In the Clouds

Lois Lane: Part 1

Although the world might be black and white, the truth isn't. 

A professor in college had said that jokingly, and Lois never took anything more seriously in her life. Being color-blind was inconvenient, sure, but thankfully her ambition required solely words to paint the picture. Her father, however, always said that only soldiers who could see color made it to the higher ranks in the army. Not exactly a romantic perspective for finding your soulmate. Yet what would he have his soldiers do? Explore the world looking for the one person who would change their lives just so they could more accurately read maps? Knowing the General that might be the case. Lois, on the other hand, was determined to prioritize her professional career. There was too much to be done to lose sleep wondering who was out there, keeping from her the key that unlocked hues. Yet it was hard not to wonder. So many of her friends met their soulmates in college or in a coffee place close to their homes. Was her soulmate sick? Or just half the world away? Whenever these pesky questions made its way to the front of her mind, the newly hired reporter threw herself into work completely. Stories of crimes, corruption and injustice far outweighed trivial matters of the heart - not that Perry White would send her to any of these mighty errands just yet, regardless of her insistence. Instead, Miss Lane got sent to the President's Day event in front of city hall, where kids, families and citizens from all around gathered to watch the same speech be made every year. It was cute, really. Just not the kind of nail-biting, gut-wrenching, life-changing journalism she was so looking forward to being a part of. But a start was a start, and far be it from her to dismiss an opportunity to make her name known.

So far the day had gone exactly as expected. Loud families, way too many balloons, funny hats to match everyone's favorite president. Interviews had to be almost yelled sometimes due to the noise, but overall, quality information. Lois had managed to sneak backstage and scored an interview with the Mayor's assistant. Well, she almost scored it. Midway through it the woman received some sort of urgent information on her headset and had to rush away. It took some time to persuade the camera crew to follow her in the direction of the apparent emergency.

"That's not our job, miss! You're running away from the event!"

Lois's ponytail fell to her shoulder as she picked up the pace, trying to find a way through the now forming crowd. She looked back at the co-worker who made the earlier remark with a satisfied grin.

"Not our job?! We report, Jimmy! We go to where the news is! Keep rolling!"

It didn't take long before the supposed emergency became visible on the main bridge. Some heavy steel cables were torn, hanging down and letting go of the tension that held everything together. Smoke came from the bus that had hit it, half of it hanging out of the bridge. But people were clapping? The crowd's reaction to the tragedy didn't match what Lois could see so far. She tried standing on the tip of her toes, eventually finding an unattended chair to climb onto for a better view.

The bus seemed to move back onto the road on its own, previously desperate passengers now managing to safely evacuate the vehicle. Everything happened so quickly. Firefighters, ambulances, and- before Lois could properly process the thousand of shapes now coming into view, an extra layer of complexity was added to the scene. The river that ran under the bridge was a deep blue, contrasting with the oxygenated red of the metal bridge. The green damaged bus, threatening to explode if not for the gray suited firefighters handling the situation. The yellow sun shined on every single detail in sight with a bright new color... Was that man flying?

"We're rolling Lois!!"

The reporter blinked a few times before looking back at the camera and down at the microphone in hand.

"I-"

Jimmy had hazel eyes. Lois's skirt was a shade of orange she had just learned she detested. A little boy in a pink shirt dropped some brown chocolate ice cream on it. Lois couldn't help but smile amidst the chaos, attempting to get herself together enough to report the events of this remarkable day.

"Hello Metropolis! I am Lois Lane, and I'm talking to you from the Phoenix Bridge where tragedy almost struck. Dozens of citizens rescued by a figure who had so far been real only in rumors, but my eyes do not deceive me! Superman is currently holding the bridge together until the repair crew can make sure it does not pose a threat to anyone anymore. Today was supposed to be a day of grief, tragedy and loss but due to our caped hero we celebrate life. And god, isn't life beautiful?"

The last part was a silent whisper to herself as Jimmy signaled the cut. The reporter didn't leave her privileged spot, stretching to face the scene where she first saw color. Her soulmate was there. They were real and well and close. Just... where exactly were they? Had they left? Had they seen her too? There were too many people around, bystanders, media, rescue, victims- after a few long minutes standing around and watching anyone who would throw her a second glance, it became clear that this was an impossible mission. Nevertheless, she didn't leave without making a fool of herself a few times, asking around if anyone else had suddenly seen color today. No success other than unintentionally making a pass on a lot of people. She tried in the next weeks. Compiling a frankly impressive list of names of the people present at the scene, but it didn't lead anywhere. None had experienced anonymous coloration such as herself - nor did they see color when they met again. Just like that, her soulmate was further away than ever before.

It had been a few months since the events of President Day, and regardless of personal matters, it was not one that came without gains. Besides color, Lois's proactiveness in the face of danger made the Daily Planet the first media to capture Superman on camera. That had earned her a promotion with an allegedly small raise in salary, but meaningful in the newsroom. For example, she was to mentor the newest member of the team that would arrive today, now being the youngest reporter to oversee a newcomer. This new guy better keep up, otherwise it'd reflect badly on her. Lois sat on her desk finishing an article, casually losing track of time of when said newbie would arrive. What was his name again? Clark, right. Odd name.