"The Metropolis Story..." Part I...

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"The Metropolis Story…"

Archived at the Buffy Rebecca verse, www.buffyrebecca.com/Cicelypg.html/Metropolis.html.
You might want to take a gander at the Cicelyverse page to get a
handle on the Cicely Addams material... .

Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...

Summary: Poet/Champion turned reporter/Champion (the vampire thing was
involuntary) for the second least respectable news organization in
Metropolis, William Soames Walthrop is assigned the job of uncovering
the mysterious silence of a famed, deceased silent film star of the
great film inspired by the greatest city on Earth. Both the other
reporter/Champion and other reporter/seedy investigator of things
mysterious in town hate his guts.

Part I...

Metropolis, 2011…

Glorious, gleaming, sky-raking city on a hill to her elite…Hellhole,
but beloved hellhole…Whatsit to you, buddy?...To many not so elite…

Some still arguing the Continental Congress of 1776 should never have
changed the name from "New York" to end its ties with royalty…

The offices of the least…No, Fox News, Metropolis holds that title now…
Second least reputable news outlet in Metropolis…Independent News
Service, Metropolis…

And specifically, just outside the large if rather grimy office, of
Tony Vincenzo, editor-in-chief…

Where the staff, primarily concerned with monitoring the daily
soaring, if disreputably-based ups and sudden, stunning downs-to-earth
of their news service, is startled to see Vincenzo in a benevolent
mood…

"There he is!...My boy!..." Stepping forward with widely open arms for
a dangerously powerful hug…

Ah…But look whom it's aimed at…Collective glare…

The new fair-haired…Quite literally, too…Boy…

Walthrop…The Brit…Though some still insist the accent's either phony
or Australian…

A few incredible stories of the city's underbelly…Impossible stories,
many would say…Though until disproven, far too lucrative to turn down…
And the punk kid is on top…

And according to Harry in HR…Such HR as we got…The kid's so-called
credentials from LA and London stink like a 3 months old overfed
baby's diaper…

And we don't mean the age of the kid…

The little, if surprisingly tough…If the report from Karl…Our good,
old, beloved Karl Kolchak…

Kolchak from his desk frowning equally at the collective staff eyeing
him sympathetically and Vincenzo…

Since when did this collection of freaks, geeks, and news media losers
ever give me the time of…See Lou's on his way further down…Said new
fired Dobbs passing down the corridor of desks wanly, bottle and box
of things in hand…Told Tony the guy was ruined goods and could never
handle an objective column…That "Lou's view is the real America's
view" crazy rant was to be expected…They say at Fox he claimed he had
a direct line to Murdoch's ear…

Guess everyone knew that but Rupert…

Though the real story…Awaiting confirmation…Involves the Missus…Or
"Tiger girl" as Lou called her…

Or so Dobbsie claimed…And a few of my sources at Imitation News backed
him up…

Still, is grating to see this kid…Whom I trained on his first weeks
here…Grabbing what little gratification and glory is to be had here…He
eyes young Walthrop…The young man (right…) clearly as embarrassed as
all round but Vincenzo and Margaret, the pale, gentle and clearly
smitten receptionist were annoyed…

I mean, one must give a world-saving Champion who won back his soul on
his own cahones his due...I guess…And his work doesn't fully suck as
much he does at certain times…

But if I hadn't owed Liam Angel a…Well, several favors…For those times
back in LA…

And come to think of it, I did go a long way out for the other one…He
eyes gentle, dark-haired, pale-skinned Margaret…Who smiles warmly back…
He briefly returning one of his very few reserved smiles…

Though, given her history…Who could turn down the chance to help that
poor kid…?

"Our brightest star!..." Vincenzo bubbles, rocked the embraced,
embarrassed Walthrop… "Another scoop yesterday…We even beat out the
Planet!..."

On some crazy story that alien invaders had latched on to the minds of
the Mayor's and Police Commissioner's wives and they were about to
hatch open a nest of tiny jellyfish body-snatchers?...Various staff
members eyed each other…

And I put him on that story, Tony?...Remember?...The one you
rejected?...Kolchak glares at Vincenzo, still overflowing with the
milk of human greediness…

'Course, a downside is potentially there, given the two ladies are in
the hospital in comas…Not so bad, if one knew them before…But
crippling to our dear Mayor whose divorce plans must now remain in
permanent holding pattern, thanks to our ace and heroic reporter who
managed to not only save the city and the dear possessed ladies but
prevented our noble boys-in-blue from shooting the dear girls to
ribbons…

Almost a pity in some ways…The Commish told me he'd never had better
sex or a more loving relationship with the Missus than when a
malevolent alien jellyfish's tentacles were buried deep within her
cerebral cortex…

"And Karl, too…" Margaret suddenly called from her desk, clapping his
way…

Hmmn… Vincenzo looked over at the image of past glories and disasters…
Oh, yeah…Good ole Karl…

"Right, great idea putting this guy on the trail, Karl…" brief wave…
Followed by renewed hug… "Oh, you wonderful kid…!"

