It's time for the moment that you have been waiting for. It's time for Batman's First appearance in this story! I hope that you enjoy it.

Part of me wanted to stay home for a while and enjoy my wife's company. Unfortunately, I had a job to do and a lead to follow. I wanted to meet up with Batman. See what he turned up while I was busy. Hopefully, they had something for me. If anyone could find something seedy then it was him. Bruce understood the criminal mind in a way that no one ever did. If there was smuggling of alien tech then he could find it. He may not have my powers, but he might as well have. He often saw things that I never noticed. The man was a genius. He was like no other.

I found Batman prowling Metropolis at night. Which was far too shiny for his tastes. I knew how much he hated being here. It made me wonder why he was here. I hadn't gotten around to telling him about the weapons yet. I was a bit distracted, you see. Still, he was here for a reason. I figured that I should hand overhead for a bit and see what he was up to. I knew better than to try to interfere when he didn't want help. So I kept just out of sight as he did this thing. He liked to suffer for his job. Not sure why, but there you go. Batman was a loner. He did not want someone to get in between him and his prey. Generally, I respected enough to allow him his space.

Today, however, I decided that this was not going to happen. He was in my city, beating Intergang. Which was my job - well mostly. I had other more important villains to fight, but I digress. The point is that he was beating up my people. I wanted to know why. I was going to get involved. End of story. Besides, there were a lot of goons. More than one human could honestly take on. Even Batman would struggle with this many. He needed help and he was going to get it whether he wanted it or not. He didn't have to like it.

We were down to the last 3 goons. Which meant it was time for Batman to do his thing. Terrify the shit out of them. Then pump them for information. I gladly stayed out of it. I would only ruin his mojo. I knew when to let others take the lead. Batman grabbed one of them. Tied them up then dangled them off the side of the building. The other two tried to escape, but one look from me kept them in place. They understood that I would find them and bring them back here. Fortunately, Batman had left the weakest and most gullible ones conscious. They fell into line easily.

"Word's on the street that you're selling alien tech again. What is it and where did you get it?" Batman demanded.

The blood certainly was running to his head. For the goon had no idea what Batman was talking about. "I don't know! I'm not paid to look in the boxes! I just show up. Do my work and get paid. I don't know anything else!"

Batman made a show of losing his grip on the cable. In reality, his grip was just as strong as before, but it helped bring out the desperation. Bruce was a master of interrogation and intimidation. He could make hardened criminals cry for their mommies just by looking at them. It was inspiring in a twisted sort of way. I had even incorporated some of his techniques in my own interrogations. Although, I preferred to use them only as a last resort. Superman wasn't one for dangling people off the sides of buildings. That just wasn't right. Far better to let Batman do it.

"You have no idea what is in the crates, huh?!" He left the cable slip a little more.

What happened next is not one of the proudest moments of my career. I watched a big, beefy, mercenary scream like a girl then did nothing about it. The man cracked and spilled the beans. He didn't tell us that much. He was the hired goon, after all. What he did tell us was enlightening. Apparently, Intergang had been changing up their business plan. Shifting from guns and drugs into something more profitable. The business of acquiring and selling alien tech from various worlds. He didn't know how they were getting the merchandise. Only that they were acquiring it somehow. It was his job to ensure that it made it to its destination. That's it. He knew nothing else.

Batman pulled him up. Then let go of the cable. If the goon thought that he was free then he was wrong. He had one final task. He had to show him the goods. "Show me." Bruce growled.

Reluctantly, the three remaining goons compiled. They brought us over to a small, nondescript case. It looked completely and utterly normal. That is if you ignored the fact that I couldn't see into it. Clearly, there was something in there that they did not want me to see. Making it all that much more interesting.

"Open it." I demanded. I figured that it was time for me to sound all menacing. No point in Batman having all the fun.

That's when we hit another snag. The goons had no idea how to open it. Apparently, their job was to get the case from point A to point B. Nothing more. They weren't even allowed to see what they were carrying. So, they didn't have the way to open it. I had to assist them with that. With little brute force, I was able to pop open the case. Revealing its contents. There wasn't much to it. Just a single tablet. A completely ordinary, normal earth tablet. It was a letdown. This was the tech that they were selling? You could buy this at any Walmart! How was this so special? Why did it need such precautions? And why did the goons think that they were carrying Alien tech? It left more questions than it answered.

Batman took the tablet and growled. Apparently, he was disappointed by the thing too. He turned on the goons. "This? This?! This is what you're smuggling?!"

The goons seemed just as puzzled as Batman. They had no answers for us. Judging by their heart rate and perspiration I could tell that they were telling the truth. They had no idea what they were carrying or why. We had nothing more to learn from them.

Batman ran off with the suitcase and the tablet not long afterward. That was fine with me. He was better equipped to analyze than I was. He had ways to crack things that software that I didn't even know existed. To be fair, it wasn't something that I liked that much anyway. It was far better to leave the hacking to those who liked it. Let Bruce have his fun. I would happily wait. Before I know it he will get back to me with the goods. I could leave it as is for now.

