2012-08-07 Daily Planet Interview

A bit of a 'slowish' news week for Lois means that she scans the AP wire and competitor papers for anything even remotely interesting to follow up on. ('A new superhero, who's been outted,') Lois muses, reading the article from the Bugle online -- because she wouldn't get caught dead with the /actual/ paper in her hand! -- while sipping from her coffee mug. It says 'I <3 Metropolis' on it. ('Sounds like the typical Bugle reaction to a new hero: disgruntled and jumping to the deaths from bad conclusions.') Lois sets her coffee mug down and starts hunting for information on the young Aloke Suresh. The phrase ~declined an interview~ just makes Lois smirk as she finds the man's phone number and then dials him up. "Declined, indeed. Challenge accepted, Bugle. Watch and learn, baby. This is how you get interviews," she murmurs as she punches in the numbers and listens to the phone ring.

It's mid-afternoon, and Aloke has just ushered his last drawing class out of his studio at NYU. God, but won't it be great when he gets tenure, and doesn't have to teach the first-years anymore... He sits down at this desk, just about to do bit of pointless web-browsing, when his cell phone starts buzzing and jittering on his desk. He humphs at the 'Blocked Call' on the display. Probably just another political plea. But then again... He hits -accept- on the screen and holds the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello. May I please speak with Mr. Suresh," Lois asks, smiling pleasantly into the mirror she taped to her monitor to remind her to /smile/ when she talks on the phone.

"Uh, yeah, that's me." Aloke shifts in his office chair and discovers for the millionth time that it is physically impossible to get comfortable in, and stands to pace around his studio instead. "Who's this please?"

Lois makes a note that the phone number is a valid one, as she answers. "Wonderful. Mr. Suresh, this is Lois Lane from the Daily Planet, Metropolis. I was reading the Bugle's article on you and couldn't help but notice the bad light they've shined on you," Lois says, reigning herself back for hte moment. Don't scare the story!

"You saw that, huh? Well Ms. Lane, you'll excuse me if I'm a bit tight-lipped. I've already seen what 'no comment' gets me." Aloke picks up a stool in his pacing, and places back where it belongs. "What can I do for you?"

"Your refusal is completley understandable, Mr. Suresh. So if you'd rather not talk to me, I completely understand. I'm the media, afterall. But if you wanted to get an interview talking about yourself, I was hoping you'd give the Planet some consideration," Lois replies just as smoothly as she can. Her super-interview resume is quite extensive: Superman, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Captain America... She probably has a few more under her belt, but those are the public ones.

Aloke blinks as the grumpy art professor makes some mental connections. "Wait a minute," he says, his voice softening, "You said /Lois/ Lane? As in, that article I saw on Captain America? Holy... That was good. And you want to interview me?" Aloke tries to cover the speaker of his phone and clears his throat while he rushes back to his computer. He begins typing Lane's name in to google with one hand while still holing the phone up. "That- that would be great. I mean, the Bugle, they barely got half that story right, you know?" He's sounding /much/ more excited at this point.

Hook, Line, Bugle's got nothing on me. Lois smiles more genuninely and leans back a bit in her chair. "Yes, Mr. Suresh. I'm Lois Lane. I'm happy to hear you liked that article," Lois pauses as she can hear him shuffle about, coughinf faintly. She has to bite her lower lip to keep from chuckling aloud. "Well, the quality of the Bugle's reporting aside, I was quite put out with out little information was actually available. If you wanted to come in, give a full and proper interview to set the facts straight, I'm sure we could accommodate. If you'd rather things be left at 'no comment', I understand, and will wish you a good day." Because nothing gets people ready to talk when they sound like that have a record to put straight than being willing to respect boundaries. The reporter was recently reminded of that. She's going to use it to good effect.

Hooked, indeed. She's got a live one here, and Aloke can't keep his eagerness out of his voice. Sure, he's no teenager, but a midlife crisis power manifestation is almost as good. "Ms. Lane, that sounds like a great opportunity. Thank you. When would be a good time to come and meet you?" He should probably be asking things like seeing the final copy, reserving editing rights, but he's just excited now.

