Fic: Man of Steel: A Risk Worth Taking (17/?)
Title: Man of Steel: A Risk Worth Taking (17/?)
Author: Babette babettew54
Canon: Superman (MOS)
Pairings; Characters: Clark/Lois, Martha Kent, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)
Rating: M
Word Count: 5,000
Summary: Lois couldn’t decide whether to ask him out or bombard him with questions hopefully to achieve the ‘Story of the Century.’
Spoilers: None. It is just speculation about hand touching in the trailer and what it could mean for Clois. The story continues with more speculation about Clois and the upcoming sequel.
Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: In this next chapter, Erica finally gets a wake-up call, Clark and Bruce have a disagreement about the Zod scandal and what to do about it, and later, a mystery is solved. Everything will be set in motion with this chapter, the biggest so far. Read on. I hope you enjoy it! :D:D
X-posted: (FFN); (A03)
Previously:
ACT I: The Only Thing That Matters
( Chapter 1)( Chapter 2)( Chapter 3)( Chapter 4)( Chapter 5)
( Chapter 6)( Chapter 7)( Chapter 8)( Chapter 9)( Chapter 10)
( Chapter 11)( Chapter 12)( Chapter 13) ( Chapter 14)( Chapter 15)
ACT II: All I’ve Ever Wanted
( Chapter 16)
Chapter 17: Crossroads
Forest Lawn Cemetery in Metropolis, later that night:
Henri del Portenza, still in shock by what had happened at Lex's penthouse, stood quietly by his son's gravesite and wondered again what a fool he had been to trust Lex Luthor. He had assumed that his daughter would be living the life of luxury on an island somewhere, living the life of a grand princess, but that had not been the case. Then, when his ten-year old granddaughter was brought to him by a stranger quite out of the blue, he realized he had made a horrible mistake. Erica had been in an induced coma all these years to keep her quiet. There must be more to this than just a few experiments conducted by his son.
Henri also realized that he had to take responsibility for his part in this travesty. He had to fix this somehow. Then he had an idea. It may be his only hope. He knew it was late, but he had no one else that he could trust. He dialed Clark Kent's number.
Clark was awakened by the beeping of his cellphone. He carefully removed Lois's arms from his around his waist, and couldn't help but glance at her engagement ring. Smiling, he picked up the phone from the nightstand, left the bed and went into the den.
"Hello," Clark answered the phone. He thought he recognized the number but he wasn't sure.
"Hello, Mr. Kent, this is Erica's father, Henri del Portenza. I know it's late."
"No, it's not that late. How are you, Sir, and how's Erica and Lena?" Clark had been concerned about them.
"Well, a lot has happened since the meeting at FBI headquarters. Erica and Lex are back together, and Lena is living with them," Henri sadly replied.
Surprised, Clark had to sit down. "I see," he thoughtfully said. "I can tell from your voice that you are not completely happy about it."
"Mr. Kent, can we meet first thing tomorrow? I don't want to go into any detail over the phone."
Clark frowned. "Alright, meet me at my office at nine a.m."
"I'll be there, and thank you Mr. Kent."
"Please call me Clark."
"Yes, and you can call me Henri."
"Goodnight, Henri."
"Goodnight, Clark."
~o~o~
The Daily Planet, the next morning:
Lois was very intrigued by the call Clark had gotten last night. Heading for their meeting with Henri, they ignored the overhead monitors. The office was still abuzz about Superman and what had happened to Zod. The cable news stations were still debating the issue. Hopefully, they will find something else to debate; the sooner the better.
After they entered the conference room, Lois was thoughtful. "Erica actually went back to him, and poor Lena."
"I know. I couldn't believe it at first, but I have to wonder what Henri wants to talk about."
"If we can help him to get them away from Lex, I'm in," Lois said firm in her resolve.
He smiled at her. "Me too."
They both turned when Henri knocked at the door. "Clark, your assistant said it was alright for me to come in."
"Of course, Henri, please have a seat. You remember, Lois?"
"Yes, I remember. It's nice to see you again." He held out his hand and Lois shook it.
"Would you like a little breakfast? We have muffins and coffee?" Clark asked and pointed to the side table.
"Coffee, black would be nice," Henri replied.
While Clark poured him some coffee, Lois had a question. "So, it's true that Erica and Lena are at the penthouse with Lex?"
"Yes, they've been there for several days now," Henri replied. He took the coffee from Clark. "Thank you."
"I'm sorry Henri, but I'm confused. What possible explanation did Lex come up with to convince her to stay with him besides saving her life? That doesn't explain the mental hospital and why he did that to her?" Clark asked, hoping for an explanation.
Henri bowed his head. "Yes, there is more." Henri went on to explain about his son, Paul, his work with Lex and the reason Erica and Lena were sent away.
"There has to be more," Lois thoughtfully said. "Erica admitted to helping him with his illegal activities, so why would a few experiments cause Lex to react that way?"
"What else could it be? I have racked my brain for hours about this and I cannot think of anything else," Henri said.
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lois asked her fiancé.
"Yeah, I am," Clark sadly replied. "The only reason is that Lex is guilty. He murdered his Father. That has to be it, but unfortunately, Erica's testimony will not get us a conviction. The prosecutor has dropped the charges because Erica has been compromised."
Henri was getting upset. "My daughter and granddaughter are living with that murdering monster. I am so worried about them." He wrung his hands.
"Clark, the only thing we can do is to find out about those experiments." She turned to Henri. "There has to be a connection between your son Paul and why Lex thought his explanations would convince you to back off and let him handle Erica being sent away."
"You may have something there," Henri thoughtfully said.
"I think that's it. The murder charge, unfortunately, is out the window. There's no evidence, but if there was any way for you to access anything about Paul, what he was working on, that would definitely help," Clark said.
"I packed Paul's things from his apartment after he died. Everything is in New York at the estate. I can leave in a few hours and contact you if I find anything." Henri stood up and shook their hands. "I appreciate all your help with this. I truly do."
