Author's Note: I do not own the characters. I am using much of the material from the actual episode for context, so due credit goes to writer Bryan Q. Miller and director Wayne Rose. I really hope you guys don't mind! Also, I've tried to clearly differentiate between the characters' normal inner thoughts and the ones that Clark can 'hear'.

INNER CRAZY.

Another voice?

Rhhhmmmhmmmhmm.

The sound swirled inside his head, seemingly ricocheting around his skull, never pausing to offer any clarity never mind rhyme or reason. All the noises he was familiar with after a rescue had been dulled, replaced by a murmur accompanied by tinnitus. The only times he'd felt like this were when having seven shades of who knows what beaten out of him by first Titan, then Doomsday. He was disorientated. Something had gone very wrong during the rescue of the hostages at the warehouse, but he didn't have time to check things out and see who might be behind the attempted bombing. Everybody was safe and accounted for, and he had to gather his wits and get out of there before being seen. He made his way over to a disused phone booth on the other side of the warehouse.

A quick change into his workday attire and nobody would question the presence of a Daily Planet reporter on the scene. Police officers, EMTs, firefighters - all were busy tending to the situation. Sirens blared intermittently and orders were being barked out to the various trained personnel milling about. An investigation into this morning's events was already well underway. If anyone had asked him any questions, he wasn't sure he would hear them clearly because the ringing in his ears had yet to subside, and it had now brought on a headache. Adjusting his tie and gingerly touching his head, Clark stepped out of the booth intending to make his way over to the EMTs and established what was going on. While on site, he might as well make himself useful in his by-day persona.

The piercing screech of the hastily slowing car brought him back into the present. The vehicle had come to a stop barely a few feet away from him, and the driver evidently wasn't too bothered about that. She had a story to sniff out, and nothing was going to get in her way.

"Clark, did I miss him?" asked Lois, tossing her sunglasses aside and grabbing her notepad as she got out of the car.

Gee, thanks for your concern, Lois. It's not like you didn't nearly run me over just now.

"If by 'him' you mean me, then barely," Clark griped, still wincing because of his aching head. He was a tad disappointed that Lois' focus was once again on tracking down the Blur.

He's right in front of you, you know!

She ignored the sarcasm and skipped right by him, the light breeze sending the scent of something coconut-y to his nostrils.

Delicious!

"Not you," Lois clarified, forging on ahead in determined fashion. "The Blur!"

Clark followed obediently behind her, struggling to maintain conversation as he totally checked her out. She was wearing a light grey skirt suit with a low-cut salmon-coloured blouse, and she'd tied her hair up into her regular workday ponytail. He eyed up the curvature of her ass, the sway of her hips and the way her ponytail bounced from side to side whenever she was on a mission.

God you're hot!

"He was long gone by the time I got here," he explained. Sensing her disappointment, he added, "I was just trying to call you."

"From a pay phone?" Lois queried.

Excellent point. How do I answer that?

"Apparently," he replied nervously.

Before he could get himself tongue-tied while thinking up an excuse, Lois had another query as she rounded the corner behind a black S.W.A.T. vehicle. Fortunately, this question was much easier for him to answer because he didn't actually need to answer it.

"How d'you get here so fast anyway? My guy at Met PD didn't leak this until a few minutes ago."

"Well, I can't be as fashionably late as Lois Lane," said Clark, somewhat pleased with himself. As Lois quickened her step, he didn't see that she'd also found that amusing.

Lois wanted to head towards the part of the factory where many of the emergency teams were funnelling in and out. The police had barricaded the entrance by parking two cars bumper to bumper, and instead of walking around them, Lois chose to climb over between the two bumpers. As she planted a heel on one bumper, her foot slipped and caused her to tumble backwards. Instinctively, she braced herself for the impact which never came. Instead, Clark had come to her rescue by catching her as she fell.

Now in his arms, her hand fell onto his bicep, gently caressing it as she looked down and sighed dreamily.

- Hellooooo Sailor! -

Clark was stunned. Had she actually said that out loud or was it a figment of his imagination? Did she actually find him hot too? He'd dreamt for weeks that she would finally open up to him about her feelings and let him know they were now on the same page. He'd fallen hopelessly in love with Lois when she went missing for three weeks not so long ago, and he couldn't bear to hurt her when she was infected by the zombie virus and hell-bent on killing him. They had never had a serious discussion over where they stood ever since the events at Chloe and Jimmy's wedding.

Back to the here and now, Lois was looking up at him strangely. It was a combination of 'you can put me down now' and maybe a hint of 'eww!' for good measure. He put her back on her feet, at which point she used her arms to lever herself over the parked cars. Clark's evident surprise had him asking her what he thought she'd just said.

"Nothing," she replied, and then joked that he should get his hearing checked. With a swish of her ponytail and the smile that made him melt, she sauntered off to where the action was.

He would have dismissed the moment as nothing, but he caught her uttering "Hot stuff!" and that threw him once more. Yet again, he hadn't actually seen her utter those words so he wasn't sure if he was just imagining it, but at the same time, a specific part of him was hoping she actually was. Nevertheless, this was downright bizarre. Had the explosion left his hearing on the fritz?

Watching Lois disappear into the building, he decided to stay outside in the morning sun. Maybe a few rays would fix the ringing in his ears and the headache that was only increasing in ferocity. Spotting a lone EMT tending to one of the hostages on a gurney, he headed over to see if they'd learned anything.

"Hi, Clark Kent, Daily Planet," he introduced himself to the EMT. "Any word on what went on here?"

The EMT was checking the patient for signs of trauma and concussion as he answered. "Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that there was an explosion but all the people inside managed to get out. They're still checking to see if anyone's missing but so far, everybody has been accounted for. No major injuries yet but people are in shock, as you can well imagine. One of them reckons the Blur saved them."

"The Blur?" asked Clark, feigning surprise.

"Yeah. They found his symbol burned into the ground right where the bomb went off."

"You don't think he...?"

"No. I'm pretty sure he got everyone out first. They were all found outside of the facility. All except one guy."

"Where is he now?" asked Clark, now a little alarmed.

The EMT adjusted the oxygen mask on the patient and asked him to breathe deeply, before returning to answer Clark's query.

"Some of the other guys were dealing with him. All I know is he was found alive but unconscious, and he'd been bound and gagged just like the others. They've taken him straight to the E.R. Maybe the person who got to him is the one behind all this," he theorised.

He was bound and gagged? The person who got to him? Wait, was the guy with the mask one of the hostages too? I don't like the sound of this.

"Was he hurt by the blast?" The query was tentative.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask one of those guys," replied the EMT, clearly busy. He nodded towards a group of EMTs about 30 feet away, who looked as though they were discussing how to tackle the situation.

"Right." Clark put his hand to his temple once more, the ringing sensation amplifying the intensity of the headache, exacerbated by his worries over the man the EMT was talking about. The action hadn't gone unnoticed by the EMT.

"Hey, you alright man?"

Clark smiled. "Fine. Just woke up this morning with a bit of a headache. Thanks."

With that, the EMT went back to tending to his patient so Clark moved on. This was a puzzle that needed to be solved as soon as possible since there was a live bomb involved. Whoever was behind this was ready to take casualties. Clark knew that Lois would be snooping around and asking questions about the explosion, but they needed to know why this particular factory had been targeted. He made a note to ask one of the managers about any disgruntled employees, deeming it to be a safe bet that whoever was behind this atrocity may well work there, or may have worked there in the past. Somehow, the man now at the hospital had the answer.

I guess I'd better go and find Lois.