Chapter Eleven
Metropolis – 2017
Three weeks after returning from the Florida Keys was a flurry of activity with term ends and the new semester courses starting. Lori's competitive season was in full swing, and Clark spent his time studying, at the gym participating in the football team's off-season training program, or at the Met U Aquatic Center watching Lori compete.
Spending time with Pete, outside of the gym, was growing more difficult. Pete had a new girlfriend, a freshman cheerleader named Tracy Healy, the girl he had seen hugging Pete after the Outback Bowl loss. Pete had joined a fraternity and spent some of his time there. On days when Lori had an away meet and Clark had no other commitments, he joined his roommate at the fraternity house.
Pete told Clark that he was moving into the frat house after the summer break and suggested Clark get an apartment off campus next school year. He agreed his secret would be safer living in an apartment but that required money, which meant Clark needed to find a job. Lori was excited about it when Clark told her. She could share the apartment, she said, and help share the rent with some of the monthly stipend her parents sent her from the vacation rental money.
Clark found a job announcement at a local home improvement center and applied. The manager recognized Clark's name and was anxious to offer him a job, if he seemed interested in the position. The job was primarily weekend and evening work in the back, unloading trucks and stocking the store warehouse of inventory. Heavy lifting was easy work for Clark, and he enjoyed the fellowship of other employees in the store. At his urging, Pete got a part-time job there as well, much to the delight of the management.
Having a job made him more efficient with his time. After classes, Clark split time between the off-season conditioning and attending swimming meets. Afterwards, he and Lori would often eat and study together for about 2 hours before he left for work. He would return home by 12:15 AM and then spend a little more time studying or relaxing before going to bed, usually around 1 AM. Pete began spending nights with Tracy at the fraternity house and Lori almost always stayed with Clark when he did.
Just after the NCAA Swimming Championships had concluded that year, Clark came back to the dorm after work and found the room empty. As odd as it was, Clark considered that some wires had gotten crossed, and Lori believed Pete was going to be sleeping there. He was going to text her but looked at his watch and decided against doing it. She had looked tired after the Championships and perhaps a good night's rest was just what she needed, he thought.
Their first class together on Tuesday was an early one beginning at 8:30 AM. It was titled, Journalism and Ethics in the Digital Age, Course JO367. She was not in class and Clark sent a text. Where r u? R u OK? It was nearly 11 AM before he received a reply.
I'm OK. Bad nite sleep. Something I ate, I think. Needed to sleep. Talk l8r.
Clark skipped the off-season conditioning program that afternoon and went directly from his last class to see how Lori was doing. She had not called or texted him all day. It is natural to expect a regular competitor to be rundown from the NCAA championships, followed by the national swimming trials. Although swimming was no more work to Lori than unloading heavy supplies was to him, competitive swimming was different. Lori could breathe underwater in the pool and did, but when competing she still had to come up for air. During a meet or time trial, she could swim without coming up for a breath noticeably longer than other competitors but still needed to come up for air at her intervals. Clark considered that. Unlike him in football, she got tired. She never seemed as winded as her teammates or competitors, but she would tire out after a swimming meet. But she should not have been that fatigued, he thought, which gave way to concerns that her condition was something else. Every worrisome thing from illness to pregnancy had flashed through his mind as the day wore on.
When he reached her dorm room after classes were over, he knocked on the door. Hearing no movement, he carefully x-rayed the room and found that no one was there. He noticed a phone on her desk and that gave him reason to believe she was out jogging or swimming. He texted again that he had stopped by and to call when she got in. Clark left and went to his room and began to study, awaiting her call. The call arrived at 6:15 and said she was still worn out but would come have a bite to eat if he had not already had dinner. He replied that he would order a pizza and that she should come over if she felt up to it.
Lori arrived minutes before the pizza did. She looked out of sorts, but hugged him, holding on much longer than usual. "I missed you today," Clark whispered.
"I'm sorry. I'm just out of it," she replied. "I had a terrible night, and the day wasn't much better," she said.
