Loving the Man of Steel | Clark Kent

Chapter 4- The Search

When I awoke, I found myself laying in a hospital bed back in Metropolis. At first, I wondered if the whole encounter on the ship had even happened, but as I tried to sit up, the pain in my abdomen reminded me that it was all too real.

"It's about time you woke up," I heard the voice of Lois say. She walked into my room with a bunch of papers in one had and a cup of coffee in the other.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice sounding groggy. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had no idea how long I had been here.

"Where's John?" I asked.

"Who?" Lois gave me a confused look before I finally told her nevermind.

"Well, while you were sleeping, Colonel Hardy and his team surmised that the vessel was just a Soviet era submarine," she informed me. "The Pentagon is denying that there even was a ship."

"But that's a lie!" I exclaimed-- I was outraged, actually. "Of course they're denying it, it's the Pentagon," I raged. "That's what they do! I did not almost die for all our work to be dismissed!"

"I know, I know," she said calmingly, "but without any proof--"

"But my camera! The pictures!" I insisted.

"They were destroyed when you fell after getting attacked by that robot," she informed me.

"There's got to be something we can do."

Lois cleared her throat as she began reading from the papers in her hand.

"An analysis of the surrounding ice suggests that the object had been trapped in the glacier for over eighteen thousand years. As for my fellow journalist's rescuer, he disappeared during the object's departure. A background check revealed that his work history and identity had been falsified. The questions raised by her rescuer's existence are frightening to contemplate, but I also know what I saw."

She paused to look up at me before going on. "I've arrived at the inescapable conclusion, that the object and its occupant, did not originate on earth."

I sat for a moment in stunned silence as she finished reading her report. The words that she had spoke finally sunk in.

"You can't print that, Lois."

"Oh c'mon," she exclaimed. "That's the same thing Perry said."

"Cause he's right," I insisted. "Can you imagine what people would do if they found out there were aliens among us?"

"Well don't worry," Lois rolled her eyes, "Perry's not going to print it."

I sighed in relief but then looked over at her, just sitting there, dejected.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked.

"I just wanted this story out there," she replied. "I wanted our mystery man to know that we know the truth."

"For what?" I challenged. "So we can lord it over him? Like black mail?"

"No," she snapped.

"Then for what?" I asked again.

"One day, people are going to figure it out. Somebody's gonna get a photo or figure out where he lives. I just wanted to do it first. I wanted him to let me tell his story."

"And what if he doesn't want his story told?"

"It's too late," Lois mumbled.

"What?"

"I said it's too late," she said again. "I met with that internet blogger, Woodburn, and he already agreed to post it."

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.