Disclaimer: I do not own Superman or anything affiliated with him. Except for a wall calendar and two seasons of Smallville.
A/N: This is actually the first fanfiction I have ever written; its been stored on my computer ever since July. More specifically, this is the first story I have written in probably 5 years (I've had a huge writer's block). I haven't had a clue on how to add to it, but then I decided to just post it and maybe a continuation will come. Slightly AU SR-- no Richard or Jason, but it does mention some elements from the movie.
"Clark, Perry wants you in his office, now," Jimmy said as he passed by Clark's desk.
Clark looked at the clock and sighed. It was almost lunch, and Clark needed some food to fill his massive six foot four frame. But, work comes first, and the reporter should never keep the editor-in-chief waiting. So with one last, longing look at the clock, Clark Kent stood up and made his way over to the private office of Perry White.
When Clark arrived at the office, he found Perry and the beautiful Lois Lane waiting for his arrival. Clark felt a faint blush rise on his cheeks as he sat down next to Lois, his not-so-secret crush.
"So, um, Perry. What do you need us for?" Clark asked, almost stumbling over the sentence.
"Well, as you both know, Superman is back and Lex Luthor is out of prison and on the rise. Problem is, we don't know where either of them are. Lois, I want you to find out what really happened between Lex and Superman, because you are the number one reporter the Daily Planet has. Also, you always seem to attract those two to you like flies. Clark, you're her accomplice because trouble seems to follow Lois everywhere and you seem like you'd be able to stop it. Oh, and you're a pretty good reporter too," Perry White said as he looked at his two reporters. "Is that okay with you?"
Clark looked over at Lois, who seemed to be mad with the assignment. "Fine Perry. That's just fine with me," Lois said in thinly veiled anger. She stormed out the door, almost knocking over her chair when she stood.
"That's fine with me too, Perry," Clark stuttered, as he followed Lois out to the maze of desks where they both worked.
Clark followed Lois to her desk, where she sat down in a huff onto her gray office swivel chair.
"Who does he think he is? I've done Superman before! I want something new! And a babysitter? No offense, Clark, but I'm old enough to take care of myself. I don't need someone to look after me," Lois said angrily to Clark as she gesticulated wildly.
"Yeah, um, I feel sort of weird being your bodyguard. I wish that I could actually get a real story, not just a tossed aside one or helping someone with one," Clark confessed to Lois. "Sometimes I feel like Perry doesn't trust me with a major story."
"Well, yeah, I guess he doesn't trust you, seeing how you dropped the ball on that blackout story," Lois chuckled at him.
Clark grimaced, remembering his folly. "I guess he does have a reason not to trust me. Oh, and, since we're working on this Superman, Lex Luthor story together, do you want to grab a bite sometime? To talk about the story, of course," Clark said self-consciously.
Lois smiled. "Sure. Let's say, tomorrow, at lunch? We can go to that café down on First Street."
"Sure, that sounds good," Clark answered. Suddenly, the thought of lunch reminded him of something. "Uh, Lois, I have to go. Its um, kind of urgent," he said as he felt his stomach rumble with hunger.
"Its okay Clark. I can tell you're hungry. We can talk about the story later," Lois said kindly.
Clark grinned and walked away, to find something to eat.
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Fifteen minutes later, Clark found himself eating at a sandwich shop located on the first floor of the Daily Planet building where he worked. As he bit off a generous portion of the pastrami sandwich he ordered, the television mounted on the wall caught his eye.
"…An apartment building is about to collapse. People at the scene are saying that there is a family still trapped on the tenth floor…" the news anchor droned on but Clark wasn't listening. Instead, he got up, took one last longing look at his half-eaten sandwich, and quickly made his way over to a deserted phone booth across the street.
To his dismay, the phone booth wasn't actually a booth as much as a stall. Clark quickly looked around and spotted a dark, deserted alleyway popular in Metropolis. He quickly walked down the alley, making sure he was hidden from casual passer-bys.
Moments after Clark had entered the alley, Superman emerged, ready to fight crime and thwart evil. He quickly flew high into the air; causing most people on the street to stare and point at the superhero. Superman flew even higher up into the sky, where he listened for a cry of help- any cry.
"Help! Help us! Its going to collapse!"
It was what he was waiting for. Superman flew as fast as he could-breaking the sound barrier- towards the plea. Soon he came upon a crumbling building surrounded by firefighters, paramedics, reporters, and the ever-present onlookers.
"This must be the one," he thought to himself grimly, as he used his super hearing once again to pinpoint exactly where they were coming from.
"Help! Oh God, oh God! I'm gonna die!"
It was coming from the middle apartment on the tenth floor. Quickly, he surveyed the building with his X-ray vision and located where the building was most weak. Which, as it turned out, was basically everywhere.
"This isn't going to be easy," he thought to himself as he flew towards the decrepit building. Quickly he broke through the window of the apartment where the family was held, and met a chorus of surprised gasps, and then heart-felt thanks. He smiled, and then quickly surveyed the place.
The building was too weak to support itself, and he could not hold the whole family at once. But then- he spotted a large bed in the corner of the room.
"Everyone, get on the bed. And hold on tight," Superman said as he was formulating his plan.
The family quickly complied, barely squeezing the parents and four kids on the queen-sized bed. Superman lifted the bed up, and flew towards the wall, breaking it with one strong kick before the bed had a chance to touch it. Superman and the stunned family escaped from the building in the nick of time- immediately after their escape the building collapsed, causing a rush of debris travel down the street.
As soon as the debris settled, Superman set the family down on the street next to an ambulance, gave a quick nod to the crowd, and left.
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