Disclaimer: I do not own "Superman: The Animated Series" or its characters. They are property of Warner Bros and DC Comics.
In loving memory of Margot Kidder (1948-2018)
"Superman vs. ISIS"
By TwilightSparkle3562
Chapter 1
"Rise of a New Evil"
September 11th, 2001: the day our country and our world in general, changed forever. We had come a long since then and all we did was continue to live our lives the way we were meant to live them by. I kept getting myself into tense situations to get the story I needed to get and Clark?
Well, he just kind of did his own thing.
And Superman?
Well, he was always there to protect me when the moment came.
…
However, not even Superman was there to protect Daniel Foley. Danny, as we always called him, was sent by the Daily Planet to report on the developments of a new evil in the middle east.
It wasn't Al-Qaeda and it wasn't even the Taliban.
It was ISIS otherwise known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
13 years after the attacks on New York and Washington, our country was about to be thrust into the world of terror once again when these guys came along and let me tell you, both me and Superman would put our lives on the line when we confronted these guys for their atrocities against mankind.
…
The story really began in the spring of 2014, when I, Clark, Perry and a few others had relocated to Providence, Rhode Island to help operate the Daily Planet's new offices. It was a big change from life in Metropolis, but that is beside the point. Anyways, my usual morning routine was interrupted by a phone call from Perry.
"Hello?" I asked, climbing out of bed clad in nothing but a black slip.
"Lois, it's Clark," answered my partner and fellow journalist, Clark Kent. "Listen, Perry's got some news that we all need to hear. I'm heading in now, so you probably want to do the same?"
Almost immediately, the sounds of Clark's voice made it clear that something wasn't right.
"You sound kind of disturbed, Smallville," I remarked quietly taking notice of the tone in his voice.
"It's about Danny. He's been killed by ISIS."
The news that Danny had been murdered sent a chill up my spine and gave me a fear of unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Sure, I was a courageous and fearless young reporter, but this was on the levels of something I had never experienced.
"Can you make it in 20 minutes?"
"How about 25? I still need to shower and change, Kent. Tell Perry I'll be there as soon as I can."
Hanging up the phone, I showered and dressed myself in my purple blazer and white pleated skirt before I left my apartment and drove over to the Daily Planet's new offices in Downtown Providence, in the same building as the Providence Journal. No sooner did I get into the office did I see everybody rushing into Perry's office.
Without saying another word, I walked into Perry's office where everybody had gathered around his desk.
"I appreciate you all coming in here," he said, slumping down in his desk and looking up at the ceiling. "As many of you have known, Daniel Foley, one of our own, had been assigned to cover the rise of new terrorist activity in the Middle East. He had disappeared from contact about 3 months ago and I learned this morning…he had been killed."
A flurry of back chatter among us then occurred, with all of us trying to comprehend with such horrific natures abound.
"How, Mr. White?' asked a young journalist.
"They beheaded him."
"Who, who told you this?"
"One of my colleagues from NBC News back in New York, Lane," he answered. "I ask you all to pray for him and his family right now. This is a very tough time for all of us, but we must do our jobs as journalists."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"To this end, everyone go to your assignments except for you and Kent, Lois."
There was no doubt in my mind that Perry was going to assign Clark and I to cover the activities of these monsters. Part of me was beginning to fear that not even the martial arts training I did as a young girl was going to prepare for this.
"Now, I'm sure you are aware that we, as a news organization, have a duty to report news on the rise of ISIS. Since the both of you have had the courage to go into these kinds of situations, I'm giving you the opportunity to cover these guys."
"Perry, are you sure about this?" I wondered. "I may be your star reporter and also your most courageous, but not even I can be sure of how dangerous these guys are."
"I'm not asking you to go into the Middle East, Lois," he reassured me. "I'm asking you to be in touch with our affiliates in Europe and monitor ISIS that way. It's the responsibility of you and Kent to tell the world what you see. That's what you have done since day 1 and that is what you will do here. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," Clark answered meekly as Perry turned to look out the window of his office, overlooking Kennedy Plaza. "But, I'm not certain that even Superman can stop these guys. I mean, he's gone mad in the past."
"And that's all in the past, Kent," Perry sighed as he turned to face us again. "However, I am certain that Superman will find a way to stop these guys eventually. What you need to do is your jobs from a safe distance, because I can assure you, I will not lose another Daily Planet journalist to terrorism."
Both Clark and I walked out of the office feeling very anxious over what transpired. The question now was how to proceed to cover ISIS. However, there was something else going through my mind and it was concerning Superman himself.
"Could Superman truly defeat ISIS?" I wondered as I sat at my desk. "Could he truly defeat such an evil and protect me when the time is there like he's always done? Only time will tell, I guess."
…
Later that day, Clark and I were sitting at a Starbucks over on the east side when a buzzing noise came on my phone.
"Text message, Lois?" Clark asked.
"There's been a shooting at a Jewish museum in Brussels," I answered, realizing of what was about to transpire down the line. "Apparently, it's the Jewish Museum of Belgium and ISIS has claimed responsibility."
"Did they catch the guy?"
"No, he escaped," I replied. "Apparently, he was seen wearing a baseball cap when he opened fire. Four people are dead, Smallville. Two from Israel, one from France and one from Belgium."
"So, what are we going to do?"
"I guess fly out to Brussels and report on what happened."
Just then, my phone buzzed again and it was Perry, telling us that he had his secretary book Clark and me on the next available flight to Brussels which was the next day on British Airways via London/Heathrow from Boston.
"Guess Perry's not wasting any time," Clark remarked as we got up to leave Starbucks and realizing now that our coverage of ISIS and its movements was about to begin…