Chapter 6
Metropolis – 2016
"Miss Lane, this is Jennifer Owens at Reception. I have a call for you from a man who wouldn't give me his name but he was insistent and said he met you last night and you told him to call you here. Do you want me to put him through to your extension?"
Wow, that was quick, she thought. Lois sat behind her desk thinking about the encounter she had after last night's dinner and while not shaken by it, she was definitely stirred. It was 8:05 AM and the daily meeting with Perry White was scheduled for 8:30 every morning.
Her nose was scratched, and her makeup covered its redness. It was a little tender that morning, but she knew it could have been a whole lot worse.
"Yes, please Wanda. Thank you," Lois responded. "This is Lois Lane," she answered.
"Good morning, Miss Lane. My name is Jose Delgado. We met last night and you asked me to call you today," he answered.
"Yes, of course, Mr. Delgado. I'm surprised to hear from you so quickly. Pleasantly surprised, that is."
"You mentioned an interview. I'd love to do that because I have something to say to the residents of Metropolis and after reading your work, I trust that you'll be fair and honest in what you report."
"That has always been my intention, Mr. Delgado. Can you suggest a place to meet and when?"
"Would you be able to meet me tomorrow around 3:30 in the afternoon? I will be tied up until then."
"Yes," Lois blurted, "tomorrow at 3:30 is perfect. Where can we meet?" She pulled out a sheet of paper from her desk along with a pen.
"Centennial Park would be a good place. Go near the fountain and I'll find you."
It all seemed a bit unnecessarily arcane to Lois but if this is what the man felt comfortable with, she was happy to entertain his precautions. She wanted an interview with this guy and unlike that bat fellow in Gotham, this man was talkative and gave his name. "Okay then, Mr. Delgado, I'll see you at 3:30 tomorrow at the fountain in Centennial Park. I'll wear a red scarf just in case you don't remember what I look like."
"Huh," Delgado said. "You're pretty good at this yourself, Miss Lane. And I don't think I could ever forget your face. See you tomorrow."
Lois hung up not sure whether to be flattered or on edge with Delgado's last comment. Since he saved her in the street and worked with Detective Sawyer, she figured that Delgado was on the right side of law and order and she had nothing to fear from him. Still, he could have measured his words a little more carefully to a woman who had been attacked the night before.
She had an 11:30 interview with Maggie Sawyer in which she would make a formal sworn statement. She liked Sawyer. She seemed to be a no-nonsense cop and after her experience with a handful of them in St. Louis, she was happy to know another good one at the Metropolis PD. She knew there were good cops. Just about every department had their share of officers on the straight and narrow, and they also had cops about as crooked as the thugs they dragged into the stations. Admittedly, Metropolis had far more of the former than the latter, but no big city department was immune to politics, corruption, and greed. More cops like Maggie Sawyer would always keep the scales tipped to law and order side and Lois hoped to form a good relationship with her. Finding another source at the MPD was never a bad play and this one would be a good source to have.
"Lois Lane for Detective Sawyer," Lois told the sergeant manning the at the Metropolis Police Department security desk. She pulled out her Daily Planet identification card and handed it to the sergeant.
The sergeant looked at the press credentials and made a sour face. "Is she expecting you?"
"We have an 11:30 appointment."
"Figures," the sergeant muttered, and gave her back her identification. He then handed her a plastic 'visitor' badge to clip on to her suit jacket. "Keep that visible while you're in here and return it to me before you leave," the sergeant said. "Take a seat and I'll ring Detective Sawyer."
What an asshole, she thought. Lois smiled, clipped her badge to her jacket as instructed, then turned around to find a seat. She saw an old church pew shoved against a wall near a door that opened into a hall that led to offices in the back. She sat down and heard the sergeant muttering over the phone. He hung up and looked down and resumed paying attention to whatever was occupying it before Lois stepped up to his desk. While waiting, she checked her phone for any new emails that may have been sent to her.
The door opened behind her and Maggie Sawyer stuck her head around the corner. "Lois?"
She stood up. "Hi," she said. The detective told her to come with her. Lois followed Maggie down the hall past what appeared to be empty interview rooms, and through another door into something that looked very similar to the Daily Planet bullpen, only smaller.
"This is our squad room," Sawyer said while leading Lois to an office at the end of the room that was filled with desks and cloth-covered cubicles. "Come in and please sit down," she instructed. "Thanks for coming in."
Lois sat and before Maggie could get into the purpose of the meeting, Lois leaned forward. "Say, is old sarge out there always so warm and welcoming?"
"Yeah, he's a handful sometimes," she said, leafing through a folder without looking up. "He has his fun moments though."
