Chapter 5
It's been a month since Clark came to Metropolis and he is slowly starting to get his life going although Lana would probably disagree with that. Clark was feeling guilty for sponging off Lana so he got himself a job. Nothing special. In fact he was waiting tables at the diner round the corner from where Lana lives.
When he finishes work that day he finds Lana waiting for him outside the diner for the short walk back to her apartment. She asks him how his day was.
"Fine," he replies although Lana notes a rather flat solemn tone to his voice. In fact his whole demeanour is a great deal less than his usual chipper self.
"Clark. What's wrong?" she asks him, her concern for him evident. It grows when he sticks his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slump. That is not a good sign of a happy emotional state.
"It's nothing."
Honesty this whole carrying the world on his shoulders is really tiresome at times. That was one of the reasons Lana came up with later about why she broke up with him because trying to get him to share was like trying to pull his teeth out or in other words it was near impossible and she got fed up of trying.
What Clark isn't saying is that earlier today he saw somebody his age meet up with their mother and he watched them chatting away, catching up. It reminded him of what he had lost and all his grief and pain rose up and hit him like a tsunami. He thought he was dealing with it. Apparently not.
God he misses his mother and his father too. Somehow losing them has meant he has lost his anchor and left him afloat on the sea at the mercy of the tides and wind with no idea where is he or where he is going. Therefore his month here in Metropolis has been highly unsuccessful in doing that thing he was trying to do and restart his life over. This job he is doing...in reality is is just something to divert his attention and give himself something to focus on instead of his grief and loneliness.
"If I know one thing son is that you were sent here for a reason."
Those were his father's words to Clark when he was 17 and angry and depressed about having to constantly hide what he could do, constantly having to hold himself back and miss out on things like at that particular moment joining the local football team. It seems kind of juvenile these many years later getting upset he couldn't play football but it mattered to him a great deal at the time and the underlying issue remains. His powers. His father's words. What reason? What is he suppose to do with his life?
"Give me all your valuables and cash and nobody gets hurt," a menacing voice from behind announces and Clark feels something, most likely a gun, shoved into his back. He was so lost in thought he never heard the guy and also he was brought up in Smallville where you don't ever have to worry about stuff like this happening because it almost never happened.
"Clark," Lana says warily wondering what he'll do. He's in no real danger she knows but will he risk revealing his powers if he chooses to stop this guy.
On another day Clark might just play along with this but their mugger picked the wrong day and Clark in the wrong mood. It's so quick Lana doesn't even see Clark move. One second the mugger has the gun pressed into Clark's back. The next second Clark is standing over one unconscious mugger.
"So...um...what do we do with him?" Lana wonders.
Clark x-rays the guy and sees several wallets in hidden pockets. A productive mugger and one also carrying enough evidence to convict him surely. "Where's the nearest police station?" Clark asks Lana.
"It's a few blocks over in that direction," Lana tells him pointing in said direction.
Clark picks the mugger up, checks no-one is looking and blurs off before returning a few seconds later by himself having dropped the mugger off on the doorstep of the police station. He and Lana then head up to her apartment. Lana watches as Clark slumps down on her couch looking very depressed. One of those days she can tell. She sits down next to him. "Want to talk about it?"
"No," he states firmly.
Well so much for that. Lana tries another idea. "You know Mel and I were going to out for a drink you want to come with?"
"I don't want to be a third wheel," he says trying to say no politely.
"You wouldn't be. We're not going trawling for men or anything." Ok so Mel probably will be but Lana could put that off to another night for herself to cheer Clark up.
Clark sighs. Lets review his options here. Stay here and be lonely and wallow in his grief or go out with Lana, have a drink, despite the fact alcohol has no affect on him, and wallow in his grief. Gee what a choice.
"Come on Clark," Lana encourages him. "Going out might be good. You could meet some new friends," she suggests worrying that Clark really doesn't have anyone apart from her. The only other person Clark was ever close to was their friend Pete Ross back in Smallville. Pete was a Congressman these days. Spent a lot of time in Washington. Lana hasn't seen or talked to Pete in years to be frank.
