Chapter 12
Metropolis
January 2021
Lex called Lois several times in an attempt to mend the rift he caused on New Year's Eve. He desperately wanted her to believe that he was contrite. Maggie told Lois that Lex may be more worried that his only source of good press in Metropolis was ruined than he was about any romantic chances with her. Either way, Lois did not care what Lex thought. She was concerned only with what Clark thought and what the Blur thought of her.
On Friday, January 8th, Clark received a text from Mayson Drake.
I need you and Lois to meet me next Tuesday, 10 AM. Park in the garage and text me when you arrive. We'll meet there. Big developments. Talk soon. MD
Sunday, January 10, 2021
"Flint has been talking to the DA. She knows about things she shouldn't. My friends tell me she is on the verge of offering him a reduced sentence deal in exchange for testimony. We both know why that can't happen, right?"
"Yes, I fully understand."
"Your life depends on her never being able to execute that offer. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes. But why not just get rid of Flint? Surely there are people you can get to do that."
"They are keeping him in solitary. They aren't letting him mingle with the population."
"What about guards? Don't you have a way…"
"I'll do the thinking," he forcefully interrupted. "You do what I want done. That's how this works. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Before the week's out," the voice said, and the line went dead.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
It was a quiet twenty-minute ride from the Daily Planet to the high-rise office building that housed the District Attorney's office. Clark maintained a strict business relationship with Lois and communications were short and impersonal. He did not like it, but he just could not get the image out of his mind and if something did not change, he thought that looking for another job in another town would be the best alternative for him.
He had spoken with Mayson the day before and confirmed details. She had no appointments and would be awaiting their arrival.
A security guard stopped Lois as she turned into the parking garage. She held out her press credentials. "We're here to meet with Mayson Drake," she told the guard. He checked the monitor in his booth, found their names in Drake's visitor log, and pressed a button to lower the access spike strip. He waved Lois on, and she quickly found a parking space on the second level.
Clark texted Mayson. Just pulled into the garage. 2nd floor by elevator. After a few minutes, Clark texted again. We're here. 2nd floor by elevator.
When there was no response, Clark said, "Something's wrong. Let's check the other floors."
"Do you know what her car looks like?"
"Dark blue BMW 3 series," he said, and Lois began weaving through the garage. By the time they got to the fourth floor, there was still no response to the texts and Clark looked out the passenger window trying to spot her car. On the fifth level, Clark spotted it and pointed it out to Lois. "There!" She rolled up behind the car and they could see a head in the driver's seat.
Clark opened the Jeep door and moved quickly to the driver's door. The scene shocked him. The window was shattered inward, and Mayson was sitting in the driver's seat, covered with broken glass from the window, and two holes in her chest were bright red and spreading. Her phone was in her hand in her lap. Clark reached in to check her pulse but x-rayed her and saw her heart beating very faintly.
Lois got out and joined Clark for a moment, drew a sharp breath and turned away. "Oh my God, is she…?"
"Not yet," Clark replied, and leaned inside the car. "Mayson!" he called. He pushed the hair from her forehead to the side.
He turned back to Lois to tell her to call 9-1-1 but she was already doing that. He turned back and Mayson's head lolled toward Clark and her eyes fluttered open. Her cheeks were pale but streaked from tears. She was trying to speak, and he saw blood in her mouth. Her breathing was nearly nonexistent. He leaned in to hear. "What is it Mayson?"
"Clark," she whispered. She said three final words and died. Still leaning in, Clark confirmed her heart had stopped beating and there was nothing he could do for her.
"Did she say something, Clark? What did she say?" Lois asked.
Clark stood back up and stepped back from the car. He ushered Lois away from it as well, knowing the crime scene unit would be there soon and they could inadvertently destroy evidence. "She said three words, 'feds, emerald, and tablet', and then died."
Tears pooled in Lois's eyes. She frowned and made a face. "What the hell? Gibberish?"
"No, she was trying to tell me something."
"Oh Clark," Lois said, and began weeping with her hand clenched on Clark's sleeve and wiping tears from her eyes as they formed. "This is just horrible. Why do these things happen to good people?"
They spent most of that day with the police and the next day, Clark called Pete and spoke to him for about twenty minutes. Clark mentioned the words, tablet or emerald, and Pete said he did not recall seeing anything like that on a list of projects for funding but would check. He said if it was a black project, it was likely DoD and it would be difficult to get information. He offered to do some snooping to see if anything like that was in the works.
Pete then mentioned that he had helped Lana get settled into her new environment and that they had been seeing more and more of one another and seemed to be really hitting it off. He asked how Clark was getting along with Lois Lane. "That's odd," Clark said, "I don't remember ever mentioning Lois when you were here."
"You didn't," Pete replied. "Lana did. She's told me that she thinks the reason you broke things off with her was because of Lois Lane." Clark did not know how to answer Pete, but his friend said that next time he came to Metropolis, he would like to meet her if they were indeed together. He finished by telling Clark that he would get back with him if he found anything relevant Clark could use.
He told Lois that his friend Pete had not seen anything involving emerald or tablet. Lois, in turn, called her dad to see what he may know but he was unavailable to take her call. She left a message asking him to call her.
On Friday, Perry White joined them at the funeral for Mayson Drake. Other than officials from the city and county, there appeared to be very few friends and no family members at the church to mourn her. Lois felt ashamed that she begrudged Mayson for trying to connect with Clark. The whole scene saddened her and affected her in a way that even she did not understand. But while in meditation, she wondered if that was the way her funeral would look.
It was Tuesday, the 19th of January, the day after the national holiday and a long weekend that saw both of them brooding over the grave condition their relationship had fallen into. There were no Blur stories to tell, and Lois wondered if he had left Metropolis for good. She knew he wanted to talk to someone but that someone was obviously not her.
Jenny noticed Lois's depressed mood and tried to talk to her about it. Lois was polite about it, but she was not interested in talking to her roommate about it. In an unusual development, Jenny had begun a nascent friendship with Clark. In fact, Clark talked with Jenny on a more friendly basis than he did with Lois. He also began talking with Jimmy Olsen more frequently and the two occasionally took their lunch together.