"Well, what's the matter? It isn't the time trials, is it? You did great!" he remarked.
"If that was only it," she lamented. "I couldn't sleep. I was sick to my stomach all night and part of the day," she replied. "I think it was something I ate that kept me up."
"I figured you were out running or swimming when I came by and no one was there."
"No, just went for a walk," she replied. "I didn't have the stomach to run or swim today."
"Have you been to the clinic?" Clark asked.
"No," she replied. "I'm better now. I'm sure it'll be out of my system in the morning." Her tone was not very convincing, but Clark chose not to press the issue. "Anyway, what did I miss in class this morning?"
Over the rest of the week, Lori was subdued and distracted. Something was clearly on her mind and by Sunday, Clark suggested they go to the park and enjoy the warm sun now that May had arrived. He had asked for the day off and since there were not any shipments due in that day, his manager allowed him to take the day off.
He brought a blanket and a bag with two sub sandwiches, two small bags of potato chips, and four bottles of water. They found a relatively quiet spot in the park and he spread the blanket out and they sat. Lori leaned back with her face turned to the sun and Clark mirrored her.
"What's bothering you?" he asked. "Ever since Tuesday, you've been different. You haven't been coming over except after class, even when Pete is spending the night at the frat house. You've been quiet and distracted and I'm concerned. What's going on, Lori?"
Lori leaned forward and put her arms around her knees. She looked straight ahead rather than at Clark and he knew she was formulating her response and he waited patiently to hear it. She finally turned toward him with a look that tugged at his heart. "I have to apologize to you," she began. "I wasn't honest with you when you asked me why I wasn't in class on Tuesday. I didn't want to worry you, so I told you I was sick. That wasn't true and I feel horrible about lying to you. I did it because I didn't want you to worry though." She let go of her knees and turned to him. She leaned on him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"The Metropolis police came to my dorm early Monday morning and told me that they wanted to talk to me about the burglary that occurred at the warehouse by the river." Her eyes got misty. "I told them I had no idea what they were talking about but they had a photo of me on the night the team recovered the antiquities." Clark stiffened and she sensed it. "It was a photo of me but it was so dark and grainy that they really weren't convinced it was me. I knew it was but they didn't."
"So, what made them come to you? I mean, of all the girls in Metropolis with dark hair, why did they come to you?" Clark asked.
Her voice quivered. "Because they had our names from the time we were stopped when I was snooping around the warehouse, and you were x-raying it." She paused, knowing that the next part would be more difficult to tell him. "They also had other images of me at the warehouse."
He turned slightly and she pulled away to meet him eye-to-eye. "I went there on days when you had traveled for an away game. They had clear images of me there on four other occasions." A tear streaked down her cheek.
The sounds of the park faded away and all that Clark could hear was the pounding of Lori's heart in her chest. Gone were the sounds of birds singing and children laughing in the distance. Gone were the sounds of bicycles passing by and people talking. It was like the world stopped turning at that very instant. "What were you doing there?"
She spoke quietly and her voice sounded hoarse. "I was monitoring the dark web site where Mickler was selling the artifacts and when he made a deal, I could tell because he would take the artifact off the sale site immediately." She paused to regroup and recover her composure. "I would go hang around the warehouse and try to get pictures of the people who were buying the pieces. I was going to provide them to my parents who were in contact with a private investigator that could hopefully track down the buyer and retrieve the pieces from them." She paused. "I only got a picture of one of the buyers, but I went down there four times, not including the reconnaissance trip we went on together." She paused and then added. "A couple of the times were in daylight, so they had a pretty good picture of me."
"And what did they ask you?"
"They questioned me for about three hours on Tuesday." Lori paused. "They asked me if I was involved in the burglary of the warehouse? I told them no. The photo was dated December 23rd and I told them that I was at the Daily Planet Christmas party that night and that there were plenty of people who could attest to it.
