It was morning at the Royal Gotham Hotel and Jimmy Olsen had just woke up from a nice sleep of listening to relaxing classical music. Which might have been a good thing. He removed his headphones and sat up on his bed and gave a big stretch and yawn. "Woo! I am ready!"
He got out of bed, put on his suit and tie, brushed his teeth, shaved the back of his head, washed his face and drank a bottle of the most expensive wine his money could purchase.
But he gagged after drinking the first sip. "Wine! Why do rich people like this crud?"
He exited his room which was right across from Clark and Lois' where he saw a something that surprised him. Their door was slightly open and there was what looked like a dock on the door handle.
"Okay, do I come in or do I not come in?" Jimmy asked. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the room where he saw a surprising sight.
There was what looked like a bra on the arm of a chair, a sock thrown against the television, the bed sheets were a mess, a huge glass of water on either side of the bedside desks and the legs of the bed were broken.
"What the heck happened here?" Jimmy asked.
"Clark!" Lois suddenly walked out of the bathroom wearing what looked like one of Clark's oversized that almost covered her entire body like some kind of massive gown and was holding a piece of plastic in her hand. "It's negative!"
Clark followed out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his pyjama pants. "Woo! I was a little worried there!"
"Toss them aside because we are not going to have a ba…" She froze when she realised that Jimmy was standing in their room wearing his tuxedo.
"Uh….Your door was open." Jimmy said.
Clark groaned. "Oh…I knew I forgot something."
"I think some of the screws are on the floor." Jimmy said. "And you broke the bed."
Clark and Lois cringed in embarrassment. "Jimmy, we are so sorry." Clark said.
"Yeah, we just…Ya know, go-"
"I don't want to know the details!" Jimmy interjected. "How am I going to explain this?"
"Uh….Weak carpenting?" Clark suggested.
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, that might work. Seriously guys, I'm happy for you but could you put some clothes on so we can discuss the party?"
Lois smiled. "Not to worry, I was up all night thinking of how to talk to Bruce Wayne." Then she cringed when Jimmy was giving her a judgemental stare. "Well, while I waited for Clark to stop some crocodile man during our break."
"And I'm out!" Jimmy declared before exiting the room. Once out, he gave a grin. "Good for you two." He whispered.
Once Jimmy left, Clark and Lois were staring at the broken bed with regret. "Perhaps we should have-"
"Yup! Metal foundation." Clark said. "I would have easily bent it back into position."
"Yeah, you would have." Lois said before smirking. "Ya know, Smallville. There's still the show-" she stopped talking when she saw that Clark was fully dressed as drying his hair. She sighed in disappointment while Clark stared at her with confusion.
"Sorry, I had a quick shower." Clark said. "What were you saying?"
Lois sighed in frustration. "Never mind."
Later, Clark and Lois, now fully dressed, knocked on Jimmy's door which he opened, still dressed in his tuxedo.
"Please tell me, you weren't hearing me practice talking to people?" Jimmy asked.
"I swear I wasn't trying to." Clark assured his best friend. "Though, you could talk to them like real people. I don't think they're a different set of species."
"I suppose you're right." Jimmy sighed. "Come in." He motioned his best friends to enter his room which they did.
"Oh, I forgot to ask, why are you dressed in your tux?" Lois asked. "The party is only…" She looked at her phone. "…Nine hours away. You're going to get it creased!"
"I just wanna practice." Jimmy retorted. "First party as a millionaire."
"Jimmy, me and Lois are happy that you are rich, but as your friend, I don't want you to overthink things." Clark suggested. "You tend to go overboard on things."
"Really?" Lois asked.
"One time, he got the role of Macbeth in a college play one time and he kind of took the role too seriously." Clark explained. "He wanted to get in the mind of the character."
Lois cringed. "I played Lady Macbeth once, did he-"
"No! He didn't…Point is, he got deranged when he started to overthink." Clark explained. "Kind of like the play itself ironically."
"It won't be like Macbeth, Clark." Jimmy assured his best friend. "But practicing my rich lifestyle is not my main priority when it comes to you guys. Lois, what is your plan? I mean, how can you explain it without your board?"
Lois snapped her fingers. "Clark."
Clark sped from Jimmy's room and returned a moment later with a board which had images of Bruce Wayne stuck on and detailed drawings of the plan.
"You brought your murder board with you?" Jimmy asked.
"No. No. I had Clark fly back from Metropolis to get it last night." Lois explained.
"It was during one of our breaks." Clark explained.
"I don't need to know!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Okay, Lane, proceed."
