Made to be Broken
Aug. 26th, 2011 01:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trista_zevkiaTitle: Made to be Broken
Author: Trista_zevkia
Chapter: 3/5
Fandom: Batman/Superman
Characters/Pairing: Clark/Bruce
Rating: PG-17
Warnings: SLASH
Summary: When Batman says to stay out of his city, you really should listen!
Disclaimer: All monies made will be sent to the Wayne Enterprise approved Charities
Author's Notes: I had written Bruce into corner, Clark flying in for a kiss and then Bruce did something unexpected. I shouldn’t be surprised really. Cornered bats get even harder to catch, Poor Clark.
Once upon a time, there was a flood in New Zealand. Many have moved on, but my lazy butt and broken wrist are just now getting around to fulfilling my part. For Darke_wulf kindness about the time, I’m tossing in a few extra words. It has nothing to do with my inability to follow guidelines
; )
Chapter 2
Bruce didn’t want to, but he had to know what he was up against in order to fight it. Expanding hid awareness, he felt movement to his left. Slowly cracking open his right eye, Bruce saw gleaming metal and harsh shapes. It was too bright and nothing moved, telling him he was in the artificial world of the Watchtower. Fear flooded through him and he squeezed both eyes shut.
Calm yourself, Batman. You are safe, among friends. I will care for you until you are well.
Bruce knew that voice, knew the alien who spoke hated fire. The Watchtower medical bay was something he knew. Without allowing a thought the telepath might read, he rolled to his feet and bolted across the room. Having memorized the layout when it was built, he knew which cabinet held a flammable substance. A drawer to his left held a laser scalpel, an ignition source. J’onn froze and Bruce started edging toward the door. The telepathic alien was doubtless calling for backup. Sure enough, the door opened before Bruce was close enough to trigger the sensors. Impossibly blue and red colors moved toward Bruce with open arms.
“Bruce it’s OK! You’re on the Watchtower. You’re safe, we only want to help.” Superman’s voice broke into a pleading note that broke Bruce’s every rational thought. He had nothing to defend against Superman so he moved to take J’onn hostage. So focused was Bruce, that he failed to notice the syringe floating in midair. When the needle penetrated his bicep Bruce remembered the telepath could also make things float. The drug worked quickly, leaving Bruce to his terrifying dreams.
sBSbBs
Batman had been very conscientious about uploading the antidotes to Poison Ivy and Scarecrow’s toxins to the database on the Watchtower. But as this was a new toxin, J’onn decided on a more drastic approach. After taking several samples of Bruce is blood, J’onn set up the machine that would filter Bruce’s blood and return it to his body. This would require J’onn to stay with Bruce at all times, in order to put him back to sleep if he showed any sign of awakening. It wasn’t a sacrifice for J’onn, as he could meditate here as well as anywhere, once he found a way to get rid of Kal-el.
Kal-el floated as he paced, so as not to destroy the flooring outside of medical. His regret, fear and concern came off of him in powerful waves. After a few hours J’onn could no longer feel that terror coming from Batman without a direct effort. He could not even tell if that was because of lessening fears on Batman’s part or Kal-el taking up all his concentration! Checking that Batman was still asleep, J’onn stepped out into the hallway.
“Kal-el, his body will live. I cannot attend to his mental state with you projecting anxiety at me.”
“I can’t leave!” Horror stricken at the idea, Kal-el at last came to a standstill.
“You have to. Is there someone into Gotham we should notify of his safe return?” Kal-el’s guilty look was enough of an answer for J’onn. “Make the notification. Take some time to calm yourself, before you return. Perhaps you should find the Scarecrow so he cannot harm anyone else.”
“That could take days!”
“I will notify you of any changes. Now I need you to go, for Bruce’s sake.”
Slowly, reluctantly, with his head bowed, Kal-el made his way for the exit. J’onn watched him go before returning to Bruce. With Kal-el gone, J’onn could at last focus on Batman. The terror was receding but was still there. The images from Batman’s dreams were too chaotic and confusing for J’onn to make sense of them yet. Floating beside his patient J’onn settled in to meditate. He needed to wait and observe, helping as needed and hoping he wouldn’t be necessary.
sBSbBs
Even unconscious, Batman was still a paranoid asshole! Ever since the rescue, John had wanted a peek at the man. He probably would be some pale, camera shy recluse identifiable only through his driver’s license photo, but John didn’t care. He’d gladly spend hours with his friends in the police department running down possibilities, just to have something to hold over the insufferable know-it-all. But Batman had angels on his side, or at least Superman.
