardov and the guard left a smoking pile of wood behind as they obliterated the door and its metal ledge.
"After them, you fools, especially Kent!" He shouted. The two other guards joined Shardov and the first henchman.
The guards looked around, one saying, "Sir! We don't know which direction they took. The corridor is clear!"
"If they know the route to the exit, they would go in that direction!" Shardov said, leading the way toward the escape corridor.
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Clark's super hearing picked up a ticking sound. "Not again!" He murmured, making his way toward where he heard Selina and the other Catwoman struggling.
In the corridor leading in the opposite direction from where Jimmy and the others had gone, Clark saw their hands locked in a vice grip. Clark had to admit: Selina was glorious…and sexy, when she was in fight mode. Her green eyes darted to the male reporter.
"What…are you doing here…?" She asked. Simultaneously, the double said, "Doesn't matter who comes to rescue you! You're dead anyway!"
Clark made no moves to stop the pair of combatants. The sound of the ticking was closer, however. "We all will be unless we go now!"
The ladies flipped each other, matching their moves exactly. "Did I forget to mention that the more I touch someone, even if I'm not phasing, I absorb some of their traits?" The other Catwoman crowed triumphantly. "I will be the only Catwoman when I absorb all of you!" She shouted to Selina.
"Sorry," Selina said. "There's only one Catwoman, and you don't come close!" Clark's shock was palpable when he saw the other Catwoman phase, taking Selina through the wall to the room Jimmy and Mari had discovered.
She's never done that before! He thought. 'Never done that before! The doppelganger thought. Selina felt slightly disoriented, but recovered, smashing her palm into the other's face.
Clark pulled on the door to the room. For a moment, he stood transfixed at the quantity of the material the place was lined with. "Shimr…" he uttered. The ticking grew louder. He dashed to the computer he spotted amidst the others' punching and kicking.
He tried to punch in every possible password, but none worked. An idea hit. Clark punched in the phase password, but nothing registered. The journalist could see the clock counting.
Countdown sequence to destruction of cell S 117: 00:08:00, the machine read, keeping its appointment with death. He pushed every sequence he could imagine, but the clock kept ticking.
"Can't stop it?" Selina asked.
She landed a karate chop on the double's midsection. Clark knew that if he wanted to, he could have used his heat vision, but Selina and the other female might see. He also knew that if he used it in that small room, the Shimr might reflect it back and they would be hurt. And, he also didn't know how the circuitry might react if fried. The attack might enable the destruct sequence to go off right away rather than continue to count down. No, he realized, he'd have to do things a different way.
Knowing Selina expected an answer, Clark said, sighing with frustration, "No. We've got to go!"
"I'm prepared for death, just like my sister was when you destroyed her!" the other Catwoman snarled, punching Selina's rib. Selina cried out in pain. Clark paused in his ministrations.
"Your sister?" He queried. The double didn't answer; she and Selina continued fighting.
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Lois handed Jimmy to Mari as she felt the walls for something that would aid in their escape. "There has to be a button or a trip wire or something somewhere!" She cried. Lois checked back to see Mari struggling to hold an unconscious Jimmy.
"Did you see anything on the computer screen showing where the thing that opens this is?" She asked. Mari shook her head.
"I only saw the screen for a minute," she said. They could hear Shardov and his men.
Stating the obvious, Lois said, "They'll be on us in a minute! We've got to find it."
"Even if we do, how will we get your friends out?" Mari asked, her eyes growing wide when she heard Shardov say, "Here!" The female reporter couldn't answer, but she hoped that Clark and Catwoman were able to escape on their own. Lois kept feeling and testing each nook and cranny. In a few moments, she whispered, "Jackpot."
Finding a loose stone, Lois pressed it, saying, "Got it" as the rock slid away, revealing the hidden second flight of stairs leading to the surface. The women barely managed to get themselves and Jimmy out before the stone slid into place.
Right behind them, Shardov pressed the rock and the men followed, engulfed in the darkness.
"They must have turned off the lights," he announced. He flipped a switch, illuminating the corridor. "Upstairs! Hurry!"
The smuggler and the guards followed, seeing Lois, Mari and her human bundle. "You won't get far!" Shardov yelled. He and the guards started firing, but the bullets hit the metal door to the warehouse that the others had narrowly escaped through.
"Cease fire!" Shardov shouted. The men stopped firing. One guard asked, "What now?"
Shardov said to the second guard, "You follow them and take care of them! Kent and the Catwoman are mine!" To the first guard, he said, "come with me!" They returned the way they came except for the second guard. Shardov and the other guards went back down the stairs to pursue his super powered prize.
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While Shardov started down the stairs, Selina knocked the doppelganger out. She barely had time to see if Clark had deactivated the destruct sequence when Clark yelled, "Look out!" He threw himself on top of both women, enveloping Selina and the unconscious enemy when the room exploded, its vibrations shaking Lois, Mari and Jimmy on the surface like an earthquake. Shardov and the other henchmen were knocked down on the stairs.
"Oh my God!" Lois said above. "Clark…Selina…". Mari could only concentrate on Jimmy, who was stirring ever so slightly.
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Below, in the now destroyed remnants of the room, Clark breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened...?" a muffled sound uttered. Clark opened his arms and stood up slightly. "Are you okay?" He asked. Underneath him, Selina answered, "A okay."
"The room was covered in Shimr. It looks like metallic water, but has the property of hardened plexiglass. The explosion was contained by that material. Everything was destroyed but the substance took the brunt of the impact," he said.
Selina righted herself, checking to make sure her foe was still out cold. "Shimr? Never heard of it," she said.
"It's an alien material," Clark said. "I wonder where Shardov would have come in contact with it?"
But Selina wasn't paying attention anymore. Her eyes were fixated on Clark, and the suit he wore beneath his torn shirt. Her green orbs widened as she took in what she'd seen.
"Clark…" she said softly. "You are Superman!" He opened his mouth to deny it, but no sound came out.
Only one question registered in his blue eyes as he gauged her expression: what do I do now?