I do not own Amanda Waller, Lois Lane, Perry White, Superman/Clark Kent, Batman/Bruce Wayne, or J'ohn J'ones/Martian Manhunter. DC does. So, please enjoy this chapter for free.

Undisclosed Location Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

A map hung on the wall with the points of Central City, the Big Belly Burger near the State Line, and Gotham highlighted as well as the route the trucker had taken his hitchhiker and the bus line from there to Gotham. A young blonde woman walked in with a folder in her arms and glanced first at Amanda Waller staring at it and then to the map itself before looking back to her boss. "Do you think the target actually went to Gotham Ma'am?"

Waller shook her head. "Probably not. He wisely never goes back to the same place twice. And we have strong evidence he was in Gotham nine years ago, but it's the only lead we have, so we're sending agents in to investigate."

The blonde walked up to the table set down her folder on Waller's desk before opening it. "The new tech is ready. Should we send it in on a possible goose chase?"

Waller drew the folder and diagrams in it closer. Her brows rose. "Definitely."

Highway North of Gotham City Eleven Years after Waynes' Deaths

After about half an hour of waiting, the Martian gave up being invisible and slumped against the tree behind him. The thick trunk still shielded him from view of the car. Hopefully, the disgusting man would wake up and be on his way in an hour or so. He wouldn't give the american government, world government organizations really, more reason to chase him by being partially responsible for a human being's death even "such" a human as this one.

He had to be careful to pace himself though. The meal he'd eaten with Bruce had been large, but he'd expended far more energy than he'd thought he would right after eating it. Without a car or doing more hitchhiking he'd have to pace himself.

He didn't realize he had to hide from Superman.

"So, this is where you've been."

The Martian started as the Kryptonian drifted down beside him and gave him a warm relaxed smile. "Hey Moe."

The other alien turned and backed away from the one wearing a bright costume and grin. "What are you doing here?"

The Kryptonian's feet touched grass and he stepped toward the Martian. His grin fell away into wrinkles of concern. "Did Bruce scare you so much you're scared of me now?"

The Martian froze. His eyes widened. His voice went low. "You know each other?"

Superman nodded. "He called me to check in on you and the guy in the car. I was kinda amazed 'you' knew him."

"We met a long time ago. What will you tell him?"

Superman folded his arms and a look of concern came over his face. "That you and the man in the car are fine. But he's worried. Bruce is 'always' worried, but not telling him everything he wants to know is a sure recipe for trouble as I know. If he know a little now, he'll learn more."

"What am I supposed to do?"

Superman shrugged. "Go back and tell him everything."

The Martian's eyes widened. "Everything?"

"If I know him, he'll probably hide you, help you. It will honestly probably be better than the life you live now. You'll get to stay in one place for once."

As the Martian scowled at the kryptonian in silence, Superman looked over his shoulder and at the car and human in it behind the Martian and the trees. "What's with that by the way?"

The Martian scowled and looked in the same direction. "A human who ought to be hunted instead of me. I found him watching the house of Dr. Leslie Thomkins. He was planning on guilting a young woman, he'd been very harsh to before, to come back to him, so she'd make more money for him by letting him sell her to others. He is in need of money."

Clark's brows rose as he looked back into the Martian's face. "Now, I'm a little shocked you didn't do more."

"I can't."

"You should have told Bruce about this. He would have understood. And he needs to know if someone is watching his aunt's house."

The Martian bowed his head and ran his hand over it. "Then he would ask how I noticed the man, and get himself into more trouble with Gotham's underworld trying to help."

Superman's mouth twisted up and eyes stared at nothing without the Martian noticing. "You … didn't read much of his mind did you?"

The Martian looked back up with his human-looking-brow furrowed. "No. Why?"

Superman shrugged. "Look. I know you don't want to bring your problems to others. But I learned a few things about Bruce you might not know yet." The Kryptonian met the Martian's gaze.

"Oh?"

"Worst thing to do around him is hurt someone."

"Yes."

"Second worst thing you can do is keep a secret from him."

"That would have been good to know yesterday."

"Why did you come see him anyway."

The Martian looked away. Superman's body went rigid with tension. "What Moe?"

The Martian sighed. "Have you or Dr. Hamilton made progress in inter-planetary travel."

"I'm sorry no. What happened?"

"Waller's agency. Shot at me. I went intangible in time …"

"But it was close."

"Yes."

"Moe …"

"I got away. As far as I know, they don't know where I am now."

"For now." Superman sighed. "Look, if there is one person on earth who can help you more than me, it's Bruce. And look how things are going! If you stay with Bruce he might be able to hide you! Running all over the place like this, sometimes stealing, sometimes knocking men out and driving their cars, even if it's to protect someone else, this isn't who you are, and it's only going to make you look more guilty to Waller, the government, and people like Bruce!"

"Why did Bruce send you out here this time?"

"To learn your plans for the man who was watching his godmother's house."

"Then go wake him and send him on his way, so Bruce Wayne can stop worrying."

Superman sighed. "Moe …"

"'You' are the alien humans love and cheer."

"Not all of them."

Suddenly the wrinkles in the seemingly human face deepened in exhaustion and pain. "Please."

Superman sighed. "Alright, but seriously … go back and talk to Bruce. I don't … I don't want to someday learn of your death, or capture."

"I will do my best to make sure you don't."

