Tom stared up at Lex for a moment, his face blank and unconcerned. “I’m sorry?” he asked finally.

“Bruce,” Lex repeated. “Bruce Wayne, that’s your name, right?” Tom stared at Lex, then shrugged and went back to drying his head. “You can’t fool me,” Lex said, coming closer. “I know we’ve never met, but I do recognize you. Our photos were side by side in Time. ‘The most likely to change the world in their lifetimes,’ I believe it called us. That’s not the sort of thing you forget.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tom said evenly. “My name’s Tom Malone, you must be mistaken.”

“Drop the act,” Lex demanded. He leaned down on the table and waited, staring at him. Tom got up and walked towards the tent, ignoring him. “Fine, be that way,” Lex said. “But I’m sure a few well placed calls to the Inquisitor will tell me all I need to know.”

Tom stopped in his tracks and looked back at him. For a moment, something cold shot through Lex as Tom glared at him, making him take a step back. Then Tom’s face dissolved into a helpless grin. “Guess I can’t fool the great, Lex Luthor,” Tom, or rather Bruce, said quietly. His shoulders slumped a little and he began playing with the towel in his hands as he looked at Lex.

He looks so different now, Lex thought strangely.

Recovering quickly, Lex asked, “Just what are you doing in the circus, Bruce?” He shrugged and slung the towel over his neck, still gripping it tightly.

“Oh, you know,” he said, “I ran away.” Lex stared at him for a moment, and Bruce laughed. “Well, maybe not ran away, but I did join the circus. I mean, I figured five years of college was enough for me, so I decided to do something fun for a while, and I sort of found this place.”

“And hanging upside down in a tank of water is your idea of fun?” Lex asked. “What happened to the parties and the girls I used to hear you connected to? Or did I just figure out why you’re here,” he laughed. “I thought I’d heard a rumor about you and one of the President’s daughters.”

“Now that’s just not true,” Bruce protested. “I’m on good terms with both of them. Very good terms.”

“I see.” Lex picked up a length of discarded chain and fingered it briefly. “So then would you mind explaining your new hobby to me? It seems kind of reckless for someone with a billion dollar trust fund. Or anyone in fact.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Bruce, laughed. He slapped Lex on the shoulder, making him wince. “I mean, once you’ve walked away from a 100 mile-an-hour rollout in your third Porsche, there’s not much thrill left in the world. I need something like this to make me feel alive. Besides, I hate to spoil it for you, but it’s all a trick really. The top of the tank isn’t locked and you can just pull yourself up to get out. The straight-jacket and cuffs are rigged too.”

“You don’t say,” Lex commented, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.

“Oh I’m sorry, Lex, did you think they were real?” Bruce asked in mock sincerity and then doubled over laughing. “I’m disappointed in you. We’ve both been handcuffed a few times before, am I right? You had to know all that up there was just a trick, something for the local yokels. God, people are ignorant sometimes,” he smiled. Lex didn’t say anything, still watching him.

Bruce laughed again and glanced back inside the tent. “Now I hate to say this, I know it sounds strange coming from me, but I do have some work to do. I’ve got to pack all that stuff on stage back up, so maybe I’ll talk to you again?” he asked, edging his way around Lex.

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“Sure,” Lex said. “Why don’t you stop by my mansion tonight? I can show you the hot night spots in Smallville, all two of them.”

“I’m… busy tonight,” Bruce said quickly. “But maybe we can try again,” he said.

“Tomorrow then,” Lex said firmly. He stepped over the rope divider and started to walk away, when he turned back. “Don’t forget it, Bruce,” he called. “I want to hear more about this career change of yours. And If I have to track you down to get the truth, I will.” Bruce smiled and waved as Lex walked out of sight.

As soon as he was gone, the smile fell off of Bruce’s face as he stared moodily into the distance. “Perfect,” he mumbled. “Just perfect.” He looked around at the tents and shook his head. “So much still to learn and now Lex Luthor,” he spit the name out. He tossed the towel onto the table and grabbed the rest of his sandwich. “You can come out now, Gail,” he said before taking a bite.

Gail stepped out from behind the curtain and marched over to him, her face a thundercloud. “What was that all about?” she demanded. Bruce sighed and made a face, not looking at her.