"They replied that they had already spoken to the security group at the university that night and they supported my claim. But they also said that one of the guards saw me leave early. I told them I returned to my dorm room that night, which was true. The guard apparently told them I was heading in the direction of my dorm room."
"So was that it?" Clark asked.
"I don't know, Clark." Tears began to streak down her cheeks again. "They said they want me to come to the MPD headquarters and take a polygraph test."
Clark put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "Have you talked to your parents?" She nodded. "What did they say?"
"They told me not to sit for a polygraph. They said it would be the quickest way to get myself in trouble." She paused. "They hired a lawyer in Metropolis. Her name is Mason Drake and she advised me absolutely not to do it. She said if they didn't have enough evidence to connect me with the burglary, I shouldn't give them any chance of somehow connecting me to it."
"I think your lawyer's right." He held her close and said nothing, waiting for her to say more.
She nodded. "I told the police detectives that I would have to speak with my parents before I could give them an answer and I'm supposed to call them with an answer on Monday. Mason told me that she would call the detectives on Monday morning and tell them I am declining to take the polygraph and that she is representing me in any further interviews and if they wanted to contact me, they needed to go through her. She said that the police are on a fishing expedition and if they contacted me or indirectly threatened me somehow to call her immediately."
"So, it sounds like that will be the end of it," Clark said.
She said nothing for a long moment. "Maybe." She swallowed hard. "Unless they decide to speak with you." She looked at him and her eyes were red and watery. "Oh Clark; the last thing I wanted to do was get you mixed up in this. But here we are, and I'm scared to death something is going to come out and they'll arrest me in connection with the warehouse operation. And if they can't do anything with me, I'm scare to death they'll come after you and try to make you talk." She buried her head in his chest. "I haven't felt right since the whole thing began on Tuesday. I know I haven't been fair to you, keeping you in the dark but I thought that it would blow over. Maybe it will but if it doesn't, I'm afraid you'll get swept up in it as well and it's killing me. You can't be connected to it; you just can't."
Clark stayed silent for a while, thinking about his options. He wasn't involved although he knew about it. It was technically a break-in but it was simply to recover stolen antiquities and return them to their rightful heirs and resting place.
"I wasn't involved," he replied after consideration. "I did nothing wrong, so I don't think you have to worry about me getting in trouble."
"But what if they ask you about me? Are you prepared to lie to the police to protect my involvement? And if you aren't and they come after me, will they consider you an accomplice for staying silent all these months? These are the things that have kept me from sleeping the whole week. If they picked you up and God forbid, tried to process you as an accomplice, what would they find out about you, your abilities, or your powers?"
He smiled weakly. "I think you're letting your imagination get the best of you. They aren't going to arrest me. I don't think they'll even talk to me." He paused. "If they do, I won't lie but I won't give them anything they can use against you." He paused again, thinking of what to say to reassure Lori that the situation was not as dire as she had led herself to believe. "The only thing I have that they could use against you that even remotely connects you to the warehouse the night of the burglary is that you left early on the night of the Christmas party. That still doesn't tie you to the picture or to the burglary for that matter."
She shook her head lightly. "This is just getting worse and worse," she whispered hoarsely. "It's mushrooming into a big mess and it's getting me and the man I love caught up in it." She looked up at him. "You're my first love, Clark. Do you realize that? And you'll always be my first love and look what I've done to you, to us possibly." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'd die if it caused you problems."
"I don't think it will come to that, Lori. And if it does," he added, "we'll deal with it together. You've done nothing to us, okay?"
She began to cry and buried her face in his chest once more. He pulled her close. "You're such a good person and I've been so horrible to you," she said, haltingly amongst sobs. "I love you so much," she added.
He rested his chin on her head and held her until she finished crying. He pulled back and looked at her. "I have an idea," he said with a gentle smile.
