It's raining. A lot.
Some people see rain as depressing.
Normally, I would agree, but tonight is different; it feels liberating.
July in London does not mean guaranteed sunny days. Ever. This unexpected and sudden heavy pour also means that the usually full up streets of the city, especially during summer nights, are devoid of tourists. Everybody is running for shelter to pubs and cafeterias or to the nearest tube station to get to their homes or hotels. I just walk.
It is raining, and the prosthesis filling the place where my left leg was not long ago will probably need extra drying when I get home, but I don't care. I need the feeling of freedom and completion that comes with moving upstream.
My physiotherapist is going to be pretty mad. I don't give a damn, screw traction rules and prosthetics maintenance. I need this.
As I walk down Hampstead rd. I can imagine people's thoughts when they see me, ambling alone under the heavy rain. Some of them will think that I must be out of my mind; others wondering what kind of event has shaken my life to the point where I need to feel soaked risking a huge cold amid summer. I don't care about any single one of them. I am relishing this personal riot act, which at this moment is giving me back a sense of freedom that I never lost, but gave up for some time.
London, July 2009,
Ella Hunt.
YOU HAVE A NEW MESSAGE.
A Growl window popped on the screen over Ella Hunt's journal file. She had not written on it for a long time. Nevertheless, any attempt of introspection at the written snippet of her life faded away when she read the message she had just received:
Still up for that part-time job with a schedule from hell? I'm gonna need you in a few months. :)
Ella smiled. And she had the kind of smile that always reached her eyes, illuminating her whole face. Those wrinkles on the sides of her eyes were proud marks of it.
It was 13:36 in London, so that meant a perfectly decent time to make a phone call to the States. Still beaming, she waited until she heard her picking up the phone at the other end of the line. It was going to be a great week.
"I had a hell of a week in Seattle, Ollie, and right now, all I want to do is getting into that plane so I have to turn off all my comm links, cell phones, PDAs –any device that gets me located. I just need a few hours of sleep, and it seems the only way I can get that these days is through air traveling."
"I'll give you a long and relaxing massage today," said Ollie from the other end of the line.
Smiling to her husband's not so innocent remark, Dinah let her thoughts free in her mouth. "As if you were willing to soothe me to sleep."
"Hey! I didn't specify when would I give it."
"Yeah, that sounds right about you, mister. Any specials for tonight?".
Dinah's mischievous smile and specific words did not get ignored by the old lady behind her in the never-ending line forming in front of the counter.
The lady was blushing. Dinah gave her the sweetest and most innocent face she could, covered unconsciously the speaker of her phone with her hand and tried to make up a perfectly logical explanation. "My physiotherapist. He is into alternative medicine." Ok, that was a very lame explanation. And she could hear Ollie snorting from the other side of the line. "You know, it would have been great to have the jet today, this is getting forever." Dinah wondered why didn't people check everything before getting into airports. 'Before' being the operative word.
"Well, I hope you get that sleep, babe. Did you receive Barbara's message? Seems like we're having two missions tonight".
"I'm #1 in her speed dial, dude."
"Then maybe you can translate: 'Outskirts of Metropolis, 29 miles west. Facility reconnaissance'. Would it kill her to be more specific?"
Dinah chuckled. "'Writing specifics for computer jerks like us is such a waste of time, and she has sooo many things to do, that she'll feed us the intel when we need it, in such a way that we don't even have to think'. That's one of her favorite lines."
Ollie let out a snort matching his cynic tone. "How very condescending of her."
"No. How very thoughtful of her. Babs doesn't patronize, you just feel your macho pride hurt, Ollie. But deep inside, in your hidden place, you know she's right".
"All I know right now about hidden places is what I'm going to do tonight when you and I--"
"Ollie!" The old lady DOES NOT want to know about that one. Finally, the check-in line for Metropolis flight JZD3498 moved again. "Thank God, we're moving at last. See you in a few hours, Ollie."
"Counting the seconds, pretty bird."
Dinah smiled while she turned off the phone and started moving along the line.
"Dammit, we're late again," said Lois looking at her watch.
"It's just two minutes, Lo."
Whenever they got to go to work together, Lois always walked faster than him. Between everyone else going to their jobs, they looked as a normal couple rushing to get to work on time.
"You got the papers?"
"Case," said Clark showing her the brown leather portfolio.
"You have the case, Clark. Did you put the papers in it?," asked Lois in her bossy tone.
Clark rolled his eyes. "This morning."
"Good, because everything is in those papers."
"Don't worry honey, Perry'll love the story."
"He'd better, this is important."
Clark looked at her. Her mind seemed to be already inside Perry's office, going through all the arguments that gave the skeleton to the story they had finished preparing yesterday night. "You're nervous."
"Gee, you think? Lex has resurfaced conspicuously shiny, Clark. Lex, as in Lex Luthor, ring any bells? The one enemy, exiled kryptonians aside, who knows your secret?." Lois didn't slow down her pace while she talked, and Clark acted as if he were trying to keep up. "And he's running for President, for crying out loud. If Perry doesn't let us write about it the world can go to shit, it won't matter once he sets foot on the White House. And do you know what makes me even more nervous than I already am?," said Lois turning her head upwards to look at him.
