The Last Daughter of Krypton - IC

[Tymeless]

"What is it?" Lex yelled over the phone upset at being disturbed.

"What Randal is alive and himself again. I'll be right there. Get in touch with his family and have them meet us at the hospital we are going to have him there to be looked after for a couple days. Make sure Emil is there as well."

Lex ran out to his car and speed off towards the hospital.

*****
"Mom its Lex's secretary on the phone. She says to meet them at the hospital they have found daddy." Misty and her mom ran out to the car and soon after arrived at the hospital.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Emil (and Meyer & Boyajian)

Emil had again shaved in the car.

Meyer was a fairly formidable driver, and they had been able to keep pace with the ambulance with relative ease.

Boyajian had ridden in the back with Emil, holding two big cups of espresso.

Emil had not slept, after all. He was much like his brother in that respect. (If you were to ask Ceri's opinion, however, she would suggest that Emil was far more shark than he was hummingbird.)

And now, Emil stood at a window of Smallville Medical Centre, draining the second of the espressos, and watching the driveway for either Lex's car or Mrs. and Misty Graves. (Meyer had stayed behind by the front entrance, but Emil had decided to keep an eye out anyway.)

He dropped the cup into a trash can, and began cleaning his glasses on a handkerchief.

"A job well done," he congratulated himself. "So why is it I think the real work is only just beginning?"

Boyajian stuck his head in from the hall. "'Nother coffee, Doc?" he wondered. "Fresh pot at the nurse's station."

Emil nodded mildly, slid his glasses on, and followed the larger bald man. "Very thoughtful of you, my good man. Much appreciated."

Boyajian seemed concerned, though. "You know?" he murmured. "I heard too much of that stuff can give you a heart attack."

Emil smirked faintly, pouring himself a cupful. "Well, that presumes that I have a heart in the first place, Boyajian."

Boyajian chewed this over. "Don't you?"

Emil didn't answer, he just sipped the coffee.

His eyes glinted unreadably.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rose and Chloe

Rose and Chloe circled the school, heading back towards the front of the building.

The buses would be showing up in about fifteen minutes, and Chloe wasn't sure if her dad had already arrived.

As they walked, they chatted softly.

Rose did her braid with surprisingly swift, practised movements, even as she walked, a skill she credited to her mother.

Chloe rewound the tape, and watched a number of Rose's interviews. Most were strictly run-of-the-mill stuff, but there were a couple in there that half-showed promise. And then there was...

Her eyes widened.

"You got an interview with Darla?" she boggled.

Rose looked sheepish. "I don't know if it's good for much," she admitted. "She was pretty angry, and she was a little bit shell-shocked. There are... there are a lot of pejoratives to be censored."

"Hell hath no pottymouth like a woman scorned, right?" Chloe smirked, listening to Darla's tirade regarding Thomas. "I'm half-tempted to leave half of these in there, just to see the look on the administration's collective face."

Rose grinned softly. "Can I have your Gateway when you die?"

Chloe arched an eyebrow, still watching the tape. "When I die? Am I dying, then?"

Rose kept her face as straight as possible. "When they kill you, yeah."

"Heh," Chloe chortled. "You think I should turn State's Evidence, get into Witness Protection?"

Rose seemed to think this over. "Would I still get to keep your Gateway?"

Chloe didn't say a word. She just stuck a finger in Rose's face. But she was grinning, and her eyes were dancing.

But then they rounded the last corner, and Rose whistled softly as she finished her braid. "Holy geeze."

Chloe nodded slowly, lowered her finger. "You didn't see this earlier?"

Chaos milled about at the front of the school. Parents' cars were pulling up, and ambulances idled quietly. A good number of the newsvans were still there, but many of them had retreated to a safe distance at the insistence of a number of deputies. The buses hadn't gotten there yet, and at first glance Chloe didn't see her father's car.

...but that first glance instead caught sight of a certain mysterious man in black. Holding a leather-bound journal. (Which reminded Chloe.)

Without a word, she dug her hand into her laptop bag and retrieved Rose's notebook, passing it to her.

Rose accepted it with wide eyes. (She'd thought that that thing had been lost and ruined in the sprinklers...)

But before Rose could elatedly react to its return, Chloe squared her jaw and strode away from the redhead, tugging down on her t-shirt as she walked stiffly up to John Smith.

