Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Knightmare

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 12:

Gotham City

Arkham Island

Bruce had been patrolling both nights since he was discovered by his sisters having… relations with Selina Kyle. He hadn’t felt like dealing with Diana’s judgmental looks, Kara and Alfred’s disappointed gazes and Steve and Dig’s smirks. He wasn’t sure if it were Dig or Steve that left the stuffed cat on his bed but the idea that it could be either made it a moot point.

Selina was gone. Bruce had hung up the phone before Kara could hand it to Diana that morning and went to shower. When he returned, he found a letter that said, ‘welcome back, maybe I’ll see you again in six years’ .

He had spent last night tracking the whereabouts of Chien Na Wei, an extremely dangerous woman better known to the underworld as China White. Though not a part of the Triad, she was using their business to hide her own heroin trade. Bruce had contacted some old connections he had made in the past six years and learned she ran most of the drug trade into Australia, Japan and the Pacific Rim. Bruce believed she was running heroin through Coast City, Gotham and Metropolis to supply her United States ventures.

There were two Triad factions in Gotham: the Neon Dragons and the Lucky Hand. Bruce suspected that if Wei was involved, she would be running her own operation under the guise of one of these, playing them off each other for suspected breaches of territory while slipping under the radar unseen.

He had a few leads to check later in the week but tonight he planned to check in on the Arkham area. Blake had worked the area the past two nights and said he would alert Batman if anything was suspicious, but he wanted to look for himself.

There were many homeless around Arkham Asylum and Blake and his fellow officers could not be everywhere, then again, neither could he. But having a bird’s eye view from the top of buildings, allowed him to observe the area in a unique manner. Up above, he could see the patterns that emerged, the nightly migration patterns of those on the streets, the agitation and most importantly, areas they avoided. If something was dangerous in the dark, lurking in the shadows, the ones on the street may not talk about it, but they instinctively knew to stay away from it.

He increased the hearing range of the cowl and listened to five city blocks at a time, changing vantage point often, using his grappling gun and cape to glide from rooftop to rooftop without being noticed on the streets below.

He checked the area the body was found days before, using the new lenses to see if he could pick out any heat signature behind walls of the old buildings. Bruce spent the day after the body had been found pouring over every structural map he could find in public databases for buildings around the same age and similar construction.

Unfortunately, there were several target buildings, more than he could search in one night. He didn’t have the tech to give to Blake to split up the search and it would take all night regardless. If the homeless man hadn’t reported his friend missing and the exact area, it is unlikely that body would ever have been found.

“Alfred are the street cams showing anything unusual?”

“All clear, nothing unusual.” Alfred replied. Bruce had finally gotten a powerful enough computer in his cave that Alfred could cut into public street cams. Bruce was no hacker, but he had picked up a thing or two over the years. After several attempts and failures, he and Alfred had also managed to hack the security cameras inside Arkham as well as city security cams, the few around Arkham City that hadn’t been broken.

Thirty minutes later, as the clock was approaching midnight, he did spot something unusual.

A tall woman had walked to a street corner and had a seat against a building known for junkies and squatters. She sat on the steps rather than going in.

Her jeans were ragged, and she had an old, grey hooded jacket on despite the high temperature and the hood was up. The jacket looked as if it has seen better days as well, most likely picked up from a secondhand store. He saw she had a bottle wrapped in a paper bag she drank from sporadically. All in all, she looked like the perfect victim some psycho may try to abduct and perform experiments on.

Bruce watched her with a bit of humor as she stood and walked to the next block, taking a look around then casually strolling into a dark alley, while Bruce moved silently, keeping her in sight.

Once she was hidden from street view, Bruce threw a bat-shaped shuriken at her. She turned and caught the blade an inch from her head.

He swooped down, landing in front of her and held his hand out. She tossed the blade back to him.

“I thought the disguise was well done. It’s too hot for the jacket but I’ve seen others wearing them around here.” Diana told him. “By the way, if it wasn’t me, you could have killed someone with that thing.”

Bruce smirked. “If it wasn’t you? No homeless person walks the streets like a queen striding into court. Also your boots gave you away.”

“My boots? They are work boots.” Diana argued.

