Part 5: OriginsPerry looked at the time. It had been nearly two hours and Superman was still sleeping.
He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but every time he looked up from his work, he had to stop himself from staring at the red and blue form laying across his couch like a limp ragdoll.
The Kryptonian had barely moved at all, and only released a few deep sighs between silent breaths since, unsurprisingly, he didn't snore. (Snoring is inefficient and thus is not super, apparently.)
Perry looked back down at the copy he was editing, but a sound from the couch caused him to look back up.
Superman was sitting up with his legs still on the couch.
"What?" Superman asked, clearly confused as he looked around before he stilled. "Oh."
"Superman?" Perry asked. "Are you . . . feeling better?"
Superman quickly put his feet down on the floor and faced him.
"Yes, much better." He glanced down at the couch before looking back up. "Thank you for letting me rest here. How long have I been asleep?"
"About two hours. How much do you remember?"
"Enough to be grateful you brought me in here. Things are going to be bad enough with what's been happening. I would really prefer the public not know about any more nonsensical comments I've made while essentially asleep.”
Perry nodded in understanding, but before he could comment, Lois knocked and quickly entered.
“Oh!” she said after quickly closing the door. “You’re awake.” She looked relieved. “How do you feel?”
“Much more awake,” he said, smiling softly. “And thank you. I hope I didn't worry you too much, or scare you."
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried, but you'd have to do a lot more than what you did and said to scare me," Lois said, pulling all of her bravado in the hopes of reassuring him.
It seemed to work as he gave a sigh of relief and slowly stood up before spotting the notepad that was resting on the corner of Perry's desk.
"You can take the whole pad. I have plenty," Perry said, waving it away.
"Thanks," Superman said, his eyes falling to the foreign script as he picked it up, looking contemplative and forlorn.
"What's wrong?" Lois asked.
"To my knowledge, I am the only survivor of Krypton," he answered after a moment.
Perry tried not to look too stunned, but the blunt information was startling, disturbing even.
"The only one to make it to Earth?" Perry asked, seeking clarification. But part of him quickly wished he hadn't asked.
"No. The only one to leave orbit before the planet was destroyed," he stated.
"What happened?" Lois asked softly.
Perry suddenly realized Lois was learning this for the first time as well.
"I don't know the specifics, but the planet's core was unstable. There were earthquakes and such, before it eventually exploded. My parents only had enough time to make one vessel, and for reasons I can't understand, they seemed to be the only ones who knew the end was coming soon enough to do something about it."
Superman frowned, his eyes glazing over. "Father was furious he was being ignored, he told my mother the council had doomed them all."
"Who were your parents?" Lois asked.
"Jor-El and Lara of the House of El. They were scientists, or at least my father was. My mother assisted him, especially in the end."
"Did you help too?" Lois asked.
"I was too little," he said simply before moving on. "Krypton was more technologically advanced than Earth. Unfortunately, I think it's fair to say they had grown complacent and arrogant because of their successes. They had become overconfident."
"I can imagine having super abilities and advanced technology would make it difficult to remain cautious," Perry commented.
"No one had super powers on Krypton because Krypton’s sun was red instead of yellow. Kryptonians there were pretty much like humans are here," he gently corrected.
"So you only have powers here because of our sun?" Lois asked, amazed.
"Yes. Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because I've begun to remember more about my people and I want my people's language and culture to be remembered, at least to some degree.”
“We could write an article to that effect, certainly. And I can get in contact with some universities if you wish to share any materials like Kryptonian writings or the like to get the ball rolling there.”
Superman was clearly touched by Perry’s swift offer of assistance. “Thank you.”
“It's the least I can do, Superman. You've saved my life and the lives of everyone on Earth at least once. I know you don't do what you do to earn favors from us, but don't be afraid to ask for things. I know many of us would be thrilled to help you," Perry said.
Superman smiled gratefully.
"So what are we going to do about what's been happening to you?" Lois asked. "I mean, has it been getting better? Is there anything we can do to help you? Do you have a place to stay?"
Superman blinked at her barrage of questions, but before he could try to begin answering, she continued.
"Do you live alone? Although if you do, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone right now. Even though you seem to be sort of aware of what's happening when it happens, you're still out of it - no offense," she said, her cheeks growing pink as she realized she was babbling.
"She does make a few good points, Superman. I would offer my house for tonight or for however long you need, but my wife's sister is in town and I wouldn't put you through that," Perry said before looking at Lois.
