[color=2E2C2C]OH, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? A NEW ITERATION? COUNT ME IN; I'M STARVING.....[/color] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M3SfSt4.png[/img][/center] [color=PaleVioletRed]"Emergency workers in Madrid are still attempting to clear rubble from the streets after--"[/color] [right][color=Khaki]"--not saying Superman shouldn't have stepped in, but there are better ways than--"[/color][/right] [color=Chartreuse]"--focusing on the people who were killed and injured, rather than focusing on how many people [i]would[/i] have been if he hadn't--"[/color] [right][color=Tomato]"--since the incident in Guangzhou, the Chinese government has declared any intervention from Superman on their soil to be an act of--"[/color][/right] [color=LightSeaGreen]"--don't care what they're saying about him, me and my whole family would be dead right now if it weren't for--"[/color] [right][color=LightCyan]"--no combat training, no badge, no accountability, and we're just supposed to take his word that he's--"[/color][/right] [color=Salmon]"--making the world a safer--"[/color] [right][color=YellowGreen]"--are more dangerous now than--"[/color][/right] [color=CadetBlue]"--all of these other heroes who have come out of the woodwork since--"[/color] [right][color=Sienna]"--so-called 'super-villains' who threaten to throw the whole world into--"[/color][/right] [color=2E2C2C]"--UNIVERSES OF THOUGHT-FORMS WIELDING TREMENDOUS POWER, SMASHED TOGETHER LIKE PLAY-DOUGH BY GIBBERING PILES OF IDIOT MEAT--"[/color] [color=LimeGreen]"--debuted the latest version of LexOS this morning, which can process terabytes of date in microseconds, while Windows can only--"[/color] [color=2E2C2C]~[/color] [color=Orange]"....Clark? Clark? Earth to Clark, you in there man?"[/color] A paper football bounces off the screen of the L-Pad in my lap, prompting me to shake my head and turn my concentration away from scrolling through the news feed. Looking up from the tablet, I see Jimmy Olsen, an impatient look on his face. [color=RoyalBlue]"Oh! Sorry, Jimmy, I spaced out for a second there,"[/color] I say, putting the tablet aside. [color=RoyalBlue]"You were saying?"[/color] [color=Orange]"I was saying the boss is looking for you,"[/color] he says, gesturing over to the corner office in the small, musty newsroom of the [i]Daily Planet.[/i] [color=Orange]"Sounds like you did something that put him on the warpath."[/color] Wincing, I stand up and give Jimmy a sheepish look. [color=RoyalBlue]"Is this about the piece I did on the Atomic Skull incident? I didn't mean for it to come off as anti-military, but if--"[/color] Jimmy shrugs. [color=Orange]"Well, whatever it is, Lois is in there trying to calm the Chief down,"[/color] he says, before muttering, [color=Orange]"which, y'know, is kinda like trying to put out a fire with gasoline...."[/color] I nod, and begin walking anxiously towards the corner office. Years ago, this whole building was dedicated to the writing and printing of America's most trusted newspaper. Now, the majority of the office space is rented out to small businesses and start-ups, only one of the massive printing presses still in regular use as most of our work has gone digital. With most of the public getting their news from late-night comedians, bloggers, YouTubers, and social-media newsfeeds, all telling carefully cherry-picked and edited stories that suit the narrative the audience wants to hear, the days of monolithic information sources like the [i]Planet[/i], the [i]Times[/i], or the [i]Bugle[/i] are coming to an end. Perry White, the last true lion of the press, is determined not to go quietly, and expects every member of his staff to fight for the [i]Planet's[/i] survival as hard as he does. Which means any time someone publishes something that might harm our reputation or cut down on our subscriber count, well.....the best you can hope to do is duck and cover. [color=Tan]"Are you seriously telling me you're trusting Woodburn as a source now?! Hell, why not just go find that 'Question' guy and cite him?"[/color] [color=Orchid]"I never said I trusted him, I said some of the things he's posting line up with what I've dug up about--"[/color] [color=Tan]"[i]KENT![/i] There you are! Get your ass in here!"[/color] My face flushing red and hands in my pockets, I step into Perry's office. I can take on vicious crime lords like Bruno Mannheim and slug it out with deranged extremists like Livewire all day, but the thought of having to go twelve rounds with Perry always makes me break out in a cold sweat. [color=RoyalBlue]"You, erm, you wanted to see me, Chief?"[/color] I ask nervously. [color=RoyalBlue]"Is something bothering you?"[/color] [color=Tan]"Don't call me Chief,"[/color] he snips. [color=Tan]"And yes, if my office becoming a war-zone isn't enough of an indication for you, something's bothering me. What the hell is this piece you posted last night, accusing GNN and the [i]Daily Star[/i] of collusion?"