And the winning event from last time was
[X] [Opportunity] Offer Barbara an internship at LexCorp
[X] [Millions] Offer Professor Millions a massive sum of money in exchange for him deliberately trying his hardest to get Ezra Gill's work and figure it out
[X] [Gala] Bruce Wayne
[X] [Gala] Zatanna Zatara
[X] [Gala] Geraldine Powers
[X] [Gala] Derek Powers
I won't be elaborating on the adjustments to the voting mechanics in this post (at over 10,000 words I didn't want to delay more than necessary) but I will be getting to it soon. I hope you all enjoy. Dear god this was a pain to fully write out. I kept the amount of subvotes a little more sparse than I'd initially planned just because of the sheer amount of stuff. I'll likely not write an update this huge for a very long time but I am happy with this as I fee it nicely wraps up most of the Gotham storyline and is interesting and well written, That being said I'd like some feedback on if this was too long. I enjoyed this experiment in style but I'm happy that I'm going to be ramping down from this point forward. It has been an interesting experience and I had a lot of fun with this but I don't intend for something like this to become normalized in any way shape or form. I do think that I'll be making use of this style more in the future but only for events and hopefully not often or else I fear for the carpal tunnel I might develop. Still doing this much was a triumph and I'm glad I did it.
Now finally chaos starts a coming in Gotham. This is the longest update yet in the history of the quest and I hope everything will come to a head in an interesting manner. I'll potentially be answering some of the long running mysteries about Gotham and hopefully the setting will be fleshed out in an interesting way. Gotham's evolving and its got some growing pains to get through. Who knows maybe Metropolis will end up the same way someday? As always there is a 1 hour moratorium on voting
A Trip to Gotham Event Part 6: Dead Man's Party
Ra's Al Ghul (One week before Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
Ra's al Ghul was not a man unaccustomed to rage and hate. The flames of those emotions were always useful drivers in his mission but Ra's had mastered himself to the point where he could tamp down and control those feelings should some wretch stir them within him once more. He could tamp down on his anger and irritation and focus on what needed to be done for the good of the world. It took a special kind of miserable fool to truly rouse his unbridled ire.
The situation in Gotham had done so. Ra's would fully admit that he was not the most knowledgeable on the affairs of the New World particularly the eastern coast. His men had managed to observe the excesses of the conquistadors and acquire any Lazarus pits they'd discovered in their searches for unbridled treasure. In the east though he'd only managed to arrive a little bit after the first wave of settlers. He'd thought nothing of the blind spot he'd had as his agents were in position before the foundation of the United States of America. His son's failure and ultimate fate had not endeared Ra's any more to the area and he had been content to ignore it for a while.
Now though his eyes were opened. He saw the treacherous vermin that had infested what was his by right. The life giving waters of the Lazarus pits were his and his alone to command! So to learn that not only had someone been making use of a pit without his permission but that someone had gone and had the gall to hide one from him had enraged him. Initially he'd planned to simply seize control of the pit and potentially bargain with these usurpers. They were beneath him but he could make use of them. He'd sent agents to find out more about them. He was content to wait and let his rage run cold as he slowly exterminated them over the course of a few decades in secret once they thought themselves safe. Then his agents had learned of what they had done to Arkady.
In many ways Arkady was a failure. He had lost, his schemes had failed and his rampant greed and arrogance had shown that he was not fit to be Ra's heir. Ra's had thought that being caught by Hex was the end for his son and that he would be allowed to die with some modicum of dignity. Not so. Apparently the woman he'd wronged was the daughter of one of the ancestors of the wretches in Gotham. When the vermin in the city learned of what Arkady knew about the Lazarus pit, they tortured his son for all he knew and left him broken, constantly clinging to the barest edge of life and yet wishing for his death. For that offence those miserable wretches in Gotham who had dared to so brazenly insult him would be exterminated down to the last man, woman and child.
Ra's had decided to personally lead this mission. He'd see to it that all of his enemies were killed, the Lazarus pit seized and his son freed to die in peace. He'd gotten the pieces arranged well ahead of schedule, found the locals most willing to work with him and had Ubu direct them towards becoming useful allies. Luthor had agreed to his offer and he'd keep the eyes of those jealous thieves focused on the entirely wrong target. Shiva would keep the Batman from interfering since while Ra's found the detective intriguing he didn't have time to deal with him when he was purging the city the Batman had so naively chosen to defend. All the pieces were in play and he was ready to start clearing the board.
He'd make sure that those miserable wretches who had dared not only to steal from him but also to dare torture someone of his blood for year on end would die screaming watching everything they had built come crumbling down. The course was assured and his enemies were naught but dead men. After all what was a parliament of owls to a demon?
Lex Luthor (Third week of the trip to Gotham)
Wayne's party was certainly the most impressive of the three you'd seen so far. The manor was as large and stately as you remembered it being although it seemed significantly more well furnished than the last time you'd visited it. It remained as opulent as ever in that slightly old-world sense that slightly offended your more modern taste in aesthetics. You supposed it was one way to project power but Wayne manor still seemed a ever so slightly antiquated as you moved through it.
Of course to say nothing of the various people that had showed up to the event. Dozens of wealth individuals showed up in expensive suits and dresses and all engaged in some inane form of competition, preening like overgrown peacocks displaying their vanity and their wealth. Those who had power and were secure in their power had no need to so desperately flaunt what they had. Mixed in with the various imbeciles with more money than sense that made up Gotham's elite were a few more dangerous individuals confident, powerful and collected. These would be the real movers and shakers of the night. To top off this whole event, Wayne had apparently gotten an entire orchestra to play live music while various servers flitted about offering guests hors d'oeuvres and champagne upon which the weaker willed individuals gluttonously indulged.
"Well this certainly is the nicest looking party we've been to" Talia dryly commented "Although I'm not too impressed with it's security"
Talia was right to complain you supposed. While she looked no different then most guests at first glance, being dressed in an expensive green and purple gown that matched your suit, she'd managed to sneak in dozens of knives hidden under her clothes in strategic areas and a garrote in the bracelet she wore. You personally had not snuck in any weapons per se but the armor beneath your clothes was suspicious and the various anti-venoms and counter-agents you had hidden on your person could potentially be dangerous if placed properly in someone's drink or food. Honestly the security was rather disappointing which only made you all the more comfortable with the fact that you'd gone and taken your own precautions against foul play.
"Considering the fact that the last time I was at one of Wayne's parties I got shot, I'm not surprised the security here is overly lax." You respond equally dryly. Talia chuckles lightly at your responses. Vivian had already left your company for the evening so it would be just you and Talia sticking together for now.
"Well if you get shot at this party it certainly won't be by the same people" Talia remarks humoruously but with hints of disdain for others creeping in "And besides considering the average standard of conversation here one might think a bullet to the chest is an active improvement"
"It is an excellent reminder on why I prefer my privacy" You answer back. Talia smiles at your response comfortable with the easy banter between the two of you. "Spot anything interesting?"
