My name is Clark Kent. And this is how a typical day for me usually goes.

I wake up around six in the morning. Take a shower, shave, then get dressed and eat a light breakfast before heading out the door. Usually just a toasted English muffin or a bagel.

The commute from my apartment to the Daily Planet newsroom isn’t something I’ve grown used to just yet. In the past, I could wake up ten minutes before I had to be at the office, get ready, and still make it to the newsroom with time to spare. Now I feel like I’m always rushing.

Of course, back then I could fly at the speed of light. Now I can’t fly and I don’t have any superhuman speed. My strength is gone, too. Super breath, gone. Invulnerability, gone. Heat vision, x-ray vision, infrared vision, telescopic vision—all gone. I used to be Superman. Now I’m just an everyman.

And to tell the truth, I don’t mind it. Not one bit.

Sure, some things are more difficult now than they used to be. I have to be careful whenever I’m using a knife. I have to shave with a razor (the first day my face was pretty much covered with cuts). I can’t rely on superspeed to get me somewhere at a certain time. But these adjustments aren’t all that bad in the larger scheme. It’s not the first time I’ve been powerless. There have been a number of occassions over the years when my powers have failed me.

Of course, this time it's a little different from those other times.

Once I left my building, I walked down the street. The bus was just starting to pull away from the curb. I ran after it as fast as I could—which obviously isn't as fast as I'm used to. I waved my hands and the bus stopped before it completely pulled away. The driver opened the door for me and smirked.

"Running late again, Mr. Kent?" he asked.

"Little bit, yeah," I said. I swiped my transit card and noticed all the seats were taken. I gripped one of the handrails above my head and planted my feet as the bus jerked. Slowly, the driver manuevered the bus back into traffic and off it went. Part of me enjoyed this. The constant running around, trying to be on time. It was a tough transition. But normalcy seemed to be just the thing I needed after what happened to Lois. It gave me less time to focus on it.

The bus came to a stop in front of the subway entrance. The train I had to take to get to the Planet had no stops near my apartment, which made the bus a necessary part of my morning commute. I got off and just as I was about to descend the steps to the subway terminal, I heard someone shout.

"Look, up in the sky!"

"It's just a bird."

"No, it's a plane."

I looked up and smiled as I saw the figure in blue and red streak across the morning sky. I glanced at the three people who started shouting. Looked around at all the people who stared up in the sky. I tried to suppress a laugh as I saw the look of awe and amazement on their faces. It was a good feeling, to be able to see the people react to his presence the way they were. It's something I rarely got a chance to notice when I was the focus of their gaze. But now that I'm on the other side, I can see it so clearly.

"It's Superman," I said before entering the subway terminal.

Daily Planet

"KENT!"

The voice of god.

Actually, it’s the voice of Perry White, editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet. But they’re not all that dissimilar. In fact, I imagine the voice of god would be a bit more soothing than Perry’s raspy one.

You’d think after years of smoking as well as a battle with cancer would have caused a person’s voice to diminish in its intensity. That’s not the case with Perry. If anything, the experience only strengthened his vocal chords and I’d wager his voice was louder now than it was when I first came to the Planet.

"Right here, Chief," I said as I moved from my desk.

"In here," he said, motioning with his thumb to his office. I lowered my head and walked inside. Before Perry followed, he glanced around the room and shouted, "what is this, a cocktail party or a newsroom? Get back to work!"

He followed me into the office and slammed the door. I sat in a chair in front of his desk and he slumped into his seat.

"…is something wrong, Perry?" I asked.

"Sorry if I’m a bit agitated, Clark," he said. "Didn’t have time to grab a cup of coffee on my way into the office. So I’m a bit on edge. I sent Olsen out to that coffee shop across the street and he isn’t back yet."

"Why not use the office pot?" I asked.

"Have you tasted that crap?" asked Perry. "Not even sure it can legally be called coffee."

"Perry, I have a strong suspicion that you didn’t call me in here to rant about how bad the coffee is," I said.

"No, you’re right. I wanted to see how you were doing."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Lois."

That’s what I was afraid he was going to ask. I adjusted my glasses and shifted uncomfortably in my seat a little. "It’s been difficult. Losing her once was tough… but then losing her again like that…"

Perry nodded. A lot of details about the Clock King’s attack were sketchy, as were people’s memories of the event. It seemed I was the only one who knew what had happened. And that was only due to the Spectre pulling me outside of time.

One thing that Perry—and most people—remembered was that Lois had been resurrected due to the Clock King’s manipulations. In typical Lois fashion, she tried to help stop him, even though it cost her her own life.

"Y’know son, you’ve been through the ringer over the past few weeks. You should take some time off. Go visit your parents. Somethin’ t’ get your mind off of all this."

"I dunno, Perry, it’s not the best time right now," I said.

"Why’s that?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to respond, but then I realized I didn’t have a response. Perry was right. Why wasn’t it the best time to take a break? Things had been quiet in Metropolis since the Clock King’s attack and now that my Superman persona seemed to have split into a separate being altogether, it was the perfect time to go on a trip. Spend some time in Smallville, see my parents and Connor.

