"Well... Took you long enough."
Clark stared after her as she moved away from him, facing Ollie and the rest.
"I won't waste time with all the many 'I told you sos' you're owed, but..."
"Listen, I'm sorry," Ollie sighed. "I just... I mean... Maybe I was a little gung ho, but I let Luthor slip away before and..."
"And I told you Luthor wasn't a part of this. I may not have superhuman... anything, but I do know people and I told you..."
"I thought she wasn't saying I told you so," AC whispered to Diana.
Diana chuckled slightly.
Lois gave them a withering glance and took a deep breath. "At any rate, you're a little late to the party..."
Ollie stepped forward. "But the couples..."
"Bart was taking them to Linda, last I knew..."
"I'm checking on that now," Victor said, fooling with something in his hands.
"But Helen Bryce and Linda said there was another..."
"Lizzie Albight," Lois finished. "Our other esteemed Doctor." She nodded to the wall. "She's in there. With her guards. I don't think we need to worry about them, but the other two..."
"Yes," Clark broke in. "Albright had two other associates. I kind of knocked one unconscious, but..."
"And I got the other," Lois cut in tiredly. "He's in that... lab. but they might be due to wake up soon. I disabled their helicopter, but they could still run for it. Of course, they won't get far with that fence."
Clark stared at her still. It was hard to stop staring.
Diana and AC glanced at each other, then rushed off.
"Wait," Victor called after them. "We need to regroup and... Oh, screw it." He turned his attention back to the device in his hands. "Now I'm hearing Doctor Laura. Damn satellite radio screws with everything."
Lois turned back to Clark. He waited for her to speak, but she glanced over his shoulder, moved past him to Morgan.
"You must be Morgan. I'm glad to see you're okay. With everything Joanne said..."
"Joanne?"
"She's with the rest of them. She's..." Lois paused. "She's alright."
"Oh, thank God."
"I think I can get some confirmation on that," Victor said. "If she's on the old system, then..."
"You can't," Lois cut in. "Not from inside. Even if you get her, the fence will scramble the signal."
"Oh, then... Hold up a second," he said before striding away.
Lois turned to Ollie. "You got a knife?"
"Uh... sure." He bent down and pulled one from his boot.
"Thanks." She bent to a rope, her eyes following it to where it was tied to a post. "Just in case." She cut at it, just a little too vigorously, until it split apart.
Clark saw her panting, her back to them, before she turned around, her face calm. "Okay. Here's the plan. The authorities were going to have to be called in at some point and it looks like we're there." She glanced at Ollie. "I don't think your involvement has to be known, do you?"
Ollie sighed. "What involvement?"
Lois shrugged. "Exactly." She turned to Morgan. "We can get to the others," she said, leading her away. "But I was wondering if you could leave out the fact that you saw these four..."
Clark stared at Lois and Morgan as she talked and Morgan nodded. He felt Ollie's hand on his shoulder. "Glad everyone's safe," Ollie said. "But I gotta admit, I hate feeling useless."
"Yeah. She'll do that to you sometimes." She'd done it all, really. While he'd rushed off to save her and got himself in trouble. "But I don't think you're coming here was useless, in fact..."
There was a loud whine and Clark's hands went to his ears.
"What the hell..."
He turned to Ollie. He was covering his ears, too, as were Lois and Morgan.
********************************
"I'm not saying to lie, just to leave out the part with the masked superheroes and..."
"They're superheroes?"
"Right now, it's not too apparent, but... Yeah." Lois nodded and glanced back at Clark and Ollie. "They are." The things she'd seen... Just bits and pieces, really. There seemed to be this blank where...
A loud, high-pitched noise suddenly cut off everything.
"What the hell..."
Clark and Ollie were covering their ears and she followed suit, not eager to hear it either. Was this some kind of fail-safe? Had the Doctor implemented some...
The noise suddenly stopped. All noise stopped. She couldn't even hear the distant recorded voice from the room.
She took her hands from her ears and jumped at a voice. "Okay. I got it." They all turned to see victor running from behind the building.
"You got what?" Clark asked.
"I cut the power."
Lois looked around. It was all so still. She never realized how loud technology was. She suddenly heard birds and felt herself relax. It wasn't until now that she really felt it was over. She looked up. It was brighter out now and she vaguely wondered what time it was.
"It's seven o'clock."
She hadn't realized she'd said it aloud, but she turned to see Clark at her side. "That's all?" They'd got here at five. "It seemed like days."
He was looking at a phone in his hand. "I know." He flipped it shut.
"That's not yours."
"No, it isn't," Clark said, slipping it back in his pocket.
"Oh, yeah, I got her now." They both turned to Victor, his hand at his ear. "Linda, is everybody... Jesus, Woman, will you calm..." He took his earpiece off and pulled it from under his mask, handed it to Ollie. "You talk to her."
Ollie seemed to hesitate, but took it. "Um... Honey?"
"Who's Linda? Are they with her? Are they..." Morgan moved toward Ollie.
Lois laughed slightly. "God, it's really over."
"Is Joanne okay? Really?"
She turned to him as her smile fell away and she pursed her lips. "Physically, I guess." She took a deep breath. "She seems to have lost a lot. Maybe she's lucky she's not aware of it." She stared hard at Clark. "Maybe Morgan can help her, fill it in if she can. I think that's what you do when you care about someone."
He only stared back and she moved to Ollie.
"What's going on?"