"Oh plenty" Talia responds lightly "Our good friend Selina Kyle has apparently made a game of quietly nicking a few valuables while people are not paying attention to her"
You turn your gaze to spot Selina happily chatting to a man in an expensive suit. Selina briefly catches your eye and smirks.
"She's quite good at it, to the point I doubt anyone other than me could catch her" Talia comments "And I imagine if I didn't have you to keep me company I might resort to a similar game"
"Happy to be of service" You calmly retort. You decide to not draw anymore attention to yourself or Selina for now content to leave things be.
"There is a burly server who every so often seems to slink off into a back room" Talia points out "And our host appears to have a broken arm that he is hiding"
Well that was a pair of intriguing little observations. You make note of how Talia's deductions seem to match up with the strange lack of motion in Wayne's left arm. An interesting thing no doubt since it raised the question of how Wayne broke his arm in the first place and why he feels the need to hide it. What an interesting little conundrum.
"I could go on and on about the various little affairs I see men and women with over priced clothes, too much time on their hands and not enough direction in life engage in but I doubt that you'd be interested in the type of gossip you could find in the tabloids tomorrow" Talia concludes. She's not wrong but you suppose that she could be missing something.
You scan the crowd, searching for someone to speak to. You spot Rupert Thorne practically accosting John Wyclife. Some older woman is chatting with Leslie Thompkins in such a way that causes the doctor to balk and become uncomfortable. Veronica Vreeland, Gotham's premier socialite, is happily conversing with Lincoln March while sipping some champagne which is interesting but not something you'd particularly want to get involved with considering how you've been warned to stay away from March. No need to deliberately cause yourself problems later on down the line. Your eyes scan and flit about the room until you spot a rather plump woman in a blue dress with a rather dour looking young man standing near her.
"It appears I've found our first conversation partners for the evening" You inform Talia as the two of you slowly move towards the other side of the room.
"The blonde woman in the blue dress with the pearl earrings?" Talia questions surprised at you choice. You nod in assent.
"Well at the very least what you have in mind is a surprise so it's already halfway there to being interesting." Talia remarks.
You weave your way through the crowd and slowly make your way toward the woman in question.
"Ms. Powers" You calmly say "It's not often you can meet competition you like face to face"
The woman appears caught off guard before quickly recovering. The young man next to her openly gawks at you for a little bit before slowly schooling his face into a blank mask. Geraldine Powers is not quite on your level but it's clear that she's no neophyte at the game.
"Honestly Lex I'm a little flattered you think of my little company as competition" Geraldine responds. You note that she's feeling fairly bold if she's comfortable calling you by your first name. That or she's deliberately being impertinent in order to try and get you off balance.
"Or should I be worried that the giant of LexCorp wants to take down Powers International?" She continues this time far more obviously trying to get you to reveal your intentions. Rather straightforward and blunt but you suppose that might be a hold out from her time in the marines, preferring to get to the matter rather than beat around the bush. A less skilled person might be caught off guard by the bluntness when they were expecting nothing but doublespeak and hidden meanings and thus slip up and give away more than they need to. Clearly there was some measure of talent to this woman. However simply put, you were better in everyway.
"I've found that a free market enables the best businesses to flourish" You respond, avoiding directly answering her questions "I do not set out to destroy any other companies. If they just so happen to be unable to compete, well that is simply the cost of business"
Geraldine appears ready to give a somewhat smooth retort when a bitter young voice pops up instead.
"That's a lie" the blonde young man accompanying her declares in a bitter tone of voice cutting Geraldine off before she can get a word out "If you're not trying to establish dominance and control and crush all of your rivals then you are a bad business man. If you're a bad business man then you wouldn't be nearly as successful as you are, therefore you're lying"
Well now this can be an interesting little thing to pick at. After all everything you've just said is technically true albeit misleading so it is interesting to see why exactly this young man so hostilely rejects your more pleasant sounding pretext.
"You truly don't believe that I'm being honest when I say that I think it's better to concentrate on a quality product and let the market choose which companies become successful?" You enquire hoping to further rile him up.
"No I don't" He responds angrily "And I think you're either stupid, overconfident or both if you think anyone with half a brain really buys the bullshit PR spiel you give to look good"
"Derek!" Geraldine loudly chastises somewhat scandalized that this individual is willing to so aggressively call you out on what he perceives as lies "I'm so sorry for my son's behavior ever since he graduated from boarding school he's grown far too bold and foul-tempered"
"No need to apologize, I for one find his assessment amusing" Talia interjects slyly "I find his bluntness amusing especially when it appears he missed the underlying meaning of what Lex said"
You suppose it falls to Talia to further disorient the pair. Her words caused Geraldine's son to practically rile up and he looked as though he wanted to strike her. Geraldine didn't let much surprise show on her face but she did look rather displeased by the way the conversation had spiraled entirely out of her control.
"I'm afraid we've never been introduced before" Geraldine begins cautiously "I'm Geraldine Powers the head of Powers International"
"Talia Haguall, Lex's date for this event" Talia responds shaking Geraldine's hand plastering an amused smile on her face "I'm always happy to meet the interesting individuals Lex speaks to at these parties and considering your son was bold enough to challenge Lex, he's certainly proven himself to be interesting if a little foolish and headstrong"
Geraldine appears to slightly relax at this while Derek Powers appears as though he'd like nothing more than to be able to strangle Talia. The brief flash of a smirk across Talia's face shows that she knew the effect she was well aware of what she was doing and was enjoying it. Well you did suppose there were worse ways she could try to entertain herself throughout the meeting and it shouldn't interfere with your business too much.
"Mother" Derek Powers ground out "I'm going to leave now"
"Alright sweetheart" Geraldine responded lightly which in turn only caused intense anger and annoyance to briefly flash across his face "Just don't go talking to people you shouldn't and be back her when it's time to leave"
Derek merely nods, anger apparently preventing him from speaking since he knows that he'll say something which would cause others to look poorly upon him. There clearly was some familial cracks and disconnect there. It might be worth digging into later.
"That boy frustrates me so much sometimes" Geraldine says shaking her head in frustration and consternation "Honestly sometimes it feels like he's too smart for his own good and that he has no respect for anyone"
"Parenthood's hardly what parents expect it to be" You respond "Even I've had my own share of challenges to overcome when raising my daughter"
Hopefully the shared pretext of parental frustration would be enough to get Powers to start opening up and letting her guard down. In all honesty the challenges with Cassandra came more from disabilities that could be cured and weaknesses that could swiftly be quashed. She had proven herself to be a rather excellent heir. Still you doubted that you'd benefit much from letting people know how inferior their children were to your heir so the technically true statements designed to elicit some form of sympathy were a far better path to take. Talia was the only person in the room even slightly aware of who Cassandra was and she would simply take quiet amusement in the half truths you spoke.
"I had forgotten you'd adopted a child" Geraldine continued the conversation before turning to Talia "How about you Haguall, you got any kids?"
