World's Finest in Ghost City
CHP 25: Clark Kent
From afar Mengyao watched Bruce sort through the materials and files with on the computer preparing for the meeting. This guy was unlike any other in the office. So poised, determined and had a confidence that was like no other. It was only his second day and yet Kei had a focus and understanding outclassing many throughout the entire office. The new dog had a lot to bring to the table; the thought of it prompted Mengyao to become more curious as to who Kei Madoka truly was; his upbringing, past etc.
He didn't think much of it earlier spotting Kei and Meila exchanging words, but upon more thought his hunch was possible. There was only one way to find out and sitting around doing nothing wasn't the answer, "Hey Kei," Mengyao called out strolling over to his desk, "Mind if I talk to you for a minute? It won't be for long."
"Go right ahead." He replied without looking.
Resting against the wall beside the large window he looked down on the city crossing both arms, "Meila San has really lightened up to you, much like everyone else around here. Everyone's been talking about you all morning before your arrival. Not sure how long you've been in town but are you aware of whom her father is? Guang Layce is a multi millionaire and the CEO of Skymount industries."
The info was enough to interest Bruce, "If that's the case why is she here at Gegato Tech?" He looked straight into Mengyao's face, "If that is true shouldn't she be working for him. You'd figure Meila would want to be a part of the family business. Truth be told she shouldn't have to work at all if her father has so much money."
"Many of us thought the same; my guess is she wanted independence, but who really knows. Some argue she got the job here only because of her name which I believe is ridiculous. She is likely the hardest worker here before you showed, not to mention incredibly sexy and smart. For us guys she's been like untouchable eye candy distancing herself from everyone except maybe Chiho Koycoa. Those two ladies hit it off almost immediately, sort of how Meila San has with you."
"Your point is?"
"Nothing really; thought you'd like to know a little more about her incase…well you know." Mengyao leaned in close checking to make sure no one in the office was looking, "I want any and all details if things progress past friendship. She looks at you differently than any of the other guys in this office. I've attempted many times to gain her attention but she never gave me the time of day; anyway I'll let you get back to work."
The instant he returned to his desk Meila re entered through the front entrance, seemingly in higher spirits than she had been upon arrival over an hour ago. She took a seat at her desk setting down the printed copies of her work. Bruce wasted no time gathering all his material and in the next couple minutes Shane Gegato approached him through one of the side doors, "I'd like for you to be present within the board room in the next couple minutes; couple things I wanna go over before the meeting begins."
"How about now, I was just getting ready to head that way when you showed."
"Even better." He pronounced.
Collecting what he needed off the desk Bruce followed the CEO of Gegato Tech out into the hall. Meila silently wished him luck hoping things would turn out ok.
XXX
"Sir Batou are you ok?" A group of tachikomas surrounded themselves around him.
He paid them no mind prolonging with striking at the sand bag. A lot of negative energy circulated throughout, and he intended to rid himself of it. One of the automatic doors to his left opened with someone entering. He took no time to look nor cared who it might be, "Batou," The familiar voice called out to him.
"What?"
Batou didn't take even a moment to look away, "Ryan Sho and his people will be here any minute. They'd like to go over some things regarding the attack yesterday," Motoko watched as he continuously thrashed the target contemplating if he listened or cared about anything she said, "I know you're upset like the rest of us…please try and keep a clear head. You're one of Section Nine's best, we need your mind focused and in the right place."
"Give it a rest! I have my way of dealing with failure just like everyone else; I'll be fine after another hour or so of this."
Motoko moved in close resting a hand over the sand bag, "How about you and I spar? It would be a great opportunity for you to blow off some steam…besides we haven't done it in quite some time."
He discontinued his punching of the target lowering his boxing gloves, "Sure why not. It has been awhile major."
Elsewhere A couple hours passed. Stepping off the bus with both hands in his side pockets Bruce walked down the sidewalk gazing in front of him. The meeting and entire day turned out better than he envisioned coupled with fact he hadn't previously been aware he'd be taking part in such an important meet involving another large company. His presentation went on longer than he would have liked but in the end was for the best. The only thing that remained was to construct his version of the SLMAZ. Then there was the whole situation surrounding a potential buyer, which likely wouldn't be a problem.
