Encounters
The allure of a shortcut is that it will supposedly get you where you want to go faster. Who hasn't felt that temptation? You know what you want and can see it in front of you, but it seems there are all these obstacles and delays between where you are and where you want to be. The younger you are, most times the more inpatient you are. How many fifty year olds have you heard say, "Are we there yet?"
After all that schooling and negotiating your way through all the requirements and rules, you finally figure out what you want to do with your life. Miraculously you get a job in your field only to find a whole new set of requirements and rules with the added joy of regulations. It feels like you're going to have to wade through an ocean of crap just to get a chance to do what you've spent all this time and money preparing to do.
This is where that short cut seems so alluring. A way to cut through all the red tape and get to what you want to do, even the best of us feel that temptation. You know you can do it, if they would only let you. You know if you take the short cut and just get your one chance, everyone will see it was the right move. Or at least that's what everyone tells themselves.
Metropolis
It was a small, one bedroom apartment, rather non-descript like a thousand other ones. The differences weren't apparent unless you were really, really looking for them. It was clean and orderly, but it was only under careful inspection that you realized it was spotlessly clean and the sparse furniture was all in perfect symmetry with each other. The subtlest difference was the hardest to realize. The apartment had no smell. No candles, no air freshener, no hints of last night's dinner or dirty clothes, just the complete lack of anything, the absence of smell was the best way to describe it. For its occupant, this was a small sanctuary from the rest of the world.
Clark sat on a straight backed wooden chair looking at his computer. His latest article was finished and he'd been a Beta to Zeta reader of it. It was good, but not front page good or even first section good. The last few weeks had been the most frustrating of his life. The stories he wanted to tell were out there, but when he put them down on paper they never hung together like a great story should. Henry Cameron's why continued to plague him. He'd been thinking and rethinking it for weeks now. The answer Clark came up with was much more fundamental then what Cameron was talking about. When he reread his articles, Clark realized they were just a dry telling of the facts. They had no distinct voice telling them.
Clark understood that was the problem, all the great journalists he admired had a style and voice of their own. You read them because the were able to show the world through their eyes and thus let you the reader understood all the whys of what they were writing about.
This fundamentally went against everything Clark had been trying to do in his young life. He'd avoided attention every chance he got. Extra attention had always brought with it unwanted questions, dangerous questions. It had started when he was barely able to walk. The Kents greatest fear was that people would find out what Clark could do and government agents or worse would show up and take him away. He would just be a thing to them, something to study and dissect. To the Kents it was much simpler, he was their boy.
As Clark grew up and his abilities continued to grow, a shift happened. It was he that worried for them. He loved Jonathan and Martha dearly and the thought of anything happening to them because of him was intolerable. He worried what those same government people or worse would do to the Kents if they found out about him. To protect them he had to hide what he could do, blend in and draw no attention to himself. It had been difficult for him, especially in high school, but it had to be done.
It became the way he lived his life, disappearing into the crowd. Now if he wanted to be a reporter, the kind of reporter he dreamed of, he had to change that. It wasn't about his abilities this time or at least not about his more obvious abilities. This was about finding his voice, Clark Kent's and being able to help people with only his words. In some ways it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.
Glancing at the screen again, Clark knew he needed a break. He'd been going over and over the story trying to get it right for hours. It just wasn't coming. Sliding the chair away from the desk, he glanced at the tee shirt on his bed. The symbol for the House of El was emblazoned on the front of it. He'd had a dozen made up at a small printer. Taking off his dress shirt, Clark pulled the tee over his head and down around his muscled chest. Tonight Metropolis would be introduced to the other way Clark could help people. Pulling on an old pair of jeans and some work boots, he smiled as he attached the cape around his neck. He felt like a swashbuckler in some old movie.
This part of his life he'd always kept secret from everyone. Tonight that was going to change. Those that preyed on others and twisted the rules for their own benefit would learn the voiceless and defenseless now had a voice and a defender. This was the other side of the fight for truth and justice, a more hands on approach. Putting on a burst of speed he was on the rooftop in the next moment. One foot on the ledge, he gazed out over the city. Clark knew that once he stepped foot off this rooftop, everything was going to change. This part of his life, though, he felt he was ready for. His powerful legs tensed and then he lifted off the rooftop like no one had ever done before.
The morning papers would all have the same thing splashed across as a Headline: Superman appears in Metropolis!
Washington D.C.
One of the goals of every revolution is to wipe away the old ways, the traditional caste systems and hierarchies in society. The classless society is something so many modern societies pride themselves on. It's an illusion of course, but it's one people like to believe. Armies may not be around anymore to enforce this, but one only has to look to see the basic concept is alive and well.
If a velvet rope has ever stopped you while others were welcomed through it, you know. Some of these things are not like the other. Some places not everyone gets to enter. You can call them what you want, the elite, the famous, the powerful or the rich, but doors open up for them that that are closed to you. Private means different things depending on which side of the door you're on.
