Chapter 3
Life at the Daily Planet is quiet, too quiet. Weeks have gone by and not even Lois has been able to sniff out a decent story. Clark offered to share the byline on the article he’s writing about the Luthor-Wayne business deal that is rumored to be in the works but she had been quick to turn it down. After two weeks of progressively snappish comments from a progressively frustrated Lois, Clark tries again.
“Come on Lois, the Wayne-Luthor situation is more interesting than you’re giving it credit for.” Clark says.
“I fail to see the appeal in a story about two rich men making themselves both richer.” Lois scoffs, “where’s the mystery? Where’s the scandal?”
“Bruce Wayne hasn’t appeared in public since shortly after the merger talks started happening, that’s a mysterious.” Clark says. Steve watches from his desk as Lois rolls her eyes.
“He’s probably partying on one of his private yachts, or in the company of one of his many lady friends. Hardly any mystery there.”
“I don’t think he’s as bad as the gossip mags make him out to be,” Clark shrugs, “I was thinking of even trying to get an interview with him.”
Lois laughs as she pours herself another cup of coffee, “Good luck. Bruce Wayne doesn’t accept interviews from anyone with an IQ over 100 or a bra size under D.”
Behind her Steve turns his laugh into a cough.
“Now if you excuse me I’m going do some investigating and dig up a real story.” Lois says.
Clark adjusts his glasses as he strolls over to Steve’s desk.
“So what do you think?” Clark asks, leaning over to get a better look at Steve’s drawing of Bill Clinton, “Do you think I have a chance with an interview with the infamous Mr. Wayne?”
Steve smirks, “I think you have a better chance of interviewing Batman to be honest.”
“We’ll see tonight.” Clark says quietly as he heads back to his desk.
That night, Steve stands atop the Daily Planet watching as the stars come out over the city. His shield fits comfortably in his hand and he paces along the edge of the building, waiting for Bruce and Clark. The next Justice League meeting is just about to begin.
Clark lands next to him, “Sorry I’m late. Where’s Batman?”
“Not here yet.” Steve says. His eyes scan the horizon, searching for any sign of their team member hiding in the shadows. Clark frowns.
“It’s not like him to be late.” Clark says. He scans the skyline too, seeing no swish of the familiar black cape.
“He does have to travel the furthest.” Steve says. Clark gives a shrug of acknowledgement, but hardly looks convinced.
They wait in companionable silence as the minutes tick by. An hour passes. Steve quietly misses the convenience of everyone being glued to their phones 24/7. A quick text would clear this matter up in minutes. A second hour passes. Clark tilts his head.
“There’s a plane on fire.”
“Go. I’ll wait around for a bit more before heading home.” Steve says.
Clark is nothing more than a red blur as he flies off. Steve watches him go. He resumes pacing. There’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes Gotham gets…chaotic. Or perhaps Bruce had finally gotten bored with the Justice League. Steve checks his watch, Bucky will be getting off his shift at the animal shelter soon. Maybe Steve will pick up a pizza his way home. He hasn’t eaten dinner yet, and he doubts Bucky has either.
Thoughts of eating are banished from his brain at the sight of something flipping across a nearby building. Like Bruce, the figure keeps to the shadows. Though, unlike Bruce who never moves a muscle more than necessary, this person flips and tumbles through the air with acrobatic like ease. The figure is tiny, lacking Bruce’s height and sheer mass. Steve watches curiously, shield ready, just in case. Whoever it is may be small, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be dangerous.
The figure runs and takes a flying leap. He lands on the Daily Planet rooftop, and rolls with his forward momentum before popping back up immediately. Steve tilts his head and studies the man – no teenager – in front of him. He’s wearing a yellow and red tunic with green bottoms. A domino mask covers his face. The teen spins to face Steve. From behind his mask, the boy’s eyes grow wide as he takes in Steve and his shield.
“Captain!” He says, “Hi…um…Sir.”
Steve stares at the boy as he straightens up, brushing dirt from his tunic self-consciously. Slowly Steve lowers his shield. The boy doesn’t appear to be a threat, but Steve remains cautious. There’s something foreboding about his presence.
“I’m Robin.” The boy, Robin, says proudly. Steve stares at him blankly.
“You know… Batman’s partner.” Robin says, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
“Batman has a partner?” The words slip out before Steve can stop them.
“He didn’t even mention me?” Robin asks. His shoulders slump in disappointment. Steve grimaces. Robin rallies himself though, “Never mind, that’s not important. I’m here because Batman is in trouble.”
Steve tenses, “what kind of trouble?”
“Well…he’s missing.”
“Missing?”