Superman had found Batman and brought him to the Watchtower wrapped in his cape. So no unmasked Batman for John to find. The Watchtower security cameras weren’t up to task of picking out the face amidst folds of fabric carried at full Superman speed to the infirmary. John had spent several hours attempting to coax an image out of them. And then, even with Scarecrow having escaped, Superman had guarded the entrance to the infirmary. Pacing back and forth for hours, until John was ready to give up. At long last Superman exited the Watchtower and John went to the infirmary. J’onn had floated beside Batman but John had looked around him.
What did he see? Was his patience rewarded with a glimpse of the man he desperately wanted to see? Not really. His hair was streaked blond and black, so John didn’t even have a reliable hair color. Some of the skin visible was white, the rest of was various shades of purple! That annoyingly exposed chin had been enough to know Batman was Caucasian. But something about changing his skin tone made it hard to pick out identifiable features. Were his eyes deep and hollow or did they just have a lot of dye on them? John hadn’t spent much time memorizing those visible lips and now he wished he had. They looked huge and plush now, as if Batman regularly injected collagen in them! John could only wait, and hope the purple got washed off.
Trips to the infirmary were now a part of John’s routine. Between emergencies, meetings and monitor duty, John would stop by and check on the patient. Soon enough Superman was back, pacing in the air beside the windows. John wondered why J’onn had kicked Superman out, but didn’t ask. Superman was his friend, but John wasn’t the best person for talking about feelings. All things considered, he really hoped Wonder Woman would come by and fix Superman! He didn’t see that, but he was walking by and saw Superman was inside the room.
Thinking back, John realized it had been four days since the rescue. J’onn was messing around instead of meditating beside his patient, and Batman was starting to move. Guessing they were going to wake him up at last, John settled in to watch. Batman twitched for a while before sitting up with a gasp. John couldn’t hear through the glass, but he knew J’onn and Superman were offering Batman calming words. As Batman was so good at scaring the rest of the league, John thought about jumping in the room and yelling boo.
Since you are so concerned about your teammate, would you bring him some soup?
Angry at getting caught, and a little guilty, John went to the cafeteria. Batman wouldn’t be so bad if he would just relax every once in a while! John got a bowl of soup and a piece of bread to carry back to the room. At least he got to go inside, playing waiter to the jerk! Up close, the face now looked familiar but not enough that he could place it. John recognized the way the eyes narrowed to glare at him, though. He glared right back, which perversely enough, seem to cheer Batman up.
“OK, I’ve helped. Get well, I’ll see you later.” John was trying for a strategic retreat, not feeling it was necessary for him to stand there and watch Batman eat!
“Stay, Green Lantern.” Batman’s hoarse voice surprised John, but not as much as him wanting John to stay! “Your presence is the only thing keeping Superman from spoon feeding me.”
Superman managed to look indignant, even as he flushed with the truth of the words.
John didn’t know what hold Batman had on Superman, but he didn’t like it. He turned a snarl at Batman. “Like you’re so perfect! If you had just told us what was happening we could’ve helped from the beginning! You would rather let your city go crazy around you then ask somebody to catch the civilians falling off the tall buildings!”
“And if you were competent to catch some, I might have. I expect more of you, ring boy. You’ve got the training to think before you leap. But what did you do when you got there? You went on a date.”
“You didn’t warn us about the compound in the air!”
“And if you have the brains of the goose, I wouldn’t have to.”
John reached for Batman, intending on killing him right then and there! He got a bowl of soup for his troubles, splashing across his face as Batman moved to the other side of the infirmary. Purple man was even slippery in his underwear! But Superman was between them now, eyes red as he held them apart.
“Green Lantern, don’t you have worked to do?”
As angry as he had ever been, John edged toward the door. He kept weathered eye on Batman as he did so. Batman managed to watch him leave even as he dismissed him. In a ridiculously calm voice, Batman spoke to Superman.