[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"I-- I didn't accuse anyone of anything,"[/color] I stammer, immediately going on the defensive. [color=RoyalBlue]"I just pointed out that the stories they're pushing about Superman all have similar talking points, and some of the emails between sources are--"[/color] [color=Tan]"I [i]read[/i] the article, Kent, I know what insinuation is,"[/color] Perry growls. [color=Tan]"Morgan Edge is threatening us with a libel suit now, and the [i]Star[/i] wants my head on a platter! Both of them want you gone, and I was damned close to agreeing to it. You can thank your girlfriend here for changing my mind."[/color] Lois's face sours at that. [color=Orchid]"Excuse me, Perry, I'm not his--"[/color] [color=Tan]"My [i]point[/i],"[/color] Perry cuts her off, [color=Tan]"is that you're off politics. I'm putting you on sports instead."[/color] I shake my head. [color=RoyalBlue]"Perry, that's not fair!"[/color] I protest. [color=RoyalBlue]"I'm not a sports analyst; I can't just shift gears to write about--"[/color] [color=Tan]"Look, you like football, you like baseball, right?"[/color] he says. [color=Tan]"And more to the point, scores and statistics are things you can actually [i]prove[/i] instead of making insinuations and conjecture. If I wanted an article about 'The Superman Question' to turn into some crazy conspiracy theory that gets us sued to hell and back without any concrete evidence behind it...I'd have given the story to Lane."[/color] [color=Orchid]"Hey!"[/color] I take a deep breath and try to rally. [color=RoyalBlue]"Perry, there's--"[/color] [color=Tan]"[i]Mister White,[/i] you're still new and I'm mad at you."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"....Mister White,"[/color] I correct myself, [color=RoyalBlue]"I've got reason to believe that there's an agenda in play here, that most of the major media outlets are being used by people in power to push a narrative and manipulate the general public. I'm still looking for a smoking gun, but I think--"[/color] [color=Tan]"That's the problem right there, Kent,"[/color] Perry stops me, [color=Tan]"You [i]think,[/i] you [i]feel,[/i] you have reason to [i]believe.[/i] Those are all good qualities to have when you're starting, but you don't put it to print until you [i]know.[/i] That's the difference between working for me and working for someone like Morgan Edge. You think I'm not aware that most of the papers and websites posting those 'Beware the Superman' stories are bought and paid for? That a handful of people with deep enough pockets can scare the public into thinking whatever they want? Hell, the only reason you've still got a job right now is because I think you're right. But if you want to expose that, you've got to come at them with [i]facts[/i], not feelings."[/color] [color=Orchid]"So you're burying the story, even though you agree with it?"[/color] Lois says. [color=Tan]"No,"[/color] Perry responds. [color=Tan]"I'm taking Kent off the story. And I'm putting [i]you[/i] on it."[/color] For a second, Lois and I stare at each other in disbelief, then at Perry. [color=Tan]"There are three things you can count on in this world:"[/color] he says. [color=Tan]"Death, taxes, and the [i]Daily Goddamn Planet.[/i] If you're going to go after GNN, the [i]Star[/i], and whoever's lining their pockets, you'd better find something that will stick. And I trust you to do that a lot more than I trust the rookie, Lane. The [i]Planet's[/i] motto has always been 'Truth and Justice.' Don't forget that the 'Truth' part comes first. Understood?"[/color] I nod. Lois folds her arms, and gives Perry a curt nod as well. [color=Tan]"Good, now get out of my office."[/color] He says. [color=Tan]"Kent, go over to Lombard's desk and see what games are coming up this week that you can take off his hands. Lane, take Kent's notes and see if you can dig up anything he missed. I want something I can actually use by Friday, or we--"[/color] There's a loud rumble, and the whole building shakes. A few seconds later, the sound of sirens begin to drift up from the streets below. [color=Orchid]"That's gonna have to wait, Chief,"[/color] Lois says, grabbing her things and pulling her hair back into a bun as she shifts into her 'action reporter' mode. [color=Orchid]"Sounds like we've got another story breaking out."[/color] As she makes a beeline for the stairwell, I nervously back out of the office as well. [color=RoyalBlue]"I'd, erm, I'd better check it out too, see if there's anything I should--"[/color] [color=Tan]"GET GOING KENT!"[/color] Perry roars, and I hurry out into the newsroom, rounding the corner to the janitor's closet. Thankfully, the coast is clear. Whatever's going on, I'd rather not waste time trying to come up with an excuse for why I need to be in there. Ducking inside, I push my way past the mop buckets and cleaning supplies and open the window. I might not be the best at handling the complexities of media collusion, but thankfully Lois can handle that. Explosions downtown, and people in crisis, though? Well.... [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZiMbC69.png[/img][/center] ....that sounds like a job for Superman. [hr] [b][i]Centennial Square, Metropolis[/i][/b] [b][i]Moments Later[/i][/b] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/m8fIZzc.png[/img][/center] [color=RoyalBlue][b]"I don't suppose it's in your programming to stand down and tell me what you're doing, is it?"