Friends? Hmm...that triggers the memory of the day Clark arrived in Metropolis. Jimmy Olsen invited him out if he was ever in the vicinity of the Planet. Oh what the hell. It beats moping around here. "Alright," he agrees to Lana's suggestion. "As long as I get to pick where we go."
Lana didn't know Clark knew places but not wanting to ruin the fact she succeeded in getting him to agree she agrees to that.
Gotham City...
At the end of another day a young woman with red hair and blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses is exiting Gotham's main Public Library. Her name is Barbara Gordon, daughter of the Police Commissioner James Gordon. Her father was actually quite pleased when she chose this job because it meant she was away from all the crime and corruption that filters through almost every level of this city. Although he made sure she was trained in self-defence.
What her father doesn't know is that she chose this job as a Research Assistant on purpose because it allowed her to be as anonymous as possible. Ok that is not completely true. At first it had been as a way to earn money until she was old enough to enter the police academy. She wanted to follow in her father's footsteps.
On an aside she does like to read. She has a thirst for knowledge, to understand as much as possible, to...to see the hidden patterns in the world. It helps she has a photographic memory. That meant she graduated school at 16 and University by the time she was 18.
Anyway her father made it quite clear he didn't want her following in his footsteps which led to some blazing rows let her tell you. Barbara decided to get around her father's wishes by following in her idol's footsteps instead. Her idol being Gotham's protector Batman. She created her own costume; Black with gold gloves, boots, her own version of an utility belt and a gold bat on her chest, black cape, cowl, the whole thing. Called herself Batgirl.
Took Batman about...ooh...10 minutes after they first met for him to figure out who she was. Kind of put a whole crimper on the secret identity crime-fighter she was aiming for especially when he warned her off about following him into this line of work. 'Way to ruin the whole teen idol worship bit there dude,' Barbara's inner teenager snarks but she's not a teenager anymore. She's 22 and some days she feels much much older especially those really terrible days where she crawls into bed beaten, bruised and bleeding.
There have been a lot of those days lately and they seem to get more frequent all the time as more and more metahumans pop up and some days Barbara wonders just what difference she a normal human woman can make in a world of super-powered heroes and villains.
There is no quick trip home tonight not even for a rushed meal. She had to get to the Batcave, meet Batman and plan tonight. This last month had been hellish even by Gotham's standards. 3 of its most powerful crime bosses had been engaged in an all out turf war and they didn't care who got caught in their crossfire. It was mostly over now but there were still a few small fires to put out.
When Barbara reaches the Batcave she finds Batman, cowl pulled back, at the Bat-computer working.
"You're late," that deep gravelly voice declares without him even having to look to know she is there.
"Only by your standards," she retorts somewhat snidely but she is a little fed up of trying to live up to his impossible standards.
There is no reply. Bruce could be infuriating at times. At least she has his respect...or at least as much respect as it is possible to get from him. Enough she supposes for him to let her join the Bat family, learn his secret identity and be trained by him because despite his warnings she didn't quit. Took a long time but eventually Bruce realised he wasn't going to intimidate or frighten her away.
Barbara moves up behind him to see what he is doing. Her brow furrows slightly. It was a map but not of Gotham. It was of Metropolis. "Something going on I should know about?" she asks of him.
"Something I was meaning to do earlier but Gotham's turf war required my more immediate attention."
"Can I get an expansion on that?"
Barbara listens as Bruce very briefly summarises his excursion to Metropolis a month ago when he stopped Harley and Poison Ivy and his wish to find his mysterious helper.
Ok Barbara knows Bruce has his obsessions, see Joker for fuller explanation on that subject, but she didn't get this one. "So another metahuman showed up. Big deal," she says somewhat dismissively.
Bruce turns round and Barbara gets that disappointed teacher scowl. Next will come the condescending talk down to her. "It should be obvious that this is not an ordinary metahuman," he says in that very condescending manner.
"Bruce. I am not stupid. Ok. I can see that this is a little unusual. What I don't get is why you feel the need to find him...or her. Live and let live."
"Anyone with that much power should not be allowed to roam free."
