Lois and Clark Stories

[Jean Valjean]

On The Planet's Roof

LOIS SCURRIED DOWN FROM THE ROOF. Some heads turned. Everyone seemed to notice her excitement, save for Clark, who was too busy working on his economics article to take note. She sat down in her desk directly across from him and typed on her computer with a satisfied smile. The rapid sound of keys filled the otherwise silent room for a full minute...........Clark finally looked up. "Lois, do you want me to proofread your work?".........."What? No," said Lois. Of course not. This was too good for anyone to see until she was done...........Clark leaned over the desk space between them. Lois stopped smiling and glared at him. "I've never seen you so enthusiastic to work. Wasn't your normal typing rate forty words per minute last I checked?"..........Lois let her hands rest. "Clark, you'll find out later. Let's just say I scored gold on something.".........."On the rooftop?"..........Lois eyed him. Clark was the most mild-mannered reporter she knew, and yet there was no one else on Earth more frustrating. Although she could tell that the curiosities of other reporters had been piqued the moment she entered the office, only Clark seemed to have the guts to press any questions...........She held her tongue for a beat, or rather, her lower lip, which she tucked under her upper teeth as she eyed Clark. "Yes, on the roof." No point in denying that much..........."You must have seen something pretty incredible," said Clark..........."Yep. Sure did," said Lois. She returned to her typing, yet she maintained eye contact with Clark in some sort of staring contest..........."Whatever it was, given your spelling problems, which are already terrible, you're probably going to misspell half your words at this rate," said Clark...........Lois briefly broke the staring context to look down at her screen. Sure enough, half the words were underlined in red squiggles. Bullocks. "I have spell-check on my side," she said..........."You might still want some peer revision," said Clark..........."Nope. I have Chief to do that for me," said Lois, almost bursting at this point as she switched from the defense to her normal prideful state. Clark only responded with the facial equivalent of a shrug...........From the other end of the office, editor-in chief Perry White rang out "Don't call me 'Chief!'"..........Lois and Clark looked around and froze for a moment. As animation returned to their bodies, they turned back to each other and for a moment, neither saying nor expressing anything. Then, in unison, they laughed...........When Clark regained his composure, he sighed and returned to his work. "I admire you ability to multitask, by the way."..........Lois smiled to herself as she continued to write her article at top speeds. For whatever reason - she didn't understand why - it wasn't a smirk, but a real smile, the same she had felt come to her eyes when she was on the rooftop. "Thanks," she said...........When she glanced up, Clark was back at his work, adjusting his glasses and reading over his economics report. When he noticed her looking at him, he smiled, or at least tried. Suddenly she was struck at how sad he looked. "It's just something I wish I could do better."..........Clark returned to focus, but Lois was almost certain she saw him give something of himself away. She knew it was none of her business, but she was a reporter. She took note on everything. Clark was more complex than people gave him credit for. Most people were, as a general principle. Lois stopped typing as new curiosities popped into her mind. Her article could wait...........She averted her eyes away from Clark now and opened up a new document, the one where she kept a list of all her unanswered questions. She typed a new bullet point: "What makes Clark sad?" She saved and exited. The document that was mostly red squiggles returned to the front of the screen...........The sound of clicking keys that filled the silence now belonged to Clark..........."Hey, Clark, do you have any friends?" asked Lois...........Clark stopped typing. "I have my mother, and when I was in high school I had a friend named Pete Ross.".........."No, I mean friends right now.".........."Well I have you, Lois." He said it with a straight face..........."You have got to be kidding me!" said Lois. "I'm terrible to you. I'm a brat. I treat you like nothing.".........."You're a greater hero for me than you give yourself credit for," said Clark. "You're all those things, but you put up with me all the same. Whenever you have a rant, you come to me first. And let's not forget, we make an awesome team. Remember when we investigated to see if Lex Luthor was twisting the arm of Senator Jennings?".........."Clark, the only reason I took you with me was because Chie - " she caught herself and cast a glance to Perry White's office, "Because Perry think we're perfect. That, and you tripped and ruined everything for me. Some team, huh?".........."Well, to my understanding you were pushing the boundaries of honest reporting anyway," said Clark. "And you admitted as much."