There Is Only One Chloe Sullivan - Bonus Material
Title: There Is Only One Chloe Sullivan
Author: latetothepartyhp
Rating: PG
Genre: future-fic drama
Spoilers: through Pandora
Warnings: some language; Chlark interaction with a strong whiff of Chlollie in the background
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and am not making any money off this story.
Summary: Chloe takes up journalism again and Clark is worried.
A/N: Here is the article Clark wrote.
Part 1
Blur Talks, Claims to be Extra-Terrestrial Alien
By Clark Kent
Forty-eight hours ago I received a phone call on my personal cell phone, from a caller I didn't recognize. It's a number I've given out only to family members and friends, so I was not expecting anyone to call me on it with a lead. As it happened, though, it was my first conversation with the man known only as The Blur. I spoke with him once after. In both conversations he came across as earnest and sincere, although I doubt we will ever be able to verify his story. Most will assume it's false. Many will assume he is either lying or insane. I believe we should take him at his own suggestion and judge him by his results rather than his origin.
First Conversation
Kent (K): Who is this?
The Blur (TB): To whom am I speaking?
K: Clark Kent.
TB: And I am The Blur.
K: You're The Blur?
TB: I am. And I can prove it. In ten minutes a coffee mug will appear on your desk that wasn't there the second before.
K: That's how I'll know you're Blur?
TB: No one else can do that.
He ended the connection then. I gathered up as many of my colleagues as I could as witnesses and at exactly 10:47 a.m., according to security camera time-stamps, a coffee mug with the Blur Shield on it appeared on my desk. Ten minutes after that, my personal phone rang again.
Second Conversation
K: Yes?
TB: You have your mug.
K: I do. Why did you contact me?
TB: There've been a lot of questions about me in the media lately. I want to address them.
K: Ok. I'm going to record this, if you don't mind.
TB: Go ahead.
K: What's wrong with your voice?
TB: I'm wearing a distorter.
K: Because you don't want to be identified?
TB: No, I don't. That would interfere with my mission.
K: What is your mission?
TB: To keep Metropolis safe. If I were to reveal myself, if people knew my identity, that mission would be compromised. People I care about might be hurt.
K: Police officers' and fire fighters' also have the mission to keep Metropolis safe. They all have friends and family, and they don't hide who they are.
TB: Yes, there are many, many brave men and women who serve Metropolis and other cities and this country. But there is only one of me. As most people know now, I have special abilities. I can run faster than your can register me going by. I'm extremely strong.
K: How strong?
TB: I can throw an Escalade so far it escapes the Earth's gravity. I have heat vision --
K: Is that what you use to mark your shield?
TB: Yes. I can also hear extremely well. I can hear that your pulse right now is 54 beats per minute. I'm invulnerable to anything that cuts or penetrates skin -- knives, bullets, schrapnel. Just like the police, my mission is to serve and protect, but I can do things ordinary law-enforcement officials can't.
K: What keeps you accountable, though? We know who the police are. We can see them. We can take away their authority if they abuse it. How do we know we can trust you?
TB: I know it's hard to believe that someone who has my abilities wouldn't mis-use them, that I wouldn't be robbing banks or extorting people. So I understand trust has to be earned, and in my case, it has to be re-earned every day. But look at what has happened in Metropolis since my mission began. Crime rates have gone down, especially violent crimes. Those statistics mean something. And one thing you should remember is that my powers also limit me in some ways. Yes, it would be easy to steal stuff, but if I wanted to store it or invest it I would have to create a paper trail. I might even have to let someone know my identity. I'm not going to do that.
K: Because you don't want your loved ones hurt.
TB: No. And because if no one knows who I am, I could be anyone. I could be the guy sitting next to you on the bus, or behind you in line at the coffee shop. Literally. And metaphorically, too. Anyone around you could be a hero. You could be the hero yourself.
K: But as you said, only you have the special set of powers you claim to have. How did you get those powers? Are you one of those people who claim to be infected by radioactive meteor dust?
TB: No. I'm different in that way too. I'm invulnerable to germs and toxins.
K: But how did you get to be invulnerable?
TB: The reason I'm invulnerable, why I have all of these powers, is another reason I can't reveal who I am. I am not human.
K: What does that mean? Are you saying you're an android?
TB: No, I'm not a cyborg or a robot. But I'm not a member of your species. I'm an extra-terrestrial being. An inter-galactic traveler.
K: So you're an alien.
TB: Yes.
K: That's a pretty incredible claim. They have special hospitals for people who make those kinds of claims.
TB: You asked where my powers came from -- I told you. My birth planet was larger than this one, and its star was also larger, and older. My species evolved in response to stronger gravity and a different level of solar radiation. My powers are a response to the weaker gravity of this plant and its younger, yellow star.
K: That still sounds like something out of sci-fi.
TB: Where did the mug come from this morning?
