Thank you all for your patience. We are getting to the end of my little epic, three or so chapters to go, depending on my muse's delivery schedule. Science pictures are at the end.
Previously:
The EPRAD countdown on the apartment TV was down to 2:42:17 and counting inexorably down. All the arrangements for evacuation in New Mexico and Arizona had been made as best they could. Independent rural dwellers were often loathed to leave their places, willing to take their chances on a real-life dinosaur experience.
Hand in hand, Lois and Clark stepped out onto his private balcony. Lois reached up and caressed his beloved face. “I’m glad you figured out how to shave again,” she murmured as she ran her hand down from his face and across the family crest on his chest. “And I’m glad Rita made another fireproof cape.”
Superman smiled what he hoped was a confident smile at Lois, “Once more into the fray.” He kissed her – again.
“Good luck. Go save the world – again. It’s what you do. And you do it well.”
As Lois watched, Clark walked purposefully to the edge of the roof. This time when he got to the ledge, he did not look down. Instead, he looked up. Way up. He swirled his majestic rather stiff cape back, and turned and looked at Lois for one last time. Then he shot straight up to deal with Nightfall A. As soon as he was out of sight, which was seconds in time, Lois returned to his apartment to watch the news coverage. Chapter 16. The Day the Earth Stood Still As Clark shot upward toward Nightfall he tucked Lois’ love and warmth into a safe box in the back of his mind and focused on the job ahead. He had done this before, so he could do it again.
As he accelerated out of Earth’s gravity well, his conscious time slowed to ‘Clark time’ and he could see the details of the two asteroids ahead. Pete had brought him up to date on the trajectories the two bodies were now taking. After the nuclear explosion on Nightfall following his successful diversion of it, the trajectories had changed wildly, orbiting the Earth in different directions and at a faster rate. Strangely, in the hours his memory had been incapacitated and he had been unable to help at all, the pieces had settled into orbits that were now closer to Earth and both pieces were together at this time. Now and only now was the time to take action.
After all, Superman told himself, he had dealt with the big remnant of Nightfall before and he could do it again. It should be easier to deal with Nightfall A, since it was now smaller and consequently had less momentum. In the airless, almost gravity less world of space at this altitude, he intended to push it on the side again, increasing the speed of rotation.
This would help veer it safely away from Earth and into the Sun’s more powerful gravity well. He paused just short of the asteroid and took a couple of nanoseconds to find its axis of rotation. Pete had informed him of the current trajectory. Then he slowly (for him) moved up beside it and gave it a stern push in the right direction and rotation.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
Lois sat on Clark’s couch and turned on the television news. Every channel was covering the event because it meant life or death.
All the long lens cameras traditionally used for space missions were trained on either the Nightfall A asteroid or Superman in flight. Just behind A, B was now visible.
The world had been suitably shocked at the news there were now
two large threatening bodies. Most of the public had heard the news that Superman had successfully diverted Nightfall and that a rogue ICBM sent “too late” had caused the asteroid to split in two.
Congress was planning a field day in investigating the military. But that would only happen if the Earth survived. Late night talk show hosts were mining the information for gallows humor, picturing the military hoping Superman would fail so they wouldn’t be punished.
Lois had turned down the sound, preferring to observe with her own eyes as best she could and ignore the vapid ramblings of the announcers. However, as Superman approached Nightfall, she let the sound up slightly to hear Ground Control.
“This is EPRAD Ground Control. We are fourteen minutes and counting from the impact of Superman with the 'Nightfall' asteroid.”
Lois muttered to herself, “It’s not an impact you doofus.”
Ground Control spoke again. “Mission trackers reporting an anomaly. Switching to back-up computers for corroboration…Roger, we have confirmation. Asteroid velocity is decreasing and the orbital vector is changing.”
Slowly, the asteroid slowed down, and then gradually changed direction. “Incredible. We seem to be ... the asteroid appears to be changing course.” As it did, with the camera centered on Superman, Nightfall B appeared to zip on by.
