Music of the Spheres 3: Infiltrations
Pairing: Clark/Bruce
Disclaimer: The boys belong to DC and to each other, but not to me.
Notes: "Music of the Spheres" is a series set in the combined universes of "Batman Begins" and "Superman Returns." Other stories and notes on the series here.
Oh, and this is dedicated to tmelange, for like Galactus, she hungers...for fic.
Rating: G (G! Again! I promise to remedy this soon-ish).
Summary: Clark and Bruce finish up their not-a-date with a little late-night burglary.
Word Count: 1807
"I don't think we should be doing this."
Two dark figures slipped through an unlighted hallway. The one leading the way looked back and smiled, a flash of white in the darkness.
"Oh, come on. Where's your sense of adventure?"
"I think I left it wherever I left my sense of humor. And apparently my common sense. Bruce!"
Bruce Wayne halted at the next keypad and entered in a string of numbers. The door clicked open. "Technically, one can't burgle a building one owns, I'm pretty sure. I just don't want Luthor to know I've been poking around the files on our shared project."
"Your building, not mine. Where does that leave me if we're caught?"
"If we're caught, I'll vouch for you, Clark."
"Great, the character witness of a drunken wastrel known best for burning down his own property." Clark Kent's mild tone belied his harsh words; his face in the glow of the dimmed hall light was worried but not hostile. "I have the utmost confidence in the success of our mission."
"Money, Clark. Money is the ultimate character witness." Bruce pulled Clark against a wall to let a security camera scan past them, then gestured him on.
"Speaking of your character, Bruce, if we're going to be embarking on a life of crime together, I'd like to know the whole story behind what happened to your house. I'm pretty certain you didn't do it, but it was no accident, either. And you're no more a drunken wastrel than I'm a...a..." Clark seemed at a loss for the right phrase.
"An international porn star?"
"Exactly. I mean--hey! Well, yes."
Bruce smiled to himself as he could practically feel the reporter's blush even in the darkness. He shouldn't tease the man, but ever since he had started to realize Clark had a sense of humor tucked away somewhere behind those ridiculous glasses, he couldn't seem to help himself.
He also shouldn't be risking getting Kent in trouble like this. It had started off mostly as a sort of test, to see how game the reporter was--and how much of the evening's escapades Luthor seemed to know about later. Bruce was pretty sure he could keep Clark safe if things got difficult, but he was feeling a bit guilty about dragging him into it at all.
On the other hand, it was oddly enjoyable to be doing this kind of thing with another person rather than alone. Even if the other person was largely incompetent at breaking and entering and would inevitably be more of a hindrance than a help if the situation deteriorated.
"Don't try to sidetrack me, Bruce. If you're going to be enticing me to break into your offices, I deserve at least some answers. Oblique answers will do, since I know that's the best I can get from you."
Clark was pretty sure that he could keep Bruce safe if this all went badly, but he wished he didn't have to be worrying about it. He frowned, concentrating on moving quietly but not suspiciously silently--it was tempting to hover--and almost ran into the other man, who had stopped moving forward.
"Look, Clark. When I was abroad, I lost control of my family's company. It's easier to get the advantage of people when they think you're incompetent, so I played that up a bit. They took me for granted, I got control of my company back. See? That wasn't even so oblique." He turned and started moving again.
Clark understood that kind of reasoning. "But what about the Manor?"
"Can we talk about this later, Clark, when we're not in mid-burgle?"
Clark sighed. The man was as elusive as quicksilver, even when he seemed to be direct. Maybe especially when he seemed to be direct. He wasn't sure why he had let Bruce talk him into doing this. Maybe he just wanted to see how far the other man would go, or how much he was willing to share with Clark. Maybe he just wanted to find some concrete reason to support his intuitive desire to trust Bruce Wayne.
Maybe he had just wanted to put off returning to his miserable hotel room a few hours more.
The pair entered the main office of the R&D branch of WayneTech. "I think I've managed to get this far without leaving any record of us," Bruce said as he started up the main computer and began tapping at it. "Now, I just want to check and see if there's any record of--what?" he asked as Clark held up a waste basket. Clark pointed inside soundlessly.
Nestled in among the shredded paper was a cylindrical shape with wires sticking out of it. It was ticking softly.
With a timing that they might have found comedic under less stressful circumstances, Clark and Bruce started speaking simultaneously.
"You have to get out of here! What? I'm not leaving without you!"
Clark put the basket down gingerly on the desk. Bruce grabbed Clark's wrist; Clark grabbed Bruce's, and they dragged each other out of the room.
"That was a bomb," Bruce pointed out as they charged down the hall.
They both lunged at a fire alarm, Clark got there first. "Thanks for the update, Bruce," he said as alarms started to ring out through the building. Clark headed left, Bruce headed right. "Where are you going, Bruce? The exit's this way!"
