The Meeting - Lois Lane & Bruce Wayne
Bruce got into the waiting limo immediately after leaving LexCorp Center.
"I've confirmed Ms. Lane is at work at the Daily Planet offices today Mr. Wayne."
"Thank you Tom - the Daily Planet it is then. Inform Shuster International that I have had a change in my flight plans and will be departing at 6PM. Make sure they confirm."
With that Bruce sat back and took in the street scene. The Daily Planet was far enough away that he'd get an up-close and extensive view of the damage done by the aliens and the recovery process. As the limo made its way through the streets of Metropolis, the magnitude of the damage was all too evident. Turning onto Welling Boulevard, a shopping mecca to rival Los Angeles's Rodeo Drive, the lingering extent of that damage was clear. Maybe 60% of the shops had re-opened, but many of them had plywood covering their windows. Fortunately, for the owners of these high-end stores, looting had been minimal after the devastation that befell the city. Lex Luthor had personally hired and deployed thousands of guards to protect stores from being looted and neighborhoods from being ransacked by the criminal element that always came out in these situations. Likewise, Luthor had posted men at the major art museums to protect Metropolis's famed art collections - second only to those of Paris and the Vatican. This allowed the police and National Guard to attend to more serious issues than standing guard in front of Tiffany's.
As the limo continued down Welling Boulevard, it passed the Cathedral of the Son. Bruce was taken aback that, unlike every other window within 1 mile of the fight zone, the Cathedral's stained glass windows were all in place and in perfect order. No cracks, nothing. Bruce remembered one thing about this famous Metropolis landmark - now 150 years old, when built all the windows had been donated from ancient European cathedrals. Most were 800 years old and some more than a thousand years old. They had withstood the sonic barrage of grunts and squeals let out by the aliens as they fought one another.
"Why had these ancient windows stood up while those advanced window designs placed in 100 story towers and meant to withstand major earthquakes had not?" Bruce thought to himself while pondering H. G. Wells's 'War of The Worlds'. How a seemingly innocuous thing - a germ that caused humans to come down with the 24 hour flu, ended up being lethal to the alien invaders.
"Of course windows and germs are not the same thing, but there was a general implied principle about the two. However these windows were cast, they provided a sort of protection from the aliens' high-pitched vocal capabilities. Did they absorb the extremely high frequencies put out by the aliens? Did they store those frequencies somehow? If they did store the energy, could the windows be reverse engineered to project similar high energy frequencies. Could sonic guns be made? Guns that might destroy the aliens' eardrums - if they had such anatomical features. Or, better yet, turn their brains to mush?"
"Tom," Bruce said, "get in touch with the Cardinal Archbishop - let him know I'd like to meet him at his earliest convenience."
Finally, Bruce's limo pulled up in front of the Daily Planet building. Bruce quickly exited and, in minutes, was at the reception desk.
The receptionist looked up and immediately greeted Bruce formally, "Hello, Mr. Wayne."
Bruce queried, "Do I know you?"
"No, not really. It's just that I worked the CFR cocktail hour at last year's meeting and brought you a gin and tonic. You were very polite and that stuck with me - that and I have a good memory for faces and names. Its funny, we were told not to look the guests in the eyes with a few exceptions - you, Mr. Luthor and one or two others. That impressed me - and you indeed looked me straight in the eye."
"And your name?"
"Gerard Dinome, sir."
"Well Mr. Dinome, I need to see Ms. Lane. I don't have an appointment but it is critical. Can you arrange that on such short notice?"
"Actually Mr. Wayne, Ms. Lane has been expecting you." At that Gerard nodded towards the lounge area and, just as Bruce looked that way, Lois looked up from her laptop and motioned for Bruce to come and join her.
Bruce walked over to the open lounge area and, as he got there, Lois stood up and offered her hand.
"Very nice to meet you Mr. Wayne. Your reputation precedes you."
"As does yours Ms. Lane. It's good to finally get the chance to meet you and, please, call me Bruce."
"Only if you call me Lois - deal?"
Bruce nodded and Lois quickly pointed to what she called "white rooms" at the far end of the lobby.
"It's best we talk there. Metropolis is wired like few other cities. The white rooms allow some semblance of assurance that our conversation is not being monitored. But even so, I am careful what I say in the rooms and I'd advise you to be so also Bruce."
In short order Lois and Bruce were in what amounted to a small office with several chairs and a table. Lois closed the door behind her and motioned for Bruce to sit down as she herself did.
"So, Bruce, you have questions for me about the aliens and specifically the one called Superman?" Lois stated matter-of-factly.
"Right to the point Lois - I respect that and, to your point - yes, I have questions and especially about the Superman."
"Shoot."
"Do you think they are all dead or have fled? Are they off planet?"
"I really don't know. Its been quiet for 3 weeks now. Nothing has been seen of them and the military has not picked up anything from its tracking satellites that would indicate their space vehicle is still in the outer atmosphere. But you pretty much know that. Get to your real question Bruce."
"Ok, Lois. You are right - my interest is in this Superman. Perhaps they are all dead - killed by Superman. Maybe a few escaped his wrath and have fled. But what about Superman? Could he be in hiding on the planet somewhere? He was severely injured in the fight as was captured on the videos. You've seen the footage. Could he be dead or dying or recuperating - say somewhere right here in Metropolis?"
"Anything is possible Bruce. I don't know. You assumption Superman may have killed all of them is a big assumption. He killed Zod is all we know for sure."