She paused just before she reached him, and she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"This is getting a little ridiculous," she drawled, sensing more than seeing Rose come up behind her. "If I didn't know better, Professor Smith, I'd think you were stalking me."

Rose hugged her father's quotebook to her chest and she made a nervous face. Are you even supposed to talk like that to aliens?

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Do we know better?" she wondered, not unreasonably.

Chloe glanced at Rose, then swung her gaze back around to Smith, eyebrows bunched. "Do we know better?"

 

[Tymeless]

Lex arrived first and went straight up and stopped outside Randal's room noticing Emil. "Dr. Hamilton, I want to thank you for your work and Progress on Mr. Graves. Can you explain to me how you did it and how well is Randal going to be able to continue living his life?" Lex was concerned but it wasn't certain if it was more for his own welfare and in gaining a better chance of manipulating Misty or if it was more out of concern for a close friend.

**OOC* Raven if your around sorry to take over lex but kind of need him to move things along and you asked me to run him once before.

 

[AmenRa]

Var-Sen scanned the crowd beyond the two girls quickly. His gaze settled on them, his dark eyes piercing into their being. He untucked the journal he carried and indicated it to Chloe.

"This is a matter of utmost importance," he said to her and Rose. "And no, stalking is something for which I have no time."

He handed the journal to her.

"Take it," he said. "But do not look at it here, nor open it amongst those that you do not trust with your very soul. And yet, even with such you should be wary.

"Men have killed to possess the knowledge I have placed into this book," he finished. He stepped closer. He reached out and smoothed back a lock of her blonde hair. He then smiled at Rose. "I will be leaving this evening. Mr. Wayne has my contact information," he told them.

"I have placed into this journal the English translation of the Kryptonian language that you have seen written on the cave walls. It will assist your translation of the indigenous writings," he explained.

He then looked directly into her eyes. His next words were low and serious. "There will come a time when you will have to make decisions, sacrifices, and decide whether or not to reveal truths. Whether or not you choose to keep certain secrets will not only keep you safe but will also affect the destiny of those around you.

"You must understand, Chloe," he told her almost imploringly, "that the things within that cave were never meant for humans. It is not your race's destiny to fulfill the prophecies told there. Nor is it mine. But until the Chosen One comes forth, the secrets told within must forever be protected.

"I will see you again in a few days," he finished once again. "Until that time, be forever vigilant." He cast his head down for a second, and a look of sadness crossed his face. "I hope I haven't given you more than you can bear, but I believe in you, Chloe Sullivan. You are a credit to your species, and your circle of friends is strong."

With that, Var-Sen let go of the journal and allowed Chloe's hand to take it completely from him.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Emil

Meyer stood behind Lex, and nodded firmly to Boyajian, who stood a short distance away from Emil.

Emil leaned against the wall outside Randal's room, eyes narrowed nearly to slits behind his spectacles. He sipped his coffee and smiled a faint little smile.

"Early prognoses are promising," he acknowledged. "I combined a prototype ambient-matter teleporter with meteor-rock treatments. The biometric scanners on the teleporter suggested that Randal might be right as rain, and while we're still waiting back on a number of tests, I fully expect that the doctors will give him a clean bill of health. Bed rest and chicken soup all 'round, hm?

"He should be rested-up and intact in a matter of days," Emil mused. "All in a good day's work, am I right?"

 

[Tymeless]

Lex looked at Emil with a sick grin on his face. Emil had done it he really had done it and he done it so efficiently and quickly. "Dr. Hamilton, after I meet with the family and comfort them a little bit I'd like to discuss a couple things with you. If your wouldn't mind that is. Lets meet for coffee at that place downtown. In say 2 hours?" Lex waited patiently for an answer as he noticed Misty and her mother walking towards the hospital room.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rose and Chloe

Chloe backpedaled.

Her eyes were wide enough to catch satellite signals.

She backed into Rose, and both girls grunted in surprise. But Rose couldn't take her eyes off of the leather-bound journal. And Chloe couldn't take her eyes off of John Smith's face.

Chloe twitched.

"This is," she started, and stopped again almost immediately.

She licked her lips, and she stared at him. She stared at him hard.

"This is either the most brilliant gift anyone has ever given me," she murmured, tightly, "or it's the most sadistic prank anyone has ever played. On anyone. Ever."

Her eyes darted out at the news guys.

