Chapter 8
"Clark", Chloe smiled and ran up to hug him, "I'm so glad your okay…"
"Hey CK", Jimmy smiled patting him on the back; "Good to see you live and kicking butt again."
"Thanks Jimmy", Clark smiled.
"So where have you been", Chloe asked.
"Fortress", Clark said, "Trying to salvage it."
"You weren't going to come back."
He looked at Lois with a serious tone, "I hadn't planned on it."
"What changed your mind, CK?"
Clark smirked at Oliver.
"You're leader is very… aggressive and persuasive."
"I'm just glad you're back", Chloe hugged him again, "Have you seen your mom?"
"I actually went there first", Clark nodded, "its how I found out about Lois…"
"So what now", AC asked, "Is it over?"
"Yeah", Victor nodded, "It should be. Lex Luthor is on his way to Arkham courtesy of Batman. Zod is back in the Phantom Zone so all's right with the world…"
Clark took Lois' hand in his.
"Can we go somewhere to talk?"
She nodded and let him lead her out of the room unnoticed by the other team mates.
"What's going on Clark?"
He pulled her close to him and placed his lips over hers in a frantic motion. He slowly coaxed her lips and she moaned softly. It was then that she finally realized what was happening and she began to move her lips over his. She snaked her arms up his and wrapped them around his neck as he pulled her flush against his body. He lifted her up and kissed her deeper. She pulled back and licked her lips smiling.
"Wow", she breathed, "What was that for?"
"I've wanted to do that for as long as I remember…"
"Why didn't you?"
"I didn't know if you'd kiss me back or beat me upside the head", he smiled.
"And what convinced you I wouldn't hurt you", she smiled.
"Oh I still didn't know if you'd beat me upside the head", he smirked, "But I know you'd never hurt me…"
She smiled.
"Right you are, Smallville", she smiled and leaned in to kiss him again.
She put her palm on his cheek holding his face as she kissed him softly.
They heard a throat clearing behind them and pulled back. Lois jumped out of Clark's arms and turned around to find a smirking Bruce Wayne.
"I see you crazy kids have had a proper hello", he grinned.
"You could say that", Lois glared, "Thanks for interrupting Rodent Boy."
He glared.
"Lois", he stressed and she rolled her eyes, "I only came to give you a news update on John Corben…"
"Is he", she asked.
Bruce nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry, Lois", he said softly.
She nodded.
"Thank you, Bruce", she said biting her lip.
Bruce nodded and turned to leave. Lois stared ahead of her sadly.
"Who's John Corben?"
She turned around to find a confused Clark and she smiled sadly.
"A friend", she said, "He was with me the night I got kidnapped. Zod's body guards beat him pretty badly…."
She saw his face crumble.
"Clark", she strained, "This is not your fault."
He nodded.
"I know", he said, "I just wish I'd come back sooner…"
"You didn't know", she shrugged.
"So, what happens now", he asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck again.
"What Smallville, are you that virtuous that you need me to draw you a diagram", she smirked when he turned beet red.
"Lois", he hissed.
"Smallville", she mimicked.
"You're terrible", he shook his head.
"Yeah, but you love me anyway", she said smiling and looking up at him.
"Right you are, Lane", he leaned in and kissed her again.
~*~
Professor Vale placed the green rock on the operating table next to the lifeless body of one John Corben. He'd been preparing for this moment his whole life. He wanted to prove that he could bring back the dead. All that was needed was this little piece of rock.
Unfortunately, the body had already begun to rot and would need to be replaced partially with steel.
Professor Vale slowly placed the green rock in the chamber where the artificial heart would have gone. He connected the wires to the steel walls of the compartment. He tied the tubes together and smiled victoriously when he was done. He closed the compartment door and smiled again.
It was done.
In a few hours, John Corben would be alive again.
~*~
"So, I guess I am a matchmaker at heart", Jimmy smiled at Chloe.
"What are you talking about", she feigned confusion.
He pulled her close. "Come on, Chlo, I called it and you know it…"
"Fine, fine", she said, "I'll give it to you… you were right this time…"
"I'm right every time", he grinned.