"Okay, first, we enter the Wayne Penthouse where the party is taking place and you think the first thing we do is get to Bruce Wayne straight away to get information? Wrong! We will mingle with the guests first." Lois explained. "They include Gotham's District Attorney, Harvey Dent; Commissioner James Gordon; Lucius Fox; Oliver Queen; Ted Kord; Vesper Fairchild; Dr Chase Meridian; Detective Harvey Bullock; Rachel Dawes; And many more. Andrew we do our best to avoid questions about Bruce Wayne so it will look like we aren't trying to find the truth?"
"But Bruce Wayne wanted us to interview him." Jimmy pointed out.
"Bruce Wayne is probably going to try and avoid us since he probably intends to humiliate us." Lois explained. "So, we are going to wait for the right moment to strike that he will have no choice but to interview us. Perhaps if he's drank too much at the party. I mean, let's face it, he is well known for that exploit. Then, we get the info we needed and leave the party in a fabulous fashion and publish our story exposing Bruce Wayne for the corrupted businessman that he most likely is." Lois presented her murder board with an enthusiastic grin.
"That sounds like a plan….That could go wrong!" Jimmy exclaimed. "How do we know if the guy will show up?!"
"Hey, he never misses his parties." Lois explained. "He's just late."
"Well Lois, if I know a few things that have happened these last few months of knowing you, it's that everything unlikely turns out to be likely." Clark said to his girlfriend. "We'll get that exclusive from Mr Wayne because that's what Lois Lane does."
Lois gushed. "Aww! Thanks, Smallville." She climbed and kissed his cheek, causing his cheeks to turn red.
"Alright party people, let's get this party started!" Jimmy exclaimed.
"Not right now." Lois said. "It's still 9:30 in the morning."
The Daily Planet just stared at each other for a bit before Clark broke the silence. "Breakfast?"
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?"
They walked out of the room to go down to the dining area to have some breakfast. "Oh, I hope they have those blueberry muffins." Lois said.
"Hey Clark, remember that time in college we stayed in Paris and you-"
"Don't." Clark interjected. "Don't remind me, Jimmy."
Later, outside the Wayne Penthouse, which was located on a 24 story building that Clark, Lois and Jimmy stared at judgementally. "If he has a manor, why does he also own a penthouse?" Clark asked. "Is he just showing off?"
The trio were dressed in their evening suits. Clark in a blue jacket, yellow shirt, red tie, blue pants and a black belt. While Lois wore a tucked in yellow blouse with a green jacket and blue pants.
"A guy like him is definitely compensating for something." Lois joked, causing Clark to stifle a laughter while Jimmy spat on some water he was drinking to calm his nerves.
"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh at that." Clark said. "That was immature of me."
"Okay you two!" Jimmy got in front of the two to explain the rules. "I get you two don't exactly know the high class lifestyle…"
"Neither do you, Jimmy." Lois retorted.
"But perhaps no inappropriate jokes." Jimmy said. "I get we're young but we're not high school young and perhaps try their rich delicacies no matter how bad they taste."
"What if you don't like any of their delicacies?" Clark asked.
"Well…I'm just going to have to suck it up!" Jimmy responded. "Come now!"
They entered the penthouse where they saw a male receptionist typing on his computer until he noticed the three.
"Can I help you?" The man asked.
"Hi, we're here for the party." Jimmy handed the man their invites.
He looked at their names and smiled. "Of course. Top floor. Take the elevator. It's tame right now."
After giving him an appreciative nod, Clark, Lois and Jimmy walked towards the elevator and Clark pushed the button that lead to the top floor.
"Did he say it was tame?" Clark asked.
"I swore he invited a lot of guests." Jimmy said.
"Or maybe he has his own way of using tame." Lois theorised.
Once the elevator door opened, they saw that the party had a huge crowd of guests. They were all laughing at their jokes, drinking their beverages, eating high class treats and talking about topics such as wealth, politics and the economy.
Once they saw how packed the party was, each had a different set of reactions. Clark looked slightly intimidated and experiencing a flashback to Ivo's party, Lois was excited while Jimmy drank another swig of water to calm his nerves.
"Well, on the bright side, it's not as crowded as I thought it was going to be." Lois said, trying to lighten the mood.
They entered the penthouse where they were greeted by a lean English man holding a platter with glasses of champagne. "Ah, the Daily Planet trio."
"And you are?" Lois asked.
"No one important. Just Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler." Alfred explained. "I'm aware master Bruce is meant to be conducting an interview with the three of you."
"Yes!" Lois exclaimed. "Is he here?! I have a lot of questions I need to ask you."
Alfred sighed. "Unfortunately, Master Wayne has been caught up in a spot of trouble at work. He says it's a minor issue, but the messes he gets himself into." Alfred then put his friendly smile back on.
"Trouble like, what?" Clark asked with suspicion.