"I have to make sure my people are all out of the building! Don't worry about me, get out of here! Go!" He made shooing motions with his hands, whirled and broke into a run.
Clark let him go, cursing to himself in Kryptonian--Kryptonian actually had a surprisingly inventive range of curses. He changed costumes and got back to the office just as the bomb went off. The hot wind and concussion blew out around him as he quickly scanned the building to see if there was anyone who needed immediate help. The only person within range of the blast had been Bruce, who had been blasted sideways and was now staggering forward to get out of range of falling debris, but he wasn't in immediate danger. Clark had no desire to explain how Superman had happened to be hanging out at WayneTech headquarters when the bomb went off, so he watched to make sure Bruce got out safely, then slipped away for a while. No reason to go back as Clark; Bruce would know that it was probably a bad idea that they be seen together close to the bombing.
He came back a few hours later, when it would be reasonable to assume Superman would have heard of the bombing. As he had expected, Batman was already there, combing through the wreckage in a section of the rubble the police hadn't searched yet. It happened to be what was left of the hallway where Bruce and Clark had split up. Batman straightened as Superman swooped in, almost as if eager to see him.
"Kal. Can you scan for heartbeat, life signs, anyone trapped in what's left?"
"I already did. There's no one there."
The vigilante paused. "Could you use your x-ray vision to search for--for bodies?"
Kal did a careful search this time. "There's nothing. Everyone got out all right."
"Okay. Well. That's good, then." Even the gravelly rasp of his disguised voice couldn't hide the relief underneath it.
"You know someone who works here?"
"I never like to see anyone caught in something like this." Batman's voice was flat and unrevealing again.
"You know..." Kal hesitated. "We keep running into each other, but...I have no way of contacting you if I were to really need to get in touch with you. I can't exactly float in the skies of Gotham and yell 'Where's Batman!' until you show up."
"Why not? It would be an impressive sight." Humor threaded the hoarse voice, warming it. Kal wished suddenly that he could hear it undisguised.
"I'm just saying, it would be useful if there was some way we could get in touch."
Batman turned away and started to scrape some residue from a girder, putting it carefully in a vial at his waist. "I'll think about it."
"And you'll find some way to let me know who you think did this?"
A sardonic snort. "I suppose the most likely suspect is the building's owner, Bruce Wayne. The man does have a history of destroying his own property, after all."
Kal felt indignation leap in him. Bruce had risked his life to make sure his employees were out safely，and this paranoid nut-case in a mask had the nerve to suspect him? He had to suppress the urge to defend Bruce to Batman; after all, how would Superman know any of that? It might lead to...difficult questions from the brilliant mind in front of him. Besides, if Bruce wanted to be seen as irresponsible, character witnesses from Superman were the last thing he needed.
But Kal was pretty sure at this point he trusted Bruce more than the saturnine, suspicious man he was currently dealing with.
"I'll let you know if I find anything, Kal." It was clearly a dismissal, and Superman took it as such. Clark Kent was the reporter stuck on the Gotham beat at the moment, so he clearly had a lot of work ahead to cover this bombing story. Superman was annoyed enough that he barely felt any pleasure in noticing that the man was calling him "Kal" now.
: : :
[7:04] Drunkenwastrel: So, do I know how to show a guy a good time or what?
[7:06] Mildmannered: How did you get this chat name?
[7:07] Drunkenwastrel: Ve haff our vays.
[7:10] Drunkenwastrel: Any leads yet, information I should know?
[7:14] Mildmannered: I can see you were frantic with worry about my fate.
[7:17] Drunkenwastrel: Once the police reported no casualties I knew you'd gotten out fine.
[7:23] Drunkenwastrel: But I was.
[7:24] Drunkenwastrel: Worried about you, I mean.
[7:26] Mildmannered: I appreciate the concern. I'm fine besides some mussed hair. You?
[7:27] Drunkenwastrel: A few scratches and bumps. Nothing serious.
[7:32] Drunkenwastrel: So, any theories on what's going on?
[7:40] Mildmannered: Look, I hate to be rude, but I *have* to get this story filed ASAP. I'm paying for Internet access at this café by the hour, and I've gotten no sleep.
[7:41] Mildmannered: Besides, I'm sure you've got a million police forms to fill out.
[7:45] Drunkenwastrel: Okay, okay, you've got a point.
[7:48] Mildmannered: Thanks for checking up on me, by the way. It was a fun evening, other than the whole bomb thing.
[7:50] Drunkenwastrel: My pleasure. Yeah, a bomb can really ruin your whole night.
[9:09] Drunkenwastrel: So...want to get together tomorrow and compare notes?
