Turn 9: Joke's on You, Lelouch
"If I'm going to compare my father to one of the Justice League's enemies, I'm going to compare him to Darkseid. They're both tyrants and they're both worst fathers."
-Lelouch vi Britannia
Ikaruga
6:15
The moment Shirley saw Milly's pale face on the television, she knew that Milly was grieving her death. Although masked by a light make-up, Milly's red and puffy eyes was still noticeable if a person were to pay an attention on her face. Slightly hunched, her stance was far different from her firm and authoritative posture.
'Oh, Milly,' she sadly thought, 'I miss you and our friends!'
A tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she was quick to wipe it away.
"Are you crying?"
Shirley looked at the source of the voice and saw C.C. approaching the couch she was sitting on with a box of Pizza Hut on her hands.
"N-no." She stuttered. She admits that she feels intimidated by this girl whenever she's around. Perhaps it is because of her serious and uncaring attitude.
"Liar." She sat beside Shirley. "If you're crying while watching news, then you seriously have a problem."
Shirley hung her head in shame. She doesn't know what to say to the green haired girl. Handling this kind of things was not really her forte. She feels pressured… as if the world was on her shoulders. All the things she have known about Lelouch was eating her up and she knew that it only takes one little push to get her explode.
Sure, she was calm whenever she's around Lelouch but when he's not, her worry for him was overpowering all her senses. She promised him that she wouldn't tell anyone about his secret.
But what if when he gets injured… or worst? How will she tell it to her sister, then?
"Do you know something about Lelouch that I don't know?"
Shirley snapped her head towards C.C., her face showing her shock and nervousness.
"Don't try to deny it, Shirley. I know you know something about him."
"What made you think I know something?" She tried to mask the nervousness on her face and on her voice but she knew her efforts were wasted. She observed the look on C.C.'s face and knew that she was already in deep trouble.
"Please," C.C. snorted, "it's pretty obvious that you knew his secrets. You're the type of person that can be easy to read."
"Even if I knew his secrets, I wouldn't tell you. It's not my position to tell you about all of it especially if Lulu never gave his approval." Shirley sternly said.
C.C. slowly smirked, not completely bothered by what Shirley said. If she's defiant about it, she can still find a way to find out about her precious Lulu's secrets.
"Oh, well," C.C. leaned on the couch and started to eat her pizza, "I could always ask that Harley girl about his secrets."
"What?" Shirley asked C.C., "Who's Harley?"
'Hm, jealousy rears its ugly head.' C.C. thought in victory. She knew she has Shirley's attention the moment she uttered Harley's name, a confirmation that she didn't know who Harley is.
"It's shocking that you didn't know her. Haven't Lelouch told you who she is?" She goaded.
'She's fun to mess with, almost as fun as Lelouch is.'
Shirley does not know what to say to her. Jealousy was slowing eating her mind and she's afraid she can't contain it. If Lelouch trusts her, then why did he not tell her about this Harley? What was her connection to him? How did he knew her?
So many questions… no one but Lelouch to answer.
"We were attacked," Tohdoh announced as soon as he entered the conference room. Instantly, the chattering of the core members halted when they heard what he has said. He seated near Zero's vacant seat and started the meeting even though their leader was still not around.
"You were attacked too?" Asahina questioned. Surprise was showing on his scarred face.
"Kengyo was attacked, too." Minase piped in.
"Missiles started to rain down upon us when we were battling with the Britannian forces yesterday. It was a good thing that several of us were lucky to escape before those missiles turned us into charred meat." Hong Gu, who was Asahina's partner in governing the attack in Kazakhstan, said.
"Did the attacker use fighter jet planes?" Sugiyama asked. Hong Gu nodded his head affirmation.
Xing-ke, who was listening quietly, decided to enter the talk and give his insights.
"All three attacks must have been coordinated by the same group," he said. "They really thought this and plan this attack right from the start."
"I think it must be from Britannia. They tried to take us out while we were occupied." Chiba suggested. Bothered by the fact that Zero was not there to explain, Chiba started to get suspicious of him. She knew that he has a hand on it and if not, he must have known something.
"From what you've said, you were battling Britannian forces. If Britannia was the one who attacked them, then why do they sacrifice their comrades and knightmare frames?" Tamaki retorted sarcastically to Chiba.
For once, the rest agreed to what the resident airhead has said. It seems highly unlikely that Britannia would take their large amount of men and weapons just to take out the Black Knights.
"But this is Britannia we were talking about!" Chiba slammed her hand on the table to get the attention of the rest of her comrades. "They were notorious for sacrificing everything just to be on top. Look at what happened to that Clovis!"
"No," Tohdoh spoke. He garnered all the attention all of those inside the conference room.
"They were not the once behind this."
"I agree with Tohdoh." Xing-ke said.
Looks of absolute confusion was on the face of the core members as they tried to comprehend what they had said. Surely this was Britannia's doing, right?
Chiba sat down on her seat. "If not Britannia, then who?"
"Maybe the EU?" Rakshata supplied.
"Highly unlikely," Asahina said, "they were still weak from the continuous onslaught and defeat they received from Britannia. They can't pull this kind of attack without large consequences."
"Well, Tohdoh, what do you have in mind?" Rakshata took a long hit on her pipe.
"Xing-ke and I managed to talk to their command officer. It is clear that they're Britannians but he said that they were the ones robbed off of nation."
Chiba snorted before frowning. "Britannian? Victims? You gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"What that command officer said was true." Zero announced, garnering attention of those in the room.
"What made you think that they're also victims? They were the ones who invaded many countries!" Chiba exclaimed.
Zero stayed quiet for a minute before he asked a question that made them think deeply.
"Tell me, what do you think will happen if Sir Benjamin Franklin never betrayed his comrades?"
They stayed quiet, probably thinking for answer. Tamaki was the one who spoke first.
"Why do we need to go back to the past?"
"Because it affects the present and the future." Zero stated. He was prepared to deliver the truth that may change their viewed of Britannia. It matters not if they agree or disagree but at least he told the truth.
"When the duke of Britannia offered Sir Franklin a position in the monarchy, the Washington Rebellion was already gaining the upper hand. Now, imagine if he did not sold his loyalty."
"Then the Washington's Rebellion will be a success," Xing-ke concluded.
"Yes," Zero said, "they will succeed."
"George Washington, along with Sir Franklin has already planned what they need to do after they achieved their independence from Britannia."
Several snorts of laughter and sneers came from the core members as they listen to their leader tell a story. It still made no difference even if he painted them as victims. For them, they were still the culprit-the devil, hell bent on invading and spreading their power.
"You've got to be kidding, Zero," Asahina said, "That's the funniest joke I've ever heard!"
Zero drummed his fingers on the table, irritation and anger was overwhelming his mind. He tried to give them some answers… give them an insight to what they have been missing and to what they don't know, but they just laughed.
They never truly understood what he said. They were just concerned about their own selfish desires that they tend to overlook the fact that America was once a peaceful nation until Britannia took it away from them. Now, Americans were suffering from the consequences of Sir Franklin's betrayal.
"Why don't we just talk about the important matters at hand?" Xing-ke said. He, too, was unconvinced with what Zero has said. Perhaps it is because Britannia has done many vicious acts for the past century or so that earned their bad reputation. Either way, he was starting to question why Zero has said the past and if it was the truth.
Chiba rose from her seat and faced the masked revolutionist. "Yeah, we still need to rescue Kozuki and plan the upcoming battle. We only have hours before it commence."
Avalon
13:45
"Private Hughes, your mission is to collect all data and information about Britannia's weapon called FLEIJA. You are to do your job as discreetly as you can. Godspeed, private."
The connected Artificial Intelligence on the mainframe computer of the Command Base was Hughes' only companion on his suicide mission. His task was to infiltrate the Avalon and collect data and information regarding Britannia's superweapon that deemed useful to the upcoming war. They decided to send one soldier to go undercover and infiltrate the Avalon.
Luckily for them, he was a skilled undercover.
'Collect data on FLEIJA, my ass!' He thought. 'I'ma collect all information not only on FLEIJA but also on those kick-ass mechas! It's the least thing I can do as a revenge for the nation that destroyed America's name right from the start.'
He rounded the corner and saw two Britannian soldiers guarding the command center of the Avalon.
'This is it. It's now or never, Hughes!'
The two saw him approaching and they quickly blocked the entrance of the command center.
"State your objectives, private." A soldier commanded.
Hughes smirked behind the helmet he was wearing and confidently said, "I'm here to relay a message to Prince Schneizel."
His reasoning was enough for the two soldiers to let him inside the command center.
'Idiots.'
He discreetly activated the EMP attached on his watch and plugged a device that can steal encrypted files on the hidden part of the command center's servers. Luckily, for him, the servers was located on the farthest corner of the room away from the prying eyes of the soldiers and the prince inside.
All he have to do was wait fifteen minutes to finish the transfer.
'Back on the business.'
"Your Highness," he did a Britannian salutation before continuing, "We received intel about the attack on Kazakhstan, Kengyo and Jiangmenguan."
"Let me guess," Schneizel said, "it is the Black Knights with the help of the Chinese Federation. Am I right?"
'Prince Schneizel, you're intelligent, but you'll get unexpected surprise.'
"Yes, Your Highness," he took a deep breath to stall, "but it seems that there was a third party."
"The EU has finally entered the war?" Kanon Maldini, Schneizel's trusted aide spoke.
"Probably. Intel said that they bombed our hangar after attacking the Black Knights. It was also stated that the group has missiles with accurate precision and has outdated tank with advance specs."
"Is it ours, private?" Schneizel mused.
'It won't be yours!' He thought.
"The reports said it was not ours, Your Highness."
"Hm? Quite an interesting turn of events. Wouldn't you say so, Kanon?"
Kanon nodded his head in agreement.
"Anyways, that is not our problem." He turned to Kanon and said, "I believe you should be on your way now, Kanon. Sir Kururugi must have left now to meet with Zero."
Hughes' eyes widened when he heard what Schneizel said. Earlier, he heard from his comrades that their general would meet with Suzaku Kururugi on the Kururugi Shrine. Certain Task Force X members would accompany him as a precaution and Hughes thought that it was not necessary in the first place. He turned out to be wrong.
'They need to know about this!' He thought.
"You are dismissed, private."
Hughes saluted once again and walked away from the two. He was lucky to snatch Schneizel's laptop when they weren't looking and he quickly placed an EMP on it. When he was certain that they were never watching his back, he swiftly approached the server and unplugged that finished file transfer before hurriedly exiting the command center.
'Need to warn them!'
He entered the lavatory for a needed privacy while he contacts the command center.
"Congratulations on your successful mission, private!" Lieutenant Birchwood's voice greeted him.
"Listen, Lieutenant,"
Hughes knew that his window of opportunity only lasts for a couple of minutes so he has to relay his message clearly before someone barges in inside the lavatory.
"Schneizel sent someone on Kururugi's tail. He knew that Kururugi would meet up with general!"
"Shit." That single word was a definite description of what his message was. "They need to be informed about this! They ain't prepared for an attack!"
Hughes heard footsteps on the other side of the door and a loud knock echoed inside the lavatory.
"Shit!" He hissed quietly in annoyance. "Lieutenant, I have to go! They're here and I still need to deliver a package. Gotta go!"
A loud bang echoed and he watched as the door opened, revealing several soldiers with their guns aimed at Hughes.
"What the hell, man!" Hughes exclaimed. "You scared the living shit outta me! Don't you know how to knock?"
The soldiers looked around and saw their fellow comrade, his pants unbuttoned and he was washing his hands on the sink. He was not wearing his helmet and the way he looked, it suggests that he was inside the lavatory for quite some time.
"Did you saw a soldier carrying a laptop earlier?" One of them questioned.
"Do you think I can see who went in here when I was inside that stall?" Hughes pointed to the third stall with the door slightly ajar.
The soldiers looked at the third stall and looked back at Hughes before shaking their head.
"Thought so."
"Well, if you see him, tell us."
Hughes knew that he couldn't easily agree to them without questioning them because it may raise their suspicions. "What's with him, anyways?"
"He took Prince Schneizel's laptop earlier."
Hughes pretended to look shocked about the news and the fools seemed to buy it.
"Anyways, we need to continue the search. If you see him, alert us."
They took one last glance around the room before they made their exit.
Hughes sighed in relief when the door closed. He was safe… for now.
'Still gotta deliver the package.'
Taking the heavy laptop of the second prince by its handle, Hughes activated the cloaking device attached on his combat uniform. Now that he's invisible (both physically and signally alike), he'll free to roam the Avalon without someone seeing him. All he need to do is act quickly, stealthily and quietly.