"None of my own" Talia glibly retorted "I have met Cassandra Luthor before though and found her a pleasant, diligent little girl if one a little more quiet and withdrawn then was typical. I'm not much of one for mothering"
"It's a shame" Geraldine responded with a slight melancholy tone "As much as that boy has caused me grief being a parent is the most fulfilling thing I've ever done. We have our fights, especially since he graduated early, but I'm happy knowing he'll be a success and capable of being better than I am. God knows he's certainly smarter than I was at his age"
You figure it's best to move on. The family drama has worn a little thin for you and you'd rather move on towards more interesting avenues of discussion. If you want to keep digging you're liable to be better off trying to get at it through Derek Powers.
"How has Powers International been doing?" You ask, shifting the topic "LexCorp's continued doing very well in these last few months"
"Honestly it's more of the same for us as well" Geraldine responds "Our weapons are in higher demand than ever, we've begun expanding rapidly into the field of building construction equipment and the like and we've got a few collaborative projects with Wayne Enterprises. Business is good"
"And you're not worried about Wayne Enterprises leaving you in a worse position after the collaboration?" You question, curious to see if you can drive a wedge between her and Wayne.
"Wayne Enterprises can hardly double-cross me with all of the infighting amongst the board of directors. Wayne and Fox are the only people worth making agreements with because the rest will go where the wind blows and turn on you the moment you take your eyes off of them." Geraldine states "Luckily for me I made a deal directly with the big man himself and so if someone were to backstab me they'd have to oust Wayne to do it. And if Bruce does it he's going to tarnish his own reputation irrevocably"
It was unfortunate that she was that confident in her success by working with Wayne as it seemed unlikely you'd be able to pull her away easily or effectively.
"I wouldn't think Bruce Wayne is someone who particularly cares about his reputation" Talia ventures seeking to get more on the gala's host.
"Oh certainly not so in his public life" Geraldine retorts "but in the business sector his word is gold, his ideas make money and his reputation is of someone who deals honestly and fairly. In that area he very much cares about his reputation"
So it appeared that Wayne was far smarter than people gave him credit for. It would be interesting to discover if he really was the modern day fop he played himself as or if it was merely a mask to hide his more shrewd and clever behavior. Previous interactions with him had suggested the former but you might need to revise your assessment of him considering all of this new information.
"And how has your involvement in metahuman affairs been going?" Geraldine inquired as she turned to more directly face you. "I can't imagine it's a very simple thing to work on"
"It's not" you respond clearly and commandingly "But it's relevant as it'll set the future for the new age we're about to enter. I'd like to do my part to ensure that history unfolds the right way"
Geraldine raises an eyebrow at this.
"As melodramatic as it sounds I think Lex is very much in the right for doing so" Talia adds on to your statement "For all of their incredible gifts metahumans are mere humans at the end of the day. How they are integrated into society now that their existence is coming to light will determine whether the coming age is a golden age or a dark age"
You're a little surprised by how confidently and boldly Talia backed up your claim but you ensure that no signs of being caught of guard are present in your posture or expression. Evidently Talia agreed with you of her own accord. It might be worth figuring out if this is her own personal position or if she was merely echoing you in order to better play her part.
"There's certainly money to be made in defending against them" Geraldine declares somewhat petulantly and you realize that she's not liable to agree with your position. Oh well, as you said earlier you're willing to let the people choose who they'd support and with Geraldine's outdated ideas on metahumans she'd need to change and adapt fast or Powers International would be wiped out and destroyed without you even lifting a single finger. Business was always good to those who knew which way the future lay.
You politely made some more small talk before excusing yourself to go talk to other guests.
"She was an interesting woman" Talia admitted to you as you moved away "Short-sighted and not nearly clever enough to compete on the highest level but self-aware enough to be intriguing in her own way and she served as a gauge on a few of your competitors "
"We'll make a businesswoman of you yet Ms. Haguall" You joke as you continue moving through the crowd.
"I'm always happy to have another option if my current career doesn't work out" Talia dryly jokes back "But as much fun as the game can be it's not something I'd particularly like to make a career out of."
"I suppose that's only fair" you concede "I'm not against the decision since you're already more competent than most of the businesspeople I might at these events"
Talia chuckles lightly at your statement.
"What did you think of the boy?" Talia questions somewhat abruptly. You ponder things for a moment before answering.
"He's far too emotional and angry right now, too willing to give away his intentions for shock value to truly compete on the highest level" You respond "But given a few years and some tempering that could all change and he could become a player in his own right"
"I figured as much, though that resentment of his mother and general anger at perceived indignities might cause him to snap" Talia responded. She wasn't wrong in that regard but if Derek Powers snapped, when he finally broke down he'd be liable to drag others down with him.
"You bring up an excellent point" You admit to Talia "Let's go and assess potential fallout."
You make your way past the crowd and once more find Derek Powers. The young man is standing all on his lonesome angrily glaring at everyone that comes his way. He spots you and his expression further darkens.
"Luthor" He angrily growls out "What do you want?"
The naked hostility is an interesting approach but considering Talia could kill Powers in half a dozen ways before he laid a finger on you its no cause for concern. Any long term reprisal through economic or social means would be stifled and strangled by your own far superior resources. His anger was nothing more than impotent rage and that made Derek Powers far too easy to steer whichever way you wanted him to go.
"No need for such hostility" You calmly remark "I merely finished speaking to your mother and figured I'd hold a conversation with you"
"You really must think I'm stupid if you think I'd buy that" He angrily bites out "You want something from me and you're attempting to mislead me to make me more pliable. Tell me what you want and get it over with"
It appears as though Derek Powers sees everything in terms of advantages and disadvantages. You suppose dropping one mask for another might be the right move.
"Well then to business" You coldly announce "I'm interested in what you want so that I can make a deal with you"
A lie but getting more information would allow you to figure out where to go from there. Plus this is a lie that Derek is far more likely to believe with his obvious biases.
"I want LexCorp" Derek calmly says inspiring no small amount of anger in yourself which you quickly tamp down on "I want money, I want women, I want prestige, I want power"
"Well he's certainly a modest young man" Talia sarcastically jokes and you can't help but find her blunt understatement amusing even as Derek continues his speech.
"I want to be king of the world with a life of luxury. I want to be bigger than you are and ever will be" He boldly declares "And it doesn't matter what I want because you're not going to give it to me"
"Have you ever heard the concept of settling?" Talia interjects "I figure that you'd be better served getting something instead of demanding the world like a petulant child"
Derek glowers at her before responding.
"I could but then I'd be accepting poison towards my ambitions in the long term" He replies angrily but with an odd sense of tranquility "The power imbalance as of now is too great for any deal Luthor makes with me to be truly beneficial to me in the long run. I'm certain he'd be willing to do things like fund my time in a university but it's just as likely it'd contain some clause or complication that would allow him to destroy or neutralize me. Making myself dependent on him in any way shape or form is just bad business"
"That is rather disappointing to hear" You respond "I trust you won't regret not hearing out some generous offer from me?"
"You're too smart to give me a truly generous offer" He retorts "And besides regardless of whether I succeed or fail I'd like to do it on my terms not yours."
