-1Batman in Action FanFic #15

The Gotham Connection

Superman is going to his Fortress, good. That should keep him busy for long enough to do the necessary research to find Teng. I don't like people moving things into this city that I'm not aware of. It has enough problems of its own; imports aren't wanted. My main concern is that when the problems come in, it will bring the heroes with them. I don't need that and neither does the city. It's a violent circle that's unending. If the problems don't come first, the heroes might and the problems will follow. Tonight I found out that two problems existed, Mayor Hamilton Hill called in Superman to bring me in. No doubt he was influenced by Falcone or Thorne. I'm still trying to pinpoint which one has the most dirt on him. An educated guess would be Falcone. Thorne's operation has tried to get into local politics before and Falcone shut it down. The only reason why Thorne's been allowed to keep his operation is because it's easier for Falcone to shift any blame or screw-ups on him. With all the police and politicians in his pocket, no one will doubt his word. Rupert Thorne will be crucified and the next would-be mob boss will come in ready to do the job. It's a puppeteer's opera in its own right. Almost like Don Vito Corleone moving John Gotti's strings. While the puppet tries to thrash against the puppeteer, the puppeteer takes a pair of knife and starts to fray the strings. When eventually they're cut, the puppet is useless and a new one is needed. The old ways are less liked in this new age, but for those that are good at it they run the young into a corner. Carmine "Roman" Falcone knows how to do that with Rupert Thorne. Thorne has reached out to slap his better, but knows he has to be careful with how he does it. If he insults Falcone too much he'll be killed without so much as a thought.

The second problem is that someone moved into Gotham to do illegal scientific research without so much as a hint. Dr. Li Teng coming here with cloning alien life forms is the last thing we need here. I'm surprised that more of the city wasn't destroyed with both Superman and Bizarro's battle. It was lucky that the creature believed that Superman was feeding into his delusion. Had he realized that he was being placated, then it could've been a grander scale battle. Since the Kryptonite wasn't doing more than slowing down already seizing reflexes, I dare say it could've gotten a lot worse. That's something I won't have repeated again, and I think Superman understands that. He'd better. Most likely he'll believe me to be territorial, at first looking like I wanted him to leave because I didn't want to be arrested. While there is truth to that, it's not the full truth. Heroes like him and the others that are sprouting up come with these powers beyond the mortal realm of understanding. Some people seem to see a return to the days when the Justice Society of America were fighting Nazi's and the Japanese. Their numbers keeping the threats out of our country as they popped up. In the end, they didn't step on enemy soil. At least not that the papers were concerned. It set a precedent, these mystery men wouldn't go in and just change an outcome of a war. They would defend the country if it came down to an attack on our shores. They never made their reasons completely clear accept to say that it came down to retaliation on a level we couldn't defend against. I'm convinced something Hitler or Emperor Hirohito did kept them away. No proof of that, not that it would make much difference now. On the other hand, maybe it could convince some of them that the worst is still yet to be seen, I'll have to investigate that. Still, Superman's made it abundantly clear he won't enter a combat zone because he doesn't want them to start massive attacks that will lead to a bigger battle on this soil. It's the wisest thing he's done thus far.

The scientist I put the tracer on didn't go back to the warehouse. I didn't expect all of them would, just those few too afraid to leave each other. It gave me two opportunities. One: The group didn't look used to the rigors of any sort of fighting. They stuck together in hopes of finding a solution to the problem. Obviously they were expecting the Bizarro to keep us busy for awhile. Just in case we weren't busy long enough they could get whatever hired muscle they've contracted to stop anyone chasing them. Two: The scientist I put the tracer on was definitely not part of the collective team. He's an outsider, obviously hired to overlook these men for Teng or the higher boss to make sure progress was kept on schedule. He's also the wiser of them as he knows that staying with them would only lead to his capture. I suspected something like that when I went into the burning warehouse to rescue the group.