Washington D.C. is no different than any other city. Get all dressed up and try and get into any diplomatic function. See how well that goes for you without an invitation. Work for a political campaign, say a winning one and on election night you'll still be at the party downstairs while the one with the candidate in the suite upstairs is off limits.
Bob Dylan once sang, Money doesn't talk, it swears and Washington was a perfect example of this. Money buys you access, access gets you attention, attention gets you influence and influence gets you power. Power gets you passed that velvet rope, behind that door marked Private and into that party in the suite. It works this way in every capital no matter what the system or government. It can just be seen on a grander scale in Washington.
The party season was in full swing. Hippolyta had accepted several invitations for both Diana and herself to attend. This was for several very practical reasons. One was to get comfortable in this new world they found themselves in. At these parties they had the chance to meet the other diplomats in a less formal environment. While she was still trying to catch up with this world, her experience told her that people hadn't really changed that much. She had a feeling that once she understood the people involved the rest would take care of itself.
Another reason was so Diana could get her footing. In these controlled environments she could make her first steps into the wider world. Hippolyta knew her daughter was very intelligent and the more interaction she had the quicker she would adjust. Big things were still ahead of Diana, but like any mother, Hippolyta wanted to make it as smooth a transition as she could for her child.
Another reason was Steve Trevor. He was certainly a handsome, charming and charismatic man. It didn't take too much thought to see that he would turn many women's heads, especially if he were the first and only man they'd ever met. Hippolyta didn't want one of those heads he turned to be her daughter's. She knew coming right out and forbidding any contact between them wouldn't work. Diana may only be 18, but she was stubborn and headstrong. If you told her not to do something she would do it just to show you she didn't like being told not to. Hippolyta hadn't lived all these years without some guile of her own.
The whole concept of interacting with men was still uncomfortable for her, but Hippolyta knew it was part of this new role she had taken on. The thought of her daughter with a man she liked even less. Again, Hippolyta knew she needed to adapt to their situation. Trying to keep Diana away from men would only mean she would spend more time with Steve Trevor. If her daughter was interested in the male half of the species and Hippolyta suspected she was, that would only push her closer to him. That was definitely not what she wanted.
So if Hippolyta couldn't forbid it or keep Diana away from them, she decided she would take the alternative approach. She chose events where there would be lots of eligible men, many closer to Diana's age than Steve Trevor. Instead of limiting her chose to one, she would let her see there were many, many choices. In this way Hippolyta could minimize the more immediate threat of Steve, while keeping an eye out for any potential problems that might arise in the future. Silently she took a sip of her champagne and congratulated herself, even as she tried to listen to what the diplomat in front of her was saying.
Diana said hello to several people she had met at a previous party as she moved around the main room. She glanced over at her mother who seemed to be having a wonderful time. Diana knew exactly what Hippolyta was doing, but she went along with it because it served her purposes too. These parties were much more of a structured environment than the scene outside the embassy. Diana still hadn't given an interview and really had no intention of giving one any time soon.
She was anxious to get on with her role as champion, but wanted a chance to experience some of this new world before she did. Her preference would have been to just travel around, visiting different parts of the world and exploring, but their suddenly arrival in this world meant her face was now plastered everywhere. She couldn't just explore without constantly being recognized. If she had any illusions about this, their trip to Greece had shattered them. Instead of seeing the ancient treasures and ruins, they had been hounded by reporters and media at every turn. They became the worst kind of tourists, riding by the ancient wonders inside a bus.
If she hadn't been soured on the media before then, that experience had done if for Diana. Being champion, Diana knew she would be the center of attention whatever she did, but that didn't mean she had to participate in it. From the interviews she'd seen on the television at the embassy, Diana could only imagine surface, trivial questions she would get if she granted one. If someone, some reporter would really asked about things that mattered perhaps she would be more willing to participate. She hadn't encountered any like that yet.
Another part of it was that Diana still dealing with a bit of culture shock. She didn't have thousands of years of experience to fall back on like her mother. She was learning on the fly, playing catch up on so many fronts that it seemed to consume all her energy. That was one of the reasons she hadn't said anything about her mother's obvious plan to try and distance Diana from Steve. Another reason she didn't say anything was that Diana actually liked meeting other young men, especially those similar in age. She saw many of the same traits in them that she saw in Steve, only a little less developed because they had less experience. It made her feel like she was on a better footing with them.
The one thing she found surprising and a little amusing was how intimidated many men seemed to be around her. She did her best to be cordial to everyone, but many of them seemed to get tongue-tied or worse try and overcompensate when they were near her. She thought she saw some glimpses of what her older Amazon sisters described as the false bravado that plagued many of the male half of the species. That Diana was taller and stronger seemed to just add to this. Her looks, which the media seemed to obsess about, played a part in it too, Diana supposed. She wasn't overly vain, but she knew she as attractive. This seemed to be just another reason she was the subject of constant attention.