Maggie's advice had remained consistent. After she told her friend about the evening with Lex and the fallout from it, Maggie had regretfully reminded her that she judged maintaining a relationship with Lex Luthor a mistake and it had caused her problems that she had to work through. "There's a lesson here. Trying to make Clark jealous got you sexually assaulted." She shook her head. "If you want a relationship with Clark, stay the course, Lois. Keep engaging him even if he doesn't seem to respond. Don't let him escape back into his own world or you'll lose him. I'm telling you, he's bothered by it because he cares about you."
Three weeks had passed since the first Monday in January and there was still a freeze on their relationship. Clark was angry or hurt or both, but he would not talk to Lois about it, and she could not find a way to get him to do it. To make matters worse, the Blur had still not contacted her.
The Blur was an unknown, but Clark was not and although he would occasionally speak to her on a very utilitarian level, the tone often sounded regretful. And Clark hated the way their relationship had devolved. He did not know how to fix it because although he desperately wanted Lois's attention and affection, he could not rid himself of the images of her and Lex in a deep embrace on the balcony and what the giant bouquet of roses implied. The mental images sickened him.
Perry had given her stories to work on and some were simple that could be knocked out in a few hours, others were stories for both of them to work on together. Perry seemed oblivious to the lack of interaction between his two reporters but secretly sensed something was wrong, so he assigned them stories to work on together. One involved a warehouse near the Hob's River that was reported to be leaking hazardous chemicals that were subsequently being washed into the river instead of being cleaned up. The other was the story Lois received from Ron Troupe regarding Telstar Communications CEO Dale Rennick and his failure to execute his fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders.
"I'm going to check the casinos in Gotham tonight," she told Clark. "You're coming with me, right?"
"Is that a question or a demand?" Clark replied. "I thought it might make more sense if we went to the two casinos separately and we'd have a better chance of catching him gambling and confirming that he was losing significantly. Don't you think?"
It made sense but she wanted to keep him close like Maggie had counseled. "I suppose. Will you let me know if you see him?"
Clark frowned. "Of course, I will. I'll call you tonight. Is 10:30 okay? I figure if he doesn't show by then, he's not going to show up."
"Okay, then we'll do it your way."
They worked until about 2 PM. She wanted to invite him to go to lunch but was afraid of the response she would get. So instead, she invited Jenny to go lunch and Jenny accepted. She came into the bullpen at 11:30 and stood there as Lois collected her things. She looked at Clark and said, "Are you going to join us, Clark?"
He looked at Lois and then at Jenny. "You don't need me interfering with your girl talk, Jenny. You two go ahead."
"Oh c'mon, Clark," she insisted. "It's just lunch and I promise, no girl talk."
He reluctantly accepted and Jenny could tell that Lois was pleased. Although she did not talk about Clark, she knew a wall had developed between them and Lois deserved to be happy, as did Clark.
They ordered their food and waited. "What time are you leaving for the casino?" Clark asked.
"I'm thinking about 8 PM. Traffic will have died down in Gotham by then. You?"
"That's probably a good time to go," he replied. "I'll go to the Lucky Dollar. It's further and the area isn't so great. You should take the Silver Slipper."
She smiled. "Thanks, Clark. You're right, the Lucky Dollar isn't in a very nice part of town, if there is such a thing in Gotham."
He cracked a smile, the first she had seen from him since before New Year's Eve. Jenny said how much she wished that she could go with them, but Daily Planet rules prohibited interns from working on cases outside of normal daytime hours.
At 8 PM, she texted Clark that she was leaving. He answered the text with his own saying he was leaving too. Twenty-four minutes later, she arrived at the Silver Slipper casino in Gotham and luck seemed to be on her side because the moment she passed the cashier's window, she spotted Rennick at the window getting chips.
She wandered through the casino, always keeping Rennick in her line of sight. She fed some tokens she had purchased into the slot machines and hit enough times to keep playing. She watched as Rennick's pile of chips dwindled and it validated Perry's description of Rennick's reputation as a card player.
A flurry of activity drew her attention away from Rennick for the moment and she saw a crowd of people hovering around someone who had just walked in. It was a man she believed to be in his early 30's with two obviously blessed models on either arm entering the casino. She recognized the man. It was Bruce Wayne, the billionaire. She regarded him for a moment and noticed that he was almost as tall as Clark, broad-shouldered and well-built for a billionaire. She imagined he had personal trainers, dieticians, and surgeons on speed dial to keep him in tip-top shape. His celebrity caused the stir and by the time she had looked back at Rennick, he had left the table.
Lois wandered around looking for him and saw him at the cashier's window again, buying more chips. She watched and was puzzled because the transaction was one-sided. Rennick provided no cash, credit card, or other form of payment for the chips.
She watched as he moved to a different poker table and began playing. She was unaware of the man who approached her from behind. "Where's Lex?" he asked.
She spun around and was face-to-face with the Prince of Gotham. "Bruce Wayne," she said. "A pleasure to meet you."
"And if I'm not mistaken, you're Lois Lane, correct?" he said, extending his hand.
She shook it. "Yes, I am."
"Is Lex here? I didn't see him."
"I wouldn't know," Lois replied.
"Aren't you his girlfriend?" Bruce asked.
She put on a tortured smile. "No, we're just friends."
"My mistake, I'm sorry," Bruce said, smiling. "So, what brings you to Gotham?"
"I am working on a story," she said.
"Is it about the odds stacked against people playing Blackjack?" he asked. "Do you think the decks are loaded or do you think the gaming commission in Gotham is bent?"
She smiled. "What isn't bent in Gotham?" she replied.
"Ah, touché, Miss Lane," he replied.
"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Wayne," Lois said and began to walk away.
"You can call me Bruce," he replied. "It was nice meeting you, Lois."
She watched from another vantage point as Rennick threw down his cards, scooped up the few chips remaining on the table, flipped one to the dealer and left. Before he departed the casino, Ari Grossman appeared at the doorway. The two men shook hands, Ari leaned into Rennick and said something to him that Rennick nodded and smiled. Ari laughed, patted him on the back, and stood there smiling as Rennick left the casino.
Lois texted Clark that she had seen and watched Rennick and that he may be headed his way. He acknowledged the text and said that he would contact her at 10:30 PM and let her know if he showed up there and they could discuss what took place in the morning.