Yes, he should be, but Lois can hear that this is probably his first real rodeo. Kitten gloves. "When would be convenient for you, Mr. Suresh? I have the rest of the week open," Lois replies, opening her iCal program on her computer to see what's going on. She eyes the tiny reminder of important up coming appointments, and smiles at the one that coincides with her birthday. She should call him... See if he wanted any pre-event press... She purses her lips faintly as she waits for Aloke's reply, her right hand making anote to herself about that phone call.

"Oh, um," don'tlookdesperatedon'tlookdesperate, "I could come by now, if that works?" Damnit! Throat clearing, as he reaches to shut down his computer, and stands, grabbing for his jacket. "I mean, I don't have any more classes today, and I can meet you within the hour." NYC to Metropolis that quick? Well it's not like he's the only one who could.

Lois smiles at that, looking and sounding impressed. "That's pretty zippy. Can you fly?"

"Ah, well, yes actually. As of last week, anyway." Aloke shrugs, looking sheepish even though no one's here to see him.

Lois' chuckle is light and merry. "Well, then why don't you suit up, and meet me on the top of the Planet. Big golden globe. Can't miss it," Lois says, clearly not at all perturbed by flying men visiting her on the roof.

"That sounds great, Ms. Lane, I'll see you in a bit." But it's not really all /that/ immediate. He hangs up and needs to lock up his studio, hit the restroom before his trip, zipper up his jacket nice and snug, and find a discreet place to take off. Which he eventually does, arriving on the roof of the Daily Planet in a streak of yellow light about 10 minutes after they hung up. He straightens his jacket and unzips it against the humid, summer afternoon, and looks around for Lois, or the access door to the building, from which she might emerge.

Mr. Suresh had said an hour, and so the reporter took him at face value. One hour. Which means she's planning on getting up there with about fifteen to spare. And so, ten minutes after their phone call, Lois is still at her desk, reading up on the man, while leaving a phone message at LexCorp. No Lois on the roof. But there's the door leading down into the building.

Aloke manages to wait a solid 10 or 15 minutes before finally trying the roof access door and finding it open, descends into the building. He follows the signs to take him to the right floor, and eventually stops ask someone where Ms. Lane's desk is. Too bad he doesn't really know what she looks like, because she's just two desks over when he asks, and the person giving directions seems pretty exasperated to have to point her out. Right. There. He offers a weak smile and waits for her to finish on the phone before approaching.

"That's right. ... No, not since -- oh god, when was it? -- ah, friday? Satruday? ... Sure, I can. ... Yes, Friday sounds fine. What time? ... Okay, got it on my calendar: Friday, 1pm, right? ... Okay. Thank you," Lois is saying into her desk phone. She's got her left shoulder scrunched up to her ear, holding the handset in place. Her left arm is in a cast from the elbow to her fingers, unslung, and resting easily upon her desk. The cast has the faint use of being about a week and a half old. She pausing from updating her iCal as she hangs up her office phone with her right hand, the left one moving to get her cell phone sitting near by. When her back to Aloke's arrival, the reporter fiddles with the sPhone, grumping faintly that she hasn't figured out how to get her computer calendar to sync with her phone's calendar. "Stupid, Stark tech... All Robin's fault.. have to put this in twice... Next time I run into him-" mutter mutter.

Aloke shuffles uncomfortably, definitely not wanting to interrupt, or eavesdrop, for that matter, but finally she hangs up. Steeling himself, Aloke steps into Lane's air space, and field of view, and extends his hand. "Ms. Lane? Sorry, I'm a bit early. Aloke Suresh."

"Oh, sweet mother of zombie Jesus mothballs," Lois exclaims, jumping in her seat as Aloke seems to materialize next to her. She looks up, cheeks a bit pale for a moment before color rises to them. The reporter, having sounded so confident on the phone, rushes to her feet so quickly that she nearly trips herself up. Her left arm reaches out to catch herself on her fingertips on the desk. Lois Lane hangs up the phone.

Practically before he even realizes what he's doing, Aloke's hand moves faster than can be seen to Lois' arm and gently steadies her. Then he looks down in embarrassment and takes a step back, letting go of her. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you!"

Whoa. Did he just... Dude. Lois wobbles a bit as Aloke catches her before she's steady on her own two feet.

