Title: R I S E
Author: Nadia Mack
Timeline: Post-Smallville and prequel to Batman Begins
Summary: Um… I'm working on this.
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
Author's Notes: This is a prologue to Batman Begins and another interpretation to how Lois goes into Journalism and to Metropolis. Is this Lois and Clark related? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out.
Chapter 1 - Separation
Moscow, Russia 2007
"Остановка! Это - Полиция!" The Russian cops screamed after him, but they weren't as fast or as determined as the man that they're trying to catch.
The man continued to run; his legs seemingly wouldn't let him give up. His lungs burned with intensity as he made his way towards Bell Tower of Ivan the Great. He hid easily behind its stony walls as the Russian Officials began to look around, and to no avail, they found nothing.
Sighing with relief, he often wondered if his quest to rid the world of the criminals and the corrupt was enough to sooth his own mind, or was he doing all this for the wrong reasons. He'd abandoned his life of prestige and luxury for the sheer force to understand.
Is it all worth it?
He quickly removed his jacket to avoid being recognized, and the chill in the air struck him without regret. He clutched his side, feeling the sting when leather met flesh, he had hurt himself several blocks before, and now his bloodstained shirt was evidence of his recklessness.
As he left the confines of the old Pietro Antonio Solari landmark, he is halted by an incoming officer.
"Поднимите ваши руки," the officer uttered. Russian wasn't exactly his language of choice, but from the sound of it, he wanted him to put his hands up.
"I think you're mistaken," he tried to swarm his way out of it. "I'm just a tourist"
He heard the cocking of the officer's gun and a brief flashback to when he was a child crept into his consciousness.
"Honey, there you are!" A voice he did not recognize spoke in the air. He could only blink his surprise when she came up to wrap her arms around him. First thing he noticed was that she smelled like lilac.
"Follow along," she whispered to his ear before inserting her hand around his arm. She turned to the officer and spoke fluent Russian.
"Есть проблема?"
"Вы с ним?"
"Да"
"Я сожалею о недоразумении. Продолжить"
When it was over, she turned to him and they started walking hand-in-hand back towards Bell Tower, getting out of the officer's line of sight.
"What did you say to him?" He curiously asked.
"Don't worry about it; he's under orders to bring in lone tourist Caucasians," she answered simply, without a hint of an ulterior motive. He wasn't sure how to respond to that.
As they made their way to the octagonal, three-story main tower, its stairs rose 329 steps to its top, where the belfry's arched openings are filled with bells, each with its own name, including the great 19th century Dormition Bell; they rang out as a warning or jubilee throughout Moscow's history.
"Are you in the habit of rescuing strangers?" He knew nothing about her, but the young woman before him suddenly became a fascination. She had shoulder length light brown hair and tight fitting jeans with an interesting belt he wouldn't dare read before her. She's also American that much he can tell.
"Depends on the stranger," she mused lightly. They stopped and she eyed the body of the tower, touching the brick and deep foundation of white stone. "This is where I leave you, good luck," she says, leaving him alone.
He was momentarily shocked by the display of selflessness. She didn't even ask for a name or even a favor in return. She had practically just saved his life and all she wanted in return was absolutely nothing. He's been traveling the harsh world for four years; she had been the first to ask for nothing in return.
With careful deliberation, he followed her home. Well, he thought it was home until it was too late to realize that she had known he was following her.
"What are you doing?"
He jumped at the voice; it was neither kind nor hostile.
"I was just…"
"Following me," she finished.
"Kind of," he replied embarrassingly.
"Why?"
"I…" he paused, not the sort of thing he was used to. "I needed to know your name"
Her face that was devoid of any emotion a few moments ago turned soft yet careful.
"You could've just asked"
He took off his gloved hand and extends it towards her. "My name is Bruce Wayne," he greeted, but to his surprise, she shown no change upon learning who he was.
"Lois Lane," she shook his hand with a tiny bit of hesitation. "Now that introductions are out, it was interesting meeting you. Bye"
Again, she surprised him. Did she not know who Bruce Wayne was?
"Wait!" he called out to her, stopping her once more. She sighed when she turned around.
"What?" she answered, hands on hips.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips by her reaction. She was genuinely annoyed with him and he found that to be a welcomed reprieve from his solitary life.
"May I walk with you? I mean, walk you home?" he stuttered a bit. He found it rather funny, he's never stuttered before.