'I have an hour and a half before this cloaking device expires.'
Kururugi Shrine
13:55
"Lieutenant Birchwood's undercover reported that Schneizel has someone tailing Kururugi. We've already made precautions and surrounded the area to contain and easily fight if they'll take you, which will probably happen."
Lelouch was not surprised with Flagg's news. He has anticipated this move from Schneizel considering that he likes to make contingency plans and in this game, Suzaku was the contingency. A bait to lure him out of his cave.
"I've already covered this, Flagg," Lelouch simply said to the communicator attached on his wrist while wiping the sleeves of his uniform on his mouth. He used his regained super-hearing to listen to his surroundings and found dozens of heartbeats including those of his comrades and his enemies, particularly Suzaku.
"I know. I just said it to you." Flagg replied.
"Enough with the talking, boys," Harley's voice entered the transmission. "When will the battle start? I'm bored!"
"You're always bored, Harley." Deadshot retorted.
"Would you two mind shutting up?" Lelouch smirked when Flagg hissed in irritation. Who wouldn't be irritated when your team was always acting like they're children?
"Your necks will explode if you utter another word. You hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah." Harley said, sarcastically.
"You guys shut the fuck up. I'm here. Don't want a distraction."
Lelouch can already see Suzaku in front of the abandoned shrine, waiting patiently for him. He looked at Lelouch's direction when he must've sensed someone was staring at him. The look on his face was far different from his usual happy personality. He has endured many problems and burden when he started to work for his sworn enemies.
'That's what he get for not listening to me. I've warned him about the consequences of joining with the enemy.'
He continued to climb up the steps until he reached the top where Suzaku awaits.
"You came alone?"
Lelouch knew that Suzaku was not the type of a person who beats around the bush. He expected no greetings coming from him as soon as he set his foot on the shrine.
"I promised I would." Lelouch lied.
Lelouch heard Harley snorting in laughter through his communicator.
"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" She gasped.
He tried to suppress the irritation he was feeling but he knew he does not succeeded since the look his face gave it away. No matter how expert he was in masking his emotions and feelings, Harley was always the one who gets on his nerves.
Every.
Single.
Fucking.
Time.
Fortunately, for him, Flagg managed to intervene with Harley's 'push-the-button' game before he could do something that he might regret.
"You have a lot of nerve coming here." Suzaku said. His tone was full of hatred and anger towards him and he knew that in the inside, Suzaku was brewing a lot of it just for him.
Lelouch never flinched nor showed any reaction to what he said. Instead, he made a sarcasm out of it.
"According to this particular situation there were 31 routes I could take. Especially with Britannia being so loose with the routes relating to the royal family."
"You're really witty, ya know that Louch?" Harley crooned, using the nickname she gave for him.
"That's not what I meant, Lelouch." Suzaku stated, "Showing your face to me, that's what took nerves."
Lelouch eyes widened ever so slightly when he heard what Suzaku has said. If there's someone who should be ashamed and who should not show up, it should be Suzaku, not him. He has brought much disgrace on his name because of what he has done and will do.
Besides, he was the one that brought Lelouch to the emperor as if he was some kind of winning trophy. He sold out his best friend just for a position in the Knights of the Round.
Jason Blood would definitely not approve of this treachery.
"Because you promised? I have no reason to believe any of your promise at this point." He continued.
"Then why did you also come here alone? After what you did?" Lelouch retorted back.
Suzaku frowned, showing his displease towards Lelouch. "Because I'm sick and tired of lying."
Lelouch was not surprised that Suzaku would utter those words full of hypocrisy. He was, after all, an expert in that field.
"I've had to lie to Nunnally, just like you! Nothing's worse." Suzaku accused, making Lelouch gasp. "Some friend you were. You were betraying me all along!"
"Not just me. Everyone on the student council, too. Nunnally," Suzaku brought his left hand up and revealed his Knight pin. An evidence that he was a knight of the realm.
Command Center, Base
"Sir,"
Lieutenant Birchwood approached the soldier who raised his attention.
"What is it, Major?"
The man pointed to the monitor of his computer for Birchwood to see. "Sir, I've tracked several anonymous figures approaching the scene. They're bound to arrive any minute now."
"Okay, do you think you can give me a clear satellite view of those anonymous figures?"
