Sparks Fly

A DC fanfiction by Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan-based work of prose. Superman, Livewire, Batman and all other characters and worlds are the property of Warner Brothers and DC Comics. Please support the official release.


Leslie was reviewing the Daily Planet's website in her office. Kent had written an in-depth article on S.T.A.R. Labs working with Superman and using his spaceship to research things in space. Despite her not really having that much interest in such subjects, Clark's writing really caught her attention and kept her engaged throughout the entire text.

The detail he put into it, the passion… It was like you were right there with him.

The door opened, and Lenny walked in. "Hey, Leslie! Babe!"

"Lenny," Leslie acknowledged, her eyes still on the article. Lenny hummed awkwardly, and tapped his fingers on the desk.

"You're spending a lot of time on keeping up with this Kent guy, you know?" Lenny interjected, as Leslie finished the article. She looked up, her eyes narrowed.

"And?" She asked dangerously. "Your point is?"

Lenny gulped, and rubbed his balding head nervously. "W-Well… I mean, is this… A professional interest? Or…?"

"It's none of your business, that's what," Leslie growled. Lenny shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. He was leaning against the desk, looking thoughtful. Or at least trying, it was Lenny after all.

"Well, I'm just saying, if you want some paparazzi attention-"

Leslie glared angrily at Lenny. "I don't," she stated. Lenny immediately stopped leaning against the desk, and held his hands up in appeasement.

"Okay! Okay, works for me," he said quickly. "Whatever you want, babe."

Leslie turned back to her computer, and hummed. "Anyway, what's the next event for today?" She asked. Lenny checked his phone.

"Ah… We're going to be at the street festival on Siegel street," he said. Leslie nodded, and slowly rose up. She pulled on her leather jacket.

"Let's get going then," she stated.

She led the way, letting Lenny keep up like the annoying yappy dog he was. He kept up an annoying commentary the whole time, one she worked to ignore in the limo. At last they made it to the street festival: The main thoroughfare in Metropolis, absolutely filled with booths, food trucks and people of every kind just enjoying the warm weather.

With a few bodyguards, she made it through the crowds to her booth, and set up. The din of the crowds was muted as she donned her headphones. She started up.

"Hello Metropolis, this is Livewire: Coming to you live from the Spring Break Street Festival on Siegel Street! The beating heart of the city that's a shock to your system!" She leaned back, smirking a bit as she got into her groove. "And first up: The new Big Blue Boyscout in town has been at it again. Lois Lane sure has a way of getting the scoop on the resident alien fast, doesn't she? She does have a thing for powerful men: Maybe she just wanted one with hair."

Oh that was cruel, but it felt good to say it. Not that she hadn't been saying similar things lately. She took a deep breath… And then the entire street shook, like an earthquake erupting underneath their feet. Leslie was sent to the ground, as people screamed and ran in a panicked rush. She pulled herself to her feet, as Lenny cowered under the desk.

She looked up: The First Bank of Metropolis was across the boulevard. The doors had been ripped apart. A tall, built pink and purple man flew out of it, carrying an armored car. He was cackling loudly as he flew by, thousands of dollars raining from the car's open doors onto the shrieking multitudes.

A few cops took gunshots at him, and he turned. His eyes flashed with red light, and the street erupted into a fiery explosion. Leslie fell again, slamming into the pavement. The demonic being flew away into the sky, his laughter fading away into nothing. Leaving only chaos and screams.

Leslie adjusted her headset, breathing hard. "Ladies and gentlemen… Of Metropolis… I think we have a problem…"


Yeah. It was a major problem. Some purple guy calling himself the Parasite claimed to have stolen Superman's powers, and was now running amok with them. Superman was missing, and that seemed to back up the Parasite's claims. The city was panicking, desperate to find Superman.

Yet there was something everyone seemed to overlook. Or rather, someone.

"So yeah, everyone," Leslie said over the radio back in Swan tower, leaning back a bit in her chair, "if you thought things were already weird, well… You were dead wrong. Superpowered aliens fighting bizarre mutants? Did the universe suddenly turn into a shonen anime? Soon we'll have aliens flying down to gather our dragonballs. If we have any-We might. Who knows?"

She began tapping her pencil against the desk hard. She sucked in a deep breath.

"Also, it figures that with the city running around like a chicken with its head cut off over Big Blue missing, they forgot non-superpowered people. One Clark Kent, that nerdy news reporter from the Daily Planet, has gone missing. Don't see anyone looking for that guy, do you? I don't," Leslie snorted. "Maybe he should have had superpowers for the city to care. Then again they do have their hands full with Parasite. What the hell kind of name is that for a bad guy? Might as well call yourself the Leech or the Mosquito."

The phone console lit up. She reached out and answered.

"Caller, you're on the air," Leslie said.

"Livewire, what makes you think some reporter is more important than some guy who has literally stolen the powers of the most powerful being on the planet?" The woman demanded. "That freak was some S.T.A.R. Labs flunkie, and he got turned into that monster! He could destroy the world!"

Leslie snorted. "So far the guy's being more of a pest than a straight up destroyer of worlds. A guy who calls himself the Parasite doesn't seem very ambitious. The fact he's just robbing banks and art and other typical 'supervillain' stuff means he doesn't really get what he has." Leslie said. The caller sputtered.

"But-But Superman! Without him, how will we survive?!"

"The human race has done pretty well without him up till now," Leslie argued. "You think we need a big blue super babysitter? That we're a bunch of ants in a bottle for him to take care of?"

"That's not how he sees us!" The caller argued. Leslie smirked.

"Oh? So what, you know him personally?"

"Well, I-no! But I know he's not a monster! Not like this guy!"

"Well, he sure looks like a monster," Leslie admitted. "A giant Purple People Eater. Apparently he was some low level janitor or something at S.T.A.R. Labs. You'd think a guy around the latest cutting edge technology in the world would have more ambitions than…"

Her voice trailed off as her thoughts went into overdrive.

Clark Kent was close with S.T.A.R. Labs. The Parasite guy, Rudy Jones, was a janitor at S.T.A.R. Labs who would know everywhere to hide… If he stole Superman's powers, he'd keep Superman somewhere, locked up…

"He's some kind of freak and monster who will devour us all! And nobody's going to stop him! He's bulletproof after all! What are we going to do? What are we going to do?! He might declare himself the Super Pope or something-!"

"Yeah, that's great lady," Leslie stated. "Well, that's all for today's show-Metropolis is still in the grips of a purple monster and we'll all have to pull through this-Together!" She pulled her headset off and set it down. She turned off the mike. She headed for the door, even as Lenny rose up to try and get in her way.

"Leslie, what are you doing?!" He cried. "We've still got an hour to-!"

"If I don't come back in two hours, call the police and tell them to get to S.T.A.R. Labs," she ordered. Lenny's eyes bugged out.

"Wha-?"

"JUST DO IT!" Leslie shouted, grabbing her jacket and running for the elevator. Okay, it was a long shot but… If Superman was being held prisoner at S.T.A.R. Labs, she could get him out. And if he was out, he could find Clark Kent.

It was crazy, sure. But it looked like until the Big Blue Boyscout was back in the spotlight, her… reporter friend was going to still be missing.


To be continued, naturally...