Justice Questioned
Chapter 1

Authors introduction

While it might seem like yet another idea from me that won't be finished (while most of them will be) this has actually been in the back of my mind since I saw The Dark Knight in the cinema. At first it was going to be a crossover between the Dark Knight and the 90's version of Superman from "Lois and Clark:- The New Adventures Of" but as only a few people would remember that show I decided to leave it be. I already was working on too much as it was.

After that I thought it might be interesting to use the idea to explore the film Superman Returns. Specifically have Lois confide in Clark that she was worried about her son's show of Kryponian strength. That once again was too much and I decided to let it be. Given the Superman fan base reaction to that little hiccup in the mythology it's best to let that sleeping dog lie.

Then along came Smallville. After eight years of pointless meandering the show has finally hit its stride, jettisoning wastes of space like Lana and finally giving Clark the attitude he needs. Rather than having him whine all the time about the pressures Jor-El puts on him or the fact he can't fit in we finally have the superhero we all know. Alright he's still a little rough around the edges but that's what we wanted from the start.

Now I was going through my season 9 box set when I decided to put this with the old idea I've had on the back burner so that's where this is set. Lois doesn't yet know about Clarks secret, but is firmly in the Blur's court. So here we go;

Disclaimer

Smallville, the Dark Knight and all related characters belong to DC comics and their parent company, Warner Brothers. I make no profit from their use and do not intend to.

'Hey Smallville, where have you been?' Lois said just before Clark got into the bullpen of the Daily Planet.

'Good morning to you too Lois.' He offered as he started to make himself a coffee. He might love her, but there were times he could do with her being a little less Lois like. The day had barely started and, as the Blur, he'd already stopped three major traffic accidents, a mugging and saved a dog from chasing a cat onto railway tracks.

He just knew it was going to be one of those days.

'Well while you were dawdling to work in the slow lane Gotham City just sent out a cry for help, to a certain former red and blue super-hero.' She smirked at him and brought up a browser window.

Stunned Clark read over her shoulder aloud; 'A year after the brutal murder of Gotham's white knight district attorney, Harvey Dent, and two police men and the murderer is no closer to justice. The ever elusive Batman, vigilante criminal, has since the senseless crime stepped up his harassment of both the Gotham underworld and the city's council.'

It continued; 'While the GCPD is no closer to identifying the masked assailant Gotham's recently elected Mayor Hill has, this morning, made a public appeal to the City of Metropolis. Asking their own vigilante to step in and assist in the Batman's capture. "The Blur has shown the great city of Metropolis that justice is in the hands of the people as much as the authorities. Over the last few months he has proven that working with the Metropolis Police Department that they can virtually eliminate all major crime. The Batman is a threat to both our city's future and the possibility of embracing those true heroes amongst us." said the Mayor. "For the good of his goals and ours we here by offer an invitation to the Metropolis Blur to prove his duty to us all." '

Lois grinned at him. 'You see that, our super-hero is wanted, now I've arm wrestled Tess into getting the two of us the exclusive. Because of my… connection to the Blur and… and because she thinks we work well together.'

'Tess gave us the big story.' Clark said carefully, Tess Mercer, editor of the Planet, knew his secret, but had her own hidden agenda. Whatever it was she wanted him there. It was yet another complication for the mess that was his double life.

'Well, not just us. There's going to be some hot shot from the eighth floor following our footsteps, but I plan to have them eating my headline.' She stopped and bit her bottom lip in that way Clark tried not to notice was adorable, 'With our byline. Of course.'

'Slow down there, do you really think this is a good idea. I mean what if the Blur doesn't accept?'

'He has to Clark, don't you see what it means?'

'I think I do Lois. Look They want the Blur because they think they need him. If he's on their beck and call for every little thing how long until it goes badly? How long until they make these public appeals for the things they could do in their sleep?'

'Talk about seeing the glass half empty. Clark this is the first time anyones officially asked for his help. I'm sure that they won't call on him for the little things. This Batman is a grade A nut job and if he's been able to evade the Gotham men in blue this long he's got to have some serious Mojo working for him! The Blur's got to say yes. I mean imagine what it would be like to have a super fast hero working for the world. An earthquake in europe, he'll be there in a blur. The lives he'll save, doing what he does here but on a much bigger scale. It's the world Clark. The Blur is going global!'

'Lois is really taking this too far.' Clark told Chloe in the Watchtower. She'd seen the news report, of course, and been stunned. With all the trouble and the rise of Anti-hero groups the thought of someone that high up in the city practically blackmailing Clark into helping was a stunner.

'You know they're trying to twist you're arm into doing this, right?'she asked, trying to keep him grounded wasn't hard but it was one of this things she did for him.

'With the whole "prove you're better" angle? I got that. What I'm ask is what do you think? Should I say yes, zip on over there and take this guy out, or just stick to my sandbox'

'Sounds like you're already coming down on one side of the equation Clark,' she told him, coming out from around her desk, 'But as much as you probably don't want to hear this; they're right. I've done what I can from this end and from what I can tell this Batman is seriously unhinged.' she brought up the police and medical reports from her tablet to the main screens.

'Brutal beatings, broken bones, comas, trauma. Chloe this reads like a triage centre of a major gang war. You're saying one guy did this?'