"Server troubles or something like that." Alfred replied. "I'm not as caught on with these modern day gadgets and gizmos like other people are. If this continues we could get another Ivo situation. So, while Master Wayne is finishing up, why don't you have a drink and help yourself to something from our buffet table. Oh, and do mingle with the guests. Don't make things uncomfortable and stand around in silent judgment like our other esteemed guests." He motioned to a nearby corner where Vicki Vale, dressed in a purple dress with the strap attached around her neck, was watching on with a judgemental stare.
The sight of her former idol caused Lois some shock and to narrow at her with disapproval. "That will not happen." Lois assured Alfred with a hint of disdain.
"I would like to be interviewed, but unfortunately I have work that needs tending and the next mess I need to clean up from Master Wayne." Alfred declared before walking away with the glasses that Jimmy tried to reach out for but he was gone in the crowd of guests.
Jimmy took a picture of the party with his camera while Lois just continued to narrow her eyes at Vicki. It was clear that she still had not forgave her after what she had done to her and Jimmy and Clark.
Clark got in front of his girlfriend and moved her away from the direction of Vicki. "Let's not focus on her. Let's just try and have a nice evening. Look, if you put a lot of focus on her then it is just going to cause you grief. Can you try and not confront her?"
Lois sighed. "Alright. I'll try. But only for because I can't say no to your face." She playfully pinched his cheeks.
"Jimmy, you okay?" Clark asked his best friend.
He wasn't far away, just drinking from a bottle something before gagging. He looked at the bottle and saw it was wine. "Disgusting!" He noticed his friends coming up to him. "I can't stay here. I gotta leave."
"Jimmy!" Lois interjected. "We got a job to do."
"There's so many people here!" Jimmy exclaimed. "How do I start?! What do I say?! Should I say something about the economy? I know nothing about the economic discussions!"
"Like I said Jimmy, just talk to them like you talk to me and Lois." Clark suggested. "Maybe about how Flamebird is doing."
Jimmy sighed. "I guess. Okay, let's go."
"Okay, I'm suggesting we split up." Lois said. "Get some info we can share. I will go to Lucius Fox to talk about Wayne tech while building up to Bruce Wayne, Clark will talk to Commissioner Gordon while Jimmy will talk to Oliver Queen."
"Oliver Queen?!" Jimmy exclaimed.
"I heard he's good at archery." Lois said while walking to talk to Lucius. "Talk to him about that."
"Yeah, you did archery at college." Clark reminded his best friend while walking to talk to Commissioner Gordon.
"And I wasn't good at it!" Jimmy exclaimed before sighing. "Okay, talk to Oliver Queen like a real person. He's just at the buffet table talking to Ted Kord about…Something."
By the buffet table, Oliver was eating from a plate of chicken satays and salad. "So…Ya know, got Malcolm ticked off again." Oliver, a muscular man in his mid 30's and sporting a blond goatee, blonde hair and a green tuxedo was talking to Ted Kord. A scrawny looking man in his late twenties with brown hair and a pair of glasses that almost looked similar to Clark.
"Again?" Ted asked while Jimmy approached the buffet table awkwardly and sweating.
"Oh yeah. And your uncle?" Oliver asked.
"Trying to steal my business with my sister." Ted sighed.
"Why can't they just leave you alone?" Oliver asked while Jimmy just stared at the two nervously. "You were handed the business fair and square."
Jimmy took a plate and took a spoonful of caviar and placed it on his plate and ate a bit. But the taste was awful that he coughed and then tried to drown the taste with a nearby bottle. But the bottle turned out to be wine which made him gag.
"It's okay." Oliver said to Jimmy. "I reacted the same way when I tried caviar at one of my parent's fundraisers."
"I actually like caviar." Ted said.
"No you don't, Ted." Oliver retorted. "We only have caviar to make us look fancy." Oliver then began to look at Jimmy with intrigue. "Hey, you're that guy aren't you?"
"Uh…."
"Jimmy Olsen." Oliver shook his hand. "Oliver Queen. CEO of Queen Enterprises. And yes, we had that little issue with that little scandal but I'm doing my best to clear that up. Anyway, unimportant, have you met Ted?" He pulled Ted next to him and introduced him to Jimmy.
Ted waved nervously. "I like Flamebird. I really think it's a thrilling app for amazing news sources."
Jimmy quickly placed his plate on the table. "Well…Thanks. I never expected it to get far."
"So, let me understand this, you're a millionaire yet you still work at the Daily Planet?" Oliver asked, looking impressed. "I have to say, that is some modesty."
Jimmy, flattered by the compliment, began to rub the back of his head. "Well, I didn't want to leave my friends all because I had a lot of money."
