Love and Heroes

Love and Heroes


Meanwhile at the Daily Planet Lois was making calls in regards to the blackout story, whilst all the while thinking of how Chloe had passionately defended Superman to the hilt, a loyalty she had only known her cousin to ever show to Clark Kent. Oh she knew her cousin was not by any means in love with either Superman or Clark. Even an idiot could clearly see Chloe and Bruce Wayne were madly and passionately in love with each other.

Lois sighed and spoke to her source on the other end of the phone line “Department of Water and Power, please.” She wrote as she spoke “7782, great” she said, as the pen moved across the paper. She hung up and dialled another number. She waited for an answer before saying “Metropolis Public Works.” She sighed and rolled her eyes as she said “Hi, Stephen, Lois Lane from the Daily Planet. Blackout?”

She gritted her teeth as she talked to yet another company “I just need a little info on a few outstanding power grids.” She turned the page on a file, and then she looked at a map and said “Yeah, I do have it here, actually. So the uptown grid went dark at 12:36 and the midtown 10 seconds before. Which grid was hit first?”

She spoke to the same source on her cell phone, as she slipped on her black high heeled dress shoe. A woman on the other end told her “It just reads Vanderworth.” Lois asked “Across the river?” The woman on the other end of the line gave her an address “6 Springwood Drive.” Lois slipped on her second shoe, as she said “6 Springwood Drive” she asked “A residence or a business?” The woman replied over the line “Residence.” Lois asked “Sure? Nothing before that?”

Lois wrote down the information as the woman replied “That’s all it shows.” Lois sighed and said “Thank you very much.” Lois disconnected the call and threw the cell phone down. She took one look at her watch and cringed as she exclaimed quietly “Oh, Jason.”

She had done it again, she had got so caught up in her work yet again, that she was late collecting Jason from school. She had been inside of the storage room, getting dressed in her evening gown for the Pulitzer ceremony, as she made the call concerning her latest story. Lois feared her being late to pick him up so often, was going to end up leaving her poor son with some kind of complex.

Lois drove quickly to the school, hardly maintaining the legal speed limit. When she arrived at the school, Jason was the only child left. A teacher was waiting with him. She said “There’s your mom, Jason.” Jason exclaimed as his mother got out of the car “You’re late, mommy.” Lois looked at her son apologetically and said “I’m sorry I’m late. I got caught up, and lost track of time.”

After leaving the school they arrived outside of a large stone mansion. Jason asked as they pulled up outside. “Where are we? Is this the Pulitzer?” Lois turned to face her son and replied “No. I’ve just gotta ask these people a few questions and then we can go.”

Lois’s cell begun to ring. She picked it up and checked the caller Id. She sighed and disconnected the call when she saw the caller was the Daily Planet. Lois turned to look out of the window and spotted a smaller scale ocean liner. She got out of the car.

Jason asked her “Can I stay in the car.” Lois replied “No, honey.” Lois took Jason and boarded the ocean liner. Jason asked his mom. “Are we trespassing?” Lois replied “No.” Then thought better of it, not wanting to encourage her son to lie. And said instead “Yes.”

They entered though a door and walked down a corridor. Some kind of opera music could be heard playing. Lois called out “Hello?” They continued to walk, until Lois discovered where the source of the music was coming from.

She opened the door and she and Jason continued walk along. Soon they came to what appeared to be a bedroom. They could see an open closet full of clothing, women designer clothing and gowns.

Lois looked around at all of the dressers with toiletries spread out. Lois froze when Jason said “I like the curly one.” Lois turned to where her son was looking. She felt her breath catch at the sight of all the expensive feminine wigs, on wooden heads, with poles holding them up.

She had a sick feeling that she knew who was on this boat. The classical music and the several wigs, they all pointed to one very sick individual. This was definitely a woman’s room, with all of the perfume and cosmetics and moisturisers arranged neatly on most surfaces around the femininely decorated room.

Lois took hold of Jason’s hand and said urgently “Let’s go. This was a bad idea.” Lois rushed to the exit, but it was too late. She felt her stomach drop when she heard the engines starting up. As she reached one of the windows, she saw the ocean liner was moving away rapidly.

Lois quickly turned around with Jason. And stopped still on the spot. As standing in the door way dressed in a pure white silk robe, with lace in places, with her golden brown hair piled messily on top of her head in curls, and tooth brush in her mouth, was Jessica Luthor.

