Bolt, From Dubuque (part 11)
By: Ann Nonymous
The week leading up to his date with Lois had been like slow torture for Clark, even though he had been quite busy. Juggling schoolwork and hero duties hadn’t been as hard or all consuming as he had first feared. Patrolling cities had actually been very calming, and he had found his mind able to concentrate on the tasks it needed to much more readily after returning from fighting crime. Because his position as a reporter at the school newspaper required him to follow the news, he couldn’t avoid hearing the reports of his exploits. All of the major networks and newspapers had given considerable coverage to the adventures of Superman and Bolt, their writers going to great efforts to get the deeper side of stories. Foiled muggings and rescued accident victims all seemed to have some other tragic background to them, details that Clark would never have even fathomed at the time he had intervened. After a while he found himself almost enjoying the stories, a large part of himself heartened at the amount of good that he had been able to bring to the world. Lives had been changed because of him; lives that would’ve otherwise been tragically cut short had been saved due to his efforts. No matter what the sacrifice for him, the end result was certainly worth it.
Between the studying, reporting, and rescuing, he had even managed to visit with Bolt a couple of times. Kevin had spent his week patrolling the eastern seaboard, in Boston and Philadelphia and Metropolis, and had been very busy as a result. Crime ran rampant in the inner parts of those cities, and it seemed that all his time had been occupied with cleaning out the drugs, the gangs, and the guns. He had truly seen the seedy underbelly of society, had spent large amounts of time in areas that most of America actively tried to ignore. Clark was surprised that, no matter how bad the crime scene or how disheartening the continual struggle was despite his efforts, Kevin always seemed to wear a smile, always seemed to be genuinely happy to play the part of the Superhero. To him, the powers were far from a burden, the job far from tedious, and any change for the better, no matter how small, was a step in the right direction. He truly viewed the powers as a source of joy, a tool that he used to spread hope to the rest of the world. It was an attitude that was infectious. It was amazing what an effect a little change in perspective had on Clark, what a shot of enthusiasm seemed to do to spark his own love of life. Between the positive influence of Kevin’s attitude, the heart-warming news coverage, and the ever-present thoughts of Lois and their impending date, Clark found himself smiling more than he had in a long time.
The arrival of Friday brought an almost unbearable amount of excitement, which had served to make every one of his classes seem infinitely long. His mind had churned as the professors had lectured, his hand scribbling absently in his notebook as he had pondered everything that would happen that night. By the time 4 o’clock came, he was off, his better judgment telling him that he should take his time and not superspeed immediately to Lois, even as his more impatient side did just that. In a matter of seconds, he found himself in Metropolis, landing gently in the deserted alley next to her apartment building. Quickly he walked into the building and to her door, his hands fidgeting nervously with each other, betraying an inner nervousness that he was valiantly trying not to acknowledge. He knocked lightly, fighting the urge to peek through the door. When she opened the door to greet him, he was almost surprised to see that she was even more ravishing than he remembered, more stunning than even his daydreams could muster. She was clad in a black dress, simple, yet elegant, and certainly the compliment to his shirt and tie, which he had feared would be too formal. Her shoulder-length brown hair was pulled up, revealing her radiant face.
“Hello,” she said, blushing slightly, a shy grin appearing on her face as she studied him for a moment.
Impulsively, he reached for her had, drawing it up toward him mouth and planting a light kiss upon it. “You look ravishing this evening, my lady,” he replied. Her cheeks reddened further as she nervously reached for a phantom strand of her hair. She was beautiful when she was embarrassed, he decided, taking pity upon her after a moment. Releasing her hand and straightening up, he gestured down the hallway. “Would you care to escort this naïve midwesterner around your city?” he asked, and that finally brought a full-fledged grin from her.
