Ninfic (SV): "Siege" (1/3)
For Hope, who lo these many moons ago expressed a hankering for some grown-up Chlex. (I don't think this is quite what she had in mind.)
Siege (1/3)
Chloe checked her watch for the third time in two minutes. If Wheeler didn't come out soon, they were going to have nothing at all for 6:00.
"We have that footage of the guy whose backyard kept getting flooded," said Cleon, reading her mind as usual, for all he was pretending to be asleep on one of the straight-backed hall benches.
"Too boring. The neighbour was way too nice about it."
"They don't all have to be epic confrontations, C."
"Oh, yes they do." Chloe set her jaw. "Come on," she muttered, drumming her fingers against the wall and checking her watch against the big Art Deco clock set above the entrance to the courtroom. Flashing a quick grin at the security guard, she sidled past him and put her ear to the crack between the heavy double doors, trying to make something out in the drone of voices within. "I know we're talking alimony here, but...they were down to the final clause this morning. How long can he drag out one lousy clause?"
Cleon laughed out loud. Even Asim, the security guard, chuckled.
"Are you kidding me?" Cleon asked. "This is Wheeler we're talking about. You said it yourself--the man doesn't let go of a nickel without a fight."
"Well, that's what I'm counting on," Chloe answered, "but we can't give the guy a fight if he never leaves the damn courtroom." She pressed her ear to the door again. "He's leaving town tonight. He can't draw this out much longer, even if he...wait a second...that's a gavel! We're on!"
Stepping back from the doors, Chloe checked her mic and glanced behind her to see Cleon hefting his shouldercam, before turning back to the courtroom entrance just as Ted Wheeler strode through it, surrounded by a phalanx of lawyers. The nearest one stuck out his hand to keep her at bay.
"My client has no comment to make at this time. His divorce is a personal matter and he asks that the press respect his priv--"
"This isn't about the divorce," she replied, dodging the hand, sidestepping the body that went with it, and cutting off her quarry as he headed for a side hallway. Behind her, she sensed Cleon--all six foot three of him--shifting position so that he and his camera effectively blocked the main hall. "Mr. Wheeler!" she said loudly. "Chloe Sullivan, Metro-TV News. One of the customers at your Lakeside Motors dealership in Greendale has been trying for five months to obtain a refund for her deposit. Would you care to explain why she hasn't yet received a cheque when members of your staff have promised four times to send one?"
Wheeler blinked in the light of the sun gun, but was media-savvy enough not to squint. "This is a question for our customer service department..." he began smoothly.
"Your customer service department lost Mrs. Kim's contract, then told her it wasn't properly drawn up, then told her it would require six weeks for processing. So far, they've provided this customer with no service at all."
Wheeler gritted his teeth, but didn't lose his salesman's smile. "As I'm sure you know, I'll be out of the country for the next ten days, but I'd be happy to deal with this personally on my return."
Chloe smiled back. "You're a member of Metropolis's economic delegation to China, aren't you Mr. Wheeler?" she asked cordially.
Wheeler relaxed a little. "That's right. Our goal is to explore the enormous potential for economic--"
"How qualified would you say you are to represent our city's interests abroad, given that your own company has failed to respond to the concerns of its citizens here at home?"
Wheeler's smile faded abruptly, and one of his lawyers stepped forward. The man looked like a linebacker in a suit as he loomed over Chloe's petite frame. "Edward Wheeler is an upstanding member of the Metropolis business community, and he will not tolerate such unsubstantiated accusations--"
"You want substantiation? I have names, dates, transcripts. You want me to read on camera exactly what his staff said to--"
The hulking lawyer raised his voice to try to drown out hers and actually reached out a hand to shove Chloe aside, when a shrewder colleague yanked him back. Two aides at the rear of the group also joined in the attempt to shout her down, and a crowd of teenagers on a school trip began wandering over to check out the commotion. Hearing Cleon shift the camera behind her, Chloe glanced to the right and saw the former Mrs. Anne Wheeler, flanked by her own legal team, doing her best runway walk towards the throng, high heels clicking forcefully on the terrazzo. "You go, sweetie!" she called out, flashing a practised smile at the camera. "Whatever it is, don't let him weasel out of it!" A couple of the high-school boys whistled enthusiastically after her as she swept past.
"Bitch," Wheeler muttered under his breath. The man was slowly going red in the face and had either forgotten or no longer cared about the microphone in front of him. Chloe had him now, if she could only keep him on camera.
