Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.
Intrepid Reporter
Chapter Four:
Dick had given him a tired and disapproving look from behind his mask when Kon returned to the Cave that evening, but the Superboy didn't really care at that moment. He was more intent on a shower and a change of cloths. After that, the Nightwing could lecture him to his heart's content. When he got out of the shower, however, Dick had gone.
Kon sat down on the couch and turned the TV to static.
A few moments later he was pounced on by Maland Gar.
"So, you're favorite color is six-hundred and seventy-five nanometers." Said the Beast Boy. "What the hack does that even mean?"
He shifted his form into a bird and hopped up onto Kon's shoulder and began preening his still wet hair.
"Its red." Mal supplied. "I looked it up." Then to Kon, "Couldn't you have just said 'red'?"
Kon gave a shrug. "I was trying to be specific. There are only twenty-three words in the English language for the color 'red'. But I can see thirty-five shades of 'red' before it turns noticeably orange or violet."
"Way to be a kryptonian cock-wag." Mal shook his head.
Gar stopped preening him, fluttered to the arm of the couch and changed back into a boy –or rather, a close facsimile of a boy. "But I thought your favorite color was green?"
"It was." Kon nodded. "But it changed. About a year ago. It was one of the first things I discovered about myself during my whole 'learn to be an individual' thing."
"Oh. That." Gar almost growled with a distinct note of disapproval. Kon-El's quest to discover himself had begun around the same time that he'd broken-up with M'gann and so Gar had come to associate the two in his mind. Kon couldn't fault the kid for it, there was a correlation between the break-up and his quest for self-discovery, but the Beast Boy had gotten that causation backwards.
"Yeah. That." The Superboy ruffled a hand through Gar's hair before turning his attention back to Mal. "Nightwing didn't say anything to me when I came in, did it go that badly?"
"Donno, really. We were all watching it together and he just kept muttering that you warned him you suck at PR." Mal heaved a shrug. "Honestly, I think your reporter friend did more good than you did."
"I noticed that." Kon nodded. "Not that she was helping us, you know I can't tell subtle crap like that. But she kept ignoring that screen thing they had set-up behind me that told her what to say. I could read it reflected off her cornea. They fired her for it."
…
Tana heaved a sigh as she packed up her desk. Four years of college crammed into two, a year of internships, hard work and dedication and it was all undone in one thirty-minuet interview. Great job, Tana! We can see you're going far –really reaching for the stars!
Still, she couldn't help but feel a small measure of pride in the knowlage that she had stuck to her principals rather than allow herself to become a pawn in whatever political agenda Galaxy Communications was pushing. That one simple fact caused her to grin as she tossed the last of her personal effects into the copy-paper box provided for her. Tana's thoughts then turned to the ever-terrifying question of, What happens now?
Maybe she should move back home? There was to much double dealing and political intrigue here in Metropolis. Things had seemed so much simpler back in Hawaii, ya know, if you ignored the Silicon Dragons. She could get a job at KONA-TV. Be a local anchor there. Why not? She was born there, grew up there, went to school there. Why not spend the rest of her life there. On an island in the middle of nowhere with very few people…
…Eh… Lets put a pin in that. She liked the city –even with all its two-faced business men and hidden agendas. Maybe she could apply at WLEX? Or try the Planet again? Ha! Yeah right! Perry White would probably laugh at her twice as hard this time. Tana heaved a sigh. That could wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow she would face the consequences of her decision. Tonight, she would go home, pore herself a drink and bask in the glow of the knowledge that she had done the right thing. If the media wanted to deface Superboy and every other hero under the sun, let them find someone else to do it –Gordon Godfrey was doing pretty dang well on his own- but she would have no part in it. There was real news out there somewhere and that was what she was interested in.
She thought of giving Mr. Edge one final parting remark before she left. Nothing to scathing or rude that might damage his comments about her to future employers, but just something so that he knew that while she had been fired, she regretted nothing.
Tana paused outside of his office. There was already someone there. It felt almost like they were arguing; only both were impossibly polite and soft-spoken. If one can argue in low polite tones then it was an art Tana had never learned. Curious, she slunk closer to the door, which had been left carelessly ajar.
