Note: This had been edited based on FDK.
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The Return of Ultra Woman
Chapter 10
In less than a minute, I’m home. I did make a few circuits around the city, but now it’s gone very quiet. I wonder if this is just a lull. It’s only been a few minutes since I made my appearance at the first bank. I know word travels fast, but I can’t believe the entire criminal underworld of Metropolis would catch on so quickly. However, if it’s true that the plan was to have everything peak just before the bank and jewelry jobs, then the lull makes sense. Whatever the reason, everything seems calm at the moment. I need to call in the story of my appearance, so I take a chance and dial Perry’s number.
After only one ring I hear, “Perry White speaking.”
“Perry, it’s Lois. Has anyone else called in the story on the new super?”
“Lois, where are you? We’ve just received a report of a girl depositing an armored car full of jewelry thieves in front of MPD headquarters. This came over the police band but there’s nothing on the media yet. Do you have anything on her?”
“Chief, I’ve got more than that! She stopped some bank robberies before she took down the armored truck. I’m working on the preliminary story right now but we need more details on the bank jobs before we have a whole story. This is your call. Do we run with the partial or do I take some time and get more details?”
Perry pauses for only a second. “Every newspaper in the city will be running this on their front page and it’ll be hitting the TV news any minute now. What we need is a better story, not a quicker one. Take a little more time and get the good story.”
“You got it! As soon as I can run down the details on what happened at the banks, I’ll bring my story in.”
“Great, Lois! I’m saving the front page for you.”
For an instant I think about the page one layout and almost miss his reply. “So, what does she look like? There aren’t any pictures. I thought this might be Ultra Woman, but even with the limited information we have, it sounds like the uniform is different.”
“That’s right. It’s definitely a different uniform. She’s in some sort of form fitting dark purple suit. It’ll be in my write up. But Perry, the biggest news about her suit… it has Superman’s ‘S’.”
There’s a noticeable pause before he replies. “The ‘S’ is the symbol of his house. I’m betting this woman has some sort of family connection. What do you think?”
I need to cut this short. “Perry, if I’m going to get the rest of the story on her appearances, I need to move now.”
This gets him back on track. “Right! Get the story and get in here!”
“I’m on it Chief,” and hang up the phone. I need to get to the scenes of those bank robberies and get some reactions from the people. Since I know the order in which they happened, I think the best approach will be to start at the first bank. I suspect it will be difficult for anyone else to nail down the order of my appearances. In just an instant I’m airborne again.
I do a quick loop around the city to make sure things are still quiet. Fortunately for my story, they are. In just a few seconds I’ve landed in the safe alley nearest to the first bank and switched back to street clothes. As I near the bank I’m surprised at the lack of a police presence. They couldn’t finish with the crime scene so quickly could they? When I reach the entrance, I find people milling around outside but don’t see police anywhere. I notice a group of people talking near the door and it strikes me that they look familiar. I think these were some of the customers that were in the bank during the robbery.
I walk up to the man nearest me. “Excuse me. I’m a reporter. Can you tell me what happened here?”
The man looks almost relieved to be asked a question. “There was a bank robbery attempt.”
I try to look surprised. “Where are the police?”
“They haven’t arrived yet. It was only about… I don’t know, maybe five minutes ago.”
Five minutes! It had to be longer than that. But I was at high-speed most of the time. Could it really have been such a short amount of time? If so, then this may work out well for my story.
By now, I have the attention of the whole group. “You said ‘was’ when you described the robbery attempt. I gather it’s over. What happened?”
He’s starting to answer when a younger woman cuts him off. “It was incredible. It was a woman… or maybe a girl. It was hard to tell how old she was but she was amazing!”
The man speaks up. “It was hard to judge her age with any accuracy but she was certainly female.”
Now a younger man cuts in. “You can say that again! She was… Wow!”
I need to be careful or I’ll start blushing noticeably. “Please, could one of you tell me what happened and who this woman is that you’re talking about.”
