Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Outtakes

By BetterInTexas

Outtake 04: All Access Interview

Lois Lane & Various Wayne Enterprises’ Personnel

Timeline: The Interview Diana told Sam about in Knightmare Ch. 6

---

Lois Lane took a deep breath and tried to relax. She was actually in Diana Wayne’s office!

She forced herself to play it cool, sitting in a very comfortable chair in front of the huge, stylish desk Diana’s Executive Assistant had offered, informing her Diana was on the way.

Her father knew Diana well and she had been to a few of her birthday parties growing up but that was the limit of their encounters. Lois was a couple of years younger than Diana and Lois never identified with her.

To her, Diana was a weird, rich kid orphan. She was pretty but very tall, perhaps too thin, yet walked and talked as a lady should. Lois also found her to be a bit standoffish. Diana was usually greeting adults at her birthday affairs and speaking to them as if she were one of them. She had two friends who stayed by her side, and it seemed to Lois as if they were some kind of hired entourage who had no real purpose.

Then, four years ago, Diana Wayne exploded. She took the business world by storm, revolutionizing hundreds of fields and taking over new markets. She began acquiring existing oil, gas and coal resources while also expanding into renewable energy source markets. She hired an eighteen-year-old computer rock star to design a new computer operating system that most of the world now uses, replacing the already successful one Wayne Enterprises sold to half the world prior to the new one’s release.

She was mentored and trained by Lucius Fox, always at his side and it became clear to the public quickly that Diana Wayne was no socialite heiress… she was a fire-breathing dragon.

She was also notoriously private. She spoke in press conferences to reporters she invited who were given rules to follow. She issued statements through Myndi Meyers, her public relations manager, but she never gave one on one interviews. That Diana had given her this opportunity was something Lois was not about to waste.

Wayne Enterprises was a hot topic right now. The company had become the United States Defense Department’s sole supplier as well as the sole computer software supplier for the entire government.

In an unexpected move, Diana had hired a Vice President, a single mom who no one knew, from a chemical company in Philadelphia… a single mom who was now the third most powerful person in the world.

Lois had been doing her best to make a name for herself at the Planet. Her dad didn’t take her desire to be a journalist as anything other than a passing whim. Lucy was the one he was proud of, but Lois was determined to make it on her own, be her own success story. If she could get an interview with the famous, stupidly rich, powerful, secretive and enigmatic Diana Wayne, she would be in the big time.

She called her dad and begged him to ask Diana if she could interview her. He wasn’t enthusiastic but he did ask Diana.

To both their surprise, Diana had agreed to give Lois an interview. She would even allow access to other staff should they agree to talk with her, including Kara Wayne.

Lois remembered Kara as the tiny blonde girl with major health issues who always stayed near Diana’s side. She had felt sad for the child. Kara seemed so meek at times, as if afraid of her own shadow. She obviously still had health problems given she had an incurable disease but because of their recent overseas trip, there were rumors her health had much improved. It was also one of two topics she was not allowed to ask about.

The other topic was concerning Bruce Wayne and where he had been. A satisfactory answer had never been given. Media had looked but found no traces of his time away and neither he nor Diana had ever addressed it. While it was a good mystery, after the excitement of Bruce Wayne’s return died down and the media realized they would get nothing from either sibling, Bruce was mostly forgotten.

Truthfully, Lois could care less about Bruce Wayne. Diana Wayne was the prize and Kara Wayne was a huge bonus.

She couldn’t stop tapping her foot. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She wore her best black skirt and blue blouse that she felt was tasteful and modern but didn’t try too hard. She knew things were a bit casual at Wayne Tower and most employees didn’t even wear suits.

She also knew Diana Wayne was never casual. Despite being known for her genius in business, Diana was also drop dead gorgeous. She was no longer the overly tall, lanky girl Lois had seen growing up. She was a runway powerhouse in heels that put her over six feet tall, usually wearing a designer dress custom made for her. Her dark eyes sparkled, her hair fell around her face in glorious waves, and her legs seemed to have no end. She was the epitome of beauty and the center of attention in every room she entered.

Despite telling herself to play it cool, Lois yelped when Diana said ‘hello’, jumping a bit in her chair and tightening her grip on her recorder.

“I am sorry to keep you waiting.” Diana said. “There was an issue that needed my personal attention.”

“Everything okay?” Lois asked, trying to divert Diana’s attention from her obvious startlement.

Diana smiled, and her teeth nearly blinded Lois. “In my life, there is always something that needs my personal attention. I am sure you are ready to get started. As I told your father, I am willing to answer most questions. If you misquote me or take anything I say out of context, I will ruin your career before it starts.

“So, shall we begin?”

Lois tried to think of a question, but Diana’s statement had her paralyzed.

Obviously sensing her unease, Diana said, “Relax Lois. I am sure you will be great. I know you are new at this, but I have a good feeling about you.”

Lois took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. “Thank you, Miss Wayne…”

“Please, call me Diana. I prefer for everyone in the Tower to do so. I believe it brings a closer bond between employees. My sister has three PhDs and refuses to be called Doctor.”

Lois took a slow breath, turned on her recorder and began.

Her questions were softballs at first, testing how much Diana would open up to her. Eventually, her questions got more probing, and they talked politics and the current business climate.

Lois fell more into a groove, realizing that Diana was truly opening up to her. She doubted Diana would talk about the company in detail, but she was getting some personal points of view Diana had not shared with any reporters.

They continued talking, Diana putting Lois at ease.

“Do you think I could talk to the others on the floor, get their perspectives working for the company and then come back?” Lois asked.

Diana smiled and waved her hand. “That is a wonderful idea. The floor is yours. I believe I just heard Kara walk into her office. She could use some practice speaking to the media. Just take it easy on her. I promise she will be more nervous than you are. I have something to attend to during lunch so I will find you afterwards. Cathy will show you our world class cafeteria. I mean that. We don’t have a normal cafeteria as I’ve hired five-star chefs.”

Lois stood and walked out into the hall. When she stepped out the door, she saw Diana’s bodyguard standing in front of her office.

“Hi.” Lois greeted her. “You are Tatsu Yamashiro, correct? You moved here recently from Japan to work for Diana. Can I ask you some questions, mostly just background, give the public an idea about the woman protecting the boss?”

“No.” Tatsu told her.

“Oh… could I ask about your job?”

“No.”

Lois nodded. “Okay… there is a rumor that you do not carry a firearm. Is that true?”

Tatsu stared at her, saying nothing.

Lois was becoming uneasy at the woman’s intensity, so she tried a softball question. “Can I hold your sword? It looks cool.”

Tatsu crossed her arms, staring at Lois with a look that caused her to shiver.

She heard a snicker and saw John Diggle sitting at a large desk with his feet up, an arm over his mouth trying not to laugh.

Lois walked towards him.

“She really likes you.” He told her. “That’s the most I’ve heard her ever talk to a stranger… or most friends. You got a gift for making people talk.”

Lois crossed her arms, not amused. “John Diggle, right? Kara Wayne’s bodyguard and head of Wayne Security. May I ask you some questions?”

“Depends on the questions.” He answered, becoming serious quickly.

“Your primary job is protecting Kara Wayne, but you also run all divisions of Wayne Enterprises Security worldwide. How are you able to accomplish both tasks so well?”

“I develop protocols, put the right people in place to ensure they are carried out, and I am kept abreast of any problems night and day no matter where I am. If I need to have a meeting with my security heads, Kara stays in her office or comes with me.” Dig replied.

“So, this isn’t a nine to five job? It must be extremely stressful.” Lois commented.

“Having someone’s life in your hands is stressful and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In this business, if you aren’t constantly alert, you aren’t doing your job. Paranoia pays off at times.”

“So how many hours a week are you not with Kara?”

Dig raised an eyebrow. “When I am not with her?”

“Yes, like when do you get out? Take time off? Go on dates, go to a movie, that sort of thing?” Lois questioned.

“Oh, yeah. We have a theater room in the manor. If a new movie comes out we want to see, the studio will usually send us an early cut to watch. We all make popcorn and relax after dinner.

“What about going to a real theater?”