“Brunello Cucinelli Suede Monili Lace-Up Work Boots. I am a bit out of touch with today’s prices, but I believe those go for around seventeen hundred dollars. Am I close?”

Diana smiled brightly. “Kara bought them for my last birthday. She knows I hate wearing heels when we travel to manufacturing plants. Wasn’t that thoughtful of her? She is so sweet.”

Bruce nodded. “Very thoughtful. What are you doing here, Diana? Shouldn’t you be in bed speaking other languages with Steve?”

Diana smiled fondly. “I couldn’t sleep. Steve turned in early tonight because we have a busy day tomorrow. He and I are being joined by Sam and Kara for a trip to our Boston shipyard. Our new cargo ship is due to be completed any day and we need to determine if it would be appropriate for a Naval Warfare shipyard. A few already exist in the United Stated but we are going to be building military ships and subs, so I want to do so in our own specialized place. Gotham doesn’t have the harbor size considering all the other goods that come and go. I believe I have enough property at the current cargo ship facility to extend the size…”

“I get it, Diana. Business stuff for grown-ups.” Bruce said, cutting her off. “What are you doing here? As in right now, trying and failing to dress and walk like you are homeless, setting yourself up as a victim.”

Diana looked around and shrugged. “The death certificates Rachel found are doctored. Analysis confirmed it but we can’t tie them directly to Crane as the one who falsified them. He knows that we know now and will be more careful than ever.

“The body that was found outside Arkham… I wonder if I have pushed a murderer from experimenting on the criminally insane to murdering innocents on the street. I suspect he is branching out and all his experiments and homicides will be outside the asylum now and making it more difficult to find bodies to prove cases.”

Bruce had the same thought. “So, you decided to take a walk?”

Diana nodded. “It seemed like a nice night. I’ve been stretching out my hearing, listening to the streets and conversations.”

Bruce knew that wasn’t all. “And if you found Crane trying to hurt someone?”

“Citizen’s arrest of course. Unfortunately, knowing that he had been found out, the poor delusional man ran into a building and raced to the roof. I followed, hoping to talk him into surrendering but you know how these unhinged types are. The poor man jumped, seeing no other way out. It was a tragic suicide that will be on the front page but forgotten in a week.”

Bruce stared at Diana who was smiling brightly. The two said nothing, Diana pleased with her potential result and Bruce not as pleased. Diana finally patted him on the arm and Bruce did his best not to grunt or move.

“Relax, Bruce. I have John Blake on speed dial. I’m not going to kill Crane.”

“That’s good…”

“It would make too much of a splash.” She said firmly. “Literally cause a splash, in case he jumped. Or would it be more of a splat? A large public trial would not be good but at least we could bring him in and make his prior employer look like a fool. It would be good press for the police department and District Attorney’s office if we can spin this into us correcting another state’s mistake.

“Every loss must be turned into a win. A psycho shrink is a loss but, turning the situation into Gotham PD stopping a murderer Illinois covered for, would give us a win.”

“Do you ever think about just one thing?” Bruce asked, exasperated. “For instance, stopping a serial killer without worrying about how you plan to spin it and how it can be an advantage to you and Gotham’s public relations?”

Diana raised an eyebrow at his question. “I can’t afford to think of one thing only. Controlling a situation is everything. This could affect the entire city. A maniac doctor murdering asylum patients and the homeless would be very bad for publicity. If it seems as if he has gotten away with this for years, other psychos could come to Gotham and try their luck… that can’t be allowed to happen. If it appears he was caught quickly by the police, then other psychos might stay away from Gotham.

“That’s your problem, Bruce. You are single minded. You never think of consequences, only the here and now. Find killer, beat killer then leave the scene when police arrive.”

“I think about more than that.” Bruce argued.

“Like what?” Diana challenged, crossing her arms on her chest.

“I think constantly about what his endgame is. Do you really believe he is just making a gas, possibly a strong hallucinogen that leads to people dying from extreme terror, just to kill a few asylum patients and home homeless people? There are many ways to kill. If his motivation is to spread death through fear, a hallucinogenic would be easier to inject.” Bruce theorized, then continued asking questions. “So why a gas? Because a gas can be weaponized, it can hit large groups of people at once. Who would he want to hit? How much can he make? How much has he already made? Is he working alone? If we catch him, does he have a partner who will release whatever gas he has been working on in a crowded public area?”

