Many thanks to two fantastic beta readers, IolantheAlias and Happy Girl for helping to turn this idea into a story.
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Flying Easy
By bobbart -- Bob Bartholomew <bobbart_99@yahoo.com>
Rated: G
Written: July 2010
Disclaimer: This is a fanfic based on the television show, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I have no claim on the pre-existing characters whatsoever, nor am I profiting by their use. The new story elements are mine. No infringement is intended by this work.
Time Frame: Season 1 – The end of the evening of the episode “Fly Hard.”
Part 1: Lois
Even by the standards of Lois Lane, this evening had been crazy. What had started out as a quick stop at work on the way to the opera with Lex had turned into a hostage situation. She’d expected Superman to resolve the problem in short order, as he had most of her other crises in the past year, but this evening the hero was absent. She wasn’t entirely convinced that it was the nuclear device that kept Superman away, but Lois didn’t know what else it could have been. As it was, she and her fellow hostages survived mostly through their own efforts.
Before the evening had come to an end, Lex had been shot and Lois had fallen off the roof only to have Superman finally show up just in time to catch her. The final part of the evening had a surreal feel to it as she had climbed into the ambulance with Lex and left Clark standing in the street. For all the strangeness of the evening, that image stayed with her. The look on Clark’s face was…
Then there was Clark’s cryptic warning about Lex. Lois didn’t know what to think. She should have been certain that her place was at Lex’s side, but somehow she couldn’t shake the feeling that she really belonged on that street with Clark.
Lois had been fighting that feeling more and more lately. The more time she spent in Lex’s world, the more she felt she didn’t fit in. She had to remind herself that it was every woman’s dream to live Lex’s lifestyle. She was sure that once she adjusted, she’d love it. She would… Why did that feel more like desperation than belief?
Once they arrived at the hospital, the emergency room team whisked Lex away. As it turned out, Lois didn’t spend much time there. Lois was sitting in the waiting room when one of Lex’s assistants came in and told her that Lex was gone. He’d left for his tower under the care of his personal physician without her even seeing him. At least the assistant provided a way for her to get home. In less than five minutes, a chauffeured limousine arrived. She initially asked to go to her apartment, but half way there, she asked the driver to head for the Planet instead. Despite the early hour, she just didn’t want to be home alone. Lois found herself hoping that Clark would be there. It didn’t seem very likely, but just the same, she didn’t want to be at home. If nothing else, she could type up some notes from the evening.
When Lois got to the Planet, she wasn’t surprised to find it deserted. Fortunately, in the course of the evening, the locker room hadn’t been damaged and she was able to change out of the evening gown and into her backup work clothes. After changing, she sat down to type up her notes, but the motivation just wasn't there. She felt restless and decided that she wanted to experience the remainder of the Metropolis night from the place the evening ended. She headed up to the roof with the expectation of silently enjoying the pre-dawn city.
When she reached the roof, she was surprised to find someone sitting on the edge of the building. Lois almost fled the rooftop but it took her only an instant to realize that it was Superman.
“Superman, what are you doing here?”
His head jerked around in surprise at the sound of her voice, but he recovered quickly. “Hi, Lois. I must have been deep in my own thoughts. I usually hear when someone approaches but I didn’t know you were there until you spoke.”
Lois went over and sat down carefully beside the hero.
He gave her a concerned look. “Lois, be careful. It’s a long way down.”
Given the events of earlier this evening, it was all she could do not to laugh. She turned to see him looking at her intently. “I’ll be fine,” she offered. “Besides, if I were to slip, wouldn’t you catch me?” She paused and looked over the edge. Maybe it was the after effects of the evening but she was feeling slightly giddy. “After all, you did earlier,” she offered with a smile.
“I’ll always catch you when I can.” His tone was much more personal than usual. Of course, he wasn’t in the middle of a rescue. The way he said that tugged at her heart. He was special to her but so much of the time, he felt distant. He didn’t feel distant now.
She looked at his feet dangling over the edge. “Do you sit up here often?” she asked.
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I guess I’m on this building more than most. Usually when I’m on patrol, I try to keep moving. Sometimes I like to just stop, rest and listen. This is probably my favorite place to do that.”
“That surprises me,” Lois replied. “I’d have thought you would spend all your time on the tallest building looking down on people.”
Lois heard a muttered reply. She was about to ask him to speak up when Superman replied in a louder voice. “I like being close to people, not looking down on them.”
That was a fascinating response. Up until that moment, Lois thought Superman spent most of his time floating above watching and waiting to help. His reply was even more interesting in light of what he’d first muttered. Lois had excellent hearing. His initial reply raised some very disturbing questions. It had taken a second or two to work out the words, but she was sure. He’d said, “I’m not Luthor.”
What did that mean? Her mind flashed back to that first meeting when Lex had said that he liked that fact that from his penthouse all of Metropolis had to look up to see him. Lois hadn’t thought of that moment since then, but now it took on new meaning. Lex must have said something very similar to Superman. Superman seemed to think it was significant that Lex enjoyed … looking down on people.
The hero seemed to be open to talk tonight. This was a rare opportunity. What could she ask him? She’d learned two things so far tonight. Superman liked to be among people and he didn’t seem to think too much of Lex. Maybe this was her chance to find out even more.
“Could I ask you a few questions?”
Suddenly he looked nervous. “An interview?”
Of course he’d react that way. She shouldn’t have been so direct. She tried to sound as friendly and casual as possible. “No, not at all. Just two friends talking. I promise that this is only for me. I’d like to ask some questions, but nothing you say will be reported.”
He relaxed, but only a tiny bit. “Okay, go ahead Lois, but you have to realize that there are some questions I just won’t answer.”
Based on what she knew, especially the parts that he didn’t know she knew, that was a perfectly reasonable reply. “I promise that I’m not going to try to corner you. I’ve just been thinking that I don’t know you as well as I’d like. If I get too pushy you can either tell me to back off or just fly away.”
Superman laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. Go ahead and ask your questions.”
She took a deep breath. Recently she’d had an epiphany that she’d wanted to talk to Superman about. This was the perfect opportunity. Superman might not know it, but she planned to drop a bomb on him tonight. Just maybe she’d be able to show him that she was worthy of his trust and friendship. “You have a reputation for extreme honesty. Do you always tell the truth? Even when you aren’t in front of the public?”
He grew thoughtful at this. “Well, I try to not say anything untrue.”
“I’m sure you know that the most effective way to lie is to be creative with the truth,” she replied. “Everyone does it. We either leave out something critical to understanding, or we say things in a way that won’t be believed. So, please, this is important to me. Do you always tell the truth?”
There was a long delay before he replied. “No. I prefer to tell the truth as much as I can, but for various reasons… ”
Lois waited. She could tell that there was more to come and she was determined not to give him an easy out. Finally he looked over at her and in a very sad-sounding voice added, “I’m sorry that I’ve let you down.”
That caught her off guard. Let her down? He worried that much about how she thought of him? “Why do you think you’ve let me down?” she asked. She reached over and put her hand on his arm in what she hoped would be a reassuring gesture. “Just because you don’t tell the whole truth with every word? I would have been upset if you’d said that you always told the truth. That could have meant only two things and both of them would have been bad.”
He seemed to stare at her hand for a second before looking up. Now he looked confused. “Two things?” He did sound relieved that she wasn’t disappointed in him.
“Yes. If you really do tell nothing but the truth, it would mean you don’t live in a world I understand. No one can tell the perfect truth all the time. At least no one I’ve met. Maybe there’s a saint somewhere that does, but I’ll bet that they don’t have any friends.”
He smiled at her reply. In a more cheerful voice he asked, “What would be the other option?”
Lois moved her hand back to her own lap and let her voice turn serious. “That you were lying right now.”
“Oh…” Superman paused a moment as if to show that he understood the seriousness of her reaction. He turned slightly so that he was in a better position to look at her. “So, now that we’ve established that I’m not going to lie to you, are you going to ask a question that I can answer? I mean besides whether or not I occasionally hedge the truth.”
Lois thought for a moment. If this was about truth then she should show her own hand immediately. If she revealed what she knew later on, he might think she was trying to play some kind of game with him. “Superman, I know you grew up on Earth. What was it like? Growing up as an alien?” It took all of her concentration to keep her voice casual through the whole question.
She’d been watching his face. He was stunned. “What makes you believe I grew up here?”
At least he didn’t deny it. He probably wanted to make sure she had something real and wasn’t just on a fishing expedition. “I was out with Lex last week and we were at a gala of some kind in Paris.” Lois noticed that his expression darkened the tiniest bit at the mention of Lex. Or could it be that it was her date with Lex that disturbed Superman? Another fact to chew on later.
