It all went just as Perry said. In fact, it went so smoothly that Perry, always expecting Murphy's Law to manifest, was almost disgruntled. A few reporters knew Chloe as "Chloe Sullivan", but when Perry and everyone else referred to her as "Lois Lane", they fell into line, not really caring. And most of the people on the floor hadn't really known her – the Luthor blacklist had made her enough of a pariah that she'd been pretty much isolated.
So Perry found himself ensconced at a bigger desk, slightly away from the crowded bullpen. He looked up and saw Chloe – no, Lois – arranging her stuff on her own new desk. He smiled as he saw the yellow and red "Smallville Crows" coffee cup – she'd had that for years. Then he frowned – Lois would have to retire that cup. Lois Lane hadn't spent her teen years in Smallville. He made a mental note to tell Sullivan – no, Lane – gotta get that straight, Perry – and then turned his attention back to his own problems.
It wasn't till later that afternoon that Perry found out a very interesting characteristic of his new position. Not his editorial job position; no, his literal position in the newsroom. Due to some acoustical quirk, Perry could hear conversations from the area around Lois' desk and the coffee station nearby. The ornate plaster walls and architectural detail somehow tended to focus sound and bounce it across the room, right to Perry's desk.
Perry wondered if that was why this spot was traditionally given to the assistant editor – certainly he couldn't have been the first to notice this acoustical anomaly. Maybe that was one of the ways the assistant editor kept tabs on his reporters – Perry had wondered himself at times if his old editor at the Planet was psychic. The secret explained at last!
The first time distracted him. Gil came up to get coffee and made some desultory conversation with the new Lois (who tended to be at the coffeepot two standard deviations past the norm of the other reporters), greeting her and giving her a tepid welcome to the Planet. Perry looked up as he heard Gil's greeting; it sounded as if the other man was right next to Perry's desk. It took Perry awhile to figure it out. That whole day, Perry kept on lifting his head, looking for the nonexistent reporter standing next to him, then realizing that said reporter was across the room. It played hell with his editing; he couldn't keep his concentration.
After a few days he got used to it. It didn't take long to tell the difference between voices really at his desk, talking to him, and voices talking to others at the coffee station, transmitted to Perry by the acoustical quirk. Perry kept quiet when the other area was busy, not sure if the sound connection worked both ways, but not wanting to tip anyone off if it did. If he had to talk with someone, he moved away from his desk and into a conference room, or he headed over to that reporter's desk.
Perry raised his eyebrows at some of the conversations he overheard. He learned a lot about popular TV shows, what had happened on a recent episode. He heard a lot of small talk about the weather and the traffic. Those were OK; it was the single-sex conversations – the giggling and gossip between some female reporters, and the boasting and posturing of the males, that sometimes was just too much information. Perry thought about telling about the acoustical anomaly, or moving his desk to a different area….nah. Curiosity had always been his besetting sin.
After a while, he got to know his reporters better than they even knew. Hearing about their kids in school, their parents' illnesses, their grumbling about their assignments…all the small talk one would make at the water cooler or coffee station that the boss wouldn't always hear.
Perry didn't look up as Clark came to visit Lois. He tended to visit the upper floor at least once a day, sometimes more. He and Lois would give each other a smile, sometimes an arm-clasp or a (very brief and guarded) hug. They'd stay a short time at the coffee station, or at Lois' desk, talking about what each was working on. Perry took his attention away from the insipid copy he was editing when he heard a different tone in Clark's voice.
"I started my training again, Chloe," Clark said.
Training? What's that? Perry thought. Didn't Clark go through the Planet orientation with all the other newbies?
"First, Clark, it's Lois. I'm Lois Lane. Get that straight. We've got to stay in character," Lois chided him. Then, more eagerly, she said, "How's it going?"
"It's pretty fun now," Clark said. Perry couldn't understand the next word – it sounded like "Jorl". He tuned back in to hear Clark saying, "— had some things to say about my home – about where I was born. The history and all that." Clark had lowered his voice and was leaning closer in to Lois.
"He's OK with you working at the Planet?" Lois said, also softly.
"I didn't give him a choice," Clark replied. "I just told him this is what I was doing." He chuckled. "Jorl just told me to be there frequently."
"Well, I guess it's good to learn about your heritage," Lois murmured. Perry could barely hear her. "Are you going to learn more about, you know, the other stuff?"
What other stuff? Perry thought. He almost missed Clark's reply.
"Jorl says that's coming later on."
Ralph from Lifestyle came to refill his cup, and Clark and Lois parted. Perry scratched his head. This conversation didn't fit the usual mold. He decided to keep a closer ear for any more Clark – Lois conversations.
Over the next months, Perry heard a lot. And it bothered him. Things just weren't quite right. He got that hinky feeling again. Curiosity itched, and he couldn't scratch it.
Perry decided to keep a file. Oh, there were many days when Clark and Lois discussed only their stories - the Luthorcorp story seemed to be stalled, just now – but every once in a while Clark would get that subtle difference of tone in his voice that Perry had learned to be alert for. But what did it mean? Whatever Clark's "training" was, what did all those statements have in common?
"Today I learned seven different ways of looking at things."
"We worked on breath control, Lois."