"Seriously," she whispered, teeth pressed together in her mouth as her eyes riveted anew to Smith's face, "is one of these guys from Punk'd? Or... or one of those other shows? Because you might as well bring out Jamie Kennedy now and have done with it."

She blinked, and suddenly she was crying, a tear rolling down her cheek, and her hand holding the journal wouldn't stop shaking. She was crying and it wasn't outwardly evident she'd even realised it.

"You should," she started, and stopped again almost immediately.

"You should be careful who you enlist to help with Second Comings," she whispered shakily. "Because Messiahs don't ever show up without collateral damage. So, um."

She trembled, like a leaf.

Rose, staring (proverbial) icicle daggers at John Smith, set a supportive hand on Chloe's shoulder. The notebook was secondary.

(This, to Rose, was like Marc Okrand bequeathing The Complete Klingon Lexicon, or taking lessons in Elvish from J.R.R. himself. Or... or S. Morgenstern's diary of "Buttercup's Baby." But Smith had made Chloe cry. The notebook was secondary.)

And Chloe swallowed hard, and took a breath, and she tried again.

"So I want to be good and sure that if I die on a quest for The Truth," she murmured grimly, "that I die for the right damned Truth. I don't know... exactly what you're trying to accomplish with your... with your damned Crusade? But you should remember, historian, that the last crusade on this planet that involved children was ill-advised and did not end well."

Her hand flickered up, catching another errant tear on a knuckle as she sniffled softly.

She took another breath. She held up the journal like it was a Bible, and she was a bombastic televangelist.

"I have a lot of data to collate," she declared, firmly. "When I've gotten to the bottom of this-- and believe you me, Professor, I will get to the bottom of this --I will then decide whether or not to thank you."

Rose lowered her hand from Chloe's shoulder, and shook her head in wonderment.

She wondered if she'd ever be that brave.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Emil (and Meyer & Boyajian)

"Always with the coffee," Boyajian muttered.

Meyer looked at Boyajian like the man had suddenly sprouted a second head, and the second head was a golden-glowing mop-haired lightning-emblazoned impulsive twit with goggles.

Boyajian kind of shrugged. "'Splain later."

Emil nodded easily, a conniving glimmer in his eye. A glimmer that perfectly reflected the twisted nature of Lex's smile.

"That sounds like quite a plan," he agreed, finishing off what remained of his current cup. "You'll have to excuse me, though. Aren't there two coffee places downtown? God bless Smallville for being the last bastion of sanity on Earth without a Starbucks, but they still have The Beanery, and they still have The Talon. I've heard The Talon's the good one. Shall we meet at the good one? Two hours."

He backed away a few steps. As much as he deserved adulation for saving Randal's life (and he did, he so did), he also wanted to keep at arm's reach the gushing and the mushiness that would result with reunited family-members. That sort of... demonstrative emotional display was quite beneath him.

He turned, and he tucked one hand into his pocket, and he walked away, amiably tapping a finger against the side of the empty coffee cup as he did so. He whistled. "Moonlight Sonata," by Beethoven.

He kept his thoughts to himself. (In more ways than one, though even he wasn't to know this.)

Dutifully, Meyer and Boyajian followed behind.

They, too, kept their thoughts to themselves.

 

[Tymeless]

Lex met with Misty and her mother and then they all went inside to see how randal was doing. He seemed to be okay in just a little bit of pain and needing bedrest. They all chatted and talked for awhile. In the end Randal insisted that Misty go back to school starting tomorrow and that as soon as he was out they would spend the weekend together somewhere a family vacation of sorts.
********
ooc
********
I could go more into depth about family time if you want but I really just want to get Misty back involved in the storyline.

 

[AmenRa]

Var-Sen gave Chloe and Rose a slight bow.

"As I said, Miss Sullivan," he stated with a quiet voice, "you are a credit to your species in your strength and honesty."

He half-turned, then said over his shoulder, "the symbol in the photograph on your wall means hope. It is through this that you shall prevail."

And then he walked to his SUV without looking back.

 

[Superman1496]

Bruce walked into the cave followed by Pete. There were machines everywhere. Some of them looked like they were there just to be there, others looked as if they were about to drill into a wall.

A shiver ran down Bruce's spine. 'This is not going to end well.' He thought to himself.

He decided that he might want to pull out his phone, and send pictures of this scene to Chloe. But then the man Mr Smith had walked inside with appeared.

