CHAPTER 219

Vicki's curiosity burned bright as she delved deeper into the exchange with the enigmatic Red Hood. "Why are you suddenly sharing this information?" she probed, her journalistic instincts driving her to uncover the motives behind his revelations.

Red Hood's response was calculated, hinting at a looming threat. "When you share the information on that drive with the police, they'll understand the gravity of the incident and the impending conflict between the terrorists involved and the Outlaws, potentially turning Gotham into a battleground," he explained, his words carrying a sense of caution. "We believe there would probably be more attacks, and the police won't be able to fight them off and would just add up to the pile of bodies which would be left at the aftermath."

"The police might receive emergency calls to evacuate a certain area when next they attack, because an uncontained fight between both factions has the possibility to level the affected area." He said that with Tom in mind, knowing how over powered he was, and there was a higher possibility of more metahuman mercenaries going after him.

Intrigued by the cryptic warnings, Vicki pressed further. "You know something about the incident?" she inquired eagerly, hanging on every word as she absorbed the juicy details. "And what about Mr. Hendricks? Is he guilty?"

The Red Hood maintained his enigmatic demeanor. "I can only share so much," he replied, his eyes scanning their surroundings subtly, a testament to his vigilance. "As for Hendricks, that's for the police to determine."

Sensing his imminent departure, Vicki seized the moment. "Why remain in the shadows if you're fighting for the just?" she questioned, her curiosity driving her to understand the motivations of these rogue fellows.

"Some of us believe in order," Red Hood began, his voice carrying a weight of conviction. "But there are those amongst us who cling to selfish convictions and perpetuate crime."

As the conversation neared its end, Red Hood imparted a final piece of information. "In that drive you would find the location of Two Face's hideout where the police would find his lifeless body, along with those of his men."

"Any tip on the reason he's dead?" She asked.

"His demise was necessary to maintain peace in Gotham's underbelly. Like I said, everything they would need to know regarding his activities are in that drive which also contains illegal activities of some other crime lords of this city. Study the information within, get your story and hand it over to the police so they are publicly persecuted.

With a flicker of the lights, Red Hood vanished, leaving Vicki with a river of information and a newfound determination to uncover the truth behind the scenes of Gotham City.

…

[Leonard Snart's POV]

Seated at my favourite bar in Gotham City, I leaned upon the counter as I moved my glass of whiskey in circular motion, gazing into my glass as the sound of the rotating ice cubes filled the empty bar.

"Normal people do their drinking in the evenings, but you decide to hit the bar this early in the morning." Lee the Asian bar owner who was also an acquaintance of mine, said as he cleaned up the bar in preparations for today's business.

"It's five o'clock somewhere right?" I said with a slight shrug of my shoulder as I continued. "Besides, he's quite busy at night."

"I know you wouldn't be at a bar this early in the morning unless you needed to, it's just surprising having a customer this time of the morning."

"We could have met somewhere else but I preferred talking over a drink and at a bar with a room upstairs where I could sleep of the alcohol if I end up more tipsy than intended."

"This friend of yours, hope he isn't the trouble making type like the last friend you brought in here. I can't have a fight breaking out at my bar which could lead to destruction of my bottles and furniture, that's why I have a strict 'No Fighting' policy." He emphasized.

"Relax Lee, my friend isn't like Mick who's a short tempered pyro-junkie. He's more on the cool side." As I tried convincing him that Jason was nothing like Mick, the little bastard walked in. "Speak of the devil." I muttered as Jason walked towards the bar counter, while Lee just placed a glass with ice cubes in it, before pouring the whiskey to a third of the glass as Jason took his seat.

"Do we really have to meet up at a bar?" Jason asked, while Lee just gave me a sarcastic look before proceeding to his previous activity of cleaning the bar.

"I could really use a drink after my encounter with The Flash last night, back at Central City." I said to him before taking a long sip from my glass.