..........Lois lifted a paperwieght and feigned a toss at Clark. He flinched. "Yeah, well I still would have had the ultimate story.".........."Even better than the one you have right now?" asked Clark...........It was now Lois's turn to flinch. "You changed the subject on me.".........."I did?".........."Yes, Clark, you did, and it was totally a reporterly thing to do," said Lois..........."Sorry. I should get back to my own article," said Clark..........."Wait, you can get that thing done in two minutes flat. How fast can you type anyway?".........."Over nine thousand, when you're not looking."..........Lois chuckled, cuaght off guard. She didn't expect Clark to be the type of person to make that kind of reference. "Okay, how about when I am looking?".........."Four hundred words per minute with ninety-eight percent accuracy," said Clark..........."See? So at that rate you could get your boring business article done in a few minutes, plus a few extra just to organize your thoughts, but you're a genius anyway so it shouldn't take too long. I can't imagine you'd be a busy person," said Lois...........Clark looked like he was struggling for a response. In the end, he said nothing, just returned to his report..........."No, don't you do that to me," said Lois. "Clark? Clark! C'mon, let's just talk. What do you say to visiting Mickey's Diner?" When he looked up at her she realized what she had said. "No, not as a date. Don't let that enter your mind. As a friend. As a coworker, because that's what coworkers do.".........."Lois, no need to be defensive. I asked you there the first day I met you, remember? I understand," said Clark...........That was right. Lois remembered sitting across from him and sharing with him her ambitions. He had sat there, eating his food, taking it all in, and every once and a while threw in his little bits of Midwest wisdom. Now that she thought about it, he had been awfully nice to her. Maybe it was time she returned the favor..........."Well, it's a little more than that. I met someone recently, someone with a heart of gold, someone kind, and he's sort of inspired me," said Lois. "I want to be more like him, and this is the sort of thing he would do.".........."'Whatever you do for the least of these you do unto me?'" quoted Clark..........."Uh, yeah, I see your reasoning there," said Lois. "He would totally like you, by the way.".........."I'm going to pretend I have no idea who you're talking about at this point," said Clark with a wry smile...........Lois closed her tight and scrunched up her face. "Stupid...I can't believe I gave myself away there." She let her face relax and took a deep breath. "Yes, I guess I might as well share that with you, anyway. We're friends, after all, like you said. And Clark?".........."Yes?".........."You can proofread my paper when we get there."..........Clark smiled with his eyes, but then his eyes went completely out of focus. "Sorry, Lois, something just came up. I have to go! Sorry!" He turned off his computer and jolted out of the office, leaving his roller chair spinning and Lois surprised. What was with that Clark Kent?..........Lois rested her cheek on one hand and sat there for a while, staring into the distance. Her thoughts occasionally shifted back to her article, but Clark returned to her mind again and again, so much so that it surprised her. He was an odd character, but maybe it was worth accepting Clark as her friend...........Then something came to her. Her journalistic instincts came back, and she opened up her bullet list again to add her latest question..........."What's with that Clark Kent?"

Review

24601

Edited October 29, 2012 by Jean Valjean

[Jean Valjean]

Mickey's Diner

..........IT WAS OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR. There was ham, sausages, bacon, pancakes, waffles, everything a nostalgic fan of the 50's could ever want. Neal Kaplen once said in the Metropolis Times that it had "Malts so thick you could eat them with a fork, hamburgers so juicy you can use a spoon, and waitresses so ornery you better know exactly what you want by the time they reach you."..........As it happened, Lois knew before she looked at the menu that she wanted the Fresh Ground Coffee..........."You're a reporter, aren't you?" said the waitress, her name tag labeling her Jenny..........."The best there is," said Lois. "So says my boss.".........."Your boss a guy?" said Jenny..........."Yeah," said Lois..........."Probably because you're pretty, then," said Jenny. "No lie, sometimes I'm sure I get tips because I'm attractive myself.".........."Shouldn't you be busy getting me coffee?" prodded Lois. She was a bit tired at the time and her voice was husky, but her face was sharp, demanding to be kept seriously. The waitress corrected herself and went back into the kitchen...........She got her coffee, drank it dry, and repeated her order. Clark was nowhere to be seen. She wished he had told her what had come up. On the other hand, she never specified the time to meet. She shook her head. More coffee. Lather, rinse, repeat. The best she could to with her time was to make use of the caffeine in her system and zoom in on the details of the newspaper she had with her. She swore she waited for