World's Finest | Part One

[sanalayla]

A/N: This fic is for Ginchy, who won my offer for the Help_Japan fanfic auction.

“It’s easier to get into the White House and Pentagon combined than it is to get into this black-tie shin-dig.” Lois stood on her tip-toes and craned her neck to see if she could get a glimpse of the beginning of the line.

Clark shot her a rueful smile and pushed his glasses up his nose in an absentminded manner. “For the general public or for Lois Lane? Because it wasn’t so easy for me to get into the White House the last time I checked.”

With an impatient shake of her head, Lois answered, “For both.” Without it giving it much thought, she began to adjust her husband’s black tie, which had wilted a little in the past hour they’d spent waiting in line. “Couldn’t you just… you know?”

Lifting a brow slightly, Clark put his hands on hers to halt her impatient fingers. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Considering the people on the guest list.”

“Of course.” Letting out another sigh, Lois inched forward as more people cleared through security. “It would just be so much more EFFICIENT.”

Clark set his hand just at the small of her back and murmured into her ear, “Just be patient. I know that’s a foreign concept, but --.”

“Easy for you to say,” Lois shot back in a hushed whisper. “I know you’re just going to whoosh off any second and leave me standing here in line for the rest of eternity and – .”

“Eternity, Lois? C’mon. At the most, a few years.”

“In all seriousness, did they really need to go this all out on security, Clark?”

“When you’ve got Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor throwing a joint party? I’m surprised they didn’t just go ahead and hold it IN the Pentagon.”

“Do I detect a note of annoyance in the tone?” Lois looked at him curiously. “I know Luthor’s not exactly your best friend, but what have you got against Wayne? For the most part, he seems like he’s on the up and up. At least, I haven’t been able to find anything on him. And, God knows, I’ve tried.”

“He’s a billionaire with too much free time on his hands,” Clark replied a little tersely. “I’ve learned not to trust people that fall into that category.”

“You’re friends with Oliver Queen,” Lois pointed out. “Who also, might I add, falls into that category.”

“What’s that old saying about knowing a person by the friends he keeps?” Clark made a show of glancing around the opulent lobby of the hotel where the formal ball was being held. “I don’t see Oliver anywhere. It’s Luthor that Wayne is in cahoots with and that’s not a good sign.”

“Cahoots?” Lois’s brows rose and she didn’t bother to hide her amusement. “Oh, honey. I don’t think they use that word anymore.”

Before Clark could answer, she saw that they’d finally made it to the front of the line and so she turned her attention away from him to place her small evening bag on the table. After throwing an irreverent grin at the security personnel, she briskly walked through the metal detector.

Unsurprisingly, the alarms went off and she immediately reached down to lift up her skirt.

A burly security guard stepped up to her and put his hand up to stop her. “Miss. You’ll need to step over there.”

“It’s okay,” she assured him, as she unstrapped the knife she had attached to her thigh. “I just forgot about this one.” Lois handed him the knife and then turned to the other security guard who had just taken out the small gun from her bag. “I need that back after the party. It was a gift from my father.”

The man opened his mouth, as though he was going to argue, but then his co-worker nudged him in the ribs. With a quelling look, the other guard held up the press badge that had fallen out of Lois’s bag.

Clearing his throat slightly, the red-face guard said, “Sorry, Ms. Lane. Yes, you’ll get it back after the dinner.”

Clark stood off to the side, with his arms crossed, and shook his head slowly as he followed Lois into the main ballroom. “Never fails.”

“What never fails?” Lois asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“Your name striking terror in the hearts of everyone.”

Lois’s focus was diverted by a sight of a few men standing in the corner, all intently engaged in a serious discussion of some sort. “Not everyone.” Glancing at Clark sharply, she said, “The Secretary of Defense; my nine-o-clock. And – look – the Lithuanian prime minister at your three-o-clock.”

“Let me guess. You get the secretary and I get the prime minister?” Clark gave her a bemused smile and adjusted his glasses slightly.

Lois shot him a grin. “Well, if you happen to wander off into restricted areas because the conversation happens to bore you….”