“There were people from all over the world,” she continued. “I think Lex and I might have been the only Americans there. I felt very out-of-place and spent most of the evening wondering why I wasn’t home in my apartment. While I was waiting for the evening to end, I got thinking about how easy it was to tell that people were from different countries and regions. Even the Europeans that looked as American as I do acted differently. The strangeness of all the people made me feel uncomfortable. When I’m here in Metropolis, even when I’m surrounded by strangers, I still feel at home. That was when it hit me. You didn’t grow up on another planet. You didn’t even grow up in another country. Everything about the way you speak and act tells me you were raised in America.”
He looked like he was trying to find his way out of a trap. She needed to reassure him that she wasn’t a threat to him. “Please don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you any details and I promise I won’t share this with anyone. It’s just that ever since I figured this out, I’ve wondered why we don’t see any of the rest of your family, um… flying.”
He looked like he was thinking about flying – away. Finally, he seemed to relax. He had the look of someone that had come to an important decision. He gathered himself and answered, “I’m an orphan. I arrived here in a tiny space ship when I was just a baby. My parents sent me away because our planet was doomed and it was my only chance for survival. A human couple found me and raised me as their own.”
Wow. What kind of people would simply take in a baby in a spaceship? “They must be special people,” she offered.
“The best,” he replied in a wistful tone.
“Was it difficult? Being an alien and all?”
“Not so much at first. I didn’t have any powers in my early years, so I was just like any other little boy. I never got sick, but my parents knew I was different and figured that was just part of the package. I was a teenager when my special abilities started to come in.” He paused. She could tell he was thinking about a difficult period. “That was a hard time. My parents didn’t tell me anything about my origins until they had to. One day I was a normal boy and the next I was breaking things because I was too strong. Then I was seeing through walls and starting fires with my eyes.”
He sounded so sad when he described this. His tone reminded her of someone but right this second she couldn’t place the person. “Was it lonely?”
“A little,” he sighed.
Lois could tell that wasn’t the complete truth. She gave him her most disbelieving look and waited.
After a second, he wilted under her stare and smiled sheepishly. “That’s right. Only the truth tonight. Okay, yes, it was very lonely. But my parents were great.”
“Can you tell me anything about your parents? They must be incredible people.”
“I’m sorry Lois, but I can’t answer that. They’re special people but you’ll need to ask about something else.”
She hadn’t really expected him to say anything about the amazing people that had raised him, but it had been worth a try. Maybe he’d trust her with that some day. “I understand. I meant it when I said that I just wanted this to be a talk between friends.”
Lois thought for a minute. There were other things she could ask, but it would just be delaying the inevitable. From the instant she’d heard him mutter, there had been a question on the tip of her tongue. This wasn’t going to be easy and she braced herself for what might come. “What do you know about Lex that I don’t?”
Nervousness clouded his face again. “Lois, I’m not sure I should answer that.”
“Why not?”
He was quiet for a long moment. “You’re dating him and … you might not like what I have to say. You did insist that I tell the truth.”
Superman knew things about Lex that he didn’t think she’d believe? She was trying to deal with the potential magnitude of that when he continued. “There’s another problem. There’s what I know and then there’s what I believe but can’t prove.”
It just wasn’t going to get any better. “Please tell me—both what you know and what you believe.”
“Lois, are you sure? I promise that I’ll try to be fair but I’m afraid that it won’t seem that way.”
“I’m positive.”
“Okay. But remember when you said that if I didn’t like your questions I could just leave?”
He waited until she nodded. “You can do the same thing,” he offered. “I don’t think you’re going to be happy with what I have to say.”
Now he was being patronizing. Who was he to protect her from the truth? “Just tell me,” she said, barely keeping the anger out of her voice.
“Ok, Lois. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you but I … I don’t want to hurt you.” He paused once more but this time she just waited. “I know Lex was behind the series of tests that happened when I first arrived in Metropolis. Some only involved his own people, but others hurt innocent bystanders. I remember how shook up I was when I realized that you’d been hurt when he bombed the Carlin building. Once I figured out what was going on and confronted him, he threatened to keep them going and keep hurting people unless I left Metropolis. I came close to leaving right then.”