"Wow. And all I do is spend mine on therapy sessions." Oliver remarked. "Oh, and donations and…Other activities."
"Ohhhh, archery." Jimmy then mimed shooting a bow and arrow. After he did that action, he froze in embarrassment.
But instead of humiliating him, Oliver just mimed the same action Jimmy did. "Yes! I am keen on archery!"
Jimmy smiled at how well this interaction was going. He really thought he was going to mess this up, but surprisingly, he was doing well.
Meanwhile, further down the table, a tanned skin man with greying hair and a grey moustache was looking at the assortment of cakes that were on display. He was dressed in a black suit with a red bow tie.
Next to him, was a dark skinned man with black hair and a black moustache dressed in a white suit with a black shirt underneath, looking at him judgementally.
"Come on, Jim, just pick a cake." The man said.
"I can't decide Harv." Commissioner Jim Gordon said. "I promised my daughter I'd cut down. I only gained a little weight! Uh, I tell ya Harvey, she's as demanding as her mother was."
"Well, what cake do you want?" Gotham's District Attorney, Harvey Dent asked.
"I feel like red velvet or chocolate." He replied. "But I'm only meant to have one."
In that moment, Harvey pulled what looked to be a silver coin from his right breast pocket. "Okay Jim, heads for chocolate cake and tales for red velvet."
"What if I want tales for chocolate cake and heads for red velvet cake?" Gordon asked.
"Too late." Harvey flipped his coin and caught it in the palm of his hand and placed it on the back of the other hand, just as Clark Kent arrived.
"Excuse me…"
Harvey, startled by Clark's sudden appearance, shook. "Woah! Jim, we got a quarterback."
"Actually…I'm Clark Kent." The tall journalist said.
"Of the Dailey Planet?" Gordon asked. "Let me guess, you're here to discuss about Bruce Wayne's alleged involvement in importing weapons to criminals?"
"No. No. No." Clark assured the Commissioner. "I'm just here to interview you on-"
"No comment." Gordon interjected.
Harvey approached Clark. "Mr Kent, James Gordon is not available for interviews right now. Helen is busy debating on what cake he should consume."
"Shut up, Harvey!" Gordon retorted.
Harvey offered Clark a handshake. "Harvey Dent, District Attorney. I'm available for an interview if you please."
"Sure." Clark pulled his tape recorder to record the conversation he was about to have with Harvey Dent.
"I assume you're an outsider?" Harvey asked.
"Yeah, just an outsider." Clark replied. "First time in Gotham."
"And how are you liking it?" Harvey asked. "Too gothic? Too noir? Or did you get mugged?" He chuckled at his joke.
"Well, statistically, Gotham is the city with the highest rate in all of the United States." Clark said. "How does that feel?"
"Flattered." Harvey joked. "But in all seriousness, me and Commissioner Gordon are doing our best to add more control to our city instead of leaving it to people like Falcone, Maroni or Sionis."
"And there's rumours you got 'other people' on the force." Clark said.
"Yes!" Gordon interjected as he ate a slice of red velvet cake and chocolate cake. "We have our best cops on the payroll. Detective Bullock."
He motioned to an overweight detective with stubble all over his face and terribly slick backed hair, complaining about the food options. "What?! No pigs in a blanket?! What kind of party doesn't have pigs in a blanket for a taking?! Ooh, chicken satay!" Harvey began to eat the satay like a bit of a pig while Clark looked disgusted, Gordon looked embarrassed while Harvey just chuckled.
"Well, he might look like a slob." Gordon said. "But, he is one of the most loyal people on the force despite his less than stellar reputation."
"I was referring to your other people." Clark said. "The Batman."
Harvey chuckled while Gordon just sighed in annoyance. "Look, Mr Kent, whatever eyewitness reports you've read about, ignore them. There is no such thing as a Batman."
"How do you explain the signal?" Clark asked.
"Signal?"
"The bat shaped signal that shows up at night that allegedly alerts Batman."
"We use it to scare the scum of the streets." Gordon said.
"Mr Dent, what do you have to say about the Batman myths?" Clark asked.
Harvey smiled. "Batman is the equivalent to Bigfoot and the multiverse. Just a concept. A myth."
"I wish I could say that's untrue." Clark mumbled to himself. "And if Batman was real would you…"
"Find him and unmask him." Gordon said. "Despite the fact he isn't as real as Superman, his legends gets the job done."
"And what are your thoughts on Superman's actions yesterday when he prevented a robbery at the First National Bank of Gotham?" Clark asked.
"Superman?" Gordon scoffed. "I admire his bravery but he did cause property damage to the bank." Clark, despite feeling insulted, managed to keep his composure.
