INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – TOP LEVEL
The golden plaque mounted to the office door reads "Bruce Wayne".
A single secretary sits behind a massive marble desk, diligently typing away at her computer. Off to the side, in a small waiting room, Lionel Luthor skims through a folder of black and white photographs handed to him by an assistant of his.
LIONEL
This can't be right.
Lionel settles on a single photograph of Lex talking to a well decorated Army man at what appears to be a military base.
WESTHAVEN
These photographs were taken two days ago at Fort Riley. The man with your son is General Horatio Lester. Lester was overseeing the training of the twenty-fourth infantry division. Lex met with him for more than three hours behind closed doors.
LIONEL
Then, it's true.
Lionel half chokes in disbelief.
LIONEL
He really did sign his life away.
WESTHAVEN
You've had me following him for more than six weeks. If he was up to something, I'd know it. So far, though, his story checks out. He's due to arrive at the base next week to begin his training.
LIONEL
It never occurred to me that he might be telling the truth.
The blazingly beautiful secretary knocks at the entranceway to the waiting room. She is a tall, slender, redhead with wavy hair down to her waste.
SECRETARY
Excuse me, Mr. Luthor, Mr. Wayne will see you now.
She catches Lionel by surprise.
LIONEL
What? Oh, thank you, my dear.
She smiles and walks back to her desk. Westhaven admires her more shapely assets as she walks.
WESTHAVEN
I wonder how she got her job.
It was a rhetorical question.
LIONEL
It's good to be rich.
WESTHAVEN
Apparently.
Lionel stands up and hands the folder to Westhaven.
LIONEL
Thank you, Derek. Now, wait for me at the car. This shouldn't take long.
WESTHAVEN
Yes, Mr. Luthor.
The two part ways, Westhaven for the elevator and Lionel for Bruce's office.
INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – BRUCE'S OFFICE
A small stone gargoyle sits on a clear glass desk next to a dated picture of a man and a woman on their wedding day. The only other item on the desk is a closed, paper thin, laptop.
The office itself is rather unique in design, with the width of the room actually growing wider from the door to the far wall. At least, that's how it appears at first. It could merely be an optical illusion created by the heavily reflective material making up each of the side walls. Regardless, the entire room's décor, rather avant-garde in nature, seems designed to draw attention to the desk sitting in front of the far wall, which is itself a sheet of clear glass presenting an impeccable view of the city below. It appears the goal of the designer was to make everything on the door side of the desk appear distorted, while whoever sits behind the desk, and the city, remain distinct.
Lionel barges through the office door, a man on a mission.
LIONEL
All right, Bruce, let's get straight to business...
Lionel looks up to realize there's no one sitting behind the desk.
LIONEL
Bruce?
Only briefly captivated by his unique surroundings, Lionel walks deeper into the office in search of the conspicuously absent Mr. Wayne.
LIONEL
Bruce?
To the right of the desk, Lionel notices a small gleam of light sneaking through a crease in the wall. Walking over to it, he finds a small latch embedded into the wall and pulls at it. The entire panel swings open, revealing itself to be a door to an adjoining room.
Lionel steps through the door.
INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – PRIVATE FITNESS CENTER AND POOL
The doorway leads Lionel to a complete fitness center and pool area that probably takes up the majority of the top floor of the building judging by how expansive it is. The pool itself is several times larger than an Olympic sized pool.
Obviously enjoying himself mightily, Bruce Wayne skirts across the top of the water in what vaguely compares to a jet ski, pulling off hairpin one- eighty turns that send powerful waves of water over the edge of the pool. Meanwhile, Lucius Fox monitors Bruce's performance from off to the side, clipboard in hand.
Lionel impatiently puts his briefcase down on the ground and folds his arms in front of him as he waits for Bruce to step out of the pool. Having had his fun, Bruce brings the "jet ski" up to the side, near Lucius, jumping off of it before it even comes to a complete stop.
