A/N: Ok, so some of you get where I'm going with this, while others are
still confused. Don't worry, all will be revealed . . . maybe in this
chapter!
ON WITH THE STORY!
Chloe Sullivan sat in the airplane's large seat, barely able to contain her excitement. She had been a reporter for the Chicago-Sun Times for only 3 years, and here she was on one of the most important jobs appointed by the editor-in-chief himself. Her cell phone gave its happy ring, announcing that she had a phone call. Chloe dug in her purse and finally found it under her compact mirror at the bottom of the bag.
She hit the "Talk" button quickly, hoping the person hadn't already hung up.
"Chloe Sullivan here."
A male voice came on the other line, warm and kind. "Ms. Sullivan, this is Daniel Radcliffe."
Chloe immediately jumped to attention as she realized the editor-in-chief had made a personal phone call to her, without going through a secretary.
"Yes, Mr. Radcliffe. What can I do for you?"
The voice sounded like it was laughing at her. "I actually wanted to see how your flight is going."
Chloe was surprised. The editor-in-chief wanted to know how HER flight was going? "Everything is fine. The flight attendant told me that we'll land in about twenty minutes."
Mr. Radcliffe sounded pleased. "Good, good. Well, I must be going, so I will call you after you have landed."
Chloe spoke quickly before he hung up. "Are you sure you can't tell me who this hotshot reporter is that I'm supposed to convince to join the Chicago- Sun Times?"
He laughed. "I'll tell you when you are actually at the Daily Planet. I want this reporter to think that you are here on some other assignment. He is not to know what your final objective is."
Chloe tapped her fingers impatiently on the tray in front of her. "Yes, sir."
Mr. Radcliffe said, "There will be someone waiting for you from the Daily Planet. However, don't try to ask them about this assignment. They know no more than you do."
Chloe tried her best to sound polite. "I'll do my best, sir."
"I know you will." With that, Chloe heard a soft click, signaling that Mr. Radcliffe had hung up.
Chloe had given this assignment careful consideration. How do you befriend a reporter and convince them to leave their job and move to Chicago? Well, she was a reporter, a good one at that. Where there was a will, she would find a way.
Chloe leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She hadn't had more than three hours of sleep in the past two days; she had been scrambling around trying to get ready for this assignment. Well, it wouldn't hurt for a 5 minute catnap . . . Within seconds, she was fast asleep.
Chloe woke up to a flight attendant shaking her gently. "Excuse me, miss, the airplane has landed."
Chloe was instantly awake and felt very embarrassed. She was glad the she had kept her seatbelt on the entire time, or else she wouldn't have had it on while they landed.
She jumped up, making sure to collect all her stuff. Chloe walked off the plane, searching for the sign with her name on it. Sure enough, a young man of about 23 was holding a large sign with her name printed on it in messy block letters.
Chloe headed toward them. The man looked her way. "Chloe Sullivan?" At her nod, he visibly relaxed. "I was so afraid I had screwed something up and wrote down the wrong flight number, or time." He stuck his hand out companionably. "My name's James Olsen, but everyone calls me Jimmy. I'm your basic gofer around the Daily Planet, this being one of my jobs."
Chloe was struck by this man's friendliness. Were all people in Metropolis so nice? In Chicago, you felt like you were always being judged by your clothes, education, and background. They went to pick up her bags at the rotating luggage carrier, and then headed out to a beat up Oldsmobile. Chloe almost laughed. "Is this yours?"
Jimmy looked uncomfortable. "Well, being a gofer doesn't exactly pay well."
Chloe smiled. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
This seemed to put Jimmy more at ease, and they got into the car. Jimmy kept up a friendly chatter all the way to the Daily Planet.
He looked at her and said, "Did you want to go to your hotel first? My editor, Perry White, recommended that you tour around the Daily Planet first. You know, since you came here to gather information on our layout of the Daily Planet newsroom. Your editor said that he wanted to completely restructure the Chicago-Sun Times newsroom, and would like a few tips from us."
