Superman Movieverse Forum

Title: Family Reunion
Author: Mr. Beeto
Rating: PG-13
Beta: htbthomas and Shado Librarian
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton.

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Author’s Notes:
Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 34 – Under Pressure

Wednesday, October 4, 2006 12:00PM CDT
Lois walked out the back door of Ben Hubbard’s house with Clark following close behind her.  Lois turned to him and declared, “I’m driving.  Hand over the keys.”

“They’re in the ignition.”

Lois stopped and stared at him with an incredulous look on her face.  After a moment of silence, she rolled her eyes, climbed in the driver’s seat and muttered, “Farm boy.”  Clark climbed in the passenger seat while she adjusted the seat, and started the engine.

“It’s different out here in the country, Lois,” Clark explained defensively while Lois backed the truck away from the house.  “Nobody out here would even consider trying to steal it.”

“We’re still going to need to break you of these bad habits,” Lois warned him mirthfully.  She pulled forward into the gravel driveway and once she turned on the road, her tone turned serious and she asked.  “Now… what was it you didn’t want to say back there in front of Richard?”

“Well… we have an ID from Boston on our John and Jane Doe now,” Clark began somberly.  “The victims were a married couple – Dan and Nancy Austin.  She was a waitress at a local family restaurant and a part-time nursing student at Boston Community College.  He was a security guard at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.”

  “Didn’t something go missing there last weekend?”

“Besides the guard, they lost a meteorite from a 1978 meteor shower that rained down across Africa,” Clark confirmed.  “Technically, the meteorite is a radioactive isotope of unbiexium.”

“Un-be-what?” Lois asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Unbiexium,” Clark repeated.  “Atomic number one hundred twenty six, or element one twenty six, if you prefer.  Specifically, this meteorite was composed of the isotope unbiexium three ten.”

  “Three ten?” Lois asked.

“That’s the atomic mass number, like the two thirty-eight in uranium two thirty-eight,” Clark explained.  “That’s really not that important, though.  The relevant points are, one, that it’s a radioactive isotope and, two, it’s not supposed to exist naturally.   It’s from a theoretical period of elements called superactinides, which usually aren’t even printed on the periodic table.  Those elements are thought to only exist synthetically.”

“In other words, it’s man-made and from outer space?” Lois summarized.  “So what’s Luthor want with it?”

“I think I’ve figured that out, and it’s not good.  The scientific journals report that once you chip away the crusty burnt outer layer, the meteorites are emerald green in appearance and emit a faint glow in the visible light spectrum.”

Lois’ eyes flew wide open and she quietly murmured, “Kryptonite.”

“It looks that way,” Clark confirmed.  “Another unbiexium three ten sample from that same meteor shower was stolen from the Metropolis Museum of Natural History in June of ’97.  That was shortly after Superman’s debut and shortly before Luthor tried to kill him with the stuff.  I’m trying to track down the other meteorites so that I can borrow a sample to confirm its effects.”

“What?” Lois exclaimed.  “Clark, you can’t be serious–”

“It’ll be in a strictly controlled laboratory environment.  We’ll test against cell cultures taken from me first and I’ll only risk exposure if the initial results are inconclusive,” Clark interrupted.  “Lois, I have to know if this is the source of that poison.  If it is, then the remaining meteorites can be neutralized and we won’t have to worry about it hurting the kids someday.”

“I…” Lois began, and then snapped her mouth shut.  She sighed in frustration, and then said, “Fine, but I want to be there.  When’s this test going to happen?”

“Depends how long it takes to discreetly acquire a sample,” Clark informed her.

“Acquire as in stealing?” Lois asked teasingly.

Clark sighed and said, “No, there’s no need to steal it.  I have a trusted friend who’s confident that he can arrange a private examination of one of the unbiexium three ten meteorites up in Toronto.  We should be able to get our results discretely without tipping anyone off to our true purpose.  He’s trying to arrange it for sometime this weekend.”

“And if it is kryptonite?”

“Then we use the technology in the Fortress to neutralize the radiation in the remaining meteorites, rendering them inert,” Clark explained.

Lois was quiet for a moment, and then quietly muttered, “Well, I guess this definitely ties Luthor to those murders, then.”

“But we can’t use it – not without revealing the source of Earth’s kryptonite to Superman’s enemies…” Clark pointed out.

“…which we definitely do not want to do,” Lois added.    After a momentary pause, Lois asked quietly, “How likely do you think it is that this stuff is really kryptonite?”

