One
Richard White walked up to the open door of the editor's office. Through the office windows he could see his fiancée, Lois Lane, talking with his uncle Perry White. From her body language she was not a happy woman.
"Why Clark?" she was saying. "Why not Richard? Why not anybody else in the news room?"
Richard tapped on the door, but they ignored him. He walked in anyway.
"Kent's been away from the city," Perry was explaining patiently. "He'll bring a fresh perspective to the changes that have happened in Metropolis the past six years, attitude, tempo."
"And Jason? Why Jason?" Lois complained.
"Can you think of anyone better? The kid's got journalism in his blood. It'll be great copy."
Lois seemed unconvinced but Richard knew Perry was right. It had the makings of a great story. And he knew she knew.
"Okay, but if anything happens..." she warned.
"What can happen?" Perry countered. "Jason shows Kent around, gives a kid eye view, Kent writes the article and Olsen takes the pictures."
"What about the reconstruction story?" Lois demanded.
"Half the staff is already on that," Perry reminded her. "And Olsen's already well started on his 'Heroes of Metropolis' series."
"And he's started with Superman, naturally," Lois huffed.
"No, actually," Perry said with a smile. "He's specifically not mentioning Superman. Just ordinary everyday people."
Lois looked confused.
"If Olsen can put it together, he's got a Pulitzer coming," Perry said. Richard heard pride in the older man's voice. Olsen was a talented photographer, no one could deny that, and if he could get his brain in gear, it would be an award-winning story. "So, everything's covered."
"What about Luthor? He's still missing," Lois reminded her boss.
"Maddox's got it covered," Perry told her. "But if you think the FBI, the CIA, and Interpol can't handle it..."
Lois's shoulders slumped.
"Superman's made a statement to the FBI and the D.A., so have you, me, Jason and most of Gertrude Vanderworth's relatives," Richard added. "And every government that had their consulate damaged during the 'quake, or had citizen's injured, has Luthor on their most wanted list and a couple of them have already convicted him in absentia. Assuming he's found alive, he's not getting away with it." Richard grinned at her. "Besides, it gives us the day to ourselves. And Jason's all for it. You know how he's has latched onto Clark. It's like, I don't know, he's found an older brother."
"Clark's my age," Lois reminded him with a glare. "Whose side are you on?"
Richard shrugged, still grinning "Uncle, then. Besides, you're the one writing about finding people to create a childrearing village. And Jason really likes him."
Richard admitted to himself it was odd how his son had decided to include Clark in his life, a man he'd met less than a week ago. Oh, Jason and Richard had both heard about Clark from other reporters at the Planet. Jimmy Olsen thought the world of the man and had kept all the postcards Clark had sent back to the Planet from his 'world walk'. But Jason was normally slow to make friends, even at school. It was like, somehow, Clark was someone Jason had always known, a member of the family he'd missed and who had finally come home.
Richard looked out the inner window of his uncle's office, over to where Clark Kent was seated at his desk in the bullpen, hard at work as usual. The space was sweltering. The AC has still out and the repairs were predicted to take another week at least. Most of the staff had fans to move the hot air around. Clark's concession to the heat was to hang his suit jacket up and loosen his tie. Richard realized with a start that while sweat was visibly rolling off everyone else, there didn't seem to be a bead of perspiration on Clark anywhere.
As if on cue, Clark looked over and gave him a slightly puzzled look, almost as if he'd felt Richard's eyes on him. Then the reporter picked up a file folder to use as a fan.