“A man who is not afraid to let his date do the driving. I never thought I’d see it,” she said, a sparkle in her eyes, before sauntering down the hallway. He watched appreciatively for moment, then followed behind. The conversation had started shortly thereafter. As they drove across town, she told him of her father, a career military man who had been strict and commanding, and who had raised his daughters to be driven, no matter what the costs. She talked about growing up on army bases around the world, before finally landing in Metropolis and settling there to finish high school and go to college. Clark had listened and interjected, not especially wanting to mention his own tragic childhood, but being coaxed into it anyway. Suppertime had found them at a burger joint, neither of them feeling particularly out of place slurping milkshakes while donning semi formal clothing. Clark couldn’t remember what they discussed over cheeseburgers and French fries, but he remembered laughing through most of it. And she had laughed, too, genuine interest and happiness written on her face as she gave him her undivided attention.
After the meal, Lois had shown him the sights of the city. The famous theaters and landmarks, the financial district, the great Centennial Park. They had paid their admission to go up to the observation deck of the tallest building in town. The view was impressive, he had to admit, but as Lois had excitedly pointed out everywhere they had been that evening, he had leaned against the railing and smiled, wondering if he should show her the city as he saw it. As they made their way back toward the elevators, he made note of the darkened corners of the observation area, noticing that the crowd was beginning to become sparse due to the late hour. With a sly grin, he changed paths, heading toward one of those dark corners, his hand on Lois’s arm guiding her along with him.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking around, confusion etched on her face.
“Do you trust me?” Clark asked, drawing her attention back to him. They were now standing in a recess of the central part of the building, the spire of the antenna and lightning rod stretching up against them. The lights, spaced to illuminate the area near the high railings at the edges of the observation deck, left their position draped in dark shadows.
“You know I do,” she said with a nod. Clark smiled, then stepped close enough to her that they were practically nose to nose.
“Then let me show you something,” he said softly, then gathered her into his arms and shot into the air. She yelped as they left the ground, but quickly regained her composure. They came to a stop several thousand feet above the building they had just been atop, higher than anywhere in the city, but not high enough to be in the flight path of any approaching aircraft. Lois breathed heavily, her eyes transfixed on the ground below them. The lights of the city stretched out almost as far as the eye could see in either direction, the headlights of the cars making the highways seem like ribbons of light.
“The city as seen from the top of the Trade Towers might be beautiful, but to get the truly great view, you have to go the extra mile...straight up,” he said with a smile.
Lois chuckled lightly. “If you’re trying to show off,” she started, her expression momentarily stern, but her mouth quickly pulling into a smile, “you’re succeeding admirably. I am most definitely impressed.” Her arms pulled tighter around his neck, her eyes diverting back to the view below. A gust of wind carried them north and west, toward the shopping districts and over the more swanky part of town.
“Say the word and we can be over Paris in a second,” he said, entirely serious. “If you want to take a walk in the clouds or see any of the seven wonders of the world, I can take you there, too. The whole world can be yours, and all you have to do is say yes.”
Lois looked back toward him, surprised, but a shake of the head told him that she wasn’t interested. “I told myself that I wouldn’t dream of Paris until at least the second date,” she joked. Her eyes locked into his, the hint of something more there, but she quickly looked away, her attention drawn toward to the thin clouds off in the distance. “Besides, if I’m with you, it doesn’t matter where we are. On a cloud, in the shadow of the pyramids...it’s all about the company.”
Clark looked away, embarrassed. He’d been so caught up in the fact that she seemed to be enjoying the benefits of his powers, he’d gotten carried away. She was right, of course. If they were sitting in a dark cave, it’d be enjoyable because she was there. “So, if some weekend I brought you out to show you all the sights of Kansas...” he said, and Lois smiled.
“I do have my limits,” she said, and they both laughed. “I think I can see it from here, actually, if I squint really hard,” she continued, and Clark followed her gaze.
“It’s right next to Atlantis, over there,” he said, pointing off toward the western horizon. Lois gave him a sideways look and chuckled.
“Thanks for bringing me up here, Clark,” she said after a moment, her voice soft. “I appreciate the fact that, even though you’re surely one of the most powerful people on the Earth, you feel you need to show off to little old me. It’s kind of cute, I guess.”
“Cute?” he asked, his eyebrows raised and his lips pulled back into a grimace.
