[Chapter 3: Mind]"Do my eyes deceive me?!" Perry boomed across the press pool. "Lois, do you have something to announce?"
Lois laughed before holding up her left ring finger for all to see.
"Yes. Believe it or not, everyone, I'm engaged!" she declared.
Lois enjoyed the resulting chaos and flashed her ring to anyone expressing curiosity or disbelief. Which was everyone.
"Who?!" someone asked.
"That P.I. fellow, right?" Jimmy inquired.
"That's right," Lois said proudly.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough now. Back to work!” Perry ordered after the long moment of upheaval.
Lois smirked, certain Perry had enjoyed the brief disturbance, even as she got back to work herself.
Other than answering questions about her upcoming wedding and 'the lucky man', the rest of the day was fairly typical, although it did pick up when news of the factory fire came.
"Superman appeared to recover quickly in the sun after leading a group out of the building before helping the fire crews to finish extinguishing the blaze," the news reporter said. "It is believed the cause of the fire was from a malfunction in the mill's machinery. An investigation is underway."
The reporter approached some people standing to the side, looking shaken but relieved.
"Behind me are some of the people Superman helped out of the building," he said before turning to the man at the head of the group. "Sir, could you share what happened?"
"Yes. Superman found us and walked us all out," he explained. He appeared to be an office supervisor.
"Walked you all out? At the same time? How many were with you?"
"Over sixty," he said. "Superman had us make a human chain and he took the hand of the first person in the line. Soon after, I guess he did something with his aura because I felt a strange sensation surge over my skin and I felt . . . strong. He then led us through, blowing away fire and smoke as we went. It was scary at first, but after some debris fell on us without harming us, we knew everything would be okay."
"Debris landed on you?" the reporter asked.
"Yeah, the fire was in the ceiling and all around us. The building was burning down fast. It's why he had to take us all out together. It would take too much time for him to fly us out one at a time or even two-by-two," the man said.
"But by extending his aura you all come out unharmed?" he asked.
"Yeah. Some of my clothes got burned," he said, holding out his sleeve and showing the charred fabric and bare arm. "But it just felt like warm dust on my skin."
"Amazing."
"It was," the man agreed. “He covered us, shielded us with his power. I can never fully describe it.”
Lois smiled softly as those around her watched the newscast with interest.
“I wonder how many people he can protect,” Jimmy asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m certain the answer will always involve ‘all he can’,” she said, turning back to her work as the news went onto something else.
Jimmy nodded. “Well, is there anything I can do for you, Lois?”
“Yeah, actually, could you look into these people? I’m curious about financial backing and if any new donors have appeared or if any suddenly dropped,” she said, handing him a list of people with ties to Representative Fred Leanings.
“Sure, no problem,” he said, before dashing off.
Hopefully he’d return with some leads for her. With any luck, she'd have another major story wrapped up before the Pulitzer Award Ceremony at the end of the month.
O o O o O
Lois smiled as Clark entered her apartment that evening.
“So the Planet now knows I’m engaged,” she said, pleased.
“And I imagine the reaction was entertaining?” he asked knowingly.
“Yes. I should have asked Jimmy to be ready with his camera,” she lamented.
He laughed. “Fortunately, I can imagine it pretty well, so no big loss. Anyway, have you already eaten?” he asked.
“No, would you like for me to order out?” she asked.
They ended up ordering out and settling down for the evening in the living room. Nothing was really on television, and they would much rather talk anyway.
"I saw the news today. Have you spoken to Dr. Klein?” she asked.
“I stopped by the Foundation soon after. We had already agreed that I would check in with him if I ever ended up using my aura in public like that," he said.
Lois looked at him curiously, silently insisting he continue.
He smirked at her expression and resumed. "He was quite excited, and insisted on testing out a new contraption he had created to 'see' my aura."
"See it?" she asked.