Ground Control continued, “The second asteroid was expected to stay on its original course. We are stopping the first countdown clock at this time. The second clock is still running with 3 minutes, 39 seconds to go. Superman has now turned and is following the second asteroid. Can he catch it in time?”
Lois muttered at the TV, “Well, that last was an unprofessional comment. You sound like you’re calling a horse race or NASCAR, not the possible end of the world!”
*+*+*+*+*+*+
There was no time for Clark to observe his handiwork as he turned and saw the smaller remnant streaking though the Earth’s thermosphere.
Clark knew the thermosphere started at about 372 miles above the surface and that temperatures went up as you increased in altitude due to the Sun's energy. He had felt it as he raced through it on his way up. Although the atmosphere was thin, temperatures in this region could go as high as 940 degrees Fahrenheit. He also knew that chemical reactions occurred much faster than on the surface of the Earth.
The thermosphere ended at 53 miles above the Earth at the mesosphere, where temperatures went as low as -135 degrees Fahrenheit. So there was a cold layer, then a hot but nearly empty layer of atmosphere that sat on top of what the human race saw as “the air” they lived and breathed in, the troposphere. Clark didn’t have to consciously think about all this since it was knowledge from his physics classes.
Most importantly now, below him the remnant of Nightfall began to glow and leave a trail in the atmosphere on its way to a doomed city unless he did something about it. Pulling his cape around him tightly and extending his aura to cover it, Clark turned and poured on the speed, feeling the glow on his face, knowing he left a small trail himself.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
Lois saw the coverage switch from the East Coast array typically used in Space Shuttle Launches and turned up the sound again. The new view showed images from the cameras at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and the new long distance galaxy mapping camera at Happy Jack, both in Arizona. Both sets had a head on view of the asteroid flaming through the sky, destined for Albuquerque, New Mexico. There was no sign of Superman, but that didn’t mean anything because the asteroid was so bright it drowned anything around it with its luminescence.
LNN was covering this arrival with an onsite commentator, rather than a professional ground controller. That rather explained his comment, “Well, I guess we now know how the dinosaurs felt millions of years ago.” Lois heard him swallow as he held the microphone.
The image on the TV switched to a ground track display, with a red dot depicting Nightfall B as it traveled across the United States. Right now the dot obliterated the whole city of St. Louis, Missouri. And the dot was moving rapidly. However, Lois knew Superman could fly that fast if he had made it out of the first encounter in good shape. Wondering if there were any Kryptonian gods to pray to, Lois just held on to hope for now.
The world held its collective breath as the red dot moved inexorably across the panhandle of Texas and into New Mexico. Suddenly new images appeared on the screen. Fixed cameras on Sandia Peak showed three scenes of the evacuated town of Albuquerque, there to record the death of a town. A fourth camera was positioned looking uptrack to watch the progress of the asteroid. All the cameras were expendable and would transmit as long as they could. All the cameras had synchronized clocks, counting down to the estimated impact time.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
For the first time in his life, Clark felt like he might fail a test of strength and stamina. Unfortunately even he didn’t have the strength to simply fling the asteroid back into space from this deep into the atmosphere. So he had to do it the long, hard, grueling, way by following along and trying to continuously modify the trajectory.
Nightfall B was screaming though the Earth’s atmosphere and turning into a bed of hot gases. It was harder to grip the raging inferno than it had been to grip the larger asteroid in space. He needed to push it up, so it would pass by Albuquerque. It had cooled somewhat in the low temperature of the mesosphere and he had been able to nudge it a bit. But now it was heating up again in the stratosphere. All air traffic had been cleared from the area, so that wasn’t a problem he needed to deal with.