Superman frowned. "I don't want to just 'not hear about it' either. Just don't let it happen."

The Martian gave a sad smile. "I will try."

"Okay."

Superman turned and strode over to the car. The Kryptonian marched under the tree branches and over the long grass of the access road and up to the passenger side of the car. He knocked on the car's roof. Inside, Samson jumped. Then he clutched his head.

Using a soft, warm, concerned voice the world's best-known superhero asked "Are you okay in there?"

The Small Town churchboy almost blushed at the reply the man gave. Then Samson squinted up at him. Then his eyes widened and mouth opened. "You're …"

The Kryptonian nodded. "Superman at your service. I was flying overhead and noticed you taking a nap in here. Kinda an odd place for it, don't you think? Do you need assistance?"

Samson's spun violently in one direction then the other as he looked out both window's. "Where am I?"

"Along the highway that runs north of Gotham."

"I need to get back!"

"Are you sure?"

"What?!"

"I mean you're already several miles north of Gotham. You could keep going. There are plenty of nice places …"

Samson opened the door, causing Superman to back up out of the way. Then the older man strode around the car toward the driver's side. "Thanks, but no thanks!"

Superman watched him over the hood placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head. "Sure you don't need anything?"

Samson paused and met the Kryptonian's gaze with hopeful eyes. "Can you give me your autograph?"

Superman raised his eyebrows in silence. Samson broke it to ask, "What's it going for these days, couple of thou?"

Superman shrugged. "Honestly, I don't do autographs sir."

Samson slumped, cursed, and then added, "Eh, they'd never believe it was yours anyway."

Samson jerked the driver side door open, got inside, and barely shut it again before peeling out. Superman rose into the side calling after him to pause and put on his seat belt. Then he sighed and slumped in the sky watching the car go well over the speed limit back toward Gotham City.

"Maybe I should stay and watch until he parks." At the silence his comment was met with, Superman looked back to where he'd left the Martian. He saw no one and sighed again.

Batcave Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

Bruce frowned, still bent over the keyboard. "Thank you for telling me Samson was watching my godmother's house. If that was his plan for getting out of the trouble, getting Alice back or any of the other two back, anyone left in that house could be in danger. I'm going to ask Alfred to drive them all somewhere else as soon as you leave."

"Good, but, are you satisfied with what I've told you about our mutual friend?"

"No."

"Bruce."

"You're not satisfied either."

Superman bowed his head and sighed. "You're right in that he seems more worried than when we last talked."

"Worried people can do desperate things. And I don't live in this house alone. If someone can get into it this easily, who I can't fully trust …"

"I've been here. You don't tell your housemate about me."

"I 'let' you in."

Superman tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

Bruce did not look away from the computer screen as replied to the weighty silence. "I'm gonna trust you less the more questions you ask about that."

"I see ... So you don't trust me or our mutual friend completely?"

"I have a hard time trusting either of you right now, because you call him 'mutual friend' rather than use a name."

"He changes his name frequently. We probably don't know him by the same one."

"Uh-huh …"

"What he's running from isn't his fault Bruce."

"He's on the run. He's desperate. He knows far more about the people I've depended on most the most in my short life, who are still alive, than I'm comfortable with. He's also fully capable of turning invisible and entering people's minds before knocking them out with his own. I 'am' going to alert Alfred, and the others of the threat he might represent! I owe them that much, Clark!"

Superman winced. "Don't you owe him something?"

Bruce stared at the screen. "Not keeping my team members in the dark."

Superman continued to stare down at him a moment. Without looking away from the computer screens, Bruce asked. "Haven't you been away from work for a while?"

Metropolis Daily Planet Offices Eleven Years After Waynes' Deaths

"Kent! Where have you been for the last hour!"

"Sorry sir, personal emergency."

"Yeah, well if you want your job here at the most prestigious news source on the planet, you'll make that hour up tonight or this weekend!"

"I'll do it tonight sir."

Perry White's face remained red, but he gave a hard nod and strode back into his office, but he had to pass his star reporter standing in the doorway of her own to do so.

She gave a slightly strained smile after his rotund, but fast retreating figure. "Go easier on the new guy if we want to keep him, Perry. You tell us all the time that he edits faster than three people."

"Stay out of this Lane!"

Perry slammed his office door shut after shouting this without turning around. The woman in a purple power suit turned toward her just-returned colleague. She marched over to the newbie's desk as he sat down and hunched over his keyboard. She leaned over his desk, her dark hair falling in a cascade, and fixed his downcast face with narrow eyes under long mascara-darkened eyelashes. "Where 'have' you been the last hour, Kansas?"

Clark Kent shrugged without looking up. "An old trusted teammate of mine had an emergency he needed help with."

"An old 'teammate?' It wasn't even family?"

"Well, you know, after a while of doing hard things together, a team can become a family." While waiting for the now cooled computer to boot up, Clark Kent looked up and gave Lois Lane a polite smile. "Don't you think?"

Lois raised an eyebrow back. "Well, here at the Daily Planet Kansas, we keep things strictly professional."

Clark's smile grew and his dimple popped out. "Is that why you stood up for me just now?"

Lois frowned, straightened, and spun away. "Shut it Kansas."

Even after she slammed her office door closed, Clark Kent kept his smile.

Whumptober Prompt Oct 13th 2024 Team as Family.

What do you think now?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes