"The Metropolis Story…"
Archived at the Buffy Rebecca verse, . You might want to take a gander at the Cicelyverse page to get a handle on the Cicely Addams material...
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...
Summary: Poet/Champion turned reporter/Champion (the vampire thing was involuntary) for the second least respectable news organization in Metropolis, William Soames Walthrop is assigned the job of uncovering the mysterious silence of a famed, deceased silent film star of the great film inspired by the greatest city on Earth. Both the other reporter/Champion and other reporter/seedy investigator of things mysterious in town hate his guts.
Part XII…
Lois' interest now having perked a bit…Silly as the notion of sending your hot ace reporter off on a puff piece about the dead star of an old…Silent for crying out loud?...Film seemed. I mean Nazis, escaping film star and Jewish husband…British and German spies…And what the heck is this Royal Council of Whatever, anyway? Never heard of them…
There might just be something here…Though it sounds rather like one of Kolchak's crazy stories…
On the other hand, many of my most recent and biggest scoops involve an alien in a cape who flies round as a self-appointed vigilante saving Humanity and battling a bizarre collection of evil misfits, madmen who aren't in advertising…At least most of them…Other aliens, including guys from his own world who seem to like pushing us around…And nasty corporate types with access to sci-fi weaponry. Not to mention my own recent experience which I'd prefer to forget except for the "scoop" potential…
Could there be more here than meets the eye?
Could it just be a way to get Walthrop out of the public eye for a bit?…Given the mayor, police commissioner, and the governor would, for their own reasons, prefer not to have him or Karl round for a bit, stirring up things. Clark's view, natch…
But while from another source I might accept it, natch from him…My temp "boss"…
As if…
…I choose not to.
At least for now and given being here does keep Walthrop from any more local Metropolis "scoops" over me…Er, us.
"So Mr…Giles?" she cut in, Giles eyeing her.
"Ms. Lane…" he nodded politely.
"Just what does your Royal Council do? And why were they connected with Brigitte Helm in the 1920s and 30s."
"We're quite a boring lot, really, Ms. Lane. Librarians and Antiquarians, Historians…No offense, ladies, Mr. Wells…" He smiled at the two young Slayers and Andrew. "But our expertise was useful in wartime. And Ms. Helm did some research for us, via contacts we had in Germany at the time, in the German film industry."
"Sounds interesting…What sort of 'research'?" she asked.
"Exactly the question we'd like an answer to…" William noted.
"Really? That's why you're here in England?" Lois, politely.
"That's it…" he nodded, slight wave of hands.
"So? If I'm not intruding and it's no great secret…?" she smiled to Giles.
"The British government was concerned about radical political movements at the time. Communist as well as Nazis and Fascists. Our Council had connections in Berlin and throughout Europe. Miss Helm was studying the Nazis for her role in 'Metropolis'…At least that's what I gather. Apparently Fritz Lang wanted her to model her evil rabble-rousing robot on none other than a crazed gutter politician he'd heard screaming about Berlin…A man who despite his wild, insane notions, had a following…Though it was diminishing in the 20s due to growing stability and prosperity in Weimar Germany."
"Hitler?" Lois, intrigued.
"Hitler." Giles nodded.
"And you have files on this? Letters?" she probed.
"We hope so…" William smiled at her, shrugging.
"I think so…Possibly some film as well." Giles noted.
"Film?" Lois…William…Dawn.
I hope I put them back in the file order…Andrew, nervously.
"She filmed Hitler at Lang's suggestion, to study his movements and speech patterns." Giles explained.
"The Nazis let her film him?" Dawn asked.
"In 1924-5 they were very down and out, Hitler had just been released from prison after his coup attempt failed. They were probably happy to think someone cared enough…Though I believe she paid for the privilege, or Lang did."
"Wow…" Dawn breathed.
"Yeah…It must have been dangerous." Lois noted.
"She fit their standards of 'Aryan' beauty and all that…I don't imagine they were too bothered by a beautiful young woman wanting to take some film of their rallies." Giles shrugged.
"Goebbels even put the moves on her later, when she fell under his thumb in the German movie business after the Nazi takeover in 1933." Andrew chimed in.
"That must've been lovely…" Dawn noted. Eehew…Barbara winced. Inga frowing.
"She dodged him pretty well…So I've heard." William said, explaining hastily. "And when it got too bad, she fled Germany."
"With her Jewish husband…" Andrew smiled. "Quite a lady she must've been."
"But she never spoke about her career or 'Metropolis' after that, right?" Dawn asked. "I read that. She refused all interviews and any job offers."
"She'd retired to raise her family in Switzerland." Giles shrugged. "The poor woman may have felt, given the time, that her past career wasn't quite respectable for a wife and mother, or perhaps she'd had enough excitement for a lifetime."
"I'd suspect that was it." William noted.
