Where the Road Leads
Interstate Highway
The lone Greyhound rumbled through the night. The steady hum of its tires against the pavement had an almost hypnotic quality to it. Most the passengers were sleeping. It was a long ride and at night there was little to see on either side of the four-lane road. Plans and hopes filled their dreams. It was a fresh start in a new city for some, while to others it was a homecoming.
There were two types of homecomings. One was they had ventured out into the world and it hadn't lived up to their dreams. Their homecoming was a retreat back to the familiar, the known. Their former dreams would be put away, categorized as failed experiments or bitter disappointments. If they took any solace from the experience, it was that at least they had tried. That separated them from 95 percent of the people they knew. They would never live in that quasi-world of what might have been and never was, where dreams are always off in the distance, never pursued or attempted.
Time would eventually heal the disappointment and they would always have the memories. Later when others would talk about what ifs and what might have beens, they would smile to themselves, knowing at least they had tried. They had an answer for what if, even if that answer was that it wasn't to be. For them it would be easier to live with trying and failing, rather than never trying at all.
The second type of homecoming was the visit. This was where life pulled you back for just a little while to the place you always call home. The reasons for this trip are varied, from school vacation to funeral to wedding or holidays. It's a chance to reconnect with those people that will always be in your contact list, even if they are thousands of miles away. Family and friends of your youth, the people you grew up around and that helped to shape who you are today. While you love all of them they are probably still as irritating as they always were, but you really wouldn't have them any other way.
One passenger was still awake. His eyes looked out the window watching the miles flash by. He wasn't like his fellow travelers, but then he'd never been like anyone else. He could have flown back, but chose the bus because he needed time to think. His world had changed completely in the space of a 24 hours and he was still trying to come to terms with what it all meant. Some of the most fundamental questions we all struggle with had been answered for him. Who am I? Where am I from? Why am I here?
He was still synthesizing all this new information with the life he already had. The message from Jor-El and Lara was tinged with unbearable sadness, yet the central theme was of hope. All of their own plans and dreams had taken a back seat to saving what they considered most precious, their son. It wasn't books or the collective knowledge of their world that would ultimately allow them to live on, but their own DNA intermixed in the acts of love and procreation were where they would find immortality.
After his experience with the ship in the barn, Clark had made his way outside. He sat down on the front steps of the house he grew up in. The new memories were still fresh in his mind, yet all around him were other memories. He knew now he was Kryptonian, yet he had grown up as a human right here. He was now a young man of two worlds and two heritages. This new knowledge didn't fundamentally change who he was, it just filled in so many blanks. He was still the son of Jonathan and Martha Kent, but now he had explanations for why he'd always felt different. He also knew he was the son of Jor-El and Lara of Krypton.
Clark now knew what was happening to him and what would continue to happen to him in the coming years. The mysterious and amazing abilities that had recently begun to manifest themselves weren't random or some mutation, but something inherently part of who he was. He was a Kryptonian and under a yellow sun his abilities might have been delayed but they were always there.
Clark turned and glanced at the back door of the house, wishing Ma and Pa Kent were still around so he could tell them all about what he'd discovered. They had struggled and worried about what it all might mean even as they tried to raise him as their own. Tears came to his eyes as he realized in many ways they were like Jor-El and Lara, making so many sacrifices for their only son. So for a couple on a doomed planet and a childless couple here on Earth, he was the manifestation and embodiment of their hopes and dreams.
As the bus continued down the highway, lights from some small town flashed by in the distance. Clark didn't know what town it was but he could imagine it wasn't that different from Smallville. The names might be different, but the people were probably the same. He began to understand that it wasn't just small towns or big cities or even a specific country or now world where this was probably true. Everywhere there were decent people going about their lives with similar dreams and hopes for themselves, their families and the little worlds they inhabited. It didn't matter their race or religion, race, creed, color or wealth, good people were out there, everywhere.
They were the quiet people, the vast majority that didn't make the evening news or the headlines. Yes there was evil in the world and gluttony, sloth, avarice, stupidity and cruelty, but those only seemed to be the majority because they made the most noise and headlines. A man knocking over an old woman with a walker got everyone's attention. A man helping an old woman with a walker carrying her groceries up a flight of stairs hardly made a ripple. Acts of kindness happen every moment of everyday, yet one act of cruelty or violence overshadows all of them.