The man nodded and he went back to his work. It took several seconds a live satellite view and it will take more seconds before the pixelated video clears.
"Sir, it has been cleared!"
Birchwood doesn't need to glance twice at the video. All he needed to see was the green hair and pale skin of the leader of the group to know who they were.
"Oh, fuck me,"
Kururugi Shrine
"An…swer…"
"This is Flagg, what is it?"
"Jo… coming… ready!" The voice on the other end said, his message was unclear because of the static the communication.
"Hey, it was not like that earlier! What happened?" Deadshot exclaimed.
"Oh, fuck me,"
All of them followed Captain Boomerang's line of sight and they paled when they saw a group of very familiar people approaching Lelouch and Suzaku.
"Pudding!" Harley exclaimed excitedly.
"Why did you save the student council members from the hotel jacking?" Suzaku stared angrily at Lelouch's slightly bruised face.
Lelouch was about to when someone cackled loudly, instantly gaining their attention.
'No. It can't be!'
"It has been years since I've seen you, Lelouch, and it was not in good circumstances."
"No… NO!"
Throughout the years Suzaku has known Lelouch, this was the very first time he explicitly expressed fear towards someone that does not involved Nunnally. The look on his eyes was pure unadulterated fear of something and Suzaku immediately knew that there was something wrong.
Something he should also fear.
Suzaku stared at the direction Lelouch was staring and he saw a man, dressed in purple with green hair and ridiculously pale (almost white) skin, emerging from the trees. A ridiculously wide smile was on his face and a pistol on his left hand.
"Now, we'll continue our game with or without Batsy! HAHAHA!"
More people dressed in ridiculous outfits emerged from the trees. They were a whole lot different from normal people based on their looks and actions. They were… psychopaths, from what Suzaku can see.
A loud bang came from the shrine and a dozen of Britannian soldiers emerged with Kanon Maldini leading them.
"You brought them with you?!" Lelouch exclaimed even though he knew they were with Suzaku.
"What?! N-no!"
"You traitor!" Lelouch screamed, his faith to his friend has fully vanished.
"This just get more and more exciting. More souls to play with!" Joker giggled.
"You're a monster, Joker!"
"You're the one who's monster, Zero." Kanon Maldini said. He made a gesture and instantly, several knightmare frames emerged from the scene, including Guilford's.
'Just my luck!'
"I never do this but I propose an immediate alliance against Zero since it looks like you have your own grudge against him. Help us to take him in and prevent a war that has been looming us ever since he came out." Kanon proposed to Joker and extended a hand for Joker to take if he agreed. "Would you like that?"
"Hm…" Joker pretended to think about it, "I don't know. I don't really like alliances if you ask me. You should ask them instead,"
Joker made a gesture towards his comrades and added, "but I'm the leader soooo,"
They attacked all at once, taking down the Britannian forces by brute force and guns in the case of normal people in Joker's crew. All of them were hoping to get the elusive Lelouch.
Gunshots echoed throughout the small battlefield coming from the Britannian forces and to Joker's comrades but mostly from somewhere they don't know. They have a hunch that it was the Black Knights. Gefjun Disturbers activated around the area, making the knightmare frames go offline.
Suzaku saw a big thug approaching him while cracking his hands. He has two weird-looking tubes coming from his back and attached to a device on his mouth which almost serves as an oxygen mask to him.
'There's something about that tube. I need to cut it out first...' He thought.
"I'm going to break every fucking bones you have, twerp."
He aimed a punch to Suzaku's face but before he can move, a massive collision echoed throughout the once peaceful shrine sending strong winds.
Suzaku stared with absolute aghast at Lelouch, who managed to block the thug's punch with his own fist. He doesn't showed any strain as he continue to hold his enemy while the showed an immense pain.
"I'll be the one who'll break your bones first, Bane," he tightened his hold to Bane's fist making him grunt in pain, "like how you broke my father's back."
He grabbed Bane's black shirt and flipped him onto his back. A deafening sound echoed when Bane's back collided with the land, even making a large crater appear on the face of the earth. He cut Bane's tubes into half and he watched in satisfaction when the juices that was responsible for his strength leaked onto the ground.
