Thanks again to Nancy and Carol and also to the people who left feedback.
Previously...
“So you two got a chance to meet?” Jonathan asked, digging into his stew with gusto.
“Yes, we did,” Lois replied.
“Lois has agreed to help me with talking to the public,” Kal shared.
“To be fair, it ends up being a good deal for me, too,” Lois confessed. “My boss will be over the moon when he finds out that you’ve trusted me with this.” She caught sight of Kal’s confused expression. “I mean he’s going to be very excited,” she clarified.
“Oh,” Kal replied. “Well, I guess that means we both get to help each other out. Nothing wrong with that.”
“No,” Lois agreed. “Nothing wrong at all.”
PART FOUR
Kal settled into the soft armchair uneasily, not enjoying how deeply he sank into the cushion. Furnishings were so soft here on Earth.
He watched Lois flipped through the small notepad she held in her hand. Her glossy brown hair fell across her face, and she tucked it behind her ear with impatience. The pencil placed there fell down, and she caught it clumsily between her fingers. She inserted the eraser end between her teeth and pondered the writing in her book.
Unconsciously, his vision slipped and he found himself staring at her finger bones rather than at the skin covering them. He shut his eyes, and opened them, happy to see everything back to normal. Clearly, he still needed to do some work on controlling his new powers.
Kal still wasn’t sure what to expect from this interview. What was Lois’ plan? He had no idea how something like this was conducted here.
“So what will you do with this interview?” Kal asked her.
“Well, I’ll write up an article to put in the Daily Planet, the newspaper I work for,” Lois explained. “You might want to call a press conference later, but I’m hoping you’ll let me have the exclusive.” She grinned cheekily, but Kal didn’t really understand.
“So do you work for the government?” he tried.
“Uh, no. I work for a newspaper.”
“But it is owned by the government, correct?”
“No, it’s independent,” Lois spoke slowly and clearly, looking at him with concern.
“Oh.” He still didn’t really understand.
“Kal, how do people on Krypton find out what’s going on in the world?” Lois asked, laying her notebook aside.
“The Council of Elders will tell them,” Kal replied. “They will address anything that needs to be passed on to the people in a formal announcement.”
“Everything?” she asked in shock. “All the crime and natural disasters and political issues and… and even celebrity scandals?”
“Well, many of those things you mention did not happen on Krypton,” he informed her. “It is… *was* much more advanced than what is here on Earth. There was virtually no crime, and even the weather was mostly under our control. As for celebrities… Martha has shown me a few pictures of them, and I can tell you that such people did not exist on Krypton. And I cannot understand the desire humans have to know about their lives.”
“But what happens if the elders or whoever keep something from the people?” Lois asked. “Who is going to tell it to them?”
“Trust in our Elders is what Kryptonian society hinged on,” Kal told Lois sternly. “If we cannot depend on them, then we can depend on nothing.”
But he wasn’t sure if he believed his words. There was one very important thing that the Elders had neglected to pass on to the people. The situation he was in right now was testament to that.
“Well, in some countries the government controls all the information the people get,” Lois was telling Kal. He forced himself to focus on her. “But things work differently here in America, and in most other countries. While the government does make some official statements, the majority of information is passed to the public by journalists, like myself, who work for independently owned companies. So while the Daily Planet will get your first exclusive interview, other news agencies will want to hear from you as well.”
“I would be willing to talk to them,” Kal decided. “If you will help me prepare what to say. I do not want to frighten anyone, or give the wrong impression.”
“Well, then I guess we should start.” Lois picked up her notepad again. Her eyes landed on the first question, and when she looked up at Kal, she had a very different expression on her face. “I want to take this in order,” She spoke softly. “And that means I’m going to have to start with some difficult questions.”
He had guessed he would be asked about this, but he still wasn’t prepared for it. Not wanting to speak yet, he just nodded wordlessly.
“What happened on Krypton?” Lois asked gently.
He drew in a deep breath, willing himself to stay calm. “There was instability in the planet’s core. My father was a scientist. Krypton’s best. He discovered it, but no one would listen to him. Or none of the few he chose to tell,” Kal corrected. “There were many he did not even approach, for fear of sending the planet into panic.” Kal had been one of those people who hadn’t been approached.