"It's an overlay on a screen produced by a special camera he made. Bernie said it's just a prototype, so really primitive, but it still impressed me,” Clark explained. “Anyway, everything was normal. Well, my normal anyway. But we did learn my aura saturates living tissue more easily than organic material and much more than inorganic. We don't know exact amounts yet, but Bernie's current estimates put living tissue seven times easier to cover than organic material and at least twenty times easier than inorganic."
"Wow. That explains why those people in Spain were unharmed while their clothing was ruined," Lois said. "How many people do you think you could protect?"
"I don't know. It'd really depend on the situation I think. I can protect more children than adults, just because of their smaller size, but it'd also depend on how close they were to me and each other, and if they're touching or not. Covering the people today was a little difficult, but I think I could have covered a few more without much trouble. Granted, I was fully charged, so to speak, before the rescue today. Bernie thinks part of the reason why my aura tore before was because I had exhausted myself before even reaching Spain."
“That makes sense,” she agreed. "So any other progress, research wise?"
"Work on the crystals has been put on the back burner with everything, but Bernie said he has some ideas on testing my telepathy," he said.
"I'm really glad Dr. Alcon and that nurse have kept quiet about it," Lois said.
"Me too. I went back to visit and to thank them, and they assured me they wouldn't tell anyone unless I told them it was okay," Clark said, just as relieved. "Anyway, how is your investigation on that politician going?"
"I found a few more things, though I'm waiting for Jimmy to get back with me on something else before I submit it all to police. Fred Leanings is definitely going down. He's scum."
"Sounds like it. If he's using a professional arsonist slash bomber, calling him scum is being extremely polite," Clark agreed.
Lois laughed. "True. But enough about work. I talked to my sister last night about what had happened over Christmas with . . . well, long story short, she completely agrees with our plan. I hope to call my parents this weekend."
"I suppose it would be silly to offer to talk to them with you?" he asked, not sure how best to help but wanting to.
"I'd appreciate you being with me when I talk to them," Lois said. "But beyond that, maybe a flight after?"
Clark smiled. "I can do that. And actually, would you like a flight now?"
"Things will have to be pretty busy for me to ever say no to a flight with you," she said as they stood up.
"Where would you like to go?" he asked after spinning into his suit.
"You know, you're going to spoil me," she pointed out as she happily went to the window.
"That is sort of the idea," he said, smirking before taking her hand. "Besides, it's the least I can do for a Pulitzer winner."
"I haven't won it yet," she countered.
"If you don't get a Pulitzer tomorrow night for 'The Fall of Luthor', you'll need to investigate the board, or whoever organizes all that, because they'd have to be corrupt or brain dead not to choose you," he said.
She laughed as she took his hand and reveled in the reality that was her life.
Soon after, he took her over the Atlantic and they watched the sunrise over distant mountains beyond the expansion of blue.
O o O o O
Agent Karl Rawlins hoped this would be an easy, straightforward day. Of course, he knew that was a ridiculous wish. Nothing ever went according to plan, and the moment it appeared things were settled, that's when things always blew up.
He was at the Metropolis Convention Center, acting as a point of contact for the MPD. He was an NIA agent and was hoping to get some information about the whereabouts of a professional bomber, Joe Arlo, aka: Joe the Blow, through the arrest of Representative Fred Leanings. Granted, he wouldn't be a representative for much longer.
Rawlings looked around, detesting the political flare around him. Leanings was holding a rally for the upcoming election, vying for re-election.
Well, he was in for a surprise.
The crowd was large and happy, waving patriotic flags and posters with catchy slogans. Although indoors, the place was so big, he had no doubt that it had as many seats as some football stadiums. It was certainly just as rowdy.
Suddenly, one of Metropolis' police officers appeared at his side and spoke softly by his ear.
"Sir, we have an issue. Code 10," he said as someone official looking went onto the stage as quickly as they could while trying to appear as if they were not hurrying.
"Where?" he asked.
