282 Offer #282

"Here we go again..." I muttered to no one in particular, taking a deep breath as I approached the podium and stopped behind it. "Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here," I said, putting on a business smile as I leaned forward.

"Today, I'll be taking questions about the joint operation, during which we were able to apprehend Ras Al-Ghul, an internationally wanted terrorist," I added as I looked around, trying and failing to locate Lois Lane.

'Odd... looks she's not here...' I mused, my gaze settling on Vicki Vale, who was radiating enthusiasm. 'Eh, why not...' I smiled, intent on letting her ask the questions.

Lois Lane was vicious as she asked all the difficult questions. However, that's why I always let her question me first since I knew she wouldn't leave anything up for guessing.

She would usually address any and all doubts people might and will have, leaving no room for others to question me and force me to waste my time dealing with them after the press conferences.

Naturally, I couldn't simply point out the possible flaws in my plans and how I planned to fix them since that would make me look guilty and my speech sound rehearsed.

"Vicki Vale from the Gotham Gazette, right...?" I said as I looked at the redheaded journalist, and she eagerly nodded. "Ask away," I added with a shrug as I waited for her questions.

"At an earlier press conference, you stated that your company will branch out to different enterprises..." Vicki Vale said as she briefly turned to her notes. "Is it safe to assume government licensed mercenary work will be part of its activities...?" She asked.

"The straightforward answer is yes, but it's not that simple," I replied with a nod as I sighed. "I've already discussed the terms of my cooperation, most of which are confidential, with the government's higher-ups, but..." I added, trailing off at the end of my sentence.

"Mercenary work isn't the word I'd use to describe that service; more like talent or resource management," I added after a brief pause. "You see, neither myself nor any future employees of mine will be involved in any future operations," I continued, my tone turning grave.

"We will act as an intermediate between the government agencies and freelance talents who are not necessarily part of the company..." I added, gesturing towards Harley and the others as they were standing behind me.

"Our job will be to facilitate and coordinate the cooperation between the two parties and ensure our clients get the fairest deal possible," I continued as I turned back to the redheaded journalist.

"Other than the company's expenses and client's compensation, we will pledge ninety percent of the profits to build homeless shelters, schools, hospitals, and everything in between..." I added as I cleared my throat.

"Within the confines of Gotham, of course," I said with a shrug. "So yeah, I wouldn't say that we'll be providing mercenary work as a service," I concluded as I waited for the next question.

"In other words, you are acting as an agent or a representative of sorts for the three people standing behind you...?" Vickic Vale asked, to which I merely nodded. "Then do you intend to expand your company's roster of affiliated talents, and if yes, do you have anyone in mind...?" She blankly asked.

"Naturally, the more talent we had, the more we'd be able to help the government agencies subdue special threats..." I replied with a nod. "And the more money we'll make to improve the city, so yes, we intend to expand our talent roster, or pool, if you will," I added.

"As for your second question, I have several people in mind, some of which I'm already in contact with..." I said. "However, I will keep their identities and the details a secret for now, as I'm not allowed to reveal more details regarding our agreement with the government," I concluded with a shrug.

"Then it's safe to assume that some of the prospective talents you have in mind might share a controversial past...?" Vicki Vale asked, her eyes glinting as she understood the hidden meaning behind my words.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that..." I said with a slight smile. "I always wanted to say that... but moving on, do you have anyone more questions?" I added with a chuckle, changing the subject.

"One final question..." Vicki Vale said, to which I nodded, gesturing for her to ask away. "Was the operation to capture Ras Al-Ghul in any way related to the rise in crime inside Gotham and gangs looking to expand into the city...?" She asked, and I barely held back a smile at the question as I'd been waiting for it.

"The operation had everything to do with it..." I blankly replied with a solemn nod. "With Batman out of the picture, low lives from all over the world started having ideas about Gotham," I added.

"I didn't wish to make my company's new enterprise public so soon, but swift action was necessary, so I did what I needed to do for the city's sake," I continued, my expression reflecting the gravity of my tone.

"Ras Al-Ghul, you may know, was the head of a terrorist organization known as the League of Assasins..." I went on. "That League of his head was responsible for a good portion of the violent crimes that occurred after Batman's unfortunate passing," I added as I scanned the journalist's faces.

"We needed to send a message, and we did. Even without the caped crusader, our city is not an easy target," I said as I stopped leaning on the podium and stood straight.

"While I'm here, I'll say it for the entire world to hear..." I said, taking a deep breath. "Batman may be gone, but I'm still here..." I added, putting on a determined expression.

"Gotham is under my protection!"

...

Gotham

Inside the Wayne Manor

"The young man seems as eager as you are..." Alfred said, raising an eyebrow as he turned away from the television and began setting the meal on the table in front of Bruce. "I can only wish he doesn't prove to be as stubborn and obsessed..." He added, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Why not...? The world could always use more Batmans..." Bruce jokingly replied with a smile, much to the butler's bemusement. "But no, he and Batman share many traits. Obsession is not one of them..." He added, shaking his head.

"One Batman was already one too many, master Bruce..." Alfred said as he poured a cup of tea for his master after setting the meal. "The world is not nearly big enough for that scale of foolhardiness..." He added, giving Bruce a side glance as he stood beside him.

"Even one Bruce Wayne can be a handful to deal with, I'm afraid..." The butler concluded, shaking his head.

...

Gotham

Tricorner Island

'Well... that was a bit more complicated than I anticipated...' I mused as I stood on the porch of a townhouse, taking a deep breath and getting ready to knock on the door.

It's been several hours since the press conference's conclusion. Though it went smoothly, I couldn't help but complain about it, as I had to steer the question in a specific direction to make the journalists ask the hard questions Lois Lane would have asked.

Vicki Vale was an excellent journalist, but she tended to hold back her punches when asking questions, likely because she didn't want to leave a terrible impression on me.

However, Lois Lane was the reincarnation of a vicious, unapologetic T-rex in the form of a woman that would go all out regardless of circumstances or the person on the receiving end of her questions, which made things easier for me, ironically enough.

In any case, I had already escorted Harley and the others to their new apartments in the now-finished building, then promptly made my way to Tricorner island.

With the company rolling, it required time to manage, time I was unwilling to invest and preferred to spend in my hideout working on the many projects I've yet to begin.

Naturally, as any self-respecting entrepreneur, I intended to dumb the minuscule task of running the company's day-to-day operations on someone else's head.

And who better than a certain super genius read-head to do my work for me?

I let out a drawn breath as I knocked on the door and waited, smiling as it opened, and a gray-haired man with a thick mustache came out to greet me, clearly surprised to see me standing at his doorstep.

"Hello, Mr. Gordon. I'm Gray," I said, introducing myself before the man could speak. "I'm here to meet Barbara if it isn't too much trouble..." I added.