“So the instability…”
“The planet exploded,” Kal cut her off shortly. “My father and my mother had been working on an escape pod that would travel to Earth, but… they only had enough time to make one.”
His.
“Kal, I’m so sorry,” Lois spoke.
He nodded blankly.
“They must’ve loved you very much,” she said.
Her words brought images into his head. Ones that he didn’t… simply *couldn’t* handle right now. He tried to restrain his emotions, just like he had been taught.
Distant. Cold.
He had never been very good at that. What he was good at, was distraction.
“Lois, may I ask you a question?” he spoke up.
“Okay,” she agreed.
“Are Jonathan and Martha your parents?”
“Oh, no,” she replied, taken aback.
“You call them by their names, so that is what I guessed, even though the bond between you seems very strong. But I imagine the bond between you and your parents is even stronger.”
A strange look passed over her face. “I don’t talk to my parents anymore,” she said abruptly.
“Not at all?” Kal asked in shock. This was not what he expected. “But what about the family unit? The basic institution that America is built on?”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t always work like that,” Lois snapped. “Sometimes life ends up a little differently than you’ve planned.”
“Yes, but they are your *parents*.”
“So? Just because your parents loved you enough to give you their only chance for life doesn’t mean that everyone has the same luck,” she replied bitterly.
“That is not what I am-”
“Just drop it, okay, Kal?”
Kal fell silent.
* * *
Lois tapped her pencil on the paper, silently fuming. Why did he have to bring her family life into this? And to be critical of it on top of it all? Just because things on Krypton were perfect didn’t mean that he needed to draw attention to it here.
“Lois?” Kal asked tentatively.
“What?” she replied moodily.
“What is it I am supposed to drop?”
Despite herself, Lois felt the corner of her mouth crawl upwards.
“The topic,” she told him. “I wanted you to drop the topic.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“I am sorry, Lois” he spoke again. “I did not mean to say anything that would upset you.”
“It’s fine,” Lois spoke, softening even more. “I realize that a lot of this is new to you, and you may not know how things are here on Earth. You just hit a sensitive spot, that’s all.” She probably wouldn’t have been so angry at him if she wasn’t so sensitive.
“I am sorry,” he repeated. “I do have some factual knowledge of Earth culture, but I am learning that things are very different in real life.”
“How did you get that factual knowledge?” Lois asked, remembering one of her many questions. “For that matter, how did you learn to speak English? I don’t think a week is enough time to gain the proficiency that you have.”
“There was a learning device on board the ship,” Kal replied. “My father had placed me in a type of conscious sleep, and I was instructed on many things as I traveled here.”
“He knew all those things about Earth?”
“Studying other cultures was a hobby of my father’s,” Kal reminisced with a smile. “He observed as much as he could from afar.”
“He could see that much of life here?” Lois was amazed to think that Kryptonians had been observing Earth from afar for what was probably years.
“Krypton was much further ahead in technology than you are here,” Kal informed Lois. “My father was even able to see some of the films you’ve created about people from other planets. He cautioned me that the people here might not be very accepting at first.” He looked so wary that Lois had to jump in to reassure him.
“But in those movies, aliens are always these hideous, slimy things,” she told Kal. “And you’re not like that at all. In comparison to humans, you’re actually pretty ho- I mean…” She flushed. “You know, attractive. In a way. Not that I’m trying to flirt with you or anything,” she rushed to clarify. “That would be uncalled for. In this interview situation. And you probably don’t want to hear it from me, anyway. We’re… from different planets. The girls on Krypton are probably so different from me that you have no interest in… me. I just meant than you’re above average, I guess. Whatever that means. Who decides on average anyway? What’s important is that you’re not slimy. Or hideous.”
Kal was staring at her, slack jawed with eyebrows raised. Lois winced. This was probably her most unprofessional interview ever.
“Let’s just go back to my list,” Lois suggested meekly.
“Okay,” Kal agreed, still appearing a little confused.
