Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Knightmare

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 37: Post Metawave – Epilogue III

Gotham City

Lena and Alex had arrived at the lab belonging to Dr. Roland Daggett, founder of ReNuYu corporation in Gotham City. From the research the two discovered on the trip over, ReNuYu was a powerful drug that could soften facial scarring and even possibly allow surgeons to reform disfigurements without invasive surgery. It could eventually be sold to the public to fix wrinkles and blemishes, small scars from childhood and a number of other possible uses.

It was a genius invention if it could work. The product was still in clinical trials though and had yet to be tested on humans or animals. It was at least three years away from being on the market. A drug that affected the cellular structure of skin had to be watched and tested thoroughly, especially if it was ever to be introduced to the general public without a prescription.

They had called before they arrived and gotten no answer which was suspicious. Since the company also made cosmetic products to pay the bills, someone should have been there, at least answering the phones.

When they arrived, the parking lot was empty, save for one car.

Alex and Lena, along with their security contingent, walked through the front door and found no one at the front desk. They did see shattered glass bulbs on the ground. Lena walked around the desk and tried to turn on the computer.

“Should we be doing that? Going behind the desk?” Alex asked.

Lena shrugged. “Yesterday, I was in federal custody, locked away in a hole in the ground in National City and am currently the second most hated person in the world. What is the worst that can happen?”

Alex snorted and joined her.

“Nothing. This place was definitely hit. What was Basil doing here?” Alex asked.

A side door opened, and the four Wayne Security guards pulled their weapons quickly.

The short, middle-aged man with brown hair, an ordinary face, wearing a white button down with a coffee stain and beige pants, raised his hands in the air.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked nervously, trying to feign outrage and failing.

“Roland Daggett, I presume?” Lena asked. When he nodded, she continued. “I’m Lena Luthor and this is Alex Danvers. We have some questions about your lab and why Basil Karlo, who is currently a giant puddle of talking mud, managed to say your name and product when asked what happened to him.”

“Lena Luthor? You are…”

Lena raised her hand to stop him. “Yes, I’m Lex Luthor’s sister. What am I doing here? How can I show my face, why am not in prison? I am here to investigate what happened to a man who is now a giant puddle of living mud. I can show my face because I did nothing wrong and I am not in prison because again, I did nothing wrong, and I am one of the best people in the world to determine what my brother did and how to fix it. Now that we have that out of the way, my partner has some questions for you.”

The man nodded at the men, still holding guns but no longer aimed at him. “Are you feds?”

“Worse.” Alex answered. Pointing to their security, she said, “They work for Diana Wayne, meaning they have none of the rules the feds have to follow. Now, how do you know Basil Karlo and why did he tell us ReNu had something to do with his condition? It is obvious by the damage that your little lab here took a direct hit from interdimensional energy. Were you here when it happened?”

Daggett sneered.

“Diana Wayne’s people. Her little blonde bitch sister turned me down when I approached her for a partnership…” Daggett stopped speaking and began gurgling.

One of the Wayne Security guards had slammed him against the wall by his throat and was squeezing.

“I would be very careful how you describe Miss Wayne if I were you, cosmetic boy.” The large man told him, starting to lift him off his feet.

He lifted his hands and the guard let up. “I’m sorry! Look this isn’t my main lab. This is where I work on ReNuYu. It’s a drug…”

“We know what it is, Doctor.” Alex stopped him. “What does it have to do with Karlo?”

Daggett sighed and motioned for them to follow him. They entered through the side door he had approached them from and were inside a lab. Several cannisters of a blue liquid lined the walls, as well as lay broken on the floor, glass everywhere and the blue liquid spilled out. A single computer on a small desk was obviously broken and surprisingly a back door into the lab was broken.

“What happened here? The interdimensional energy blasts haven’t caused this much physical damage.” Lena pointed out. “The lights and computer I understand but we haven’t found cases of complete destruction at blast sites. What smashed these canisters? What was in them?”

Daggett seemed reluctant to share.

“Look,” Alex said, approaching him, “We are nice ladies who only want to help. The guys behind us are not so nice. They are paid to be the opposite of nice and you have already insulted the one person they are all very protective of. You have three choices: you can tell us what happened, tell the feds what happened, or we can let them beat the shit out of you and then we will ask again nicely what happened and you will tell us. Whatever you decide, we are going to find out what happened.”

