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Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 5

Clark made a surprise appearance at his parent's farm. Conner had been expecting it after Max's disastrous meeting with Kor-El.

"I have some news for you two," Clark told Conner and Max. "We're going to go camping this weekend."

"Where?" Max asked, taking the news in stride.

"Hold on, don't you think you should have given us some warning?" Conner asked. "You know that I normally meet with the Titans on the weekend."

"I thought it would be a good bonding experience," Clark said.

"Are we the only people going?" asked Max.

"There are two others," Clark said. "One of them is an old friend of mine. The other one is a boy that's around your age."

"I still think you should have let us know earlier," Conner grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Clark apologized. "I'll be sure to do that next time."

Conner was still a bit perturbed when they met the other campers in the parking lot. Clark wanted the experience to be as normal as possible, so Conner and Max went to Clark and Lois' apartment the night before and they got up at 5 AM to drive three hours to meet the others. Clark had attempted to get the two to join in on some traditional driving songs, but he stopped at ninety-seven bottles of beer when he realized that the two weren't singing.

Conner took some comfort in the fact that the other boy their age didn't look like he wanted to be there. As he got closer, he was shocked to recognize the other boy. It was Tim!

Tim was surprised to see Conner as well, but he hid it a little better. Tim seemed a bit more upbeat about the trip after recognizing Conner. Conner realized that his attitude had improved as well.

Clark made introductions. "This is Mr. Grayson and his friend, Tim. These are my cousins Conner and Max."

"Call me Dick," Grayson said, sticking his hand out.

Conner shook his hand and examined him. He was a good-looking guy with dark hair and an athletic build. Conner didn't think Batman was the type to go on a camping trip, so this was probably Nightwing.

As Max was shaking Dick's hand, Conner realized that Max was the only one who wasn't aware of their other identities. That could make things awkward.

"There's a good campsite about eight miles away," Clark said. "I thought we'd set up there."

"Wait, you want me to take all our gear eight miles before setting up?" Conner asked.

"It won't be that bad," Dick said. "We'll be there before you know it."

"What's wrong with the sites here?" Tim asked.

"They're not near anything," Clark explained. "This other spot has lots of things close by to it."

"It's better to have a long hike at the beginning and end rather than to be constantly making them," Max said.

Conner gave Max a look. "Stop using logic! I'm allowed to have a poor reaction to an eight mile hike before noon!"

Tim shook his head. "I agree with Conner's sentiment though Max's logic is impeccable."

"Eight miles isn't that bad," Dick said. "I've done worse."

"In snow up to my neck," Tim joked.

"Uphill," Conner added.

"Both ways," Max said without cracking a smile.

Clark and Dick gave the three of them a look and chuckled.

A couple of miles into the hike, Clark, Conner, Dick, and Tim were all dancing around how much they were admitting they knew. It was clear that each of them knew each other's identity and was pretty certain that the other three knew, but didn't think Max knew. They were skirting the topic but not addressing it.

Out of the blue, Max asked, "Is there something you'd like to admit?"

Clark started. "What do you mean?"

"There's no one else around here. Do you really want to continue avoiding what you all know?"

Conner saw a little smirk on Max's face. "You know, don't you?"

"That Tim is Robin and Dick is Nightwing? And that they're aware of our identities as well? Yes, I am."

Tim asked, "How do you know?"

"If you're going to maintain a secret identity, having that identity appear unmasked on all the news programs is not the way to do it. You were quite a cause celebre over the Gotham quake incident."

Tim looked horrified. "It's that obvious?"

"I've seen you in costume in good lighting. Your facial structure and build match. I don't think it's obvious to people who haven't seen you in that sort of lighting."

"What about me?" Dick asked. "Is it the same for me?"

Max nodded. "It's very much the same. I think any quality facial recognition software would do it. Before you ask, I have made the logical deduction."

"Oh," Dick said, looking anxious. "Can we-"

"I will keep all the secrets."

Dick and Tim looked relieved.

"What's the logical deduction?" Conner asked.

"Batman's identity," Max replied.

"You know? I don't know who he is."

"It's not my secret to tell. If he allows it, I'd tell you."