Code 10 was code for 'bomb on site'.
"Northwest corner. The janitor found and reported it. We haven't confirmed it, but it seems legit," the officer said as the man on stage began directing people to calmly go to the exits.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we're going to evacuate the building over chemicals found within the building," the smartly dressed man said. "So please, everyone, calmly exit the building using the south and eastern exits. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Representative Leanings then chimed in.
"Everything is alright, folks, just please cooperate and evacuate. If need be, we'll hold the rally across the street," he said, keeping himself upbeat.
At least he was being helpful, but now they would have to make his arrest sometime after this new crisis had passed.
The type of crisis was not missed by Rawlings, and he suspected this was part of an elaborate plan to bring Leanings some more attention and sympathy from the masses. If his rally was interrupted by a bomb (or what was perceived to be a bomb), he might get more votes.
Rawlins inwardly rolled his eyes as he began helping police direct people out by waving them along with his NIA badge in his hand. He exited the building and began guiding people to go through the parking lot and across the street.
"Agent Rawlins."
He turned and found a man he immediately suspected was heading up the team responding to the bomb threat. He pulled away from the moving crowd as another officer took over for him.
"I'm Mark Tye. Bomb squad is on the way. I understand you might know who is responsible for this?" he asked, leading him to a makeshift control center that was just beginning to be set up.
"Yeah, Joe Arlo. Professional," he said. "I can't go into things further due to the active investigation, but I will say I have reason to believe this is genuine. I'm glad we're evacuating," he said as people continued to stream out of the convention several yards away.
Mark was about to respond when they heard a sonic boom quickly followed by a whoosh and materialization of a colorful human form.
"Superman," Mark greeted, astonishing Rawlings by his calm demeanor.
"Mark, how can I help?" Superman returned, just as straightforward.
"We haven't been able to examine the suspected bomb or check for perimeter traps yet. Priority is clearing the building," Mark said.
"When was it found?" Superman asked.
"The janitor found it less than ten minutes ago," Mark answered. "It's in one of the power control closets in the northwest corner of the building."
"I'll take a look," he said, facing the building.
The Man of Steel disappeared, shooting off to the opposite end of the large building. Rawlings turned back to Mark and asked if they should move. Mark began answering but then the ground shook and the building groaned under a gong of massive power.
O o O o O
Superman flew over the building and paused as he began to peer through the structure in search of the explosive. Not immediately finding it, he glided closer to the corner and scanned again before his eyes immediately zeroed onto the shape that didn't belong.
However, before he could investigate further, he felt a very odd . . . pulse. He likened it to a pressure wave but this had a much tighter feel.
Ultrasonic?
'This is the pre-recorded voice of your friendly neighborhood bomber…coming at a frequency only you can hear to let you know that your singularly dense molecular structure has triggered my auto-sensors.
'Thank you for triggering them, as I doubt the bomb squad would have been happy if my scanners had detected their equipment instead.'
'In either case, I doubt everyone will be leaving here unscathed, even with you helping.'He saw a gear shift in the contraption as electronics began to hum. He moved.
‘Toodles.’He was through the closet door and on top of the bomb just as it blew.
He dampened much of the blast that went up and out, but the building still violently shook and groaned.
He felt the reverberation extend throughout the structure and heard the crack of dozens of bolts overhead break away from one of the building's main support beams.
Screams soon followed as the portion of roof over the immediate blast zone began to collapse. He shot up, flying up and through the small power room's ceiling directly overhead to the grand ceiling that overlooked much of the convention center.
His shoulders braced against the beam and its weight settled upon him as smaller chunks of the ceiling fell. He shot a few beams of heat vision where he hoped some spot welds would help prevent it from unraveling completely.
The masses that had been evacuating in an orderly fashion were now in a complete panic. They pressed against each other to get to the exits, but that was only one aspect of the turmoil. From above, he scanned through the floors and the walls, hearing cries that were not just of fear, but pain as well.