“Duly noted.” Clark leaned down and gave her a quick kiss and then grabbed a glass of champagne on his way towards the prime minister.

Biting her lower lip lightly, Lois gave herself one second to enjoy the view of her gorgeous husband all dressed up in a tux and then shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her lips curved up into a confident smile as she approached the group of men. “Well, hello, gentlemen. Fancy meeting YOU here!”

All four the men exchanged looks and one man muttered a curse word under his breath while another groaned.

Instead of being deterred, the reaction caused Lois to laugh. This was going to be fun.

* * *

After spending ten minutes talking to the Lithuanian prime minister – who happened to be a very friendly man with a tendency to tell stories of his three year old daughter in minute detail – Clark was finally able to politely excuse himself on the pretense of searching for his wife.

Then he proceeded to completely ignore Lois as he walked right past her towards the back doors that led to the private area of the hotel that had been roped off. Glancing around, he quickly jumped the rope and employed a little burst of super-speed to get to where he needed to be without detection.

When he got to the storeroom in the back – the one set up right next to the ramp that would lead to the stage in the ballroom reserved for the presentation – he came to a skidding halt. A large item was covered in black fabric. Clark slid his glasses down his nose, almost absentmindedly, and x-rayed through it to discover that it was a large machine. A kind of robot.

Puzzled, he slid the glasses back up his nose and inched closer to the robot to get a better look.

“You know, this is a restricted area.” The bored voice stopped him in his tracks.

Slowly, Clark turned around to face him. “Well, I was looking for the restroom and lost my way.”

Bruce Wayne put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall in a deliberately relaxed pose. “You had difficulty finding something? I find that hard to believe.” With a slightly sardonic smile, he added, “You would be able to find the proverbial needle in a haystack within seconds, Kent.”

With a slight smile of his own, Clark nodded once to acknowledge the observation. “And you know the word ‘restricted’ doesn’t mean much, Bruce.”

Bruce pushed him away from the wall and appeared to drop all pretext of humor. “In which capacity are you here, Clark? Journalist or…?”

Clark felt a flash of annoyance, but he forced his tone to remain even. “What capacity should I be here in? What are you doing working with Luthor?”

“I have my reasons,” Bruce answered cryptically. “I don’t see how it’s your concern.”

“When Luthor sends out a message to all the top militaries in the world and promises them a technology that’ll change the way they see war? It becomes my concern.” Clark gritted his teeth and closed the distance between the two of them until he was standing right in front of Bruce and the slightly shorter man had to look up at him. “Everything Luthor does is my business.”

“In Metropolis, perhaps. Not Gotham.” Bruce didn’t look like he was cowed in the slightest. In fact, he looked vaguely amused at the display of emotion he’d elicited from Clark so easily. “Gotham is my town, Kent. Luthor is just visiting. As are you. And as any good host, I’m fully aware of how to deal with unwelcome guests.” Then Bruce straightened and looked him right in the eyes, “I’ve heard the shrimp is excellent. You should go back into the reception and try it out.”

With that, Bruce turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Clark to stare after him with more than a little concern.

* * *

Exactly an hour and half later, Lois found herself staring, open mouthed, at the stage while Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne concluded their joint presentation to the dinner guests. Her dessert – a molten lava cake – sat untouched as she scrambled to process what she’d just heard. Slowly, the murmur of conversation around them started to rise into a fully blown tide of excited chatter and exclamations as people went back to eating and talking about their reactions to the latest product to come from LexCorp Labs.

Finally, Lois turned to Clark and said, “Did we just hear that correctly? Lex created a super-solider that’s supposed to be stronger than Superman?”

With a frown, Clark jerked his head down in response. “Yes.” Looking down at his plate, he pushed away his own uneaten dessert as though he’d lost his appetite.

“How is that possible?” Lois asked him, even though she knew that he didn’t know any more than she did. “Lex just filed bankruptcy last year. There is no way he could have gained enough capital to fund a project of that magnitude.”

“Wayne Industries.”