"I told you, I should have handled it." Someone was saying. If she didn't know any better, Tana would have sworn that it was G. Gordon Godfrey. But she'd never heard Godfrey speak so tempered and softly. There was an almost hypnotic quality to it that made her want to listen and to trust anything the speaker said. "The League's little pep-captain practically begs the station to interview Superman's sidekick and you give the job to an utterly green kid."
She didn't hear the anger in the voice, she just felt it through the words, and yet, Tana felt that if the speaker had been talking to her, she would not have reacted hostilely in the least. It was that strange hypnotic quality to the voice, it made her want to take everything said as gospel truth. If he told her to jump off a bridge, she would have done so gladly, safe in the knowledge that she had been ordered to do so.
Then she realized just what she was thinking!
Suddenly struck by the realization, Tana shook her head to clear it. It was the oddest feeling she'd ever experienced. But they must have been talking about her. What other 'utterly green' reporter had been handed an interview with Superman's sidekick? She shifted her box of things to one arm and leaned close to the wall to peer one eye through the crack in the door. She couldn't see Edge, but she knew he must be there. She did see the blond head and strait shoulders of Gordon Godfrey's back.
The conversation must have progressed while she'd been daydreaming of jumping off things to please hypnotic voices because what they were saying now made no sense.
"You can tell those mysterious 'partners' of yours that I don't care how disappointed they are." Edge was saying. "I run my business how I see fit. Besides, it was a condition of the interview that you be nowhere near the set during filming."
"I had hoped to expose these so-called 'superheroes' to the light." Godfrey lamented. He said the word 'light' with an odd infraction. It made Tana think that he wasn't using its metaphorical meaning of revealing secrets, but rather talking about an actual thing. 'The Light' with a capital L, as apposed to just 'the light'.
She shifted her copy box again. Its contents making a distinctive shuffling noise and she winced at the sound.
"What was that?" Asked Godfrey.
Time to go!
Forget telling Edge off for being a bias prick more concerned with ratings than news. It was petty and not worth it. Something about the conversation she'd overheard had Tana's hair standing on end. It wasn't what was said, that had been much the same as what Edge had told her before the interview –tearing heroes down and the like. No, it was the feeling of what she'd overheard that bothered her. As if there was some great and important subtext that she just didn't understand but that was very very dangerous. Her fight or flight response kicked in and screamed at her to run, get away, get to safe ground.
So she did.
Tana was down the corridor and around the corner before Godfrey poked his head out the door to see who was out there. All he found was an empty hallway.
Tana paused at the elevator only long enough to push the button. But the moment her finger was withdrawn, she decided that it was taking to long and she went down the stairs instead. Twelve flights later she was outside hailing a cab. She didn't even realize that she still carried her copy-box of personal effects until she threw them down on the seat next to her as she dictated her home address. She would have left the box in the cab had the driver not called her back.
The elevator ride up to her apartment was slow agony. Tana leapt out before the doors had fully opened when it finally did stop on her floor. Her keys were already in her hand when she reached her door. The box from her desk was thrown on the couch the moment she entered and instantly forgotten. Tana booted up her computer, intending to transcribe everything she'd overheard. Something about the incident had unnerved her and she did not know what!
But the moment the monitor flared to life, she paused. No. Not the computer. Not a digital file. Not something that could hacked, stolen, or corrupted. Hard-copy. Paper. Pen. That was what she needed.
Tana pulled a sheet of paper from the printer and fished around in the desk for a pen, pencil, crayon –anything to write with. She found a gel pen and began to write, making notes on how each man had sounded when they said what, if any words had any particular emphasis or infraction that made them seem more important than they should have been within the context –such as 'light'. And, of course, her overall impression of the conversation. Tana made a special point to note just how hypnotic Godfrey was, that he could convince her to do anything.
In fact, Tana was pretty sure the only reason why she'd been able to shake it off was because he wasn't speaking directly to her.
Everything she could remember, she wrote down –as best as she could remember.
She jumped at shadows for the entire rest of the night. Tana didn't know why she was so edgy, she couldn't even put a name to what it was that had sent her running in the first place. It was just a feeling. 'Its your imagination.' She told herself. But that didn't stop her from sitting up in her living room until well past midnight as if waiting for something to happen. It didn't stop her from jumping to her feet, heart racing, gel pen clutched in her hand like a pen knife when the sound of engine backfire from a car down in the street below echoed through the otherwise silent night.
All night she stayed up, convinced that some boogieman was going to appear with a seductively hypnotic voice and ask her to jump off a roof if for no other reason than to prove to the world that superheroes couldn't save everyone.