"Don't mention it." Lois paused. "Be careful, Henri. We'll look forward to your call," Lois said.
Henri then left the conference room. Just then, Clark got a text.
"It's from Bruce. He wants to see me."
"You as in Clark Kent or ... the other guy?"
"The other guy." He kissed her cheek. "I'll call you."
And then he was gone.
~o~o~
The bat cave, a few minutes later:
Bruce was in the suit, reading the monitors and Internet responses about the killing of Zod and Superman's part in it. If these headlines were to be believed, then his work here and everyone else he partnered with could hang up their costumes and call it a day.
He heard Clark approach. "Too bad you couldn't rein in your girlfriend."
Clark frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't play innocent. I'm talking about Zod of course and Lois' article." Bruce turned to him.
"Is that why you beeped me? I thought it had something to do with Lex? I just found out something."
"Lex can wait. This Zod business is getting out of control. You need to do something."
"Do what exactly?"
"Make a statement, turn yourself in, do something. Don't pretend that this will blow over because it won't."
"I could do all of those things but I don't think it would make a difference. People have already made up their minds about me. Either they trust me or they don't."
"And you can live with that?" Bruce couldn't believe him.
"Look, if I had my way, no, I wouldn't live with it, but I don't know what I can do."
"Well, it looks to me like your girlfriend is pulling your strings. Lois says jump and you jump. You're hiding from this mess and you cannot continue to do that. You're afraid to say anything to do something."
Clark's back went up. "That's enough Bruce. Just drop it."
"No, I won't drop it. I just got a call from one of my contacts at the base and they're gearing up to bring you in."
"What, you can't be serious?" Clark was truly shocked.
"Does it look like I'm joking? Now haul your ass over to the base and clear up this mess."
"I'm not going back there. Suppose they shoot at me, then what, bullets flying all over the place and someone could get hurt."
Bruce was tired of this. He walked over to him. "Either you come with me now, or I may have to drop kick your ass all over this cave. Now what is it going to be?"
Clark chuckled. "Alright, Bruce, look, if we were to fight, it would last exactly two seconds."
Bruce crossed his arms unconcerned. "Would it now?"
"Yes, it would. I suggest you back up and get out of my face."
"Or what?" Bruce snapped and dared him to hit him.
"Look, Bruce, we can talk later once you have had a chance to calm down." Clark turned to go, but Bruce stopped him by pulling at his arm.
Clark shrugged him off a bit too hard then Bruce went flying across the cave. He landed hard on his back in an odd way. Bruce thought his back was completely healed. He was wrong.
Clark quickly ran over to him. "Well, have you calmed down yet?"
"No, I haven't," Bruce snapped and tried to sit up. "Dammit," he snapped again.
Clark offered to help him but Bruce would have none of it.
Clark sighed, stood back and watched him wince and moan, but he managed to stand up on his own. "You are one proud and stubborn man." Clark commented then he sighed. "Alright, I'll go in."
'Excellent, now tell me about this Lex business."
Clark shook his head at him. He followed him over to the flight ship. After Clark stopped speaking, Bruce turned to him but he was not completely surprised by the news. "Lex has always been a ladies man, and it's not just the money either. He's brilliant at just about anything he does, including marrying the most beautiful women in the world."
"I suppose you would know about that," Clark smirked at him. "But eight times, Bruce, really?"
"I can't imagine his bank account likes it, but he seems to be doing alright in that department."
Clark was thoughtful. "Maybe he isn't." Then he had a thought. "Is there any way to find out about that? Lex's finances, particularly ten years ago when Erica disappeared?"
"You may have something there. I'll look into it." He watched him for a moment. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with."
"No Lois this time?" Bruce was making fun, but Clark did not appreciate the humor.
~o~o~
That same morning, in Lex's penthouse suite:
Erica and Lena both had a restless night. Erica missed her Father and of course, Lena missed her grandfather. Lex had already left for the day. They were dressed and were about to get breakfast when she spotted a newspaper on the living room sofa and tried not to gasp at the headline.
"There must be an explanation." She read the article. "Of course, he did it to protect us. From what I've seen of the videos and reports of that day, General Zod wanted to destroy the entire Planet."
"Is everything alright, Mommy?" Lena asked her Mother, as she listened to her.
"Yes, everything is fine." Erica frowned as the read more and more articles about Superman and his continued efforts to save them. Then her mind began to wonder again about the missile incident. Erica had pushed it from her mind over and over again, but now it was relentless. She had to know if Lex had been responsible for it. She had to know then she picked up her cell. "Hello, Lex, where are you?"
Lex did not have time for this. "I'll call you back in a little while. I'm in a very important meeting at the moment."
"Alright, call me when you get a minute. Alright, goodbye Lex." Erica hung up. Now her mind would not stop about the missile.
"Honey, we can get breakfast on the way to Ms. Johnson's place."
"Where are we going, Mommy?" Lena asked.
"I have a friend who has a few children. You can't come with me, sweetie. She's a friend of mine who use to work at the Luthor estate, she doesn't live far from here. She has a day care center and you will have to stay with her for a few hours."
"Mommy, I am not a child. Why can't I come with you?"
"I'm sorry, honey, not this time. Its business and it would only bore you. You'll be with other kids your age. How does that sound?"
"I suppose so," Lena replied, warming to the idea.
"Ok, let's go, sweetie. Go get your sweater." While Lena left the room, she texted her Father, but his cellphone was off. Where is he? Erica thought.
They left the penthouse and grabbed a cab. After picking up breakfast, and dropping Lena off, Erica headed to a special place that she had found out about days before everything had gone wrong in her life.
It took her over an hour to find the place. Her memories were clear on this matter, and she remembered everything. And then her mind flashed back to that fateful night.
~o~o~
Ten years ago in Metropolis:
Erica's plan was clear. Lionel had his doubts. The plan was for her to meet up with a few drug dealers from Gotham. They had the goods and she had the money. It was her first time and she needed to show Lex that was not a trophy wife, but she had a mind of her own and she wanted to feel as if she were a true part of the family.