In another area of the convention center, separate from the main meeting hall, other people were now trapped under debris that had fallen during the artificially made quake.
And he couldn't get to them.
If he did, the roof would collapse on everyone.
But then something else abruptly seized his attention.
A second bomb. Bigger than the first.
He mentally pulled at his vision, zooming in on the horrid contraption. It was on a timer.
647, 646, 645, 644 seconds. . . .
He floated up an inch, causing the beam to shift against his back as the implications settled on his mind.
This second bomb was meant to kill anyone coming in to help. It would also prevent the people still in the building from ever leaving under their own power, especially in the current, frantic chaos.
But he couldn’t move.
He frowned, his options instantly narrowing to one as he turned his head to the southern wall and found the closest individual who could help.
O o O o O
“More units are on the way,” someone stated.
“We’ll set up triage in the parking lot,” another said. “Tye’s left to the north side to direct first responders there.”
“Where’s Superman?” the first officer asked, voicing the same question on all their minds.
“No one has seen him return. Maybe he’s helping people inside?” another proposed before grabbing their radio and answering someone on the other end.
Rawlins stepped away from the response team as more sirens approached. He was trying to decide if he should seek out Mark Tye when a voice interrupted his thoughts.
/Agent Rawlins/
He stopped, bewildered. No one was around him. The voice was not shouted or even loud. No one had called him from a distance. It had been close. Had he imagined it?
/Rawlins, I don’t have time to explain. Please just listen,/ the voice said. /There’s a second bomb and it’s bigger than the first. It’s located in the sound booth behind the stage in the main hall. It has less than ten minutes left on its timer but I can’t stop it. I’m holding up the roof and there’s people trapped from the first explosion./
“Superman?!” he asked out loud.
/Yes. Please hurry. And if you need to ask or tell me something, just talk out loud. I’ll hear you. Even though I can send you my thoughts, it doesn't work the other way around./
Rawlins immediately rushed to the officer directing other emergency personnel. He would digest everything later.
“Look, we have less than ten minutes to clear the area. I just learned there’s a second bomb. Where’s the bomb squad?” Rawlins asked.
“What?! They're seven minutes out. How do you know there's another?" he asked, alarmed.
"I'm an NIA agent, I have contacts," he explained simply, showing his badge to confirm.
Things were happening quickly, he wasn't sure who knew who he was and who didn't.
/There's a man having a heart attack near the western most exit. Brown hair, red jacket,/ Superman thought to him suddenly.
Rawlins put his hand against his ear, as if holding an earpiece.
"Get some paramedics to the west exit. Look for a man with a red jacket. He's having a heart attack," Rawlins said.
"Sir, if you're right about there being a second bomb, we can't send more people in there," the officer said.
/He's being helped out, but no one knows what's wrong. They think he's just out of breath after being elbowed,/ Superman added, apparently listening in.
"He's being helped out. Just tell the team over there on the radio to be on the lookout for him. Brown hair, red jacket," Rawlins reiterated while heading off before the officer could argue.
"I'm wasting time seeking help. Can you see inside of the bomb?" Rawlins asked Superman, hoping he didn't look too odd talking to himself even though he was trying to make it look like he had a small wire radio.
/Yes. It's fairly basic, fortunately. You have to disconnect wires and cross a pair. If it was only disconnect, I'd just laser cut them, but they're not,/ Superman lamented.
"Do you know where I should go in?" he asked, reminded that Superman could see through things.
/The door up ahead. That's the clearest path,/ Superman promptly answered.
Rawlings tried not to think about how bizarre this whole situation was as he hurried to the closest entrance while trying to avoid bumping into fleeing people.
"Let me pass, let me pass, I must get inside!" he shouted, displaying his badge.
"Agent Rawlins?!" a voice shouted.
Rawlings huffed in annoyance as he turned, but then he was relieved.
"Tye, I need to get inside," he said.
