Author's note: This is the sequel to 'Deja Vu,' which I started a while back. I've already posted this to ff.net (http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1292860), but I'm going to post it here too, just because you guys are a cool bunch, and Joy suggested I should. Heh. Have fun! The rating is PG, nothing that wouldn't be on the show. Please be gentle, as part of this story (in my opinion) sucked like a straw.
Title: Shockwave
Author: Jaxie
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None that I'm aware of, but it's part of a series; read Deja Vu before reading this one.
DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine. This story's villian (er, villianess) was loosely based on a villian in the Animated Series called Live Wire. She is not mine, the characters are not mine - just the story idea is mine. I've also reworked certain plot elements from the
comics into the story. Please don't sue! I'm just a poor college student!****
Lightning streaked through the night sky over Metropolis as people looked up uneasily. A large crowd of thousands, mostly boys in their late teens and early twenties, had gathered in Metropolis Park for the rock concert celebrating the one-year anniversary of the debut of Traci Jones, the city’s new shock jock. While some of her listeners enjoyed listening to her bash everything, from politics to the weather, the majority enjoyed listening to her bash people. And no one in the city was immune from her commentaries, from the mayor all the way down to the sanitation worker. When she had announced plans for the concert, people eagerly paid to get in, curious to see what exactly she had in store. However, the stormy weather was quickly taking the edge off everyone’s excitement.
Traci could sense this as she stood behind the curtain of the stage while the first scheduled band - a local group called the Meatheads - was getting ready, but she didn’t let it worry her. She was dressed in black jeans, a matching t-shirt, blazer, and shoes. Her brown hair was pulled back with a hair band, and her brown eyes glanced over as her assistant came walking up with a Styrofoam cup of Coke.
“It’s about time you got here,” she said, snatching the cup and down the drink in one gulp.
“You sure you want to do this?” the assistant asked, glancing up at the sky.
“I’ve been planning this for weeks, David,” she replied, shoving the empty cup back at him. “I’m not going to let some stupid storm drive me away.” She smirked. “Besides, what’s a little lightning to me? I am the ultimate shock jock, remember?” She chuckled as she stepped through the curtain to the other side. The people forgot their uneasiness when they saw her and started cheering as she walked up to the microphone.
“Welcome, people of Metropolis!” she shouted into the microphone, her voice amplified through the speakers strategically placed around the area, her image on the many video screens that were also placed around the area. “Are you ready to rock?” Everyone cheered and shouted and clapped. “Well, it’s good to be here, you sorry bunch of losers!” The crowd cheered more. “Well, I won’t even bother thanking you miserable, pathetic excuse for human beings for coming out here; waste of my time. What I will tell you about is what I saw in the paper today.”
David handed her a copy of the Daily Planet to her from behind the curtain, and Traci held it up. The front page showed a photo of Superman and Supergirl smiling in front of the charred remains of a charred apartment complex on the east side of the city. “’Cosmic Cousins Douse Deadly Inferno,’” she read aloud then snorted. “Puh-lease. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Those two are the lamest excuse of superheroes I’ve ever seen.” The crowd cheered. “I mean, come on, let’s get real. What’s so special about Superman? He flies around in a pair of tights and a cape saving kittens from trees. Oooh, big deal.”
The crowd laughed as she continued her speech, but there were three people in the crowd that weren’t laughing or cheering. Clark and Lois looked less than pleased as they watched Traci, dressed in casual wear. Jimmy stood nearby and snapped photographs.
“I can’t believe Perry sent us to cover this,” Lois said. “This is a waste of our time.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Clark replied.
“Oh, come on,” Jimmy said as he stopped taking pictures. “It’s not like people actually believe her. It’s for the shock value, really.”
“It still doesn’t make it right,” Clark added. His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of his jacket. He glanced at the digital face. “It’s Linda.” He answered. “Linda? Is everything okay?” He nodded, listening. “Yeah, we’re okay . . . we’ll be fine.” He smiled. “Linda, not in this weather . . . I know, but I don’t want to take the chance of you getting electrocuted . . . I know we’re outside, but that’s different . . . because we’re on assignment . . .” He sighed. “Linda, why don’t you just stay put, okay? Lois and I will be back in a few minutes -” He stopped and stared at his phone.