"I'm sure," she replied, adding, "like when he's picking the wings off of flies?"
Sawyer cracked a smile. She placed a digital recorder on her desk. "This is for the transcription of your statement only. It will not be used as evidence. I will provide you a file copy of this recording if you'd like and if not, it will be destroyed after the written statement is signed. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Okay, so before I start this thing, let me say again what a great job you did with those five scumbags. Gotta say, I was really impressed." Lois thanked Sawyer and the detective snapped on the recorder. "This is the statement of Lois Joanne Lane taken in the Metropolis Police Department on December 6, 2016, at 11:34 AM. I am Detective Margaret Sawyer, of the Metropolis Police Department. Ms. Lane, please tell me exactly what happened to you on the night of December 5th, 2016."
Lois recounted the events from the time she left the restaurant until the time she headed from the scene with as much detail as she could remember. Maggie asked questions for clarity along the way, but the interview only took about twenty minutes before the detective announced the time and the end of the statement and snapped off the recorder. "Do you have any questions, Lois?" she asked.
"I do. What can you tell me about the guy, Gangbuster?"
"Stay put," Maggie said and stood up, took the recorder out of the office and down the hall. She returned a few minutes later, shut the door and sat back down. "They clerk will prepare your statement for signature." She adjusted her chair. "Now, Gangbuster. He's actually a teacher at the middle school in the Suicide Slum area of Metropolis. He's an expert in martial arts and I believe he was a gymnast and maybe a boxer in college. He says he just got tired of seeing all these students, mostly the young teenage boys, being recruited by gangs in the Suicide Slum housing projects and began intervening in gang activity there."
"Holy crap," Lois exclaimed. "How come I have not heard of him? I mean, I'm fairly new in Metropolis but someone like him should be newsworthy, you know?"
"On the one hand I agree," she replied, "but not all of my colleagues appreciate Gangbuster. Some of my colleagues are not exactly on the up and up and Gangbuster has been known to expose their activities, particularly when they intersect with the young gangs in the Slums. So, he tries to stay under the radar as much as possible."
Lois frowned. "So, he's made enemies of the police and the gangs. How does he live to walk the streets?"
"Not all the police dislike him. I don't think any police officer likes the notion of a vigilante but none of our officers wish him harm and quite a few appreciate the assist. It's the gangs that hate him but they're also afraid of him."
"Why not publicly embrace him instead of dogging him? I don't get it."
"The higher ups think he makes the force look bad, like we can't get the job done. It's like The Bat-Man in Gotham. Half the time, they're publicly chastising him and the other half, quietly begging for his help. Met PD officials don't want the image Gotham has."
"And you?"
"I like him. I like that an average citizen steps up and this guy is the shit! If I was into men, I'd be asking him to dinner with me as the main course." She smirked. "Although, I have to be careful too. The higher ups want me to lead a special crimes unit and someday, I might. But I like the streets rather than exotic crime fighting and because of Gangbuster, I'd like to be around a bit longer to help him with his mission. He needs backup too."
"I got a call this morning from a man who claims he is Gangbuster, or at least claims it in not so many words." Lois paused and Maggie looked confused. "He gave me a name and said that he called because I asked him to. I told Gangbuster to call me, but this could have been some bystander that I didn't see. He said he wanted to meet me for an interview."
"Did he tell you a real name?" Sawyer asked.
"I'm not sure if it was real or it was Gangbuster. The guy who called this morning said his name was, 'Jose'?" Lois winced and half-shrugged.
"That's him," Maggie replied. "Jose Delgado. Good guy. When will you be meeting him?"
"Yes. Delgado, right! Good…great!" Lois was relieved. She was not afraid, she just did not want to waste her time if this was some other guy. "I've got an appointment to meet him this afternoon at 3:30 in Centennial Park."
Sawyer looked at her watch. "You've got some time. You feel like some lunch?"
"Sure, why not?" Lois replied.
"I know a place nearby where you can get a great bowl of chili or homemade soup along with a sandwich. If that sounds good to you, we can talk more and when we're done, your statement should be ready for you to sign."
The restaurant was small but clean and they had an incredibly active take-out business. The counter was lined with Styrofoam containers, and white paper sacks with receipts stapled to them. Lois and Maggie sat in the back where Maggie could watch the door but be obscured if needed. Lois sat to her left.
"So," Maggie began, "how long have your worked at the Planet?"
"Not that long, since the end of summer," Lois replied.
Sawyer frowned. "Really? I thought you've been working there for a while now. You just carry yourself like a seasoned reporter. Did you work elsewhere, you're pretty young?"