"No, it's fine. I just- wow, you're fast," says the femme reporter mouth trying to keep up with her mind. Her mouth is slower than her fingers it seems.

Aloke offers a weak smile, still clearly embarrassed. "Um, yeah, I guess that's sort of my thing." He shrugs, and waits for Lois to to collect herself.

It doesn't take the reporter too long to compose herself, and so she finally really /looks/ at the man before her. She breathes a surprised sort of sound from her parted lips as she notes those eyes, and for a heartbeat does her mind blank out. "Ah, right. So, interview. Um, I was going to have some coffee ready, so... how do you take it? Straight up? Little cream, little sugar; little coffee with your cream and sugar," she's asking, using the plesantries to get a more firm handle on herself.

Suresh smiles broadly, though still not very good at making eye contact. "Coffee would be divine, Ms. Lane, thank you. And actually, I prefer obscene amounts of cream and sugar. Essentially, a coffee flavored cream and sugar drink, if you please?"

Back to form, Lois smiles bright and gives a nod. "Sure thing. Where did you want to do this? Here at my desk, in a conference room, the /roof/," she asks, leaning on the final word as if trying to tease him lightly.

Aloke chuckles at the joke and glances around to finally spot the glassed in conference rooms on this floor. "Oh, I think probably one of those would be best, if that's alright?"

Lois glancse over, and smiles. "Sounds perfect. Go make yourself at home. I'll be right there," she says, moving toward the coffee machine.

It doesn't take Lois long at all to prep the coffees, nor to collect the things she needs for an interview. Her notepad, her pen. It's a little awkward carrying it all, especially with her left arm in a cast.

Aloke nods and heads over to wait in the room, without taking a seat yet. He walks around the table, takes in the view of the city from here, and then heads back to hold the door open for Lois when she returns balancing everything. He holds his free hand out, saying "Hey, let me help you with that..."

Smiling at the motion, Lois offers out the coffe in her left hand: straight up BLACK. "Thanks," she says as she makes her way in and drops her notepad and pen onto the table. "Did you, have a good flight over," she asks conversationally to cover the dead space of exchanging coffees.

Looking a little sheepish, Aloke shrugs. "Well, it was short at least." He grins then, "And I had a window seat. No meal though." He walks to the end of the table to sit around the corner from where Lois is setting up, but is apparently waiting for her to sit first.

There's a bright chuckle to Aloke's words, already feeling out what she must assume is an easy going nature. She motions to a chair, as she takes a seat. Her right hand goes out for her pen. It's an odd pen, with a digital read out, and a power button. She clicks it on and opens the notepad. The paper is odd, filled with tiny blue dots. Along the bottom are printed buttons like those you find on a VCR: Play, Stop, Record, Next, Previous... She taps the Record dot with her pen, then writes along hte top "Int - Aloke Suresh, f/u Bugle release." "If you're ready, Mr. Suresh? I'm recording and we're on the record," Lois says, smiling over at the new hero.

The indistinct glow in Aloke's eyes swirls and focuses into two bright hard dots as he leans forward, curious about the paper. "Interesting... circuitry built in to paper? How has an art professor never heard of that little trick? Oh, and that's fine. On the record, yep." He smiles, and leans back in his chair, as the light in his eyes softens again.

"You can... see what's /in/ the paper," Lois asks, head tilting. This is new. She watches those eyes focus, like sunlight through a magnifying glass. She holds up her left hand then, casted hand trying to open. "Let's start at the beginning. This is Aloke Suresh from New York City, where theBugle reported him as a new meta and or mutant in town. Mr. Suresh, are you a mutant, a meta, or something altogehter?"

Aloke nods briefly at Lois' first question, and then raises his eyebrows as the interview begins proper. He thinks for a moment, and finally sighs. "You know Ms. Lane, I'm honestly not sure. I've done a fair amount of research online in the last couple of weeks, and with what's available, it seems like most 'mutants' express closer to puberty. So I'm guessing I'm not technically a mutant, but that's all it is - a guess."

"Then your abilities manifested very recently," Lois asks as she jots notes down. It's in short hand, so good luck with this: onln rsch done - no. saw circ on pap. - ?

Aloke nods. "Yes, just a couple of weeks ago, actually, with that thing that happened in New York. That was the first time I've ever done anything like that."

