|5|
Clark slept fitfully as a headache throbbed constantly behind his eyes and his body was wracked by shivers and a steadily growing ache. He couldn't tell how much time had gone by, but he figured the gnawing pain in his stomach meant that it had been a couple days at least.
"Are you feeling weak yet feeling weak?"
Clark lifted his head to look around the red-lit room. He was still alone.
"Thirsty?"
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"I ask the questions, Kent. This isn't about you. Do you think your buddy, Bruce Wayne, would be willing to risk his own ass to save yours?" The voice was loud in the enclosed space.
Clark struggled to sit up, dragging himself back to lean against the wall. He could feel the rough stone scraping his skin as he shifted to get comfortable. "What are you talking about?"
"It's a simple question. A Pulitzer Prize winning reporter should be able to grasp it. I'll repeat. Do you think Wayne will come looking for you? Will he pay for your freedom?"
Confusion was reflected in Clark's voice. "Wayne is someone I know through my job. He owns the newspaper I work for."
"What about Batman? Do you think that he will admit he's the Bat in order to rescue his comrade? Better hope that he does, Kent. Your life depends on it." The voice laughed when Clark doubled over as the red light suddenly grew in intensity.
"Oh, god, w-what-"
"I guess that hurts. Any idea what it is? I know you're feeling a little under the weather right now, but if you just take a few minutes to think about it, I'm sure you'll come up with an answer. Superman."
Clark raised his head, searching the room for any signs of the speakers or a camera. "I-I don't know what you're t-talking about."
"Come on, Kent, don't bother with the games. I know. I've seen the proof." There was a pause. "You're living it right now."
Clark's eyes moved to the dull source of light. "Red sun energy," he whispered as realization dawned.
"Give the man a prize!" the voice crowed. "Get some rest. Who knows if your pal Wayne is gonna cough up the cash; you might be here a while. You are turning out to be a very valuable find, Kent. Nighty-night."
The light grew brighter until Clark was left sapped of strength, panting as he hunched on his side in the dirt. Clark squeezed his eyes shut and let the tremors take over until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.
o o o o
"What do you mean, he never arrived in Gotham?" Lex sounded outwardly calm, but the anger simmering beneath the surface was obvious. The voice on the other end of the line answered hastily.
"We lost the signal two miles outside the city. There's an old training facility out there that the army used during World War II. Due to severe structural damage caused by a tornado, it hasn't been occupied in decades. The army still owns the land, but the building itself has been left to ruin. If Superman is being held somewhere in that area, it's the most logical location."
"Do you have anyone investigating the location?" The head of Lex's Gotham City team responded affirmatively. "Good. I'm on my way now. Be prepared with a full briefing when I get there." He jabbed the disconnect button before the man could finish assuring him they'd be ready.
"If anyone is going to kill you, Clark, it's going to be me," he muttered, slipping the phone into his pocket, picking up his briefcase, and exiting his office. "Mercy, have the plane fuelled and ready by the time I get to the airport," he ordered, striding past his assistant. "I'm going to Gotham."
o
Lex was furious. When Rickard brought him with the torn remains of Superman's cape two days after the man had disappeared along with the news that the facility was empty, he'd been tempted to fire the man and start from scratch. But Rikkard had been heading teams for Lex's more illegal than legal operations for years and had become one of the few people he trusted with such matters. Instead he had sent him from the room with instructions to take whatever action was necessary to track down Superman.
The report Rickard returned with three hours later was much more promising. Chloe Sullivan had disappeared off the map, and Lex knew she'd be looking for Clark. His operatives were already in the process of tracing her via her cell phone, and Lex didn't have to wait very long to find out she was in Gotham. Specifically, she was on Bruce Wayne's property.
"You're sure about this location?"
"It's been verified electronically, sir. We weren't able to get a visual."
"Of course not. Wayne Manor is practically iron clad. Bruce likes his privacy. Post a perimeter team well back from the road and out of sight. I want any activity monitored. Keep the trace on her cell and try to get a fix on Wayne himself. I want to know how he's involved. Handle that aspect personally, Rickard, and consider the information classified. Keep an eye out for the damn Batman. I don't want him sticking his nose in and getting to Superman before I do."
Rickard left with a brisk nod. Lex stood to pace the length of his hotel suite. Wayne, he knew, had just come from Metropolis. An impromptu visit to the Daily Planet offices right after Clark disappeared.
"How are you mixed up in this, Bruce," he muttered, stopping in front of the window to take in the sombre sight of a grey Gotham evening. "What's your interest in Clark?"
o o o o
"Lex is in Gotham." Chloe let the statement hang between them as she entered Bruce's library.
Bruce lifted his eyes from the laptop to her face briefly before dropping his gaze back down. "Luthor didn't kidnap Clark."
"How do you know that?"
"If he was trying to take down Superman, he'd be doing it publicly. He's been doing it publicly."
"The attacks over the last few weeks?"
"Yes."
"Ok, Bruce, I think it's about time you filled me in on the details here." She took a seat in the comfortable leather recliner opposite the couch Bruce was occupying. He kept his attention focused on the computer for another twenty seconds, eyes skimming across the screen, before closing it and focusing entirely on Chloe.