"You’re right, I think I will take a break," I said.

"Good, good," said Perry. He glanced out the window from his office and I saw frustration appear on his face. He slammed his palm on his desk. "Where in the holy hell is Olsen?"

He went to the door and opened it. "OLSEN!"

I walked behind Perry and could see Jimmy at the other end of the newsroom, leaning against a desk with two cups of coffee sitting next to him. He jumped when he heard Perry call him, but before that he was busy talking to a woman with long, red hair.

"Lana?" I mumbled under my breath.

"How long have you been standin’ there flirting while I’m suffering from caffeine withdrawl?" asked Perry.

"Sorry Chief," said Jimmy. He ran over and handed one of the cups to Perry.

"’Bout time," said Perry, snapping the cup from Jimmy’s hand. He turned to go back into his office. "And don’t call me chief!"

Lana Lang came up by Jimmy’s side and I stood with the two of them after Perry went back into his office.

"This is a surprise," I said to her.

"I was at the coffee shop when I ran into Jimmy and we just got caught up in a conversation," said Lana. "Next thing I know, I’m here in the newsroom."

"I have that effect on women," said Jimmy with a smile.

"So does chloroform," said Lana, playfully smacking his shoulder.

"Hey!" Jimmy looked at me. "Anyway, how you holding up, C.K.?"

"Good," I said. "Perry convinced me I should take some time off."

"Wait… Perry convinced you to take time off?" asked Jimmy. "Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around, you convince him to let you have a vacation?"

"He said I could use a break and I think he’s right," said Clark. "I think I’m going to go to Smallville for a week or so."

"That’ll be nice, give you a chance to recharge," said Lana. "Which is something I told you to do."

"I know, I know," I said meekly. "But when Perry White tells you that you need to take a vacation, then you know you need one."

"He’s got a point," said Jimmy. "Even when he was going through chemo, Lois said Perry was calling in every day to make sure the Planet wasn’t going to hell."

"I think I’m going to go home and see about booking a ticket," I said. "Lana, are we still on for dinner tonight?"

She cringed when she heard this.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," said Lana. "It’s just… I’m sorry Clark, I just made plans with Jimmy to go out tonight. Jim, you don’t mind if we reschedule, do you?"

"No, that’s fi—"

"Don’t worry about it," I said.

"But we already had plans," said Lana.

"I know, but it’s okay," I said. "In fact, this way I can see about getting on a plane tonight or tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" asked Jimmy.

"Positive," I said. "You guys go out and have a good time."

Lana stood on her toes to reach up to me and gave me a peck on the cheek. "You’re the best, Clark."

A robbery in progress at the First National Bank of Metropolis. Crimes like this were not very common in Metropolis. Especially with the increased vigilance of Superman in recent days.

This time was no exception to the others. The thieves were professionals, armed with sophisticated weaponry and were clad from head to toe in black clothing and body armor.

An explosion launched the attack on the bank and within moments, some sort of energy field blocked the entrance, keeping the thieves locked inside the bank with the customers and employees. There were ten of them working together, and they moved like a well-oiled machine.

"Move quickly, we get in, we get out," said one of the men, apparently the leader.

Two of the thieves got to work on opening the vault. Another two emptied the teller drawers of all their cash. The remaining six worked crowd control, keeping the patrons and employees lying face down on the ground at gunpoint.

A small explosion opened the vault and the two who opened it as well as the two who cleaned out the teller drawers went inside to gather whatever was in there.

"See, what’d I tell you," the leader said to one of the others. "This is the easiest job we’ve ever pull—"

Before his sentence could be finished, there was a crash. Debris fell from a newly-made hole in the roof as a blue and red blur streaked in front of the gunmen. The blur became solid and hovered before them. Instantly, the thieves knew who they were staring down. Crystal-blue eyes pierced through each of them as his red cape billowed slightly and his arms were folded across the red and yellow shield emblazoned on his chest.

"Sorry, but no deposit, no return," said Superman.

"Go to hell!" said the leader. He opened fire on the Man of Steel and the other thieves followed suit. The Last Son of Krypton’s hands moved faster than the eye could see, grabbing each of the bullets before they could strike either him or any of the innocents who lay on the ground behind him. The gunfire halted and Superman opened his palms to see the bullets he had caught.

"Pretty sophisticated technology," he said. "Intergang, right?"

The thieves slowly started to back away. That was when Superman’s hands moved again, this time hurling the bullet shells back at the thieves. Luckily, they were all wearing body armor, which was the only thing that saved them from the hero’s attack.

He picked one of the fallen thieves by the throat and lifted him high into the air. The thief looked down in shock as Superman’s eyes began to glow bright red.

"You live and die by my will and my will alone," said Superman. "So that means you’re going to be my messenger boy, understand?"

He squeezed slightly and the thief gasped out with what little breath he could muster, "yes, yes anything, just don’t kill me!"

"Good," said Superman, not bothering to loosen his grip. "Then you’ll tell your bosses at Intergang that Metropolis is off-limits. And if I see you or them around again, I can promise it will be the last thing they ever do."

He opened his hand and the man fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was gone again.