The big bad wolf had shown his face.

 

[AmenRa]

Lionel Luthor actually smiled when he saw Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce Wayne," he said, extending his hand, "I knew your father very well. The entire world regrets the loss of such a kind man."

Luthor eyed young Pete Ross. The boy looked familiar, but he just could not place him.

"What brings you two to the cave?"

 

[Superman1496]

Luthor extended his hand to Bruce. 'Act smoothly.' He thought to himself. Bruce shook his hand after Lionel asked why they were there.

Well Mr. Luthor, actually, a friend of my family told me to check these caves out, and Pete happens to be here to make sure I know where I'm going and why.

No one knows the area quite like Pete Ross. Best farmer in Lowell county. Bruce said smiling.

So what strange occurance has brought Lionel Luthor to bring his own laboratory to some Kawatchi caves? Bruce asked, looking around. He turned to his side to glance at the paintings, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket while his side was out of view of Lionel Luthor.

It seems almost as if you were planning on drilling or blasting through that wall over there. Bruce said pointing to a machine. As Luthor turned to see what he was pointing to, Bruce took a picture.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Pete

Bruce dropped Pete's name to Lionel, first and last, and Pete could only smile thinly at the pseudo-humanitarian tycoon. He jutted his chin out, and stuck his hands squarely in his pockets to stave off any possibility that he might be offered a handshake.

"'Sup?" he drawled, eyes as hard as granite. He didn't trust himself saying anything further. He didn't deny that he was a farmer, for instance, didn't correct Bruce by declaring in Lionel's presence that his family business had actually been canning corn.

Pete knew he could be the better man by not losing his cool in front of his enemy. (But he'd already done this once; he'd lost his cool, in front of Smith, and if your cool got away from you once it was so much easier for it to get away from you again...)

He wanted to comment... on how it wasn't all that unusual that Lionel Luthor would be underground. After all, the sun was up. He had to keep his undead ass from getting seared to ash by its cleansing light.

His head spun at the notion that Lionel would actually want to start excavating stuff down here, that he would actually start making permanent changes to the architecture. The Katwatche tribespeople would rend him limb from limb!

Of course, for Luthor, it would probably be as simple as purchasing-- uh, that is, acquiring --the necessary permits.

He walked away from the small knot that he and Bruce and Lionel, and more closely examined the spot at which the imaging equipment had been positioned.

This was the same point at which Professor Smith had stopped and touched the wall when they had been here earlier, Pete was dead certain of it.

(What the Hell was with these guys and this little octagonal dent?)

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rose and Chloe (and Gabe)

"Aaaaand he's gone again," Rose muttered, shaking her head, holding her father's quotebook to her chest.

Chloe stood stock-still for a moment, and then looked at Rose, disbelieving.

"That man," she declared, "is the undisputed master of the cameo appearance."

"I suppose it would be asking too much," Rose pointed out, "to want a Man of Mystery to not behave in a stereotypically mysterious manner?"

Chloe grimaced. "He's like The Lone Ranger of esoteric data. Except instead of a horse named Silver, he drives a fancy gas-slurping sport utility."

"Tank of gas these days," Rose quipped, getting into the weirdly natural rhythm of conversations with Chloe, a technique Pete Ross had long mastered but Rose McCrimmon was just now discovering, "costs 'bout as much as a silver bullet."

Chloe slowly slowly paged through Smith's journal. If this was what he said it was... if this was really an alien language... this was, to Chloe, like a map to The Holy Grail. But she couldn't help thinking to herself, she couldn't help thinking of the question Galahad asked The Grail's last guardian before recovering it from its burial place: 'Whom does this Grail serve?'

Out loud, though, her mouth kept working, the rhythmic conversation as effortless as ever: "I always wondered, when I was little," she divulged, "how The Lone Ranger could call himself 'Lone' when he worked with his friend Tonto? But then my dad explained to me that The Lone Ranger was the only man left alive from a bunch of Texas Rangers that got wiped out. So it didn't matter who he palled around with..."

"...he was still alone," Rose nodded slowly, eyes scrunched. "Because he was the last."

Chloe found the page she was looking for.

On this page was the symbol from the wall of The Kawatche Cave. The snaky "s" formation inside a pentagonal frame. This, apparently, was "Hope," just as Smith had declared moments previously.

