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ACT II: Imitation of Life
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[CHAPTER 9]
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The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself often well beyond any latent ability previously demonstrated. The mind is the athlete; the body is simply the means it uses. --Bryce Courtenay
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Tuesday, two months later…
The newsroom floor of the Daily Planet was unnaturally silent. Most of the reporters were crowded around the television bay, raptly focused on the commentary that was being given by sober news anchors. NASA had just announced that they had lost radio contact with the space shuttle Constitution minutes after giving them the go-ahead for re-entry. It wasn’t until this announcement had the public learned that the shuttle had undergone some damage during its launch. The damage had been deemed mild and unimportant at that time, and the news withheld from the public.
Now, NASA was admitting that the damage could have been more serious than they had thought. Across the country, eyes and cameras alike were searching the skies for any hint of what was to come.
The TV’s in the bay were all attuned to a number of different stations, giving the reports from different perspectives simultaneously. Suddenly, they all began furiously reporting at once, and their overlapping voices made it impossible to understand what they were saying.
“…over Metropolis…”
“…sighted seconds ago with…”
“…unidentified object…”
“…New Troy re-entry…”
Lois, flanked on both sides by Perry and Jimmy, frowned in confusion at the numerous voices fighting for her comprehension. Then, she saw what all the fuss was about.
“…bird!”
“…plane!”
*Something* that looked to be dressed in a blue outfit embellished with a red cape was plastered to the nose of the speeding space shuttle that was descending upon Metropolis. Every jaw in the room dropped at the same time – the moment the shuttle froze in mid-air, and the blue and red object proved to be a man.
“Holy shit.” Lois clapped a hand over her mouth – she *had* to stop reacting like that.
“Lane, as much as those two words sum up the collective feeling in this room, they make up a headline that I can’t print.” Perry turned his head to take in the shocked expressions on the faces that surrounded. “Go get me something that I can!”
Lois moved first, and her example was immediately followed by her colleagues. Whether or not they believed what they had just seen, they knew they needed to find out more.
Lois was halfway to the elevator when she noticed that Jimmy was still standing stupefied next to their editor and watching the screens. “Jimmy, grab your camera and meet me downstairs.”
“What about Perry’s golf cart?” To his credit, Jimmy was matching Lois’s stride even as he questioned his priorities.
Lois arched an eyebrow at him as she pressed the button to call the elevator car. “This is that magic moment where you make a choice to either be the person you want to become, or the person that you already are.”
A twinkle surfaced in the copy boy’s eye. “Yeah, I’ll fix the cart when I get back.”
~.~
Tuesday, one week later
“One week,” Perry announced as he stood in front of the staff members crowded in the conference room. “For one whole week, a man has been flying around my city in his underwear and what do we have?”
He pointed to the wall behind him which was plastered with copies of the front pages from the past week’s newspapers.
‘Mysterious phenomena in space!’
‘Who is he?’
‘What is he?’
‘What does the S mean?’
‘Superman!’
Lois couldn’t help but smile as she read the last one. That had been her idea – and it had stuck. But other than speculation, none of the news hounds had anything to report – Lois included. The only thing the mysterious superhero had revealed to anyone was that he was ‘a friend.’ Since his first appearance with the space shuttle, he had been busy: preventing car accidents, disarming bombs, taking down would-be muggers… hell, he’d even rescued a few cats from trees. Still, he hadn’t ever stayed still long enough for a reporter to ask a question.
No reporter had been given leeway – not even Lois Lane… not that she had really expected otherwise. She knew who he was. She just didn’t know what he was trying to do.
~.~
Wednesday
“Check it out,” Jimmy said.
Lois turned in her chair to see what he was talking about and her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw the identity of the person leaving Perry’s office.
“How long has he been here?” she asked, leaning in her chair to watch as Clark Kent walked up the ramp and stood in front of the elevator bay.
“I don’t know,” Jimmy answered. “This is the first time I’ve seen him.”
“Huh,” she grunted thoughtfully as Clark disappeared inside the lift.
“Lane!”
The sound of Perry’s voice nearly made her fall over in the chair she was tilted back in. Jimmy’s eyes widened and he took off in the opposite direction.
“Chicken,” Lois muttered, righting her chair and making the short walk to her editor’s office.