"Did you mean that for your ex-wife, Mr. Wheeler, or for me?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe could see Asim directing two other security guards towards the disturbance. On her left, Wheeler's lawyers were doing their best to drag him past her and into the safety of the side hallway at last.
They found themselves blocked by an amused figure in black.
"Ted Wheeler. I haven't seen you so beleaguered since Lakeside Motors had that little misprint in the Planet."
Wheeler not only gritted his teeth--he positively ground them. "Lex," he said tightly.
Lex Luthor flicked his gaze over the small crowd, taking in the scene. Wheeler's lawyers had fallen silent at his arrival. More surprisingly, so had the curious teens, who, after a measured look from Metropolis's leading businessman, apparently decided that this would be a good time to rejoin their tour. Even the security guards had gone quiet, hovering uncertainly on the edge of the gathering. Chloe suppressed the urge to laugh out loud at their expressions and simply watched, bemused as usual by the effect of Lex's personality on the uninitiated.
Finally, Lex turned his attention to Chloe and the camera, basking in the sun gun as if it were the most natural place in the world for him to be. "Metro-TV, I see. What's this all about, Ms. Sullivan?"
"Mr. Luthor--"
"Please. Mr. Luthor is the head of one of Lexcorp's rival companies. Call me Lex."
"Lex," Chloe amended. "For five months, Lakeside Motors West has repeatedly refused to refund the deposit made by one of its customers. Now, the company's president and founder proposes to ignore the problem for another ten days while a hard-working single mother of three is left without the down payment she needs to buy transportation at a dealership that will listen and respond to her needs."
Lex replaced his customary look of polite inscrutability with one of shocked disapproval as he turned away from Chloe. "Is this true, Mr. Wheeler?" he asked softly.
Wheeler was speechless for a moment. "This is hardly the time or the place to determine--" he began, before Chloe cut him off.
"The Lexcorp fleet is leased from Lakeside Motors, isn't it, Mr.--Lex?"
Despite the very grave expression on Lex's face, there was a glint of amusement in his eyes as he replied, "That's correct, Ms. Sullivan. Edward Wheeler has always provided Lexcorp with impeccable service, and it's been my understanding that he does the same for all his clients. Were I to find that this was not the case, Lexcorp would certainly have to reconsider its arrangements with his various dealerships."
Wheeler visibly blanched, and Chloe grinned as she moved in for the kill. "How about it, Mr. Wheeler? You have the opportunity here and now to allay the concerns of one of your biggest corporate clients with regard to your business practices. With all these lawyers at your disposal, I'm sure it's possible to arrange for a cheque to be authorized and delivered to Mrs. Kim within the hour. What do you say?"
The man wasn't a fool, after all. After a quick sidelong glance at Lex, he smiled magnanimously. "Of course, Miss Sullivan. Lakeside Motors has always prided itself on taking the utmost care of its customers. Now that you've been so good as to explain the urgency of Mrs. Kim's situation, naturally I and my staff will do everything in our power to accommodate her without delay."
And that should have been that, except for the mopping-up. But Chloe still had Lex Luthor by her side and a microphone in her hand.
"Lex," she continued. "You've heard of Becky Mulcahy, the little girl with the mysterious skin condition?"
Lex stiffened a little at the question, but his face was a study in sympathetic concern as he nodded. "The chameleon syndrome. I think all of Metropolis is hoping for a treatment to be found so that Becky can return safely to her family."
"And yet your subsidiary, Spartitech, hasn't responded to requests for assistance from her medical team. Why is that?"
"Spartitech may have the most extensive genetic database in North America, but its records were obtained on condition of confidentiality--and as a law-abiding research facility, upholding the highest of ethical standards, it cannot and will not violate those privacy agreements. Spartitech is, however, conducting its own investigation into the origins of this chameleon syndrome, and finding a cure for CS has been designated as one of the company's highest priority projects. Spartitech welcomes the input of the medical community and will, of course, make public the results of its research. Concerned citizens who believe they may share a genetic or environmental link with the afflicted children are asked to alert Spartitech to the possibility--or, if they haven't already contributed to its database, to do so now. In fact, Spartitech has set up a special hotline and website for that purpose..."
She should have known. Throw Lex a tough question, and he comes back at you with a feel-good infomercial for one of his companies. Chloe had watched him do it to reporters and interviewers more times than she could count. She nodded and looked earnest while Lex solemnly quoted phone numbers and URLs.
"What you're saying, then, Lex, is that Becky is out of luck until such time as Spartitech decides to make its research public?"
There. Steel-grey eyes flashed at that, though she doubted the camera would catch it.