Daggett looked at the men in suits who were smiling and cracking their knuckles, hoping he wouldn’t answer.

“Basil Karlo was a stage actor, one who was out of work because of a recent car wreck.” Daggett replied quickly. “I read about the wreck and approached him. He had very large slashes across his face. I needed a subject to perfect my drug before clinical trials started. He was working with me. We were making some headway but…”

Daggett hesitated and Lena rolled her hand. “Keep going. At this rate, you might not get your teeth kicked in.”

“The drug had a quality I was not expecting. It was addictive. I hadn’t moved it to pill form. I was giving him liquid injections directly into the wound. Rather than cause pain, it actually caused him euphoria. It wasn’t working as quickly as we hoped and he was convinced I was holding out, not wanting to heal him.” Daggett explained. “The day of the storm, my security alarm went off. I called the police but considering the skies were red, I doubted they would respond. Gotham Police were probably falling over themselves to protect the Wayne sisters…”

One of the security men stepped forward.

“… which is perfectly understandable and the right thing to do! On the drive here, I saw one of those pockets of energy strike. I barely stopped my car in time. I knew it had hit the area my lab was in. Once it was gone, I drove to my lab. I found the backdoor lock shattered and a sledgehammer on the ground.

“When I walked in, Karlo was inside. He had a needle in his hand, and I assume he injected himself and probably several times. He was also glowing.”

“Glowing?” Alex asked.

“Yes.” Daggett confirmed. “He saw me and started swiping samples from the shelves. He was out of his mind and covering himself in the drug. Then he ran towards me. I fell to the ground outside and he jumped and kept running. I didn’t see him after that.”

Alex and Lena shared a look, understanding.

“Environmental factors.” Alex whispered as the two stepped away. Lena agreed.

“He was injected and covered in a drug that changed cellular structure while absorbing the radiation. Therefore, the reaction went out of control.” Lena whispered, understanding a bit. “When taking into account the victims in the Amazon and Dr. Stein’s complete disappearance, this just became a huge, huge problem that won’t have an answer or cure. Some people weren’t affected, some were partially affected leading to death and others became victims of their immediate environment like Basil and were likely mutated.”

The two stepped back inside.

“We will be taking samples and returning to our lab.” Alex told him. “I’m also calling Commissioner Gordon and telling him about your illegal experimentation on humans. If I were you, I would run.”

“And say ‘screw you’ to my brother if you meet him while in hiding.” Lena added.

The two scientists donned latex gloves and grabbed beakers, carefully collecting samples then placing them in a container that was on hand.

On the way back to S.T.A.R. Labs, Lena called Silas Stone and updated him.

“At least we have a solid lead.” Alex said. “Though I don’t think we have a chance at saving him.”

Lena shrugged. “That was never in doubt. I’m not sure we can save anyone we find. This creature Kara says reached through into our universe changed people on a molecular level, even rearranging DNA. Perhaps we can give him a body. Or at least put him in a solid containment suit. We know he can move, speak, see and hear. The remnants of some of his humanity must be in there. He misses his mud sample like he would miss a finger.”

“You want to pour him into a human dummy?” Alex asked, intrigued by the idea.

“If we can manage to give him a stable form that feels more human, perhaps he will be more motivated to regain his form and answer questions more readily.”

As it turned out, a body casing wasn’t needed.

They found Karlo standing, sort of.

He was on two legs, bent over, his arms nearly touching the ground, and his head… he was beginning to regain facial features.

Only they weren’t the features of Basil Karlo.

A lab tech walked up, and the women took a look at him then back at the glass cell Basil was in.

“What the hell did you do?” Lena asked, seeing Basil resembled some melted form of the lab tech.

The man cleared his throat. “I went into the cell to return his piece of mud since we had run all the tests, and I wasn’t wearing a clean suit, since he hasn’t really moved. Before I could leave, this arm of mud grabbed my arm and I jerked back and escaped. Since then, he has been becoming more solid.”

Lena crossed her arms. “He touched your skin, didn’t he? He looks like you. Suit up and get us a fresh sample.”

“Why do I have to?” he asked petulantly.

“Because you screwed up.” Alex explained. “My guess is he assimilated your DNA and is becoming a copy of you. We need to verify it by seeing if he has DNA now, compare it to yours, and watch him closely. Try not to get touched this time and wear a clean suit.”