The others left behind were scrambling to get out of the place. Beams were starting to come down and they were scattering. I barked at them to get into formation and allow myself the time to free them. One of the walls on near the water wasn't burning nearly as badly, and was still steady vs. the rest of the building which was becoming more unstable by the moment. I was able to find some areas where I could clear debris without shifting more on top of us and let them go, but one of them remained behind. I knew time wasn't on my side, yet the one left was there throwing things into the fire making sure what was left to find were burnt scraps of no intelligible meaning. I was able to grab him and run out, when we got onto the street, and the others found him okay I told them to leave before they got killed. I marked him with the tracer because he'd be the hardest to track of them all. This is a man that won't go back to a place that was bought by whoever owned the warehouse. No, he's going to distance himself from it. He knows that we would be looking for a safe house. The scientists would go to the closest one possible, which means they're sitting ducks. Why don't they go to the farthest? That's the one that anybody else will go to? Because they're panicked. When people get panicked they get stupid. And the most intelligent of minds, when they're not used to what they've gotten themselves into, will try to find any sort of place that offers protection. This man isn't like that, he's knows this type of situation all too well. I was hoping for that. With that in mind I improvised a way to get Superman to leave so I could solve this quicker. I purposefully chased the group of scientists back to the next building, which lead to some answers that would send him on a chase. It also meant that the man being traced could feel comfortable that I followed the others. He'll settle into some place, meet with some other people that will try and get him out of the city as quickly as possible. What it's doing is exposing some of his operatives and I can get to the bottom of who's behind Teng's operation. Dr. Teng isn't alone on this operation, someone's pulling his strings. I need to find out who owned the warehouse that Bizarro burned down and what else they've bought in Gotham. This new organization did a lot to make sure it wasn't noticed. Hardly surprising, but still amazing that they were able to do it. Leaks are everywhere, someone knows something and wants to tell it. A few need 'coaxing', but they sing like songbirds once the proper amount of influence has been dealt.

"Lion to Unicorn, I have the requested information."

"Go ahead Lion."

"It seems that a business called GeneTech bought several properties in Gotham. The basis of the company is in gene therapy. They've been looking for other viable ways to find stem cells and possibly even artificially create them."

"Who owned the former properties?"

"Several businesses owned them last. O'Neil Brokerage owned offices that GeneTech use for the front. The warehouses and other buildings by places such as Dixon Construction and Finger Electrical."

"Finger and Dixon were dummy corporations set up by Thorne to launder money under the Roman's radar."

"Indeed, sir. Your corresponding notes did come up on the subject."

"What about O'Neil Brokerage?"

"As far as I can tell, they are a business still in use today. It's main office was shut down when GeneTech bought it, but they moved their operations into Park Row. Corner of Miller and 5th. It's where the emergency number you were given leads to."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised."

"My thoughts too, sir."

"Keep me posted on any further developments, Lion. Unicorn out."

"Unicorn, if I may be so bold, what is your next course of action? Are you planning on going to go O'Neil building first?"

"Negative. My first stop is to find my tracer. I want to know what I'm dealing with before I go in there. Once I have that information, then I'll consider my options on going."

"Affirmative, Unicorn. I realize this goes without saying, but do be careful. You are dealing with people who have cloned Superman. Since there is one more of them, and the mental faculties on it have been less than learned, it might not know what restraint is." The frustration in his voice is noted.

"I copy that Lion. I'll keep in contact." What do I expect with this man? Alfred Pennyworth has known me since I can remember. He came to my family at the wish of his father, who had been a butler for my family for many years. Alfred had done such jobs before and was reluctant to do it again. He had good reason not to. After he turned 13 he went to the naval military school. He became a military officer and was recruited into the Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6 as it's more commonly known. He'd gone on several classified missions for Queen and Country, surviving with such tales that may never see the light of day. I learned a lot from him. When the time came and he retired from the branch he went around London doing things he loved best. He volunteered as a medic a few days a week as something to keep him busy during most days. Not that he needed the money, he'd amassed quite a comfortable pension from British Intelligence after his retirement. For his love of theater he found time to perform. His adept skills at throwing himself into a role for MI6 operations, made him a natural at what he loved best. He lead such an amazing life outside of this house that it amazes me he accepted his father request. His loyalty amazes me further still. It was obvious that he didn't want to do the job, but for the love of his father he stayed. He's been a good and loyal friend, making sure that I would grow up well educated. I owe that all to him and my parents for leaving me under his care. Since becoming Batman, he's been a hesitant about showing approval. His concern is my safety and that this isn't the best way to deal with any underlying grief of what was done those many years ago. I won't let what happened to me that night happen to another person if it's in my power to stop it.