"That's not likely," Dick said. "Max, do either of your, er, former employers know?"

"That's an elegant way to refer to them," Max commented. "No, they do not know. The Agenda was never interested in anything I said, and the Groups only talked to me about missions. Neither of them ever asked, and I didn't volunteer any information."

There was a pause.

"I should admit that there's another reason I wanted everyone on this trip," Clark said. "After the recent...happenings, I wanted to have the opportunity to clear the air. Even if Batman and I are having problems with each other, it doesn't mean that the rest of you can't talk to me if you want."

"Wow," Tim said. "I never thought you'd be so...concerned. I didn't know this side of you existed; you always seem so larger than life to me."

"You've never worked with him, Tim," Dick said. "He really is a down-to-earth guy. He was one of my role models growing up."

Tim gave Dick a shocked look. "I didn't know that!"

Dick nodded. "There was a time when Batman wasn't so uptight about having metahumans in Gotham. He and Superman worked together quite a bit before the Justice League."

Conner said quietly, "I want to apologize again. I broke your arm, Tim. I'm sorry."

"You weren't in control of your actions," Tim said. "It's not your fault."

"I can still remember everything I did in vivid detail."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. It was Luthor's fault. He's the one that I blame."

There was another pause.

"I suppose that I should apologize for everything that I did," Max said. "It was not my personal desire to do any of that."

Tim gave Max a look. "You have powers. How could they have forced you to do anything?"

Conner winced. He had an idea about what happened to his brother while the others did not.

Max replied blandly, "People have their ways."

With the revelation that their secret identities were all known to each other, the hike was much less tense. Conner and Tim joked around. Clark and Dick caught up; they hadn't talked in quite some time. Max was normally quiet, but he made a few comments and observations.

They reached their campsite and began setting up their tent. Clark had bought a new one that would accommodate all of them. He tried putting it up, but didn't follow the instructions very well. Tim and Conner ended up disassembling it and putting it back up. Dick and Max ended up preparing lunch.

While eating, Max's eyes suddenly widened, and he brought his hands to his mouth.

"Are you okay?" asked Conner.

"Nothing's stuck in his throat," Clark reported after checking with his x-ray vision.

"I, I can-" Max began before he broke off.

"You can what?" asked Tim. "Dick, was there anything in the food? Maybe this is an allergic reaction."

"He helped me make it!" Dick defended himself. "If there was something that he would have been allergic to, he would have told me!"

Max tried again. "I can...taste everything. The coriander, basil, cumin, all of it."

"There wasn't that much in it," Dick said skeptically.

Clark's eyes widened. "I get it! You've developed another enhanced sense! This time, it's taste. I had a similar reaction when I first developed mine."

"Is this why you douse everything in ketchup?" Max asked. "It's overwhelming. There's so much flavor that I never knew about before."

Clark blushed. "I like ketchup. It goes with everything."

Conner laughed.

"Maybe you should eat some bland foods until you get used to it," Tim suggested. "It should be easier to deal with."

"That makes sense, but I'm not going to do it," Max replied. "I'm not going to let a little sensitivity get in the way of how I live."

Conner sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. He's the cook back at home, and I don't want him making bland stuff all the time."

"This has to be one of the worst powers ever," Max complained. "I'm tired of getting super senses. Where's my heat vision?"

"I'm sure that there are some good uses of this power," Dick said diplomatically.

"Let me tell you exactly what's in the secret sauce," Max retorted. "I bet I can figure out Soder Cola's formula. I have a wonderful future as a food critic ahead of me."

"I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before," Tim commented. "You're always so collected and serious. It's like you're an entirely different person."

"I've always been a bit uncomfortable around the Titans," Max admitted. "I deceived some of you before and knew that you were angry over it."

"That's not true!" Tim protested.

Conner started coughing at that.

Tim shot him a look. "I don't mean to carry a grudge; it just sort of happened."

"It's understandable," Max said. "I did impersonate Conner and take advantage of you. That's not an action that inspires trust."

"Max, you implied you were coerced," Dick said. "Can you elaborate on that? I think it would help me to understand you."

Max put on a bland smile. "Maybe later. I don't want to talk about it now."