The man I spoke to first takes the initiative. “My name is Sam Robertson. I was in the bank on business when three men came in with weapons. One of them fired a shot in the air and yelled for everyone to get down on the floor. The others were getting the bank employees out in to the main area. They seemed very organized, as if they had practiced it. Anyway, it couldn’t have lasted for more than a minute. One second, the men were moving through the steps of the robbery, and then it was all over.”
“What do you mean it was over?”
“Well, in the blink of an eye, instead of three men robbing the bank there were four of them on the ground with their hands tied. There was this woman standing over them.”
“A woman? Was this one of the employees?” I feel silly asking these questions but I’m not supposed to know what happened so I have to react based on what he says, not what I know.
“No, no, no. She was some kind of female version of Superman.”
“A female Superman? Did she have the red and blue suit?”
“No. I’m sorry. I’m not doing this very well. She wore a costume but it was very different from Superman’s. It was a dark purple. The color reminded me of an eggplant. It looked like it was some kind of one piece, form fitting body suit.”
The younger man interjected at this. “It was *very* form fitting.”
Mr. Robertson shook his head slightly and continued. “Um, yes. She certainly has a very striking figure. Anyway, the suit covered most of her body. It even came up and covered part of her face like a mask.”
“Why did you say she was like Superman?”
“Well, it sure seemed like she must have been the person that took care of the bank robbers. She was standing over them and it was her that got the guard to make sure they were covered. She just appeared and took care of those men faster than anyone could see. She felt like a super hero.”
Another woman speaks up. “Don’t forget the ‘S’.”
Sam looks confused for a second. “Didn’t I tell you about that?”
“What ‘S’?” I ask.
Now the younger woman speaks up. “She was wearing Superman’s ‘S’.”
Now it was Sam’s turn again. “It wasn’t exactly the same as his ‘S’. It was sort of like Superman’s ‘S’ had been drawn or stamped in gold against the dark purple of her suit. It was the only thing on her uniform that wasn’t dark purple. But the shape of the symbol was certainly just like Superman’s”
“So who do you think she is?”
Now it’s the older woman. “I bet it’s Ultra Woman. I saw her when she was here before. The woman today sort of reminded me of her.”
I realize that Sam is giving me a funny look. Now I know how Clark must feel when he thinks he’s about to be recognized. I’m thinking up excuses to bolt when Sam says, “Aren’t you Lois Lane?”
“Yes. I’m Lois Lane of the Daily Planet.”
“Aren’t you good friends with Superman? You must know who this person is.”
I knew this question would come, but for some reason I didn’t expect it quite so soon. “I am friends with Superman. However, we’ve never been as close as most people seem to think. I’ve never met this woman in purple you’ve been describing. But this isn’t about me, it’s about what happened here.”
I turn to the older woman. “You said she reminded you of Ultra Woman. Why?”
“She has dark hair like Ultra Woman. She seems to be about the same height and her figure looks similar to what I remember. It’s hard to say because of the masks. With Ultra Woman, you could get a feel for what she might look like but this woman in purple is wearing a suit-mask that covers her face from the nose to her hairline. The way it covers her neck and the side of her face it was hard to tell what her face might look like.”
I am so glad to hear this. We spent a lot of time thinking about how to disguise my face. The old mask just didn’t hide enough last time, and I think we were very lucky no one recognized Ultra Woman to be Lois Lane. By continuing the body suit up my neck and over my ears to become my mask, we have a much more effective disguise. And, to be honest, it looks pretty darn good as well.
I spend another minute or so with the four of them and get as complete a story as they can tell. I’m thinking about moving along when the police finally arrive. The way they seal off the bank, I can tell I’ll have very little chance to interview James. That would have made the story better, but there are three other banks to consider. James may have been first person to meet Ultra Woman, but I don’t think he would have made the best interview. It only takes an instant to decide on bank number four. It is the closest to MPD headquarters and if I do get to interview a guard, my gut tells me I should to talk to Fred.
Bank number four is only a few blocks away. On the off chance that someone noted the time that Lois Lane was outside of the first bank, I figure it will be safer if I hurry to Fred’s bank using the old reliable Mad-Dog Lane push-through-the-crowds approach. Using that technique, it takes only a few minutes to reach the area of the fourth bank. I don’t know if it’s my slower approach or pure chance but I’m relieved to see that the police are already here. As I approach the building, a paddy wagon pulls up and the four bank robbers are hustled out and in to the van. Good, this should make it easier to get access to Fred.
