The Return of Ultra Woman
Chapter 9
I love it when Clark’s voice is the first thing I hear in the morning. Of course, normally when I hear his voice in this setting, the emotion conveyed in his tone is one of affection. This particular morning, the emotion I sense in his voice is worry. “Honey, wake up.”
I open my eyes to see Clark sitting up in bed. He looks nervous. I’m afraid my reply is limited to a groggy, “What?”
“There’s been an earthquake in Guatemala. It’s triggered a series of mudslides and there’s been widespread devastation. Their government is asking for help in digging out and someone decided to use that ‘Superman emergency’ channel we set up. I heard the call for help on a radio somewhere nearby and it woke me up. Honey, I need to go right now. Superman’s assistance in the dig-out could save hundreds, possibly thousands of lives.”
“So go already.” He’s usually not so nervous about taking off for this kind of rescue.
There is a long pause before he responds. “I’ll be gone at least all day on this.”
The source of his agitation finally hits me. My reply is a whisper. “This might be the day.”
His smile is forced. “You’ll do fine.” Then he pauses as if to think for a second. “How do you plan to handle the details today?”
“Details? What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s work. Then we need to have an explanation to justify my absence for at least today. And Lara... do you want to take her to Smallville or leave her with your parents? Finally, there’s the appearance of Ultra Woman herself. Do you have a plan for how to make your debut?”
I can tell from his tone that he’s just as worried about this as I am. For my reply, I try for as positive a spin as I can. “I think it’ll work out fine. I’ll go to work as usual and Lara will be fine in daycare. When I get in, I’ll tell Perry that Superman came by to warn us he would be away. If Perry asks, I can explain Superman’s visit based on the idea that he knew we’ve been tracking the story relating to possible problems his absence might trigger. You can be covering the disaster on-site for the Planet after convincing Superman to take you along. As for my appearance as Ultra Woman, I’ll have to play it by ear.”
I wait as Clark considers this for a few seconds. “I guess it will work. Are you sure about Lara and daycare?”
“I’m positive,” I reply. “Think about what Bill said. We can’t be certain anything will happen today, and if something does, I’m sure the Metropolis police can handle most of it. There’ll be plenty of time to drop Lara at daycare and start out in the office like any other day. I may not have your talent for hearing emergency calls, but I have a very good police-band scanner. If I hear anything that sounds suspicious, I’ll head out to cover the streets in person based on the escalation we anticipate. That will leave me free to make my appearance as Ultra Woman if circumstances warrant it, without having to suddenly remember I have to return a movie or something.”
I’m expecting the usual banter about his excuses not being so bad, but instead, almost abruptly, Clark leans over and kisses me saying, “I need to go.”
Sometimes this feels like sending my soldier off to war. I have the advantage of knowing he’ll be coming back, but he’ll be seeing a lot of death before I see him again. “Clark, remember that even Superman can’t save everyone.”
“Today you may have to keep that thought in mind as well,” he replies.
After one more kiss, he’s gone.
~~~***~~~
Getting Lara ready for the day and getting to work isn’t too difficult. She misses her daddy in the morning but doesn’t put up too much of a fuss. If she weren’t normally such a joy at the start of the day, I probably would never notice her demeanor being slightly off. She expects a certain amount of ‘daddy time’ every morning and when she doesn’t get it, she makes her displeasure known. In the pre-super-speed days, the extra time to deal with a fussy Lara sometimes made me late for work. Now that I can do most of the other morning rituals with the speed turned up, it’s easier to spend some extra time soothing Lara’s feelings.
I arrive at work slightly early. I could have been even earlier but I wanted to start the day out as normally as possible, so I waited for the day care center to open before heading in. I’ve no more than stepped off the elevator when I hear Perry’s voice bellowing, “Lois, my office, now!”
As soon as I’m inside his office he starts up with, “Where’s Clark? Have you heard about Guatemala?”
Well, my opening just got easier. “Clark won’t be in the office today. He’s in Guatemala covering the disaster and helping to document Superman’s relief efforts.”
