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Operation: Blackout: Perry White
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Fire’s in your blood, ink stains your fingers, the ticking and tacking of typewriter keys echo in your ears, and you feel alive. Fierce and triumphant and younger than you’ve felt since you first accepted the title and office and responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief.

They tried to conquer you, tried to pull you down from the masthead and crush this paper beneath their feet, but here you are--the only paper in the city to publish today’s edition.

All right, so maybe you’re exhausted, and your head definitely aches, and Alice might not speak to you for another week, but right now, none of that matters. Right now, this is your kingdom and you reign undefeated, leader of a small group of warriors that followed your lead and never gave up.

Your two top knights are here, strolling in with the results of their heroics. Still working together, standing so close to each other their shoulders brush (and as valiant as you feel tonight, you’re not going to even try to ask why they’re both dressed in military uniforms that were, you’re sure, illegally obtained), and that’s a miracle in and of itself after everything they’ve gone through.

With them on your side, and Andy as your cavalry, you’re only missing one piece, and he’s tucked away safe in your office, sleeping the sleep of the innocent and overworked. The prince--he stayed at your side all day, willing to go wherever you pointed, eager to learn all you have to teach him, from courting a woman to ruling a news empire.

You’re still buzzing with energy (or all the caffeine he kept bringing and you kept drinking), alight with victory, but you let him sleep. He deserves it. He’s the one who translated for Andy, who fetched extra typewriters and paper and White-Out, and ran copies back and forth. He’s been your shadow for hours and hasn’t gone home in over a day and a half. The kid’s earned a bit of shut-eye.

Truth is, as melodramatic and slaphappy as you probably are right now, you’ve never been so proud before.

“You know,” you hear yourself saying, “I think he’s got the heart of a real newsman.”

One day, maybe he’ll rule this kingdom of yours.

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