Diana was impressed but not about to admit it. “When he is caught those questions can be answered. Until then, not much can be done except further investigation… out of curiosity, what do you think his endgame is? Not that it is important right now… I was just wondering.”

Bruce shook his head, frustrated by Diana’s unwillingness to admit she hadn’t thought of everything.

He should have been used to it by now. When they were six, she had convinced Bruce to help her set a trap for Santa Claus so they could ask him multitudes of questions. Their ploy had led to Alfred being wrapped in the Lasso of Truth and admitting to the children that Santa Claus wasn’t real.

Most kids stop believing in Santa when they are around seven. Diana’s lack of forethought led to one year of innocence taken away. Their Dad and Alfred were not amused either.

“I think he is planning something big. We haven’t found a place where he is making any of this gas. He isn’t using his apartment, or anywhere in the asylum.” Bruce pointed out. “Rachel has been all over the place and hasn’t found any evidence of a secret room. I’ve been all over the grounds, used sonar to map out the entire area and have found no rooms. He goes home at night and stays there, at least the nights he has been followed. Jim probably should put round the clock surveillance on him.

“I believe he is making it or will be making it in large quantities. I suspect we may find multiple bodies soon, in closed off rooms to determine how the gas would work in a larger area without it being sprayed directly in a victim’s face.”

Diana could understand his reasoning. “You think he is planning a chemical weapons attack.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Bruce confirmed.

“And he must be making it at the asylum. Jim has had surveillance on him for a week now. He leaves the asylum late, goes home and returns early.” Diana surmised.

“But there is no room. As I’ve said, I’ve mapped that area completely.”

Diana thought about it. What Bruce thought made sense and was terrifying. A large gathering of people, screaming in terror… screaming…

“What if a room is soundproof?” She asked. “He would need an area in the asylum to drown out the screams. These screams would be intense, even for that place. Would sonar pick up a soundproof room?”

Bruce thought that over. “The old blueprints didn’t show any hidden rooms, but Jeremiah Arkham was insane. I have no idea if soundproofing a room would make it invisible to sonar.”

A new voice entered the conversation. “It depends on the size of the room. If the room was not large and well-sealed, the diffraction would bend around the room and not cause much of a blip on a sonar map. It’s a concept I base all my submarine tech on .”

Diana’s eyes widened. “Kara, must have a prerecorded message in that helmet. I know I did not hear her voice. She should be asleep. She should have been asleep three hours ago.”

Diana dialed her phone and put it on speaker.

“Tell her that wasn’t me. I’m asleep and that’s why I am not picking up .” Kara’s voice rang out in Bruce’s earpiece once again.

“You might want to pick up, Kara.” Bruce suggested.

Diana’s call was answered, and a timid voice said ‘hello’.

“We are flying to Boston in the morning. Would you care to tell me why you aren’t asleep?”

“Not really? I don’t have a good reason exactly. Anything I say that would make you happy would be a lie and I hate lying to you. Can’t we just forget this happened?”

“No, tell me about diffraction.” Bruce said quickly.

“You don’t know what diffraction is? You really should have finished college, Bruce. It’s a simple concept when dealing with sound waves, soundproofing and how sonar works.” Kara said in that know-it-all voice that had always grated on Bruce.

“You aren’t going to explain it. You are going to take your pill and go to sleep. Where are you?” Diana asked.

“In my room… in your old room, which is now my new workshop but attached to my bedroom by an open door, meaning I am technically in my room. ” Kara replied.

“You’ve been listening in all night?” Bruce asked.

“I couldn’t help it. I didn’t ask to be born obsessively curious and extremely cute. God just made me this way.”

Diana took a deep breath, nostrils flaring. “Bunny, take your pill and go to sleep or you are not going to Boston in the morning. Do you understand?”

“Are you going to make her say yes, Mommy?” Bruce whispered.

Diana slapped the side of helmet… hard.

“I just lost visual.” Alfred complained, irritation in his voice he often reserved for sibling arguments.