She detected nothing ominous about the scene and Lois wondered if she was off base. She looked back into the casino and the two models were at the craps table throwing dice, but Bruce was nowhere to be seen. She went to the window, cashed in her nine dollars' worth of tokens, and left.
As she entered the parking garage, the lights flickered and then went out completely. "Damnit!" she said and dug out her key fob. She pressed it once and saw the lights of her vehicle flash up ahead in the garage ramp. As she rounded the back of the car and moved to the driver's door, she sensed movement in the darkness.
Lois spun around, her left arm in a defensive blocking position. The figure behind her grabbed her left arm with both hands and Lois pulled against his grip while delivering a vicious right cross to his jaw. The speed and accuracy of her strike was unexpected. While he was not particularly hurt, he was rocked off balance.
"Nice punch, Miss Lane." He paused. "I'm not here to hurt you," he said and took a step closer. She reloaded for another, ready to deliver another blow, but he remained motionless. The light behind him outlined the figure and she suddenly realized who she was talking to.
"I only need to speak to you," he said. "I have information that might help you and I need your help if you would listen for a moment."
"You better make it good, and it better be quick, or you'll get more than you bargained for," she warned slowly moving into a fighting position.
He chuffed. "It would seem that I already have," replied, rubbing his jaw.
"Don't take another step," Lois warned, and he stopped.
"Miss Lane, I'm not a threat to you. I'm…"
"Batman," she finished.
"Yes, but it's better when I say it," he said, and she relaxed a bit. "I'm pretty sure you're here because you're interested in Dale Rennick and why he's ignoring his fiduciary responsibilities as CEO of Telstar."
"I am," she replied.
"Then you might want to know that he's compromised because he has a gambling problem."
"I already know about that."
"And Ari Grossman?" he asked.
"I know about him too." Lois relaxed. "What I don't know is what the connection is."
"I'll tell you if you will help me with some information."
"Tell me what you have, and I'll tell you if it's worth helping you."
"I have the whole scheme, Miss Lane, but I'd like to know what you think first," Batman said.
"Okay. I think Rennick sucks at playing cards, he owes Grossman a lot of money, and maybe he's siphoning some Telstar profits off to cover his debts and claiming the Daily Star is losing money and its budget needs to be cut. He wouldn't be the first CEO to do something like that."
"That's pretty good, Miss Lane and you almost have it. Gambling debt did compromise Rennick, and Grossman pressured Rennick get rid of your new partner. Grossman is one of the major contributors in an investment group that is behind the development of the planned senior housing development in Metropolis. Rennick made up the excuse of budget problems."
"Wait! Are you saying that Rennick did all this just to have George Taylor fire newbie reporter, Clark Kent? Seriously? Why?"
"The oldest reason in the books. Money. The investment group Grossman is part of is taking a huge hit because of the redesign demands from the county. The demands for redesign were a result of citizens calling in to county commissioners just before the election. They buckled to the pressure of the voters to keep their jobs. They required the investment group to resubmit plans under the threat that they would slow-walk approvals and inspections of their initial design. That caused a lengthy delay and during delays, the interest on the building loan still has to be paid whether or not the building is actually happening. The redesign added millions of dollars to the project."
"So, you're saying because Clark Kent's article stirred up the public and delays resulted, Ari Grossman made Rennick pressure Taylor to fire Kent?"
"Not Grossman, Miss Lane. Ari Grossman has a silent partner. Grossman doesn't have the cash to commit to what amounts to 65 percent of the project cost this investment group has put up. It was his silent partner that applied pressure. Being silent, he could back out and the whole thing would collapse, and the group would be sued by several individuals connected with the project. And Grossman would be the biggest loser."
"And I presume you know who the silent partner is?" Lois asked.
"There is only one man in Metropolis with the resources to back Grossman's commitment to the investment group. Lex Luthor."
Lois was sickened by what she heard but what he said suddenly made perfect sense. "And you're sure of this information?"
"Yes, 100 percent."
"What evidence do you have to prove that this scheme exists?"
"Bank records that were provided before the investment group qualified for the project loan. It clearly shows an unnamed partner whose funds were tied to the investment group's proposal and loan documentation."
"And you can get that for me?"
"Yes. Was that enough help for you?" Batman asked.
She nodded. "So, how can I help you?"
"The government is funding a mineral collection or mining project. LexCorp has the contract and it's being run out of its offices in Missouri. They are working in Kansas and Missouri, scouring the area for a very rare mineral LexCorp accidentally discovered about 12 years ago. This mineral is wanted by the government for some reason. I just don't know why and if I did, I could deduce what its purpose could be. I thought you might have sources in the government since your father works for DoD."
"So, you want me to try to find out why the DoD wants the mineral?"
"It doesn't appear to be the DoD that wants it but it's a highly classified project. I hope that the DoD knows something about it."
"Do you know what it is or looks like?" she asked.
"No. I only know that LexCorp engineers were the first to discover and test it. They aggressively began recovering and processing it until the US government found out. Much of the mineral was being recovered on government land and LexCorp fought to get leases and minerals rights to the land and, absent leasing the land outright, the mineral rights only.
"They began about eleven years ago leasing a few dozen acres of land at a time but kept leasing more and more land. Two years later, the government caught on and discovered what LexCorp was mining and canceled the leases. But they awarded LexCorp an exclusive contract to continue the operation under the government auspices." He paused. "There's something special about this mineral but it is so heavily classified that even I cannot discover their reason for wanting it."
Lois thought about it. "Okay, but if I find something, how do I let you know?"
He opened a pouch and handed her what appeared to be a key fob. "Hold this button down for 20 seconds and then release it. I will text you a location and time to meet. If you cannot meet then, press it again for 20 seconds and I'll set another day and time. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Thank you, Miss Lane."
"Thank you," she said. She turned to unlock her car. "I hope that I can…" Suddenly, the lights in the parking garage flickered on and when she spun around, the Batman had vanished. "Geez!"
On her way home, she reflected on how productive the night had been. In a few short hours, she met Bruce Wayne, she found out the entire scheme of why Rennick was forcing budget cuts, why he forced Taylor to cut Clark, and she punched Batman in the face. "That's a good night of work, Lane," she told herself.
Clark texted her at 10:30 saying that Rennick never showed up at the Lucky Dollar and that he was headed home.
"I'll see you in the morning," she texted. "Lots to tell you."
"Okay," he replied.
