Title: Incognito
Author: phoenixnz
Rating: PG (for now)
Genre: Romantic suspense, novel adaptation
Pairing: Clark/Lois
Summary: Lois Lane disappeared three years ago. Now she's back determined to get those responsible for destroying her life.
a/n: This is based on my own original work, so those who have read the novel will be familiar with the plot. However, I am not copying the text word-for-word. It is mostly the plot that I am adapting to fit Smallville. Much of the characters' backgrounds will remain the same. However, Clark and Lois have never met when this story begins. The novel is under my pen name. If you want to know more, please PM me.
a/n2: There may be some scenes which will have a higher rating. If that happens, I will post in the other forum.
Prologue
The Talon had once been a movie theatre but a few years earlier it had been transformed into a coffee shop popular with the local high school crowd.
Smallville had changed in the ten years the café had been open. While Luthorcorp, now renamed to LexCorp, still remained the town’s biggest employer, most of the younger members of the population had chosen to move away. They’d gone seeking their fortunes in Metropolis, a huge city approximately an hour away by car, or further afield.
There were those who worked in the city but chose to commute from the town. Lois Lane was one of those people. Her apartment, which she had once shared with her cousin Chloe, was above the coffee shop. It wasn’t ideal, given that the Talon often had late night events like Karaoke, but the rent was cheap. Far cheaper than in the city.
It was a sweltering hot evening in late June as she left her car and hunted for the keys to the back entrance to the shop. Lois was exhausted. It was the end of a very long day and an even longer week where nothing had gone right. She had come very close to being fired by her boss over some insignificant story she had been reluctant to pursue.
Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Lois looked around. The street was deserted. Since it was the main street, the buildings consisted of mostly retail. There were a couple of apartments above other stores but as far as she knew they were vacant. Yet she couldn’t help feeling that she was being watched.
She decided to hustle and dug harder in her purse for the keys, quickly finding the right one and inserting it in the lock. She hurried up the stairs and through the silent store to the stairs to her apartment, unlocking the door and closing it behind her with a sigh of relief.
She debated whether to have a bath or a shower to get rid of the aches from a long day of sitting down in front of her computer. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her it had been a good few hours since she’d had something to eat. She looked toward the bathroom, longing for a hot shower or a long soak in the tub, but hunger won out.
The kitchen was small, but big enough for an icebox where Lois kept all her frozen meals. She had never been the best cook and often resorted to the packaged meals, figuring it was better than nothing. She grabbed a package of lasagne and took out the tray, stabbing the cellophane with a knife before sticking it in the microwave.
She headed to the bedroom, just off the living area, kicking off her shoes and pulling her long, chocolate brown hair out of its knot. As she did so, there was a loud beeping coming from the area of the kitchen. Puzzled, she started to head back to the kitchen to investigate when suddenly the microwave exploded in a shower of shrapnel.
Lois barely had time to shield herself as the entire building shook and became engulfed in a huge fireball. Before she knew what was happening, she was down in the alley, staring in dismay at the destruction. She looked around, that feeling of uneasiness coming back to her, but saw nothing.
There was nothing for her to do but walk away.
The sun had barely risen when a limousine pulled up a short distance away from the remains of the Talon. A tall man with dark hair got out and stepped onto the pavement. He turned and looked toward the car. A slightly shorter man with a bald head emerged from the limousine. They both stared at the charred ruin.
“What do you think, Clark?” the bald man asked.
Clark Kent shrugged. “Could have been anything, Lex. We won’t know until we get the report from the fire marshal, I guess.”
Lex nodded toward a man in uniform. “Why don’t you go talk to him?”
The fire marshal approached Clark. “Mr Kent.”
“Mr Luthor wondered what your findings were.”
Jay Wise sighed. “Well, we won’t know until we do a thorough investigation but it looks like an electrical fault which ignited the gas line. Anybody in there would have been dead in moments.”
“Was there?”
“We don’t know,” the man said, sighing again. He pulled out a notebook. “The apartment was tenanted, through a rental agency, I believe.”
Clark nodded. “Mr Luthor contracted an agency to manage the rental after his ex-wife left the Talon’s ownership in his hands. Who was the tenant?”
“Her name was Lois Lane. She’s …”
“A reporter at the Metropolis Inquisitor,” Clark finished. “Yeah, Lex has had a few run-ins with her, I believe.”
Wise looked up, hearing his name called. He excused himself and went to talk to the fireman. Clark watched the two men for a moment before turning back to Lex.
“Lane was renting the apartment.”
Lex nodded. “It’s beginning to look more and more like this was not an accident, wouldn’t you agree, Clark?”
Clark watched as his boss and friend walked away, getting back in the limo. He looked once again at the destruction. Wise returned to him.
“I can tell you that no one was in the building when it blew, but the police found Lois Lane’s car in the alley. It was also damaged in the explosion.”
“But she wasn’t inside?” Clark asked.
“No.”
“All right.” He handed a business card to the man. “Send me everything you have as soon your investigation is complete.”
“Yes, sir.”
Clark turned to join Lex in the limo. He looked around but apart from the usual rubber-neckers, he couldn’t see anyone unusual.
A few hours later in his office at LexCorp Plaza, he put down the phone. Lois Lane did not turn up for work that day and none of his contacts knew where she was. She had vanished without trace.