"No let me guess. They should be locked up in your gilded little cage above earth," she says meaning anyone with superpowers is virtually mandated to join the Justice League or that is what it seems like to Barbara.
The scowl comes back in full force. "The Watchtower is not a prison," he bluntly corrects Barbara.
"No. Of course not. It's more like a modern day Olympus where the Gods peer down on us mere mortals like we're ants."
Barbara knows Bruce is studying her. Every inflection of her face, her posture, anything he can fathom about her mood and attitude. "Is that why you refused to join the Justice League?"
"Bruce if you want to spend your days hovering over Earth that's up to you. It is not me. I'll be down here helping real people with their not so important problems or at least to you and the rest of your super-powered deities...oops I mean friends they probably don't seem very important." The slip was of course deliberate.
"Barbara Gotham will always be my number one priority," he states.
"Funny how that's not what it feels like considering this last month Huntress, Canary and I have had to deal with the turf war more often without you than with you."
Barbara folds her arms across her chest and waits for him to try and contradict her. She can almost see him mentally counting up the days he spends in Gotham and the ones he spends with the Justice League. She gets silence in reply and secretly she feels chuffed at herself for getting one over on the great Batman.
Bruce turns back to the computer. Barbara knows he won't admit she is right and he is wrong. Bruce never admits he is ever wrong. Back to business.
"So how are you planning to track this person down in a city of 10 million people?" she wonders.
"I'm not."
"What?" Barbara says now completely lost. Why this effort if he isn't planning to track this person down.
"You are," he tells her.
"I am what?" Barbara queries disbelieving what she is hearing, her eyebrows rising in total shock.
"I'm busy and I need someone I can trust," he explains his reasoning.
Wow she feels so honoured he would place that much trust in her. The sarcasm is probably world beating. "Bruce it might take months to find this person if it is even possible and if he is even still in Metropolis and in case it escaped your attention I have a life here including a job."
"That's why I e-mailed in your notice just before you arrived."
"You did what?" Barbara growls angrily. "You had no right to do that!" she yells at him.
Bruce does not respond to her accusation directly. "This person needs to be found. You are the best person for that job."
"More like the most expendable," Barbara spits out, her anger now boiling over. She takes one moment to calm down. "And what about my father Bruce? Do you have an excuse worked out for him about why I would be moving to Metropolis?"
"Yes," he replies simply without elaborating what that is.
Barbara is this close to trying to throttle him despite the fact she is pretty much certain he can take her down if he wants to. She then makes a decision which surprises even herself. "Fine. I'll do it but I get to pick the apartment I live in which you'll be paying for."
"Acceptable."
Barbara walks off to get changed into her costume. Maybe beating up some crooks will help work off her anger and then once she has calmed down she'll discuss the finer details of this with Bruce. She stops next to the case that holds her costume. Not her original one. One Bruce had made from high-tech armoured materials but it looks basically the same as her original. "Bruce did you ever wonder why Dick left?" she asks in reference to Dick Grayson, formerly Robin, Batman's sidekick, and now living in Bludhaven going by the name Nightwing.
"I do not waste time on triviality," is his response.
"Why do I bother?" she mutters to herself. A question referring to more than just dealing with Bruce.
Metropolis...
"Wow real life news hounds," Mel says with some excitement in anticipation of meeting staff of the Daily Planet. She was also kind of excited about Lana inviting her friend Clark along. Lana had been acting all mother-hen and overprotective meaning Mel hadn't had one shot at seeing if she could get a date with Clark but maybe tonight's the night once she gets a few into Lana to loosen her friend up.
Clark, Lana and Mel enter the bar across from the Planet where many of its reporters go for a drink.
"Ooh Cat Grant," Mel says in a low voice to Lana pointing her out.
Lana's eyes narrow. "Not yet. I need a few drinks of liquid courage before I tell her what I think of her."
Mel grins. Oh now that will be a sight.
Clark spots Jimmy at the bar and goes up to him. "Hi Jimmy. I don't know if you remember me. Clark Kent. We shared a cab," he tries to refresh the young man's memory.
"CK!" Jimmy says enthusiastically. "I remember. Come on sit," Jimmy offers the seat next to himself. "You can tell me what you're up to."
