Honeymoon in Metropolis -- Matchmaker Style

By KenJ <kenjanney@kjanney.com>

Rated: PG13

Submitted: December, 2014

Summary: This is the third in the Matchmaker Style series. Clark
and Lois are finally able to get away for a weekend honeymoon at
the Lexor, but something happens to interrupt their fun.

Story Size: 26,070 words (138Kb as text)

A/N Since the incident with Trask in Smallville, Lois and Clark
have been married and even though Lois was affected by Miranda's
pheromone spray and Clark had needed to take her away so that he
could satisfy her urges, she couldn't remember what they did. He
still wanted to give her a honeymoon that she would remember so
he booked a weekend at the Lexor, but things didn't work out as
planned.

When Virginia proposed the challenge of taking a first season
story and having it result in Lois and Clark being married I took
up the challenge and "The Green, Green Glow of Home --
Matchmaker Style" was the result.

That was all well and good, but then I started thinking - What
about future episodes? How would the fact that they are now
married affect the dynamic? For instance, how would "Pheromone
My Lovely" be changed by the marriage? How would it affect
"Honeymoon in Metropolis"?

So, to answer the question - What if Lois and Clark were already
married when All Shook Up happened? I offer the following.

Lois and Clark were married during the events of GGGOH and have
gone through PML. They have never really had a honeymoon. Maybe
now is their chance.

Honeymoon in Metropolis -- Matchmaker Style

This is a sequel to Pheromone My Lovely - Matchmaker Style

Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC,
December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright
infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for
a short time.

In this, the sequel to PML - Matchmaker Style. Lois and Clark
have been back from the assignment in Smallville for a few weeks.
The events of PML were delightful, however, Lois really has no
recollection of what happened. Clark now wants to take the
opportunity to give Lois a real honeymoon.

Lois and Clark now live in Clark's 'old' apartment.

In this particular story a lot of the dialogue is taken from the
script text. I wish to express my thanks to my Beta readers
Artemis and Ray Reynolds for their invaluable help. This was a
VERY rough draft when it first landed in their hands.

* * denotes emphasis

< > denotes thoughts

As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)

This story is part of a series including "All Shook Up:
Matchmaker Style," "The Green, Green Glow of Home: Matchmaker
Style" and "Pheromone My Lovely: Matchmaker Style."

***

Chapter 1

***

%%%

Universal Locator Designation

Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225

%%%

Under the influence of Miranda's pheromone spray, Luthor had
assaulted Clark at the airport after Miranda had been led away by
the police. Lois had actually disarmed him and then Clark had
laid him out with a punch.

After seeing to it that Luthor was duly charged with the offenses
that Clark had listed to Henderson, he had picked Lois up and
flown them to Smallville. After a pot roast dinner they had spent
some time with Martha and Jonathan before heading to bed.

They had gone upstairs and cuddled on the bed until his parents
had gone to bed, then Lois had nudged him and said, "Let's go
out to the barn."

"Lois, it is getting chilly out there."

"I guess you'll just have to keep me warm by keeping me in your
aura then. When you're in m ... with me and I'm in your aura it
won't bother me, will it?"

With a smile, he agreed, "No, I guess it won't." He picked her
up and floated them downstairs so that the creaky treads on the
staircase wouldn't give them away and then flew them to the
hayloft.

Using super-speed, Clark removed both his clothes and Lois's and
laid her in the hay. He lay down next to her and wrapped her up
in his arms so that his aura would protect her. They started
kissing and one thing led to another and before much longer they
were exercising their marital rights with each other. After a
long, leisurely, very enjoyable session they cuddled in the
afterglow. They finally returned to the bedroom in the farm house
and were together in bed when Martha called them for breakfast.

Lois spent some time with Martha, while Clark helped Jonathan
around the farm for a while. They were preparing for winter and
it was a chore that Jonathan needed help with. After lunch Lois
and Clark said their goodbyes and Clark flew them to their island
getaway. They spent the next few days lazing in the sun and
enjoying frequent intimacies.

When the pheromone wore off they returned to Metropolis. Clark
checked with Bill Henderson and found that Luthor had been
released the day before which meant that he had been incarcerated
for a total of three days. Clark asked Bill if he could get a
copy of the Luthor mug shots, which he provided. The picture of
Luthor's angry countenance and the orange jumpsuit was a sight
to behold.

***

They had been back to work for three days. It was late on Friday
evening. Jimmy and Perry were in the bullpen near the desks that
Lois and Clark usually inhabited. Clark was typing away at his
keyboard trying to finish up on a Superman rescue story before
they left for the weekend. Lois had just shut down her
workstation and was clearing the debris of the workday from the
top of her desk.

She asked, "How much longer, Clark?"

"Just a couple ..."

"Hurry up! I'm anxious to get started." She reached down under
her desk and picked up a suitcase that she'd had hidden there.

"Be right with you, Lois."

"It isn't like you to keep me waiting." Lois grabbed her coat
and put it on, then she picked up her camel colored briefcase and
threw the strap over her shoulder.

Cat was wearing a leopard skin top with a long black skirt that
was slit up both sides in front to show off her legs as she
walked.. The top had sleeves, but the shoulders were bare with a
low cut bodice. She was walking by and stopped to ask, "You guys
going somewhere?"

Smiling, Lois replied, "Yes, we are. That is if Clark ever
finishes his story." She started to get an irritated tone as she
asked, "Clark?"

"Almost done."

Cat pressed the issue, "Where are you going?"

Lois gave her a non-committal smile.

As soon as Lois did that, Cat realized that something must be up
or Lois wouldn't be so closed mouthed. With barely restrained
excitement, Cat said, "You've got a scoop! Undercover
investigation?"

Her excitement was contagious, as was the subject matter. Jimmy
offered, "It's the revolution in South America, isn't it?"

Cat, with a know-it-all look said, "Nuh-uh. The riots in
Miami!"

Jimmy was so sure of himself and Lois that he challenged Cat,
"Five bucks?"

Cat, sure of herself, said, "You're on!"

They shook hands, sealing the bet.

Perry, knowing that all of this speculation could actually be on
point started to worry. He said, "Hold on now, Lois. I'll have
to get this cleared with the budget office."

Lois was exasperated by this point and blurted out, "We are
*not* going on a story! We do have a personal life, you know!"

Perry, Jimmy and Cat just stood there aghast at this outburst.
They were still used to the 'old' Lois, the one driven by her
quest for the next Kerth, a Meriwether and eventually a
Pulitzer.

Finally, Clark chimed in, "She's right, folks. We do have a
private life outside of this office. Remember a week ago when
Lois was re-exposed to the pheromone spray? We went off together
to give her time to recover. I wanted it to be the honeymoon we
never had. Well, you guys know the effects of that spray. We had
an enjoyable time, but Lois really doesn't remember it, so I
promised her a weekend at the Lexor."

Lois quipped, "Yeah, for a weekend of pure relaxation ...
period. No pressure, no deadlines, no riots. Just Clark and me
and we plan to make some memories that we will both remember.

Perry still couldn't believe it. He offered one last
possibility, "Is it the prison break upstate?"

Thinking of the old adage 'a picture is worth a thousand
words', Clark asked, "Do you want to see our reservation?"
Clark pulled out a slip of paper and displayed it.

Cat grabbed it and read aloud, "It does say, wow, Honeymoon
Suite!"

Lois reached over, closed her fingers on the slip of paper,
removed it from Cat's unresisting fingers and stuffed it into
her bag. "Satisfied now? Clark wanted to take me there as soon
as the spray wore off, but this was the first opening they
had."

Cat quipped, "I never thought I'd see the day that Lois Lane
would be found in the Honeymoon Suite of any hotel, let alone the
Lexor."

Jimmy looked at her and said, "Stranger things have happened."

"Name one."

"Who would have thought that Lois and Clark would go to
Smallville on assignment and come back married? Before they left
she could barely tolerate him and then, abracadabra and Alakazam,
they come back not only in love, but married."

Seeing that Clark had just finished shutting down his computer,
Lois said, sarcastically, "Thank you very much. We're leaving
now." She reached for Clark's arm and started dragging him
toward the ramp.

Perry was still marveling at this profound change in Lois. He
said, "Lois, you have to admit: the idea of you spending an
entire weekend *relaxing* is a little, well, far-fetched."

Jimmy and Cat nodded their agreement with Perry's statement.

"That might have been the case BC, but not now."

Perry was mystified by the reference and asked, "BC?"

Lois looked at her husband and said, "Yeah, BC, Before Clark.
Come on, Honey, the Honeymoon Suite awaits." She handed him her
suitcase and he took it in his free hand.

Perry just nodded his understanding.

As he was being dragged towards the elevator, Clark said over his
shoulder, "Chief, I emailed that Superman story to you."

Always appreciative of Clark's diligence he shouted, "Thanks,
son. You two go and have a good time."

They entered the elevator and, as Lois pushed the button, Lois
said, "I'm sure we will," turned and smiled at Clark as the
doors closed.

***

They took the elevator to the garage and loaded Lois' bag into
the Jeep. She had taken her suitcase into the bullpen with the
intention of changing before they left, however they had run late
because of the Superman rescue and Lois had decided to just wear
her work suit so that they could make their exit.

As Lois was putting on her seat belt she released a sigh and
said, "Finally! I thought we'd never get out of there. You
know, I really don't mind dipping into my Tahiti fund for this.
Now that I don't have to worry about airfare or even
accommodations ..." She had a wistful expression as she
remembered. "With Superman express and that little bungalow that
you built on the island ... we have almost all of the comforts of
home. Actually, all we needed was a bed. On second thought, we
won't even need that ... you could always float us."

He smiled and said, "We really needed more than just a bed.
Those afternoon showers. A roof was really necessary."

Lois quipped, "Only when we are wearing clothes, which isn't a
lot of the time." With a smile on her lips, Lois started the
Jeep and, backing out of her parking space, headed for the
Lexor.

***

Arriving at the Lexor, Clark removed their bags from the back
while Lois turned over the keys to her precious baby to the
parking valet.

When they approached the desk, Lois pulled their reservation slip
from her bag and handed it to the desk clerk.

"Ah, yes, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. I have you in the Honeymoon
Suite."

Hearing him say, 'Mrs. Kent', Lois started to smile, wrapped
her arm around Clark's and looked at him with adoring eyes. It
was still so new, being Mrs. Kent, and she wasn't completely
used to hearing herself being called that. It sent a thrill up
her spine because it reaffirmed that she was in fact married to
this man, this very special, this super man.

The desk clerk hit a bell and shouted, "Front!"

In response a bellboy almost magically appeared next to Clark.

The desk clerk said, tersely, "Honeymoon Suite."

Grabbing their bags, the bellboy said, "This way please," and
turning on his heel, led them to the elevator.

***

Exiting the elevator, Lois and Clark followed the bellboy down
the hall. He stopped in front of a door and opened it. He set
their bags inside and stepped into the hallway. Pulling a camera
from his pocket he stepped back and looked at them expectantly.

Clark just looked at him and finally Lois got the idea and said,
"I think he's waiting for you to carry me over the
threshold."

A smile crept onto his face as he said, "I think you're
right," and leaning down he placed one arm under Lois' knees
and the other around her back. As he lifted, she leaned back into
his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and
started a kiss.

Being very aware of the presence of the bellboy, Clark pretended
to stumble as he crossed the threshold while holding Lois to the
accompaniment of the flash of the camera.

Clark placed Lois back on her feet and then reached back to
massage his lower back as if he had strained it.

The bellboy had an amused smile as he accepted the tip from Lois
and said, "The pictures will be at the desk for you to pick up
tomorrow. Enjoy." He was snickering as he closed the door. <This
beauty obviously chose a wimp to marry. Well, there's no
accounting for taste.>

As soon as the door was closed, Lois slugged him playfully and
said, "You and I both know you didn't hurt your back."

He stood up straight and then started rubbing his arm where she
had slugged him. "The honeymoon must be over already. That was
spouse abuse," and he started to grin.

Lois threw herself into his arms and said, "I would never abuse
my ever loving husband. I might love him to death though."

"Might I remind you that you already tried that?" Dropping his
voice to a whisper he continued, "Eleven times in one night was
almost too much, even for me."

Lois blushed at the mention of their activity while she had been
under the influence of the pheromone. "At least you have super
stamina along with speed, hearing, eyesight and strength. By the
way, did you use super speed while we were, you know ..."

With a leer he replied, "No. I wanted it to last and so did you
as I recall."

"I am so disappointed."

"What?"

"I don't remember it."

"I guess we'll just have to make some new memories."

With a wicked little grin, she asked, "Want to try for
twelve?"

He put his hand over his heart and staggered back, "I don't
know if even I could survive that."

Stepping up to him and putting her arms around him, she looked up
coyly and said, "You'll never know until we try."

Scooping her up, he flew them into the bedroom. As soon as they
passed through the door he stopped and they both gaped at what
they saw. In the center of the room was a heart shaped bed with a
spread the color of Superman's cape and heart shaped pillows
also in red with a white ruff around the periphery. Across the
room was a lounge chair and a large screen TV. Over against the
wall was a heart shaped sunken spa tub right next to a large
picture window which was made of smoked glass so that no one
could see in, but which gave a panoramic view of the city. The
spa had been prepared and had bubbles floating on and steam
rising from the surface.

Her surprise was expressed as a breathy, "Wow," as she took it
all in. Clark allowed Lois to reclaim her feet. Making up her
mind, Lois quickly removed her jacket and then reached up and
started to unbutton her blouse. She threw the blouse on the bed,
then unfastened her skirt and it followed the blouse. Standing
there in bra and panties, she turned to Clark and said, "Come
on, get undressed. I want a soak." Reaching behind she released
the hook of her bra. Quickly it and her panties followed the rest
of her clothes and she stepped into the spa. As she sank into the
foam she let out a groan of pleasure. "Come on, Clark. I don't
want to be in here alone."

Clark spun out of his clothes and mindful of her complaint that
at times he moved too fast for her liking he slowly strolled,
totally naked, over to the spa and entered the water. Lois
responded by licking her lips.

As soon as he was in the water Lois sloshed over and straddled
his hips. Reaching up he fondled her breasts which started a
period of marital intimacy. The waves that were generated by her
energetic movements threatened to overflow the sides of the tub,
but apparently management had anticipated this type of activity
and installed additional overflows to siphon off the excess water
to prevent that from happening.

The feeling of buoyancy that Lois had from the water came close
to the feeling of being in his arms and floating or flying and
the warm cocoon that the water provided was relaxing and very
sensual. Lois felt Clark's hands on her hips guiding her
movements and she was grateful for it because the buoyancy of the
water was actually keeping her from experiencing this joining to
the full. With him steadying her and guiding her movements she
was able to enjoy what they were doing. He seemed to know just
how to move her to maximize the sensations. While they were
joined, at least part of her torso was above the water at all
times and her breasts were bobbing and swaying enticingly in
front of Clark's face so he would occasionally lean out and take
one or the other nipple in his mouth and nip it gently with his
teeth.