Again, he tried to reach the center of mass of the asteroid. It might be the smaller portion, but it was still terrifically large compared to him and he was expending a lot of his energy just trying to slow it down to lessen what impact there was. Perhaps he had been permanently weakened by the nuclear explosion after his previous encounter with Nightfall. All he knew was that he had to keep trying.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
The LNN announcer was becoming annoying as he overdramatized the event, so Lois turned the sound off completely and avidly watched the countdown. She counted the clock out loud in the quiet of Clark’s apartment. “10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1.” Lois stood up, raising her hands in the air like a cheerleader. “ZERO!” She whooped as the count went negative and the flaming asteroid passed harmlessly out of view of the uptrack camera, hoping against hope that it was really true. After all, they could have misestimated the time of impact for the asteroid.
Albuquerque was serenely quiet in the other three pictures.
The scene shifted quickly back to the tracking pictures from Lowell and the fixed cameras from Happy Jack. The asteroid was still coming, but it seemed to be slowing.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
Clark saw Meteor Crater ahead and knew that even he didn’t want to be under this thing when it impacted. So with a final upward push, he left Nightfall B to its own fate and cleared the impact area. He turned in the air and looked back to see it hit the ground and then skid for another mile or so, throwing plumes of dust in the air. It hit the near rim of Meteor Crater and stopped, still smoking and burning the scattered brush around the area.
The sight was unbelievable. “A lollipop! It looks like a lollipop!” Or rather it looked like a lollipop with a little hat on it, since the new crater was bigger than Meteor Crater.
Clark just shook his head and looked down at himself and realized he needed to get home to the Farm to get some new clothes. The Suit was again in tatters, the cape long gone. But that didn’t matter, his tiredness didn’t matter, the world was safe – again.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
Lois was still staring at the TV as helicopters swirled around the cooling remnants of Nightfall B, sending their newsfeeds back to a waiting populace. A trail of small brushfires pointed like an arrow to Meteor Crater, and just at the near rim sat the larger lump of Nightfall. The Visitor’s Center on the far rim had been spared major damage.
She jumped, startled, as Clark’s phone beside her rang.
“Hello? Are you alright?” Lois tried to keep the sound of frantic out of her voice, but didn’t quite succeed.
“It’s Pete.” Pete hurried on, knowing Lois would be worried. “He’s fine, just tired and asleep right now. He just made it home to the Farm.”
Lois noisily exhaled her held breath. “Oh, thank God.”
“He knew you would be worried, but he really wasn’t in shape to talk to you himself.”
“Why? Is he hurt? Not,
not again!”
“No, not really. Just massively tired. I think he’s been through a lot lately, even for him. Rita’s here too and is making her famous Kansas Stew, his favorite, for when he wakes up. She’s not even mad he ruined another one of her Suits, just happy he made it back in good shape.”
Lois again let out a breath she had been holding. ‘Thank God.’ Clearing her throat, she continued. “When he wakes up, tell him I’ll be at the Planet, writing up the public version of the story.”
“I certainly will, Lois.”
Lois ended the call softly. “Oh, and tell him I love him.”
“I think he knows that, but I’ll remember to tell him. Bye.”
As she closed the phone, Lois had a sudden mental image of Superman avoiding the many cameras and fleeing the scene sans cape and strategic pieces of his uniform. Suddenly she burst out in hysterical laughter of relief. She was still chuckling as she went to fetch her car and drive to the Planet.
Driving through the streets of Metropolis on her way to the Planet’s garage, Lois thought the streets looked like Times Square at New Year's Eve here. People were spontaneously pouring into the street from wherever they had been hiding. The sound of air horns and honking car horns split the air. Random strangers were grabbing each other, dancing around and even kissing.
As Lois emerged from the elevator into the bullpen, she saw the Planet gang watching the celebration below. Jimmy had a champagne bottle in his hand and was filling paper cups and coffee cups that staffers thrust at him.
As Perry brought his worn “The World’s Greatest Editor” cup over for Jimmy to fill, Jimmy peered into it, and, noting the black scum lining the bottom said, “Here, let me get you a fresh paper cup. Otherwise you are going to ruin this beautiful cheap champagne.”