Well you've had worse interactions before but it's clear that Derek is far too hostile and unwilling to trust you to be worth investing in. It's a shame that LexCorp will be incapable of making use of him but you suppose it's his prerogative to crash and burn of his own accord. A small disappointment but you suppose you can at least respect him for his drive and his self-assurance.
"Then let me give you some advice on your chosen career path" You quietly intone in an almost threatening voice "You give away your intentions far to quickly and are too honest making it easy for others to run circles around you. Masking your intentions might seem like something lesser men do because of their weakness but rest assured that acting like a wild bull in the business sector will have you eaten alive"
A quick look of fear passes over his eyes as he realizes the implications of what happened in this interaction
"Talia do you have anything to add?" You say turning to your companion.
"I pity you for being stupid enough to announce your intentions to supplant someone far more powerful and dangerous than you" Talia cheerfully declared, causing Derek to pale "Announcing your presence to a tiger lying in wait might make you seem like a brave man but it's just as if not more so liable to leave you a dead man"
Derek Powers says nothing as you and Talia walk away quietly contemplating how many mistakes he made at this party.
"That was rather refreshing and entertaining" Talia happily states "It's nice to see that the stupidity of young boys wanting to prove they are men is a universal thing"
"I found it rather disappointing" You calmly say "He was an intelligent young man who repeatedly shot himself in the foot for nothing more than a bit of posturing despite claiming to disdain such things and all the while being unaware of his own hypocrisy"
"I find it helps to view it as a comedy of errors" Talia admits as you make your way back into the crowd.
The two of you dance for a bit as Talia keeps an eye on the server who keeps moving into the backroom, concerned he might be planning something. A minor scandal occurs when Holly Robinson dumps drinks on Bruce Wayne's adoptive heir which only furthers Talia's amusement at seeing the honest disdain be treated as scandalous while the masked disdain is viewed as normal. You don't fault her for her perspective but it is somewhat detrimental to actually accomplishing something at this event. You spot Lincoln March attempt to approach you a few times as you and Talia deftly maneuver yourselves away from him and you briefly catch up with Vivian D'Aramis who informs you that the guests at this party are far more pleasant to talk to even if the vast majority of them are still fairly vapid. All in all this charity gala is not going too poorly at all and as the evening progresses you spot the next person worth conversing with. So far you haven't gotten much beyond a general read on the environment at large and had a teachable moment but you suppose your luck could turn around.
"Talia" You quietly state "I'm going to head speak to a rather infamous magician I've spotted"
"Hopefully this one has better manners than that Dr. Tyme" Talia bitterly grouses as she follows your lead.
You made your way passing by various individuals noting that Vivian had gone to speak to Bruce Wayne personally. That line of potential problems would be nipped in the bud soon but you couldn't micromanage too heavily just yet. It was better to complete your own goals and let your employee have some freedom then to constantly bark orders in a Sisyphean attempt at maintaining control that would only cause you to lose it.
You eventually make it to the woman you were interested in speaking with, Zatanna Zatara. The raven haired magician was dressed a little eccentrically, eschewing the more typical dresses and gowns women wore to this event in favor of what was effectively her stage outfit as a sort of modified tuxedo. The waistcoat, small tailcoat jacket, leggings and top hat made her stand out against the more typical dress at this event, causing her to almost seem out of place. It was interesting to contemplate why she might have made that decision although you couldn't get too deep into it. Zatanna was known as an incredible performer and was considered an incredible magician whose tricks hadn't been solved. Considering the fact that there was a magic user at the last Wayne party you'd attended in Gotham, Zatanna could very well genuinely have magical capabilities. Granted it wasn't a mystery you could easily or effectively solve from the outside nor one you could directly approach her over but it was certainly something to keep an eye on as you conversed with her. After all Zatanna had experience and was willing to be hired for performances meaning she could potentially act as a skilled and experienced magic user you could employ and not have to worry about ulterior agendas with. It would be a longshot but sometimes it took a bit of a gamble to truly find success with something.
"Good evening, Miss Zatara" you announce, revealing yourself to the fairly striking magician who had previously been focused on entertaining a few socialites with some basic card tricks. A few of the socialites look nervously at one another.
"Good evening" She responded glibly not even slowing down as she flipped over a normal deck of cards and appeared to turn them into tarot cards. "I'll be right over to speak with you in just a second, I've just got one last trick to finish for my patient audience here"
Zatanna then stacked together the tarot cards into a pile and dramatically said some nonsense words before it appeared the cards turned into a box, which she opened and drew a set of normal cards from again with some of the audience members names on it. People politely applauded as she put the cards away.
"Thank you I'll be here in Gotham all month be sure to catch my show later on for more incredible and astounding tricks!" The magician peppily announced. Various members of her impromptu audience then milled away.
"If you don't mind my saying so that certainly wasn't what I was expecting you to do at an event like this as a guest" you begin.
"It's not strange at all" Zatanna smoothly replies "Bruce thought it was strange as well but I've found I'm far more comfortable as an entertainer then as a partygoer and this lets me both keep my skills sharp and advertise for free while also entertaining others and improving their experience"
You make note of the fact that she appears to be on first name basis with Bruce Wayne of all people.
"Do you often make a habit of performing at Bruce Wayne's galas?" You gently inquire hoping not to arouse any suspicion. Luckily for you it seems as though Zatanna is unconcerned at any trickery or guile such a question might pose.
"This is my first time attending a party he's hosted" She effortlessly elaborates "But when I was younger I did the same thing at his parents parties. Granted there was less of a bonus for me advertising but it did increase interest in my father's performances"
"So then magic has been in your family for a while" Talia notes allowing you sometime to gather your thoughts from the rather casual revelation that Zatanna knew Bruce Wayne as a child.
"Yup, my father and grandfather and probably further beyond all claimed to be able to have done magic" Zatanna readily admits "I'm just happy to keep up the family business which is something I imagine you might be familiar with"
You notice a minute flinch from Talia before she realizes that Zatanna was focused solely on you when she made that comment.
"How did you figure out who I am without any introduction?" You ask genuinely curious. It wasn't a hard thing to puzzle out but it showed that Zatanna definitely paid attention to the world around her.
"Well for a start the two of you aren't exactly in disguise" Zatanna explains "And you've been the talk of the town for a while. If either of you ever speak to Veronica Vreeland you'll hear something about everyone at this party. As such I just put together the basic clues and presto! I knew who you were without ever having been introduced to you"
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with the secret to any other tricks?" You dryly enquire to which Zatanna gives a hearty laugh.
"Mr. Luthor its a bit of a cliché at this point but I'm certain you're well aware that a magician never reveals her secrets" Zatanna cheerfully states.
"I've never actually seen one of your shows, I'm rather curious as to what tricks you do know" Talia politely enquires so as to acquire more information.