The feel of what they were doing and what he was doing to her
breasts was driving her crazy and the tension was rapidly
building in her body. She could feel the muscles in her lower
back start to clinch rhythmically and she started groaning his
name.

While she was still shivering, and not due to the room
temperature, Clark wrapped his arms around her and pulled her
firmly into his chest and her head fell to his shoulder while her
arms went around his neck. After some seconds, she turned her
face to the side and kissed the side of his neck where it joined
his shoulder.

Feeling loath to break their contact, Lois released a contented
sigh and wiggled her hips to let him know that she was happy. She
kissed the side of his neck again and then said, "Hmmmmmm, you
are one fantastic lover. I'm glad I have you under exclusive
contract. I can just imagine if the word got out about just how
wonderful a lover Superman is. I'd be beating the women off with
a stick."

"No chance of that happening because I can't imagine this being
as good with anyone else. With anyone else it would simply be
sex. With you, it's making love. I love you so much."

Lois gave another contented sigh, wiggled her hips again and
said, "You know I love you just as much," and sealed her
statement with a sensual kiss as she wiggled her hips once
again.

Releasing her arms from around his neck she leaned back so that
she was floating on the surface, although below the surface they
were still joined. She sighed and said, "This is the life. Time
alone with my husband and not a care in the world. No more Trask.
Now that STAR Labs has formulated an antidote to Miranda's
Witches' brew spray it is no longer a threat."

Clark felt compelled to bring up another topic, "Then there's
Luthor."

That one word completely ruined the mood. Lois finally separated
her body from his and moved to the opposite end of the spa. She
shivered slightly realizing that the water had started to cool.
While they had been joined, his aura had protected her from that,
but now that they were separate she could feel it. She said,
"Clark, the water is cooling off. Could you ..." She held her
hand up and making a 'V' with two fingers near her eyes gave
him the signal.

Nodding he gave the water a couple of blasts of his heat vision.

Lois looked at him accusingly and asked, "Why did you have to
bring *him* up?"

"We still need to talk about him. There are some things you need
to know."

"Okay, but does it have to be on our honeymoon? We're here to
relax and enjoy ourselves." Looking out through the window she
said, "Just look at that view! I know it isn't like when you
take me flying, but ..."

Derailing her train of thought, a light suddenly went on in an
office across from them. The lights were in the top floor offices
in the building directly across the way. While she watched, three
men entered the reception area and then moved through to the
inner office. Lois noted that one of the men was tall and slim,
wearing a business suit. In startled recognition, Lois asked,
"Isn't that Congressman Ian Harrington?"

Her question drew Clark's attention to the office across the way
and he zoomed in with his telescopic vision. He said, "I think
you're right. What's he doing in that office?"

Looking at the second man she decided that she didn't recognize
him, but she noted that he was short and stocky, wearing black
slacks and a black turtleneck. The third man was huge, wearing
muscle pants, a t-shirt and, Clark could see with his x-ray
vision, that he had a stiletto hanging handle down in a shoulder
holster.

Lois was looking on in rapt attention and realized just what
Clark was doing and felt that she needed to level the playing
field, somewhat. Without looking away she asked, "Clark, could
you get my bag? I have binoculars and a camera in it."

Less than a second later and also without so much as a ripple in
the water, he placed her bag within reach.

Just as Lois was bringing her binoculars to her eyes, Congressman
Harrington opened his briefcase and, pulling out a large sealed
envelope, handed it to the stocky man. By implication, the third
man was simply 'muscle'.

In exchange, the stocky man handed Harrington and smaller,
although thicker, envelope. When Harrington opened his envelope
both Lois and Clark got a glimpse of green. Lois quickly grabbed
her camera and started snapping pictures. The contents of the
other envelope was not readily apparent from their angle.

As they watched, the stocky man moved to the wall and pointed to
a date on a wall calendar. When he did, Harrington started
arguing with him. The stocky guy got right up in Harrington's
face and a few seconds later tapped the date again. This time
Harrington appeared to acquiesce.

Lois and Clark looked at each other, a question in each of their
faces, "I wonder what that was all about."

As they turned back the lights in the office went out

***

Chapter 2

***

Clark was on the sofa in the sitting room of the Honeymoon Suite
when he picked up the phone to make a call.

Jimmy was in his apartment when the call came in, "Jimmy
Olsen."

"Jimmy, you busy?"

"Hey, CK, what'ch'a need?"

"Jimmy, I have a roll of film I need developed and printed for
Monday. Can you come by the Lexor and pick it up?"

To say the very least, Jimmy was surprised at this request
wondering just what the pictures could be of, and then it hit
him: <They're on their honeymoon. Could they be pictures of ...
them?> "Uh, CK, are you sure you shouldn't be using a Polaroid
for those kind of pictures? That way they don't go to a lab
where they can be copied."

Clark was mystified and it was in his voice as he said, "Huh? A
Polaroid? What are you talking about?"

With a snicker, Jimmy said, "Pictures of you and Lois ... you
wouldn't want them shown around, would you?"

"*Jimmy!* These aren't those kind of pictures! Look, you'll
see when you develop them. Please come pick up the film and
develop it. It could be a lead to a big story."

"Oh, so you guys *are really* undercover! This wasn't just a
honeymoon after all! I knew it, you couldn't fool me. Hahahaha,
okay, I'll be there in a little while."

Dryly, Clark replied, "Thanks, Jimmy. See you soon."

Clark hung up the phone and turning to Lois said, "Now ... where
were we?"

She leaned in and started a kiss which quickly escalated in
intensity. Without even breaking contact, Clark floated them up,
over the sofa and into the bedroom, closing the door behind them
as they passed through.

***

Half an hour later, Jimmy was knocking on the door to the
Honeymoon Suite in the Lexor. After a minute, Clark finally
answered the door. He was wearing a terrycloth robe with the
Lexor logo on the breast pocket. Jimmy stepped in and through the
open door to the bedroom saw Lois similarly clad, the short robe
displaying her legs. Lois quickly disappeared behind the door and
said, "Hi Jimmy," as she closed it.

"Uh, hi Lois," he said to the closed door.

Moving to the side table, Clark picked up a roll of film and
handed it to Jimmy. "Here you go. I hate to ask you to work on
the weekend, but we will need these first thing Monday."

"What's goin' on, CK? What should I be on the lookout for?"

"Purely by accident we saw what could be a bribe being exchanged
for information."

Jimmy was awed, "Wow, how is it that you guys keep just ...
falling into these kind of stories?"

"Just lucky, I guess."

"Who is it?"

"Congressman Ian Harrington. We don't know who the other guy
is. If you recognized him it would be a help."

"What size do you want?"

"At least 8x10. We need to see detail."

"You got it, CK. Hey, I hope the rest of your honeymoon is
uneventful."

With a nod and a rueful expression, Clark agreed, "So do I
Jimmy. So do I."

***

On Monday morning a very buoyant and bouncy Lois entered the
bullpen hanging on Clark's arm, bag over her shoulder and a
travel mug of coffee in her free hand. The crowd in the bullpen
didn't know it, but the flush in her cheeks was from the
make-out session that she and Clark had had in the elevator on
the way up from the garage.

Jimmy was at her desk waiting for them, and the pictures he was
holding had attracted the attention of Perry and Cat.

Cat walked over and asked, "What's all of this?"

Jimmy replied, "Over the weekend CK called and asked me to pick
up a roll of film to develop ..."

Cat interrupted and asked, "Pictures of the two of them in the
Honeymoon Suite? Are any of them 'X' rated?"

Lois overheard that comment and said, sardonically, "Sorry to
disappoint you. We don't need to take pictures like that." She
gave a hearty sigh, "The memories are more vivid than any
picture could be."

Cat started fanning herself as she quipped, "Did the temperature
in here just go up by ten degrees?"

Lois laughed and asked, "How did they turn out, Jimmy?"

Jimmy held up some prints and said, "I think you got some good
exposures. That automatic camera did a decent job."

In the top shot Congressman Harrington was front and center and
the envelope he was handing over was clearly stamped "TOP
SECRET" "FOUO"

Looking over Lois' shoulder, Cat thought she recognized the
subject. She pointed and asked, "Isn't that ..."

Lois finished for her, "Yeah, Congressman Ian Harrington."

Clark added, "Chairman of the House Defense Committee."

Cat added, "And the most notoriously sexy man in Washington."

Lois quipped, "Unsubstantiated rumors."

Cat sighed and said, "The best kind."

In the next shot they could all see the contents of the envelope
that Harrington had received ... "Cash," she said.

Perry pointed at the stocky man and asked, "What about that
joker?"

Jimmy replied, "Already on it, Chief. I scanned in the picture
and I'm running our Identafile program against it, looking for a
match."

After pulling out her notepad, Lois said, "Clark and I did some
checking. At this point we know that those offices were leased to
a company called," she consulted her notes, "a company called
'Apocalypse Consulting.'" Lois looked at Clark before she
continued, "Chief, we were thinking ..."

Perry looked at her with a look that said, 'This is a typical
Lois ploy.', "Let me take a wild guess. You want the Daily
Planet to put you up in the Honeymoon Suite until we can figure
out exactly what's going on in Apocalypse Consulting."

Lois jumped on this and eagerly said, "Thanks, Chief!"

Perry temporized, "Now, hold on a minute. What we're talking
about here could be a major surveillance operation."

"Right! This is a *major* investigation! A Washington VIP
selling highly classified information. Clark and I found it!
*It's ours*." Lois' tone brooked no denial of their possession
of the story.

Perry was thoughtful and then he said, "Maybe we should check
this out. I think I should contact my source, *the* source ...
just to see if there's really something to this ... before we
get in too deep."

Jimmy took Perry's meaning. Aghast he said, "You don't mean
..."

Perry put a finger to his lips to shush him and then in a tone
smacking of mystery, said, "Don't even say that name out
loud."

Clark hadn't been around long enough to know what was being
spoken of and asked, "Who?"

Perry shushed him and then said, "Okay, you guys have got three
nights. Now, look, this time you are on the Planet's dime. I
expect you and Clark to do the job you are going there to do.
Look at it this way, if you weren't already married, I'd be
sending the two of you anyhow. You will need to spell each other
on the surveillance. It's the perfect cover. They wouldn't let
us use that suite if we told them it was for a stakeout. Just
keep a low profile."

***

They spent the rest of the morning making the reservation and
other arrangements. Then after lunch they went home to pack.

Before going to the Lexor to sign in they stopped at the Planet
and raided the equipment locker to get the surveillance
equipment.

When they arrived at check-in the hour was different from Friday
so there was a different staff on duty. It wasn't any problem
playing the happy newlyweds. Lois was hanging on Clark's arm the
entire time as he handed the clerk the reservation confirmation.

The desk clerk checked his screen and said, "Ah, yes. Mr. and
Mrs. Kent, I have you in the Honeymoon Suite." He hit the bell
and shouted, "Front!"

A very eager bellboy appeared at Clark's elbow, leered at Lois
and picked up the bags. Or at least he attempted to pick up the
bags. He shouted, "Hey, Frank!"

"Yeah, Phil."

"Bring a cart over here will ya? These bags feel like they are
full of lead."

Frank grabbed a cart and between them, he and Phil loaded the
bags. As they did, Phil asked, "What is really in here?"

Lois came up with the cover story, "Actually, they are weights.
Clark likes to work out."

"We have an in-house gym. He didn't need to bring his own."

Glibly, Lois replied, "You know how it is. You like to use your
own stuff."

Phil just shook his head ruefully as he pushed the cart onto the
elevator.

When they arrived on the floor, Phil pushed the cart over near
the door and then opened it with the key. Standing back, he
handed the card key to Clark and then grabbed a videocam from the
cart and stepped into the center of the sitting room. The
impression that Clark had was that he leered at all of the pretty
women that he helped. He was just glad that Lois wasn't here by
herself. Once he was positioned he shouted, "Action," as if he
were the director of a high budget movie.

Taking this cue, Clark looked at Lois and shrugging reached for
her. Even though they had done this just a few days before, Clark
leaned down and placed one arm under her legs and the other
across her back and lifted her up to carry her across the
threshold. He struggled to not make it look too easy and Phil
shouted encouragement, "That's it. Hoist 'er up, big fella.
Smile. Great. Hold on. She can't be *that* heavy."

Lois had her arms around his neck and was 'helping' by nuzzling
his neck and giggling like a schoolgirl.

As Clark set Lois back on her feet she very aggressively advanced
on Phil and said, "Okay, Phil. How much?"

Holding the camera behind his back, Phil said, "This is for the
hotel's files."

With her hands fisted and on her hips, Lois took a threatening
stance and said, "Oh, yeah? That's not my understanding. Hand
it over." Thrusting out her hand palm up she motioned for him to
give her the tape. Looking over her shoulder and indicated Clark
she said, "You have to get past both of us to get out of here.
Hand it over."

There was a quaver in his voice as he said, "You've got no
right."

Lois gave him an intimidating look.

Phil paled and fumbled with the camera. Finally he extracted the
tape and handed it to Lois.

Lois said, "I don't know what scam you are trying to pull, but
I don't like it. I happen to know that the hotel policy is to
take still photographs. What am I going to find when I look at
this?"

"Well ... not every couple that checks into the Honeymoon Suite
is actually married ... or if they are it's not to each
other."

Lois nodded her understanding and said, "Just as I thought. We
happen to be happily married, to each other. That's not the
issue. You're talking about blackmail. Get out of here before I
call Henderson at MPD and have him pick you up."

Phil had already been pale, but now he went white as a sheet. He
gasped out, "You're friends with the cops?"

Lois smiled an intimidating smile, "Yeah. I talk to Detective
Lieutenant Henderson so much I have his number memorized and we
are on a first name basis. I'd suggest you stop your little
scam, right now."

He stuttered, "Y ... ye ... yeah. Okay. I won't do it
anymore."

"See to it that you don't. Now get out of here and don't let
me see you again."

Phil exited so fast he forgot to ask for a tip. Clark closed the
door behind him and turning to Lois said, "Very impressive. How
did you figure out that he was running a scam?"

"When we were here a few days ago, the bellboy used a still
camera. I didn't like the way Phil was looking at me and I
thought he was a little 'twitchy' so I went with my gut."

"Well, I've got to hand it to you. That was some impressive
investigating." He gave her one of his patented multi-megawatt
smiles and finished, "That's my girl."

Clark wheeled the cart into their bedroom to unload the luggage.

***

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Lois stopped
what she was doing and said, in exasperation, "That had better
not be Phil coming back."

Clark eased his glasses down his nose and said, "No, it's ...
Jimmy."

"What's he doing here?"

