Chapter 6

Metropolis

May 25, 2042

The sun had set in Metropolis as Elle banked and turned unseen through the early evening skies. She viewed the activity below that appeared far different than she had seen the last time she returned to this time and different from the time she had left. The city looked brighter, busier and more alive than she ever recalled it being. Light vehicle traffic wound through the city to the sounds of street musicians and the occasional car horns. People crowded the sidewalks moving in unpredictable patterns and disappearing in random doorways.

Elle hovered, listening to the sounds of the city. There was laughter, light conversations, serious discussions and the occasional courtesies arising from too many people crowding the streets and periodically colliding with one another. There were no sounds of anger or strife; just the sounds of a content populace going about its business of living their lives. She smiled and a thought came to her.

Acting on that thought, she flew slowly over the area she knew as Suicide Slums. The sight amazed her. Gone were the ramshackle tenements and dilapidated apartment complexes. Gone were the hulks of abandoned cars, stripped of their usable parts and rusting in treacherous alleyways. The urban blight of unused space covered with broken asphalt and weeds had disappeared. Graffiti had been replaced by pleasant-colored paint on newer, modern buildings. The city had reclaimed Suicide Slums, razed the old 30 square block area and in its place stood fresh apartments with terraces and courtyards in which occupants mingled, grilled food, and ate at picnic tables. Small groceries, casual restaurants and specialty stores filled the gaps between the urban living edifices, making the old Suicide Slums a desirable address for young singles and families.

She landed in a darkened parking area behind an Italian bistro with café tables on the sidewalk out front. Pulling her hair back into a bun and donning glasses, she walked out onto the street to experience the change. She stepped from the parking lot entrance onto the sidewalk and stood, admiring the transformation that had occurred.

She felt a nudge from behind her and turned to see a small boy walking with his parents. "Say 'Excuse me'," the mother said as she took her child by the hand. The man apologized for his son as the boy stared at the face of the striking woman in glasses. Elle smiled as the young family continued on and she moved closer to the wall of a woman's clothing store.

Unlike the unnaturally ordered existence she had last seen, the street was dotted with people coming and going in an area that no one would have purposely stepped foot in when she grew up. Couples holding hands and stopping to window shop along the way to or from dinner was a sight that she believed Suicide Slums had never held before. Elle was growing increasingly certain that this was the future her mother had learned of on the night of her birth.

Among the din of traffic, street music and conversation, the one thing she suddenly realized that she had not heard since she returned was a siren. Not a police, ambulance or fire rescue vehicle had sounded its siren since she returned. Growing up, a siren could be heard in Metropolis at least once an hour and often more frequently. She had been back for nearly thirty minutes and had not yet heard one.

She began walking back to the parking lot into which she had descended and encountered people leaving the restaurant for their cars. She lingered a bit until they had departed, then removed her glasses and let down her hair. She rocketed up into the sky and headed for the terrace apartment of her parents. Lest she be disappointed again, Elle changed her destination, banked and flew to the Daily Planet, swooping into an underground public parking area a few blocks away. She emerged with hair pulled back and glasses on, walking quickly to the Daily Planet building.

Entering the revolving doors, she found the lobby vacant. The bank of elevators required an access card and instead, she strolled about the lobby that had become a museum of sorts for the greatest newspaper on the planet.

Old manual typewriters and stubby used pencils with pocket notebooks were displayed next to aging black and white photographs of the Daily Planet bullpen from the late 1950s, followed by old IBM electric typewriters and photos from the 1960s and 1970s.

She saw old articles written by her mother and father among the many that were on display in the first decade of 2000. Prominently displayed in one of the many glass display cases was the article titled, "I Spent the Night with Superman"; the article in which her mother revealed to the world his origins and renamed him from 'The Blur' to 'Superman'.

There were framed pictures within the display cases showing members of the Daily Planet staff receiving prestigious literary awards and Pulitzers, including those of her mother and father. An article penned by Clark Kent caught her eye. It was beneath a headline that read, "Luthor Arrested For Murder". The article was dated August 10, 2021.

The next display case contained old computers, cellular telephones and laptops set among other front pages from the Daily Planet. One of the headlines that caught her eye proclaimed "Ross Wins Re-Election in Landslide". A photo on another front page credited to Jimmy Olsen showed her mother and father among the guests in the receiving line at the Inaugural reception in which Pete and Lana Ross greeted guests at the White House. The article was dated January 20, 2026; twenty months before her mother was killed in her lifetime.

