Chapter 3: Talks with Old Friends
Bruce Wayne aka Batman watches from the rooftop. A shipment of drugs is being delivered to the warehouse across from him tonight. He hears a van approaching. At last. He sends a grapple line across and slides to the warehouse roof. He quietly makes his way inside and scouts out the situation noting the position of everyone and how they are armed. He counts 8. He drops down from the roof.
“The Batman!” one of the men yells in panic.
Bruce knocks him out and sets about the others. It doesn’t take him long to incapacitate them all or at least he thinks he has until he hears a gun cock. He spins round just as the man fires but the bullet never reaches him. Directly in front of his face the bullet is caught. Bruce not wasting a second throws a batarang at the man who shot at him knocking him out. He then turns his attention to the man who caught the bullet. He narrows his eyes “Superman.”
“Batman.” Clark greets him back.
Once the men are tied up Bruce and Clark stand on the rooftop across the street waiting for the police to arrive.
“So you’re back.” Bruce says to Clark.
“Yes. You can feel free to tell me you told me so if you want. You were right. It was a fool’s errand.” Clark had mentioned to Bruce about the fact he was leaving and not surprisingly Bruce had thought it a terrible idea.
“There was not any other survivors I take it.”
“No.” His face pales at the memory. “It was a graveyard.”
Bruce says nothing more. He doesn’t need to. “Back at the Planet I hear.”
Clark almost smiles. “Haven’t changed I see.” he says in reference to Bruce’s ability to know everything it seemed. “Yes I’m back at the Planet.”
“I’m sorry about Lois.”
Clark’s face now etches in pain. “I should never have left her.”
“No you shouldn’t.” Bruce affirms.
“Thanks for the pep talk there Bruce. I feel so much better now.” Clark says with some sarcasm.
“You realise your error Clark. That is enough.”
“I’ve made a mess of this haven’t I?”
“Yes. More so than you realise I’m afraid.”
“What does that mean?”
“Luthor.” Bruce states.
“What about him?” Clark asks.
“He’s no longer in prison.”
“What!?” Clark exclaims. That man nearly killed him for crying out loud. “How?”
“On his fifth appeal he called you as a witness and since you weren’t here he was cleared on that technicality.”
Oh that is just great Clark thinks. How can his life get any worse. He takes a cleansing breath because frankly he is pissed. “Any idea what he is up to?”
Bruce shakes his head. “He vanished after his release. Hasn’t been heard from or seen for a few years now.”
“Think he reformed?” Clark tries to joke.
Bruce says nothing.
“No me either. Well I should go. My father said I should lead by example except all I’ve done is make a mess of everything. Both my fathers would be so disappointed in me right now at how I‘ve failed.”
“You didn’t fail.” Bruce says.
Clark was confused “Sorry?”
“You didn’t fail.” Bruce repeats. “You really haven’t caught up with everything that happened while you were away have you.”
“Give me a break Bruce. I’ve been back less than 2 weeks.”
“After you left new heroes started to spring up to fill the gap.” Bruce informs Clark.
“They did?” Clark asks hopefully.
“Yes. I know of several. There is Green Arrow in Star City and the Flash in Central City. There is Aquaman who is a prince of Atlantis or so he claims. I met a woman called Black Canary last year. There is a friend who goes by Zatanna. Then there is this Wonder Woman who I’ve worked with once or twice.”
“Met her.” Clark mentions.
“When?”
“Tonight just before I came here. We had a brief talk but something came up. She seems nice.”
Bruce notices Clark’s almost star struck look when he said that. “Well only on the surface. She has some temper if you cross her.”
“That sounds like you know that from personal experience Bruce.” Clark notes.
“It is.”
“Ok. Anyone else?” Clark asks now interested in what has happened since he left.
“I met a Martian.” Bruce comments.
“J’onn.” Clark says. Then clarifies “He’s an old friend of the family. How is he? I haven’t had a chance to catch up with him yet.”
Bruce is almost surprised at the fact Clark knows the Martian, almost. “He was fine last time we met.” Bruce tells Clark.
“That’s good.” Clark says and then takes a minute to absorb what Bruce has told him. “Now heroes then. I had no idea this had happened. Guess it’s no longer just the two of us anymore. Maybe we should form a bowling team or something.”
It’s subtle but Clark can see the corners of Bruce’s mouth twitch at that comment. “Careful Bruce that was almost a smile. That’ll ruin your reputation you know.”
“Funny Kent. Real funny but seriously you did succeed. From the ones I’ve talked to most got into this to follow your example and those are only the ones I know about. I’ve heard rumours of other heroes in other cities.”
