Inside the narrow alley, Detective Fran slowly pulled two photographs from his coat pocket.
He held them up between his fingers.
Both pictures were grainy security camera stills from inside the museum. In the images, Clark and David stood beside Lex Luthor, talking casually near one of the exhibits.
"You were surprisingly hard to track down, Clark."
Fran shook the photo lightly as he spoke, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
"It's lucky you decided to visit that museum exhibit that night."
What Fran had originally seen at the accident scene had been limited—Clark's clothes, his hairstyle, and only half of his face in the dim streetlight. Finding someone based on that alone in a city the size of Metropolis should have been nearly impossible.
But luck had been on his side.
Late at night, the streets had been empty. The only major event happening nearby was the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So Fran had tried his luck and gone straight there to investigate.
And it had paid off.
"With these photos," he continued calmly, "tracking you down becomes much easier for a police detective."
Clark swallowed quietly.
"Officer… what exactly do you want us to cooperate with you to investigate?"
His eyes remained locked on the man in front of him.
A police officer appearing out of nowhere and bringing up a traffic accident already made Clark uneasy. Somewhere deep down, a cold premonition was beginning to form.
David stood slightly behind him with his arms crossed, watching the scene silently.
His gaze remained cold and observant.
He wanted to see exactly what this man intended to do.
"I really have to wonder," Fran said suddenly, his eyes shining with curiosity, "what your adoptive parents fed you growing up."
He stepped closer and looked Clark up and down like someone studying an exotic animal inside a zoo enclosure.
Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Clark's arm, squeezing the muscle with fascination.
Clark instantly slapped the man's hand away.
Fran raised both hands in mock surrender, though the smug grin on his face never faded.
"Easy there," he chuckled. "I can't survive a punch from you."
"Officer," Clark said carefully, trying to remain calm, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, stop pretending," Fran replied immediately.
His voice lowered as he leaned in closer, speaking as though he were sharing a friendly secret. Then he clapped his hands together once.
"That was a fantastic performance last night."
Clark froze.
"Stopping a runaway city bus with one hand… that was impressive."
Unease flashed across Clark's face.
He opened his mouth to respond, but Fran shook his head before he could speak.
"Clark," the detective said slowly, "are you really still trying to play dumb?"
His tone carried a faint trace of mockery.
"You're not actually that naïve, are you?"
Clark felt his heart tighten.
The man wasn't bluffing.
His secret had truly been discovered.
The realization made Clark's expression darken as he glared at the detective.
"No matter how gentle an elephant is," David suddenly said coldly from the side, "it's still not something you casually provoke."
The words were quiet, but the meaning behind them was unmistakable.
Anyone foolish enough to anger someone capable of crushing them with ease was asking for trouble.
"Elephant?" Fran turned his head and looked at David with amusement. "So you know your brother's little secret too."
His real target had always been Clark.
Stopping Clark's younger brother was simply a convenient side benefit.
David's implied threat didn't bother him in the slightest.
"I understand exactly what you people want," Fran continued, pointing between Clark and David as he spoke.
"Clark, you have incredible strength and talent. But since childhood you've never participated in school sports, and you don't even fight back when someone hits you."
He slowly began pacing back and forth inside the alley.
"Your parents adopted someone like you, yet they still work themselves to the bone running a small farm, earning only a few pathetic tens of thousands of dollars a year."
Fran had spent years operating in the gray area between crime and law enforcement.
Using other people's secrets as leverage was dangerous work. One mistake could easily lead to retaliation from someone far stronger than himself.
Because of that, Fran always chose his targets carefully.
Timid prey made the safest victims.
Clark's background had already been investigated thoroughly. Fran had become more than eighty percent certain that the young man in front of him was exactly the kind of prey he could control.
Otherwise, he would never have appeared here today.
"You want a peaceful life," Fran said slowly.
The thought of Clark's strength still sent a thrill through him.
With power like that, making money would be effortless. Almost anything could be achieved.