Chloe gave an uneasy smile. "Um, yes. I am gathering this information, aren't I? Going to the Daily Planet first is fine."
She thought to herself, "Mr. Radcliffe may be editor, but he gave me a cheesy cover story."
They arrived at the Daily Planet at last, and Chloe's first thought was "Wow!" This was said in a breathless whisper.
It seemed 5 stories tall, and there were so many people traveling in and out of its doors. The Chicago-Sun Times was big, but it had a totally different air to it. The Daily Planet seemed to resemble a living, breathing human being.
Jimmy saw her expression and laughed. "Busy, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you feel so . . . so alive?"
Chloe could only nod. Leaving the bags in the car, Jimmy led her through the huge revolving doors.
She followed him to the elevator, and he punched in the correct number to take them to the Daily Planet Newsroom.
The doors opened, and Chloe saw a very familiar face going past her. "Excuse me, do I know you?"
The woman turned, and Chloe saw the face of Lana Lang peering back at her. Lana's face registered surprise, then warmth as she said, "Chloe! What are you doing here?"
Chloe was about to reply, when her cell phone rang. Giving an apologetic look to Jimmy and Lana, she answered it. "Chloe Sullivan here."
Mr. Radcliffe said, "I figured you'd reached the Daily Planet by now."
Chloe nodded, then realized he wouldn't see her nod her head up and down on a cell phone. "Yes, sir, Jimmy Olsen came to pick me up."
Chloe was distracted by another familiar face heading towards her.
Mr. Radcliffe continued talking. "Well, this is your assignment. Convince a man by the name of . . ."
Chloe swallowed and said, "Clark Kent."
Mr. Radcliffe sounded confused. "How did you know?"
Chloe knew because he was standing in front of her at this very moment. She spoke quietly into the cell phone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Radcliffe, I'll have to get back to you on that."
She gently hung up the phone, and turned to her two friends that she hadn't seen in over eight years.
ON WITH THE STORY!
Chloe Sullivan sat in the airplane's large seat, barely able to contain her excitement. She had been a reporter for the Chicago-Sun Times for only 3 years, and here she was on one of the most important jobs appointed by the editor-in-chief himself. Her cell phone gave its happy ring, announcing that she had a phone call. Chloe dug in her purse and finally found it under her compact mirror at the bottom of the bag.
She hit the "Talk" button quickly, hoping the person hadn't already hung up.
"Chloe Sullivan here."
A male voice came on the other line, warm and kind. "Ms. Sullivan, this is Daniel Radcliffe."
Chloe immediately jumped to attention as she realized the editor-in-chief had made a personal phone call to her, without going through a secretary.
"Yes, Mr. Radcliffe. What can I do for you?"
The voice sounded like it was laughing at her. "I actually wanted to see how your flight is going."
Chloe was surprised. The editor-in-chief wanted to know how HER flight was going? "Everything is fine. The flight attendant told me that we'll land in about twenty minutes."
Mr. Radcliffe sounded pleased. "Good, good. Well, I must be going, so I will call you after you have landed."
Chloe spoke quickly before he hung up. "Are you sure you can't tell me who this hotshot reporter is that I'm supposed to convince to join the Chicago- Sun Times?"
He laughed. "I'll tell you when you are actually at the Daily Planet. I want this reporter to think that you are here on some other assignment. He is not to know what your final objective is."
Chloe tapped her fingers impatiently on the tray in front of her. "Yes, sir."
Mr. Radcliffe said, "There will be someone waiting for you from the Daily Planet. However, don't try to ask them about this assignment. They know no more than you do."
Chloe tried her best to sound polite. "I'll do my best, sir."
"I know you will." With that, Chloe heard a soft click, signaling that Mr. Radcliffe had hung up.