…
One of the great things about being kryptonian was that your body stored solar energy more efficiently than any man-made battery or organic organism native to Earth. This meant that kryptonins living under a yellow sun didn't need to eat quite as much or as often as normal humans, they had longer endurance, and did not require anywhere near as much sleep as a normal human being. It was this last gift that had Kon-El crawling out of bed before the sunrise every morning. That's the way things were in the Cave, he was always last to go to sleep at night, and always first to rise in the morning.
It used to be a tad annoying –one year ago. But in the past months it had become immensely convenient. It saved the Boy of Steel the awkward tension of having breakfast with M'gann and La'gaan. True, it also meant that he was left to fend for his own breakfast, but that was another wonderful thing about kryptonians. They didn't need much food. So, an apple, a glass of juice and a few hours sitting out in direct sunlight and he was up, awake, fully charged and ready to start the day!
The morning sun was high over the horizon when Kon finally reentered he Cave. He found a chipper M'gann bustling around the kitchen in a frilly yellow apron… and nothing else, while La'gaan watched appreciatively from the island. Kon's mouth flattened into a single thin line of disapproval, not just because he and the martian girl used to date.
He cleared his throat conspicuously. The two turned to face him, looking startled. M'gann's apron instantly morphed into a complete set of clothing that effectively covered everything from the knees up and the shoulders down.
Kon crossed his arms over his chest and glared reprimandingly at them. "Out of curiosity, what would you have done if it had been Garfield who walked in on you instead of me?"
"Oh, come on." La'gaan said. "You know how the kid sleeps in late."
The Superboy fixed the Lagoon Boy with a pointed stare that said, 'I was talking to M'gann.' and the atlantian hesitantly demurred under the glare. Then, to both of them, he said, "Just remember you're not the only ones who live here. Try and keep your escapades contained within the bedroom."
He left it at that. Crossing through the common area and down the corridor to his closet-like room. Kon threw a couple extra shirts and a pair of pants in an overnight bag and then was zetta'ing to Metropolis. He told himself it was because the city needed looking after in Superman's absence and not because he wanted to get away from M'gann and La'gaan and their weird kinks. He'd gone through it all with M'gann before, and after four years of their relationship and one year of celibacy he'd decided he was a 'plain vanilla no sprinkles' kind of guy (Wally's words, not his) –M'gann was the one who liked to experiment with different kinds of 'fun sex' (as if sex in and of itself wasn't fun?).
Lois had already left for work when he arrived at the apartment. Kon tossed his over-night bag in the guest room before heading back out himself. As he had tried to convince himself before leaving the Cave, the city needed to be baby-sat while Clark was away.
…
It had been early morning when Tana finally nodded off to sleep on her couch. But it was a fitful, uneasy sleep and she woke up a few hours later in the early afternoon. The sun was streaming in through her living room window, its rays casting horizontal golden streaks across her java skin. She climbed off the couch, massaging a pain in her stiff neck, and opened the blinds. Last night's fears seemed so silly now that it was day again and her apartment was filled with light.
Light…She remembered the odd emphasis Godfrey had used when he said that one word the previous night. Tana picked up her transcript of what she'd overheard last night. She had been flustered and emotional when she'd written it and it was difficult to read her own handwriting, but there wasn't anything overtly sinister in what they had said. She didn't know why it affected her so strongly. It shouldn't have. Still, she was not one easily given over to nerves and panic –she had brushed off nearly dying in a helicopter accident for crying out loud! So, for whatever it was that had happened last night to have affected her so dramatically it must mean something. Someone should look into it.
But who?
The answer was so obvious she felt like an idiot for even having to ask in the first place: Superboy
Who better to look into something odd going on in Superman's town that Superman's 'weekend fill-in'? But how to get his attention? In Gotham, whenever the police needed to talk to the Batman they shined a giant light in the sky. Tana didn't have a giant spotlight. Besides, it was a bright afternoon, even if she did it wouldn't be seen.
But her apartment did have a wide flat roof and her neighbor's children had a lot of sidewalk chalk.
Several minuets and one very awkward conversation later, Tana Moon found herself drawing a giant S-shield over the tarred blacktop of her building's roof.
…
Kon was running Clark's usual circuit of the city when he saw a large drawing of the Crest of the House of El on a building roof, made out in what looked like brightly colored chalk. Curious, he landed.
