Hal stood there for a moment before the bald headed man known as Lex Luthor. His face was a blank slate, void of all emotion as he looked at him. But really on the inside he was a mess of feelings. A part of him screamed that he deny the job and ask for his memories erased, and yet another side of him saw this as an opportunity of a life time. A living weapon; that was what he was afraid of, that was what humanity always feared. But if he could somehow create a 'bond' with it, there would be no stopping him and perhaps he would be seen as a hero. Well, more of a hero then his alias 'Green Lantern' the 'Emerald Knight.'
"His name is Project Zero eh? I want to see him. Now." Hals gaze never wavered and his tone held a bite.
"That is not possible at this moment of time." Lex looked down at his watch, his brows furrowing. "Now if you will follow me to my office Mr. Wayne and I would like to discuss with you the requirements of the job and the disciplinary actions you will need to learn and follow." He didn't wait to see if the man was following him, it was either follow are become forever lost in the tunnels and who would possibly want that?
"Mr. Wayne? As in the Mr. Thomas Wayne? CEO and founder of Wayne Enterprise?" His brain didn't comprehend this. How could Mr. Wayne, a surgeon who saved countless lives be working with a company that made living weapons?
"Do you know of another? Hurry up or you will be left behind and I will not be making a trip to save your sorry excuse of a life." His footsteps quickened as he spoke, heading down a tunnel that branched off to the left from the main one they were currently in. The silence in the tunnel was deafening as they walked about a half mile or so down beneath the earth's surface, the florescent lights flickering ever so often. "And if he has his son with him, remember this, don't talk to him unless spoken to. Bruce can have a short fuse at times."
"Bruce? His son is here? I thought he was at a French boarding school learning how to be a surgeon." Hal mused as he jogged lightly to catch up with his soon to be new employer.
"He was, but after the death of his Mother he demanded to stay here. And as you will soon learn, what Bruce wants, Bruce gets." He gave a cold mirthless laugh as they kept walking. Stopping about ten minutes at a large door with the name "Director: Lex Luther" engraved on it. "This is where you will report to each morning. I will give you a list of directives for the day and you will follow it to the point. Understood? And if you have any problems with Project Zero you will come directly to me."
"Yes sir." Hal watched as Luther scanned his eye once more, the door opening for them. He followed the other into the small office and could only look around the room in be wonderment. It was a strange room to say the least. The walls were painted a pale yellow, giving the impression of lemonade, and the rug was an off colored green. It took all of Hals will power not to jump as he spotted what appeared to be human bones in glass cases on the book shelf that sat behind an oak desk.
Sitting behind the desk were two chairs, one being already occupied by a tall, narrowed shouldered man with jet black hair that only had a touch of gray to it. His hardened blue eyes were focused down ward on what appeared to be a large folder that sat in the middle of the desk. Like Mr. Luther he wore a custom tailored suit with a golden colored tie and polished buttons. But it wasn't the man that caught his attention; it was the young man sitting on the edge of the desk that caught his eye. He couldn't have been older then sixteen and already he was growing to be a stunning man in appearance. Hal could only assume this young man was Bruce.
Bruce resembled that of his father, save for his skin being lighter. His hair was equally as dark, cut short and slicked back, but his eyes were colder, sharper, analyzing Hal as if he was trying to find all the ways to cut him down. He didn't wear a suit like his father, but he was dressed equally as nice, sporting a pair of expensive looking black slacks that outlined his legs muscles perfectly, complimented by a navy blue sweater. He sat with knees bent slightly, his hands resting on his thighs. "This is the best the military had to offer?" He mocked, his eyes once more watching Hal, cutting the older man down in self-esteem.
"He was the only one they trusted." Lex remarked, sitting beside Thomas Wayne, nodding to him in greeting. "Perhaps he shouldn't be here for this Thomas, he's not ready." Lex said quietly, indicating to Bruce.
"Agreed. He will find out when he is older." Thomas cleared his throat to catch his sons' attention. "Bruce, I know you hate to be coddled like a child, but Lex and I must discuss important matters with Mr. Jordan. I ask that you leave the room. But please, stay outside the door. I don't want you wandering off."
Blue eyes of both Father and Son clashed for a moment, both of them trying to overpower the other in a silent fight. But eventually Bruce got off the desk without a word, though a small smirk on his lips. He wasn't going to stand out an wait for them to talk, oh no, he was going to finally find out just what his father has been investing so much money in.
