Ch. 1: Metropolis Shrugged

"How do you like working for the Daily Planet so far, Clark?" A young peppy brunette asked, her brown eyes sparkling up at him as she spoke.

"Oh, uh, it seems pretty swell so far," Clark replied, instantly ostracizing himself for using the word 'swell.' As he readjusted his new black rimmed glasses he added, "I mean, it's a true honor to be working for such an esteemed newspaper, and you've all been so kind."

"Aww, well don't mention it, hun, we like to think of this place as a family, so don't go trying to make yourself a stranger. Remember, we're not just a newspaper, we're an investigative team; we find out everybody's dark secrets eventually," she said chuckling. "Have a good one, Clark!"

"Oh, thanks -!" He trailed off after realizing he didn't remember her name. Thankfully he recognized a familiar face rounding the corner and smiled.

"Getting to know the staff pretty well so far, superhunk?" Lois asked softly.

"There has got to be a hundred people working in this place," Clark replied, "In all honesty, I'm not sure I even remember your name anymore." Upon seeing Lois' reaction, he added, "I think it started with an 'L'?"

Throwing the back of her hand into his chest with a quick smack, Lois' mouth widened and she let out a quick snicker, "You better watch it mister; I'm kind of a big deal around here. I can get you fired just as easily as I got you hired. You will never work in this town again."

"Oh really?" Clark replied. "So who is going to save it the next time something bad happens?"

"Me, of course," Lois answered without hesitation. "Just like last time."

Clark grinned and opened the door to Lois' office, "After you my hero."

Triumphantly stepping forward as if to be crowned, Lois nodded, "Thank you kind sir, now bringeth thy hero a frothy beverage, preferably of the coffee variety." She paused before adding, "Two creams, no sugar."

"Right away," Clark said before stepping out. As he turned the corner away from the office, he ran into a tall, well kept man in a button up shirt and tie who immediately made eye contact and reached into Clark's right hand with his own.

"Glad to have you aboard, son," The man said sternly. "Perry White, Editor in Chief. Lois speaks highly of your ability with a camera."

"Yes sir," Clark replied.

"Good," said Perry sternly, "Because if you don't know how to point and click in this day and age, you have bigger problems than cameras." He then let out a hearty laugh and slapped Clark on the back. "My goodness, boy, you're built like an ox!"

"Well I grew up on a farm," said Clark.

"Ahh, a farm boy! I'm a product of the rural life myself. These hands went from raising cattle to raising one of the most influential newspapers in the entire world." He then paused. "Then again it's also one of the few newspapers left in the world." Perry then began laughing uncontrollably causing Clark to try to join in with a very awkward laugh himself.

"Perry, is that you out there?" shouted Lois from inside of her office. "If you're holding up my coffee, then so help me!"

"Well, I best get goin," said Perry casually with a glint of fear in his eye, perhaps remembering the last time he had to work with a coffee-starved Lois Lane. "But I'm going to tell you exactly what I tell everyone else when they start working here: Report the news, don't make it. Check your facts, and get the story right. We print the truth here, and the only reason people pick up our paper instead of double clicking their life-leaching box is because they trust us to give it to them without fabrication; capisce?"

"Uh, yes sir," replied Clark.

"Good, you'll do fine here. Just do whatever Lois says -"

"Like get my coffee," Lois chimed in again from inside her office. "It doesn't walk itself!"

Clark grimaced as Perry went by, thinking about how he could ever represent the truth while living behind a false identity. He wandered over to the kitchen area of the office and poured a cup of coffee, adding two sugars to it before returning to Lois' office and handing it to her.

"Sweet nectar of the Gods!" she cried before taking a sip. Clark took a seat next to her desk and looked through the floor with his x-ray vision to see the man in the office below them sleeping in his chair.

"A bit distracted today, hmm?"

"Sorry," Clark said looking up, "Is it obvious?"

"Well apart from the sugar in my coffee instead of cream, there is the blank stares and social awkwardness," she responded, cocking her head slightly to the side. "Are you ok?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Try me, I've interviewed dictators. I've interviewed tyrants. Hell, I've even interviewed politicians. Everyone has their story, and it's never easy to explain," Lois said. "Try me."

Standing up and closing the door to the office, Clark let out a deep sigh and said, "Where do I begin? All of my life I grew up knowing I was different, but when I finally found out who I am - what I am – I kill off any chance I have of answering the question of 'where do I belong?' My planet. My people. They're gone, Lois. I'm all that's left and the only others of my kind that I have met were genocidal and filled with rage."

"You got to meet your father," Lois spoke up compassionately.

"Only a shade," Clark replied.

"A shade of a great man who cared deeply for his son; a man who trusted his boy to make the right choice when the time came. Human. Kryptonian. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you chose not exterminate an entire race and you fought for what was right. In the end, isn't it about justice?"

Before Clark could respond, someone knocked on Lois' door.

"Hold onto that thought, Clark," said Lois. "Come in!"

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting," the brunette from earlier said as she came into the office.

"Not at all, Jenny," said Lois.

"Jenny," Clark mumbled to himself quietly.

Jenny gave Clark a sincere smile before looking back at Lois, "Guess who's going to be at the Wayne Charity Event in Gotham tomorrow night?"

"No way," said Lois as she perked up in her chair.

"Just confirmed it with a very, very, reliable source!"

"I need to book a trip," Lois grinned.

"Already taken care of," replied Jenny, "For you and your new cameraman here." She looked back at Clark, "Separate rooms, of course."

"Jenny, you're amazing!" said Lois. "Tomorrow night, I'm finally going to get that interview with the most powerful man in the world: Lex Luthor."