“I kept my cool, I only defended myself. Obviously, the fear toxin is not affecting me. Can I go now?”
The door closed on John’s face as he realized he just been used as a medical test! John didn’t have work to do, but he did have some effigies of Batman to destroy in the workout room!
sBSbBs
Early morning telephone calls were not uncommon. What made this one special is that it was on Clark Kent’s phone! It wasn’t the JL for Superman, but an unknown number calling Clark Kent. Expecting a wrong number, Clark sat up to answer it. He went for the ‘just woken up’ voice he should have, instead of the instantly alert voice of Superman.
“‘ello?”
“Master Kent, please forgive me for waking you.”
Not a wrong number, as the owner of that voice made few mistakes. Nor did he make unnecessary phone calls. “Alfred, what’s wrong?”
“The emergency has passed, sir. I merely wish to speak to you about preventing future occurrences.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“I have not given enough information for understanding, so it would be surprising if you did, sir.” There was a touch of amusement in Alfred’s voice, and Clark shook his head to make sure he was awake. “I call this early hoping you’d meet me for breakfast. Do you remember the small coffee shop half a block away from the penthouse?”
“Why are you there, instead of the mansion?”
“I will explain if you meet me here, at your convenience of course. But I must ask that you listen to the entire story before leaving.”
“That’s no problem.” Clark was confused Alfred had to ask. Bruce was the only one who thought Clark was an impetuous fool!
“You say that now, Master Kent. But I must insist that you promise you will not leave for anything other than an emergency after we begin talking.”
Clark hesitated, it was such a strange request! As with Bruce, Alfred always had his reasons. Bruce’s reasons could be hard to figure out but Alfred’s reasons always had to do with protecting Bruce. “As it happens, I’m just around the corner. Order me a cup of coffee and I’ll meet you there. Also, I promise not to leave until you tell me to.”
“Very well sir, I will be awaiting your arrival.”
Hanging up, Clark jumped out of bed and sped into some fresh clothes. He went with a t-shirt and jeans, hoping nobody would connect him with the bad suit wearing reporter in another city. Automatically checking for prying eyes and surveillance cameras, Clark flew to Gotham. A few minutes later he emerged from an ally and headed for the coffee shop in question.
It was crowded and with people getting ready to start the work day. But in a far corner, with his back to the entrance, sat an elegant white haired man. He sipped from a cup with a tea bag and an unclaimed cup of coffee sat across from him before an empty chair. It didn’t take super abilities or detective skills to guess this was Alfred. Still, Clark looked before he sat down. It was definitely Alfred, under a very large pair of sunglasses covering both eyes and half of his nose.
“Morning Alfred. What can I do for you?” This was the least of Clark’s questions, but he had to let Alfred answer them in his own time.
“Good morning sir.” Alfred acknowledged him with a nod.
Clark took a sip of his coffee to find it had been adjusted to his preference. He wondered if Alfred kept a database of food and beverage preferences of Bruce’s acquaintances, or if Alfred had access to the Superman file. “It’s perfect, Alfred.”
“Thank you sir.” Apparently this formality was enough to please Alfred, for he reached up and pulled off the sunglasses. His kind eyes were swollen and black, and the sunglasses had hidden a white cast on his nose.
A quick x-ray of the nose showed it was broken, but treated. Clark curled his fingers into his thighs and tried not to think about what he would do to whoever would hurt such kindly gentleman! “Who did this to you?”
“That is not the issue.” Alfred spoke in fluid Italian, so most people around them wouldn’t understand. That he didn’t have to ask if Clark understood showed he had enough access to know Superman spoke all Earth languages. “My concern is what caused him to do this.”
“You’re carefully not saying that Bruce did this, aren’t you?”
Alfred held up a long index finger in a wait gesture, and Clark realized he had risen to his feet. Unsure what he was planning on doing, Clark sat back down.
“Last night, after he was declared well, I was helping Master Bruce remove the skin dye. He was beginning to look like Master Bruce again when I mentioned that not removing the suit would be more effective than the skin dye. He began to fight me off, but one elbow to the face was debilitating enough.” Alfred had another sip at his tea, a slight pause before he continued his story.
Clark forced his fingers to uncurl before he damaged something.
