Blue Marlin Hotel
"You smell like smoke. Since when do you smoke?"
"I don't.." Screw it, he thought.
"I've been trying to quit, but stressful situations like these, they're triggers, y'know?"
"Oh yeah. Totally get you. I'm craving a cig right now.. Wait, nice try Smallville. You won't get off the hook that easily. Where the hell were you? I-We were worried about you."
"Yeah Clark, were supposed to be a team bro. I'd hate to tell the chief you got shot full of holes by a crazed gunman. You know how much he likes you." Jimmy added, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Uh, I was carried away by the crowd. It was almost a stampede. I got down to the safe rooms with everyone else, and then I went outside when everything settled down."
Lois narrowed her eyes. "Jimmy and I were in the safe room too. How come we didn't see you?"
"Give the guy a break Lois. We barely found each other in time. It was crazy down there, everyone was freaking out, he was probably just lost in the fray." Lois gave him a look that seemed to say, who's side are you on?
Thank you Jimmy, Clark thought. "So, uh, do you guys know what happened? One minute I was with the other reporters and the next it was all out war."
"Don't be so ridiculous Smallville. 'War' is a bit of an exaggeration. Weren't there any fights back in the sticks? Or was the whole town like the Camden family from 7th Heaven?"
She continued speaking before he could reply.
"Anyway, this walking suit of armor crashed through the glass and started shooting up the place. 'Wonder' Woman tangoed with him for a little, but she couldn't handle him. And then Superman"-she said his name with a breathy sigh-"he came in and saved the day."
"Isn't it weird how Superman was here though, right when we needed him? I mean, as far as I know he never leaves Metropolis, so what the hell was he doing in Gotham of all places?" asked Jimmy.
"Well, maybe he was pursuing the.. walking suit of armor, and it led him here." Clark suggested. "Did you get any photos of him?" he asked hopefully(hopefully not).
"Nah. The bust up happened right when we were being evacuated. Couldn't get a decent shot."
At least there's no evidence of me being here. With any luck the media will put it down to Gotham's weird rumors, he thought. Yeah right. I have the worst luck on the planet. He sighed.
"Well, at least the night wasn't a total waste. Lois got to interview some people, Jimmy you got some good pictures in, and I.."
"You what?" Lois asked pointedly.
"I'll figure out a way to put it all together." he replied with a rare smile. Jimmy smiled too, as did Lois, though she fought it all the way.
For all her snide comments and bullying of Clark, at the end of the day he was the guy that took their raw effort and laid it out in such a way that it was engaging, presentable, and easy to absorb. In the field, Lois was team leader. It suited her action-oriented nature. But when it came to the office, it usually fell on ol' reliable Clark to hold it all together. Jimmy was terribly disorganized(many a time Clark wondered how he ever got anything done) and Lois was too erratic.
"So, home?" Jimmy asked.
"I guess so. Clearly there's not much that'll be going on here. This whole soiree will probably be postponed. I feel like a drink though. Our ride won't be here for a few more hours. We may as well do something. Don't look so miserable you two, I'm buying. Clark, you know the drill. If.. When we get too wasted, you carry us home."
Klarion Bar
Lex Luthor, Oliver Queen, Ted Kord and Bruce Wayne sat at the bar. Lex was drinking J&B on the rocks, Oliver was drinking vodka neat, an open bottle of Grey Goose beside his glass. Ted Kord was drinking a glass of wine, and Bruce Wayne sipped from a bottle of mineral water. The wasted night was the topic of discussion.
"I didn't even get to talk to the Princess. That's the only reason I came all the way out here." Lex moaned."She really is something though, isn't she? Give me five minutes in a room with her and.." his sentence trailed off as he took a deep drink from his glass. He was clearly more than a little tipsy.
The other three men shifted uncomfortably. Oliver and Bruce were raised in true old-money fashion. For all their playboy antics, at heart they had good manners and chivalry. It's not that they weren't thinking the same thing as Lex, just that they were less inclined to put their thoughts into words. Ted Kord was a reserved person, shy around strangers, as small town folk often are.
Except he wasn't from a small town, he just owned a small company. He felt like a dull witted country boy, sitting with legendary businessmen like Lex Luthor,Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen at the same table. He was fairly new to all this, and he didn't know how to relate with his fellow businesspeople just yet. Still, he felt he had to say something. He may never walk with such giants again.
"How about that Superman character?" he asked.
Lex groaned."Don't remind me. What was he even doing here anyway? I can tolerate him back home, but here? Isn't Gotham the home of, y'know, 'The Batman'?"