Reaching back to a stack of cups on Lois’ desk, he put words to deed, and then said to Perry, “Perry, these last two days were the best days of my life. Even if it was almost the end of the world. What’s a good headline for the Planet’s lead story?” Jimmy did air quotes, “The Day the Earth Stood Still?”
Perry grimaced at Jimmy’s bon mot, took a sip of champagne from the paper cup, and then grimaced again, replacing the cup on the desk. He laid a fatherly hand on Jimmy’s shoulder, fulsome with relief and success. “You did a good job Jimmy. You hustled, you didn't give up, you got the story.”
“I just wish I could write better, like Lois,” he remarked as she came over to her desk. “Or even, for that matter, Clark.” He put down the champagne bottle.
“Son, there’s nothing wrong with being a photo-journalist with a nose for news. You keep at it. You never know what will happen.”
Lois came down the ramp, hung her coat on the coat rack, put her purse in her drawer and happily accepted a paper cup of champagne from Jimmy. Raising her cup in a gesture of a toast, she called out to her fellow newshounds, “Here’s to Superman saving the world, once again!”
A rousing chorus of “Superman!” answered her as they all sipped their champagne again.
“You know what?” Jimmy said to the two people standing closest to him, Perry and Lois.
“What?” Lois answered.
“Superman needs a theme song!”
Lois spluttered her champagne out.
“A theme song?”
Perry raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Yeah. Something we could all sing together when he makes a great save like this.”
Lois just let the comment die the death it deserved. Then she looked Jimmy in the eye and said, “Well, hopefully he won’t have to do many more just like this. Two asteroids! Come on! It would have turned out better if someone hadn’t thrown that nuke up at Nightfall in the first place.”
Perry looked at her seriously. “Did we ever find out who authorized that launch?”
Jimmy wandered off to promote his idea of a Superman Theme Song amongst the rest of the staff and grab another bottle of champagne. After he had deposited the one he was holding in the recycle, of course.
Shaking her head in the negative, Lois answered. “Nope. We figured it homed in on his GPS that he got from EPRAD.”
Scenting a story like the newshound he was, Perry leaned in close to Lois. “WE? You have more information from Superman?”
Backpedaling quickly, realizing she had let too much slip, Lois shook her head. “Nope. Nope. No specific information, it just makes sense you know. Er, ah, Clark and I were just talking and speculating about how the missile was that accurate.”
To cover her slip and realizing the cheap champagne left a really foul taste in her mouth, Lois poured the remainder into her dead plant where her cold coffee usually found its way. “I’ve, er, got to write up the story about the Nightfalls, plural, right now.”
Sitting down and booting up her computer, Lois could feel Perry’s eyes boring into the back of her head. He was just too observant for her own good.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
Clark Kent was dreaming again. Fire lanced from the skies and ignited buildings. He recognized those buildings. They were buildings in Metropolis. A big meteorite hit the Daily Planet building, right by its famous symbol, the Globe. The Globe fell swiftly to the ground, attended by smaller meteor fragments around it. Even the small fragments ignited fires in the appurtenances of city life; awnings, mailboxes, newspaper racks, food vending carts. The air smelled sulfurous and the sky was blood red. Clark, dressed in his business suit, caught the Globe on his shoulders. Its momentum pushed even him to the ground.
The vision of him as Atlas in a dull gray business suit with glasses and tie holding up the Daily Planet Globe woke him up. Gratefully, he realized he was in his large double bed in his own bedroom at the Farm. He sniffed and smelled Kansas Stew and that made him realize Rita was cooking. Amazingly, for him, he didn’t know what time it was and there was no clock in the bedroom to tell him.
Pulling on his jeans and a white T-shirt, he padded barefoot down the stairs, following the good smell. He saw his brother Pete at the kitchen table and his sister Rita standing by the stove, lifting the lid of a large pot to stare at the contents and stir it.
Pete saw him first. “There you are, sleepyhead! Feeling better?”