Lois freed one of her hands and ruffled his hair. “It’s a compliment, Clark.”
He pouted. “Cute is just not impressive, that’s all. ‘Magnificent,’ maybe, or ‘remarkable,’ would work.”
“I’m sure you guys all stand around the lockers in the gym and tell great stories of how cute your girlfriends think you are,” she said.
“I think an alarm goes off if we say that word in there, actually,” Clark quipped, bringing a smirk from Lois.
“Speaking of how cute and utterly remarkable you are,” she said after a short silence, her expression quickly turning saccharine. “About your outfit....”
Clark rolled his eyes and began to float back toward the trade towers. She regaled him with her grand ideas for his costume, even going so far as to offer her meager services in making it, and Clark had to admit that he listened with some eagerness, even if the idea of spandex and a cape didn’t strike him as the best in the world. There was definitely something to be said for fighting crime in something flashier than what a normal person would wear, something that would further separate him from his other identity.
After a few minutes, they slipped out of the sky and back into the shadows that they had taken off from, their conversation switching to more mundane things as they rode the elevators back down to the ground floor and made their way back to the car. Their date continued on as if the brief respite in the clouds had never happened, as if he hadn’t just held her in his arms and exhibited his incredible ability to her. It was so strange and wonderful at the same time. Lana would’ve never let him forget even if he had used his powers for something mundane; Lois was definitely not Lana, and he couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
The final stop of the evening was another park, this one rather small, situated at the tip of New Troy. The trees near the park entrance crowded the road and reached out overhead, blocking the view as they pulled into the small asphalt parking lot. Getting out of the car and walking a few hundred feet, though, revealed a different view, and Clark suddenly realized why it was that Lois had brought them there. There, in front of them, stretched a vast expanse of dark water, the shoreline of the mainline stretching to the west, infinite darkness to the east. The newly risen moon dominated the sky as it hung low over the Atlantic Ocean, its deep orange hue making it seem almost as if it were on fire. Stars sparkled in the darkness above, straining to stand out against the glare from the city lights. All in all, it was a view that lacked a certain perspective and majesty when seen from above, one that seemed so much more intimate when viewed from the ground. A cool breeze blew in off the water, flavoring the air with the salty scent of the sea, covering up the other city smells that were prominent outside of the park. Water lapped gently against the sea wall, the waves setting a hypnotic rhythm that was as comforting as it was exotic to a man who had never really spent any time away from the wheat fields of Kansas.
They walked slowly toward the water and settled into a bench, the bushes sheltering them off from the rest of the world. At that moment, it was just the two of them and nature, alone at last in the city that was home to millions. But, as much as the wonders of the natural surroundings should be commanding his attention, Clark found his senses drawn elsewhere. All he could hear was the gentle, methodical beat of the heart of the woman beside him. Her scent dominated the ocean air, her face was more radiant than the moon on the horizon or any of the stars or planets dotting the sky above. Her very touch brought the hot sizzle of electricity, a zap of excitement that he just couldn’t ignore, especially as her hand found its way into his. He found himself indulging in those deeper feelings for the first time, wondering if it might not be time to take that next step.
“I would really like to kiss you,” Clark whispered, breaking the silence and drawing her attention away from the ocean. His eyes locked into hers, and he was surprised to see that they held the same need that had overtaken him. After talking with each other, after getting to know each other and just being around each other, there was just need. The need to know whether her lips were as soft as he imagined they were, the need to know if whatever was between them was as deep as he thought it was.
Lois smiled sweetly and nodded. “I would really like you to kiss me, too,” she answered, her voice deep with longing. Immediately, he closed his eyes and leaned in toward her, their lips gently touching at first. As they pulled gently apart, he felt her hand on his jaw, her fingers wrapping around and touching a sensitive spot behind his ear. His mouth opened up as they came together again, his hand working its way behind her head and into her silky hair. As they kissed, he marveled in how very right it felt, in how he wanted nothing more than to be there in her arms. He felt something inside of him stir as it continued, and he forced himself to pull away as he realized just how deeply he was being affected. His eyes fluttered open and he could see disappointment on her face, but as he shifted gently, her eyes turned downward, and a blush began to rise on her cheeks as a sly smile worked its way onto her face. His sensitive ears picked up the rapid pace of her heart, and he smiled as he saw that she had been as deeply affected as he had.