"I hope you don't expect a prison break from us when you get caught and thrown in some high grade security jail."

"You don't have to worry about that Jase, no prison could ever hold me for too long." I remarked, talking from both facts and experience.

"Whatever." Jase shrugged it off, then took a sip from the drink in front of him.

"Do we know who place a bounty for Tom's head?" I asked, still finding it hard to believe someone actually wants the kid dead.

"Unfortunately we have nothing, the only lead is being tortured by Deathstroke." He replied.

"Hopefully he breaks her very soon, or else we are back to square one." I replied.

"Aside from him being a total pain in the ass, I can't ignore or downplay his skills. He would break her and get her to talk soon enough." Jase seemed so sure that it almost sounded like he was talking from experience, probably from his time as Batman's sidekick.

"So tell me, how'd it go last night?"

"According to the list of instructions he left behind through Gwen. I contacted the reporter and gave her some information which would draw the attention of both Batman and the police, making them prioritize their investigation into the Outlaws which are a bunch of rogues, over some imaginary person with no actual proof of his existence.

"Yeah, giving the credit of his work to the Outlaws. That's one way to push us into the spot light while Ghost remains in the shadows, even from the Bat."

"I still don't get why he would want to get arrested for a crime that would publicize him, when he has tried so hard to separate every persona of his, keeping his private life as the peaceful and effortless life he said he's always wanted." Jason questioned unsure of what Tom hoped to benefit from this scandal.

"It's near impossible to guess what mischievous plans goes through his head, but think of it this way. If a bounty had been placed on him and a number of top class mercenaries are after him, he probably saw no reason to keep a low profile anymore but seize the opportunity to act on the next phase of his plan." I explained to the best of my knowledge of how Tom thinks in these kinds of situations, having hopped on a couple of heists with him, I'd say our conning nature probably rubbed off on us both.

Gulping down the remaining drink in his glass, he put it down then asked, "His plan? I've been meaning to ask but kept overlooking it whenever he mentioned something like that."

"Maybe you should ask sometime, kid." I advised, signalling for a refill. "What exactly is he after? He has the money, he's very influential in Gotham's underbelly. What could he really be after?"

"To understand that, you first have to ask yourself these questions one after the other…" I paused half way through the sentence, turned to look him in the eye as I continued. "What is the one thing everyman chase all through their life and without it the world wouldn't go round?"

"Money of course." He answered.

"But when a person achieves all the riches of this world, what's next, what sets him apart from the masses, apart from his wealth?" I asked another as I watched him think on it, mumbling a few things to himself.

"What comes alongside wealth and the riches of this world?" I asked, giving him some clue to the answer.

"Having that much dough would eventually lead to complete freedom and absolute free will. Which in turn leads to power." He answered.

"There's your answer." I took a few more sips from my whiskey to give him time to digest the lesson before I continue. "The reason crime lords are so obsessed with making money and doing whatever it took to get to the top, no matter how inhumane it might be. Is because of the power that comes along with it."

"The influence over things depends on how wealthy and how well connected they are." Jason replied. "Now you're catching on."

"In all actuality, men do not seek wealth, but the power that comes with it. It's actually either they really crave for the power that comes with it, or they are heavily drunk on power they've already attained."

"If everyman craves power, then you're saying Tom wants the same?" He asked, still unsure of the conclusion.

"Not just power, absolute power." I emphasized. "Think about it, he already had power and influence in the underworld, attaining a high status in society would give him societal value. Attaining both would have him completely unstoppable. He could influence the underworld according to how he sees fit, then again he could influence the verdict of a mass murderer into one he pleases. See where am getting at?"

"That actually explains why he intends to move to Metropolis, and it also explains why he got himself arrested. Almost making his debut and introducing himself to the world through the media."

"Something tells me he might eventually buy the media at a certain point in time, because those who control the media, controls the world." Having debunking and explaining it all to the best I could, we continued with our drinks as we chatted on.

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