Live Wire

“A power station? Really Perry?”

“Look Lois, I have it on good authority someone is targeting Metropolis’ power stations. Three have been disabled in the past week, drained dry. All hit between midnight and two in the morning. If this one goes down we’ll be in the dark ages again. The police won’t do anything and the Justice League have got bigger fish to fry.”

“Fine, I’ll stake it out, but I want double time.”

“Time and a half.”

“Deal. But if it does get hit and there’s no power how are we supposed to print the story?”

“Let me worry about that,” said Perry, frowning.

Sitting in a surveillance van watching Metropolis Municipal Power station through a chain link fence wasn’t Lois’ idea of an ideal Friday night out. The van wasn’t particularly comfortable and the pizza shops in the area around the power station were miserable.

Lois stood up, pulled down her skirt to cover her thighs and swayed out of the room, heels clicking as she went. Perry watched her go, wishing he was twenty years younger. He’d never see what she saw in that bumbling Kent guy. He turned away and started focusing on how to print a newspaper with no electricity.

Lois figured she had a few hours between getting off work and starting her watch so she drove the surveillance van home to change and get some food. After a long soak in the tub the tight skirt and half unbuttoned shirt were replaced by a black vest and her most comfortable jogging bottoms. There was nobody to impress in the industrial district so she had no need for anything other than comfort. After a quick comb of her hair she was ready to go. She grabbed the keys to the van and left, slamming the door to her apartment behind her.

The van was parked outside where she’d left it. It was black with reflective windows and Lois was pretty sure Perry had bought it second hand off the FBI or CIA. Inside the back was decked out with high tech surveillance equipment and cameras. She wouldn’t have to show her face, just get the footage and write the scoop.

“Don’t get into any trouble,” Perry had said. Fat chance.

Half an hour later she was parked up a small hill overlooking the power station. She could see the whole building and all the potential entrances from here. With the van’s motion sensors on Lois turned the radio on low, kicked back and put her feet up.

An hour later the boredom had really kicked in. Lois was rattling round the van, vaguely watching the motionless pictures of the undisturbed power station. She rifled through a stack of surveillance DVDs she’d found in a drawer. On jumped out at her – Jimmy’s Private collection DO NOT TOUCH. How could she resist. She slipped the DVD into the player and hit play and stared at the screen in astonishment. She could make out two female figures, glowing as they were captured by an infrared camera through a wall or window. They were locked together, kissing and nuzzling each other in a lesbian tryst.

“Jimmy, you naughty boy!”

Lois was about to stop the DVD when one of the figures floated off the ground, carrying the other with her.