Great chapter, Terry!
I have never been to News Orleans so it was a good introduction to the city.
Mmm. I liked your description of the weather in Metropolis and the consequences for Superman. Was it also a reason why Perry didn't have any qualms to... err... ask Clark to pose as a Travel writer in New Orleans?
Clark had deliberately walked close to Lois for several days, expecting her to slip, but she’d fooled him and hadn’t taken a single misstep since the storms had buried the city under the frozen precipitation. Her decision to wear flats and rubber boots had helped, of course, but Lois was young and athletic, strong and agile, and she never wobbled one time. And it was indicative of her awareness of the dangerous weather conditions that she never once complained about him hovering over her.
Lois being reasonable is an unexpected Lois! Loved that insight into her pragmatism.
Even Bobby Bigmouth had come up dry for three days in a row, a record for him, and Clark – over Lois’ objections – had bought him a pity Chinese dinner from Shanghai Express.
LOL!!
Perry stood and closed the blinds to his office, both on the inside windows and the outside ones. Clark began reading.
And he couldn’t stop.
Neither did I.
“That’s hard to believe, Chief. Twenty-seven years is a long time between killings.”
Well, there’s a flying man around, Clark, what do you think? (Immortal werewolves? A group of werewolves? the reader wonders.)
“How many things have you seen just since you came to Metropolis that you can’t explain without resorting to some kind of supernatural justification? There was Lois’ old boyfriend from Ireland who had those magic emeralds and tried to turn himself into a Druid priest. Almost did it, too. There was Baron Sunday and his voodoo hoodoo. There was that murdered woman whose ghost you thought possessed Lois for a short time. And don’t forget those Yi Chi bracelets that girl used against Superman. So how hard is it to believe in werewolves?”
Clark’s mouth opened but nothing came out. He didn’t want to agree with his boss on this subject, but it was hard not to see the man’s point. And that didn’t take into account all the weirdness Clark had seen during the years he’d been a world traveler prior to his arrival in Metropolis.
In which the distinguished author neatly smashes all the objections weakly raised by any reluctant reader. Suspension of disbelief, people!
Perry hesitated, then said, “I want to make sure that Superman goes with you as backup.”
Clark frowned at his boss, but Perry’s face gave nothing away. “I’ll make sure he meets us there, Chief,” Clark finally replied.
Perry
knows.
“Look, mister, I’ve just spent the night in the terminal sitting on hard plastic chairs with sharp edges while waiting for this plane to board. I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours. I’m frazzled, cranky, and I think I may be PMSing. I’m a black belt in Tai-Kwon-Do and I’m studying another fighting discipline you’ve never heard of. Now do you want to sit back and enjoy the flight or do you want your next of kin to collect on your life insurance?”
Man folds upon himself and slowly dies. It made me laugh out loud.
His smile vanished like a donut at a cop convention.
LOL.
I’m hooked. Please, just put warning about the graphic parts, so I may avoid them.
