Chapter Four
As he stood on the central police building’s roof, Superman shook his head in exasperation and some real amazement. If he thought he was busy on a typical night in Metropolis, he’d never get any sleep if he lived in Gotham City. This place was practically a madhouse at times, and tonight seemed to be one of the really bad times.
At least the police seemed to be holding their own against the ‘normal’ criminals out and about. He hadn’t detected any of Gotham’s costumed crazies trying to pull anything. And he doubted that his presence would deter them overmuch.
A whisper of fabric and the scrape of a single tiny pebble alerted him to the presence of his intended conversational partner. Without turning his head, Superman said, “I was wondering how long it would take you to get here.”
A gravelly voice answered him. “I had a couple of things to attend to first. Hope you’ve been amusing yourself.”
That sounded like the notorious Batman. “I’ve been admiring your fair city.”
A tall, deeply muscled male figure resolved itself against the shadows. “I doubt that very much.”
Superman shrugged and turned his gaze out over the city. “No, really, the architecture in downtown Gotham is quite – interesting. Very Gothic, very striking. It definitely has its own character. Metropolis is a bit plain in comparison.”
The Batman stopped at the rooftop’s edge with his arms crossed and his weight balanced for quick movement. “You didn’t come here to discuss the relative merits of Gotham versus Metropolis, either. Why are you invading my territory?”
“You sound a little defensive there.”
“I’m not the one standing on your turf.”
Superman slowly turned to face the Dark Knight. “I’m not ‘invading’ anything or anyone. I’m not here to start a turf war with you. I came to ask a favor.”
Batman didn’t move, but some of the tension bled out of his body. “A favor? For the mighty Man of Steel?”
He couldn’t have known he was echoing another crime-fighter’s words, but Batman’s tone struck Superman as being mocking, completely unlike Wonder Woman’s quick, almost worshipful, agreement earlier that day. “Yes. It can be a quid pro quo if you like.”
“Really? What do you have that you think I might want?”
Superman shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s something you’d have to tell me.”
“Hmph.” The Dark Knight turned and strode to the darkened Bat-Signal. “Why didn’t you activate this to call me? Would’ve saved some time.”
“Maybe, but I didn’t want you to think that the police were paging you for an emergency. And if you were in the middle of something you’d prefer I didn’t interrupt for something that wasn’t urgent, I didn’t want to upset you for no good reason.”
“You’re telling me that you have exquisite manners?”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to brag, but yes, I do.”
Batman nodded. “More like being pragmatic, I’d think. Or maybe enlightened self-interest.” For a moment, he seemed to wait for a response which didn’t come, then he walked almost within arm’s length of Superman and stopped. “What do you want me to do for you?”
Superman noted that Batman hadn’t actually agreed to do this favor, but he let it pass for the moment. “I assume you’ve heard of Wonder Woman?”
“Heard of her, yes. Don’t know her personally.”
“She’s something of a mystery and I’m not in the best position to investigate her. I’d like to know where she comes from and why she’s in my city.”
“Now’s who’s being defensive?”
Superman decided at that moment not to relate his conversation with Wonder Woman to Batman. “I have more reasons to ask about her than her just showing up and helping the police to fight crime. In all the interviews she’s given, she’s neglected to tell anyone just where her home is and why she’s away from it. She’s dodged every question thrown at her about where her powers come from and just what she’s capable of. And I’m not sure I trust her.”
“But you trust me to look into her for you?”
“After a fashion, yes.”
Batman went still for a long moment, then grunted, “Okay.”
Superman let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thank you. How do you want to send me your results?”
“I don’t know how long it will take. Most of the costumed Rogues are either in Arkham Asylum or out of town right now, but as you’re probably aware, the bad guys don’t take vacations all at the same time. You tell me how you want to get whatever I get.”
Superman paused as if in thought, then said, “Send it to me in care of Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. She’ll find me and give it to me.”
“Works for me.” Batman’s head jerked to one side and he stiffened. “Sorry, got a situation needing my attention. Gotta run.”
“Need a hand?”
“From you? Not this time, no.”
“Then maybe you should take the lady along with you.”
“Who – ”
“Over on the far side of the roof in the cat-suit. Is that Catwoman?”
A tall, two-legged female feline detached herself from cover which shouldn’t have hidden a mouse and slunk towards the two men. “How’d you find me, flyboy? Heard me breathing?”
“No. I heard the button on your communicator click. I’m thinking you’re the one who tipped Batman that I was here.”
She stopped about three long strides from Superman, keeping him between herself and Batman. “I guess the reports of your hearing have not been exaggerated.”
“Not in this case. Thanks again, Batman. I hope to hear from you soon.”
With that, he rose into the air and headed south-east towards Metropolis.
*****
Catwoman watched Superman fly away until he disappeared from sight. “Kinda makes you want to give up swinging around on wires, doesn’t it?” she sighed.
