Job

"How about a job then?" Gibbons said with a smirk, "That's what you want, don't you? Running your own business and functioning like a true mercenary company would."

"It's a great plan and all, but you're lacking two very specific things, assets, and manpower. But I am willing to work with you to make your business real than just a pipe dream." Gibbons continued watching Bruce stand there with a smile,

"I am willing to outsource these assignments to your company, help you get the recognition you desperately need, and once you have that, you can do whatever things you're planning to do. But there are certain conditions to this deal."

"I am listening." Bruce nodded sitting back down,

"First, you and I both know at this point that our job is to stop world-ending threats, anything that can be a threat to national security. So if you plan on building another High Table to inflate your ego, I should let you know that I will be the first one to stop you."

"Second, the Triple-X project will have priority over any other projects you take on. I can guarantee your name would be out there for the world to see and as long as you can keep on achieving, you wouldn't run out of jobs to take. I wouldn't be greedy about the fame part and let you keep all the glory to yourself, but your priority will still be us."

"Agreed, but I'll have the right to reject any 'jobs' you give me. I will not put myself in danger without proper compensation and will certainly not be a scapegoat for the jobs you don't want to do. Like a proper business should run." Bruce interjected,

"Since we're going to do this by the books, I'll need all contracts sign and it will all be done through legal procedure, after all, outsourcing jobs outside the government is complicated you see. But we will only go through this procedure after I can be sure you can take on the job you're assigned to."

"You've got yourself a deal, then. But what is this job that you're so desperately in need of me when you've got a little army of X's that will be willing to do any mission for you." Bruce asked the question that had been bugging him for a while,

No matter how one looked at it, someone like Gibbons with all the background and high position you could think of to be so obsessed with hiring a killer like him didn't fit right with his character so something was definitely a bit fishy.

"Oh! I am not sure you can keep up with that haughty attitude once you know." Gibbons stood up as he handed him a card, "Tomorrow, 10 am sharp."

"You're breaking my heart Gibbons, Are you still going to keep on with the whole mystery just when things were starting to look well for us." Bruce pretended to be hurt as Gibbons didn't pay him any mind as he looked at the bartender or his agent to be more specific,

"These things can't be discussed in a public so casually, though I will give you props that this whole place is a pretty good sham you're running. Hiding in plain sight." Gibbons said as he signaled at his agent, "Let's move, Serena."

Serena looked a bit awkward as she looked back at him and at Bruce, but seeing no particular reaction coming from both of them she just shrugged it off.

"You know, you should finish your shift before you go." Bruce said, "And I need to have a little chat with her."

Gibbons looked back at him with a serious expression, hinting that he wanted to know what was he wanted to talk about,

"What's up with the mood swings? Are you on your period or something?" Bruce shrugged Gibbons off as he stared back at Serena, "Serena, would you be a dear and remove all the bugs you've planted over the place. I am not going to remove them myself and you must have learned that taking care of your mess is a vital part of this job."

"Fine," Serena looked at Gibbons and nodded, indicating that she was going to be okay. Gibbons didn't know if he should trust to have his agent safe in the hands of an assassin, who still wouldn't openly admit to his past but seeing that Serena didn't say anything he could only trust her and leave.

With the complicated and free-spirited nature of his agents, he had learned a lesson from Xander on when to be lenient and let go. After all, his whole project relied on the fact that his agents were different from your usual soldier, and trying to turn them into one, always seem to backfire.

So Gibbons didn't say anything more and left the establishment.

"So... when did you know?"

"Let's say about a week in." Bruce shrugged leaving for his penthouse, which was on the top floor of the club as Serena followed behind him to the elevator, "It was Suki who got you, to be honest."

"But how?" Serena shook her head still not believing that she was the one being fooled the whole time when she was supposed to be the spy fooling them, "The whole point of being a Triple-X like me, is that you're different from the military. I don't have any patterns that could give it away."

"I think you took a little bit too much liberty with your toys," Bruce said shrugging, Suki who had been training for some time under him, had a routine job to observe her surrounding as it was the most important thing anyone could learn.

No matter if it was just a fight or lives at stake, those who can understand and adapt to their surrounding would always have a bigger advantage, compared to those who don't. Bruce who had been busy setting up everything from the club to his company, wasn't out there looking for spies in his own club.

He still had to tie up some loose knots, he had left, and alongside establishing and running a mercenary company which he had no idea about before, he was way too busy for any of these shits. So he had left Suki in charge of the club alongside her training.

And by design, the club was a pretty good place to train yourself to be calm and get used to observing your surrounding. Every night, new people came and went. Sometimes the party went wild, while sometimes things were just too calm for a club.

Loud music, flashing light... it was a perfect place to learn not be distracted and a much better way than getting tortured like he did, to learn the same thing. It can't obviously compare to a life and death scenario but baby steps was the way to go. And with the results she had shown him, he couldn't help but be proud.