Clark decided to take Lori to Smallville for the rest of the weekend where they could have some private time together. His parents had gone to a farming expo in Wichita on Saturday and would be spending the night there. Pete was not staying in the frat house, and he did not want to leave Lori alone with her thoughts, so they drove back to the dorms. But rather than drive to Smallville and lose nearly three hours, he told her to pack what she needed in a backpack. He called his parents to let them know he was heading there and would be using the house and barn. Once he finished, they walked to a remote location near the student parking lot where he picked Lori up in his arms, and raced to the farm, leaving her exhilarated but also leaving her head spinning and feeling dizzy.
"Holy shit," she muttered with wide eyes and a wide grin on her face. "I can't believe you can move that far, that fast. And look at you! You're not breathing hard or anything." She wobbled as he put her down. "That took what, twenty-five or thirty seconds?" She regained her sense of equilibrium and balance. "I can rationalize breathing underwater, but I can't wrap my head around moving that fast!" She shook off the last of the dizziness and they walked up the steps to the porch. Clark found the hidden key to the back door and entered the home and opened the front door for Lori. She came in and walked to the couch.
Clark closed and locked the door behind her. He did not expect his parents to show up that evening but having the door locked would give him plenty of time to move himself from the bedroom to the couch should they arrive unexpectedly.
He had helped his dad plant the fields three weekends earlier and other than moving the field irrigation system around, there was little else to do, giving him plenty of time to spend with Lori. He figured that together they would be able to handle anything that might arise once her lawyer contacted the Metropolis police detectives that wanted Lori to take the polygraph. Lori suggested that they synchronize what to tell police if questioned further. Clark was uneasy with that suggestion but listened to what Lori said.
He told her, "I don't think we need to concoct a story. Once we start doing that, something will trip us up and then we will be in trouble. If Miss Drake thinks we need to answer questions, we should have her present. We'll answer what we can and not incriminate you or me in any conspiracy or anything else."
She nodded lightly but offered, "But weren't we part of a conspiracy?"
"I don't believe knowing something would happen makes us part of a conspiracy," Clark said. "We didn't plan it, we didn't participate in it, and we didn't do anything illegal, Lori. If I went to the Metropolis PD, told them that a burglary of the warehouse was going to happen, but we didn't know when, how, or who would be involved, they would politely show me the door.
"The only thing you can say is that we didn't do anything to prevent it from happening but we didn't know it was happening until things were underway. You went to the tell Dandridge that a drop off location should not be used. You…we…were purposely, and thankfully, kept in the dark." He took her hands. "Just keep those facts in mind and there won't be a problem for you or us. It is the truth. Once you start concocting a story and tell lies, you build a house of cards and that's when problems start. But honestly, I don't think Miss Drake will even let you speak to the police, and they can't force you to speak to them." He thought for a second and then added, "They can't force me to talk either."
His argument made sense to her, and she felt much better than before. Ever since Tuesday, she had mulled the image of Clark being taken into the police station for questioning or worse, being handcuffed and taken into custody as an accomplice. They would discover his secret and it would destroy him and doom their relationship forever. The request by the detectives to take a polygraph fueled her imagination and she let it consume her. She realized that now, and Clark's calming influence had allowed her to feel like she could finally breathe for the first time in almost a week.
Clark raided the refrigerator and Lori scanned the pantry for ingredients and together, they prepared spaghetti with meat sauce that was surprisingly good. She realized that her fear had stunted her appetite and that had worn down her energy level to the point where following dinner, she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in Clark's arms and did so within moments of climbing into bed with him.
Lori awoke Sunday morning just as the sun had begun to brighten the horizon. She felt renewed and recharged. She awoke Clark, reaching down between his legs beneath the covers while kissing him as he awakened. "Is there a lake around here?" Lori whispered, rolling onto her back after spending the entire night sleeping in his arms.
"Yes, there is as a matter of fact," Clark replied groggily. He frowned and looked at the clock. "It's a couple miles from here. It's got a lot of trees around it so I can get us there without a vehicle and no one would really notice," he said.
"Can we go now?"