“I don’t think I’d want that much power.”
“Of course not. You wouldn’t be able to let loose with those mighty fists of yours.”
Batman grunted.
“Y’know,” Catwoman mused aloud, “I noticed something.” She stopped and waited for her companion to speak, but he just stood there scowling. “Anyway, I noticed that he didn’t offer to clean up Gotham for you.”
Batman grunted again. “He knows I’m better combating crime here than he would be. Despite his unstoppable powers, criminals don’t fear him.”
“And they do fear you.”
“Yes. They know that if I hit them, I’m not going to hold back. If he hits someone, he can’t use anything near his full power or that person won’t just die, he’ll cease to exist.”
“And you love using your full power against the bad guys, don’t you?”
He seemed to frown through his mask. “It works both ways. I doubt I’d be as effective in Metropolis as he is.”
She chuckled. “You’re not as scary in a city with so few gargoyles on the buildings.”
His clenched one fist and slowly opened it. “I could make it there.”
“Sure you could, Bats. Of course,” she teased, “it might have been professional courtesy on his part not to offer you his help. He must know how possessive you are of your bad guys.”
The Dark Knight’s cowl seemed to bend inward as if pulled down by a pair of mighty eyebrows. “You’re not carrying anything that doesn’t belong to you,” growled Batman, “so maybe you should take off before I think too hard about bringing you in.”
She turned her smile on him. “I don’t think you’d better try that, you tall and dark and brooding hunk of crimefighter. Besides, you owe me a solid for tipping you off about the Big Blue Boy Scout being here.”
“I would have found out eventually.”
“Yeah, but you saved yourself a lot of worry over nothing because now you know what he wanted,” she purred. “Hey, why do you think he wants you to dig up the dirt on this Wonder Woman?”
His weight shifted again and she knew he was preparing to leave. “I’ll find that out, too.”
“I bet you will, handsome. Late dinner at the penthouse tonight?”
“That depends on how many emergencies crop up.”
She leaned slightly closer but not enough to touch and spoke with a breathy tone. “There will always be crimes for you to stop and bad guys for you to catch, Batman, but an after-midnight dinner with me is a rare treat. Act now, because this is a time-sensitive offer.”
“How so?”
“It turns into a smashed pumpkin after two o’clock.”
With that, she tossed her own line to the building across the street and swung away.
*****
Lois was in her night clothes – the practical ones – by the time Superman arrived home and spun into Clark Kent. She noted the concerned frown on his brow and decided that she could sacrifice a little sleep tonight.
“Get your errand done?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” he sighed. “And I don’t know if it was the best idea I’ve ever had or if it was a really bad one.”
“Really? That definitely calls for an explanation.”
“You sure you want to hear it?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
His mouth twisted in apparent chagrin. “I asked someone to look into Wonder Woman for me.”
She frowned. “I’ve already canvassed my network of snitches twice. Who do you know that I don’t?”
“Batman.”
Sleepiness fled as if pursued and she actually gasped. “You – you asked Batman to help you? I had no idea you even knew him!”
“I don’t. Well, I do now, but I only met him tonight.”
“And the first thing you asked him to do was to investigate Wonder Woman?”
He nodded. “Anyone who investigates Wonder Woman from Metropolis will probably not be able to keep it secret. But Batman is from out of town, and he seems to have resources we don’t have access to. Besides, I’m confident that he’ll keep it quiet.”
“Wow.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “So what’s the next step?”
He sat on the couch beside her and leaned back. “We keep doing what we’ve been doing. We get that interview with Wonder Woman. And when Batman has something for Superman, he’ll contact you at work.”
“Me?”
“I couldn’t very well give him my phone number. This way he won’t connect Superman and Clark Kent any more closely than we already are. Everyone already knows that Lane and Kent have the inside track on Superman.”
The thought that she might meet the mysterious Batman made her grin with anticipation. “What’s he like?”
He closed his eyes and chuckled. “He’s abrupt, gruff, very no-nonsense, stays on task, and seems determined to defend Gotham City to the best of his abilities.”
“No, I mean what’s he like in person?”
His face rolled in her direction. “That is what he’s like in person. If you want a physical description, he’s two or three inches taller than I am, a bit wider and deeper in the shoulders, probably about the same weight as me or a little more, in very good shape and very strong, and he didn’t smile the whole time I was there.”
“No smiling?”
“Not unless he smiled at Catwoman after I left.”
“What!” Lois leaped up from the couch with her arms wide. “You talked to both Batman and Catwoman? And you’re just now telling me about her?”
“She was already on the roof of the police station when I arrived. I’m pretty sure she told Batman I was there.”
“Really?” Lois turned thoughtful. “I wonder if that means – hey, do you think Batman has a secret identity like Superman? Or that he knows Catwoman in his other life?”