They quickly had a new sample of mud, the consistency closer to clay now. An examination confirmed Alex’s theory. Basil had DNA strands now, identical to the lab tech, who they learned was named Brian, but both women were now calling ‘Mud Donor’.

A quick video call to Silas Stone, who watched with wide eyes, was ended and the two women sat down and watched the glass cell, eager to see if Basil could control his limbs enough to actually stand up straight and walk.

To pass the time, they began to chat, mostly about celebrity gossip, medical breakthroughs and Alex’s thesis and how what had happened might change everything.

“I’m surprised Diana let all of them gather in Wayne Manor. Kara said she was doing well, better than ever. Your mother must have made some amazing breakthroughs.” Lena casually said, to make conversation.

Alex’s countenance hardened.

“Or not?” Lena guessed, judging by Alex’s face.

Alex forced a smile. “Of course. Mom is very proud.”

“You must be relieved too. Lex learned everything he could about the young genius who was kicking his ass and rubbed it in my face constantly when he thought it would motivate me to do better.” Lena told her. “You and Barbara Gordon are her best friends, right? I can imagine this makes you very happy.”

Alex took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax and smiled. “It does make me very happy. I’m happy for her… I really am. She deserves it and it has been great seeing her out more, not being so afraid all the time. It’s something I never thought I would see.”

Lena smiled happily. “She is sweet. I am glad I have this chance to get to know her better. I’ve only met her twice before this and Lex interrupted us both times. I’m a big fan of her work, especially in clean energy, and her phones are amazing.”

“So are her bombs.” Alex said, chuckling.

Lena laughed as well. “Yes, I hear her weapons are revolutionary. Hard to believe someone as sweet as her could make such dangerous weapons. What is she like, personally? She must be fun to be around.”

Alex hesitated slightly before replying. “She is great… everybody loves Kara. It’s impossible not to… he’s standing.”

Both women stood and watched him closely. He was beginning to lose the form of Mud Donor, but he grew taller, bigger. His body was more clay-like, and he resembled a monster, perhaps seven feet tall or more.

Alex hit the intercom. “Basil? Can you hear me?”

The creature walked to the glass wall and slammed a claylike hand on the wall.

“Fix me!” it roared.

Alex nodded. “We are doing everything we can. We have to know first how this happened, then we can begin figured out a way to reverse it if possible.”

“You shouldn’t have said ‘if possible’.” Lena whispered.

“Why…”

They both jumped when he slammed a large fist on the very strong glass.

“If possible?!”

“Oh, right.” Alex whispered. “I hate to lie to him. I doubt we can…”

Lena placed a hand over Alex’s mouth. “Intercom is still on.” She whispered.

Alex nodded and turned back to Karlo. Lena took the mic. “We are going to fix this, Basil. As long as you work with us, I promise, we will find out how to reverse this.”

Lena turned off the mic.

“You know we likely can’t fix him.” Alex pointed out.

“You know he is a seven-foot-tall mud giant with one hell of a punch. I told a lie and my brother mutated thousands of humans… perhaps hundreds of thousands. I’m still way ahead on the good versus evil scale.”

Alex turned around so Basil couldn’t see her and laughed. Working with Lena was so refreshing, so different than working with her mother. She hadn’t known what to expect when being paired with Lena Luthor, but the woman was brilliant, kind and witty, the perfect partner in this venture. Alex was really enjoying herself for the first time in a while.

“Let’s send the Mud Donor back in, get a fresh sample and see what DNA he is running on now.” Lena suggested.

“I got cellular structure and you got X-rays.” Alex told her. “Have fun finding his brain and vocal cords.”

The playful mood ended when they were told the two bodies of the Wayne Security guards had just arrived, still merged with hunks of wood they had melded into.

---

Wayne Manor

Silas found Kara in the kitchen, having a cup of coffee. She looked exhausted. They all did. The addition of environmental factors discovered by Lena and Alex changed the game. They needed more affected to come forward. A campaign to encourage those affected would need to be launched and Diana was at the Tower now, discussing the potential solutions with Sam and Myndi Myers.

“Kara, are you okay?” Silas asked.

Kara looked at him as if surprised he was there though he had sat in front of her. Her mind was obviously wandering.

“Yes, I’m fine.” She said with a small grin.