"I'm pretty sure he did everything he could to stop those criminals." Clark said.
"And he did." Harvey interjected. "Superman did manage to get Drury Walker and Matt Hagen imprisoned. Until, they vanished from their cells at Arkham Penitentiary."
"Bullock's still looking for leads." Gordon said. "But we will find out what happened to those two."
"What makes you see Superman as a bigger problem than the criminals he puts away?" Clark asked.
"He isn't a problem." Gordon said. "At least not yet. But who knows how long he will keep up this whole hero gig before he snaps and turns on us?"
Harvey smiled. "Ya know, I wish we had a Superman. Could give Gotham a little hope and optimism. You're friends with Superman aren't you? Could you give him the good word from me?"
Clark smiled, feeling some appreciation. "I'll let him know." Even though he wasn't in Metropolis, he felt grateful that there were other places where he was loved. But still mixed on still being a tad bit hated.
Meanwhile, Lucius was busy talking on the phone to someone. "You're just arriving….Okay…." He looked behind him when he saw Lois Lane approaching him. "….Chopper?" Lucius smiled. "…Of course. Fancy entrance for the party boy…See you in a moment Mr Wayne….Oh, and please stop damaging your suits. They're not cheap." He hung up his phone and turned to face Lois Lane where he did a mock arrest. "Don't worry, I don't have a super suit."
Lois chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to ask anything about that."
"Just a little joke." Lucius said as he offered his hand out. "Lucius Fox. Secondary CEO and overseer of all the departments in the Gotham branch." He and Lois shared a handshake.
"Lois Lane-"
"I know." Lucius said. "I'm a bit of admirer of your journalistic work."
"Even though I published a scathing article about your company?" Lois asked.
"Not to worry." Lucius assured her. "If you didn't publish that article we wouldn't be working our butts off to find out what the heck is going on."
Lois pulled out her tape recorder and began recording. "Mr Fox, do you have any idea as to how this technology ended up in the hands of someone like Bane?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."
"Do you think there might be a mole in the company?"
"That is our main theory." Lucius replied.
"Do you have any idea who it could be?"
"Paragraph 35, 'Could Bruce Wayne have been importing weapons to criminal organisations for some extra money? Or, has he joined the ranks of criminals such as Bane?'" Vicki Vale interjected, causing Lois to turn to face her while Lucius just mumbled to himself. "That's what you wrote on your article. Makes me ponder if you want Bruce Wayne to be the main suspect on this investigation."
Lois narrowed her eyes at Vicki as she stopped recording. "Oh, hi Vicki."
"Miss Lane, I'm surprised you were invited." Vicki remarked. "Why would Bruce Wayne invite some…Sub par journalist?"
"Well, he only invited me, Jimmy and Clark to clear up on some things." Lois said.
"I see you're going down my path." Vicki remarked. "The right way to success."
"No. I'm looking for the truth." Lois argued.
"Miss Vale, I think Bullock has something to say about the escape of those convicts." Lucius said.
"Tempting. But I don't interview slops." Vicki retorted. "What makes you think Bruce Wayne is going to be honest?"
"I don't expect him to lie or tell the truth." Lois said while narrowing her eyes at Vicki. "I prefer to take the subjective approach rather than the objective. Besides, you only wish to see Bruce Wayne get taken down because you and him had a rather controversial relationship."
"Yes, I am a lot older than he is." Vicki stated with smugness while crushing her wine glass in frustration. "What's the problem? Think Bruce Wayne is too immature to date me?"
"No, I was referring to a slob." She pointed to her bare shoulder which had a spot of red wine on her skin.
Vale narrowed her eyes at Lane while Lucius tried his best to stifle his laughter. "Why you little-"
"Hey Lois!" Thankfully, Clark had came just in the Nick of time to get Lois out of the situation. "I think I got an exclusive with Vesper Fairchild!"
Lois smiled in relief. "Thanks, Clark! Miss Vale, nice seeing you."
Lois walked to rejoin her boyfriend while Vicki narrowed her eyes at the couple while Lucius chuckled and handing her a napkin. "Your napkin, Miss Vale." Vale was about to take the napkin when she noticed that it had a 'W' emblem that looked similar to Wayne Enterprise.
Meanwhile, Clark and Lois were walking around the party. "Thanks for getting that exclusive. You have no idea you saved me back there."
"I didn't." Clark said. "I had to find an excuse to get her away from her."
Lois, though feeling she could have handled the situation herself, was still grateful for the save and wrapped her arm around Clark. "What did I do to deserve you?"
"Being amazing." Clark replied before checking his watch. "Is the host usually this late? Mr Wayne's taking his sweet time to show up."