Bruce hit the side of his helmet.

“That’s better.” Alfred confirmed.

“I have a ground penetrating radar function on one of my drones in the garage. A quick flyby could give a more comprehensive look at the underground structure of Arkham Asylum. It would only take me a few minutes.” Kara told them.

“Yes.”

“No!”

The twins looked at each other, locked in a visual battle of wills.

“Kara, go to bed now or you aren’t going to Boston.” Diana told her calmly.

“Kara, we are trying to stop a murderer who has already killed multiple people and could be planning a terrorist attack. Please use those drones for something besides attacking gardeners.” Bruce pleaded.

Kara cleared her throat. “Sorry, Bruce, but I really want to go to Boston. The new cargo ship is the one Lucius and I designed when I was twelve and we had just bought PAAL. I was sick in the isolation chamber, and he came to hang out with me every day. We worked on it together and now it’s almost complete. I really want to see this ship, Bruce. I’ve only seen it on video feeds so far .”

Bruce held his arms out to his side in frustration, looking at Diana who had her arms crossed and was looking stubbornly at her brother.

“Kara, if you go to bed now, we can take a sunset cruise around Boston Harbor.” Diana bribed her.

“Okay, but…”

“Kara, go to sleep, young lady!” Diana said more firmly.

“I got it. I’m going to sleep.”

The call ended and Diana pushed Bruce. “Her health comes first.”

“She is healthy!”

“And I plan for her to stay that way. She needs sleep. She also was not supposed to be involved in this, ever! She certainly isn’t supposed to be flying drones over Arkham! You agreed to keep her out of this. Her involvement was limited to that suit and that suit is done!”

Bruce nodded, now waving his arms out wide in frustration. “I didn’t ask her to listen in, Diana. I didn’t know she was there. Perhaps you could use some sleep. Be careful not to scuff your seventeen hundred dollar work boots.”

Bruce fired his grappling gun to the roof of the building next to him and zipped up, then glided over a few more buildings.

“Alfred, I don’t suppose you know how to operate that drone she is talking about?”

“I’ve spent her entire life running from those things instead of learning how to operate them.” Alfred replied drily.

Bruce’s left forearm began vibrating slightly. It was the one that usually showed him a pop-up display of his sonar maps.

He popped it open, and a map of Arkham Asylum came up immediately. This was not a detailed map like the sonar, but of the ground structures under the asylum. Bruce looked at it for a moment and saw what he expected… an empty area under the basement of the asylum, a cavern similar to the one under Wayne Manor. An area not on the blue prints and did not show up on sonar scans.

A large enough space for a laboratory but small enough that it could be easily soundproofed.

He took his cell phone from the utility belt he wore and typed out a ‘thank you’ to Kara.

She returned his text immediately.

I don’t know what you are talking about. Leave me out of your crime fighting shenanigans. I’m not involved 🙂 xoxo

Bruce smiled fondly. Now he just had to find a way into that room.

---

Wayne Enterprises Shipyard, Boston Harbor

The employees of Wayne Enterprises’ Boston Shipyard were excited to say the least. Today was a huge day. Not only was Diana Wayne and the new Vice President, Samantha Arias, arriving for a visit but Kara Wayne was visiting the shipyard for the first time.

Diana had been here a couple times, but it was known that, despite her CEO status, Diana hardly ever left Gotham to visit worksites, preferring to manage by conference and video calls.

While Kara Wayne was a legend in the tech world, including military technology, she was a big deal in the nautical world as well. Her latest project, which would be ceremoniously placed in the water today, was the largest container ship in the world at four hundred, fifty meters long and seventy meters wide.

Kara’s revolutionary hull design would conserve energy, and the new engine design would conserve fuel, cut down carbon emissions by twenty percent and sail faster than any other ship of its kind in the world.

According to Lucius Fox, Kara Wayne had made the major decisions and plans for the hull design when she was twelve and later developed the engine when she was seventeen.

Today, her dream ship would be touching water.

Over two hundred employees lining the docks let out a large cheer as the three women walked towards the ship, still sitting in dry dock, ready to make a huge splash when it touched water for the first time.