When I was eight years old, my parents and I exited a theater in Park Row. Then the neighborhood wasn't as badly crime-filled as it is today. The Mark of Zorro was playing and my father told me of how great this movie was. He said that I wouldn't care how old the film was once I placed myself into the story. He was right, I sat there almost spellbound by the grandeur. As we left the theater I kept telling my father how much I wished I could be Zorro, saving the day from the forces of evil. With my pretend sword I thrust and parried the blows of many evil-doers which made my parents laugh. In that moment, a little boy was taken out of his fantasy as a rather ragged looking man approached him. He wore a flat cap, grey jacket, white t-shirt and smoked a cigarette. He stood there blocking our exit, smiling with the cigarette still cradled in his lips. He quickly pulled out a .45 and a shot rang out my father was hit in the chest. My mother started to scream when the next shot was fired. The warm blood splatter hit me across the face and I watched the warmth leave as she hit the ground. He grabbed my fathers wallet and my mothers jewelry. The pearls shattered as he ripped them from her neck. Several hit the ground in front as he looked towards me. I stared at him with burning hatred, I knew he was going to finish what he'd started. He stared at me for a few moments, what was going through his mind I can't say. In a blink he reacted, sirens wailed indicating that the police were just down the road. He looked back at me, my eyes had never once faltered. He runs into the night away from the scene, no time to fire one more bullet, if he did the police would have him in seconds. There I kneeled until the police arrived. It was announced: Thomas and Martha Wayne are dead at the scene. Their son Bruce, alive and physically unharmed.

I land on a rooftop and check to confirm that this is the building he's hiding out in. He's staying placed in one position. There's no way to get a visual confirmation if he's with anyone. "Lion, I need to get the schematics of this building uploaded to my onboard system. I also need history of the building, if it has any and who currently owns it."

"Right away Unicorn. What's your plan?"

"Checking for any thugs outside the building. Making sure that no one knows I'm here. Once that's been checked, I'll be making an entrance through the window of tracer's location. Barring any complications, which are bound to happen, I'll be questioning him to find Teng's whereabouts."

"I can't seem to find any good schematics sir. You might have to activate the sounding beacon."

"Noted. Any history on this location I should be aware of?"

"Just that it's owned by Rupert Thorne, sir."

"Bingo." I look over the sides to find that no guards standing century or walking around the building, then I activate the beacon hidden in my cowl. The device is soft enough only I or Superman could hear it. It gives me the advantage with my tracing equipment when it becomes impossible to locate someone any other way. As I walk towards one corner of the building the chime tells me that I'm getting closer. I grapple a line onto a secure location and I start my decent over the side. As I find the correct window I peer in carefully. He's with 4 other men, one of which is sitting there conferring with him quite steadily. It's all I need to see.

I pull myself up again to the roof and extend out the cable. Jumping as far as I can until the cable is tight, having to retract just a slight amount I swing into through the window. Best tuck into my cape as I do this, it's built to help me do such things without getting injured or cut from debris. The crash of glass frightens them all into stillness, while I roll back up onto my feet. I tuck into the shadows and narrow my eyes towards them. I know the can't see my face, just the eyes staring at them. Some of the thugs are going for their guns, they're trying to slowly reach hoping I'll not notice, that's their first mistake. I'm against the wall with a perfect view of the room. As they get their hands on their pieces I throw to of what's been dubbed Batarangs towards the wrists. The snap of wrists indicate that they won't keep grabbing. The natural instinct, grab and nurse any pain surging in your body. Quickly, I spring forth. There's a flurry of swings, wild and overconfident. As my fist connects to their jaws they fall to the ground unconscious. One of the thugs manages to get his gun out with the other hand and opens fire. I'm able to roll and grab a coffee table which gets thrown flat side towards him. He side steps it in time to meet me face to face. One punch in the nose later he's disoriented and falls to his knees quickly.

I turn my attention back to the two talking men who are trying to escape the madness. I grab a length of rope and tie it around his ankles and pull him towards me. The other one goes to open the door when he finds the sharp end of the Batarang jamming it from opening. It's the man with the tracer. He stands about 5' 10", African-American, slightly balding, mustache. His eyes show fear as he looks me over. I grab him and throw him into a chair. It slides and hit's the wall. I cuff him to the chair and turn my attention back to his associates. I don't recognize most of them, however I see one that's face I've seen before. I tie up the goons and grab the quaking man on the ground. He looks at me and nearly shrieks.

"DON'T KILL ME! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"

"You'll do that and more."

"PLEASE, I'M JUST AN ACCOUNTANT!"

I stand him up and cuff him to the two wall protruding light fixtures "I know what you are. Sam Gilden, better known in Rupert Thorne's organization as Numbers. You better have more to tell me than that."

"Mr. Thorne is selling some properties to Dr. Davis' group. They're a genetics group based out of Hong Kong, New York City, Metropolis, and now Gotham City."