For a few moments, they just looked at each other, smiling, longing to be together again but knowing that they shouldn’t, not here, not now, no matter how seemingly isolated their location. It was amazing how different that kiss had been from any other he had experienced. With Lana, they had been tender, sweet, but had never possessed the intensity that he had just experienced. There had never been the feeling that somehow their souls were intertwined, that somehow their kiss was meant to be. But kissing Lois just felt right in a way that he had never thought possible. He wanted to tell her that so badly, but even for someone who hoped to make a living off of words, he couldn’t find the way to express everything he was feeling at that moment. He supposed, deep down, he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say those words. It wasn’t that he wasn’t sure of their truth, because if there was one thing he was absolutely sure of, it was how he felt about Lois. But to say them, that was something that was fraught with peril. Everyone that he had ever professed love to had left – his parents, Lana.... It was a thought that he didn’t even want to contemplate.
“Have you thought about where you’re going to apply for a job once you graduate?” Lois asked, and Clark had to blink in order to orient himself with the world again. He looked at Lois questioningly, and noticed that she was smoothing out her dress, looking away from him.
He smiled, noticing the distancing technique for what it was. As he was about to answer, though, the sound of a large bang seemed to reverberate throughout the city. Clark turned his head toward the sound, all his senses zeroing in on its source. “The Daily Planet,” he said, his hearing picking up the preliminary dispatch from 911.
“Me too,” Lois said brightly, and Clark turned toward her again, confused. After a moment, he realized that he had unintentionally answered her question. Under normal circumstances, it might almost be a humorous situation, but he couldn’t bring himself to smile. Even as he shook his head, the muffled sound of screams reached his ears, sending chills down his spine.
“No, that sound. Couldn’t you hear it?” he asked as he quickly rose from the bench. “It was an explosion at the Daily Planet.”
“Oh no,” she whispered, her face quickly morphing into an expression of horror. She stood and followed his gaze, looking intently back toward the city, seeing the first wisps of smoke above the skyline.
“I have to go. People are hurt,” he said, then took a large stride away from her.
“I’m going too,” Lois said, taking a step toward him, but stopping as Clark continued on without her.
“I’ll see you there,” he said over his shoulder, his path taking him into the darkness of the trees deeper into the park. He stopped briefly and turned toward her, a sparkle in his eye. “Maybe you can get that exclusive you were looking for, after all,” he continued, then disappeared into the darkness. Within moments, he was shooting across the sky, quickly arriving at the Daily Planet building and immersing himself in the business of being Superman.
*~*~*
Bolt rolled over onto his side as he floated in the air over Boise, propping his head onto his hand as if lying on an imaginary surface. The streets below were quiet, a nice change from the crime and desperation that he had encountered in the ghettoes out east. It was nice to be bored for once, he thought as he floated toward the dome of the Idaho capital building. It gave him a chance to actually get to look around, to get the full benefits of the view from the air. It also gave him the chance to do a little sightseeing. All the times that he had told someone that he was from Iowa and they had asked him if that was where potatoes came from, he had wished fervently that he could at least have a little knowledge of what Idaho was really like, so that he could better joke about the situation. And now he knew, he thought with a grin, his path taking him toward the mountains in the distance.
The hour was still fairly early, the families who stayed home on Fridays had just settled into their living rooms. He let himself listen to the sounds that drifted up from below, the sitcoms and the news channels and radios all blending together, yet all still individually discernable to his sensitive ears. Some canned laugher made its way through his mental filters as he turned onto his stomach, folding his arms underneath his chin. Next came the strains of some song or another followed by a news report of....