"Well first I need to get drinks for my friends," Clark says pointing at Lana and Mel finding a table to sit at.
"Isn't that Lana Lang?" Jimmy asks.
"Yes. We're old friends."
Jimmy looks at Clark with more intrigue than before at the fact he knows the famous fashion designer Lana Lang. Once Clark has gotten those drinks he sits down next to Jimmy and Clark catches Jimmy up on his month in Metropolis.
"You were really at the show that day with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn?" Jimmy asks Clark to confirm.
Clark nods while taking a sip of his beer. "Yes," he confirms although he tries to forget the effect Poison Ivy had on him.
"There were practically no pictures of that. DOMA agents seized everything," Jimmy says a little resentful of the overbearing power of DOMA. "Lucky for the paper that Cat was there."
Well it made Perry happy because he got a front page story. It made Lois very unhappy because Cat got a front page story. Lois and Cat have this rivalry going that Jimmy tries to avoid getting caught in the middle of.
Speaking of Cat she has sauntered up to the bar. "Clark Kent," she practically purrs his name.
Clark takes a large drink of his beer before turning to face her. "Hi...err...Miss Grant. I'm surprised you remember me."
Cat rubs her hand over his biceps, arching an eyebrow in appreciation at the firmness she feels. "Well it's not every day someone backs out of a date with me."
An amused snort from behind Cat follows that statement and standing there is Lois Lane looking like the cat that got the cream. "So finally found a man your loose legs couldn't get into bed Cat," she puts Cat down enjoying every second of this opportunity.
"Better than needing a crowbar to get them apart like your rusty legs do Lois darling," Cat snaps back.
"It's better to be discerning. Less chance of...catching something," Lois says strongly implying that Cat is carrying STDs.
Cat's face darkens at that.
"Oh boy. Here we go," Jimmy mutters in fear of what happens next.
"The only thing you've ever caught Lois is your ring in your hair when you're..." Cat smirks, "going solo."
"Better start calling 911," Jimmy continues to mutter.
Lois' face now darkens. "It's quality that matters. Not quantity," she says implying she is better than Cat in bed.
"Well then I have it all because I do both."
"Slut!"
"Spinster!"
"3rd rate hack!" Lois insults Cat's skills as a journalist.
"One tune wonder! Without the Justice League you would still be down in the basement writing about changes to the bus timetables!"
Clark is worried that they are about to start exchanging blows.
"I can get any man I want over you!" Lois proclaims jabbing Cat in the chest hard.
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
"Fine. Prove it! Get him!" Cat shouts pointing at Clark whose eyes widen in shock. How did he get involved in this?
"My pleasure!" Lois shouts, marches over to Clark, grabs his face and proceeds to kiss him.
Lois then looks at Cat daring the blond reporter to do better.
"Please. You call that a kiss?" Cat scoffs derisively. "This is how you kiss!"
Cat now marches up to Clark, pushes Lois out of the way, grabs his face and kisses him.
Clark just sits there in muted stunned silence wondering just what the hell happened.
"Excuse me!" a new voice interrupts. Lana has arrived, an overly sweet smile on her face. "Would you please mind not kissing my boyfriend and for the record I can kiss better than either of you!"
And to prove it Lana now grabs Clark's face and kisses him. When she pulls back she mumbles, "You so owe me for this."
Clark gets it. She is saving him and yeah he does owe her one.
Cat looks at Clark and Lana. "Ooh. I smell a story. Lana Lang reunites with her childhood sweetheart."
"How did you...?" Lana starts to ask about how Grant knows that.
Cat waves her off. "I'm a journalist sweetie. It's my job to know things like that."
"It's not your story. It's mine!" Lois declares.
"Is not!" Cat protests.
"Is too!" Lois retorts and the two women come nose to nose.
"It's the first one to hand it in who lays claim," Cat sets down the challenge.
"You're on!" Lois accepts before the two women run from the bar, almost getting stuck in the door as they both try to squeeze through it at the same time.
Clark blinks before looking to Lana. "Is this going to cause you a problem?" he asks worried about her.
"Pft. I'm not headline news. It'll be in the gossip column for a few days at most and then people will forget about it."