The next morning, Lois was excited to share the news with Clark and see if he could share her excitement. They met at 8:00 AM, and she told him about the scheme and that she had witnessed Ari Grossman and Dale Rennick together and there appeared to be no animosity between them. In fact, she added, she thought Grossman was fronting Rennick's gambling.
There wasn't much time to talk before the meeting and she left it at that, and they would discuss their next steps afterwards. It was time to bring Perry into the loop and let him give some guidance. Clark seemed pleased at the information Lois had gotten but before she would tell him how she got that information, she decided to wait until after the meeting to tell him about the Batman.
Following the morning meeting, Lois and Clark remained afterwards to discuss the story of Rennick, Grossman, Taylor, and Lex with Perry. He listened as she laid out what she had been told and asked Perry if he had any thoughts on what their next step should be.
"If you can get those banking documents and we can get the Federal Trade Commission involved, they may be interested in Rennick's nonsense." He looked at Clark. "There probably isn't a big payday for you Clark except that in the end, Rennick would lose his job and maybe sued. I doubt there would be any charges that would land anyone in jail though."
"I don't need any retribution against Mr. Rennick, Chief. I'm here and I couldn't be happier to be here. Getting laid off from the Star did me a favor. But there are shareholders in the Telstar corporation that may be hurt because of his actions and the FTC is probably the right agency to turn to." He did not look at Lois.
"That's really good to hear, Clark. Having a good working environment is priceless in keeping employees happy at their work!" He smiled and looked back and forth at both of them. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, Sir," Clark said, and nodded.
"Sure," Lois replied with an annoyed tone. "Do you know anyone at the FTC, Perry?"
"I'm sorry, Lois, I don't." He looked at her. "You should ask your source at the Metropolis PD. Someone there is bound to have one."
They left for the bullpen and despite the interesting development, it was a quiet ride. Finally, Lois broke the silence. "Do you think Perry had a point he was trying to make specifically to us when he talked about happy employees?"
Clark shrugged. "I don't know Mr. White as well as you do, but I never considered him to be oblivious to what happens in the newsroom. That would include friction between employees," he suggested.
"Friction. I think that is just the right word to describe it. It's not petulant behavior. It's not vindictiveness. You can't call it open hostility. Passive aggressiveness? At times, maybe. So, yeah, friction is just the right word, Clark. You nailed it."
Clark said nothing and continued to look straight ahead. The elevator door opened, and Clark began to step through it when she grabbed his arm, locked it into the crook of hers, and pulled him back inside the car. "What are you doing, Lois? Geez, your arm is like a bear trap."
"We're going to talk. Enough of this!" The elevator door closed, and she pushed the button for the top floor. They reached the top floor, which was the only way to access the roof. It was an archive of old files and a repository for unused and broken furniture. She led him through the door to a stairwell that led to the roof door.
A sign on the door cautioned against high winds on the rooftop and when she opened the door, a bitingly cold wind buffeted her, and the door slammed shut. "Back down to the door at the top floor!" she ordered.
When they reached the landing, she turned Clark away from the door and backed him up to the wall. "Listen to me, Clark. This quit being fun weeks ago. I'm sick of the passive-aggressive attitude toward me or anything I say or do. I think you're holding onto some pretty foul assumptions and you're angry with me about it. But I can tell you, nothing happened! I left just after midnight. We toasted with some champagne, we watched the fireworks, and I left before they even finished."
"Then what was the bouquet for?"
"The new year, I suppose."
Clark looked her squarely in the eyes. "And nothing else happened? Just a normal platonic evening with Lex Luthor?"
She stared back and blinked. "Yes. Nothing," she lied.
"Nothing happened, not even out on that balcony?" he asked, accusingly and then regretted it.
She swallowed. "How do even know if we were on a balcony?"
"You know, Lois, you spied on me and jumped to some conclusions. When you confronted me with them, I explained exactly what happened. I told you the truth because I care that you believe me, and you deserved an explanation." He paused and looked at her. "If you're tired of what's going on between us, then give me the same courtesy I showed you and explain why your platonic friend Lex sent you the big bouquet of red roses on the first day back at work after the new year."
"Your trust issues are showing, Kent. You need to get them under control."
He sidestepped Lois. "I know exactly what happened on that balcony and it wasn't purely platonic, and it was more than a toast and watching fireworks, Lois. I know it and, in this instance, my trust issues are well-placed."
He started for the door, and she grabbed his arm. Tears pooled in her eyes and her face burned. "Okay! Yes," she said. "There was more. He pulled me to him and kissed me. As he was kissing me, he grabbed my ass and started grinding on me and I think he even tried to violate me. But I broke free, and I stomped on his foot and demanded to be taken home immediately. The fireworks weren't even finished before I was in a car being taken back to my apartment. There! That is the entire truth, Clark. Ask Jenny what time I got home if you doubt me." Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. "Does that make you happy now, Clark? Do you feel better now that you've made me tell you about the most humiliating moment of my life? Do you feel better that I feel violated all over again?"
He said nothing but shook his head slowly. Then finally he said, "No, Lois. I figured that you kissed him and that it was more than just a friendly kiss, but I did not know about the rest. So, why the big bouquet?"
She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "It was to apologize for groping me," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. "He got physical and tried to have his way with me. And had I not fought back, he would have done more than grope me. The bouquet was to apologize but all it did was make things worse and embarrassed me in front of you and everyone here."
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. "Thank you," she whimpered, and she wiped her face and her nose.
He led her to the stairs; she sat down, and he sat next to her. "It does matter to me more than you know, Lois. I worried that your relationship wasn't platonic, and it hurt when I thought the roses were proof of it.
"I don't care what you say to others or let them believe. I want to trust you, I want to be open with you, to share things with you that I don't share with anyone else, but trust is destroyed when I get half-truths or denials from you that I know aren't true. You can call it trust issues or whatever you want, that's the way I've always been, and I won't change.
"It matters to me, Lois, because I have feelings for you, and I want to have someone special I can talk to and share everything with because I know that what I say is safe with them."
"That's what the Blur said," she recalled. "You can trust me, Clark," Lois said, whimpering. "I didn't tell you because what Lex did was humiliating. You can understand that, can't you?" He nodded. "There won't be any more dinners or engagements with him because of it." She paused. "I don't have romantic feelings for Lex. There was a time a while ago I had considered giving in to a romance with him because I had no one or nothing but work to fulfill me. But that's when you came back into my life, Clark."