“Before I could properly protest, Master Bruce had me in the car and on the way to the hospital. I only just manage to convince him to wear a hooded jacket to cover up the dye. He hovered around and babbled at the doctors. My broken nose was bleeding into my mouth and I had to tell the doctors a decent cover story.” Another sip tea to calm Alfred, another pause to drive Clark insane! “He panicked, sir, and Master Bruce does not panic.”
“OK, I’ll admit that’s terrifying, the idea of Bruce panicking. It’s almost as unbelievable as the idea of Bruce hurting you. Neither of you show it very well, but I know you love each other.”
“Perhaps my reserved nature was not the best role model for him, but I did the best I could, sir.”
“Alfred you did a wonderful job, don’t ever think otherwise!” Now Clark was holding up a placating hand, fearful of damaging Alfred’s emotional control. “I wasn’t condemning you, I was just trying to figure out his motivations.”
“So is Master Bruce. After I was released from hospital he drove me to the penthouse. He’s insistent that I stay there until he figures out what is wrong with him. I intend to get some sleep and then return to the manor. I simply hoped you would provide some insight into this incident.”
“No idea. J’onn said he was clear of all known toxins from those two. Do what you need to do, Alfred. I am going to talk to Bruce.”
“Master Kent? Are you angry at him for hitting me?”
“Kind of, but mostly concerned about him. I need to find out what’s going on and fix it.”
“Thank you Master Kent. As per your promise, you may go now.” The polite dismissal sounded even more polite as Alfred switched back to British accented English.
Clark grinned as he stood, letting Alfred know he was in control. Forcing the calmness he did not feel, Clark carried his coffee cup out the door. He drained it and tossed it in a trash can before turning into the alley he had emerged from. Rocketing upward, he was over the manor in seconds. Peeking, he found Bruce was in the cave. The sensors noticed him enter the cave but it was when they stopped that he knew Bruce was worried. Bruce had turned off the sensors without making a comment about his sensors being better than Superman! Trying to hurry without looking like he was hurrying, Clark landed in the medical area.
“Hey Bruce, surprised you’re up and working.”
“Why were you looking for me if you didn’t expect to find me?”
“Just an early morning flight. What’s got you up?”
“Just work stuff.”
Clark repressed a sigh, it was clear Bruce didn’t believe him anymore than he believed Bruce. Clark moved until he was behind Bruce, reading over his shoulder. Clark didn’t know what to make of the readings before him, only that the baseline and subject one did not match up. “So why is subject one so far off the baseline?”
“Do not pretend you know what you’re looking at.”
“Explain it to me than.” Clark lean forward, and let his chest touch Bruce’s back.
Pausing the display, Bruce stood and stalked out of the medical bay. He went to a table in the experimental area, one covered with darts and vials. Bruce began rearranging things out of his meticulous piles. Clearly a distraction to keep his hands busy, and hopefully avoid answering Clark’s questions. But Clark could ask questions about anything, he was a trained reporter after all.
“What are you coating the darts with?” Work questions were neutral ground, able to make the bat relax a bit.
“The red tips are knockouts drugs and the blue are paralytics.” Bruce moved to the other side of the table as Clark walked toward him.
“Like the paralytics you used on Flash?”
“Exactly. The problem is determining inadequate dosage. I was trying for an hour of effectiveness, allowing for variations in height and weight. The dose I gave Flash should have only lasted for 20 minutes, or an hour on a normal human metabolism. I haven’t had time to test the sedative nor figure out a way to install them in the gloves.”
“They’re so tiny, how can you even tell the red from the blue?” Once more, Clark was looking over Bruce’s shoulder.
“Infrared setting on the cowl lenses.” A half hearted hand gesture indicated a pair of goggles on a nearby table, goggles with lenses for eye pieces. Bruce slipped away again, as if he needed distance from Clark.
Clark shifted his eyes and saw the colored tips. Carefully, he picked one up. Bruce had turned his back to Clark as he looked for a new distraction, so the dart went easily into his neck. He tried to fight it, but Bruce was too good at chemistry. Clark scooped him up and carried him back to the med bay.