This only puts Perry on his heels for a second. He does seem to take the time to think through the implication of what I just told him. “From what you've been telling me about potential developments once it's widely known that Superman is out-of-town for the day, I’m not sure I agree with Clark taking off to cover a foreign disaster. If the city does explode today I’m sure I’ll end up wishing both of you were here.”
I respond in a tone that should reflect a certain amount of irritation. “Clark understands his responsibilities. I’ll be able to cover my part of the city beat today on my own. Don’t forget, I did it for years before Clark arrived.”
“Darlin’, I know you’re capable and I usually trust Clark’s decision making abilities. From everything you’ve told me over the past week or so, there's reason to believe that once the news of Superman’s absence gets out, there could be chaos in Metropolis. If that happens, even you’ll have trouble covering it alone.”
“Chief, it’ll be fine. Whatever happens today, I’ll be able to handle everything on my own.”
I’m expecting more argument but instead, Perry gets a peculiar look on his face. All the sudden I feel like I’m under a microscope. As the seconds tick by I start to remember that Perry is a very capable investigative reporter in his own right. Finally, he says, “There’s something you aren’t telling me. You and Clark know something that means it’s okay for him to take off.”
I try to look incredulous. “Perry, for the life of me I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ha! I knew it. Okay, so you can’t tell me. But Lois, please tell me there’s a Planet exclusive in this.”
How can Perry do this to me? I handle cops and criminals alike and am never that transparent. I still don’t know what I said or how I said it, but I feel like I might as well just go ahead and mail him the as-yet incomplete story of Ultra Woman’s return.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, but do you think I’d ever let us lose a key news story?”
Perry eyes me dubiously. “So what are your plans?”
“I’ll start here and keep an eye on what’s happening in the street. I’ll be monitoring the police channels and I'm just going to have to play this by ear. The problem all along has been that we don't know for sure anything will happen today. Just to be on the safe side, I plan to spend much of the day out-and-about. When I leave the office will be based on what happens as the day unfolds.
He sighs the way he often has when he knows I’m going to do something my way regardless of what he says. “Okay Lois. Please be careful out there. If you get in trouble today, Superman won’t be around to help.”
“Perry, I know you worry, but think about it. I have Lara to consider now. I have no intention of letting myself be in any danger today.”
His face lightens just a little bit. “Somehow I believe you, but I wish I understood why. My instincts tell me it’s going to be a big news day. Get out there and bring me something for page one!”
~~~***~~~
I'm starting to think maybe this won't be ‘the day’ after all. Every time the scanner goes off, my reaction is, “this is it” however, if anything, today seems to be slightly quieter than normal.
It's nearly 9:45 am when I sense a change in the pattern of the day. Starting a few minutes ago, there has been an increase in the number of calls. I didn't pick up on it right away but now I’m sure. The crimes seem to be what Bill had referred to yesterday as typical smash-and-grab jobs. If I wasn't so sensitive for unusual patterns today, I don't think I would think anything of it. It's just that it's been so quiet all morning and this represents a change.
It's right before 10:00 am when I see Ralph heading for the elevator and mumbling something about getting to his bank before it opens. That’s it! It hits me like a bolt from the blue. They say inspiration can come from the unlikeliest sources. Well, I can’t think of a less likely source than Ralph. Whoever is pulling the strings behind the scenes today is going to go after a bank as soon as it opens.
I practically jump out of my chair and head for the stairwell. In only a few seconds, I’m in the suit high above the city. I may not have Clark’s ability to hear an emergency call at home or in the office, but if I hover above the city roughly in the center, I can pick out enough bits and pieces of those calls to get a feel for what’s happening. One thing is clear, the slowly increasing wave of minor crimes has MPD stretched to the limit. I’m getting snatches of calls where there is no one available to respond.
I’m considering helping out with the overflow when a series of alarms all going off in rapid succession serves notice that the real show has started. I do a quick visual scan of the city and see that four of the largest banks in the downtown district appear to be in the process of being robbed. I take just a second to look around once more before I commit to an action. Nothing else is happening. Well, this shouldn’t be too hard. At least all of these banks are relatively close together.