Lex was skeptical, but he went along with it. Lionel was her back-up if anything were to go wrong. A few other armed assistants were there as well, but were discretely hidden and not in plain sight. The time had come for the meeting. It was in a part of town that didn't see a lot of foot traffic or vehicles either.
Erica remembered a few buildings that were clearly marked with the LexCorp logo, but she ignored them. She sat in her car ready and waiting. She had no idea what they looked like, but then, a car drove up. Two men exited and stood there waiting for her to come out.
Heart pounding and having second thoughts about all of this, she approached the two men. Erica was dressed like a man, with a dark hoodie, jeans, boots and gloves. The two men were dressed the same. One the men looked her up and down. "A woman, they sent a woman?"
Erica's back went up. "What has that to do with anything? Look, let's just get this over with." She was getting angry when they just stood there. "Well, hand it over."
"No, you hand it over, and I don't mean the money," he smirked at her.
Erica backed up. "Don't do anything stupid. I have a weapon."
"Ohhh, she has a weapon," one of the smirked again.
Before Erica could pull out her weapon, she was jumped and hauled to the ground. The money was pulled from her car and then they ripped at clothes. She screamed. Then they were pulled off of her, the drugs taken from her car and the money handed to them. They held up their hands, as if they were innocent, indicating they were only fooling around with no intention of hurting her.
Lionel was not happy. "Tell your boss we are done. No more deals."
The two men were not happy either. Their boss was going to have their heads or worse.
Lionel then helped her to stand. Her jeans were ripped at the waist. Her lip was bloodied where they had hit her, and her hoodie was ripped open at the neck.
All through Lionel's inspection of her, she stood tall before him. "You had to do this didn't you?"
"Yes, I had to do it. I can take care of myself," Erica replied, firm in her answer, but inside she wanted to cry.
"Come on, let's go." Lionel noted the location of the drug drop. Not a good idea, Lex, not at all.
~o~o~
Back to the present, on the outskirts of Metropolis:
Erica dismissed the cabbie and walked over to one of the buildings. They were large, both of them two stories, just as she remembered. The entry doors were located on the sides, but the closest one was locked. She knocked, not expecting an answer. She was about to turn and leave when a man she'd seen before at the estate opened the door.
"Mrs. Luthor?" He was shocked to see her there.
"Yes, is my husband here?" Erica could not believe her luck.
"Well, no he isn't." He frowned when she just stood there. "Is there something else you wanted?"
"He asked me to meet him here. May I come in and wait for him? He won't be long." Erica flirted a bit.
"Of course, come in." He opened the door for her and Erica walked in. The place was huge. All she could see were men and women walking here and there working on something. Frowning, she stared at the monitors and stand-alone computers. Each person seemed to be responsible for their own monitors. One of monitors caught her eye, then they widened in shock. There were colored lines running across the screen and Erica realized that they were heartbeats.
"Would you like a tour?" He asked.
Gathering her composure, Erica noted the nameplate and his name was Bill, Bill Anderson. "Thank you, Bill, I would like that."
He took her on a tour of the place. Being bold, she asked a question. "What is this place and why are you here?"
Bill was caught off guard by that question. "I'm surprised he would send you here and not tell you what he was working on."
"Well, he probably thought I would wait for him outside. So, what's upstairs?"
Bill had second thoughts but then he shrugged and headed up upstairs. Erica tried not to gasp and faint at the sight before her eyes.
There were tall tubes of men and women submerged in some type of growth device, each with tubes and wires protruding from their bodies. Vomit rose in her throat. She swallowed with difficulty. She had seen images like this before on the science fiction channel or in the movies.
"I can see you're speechless," Bill commented.
After regaining her composure, she stopped in front of one and he did look familiar. Oh, my god, its Paul! They were all Paul. She did not, however, recognize the women. She put her hand over her mouth and staggered back.
Bill caught her before she could fall. "We should leave. Here, let me help you."
Erica's head was swimming and for a moment she thought she was going to faint. Bill helped her downstairs, helped her to sit down and gave her some water. After a few minutes she said she was fine. Bill said he would call her a cab. She thanked him and waited for her cab. Erica told him she would call Lex and not to worry him.
About fifteen minutes later, she was in the cab. Pulling out a tissue from her purse, she cried and cried for her lost brother. How could Lex have done this to him? How? He was her brother. She thought about it and it was true, she had given her body and soul to a madman, intent on some mad scheme, of which she had no idea. She had to find out what he was planning.
She called Mrs. Johnson, picked up Lena, headed back to the penthouse and thought seriously about packing and leaving, but where would she go, back to New York, the safe house, or maybe the Kent's could help her again. She had been a complete fool, blinded by her feelings and emotions. She wanted to cry again.
No sooner had she entered the penthouse with Lena, then Lex walked in. It had only been a few hours since she had left and returned. Erica hoped he would not find out about her visit to his lab or whatever it was called.
"Oh, you're back," Erica said in greeting. Lena was now in her room watching television.
"Yes, I'm back. I stopped by about an hour ago, and you were gone. Where were you?" Lex asked.
"Oh, Lena and I went to visit a day care center. You know, Lex, Fall is almost here and Lena needs to be enrolled in school."
He walked in, picked up the paper again and he had to smile. His plans were coming along smoothly. "I've been thinking about that and I think boarding school would do fine, especially since she's so young. Once she reaches high school age, she can come home."
What is he smiling about? Erica wondered. "You can't be serious. Lex, I hardly know her the same as you. We can't send her away to some school where she won't know a soul. Plus her only grandfather is now out of her life."
"Calm down. She says she is not a child. We will let her decide."
"She's too young to make a decision like that."
"I'm not too young, Mommy." Lena walked in. She had heard the words 'boarding school' and she actually liked the idea.
"Sweetie, we just got back together. You, me, and your Father, we need to work at being a family. We can't do that if you're away from us." Erica knew that sending Lena away was the best thing for her, especially after everything she had found out today, but it was too soon. She needed more time with her daughter.