"Now? It's going to be pretty cold in the water," Clark said. "It won't bother me but…"
"I know," Lori replied. "But I have to get in the water pretty soon to avoid landlock and I have nothing to wear." She tugged at him playfully and he stiffened. "I mean, I don't mind if you don't but being in a small town it might be frowned upon." She lightly caressed him. "I'm sure you can find a way to keep me warm while we're there. And maybe it can be my turn to amaze you. I can show you something you never imagined could happen with someone underwater," she hinted seductively. "Being able to nominally breathe underwater has certain advantages beyond just indefinite submersion." She wrinkled up her nose and smiled. "Just think it through."
"Hmm. That sounds intriguing," he said. "Well, most everyone will be going to church today so going first thing in the morning is probably a good idea. We'll be able to get an early start. Most people come to the lake after lunch this time of year, anyway." He paused. "How long do you have to spend in the water to keep your ability functioning properly?"
"The longer the better," she said and wriggled out from his arms and slid across him, pausing briefly to playfully grind on him for a moment, "like something else," she added and giggled. "But at least twenty minutes." She then slid off to his left and stood on the floor. "I have to go to the bathroom first," she said. "I want to brush my teeth, too."
Lori left the room and watching her leave, Clark began thinking how strong their relationship was growing and about when he would propose to her. It would be after they finished the semester, of that he was certain. So, in the next few weeks, he thought, I have to figure out how I'm going to buy a ring and what I should get her.
He began to consider his finances. Since he began work, he had saved about $2,900 and he would have more paychecks to come. He would increase his hours to fulltime work once the semester ended and suspected that even with using half of his savings on an engagement ring, he could have between $8,500 and $9,500 saved for an apartment. He planned to live and eat at home over the summer, racing back and forth to work from home to save on housing expenses. What he could save would be enough to cover the security deposit, the first and last month's rent, and still have money left over. Adding Lori's contribution, together they could expect to live reasonably well.
His thoughts turned to where he would propose to her. He wondered if he should propose to her in Summerland Key, in Smallville, or somewhere different altogether? What he finally decided was that he would propose to Lori in the little café across the street from the university where so many of their personal intimate moments occurred. He closed his eyes and lay in bed, visualizing the event and a smile came across his face.
"Thinking about what's to come?" Lori asked, appearing at the bedroom door wearing only a smile.
"Absolutely," he replied and looked at her. She looked stunningly beautiful in the faint morning light. Her face appeared to glow. He rose from the bed, took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. "I'll be just a moment and then we'll go," he said and disappeared into the bathroom. When he reappeared, he too was naked but then in a blink of an eye, was in swim trunks with two large towels. "Do you want to get something to eat first?" he asked.
"Nope," she said and with that, he wrapped one of the towels around her and handed her the second one. He picked her up in his arms. "Hold on," he said, and she squeezed his neck. "Ready?" he asked, but before she could finish her reply, she recognized dim landscape blurring around her and suddenly, he was standing her on her feet at a large lake in a nicely wooded area that was breathtakingly serene.
"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that," she gasped. "It's indescribable." She removed the towel from around her. "This lake is simply breathtaking, Clark," Lori said in awe.
"So are you," Clark replied and watched her as she tip-toed into the water.
"You're right about it being cold." She turned to face him. "Luckily, I'm nearly immune to cold water having to submerge every week or so. Don't wait on the shore too long," she said with a lascivious grin, then threw herself backwards and disappeared below the water. A large blast of air bubbles surfaced from the spot she occupied moments before and then nothing more than one small bubble afterwards.
At first, it was unnerving not seeing her resurface in an instant or more air bubbles surfacing. Normally, he would not have been able to see her, but using his x-ray vision, he found her swimming slowly, gracefully, and gently through the water. She pulled herself slowly and kicked her legs softly so as not to disturb whatever life existed around her.
He wondered what her vision was like underwater since her eyes appeared to be no different from any other human being. Would she be able to spot him when he was in the water? But he suspected that in addition to her evolved lungs, her eyes had also evolutionarily developed that allowed her to see as clearly as any sea creature might.
