Tuesday. November 10th, 2015
• • •
"Martha?"
Clark's mother was standing before me, and once I got over my shock, I quickly ushered her inside, closing my robe. Taking her jacket and stifling a yawn, I led her to the kitchen. We were both sitting in silence while the coffee maker gurgled. Only when I had given her cup to her, and she took a sip, did she speak.
"I thought you'd like the company. I get so lonely in that house by myself and wanted to see you."
I smiled at her. I wish I had known she was going stir crazy in her house. I was trying to figure out if I had known, maybe Clark had mentioned it, but I didn't recall it. Were we both so engrossed in each other and what was happening to Superman in the media that we were pushing others away? I made a mental note to call my mom later. We still hadn't spoken since the dinner. I moved closer to her and set my cup on the countertop.
"I was at work when I saw the news and-,"
Her voice trailed off, and I nodded, "I've never seen him so defeated either. I don't know how to help him. I wish I stopped him."
I didn't have to clarify for her to know I was talking about his disappearance. Her hand came into my view as she slid it across to my shaking hands.
"Don't do that. Don't beat yourself up for his choices. He's a grown man."
I nodded just as my alarm set on my phone went off and I quickly shut it off. It's shrill ring slicing through the air like a knife. Martha looked at me as if she was dismissed and I watched her gather her purse.
"You can stay while I'm away at work. I wish I knew you were coming. I would have called out. I'd feel bad if you came all the way out here to go right back."
"No, don't do that. I'll come by later this week; I have friends in D.C. I've needed to visit for a while. How does Friday work for you? I have a lot of time on my hands. The drive is worth seeing you, Annie."
"Okay. I work all day Friday, but I can ask to leave early. Perry shouldn't have a problem with it," I explained to her while setting her coffee in the sink, "This is great though, I have a risotto recipe I've been dying to try, and you can be my guinea pig while Clark is away."
I turned to her smiling bright, my mind was jumbled with a million questions, but I didn't want her to see I was more bothered then I let on. We hugged, and she told me to stop stressing, that it'll all work out, but something in my gut was telling me she was wrong.
• • •
Tuesday. November 10th, 2015. 5:15 PM.
• • •
The air around me was almost hostile. Men and women alike have glared and spat at me while I was out for lunch-- all I wanted was soup from the deli down the street and on my way back to work I was pushed, and now a few of my colleagues were whispering in their cubicles like I couldn't hear them. The little girl who lives above me was crying while her mother took her to school because she didn't understand how Superman was terrible if he's always been good.
My whole day has consisted of me being called up for interviews and deleting a dozen emails requesting I come on a talk show to discuss my viewpoint on the matter. I had denied all of them, and they never ceased. My email was something I couldn't look at anymore, so I pushed away from my desk and walked over to where Perry was criticizing some work, his voice was loud and calm.
"Perry, can I speak to you in your office?"
"I'll be in, go on ahead."
He had waved me off, and I settled into the chair across from his desk taking in the large window and awards on the wall while I waited. I was only waiting for a few minutes, and then he finally came in shutting the door behind him and with a sigh settled into his chair turning his dark gaze to me.
"Perry, I was hoping to request leaving work early on Friday."
"Okay, what else."
I blinked at him.
"What?"
"Annie, you could have sent me an email for that. I know today has been hard. I've had to call numerous people in here, and I know you can hear them. Don't let them get to you."
I nodded but didn't get up.
Perry's grey eyebrow popped up, and I leaned forward.
"What do I do about all the interviews and invites to talk shows? I keep turning them away, but they keep coming back. I never wanted all this attention."
"The attention comes with the boyfriend, Annie. He is a symbol, and you are now too."
I watched him lean back, spinning slightly in his chair, his eyes roaming the room before he locked onto me again.
"We can get ahead of it all and do the interview here."
My eyes must've widened considerably because he quickly added that it was my choice.
"I'll think about it, but don't get your hopes up."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
• • •
Friday. November 13th, 2015. 7:30 PM.
• • •
"...and he went straight through his bedroom ceiling. Landed up in the attic! Jonathan and I had no idea what the loud bang was and ran upstairs, and he was sitting on the floor with debris and insulation all around him." Martha exclaimed.
Our laughs were barely laughs, just wheezes because we've been laughing so much. I chugged the last of my wine to help my throat. The entire night was filled with stories about Clark and my childhood. Getting to know Martha was something I enjoyed and hearing how Clark was as a kid made me wonder how he handled all of it.
"I can't even handle cooking risotto and Clark as a thirteen-year-old rescued his entire bus form drowning...talk about strong-willed." I laughed glancing back at the messy kitchen. I was so engrossed in the news that the pasta had burned and I had to think fast so Chinese it was. On the bright side, Martha seemed to be enjoying tonight, and I was glad.
In the bedroom, a faint ringtone began to play, and I excused myself rushing to the bedroom.
"Hello, Lois?"
"What are you doing?"
I looked over my shoulder at Martha, "Eating dinner with Clark's mom, why?"
"Oh," She seemed surprised, "Tell Martha I said hello. I'll let you go."
"Wait, why did you call?"
"We need to talk. It can wait."
I sighed pinching my nose, "Lois, it can't. Do you have a pen? I'll give you my address."