"Well Ms. Haguall, I am a fan of the classics so vanishing things, pulling rabbits out of a hat and more are always staples of my repertoire" Zatanna responds "But I like to mix up my performances and pull something new every time. If you understand the basis of magic then you can constantly innovate and keep things fresh"
The answer is very much a non-answer but it does let you know that at the very least Zatanna is competent at her profession and very good at hiding just what she knows behind a veil of showmanship.
"I'm a little disheartened then, that I won't be in Gotham long enough to make it to one of your shows here" You say with false sorrow. Truthfully you care less for the spectacle and pageantry of her act than you do in having confirmation of her skill. Still flattery is an ever useful card to play when leading others along.
"Well if that is the case you'll be happy to know that I'd be willing to perform shows either for LexCorp or the Charles McNider School for Metahuman Youth, provided you pay my fees and book the venue" Zatanna cheerfully calls back. "I'd have to consider doing consulting work in identifying and explaining how supposedly magical things took place but depending on what happens in the negotiations I'm willing to work on retainer provided it doesn't clash with my normal schedule"
"How did you know that was what I wanted to ask of you?" You calmly ask, genuinely curious as to how she accurately guessed your intentions. If Zatanna wasn't a genuine magician she certainly was competent enough to at least pass as one to an educated neophyte such as yourself. It was a little frustrating to still not have confirmation one way or another as to what Zatanna's capabilities were but you imagined that with time she'd reveal more of what she could and couldn't do.
"I'm magic" Zatanna says her eyes sparkling with mirth "More seriously though it was just some deductive reasoning based off of what I'm known for and what you're known for. I do read the news and frankly you've been in in it enough for me to guess at what you're involved in that you could want my help for"
"Well if you ever tire of being a magician I'm sure you could make a living as a detective" you demure "But I am happy that you'll at least consider my proposals"
Zatanna smiles at your response
"Well if there's one thing I've learned in my career it's to expect the unexpected and to not close doors if you don't have to" Zatanna continues "When we work out the details then I'll give a more solid yes or no answer"
The magician then made a dramatic flourish with her arm and a series of business cards popped out of her sleeve and into her open hand. She then splayed out the cards and proffered them to be taken.
"Pick a card, any card" Zatanna joked as both you and Talia grabbed one.
"I'm afraid I don't have anything quite as impressive but I can similarly give you a way to contact me if you want to take the initiative with negotiations" You respond as you hand the magician your own business card which swiftly disappears up her sleeve in a single swift motion alongside the cards she hadn't grabbed.
"I doubt she'd contact you first" Talia said somewhat cattily "It would ruin the whole mysterious magician front she is trying to sell"
You don't know why Talia apparently chose to try and antagonize Zatanna now but evidently Zatanna still chose to ignore it.
"I'm definitely trying to sell a persona" Zatanna readily admitted "But then so are you Ms. Haguall as well as everyone else in the room. The real magic lies in what remains just out of sight and hidden in the shadows"
You and Talia excuse yourselves as you say goodbye to Zatanna. You make your way into a more private area in the hopes that you won't be as effectively overheard.
"Why exactly did you decide to push her there?" You ask Talia hoping to get an answer from her that would explain her behavior.
"I'd hoped that by pushing her and questioning her validity as a magic user I could get her off balance and cause her to admit something" Talia explained "But in the end I'm left with more questions than answers and I genuinely do not know how much she does and doesn't know"
You contemplate Talia's words for a little bit. It is true that you still couldn't come to a conclusion as to the magician's real capabilities but how she'd responded hadn't actually given you more to work with besides hunches and suspicions. Zatanna evidently was fairly good at playing word games and not revealing more information than she absolutely had to. She certainly was interesting at the very least and you looked forward to potentially bringing her under your employment.
"What did you ultimately think of her?" You enquire in a calm and even tone hoping to see if an outside opinion on the magician might make things more clear for you.
"At first I thought she was a clever charlatan who simply was good at deductions and playing off of peoples expectations" Talia said "But as time passed I realized I couldn't figure out how her trick work and she was far too calm for a mere performer when I questioned her abilities and seemed far too comfortable with people being skeptical of what she could do almost as if she welcomed it"
Talia took a deep breath before continuing.
"I'm not sure what she knows or how much she knows but I am convinced that at the very least she knows something of magic"
Well having a somewhat biased outside opinion confirm that Zatanna Zatara likely knew some magic was interesting. It meant that her willingness to negotiate working with you was a larger boon then it seemed at first glance especially if you could eventually get her working for you. You smiled as you began plotting how to make use of this asset.
"At the very least I hope you found her more polite than Dr. Tyme" You sarcastically state
"Not a high bar to clear but yes she was" Talia admitted only semi-seriously "I certainly found talking to her entertaining if not a little frustrating with how she could effectively prevaricate and misdirect but I'm starting to think that I simply will not like any magic users I speak to"
Well that was ultimately her cross to bear. You began to make a beeline towards Bruce Wayne. Speaking to him not only would enable you to potentially make business deals but it would let you covertly keep an eye on Vivian and see what moves Bruce Wayne was making since the man appeared to be far smarter than you ever gave him credit for. It was never wise to underestimate someone and you had to reevaluate just what kind of threat Bruce Wayne posed.
As you moved across the room you took note of the fact that the suit Bruce Wayne is wearing is quite capable of hiding things beneath it. The slight lag in his left arm and its minute signs of stiffness seem to lend credence to Talia's theory that he broke his arm somehow. You move in closer to watch and observe before moving in at the optimal time to throw him off and see how he reacts to being surprised. However before you can figure out exactly how you want to approach speaking to Bruce Wayne, the man spots you and forces the issue immediately.
"Lex!" He calls out almost gleefully "So great of you to come here to my gala. As you can tell I'm very invested in donating to charities to help Metropolis recover from the aftermath of Intergang's attack"
Bruce promptly saunters over to you and promptly puts his arm on your shoulder. You immediately move to remove this unwanted physical contact.
"I'm happy to be here" You coldly respond "I do think it's a little opulent for an event supposedly dedicated towards helping people."
"Live a little Lex, it's fine for people to enjoy themselves while giving to a good cause" Bruce blithely announces as Talia makes her way over to you and briefly wraps her arm around you "And who might this be?"
"Talia Haguall" Talia curtly announces to Bruce Wayne as she moves to shake his hand "I'm Lex's date for the evening"
When Talia finishes shaking hands with Bruce she moves to hold your hand. You briefly question this sudden need for intimacy until you feel what Talia has secretly passed to you, using physical affection as a way to hide things. Apparently Bruce Wayne placed some kind of small tracking or recording device on your suit in that moment where he played the buffoon who thought you were friends. He was clearly far smarter than he appeared to be.
"Always a pleasure to become acquainted with a beautiful lady" Bruce declares in a confident manner as Talia looks on utterly unimpressed with him.
"I'm already taken for the evening so I'd appreciate it if you don't make a scene" Talia flatly said. Bruce Wayne just smiles boyishly
"With a woman as beautiful as you? I figured I at least had to make an attempt as Gotham's most famous philanderer" Bruce Wayne jokes shifting gears "Lex is very lucky to have the loyalty of a woman like you"
The two of them smile and you become well aware that they seem to be sizing one another up. You'll speak to Talia sometime later after this in order to get her thoughts but it's clear that she's picked up on something from Wayne.
"Has Lex shown you around Gotham much?" Bruce pensively inquires "There's plenty to see in the city despite its unfortunate reputation"
"A few places here and there" Talia dismisses "I actually found my time with him in Metropolis to be far more engaging"
"Well that's hardly this cities fault" You smoothly insert yourself back into the conversation "I simply know Metropolis far better than I do Gotham. This is very much my first time truly enjoying the sights and sounds of this city"
Bruce's eyes narrow at that statement almost imperceptibly.
"Really?" He questions "I would have figured that with all of the people you hire from Gotham and the fact that you attended my welcome home party that you'd at least be a little familiar with the city"
"Oh no, despite Gotham having many excellent individuals I've brought into the LexCorp family I've never really had the time to see the sights and sounds of Gotham city" You respond calmly "Between my work at LexCorp, the Intergang attacks, raising my daughter and my ongoing work with various agencies in ensuring metahumans are properly integrated into society I haven't had much time for leisure activities as of late"
Bruce looks as though he's about to say something when Talia cuts him off preemptively.
"And what have you been doing Mr. Wayne?" She dryly enquires "Surely you've been keeping busy if you feel it is responsible to throw a party like this?"
"Mostly I've been focusing on Wayne Enterprises, you know business and medicine and all of that" Bruce Wayne sheepishly states "Beyond that I've adopted a kid of my own and my work with Martha Wayne foundation in giving to others has also been busy"
You know that he's hiding something but you can't quite figure out what. Bruce Wayne is apparently an immensely skilled liar. Still you figure you can try to knock him off balance a bit to see how he reacts when things are made slightly more personal.
"How is your adoptive son by the way?" You ask feigning sympathy and interest "I would have liked to meet him. I hope he hasn't picked up your bad habits"
Bruce Wayne laughs a bit but by the glint in his eyes you can see that he's been angered at least a little by the insinuation that he isn't a proper guardian.
"Dick was actually here at the party up until recently. He got into a fight with some girl who poured some champagne on his clothes and left to go change you know how teenagers are." Bruce said with false levity "Unlike your daughter people have seen him out and about and I'm sure if you meet him in person he'll be happy to speak with you"
You slightly bristle at his insinuations about your heir but before you can retort Talia actually steps in.
"I've actually met Cassandra. She's a sweet girl but due to her own issues throwing her into a crowd with a bunch of businessmen and socialites would have only exasperated the disabilities she's been working to overcome" Talia states with false wistfulness, somewhat catching Bruce off guard that Talia had apparently met your daughter "I figured you would have known about Cassandra's struggles to adapt to normal life considering that the article asking for people to be understanding of her issues was written and published by the Gotham Gazette"
Bruce seems a little stunned at how things had gotten turned around on him so quickly.
"How exactly did you manage to meet Lex's daughter?" Bruce asked impolitely, shock causing him to abandon the veneer of etiquette as he attempted to adjust to the new information.
"My family has a history of working with unique individuals with unusual learning situations and I'd offered to work with Cassandra a bit" Talia calmly replied in a technical truth.
"Cassandra's been improving as time goes on and I imagine that in a few years you might see her attend an event like this with me" You state without any heat "For now though I ask that you follow the considerations I requested in that article and allow her to have a childhood as she adjusts"
Bruce apparently has recovered from your tack and has realized that getting bogged down in talking about children won't end well for him.
"Speaking of articles" Bruce begins "I've actually been interested in purchasing the Daily Planet."
Your mind briefly races at what he is trying to get at.
"What relevance does it have to me how you spend your money?" You ask stalling for more time to formulate a non-committal answer and figure out what Wayne's objective is in redirecting the conversation.
"I just figured you'd have an opinion on the paper considering it's arguably your biggest critic" Bruce says surely "When I spoke to your employee she'd mentioned how the newspaper was generally solid but somewhat divisive so I hoped to get a second opinion from someone whose spent more time in the area"
So that's what he'd talked to Vivian D'Aramis about. You had no doubt that Bruce had likely done his best to get her to talk about the company but considering Vivian knew next to nothing of any real substance you weren't concerned. You'd briefly check if he planted any bugs on her though before discussing the night with her.
"I'm not fond of it as a whole" You voice "But if you wish to purchase it I'm sure you can make a profit from it"
Bruce just smiles. You turn to look at Talia but it has become clear that she started to tune out the conversation and pay attention to something else. You decide to leave her be confident in her skills and her determination to cover you.
"Well if I ever do decide to purchase it I'd like to head down to Metropolis and potentially have Wayne Enterprises collaborate with LexCorp again" Bruce cheerfully said. It infuriates you how you still can't get a read on just what he wants.
"That's not a bad idea" You remark falsely smiling. Wayne clearly has something planned "I'd be happy to collaborate with you more and discuss this venture further"
Bruce moves to say something when suddenly you are interrupted.
"Get down!" You hear Talia yell as she tackles you to the ground and away from Bruce Wayne. A gunshot rings out and you see Bruce Wayne topples over backwards. There's no blood meaning he likely isn't dead but apparently someone tried to shoot at you. Talia swiftly knocks over a table to act as cover and you can hear people start screaming. Over the din of voices you can hear the harsh voice of a man yell out in Russian.
"Death to the capitalist oppressors and all enemies of the people!" The voice brazenly cries out as people really begin panicking. "The KGBeast will kill those who have earned death!"
"One of yours?" You quietly ask Talia as you gather your bearings.
"No this isn't a member of the League or of the Menagerie" Talia whispers back in response as she readies her knives "This is that server who kept disappearing into backrooms, I noticed he'd apparently been readying something for an attack and I realized he was assembling a gun whose parts he'd slowly had snuck in"
Well that was unfortunate but it was something you could deal with the two most likely targets for this individual was you and Bruce Wayne. Talia peered over the table and hurled a knife at the KGBeast when she was confident that no one would notice what she had done, causing the man to drop his gun and fumble a touch. People ran as soon as the gun was dropped and even Bruce Wayne managed to make it out.
The KGBeast realizing he wouldn't be able to kill either you or Bruce Wayne in time if he went after his gun, instead charged at you as you made your way out of the room, knocking aside various other party-goers who got in his way. The man barrelled at you and you finally noted the black and red bodysuit he wore. You could just make out his eyes which were filled with the intense zealous hatred of a fanatic. Of course if you could see his eyes that meant they were unprotected.
Just as the man came close to you Talia hurled champagne into his eyes causing him to stumble blindly. You made use of the opportunity to get the distance necessary to escape while Talia stalled him long enough for the two of you to escape unharmed.
The KGBeast swung blindly but bellowed with unbridled rage as he attempted to hit an opponent he couldn't see. Talia promptly ducked under his blows and smashed the champagne glass into his face causing glass fragment to embed themselves into sensitive areas. The KGBeast screamed in pain.
