Post by Stardrifter on Jul 26, 2011 20:07:40 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter001
Meetings
It's late night in the area of Metropolis known as Southside. Not far from Downtown or Midtown in distance, it's very far from them in every other way. People call Metropolis the City of Tomorrow. It stands on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Unfortunately none of that technology or innovation has found a way to solve poverty or crime. Southside is where poverty and lower class crime go in Metropolis. Or as it's more commonly known, Suicide Slum.
There's a disturbance in the water of the Hob's River. A slow ripple flows through the seawater coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. It's all but undetectable, even in the moonlight of the clear night sky. Finally, the ripple moves in front of a warehouse on the docks of Hob's Bay, then disappears.
Inside the warehouse a lone man waits. He's not much to look at. Small in stature and unassuming. His light brown hair is peppered with gray. Years of worry and nervousness show in the lines on his face. He takes off his glasses and cleans them for the tenth time this hour. Pacing frantically around a large metal grate in the floor, he finally stops when the crashing sounds come from below. Quickly he runs over to the controls and presses the button to bring the grate open and the elevator up.
"Hank you magnificent bastard!" John Corben shouts as he rips the breather from his face. His clothes and hair are soaked to the bone, but it doesn't even register as he walks over and slaps an arm around Hank's shoulders. "You did it! Your robot was amazing! The police didn't even know what hit them!"
Hank cringes a bit as the cold water seeps into his labcoat. As usual, John's praise comes with a level of discomfort. "I...I'm just glad I got the...uh...the targeting system worked out in time to rescue you. I...um...I can't believe you...you were...you were caught."
A cloud goes over John's face and Hank immediately regrets bringing it up. John's fingers dig into his shoulder. It's all Hank can do not to squirm. Finally the moment passes and John lets him go as he begins to take off his wet clothes, an audible sigh of relief escapes Hank's lips.
"Frankly I can't believe it either," John shouts as he throws his wet jacket onto the cement floor. His men, all exhausted and freezing, slink away while they can while John's anger is focused elsewhere. "The last thing Metropolis needs is a mother fucking do gooder to mess up a good thing!" John punctuates his anger by throwing the contents of a nearby desk to the floor. Hank begins to voice a complaint as his notes scatter in every direction, but a look from John silences him. "You'd think he'd know better after Edge burned the last one alive! Metropolis isn't safe for idealistic vigilantes!"
"Well he...um...he..." Hanks stammers, avoiding eye contact. "He does seem...seem to be very p-powerful. He might not..." His words are cut short by a fist in his stomach. Hank doubles over in pain, dry heaving on the cold, wet floor.
"Powerful!" John rages over him. "So he can fly! He's strong! So what?! I'm the new power in Metropolis! He's just another idiot in cape who thinks he's better than the rest of us. We're gonna show him otherwise! How many more robots are ready?"
When Hank doesn't answer John kicks him in the ribs. "T-Two...two more. I just have...have to finish their targeting systems."
"Then what are you sitting around here on your ass for!?" John grabs a handful of hair, pulls Hank to his feet, and shoves him toward the other robots. "Get to fucking work! We have business to attend to!"
***
The newly coined Superman slowly paces about Lois Lane's balcony as he waits for her to return. He peruses the plants and notices they aren't cared for as well as they should. Curiosity finally gets the best of him and he decides to use his super hearing into Lois' apartment.
"...is it? I know I put it...finally! JUST A SECOND SUPERMAN! I can't go out like this..."
Superman chuckles to himself. It's strange at first being called Superman. He knew others who did the super hero thing all had "names" but he couldn't figure out one he liked. It's growing on him.
"Sorry about that!" Lois comes back out onto the balcony in a black skirt and a white blouse, combing her hair with her fingers. "Do you want to sit? Stand? I don't..."
"Standing's fine, Ms. Lane," Superman smiles, holding his hands behind his back.
"Sure." She takes a final moment to gather her thoughts but it's difficult. It's hard for her to take her eyes from his. Bright blue and warm. "So...I guess the first question is, who are you? Where do you come from?"
Superman laughs lightly. It's a gentle sound that puts Lois more at ease. "You don't really expect me to answer that do you? I am a super hero after all."
"No...of course. I..."
"As for where I come from, I'm not too sure myself."
That peaks Lois' curiosity. "What do you mean? How do you not know where you're from?"
"I just don't. My best guess is...out there." He looks up at the stars.
For a moment, Lois is speechless. "So you're...you're saying you're...an alien?"
Superman is slightly taken aback by the look on Lois' face. It's only there for a second, but to him it's an eternity. Fear and disgust. He knew it would happen, but he wasn't prepared for it. "As far as I know yes. I was found in an escape pod of some kind. It seems to be of alien origin."
"But you look human," Lois says while at the same time looking around his face for any signs of the unusual she might have missed. "You don't look any different than us. So...so who found you? Where is this pod?"
Superman smiles at her, ignoring the first question. "The pod is safe."
Realizing she won't get anywhere, Lois moves on. "So you look like us, but you have powers. Did you always have them? What can you do?"
"I didn't get my powers until puberty. And they didn't come all at once. As far as what I can do, well flight, super strength, invulnerability. Those everyone's seen. All of my senses are stronger than normal humans. I can see at a microscopic level, or over miles away. I can hear miles away as well. I can cause things to burn by looking at them or see through things."
Lois suddenly crosses her arms. "You have...like, x-ray vision?"
Superman smiles wide and chuckles. "Oh you don't need to worry Lois. I don't use it like that."
"Okay," Lois says, slowly lowering her arms. "Anything else?"
"Hmm...oh I can freeze things with my breath." For a moment Lois just looks at him. Then finally she shakes her head and laughs out loud. "What?" Superman asks, confused.
It takes a moment for Lois to get any words out. "It's just...I mean I'm standing here talking to an alien from outer space. An alien with all these amazing powers and...and you...you just...'Oh I can freeze things with my breath.' All nonchalant."
The absurdity of it all hits him and Superman starts laughing too. He leans over, placing a hand on her shoulder for support as they share the moment. When the laughing stops, Lois notices his hand. Firm and warm. She doesn't find it unwelcome. He takes it away nevertheless.
"So then, what is your purpose here? Just decided to be a super hero? Why Metropolis?"
Superman's smile fades as he becomes serious again. He walks back to the edge of the balcony and puts his hands on the wall to look out over the city. Lois follows him. "I don't know who I am. Or what I am. All I know is that Earth has been my home for as far as I can remember. I've lived here my whole life and I want to give something back. All these things I can do...I just want to help. As much as I can."
He looks over and gives her a small smile, which she returns. "As for Metropolis, well it is the City of Tomorrow. To many around the country and the world, Metropolis represents the future. But even it has crime, accidents, death. I'm not going to limit myself to any one city or one country, I'm here to help as many as I can wherever I can, but Metropolis is a symbol without anyone to protect it. I decided it was the best place for me."
Superman looks over to see Lois just staring at him. It takes her a moment to realize he's done talking. "Well...I uh...I'm glad you did. I think...I think you'll be a real help here."
"Me too. At least I hope. I..."
Screams. The crackle of fire. Alarms and sirens blaring.
Superman stands straight up and looks off into the distance. "I have to go."
Lois follows his eyes but doesn't see anything. "What? What's wrong?"
"A fire. Thank you for your time, Ms. Lane." In an instant he leaps into the air, a blur in the distance.
"How do I find...how do I contact...oh shit." Lois looks down at her recorder and rewinds the tape. Sitting back down in her lounge chair, she listens to the interview again. Listens to Metropolis' new hero.
***
"Hey CK!" Jimmy shouts across the room. "Hell of a day to start huh?"
Jimmy is referring to the headline of today's edition of the Daily Planet. "Superman: The Man of Tomorrow". The phones are ringing off the hook. Every reporter in the country, television, magazine, and newspaper, wants to get in touch with Lois Lane about her story. Not only is it the revelation of a new super hero, but the first known alien on Earth.
"I can see," Clark tells Jimmy as he finds his new desk. He hasn't brought much in yet. He sets up his name plate and puts a picture of his parents in the corner. "I hope every day isn't like this."
"Nope, only when Lois breaks some big story," Jimmy says, half sarcastically. "Perry wants us all in the conference room in 15. See you there."
Clark goes about setting up the rest of his desk. He pretends not to notice the woman standing above him until she speaks.
"How's it going Clark?" Lois asks, smiling like a cat with a canary.
"Ms. Lane," Clark acts surprised. He stands up suddenly and knocks over his briefcase, it's contents spilling onto the floor. "Oh geez. Sorry."
Clark kneels down to pick everything up. Lois goes down to help. "You can call me Lois. We are working together."
"Of course, Lois." Clark finishes putting everything back together and Lois hands over a bunch of pencils.
As they stand back up, Lois decides to rub things in a little. "So did you read anything interesting this morning?"
"Yeah. The Meteors beat the Yankees. Was a close game." When Lois just gives him an evil stare, Clark smiles and adds. "Oh you mean the exclusive interview with Superman? It was okay."
"Is this what passes as Kansas manners?"
"Only in Smallville."
"Smallville?" Lois laughs. "You're really from a town called Smallville? Someone out there named a town Smallville?"
"I admit it hits the nail pretty squarely. It really is a nice place to live."
"I'm sure," Lois shakes her head at Clark, not sure what to make of him. "Well c'mon Smallville, we've got your first staff meeting."
Everyone files into the conference room. Some people introduce themselves to Clark and vice versa. Eventually Perry comes in and takes his place at the head of the table, but he doesn't sit.
"All right everyone let's make this quick. Yes we all know about Lane's story. A great piece of work that fell into her lap." Lois gets an annoyed look on her face but remains quiet. "This Superman is big news, no doubt, but let's not forget there's other stories out there. Richards, what's going on with Corben? A giant robot breaks him out of jail and disappears?"
Richards, an older man with a receding hairline, checks his notes. "The police have no idea. I checked with the military but they claim to have no knowledge of the robot. They..." Richards is cut off by a loud explosion. It's close enough the entire building shakes. They all run to the window to try and see what's going on.
"I think we've found your robot Perry." Lois points to the street, where a giant robot is walking in the middle of the street. A truck is behind it, burning.
"It's not just one robot Lois," Jimmy points out. Down the street behind it, two more robots are walking down the street. Firing weapons at everyone.
-to be continued-