The day passed with the five taking a short hike to see the surrounding area. It was a little bit of a tight fit of all of them in the tent, but they managed.

Dick woke up in the middle of the night. He looked at his watch and groaned to himself. It was far too early to be awake, but his body's internal clock was on a nocturnal schedule. He looked over at the others to see if they were still sleeping. They were.

Dick frowned. Someone wasn't in the tent. A quick check showed that it was Max who was missing. Dick quietly got out of the tent to look for him. Max was close to the camp, reading a book with a flashlight.

"What's wrong?" Dick asked. "Couldn't you sleep?"

Max shrugged. "I don't sleep much under the best of circumstances. Sleeping all mashed together like that wasn't pleasant. What about you?"

"I'm used to a night-time schedule. Why don't you sleep much?"

"An unpleasant recurring dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's merely events that happened in the past. It's not important."

"How often do you have this dream?"

"Every night."

Dick stared at him. "That's not good. It must be something important; you shouldn't ignore it."

"It's a side-effect of having a photographic memory. Eventually there will be memories that supplant it."

Dick shook his head. "Are you sure you don't have Batman's genetic material? That sounds like something he'd say."

"You disagree."

"One of the reasons for friends and family is so you can share the good times and the bad. We can share in your happiness and help to ease your sorrow."

"I don't want to burden others. When I told Conner, he was...unsettled."

"Conner knows? So you have shared it with someone."

"He knows the generalities if not the specifics."

"Would you share those with me?"

"I was a piece of property to the Agenda, not a person. My feelings about actions were not considered."

"What-oh. You mean-"

"Yes. It...was unpleasant. I most likely did something to bring it upon myself."

Dick shook his head. "That's not true. Some people are just sick. They do what they do because they can. There's no excuse for them, no justification."

Max shrugged. "You might be right."

"I know I'm right. I've been around for longer than you have."

Max nodded.

"Try getting some more sleep," Dick said. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

The next day, they went on a hike by a river.

"It's moving pretty quickly," Tim commented.

"That's normal for this time of year," Clark explained. "The snow on top of mountains is melting."

They heard a small splash and a voice shrieking, "Help!"

A little girl had fallen into the river, and she was headed towards them. Without pausing, Tim threw himself in the river and swam towards her. He was able to pass her to Dick before being carried off.

"Tim!" Dick shouted.

Max dove into the water to rescue Tim. He made his way to him and started to bring him towards the shore. Despite being a strong swimmer, it was difficult given the extra weight and speed of the river. Unfortunately, there were a number of people in the areas, so using powers was not an option.

He was beginning to worry that they'd slam into some of the rocks when he felt another arm support Tim's other side. He glanced over and saw Conner helping. With the added help, the three of them were able to make it to land. The three teens coughed up water for a little while.

Clark and Dick caught up with them. The girl and a woman came with them.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked anxiously.

Tim wearily gave a thumbs up, not trusting himself to speak yet.

"Thank you so much!" the woman exclaimed. "You saved my daughter! You're heroes!"

The little girl was crying, still frightened from her ordeal.

The five headed back towards their camp. The three teens were soaked and needed to get into some dry clothes.

"Thanks for saving me," Tim told Max and Conner. "I owe you."

Max said, "This just means it's your time to save us next time."

Tim gave Max a shocked look and then started laughing. It proved infectious, and all five of them were laughing as they made their way to camp.

The rest of the weekend passed without incident, and the five had a good time.

"This was a great idea," Dick said. "We should try it again some time."

"I had more fun than I thought I was going to," Conner admitted.

"It was very enjoyable," Max said.

"High praise from Max," Tim quipped. "I had a good time."

Clark smiled. The weekend went better than he had hoped.

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After Future Sins, I thought I needed to have a story that was a bit looser in structure. I also wanted to give the characters some quiet moments, rather than putting them through the wringer yet again.

I do wish I could claim credit for the wordplay of Kru-El. The name was actually used for a Silver Age Phantom Zone criminal, who was Superman's cousin.

My thanks to everyone who has commented on my stories. I have another one in the works that's a more focused one in the vein of Future Sins or Betrayal From Within.

Any and all comments welcome!