True Gegato Tech would produce models of its own to keep, but selling could lead to possible mergers which in turn meant more money for both parties involved. He removed both hands from his pockets taking a deep breath clearing his mind for the remainder of the walk home. Making his way up the steps he entered through the front door using a key and placing both his jacket and hat over the coat rack.
"You look tired…how'd things go?"
Clark moved away from the window observing Bruce walk into the bedroom. Everything went silent for a little while until He re emerged a couple minutes later dressed in something more casual, "Actually it is quite the opposite. Today went very well." Bruce wore a dark green shirt, blue jeans and an orange/black combination shoes, "You and I are leaving now," He tossed Clark a pair of shoes, "You can wear those temporarily until we get you things of your own."
Clark put on the shoes following him through the door, "Where are we going?"
"The cave," They stepped down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk, "I'll explain everything when we get there." The instant they walked down the block turning the corner both set their eyes on a large group of people surrounded by ambulances. Neither spoke a word drawing closer to the scene across the street from them. Inspecting eight individuals being placed into body bags Clark felt his heart drop. Some of them looked no older than thirteen, "We'll hear about it on the news; no need to stop and find out what happened."
Clark bit down on his tongue amazed how Bruce knew exactly what he was thinking but at the same time wasn't. In circumstances within the past each of them knew exactly what the other was thinking without either saying a word. That is part of why the duo between them had been successful even though there were times they didn't see eye to eye nor agree on everything, "I'm not going to lie, I do look forward to seeing this cave of yours. Is it anything like the one back home?" Clark asked changing the subject to something more positive.
"It isn't much now, but with a little work has potential."
They walked the streets for over an hour, hiking up a mountain side. It was at this time Bruce carefully scoured the area making certain no one else was around nor trailed the two. Validating it was just the two; Bruce stepped firmly over a panel covered by dirt, and in that moment a small box appeared from within the mountain scanning his left eye. Immediately after a large entrance made of concrete blending with the mountain side rose, "Come let's enter before anyone has a chance to spot us."
With the shrug of his shoulders he followed him into the cave with the concrete passageway closing behind him. If it had been anyone else he'd of been blown away by the genius setup surrounding the hideout, but with Bruce it was to be expected. One detail that did come to mind was time and money. A setup such as this would require both. In the click of a button the entire space was brighten by sets of bright blue lights from above the cave and certain areas of the walls. The first thing Clark set eyes on was the bat plane positioned in a corner, followed by a computer screen fifty five inches across and forty five down. A couple inches either side were additional monitors, "Wow," Is all that came out of his mouth.
"I guess you could call this a home away from home. It may not be the real thing but it'll have to do for now." Bruce took a seat in front of the main computer starting up the system. Clark situated himself behind the computer chair, "It's been what…only two months. Where did you find the time and money to put this all together? Did you have outside help?"
"Of course not, did you forget I work for a billion dollar company? When they had me working the factory branch I made more than enough to collect all this. With the new position I will be making twice the pay, and finally be able to upgrade the security around here. The last thing I want is someone discovering this place without my knowledge of it."
Looking around with a single hand rested over his waist, he had more questions glimpsing upon the bat plane for a second time, "What about that! No way could one ordinary person put that together in such a short time."
Bruce looked over his shoulder at the vehicle, "The bat plane was transported alongside me in the fight with Clayface and Mirror Master." He returned his eyes to the main screen punching in a password logging in, "It's a shame neither of us knows what they were up to before being sent away. I have faith the League will put an end to whatever they have planned."
"As do I, but the bigger problem is figuring a way back."
As he had done before Bruce hacked the main system shared globally with an encryption appearing on screen for over a minute before clearing away, "So what's it going to be? Daichi, Hayate, Ichiro? I'll let you decide."
"How about Clark Kent?!" He posed as more an answer than question.
"You can't be serious!" Bruce spun around in the chair facing him.
"Indeed I am…in fact I'll do it myself. You aren't the only one good with computers," Kal El took another step suggesting Bruce move aside. He removed himself from the seat allowing for the Kryptonian to take charge of the controls, "I've only told you bits and pieces about this world; what makes you think you will be able to create a believable background with your limited knowledge?"