"On the contrary. Lexcorp is currently planning a fundraising gala targeted specifically towards covering Becky's medical expenses. The press release and invitations will be delivered tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me?"
"Of course. Thank you for taking the time to speak with our viewers." Chloe lowered the hand mic and sighed as Lex brushed past her and sauntered smoothly down the main hall. Behind her, she could hear Wheeler snickering. Chloe was surprised the man hadn't tried to sneak away the moment the camera had moved off him; no doubt the sight of Lex Luthor parrying her every question with a PSA for one of his companies had amused Wheeler and his lawyers enough to keep them there of their own accord.
"Laugh it up, folks," she snapped, turning back to the group. "You've got a cheque to cut."
*
Cleon didn't seem at all disappointed with the interview. "What are you talking about, C?" he demanded as he slung their equipment into the back of the Prius. "That was our best smackdown yet!"
"Apart from the minor detail that we weren't the ones doing the smacking." Chloe scowled. "I had Wheeler, I really did--then Lex Luthor has to show up and take over."
"Are you kidding me? That tape is hilarious! Did you see Wheeler's face when he thought he was going to lose the Lexcorp contract? Priceless! And the Spartitech stuff? You're making it out of features and into the lead stories again tonight, girl, so why are you giving me the face?"
"Because he kicked my butt with that Spartitech stuff! You saw him. He crushed me like a bug."
"Oh, you did some kicking of your own." Cleon slammed the hatch shut and grinned down at her. "Want to bet that charity gala didn't exist until you put him on the spot with that second question?"
"You think?"
"Oh, yeah. You definitely floored him for a second. I'll bet you he's on the phone right now, freaking out his PR people with a one-day deadline."
Chloe thawed a little. "You never know with Lex Luthor. He might have had something in the works already. But I won't take that bet."
"You could always ask him," Cleon replied, looking past her shoulder back at the courthouse.
Chloe whirled. Lex was standing at the top of the stone steps, peeling back the lid on a tall cup of coffee. Behind him hovered two personal assistants, one of whom Chloe knew was actually a discreet bodyguard.
Chloe lunged for the passenger seat of the car and grabbed her shoulder bag. "You head back to the station," she told Cleon. "I'll take a cab."
"You're really going to ask him?"
"I just might. I have a bone to pick with Lex Luthor."
End of Part 1
~~
Siege (1/3)
Chloe checked her watch for the third time in two minutes. If Wheeler didn't come out soon, they were going to have nothing at all for 6:00.
"We have that footage of the guy whose backyard kept getting flooded," said Cleon, reading her mind as usual, for all he was pretending to be asleep on one of the straight-backed hall benches.
"Too boring. The neighbour was way too nice about it."
"They don't all have to be epic confrontations, C."
"Oh, yes they do." Chloe set her jaw. "Come on," she muttered, drumming her fingers against the wall and checking her watch against the big Art Deco clock set above the entrance to the courtroom. Flashing a quick grin at the security guard, she sidled past him and put her ear to the crack between the heavy double doors, trying to make something out in the drone of voices within. "I know we're talking alimony here, but...they were down to the final clause this morning. How long can he drag out one lousy clause?"
Cleon laughed out loud. Even Asim, the security guard, chuckled.
"Are you kidding me?" Cleon asked. "This is Wheeler we're talking about. You said it yourself--the man doesn't let go of a nickel without a fight."
"Well, that's what I'm counting on," Chloe answered, "but we can't give the guy a fight if he never leaves the damn courtroom." She pressed her ear to the door again. "He's leaving town tonight. He can't draw this out much longer, even if he...wait a second...that's a gavel! We're on!"
Stepping back from the doors, Chloe checked her mic and glanced behind her to see Cleon hefting his shouldercam, before turning back to the courtroom entrance just as Ted Wheeler strode through it, surrounded by a phalanx of lawyers. The nearest one stuck out his hand to keep her at bay.
"My client has no comment to make at this time. His divorce is a personal matter and he asks that the press respect his priv--"
"This isn't about the divorce," she replied, dodging the hand, sidestepping the body that went with it, and cutting off her quarry as he headed for a side hallway. Behind her, she sensed Cleon--all six foot three of him--shifting position so that he and his camera effectively blocked the main hall. "Mr. Wheeler!" she said loudly. "Chloe Sullivan, Metro-TV News. One of the customers at your Lakeside Motors dealership in Greendale has been trying for five months to obtain a refund for her deposit. Would you care to explain why she hasn't yet received a cheque when members of your staff have promised four times to send one?"
