It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Wonder Woman?!? [Superman]

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The yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of The Daily Planet building and screeched to a halt.  “That’ll be six-fifty, ma’am,” the driver barked to his female passenger, eyeing her in the rearview mirror.

“Thank you, kind sir,” the woman replied before she exited the vehicle.  Taking her place on the sidewalk, she stood at the front passenger’s side, opened her purse, and began fumbling for her wallet.

Lowering the automatic window with the touch of a button, the driver clamped his pouty lips around the small nub of a cigar he was smoking and took another deep drag as he watched the stranger and waited patiently.  He could tell by her actions that she was new in town.  And although he thought she was pretty and had a very familiar face -- from TV or the newspapers? -- she appeared very plain and ordinary to him.  He didn’t think she was bad-looking, but her conservative look didn’t motivate him to ask her out or pursue anything more with her.  All he wanted to do was collect the fare and be on his way.

He noticed that her long raven-black hair was pulled back severely and tied up in a tight bun on top of her head.  Her thick-rimmed glasses prevented anyone from admiring her eyes. What color were they? Her blue blazer was a bit oversized and completely covered the white blouse she was wearing underneath it.  And her straight navy skirt cut off her hips and hid any curves he assumed she had.  He didn’t know if she dressed that way intentionally to ward off potential suitors, or if she was a real tigress in disguise.  Past experience had taught him that the plain-Jane wallflowers were usually hiding something.  As she paid him and turned to enter the building, she left him pondering what her secret actually was.

In the lobby, the woman found her way to the reception area and smiled at the security guard on duty.  “May I help you, ma’am?” he asked politely when they made eye contact.

“Yes,” she replied. “I’m here to see a friend.  His name is Clark Kent.”

“Mr. Kent?” the guard repeated. “Yes!  Nice guy.  He works in the bullpen on the thirteenth floor.  Let me ring his desk and tell him you’ve arrived.  Your name, ma’am?”

“Diana.  Diana Prince.”

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Clark Kent was in the middle of typing his report on Superman’s latest rescue at the lumber warehouse when the phone rang. 

"Hello? . . . Yes, this is Clark Kent . . . Oh, wonderful! . . . Give her a visitor's badge and send her right up.  Thank you, Franklin."

"Hey, Smallville, who was that on the phone?" Lois Lane asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.

 "Oh, just a friend who’s come to visit, that's all," he responded in a happy, carefree tone.

Clark hung up the phone and looked at the three pages of notes on his desk.  There’s was no way he could take Diana to lunch until he emailed his story to Perry White for final editing.  Looking around, he made sure no one was watching.  Then he pushed his glasses up on his nose and placed his fingers on the keyboard.  Using his super-speed, he finished typing his story in just a few seconds!  Sometimes being Superman had its advantages.

After sending his story to Perry’s inbox, Clark stood and fixed his tie and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt and pants.  He wanted to look his best for Diana. 

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The elevator ride from the lobby to the thirteenth floor had taken longer than Diana anticipated.  She wasn’t used to stopping on EVERY floor, which had been the case.  As some people exited the packed elevator, others entered it, making Diana feel like she was in the belly of a metal beast that was constantly feeding on and purging passengers.

As she waited for her floor, Diana’s thoughts drifted to her friends in the super-hero community.  She felt very fortunate to know and work beside them all as Wonder Woman, and found the experience utterly fascinating.  Not since her first encounter with the gods of Olympus as a young girl on Paradise Island had she been so awestruck.

Like anyone in the public eye, Diana experienced her fair share of gossip and innuendo.  When she had first returned to America as Ambassador of Themyscira, the media stalked her like Warhounds from Hades, making her a celebrity overnight, with all the benefits and problems that came with being a public figure.  She didn’t mind the sensational reporting and headlines, as long as no one was hurt by them, including herself.

Soon after she joined the ranks of the Justice League, the tabloids paired Wonder Woman with Superman, calling them “America’s Power Couple."  Whenever she was interviewed on radio or television, she never commented much about Superman and their friendship; she didn’t think it was any of their business.  All she could remember from their initial meeting, almost four years ago, was the strange look he had given her and how uncomfortable she felt.  To this day, those sensations continued to stir within her every time she interacted with the Man of Steel.

Rumors of her having an intimate relationship with Superman in her private life bothered Diana, but, deep down, she had entertained thoughts of them getting together and dating.  Unlike her ally Batman, Superman had trusted her enough to reveal his secret identity to her, and now she was visiting Metropolis at his request, to work on deepening their friendship.

Suddenly, the sound of the doors opening brought Diana out of her daydreaming and back to reality, and she realized she had reached the thirteenth floor.  Squeezing her way through the crowd, Diana exited the elevator and proceeded down the hallway in search of her friend.

On her journey, Diana passed several desks, one of them belonging to Jimmy Olsen.  The freckle-faced redhead had his feet propped up, waiting in anticipation for Perry White to bellow his name and bark out orders for last-minute photos for the next edition.  When Diana asked him where she might find Clark Kent, Jimmy looked up and was so startled that he almost fell out of his chair.  Once he regained his composure, he smiled and pointed her in the right direction.

“Who’s that?” Lois Lane asked Jimmy as she watched the stranger walking toward Clark’s desk.