BRUCE
It's still coming up out of the water too much, Lucius.
Bruce grabs a towel from a towel rack and starts climbing out of his wetsuit.
LUCIUS FOX
I know, I know. It won't when we fit it with the water shield.
BRUCE
We'll see.
Bruce kicks his wetsuit to the side and dries his hair. Remarkably, his shirt and black pants underneath are both dry and unwrinkled.
LIONEL
Interesting use of space.
Bruce looks up and feigns surprise at the sight of Lionel, despite having told his secretary to let Lionel into the office in the first place.
BRUCE
We all have our little hideouts. How do you like mine?
LIONEL
Had I known you designed your offices like hotels, I would have brought a bigger briefcase to steal the bathroom soaps.
Bruce hangs his towel on Fox's shoulder and walks over to meet Lionel.
BRUCE
If you'd like, I can have a case sent to you in Metropolis.
LIONEL
That won't be necessary.
Lionel motions towards the "jet ski".
LIONEL
Nice toy, by the way.
BRUCE
Patent pending.
LIONEL
Of course.
BRUCE So, Lionel, what can I do for you?
Bruce smiles and escorts Lionel back to the office.
LIONEL
It's what I can do for you that's the issue.
Lucius Fox shakes his head as Bruce closes the door behind them.
INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – BRUCE'S OFFICE
Bruce and Lionel step back into the office and Bruce sits down behind the desk. Lionel sits across from him.
BRUCE
And why would you, of all people, want to do anything for me?
LIONEL
Call it a friendly gesture of good will between associates. There's been too much bad blood between our two companies. I'm here to quell any animosity that might still exist between us.
BRUCE
I don't know what you mean, Lionel. I've always liked you.
He lied.
LIONEL And, in appreciation of that, I wish to return the favor by offering you a unique business opportunity.
BRUCE
Unique in what way?
LIONEL I want to buy back Tenshi.
BRUCE
You want to buy back Tenshi?
LIONEL
Immediately.
Bruce takes a moment to let the proposal sink in.
BRUCE
I have to say, this comes as somewhat of a shock. I'm not sure what to say. Tenshi hasn't made money in years. The industrial marketplace has suffered a severe decline and Wayne Enterprises has all but monopolized every profitable venture that's surfaced in Gotham City over the past decade. That's the only reason Tenshi sold to you in the first place, because we've been wiping the floor with him. Since the buyout, from what I'm told, LexCorp took on no new contacts and allowed most of the old one's, that transferred over in the sale, to expire. Tenshi is a financial abyss.
LIONEL
::shakes head:: LuthorCorp considers Tenshi a valuable asset, one that will further ensure the growth and development of LuthorCorp for years to come. I believe you, and my son, have grossly underestimated its worth.
BRUCE
That's entirely possible, but, if that's the case, why would I want to give it back?
LIONEL I am prepared to offer you twice what you paid my son for it.
BRUCE
Twice?
Lionel nods and opens up his briefcase. He pulls out a thin bound packet of papers.
LIONEL
I've already had the contracts made up. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line.
BRUCE
Now, where have I heard that before?
Lionel hands the papers across the desk to Bruce, who inspects them.
BRUCE
Free money.
LIONEL
I beg your pardon?
BRUCE
I buy from Lex and sell to you for twice the price. It's free money.
LIONEL I prefer to call it a rare opportunity.
Bruce rests the contracts on his desk, giving his complete attention to Lionel.
BRUCE
As a businessman, it's hard to deny the intrinsic allure in your proposal. Of course, it's also hard to deny the fact that I suddenly find myself in a rather unique position. I know why Lex sold Tenshi to me. In doing so, he shed himself of a debt and managed to turn it into a profit. I know why Tenshi is valuable to me. By purchasing it from Lex, I drove one of my few remaining competitors completely out of Gotham and now have absolute supremacy over my chief market of operations. The problem is, I do not know why Tenshi is valuable to you.