“Somewhere that smells like decade old popcorn, fake butter and has people talking over the best parts? Why would I do that?” Dig asked, eyebrows drawn together in disgust.

“I see. What do you like to do in your off time?”

“Off time? Kara and I play golf. Sometimes we shoot clays…”

“I mean when you are not with Kara.”

“I’m always with Kara.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

“What about when she is asleep?”

“I live in Wayne Manor. My room is across the hall from hers.”

Tatsu spoke up, surprising both Lois and Dig. “You shouldn’t give her layouts of the house and strategic positioning. Someone could capture her, and she would break in seconds. She looks weak minded. She would sing the second someone looked at her crossly.”

Lois turned to her. “Listen Samurai Jill, I am not weak minded. I’ve grown up on Army bases and know how to kick ass. I have also been to the manor multiple times. I am an old family friend. I go way back with the Waynes. I know everything about the manor.”

“What color are the curtains in the first-floor parlor?” Tatsu asked.

Lois glared at her, not willing to concede she had no idea. “My Dad is an old family friend of the Waynes. Back off. I’m talking to Mr. Diggle about when he has time off.”

Turning back to Dig, she directly asked the question she had been dancing around. “John Diggle, is there any point in your day or night, you are not near Kara Wayne?”

“No.” Dig answered. “I am always with her. Even when we are on manor grounds, I am near her.”

“Do you get a lunch break?”

“We have lunch every day. Sometimes it’s delivered, sometimes we go out, the patterns are always changing, and I can’t talk about security arrangements.”

“So, you have no life of your own? You are basically Kara’s shadow?”

“I don’t consider that having no life. I consider it having a rewarding career that is more than a job to me. Kara is my best friend. I get the privilege of making sure no one hurts her. Not many people get paid to do what they would do for free.”

“Wow. Thanks for the insight.” Lois said, impressed by the dedication. Diana had found a devoted bodyguard. She wondered if her Dad had anything to do with finding him. “Do you know my father?”

Dig nodded. “He’s a good man. One of the best I’ve ever known. He told me Lucy got into West Point. You both must be very proud of her.”

Lois gave him a thumbs up and a false smile and moved to Kara’s office. Her door was open, and she planned to tap on the door frame.

“What do you think you are doing?” Came a voice behind her.

Lois looked at the man sitting behind the desk that was much larger than Diggle’s. Unlike Diggle’s desk, he seemed to have a lot of work to do. He was an attractive guy, which seemed par for the course. She had heard a joke that Diana could be running a modeling agency out of the top floor of Wayne Tower, and it was obviously true.

“Diana told me I could talk to Kara if she was cool with it. I’m just going to knock.”

“You can ask me, and I will call her.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Terrance Berg, Executive Assistant to Kara Wayne. If you have a seat, I will contact her.”

“She is right there.” Lois pointed out. “I could just…”

“Have a seat or leave.” Terrance said to her.

Lois sat down and when Terrance looked away, she shot the finger at him.

“I saw that.” He told her. “Kara, some pushy reporter who tried to barge into your office and then shot the finger at me, wants to have a word with you. I suggest you let me send her on her way. That blouse is hideous and 2010 wants its hair style back.”

“Screw you, man! I love this blouse!”

“The lead singer of Whitesnake would love that blouse, but that doesn’t make it any less offensive.”

Lois stood up and turned toward Kara’s office. “Hi, Kara. It’s me, Lois Lane, your old friend. We used to play at birthday parties… well, you played with my sister… sometimes. Can I come in?”

Kara looked nervous but then nodded. “Of course. Welcome. I didn’t realize… Diana didn’t tell me. Have a seat on the sofa. Can I get you anything?”

“I just had a gallon of coffee with your sister.”

Lois sat and her eyes widened when Kara walked around her desk to join her. Terrance wanted to talk about her clothes? Kara was wearing old sneakers, a red and white KISS shirt with Gene Simmons on the front showing his tongue to the world. Her jeans were well-worn and appeared to have some sort of grease stains and a mustard stain.