“It’s very likely,” Clark declared.  “I ran some radioactive decay calculations at the Fortress this morning.  The crystals that comprised the bulk of Krypton’s technology and virtually all of its construction would have been converted into unbiexium when the radioactive stellar mass from the nova hit it.  The overwhelming majority of that would have been unbiexium three ten, the green stuff, with only fractional percentages of other elements mixed in there.”

“Was everything that got dragged here with your ship the green stuff?”

“Not entirely,” Clark replied seriously.  “There were other varieties recovered from that ’78 meteor shower as well.  There’s a chalky white variety that appears to be deadly, at least to plant life, which scientists have identified as ‘sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide’.  Actually, the sample from the Harvard museum was mislabeled with that name, but the curator from the Algiers museum that the piece was loaned from insists that it was the unbiexium three ten.”

“So, Luthor attacked you with green kryptonite last time, and this other stuff is what, white kryptonite?” Lois inquired quietly.

“Could be, though I have no idea how it would affect me.  There were also ruby red and charcoal black varieties recovered in small quantities and identified as other unbiexium isotopes – three twenty-two and three forty-six, respectively.  There is also still the possibility that there were other varieties in that meteor shower that haven’t been recovered yet, given the terrain and populations across the region where they came down.  In any case, the overwhelming majority of meteorites recovered to date have been the unbiexium three ten variety...  Those materials were all predicted in this morning’s analysis at the Fortress, by the way.”

“So Luthor has kryptonite,” Lois declared grimly.  She pulled into the drive at the Kent farm and complained, “And he’s gotten away with murder again.”

“It’s a temporary setback,” Clark assured her.  “We’ll get him…”

“…but we’ll have to find him first,” Lois added.  She parked the car beside the house and turned off the engine, turning her head and looking intently at Clark.

“Luthor will show up eventually – I have no doubt about that,” Clark assured her.

“It’s what he’ll do when he shows up that worries me,” Lois confessed.

“Me, too,” Clark concurred.  “But he’s more prone to make mistakes if we keep the pressure on him, which Harold is more than happy to help us with.  And he’s expecting us.”

“Then we better not keep him waiting,” Lois replied authoritatively.  “Come on, let’s go.”



Wednesday, October 4, 2006 3:30PM EDT
Perry covertly observed the intimidating behemoth of a man whose build belied his business suit, and who was seated in the chair just outside the editor’s office door, attentively observing the newsroom and challenging anyone approaching.  He was one of two bodyguards that Bruce Wayne had provided.  His equally large partner had just as grave a demeanor as he looked over the room from his post in the elevator lobby at the opposite end of the floor.  Perry shook his head and thought, I’ll be glad when this is over and we don’t need these killjoys around anymore.  They really scare the bejesus out of everyone, and I’m the only one the staff should be afraid of.

Though the aggressive coverage of the Luthor story had created a dangerous situation warranting the bodyguards, Perry reflected that it was also the gift that kept on giving, as far as circulation was concerned.  While the popular Superman headlines sold far more papers, they still had to run a second printing to keep up with newsstand demand for the Luthor story on more than one occasion since beginning their crusade against the madman.

He had been their lead story that morning as well, with the bold headline, “Luthor’s Prison Pals Paroled Early,” and mug shots of Luthor’s lackeys splashed across the front page.  In the story below, Clark and Lois had thoroughly documented the outrageous early parole of the madman’s hired help, excoriating the parole board for their folly.  They summarized the violent crimes the criminals had been convicted of and pointed out that all four felons were now in violation of their parole with two of them indicted for the recent morgue murder.   Local television news had picked up the Planet story, which had certainly helped to drive up their daily circulation numbers and web site traffic.

The Planet’s afternoon edition had also hammered Luthor in its lead story, “Planet Reporter Evades Armed Attack.”  Lois had provided a detailed accounting of the previous evening’s attempted hit on her partner, and had also reported that Luthor was believed to be behind the attack, quoting an unnamed police source.  She had tied it back to the battle for the Vanderworth fortune, and added new details that hadn’t been included in the previous coverage.  I think that this afternoon’s story was even harder hitting than our previous coverage, Perry reflected.   I wonder if Luthor’s figured out that he tried to intimidate the wrong paper…

Perry looked past his bodyguard into the bullpen, vaguely registering the din of the newsroom as he scrutinized his staff, finally hard at work again after the distraction of the bodyguards imposing presence.  As his gaze moved across the room, he was surprised to see one of the elevator cars in the lobby open to reveal his missing star reporters, who strolled purposefully out into the bullpen towards their desks.  Perry marched out his door and hollered across the bullpen, “Lane!  Kent!  What the hell are you doing here?”