He hadn't worked it all out yet. That was part of the reason he was on this bus back to Gotham. Having answers to questions he'd been asking all his life helped settle things for him. Some wonderful, amazing people on two different worlds had sacrificed so much to give him a chance. What he did with that chance was now up to him. Wherever his life would take him, Clark knew he didn't want to be one of those people that talked about what ifs and what might have been. If he failed, he failed, but at least he would try. Clark knew he could live with that and so could Jor-El, Lara, Jonathan and Martha.
Gotham
Selina had given Harley some money and clothes in an attempt to get her to leave. She did, but Harley would mostly likely be back sooner rather than later. Selina did feel a little guilty trying to kick Harley out. It sort of felt like trying to kick a cute little baby bird out of the nest, an insane, extremely violent, but cute baby bird. The Toll House cookies were good though, Selina had to admit.
So while Harley was out doing God knows what, Selina had ventured down the two flights of stairs and once again let herself into Clark's apartment. He still wasn't back and that was frustrating. Selina had so many questions she wanted answers to and he was the only one that could answer them. This was the second time she'd checked his apartment since the battle on the docks. She'd looked around to see if there was anything that would tell her what exactly was a Kryptonian but had come up empty.
Standing in his small, plain living room munching on a cookie, Selina was starting to wonder if Clark was going to return. After what happened on the docks, she couldn't really blame him if he didn't. Hell if she could fly like that, she'd probably be heading to parts unknown too. Well, maybe not parts unknown, more like the South of France, but she'd certainly be getting out of Gotham, that was for sure.
Selina wasn't sure how she felt about the idea of him not returning. She liked Clark. Finding out he was Superman was a nice bonus, but she'd liked him before that. The idea of not seeing him again bothered her. Had she gone soft on the farm boy, she wondered? No, no, she quickly dismissed that idea. Yes they'd slept together but it wasn't like she was planning on moving in or anything. Although as many times as she'd let herself in to his apartment now, she might as well have a key. The lock was ridiculously easy, but a key would just make easier.
She had enough problems of her own without inventing new ones, she told herself. It wasn't like Selina saw herself as the sort of woman that played house with a guy. That just wasn't in her makeup she told herself. She liked things casual, with no attachments. She'd only slept with Clark one night and yes she would like to again, but she wasn't looking for more than that she told herself. They were friends with benefits that was it. Glancing around the empty apartment once more, Selina let herself out making sure to lock it. She just wished he'd come back, that's all.
Gotham
Dinah sat in her warehouse/apartment turning the tracer over and over in her fingers. She had worked out that it had probably been placed on her bike at Bruce Wayne's house, but what bothered her was whether Bruce knew about it or not? He had said Batman had brought her and Ev to him and asked that he help in return for a favor Batman had done for him. So there was a connection between Batman and Bruce Wayne. Bruce had dismissed it as just him repaying Batman for saving his life once, but Dinah had to wonder. If that was all it was, Batman had taken a huge risk bringing the two of them to Bruce that night.
That didn't seem like his style to her. She'd never met Batman, but like everyone else in Gotham she'd certainly heard about him. From what she'd heard about him and read, he didn't seem like someone that took too many uncalculated risks. He didn't appear to have any Meta abilities, so he must be a regular human she surmised. To be as effective as he'd been spoke of someone with a keen mind, that knew the city and had the resources to fund his operation. That sort of thing took a lot of planning and forethought. He wouldn't just risk taking her, a wanted fugitive, to someone he wasn't confident he could trust. There had to be a deeper connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman than Bruce was letting on.
The door to her place came flying open pulling Dinah from these thoughts. An excited Ev came barging in.
"Why is the television never on when I come here?" Ev complained as she marched over and grabbed the remote. "What do you do all day, read books or something?"
"I was busy trying to figure this out,' Dinah replied, holding up the tracer.
"Yeah, yeah,' Ev said waving her off. "There's something better you'll want to see!"
"Not another fight, is it?" Dinah asked.
"No, better."
"What?"
"Shh, I don't want to spoil the surprise,' Ev replied.
"You could just tell me,' Dinah offered.
"I could have just called and told you too, what fun is that?" Ev countered. "Now Shh!"
Dinah was about to argue with her, but Ev just waved her off again as she started flicking through the channels. She found the news and then dropped down onto the couch next to Dinah.
"Just tell me, would you please?" Dinah complained. "I don't like surprises, you know that."
"You'll like this one,' Ev replied. "Oh, here it is, now Shh!"
"What is this about …"
"Shhh! What part of Shhh don't you understand?"
Dinah grumbled to herself but remained silent as she turned her attention to the television.