"You can stay with me," Lois said, trying not to sound too eager. "Although, if you don't feel comfortable, I'm sure Clark would be willing to help you -- however, he went home early today due to not feeling well."
Superman thought for a moment, looking torn. Finally, he made a decision.
"I can stay with you tonight. I wouldn't want to bother Clark if he's under the weather, especially when I might not be a sane house-guest," Superman said, actually poking fun at himself - which surprised Perry.
"Alright," Lois said happily. "I can drive us, unless you would rather fly?"
"It would probably be easier if I just flew us," Superman said simply.
"So you'll be sticking with either Lois or me until this is over and we can just say it's for the article we're doing on your people, which isn't untrue," Perry said, nodding.
"And if there's an emergency?" Superman asked.
"Then you can take Lois and, if need be, she can run interference if anything happens," Perry said before growing serious. "We might have to inform the public about what's going on with you. There is a fair amount of curiosity over what happened at the park as well as your language slip at the bank. I think we can go about it in a way to avoid a panic, but you should prepare yourself."
Superman nodded in understanding, resigned to the likely event.
"Okay, so we have a plan," Perry said as Lois nodded, trying to play it cool but Perry saw through that.
She was ecstatic to have Superman over.
O o O o O
Lois tried to keep her heart from hammering, but as they went up to the roof of the Planet, it was impossible.
It was after six and they were able to avoid attracting attention from her coworkers due to most of them already being gone.
“Are you okay?” Superman asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Why?” Lois asked.
“Your heart is beating like crazy,” Superman said as they made it to the roof.
“Oh, I just realized I don’t have anything in my fridge,” Lois said, mostly honest. “I mean, it’s dinner time and I just realized I have nothing to feed us.”
“What do you normally eat?” Superman asked.
“I normally do take out. I, uh, am not great at cooking,” she admitted.
“We can do that, and I don’t really need to eat so don’t worry about me,” he said.
“No, no, it’s no problem, I was just being silly,” Lois assured.
“Alright,” he said, stepping beside her. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” she said.
They flew quickly to her apartment and she was grateful that she had taken to leaving her window unlocked.
“I’ll go ahead and call for takeout,” she said, quickly going to the phone as he closed the window behind him. “Is there anything you wouldn’t like?”
“I’m fine with whatever,” Superman said, approaching her couch. “I’ll, uh, just sit down.”
Lois couldn’t help but smile to herself as she watched Superman shift uncertainly on her couch as she ordered some pizza and a two liter of cream soda.
“So what would you like to do?” Lois asked. “I have board games, we could watch TV, a movie.” She shrugged. “I mean, we have a few hours before I typically go to bed. I don't know what your normal schedule is, so. . . ."
"We could watch TV. What's usually on at this time?" he asked.
She smiled and turned on the television. Fortunately, they didn't need to channel surf for long when they came upon Star Trek: the Next Generation. Superman's eyes seemed to flash with interest and she liked the show herself so with an agreeable nod from him, she put the remote control down.
"I must admit, I like this Star Trek better than the original," she said.
"Me too," he agreed. "Picard is a better Captain."
"You watch television?" she asked curiously.
"Not a whole lot, but occasionally. Interestingly, TV shows have helped me out on a few rescues," he said as the theme song ended and commercials started.
"How?" she asked.
"Cultural references for one, but the most important clip I saw was actually from Rescue 911, where I learned children sometimes hide when the building they're in is on fire. They get scared because of the smoke and all of that and hide under beds and in closets. Knowing that has . . . well, I've been able to find kids faster than I would otherwise."
Lois blinked, suddenly realizing there was a lot more to being Superman than she had imagined.
"How hard is it to find people in fires?" she asked.
"Depends on the fire. I can usually just blow out the fire and the smoke, and then from there it's easy, but if the building is in danger of collapsing, it's difficult.
"I can't rely on my hearing, the fire is just too loud. By the time I could triangulate the location of a heartbeat, smoke inhalation can do some serious damage, not to mention the flames. X-ray vision is a bit more helpful, so I of course use that when I do an initial scan of a building, but I can't really move while I'm peering through walls and things. If I move faster than a slow walk, my vision gets all distorted and blurry, and if I do it while moving at super-speed, I get dizzy and nauseous. So I've learned to do the scan and to listen when I first come to a scene. It usually takes me about ten to thirty seconds, depending on the structure, and that shows me if I can blow out the fire or not and helps me determine how many people are inside and where they are. Of course, if they're moving around or running to hide like some children do, that's when my speed comes in to find them. I usually work from the top down, unless I see someone who needs me immediately."