“Don’t worry, Bruce, I’ll time how long it works on you.” With Bruce asleep, Clark went to study Bruce’s test results.
sBSbBs
Chapter 4
Author: Trista_zevkia
Chapter: 3/5
Fandom: Batman/Superman
Characters/Pairing: Clark/Bruce
Rating: PG-17
Warnings: SLASH
Summary: When Batman says to stay out of his city, you really should listen!
Disclaimer: All monies made will be sent to the Wayne Enterprise approved Charities
Author's Notes: I had written Bruce into corner, Clark flying in for a kiss and then Bruce did something unexpected. I shouldn’t be surprised really. Cornered bats get even harder to catch, Poor Clark.
Once upon a time, there was a flood in New Zealand. Many have moved on, but my lazy butt and broken wrist are just now getting around to fulfilling my part. For Darke_wulf kindness about the time, I’m tossing in a few extra words. It has nothing to do with my inability to follow guidelines
; )
Chapter 2
Bruce didn’t want to, but he had to know what he was up against in order to fight it. Expanding hid awareness, he felt movement to his left. Slowly cracking open his right eye, Bruce saw gleaming metal and harsh shapes. It was too bright and nothing moved, telling him he was in the artificial world of the Watchtower. Fear flooded through him and he squeezed both eyes shut.
Calm yourself, Batman. You are safe, among friends. I will care for you until you are well.
Bruce knew that voice, knew the alien who spoke hated fire. The Watchtower medical bay was something he knew. Without allowing a thought the telepath might read, he rolled to his feet and bolted across the room. Having memorized the layout when it was built, he knew which cabinet held a flammable substance. A drawer to his left held a laser scalpel, an ignition source. J’onn froze and Bruce started edging toward the door. The telepathic alien was doubtless calling for backup. Sure enough, the door opened before Bruce was close enough to trigger the sensors. Impossibly blue and red colors moved toward Bruce with open arms.
“Bruce it’s OK! You’re on the Watchtower. You’re safe, we only want to help.” Superman’s voice broke into a pleading note that broke Bruce’s every rational thought. He had nothing to defend against Superman so he moved to take J’onn hostage. So focused was Bruce, that he failed to notice the syringe floating in midair. When the needle penetrated his bicep Bruce remembered the telepath could also make things float. The drug worked quickly, leaving Bruce to his terrifying dreams.
sBSbBs
Batman had been very conscientious about uploading the antidotes to Poison Ivy and Scarecrow’s toxins to the database on the Watchtower. But as this was a new toxin, J’onn decided on a more drastic approach. After taking several samples of Bruce is blood, J’onn set up the machine that would filter Bruce’s blood and return it to his body. This would require J’onn to stay with Bruce at all times, in order to put him back to sleep if he showed any sign of awakening. It wasn’t a sacrifice for J’onn, as he could meditate here as well as anywhere, once he found a way to get rid of Kal-el.
Kal-el floated as he paced, so as not to destroy the flooring outside of medical. His regret, fear and concern came off of him in powerful waves. After a few hours J’onn could no longer feel that terror coming from Batman without a direct effort. He could not even tell if that was because of lessening fears on Batman’s part or Kal-el taking up all his concentration! Checking that Batman was still asleep, J’onn stepped out into the hallway.
“Kal-el, his body will live. I cannot attend to his mental state with you projecting anxiety at me.”
“I can’t leave!” Horror stricken at the idea, Kal-el at last came to a standstill.
“You have to. Is there someone into Gotham we should notify of his safe return?” Kal-el’s guilty look was enough of an answer for J’onn. “Make the notification. Take some time to calm yourself, before you return. Perhaps you should find the Scarecrow so he cannot harm anyone else.”
“That could take days!”
“I will notify you of any changes. Now I need you to go, for Bruce’s sake.”
Slowly, reluctantly, with his head bowed, Kal-el made his way for the exit. J’onn watched him go before returning to Bruce. With Kal-el gone, J’onn could at last focus on Batman. The terror was receding but was still there. The images from Batman’s dreams were too chaotic and confusing for J’onn to make sense of them yet. Floating beside his patient J’onn settled in to meditate. He needed to wait and observe, helping as needed and hoping he wouldn’t be necessary.
sBSbBs
Even unconscious, Batman was still a paranoid asshole! Ever since the rescue, John had wanted a peek at the man. He probably would be some pale, camera shy recluse identifiable only through his driver’s license photo, but John didn’t care. He’d gladly spend hours with his friends in the police department running down possibilities, just to have something to hold over the insufferable know-it-all. But Batman had angels on his side, or at least Superman.
