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Jack Haley found the pod outside of his train car on a very peculiar night. There had been meteor showers all night and the aurora borealis was visible over large portions of the world. Science was blaming a deep space phenomenon, but Jack always believed nights like this were the work of aliens. He was a collector of oddities and a seemingly alien baby was the perfect new addition to his growing circus. So, Jack took the child in and gave in a nondescript name, Clark Kent, and raised him up as the circus traveled Eastern Europe. imagine his surprise when this miracle child had inhuman strength from an early age.
Clark became a performer at only four years old. His act was called "The Strongest Kid in the World" and he proved it every time in that circus tent. He grew up with the circus. Clark completed feats that even skeptics found hard to disprove. His act garnered attention for the once-small circus. As Haley's Traveling Circus grew in popularity, Jack decided it was time to hold auditions for new acts. At one audition, he signed a contract with two young lovers. They were glorious acrobats and trapeze artists who were turned out by their last circus for their romance. Jack would not turn them away, no. He saw the value in a duo that was not only well-practiced and matched but had a story. The pair became "The Flying Graysons" and more and more dazzling acts began to join.
Clark was eight when John and Mary joined. They became loving big siblings to him. Clark had always been raised by the circus as they traveled by he had never had any real parents. Growing closer to John and Mary gave him the first touch of a true family. He was so happy when they got married a few years later and the news of a child only made Clark's excitement grow. He was fourteen when Richard was born. At sixteen, he was the one to start calling him Dicky. He thought it a funny joke as a teen boy, but deep down he liked him because it was the first thing he truly owned for himself. Their bond was special and Clark helped raise his nephew with more love than he ever received.
When Dick turned nine, and was well into his career as one of "The Flying Graysons," Jack rebranded to Haley's International Travelling Circus. Dick and Clark practiced their English together as the American tour began. The circus was a great success. Clark was lifting groups of forty acrobats at a time. Dick was completing midair flips from one parent to the other. Their international leg only had only two stops left after Gotham.
This was their biggest show yet. Gotham was one of two cities in northeast America they were performing. The second the train came to a halt Clark's superhearing keyed him into a commotion. He listened in as a man demanded money from Jack for protection during his time in the city. Jack, the naive and hardheaded man he is, denied and shut the train car door in the man's face. Clark worried about it all night as they began to set out the tents for the upcoming show. Dick could tell he was acting strangely and roped him into some two-man acrobatic stunts.
When showtime arrived, Clark checked over Dick's costume. They did their secret handshake and Clark walked out onto the stage for his act. His performance was full of grandeur and shows of strength. The Graysons came on and Clark hoisted the group up to their respective towers for the trapeze act to begin. He was standing in the covered area of the stage wings where he always watched their performance. They never seemed to amaze them with how they flew through the air.
Clark knew he was an alien and he knew he could fly. Knowing his abilities only made their skills more impressive to him. When he discovered his other abilities, Jack decided they should keep to one act. As Clark grew up and wisened up, he realized Jakc had said that to protect him. Critics could explain away the super strength with some form of stage tricks, but flying and laser vision would have garnered more suspicion than fame. So, Clark restrained from using his other abilities in front of people who were not from their circus.
Until the snap of a rope caught his attention. He watched as all three of his dearest family members began falling to the ground. John and Mary were pointing to Dick as the preteen screamed for help. Clark raced to scoop Dick up midair, but when he turned to grab his siblings they had already hit the ground. The crowd was in a panic and so was Jack. Clark lowered to the ground and let Dick down. The eleven-year-old boy he had helped to raise ran toward his parents but was blocked by the Gotham City Police.
"Why did you not save them?" He screamed at Clark. In his shock, he did not register the cop ushering Dick away. He did not have time to follow either because people began accosting him about his newly revealed abilities. Clark fled.
At twenty-five, Clark was forced to run and build a new life. He never stopped thinking of Dick. The anger in the younger's eyes and the guilt, keeping him from ever reaching out.
At thirty, Clark has been Superman for four years and recently started his job with the Daily Planet. He is lucky to have built a life after the incident. Superman meets Batman when he tracks one of his villains into Gotham. Batman threatens him about a "no meta rule" and Clark decides it is best to just talk it out. He asks Batman for help with his villain and Batman agrees on the understanding that Clark will only enter Gotham when summoned.
Their mission is an easy success. "The Greatest Detective in the World" is no joke. They are wrapping up their meeting when a tall young man flips down from a rooftop in black spandex and a blue symbol across his chest. Clark thinks he is mistaken when he sees the familiar movements and hears the familiar heartbeat. Dick can not have been so close all this time. The masked vigilante turns to Batman to discuss a private matter, Clark tries not to eavesdrop and then turns to introduce himself as Nightwing. Clark recognizes that voice and those eyes anywhere. He sees them every night in his nightmares of the circus. He sees them in posters and photos he has collected over the years. Dick recognizes it too. Curbing the handshake to pull Clark into a tight hug.
Maybe, they can have the chance to rebuild their family.