an hour, but when she looked at the clock it was only fifteen minutes before she saw Clark's giant glasses making their way across the street. He almost got hit by a car along the way. He readjusted the glasses, bowed, and apologized. Lois looked on almost apathetically, used to the sight...........He bumped open the door and removed his hat once inside..........."I'd like a - " he began..........."More coffee," interrupted Lois. She tapped her cup. The waitress took it...........Clark looked around the diner, observed the seats, the counter, the waitress, and the food like he was a kid in a toy store. "You know, I've always liked the 50's. The food, the fashion, the television shows, it all kind of reminds me of family. On that thought, my favorite actress was Noel Niell. I loved her."..........Oh, the small talk. It was completely out of character when they were both reporters. Lois looked at the manuscript folded up in her purse. She picked it out, unfolded it, and pondered the contents. "Ah, heck, I might as well give this to you right now," said Lois...........Clark took the papers, unfolded them, and speed-read his way through..........."Hm." Just that, hm..........."Well?" said Lois. "Anything else?".........."It's a very tall claim," said Clark, looking up. "Never mind that for now, though. You are aware that spell-check doesn't catch everything, right?".........."Oh shut up," said Lois. "Flatter me. Overlook the flaws.".........."I just thought I'd mention it, because I'm trying to be helpful," said Clark. "It's called constructive criticism.".........."Yes, but I want you to appeal to my ego. I'm on an ego trip right now and there's no way you're taking me down," said Lois..........."It's a marvelous story, then," said Clark. "I'm very happy for you. From here on things are swell - ".........."Oh please, not that word again.".........."Sorry," said Clark. "Now the main thing that stands out to me, other than the subject previously alluded to but since relegated to the category of unspoken subjects, is the title."..........Lois opened her mouth as if to take offense, as his tone was doubtful. "What about it? It's an awesome title!".........."'My Date with Superman?'" Many wrinkles appeared on Clark's forehead...........The waitress intervened with the coffee. Clark grabbed a cup without looking at it and continued to maintain eye contact with Lois, both of them looking incredulous with each other..........."Rule number one, buddy: headlines have the catch the eye. What about this doesn't scream to be read?" asked Lois...........Clark sipped his coffee. "Well, that's the thing. By phrasing it that way everybody knows that you are romantically involved with the the most powerful man in the world. Now say you were to report that Superman chose to reveal personal details to you for the benefit of the public, but were to leave the elements that qualify this encounter as a date ambiguous. See, the details of who Superman is are the things the public ought to know. They ought to know that he's an alien from the planet Zenon - ".........."Krypton," said Lois..........."Is that really it's name? Really?".........."Is the big S on his chest really his family crest?" countered Lois, like it was a rhetorical question..........."That seems awfully contrived to be a coincidence," said Clark..........."Clark, you trust me, don't you?" said Lois. "Really, you've always assumed the best in people. I'm not lying. This is what he told me, and I know he was telling the truth."..........Clark blushed. Lois wasn't sure why. Then he finished his coffee. "Just promise me one thing. Keep the title, because it is an eye-catcher, but quickly downplay it. I mean, that's personal information. You can afford to be slightly deceptive on it.".........."I find it hard to believe that you would support something like that," said Lois. "Isn't that still dishonesty?".........."No it's just..." Clark paused to look for the right words. "Letting people to follow their natural tendency to look but not see. The point is, I care for you. I don't want to see you get hurt. Is it possible that you could publish it anonymously? Just Perry White and I would have to know."..........Those words hit Lois harder than she was willing to let on, but she unwillingly let on everything by dropping into silence and staring at her coffee cup. It hurt her to actually consider the possibility of publishing what could be the biggest article of her life anonymously. He was treating her like someone who needed to go into the witness protection program, which if she went through with her plans could very well be the case...........The swirling white top of her coffee wasn't giving her any answers..........."What if..." she couldn't think of anything. She had no convincing counter-argument, and it was killing her. "I mean, uggghhh..." She certainly knew what she wanted. Yet, she had to admit, it was kind of selfish. Yet the more she thought about it, the more she had to admit, she was scared. She wanted the spotlight, but what would happen if she really got it? Yes, it would open doors, give her opportunities to really make a difference as a reporter. She would