When I arrive at the first robbery, I find a team of four men. Three are inside and one is waiting in a car in the street. I’m glad I thought to look for an escape vehicle on the way in or I would have missed the fourth man. The weaponry in the car, combined with the location of the vehicle, made it easy to spot. The men inside the building seem to have only just gotten the customers on the ground when I arrive. I make one quick trip around the room to collect the weaponry at super speed and the danger is over. I pause for only an instant to figure out where to incapacitate the men. I don’t see any obvious place to contain the bank robbers, so the floor will have to serve. Very quickly, they’re all face down in the middle of the floor with their hands zip-tied behind them. The extra fraction of a second it takes to snatch the driver from the car and add him to the collection goes completely unnoticed by the people inside the bank.
I return to normal speed just long enough to have the bank guard realize what has happened. As the suddenly changed state of the criminals registers, he gets to his feet, catches sight of me and simply freezes. Well, I suspect his inability to speak is at least partially my fault. I’ve seen Clark’s reaction to how I look in this suit. I don’t have time to wait for him to find an opening line. Thank goodness for name tags.
“James. Do you still have your gun?” I ask.
That seems to shake him out of his stupor. “No. They took it away as soon as they came in the door.”
I point to a far wall. “All of the guns they had on them are in the pile. If your gun isn’t there, pick out one of theirs you know how to use and guard these guys until the police can get here.”
James hurries over to the wall and returns with a pistol. “My pistol was there. I’d rather have a weapon I know I can depend on.”
I feel the need to hurry. There are at least three other robberies taking place. “You’ll have to watch them until the police arrive. I’m sorry but I have to go now.”
James glances and the men on the floor then quickly back to me. He gives my skin tight uniform a quick glance from head to toe and asks, “Where did those zip ties come from?”
That deserves a smile. “My secret. Now I really need to go.”
Before I can shift into super speed to head for the next robbery, James manages to blurt out the question I have been expecting. “Wait! Who are you?”
I flash him my brightest smile. “A friend of a friend.” Then I shift to super speed and go.
It only takes about a second of real time to reach the scene of the next robbery. Once there, I become more convinced than ever that I’m making my appearance at exactly the right time. There’s another car with what looks to be the same set of weapons as at the first robbery. Based on the success of the approach I used at the first bank, I go right into the building. Sure enough, there are three men dressed the same as before right down to the kind of mask they’re wearing. They’re carrying the same weapons and seem to be going about the robbery in a manner that looks very well planned.
This group is a little more spread out, but at the speed I’m going it makes no difference. When all four are in their proper place in the middle of the floor, I slow down to normal speed so I can hand them over to the guard. This time, the guard seems a little quicker on the uptake. As soon as he catches sight of me and sees the robbers on the floor, he looks around, sees the weapons and retrieves his pistol. As he comes walking toward me I see that his name is John. I really love nametags!
“John, will you be able to handle this until the police arrive? I need to go.”
He glances over at the men. “Sure. I don’t think they’ll be a problem now. By the way, who are you?”
I guess I’d better get used to that question today. “A friend of a friend,” I reply, and am gone.
As I approach the third bank, I’m unsurprised to see the same pattern as the first two. This time I take just an instant to check the pouch concealed in the lining of my boot and verify I still have enough zip ties to handle four more men. I do, and it’s on to the job. I have to admit that I admire the military like precision that obviously went into the planning of these jobs. It sure makes my work easier. This time I barely glance at the getaway car before going right on in. Sure enough, there are three men in the bank and one in the car.
The robbery is barely any farther along than the others. They must have been timed to be synchronized to nearly the second. In this instance, I find two men collecting money while the third is standing guard. In less than a second I’ve recreated the picture from the first two banks. This time the guard reacts more along the lines of James than John. I guess I also need to get used to the gawking from the men that I encounter. Although I suspect that when they hear the rest of the story about who my husband is, they’ll be a bit more discrete.
I guess the only thing that’s particularly memorable about the third bank is the name of the guard. This time it is Julio. I didn’t realize you had to have a J-name to be a bank guard in Metropolis. I’m a little disappointed that Julio doesn’t seem to be getting around to asking who I am. He’s the youngest guard so far, and I don’t think he’s going to get past the gawking stage. I stick around only long enough to make sure he has them covered, and then make my high-speed exit.