"Mommy, we can text, do Skype, call and email, and I can come home every month, holidays and stuff." Lena smiled hoping to convince her Mother that she was old enough to make this decision. She hated Metropolis. The destruction all around her unnerved her. Her Father was creepy, and her Mother had sent her grandfather away.
Lex smiled. "I'll make a few calls. The Fall semester starts next week," he said and pulled out his cellphone.
Erica was upset. "Next week, but …"
Lena took her hand. "I'll miss you, Mommy."
"Oh, sweetie," Erica murmured. She pulled her close. "I'll miss you too so much."
Lena pulled away after a moment. "Mommy, I have things at the house in New York. Can we bring them here for me to take to school? You know, my personal stuff, like pictures of Grandpa and you." She sniffed. "I miss him."
Erica hated to admit it, but she missed him too. "I do too," Erica admitted.
"I'll take care of it," Lex said. "Your things will be here soon, before you have to leave for school.
Lena did not want to thank him, but she did have manners. "Thank you, Father."
Lex smiled. "You're welcome."
~o~o~
Meanwhile, at the military base:
General Lane paced back and forth in his office. He knew that Superman and Batman would be there shortly. It was definitely not his idea for Superman to turn himself in. It wasn't necessary. He believed his daughter's article about what had happened and her interview that morning convinced him that there was nothing to hide. Unfortunately, he did have superior officers. Even the President had a few words for them. Just bring him in and let's clear this up.
Just before they arrived, he made a phone call and it was just as he suspected, she knew nothing about this meeting. That was all he needed was the wrath of one Lois Lane.
A few minutes later, they arrived with much attention from the soldiers on base. "Gentlemen," he greeted them with respect.
"This won't take long, will it, General?" Clark asked, hoping to clear this up quickly.
"Ummm, well, there's someone else who should be present during this discussion."
"And who might that be?" Bruce asked although he knew who it was.
Clark and Bruce glanced at each other both knowing the answer.
"Please take a seat," General Lane suggested.
Clark sighed and waited for inevitable blow up from his fiancé.
A few minutes later, Lois walked in without knocking like a whirlwind ready to swoop up everything in her path. She did, however, have the presence of mind to remove her engagement ring. This was definitely not the time for that discussion. "What the hell is going on in here?"
Bruce hid a grin.
Clark stared at his fiancé and shook his head. She looked stunning as usual, but of course, he had seen her only a few hours ago. He did notice the missing ring.
"Lois, please take a seat. I was about to ask Superman a few questions." Sam tried to be firm.
"Questions, again, Daddy? Really, I cannot believe this. You read my article and you must have seen my interview on television." Lois glanced at the two men in costume who had not said a word. "This is about Zod, isn't it?"
"Lo, please take a seat. This won't take long. Please!" Sam was firm with her. Fuming, Lois sat down. "Before we get started, I have to remind you Superman that Lieutenant Jones worked for me a long time. He was present at the warehouse, if you remember."
Clark frowned. "Yes, I remember." Then it dawned on him. "Which means he knows about the … green rock?"
"Yes, he does, and it is highly possible that Lex Luthor may be privy to that information."
"What?" Lois was stunned.
"What is he talking about Superman?" That was Bruce.
"You can trust him, General," Superman stated.
"There's a green rock from the Superman's home world that can either take his powers away indefinitely or it can kill him, depending up how long he's exposed."
"But Daddy, you said that it was all destroyed," Lois said.
"I did, honey, but Peter was at the bunker that night and at the warehouse. Zod's ship was a different ship from the one we found in Smallville. We can assume that Peter may have found more green rocks and told those men about it. If those men know the truth, then Lex Luthor probably knows it. We have no way of knowing for sure."
"I should question Peter again. I'll find out the truth. Count on it," Bruce declared.
"This cannot be happening." That was Lois.
Clark went to her and touched her shoulder. "What about this Zod business?"
"The Army has one question for you Superman."
"And that is?" Clark asked.
"How did he die?"
"I snapped his neck," he told him bluntly. "Zod's intentions were clear. He knew that he had lost the battle. His followers were gone. He said and I quote: 'My soul has been ripped out.' He realized that he was stuck on Earth with us. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he wanted to die. He wanted me to kill him. The moment that he directed the heat vision to that family of four, he knew I was the only one who could stop him and that was the moment he had to die."
"I see." General Lane was thoughtful. "The family of four was very convincing in spite of the announcer's thoughtless questions."
"Daddy, he's telling you the truth. I was there. I witnessed all of it. You have to believe him."
"I do believe him sweetie." Sam walked around his desk. "During the invasion, the military had every intention of killing you, Superman. I see now that would have been a grave mistake, just as turning you over to Zod was a mistake. And now, hearing you speak of Zod and what happened in the train station, we have no authority to arrest you or to restrict you for doing what you do."
"Wait, they wanted to restrict him?" Lois asked, stunned again. "And how in the world would that work exactly?"
"Well, he couldn't be in direct contact with humans." He cleared this throat then continued. He checked his notes. "The list is not that long: airplane crashes, sinking ships, motor vehicle accidents, you know, things like that."
"That's ridiculous," Lois declared. "Is he supposed to just walk away and not speak to anyone and just ignore other cries for help that are not on that list?"
"Apparently so," Sam said then he tore it up. "As I said, Superman, there will not be any restrictions. Plus the fact that you did indeed kill Zod, well it took the matter out of our hands. It was obvious to everyone what his intentions were and we had no way of stopping him, but you did, and we want to thank you." General Lane held out his hand.
Bruce grinned, happy about the outcome. Clark shook it without hesitation. "Thank you, General."
"And now, we have another problem, and his name is Lex Luthor." That was Bruce.
TBC!
~o~o~
Song Inspiration: Where Do We Go From Here? Alicia Keys.
A/N: Erica has finally opened her eyes. Oh dear, the green rock is out there and Lex Luthor knows about it? Did anyone suspect he was up to something like that? It's canon people. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading everyone. Comment, please, please, begs unashamed. Thank you!
