Chapter 2 - phone conversation

Lois sorted through the paper piles on her desk, checking over some email and looking through the reports. She flipped through more recaps of Superman saving the city, the damage from the quake aftershocks…none of it catching her attention. Clark hesitated as he started to approach her chair, as Lois picked up her phone and jammed a few of the number keys.

"Kenny? Yeah, Lois Lane here. What've you got for me?"

One of her contacts, Clark thought.

"No, Kenny. No, I really don't care about that. A ten-block radius on the east side of town not having hot water isn't exactly scoop-worthy!" Lois massaged her forehead. "Oh, they have no water at all? Oh geez, c'mon, Kenny. It's probably just a burst water main because of the quake. You work at the police department and this is all you can give me? Plumbing problems?"

Clark twitched a small smile. Lois took tenacious to a whole new level.

"A few antique emporiums' basements got flooded. Kenny, that's Art and Leisure's beat, let them cover it. I need…juicy. A 'reel 'em in' story." She paused. Though Clark could hear every detail with his super-hearing from his vantage point near the coffee machine, he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Lois' face. Her shoulders had gone rigid, and her fingers had unconsciously curled into a tight fist around the receiver cord.