[/b][/color] I say as I touch down in Centennial Square, panicked crowds scattering from the sinister-looking automaton that's beginning to climb out of the crater I'd made from slamming it out of the sky. Whatever this thing is, it made a strafing run on a crowded city street, firing on innocent men and women with some sort of plasma weapon before I could stop it. No deaths yet, but several severe injuries. I'm going to make sure that's as far as it goes. The mechanical monster pulls itself upright, standing a full twelve feet tall, the wings that assisted in its flight folding back into arms with nasty-looking pincers. The plasma weapon in its head charges up as it aims at me, and fires. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/IeeVrVV.png[/img][/center] For a moment, everything is bright red and searing pain. The blast is enough to melt the glass of the windows around me, would be enough to incinerate a normal person in a fraction of a second. Honestly, though, I've had worse. [color=RoyalBlue][b]"I didn't think so,"[/b][/color] I say with just a hint of mock disappointment, before rushing in. I go low and ram my shoulder into its waist, a spear-tackle that launches the both of us up into the air, away from crowded streets and pedestrians. It's quick to respond, though, sending a jolt of electricity surging through my body long enough for it to slip free from my grip. It turns its fall into a dive, deploying its wings again to swoop around for another attack. [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Stay still, you-- [i]*ngh!*"[/i][/b][/color] I grunt in frustration as I throw a leading right hook, only for the robot to barrel-roll away from the blow, circle around behind me, and connect with a claw that scrapes across my back. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Wi5DEbo.png[/img][/center] I push through the air towards the cybernetic attacker, but it easily slips to one side, and I wince as it blasts me with another ray of plasma. In the air, I'm at a major disadvantage in terms of maneuverability. I found out a few months ago that I can fly, yes, but I don't have much control over it-- it's less 'Peter Pan on strings' and more 'man getting shot out of a cannon.' This thing, however, was built with air combat in mind, so it has no problem flying circles around me. After throwing a spinning back-fist that only meets air, I break away, speeding towards the large satellite dish on the top of the Galaxy News Network Tower. The bowl-shaped dish will cut down on the robot's possible angles of attack, giving me more of a fighting chance. [color=RoyalBlue][b]"All right,"[/b][/color] I snarl with fists up, [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Let's try this again. Come and get me!"[/b][/color] Unable to come at me from the back or sides, the winged robot swoops in for a head-on attack. It pelts me with blast after blast of plasma, but I hold my ground, resisting the urge to charge in and allowing it to outmaneuver me again. The satellite dish starts to melt and rip away behind me, which I'm sure is expensive. Then again, GNN does host that G. Gordon Godfrey blowhard that ties everything I do into some insane conspiracy theory, so I can't say I feel all that bad about it. Finally, the automaton is within striking range, claws gleaming, and I spring forward. My right arm swings wide for an overhead hook, and the robot's arms move to block....just as my feint intended. Twisting my torso, I bring my left hand up inside its defenses and catch it with a hard uppercut. Ted 'Wildcat' Grant called that punch the Dive-Bomb. Razor Ruddock called it the Smash. I call it a now-headless robot. As the mechanized attacker begins to fall limply to the ground, I dive after it and catch it, preventing the debris from landing on someone. [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Now, maybe I can take you to someone who can figure out where you came from,"[/b][/color] I say to the wrecked robot, noticing the number [b][i]03[/i][/b] painted on the side of its fuselage. I hear another set of engines whining, and another, both of them speeding towards me. [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Or maybe I can just ask your friends,"[/b][/color] I say with a frown, tossing the wreckage of Number 03 onto the GNN Tower rooftop as Numbers 01 and 02 come winding down from the clouds.... .....followed by Numbers 04 and 05......06.....07...... [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Okay....so whoever this is, he's got a team....."[/b][/color] I mutter to myself.... .....25 and 26......27....28...... [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Make that an army....."[/b][/color] ......47.....48 and 49.....50.....the skies over Metropolis are now screaming with jet engines and plasma guns, all converging on me..... I let out a sigh, crack my knuckles, and charge into the fray. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/16ipwm0.png[/img][/center] All in a day's work. [color=2E2C2C]AHH, AND JUST WHEN I WAS STARTING TO GET INTO IT....[/color]