"I worked in St. Louis before coming to work for the Planet but got fired for investigating the wrong things." Lois made no expression of remorse or of resentment. The words came out evenly and without any emphatic tone.
"Investigating the wrong things or the wrong people?" Maggie asked. "I know what happens when we investigate the wrong people. I didn't know it had the same impact on reporters."
"I guess I should have said investigating things connected with the wrong people to investigate." She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'm in a better place now and I didn't have to die to be here!"
Maggie smiled. "Well, that's a refreshing take on things. Most people who have been fired end up blaming everyone but themselves, although," she qualified, "people get screwed unfairly from time to time, too." She took a bite of her sandwich and washed it down with a swig of coffee. "So tell me, who were you crossing paths with that got you fired?"
"Just some rich guy. His name is Walter Billingsley and his kid planted ransomware on a college's server demanding money to remove it. When the cops came to arrest him, he got physical with a St. Louis PD technician taking his computer. Then, when a plain-clothes cop came to the tech's aid to get the kid off the tech, Billingsley's wife stabbed one him in the back with a letter opener."
"No shit? She stabbed a cop?"
"Yeah, and the kid dislocated the crime scene technician's shoulder. Both of the Billingsleys were arrested and then released about an hour later. All charges were dropped the next morning and the college suddenly had control of its database again." Lois took a swig of her coffee and then said, "I was told to stand down from looking into it, but I didn't and got fired when the boss found out. Billingsley owned the paper."
Maggie rolled her eyes. "That sucks," she said. "I hate to hear that and I'm sure half the cops in St. Louis wanted to see them behind bars for at least a few months."
Lois cocked her head. "How well do you know Lex Luthor and what do you think about him?"
Maggie looked down and spooned the last bite of chili from her bowl. "I don't know him personally. I've pulled security details a while ago when he was doing public things and I know what I read." She paused and looked at Lois. "I think he's a fucking scrote," she grumbled.
"Wow," Lois said, drawing back, "I didn't see that coming. I actually interviewed him yesterday, and I followed the interview having lunch with him."
"Sorry," Maggie muttered. "I thought maybe you…"
"No sorry about it. I left with the same opinion," Lois offered. "The interview went great, and lunch was fine, but the minute I shut to door to any chance of him getting into my pants, he cordially ended our lunch and had someone show me out." She piled her napkin and silverware onto her plate, finished with her meal. "Up until then, I had a kind of lukewarm appreciation for the man."
"I can't say that I blame him for trying," Maggie replied off-handedly, but Lois did not react. "But I truly think that Luthor is behind most of the really bad shit that happens in Metropolis. He's insulated himself from it and can exert enough influence on the DA and the state and federal attorneys, that he's never implicated. No one investigates beyond the first or second level criminals here unless Luthor's interests are being impacted." She hesitated but then added, "Ask Jose about him this afternoon if the name doesn't otherwise come up before you finish."
They finished their lunch and returned to the station. Lois's statement was completed, she signed it and said goodbye to Detective Maggie Sawyer. Before leaving she asked Maggie if she had other questions in the future on other matters involving the police, if she could contact her with them. "It depends on the matter," Sawyer replied. "I can't always tell you what you want to know, Lois, but I can tell you what others won't…off the record, of course."
"Of course," Lois repeated. "If I need official stuff, I'll just talk to your public information officer. Otherwise, it will always be off the record unless you specifically tell me otherwise."
"You know, most cops don't like to talk to the news. Sooner or later, the news bashes the cops and they get pissed off and look at you guys like you're the enemy. So long as I'm doing my job the way it's supposed to be done, I have no problem with reporters. I don't hold a sign up saying 'call me with your questions' but I don't mind talking to straight shooters. I sense you're one of them so call me if you need some inside baseball on things. Or, if you're on a story and get jammed up and need police assistance." She handed Lois a business card with her cell number written on the back.
Lois agreed to stay in touch. She liked the detective who seemed to recognize and appreciate her honesty and sense of accountability for her own actions. She knew she would cross paths with Maggie Sawyer again and had made a valuable contact.
She stopped by the Planet before going to the park to meet Gangbuster. For about forty-five minutes, she worked on the story she had started after her interview with Lex Luthor and had it about two-thirds done by the time she had to leave so as to be on time in Centennial Park.
The day was cold but sunny so the chill was tolerable. The cobalt blue sky was cloudless but in Centennial Park, shadows prevailed over the brilliant sunlight in the places where evergreens and leafless deciduous giants collaborated. Lois chose a bench in the sun and enjoyed the nourishing rays.
"Miss Lane?" a man's voice behind her asked. She swiveled around and stood in one fluid motion. He held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Jose Delgado."
