The genie interview

She had a writer's block.

Looking at her computer screen, the star reporter of the Daily Planet could not figure out what to write about.

Sure, there were always many things that happened everywhere on this planet, even just in Metropolis. Superman saving someone, Lex Luthor being his usual self or sightings of anything strange. Whatever it was that happened, Perry White would make sure that Lois Lane would get the front page. She knew that she was that good and that many would buy the newspaper to get her spin and the result of her investigations on whatever was going on.

She still has a writer's block to contend with, however.

She needed something big, something that would rekindle the flame of passion she had for journalism. She needed something akin to the first time she interviewed Superman, a piece that gave her the biggest breakthrough in history. It needed to be something big, revelatory, that would make people wonder and talk about it to everyone they knew.

The Superman interview, however, was a long time ago, with the man being now married to her of all things. Giving him the chance to talk down had lost a bit of its appeal, now, with people expecting him to save the day once more. With plenty of super heroes, super teams and plenty of other occurrences with those powered folks going around the world, trying to get an exclusive from one would be something that would draw attention, yet it would not be satisfying for her.

Grabbing a cup filled with coffee that stood on her desk, she took a sip, only for the black liquid to be cold and unsatisfying. This was a fair indicative that she had been thinking about it for too long, making her long for something big to happen and for her to be on the case straight away.

Hearing a few knocks on her door, she turned around to see Jimmy Olsen, the young intern entering her office. ''Uh...I've got a package here from an anonymous donor for you, miss Lane,'' he said, a bit unsure about just who would send this to one of the most well-known reporter here.

''Alright. Put it on my desk, Olsen,'' she said, not surprised in the least that she received something from someone she did not know. It did happen quite a few times, with some being threats, other being gifts and the like. Being a celebrity came with its own quirks, after all.

The young man doing as she said, he placed the small package on her desk, putting it on top of piled up papers full of notes and doodles. The door closing behind him, Lois then picked it up, trying to see if it was light or heavy.

Manipulating it without much care, it was lighter than she suspected, with plenty of space left inside as the object moved within it. Decided to open it, Lois welcomed the opportunity to let her mind wander just a bit, if only to have some room to breathe with her lack of inspiration.

Picking up what was inside, she could feel a tube like handle, something made of glass. Removing the item in question from where it was held, she saw a rather ornate and well-made glass bottle. The glass near the tip had a red colorization, one that changed gradually to orange as the bottle expanded toward the other end. Flaming patterns of bright yellow could be seen on the more spherical part of the object, with a few amethysts placed on the base. It was a beautiful object, yet it was also one that looked mightily expensive.

''Well, I certainly did not expect that,'' said Lois out loud, not minding the fact that she was talking to herself while inspecting the bottle-like luxurious item. Seeing that this was more something sent by a fan than by an enemy, she considered not throwing it in the trash like she did most gifts sent her way.

Turning it around to admire it, she could however that there was some kind of bizarre line, as if dust and ink had been combined on a particular spot. ''Can't be perfect, I suppose,'' she mumbled, picking up some tissues as to clean the object.

The moment she began to lightly rub it in order to make the dirty spot better-looking, the object shook slightly. Moving and pushing some small papers in the low commotion it made, the bottle finally stopped for a few seconds only for smoke to pop out in a rush from the tip.

Surprised by all this, Lois waved her arms around and then went for the window, hoping to clear this off before anything bad could happen. By the time she reached for it, though, the smoke had all but cleared off, leaving only a sweet fragrance that reminded Lois of oranges for some reasons. Turning around to see just what exactly was in that bottle to begin with, the reporter was greeted by an unforeseen vision of mystery and beauty.

Right above the bottle stood a harem-style garbed woman, one that sported a low-cut top and harem pants of pink colorization, long red hair styled in a pony tail, a red open vest, some golden accessories, some rubies on her clothes and one right in her navel. This was the kind of vision a teenager would drool over, yet this was the one that was floating in her office right now, her absence of leg replaced by a tail connected to the tip of the bottle.