Lois immediately shook her head and lowered her voice, leaning in closer to him. “No, I checked the financials. WI didn’t fund this project. And they didn’t even come into the game until a few months ago – well after the majority of the work was already complete. At this point, WI’s stamp is essentially in name only.”

Clearly surprised, Clark raised a brow. “Why would Wayne do that? What’s in it for him?”

Lois frowned. “I don’t know. That’s what I can’t figure out.”

Before Clark could respond, they were interrupted by the very man they had been talking about.

Leaning down, with a flirtatious smile, Bruce asked Lois, “May I have this dance?”

Startled, Lois turned to Clark and asked, “Uh… you don’t mind, do you?”

Casting a sharp glance at Bruce, Clark shrugged. “No, of course not.”

Taking Bruce’s hand, Lois allowed him to help her get to her feet and let him lead her to the dance floor, where quite a few couples had already started to sway together to the flowing music.

As Bruce steered her towards an empty space, he said, in a casual tone, “I always find these sorts of things mind-numbingly boring. All the talk of war and military when all these beautiful women are left completely sidelined.”

Blinking in confusion, Lois tilted her head to the side and assessed him for a second. After a moment of silence, Lois blurted out, “Then, out of all the women here, why’d you ask me?”

“You were the only one who wasn’t hoping that I would ask you,” Bruce responded lightly, as he slowly twirled in a graceful circle.

Letting out a slight laugh, Lois answered, “That’s technically not true.”

With a quirk of his brow, Bruce replied, “Really? And here I thought you and Kent were the definition of married bliss. Trouble in paradise?”

“No.” Lois grasped onto his arm for balance as they executed a complicated turn. For a second, she just enjoyed the experience of dancing with a man who was as light and graceful on his feet as Bruce Wayne. While Clark was an excellent dancer, they – unfortunately – never got a chance to really dance all that much because the world couldn’t know that Clark was an excellent dancer. “I just wanted a chance to talk to you about the super-weapon you just unveiled. What’s your angle? Why is Wayne Industries backing up LexCorp on this?”

Bruce stared down at her for a second and then responded, “You never go off the clock, do you?”

“In my world, there is no clock.” Lois shrugged. “You’re either a journalist 24/7 or you’re not one at all.”

Bruce stared down at her, his expression softening into a thoughtful one. “You’re an interesting woman, Lois Lane.”

“Thank you.” As the music stopped, Lois stilled. Along with everyone else, she lightly applauded, but rather than move into the next dance with him, she backed up a few feet and got off the dance floor. “So, any comment? On the super-weapon and what the benefit is for you to get into the military weapon game? What, did he promise you eighty percent of the profits or something?”

Bruce followed her and shoved his hands into his pockets, the informal gesture in a bizarre juxtaposition against the severe formality of his tux. As he gazed down at her, he seemed to be considering his words carefully. “Rumor has it that you’ve been able to unearth information regarding LexCorp that even the government hasn’t been able to find. Would you say there is truth to those rumors?”

The abrupt change of topic caused Lois to pause. Interesting. Suddenly, she wasn’t interviewing him. He was interviewing her. “Depends,” Lois answered, in a vague tone.

“On what?”

“On what your definition of the words truth and rumor are.”

Instead of looking irritated, Bruce just simply looked amused. “My definition is probably in line with the general population’s definition.”

“Well, Mr. Wayne, you know as well as I do that reputation can sometimes be exaggerated. Of course, in my case….” Lois leaned in closer to him as though she were going to impart a secret. “The reputation doesn’t even begin to cover how awesome I am.”

At that, Bruce let out a slight laugh. “And modest, too, I see.”

Lois shrugged. And then decided it was time to show Bruce Wayne why she had the reputation she did. Clark didn’t call her a pit-bull on a pant leg for nothing. “Why are you in bed with Luthor? Wayne Industries may not be the most ethical company in the world, but you’ve never done business with criminals before. What are you thinking?”

“Are we on the record now?” Bruce removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms. “If so, then I’ll have to respond as I would with any reporter: Lex Luthor has never been convicted of any criminal activity and Wayne Industries is committed to the best interests of our shareholders and our employees. LexCorp has products that can help us achieve our projected profit margins and, in the end, that is what our company needs, as well as this country, given the current economic crisis. So, a partnership with LexCorp is the smart and ethical thing to do.”