Lois blinked. "Wow. I've never really thought about there being a process to saving people."
"I've improved it over time, and knowing that kids hide in fires has helped a lot. I couldn't tell you how many times I've found toddlers hiding under clothes deep in the corners of closets, or even under stuffed animals in toy chests." He exhaled slowly as the commercials ended and Captain Picard came on the screen.
"Would you mind if I included what you just told me in an article?" she asked after a moment.
"Please do. The more people who know to teach their kids not to hide in fires, the better. It'll help me and will help firemen everywhere."
Lois nodded as they got into the show.
"Do you think we'll ever explore like they do in Star Trek?" Lois asked at the next commercial break.
"I think it's possible, but it'll be a long time from now."
"Did your people know of any other civilizations?" Lois asked.
"My father mentioned sending probes to hundreds of worlds, and that he chose Earth because the people looked Kryptonian and had similar ethics, so I can only assume that means there were other places that were different," he answered before a knock interrupted him.
Lois quickly got up and brought back the pizza and soda.
"I'll grab us plates and glasses real quick," Lois said, setting what she had down on the coffee table as Superman stood up, not sure how to help. "Don't worry, you're a guest. Just sit and enjoy yourself."
Superman sat back down, and before too long they were eating pizza and enjoying the show.
"My favorite character has got to be Data," Superman said after a moment. "Though Geordie is a close second."
"Oh? Why?" Lois asked.
"In most any other place, they'd be complete outsiders, but there they're welcomed and gladly use their differences to the benefit of others."
"Like you," Lois grinned as the credits started.
Superman shrugged self consciously before Lois glanced at the clock. It was seven o'clock.
"Well, I have a few movies, or we could try some games. Unless you want to find another show?" Lois proposed.
"A game is fine. What do you have?" he asked.
"Scrabble, cards, uh, monopoly," she said, getting up and going to a cabinet. "What card games do you know?"
"Well, I played Poker most recently, but I also know Go Fish, Speed, Kings Around the Corner, Rummy, Slap Jack, and 52 Pickup."
Lois blinked. There was a lot she wanted to dig into there. She took the cards from the shelf and returned to the table.
"Poker? I'm sorry, I'm trying to imagine you at a table with money on the line," Lois said, amused.
"Well, I ended up losing the money that was on the line actually," Superman admitted with a half smile.
"So you do refuse to cheat," she said, pleased with herself while privately wondering who he had played with -- but she felt it wasn’t quite appropriate to ask that.
"Huh?"
"It was something one of my coworkers said a long time ago while we were playing Poker. They suggested you could just look through the cards and make the appropriate bets, but then someone else said you would never do that because that goes against who you are," she explained.
"Oh."
Lois began shuffling the cards as she asked, "Is 52 Pickup what I think it is?"
"Yeah, a practical joke parents tend to pull on their unsuspecting kids," he said as Lois paused in her shuffling, shaking her head.
"I don't think Speed or Slap Jack would be fair," she commented. "I also don't want to risk my table breaking, no offense."
"Fair enough," he said, smirking. "Go Fish is fine. I don't have much money on me for Poker."
"So you do carry money?" she asked, surprised.
"Never know when it'll be helpful," he said evasively.
"I see. So why did you settle in Metropolis?" Lois asked as she began dishing out the cards. "I don't think I've ever asked you."
"The variety of people, primarily. There's plenty of opportunity here as well," he said, looking at his cards. "And it's a place I know I can be useful."
"You travel the world a lot though. Are there other places you think you could have settled instead?" she asked, her reporter senses tingling. "You go first."
"Well sure,” he said, before asking, "Do you have any fives?"
She sighed and handed over a five of hearts while still waiting for him to elaborate on his answer. He obliged.
"After my first rescue in the city, it just felt right. And then after the reception, your article, I didn't have to worry about how people would react to me as much as I had feared. I owe a lot to y--"
He tilted his head and his eyes panned to the right.
She grew concerned, wondering if he was slipping into a dream state again.
"I, uh, there's a pile up on 70," he stated, instantly relieving her initial worry.
O o O o O
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