"Let's let him in and find out."

Clark opened the door and Jimmy stepped in. He was carrying a
small duffle bag.

Jimmy's previous visit to the Honeymoon Suite had been extremely
brief so this time he took some time and looked around at the
suite's pastel-tinted opulence and whistled before turning back
to Lois and Clark. "Hey, guys, I thought of some more equipment
that you would need so I figured I'd bring it over to you.

Looking back and forth between Lois and Clark, Jimmy asked, "I
wasn't at the wedding, so, can I kiss the bride? No tongue.
Scout's honor."

From the side, Lois nailed him with one of the throw pillows from
the sofa.

Jimmy smiled and said, "Guess not."

Lois returned his smile and said, "The only one that gets even
close to this mouth from now on is my husband and the next person
that cracks a newlywed joke gets fitted for a body cast."

Suddenly they heard "Ooh, count me in," as Cat came through the
door and then closed it behind herself. Cat was wearing a floor
length turquoise gown that clung to her curves the same way that
Clark's Suit fit him as Superman. It had a deep cut 'V'
neckline and was slit up the left front to a point just below the
hip and her long leg showed as she moved.

Clark dropped onto the sofa and put both arms along the back in a
relaxed posture.

Lois was beside herself. She had been looking forward to time
with Clark in these opulent digs while they performed the
stakeout and the Honeymoon suite was turning into Grand Central
Station. "What are *you* doing here? We're *supposed* to be
undercover."

Nonchalantly, Cat replied, "I was at a reception downstairs.
Just thought I'd pop in and say hello to the newlyweds."

Looking at Jimmy accusingly, Lois asked, "What about you?"

Nodding his head in Clark's direction, he said, "Well, like I
was telling Clark, I thought of some more gear you should
have."

While Lois was talking to Jimmy, Cat moved to a wall panel of
switches. Ignoring all that was going on around her, she pushed a
button and a hidden wet bar rotated out of its concealed position
and into the sitting room.

The noise of the bar deploying attracted Lois' attention, giving
a Jimmy a break.

Cat was humming to herself as she sauntered over to the bar and
extracted a bottle of sparkling water from the small bar fridge.
She picked up a glass and approached the cupid statue on the
corner. She pinched his cheek while she held the glass up. In
response, ice came tumbling out of the urn he was holding into
her glass. She opened the bottle and poured the contents over the
ice.

Lois was watching this display with an open mouth. She just
couldn't believe what she was seeing. She continued to follow
Cat with her eyes as she came out from behind the bar, crossed
the room and plopped down in a chair that looked like it could be
a recliner. She pushed a hidden button and the chair started to
rock and vibrate. Sitting her glass on a handy table, she clapped
her hands twice and romantic music started playing from hidden
speakers. She picked up her drink and relaxed back into the
chair.

Lois, Clark and Jimmy were staring in open mouthed disbelief at
this display.

Snapping out of her reverie, Lois quipped, "Why do I get the
feeling that you've been here before?"

Cat looked around, shrugged, said, "This old place?" She
flipped back the cloth covering the side table and revealed her
name, 'Cat', etched into the surface. Nonchalantly, Cat
replaced the cloth and said, "It's kind of a home away from
home."

There was a knock on the door and then a hotel maid stuck her
head in and looking in got a disapproving look as she saw the
crowd in the room when she was expecting just one couple. In a
thick Swedish accent, she asked, "Extra towels, yah?"

***

Chapter 3

***

After Jimmy and Cat had left, Lois and Clark finally had the
privacy that they wanted. They checked the offices of Apocalypse
Consulting occasionally, but there was no activity. Finally,
later in the afternoon they set up the surveillance equipment.
Eventually there was a video camera with a large telephoto lens
in position, pointed at the offices. A directional microphone was
hooked to a tape recorder and was trained on the lighted but
empty offices of Apocalypse Consulting across the way. A
computer/printer set-up was positioned nearby. Lois and Clark sat
on the sofa. Lois was wearing baggy shorts and a tee while Clark
wore sweat pants and a tight black tee. Nearby were the remains
of a room service dinner. Bored, Lois fiddled with the
directional controls of the mic, tuning in bytes of noise and
conversation from unseen sources.

Clark asked the one question that was on both of their minds,
"What if no one shows up?"

With a smirk, Lois said, "Then I guess the honeymoon is over."
Her smirk turned into a predatory smile, "Don't worry. They'll
be back. They made that pretty clear on the calendar."

Lois had her back to him when Clark picked up a deck of cards and
started shuffling. He asked, "Old Maid?"

Lois had gone over to check the equipment and hadn't seen what
Clark was doing. With a shocked expression, Lois looked at him.
She gave him a rueful smile before she said, "You know, just a
few weeks ago, that could have been prophetic." She moved over
and plopped down on the sofa next to him and taking his hand in
hers she looked deep into his eyes and said, "You know what they
say, 'Hindsight is always 20x20'. Well, in hindsight I can see
where putting off having a relationship and always pursuing the
next award, I was on my way to that status. Now, I'm very
happily married and I still can't get over it."

He smiled and agreed, "I have to occasionally pinch myself to
prove I'm not dreaming this."

Returning his smile, she said, "You know what the best part is?
I didn't have to give up the pursuit of the next award; it's
just that ... now we can do it together, as a team." She leaned
in and gave him a kiss before standing again and moving back to
the equipment and started fiddling with it. "Anyhow, we're not
here to play games, at least not if we are going to win that
award I was just talking about. We've got a job to do."

"Rats, and I was looking forward to time, alone, with my
wife."

His comment was almost lost in the sudden burst of noise and then
a man's voice came from the speaker attached to the equipment.
"... so I told her to stop calling me. I mean, when a things'
over it's over. Right?

A second voice came through, "Exactly right. Next time, don't
even pick up the phone. Remember when I dumped Tawny? Women hang
on like there's no tomorrow."

As Lois reacted to this and said, "Men are pigs," Clark reached
over and turned off the mic before she finished, "present
company excepted, of course."

With a chuckle, Clark replied, "Thank you for making that
exception."

"I had to except you. You don't have cruel, rotten bone in your
body. It just isn't in your nature."

Clark nodded in the direction of the equipment and said, "People
are entitled to private lives and thoughts, Lois. Who are we to
judge?"

Lois felt compelled to ask, "Are you sure you're in the right
business, Clark? Our *job* is to rip away the veil of secrecy and
expose the naked truth."

With a leer, he said, "Well, when you put it like that ..." and
bounced his eyebrows

Belatedly realizing just what she had said, Lois could feel the
flush as it started in her breasts and traveled up her neck to
her cheeks. Fanning herself because of the sudden heat of her
body, Lois turned and headed for the bedroom. "O ... kay. I'm
going to bed, by myself. You've got first shift. Wake me when
our friends across the way show up or if you just can't stand to
be away from me for whatever reason." She bounced her eyebrows
at him, the same way he had.

Clark said, "Wait a minute. Aren't you forgetting something?"

Lois turned and asked, "What?"

"My goodnight kiss."

With a smile, Lois returned and he folded her up in his arms. The
kiss was gentle and almost tentative for the first ten or fifteen
seconds and then they each opened their lips and their tongues
met and started a slow tango. From that point the kiss rapidly
deepened and they were both panting when they broke contact.
Clark marveled at this. He could hold his breath for 20 minutes
or more, yet, kissing Lois left him breathless.

Lois smiled and said, "I think that stuff is set to start as
soon as it picks up movement and sound in that office. We can
probably leave it alone, at least for a little while."

Clark nodded and started to float them into the bedroom. Before
she knew it the bedspread had been turned down and they were both
naked and on the bed together.

***

After their interlude, Clark returned to the living room and
checked on the equipment and seeing that it was set properly, he
settled down on the couch and flipped on the TV. Finding a game
he turned the sound down so that Lois wouldn't be disturbed and
settled in to watch.

In the bedroom, Lois had just exited the shower. She had gotten
rather sweaty during their interlude and now felt refreshed. She
grabbed her brush and sat at the dressing table and watched in
the mirror as she brushed her hair.

It wasn't much of a game and Clark soon became bored and
actually drifted off to sleep. He started dreaming about Lois and
what they had just been doing and started to float in his sleep.
He floated into the middle of the floor and then a distant siren
woke him. He fell with a thud.

Lois had just finished brushing her hair and was about to climb
into bed when she heard the thud. She ran into the living room
wearing nothing but her shortie nightie and seeing Clark lying on
the floor in the middle of the room with the TV on she started to
giggle. She said, "Couldn't hold your interest, huh?"

With a chagrined look he replied, "Yeah. I must have drifted off
and then floated over here."

"Poor baby. I think you'd sleep better in bed with me."

"Lois, you and I both know just how much sleep we'll get if I
come in there and joined you in that bed. None."

She smiled and said, "Is that so bad?"

"I could probably handle it, after all, I don't need nearly as
much sleep as an ordinary guy, but you need your sleep."

With a leer, she replied, "Oh, I think I'll sleep better with
you in m ... in bed with me."

"You see. That's what I mean. Neither one of us would sleep."

Bouncing her eyebrows again, she said, "We still need to try for
twelve."

"I'm all for that, but I think it has to be on our time and not
the Planet's. We're here on a stakeout."

"Spoil sport. Oh, all right. Work before pleasure, but you owe
me, buster, and I intend to collect." She turned and moved to
the bedroom a vision of pink flesh and baby blue see-through
gauze.

Clark called to her, "Goodnight, Lois."

As she turned off the bedside light, Lois replied, "Goodnight,
Lover boy."

Clark smiled at this endearment and settled on the couch to try
and watch the rest of the game. He was shifting around, looking
for a comfortable position. He picked up the pillow he had under
his head and holding it between his hands tried to fluff it and
then pound it ... too hard, as it turned out because feathers
exploded from the pillow only to drift on the air currents. As
the feathers drifted down, Clark shook his head in indignation
and mortification.

***

Lois was sleeping soundly curled up in one corner of the oversize
bed. Clark noted that subconsciously she was on the same side of
the bed that she normally occupied when they slept together.
Clark leaned over her, and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Even though he was gentle, she awoke with a start. She quickly
was awake enough to realize what had just happened and she
reached for him. After a brief touch, she stretched and asked,
"What time is it?"

"Getting close to midnight. They're back."

Instantly wide awake, Lois threw back the covers, jumped up and
headed for the living room.

As she entered the darkened room she saw the red light on the
camera and knew that it was recording. Seeing the tape spin she
knew that the audio was being recorded as well. She grabbed her
binoculars and trained them on the suite across the way. She
lowered them and, momentarily forgetting who he, was offered them
to Clark.

He shook his head and said, "That would be gilding the lily."

With a chagrined smile, she said, "Oh, yeah. Superman doesn't
need binoculars. You've got your vision gizmo."

He snickered at the term she used and agreed, "Yeah, with my
vision gizmo, I don't need those."

Lifting the binoculars back up to her eyes, she asked, "Can you
hear them with your hearing thingie?"

He chuckled again and said, "I wish I could. We're too far
away, they are talking too softly and there is just too much
background noise."

She indicated the audio set up by waving her hand in its general
direction while continuing to watch and said, "Turn that up,
would you?"

Clark turned to the audio device and turned up a dial. Suddenly
the voices of Harrington and his companion filled the room. They
could see the same tough with them that had been there
previously, but he wasn't saying anything.

As they watched, Harrington handed the other a large envelope and
as he did they also heard, "That's the last of the system
specs. I'll have the information on the testing for you
tomorrow. Dates, procedures, the whole thing."

For the first time they heard the voice of the other man as he
asked, "Good. What about the new vote?"

Harrington was exasperated and it could be heard in his voice as
he replied, "I can't initiate a re-vote until after the test
results are analyzed and the plan rejected. Hopefully ..."

The other said, "'Hopefully' isn't good enough. That's why I
bought insurance ... *you*.

For the first time, they had a name to put to the face as
Harrington replied, "You don't own me, Roarke."

Roarke, to show Harrington just who had the power grabbed him,
pushed him against the wall and then grabbed his collar, making
it difficult for Harrington to breathe as he said, in a deadly
tone, "I own you lock, stock, and *re-election fund*, Mr.
Chairman. Never forget that."

In order to keep his apparent boss from doing something he would
regret, the other man dragged Roarke away from Harrington.

Once Harrington was able to get his breath again, he stood up and
straightened his clothes.

After a few seconds, Harrington said, somewhat shakily, "I only
meant... are you sure you can pull this off?"

With a smirk Roarke replied, "I guarantee it."

With a worried look, Harrington continued, "Because if you
don't, what ... will happen to me?"

With a sneer, Roarke said, "Pray you never find out."

Roarke's implied threat lent wings to Harrington's feet and he
left, rather hurriedly.

After the door had closed behind Harrington, Roarke and his
henchman both burst out in laughter.

***

Lois and Clark had been very interested observers of this little
drama as it had unfolded. Some of their questions had been
answered. They now knew that the second man's name was Roarke,
although they didn't know how to spell it, but there was still a
bigger mystery that hadn't been revealed.

Lois turned to her husband and asked, "Clark, what would you say
if I said that I don't have a clue what they're talking about
but that, whatever it is, I think it's even bigger than I
originally thought."

Clark nodded and said, "I'd say ... you're absolutely
right."

"Well, I guess we'll have to hope that they meet again tomorrow
night." Lois released a jaw cracking yawn and said, "I think
the show's over for tonight. Let's go to bed."

"I'm right behind you," he said.

Looking over her shoulder and giving him a wanton look, Lois
said, "Ohhhh, we haven't tried that position yet."

Clark hugged her back to his very interested front and whispered
in her ear, "Your wish is my command, my lady."

Lois was still giggling as seconds later, they were in bed
together.

***

Chapter 4

***

The next morning found Lois and Clark in bed together, arms and
legs entangled and somewhere along the line they had both removed
their nightwear and so the only covering they had was the silky
sheet.

Clark awoke first and disentangled himself without disturbing
Lois. He stood at the side of the bed and looked down at her. She
was lying there, very peacefully. Her steady, slow breathing
causing her breasts to move under the soft covering which clung
to her figure almost like his spandex Suit clung to his skin. He
could see every curve in perfect relief. As he watched he could
feel himself becoming aroused again and decided that in order to
allow Lois some extra sleep he would have to either take a cold
shower, maybe a dip in the Arctic Ocean would be better or else
do some exercises. Since the exercises wouldn't take him away
from his lover he decided to do some push-ups.

He floated horizontal and then lowered himself to the floor. Once
he was in position he started doing the push-ups, going faster
and faster until he was moving at super-speed. It required
concentration, because in order to do it right he had to use his
flying ability to bring himself down to the low position. He was
moving faster than gravity acted and had to compensate for that
lack. He was already into the thousands, when he heard Lois
stir.