She took it and shook it. "Yes, I'm Lois Lane and it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Delgado."
"Please, just call me Jose," Delgado said.
"Not your other name?"
"Gangbuster is what I do, Jose is who I am." He smiled. "I think if you want a story, it's Jose you're interested in speaking with."
He was an attractive man, quite tall for a gymnast, she thought, and his broad shoulders hinted that he was well-built. He was wearing a black leather bomber jacket with lamb's wool collar so Lois could not judge his musculature closely but the night before, when Maggie Sawyer's headlights hit him, she saw very well-defined arms and pronounced chest. His hair was black and somewhat wavy, cropped short. He had pleasant features with a strong jaw, closely shaved face, and solid cheek bones supporting his deep brown eyes. Lois guessed his age to be very early 30's. In addition to his leather jacket, he wore khaki trousers, an ecru-colored natural cotton sweater and black leather soft-soled shoes.
"Please, sit," Lois said and gestured to the other end of the bench. "First of all, I want to thank you again for your intervention last night and for getting back to me so quickly."
"How's your nose today?" he asked. "It was bleeding last night."
She gently squeezed the tip of her nose. "It's a little tender and it got scraped a little but we both know things could have been far, far worse. That's why I am so grateful for your intervention last night."
They talked for a little more than an hour. She found out that he was indeed a middle school teacher who was fed up with seeing his students recruited into gangs and leaving their potential unfulfilled because they were forced and, in some cases, just cajoled by some bogus promise of lifelong brother and sisterhood, respect, protection, and revenge for their lot in life. He said the schools did little to redirect young minds, and he was losing too many promising young lives to the drugs, crime, violence, and prison to which gangs led. So, he used his martial arts training, his gymnastic skills, and the street smarts he developed as a kid as the basis of his alter ego, Gangbuster. He was helped by an anonymous benefactor and provided headgear, advanced Kevlar body armor, gloves, flexible boots, and three dozen form-fitting flame-retardant unitards made of some extremely rugged futuristic synthetic material.
"Do you think Lex Luthor was the benefactor that provided that equipment and costume?" Lois asked.
Jose made face. "No. If Lex Luthor did anything that could be construed as a benefit to the community, there would have been cameras and lights on hand when the gear was delivered." He paused. "To this day, I have no idea where it came from."
"Well, maybe the same benefactor that gives that bat character in Gotham his stuff," Lois quipped.
"Jeez, if that's the case, I need to be doing something different. He has some really, really high-tech gadgets. Have you seen pictures of the car he drives? Man oh man! I just have some protective gear and some spare suits."
She grinned. "If I might ask," Lois probed, "are you married or…at all involved, I guess, with anyone, Jose?" She fumbled the question and quickly followed up with, "I'm only asking because I don't know how they would be able to deal with your role as Gangbuster. It seems to me that they would be scared to death that you wouldn't be coming home or back to them every time you left the house no matter what form you were taking. You know what I mean?" Before he could answer, Lois added, "Besides, when would you even have time to be with them if you're patrolling at night and teaching during the day?"
"Let's see, there are a lot of issues there that I want to address. First, no, I'm not married, never have been, and I'm not involved with anyone. I haven't been involved with a girl or had a girlfriend in quite some time; it's been maybe three years, plus, since I've had a girlfriend. I was just getting started back then."
He paused. "Yeah, I imagine it would be hard on the other person in a relationship, but that's what cop wives have to face, right? One of the biggest reasons I don't have a girl or girlfriend…any close friend for that matter…is that you make them a target. They become soft targets for the thugs and criminals who are looking to get even, if you get my meaning.
"Now, making time for someone else? That's hard too and even when I have time, I'm not very date-worthy, you might say. I'm not out there scouring the streets every night and I don't patrol. But I listen to police radios at home and respond when I can, which isn't exactly scintillating for a paramour to be doing." He paused and then ended by saying, "I don't get many offers and those that I do, I decline."
Lois grimaced. "Always?"
He shrugged. "Not always but seldom do I accept. It's just too hard on them being with me and if I like the person, I know how it will end and that's just setting myself up for heartache too." He looked away at the setting sun. "I'll be done with Gangbuster some day and there will still be plenty of time to have a lasting relationship with a special lady."
Lois felt a pang of sadness for Jose. He seemed like such a selfless person who had chosen a role in life that led to danger, sadness, and loneliness. Yet, he felt obliged to do it because he cared about young people and their future. If there was ever a Metropolis Man-of-the-Year award, Jose deserved it. "Seldom? So," Lois said, "if by chance, for example, I invited you to attend a Christmas party or something, it isn't something you'd even entertain accepting?"
Jose smiled gently. "Miss Lane, are you trying to make a liar out of me?"