Superman had found Batman and brought him to the Watchtower wrapped in his cape. So no unmasked Batman for John to find. The Watchtower security cameras weren’t up to task of picking out the face amidst folds of fabric carried at full Superman speed to the infirmary. John had spent several hours attempting to coax an image out of them. And then, even with Scarecrow having escaped, Superman had guarded the entrance to the infirmary. Pacing back and forth for hours, until John was ready to give up. At long last Superman exited the Watchtower and John went to the infirmary. J’onn had floated beside Batman but John had looked around him.
What did he see? Was his patience rewarded with a glimpse of the man he desperately wanted to see? Not really. His hair was streaked blond and black, so John didn’t even have a reliable hair color. Some of the skin visible was white, the rest of was various shades of purple! That annoyingly exposed chin had been enough to know Batman was Caucasian. But something about changing his skin tone made it hard to pick out identifiable features. Were his eyes deep and hollow or did they just have a lot of dye on them? John hadn’t spent much time memorizing those visible lips and now he wished he had. They looked huge and plush now, as if Batman regularly injected collagen in them! John could only wait, and hope the purple got washed off.
Trips to the infirmary were now a part of John’s routine. Between emergencies, meetings and monitor duty, John would stop by and check on the patient. Soon enough Superman was back, pacing in the air beside the windows. John wondered why J’onn had kicked Superman out, but didn’t ask. Superman was his friend, but John wasn’t the best person for talking about feelings. All things considered, he really hoped Wonder Woman would come by and fix Superman! He didn’t see that, but he was walking by and saw Superman was inside the room.
Thinking back, John realized it had been four days since the rescue. J’onn was messing around instead of meditating beside his patient, and Batman was starting to move. Guessing they were going to wake him up at last, John settled in to watch. Batman twitched for a while before sitting up with a gasp. John couldn’t hear through the glass, but he knew J’onn and Superman were offering Batman calming words. As Batman was so good at scaring the rest of the league, John thought about jumping in the room and yelling boo.
Since you are so concerned about your teammate, would you bring him some soup?
Angry at getting caught, and a little guilty, John went to the cafeteria. Batman wouldn’t be so bad if he would just relax every once in a while! John got a bowl of soup and a piece of bread to carry back to the room. At least he got to go inside, playing waiter to the jerk! Up close, the face now looked familiar but not enough that he could place it. John recognized the way the eyes narrowed to glare at him, though. He glared right back, which perversely enough, seem to cheer Batman up.
“OK, I’ve helped. Get well, I’ll see you later.” John was trying for a strategic retreat, not feeling it was necessary for him to stand there and watch Batman eat!
“Stay, Green Lantern.” Batman’s hoarse voice surprised John, but not as much as him wanting John to stay! “Your presence is the only thing keeping Superman from spoon feeding me.”
Superman managed to look indignant, even as he flushed with the truth of the words.
John didn’t know what hold Batman had on Superman, but he didn’t like it. He turned a snarl at Batman. “Like you’re so perfect! If you had just told us what was happening we could’ve helped from the beginning! You would rather let your city go crazy around you then ask somebody to catch the civilians falling off the tall buildings!”
“And if you were competent to catch some, I might have. I expect more of you, ring boy. You’ve got the training to think before you leap. But what did you do when you got there? You went on a date.”
“You didn’t warn us about the compound in the air!”
“And if you have the brains of the goose, I wouldn’t have to.”
John reached for Batman, intending on killing him right then and there! He got a bowl of soup for his troubles, splashing across his face as Batman moved to the other side of the infirmary. Purple man was even slippery in his underwear! But Superman was between them now, eyes red as he held them apart.
“Green Lantern, don’t you have worked to do?”
As angry as he had ever been, John edged toward the door. He kept weathered eye on Batman as he did so. Batman managed to watch him leave even as he dismissed him. In a ridiculously calm voice, Batman spoke to Superman.