Lois sat up and the silky sheet fell from her body revealing her
nude condition. She leaned over the side of the bed to look at
her husband. She saw what he was doing and said, "Stop ... right
... there."

He froze in the up position and cocked his head to her.

She scrambled out of bed and laying down on the floor, on her
back, scootched under him. Once in position she said, "Okay,
now, down, slowly." Her hands were busy as he lowered himself.
She sighed in contentment as her plan came to fruition. She
locked her legs around his hips and her arms around his back. He
then floated them up and onto the bed.

***

After they finished, they lay in each other's arms and cuddled
for a while. Clark had a silly smile on his face and Lois asked,
"What?"

Clark's reply didn't satisfy her, "Oh, nothing."

She became more emphatic because she knew that it wasn't
nothing. He was holding out on her, "What?"

Clark smiled again and said, "Oh, it's really nothing. It's
just that, well, you look absolutely beautiful, for first thing
in the morning. Especially after ..."

She snuggled deeper into his arms and sighing said, "I'm
contented. I have a husband that loves me and that I love. We
just had marvelous sex ..."

Clark interrupted, "Lois, I wouldn't say that ..."

"Well, I thought it was. Didn't you?"

"No ... What I mean is yes, but I wouldn't just call it sex. We
make love. It's a whole different thing."

She started nuzzling his neck and said, "Oh, I see what you mean
and yes, I agree. We make beautiful love together. The best
ever."

"You can have sex, without love, but we have it all."

With a smirk she replied, "Do we ever."

Ever the practical one, Lois reached for the phone and said,
"Let's take advantage of Perry's largess and order some coffee
from room service."

"Let's order more than coffee. It's almost lunchtime. Let's
order breakfast as well."

***

After ordering room service Clark had dismantled the surveillance
equipment at super speed and stowed it in the bedroom.

Lois and Clark were still in their robes when there was a knock
on the door.

When Clark answered the door a cart was pushed in. Lois was
sitting on the sofa with her feet propped up on the coffee table
and the short robe rode up and displayed her shapely legs.

The first thing that the person pushing the cart in saw was Lois
and he stopped in mid-stride and leered at the display of her
legs.

Clark took the bill folder and scribbled his name

Lois heard a gasp and when she looked over she spotted ... Phil!
She deliberately lowered her legs and stood up. She started
slowly crossing the room in his direction and she had mayhem in
her eyes.

Clark quickly interposed himself and stopped Lois.

Realizing that this had been a big mistake and that he was
pushing his luck, Phil started looking for a way out and then he
noticed the feathers scattered all over the floor and the
ruptured pillow. His jaw dropped open. He was having a hard time
envisioning a position that would have resulted in the mess that
he was looking at. He quipped, "Whoa, tough night?" Even as he
said it, he realized it had been a mistake because; Lois started
to struggle with Clark, trying to get past him and at Phil. He
heard her say, "Let me at him!"

Clark struggled to restrain Lois and looking over his shoulder
saw the look in his eyes however and said, "I fell asleep on the
couch watching the game. I'm a ... heavy sleeper."

Knowing that discretion was the better part of valor, Phil beat a
hasty retreat forgetting to ask for a tip once again.

***

Lex Luthor had just spent the last hour in conference with his
scientists at Luthor Technologies. He was concerned and making a
final check with them about their latest project. There was a not
so small fortune in Luthor money tied up in this project and it
just had to perform as advertised if he wasn't going to lose it
all.

Now he was in the back of his limousine. Nigel was driving, but
even Nigel, trusted lieutenant though he was, needed to be kept
in the dark on some things so the privacy barrier was up between
the driver's and passenger's compartments while Lex was on the
phone.

"Yes, Admiral, my staff at Luthor Technologies will be available
to you both during and after the test."

He listened for a second and then replied, "Um hmm. As agreed,
we'll delay our combined statement to the media concerning Shock
Wave until *after* the results are in. Naturally I expect nothing
less than total success."

He listened again before replying, "I look forward to that,
Admiral.

Lex hung up the phone and then reached into the fridge pulling
out a bottle of mineral water. He picked up a glass from a nearby
rack, poured the water in and simply stared at it briefly. He was
thinking about the aftermath of the dinner. The dinner he'd had
planned for Lois and what had happened were preying on his mind.
He couldn't believe that she had informed him that she was
married ... and to of all people ... that bumpkin ... Kent. All
of his plans were now going to be so much more complicated. First
he would have to get rid of Kent. That would have to be handled
delicately, very delicately. Absolutely no possibility of it
being traced back to him could exist. It must look like an
accident or a mugging. Something so common that his involvement
couldn't even be suspected.

He hadn't had any alcoholic beverages since that night. He had
shown weakness then. He had emptied the bottle. Never again!

***

After breakfast, Lois and Clark had dressed and, after stowing
the equipment back in their bags, they headed for the Planet.

Once there they went into the conference room they called in
Jimmy so that they could find out if the Identafile program had
provided any answers, and Cat because of her knowledge of
Congressman Harrington.

Lois addressed Jimmy first, "Okay, we got a name. It might help
with the Identafile. Roarke. I'm not sure how it is spelled.
Check any variants you can come up with."

Clark added, "That's just the first piece. We also need to know
what 'systems' they're talking about and what test."

Lois took the next bit, "Don't forget the 'vote.' We should
get our hands on every available record of every vote taken by
Harrington's committee for the past...

Jimmy suggested, "Six months!" He smiled and added, "Already
on it." Jimmy left the conference room.

Catherine Grant, author of 'Cat's Corner' the 'Gossip
Columnist' of the Daily Planet in the past had earned Lois
Lane's ire. Thinking back on it, she couldn't blame Cat for
being attracted to Clark. Now she knew the truth of the matter
that all of her attempts to seduce Clark had failed. Lois still
felt the need to make the occasional jab at her and her
lifestyle, but in this instance, this investigation, she was
proving to be more than a gossip columnist, she might just turn
out to be a valuable asset to the team.

As if to prove that point, Cat made the comment, "Gotta be
something big. Congressmen don't sell out for less than
*big*."

Jimmy walked back in and said, "I ran Roarke, Rorke, Roark and a
few other variations, name *and* picture through every program
the Daily Planet has access to ... nothin'. The man's a
ghost."

Clark asked, "What about Apocalypse Consulting?"

Jimmy replied, "Another dead end. No bank accounts or
transactions that I can trace." Jimmy checked his note pad
before he continued, "Apocalypse moved in a couple months ago.
Paid off a five year lease on the offices *in advance*."

Cat quipped, "Business must be good."

Lois was starting to show her frustration, "*What* business?"

Just as Lois was asking that particular question, Perry entered
the conference room where they were gathered. His expression
showed that he was very pleased with himself. He picked a photo
of Roarke in a dinner jacket from the folder he was carrying. As
if to say, 'This old dog can still bite,' he dropped it on the
table and announced, "Thaddeus Roarke, R ... o ... a ... r ... k
... e. International arms dealer, electronic weapons system
analyst, entrepreneur, and general bad boy. Last known base of
operations ... Beirut, Lebanon."

They were all flabbergasted at this revelation.

Jimmy and Lois tied for being the first to be able to speak,
"How'd you ... Where'd you ..."

Perry, as if he were addressing a class of novice journalists
replied, "Sources, boys and girls, sources. The life blood of
journalism."

Eying the photo and seeing that it wasn't a standard glossy
print such as they would have in the photo archive, Cat gave in
to her curiosity and picking up the picture turned it over. She
read what was on the reverse and blurted out, "People
Magazine?"

Realizing that his secret had been exposed, Perry said, "Here,
give me that," grabbed the photo and dropped it back into the
folder.

Clark summarized the salient points, "Arms dealer, House Defense
Committee. Makes sense."

Realizing the absolute gravity of the situation, Perry said,
"Now team, we should talk about this. A scoop's a scoop, but if
we're into something that impacts on national security, we have
to bring in the Federales."

Dismayed at the prospect of losing what could possibly be the
scoop of the century, Lois blurted out, "Now?"

Perry relented, somewhat, "No. When the time's right. So far we
have more questions than answers." He looked around and saw nods
of agreement all around. "Let's do some brain-storming. I'd
like to hear some theories."

Jimmy was the first one willing to offer a theory, "Okay. The
Defense Department is about to test some new weapons system and
Roarke wants to know about it."

Going along with that theme, Clark offered, "So he bribes
Harrington to pass him the information."

Lois added, "But from what we saw Harrington is also afraid of
Roarke."

Clark suggested an alternative, "Or *maybe* afraid of what
Roarke will do once he has the information."

No one added anything even though Perry looked from one to the
other around the group. Like a General marshaling his troops,
Perry finally said, "Seems to me we should be doing some legwork
to back up our surveillance." Perry looked at Cat significantly
as he asked, "Cat, do you think you can find Congressman
Harrington and stick with him?"

Cat was somewhat indignant that Perry had any doubts as to her
ability to follow through on an assignment like this and it came
out in her voice, "Like ... super-glue."

Next Perry turned to Jimmy and gave him his unique assignment,
"Jimmy, the next time Roarke shows ..."

Enjoying being part of the team and not being treated as the
lowly gofer, Jimmy smiled and nodded, "Got him."

Perry next turned his attention back to his top reporting team
and asked, "You two need any help with the surveillance?"

Lois answered for them, "We can handle it, Chief."

"Okay, but if you need more equipment or personnel, let me know.
You have two more days. Make the most of them."

Lois quipped, "Trust me, Chief. We will."

Perry was quick to reply, "Hey, hey, hey, remember, you're on
the Planet's dime. Save the hanky-panky for your own time."

***

Chapter 5

***

After the meeting broke up, Lois and Clark decided to head back
to the Honeymoon Suite. In no time at all they were back in the
spa tub together. Their joining was totally enjoyable although
brief because neither of them could concentrate on watching the
office across the street while they were thus engaged.

They decided to play cards and without even getting out of the
tub they started playing. That way they could alternate watching
the office.

With a wide grin, Lois slapped down her cards and announced,
"Gin!"

Clark was astounded and said, "No way."

Lois spread the cards out and said, "Read 'em and weep."

Clark shook his head in consternation and admitted defeat.

Thoughtfully, Lois said, "You know, with all that you can do,
how is it that I can beat you so easily? I mean, it would be so
easy for you to see what cards I have and not play to my hand."

With a shamefaced look, Clark said, "I have been tempted, a time
or two."

"Why not? I would."

Astonished, Clark blurted out, "You would?"

"Sure! Take advantage of what you can do. You know, this is
still very new to me. I mean, you just told me who you are and we
just got married and it is taking me time to process all of this
and, well, I'm just starting to see the possibilities. With what
you can do ... just think of how much simpler our investigations
are going to be. We won't have to worry about guards sneaking up
on us. Locked safes won't be a barrier because you can x-ray the
mechanism and see the workings or hear the tumblers click. There
is no way we could be trapped on an upper floor. You could fly us
out of danger. The mind boggles at the possibilities."

"Lo - is, I'm not so sure that some of that is such a good
idea. Some of those things would put you in too much danger.
Besides, that's not the kind of thing that Superman does."

"You'd be there to protect me and you wouldn't be doing it as
Superman. You're Clark Kent."

"What if, right in the middle of a mission, I have to leave to
handle an emergency?"

Lois thought for a few seconds before she replied, in a happy
tone, "You could take me with you and I could report on the
rescue. Then if whoever it is discovers that they have been
broken into, we will have proof that we weren't anywhere near
the place."

He groaned in frustration. He could see that this would be a
losing battle.

***

The novelty of the spa had finally worn off and they finally
climbed out. They donned the courtesy robes and moved into the
sitting room of the suite. They were sitting on the floor on
opposite sides of the coffee table. On the table was spread out a
local variant of a Monopoly board. There was a bowl of fruit on
the end of the table.

Lois picked up an apple in one hand and the dice in the other. As
she rolled the dice she took a bite of the apple. Noting the roll
she picked up the little metallic shoe and started moving it the
indicated number of spaces with a little 'click', click,
'click' as she hit the board with each hop.

Landing on Main Avenue, Lois shouted, "YES!"

Clark muttered, "Unbelievable," under his breath.

Lois chortled, "That completes that group." She counted out
some play money from her stack and handed it to Clark who was
acting as the banker. As she did, she said, "I'll put hotels on
each property." Clark sorted the bills and placed them in their
places in the bank and then handed Lois 3 hotels which she placed
on the board.

Lois rubbed her hands in anticipation as Clark picked up the dice
for his turn. As soon as he made the roll he knew he was doomed.
Picking up the Scottie dog he advanced it with a 'click',
'click', 'click' ending on the space with Lois.

Lois, gleeful at his misfortune, held out both hands wiggling her
fingers in a 'gimme' gesture and said, "Pay up."

Clark counted his cash and in a dispirited tone said, "I can't
make the rent."

Lois was not what you would call a gracious winner, but she was
even a worse loser. She ordered, "Give me whatever you have and
then go to the poor house."

***

Later they had ordered a room service lunch which included a
chocolate milk shake for Lois. As she was slurping up the last of
which, Clark mentioned it, Lois replied, with an arched eyebrow
and a wicked little grin, "I need to keep up my caloric intake.
I'm burning it off right away. We've been ... very ...
active."

All Clark could do was smile at the reminiscence of just how
active they had been. He asked, "Should I call down for another
one? You do need to keep your energy up."

"I'll be eating for two soon enough."

Clark perked up, "Oh? Are you ..."

She smiled at him and said, "It's too soon to tell. It's only
been a couple of weeks, but we do have a good shot. Like I said
before, with all of that activity ... all of those little
spermies swimming around inside of me. Anything can happen."

Lois finished her shake and set the glass down. As soon as she
did, she slid over into his waiting arms and cuddled there. She
was idly playing with the hairs on his arm as she asked, "Are
you sure we're ready for that?"

Clark pulled her into a tighter embrace and said, "Is any couple
ever ready to become parents? I think that's one reason that the
baby takes so long to develop in the womb. It gives the parents a
chance for the facts to sink in and for them to prepare mentally.
All I can say is, I'm looking forward to the day that we can
hold that new little person and know that our love has taken a
physical form."

Lois craned around and gave Clark a kiss before she said, "You
succeed in surprising me constantly. I knew you were a softie now
I see that you are just a romantic at heart. Before that trip to
Smallville and Herb messing with my memories, I never thought
I'd be able to say anything remotely like this but, I love you
so much I feel like I could burst. I'm just incredibly happy
that we are together now."

***

A little later Lois and Clark were again on opposite sides of the
table. This time on the table was a local version of Scrabble
called Scramble, perhaps because you are supposed to scramble for
words.

They had been playing for some time and there were a number of
words on the board already. In her last draw, Lois had picked up
a difficult assortment of letters.

Clark could see that Lois was in a quandary and sensed that there
might just be a possibility of a win. The longer it took Lois to
place her tiles, the more he could sense the blood in the water.