Everyone seemed to turn to Bruce, as though he was the expert. Which he was.
He grinned bashfully."Don't look at me. I don't even know if he's real."
"Well, say what you will about the big guy, but he saved our asses, that's for sure." said Oliver as he poured himself more vodka.
"Yes, he did, but at what cost? He broke down an entire wall stopping one guy. One." Lex held up a finger as he drained his glass. "I mean, what if he hurt someone, an innocent bystander? Who's to say he didn't? All the crap he's knocked down, blown up, smashed to bits in his years of 'service', who knows? He could have even killed some people in the process."
Bruce found himself agreeing with Lex, much to his disgust. "He wrecked my car." he said sadly.
"Oh man, the Lambo? I heard you paid a pretty penny for it. Shame, to think its all just jagged metal now. But hey, you should look into getting a bike. I got myself a Ducati Panigale 1299. Moves like lightning." Queen remarked, topping up his glass. Bruce noted the bottle was almost half empty, but Oliver wasn't slurring and his coordination was normal. It was like he had never left. Same old Ollie. Living Fast, Dying Young. He must've missed the playboy life when he was stranded... wherever it was he had been stranded.
Oliver noticed him watching. "Relax Bruce, I'm not gonna ride my bike after this. I'll be staying here overnight. Star City can last one night without me."
Lex continued as though the two had never spoken. "How long until Superman crosses that line? What will stop him from crossing it?" No one answered him. He turned so that he was facing each of them, his eyes stopping on Ted Kord.
"You, Kord, aren't you worried?" Ted Kord was stunned that Lex Luthor even knew his name, but he managed to reply, "Hm, no. No, not really. He's not a bad guy, that much is obvious. Does he break things? Sure, but with his power levels he could do a lot worse. I think we should give him a chance, he's been nothing but good to us so far."
Oliver smiled and wiped a fake tear from his eye, sobbing theatrically. "Oh, Ted, you saint."
Even Oliver Queen knew his name. That was a confidence booster.
"Well now hold on, weren't you supporting him just now?"
"No. I said he saved our asses. He seems like a nice guy, but who knows? He could be one bad day away from turning into an evil overlord. You can't trust a person blindly. That's foolishness. Besides, you really think the government doesn't have something in place for him already? Remember Snowden? They're watching everything. I'm pretty sure the Army has some giant robot sitting in a lab somewhere just waiting for someone to push that big red button."
A young man beside them scoffed into his drink. "Something funny sir?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that it always amuses me when I hear rich guys like you talk as if life is so harsh for them. 'Remember Snowden'? Really Mr Queen, that's just naive. Of course the government is watching us. Your companies develop the technology that allows them to do so. All of you have had government contracts at some point or another. In fact, that's how Mr Wayne here rakes in most of his billions. Military communications. Satellites, micro-sim chips,comm-links, am I right?"
"What's your point?" Bruce asked pointedly.
"My point? Your friend here should stop acting like he's raging against the machine. We ALL know that machine, that 'system', its what allows the 1%;people like you, the filthy rich, to survive. If you really want to help, then help. The car you own, you could have used that money to develop Gotham-"
"Now who's being naive Mr Social Justice? You think you can just throw money at the worlds problems and they'll all go away? Do you really think its that simple? Oh, and just so you know, they don't call us billionaire playboy PHILANTHROPISTS for nothing." Oliver added heatedly.
"No, we can't blame him. You sound like a small town guy, and I don't mean that as an insult. Where you come from, everyone is probably really nice to everyone else. You get apple pies from your neighbours, you all go to church together, and everyone is one big happy that's a fine way to live, but its not how life is in Gotham. That true blue American ideal, it doesn't work here. Gotham is another animal entirely. Bruce added solemnly.
"You're right. I'm not from Gotham, and I'm glad that this isn't my home. I may not be a billionaire philanthropist, but I do believe I do more to help the average person than you do. But, I digress, you one per centers probably know a lot more about the common man's problems than I do."
Lex Luthor laughed loudly. "This kid has got some balls! What's your name sir, and who do you work for?"
"Clark Kent. I work for- "
"The Daily Planet" Bruce said with distaste.
"Yes. I'm guessing you're not too fond of us."
"No."
"May I ask why?"
"You have a habit of kissing Superman's ass. I liked you better when you were writing the gossip column."
"Oh shit. Shots fired." Oliver said with a smile as he poured himself some more vodka.
Clark swallowed his rage. "I wouldn't put it quite like that."