"Someone's been trying to kill him, and I have reason to believe Luthor is behind those attempts. The bullet that struck Clark passed through him and caught me here," he reached to touch the spot near his collarbone. "The wound is completely healed. As of this morning, there isn't even a scar. I began running tests the day Clark disappeared and found that there were still traces of kryptonite in my system."
"Which means there may have been some in Clark's as well."
"That's my theory. Every attack involved kryptonite, and Clark has been growing steadily more vulnerable after each, which has been accompanied by a steady decline of his abilities. From what I've been able to gather, Clark left Metropolis to meet me and was sidetracked by a woman threatening to shoot her child. He delivered the kid to Commissioner Gordon's office and went back for the mother. All I know from there is that the woman is dead, her son claims she was never going to shoot him, and there was no sign of Clark ever having been on the scene. Luthor wants Superman out of the picture, and right now he's the only one with the power and resources required to mount a campaign like this."
"Then why don't you think Lex is behind his disappearance?"
"Luthor is here. He wouldn't be so obvious as to arrive in Gotham now if he were in possession of Clark. No, he's here to suss out the person behind this just as we are."
"Then we better get started." Chloe grinned and held out both hands, nodding at the laptop. "May I?"
"This is a secure connection." Bruce handed the machine over to her, watching as her fingers tapped rapidly across the keys.
"Untraceable?" Bruce nodded affirmatively. "Good."
"I take it you're keen to avoid detection."
"Experience tells me Lex doesn't appreciate me breaking into his system."
"No, I doubt he would," Bruce said dryly.
Chloe worked steadily, glancing up only when Bruce stood to leave and again when the strong scent of coffee filtered through her concentration.
"I'm going downstairs to contact the League and see what I can dig up." Bruce said as she accepted the drink from him.
"The Bat Cave?"
"Yes. If you need anything, Alfred is in the kitchen. Head back to the main entrance and go through the door behind the staircase. It's down the hall and to the left." He was exiting the room when Chloe's cell phone started to ring.
"Lois, calm down," was the first thing she said after listening for a moment. Bruce paused and glanced back at her.
"No, I don't know where he is. Probably covering a story." A few seconds went by. "Since when do you get so worried about Clark? I'm sure he just forgot to check in."
Chloe glanced up at Bruce as she switched to speakerphone. Lois's voice rang out through the room.
"Superman hasn't been spotted in days, Chloe, and now Clark is AWOL? He's got a lead on where Superman is and he's off following it. Without me."
"I thought he was working on the Senator's sexual assault charges."
"He never turned the article in. Sex scandals or missing superheroes, Chloe. Which story would you be chasing?"
"What makes you think Superman is missing?"
"A tsunami the coast of China about an hour ago. No Superman."
Chloe's stomach clenched. "He could be on his way."
"The last time he was seen by anyone was three days ago in Gotham City. Rescued a kid from being shot by his now deceased mommy dearest. Only the kid is saying she told him to act like he was scared so that they would have enough money to buy food. Something's up, Chloe, and if Clark is already on it, he better have a good reason for not calling me."
Chloe started typing again as she spoke. "Lois, I need you to find out everything you can about that woman. Her name, where she'd been living, if she had a job. Find out who she's been talking to in the last couple weeks. Talk to her friends and neighbours, see if they saw anyone strange hanging around."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to track down Clark." Which was the truth at least, Chloe thought. When she glanced back up, Bruce was gone.
o o o o
"I don't understand what you have to gain from this. The League will find you, see that you're brought to justice."
"No they won't. Not if they want the true identities of Batman and Superman to remain a secret." The words were followed by a small chuckle. "You, Kent, are just the means to an end. A way to get what I'm owed and get the hell out of Dodge. Gotham is full of crazy fucks, and I'm tired of it. I think I'll set up some place where the sun actually shines more than twice a year."
"How long have I been here?"
"Three days. Hungry yet?" There was a trace of humour in his captor's tone. "Don't worry. Once I have my money, you'll be on your way home." He paused. "You know, I gotta be honest with you, Kent. The legend doesn't really live up to the man. You're a pretty predictable guy. How are you feeling, anyway? I'm curious about the red sun's effects on you. You know, I ran into some trouble acquiring enough kryptonite to contain you thanks to Lex Luthor and his coup on that corner of the market, but I got enough to get you here at least. I have to say, the red sun energy? So much more effective for keeping you down but not out if you know what I'm saying."
Silence followed for several minutes. Clark let his head fall back against the wall, trying to focus past his dry throat and the clenching of his empty stomach. He startled when the voice returned.
"Just between you and me, before the Big Bat swoops in to save the day and all that. You fuckin' him?"
Clark's eyes closed, a small sigh escaping as he rocked his head back and forth once. "No. He's a friend. An ally."
His captor laughed. "I didn't think it was possible for Bruce Wayne to have actual friends, let alone The Bat Man. He's always struck me as a little bit schizo. Playboy by day, Bat by night. What the hell is up with that?"
"Fuck you," Clark whispered tiredly.
"What happened to those farm grown manners of yours, Kent?"
Clark didn't answer. As the hours stretched on and the voice didn't come back, Clark began to fear that maybe this time his friends would be too late.