Chapter 34: How To Lure A Bat Part 3

Arias spent his entire morning and a good part of his afternoon alternating between practice and conversing with the Infinity. He didn't know exactly why it wanted to speak with him more often, but he entertained its requests regardless.

Currently, he was in his bedroom getting dressed. He chose a casual attire: a plain white shirt, black pants, and runners.

*I suppose this is the end of our conversation, Arias,* the Infinity's voice carried an undertone of clear disappointment.

"We'll continue another time, Apeiro."

*Apeiro?* 

"Yes, my name for you. I derived it from the ancient Greek word 'apeiros,' which carries the same meaning as your true name. I thought it suits you better given your female persona. Is that a problem?"

*Oh, I see… Thank you for that, Arias. May I ask why you chose that language in particular?* Apeiro spoke as if stunned by the sudden development, but her tone was hard to read. Was she happy? Confused? Upset? Arias couldn't immediately tell.

His reason for giving her a name was to make her feel more like a living being. During their conversations, he had discovered that she disliked being referred to as "it," so he began treating her more like a real female, although it was still strange for him to get used to.

"A conversation for another day."

*I see.*

Apeiro's voice faded, and so did her presence within his consciousness as if it were no longer there. This was how she usually departed, so Arias didn't particularly mind and left the room.

…

Downstairs, he found Shade lingering near a bar. Once Shade saw Arias leaving, he followed along without being told and stood by his side like a guard.

"Where to?" Shade asked while adjusting his collar under his top hat.

"The Iceberg Lounge," Arias replied.

After hearing the destination, Shade waved his cane in the air, opening a dark circular portal. The two casually walked through it, appearing on the other side in mere moments.

"And just like that, here we are." Shade seemed particularly proud of his ability and gave a small bow as if performing for an audience.

Arias ignored his eccentric personality and changed the topic. "Right, but transporting me from place to place is a waste of your talents. Here." He handed Shade a small list of individuals. "I've compiled a list of people I want you to check out, subtly of course. How you choose to do this is up to you, just return with the information."

Shade smiled and tipped his hat toward Arias. "Subtlety is my area of expertise, leave this to me, boss."

With those parting words, Shade's figure faded into the shadows, disappearing entirely. Arias then made his way toward his office, but as he was doing so, his phone rang.

"Yes?" he answered.

*I'm here…* The faint but familiar voice of Barbara Gordon came from the other side.

"Come to my office. You should already know the way."

After giving those instructions, Arias waited in his office. A short while later, a knock resounded on the door.

"Enter."

The door opened slowly, revealing a frowning teenage girl. She had medium-length ginger hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. She wore a simple but modest outfit featuring a light blue sweater, a black skirt, long white socks, and sneakers—a typical ensemble for a girl her age.

"Well, here I am." She crossed her arms under her modest-sized chest, clearly displeased.

Arias, leaning against his desk and facing the door, showed a small smile at her obvious irritation.

"You say that like you didn't have a choice."

Barbara frowned even more, feeling as if Arias was mocking her. "I didn't! If I didn't come, you'd reveal my identity and ruin my life."

Her heated response didn't faze Arias. He found people much easier to deal with when they were emotional and had little control over themselves.

"Yes, but the choice was ultimately yours. In the end, you just felt you couldn't rely on your friends and chose to accept my offer." Arias began toying with her psychologically while she was in a state of restrained anger.

The more she heard him speak, the more irritated she became, wanting to oppose his words. "That's not true. I just didn't think you were worth causing Batman trouble. After all, you're only able to get what you want by blackmailing a teenage girl. You wouldn't be so confident if it was Batman who came instead of me."

Barbara was smart enough not to fall easily into psychological traps, so she quickly clapped back, attempting to target Arias's ego and pride—something most men were easily triggered by. Arias, however, maintained his confident demeanor.

"Does thinking that calm your fragile heart? To me, it's all about perspective. And what I see is a man who uses even children to achieve his recurring fantasy of a safer world. What's the difference between him and governments that train child soldiers? A cape? A secret identity? What a joke. I once read an article saying Batman does what the police cannot. Well, similarly, I do what Batman cannot."

Barbara was taken aback but continued to defend Batman. Arias knew that words wouldn't be enough to convince her; this conversation merely served to plant the seed of doubt. Whether she liked it or not, she would now see some wrongs in what Batman did and perhaps even question them.

"The difference is he does what he does for the good of Gotham. People like you only care about profit and making money."

Her argument began to waver, giving Arias the opportunity to corner her.

"Oh? Then tell me five major wrongs I've committed toward Gotham. Do that honestly, and I will forget your identity and let you go."

Barbara's eyes widened as she realized they had nothing on Arias, only theories. She treated him like a villain, yet she couldn't prove he was one.

"I can't list any, but it's obvious you're up to something. You can fool the people with words and empty gestures, but that doesn't hide your suspicious actions."

Although she couldn't list a single wrongdoing, she clung to her defense, which was now losing its foundation.

"I see. Interesting. Well, you're free to leave now." Arias stepped away from his desk and sat behind it, no longer paying attention to Barbara.

Debating with someone who defended a point without reason was pointless, so Arias chose to end the conversation, confusing the young girl.

"What? Just like that? You're not going to ask about Batman or other heroes?"

Arias simply cracked a smile.

"No need. I can't believe the words of someone who doesn't truly believe them."

Barbara wanted to reply, but she couldn't think of an appropriate rebuttal, so she turned and left. The moment she did, Apeiro appeared.

*You didn't seem like you were trying to recruit her.*

"That's because I wasn't. Yesterday proved that her movements are monitored; a listening device is likely present too. I only needed to learn her stance on things to best understand how to deal with her."

*And what conclusion did you reach?*

"If she refuses to let go of her ideals even when they lack reason, then the only option left is to have those very ideals break her."