Lois said in a weary tone of voice “Jessica Luthor.” Jessica raised an eye brow, and spoke around the tooth brush making her words sound muffled “Lois Lane?” She quickly averted her eyes to Jason and eyed him thoughtful. There was something about that Child’s eyes. The colour was like none other she had seen any human with, bar one being, and one being alone.

She removed the tooth brush and continued to eye Jason. He reminded her of someone; she just could not put her finger on it. Oh, but she would, she wouldn’t be her if she didn’t figure it out sooner or later, sooner rather then later.

They were all sitting in the piano room. Lois sat in the chair behind the desk, with Jason her lap, held firmly in her arms. Jessica stood in front of them and bent over slightly and said to Jason “And what is your name?” Jason replied “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”

Jessica smirked and said “Cute kid, and smart.” Lois replied coolly “Thanks.” Jessica continued to speak and looked at Lois as she did “We’re not really strangers, are we? This is kind of a little reunion, isn’t it. Heck, I’m a fan. I love your writing and dress. I once had one like it in fact, a certain man of steel didn’t think much of it.”

Lois raised an eye brow and replied “I love your boat.” She added “How’d you get it? Swindle some widow out of his money?” Jessica let out a cold laugh and pointed at Lois and commented dryly “That’s funny. Didn’t you win the Pulitzer Prize for my favourite of all time, “ Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman”? Lois spat back “Didn’t you have a few more years to go on that double life sentence?”

Jessica turned away from Lois and replied “Yes, well, we can thank the Man of Steel for that. I mean, he’s really good at swooping in and catching the bad guys, but he’s not so hot at the little things, Like Miranda rights due process, making your court date. Not taking a hint that someone was actually interested in him, at one point for more then just his fame.”

Lois inwardly cringed as suspicious she had known of, just made themselves very clear to Lois. Jessica had been in love with Superman. She was just willing to bet that love had turned bitter and venomous, after being sent to jail and ignored by the Superhero of your interest. And Chloe said she was a bitter bitch who had been scorned. Lois resisted the urge to burst out in laughter. She sure as hell had nothing on Jessica Luthor when it came to being bitter and scorned.

Lois asked “Did you have anything to do with the blackout?” Jessica smirked and asked in amusement “Are you fishing for an interview, Miss Lane?” Lois replied “Well, It’s been a while since you’ve been a headline. Maybe it’s time people knew your name again.”

She added, asking “How about we turn the boat around, call a cab for my son and then you can do whatever you want with me.” Jessica shook her head and said “No, I don’t think we’ll be turning around, Miss Lane which means that we do have some time to kill. So how about that interview?”

Back at the Daily Planet Richard was on the phone to Jason’s school making some enquires as to where Lois and Jason were.
“ Yeah, just call me if you hear anything. Okay. Thank you” he said into the phone. Perry asked as Richard replaced the receiver in the cradle of the phone. “So, what did the school say?” Richard replied “She picked him up at 3:15.”

Clark who had been listening walked up to Perry’s door and knocked briefly before opening the door and saying “Hi, I heard about Lois.” Perry nodded and beckoned for Clark to come and said “Yes, come in , Clark, come in.” Clark asked “Is there anything I can do?” Perry replied “Yeah, you’re a reporter. Help Richard track her down.” Richard said “I’ll check her computer.” Clark moved out of the way, as Richard said “Oh, excuse me Clark.”

Meanwhile back on the boat only Jessica remained in the piano room with Jason and Lois. She walked over to the desk Jason and Lois were sat at. Then she picked up one of the crystals she stole from the fortress. She held it up and asked Lois “What do you know about crystals?” Lois replied blandly “They make great chandeliers.”

Jessica held the crystal up higher and said “This crystal may seem unremarkable, but so is the seed of redwood tree. It’s our, how should I put this, our mutual interest? Your current interest and my previous interest, I’ve wizened up, and now I just wanna make him suffer. But you on the other hand Miss Lane, your still very much caught up in him.”

She continued after a brief pause “Anyway ,this crystal is how our mutual interest in tights made his Arctic getaway spot.” She added “Cute. It’s a little small for my taste” she said as she pointed to the enormous map of the world above the fire place.

