[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M3SfSt4.png[/img][/center] Steam rises up from the sizzling skillet, the smell of onions and peppers wafting toward my nose. Stirring the chopped vegetables until I'm satisfied, I scoop them up with a spatula, set them aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil, then crack open two eggs into the pan. Normally I'm on the job before I get a chance to make much of anything, but Lois did insist that I take the day off. That gives me the chance to brush up a little on my cooking. [color=Violet]"Mmm, that smells delicious,"[/color] says Lois, stretching as she comes out of the bedroom, unkempt hair spilling in tangles down past her shoulders over the oversized T-shirt she's wearing in lieu of pajamas. [color=RoyalBlue]"I hope you don't mind me raiding your refrigerator,"[/color] I say as I whip the eggs into a yellowy mass that slowly begins to solidify in the skillet. [color=RoyalBlue]"I figure if I'm not doing anything else today, I can at least make breakfast."[/color] [color=Violet]"And how are you feeling?"[/color] she asks as she comes up behind me and puts her arms around me. [color=RoyalBlue]"Like my entire body is one big bruise,"[/color] I admit. [color=RoyalBlue]"Slowly puttering around the kitchen is about the best I can manage-- even if something does come up, I probably won't be able to spring into action without falling on my face."[/color] I turn around and look at her, those one-in-a-billion violet eyes glittering in the morning light. Lois likes to put out a hard-edged, cynical, take-no-guff persona to the world, but just beyond that is one of the most deeply caring and good-hearted people I've ever met. And when she smiles, not just grinning or smirking but is genuinely happy, my God, it's stunning. [color=Violet]"I'll get some coffee going,"[/color] she says, breaking the embrace to reach for a can of grounds. [color=Violet]"We could both probably use a little caffeine this morning."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"Yeah,"[/color] I chuckle. [color=RoyalBlue]"Neither one of us got much sleep."[/color] Lois's smile starts to fade a little, and I see some real concern on her face. [color=Violet]"About that,"[/color] she says, [color=Violet]"How, um....how do you feel about, y'know....about last night?"[/color] I don't think I've ever seen her like this, so....uncertain of herself. She's always been the dauntless and daring Lois Lane, ready to take on the world at a moment's notice-- I often think in another life, she'd be Indiana Jones if she'd taken up archaeology instead of journalism. That persona of hers is usually just as bulletproof as I am. So to see her letting herself be, well, [i]vulnerable[/i] like that, it catches me off guard. [color=RoyalBlue]"Well,"[/color] I say, trying to lighten the mood, [color=RoyalBlue]"for starters, I feel like I owe you a new bed."[/color] She thumps me on the arm. [color=Violet]"Hey, that was a team effort,"[/color] she says, meeting banter with banter. [color=Violet]"But I'm serious, Clark. I think, I don't know.....maybe we moved too fast?"[/color] I take a moment to consider. [color=RoyalBlue]"I know what you mean,"[/color] I say, turning away from the oven, [color=RoyalBlue]"We did kind of go from zero to sixty all at once...."[/color] [color=Violet]"Sure, I mean, we just....got caught up in the moment,"[/color] she says, looking away. [color=Violet]"Ran headlong into things without a care in the world."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]".....yeah.....but, well.....do you....do you regret it?"[/color] [color=Violet]"......do you?"[/color] As the eggs begin to burn and smoke on the skillet, I turn off the oven and look at her. [color=RoyalBlue]"Lois, I've...I've never met anyone like you,"[/color] I hear myself beginning to gush. [color=RoyalBlue]"Before I met you, I was hopping around from city to city, changing jobs, changing names, afraid of myself, and afraid of what people would think of me. You were the first person, apart from my Mom and Dad, who could see what I am and what I can do, and wasn't afraid. You inspired me to show the world what I can do, to help people on a bigger scale than I could have ever imagined. You've been there to push me when nobody believed in me, not even myself. And even if I couldn't do even a hundredth of what I can, you'd [i]still[/i] make me feel like a Superman. So....do I regret being with you? Not for a second."[/color] Lois wipes away a tear, and gives me a smile that warms me like the heart of the sun. [color=Violet]"Good to hear, Smallville,"[/color] she says, pulling me close. [color=Violet]"That saves me from having to give a similar speech about you."[/color] We share a long, deep kiss, one that lasts until we're interrupted by the shrill beeping of her smoke alarm. [color=RoyalBlue]"The eggs!"[/color] I exclaim as I turn back to our now-smoldering breakfast. [color=RoyalBlue]"Oh, hell....."[/color] Lois laughs as I fuss with the pan, smothering the smoke with a lid and trying to fan some fresh air towards the smoke detector. [color=Violet]"Well, there's always a bowl of cereal,"[/color] she says, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting down on the couch. [color=Violet]"Any rate, I don't think you'll have much of an appetite for long. Lex Luthor's giving a press conference on GNN."[/color] My expression sours. I still owe him a visit in regards to his part in the events that led to the Toyman AI. [color=RoyalBlue]"What's he up to?"[/color] I ask, frowning as she turns on the TV and changes the channel to the image of a skinny, red-haired young man with an insufferable look of self-satisfaction on his face. [color=Violet]"Who knows,"[/color] she says, [color=Violet]"but there might be a story in it. Count yourself lucky; Perry was going to have you cover the event in person, but since you're out sick today, he's got Troupe on it."[/color] She turns up the volume, just as Luthor is about to begin his speech. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PYbmQXU.png[/img][/center] [color=LimeGreen]"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you, ah, thank you for joining me this morning,"[/color] Lex Luthor said, shifting back and forth uncomfortably at his podium as dozens of cameras pointed at him. [color=LimeGreen]"I, erm, I know there are plenty of more sensational stories you could be covering right now, but, ah, I hope that what I'm going to show you today will make up for the lack of explosions and planetary danger."[/color] There was a dull murmur of half-hearted chuckles from the press in attendance. With his attempt at levity not landing the way he had hoped, Lex went right into his speech. [color=LimeGreen]"We live in uncertain times,"[/color] he began, [color=LimeGreen]"times when we have begun to question the validity of our institutions, the balance of power, and indeed, our place in the world and the universe at large. Just a few short months ago, most of us believed that if there was any sort of supreme power watching over us, it was off and away in some abstract plane, like Heaven or Asgard or the peak of Olympus. Now, though? Now supreme power flies around right over our heads, swooping by in little red capes or swinging on a spider web. When these impossible people, these gods and monsters, walk among us, it's easy, easy to feel [i]powerless[/i].....and if history has taught us anything, it's that there is nothing that can turn good people to acts of desperation, anger, and cruelty faster than feeling powerless....."[/color] Luthor's expression darkened, and his gaze lowered, stewing for a moment in his own thoughts. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, he snapped back to life, with all the energy of an old-timey carnival barker. [color=LimeGreen]"BUT! You are [i]not[/i] powerless, ladies and gentlemen,"[/color] he said. [color=LimeGreen]"In the face of Men of Steel and Scarlet Speedsters, we must not forget our [i]own[/i] super-powers, the ones that set us above the other 8.7 million species of life on this planet and made us masters of our domain: [i]knowledge.[/i] Imagination. Ingenuity. Technology. The gifts bestowed upon us, according to myth, by the titan Prometheus, the trickster who stole fire from the gods and gave it to the people. With that, the Greeks became the bedrock of philosophy, of democracy, of society and civilization for thousands of years, while their gods? They're only relevant as museum pieces these days."[/color] Feeling like he had found his proverbial groove, Luthor leaned in to his podium, almost conspiratorially. [color=LimeGreen]"I have a secret to share with you, folks,"[/color] he said, looking left and right in a mock gesture as if to make sure no one else was listening in. [color=LimeGreen]"On paper, about seven thousand people work in the LexCorp Tower on any given day. But the truth is, for the last two months? [i]Nobody[/i] has been working at LexCorp. Oh, they're still being employed, don't worry, but I've been running an experiment with a new product that's taken care of their work for them. Every number-cruncher in accounting, every code-monkey and script-kiddie, every lab assistant and every engineer, even down to the janitors, has been allowed to take time off, knowing their work is being handled. My only catch is that they spend time with their families, pursue their personal passions, do whatever they want so they are objectively better people than when my little experiment began. And that they didn't violate the non-disclosure agreement they signed, of course."[/color] The press began to murmur again, confused as to how this was possible. [color=LimeGreen]"And how did I do it?"[/color] he asks, again dripping with corny showmanship. [color=LimeGreen]"How did I continue to run a multi-billion-dollar international corporation without anyone actually working, and without people noticing? Well, just like Prometheus, I stole fire from Olympus.....and I plan on giving it to the people."[/color] Behind him, a screen lowered down from the ceiling, displaying images of the various smartphones, tablets, headsets, laptops, and countless other home, commercial, and military electronics designed by LexCorp. [color=LimeGreen]"In the wake of the disaster involving the rogue 'Toyman' AI, I realize that many have low confidence in the viability of artificial intelligence,"[/color] he said, addressing the concern before it could be raised, [color=LimeGreen]"but trust me when I say this will put any digital assistant, any functionary bot program, any top-grade supercomputer to absolute shame. Fast, smart, and so user-friendly it could be used by a kindergartner, and so effective that said kindergartner could have a PhD level education before reaching junior high. Constantly learning and updating itself, it is [i]always[/i] going to be a step ahead of black-hat hackers and cyber-criminals, so your data will always be secure and private. [i]Pico[/i]second response times, not just gigabytes or terabytes or even petabytes of storage capacity, but [i]peta[/i]-petabytes. Adaptive learning patterns that will adjust to each individual user, so it won't just give you access to, say, the works of Einstein, it will work with you to help you begin to [i]think[/i] like Einstein."[/color] The video presentation ended, displaying a simple, minimalist logo, of three circles connected by zig-zagging beams of light. [color=LimeGreen]"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the promise of Prometheus himself,"[/color] Luthor said. [color=LimeGreen]"[i]This[/i] is fire to the people, this is the keys to Olympus, right in the palm of your hands. And it is available, [i]for free[/i], on every LexCorp device-- and, ah, don't go telling everyone, but I may have made it compatible with all of our competitors as well. Say hello, ladies and gentlemen....."[/color] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/OZ2hiWB.jpg[/img][/center] [color=LimeGreen]".....to Brainiac."[/color]