"It seems like details on the event were hard to come by. Can you tell us in your own words what happened in New York, Mr. Suresh," Lois asks the man, smoothly. Whatever trip up she had eariler are gone. Lois Lan, in full form and taking it easy on the noob. (notes: pwrup - cplwks NYC)

Nodding, Aloke takes another moment to gather his memory of the day, and then begins. "Well, it was weird, actually. I was just sitting outside at a corner coffee place when I heard the sirens, and the tires screeching - all that nonsense. And all of a sudden, it just hit me. Nothing against your town here, Lois, but I'm a New Yorker, born and bred. And I just felt sick about watching One. More. Crook. go by. I started almost without realizing it, but I pointed my finger like a gun at the suburban the cops were chasing (sounds ridiculous, right?), but a beam of light shot out so intense, it sliced through the engine of the car, disabling it, right there.

"Then, I imagined these guys using their truck as cover, and having some stupid shootout right there, getting all kinds of bystanders shot, you know? So I did it again, and cut off the doors, and the roof. A couple of them took shots at me in the heat of the moment, but it was like I could just step out the way. I can't explain all the how's and why's of it, but those guys just gave up - no cover, no getaway, and they weren't feeling suicidal, I guess. I wish I had thought quick enough to get out of there before anyone could ID me, but instead, I just stood there, and waited for the police to question me - they saw everything, after all." Aloke reaches for his coffee drink and takes a long sip.

Lois smiles at Aloke at the jab about her town. She murmurs something supportive, something that makes it clear that this Metropolis girl is just fine letting others enjoy their own towns. She listens to him explain, watching his eyes and they set of his shoulders. Her bullshit-o-meter is quiet. "So, you stayed and talked to the police, gave an official statement. Did they give you a case number or anything on the accident," she asks, making more notes; ck w/ NYPD - ASuresh case#

Aloke just nods at first, and then seems to remember that he's giving a /verbal/ interview. "Yes, I think they gave me some piece of paper. I can send you a copy when I get home, if you like?"

"That would be wonderful, yes, thank you, Mr. Suresh," Lois says warmly, making a note that he'll send it (f/u w/ intvee: case#). "Are you planning on continuing the heroics, and if so, can we expect a flashy spandex suit and a catchy superhero name?"

So caught off guard, Suresh actually snorts in laughter at the question. He recovers quickly enough, but covers his mouth with his hand still. "Oh gosh, sorry about that. Well, to the first question, yes I think I'll keep this up. It felt good to give back, and help out. The funniest part though, is that I was originally of the opinion that those outfits are so ridiculous, until I discovered my ability to fly. All my regular clothes flapping around like mad - I GET it now. I guess I'll have to get one made. I know a lot of folks use a 'stage' name to hide their identity, but mine's already out there, so I'm not sure. The Daily Bugle dubbed me the Laser though, and for everything they flubbed, I kind of actually like that bit." He shrugs and smiles, reaching for his coffee, "I guess that would work."

Lois smiles at the snort, though she fights down that urge to laugh. The desire to giggle sets her eyes sparkling.

"So, then I guess a cape is out," she quips in response to the clothes flapping in the wind comment. Grinning, Lois makes more notes on her paper (AVG? JLA?) while listening and talking. This is how the reporter's mind works, random thoughts get noted from which she can craft the next question. "Well, if you can shoot laser beams from your hands, and since your eyes look a little bit like a 40watt, Laser would seem appropriate," Lois comments, skimming over her notes so far.

"I like that you said 'give back'. Can you tell me more about that?"

Laser sips at his coffee while he thinks, and finally nods, setting it back down. "America is the land of dreams, as the stories go, right? My great grandparents came here from India to make a life for us, but none of it came easy. With their hard work, and the hard work of everyone it takes to keep a city like New York running, my family has done well. I teach at NYU, for crying out loud. Not bad for an immigrant son, huh? Anyway, karmicly, life's done alright by me, and all the people along my way who helped me out - it feels good to make the city a little safer in return."

"It's clear that you're willing to work with New York's finest to make that happen. Are you considering, or have you considered, the possibility of working with the police there," is Lois' next question, head tilted faintly as she herself is curious as to the answer.