"That means you must be Dr. Davis. I want answers Davis. Where's Li Teng?"

"You're not a cop I don't have to tell you anything!" Bravery, it's a sign of desperation in his case. He's trying to compensate for what he knows is about to happen. He hopes that if he shows some defiance that I won't know what to do and he'll back down because I won't know how to extract the confession. I turn towards him and put my face into his. He moves his head back and keeps his eyes locked on mine with a twitching hatred. Sweat is beading all over his face, he wants to crack, but his pride isn't going to let him. Fine, he wants to do that then I can certainly crack him. I move my fist before he has a chance to think about what happened. It impacts the wall making a great amount of noise. It did the trick, the eyes soften and the twitch remains. He's starting to cry as if he's come to the conclusion that I'm going to kill him in moments. Most of the people I chase believe that I'm going to do that. I don't kill, I refuse to cross that line. It's a desperate act of cowards and psychopaths.

"Where is Teng, Davis?"

"He's in Gotham! He's perfecting the last of the clones!"

"How is he managing that? The scientist that are in custody now say that there's some sort of cell that inhibits clones from being perfect genetic copies."

"And it's true, but we knew it didn't have to be. We just needed someone that could go toe-to-toe with Superman and possibly put him in his place should the need arise."

"Who authorized the cloning project?"

"The government of course! You think they don't fear him? They're keeping their potential enemy close. They agreed with the idea that Superman could escalate war efforts, but at the same time what sort of danger could he present here? What might terrorist cells do when he goes after them here? 9/11 might pale in comparison should he do something to antagonize them!"

"So they'd break their own laws in order to make themselves feel safer."

"Several would, yes. The President doesn't know, because he wouldn't condone the action. Superman is a trusted ally in his eyes and to most of the public. Their opinions are also spreading to those in higher circles who are starting to see this alien being as a greater good. These people are in military positions! Do you know what happens if we have a full scale war on our hands and these trusting people place full trust in Superman? "

"They're not going to place full trust in him. That's not the way it works. Whatever the potential threat is however, some other military general panicked and put himself in charge of this project."

"Dr. Teng's group were able to extract the blood from the battle sites where Superman had been badly cut. From there he convinced a conglomerate that regardless of the sanctions against cloning, it might lead us to a better understanding of what we're dealing with plus if we had our own controllable alien, there's not a force on the planet that would dare to step out of line. It could be given direction vs. being a loose canon that could change his mind."

"Faulty logic."

"FAULTY?! HOW CAN YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY?"

"They're not going to care if the weapon does what it wants or what you want, one group sees that you're willing to use superpowers it will start them in doing the same. For those that can't do that, they'll send the nukes out to rain on our cities of strategic importance. No, Davis, they're not wanting their own Superman for all the reasons you list. They may want their own, but it's just to put the original in his place and know how to deal with his superior genetics if he should overstep his boundaries."

"Whatever the case, we're well within our rights!"

"I doubt the President will see it that way." I move towards the window.

"Where are you going? LET ME OUT OF THIS!!"

"The agents coming will help you with that. Enjoy prison, Davis." He nervously laughs at me like he knows something more. I want to have more time with him, but I'll let the Feds do their job. They'll be here relatively soon and I'm not looking forward to that meeting. Now I'll be going to GeneTech's main offices. I think my answers may be there.

Crossing town isn't difficult from this height. I'd use the car, but it announces my presence a little too quickly. Besides, the overcrowding people driving around do tend to get in the way. Even at this late hour, people go in search of vices or just a way to cure their insomnia. Some are getting out of late movies, quite a few are buying narcotics, while others find prostitutes to ease their tensions. The latter two disgust me, because it leads to death. A pimp that didn't get his cut of the money. A drug deal gone bad so either the buyer or dealer ends up killing one another. Gangs are out in force too; Bloods, Crips, Dragons. Of course as bad as they are they don't compare to the Mob. The true powers behind the crimes in Gotham City. Some would think with all that, Superman would be welcomed here. The fact is, it's because of that he's not.