Silas returned her smile fondly but was still concerned. “Kara, this is a lot of stress, and a lot of people are here in your home. I don’t want you to become ill. The world needs you for far more than this problem.”

Kara realized his concern. She still forgot a times that the world didn’t know about her improved health.

“I’m feeling fine, Silas.” She reassured him. “Honestly, I’ve been doing much better. If we didn’t feel it was safe, Diana would never have allowed you all to be here, I promise you that.”

He chuckled at that assertion, feeling a bit better. “Yeah, that’s a good point. Still, I don’t want this running you down. You need to make sure you get enough rest.”

Kara smiled and reached over to take his hand. “I’m good. I promise. Besides, if I get too wrapped up in this, I have an overprotective big sister who will ensure I get rest whether I want it or not.”

Silas nodded and considered getting up for coffee before Alfred placed a cup in front of him. He thanked the man gratefully and the two sat in silence.

“Kara, since we are on a break, could I ask you about something that probably isn’t any of my business?”

“Never hurts to ask.” Kara agreed.

Silas wondered if he should discuss this rumor with her. Originally, he had wanted to meet with her in the office or invite her to his apartment in Gotham to discuss it, but never had the chance. Right after he had heard the rumor, the chemical attack happened and then the world was bathed in energy by some sentient creature from another dimension.

“Arkham Asylum has been torn down. I understand the government has granted the land to Wayne Enterprises under the weapons contract. Rumors are floating around that the lab will have very little to do with manufacturing weapons but be devoted to research.”

“That’s true.” Kara admitted. “It’s no secret. Construction will begin next week. According to Diana, I have to make a potato gun inside it once its built. I have so many cool ideas for one. But yes, the majority of work will be theoretical research.”

Silas felt his stomach turn. “And I suppose the government research contracts that S.T.A.R. currently has that are ending soon will go to this new research lab?”

Kara shrugged but the smile on her face told him he was right.

“It will most likely close S.T.A.R. Labs down.” Silas pointed out.

Kara nodded. “Yes, it will. Our lab will be bigger, have much more scope, have a larger staff, huge contracts from all over the world in every possible scientific discipline, the latest and best equipment, some of my own designs. It’s going to be a scientist’s heaven.”

Silas nodded, having his worst fear confirmed.

“I may be asking you for a job.” He admitted.

“That would be easier than me convincing you to leave S.T.A.R. to head up the new lab.” Kara told him. “I wasn’t going to talk to you about it until construction was almost complete.

“You live in Gotham and yet you never leave S.T.A.R…. you even sleep there a lot of times. If you head this laboratory, you could sleep at home, see your wife and son more. You would have the same authority you do now.”

Silas was shocked. “You want me to be chief scientist? I thought you would be.”

Kara shook her head. “I don’t have time. I’ve got so much going on in the practical applications, engineering, design process. I have to troubleshoot in the field, and plan to make frequent trips to my factories, particularly the new ones being built. You head the research, I’ll put it into action, and we all win. There is another reason I want you.”

Silas raised an eyebrow when Kara moved her chair closer to him and began speaking quietly. “You know I was shot at recently, targeted.”

Silas remembered hearing the news and feeling sick. He nodded.

“Diana hired Sam Arias as Vice President if she were to ever… if something were to happen to her. If something happens to me, Wayne Enterprises has designs for projects for the next ten years, but a scientist will be needed to head all of Research and Development.

“I need someone who has a broad knowledge of many branches of science, someone who doesn’t mind working with the government. I need someone who understands what it takes to protect this country… and I want that person to be you, Silas. There is no one else I would trust with my scientists and my projects. You would be Vice President of Research and Development.”

Silas was speechless. Kara planning for her possible demise felt so wrong to him. It wasn’t right. She was young, full of life. Even when she had appeared ill, she seemed so bright when he video-conferenced with her over the past couple years just to talk.

“You want me to head the theoretical research lab and if something were to happen to you, then…”

“If I die, you take over my position as head of research and development. You carry on my work. There is no one else I would trust with the enormity of the job. I have brilliant friends, but they specialize in certain areas. I do as well, but I have enough knowledge in each area to hire the best and know when to become involved and when to stay out of the way. I need someone who can do that too.

“I need you, Silas.”