Laser nods briefly, and then looks down as he holds his hand out, palm up, between them. In his palm, a freestanding hologram of a stylized New York skyline takes shape. "I thought about it, and with all due respect to our police force ( I really mean that), I feel like my talents might take me beyond New York at times, and I just want to be open to that possibility." The image in his palm 'zooms out' to become a rotating globe.

Lois' eyes widen in wonder at the sight of the tiny skyline and now globe in Laser's hand. She jots that down on her paper (NYC skln -> O in hand, cool) without looking at what she's writing. The letters are more than a little crooked.

"A global superhero, of sorts? Do you have your sights set on any of the public 'teams' out there," Lois asks as she leans forward, resting her weight on her casted left arm, to look at the hologram a bit more.

Laser relaxes his hand, and lets the globe drift to the table to turn slowly there while he thinks. "Oh, I've thought a lot about that, but they don't exactly advertise on Monster.com, and I doubt I'd be able to add that much to their repertoires anyway. But I'd certainly be open to the idea. Or at least to cooperate with them. I don't want to get in their way, either, of course. I just want to help where I can."

Lois' eyes trail after the globe, small and glowing. It's like the Golden Globe on the roof at night which seems to glow with its own inner light. A small smile plays on her face.

Moments pass before she pulls her eyes from the hologram and back to Laser. A smile for him and she looks back to her notes. She writes 'not yet' under the acronyms, then quickly skims over her notes again. Cover? A little.

"What if you get told /not/ to help," Lois asks, her gray-violet eyes coming to look at Aloke again.

"Well, that's an interesting question," Aloke says. And then his eyes shine and a mischievous grin spreads across his face. "No comment."

Lois' smile is broad, her eyes seeming to light up with a hint of mischief. It's a nose-wrinkling sort of wicked smiling grin, and the reporter gives a silent nod of her head. She sits back in her chair, getting her weight of her broken(?) arm, and making another note: (bad soldier). She takes a moment to skim what she has, before looking up to Aloke again.

"Anything else you want to add," Lois asks him, giving him an open floor to speak his piece rather than having her lead him around the interview process. Seasoned celebrities, heroes, Lois Lane victims - err, interviewees - might be aware of the potential trap she's leaving out, the rope they would need to hang themselves or give the investigative reporter the ammo to reseach further.

Aloke leans back in his chair, and the little globe fades away as he thinks. "I can't think of anything to add, really. I do want to thank you for the chance to tell my side of things though." Good. Stop there. No really... "I just... all any dad wants is to make a better life for his kids, you know?" Stop talking! "By the end of the day, if I can do right by my daughter, make her proud, then I know I've done the right thing." Sigh. Suresh smiles as he wraps, clearly clueless as to how to keep his private life separate from his public one.

Lois' smile falters just a bit as Aloke says the word 'dad'. It wasn't in the information she pulled on him, but she knows it's not hard at all to find out who is related to who. After her chat with Robin, she's a little more sensitive about these sorts of things than she had been. So, without interrupting him, Lois discreetly moves to tap the Stop button on her notepad, but hesitates when she hears that pride in his voice. She looks up at him, head tilting.

"That gives me a few more questions, if you're willing, Mr. Suresh," she says, frame a bit tenser than before. She realizes she's about to walk into a potentially delicate subject, here, and with as green as this guy is...

Suresh falters slightly on the change of tempo from wrapping up, to more questions, but doesn't seem concerned. "Oh um, sure. I'm in no rush. What would you like to know?"

"Well, you mentioned family. Most superheroes that I know of either don't /have/ families or don't talk about them. Granted, you're still new to the heroing world, but as you continue protecting people, you're probably going to annoy some super-powered nut job out there, who will declare himself your arch nemesis, and will try to use your family to get at you. It's too late now for you to take back people seeing who you are, and finding out things about you, but now that it's been mentioned, what are your thoughts on balancing heroism and family?"

