From the window of the plane the wing engine was semi-illuminated, the lower half shining around the rim, the upper half several shades darker. As the plane dipped the line between shadow and light moved, and the hum of the rotors vibrated through their ears.
No matter how salubrious the furnishings inside the airplane were, to Silvia it would never be more than a flying metal tube... One that she was not comfortable trusting her life with.
Silvia's nails dug into the arm rests, eyes forced shut and jaw tensing with every jolt the plane gave. This was her first time flying and probably her last.
Next to her sat Jimmy Olsen, a rather tall boy with flaming red hair and freckles dotted around his face. He still wore that stupid watch but, thankfully, hadn't been clicking it like last time. On the opposite side, facing her, was Clark and beside him was Lois Lane. They hadn't said much to each other yet but she now remembered her from the attack on Metropolis.
Silvia took a deep breath, refusing to look so restless in front of people she barely knew... and especially not in front of Clark.
"I hope you're as good as Clark says you are." Lois finally spoke, only sparing a small glance up from her notepad. "You're representing the Daily Planet now. It's a huge responsibility."
Silvia rolled her eyes but, for Clark's sake, didn't talk back. She simply crossed her arms and pretended to be looking out the window.
"Trust me, Lois." Clark replied. "I'm surprised the Daily Star hasn't snatched her up yet."
Silvia fidgeted nervously in her seat. Clark had never even seen her write before... let alone an article. He was doing all of this for her and it was making her feel extremely uneasy. No one had ever given her a chance before, so it was completely unheard of for someone to stick their neck out for her. It not only filled her with a sense of dread, fear of the inevitable conclusion of her letting him down, but with a stronger attachment to him.
The plane ride was torturously long. Silvia opted to sleeping through most of it just so she wouldn't be a part of the awkward silence, no doubt caused by her.
Once they had landed Silvia was the first to leave. She pushed to her feet and rushed out as if she feared the plane would take off again with her inside.
The biting cold instantly chilled her fingers into clumsy numbness, seeping into her shoes and spreading painfully throughout her feet as if they were bare against the pristine icy whiteness rather than covered with sneakers. Her lips turned a more blueish hue and her teeth chattered as the others followed her outside.
The frigid wind poked her like icy fingers and wrapped around her like a shawl woven from the snow itself as they begun to walk through the frozen wasteland. Lois was leading them, pure determination etched on her face. Silvia was right at the end, shivering relentlessly.
"This should do." Lois said, stopping a few metres away from the research station. "We'll camp here."
"W-W-We're camping?!" Silvia stuttered, hugging herself in an attempt to get warmer. "We'll freeze to d-death!"
"Not if you start on the fire." Lois replied more like a demand than anything. "You've got to learn a little initiative!"
Though she was forcing a stern face, Silvia could tell that Lois was even colder than she was. Jimmy didn't even try to hide it and was already taking out logs from his bag for the fire. Clark, surprisingly, didn't look the least bit affected by it.
"I'll go ask the scientists when Superman should be showing up." Lois spoke again, beginning to trudge towards the research station. She seemed a little too eager that Superman was going to show up. "Jimmy, I may need some photos of the station."
The freckled boy dropped the wood, giving them an almost apologetic look before grabbing his equipment and dashing after Lois. Clark watched them go, the hint of a smile on his lips. It had been obvious since they met up with the other two that Clark was absolutely infatuated with Lois... almost like a puppy following her around. However, Lois didn't even give him a second thought.
"So, do you know how to build a fire?" Clark asked in his awkward tone.
Silvia gulped. "I'm sure it's not that d-difficult."
The blonde dug her knees into the snow and started piling the wood together. She had survived the Kryptonian attack, a fight with robots and with Batman. Surely she could survive a little cold and start a simple fire... or so she thought. Once she had stacked up the logs she had tried lighting it with the matches Jimmy unpacked but the wind kept blowing it out.
Silvia groaned. "S-Stupid fucking thing..."
"Here, let me try." Clark offered, getting down beside her. "Could you get another log?"
Silvia nodded and turned her back to him. By the time she had hauled up a particularly heavy log she turned around only to find the fire burning brightly. "Sorry, guess I didn't need it." Clark chuckled.
Silvia stared at him skeptically but she was too cold to question any source of warmth. The slab of wood was quickly discarded and Silvia rushed over to the fire. She stretched her hands out and sighed at the tingling sensation that burned away the numbness.
"So, how long have you liked Lois?" Silvia finally said once her voice had returned from her frozen vocal chords.
Clark sounded like he was choking on nothing but air. His head whipped around to her and his mouth fell open in surprise. "I-I... We're just friends."
"Obviously." Silvia rolled her eyes. "But not by your choice. If you're going to play dumb at least make it a little less noticeable."
Silence suddenly hung in the air. It was poisonous in it's nothingness, cruelly underscoring how vapid their conversation had become. Silvia would usually find herself unbothered by the quiet, but this time it tore at her. "So... while we're waiting you should tell me more about Smallville." Silvia forced out, trying to fill the silence with a more casual conversation.
"You... really want to hear about that?" Clark asked in bewilderment.
"Wouldn't have asked if I didn't, Dorothy."