"Yeah. Unless he is being fashionably late." Lois theorised.
"He is a businessman." Clark stated.
"Or, weapons dealer." Lois groaned. "I swear if this ends up being another Professor Ivo situation I'm going to be mad."
"Hey, we'll know if he's trouble." Clark said. "Besides, how much worse can he be?"
Suddenly, the sound of a chopper approaching was heard which put the party to a bit of a stop as everyone had turned to the noise of the incoming vehicle.
The chopper landed on the landing pad and out came three passengers. Two of them were a pair of blonde twins wearing blue dresses and then came a tall man in his late twenties to mid thirties around Clark's height with Raven hair, a muscular build, a stylish tuxedo and an electric watch on his right wrist.
This was him, the man of the hour, Bruce Wayne. The handsome, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist and Gotham's most eligible bachelor. He wrapped his arms around the pair of twins as they made their way across the platform towards the party.
Lois looked to be impressed with the entrance but had a bad feeling about the man, Clark just narrowed his eyes as he was already having Ivo flashbacks due to his showy personality while Jimmy was nervous since Bruce Wayne was the richest man in all of Gotham and one false move could cause him to embarrass himself.
Once Bruce entered his penthouse, the guests applauded his entrance which the billionaire took with a bit of a smug smile on his face. His escorts dispersed to enjoy the night while Bruce Wayne clapped his hand to get everyone's attention.
"Sorry I am late for my own party, I was off selling weapons to clean clients like The Joker." Bruce's joke got everyone laughing except for the Daily Planet trio.
"He might have." Lois whispered.
Bruce motioned everyone to hold their laughter. "No! No! In all seriousness, work was a nightmare. Had to deal with a very shifty client. Sly as a cat they were." Alfred and Lucius slightly chuckled at Bruce's joke. "Right! Right! Let's see who we've got tonight. I should know who's there because I sent the invites but some might have had other matters to tend with. Like Vicki Vale." Vicki tried her best to hide from the spotlight that Bruce Wayne had placed on her. "For those who don't know, me and Vale used to be to be an item."
"How's that floozy from Sweden?" Vicki asked, causing Oliver to almost choke on his drink.
"I heard that, right?" He asked Ted, who looked equally as shocked.
Bruce didn't seem insulted however, he kept a bit of a smug composure and continued to talk about Vicki. "During our relationship, she was very intelligent and bright. But just recently, I found out she couldn't figure out that my 'Floozy' was from Switzerland not Sweden." There was a sound of chuckling from a few of the attendees. "And I thought you had a Pulitzer."
Vicki inhaled angrily through her nose and marched towards the table to have a drink.
"Let's see who else. Ah, our fine detective Harvey Bullock." Bruce pointed to Harvey whom was eating a chicken leg like a pig. He stopped eating and put the chicken back on the plate. Then, he wiped his face with a napkin and smiled.
"I sure am a fine, detective." Bullock responded proudly while the Daily Planet trio gave a doubtful right toward him.
"Yeah, he looks like a fine detective." Lois remarked sarcastically.
"Solved any cases recently?" Bruce asked Bullock.
Bullock gave a might pose. "Eh, a few cases here and there."
"How about the case of who was the scumbag that stole your last donut?" The jokes got a majority of guests to laugh including Gordon and Dent while Bullock just looked insulted.
"Why I oughta arrest you Wayne!" Bullock exclaimed. "The slob cop is a demeaning stereotype."
Bruce raised his hands in defence. "Okay, okay, Mr Detective. By the way, you got a bit of chicken right here." He pointed at his right breast which made the detective look at his and saw that he did have a bit of chicken, causing the guests to laugh at his predicament.
"Who else have we got?" Bruce asked as he looked around. Then, he looked at Oliver and pointed at him. "Oliver Queen."
Oliver playfully pulled Ted in front of him to defend himself. "Don't shoot an insult at me." Everyone laughed at Oliver's quirky behaviour.
"Now, as we know about dear Oliver Queen, he spent five years on an unmarked island. And let me tell ya, he had quite an ugly beard when he was rescued but I admit he is pulling it off right now!"
Oliver pretended to be offended as he stroked his blonde goatee. "Excuse me, Dinah likes the goatee."
"But did she like the wizard beard?" Bruce's question got everyone to laugh including Oliver.
"Careful Wayne, I might be able to cast a spell on you." The crowd laughed while the Daily Planet Trio stared at Bruce Wayne with a judgemental look, not liking the joke.
"Kind of insensitive." Clark remarked.
"Yeah." Lois remarked. "Is he really a criminal mastermind? An insensitive jerk, but a criminal mastermind? Unlikely."
