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(no subject)

Tess is still very much herself. Perhaps this place has taken pity on her for being so new and left her alone. Not that she would be aware of such feelings, but appreciates them nonetheless. The other versions of herself she knows of were not terribly impressive.

For the time being she's seated at the bar, a scotch - neat - close by. A notebook is in front of her and she busies herself jotting down ideas now and then as they come to her.

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"If he isn't, he's lucky. But then he always was the golden child."

Tess nods, pushing her notebook aside. "So I've heard. Dare I ask what she's like where you're from?

"Brassy. Tough. I have never seen anyone chase after a story more than she does. I met her in '77, when there were a few of us young cubs in Metro to cover the Son of Sam murders. She was our native guide. All of us were hitting on her big time, but she never let us cross the line, drank with us at all hours, and was the only one not cowed by the chaos during the blackout.

"She's still like that. Or I think she is. Haven't seen her that much." He should call her. Or maybe e-mail her, since the Planet is bound to have e-mail by now.

"'77? It seems you're a bit behind us. But that does sound like her. Along with being stubborn as hell." Tess and Lois get along. Mostly.

"I'm usually behind the times here. Still playing out the 20th century. The dawn of the Internet Age!" he says that with a mix of annoyance and anticipation. "But '77 was twenty years ago. Before Superman. So that's like another time."

"The internet you're going to have to jut go with the flow and the flow goes pretty fast."

Then Tess raises an eyebrow in mild surprise. "What do you know about Superman?"

That Superman is secretly Clark Kent? No, that is one thing he won't ever say, at home or here. Even if he hasn't seen the Bar's Clark in a while.

"The usual things. Native of the planet Krypton, came here some time after 1948, showed up one fine night in the early 80s and started saving lives and fighting crime. Flies damned fast, is nearly invulnerable, is a complete boy scout, and seems to have some connection to Lois and to Clark Kent, since both of them get all the Superman stories." OK, that much he can say. "And the guy hasn't aged one day."

Yeah, he says that and Tess is going to shoot him.

"They have a rapport with him. I'd be a fool not to use it." She relaxes slightly. "So you don't know anything more than what's been reported."

"I'm on the superhero beat, but never got any interviews with him. And I respect his privacy. Man saves the world that often, you really should treat him better than you would a politician or businessman." Knox's cynicism hits a brick wall when it comes to heroes.

"I treat him exactly as he should be treated." Which means she mother hens him, over protects him, respects him and is probably her only true friend.

"You've met him?" That makes sense. The Planet and Metropolis are practically one thing. And Superman protects Metropolis above all else.

"Of course. He's saved me once or twice." Plus all the Planet writes about him. "He is truly a magnificent man."

"That's the usual report. I saw him once, at a news conference a few years back. He looks like a hero should look. And doesn't seem at all shy in the camera eye. Even if he gives interviews once every two years." And of course never to anyone but Lois.

"He's come to accept the cameras and he's always willing to give a quote or two if we manage to get to a scene before he's flown off. Besides, too much of anything ruins it and we like to keep those we have a good relationship with happy."

Tess finishes her drink and waves off another. "So tell me, you have Bats and the Boy Scout, any other super heroes in your world?"

"We have about 30 others by now. The best and brightest are in the League of Heroes. Supes, Bats, the Flash, Green Lantern, Captain Atom, Nightshade, those are the ones people know the best.

"Oh," he adds, "and Ralph Dibny, the world famous Elongated Man. A walking stupid human trick, but also a good detective." And the one hero everyone gets to interview.

Tess listens carefully and she'll be writing all this down on her notepad later.

"I think it's safe to say we exist in the same multiverse."

"You mean similar worlds, with more in common than all the worlds without superheroes?" Always seems odd to him how few have a Gotham or a Metro.

She nods. "Exactly. Same faces, similar names, but always something that's different." Then she smiles. "I might have to look you up in my Gotham and see if you're round." Which means she's totally going to.

"I wonder if I'm a contemporary of you and Lane, or if I'm an old man. Would be weird for a me to not have the same friends." He doesn't think about such things much.

"Your name isn't familiar, but I'll let you know?" She offers.

"Sometimes I think I am one of a kind." Lord knows what kind.

"That would make you quite the prize, then, wouldn't it?" Just the way Tess thinks. "If you're the only you in all the multiverses, there'd have to be a reason why."

"You know, I never really thought about it. But no one has ever heard of me." Which is just a bit disturbing. "Of course, most worlds don't have a Gotham altogether."

"We definitely have a Gotham and even a Gotham Gazette," she confirms, "so maybe your chances are improving."

"You know, I have to look you up as well. Though you could be, like, six." Which seems weird for some reason.

"I was adorable at six." She pauses for a moment before continuing. "You might have to search Lutessa Lena Luthor. That's my birth name."