I know I’m moving fast, but using this much super speed really confuses your ability to judge time. Since I went to the first robbery I’ve been in high-speed mode almost continually. In each bank I’ve shifted back to low speed only long enough to do the handoff to the guards. I think it has been only a minute or so total, but I really don’t know. Before heading for robbery number four I make a quick side trip to the top of the Daily Planet building. That’s one of the places I’ve stashed extra zip ties and want to make sure I have plenty before the next stop.
When I arrive at bank four I’m relieved to see the same pattern played out again. The organization and obvious level of training just screams of Intergang. Clark and I will have to look into who was behind these when he gets back.
I don’t know if this team started early or if I’ve taken more time than I thought, but when I enter this bank the men are already preparing to leave. Convincing them to stay a while longer proves to be as easy as with their associates at the other banks.
Once they’re all on the floor, I actually relax a bit. I have to admit that I feel a certain sense of relief when this guard’s name turns out to be Fred. A fourth ‘J’ name would have had me scratching my head for a long time. I like Fred. He’s a bit older than the others and doesn’t stare too much. He not only looks at the men on the floor, but he immediately makes sure they are properly bound. Then he comes over to where I’m standing and asks, “Are you a friend of Superman’s?”
Finally, someone at least guesses at the obvious. “Yes,” I reply and start for the door.
I really don’t want to be seen yet so I quickly accelerate to a minimal super speed. In an instant I’m out the door and high above the city. I’m glad this is a clear day with lots of sun. I’ve just used a lot of super speed and I want to give those Kryptonian thingies a chance to recharge. I’m hoping this little demonstration will have a deterrent effect on any other operations, which may have been planned for later today.
I’m not up here for more than a minute when I realize I can hear something that doesn’t sound quite right. I wish I had Clark’s ability to tune in to emergency calls. I suspect that now I’m back in the hero business, even if it is part time, the ability will come. I head for the sounds a bit more slowly than I did for the bank jobs. I really wish I would have asked Clark or Bernie about the sustained use of super speed. Clark has never talked about any limit for this, but I don’t remember him using it continually like I just did. It sure makes things easier.
Even not using super speed, it only takes a few seconds to reach the source of the sounds. I’m in the diamond district and this is truly a sight. As near as I can tell the whole area is under siege. There must be ten or twelve men all dressed very similarly. They seem to be trying to take out every diamond merchant in the area. There are a few differences between these man and the teams at the banks. For one, these guys are all wearing body armor. They seem to have anticipated a bit more resistance for this operation. Also, instead of a simple sedan like at the banks, this is an armored car. I can see that they have been busy already. The armored vehicle provides a weapon-resistant place to store what they steal and it looks big enough that when they are all done they can all get in for the getaway.
I want to take them all out but with so many I need to think about a plan of attack. In the seconds that pass while I’m studying the situation, something seems to have happened. Now they are all heading for the armored car. They seem to have a lot of stuff but it looks to me like there are still some more stores that haven’t been hit. It’s almost like they suddenly got word to cut it short. I wonder if I had anything to do with that. In only a few seconds all of the men I have spotted are inside the armored car.
Well, this should be easy. I zip down to the car and heat-vision spot-weld both the driver cabin doors and the rear exit shut. Next I drop down in front of the truck. I’m not sure if I should feel complemented or offended when the driver tries to run me down. Well, that is really what I expected. I only slide a few feet before I am able to bring the truck to a halt. They seem to be determined to burn a hole in the street but I have another idea. A minor application of super speed and I’m at the side of the truck and lifting it off the ground. The flight to the main MPD office takes less than a minute. I hope someone from the Planet gets a picture. I set the vehicle down in the no parking zone in front of the building. I’m not too worried about them going anywhere since I set the armored car down on its side.
As soon as we’re on the ground I notice movement in the cab of the truck. The two men in the front are getting their guns in position and it looks like they’re going to try to shoot their way out. A little heat vision and that problem is solved. Guns don’t work very well when the barrels have been melted. Now they’re staring at me. I can tell they’re trying to think of what to do next. While staring at them with the most serious glare I have in my arsenal, I shake my head. The dejected looks on their faces make it clear I’ve gotten my point across.