Author: phoenixnz
Rating: PG (for now)
Genre: Romantic suspense, novel adaptation
Pairing: Clark/Lois
Summary: Lois Lane disappeared three years ago. Now she's back determined to get those responsible for destroying her life.
a/n: This is based on my own original work, so those who have read the novel will be familiar with the plot. However, I am not copying the text word-for-word. It is mostly the plot that I am adapting to fit Smallville. Much of the characters' backgrounds will remain the same. However, Clark and Lois have never met when this story begins. The novel is under my pen name. If you want to know more, please PM me.
a/n2: There may be some scenes which will have a higher rating. If that happens, I will post in the other forum.
Prologue
The Talon had once been a movie theatre but a few years earlier it had been transformed into a coffee shop popular with the local high school crowd.
Smallville had changed in the ten years the café had been open. While Luthorcorp, now renamed to LexCorp, still remained the town’s biggest employer, most of the younger members of the population had chosen to move away. They’d gone seeking their fortunes in Metropolis, a huge city approximately an hour away by car, or further afield.
There were those who worked in the city but chose to commute from the town. Lois Lane was one of those people. Her apartment, which she had once shared with her cousin Chloe, was above the coffee shop. It wasn’t ideal, given that the Talon often had late night events like Karaoke, but the rent was cheap. Far cheaper than in the city.
It was a sweltering hot evening in late June as she left her car and hunted for the keys to the back entrance to the shop. Lois was exhausted. It was the end of a very long day and an even longer week where nothing had gone right. She had come very close to being fired by her boss over some insignificant story she had been reluctant to pursue.
Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Lois looked around. The street was deserted. Since it was the main street, the buildings consisted of mostly retail. There were a couple of apartments above other stores but as far as she knew they were vacant. Yet she couldn’t help feeling that she was being watched.
She decided to hustle and dug harder in her purse for the keys, quickly finding the right one and inserting it in the lock. She hurried up the stairs and through the silent store to the stairs to her apartment, unlocking the door and closing it behind her with a sigh of relief.
She debated whether to have a bath or a shower to get rid of the aches from a long day of sitting down in front of her computer. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her it had been a good few hours since she’d had something to eat. She looked toward the bathroom, longing for a hot shower or a long soak in the tub, but hunger won out.
The kitchen was small, but big enough for an icebox where Lois kept all her frozen meals. She had never been the best cook and often resorted to the packaged meals, figuring it was better than nothing. She grabbed a package of lasagne and took out the tray, stabbing the cellophane with a knife before sticking it in the microwave.
She headed to the bedroom, just off the living area, kicking off her shoes and pulling her long, chocolate brown hair out of its knot. As she did so, there was a loud beeping coming from the area of the kitchen. Puzzled, she started to head back to the kitchen to investigate when suddenly the microwave exploded in a shower of shrapnel.
Lois barely had time to shield herself as the entire building shook and became engulfed in a huge fireball. Before she knew what was happening, she was down in the alley, staring in dismay at the destruction. She looked around, that feeling of uneasiness coming back to her, but saw nothing.
There was nothing for her to do but walk away.
The sun had barely risen when a limousine pulled up a short distance away from the remains of the Talon. A tall man with dark hair got out and stepped onto the pavement. He turned and looked toward the car. A slightly shorter man with a bald head emerged from the limousine. They both stared at the charred ruin.
“What do you think, Clark?” the bald man asked.
Clark Kent shrugged. “Could have been anything, Lex. We won’t know until we get the report from the fire marshal, I guess.”
Lex nodded toward a man in uniform. “Why don’t you go talk to him?”
The fire marshal approached Clark. “Mr Kent.”
“Mr Luthor wondered what your findings were.”
Jay Wise sighed. “Well, we won’t know until we do a thorough investigation but it looks like an electrical fault which ignited the gas line. Anybody in there would have been dead in moments.”
“Was there?”
“We don’t know,” the man said, sighing again. He pulled out a notebook. “The apartment was tenanted, through a rental agency, I believe.”
Clark nodded. “Mr Luthor contracted an agency to manage the rental after his ex-wife left the Talon’s ownership in his hands. Who was the tenant?”
“Her name was Lois Lane. She’s …”
“A reporter at the Metropolis Inquisitor,” Clark finished. “Yeah, Lex has had a few run-ins with her, I believe.”
Wise looked up, hearing his name called. He excused himself and went to talk to the fireman. Clark watched the two men for a moment before turning back to Lex.
“Lane was renting the apartment.”
Lex nodded. “It’s beginning to look more and more like this was not an accident, wouldn’t you agree, Clark?”
Clark watched as his boss and friend walked away, getting back in the limo. He looked once again at the destruction. Wise returned to him.
“I can tell you that no one was in the building when it blew, but the police found Lois Lane’s car in the alley. It was also damaged in the explosion.”
“But she wasn’t inside?” Clark asked.
“No.”
“All right.” He handed a business card to the man. “Send me everything you have as soon your investigation is complete.”
“Yes, sir.”
Clark turned to join Lex in the limo. He looked around but apart from the usual rubber-neckers, he couldn’t see anyone unusual.
A few hours later in his office at LexCorp Plaza, he put down the phone. Lois Lane did not turn up for work that day and none of his contacts knew where she was. She had vanished without trace.
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