Clark's mouth broke into an amused smile. "Is that nickname going to become a common occurrence with you?"
"You are from Kansas, right?" Silvia asked and Clark nodded. "Then yes. You even have your little sidekicks, by the looks of it. Jimmy's the cowardly lion and Lois is the heartless 'tin man'."
"Doesn't that make you the brainless scarecrow?..."
Silvia paused. "Wait... N-No... Shut up..."
Clark laughed and the sound almost made Silvia do the same. They sat there for about twenty minutes in front of the fire, mostly spent listening to stories of Clark's childhood home. Silvia felt a little envious of his small country town and his loving parents, but she tried not to let it show.
Finally, Lois came marching back with Jimmy not far behind. She had a grin plastered on her face and her make-up had been newly reapplied, even her hair looked much neater than before. "Superman should be arriving soon!" She chimed and Silvia detected excitement in her tone. "We'd better work out our different parts."
"I'll do an article on the scientists and get their statements on everything." Clark quickly said as if he'd already planned to have that part.
"Good. Then I'll handle the interview with Superman." Lois said in the same way, cheeks flashing pink.
"I don't know Lois... Maybe Silvia should do that part. She's new, after all, we should give her the easiest job." Clark tried to reason with her but the mere thought had Lois becoming defensive.
"He knows me. He'd obviously be more comfortable talking to someone he's already spoken to over a complete stranger." Lois crossed her arms. This was apparently not negotiable. "And besides, if she's as good as you say then we shouldn't need to take it easy on her."
"But-" Clark started but was quickly interrupted by Silvia.
"It's alright. It's not like I wanted to interview Metropolis' golden boy anyway." Silvia took out a tattered piece of paper and an old, broken pen. "In fact, I'd prefer to be as far away from him as possible. Just tell me what you want me to write about."
Lois looked a little annoyed by the way Silvia spoke about Superman and Jimmy was simply shocked, but luckily Clark managed to pull them together and inform her on what exactly she was meant to be doing. "The only thing that's left is an overview of the whole operation. Just watch what he's doing and write about it."
"Alright... I can do that." She replied, not at all convincingly.
"You'll do great." Clark reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling like he had all the confidence in the world that she'd succeed. "I'd better start interviewing the scientists. You stay here, Superman should be here soon."
The blonde nodded and not even a second later Clark was running towards the research station. Next to her, Lois was getting jittery. Her eyes darted across the skies in search of the Man of Steel. She didn't have to wait long. Soon the scientists were hurrying out of the building, Clark no where in sight, and Superman was darting over the giant, snow-covered mountains.
No one else seemed to notice the bespectacled reporters absence, and though Silvia was a little worried, she decided that there were probably more people remaining inside that he was interviewing. He hadn't been gone very long, after all, there was no reason for concern.
Superman was essentially a blur of blue and red to Silvia. She barely saw anything that he was attempting to do. There was a moment when ice from a glacier flew in different directions as he drilled into it with nothing but his hands. He had placed something inside that visibly stuck out like a thin pole, but after that he was finished. If Silvia had blinked at all during it she would have missed it.
The scientists had quickly walked over to Superman as soon as he flew closer, all shaking his hand with words of praise. Lois swiftly followed suit, a slight skip in her step despite the thick snow. Superman seemed to light up at the sight of her. It was revolting.
From where she was standing, Silvia could hear every painful detail. Lois was trying to ask fairly basic questions but kept tripping over herself and breaking into giddy giggles. Superman was provoking this reaction with a proud smile. Surprisingly, Silvia could tell that Superman's feelings for the black haired reporter were genuine... However, she couldn't help but question Lois'.
Before Superman left, Lois gave a mumbled "When will I see you again?"
"I'll be around." He replied with his bright smile and disappeared back into the air.
Lois sighed in awe and Silvia scoffed. He hadn't even answered her question, not really anyway. How could she swoon at a reply that vague?
Even worse was that she was stuck dealing with a spaced out Lois until Clark returned half an hour later. He had a page full of notes and quotes from the scientists, ones that were well written and carefully placed... unlike hers.
"You completely missed it, C.K!" Jimmy yelled, flicking through the photos on his camera. "Superman was just here."
"Oh, really?" Clark rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "Gee, I was really hoping to catch him this time."
"It's Superman..." Silvia said indifferently. "You didn't miss much."
Jimmy blinked at her, still amazed at how little she seemed to care. Lois, on the other hand, was burning up. Her face was so red with fury that Silvia near expected steam to start coming out of her ears.
"What is your problem?!" She suddenly roared, hands rolled into fists at her side.
Silvia smirked. "I've got a whole list. Where should I begin?"
"Stop being a smart ass!" She yelled even louder than before. "From the moment we arrived here you've taken every opportunity possible to insult Superman. I won't sit around and let you talk about him that way."
Silvia hissed, face scrunching at how close Lois was. It was like the reporter was trying to be intimidating... It didn't work. "Like you're any better?" She retorted. "With your misguided infatuation with him?"
Lois backed away, eyes widening. "I... don't kn-know what you're talking about..."