“I kept my cool, I only defended myself. Obviously, the fear toxin is not affecting me. Can I go now?”
The door closed on John’s face as he realized he just been used as a medical test! John didn’t have work to do, but he did have some effigies of Batman to destroy in the workout room!
sBSbBs
Early morning telephone calls were not uncommon. What made this one special is that it was on Clark Kent’s phone! It wasn’t the JL for Superman, but an unknown number calling Clark Kent. Expecting a wrong number, Clark sat up to answer it. He went for the ‘just woken up’ voice he should have, instead of the instantly alert voice of Superman.
“‘ello?”
“Master Kent, please forgive me for waking you.”
Not a wrong number, as the owner of that voice made few mistakes. Nor did he make unnecessary phone calls. “Alfred, what’s wrong?”
“The emergency has passed, sir. I merely wish to speak to you about preventing future occurrences.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“I have not given enough information for understanding, so it would be surprising if you did, sir.” There was a touch of amusement in Alfred’s voice, and Clark shook his head to make sure he was awake. “I call this early hoping you’d meet me for breakfast. Do you remember the small coffee shop half a block away from the penthouse?”
“Why are you there, instead of the mansion?”
“I will explain if you meet me here, at your convenience of course. But I must ask that you listen to the entire story before leaving.”
“That’s no problem.” Clark was confused Alfred had to ask. Bruce was the only one who thought Clark was an impetuous fool!
“You say that now, Master Kent. But I must insist that you promise you will not leave for anything other than an emergency after we begin talking.”
Clark hesitated, it was such a strange request! As with Bruce, Alfred always had his reasons. Bruce’s reasons could be hard to figure out but Alfred’s reasons always had to do with protecting Bruce. “As it happens, I’m just around the corner. Order me a cup of coffee and I’ll meet you there. Also, I promise not to leave until you tell me to.”
“Very well sir, I will be awaiting your arrival.”
Hanging up, Clark jumped out of bed and sped into some fresh clothes. He went with a t-shirt and jeans, hoping nobody would connect him with the bad suit wearing reporter in another city. Automatically checking for prying eyes and surveillance cameras, Clark flew to Gotham. A few minutes later he emerged from an ally and headed for the coffee shop in question.
It was crowded and with people getting ready to start the work day. But in a far corner, with his back to the entrance, sat an elegant white haired man. He sipped from a cup with a tea bag and an unclaimed cup of coffee sat across from him before an empty chair. It didn’t take super abilities or detective skills to guess this was Alfred. Still, Clark looked before he sat down. It was definitely Alfred, under a very large pair of sunglasses covering both eyes and half of his nose.
“Morning Alfred. What can I do for you?” This was the least of Clark’s questions, but he had to let Alfred answer them in his own time.
“Good morning sir.” Alfred acknowledged him with a nod.
Clark took a sip of his coffee to find it had been adjusted to his preference. He wondered if Alfred kept a database of food and beverage preferences of Bruce’s acquaintances, or if Alfred had access to the Superman file. “It’s perfect, Alfred.”
“Thank you sir.” Apparently this formality was enough to please Alfred, for he reached up and pulled off the sunglasses. His kind eyes were swollen and black, and the sunglasses had hidden a white cast on his nose.
A quick x-ray of the nose showed it was broken, but treated. Clark curled his fingers into his thighs and tried not to think about what he would do to whoever would hurt such kindly gentleman! “Who did this to you?”
“That is not the issue.” Alfred spoke in fluid Italian, so most people around them wouldn’t understand. That he didn’t have to ask if Clark understood showed he had enough access to know Superman spoke all Earth languages. “My concern is what caused him to do this.”
“You’re carefully not saying that Bruce did this, aren’t you?”
Alfred held up a long index finger in a wait gesture, and Clark realized he had risen to his feet. Unsure what he was planning on doing, Clark sat back down.
“Last night, after he was declared well, I was helping Master Bruce remove the skin dye. He was beginning to look like Master Bruce again when I mentioned that not removing the suit would be more effective than the skin dye. He began to fight me off, but one elbow to the face was debilitating enough.” Alfred had another sip at his tea, a slight pause before he continued his story.
Clark forced his fingers to uncurl before he damaged something.
