DAWWWWWWWWW! Thanks for all the kind reviews. I've decided to bring in a fellow caped crusader. Hope you enjoy!
"So, what does this mean for Chloe Sullivan?" Lois asked. They were both walking back to The Planet, having ended their lunch. Chloe had been rather weary of walking back since walking there had left her with a migraine but Lois had insisted, tugging her into the current of Metropolis' sidewalk.
"You need to learn how to control all this unless you want to end up like some bad smelling hermit." She had quipped, grabbing Chloe's arm and pulling her close. Chloe smiled at her cousin's strength, which unknown to Lois, was slowly trickling into Chloe, causing her to swipe away the cobwebs that covered her confidence. She stood straighter, more a sure of herself as she walked down the streets of Metropolis.
"What do you mean?" She asked, turning her head to Lois.
"I mean do you plan on helping people?" She said slowly. "You know, using your ability for the good of mankind!" She said with a nice fist pump. Chloe let out a trickle of laughter at her cousin's determined face.
"I never actually thought about what I would do..." Chloe answered, mulling over the question as she weaved in and out of bodies. Her vision was brighten by the aura's of the people she passed, her vision blotted by every color possible. Emotions brushed by her like a wind's kiss against her skin, a fleeting feeling only to be replaced by another and another. As hard as it was to admit, it scared her. In high school she would have jumped for this opportunity but that was years ago, when she had been ignorant of the world outside Smallville. Chloe had seen the dangers of the world. Lost people she loved over it. Down to the point, Chloe Sullivan was scared.
"It's scary to have this ability..." She started then stop, losing her train of thought as her body bumped up against someone.
"Isn't that trade-mark hero complex?" Lois said. She saw her cousin's confused look and explained further.
"Take The Blur, for example." She said with a smile while Chloe gave a hidden eye-roll.
"He has all these wonderful abilities, strong abilities and while other people would take advantage of these abilities, use them for evil and what not, The Blur doesn't. Can you imagine the fear he must carry? He didn't know how we were going to react? We could have easily thrown everything back into his face. Hated him for being different. Feared him for he could do." Lois didn't stop for a moment as she pulled Chloe into the revolving doors and into The Planet's lobby.
"But he does it anyway because he knows that's what we need. A hero. A selfless person with amazing abilities to help the world."
Chloe gazed at her cousin, "Wow. He's really gotten to you..."
Lois bit her lip, "What?" She scoffed.
"Never mind." Chloe said with a shake of her head.
"LANE!" Came a sharp voice behind them. With a roll of her eyes, Lois spun around to the voice.
"What?" She said sharply to the short pudgy man that came down the stairs.
"Editor wants to see you." He said mischievously, an evil little glint in his beady little eyes. He passed by them but not before checking out Lois and Chloe.
"I swear, they get eviler every day." Lois remarked.
"Tess wants to talk to you?" Chloe asked as she followed Lois down to her desk.
"No. It seems Tess is to hoity-toity for editor of The Daily Planet so she's hired another editor to run this place for her."
"Where is she anyways?" Chloe asked, discomforted by the inkling of worry scratching at the back of her head.
"Hell if I know and hell if I care. I haven't seen her since our little wrestling match." She said, glancing around. "So you going back home?"
"Yeah. Can I borrow your phone to call Oliver...or Clark?"
Lois fished around in her purse, pulling out her keys finally and handing them to Chloe.
"Just take my car."
Chloe glanced at the keys, "Then how are you getting home?"
Lois shrugged, "I'll get a ride from Clark."
"Where is he?"
"I actually have no idea. It's fine, really." She said with a wave of her hand. "Go. Sleep."
Chloe nodded and gave her cousin a tight hug before leaving. Lois took a deep sigh. As she walked over to the elevator, she readjusted her blouse and fixed her hair all before the ping of the elevator.
Where are you, Smallville?
*****************
Clark stared over at Oliver, who stared back at him just as hard. Clark hated the way that his stomach dropped at the mention of the youngest Luthor's name. After everything Lex had put him through, Clark realized that the feeling that scratched beneath the surface of kindness given to him by loving parents, was hate.
"I thought Lex was out of the picture." He said slowly.
Oliver ran his hands over his face, breathing out as he flung his hands up in a shrug. "So did I, Clark but we all know that we should never underestimate someone like Lex. Guy's like cat. Obviously he still has a couple of lives beneath that bald head of his."
"What came up with this thought?" Dinah called out.
Oliver gave her a side glance before standing up and walking out before the desk. He leaned against, crossing his arms.
"I have a source."
Clark still stared at Oliver, "Who?"
"I can't say."
"Then how do you know if this source is correct."
"Because they've been following Lex longer then I have."
Clark turned his head to the side in frustration. He never accepted in the way that Oliver dealt with his grief over finding out that Lionel had something to do with the death of his parents, killing Lex but as much as Clark hated to admit, he had felt some inkling of relief. Like Lex's death meant that he could close that chapter of his life.
"So what's been happening that would make you believe Lex is behind it?" Bart asked in a small voice. No matter how fast he was, even he couldn't run from the slight shiver that crawled down his back as he remembered what Lex had done to him.
Oliver gladly jumped to the opportunity to explain since he too had been thinking about all that Lex had done to him. The fallen spiral that depression had sent him too where it seemed revenge against the Luthor's was the only solace he could find but Oliver had been wrong. It just made things worst. He had come to the conclusion that that's what the Luthor's did best...made things worst.
