Epilogue
*** September 18 2001, 8 am ***
The day after Clark's departure, Perry White slowly made his way into his office. "I'm getting too old for this," he told himself.
It had been a very long week. After the first reports of the strikes on the Towers came though, he hardly left the office; as Editor, he had been needed to co-ordinate the Planet's coverage of the events. Even before the meeting with Clark, he had been exhausted. The discussion with Clark had been emotionally and physically taxing, and in hindsight, he knew that he should have handled the situation in a better way. He still was not sure that he ought to have accepted Clark's resignation. When all was said and done, Clark was an excellent reporter who would be hard to replace.
The subsequent interview with Lois had been equally trying. She, too, gave no excuses for Clark's absence, and she supported her husband's decision; but, it would be a long time before she forgave Perry for excluding her from the meeting between him and Clark.
Sighing, Perry booted up his computer and checked his email. He was surprised to see a message from the Kents' private address. Opening it up, he saw it was from Clark.
"Perry.
Once again, I thank you for your support over the years. I am sorry to have betrayed your trust in me. I could not leave without sending you one last story. Please do not put my byline on it. I have simply acted as a conduit to tell the story.
Clark"
The attachment was entitled *Perspectives from Ground Zero.* Succinctly written, with little excess emotion but great empathy, it contained interviews with numerous participants at the site, covering all viewpoints. There were comments from workers in the Towers, medics, firefighters, police, rescue co-ordinators, shocked bystanders and, finally, Superman and some of the other members of the JLA. It was a powerful piece, objectively written and one of the best articles that Clark had ever submitted. Perry was certain that the story would gain Clark the Kerth award, and possibly even the Pulitzer.
When he had finished reading, Perry slowly reviewed one of the closing paragraphs.
*When he left for New Krypton, Superman stated that every one of us has the capacity to be a hero. The events of September 11 have proven him right. It is not superhuman powers that define a hero; rather it is people's strength of character, their courage and self sacrifice, their willingness to give their all to help their fellow man. The people of New York have paid a terrible price, but have shown the true depth of their heroism.*
Sitting in silence, Perry was stunned. Once again, despite his contradictory behaviour, Kent had come through for the Planet. How did this obvious dedication to the paper add up with Clark's seemingly irresponsible behaviour over the last week? He replayed yesterday's confrontation, trying to find an answer to the question, picturing in his mind's eye the distressed young man's unsuccessful attempts to hide his emotions behind a mask of formality.
Why, if Clark felt that it was the right thing to do, hadn't he defended his decision to put aside his duties as a reporter and rush to New York to help? Why did he give Perry no justification for his actions? There was something about the situation that just didn't gel.
With a sigh, Perry set to work editing the story, all the while turning the problem over in his mind. He had overlooked Clark's odd comings and goings in the past due to the high standard of the stories Clark submitted, and the number of front page scoops he had obtained for the paper. The trouble was that this time Clark's absence had been too long and too public to ignore or gloss over. After all, Perry had a paper to run. He had responsibilities to the 'bean-counters' upstairs, not to mention the rest of the paper's staff. To let one person 'get away' with such blatant dereliction of duty would have a very adverse effect on staff morale and cause significant unrest.
No, the point had to be made that as a journalist and an employee, Clark had a responsibility to his employer. As Editor, Perry just could not overlook what was a serious breach of Clark's employment contract. If he simply refused to accept Clark's resignation and reinstated the reporter scot-free, Perry would not be doing *his* job. Whether Perry liked it or not, Clark had to accept a penalty for his actions. *Still*, there had to be a way to have the best of both worlds - the talented writer, and a dedicated, responsible workforce. He just had to find it!
Realizing that he had been staring blankly at his computer screen for some time, Perry put the finishing touches on Clark's story and sent it off for formatting. He continued to sit, pondering the conflicting nature of Clark's actions. If only Perry could be assured of Clark's dedication to his profession. As he sat there, Perry's gaze fell absently on a stack of old editions of the Planet, which were piled haphazardly on the corner of his desk. On top was the paper dated September 12, 2001. The front page of the first edition published after the fall of the Towers contained a photo of some of the rescue efforts then underway. Firemen joined with Superman and Green Lantern to pull a trapped policeman from the rubble. The photographer had done his job well. The impact of what each man had seen and experienced was apparent to the reader; even the usual stoic demeanour shown by the "superheroes" had slipped, their emotional turmoil clearly on display.