Yet this family had chosen to hide quietly on a small farm.
They were cautious enough to keep Clark away from sports entirely.
"Your brother could probably kill me easily," Fran admitted with a careless shrug. "But if I fail to return somewhere by a certain time, an email will automatically be sent."
A cold sneer curled across his lips.
"That email contains all the information about your family."
He leaned closer.
"And it will be delivered directly to several major media outlets."
Clark's hands clenched into fists.
"What do you think will happen then?" Fran asked softly.
"I guarantee your family will instantly become the most famous household in Metropolis… maybe even the entire world."
Clark grabbed the detective's collar.
"Enough!"
His voice exploded with anger.
"What do you want?"
The fabric twisted tightly in Clark's grip.
"Leave my brother and my parents out of this."
Without the Kents, Clark had no idea where he would be now. As an alien child found in a field, he might never have survived.
Without him, his younger brother would have received all their love and attention.
Clark absolutely refused to let trouble fall on his family because of him.
"Shhh."
Fran calmly raised a finger to his lips.
"Lower your voice, Clark. You wouldn't want anyone overhearing your secret."
Standing in front of a furious creature far more dangerous than an African elephant should have been terrifying.
Yet Fran only smiled.
Clark's anger, his fear, his desperation—every reaction only strengthened Fran's confidence.
"I'm not asking for much," the detective said casually. "Frankly, it would be a waste for someone like you to spend your life on a farm."
He adjusted his coat and spoke in a tone that sounded almost righteous.
"I'm a police detective. My job is to deal with criminals."
"There are a few gangsters in this city who have committed countless crimes. Unfortunately, we can't find enough evidence to arrest them."
Fran smiled faintly.
"So I simply want you to help me deal with them."
After studying Clark's background, Fran had already figured out the young man's personality.
Eliminating several of the largest gangs in Metropolis would earn him more than enough money to live comfortably for years.
"I won't kill anyone!" Clark shouted immediately.
Being threatened left him anxious and furious at the same time.
At that moment he regretted last night's decision deeply. If only he had checked carefully before stepping in to stop the bus.
But the accident had happened too suddenly.
Clark hadn't even had time to think.
"Even if they're gangsters with blood on their hands?" Fran asked.
"Yes!"
Fran blinked once.
Then he shrugged.
"Alright," he said casually. "If you don't want to kill them, that's fine. Subduing them works too."
His tone made it clear he didn't particularly care.
All he wanted was money.
Clark hesitated.
If all he had to do was fight criminals and capture them…
Maybe that wasn't so wrong.
Just as Clark was about to agree—
Clap. Clap.
A slow, deliberate sound echoed through the alley.
David lowered his hands after applauding lightly.
"Bold, yet cautious," he said calmly.
His tone sounded almost genuinely appreciative.
"That's exactly the mindset a gambler needs."
Inside his chest, Fran's heart was pounding violently.
Yet outwardly, his expression remained steady.
Being exposed so directly made him uneasy, but the smile on his face never disappeared.
Yes, he was gambling.
Even with more than eighty percent certainty, victory wasn't guaranteed.
But the risk was worth taking.
If he won this bet, his life would be secure forever.
He could hold this secret for the rest of his life.
"Interested in making a wager with me?" David asked casually.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small fifty-cent coin.
Fran glanced at the coin and chuckled.
"What exactly are you betting?"
Despite his relaxed tone, a faint unease stirred in his mind.
Something about the situation felt… off.
Until now, he had barely paid attention to David Kent. A teenager beating a few football players wasn't particularly remarkable.
Just childish fights.
But standing here now, Fran suddenly realized something unsettling.
From beginning to end, David's face had shown no anxiety.
No panic.
No fear.
He had watched everything calmly, as though observing a small insect jumping around without understanding its own fate.
Mature.
Composed.
Strangely confident.
Fran couldn't figure out where that confidence came from.
Was it because of his monster of a brother?
....
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