Not quite up to speech yet, Clark just nodded and kept walking down the stairs. Pete rose and met him with a brief embrace and pulled out a chair at the table for him. “Here, sit. You look a little wobbly yet.” Then they both sat.
Rita smiled at him from the stove. “I’ve got some of my famous Kansas Stew almost ready for you.”
Seeing Clark try to clear his throat and speak, Pete hopped up, grabbed another beer from the fridge, popped the top with the church key hanging from the door and handed it to Clark in a smooth practiced motion.
Raising his bottle in a sign of thanks, Clark tapped necks with the half consumed bottle Pete held out and downed the contents in one long pull. The alcohol didn’t affect him, but the beer felt good and homey, like the house and his brother and sister.
Clearing his throat, he finally managed, “Thanks. How long have I slept?”
Still smiling because Clark was alive, Pete answered, “About two hours. It’s good to have you back, bro. I called Lois and she sends her love. She said to tell you she would be at the Planet writing up the story.”
Rita arrived with a large bowl of stew and a large spoon. “Here, try this. It will perk you up. I added some jalapeños from Hatch, New Mexico.”
Clark nodded his thanks and then dug in.
Pete continued talking to fill Clark in on events. “There’s wild celebrations in both Albuquerque and Metropolis and lots of very happy and relieved people. The pictures of the impact were great on TV. All the channels covered it. I also got some great pictures over the FTP feed from my Spaceguard friends. So we’ll have quite a movie collection! Also, I printed this.” He slid a photo over in front of Clark showing a close up view of Superman pushing on Nightfall B. “And this one.” He showed a photo of the fireball above Albuquerque. “You’re there. You just can’t be seen in the midst of the gas glow.”
“And I’ve got a fresh Suit with a regular cape ready for you,” Rita added.
In something that approached superspeed, Clark finished his stew and then rose and embraced the both of them. “Thanks, you guys. You are the best. I couldn’t have a better family and I really needed your help.”
*+*+*+*+*+
Lois had just finished her story and LANed it to Perry when she opened her e-mail and found a message from Pete. “He’s on his way,” was the cryptic message. Enclosed with it were the two high resolution photos of Superman pushing on Nightfall B and the meteorite over Albuquerque.
Just then, Perry burst from his office and declared “Turn the sound up!” All the monitors in the bullpen were showing scenes of celebration in Albuquerque, with Superman passing overhead and waving to the crowds.
Lois sighed in relief. He was back in business. How soon would he be in Metropolis?
Restless, she got up and wandered to the windows. She was surprised to see the streets still full of the revelers celebrating their continued existence. A few looked the worse for wear, sitting on the curbs. Like a wave through the ocean, people started looking up in the sky. Could it be?
Suddenly, the crowd below erupted in a huge ROAR. And then, there he was, in person, flying in a victory lap above Metropolis.
Jimmy immediately grabbed his camera and started snapping away out the open window of the Chief’s office. Superman obligingly gave a fly-by of the Planet windows and waved at the bullpen. Lois noticed that he looked at her and smiled. Then, as suddenly as he had arrived, he disappeared.
Lois was still staring out the window when Clark emerged from the elevators, walked over and stood behind her. Feeling his presence, she turned around with a big smile on her face.
“Did I miss something,” he asked, deadpan.
“Only Superman saving the world.”
Perry called out to everyone, “This is a real day to remember. I expect the fine citizens of
both Metropolis
and Albuquerque would like to give Superman keys to their respective cities.”
Lois watched with amusement and a twinkle in her eyes as she saw Clark blush. Smiling she gave Clark a hug. Both of them wished it was more. In a while, it would be.
The whole Planet gang was shaking hands with each other, or, in certain cases kissing each other, in celebratory congratulations.
Cat came up to Clark and gave him a kiss and an explanation, “For old time's sake.”
Clark was firm as he broke away from the kiss. “There were no old times.”