Many of these employees had worked for PAAL shipping before Wayne Enterprises bought them out. Others had worked for Wayne Shipping and moved to Boston when the companies had merged.

Wayne Enterprises paid the best in the industry and had the best relationship with the union. They had the best benefits and the safest work environment. People in the shipping industry fought to get jobs here.

The event had not been planned beyond the normal ceremonial activities for when a ship was launched. Diana had only told the head of manufacturing two days before of their planned visit and asked him not to make any special considerations. Once again, Diana had ambushed someone.

Diana waved at the employees as she walked comfortably between the rows while Kara blushed and waved shyly, staying glued to her sister’s side, not comfortable with the attention.

“I’ve never visited a workplace and seen this kind of reception.” Sam admitted, a little stunned.

“Treat your employees with respect, don’t sacrifice their physical safety and security, reward them financially and you have loyal employees who will go the extra mile for you.” Diana explained, always willing to use moments to teach her vice president. “That has always been my philosophy. Turnover and unhappy employees are dangers to production. Fair treatment, good management, higher wages than industry standards, good health insurance, these are the things that earn loyalty.”

Kara nodded in agreement. “We became the largest shipyard in the world when we bought PAAL. Wayne had many ships when we took over, but our business has grown, and we finally had the justification to build this beauty. Lucius greenlit it three years ago, right before Diana took over the company as CEO. A ship this size could have easily taken four years to complete. Our people made it in two years and eight months.”

“Impressive.” Sam admitted.

The trio walked to the dry dock where the massive ship sat.

“Holy shit.” Sam whispered.

Diana smirked at her reaction. “The size of these ships always impresses me. You should see an aircraft carrier. Kara visited one while it was in dock to install new equipment. She’s always wanted to visit one out at sea. Perhaps one day, we may do so. It’s exciting to think the next aircraft carrier built will possibly be built near here and definitely by us. Aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and submarines have had such an effect on history.”

The three took seats on the podium, remaining quiet as the dock manager gave a speech, congratulating all those who had a part in making history.

“I wish Lucius would have come.” Kara whispered to her big sister. “He is enjoying retirement way too much.”

The moment all had been waiting for finally came. The ship was rolled sideways. It seemed as if it were moving in slow motion and Sam was impressed and worried when it hit the water. The ship tipped, almost has if it were going to capsize, only to straighten itself quickly.

Cheers erupted as the M.V. Gotham sat in its natural element, ready for work.

Diana, Kara and Sam waited for the crew and several Wayne Security guards to enter the ship after the tugs had anchored it and a gangplank was secured.

Once Dig was informed that the vessel was locked down and clear, he motioned for the three women to enter along with the boat yard manager.

Once aboard, the captain greeted the trio and asked Kara to christen the vessel.

Diana couldn’t help but smile at Kara’s exuberance as she pointed out the features of the ship to Sam, then asked the captain to take her to the bridge.

Once there, Kara stood in front of the helm, a wheel smaller than a steering wheel on many cars. A happy Diana snapped several pictures of her sister with her phone, smiling brightly and proudly at Kara.

Sam walked around the bridge, taking in the view of the harbor. She knew enough from Kara that the ship would have to go through several sea trials before being cleared for operations, but this was a big deal to the blonde.

They finally left the bridge after thirty minutes and the group, including the captain and Dig, took the elevator to the bottom deck where the engine room was housed.

In the engine room, Kara ran around with the exuberance of a child inspecting a new toy. Sam took in the engine and tried to listen to the chief engineer answer the blonde’s questions but found it hard to keep up.

This was the first time she had seen Kara’s genius in person. She had read information on many of Kara’s projects including the soil project, clean energy innovations, aerospace projects, along with hundreds of others she had skimmed over. Now she was fully taking in what a complex process it took to run this ship and realized Kara knew every nut and bolt of this massive vessel. It boggled her mind and even the engineer was having difficulty answering Kara’s questions.

“She really is a genius, isn’t she?” Sam whispered to Diana.

“You have no idea. You should see her when she’s building military jets. One day, she will change the entire world with a new power source. She will go down in history as the greatest mind this world has ever known.