Lois pretended look impressed. “Wow. I can’t believe you didn’t have to pull out your note cards even ONCE. Good job with the memorization.” Shaking her head a bit, Lois pulled out her phone from her bag and made it a point to show Bruce that it wasn’t on. “You’re not on record. Just between you and me – why are you getting into the war business? Super-soldiers? Killer robots? It’s a far cry from the sort of technology Wayne Industries is famous for. It’s got to be more than the money.”

Bruce quirked a brow at her and then adjusted his tie. “Yes. You’re right. It is about more than the money.”

Before Lois could respond, she felt a warm hand touch the small of her back lightly. Her body responded immediately to the familiar touch, a slow tingle travelling to all her nerve endings and making her feel more alive than she had before. Her lips curved up into a happy smile and she glanced towards her left. “Clark.”

Clark handed her a glass of champagne. “I thought you might be thirsty after all the dancing.” Then he turned his attention to Bruce and nodded tersely. “Bruce.”

With a stiff nod in return, Bruce said, “Kent. Nice to see you found your way to the dinner. How was the shrimp?”

Clark smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “I’m allergic to shell fish, but thank you for the recommendation.”

Bruce paused and then said, a bit dryly, “But of COURSE you’re allergic to shell fish. I should have thought of that.”

Bewildered by the hostility she could sense coming from both of them, Lois said, “I take it formal introductions aren’t necessary?”

“No need,” Bruce answered stiffly. “We met years ago.”

“You did?” Lois’s eyes flew towards Clark, who was avoiding her gaze. “When was this?”

“At a fundraiser,” Bruce replied smoothly, while –at the same time – Clark responded, “Interview.”

So, Bruce amended, “Kent interviewed me at a fundraiser.”

“Really?” Lois glanced between the two of them. Her husband cheeks were slightly flushed – at tell-tale sign that he was lying. Bruce just looked a little uncomfortable. “When was this interview? And where was I? And why was it never published?”

“It was… uh….” Clark’s gaze fixed on a point somewhere past her left ear. “That time you were gone for a few weeks. When we… uh… didn’t know where you were. The article was never published.”

Lois thought back to the time – long ago – when she’d taken an unexpected trip to an apocalyptic future. It had been even before they’d started dating. Lois shook her head in disbelief and reminded him, “You weren’t even working for the DP at the time. You were taking a break.”

“That’s probably why the article wasn’t published,” Bruce pointed out, in an almost comically helpful tone.

Clark shot Bruce a dirty look, as though saying that he really didn’t need Bruce’s help. Then, he turned to Lois and said, “Yes. That’s why it wasn’t published.”

“Let me get this straight.” Lois lifted up her hand and began ticking off the points on her fingers. “You met with Bruce Wayne and interviewed him for the DP even when you weren’t working for the DP. Then, that article never got published, because – again – you weren’t even working for the DP. And you never happened to mention any of this to me?” Glancing between the two men again, Lois rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable.”

With a weak smile, Clark answered, “It was a spur of the moment thing. I didn’t think you’d be interested. It’s a pretty boring story.”

Lois’s mouth dropped open in a mixture of annoyance and amazement. “What?”

“Well, well, what have we here?”

All three turned their attention to the person who had just decided to join them.

“Bruce, old friend, I hope you’re not giving away all of our secrets.” Lex came and stood next to Bruce Wayne, all while staring down at Lois. The smile on his lips was off-set by the annoyance in his eyes. “Careful around Lane. She has a tendency to chase after windmills.”

The tension coming from Clark was so intense, Lois felt like she could cut through it with a knife. Lex always had that effect on him. Almost instinctively, she reached out and grasped his hand, curling her fingers around his for comfort. While Clark tried to control his emotions, Lex kept his attention on Bruce and Lois. As usual, Lex didn’t even seem to realize that Clark was standing there.