Bruce tries to get a read off Lionel, but the man merely smiles back at him with a well practiced grin.
BRUCE
If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were hiding something down there.
LIONEL
::shakes head:: No, it's not that at all.
BRUCE
Then, why offer me so much for so little?
LIONEL LuthorCorp simply has an inherent interest in our current project at Tenshi. If we were to have to dismantle it, and move to another facility, it would be... inconvenient.
BRUCE
And what is that project exactly?
Lionel simply smiles.
BRUCE
Trade secret?
LIONEL
We are competitors after all.
BRUCE What ever happened to a gesture of good will between associates?
LIONEL My gesture of good will is in offering you this contract at all. I could always contest the deal you have with LexCorp.
BRUCE
::shakes head:: You have no grounds for doing that.
LIONEL As you are already aware, LexCorp is merely a subsidiary of LuthorCorp. My son did not have the proper authority to sell to you in the first place.
BRUCE
His was name was on the contracts purchased from Tenshi. He had all the authority he needed.
LIONEL An issue for the courts to decide.
BRUCE
You'll lose.
LIONEL
Possibly, but it will undoubtedly tie up the matter for several years in a long, grueling, court battle that I don't think either of us really cares to deal with at this stage and, in that time, the contracts would be rendered temporarily void and ownership would resort back to me.
BRUCE
::nods:: Just long enough for you to milk it for what little it's worth, and then drive it into the ground.
Lionel leans comfortably back into his chair. Bruce exhales loudly.
BRUCE
What are you hiding down there?
LIONEL
You'll never know.
The two stare each other down a moment, sizing up each other's position.
LIONEL
My offer stands, but it is a one time offer only. Reject it now and it's gone for good.
BRUCE
It would take you time to get an injunction. You want to keep your little development under wraps, it's going to cost you. I will accept nothing less than four times what I bought it for. Wayne Enterprises will retain exclusive rights to all of Tenshi's active contracts and you will give your personal, and written, assurance that you won't contest the shutting down of the LexCorp plant in Smallville.
Lionel nods and stands up, perhaps a little too quickly.
LIONEL
Done.
He grabs the contracts off of Bruce's desk.
LIONEL
I'll have the new contracts made up and on your desk by the end of the day.
Bruce stands to shake Lionel's hand, but Lionel turns away and walks toward the door.
LIONEL
It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Wayne.
Bruce eyes Lionel and sits back down.
BRUCE
Where have I heard that before?
Taking a breath, he removes a cell phone from his shirt pocket and dials, reclining in his chair as he waits for the other end to pick up.
BRUCE
Yeah, it's Wayne.
He listens to the other end.
BRUCE
He just left... Just as you said he would... Right... He's all yours now.
Bruce folds up the cell phone and places it on the desk in front of him.
EXT. LUTHORCORP PRIVATE AIRLINES – DAY
Lex folds up his cell phone and puts it in his suit pocket. Smiling arrogantly, he walks over to Marrienne and a pair of FBI agents all hovering over a piece of debris pulled from the crumbled remains of the airport.
FBI AGENT I I've never seen anything like this before.
MARRIENNE
I checked with General Lester. The Army has this place classified as a research facility.
FBI AGENT II
Research? We've found hundreds of these things, whatever they are. They had a whole damned assembly line down there.
MARRIENNE
If that's the case, the military doesn't know anything about it.
LEX
As I told you they wouldn't.
MARRIENNE
We have all we need now to move on your father.
LEX
No, not yet. There's a lot more going on here than you people realize.
MARRIENNE
You listen to me, Luthor, there's a lot of questions I want answers too.
LEX
Then, it's lucky for you, I have the answers.
MARRIENNE
I am not a patient woman, Lex Luthor.
LEX
And I am not a patient man. Just have the amount we agreed on wired to my account by the end of the day, and tell General Lester to have your boys at Fort Riley ready. Tomorrow is going to be a very big day.