''Greetings, mistress. I am...'' she began, her voice calm and calculated...

Only for her to be interrupted by Lois, who excitedly said ''No way! Genies are real?'', her stupefaction hiding a bit of enthusiasm.

''So, you know about my kind. This makes things far easier for me, then. For freeing me, you shall receive three wishes. Ask me anything and it shall be yours,'' the genie said, bowing in respect before her new mistress.

''All right. I wish for you to always answer all of my questions honestly,'' bluntly said Lois, smiling mischievously before the supernatural woman.

The genie, a bit taken aback from this sudden request, bowed once more as she clapped her hands together. ''The wish has been granted mistress. I know not why you would wish for such a thing, but I shall no longer be able to lie to you now,'' she said, her look of surprise switching back to something a bit more serene.

''Well, I've got pretty much all I want out of life. I got a great husband, a good job and just enough fame and fortune to be content. No, what I really want is a big scoop and you're it!'' she claimed, taking a notepad and a pen on her desk, looking at the floating oddity in her office.

The genie, inspecting the room she was in, looked back at her mistress with a look of curiosity in her eyes. ''I'm afraid I don't understand mistress. What am I exactly right now?'' she asked, taking a glance at the notepad.

''I'm going to write a report on you, a journalistic piece if you will. 'An interview with a genie', that's what I'll call it. When people shall find out genies are real, they'll be ecstatic once more about my writing. Now, let's begin, shall we?'' Lois stated, not exactly waiting for an approbation on the genie's part.

Before the genie could even show some reluctance or ask what her mistress would like for her second wish, Lois began asking questions. ''What is your name?'' she asked, her reporter blood boiling up now that she had a great subject for an article.

''My name is Aliyah, mistress,'' answered the red-haired genie, crossing her arms in acceptance that she would not be able to get away from what her newest mistress desired of her.

''Have you always been a genie, or were you turned into one?'' Lois continued, trying to have some form of understanding of what this mystical being was exactly.

''I have always been one. We djinns are actually made from smokeless fire, gifted with great magic when everything was created,'' Aliyah claimed, hoping this kind of answer would be satisfactory.

Nodding in approval, Lois smiled as she took notes quickly. ''Any limits to your powers?'' she quickly retorted, finding her groove with the highly-cooperating female genie.

''I can't kill anyone, nor can I give more wishes to the master or mistress I am bound to serve. Anything other than that is fair game,'' Aliyah answered, smiling a bit in a way that seemed just a bit mysterious, as if she was beginning to enjoy this after all.

''Any really weird or unusual wish you had to grant to one of your numerous masters?'' Lois asked, trying to get some juicy details, if only to add some flavour to what she was confident would be one of her biggest piece yet.

''Beside your own, I granted plenty of atypical wishes. Fortune, immortality, power, those kind of things. There was one man, however, who wished to have a harem of completely obedient women at his disposal, however. That was the first wish of my very first master, as a matter of fact,'' the red-haired genie said, as if reminiscing from her own past.

Looking at her genie with a different look on her face, a certain sympathy could be seen coming from Lois. ''It was not a pleasant time, I presume?'' she asked, unsure if she should press on with the subject.

''It was a strange request. My first master wanted me to go ahead and hypnotize them into complete devotion and adoration, bringing him as many women as I could. I used my powers in innovative ways back then, creating small swirls of fire in my hand like this,'' the beautiful djinn said, forming a spiralling flame out of thin air, making it spin around with unrivaled brightness.

''Oh...I see,'' said Lois, a bit distracted by the sudden apparition of the fire out of thin air.

''Sometimes, he made me use my eyes. This master, he had a certain desire to see beautiful women mesmerized in as many ways as possible. My eyes would glow and turn into rainbows of color, to further entrance those he wanted to possess,'' she added, her eyes doing just like she said to emphasize her own point.