“What the hell gives you the right to lie to us, Tom, or Bruce!” she yelled at him. Bruce looked down at her and took another bite. “I can’t believe this, Bruce Wayne,” she paced around him. “Bruce Wayne! I’ve seen you’re picture in the paper, but I didn’t recognize you!”

“They were old photos and my hair was longer,” he shrugged. “You weren’t supposed to recognize me.”

She opened her mouth and then snapped it close suddenly. She stopped in front of him and tried to compose herself. Gail pointed her finger at him, but couldn’t seem to speak. Bruce took another bite and waited.

“What are you doing here?” she asked finally. Bruce shrugged and swallowed.

“I came to learn, just like I told your dad,” he said seriously. “I need to know anything either of you can teach me.”

“Oh, so now we can teach you? We’re not just a pair of liars and con-artists amusing the local yokels?” she snapped. He sighed again and rubbed his forehead slightly in aggravation.

“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” he told her, “and I only said it because he was here. If I didn’t respect your father’s skill, I wouldn’t be here.”

“But why are you here?” she asked. “You’re rich! You don’t need to know how to break out of cuffs. Hell, you don’t even need to know how to drive. You’ve probably got a chauffer or something.”

Bruce laughed and looked away. “Actually, just a butler back in Gotham. He’s more like family, really.” Gail looked at him, no longer upset.

“Why did you come here?” she asked him again. Bruce finished his sandwich and grabbed his towel off the table.

“I’ve got work to do,” he said and started to move away.

“No, don’t you dare walk away!” she yelled at him. He ignored her and kept going. She started to follow, then stopped and glowered at him. “Fine, walk away. That’s all you’ll ever do!” she screamed. Bruce disappeared inside the tent and left her outside. Gail stood there, quivering with rage, unable to speak. Then with a furious cry, she overturned the table and threw the chairs over the ropes. She kicked over crates, broke a standing mirror against a pole, and then tried to push over the pole for good measure, all the while screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs. Performers gathered from all the other tents, huddled together at a safe distance to watch as she destroyed everything she could get her hands on.

When there was nothing left, Gail stomped off, and the worried performers frantically made way for her. She stalked by the tents, looking for something else to break. “Gail?” someone called from behind her. She turned quickly to see Richard, the manager’s son, inching his way near her.

“Get away from me, Richie,” she snarled. She clenched her fists tightly, making the bones crack. “I’m not in the best mood right now.”

“I guessed that,” he said dryly. Despite the fact that Richard was almost a foot taller than her, he only out weighed her by ten pounds. All throughout his life, Richard had always seemed thin and weak. In a circus, everyone worked their fair share, but Richie, who was prone to fainting and dizziness if he worked too hard, had never been able help out. Being the manager’s son though, enabled him to skip any chores he might have had, but it had alienated him from the other performers. Gail was the only friend he seemed to have.

“I mean it, Richie,” she warned him. “Get away from me.” He smiled and took another step closer.

“C’mon,” he laughed. “I know tempers, Gail, and you’ve got a great one, but you’re not gonna hit me.” She raised her fist and he flinched back suddenly, but Gail didn’t swing. Richie, eyeing her carefully, edged a bit closer. He touched her shoulder comfortingly, and she sighed deeply. Gail sank to her knees and stared at the grass. Picking bits and pieces from the lawn, she said, “He lied to me,” softly.

“What?” Richie said, sitting down beside her.

“Tom, he lied to me,” she said. She ripped a bit of grass from the ground and let it fall through her fingers. “Jerk,” she mumbled. “Idiot. Moron. Pig,” she continued, ripping up more grass with every word.

“I guess so,” Richie said. He watched her mutilate the grass for a while, and then asked cautiously, “What did he lie about?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said quickly and looked away.

“Gail, I’ve been your friend for years,” he said. “If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?”

“I don’t know… I guess… I mean,” she floundered helplessly. Shaking her head, Gail tried to get her feelings into words. “It’s just, he’s lived with my dad and me for almost a year now, and he’s been hiding something from us the whole time. We took him in and Dad taught him everything, and now this…” she finished, tossing grass into the air. It tumbled in the air and fell quickly. “I hate him,” she whispered. Richie put his arm around her, comfortingly.

It was all he could do to keep from smiling.