Once more he blindly flailed about and attempted to strike Talia despite not being able to properly see her. This time though there was practically no witnesses to see her move. Talia avoided the KGBeast's attacks and promptly swept his legs knocking him to the ground. Then before he could recover from being knocked down she pulled out a knife and stabbed through his hand, pinning his hand to a nearby table. The KGBeast roared in agony as Talia tossed a tablecloth onto him and made her way out of the manor with you.
"Well that was an exciting evening" Talia said sarcastically as you made your way back to the hotel you were staying in "The public nature of this event means that the League will make its move now so I imagine you'll be best off staying away from the chaos for a little bit"
Well that was good to know. Evidently things would begin to pick up soon and you'd have to conclude your trip to Gotham so as to avoid any unnecessary complications. Still this night hadn't been bad by any means and the trip had proven fruitful on its own. Ra's had dealt with you fairly and so it was only right you stayed out of the way while he achieved his objectives.
Waylon Jones AKA Killer Croc (Third week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
Tonight was the night where everything would finally come to a head. Selina had informed him of the various schemes and devised their grand strategies together for how they'd be moving forward. Selina had left the opening strokes up to him though and Waylon had no intention of failing.
What many people didn't understand was that Waylon might not have had much schooling but he wasn't stupid Either. He was very capable of being patient and meticulous when he needed to be. The cops all judged him as nothing more than a brute cause of how he looked and normal folk thought him nothing more than a freak to either fear or laugh at. They were all dead wrong. The Menagerie were his people and he'd ensure their success. Selina his truest friend was counting on him to deliver and by god Waylon intend to do his damn job. After all it was downright rude to mislead a lady and Waylon knew he was more than capable of what was required of him for this job. Tonight was a demonstration of power and a statement on how the Menagerie wouldn't hide in the dark where they'd been forced to be some hoity-toity rich fucks. No the Menagerie would rise up from beneath the feet of those who thought they were the masters of Gotham and bring this whole damn city to its knees.
The actual set up for the plan was remarkably simple. In order to get access to City Hall, the place where March would be hosting his party, Waylon had various members of the Menagerie take some basic positions around the area. They were the gardeners, the janitors, the caterers and all of the little people those in power didn't pay attention. Their dismissal would prove to be their downfall. His men smuggled in weapons and masks and set up escape routes and solved the logistics problems. The police proved inept as ever when they searched the guests arriving at this party but not the workers at the venue. The idiots had been fooled by such a simple trick and soon they'd be brought low before they could realize what was going on. The Lost Boys were lying low, the rest of the Menagerie was ready to wage war with the aid of their backers and the Katsura sisters had ferried messages back and forth between him and Selina, letting him know that she was safe and ready to deliver their message to Gotham city once they went loud. Everything was in position.
Waylon spent the hours leading up to this moment sitting in the back of one of the catering vans, listening to a stolen police radio which informed him that the police knew nothing of what was about to happen. Waylon got the signal that Lincoln March had started his speech. It was go time.
"Masks on boys" Waylon said as he walked out of the back of the truck "We're gonna make sure Gotham never forgets us after tonight!"
His men quietly cheered as they slipped into various animal masks and readied their weapons. All across City Hall his comrades dispatched police officers in order to ensure that tonight's main event wouldn't be interrupted. Over the stolen police radio he heard chatter about how fires had started up in several different areas of the town. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Waylon calmly strolled into city hall confidently as his men secured the area ahead. Slowly but surely he entered the main area and saw and heard March himself up on the podium.
"In light of these recent attacks and mounting tensions it has become more clear than ever that Gotham needs strong new leadership and hope for a better tomorrow" March blathered on impressing the peons assembled below "That is why I am happy to announce that I will be running for mayor. This is merely the first step in the march towards a better safer Gotham!"
The room broke out into thunderous applause only for the sound to be aborted as Waylon let out a guttural animalistic roar and rushed forward. People began screaming and panicking while members of the Menagerie blocked off all exits and told people not to move. Waylon though was focused on his targets. There were six police officers acting as bodyguards for Lincoln March. Four of them opened fire on Waylon while the other two positioned themselves to defend March. The bullets ineffectually bounced off of Waylon's armored skin and in instants he closed the distance between him and the police officers striking and shattering them, sending them flying through the air like marionettes with their strings cut only to land with a final satisfying crunch. He refocused his eyes on the two attempting to defend Lincoln and once more charged forward, the screaming of terrified onlookers serving to punctuate his violence.
The officers attempted to slow down Waylon hoping their valiant sacrifice would help March get away in time. Waylon dispatched them in seconds with an almost lackadaisical backhand and a punch that turned one man's ribs into little more than dust. March was fleeing but Waylon was faster bounding after him and knocking him down in a single strike. He made sure to let March get a good look at his long sharp teeth and held him close enough so that he could feel Waylon's hot breath on his face as he stared death in the eye.
"The Menagerie ain't anyone's tool" He informed the squirming rat before striking March once more, rendering him unconscious, and then dragging his limp body back onto the platform March had been giving his speech on. There was a vague look of fear and confusion as the wealthy citizens of Gotham looked upon those they had made into naught but outcasts and animals.
"Citizens of Gotham City!" Waylon boomed into the onstage microphone, his loud growly voice silencing the quiet murmurs of fear and panic running through his captive audience and focusing all attention on him "I come here with a simple message for you all"
Waylon felt nothing but glee at this next part where he got to tear down the man who wanted to turn the Menagerie to his own ends only to find the animals he thought looked up were far smarter and more dangerous than he was prepared for.
"Lincoln March sold you false hope on the backs of problems he created" Waylon proclaimed "Marchy-Boy paid the Menagerie to cause problems and attack various target, hopin' that by stokin' and manipulatin' both sides of the conflict he could turn Gotham into his own personal dictatorship where the haves got everythin' and the have-nots bashed their heads up against a wall to help the rich fucks in charge stay in power"
Silence filled the room as Waylon gave a slight pause reveling in how he was in command now. It was in moments like this when he could understand why Selina enjoyed her work as the big boss of all of the Menagerie.
"But he made one important mistake" Waylon declared "Lincoln March thought he could control the Menagerie with his money and his connections. Now we've taken all his money and by the end of the week he'll have no connections, Lincoln March is ruined"
He let out a large predatory grin.
"The time of the Menagerie is here!" He roared "We will not be contained! We will not be denied! We are a force of revolution against those who have everythin' and benefit from keepin' Gotham a stinkin' shithole! And all those who oppose us in our efforts will die, startin' of course with Lincoln March"
Waylon readied himself to end Lincoln in a suitably gory manner. The members of the Menagerie cheered as he prepared to make an example for the rest of Gotham.
All of a sudden Waylon heard the sound of a window shattering and a few muffled grunts as metal projectiles struck various members of the Menagerie who all began rushing forward with guns. He turned to face the cause of the commotion when suddenly he was struck in the face by an armored foot traveling at high speeds. Waylon dropped March and stumbled backward, a sharp pain lancing through his tongue as the blow caused him to unintentionally bite it. He heard some yelling and shouting and saw members of the Menagerie getting picked off by a child in colorful tights and the Batman.