To his chagrin, finally, Lois selected a tile. She kept it in her
hand as if she were considering just where to place it. Finally
with calm assurance, she placed the tile on the board and smiled
a confident smile. She had captured a double word space with the
move and unless Clark came up with something equally spectacular
it would give her the win.

It took a few seconds for what she had done to register with
Clark. Even as it did register, Lois was crowing about the score
for the move.

As she reached for the score pad to add her new score Clark
stopped her and asked, "What is that?"

Innocently, Lois replied, "What is what?"

Clark pointed at the board and said, "That."

A little hesitantly, Lois replied, "It's my word." In an
attempt to distract him, she asked, "Anything happening across
the way?"

To her disappointment, Clark didn't even move from his seat. He
simply took a second to use his x-ray vision to check on the
Apocalypse office and muttered, "Still nothing." He immediately
returned to the subject at hand and said, "There's no such word
as 'chumpy'."

Lois had used what little time she had gained by the distraction
to come up with an answer, "Of course there is. Somebody's a
chump. Therefore, he's chumpy."

With a look of disbelief, Clark said, "Come again."

At times Lois acted indignant and it intimidated interviewees so
she tried it now, "Are you challenging me?"

Clark's reply was swift and sure, "You bet your sweet *chumpy*
I am."

Lois challenged, "Where's a dictionary?"

Clark tapped his temple and said, "Right here. Eidetic memory,
remember?"

"Oh, so you've memorized the entire unabridged dictionary?"

"Well, no, not unabridged, just the most recent Webster's."

"There, you see, you *don't* know every word that's out
there."

Clark just shook his head in bewilderment and said, "Lois, you
have got to be the *most* competitive person I know. What is it
about you that makes you need to win *all* the time?"

She smiled and said, "I don't have to win *all* of the time,
but that's one of the things you love about me. Admit it. It is,
isn't it?"

He leaned over the table to give her a kiss as he said, "One of
the many."

***

The light outside was fading into twilight as Lois and Clark
played yet another game.

Clark was sitting on the sofa holding a card from a version of
Trivial Pursuit based on Movies, TV, people, places and things
around Metropolis in his hand. He had asked the question and Lois
was considering her answer.

As Lois was thinking she paced back and forth in front of him.
The fact that she was wearing that short robe had Clark thanking
his lucky stars. He loved looking at her legs. On top of that,
when she reached the end of her route, she spun and the robe
flared out revealing that much more. Lois had a bag of chips in
her hands and was munching on them as she thought.

Finally, Clark decided that he had given her enough time and
said, "Time's up."

Lois was frantic. She hated not winning and challenged, "No
it's not. I know the answer to this question." She gave him a
pleading look and said, "Give it to me again."

Giving in, Clark read the card again, "What was the name of
Jerry Lewis' suave alter ego in the Nutty Professor?"

Lois stopped her pacing and stood facing him, staring into space
as if the answer would suddenly appear on the wall as if written
by the hand of God, but no such manifestation made its
appearance. She was muttering, "B ... B ... B."

Clark realized that she was actually on the verge of getting the
answer, but not quite there when he said, with a note of
satisfaction in his voice, "Buddy Love."

Forgetting about the bag of chips she still held, Lois threw her
arms up and started shaking her hands, sending chips flying all
over the room and she shouted, in frustration, "I knew that!"

Clark tried to placate her by saying, "You're right, Lois. You
don't need to win all the time."

Realizing that she had been taking the game way too seriously,
Lois put her now empty chip bag on the table and snuggled up to
Clark on the sofa. In a tone of mortification, Lois said, "I
don't know why I get like that. When I'm playing a game I guess
I do get a little competitive."

Clark pulled back and said, in a mocking tone "A little?"

"Yeah, you're right. More than a little. Something just comes
over me. That's what happened with that story that I stole from
you. I just couldn't let you beat me. I did apologize for that
didn't I?"

"Not in so many words, but that's okay. We were even."

Nodding in chagrin, Lois said, "Yeah. Super Godzilla. You know,
that was nasty. I never would have done something like that to
you."

"Want to know a secret?"

Lois perked up, sat up, looked him in the face and nodded.

"I was going to take the map back. I knew you were sorry for
what you had done, but just then you found the map and it was too
late."

"It's okay, Clark. I deserved it. I actually think I'm a
better person for it. It took me down a peg at a time when I
needed it. I was so obsessed with you, your other self, that is,
that I just couldn't see straight. It actually helped me."

"No hard feelings then?"

"I could never be mad at you, especially for doing something
that was needed. I'm glad I'm not that person anymore."

"So am I, Lois. So am I."

***

That evening Clark and Lois were in the bedroom getting out the
equipment. Clark had started setting up the video camera on its
tripod. They were planning to set up in the bedroom this evening
so that they had a different, possibly a better view of the
office and if anyone were to come in, the equipment wouldn't be
immediately visible.

Suddenly, Clark heard the outer door opening. He looked around
and made a quick decision. Collapsing the tripod he threw the
camera on the bed, threw the spread over the equipment and then
grabbed Lois.

Taken totally by surprise, Lois suddenly found herself on her
back on the bed with the very solid weight of her husband
pressing her into the mattress and his mouth on hers. Lois
reacted instinctively and moved to deepen the kiss emitting
guttural moans as she did. Her entire focus became the kiss and
the feel of her husband's body. Her arms came up around his back
and she grabbed handfuls of the robe he was wearing and started
squirming under him, not to escape, but just to get a better
position as a prelude to a lovemaking session.

Suddenly through her lustful haze she heard a gasp and she knew
it wasn't Clark's voice.

As she broke the kiss and looked past Clark she had a look of
annoyance on her face when she saw the maid.

The maid said, "Towels? Yah? Oops. Sor ... ry." She was
startled and flushed with embarrassment because she knew that she
was interrupting something as what she saw sank in. She put the
towels on a nearby chair and quickly made her exit.

When Lois heard the door close behind the maid, she grabbed the
front of Clark's robe and said, "Where were we? Oh, yes, I
remember," and pulling him down again, attacked his lips with
hers.

***

Chapter 6

***

It had dawned on Lois that Clark had done that simply because of
the maid and wanted to conceal what they were really doing, but
her juices were flowing just the same. What had started as
camouflage for the stakeout turned into a lovemaking session.

When they finished, as they were cuddling in the afterglow, Lois
said, "Let that be a lesson to you. From now on, put the 'Do
Not Disturb' sign out and we won't have to worry about the
maid. This is the Honeymoon Suite after all. They would expect
that on the doorknob. If it's not there, they probably think we
are out."

Clark placed his hand gently on her cheek and turned her face so
that he could reach her lips and kissed her. When he broke the
kiss he said, "How right you are. I'm gonna go do that little
thing right now then we can get the equipment set up." He stood
and looked down at her naked body as she lay on the bed and
enjoyed the unrestricted view.

She levered herself up and propped her elbows on the bed behind
her so that she could get a good look also. He was equally naked
and she gave him a lecherous stare as she said, "Hurry back."

He reached for and put on the robe before crossing to the door to
place the sign. When he returned she reached for him as she said,
"Come to mama. We've got a long way to go to reach twelve."

Clark hesitated, "Uh, Lois, much as I'd like to, we are here on
the Planet's dime. We do have a surveillance to conduct."

With a petulant expression, Lois grabbed her robe and as she
slipped her arms into the sleeves said, "Spoil sport." As she
tied the belt, she released a sigh before continuing, "Yeah, I
guess you're right. Work before pleasure. Let's get this stuff
set up." Lois moved to the dresser, pulled out her clothes so
that she could finally get dressed for the day. They had spent
the entire day, in and out of the robes.

It was good that they decided to set the equipment up when they
did because as they finished doing that, the third, as yet
unidentified, member of the trio entered the office and proved
that he wasn't 'just' muscle because he started putting files
away. There was no evidence of Roarke or Harrington, but they let
the tape roll, just in case they showed up.

They settled down on the sofa in the sitting room to watch and
Lois was snuggled up in Clark's arms when she had a thought. She
asked, "Clark, do you mind if I ask you a ... personal
question?"

"You know you can ask me anything, Lois. We don't have any
secrets now."

"Okay, I know that you had never had ... relations with anyone
before me, but have you ever lived with anyone? I mean, full
time, like in a relationship, with a member of the opposite
sex." Thinking back to their time in Smallville, Lois added,
"You know, like ... Rachel? You know, like lived together to
share expenses, that kind of thing."

Clark took her question seriously and he addressed it as such
when he said, "No. Not full time, actually, not at any time.
There have been the occasional sleepovers by my partner when
we've worked late into the night. Not until now, with you, but
then we do more than just share expenses."

Lois nodded her acknowledgement and said, "Me neither. Not full
time. The sleepovers were fun. I had no idea it would be this
good."

Clark smiled as he said, "I don't think it would be this good
if we weren't married."

She craned around and kissed his lips before she said, "I think
you are right. This is just ... super."

Clark replied, "I have to admit, it was a little scary ... at
first."

Lois replied, "Compromises. I've never been good at compromises
... until now."

Clark offered, "Forced intimacy. I had always been afraid of
intimacy because it meant that I would have to reveal my secret.
Now ..."

Lois added, "Shared responsibilities. Actually, I think I made
out in this deal. I mean, you do all of the cooking and
cleaning." She lifted her hands and looked closely at them
noting the smooth texture of her skin and added with a pleased
sigh, "I'll never have dishpan hands." She added as an
afterthought, "You know, Luthor complimented my hands."

"There we go with Luthor again. This time you brought him up."

Looking apologetic, Lois said, "Sorry."

His curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "What did
Luthor say?"

"I'm not sure if I can remember exactly what he said, but it
was something like, 'They're so graceful. So delicate. Like
fine porcelain.' I should have known right then that he was
under the influence of Miranda's Witches' brew. It was actually
kinda creepy."

"You mean that it wouldn't have been flattering?"

"Flattering? Perhaps, but not from the one person I want to
flatter me."

Smiling at her response, Clark added, "I'll flatter you all you
want. You know, along with shared responsibilities, it also means
never being alone again."

Lois agreed, "Never alone. Clark, promise me something."

"What, Lois?"

"Promise me that you'll never leave me alone again. Now that
we're together, I ... I couldn't bear to be without you again.
I don't want to be alone any more. I was alone for ... for so
... so many years. I feel like I was lost during all that time
and now ... now you've found me and I don't want to be lost
again. Promise me."

Clark leaned down and tenderly kissed her and then said, "I
promise, Lois. I promise I will never leave you."

Just as he finished speaking the speaker on the surveillance
equipment came to life. The noise of an elevator bell sounded
alerting them to the arrival of more people. Clark looked through
the wall using his x-ray vision.

Lois asked, "What is it?"

"I think we may have something," and got up off the couch to
check the equipment to make sure it was recording.

Lois joined him and grabbed her binoculars.

Roarke's henchman also had heard the elevator chime. While Lois
and Clark watched, he closed and locked the file cabinet that he
had been filing papers in. The jacket he had been wearing was
hanging on a coat rack just inside the door and he placed the key
to the file cabinet in the pocket.

Seconds later, Roarke and Harrington walked in and joined the
other in the inner office.

Indicating the sound equipment, Lois said, "Turn up the sound,
Clark."

Clark complied and in response they heard Roarke speaking, "...
no possible way the test will be postponed?"

As he shook his head, Harrington's reply was terse, "Weather's
clear. Naval monitoring ships are en route. Dawn, day after
tomorrow. It's set."

Roarke was almost gleeful as he said, "Good. And after the test
fails, we'll get *my* system approved and installed. How soon
before you can vote again?"

Harrington was showing doubts as he replied, "There'll be
delays, of course. Analysis of test results, modification
proposals ..."

Roarke cut him off abruptly, "No, no, no, no, no."

Harrington almost had a pleading tone in his voice as he tried to
placate Roarke, "We have to go through the process, Thaddeus."

Roarke stated flatly, "After what happens at that test, no one
will be interested in 'modification proposals'."

Harrington was starting to see that there could be more to this
than just a simple failure of a test and he was becoming worried.
The apprehension came out in his voice as he asked, "What
exactly *will* happen?"

With a sneer, Roarke says, "Why don't I show you? We had a
video made from our computer model." Lois and Clark finally
learned the henchman's name as Roarke ordered, "Bart, get the
lights and pull the shades. I want the congressman to see this
without any glare on the screen."

In response to the order, Bart hit the switch which doused the
lights and then moved over to close the shutters. When he did
Lois and Clark's view was blocked.

Lois let out a frustrated, "Hrumph. Clark, use your x-ray
vision. We have to see this show."

Frustrated, he replied, "I've been trying. No good. Those
shutters must be made of or painted with lead paint."

The video that Roarke was showing Harrington must not have had a
sound track because all was silence from the office for a time.

Lois muttered, "This is torture."

After several minutes they saw Bart opening the shutters and they
again could see into the office. They could see that Harrington
was pale and they heard him say, "Roarke, you can't ...
millions of people!"

Roarke replied, "In for a penny, in for a pound," and he
escorted Harrington out.

As they watched, Bart also departed; however, Lois noted that he
left his coat on the coat rack when he did.

Seeing Bart's jacket hanging there was a temptation for Lois and
one that she was having a hard time avoiding.

Just then the computer beeped indicating that its FAX function
had been activated. A few seconds later the printer activated and
started printing out a report.

Clark moved over and started to read it. He said, "It's from
Jimmy. Voting records of the House Defense Committee."

Lois had been staring at the jacket and the desire to look in
that file was becoming more than she could stand. She saw that
Clark was distracted by the FAX and made up her mind.

While his back was turned, she grabbed a hand held scanner and
slipped it into her bag then said, "Clark, I'm going down to
the lobby for a few minutes. I ... need something from the drug
store. You need anything?"

Absorbed in what was being printed, Clark replied, absently,
"Okay. No, nothing for me. See you in a few."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few."

Clark was still looking at the printout as Lois exited.

The printout had finally finished and Clark was going over it
when the phone rang.

Picking it up, Clark answered, "Hello?"

Clark immediately recognized the voices on the other end. Martha
asked, "Clark Kent, what are you still doing in the honeymoon
suite of the Lexor Hotel?"

Jonathan said, "We thought you had already had your
honeymoon."

Clark looked at the time and said, "I thought you guys would
already be in bed. Why are you calling?"

"We are in bed. We just thought we'd check and see how you and
Lois are making out. You've been married a few weeks and we were
hoping that you hadn't had any spats. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's okay, Mom. We haven't had a single argument."

Jonathan said, "You didn't tell us why you're in the Honeymoon
Suite ... again."

"Oh, that. We're undercover."

Martha laughed and said, "We know that's what the Honeymoon
Suite is for! Plenty of time under the covers." She nudged
Jonathan to let him know that her mistaking what he said was
deliberate.

Clark rolled his eyes and said, "Ha ha ha. Very funny. We are on
an undercover assignment for the paper."

Martha persisted, "Are you trying to tell me that you and Lois
aren't spending any time under the covers? Come on. We know how
the two of you were when you were here. You couldn't keep your
hands off each other. When you came in from the barn ... the hay
in Lois' hair ... that was a dead giveaway."

Clark could hear Martha's joyous laughter spilling from the
receiver. Martha and Jonathan couldn't see it, but Clark was
beet red. Martha really knew how to push his buttons. "How did
you find out we were here at the Lexor?"

Jonathan answered, "Perry White gave us the number."

Martha asked, "Honey, is Lois there? Thanksgiving is coming up
and I want to talk to her about it."

"Sure, hold on." Clark looked around and then remembered, "Oh,
that's right. She went downstairs a little bit ago."

Just then the sound equipment picked up the chime of the arriving
elevator. Clark said, "Hold on a minute."

Martha said, "Okay."

Clark looked across the way just in time to see Lois enter the
office. He blurted out, "Oh, no. Mom, we'll have to call you
back. I think Lois is getting herself into some trouble."

Martha answered with a single word, "Go!"

***

Chapter 7

***

Lois' plan was half formed before she left. She wanted to get
into that office, retrieve that key, pull out that file, scan it,
replace it and leave before Bart or Roarke returned. She had
taken the elevator down to the lobby and exited the building
through a door on an opposite corner and had rounded the building
corner and crossed the street to the building that housed the
Apocalypse Consulting offices. By exiting through a door that
wasn't directly across from her target, she hoped that any
security cams would throw off any investigation. Once she was in
the building she decided that she didn't have the time to climb
the stairs so there was nothing other than the elevator, so she
had to use it. The door to the office was ridiculously simple.
Smiling to herself, she pulled out the key card to their
Honeymoon Suite and used it to slip the lock.

Clark watched as Lois quickly moved to the inner office and
turned on a desk lamp. She shuffled through papers on the desk,
opened and closed several drawers and looked unsuccessfully for
the videotape. She knew that Clark would be watching and she
looked up at where she thought the Honeymoon Suite windows were
and smiled. Finally she retrieved the key from Bart's jacket and
unlocked the file cabinet. She pulled out a handful of file
folders, carried them to the desk, and began to copy them with
her pocket scanner. After a short time she heard something and
snapped the desk light off.

Clark was getting worried. There would be a problem if Superman
suddenly showed up to spirit Lois away. That would definitely
give them away, but if she was discovered he would have to act.
He couldn't allow anything to happen to Lois. He would have to
trust her experience and unique talents for getting herself into
and out of trouble, but he knew that it would have been easier
before they had been married. He needed to be ready to
intervene.

Lois had heard the elevator. She quickly crossed to the inner
office door and closed it softly, throwing the lock as she did.
Then she returned to the desk picked up the files and shoved them
back in the file drawer. Once she had done that she pushed in the
button to lock it and then put the key back in Bart's jacket
pocket. She looked out the window and gave Clark an imploring
look, mouthed, "Help," then she scurried back to the desk,
knelt down to see if hiding under it would be feasible. She saw
that the space was too small. She didn't realize it, but when
she knelt down to look under the desk, the door key card to the
Honeymoon Suite fell from her pocket onto the floor.

While Lois was doing this Roarke entered the outer office,
flipped on the lights and moved to the inner office door which he
found locked. He looked accusingly at Bart who simply shrugged as
if to say, 'Force of habit,' and pulled a key ring out of his
pocket.

While he was sorting through his keys looking for the one to the
door, Lois moved to a small closet and squeezed inside.

Bart was taking too long finding the correct key and Roarke
grabbed the key ring from him and found the key right away.

Seeing what was happening and seeing Lois call for help, Clark
had been growing increasingly worried so he had exited the
Honeymoon Suite and taken the fire stairs to the roof. He spun
into the Suit and flew across to the other building.

Just as Roarke got the key in the lock, the outer door opened, a
blue clad arm reached in and flipped the lights off. Then twin
beams of heat vision, invisible to the unaided eye hit the
sprinkler head in the middle of the ceiling.

The sudden darkness startled Roarke. Then immediately following
on that event bells started ringing and water started pouring on
his head.

Disconcerted by what was happening, Bart grabbed his jacket and
holding it over his head like a raincoat, he and Roarke both fled
the office slamming the outer door behind them.

Lois heard the door slam and made her way out of the closet. As
soon as she was out she was hit by the water. Holding her bag
over her head to try and keep her hair at least a little dry, she
ran for the inner office door. Once through that she felt herself
being picked up and held. Knowing exactly who it was she said,
"Took you long enough."

Clark laughed and flew them to the stairs, up and out and back to
the Honeymoon Suite so that they could watch events unfold. Even
as high up as they were they could hear the sirens in the street
below.

They were both standing there at the window, dripping on the
carpet as they watched.

Suddenly, Lois sneezed and Clark's attention was directed to
her. "I think you need to get out of those wet clothes."

"Is that a proposition?"

"No, I think at least one of us needs to continue to watch to
see what transpires." He spun into his clothes and gave her a
look.

"Show off. Okay, I guess you're elected. I'll go change."

"You might want to take a shower. You don't know just how clean
that water was."

Lois brought her arm up and sniffed her sleeve. She made a face
and said, "I see what you mean. Okay, I'm for the shower. Let
me know what happens." She turned and went into the bedroom.

Clark rewound the tape in the videocam and then played it forward
to the point just before Lois broke in and started recording over
it to remove any evidence of Lois' B&E."

After Lois left for her shower Clark continued to watch. He saw
the firemen enter the Apocalypse Consulting office and check
around. After a time they collected their equipment and filed out
satisfied that it had been a false alarm.

A few minutes later, Lois came out wearing the robe and drying
her hair with another towel.

He was relieved that nothing serious had happened during her
little excursion, but he was still irritated that she hadn't
even thought to ask his opinion or so much as tell him what she
was planning. He challenged, "What did you think you were doing?
If they'd caught you, who knows what they would have done."

"But they didn't."

"Only because I set off the fire alarm."

"That's what you're supposed to do. Back me up!"

"Lois, if we had discussed it we might have come up with a
better way."

"Or you might have said it was too dangerous and not let me do
it."

"Well, it was dangerous!"

"I've done more dangerous things before I ever met you and I'm
still here aren't I?"

"That's beside the point. We're together now. We are supposed
to be a team, aren't we? That wasn't acting like we're a team.
That was the old 'loose cannon', Lois."

"Loose cannon?!?!? I'll have you know, I had everything under
control."

"Right. I saw how you had everything under control. Hiding in
the closet. Do you really think they wouldn't have found you?"

Contritely she said, "I had lots of stuff in that closet to hide
behind."

"Lois, you didn't tell me what you were doing. What if I had
been called away on an emergency? I thought you had simply gone
downstairs. You lied to me! I wouldn't have known where you were
and I wouldn't have been here to rescue you. You could have been
hurt."

"Oh, come on, Clark."

"No, you lied to me and because of that you were in danger."

"Oh, like you never lied to me."

"That's not the same thing and you know it. I only did that so
that I could go on a rescue. I wasn't putting my life in
danger."

"And making me think you were two different people?"

"Again, that didn't put your life in danger."

"Look, Clark, that's who I am. That's the way I've always
been. It's the only way I know how to get the scoop."

"Lois, I'm not trying to change you, really. I'm just asking
for a little consideration. You're not just Lois Lane anymore.
You're more now, you're Lois Lane-Kent, my *other half*. If I
lost my other half, I don't know if I'd survive."

Seeing how she had affected Clark she felt really bad and
repented. "I'm sorry, Clark. You're right. I'm *not* alone
anymore. You are *my** other half and I need to keep that in
mind. I need to let my other half know what I am doing. Please
forgive me."

Clark pulled her into his arms and said, "Of course I forgive
you. How could I not?"

"I'll try to do better next time."

Shocked, he blurted out, "Next time?"

"Clark, you know me. With me there'll always be a next time.
It's my nature just like it's your nature to help people.
Please don't be mad at me."

"I could never be mad at you, Lois. I love you too much. I just
worry about you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Did we just have our first fight?"

"I think so."

"Does this mean we've made up?"

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"You know what I've heard?"

"What?"

"Make up sex is the best sex ever." She grabbed his arm and
started dragging him in the direction of the bedroom. She had
only gone one step before he picked her up and super-sped them
into the bedroom. The breeze of their passage closed the door
behind them.

***

The next morning Lois and Clark were in the bathroom preparing
for their day. Their usual routine at home was for Clark to get
ready and then Lois would have her turn in the bathroom, but this
morning they weren't taking any chances with the maid so they
were both going at normal human speed and sharing the bathroom.
The confines of which were barely adequate for one person, let
alone two.

Lois had finished her shower and was drying her hair with a towel
when Clark said, "Excuse me, I need my tooth brush." He reached
in front of her and grabbed it from his bag. That was when Lois
grabbed her brush and started to brush her hair. As she did, he
said, "Can we change places, my toothpaste is in my bag."

"Oh, sure," and she passed around behind him to resume working
on her hair.

He was in the process of brushing his teeth when Lois realized
that her toothbrush was in the bag. She asked, "Could I ... just
... um ... I need my toothbrush."

Clark said, "Uh ... sure," or something to that effect around
his toothbrush and passed around behind her.

After he finished with his teeth, Lois had her brush in her mouth
and he said, "Pretty tough, huh?"

Lois asked, "What?"

"Sharing."

Lois took her brush out of her mouth and said, "Yeah, a lot of
people do it. I like our system better."

***

A little later they were in the newsroom. Lois had given the hand
scanner to Jimmy to download and print what she had gotten with
it. It was only a few minutes before Jimmy joined them with the
printouts.

Jimmy laid the papers out of the conference room table and they
all gathered around.

It was like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. As they found the pieces
that were associated, Cat taped them together. Finally Cat read
the heading of a sheet that seemed to be by itself, "Tsunami."
Looking up she asked a question that demonstrated that she
didn't have the vaguest notion of what it meant. "Is that the
one with avocado and crab?"

Patronizingly, Lois said, "Yes, Cat, that's the one." Lois
looked around to make sure she had everyone's attention before
she said, "I was about to copy that file when I heard something
in the outer office." She looked pointedly to Clark because she
knew he would understand before she continued, "What, we'll
never know."

Still not understanding, Cat asked, "Why would they keep a file
on Japanese seafood?"

Clark took pity on Cat and explained, "Cat, 'tsunami' isn't
... what you think it is."

Before Clark had a chance to continue, Jimmy explained, "It's a
giant wave. Like a tidal wave."

Cat wasn't sure if they were all pulling her leg or not. She
looked from face to face and saw that they were serious.

Perry held up a piece of paper and said, "Wave? I've got a wave
here too!"

Lois had actually scanned the file cover along with the papers
inside and Perry read, "Shock Wave / Preliminary Analysis."

What Perry just said, triggered a memory for Jimmy, he almost
shouted, "Wait a minute, 'Shock Wave' ..." Jimmy jumped up
and ran from the conference room.

Jimmy's outburst had surprised the rest and they simply watched
as he dashed to his desk and grabbed a stack of printouts from
the corner.

After Jimmy returned to the conference room he was a little
winded, but managed to get out, "Harrington's committee voted
on something called Project Shock Wave not too long ..." He
sorted through the papers in his hand. He found what he was
looking for and said, "Here it is!" He started reading,
"'Appropriation approval for system test installation.'"

By this time, Jimmy had everyone's attention and they were all
reading over his shoulder.

Lois spoke up, "It says that vote took place five weeks ago."

Clark added, "Passed eight to zero with one abstention." He
paused for emphasis, "The abstention was Congressman
Harrington."

Frustration in her voice, Lois blurted out, "But nothing about
what it is." Then it hit her, "This is what they were talking
about. Roarke wanted Harrington to have the vote reversed."

Perry offered, "Yeah, and his own system approved instead.
Whatever that means."

Lois mused, "If we only knew what 'Shock Wave' was."

Clark looked at Cat. So far she had almost completely been left
out. He asked, "How'd it go with Harrington yesterday?"

Realizing that she was going to be judged on her performance and
not wanting to be considered an airheaded gossip monger not
worthy of working on 'hard' news, she pulled out her notepad
and read, "One-thirty: lunch with a semi-attractive blonde.
Three o'clock: haircut and manicure. Four-thirty: drinks with
a-so-so redhead. Seven p.m.: dinner with a mousey brunette ..."

Perry quipped, "Nice to know our tax dollars are being spread
around."

As if she hadn't been interrupted, Cat continued, "Ten
o'clock: drinks with a striking auburn-haired beauty."

On that last one, Jimmy made a comment, "Finally, a little
class. Who was she?"

Cat, with the look of the cat that ate the canary answered,
"Me." She accepted their startled looks as a compliment and
then continued, "Like super glue, remember?" She paused to let
that sink in before she finished, "Then he came back here to
meet Roarke." She closed her notebook with a flourish and put it
away.

Perry said, "Okay, Jimmy, you were supposed to be following
Roarke."

Jimmy answered, "After last night's fire drill, Roarke and Bart
drove to Pier 31 and went into a warehouse. They were still there
this morning when I left to come back here. When I got back here
I checked. The warehouse is leased to ... you guessed it ...
Apocalypse Consulting." Jimmy tore the page with the address out
of his notebook and handed it to Lois.

Curious, Clark asked, "Did you get a look inside?"

Disappointment in his voice, Jimmy replied, "No windows."

Lois was frustrated and it was evident in her voice as she said,
"We're spinning our wheels. Some test, monitored by Naval
units, is taking place tomorrow at dawn, and Roarke is planning
on sabotaging it."

Perry came to a fateful decision, "I think it's time. Time to
go to the top. To the man who always knows what's happening. To
the man who's *never* let me down."

Jimmy gasped and in a hushed tone asked, "You don't mean ..."

Perry nodded in a conspiratorial fashion and said, "I do mean
... Sore Throat."

***

Chapter 8

***

Some time later, Perry led Lois and Clark as they headed for a
rendezvous in an underground parking garage. Once there they took
up station in an out of the way alcove to wait.

It was getting on into colder weather and the bare concrete
structure did nothing to warm the atmosphere. Lois started pacing
up and down, swinging her arms in an attempt to keep warm. She
complained, "Why here? It's freezing!"

Resigned to have to put up with Lois' complaining, Perry
replied, "Sore Throat's choice. He's a ... creature of
habit."

Stepping over to Lois and shrugging out of his jacket, Clark
draped it over Lois' shoulders as he said, "Here, Lois, take my
jacket."