A wave of relief passed over Elle as she proceeded over to the next display case. Articles and newer iPads and iPhones lay among the papers and photos. "Justice League Saves the Day" proclaimed a headline dated March 4th, 2032. The article was penned by Lois Lane and Clark Kent. The next paper's headline read, "Dow Jones tops 40,000" with photos from inside the New York Stock Exchange. More framed photos rested inside the display case and Elle caught glimpses of her mother and father among those in the pictures. The final newspaper in the final display case trumpeted the completion of the restoration of the downtown area previously known as Suicide Slums. The article was written by her father, dated September 12, 2039.

On the wall above the array of display cases were photos of past Daily Planet editors aligned chronologically with the decades represented in each of the display cases. At the very end was a photo of her mother. Below was a small brass plate reading, "Lois Lane-Kent, Editor in Chief" with the years listed as "2040 - ".

Mom is the Editor of the Daily Planet? Then she's alive!, she realized. A broad smile crossed her face and she dashed out of the lobby and blurred through the streets of Metropolis faster than she ever recalled running. Upon reaching the apartment building she paused to check for onlookers and finding none, Elle launched herself onto the garden terrace of the Kent family apartment.

July 21, 2021

Outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada

Night had fallen hours before but the absence of sunlight did not seem to temper the heat. It was in the mid-90's and dry when J'onn ordered the team into position surrounding a sizable industrial park that had been purchased by one of Bruno Mannheim's lieutenants almost ten months earlier. They watched from low rock outcroppings as vehicles exited an industrial park and disappeared in the direction of the bright lights of Las Vegas. Those vehicles were later replaced by a procession of limousines and luxury sedans that made their way into the recently vacated parking lot outside a warehouse resting at the back of the facility. Over the span of four hours, clients were shuttled in piecemeal fashion to avoid raising suspicion. Mannheim had developed the process of shuttling special clients into the desert; only a handful in the first hour of nightfall and then gradually increasing in numbers.

The presence of average vehicles implied that others also attended the events held at the industrial park-turned-arena. Bruce Wayne and Hal Jordan had spent the last three weeks learning the procedures used to assemble special clientele, aided by Diana and Shayera working from the inside of Granny's home for unwed mothers.

In reality, none of the women in Granny Goodness' home were mothers; most were young prostitutes that had been recruited by Mannheim's crime syndicate to learn martial arts and exotic conjugal skills with the promise of untold fortune for those who excelled. A cadre of exceptional female fighters rotated through the training grounds, possessing seemingly inhuman skills that surpassed those of the recruits. Those who lacked ability in either category ended up stripped of all memories of Granny's home and deposited on the streets of large urban cities around the country. Those who excelled in conjugal skills remained as 'hostesses' during fight nights.

Men of wealth and power from around the world had secretly visited the non-descript warehouse for nearly four months; beginning with a handful of industrialists and magnates from Europe and the Middle East. By word of mouth, the clientele had grown to nearly 150 for the Wednesday night event.

Four nights each week the arena featured two hours of female mixed martial arts bouts, preceded by a hospitality period in which the conjugally-gifted 'mothers' served as hostesses; mingling with the clientele and earning 'their keep'. Wednesday nights were special however. After regular bouts that began at 9 PM, special bouts had been scheduled. Those special bouts featured Furies fighting the most gifted recruits in three one-minute rounds and most often ended quickly with the recruit face-down in the arena with severe injuries or brain-damaged. The handful of recruits that lasted the three rounds became Granny's 'elite team'.

The Las Vegas Boxing Commission had sanctioned the fight club, aided in large part by the influence Mannheim's syndicate. The Wednesday night 'Specials' however had never been revealed to the Commission; hence the need for secrecy. At the conclusion of the two-hour fights, the arena was emptied as usual and the club was vacated by all but a few VIPs that had arrived early. VIPs were always shuttled into adjacent facilities within the industrial park by way of underground passageways that led to 'hospitality rooms' where alcohol and hostesses awaited. There they spent the next two hours as all signs of activity ceased before the special events.

Two women, Dina Prater and Shana Howard had quickly become standouts among the recruits and Granny was anxious to pit them against her lesser Furies. Demonstrating advanced martial arts skills upon their arrival at the home, Granny promoted them to her elite team within ten days of becoming residents.