Author: Babette babettew54
Canon: Superman (MOS)
Pairings; Characters: Clark/Lois, Martha Kent, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane, Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)
Rating: M
Word Count: 5,000
Summary: Lois couldn’t decide whether to ask him out or bombard him with questions hopefully to achieve the ‘Story of the Century.’
Spoilers: None. It is just speculation about hand touching in the trailer and what it could mean for Clois. The story continues with more speculation about Clois and the upcoming sequel.
Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: In this next chapter, Erica finally gets a wake-up call, Clark and Bruce have a disagreement about the Zod scandal and what to do about it, and later, a mystery is solved. Everything will be set in motion with this chapter, the biggest so far. Read on. I hope you enjoy it! :D:D
X-posted: (FFN); (A03)
Previously:
ACT I: The Only Thing That Matters
( Chapter 1)( Chapter 2)( Chapter 3)( Chapter 4)( Chapter 5)
( Chapter 6)( Chapter 7)( Chapter 8)( Chapter 9)( Chapter 10)
( Chapter 11)( Chapter 12)( Chapter 13) ( Chapter 14)( Chapter 15)
ACT II: All I’ve Ever Wanted
( Chapter 16)
Chapter 17: Crossroads
Forest Lawn Cemetery in Metropolis, later that night:
Henri del Portenza, still in shock by what had happened at Lex's penthouse, stood quietly by his son's gravesite and wondered again what a fool he had been to trust Lex Luthor. He had assumed that his daughter would be living the life of luxury on an island somewhere, living the life of a grand princess, but that had not been the case. Then, when his ten-year old granddaughter was brought to him by a stranger quite out of the blue, he realized he had made a horrible mistake. Erica had been in an induced coma all these years to keep her quiet. There must be more to this than just a few experiments conducted by his son.
Henri also realized that he had to take responsibility for his part in this travesty. He had to fix this somehow. Then he had an idea. It may be his only hope. He knew it was late, but he had no one else that he could trust. He dialed Clark Kent's number.
Clark was awakened by the beeping of his cellphone. He carefully removed Lois's arms from his around his waist, and couldn't help but glance at her engagement ring. Smiling, he picked up the phone from the nightstand, left the bed and went into the den.
"Hello," Clark answered the phone. He thought he recognized the number but he wasn't sure.
"Hello, Mr. Kent, this is Erica's father, Henri del Portenza. I know it's late."
"No, it's not that late. How are you, Sir, and how's Erica and Lena?" Clark had been concerned about them.
"Well, a lot has happened since the meeting at FBI headquarters. Erica and Lex are back together, and Lena is living with them," Henri sadly replied.
Surprised, Clark had to sit down. "I see," he thoughtfully said. "I can tell from your voice that you are not completely happy about it."
"Mr. Kent, can we meet first thing tomorrow? I don't want to go into any detail over the phone."
Clark frowned. "Alright, meet me at my office at nine a.m."
"I'll be there, and thank you Mr. Kent."
"Please call me Clark."
"Yes, and you can call me Henri."
"Goodnight, Henri."
"Goodnight, Clark."
~o~o~
The Daily Planet, the next morning:
Lois was very intrigued by the call Clark had gotten last night. Heading for their meeting with Henri, they ignored the overhead monitors. The office was still abuzz about Superman and what had happened to Zod. The cable news stations were still debating the issue. Hopefully, they will find something else to debate; the sooner the better.
After they entered the conference room, Lois was thoughtful. "Erica actually went back to him, and poor Lena."
"I know. I couldn't believe it at first, but I have to wonder what Henri wants to talk about."
"If we can help him to get them away from Lex, I'm in," Lois said firm in her resolve.
He smiled at her. "Me too."
They both turned when Henri knocked at the door. "Clark, your assistant said it was alright for me to come in."
"Of course, Henri, please have a seat. You remember, Lois?"
"Yes, I remember. It's nice to see you again." He held out his hand and Lois shook it.
"Would you like a little breakfast? We have muffins and coffee?" Clark asked and pointed to the side table.
"Coffee, black would be nice," Henri replied.
While Clark poured him some coffee, Lois had a question. "So, it's true that Erica and Lena are at the penthouse with Lex?"
"Yes, they've been there for several days now," Henri replied. He took the coffee from Clark. "Thank you."
"I'm sorry Henri, but I'm confused. What possible explanation did Lex come up with to convince her to stay with him besides saving her life? That doesn't explain the mental hospital and why he did that to her?" Clark asked, hoping for an explanation.
Henri bowed his head. "Yes, there is more." Henri went on to explain about his son, Paul, his work with Lex and the reason Erica and Lena were sent away.
"There has to be more," Lois thoughtfully said. "Erica admitted to helping him with his illegal activities, so why would a few experiments cause Lex to react that way?"
"What else could it be? I have racked my brain for hours about this and I cannot think of anything else," Henri said.
Lois and Clark glanced at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lois asked her fiancé.
"Yeah, I am," Clark sadly replied. "The only reason is that Lex is guilty. He murdered his Father. That has to be it, but unfortunately, Erica's testimony will not get us a conviction. The prosecutor has dropped the charges because Erica has been compromised."
Henri was getting upset. "My daughter and granddaughter are living with that murdering monster. I am so worried about them." He wrung his hands.
"Clark, the only thing we can do is to find out about those experiments." She turned to Henri. "There has to be a connection between your son Paul and why Lex thought his explanations would convince you to back off and let him handle Erica being sent away."
"You may have something there," Henri thoughtfully said.
"I think that's it. The murder charge, unfortunately, is out the window. There's no evidence, but if there was any way for you to access anything about Paul, what he was working on, that would definitely help," Clark said.
"I packed Paul's things from his apartment after he died. Everything is in New York at the estate. I can leave in a few hours and contact you if I find anything." Henri stood up and shook their hands. "I appreciate all your help with this. I truly do."
"Don't mention it." Lois paused. "Be careful, Henri. We'll look forward to your call," Lois said.