"I know, someone told me there's a second?" Tye asked, mindful of his words though all non-first responders nearby seemed more concerned about getting to the parking lot.
"Yeah, in the sound booth behind the stage," he said, navigating around the people still exiting.
There were fewer now. While before the exodus had been a flood, now it was an urgent trickle with a few injured.
Tye followed behind him with a brief update to dispatch as the rest of his team continued to help navigate the remaining people out.
Now past the people, the two of them dashed forward as quickly as they could down the entrance hall. Rawlins was grateful the man wasn't hounding him with questions or trying to stop him.
"He talking to you too?" Tye asked once they were alone.
Rawlins nodded, not bothering to hide his relief to have proof that he wasn't actually losing his mind. "No idea how, but I'm not going to complain."
Leaving the entrance hall, they entered the empty main area and immediately saw the damage from the blast.
Cracks were visible on the far north wall, and some speakers and fans previously suspended from above had fallen onto the stands around the stage. However, their eyes were immediately drawn to the man hovering against a long support beam and holding up the now rickety ceiling.
/We have four minutes. The wires are behind the second panel of the bomb. You should be able to pry it up. Then cut the black, red and yellow wires and cross the yellow with the black,/ Superman thought to them quickly.
Hurrying behind the stage to the sound booth, they quickly found and disarmed the bomb with 207 seconds to spare.
"I have men going to those you told me are trapped, though I'm sure you already know," Tye said, looking up.
/Thanks./
"We need to figure out what to do about the roof," Rawlins said, somewhat unnecessarily.
Superman laughed, though they heard it as a faint echo because of how high up he was.
/Yes. Although I could do this all day, I would rather not,/ he admitted.
"I'll get on that," Tye promised, smiling for the first time that day before quickly giving an update to his team outside and asking for them to call in some help for the beam.
With that taken care of, Rawlins refocused.
"I need to see where the PD is at on an arrest warrant," Rawlins said apologetically.
/Before you go, you should know Joe Arlo spoke to me through a recording just before the bomb detonated. He had a sensor that can detect high-density objects, so it detected me,/ Superman explained. /Although he found a way to differentiate between me and something like metal, he suggested that if first responders with dense equipment had come in the area instead of me, the bomb would have been triggered just the same. Please share that with those who need to know./
Rawlins and Tye froze at that knowledge. If Arlo could do that, that made it even more dangerous for anyone seeking to arrest him.
“How do you know who Arlo is? Did he actually identify himself on the recording?” Rawlins asked.
/Ms. Lane shared some information about her investigation with me. I know Mr. Arlo has been working with Mr. Leanings so feel it’s a safe assumption that this bomber is the same man./
“And this, uh, telepathy?” Rawlins asked, waving his hand near his head.
If he was a drinking man he would enjoy a stiff drink after all of this. Even now he still might. He also wished he was having this conversation with all participants on the ground.
/Long story short, it’s a new ability that’s somewhat linked to my aura. This is the first time I’ve actually used it outside of practice or when my aura had been damaged,/ he explained.
Rawlins was surprised by how open Superman was being, although he knew he shouldn’t be because this wasn’t the first time he had seen Superman be astonishingly blunt and honest. It was still hard to believe though.
"And it only goes one way?" Tye asked.
Rawlins was glad he wasn't the only one leery on that possible aspect.
/As far as I know. And that's after a number of my friends and family tried 'thinking at me'./
"I see," Rawlins said, deciding this had to be the most bizarre conversation he'd ever had.
/Thank you for handling all this the way you are. I imagine it’s strange and likely . . . disconcerting,/ Superman said.
"No problem. We're happy we were here to help you," Tye said, before the radio chirped.
A construction crew was on their way.
An hour later, Representative Leanings had been arrested, a construction crew had sured up the support beam and Superman had flown away.
Rawlins suspected there would be a statement from the Foundation soon.
O o O o O
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