…and froze the moment he saw that it was Tana Moon whom waited for him.
She rushed up to him the moment his booted feet touched down. Dark hair wind-whipped, yellow jacket open, white slacks flattened against her legs by the breeze. She gazed at him with hopeful… what was that? Relief? Kon didn't know. But suddenly he remembered a conversation he'd had with Lois only a few days before. So, when she began with, "Superboy, I-"
-He cut her off immediately. "I'm not gonna tell you what I do when I'm not hero'ing and I've no desire to go on a date."
She did a double take in sudden and apparent confusion. "What?"
"You're not gonna make a move on me?" He asked, suddenly feeling like an idiot, and maybe, just a little disappointed.
"Lord no!" She cried. "Why would you even- Ya know what, I don't want to know." Tana took a breath to compose herself before saying in earnest, "Superboy, I need your help."
Ah, help, that was something he was familiar with. That was something he could do. The Superboy crossed his arms over his chest and said with confidence, "Alright, what's the trouble?"
Here she hesitated, suddenly unsure. "I don't really know, exactly." Tana averted her eyes as she spoke. She knew just how –for lack of a better word- crazy she sounded and did not want to see those intense crystal eyes studying her while she recited what could only sound like a rant to a normal person. "I was fired after the interview yesterday. After I'd packed up my desk I went to Mr. Edge's office to give him one last parting barb, but he was in a meeting with Gordon Godfrey. They were talking about dragging down heroes and exposing them and stuff like that."
"That's the standard pollution Godfrey spews." Kon reminded her. "There's nothing new or special about that."
"I know." Tana nodded. "But, I donno, I guess you just had to have been there. It didn't feel right. And Gordon used a weird infraction when he said the word 'light', like he was actually talking about something else, and it just seemed… I donno. I know how crazy I must sound right now and you probably think I'm wasting your time, but-"
"What did Godfrey say about the Light?" He cut her off.
"What?" She looked up to meet his stare. There was something behind that crystal-blue glow of his eyes. Almost like a soldier analyzing crucial intel, or a hunter on the trail of prey. Truth be told, it unnerved her.
"What did G. Gordon Godfrey say about the Light?" He asked again, voice calm and serious.
"Well, he didn't say anything about light." Tana was quick to clarify. "He just said the word in a weird way." She fished in her pocket and pulled out the paper she'd written out the previous night. "As soon as I got home I wrote out everything I heard and my impressions and all that. I did it the moment I got home, while it was still fresh in my mind. Looking back, it was probably really silly of me, but something about it… scared me."
Kon raised an eyebrow at that. He knew the appropriate thing to do after a statement like that was to offer some form of comfort. But even after five years he was abysmally bad at it. So, instead of even trying, the Superboy took the offered paper and read. His eyes moved over the page quickly. He noted that the writing held the messy scrawl of hast or distress –well, she did say she had been scared. From the summary of events there wasn't anything overtly sinister, but then, Kon was also well aware that he had no skill when it came to reading between the lines and seeing things that were subtly concealed. Dick was really better suited to it than he was.
…And Tim, and Barbara, and Jason (may he rest in peace). In fact, all the bats seemed to have a natural talent for recognizing things that were utterly invisible to him. 'For a guy with two different types of vision, Supey, you can be incredibly blind.'
He looked back up at Tana. "May I take this?"
"You think it's something?" She asked, equal parts hopeful and apprehensive. Apprehensive that she might have inadvertently stepped into something that was bigger than she could handle at this point in her career, and hopeful that he was taking her seriously to spite how utterly mental she must sound.
"Donno." He admitted. "Maybe."
"But you're going to investigate it."
"I don't know." Kon repeated. "Maybe." He folded the paper and placed it in his pocket. Well, that was it. Their business was concluded, he should say some parting words and then leave. Instead, Kon said, "I'll let you know how it turns out."
She perked up. "How will I get in contact with you?"
His mind instantly jumped to the sub-sonic signal watch Jimmy Olsen wore. 'No.' Kon told himself sternly. Not for a one-time case. He looked around them at the chalk-drawing of the Crest of El on the roof. "Yeah, a 'Super-Signal like this is a little impractical. Do you live here?"
"Yes." Tana answered awkwardly.
"Then I'll come to you when I know something."
…