Henri then left the conference room. Just then, Clark got a text.
"It's from Bruce. He wants to see me."
"You as in Clark Kent or ... the other guy?"
"The other guy." He kissed her cheek. "I'll call you."
And then he was gone.
~o~o~
The bat cave, a few minutes later:
Bruce was in the suit, reading the monitors and Internet responses about the killing of Zod and Superman's part in it. If these headlines were to be believed, then his work here and everyone else he partnered with could hang up their costumes and call it a day.
He heard Clark approach. "Too bad you couldn't rein in your girlfriend."
Clark frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't play innocent. I'm talking about Zod of course and Lois' article." Bruce turned to him.
"Is that why you beeped me? I thought it had something to do with Lex? I just found out something."
"Lex can wait. This Zod business is getting out of control. You need to do something."
"Do what exactly?"
"Make a statement, turn yourself in, do something. Don't pretend that this will blow over because it won't."
"I could do all of those things but I don't think it would make a difference. People have already made up their minds about me. Either they trust me or they don't."
"And you can live with that?" Bruce couldn't believe him.
"Look, if I had my way, no, I wouldn't live with it, but I don't know what I can do."
"Well, it looks to me like your girlfriend is pulling your strings. Lois says jump and you jump. You're hiding from this mess and you cannot continue to do that. You're afraid to say anything to do something."
Clark's back went up. "That's enough Bruce. Just drop it."
"No, I won't drop it. I just got a call from one of my contacts at the base and they're gearing up to bring you in."
"What, you can't be serious?" Clark was truly shocked.
"Does it look like I'm joking? Now haul your ass over to the base and clear up this mess."
"I'm not going back there. Suppose they shoot at me, then what, bullets flying all over the place and someone could get hurt."
Bruce was tired of this. He walked over to him. "Either you come with me now, or I may have to drop kick your ass all over this cave. Now what is it going to be?"
Clark chuckled. "Alright, Bruce, look, if we were to fight, it would last exactly two seconds."
Bruce crossed his arms unconcerned. "Would it now?"
"Yes, it would. I suggest you back up and get out of my face."
"Or what?" Bruce snapped and dared him to hit him.
"Look, Bruce, we can talk later once you have had a chance to calm down." Clark turned to go, but Bruce stopped him by pulling at his arm.
Clark shrugged him off a bit too hard then Bruce went flying across the cave. He landed hard on his back in an odd way. Bruce thought his back was completely healed. He was wrong.
Clark quickly ran over to him. "Well, have you calmed down yet?"
"No, I haven't," Bruce snapped and tried to sit up. "Dammit," he snapped again.
Clark offered to help him but Bruce would have none of it.
Clark sighed, stood back and watched him wince and moan, but he managed to stand up on his own. "You are one proud and stubborn man." Clark commented then he sighed. "Alright, I'll go in."
'Excellent, now tell me about this Lex business."
Clark shook his head at him. He followed him over to the flight ship. After Clark stopped speaking, Bruce turned to him but he was not completely surprised by the news. "Lex has always been a ladies man, and it's not just the money either. He's brilliant at just about anything he does, including marrying the most beautiful women in the world."
"I suppose you would know about that," Clark smirked at him. "But eight times, Bruce, really?"
"I can't imagine his bank account likes it, but he seems to be doing alright in that department."
Clark was thoughtful. "Maybe he isn't." Then he had a thought. "Is there any way to find out about that? Lex's finances, particularly ten years ago when Erica disappeared?"
"You may have something there. I'll look into it." He watched him for a moment. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with."
"No Lois this time?" Bruce was making fun, but Clark did not appreciate the humor.
~o~o~
That same morning, in Lex's penthouse suite:
Erica and Lena both had a restless night. Erica missed her Father and of course, Lena missed her grandfather. Lex had already left for the day. They were dressed and were about to get breakfast when she spotted a newspaper on the living room sofa and tried not to gasp at the headline.
"There must be an explanation." She read the article. "Of course, he did it to protect us. From what I've seen of the videos and reports of that day, General Zod wanted to destroy the entire Planet."
"Is everything alright, Mommy?" Lena asked her Mother, as she listened to her.
"Yes, everything is fine." Erica frowned as the read more and more articles about Superman and his continued efforts to save them. Then her mind began to wonder again about the missile incident. Erica had pushed it from her mind over and over again, but now it was relentless. She had to know if Lex had been responsible for it. She had to know then she picked up her cell. "Hello, Lex, where are you?"
Lex did not have time for this. "I'll call you back in a little while. I'm in a very important meeting at the moment."
"Alright, call me when you get a minute. Alright, goodbye Lex." Erica hung up. Now her mind would not stop about the missile.
"Honey, we can get breakfast on the way to Ms. Johnson's place."
"Where are we going, Mommy?" Lena asked.
"I have a friend who has a few children. You can't come with me, sweetie. She's a friend of mine who use to work at the Luthor estate, she doesn't live far from here. She has a day care center and you will have to stay with her for a few hours."
"Mommy, I am not a child. Why can't I come with you?"
"I'm sorry, honey, not this time. Its business and it would only bore you. You'll be with other kids your age. How does that sound?"
"I suppose so," Lena replied, warming to the idea.
"Ok, let's go, sweetie. Go get your sweater." While Lena left the room, she texted her Father, but his cellphone was off. Where is he? Erica thought.
They left the penthouse and grabbed a cab. After picking up breakfast, and dropping Lena off, Erica headed to a special place that she had found out about days before everything had gone wrong in her life.
It took her over an hour to find the place. Her memories were clear on this matter, and she remembered everything. And then her mind flashed back to that fateful night.
~o~o~
Ten years ago in Metropolis:
Erica's plan was clear. Lionel had his doubts. The plan was for her to meet up with a few drug dealers from Gotham. They had the goods and she had the money. It was her first time and she needed to show Lex that was not a trophy wife, but she had a mind of her own and she wanted to feel as if she were a true part of the family.
