Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Superman, nor do I make any profit. I do this for fun only.
Chapter Two: New Information
It's a very good thing I don't need as much sleep as normal people. After Lois dropped me off last night, I saved a little old lady from a small house fire. Then I got three armed robberies, all on different continents. I just got back to my apartment, and my alarm clock is going off, which means its time for work. I quickly change and head to the elevator. I feel like using 'normal' means to get to work, even though I'm late. This is actually is only the fourth time I've used it and only the first by myself. I guess its part of the perks of being able to fly and living in an apartment with a private balcony. The elevator stops a few floors below mine and a woman gets in. My first new neighbor. "Hey"
"Hi. I haven't seen you around before. You new?"
"Sort of. I moved in about two months ago."
"Wow. I usually get to meet the newbie long before two months. I wonder what took so long."
Now, that's an uncomfortable question. "I d-don't usually take the elevator." Completely true. And it fits in with how people explain my um…fitness. "But I-I h-have to today. M-missed my a-alarm. Now I'm late." Also true.
She looks intrigued. It's kinda cute. "Really? Where do you work?"
"The one and only Daily Planet."
"What are you, some sort of hot shot reporter?"
This I can proudly answer with one hundred percent truth. "Actually, I kind of am. Clark Kent, formally of Lane and Kent." And I hope one day again.
"I remember them. They were good. No one could nose out a story like those two. Are you really the Kent?" I can hear the wonder in her voice.
"Y-yeah" The elevator opens and we step out. "So now you know the…what was it?…newbie. May I ask your name?"
The woman shakes her head. "Sorry. My mom says I have the worst manners." She sticks her hand out. "Bella Secret."
I shake her hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Bella Secret. Excuse my bad manners, but I really must get to work. I hit the snooze three times." Well I could have.
She laughs as we step out into the fresh air. I like Bella's laugh. It's like a wind chime. "Okay Clark Kent, but I hope we can continue our conversation later?"
To my surprise, I hear "I'd like that." Did that just come out of my mouth?
"Okay." She does this cute little wave with her fingers and walks the other way. She looks back over her shoulder. "Bye, Clark Kent."
"Bye" Wow. Several strange thoughts about this…intriguing woman within minutes of meeting her. Well, she is a beautiful woman. Not Lois beautiful, but then no one compares to Lois. Bella has her own beauty. She's kind of a classic beauty, what with her long, wavy blonde hair. She's taller than Lois, but still much shorter than I am. And her eyes. The color reminds me of the Fortress-the Fortress before Luthor stole the crystals. An amazing shade of icy blue. Why am I thinking about her like this? I just met her. But then again, maybe it's a good thing, considering Lois is-
"Hey, CK!" a voice draws me out of my musings. "Where are ya going" I look up to see Jimmy.
"Oh hey, Jimmy, sorry about that. I was thinking and I guess I lost track of where I was." Not a good thing for Superman to be doing. "You just get in? Because I know I'm late."
Jimmy shakes his head and gives a nervous laugh, "No, CK, The chief wanted to see you . He told me to stay here and tell you to get to his office as soon as you got in. No detours." Uh-oh, what did Lois do now? "It doesn't sound good CK. He was yelling"
"More than usual?" Jimmy's eyes widen in answer. Perry can scare anyone, even me. "Okay, thanks for the warning." I brace myself for Perry's wrath on the elevator. I wonder what people would think if they knew the Man of Steel had to brace himself before he saw anyone. But then again, most people haven't had to deal with the Planet's editor-in-chief, Perry White. He's a great man, particularly since he gave me a job after just leaving for five years with barely any warning. But he's also a great editor, meaning watch out.
The first thing I hear as the elevator doors open is "Where is Kent!?" Yikes! Jimmy was right. Perry is definitely in a mood. I missed it here. I feel so welcome. Heads turn toward me as I walk to his office, some in pity because they've been in my shoes, some in annoyance because they've probably been the ones Perry's taken his…mood out on, but all with an 'I'm-glad-its-not-me' look on their face.