The journalist, a bit lost in the orb, saw it disappear as her focus soon switched to the powerful eyes of the genie. She felt like the interview had to go on, yet it would be rude to interrupt the genie standing before her. Silent, she let Aliyah go on as the eyes fascinated her more than she could say.

''There were times when he simply wanted me to act as if I was a harem girl of his own, dancing in order to completely enthrall any person who would glance at my alluring movements,'' she continued, swaying her hips to show what kind of moves she was talking about.

The eyes and the dance of the genie silencing her completely, Lois could do naught as she dropped her notepad and pen to the floor. Her mouth agape before the powerful genie, her resistance proved to be naught before the mighty magic of the genie. Her mind turning to mush, she could not look away nor did she want to. Somehow, the genie had rendered the will of Lois Lane moot, something that was quite an accomplishment.

''I see that you have fallen for it, mistress. You see, my first master had been utterly precise in his many wishes. If I ever had a mistress that could be deigned lovely, I'd have to hypnotize her, then send her back to him to add to his collection. Few have this kind of ability to plan ahead, don't you agree?'' boasted the genie, a mischievous smile on her face.

''...Yes,'' retorted Lois, the blank slate that was her mind being utterly focused on the ruby in the genie's navel and on her eyes. Switching her focus between the two, the indecision as to what she actually wanted to watch only added to the growing trance she was falling into.

''You know, for someone who actually ask a lot of questions, you did not seem to ask very important ones. You did not seem fazed by the fact that no one came to see you or me when I appeared, nor did you actually try to set up counter-measures for whatever I could try to do. You're not very smart, aren't you?'' the genie said, giggling a little bit.

''...I suppose not,'' replied Lois, not even listening that well to what Aliyah said. Her subconscious absorbing everything, her actual mind did not seem to focus on anything on its own.

''Well, I only have to see if you're receptive to commands and suggestions now,'' said the genie. ''You will now listen and obey me. I am your mistress and you are my slave,'' commanded the red-haired beauty, confident in her superiority.

''...I will obey you, mistress,'' said Lois in a monotone voice, focusing her gaze on the ever-swaying hips of the powerful magical being.

''Good. Let's test that, shall we? You are now a chicken, a clucking chicken that will happily stroll along in this room. Act like a chicken for your mistress,'' she ordered, anticipating how her slave would act.

Rising up from her chair, Lois did not look at the dancing genie nor at her eyes anymore. Folding her arms and putting them at her sides, she began to act as if they were tiny wings. Flapping them lightly, she moved awkwardly. Clucking sound coming out of her mouth, she smiled at her activity, completely oblivious to what she was doing beside obeying a command from her mistress.

Laughing at the display before her, the genie made the little show go on for a few seconds. ''Very well, return to your slave behaviour. You're good to go now,'' she said, clapping her hand once more.

Disappearing into a puff of smoke, Lois was now nowhere to be seen in her office. Vanished, the reporter was now transported elsewhere, leaving the genie as the only person left in the room.

''Well, that was fun. I only have to wait for my next victim, then,'' calmly said the genie, pleased about how fast this one had fallen.

''Not so fast. What have you done with Lois Lane?'' a voice said, one that seemed to come from outside.

Intrigued, the genie moved toward the window, only to see a man flying right next to it. Sporting a red cape, red briefs over his blue uniform and muscles to die for, this was a man that was anything but normal as far as Aliyah was concerned.

''Who are you?'' she asked, curious about how this man was able to see her when no one else seemingly could in this whole place.

''I can see many spectrums, including magic. Now, tell me what you have done to Lois Lane. This is the final time I will ask this nicely'' said the man, his tone indicating that he truly meant it.

''Oh. Well, I sent her to my past self, to train her in how to be a proper harem girl,'' bluntly said Aliyah, not feeling threatened by the brightly colored man, no matter how strong he seemed to be. Not giving him a chance to actually do anything to her, she began to sway her hips, letting her charming magic works its way to the ruby in her navel. ''You don't mind it, do you?'' she said seductively, using her powers to make sure he would follow her lead.