'It gets worse, DA Dent was badly burnt before our violent vigilante tossed him off a bomb site. Take a look.' She showed him the medical file that she was sure would give her nightmares for the next few weeks. A whole half of his face was burnt off, literally. You could see burnt muscles and a lidd less, blood shot, eye.

'How could anyone do that?' Clark asked disgusted.

'That wasn't the Batman's fault, another psycho blew through town called the Joker, he did that. Blew up his fiancee at the same time.'

'So why did The Batman kill Dent and why then? Was he not on the level and he found out?'

Chloe shook her head. 'If anything Dent was too good. They're still calling him the White Knight of Gotham. There's people that will swear blind that he stood down an assassin in court, disarming him and then spent an hour questioning the guy.'

'So why would this lunatic attack and kill him? That doesn't make any sense Chloe.' Clark pointed out, grimly

'It does when you find out Dent tried to take credit for being the Batman. It was supposedly a sting operation to draw out the Joker, I'm guessing it backfired because he escaped soon after, blowing up Dent in the process.'

'And you think Batman blamed Dent, or just didn't like someone trying to steal his thunder?'

Chloe shrugged. 'Not a very good reason to kill one of the best DA's in the country.'

Clark shook his head. 'If this guy is as unhinged as I think he is killing Dent wouldn't even be a blip on his radar. Think about it, this guy spends his nights beating the crap out of criminals. Then along comes Dent, doing the right thing and putting them behind bars, where he can't get them.'

Chloe saw where he was going with that thought. 'So rather than finding another pastime he makes sure that there'll be enough criminals to brutalise by keeping them on the street. That's only a short term solution though, at this rate there won't be a criminal or gang member in the whole of Gotham.'

'And when he runs out of them, who knows who he'll go for next. He's already stared on one public servant. and the cops that got in his way.' Clark looked at the hospital list again. 'Someone has to stop him.'

'Only one question.' Chloe pointed out. How do you think Gotham's finest are going to feel when you blur in there and do their jobs for them, especially when it was two of their own that got killed the last time?'

Lois Lane was in her apartment, just over the Talon, packing for her trip to Gotham when her phone rang. As Bonnie Tyler started singing she knew exactly who it was. Her ever elusive super-hero. 'It's about time you called.' she said answering.

'Lois Lane. I'm not sure the word hello is even in your vocabulary.' the distorted voice on the other end said. Quite why he thought he needed to keep even his voice hidden was beyond her but she wasn't going to ask.

There were some things she wasn't supposed to know and if he wasn't going to tell her then there had to be a good reason. 'I take it you're calling about the invitation from Gotham?' she prodded.

There was a long silence. 'Yes, I've been looking in to it.'

'Why didn't you call earlier, what's the use in having a smoking hot contact at the Planet and not using them to get you the four one-one?'

'I have other sources Lois. Ones that go a little deeper than what you'll find in your archives.'

'Oh really?' She didn't like the sound of that. 'Is there a one stop shop for super-hero information these days? Do you have your own eight one hundred number?'

'Sort of. The Watchtower keeps an eye on things for us.'

'So I should ask a Jehovahs Witness some time?' Lois quipped before thinking about it. 'You really mean that don't you. you've got your own big bother watching out for you, don't you? Not just you but everyone, Oliver, A.C…'

'And a few others. It's sort of like our club house. Listen Lois, this Batman character is dangerous. He's killed before and I think there are other skeletons in his closet.'

'So why are you calling me.'

'I have to go and stop him. Not just because he's giving vigilante's a bad name. I know where he's going with this quest of his. It's going to end badly, for everyone.'

'Unless you get involved?'

'We'll see.' With that he hung up. lois was left staring at her phone. As stories went this was going to be big.

Commissioner James Gordon slammed the phone down. 'Of all the bone headed, arrogant, son of a bitch moves to make!' he half shouted.

Bullock was in the office with him, looking just about as angry. 'They can't do this to us!' The idea that they were being sidelined for a mysterious metropolis vigilante didn't sit well with anyone in the department.

'You heard the Mayor, he's new and he want's results on this.'

'But there's nothing. No prints, no photos. The only people to see this guy are either dead or too traumatised to speak.'

'I've seen him.' Gordon admitted, glancing at the picture on the wall. It was an artist impression, a pretty good one too. He'd given a full description of the suit, the cape and even what he could of the jaw. Even that wasn't helpful. It didn't look human enough. More a man like creature congealed out of the night itself.

There was no way anyone was getting a possible ID from it, just as he had hoped. 'I know Commissioner, and you've done a good but what does the Mayor expect us to to?'

Gordon turned his chair to look out the open window. 'Let the Blur take him out.'

For a moment the two of them sat there before Bullock excused himself and left.

'You think this "Blur's" going to be trouble?' growled the darkness behind him.

Gordon had long since gotten over his dark ally's methods, but there were still times his audacity stunned him. Creeping into police headquarters with Bullock right there was almost reckless.

'You've seen the reports. Faster than the eye can see. Supposedly super strong and no ones been able to figure out how he leaves his little calling cards on the sides of buildings. No accelerant, or ignition. Yes, I think he could be a problem, they'll be hard to shake off.'

'You don't want him here.'

'No one but the Mayor does. I'll do what I can to get rid of him.' Gordon said turning to look. As he did there was the sound of a cape flapping and the briefest of glimpses of something moving.

The Batman was gone.

End Chapter One