"What?," asked Clark.
"Your freaking calm attitude. Do you even have blood in those veins, or it's just red water?"
"I'm just trying to rationalize it."
"Rationalize Lex? Finding a cure for cancer is going to be easier, Smallville."
"Lois, I'm as nervous as you are about all this, but we can't let ourselves be controlled by him."
"Sure, because that is going to be so easy."
"I never said it was easy, Lo."
The building holding one of the most important newspapers of the country showed itself a few feet ahead of them. Clark suddenly stopped.
"Lois..." Lois kept walking, so he had to call her again, a little louder. "Lois!"
Lois turned. "What?" Then she saw Clark with that sheepish look she knew all too well and the hand carrying the case extended towards her. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
Lois approached and took the leather case in resignation. Clark kissed her cheek.
"Alarm in a bank. I'll be there as soon as I can. Love you." Clark turned and left towards the nearest alley. A few seconds later, Lois saw a very familiar red and blue blur in the sky. Her cell rang soon after that.
"Hello?"
"Hey, gorgeous, it's Ollie."
"Ollie..."
"Erm...is Clark free tonight?"
Great. Just great.
With the heavy rain and the fierce wind blowing, nobody can speak and be listened, but I could have sworn I've heard a voice.
'Feeling better now?'
I turn to look back, ready to see someone behind, but nobody is there.
'Really? that naive to expect anybody here? Under this rain? Hel-lo...'
Now I'm confused. There is no one here and I'm still hearing a voice.
'Look down.'
I do as asked. Pavement; puddles; a stone. A beach stone?
'Yep, that's right. A freaking beach stone on the driest –you know what I mean– part of the city. Isn't it awesome? And I'm not even from around. Wow...how the hell did I get here? Oh, I bet that your restless introspective little mind is running the possibilities right now. Perhaps blaming the shallowness of some spoiled kid who took me and dumped me when he got bored of poor tiny little rock? Girl, I'm a thing.'
"A rather...cantankerous thing."
'And damn proud of it. So, focus here with me, will 'ya? A rock. Nothing more. Nothing less.'
"Yeah, well. A talking rock."
I think I may need therapy. Fast.
'Wrong. A misplaced rock which happened to be on the way of a too insightful young woman, lost and disoriented, needing to talk, with too much interior life. And I repeat: too much.'
"So, I'm making up all this as a wake up call? A talking stone?"
'Well, a talking gorilla would be, you know,...plagiarism. So...yeah, I guess you're stuck with a rock.'
"So I am supposed to give you life?"
'Even maybe a name.'
Taking the stone in my hands, I think out the perfect name for it.
"Ok, let's see where this takes us, Feisty.'
Smiling, freer and wet, I finally head home.
London, July 2009,
Ella Hunt
Author's notes:
Ella Hunt is NOT a Mary Sue. Promise.
Following Smallville, I take Ollie as the founder of the JLA, and he remains as the kind of leader SV shows us. While there is no hierarchy (the League is a democracy), this is a Green Arrow who has met Superman way before he became Superman, and knowing Ollie, I don't see him as one backing off and leaving the leadership of his creation to aliens and amazons (and Diana has the utmost respect for Ollie's management. Bruce is a whole different thing). And as CEO of his own company, its only natural that he takes charge of the administrative aspects of the League; the diplomatics are left to Wonder Woman.
Next chapter is 100% Lois / Clois, both the couple and the reporters. Some questions about the past will be answered.
Book reference: "'Well, a talking gorilla would be, you know,...plagiarism.(...)" Feisty refers to 'Ishmael', by Daniel Quinn.
Music: two new songs featured, both to give more light to the characters and as good background tracks:
Eddie Vedder 'Long Nights'. Song for the first entry of Ella's journal.
It serves greatly as Ella's inner thoughts, not just at that precise moment (long nights, allow me to feel I'm falling, I am falling...The lights go out, let me feel I'm falling, I am falling safely to the ground), but also to this moment in her life which seems to arrive after some pretty big event (Have no fear, for when I'm alone I'll be better off than I was before. I've got this life, I'll be around to grow; who I was before I cannot recall [...] I'll take this soul that's inside me now like a brand new friend I'll forever know. I've got this life and the will to show I will always be better than before.)
Cream 'Sunshine of your love'. Dinah and Ollie talk on the phone.
Ollie and Dinah got married, so I'm playing with a future Dinah inspired by the comic-verse, as SV has not fully developed her. Dick and Babs are the cute couple, Lois and Clark are The Couple; Ollie and Dinah are the sex(y) couple. Dinah is a Gothamite, but lived in Seattle for a while. Seattle in the nineties: that marks your musical background. It has to. She has a liking for 70s and 90s rock, and she also loves The White Stripes –band mentioned in BOP– and that kind of 'garage rock'. The lyrics and rhythm of this one go with the scene and with that sex(y) atmosphere between the two. (I'll soon be with you my love...I'll be with you darling, soon...I've been waiting so long to be where I'm going, in the sunshine of your love...).