Diana and Shayera had exhibited the fighting skills and attitude that won Granny Goodness favor. After a ten-day exhaustive investigation into their backgrounds, Granny was convinced that she had found her next two elite Furies. Excited over the finds, she exposed them to the secret operations promising them glory and life-long comforts if they could withstand the 'final challenge': besting a cadre member in special MMA bouts. To raise the anticipation, Granny promised a special guest would be in attendance for their final challenge; the director of their elite team's operations known only as 'Mr. D'.

The intelligence that Diana and Shayera could gather from the older recruits led them to discover that 'Mr. D' was a man named DeSaad. Mr. D was reputedly well-connected with international government agencies that routinely employed the talents of Granny's Elite Furies, paying hefty riches for their unique services.

Clark and J'onn had met with the group two weeks after their first meeting in Seattle. It was determined then that Mannheim was indeed reaping the profits from the fight club proceeds while Granny was recruiting on Earth. The partnership was a strained one though, formed out of necessity. Bruno Mannheim never set foot in the fight club facilities, opting to let his underlings manage the business end of the arrangement which included funding Granny's home. Oliver had devoted the last two weeks to tracing bank accounts in the byzantine structure of Mannheim's Intergang organization. Over the past six months, millions of dollars had been disbursed into hundreds of accounts in shell corporations, all under the control of Mannheim. However, no one had yet determined if he had an objective beyond acquiring more resources and power for some future operation.

The plan they developed was simple: raid the club on a Special Event night, expel Granny and her minions from Earth, disrupt a major financial operation of Mannheim's, and free the unfortunate women that had fallen under Granny's mind control. Their plan was accelerated once Diana had reported that DeSaad would be arriving on the 21st of July.

A debate ensued between Clark, J'onn and Bruce regarding his involvement. In their opinion, Clark should remain alert in Washington for a potential assassination attempt against President Pete Ross. They felt that Granny Goodness and DeSaad were formidable but certainly not more important than protecting Pete. With Diana and Shayera working from the inside, aided by Hal and Bruce on site as clientele, J'onn, Oliver and Bart would be more than capable of accomplishing the operation. All agreed that Superman needed to provide cover for Pete and Lana Ross if an assassination attempt was planned against them. "If we need you. we'll get word to you Kal-El," J'onn said. "But at this point, it looks like something we can handle. What we cannot handle is a reversal of the progress President Ross has made in relations with China." Both Oliver and Bruce knew the price that could ultimately be paid if the chain of events that Clark had earlier told them about was not broken.

"Protect the President," Bruce agreed. "We'll have this thing mopped up well before the sun rises." Oliver nodded solemnly.

Clark hesitantly conceded that Pete was a priority for him. Ultimately, it was his concern for mankind's future but Lois was part of mankind and he could not imagine his life without her in it. Although the chain of events had been broken by Lois never receiving the video file that Pete recovered, they all believed that Lex returning to power remained a threat as long as he was free and Pete was President.

"I'll remain on the East Coast then," Clark replied. "For Lex's plan to work, he has to kill Pete and Madam Yu. Once they're both safe, I'll come out and assist with any loose ends."

"There won't be," Oliver replied. "We'll probably be finished before you are."

July 22, 2021

Metropolis

"Miss Lane," Jimmy called as the elevator doors began to close. Lois reached out and tapped the 'open door' button on the panel and the doors retracted. Jimmy rushed in and pushed the button for his floor. "How is it that CK got the assignment to cover the Taiwanese visit at the White House and you're still stuck here in Metropolis?"

Lois smiled. "The oldest reason in the book, Jimmy: childcare issues. Clark's mother hasn't been feeling well and we didn't want to burden her with Lara this week."

"I thought you were throwing him a bone."

"Fat chance, Jimbo. I love Clark but this is business. If it wasn't for childcare issues, I would have been covering the state visit." She grinned. "Lara comes first."

"Ouch!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Work, Lara; I hope CK ranks in there somewhere."

"That's just the thing, Jimmy," she began, "as long as he has to compete for his place in the pecking order, we get along just fine. If he ever felt comfortable that he was a priority for me, our whole relationship would probably fall apart."

"That's harsh," he commented.

"Hey, it wasn't me who fell all over herself for his attention now, was it?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I guess not," he replied. "But I seem to recall a few times that I thought you seemed jealous, Miss Lane. When Miss Grant first arrived and she was hitting on CK, you seemed pretty defensive."

"Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy; that was an act," Lois lied. "I knew Clark was crazy about me but he was so insecure about acting on his feelings that I had to throw him a lifeline once in a while. If he thought I didn't care, maybe he would have ended up with Cat. No one deserves that."

"So you did like him all along!"

She rocked her head back and forth, eyes sparkling and a sly grin on her face. "Of course, Jimmy; even when I was busting his chops. I always thought Clark was a good man even if he was a little challenged by the pace of a big city in the beginning. A girl doesn't meet a guy like Clark every day and it would be foolish to ignore what qualities he has. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to change my ways. He fell in love with me for who I am; it wouldn't be fair to him for me to change. We may be married but we're always in competition – unfair to him as that might be."

May 25, 2042

Metropolis

Tears welled in Elle's eyes as she glimpsed her mother standing in the kitchen, reaching in to the refrigerator. I've done it, she thought. Mom's alive and once the ring comes off, all the memories of growing up with her will flood in. She anxiously twisted the ring on her finger, resisting the urge to remove it. Ever since learning that a future had existed in which she had her mother and father growing up; there was little else that Elle could think about. Her concern for her boyfriend at Wayne Interprises had rapidly withered after the revelation that her past and her future could have been vastly different had her mother lived.

Lois withdrew a carton of ice cream from the freezer, set it on the counter, retrieved a large spoon and began eating it. Grandma Kent wouldn't approve, she though and suppressed a giggle.

From the bedroom, her father appeared and he strolled into the kitchen, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek from behind. "Careful with that," he said. "Too much of it will clog your arteries," he warned. Her mother smiled but did not respond as he dug in the refrigerator and withdrew a plastic jug of milk. He retrieved a glass from the cupboard and poured himself a glass. "Low fat is still the best way to go," he added, putting the jug back in the refrigerator and closing the door. He leaned against the kitchen counter, facing her mother. "Is something troubling you?"

"No," she replied but Elle sensed her mother was not being truthful. "I'm just tired; that's all."

"Well, you should get some sleep when you're finished," her father replied and left her mother standing in the kitchen, head bowed. Taking a deep breath, she shoveled another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, replaced the lid on the carton and replaced it in the freezer. She rinsed the spoon off in the sink and looked up, spotting Elle.

She cocked her head, squint her eyes, and suddenly a smile lit up her face. "Elle!" she exclaimed.

Elle smiled and hurried in to the apartment, meeting her mother at the entrance to the kitchen. They embraced. "It's so wonderful to see you," Lois said. "I've been waiting for you to return." She hugged her daughter fiercely.

"Mom, I'm so relieved to see you," Elle gushed. "I thought I'd never see you alive at this point in the future!"

Lois stiffened at the comment and pushed back. "Wait," she said and examined her at half-arm's length. "You're the Elle from the past?" she whispered quizzically, wide-eyed.

Elle beamed and nodded, tears filling her eyes.

"Elle?" her father's voice called from behind her and she turned to see her father standing behind her with a small milk moustache. He nodded and reluctantly hugged her, stiffening and unemotional. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if everything had finally worked out; if the changes worked."

Clark frowned disapprovingly. "What do you mean, Elle? What 'finally worked out'?"

Instantly sensing that something was not right, Elle stammered for an answer. "I…uh…meant with..."

"My job at the Planet," Lois replied quickly. "She was worried that I'd have trouble adjusting to working there…that's all."

Clark donned a conciliatory smile. "Oh, I see. Well, it's good to see you, Elle. Are you planning on spending the night?"

Nodding, Elle replied, "If it's okay."

"Of course it's okay," he answered, "as long as you two girls don't stay up all night chattering." He looked at Lois. "Lara was just saying how tired she was and we do have work in the morning." He looked back at Elle, "So keep that in mind, okay?" Confused, Elle nodded and Clark hugged her again, less stiffly this time but with far less warmth than she expected. "I'm going to turn in," he announced. "I'll look forward to hearing what you've been up to when I get home from work tomorrow," he said as he began to leave. He stopped and turned back to her. "I hope you'll stay for dinner."

"Sure," Elle replied.

"Great. Well, good night!" Clark replied and disappeared into the bedroom.

Elle stared for a moment and then turned to her mother. "Did he call you Lara?"

Tears sprung up in Lois' eyes and she nodded, looking down at the floor. "I'm afraid you have some catching up to do, Elle."