“You bellowed?”
“Did you see who was just in my office?” Perry asked.
“Yeah.”
“He wants back in the game.”
“Here? He wants to work at the Planet?” Lois asked.
Perry nodded. “He came to see if the offer still stands.”
“To work here?” she asked again, clearly bewildered. “Why?”
Perry chuckled. “We’ve had a man flying around the city for a week. Any journalist with half a brain is trying to relocate to Metropolis to get an in on the story. It’s like the Gold Rush – except the gold is news, and the news is golden.”
“*Does* the offer still stand?”
“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Kent’s background is advocacy but he wants in on the investigative racket. That’s where you come in.”
“Chief…”
He waved a hand to cut off her oncoming protest. “Investigative reporting is a whole new racetrack. Now, he made good on the Cyphren case but you were the one holding the reins. He needs to partner up for a while before I can turn him loose. Those are the terms. What do you say?”
“You want to partner him with me?”
“A couple of months ago, you were on the other side of this proposal, now you’re looking at me like I have a glass eye. Did I miss something here?”
Lois shook her head. “No… Does he know about this?”
Perry lifted the contract into the air and showed her the signature. “He said he was leaving the final say up to you.”
~.~
Later that night, Lois was flipping through the cable news stations when she heard a knock on her door. Muting the TV before tossing the remote control onto the couch, she stood and walked over to her front door. She paused, unnecessarily, to look through the peep hole, unbolted the locks, and pulled open the door.
Expectantly, she stood to the side. “I had a feeling that I would see you tonight.”
Clark nodded and took a step inside. “Perry called me with the news.”
Lois closed the door, walked back to the couch, and sat down without further acknowledging her visitor. After a moment, Clark followed her into the living room.
“Are you back at that rundown hotel?” Lois asked.
Clark stood in front of her with his hands clasped awkwardly in front of him. “Actually, no. I don’t really need to stay in town,” he admitted, lifting a hand and making the flying motion Lois had used the last night they’d seen each other.
Recognizing the gesture, Lois raised an eyebrow. “That’s some commute.” She waved a hand towards the love seat.
Clark released a breath and sat down. “We both said and did a lot of things…” he began.
“And we’re both sorry,” Lois finished. “Why are you here?”
Clark looked at her searchingly. “Is this on the record?”
Lois crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch. “You tell me,” she answered sarcastically. She figured he would know by now that she wasn’t going to out him.
He sighed and looked at his hands. “You were right. I needed to stop running.” He lifted his gaze to hers again. “I read the book.”
Lois’s expression gave nothing away. “It’s amazing the difference one person can make, isn’t it?” she asked evenly.
“It’s a lot of pressure.”
She looked at him intently for a moment, studying him. He seemed… different, somehow. “How has it felt to help people without hiding your powers?”
Clark allowed a smile to flick across his face. “Liberating,” he answered. And yet, he had a feeling she already knew that. “Listen, I came here because I can’t do this alone. You said you wanted to help, and this… creation… it’s half yours.”
Lois laughed. “That was two and a half months ago, and I don’t think I have any claim on Superman outside of the name – and even then… What about your parents? Do they know you’re talking to me about this?”
Clark nodded curtly, the amusement he’d had a minute earlier replaced with anxiety. “It was a stipulation, actually.”
Her head tilted in confusion.
“You won my mother over right away, you must have realized that.”
Lois felt herself smile a little out of relief. She had actually thought she might have pissed the woman off, especially after the way she and Clark had parted… “And your dad?”
Clark rubbed his hands along his thighs and sighed. “My dad recently suffered his second heart attack,” he revealed.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. I came home a year and a half ago to help him run the farm, but my parents have made the decision to lease out the land. They plan to purchase the town grocery store.”
Lois nodded but didn’t respond. She figured the connection between the information he was sharing and her ability to help him would be soon forthcoming.
“Somehow, my mother got the idea that letting me live at home was not protecting me so much as enabling me,” he said grimly, meeting Lois’s eyes again.
She couldn’t hold back the chuckle. “You’ve been kicked out of the nest,” she surmised. “There’s nothing like dragging a superhero into his destiny.”
Clark’s face showed no amusement.
