I raised my eyebrows as the suited man sipping his drink at the edge of the bar, ignoring the drunken people around them as if he were better than them. I smiled and pulled my purple hood further over my face.
"The Intel was right. The B.W. is here. I'll make my move." I whispered into the microphone, hiding my face into the jacket so people couldn't see my lips moving.
"Follow procedure, Adalynn. This is your last chance. You blow this, you're reclassified." Daniel threatened. I rolled my eyes.
"I won't. I swear."
"And you can't—" I shut off the ear bud. I had memorized the procedure like my life depended on it. The only problem was actually following it. I always had a way of screwing up these missions. I stood up and strode across the bar toward Wayne. I took a deep breath several feet away from him, leaning against the counter. This was my last chance, as Daniel had said. I glanced at Wayne, who paid no attention to me and finally worked up the nerve to start phase one of the mission.
"Two beers." I asked, sliding into the seat beside Wayne.
"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" Was the first thing he said.
I pulled my fake I.D. and handed it to the bar tender. He examined it and handed it back, turning away to complete my order.
"I'm twenty-one, so no. I'm not." I finally turned to look at his face, and a fake smile spread across mine. "Hey, you're Bruce Wayne, aren't you? Super rich right? I did a report on you in high school!" I began to gush crazily, and I knew I had to tone it down or I would soon be acting like a teenager, not a college student. "One of your divisions studies alien tech, right?" I said slowly, forcing my voice to be cool and collected, more mature.
"Yes." He said through tight teeth. I could tell something was on his mind, concerning what, I didn't know. I glanced at my watch quickly: 9:32. Okay. I have thirteen minutes to convince him that I'm completely one hundred percent innocent.
"And you've got so much money, you could throw away half of it, and still have enough to pay for your house, and—what—fifty house keepers and your son, right?"
"How do you know about him? He demanded suddenly.
I held up my hands defensively, appearing calm even though my heart was pounding so hard I swore he heard it. "It was in the paper the other day. Why was it some secret that the tabloids weren't supposed to know about?"
He nodded as I studied his face intently. I knew he had the eyes of a hawk, but what he didn't know was that so did I. I carefully noted the way his eyes narrowed as a sign of anxiety or worry.
"So, as I was saying," I continued, even though I knew his thoughts were elsewhere, "Could you spare me some cash for the cab. I'm broke. It's late. And it's not all that safe here in Gotham, so…"
He looked at me, and suddenly his façade as Bruce Wayne appeared on his face and he flashed a fake smile. "Of course." He pulled out his wallet and I glanced down at my watch: 9:38. Could time pass any slower? I complained silently.
I picked up my drink and forced the alcohol down my throat. To be honest, it was my first taste of the stuff in my life. I didn't like it, but I was the best actor in the entire Dark Resistance, so I made it look natural.
He handed me a twenty and I raised my eyebrows. "My house isn't that far. I don't need that much." I said, forcing the money back in his hands.
"For the beers you barely drank," He explained. I smiled in embarrassment. "How were you planning on paying without cash?"
"Well…" I looked down sheepishly. "Um… You see… Okay, I don't really want to lie to a millionaire 'cause he might use this against me in court ten years from now, but my living situation isn't the best…" I quickly lied, making up a story to make him feel sorry for me. "I come here to escape from it all. And I'm not twenty-one. I'm seventeen." Actually I'm fifteen. "Although, I did do a report on you last year. I didn't make that up." I looked away, placing tears in my eyes and then quickly wiping them away.
"I'm sorry for your… situation… I strongly advise you not to use this fake I.D. again. It's against the law. Have a good evening." He said turning back toward the counter. I pursed my lips and glanced at my watch again: 9:45. Late! Damn it, Daniel's going to be pissed, but if the mission succeeds, then there's not much for him to be mad about. But that's thinking ahead. I had to focus on the now.
I slyly brushed my ear, turning on my ear piece again. "I'm on my way out. Phase one complete."
Somehow, I could feel Wayne's eyes boring into my back. I wondered what he suspected of me. He was the greatest detective in the world after all, so there had to be something I did wrong, but I didn't think it mattered much. Phase one was successful as far as I could tell. Now it's time for the fun part.