Besides, I have something to do. I needed to know Lois's sources. I had to contact them personally. Find out what they knew. I knew so little right now. Time was not on my side. I had to find out whether or not Intergang was selling Kryptonian tech or not. I needed Lois to tell me who they were. I would only ask this of her if it was important. I respected her journalistic integrity and their right to privacy. I know that they came to her in secret. That they trusted her. And if I could then I would keep my distance. This was too important. I had to know.

I found Lois at home working on the computer. Clearly, she had ignored my instructions to rest. She was knee-deep in a story again, as usual. At least, she had stayed home. That was something. I suppose that I would take my victories where I could. Still, I would have preferred her resting in bed. My wife was a workaholic. She just couldn't help herself. What could I do? Tie her to the bed? She'd only find a way to work in bed. There was no stopping her. She was a force of nature. The best that I could hope was for her to not hit the ground running. She was trying. She just wasn't good at resting. She had to keep going.

"Hey Clark," she said as I entered the apartment. "What did you find?"

She didn't even look at me. She just kept on working. She was hot on a story and didn't want to break away. That made me concerned. "Lois, what are you doing?"

She finally looked away from the screen. "Nothing," She waved me off. "Just a little work, that's all."

I sighed. I knew that she was going to do this. "Didn't I tell you to rest?"

"I am resting!" Lois protested. "Just doing a little background work, that's all."

I walked over to her then I whispered in her ear. "Lois, this is not what I meant."

"Oh? Then what did you mean?" She teased.

I pulled away. "Not that either. I wanted you to rest. As in to lay down and sleep. Have you heard of the concept?"

"Nope, you'll have to teach me sometime."

I sighed again. There was no reasoning with her. Not when she was like this. It was best to go with the flow. Besides, I needed her help anyway. I needed her sources. I had to pick my battles. This was one that I could not win. So, I surrendered. I let her do what she wanted. I would not stop her from working. So long as she remained at home I would not stop her. She could do what she pleased.

I decided to use her enthusiasm to help me investigate that rumor about Kryptonian tech. I told her what Batman and I found. A suitcase that blocked x-rays containing only a single, ordinary, tablet. Sure, it was encrypted but that was still a letdown. I expected more. Like actual Kryptonian tech. We did not find that. All we found were more questions than answers. It was very frustrating.

"Hmm . . ." Lois thought about what I told her. "That is odd. Especially for Intergang. They usually aren't that smart." She turned back towards the computer screen. "It also matches up with what I've learned."

"What have you learned? Lois, are you still pursuing this? I thought I said that I don't want you or our children anywhere near this?!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing. I've only made a few discreet inquiries with some contacts. I haven't gone out on the street or broken into anywhere where I am not supposed to be. I am playing it safe. Just as we agreed to do. I'm not going to put our babies in danger. Have some faith in me, Smallville."

"I do. I do. I just worry sometimes, that's all." I placed my hand on her stomach. "Nothing is more important to me than this. I will give my life to protect you three. I just prefer not to have it be necessary, that's all."

"So would I." She kissed me. "I'm really against dying. It's so passe."

Now I knew that she was teasing me. "Lois," I protested.

"Okay, okay, I promise that I'll drop the case." She waited a second before adding. "But first let me tell you what I've learned. Then I can drop it."

I groaned. My wife was lying through her teeth. She wasn't going to drop it. And she wasn't going to take it easy. That wasn't in her nature. I was going to have to be more insistent . . . later. Right now, I needed her information. So, I let it go. However, I was going to have to keep a closer eye on her from now on. Lois was likely to get herself into hot water. And I had to be ready. For she would get herself into trouble. I love my wife, but she really was a pain sometimes.

Lois went on to explain what she found. Her sources tell her that Mannheim is out. There is a new boss in town. Although, not many know who that is. Even her sources didn't know. He or she has been really cagey. Avoiding stepping into the spotlight whenever possible.

"Intergang has been getting smarter, more underhanded and more discreet. It's true that your tablet and suitcase are odd, but the light of the changes, it kinda makes sense. Don't risk bringing the merchandise. Bring the brochure instead. You can arrange for a date and time to deliver the merch later. That way you're less likely to get noticed or have the goods confiscated."

It was troubling but it made sense. What better way to fly under the radar? I certainly wouldn't have noticed a suitcase with a tablet inside it. It's so ordinary, so mundane that it is perfect. You fly under my radar. All while avoiding the cops and preventing the loss of your precious merchandise. For you control where and when it was delivered. It was quite ingenious.

Still, the question remains: Was Lois right? Was the tablet really an advertisement for their merchandise? If so, what were they selling and how does one acquire the product. I really needed Batman's decryption before I get much farther. I decided to let things pass for now and not push Lois for her sources. I may not need them after all.

That's it for now. See you in a few days.