“Somebody to see Clark,” he answered, fidgeting with his camera.

Lois snubbed her nose at Diana, dismissing her as harmless.  “When did Smallville get a girlfriend?” she wondered aloud.

Meanwhile, Diana noted Lois' remark, but didn't respond to it.  Instead, she walked up to Clark's desk and offered him a bright smile.  “Good afternoon, Clark.  You've told me so much about Chez Joey's; I can't wait to dine there with my favorite reporter!  It’s a lovely day for a stroll in Metro Park afterward, too, unless you're too busy.  Are you ready to go, or do you need to finish something first?”

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Clark smiled at Diana, noticing her beauty even through her severe disguise.  “No, I was just finishing up,” he told her, giving her a hug.  He blushed when Diana gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, and his co-workers made a big deal about it with whistles, laughter, and clapping.

Clark ignored their actions.  “Chez Joey’s is my favorite restaurant for lunch,” he told Diana as he escorted her back the way she came.  “And I don’t see why an afternoon stroll would be out of the question.  I planned on spending the entire afternoon with you anyway.  Feel special yet, because you are!”

Clark blushed as he flashed her an awkward, toothy grin.  He was pretending to be a geek, but his feelings for Diana were real.  He was glad she was in Metropolis, and he wanted to show her a good time.

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Diana smiled at Clark and couldn’t believe what he looked like in his secret identity.  His dark hair was flat and combed differently, and his suit looked over-sized and wrinkled.  As they headed back toward the elevator, she noticed that he was walking with a wider stride and slumped his shoulders to make him seem smaller in stature.  Even though she was as wise as Athena, if she hadn’t known he was actually Superman, she’d have never have guessed it in a million years.

At their initial meeting almost four years ago, Diana thought Superman was a god.  He had been the closest thing to Olympus she had ever encountered in Patriarch’s World.  She had been so blinded by that misconception that she’d never taken a real look at the actual man who existed beneath the bright red cape.  Now she was doing just that, and Clark Kent wasn’t a disappointment to her at all.

When they passed Jimmy’s desk, Lois was still standing there, watching Clark and his friend intently.  The blank stare on her face didn’t give any indication of whether or not she was jealous of Diana.

“Taking a long lunch, Mr. Kent?” Jimmy asked, giving him a wink and a thumbs-up sign.  Although Diana looked frigid to him, he thought she and Clark made a cute couple. Nerdy, but cute.

All Lois gave Clark was a dismissive wave.

Reaching the elevator, Diana stopped and turned to Clark. “I really don’t want to get inside that contraption again,” she told him.  “Can we take the stairs instead? It’s only thirteen flights.”

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Clark laughed at Jimmy's comment and kept on walking towards the elevator. 

"So Diana how are you enjoying Metropolis so far?" he asked. "Have you gone sight-seeing?  II know of a few places we can go after lunch where the view of the city is fantastic." 

Clark had planned in advance some things they could do.  Using his super-hearing, he monitored the streets for any criminal activity.  All seemed calm and quiet for the moment, and he was glad there weren’t any interruptions.

"I hope the city stays quiet today so I don't have to be called into work...unless you want to join in my 'reporting,' " he said sarcastically, sounding lame just to keep up his geeky image, 

When Diana told him about not wanting to ride the elevator, Clark stopped walking and looked at her.  He didn’t like riding them either.  They always got too crowded, and they smelled terrible - - at least to him because of his super sense of smell.   

Using his x-ray vision, Clark looked inside the elevators and saw the newspaper workers jammed in there like sardines in a metal can.  

"Yes, I agree with you, Diana.  We can take the stairs.  Should we go up or down?"  he asked with a smile and a wink.

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Diana just stood there for a few seconds and laughed out loud at Clark’s joke, as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever heard in her entire life.  Yes, like Clark, she was keeping up appearances as well, trying to act as differently from Wonder Woman as possible.  She assumed that she and Clark must’ve looked like the dorkiest couple ever!

When Clark examined the elevator car with his x-ray vision, Diana continued with the small talk.  “I just arrived in Metropolis this morning, and so I haven’t had much time for sightseeing.  I was hoping that would be something we could do together.  After all, it’s your city!  I can already tell you, I’m enjoying Metropolis more than Gotham City.  The skies are brighter, the mood is lighter, and the people are friendlier . . . .”

That last part of her comment was proven wrong almost immediately.  The words had barely escaped her lips when a burly man carrying a briefcase in one hand and a newspaper in the other suddenly walked up and pushed Diana aside with his shoulder. “The Nerd Convention is two blocks down the street,” he commented, leaning forward to press the elevator button. “Going down?  If not, get the hell out of the way!”

Knowing full well that the man wasn’t going to apologize to her for his ungentlemanly behavior, Diana didn't comment or retaliate in any way.  Instead, she just touched Clark on the elbow and nudged him toward the stairwell.  She could tell by Clark’s facial expression that he didn’t appreciate the man’s rudeness either, but the last thing she wanted was for him to get into an argument and possibly ruin their lunch date.

"Let it go, Clark," she whispered, taking  his hand.  "Obviously, that man doesn't know how to treat a lady."

As she towed Clark to the stairwell, she didn’t see him look over his shoulder, his eyes glowing fiery red.