Miss me? [Clark]

[Deleted]

With the upcoming changes to Gotham City, her career was booming. The updates were never-ending and of course the famous Summer Gleeson was one of the first on the scene for every press conference and city-related meeting. She had an ongoing, flirty relationship with a particular councilman who was more than happy to leak some of the information to the pretty reporter over dinner and dessert. Her variety of connections help provide her hungry viewers with everything that was missing. However, there was a bit of information she was hiding until she was able to confirm – that revolving around the unique collection of individuals investing in the ‘addition’ to Gotham City.

Of course, the news brought many unwanted guests to Gotham – a great deal of those being other journalist who rivaled Summer. However, the young reporter was civil toward even her biggest competition. Though some insisted on being completely barbaric toward the other, she knew better than to do so in such an industry. Speaking of competition, she had some very interesting information come to her in the form of an e-mail this very morning. As she sat in her office dealing with the communications aspect of her career she couldn’t help but smirk at the contents. One of her dear friends from her years at Gotham University worked as a manager at one of the cities larger, reputable hotel chains.

With the promise of returning back later, she left her studio with a playful smirk on her lips as she started toward the venue. Knowing it would be foolish to take her own car with the traffic she took a town car to the hotel. Walking into the hotel, her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she started toward the desk with a wide smile. Unfortunately she didn’t see her dear friend anywhere in the lobby, so she instead insisted on a lie to get her way on this one. Quickly switching the ring she wore on her finger to another she addressed the clerk. “Hello, sorry to bother you…” Before she was able to finish her sentence, the man at the counter began to gush about her show. Oh this was going to be fun.

“Oh thank you! It’s always so great to meet a fan!” She created a bit of small talk to make the man feel special before moving on to her next point. “Has Clark Kent checked in yet? I was hoping to surprise him.” She started, causing the smile to fade from the man’s face as he informed her the information was confidential. With a playful pout, she looked both ways as if she were about to provide him with a precious secret. “Okay, don’t tell anyone but….” She slide her hand across the desk to display the ring on her finger, flashing the glittering diamonds. “We haven’t publically announced it yet, but I really wanted to surprise him.” The young man could hardly contain his excitement as he informed her of his room number and that he was scheduled to check in any moment now. This could be a prank that both backfired or faded out quickly – but Summer would do anything to see Clark Kent blush. Whichever path this little rumor traveled the outcome was sure to be entertaining for her.

With an excited giggle, she thanked him and started on her way, only turning for a moment. “Oh, and please don’t let him know I’m here. It will be our little secret.” With a wink, she started toward the elevator. Her eye caught a variety of newspapers collected on an elegant coffee table in the small lounge. Grabbing the current issue of the Daily Planet, she continued toward his room. From there, she played the waiting game. Summer’s excitement grew with each passing moment.

outfit: take a peek
notes: sorry for the wait <3

[Deleted]

In all honesty, it really was the perfect excuse for Superman to suddenly make an appearance in Gotham – way outside of his home turf, Metropolis. Clark Kent had been placed on special, secret assignment by his boss, Perry White, head chief of staff and editor of the Daily Planet, delivering the latest news from all around the world, broadcasting right out of the city Metropolis. The type of respectability and credentials reporters and news stories the Daily Planet was known for delivering had earned the status of: rock solid and true blue fact finding for each reported story.

No siree!

No bogus stories of wild and crazy stories to be told here! No false facts and lying reports given from their sources there! Only straight up, cold hard, eloquently and eye-catchingly written fact-finding based news was the ONLY sort of investigative reporting that Perry White would clear under his rule of thumb at the Daily Planet. Needless to say, the very moment rumors began to fly about Gotham’s newest solution of handling their excessive crime problem being the sectioning off of part of their city – completely dedicated to the criminally deranged and destitute to take permanent residence within, the act of such known as the Arkham City Project… Well?

He certainly had to send his best and brightest out to Gotham in order to check up on the validity of such a monumental change for Gotham City in how it handled its criminal element – not to mention, if such a handling was within the Supreme Court of the United States’ jurisdiction when it came to upholding Constitutional Law. Many Metropolitans freely offered their opinion on the whole ordeal – some for the sectioning of Gotham City in order to provide the criminally apprehended a place to live as they freely wished, within certain and strict boundaries deemed by Gotham authorities. Some against the idea of grouping together the world’s most dangerous criminals and allowing them their own territory securely sectioned off within Gotham to do as they pleased. And as for the opinion of the “other minded” Metropolitan citizens – they simply didn‘t believe that such a sanction for criminals to govern their own city fenced in securely within Gotham itself really truly existed.

So? That’s where Perry White’s best of the best in Daily Planet investigative reporting came into play – his top reporter (or reporters) would be sent on a “hush-hush” secret special assignment to take up base point in Gotham and infiltrate their top news sources to get key findings on said Arkham City Project story. And, investigate as well as provide viable evidence of just what Arkham City Project truly is and what its truly doing while not blowing cover. Normally, Lois Lane – his star reporter would be assigned such an undercover story, but she was currently unavailable being on long-term assignment elsewhere. So? That left him with his second best star reporter, Clark Kent.

Sure, the guy was a bit of a nerd, a bit timid when meeting face to face, and more than a bit of a klutz when it came to simple movements and gestures in daily activities… But? The Kansas country boy certainly did have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, completely unnoticed and overlooked, when it came to reporting on a headline-making hot story. There were times when the pencil pushing, glasses wearing geek happened to deliver a better, more in-depth depiction of the action for the news than Lois herself could even hope to give! Hell! Perry didn’t question Kent’s dumb lucked talent, he merely exploited it for all its worth!