She gave him an appreciative look as she accepted his love
offering. His jacket held his body heat. It was warm and cozy,
warming her and making her feel loved. She slipped her arms into
the sleeves and pulled the coat tightly by wrapping it and her
arms around herself and she could smell his scent. Just smelling
that aroma sent a rush of emotion through her. She associated
that scent with him and how much she loved him.

Suddenly, dragging her out of her reverie, a somewhat portly,
fifty-something gentleman stepped out of the shadows. He had on a
long overcoat and hat with the brim pulled low and in spite of
the fact that there was little light, he also wore sunglasses. As
soon as they were all aware of his presence, he stepped back into
the shadows. In a rather raspy voice, he said, "You should dress
more warmly, Miss. This *is* the cold and flu season after all."
Breaking off suddenly he sneezed and sniffled. Pulling out a
tissue he blew his nose and then commented, "Allergies. They're
killing me. Always good to see you, Perry. Who are they?"

"Two of my best reporters."

"This violates our agreement. Our understanding was, I speak
only to you."

Perry stuttered, "Well, I .. it .. doesn't violate it exactly,
it just expands it. Please, uh, trust me."

Grudgingly accepting the situation, Sore Throat said, "Well,
okay. Just this one time."

Perry, never one to mince words and knowing that Sore Throat
didn't like to waste time, cut to the chase, "What can you tell
us about Project Shock Wave?"

The effect of Perry's question on Sore Throat was obvious. He
was shocked and his voice was strained as he asked, "Where did
you hear that name?"

Clark spoke up for the first time, "We have reason to believe
Thaddeus Roarke is working with Congressman Ian Harrington to
sabotage Project Shock Wave." He paused for a second and then
continued, "It's due to be tested ..." They knew that it was
scheduled for dawn the next day, but he left the end hanging for
Sore Throat to fill in the blank.

Sore throat appeared to consider for a second and then decided
that since they knew this much, they might as well have the rest,
"At dawn tomorrow. I know all about it." He cleared his throat
and blew his nose again before continuing, "Project Shock Wave:
experimental coastal defense network. A couple of years ago, the
Navy began lobbying for their own version of a Star Wars system.
Several proposals were made, the Navy picked Shock Wave.
Roarke's system was runner-up."

Perry asked the crucial question, "Can you tell us who's behind
Shock Wave?"

Sore Throat's answer was immediate, "Luthor Technologies."

Lois, Clark and Perry all exchanged glances as if to say,
"We-should-have-known."

Lois challenged, "Why was Shock Wave picked?"

Sore Throat's answer was swift and sure, "More sophisticated.
It's designed to automatically identify any foreign object
within sensor range and calibrate an appropriate response."

Clark, eager for more detail because he knew intuitively that he
might just have to deal with this, asked, "What kind of
response?"

Sore Throat didn't know the reason for Kent's interest, but
decided that he needed to make sure they had the information they
needed. He had recognized them even though Perry hadn't
introduced them, knew the reputation of both Lois Lane and Clark
Kent and their relationship with Superman. By giving them the
information he could very well be passing it on to Superman
indirectly. "Think of it as a sonic 'curtain.' Sonic
vibrations providing an impenetrable barrier that would disable
whatever tried to pass." He paused for a second as he dredged up
the additional details, "Roarke had millions tied up in his own
system. I'm not surprised he's taking steps."

Sore Throat sneezed again and then asked, "Anyone have a
tissue?"

Lois delved into her bag and bringing one out, handed it to him.
As she did, she asked, "Mr. ... Throat, what would you suggest
we do?"

He considered for a second and then answered, "You could take
whatever evidence you have to the Navy, but they'd probably
accuse *you* of espionage. This test is beyond top secret." He
thought for a few seconds and then offered, "You could publish
your theories, force the Navy to cancel the test, and face
government censure and a slew of lawsuits." There was another
pause before he finished, "Or, you could do what I'm gonna
do."

Clark asked the obvious question, "What is that?"

"Get out of town." He cleared his throat noisily and said, "I
need a drier climate."

Lois was astounded and blurted out, "That's it? *That's* your
advice?" More than a little note of sarcasm entered her voice as
she finished, "The great Sore Throat has spoken?"

Defensively, Sore Throat replied, "What'd you expect to hear?
Follow the money?" He shook his head and then added, "You know,
I *never* understood that." Finished speaking, Sore Throat
started to turn away to leave.

Perry stopped him, "Keep in touch."

Sore Throat stopped and replied, "As always," but thought he
would add one final log to the fire, "Oh, by the way, did I
mention that Roarke was completely insane, with maniacal
delusions of grandeur?"

Perry was dumbfounded. All he could say was, "No."

Sore Throat replied, "Well, he is." Now he was finished and he
beat a hasty retreat.

Lois, Clark and Perry just stared after him and each other for a
minute before heading back, Perry to the Planet, Lois and Clark
to the Lexor.

***

Lois was still wearing Clark's jacket, and they were discussing
the benefits of the recommendations that Sore Throat had made as
they approached the door to the Honeymoon Suite.

Lois said, "I say we publish. We gather up everything we've
got, video, audio, research, and put it in the afternoon
edition." Delving into her bag she searched for her keycard. She
muttered, "It was here a while ago."

Clark's response was quick, "Assuming Perry goes for it, I
agree."

Lois was still searching for her keycard as she replied, "Roarke
scares me. If half of what we've heard is true ... he's got to
be stopped."

Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out his keycard to open
the door. Slipping it into the slot he unlocked the door and
swung it open.

The sight that greeted them caused both of their jaws to drop in
shock. The suite had been ransacked! The audio/video equipment
was smashed to pieces, tapes destroyed, furniture overturned,
sofa cushions torn, wallpaper peeled off the walls. Lois pushed
the door closed behind them.

When she did, it became apparent how they had found them. Lois'
room keycard was pinned to the back of the door with Bart's
knife. Lois mused, "I was wondering where that was." Lois
headed into the bedroom and found that not only was her wardrobe
scattered around, most of it had been slashed and ruined.

In the sitting room, Clark could hear Lois' exclamations of
despair with each new piece of clothing she found destroyed.
Clark started doing a minute examination of the sitting room
using his telescopic and x-ray vision. He started in the area
where the equipment had been and branched out from there, trying
to find anything that would still be useable. He heard a slight
noise and zeroed in on the sound with his vision. When he did he
saw a bomb, hidden in the couch. It had apparently been triggered
by their entry and the timer had counted down to one second.

At super-speed, Clark closed the distance and decided on the
appropriate course of action. He grabbed the bomb and pulled it
into his stomach, curling his body around it. He had to use his
body to dampen the explosion. When the bomb went off there was
only a very muffled explosion. Fortunately, since he had pulled
the bomb in close to his body, his aura had protected his clothes
and, other than some smoke, there was no damage.

Lois stuck her head around the corner of the door and asked,
"Did you hear something?"

Clark said, "Yeah. They left us a little present."

"Oh? What?"

Clark stood and indicated the smoke rising from his chest, "A
bomb. It was timed to explode after we entered the room."

"Good thing you found it." Lois had something in her hand as
she said, "Obviously, Roarke knows we're on to him."

Indicating the ruined equipment, Clark replied, "Worse than
that, he's destroyed all our evidence."

Lowering his glasses, Clark looked across the way to the offices
and said, "They've cleared out, lock, stock and barrel."

Lois was determined as she said, "We have to stop him. That sick
so-and-so is capable of anything." She held up what was in her
hand. It was Clarkie bear and his stomach was slashed wide open
with his stuffing protruding.

Just then, Clark's head tilted to the side as his super-hearing
picked up a distress call and he said, "Lois, I have to go. Why
don't you head back to the Planet and get together with Perry.
Let him know what had happened and see what we can do."

"Okay."

Clark sprinted for the stairs and Lois said, under her breath,
"After I check out something."

***

After Clark left on his rescue, Lois went home and changed
clothes. She made sure that she had everything she would need in
her camel colored bag and headed for an address on pier 31 and
the warehouse that Jimmy had mentioned.

When she arrived she found that there was a fence around the
perimeter. Finding a gap near a gate, Lois managed, thanks to her
slim figure, to squeeze through the gap. As she did she thought,
<Clark, where are you when I need you. You could have floated us
over this fence.>

Lois saw that attached to the warehouse was a boat house.
Thinking that it might be easier to enter the boat house than the
warehouse itself, Lois descended a set of steps at the side to
near water level.

She found a door and, delving into her bag, pulled out her lock
picks and went to work on the lock. It yielded to her efforts in
short order and she opened the door.

Stealthily, Lois made her way into the boat house. She had to
move around crates and other obstacles. She saw a light at a
distance and headed in that direction. When she got close enough
she looked through a door into a lighted room and saw Congressman
Harrington, bound to a chair and gagged. He was slumped over,
possibly unconscious.

Suddenly, Roarke stepped into view. He had a briefcase and he
started putting papers into it.

Lois reached into her bag again and pulled out her camera, intent
on taking pictures. Just as she was bringing the camera up to
look through the viewfinder she felt a hand on her shoulder and
suddenly there was a knife at her throat. With a startled
expression on her face, Lois gasped. She knew it wasn't Clark.

***

Later, at the Daily Planet Clark joined Cat, Jimmy and Perry in
the conference room. Clark asked, 'Where's Lois?"

Perry replied, "I don't know, son. Isn't she with you?"

"No, we separated. She was supposed to come back here and fill
you all in on what happened, while I followed another lead."

Jimmy asked, "Could she have gone back to the apartment, I mean,
your apartment. You know, to change clothes or something?"

Picking up the phone, Clark dialed the number. When the answering
machine picked up he hung up. With a worried look, Clark said,
"She's not there," and started to leave, but Perry stopped
him. He asked, "What happened? I thought you were going to bring
the evidence you had collected here."

"Perry, that's just it ... there is no evidence. They found out
about us and ransacked the Honeymoon Suite. They destroyed all of
our evidence."

In a resigned tone, Perry said, "Well, that's it I guess. We
got nothin to take to the authorities. Look, wait right here. Let
me make some calls." Perry returned to his office.

The longer the delay, the more anxious Clark was becoming. He was
sure that Lois had gone off like a loose cannon again and was in
danger, he just didn't have any idea as to just where she could
be.

As a conversational gambit, Jimmy said, "I bet Lois was pretty
upset, losing all of your evidence."

With a rueful shake of his head, Clark said, "You can say that
again."

Cat really hadn't been paying strict attention to what all was
going on and said, "I'm starved."

Jimmy was the first to see Perry returning and said, "Chief?"

Perry replied, "I called everyone I know in Washington. No
one's interested. And, as far as the Navy's concerned, there
*is* no test." He looked around and asked, "Lois turn up?"

Clark was reaching the end of his patience. He didn't know where
Lois was and he was worried. Then he had a thought. There was one
avenue that hadn't been followed. He moved to his desk, picked
up the phone and dialed.

Jimmy asked, "Who are you calling?"

Clark held up his hand for silence as the phone was answered. He
said, "Hello, this is Clark Kent with the Daily Planet. I'd
like to speak with Lex Luthor, please." He listened for a second
and then replied, "*Yes*, it is important. *Very*, important."

***

Chapter 9

***

Clark was very tempted to change into the Suit and scour the
city; however, he knew from prior experience just how fruitless
that could be. He needed some clue as to where to look or he'd
be wasting his time and perhaps be in the wrong place when push
came to shove.

Clark, Perry and Jimmy were in the newsroom, brainstorming. Clark
was pacing restlessly while Perry and Jimmy sat on a couple of
desks.

Clark said, "Lois hasn't dropped this. I know it. What would I
do if I were her?"

Perry offered, "Something impetuous."

Jimmy offered, "And headstrong."

Clark added, "And dangerous."

Cat sashayed up and asked, "Is anyone else hungry?"

Suddenly an unexpected voice answered her question, "No, thank
you." Clark recognized the voice and turned to see Luthor
enter.

Perry turned to him and asked, "Lex, what are you doing here?"

Always urbane and courteous, especially to those he considered
his inferiors and, especially right now with Clark Kent, he
needed to remain cordial so he greeted them and explained,
"Perry, Mr. Kent, Cat ..." He looked at Jimmy, but didn't know
his name, "... and ... whoever, Luthor Technologies has
approximately half a billion dollars in research and development
tied up in a project code-named Shock Wave. Shock Wave, even the
name, is top secret. Yet you, Mr. Kent, you call to tell me you
not only know of the project, but suspect that Thaddeus Roarke, a
man with whom I've had previous unsatisfactory dealings, intends
upon sabotaging the impending test. A test which commences," he
paused to look at his gold Rolex watch, "in six and one half
minutes." He paused to let that sink in before he continued,
"Under the circumstances I might have elected to stay home and
watch reruns of Flipper on the all night cable channel. Instead,
I decided to come here." He looked around at the four people and
asked, "What is going on?"

Clark looked at Perry and Perry nodded his permission so Clark
launched into an explanation, "We've had Roarke and Congressman
Ian Harrington under surveillance. Roarke is positive your system
will fail its test, leaving the door open for *his* system to be
adopted instead.

Off to the side, not involved in the conversation, Cat was
thumbing through the yellow pages looking for food and said,
"Oooo, Italian would be good. Linguini with clam sauce."

Luthor was pensive, only for a second, then replied, musingly,
"Roarke and Harrington, I should have known." Looking directly
at Clark now, Luthor challenged, "You say that Roarke is
positive?"

Clark simply nodded in reply.

Luthor was thinking out loud when he said, "That would imply
sabotage. No one ever described Thaddeus Roarke as an incurable
optimist."

Perry challenged, "Now, Lex, how could your system be
sabotaged?"

Luthor was less than sure of himself as he replied, "So far as I
know, it can't."

Clark pointed out the obvious, "But Roarke is an electronic
weapons systems expert."

Luthor had to agree, "Yes, he is."

Cat said, "Maybe Mexican, chicken enchiladas."

Jimmy suggested, "What about a power failure?"

Luthor shook his head in dismissal, "Redundant systems, too many
backups for that to happen."

Clark pointed out, "Besides, Roarke hinted at more than a simple
breakdown. Something ... bigger."

With that, the conversation ceased while they were all deep in
thought.

Cat said, "Oo, Japanese! I could go for something Japanese."
Thinking about her mistake earlier and willing to poke fun at
herself, she quipped, "How about some of that 'tsunami.'"

That one word, spoken by an unsuspecting source triggered a
string of thoughts and first Clark then Jimmy and Perry looked up
in surprise.

Luthor was puzzled. Cat was speaking about food and had mentioned
something which wasn't food, "Tsunami?"

Clark shot to his feet and almost shouted, "Tsunami, a giant
wave caused by an undersea tremor!"

Jimmy said, in an awed tone, "Shock Wave."

Clark turned to Jimmy. He now had an idea of just where Lois was,
"Jimmy, where was that Apocalypse Consulting warehouse?"