"Oh yeah, aren't you overly confident", she smiled pulling away from him slightly.
"I got you, didn't I", he asked.
She smiled and leaned in to kiss him.
"Yeah", she smiled again, "You got me forever."
~*~
"We've got a problem", Oliver said.
Lois and Clark both looked up in confusion. Lois rolled her eyes.
"I knew it was too good to be true", she said.
"What is it", Clark asked standing up.
"They stole Corben's body from the hospital."
"What", Lois stood up shocked, "Who would do that?"
"A couple of years ago I would have said Lex Luthor", Oliver said, "But considering… it wasn't him."
"Then who", Clark asked.
"A Professor Vale", Oliver said, "Some professor from Metropolis University…"
"So then, we know where to find him", Lois said grabbing her bag, "Let's go."
"Except", Oliver stopped her, "He was fired a month ago for stealing bodies from the campus morgue and taking them home."
"Taking them home", Lois said slowly and then realization hit her, "Oh gross…"
Oliver nodded.
"Chloe is pulling up all the information we can get on him now", Oliver said.
"I'm done", Chloe said walking in with a file, "Last known address is right here in Metropolis."
Lois took the file from her and looked at the address.
"It's not far from here", she said, "Let's go."
"Lois", Clark grabbed her arm stopping her, "We don't know anything about this guy… let us go."
"Clark, John was a friend", she said, "He died trying to save me. I won't let some psycho Frankenstein doctor mutilate his remains for kicks. Either you come with me or I go alone, but I'm going."
Clark breathed in deeply.
"I'll ride with you", he said.
"See, I was kind of hoping to take a ride on the Clark Kent Express", she smirked, "We'd get there faster."
He picked her up, bridal style.
"The things I do for you, Lane", he said looking down at her.
She tied her hands around his neck.
"Yeah, yeah", she said, "Now mush…"
He rolled his eyes and super sped them out of the room.
Oliver looked around at everyone and smirked.
"Okay, I'm taking bets", he said pulling out his wallet, "Those two will hit the sack by the end of this week…"
Chloe pulled out a twenty. "My cousin is pretty strong willed. She'll make him work for it. Put me down for two weeks."
"I say three days", AC called.
"I say a day and a half", Dinah smirked pulling out a twenty.
"Two days", Victor smiled.
"One", Bruce said shrugging, "He's been gone a month…"
"I say it happens right now and they don't even make it to their destination", Bart smirked pulling out his twenty.
Jimmy shook his head lifting up his twenty dollar bill.
"Am I the only one who says they'll wait until they get married", Jimmy asked.
Everyone looked at each other, then back at him and nodded, "Yes."
"Fine put me down for two and a half weeks", Jimmy laughed.
~*~
Professor Vale watched the body as the fingers twitched slowly. He smirked. He watched the body sit up slowly and look around.
John looked down at himself seeing he was now partially made of steel. He screamed in agony. Professor Vale stood up and walked to his side placing a hand on his shoulder. John scrambled off the table and realized he was naked so he wrapped a cloth around himself.
"Who are you?"
"I am Professor Vale", he said, "I brought you back to life, John."
"Back to life?"
"Yes", he said, "You were dead. I tried a test operation on your body and it worked."
"What have I become", he asked looking down at himself again. Parts of his body were made of steel.
"I had to replace fractured skin tissue", Professor Vale explained, "It had already begun to rot."
"Where am I?"
"Safe", Professor Vale answered.
John looked around.
"Why?"
"Why not", Professor Vale countered.
"How?"
"Green meteor rock from Smallville", Professor Vale said, "It is now placed where your artificial heart would have been…"
"Where are we?"
"We are still in Metropolis if that's what you want to know…"
Professor Vale took a step closer.
"Stop", John said.
He stopped in his tracks.
"Who did this to me", he asked him.
"The police report says it was a mugging", Professor Vale said, "Do you remember anything at all?"
"No…"
He stopped then it all hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Lois", he muttered.
"I'm sorry?"
"I need to make a phone call. Do you have a phone?"