K: Ok. So let's say you're from another planet. Which one? How did you get here? Are there more of you here? Are there more of you coming here?
TB: Uh, no, I'm the only person from my planet here. I was sent here as a kid. We were capable of inter-galactic travel, but I guess there were some political issues with that, and space travel was forbidden. There was a war and my parents sort of snuck me off to keep me safe. The planet was destroyed during the war. So I'm the only one left. Earth is now my only home.
K: How can I verify any of what you just told me? Can I get a DNA sample from you?
TB: What would happen to that sample if I gave it to you? What would happen to the data? I can't trust that someone won't use that unethically. How much money do you think the Pentagon would start spending on cloning projects if they got that data?
K: Well, what about your planet? Can you tell us what star it orbited?
TB: It's not visible from this galaxy.
K: It must be pretty far away then -- how were you able to travel here in one lifetime?
TB: I don't know. It sounds fantastic, but I don't. Like I said, I was a kid when I was sent. I don't know how our technology worked. I assume it included some type of fourth-dimension transporter, but I don't know.
K: You're saying you traveled through time?
TB: I think I would have had to.
K: This doesn't make you sound any more credible.
TB: Someone once said that any technology sufficiently advanced would be indistinguishable from magic.
K: We have no proof this technology exists.
TB: I'm here. And I'm not going away. Like I said, there's nowhere to go back to, and I wouldn't know how to get back there if there was. We were talking about me mis-using my abilities. All I know about my birth planet is that one man tried to rule it completely, and that caused a war that destroyed everything. I'm not going to be that guy here. I went through a -- I guess you could call it a phase -- when I didn't want to be part of humanity. I thought humans were reckless and violent and they didn't appreciate the gifts they'd been given. That was, uh, a rough time for me. I felt very alone. And then I realized that unlike my species, humans haven't destroyed themselves yet. And there are so many humans who aren't invulnerable like me, who risk their lives to make sure that doesn't happen. I was -- that was really awe-inspiring for me.
And I realized, too, like I said, humanity is all I have now. I don't want to lose them too. I wish everyone could have a moment, like I had, when they really finally are able to appreciate how great other people are, in spite of how different and unique everyone is. I'm a guy who's more different than most, so I know how hard that can be. But it can be done. [pause] I should go now.
The call ended suddenly at that point.
The phone from which he called was a cheap pre-paid mobile, listed under the name Ford Prefect, a gentleman who evidently lives in a parking garage on 34th St. No calls to the number were answered. The service provider, Boost Mobile, refused to provide any further information about the origin of the phone.
Author: latetothepartyhp
Rating: PG
Genre: future-fic drama
Spoilers: through Pandora
Warnings: some language; Chlark interaction with a strong whiff of Chlollie in the background
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and am not making any money off this story.
Summary: Chloe takes up journalism again and Clark is worried.
A/N: Here is the article Clark wrote.
Part 1
Blur Talks, Claims to be Extra-Terrestrial Alien
By Clark Kent
Forty-eight hours ago I received a phone call on my personal cell phone, from a caller I didn't recognize. It's a number I've given out only to family members and friends, so I was not expecting anyone to call me on it with a lead. As it happened, though, it was my first conversation with the man known only as The Blur. I spoke with him once after. In both conversations he came across as earnest and sincere, although I doubt we will ever be able to verify his story. Most will assume it's false. Many will assume he is either lying or insane. I believe we should take him at his own suggestion and judge him by his results rather than his origin.
First Conversation
Kent (K): Who is this?
The Blur (TB): To whom am I speaking?
K: Clark Kent.
TB: And I am The Blur.
K: You're The Blur?
TB: I am. And I can prove it. In ten minutes a coffee mug will appear on your desk that wasn't there the second before.
K: That's how I'll know you're Blur?
TB: No one else can do that.
He ended the connection then. I gathered up as many of my colleagues as I could as witnesses and at exactly 10:47 a.m., according to security camera time-stamps, a coffee mug with the Blur Shield on it appeared on my desk. Ten minutes after that, my personal phone rang again.
Second Conversation
K: Yes?
TB: You have your mug.
K: I do. Why did you contact me?
TB: There've been a lot of questions about me in the media lately. I want to address them.
K: Ok. I'm going to record this, if you don't mind.
TB: Go ahead.
K: What's wrong with your voice?
TB: I'm wearing a distorter.
K: Because you don't want to be identified?
TB: No, I don't. That would interfere with my mission.
K: What is your mission?
TB: To keep Metropolis safe. If I were to reveal myself, if people knew my identity, that mission would be compromised. People I care about might be hurt.
K: Police officers' and fire fighters' also have the mission to keep Metropolis safe. They all have friends and family, and they don't hide who they are.
TB: Yes, there are many, many brave men and women who serve Metropolis and other cities and this country. But there is only one of me. As most people know now, I have special abilities. I can run faster than your can register me going by. I'm extremely strong.
K: How strong?