"I've seen amazing actors." Jimmy remarked. "He's putting on a mask. I bet deep down in that insensitive, eccentric, smug, jerky yet kindhearted show, he is in fact another clever mastermind with a nefarious scheme."
"He's Bane?" Clark asked.
"You don't know." Jimmy replied.
"…And don't get me started on your little scarab project, Ted." Bruce then looked to the Daily Planet trio and smiled. "Well, well, well, the Daily Planet trio." He approached the trio who looked at Bruce Wayne with either intimidation, a narrow glare or just an unamused look. "I knew it was you. Your star quarterback stuck out like a sore thumb." He backhand slapped Clark on his shoulder. "Seriously though, were you a quarterback?"
"Actually, I was part of the chess team." Clark replied.
Bruce laughed not exactly buying his story. "Riiiiight." He turned to his guests. "Enjoy the rest of the party. I promised the Daily Planet their next slander piece." Everyone but the Daily Planet laughed at his joke.
Lois especially felt more insulted by Bruce's comment since she fought for truth not slander. And the gall on Bruce Wayne to call their report a slander piece just annoyed her.
And so, they began to follow Wayne whom was leading them to the drinks table where he took a glass of wine and took a sip from it.
Clark began whispering to his girlfriend. "He isn't avoiding us. Wasn't the plan-"
"Well, one phase of the plan didn't work." Lois said. "But perhaps the next one will." She cleared her throat and stared at Bruce. "Mr Wayne, are we going to start this inter-"
"Hang on." Bruce interjected before freezing like he was trying to remember their names. "Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen." As he listed their names, he pointed to the correct people.
"You're correct." Jimmy responded. "You invited me before you invited my friends."
"Yes, my ward's a fan of your app." Bruce replied. "Unfortunately, he can't be here tonight due to it being a school night and an adult party. Though, he does wish he could meet you."
"Listen Mr Wayne, you wanted us to interview you, so why don't we start now?" Lois asked.
"Why should we?" Bruce asked as he took another sip of wine. "Why can't we just have a pleasant conversation? Get to know me a little. Get to know each other. I mean, we've got plenty of time, why don't you have a drink?" He offered Lois a glass of wine that she narrowed her eyes at before flicking her hand, implying she was rejecting it.
"I see what you're doing Mr Wayne." Lois said. "But we're not falling for it. Why don't you have a drink?"
Bruce coughed. "Nah." He placed his wine on the table and grinned. "Don't wanna do this intoxicated, do we?"
"No, we do not." Clark responded just as Lucius approached him
"Very unprofessional." Lois said while narrowing her eyes at Bruce. She had noticed that the very important details of her plan were not going the way she anticipated. It was almost like, he was just a step ahead of them.
"I could take a sip." Lois nudged Jimmy on the side. "But I don't like wine very much."
"Any leads, Lucius?" Bruce asked his second-in-command.
"Still looking, Mr Wayne." Lucius replied. "But I came to inform you that we have been making progress on product #78 and it's ready to be taken for a test drive."
Bruce nodded his head. "Of course, Lucius. Thank you. Enjoy the rest of the party." Lucius bowed his head before walking away to join the rest of the party.
"What is there to talk about exactly?" Clark asked, already getting annoyed with his behaviour.
"Oh ya, know. I kind of wish to talk about Superman." Bruce replied. "Something I wish to get off my chest."
"Um….Yeah, sure." Jimmy agreed. "After all, that's how the app got popular."
"Do you like him?" Clark asked. "Because, ya know, everyone in Metropolis loves Superman."
"Please tell me, you don't think he's evil." Lois pleaded.
"Oh no. I'm not Vicki Vale." Bruce assured him. "I mean, I can admire what he does for the city but he just rubs me the wrong way."
Meanwhile, downstairs in the reception area, the receptionist was on his phone about to call someone called Fiancé. Just as a bunch of people wearing heavy armour were entering the building.
He looked up from his phone. "Can I help-"
But before he could ask, Carla grabbed him by the head and slammed it on the desk before shoving to the floor.
She then vaulted over the desk and began punching him repeatedly to ensure that he wouldn't be speaking to anyone. That was until, her arm was grabbed by another arm, which happened to belong to her boss.
"Enough!" Bane demanded. "I think he got the message. Come, we must let our presence me known."
Back in the penthouse, Clark was still looking insulted by what Bruce had said about Superman rubbing him the wrong way. Even Lois and Jimmy looked worried because they knew that Clark, while selfless doesn't like it when people just assume he's a menace. Like Vicki Vale.
"But, Superman did save the city." Clark pointed out.
"Yeah, he saved it from a Kaiju." Bruce agreed. "But what has he done about that giant ever since? It must be a statue. Surely it's causing all sorts of terrible traffic."
