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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,999 |
This is just a little something I came up with but don't really have any desire to write up an actual story. If anyone wants to take it as a prologue and go somewhere with it....?
PROLOGUE
Lois Lane smiled up at her partner, Clark Kent, as he set a cup of coffee on her desk. She knew even before she took a sip that it would be just the way she liked it. He's figured that out early on and she could count on it being right every time.
"Nice story, Lois, but you really should be more careful. You could have really gotten hurt or killed this time."
She rolled her eyes at him. "You're my occasional partner, Kent, not my mother. I'm as good as I am because I sometime take chances."
Clark was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Perry White poking his head out of his office door.
"Ah, Lois, could I see you in my office?"
She jumped up. "Sure, Chief." She flashed Clark a look of confusion, and shrugged.
She knocked, and poked her head through the open door of the office when she got there. "What's up?"
Perry pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, Lois."
Lois sat down. She noticed that Perry didn't look too happy. He sighed and stared at her for several moments. She began to get fidgety.
"Can you kindly tell me just what you were thinking when you broke into that warehouse yesterday?"
Lois frowned. "What do you mean? I cracked the case. I exposed the bad guys and got the story. It's what I do."
"You entered that warehouse without permission; that's breaking and entering."
"Actually, since I wasn't planning the commission of a crime, it's usually only illegal trespass."
"It's still illegal."
"Oh, and using someone's empty warehouse to stage and store smuggled munitions is fine?"
Perry glared at her. "This isn't about them. They're in jail. This is about you and your disregard for rules of law."
Lois was bewildered by Perry's attitude. So she bent a few minor rules now and then. Who cared as long as she got the story? "What's the big deal? So I twist a few rules and commit a few misdemeanors, it's how I work. You can't get the big stories by playing by the rules."
"You do realize that The Planet has had to pay six fines in the last four months for those 'bent' rules of yours. And that doesn't count how many times you've played it fast and loose and got away with it."
Lois wanted to say something in her defense but she felt that it would probably be smarter to just shut up and let Perry have his say.
"Did you know that the owner of the warehouse is suing the Daily Planet for the destruction of his warehouse?"
"What!" Lois jumped up out of her seat. "How in the heck can they blame me for that? I wasn't the one who riddled the propane fuel tanks with bullets, causing the explosion."
Perry sighed again. "I know that, but you were the one they were shooting at. The owner contends if you hadn't been there, illegally, in the first place the firefight would never have happened and his property would not have been burned to the ground."
Lois sat back down with a snort of derision. "It will never stand up in court."
Perry leaned back in his chair. "Maybe not, but the paper will still have to defend it, and you can't be too sure about suits these days. The courts like to reward the aggrieved parties and who's got the deeper pockets? The crooks... or the Daily Planet?"
Lois chewed on her lip for a bit, then sighed. "Okay, I get it. I'll try to toe the line more in the future."
Perry shook his head sadly. "No, honey, you don't get it. They've had enough. The word came down from the suits this morning. There's nothing I can do."
"About what?"
"I'm sorry, Lois. As of right now you are no longer employed by the Daily Planet. You're fired."
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Kerth
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Kerth
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"I'm sorry, Lois. As of right now you are no longer employed by the Daily Planet. You're fired." Even the suits upstairs aren't this stupid. So something else is behind this move. She rolled her eyes at him. "You're my occasional partner, Kent, not my mother. I'm as good as I am because I sometime take chances." Hmm, Clearly first season, so Lois is dating Luthor and perhaps he's decided to be subtle and not blow up the Daily Planet.
Framework4
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Hmm... Very interesting idea, Tank. I hope someone writes the story!
~~Even heroes have the right to dream.~~
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Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Dec 2005
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Could be a cover for Lois to go undercover at another paper. Maybe they know that Perry's office is bugged.
Marcus L. Rowland
Forgotten Futures, The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
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Merriwether
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OP
Merriwether
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,999 |
Actually, any of those "Things aren't necessarily what they appear" ideas are fine and interesting, but I do believe that if Lois' actions are consistantly causing the paper to assume expenses that they shouldn't, and if they are significant,those in charge of the paper's finances aren't going to care how good a reporter she is supposed to be. She'd be gone.
Tank (who figures that there are several ways that this could go)
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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I loved the prologue, Tank. I sure hope someone picks it up and runs with it.
My mind went in a totally different direction from Framework or Marcus. I guess I wondered what both Lois and Clark would do if Lois were fired. I think that she would start out devestated and then get angry, perhaps freelancing for a while and selling her stories to anyone but the Daily Planet. Since she's Lois, she'd probably continue scooping the competition and winning awards. It'd be a hoot if she won the coveted Pulitzer while she wasn't working for the DP. DP sales would drop and the suits would be scrambling to get her high-risk backside back into their newsroom.
Clark would be faced with quite a dilemma - stay at his dream job without Lois, or leave with Lois to continue being her partner and to watch her back as Superman. Of course, since this is Season 1 Lois, she probably wouldn't want Clark tagging along, but she would be touched by his loyalty.
Very interesting premise. Too bad you're not in the mood to continue with the story. If I were a better person (and writer), I'd try it. I hope someone does.
BJ
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Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Dec 2005
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Originally posted by Tank:
I do believe that if Lois' actions are consistantly causing the paper to assume expenses that they shouldn't, and if they are significant,those in charge of the paper's finances aren't going to care how good a reporter she is supposed to be. She'd be gone.
Maybe we could edit it a little and make it clear that she really is fired? Oh and maybe take it up a notch and get Tank interested in writing it? PROLOGUE
Lois Lane smiled up at Jimmy Olson as he set a cup of coffee on her desk. She hoped he'd got it right this time.
"Nice story, Lois, but you really should be more careful. You could have really gotten hurt or killed this time."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Jimmy with that attitude you'd better stick to taking photos, I'm as good as I am because I sometime take chances."
Jimmy was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Perry White poking his head out of his office door.
"Jimmy show Kent here around, Ah, Lois, could I see you in my office? "
She jumped up. "Sure, Chief." She gave Perry a look but he'd stepped back into his office. She shrugged.
She knocked, and poked her head through the open door of the office when she got there. "What's up?"
Perry pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, Lois."
Lois sat down. She noticed that Perry didn't look too happy. He sighed and stared at her for several moments. She began to get fidgety.
"Can you kindly tell me just what you were thinking when you broke into that warehouse yesterday?"
Lois frowned. "What do you mean? I cracked the case. I exposed the bad guys and got the story. It's what I do."
"You entered that warehouse without permission; that's breaking and entering."
"Actually, since I wasn't planning the commission of a crime, it's usually only illegal trespass."
"It's still illegal."
"Oh, and using someone's empty warehouse to stage and store smuggled munitions is fine?"
Perry glared at her. "This isn't about them. They're in jail. This is about you and your disregard for rules of law."
Lois was bewildered by Perry's attitude. So she bent a few minor rules now and then. Who cared as long as she got the story? "What's the big deal? So I twist a few rules and commit a few misdemeanors, it's how I work. You can't get the big stories by playing by the rules."
"You do realize that The Planet has had to pay six fines in the last four months for those 'bent' rules of yours. And that doesn't count how many times you've played it fast and loose and got away with it."
Lois wanted to say something in her defense but she felt that it would probably be smarter to just shut up and let Perry have his say.
"Did you know that the owner of the warehouse is suing the Daily Planet for the destruction of his warehouse?"
"What!" Lois jumped up out of her seat. "How in the heck can they blame me for that? I wasn't the one who riddled the propane fuel tanks with bullets, causing the explosion."
Perry sighed again. "I know that, but you were the one they were shooting at. The owner contends if you hadn't been there, illegally, in the first place the firefight would never have happened and his property would not have been burned to the ground."
Lois sat back down with a snort of derision. "It will never stand up in court."
Perry leaned back in his chair. "Maybe not, but the paper will still have to defend it, and you can't be too sure about suits these days. The courts like to reward the aggrieved parties and who's got the deeper pockets? The crooks... or the Daily Planet?"
Lois chewed on her lip for a bit, then sighed. "Okay, I get it. I'll try to toe the line more in the future."