Wheeler blinked in the light of the sun gun, but was media-savvy enough not to squint. "This is a question for our customer service department..." he began smoothly.
"Your customer service department lost Mrs. Kim's contract, then told her it wasn't properly drawn up, then told her it would require six weeks for processing. So far, they've provided this customer with no service at all."
Wheeler gritted his teeth, but didn't lose his salesman's smile. "As I'm sure you know, I'll be out of the country for the next ten days, but I'd be happy to deal with this personally on my return."
Chloe smiled back. "You're a member of Metropolis's economic delegation to China, aren't you Mr. Wheeler?" she asked cordially.
Wheeler relaxed a little. "That's right. Our goal is to explore the enormous potential for economic--"
"How qualified would you say you are to represent our city's interests abroad, given that your own company has failed to respond to the concerns of its citizens here at home?"
Wheeler's smile faded abruptly, and one of his lawyers stepped forward. The man looked like a linebacker in a suit as he loomed over Chloe's petite frame. "Edward Wheeler is an upstanding member of the Metropolis business community, and he will not tolerate such unsubstantiated accusations--"
"You want substantiation? I have names, dates, transcripts. You want me to read on camera exactly what his staff said to--"
The hulking lawyer raised his voice to try to drown out hers and actually reached out a hand to shove Chloe aside, when a shrewder colleague yanked him back. Two aides at the rear of the group also joined in the attempt to shout her down, and a crowd of teenagers on a school trip began wandering over to check out the commotion. Hearing Cleon shift the camera behind her, Chloe glanced to the right and saw the former Mrs. Anne Wheeler, flanked by her own legal team, doing her best runway walk towards the throng, high heels clicking forcefully on the terrazzo. "You go, sweetie!" she called out, flashing a practised smile at the camera. "Whatever it is, don't let him weasel out of it!" A couple of the high-school boys whistled enthusiastically after her as she swept past.
"Bitch," Wheeler muttered under his breath. The man was slowly going red in the face and had either forgotten or no longer cared about the microphone in front of him. Chloe had him now, if she could only keep him on camera.
"Did you mean that for your ex-wife, Mr. Wheeler, or for me?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe could see Asim directing two other security guards towards the disturbance. On her left, Wheeler's lawyers were doing their best to drag him past her and into the safety of the side hallway at last.
They found themselves blocked by an amused figure in black.
"Ted Wheeler. I haven't seen you so beleaguered since Lakeside Motors had that little misprint in the Planet."
Wheeler not only gritted his teeth--he positively ground them. "Lex," he said tightly.
Lex Luthor flicked his gaze over the small crowd, taking in the scene. Wheeler's lawyers had fallen silent at his arrival. More surprisingly, so had the curious teens, who, after a measured look from Metropolis's leading businessman, apparently decided that this would be a good time to rejoin their tour. Even the security guards had gone quiet, hovering uncertainly on the edge of the gathering. Chloe suppressed the urge to laugh out loud at their expressions and simply watched, bemused as usual by the effect of Lex's personality on the uninitiated.
Finally, Lex turned his attention to Chloe and the camera, basking in the sun gun as if it were the most natural place in the world for him to be. "Metro-TV, I see. What's this all about, Ms. Sullivan?"
"Mr. Luthor--"
"Please. Mr. Luthor is the head of one of Lexcorp's rival companies. Call me Lex."
"Lex," Chloe amended. "For five months, Lakeside Motors West has repeatedly refused to refund the deposit made by one of its customers. Now, the company's president and founder proposes to ignore the problem for another ten days while a hard-working single mother of three is left without the down payment she needs to buy transportation at a dealership that will listen and respond to her needs."
Lex replaced his customary look of polite inscrutability with one of shocked disapproval as he turned away from Chloe. "Is this true, Mr. Wheeler?" he asked softly.
Wheeler was speechless for a moment. "This is hardly the time or the place to determine--" he began, before Chloe cut him off.
"The Lexcorp fleet is leased from Lakeside Motors, isn't it, Mr.--Lex?"
Despite the very grave expression on Lex's face, there was a glint of amusement in his eyes as he replied, "That's correct, Ms. Sullivan. Edward Wheeler has always provided Lexcorp with impeccable service, and it's been my understanding that he does the same for all his clients. Were I to find that this was not the case, Lexcorp would certainly have to reconsider its arrangements with his various dealerships."
