AN: Chapter 3 is up! Clark meets Batman and we get to see more of how bad Lex has become! Enjoy. More on the way soon. Please R & R!
Lois sighed. She looked out of the window of the airplane at the stars. Next to her Chloe snored. 'Another exciting trip for the boss. And all I want to do is stay at home.' The intercom hissed to life.
"This is your captain speaking. We are about to begin our final descent to Gotham International. Please make sure you seat-trays are in their upright and locked position and your seat belt is fastened." Lois watched the clouds cover up the windows and the lights on the ground became visible.
"Huh are we there yet!" Chloe bolted straight up in her seat.
"No spaz we aren't. We're almost there."
"How long was I out for."
"Well pretty much since takeoff to right now. You're not gonna sleep at the hotel."
"Ha that's where you're wrong. I haven't had any coffee since lunch. I'm caffeine deprived, it's the only thing that keeps me going!"
"Whatever cuz. I just wanna get this over with and then we can take a trip to the Bahamas."
"Well aren't you one sparkling ray of sunshine." This got Chloe a dirty look and nothing more. "Gotham here we come!"
Lex climbed into his limo just as his cell phone sprang to life. "Hello" Lex said.
"Mr. Luthor, its Mr. Barrett. I have some bad news for you. Your wife somehow found floor 33.1 in your office building."
"Well then Barrett you know what you have to do."
"But sir its your wife."
"Barrett, would it suprise you to know that I married her because she holds majority stock in her company that would become mine if she should suddenly jump off the top of the Lexcorp towers."
"You're one magnificent bastard Lex."
"Thanks Barrett. Do it." Lex hung up the phone. He sighed. 'Just when I was starting to like her.' "Driver take me to the hotel."
Bruce watched Lex's limo drive away. He pulled out his phone. "Alfred. Did they plant the bugs in his hotel room? Good. I'm not about to watch that punk come to my city and try to force me out of my father's company. Don't wait up for me." He hung up the phone and walked to an alley way, where he opened a secret compartment in a wall to reveal a black suit and a mask. "Time to go hunting." Bruce smiled.
Clark stopped at a convenience store that was open all night. "Hi do you have any maps of the city?" He asked politely. The clerk pointed him to a magazine shelf that had several maps and magazines on it. "Thanks." Clark walked over and looked at the various publications. Several of the business magazine had Lex's picture on it. 'Lex seems to have done well in my absence.' Clark looked at an edition of the Daily Planet. Lex's picture was on the front page of it. Luthor acquitted of all charges! Clark read about how his company was suspected in running drugs. Lex I hope there wasn't any truth to this. Clark smiled when he saw his article on the bottom of the front page. Then a name jumped off the page and he felt like he had been hit by a brick in the head. The summary of Lex's trial was written by Lois Lane. 'Lois. A writer? No way!' Clark had to admit to himself that he could have done a better job of keeping in touch with his friends and mother while he was away. In truth he knew that if he was going to do the job he was doing he had to disconnect himself from them or his feelings for them would pull him back home. Clark also had to admit that part of the reason he didn't come home was because he was running from his father's death. 'Nice Clark. Something bad happens and you run. Same old story. I think its time to stop running. When you're done in Gotham its time to go home.' Clark picked up a Gotham City map and walked towards the counter when suddenly two armed gunmen broke through the front doors.
"Everybody on the floor with your hands on your head! This is a robbery! You! Plaid jacket! Get down now!" Clark obeyed the madman and laid down on the floor and put his hands on his head. He didn't want anybody else to get hurt because of his actions. 'Not again. This city will be glad to have me.' One of the gunmen patrolled the store while the other dealt with getting the money out of the safe with the clerk. Suddenly the lights in the store went out.
"What the hell!" Shouted the gunman closest to Clark. Clark felt himself being lifted by his shirt and then the man had a gun pointed at his head. "Sorry kid but I'm not letting him take me!" Clark heard the front doors open and the other gunman fired a few shots in the direction before he shouted out in pain and was thrown to the floor.
"Not tonight boys." Came a low voice
"Billy run it's the bat!" the other robber shouted before Clark heard another grunt of pain and then silence. The man with the gun on Clark back him up to the back of the store. Then from out of the shadows a man in a black bat suit approached.
"Don't get any closer bat! One more step and I spatter this kid's brains all over the wall!"
"Let him go. You're not getting away from me. You don't wanna do this!" Batman took another step. The robber had had enough. He pulled the trigger and shot Clark point blank in the head. A dull thud was all anyone heard. Clark reacted quickly, he grabbed the gun with one hand and crushed it and then punched the guy with the other, knocking him out cold. Then Clark super-sped out of the store before he had to explain himself to the man in the bat suit. 'What a night. It's time I found a hotel!' A taxi was driving by and Clark flagged it down. "Take me to the nearest hotel please."