Silas sat back, thinking of the enormity of what she was asking and the trust she had in him. He had been afraid of losing his job and the autonomy he possessed at S.T.A.R. He knew she trusted him to lead this team, but this amount of trust was on another level.

“Think about it, Silas. I had planned for us to talk in more detail later on. The fact is, I need you. If I die, if someone gets a lucky shot at me, I can rest knowing my company is in good hands and Diana will have someone I trust to handle the research and development area.”

Kara patted his hand and stood up, then began to walk out.

“Kara?”

Kara stopped. “Yes?”

“You will always be able to count on me. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Silas. I’m going to get back to work. I’m hoping I can identify environmental factors that could have been near Dr. Isley and Dr. Stein. I’m going to find out what happened to them. I put Pam there. I owe it to her to find out what happened, and I won’t stop until I do.”

While Kara and Silas had been talking, John Blake walked through the front door of the manor.

Ryan Choi was coming through on his way to the kitchen for a snack and noticed him, walking forward quickly.

“I don’t believe you are allowed to be here.” He told Blake, wondering who the hell this man was and why security had just let him in.

“John Blake! Good to see you, son.” General Lane had been in the foyer speaking with Ray Palmer and William Magnus. The general greeted Blake, patting him on the back. “Here to see Kara?”

“Yes, sir. She called me and asked if I could stop by. I just wanted to check in, make sure she is doing alright.”

“Good man. I’ll find her. I think I saw her in the dining room. She could use a break.”

Lane walked off, leaving Ryan with Blake.

“You are John Blake?” he asked, though he knew.

“Yeah. General Lane literally just said my full name. What’s your name?” Blake asked in return, offering his hand.

“Ryan Choi. Dr. Ryan Choi, head of Nanotechnology at S.T.A.R. Labs. How did you get past security? What is going on here is very top secret. The greatest minds in the scientific world are here, working on the same problem, trying to save the world.”

Blake nodded, seeming impressed. “That sounds cool. Anyway, Kara called and asked me to see her here. Don’t worry about your scientific stuff. I doubt I would understand any of it. I was pretty good at high school biology. I could skin a frog with the best of them. Knew all the organs, got an A on most of my tests. It was chemistry and physics that drove me crazy. Couldn’t understand a word of it. All those weird symbols and numbers, I had to cheat to pass. Luckily our teachers in both classes were old guys that fell asleep most of the class, so it wasn’t too difficult. What is nanotechnology? It sounds like a hard subject.”

Ryan shook his head in disbelief. “You are the one taking Kara to Diana’s wedding? You are the one she is dating? You?”

“Yeah. Everything okay, buddy? Maybe you need a break from your nanotechnology. You are looking a little tired. I know they keep some great foreign beer in the fridge. If it looks German, give it a try.”

“John!”

Ryan watched Kara run up to the man. “I am so glad to see you. Thanks for coming over.”

“No problem. I’m not interrupting, am I? General Lane seemed cool with me being here but Dr. Cho…”

“Choi.”

“My bad, Dr. Ryan here seems to think it’s a problem.”

Kara scowled at Choi. She kissed Blake quickly on the cheek and told him to follow her. The two went up the stairs, leaving Choi behind.

Ray came up behind him and put his hands on Ryan’s shoulders.

“Did you see the size of his biceps?” Ray asked.

Ryan shrugged his hands off.

“Good looking guy.” Ray continued. “I heard he shot three Russian slave traders. Two are dead and one is still in a coma. He’s also some former Marine Special Forces guy. Caught a serial killer not long ago. But hey, look on the bright side, Choi, at least you excel at a subject that sounds hard, so you got that going for you. I’m sure Kara will dump the action hero for you if you ask.”

William Magnus slapped him on the back. “Maybe you can learn to cut up frogs. I bet that will impress her, Choi.”

Ryan walked to the kitchen, the sounds of Ray Palmer and Williams Magnus’s laughter following him.

In Kara’s bedroom, she lay on the bed and Blake sat next to her.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m trying to figure out how massively the world is screwed, and it is looking worse every hour. Oh, by the way, Emily Parlow called me yesterday. She was in Uruguay. We sent a detective to catch her, and she was already gone. Maybe we should have sent Bruce but getting him there under the radar would have taken so much time and Sage was already in Mexico. She probably knew we would trace the call and left as soon as it was over.”