“No secrets, Lex.” Bruce stopped a server who was passing by and grabbed a glass of champagne from the tray. After taking a sip, he added, “We were just chatting about the weather.”

“The weather?” Lex’s brow rose, his expression revealing his mistrust. Then, schooling his features into a more pleasant expression, Lex asked, “So, Lois, what did you think of our presentation? I’ve heard your father is going to be one of the first people to sign a contract with us.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” After swallowing the last of her drink, Lois put the empty glass down on the table next to her. “A robotic super-soldier that can go out and fight the nation’s battles with zero human loss for the United States? Any general would kill to get their hands on that kind of weapon. But you already knew that before you even designed it.”

“And, yet, you’re a pacifist. Much like Superman.” The expression on Lex’s face was unreadable, but his tone shifted when he mentioned the name. “You don’t have a problem with it?”

“Superman is a pacifist?” Bruce gazed at Clark and said, in a thoughtful tone, “Ironic, given that he’s the world’s most powerful weapon.”

“It’s not about the strengths that you have, Bruce,” Clark responded, his fingers tightening around Lois’s fingers. “It’s what you choose to do with them. Take Batman, for example. Some would argue that he’s more powerful than Superman, because of his lack of concern for things like the law.”

Disconcerted by the sharp left turn the conversation had taken, Lois glanced at her husband out of the corner of her eye. “Well, I think it’s no question that if Batman and Superman decided to duke it out that Superman would win.”

Letting out a short laugh, Lex interjected, “That’s a bit presumptuous, Lois. Now, I’m not exactly a fan of Gotham’s dark knight, but even I have to say that – if Batman were equipped with the right accessories – I’d place my bets on him. Not the Man of Steel.”

Lois snorted in derision. “So says the man whose tried to take down Superman and failed – about 41 times, at last count.”

“For what it’s worth, I would place my bets on Superman,” Bruce interjected before Lex could respond. Bruce put his own empty glass on a table nearby and said, almost negligently, “I don’t think he’s as much of a boy scout as people seem to think. He’d fight dirty.”

Startled by such an inaccurate description of her husband, Lois couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s not true at all!”

Bruce’s gaze slid towards her and he said, “Oh right. I’d forgotten. You’re Superman’s… biggest fan.”

Lois stiffened. “I’m not a fan of Superman. I’m merely a citizen of Metropolis who happens to be astute enough to recognize all the good he’s done for this world.”

“Spoken in the true hyperbolic fashion of a journalist,” Lex responded, in a dry tone. If he was still offended by her comment regarding his past failures when it came to Superman, he didn’t show it. “What would we all do without Metropolis’s savior? Well, soon, LexCorp and Wayne Industries will show the world what we’ll do without him.”

For the first time, Clark spoke directly to Lex. “Creating a machine with the same powers as Superman is not going to make him obsolete. He’s more than just his powers.”

“Even you, Kent?” Lex finally acknowledged that Clark was there. Rolling his eyes slightly, he added, “I know why your wife gets so excited talking about the guy, but I would think you’d have a little more dignity.”

When Clark drew in a breath, Lois tightening her grip on Clark’s hand, willing him not to respond to Lex’s taunt.

Then, out of nowhere, small, plastic balls started raining down on the guests that filled the ballroom. A purple ball rolled to a stop right at Lois’s feet and, curious, she reached down to pick it up.

“No, don’t!” Bruce yelled out, as he shoved the ball out of her hand. It flew through the air and then made a popping noise as it exploded and smoke began pouring out of it.

All around them, people started screaming and rushing towards whatever exit they could find. Within minutes, the entire ballroom filled with smoke and the place was a pandemonium. Lois doubled over, consumed by racking coughs. She could feel Clark’s strong arms shielding her, as he protected her from crush of people around them.

After a few seconds, she heard him murmur in her ear, “Are you fine here? I have to go take care of this.”

Lois nodded, because the action of talking was impossible. Her throat felt like it was on fire and her eyes watered. Her slight movement must have been enough, because he immediately left her side to go deal with the situation. Soon, the smoke dissipated, more likely because Clark had used his super-breath to direct the smoke through the open windows.