Apparently, when you were filthy rich, you could wear whatever you want, and your EA had no problem with it. Although now that she thought about it, if Kara Wayne was seen in this outfit outside the Tower, a new fashion trend would probably be started. While not as obsessed over as her sister, science nerds, and men and women attracted to blondes, provided her with a huge following while Paparazzi took shots of the mysterious Kara Wayne at every opportunity.

“Sorry, I was working in one of the labs. I was going to get changed before lunch but wanted to check on something first. I wasn’t told you were coming today, or I would have been more prepared.”

“If you are busy, I understand.”

“Oh no, it’s okay. Please, ask me whatever you wish.”

“You said you were working in a lab. Could you tell me what project you are working on?”

“No.” Kara said.

“Could you tell me what field of science?”

“No.”

Lois nodded. Good start.

“Could you tell me how your day shapes up? What is a typical day in the life of Kara Wayne like?”

Kara blew out a breath. “Oh… okay. Well, right after I get out of bed, I work out, shower, eat breakfast, then get dressed for the day. I usually roll into Wayne Tower and come straight to my office. Once I am here, I change into more comfortable clothes. I catch up with Terry for about an hour.”

“Your executive assistant? The two of you have meetings at the start of everyday?”

Kara nodded. “Yeah, he will tell me about any dates he has had, or we catch up on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, or different shows we are binging. Sometimes we plan streaming watch parties with Babs. I usually drink tea or coffee while we talk. Then I have to… I mean I want to start work. I…”

Lois waited when Kara paused, looking a little lost.

“Are you able to tell me?” Lois prompted her.

“Of course, I can. I do paperwork every morning.” Kara said.

“Paperwork?”

“I sign a lot of documents.”

“Documents?”

“Important documents.”

Lois looked at her suspiciously.

“What sort of important documents?”

Kara looked at Lois for a moment then called Terry.

“Can I kick her out?” Terry asked, walking into the office. “That blouse is hurting my complexion.”

Lois thought of punching him and if Kara hadn’t been in the room, she would have.

“Lois wants to know how I start my day. We were just talking about the massive amount of office work I do. You are so much better at summarizing all the important work I do in here. I would just go on and on. Could you explain it to her?”

Terry sighed. “Kara goes over potential investments, acquisitions, budgetary issues with the numerous departments she oversees, and other executive decisions she and her sister decide on together. She also signs off on requisition requests for high priority labs that report directly to her and oversea labs, like our Antarctica Research Base, for instance.”

“I do? I mean yeah, I do.” Kara agreed, realizing Terry basically decided her labs’ financial needs. She always wanted the results but never gave much thought to the cost. She thought that was Diana’s job.

“Her time is very precious. Not only does she oversee projects in the Tower but also stays in contact with contractors and customers. Universities and research academies are constantly wanting her to speak at their institutions.” Terry continued. “She barely has the time for that, maybe once or twice a year. She is extremely busy.”

“I am busy?” Kara asked.

“You are extremely busy.” Terry confirmed. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Kara smiled brightly. “I am pretty busy. It’s a stressful job.”

“It is a very stressful job. One would wonder how you ever manage to get it all done.” Terry agreed.

“And what do you do in the afternoon?” Lois asked Kara.

“I build things.”

“Things? What things?”

“Anything I want. I walk around, check on experiments, results, discuss projects with my lead scientists, hang out with Babs, sometimes play video…”

“Video of experiments she had to miss because of her very busy schedule.” Terry cut in.

“Yeah, what he said.” Kara agreed. “I like to take a hands-on approach with my scientists, especially in more mechanical ventures. That is why I always have a change of clothes. I get dirty quite a bit, sweat, oil, things like that.”

Terry began to leave, then turned back and handed her a fifty-dollar bill. “You are scheduled to go to Mamma Maria’s Italian Kitchen for lunch today. We do not own it. You must pay. Don’t walk out like last time.”

“Dig took care of it.” Kara told him, waving his concern away.

“Keep the money on you anyway. Dig might be arranging security for your walk back. If he does and tells you to pay the bill, don’t forget.”

“Got it, boss.” Kara assured him.

Kara slid the fifty in her back pocket. She realized no more questions were being asked. Lois was staring at her, mouth slightly open.

“Lois, are you okay?”

“Can I ask you a question off the record? I won’t print it, I just have to know for my own curiosity.”

Terry was back. “She doesn’t answer questions off the record. If it is truly off the record, why is your recorder still on?”

Lois turned the recorder off. “Because she hadn’t said yes yet, asshole. I thought Diggle was the bodyguard.”

Terry took the recorder from her hand before Lois could react.

“You can have this back when you are ready to go back on the record.”

Lois rolled her eyes and turned back to Kara.

“What did you want to ask?” the blonde genius looked curious.

“He just gave you fifty dollars and reminded you to pay a check at a restaurant.”

Kara waited for a moment. “And…”

“Don’t you carry your own money?”

Kara shook her head. “No, I never need to. Usually Dig will pay but sometimes he is organizing security outside and tells me to pay the check, but I assume we own most of the places I go. Occasionally, my mind is on a project, so I’ll forget to pay and walk out. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like they don’t know where to find me. I think Terry pays them when I forget. It’s why he gets so annoyed and reminds me.”

Lois thought of a gentle way to ask these questions and decided there was no way. She had a suspicion that Kara Wayne lived in a different universe than the rest of humanity.

“Kara, since we are off the record, could I ask you how much you are paid a year in your position?”

“Paid?”

“Your yearly salary.”

“I’m not sure I get one.” Kara admitted. “It is our company. I think we get all the profits. What would be the point in paying ourselves from our own money?”

“There would be many points… do you know how much you are worth?”

“Like personally?”

“Yes.”

“A lot.”

Lois kept herself from laughing barely. “Do you know how much exactly?”

“No, do you?”

Lois shrugged. “There has been speculation that the Wayne sisters may have a net worth approaching a trillion dollars, possibly more. You and Diana would be the wealthiest individuals in history if that is true.”

Kara whistled. “That is a lot. Business has been good I guess.”

Lois coughed, a laugh escaping her. “But you never carry cash. Do you have a bank account?”

“We own a lot of banks.”

Lois closed her eyes, wishing she hadn’t gone off record but knowing if she ever printed any of this, Diana would literally kill her.

“Do you have a personal account. A bank card, a credit card, a check book, anything like that?”

“I have a PayPal account. I’m not sure about the rest. Oh, I am an Amazon Prime member. I know my streaming service accounts are hooked up to some kind of account. Or maybe not. We might own the streaming services. I think the Netflix and Hulu accounts are under Alfred’s name. Diana usually keeps up with that stuff.”

Lois sighed, trying a different tact. “Let’s say if you want to buy something, how would you do it? You are walking down the street and see a pair of shoes in a shop window. You have to have them. You go inside and buy them with… what?”

“I… would tell somebody who works there that I want them, they bag them up and I leave. I assume the company pays the bill or the manor, or Diana… maybe Terry. I just know I’ve never been arrested for shoplifting, so I assume it gets taken care of.”

“Wow. That sounds nice.”

“It is.” Kara agreed. “I don’t shop much. If I find car parts or an old plane or helicopter I want to buy and restore, I just tell Diana what I need, and she takes care of it. You would have to ask her about the process.”

Lois nodded. That would be a fascinating question for Diana. How does your sister, rumored to be one of the most intelligent people in history, one of the greatest scientific minds on Earth, one of the richest humans on the planet, not remember to do something as simple as pay a check and not know how much she is worth or any clue whether she has a bank account?

Terry walked back into the office, much to Lois’s annoyance. “Kara, I’m meeting with your personal shopper while you are at Stryker’s Island this afternoon. Are there any requests? Need new jeans, sneakers?”

“No, I’m good. Just have her buy me the normal stuff.”

“I’ll take care of it. I’ve been wanting to go over some possible hair style changes. We can talk later when I have finished therapy due to being in the presence of her blouse.”

Lois watched him leave, debating throwing something at his head, then turned back to Kara. “Stryker’s Island. There is a new military plant being built on the island. Can you talk about the place? What will be made for instance?

“It’s a special projects facility.”

“What does that mean?”

“It will be used for special projects.” Kara said as if it should be obvious.

”Can you talk about the facility at all?”

“No.”

“Are there any projects you are working on you can talk about?” Lois asked, growing a little frustrated.

Kara thought for a moment, then grinned. “What would you say if I told you I had a new washing machine that used thirty-five percent less water and, when used with a new type of liquid tablet that breaks down easily into clothes and towels, scrubs away dirt at a cellular level, and is able to adapt to both hot and cold water? Exciting right? I’ve just gone through the last trials and the soap is safe, the new units are ready to be shipped from our Portsmouth factory across the nation and we are going to revolutionize how clothes are cleaned.

“Do you want to hear how I got the idea? I was in the washroom with Alfred one day and we were trying to get this tough grease stain out of my favorite pair of jeans. We were almost going to give up but then it was like a light bulb went off. I said to him, Alfred, what if…”

“I should go find Diana. I’ll let you get back to your work.” Lois stood up quickly and moved toward the door.

“It was good to talk to you, Lois.” Kara called out behind her. “Tell Lucy I said hello. I heard she got into West Point. When I saw your Dad last time, he told me he was so proud of her.”

Lois stopped on her way out and turned to Kara, locking eyes with her.

“Uh… he also was really proud of you, starting a career at a big paper like the Gotham… no, you live in Metropolis, right? It must be the Daily Planet. It’s the Daily Planet, right?”

“Thanks, Kara. You take care. Don’t forget to pay the lunch bill. Mamma Maria has a bank account to look after.” Lois said bluntly.

Kara laughed, waving her out of the office, the sarcasm lost on her. “I’m sure Terry has already reminded Dig and sent a reminder to my phone. I bet he could just set up a purchasing account so I would never have to worry about it.”

Lois scowled at a smirking Terry as he handed her back her recorder. She made her way back to Diana’s office and stopped, looking at Tatsu. “You going to cut me if I walk in?”

“You wouldn’t know until it was already done.” The woman told her.

Diana looked up from her paperwork. “I didn’t realize you and Kara would be done so quickly.”

She stood and moved around her desk just as Steve Trevor walked in and closed the door behind him, his eyes locked onto Diana, and he began unbuttoning his jacket.

“I thought we were going to meet for special lunch fun in my office.” He told her, taking his jacket off and dropping it on the floor.

Diana grabbed his arms and looked towards Lois.

Steve’s face dropped and he scrambled to pick up his uniform jacket from the floor.

“Lois finished up with Kara quicker than expected.” Diana explained, helping him rebutton his jacket. “We have some more things to cover for her interview.”

“No special lunch fun today?”

Diana sadly shook her head, kissed him and told him she would see him later.

“Sorry. I can go. I forgot you had that thing at lunch.” Lois offered, realizing she was interrupting a booty call in the office of the most powerful woman in the world and her military pilot fiancé.

“No, it’s fine. I should have planned better. ” Diana assured her as Steve waved on his way out.

Diana sat down with her on the couch and smiled brightly. “I am glad you went off the record with Kara. I would hate to crush your nice recorder. I wanted you to get a personal feel for her… to understand her a bit better.”

“She has no idea how money works.”

Diana shrugged. “She doesn’t care. Tell me, Lois, have you ever been around true genius? I don’t mean smart people. I mean world changing genius. The Van Goghs of the world, the Einsteins, the Beethovens, the inventors like Alexander Bell and Nikola Tesla that changed the course of humanity. Do you know anyone like that?”

Lois shook her head.

“Yes, you do.” Diana contradicted her denial. “You know Kara. Kara does not see the world around her like you or I do. Where you and I may see a pile of junk in a metal trash bin, she can see a wonderful tool or machine.

“People like her have always been different. Their minds work differently, they see things differently than the rest of us. Van Gogh saw visions. He looked at the night sky and where we see points of lights, he saw majestic heavens, beautiful flowing bodies in the sky and painted Starry Night .”

“Kara is a painter too?” Lois asked, intrigued.

“No, but she is an artist. She gets up in the morning, comes into work and develops engines that will change the world, clean energy sources, jets, solar powered cars, giant ships, and weapons that make our enemies so frightened, we will never have to use them.” The pride in Diana’s voice at what her sister could accomplish was evident to Lois.

“She makes a hell of a washing machine too.” Lois responded, understanding now what Diana meant.

“Yes, she does. The sales predictions are through the roof already.” Diana smiled, her eyes gleaming in happiness as if she had just lunch fun time. Making money was really her thing.

“But she can’t remember to pay a check or know how much money she has, or who pays for things when she wants them.” Lois continued, letting Diana know she got the point.

“Exactly. Her mind is focused on things that we couldn’t comprehend. Everything else is just details that are unimportant to her. She doesn’t care how much money she has. Her entire being is geared towards creation. That sets her apart from the rest of us.”

“Are all scientists like her?” Lois asked.

“Off the record?”

Lois raised her recorder and turned it off.

“The truly great ones are always different. Silas Stone has difficulty showing emotion and can be considered cold towards people he doesn’t consider worthy of his time. Despite those perceptions, he shows great warmth towards Kara, always has. They can talk animatedly to each other as if they had known each other for years.” Diana explained, giving an example of a scientist she personally knew, then moving on to others she knew or had met.

“Ray Palmer is an attractive man, but is socially inept, always feeling out of place in crowds and making bad jokes and hoping others will laugh.

“Have you heard of Michael Holt? A genius nearly on Kara’s level in the fields of quantum engineering. He works out of his basement. He is wealthy and has an office building full of secretaries, accountants, lawyers, but will not work outside his home basement.

“Ted Kord fits in with society the best, but he is as much of a businessman as a scientist and in my opinion, his intelligence pales compared to the others I have mentioned.”

“Wow.” Lois whistled softly. “So what do you think that is like? Seeing the world the way she does?”

Diana shrugged. “I know everything about her but when I ask her that question, she can’t explain. I don’t think it is something that can be put into words.”

“How is her health? She seems like she is doing very good.” Lois asked, abruptly veering to another topic, momentarily forgetting it was a forbidden subject.

Diana smiled, but her eyes let Lois know she was treading on dangerous ground. “She is, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention her health at all, in any context. It’s not something we will ever go on record about.”

Lois nodded, known Diana’s request was not a request. She had her foot in the door with this interview. Diana was doing her a favor. Diana was announcing to the news media that Lois Lane had an in with the Wayne sister and that made her important. She wasn’t going to screw up this first interview when so many more could come from it.

“Let’s grab lunch in the cafeteria.” Diana said, standing. “You can talk to some of the employees there, get to know their different departments. Then I can show you around different floors and business units that aren’t confidential.”

After they ate, and Lois realized that employees of Wayne Enterprises were just as obsessed with Diana as the public, they traveled a few floors below the top and Lois walked out into a massive, open floor, filled with desks and computers, large screens on the walls and a set of short stairs that led up to a glass covered office, where Barbara Gordon looked out over her kingdom.

Diana held Lois back and the two watched Babs playing what Lois thought was League of Legends with her back to her employees.

Finally, Babs rolled back from the computer, checked screens above her and opened her glass doors.

“The Arial 3-D software upgrade still has a glitch. I need a fix and a patch, and I want it sent out before I leave the office today. C’mon, I thought you nerds were good! Do I have to do everything myself? I’m five seconds from hacking into the League of Legends’s game platform because I keep dying.

“Do you know why? Because I am worried about the Arial glitch! The whole point of being the boss is not to worry about things like this. I have a stacked team that is not getting my full attention!”

Babs looked over the group of perhaps fifty men and women.

“Case of your favorite liquor for the first one to identify the glitch!”

The keyboards began typing a bit faster.

“The winner gets to party with me at Heathens tonight!”

Twenty seconds later, a thin young man in glasses jumped up. “I got it!”

Babs slow clapped. “Okay, Timbo, way to make the rest of the chumps look bad in front of the big boss. Yeah, you guys didn’t notice the elder Miss Wayne watching over you all.”

The entire room looked towards the door where Diana stood with Lois.