“He came to Metropolis for a Business meeting with Luthor and never came back. I haven’t been able to contact him by any of our emergency lines since.”
Worry is clear on Robin’s face, far too earnest to be faked. And Steve has heard Clark talk of Luthor too many times to consider him as anything but dangerous.
“Tell me everything.” Steve says slipping into role of The Captain. His voice is calm and confident and immediately Robin’s shoulders relax as relief washes over him.
“It was just supposed to be a boring normal meeting. No Batman stuff.” Robin says, “I spoke to him on the phone just before he went in for the meeting. He was supposed to be home in time for dinner but he never came back. Nobody has seen him since.” As Robin speaks his words get progressively faster, until they come out in a breathless heap.
“Do you know what the meeting was about?” Steve asks. Robin shrugs.
“WayneTech business stuff. Though the day after he went missing board members showed up trying to get paperwork. Alfred had a fit and threw them out, but he says they’ll be back.”
Steve hums thoughtfully. He wouldn’t put it past Luthor to take out a business rival, but he has a hard time believing that anyone could get the jump on Bruce.
There’s a soft thump besides Steve and out of the corner of his eye he watches Clark touch down.
“Hey, I saw you were still here on my way back is everything…” Clark trails off as he notices Robin, whose eyes have gone impossibly wide.
“Superman!” He says and it comes out as more of a squeak than anything else. Steve hides a smile as Robin practically vibrates with excitement, his eyes fixed on Superman’s famous S.
“Hello,” Clark says, glancing questioningly at Steve.
Steve decides to do them both a kindness.
“Superman, meet Robin. He’s Batman’s partner.” Steve says. Robin beams with pride as Clark’s eyebrows disappear under his hairline. He looks at Steve who shrugs.
“I’m sorry, what?” Clark asks. Robin’s smile flickers.
“I’m not lying, I am!”
Clark narrows his eyes as he studies Robin’s face. Under normal circumstances, Clark respects all heroes’ right to a secret identity, but with Bruce not here to confirm this alleged partnership Clark isn’t taking any chances. X-Ray vision allows him to see the young face behind the mask.
“Dick Grayson?”
Robin, Dick Grayson, starts guiltily. His hands come up to shield his face as he realizes what happened.
“No fair. You don’t use x-ray vision on Batman.”
Clark crosses his arms, frowning.
“Clark?” Steve asks, “Who is Dick Grayson?”
“Bruce’s ward. He took him in a few months before you showed up. It was all over the news.” Clark says.
Bruce is a father. Somehow that fact seems even more shocking than saying that Clark is an alien or that Steve is a super soldier from another dimension. Steve doesn’t have any memories of his own father, but from watching Clint with his own children he has a rough idea on how fathers are supposed to behave. He tries to imagine Bruce patiently explaining homework or playing catch in the yard, but can’t quite imagine it. Father doesn’t quite fit either of the personas Bruce has built up for himself.
“And Cap,” Clark adds, “The boy’s only 16.”
Steve gives Dick a once over. He’s small for his age, hardly bigger that Steve was when Steve was 16.
“What was Bruce thinking,” Clark huffs, “He’s too young to be out here, doing the type of things we do.”
Clark’s heart is in the right place, Steve knows, but Steve has met the Kent family. He’s aware that Clark has lived a very idyllic sheltered life. He just doesn’t realize just how much someone can grow up by the time they hit 16.
“Batman thinks I’m old enough.” Dick says squaring his shoulders. Clark gives him a look that clearly conveys his opinions on Bruce’s parenting skills. Neither willing to back down they both look to Steve as the tie breaker.
“I knew kids only a little older than him who signed up for the war,” Steve says, “Patrolling Gotham seems rather tame enough by comparison.”
“Those were different times,” Clark says, “and it wasn’t right then anyway.”
Steve sighs, he’s never understood the argument of “it was a different time” as if people from the 40s were really so different to the modern person. People of the 40s weren’t heartless beasts who carelessly tossed their children into the jaws of death. Nobody had wanted to send their sons, some not even out of school yet, to war. But there hadn’t been a choice. War had shown up on their doorstep and they had responded. Steve likes to think every generation would behave the same way when confronted with the Nazis.
“Listen, I was much younger than him when I was kicking around Brooklyn getting by jaw busted by every back alley bully. At least the kid has Batman watching his back.” Steve says and doesn’t miss the way Dick quietly sighs in relief. Recognizing an argument he’s not going to win, Clark lets the matter drop.
“Where is Batman anyway?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you; Batman went missing during a meeting with Luthor and I need help rescuing him.” Dick says.