On the page facing this was the inverted version, the one from the cave in France, on file in The World of Weird. This one, apparently, was "Resurrection."

Like the Holy Grail itself, there were things going on here that went beyond mere Life, mere Death. 'Whom does this Grail serve?'

She ran her tongue over her teeth.

And then her cellphone buzzed in the holster case, and Chloe jumped as if she'd been stung.

She flipped it open, and a picture message came through.

She blinked once. She blinked twice. Her eyes smouldered. Her face turned red.

Rose gazed at her worriedly, trying to sneak a peek over Chloe's shoulder at the holy journal, and then trying to steal a similar glance at the phone.

"What?" she wondered, feeling a little bewildered, feeling a little desperate. "What is it?"

Why am I always running to catch up?

Chloe fixed Rose with a gaze. "Feel like getting in a little more extracurricular activity?"

"Will it look good in my yearbook entry?" Rose asked, eyebrows up, eyes huge.

Chloe harrumphed. "Remains to be seen. The Beast of The Capitalist Apocalypse just showed up on Native American holy ground. You any good at exorcisms?"

Rose managed to keep her face blank. "Possibly."

Chloe arched an eyebrow. She brooked no hesitation.

Rose nodded quickly, sharply. "Yeah. Let's... let's roll."

Chloe smirked faintly, and got on her phone as she began jogging for the main road. "Dad? You're on your way, right? Is there any way you can give us a lift to Miller's Bend?"

Rose noted the pause as she followed, strides eating up distance. Even as quick as she was, now, she had trouble keeping up with Chloe's passionate loping.

"Thanks," Chloe beamed at her dad down the phone. "You are a saint among men and among fathers."

Chloe snapped her phone shut, and then glanced over her shoulder at Rose, offering her the cell. "You need to let anyone know where you're going?"

Rose accepted the phone, feeling once more that feeling of being overwhelmed surging and spinning up inside her. But she forced herself to think.

She snapped the phone open and dialed her house, leaving a quick message on the machine that she was going to the caves at Miller's Bend for a school-related project and that she'd hitch a ride home later on. She could have called her mother's own mobile, or called her mom at work, but she felt like she didn't want to have to trip over a messy thing like "asking permission" right about now.

She stopped, half about to hand the phone back to Chloe, and then decided to send a text of her own.

The piece of paper on which Kyle had written his number had been ruined in the watery spray, and then baked further into ruination when Rose had heated herself dry-- without the aid of a Chi hair-dryer or the hand-dryer from the wall of the bathroom --but Chloe wasn't the only one 'round here with a good visual memory.

Rose takked in a text to Kyle's commlink sunglasses, fully expecting that the message would scrawl over his heads-up display without requiring the benefit of an audio uplink.

'Text me back on this number when you're safe. Identify the message as being for me, but don't otherwise identify yourself. Block Caller ID. Let me know you're okay. I'm worried about you.'

She then resisted handing the phone back for just long enough to delete that message from Chloe's phone's outbox, and that number from her contacts list.

Chloe was trustworthy, to be sure. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

Just as the two girls reached the kerb of the main road, just as Rose handed Chloe her phone, Gabe Sullivan pulled up in his car.

Without more than a few words of greeting and introduction, Chloe clambered into the passenger seat and Rose slithered into the back.

They sped off towards The Caves, taking a more direct route than had Pete and Bruce.

 

[AmenRa]

"Well, no," Lionel answered, "I don't believe we are tunneling anywhere." He walked around the piece of machinery Pete Ross was looking over to where Bruce was standing. "This is actually something Lex has in mind for a project," he explained, "and he's heading it up. After all, these caves hold a certain archaeological value as well as a cultural value. I can assure you that I've authorized only safe and undamaging examination here."

As far as what we could damage, Lionel thought, because I'm sure some things in here can't be harmed by anything humans could possess.

"However," he said, looking at Bruce pointedly, "you are welcome to examine anything you like as well. The only consideration I ask is that you share any knowledge you obtain with me."

Not with Lex. Not with Smith. Not with anyone else but me.

 

[AmenRa]

On the outskirts of Cairo....

The man with the brown hat and leather jacket held up the broken pieces of the statue in his hand. He looked at the shards then shook his head.

In the midst of the shards, on the cold stone floor of the tomb, were two dead men. They were dressed as diggers, a common sight around the archaelogical excavations in Cairo.