“She is also one of the kindest souls in the world.” Diana said quietly, her pride shining through her voice. “Her mind is only eclipsed by her capacity to love.”

The group made their way to the cargo deck. Considering it was empty, the entirety of the four-hundred-and-fifty-meter deck blew the four away.

Kara walked over to the port side and Sam joined her.

“This ship is amazing.” Sam said.

Kara nodded, smiling at her. “This ship is a big deal to me.”

“Why? You have worked on battleships and Navy frigates, submarines. I know this is the largest in the world, but it means more than that to you.”

Kara’s expression turned wistful as she looked back over the massive ship, before turning back to Sam. “I was five when my parents had me tested to figure out why I couldn’t sleep. That was when they learned I was a genius, and I couldn’t sleep because my mind wouldn’t shut off.

“On the advice of a psychologist, Dad talked to Lucius about working with me. He began coming over a couple of times a week, giving me projects to stimulate my mind. Even after we lost Mom and Dad, Lucius continued to come over once or twice a week if he could.”

Kara waved to the workers still on the dock as she continued her story. “When I was twelve, I got pretty sick. I wanted to have a birthday party and invite the girls from my swim team. I wanted to be normal, you know? Diana wanted them all to be seen by Eliza beforehand to make sure none were carrying any viruses, but I begged her not to make them.

“The party was wonderful but after it was over… I caught a cold. For me, a cold is like a severe flu for a normal person and hurts greatly. I was in an isolation room for two weeks and Lucius visited me every day.

“He had just bought PAAL Shipping, making us the largest shipping company in the world but he wanted more. He knew sometime in the next decade we would need new ships. He brought designs over for an idea of his.”

“That sounds like your idea of fun.” Sam replied knowingly, a smile on her face.

Kara agreed, her eyes reflecting her excitement. “I love Lucius so much. He really got me when I was growing up. The two of us worked together to come up with this ship. I came up with the hull design to save fuel and the engine design. We went back and forth on changes, improvements and this was the end result.”

Sam shook her head. “Twelve-years-old, severely sick, and you came up with this. Amazing.”

“We worked together on the hull design, but the engine was all me. Whenever I was sick like that, I wondered each time if I would die, or if I would ever have anything resembling a normal life. When Lucius and I were working on this ship, I imagined myself on the bridge, sailing through the Atlantic, enjoying the freedom, the smell of the sea breeze, the feeling that anything was possible.”

“And we are here on the result of that dream.” Sam realized.

Kara nodded happily. “There are many things I am interested in, but cars, boats and planes will always be my biggest inspirations. They will always represent freedom to me.”

Sam smiled for a moment, enjoying a look into Kara’s mind. Kara had been very friendly since they’d met, but Sam didn’t feel the same connection to Kara that she did with Diana. Perhaps it was because Kara had little interest in business. As the weeks went by though, the two were growing closer, Kara opening up to her more.

“I’ll show you the anti-piracy devices this baby is armed with.” Kara told her, excitement clear in her eyes and smile. “The hull can be electrified if needed, and the sound cannons and water cannons are the most powerful on the market. They are supposed to be nonfatal, but at full power, they will kill a person. I also have laser warning systems that can blind a pirate if they look directly at the beam. No one is taking over this ship.”

Sam’s smile faded. “You designed those as well?”

Kara nodded.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Sam asked, really curious now.

“Of course.” Kara said immediately, the innocent answer of someone who really had no major secrets.

“You design these ships and planes because they represent freedom. What inspires you to make the weapons you do? Not just these, but all the ones for the military and the guns we sell to the public.”

The smile left Kara’s face and Sam worried for a moment that she had overstepped. Kara’s eyes were distant, her expression serious, but when she finally focused on Sam, she showed no offense at the question.

“I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I began to understand how my parents were killed. I just knew a bad man had hurt them.” Kara said, her tone even but there was a hint of anger behind it. “When I found out I became interested in guns. To this day, I wish my Daddy had one on him.

“When I design a weapon of any kind, I think about the man who killed my parents, the man who robbed me of a lifetime with them. I think about everything I want to do to him, all the ways I could kill him, make him suffer. Missiles, grenades, automatic weapons… they all come from Joe Chill. He inspires me to make weapons of death because I want to use them on him. I make these weapons, making sure men like him can’t just grab a gun and ruin someone’s life while they are defenseless.”