She watched him closely, watching the way his eyes focused on hers. He shivered slightly and she began to notice how thin his clothing is, and she couldn't help but notice the bright red spot that was spreading beneath the jacket that was doing a poor job of covering it.
"You're hurt," she observed out loud. Bruce blinked then taking a quick glance to his abdomen. He saw the blood seeping through his jagged clothes and he tries to cover it but was instantaneously met with soft resistance and the warmth of the woman's hand on his side.
"This can get infected," she continued on, assessing his wound. She removed the scarf he hadn't realize was around her neck and wrapped it around his waist.
"You don't have to…"
But he was cut off. "I'm not going to let you keep going with a cut this deep… unless you're inspiring to be the next David Blaine, let me help you," she quipped.
Bruce smiled the first smile he's given to anyone since he left Gotham.
"What do you have in mind?" he finally relented.
"I don't live far from here. We'll clean this up, put some fresh bandages on it, eat some soup… and so long as you remain the perfect gentleman, you can be on your way"
"You'd do that?" he eyes her suspiciously but warmly. "For a perfect stranger?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You're hardly perfect." Then smirked. "Or a stranger"
Bruce wasn't surprised. "You know who I am."
Noting his unbalanced walk, she puts his arm around her shoulder, guiding him. "A lot of people know who you are, Mr. Wayne…"
"Bruce," he says. "Please call me Bruce"
"Bruce," she agreed.
"Why are you helping me?" He wanted to know.
"Because if I were in your position, I would hope someone would be kind enough to help me," she says, her eyes recalling a memory of the past.
Shortly thereafter
"Nice article," Bruce comments.
Lois looked up. "Huh?"
"The article, on the table, it's good."
She gets a little embarrassed upon seeing her notepad and several sheets of paper messed up across the table. "Oh." She rushes towards it, putting them away. "It's nothing"
"You're writing for Komsomolskaya Pravda, the most popular Russian newspaper. That's not nothing"
"Yeah," she says not taking his words seriously. "Pretend you didn't see that"
"Why?" He says, grabbing a newspaper and flipping it to her direction. "I like it… it tells the truth." He read it over again and noticed something peculiar. The byline.
"Hmm…" he reacted to it.
Lois rolls her eyes. "What now?"
"It says here this article was written by Ellen Cole. I didn't peg you as an alias type"
She reaches to take the paper off his hands, but he yanked it backwards, keeping her hands off it. "You're feisty"
"And you're grating on my nerves." She crossed her arms. "Keep away from my stuff."
Bruce took the hint. "I'm sorry." He puts the paper down and got up, albeit with a bit of struggle. "I should go, thanks… for everything"
Halfway to the door, Lois's voice called out to him.
"Bruce!"
He spun around. "Look," he began to explain. "You helped me, rescued me really and… that… doesn't happen to me often, or ever, not since I've been out here anyway"
"How long have you been away?" she asks him a question finally.
Bruce sighs mentally, relieved. "Four years next month"
Lois nodded then headed to a nearby dresser, opening it to remove another newspaper. It was an old edition of The Daily Planet. She hands it to Bruce.
"Perry White, former reporter extraordinaire was hired as the Planet's new editor a couple months ago. Three weeks ago I came home and found him waiting for me in the lobby … I thought my various alias were doing a discreet job. I was sorely wrong"
"Did he threaten you?" If he did, Bruce would see to it that Lois was protected, even when she didn't know it. He felt he owed her at least that.
She smiles but not really amused. "No. He offered me a job"
Bruce again is surprised. "And that's bad thing?"
She shrugged.
"If you're good, then why hide it when you know you can make a difference," he adds.
"I can make a difference regardless of what name I use in the byline." She puts the article away again. "You should get some sleep"
"Will you be here when I wake up?" he asks almost like a child.
She smiled, and this time, it was real.
"Good night"
A Year Later, 2008
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"
Lois nodded. "I'm a few credits short of a Bachelor's degree and I think I have a better chance getting it if I stayed in one place long enough. Besides, Perry is really pushing me to work at the Planet, and I can't ignore him forever."
"I can make a few calls"
"Bruce," she says softly. "You've been a good friend… a great friend. But there's your life. And then there's mine. As much as I've appreciated you letting me tag along on your adventures…"
"Hey! Half of those adventures were yours," he reminded her playfully.
She grinned. "I didn't want to burst your already over-inflated ego"
He smiled, but then became serious. "What are your plans?"