It only took a few moments for it to work and Lois felt like she could breathe again. Glancing around, she saw that Bruce was standing near the windows – he must have been the one to open them – and that Lex was nowhere to be found. Clark was near the exit, helping an elderly woman to her feet.

Blinking away the moisture in her eyes, Lois brushed away the stray tears. Confused, she looked around the room at the chaos surrounding her and wondered what the hell had just happened. And why?

Her questions were answered seconds later, when she heard a burst of loud and insane laughter coming from the stage. Like everyone else in the room, she immediately turned her attention to the cause of all the bedlam.

She felt a swirl of fear and dread circle through her, right as the person standing beside her voiced her thoughts.

“Oh no,” he breathed out, the terror clear in this voice, “It’s….” His voice trailed away, as though he couldn’t even say the name.

Lois couldn’t help but finish it for him. “The Joker.”

To be continued....

 

Comments

[xprincessxmeg.livejournal.com]

Evil cliffie. Evil evil evil cliffie.


That being said, I love this take on the meeting. Especially all the underlying tension.

[sanalayla.livejournal.com]

I know. It just seemed like a natural place to stop, even though I knew it was evil of me. LOL

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

[ginchy.livejournal.com]

Excuse me a moment while I squee and flail and squee some more....

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!

Now, down to business. ;) I'm loving it so far. Wow. I'm just picturing it all in my mind and I love how you've written Clark, Lois and Bruce here. And... the Joker?? Did NOT see that coming!

Wow, and there's a part 2!! I cannot wait! Thanks so much, gal. I love it!

[sanalayla.livejournal.com]

Oh, Ginchy, I am so glad you like it!

*lets out sigh of relief*

Well, if we had Bruce, Clark, and Lex then I just felt the Joker could not be far behind!

And, yes, there is definitely a Part Two. Depending on how it goes, it'll wrap up in Part Two. If the characters become to wordy, etc. then it'll go to Part 3.

[lifesend.livejournal.com]

holy smokes! This is awesome!! I can't wait for the next part!

[sanalayla.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I hope to post the next part by next week.

[ginchy.livejournal.com]

Upon re-reading I'm loving it even more! :) I love Bruce and Lois's conversation on the dance floor.

[sanalayla.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! I really enjoyed that convo, too.

Bruce & Lois have an interesting exchange in the next part.

[audrey229.livejournal.com]

This is like a freaking movie. I love it!!!

[thecrownsmine.livejournal.com]

What she said ^^^:)
I get the feeling that Clark and Bruce know each others alias’ or at the very least Bruce suspects Clark has powers. Lois coming strapped to a black-tie shin-dig is awesome sauce. I'm looking forward to more.

[abbimorgan.livejournal.com]

I am in love with this story! So well written and feels like something from DC but even better. They need to get you on their staff immediately. When I saw the TBC and was so happy because I am definitely not ready for this story to end. Loved all the tension between the men and that Lois was right in the middle of it all.

Thanks for writing!

[athena606.livejournal.com]

oooh yay!! that's starting out good!!

[sv-lilah.livejournal.com]

Woot! A new Sana story!!! I love it already!!

[brijeana.livejournal.com]

Oh my God! This story is so good. The charged energy between Clark, Bruce and Lois after Clark cut in on their dance was AMAZING and then Lex Luthor walked up! *DIES*

It was so much fun to see Clark in action. Pushing his glasses up, pulling them down his nose to use his x-ray vision... it's so much easier to imagine now that Smallville has touched more on Clark's dual identity. <3 <3 <3

Lois is hilarious and wonderful.

I love the themes that have been introduced already, especially "Superman is more than just powers." I can't wait to see that theme explored more.

I'm wondering what on earth happened between Batman and Superman, Clark and Bruce to put them on these strained terms.

Oh I geeked out about BATMAN, LOIS LANE and LEX LUTHOR having the argument Batman vs. Superman debate. JUST TOO PERFECT.

It's been a while since I've read one of your stories Sana. You were always amazing (Undercover @ Met U FTW!) but the fluidity of this chapter was wonderful. It just flowed so expertly. Yum!