"Once again our top story tonight on Action 5 News, 5 on your side, involves one of the more colorful and if I might add lovely members of Gotham's most notorious outlaws, Black Canary. Federal officials announced today that all charges against her have been dropped! According to sources after an extensive investigation, a reevaluation of her case had led officials to drop all Federal charges. When reached for comment, Police Commissioner Gordon said …"
Ev turned off the TV and smiled at Dinah.
"You're fucking free, honey! We need to celebrate!"
A stunned Dinah just sat looking at Ev with her mouth open.
Gotham – The Batcave
Now that his guests, Ev and Dinah were gone, Bruce had returned to spending more and more of his time down here. He didn't need to keep up the pretense of Bruce Wayne actively involved businessman, so he didn't.
The Joker was still out there.
That he'd missed an opportunity to stop him ate at Bruce's mind and seemed to push him more and more. Everything else was on the back burner as he focused all his considerable skills on catching the Joker.
The panel from the mansion opened and Alfred descended the stairs carrying a tray. He moved over to the computer banks and set it down within easy reach of Bruce. He silently poured a cup of coffee and held it out to him.
"You should eat something, Master Bruce."
"Just leave it there, I'll get to it, Alfred,' Bruce replied.
"Looking at all that again isn't going to change it,' Alfred suggested. 'You need to step away occasionally to gain perspective."
Bruce turned and looked at the older man.
"Tell that to the people the Joker kills, Alfred,' he snapped. "The only thing that matters is stopping him and preventing more people from dying."
Bruce realized how he sounded and instantly felt guilty for the way he spoke to Alfred.
"I'm sorry, old friend, that was uncalled for,' he offered.
"That's quite all right, Master Bruce, I understand,' Alfred replied. He picked up the newspaper from off the tray and opened it, showing Bruce the headline, Black Canary Cleared! "You had a hand in this, Master Bruce. You helped clear an innocent woman. You should be proud of that. Well done, sir, well done."
"It wasn't just me,' Bruce stated, trying to deflect the credit away from him.
"Perhaps not,' Alfred admitted. "But you helped it to come about. It's about perspective, as I was saying, Master Bruce. An innocent woman is free from false charges. Yes the Joker is still out there, but in the big picture correcting justice denied to one innocent outweights punishing 100 that are guilty. This was a good day, Master Bruce, you should try and remember that."
Alfred set the paper down on the console, face up and then quietly headed back upstairs.
Gotham – the West Side
Harley skipped up the steps of a brownstone and tried the door. It was locked. She turned and looked at the names listed. She saw the one she wanted, but wanted to surprise her friend Eddie. At random she pressed one of the other buttons
"Yes? Who is it?" A voice came over the intercom.
"Candy gram!"
"Who?"
"Land shark!" Harley said and then laughed.
She didn't get a reply. She pressed another button.
"Yeah?"
"Publisher's Clearinghouse!"
"Get the fuck out of here!" Came the reply.
"Screw you, pal, just for that I'm keeping the gi-normous check!" Harley shouted back. She then proceeded to rip out that particular button and then pressed another.
"Who is it?"
"Elliot Ness of the fucking F.B.I., open up!" Harley shouted.
There was a pause on the other end.
"Elliot Ness is dead,' the voice replied over the intercom. "Besides, he was a guy and you're obviously a woman."
"Okay, yeah, you got me,' Harley admitted with a smile. "Thanks for playing!"
She pressed another button.
"Who is it?"
"Cable guy!" Harley shouted.
"I don't have cable."
"Do you want it?"
There was no reply so Harley pressed another button.
"Hello?"
"Knock-Knock!" Harley said.
"Um, ah, who's there?"
"Dwayne!"
"Okay, Dwayne who?'
"Dwayne the bathtub, I'm drowning,' Harley replied and then broke out in the giggles. She nearly fell off the top step as this stuck her as very funny. She managed to right herself and wipe the tears out of her eyes before pressing another button.
"Who is it?" It was a young man's voice.
"Stripper-gram!"
The door buzzed open. Harley entered and started up the stairs. On the second floor a young guy was standing with his door open.
"You the stripper?" He asked.
"Yeah, sorry about that, I just wanted to get in the building," she replied.
"Well that sucks,' he moaned.
Harley moved over to him and smiled.
"I tell you what, if things go well upstairs, maybe I'll stop back,' she offered with a wink. "How does that sound?"
"Still kind of sucks,' the young man lamented.
"HEY!" Harley shouted. "A COMPLETE STRANGER, WHO'S HOT I MIGHT ADD, JUST SAID SHE 'MIGHT' TAKE HER CLOTHES OFF FOR YOU! I COULD JUST SHOOT YOU IN THE FACE INSTEAD! BE HAPPY I EVEN MADE THE OFFER!"