Blake closed his eyes in frustration. He wished that woman would be caught, or at least taken out of the picture. He knew she was a source of consternation for Kara. He also suspected why, though she had never told him. If he had been around Parlow more than seeing her in passing a few times, he could have warned Diana, warned Kara, done something.

“I’m sorry.” He told her.

“Date this Saturday?” she asked to be sure.

“Drag races. Are you sure you will be able to?”

Kara nodded. “I need to take my mind off this. We will break up the group gathering this weekend, go to back to our own workplaces and teleconference. This is more of an organizational meeting and team research week. Even if they aren’t gone by Saturday, we are going out. I need a date. I need to take my mind off of this. Between Parlow on the run and Pamela missing and big talking puddles of mud and giant sentient beings reaching through a tear in the Universe to douse humans with its radioactive fingers, I am wiped.”

“How much of that shouldn’t I have heard?”

“Umm…. everything I said after ‘I need to take my mind off this’.” Kara admitted.

“Done. So where is Bruce?”

“Honestly, I’ve been so engrossed in this, I haven’t paid attention. I believe the Foundation is closed this week. You don’t know?”

“I thought he was here. I guess I’ll give him a call. Where is Diana?”

“Had to go to the office. So much to do. The world’s economy is in flux because people are panicking even though it’s over. Knowing her, she is going to find some way to make money out of the economy being in flux, or she will bring it back up… I don’t know. She is doing her thing while I do mine. Thanks for coming over. I know you have to go to work later but I was kind of hoping you would hold me for a while.”

Blake snorted and smiled, lying down beside her. Kara immediately curled into his arms.

The two lay in silence for a while before Blake finally asked, “What’s that Ryan guy’s problem? I don’t think he liked me very much.”

Kara sighed. “I think he still has a thing for me. He’s the only guy I’ve ever had sex with. When I turned eighteen, I wanted to know what it was like. He had a private dorm on campus so I told Diana I would be studying there Saturday and Sunday. We had sex five times over two days. He was nice and had good hygiene. I didn’t see the big deal at first, but I did some research and think I got pretty good by the end of the weekend. I told him before we started it was only for scientific purposes, even offered him a fist bump on my way out Sunday. He didn’t return it, left me hanging.”

Blake held his breath, trying not to laugh. “Wow. How rude. You never turn down a fist bump after sex.”

“I know, right? He avoided me after that, but I recently found out Diana knew and had him kidnapped and run through a lot of medical tests, so I can understand. Now he is following me around like a puppy off his leash. I guess he isn’t scared of her any longer… which is stupid, she’s just preoccupied at the moment. Then there’s Dig who could turn him into a pretzel. He’s just as bad as Diana…”

Kara looked up when Blake began shaking and saw his eyes closed tightly, tears leaking out and holding his breath.

“Are you laughing at me?”

She poked him in the ribs, and he let loose a roar of laughter, rolling on his side while Kara jumped on him, telling him it wasn’t funny.

He finally calmed down, kissed her and told her he had to go to work.

She walked him out and they saw Ryan walking through on his way back from the kitchen, pausing when he saw them. Blake walked towards him and held out his fist. “Good luck with those experiments, Ryan.”

Ryan looked at Kara in disbelief, his face reddening and walked off quickly.

“I can’t believe he left me hanging.” Blake said, faking astonishment while Kara pushed him out the door before he caused any more trouble.

She closed the door behind him and leaned against it, a huge smile on her face. She felt better. She could get back to work now.

---

Wayne Tower

Sam walked into Diana’s office and had a seat. “Surprisingly we are doing well. Myndi sent an order for signs, and newspaper ads nationwide, promising that Wayne Enterprises groceries and cattle were not struck by unidentified cloud bursts and the food is safe. No other company has done that, so everyone is stocking up on our food products. Our agriculture division is ramping up production. We got lucky our cows and crops weren’t hit.”

“Because they were in unpopulated areas for the most part.” Diana said.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “That matters?”

Diana shrugged. “According to Kara, it does.”

“Then it matters.” Sam agreed, having no doubt in Kara’s theories. “Interest rates and exchange rates have fluxed. I was able to ride the changes and we have been able to clear two point eight billion and some change over the past couple days.”

Diana’s eyes widened and she smiled brightly. “A couple billion riding the exchange rate. How did that feel?”

“Better than sex.” Sam admitted. “At least better than I remember sex being. It’s been a while.”