As the battle raged on, Joker slowly escaped the battlefield without anyone noticing him. Some might tell that he's a coward for escaping but that was the whole intention of the mission—to see how Lelouch has fared. They need to see the developments on his powers before they dive head first on the war.
"Where is he?! Where's Joker?!" Lelouch roared, his eyes were glowing in red because of the laser. He sent a punch on a Britannian soldier who was standing on his way. The force was enough to make the soldier fly across the small field and collide on the large tree, even knocking the tree out.
The man standing in front of Suzaku was the pure essence of a demon, not a human nor an animal. He couldn't think of any possible theories why he looked and acted like that but he knew he should take it seriously. Something screams at him that this was the true nature of Lelouch… the true nature of a once gentle man.
"Flagg, Deadshot!" he roared, not minding the shocked faces of Suzaku and those who were in the knightmare frames. The latter can't do anything because of the Gefjun Disturbers scattered across the shrine.
Two men, both armed with guns, approached the angry Zero.
"Where's Harley?" He snarled.
"She's heavily sedated as of now and with Captain Boomerang."
"Bring Joker to me... NOW!"
Both sprinted away, leaving Lelouch with Suzaku, an unconscious Kanon Maldini and the rest of the Britannian soldiers.
"Lelou-" Before Suzaku can finish, Lelouch collapsed on the dirt. A large dart, which acts as a syringe, was on his back.
"Bane's here too, eh?"
A large man, wearing a coat, emerged from the trees.
"Sorry for the mess this kid has done." The mysterious man lifted Lelouch off the ground and hoisted him up on his shoulder. "Ya know how the kids are... they're unstoppable."
He reached inside his coat and took out a boomerang. He flung it across the field and to the Gefjun Disturbers scattered around. Small explosion took place as the boomerang destroyed the one near Guilford's. As soon as the boomerang returned to the man's hand, Guilford's knightmare went online.
"Nice meeting y'all!"
The man bid a goodbye and placed Lelouch's left hand on the collar of his shirt.
Nothing happened for a minute before Guilford's knightmare collected the mysterious man and an unconscious Lelouch. The shocked Britannian forces, including Suzaku, can't do anything but to stare on the horizon at the retreating figure of the Gareth.
Batcave
19:23
"The battle will commence any minute from now. Aren't we going to do anything to help him."
Superman approached the tired Bruce who was continuously working on the machine.
"We aren't going to make it," he said, "but we'll be there before Joker gets Lelouch and before someone will betray Lelouch. I only need some time to make this online."
"You better finish that up, Bruce. I don't want to see Lelouch wallowing in regret because of what he will do."
"Trust me," Bruce never faced Superman when he answered, "I don't like that either."
Their minds drifted to the memory of the once great man who was swallowed by his ambition to find and create a perfect earth. He has good intentions but it was his undoing. He killed many people, including those of great men and women, making it even hard to defeat him because of the lost comrades.
They were able to contain him... they just don't know for how long.
They don't want to see Lelouch like that. They don't want to see him blinded by his ambitions to create a better world for Nunnally and to avenge his fallen mother.
"Justice League's like that. First was smart planning before brute fighting. It has never failed them before and I think it never will."
-Colonel Rick Flagg
NOTES:
1. What private Hughes has done (the transfer data thingy) was reference to what Bruce has done in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman. Remember the scene where he went to Luthor's party?
Yeah, that one.
2. Jason Blood, the human host of Etrigan the Demon, was once a knight of King Arthur's court. Merlin was the one who bound Jason's mortal soul to Etrigan.
3. The static on communication was Joker's doing. He brought an EMP with him.
4. The battle scene of Lelouch and Bane was a nod towards Knightfall where Bane broke Batman's back
5. Why did they sedated Harley? Simple. She's going to be a liability because of Joker. Just refer to what happened in Injustice League: Gods Among Us Year Five when she met the Earth-Two Joker.
6. If you haven't guessed it, Captain Boomerang was the one who took Lelouch.
I intentionally wanted to post this chapter on my birthday but because of certain circumstances and responsibilities on my studies, I decided to make this chapter an early gift to all of you. I also decided to post the chapter two of the side story on my birthday to lessen the hassle.
Anyways, what do you think about this chapter? Leave some reviews to let me know about the whole shitstorm that has happened and will happen. I'll take those reviews as a gift!
Cheers!
PS: Who do you think was the person in Clark and Bruce's memories?