“That’s nice Bruce but I watch the news. The world…it’s not like I remember it.”
“It did fall apart after you left Clark. I can’t deny that. I think it proved we had become too reliant on you to solve our problems but these new heroes, they are turning it around slowly. With your return maybe we can fix it, get it back to the way it was.”
“I hope so.” Clark says.
By now the police have shown up to arrest those involved in the drug shipment. The roof entrance opens and Commissioner James Gordon walks towards them, somewhat surprised at what he is seeing.
Bruce walks over “Commissioner.” he greets Gordon.
“Batman. Not interrupting anything I am?” Jim asks in reference to him and Superman.
“No. I was just leaving.” Clark says. “It was nice seeing you again Commissioner. Goodnight.” Clark then flies off into the night sky.
“Catching up?” Jim asks Batman.
“Something like that.” Bruce answers.
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The next morning at the Planet Clark watches the news reports of his activities last night. The fact people seem so happy he is back brings a smile to his face.
“Busy night I see.”
Clark turns to see Chloe standing at his desk fiddling with her engagement ring. “Yes. So engaged to Jimmy?”
“Yep.”
“Congratulations. I forget to say that to you yesterday. Set a date yet?” he asks. He is genuinely interested. He had neglected his friendship with Chloe for too long.
“Thanks Clark and no we haven‘t. Not in a rush either and certainly not anytime soon with Superman overshadowing everything. I think we’ll wait until the hysteria calms down and talking of Superman, what about that interview?”
“Tonight after work.” Clark tells her.
Chloe smiles brightly “Great. So back to our blackout story.”
“Yeah. I thought Perry told you to drop that at the meeting this morning.”
“He did. He wants me to stand on the roof and wait for Superman to just show up. According to him and I quote ‘Every media company worth it salt has a pretty female reporter on its roof and we can’t be any different’. Honestly. It’s insulting to think Superman is that shallow.”
Clark agrees. He isn’t that shallow.
“I mean just because Lois got an interview with you…” Chloe stops when she notices a pained expression on Clark’s face. “Clark?”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” he lies.
Chloe doesn’t buy that. She knows they were rumours that Lois had a relationship with Superman but she hadn’t believed them and Lois never mentioned it to her but from the look on Clark’s face maybe she should take more stock in those rumours. Well she can ask him about that tonight when they’re alone.
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That night Chloe gives Clark a lift home to her apartment. “You know I hate cars.” Clark tells her as they walk in the door. He has ever since he worked out how to fly. He finds them too confining.
“Well I wasn’t leaving my car and I’m not letting you out of my sight. You have this bad habit of disappearing off. By the way I hated when you did that when we were teenagers.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Clark says in response.
“Sit. I need some coffee.” she tells him.
Clark shakes his head as he sits down on Chloe‘s couch. “Still a caffeine addict I take it.” Clark says remembering her insane need to have at least several coffees a day.
“Hey. Don’t insult the second love of my life, second only to Jimmy and well it is a pretty close thing saying that.”
Clark chuckles. “I’ll have a cup too.” he tells her. He watches her head off to the kitchen. He has to say it has been great working with Chloe again. They had made way with the blackout story in between hiding from Perry what they were doing. Superman being the number one priority in Perry’s eyes.
Chloe comes back with coffee. She takes a sip. God she loves coffee. She hands Clark his cup and sits across from him.
Clark takes a drink, wow is that good. He had forgotten how much he loved coffee. “So you and Jimmy not living together yet?“ he asks.
Chloe swallows her mouthful of coffee. “No not yet. We’re looking for a place though.” She gets her tape recorder out so they can start this interview. “Right remember you’re Superman.” Chloe tells him.
Clark takes his glasses off and straightens his posture.
“That’s still amazing how you do that.” Chloe mentions. She had seen him practice it before he left for Metropolis.
“Thank you Miss Sullivan.” Clark says in his Superman voice.
Chloe starts the tape recorder. “Ok first question I think everyone wants to know is where did you go?”
“To Krypton.”
“Krypton? In your previous interviews you said that Krypton had been destroyed ages ago.”
“It had but when astronomers thought they had found it I had to see for myself.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing. Krypton is gone. I am all that is left.”
Chloe stops the tape. “I’m sorry Clark.”
“I know. I knew it was probably pointless but I needed to be sure that I was the only one left.”
“What about those 3 that tried to rule the planet?” she asks in reference to Zod, Ursa and Non.
Clark’s face darkens “I don’t consider them one of my kind and besides I banished them back to the Phantom Zone. It’s just me now Chloe.”