Diana smirked.

“How long since you have had a boyfriend?” she asked curiously.

“Not since Ruby’s father died… over fifteen years ago.”

Diana’s smile left her face. “That is a long time. I haven’t had many boyfriends in my life. At least in my experience, most men aren’t clingy and don’t mind being used for sex. Have you had any clingers?”

Sam was silent.

“You have had…”

“It’s been over fifteen years.” Sam admitted.

Diana’s eyes widened. “You know you can buy men easily? You could buy two at a time, throw a few women in if that is your thing.”

Sam sighed. “Can we go back to me making two point eight billion dollars?”

Diana nodded. “Yes, congratulations. By the terms of your contract in regard to bonuses, you are well on your way to breaking a billion dollars and we have half the year left.”

Sam’s eyes widened. She had somehow forgotten about the bonus sections of her contract.

Before Sam had time to digest her approaching billionaire status, Diana asked, “So, how are our energy reserves?”

“They won’t be reserves for long. Our gasoline sales have skyrocketed. Everyone is preparing for the end of the world… the world isn’t ending, is it?”

“Not on my watch. I leave you in charge for a few days during a crisis and you make this company a fortune. You are amazing, Sam.” Diana was extremely happy with her V.P.’s work while she was dealing with handling the fallout from the crisis with Kara. “I have a meeting with the former National Security Advisor I would like you to sit in on.”

Diana buzzed Cathy and told her to allow him up. Tatsu followed the man into Diana’s office.

“No federal agents that may try to kill you were following him.” Tatsu told Diana then walked out.

“Have a seat, General Swanwick. You know my Vice President, Samantha Arias. I asked her to sit in because if a federal agent is ever gassed and manages to shoot me, she will be telling the President what to do.

“You asked for this meeting. What do you want?”

Swanwick sighed. He had hoped the recent global emergency may have softened her anger. It was blatantly obvious that wasn’t the case. Considering her beloved sister was nearly killed, he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.

“I came to apologize for what happened. I assure you, the order to have agents in yours and Kara’s general vicinity was made out of concern for your safety. I meant it only for the best. I had no idea this could happen.”

Diana stared at him for a long moment. “Didn’t John Diggle call you personally and tell you to call off the various federal agents that were following my sister around?”

“Yes, he did.” Swanwick admitted.

“Do I look like the kind of woman who asks for things? When someone asks something on my behalf, it isn’t a request, and you are smart enough to know that. At least I hope you are.”

“I… as I said, I only had the best intentions.” Swanwick tried again.

“Did you know that my security forces have instructions to stay six feet away at all times from others in the event something like this could happen?”

“I did not. If I had known…”

“It wasn’t your damn business! I determine what agents are on my land and in my city! I determine who protects my sister!”

Swanwick took a breath and tried to reason once again. “After what happened with Parlow…”

Diana stood up behind her desk, looking down on the man.

“I would be very careful with the next words that come out of your mouth, General.”

Swanwick quieted and actually looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes.

Diana sat back down slowly.

“You knew Lex Luthor was going to attempt interdimensional transportation.” She accused.

“I told him not to.”

Diana chuckled. “You told him not to. Did you inform any intelligence or federal law enforcement agency to watch him, or alert them that he may attempt something foolish?”

Swanwick shook his head.

“Did you believe that with a word from you, he would obey?”

Swanwick said nothing.

Diana shook her head. “This bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“Excuse me?” Swanwick asked.

“It bothers you, having to answer my questions. You are a General, until recently the National Security Advisor of the United States. Now you are in the office of a private business owner answering for your mistakes. That has to be tough to swallow.”

The General wisely stayed quiet.

“Do you know why I am responsible for running this world, General? Because someone has to. Someone has to be responsible; someone has to make sure the Lex Luthor’s of the world don’t end this planet and since I can’t rely on politicians, I must take the burden myself. I have an empire to run and I must also run the government because most politicians are morons.”

Diana took a breath and folded her hands on her lap, leaning back in her chair.

“What is it you want? I agreed to this meeting, against my better judgement, because I was curious as to what you had to say. You didn’t just come to apologize. Speak.”

General Swanwick met her eyes. “I do wish to express my sincere apology. I have also come to ask… the President told me to resign, or I would be fired. I resigned as asked. I asked if there was any other way and the President told me I would have to convince you.”

