Chapter Two
Lois Lane
Lois Lane was not in a good mood, her hard work story had been bumped of the front page by some lovey dovey pile of trash. She stormed her way through the Daily Planet, the older wiser employee hurried out of her way.
"Chief!" She barked, slamming into her editors office. "I spent a week on the docks, with rats and frizzed hair, to nail that gun smuggling operation story. And what happens, it gets knocked of the front page from some granola crunching fluff piece!"
The elder gentleman behind the desk seemed more amused by her out burst then annoyed. Most like used to it.
"Great timing Lois," Perry White said, "Let me introduce you to the new reporter on the city desk."
"New reporter?" The news seemed to derail Lois's rant, "Is he cute?"
"She," Perry corrected before smirking, "And I thought so."
Lois turned at Perry's gesture and standing there was Lois's high school librarian. Not really, Lois reasoned but it was a close call.
Dressed in a plain white skirt, a grey and black woollen check vest. With plain cut, slight loose pants. She looked very unassuming right down to the thick black framed glasses.
"Mr White," The new comer gave an awkward shy smile at the Chiefs joke. She moved forward to shake his hand. Lois watched her mildly surprise that the woman didn't have a pencil tucked into that dark bun of hair.
"Thank you for the job sir," The woman said.
"Glad to have you with us Kent," Perry turned to introduce them both. "Lois Lane meet Claire Kent. She's from Smallville"
"Smallville," Lois voiced it dubiously.
"Ever been to Kansas?" Claire asked meekly.
"God no!" Lois declared, watching as the other woman ducked her head. Girls gonna get eaten alive, Lois thought.
"Alright Lois why don't you get Claire here set up."
"But Chief I have a..."
"It will just take a moment," Perry ordered, "Go."
#*#
Claire's first meeting with Jimmy Olsen's was to bump into him knocking both and the box he carrying to the ground.
"Oh I'm so sorry," She exclaimed, ducking down to help. She had after all deliberately done it. She watched as those around her rolled there eyes and disregarded her. That was the response she was hoping for. To be over looked.
She still remember the conversation she had had with her parents after her return to Smallville.
"I have all these powers, " Claire had said, looking down at her fist. "I can so much good with them."
"Are you sure," Jonathan had replied, "It could be dangerous what if people found of all about you, they could try and take you away. Just like you mother and I were afraid of when you were growing up."
"I can hear them Pa," Claire had admitted sadly, looking towards the window, "I can hear people crying and screaming for help. How can I just ignore them?"
"Well how are you planning on it?" Martha had asked. "Some kind of mask and costume? I hope your not planning on acting like that nut in Gotham."
"No," Claire had declared, "No masks." She had waved off their protest. "I want people to trust me, it's bad enough I can do all the stuff I can do. But add a mask? People would freak out. Besides this is me, I want to help people being me."
"Well how are you going to protect everything if people know everything," Martha had asked.
"They're not going to," Claire said, "I might not be wearing a mask while helping people. But Claire Kent will be." and with that she had slipped on a pair of thick black rimmed glasses.
She turned her attention back to to paper she was picking up. Noticing that most of them were pictures.
"You're a photographer?" She asked, handing over the images.
"Yeah," Jimmy said brightly, "'Though I also, do some errands for the Chief. Name's Jimmy. Jimmy Olsen."
"Nice to meet you," Claire smiled, straightening as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "Claire Kent. I'm umm new here, but I guess, I guess you errr guessed that."
She turned around to find Lois was gone.
#*#
Lois Lane would have felt bad about ditching the newbie, if she hadn't felt leaving her with Olsen was the best choice all round. Jimmy would be better in helping Kent get settled and Lois had a story to cover involving Lexcorp. It was a win win situation.
Lexcorp laboratories was located in a series of warehouses, it had been an old airport. Or at least one of his labs, Lois reasoned. Getting through security took ages and the area was crowded with press but what had Lois freezing was the sight of Claire Kent, the same woman Lois had left back at the planet standing in front of her.
Claire finished up with the notes, and nodded to the Doctor she had been speaking to.
"Thanks for the quote." she said.
"How did you get here do fast?" Lois asked appearing besides her.
"Oh, I just flew," Claire rolled her eyes.
"What did you get," Lois asked glancing at Claire's note pad.
"A shared by-line if you use it," Claire stated. Before seeing an amused yet almost proud smile cross Lois's face.
"Well, well," Lois said, "I guess first impressions can be wrong."