"Curious is all," Lois replied. "And call me Lois. Please."
The following week, Lois received a call from an unknown caller on her personal phone. "Miss Lane…Lois," the man she immediately recognized said. "This is Lex Luthor. I just wanted to thank you personally for the article you wrote about me for the Sunday newspaper. It wasn't all flattering but it was warm in places but most important, it was honest and it was accurate. I will take honest and accurate any day, Lois."
"You're welcome," Lois replied. "I take pride in my journalistic integrity, and you should never expect any less from me. I write it as I see and hear it, Mr. Luthor."
"Mr. Luthor? My goodness, I thought we had moved past that level of formality, Lois." He paused but Lois stayed silent. "In any case, my call was to thank you for the most positive article the Daily Planet has ever printed about me and to let you know, you're always welcome to interview me or ask for a statement anytime I'm available. You have a good day, Lois."
"You too," she concluded. "Merry Christmas," she squeezed in just as the phone disconnected.
"Mr. Luthor?" another recognizable voice said behind her.
"Yes, Cat. That was Lex Luthor."
"I take it he didn't invite you out on his yacht or to one of his many vacation homes in the Caribbean or South Pacific?" she said.
"You would be correct. I don't believe I would want to be alone with Lex Luthor that long." Lois replied. "Maybe it's a situation that wouldn't bother you, Cat, but I'd rather not end up being a living blow up doll for some billionaire."
"Oh Lois, you will never be accused of that!" Cat retorted. "Have you even figured out if someone would even go to the Christmas party with you yet, let alone asking them?"
Lois stopped what she was doing and looked up at Cat. "I have, Cat. Asked and answered."
"And the answer was yes?" she chuffed. "This ought to be rich. I can't wait," Cat said, walking out of the bullpen. "But Lois," she said before leaving, smirking, "relatives don't really count as dates. Not in Metropolis, at least."
After their meeting in the park, Jose asked Lois if she wanted to grab an early dinner before going home. She declined but said, "Let's do it Saturday afternoon. I'll meet you here at 3 PM. Is that too early?"
He agreed and they met at that time. Lois showed Jose the article she had written about him and wanted his okay before continuing to refine it. "If I cannot publish it, then there's no point in going on."
Delgado was a bit apprehensive about the amount of detail Lois had in her story about him. But Lois convinced him that the detail makes him more relatable. "Instead of being some shadowy figure like the guy in Gotham, you're out in front trying to make a difference," she said. "I'm sure the public will see it that way and it still leaves your anonymity intact." He eventually agreed and Lois completed it and submitted it that evening. It made the Sunday edition just in the nick of time and appeared as a human-interest article in the paper, the second time that month that Lois's article scored the lead article in the Lifestyle section.
The story garnered attention from the local news media that praised Gangbuster, based on Lois's article and earned Gangbuster a supportive statement from the Mayor of Metropolis and Chief of Police. It also earned Lois praise from Perry on Monday following the weekend's article. "This people," Perry began at the meeting by holding up the article from the day before, "is how we make a difference in this city. It's work like this that keeps the Daily Planet relevant." He turned to Lois. "Lois, great work turning a harrowing event into a human-interest story that earned this paper and its subject praise and recognition. You did good on this, young lady." He glanced at Ron Troupe who was grinning like a proud parent and gave him a nod. "Now, we're less than a week away from Christmas, what have got going on that's going to sell papers?"
The week quickly drew to a close and many of the reporters had already taken some days off in advance of the holiday. Lois stayed, she had nowhere else to be and was considering what her next story would be. That week she had put the final touches on an article about youth gangs conducting organized break-ins at several large chain stores over the approaching holiday and how they had so far eluded the police.
Maggie had met with Lois for lunch on Wednesday at the restaurant Maggie had taken her nearly two weeks earlier. According to her, there was some indication that these small gangs operations had some inside help from MPD officers on the take. Lois did not print that information but did pass it along to Jose Delgado when they met for coffee Thursday morning to finalize their arrangements to meet on Friday at the Christmas party.
Perry called Lois and Ron Troupe into his office early Friday morning. "Lois, I'm taking you out from under Ron's wing. It's obvious to me that your instincts are going to be just fine and that you've adopted the 'Daily Planet way' of taking on stories. Ron has convinced me that he no longer needs to oversee you and so you'll be flying solo from now on." He looked at Troupe. "Ron, thank you for showing Lois the ropes. It was greatly appreciated, you did a fine job, and you'll see a little extra in your Christmas bonus for your efforts." He shook Ron's hand. "I look forward to seeing you both this evening," he said.
