293 Talk #293

Gotham's Police Academy

"So, what do you think...?" I asked as I turned to Deborah after watching the police officers she picked quickly run through the obstacle course, setting a new record.

"It's incredible. I don't think the guys upstairs will have any complaints either..." Deborah replied as she stopped watching the police officer and turned to me. "Heck, I just might have to throw my resignation at their faces if they were dumb enough to refuse the deal," She added, shaking her head.

It's been a week and several days since the Superman incident, and I spent a good portion of my time working on the new toys I planned to supply to the Gotham City police department.

Kara tried to contact me three times ever since, but I couldn't bring myself to pick as I'd instantly get pissed off whenever I thought about what she said, but that's neither here nor there.

The first project I finished was the bulletproof vest, which the police officer used to cheat his way into setting a new obstacle course record before our eyes.

Naturally, the vest wasn't just a simple protective piece of equipment as it came with various tools, including but not limited to a completely safe, side-effect-free physical performance-enhancing drug injector, an automatic taser, and a face recognition system.

The vest's most advanced functions were its ability to tank armor-piercing round and the drug injector. It would instantly turn the average man into a competitive athlete for thirty minutes straight.

Of course, the drug, which I'd created with my Chemistry skill and a bit of magic, was completely safe and would not cause any health issues, be they mental or physical.

Not only that, but the drug would also act like steroids, but if they were on steroids. It would slowly enhance the human body's ability to grow muscle and gain strength overuse.

Other than the vest, I also perfected my neuro-link and fine-tuned it to be used by regular people to control Sentry Drones pre-programmed with protocols, such as recon, bomb defusion, subduing suspects, clearing areas, extracting hostages, and all the good stuff.

We'd already tested out all the toys I'd created and gathered the data and footage that Deborah would present to the state. In other words, we were already finishing up for the day.

"Let's not get hasty. This hellhole still needs you, you know?" I replied with a chuckle. "Worst case scenario, I'll just extort the sleazy bastards into taking the deal," I added as I stopped laughing, my expression turning blank.

"Of course, you will..." Deborah said, rolling her eyes at me, only to pause as she noticed my expression. "Wait, you're not being serious, are you...?" She asked, her eyes widening.

"Maybe, maybe not," I said with a shrug as I smiled. "Either way, make sure to tell me how it goes. I need to go check on my employees," I added as I turned to leave, waving behind my back.

Nine days was a lot of time, especially if you didn't need to sleep. I didn't spend all that time cooped up in my workroom as I had a company to run, and let me tell you, the government spooks kept me busy.

One hour ago, Whitlock Technology's Strike Team Alpha finished its third successful government deployment overseas, not counting the assault on Infinity Island.

There were a lot of bad guys out there, and highly trained mercenaries like Lady Vic, Deadshot, and Harley were a rare commodity, especially considering the swarm of bots and logistic support I personally provided.

I was trying to rope more people into the strike team, starting with good old Deathstroke, as he proved capable of playing by the rules when he took out Ras for me.

It might have seemed like a waste of favor back then, but it wasn't. It was a test, and the mercenary passed with flying colors. Besides, Deathstroke was a soldier of fortune. I could always throw a thing of cash in his face if I really needed his help.

True to my words, I put eighty percent of the profits back into the city, and I had already arranged for a contractor to start working on building a hospital in the middle of East End, which I'll supply with advanced medical equipment like the world has never seen before.

But that's enough bragging for now. I still had three employees waiting for their pay.

...

"There you are, lad..." Lady Vic said with a smile, uncaring of her less than decent state, as she leaned into the couch with nothing but a towel to cover her body. "Do you have my money?" She added, crossing her legs and intentionally showing off her thighs with a teasing smile.

Grayson merely gave her an unimpressed look before reaching into his pocket, taking out a check, and placing it on the table. "Fifty grand, plus a bonus of ten grand for unaccounted risks," He said, looking directly into Lady Vic's eyes.