Clark laid the towels on the ground near the lake and walked into the water that was cold but for him, not bothersome. By now, Lori had been underwater for at least five or six minutes. He again scanned the water but found it difficult to locate her. Eventually he did and she was near the center of the lake, deep below the surface and holding in place as sleeping fish do. He thought about joining her, but she looked peaceful, and he sensed that she needed this moment for more than just preventing landlock. The silent darkness the lake provided was her sanctuary, her inner sanctum, allowing her to rebalance herself, her emotions, and her life. She could have gone to the university pool later that day to sustain her ability to breathe underwater, but she needed the tranquility and the solitude that the lake offered. Clark did not want to interrupt this moment that he sensed she needed.
He remained in the water with only his head above the surface. He listened to the sound of the birds in the trees singing and watched the world around him brighten as the sun crested the eastern horizon and began to light the new day and all it promised. No light shone on the lake yet, but he imagined it would be within the next thirty-minutes or so before the sun crested the tree line and began illuminating the water.
He also listened for the sound of any approaching people. Walking to the lake was possible, but no one ever did. They drove vehicles, rode a scooter, or bicycled to the lake given its distance from the nearest maintained road. Only locals knew the lake existed so passersby would never know to stop there. He would hear them walking anyway but no one was headed to the lake at this hour. Not even fishermen were interested in this lake.
He stood almost weightless in the water, arms outstretched, head out and eyes closed awaiting the warmth of the first rays of sunlight and listening as the world around him awoke. For him, too, the lake in the first hours of the day was peaceful and serene.
Time passed without Clark even noticing. He felt so relaxed and at peace that he nearly went into a trance and did not notice the sun was now on his face. He felt its warmth and his outstretched arms began to feel the sun's rays piercing the cold surface of the water. He heard nothing but the songs of the birds and the occasional vehicle in the distance.
The trance-like state was broken by the sensation of his swim trunks being untied and pulled down. He opened his eyes to see Lori's body floating outstretched before him and about two feet below the surface. He was about to pull her up to the surface to kiss her but waited instead as she hovered at his waist and then gently pulled her mouth to him. For all of the amazing things that he could do, this singular ability of Lori's amazed Clark.
They returned to the farmhouse at eight-thirty, having been gone for more than three hours. Lori went to the shower to soak up the warmth of hot water and to her surprise, Clark joined her. They rinsed the fragrant soap from their bodies, dried each other off, and Clark carried her to bed and returned the favor that Lori had amazed him with. They made love for the next forty-five minutes.
Laying in the afterglow of lovemaking, Clark suggested that they get up and have some breakfast before heading back to the university. His parents would not be home for another three or four hours and Clark thought it best that they get back to Metropolis before too many of the students were up and moving around.
After breakfast, Clark left his dad and mom a note and picked up Lori in his arms. "Hold on, again," he said.
The world blurred around her and to Lori, for the brief time it happened, it seemed like images of color just running like paint poured down a canvass only this paint ran horizontally, not vertically. When Clark stopped near the student parking lot, she did not feel the sense of vertigo she had initially felt. Her equilibrium seemed fine and while the speed was exhilarating, it was no longer disorienting to her.
"How long do you think it would it take to get to Summerland Key like that?" she asked, smiling slyly.
He thought about that as they began to walk back to the dorms. "There are a lot of obstacles between here and Summerland Key and once we're in the Keys, there's only one road." He paused and considered the distance, obstacles and limitations. "Maybe as long as thirty minutes." But before she could say more, he added. "But traveling that long at speeds like that could be harmful to your body. I'd love to take you, I really would. But I'd be concerned about any long-term effects it could have on you."
"What, like making me insatiably horny for you?" she cracked. "I can withstand pressures underwater that would devastate normal humans, Clark. Do you think that air pressure from speed like that could harm me?"
He shrugged. "Good point," he replied. "We'll try a longer run sometime soon. Maybe we'll go to the Rockies or Mount Rushmore some weekend. I'd like to be sure there wouldn't be complications." Clark paused for a moment and then added, "I'd also want to make a trial run down to Summerland Key alone first. I'd want to know how best to get there and with only one road in and out, what would be the best time to go."