Chloe gets up and gives Clark a hug. “I’m still here for you.”
Clark returns the hug. “I know. Thanks and I’m sorry I never came to see you before I left. I was in a rush and I forgot.”
Chloe pulls back and sits next to Clark. “Why did you leave?” she asks him wanting to know the real reason.
Clark sighs deeply “After Zod I felt like I had let people down. I mean good god I was so caught up in my own affairs I didn’t even know he was free until it was too late.”
“Own affairs? Does this have to do with Lois?” Chloe asks wanting to know the truth of their supposed relationship.
Clark’s eyes drift to the floor and he nods. “Yes.”
“What happened?”
Clark takes a breath and looks back up at Chloe “I fell in love with her. That’s where I was when Zod was loose Chloe. I was with her.”
“With as in…sex?”
Clark nods one more. “Up at the Fortress. I was telling her everything.”
“Oh I see. How did she take the whole thing?”
“Pretty good actually. Well at least at that particular moment. She had suspected for a while I think due to the fact that Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman shows up.”
“Yeah that sounds like my cousin.”
“I didn’t know she was your cousin. I know you mentioned her but I never put the two things together. Some reporter I am.” he says berating himself again for not figuring it out.
“It’s alright. I mean you never actually met her back then.” Chloe tells him sympathetically. “So did you tell her or did she find out by herself?”
“She worked it out.” Clark then laughs. “God she tried to prove it by throwing herself out of Perry’s window.”
Chloe laughs too. “I take it you saved her.”
“Without revealing myself actually. I supersped downstairs and used my breath to slow her descent. She landed on a fruit and veg stall outside the Planet. It was pretty funny how she looked after that.”
“I can imagine.” Chloe says at the image that conjures up. “So when did she find out?”
“Soon after that. Perry sent us on assignment to Niagara Falls. There was this boy that fell over the edge…”
“And you flew in to rescue him.” Chloe finishes.
“Yeah. I think that got her journalistic nose back on my scent. Anyway it came to a head that night.”
“What happened?”
“She shot me.”
“She what!?”
“Shot me. She pulled out a gun, pointed it at me and pulled the trigger.”
Chloe knew Lois was a bit obsessive when it came to stories but that takes the cake. “If you hadn’t been who you are she could have killed you.”
“Oh I know. I pointed that out to her. Guess what her answer was?”
Chloe shakes her head.
“Blanks. The bullets were blanks.”
Chloe laughs “Oh my god! That is classic. That beats my way of finding out about you.”
“Oh I don’t know Chloe. Catching a car going at 60 wasn’t that easy when I was 17 you know.” Clark had saved her from a car accident. She had been driving too fast and the car flipped over and flew through the air and luckily he saw it and managed to save her.
“Well I’m glad you did considering I was in said car at the time.”
“But I couldn’t save Lois from her car accident could I.” Clark says sadly.
Chloe takes a breath. “I told you when we growing up Clark you can’t save everyone.”
“You’re a good friend Chloe, better than I deserve.”
“Clark. I’ve had over 4 years to come to terms with her death. Yes I was mad at you at the time for not being here but I forgave you. You, I mean I take it you, didn’t find out till you got back.”
Clark nods. “I visited her grave with my mother as soon as my powers returned.”
Chloe studies his face “You really loved her a lot didn’t you?”
“More than anyone I have ever met. More than Lana but our timing was terrible.”
“Back to Zod I take it.”
“Yep.”
“If it’s too painful you don’t have to tell me Clark.” Chloe tells him.
“No. I need to I think. I mean I really only gave my mother the highlights. I need to get this off my chest. So anyway she found out and we went up to the Fortress to be alone. My father was not happy about it.”
“Why?”
“He felt I couldn’t do my job as Superman if I invested so much of my time and affection on a single human being.”
Chloe scoffs loudly “That is rubbish.”
“I agree with you now Chloe but at the time…I had come to depend on Jor-El for so many things that I felt like I couldn’t disobey him.”
“What did you do?”
“He gave me a choice. Forsake my powers and be with Lois or give up the woman I loved and continue with what he perceived to be my destiny. I chose Lois.”
Chloe’s eyes widen. “You gave up all that for Lois?”
“Yes and then I discovered Zod had taken over. So I made my way back to the Fortress and begged for forgiveness. My father it seems had foreseen I might make this choice and he left me the means to undo it. I defeated Zod. No thanks to Lex Luthor I might add.”
“What does Lex have to do with it?”
“He allied himself with Zod.”
Chloe rolls her eyes “Why am I not surprised but lets not talk about the bald headed psychopath. He’s out of prison by the way.”
