"Alright, Mom and Dad, I've already eaten, so I'm going to go flying for a bit. Then, I'll relax before I await the materials I need to study. If you can, please pick up all the books tomorrow. If you need me to do it, let me know. I'll get back to doing my chores every morning and tending to the farm, so you guys don't have to worry about carrying the load without me anymore." I smiled. "See ya later!"
I sped outside, then took off outside, flying high above the clouds.
I'm not sure I'll be able to do everything I need to do, even as fast as I am. And I hate the idea of someone like Bart Allen being faster than I am. Imagine how much easier life will be with the Speed Force.
Then, I spoke the equation that comic book nerds know by heart, the key to the Speed Force. My access to the Speed Force will boost all of my abilities and will make me faster than any possible opponents in the future.
"3X2(9YZ)4A" I yelled into the sky high above the clouds as if I was defying my role in the universe.
I felt something click into place and a fundamental change took place. The sense that time stood still took over me and nothing was moving, not even the air.
A bolt of lightning struck the center of my chest and I felt even more amped than after the recent sun exposure jaunt. The pure energy from the Speed Force nourished my body along with my usual solar reserves and I waited for the energy to stop racing and rewriting my place into the Speed Force, reinforcing my connection to it.
I don't know which other speedsters are around in the Smallville universe or if Bart Allen has gone back in time from the future to this present yet. Did I introduce the Speed Force to this timeline? If I'm the originator, then I'm pleased to be the OG.
I flew below the clouds, then descended to the ground near a county road. I activated the energy of the Speed Force and stood still to get used to the feeling. I cycled the energy throughout my body thousands of times in a second (but different from my perception), and once I felt that I was used to the energy, I took off in a run, white-and-yellow lightning wildly surging through my figure as I ran across the country. I raced and amped up my speed over and over, and as I got used to it, I felt like my body was adapting to the Speed Force and greedily taking it in to power my speed even further. The white-and-yellow lightning turned into pure white lightning as I raced back to my home.
TWO HOURS LATER
I called the Daily Planet and asked to speak to the editor-in-chief and was given the runaround, but they finally patched me through after I promised a blockbuster story.
"Hello, this is Pauline Kahn, the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet. May I ask who I'm speaking with please?"
"Yes, this is Clark Kent, and I have a story that I want to provide to the Daily Planet, but I insist on the byline due to completing all the research, engaging Queen Industries via Oliver Queen directly to kickstart the federal investigators to charge Luthor Corp, and have personally invested in seeing justice being done for the people of Smallville, Kansas." I passionately stated.
"As fascinating as this sounds, I'm going to need more than this little speech. I need the who, what, when, where, and why. I need evidence. And I need your sources." Pauline responded.
"What is your email address?" I asked.
"PaulineKahn@thedailyplanet.com," she answered.
"Hold on," I said and quickly drafted an email, attaching the article in Word format, .txt format, .PDF format, attached all of my evidence in a zip file, and a doc with my sources. "There! It's sent."
"Give me to go through all this. Will you stay on the line? Hold on, I'm putting you on speaker." Pauline said.
"Sure. Take your time." I said.
Ten minutes went by.
"I can't believe this. This will DESTROY Luthor Corp. Do you have any idea what this will do to that company and the ramifications this will send through Metropolis and every other city Luthor Corp is stationed in? Not to mention what will happen to Lionel Luthor himself. He's likely to lose control of his company. This is breaking regulation after regulation, threatening the health of thousands of people, illegal experiments, mysterious deaths and disappearances, silencing witnesses, and other allegations. This is the juiciest story I've seen in a decade. Are you aware of the ramifications of this story?" Pauline said.
"So you're not going to run the story?" I asked.
"Are you kidding? I'm running the story. I don't care about the ramifications. This will put us back on the map. This is the story that journalists will kill for. You can have your byline. Once the fact checkers and our team of lawyers go through this, we'll be aiming to get this on the morning edition of the Monday paper. What do you think?" Pauline proposed.
"It's perfect. Thank you!" I exclaimed.
"Don't thank me, thank yourself. You did the legwork. Can you stop by the Daily Planet to get your picture taken so we can include it in the article along with your byline?" Pauline asked.
"Sure, I can stop by in the next hour or two." I offered.
"I'll inform one of our photographers to be on the lookout. When you arrive, ask around in the bullpen and they'll point you to the photographer. Make sure to dress to impress." Pauline said.
We said our goodbyes and I changed into business attire with a tie and a blazer. My clothes were really tight, so I quickly dressed in my dad's business clothes.
"Hey, ma! Do you think I look okay?" I asked.
Martha looked critical for a moment before she looked like she had an epiphany. She rummaged through her purse and took out a glasses case and handed them over. I put the glasses on and speed styled my hair in a dorky manner.
"Well?" I asked.
"You're still so handsome no matter how much you try to cover it up." Martha complimented.
I rolled my eyes and said,"Thanks, mom. Ok, gotta go. Be back in a flash. Haha I've always wanted to say that." I disappeared in a flash of white lightning, shocking my mom.
When I arrived at the Daily Planet less than a minute later, I entered the lobby in my dorky Clark Kent persona. I stumbled in and bumped into a random reporter.
"Uh...uh...hi, I'm sorry. Please pardon me. I'm, uh, Kent. Clark Kent. That's my name, I mean. Uh, could you perhaps help me? I'm looking f-for a photographer to get my picture taken for my upcoming article." I stammered.
The reporter looked less than impressed, "Whatever, sure kid. You should go Ryan over there." He pointed to a redhead across the room.
I walked over and said, "Uh, h-hey there. Sorry to disturb you, sir. I'm, uh, Clark Kent, and I'm here to get my picture taken."
The man sized me up and said, "Ok, come over here to this backdrop I have set up in a conference room."
He walked me to a room, took my picture, then said, "Looks good, kiddo. The boss wants a word with you." He pointed up the stairs to the editor's office.
I walked clumsily and hunched over to the office and knocked uncertainly.
"Come in," Pauline announced.
"Uh, hey, I'm Clark. C-Clark Kent. You wanted to see me?" I introduced myself nervously.
"Relax, kid. I won't bite. How old are you, anyway? You look a little young." Pauline said.
"Uh, isn't there a thing about not asking for ages?" I asked.
"That's just for women." She snapped back.
"Isn't that sexist?" I inquired.
Pauline laughed heartily. "I like you, kid! You've got spunk. I want to give you a shot. Even if this article doesn't pass legal and the fact checkers, you have a lot of talent. How would you like to be a contributor? You'll get a byline and be paid by the article. If you continue to provide content like this, I'll hire you as a reporter. What do you think?"
"I'm honored, ma'am. I would appreciate it very much for taking a chance on an unknown guy like me." I said, adjusting my glasses.
"Well, thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned to the paper. If we run the article, you'll see it on Monday." Pauline said.
I left her office and headed home.