“Everything okay?” Lois asked.
“She hung up on me,” Clark said. “I can’t believe she did that.” He sighed as he put his phone away, then saw Lois and Jimmy staring at him. “What?” They glanced at each other. “What?”
“Clark,” Lois said gently, “perhaps Linda hung up on you, because of how you were talking to her.”
“How was I talking to her?” Clark asked, folding his arm. “She wanted to ‘go out.’ All I said was that she should stay put. Tonight is not a good night to be going out.”
Lois nodded in agreement, knowing that ‘going out’ in Linda’s terminology - as well as Clark’s - meant flying around; with the electrical storm, she knew it wasn’t a good night to be flying. “I know, Clark, but don’t you think you could have changed your tone a little?”
“What was wrong with my tone?”
“You sounded like her father,” Jimmy replied. Clark both shot him a look. “Sorry, I’m just telling you what I heard.”
“Jimmy, this is a family affair,” Clark said. He turned to Lois. She was just looking at him. “Don’t tell me you agree with Jimmy.”
“Clark, he’s right. You sounded more like Linda’s father than her cousin.”
“Lois, she’s family, and tonight’s not a good night to be out. You know that.”
“I know, Clark, but you have to trust her more.”
“This is not a matter of trust, Lois. This is a matter of keeping her safe. I’ve been entrusted to keep an eye on her, and I’ve done everything I can to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. If anything happens to her, I’d . . . I’d never forgive myself.”
“Well, if you’re that worried about her, CK,” Jimmy said. “I could go keep her company.”
Clark gave him a look, knowing the real reason the younger man wanted Linda to join them, but Jimmy was too busy taking photographs to notice. “Jimmy, Perry sent us here to cover this concert.” He looked over at Lois who was biting her lower lip to keep from laughing, but Clark saw her smile.
“You’re not helping the matter,” he said.
“Clark, I -”
“And what about Supergirl, huh?” Traci shouted, interrupting the two. They glanced at the stage as Traci continued. “Those aliens didn’t get it right the first time, so they send another failure in the form of a young, blonde teeny-bopper. Who, I might add, only catches criminals, because of that costume she wears; nicely shows off her assets, right guys?” The audience exploded in whoops and catcalls.
“And let’s face it,” Traci continued, “this whole ‘cousin’ thing needs to be changed. It should read ‘Kissing Cousins,’ if you get my drift.” She smirked as the crowd cheered and whooped and hollered.
“Okay, that’s it,” Clark said, his jaw set. He started walking away, but Lois stopped him.
“Clark, what are you going to do?” she asked.
“Someone’s got to put a stop to this,” Clark replied. He pushed through the crowd, loosening his tie.
“Where’s CK going?” Jimmy asked.
“The, uh, the restroom,” Lois replied quickly.
On stage, Traci continued to eat up the crowd’s excitement. A few seconds later, there was a whooshing sound, and everyone looked up to see Superman drop out of the sky and land on the stage. His arms were crossed, and he looked sternly at Traci. The brown-haired woman didn’t seem the least bit surprised by his sudden appearance, but the crowd was and quieted down.
“Well, well, well,” Traci said. “If it isn’t Superham. Slow night on the criminal front? Or perhaps the *personal* front.” The crowd got their courage back and started laughing, but Superman ignored them.
“If you’re expecting me to make some insult back at you, Miss Jones,” Superman said, “you’re gravely mistaken. I will, however, say that I pity you.”
“How so?” Traci folded her arms.
“People’s actions reflect their lives,” Superman replied. “And from what I’ve seen and heard, you must lead a lonely life to have to resort to putting other people down to make yourself look better. Looking better, I might add, to a bunch of listeners who appear barely old enough to shave.”