• • •
Martha was delighted to see Clark's ex and had engulfed her in a massive hug. I stood back watching them catch up for a moment, Lois looked like she had just come from work and I glanced at the clock it was eight now. Lois followed me into the kitchen, and I poured three glasses of wine. Martha sat gingerly sipping her white wine. We both turned our attention to Lois.
"Wallace Keefe did not know he was going to die." She said keeping her eyes leveled on me waiting for me to realize what she already knew.
"What do you mean? It was his wheelchair that had the bomb in it. How did he not know it was in there?" Martha responded.
"Oh my god, Clark didn't know did he? It was lined with lead, wasn't it, Lois?"
I remember during one night I had asked Clark if he had any vulnerabilities besides Kryptonite, so I knew what not to bring around him by accident. He had said he isn't fond of magic and that lead for some reason is something that he couldn't see or hear through. Clark had told me he never knew why it was like that and joked that if he was to be as powerful as he was lead and kryptonite, rocks and minerals, made sense to be his weakness.
"That simple bomb wasn't going to hurt him. Why would he set it off?" Martha asked.
"It wasn't to harm Superman, but to frame him. There was a news report on the case earlier today, and the FBI believes that Superman was a co-conspirator. Since the raid, he has been a target, and they're succeeding in decimating his character and all the good he's done." Lois said taking a large gulp of her wine.
"Who is it? Who is behind all this?" I asked.
"Lex Luthor."
A stunned silence encroached quickly upon as if it was lurking in the shadows. I sucked in a breath. It was all making sense now, why Lex invited me to the party and wanted to know everything. My heart felt heavy, and I slumped down onto my stool pressing my face into my hands.
"Lois, what do we do now?"
Martha was glancing between the two of us her wine glass forgotten in front of her.
"Wait for Clark to come back, and then we go public."
"You can't wait until he gets back. Do you hear what they're saying about my son on the news every day, Lois? It's only going to get worse. You have to do something tonight."
"Going live without Superman will only make it worse, Martha. He's not here. He's been MIA since Monday. The people will see it as incredibly convenient that he comes back only when there is news to clear his name. We don't know when he's coming back. If we're going to go live with this, he needs to know about it beforehand and stand next to me when those cameras turn on."
The air in the room was now tense as they stared at each other. I could tell Martha was biting her lip, trying to keep her thoughts to herself about Lois needing Superman to stand next to her as she once again takes the credit for breaking one of the biggest stories of the year if not the decade.
"I'll do it."
Two pairs of perplexed eyes settled on me, and I shrugged, "They've wanted me to do interviews for weeks and more so now after the bombing. I'll go to The Daily Planet. Perry is still there right?"
Lois nodded.
"Good. I'll make myself presentable, and you'll email me all the information?" I turned my attention to Lois.
"I'll do you one better," She set her black Louis Vuitton leather tote onto the counter and pulled out a plastic folder with multiple folders inside, secured with a string, "Everything you need is in here. The bullet, the photos, everything."
After Lois left, and I spent an hour looking over the notes and photos in the folder I made up the guest room for Martha and went to take my shower. I didn't want to do an interview, I had been so against going on camera to talk about the incident on Monday, but now with all the evidence against Luthor, I knew it was something I couldn't question anymore.
A loud sound made me spin around. Frowning, I listened closer.
"Martha?"
I heard it again and shut off the water. In the distance, I heard the door to my room open and could just make out the faint steps of boots on the carpet.
"Clark?" Excited and hopeful he had finally come home, I began to open the shower only to be pushed back into it, the door was being forcibly shut as I struggled with the handle. In front of me was a man in all black, slicked-back hair and a face that was frustratingly familiar.
"We have his girl." The man before me tossed my towel over the stall and demanded I put it on before listening to the person on the other end of his earpiece.
"Yes. His mother too."
Dread flooded my body as I wrapped the towel around it and he pulled me from the stall into my bedroom. He demanded I get dressed fast or Martha was going to suffer. I dressed in a black t-shirt, threw a black sweater over that and pulled on jeans by the time he banged on my door, quickly slipping on boots I opened it.
Suddenly a black mask was thrust over my head, and I was grabbed roughly by the forearms and dragged out of my apartment. I'm not sure how they were able to get me out of my apartment without anyone stopping them, but somehow they did, and I soon felt the fresh air of the night on my hands and neck.
"Martha?" I called.
"Annie, I'm here!" She was to the left of me, but when I moved that way I was pulled right back and shoved into the back of a car. The drive wasn't too long. I know it felt longer because of the panic. Whoever was sitting on either side of me weren't talkers. Neither answered my demands. I wanted to know where we were going and why I was taken and what they were doing with Martha, but silence and the feeling of a gun pressed against my ribs greeted me, and I could only assume the worst was to come of this drive.
We hadn't left the city yet. I could hear it as they led me into another building and down hallways and into an elevator. My arms were sore from how tight their grips were, and I winced when I have to be pulled once again, my feet stumbled down some stairs and then we were outside. My boots clank loudly against metal, and I look down, confused at what I could be walking on. Honks and the bustle of the city were in the distance, and I knew we were high up. The wind whipped at my hair and battered at my body as I stumbled. The man who had taken me forced me to stop and moved away to talk to who we were meeting.
I moved my head to listen, but they were too far out, and as I heard the retreating footsteps of the abductor, another pair walked towards me. I could feel their body invade my personal space and suddenly the bag was off, and I was standing in front of Lex Luthor.
• • •