TB: I can throw an Escalade so far it escapes the Earth's gravity. I have heat vision --
K: Is that what you use to mark your shield?
TB: Yes. I can also hear extremely well. I can hear that your pulse right now is 54 beats per minute. I'm invulnerable to anything that cuts or penetrates skin -- knives, bullets, schrapnel. Just like the police, my mission is to serve and protect, but I can do things ordinary law-enforcement officials can't.
K: What keeps you accountable, though? We know who the police are. We can see them. We can take away their authority if they abuse it. How do we know we can trust you?
TB: I know it's hard to believe that someone who has my abilities wouldn't mis-use them, that I wouldn't be robbing banks or extorting people. So I understand trust has to be earned, and in my case, it has to be re-earned every day. But look at what has happened in Metropolis since my mission began. Crime rates have gone down, especially violent crimes. Those statistics mean something. And one thing you should remember is that my powers also limit me in some ways. Yes, it would be easy to steal stuff, but if I wanted to store it or invest it I would have to create a paper trail. I might even have to let someone know my identity. I'm not going to do that.
K: Because you don't want your loved ones hurt.
TB: No. And because if no one knows who I am, I could be anyone. I could be the guy sitting next to you on the bus, or behind you in line at the coffee shop. Literally. And metaphorically, too. Anyone around you could be a hero. You could be the hero yourself.
K: But as you said, only you have the special set of powers you claim to have. How did you get those powers? Are you one of those people who claim to be infected by radioactive meteor dust?
TB: No. I'm different in that way too. I'm invulnerable to germs and toxins.
K: But how did you get to be invulnerable?
TB: The reason I'm invulnerable, why I have all of these powers, is another reason I can't reveal who I am. I am not human.
K: What does that mean? Are you saying you're an android?
TB: No, I'm not a cyborg or a robot. But I'm not a member of your species. I'm an extra-terrestrial being. An inter-galactic traveler.
K: So you're an alien.
TB: Yes.
K: That's a pretty incredible claim. They have special hospitals for people who make those kinds of claims.
TB: You asked where my powers came from -- I told you. My birth planet was larger than this one, and its star was also larger, and older. My species evolved in response to stronger gravity and a different level of solar radiation. My powers are a response to the weaker gravity of this plant and its younger, yellow star.
K: That still sounds like something out of sci-fi.
TB: Where did the mug come from this morning?
K: Ok. So let's say you're from another planet. Which one? How did you get here? Are there more of you here? Are there more of you coming here?
TB: Uh, no, I'm the only person from my planet here. I was sent here as a kid. We were capable of inter-galactic travel, but I guess there were some political issues with that, and space travel was forbidden. There was a war and my parents sort of snuck me off to keep me safe. The planet was destroyed during the war. So I'm the only one left. Earth is now my only home.
K: How can I verify any of what you just told me? Can I get a DNA sample from you?
TB: What would happen to that sample if I gave it to you? What would happen to the data? I can't trust that someone won't use that unethically. How much money do you think the Pentagon would start spending on cloning projects if they got that data?
K: Well, what about your planet? Can you tell us what star it orbited?
TB: It's not visible from this galaxy.
K: It must be pretty far away then -- how were you able to travel here in one lifetime?
TB: I don't know. It sounds fantastic, but I don't. Like I said, I was a kid when I was sent. I don't know how our technology worked. I assume it included some type of fourth-dimension transporter, but I don't know.
K: You're saying you traveled through time?
TB: I think I would have had to.
K: This doesn't make you sound any more credible.
TB: Someone once said that any technology sufficiently advanced would be indistinguishable from magic.
K: We have no proof this technology exists.
TB: I'm here. And I'm not going away. Like I said, there's nowhere to go back to, and I wouldn't know how to get back there if there was. We were talking about me mis-using my abilities. All I know about my birth planet is that one man tried to rule it completely, and that caused a war that destroyed everything. I'm not going to be that guy here. I went through a -- I guess you could call it a phase -- when I didn't want to be part of humanity. I thought humans were reckless and violent and they didn't appreciate the gifts they'd been given. That was, uh, a rough time for me. I felt very alone. And then I realized that unlike my species, humans haven't destroyed themselves yet. And there are so many humans who aren't invulnerable like me, who risk their lives to make sure that doesn't happen. I was -- that was really awe-inspiring for me.
And I realized, too, like I said, humanity is all I have now. I don't want to lose them too. I wish everyone could have a moment, like I had, when they really finally are able to appreciate how great other people are, in spite of how different and unique everyone is. I'm a guy who's more different than most, so I know how hard that can be. But it can be done. [pause] I should go now.
The call ended suddenly at that point.
The phone from which he called was a cheap pre-paid mobile, listed under the name Ford Prefect, a gentleman who evidently lives in a parking garage on 34th St. No calls to the number were answered. The service provider, Boost Mobile, refused to provide any further information about the origin of the phone.