Hence why Clark Kent suddenly found himself with a bus ticket to Gotham – the sister city to his home city, Metropolis, and an assignment layout guide as directly given to him by Perry White. On the long, quiet, and relaxing bus ride from Metropolis to Gotham (a stretch of distance he could’ve EASILY covered in the blink of an eye should he have flown there as Superman, rather than travel there as Clark…) the objectives of the secret, undercover investigative reporting assignment as ordered directly from Perry himself simply were:

“A.) GET AS MUCH INFO ON PROJECT ARKHAM CITY AS POSSIBLE. B.) INVESTIGATE ANY POLITICAL/AUTHORITATIVE INFLUENCE BEHIND ARKHAM CITY PROJECT. C.) FOR THE LOVE OF GOD KENT, DON’T GET CAUGHT – DON’T BLOW YOUR COVER!”

Simple enough. Right? Still… Clark couldn’t help the apprehensive feeling slowly starting to rise up from deep within his gut. Gotham wasn’t a place he had ever truly cared to visit – not as Clark, nor as Superman. Gotham City was dark – not just in literal lighting, or absence thereof, but also in spirit… In mentality and attitude. The depths of the destitute, the hopeless, the deranged, the enraged… The sickness… It was far too much to ever truly be saved from, to ever truly make good and well once again. If Gotham and those within ever actually were good and well to begin with… So different from the beauty and purity of Metropolis. This city he now entered as the undercover, mild-mannered, investigative reporter of the Daily Planet was a world that only belonged to the multi-billionaire playboy entrepreneur celebrity.

Gotham didn’t belong to the likes of Clark Kent, nor Superman… It was owned and cared for by not just Bruce Wayne, but by the Batman as well. Yet? Here Clark was – the brink of day meeting the realm of night, arriving in silence and amongst the countless others as no one special, getting off that bus stop located deep within Gotham’s downtown section. Of course. Of course Gotham would happen to have a slight rainfall suddenly pick up and pour down during this gloomy night right as Clark stepped off the bus and onto the street curb. Carrying nothing more than a duffle bag, being clad in a pair of worn blue jeans, a long sleeved blue and grey flannel shirt, a ball cap sporting a Kansas Smallville High School Baseball team that no one had most likely ever heard of, he quickly made his way into the hotel lobby just a block or so ahead of him, eager to get out of the rain.

Truly, a quizzical look appeared on his face when a knowing wink of sorts was given by the hotel receptionist once his ID was cleared to approve his confirmed access and stay in the appointed room. But? He simply let the odd gesture slide – he was too tired to truly care about reading into some wink given by the hotel staff. The elevator ride going up to his assigned room floor seemed to take forever. He truly didn’t want to take on such an assignment by stepping on the boundaries of Bruce’s home turf… He respected the jurisdiction of the Batman – mainly because it had never posed a threat or moral/ethical dilemma for the citizens of Metropolis, let alone the world.

However, if Clark were to impose his own personal code of honor as a guardian for humanity upon Gotham City? Well… He’d actually end up finding the Batman to be more of a threat to the values of truth, justice, and the American way – values he had sworn by oath as Superman to uphold always to the President of the United States and the United States Government. If anything? As Superman, he would be inclined to apprehend Batman and hold him in contempt as a vigilante of justice to be judged by the powers of the U.S.

Thankfully, things between the two superheroes had never come to that point. … Sadly, deep down Clark didn’t ever forget however, it was never a matter of ‘if’, it was only a matter of ‘when’. Shifting the practical non-existent weight of his fully packed duffle bag upon his broad shoulder, he glanced up at the glowing set of numbers laid out across the elevator top door frame the moment his floor number came to a ‘beeping’ stop.

“Lucky me, floor 13… Thought they didn’t have that floor number in buildings…” Clark murmured to himself – the only guest within miles of sight to arrive and step off on the 13th floor.

He quietly made his way down the hall, eagerly counting the door room numbers as his own private countdown of sorts, until he finally reached his own assigned hotel room number: # 113. That’s when he caught sight of her – the brilliant flash of her shining red hair easily taking all distraction from the gothic bold numbers brandished above his hotel room’s top door frame. A quick glance over of his unexpected guest’s svelte, petite, and sharply dressed form of elegance – topped off by her pale, expertly makeup acquainted beauty upon her face, and of course her flowing, dazzling locks of vibrant red hair – Clark immediately recognized his unexpected visitor who waited at his room’s doorstep for him.

“Miss Gleeson…?” His uncertainty matching in both his words and his quizzical facial expression – which was currently slightly hidden beneath the shadow of his baseball cap.

Oh yes, he knew precisely who she was… Gotham’s golden girl when it came news, gossip, reviews, exclusives, and all other fascinating stories to be found and reported within Gotham. How she happened to know about his arrival in town? The guess was as good as any.

“Don’t tell me you got stuck doing ‘Meet and Greet’ with all new arrivals to Gotham, didja’?” A bashful smile played across his lips.

She was here to definitely dig up and report her findings on something. Too funny. Here he was, a semi-soaking wet hulk of a clumsy oaf standing near juxtapose to her – an elegantly styled, petite framed creature of poise and beauty. And that was just it… She certainly had a knack in poise… So he was more than aware to be distracted by her beauty.