Diana laughed and looked at Sam. “This should be good. I wish recorders worked in this room. What do you think, Sam? Does he have a shot at this? Can he pull off a miracle?”

Sam shook her head. “I wouldn’t bet my bonus on it.”

“Miss Wayne, before the incident with Crane occurred, I believe you were satisfied with my work. At least you didn’t threaten the President with political ruin if I didn’t resign. I have always had a deep appreciation for what you and your sister have done for this country. I have a deep respect for you.

“Right now, in this changing time, I believe I am the best candidate for the position. I made a mistake, one I won’t make again. I think we can both agree that in this time of uncertainty, bringing in a new National Security Advisor would be problematic.”

“Problematic? Problematic is my sister nearly being killed by a CIA agent who was clumsy and managed to get himself gassed. Problematic is having to change our entire policy on federal agents and firearms on our property. Because of you, no agent is allowed to carry weapons on Wayne property or within a thousand yards of my sister. Gotham PD has more respect and trust than the FBI.”

“Yet, A.R.G.U.S. agents are allowed to carry weapons.” He pointed out.

“Because Emilia Harcourt is the only competent Federal Director currently hired. You believe you are the only one who can be National Security Advisor? Sam did you gather a list of candidates suitable for the job?”

“Thomas Bond, CIA Deputy Director.”

“I like his last name.” Diana admitted.

“Bree Langdon, Director of Department of Commerce.” Sam continued.

“Smart, understands finances, simple things like what companies to target and what companies to listen to.” Diana agreed.

“Brendon Bedo, Treasury Department. Former NSA field agent, Doctorate in International Commerce and Banking, specializing in tracking financial transactions of terrorist cells.”

“Smart guy.” Diana commented. “I think that is enough. There are twenty-two other names on her list. Sam, what do they have in common?”

“They will all do what we tell them to do.” Sam answered.

Swanwick nodded. “They don’t have the experience I do. I’ve made mistakes but if given the chance, I will do what I am told. I still believe this nation needs me.”

Diana sighed. “I am still not hearing any reasons why I should give you any consideration. What have you done for this country besides nearly get my sister killed and not paid attention to Luthor when he all but announced his intentions to threaten the world with Armageddon?”

“I brought Black Book together, I handled a crisis and immediately gave an order to attack a foreign country on your sister’s word, I have supported every contract proposal with Wayne Enterprises and suggested Kara Wayne be brought in on many projects. I was with Milton and the Joint Chiefs in the Oval Office pushing the contract offer that gave you more power than the President, the Congress or Senate. You know I am the best person for this job, Miss Wayne. I made mistakes and I wish to atone for them.”

Diana stayed still, looking at the man in silence. Sam had seen her do this before to those she grilled and the silence could be heavy, bending a person to her will.

“And what would you do for me, if you were to be reappointed to your position?” She finally asked.

“Whatever you believe is best. I think we can work well together. This crisis has proven that. I am sure those people you could replace me with will be grateful to you, but they are also bureaucrats. They are ladder climbers. No doubt you can help them climb but this position is my end goal.

“I’m a military man. Considering General Lane is your closest confident in the government, you obviously know the value of experienced military officers.”

Diana looked at Sam, who had her doubts but gave her a look that meant she had no opinion. Sam had become a financial force in the business world, gaining a reputation as a power player in her own right very quickly but she didn’t have enough experience dealing with politics yet.

“I will consider your reasons. Tatsu will escort you out of the building.”

Swanwick nodded and walked out, Tatsu meeting him at the door and guiding him to the elevator.

“I thought you hated that guy.” Sam pointed out.

“He made mistakes, costly mistakes, but that was because he wasn’t controlled.” Diana told her. “If I have the President appoint one of those in the list, they will be grateful and then believe they are untouchable until I prove otherwise. He now knows he can be touched. He knows what will happen if he disobeys me. Do I want a National Security Advisor who owes me, or do I want a National Security Advisor I own completely?”

Sam thought about it. “It’s always better to own than to rent.”

Diana smiled approvingly. “Exactly my thoughts. Do you want to call the President or shall I?”

Sam grinned. “I’d like to give it a shot.”

Diana nodded, standing and waving Sam towards her door. “Then let’s go to your office. Your first-time giving orders to the President of the United States should be at your own desk.”