By 9:30 AM the next day, Lori received a call from Mason Drake. "It's settled," the lawyer said. "They're rescinding the request and you shouldn't hear from them again on this issue," she informed her. "And if you do, say nothing and call me immediately because they will be in big trouble," her attorney told her.
"Thank you so much," Lori said, feeling like the last weight was taken off her shoulders. Before she disconnected, Lori asked her about Clark.
"He's not my client," Drake replied. "The police said nothing about him, and I don't believe that they're even going to pursue the case any further. In my experience, their request for you to take a polygraph was their way of crossing their t's and dotting their i's on the case. They offer lawyers deals when they are serious about wanting someone to sit for a polygraph."
"What do you mean by deals?" Lori asked.
"Police often offer to lower charges or even immunity from prosecution in return for agreeing to a polygraph when they think or know someone is indirectly involved in a crime and solving the crime is important enough to make that offer. When they don't, it's either because they have enough circumstantial evidence to get a grand jury indictment or the crime is so egregious, they can't just walk away from it.
"But when I told them you wouldn't take the polygraph, they said, 'Okay counselor', thanked me, and hung up. That's usually indicative that the polygraph wasn't a serious consideration to begin with. Instead, it's a last gasp effort before closing the case. If it's closed, they aren't going to waste time talking to Clark. They have more than enough other cases to work on. That's what my experience tells me."
"If they do try to involve Clark, can you help him?" she asked.
Mason Drake replied, "If he retains me as his attorney I certainly can." She paused and then said, "As far as you are concerned, I am at your disposal if you need me. Good day, Miss Lemaris." And with those final words, Drake hung up.
After class, she found Clark in his room as usual. It was after 11:30 in the morning and she immediately told Clark what Mason Drake had told her, anxious to hear his reaction. "I was pretty certain that was going to be the outcome of the case," he replied. "Now you can relax and focus on the finishing the semester and look ahead to what we'll do this summer."
"This summer?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Weren't you going to pursue an internship with the Daily Planet? Wouldn't you do it this summer?"
She nodded. "Perry White told me I should make an appointment to arrange that." She hesitated. "I guess in all the drama that has taken place, I forgot about his offer." She began to wonder if she could remain living in the dorm and how she would get to work every day at the Planet if she took Mr. White's offer. "Maybe I should set it up for the next semester. That way, our living situation will be more settled and so will our schedules."
"I'll be working full time at the Building Depot this summer but living at the farm, so I won't need the truck." He paused, wondering if it was plausible for her to live at the farm over the summer and he could take her to a drop off point each day where she could pick up the truck and drive in. At the end of the day, they could reverse the process. "Let me think that through tonight and we'll talk about it more tomorrow. Don't call anyone at the Daily Planet until we talk, okay?"
They went to the Student Union and grabbed some lunch. With classes were finished for the day and not having any further team commitments for the remainder of the school year, they spent time studying in the afternoon, before having dinner and relaxing a bit until Clark had to leave for work.
His nonchalant attitude toward the chance of being cornered by the detectives the way she had been was comforting to Lori on one level and troubling on another. She wondered if they did confront Clark would he be caught off guard and concerned about protecting his secret, seem evasive to them? Would they detain and grill him the way they did her? How would he respond if that happened and what would it do to their relationship?
Once Clark left for work, Lori headed back to her room and pondered the question that Mason Drake sidestepped. If he were a normal human, there would not be much to worry about but knowing how fiercely he protected his secret existence and amazing abilities, any stressful encounter with the police might somehow end up exposing his secrets. If that happened, she knew it would be the end of their relationship. She resolved that she would not let that happen to him at any cost.
Mason told her that she was off the hook and believed the case was closed. She told herself that if Drake was correct, then by extension, Clark should be off the hook as well.
At least, that is what Lori hoped.