“What exactly are your abilities? We already saw that you’re very strong, that you can fly, and that you can swallow bombs. But what was that heat thing you did earlier with my hair? And is there anything else you can do?”
“Ever since Jonathan and Martha pulled me out of the ship and brought me here, I have not found anything that could hurt me,” Kal began. “So that explains how I could swallow the bomb. I can fly, as you know, and I can also operate at very high speeds that were unimaginable to me on Krypton. You witnessed the heat vision, and in addition to that, I also have very powerful breath.”
“Huh?”
“I can blow things over at great distances, and my lung capacity has seemed to expand,” Kal explained.
“Oh! Okay. Continue, please.”
“My senses, too, are very keen. I am capable of focusing them to experience an incredible amount of things. I can see almost to the microscopic level, and hear the heartbeats of anyone I want to. And lastly, I can, uh… see through solid objects.”
“Really?” Lois unconsciously brought her notepad up in front of her chest. As if it would provide any protection.
“Please do not feel uncomfortable,” Kal begged. “I would not intentionally violate your privacy in any way.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” Lois told him. “Wait, intentionally?”
“I am still working on controlling all of them,” he shared. “The vision is one I am having particular problems with.”
“Oh,” Lois replied. “I never thought about it that way. How difficult it would be to learn to control all of those powers.”
“I am getting better,” Kal replied. “I am quite good at the strength and the speed. It is just some of the finer skills that I still need practice with. The Kents have purchased me a pair of glasses to act as trainers for the time being-”
“I haven’t seen them,” Lois remarked.
“I took them off for your visit,” Kal replied, looking a little embarrassed. “They do not fit anyone’s idea of an all-powerful hero, and I suppose I wanted to make a good impression.”
“Well, I would say that your impression has been made, and that you should get out the glasses if they’ll help you,” Lois told him.
Kal hesitated for a second, and then made up his mind. “All right,” he agreed.
Then he disappeared from the room in a flash, reappearing hardly a second later.
“Wow!” Lois remarked. “That was fast!”
“I am trying to practice,” Kal replied. “I need to get as good at this as possible.” He slipped the glasses on, and pushed them up the bridge of his nose.
The glasses softened Kal, Lois decided. And they made him look less like a stranger to this world and more like he belonged.
“Very nice,” she complimented.
“I am still not used to them,” he spoke insecurely. “I do not look through objects or accidentally focus in on something anymore, but we did not have anything like this on Krypton.”
“Well, they look good. So now that you’re here on Earth, what are your plans?” Lois asked, continuing with the interview. “How do you hope to live your life?”
“I have been given such incredible abilities,” Kal told her. “And I want to be able to help in whatever way I can. Just like I did at the Prometheus launch.”
“We haven’t seen you in Metropolis since then,” Lois pointed out.
“I did not plan on such an early debut,” Kal explained. “I had hoped to acclimatize myself further before I would help out. But it was such a major emergency, I could not stand back. I just wanted to wait for someone to help me explain my story before I made any more appearances.”
“That’s understandable,” Lois agreed. “So are you thinking of doing any more helping out in Metropolis?”
“Well, that is a definite possibility,” Kal spoke hesitantly. “Metropolis would also be a good place for me to learn more about Earth culture.”
“We would like having you around, too,” Lois added.
“I am glad to hear that,” Kal replied. “As a stranger to this planet, the last thing I want to do is make people uncomfortable with my presence.”
“Of course you wouldn’t, Kal!” Lois exclaimed. “I’ve only known you for a few hours, and I can already tell that you’re warm and compassionate and generous and…” She stopped, flushing. She didn’t want to go overboard and scare him off, even though she was surprisingly passionate about defending him. “Anyway, people would have to be crazy to not want you around,” she finished.
“Thank you,” Kal smiled gratefully. “Although I feel that there must be at least some people who would… fear me. What I know about Earth history has shown me that humans can be afraid of something that is different from what they understand.”
“Well…” Lois began to defend. Then she gave up. “I guess you could be right,” she finally grumbled. “But I know the majority of people will want you around. We’re not all bad here.”