The golden plaque mounted to the office door reads "Bruce Wayne".
A single secretary sits behind a massive marble desk, diligently typing away at her computer. Off to the side, in a small waiting room, Lionel Luthor skims through a folder of black and white photographs handed to him by an assistant of his.
LIONEL
This can't be right.
Lionel settles on a single photograph of Lex talking to a well decorated Army man at what appears to be a military base.
WESTHAVEN
These photographs were taken two days ago at Fort Riley. The man with your son is General Horatio Lester. Lester was overseeing the training of the twenty-fourth infantry division. Lex met with him for more than three hours behind closed doors.
LIONEL
Then, it's true.
Lionel half chokes in disbelief.
LIONEL
He really did sign his life away.
WESTHAVEN
You've had me following him for more than six weeks. If he was up to something, I'd know it. So far, though, his story checks out. He's due to arrive at the base next week to begin his training.
LIONEL
It never occurred to me that he might be telling the truth.
The blazingly beautiful secretary knocks at the entranceway to the waiting room. She is a tall, slender, redhead with wavy hair down to her waste.
SECRETARY
Excuse me, Mr. Luthor, Mr. Wayne will see you now.
She catches Lionel by surprise.
LIONEL
What? Oh, thank you, my dear.
She smiles and walks back to her desk. Westhaven admires her more shapely assets as she walks.
WESTHAVEN
I wonder how she got her job.
It was a rhetorical question.
LIONEL
It's good to be rich.
WESTHAVEN
Apparently.
Lionel stands up and hands the folder to Westhaven.
LIONEL
Thank you, Derek. Now, wait for me at the car. This shouldn't take long.
WESTHAVEN
Yes, Mr. Luthor.
The two part ways, Westhaven for the elevator and Lionel for Bruce's office.
INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – BRUCE'S OFFICE
A small stone gargoyle sits on a clear glass desk next to a dated picture of a man and a woman on their wedding day. The only other item on the desk is a closed, paper thin, laptop.
The office itself is rather unique in design, with the width of the room actually growing wider from the door to the far wall. At least, that's how it appears at first. It could merely be an optical illusion created by the heavily reflective material making up each of the side walls. Regardless, the entire room's décor, rather avant-garde in nature, seems designed to draw attention to the desk sitting in front of the far wall, which is itself a sheet of clear glass presenting an impeccable view of the city below. It appears the goal of the designer was to make everything on the door side of the desk appear distorted, while whoever sits behind the desk, and the city, remain distinct.
Lionel barges through the office door, a man on a mission.
LIONEL
All right, Bruce, let's get straight to business...
Lionel looks up to realize there's no one sitting behind the desk.
LIONEL
Bruce?
Only briefly captivated by his unique surroundings, Lionel walks deeper into the office in search of the conspicuously absent Mr. Wayne.
LIONEL
Bruce?
To the right of the desk, Lionel notices a small gleam of light sneaking through a crease in the wall. Walking over to it, he finds a small latch embedded into the wall and pulls at it. The entire panel swings open, revealing itself to be a door to an adjoining room.
Lionel steps through the door.
INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – PRIVATE FITNESS CENTER AND POOL
The doorway leads Lionel to a complete fitness center and pool area that probably takes up the majority of the top floor of the building judging by how expansive it is. The pool itself is several times larger than an Olympic sized pool.
Obviously enjoying himself mightily, Bruce Wayne skirts across the top of the water in what vaguely compares to a jet ski, pulling off hairpin one- eighty turns that send powerful waves of water over the edge of the pool. Meanwhile, Lucius Fox monitors Bruce's performance from off to the side, clipboard in hand.
Lionel impatiently puts his briefcase down on the ground and folds his arms in front of him as he waits for Bruce to step out of the pool. Having had his fun, Bruce brings the "jet ski" up to the side, near Lucius, jumping off of it before it even comes to a complete stop.