He put a hand up. "How many miles exactly?... Well, it's kind of a walk, but... No. Just stay there." He turned to Lois. "They're holding for you and Clark and Morgan. They moved it in slightly, but it's still two miles southeast. What exactly are you telling the police?"
"Everything," Lois finally said. "Minus you guys."
Ollie shrugged. "That's the truth, anyway." He spoke into his earpiece again. "They're coming your way... Thanks, Martha."
"Mom?" Lois turned back as Clark stood with his mouth open. "What's my mom..."
"Yeah, had to get Martha on. Linda's apparently got some stomach bug." Ollie shook his head. "What's she thinking, running out here when she's sick?"
Victor humphed. "Not to mention stealing the damned..."
"Oh, leave her alone," Lois snapped. "If you idiots would have listened, we could have had this wrapped up yesterday."
There was silence.
Lois folded her arms. "What? No arguments?"
Ollie put his hands up. "Hey, you win."
Lois sighed. "I wish it felt that way. I don't think anyone's a winner, here."
Victor put an arm around her. "If it makes you feel any better, after what you did, I doubt these people are going to be talking to any reporter except Lois Lane, Daily Planet."
She gave a watery laugh. "For an idiot, you have a point. It just doesn't make it go away."
"Lois Lane?" Morgan stared at her. "Aren't you the reporter that first broke the Superman story?"
Lois glanced at Clark, who seemed to have his head down. "It's going to be a long walk, apparently." She took Morgan's arm. "You guys make yourself scarce. We have a big day ahead of us." Between the cops, then Perry, then the story he's going to want yesterday... She started forward, then noticed Clark wasn't there. She turned back. He was speaking lowly to Ollie. "You coming?"
"I'll catch up."
She stared a moment before turning back with Morgan. "Come on. I know where I'm going." For once.
**************************
Clark ran on through the trees, finally seeing their backs. Their voices floated back to him.
"So you came back and led us out and that's it?" Morgan was saying.
"That's got to be it."
"Should we call the cops now?"
"No," Clark said, catching up, panting slightly. "We should give them all a moment to get out of there."
Morgan looked back, then shrugged. "As long as we're out of here," she said, walking on.
But Lois stopped and turned to him, staring hard. "Why are you panting? You don't pant."
"I'm a little... tired."
Lois suddenly brought her hand to is head. "Did she... do it again? Are you..."
"No," he said quickly. "I'll be fine. Really."
She squinted up at him. "If you say so." She dug in her jacket. "Anyway, I have a little something for you. I still think it's a lame disguise, but it seems to work." She pressed his glasses into his hand. "They got mixed in with my stuff."
"Thanks," he said, putting them on.
She shook her head and reached up. "They're all crooked." She adjusted them, her hand lingering a moment on his cheek, then pulled away. "Remind me again why four heroes with a jet need so much time to leave? Because you have that cell phone and we can call now if..."
"Not on that phone. It's... one of theirs."
Lois' eyes widened. "Well... Looks like you can pull your weight after all, Kent." She moved away after Morgan.
His eyes narrowed as he followed. "How did you find me?"
"It was a combined effort. I probably wouldn't have without Linda and Bart. But when we broke into Lizzie's house..."
"You broke into her house? Lois, that's..."
She stopped. "Yes. And you got yourself kidnapped by a woman that has the means to kill you. A little perspective, here."
"Because I was looking for you. I thought she had you."
"And you just assumed that I was in trouble? You know, I can handle myself. Better than you, apparently. What did you do to yourself."
"Nothing." He walked on.
"Really?" She was at his heels. "Because we could be travelling the Clark Kent express, but we have to take a nature hike. And you're sweating. I can see it."
"I'll be fine," he said shortly. But he wasn't now. He was angry. And it was at himself. This could have gone better. She might have never needed to come, to put herself in danger. He should have used his powers, saved the others before Morgan. Then again... The crystal had started glowing when it was near her. He hadn't had time. He'd reacted. And there were no do overs.
He caught up to Lois. "Thank you," he said to her back, "for saving my life."
She stopped, still facing away. "You're welcome. Though I probably still owe you, anyway."
"What? For the car? It doesn't amount to what you did today."
"Well, with all the other..." She tensed up and he grabbed her shoulders.
"Lois?"
"I'm fine." She shrugged him off. "I just need some sleep." She strode away, ahead of Morgan.
Clark walked after them for a while in silence.
"How many miles have we gone?" Morgan asked, stopping to lean against a tree.
"Maybe one by now," Clark answered.
"Feels like a million."
"I don't think it's much further," he said, stopping by her. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Great, considering... I mean, I'm going to have the worst cold. Already have that tickle in my throat."
"I could carry..."
"No. No more carrying." She patted his arm, then used it to pull herself straight up. "I think the movement keeps me warm." She rubbed her arms. "I didn't exactly grab a coat. Though it's better than a nightgown."
"I'd give you my jacket, but I'm not wearing one."
"And yet you aren't shivering."
"Well..." Clark couldn't think of a thing to finish that with, so he just walked on.
"Hey, Superman?"
Clark stopped, hearing her footsteps get closer. He closed his eyes, wincing as she reached his side. "Look, you have the wrong..."
"You guys!" Lois ran back to them. "I see the Bell! Come on!"
Morgan suddenly leaned up, kissing his cheek. "I'll never tell," she said in his ear before smiling, running after Lois.
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