Lois tucked her mirth away. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I started traveling overseas right out of college. Since then, and even a little before that, I made a practice out of keeping to myself. I’m not… used to blending in. In the past, whenever I had the need to use my powers, I just moved to the next city. When you’re backpacking across Asia, no one thinks anything of it. If I’m going to stay in Metropolis, I’m going to have to do a better job of hiding in plain sight.”
Lois’s eyes narrowed. “Is that why you’re wearing those glasses?”
Clark’s right hand rose subconsciously to adjust the aforementioned items. “Yes. I needed them when I was younger.”
Lois took a moment to ponder that bit of information. What kind of superhero could fly but needed to wear glasses growing up?
“Anyway, as you mentioned, if I don’t want people to think I have a secret, I need to not act like I have something to hide. You are a world-renowned investigative reporter. If I can pass your test, I can pass anyone’s. It’s more important that I do that now, than it has ever been.”
“Because Superman’s gone public?”
Clark ran a hand through his hair. “In part – but mostly because I’ll have Jory with me.”
Lois’s jaw dropped. “You’re bringing him with you?” It seemed irrational to her.
“I don’t really have a choice,” he answered. The expression on his face seemed to be a mixture of annoyance and anxiety. “It seems that my powers aren’t the only things my parents think I’m running from. I’m told that it’s time for me to be a father.”
“Wow.” She felt unable to provide any other comment. Becoming a superhero was a lot to have thrown at you – taking care of a child was a whole lot more. She didn’t know what Clark’s parents were thinking, sending a child into such a situation, but from her brief meeting with Martha Kent, she knew the woman had a reason – and probably a good one at that.
“So, what are you going to do?” she asked.
Clark pressed his lips into a line. “Well, depending on your answer, I have two weeks to get settled and a system planned before they bring him up here to stay.”
~.~
“You’ve got to give him some substance,” Lois commented.
“Who?”
“Superman. Right now, he’s still new – a novelty – but people don’t trust him.”
Clark frowned as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he was discussing himself in the third person. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult. “How?”
Lois leveled gazes with him. “An interview.”
He sighed and rubbed his jaw, obviously uncomfortable with the idea.
“You don’t touch them,” Lois commented. “You put your body in front of moving locomotives, you pull busses from the sides of bridges... but you never physically touch them. I mean, you pull cats from trees for crying out loud! Why can’t you touch another human being?”
Clark’s jaw tensed. “I grew up on a farm. Animals are easier. I told you, I don’t… interact well.”
Lois tilted her head as she studied him. It was ironic, he was the most powerful man on earth and he was afraid of everyone else. Unfortunately, his acting standoffish would only make everyone else afraid of him. Still, she couldn’t accept that statement at face value. “I’ve seen you interact with people. I’ve even seen you touch them.”
He shook his head. “Not when I’m... super.” Clark had to admit that the symbol on his chest seemed to resonate with the “Superman” title Lois had invented but he didn’t necessarily like it. It seemed a bit egotistical.
He noticed Lois’s eyes narrow and knew that she was only beginning to sink into the issue… an issue he didn’t want to discuss further. He cleared his throat. “Do you think I could have something to drink?”
Lois pushed herself up from the couch. “Water?”
“Please.”
She knew that he was trying to change the subject but decided to the topic of Superman’s physical contact with the public. She knew there were other ways of getting to the heart of something. “So, about the article…” she called out, pulling the water pitcher from the refrigerator.
In the living room, Clark sighed. They were back to the issue of giving the superhero some substance.
Before arriving at her apartment, Clark had come to terms with the fact that he had to share private information with Lois. Earlier that night, when she had responded sarcastically to his question about being on the record, he had realized he wasn’t starting off on the right foot… again. Now he was going to lay it on the line and trust her to know what was printable and what wasn’t.
“Yeah. We should discuss that.”
When she came back to the living room, Lois handed Clark a glass of water and returned to sit in her previous spot. “So, where do we begin?”
Clark turned the glass slowly between his fingers. “Maybe we should talk about the book,” he answered.
Lois pulled her legs underneath her and got comfortable. She reached for the notebook and pen that were beside her on the couch. “Okay.”