Kal answered by opening a separate window, "You've been through the process already, so you should know what is most important to know." As much as he'd have loved seeing how fast Supes could surf the net gathering all necessary information Bruce had other things to do, "Eliminate the extra window. I created a folder by the name of ToknowCyberS2. I originally created it for my own use in case I had to leave the city or even country. Knowing your surroundings is important. It contains important must know past events throughout the world, current affairs between countries and much more that you should know. It'll take hours before you get through all I'm afraid."
"Hours ahaha, think you might be selling me short; where to?" Supes asked referring to the file.
Placing his hands over the keyboard Bruce typed in yet another password unlocking an entirely different section filled with folders of information, seemingly for different purposes, "Crime Investigation," Clark spoke aloud with the specific folder catching his attention, "Do you mind me asking what thi…"
"I've been keeping tab on all the major crimes taking place throughout the city for the past month. Recently a group has come to the forefront calling themselves Specters of the Shadows. Once I've reached a conclusion as to the ones behind this mess I plan to forward the information to the police. It goes without saying accomplishing such a task is rough when not physically out there, but I've made my decision on the matter and it will not change it."
Kal El sat back placing a hand over his chin, "I see…funny you mention it. The newspaper you handed me this morning had an article on the group; they're bad news that's for sure." Not wanting to delay things further Supes clicked into the folder labeled ToknowCyberS2. Within the folder were various other folders organized accordingly by information within. Bruce watched as his teammate went to work starting with the history of Japan.
The size of his eyes increased observing how quickly Clark read through the first few stories and articles. It reminded him just how gifted a Kryptonian's brain operated, it was comparable to that of a super computer. With a grin on the side of his face Bruce turned his back walking the opposite way, "He's right…I should have given him more credit."
Between reading all information and filling out his background information Kal El finished in a little over an hour. Even for being a Kryptonian Bruce found it rather impressive expecting nothing less from the man of steel, "Luckily I took the liberty of purchasing one of the best printers around. We'll start with your birth certificate, and I've got the right equipment to produce your picture ID."
"You're so ahead of the game it's almost scary, but let's hold off on photos or printing of anything. There is something I need before we take care of that." With the click of a button Clark Kent became an official citizen to the ghost world of uprising cyborg soldiers and criminals.
"Now that we've completed that, it is time we leave."
Bruce shut down everything on their way out, including the lights. The concrete passageway closed on its own. The walk back to the city was quiet for the most part, and when they passed in front of the mall Bruce stopped. He reached into his pocket handing Clark a card from his wallet, "This is a card to my savings, holding a little over seven thousand. Get whatever you need as far as clothes and then head back to the apartment. I will leave the door unlocked." He had no doubt Clark remembered the location of his place, especially with his almost photographic type memory.
"Why aren't you staying around, do you have somewhere to be?"
"I'm meeting with someone not long from now or else I'd acquaint you."
Without another word they went their separate ways.
XXX
Marching down the street Bruce gazed over the watch around his wrist seeing that it was a little after eight PM. It was nearly two hours he had parted ways with Kal El hopeful his friend made it back to the apartment. During the stretch he had time enough for a shower and change in clothing appropriate for the occasion. He stepped over the red carpet noticing camera men positioned off to the side entering the five star restaurant, "I have a reservation for two; should be under Madoka."
The person standing behind the desk searched through the database, "There you are," He handed Bruce two menus, "Where is the other party?"
"She should be here any minute." Bruce replied.
Out front a limousine pulled up beside the sidewalk. The driver stepped around opening the back door. Immediately the camera crew began snapping photos as a woman emerged from the backseat wearing a long green dress reaching past her ankles, white gloves that extended just below her elbows and green bow tied in her pink hair.
"It's Layce Meila! Boy is she pretty." A camera man emphasized snapping several shots.
"No kidding, she's even more gorgeous in person." Another added.
She passed through all the flashing lights entering the building. The one standing behind the desk felt his throat go dry watching her approach. A lot of famous/known individuals stopped by the restaurant frequently, but it was his first time seeing her, "Kei San," She whispered with a smile wrapping her arm around his. Bruce looked to the one standing behind the desk, "Well I guess we're ready to be seated."
To Be Continued