"Okay, sorry, please don't shoot me,' the man begged.
"You're cute, see ya!" Harley happily replied and then continued on up the stairs. The young man ran back into his apartment and slammed the door, double locking it. Harley glanced over her shoulder and giggled.
"Like that would stop me,' she scoffed.
Belle Reve Prison
Amanda Waller sat behind her desk looking over some paperwork when her intercom went off. Her secretary announced that Dr. Light was waiting to see her.
"Send him in."
The door opened and Dr. Light came in. Amanda gestured for him to sit down, which he did.
"You seem to have come through all right,' she observed.
"Just by the skin of my teeth,' Light complained. 'I know it's call the Suicide Squad, but you nearly got us all killed putting Harley in charge."
"I don't know, her plan seemed to be pretty good,' Amanda replied. "Factors beyond her control intervened."
"You know she dug out the implant, right?" Light smugly said. "You didn't get what you wanted and now are responsible for letting a crazy woman loose. I doubt your superiors will like that, Amanda."
He gave her a cruel grin. Amanda leaned forward, staring into Light's eyes.
"Do you really think the implant in your necks is the only way I've got of controlling you, Light?" She replied. "I know exactly where Harley is and what she's doing. I can stop her any time I want. You shouldn't worry about my superiors, Light, you should worry about me. If I can reach out from here and stop Harley, what do you think I could do to someone that's right in front of me like you?"
Gotham
Lashina stood in front of the full-length mirror in her hotel room and smiled. That old cow Granny Goodness had thought she was surprisingly Lashina by making her stay in this city and look for Superman. That's exactly what Lashina had been planning and wanting to do all the time. Let Granny think it was her idea; Lashina got what she wanted anyway. Running her fingers through her long dark hair, her smile turned almost predatory as she looked in the mirror. She wasn't wearing her battle gear, but had switched to civilian clothes. The sheer black blouse and snakeskin pants fit her like a glove.
It hadn't been a mistake or a heat of the moment error that had made Lashina let Superman know she knew he was a Kryptonian. She'd planned it. The exact moment had been by chance, but it served the same purpose. Superman would be looking for her with questions. Lashina planned on letting him find her.
Gotham
Harley arrived at the door she was looking for and knocked.
"I know you're in there, I saw the peephole go dark,' Harley said.
"Go away!" A voice on the other side shouted.
"Come on, Eddie, I just want to talk!" Harley replied. "Open up, don't make me kick it down!"
The door opened a crack and Eddie looked through, the chain still on the door.
"Hi, Harley." He said.
"Hi, Eddie!" She replied with a smile. "Miss me?"
"Actually no,' he admitted. "Look, Harley, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want anything to do with you."
"I thought we were friends, Eddie?" Harley said with a pout.
"I like you, Harley, you have some really good qualities, you do, it's just things tend to go a little off the rails when you're around,' Eddie replied. "I don't need that right now."
"You're going to hurt my feelings if you don't open the door, Eddie." Harley warned.
With a sigh, the door closed and Harley could hear the chain being undone. The door opened and Eddie stood there in an undershirt, question mark themed boxers and socks with suspenders holding them up. Harley walked passed him into his apartment as he closed the door behind her.
"Jeez, Eddie, you could have at least put on some pants,' Harley complained.
"You're the one that wouldn't take no for an answer,' he countered.
"True," Harley admitted. "Look, I need your help, Eddie."
"Not going to happen, Harley."
She was rummaging around in her bag and finally pulled out a Ziploc back and held them out to him.
"Cookie?"
"Yeah, sure,' he replied, taking one. "Toll House, nice."
He took a bite of the cookie.
"Actually really good, Harley,' Eddie said.
"Thanks, I made them myself,' Harley replied.
"Well, maybe you found a new career for yourself," Eddie said with a smile. "The answer to me helping you is still no though."
"Eddie, we're friends, don't make me beg."
"Harley, it doesn't take a genius to know you're going after the Joker,' Eddie replied. "I don't want any part of him, nobody does. People have a way of dying when they go after him. He's too dangerous/"
"I hate that you're making me do this, Eddie, but,' Harley said and then pulled out Selina's gun from her bag and pointed it at him. "You like riddles, so here's one. Riddle me this, at this moment who seems more dangerous, Mr. J. or the person holding a gun on you?"
"What happened to begging?" Eddie said, slowly raising his hands.
"I decided to skip it and go straight to the threats." Harley explained. "I know it wasn't that good a riddle, but there is a right answer, Eddie."