"It won't be in at all," Jimmy tells the two of them. Both look at him puzzled. Jimmy explains, waving his phone in front of himself, "I just texted the chief to say Lois and Cat are having another one of their drunken fantasies again. It's not like they haven't done it before."
"Thank you," Clark says extremely gratefully. Lana expresses the same gratitude.
Jimmy shrugs. "Even if Lois and Cat might think it. I'm not stupid. I know what you did Miss Lang," he says knowing it was a show to save her friend.
Lana smiles at him. "Lana please," she asks him to call her. "Mr...?"
"Oh Olsen. Jimmy Olsen," he introduces himself to her. "But call me Jimmy," he says with a smile.
Lana smiles back.
Clark looks at the two of them and if they aren't flirting with each other then Clark is even more out of practice at this game than he thought he was.
Gotham City...
"He sent in your notice on your behalf seriously?"
"Yep."
Black Canary looks a Batgirl unable to believe this...or does she? This is Batman they are talking about. She wonders how or why Barbara puts up with Batman's behaviour and attitude. Dinah Lance's upbringing had been a lot different. Her mother also the Black Canary had been a member of the Justice Society of America, an earlier collection of heroes. After her mother died they essentially raised and trained Dinah. After she discovered she had a metahuman power of a hypersonic scream she chose to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a hero which she is as she stands here on a rooftop dressed in her costume of a black armoured bodysuit, fishnets, black gloves, leather boots and jacket. Mostly she relies on her fighting prowess but she has a few knives strapped to one of he thighs and a few small gadgets in her pockets, like lock-picks and so on.
"I always knew he wore his underwear too tight."
Batgirl and Black Canary manage a chuckle at that remark from the 3rd member of the 'Birds of Prey' as they were referred to. Huntress who stands with them dressed from the down up in thigh high black armour plated boots, black shorts, a swimsuit style bodice which has the middle cut out of it. Her arms are both encased in a pair of fingerless opera gloves. Her ensemble is complete with a purple trimmed cape and mask covering the upper part of her face. Her weapon of choice, a small portable crossbow or two. She has little pouches with little weapons and gadgets strapped to her thighs and on her waist.
Huntress, Helena Bertinelli, is the daughter of one of the most prominent Mafia families in Gotham or she was until she her parents were murdered in front of her eyes when she was 8. They almost killed her too. You can still see the scar on her stomach where the knife was stuck in but she survived. She swore revenge. She trained aboard, turning herself into a hunter, living by the saying 'blood cries for blood'.
As you can imagine that didn't sit too well with Batman who quite bluntly told her that he thinks she is too violent and unpredictable for this line of work. That was true a couple of years ago when all she had was her thirst for revenge. Eventually when faced with the reality that all she had...that all she had become was this hollow hunter who sought nothing but blood Helena decided she didn't want to be that. That she wanted something more so she renounced her family ties and their legacy which meant her quest for revenge was at an end yet Batman still calls her too violent. So she is a little more than rough when she puts the criminals down. Big deal. Their criminals!
Why should she care if she hurts them? Besides she doesn't care what Batman thinks of her. She has her two friends here beside her. That is all she needs.
"Maybe it's for the best," Barbara says with a small sad sigh.
"Well I don't think anyone could blame you for wanting a break from Bruce," Dinah says in sympathetic understanding.
"I'm thinking I need a break from this all together," Barbara confesses. "A permanent one."
Both Helena and Dinah look equally surprised and shocked at that admission. "You want to quit?" Dinah queries.
"I'm just don't see what difference I can make in a world of superheroes. I'm just a human being."
"Hey!" Helena complains. She's just a human being too.
"It's not a slur on you Helena," Barbara insists. "It is just how I feel."
"Well you're talking crap."
Dinah looks oddly at Helena. "Crap? That's milder than your usual language."
"Well I'm a teacher now. I have to set an example," Helena explains. She does have to set an example for young minds so she is trying to tone her language down.
Dinah and Barbara share a look still unable to believe Helena became a teacher of all things.
"What is the point you're trying to make?" Barbara asks Helena to continue.