Lex was skeptical, but he went along with it. Lionel was her back-up if anything were to go wrong. A few other armed assistants were there as well, but were discretely hidden and not in plain sight. The time had come for the meeting. It was in a part of town that didn't see a lot of foot traffic or vehicles either.
Erica remembered a few buildings that were clearly marked with the LexCorp logo, but she ignored them. She sat in her car ready and waiting. She had no idea what they looked like, but then, a car drove up. Two men exited and stood there waiting for her to come out.
Heart pounding and having second thoughts about all of this, she approached the two men. Erica was dressed like a man, with a dark hoodie, jeans, boots and gloves. The two men were dressed the same. One the men looked her up and down. "A woman, they sent a woman?"
Erica's back went up. "What has that to do with anything? Look, let's just get this over with." She was getting angry when they just stood there. "Well, hand it over."
"No, you hand it over, and I don't mean the money," he smirked at her.
Erica backed up. "Don't do anything stupid. I have a weapon."
"Ohhh, she has a weapon," one of the smirked again.
Before Erica could pull out her weapon, she was jumped and hauled to the ground. The money was pulled from her car and then they ripped at clothes. She screamed. Then they were pulled off of her, the drugs taken from her car and the money handed to them. They held up their hands, as if they were innocent, indicating they were only fooling around with no intention of hurting her.
Lionel was not happy. "Tell your boss we are done. No more deals."
The two men were not happy either. Their boss was going to have their heads or worse.
Lionel then helped her to stand. Her jeans were ripped at the waist. Her lip was bloodied where they had hit her, and her hoodie was ripped open at the neck.
All through Lionel's inspection of her, she stood tall before him. "You had to do this didn't you?"
"Yes, I had to do it. I can take care of myself," Erica replied, firm in her answer, but inside she wanted to cry.
"Come on, let's go." Lionel noted the location of the drug drop. Not a good idea, Lex, not at all.
~o~o~
Back to the present, on the outskirts of Metropolis:
Erica dismissed the cabbie and walked over to one of the buildings. They were large, both of them two stories, just as she remembered. The entry doors were located on the sides, but the closest one was locked. She knocked, not expecting an answer. She was about to turn and leave when a man she'd seen before at the estate opened the door.
"Mrs. Luthor?" He was shocked to see her there.
"Yes, is my husband here?" Erica could not believe her luck.
"Well, no he isn't." He frowned when she just stood there. "Is there something else you wanted?"
"He asked me to meet him here. May I come in and wait for him? He won't be long." Erica flirted a bit.
"Of course, come in." He opened the door for her and Erica walked in. The place was huge. All she could see were men and women walking here and there working on something. Frowning, she stared at the monitors and stand-alone computers. Each person seemed to be responsible for their own monitors. One of monitors caught her eye, then they widened in shock. There were colored lines running across the screen and Erica realized that they were heartbeats.
"Would you like a tour?" He asked.
Gathering her composure, Erica noted the nameplate and his name was Bill, Bill Anderson. "Thank you, Bill, I would like that."
He took her on a tour of the place. Being bold, she asked a question. "What is this place and why are you here?"
Bill was caught off guard by that question. "I'm surprised he would send you here and not tell you what he was working on."
"Well, he probably thought I would wait for him outside. So, what's upstairs?"
Bill had second thoughts but then he shrugged and headed up upstairs. Erica tried not to gasp and faint at the sight before her eyes.
There were tall tubes of men and women submerged in some type of growth device, each with tubes and wires protruding from their bodies. Vomit rose in her throat. She swallowed with difficulty. She had seen images like this before on the science fiction channel or in the movies.
"I can see you're speechless," Bill commented.
After regaining her composure, she stopped in front of one and he did look familiar. Oh, my god, its Paul! They were all Paul. She did not, however, recognize the women. She put her hand over her mouth and staggered back.
Bill caught her before she could fall. "We should leave. Here, let me help you."
Erica's head was swimming and for a moment she thought she was going to faint. Bill helped her downstairs, helped her to sit down and gave her some water. After a few minutes she said she was fine. Bill said he would call her a cab. She thanked him and waited for her cab. Erica told him she would call Lex and not to worry him.
About fifteen minutes later, she was in the cab. Pulling out a tissue from her purse, she cried and cried for her lost brother. How could Lex have done this to him? How? He was her brother. She thought about it and it was true, she had given her body and soul to a madman, intent on some mad scheme, of which she had no idea. She had to find out what he was planning.
She called Mrs. Johnson, picked up Lena, headed back to the penthouse and thought seriously about packing and leaving, but where would she go, back to New York, the safe house, or maybe the Kent's could help her again. She had been a complete fool, blinded by her feelings and emotions. She wanted to cry again.
No sooner had she entered the penthouse with Lena, then Lex walked in. It had only been a few hours since she had left and returned. Erica hoped he would not find out about her visit to his lab or whatever it was called.
"Oh, you're back," Erica said in greeting. Lena was now in her room watching television.
"Yes, I'm back. I stopped by about an hour ago, and you were gone. Where were you?" Lex asked.
"Oh, Lena and I went to visit a day care center. You know, Lex, Fall is almost here and Lena needs to be enrolled in school."
He walked in, picked up the paper again and he had to smile. His plans were coming along smoothly. "I've been thinking about that and I think boarding school would do fine, especially since she's so young. Once she reaches high school age, she can come home."
What is he smiling about? Erica wondered. "You can't be serious. Lex, I hardly know her the same as you. We can't send her away to some school where she won't know a soul. Plus her only grandfather is now out of her life."
"Calm down. She says she is not a child. We will let her decide."
"She's too young to make a decision like that."
"I'm not too young, Mommy." Lena walked in. She had heard the words 'boarding school' and she actually liked the idea.
"Sweetie, we just got back together. You, me, and your Father, we need to work at being a family. We can't do that if you're away from us." Erica knew that sending Lena away was the best thing for her, especially after everything she had found out today, but it was too soon. She needed more time with her daughter.