He reached over and took her hand. "To be completely honest, Lois, the same thing happened with Lana and me. It would have been simple to just ignore what she had done in the past when we were together.
"We were teenagers back then and maybe every teenage couple does, but we talked about building a life together and even talked about marriage after college. I never thought two people could be as close and connected as we were. And we were about to make love for what I thought was the very first time in either of our lives six years ago. But just before it happened, she began to cry and told me she had slept with some guy she had met at an art program in New York." He paused. "It crushed me, Lois, and probably made me to be the way I am today. And after that, I knew I could never look at her the same way again."
"I understand why your mom has such a low opinion of her," Lois interjected.
"But when I saw her in Metropolis, I tried to put it all behind me, just leave it buried in the past. I needed someone to be with, Lois. I needed a connection, you know. And I thought I could let Lana be that until I ran into you." He sat quietly reflecting for a moment and then added, "I guess if I had told you that sooner, we would have avoided a lot of frustration and heartache."
She snuffed and wiped her eyes again. "Well, now that it's solved," she began.
He frowned. "What's solved?"
"Who's responsible for messing up our relationship," she said with a sly smile.
He smiled and gently squeezed her hand.
She jerked, "Ow!"
Clark immediately let go. "I'm sorry, did I squeeze too hard?"
"No," she replied. "It's just that my hand is sore."
Clark took it in his hands and looked at it. "Good gosh, Lois, it's bruised. What did you do to your hand?"
"Oh, I punched something pretty hard last night," she said.
"Not because of me, I hope," he added.
She smiled. "No, not because of you. Not everything's about you." She stood. "We better get to work," she said. "I still have more of the story to tell you from last night, including what I hit."
He stood and she reached for the door, but he stopped it from opening. "Lois," he said gently, and she turned to face him. "We can't keep doing this 'two steps forward, one step back' routine." He looked deeply into her eyes and moved closer. "I want to be able to share everything with you, I want someone be close to, someone I can trust, someone I can hold and…uh…um…"
She tensed up, anticipating his next words but they did not come and instead, they stared into one another's eyes. Her lips parted slightly, and they stood, silently acknowledging what was happening.
Finally, Lois took a deep breath. "Oh, for God's sake!" she exclaimed, grabbing his tie and pulling him to the stairs. She stepped onto the first step, turned to face him, threw her arms around his neck, and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.
Twenty minutes later, the atmosphere in the bullpen was different when they returned to their desks. Steve Lombard was the first to notice it when he went to refill his coffee cup and observed them looking at each other while sorting through assignment information. He walked up behind Lois. "Are you two making moony eyes at each other?" he asked and snickered.
Lois swiveled around in her chair. "What? Are you crazy, Lombard? Go back to the intern pool, Steve."
Steve left but said, "Don't deny it, Lois. I saw it; I busted you two," he called out and chuckled.
She turned back around, and Clark was smirking while looking at his monitor. "Speaking of interns, I think I'll ask Jenny to lunch today. Do you want to come with us?"
"Sure. Is that before or after what you have left to tell me about what you learned last night?"
"Oh! I kind of forgot. I got caught up in something else and forgot about it," she said and winked. Sitting, she rolled her chair around the end of the desks to sit next to him. "Last night was probably greatest night of investigative work I ever had."
"Really?" Clark asked, enjoying watching Lois lay out the evening for him.
"First of all, I met Bruce Wayne at the Silver Slipper. He came up to me and asked me if Lex was there. And I admit, that was a bit of a downer because he thought I'd know about Lex's whereabouts, but he seemed to be a very nice man and he had these two models with him. You would have thought it was the Prince of Gotham walking in but he was really down to Earth."
"Then, I see Rennick and he's losing big at the blackjack tables. I also saw Ari Grossman come up as Rennick was leaving. But the exchange is friendly. He shakes Rennick's hand, pats him on the back, whispers something in his ear, and they both laughed."
"Then, I walked to my car in the parking garage and suddenly, all the lights go out in the parking garage. So, I took out my fob and pressed the lock button to find my car. I saw it up ahead and as I went to open it, I sensed this movement behind me. I spun around and had my left forearm out and this guy grabbed it like I expected, and I pulled into him as I threw a right cross and caught him solidly on the chin that he wasn't expecting that. I sent him backwards and he let go of my arm."
"That's what happened to your hand!" Clark exclaimed.
"Yep! It hurt like hell, but I was ready to give him as many as I had to in order to get away. But he says, 'Miss Lane, I'm not here to hurt you' or something like that. And suddenly, I realized who it was. It was the freaking Batman!"
Clark laughed. "You punched the Batman last night?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes! Right in the face!"
"My Lord, Lois. What did he want?"
"Well, he's the one who told me about Rennick, Grossman, and I'm afraid, Lex as well. Clark, at the end of it all, it was Lex that got you fired simply because the article you wrote about the senior center being torn down cost him and a few other rich guys a bunch of money." She paused and looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "Lex. He went from hero to zero in my book on New Year's Eve for personal reasons but now I get why so many people revile him. I used to think it was envy but now I can see that he's a slimeball."
Clark looked at her, shaking his head slowly. "I can't believe you punched the Batman."
She grinned. "But didn't you hear the rest, Clark? Lex got you fired."
"I don't care about that, Lois. Heck, I'm right where I want to be. I wasn't just saying that for Perry's benefit. I meant it." He stared at her. "Especially right now."
She tried to suppress a smile, rolled her chair a few steps closer, leaned forward, and almost whispered, "I want to tell you something important to me."
He leaned forward. "Okay."
"I want to take elevator rides to the top floor with you more often." She looked around. "It's killing me not being able to…kiss you right now." She took a deep breath, raised a single eyebrow, and scooted back.
Clark felt himself becoming aroused. He grimaced and said softly. "We need to change the subject because you're going to cause me to be embarrassed if I have to stand up right now, if you know what I mean."
Lois snorted and looked at his lap. "Okay," she said. "Oh, there was one more thing. The Batman needed something from me. It had to do with a government project that LexCorp has but it is highly classified."
"What's it about?"