Cat sashayed off, throwing over her shoulder, “Can't blame a girl for trying.”
Lois looked after Cat as she moved away, unrepentant as usual, and just shook her head.
All of a sudden there was a chorus of raised voices. “Dun dun dun dah. Superman! Dun dun dun dah. Superman! He goes away and then saves the day! Dun dun dun dah! Yay! Superman! Not one meteorite in a day but two! Two I say, two! Dun dun dun dah! Yay!” Jimmy was enthusiastically leading the not quite on key group.
Clark turned to Lois, perplexed. “Isn’t that the theme to that cheesy 70’s show called
Batman?”
Lois was laughing. “I believe it is. Jimmy insisted the world needed a Superman Theme Song.”
She held his tie and looked him in the eye, “Maybe you need a sidekick.”
Clark looked in her eyes and said softly, “We need to go where I can kiss you and thank you.”
Just then, Perry walked up to them. “Looks like you got your memory back, Clark!” He clapped Clark on the shoulder, perplexed at the sting to his hand.
Lois answered for him. “That he has, Chief, and just in time.” At Perry’s stare, she continued, “For him to enjoy Superman saving the world.”
Perry nodded and Clark smiled and then made his apologies to the both of them. “I, unh, need to go check in with my real job. See you later.” Giving Lois a lingering look and Perry a smile, he started to leave the newsroom.
Lois called after him, “I’ll be here.”
Clark gave her a wave of acknowledgement and left.
Lois walked over to the printer and pulled the two pictures off the tray. “Perry, I got these pictures to run with our story. They are in higher resolution on the computer and I’ll send them down to copy, but we need tag lines.”
Clark smiled as he heard her all business tone as the elevator doors closed.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
It was hours after dark and Lois was still in the newsroom. Lois’ mind and ears were glad the impromptu chorus had disbanded hours earlier. A mock up of the front page of tomorrow’s paper was sitting on Lois desk. She stared at the picture of Superman on the front page. Where was he? He had left hours ago to go to FBI headquarters. She thought of calling her father, but hesitated, not sure if she would hurt things more than help them.
Suddenly the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Clark emerged from the elevator, but he seemed reluctant to leave it. Apparently gone was the ebullience of a few hours ago.
Quickly getting up, Lois met him at the foot of the ramp. “There you are,” she said softly. “I was getting worried.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
Something was wrong. There were very few people left in the newsroom, most having gone home to their families to celebrate the promised arrival of another day, but Lois figured they still needed privacy, so she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the conference room.
Once they were inside, she shut the door and asked softly, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Wordlessly, Clark pulled a letter out of his inside pocket and handed it to her.
Unfolding it, she saw it was official FBI stationery. Scanning the letter rapidly, she exclaimed incredulously, “They
fired you? Why in the world? Who is this Bob person?”
“My boss. Well, now my ex-boss.”
“Why in the world….”
“Basically, because I lost my memory and could be unstable or untrustworthy.”
Lois looked at him in shock. “After you just saved the world! Of all the dirty…”
Seeing she was ratcheting her mood up to mad, Clark put a staying hand on her shoulder.
That not stopping her, she continued, “I’ll call my Dad.”
“Won’t help. He’s above that food chain.”
“Oh. But…there must be something we can do!”
Sitting on the corner of the table, Clark pulled her gently to him, “I’ve been wandering around, trying to figure this out. I figure fighting will actually be worse. What I’m really sad about is not being able to be here at the Planet and work with you.”
Solemnly Lois stared into his eyes.
Clark watched in awe as suddenly an idea evidently came to Lois and her expression was like the sun rising on a new day. He voiced what he was seeing, “You have an idea?”
Gathering energy she answered, “I sure do! Come with me now! But first, I want a kiss!”
Clark gladly gathered her to him and began kissing her, slowly at first and then with growing enthusiasm. Lois was on his side. Too soon as far as he was concerned, she pulled away and grabbed his hand, urging him toward the door.