"Small incidents have been popping up all over the world. Beijing, California, even as close as Gotham." He said handing out files to Clark, Dinah and Bart.
"Nuclear weapons stolen, scientists missing...this doesn't seem small, Oliver." Dinah said, reading the file out loud.
"Yeah well it's not like bombs, just suits." Oliver said.
"Suits?" Clark asked, flipping his file open and scanning the words. "Wait...it says Metropolis Museum was hit." His eyes widen as he continued to read. "They stole Kryptonite!"
"Okay, maybe small wasn't the right word to use." Oliver shrugged.
"Can we go back to the suits?" Bart asked, greatly interested as he opened up a full length diagram.
"They're a new synthetic suit created for the army by Wayne Enterprises. If what the diagrams say is true these suits are completely indestructible. Nothing could harm the wearer. Lex was working on a similar model."
Clark lifted his head slowly, his thoughts going back...to her. "Prometheus."
"Yeah." Oliver said softly, glancing at Clark, who gave a small nod before looking back to the file but not before Oliver saw the small flicker of pain cross his face.
"Wayne Enterprises? Bruce Wayne's company, right?" Dinah said, pushing herself off the staircase.
"Hey, that's in Gotham! Where The Batman is!" Bart explained with a wide fan boy grin. "Dudes, have you seen that ride. Man, if I didn't run fast..." He said with a mad glint in his eyes.
"Oh yeah. The Batman." Dinah said from the big stain glass window she had been gazing at. Her voice had now taken a very raspy tone to it which drew very curious looks from the men, who gawked at her lopsided smile as she thought about Gotham's hero. Noticing the silence, she turned her around, her smile faltering.
"What?"
"Okay, so what's Lex planning?" Clark pondered out loud.
"Something not muy bueno." Bart answered the grin falling off his face as the reality of their discovery set back in.
"I've decided one of use needs to head over to Gotham to talk to Mr. Wayne more thoroughly on his wonder suits." Oliver said as he looked over at Clark. "How about it, Clark?"
Clark's eyes widened in surprise, "Why me?"
Oliver gave him a cheeky grin, "Because you were going there anyways."
Lois took one deep breath before entering the office of her new editor.
"Ah, you must be Miss. Lane." He looked up from his files, the sun rays making his head of white hair shine brightly.
"Lois. Just Lois, Mr..." She said, walking over and offering a a hand.
He accepted, standing up to better shake her hand, "Perry White." He gave her cheerful smile.
"You seem too nice of man to be stuck beneath the claws of Tess Mercer."
He gave a heartfelt laugh, sitting down into his seat and placing his hands on his round belly.
"Now hear me, Miss. Lane," He held up his hand as she was about to protest on being called Miss. Lane. "I owe no allegiance to no one but The Daily Planet. Tess may think she's got me on a leash but she's got another thing going for her." He said with a stern look that made Lois smile in small respect to this man.
"I like you already."
"Good because I'm assigning you story and if I like it, I might just move you up the totem pole and if I don't...well, something tells me that shouldn't happen."
Lois perked up in interest. "A story?"
"Yes. Do you know about Mr. Bruce Wayne?"
"Who hasn't heard about the orphaned Wayne who's built up his father's company into one of the biggest consumers in the world."
"Well, Mr. Wayne holds an annual charity ball each year. Supposed to be one of the most exclusive parties ever. You're going, Lane."
Lois smiled, "Pardon me for asking but if it's so exclusive, how am I going to get in?"
Perry grinned and handed Lois a white envelope, that contained a pair of ivory tickets stamped in fine gold lettering. She fingered them softly as she slowly traced the imprints of the letters that gleamed when she tilted them to the side.
"No one can ever get a good interview with Mr. Wayne. He's one private man but you, you are going to get me an in depth interview on Gotham's most eligible bachelor."
Lois bite her lip as she glanced up from the tickets to Perry, her hazel eyes brightening.
"You got it."
"Good. Make sure Kent picks up a suit." He said.
Lois almost pitched forward in shock. "Kent?"
"Yes, Lane. That's why I gave you two tickets."
"You want me to take Clark Kent along on my story?" She said in disbelief.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that you and Kent are now partners?" He said in mock surprise. "My bad."
"Don't get me wrong, Perry. Smallville's a good reporter and we have worked on stories in the past but I work better alone."
"I get that but I've looked at your past articles and while they have been good, it's nothing compared to what you write when you and Clark share a byline."
"That's a little insulting."
"Didn't mean for it to be. Plus you need a date."
Lois fidgeted.
"Listen Lane. Either you take Clark or I can give this story to someone else."
Lois pulled the tickets closer to her body, "No." She grumbled. With a huge sigh that made her bangs fly up, she shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. I'll take Clark." She agreed slowly, pushing the words out between her teeth. It wasn't that she didn't wantto spend time with Clark, she did, but Lois also wanted to make a name for herself at The Daily Planet and when she had daydreamed about major headlines, Clark Kent had not been next to her name in bold letters.
"Good. You leave in two days. Arrangements have been made with Queen Industries to set you up with a plane and hotel. I expect my interview, Lane."
"Yes, sir." Lois forced a smile and began to walk out.
"Lois, " Perry said. He waited for Lois to turn around. "You may not agree with it now but one day you'll realize that Lois Lane and Clark Kent make a good team."
She gave him a confused smile, which still lingered on her face as she walked back to her desk. It was still there as she picked up her phone to call her new partner. While one part of her groaned at the idea, Lois couldn't help but relish in the other part that warmed to the idea of her and Clark as partners.