"Oh? Because that was me putting it gently. I get that he's your hometown hero and all, but could you take it down a notch?"
"Well, at least he's not like this Batman you have in Gotham. Superman is a beacon of hope for the good. This Batman, assuming he's real, he works at night. What does that say about him?"
Now it was Bruce's turn to swallow his rage."I don't see what the time of day has to do with a persons allegiance."
"Don't you? He works from the shadows. Under cover of darkness. No one knows who or what he is. How do you know you're safe? Who knows if he's in league with the criminal elements of Gotham? How can you trust him? He could be one bad night away from turning into a criminal overlord." He smiled warmly, paid for his drink and left the bar. It was only as he walked away that Bruce realized it was the same man he had met outside the hotel.
The four men sat in silence for a few moments, each in his own world.
Ted Kord cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, do you guys like football?"
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It was almost 2 hours later that Bruce left the hotel.
He had been standing at the balcony, looking out at the night sky when he heard her voice. He had only heard it once, but he knew he would recognize it anywhere.
"Still here Mr Wayne?"
"I could ask the same of you, Princess."
"Reconsidering my offer?" she asked with a smile.
"I'm afraid the answer is still the same. Terrible fear of heights you see."
"And yet here you stand, at the balcony, atop one of the tallest buildings in Gotham."
Bruce chuckled. "Floating high in the sky and standing on a tall building are two different things."
They stood in comfortable silence for a little while, looking at the stars.
"I like talking to you Mr Wayne. You are not like other men." she said plainly.
She's certainly candid, he thought."I'm flattered, but I feel the need to ask, what are other men like?"
"By now, another man would have asked me if I have a boyfriend, am I a lesbian, what is my telephone number, or if I have a sister.."
They both laughed.
"Well, on behalf of my gender, I apologise." He paused. "So, what do you think of the modern world?"
She was silent for a while, as though she was picking her words carefully.
"It is.. hard to describe. Mankind has made so many advances in the field of technology. That is an admirable feat.
You have cars, planes, trains, all manner of sophisticated utilities to make work.. life easier.
You have developed the cures for many ailments that were once lethal.
But you also build weapons capable of leveling entire cities, have given rise to illnesses that wipe out millions each year.
You look the other way when people suffer. Men, women and children starve to death, are decimated by bombs, drown in the seas fleeing their war-torn homes trying to get to a better life..
People die in the worst ways, so needlessly. And the world.. The world turns its back on them. Those who can help try to absolve themselves from their duty.
This whole world is festering with corruption, in so many forms. For all its technological, social and cultural advancements, mankind is still incredibly backward. You still discriminate against people based on their class,race, gender, sexual orientation, and most recently, species and the presence or absence of a meta-gene. But more than that, your very existence poisons the earth itself.
There is a lot of good, but the bad overwhelms it, drowns it all out."
"Wow. Yeah, that's basically it." Bruce chuckled.
"I must sound very pessimistic.."
"No, not at all. If anything, you're a realist. That's one thing we have in common." He said before he could stop himself.
She smiled. "Yes, that and our.. persecution by the media." She inclined her head at him.
Oh, god. She's been reading the Gotham tabloids. She probably thinks I'm a hedonistic chauvinist. And I care what she thinks because...? Wait, she's talking again..
"...But after having spoken to you, I can see you are not the zany madcap the papers say you are."
"And after speaking to you I can see you are not an evil pagan witch sent to lead us astray."
They both laughed again. This is getting too real, he thought to himself. Where the hell is Alfred? Right on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket. "Excuse me." he said before answering it.
"Master Bruce,I'm afraid I won't be able to make it. A flat tire you see, and just my luck, no spare. Perhaps I can call you a cab." Classical music was playing rather loudly in the background.
"Where are you Alfred? I can hear music playing in the background."
"Why in the car of course sir! The music is from my personal mix."
Bullshit. Alfred was as proficient with technology as Bruce was with a mop. He was being punished for ditching Zatanna. The irony was Zatanna ditched him.
"Alright Alfred. See you in a little while." The phone clicked off on the other end with no reply.
It must be fate, he thought. Bruce turned back to Diana.
"Any chance I can get that free lift back home?"
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A/N: Was gonna have Clark and Bruce get to know each other as Superman and Batman first before exploring their different views, but after watching the BvS trailer I thought fuck it, lets have them butt heads from the start. I repeat my warning. None of these 'ships are set in stone, by the time this whole series is over, everyone will have been with everyone. Probably.
As always, read and review.