Sam was taken back by the grit in her voice. The woman standing before her now was the one who had addressed the world at the press conference, the one with a spine of steel. Kara spoke quietly but with passion and an anger Sam had not expected. She thought Kara may have made weapons because they were cool or something along those lines. She never imagined they came from a dark place inside her, stemming from her parents’ murder.

“Thank you for sharing that.” Sam said, smiling gently. Though it surprised her, Kara allowed her to see a part of herself Sam doubted many people saw.

“You are a huge part of our lives now, Sam, feel free to ask me whatever you want. You are also easy to talk to. I may not always answer because sometimes I’m not sure of the answers myself.” Kara saw Diana walking towards them and noticeably relaxed. “Diana’s coming over. She is no doubt anxious to talk to the dock workers and union heads about possibly adding the Naval Warfare department here and expansion possibilities. I’m sure she will want you in the meeting.”

Sam nodded. “Not coming?”

Kara shook her head, the excitement back in her eyes. “I don’t care where the facilities are. I just need a place to make magic happen. These next couple decades are going to be so exciting. For the first time in my life, I have a chance of living through them.

“You won’t regret coming to work for us. We are going to change everything, Sam, and you are going to be a big part of it. We aren’t waiting for the future, we are making the future. You two should get moving. Dig and I are going back to the lower decks. I wasn’t satisfied with the chief engineer’s answers, so I am inspecting the engine myself. Have fun in the boring meeting.”

Diana walked up to the duo and handed Kara her phone. “I called Lucius and he wants to talk to you.”

Kara took the phone with a large smile. “How is Barbados?”

“I wish I had rescheduled and was with you.” He told her. Kara could hear the emotion in his voice. He sounded as if he had been crying.

“Diana sent me a photo of you on the bridge.” Lucius’s voice cracked with obvious emotion as he took a moment. “I am so damn proud of you, Kara. You made it happen.”

“We made it happen. You were a busy CEO and took time every day to visit a sick girl, having to wear a biocontainment suit and working on a project with a twelve-year-old kid.” Kara told him, emotion building up in her voice as well. “You made me dream, Lucius. I have never forgotten that and never will. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kara. Your Mom and Dad are watching, and I know they are so proud of both you girls.” Lucius said, taking a deep breath. “Make sure to double check that engine, okay?”

“I’m on my way back down there now.”

Kara handed the phone back to Diana who winked at her and said her goodbyes to Lucius.

“Business meeting, Kara.” Diana said as she hung up, the smile gone.

Kara frowned. “I was going to recheck the engine.”

“It’s cute that you thought that.” Her sister replied. “We need to decide on a facility location that will be making very large Navy ships. I need to know what you require. That means you are going to be involved. Let’s go.”

Kara whined but followed, taking a last look but knowing it wouldn’t be her last.

---

Metropolis, LuthorCorp Tower

Lex Luthor walked into his sister’s personal lab, maintaining a calm façade.

This year had not gone well for him. Diana Wayne had been beating him consistently over the past couple of years by his definition of success, but the military contract had driven a stake through his heart.

She already had more politicians in her pocket than he did, not only in the United States but worldwide. Kara Wayne was dominating the technology and energy markets. Eliza Danvers had taken over the pharmaceutical market, and their fossil fuel resources, especially overseas, were greater than his and placed in much more influential areas.

If the real world were a game of Monopoly, he was losing badly.

He had one project he knew he could pull off, a project not even Wayne Enterprises had dreamed of. A project that could change the world and provide a legitimate revenue stream for his company, positioning him as a major worldwide player once again.

But now his sister, his greatest asset, was leaving. She had informed him by email, even though she was in the building.

He walked into her lab without announcing himself and stood in front of her work bench. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Hello, Lex, it’s good to see you. I’m doing well, thank you for asking.”

“Cut it out, Lena. I am not in the mood for prank emails.” Lex snapped at her. “Jack Spheer? I thought the two of you weren’t together anymore.”