“You mean besides writing up that exclusive Vanderworth interview you wanted?” Lois shouted back smugly.

“Well, you missed the afternoon deadline,” Perry grumbled brusque while fighting to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

“Oh, you’ll want to save this for the morning edition,” Lois insisted.  “You’ll sell more papers that way.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Perry declared.  “Well, what are you waiting for?  Write it up!  And try not to miss the morning deadline, too…  When you’re done, I want to see both of you in my office.”  Perry then returned to the solitude of his office, turning his chair towards the outside windows in order to hide his broad smile.  Yes, Luthor’s definitely trying to intimidate the wrong paper, Perry observed.  And the wrong reporters.

Twenty minutes later, a knock on the door interrupted Perry and he looked up to find Lois and Clark standing there.  “Here’s it is – hot off the press,” Lois declared and she handed him the freshly printed stack of papers, still warm and smelling of toner.

Perry looked at the printout, his eyes widening as he read the headline, “Vanderworths Accuse Luthor of Murder.”  He quickly read the first few paragraphs before looking back at his star reporters seated across from him.  “Is this for real?” he asked.

“Harold Junior didn’t pull any punches,” Lois stated simply.  “They also filed several motions in court around two o’clock this afternoon– one to throw out the new will, another was a wrongful death countersuit, another demanding a constructive trust on Luthor’s assets…”

“All of it was filed under seal…” Clark added.

“But we’ve got copies…” Los interjected.

“The Vanderworths don’t want to risk having the motions reported by a less ethical news outlets and tipping off Luthor,” Clark explained.

Perry waved the printouts in his hand and asked skeptically, “And this won’t tip him off?”

“This afternoon’s motions are off the record and weren’t mentioned in the story.  And we barely mentioned the coroner’s report…” Lois informed him.

“So as far as Luthor knows, it’s just the Vanderworths venting steam,” Clark stated.

Perry nodded and continued to read the story.  Finally, he looked up at them and said, “This is pretty bold stuff, even without mentioning the new legal developments – Frank’s going to have a stroke…  Now, remind me what you left out.”

“Well, Harold Junior is confident that the court will grant their request for an emergency hearing, maybe even as early as tomorrow,” Lois answered.  “His lawyers will immediately deliver the motions to Luthor’s legal team when the court schedules the hearing.”

“And then the shit really hits the fan,” Perry concluded.

“Oh, that’s just the beginning of Luthor’s problems,” Lois replied dramatically.  “We paid a visit to A.D.A Drake after seeing Harold Junior, and off the record, she says that they’ll probably indict Luthor for Gertrude’s murder tomorrow – they don’t want to delay it any longer after last night’s attempted hit.  There’ll probably be additional changes added later.”

“Tomorrow the D.A. is also filing a petition with Chief Justice Roberts for permission to appeal the Luthor appellate ruling, despite the late date,” Clark added.  “Apparently, they’re following the detailed recommendations from a recent Planet editorial in the hope of achieving a belated Writ of Certiorari⁽¹⁾ on the case.”

“Luthor’s world is going to quickly unravel,” Lois declared.  “Though, the D.A. really should have appealed the case earlier.”

“Drake and Clemens wanted to, but some bigwig from the county made a financial decision and pressured them to back off,” Clark reminded her.  “Fighting the Luthor appeal was enormously expensive, and they didn’t want them making their budget deficit worse by continuing the fight.  Fortunately, they don’t have to worry about that this time with the non-profit Harold set up covering any of those incremental costs.”

“Too bad we won’t get to see the expression on Luthor’s face when he finds out about that,” Lois replied smugly.

“He’ll come unglued,” Perry stated.  “It’s all the more reason for you two to stay out of sight tomorrow.  He gestured to the bodyguard outside his office and suggested, “Maybe you need those guys more than I do.”

“Thanks, but we’re already covered there,” Lois replied quickly.  “Besides, we really don’t need those Neanderthals slowing us down, and our security’s probably more comprehensive anyway.”

“Do you think you can get back to the safe house without being followed?”

Clark smirked and commented mirthfully, “Anyone following us would have to drive like Lois does–”

Perry snorted and said, “Not even a hardened criminal would have the stomach for that.”

“Hey!” Lois protested.