As they headed for the door, Perry told Lois to hold up a minute. He picked up his phone and told Sally Winfield to have the receptionist send up someone who was waiting in the lobby. "I want you to meet this man. His name is John Corben. He's a veteran journalist and he doesn't need to learn the job but I'm bringing him on. He just needs to learn our way of doing business. I want you to partner up with him to show him the ropes for a few weeks like Ron showed you."
Lois made a face. "I don't know whether to be appreciative or pissed. Sorta leaning towards pissed though."
Perry chuckled. "It's just for a few weeks, Lois. He needs to know our routine and what I expect from Planet reporters. You don't need to check his work…particularly his spelling."
She gave him a sarcastic smile. "So will I see a little extra in my bonus check too?"
"No."
"Oh. Well then, I guess…" Lois's remark was interrupted by a knock on the door and it opening.
John Corben entered the office. "John, I want to introduce you to Lois Lane. She's one of our newer reporters and she's going to be paired up with you for the next few weeks to help you get acclimated to the way we do things here." He looked at Lois. "Lois, this is John Corben."
The two shook hands. Corben was struck by Lois's beauty and Lois was captivated by John's good looks. He was much older than her, likely in his late thirties, with sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a pleasant smile and was well-built and Lois imagined he was capable of taking care of himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, John."
"It's a pleasure meeting you, Lois."
"As I told you before, Lois, John is a veteran reporter and only needs to be acclimated to our routine. So while you're partnered with him, he's the senior guy but John, you're not supervising Lois." He looked back and forth at each. "Do we understand the relationship here?"
"Yes, Mr. White," John said, and Lois acknowledged her understanding. "Thank you for the opportunity." He looked at Lois. "I'll appreciate your help getting me up to speed on things here at the Daily Planet, Lois."
"Okay then," Perry said, "there's a party tonight. John, Lois will give you the details and I know it's last minute but if you're free, it would be a great chance to meet your fellow reporters and staff."
Lois took John Corben to the Human Resources office for in-processing. "I'm in the bullpen on the lowest level of the building. Just keep pushing the down button on the elevator until it won't go any further and you'll find me there." She looked around at the partially empty offices. "It may take you the better part of the day to get on-boarded with so many people out so if you don't finish before three, here are the details for tonight's party." She jotted down the name, address, and time for the party at Met U. "If not before, I'll see you then." She shook his hand. "Welcome to the Daily Planet, John."
She met Jose at the entrance to the building in which the Met U banquet hall was located. Lois was dressed in a dark green satin cocktail dress with short, cropped black suede jacket, black patent leather stiletto heels, a pair of gold hoop earrings her father purchased in South Africa and gave her when she turned 15, and a string of pearls around her neck that belonged to her mother. On the left breast of her jacket, she wore a Christmas tree pin adorned with costume jewels substituted for tree ornaments. People were strolling in and dressed nicely, some with garish Christmas sweaters beneath their overcoats and others with festive party hats. Jose was nicely dressed in a dark charcoal suit, white shirt and a tasteful Christmas tie. "Love the tie," Lois remarked.
"You look beautiful, Lois," Jose said. "You look older than you are, dressed like that."
She grimaced. "I look older? I'm not sure how to take that," she said, raising one eyebrow.
"You look very classy and should take it as a compliment," Delgado countered. "Lois, you truly look like a fashion model straight out of Cosmopolitan."
She smiled wide. "Nice recovery there, Evel Knievel. I'll take that compliment any day," she quipped. "Are you ready?" He offered his arm, she took it, and led him to the registration line.
The line was short and divided into two groups up ahead. A sign over the line on the left read A – M and to the right, N – Z.
A voice behind her said, "Are you going to introduce us, Lois?" She swiveled around to find Perry White standing behind her with his wife. "This is my wife, Alice. Alice, this is the young reporter I told you about, Lois Lane."
Lois took Alice's hand and shook it. "Perry has told me so much about you, Lois. It's like I already know you."
"Thank you, Mrs. White," Lois replied, and Alice insisted Lois call her by her first name and Lois acknowledged it. "Chief, this is Jose Delgado. Jose, this is Perry White, editor in chief of the Daily Planet and Alice, his wife."
"Very nice to meet you, Mr. White, Mrs. White," Delgado said. "Thank you for allowing me to your Christmas party."
Perry chuckled. "You're welcome. You have the second best-looking woman here tonight, Jose," he said, and Alice playfully swatted his forearm. "I look forward to seeing you later," he said as the line moved forward.
Perry moved to the right at the split and his line was a bit shorter, moving the Whites ahead of Lois and Jose. When Lois reached the front of the line, the girl checking the other line in was introducing her partner to Perry. She waited for a moment for the guy to finish his introduction to Perry and then said, "Lane and Delgado." He looked away from Perry and into Lois's eyes and she met his.
