Superman - Son of Krypton

Chapter Three - Super... menace?

It was working. The flames on the side of the building were slowly getting smaller, slowly dying. Clark, in his new T-Shirt, was hovering by a burning building, spraying it with his freeze breath. The people inside the tall building were counting on him, their faces pressed against the window after failing to get into a crammed elevator down to the first floor. The door to the stairs seemed to be jammed, as the people by the window next to Clark looked helpless. They needed Superman.

A little while later, the flames had completely vanished. Clark smiled. What would Lois Lane and the Daily Planet have to say about this? But then the moment was over. Clark had spent too long freezing the building after the flames had already died out. A loud sound of broken glass was heard as the glass from the windows completely shattered.

--

"I can't believe I did that," Clark said, pacing around his apartment room. "I almost had it!"

"You did great, Clark. And nobody was injured from the glass," Martha reassured.

"I know... it's just I want people to see me as a hero. Not a menace like the Daily Planet and probably many more think I am. Besides, what if I did hurt someone?"

"You're not a menace. You are a great person with extraordinary gifts. Everyone will see that, just give them time. The point is that you didn't hurt anyone. You saved far more than you would have hurt anyway."

Clark nodded. He knew Martha was right, but he just wished that everyone else saw it that way. He looked over at the TV and his heart sank. Sure enough, posted there was how Superman had put people in danger and should have let firemen handle it. And also posted there was the name Lois Lane.

Clark walked toward the door to his apartment.

"Where are you going, Clark?" Martha asked.

"To talk to Lois Lane," he replied.

Martha smiled, "You tell her."

--

"Miss Lane," Clark said, stepping off the elevator. He had used his super-hearing to listen to the conversation she was having with Cat Grant. They were gossiping about some new hair product. When Cat turned around and saw, Clark, she blushed and nudged Lois Lane.

"Hmm?" Lois said, turning around.

"I was wondering if I could have a word."

Lois smiled one last time at Grant and walked over to where Clark was standing.

"Kent, right? You just moved here," she remembered.

"That's me," Clark replied. "I just wanted to ask you a quick question."

"Shoot. Just, make it quick. Boss has probably got a story ready for me."

"Why do you hate Superman so much?"

Lois just laughed.

"What?" Clark asked, looking around.

"Nothing. It's just that name," she explained. "It's like he was going for a Batman feel and failed miserably."

"Uh-huh. So, my question."

"Right. Well first off, he's an alien. I don't know if you've noticed, but we've been an alien-free planet."

"So then how do you explain what's-his-name," Clark countered, trying to think of the names of the increasingly popular heroes that had shown up in the past year. He had heard lots of people talking about them. "Flash, and uh, Green Lantern? Those guys seem pretty extra-terrestrial to me."

"Exactly," she said, "and looked what happened. Central City now has more super villains than it does heroes. And half of Coast City was ruined by the attack! Do you want that happening here?"

"Of course not," Clark replied. "But I don't see the problem with having a guy with superpowers helping out the city."

"Helping out the city? So far he's destroyed a window of a giant building, spraying glass that could have hurt dozens, maybe more!"

Clark frowned. She had a point, but he wasn't giving up yet.

"I'm just saying that maybe you should give him a chance. This is probably still new to him."

"Well you sure seem to be rooting for him," Lois noticed.

"I mean, isn't that what reporting is all about? Covering all the angles of a story? Giving unbiased information?" said Clark.

"Just let me do my reporting," she said.

Clark could tell she was getting fed up, but so was he. She wasn't seeing any of the good in Superman.

"Oh, and another thing," Clark continued. "It's our reporting. Mr. White assigned Superman to both of us."

"And I recall you agreeing to stay out of it," Lane responded.

"But then I wouldn't be doing my job, would I? It's my assignment too, so I will report on it."

Lois smiled, something Clark hadn't expected.

"I like you, Kent," she said, stepping back, as if looking at him for the first time. "Fine. We work together to make the next article. But you do everything I say."

"That's a start," Clark replied, walking over to his desk. He sat down and leaned back. He looked to his right and saw that James' desk was empty. He looked around and saw him in Mr. White's office. He used his super-hearing to listen in.

"Come on, Chief!" James was saying. "Send me into the field. I can get close ups on all the stories!"

"No, Olsen. When I need you, I will call you. That is all. Now get out of my office," Perry White concluded, sitting back down.

James walked back to his desk and sat back down glumly.

"What happened?" Clark asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to get out more, get more chances to prove myself."

"Those photos of Superman seemed pretty nice."

"Yeah, but they weren't even used. Someone else got a photo after Superman had busted the window of that building, and the Planet wanted to use that one," James explained.

"Well I'm sure you'll have more chances to get shots of Superman," Clark reassured. "And if any of them are as good as the one you took yesterday, you'll get the respect you deserve in no time, James."

James smiled, "Thanks, Clark. Oh, and you can call me Jimmy. All my friends do."