"Well, I've saved up enough money to afford a place in Metropolis for at least four months. I don't care how much Perry guarantees that I'm a shoe-in, if things don't work out, I don't want to worry about living the homeless life"
"I could…"
She shook her head. "I won't take handouts, Bruce. I shouldn't have to keep telling you this"
"Can't blame a guy for trying"
"How about you?" Lois changed the topic to him. "Where will you be heading?"
"China"
"China?"
"Why not? It's a wonderful tourist spot"
Lois laughs. "You're crazy"
"That's open to interpretation," he smirked.
"You take care of yourself, okay?" she urged, both honestly and protectively.
"As long as you do the same, Lois," he agreed, reaching out and engulfing her in a hug. Moment's like these he truthfully contemplated about leaving it all behind. Leaving it all behind even for her, but he knew she would have none of it.
As he let her go, he removes an envelope from his inner coat pocket. "When you get to Metropolis, I want you to mail this to Alfred," he tells her.
She arched a curious eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"
Bruce shook his head. "It's a precaution. I haven't been keeping contact with much of anyone back home, especially the board members of Wayne Enterprises. I have to make sure that if they decide to make any rash decisions on my behalf; my family's legacy continues to live on"
"I understand"
No more words were needed to be said. Lois Lane gives him one last hug before both go their opposite directions. She puts the envelope carefully into her pursue, exchanging it for another envelope that held her passport and plane ticket.
Flipping it open and removing its contents. She sighed deeply, reading its fine print.
Next stop… Metropolis.
Six Months Later, Metropolis
A young woman in her early twenties with shoulder length blonde hair stepped out of the elevator in various stages of unease. What used to be her lifelong dream was now nothing but a distant memory. Moving towards her destination in baby steps, she inhaled deeply when she caught sight of an old friend.
Confidant…
Her sister, basically.
"Lois," her voice was nervous, and Lois almost didn't hear her if she hadn't popped her head up.
"Chloe?" Lois responded with a bit of start.
The older cousin Chloe had not seen in a couple of years stood up from her desk. "What are you doing here?"
Chloe weakly smiled, saddened by her inquisition. When she first read Lois's expose on the front cover of the world renowned Daily Planet, she couldn't believe it. One cover became two, then three, and before she could fully comprehend everything, Lois had risen to the top of investigating reporting.
And she did it all in a matter of months.
She was proud of her cousin's accomplishments, but sad that she wasn't a part of it.
"I was in the neighborhood," Chloe answered appropriately. "It's been a long time"
Lois didn't react too much, not that she expected her to. Lois was always better at schooling her features. Chloe had tried, but some emotions just can't be hidden away at a moment's notice.
"I read your article the other day on S.T.A.R. Labs," she added somewhat awkwardly. "It's a hell of a story"
Lois returned her attempt at conversation with a smile. "It was hardly a story. All I did was stand around with my tape recorder along with the ability to press play. Everything else was just wordplay"
"Still," Chloe shrugged. "It's a great article"
"Well in that case… thank you"
"LANE!" the editor of the Daily Planet screamed from behind his office. Lois shuddered at the tone which was soon followed by the rolling of her eyes.
"Perry White," Chloe shook her head in amusement, recalling the time she met the drunken fool in Smallville. "How's that working for you?"
Chloe could see her eyes twinkling. "He's quite a character," Lois admitted truthfully.
"LANE! GET OVER HERE NOW OR YOU'RE FIRED!" Perry shouted once more.
"You should go before he does," Chloe insisted, immediately guilty for visiting her unexpectedly, but all Lois did was wave it off.
"Nah, don't worry about it. He threatens me every day; work just wouldn't be the same without it"
This time, Chloe really smiled and then chuckled. "Umm… if you don't mind, I thought maybe we can have lunch or something… some time." The little girl in Chloe desperately wanted to reconnect with the woman she always regarded to as a sister.
"I'd like that," Lois replied evenly.
"Great!" Chloe says relieved. "I'll call you about the particulars," she added with enthusiasm.
Lois smiled. "Looking forward to it"
When Lois tended to her editor's calls, Chloe stepped into the elevator and sighed gratefully when she leaned on the back wall. She hoped that it wasn't too late to mend their broken relationship.
2½ Years Ago
Clark, Lana and Chloe were hanging in the Talon after hours just talking.
