Trapped inside a dark steel cage, Superman alertly surveyed his surroundings and tried to determine where he was, and more importantly, where his teammates were, based on what little he could see through the hole in the tarp covering his cage. He was in a large room, made entirely of steel and concrete, it was entirely empty with the exception of the two men who continued to converse about him as if he were some sort of present, or stupid beast of burden who couldn't understand English.
"…Aye, I gotta tell ya, Mate," one of the men continued in a thick Australian accent. "Don't know where Luthor got this fellow from," he said as he patted the top of Clark's cage, "but I'm impressed."
"The man said he bred them himself," replied the other man- known as Butch- matter-o-factly. "Gotta admit, this guy is a sight!" he commented with an impressed whistle. The two men continued to discuss the 'prize-worthy' big cat bred by Lex Luthor, inside the cage, as Superman unenthusiastically and, all around insulted, listened to their conversation. "But have you taken a look at the other four beasties that came along with this brute?" Butch asked enthusiastically. Immediately, Superman began to look up and listen intently to the men's conversation, hoping that it would give him any news about his friends and their current status. "We've got an Amur Leopard, Golden Eagle- biggest one yet- a Red Fox-"
"-Beauty!" the Australian replied. "And if he's as healthy as this guy," he said while patting Superman's cage again, "he'll be the best shawl we've made in years!" he laughed aloud.
"Amen!" Butch replied with a cheer. "And," he continued in a suspenseful manner. "I've never seen anything like this before: a black Grey Wolf! Pure bred!" he said excitedly.
"A pure blood?" the other man replied in disbelief. "A solid black Grey? Ain't possible. Everyone knows a black wolf isn't a hundred percent. Mutt's gotta have a little pooch in him." He commented, skeptical of Butch's claim. Still listening in on their conversation, Superman immediately knew who they were talking about, and was relieved to hear that his friends were all present and, more importantly, still alive.
"I'm telling you," Butch retorted. "Luthor even had breeding documents as proof. Said he wants a throw for his bed from that one; 'told him 'sure,' but only if we can hold onto it for a little while and get a litter or two out of him first," Butch laughed, much to Superman's disgust.
"Hey, as good a shape as the other four are in, we could do the same for all five of them!" the Australian shouted as he knocked on Clark's cage again. Irritated, Superman shot his paw through the hole in his cage and managed to tear away the tarp, finally allowing him to see the crooked poachers and the rest of his surroundings. Searching the area through the bars of his cage, he took in as much of the environment as he could before Butch kicked the side of his cage in discipline.
"Hey!" he shouted as he slammed his fist against the cage in an intimidating manner, unfortunately, his opponent was far from frightened, as Superman angrily tried to grab at the men with his claws. "Why you big white fur ball!" Butch shouted as he drew a small object from his pocket and jabbed it into the cage hitting Clark's shoulder. The entire room shook as Superman roared in pain after being shocked with the taser. Pulling his now tingling leg back into the cage, he listened furiously as Butch was surprisingly reprimanded for his actions.
"What are you doing?" shouted his partner. "You trying to singe him?" Vengeful and angry, Superman listened as the scolding continued. "Pure. White. That's what color he was when we got him, that's what color that pelt needs to be when we sell it. Can't make a profit when there's a scorch mark on the product!"
"Well then how do you expect us to ax this 'cash cow' of yours?" Butch asked snidely as he returned the taser to his pocket. "I take it euthanasia won't do either?" he said sarcastically. "Don't wanna risk any bleeding puncture wounds, eh?"
"Of course not," the other man agreed as he looked into the cage at Superman. "Besides, we'd obviously need more than a few needles to knock this kitty out; as big as this bruiser is..." he chuckled as he prepared to pat the cage but, seeing the anger in their prized product's eyes, he quickly refrained from making any form of contact with the cage. "We'll give him the gas along with the Grey," he directed. "Easy and mess-free. You might as well move this guy down the hall with the others," he paused and, mockingly looked into the cage, addressing the immense white lion as if he were a toy poodle. "We don't want the big guy to get lonely." Irritated, Superman simply snarled at them both before turning around inside the crate and facing the wall.
"We'll move him down the hallway with your mutt. O'riely's gonna take care of the Amur."
'Diana!' Superman immediately thought to himself as the two poachers left to retrieve a forklift to raise his cage and move it down the hall into a new room, this one ringing with the sounds of squeaks, barks, and every other sound one could imagine. Scanning the various animals chained and caged up inside the confines of the room, Superman felt his heart jump with excitement and relief when he heard the poachers discuss his placement.
"Over here," a man directed as he pointed to the far corner of the windowless, concrete room. "We'll put him next to Houdini over here," he said as he used his foot to point behind him to a large, fenced-in pen that ran the length of the room's back wall. Not even needing a visual, Superman instantly knew who they were talking about.
'Houdini?' he thought to himself with a soft chuckle under his breath. The nickname was made that much funnier as he watched from his cage and saw the filthy man walk to the far corner of the pen and glare hatefully at the jet black wolf that lay calmly, unphased by the men's presence, as he relaxed in the confines of his quarters.
"Don't know how you do it," the poacher said, frustrated. Clark watched in amusement as Bruce barely acknowledged his aggressor's presence and continued to rest his eyes. "But we're gonna make sure we've got you this time!" he hissed as he pulled several large combination locks from his pocket and administered them to the door's main lock, ensuring the canine mastermind's inability to escape. "Can't crack these codes without fingers," he laughed spitefully as he flexed his hands in front of Bruce, "even if you do somehow know the combinations."
"Give it a rest Mate," laughed the Australian man as he exited the forklift after dispensing Superman. "Of course the mutt's smart," he said sarcastically. "Compared to you, he's a full-on genius!"
"I'm telling you, he knows how to get out of these things! Three cages!" Butch exclaimed, joining the other poacher in his accusations. "Three cages! That's probably why black wolves are so rare; we've had to kill them all before they can take over the world!" he shouted, pointing back to the still uninterested wolf who continued to ignore their bickering. "Mutt's probably scheming right now… waiting to make a move!"
"Whatever you say," his partner replied with a sigh as the three men proceeded to exit the room, but only after Butch exchanged another glance with the alleged escape artist. Once he was sure the coast was clear, Clark looked over to the pen and prepared to get his friend's attention.
"Batman?" he called with no answer. "Batman, or should I say, Houdini?" he said humorously; but instead of sharing a laugh, all Clark received was a cold stare from the inky black wolf that sat in silence in the corner. "I know. This is my fault," Clark sighed regrettably.
"Agreed," Bruce said bluntly, his expression unchanging.
"We can play the 'blame game' later. Right now we have to get out of here and find the others," Superman directed in an attempt to change the subject and redirect his clearly angered friend's frustrations elsewhere. Instead he watched expectantly as Bruce's piercing yellow eyes narrowed, the soft sounds of a bitter growl resonated from his throat. "Yeah," Clark replied, ashamed, but still with a friendly smile on his face. "I know…"