With a little effort, I’m able to convince the officer at the door that I might be of help. I almost get in on my name alone, but this time simply saying I’m Lois Lane doesn’t open the door. Then I explain that I just came from another robbery where a woman in purple appeared and intervened. After a few minutes of consultation with someone in the bank, the officer tells me I can speak with Fred on the condition that they can ask me about any similarities.
Once inside, an officer leads me over to where Fred is standing with what looks to be a detective. I know most of the detectives in Metropolis but I don’t recognize this man. As we approach, the detective turns to me and reaches out to shake my hand. “So you’re Lois Lane. I’m Detective Anderson. I’ve only been with MPD for a few weeks but I’ve heard a lot about you. Your being the first to show up here is consistent with what I’ve been told to expect.”
I’m not sure I like his tone. As I release his hand I ask, “Just what have you been told?”
“Everyone says you’re the best and almost always first on the scene of anything important. They also say you and your partner are the best friends that Superman has in this city.”
Maybe this guy won’t be so bad after all. “I don’t know about the ‘best friends’ part but we do know Superman. However, the other part is correct. I am the best there is.”
“So Ms. Lane, Officer Jenkins says you might have some useful information.”
“I think I might. May I ask the bank guard a few questions?”
“Lane, this is an active crime scene and I have my doubts about even letting you in here. But Bill Henderson had warned me that if you or your partner show up in the middle of anything unusual, saying that you might have useful information, it was generally a good idea to give you more leeway than most. Here are the ground rules. No leading questions and if I think you are providing answers I’ll bounce you out of here no matter what your name and reputation is.”
This would have been so much easier if Bill had been here. “I understand.”
This was going to be the first real test. Can I ask Fred questions about his Ultra Woman experience without him realizing he’s talking with the same person? I turn to Fred and say, “Good afternoon. What’s your name?”
“Fred Samuels”
“Hi Fred, I’m Lois Lane of The Daily Planet. Was there anything unusual about the bank robbery that just took place?”
“There were two things. First, the three men that came in seemed very organized. It was almost like they had trained for the job. In some ways, it made things easier. I’ve been in robberies before where the criminal is more scared than the bank customers are. That can be very dangerous. These guys were very professional and they were in complete control from the moment they came in. Of the times I’ve been though this sort of thing, this is the safest I ever felt during the actual robbery.”
“You say they were in complete control, what changed?”
“The girl in purple.”
“Fred, would you mind describing who this girl is and what she did?”
“Like I said, those guys were pros. The came in, did the job and seemed to be getting ready to leave when there was a whooshing sound and… well, the robbery was over and there she was.”
This is so difficult. If Anderson weren’t here, I would just lead him along. I need this interview to fill out my story and if I push too hard, I’ll be out the door in a second. “Would you please tell me some more about what you saw after you heard the sound?”
“Well, like I said they were almost finished and looked to be preparing to leave when, all of the sudden, this girl in purple was standing there and there were four men on the floor with their hands zip-tied behind them.”
“Four men? Didn’t you say that there were only three men robbing the bank?”
“Yeah. I don’t know where that fourth guy came from. I never saw him until after the purple girl arrived.”
I turn to Detective Anderson. “This sounds like the exact pattern as at Metropolis National three blocks over. Three men were seen in the bank. In the blink of an eye, a costumed woman was standing over them and four men on the floor bound with zip-ties.” Anderson just nods.
I turn back to Fred. “This girl in purple, please describe her.”
“She was about medium height and had dark hair. She was thin but, um, shapely. It was hard to tell much more because of the uniform and the way it covered her face.”
“How would you describe the uniform?”
“It was a sort of dark purple body suit. It was all one color except for the ‘S’ on her… well, here.” And Fred points his hand at the center of his chest. “That was a sort of yellow color.”
“Her uniform had an ‘S’? Can you tell me what it looked like?”
“Oh, yeah. It was Superman’s ‘S’. It was exactly the same shape.”
