Secret III
June 16th : Luthorcorp European HQ.
Kal walked slowly across the office to where the billionaire agent had half-lead, half-dragged the unsuspecting security guard. Stopping a short distance away, he listened to the ensuing interrogation.
"What do you know about Harris?"
"Nothing, Nothing I swear"
The panicked tone in the reply; the fast breaths and refusing to look Bruce in the eye. This man was not a good liar, which would have made the agent's jobs easier. If it wasn't for the fact it was evidence in support of a bomb plot. Shame.
"I will ask nicely once more. What do you know about Harris?"
"He's just an acquaintance, I met him whilst I was out with friends once" Brian had added sweating and trembling to the 'giveaways' list.
Batglare.
"I met him while out with friends, he said he could make me some easy money if I looked in the wrong direction for five minutes!" Brian cracked and released his admission in one jumbled mess.
"Elaborate." One word, Bruce's favourite style of communication. Kal checked his watch and readied the car keys, they'd be leaving soon. Brian just trembled as if trying to form words. So he wasn't tough enough to withstand the Bat. He was going to tell all. "Harris didn't seem brilliantly friendly, it was like he wanted a business deal, but he was pressuring my mate into accepting. After a while we got talking. I told him I was a security guard, he told me he had a friend who wanted to visit a person they fancied, and that they would pay nicely if I let them slip through for five minutes. I needed the cash. So I said yeah."
"When. Who?" Bruce and his usual way with words.
"Not yet, tomorrow, at three 'o' clock. I don't know who, I was told to let through a person who would arrive in a sky blue BMW M5 at 3:01 tomorrow." Brian was tugging at his collar, acting like his tie had morphed into a boa constrictor. Then again, between that actually happening and facing the full wrath of the Bat, many criminals would choose the former as the lesser of two evils. Bruce took a few steps away from the terrified man, Kal doing the same. Ice blue eyes met exotic, crystal-like cerulean.
"We act like it's all going to plan and intercept the suspect."
"Definitely, we'll have everyone there, just in case, who's gonna take this?"
"I want it."
"With the amount of work you've been doing recently?"
Another Batglare appearance. Bruce then strode back to Brian and spoke with an emotionless tone to the man, who kept his gaze fixed firmly on the floor. Telling him the plan, for tomorrow, which should give them another lead in this case.
By the time they'd gotten back to the Watchtower - London traffic was always heavy, congestion charge or not - everyone else had headed home for the night. A sticky note, clearly from Wally was left on the main doors, it read.
'Remember to turn the lights out as you leave, Bats'll still be here and it'll save him the trouble.'
Kal would have chuckled at that, if it wasn't for his friend's current weird behavior. Then again, by definition his friend's behaviour was always 'weird', and this happened on a predictable pattern. So no, not 'weird' just 'worse than usual'.
It was approaching half-past 8 when he had finished his report on Brian and updated the case report. He turned off his computer and sat there for a minute, weighing up the different approaches to this problem. He didn't get the chance to think for long though.
"I'm not going." Good old Bruce, managing to be such a pain he even annoyed the kryptonian that was known for his patience.
"Congratulations on completing a sentence, now log off and get in the car." Blunt and straight to the point, trying to make it clear that he wasn't taking any of Bruce's crap.
A keyboard clicking was his only answer. Kal sighed and got up. He had dealt with this man many times over the years and was not going to change that winning streak very few could ever dream of achieving. Pulling out his phone on the way over he hit speed dial number seven.
"That wasn't up for debate, I've updated all the reports so there is no reason for you to be here. I'm phoning Alfred to let you know you're coming home at a reasonable hour tonight."
That got the billionaire's attention. He turned and glared at the kryptonian standing in front of him.
"When was the last time that worked? Hello Alfred, I just wanted to inform you that Bruce will be home at a reasonable time tonight, and not be staying at work until stupidly late unnecessarily."
A pause as the butler and father-figure on the other end of the line spoke. Bruce mentally winced. He knew what was coming.
"He's been getting home at what time!" Yes, Alfred had done as Bruce thought he would. Brilliant. He kept glaring at his friend knowing that the battle had just gotten tougher. The call ended, the battle resumed.
"Three in the Morning. Three in the morning. What the heck do you even do in here all night!"
"Work."
"If that was true the other six of us would have been sacked." A sigh. "You..." A glare from the taller man now. "You're just hoping to distract me from making you go home." Bruce inwardly groaned, he needed friends who didn't know him well enough to predict his moves. Scratch that. He didn't need friends. He was fine. Another sentence invaded his thoughts.
"Get in the car"
Silence. Bruce turned back to his computer and resumed reading the information on it.
"Get. In. The. Car"
"No. I've got work to do."
"Two sentences in five minutes, I'm flattered. Now get in the car."
More silence. Kal sighed. He was used to this by now, so he didn't even bother being his usual patient self with his friend. If this man still hadn't learnt that he wasn't going to drop this - as proved by the fact he knew the other well enough to be able to fight these battles properly - he was just going to have to win another and maybe it would finally get through his thick skull. In a quick burst of motion he leaned over to the wall and switched off the computer. Bruce gritted his teeth and refused to look at his friend, he wasn't going to give in, if only to protect his pride (not that he would ever admit that).
"Why?" Came the question.
"You already know" He did.
"Then why don't you do anything about it. Other than trying to bury yourself in work."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." At this stubborn reply Kal pinched the bridge of nose and decided to refocus.
"What will it take to get you to get into the car."
"I am perfectly capable of driving myself home."
"Yes, but at what hour?"
"A reasonable hour."
"Your definition of reasonable is wrong."
"I'm never wrong."
"And I'm from Kansas."
Batglare.
"Right, we are going to do something about this. You can give up and go home now. Or you can talk about why you are burying yourself with work."
"And if I choose neither?" Bruce smirked, he was winding Kal up so much he wasn't thinking this through anymore. A little longer and he'd annoy him enough to make him go away. He glanced at his friend. Who was on the phone.
"Alfred, Hello again. Sorry to bother you but Bruce is being an idiot. Again." The smirk on the kryptonian's face was maddening.
"Fine. I'll go home." Bruce ground out through gritted teeth.
"Actually Alfred, he seems to have found some sense inside that massive head of his. I'll drive him home, like I've been trying to do for the past ten minutes." He hung up.
"I don't see why you're so insistent on driving me home."
"Because if I wasn't you'd pretend to go home but come straight back here." Bruce's scowl deepened. He needed friends who couldn't predict him. As he left the grid Kal paused for a moment to turn off the lights.
"I still don't see why you do this, Bruce." He said softly as he caught up with his sullen friend. Who proceeded to ignore him as he got in the car. Another sigh from Kal and they were leaving Thames House, on the road out of the main city and towards Wayne Manor.
"Even you should be able to find another way to deal with it, you have friends. And saying that means they've already refused to give up on you. No matter how much of a git you've been." More silence. No reaction.
"I'm not going to drop this, and neither are the others."
Silence from one. A sigh from the other. As it usually was.
The rest of the trip to Wayne Manor was spent in silence, not because he battle was over, but because Kal knew at least part of what he'd said had sunk in. How did he know? Because Bruce was silent and the usual emotionless mask had slipped and he was now at 'allowing friends to acknowledge I'm not a robot or demon' which only happened when he was trying to get his emotions sorted.
Kal stopped the car outside the manor's front door, which opened to reveal Alfred standing there. Bruce finally moved as he got out of the car, but just before the door closed, Kal heard something that confirmed he'd had some impact.
"Thank you."