"What'd you do this time, Clark?" "Weight lifting."
"I never knew there was so much to just listening before."
Perry considered all these, turned them over in his mind, put them in his file. As time passed, Clark seemed to be coming to end of his training, whatever that was. And the conversations between him and Lois took an interesting turn. As the months passed, Clark seemed to be, well, not distraught, actually, more like unsettled. Something bothered him and he and Lois spent quite a deal of time in unproductive ruminating.
One day, Perry heard Lois with that tone in her voice when she met Clark at the coffee station. He looked across the room to see her with a broad smile on her face. He quieted down and eavesdropped with all his might.
"Clark, what do these guys have in common? Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and Clark Kent?"
"Nothing," Perry heard Clark say glumly.
"What about this?" Lois replied. "Don Diego de la Vega, Sir Percy Blakeney, and Clark Kent?"
A short silence. Perry caught a questioning note in Clark's voice. "You don't think?"
Perry risked a glance up and saw Lois nodding. "I think it's an idea we should consider," she said cheerfully. "It's in the best literary tradition, after all." Perry's head movement must have caught Lois' attention; she met Perry's eyes. He waved an offhand greeting to her, and returned his attention to his desktop. Lois looked back at Clark and said, "Talk more about this later, Clark?"
"Uh-huh," Clark replied.
Well, that was interesting, Perry thought. Was Clark thinking of dressing up like some sort of literary hero with a secret identity? Planning some sort of undercover persona? Certainly he'd brought in enough stories from enough dangerous people and dangerous areas that he could use some sort of cover. But, if he were, why not come to Perry? They discussed journalism stuff like this all the time.
Then Todd from Lifestyle came to Perry with a question, and the minor irritant of what Clark and Lois were up to fell to the side, buried under the minutia of the day.
A few weeks later, Perry caught another frustrating snippet of conversation in that tone.
"What about black?" Clark said.
"Only the bad guys wear black," Lois said dismissively.
"It's slimming," Clark argued weakly, like he was repeating advice from a gossip magazine or something.
"Like you need it," Lois retorted. "No, I'm thinking primary colors. Garish. Bright. Attention-grabbing." Perry caught her scanning Clark's red-and-blue tie with a scornful eye. "No guesses as to your favorite colors."
Clark laughed a bit, nodded in agreement. The two moved away from the coffeepot, smiling at each other. Perry caught just a bit more.
"You're sure about no mask?" Lois said.
Whatever Clark said, Perry didn't get it. Perry found himself obsessively entering the latest conversation in his file on Clark. Then Perry found himself wanting a drink. He fought down the urge; he'd had lots of practice in that.
A few weeks later Perry saw Clark coming in to meet Lois at their usual spot. Perry hurried to seat himself at his desk. He felt a small tinge of uneasiness that he was actively seeking to eavesdrop now. He wasn't just taking advantage of an anomaly anymore. You should really just ask Clark what this is all about, he told himself. It wasn't like they didn't talk. They had the usual business-related chatter, of course. But Clark also attended Friendly Friday meetings with Perry about once a month, and they'd often go out for coffee afterwards, and talk there.
But Perry was ashamed that he was keeping this secret from Clark and Lois. At first, he thought nothing of it. But now, he'd been hearing talk about their private life for months. It really was none of his business. It would be extremely embarrassing to confess to them he'd been eavesdropping that long.
This time Clark met Lois at the coffee station, beating her to their rendezvous. He seemed elated, thought Perry. Perry hoped he'd hear what they said – it was wrong, he knew, but he couldn't help it. He was curious.
"Lois, I finally got it!" Clark said.
"What?" Lois asked.
"You know," Clark said frustratingly. He made a gesture with his right hand that Perry couldn't really see. Whatever it was that Clark had mastered, he was being irritatingly circumspect.
"Really?" Lois asked excitedly.
"Really," Clark said, pride in his tone.
"Can you take me with you? Take me? Soon?" Lois asked eagerly.
"It took me some time, but I've got it mastered now, Lois," Clark said. "You can go with me and be safe now." For some reason Perry didn't understand, Clark looked up at the ceiling.
"Tonight?" Lois asked. Perry hadn't heard that much anticipation in a voice since his kid waited in line for the rollercoaster.
"Yep," Clark said. "Dress warmly and wear dark clothes."
Well, that was interesting….again, Perry thought. What's it all about? He
carefully documented the conversation in his file. And once again, he found
himself wanting a drink. He pulled out his copy of the Big Book and read a few
chapters. Then he pulled out his directory and turned to meetings that day.
Better go to a meeting tonight, he thought.
The next day, Perry didn't even have to go to his desk when Clark and
Lois met; he was already there, curiosity piqued.
Lois sparkled. That's all Perry could call it. Something had happened last night, and she was euphoric. Perry could feel the wattage of her smile across the room. Clark seemed happy, too.
"Clark Kent, you are a man of many talents," Lois said appreciatively. She caught sight of Gil from Finance approaching the coffeepot.
Darn, thought Perry. That was going to cut off whatever Lois was going on about.
"Next time, we try it with the new Suit," Lois said. Perry could almost hear the capitalization. She gave Clark a light peck on the cheek and went back to her desk, still smiling.