BRUCE
It's still coming up out of the water too much, Lucius.
Bruce grabs a towel from a towel rack and starts climbing out of his wetsuit.
LUCIUS FOX
I know, I know. It won't when we fit it with the water shield.
BRUCE
We'll see.
Bruce kicks his wetsuit to the side and dries his hair. Remarkably, his shirt and black pants underneath are both dry and unwrinkled.
LIONEL
Interesting use of space.
Bruce looks up and feigns surprise at the sight of Lionel, despite having told his secretary to let Lionel into the office in the first place.
BRUCE
We all have our little hideouts. How do you like mine?
LIONEL
Had I known you designed your offices like hotels, I would have brought a bigger briefcase to steal the bathroom soaps.
Bruce hangs his towel on Fox's shoulder and walks over to meet Lionel.
BRUCE
If you'd like, I can have a case sent to you in Metropolis.
LIONEL
That won't be necessary.
Lionel motions towards the "jet ski".
LIONEL
Nice toy, by the way.
BRUCE
Patent pending.
LIONEL
Of course.
BRUCE So, Lionel, what can I do for you?
Bruce smiles and escorts Lionel back to the office.
LIONEL
It's what I can do for you that's the issue.
Lucius Fox shakes his head as Bruce closes the door behind them.
INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES – BRUCE'S OFFICE
Bruce and Lionel step back into the office and Bruce sits down behind the desk. Lionel sits across from him.
BRUCE
And why would you, of all people, want to do anything for me?
LIONEL
Call it a friendly gesture of good will between associates. There's been too much bad blood between our two companies. I'm here to quell any animosity that might still exist between us.
BRUCE
I don't know what you mean, Lionel. I've always liked you.
He lied.
LIONEL And, in appreciation of that, I wish to return the favor by offering you a unique business opportunity.
BRUCE
Unique in what way?
LIONEL I want to buy back Tenshi.
BRUCE
You want to buy back Tenshi?
LIONEL
Immediately.
Bruce takes a moment to let the proposal sink in.
BRUCE
I have to say, this comes as somewhat of a shock. I'm not sure what to say. Tenshi hasn't made money in years. The industrial marketplace has suffered a severe decline and Wayne Enterprises has all but monopolized every profitable venture that's surfaced in Gotham City over the past decade. That's the only reason Tenshi sold to you in the first place, because we've been wiping the floor with him. Since the buyout, from what I'm told, LexCorp took on no new contacts and allowed most of the old one's, that transferred over in the sale, to expire. Tenshi is a financial abyss.
LIONEL
::shakes head:: LuthorCorp considers Tenshi a valuable asset, one that will further ensure the growth and development of LuthorCorp for years to come. I believe you, and my son, have grossly underestimated its worth.
BRUCE
That's entirely possible, but, if that's the case, why would I want to give it back?
LIONEL I am prepared to offer you twice what you paid my son for it.
BRUCE
Twice?
Lionel nods and opens up his briefcase. He pulls out a thin bound packet of papers.
LIONEL
I've already had the contracts made up. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line.
BRUCE
Now, where have I heard that before?
Lionel hands the papers across the desk to Bruce, who inspects them.
BRUCE
Free money.
LIONEL
I beg your pardon?
BRUCE
I buy from Lex and sell to you for twice the price. It's free money.
LIONEL I prefer to call it a rare opportunity.
Bruce rests the contracts on his desk, giving his complete attention to Lionel.
BRUCE
As a businessman, it's hard to deny the intrinsic allure in your proposal. Of course, it's also hard to deny the fact that I suddenly find myself in a rather unique position. I know why Lex sold Tenshi to me. In doing so, he shed himself of a debt and managed to turn it into a profit. I know why Tenshi is valuable to me. By purchasing it from Lex, I drove one of my few remaining competitors completely out of Gotham and now have absolute supremacy over my chief market of operations. The problem is, I do not know why Tenshi is valuable to you.