Gotham City news reports of the mysterious Batman figure which plagues the city. He beats up criminals, he beats up cops, no one knows what side he's on. That's a downfall for me, but it's necessary for right now. The polls say that they wish Superman would extend his patrol to include the Northeastern section of the U.S. It sounds like a good idea to some, but it presents issues. First and foremost, he's one man. Even his senses would be taxed doing that. Secondly, it would cause the major factions of crime to burrow further underground or step up operations to keep up with the losses Superman's likely to give them. With these types of insects crawling around, it's best to let them think they've got a comfortable nest, that way it's easier to stomp out the infestation. Other bugs will come, but it might make the situation more manageable. Strong arm tactics to get rid of a few doesn't work for the long term. It only sends messages to the others that they need to find alternatives. Superman's going to need to understand that, or Metropolis will fall around him like a stack of cards. Intergang should be keeping him busy, instead of coming here to arrest me. He's not bothered them though, Morgan Edge is still out running the streets. There's a definite connection between him and Intergang, that connection being WGBS. It should be obvious that the last two shipments of weapons coming in were done in areas of the city where they've reported on the heaviest. Their expose stories on what sort of rip off construction or the substandard electrical supply are just pain targets as to where the drop off is going to occur. They're owned by Morgan Edge through channels. That much is certain, but who's supplying the weaponry? The tech is far beyond anything developed by LexCorp or WayneTech. That's a good thing, if I ever found out that WayneTech was making weapons there would be mass job loss.

Superman must think I hate him, which is far from the truth. He has the most noble of intentions, but is far from the necessary hero that the world is going to make him out to be. What he doesn't realize about the crimes, the heroes, the government, and everything else around him is that they're taking their cues from him. He stepped out of the dark and said he wanted to help humanity to better itself. Others stepped forward through whatever circumstance brought them to power and said 'we're with you.' He tells the President that he's the behind the United States through whatever they may need him for and the President holds him to it. The enemies popping up are saying they can best him, then the try and prove it. It makes me curious to see what sort of response I'll be receiving when the time comes. So far it's all been mobs and the one costumed thug, the Red Hood. The former is more of a threat, the Red Hood was just some idiot that the real thugs hired to make it look good. No one cares about the thugs, they'll scatter into the winds. People will look for the man in the mask, a good bit of forward thinking on their part. Unfortunately the last person that was chosen to fill those boots stumbled into a vat of chemicals. No body was recovered once the tank was flushed. I checked the vat to make sure that the chemical compound wasn't deadly. It could be for prolonged exposure. I found the hood in a back alley of the chemical plant. The person was long since gone. I went to save him, and might have if the thugs hadn't caught me in a crossfire. They decided a full on attack was best. I couldn't reach him in time. Superman's already had to deal with that in the creation of the Parasite. No one blamed him, it was the wrong place at the wrong time and Rudy the Janitor wanted to play the hero. Superman inspired him to action, that's what everyone says whether it's true or not. Everyone's noticed it, everyone. That's the biggest lesson he's going to have to learn. He's become an icon for being the first hero in 60 years to inspire hope and with him came so many more. It's inevitable that they'll all meet, and his friendly personality will win them over because they're doing this out of legacy. Superman's doing this after all, why not? The first real heroes since the days of McCarthyism took the last ones. He's going to lead this generation into a new era, and when he steps out of line he'll have been the one to end it. The government's already panicked. They've decided to put into action a new institution that will monitor meta-human activity. They're called them the Department of Extranormal Operations, or D.E.O. for short. It's still pretty skeleton, but they have enough to give certain officials the number of meta-humans coming out of the woodwork. It's staggering, that's the only word for it. I wouldn't have known a thing about this if I hadn't hacked into a government mainframe. I was looking to find what the FBI knew on the crime families in Gotham, and use that intel to bring them down. Several hours of digging through things pertaining to Gotham later, there it was sitting as an offshoot of the C.I.A. I've kept tabs every since I found it 5 months ago.

I arrive at GeneTech headquarters to find a semi truck pulling into the loading bay behind the building. Out step two men in lab coats that look familiar, wait a minute... I scan forward with my binoculars and see that they are two of the scientist that we placed in custody. They're not covered in soot anymore, nor do they have any bruising from debris hitting them. Something's strange is going on. I make sure that there are no alarms to be tripped before making my way inside the building. It might be best to see if there's some files on the Bizarro project. The stuff at the warehouse could only be the tip of the iceberg, especially since it's not they weren't the penultimate clone. The upstairs is pretty empty, just one office that looks like it's been converted almost to a barracks. I search the room carefully to see if the person who sleeps here has any evidence that might lead me to some sort of answers. I find a picture of several individuals, two of which I don't recognize. One of the two is Teng, now I have a good visual on who to look for. The other one is unkempt, has a rather wildly grown moustache and thick glasses. Donavan on the tag. This keeps getting bigger and better. Teng and the rest of the scientists have a displaced look on them, like they don't know what's going on. Donavan however seems to be pleased with himself almost as if he's made some breakthrough. There are too many mysteries with this; I hate mysteries. I need to get inside the storage room at the back and see what's going on. If I can get back there, perhaps I can get a vantage point of what's going on and how to stop it.