"Sorry Perr-"
"Not now Kent. I don't want to hear any of your infamous excuses." They aren't all that bad! "Lois told me about Bobby." I notice Lois for the first time. I'm shocked about that. Normally Lois's presence is the first thing I notice when I walk into a room, but my earlier thoughts and Jimmy's warning distracted me. "I know Bobby and his tips lead to higher sales. I want you two on it." Lois starts to protest, but Perry is in his mood. "Lois, we've been through this already," I imagine lots of yelling and have to hide my amusement, "and I say you check it OUT! Now, GO!" Perry practically slams the door on us, after pushing Lois out.
Before I can say anything, Lois starts, "Clark, you stay here. Find out exactly how many 'invasions' there are while I waste my time and go to that address Bobby gave us. Like I told Perry, its nothing, so it will only take a little while. When I get back, we'll find a real story. And no, you cannot come. No sense in dragging you with me for nothing. Bye!" All of this was said as Lois grabbed her purse and her walk to the elevator, so she's gone before I can say anything. I think about joining her as my alter ego, but before I can get to the stairwell, I hear a familiar heartbeat. It's a school day, so what is he doing here. But now I hear him wheezing and realize he is sick. I see he's with Richard, so I don't check on him. Instead I head to the coffee pot, since Perry wanted to see me immediately. I doctor it with my usual cup of sugar and cream, one of the perks of a Kryptonian metabolism, and grab the last donut of the box. Gotta have breakfast. I go to my desk and boot up my computer. I use my special access to get into the police database. Because I'm Superman, I have my own password. I just have to be really careful of who's around when I type it in, but the pages don't look too much different from what other journalists see when they access the database, so I don't worry about that. I find the listings of home robberies of the last month and categorize them by solved and unsolved, then I put them in categories of what was stolen. As I start to sort by time of day, a little hand taps my shoulder. I had heard him coming, because any time he's near, I listen to his heartbeat automatically, sort of like I did with his mom. Since he can't know I can hear him, I pretend to be surprised.
"Jason, why aren't you in school?"
He gives me that little smile, so sweet and innocent. "I'm sick so daddy said I could work with him."
Daddy. That should be me. "He did. Are you okay? Nothing too bad? Any fever?" He giggles as I put my hand to his forehead and pull back fast. "Nope. Your forehead is ice cold." Those giggles have become as much of a life source for me as the sun.
"Mr. Clark, my head's not cold. Your hand is really hot.:
"Oh, yeah? Well then I guess I need something real cold t that I could hold. Hmm, I wonder what I could hold that's really cold." I give him my best mock-serious face. His face does the same. There are times when I don't know how no one can see I'm his father, because, when he does something like this, he looks so much like me. He even has a lot of my mannerisms. The real ones, not the ones I use as goofy Clark Kent. Lois can see the resemblance when I'm Superman, but not Clark.
"I know!" he suddenly exclaims. "Ice cream!. Its cold, and you have to hold it, plus, it's really good to eat." His eyes take on that mischievous twinkle that I have seen so many times when Lois is about to do something dangerous or illegal, usually both. I know what he wants.
"Now, Jason, I thought you were going to lie down? And you know you can't have ice cream." So does Richard.
"Hey Richard." I say to him as he picks Jason up.
"Hey Clark. I hope this little munchkin wasn't bothering you?"
"Oh, no. I'm actually almost finished with what Lois told me to do. Though I wish she would have let me come with her." Not. I got to spend a few unguarded moments with Jason.
Richard laughs. "Yeah, Lois told me about last night's visit." Only the one with Bobby, not the other one. "I just think Bobby called a little too soon. He should have waited a few days. More information. Oh well. Even though Lois doesn't think so, I believe it will turn into one. A pretty good one, too, since it is Bobby. Well I'm sure we both have work to do, and Jason here is tired, so I'll see you later Clark." Jason is asleep in Richard's arms.
