Chapter 8

Bruce knew something wasn't right. He saw the van down the street. 'Subtle Lex, real subtle.'

"Chloe it's been great, it really has, but I have to go."

Chloe looked at him knowingly.

"You aren't parked far from here are you?"

"No," she said smiling.

Clark waited for the two to part, then approached her.

"Clark what are you doing here?"

"You've been in contact with Bruce before he got here haven't you," Clark asked sternly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chloe denied.

"Oh really, because Lois mentioned how extensively you have been researching him, and now he just agrees to have dinner with you."

"Are you jealous, Clark."

"No, I'm not jealous. I just don't want you getting to mixed up with him, he's dangerous."

"Don't worry about me Clark," said Chloe as she stormed away.

Bruce looked out onto the city of Metropolis. The architecture was very different from that of Gotham City. It was much more modern and smooth. Yet the same kind of corruption still existed. Not to the extent it was in Gotham, but it was there.

He had let Lex's people follow him to Suicide Slums, he was planning on patrolling a little tonight but Lex apparently had other plans. He made his way across to the next building. He saw Kirby standing idly on the street corner. Kirby worked for Lawrence Edge, and would know where the next shipment was coming in. They moved around.

As Kirby turned to head back into the tenement, Bruce dropped a cord trapping his foot and pulling him up to Bruce. Kirby screamed the whole way up. Bruce could see the fear in his eyes as they met.

"Where is the next shipment coming in!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Kirby in a panicked voice.

"Really," said Bruce letting some of the slack go on the cord and watching him drop.

Bruce pulled Kirby back up, more violently this time.

"Are you ready to talk? Where is the next shipment that Edge brings in for Lex Luthor coming in," Bruce asked in his most menacing voice.

"I don't know, I hear something about the east side pier, that's it. Who the hell are you."

"You're worst nightmare."

Clark watched from the adjacent building in horror, as Bruce interrogated this guy, then was even more stunned when he dropped him again, this time releasing him with a thud.

Clark leapt over to Bruce.

"What was that?"

"You never stop do you," said Bruce removing his mask.

"You could have killed that guy."

"Please, the only thing that could have killed him was a coronary. I was just scaring him."

"I've noticed that about you, you like to scare people."

"Fear is a powerful weapon Clark. I need it . I don't have the advantages you have."

"You're nothing more than a vigilante."

"It's more than I can say for you. You have all these amazing gifts. You could be helping so many people, doing so much good. Instead you're living on a farm going to Central Kansas A and M. I may be a vigilante, but you're a coward."

Clark was stung by this comment.

"Did you contact Chloe before you came here."

"Yeah I did. In my investigation I came across some of her stuff. Thought she could be useful. So I called her and she told me everything she knew about Lex."

"So you were using her. This whole time you've been acting."

"Clark I care about Chloe. We've both been acting. So Lex wouldn't catch on to us."

"Well I think he is because his men are waiting, a block from your car."

"I know."

"What did you want with that guy anyway?"

"I wanted to know when Lex was bringing in his next shipment," said Bruce walking away.

"Let me talk to Lex, maybe I can convince him to stop."

"No you can't. Lex won't stop. Clark I didn't just come here to stop Lex, I came here to see if he was any different. To see if there was any good left in him."

"And you don't think there is," said Clark running next to Bruce.

"There might be, but it isn't going to prevail in this situation. I have no choice, if I thought talking to him would work, I would have. Good bye Clark," Bruce said shooting his grapple gun to a nearby building and swinging away.

"Mr. Luthor, we lost him."

"How did you lose him," Lex asked angrily.

"He drove into Suicide Slums and then got out and headed into some abandoned apartment, so we followed him in and he wasn't there."

"Did he come out?"

"We uh, we don't know, there was some sort of explosion around the van and when we got out his car was gone and the van wouldn't start."

"That's just great, thank you."

Lex hung up the phone. He knew Bruce was involved some how.