[9:09] Mildmannered: You're on, playboy.
Disclaimer: The boys belong to DC and to each other, but not to me.
Notes: "Music of the Spheres" is a series set in the combined universes of "Batman Begins" and "Superman Returns." Other stories and notes on the series here.
Oh, and this is dedicated to tmelange, for like Galactus, she hungers...for fic.
Rating: G (G! Again! I promise to remedy this soon-ish).
Summary: Clark and Bruce finish up their not-a-date with a little late-night burglary.
Word Count: 1807
"I don't think we should be doing this."
Two dark figures slipped through an unlighted hallway. The one leading the way looked back and smiled, a flash of white in the darkness.
"Oh, come on. Where's your sense of adventure?"
"I think I left it wherever I left my sense of humor. And apparently my common sense. Bruce!"
Bruce Wayne halted at the next keypad and entered in a string of numbers. The door clicked open. "Technically, one can't burgle a building one owns, I'm pretty sure. I just don't want Luthor to know I've been poking around the files on our shared project."
"Your building, not mine. Where does that leave me if we're caught?"
"If we're caught, I'll vouch for you, Clark."
"Great, the character witness of a drunken wastrel known best for burning down his own property." Clark Kent's mild tone belied his harsh words; his face in the glow of the dimmed hall light was worried but not hostile. "I have the utmost confidence in the success of our mission."
"Money, Clark. Money is the ultimate character witness." Bruce pulled Clark against a wall to let a security camera scan past them, then gestured him on.
"Speaking of your character, Bruce, if we're going to be embarking on a life of crime together, I'd like to know the whole story behind what happened to your house. I'm pretty certain you didn't do it, but it was no accident, either. And you're no more a drunken wastrel than I'm a...a..." Clark seemed at a loss for the right phrase.
"An international porn star?"
"Exactly. I mean--hey! Well, yes."
Bruce smiled to himself as he could practically feel the reporter's blush even in the darkness. He shouldn't tease the man, but ever since he had started to realize Clark had a sense of humor tucked away somewhere behind those ridiculous glasses, he couldn't seem to help himself.
He also shouldn't be risking getting Kent in trouble like this. It had started off mostly as a sort of test, to see how game the reporter was--and how much of the evening's escapades Luthor seemed to know about later. Bruce was pretty sure he could keep Clark safe if things got difficult, but he was feeling a bit guilty about dragging him into it at all.
On the other hand, it was oddly enjoyable to be doing this kind of thing with another person rather than alone. Even if the other person was largely incompetent at breaking and entering and would inevitably be more of a hindrance than a help if the situation deteriorated.
"Don't try to sidetrack me, Bruce. If you're going to be enticing me to break into your offices, I deserve at least some answers. Oblique answers will do, since I know that's the best I can get from you."
Clark was pretty sure that he could keep Bruce safe if this all went badly, but he wished he didn't have to be worrying about it. He frowned, concentrating on moving quietly but not suspiciously silently--it was tempting to hover--and almost ran into the other man, who had stopped moving forward.
"Look, Clark. When I was abroad, I lost control of my family's company. It's easier to get the advantage of people when they think you're incompetent, so I played that up a bit. They took me for granted, I got control of my company back. See? That wasn't even so oblique." He turned and started moving again.
Clark understood that kind of reasoning. "But what about the Manor?"
"Can we talk about this later, Clark, when we're not in mid-burgle?"
Clark sighed. The man was as elusive as quicksilver, even when he seemed to be direct. Maybe especially when he seemed to be direct. He wasn't sure why he had let Bruce talk him into doing this. Maybe he just wanted to see how far the other man would go, or how much he was willing to share with Clark. Maybe he just wanted to find some concrete reason to support his intuitive desire to trust Bruce Wayne.
Maybe he had just wanted to put off returning to his miserable hotel room a few hours more.
The pair entered the main office of the R&D branch of WayneTech. "I think I've managed to get this far without leaving any record of us," Bruce said as he started up the main computer and began tapping at it. "Now, I just want to check and see if there's any record of--what?" he asked as Clark held up a waste basket. Clark pointed inside soundlessly.
Nestled in among the shredded paper was a cylindrical shape with wires sticking out of it. It was ticking softly.
With a timing that they might have found comedic under less stressful circumstances, Clark and Bruce started speaking simultaneously.
"You have to get out of here! What? I'm not leaving without you!"
Clark put the basket down gingerly on the desk. Bruce grabbed Clark's wrist; Clark grabbed Bruce's, and they dragged each other out of the room.
"That was a bomb," Bruce pointed out as they charged down the hall.
They both lunged at a fire alarm, Clark got there first. "Thanks for the update, Bruce," he said as alarms started to ring out through the building. Clark headed left, Bruce headed right. "Where are you going, Bruce? The exit's this way!"