Perry shook his head sadly. "No, honey, you don't get it. They've had enough. The word came down from the suits this morning. There's nothing I can do."
"About what?"
"I'm sorry, Lois. As of right now you are no longer employed by the Daily Planet. You're fired."
"Perry, you can't fire me you need me!"
Perry sighed and slid a printout across the desk.
"That theatre piece you were assigned"
Lois looked down
"Beatrice was eighteen when she made her debut. Warren G. Harding was President, the unknown soldier was interred at Arlington, and Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees..."
"Honey, I'm sorry, you've been replaced." 
Framework4
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Kerth
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Kerth
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How to get Tank interested in writing it?
================
Scene two: Deciding to completely reinvent herself Lois Lane felt the first step was a new look.
"Yes, a complete makeover that's what I need" Lois shouted around her spoon of rocky road, talking back to the daytime tv show.
"Yes, I'll start with a haircut and a leather skirt"
Framework4
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Oooooh! What a fun idea! If no one else is giving it a try, I might consider it... especially with Patrick's edition of this: "Perry, you can't fire me you need me!"
Perry sighed and slid a printout across the desk.
"That theatre piece you were assigned"
Lois looked down
"Beatrice was eighteen when she made her debut. Warren G. Harding was President, the unknown soldier was interred at Arlington, and Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees..."
"Honey, I'm sorry, you've been replaced." CLARK replacing her -- now that's fascinating. Of course, I should much prefer it if Tank wrote it himself (as my muse is on a vacation right now and I don't know when she'll be back) <g> I agree with Patrick... how to tempt Tank??? -- DJ
Smile and the world smiles with you ... frown and you're just giving yourself wrinkles.
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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Ooh, this is getting more interesting by the minute!! Can't wait to see the outcome of this. DJ, where to did your muse go on vacation? I'll jump on an airplane and drag her back 
I love the smell of fear in the newsroom.
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Or one could take this up a notch. after getting fired Lois easily finds a new job. She is hired by the Washington Post and moves to Washington D.C. At the Daily Planet Jimmy is forever telling Lois Lane tales to Clark, who in spite of having only seen her in passing in the prologue is highly attracted to her and can't learn enough about her. One of Jimmy's tales, complete with Lois quotes, sparks the costume idea and Superman does appear. Clark gets a couple of stories but wanting to spread the stories around to avoid drawing undue attention he gives some to Linda King after she arrives. This causes Lois to be very suspicious of Superman. After all she has bad feeling for Linda and stole her job. Clark and Linda are able to bring down Preston Carpenter. See The Rival for background. After his fall Linda goes to work for the planet as Clark's partner. After her initial interest in Clark she has settled into a friend ship based partnership and hanging out with Clark is proving good for her, she is growing up. Clark discovers she was once best friends with Lois Lane and gets to know Lois through pumping Linda. He encourages Linda to heal the breach with Lois. Lois is working on some stories for the post and several trails seem to point to Lex Luthor of Metropolis. Seeing how Linda is doing, and trusting her as a reporter if not as a best friend and Linda having made contact a few times it is natural for Lois to consult with Linda. In the mean time Clark is deeply suspicious of Luthor for all the reasons shown in the series. Linda having no love interest in Luthor trusts Clark and the three begin to work together with all contact between Lois and Clark going through Linda.
Framework4
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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Or you could go in the other direction entirely after she gets fired - noone will hire her. After all if the 'Planet' can't afford to keep her employed due to her risk taking and leaping before she looks, how is another paper going to float her bills *and* her salary? (this works with either prologue) Lois could go on and endless round of interviews for a while and then find out why she is getting none of the jobs... she gets depressed for a while, who wouldn't be? But then she perks up, pulls herself up by her ahem, bootstraps, and tells herself that she has skills - she's a damn fine investigator, a damn fine writer, she can sing and dance, and she could order up one hell of a meal even if she couldn't cook one worth a damn! And using some combination of those skills make a new life for herself - perhaps in Vegas <g>.  I dunno, anyway laters,
Marns
~pobody's nerfect
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