Over Sandwiches: Interview with Kate Kane

May 09, 2018:

Lois Lane meets Kate Kane for a private interview.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Danny Rand

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

Daily Planet might as well be on fire at the moment. The press all abuzz with the recent goings on about mutants and meta-humans. People offering their quiet opinions to those most trusted while others who happen to listen give shakes of their heads in shame and shrugs of their shoulders. Others take on the typical stance, if it doesn’t affect me then I don’t care. Or you would get the ‘not my monkey, not my circus attitude’ that most American’s and.. which is amusing, most of the world adheres to.

People needed to know what they’d eventually allow, is one of Lois’ arguments. They needed to know the truth. Sure, truth is a dangerous game, and it’s something that Lois makes bank on. If she were a detective, some say she’d be dead and buried in the ground as a nobody if it weren’t for that prize winning title. But the first contact reaches out. She doesn’t know this person yet. Anonymous, probably. Fake name? Maybe. She doesn’t do her research, and it’s not that she didn’t care. She just threw it all by the wayside and headed to New York and out of the dumpster fire that was the governments making.

It wasn’t that long of a drive, but the park was set as a meeting. Something public. Sandwiches were already being catered there, Lois had the perfect cover. To sit, eat. Maybe drink. Pretend that she was seeing an old friend. Write nothing down, record nothing. Keep it all to the memory until she reaches the car.

Was it necessary?

To protect a source. Yes.

But arrival was simple, she wasn’t in business attire, all street. Jeans, nice sports jacket, hair in a curled ponytail. Tennis shoes, nothing fancy. And a basket next to her with a cola in hand. While she waits, her fingers thumb through the news feed to catch the latest that she’s missed.

*

Normally Kate would just give the interview and not even skip a beat. Heck, she'd probably shout it from the rooftops. But, when you're the acting CEO and have a reputation to deal with even /before/ considering stockholders… a little bit of caution is never a bad thing. So, conditions were set, and if anyone actually saw the two together…

Well, there are times when a negative reputation can be twisted into a positive, right?

Which is why Kate Kane slips up behind Lois, wearing a casual grey business suit with a off-white shirt beneath, and a wide-brimmed hat to help hide her rather pale skin from the Sun. "Ms. Lane? I'm glad you were able to make it." Her lips curl in a warm expression, "I hope you don't mind the subterfuge." She also bears a basket, even as she takes off her sunglasses to get a better look at Lois.

*

Lois jumps just a little, her head twisting to look back over her shoulder with a tiny hint of surprise. “Ms. Kane!” She doesn’t stand, that isn’t how you greet a friend, she remains seated, the grin upon her face wide enough to assume that she would break out into a fit of laughter. “I don’t mind it at all.” With a turn, she rests against the back slats of the bench, but finally decides to scoot just a touch and turn sideways in the suspected seat that Ms. Kane would take, one arm lacing over the back to put out a relaxed feel to the conversation.

”No one is going to suspect two women eating lunch together, now are they?” Her brows lift, waiting. “Especially if we’re friends. Please.” With a nod, she begins to open her own basket, fishing through the catered sandwiches for choices that.. well… she didn’t pick herself.

Throw anything in the basket sometimes just doesn’t work out.

”I do understand that you wish to remain anonymous?”

*

Kate smiles pleasantly, "Please, call me Kate, and yes, for now at least. I'm sure I'll make a public statement eventually, but I do have a responsibility to my shareholders and… well, I think we've both seen what happens when you 'wing it', as they say." She rolls her eyes a little, even as she takes the suspected seat next to Lois, putting her sunglasses away.

Kate then smiles warmly over at Lois, "But, while I do have a responsibility to my shareholders, I also have a responsibility as a person, which probably sounds a bit odd coming from a corporate executive these days, right?" With that, her smile quirks a bit, head tilting just a bit as she pulls a bottle of water from her basket, taking a sip while regarding Lois.

*

”Kate it is!” A sandwich was finally fished out from the depths of the basket, her gaze drawn towards the innards as she begins to unwrap the plastic film, just to sniff and wrinkle her nose. She hesitates, bites.. then bobs her head in silent agreement before acknowledging anything was said. Have to keep up appearances, you see. “Yes. Well..” Lois mutters quietly, only after she’s swallowed her food.. “Mr. Rand is a special sort, I think. Some people can make bank off of the brand of fast and loose. Perhaps that’s his thing.” Still, one can’t wait to see what happens next.