be important. All it took was a willingness to sacrifice some of her safety..........."It's okay, Lois, at least you're getting the truth out there," said Clark. "This is a man who's changing the world. What matters is that he's expressing himself and you're there for him." He put his hand on her wrist..........."I hate it when you're right," said Lois. She was secretly very angry with him. Why did he have to be like her father? Why did he have to be so concerned with her safety? She couldn't dwell on that anymore, though. It was time to put the discussion back on her terms. "So I'm pretty sure I'm pleased with the way I organized the paper. I mean, I figured when he first appeared last Christmas, the two biggest questions on people's minds were 'How can he do all those things' and 'What's up with the underpants on the outside'? I figured it was best to just answer both of them at the same time. The way I see it, he's a supreme alien from Krypton; he can wear whatever he wants."..........Clark chuckles, almost spilling over his coffee..........."But seriously, that's how they dress where he comes from," said Lois...........Clark put the papers on the counter and looked straight at her, smiling. "That's swe - uh, that's sweet. No, I was laughing for completely different reasons. Your organization, by the way, is fine, just fine. I have no complaints. Asides from typos, you're the world's best reporter.".........."Yeah, well, I guess that explains why the Daily Planet's circulation is down," said Lois. It made her blood boil just thinking about it. "That villain Lex Luthor's declaring a personal war on us because we published some critique on him. Things would be going completely the other way if I actually had proof that he's a white collar criminal.".........."Don't worry. We'll come back out on top," said Clark..........."And the thing is, most of the public is afraid of Superman because he has the other newspapers attack him," said Lois. "There needs to be just one article out there that shows him for who he truly is. And I believe him, by the way. I believe I met the real man. He has his secrets, I guess, who doesn't? But he's still honest. I don't know everything, but I know what's important. He's a good man, and when he says that he's just here to be a friend I think he really means it."..........Clark looked at his cup. "I think I've had enough coffee.".........."I haven't," said Lois..........."Once you're done, I think we'd better leave. I mean, we'd be taking up this space and we'd kind of be loitering.".........."Clark, you're paranoid," said Lois. "Nobody's cramming to get in here.".........."Are you sure? I mean, it's a pretty nice place," said Clark..........."Have you looked out the window? It's just a bad day for business.".........."Okay, Lois," said Clark, withdrawing..........."See? I'm always right," said Lois. "Except when I'm wrong." Clark's eyebrows raised and he looked at her expectantly. "Okay, I was wrong just a moment ago. But that doesn't count.".........."Statistically speaking, you're still generally right," said Clark...........Lois smiled without knowing why. Again, it was the same smile she had on the rooftop with Superman. What was with that?..........Jenny walked up to them and put her hands on her hips. "Are you two lovers done yet? I can't have you two taking up space here."..........Lois looked at her and gave her an indignant look. "Excuse me?" Clark at once averted his gaze and scratched the back of his neck like a turtle pulling its head into its shell. Goodness gracious, if he wasn't going to be any help, Lois would just have to pretend that she didn't know him..........."It's called loitering," said Jenny..........."Well I haven't received my next coffee yet," said Lois..........."You've been drinking coffee all day!".........."Twenty minutes," said Lois...........Clark got up..........."Clark, sit down!" said Lois..........."Uh, Lois, I've had enough coffee. I can go," he said..........."No, I invited you here and our business isn't finished yet!" said Lois..........."Lois...".........."Don't 'Lois' me!".........."Lois?".........."Lois!" said Jenny..........."Hey, you're not on a first-name basis with me, Jenny," shot Lois..........."I'm sure we can discuss this at a different time," said Clark..........."That's it, you're out of here!" said Jenny. "I am officially telling you to get out!"..........Clark grabbed the papers off the counter and immediately left. Lois couldn't believe he was chickening out just like that. On second thought, yes, she could definitely believe it. Lois lost her will to stay and fight, since her reason for coming in the first place had just walked out the door. She followed him onto the street. He was sitting on the curb with the papers in hand. She sat next to him..........."I'm sorry," said Clark..........."You don't have anything to be sorry for," said Lois. She looked behind her to glance through the window of Mickey's Diner. Nobody had taken their seats. Jenny had no one to serve. "It was mostly that waitress's fault.".........."It wasn't her fault either. I'm just - I'm just sorry," said Clark..........."Clark, why don't you just come