Traci narrowed her eyes briefly. “Wow,” she said. “So, he has a backbone after all, people. And he didn’t even have to have Supergirl’s help.” She laughed. “Face it, Blueboy; people like me better than you do. I’m Tracie Jones. I shock, and I rock!” The moment the words escaped her lips, a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky toward the stage. Superman saw it snake down toward Traci, but he wasn’t fast enough. The bolt hit Traci with its full force.
Her body shook and convulsed by the amount of energy that flowed through her. Her loud screams were amplified by the speakers before the electricity overloaded all the equipment around her. Everything sparked and exploded as Traci was hurled back through the curtain, landing in the midst of the musical instruments that had belonged to the Meatheads, who had long since abandoned the stage when Superman showed up. She lay on the floor, twitching slightly, her eyes closed, her clothes smoking, and her hair stiff and standing on end.
The crowd grew still and silent as Superman hurried over to her. He knelt beside her as paramedics rushed over. Superman did a quick internal check of Traci, and was surprised to see that she had a heartbeat.
“She’s still alive,” he said to the paramedics. He got to his feet and stood aside as the paramedics continued to work on her. Another paramedic came up, wheeling a gurney. Everyone watched as Traci was loaded onto the stretcher and wheeled off. Superman looked at the crowd, then walked up to the edge of the stage.
“I think it would be best if you all left and went home,” he shouted as loud as he could. “Miss Jones is being taken to the hospital, and I -”
“Is she dead?” someone shouted.
“The paramedics are doing everything they can for her,” Superman replied. “The best thing you can do is to just go home.” He leapt into the air and flew away before anyone could ask any more questions.
“Wow, and I thought this was going to be a boring night,” Jimmy said. “Wait till Perry gets these shots. Definitely front page material.”
“Yeah,” Lois said. She grabbed Jimmy’s arm and pulled him away.
“Hey, where are we going?” Jimmy asked.
“Metropolis General,” Lois replied. “We’re going to get the scoop on this before anyone else gets there. Come on.” The two hurried off back to where Lois’ car was parked as the police came in and started dispersing the crowd.
- - - -
“Is she going to be okay?” Superman asked. He, along with a doctor, Dr. Michael Russell, were standing in the ICU area of Metropolis General outside the room where Traci Jones was being kept. He could see her in the darkened room, hooked up to monitors, her eyes closed, her hair still sticking up.
“We’re doing everything we can, Superman,” the Russell replied. “She’s pretty lucky, considering she was hit by a bolt of lightning. We’ll do everything we can for her. Also, if there are any reporters outside could you tell them that she’s stable for now. We’re swamped here, and I really would prefer not to waste time answering a bunch of questions I don’t know the answers to right now.”
“Of course,” Superman replied. Russell nodded his thanks and left, walking down the corridor. Superman watched Traci for a few moments, then turned and walked in the opposite direction. He headed out of the hospital and was met by a bunch of news cameras, reporters, and photographers. The weather had yet to clear up, but it still wasn’t raining.
“Superman, what’s the status of Traci Jones?” a reporter asked.
News travels fast, he thought to himself. “The doctors say she is stable for now. That’s all they know,” he replied.
“How do you feel about this?” another reporter asked. “Most of Metropolis knows that she’s spent the past month insulting you and Supergirl.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m glad this happened to her?” Superman looked upset.
“Well, are you?”
Superman wanted to wring the reporter’s neck, but he stayed calm. “While I don’t agree with the comments that Miss Jones has made about myself and Supergirl, I am not reveling in the fact that she has been seriously hurt. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He saw Lois and Jimmy in the crowd. He gave Lois a private look, and she acknowledged with a small nod before he took to the air. The crowd watched as he flew away into the stormy sky.
“Come on, Jimmy,” Lois replied. “We got a story to write.”
“What about CK?” Jimmy asked as they left the crowd. “Shouldn’t we call him and let him know where we are?”
“Uh, sure,” Lois answered as they got to the car. They got in, and Lois pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She waited a few seconds. “Hi, Clark, it’s Lois . . . yeah, I know, we just got through at the hospital . . . okay, we’ll meet you back at the Planet.” She hung up then turned to Jimmy as she started the car. “He’s still at the park. After he heard what happened, he stayed to see if there was anything else he could learn. He’ll try to meet us back at the Planet.”