"But," Bruce retorted, "there are eye witnesses in Metro General. Several sets of children who said their parents were vaporized by Zod and Superman as those parents tried to protect their children who had gotten between the two aliens as they fought. Superman clearly killed humans, he killed Zod and its not hard to extrapolate he killed the rest of the aliens. You seem to be in denial about this."
"Zod may well have been the one who killed humans directly. There is no credible evidence I have found that Superman did so. I won't deny that indirectly some were killed by Superman when he was unable to completely prevent the Marvel Building from collapsing."
"Lois, you are a smart woman. You give no benefit of the doubt to any of the aliens, but do so with Superman. Why is that?!"
"I'm a good judge of character Bruce. I looked Zod, Fiora and several others as well as Superman in the eyes. What I read in Superman's eyes is totally different from what I read in the eyes of the others."
"Alien eyes Lois - how can we humans read anything into them?!"
"Well Bruce, I can and I did. Could I be wrong - yes. Do I think I am wrong - no. I'm a damn good reporter and I go by evidence and nothing so far has given me reason not to trust what Superman told me."
"Ah, the eyes yes. If I recall Lois, and forgive me if this is a bit blunt, your eyes were mostly looking other places - below Suprman's belt - when you were both on the tarmac."
"Oh please Bruce. I am a woman. I appreciate the beauty of a male's body as much as you do a female's body. Only difference, men like you and Luthor can take a second and third look at places other than a woman's eyes and its fine. Remnants of the old boys network. The times have changed Bruce. Superman, though an alien, has a human body and facial structure that make Michelangelo's David pale in comparison. Of course I am going to look twice at him. Yes, I glanced below his belt. Well endowed indeed - does that make you jealous Bruce? They call it - what is the word - some kind of envy. I really expected more of you Bruce."
"Touche Lois. I over-stepped with that comment. Still, I do think his good looks and body have clouded your judgment. It happens to men with women all the time and it certainly happens to woman with men."
Moving on Bruce asked, "do you know where he is?"
"No."
"Would you tell me if you did?"
"No."
"And why not Lois?"
"I don't really know you Bruce. What I do know is that you have ties to a certain Gotham City vigilante. Batman. What I do know is you flew here today to meet with Mr. Luthor. My reporter's instincts tell me the three of you are planning to try to capture and study Superman if you can and, if not, kill him outright."
"So you are having me followed Lois?"
"Oh, its simpler than that. I have sources throughout Metropolis and a few in Gotham. They informed me you'd scheduled a flight to Metropolis and that Luthor had cleared his schedule for an important meeting today. It was a simple deduction that he or you had arranged a meeting to discuss a strategy for stopping the aliens. Just as predictable was that you'd come to the Planet to see me after meeting with Mr. Luthor. That's why I was waiting in the reception area when you entered the building."
"I'm impressed Lois." Bruce replied.
"Its called being a good reporter. Do you have more questions?"
"No - its clear, no matter how much you may know, you won't be saying more than you've already said."
"Like I said Bruce, I don't know you. Why should I trust you? How should I think of you?"
"Think of me as a friend Lois." Bruce firmly replied.
"I'm very careful in choosing my friends Bruce."
"I hope you are Lois, I really hope you are. Making a friend of someone you've never heard of or seen before, someone not of this planet - that could be very dangerous to your health."
"I appreciate the concern Bruce. I have a board meeting now so we will have to cut this off."
"We were pretty much done anyway." Bruce said as he handed Lois his card and wrote a private number she could reach him at if she found herself in danger.
"Nice gesture on your part Bruce, but I am not expecting to be in any danger from the source you seem to expect." With that Lois put the card in her pocket, smiled, wished Bruce a safe flight home and left the white room.
Ten minutes later Lois was on the phone to Gotham City with one of her contacts. Selina was a close friend from college and now worked as a criminal investigator for the Gotham PD. After a few pleasantries Lois asked Selina to get everything she has on Bruce Wayne and Batman. Lois and Selina then made plans for a weekend in Metropolis to go over what Selina found and what Lois could make of it. There was more here than met the eye, but Lois couldn't quite figure it out - yet. Her biggest fear was a Luthor/Bruce Wayne/Batman alliance to effectively take control of Metropolis and Gotham City using the excuse of protecting those cities from Superman was in the works.
As Bruce drove to the airport he called Alfred to confirm Lois's cell, PC and other electronic devices were being fully monitored. Alfred confirmed to Bruce that their Daily Planet source was in place, just hired, and would be at work by Friday. Bruce confirmed with Alfred that Mr. Olsen understood Lois was in no way to be harmed.
"So, Mr. Wayne, you don't think Ms. Lane is in on this with the aliens and Superman? Part of the plot against Earth?"
'"No Alfred, Lois knows more than she is saying but that is because she likely was brainwashed by the aliens when brought aboard their ship. I have contacted the top hypnotherapist in Metropolis. I need his analysis of the situation and how we can break Lois out of Superman's mental control. We need her as an ally."
"And Mr. Luthor - he called wanting a status?"
"Mr. Luthor is to know nothing of my meeting with Ms. Lane or of my suspicions about her or of our Daily Planet mole Mr. Olsen.
"Understood Mr. Wayne - have a safe flight home."
My stories were deleted except for the Meeting and this second part which I had not yet posted. The wind has been taken out of my writing sails but this second half was almost done and I quickly finished it. Sorry if it shows, but right now I am turned off to writing more fanfic because of what happened. Comments are appreciated. Thank you all.