Lois could hardly believe this. “Superman, I don’t know what to say. I know Lex and…”
Superman cut her off. “Lois, how well do you really know him? Weren’t you going to get the definitive interview with him? Did he ever give you enough information to write that piece? Or did he avoid the questions?”
That put her back. It had been so long since that first dinner that she’d forgotten all about the article. “We became friends,” she answered somewhat defensively. “Somehow it didn’t seem right to do an expose.”
Superman was nodding slowly. “Lois, he’s a master at misdirection. I’ve only seen what I have because of my special abilities.”
She still couldn’t quite believe what Superman was telling her. “Are you really sure of what you’re saying?” she pleaded.
He reached out and lightly held her shoulder as he nodded in affirmation. “I’m sure. But, Lois, there’s no proof. He never leaves proof.”
“Never? You say that like there’s more.”
Superman removed his hand and turned to stare out over the city for a second. When he faced her again his look was solemn. “I know he was involved in the Mentamide experiments.”
Her mouth dropped open. “He was experimenting on those children?”
“I don’t know exactly how much he knew. He was involved enough to know that the original version of Mentamide 6 was deadly. I was there when he let that slip. That tells me he was deeply involved. Let’s see… I think those are the main incidents where I have first-hand knowledge. As for what I believe but don’t know for sure… I believe he was involved with the cyborg boxers that got your dad in trouble.”
“That’s impossible!” Her reply was almost a shout. “He helped out my dad.”
It was as if her angry outburst had thrown a dark blanket over his spirit. “Whatever you say, Lois. I guess I’ll be going.”
She could see that this was his way of telling her that she really couldn’t handle hearing what he thought. She quickly reached out and grasped his arm. “No! Please stay. You warned me that I wouldn’t like it. Is that everything?”
He was looking at her hand. It wasn’t as if she could do anything to keep him here if he really wanted to go. She pulled her hand back, but repeated her plea. “Please. If there’s anything else… I need to know.”
He paused for a minute. She could tell he was reluctant to go on. “No, I almost forgot one other thing. I believe he was behind the space program sabotage, and I think that Antoinette Baines was working for him. In fact, I believe, but can’t prove, that he was involved in her death.”
“You think Lex might have killed someone?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Superman just stared back at her. She could see that in some ways this seemed to be as hard for him as it was for her. He looked down at the street below for several long seconds. “Lois, I don’t have proof.”
“Superman, please,” she begged. “I can tell that there’s more you haven’t told me yet.”
“I believe he’s responsible for many more deaths than just Dr. Baines.”
She was silent for a minute. How could Superman believe those things about Lex? And what should she do? She had been sitting for nearly a minute with her mind spinning in circles. Her whole world had been turned upside down. Could Superman be lying? She didn’t think so.
Lois could feel her spirit sag. If Superman was right, and she had to admit he probably was, Lois’s record was still perfect. She was zero for everything in her relationships. As she put her head down she muttered, “It figures.”
“Lois?” Superman asked, his voice filled with concern.
She couldn’t help but shake her head as she replied. “I’m barely in a new relationship and it turns into another disaster. You wouldn’t know this, but every relationship I’ve ever had has ended badly.”
She lifted her head and looked over at the hero. She could sense the compassion pouring from him. “You must have a great record in relationships,” Lois suggested. “Any woman that knew you were interested would feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world.”
He looked thoughtful for a second before replying. “Lois, you must understand that Superman can’t be close to anyone. Even with the limited contact that you and I have had, we’re associated closely enough that it puts you in danger.” Now he was staring at the street below shaking his head. “No, Superman can’t have a personal relationship with any woman. Something might happen and I’d never forgive myself.”
That phrasing felt odd. It was as if he were talking about Superman as somebody else. In a flash of insight, she realized he was. She’d just seen the other guy. The man that she didn’t know. The person who was so lonely growing up. The boy who grew up to be a hero.
“But what about you?” Lois asked.
“I just said…”
“Not Superman,” she replied, cutting him off. “I mean you. The man I don’t know. The person we were talking about a few minutes ago.”
Superman, or whatever his real name was, just stared back at her so she pressed on. “Do you have a girlfriend?” she pressed.
“I…” he stuttered.
That seemed to touch a nerve. “I’m sorry. Am I getting too personal?”
