This was a great first installment, Terry! I loved your dialogue, especially the verbal sparring between Lois and Clark and later, Lois and Jimmy.
This made me laugh out loud:
“The zoo’s koala is pregnant!”
Lois froze with her mouth open, then slowly turned to face her partner. “A pregnant koala? Are you nuts, Clark? That’s not a story worthy of the best investigative reporting team on the East Coast!”
“It stopped your babbling in its tracks, didn’t it? I win this round.”
And how could anyone *not* love this:
“Because we only have one hundred sixty-three pounds of mass available for a person, clothing, equipment, and anything else we send up. That’s all the room the next shuttle has left. I don’t know how much you weigh, Clark, but it’s gotta be more than that if you were in your birthday suit.”
Tee hee, Perry and his innate pragmatism. Perfect.
“How many men have you ever heard complain of a bad hair day?”
“Fabio?” offered Perry.
“Any 80’s metal band?” Clark responded.
(It's even funnier because it's true).
As a last resort, she tried her puppy-dog face on her boss, but it ricocheted off the Kevlar sheath around his heart and whined harmlessly out the window.
So she spun and marched past Clark into the bullpen. “Olsen!” she barked. “Come on. Let’s go destroy my hair.” Over her shoulder, she called out, “And I better not hear a single word about this from you, Kent!”
There's Mad Dog Lane -- once she realizes wheedling won't get her anywhere, she's all business, determined to get the story no matter what.
And then, bless Jimmy's heart, he's off with Lois to the salon. Honestly, I loved their entire dynamic, but this exchange in particular:
“Hey, Lois, have you asked anyone to house-sit for you while you’re gone?”
“House-sit?” Her eyes went wide. “Aggh! No! I didn’t even think about it! Are you by any chance volunteering?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t. I’ve got a two-week vacation to the Grand Canyon starting a week from Tuesday and I’m not missing that trip.” His eyes lit with an evil gleam. “Hey, I bet Ralph would be happy to – “
“No!” she barked. “Absolutely not! Don’t even think about that! No way I’m letting that slime mold near my personal space! If I had my way he wouldn’t work at the Planet! I’d rather have Lex Luthor come back to life!”
Jimmy’s mouth twitched. “Don’t beat around the bush, Lois, tell us how you really feel about the guy.”
“You know, there’s lots of comedy clubs with open mike nights. Why don’t you go find a couple? Preferably in Los Angeles. Or maybe New Zealand.”
*hearts* Such a great illustration of co-workers who've become so used to each other, the zingers fly left and right with hardly a thought.
Also, Andre was terrific! I have to admit, at first I thought it was more than a little shady that he knew so much about the space station and low- to zero-gravity environments, but the conversation he and Lois shared at the end of her visit convinced me he has the best of intentions. And this was fabulous:
“ … There are ‘society’ women in this city who wouldn’t trust a straight man within six feet of their heads, but they let me do their hair on a regular basis because I prance around like a newborn colt and flip my wrists at them.”
Hah! Spot-on.
But then, after making me chuckle throughout, Terry, you decided to tug on your readers' heartstrings a bit.
“ … They issued me four sets of coveralls a little while ago, too. They’re all dark blue, and you would not believe how unflattering those things are.”
“Lois, I wouldn’t believe anything could be unflattering if you’re wearing it.”
“Oh, Clark!” He heard a sniff. “Doggone it, don’t do that!”
“Do what?”
“Be so sweet to me over the phone when I can’t be with you and let you know how much I appreciate it.”
“In your station-issue underwear?”
So simultaneously endearing and funny, and we get to see a slightly sentimental side of Lois few ever do (aside from Clark, of course).
Then, you make us think a bit:
“That does bring up a point, Lois. Superman won’t be able to come to your rescue if you get in trouble up on the station.”
She sighed. “I’m going to write about the anniversary of the colonists’ arrival, Clark, not investigate a terrorist organization. I doubt I’ll need Superman’s help.”
Hmm. Famous last words, Lois. I have a feeling all won't go quite so smoothly in later installments ... let's hear it for foreshadowing!
And then, wrench our hearts with this:
“… I found out this afternoon that you’ll have an e-mail account while you’re up there, and you’ll have access to the Planet’s database on the Internet feed. The station administration is setting you up just like a regular employee.”
“Good. Get ready for some sad and lonely e-mails from me.”
“Sad and lonely? You practically trampled me to get to this assignment.”
“That was before I realized I wouldn’t see you for almost two weeks.”
At the risk of being trite, all I can say is, "Aww." To the nth degree.
And last, but certainly not least, you had to twist the proverbial knife:
She hung up abruptly, just before he could say, “I love you, Lois.”
Just ... ack! It's the similar tug-of-war we saw time and again on L&C that kept us glued to our seats, between saying the right thing and missed opportunities. I love it, but oh, the frustration of it all!
And, as I've rambled far too long, I'll just reiterate that this is a great start! Can't wait to read the rest.