“Next one up. Give me a patch in five minutes and you can get wasted at the fourth best club in town with me and Timbo.”

It took less than a minute before a girl with purple hair jumped up. “Got it, heading to your station now, Babs.”

“Sheena, my purple-haired queen of the jungle! Good job. Okay, they get to hang in my box but free drinks for the rest of you tonight. I know you all tried. Just don’t get so drunk you can’t work tomorrow. On second thought, screw it, get wasted. That’s what sick days are really for, am I right, Diana?”

“I really like her.” Lois admitted.

Diana smirked. “Four years here and she still acts like a crazy teenager. If one didn’t know her better, you would think she was somewhat of a shallow airhead, not the cyber goddess she truly is.

“Thank you, Babs. I just wanted to show Lois what excellent management looks like.”

“And you brought her here?” Babs asked, looking genuinely confused.

“I wanted to show her how it shouldn’t be done.” Diana smirked. “Everyone, have fun tonight. Please do your best to make it to work tomorrow morning and make sure your brilliant boss makes it to the Suites lobby so security can carry her up.”

Babs rolled her eyes. “Everybody say ‘Bye, Diana’.”

As one, the room said ‘bye, Diana’.

“Lois,” Babs called out before they left. “You’re the General’s kid, right? Heathens tonight if you can handle it. Eat hardy so you have something to puke. You can join me, Timbo, and Sheena in the box for drinking games.”

Lois gave her a thumbs up and followed Diana out.

“Careful, Barbara is worth a few million dollars, and she never remembers to pay checks either.” Diana told her. “She will have two bodyguards with her. I always assign her security when she goes out.”

“Why? Is she in danger?”

“Always. She doesn’t like bodyguards, but she knows I worry about her going out. She understands two guards will be with her wherever she goes. Gotham is a wonderful place to live but there are bad people everywhere and many like to congregate in bars and nightclubs looking for victims. I don’t like her partying without security watching out for her.”

The two returned to the top floor and Lois was taken to Sam’s office.

“Hello, Diana.” Sam greeted her, looking up from her computer screen, obviously dealing with paperwork scattered all over her desk. “Who is your friend? I don’t believe we have met.”

“You spoke to her for an hour at your welcoming party.” Diana pointed out.

Sam paled and Diana laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You haven’t met before, but you did meet her father, General Lane.”

“Oh, Lucy! Your Dad wouldn’t stop talking about you.” Sam said, her eyes lighting up, obviously remembering the conversation she’d had with the man. “He is so proud you got into West Point! When do you start classes?”

Lois said nothing and Diana closed her eyes and, while able to keep from laughing, she couldn’t hide her smile.

“What?” Sam asked, seeing she’d missed something.

“Sam, this is his oldest daughter, Lois.” Diana told her.

Sam grinned, eyes wide, staring at her. “I have an important conference call. I am so late. I need to jump on the line, since I called it. It was nice to meet you, Lois!”

She picked up her cell phone and began talking into it even though she had pressed no keys or numbers.

“Come, Lois.” Diana replied lightly, giving her Vice President a respite. “We can grab Steve and take a tour of the aeronautics facility under construction. The plant is still being built but you will have an idea of its size. Once it is complete, it will require high security so you may be the only reporter to ever get a glimpse inside, even if it is unfinished.”

“Sounds great.” Lois replied.

“I have taken the liberty of having a room prepared for you at the manor tonight. I’m sure one of our security teams will not mind driving you to the club to meet Babs if you wish. Tonight is ‘Taco Tuesday’ at the manor and I’m cooking. If you don’t want to go to the club, I know Kara would love to finish telling you the story of how she came up with the new washing machine, cleaning pod combo.”

“Maybe I can talk her into something else.” Lois said, not wanting to discuss washing machines. “She said she works on old cars. I like old cars. Does she restore a lot of them?”

Diana smirked. “Lois, if you like old cars, you won’t be going clubbing tonight. Kara will be your new best friend.

“Now, have you ever driven a Lamborghini?”

Lois’s heart started racing. “No. I’ve never even touched one.”

Diana walked to her desk and pulled out a set of keys. “Then today is your lucky day.”