"Maybe if someone tells her what she's doing wrong, maybe she'll do something about her life," Lana recommended.
"Please!" Clark scoffed at the idea. "Lois may have a couple nice qualities, but she's a lost cause"
"Clark!" Lana turned to him appalled. "She's not a lost cause"
Chloe sat completely uncomfortable by the choice table conversation. The three have spent majority of the night nitpicking her cousin's lack of responsibilities that even she began feeling sick. Lois isn't like how everyone always thinks of her, and for the first time since she's known Lana and Clark, she wished they weren't her friends at the moment.
"Guys, can we just stop talking about her like this. This is my cousin, not some brain-dead jock"
Clark fell rapidly guilty. "I'm Sorry, Chloe"
"No you're not," Lois's voice rang out behind them. The three sat still in horror of the situation. How much had she heard?
"Lois!" Chloe stood up to approach her when a Lois raised her hand to make her stop. She looked past her and faced Clark dead in the eye. "The check's in the mail," she said without emotion before walking behind the counter, retrieving what she left behind.
She exited, leaving everyone, particularly Clark Kent guilty for what they have said and done.
The next morning, Clark walked into his room to apologize to Lois, but what he saw instead through him back without warning. His room was completely cleaned of any remnants of Lois's belongings. Every possession and every sign that would show that she was there was all gone.
Clark ran out of the room and met with his parents in the kitchen. They were silent and Clark knew that something had happened.
"Mom… Dad… where's Lois?"
His father was about to reluctantly answer, but with a soft touch of his wife's hand on his shoulder, he knew that this was one conversation Jonathan was glad he didn't have to begin.
"Clark," Martha began, unsure exactly how to proceed with Lois's sudden departure. "Lois left this morning"
Clark eyed her and his father with confusion. "Where'd she go?"
Martha looked at him unknowingly. "She didn't say"
"Why would she leave without telling anyone?" Clark reacted not how anyone expected, not even to himself. After last night, Clark even wondered to himself if he had a right to be angry with her.
"Clark," Martha soothed. "She's been planning to leave for a while now"
Clark stares at her in surprise. "What?" This was news to him.
Jonathan decided this was his cue to jump in. "Lois has been working overtime with your mother at the Talon. Half for the rent. Half for her savings. She wasn't supposed to leave at least till Spring Break, but…"
"I guess something came up and Lois had to go," Martha finished for him in which Jonathan smiled gratefully to her for the save.
Lois, to both Martha and Jonathan, has become an important part of their family. They felt like she was a part of their family. Seeing her gone saddened both their hearts.
Clark felt completely broken. He walked out of the kitchen, his mind in a daze. Walking down his porch steps, he didn't even see Chloe in the distance. When he lifted his gaze to look at hers, he knew nothing would be the same.
Present Day, Metropolis
Lois exited Perry's office with a frown. It's been a long day and all she wanted was to go home, pop open a sherry, put on some soft tranquil music and fill her tub with warm water with bubbles.
She plopped down on her ergonomic chair and switched her HP desktop on. The View Sonic flat screen whirled to life. It was slow going. System upgrades were annoying, she always had to reboot her computer, and that takes an exorbitant amount of patience she didn't have.
Then Lois recalled her brief conversation with her younger cousin, Chloe Sullivan. It went well, better than she initially expected. She was surprised at first, but quickly recovered.
The past was the past and it's honestly been over two years since she thought about them last. Every once in a while she'd think about the good times and the amusing times, but there were rarely any moments where she truly spited her.
She guessed in her heart of hearts, she will always love her cousin. But, she didn't have to know that right away, she mused.
When her computer finished booting, she Ctrl+Alt+Delete to get the Login Prompt, and once she logged into her system, she googled her next assignment.
She had to start somewhere.
Next Day, Lunch at Metropolis
Chloe sat nervously, waiting for her cousin to arrive to meet her for lunch. She hoped that she kept her word to come; she left a message on her voicemail about where to meet. Chloe was surprised she still kept the same number all these years.
"This seat taken?"
Chloe looked up and saw Lois's beaming face looking down at her.
"Hey!" She smiled brightly, gesturing to the seat next to her. "You made it"
"I said I would"
"I hope I didn't take you away from a big story," Chloe randomly apologized.
Lois gave out a small chuckle before taking a sip of a glass of water that the waitress just handed to her. "You kidding me, this will probably go down in history as my first decent lunch break"
"I take it you work through lunch?" Chloe says impressed, not that she wasn't already.