“Cool,” Jimmy replied as Lois drove off.
- - - -
Back at Lois and Clark’s home, Linda stared at the phone in disbelief. She knew Lois had called her to cover Clark’s absence as Superman, but that meant that Clark was out flying around the city - after he told her it was not a good idea to be flying around because of the weather.
“Unbelievable,” she replied as she slammed down the phone. She glanced down at the television remote on the end table and grabbed it. “So, what was so important that you just *had* to be Superman?” She brushed her long, brown hair out of her face and turned on the television, flipping through the channels.
“Because a woman was struck by lightning.” Linda looked up and saw Superman standing in front of one of the windows. His arms were crossed and he looked sternly at her. She switched off the television and put the remote down.
“At that rock concert?” Linda asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “It was Traci Jones.”
“That woman who hates us?”
“The one and only. She’s at Metropolis General right now.”
“So, why are you here?” Linda asked. “Shouldn’t you be off flying around, saving the world? You’re not the only superhero in Metropolis, or have you forgotten that?”
“What is with you lately?” Superman asked. “You have had this chip on your shoulder for the past couple of weeks.”
“Well, if you have to ask,” Linda answered, “then why should I tell you?” She saw her cousin stare at her and felt her head tingle, like someone was trying to probe it. She immediately put up a mental wall, blocking her cousin’s attempt to read her mind.
“Why won’t you talk to me?” Superman asked.
“Take a wild guess.” Linda stormed toward the front door.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
Superman sped over and blocked Linda’s path. “Not like that.”
Linda glanced down at her outfit - a pair of black spandex shorts and white tank top - then looked up and narrowed her eyes at Superman. A few moments later her body rippled and underwent transformation. Her hair lightened, her eyes changed to blue, and her clothes altered into her Supergirl costume. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll just go out like this.”
“Not tonight,” Superman replied sternly. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Oh, you are such a jerk sometimes, you know that?” she shouted as she turned on her heels and marched upstairs, her changing back to Linda in the process. A few moments later, Superman heard her bedroom door slam shut. He glanced up and sighed, then shook his head as he walked over to the window.
- - - -
The next morning Dr. Russell entered the room where Traci was kept. She was still unconscious as he walked over to the foot of her bed and checked the vitals on her clipboard. He glanced up as he heard moaning and saw that she was waking up. He walked over to her side as she opened her eyes. He was startled by how blue they appeared - almost the color of ice.
“Where . . . where am I?” she moaned.
“You’re in Metropolis General, Miss Jones,” Russell replied.
She slowly felt her face, then her head and hair. She looked alarmed as she realized her hair stuck straight up. “What happened?”
“You were struck by a bolt of lightning,” Russell said gently. “Superman brought you in.”
Traci fixed her eyes on him as she fully became conscious of what was going on. “Superman,” she growled as she sat up. Her eyes narrowed, and the wires she was attached to started crackling and sparking. Her hand flew up, grabbing Russell around his neck. “Where is he?” she growled.
“He’s . . . gone,” Russell wheezed.
Traci narrowed her eyes as electrical energy flowed down her arm and into Russell’s body. He began convulsing violently as more and more waves flowed from Traci into him. The wires sparkled and crackled as energy flowed into the monitors. Soon, the machines sparked and exploded, flames growing. Traci tossed Russell aside and got up from her bed, completely energized. She glanced at what she did to Russell and the machines, and she looked almost pleased.
Even though she was clothed only in her hospital gown, she left her room and walked down the corridor. A nurse came walking up to her, but Traci simply threw up a hand. A bolt of electricity shot out and hit the nurse, knocking her back into a wall. The few other people in the hall quickly scatted, shouting.
A security guard came around the corner, drawing his gun. Traci held up her hand, doing the same thing to him as she did with the nurse earlier. She stopped and stared at her hands, smirking.
“This could be fun,” she replied. She chuckled as she walked, unhindered, out of the hospital.
(End of Chapter 1)