They stared at one another for an instant that seemed like an eternity, neither one moving or saying anything, spellbound.
"Lane," Jose repeated, "and Delgado?"
Clark looked at Jose, which broke the spell, and then quickly swiveled around, found their name badges, turned back, and handed them their badges. He smiled. "Enjoy the party," he said, and his eyes followed her briefly as they walked into the ballroom. He thought about Lori and glanced in her direction and found that she was just finishing up chatting with Perry and Alice. He felt relieved.
"Well, that was neat," she said. "He asked me to come by sometime to see about an intern position! Can you believe it?" she asked excitedly.
"That's really swell," Clark replied. "I guess you were right about it being a good opportunity." He looked up at the next person in line. He gave Steve Lombard his name badge. "Thanks for all the good press this year, Mr. Lombard."
"Well, we'll have to talk later, Clark," Lombard said. "I'd love to get your thoughts on the Georgia Tech team and your team's chances in the upcoming Outback Bowl. Division runner-up in the ACC. That's going to be a tough one."
"We'll be ready," Clark replied. "Once I'm done here, we can talk whenever you have time," he said. "Enjoy the party."
He looked over at Lori. "Lori, you remember Steve Lombard from last year, right? I'm sure he'll want to chat with you, too."
She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Of course, I remember. Thank you for all the nice stories about the swim team. We don't often expect to have stories written about us."
"You're an exceptional group of ladies and it's only fair we make the exception," Steve replied as he stepped off. "I'll look forward to talking to you both again."
"I remember you from last year," the woman with a husky voice said. "Do you remember me, handsome?"
Clark looked back and saw Catherine Grant standing in front of him. She was wearing a slinky red sequined dress that seemed very conservative compared to the one she wore last year. "Sure. It was Cat, um…Grant," Clark replied and swiveled around and got her name badge.
"That's right," Cat replied, glad that Clark had remembered her name.
"Lori," he said, smiling mischievously. "This is Cat Grant. Do you remember her from last year?"
"I remember you, but I don't think Clark introduced us," Lori jabbed back. "Hi. I'm Lori, Clark's girlfriend and fellow journalism student. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Grant."
"We were not introduced, but I sure do remember you," Cat replied without saying anything further. She took her badge, smiled seductively at Clark, and stepped off. Clark watched her go by and then turned to look at Lori and smiled.
"Exactly," Lori said, knowing what Clark was thinking.
Inside, Lois and Jose were standing at the carving station when Cat came up from behind. "Lois," she said, "please introduce me to your date."
"Oh, hello Cat," Lois replied. "This is my half-brother, Jose Delgado. Jose, this is Cat Grant."
Jose, a bit confused, turned around and looked at Cat and her eyes widened perceptibly. "Hello," he said, extending his hand to her.
She took it. "Catherine Grant," she replied. "I'm the Society page editor for the Daily Planet."
"Yes, she loves gossip and is probably the best in town at reporting it…or just making it up and spreading it if there's nothing to report." She could see the attraction between the two and followed up. "Just for the record, Cat, Jose really is my date and we're not related on any level. Oh," she added, "and just to quell any other rumors that might mysteriously spring up tonight, I didn't rent him for the evening either." Jose looked back at Lois, and she explained. "Cat loves badgering me about my work-life balance."
"Oh Lois, don't be so thin-skinned." She looked at Jose. "I wouldn't kid her if I didn't like her, you know?"
He smiled. "Well, very nice meeting you," Jose replied. "Perhaps we can talk later when we're not getting food."
"Well, I certainly hope so," she replied as Lois dragged Jose forward.
They ate and had a few drinks and continued to eat more as they circulated. Lois ate more than Jose and he wondered where she put all the food because she showed no signs of over-eating. Jose excused himself to go to the men's room and Cat immediately appeared. "Lois," she began, and Lois glared at her with annoyance. "I owe you an apology," she said. "That man is strikingly good-looking and while I kid you about having no personal life, you must have something good going on that isn't obvious because that man is the die for!"
"So, is this an olive branch, Cat? Are we going to just hug it out now, have sleep-overs, and paint each other's toenails on slow Saturday nights?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Cat replied. "My Saturday nights are usually pretty full. But it is an olive branch, Lois. I could be wrong about you and if you can snag a guy that looks like that, well, you must be doing something right."
Lois smiled genuinely. "Okay, we'll call it a truce then," she said. "He's a really great guy, too, not just handsome."