"And sadly through dinner too"
They both laugh, but then Chloe got a bit nervous and she began fumbling her words. It was now or never.
"About what happened…" she paused, lacing her fingers in front of her. "Before…"
"Water over the bridge Chloe," Lois dutifully assured, but it didn't make Chloe feel any better.
"Still…" Chloe was skeptical, because if it was the other way around, she wouldn't have been that easily forgiving, at least, she didn't think so.
"Look." Lois set her water down and looked at her straight in the eye. "I was angry," she admits. "For a whole couple of months, but I'm over that. I have been for a long time"
"You have?"
Lois inhaled deeply to ease her thoughts and help set things straight. "I would have much rather it said to my face rather than behind my back, but the truth is, you weren't wrong."
"We weren't?"
Lois smiled at her childlike responses. Something's can never change between them.
"Leaving pushed me to be better," Lois reveals.
"I missed you, Lois"
Lois smiled weakly in response. She kept Chloe and the time she spent in Smallville tucked neatly behind the forefront of her mind. Now that she's right in front of her, it's all threatening to unravel.
When Lois noted her cousin's uncomfortable shift, she thought it was her responsibility to break the ice further.
"How about you? What have you been up to?"
At this, Chloe smiled, her eyes sparkling as it did so. She was eager to share something with her.
"I'm a writer"
"Not surprised," Lois replied, smiling.
"Novelist," she corrected, much to Lois's amusement.
"Oh yeah, what genre?" Lois replied interested.
"Mystery," Chloe answered with a proud nod.
Lois laughs. "All those meteor freaks back in Smallville finally got to you, huh," she commented lightly.
"Writing editorials about meteor-infected humans doesn't exactly lend credence in the academic community, so one night I started writing a story about them and before I knew it, I sent in my first draft and got an immediate reply. It's been pretty wild"
"I'm happy you're doing well"
"Me too." There was a momentary silence, and Chloe decided to breach the subject. "The Kent's are doing well, Mrs. Kent owns the Talon in Smallville now."
Lois's eyes perk up at the mention of Mrs. Kent. "That's great," she smiled wholeheartedly. She has always thought of the woman as a surrogate mother, and was glad that things were going well for her just as they are for her cousin. "How about Mr. Kent?"
"Still working the farm… he has to now that Clark's been gone"
Lois didn't verbally respond and simply opted for a nod.
"He's been traveling, you know," continued Chloe. "Every postcard we get from him is from a different country." When Lois made no sound or move to halt the topic, Chloe kept going. "And he's becoming quite the journalist himself"
Lois smiled despite herself. She knew all this already. She's read several of his articles during her own travels as well as her work at the Daily Planet. Not bad for a farmboy.
As if the God's were with her, as soon as Chloe finished talking about everything that's happened since she left Smallville, her cell phone rings with Perry screaming on the other line. Lois even had to put the phone a little ways away from her ear to prevent hearing loss.
"Is he always like that," Chloe frowned, hearing Mr. White's voice as clear as day.
"All day every day"
"And you're okay with that?"
"He's not as bad as people think. He's dedicated, stressed and a recovering alcoholic. That man's making strides"
Chloe laughs. Same old Lois. Same old Perry White.
Once the call was over, Lois turned to her cousin. "I have to go"
"No, it's okay. I've manipulated your time long enough," Chloe smiled. "Do you think we can do this again?" she asked wearily.
Lois swung the strap of her purse over her right shoulder. "I'd love that," she replied honestly. "I'll see you later, Chlo"
Chloe smiled at the nickname Lois always used to use when they were children. "I'll see ya." She waved her goodbye.
Across an ocean and two continents, and young man in his early twenties with jet-black hair, blue-eyes, a well-defined jaw line and a physically built physique climbed through the jungles of the African wilderness.
He stops a few inches off a high waterfall called the Mutarazi Falls. It was officially listed as the fifth highest waterfall in the world. It was a 2,499 foot free-leaping waterfall that leaps in two delicate tiers in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, and all he can do is stare out in awe.
He was long passed fearing heights.
As he saw birds fly in the distance, a thought occurred to him. He closed his eyes and focused his hearing in the surrounding area. When the coast was clear, he grinned. He turned around to walk away from the edge only to stop halfway, spin around and run straight back.
With a single leap, he flew.
"Woohoo!" he yelled through the air.
To be continued…