Steve watches as the last of Clark’s misgivings die at the mention of Luthor. Dick gets Clark up to speed. The concern on his face only growing the more Dick speaks.
“And you’re sure nobody saw him leave Luthor’s property?” Clark asks, and Dick nods. He shifts from foot to foot, his whole body buzzing with nervous energy.
“I’ll fly by and take a look.” Clark says.
“Thank you,” Dick says. He looks at them with such hope that neither Clark nor Steve have the heart to tell him how unlikely it is that Bruce is still there.
Clark takes off, his cape flapping in the breeze. Fall is just beginning to break the heat of summer, and the cool air tickles his cheeks. It’s the kind of night that just beg to be enjoyed. Too bad Clark can’t appreciate it at the moment. Worry churns his stomach. He doesn’t want to think about Bruce in the hands of Luthor. Luthor has made no secret about considering WayneTech his biggest rival.
Luthor’s tower looms in the distance. Normally Clark gives it a wide berth, not seeing the sense in inviting trouble. Tonight though he circles it, carefully x-raying each floor. He’s annoyed, but not surprised to find that several rooms are lined with lead. He chews his lip. It’s possible that Bruce is trapped within one of those rooms, but how to check?
“Oh Superman.” A voice that makes Clark’s shoulders retreat to his ears calls his name. Clark looks up. Luthor stands on his top floor balcony, with a drink in his hand and a smirk on his lips. Embarrassment at being taken by surprise and anger at seeing Luthor looking so smug with Bruce missing makes Clark flush as he shoots up. He stops in front of Luthor, close enough that the man jerks his drink back, sloshing it on his sleeve. Clark schools his face into an innocent expression as Luthor glares.
“You wanted something?” Clark asks.
“I was just wondering why Metropolis’s star hero is hovering around my building. Don’t you have a kitten to rescue from a tree?”
Clark refuses to rise to the bait. Instead he crosses his arms and fixes Luthor with a hard stare.
“Bruce Wayne disappeared a few days ago. He was last seen entering your building.”
Luthor takes a sip of his overly expensive whiskey, looking perfectly polished as usual.
“And?” He asks blandly. He gives his whiskey another swirl, without even a glance in Clark’s direction.
“And I find it highly suspicious that a business rival disappears immediately after meeting with you.”
Luthor grins, showing off perfect teeth. It’s a shark smile, full of danger and just ready to bite. He sets down his drink. Next to his empty glass is a small lead box. He runs his fingers over it lightly, just enough to call Clark’s attention to it. Clark stiffens. He has suspected for a while that Luthor has been gathering kryptonite. He’s aware that it goes for quite a bit on the black market.
“Mr. Wayne has many business rivals,” Luthor says watching Clark closely, “and do you really think I would be so obvious as to kidnap someone during a meeting.”
There’s an undercurrent of humor in his voice that makes Clark want to dangle him over the ledge until he starts talking. He keeps his arms tucked close against him and heroically resists the urge. Luthor’s hand remains resting on the box.
“I’m going to find out what you did to Mr. Wayne, and then—”
“I did nothing to him, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t go around accusing prominent members of society of crimes,” Luthor sneers, “and until you have proof and a warrant, get out of my air space.”
Fuming, but left with no other choice, Clark flies off. Steve and Dick are still on the roof, waiting for him. Dick’s face spasms with quickly hidden disappointment when Clark lands, alone. Guilty, Clark reaches out to put a hand on Dick’s shoulder. It’s thin and bony beneath Clark’s hand; delicate like a robin wing. A reminder of how young and vulnerable Dick is, no matter what Steve and Bruce think.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” Clark promises. He can see the hope burning brightly in Dick’s eyes as he nods. His expression still hasn’t lost its vague look of awe whenever Clark talks. Clark just hopes he can prove himself worthy of such a look.
Bells chime as the clock strikes midnight.
“Come on kid, I’ll fly you home,” Clark says. He reaches out and Dick allows Clark to wrap an arm around his waist. His frame is so slight beneath Clark’s grip. One wrong move could crush the lad. Clark takes off from the ground with extra care.
“Cap,” Clark says as he and Dick hover in the air, “we’ll talk tomorrow.”
At Steve’s nod, Clark shoots off to Gotham, with Dick shouting with surprise. Clark flies high enough that the city lights look like stars beneath them. It’s beautiful and Clark enjoys watching as the awe in Dick’s face goes towards something deserving of it. Per the boy’s instructions, Clark sets him down just inside the city limits. As he watches Dick slip away into the shadows. Clark can see in his movements all the ways Bruce has trained him. Clark sticks around Gotham until he’s sure Dick has made it back to Wayne Manor safely. Then he rises up and shoots off towards home.