Aloke's smile fades as he considers the ramifications that hadn't occurred to him before. He glances out the window as if he expects to see the Green Goblin hovering outside, holding his daughter hostage. He gradually relaxes though, after a long moment of consideration, though the set of his jaw shows his inner determination. "It's true, I wish I could have gone under the radar long enough to figure out what I am, and buy a mask, but I don't have that luxury. I can promise you this though: anyone who threatens my family will not experience my typical patient and understanding nature." Aloke's expression is of stony seriousness, though there's no hostility directed at Lois. It's not /her/ fault he's a public figure now, after all.

Lois nods to that, lips pursing as she ponders the best way to 'misquote that a bit'. She makes a note: 'edit last A' with a star by it. It should be noted that right before she asks a question, she'll color a dot and write a big Q next to it and as soon as she finishes the question, she puts another dot followed by an A.

"While it's fair for any parent to seek to protect their children, you've got the added chore of doing so with a set of powers that could be lethal," Lois notes, not really asking a question, just putting it out there. It's bait, and it's obvious. It's what makes her a damn good reporter, leaving those breadcrumb trails for people to follow and chat about to her. This conversation has really given her much more to think about than she had.

A long moment passes where Suresh closes his eyes, and takes a couple of deep breaths. Yes, you're talking to a reporter. She's being fair, but no, she's not your 'buddy'. Anyone as perceptive as Lois Lane can easily see the wheels turning as he considers the situation. Finally, after another long breath, Aloke's face softens again, and he opens his eyes. He says gently, "It's true, I doubt there's much any father would stop at to protect his kids. Some dad's even keep guns in the house, for this purpose." He chuckles, "And moms too, of course. I don't want it to come to that, of course, but if forced to, I'll do what any parent would." He smiles, and picks up his coffee to divert his attention a bit.

Lois watches those wheels turn from the expressions on Suresh's face. There's a moment of feeling badly, but she has to do this. Silently she waits for an answer, meeting his gaze when he opens his eyes. She smiles softly at his answer, lowering her gaze to her notebook. The thought she wants to jot is far less a brief thought and much closer to those long writer jounral entries she used to crank out in college, the kind she still falls back on now and again to clear her head on a subject so she can really get down to writing it. Typing while emotional: not reccommended. And so all Lois Lane notates is: WJ pt - superhero dads.

With her notes to self-relfect done, Lois hits the Stop button on her paper with her pen, then looks up at Aloke with something closer to a normal person smile. It softens the other wise tough as nails look on the reporter's face, the reporter known to habitual rush into harm's way for a story. A rumor evidenced by the cast still on her left arm.

"I think we're done for now. I might have some follow up questions for you, after I read through the official police report. Can I call you to set up a follow up interview if I need to?"

Aloke nods and smiles, more or less his cheerful self again. "Sure, not a problem, and thank you again for this. Oh, and if I can ask a question of my own, how did you hurt your arm, Ms. Lane?" He seems genuinely concerned, but relieved to be able to finally ask now that their official business is concluded.

Lois glances at the cast, and actually chuckles. A week and a half of healing will do that.

"I got thrown off a building by a superpowered crazy calling himself Loki," she replies with the smooth grace of someone who is quite used to falling off of buildings, being in crashing airplanes, or in any other way put in mortal peril. Sometimes, stories literally fall out of the sky to land on her head.

"Oh my god..." Aloke looks openly concerned - what a softy! "How did you... I mean, what did you land on?" Aloke is still new to all of this, and has some mental adjustments to make to the new crowd he'll be running with.

Lois chuckles at the soft reaction. The most she's gotten was 'wow. Loki? really? Like the Norse God, Loki?' Aloke's concern is really nice. Okay, not the most. After all, Luthor /did/ make sure her arm was patched up, and she had a great dinner, and a soft- Let's not get into the details, shall we? The hint of a blush is enough.

"I landed back on the roof." Even she doesn't sound completely convinced. "I'm not surely sure about the details, really. He grabbed me, I was falling off the roof, and then the next thing I know, I'm in pain on the roof again."

Aloke blinks with wide-eyed interest and concern. "Well, lucky for both of us that you came away with nothing worse than a broken arm! I've heard things about Loki on the news - he sounds like a monster..."

"He's a punk, if you ask me," Lois retorts, showing that spitfire no-holds-barred atitude she's well-hated for in some circles. As she speaks, she closes her notepad and turns off her pen. "But, yes. I guess I am lucky that my arm was the only thing broken."