"Must've been quite a bit of excitement…" Lois, leaning back. "Yeah, I'll take a pint of whatever my friends here are having." To the waitress inquiring.
"It's not bad…" Karl nodded, downing the last of his own glass. "And I'll take another as well."
"So, it's the Hitler angle?" Lois, thoughtfully.
"Among other things…" William shrugged.
"Any chance I could tag along and see some of these files…?" Lois, eagerly. "I'd promise not to write them up."
"Don't you have an assignment with Kent?" Karl, maintaining his straightest face, as Margaret frowned at him.
"We've a few days…And who knows, this could tie in, in some way."
"What?" Karl, William…Staring at the bland face.
"I think it's ok to say…Clark and I are trying to get some background on the supposed 'aliens'…There's been claims they were here earlier. As a matter of fact, you hinted at that in a couple of your stories on them, William." She smiled at him.
"There were rumors. But not concerning England…"
"Oh, I mean Germany…Hitler era." She eyed the two fellow reporters.
"Aliens in Germany? You mean workin' with the Nazis? Or that the Nazis were aliens?" Dawn stared.
"That seems far-fetched…" Barbara noted. Inga nodding.
"Hard to say. Just some rumors." Lois smiled.
"Never heard anything to that effect…Will?" Karl eyed him.
"I seriously doubt Hitler was either an alien or possessed by one." William noted firmly.
"Neither do I…But he might have had contacts. In any case, we got our marchin' orders and have to run the lead down…" Lois shrugged.
"Well, if you're thinkin' that why we're here…" William began.
"I'd ask if I did." Lois smiled. "And I would be willing to reveal more about my sources, quid pro quo, if I could possibly have a look-see at those files, with your permission, Mr. Giles, of course. And of course, only in attendance with you and William, Karl."
"No problem for me…" Kolchak smiled. "I'm intrigued if you've got something more on the jellyfish things, especially if they were allied to the Nazis at some point…Will?"
"This is interesting…" Margaret, blinking.
"Fine by me, though I doubt you'll find anything of interest, Ms. Lane. Giles? Any problems?"
"Well, we do have a fairly strict security protocol…Given some of our items are very precious as historical artifacts and easily damaged." Giles hesitated, eyeing William who shrugged. "But if you'd be willing to follow our protocols and not handle anything without our permission or write anything about them without our clearance…" Giles shrugged.
"Great, when do we go?" she beamed. "I'll just need to let Clark know when and how long I'll be tied up."
"This afternoon, soon as we finish lunch." Giles smiled.
Hmmn…I guess I'd better return the twelve volume Codex on Slayer Lives I've been reading at home, Andrew thought. But I peruse strictly for training purposes, to better understand the Slayers in my charge, not for cheap Slayer gossip for my blog, naturally.
…
"Aliens? Nazis?" Holmes eyed the returned Bertha, now in barmaid's outfit, who'd dutifully brought his requested pint after passing the table where Walthrop and company had been in conversation with that reporter Lois Lane who somehow seemed to be well acquainted with the mysterious Kryptonian.
"Nothing to do with the Kryptonian, that I could hear. I had to be quick of course since I didn't want to give them any chance to recognize me or for Walthrop to sense me." Bertha noted.
"And in Germany? In the 1920s?"
"That's what they were saying, Holmes." Bertha taking seat, having resumed her former outfit.
Hmmn… "Curious. Of course, I have heard of the Helm woman, a much-feared Slayer as well as a very fine actress." Holmes nodded. "But Hitler, so far as I am aware, was strictly one of Humanity's monsters. And far more murderous than many of us."
"But it's why Walthrop is here, apparently…To learn more about this woman, this Slayer." Bertha shrugged.
"Again curious…Given he knew her." Holmes noted. "Though perhaps not so well as he knew Ms. Summers and the Cicely."
"It stands to reason…" Bertha began, halting at his stare. "Well, she was his wife, Holmes…By D'Hoffryn's account."
"Yes…The D'Hoffryn conspiracy with the Council of Watchers, circa 1880…A foolish and selfish maneuver, to obtain a Slayer for his harem of vengeance demons. Nonsense." Holmes frowned, tapping his pipe into an ashtray, then refilling from a pouch of tobacco pulled from his overcoat. "Well, your point, Bertha?"
"I just meant…He'd know his wife well."
"Not all that well, it seems." Holmes noted. "But as to Ms. Helm…Now I'm intrigued. The only other Slayer besides Summers Walthrop ever negotiated with… We may need to persue…Bertha?" he frowned at her slight smile… "No need to go to the gutter."
Bertha, repressing her smile at the "negotiated with"…
He and Summers certainly did "negotiate"…
"After all…As you just noted, she was/is his wife. Anything they did was sanctioned by the bonds of Matrimony." Holmes, rather sternly.
One should show one's mortal foes proper respect, even in this sordid modern world…
"Is it still legal?" Bertha stared.
…