Waylon had hoped the caped shithead stayed out of his business but apparently he'd managed to interfere. Nothing to do about it now besides change plans.
"There's been a change of plans!" Waylon bellowed "You all are to head to the fallback points and ready for further orders, I'll handle the party crashers"
His men reluctantly followed orders and filed out taking downed members and allowing the civilians to flee as well that was fine Waylon had what he wanted.
"Robin" the Batman stoically said "Get March out of here and make sure that the civilians are safe"
"But what about..." The child began to protest before being cut off by Batman
"Do it now!" He demanded. The kid complied and Waylon felt a little happier now that he wouldn't have to kill a kid in their debut. He let the little bugger get away eyes focused on Batman. They were alone know. Waylon readied himself to finally kill the bastard once and for all. He rushed forward and roared out in pure hate
"BATMAN!"
Bruce Wayne AKA Batman (Third week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
Batman had been having a terrible month. Lex Luthor was back in the city doing something or other which always set him on edge. The KGBeast had made an assassination attempt on him and Batman knew that the ramifications of that event would come back later, likely in a highly unpleasant manner. What was particularly concerning about the KGBeast was that some unknown individual had already injured him and pinned his hand to a table. The KGBeast had escaped by fleeing after he cut off his own hand. The investigation there was going to be a mess.
Most concerningly Bruce had been attacked by mysterious assailants, lead by a woman calling herself Lady Shiva, almost every night and they were coming closer and closer to killing him. Whoever Lady Shiva really was she was not to be trifled with. The woman knew that he was Kirigi's disciple and every time they had fought he had come out the loser. In his latest confrontation the woman had broken his arm and would have killed him if Robin hadn't interfered and helped him escape. Now Batman and Bruce were relying on an advanced brace to hide the fact that his arm was broken and enable him to move it almost as though it were normal.
Now he had to deal with the Menagerie situation boiling over. It was only due to the conspicuous absence of any chatter over the police radio that Batman realized something was going down over at city hall. He'd dashed over there with Robin making his way alongside the outside of the building. The two of them had taken down a few of the Menagerie members standing guard but they were there for the main event.
Listening in to Killer Croc's speech was concerning as he'd trusted March before this and the allegations if true would destroy the man and reveal that Bruce had been supporting someone even worse than Penguin. Still he had to act to save lives and so he and Robin moved in grabbing peoples attention and swiftly taking out the gunmen while distracting Killer Croc. As soon as Killer Croc saw them he barked out orders for his men to leave and he allowed the civilians to escape. A pragmatic move since it would likely help Menagerie members blend in better and it would prevent Batman from going after them in order to not force a hostage situation where there wasn't one. Killer Croc was an oddly honorable sort and so long as Batman didn't take advantage of his letting civilians out then he'd not endanger anyone he didn't have to. Part of it was optics but it worked for Batman so he made no move to challenge Killer Croc's attempts to play at having the image of a chivalrous gangster. He ordered Robin to leave and readied himself for the fight of his life. Killer Croc had already almost killed him once when they'd fought in the sewers and now Batman was fighting with a broken arm.
Batman heard an animalistic scream of rage and saw the criminal barreling towards him. He ducked one swipe and then the next constantly dancing out of Croc's reach. Killer Croc specialized in grappling due to his time in the circus and with his level of strength if he grabbed Batman it was likely over. Killer Croc attempted a punch but Batman sent a series of swift jabs at Killer Croc putting the criminal on the backfoot. Of course the jabs didn't actually do much to slow Croc down, forcing Batman onto the defensive again as he swung once more forcing Batman to gain distance and back away.
Batman leaped back and hurled batarangs at Killer Croc but the brute just powered passed them and ended up striking Batman with a lariat that knocked the air out of his lungs and sent him fumbling to the ground. Batman rolled out of the way of Killer Croc's follow up strike but in doing so he left his cape open to get grabbed. The criminal tugged on it and slammed Batman into a wall. Batman clicked a button on his cape causing it to detach. He couldn't beat Croc in a fair fight. As such he had to cheat.
Batman charged at Killer Croc catching the crook off guard. The scaly man readied himself for a strike but instead Batman dropped a flashbang right in front of his eyes, blinding the Menagerie leader. The criminal roared in pain and anger as he was disoriented. Next Batman prepared to exploit a little known fact about Killer Crocs biology.
The man had an overdeveloped sense of smell and as such was sensitive to certain chemicals in a matter similar to a person with intense hypersomnia. It wouldn't knock him out but it would incapacitate him. While Killer Croc thrashed about Batman promptly unloaded an entire can of pepper spray directly into his nose. Croc screeched and shouted and made sounds of agony more akin to a an animal in pain than a man. Batman figured that the migraines and the pain would eventually cause him to blackout and would certainly make him incapable of fighting back.
He had to flee before Shiva and those working for her showed up and finished him off. Batman fled back to the Batcave and prepared himself for a very long week as the situation with the Menagerie had finally boiled over.
Selina Kyle (Third week of Lex Luthor's trip to Gotham)
The League of Shadows had proven good for there word, busting Waylon out of transport almost as soon as the police picked him up. They were supported and they were able to conduct their purge freely.
Selina had already filmed the video they'd broadcast, presenting proof of Lincoln March's crimes while also providing a manifesto for the Menagerie and an encouragement to attack. Rioting was at an all time high and there were disturbing reports of escapes from both Blackgate and Arkham. Still the Menagerie was doing its job for in the chaos of the coming events, the League's own actions would remain hidden. Selina stayed in the shadows directign the Menagerie to be as effective as possible while also trying to keep the amount of unnecessary deaths down as low as possible.
This kind of bloodletting had to happen but Selina couldn't help but fear that she might not have made the right choice. She was certainly more grateful than ever to have Luthor's escape route open to some members because things had escalated fast. What did it say about Selina and the Menagerie that their most trusted allies smiled as Gotham burned?
Trip Planning subvote
With your trip to Gotham continuing on there are a few more opportunities available to you going forward from here despite the chaos in Gotham. Choosing how you spend time on this trip could be important. Please pick your three favorite options from the list below. Please keep your vote in approval format as any vote not in approval format will be discounted. As always there is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.
[ ] [Trip] Visit the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic
[ ] [Trip] Meet with the GCPD
[ ] [Trip] Track down and meet with Tobias Whale
[ ] [Trip] Visit the Gotham Natural History Museum
[ ] [Trip] Explore the Tricorner district
[ ] [Trip] Speak with the woman who fought with the Batman
[ ] [Trip] Meet up with Oswald Cobblepot again
[ ] [Trip] Meet with Vivian D'Aramis to discuss Bruce Wayne's party
[ ] [Trip] Attempt to meet with Cosa Nostra
[ ] [Trip] Attempt to meet with Bruce Wayne
[ ] [Trip] Attempt to meet with Helena Bertinelli