"What a nice kid." Hal remarked, a touch of sarcasm in his tone as Bruce walked passed him; 'accidentally' letting an elbow graze his side. They waited a good minute after the door shut with a click before speaking.
"Mr. Jordan, as you know we are at war with the world." Lex finally said, the air becoming thicker with tension- mostly from Hals own growing anxiety. "Even with our advanced technology, our new age 'magic' as some call it, we are still fighting within our self. Villains, madmen running about with 'powers' and monsters, killing whomever they seek fit, it's anarchy. Something many have warned about, but so many never listened. Now it's time for people like us to create something to destroy their forces before they become a threat to all of us."
"And this solution is a living weapon?" Hal finally asked as he released the knuckle he was biting on, an old habit he forgot he even had started up again. "Wouldn't that just put more people at risk? What if the weapon goes rogue? It does have a mind of its own right?"
"Of course it does, but it's not like he is able to exercise his free will." Thomas finally spoke up, his eyes, so similar to Bruce's were cutting into him. "We keep him under our thumbs; we strive to make sure he doesn't revolt in anyway. If he acts out of line, we push him back in. He is trained daily, taught everything he will need to know. He is pure power and we remind him who keeps him alive, who feeds him and 'nurtures' him. He knows if he tries to leave, better yet, if he escapes he will die. No one will take care of him; no one will bathe him or feed him. He needs us. And that's how we control him."
"Who's him?"
"Project Zero, also known as Project Superman."
Bruce waited outside the door for a moment or two before beginning to make his way down the corridor, he didn't know where he was headed, but he knew eventually he would find what he was looking for. The smell of damp earth assaulted his nose and made him want to sneeze, but he had to be quiet, he couldn't be caught. Father would be displeased, yet it also made him smile at the thought of disobeying the man.
"Zero, come here." He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard the soft voice of a man somewhere from up ahead. No matter how many times he walked the corridor with Father, he never saw this one branch. "Come on Zero you can do it, just one more step ok?" The voice was getting louder, as Bruce approached but what confused him most was the voice was actually, dare he say, positive. It reminded him of a Father encouraging a toddler in walking its first steps.
He approached the door slowly, turning to look inside but at the same time still hidden from view. What he saw made him stop and stare. The room was the definition of a jail cell. It was barren of mostly anything save for a bright yellow sun lamp that hung on the ceiling and a metal slab that jutted out of the wall to be what was presumably, a bed. Two men, possibly in their early thirties sat on the metal slab, while a young man, possibly around Bruce's age, sat on the floor, emitting soft sobs.
"It's ok Zero, try it again, ok? Just once more." Bruce moved closer to the door way, he could clearly see the one who was talking. The man who had just spoken was a honey blonde with bright blue eyes and a thin statured, save for the muscles that rippled as he moved his arms. He wore a peculiar red lab coat with a thin gold necklace around his neck; Bruce could see a small lightning shaped pendant on it. And when he peered closer he could see a small tattoo on his neck of the same lightning bolt. He reached his arms out in front of himself, beckoning the boy to get up. "Please, once more?" He asked softly, almost begging.
"Barry, I don't think he's getting up anytime soon. He's tired, and personally I don't blame him for throwing a tantrum. He ran almost thirty miles today. In five minutes." The man in red, who Bruce just learned was Barry, sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair.
"I know Ollie, but I hate to see this. I mean look at him, he's a doll. Not a real boy. He could have been a real boy, but they killed him. They killed his soul. How can we sit here and help with this?"
"Are you suggesting we just let him sit there and die? You know that orders are orders. We have to get him to come over here by himself, and then he gets dinner. If Lex finds out we gave him food without doing this we'll both get our asses in the fryer, and personally, I like my ass." The one named Ollie sighed heavily, copying the same arm motion as Barry. "Come on Zero, the foods not moldy tonight."
The look of sadness was clear in Ollie's green eyes as he mentioned the mold. He shook his head slightly, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. He appeared to be older then Barry, by a good five years, his face wasn't clean shaven as the others and his arms were just a tad thicker from muscle. He sported a goatee that was cut short and neat, and unlike Barry he wore a plain white lab coat that was opened in the front, revealing a dark green shirt and black slacks.
"What the hell is going on?" Bruce finally demanded as he stepped into the room, causing Ollie and Barry to jump from the sudden outburst.