I’m wondering if I should pop into the building and tell them that they have a delivery, when a couple of officers appear and start heading my way. The older of the two officers comes right over to me. “Hello officer Wilson,” I say as he approaches. I am seriously getting to like name tags. “This vehicle has all the men and stolen merchandise from a series of robberies that just occurred in the jewelry district. There are about a dozen of them in there. The doors are all welded shut for now. They are all armed to some level or another. If you can get a team of police out here I’ll be happy to extract them and turn them over to you.”
He’s just staring at me with his mouth hanging open. I wish Bill or at least one of the other inspectors would have come out to meet me. My patience wears out very quickly. “Well, do you want me to get them out for you or not?”
This wakes him up. “Wait just a minute.” He hurries back into the station and quickly returns with about a dozen or so uniformed police. As he walks up to me I ask, “How do you want to do this?”
He looks me over again from head to toe. “I guess that depends on you. Are you like Superman?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“So you can’t be hurt by any of their weapons?”
“No.”
“Well, it feels odd asking this of a lady, but if you would go in and disarm them then we can handle it from there.”
I should feel upset by his being a bit sexist, but I find his attitude to be pleasant in an old-fashioned sort of way. I suspect that if Clark didn’t have the powers and was a police officer, in this situation he would have said just about the same thing. I had used the delay while he was getting help to think about how to get them out of there. I fly up so I’m on the top of the truck. I guess I’ll get to see just how well the strength and invulnerability work now. My plan is to rip a hole in the top and go in. I was worried that if I went in through the back door they might try to shoot at me and hurt someone. This approach should minimize that risk.
As I look around, there doesn’t seem to be a good edge to grab to rip the top open. I guess I’ll have to make my own. I could melt my way in but I’m worried I might burn someone on the inside. With the x-ray vision I can see they’re expecting someone to come through the door. They are all ready with their guns pointed that way. After my having flown them here, you would think they would realize how futile an effort that would be, but they look to be ready to try it just the same.
I pick an area behind most of them and get ready. I wish I had practiced punching through armor before. This will be my first time and naturally I have an audience. I hope my fist doesn’t bounce off. I hope it doesn’t hurt.
I shift into super speed made and punch the steel as hard as I can. I don’t know if it is the speed or the strength but when my fist makes contact, I can barely feel it. Based on how easy this was, I use my arm to cut a ragged u-shaped slice in the metal. I can’t believe how easy this is. In an instant I peel back the steel like it was paper and I’m inside. I’m going so fast that they haven’t even reacted yet. Just that fast I’ve taken all of their weapons away and stacked them against one wall. Still at high speed, I zip tie all their arms behind them. One more very quick look around and I figure it’s time to open the door. Still at super speed I punch the door, not too hard, right on the seam. Armored doors sure make a loud noise when they slam open!
I shift back down to normal speed and signal Officer Wilson to come over. His approach is cautions. I guess he’s not sure what to expect. Once he gets in the doorway he lets out a whistle and motions his men over.
I take that as my cue to finish the job. I still have to deal with the driver. When I reach the cab and look through the window I almost start laughing. Apparently the driver and his friend have had the time to contemplate the implications of their melted guns and they are both staring back at me with their hands up. It only takes a second to rip the door off and get them out. I use the x-ray vision to make sure they don’t have any concealed weapons and then lift them out and set them down on the ground for the police to handle.
I go back to where the rest are being collected just to make sure everything is all right. Officer Wilson is standing at the doorway watching the last of the men be escorted away when I arrive. When he notices I’m next to him, he gives me another “once over” sort of look before speaking.
“Thank you for everything. You made our job very easy. Who are you?”
He’s been pleasant so I treat him to a smile. “A friend of a friend. If everything is under control here, I need to go. I’m not sure the problems for this city are done for the day.”
Before I can move he speaks up. “Miss… um… friend. Could you please put the armored car upright? It will make it a lot easier for us to get out of the way.”
I glance over at it. I should have thought to do that. What a rookie mistake! I step over and tip it back to an upright position. I need to get back to work. As I take off I hear one more question for Officer Wilson. “Are you going to be around?”
I change my path so I don’t have to yell too loud. “Yes,” and with that I shift to high speed mode and take off.
TBC
Bob