"Mommy, we can text, do Skype, call and email, and I can come home every month, holidays and stuff." Lena smiled hoping to convince her Mother that she was old enough to make this decision. She hated Metropolis. The destruction all around her unnerved her. Her Father was creepy, and her Mother had sent her grandfather away.
Lex smiled. "I'll make a few calls. The Fall semester starts next week," he said and pulled out his cellphone.
Erica was upset. "Next week, but …"
Lena took her hand. "I'll miss you, Mommy."
"Oh, sweetie," Erica murmured. She pulled her close. "I'll miss you too so much."
Lena pulled away after a moment. "Mommy, I have things at the house in New York. Can we bring them here for me to take to school? You know, my personal stuff, like pictures of Grandpa and you." She sniffed. "I miss him."
Erica hated to admit it, but she missed him too. "I do too," Erica admitted.
"I'll take care of it," Lex said. "Your things will be here soon, before you have to leave for school.
Lena did not want to thank him, but she did have manners. "Thank you, Father."
Lex smiled. "You're welcome."
~o~o~
Meanwhile, at the military base:
General Lane paced back and forth in his office. He knew that Superman and Batman would be there shortly. It was definitely not his idea for Superman to turn himself in. It wasn't necessary. He believed his daughter's article about what had happened and her interview that morning convinced him that there was nothing to hide. Unfortunately, he did have superior officers. Even the President had a few words for them. Just bring him in and let's clear this up.
Just before they arrived, he made a phone call and it was just as he suspected, she knew nothing about this meeting. That was all he needed was the wrath of one Lois Lane.
A few minutes later, they arrived with much attention from the soldiers on base. "Gentlemen," he greeted them with respect.
"This won't take long, will it, General?" Clark asked, hoping to clear this up quickly.
"Ummm, well, there's someone else who should be present during this discussion."
"And who might that be?" Bruce asked although he knew who it was.
Clark and Bruce glanced at each other both knowing the answer.
"Please take a seat," General Lane suggested.
Clark sighed and waited for inevitable blow up from his fiancé.
A few minutes later, Lois walked in without knocking like a whirlwind ready to swoop up everything in her path. She did, however, have the presence of mind to remove her engagement ring. This was definitely not the time for that discussion. "What the hell is going on in here?"
Bruce hid a grin.
Clark stared at his fiancé and shook his head. She looked stunning as usual, but of course, he had seen her only a few hours ago. He did notice the missing ring.
"Lois, please take a seat. I was about to ask Superman a few questions." Sam tried to be firm.
"Questions, again, Daddy? Really, I cannot believe this. You read my article and you must have seen my interview on television." Lois glanced at the two men in costume who had not said a word. "This is about Zod, isn't it?"
"Lo, please take a seat. This won't take long. Please!" Sam was firm with her. Fuming, Lois sat down. "Before we get started, I have to remind you Superman that Lieutenant Jones worked for me a long time. He was present at the warehouse, if you remember."
Clark frowned. "Yes, I remember." Then it dawned on him. "Which means he knows about the … green rock?"
"Yes, he does, and it is highly possible that Lex Luthor may be privy to that information."
"What?" Lois was stunned.
"What is he talking about Superman?" That was Bruce.
"You can trust him, General," Superman stated.
"There's a green rock from the Superman's home world that can either take his powers away indefinitely or it can kill him, depending up how long he's exposed."
"But Daddy, you said that it was all destroyed," Lois said.
"I did, honey, but Peter was at the bunker that night and at the warehouse. Zod's ship was a different ship from the one we found in Smallville. We can assume that Peter may have found more green rocks and told those men about it. If those men know the truth, then Lex Luthor probably knows it. We have no way of knowing for sure."
"I should question Peter again. I'll find out the truth. Count on it," Bruce declared.
"This cannot be happening." That was Lois.
Clark went to her and touched her shoulder. "What about this Zod business?"
"The Army has one question for you Superman."
"And that is?" Clark asked.
"How did he die?"
"I snapped his neck," he told him bluntly. "Zod's intentions were clear. He knew that he had lost the battle. His followers were gone. He said and I quote: 'My soul has been ripped out.' He realized that he was stuck on Earth with us. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he wanted to die. He wanted me to kill him. The moment that he directed the heat vision to that family of four, he knew I was the only one who could stop him and that was the moment he had to die."
"I see." General Lane was thoughtful. "The family of four was very convincing in spite of the announcer's thoughtless questions."
"Daddy, he's telling you the truth. I was there. I witnessed all of it. You have to believe him."
"I do believe him sweetie." Sam walked around his desk. "During the invasion, the military had every intention of killing you, Superman. I see now that would have been a grave mistake, just as turning you over to Zod was a mistake. And now, hearing you speak of Zod and what happened in the train station, we have no authority to arrest you or to restrict you for doing what you do."
"Wait, they wanted to restrict him?" Lois asked, stunned again. "And how in the world would that work exactly?"
"Well, he couldn't be in direct contact with humans." He cleared this throat then continued. He checked his notes. "The list is not that long: airplane crashes, sinking ships, motor vehicle accidents, you know, things like that."
"That's ridiculous," Lois declared. "Is he supposed to just walk away and not speak to anyone and just ignore other cries for help that are not on that list?"
"Apparently so," Sam said then he tore it up. "As I said, Superman, there will not be any restrictions. Plus the fact that you did indeed kill Zod, well it took the matter out of our hands. It was obvious to everyone what his intentions were and we had no way of stopping him, but you did, and we want to thank you." General Lane held out his hand.
Bruce grinned, happy about the outcome. Clark shook it without hesitation. "Thank you, General."
"And now, we have another problem, and his name is Lex Luthor." That was Bruce.
TBC!
~o~o~
Song Inspiration: Where Do We Go From Here? Alicia Keys.
A/N: Erica has finally opened her eyes. Oh dear, the green rock is out there and Lex Luthor knows about it? Did anyone suspect he was up to something like that? It's canon people. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading everyone. Comment, please, please, begs unashamed. Thank you!