I hope he knows how lucky he is. He gets both the love of my life and my son. As I type, I stare through my computer into Richard's office. I watch him as he puts that beautiful little boy on his couch. He loves Jason so much. I wonder if Richard knows he's not the father, because from what I've heard, he and Lois met shortly after I left.
Now I hear an all too familiar sound: sirens. Is it just me, or are there more of them now than there were when I left? Probably both. I listen closer to see if anyone needs my help. Five people had a heart attack; ten children have broken some bone; three robberies, but nothing the police can't handle. All of this in a seven block radius. All of this suffering and I can't do a thing about ninety percent of it. But I need to be positive. I cannot get depressed. I do good when and wherever I can. I bring hope to people. I mean, I had to get their trust back, after I came back, but after the whole New Krypton episode with Luthor, I think I'm back in the world's good graces. And natural disasters, I have those covered. Most of the time. I even do some good as me, Clark Kent. My reporting has saved lives before. The stories I write have brought justice to people Superman can't help.
"Clark?" I look up. Over an hour since Lois left. Good thing I'm excellent at multitasking because I have the information she wanted. "I will never doubt Bobby again, Clark. There is no doubt in my mind now that something is up. Big time. All I need is you to confirm it." She sits on the edge of my desk, that fire in her eyes.
"Well, Lois, you are right. Bobby is a genius. Going through all home burglaries over the past few months revel two seemingly different patterns, and you can only see those when you look extremely close at all home invasions. But under even greater scrutiny, you see certain commonalities. Four neighborhoods have had at least one home a week for six weeks burglarized, same M.O. Another two, same thing, with just enough differences to not notice the similarities." Lois raises her eyebrows, a gesture meaning 'get on with it now.' She is so beautiful when she's on hunt. "All neighborhoods hit on the same night, started on a Thursday, and progressed to the next Friday, then Saturday, and on with that pattern, so the next on should be Wednesday. From what the police can figure, all six homes were in the same hour, and that they would need at least two people per home, because some pretty large items were stolen. Considering the distance between the neighborhoods, that means there are at leas twelve suspects. Bobby was right when he said women because of the signatures. For four, a p-pair of p-p-pink t-th-tho-"
"Thongs, Clark?" Lois finishes, smirking at me.
I feel my face blushing, and I nod my head. "At the other two a pink artificial nail is left where the television was. What the police can't figure out is, for three of the neighborhoods, all the homes have state of the art security and a fourth, it's a gated community! They all happen with the residents at home. How do they get in, grab every valuable, and get out, without waking anyone up?"
Lois shakes her head. "Who knows? But I can tell you we will figure it out. Now for my information." She grins at me. That 'I know something' grin. "723 West is in a neighborhood of homes with high security and a neighborhood watch. They were hit last Tuesday. Panties that did not belong to the wife were found in place of the T.V." I raise my eyebrow at her. "She's big and old. Not the kind to wear size 2 thongs." Lois answers my unvoiced question. She still knows my little gestures, considering this is the first investigation we've really worked on together in almost six years. Kinda makes me wonder why she called me last night. "Anyway, she was home alone. Her husband was on a business trip, kids are grown. She gets up a little after five to use the bathroom. Notices its quiet. She distinctively remembers the radio being on when she went to bed; she can't sleep without it. Thinks maybe the power has gone out, she hits the light, it comes on, but her five thousand dollar stereo and LCD T.V. are gone. Lady runs around the house to check on the rest of the house, but finds everything of value gone. Not just the high-end electronics, but her jewelry, hidden money caches, absolutely everything. She calls the cops, who make a report. They investigate, which includes contacting the alarm company. According to them, the alarm hadn't been disarmed since six the previous evening, when the lady got home, and she definitely turned it back on immediately. How did they get in the house without setting off the alarm, disarming it, or waking Mrs. Clip up?" I just look at Lois, dumbfounded. I mean, even I set off alarms.
To Be Continued…