”It doesn’t sound odd though, Kate. You’d be surprised at how kind some corporate types are. Most of that is just a face, a brand as I said before, but then again, people do use that kindness to show others weakness to capitalize on it.” But.. down to the guts of it all. “What’s your interpretation on what was said by Mr. Rand, though? Do you think that any sort of company that doesn’t make money in politics should even have a say in it?”

*

Kate chuckles, "This is something I think companies have a social responsibility to take the lead on, Ms. Lane. I mean, a hundred years ago /I/ might be considered to have a 'disease' just because of my preferences. In some places, I probably still am."

She shakes her head slightly, "I think while he said a bit too much which then allowed his words to get twisted immediately, he has several valid points. Mutants, metahumans, or whatever you call them are still human, as far as basic inalienable human rights are concerned. Registering them or forcing them to 'come out' is a blatant invasion of their privacy, and my company would never engage in such behavior." She smiles slightly, "And from a purely capitalistic standpoint, I'd be more than happy to take advantage of other companies' idiocy in alienating valuable employees and having them work for me. But that's just the way the free market works." A slight pause, "If individuals wish to 'register' themselves, that's their choice, but it should be one they make, not one that is forced upon them by a government that might not have their best interests at heart… and likely doesn't, given past indications."

*

There was a little light there, while Lois didn’t readily do her research, it calls for her to do some now. It wasn’t the time for personal prying, it would become such at a later date. Kate Kane, is officially, under investigation.

But the matter still stands, her political views on the subject. Lois grows distant, committing words to memory, filing them away by way of key words that were spoken instead of written. She isn’t eidetic by any means, but she can do a fairly decent recall and paraphrase or do a phone call if need be.

”But Kate, you’re banking on the population of employed mutants, meta-humans and such and if they’re larger than the naturally human race. Who is to say that the few that are already out there.. like the X-Men and what they consider terrorists, are all that there is? I wouldn’t call that assumption gross, but it could have an impact on business at hand.” Lois is careful to say if she agrees or not, but the nod of her head does give an indication of understanding.

”That option hasn’t been mentioned yet by Mr. Rand or others, from what I recall.” Lois hand lifts, fingers tapping lightly against her chin. “Something to think about..” She grins, “Are you yourself any of those? A meta-human? Mutant? Why show sympathy other than what you spoke of earlier…” Which, again, she’ll investigate at a later date.

*

Kate chuckles at Lois, "No, nothing metahuman about me, nor mutant, but my father occasionally comments that my liver must be superhuman considering some of my late night proclivities." She winks at Lois with that, giving her a wry look, "If you ever want to tag along… though that would /definitely/ be off the record."

She ahems a bit, "Seriously, though, I'm sure there's a lot of mutants and metahumans out there that aren't wearing spandex, that just want to live a regular life. If America is all about 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'… shouldn't they, as American citizens, be allowed to do precisely that as long as they are abiding by the common laws that society has in place already?"

She then gives Lois a wry grin, "And honestly? Until a few years ago, I couldn't even get married if I wanted to. Not that I intend to anytime soon, but it's good to know the option is there now if I really wanted it. So I know what it's like when your government thinks of you as a second-class citizen."

*

"Don't tempt me." It wasn't a threat, Lois has been known to drink a bruiser under the table if she had to, and show up to work in the morning with the perfect wing-tip applied to the lid of her eye. Though, the sandwich was toyed with to show that she's planning on eating it, flicking off a bit here and there to a random bird or animal that decides to flock to when they leave, her head bobbing slightly.

"Even if there is talk that these people are even human to begin with. Take Superman for example. Would you consider him alien, or american, or both? How would anyone classify that?" She asks, but isn't really asking for an answer.

But Lois got the point. There was something that Kate said and didn't say that gave her the answer, yet still, investigation is warranted. "And wouldn't you think that criminals should have those same rights to due process, incarcerated or not?"

*

Kate smiles, "Well, I have to tempt you a little, Ms. Lane. Otherwise I might be losing my touch." She winks at Lois then, taking a few bites intermittently of her own sandwich between her sentences.

Kate hmms, "Well, I think once you've become accused of breaking a law, then you should have as fair a trial as you can manage… but then that gets into all sorts of weird areas. What if the suspect is a telepath? What if the DA is? Or the defense attorney? Or the judge?" She grins, "So maybe certain professions should have the disclosure, depending on the situation, or even just a disclaimer to sign like, "To the best of my knowledge, I have no extraordinary abilities that would compromise the trust of this institution nor the people affected by it." She shrugs a bit, "As you say, this is a brand new area, and there's a lot of impact that no one seems to have properly assessed yet. But I think it's important that our first reaction, as a society, is not one of fear. It is the mind-killer, after all."

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