With a sigh, Eddie lowered his hands.
"So what do you want Harley?" He asked.
"You were always good with bombs, Eddie, I wants some,' Harley replied. She stretched her arms out wide and smiled. "BIG ONES!"
Gotham – The Iceberg Lounge
Selina hated coming here, but it was necessary. Because she let herself be distracted during the heist, she needed some protection against them coming back at her. That was the Penguin's racket, so she had to make a deal with him. It meant further reducing her cut of the take, but it would be a reminder to keep her head on business from now on.
Security frisked her at the door. They seemed to enjoy themselves. They didn't find anything. Selina had thought about bringing her gun but when she went to look for it she found a Ziploc bag of cookies instead. Thanks Harley, she silently said. After they finished feeling her up and looking through her bag, security finally let her though. Oswald wasn't in the back office, but out on the floor in his usual booth. He had a big smile on his face as Selina walked towards him.
"Well, well, look who the cat dragged in,' he said with a chuckle.
"Clever," Selina snidely replied.
"I never liked your attitude, Selina."
"I here to do business, Oswald, not win a popularity contest.' She fired back. "You are still a businessman, are you?"
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, Selina or I might take offense,' Oswald said. "So business is what you want to do, so business it is. What do you have for me?"
Selina pulled out the bag of cookies and tossed them on the table. The Penguin looked at them and then at Selina.
"If this is supposed to be funny, I'm not laughing."
"Look a little closer, Ozzie,' Selina replied.
The Penguin held the Ziploc bag up to the light and among the crumbs from the cookies he could see small sparkles, diamonds. The smile returned to his face.
"You are clever, Selina, I have to admit, he said with a chuckle.
"If you're guards hadn't been so busy trying to cop a feel they might have noticed them,' Selina replied. "So can we do business or not?"
Oswald sat back, his smile only getting bigger.
"I'm afraid not, Selina."
"What? Why?" She asked.
"Cause I've already made another deal with the people you stole these from," Oswald explained. "They were most generous and with these diamonds on top of what they paid me, it was too good a deal to pass up."
Selina saw out of the corner of her eye men moving into position to take her. The little extra the guards put into the frisking now made sense, they were trying to see if she had any weapons. She didn't and now was surrounded by people that did. Thinking fast, Selina glanced up at the ceiling.
"You didn't think I would come here without backup, did you, Oswald?" Selina said with a smile. "He shattered your roof twice, shall we try for three times?"
"You're bluffing,' Oswald snapped. He glanced at the glass ceiling again, a few beads of sweat starting to roll down side of his face.
"Yeah, but made you look!" Selina yelled, then vaulted over the Penguin's booth and made a break for the exit.
"Get her!" Oswald shouted. "No shooting in the club, that was our deal!"
Selina knew she was in deep trouble, but she had a chance. Kicking the emergence door open she dove outside, rolling as gunshots hit all around her. She dodged and weaved between the few cars in the lot, as more bullets riddled the pavement at her heels. She cursed herself for not being more careful. She was on a floating casino stuck in the middle of Gotham harbor cut off from all the exits back to shore. She had nothing to use as her defense, except her brains and athletic ability, but against automatic weapons she didn't like the odds. It seemed like her only option was to swim, which Selina hated.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Selina grumbled as she took a deep breath and then made a run for it. She was almost to the edge when a trail of bullets cut across the pavement in front of her. She skidded to a stop just in time and turned to see she wasn't going to make it. She was surrounded and they all had automatic weapons trained on her.
"So you guys from around here?' She asked, slowly raising her hands and frantically trying to think of some way out of this mess. She continued to inch her way backwards closer to the edge of the water, hoping against hope she might still have a chance to make the leap.
And then he was there.
As if dropped from a passing plane, Clark landed hard on the deck right in front of Selina. The whole platform swayed under the impact. He was dressed differently than before. Now he was in full Kryptonian armor with his family crest emblazoned on the chest. Selina lost her balance momentarily but her natural athletic ability saved her from falling into the water. She dove towards the pavement, wanting to make herself as small a target as possible.
The bullets never reached her. She ventured a glance and saw them bouncing off Clark's chest. Those twin beams shot out of his eyes and seemed to melt the guns. One of the men kept trying to fire and when his gun wouldn't work, he threw it at Clark.
"Really?' Clark couldn't help asking.
He used another wide burst from his eyes to finish them off. When they didn't get up he turned and extended his hand to Selina.
"Are you all right?' He asked.
Selina smiled and reached up to take his hand.
"Show off." She said and then pulled him towards her, kissing him.