He reached up and tugged her down into his embrace. “Could be, but I’m not too concerned about either one of those things. Right now, Mrs. Kent, you need to get some sleep.” He hugged her to his chest and kissed her softly. “And even I get tired occasionally.”
She grinned up at him. “Do you really think I’ll be able to sleep now?”
“I hope so. If not, maybe my gentle snores will exhibit a soporific effect upon you.”
She kissed him and relaxed into his arms. “Yeah, that might work.”
“In that case, let’s head in that direction.” He picked her up and headed toward the bedroom.
“Clark?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Do you think Batman could beat Superman in a fight?”
He stopped just inside the doorway. “Who would you bet on?”
She snuggled closer. “My money would be on Superman, of course.”
“Good. Although I don’t think that fight’s going to happen any time soon.”
She stifled a monster yawn against his chest. “I hope it never happens.”
His suddenly somber tone didn’t escape her. “So do I, Lois. So do I.”
*****
Jimmy picked up a message slip as Lois stepped off the elevator into the newsroom and waved it at her. “Lois! A woman who said she has a message for you from Wonder Woman just called. Said she’ll be at this number for another half-hour or so.”
Lois’ eyebrows rose. “Really? I’ll call her back right now.”
“Good. She didn’t sound like she wanted to talk to me.”
Lois frowned but said nothing. She sat at her desk as Jimmy left to do his own work, then punched in the number as quickly as she could.
A woman’s alto answered. “Yes?”
“This is Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. I got a message to call someone at this number.”
“Oh, yes, Ms. Lane. This is Diana Prince of the Greek Embassy.”
It took Lois a moment to place her, then she remembered the statuesque brunette from her visit to the Planet. “Yes, Ms. Prince, I remember you. Um, I was told that you had a message from Wonder Woman. Is that correct?”
“Yes. The message is that Wonder Woman is willing to meet you for an interview tomorrow morning. She requests that you select some place where she will not be observed by the general populace. Apparently she underestimated her appeal to the common masses.”
Ms. Prince’s wry tone and word choice puzzled Lois, but she shook it off. “Sounds good to me. What about nine o’clock on the roof of the Planet?”
The other woman paused, then said, “I believe that would be acceptable. If it is not, I will contact you again.”
“Thank you, Ms. Prince. I appreciate your help.”
“Think nothing of it, Ms. Lane. Now, I must finish preparing for my own workday. I – Wonder Woman will, I am confident, see you tomorrow morning. Good-bye.”
The connection broke before Lois could respond. As she put the handset on the cradle, she thought about the woman at the other end of the conversation.
She claimed to be working at the Greek Embassy, and Lois could easily verify that. Her address should be easy to find, too. But finding out why Wonder Woman sent a message through a PR flack at the Greek Embassy would not be so easy, unless Wonder Woman were to tell them in their interview tomorrow morning.
Speaking of which, she needed to let Perry know about their breakthrough.
His door was open and she leaned her head in. “Chief? Got a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I just got off the phone with an intermediary for Wonder Woman. Clark and I are going to interview her on the roof of the Planet tomorrow morning at nine.”
“The intermediary?”
“No! Wonder Woman.”
A grin slowly split the editor’s face. “Hey, that’s great! I knew you two would come through for me.”
She shrugged. “Took us long enough, but we finally broke through.”
“You have your questions set up yet?”
“Only in outline form. Clark and I will lock it down as much as we can this morning when he gets in.”
“Okay. Speaking of Clark, where is he?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know, Perry. I expected him to be here by now.”
Perry lifted his hands in mock exasperation. “Consarn it, Lois! If you two weren’t still the hottest team in town – ”
“But we are, Chief. Don’t worry, we’ll get a doozy of a story for you.”
*****
Clark came in with a Wonder Woman car wreck rescue story before lunch. Bobby Bigmouth called Lois with a tip on a follow-up story she was working on, and they fed Bobby in Lois’ new Jeep. They both worked the tip that afternoon, which unfortunately didn’t pan out as they’d hoped. By the time they realized the tip was a dead end, it was time to go home.
As Clark unlocked the door to their brownstone, he smiled at Lois and said, “What do you think about seafood tonight?”
She nodded. “Sounds good to me. I need to eat light anyway. I’m meeting Lin tomorrow afternoon at two-thirty. We’re going to finalize our routine for next week’s tournament.”
He hung up his suit coat and pulled off his tie. “Mind if I come and watch?”
She shook her head. “I’d rather you didn’t. I can’t afford to be distracted while we’re working out the kinks. But I do expect you to be in my corner next Friday night.”
He stepped close and gently held her against his chest. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Thank you.” She patted him softly. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to change clothes while you get dinner ready. I want to be fresh and alert for that meeting in the morning.”