“Before I could properly protest, Master Bruce had me in the car and on the way to the hospital. I only just manage to convince him to wear a hooded jacket to cover up the dye. He hovered around and babbled at the doctors. My broken nose was bleeding into my mouth and I had to tell the doctors a decent cover story.” Another sip tea to calm Alfred, another pause to drive Clark insane! “He panicked, sir, and Master Bruce does not panic.”
“OK, I’ll admit that’s terrifying, the idea of Bruce panicking. It’s almost as unbelievable as the idea of Bruce hurting you. Neither of you show it very well, but I know you love each other.”
“Perhaps my reserved nature was not the best role model for him, but I did the best I could, sir.”
“Alfred you did a wonderful job, don’t ever think otherwise!” Now Clark was holding up a placating hand, fearful of damaging Alfred’s emotional control. “I wasn’t condemning you, I was just trying to figure out his motivations.”
“So is Master Bruce. After I was released from hospital he drove me to the penthouse. He’s insistent that I stay there until he figures out what is wrong with him. I intend to get some sleep and then return to the manor. I simply hoped you would provide some insight into this incident.”
“No idea. J’onn said he was clear of all known toxins from those two. Do what you need to do, Alfred. I am going to talk to Bruce.”
“Master Kent? Are you angry at him for hitting me?”
“Kind of, but mostly concerned about him. I need to find out what’s going on and fix it.”
“Thank you Master Kent. As per your promise, you may go now.” The polite dismissal sounded even more polite as Alfred switched back to British accented English.
Clark grinned as he stood, letting Alfred know he was in control. Forcing the calmness he did not feel, Clark carried his coffee cup out the door. He drained it and tossed it in a trash can before turning into the alley he had emerged from. Rocketing upward, he was over the manor in seconds. Peeking, he found Bruce was in the cave. The sensors noticed him enter the cave but it was when they stopped that he knew Bruce was worried. Bruce had turned off the sensors without making a comment about his sensors being better than Superman! Trying to hurry without looking like he was hurrying, Clark landed in the medical area.
“Hey Bruce, surprised you’re up and working.”
“Why were you looking for me if you didn’t expect to find me?”
“Just an early morning flight. What’s got you up?”
“Just work stuff.”
Clark repressed a sigh, it was clear Bruce didn’t believe him anymore than he believed Bruce. Clark moved until he was behind Bruce, reading over his shoulder. Clark didn’t know what to make of the readings before him, only that the baseline and subject one did not match up. “So why is subject one so far off the baseline?”
“Do not pretend you know what you’re looking at.”
“Explain it to me than.” Clark lean forward, and let his chest touch Bruce’s back.
Pausing the display, Bruce stood and stalked out of the medical bay. He went to a table in the experimental area, one covered with darts and vials. Bruce began rearranging things out of his meticulous piles. Clearly a distraction to keep his hands busy, and hopefully avoid answering Clark’s questions. But Clark could ask questions about anything, he was a trained reporter after all.
“What are you coating the darts with?” Work questions were neutral ground, able to make the bat relax a bit.
“The red tips are knockouts drugs and the blue are paralytics.” Bruce moved to the other side of the table as Clark walked toward him.
“Like the paralytics you used on Flash?”
“Exactly. The problem is determining inadequate dosage. I was trying for an hour of effectiveness, allowing for variations in height and weight. The dose I gave Flash should have only lasted for 20 minutes, or an hour on a normal human metabolism. I haven’t had time to test the sedative nor figure out a way to install them in the gloves.”
“They’re so tiny, how can you even tell the red from the blue?” Once more, Clark was looking over Bruce’s shoulder.
“Infrared setting on the cowl lenses.” A half hearted hand gesture indicated a pair of goggles on a nearby table, goggles with lenses for eye pieces. Bruce slipped away again, as if he needed distance from Clark.
Clark shifted his eyes and saw the colored tips. Carefully, he picked one up. Bruce had turned his back to Clark as he looked for a new distraction, so the dart went easily into his neck. He tried to fight it, but Bruce was too good at chemistry. Clark scooped him up and carried him back to the med bay.
“Don’t worry, Bruce, I’ll time how long it works on you.” With Bruce asleep, Clark went to study Bruce’s test results.
sBSbBs
Chapter 4