"It's a government project regarding a mineral or jewel or something that is very rare and apparently valuable. The Batman asked me to check with my dad about it. If only he knew how little my dad and I talk, he wouldn't have bothered asking me. But I promised so that's something."
Clark watched her, and once she was back at her desk, he said, "And I agree with you."
She cocked her head. "About what?"
"Elevator rides. I want to kiss you right now," he said almost under his breath, and stared at her. "But maybe you should call Jenny instead."
The three of them had lunch and the electricity between Clark and Lois was palpable. Jenny noticed it right away. "Lois, Mr. Kent," she began. "Something's different about you two today and excuse me for saying it but man, are you two giving off sparks! It feels like both of you are going to burst into flames any second now." Clark smiled.
"You can say that we found some common ground this morning," Lois said. "And it has made us appreciate each other as partners."
"Okay," Jenny said, biting into her sandwich. She swallowed and added, "but I think there's more to it than that."
"We cleared the air on some issues that were causing friction between us lately, Jenny. That's all. We have always been friends or at least, friendly."
Later that night, Jenny was making Ramen noodles in the microwave and Lois wandered into the kitchen. She glanced at her roommate's textbook. It was about major anthropological digs and finds throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
"What is it about anthropology that interests you, Jenny?"
She took her noodles out and sat at the dinette table. "I guess learning about ancient cultures and what they did and how they lived. Some were quite advanced. Did you know that the Phoenician language was the basis for the formation of Arabic, Greek, and Latin alphabets, yet little is known about the culture except what was recovered from archeological digs along the Mediterranean? That culture existed for over 1,500 years and other than being known as seafarers, most people know nothing about them. I find all that fascinating, particularly those from the region of the world where my roots are."
Lois listened. Jenny was interesting and a nice girl. She wondered why she wore the funny round blue-tinted glasses, kept her hair buzzed right down to the scalp on the sides, and maintained henna red streaks on top. Her Invisalign braces did little to conceal her overbite, but Lois gave her credit for being diligent wearing them, she never saw her without her braces. And someday her cosmetic dental problem will be solved. She was shapely and with the right fashion and cosmetics, including a wig until her hair grew out, Jenny would be an attractive girl.
"Can I ask what happened between you and Mr. Kent today?" Jenny asked as she blew across her noodles to cool them down.
"It's like I said at lunch, we found some common ground on a few issues we had that were causing friction between us. Between you and me, as partners, we've had a few trust missteps, you might say. Really, just misunderstandings and misconceptions. That's all. We had a long and frank discussion this morning and cleared the air."
She stared at Lois for a moment. "Was that before or after you kissed him?" Jenny asked with a smirk.
"What?" Lois feigned indignation. "Kissed Clark?" She huffed.
"C'mon Lois. I can tell when someone kisses someone and means it. I think most people can. And like I said at lunch, you looked like you were going to explode into flames, so I know it wasn't just two people burying the hatchet." She smirked wider. "Now, admit it, lady! You guys kissed and made up, didn't you?"
She tried to conceal it but could not any longer. "Okay, I've been dying to tell someone all day anyway. Yes, we kissed. It was the first time we've ever kissed and my God, Jenny, if you only knew. It was like no other kiss I have ever had. My legs felt like rubber after kissing him."
"Whoa! Are you saying you two had never kissed each other until today? No wonder you guys were giving off sparks!" She grinned. "Oh man, I'm so happy for you, Lois. You deserve to be happy, and Mr. Kent seems like such a nice man. He deserves it too. You two are so perfect for one another, I truly believe that."
"He is a nice man, isn't he? He's so decent and morally solid. I love that about him."
"He's easy on the eyes, too, Lois, except for those thick black glasses. You should talk to him about those."
"Oh God, you mean those birth control glasses he wears," she said, and Jenny laughed. "I've been telling him to get a prescription filled with wire-rimmed glasses forever. He has some but he says they aren't good for work. But when he wears them, he looks so much better, but I'd be spending all day chasing women away from his desk."
"Especially Miss Grant," Jenny said, and they both laughed. "Honestly, she acts like such a ho-bag most of the time."
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Maggie was pleased to hear that Clark and Lois had made up and it sounded to her that Lex was out of the picture for good with Lois. She did not say it, but she thought it was cute how excited and girlish Lois acted when she told her about their first kiss.
"Batman!" she said, incredulously. "You punched Batman?" She began laughing really hard and it made Lois laugh too. "I…I would have loved to have seen that," Maggie managed before falling back into laughter.
"I really felt bad afterwards," she said. "Look, my hand did too," and the telltale signs of bruising that had begun to heal showed on her right hand. "He's a huge guy," she added.
Once she regained her composure, Maggie told Lois that she did not think there were any laws that Rennick, Grossman, or Lex had broken but there was probably civil remedies Clark could take advantage of if he wanted. "He's probably in a better situation now, though, so it probably wouldn't be worth it."
"What about fiduciary malfeasance on Rennick's part? Do you know anyone we could talk to about that?"
Maggie suggested a name and said that she'd text her the source's number after lunch. "I wouldn't expect too much though," she added.
"A story is a story," Lois replied, "and if it puts some pressure on Rennick and forces him to clean up his act, that's all I'd want."
"On a different topic, I hated what happened to DA Drake. We're looking hard at that and hopefully we'll get a break, but we've turned up nothing yet. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Flint case, but I talked to the interim DA and he's trying to get up to speed on it. There have been some developments though," Sawyer began. "Apparently there's another murder that has possibly been connected to Flint through a partial fingerprint. I don't know how strong it is though. Apparently, it was collected from a fire scene years ago and a murdered person was in the building that burned. But prints from an arson scene are tricky. It has to do with the heat of the fire and soot residue." She took a sip of hot tea. "Anyway, it seems weaker than the case we have but it's another potential hurdle since they'll want a piece of Flint, too."
"Can't both jurisdictions try him?"
"Yes, but whoever gets him first has the upper hand really. I want that to be us."
They continued to talk and finally, Lois said she had to get back to the office and they hugged. "I'm really happy for you, Lois. You are so different right now and it's so reaffirming for me to see you like this."
"Thanks," she said, blushing a little. "And thanks for your advice. If I hadn't had that, I'm afraid I'd have broken our relationship beyond repair. Hell, I may have ended up in Lex's bed as a result. For that, I owe you the world!"