Bruce pressed a button on his belt and the lights in the store came back on. He pressed another one and knew the police were now alerted and would be arriving shortly. He took a look at the guy passed out in front of him. 'What the hell just happened.' Bruce bent down and picked up the crushed gun, the glint of something caught his eye. Bruce picked it up and saw that it was a bullet, impacted like it had hit a metal plate. He took these two objected and left the store. "Thank you!" shouted the Clerk, but Batman had already took off. 'That kid DID get shot in the head.' Bruce thought as he climbed into the Batmobile and headed home.
"Ah turning in early tonight are we master Bruce?" Bruce's gray haired butler Alfred asked him as he hopped out of the batmobile.
"Alfred has any of my stories every been truly unbelievable to you?"
"No master Bruce. Despite the fact that you jump off buildings every night I don't recall one story of yours that couldn't be explained."
"I saw a guy get shot in the head tonight."
"I'm so sorry Master Bruce."
"No Alfred. This guy was being held at gunpoint. The robber shot him point blank in the head so the kid punched him and then disappeared as if into thin air."
"Are you sure you're getting enough sleep Master Bruce."
"I'm fine Alfred! Here take a look at this. This is the bullet I found on the ground and here is the gun. The guy crushed it with his bare hands." Alfred examined the objects.
"Well then Master Bruce. I should hope our bulletproof friend here hasn't come to Gotham to pursue a life of crime." This got an uncharacteristic smile out of Bruce who ran off to examine the gun and bullet more closely.
Clark walked into the Wayne Plaza Hotel with some relief. He had asked the taxi driver to take him to the nearest hotel, not knowing that it was one of the nicest hotels in Gotham. Owned by none other than Bruce Wayne who apparently had decided to buy it one night so he could swim in a fountain. 'This guy sounds way more fun than Lex ever was.' Clark decided to check in for a week. He wasn't sure he would have to stay to clean up Gotham with the Batman on the loose. 'I wonder if he has powers like mine?' Clark decided it would be his goal to cross paths with the Bat again. Money wasn't a major issue for Clark. He was always paid well for the articles he had written over the past years and since he only spent money on food, shelter and clothes he had built up quite a good amount. Clark grabbed his room key-card and headed for an elevator. Clark climbed in and the doors began to close. "Hey hold that elevator!" a familiar sounding voice shouted. Clark reached for the door open button but it was too late. As the doors snapped shut he caught a glimpse of a brunette woman dragging a suitcase.
Lois sighed. Chloe and her had bad luck since landing in Gotham. First the airline had lost their luggage and then after two hours found it again and then they couldn't hail a cab for the life of them. Now Chloe was at the front desk arguing with the employee about the fact that he had given them a single room when they had reservations for a double. So of course she was too late to get in that elevator. As the doors snapped shut in front of her she could have sworn she saw a tall, muscular, black haired guy in it. 'Clark?' Chloe walked up.
"Couldn't stop that elevator could you."
"Nope. Chloe I think I just saw Clark."
"Lois. Don't be silly. Clark just e-mailed Perry that article from a village in the mountains of Columbia today. I doubt he'd suddenly decide to come to Gotham. Besides he hasn't been home in six years. If he was coming stateside the first place I'd expect him to go would be his farm."
"You're right Chloe. I think I'll call Martha in a little bit. I haven't been to visit in about three weeks because of work." Another elevator opened up. "C'mon cuz. Lets get some sleep. We've got an incredibly eligible and wealthy bachelor to interview tomorrow."
Lex stared out across the Gotham skyline from his hotel balcony on the top floor of the Wayne Plaza Hotel. His phone rang. Lex opened it. "Mr. Luthor." a deep voice came.
"Who is this?"
"A business man like yourself Mr. Luthor. I know you're in Gotham on business and I was hoping we could meet up to discuss some things that could be mutually beneficial to both of us."
"I'm listening."
"The name is Thorne. Rupert Thorne." Lex recognized the name.
"What does the mob kingpin of Gotham want with me?"
"Mr. Luthor, don't play dumb. I know that you run the crime family's in Metropolis. You might use Edmund Barrett as a figurehead but I know you're the man behind the power. I had to go to great expense to find this out but I have all the proof I need."
"Mr. Thorne. With all due respect sir but if such proof existed I would doubt that I didn't know about it."
"Oh Mr. Luthor I'm sure you do know about it. I just wonder how much you trust one of your closest aides to destroy it like you asked him too."
"Now you have my attention Mr. Thorne."
"This is what I want. I want to meet with you and discuss a certain Bat problem I was hoping you could help me out with. Do this and I give you the documents and the name of who sold them to me."
"You have a deal Mr. Thorne."
"Two days, Menatti's restaurant. Its in the narrows. Six o'clock p.m." The phone hung up. A vein on Lex's forehead swelled. He already knew who had sold Thorne the documents. He pulled out his phone.
"Mr. Barrett. I know I've kept you busy tonight but there is one more thing I need to you to do. I will pay you double. My aide Anthony. He sold some information to some people in Gotham. I need you to take care of the snitch. Barrett. Make an example out of him." Lex hung up the phone. 'Time for bed Lex. You've got a busy day tomorrow.'