“We aren’t together romantically, but Biomax belongs to both of us.” Lena reminded him. “Jack is planning to take it through medical trials. Wayne Enterprises has shown no interest in nanotechnology in regard to medical use. For that matter, neither have you.”

“It’s high investment, low yield, and a huge risk. It isn’t cost efficient.” Lex shot back.

“It could change the world. I can’t let Kara Wayne have all the fun. She isn’t interested and the market is wide open. Spheerical Industries will step into that market and dominate if Biomax is successful.” Lena argued. “My mind is made up.”

“So you’ve just decided to up and leave all of the sudden.” Lex said through clenched teeth.

“I told you, Lex, if I found out you were supplying foreign countries with my weapons I would leave. You have been.” She replied angrily. “I also want nothing to do with your other project. I told you not to do it, but you have been conducting your own research behind my back.”

Lex closed his eyes in frustration. “We need something big, Lena. We need back into the military industrial complex. We can only do that with new technology that Kara Wayne can’t or won’t make. Interdimensional travel will change the world… instant travel as simple as a step.”

“You can’t control interdimensional travel!” Lena shouted. “There is a reason Kara is not making it! Do you really think she hasn’t thought of it? I know enough about Kara that tells me she isn’t reckless. Too many things could go wrong with interdimensional travel. You think you can use it to step from one place on this planet to another, but you are opening the world up to untold dangers from other dimensions every time you use it!”

“You can control it if you would put your mind in the right place, Lena!” Lex yelled back. “Instead, you are interested in medical fields. Wayne already controls the drug market and are third in medical equipment. Kara Wayne doesn’t appear to be dying anytime soon and we need something to bring us back to the forefront. I need you, Lena.”

Lena stood up and began packing her bag. “I told you, I’m not designing weapons for other countries, some of which I suspect are not friends and I am not working on such a dangerous project as interdimensional travel. It’s foolish and dangerous for the world.”

Lex shook his head. “Fine. I’ll put Freedman in charge. I did most of the work on interdimensional transportation myself.

“Travel, not transportation.” Lena corrected. “Both are dangerous, but they are different. Travel means ripping a hole in space time every time you feel like hopping from Metropolis to Paris. The planet could be open for invasion, or other dimensional energy could be released on the world.

“You are risking the planet, Lex. If I truly thought you had a chance of succeeding, I would turn you in.”

“Be careful, Lena.” Lex warned her. “Your name is on several projects which you may morally object to but were still a part of.”

“Because you took advantage of my tech, Lex.” She told him scathingly. “I’m done. I’m done with this company, I’m done with Mother, and I’m done with you.”

Lex crossed his arms and took a calming breath. “Freedman will take over your projects. You will be back, Lena. When you do come back, you are working on projects I assign. No more free reign.”

Lena snorted. “I would rather live on the street than work for this company ever again or be a part of this family.

“Try not to destroy the world. You may have used my name and research but I’m not going to be a part of threatening this world. Until the end of the day, this lab is still mine, so get out.”

Lena watched her brother leave and took a deep breath, searching her bag for a painkiller. She gave up, pulling a bottle and glass from her desk.

Lex had the idea that interdimensional travel would be his mark on the world, make LuthorCorp, or LexCorp as he desperately wanted to call the company, into a historical power. Lena was smart enough to open a tear in space. Directing it would be a challenge, but it would be possible. She’d never told her brother she’d figured it out because it would take a decade of research to develop a device that could be close to one hundred percent accurate. But Lex wasn’t known for patience.

Freedman was an idiot and Lex wasn’t nearly as smart as he liked to think he was. She doubted he would figure it out.

Still, if he attempted to open up an interdimensional tear, who knew what he could unleash on the planet. He would definitely be remembered in history but not in the manner he wanted.

So what could Lena do? Lex had broken no laws in regard to researching that topic. Should she turn him in for the weapons trading she knew he was doing to boost the income stream of LuthorCorp? She had no doubt he had covered his tracks well and would turn it around on her. He was probably preparing for that possibility even now.

Lena poured her second drink and closed her eyes for a moment, deciding at this point there was nothing she could do but what she wanted and needed to do for herself.

Lena was going to get the hell away from her family and this company. Her days of being his puppet were over.