"Your friendship and good press for Met PD, that's all I ask from you, Lois."
When she got back to the office, she found Clark, Jenny, and Jimmy all talking. He smiled when he saw her, something that Jenny noticed. She wished Jimmy would do something with Jenny. He did not seem attracted to her at all and while Lois could understand the lack of physical attraction, emotionally and sexually, she was probably a tiger he wanted to tame.
"What's up everyone," she said. "A meeting of the minds and you didn't invite me?" she quipped, and Clark smiled.
"We were just talking about Valentine's Day and the events that happen here in Metropolis. Most of them lean toward the cheesy side," Clark said.
"Oh, I don't know. What's wrong with a little cheesy romance once a year, Smallville? That's the way you should look at it." She looked at Jimmy. "Why, are you two looking for a Valentine's Day event?"
Jimmy's face turned bright red. "No, Miss Lane," he said, and Jenny had to laugh at how red his face turned. Clark turned away and smiled.
"You sure, Jimbo? Because you look like you're preparing to ask someone something." She gestured with her eyes at Jenny.
"No! I have to be getting back," he said abruptly. "It was nice talking to you two," he said as he collected his things. "Bye, Miss Lane," he called out as he rushed off.
"Lois, I have a long evening class that I forgot to tell you about. It's part of the new semester and they meet once a week on Thursdays. I won't need a ride home and I won't be home until late."
She looked concerned. "Are you sure, Jenny? If you need to be picked up, just call me," Lois said.
"Oh, that's so nice of you but I'll probably get a ride or an Uber back to the apartment and I'll grab something for dinner at the student union while I'm there." She got up and started back to her section upstairs. She pulled Lois aside and whispered to her.
Clark heard her say, "That means the apartment will be empty except for you and whoever you might want to invite to join you. I won't be back until about 10 or later. Just sayin'," she added.
"Lois, since you won't have Jenny there to eat with, would you like to go to dinner with me?" Clark asked. Jenny turned around behind Clark's back as she was leaving and gave Lois two thumbs up and a wide smile.
"I'd love to," she replied. "Where would you like to go?"
"What about that Mediterranean restaurant you're fond of? Maybe we meet at 6:30?" he asked.
"Works for me," she said, settling into her chair.
She told him about the news that Maggie had on Flint and what it could mean for the case. She said that Sawyer talked to the interim DA and he was getting up to speed but there was a second murder they connected to Flint with a partial fingerprint match. "It was a fire scene from years ago, and Maggie said that she doubted they had recovered any DNA at it."
"Did someone say DNA?" Cat said from behind the partition into the bullpen. "Lois, I hope you aren't talking about personal things between you and Lex to poor Clark here. You'll break his heart." Although she could not see it, Clark rolled his eyes.
"We're discussing a murder investigation, Cat," Lois said, annoyed by her innuendo.
"Well, I'm not here on a social visit," she said, still standing by the partition. "I brought a friend by to say hello. I'll bet you a month's salary that you never thought you'd see him walking into the Daily Planet building."
"You brought my father here?" Lois quipped and Clark chuckled.
Cat stepped aside and Jose Delgado stepped into her space, standing by the partition.
Lois's eyes widened. "Jose?" she cried, "How in the world?" and Clark swiveled around.
"I have an experimental medical device that was installed allowing me to feel my extremities again," he said, smiling.
Lois walked over to him and hugged him. "It's so good to see you like this. I'm blown away," she said. "I can't hardly believe what I'm seeing." She turned around and said, "Clark, can you believe…"
Clark looked pale and was squinting.
"Clark? Is something wrong; are you feeling okay?"
He tried to speak but a searing pain rushing through him prevented him from saying anything. Instead, he emitted short, intense groans. He felt weak and even breathing felt constricted and challenging. Before he could get a word out, he crumpled from his chair onto the floor.
"Clark!" she shrieked, and others stood up from their desks to see what was happening. She rushed to him and knelt beside him. She looked around, stood, pulled his trench coat from the hook, rolled it and put it under his head.
Cat and Jose moved in to see if they could help but both felt helpless. He was curled up on his side on the floor, clearly in agony, groaning, teeth clenched, and eyes squeezed closed.
"Call 9-1-1," she screamed, and Cat quickly moved around to Lois's desk and picked up the desk phone.
"Clark," Lois tried to comfort him and understand what was wrong. She smoothed his hair, stroked his head. He was perspiring, something she had never noticed before.
Steve Lombard heard her shouting, and he came rushing out of his office. In an instant, he was kneeling beside Clark as well. A crowd of staff had begun to gather. "Everyone, get back. Give him some air," Lombard ordered, and everyone shuffled back. "Cat," Steve said, "can you take Jose to your office and wait for the EMTs to arrive, okay? Direct them down here and let Perry know what's happened. Hurry please."
Cat nodded her head. She took Jose by the arm. "C'mon," she said and led him to her office.
Lois felt helpless as she tried to comfort Clark. Ever so slowly, the pain began to subside, and his breathing became less labored. His heart rate, which had been racing, was returning to normal. The searing pain had dulled to just a minor ache and he opened his eyes. He turned and looked at Lois with a confused and pained expression. "It's going to be okay, Clark. You're going to be fine. Cat's calling 9-1-1."
"Clark, are you able to sit up?" Steve asked. He nodded and pushed himself into a seated position on the floor. "Okay, everyone else, back to your desks. Let's go, right now," Steve commanded, and people moved back to their assigned desks.
"You need some water or something, buddy?" Steve asked.
"Yes, please," he said, and Steve told him to stay where he was.
Once he left, Clark whispered to Lois, "I have to get out of here."
"Like hell you do," she replied, her eyes glassy with tears. "You'll go with the ambulance crew."
"No ambulance, no hospitals," he whispered. "I can't Lois. Trust me," he added. "Please!"
She frowned. "What is it, Clark?"
"I can't. Please. Call 9-1-1 and cancel the ambulance. Please."
"You have to give me a reason, Clark. You just scared the hell out of me, and you owe it to me."
"Later, I promise. Just get me out of here and keep the EMTs away from me. I'm begging you, Lois." Clark stared, eyes pleading with her.
Steve returned with a cold bottle of spring water from his mini refrigerator. "Here Clark," he said.