"Where are the others?" Grayson asked as he looked around, finding no trace of Deadshot and Harley Quinn.

"Lawton went to check on his daughter, and goldilocks said something celebrating with a friend of hers," Lady Vic replied, still smiling as she stood and picked up the check.

"Cover yourself, woman," Grayson jokingly said, rolling his eyes as he watched the towel nearly fall off when she walked to the table.

"What's the matter? Am I too much woman for you, little boy?" Lady Vic asked with a chuckle as she approached Grayson, putting a hand under her chest to emphasize her cleavage.

"No. You're just not my type, and I believe this is sexual harassment, a leading cause of employment termination," Grayson blankly said in a business-like tone, shrugging his shoulders.

"Cheeky little bugger, I'll give you that much," Lady Vic said as she burst into laughter and stepped away from Grayson. "But there's nothing wrong with some fun to keep the work environment enjoyable and engaging," She added with a smirk as she sat back down and crossed her legs.

"Don't be a stranger now, mate," Lady Vic concluded as she picked up her phone and began fiddling with it, to which Grayson could only shake his head as he walked away.

He only took two steps when his phone started ringing, causing him to stop as he took it out and sighed. He hesitated for a second before picking up the call.

"Hello, Kara..." Grayson said with a blank expression. "No, I don't have any plans for now, and it's about time we talked... I'll meet you over the Wayne tower..." He concluded as he ended the call and headed for the exit.

"Trouble in paradise, it looks like..." Lady Vic muttered with a chuckle as she glanced at Grayson's shrinking back before shifting her attention to her phone.

...

I looked up into the sky when I heard a sonic boom echo in the distance and instantly noticed Kara slowly levitating down. "It's been a while..." She said with an awkward smile as she landed in front of me.

"It has. How have you been?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral and expression calm as I crossed my arm.

"Well enough, I suppose," Kara replied with a sigh, pausing for a second as she seemed to hesitate. "Listen, we really need to talk about what happened that day..." She added as she firmed her resolve, to which I merely nodded, waiting for her to speak. somber

"I realize you were upset with Kal, and it wasn't the best time to say what I said, especially with how I said it," Kara said, her expression glum as she spoke. "I could have chosen another time and used other words, but my first instinct was always to speak what's on my mind," She added, sighing heavily.

"I thought about it and realized that maybe you did what you thought was right, and not necessarily because it was the easy thing to do," Kars said, her tone sincere. "But I couldn't have known that, and I still don't. I have no idea what's going on in your mind," She concluded.

"Then maybe you should have asked?" I said with a frown, messaging my forehead out of frustration. "Maybe you should have thought about it before accusing me of taking the easy way out like I was some coward or something," I added with a scowl.

"I didn't like how you handled Lord, but I had no intention of calling you a coward or anything of that nature..." Kara replied with a frown, shaking her head as she prepared to keep talking, but I quickly cut her off.

"It sure sounded like it..." I said with a chuckle. "I've done many things I'm not proud of, but I've never done anything simply because it was the easy way out," I added through gritted teeth.

"Almost everything I ever did since all this craziness barged into my life was to accomplish something or the other..." I said as I harshly glared at Kara. "I constantly have to think about the consequences of everything I do and every word I speak..." I added, letting it all out.

"Almost everything I do, I do it because I have no other option. I can't let my guard for a single moment..." I added as I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Unlike your cousin, I know that any failure of mine would end in disaster for me or others," I went on, colling off as I exhaled.

"I don't have the privilege of taking the easy way out," I concluded.

"I couldn't have known any of that... I can't know any of that unless you tell me..." Kara said after a brief pause, her expression turning even gloomier as she processed my words.

"All I know is that I care about you, so talk to me me... make me understand..." She concluded, her tone sincere as she looked at me.

I was about to reply, but I instantly froze as I heard a loud sound from the sky and looked up. "Hold on to that thought..." I said, my eyes widening as I noticed a gigantic object breaking through the clouds and heading straight for the city.