out and say it was me?" said Lois. "You're always blaming yourself for everything because you're too afraid of inflicting judgment on anyone. Come on, be a reporter! Have some guts! Say it!".........."Lois, you were just being yourself," said Clark. "And you're so secure with who you are. I don't want to take that away from you.".........."Part of me being me is that I'm pretty used to people calling me out on things," said Lois. She put her hands on his to get his full attention. The paper rustled as his grip loosened. "Clark, can you do me a favor?".........."If you need one," said Clark..........."Just say yes," said Lois..........."Yes.".........."I'd like you to be completely honest with me. Call me out when I'm going too far, like when I was going to tell the world that I dated Superman," she said...........Clark just looked at her haplessly..........."As a friend," said Lois. "I trust you."..........Clark sighed. He handed the manuscript to her and began walking across the street. There was a break in the traffic and the opportunity was perfect. Lois got up and didn't let him leave her side. To her satisfaction he wasn't sulking. He was genuinely deep in thought and stayed silent for a while. Finally, "I'm trying to imagine what that would be like.".........."Don't think about it. Just know that it will be better.".........."I know," said Clark...........They walked shoulder-to-shoulder as the returned to the Daily Planet.

[Jean Valjean]

The Lion's Den

LIONEL LUTHOR CLOSED HIS LABTOP WHEN LOIS ENTERED HIS OFFICE. She closed the door behind her, keeping in touch with the ritual..........."It's good to see you, Miss Lane," he said..........."Cut to the chase. What do you want?".........."Well, if you're going to be that way, I suppose there's no point in being subtle," said Lionel. "Take a seat. Right next to me - there's no point in us letting this desk separate us. They view is too brilliant to enjoy alone." He swiveled his chair back and around to face the window behind him. Lois picked up the visitor's chair and walked around the desk, placing it next to him but keeping some distance. She would get up close and personal if it was on her terms, not by his invitation...........The window showed the view from the top floor of the Luthor Trade Building, a hundred and fifty floors up. Within its view was the golden globe atop the Daily Planet, and out in the distance was the silhouette of his old home, the Luthorcorp building..........."The view, the view is simply remarkable," said Luthor. "The things you see up here, when you're standing up on the pedestal of a God, would put the knowledge of mortal men to shame. Now I see things clearly.".........."I see clouds," said Lois flatly. "Pretty clouds. Abstract clouds. What do you know? That cloud looks like a clown. I must have one on my mind."..........Luthor gave his devilish grin. "No, I invited you here not to attack you. I really miss your company, all those calm and agreeable discussions on philosophy we shared. Then you stopped coming. I haven't seen you since, oh when was it? It was such a memorable date; I can't understand why it's escaping me. Oh, that's right, it was about that time when the flying man appeared, that's right. Lex has been demonizing him with the press and has called him the Red Menace. I guess he was fortunate you wrote the first story on him and coined a much more positive name that stuck.".........."Is that all you brought me here to talk about?" asked Lois..........."Well, what would a trip to my place be without one of our kind and amiable philosophy chats? You know, after all our discussions, I'm surprised with your choice in names. Superman? Have you finally resigned to my views? Is that why you have not come back for another verbal swordfight, because you have seen my philosophy triumph and walk now with your tail between your legs?".........."Don't be so sure of yourself, Luthor," said Lois. "I still don't believe in the Übermensch, but I'm still searching for an ideal example of humanity. I believe Superman is the one, and you haven't met him. He isn't a god.".........."What is he?".........."He's just a friend," said Lois. "And if you can't see that, you're blind. All of you Luthors are blind.".........."What? No, no Lois, I see you point," said Lionel, turning a little toward her and kicking his right foot up onto his left knee. "It's valid and it's the basis for a new counterargument, now, and your rhetoric is improving. You make me proud.".........."Mr. Luthor, if you don't have a reason for keeping me here other than to have one of our old conversations, then this is a waste of my time," said Lois. She got up from her chair and headed toward the door. "I've outgrown you, and you're living in the past, thinking that I'm still that insecure reporter who needed access to a big shot to feel important. I'm done here. Goodbye."