"You say you don't make a difference because of what? The Justice League? Where were the big shot heroes this last month when this city was tearing itself apart? Don't recall them coming down from their ivory tower to help out. It was us 3 mostly."
"I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with Helena," Dinah says.
"Hey!" Helena complains. "I make a lot of good points."
"When?"
"How about when my fist nearly dislocated your jaw," she reminds Dinah of how they became friends. When they first met they didn't get on at all so they worked it out by beating the crap out of each other and since then they have been friends. That's how Helena solves issues she has with people.
Dinah rubs her chin as she recalls that before turning back to Barbara and her problems. "So what? You'll find this person for Bruce and then quit?"
"I really doubt I'll find him," Barbara admits now she has had a few hours to think on it. "Bruce must think the same. I don't really understand what he is playing at but then again I don't think I ever really understood how he thinks."
"Well screw him," Helena says bluntly.
"Again I am forced to agree with Helena," Dinah says sounding like she can't believe she has said that twice in one night. "Besides we could come with you and help."
Barbara smiles slightly at the gesture. "Thanks but no. Without you 2 here this city would tear itself apart in days."
"We could still come at weekends or something," Dinah amends her original idea.
Barbara remains silent not rejecting that idea but not agreeing with it either.
"Told Dick yet?" Dinah asks in reference to Barbara's ex.
Barbara shakes her head. "No and I don't think I will because I'll know what he'll say."
"Which is?"
"Basically what Helena said. Screw what Bruce wants and go to Blüdhaven."
"And get back together," Dinah fills in the rest.
Barbara nods.
"Do you want that? Do you still want him?"
"Nothings changed," Barbara says in reference to the reasons she and Dick broke up.
"I thought you blamed Bruce for a lot of it."
"I did. I do." Bruce and the constant unrelenting pressure he puts on to get better, to do more but no matter how much you improve or do it is never good enough. Dick got sick of it and of the fact no matter what you do you can never get Bruce's 100% trust. Inevitably all this tension and pressure affected her and Dick's relationship to the point it broke down completely.
"Yet you stayed," Dinah points out. A fact she has never quite understood.
"You know when Dick quit and said he was going to Blüdhaven he did ask me to go with him," Barbara informs for the first time her two friends.
"So why didn't you?"
"Because he made that decision for himself and then asked me as a second thought. We never talked about it or discussed it as a couple. He never gave me any thought at all when he made his choice. "
"Selfish jackass," is Dinah's immediate response to that.
Barbara smiles at that before her smile fades away and she becomes reflective. "That was the last straw for us and look even if I still have feelings for him here's the problem. He's busy trying to establish himself as his own hero and despite his protestations to the contrary he is still trying to prove himself good enough to Bruce. Where does that leave me? At least 3rd in his list of priorities. Forgive me if I'm not willing to put up with that any longer."
"So when are you leaving?" Helena asks.
"Couple of weeks. Once my notice with the Library is up and once I talk to my father."
Down below the 3 spot a purse snatcher.
"I'll get it," Barbara volunteers as she fires a grapple line and Batgirl swings into action.
Dinah turns her attentions to Helena who is chewing on a candy bar which Dinah thinks is a bit of an addiction for Helena as she always seems to be chewing on one. "You were awful quiet during all that," she remarks since it isn't like Helena not to offer more of an opinion.
Helena shrugs. "I try to avoid getting involved in all that. You know we do have to work with Nightwing occasionally."
Dinah isn't buying it. Something is off. Helena is blunt to past the point of rudeness normally and never holds back her opinion. Dinah studies Helena carefully and notices an uncharacteristic nervousness in her posture and expression. A crazy notion enters her head. "Are you sleeping with Dick?"
Helena freezes mid-bite.
"Oh my god! You are!" Dinah exclaims in complete and total shock. She never saw that coming.
Helena chews slowly before swallowing. "So what if I am?" she challenges, her voice even. "They're broken up and it isn't like I'm rubbing it in her face or anything. Besides it's nothing serious. It's just sex. You remember sex right? I mean I know it was awhile ago you and the archer broke up but sex can be quite enjoyable."