"Any idea why men would kill for that?" a policeman asked the man in the hat.

"Fortune and glory," he answered. "Fortune and glory."

 

[AmenRa]

At the Smallville Municipal Airport

Var-Sen parked his SUV, and as he got out, he was startled by the sudden appearance of a man he had not seen in many, many years.

The man was heavyset, with a kind, Egyptian face. He carried a black leather satchel.

"Sallah?" Smith asked. "What are you doing here?"

Sallah was quick when he spoke. "I don't have much time," he said, "but I have been working the past week like you asked. I found this, and I was to keep it safe until you arrived." He handed the satchel to Smith. "But there are others who wish for it. Men have died already."

Smith took the satchel. "Thank you," he said.

Sallah nodded. "I must go, flee from even this place. I was waiting your arrival here so that I could pass this to you. I no longer want this burden."

Sallah embraced Smith quickly, then turned and hurried towards a waiting plane.

Smith was literally left holding the bag.

 

[Superman1496]

Something about Luthor made Bruce uneasy. His tone when he had said that made Bruce feel as if he didn't want anyone else knowing what they knew.

So if Lex is doing this, why, might I ask are you here? Bruce asked. He walked past Lionel over to the machine mounted against the wall. The octagonal imprint was surrounded by three symbols.

And what kind of research here would need this equipment? Bruce asked, looking around. Cultural value, yes, but I don't see any value of this caves that would have anything to do with Luthor Corp. Bruce said.

He continued to walk around the cave, stealing photos on his phone. He set his phone up to a direct link to Chloe's, sending every picture to her.

'I sure hope these can help you somehow.' He thought to himself.

He turned to Lionel Luthor again. So, Mr. Luthor, if you wish to know our knowledge, we wish to know yours. Bruce said sternly.

 

[AmenRa]

Lionel Luthor smiled.

"Very well done, Mr. Wayne," he stated, "your observation and instinct for negotiation is well-descended from your father."

Lionel put his hands in his coat pockets. "The only thing you've overlooked, young man, is that I am holding all of the stock and you've not anything to barter with.

"Take a good look around you. The Kawatche Cave has just been placed on the map as a research project of LuthorCorp. LuthorCorp's CEO is here personally overseeing the project. A research project that will once again bring outlook to Smallville.

"Now some will argue I'm here because I don't trust my son."

Lionel's voice got real serious. "I can assure that is not the case. I am here out of a personal interest in these cavern walls because I believe there is a great deal we can learn about our past right here."

And because your father and I once had a close relationship with someone not of this world. And this someone has a puzzle to figure out, and he won't help me figure it out at all. And Thomas Wayne isn't around anymore for me to go to. So there's only you, Bruce. Only you left.

But instead of telling him that, Lionel Luthor simply nodded his head and smiled.

 

[Superman1496]

Well Mr. Luthor, I thank you on your compliment, but you are wrong about one thing. Bruce said, looking in his eyes.

I don't think you would let us in here if you didn't think we could figure something out. And we wouldn't be here if we hadn't already figured something out. So you see, Mr. Luthor, you don't have everything. Pete and I don't walk into a gamble without something to barter.

We're a little bit smarter then that. Bruce said, smiling, looking over at Pete.

 

[AmenRa]

Lionel Luthor's smile turned the corner of his mouth with pleased amuzement. Bruce Wayne was indeed very much like his father.

The billionaire CEO of LuthorCorp considered it was time to lay some cards on the table, then. He would start with information one of the technicians in the white coat had just given him.

"There is a room on the other side of the wall beyond that octagonal shape," he said, indicating the wall with a nod of his head.

"Your move, Mr. Wayne."

 

[AmenRa]

OOC: Deleted for continuity issues.

 

[Superman1496]

A room? On the other side of that wall huh? Bruce thought for a moment.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the message. Chloe was on her way. Good, because Bruce didn't know what the hell to say to Mr. Luthor.

'Ok, just buy your time.' Bruce thought.

Well, if it's a room that someone has been in before, there must be a way in it. Bruce said, looking at the wall. And it's almost as if you need an object placed inside here. A key perhaps. Bruce continued.

Of all the BS stories he could come up with. 'A Key? What the hell is up with that one? Way to go.' He thought to himself.

He hoped Luthor didn't see through his bluff.