“Come on. We have to do it now. He’s still here.”
The only person who Clark could think of that was important was Perry. It certainly wasn’t Ralph, who was passed out at his desk from too much cheer. Clark had to consciously block out his snoring and spluttering even though he was beyond the conference room and on the other side of the bullpen. Puzzled, but willing, Clark obediently followed Lois out of the conference room.
Lois knocked lightly on Perry’s door and immediately opened it.
Perry was standing by his desk and putting on his coat and looked up, startled. “Late night for you isn’t it, Lois and Clark?” He couldn’t miss the fact that Lois was practically vibrating with excitement and Clark had a sappy, bemused smile on his face.
“You need something, Lois?” Perry looked at Clark next, seeing if he would give a clue, and he just shrugged and nodded toward Lois.
Lois fairly hopped into the office. Clark shut the door out of habit from their previous conferences with Perry.
Standing in front of Perry’s desk with him behind it finally wearing his coat, Lois clapped her hands in enthusiasm. However, her next words belied her happy demeanor. “Clark just got fired from the FBI!”
“What? Why on Earth!” Perry sat down in his chair in surprise. This could take awhile.
With a jaunty wave of her hand, Lois cavalierly dismissed the FBI as not worthy of further consideration. “The point is that he’s free to work at the Planet!”
“As a journalist?” Perry asked incredulously.
“Of course, as a journalist! And a very good investigative reporter.” She began ticking off his virtues and strengths while Clark just shook his head in amazement at her ability to turn something bad into something beyond wonderful. Perry glanced at Clark and caught his look, but maintained his own noncommittal expression.
Perry placed his elbow on his desk and put out his right hand, palm up, in a ‘but’ gesture, but Lois motored on, overriding his unborn objection. “He’s a great investigator. Even the FBI thinks so. They just fired him for losing his memory – temporarily, I might add.” She had a brief sappy expression on her face at the memory of just how she had restored his memories.
Diving for her goal, she continued. “He knows the hot cases, where bodies are buried – metaphorically speaking, that is. He and I want to pursue our investigation of Lex and Nigel St. John’s activities! He has already developed sources from partnering with me. He is very good at bugging places to eavesdrop on criminals.” She heard Clark’s soft snort, but continued undaunted.
“And he’s the only partner I can stand,” she finished with a flourish. Crossing her arms and bracing her legs, she assumed a very Superman-like pose in front of Perry and began tapping her foot.
Folding his arms himself, Perry rocked back in his chair and swiveled to face Clark more directly. “What do you think of this idea, son? From your expression, I think this is the first you’ve heard of this plan of Lois’.”
Clark moved over closer to Lois and looked at her first, unleashing a blinding smile at her, then turning the smile to Perry. “I think it’s great! I was editor of my college newspaper and wrote my own specialty columns. At the Planet, I helped Lois investigate.” Dimming the smile, he finished, “And I need a paying job.”
Staring at Clark, Perry knew he was looking at a love struck man. But this could work in the paper’s favor. He wouldn’t make it easy on them, though. He swiveled back and forth in his chair, as if pondering all the consequences of such a decision. Finally, he leaned forward on his desk and was satisfied at the sound of two indrawn breaths. “All right.”
Lois and Clark turned to each other with expressions of joy.
“But!” Perry interjected and enjoyed watching their faces fall and expressions become wary.
Pointing a stern forefinger at Clark, he announced, “You have to prove your writing ability to me and the timeless of your submissions. We work on strict deadlines here.”
Clark nodded eagerly. That he knew he could do.
“And,” Perry continued loudly, “You will
not be partnered with Lois.” He really enjoyed the look of distress they gave each other. Oh, this was just too easy. “I want to see what you can do by yourself. If you prove yourself to me,
then and only then, you can be partners.”
Lois and Clark chorused together, “Agreed!”
Even if he had the lowest salary, Clark was happy to have a paying job at all.
*+*+*+*+*+*+
tbc
Artemis
TOC
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