"Pier 31."

Perry also realized the significance, "Great shades of Elvis."

Clark turned to Perry and said, "Chief, I have to get down
there."

"Go, son. I hope you find her."

Luthor turned to Perry as Clark ran up the ramp and through the
stairwell door, "Find who?"

"Lois is missing. She's been gone for several hours."

Luthor's face fell. Noting the location ... Pier 31, he left
quickly following almost in Clark's footsteps.

***

Dawn was breaking. Lois and Congressman Harrington were tied side
by side to a piling which supported that section of the wharf
around the boathouse.

Bart was loading equipment into an outboard motorboat.
Congressman Harrington had regained consciousness and he and Lois
were watching as Bart did so.

Roarke stepped over and addressed his captives, "I envy you two.
You'll have a much better view from here. However, *we* do need
to get out beyond the three mile limit." He smirked and bringing
his hands up in a Japanese salute, he gave a slight bow and said,
"Sayonara."

Neither Lois nor Harrington had said a word, they simply watched
as Roarke joined Bart in the launch. As soon as he jumped aboard,
Bart started the engine and pulled away from the dock.

Lois turned to the congressman and asked, "What'd he mean?"

The congressman was almost unresponsive, but he finally was able
to answer, "We're dead."

Lois was confident in Clark, but since she had gone off again
without telling him where she was going, she had some doubt, but
she still said, "Congressman, we'll be fine. Someone will find
us."

Harrington gave a slight shake of his head. He said, with a
fatalistic tone in his voice, "No, it's too late." He paused a
second and then continued, "I never meant for this to happen."

Lois was starting to worry now. She turned to Harrington and
asked, "What?"

Harrington stopped talking and simply stared out to sea.

***

Out at sea an older World War II era light cruiser and its task
force was on station. Its duty was to ensure that there were no
intruders in the test area. Using radar and sonar, it and its
escorts were sweeping the area for other vessels. Reports could
be heard all over the vessel as they were transmitted via the PA
system.

"All systems ... operational."

"Prepared for barrier penetration test."

"Sonar sweeps ... negative."

A controller picked up a handset and said, "Flight deck, you are
cleared for takeoff."

The signal was given and a Navy Sea Stallion helicopter took off
from the helipad on the after deck. Its mission was to deploy the
Shock Wave package.

Course and speed of the helicopter was tracked by the ship and
when on station the order was given, "Prepare to deploy package
on zero. Three, two, one, zero." The loadmaster hit the release
and a large cylindrical object dropped from the belly of the
aircraft. A small drogue shoot trailed it to stabilize its
descent. It only had to fall three hundred feet before it
splashed through the surface of the sea. As soon as it hit the
water the drogue shoot dropped off.

Back on the ship, the entry of the package into the water was
noted and a countdown started, "Shock Wave in ... ten ... nine
... eight ... seven ... six ... five ... four ... three ... two
... one."

Once underwater, the device dropped an anchor line and floated,
stationary, below the surface.

The test was initiated when a torpedo was fired from another
surface vessel. No undersea craft were included in the task force
due to the nature of the test. The torpedo streaked through the
blue-black depths trailing a stream of bubbles in its wake as the
compressed air driven propeller sent it under its own power to
reach its predetermined point where the Shock Wave system
engaged, reacting to the threat presented by the torpedo. First,
a barely heard VIBRATION and a shimmer of golden light appeared
over the water. But, the vibration escalated into an
ear-splitting HUMM. Suddenly the sensors on board the cruiser
started to go crazy. Most of the sensor readings went right off
the scale. Panic began to set in. The ship rocked in the sudden
troughs. Warning ALARMS started to sound. The point at which the
detonation of the torpedo occurred was within visual range of the
cruiser and resulted in a geyser of water at the site.

From the site of the detonation the geyser had fallen back on
itself, but then a swell had started to be generated. This was
not like any manifestation that the personnel on the vessel had
ever seen. If a pebble had been dropped into a pond the swell
would show as ripples moving out in concentric circles from the
center, or the spot where the pebble had disturbed the surface.
This was different. It was directional! It was growing as they
watched and manifested itself as a single wall as if a hand had
simply pushed the water in one direction.

The cruiser was close enough that the wall of water had not
reached a height that it couldn't simply ride over. The wave
quickly passed under the ship giving everyone a rocky ride as it
did and then the crew watched as it gathered breadth, strength
and height while it receded from them in the direction of the
shore, the shore where the city of Metropolis stood.

***

Lois was still trying to get Congressman Harrington's attention
when she heard Clark's voice and realized that he was here to
save her. She heard Clark shout, "Lois!"

She shouted back, "Clark! Over here!"

She looked at Harrington to get his attention and let him know
that the cavalry had arrived, but when she looked at him he was
staring out to sea and his eyes had gone almost as large as
dinner plates.

She didn't know how Clark got to her, if he had flown or run,
but she was grateful that he was there nonetheless. Looking over
her shoulder, she saw that Clark was in his business suit and not
the Suit. It was natural then that he would kneel behind them and
start to work on their bonds.

Still worried, Clark asked, "Where's Roarke?"

Lois nodded her head and said, "He headed out to sea."

Clark looked and didn't like what he saw. He looked at
Harrington and saw his blank stare. He asked, "Is he all
right?"

"I think he's in shock. He never meant for this to happen."

"For what to happen?"

"How should I ..." That was when she saw the wave. She gasped
and said, "Oh ... my ... GOD! Clark! Look! Come on, get us out
of these ropes."

From seaward there was a RUMBLE, like rolling thunder or a
hundred freight trains. Lois' eyes widened. Harrington Screamed.
Clark swiveled to look.

Realizing that time was short and that Harrington probably
wouldn't remember what was happening anyhow, Clark ripped the
ropes apart and freed Lois and Harrington.

***

Chapter 10

***

Clark helped Lois and Harrington to their feet.

"Go, go. Get to higher ground," Clark urgently said and pushed
them on their way.

It took Harrington a few seconds to realize that he had been
released, but as soon as he did, he turned and fled.

Lois turned to Clark fully expecting him to pick her up and fly
her away, but instead she saw that he was looking at the wall of
water that was rapidly approaching. Clark had been all around the
world and had seen large waves. He had seen some big waves in
Oahu, Maui, Mexico, Tahiti, Tasmania, Chile, California, South
Africa and Fiji, but those were waves that surfers could handle.
He had never seen a wave this big. This made the largest wave he
had ever seen in the Banzai Pipeline look like a pond ripple. It
towered into the air for what seemed like a hundred feet and it
was bearing down on Metropolis with the speed of a freight train,
not a slow freight, an express.

If that wave made it to shore only the tallest structures would
survive.

Lois grabbed his arm and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Without taking his eyes from that evil wall of water, Clark said
to her, "Lois, I want you to get to higher ground. Run."

Lois asked, "What about you?"

"I've got to stop ... that."

Lois gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "Go get'em
Tiger!"

He noted that Harrington was already out of sight and he doubted
he would be looking back again as he fled so he did a spin change
and took to the air.

Heedless of the danger and confident in her husband's abilities,
Lois stayed where she was to watch the show. She found her bag
lying on the dock near where she had been tied up. Picking it up,
she was surprised to see that her camera had been returned to it.
She pulled it out and started snapping pictures.

As the wave approached the shoals it actually became taller, the
rising seabed forcing the water higher. Clark was surprised that
it didn't start to curl and break, but then this was not a
normal wave. It reached the point where it actually dwarfed all,
everything, but the tallest buildings on the Metropolis skyline.

As Clark took to the air the wave finally began to crest, but
that really wasn't a big help. He had to do something to protect
Lois. By protecting Lois he would also be protecting the city.

Thinking back to their time in the Honeymoon Suite he remembered
the spa tub. The design had a trench around the lip with extra
drains to siphon off the excess water. Even with all of the
turbulence of their movements it had not overflowed.

At super-speed he clove into the water in front of the wave.
Diving to the seabed, he began to dig a trench. He threw the
debris up on the shore side of the trench. The deeper he made the
trench the higher the wall rose. In less time than you would
think, the trench he had excavated extended beyond the limits of
the wave in both directions and the wall rose above the surface.

When the wave reached that point, Clark assisted his efforts by
flying back and forth, side to side, pushing as much water in
front of him as he could. The effect was dramatic.

When the wave hit the trench he had created it had immediately
lost much of its height. Superman's movement through the trench
from side to side siphoned off large quantities of the water and
the wall that had been created with the excavation debris stood
like a dike. What was left of the wave hit the dike and
subsided.

It was like the wave just magically folded in on itself and
disappeared.

Seeing that the danger was now past, Superman started to take
apart the dike he had created. He knew that it would be a hazard
to ocean going vessels so he simply pushed the debris back into
the trench he had created.

Once he was finished he floated up above the surface and spun at
super-speed to spin dry his Suit and then flew to where Lois
awaited him.

Just as Superman was picking Lois up to fly her away, Lex Luthor
arrived. He saw Lois wrap her arms around Superman's neck and
lean her head into his shoulder just before they lifted off.

Luthor thought, <Huh, I wonder if Kent knows about this. Maybe he
should be made aware of just how cozy his wife is with Superman.
Enough of that and he might divorce her.>

***

Clark flew Lois home. They landed on the balcony and moved into
the bedroom. Before they had gone five paces he had spun into his
business suit.

In a chiding tone, he said, "Lois, we have to talk."

Innocently, Lois replied, "Oh? What about?"

"Lois, you did it again!"

Still acting innocent, she asked, "Did what again?"

"Look, don't act innocent. You know exactly what I'm talking
about. You went off and put yourself into a dangerous situation
without even telling me where you were going."

Lois hedged, "Well, you weren't around. You had gone off on a
rescue. How could I tell you if you weren't even around?"

"Lo -- is. You had to have had this planned before I left! I was
worried sick about you. I was about ready to start scouring the
city. If I had, I could have been on the far side of the city
when all of this happened and then where would you be?"

With a shy smile she said, "Right where I belong, in your arms.
I knew you would rescue me. You always do."

"Lois, why does this keep happening? You promised that you
wouldn't do that again."

"Oh, I didn't mean to. It's just that ... well ..."

"Well what?"

"Well, if I had told you, you would have told me how dangerous
it would be and asked me not to go and I would have had to say
that it's my job and I have to go and you would have insisted
that I stay home, for my own safety and I would have had to defy
you and go anyway, so you see it was better this way. I didn't
have to defy you and go against your wishes."

Shaking his head in chagrin at her babble, Clark asked, "What am
I going to do with you?"

Lois smiled a coy smile and a raised eyebrow, she asked, "Are
you really looking for suggestions?"

"Lois, I'm trying to have a serious discussion here."

"So am I. I'm serious about our relationship."

Clark just looked at her for a minute.

Finally, she broke the silence. In a small voice she said,
"Clark?"

Resignedly, Clark replied, "What is it Lois?"

"I think I got some good shots of the tsunami."

He looked at her in surprise. "You what?"

She started to smile a self-satisfied smile, "I think I got some
good shots of the tsunami."

He looked at her in amazement, "You are amazing. With all that
was happening, you managed to get pictures? In ... credible."

She nodded, "Yep. I think I need to call Jimmy to get the film
and develop it and then we need to start writing. We've got a
scoop to publish."

***

The next morning the headline of the Daily Planet read:

*SURF'S UP! *

And had a Lane and Kent byline.

All around them the newsroom was a bustle, a normal busy morning.
Lois, Clark, Jimmy, Perry, and Cat were all gathered around
Clark's desk. The featured photo was of the giant wave with the
photo credit being given to Lois Lane

The Sub-heads were:

*Superman Builds Undersea Trench, Saves Metropolis With Seconds
to Spare.*

And:

*Thaddeus Roarke Held For Questioning.*

Jimmy was incredulous, "Held for questioning! Hah! They caught
the guy red-handed!"

Perry commented, "It's amazing how he manipulated the Shock
Wave sensors to make them think something the size of the Rocky
Mountains was trying to penetrate the system."

Lois replied, "Yeah, the system worked just fine. It just ...
over-reacted."

Clark finished for her, "And the resulting seismic effect caused
the tsunami."

Lois said, with some satisfaction, "So, Luthor Technologies,
with some modifications, gets the contract. End of story."

Cat added, "Not quite. Congressman Ian Harrington is claiming he
set the whole thing up as a sting operation to trap Roarke. He
says any claims of collusion on his part are merely
unsubstantiated rumors."

Thinking about what Cat has said previously, Clark, Lois, Jimmy
and Perry all chorused, "The best kind."

All of them, including Cat started to laugh.

***

A few days later, the phone rang in the Honeymoon Suite of the
Lexor Hotel.

Clark picked up the phone and said, "Hello."

The voice coming out of the receiver was immediately
recognizable, "Clark Kent, what are you and Lois doing in the
Honeymoon Suite again?"

Clark smiled and said, "Hi, Mom. Well you see it's this way,
it's just the management's way of apologizing for any
inconvenience suffered during our stay. They knew that we didn't
trash the room. They didn't know just who or why but since we
were registered here at the time they offered us a couple of days
free after the repairs were completed."

"Is Lois there? I still need to talk to her about
Thanksgiving."

"Uh, she went downstairs."

Jonathan said, "Uh oh. Just like last time."

Just then, Lois came through the door and Clark said, "No, not
like the last time. Here she is. Lois, Mom and Dad are on the
phone."

Lois put down her package and took the phone from Clark, "Hi
Martha and Jonathan! I'm happy to hear from you."

"And we are happy to hear you, too. Listen, Thanksgiving is
coming up. What are you guys doing?"

Lois looked at Clark with a question in her eyes. He smiled and
said, "Whatever you want to do is fine."

Lois smiled and returned to the phone, "Martha, we don't have
any plans. What did you have in mind?"

***

A little later, Lois and Clark were in the bedroom. Lois held up
that package she had brought back with her from downstairs. She
said, "I'm going into the bathroom to change. No peeking."

He gave her an innocent expression and said, "Me? Peek?
Never!"

Lois almost danced into the bathroom. Clark heard the shower and
thought he might as well get comfortable so he changed out of his
business suit and into a pair of sleep shorts.

He heard the shower go off and then some rustling sounds in the
bathroom. He could distinguish the sounds of the towel rubbing
over her skin and the slight squeak as she dried her hair.

A few minutes later the door opened and Lois stood in the
doorway. She struck a pose and Clark's jaw dropped open. She was
a vision of loveliness in red satin. She was wearing a red teddy
and looking absolutely sexy. He could feel all of his blood
rushing south as his breath caught in his throat.

Seeing his reaction, Lois asked in a sultry tone, "Wanna peel a
tomato?"

THE END

This story is part of a series including "All Shook Up:
Matchmaker Style," "The Green, Green Glow of Home: Matchmaker
Style" and "Pheromone My Lovely: Matchmaker Style."