Bolt stopped where he was, zeroing in on the report. After a few moments, he didn’t have to strain any longer, because all the televisions and radios had all began to broadcast the same thing. His arms fell away as the announcer told of breaking news from Metropolis. By the time the word “bomb” had been mentioned, he was already streaking toward the east as fast as he could go, the land flashing by underneath him at an almost disorienting pace. In a matter of seconds, the skyline of Metropolis was within sight, the cloud of smoke clearly visible above it. With an extra burst of speed, he approached the building, stopping in midair above it and surveying the situation.
The building was one that was immediately recognizable to anyone who had ever watched the news, the large globe that usually stood atop it proudly proclaiming it as the home of the Daily Planet, the most famous newspaper in the world. That globe, one of the landmarks of Metropolis, was now lying unceremoniously on the roof, one of the countless victims of the bomb that had been detonated inside the building below. The blast had also blown a hole in the front of the building, hurtling brick and glass and remnants of office furnishings onto the street and exposing twisted steel columns and girders. Thick smoke and dust clouded the whole scene in an eerie fog, one that seemed alive with the activity of the emergency workers and fleeing office workers and reporters.
Ambulances and fire trucks lined the streets for several blocks in each direction, despite the debris that littered the scene. In the air above him, Bolt could hear the steady roar of helicopters circling around the site, camera crews inside them undoubtedly capturing the scene from above. Below, the police were directing non-emergency personnel away from the scene, a steady stream of people scurrying away from the Daily Planet. Only the firemen headed in the opposite direction, their crews looking for the injured and trapped inside the now ruined building. The muffled screams and pleas for help from below told Bolt that the firemen would definitely need some assistance with that task. As he was about to fly down to help, a flash of blue streaked from the sky and into the gaping hole, just as quickly exiting again. It was Superman, Bolt realized, somewhat surprised to see his friend on the scene after hearing in no uncertain terms from Clark that Superman absolutely would be out of commission that night. Clark could never have anticipated something like this happening, though, and whatever it was that had originally been planned that night, it obviously was less important than the lives of those people trapped inside the building.
With a mental shake, Bolt willed himself to get down to work, immediately swooping into the building and tending to the injured and trapped. He crossed paths with Superman several times, although neither acknowledged the other with more than just a glance and a nod of the head. The sheer volume of work barred any further exchanges. Because the blast happened past the normal working hours, the casualties weren’t as numerous as they could’ve been, but since the Daily Planet housed journalists that worked around the clock, there were still a fairly large volume of victims. As hard as it was to see the injured, it was even worse to behold those that hadn’t survived, some mangled beyond recognition. He had to steel himself away from the truly gruesome sights, turn off his sensitive nose from the smell of burning that was evident everywhere. There was no time to stop and ponder the sheer horror of the scene, to question who could’ve possibly done such a thing, to wonder what consequences it would have on the future of Metropolis and the great newspaper. Bolt just went, clearing the scene as fast as he could, the minutes passing like hours, until there were no more people to be rescued.
He had no clue how late it was when he perched himself on top of the building across the street, finally slowing down for the first time that night. Superman was inside the building, clearing away the smoke and freeing the paths for the rescue workers and investigators to reach the upper floors of the building and access the blast site. Bolt sighed as he gave the building another once over, checking for anyone that he might have missed. The subbasement and tunnel structure underneath the Planet building was impressive, linking it to several surrounding buildings, but the passages were bare, devoid of even the critters that usually frequented such areas. Smoke still loomed heavily in the parking garage, bits of the ceiling and walls now resting on the floors, but no victims were present. The lobby and lower floors of the building were still teeming with emergency workers, the upper floors still partially blocked. Above the blast site, all the remaining workers had long ago been cleared away. The building now sat like a ghost, a relic to the majesty of a storied newspaper.
A dull thud drew Bolt’s attention away from the disaster scene. Superman was now standing next to him, his costume dusty and bloodied. “That building’s not safe,” Superman muttered, shaking his head slightly and frowning at the gathered mob at its base. Bolt nodded, his eyes drawn toward the brickwork that remained, some of it held in place by seemingly nothing at all.