..........She reached for the doorknob..........."What about your date with this Superman?" said Lionel...........She stopped turning the knob. She looked back at Lionel and saw a devilish smile on his rugged face...........Great. She would have played dumb, but her pause had already revealed everything, and "I don't know what you're talking about" was the lamest response ever. Even if she didn't hesitate, Lionel still carried through on his hunches, so it didn't matter if he had empirical evidence or if he was just bluffing. It was too specific to be a hunch anyway, too perfect, only just a day after she met him on the rooftop. There was no way out of this...........He seemed to sense when she had given up, and he chuckled. It was never good when he chuckled. It meant that she was screwed over. He won, end of story, there was no more need to struggle on her part..........."I had my secretary go fetch me my telescope," he said. "I told you the view was great. So I'm presuming, of course, that this was officially an interview, what with your recording device, but I saw how comfortable you two were. You, of course, being as hungry for a story as you are, would have back to the office to create a typo-filled account of your meeting as possible. Yet, what escapes me is, why hasn't this turned up?".........."I decided," she fumbled. "I'm still thinking this over. I'm trying to be an ethical journalist, not just someone who sells herself out to anything big that comes her way. People deserve a better reporting system. And I'm just going to publish it anonymously, anyway.".........."A man can't deny his true nature," said Lionel. "Or a woman, and when a woman makes her mind to do something, she does it.".........."I am going to publish that encounter," said Lois. "I'm just ironing out the story so that it comes out the way I want it to.".........."One that doesn't include the dating aspect of it, I suppose," said Lionel..........."That's not true at all," said Lois. "There was nothing romantic about it. He came just to tell me what the world needed to know about him. I'm calling you out on the bluff that you saw the details so clearly. I didn't have a recorder with me.".........."Oh please, don't insult my intelligence," said Lionel. "I merely filled in the blanks with my imagination, but it doesn't take a genius to figure these things out. I saw a man clad in red and blue fly toward the Daily Planet, and when I looked really hard I saw you there waiting for him. This was no accidental encounter. He specifically chose you, out of all the reporters in the world, someone who hadn't had fame and credibility to lend to his image. Imagine the implications: it means that he somehow either already got a glimpse of your personality to know you personally and therefore have a trust in an unknown, or he just picked you out the crowd because of your pretty face. Both are very flattering to you and indicate personal interest, and given that you seem to be a big believer in this ideal man, this Superman of sorts, it doesn't take much to conclude that you like him in return. If I can put the pieces together, Lex will.".........."Don't call him 'this Superman'; it's impersonal," said Lois. "He's a person, so Superman isn't title but his identity, like a name.".........."Oh, you continue to betray yourself," said Lionel. "Here, sit down. Let me explain something to you. Okay, stand up for all I care. No here's the point: I'm not out to get Superman. I look at him and he offers something of a challenge to my worldview, but he's not my problem. I'm sure his presence will actually help my business. Yet, my son isn't as apathetic. He looks at Superman and instead of seeing a Big Blue Boyscout he sees a Red Menace. He's jealous, my child, jealous. Lex fancies himself at the top of the food chain, upstaging even his father, and he wants the title of supreme human being all for himself..........."Lois, by the way, you look miserable without a coffee," he noted..........."Yeah, just go on with it," she said, her arms crossed. "Go on. Anything left you'd like to throw at me?".........."Well, in a moment. I don't have any coffee on me, sad to say. I never believed in introducing chemicals into my system to control my senses on my behalf. I do have some mints in my drawer. Would you be content with those?".........."Stop mocking me.".........."Have you ever noticed how a father can condemn his children by talking down on them? Lois, you have to become a woman now and admit that I am in the right here, which I know is a very difficult thing to do, by I am very patient and understanding. I am not out to get you. I am not out to get Superman.".........."If these things are none of your concern, then, I suppose I have no reason to stay and enjoy your rudeness," said Lois..........."Not true," said Lionel. "Here's where you have to admit that you were wrong: I am not your enemy. In fact, I really want to be your friend.".........."Now you're just trying to manipulate me," said Lois. "What do I have to do to get out of this?".........."Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" said Lionel. "You could have just continued walking out that door and it would have been the end of things. You could do it right now, save for your lack of trust in me, and that's what needs fixing, Lois. We need to be able to trust each other, and I trust you, so that leaves one of us meet the other halfway.".........."That's different and you know it," said Lois. "I'm actually a trustworthy person. That Superman believes it only proves it. Who do you have to endorse you? Politicians. As far as I'm concerned you're still a mean and manipulative wolf. I'm beyond manipulating now."