With each of these parties, Diana felt a little more confident. She managed to navigate her way through them successfully. She tried to be modest in her thinking, but she had to admit she was proud of herself for how well she was handling it all. Diana knew the bigger challenges were still waiting once she was outside this protective bubble, but she was eager to meet them.
The only dark cloud on all of it, was knowing her mother had outsmarted her to get her way. That annoyed Diana to no end. She wanted to fight back, but knew that would be counterproductive to her own goals and plans. Still it just irritated her that the mother had been able to pull it off.
Metropolis
As Clark entered the coffee shop he was meeting Jimmy in, he couldn't help overhearing the heated discussion already underway. It had been a week since he made his debut and every reporter wanted the first exclusive. So far he'd stopped and answered a few questions once his work was done, but that was just to get his message out. The press had dubbed him Superman and he'd tried correcting them, but it stuck. Some battles he knew he couldn't win, so he just accepted it and moved on.
It was good feeling like he was making a difference finally. Being 'Superman', he finally had an outlet to try and make the world a better place. He was starting small, just trying to do his part in Metropolis, but already he had dreams of helping on a grander scale. That would come, but right now he just wanted to focus on doing it right. He was only too aware of the dangers of trying to impose his ideas of what was right and wrong on other people. For someone with his abilities it would be so easy to slip into the role of a tyrant. That he was an alien and let everyone know it had already raised concerns. What the government or those in power thought of him didn't matter, but what the average ordinary people on the street thought did. Clark wanted them to understand he was on their side and fighting for them.
As he approached the table he saw Lois Lane and Cat Grant were in the thick of the small group. After their first meeting, he had to admit he liked both of them. They were completely different people, but they had both found something he was still looking for, their own voice. He had gone back and looked through their reporting to see what their style was like. While Lois was hard news and Cat was more infotainment, reading each article he could hear them coming through.
It still frustrated Clark that he couldn't seem to translate the information in a way that readers would know was distinctly his. The technical side of his job was showing good progress. The rough edges were gone and the basic facts flowed much better, but this only made him notice what it lacked even more.
"Clark, finally,' Jimmy said as Clark sat down. "Help me out here, buddy, which is more of a get, an interview with this Superman or Princess Diana of Themyscira?"
"It's Superman, Jimmy, I keep telling you that,' Lois interrupted. "He's right here in Metropolis and everyone wants to know more about him."
"The Princess is coming to a party in Metropolis next week,' Cat offered. "I'd still rather interview Superman one on one, though."
"That's just your hormones talking,' Jimmy fired back.
"Look who's talking,' Lois said with a laugh. "Jimmy, you practically droll over every picture of the Princess that comes out. I wouldn't be surprised if you're sporting a chubby just thinking of about her right now."
"Well …"
"Stop!" Lois shouted. "Do not deny or confirm that under any circumstances!"
Clark and Cat just laughed at the other two went back and forth. As he listened, Clark knew that this was the constant dynamic with this group. Lois was the go-getter, Jimmy was her foil and Cat switched sides depending on how the argument was going. Lois was a littler older, 26, than Clark or the other two and further along in her career. It didn't take a genius to see she was a rising star at the Daily Planet and if rumors were true, when Morgan Edge bought out the Planet, she would be a hot commodity at his communications conglomerate. The relationship between her and Jimmy was like an older sister and young brother constantly arguing but there was real affection between them. Cat wasn't as far along with her career, but she seemed to have a handle on where she wanted to go. In a short time she'd been able to carve out a niche for herself in the lighter side of the business.
"Jimmy, so help me, if you say you rubbed one out to her picture, I'm going to hit you,' Lois warned.
"Geez, for a woman with a boyfriend, Lois, you sure have my sex life on your mind a lot.' Jimmy teased back.
"Don't flatter yourself, junior, besides you're just trying to change the subject because you know I'm right,' Lois replied.
"See what I'm up again, Clark?" Jimmy said. "Tell her she's wrong, the Princess exclusive interview is way better than one with Superman."
"Hasn't this Superman already sort of done interviews?" Clark asked. "I saw he answered some of your questions the other night, didn't it, Lois?"
"That's not the same as having the first exclusive interview,' she quickly replied.
"Well, the Princess hasn't done any interviews, so that makes her the better catch!" Jimmy added. "Right, Clark?"
"I hadn't really been keeping up on it,' Clark admitted. "I read about them arriving and I get why that would be a great story, but she is just a Princess, right? She's an exiled one at that, so unless its about the new government forming on her home island, I don't see what would be so special about getting an interview with her."
The other three just looked at him for a moment with dumbfounded looks on their faces.
"What?"
"You haven't seen her, have you?" Jimmy asked.
"No, why?" Clark replied.
"That explains it,' Jimmy said with a nod.
"I have to go with Junior here,' Lois added. "Where are you from again, Clark?"
"Smallville."
"Never heard of it, but here in the big city the Princess is news,' Lois said. "Not as big as Superman, but she's big news."
"Everyone wants an interview with her,' Cat chimed in.
"I don't,' Clark replied. "I'm not that interested in an interview with Superman either. There are other stories that need telling that don't have celebrities in them."
"I wish I could convince my editor of that,' Cat lamented.
"Smallville? Really?" Lois offered, a confused look on her face. Before Clark could reply, his phone went off. It was the city editor, Morris at the Independent Star and he wanted to see Clark immediately. Clark made his excuses and headed towards the door. The argument just continued without him.
Clark reached the paper and saw that everyone was there. Morris nodded to him and then turned to a stylishly dressed older woman.
"I'm sure you know our publisher, Mrs. Eve Harrow,' Morris said. "She'd like to talk to all of you. Mrs. Harrow."
The older woman thanked Morris and then looked out over the collective group.
"I'm afraid I have some news about Henry Cameron,' she began. "He's had a heart attack."
A collective gasp went through the crowd, but Morris waved them quiet.
"Thankfully, it was a mild one.' Mrs. Harrow continued. "He will be back at his desk in no time, he and his doctors assure me. In the meantime, Mr. Morris will temporarily be taking over his duties. I hope you will all work to maintain the same standards of work until Henry can return. Thank you."
As Morris ushered Mrs. Harrow into Cameron's office, everyone began to speculate over the news. Clark found himself sitting down, as he stared at his hands. He'd been through this before on a much more personal level with Jonathan Kent. Hearing about Cameron just brought it all back. It reminded him of just how much he missed his adopted parents. He'd been so lucky they were the ones that found him. Much of the reason he was the young man he was today was because of them. The ideals he'd learned from them still guided much of what he wanted to do. They were gone and the news about Cameron just reminded him how fragile life really was.
Eddie Morris was a good man. He was deeply concerned about his boss, Henry Cameron and prayed he'd be all right. Eddie Morris was also an ambitious man. He hated the circumstances, but knew this was an opportunity for him. He had so many ideas on how to make the paper better and more modern, but Cameron had shot them all done. If he could use this brief time he was in charge to show that his ideas would work, Eddie was sure Cameron would be more open to his suggestions in the future. As crass as it was, he needed to strike while he had the chance.
"I know your thoughts are with Henry right now, Mrs. Harrow, but there is a paper to run,' he quietly said.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Mr. Morris,' she replied.
"Of course, ma'am, Eddie offered. "I know the paper is just keeping its head about water too, Mrs. Harrow. I don't want you to think I'm trying to take Henry's position, but I would like to offer you a few suggestions on how to increase circulation."
"Henry said you were a go-getter, Mr. Morris,' Mrs. Harrow said with a small smile.
"I'm only thinking of the paper, ma'am."
"Of course you are,' she replied. "All right, Mr. Morris, tell me your ideas."
"I know Henry's aversion to sensational stories,' Eddie started, but Mrs. Harrow cut him off.
"I share his aversion, Mr. Morris."
"Yes, ma'am, I understand, but I think a rare opportunity is coming up where a sensational story is also a legitimate news story. If we go after it, I know it would do wonders for the paper."
"What story is that, Mr. Morris?"
"Queen Hippolyta and her daughter, Princess Diana are going to be at an event here in Metropolis this weekend,' Eddie explained. "If we could get an interview with the Princess it would be circulation gold."
"It was my understanding the Princess doesn't do interviews,' Mrs. Harrow replied. "Besides, the event is a private function and the press hasn't been invited."
"But you have,' Eddie pointed out.
"Yes, I have."
"If your escort was someone that worked at the Independent, they would have an opportunity to try for an interview with the Princess."
"I've met most of the reporters that work for the paper, Mr. Morris,' Mrs. Harrow replied. "I seriously doubt you or any of them will change the Princess' mind. Besides, I'm not going to help you into a party where one of our reporters badgers the young woman."
"I'd never suggest that, Mrs. Harrow,' Eddie quickly clarified. "I'm just suggesting that if the opportunity arises and the Princess is willing, it would be perfect for the paper to have someone there."
"If you're thinking of yourself, Mr. Morris, my answer is no,' she replied. "I don't really like the sound of any of this to be frank."
"No, ma'am, as much as I'd like to be the one, I know I'm not exactly going to change the Princess's mind. I have someone else in mind. He's a new, young reporter, that incidentally Henry has quite the interested in."
"What is this young reporter's name, Mr. Morris?' Mrs. Harrow skeptically asked.
"Clark Kent."