*Tomorrow’s Man*, the title Anthony West had given to his unfinished manuscript, was a story told from the perspective of an uninvolved observer. As hard as it was to believe, West claimed that the tale was written in the voice of his father, H.G. Wells. The first part of the book described the machine Wells used to travel into the future without giving details about its creation. According to the narrative, Wells visited a future where forces previously unknown to man were working to diminish the effects of chaos and lawlessness. The catalyst behind these forces was a man who flew around the world under his own power.
The story hadn’t given too much more information about the powerful being, other than to say he was an alien who had made his home on earth, and what his various powers were. There had been a brief description of the man’s uniform, but nothing personal about the man himself, or about his origins. It seemed that Wells was most interested with the effect this man’s presence had on the world’s societies. Apparently, this experience was the basis for Wells’ essay on Utopia.
Lois uncapped her pen and met Clark’s gaze. “How much of it is true?”
Clark sighed and placed the glass of water on the side table. “I *am* from another planet.”
Lois was rendered speechless. Technically, her mind had been prepared for the revelation, having already read the manuscript and seen Clark do amazing things, but hearing him admit as much had caused it to really sink in. “Another planet?”
“It was called Krypton,” Clark revealed.
He was from another planet. “But when… I saw pictures of you as a child…” She frowned, confused. “Didn’t I?”
“My parents found me when a space ship landed in a field. I was a baby. All I know is that I was sent away from the planet before it was destroyed.”
“I’m sorry.” The thought that he was the last of his kind was a lonely one.
After they had both been quietly lost in their thoughts for a moment, Lois shook her head in disbelief. “This is all so amazing,” she muttered, still stupefied. “If H.G. Wells really traveled through time, then what he said about the parallel universes...”
Clark shrugged. The concepts of time travel and parallel universes should have been easier for him to accept, seeing as he had crossed space in a ship, but they weren’t. He was just as baffled by the possibilities. “I guess it’s possible that the man he was describing was not me.”
Lois looked at him thoughtfully for a silent minute before poising her pen over the notepad. “Why are you on earth?”
He released a slow breath. “I want to help those who are unable to help themselves.”
She shot him a wry grin. “What about your powers? You can fly, you told me that you can run fast – you were serious about that, right?” At his nod, she continued, “You’re really strong… what else? How do you know when people are in trouble?”
“I can hear things from miles away. I can see things from miles away as well.”
Lois’s eyebrows rose. “Like macroscopic vision or something?”
Clark thought about it for a moment. “I think so, yeah. I can also see through things. I guess that’s like x-ray, but things don’t turn black and green.”
Lois ran her tongue along her teeth. He could see through things, she repeated silently to herself. She wondered if he ever dared to look. “What about the fire from the eyes, thing. The manuscript said something about it.”
Clark nodded. “I’ve always called it heat vision. It’s not always fire… it depends on the intensity, really.”
Lois looked at the list she had made in awe. “Wow. Can anything hurt you?”
Clark glanced up sharply. “No. Not that I know of.” He was relieved that she didn’t seem to notice his tone. There were some things he planned on keeping to himself, extension of trust or not.
“What about the suit?” Lois asked, looking up. “Where do keep it?”
Clark flushed. “I, uh, wear it under my clothes.”
“Now?” Her eyes unconsciously dipped to his chest and back to his face and she laughed off her embarrassment. “The cape too?”
“I fold it up really tightly.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Do you think that’s enough?” He turned his toward the window and frowned.
Lois followed his gaze, comprehension dawning. “Do you hear something?”
He turned back to her with slumped shoulders. “No. The city has been extremely quiet for the past few days.”
Lois smirked. “The criminal element is just suffering from shock right now. They’ll be back bigger than ever once they regroup. You have to understand, the law just got a new gun.”
Clark got up and walked to the window, staring out at the distant downtown skyline. There was so much he still needed to do.
Lois put the pen and notepad aside. “You know, the Planet has a daycare service. It was put in a few years ago after a story about fair facilitation of women in the workplace came out.”
Clark smirked as he caught her reflection in the glass. “Let me guess… It was your story?”
Lois shrugged. “It is one of the best in the city.”
Clark turned away from the window, but remained of the far side of the room. “I’m sure that it’s a great facility. I’m just not sure it’ll work for us.”
Lois looked at him blankly, not understanding.
At her expression, he sighed. One more secret coming right up. “Jory has some special needs. He can’t hear.”
~.~
tbc