“Those bricks could kill someone,” Bolt said, taking a step toward the edge of the building with the intent of taking care of the problem. His progress was stopped, though, as Superman held out his arm, planting his hand on Bolt’s chest.
“Look deeper,” Superman said intensely, his other hand pointing toward the gaping hole. “It’s a wonder that the building itself is still standing. Bolts in the structure are sheered off, the steel members are cracked and warped. That whole thing could come down at any time.”
Bolt looked at him in surprise, then turned toward the building, this time looking below the surface and seeing all the things that Superman pointed out. “We can fix it,” Kevin said, his voice making it clear that that was just what he intended to do.
Superman only nodded in response. A second later, he was gone, back into the belly of the beast, the task of welding together damaged steel underway. Bolt stuck close to him, and they worked off each other, one bracing while the other fused the steel. The emergency workers stayed away for the most part, leaving them alone in their task.
“I thought you were taking the night off,” Bolt said after a while, his hands supporting a cross member below the blast site.
Superman shot a beam of heat vision at the connection with the column, and then along a crack in the flange of the beam. “I couldn’t ignore something like this. Besides, I was in town,” he replied, moving toward the other end of the beam.
“Taking in the social scene?” Bolt asked, surreptitiously zapping a gap in the floor joist above him.
“You could say that,” Superman said, finishing with the other end and moving on to the next member. This time, he held and Bolt did the welding.
“So, what, you went out to see a show? Or sightseeing?” Bolt asked, a small, teasing smile breaking onto his face. He reached up and grasped the beam, reshaping it so that it would fit properly in place.
“Let’s just say that I was visiting a friend,” Superman answered. Bolt looked curiously toward his friend, who was now looking outside, away from the crowd, a small smile on his face.
“Really?” Bolt asked, more curious than ever now. “In town? This friend doesn’t know about...?” he asked, pointing his thumb at Superman’s chest. Superman just raised his eyebrows and smiled, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly.
Bolt had a hard time welding a straight, steady line in the steel. He wasn’t exactly sure what to think about that particular revelation, although he found himself somewhat nervous about the prospect of half of the biggest secret in the world being out there. He almost felt...exposed, as odd as that seemed.
“She’s outside right now,” Superman answered, shifting his weight.
“Great,” Bolt said under his breath, moving toward the other end of the beam, suddenly feeling the need to move the conversation to other things. But how could he do that gently? He began to ponder that as they moved on to the next beam, but was spared from having to as the stairwell door to the floor banged open, and several emergency workers started making their way toward the heroes. Bolt and Superman continued their work in silence as the men remained within earshot, although Bolt couldn’t stop himself from making several curious glances at Superman. After a while, the firemen made their way toward where the two heroes were.
“How’s it going?” one of them asked, tipping his helmet forward ever so slightly.
“It’s slow,” Superman said with a sigh. “We think we’ve gotten the worst of the damage repaired, though. It should be safe for the rest of your men to come in.”
“Thanks, Superman,” the other firefighter said. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than there was a bang, and the room suddenly filled with smoke. Bolt tensed, momentarily caught off guard. It only took a second for his eyes to adjust, his vision perfectly able to see through the thick smoke, and what he saw was a canister sitting on the floor in front of them, the hand of one of the firefighters pulling back from it as he reached toward his jacket.
“What...?” Bolt asked, but was stopped by a searing pain that surged through his whole body. He dropped to his knees, grimacing in agony, even as the air seemed to glow green with an eerie light. Beside him, Superman let out an anguished cry, and dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Bolt turned to look at his friend, but he quickly realized that he couldn’t see through the smoke anymore. In fact, all he could see was darkness, punctuated by a sickly green grow.
“Get them,” one of the firefighters said, and hands began to reach out for him. Fighting through the pain in his muscles, Bolt swatted the hands away and rose awkwardly to his feet, stumbling toward where he knew the stairway was. He tore off his sunglasses as he got further from the smoke bomb, trying desperately to see anything. Luckily, enough ambient light from the city was able to come in through the windows to illuminate the hallway, and eventually he found the stairwell. He was coughing as he pushed open the door, his actions as quick as he could make them, expecting one of the men to come after him.