“You said it was yellow. What shade was it? Was it bright like a canary yellow?”
“No. It was a darker shade than that. More of a metallic or golden color.”
“You said that her face was covered. Would you please describe that?”
“Sure. Part of her uniform went up on her head and covered her face.”
“Fred you’ve described this girl but what did she do?”
“To be honest, I didn’t see her do anything. I just heard that air-whooshing sound and there she was standing over the robbers. I’m sure that three of those men were the ones that had been robbing the bank. But I didn’t actually see her do anything. She did tell me to guard the men until the police arrived.”
“Can you tell me anything else about this woman?”
“Because of what happened and the ‘S’ I asked her if she was a friend of Superman and she said that she was.”
“How old did she seem to you?”
“It was hard to tell because of the way her costume covered her face. She looked young. I’d guess maybe 25 or so.”
I could kiss him! “Fred, when you were describing her uniform you didn’t mention a cape.”
“Hmmm… she wasn’t wearing a cape.”
“Did she say anything else to you?”
He thought for a second. “Not that I can remember. She seemed in sort of a hurry. It was like she knew there were other places for her to be. As soon as she was sure we were in control of the situation, she just vanished. There was a sort of “whoosh” sound like air moving. I guess that means she left super fast.”
“Okay Fred, thank you for your time. I do have one more question. What was your personal impression of her?”
“She seemed nice. When she was here, you could tell she just wanted to help. I’ve heard people who’ve met Superman say he has a formal, almost cold feeling about him. I didn’t get that impression at all from her. She felt… I guess ‘friendly’ would be the word I would use. She felt like nice people.”
I knew interviewing Fred was a good idea. “Thank you. I’ll probably be quoting you in my article for The Daily Planet.” I turned to Detective Anderson. “Everything he said matches up perfectly with the information that I was able to get from the other robbery. If I can go now I’d like to get to work on my story.”
“Okay Lane. Is there any other information you have that might help?”
“Well, at the other bank, there had been a car nearby that looked like it might have been the intended getaway vehicle. Based on what I saw at the other bank, it looked to be where the fourth man came from. Have you found a vehicle nearby matching that description?”
He’s nodding as he answers. “Yes. We spotted it when we first sealed off the area.”
“Then I don’t know what else to tell you for now. It was nice meeting you, Detective. Thank you for letting me speak with Fred.”
“Lane, what do you think of this woman in purple?”
“I’m more curious than anything else. Did you know we had another super woman here a few years ago? She called herself Ultra Woman and was some kind of friend of Superman’s. After a short time, she disappeared as suddenly as she came. Other than the uniform, it might be the same person. If she is, then there are a few questions I’d like to ask her.”
“You and me both, Lane. I’ll be seeing you around.”
As soon as I’m out the door I hurry down the street and out of sight of the bank. A quick check of my watch tells me it’s been just over half an hour since this all began. I think I need to get in the air and see what’s been going on.
It doesn’t take me long to reach a safe spot to change and take off. Once I retrieve my boots, I’m ready for action again. Now that I’ve made my official debut, it’s probably time to shift into Clark’s old “help with everything” mode. I’m hoping that if I make my presence obvious to all, the word will get out quickly that the “Superman free” day is over.
The downtown area is quiet. I’ll need to check with Bobby in a day or so and find out if the time for these synchronized hits had leaked out. As long as I’m making this my debut, I figure I’ll give some people a look. I slow down my airspeed a bit and make a few passes through the downtown area. Even at these slower speeds, in less than a minute I’ve been all over the downtown area a couple of times. From the stopped traffic and the people pointing in my general direction, I believe I’ve made quite an impression.
Since the downtown seems quiet now, I figure I’ll check the rest of the city and the nearby suburbs. On my last glance around, I spot Jimmy leaning out the window of the Planet with his camera. Okay, I probably shouldn’t do this but I swing near the Planet building as I’m gaining altitude for my exit from the city. As I pass Jimmy, I slow down enough that he should be able to get a good shot. I can’t resist looking in his direction and smiling for the camera. What can I say? It’s my paper and he’s my friend.
TBC
Bob