“If they try, it makes them easy for our security escort to spot,” Clark added.  “We’ll be okay.”

“Well, then what are you hanging around here for?” Perry groused.  “Get going, but get a copy of those Vanderworth motions to Frank and Susan first!”

“Susan?” Lois repeated in annoyance.  “Chief, it’s our story.  We’ve practically got it written already.”

“Relax, Lois, you’ll still get top billing,” Perry explained gruffly.  “But Susan is the legal correspondent, and I want someone with a legal background pouring over all that stuff.  She’ll get a ‘special contributor’ credit on the story.”

“Um, we’ll run copies before we leave,” Clark promised, which prompted Lois to roll her eyes in irritation.

“And I want the indictment story and Supreme Court story written up and ready to publish as soon as its official,” Perry added. 

His star reporters nodded their assent, and marched back to their desks, oblivious to the expression of pride on Perry’s face as he stared after them.  And there they go again, putting the Midas touch on yet another story and taking down another major criminal in the process, Perry thought.  Luthor doesn’t stand a chance...



Wednesday, October 4, 2006 4:30PM EDT
Lex Luthor carefully soldered the last lead from the special-ordered chip onto his custom-etched daughterboard.  It was the last component of his enhanced alpha detector required to track Superman, and he was looking forward to bringing it on-line.  It was also one of the few areas of labor that he didn’t dare delegate – it was precision work that he couldn’t take a chance on the men screwing up, given the now abundant examples of their carelessness.  He’d even insisted on installing the other components of the system into the shipboard electronics himself, which Stanford should have been easily qualified to do.

He set the soldering iron in its holder and inspected his work, nodding his head in satisfaction and packing the new circuit board into a large anti-static bag before marching out of the room.  Just a few more minutes, and we’ll be able to track that son of a bitch, Luthor thought.   At least something around here will go according to plan… 

Luthor was still fuming over the previous evenings appallingly incompetent attempted hit, followed by yet another disruptive salvo from the Daily Planet, with the morning paper’s front page identifying his staff as wanted men who were to be considered ‘armed and dangerous’.  To his chagrin, it had also been picked up on the morning news programs, which seemed to display the mug shots in a continuous loop for the public’s consumption.  The television stations had also picked up the story of the previous nights botched hit from the Planet’s web site, which attributed the attack directly to him.

His lawyer’s protests over that would certainly be ineffective given his track record and would do little to prevent the men from being recognized by the city’s overeager inhabitants and reported to the police, who might try to follow them back to the yacht.  Metropolis’ Finest might even be bold enough to try to arrest him and he didn’t dare risk that – not with his Götterdämmerung so close at hand. The situation had forced him to again alter his plans, ordering the ship back out to sea and flying in on the helicopter to take care of business in the city.

He’d disguised himself in a long gray wig that partially hid his features when he picked up his electronics order – a task that he should have been able to delegate but for the troublesome publicity.  While that task had been simple enough to complete, his other errands required the risk of sending Grant and Brutus into the northwestern boroughs despite the news coverage.  He needed them to recruit new independent contractors, who were especially needed now after the parole story.  The men would be too easily recognized nearly anywhere but Suicide Slum, where the residents quickly learn to keep their heads down and their mouths shut.

It had taken longer than he cared for, but the men had eventually arranged for the new talent by late afternoon and called for the helicopter to collect them.  The contractors would start immediately on the pest control project they needed to silence the press, starting by staking out the Planet and following Kent home.  Once the man’s home was identified, he could schedule simultaneous hits on Kent and Lane in the wee hours of the night and end his P.R. problem once and for all.

Luthor finally reached the ship’s bridge and walked in, prompting Reilly to immediate back away, wisely remaining silent and giving his employer plenty of room to work.  Luthor immediately started connecting the new daughterboard into the bridge electronics.  A few minutes later, the installation was finished and Luthor powered up the new module.

When the monitor came on, it showed a local map of their current GPS position fifty miles east of the Metropolis shore.  Luthor manipulated the controls, scrolling the image west to Metropolis, where he saw a serious of curved red lines of varying thickness superimposed over the map.  He repeated the process on his handheld, confirming that it was receiving the signal from the ship’s transmitter and also revealing the alpha traces across Metropolis.  Satisfied with the result, he sat down in the captain’s chair, smiling grimly as he thought, Finally!  Now to find out where that damn freak’s really been lately.



(1) A Writ of Certiorari is an order from a higher court to a lower court requesting the transcript of proceedings of a case for review.

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