"Nobody said anything about forgetting about him!" Clark didn't quite catch it but he was still sure that Bruce Wayne rolled his eyes before he stood and leaned over the table, fists on its polished surface. "What I *said* is that it's going to take a lot of planning, that he's not in any immediate danger, and that there are a lot of people who *are,* and they've got to take precedence."
Clark was too angry to put anything in words and too angry even to storm out. In response, he brought his own fist down on the table, glaring even more when he realized that he was mirroring the older man's stance. Over the sound of the wood splitting, he shouted, "We don't *know* that he's not in danger! What if Dad wants me to do something I can't? It could happen tomorrow!"
Bruce heaved a sigh and sat back down, just to be annoying, Clark decided. "Clark, remember? Your father let you both go rather than let him die. I was there, I saw it. He would not hurt your brother."
Clark was aghast at hearing his voice come out plaintively. "But that was life or death and all we'd done was run away, if he tells me to do something and I don't and he gets angry or if Lex tries to escape..." He looked around the room, seeing sympathy on every face but no signs of agreement, no nods, no leaning forward, people's eyes were down or looking at him, not even to the sides the way they'd be if they were trying to decide. He was using his father's techniques to try to persuade them to defeat his father, he realized, then decided he might as well go all the way. *Use self-interest first, then vanity, then fear, then emotion.* He didn't think that he could really use fear, not against the League. If they worked together, they could kick his ass. So emotion, then, and it wouldn't be difficult. Now that they weren't on his side the way he'd thought they'd be, he was, well, a bit concerned. "He's all the family I've got now."
For an instant, he saw Bruce's wince and realized the tactic had missed. Wrong audience. They'd weigh his losses against Batman's and he'd lose. The worst part was that he knew he couldn't do it without them. Dad knew how to bring him down effortlessly, knew his Achilles heel. As Dad himself would have put it.
He sat down again, realized he was sitting low in the chair in a very sulky position, then decided he didn't care. Wally leaned over to him and said, in a low voice, "Hey, don't worry, he's our bud, too. We'll get him out of there." Clark gave him a look and stayed exactly as he was while Black Canary updated them on the remaining needs in Gotham. Arkheim Asylum's and Blackgate Penitentary's inmates had taken advantage of the various chances to escape and it looked as though many of them were reassembling their old gangs; crime had gotten more organized, more ambitious, and there were several key signatures.
As she continued, he figured that he might as well pay attention, since the sooner they had the city under control, the sooner they could get Lex out. "From the patterns, the city's been divided into three parts." *Just like Gaul. Hey! Get out of my head, Dad.* "Joker's territory seems to be the northwest, Black Mask the northeast, and Maxie Zeus the south." *Maxie Zeus. He's gotta be extra weird. Joker, okay, that's sinister, Black Mask, okay, but Maxie Zeus. Sheesh.* "We don't know if this is a formal or an informal arrangement, or how stable it is." *Good word choice, mental asylum and stable, huh.* Canary shot Clark a look and he wondered if he'd said anything out loud or if she was trying to make some kind of point about stability. He slouched lower in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, just to show her. He might have to wait, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
***
AN: The tone of this seems to be drifting from drama to comedy and back again. Does it work or are the switches too frequent or too jarring?
Clark was too angry to put anything in words and too angry even to storm out. In response, he brought his own fist down on the table, glaring even more when he realized that he was mirroring the older man's stance. Over the sound of the wood splitting, he shouted, "We don't *know* that he's not in danger! What if Dad wants me to do something I can't? It could happen tomorrow!"
Bruce heaved a sigh and sat back down, just to be annoying, Clark decided. "Clark, remember? Your father let you both go rather than let him die. I was there, I saw it. He would not hurt your brother."
Clark was aghast at hearing his voice come out plaintively. "But that was life or death and all we'd done was run away, if he tells me to do something and I don't and he gets angry or if Lex tries to escape..." He looked around the room, seeing sympathy on every face but no signs of agreement, no nods, no leaning forward, people's eyes were down or looking at him, not even to the sides the way they'd be if they were trying to decide. He was using his father's techniques to try to persuade them to defeat his father, he realized, then decided he might as well go all the way. *Use self-interest first, then vanity, then fear, then emotion.* He didn't think that he could really use fear, not against the League. If they worked together, they could kick his ass. So emotion, then, and it wouldn't be difficult. Now that they weren't on his side the way he'd thought they'd be, he was, well, a bit concerned. "He's all the family I've got now."
For an instant, he saw Bruce's wince and realized the tactic had missed. Wrong audience. They'd weigh his losses against Batman's and he'd lose. The worst part was that he knew he couldn't do it without them. Dad knew how to bring him down effortlessly, knew his Achilles heel. As Dad himself would have put it.
He sat down again, realized he was sitting low in the chair in a very sulky position, then decided he didn't care. Wally leaned over to him and said, in a low voice, "Hey, don't worry, he's our bud, too. We'll get him out of there." Clark gave him a look and stayed exactly as he was while Black Canary updated them on the remaining needs in Gotham. Arkheim Asylum's and Blackgate Penitentary's inmates had taken advantage of the various chances to escape and it looked as though many of them were reassembling their old gangs; crime had gotten more organized, more ambitious, and there were several key signatures.
As she continued, he figured that he might as well pay attention, since the sooner they had the city under control, the sooner they could get Lex out. "From the patterns, the city's been divided into three parts." *Just like Gaul. Hey! Get out of my head, Dad.* "Joker's territory seems to be the northwest, Black Mask the northeast, and Maxie Zeus the south." *Maxie Zeus. He's gotta be extra weird. Joker, okay, that's sinister, Black Mask, okay, but Maxie Zeus. Sheesh.* "We don't know if this is a formal or an informal arrangement, or how stable it is." *Good word choice, mental asylum and stable, huh.* Canary shot Clark a look and he wondered if he'd said anything out loud or if she was trying to make some kind of point about stability. He slouched lower in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, just to show her. He might have to wait, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
***
AN: The tone of this seems to be drifting from drama to comedy and back again. Does it work or are the switches too frequent or too jarring?