"I have to make sure my people are all out of the building! Don't worry about me, get out of here! Go!" He made shooing motions with his hands, whirled and broke into a run.
Clark let him go, cursing to himself in Kryptonian--Kryptonian actually had a surprisingly inventive range of curses. He changed costumes and got back to the office just as the bomb went off. The hot wind and concussion blew out around him as he quickly scanned the building to see if there was anyone who needed immediate help. The only person within range of the blast had been Bruce, who had been blasted sideways and was now staggering forward to get out of range of falling debris, but he wasn't in immediate danger. Clark had no desire to explain how Superman had happened to be hanging out at WayneTech headquarters when the bomb went off, so he watched to make sure Bruce got out safely, then slipped away for a while. No reason to go back as Clark; Bruce would know that it was probably a bad idea that they be seen together close to the bombing.
He came back a few hours later, when it would be reasonable to assume Superman would have heard of the bombing. As he had expected, Batman was already there, combing through the wreckage in a section of the rubble the police hadn't searched yet. It happened to be what was left of the hallway where Bruce and Clark had split up. Batman straightened as Superman swooped in, almost as if eager to see him.
"Kal. Can you scan for heartbeat, life signs, anyone trapped in what's left?"
"I already did. There's no one there."
The vigilante paused. "Could you use your x-ray vision to search for--for bodies?"
Kal did a careful search this time. "There's nothing. Everyone got out all right."
"Okay. Well. That's good, then." Even the gravelly rasp of his disguised voice couldn't hide the relief underneath it.
"You know someone who works here?"
"I never like to see anyone caught in something like this." Batman's voice was flat and unrevealing again.
"You know..." Kal hesitated. "We keep running into each other, but...I have no way of contacting you if I were to really need to get in touch with you. I can't exactly float in the skies of Gotham and yell 'Where's Batman!' until you show up."
"Why not? It would be an impressive sight." Humor threaded the hoarse voice, warming it. Kal wished suddenly that he could hear it undisguised.
"I'm just saying, it would be useful if there was some way we could get in touch."
Batman turned away and started to scrape some residue from a girder, putting it carefully in a vial at his waist. "I'll think about it."
"And you'll find some way to let me know who you think did this?"
A sardonic snort. "I suppose the most likely suspect is the building's owner, Bruce Wayne. The man does have a history of destroying his own property, after all."
Kal felt indignation leap in him. Bruce had risked his life to make sure his employees were out safely，and this paranoid nut-case in a mask had the nerve to suspect him? He had to suppress the urge to defend Bruce to Batman; after all, how would Superman know any of that? It might lead to...difficult questions from the brilliant mind in front of him. Besides, if Bruce wanted to be seen as irresponsible, character witnesses from Superman were the last thing he needed.
But Kal was pretty sure at this point he trusted Bruce more than the saturnine, suspicious man he was currently dealing with.
"I'll let you know if I find anything, Kal." It was clearly a dismissal, and Superman took it as such. Clark Kent was the reporter stuck on the Gotham beat at the moment, so he clearly had a lot of work ahead to cover this bombing story. Superman was annoyed enough that he barely felt any pleasure in noticing that the man was calling him "Kal" now.
: : :
[7:04] Drunkenwastrel: So, do I know how to show a guy a good time or what?
[7:06] Mildmannered: How did you get this chat name?
[7:07] Drunkenwastrel: Ve haff our vays.
[7:10] Drunkenwastrel: Any leads yet, information I should know?
[7:14] Mildmannered: I can see you were frantic with worry about my fate.
[7:17] Drunkenwastrel: Once the police reported no casualties I knew you'd gotten out fine.
[7:23] Drunkenwastrel: But I was.
[7:24] Drunkenwastrel: Worried about you, I mean.
[7:26] Mildmannered: I appreciate the concern. I'm fine besides some mussed hair. You?
[7:27] Drunkenwastrel: A few scratches and bumps. Nothing serious.
[7:32] Drunkenwastrel: So, any theories on what's going on?
[7:40] Mildmannered: Look, I hate to be rude, but I *have* to get this story filed ASAP. I'm paying for Internet access at this café by the hour, and I've gotten no sleep.
[7:41] Mildmannered: Besides, I'm sure you've got a million police forms to fill out.
[7:45] Drunkenwastrel: Okay, okay, you've got a point.
[7:48] Mildmannered: Thanks for checking up on me, by the way. It was a fun evening, other than the whole bomb thing.
[7:50] Drunkenwastrel: My pleasure. Yeah, a bomb can really ruin your whole night.
[9:09] Drunkenwastrel: So...want to get together tomorrow and compare notes?
[9:09] Mildmannered: You're on, playboy.