..........Lionel smiled. For once he wasn't smug, but it was still offsetting that he seemed to take it as a complement. "A wolf, maybe, but I'm selective in who I target. You're off-limits for me, but maybe not for others, and trust me, you can be manipulated. That tough-as-nails reporter thing you've got going for you is almost perfect, but that's only ninety-nine percent of the story, isn't it? You're just sensitive enough, just vulnerable enough that you fall girlishly for Superman. I bet he recognizes your insecurities and makes them go away. So taking these flaws into account, it occurs to me that you need protection, Lois. I am on your side.".........."What do you want out of this? Why are you interested?".........."Lois, can you for once in your life believe that this is purely because I like you?".........."No.".........."Very well," said Lionel, stroking his beard. "Well, then, that's all I had to say. Just know now that I am doing everything I can rightfully do to see to your protection. You can go now." He opened his labtop, tapped a couple of keys, but then seemed to remember something as he looked up. "Oh, and one more thing. I believe he didn't pick you out because of your pretty face but because he appreciated you already as a human being."..........He didn't say anything more. He just rested his chin on his right hand as he observed God knew what o his screen. Lois now felt completely dismissed, but in a moment of curiosity pondered what he cold potentially be looking at on that computer. Big shots always flipped their desktops down whenever anybody entered the room, whether they had any secrets or not...........Lois left the room and took the elevator on the long way down. The ride seemed to last forever, but the time flew as she focused her energy on reasons she hated Lionel Luthor, that dirty rotten businessman who climbed to the top by stepping on innocent people who didn't deserve to be put down. Of course, nothing could ever be pinned on him, and nobody had ever successfully sued him. Although he didn't make a single effort to hide his unfairness with his chauvinistic attitude, he wasn't an honest man. He used every dirty trick in the book. Who did he think he was to believe she would consider for a moment that he was trustworthy?..........When she left the building and walked along its shadow, she decided to take a shortcut to the Daily Planet through an ally way. It was suicide, she knew, especially in a big city, but nobody ever actually attacked people in the allies. That was just a stereotype reserved for the incredibly unlucky...........Still, Lionel was on her mind. She wouldn't need him anymore, she knew. She had found a new friend to make her feel on top...........She stopped and rested against the brick wall. God, Lionel was right. She had crawled to him when he was open to her just to argue off the record about philosophy. In some ways, it really was just that, and the relationship was real, but she couldn't lie to herself and say that their relationship was just about being frienemies and exclusively just that. Now she passed him on exactly when Superman came along. So long as she had someone larger than life in her world, she was content. She really was insecure..........."Hey lady..." mumbled a sketchy voice. Lois looked up. There was a man with a load of shabby clothes and an upturned collar. In his hand, no surprise, was a pistol...........Go figure. She was one of the unlucky ones..........."Bug off," said Lois..........."Give me your purse, or you know the rest. Don't try to fight, don't cry 'Superman!' Don't annoy me, either. Just give me your purse.".........."Übermensch," said Lois...........The mugger hesitated for a moment. "What? I'm confused."..........Lois kicked him in the gut and shifted her weight so that she was both out of the way of the gun and a smaller target. Then she grabbed the mugger by the arm and drove her knee into his wrist so that he let go of the gun. To finish the deal, she kicked him between the legs, grabbed the gun, and sprinted down the ally..........."Hey!" he moaned, but he wasn't catching up with her...........When she was out of there and had put a couple of blocks' distance from her and the mugger, and when she was on a populated street, she allowed herself to stop and catch her breath. She looked at the gun in her hand, realized how bad that looked, and stashed it away in her purse as fast as she could. Someone had probably already saw. That was no good. Well, she would call the police and report that the gun was in her possession as soon as she could to clear up any confusion...........That was, now that she thought about it, exhilarating. Then she thought about it some more. She didn't need protection. Not from Lionel Luthor and not from Superman. She had just stood up to someone who aimed a gun at her point-blank...........Well, Lionel was right about some things. She couldn't deny her true nature.