The man, showing an angry frown, soon turned his emotions in a more neutral position, as if the dance was actually having an effect on him. It was to be expected, of course, as no man could actually resist her. She was far too sexy and irresistible to be ignored, after all.

Letting him come inside, Aliyah used her magic to make the glass vanish. With a come-hither motion of her finger, the man simply had no way to put up a fight as her enchanting dance was wrapping him up around her little finger. ''You were saying?'' she sultrily said, pleased in her superior position over this man.

Floating toward her, there was an internal struggle within the man's mind, something that made his subconscious a battlefield. It would be easy and utterly pleasant to simply submit and obey this magnificent goddess, to satisfy her and simply become her slave. This existence seemed like paradise from what little he knew.

However, there were also principles and what he actually wanted to do. Justice, for one, had to be served as well as truth, and there was something quite simple, yet impossibly effective that helped him get his thoughts back. His expression changing, he returned to his senses as he looked in defiance at the genie who had tried to seduce and hypnotize him into slavery.

''A fair offer, yet you forgot one very important thing here,'' he said, standing proudly before her.

''Superman always saves Lois Lane.''

The genie, aghast that a man would actually have the will and the gall to resist her, gathered her energy into her hand, ready to annihilate the fool standing before her.

However, a great submissive energy sent it all down to nothingness, as if someone had rubbed her bottle anew. Shocked that someone had actually picked up her lamp, she turned around only to see the man she was trying to attack with her bottle in his hand.

''How did you...'' she began saying, not understanding at all how he could have achieved such a thing.

''Super-speed,'' he briefly explained. Leaving her no time to actually reply to that, Superman looked into her eyes. ''I wish that Lois Lane and every other person you've tricked would be sent right back from where they came, right now,'' he said, quick to spend his first wish.

Seeing that he now understood what he was fighting again, Aliyah could do naught but grant what he had asked of her. Clapping her hand together, she made the woman return right next to him.

Now dressed like a superb harem girl, Lois had a purple tube top, see-through pants, slippers and plenty of golden jewelry on her body. Dancing before an unseen spectator, her eyes looked devoid of any emotion as she smiled emptily, her body shaking and swaying to a beat that could not be heard.

''I wish that the mind of everyone you've met and changed would return to normal right away,'' said Superman, not even giving a glance at the woman dancing sexily right next to him.

The red-haired genie, sighing, clapped her hands once more, granting him his desire.

Lois, snapping out of it, stopped her dance right away. Looking at her clothes and the scene in her office, she growled angrily at the genie. Remembering just what she had done to her, she was just getting ready to slap her right here and then.

''My final wish, genie, would be that you'd be stuck in this bottle until the moment you sincerely reform of your evil ways. The day you actually start to regret the actions and pain you've caused, you shall be freed. Until then, you will have plenty of time to think,'' said the super hero with a stoic look on his face.

Angry at this last wish, Aliyah nonetheless had to grant it. Her hand clapping together once more, her bottle sucked her up in seconds. Now nowhere to be seen in the office, she had been vanquished.

Superman, smiling at the fact that he had saved his beloved, looked at her. Happy that she was safe, he then said ''I actually came over to invite you for lunch. Funny how things actually ends up whenever I come near you, eh?'' he said, trying to remove the tension in the room.

''Well, I can't actually go out dressed like this, Smallville. Let's just get lunch at home. For the whole hour,'' she said, smiling faintly before her husband.

Getting the hint, Superman picked his wife up, flying rapidly toward his apartment. With the bottle left on the desk, he knew that it would no longer cause any harm. Hoping sincerely that this genie would see the error of her ways, the man of steel however had other preoccupations on his mind.

With his wife beside him, there was naught he could not accomplish, like facing down whatever magic or other colossal odds, genies included.