Dinah's face twists slightly with anger. "I broke up with him because he cheated on me," she says with an angry snarl. "And you dare make one smarmy comment and I'll knock your teeth out," she warns Helena.
Helena thinks of risking it anyway just to see the reaction but decides she isn't in the mood for a throw down with Dinah and resumes eating her candy bar. God she loves these but they are murder on her hips.
Metropolis...
Lana said Clark wouldn't be a 3rd wheel but he is seriously starting to feel like one as he watches his by now quite drunk friend flirt with a quite drunk Jimmy Olsen. Mel wasn't as drunk. She obviously had a higher tolerance level but she had vanished off outside with one of the male reporters. Didn't take a genius, superhearing or x-ray vision to figure out what they were about to go off and do. Lois and Cat had not returned so Clark has no idea what happened to those two. He turns his attentions back to Lana who is drunkenly ranting against the failings of the Justice League. To sum it up essentially Lana is complaining that they are a distant, remote, unfeeling organisation out-of-touch with the ordinary man and woman.
"They-they're not so bad," Jimmy says in their defence although slurring his words as he does so.
Lana snorts rudely. "Really? Didn't she...no wait that's not right...didn't ski...no...didn't see...yes that's it. Didn't see any of them rushing to the rescue when Clark and I nearly got pugged...no wait...mugged."
"Yeah but they have saved the whole world," Jimmy says his arms gesturing around wildly spilling beer from the bottle in his hand.
Lana's brow furrows as she tries to get her buzzed brain to focus. "I'm not shaying they don't do...stuff but they seem to have forgotten about the little guy...girl...me!" Lana takes a drink from her glass which Clark is pretty certain he should stop her from doing before she falls over. "And you!" she accuses Jimmy, poking him in the chest. "You and your paper sing nothing but their praises when you should be..be...being more cwitical."
"Lois sings their praises," Jimmy corrects her. He then looks around like he doesn't want anyone to hear what he says next. "Wanna know a shecret?" he asks in a low voice.
Lana giggles and nods.
"Lois is so nice about them because she's sheeping...no...I mean seeping...cheeping? No. Hang on." Jimmy takes a drink of his beer and tries again to try and say what he means. "She's...boinking the Green Lantern!"
"Which one?"
"Err...you know...the pilot...Hal...thingy."
"Oh yeah," Lana says with a silly little grin. "Well between you and me I would so boink him too."
Jimmy pouts. "What does he have that I don't?"
"A hot uniform!" she declares laughing.
Clark frowns at hearing this and he doesn't mean Lana's admiration of the Green Lantern but this perception of the Justice League aren't people to look up to and admire. He doesn't quite believe that Lois Lane would compromise her journalistic integrity and is passing it off as loose drunk talk.
People are not perfect. Clark knows that but still the Justice League should probably be a better example. To him living in Smallville of course they felt remote but even moving here to the big city they still do. True he did see Wonder Woman the day he arrived but really did he feel any connection to her?
Clark can't say he did. She showed up, took down the bad guy and essentially flew off. As he recalls in the paper next day Lois did not even get that interview she tried so hard to get.
Lana is right. They aren't sticking up for the little guy. They only ever seem to show-up when its some super-villain or something similar. Everyone has problems and to the average guy their problems may not be on the end of the world scale but that doesn't mean they don't matter. Someone needs to do something but who, what and how Clark doesn't know.
At the end of the night Clark makes sure he and Lana share a cab with Mel to get her home. Clark left Jimmy to his workmates. Once Mel was dropped off the cab dropped him and Lana off at her apartment. Clark pays the fare while trying to hold Lana up at the same time. A little too much drink for her.
Clark picks Lana up to carry her.
"My hero!" Lana giggles.
Boy is she going to have some hangover in the morning.
"Wanna hear a secret Clark?"
Clark humours her. "Of course Lana."
Lana reaches into the top of her dress and pulls a piece of paper out of her bra. She waves it in front of his nose. "Jimmy Olsen's phone number," she proudly announces what it is.
Clark has no idea if Jimmy is the kind of guy Lana would like so he just smiles politely and wonders if she will even remember she got it by the time she wakes up in the morning. Lana carefully stuffs it back into her bra for safekeeping.