“Of course you are not,” Kal agreed. “I did not mean it like that, Lois. But that is one of the reasons why I wanted to have this interview. If humans know more about me, they are less likely to be afraid.”
“That’s true,” Lois replied.
“So do you have anything else you would like to ask me?” Kal asked.
“I think I almost have it,” Lois told him, skimming over her notes. “Just one more thing. I promised one of the ladies at the Planet that I would ask.”
“Yes?”
“The suit. Is that what people normally wear on Krypton or something?”
Kal blushed. “Not exactly,” he replied. “There are some similarities, but Martha convinced me that I would need something more eye catching to increase my visibility. And the cape was completely her idea.”
“I can see that,” Lois smiled. “I have to admit, I wondered about the costume as well, especially because you’re not wearing it now.”
“Martha and Jonathan have told me it is a good idea not to be too noticeable on the farm,” Kal told her. “Especially before you have a chance to publish your article. I do not want anyone telling my story except someone I can trust.”
Lois looked up in pleasant surprise. He trusted her?
“You trust me?” she asked.
“Of course I do,” Kal replied.
Lois felt her cheeks flush a little at this.
“Jonathan and Martha have recommended you, and I know I can trust them,” he continued.
“Oh. Right,” Lois spoke, trying not to feel disappointed. Of course he was talking about his relationship with Jonathan and Martha. Why should she care how he felt about her anyway?
* * *
“So did you get everything you needed to write the article, Lois?” Martha asked as she came into the kitchen later that afternoon.
Lois was busy typing on her laptop at the table, while Kal watched over her shoulder with interest.
“I’m almost done with it now,” she announced. “Then I’ll just send it from here. Perry’s going to be ecstatic.”
“Is there more than one way to spell ‘satellite’?” Kal asked with confusion.
“No,” Lois replied shortly, hastily backspacing over the offending word. “But you know, I have editors for that.”
“Oh,” Kal replied.
Martha came up and joined Kal in looking over Lois’ shoulder. Lois forced herself to forget their presence and keep writing.
“So you’ve decided to work from Metropolis?” Martha asked Kal, reading from the article.
“Yes,” Kal replied. “In talking with Lois, I have decided that concentrating the majority of my efforts towards Metropolis would be a good idea.”
“Have you given any thought about how you’re going to make that work?” Martha asked. “You need a place to stay, no matter how super powered you are. You’re welcome to stay here, of course, but making the trip back and forth might be too much.”
“I can fly fast enough that it shouldn’t be a problem,” Kal shook his head.
“That’s not going to work.” Lois spoke up, abandoning her article for the time being.
“Why not?” Kal frowned.
“I doubt you’ll be able to resist helping out as you make the trip to and from,” Lois explained. “And even though you can fly fast, you won’t do it all the time. Sooner or later, some obsessed person could track you down and trace you to the Kents, putting them in danger. If you stay in Metropolis, it would be nearly impossible for you to be tracked.”
Kal brow wrinkled in concentration. “All I really need is a place to sleep and wash myself,” he mused. “I am sure I could find a deserted rooftop or somewhere to sleep, and then just come back here when I need to.”
“I don’t like the idea of you sleeping on rooftops, Kal,” Martha spoke up. “I know you can’t feel the elements, but still…”
“You could stay with me,” Lois blurted out, surprising even herself.
Both Kal and Martha turned to look at Lois in surprise.
“Lois, that’s very generous,” Martha spoke up.
“You do not have to do something like that, Lois,” Kal told her.
“I want to,” Lois shook her head, growing more confident with her offer. “Lucy’s gone back to college in California, so I have an extra room.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Lois shrugged. “Living with someone in Metropolis would be a good experience for you, anyway. You’ll learn a lot more about life in the city that way. Besides, I’ve never lived with an alien before. It could be fun.”
“I am not that interesting,” Kal shook his head.
“That’s what you think,” Lois shot back. “And besides, I’m planning to make use of all your powers so I’ll never have to do any housework again.”
Kal blinked, slightly taken aback. Then his face settled in an easy smile. “I guess that is only fair,” he replied. “So as of this night, I am now an official resident of Metropolis.”