Kolchak gave a second, unprecedented in one day, smile to dear beaming
Margaret…

Lord, to think two years that sweet kid was a deranged two hundred
year old killer…

"My responsibility…" Angel had told him…

And quickly washed his hands of her after restoring her to Humanity
and giving her a new name and new memories of a calm and peaceful life
that only resembled the human life she'd lost when he'd…

"But now…" Vincenzo had relaxed his grip and allowed Walthrop to
escape the fatal embrace…

Kolchak's and a fair number of colleagues' ears perked up…

All, all-too-familiar with the sudden down-to-earth at INS…

"We have to discuss a few…Matters…Karl!..." he looked over to Kolchak…

"In my office…"

Kolchak reluctantly rising…His rumpled attire drawing the usual looks…

Stay on the job all night sometime, pantywaists, and you might look
like a reporter…He sauntered to the office and followed the other two…
Catching Margaret's apprehensive glance at Walthrop…

Poor kid…

But perhaps some memories never quite die…Or can be physically purged…

Gotta give Walthrop credit though…He's not taken advantage…And I
accept that any threats I initially made on that subject were not
likely to discourage him, should he wish to trifle with the young
lady's affections…

Then again, may be the kid's gay…Always had my doubts about Liam and
he sure seemed obsessed with this one…Could be the long-term effect of
vampirism, oughta have Miss Emily look it up sometime in the library…

He entered the office…

"Sit down, Karl…" Vincenzo, already seated behind his littered desk,
pointed to the less-comfortable chair…Walthrop likewise already seated
in the more comfortable of the two…

"Trouble in Paradise, Tony?..." Kolchak took a seat… Nodding at
Walthrop, who gave a sheepish shrug back… Look, boss…Not my idea…

"Nah…Well…" Vincenzo looked at each man… "We did get a little flak
from the Mayor's office for our 'unbelievable assertions'…And a
request for any information we might have on the aliens' physiology…"
wink… "But the reason I brought you in is that I've decided…With a
little help from corporate above…That our ace ought to try a less…
Current…Field…Just for a bit…"

"Mayor Lindenquist upset over having to hold his dear wife's comatose
hand for the cameras for the rest of his political life…?" Kolchak
suggested…

"That didn't improve his attitude toward the people who accused him of
allowing a terrorist, if alien terrorist, plot to destroy and enslave
the city to take shape under his roof…" Vincenzo, drily…

"Pity it couldn't have ended with a big and well-photographed funeral…
Followed, after a reasonable mourning period, by a very happy
wedding…" Kolchak smiled…

"That was a shame…" Vincenzo eyed Walthrop…

"I couldn't let them gun the poor woman down…" William interjected…

"No, I guess not…" Vincenzo perked up again… "And in any case, then
the Mayor would've hushed everything up and probably tried to pin his
wife's death on you… And we got the scoop…Left White and his Planet in
the dirt…"

"Still, it leaves us here…Corporate feels you're a white-hot property,
Walthrop…But a little too-white-hot right now…They want a little
'cooling-off' period…Give the Mayor a chance to see this could still
be an asset…As long as she remains in the coma…"

"So…Am I suspended…Laid-off?..." Walthrop stared…

"No…Not at all…There's an important assignment that has your name on
it…Just not so current as some of the stuff you've been doing…It's
right up your and Kolchak's…As your editor…alley…A little history, a
little mystery...Glamour…" Vincenzo raised a solemn finger… "And best
of all, some travel…You're from Europe, right?..."

"Depends on which Englishman you talk to…" William, drily…

Travel?...To Europe?...Kolchak stared…

Just how angry is the Mayor?...And since when did INS corporate ever
spring for…?

Oh…Right…

Good ole Liam intervening once more…No doubt…

Well, so long as my protégé has a good Angel looking out for him, why
shouldn't one Kolchak also reap a bit of the golden crop…

"Just what is this one, Tony?...And do I get formal promotion to
assistant editor?...Before we leave for Europe…" hard stare…

Nonchalant return from Vincenzo…

So, It is Liam footing the expense bills…Nice…

"It concerns the history of the film that took its inspiration from
this great city…" Vincenzo, expansively… "Naturally when the time
comes for research in Europe I want the full team there in support of
our boy…And yes, but no raise in pay…"

"I figured…Accepted…With an office…" Kolchak, firmly…

"An office?...Well…I guess we could have that one in back fumigated
now that Dobbs is out…"

"Margaret as my help…She's been looking for more to do…"

"You're killing me here, Karl…The man who nurtured you all these
years, accepted those crazy stories, protected you…" Vincenzo frowned…
Leaning forward in chair…

"Made a bundle off me and my 'crazy stories' and hasn't given me a
promised raise or office in 20 years…"

"What can I say?…You know how the news business is these days…"

"Sir?…" Walthrop cut in… "About this story…?"

"Right, right…Ok, you know the film… 'Metropolis'…Our own beautiful
name for our own beautiful city…Was recently restored…"

One might say that if one hadn't seen the original screening in 1927
as I did…William eyed Vincenzo…Though they got most of it back…

"There's a mystery associated with this film, boys…And to celebrate…"

Exploit…Kolchak corrected inwardly…

"…the history of our city's ties with its greatest portrayal in film,
I want my ace team to solve it…" Vincenzo beamed…

Offices of the leading Metropolis news organ, the Daily Planet…

Just outside the office of the editor-in-chief…Rather magnificent in
comparison to those of his somewhat disreputable rival at INS…

Newspaper flung from door…Several staffers nearby glance and note that
it is a copy of that INS ragsheet…A picture of the Mayor and his wife
and the Commissioner of Police and his wife, each wife with what
appeared to be a giant glob of jello covering their heads…The women
standing on a trampled city… "Conspiracy of the Century Foiled!" the
blaring headline…

One curious staffer hastily grabbed the paper up, glancing nervously
at the office door, then scanning the cover page…

William S. Walthrop on the byline…The staffer, hearing an approaching
storm, fled, dropping paper back onto floor…

"Kent!..." harsh cry from open door of said office… "My office!..."