"Thanks I think," Claire said, turning to follow the crowd, "So who is this Lex Luthor anyway?"
"Billionaire, philanthropist, businessman," Lois listed before tagging, "Jerk," At Claire's look she elaborated. "He and I had a thing awhile ago, it ended bad."
"How?"
"I dumped him."
#*#
It appeared Lexcorp had gathered the press there today to unveil a new weapons machine. Claire watched the presentation of the armoured suit with an unimpressed feeling. They had the press in one of the warehouse's to watch the large screen demonstration of Luthor's newest weapon.
Another way for humans to kill each other, she thought. Watching the suit's powerful weapons tear its human shaped cardboard targets into confetti.
"Piloted by a single soldier this weapons system is more powerful than an entire battalion." The presenter said "Now a round of applause for the Lexocel 5000 and the man that created it. Lex Luthor!"
Seeing the suit in person was no more impressive to Claire, even as her fellow press clapped around her. It was taller and wider than any human would be, despite its human shape. Made to appear even larger as the man stepped up beside it.
Tall, built, bald. Were the thoughts that Claire had pass through her mind at her first sight of Lex Luthor.
"Bet this bets the dog and pony shows back home," Lois cheeked. Before Claire could reply however, her hearing picked out new sounds. Hidden outside the massive warehouse a heavily armed helicopter loaded with men and more weapons was closing in. Even as she watched the helicopters fired, sending a missile their way.
"Excuse me," She said the Lois hurrying away.
The missile hit the side of the building, tearing a hole in it as the helicopter hovered by spraying gun fire over the head's of the terrified crowd. A group of armed men in combat gear repelled down to the ground.
Lois squeezed her way through the fleeing terrified crowd. Stomach twisting in a mixture of fear and excitement, this is what she lived for. Not the being shot at and the potential for being trampled under foot no, having such a story fall into her lap.
Lex had moved forward to block the group on the ground, seemingly heedless to the fact that they were all armed.
"You've just made a huge mistake," He declared, Lois recognised his 'You don't fuck with me' voice instantly.
"Yeah yeah," One of the gunmen grunted, shoving Lex back "Outta the way, moneybags!"
'Armed gunmen steal prototype weapon,' Lois thought as she begun coming up with story titles, watching as the thieves move in on the weapons suit. One of them begun the activation sequence and climbed into the pilots seat. 'Lexcorp prototype weapon stolen?'
A loud screeching sound came from over head, as one of the large metal support beams came loose from the ceiling. Gasping she tried to move out of the, stumbling on her heels and bit of debris she tipped. Her breath caught, and a new headline popped in. 'Lois Lane crushed'
Eyes closed, she brought up her arms in a last minute if useless attempt to save herself. She waited for the metal beam to crush her, and waited. Finally risking an eye to open. Only to have both pop open in shock.
Standing over her, the metal beam held above her head, was a woman. Dressed some kind of blue outfit. High necked and form fitting, it hugged the woman's body all the way done to her knee high red boots. A red cape draped behind her, and large 'S' symbol on her chest. Lois blinked.
Some where behind her, Lois heard the hum of something powering up. Glancing back over her shoulder, she watched the heavily armed thieves turn there machine guns in their direction. Her saviour was apparently not done saving her life yet. She threw the beam with the ease that someone would a stick, before reaching down and pulling Lois up by her arm. With a twist she turned them, putting herself between Lois and the weapons.
Lois knew the exact moment they opened fire, the loud bangs were hard to miss. But the woman shielding her didn't even flinch, Lois could tell from where she clutched the woman's arm. The outfit was not spandex, Lois thought inanely, something thicker and denser.
They most have realised bullets weren't working, because they stopped firing. Curious Lois pecked around the blue wonder. The suit had fully powered up, and Lois watched as some kind of rocket busters fired from the feet and back of the suit lunching it into the air.
Trust Lex to build a battle-suit with a jet-pack, Lois thought. Watching as the prototype headed up and out the hole in the wall. The remaining ground gunman made a run for it.
"Go," The hero ordered Lois, as suddenly the armed men became unarmed men. She grabbed them by the scruff of there vests and delivered them to the approaching Lexcorp security. She then did the impossible, again. She launched herself into the air, flying up on the same path the battle-suit had taken. A room full of shocked gasps followed her.
A super-strong, bulletproof, flying woman? Lois thought shocked, Who the hell is she?! What the hell was she?!
A/N Thank you to all those that review, favourited or followed this story. I would really like to know what you think. What you liked, or what you think could have been done better. etc.