"Yes you do." Silvia continued, brow darkening and expression hardening. "You're leading the poor guy on, and what's worse is that you don't even know you're doing it."
The wind that blew against them seemed colder in the silence that followed but Silvia barely felt it against her numb skin anymore. Lois looked more than outraged; she appeared utterly insulted.
"How dare you..." She spat. "You know nothing about us."
"Oh really?" Silvia laughed ironically, the sound was colder than the snow at their feet. "Well then, please enlighten me. What exactly do you know about him?"
"W-Well he's not from Earth-"
"I didn't ask for public knowledge. I mean what do you know about him that no one else does? What do you know that someone else can't just go and read about?"
Lois hesitated.
"Exactly." Silvia shook her head. "Look, I may not be a massive fan of Superman... but he saved me once. I feel like I owe him enough to make sure you actually like him... and not just what he represents."
"Alright, you're outta line. This is none of your business, so just shove it!"
"I don't think a reporter gets to decide what is and isn't my business." Silvia put her hands on her hips and blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Okay, let's put it this way. If Superman really does care about you like I'm sure he does, don't you think he would have approached you without the suit already? You likely either brushed him off or didn't like what you saw."
"That would never happen!"
"Really? Even if he was someone like Jimmy?" Silvia pointed at the freckled boy who wasn't sure whether to be offended or grateful. "Or, fuck it, what if he was someone like Clark? Would you instantly think differently of him just because he's Superman?"
Clark stiffened on the spot and gave the most awkward laugh to date. Lois looked at him and scoffed. "Clark? Are you kidding me?"
"I know, Clark's a little too interesting to be that stick in the mud." Silvia huffed and Clark's gaze darted toward her. "But I'm being serious. Under that suit he's just a man... You can't love someone if you know absolutely nothing about them. You're attracted to his power, I get it, but what if you find out that he's nothing like you expected?"
"You really think I'm that shallow?" Lois growled.
The question was rhetorical but Silvia answered anyway. "You were dating Lex at one stage, I remember reading about it... Don't try and tell me that you were interested in anything but his power." Silvia sighed at the look of fury worsening on Lois' face. "I'm not trying to start a fight... but you need to see that what you're feeling isn't love... Alright, let's try again. What do you think makes Superman so powerful? Why is he so influential to people?"
Jimmy jumped up this time, arm in the air and a grin on his face. "Did you not see what he did just then?! He friggen punched through solid ice!"
"I wasn't asking you."
Jimmy gulped and sat back down. Lois crossed her arms, fed-up with the constant questions. She couldn't help but feel like she was getting a taste of her own medicine. "What do you want me to do? State all of his powers one by one?"
"See? You're already looking in the wrong place." Silvia stepped back, starting to feel the cold even more now that the fire was starting to die. "What makes Superman so powerful is that, despite being from another planet, he's more human than most people here on Earth. He believes in people, he believes in giving second chances. As much as I hate his guts, he's a better person than I am... than most people are."
Silence suddenly filled the air once more. Jimmy had a glow in his eyes, one that instantly agreed with what Silvia had to say. Lois looked almost upset, not just at Silvia, but at herself... and Clark was simply staring like the blonde had morphed into a completely different person right in front of him.
"I'm not trying to get between you two, I usually wouldn't care less." Silvia begun to finish, a little winded and embarrassed after the long speech. "I'm just saying that instead of putting him on a giant golden pedestal, you should remember that he's just a man. Instead of waiting for him to sweep you off your feet and take you to some stupid fucking fairytale land, you should get to know him as a person."
The quiet atmosphere didn't last long this time, not with Lois still standing there. "... He deserves our praise. He deserves the pedestal."
"But he deserves scrutiny whenever he messes up too, right?" Silvia's voice lowered in exhaustion, seemingly sick of having to repeat herself. "This isn't about what he fucking deserves... It's about what he needs. If you can give him some form of normality then I truly do hope that you feel the same way when you get to know him... but right now you're only contributing to the problem. You write about him like he's some God that we should be honoured to be in the presence of, and people have started viewing him like that... but as soon as something goes wrong he's the one that takes the blame."
"I have never blamed him for anything!" Lois yelled so rawly that her throat scratched with each word.
"It doesn't matter, your constant swooning is exactly why people get pissy when they discover that he's not perfect. You only ever write about what he can do and what he should do... Never about what he may have to give up to do it. You write about him as a superior being, not as a person." Silvia bit her lip, starting to regret having ever started this conversation. It wasn't like she cared about the giant Boy Scout anyway. Silvia glanced down at her notes and felt a twinge of disgust in herself... What was she doing here? "I don't want anything to do with this." She whispered, ripping up the paper and tossing it into the dulling flames.
The wind howled, piling up snow in drifts, blinding the oncoming night with ice-white dust. Silvia walked away from the group, bent over against the cold and hoping to get as far away as possible. As she went Clark couldn't take his eyes off of her. In mere minutes he had viewed her in a new light. It was like he was only just seeing her for the first time... and she was much more than he had expected.
No one had ever understood him in such a profound way before... She, in just a few months, had stripped his soul bare and seen what others ignored. Never had she looked so beautiful to him, and never had her heart been so revealed.
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