“I heard.” Clark responds.
“So moving on. What happened with Lois?”
Clark sighs deeply once more. “Another one of my colossal mistakes. She wasn’t coping too well with the whole thing once we got back to our lives. She couldn’t bear the thought of having to share me with the world as she put it. Zod had kidnapped her and tried to use her against me. I think it was then she realised just how dangerous it can be knowing about me. Something else I don’t think she considered but to be fair I didn’t think about it either. I was so happy that she finally saw the real me, that I could finally be with her that I let myself get carried away.”
“Thinking not with the brain but a bit lower down were we?”
“Something like that.”
“So what was the colossal mistake?” Chloe asks him.
“I wiped her mind of the truth about me and of the time we spent together.” Clark tells Chloe and then he waits for the explosion.
Chloe’s anger boiled slowly. “Clark Kent. Of all the stupid, self-centred things you have done, and remember I know about quite a few of them, that has to the worst one.”
“I know Chloe. God knows I know. For 5 years all I thought about was how stupid it was. It was part of the reason I left. I couldn’t work with her day after day and not touch her or show affection to her. It was driving me insane. I don’t expect you to forgive me Chloe but I am sorry.”
Chloe takes a breath “I know you are Clark and I’ll forgive you in time. Lets get back to the interview for now shall we.” she says as she starts the tape recorder once more. She needs time to absorb this. She continues the interview. “Now that you have returned maybe you will tell us if you wish to continue to fight for truth and justice?”
Clark pushes his feelings down and concentrates on answering. “Yes I do. I have heard that after my departure that others have appeared to do the same. It is my hope that we can all work in some way towards making the world a better place.”
“Ok mentioning those other heroes, are you still needed now that they are around?”
“Does the world still need me? I gave that some thought after I returned. This is what I concluded. Everyday I hear people crying out for a saviour. I hear people in pain struggling to hang on just a little bit longer. The day I don’t hear those things is the day I am no longer needed. It is a day I pledge that I will continue to work for with everything I have.”
Chloe stops the tape. “That’s journalistic gold you know.” she says in reference to getting an interview with Superman.
“I am always happy to oblige members of the press.”
“So you heard about the other heroes did you?”
“Hmm, oh yeah Batman told me about them.” Clark says without thinking.
Chloe’s eyes widen “You know Batman!?”
“Yes. We were friends before I left and I think we still are.”
“Do you know…who he is…you know…under the mask?”
“X-ray vision Chloe.” Clark answers with.
Chloe pouts “That is so not fair. Think you could get me an interview with him?”
Clark chuckles “I doubt it. He’s a very private person.”
“Met any of the others?”
“I met Wonder Woman last night.”
“Seriously? What was she like?” Chloe asks very excited. Wonder Woman was like her favourite hero second only to Clark.
“Well we didn’t talk long but she seemed nice, although Batman says she has a bit of a temper. I couldn’t stay and chat though. I had to stop a runaway car.”
“Yeah I saw the pictures. What is it with women throwing themselves at you?”
Clark shrugs “I don’t know. She was quite odd and definitely not my type.”
Chloe didn‘t know he had a type. After all Lana and Lois were very different people. “By the way you missed that museum heist during all your other hero stuff.” she points out to him.
“I can’t be everywhere Chloe. Even I have my limits.”
“I know.” Chloe says to him.
“How mad are you at me right now?” Clark asks in reference to what he did to Lois.
“Pretty mad but I’ll get over it. You are my very best friend after all.”
“Thank you Chloe. I appreciate that.”
“How long will it take till you forgive yourself?” Chloe asks him.
Clark tries to push the guilt down but it won‘t leave him. “I’m not sure I’ll ever do that. I loved Lois and I failed her. My heart broke when I discovered she had died. I’m not sure it’ll ever be whole again.”
Chloe can see the guilt and anguish on Clark‘s face as he speaks. “You can cry if you want. I won’t think less of you.”
“I’ve already shed plenty of tears Chloe. Now I just have to get on with my life the best I can. So we’ll look into that origin point for the blackout tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“Great. Oh I have something to do first thing then I’ll meet you at the Planet.” Clark informs her.
“Sounds like a plan.” Chloe says with a smile. “Oh one more thing, you really are a great big dumb alien for all those stupid things you did.”
“Yeah I know.” Clark says with a small smile.
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Author's Note: I'll mention that Lois throwing herself out of Perry's window and her shooting Clark at Niagara comes from the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2 but I decided to leave in that Clark simply wiped her memory about who he really was. The fact he acknowledges it was a mistake I think adds a more human quality to him. After all to err is human.