There was something about that photo that tugged at his consciousness... Perry bent forward and examined the picture more closely. The look of anguish on one of the faces was hauntingly familiar.... Where had he seen that look, and on that face, before? He was sure that it had been *very* recently.... He paused in thought....
Bolting upright and swearing to himself, Perry called himself three types of blind fool. As he sat there, an idea began to form. It might just work, and if it did, Perry could have his star reporter back, and Clark could have the flexibility he needed. Things wouldn't be as they had been, but... Perry grabbed the phone and dialed. It was answered on the third ring.
"Hello?!... Yes, I got the article - Excellent bit of writing... one of your best ever... as for this "no byline nonsense", your name is going on it!... Save your arguments - current employee or not, I'm still Editor of this newspaper and what I say goes!" Perry leaned forward in his chair as he spoke. "Son, I wish you had felt that you *could* tell me the reason why you disappeared like that, but I understand your difficulty... We're going to have a *long* talk about that later. Right now, though, let's talk about that damn fool resignation of yours. I'm *not* going to accept it..." Straightening in his chair, he held up his hand as he addressed the person on the other end of the line. "Now you just hold your horses, son, and listen to me! I've got the solution to the dilemma of balancing your *two* jobs... *Yes*, you heard me! Fulfilling your duty to both *planets*, Clark. Tell me, how do you feel about freelancing...?"
Concentrating on his phone call, Perry was unaware of a movement just outside his office. Lois, who had been listening at the door, smiled to herself and turned away. The price of her supporting Clark's resignation, the request he had to fulfil, was that one final story. Clark had not let her down. It was after all, a piece that he strongly wanted to write in tribute to the participants of September 11. In complying with Lois' request, Clark fulfilled, albeit in a slightly different way, his obligations to his "paid job." Lois had hoped that the story would be the catalyst to re- establishing Perry and Clark's professional and personal relationship, but the results far exceeded her expectations.
It seemed that Clark had finally found a way to balance being both Clark and Superman. Of course, there were still hurdles to overcome; it would take time and hard work for Clark to regain his co-workers' trust and respect. Perhaps the relationships that had been there before would never be completely reinstated. The journey had been costly, and would continue to be so. That was the price of being a hero, the price of satisfying the guiding principles Clark chose to follow. But in the end, if it meant that Clark could be true to himself and fully satisfy the joys and demands of both aspects of his life, it was a price worth paying.
The End
*** September 18 2001, 8 am ***
The day after Clark's departure, Perry White slowly made his way into his office. "I'm getting too old for this," he told himself.
It had been a very long week. After the first reports of the strikes on the Towers came though, he hardly left the office; as Editor, he had been needed to co-ordinate the Planet's coverage of the events. Even before the meeting with Clark, he had been exhausted. The discussion with Clark had been emotionally and physically taxing, and in hindsight, he knew that he should have handled the situation in a better way. He still was not sure that he ought to have accepted Clark's resignation. When all was said and done, Clark was an excellent reporter who would be hard to replace.
The subsequent interview with Lois had been equally trying. She, too, gave no excuses for Clark's absence, and she supported her husband's decision; but, it would be a long time before she forgave Perry for excluding her from the meeting between him and Clark.
Sighing, Perry booted up his computer and checked his email. He was surprised to see a message from the Kents' private address. Opening it up, he saw it was from Clark.
"Perry.
Once again, I thank you for your support over the years. I am sorry to have betrayed your trust in me. I could not leave without sending you one last story. Please do not put my byline on it. I have simply acted as a conduit to tell the story.
Clark"
The attachment was entitled *Perspectives from Ground Zero.* Succinctly written, with little excess emotion but great empathy, it contained interviews with numerous participants at the site, covering all viewpoints. There were comments from workers in the Towers, medics, firefighters, police, rescue co-ordinators, shocked bystanders and, finally, Superman and some of the other members of the JLA. It was a powerful piece, objectively written and one of the best articles that Clark had ever submitted. Perry was certain that the story would gain Clark the Kerth award, and possibly even the Pulitzer.
When he had finished reading, Perry slowly reviewed one of the closing paragraphs.
*When he left for New Krypton, Superman stated that every one of us has the capacity to be a hero. The events of September 11 have proven him right. It is not superhuman powers that define a hero; rather it is people's strength of character, their courage and self sacrifice, their willingness to give their all to help their fellow man. The people of New York have paid a terrible price, but have shown the true depth of their heroism.*
Sitting in silence, Perry was stunned. Once again, despite his contradictory behaviour, Kent had come through for the Planet. How did this obvious dedication to the paper add up with Clark's seemingly irresponsible behaviour over the last week? He replayed yesterday's confrontation, trying to find an answer to the question, picturing in his mind's eye the distressed young man's unsuccessful attempts to hide his emotions behind a mask of formality.
Why, if Clark felt that it was the right thing to do, hadn't he defended his decision to put aside his duties as a reporter and rush to New York to help? Why did he give Perry no justification for his actions? There was something about the situation that just didn't gel.
With a sigh, Perry set to work editing the story, all the while turning the problem over in his mind. He had overlooked Clark's odd comings and goings in the past due to the high standard of the stories Clark submitted, and the number of front page scoops he had obtained for the paper. The trouble was that this time Clark's absence had been too long and too public to ignore or gloss over. After all, Perry had a paper to run. He had responsibilities to the 'bean-counters' upstairs, not to mention the rest of the paper's staff. To let one person 'get away' with such blatant dereliction of duty would have a very adverse effect on staff morale and cause significant unrest.
No, the point had to be made that as a journalist and an employee, Clark had a responsibility to his employer. As Editor, Perry just could not overlook what was a serious breach of Clark's employment contract. If he simply refused to accept Clark's resignation and reinstated the reporter scot-free, Perry would not be doing *his* job. Whether Perry liked it or not, Clark had to accept a penalty for his actions. *Still*, there had to be a way to have the best of both worlds - the talented writer, and a dedicated, responsible workforce. He just had to find it!
Realizing that he had been staring blankly at his computer screen for some time, Perry put the finishing touches on Clark's story and sent it off for formatting. He continued to sit, pondering the conflicting nature of Clark's actions. If only Perry could be assured of Clark's dedication to his profession. As he sat there, Perry's gaze fell absently on a stack of old editions of the Planet, which were piled haphazardly on the corner of his desk. On top was the paper dated September 12, 2001. The front page of the first edition published after the fall of the Towers contained a photo of some of the rescue efforts then underway. Firemen joined with Superman and Green Lantern to pull a trapped policeman from the rubble. The photographer had done his job well. The impact of what each man had seen and experienced was apparent to the reader; even the usual stoic demeanour shown by the "superheroes" had slipped, their emotional turmoil clearly on display.
There was something about that photo that tugged at his consciousness... Perry bent forward and examined the picture more closely. The look of anguish on one of the faces was hauntingly familiar.... Where had he seen that look, and on that face, before? He was sure that it had been *very* recently.... He paused in thought....
Bolting upright and swearing to himself, Perry called himself three types of blind fool. As he sat there, an idea began to form. It might just work, and if it did, Perry could have his star reporter back, and Clark could have the flexibility he needed. Things wouldn't be as they had been, but... Perry grabbed the phone and dialed. It was answered on the third ring.
"Hello?!... Yes, I got the article - Excellent bit of writing... one of your best ever... as for this "no byline nonsense", your name is going on it!... Save your arguments - current employee or not, I'm still Editor of this newspaper and what I say goes!" Perry leaned forward in his chair as he spoke. "Son, I wish you had felt that you *could* tell me the reason why you disappeared like that, but I understand your difficulty... We're going to have a *long* talk about that later. Right now, though, let's talk about that damn fool resignation of yours. I'm *not* going to accept it..." Straightening in his chair, he held up his hand as he addressed the person on the other end of the line. "Now you just hold your horses, son, and listen to me! I've got the solution to the dilemma of balancing your *two* jobs... *Yes*, you heard me! Fulfilling your duty to both *planets*, Clark. Tell me, how do you feel about freelancing...?"
Concentrating on his phone call, Perry was unaware of a movement just outside his office. Lois, who had been listening at the door, smiled to herself and turned away. The price of her supporting Clark's resignation, the request he had to fulfil, was that one final story. Clark had not let her down. It was after all, a piece that he strongly wanted to write in tribute to the participants of September 11. In complying with Lois' request, Clark fulfilled, albeit in a slightly different way, his obligations to his "paid job." Lois had hoped that the story would be the catalyst to re- establishing Perry and Clark's professional and personal relationship, but the results far exceeded her expectations.
It seemed that Clark had finally found a way to balance being both Clark and Superman. Of course, there were still hurdles to overcome; it would take time and hard work for Clark to regain his co-workers' trust and respect. Perhaps the relationships that had been there before would never be completely reinstated. The journey had been costly, and would continue to be so. That was the price of being a hero, the price of satisfying the guiding principles Clark chose to follow. But in the end, if it meant that Clark could be true to himself and fully satisfy the joys and demands of both aspects of his life, it was a price worth paying.
The End