"Thank you, Steve." Clark took a long drink of the water. "I feel much better now," and against their protests, he stood up and moved to his chair. "Thank you both. I don't know what came over me, but I feel much better now." He looked at Steve and nodded. "I'm fine, really. I'm just a little embarrassed."
Lombard patted him on the back. "It's okay, Clark. Nothing to be embarrassed about."
Steve departed and Lois remained kneeling in front of him. "What was that, Clark?"
"I don't know. But I cannot go to the hospital to find out. Don't let the EMTs take me anywhere."
"They're going to be here in seconds," Lois replied. "What is going on?"
"Then go upstairs and stop them. I'll come to your apartment later and I'll explain everything." He looked at her in desperation. "Please Lois. Trust me."
She stood and looked around. Then, she went upstairs to intercept the EMTs as Clark had asked. In the meantime, Clark rose and went into the men's room and splashed water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. His color was normal, he felt fine, and he had come to a point that he had to decide to trust Lois or leave Metropolis forever.
The decision was a rather simple one.
He returned to his desk, scribbled a note, and stuffed it partially in her purse. It read, "I'll come to your place at 6:30. We'll talk. Dinner after that. - Clark"
Lois called 9-1-1 from the lobby to intercept the EMTs. "It was a false alarm," she told them. "It was not what we thought, and the man is fine. He's asking that the ambulance return to the hospital and is refusing medical treatment." It took some convincing, but she succeeded in diverting the rescue team as Clark had asked and then returned to her desk.
He was nowhere to be found and she noticed his coat and hat were no longer hanging from the hook behind his desk. She became angry with him for a moment until she spotted the note in her purse. She retrieved it, read it, and leaned back in her chair. What is going on with you? she wondered.
She called Perry to tell him that Clark had taken ill but that he was better but had gone home for the afternoon. She said she expected him back in the morning.
At 6:30 PM on the dot, there was a knock on the door. Lois opened it to see Clark standing there. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into her apartment, kicking the door closed behind him. She kissed him passionately and he returned that passion. When they finally separated, she said, "You scared me so badly today, Clark. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I can't, Lois; I don't know what happened. One minute I felt fine and the next, I felt like I was on fire and being crushed at the same time. I've never in my life felt anything like that." He paused and stared at her, then pulled her into a hug. "Before we leave for dinner, I promised to tell you everything. I want to keep that promise. But I think that mostly it will be answering your questions. Can we just sit for a minute?"
"Yes, of course." She led him to the couch, and they sat.
"There's one big thing that you don't know about me that I have been wanting to tell you for a long time. In fact, ever since we talked in the park that day, I've wanted to tell you for some reason." He took a deep breath. "There's a reason I couldn't be seen by the EMTs today, Lois. I'm different and I've kept that difference hidden from people my entire life. There are only seven other people on the planet that know what I'm about to tell you. But there isn't another soul on Earth that I want to tell this to more than you." He swallowed nervously. "And I hope when I tell you that it doesn't change the way you feel about me. I'm afraid of how you'll react when you hear this or what you'll think of me. And that's one of the reasons why I haven't told you this earlier."
She took his hand. "What is it, Clark?"
"I'm not from here, Lois."
"I know, you're from Kansas. There has to be dozens of people who can say that, Smallville," she said with a smirk. Clark was not smiling, he was being serious, and Lois said, "Sorry. Go on."
"I'm not human, Lois." He paused, waiting for her reaction and she waited for the punchline. "I'm serious. I'm the Blur."
She frowned and chuffed. "What?"
"The Blur is me, I'm the Blur."
"I don't understand," she said. She slumped back into the couch. "You're kidding, right?" She studied his face. "You're not kidding, are you?"
He shook his head.
Her eyes narrowed. "C'mon, Clark. You said enough with the nonsense and hiding stuff. What's really going on with you? I'm not leaving this building until you tell me," she said.
A faint smile crossed his lips. "I thought you might say something like that. In fact, I was hoping that you would." He looked at his watch. "I'm going to prove it by taking you to dinner. Grab your coat and a knit cap if you have one."
She did as he said. Then he took her by the hand and led her to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. "Where are we going?" Lois asked.
"To the roof," he replied.
"For what?"
"To get a closer look at the stars before dinner, Lois."
On the roof, and he looked around. The sun had set over ninety minutes earlier and twilight ended an hour prior. The skies were dark.
"Did that episode today cause brain damage, Clark? This proves nothing. What are we doing up here?"
Clark removed his glasses and stuffed them in his jacket pocket. "You wanted proof. This is it." He picked her up in his arms effortlessly and she squeaked. Her thoughts flashed back to him effortlessly picking her up and putting her in his truck at the Bottoms Up brew grill. She remembered thinking Lana was lucky and she smiled.
"You're not afraid of flying, are you?"
"Well, that depends, Lindbergh. What do you mean by flying? How are we going to fly and where are we going?"
"We're going to dinner at my home and I'm taking you," he said. "Hold onto my neck."
He dipped, then pushed off, and gracefully soared straight upward, and it took Lois's breath away and she slammed her eyes closed and squeezed his neck, burying her face in his chest. "This isn't happening," she said. He continued gently and slowly at first but gaining speed as the rooftops fell away below them and when she finally opened her eyes, the view took Lois's breath away. "Oh my God!" she gasped and squealed. When he looked at her, she was staring at him with amazement.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded, speechless. When she found her voice, she said, "Oh yeah. I'm more than okay. I'm flying in the clouds…with a god!" she replied, giggling. "My God, how is this happening? I can't believe this is you, Clark! This is actually happening; it's real! You weren't kidding, you're the Blur!" She chuffed incredulously.
Clark smiled. "Someone had to be," he replied. "Are you warm enough?"
She looked into his eyes. "I guess I should be freezing but I'm not. Is that you?"
He nodded and then said, "Okay, we're going to go a little faster but you're safe; I have you, Lois. Just enjoy the ride."
The lights below reminded Lois of loose diamonds spread on a black velvet display she had admired once in the display case of a Metropolis jewelry store. She marveled at the wisps of cloud that passed beneath her feet. "Where are you taking me? Your home shouldn't be this far," she said and looked around. She saw the lights of Metropolis behind them. "We had to have passed it by now."
"Not that home," he said. "Mom has dinner waiting on us in Smallville."