"Well, I can also see that he's built as solid as a brick house. It's no wonder why you've kept him under wraps. So, mea culpa, Lois. You've scored a winner." She looked at the glass in her hand. "Well, I've run dry. I'll talk to you later," she said and headed toward the bar.
Perry White had given his brief comments about an hour into the affair and the rest of the evening was for merriment and fellowship, in Perry's terms. After about ninety minutes and once everyone had finished eating the buffet foods, the buffet was broken down, and more finger foods and desserts were brought in and set strategically around the hall. Music played, the alcohol began to take hold, and people began to dance. Lois had been surreptitiously scanning the room looking for the guy she saw at the check-in table. She wanted to know his name, but he was nowhere to be found.
Jose and Lois did not share a dance but did circulate and have some light finger foods and some drinks while watching others take to the floor. Lois whispered in Perry's ear who Jose's alter ego was and Perry lit up like their Christmas tree. He pulled Jose aside and talked to him for about ten minutes while Alice and Lois got acquainted.
When Jose returned, they talked for a while, but it soon became forced and awkward. It was obvious that Lois and Jose had little interest in one another beyond their mutual admiration. She had been impressed with him as Gangbuster and she did like him, but she felt no spark between them. Jose felt exactly the same way, respecting Lois for her inner strength, her ability to defend herself, her professionalism, and what she hoped to accomplish for society. Both were easy on the eyes, but there was no magic between them. She kept looking for the guy she wanted to meet, and he kept looking around for Cat.
So, when 10:15 PM rolled around and Jose received an alert on his phone that a group of young men had appeared at a park near the Hobb's River waterfront creating a disturbance, he used the alert to excuse himself. He apologized and thanked Lois for the invitation to the party but said that something had come up and he had to leave. Lois thanked him for coming, told him to be careful, and that she hoped to see him around sometime.
Lois would normally have left and not have hung around by herself. Doing so she knew that she would be exposing herself to some unkind remarks from Cat Grant afterwards about running off men or something to that effect. But there was that guy at the check in table that she had had a moment with. Something inside of her told her not to leave until she at least found out who he was. It was if a pilot light inside of her had been lit. She found Perry and Alice and spent some time speaking with them while searching the room to catch a glimpse of the guy.
She wandered the floor, circulating, picking at finger food and having another drink. She saw Cat dancing with John Corben and felt relieved that Cat's attention would be occupied with him for a while. They make a lovely couple, Lois thought. He doesn't deserve what she serves up though.
Before she knew it, it was after 11 PM and she had not seen the guy that had kindled a spark inside her. She had just decided to leave when Steve Lombard bumped into her. He was intoxicated and was past the point of casual seasonal merriment. He literally begged Lois to dance with him, but she declined. "C'mon Lois, just one dance," he pled. He physically tried to pull her onto the dance floor, and she politely resisted at first, looking around to see if she could spot Perry or someone else to intervene on her behalf.
Not sensing any alternative other than complying with Lombard's drunken demands, she balled her right hand into a fist and subtly drew it back. "Steve, I said…"
"Mr. Lombard," a voice called from behind her and the guy from the check in table stepped between them with uncanny speed, his back to Lois. "Didn't you want to talk to me?" He turned to look back at Lois and gave her a knowing glance.
Lombard let go of Lois and stood upright. "Clark!" he slurred. "I do want…to talk to you…but maybe now is not the best time…I'm really not in the best condition to talk, you know?" Grinning drunkenly, he said, "Maybe after tonight….or after Christmas, okay?" He patted Clark on the shoulder. "Lois," he said. "This is Clark Kent. He is the quarterback…for the Metropolis Bulldogs. He'll be," Lombard suppressed a belch and then continued, "…in the NFL someday…mark my words, Lois."
Clark turned back to look at Lois who would have, under normal circumstances, taken the intervention as an opportunity to escape but instead, remained in place. He extended his hand, and she took it. "Lois Lane," she said, looking at him and shaking his hand.
He smiled. "Yes, I remember giving you your name badge," he replied. "Nice to meet you, Miss Lane." Clark stared for a moment as if he wanted to say something else but instead, turned back to Steve. "So, how about I get you a ride to make sure you get wherever you need to go safely, okay?" He patted Steve on the back and turned him in the direction of the exit.
Lois waited in place, hoping for Clark to return but after fifteen minutes of waiting, she headed to the exit where he had taken Steve Lombard. She asked the security team at the door if they had seen him, and they told her he had left the building about ten minutes earlier.
Miffed upon hearing that, she retrieved her purse from the cloakroom and went to her car. You ran off two gorgeous men in one evening, she thought. That has to be a record for you, Lane. Is there something wrong with me? God, I hope Cat didn't notice.