Chapter Six
"I loved your mother," said Dominic Santore. Helena and Dinah were sitting before Santore's heavy oak desk in his lavishly appointed office at Evergreen Environmental Corporation. Black and white marble tile covered the floor in a checkerboard pattern.
Santore himself wore a navy-blue double-breasted suit, a red silk tie, a gold Rolex watch, and a white shirt. He was stocky, pasty-faced, and had a shock of curly dark brown hair.
"That's the first kind word anyone has ever said about my mother since we've been here," said Dinah. "For that matter, that's the first time anyone has mentioned her at all."
"She was a good woman, she was," said Santore. "She had fire. She had passion. She was … indescribable." Santore paused. "She did us a favor, you know."
"How's that?" said Helena.
"Got rid of all the stupid people," said Santore. "Stupid people … they're bad for business."
"I'll bet you're one of the smart people, huh?"
"I like to think so," said Santore with a smile.
That's what they ALL say, thought Helena. "So … what do YOU do?"
"I'm Vice-President of Operations," Santore said proudly.
"That's not what I meant."
Santore stared at Helena quizzically. "I don't understand."
"What my friend means is that my mother … liked to date … metahumans," interjected Dinah.
"Oh … THAT," said Santore. "It's nothin', really. I spose it makes for a nice trick to show to people at parties … but personally, I'VE never found any use for it." Santore made a gap between the thumb and middle finger of his right hand. At his bidding, a bolt of blue-white lightning arced between his fingers.
Helena and Dinah could only stare wide-eyed at the mind-boggling display of power they'd just witnessed. After a long while, Dinah finally broke the silence. "Let's collect the sample," she said nervously.
"It's true what they say," said Dinah on the Wayne Enterprises Learjet back to New Gotham.
"What?" said Helena.
"Seattle is a strange town," said Dinah, shaking her head in bemusement.