Bruce tries to get a read off Lionel, but the man merely smiles back at him with a well practiced grin.
BRUCE
If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were hiding something down there.
LIONEL
::shakes head:: No, it's not that at all.
BRUCE
Then, why offer me so much for so little?
LIONEL LuthorCorp simply has an inherent interest in our current project at Tenshi. If we were to have to dismantle it, and move to another facility, it would be... inconvenient.
BRUCE
And what is that project exactly?
Lionel simply smiles.
BRUCE
Trade secret?
LIONEL
We are competitors after all.
BRUCE What ever happened to a gesture of good will between associates?
LIONEL My gesture of good will is in offering you this contract at all. I could always contest the deal you have with LexCorp.
BRUCE
::shakes head:: You have no grounds for doing that.
LIONEL As you are already aware, LexCorp is merely a subsidiary of LuthorCorp. My son did not have the proper authority to sell to you in the first place.
BRUCE
His was name was on the contracts purchased from Tenshi. He had all the authority he needed.
LIONEL An issue for the courts to decide.
BRUCE
You'll lose.
LIONEL
Possibly, but it will undoubtedly tie up the matter for several years in a long, grueling, court battle that I don't think either of us really cares to deal with at this stage and, in that time, the contracts would be rendered temporarily void and ownership would resort back to me.
BRUCE
::nods:: Just long enough for you to milk it for what little it's worth, and then drive it into the ground.
Lionel leans comfortably back into his chair. Bruce exhales loudly.
BRUCE
What are you hiding down there?
LIONEL
You'll never know.
The two stare each other down a moment, sizing up each other's position.
LIONEL
My offer stands, but it is a one time offer only. Reject it now and it's gone for good.
BRUCE
It would take you time to get an injunction. You want to keep your little development under wraps, it's going to cost you. I will accept nothing less than four times what I bought it for. Wayne Enterprises will retain exclusive rights to all of Tenshi's active contracts and you will give your personal, and written, assurance that you won't contest the shutting down of the LexCorp plant in Smallville.
Lionel nods and stands up, perhaps a little too quickly.
LIONEL
Done.
He grabs the contracts off of Bruce's desk.
LIONEL
I'll have the new contracts made up and on your desk by the end of the day.
Bruce stands to shake Lionel's hand, but Lionel turns away and walks toward the door.
LIONEL
It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Wayne.
Bruce eyes Lionel and sits back down.
BRUCE
Where have I heard that before?
Taking a breath, he removes a cell phone from his shirt pocket and dials, reclining in his chair as he waits for the other end to pick up.
BRUCE
Yeah, it's Wayne.
He listens to the other end.
BRUCE
He just left... Just as you said he would... Right... He's all yours now.
Bruce folds up the cell phone and places it on the desk in front of him.
EXT. LUTHORCORP PRIVATE AIRLINES – DAY
Lex folds up his cell phone and puts it in his suit pocket. Smiling arrogantly, he walks over to Marrienne and a pair of FBI agents all hovering over a piece of debris pulled from the crumbled remains of the airport.
FBI AGENT I I've never seen anything like this before.
MARRIENNE
I checked with General Lester. The Army has this place classified as a research facility.
FBI AGENT II
Research? We've found hundreds of these things, whatever they are. They had a whole damned assembly line down there.
MARRIENNE
If that's the case, the military doesn't know anything about it.
LEX
As I told you they wouldn't.
MARRIENNE
We have all we need now to move on your father.
LEX
No, not yet. There's a lot more going on here than you people realize.
MARRIENNE
You listen to me, Luthor, there's a lot of questions I want answers too.
LEX
Then, it's lucky for you, I have the answers.
MARRIENNE
I am not a patient woman, Lex Luthor.
LEX
And I am not a patient man. Just have the amount we agreed on wired to my account by the end of the day, and tell General Lester to have your boys at Fort Riley ready. Tomorrow is going to be a very big day.