"Well, perhaps he's a little preoccupied to deal with that." Clark began sweating.
"Or is he just lazy?" Bruce asked while staring daggers at Clark.
"Okay! How about we start the interview?!" Lois interjected.
"I heard that the city planner is planning to make the Parasite suit a landmark." Clark said.
Bruce chuckled. "The thing that almost destroyed the city because Professor Ivo just couldn't let go of a petty grudge?" He laughed. "That's like making a statue dedicated for The Joker. Whom, last year, shot Mayor Hamilton Hill and put him in a coma."
"And Batman does better?" Clark asked.
"Ooooh boy." Jimmy cringed.
"No, there's the difference between the two." Bruce said. "They do great things but come on, guy who dresses up like a bat has a lot of problems that need psychoanalysing. While Superman, well, every villain that has attacked the city, from what I heard, they were all for him. Especially that guy with the skull mask that caused severe damage to the bridge that leads to Bludhaven from Metropolis."
"But Superman saved those people." Clark argued while narrowing his eyes at Bruce. "It's not his fault he's got people after him."
"Do you wanna know why they're after him?" Bruce asked. "Guys like him with so much power, they're afraid. They're attacking because they're afraid. If they don't want him attacking, he should…I don't know, live a little normal, human life without anyone coming up with a contingency plan to eliminate him."
Clark knew he was getting angry Bruce Wayne and that his words were indirectly aimed at him. Lois could see the anger in Clark's eyes that she almost swore he was about to snap that she took his hand to calm him down.
"Mr Wayne, perhaps we should start with the interview." Jimmy said.
Bruce looked to Jimmy and smiled. "Your friend's right. Let's begin the interview, Mr Kent."
Bruce began walking with Jimmy while Clark stayed behind to get his breath in while Lois just stroke his arm to calm his nerves.
"I'm sorry Lois. I almost blew it by getting personal." Clark said.
Lois sighed. "I wanted to yell at him as well. He doesn't know what you're going through right now."
"He thinks he knows what I go through trying to blend in." Clark complained.
"He doesn't!" Lois argued. "He doesn't know that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same. I hope he doesn't anyway."
Clark exhaled. "I hope he doesn't. He really doesn't seem like the Sherlock Holmes type." Then, he began to hear the distinct sound of what sounded like helicopters thanks to his super hearing.
"Come on, let's go and expose Bruce Wayne for the scumbag that he is." Lois suggested.
Meanwhile with Jimmy and Clark, they were just talking. "…So, you haven't spent all that money on a fancy condo?"
"Nope! Still living in a two person apartment." Jimmy confirmed just as Alfred approached the two.
"Sir, Master Grayson took the car." Alfred informed his boss.
"Which car?" Bruce asked.
"'The Car.'" Alfred replied while putting emphasis on the word.
Bruce looked alarmed. "What for? Don't tell me it's for a joyride."
"The penthouse." Alfred replied. "He's heading for the penthouse."
Bruce, now majorly alarmed by this news, began to look around like he was thinking of a plan. As he did, Lois and the attentive Clark approached him.
Lois, looking determined forced her tape recorder into his face. "You promised us an exclusive Mr Wayne, and we are not leaving until we get that exclusive."
"Miss Lane, I know I did." Bruce said with a calm yet stern expression. "But I promise tomorrow."
"No, Wayne, you're doing it now." Lois argued.
"Miss Lane, this is important." Bruce said. "I need to leave, now."
"Oh, got some weapons that need importing?" Lois asked with a hint of accusation.
"Lois! I need to leave!" Bruce exclaimed. "Believe me when I say, we have a problem!"
"Lois, I think he might right." Clark whispered to her.
Lois turned to face Clark and could tell from his face that he did indeed know that something was wrong.
Just then, a bunch of armed soldiers abseiled down the window and crashed through, startling everyone in attendance.
They aimed their weapons at the guests just as the door to the elevator dinged and out came the party crashers. Out of the elevator came a few more armed goons, Carla and Bane.
Upon seeing Bane, everyone got down on their knees in fear. Gordon, Dent and Bullock even got down to their knees to ensure that no one got hurt.
Bruce, Clark, Lois and Jimmy got down on their knees as well as they watched as Bane walked around the floor, surveying the area.
"Buenas noches, damas y caballeros!" Bane exclaimed. "We tonight's entertainment. Let's call it a quiz night." As he spoke, the armed forces grabbed Oliver Queen and Harvey Dent as hostages. "All you have to do is answer my question. Where, is Jimmy Olsen?"
Upon hearing his name, Jimmy's heart sank in fear. Not only was he in the presence of the most feared worldwide terrorist, but he was his apparent target.