He clutched onto the handrail and raced down the steps as fast as his rubbery legs would take him, the pain in his body fading with every step he took away from the firemen. After descending two floors, he came to a stop, aware for the first time that he was winded. But he didn’t get winded, at least not since being struck by lightning. With a start, he looked at the sunglasses still clutched in his hand, then toward the wall. He willed the wall to dissolve and show him the outside, but it didn’t. He squinted at it, hoping to blast it with some heat, but no heat came. Panic began to seem into his consciousness as he willed himself up into the air, only to find his feet still firmly planted on the steps.
“No,” he whispered under his breath, his panic morphing into cold fear. All his new powers, the essence of what Bolt was, were gone, stripped, and he was just Kevin now. What had those firemen done to him? And what about Clark? He looked back up the stairwell, determined to go back for Clark, but stopped. What could he do against three or four large men? Before the lightning hit, he was never strong, and he didn’t possess anything more than rudimentary self defense skills. He couldn’t take those men, he thought, hanging his head. He needed help if he were to do anything. But where would he get anyone to help him? Kevin Jones was nobody here, he didn’t know anyone here, and Bolt was effectively dead. He could go out there and start telling tales of Superman being kidnapped, but who would believe him?
“She’s outside right now,” Superman said from the not-so-distant past, and suddenly Kevin’s head snapped up, new hope building within him. Whoever this mystery woman was, she was someone who knew about Clark and who apparently cared enough about him to wait around. If anyone was going to help him, it was her. He had to go out there and find this woman, but he also had to get out of the building without anyone knowing. Bolt couldn’t be seen limping away from the scene, and Kevin Jones couldn’t be seen emerging from a building hundreds of miles from where he was last seen a couple of hours earlier.
The tunnels. He’d use the tunnels he’d found, he thought, continuing down the stairs, desperately hoping not to run into anymore rescue workers. The building was clear, though, and as he reached the main level, he descended another three floors, finally emerging in the darkened subbasement area. He had to rely on memory to guide him, as the darkness in the tunnels was absolute. His hands felt along the wall, his shoulders and hips bumping into pipes and doors and whatever else lurked in the dark. Eventually, he found a long corridor and followed it, reaching a door at the other end which led to a staircase. He ascended the stairs in the dark, finally exiting the stairwell into the lobby of another building. The dull light of the city guided him toward the front, through the doors, and outside. Kevin removed the helmet and the jersey, clutching them behind him and out of sight as he finally emerged out onto the street, the Daily Planet building now next door to where he was. The street was practically deserted in this area, the emergency workers all concentrating on the blast site, the civilians all having been cleared out long ago.
He wished he knew exactly who he was looking for, he thought, his gaze sweeping past the storefronts and into the nearby darkened alleys. He stumbled forward, intent on returning to Daily Planet area, but he stopped, his eyes finding a lone pale face staring out from an alley. The face looked feminine, her hair and dark outfit blending into the shadows and giving the illusion of a specter of some sort, but as Kevin watched, she took a step forward, emerging from the shadows, her eyes locked into his.
Kevin stood, transfixed, as she took several more steps toward him. After a moment, though, he started coughing again, the after effects of the smoke bomb still lingering. As he doubled over slightly, his hand slid from behind his back, the shiny helmet becoming evident to his observer, her eyes going wide at the sight. It only took a moment before she was beside him, looking at him, waiting for him to finish.
“You’re Bolt, aren’t you?” she asked as he straightened up again. Kevin looked into her eyes, not really sure what to say. After a moment, she reached out to him, grabbing his shirt, her eyes wide with fear. “Where’s Superman?” she asked, and he took a deep breath, shaking his head ever so slightly. Her grip only tightened as she pulled him in toward her. “Where’s Clark?” she hissed, and Kevin knew for sure. This was his mysterious friend, the one that had been waiting.
“He needs our help,” Kevin answered, and they both turned toward the Daily Planet building.