Lois asked “You’re building an island?” Jessica shook her head and exclaimed “You’re not seeing the big picture here, Miss Lane. Let me enlarge it for you.” She walked back over to the map on the wall. She then picked up a remote control and pointed it straight at the map. The map shifted upwards to be replaced by another page of the map. Jessica said “Not just an island, an entirely new continent. An extinct world, reborn on our own.”

Lois shook her head and asked incredulously “Why?” Jessica frowned and spoke to Lois as if she was speaking to someone of Jason’s own age. “Land, Miss Lane.” She added “You see Miss Lane, my father once told me, you can print money manufacture diamonds, and people are in a dime and a dozen , but they’ll always need land. It’s the one thing they’re not making anymore of.”

Lois replied “But the United States-“ Jessica cut her off and pointed the remote at the map again, changing the map once again. She pointed and said “Will be underwater. It’s simple physics, Miss Lane. Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.”

Lois interrupted her and asked incredulously “And the rest of the world will just let you keep it? They’ll” It was now Jessica’s turn to interrupt “They’ll, what?” She continued “I’ll have advanced alien technology, thousands of years beyond what anyone could throw at me.” She lifted her hands before exclaiming loudly “Bring it on!”

She then once again pointed the remote at the map and changed the page, this was a map of the whole entire world. She said “And eventually the rest of the world will be begging me for a piece of high-tech beachfront property. In fact, they’ll pain thought the nose for it.”

Lois said firmly and angrily “But millions of people will die.” Jessica exclaimed “Billions! Once again, the press underestimates me. This is front-page news.” She smirked and added “Come on, let me hear you say it just once.” Lois hissed “You’re insane.”

Jessica held up and hand and shook her head and replied “No! Not that. No, the other thing. Come on, I know it’s dangling off the tip of your tongue. Let me hear it just once, please?” Lois spat angrily “Superman will never-“ Jessica cuts her off and all but shouts “Wrong!”

Jessica moved away from Lois and walked back over to the fire place. She then opened a case. She reached in and seconds later, revealed a long and wide cylinder made entirely out of green Kryptonite. Lois knew exactly what that was, she was just far too sickened to even think it. She said “What is that?”

Jessica nodded and held up the sickly green cylinder and said “I think you know exactly what this is. Mind over muscle, Miss Lane.” She repeated “Mind-“ she stopped mid sentence and eyed Jason, who had gone pale and was shifting in his mothers lap, as if trying to burry himself inside of her, for safety.

She pointed the Kryptonite at Jason, and suddenly felt anger brewing just under the surface, as she remembered who exactly she knew with eyes that unique shade of blue. Eyes that she first encountered when she was just sixteen years old and her father had sent her to Smallville to stay with her cousin Lex, in a large castle, her uncle had transferred stone by stone to Smallville from all the way in England, Scotland.

She asked Lois “Who is that boy’s father?” She had more of inkling that she was right. She wanted to see if Lois knew or was going to end up trying to bullshit her, which is something Jessica Luthor would never tolerate from Lois Lane of all people. If that boy’s father was who she thought it was, then there was gonna be hell to pay. Lois replied “Richard.” Jessica’s jaw clenched. ‘Bullshit, absolutely bullshit Lane’ Jessica thought venomously.

She said coldly “Oh, on the contrary, Miss Lane. I do believe you are very much mistaken. I’m certain your boy did not inherit eyes of such a unique and unknown shade of blue that no human could ever hope or dream of having, from Richard White, nor yourself. And of course, I do believe the little one is currently looking a little peaky. What we you say hmm, is the little exposure to Kryptonite not agreeing with the little cutie?”

Jessica smirked and replied icily “Ooh, something tells me Clark Kent has been a very naughty little boy, and apparently you have no recollection what so ever of how your son was conceived do you Miss Lane?” Lois looked at her as if she had a grown a second head and spat “What has he got to do with this? I’ve never slept with Clark Kent. You’re insane.”

Jessica paused, before suddenly her smile positively turned vindictive and almost gleeful. She all but cackled “Ooh, yes, I do believe you are very much in the dark when it comes to our dear Clark Kent and our Fly Boy of Steel.”

Lois spat “What the hell are you talking about? And what has Clark got to do with Superman?” Jessica replied “Oh, I’ll tell you alright, but first of all, send your spawn over to the piano, as you and I are gonna have a talk, woman to woman.”