Wheeler visibly blanched, and Chloe grinned as she moved in for the kill. "How about it, Mr. Wheeler? You have the opportunity here and now to allay the concerns of one of your biggest corporate clients with regard to your business practices. With all these lawyers at your disposal, I'm sure it's possible to arrange for a cheque to be authorized and delivered to Mrs. Kim within the hour. What do you say?"
The man wasn't a fool, after all. After a quick sidelong glance at Lex, he smiled magnanimously. "Of course, Miss Sullivan. Lakeside Motors has always prided itself on taking the utmost care of its customers. Now that you've been so good as to explain the urgency of Mrs. Kim's situation, naturally I and my staff will do everything in our power to accommodate her without delay."
And that should have been that, except for the mopping-up. But Chloe still had Lex Luthor by her side and a microphone in her hand.
"Lex," she continued. "You've heard of Becky Mulcahy, the little girl with the mysterious skin condition?"
Lex stiffened a little at the question, but his face was a study in sympathetic concern as he nodded. "The chameleon syndrome. I think all of Metropolis is hoping for a treatment to be found so that Becky can return safely to her family."
"And yet your subsidiary, Spartitech, hasn't responded to requests for assistance from her medical team. Why is that?"
"Spartitech may have the most extensive genetic database in North America, but its records were obtained on condition of confidentiality--and as a law-abiding research facility, upholding the highest of ethical standards, it cannot and will not violate those privacy agreements. Spartitech is, however, conducting its own investigation into the origins of this chameleon syndrome, and finding a cure for CS has been designated as one of the company's highest priority projects. Spartitech welcomes the input of the medical community and will, of course, make public the results of its research. Concerned citizens who believe they may share a genetic or environmental link with the afflicted children are asked to alert Spartitech to the possibility--or, if they haven't already contributed to its database, to do so now. In fact, Spartitech has set up a special hotline and website for that purpose..."
She should have known. Throw Lex a tough question, and he comes back at you with a feel-good infomercial for one of his companies. Chloe had watched him do it to reporters and interviewers more times than she could count. She nodded and looked earnest while Lex solemnly quoted phone numbers and URLs.
"What you're saying, then, Lex, is that Becky is out of luck until such time as Spartitech decides to make its research public?"
There. Steel-grey eyes flashed at that, though she doubted the camera would catch it.
"On the contrary. Lexcorp is currently planning a fundraising gala targeted specifically towards covering Becky's medical expenses. The press release and invitations will be delivered tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me?"
"Of course. Thank you for taking the time to speak with our viewers." Chloe lowered the hand mic and sighed as Lex brushed past her and sauntered smoothly down the main hall. Behind her, she could hear Wheeler snickering. Chloe was surprised the man hadn't tried to sneak away the moment the camera had moved off him; no doubt the sight of Lex Luthor parrying her every question with a PSA for one of his companies had amused Wheeler and his lawyers enough to keep them there of their own accord.
"Laugh it up, folks," she snapped, turning back to the group. "You've got a cheque to cut."
*
Cleon didn't seem at all disappointed with the interview. "What are you talking about, C?" he demanded as he slung their equipment into the back of the Prius. "That was our best smackdown yet!"
"Apart from the minor detail that we weren't the ones doing the smacking." Chloe scowled. "I had Wheeler, I really did--then Lex Luthor has to show up and take over."
"Are you kidding me? That tape is hilarious! Did you see Wheeler's face when he thought he was going to lose the Lexcorp contract? Priceless! And the Spartitech stuff? You're making it out of features and into the lead stories again tonight, girl, so why are you giving me the face?"
"Because he kicked my butt with that Spartitech stuff! You saw him. He crushed me like a bug."
"Oh, you did some kicking of your own." Cleon slammed the hatch shut and grinned down at her. "Want to bet that charity gala didn't exist until you put him on the spot with that second question?"
"You think?"
"Oh, yeah. You definitely floored him for a second. I'll bet you he's on the phone right now, freaking out his PR people with a one-day deadline."
Chloe thawed a little. "You never know with Lex Luthor. He might have had something in the works already. But I won't take that bet."
"You could always ask him," Cleon replied, looking past her shoulder back at the courthouse.
Chloe whirled. Lex was standing at the top of the stone steps, peeling back the lid on a tall cup of coffee. Behind him hovered two personal assistants, one of whom Chloe knew was actually a discreet bodyguard.
Chloe lunged for the passenger seat of the car and grabbed her shoulder bag. "You head back to the station," she told Cleon. "I'll take a cab."
"You're really going to ask him?"
"I just might. I have a bone to pick with Lex Luthor."
End of Part 1
~~