He smiled sheepishly. “Not really. There is a woman that I care about very much. But… Well, you’d be surprised how hard it can be to impress someone when they don’t know about this…” he offered, pointing at the ‘S’ on his chest. “When I'm not flying around in the suit I'm just an ordinary Joe.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Superman had trouble with relationships too. Lois knew what kind of qualities that man under the cape had to have. He had to be incredibly special to use his abilities to help so much and get nothing in return. She wished she were the woman that he wanted to impress.
It seemed that silence had shattered the mood. Superman seemed suddenly fidgety. Earlier, he’d almost left in frustration. Now he just seemed uncomfortable. Her time was almost up and there was still the issue of all the things he’d told her about Lex.
“Superman, why haven’t you ever said anything about Lex to me before?”
He was quiet for a long time. “Lois, I don’t have any proof. No one does. I kept hoping that you would see through his deception. With no evidence, we’re left with nothing but bare accusations. I know what I’ve seen, and I can guess at more, but… As I said, he never leaves evidence. Clark has tried to tell you to look more deeply.”
The caught her off guard. “You know what Clark has said about Lex?”
He took a longer time in replying that she thought he should. Finally, he replied with a simple “Yes.”
This opened an avenue of possibilities for Lois. “How well do you know Clark?” she asked.
He was quiet again. “I know Clark … better than most people. Beyond that, well, that’s one of those questions I can’t answer.”
So he knew Clark very well. That made sense and she’d suspected as much based on some of the things that had happened this year. Still, she couldn’t let this go by unchallenged. “You told me what you think about Lex. Why won’t you tell me anything about Clark?”
Now he looked really troubled. “How do I say this? I don’t have anything bad to say about Clark, but I know things I can’t talk about.”
“That’s not fair,” she replied. “You didn’t have any problem criticizing Lex but now you won’t tell me what you know about Clark?”
He looked pained. “Lois, it’s complicated. I’m sorry. I swear that Clark hasn’t killed anyone and isn’t involved in any criminal activities. Beyond that, I just can’t answer any questions about him without… I just can’t.”
Now Superman was obviously agitated. It was clear that by asking about Clark, Lois had crossed the line for what Superman would say this night. Sure enough, he stood and offered his hand. “I need to be going. I’d feel better if you weren’t sitting on the edge after I leave.”
Lois let him help her stand. As she stood, she was able to look at his face intently. There was that same nervousness she’d started seeing a moment ago. Now there was something else… Regret? Frustration? He could be so hard to read. She wanted to ask why he couldn’t talk about Clark, but she knew if she asked what he was thinking, Superman would simply fly away. In an instant, another question popped into her head. She was surprised she hadn’t thought to ask it first.
“When I came up here tonight you seemed to be worried about something. You said so yourself when I arrived. Would you tell me what it was about?”
That question triggered an unexpected smile. “The reason that I was sitting here thinking tonight, was that I have been getting worried about how close you were getting to Luthor. I hope you’ll consider what I’ve told you.”
“Of course, but you understand that I’ll have to see what I can learn for myself.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. Just remember that Luthor is exceptionally good at hiding what he is. For you in particular, he’s made an extra effort to appear to be nothing more than a businessman. He knows how capable you are.” Superman paused for a moment. “Lois, be careful. Based on what I’ve discovered, I believe that if he were to learn that you were investigating him and feel threatened, your life would be in danger.”
Lois started to reply that Lex wouldn’t hurt her, but before she could speak Superman must have read her expression and cut her off. “Yes, I know he does have some affection for you. I even believe that at some level it’s genuine. However, I’m convinced that wouldn’t protect you if he felt threatened.”
Based on everything Superman had said tonight she should have expected that, but even so, it caught her off guard. Superman thought that Lex was not only capable of murder, but he believed Lex might turn on her. While she was trying to digest that part, Superman lifted off the roof. “Superman…”
He paused and turned back to her without returning to the roof. “Yes, Lois?”
Now that he’d stopped, she didn’t know what to say. As hard as it had been to hear the things he’d said, just talking to him without an emergency or a crime had been nice. Finally she simply said, “You be careful out there.”
He smiled. “Thanks. I always try to be. Now you should think about heading home. It still might be possible to get an hour of sleep before the sun comes up. You’ve had a long night.”
With that, he flew straight up and disappeared into the darkness. Yes, this had been a long and enlightening evening.
TBC