"Freeze!"
Oh you have got to be kidding. Twice in one day. Clark turns round to find a guy with a knife this time. "Sir," Clark says. "I know you may think this is the answer to whatever problems you have but it is not," he tries to talk the guy down since he has an inebriated Lana in his arms.
The guy laughs. "You're a funny guy." His face then becomes darkly serious. "Now hand over the money."
Clark sighs. Why can't this guy just do this the easy way? He looks down at Lana. "Sorry about this Lana," he apologises beforehand. He then throws her high into the air freeing his arms. He slips into superspeed, knocks the would be mugger out, drops him off at the same police station as their mugger earlier in the day and is back in time to catch Lana.
"Whee!" she says with childish enjoyment kicking her legs about. "Again! Again!" she pleads.
"Sorry. Only one ride per customer," Clark dryly jokes.
Lana pouts. "Boo!"
Clark chuckles. He had never seen a drunk Lana. She was a funny drunk it seems.
"Clark," Lana says, her voice sounding drowsy.
"Yes."
"I think I'm going to throw up," she tells him.
In an instant Clark has Lana by the kerb, over a drain as she heaves tonight's fluid intake down it. God that is disgusting especially to him with his super-keen senses. Clark gently holds her and makes sure she doesn't fall over.
Clark lets out another sigh. Well that little incident just proves there isn't a hero around when you need one.
"You were around," a voice in his head points out.
Him? He's not a hero.
"Why not? You have the power."
Yes but that isn't what his power is for.
"Isn't it? Dad did say you were here for a reason. Maybe it's this."
Clark contemplates that. His dad did say that but...
"But what? You were just complaining how the Justice League aren't around. Aren't setting a good example. Aren't standing up for the little guy. You could stand up for the little guy. How many out there could you help?"
How many out there could he help?
Clark does what he hasn't done in a long time because he found it too overwhelming. He lets himself hear every sound around him instead of pushing it all into the background. Clark found when he was a teenager he could hear for miles around. He wonders if he can hear further now he is older so he listens.
His face flinches as the enormous cacophony of noise floods in. 10 million people and every sound they make right down to the sounds their hearts make as they beat. He is out of practice so it takes a while to filter it down to what he is trying to find. People calling out for help.
He hears them. Dozens...Hundreds perhaps more of people calling, screaming, begging...
He has to stop. It's too much. Clark returns his focus onto Lana and pushes the cries out of his hearing but not out of his mind.
Yes he has problems. He is still grieving for his parents. Not to mention 10 years on from when he discovered his origin he is still trying to come to terms with the fact he is the last survivor of his species but has he perhaps been too selfish for too long in thinking about himself. There are people right now who need help and he does have the power to help them.
By now Lana has finished her retching and Clark picks her up and takes her up to bed. He makes sure she is tucked in and asleep. He looks at her briefly and remembers the feelings he use to have for her. He still cares but the love he had for her is gone. Puppy love his mother called it he remembers with a bitter-sweet smile. It didn't last very long after they went to separate cities for their Higher Education. It wasn't the happy ever after with her he spent many hours sitting in the barn dreaming about as he grew up. Maybe he just doesn't get that. Maybe that person his mother use to say was there for everyone died the day his people did.
Clark takes one last look at Lana. He almost feels like a big brother watching over her which just goes to prove how over what he and she use to have is. He moves into the lounge leaving Lana sleeping peacefully and goes and stands at the window looking out. His thoughts return to what he heard. All those people needing help. So what he is lonely. He can live with that. He has basically lived with it his whole life. No it is like he was thinking. Time to stop being selfish. Time to put others first. Time for someone to stand up for the little guy and if the Justice League weren't up to the task then Clark guesses he'll have to do it.
Author's Note: Since DC are bringing back Barbara Gordon as Batgirl I thought I might as well jump on the train and use Babs in my story along with Huntress and Black Canary. To clear it up the 'voice' in Clark's head is just his conscious giving him a kick in the right direction. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark takes his first small steps into becoming a hero while Babs arrives in Metropolis determined to find him.