Chloe had given this assignment careful consideration. How do you befriend a reporter and convince them to leave their job and move to Chicago? Well, she was a reporter, a good one at that. Where there was a will, she would find a way.
Chloe leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She hadn't had more than three hours of sleep in the past two days; she had been scrambling around trying to get ready for this assignment. Well, it wouldn't hurt for a 5 minute catnap . . . Within seconds, she was fast asleep.
Chloe woke up to a flight attendant shaking her gently. "Excuse me, miss, the airplane has landed."
Chloe was instantly awake and felt very embarrassed. She was glad the she had kept her seatbelt on the entire time, or else she wouldn't have had it on while they landed.
She jumped up, making sure to collect all her stuff. Chloe walked off the plane, searching for the sign with her name on it. Sure enough, a young man of about 23 was holding a large sign with her name printed on it in messy block letters.
Chloe headed toward them. The man looked her way. "Chloe Sullivan?" At her nod, he visibly relaxed. "I was so afraid I had screwed something up and wrote down the wrong flight number, or time." He stuck his hand out companionably. "My name's James Olsen, but everyone calls me Jimmy. I'm your basic gofer around the Daily Planet, this being one of my jobs."
Chloe was struck by this man's friendliness. Were all people in Metropolis so nice? In Chicago, you felt like you were always being judged by your clothes, education, and background. They went to pick up her bags at the rotating luggage carrier, and then headed out to a beat up Oldsmobile. Chloe almost laughed. "Is this yours?"
Jimmy looked uncomfortable. "Well, being a gofer doesn't exactly pay well."
Chloe smiled. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
This seemed to put Jimmy more at ease, and they got into the car. Jimmy kept up a friendly chatter all the way to the Daily Planet.
He looked at her and said, "Did you want to go to your hotel first? My editor, Perry White, recommended that you tour around the Daily Planet first. You know, since you came here to gather information on our layout of the Daily Planet newsroom. Your editor said that he wanted to completely restructure the Chicago-Sun Times newsroom, and would like a few tips from us."
Chloe gave an uneasy smile. "Um, yes. I am gathering this information, aren't I? Going to the Daily Planet first is fine."
She thought to herself, "Mr. Radcliffe may be editor, but he gave me a cheesy cover story."
They arrived at the Daily Planet at last, and Chloe's first thought was "Wow!" This was said in a breathless whisper.
It seemed 5 stories tall, and there were so many people traveling in and out of its doors. The Chicago-Sun Times was big, but it had a totally different air to it. The Daily Planet seemed to resemble a living, breathing human being.
Jimmy saw her expression and laughed. "Busy, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you feel so . . . so alive?"
Chloe could only nod. Leaving the bags in the car, Jimmy led her through the huge revolving doors.
She followed him to the elevator, and he punched in the correct number to take them to the Daily Planet Newsroom.
The doors opened, and Chloe saw a very familiar face going past her. "Excuse me, do I know you?"
The woman turned, and Chloe saw the face of Lana Lang peering back at her. Lana's face registered surprise, then warmth as she said, "Chloe! What are you doing here?"
Chloe was about to reply, when her cell phone rang. Giving an apologetic look to Jimmy and Lana, she answered it. "Chloe Sullivan here."
Mr. Radcliffe said, "I figured you'd reached the Daily Planet by now."
Chloe nodded, then realized he wouldn't see her nod her head up and down on a cell phone. "Yes, sir, Jimmy Olsen came to pick me up."
Chloe was distracted by another familiar face heading towards her.
Mr. Radcliffe continued talking. "Well, this is your assignment. Convince a man by the name of . . ."
Chloe swallowed and said, "Clark Kent."
Mr. Radcliffe sounded confused. "How did you know?"
Chloe knew because he was standing in front of her at this very moment. She spoke quietly into the cell phone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Radcliffe, I'll have to get back to you on that."
She gently hung up the phone, and turned to her two friends that she hadn't seen in over eight years.