I make my way down the corridor moving as quickly as I can, checking for any surveillance. The camera set up in here is pathetic at best. They truly didn't think anyone would take this much interest in the company. With a name like GeneTech, my thoughts are that they'd have done so much. I'm curious to know what they've got here that warrants lack of security protocol. I've stepped into something I'm no longer sure of, that's not something I'm used to doing. Constant observation and study prepare me for these things, but it's a dire situation. This can't wait because the scale could destroy this city and spread out to who only knows where. The floor isn't trapped, there are no motion sensors, there's no posted centuries. That can only mean that they've got protection, and my hunch is that their Bizarro is here if they've got a problem. They're overconfident in the creature to take care of the problem. I've got the K-Synth, hopefully that will put him in his place. I'm ill-equipped to deal with this otherwise, and yet it may come down to this one day with the genuine article. I find an elevator shaft that will allow me to go down to the correct floor. I'm just curious if it'll give me access to the part of the warehouse that they're at. I'd call for Alfred's help, but I can't afford to have them hear me coming. Going in blindly into the unknown, this is not my day.

I get myself down the elevator. I open the escape hatch and slam it down. I'm hoping it'll give me some sort of indication who's out there listening, if anyone. This is a calculated risk, but what else can I do? No place to creep around that won't be seen and no other entrance and exit that doesn't put into direct danger. If anything I'm hoping to thin out their numbers. In moments the doors open up and there's two thugs in suits with guns standing there looking for something The elevator shuts and I grab on and pull him up quickly. The other hears the slight scream and thud of his partners jaw being severally busted. He looks towards the roof in a confused look to see a fist hitting him hard enough to render him unconscious. I grab them and tie them together on top of the elevator and cut the cables so that the car won't go up accidentally and kill them. I jump down into the car and put on my rebreather. I hit the elevator door, throw a smoke capsule and drop to the floor. No sooner do the doors slide open when gunfire happens. I roll out and kick the knees out of one guy. He drops to the ground like a ton of bricks and the other gets his legs swept out from under them. I drag them back into the elevator, tie them up and shut the door behind. I'm on the right track, here's hoping they didn't radio ahead about me. Always assume they did, that leaves little room for surprise.

I make it across to the warehouse entrance with little effort. The four bruisers were all I suppose that needed outside. There's only one door entrance into this room, but the tiled ceiling does give me an opportunity to go in undetected. I move myself into an already secured location and pop one of the tiles. There's a wall that's thin enough to cut and which gives me access to the warehouse rafters. I use my Batarang to cut a good sized square out and pull it inside. I can't afford the noise or a large part of debris falling. With the age of the building it's probably always leaving trails of something falling from the ceiling. Rats and roaches boring through the cheap drywall help to make such things possible. The lights are hung below them which illuminate the ground perfectly and leaves me with shadows to hide in. From here it's all about observation. They're going to know someone was here, hopefully their search won't allow the to find me. The place is set up like a lab, but the conditions are the most unhygienic I've ever encountered. Most drug houses have cleaner facilities to be perfectly honest. There below me is Donavan sitting in his chair eating pizza and reading a medical journal. He looks up and sees the other scientists I've captured doing quite a bit of work. None of them look like they've even been affected by tonight's arrest or the fire. It's hard to imagine that the Fed would just let them go so easily.

"Would you people be more careful with that equipment!" Donovan throws his magazine down and stomps hurriedly over to the group. "That stuff doesn't come cheap, you know!"

"Sorry Dabney, we weren't thinking."

"Ah, ah ah… What did I tell you about calling me Dabney, 2?" He called him 2... He's a clone? I start to survey them all, and it's the one logical conclusion. They're all clones!

"Dr. Donovan, my fault! Please, I won't do it again!"

"Of course you won't 2. And stop your worrying, I won't kill you! I don't have time to do the whole clone another and put the memories in again thing."

"Thank you Dr. Donovan, sir. You're a kind man."

"Well, there's something I don't think I hear often enough."

"No sir, you should be told more often."

"Good idea! From now on all of you shall call me kind, benevolent, and generally the all around God of Cloning! Isn't that right Teng? Eh? Dr. Teng, the foremost expert on genetics? What are you now, Tengy? You're nothing! YOU'RE A GLORFIED LAB ASSISTANT! If it weren't for me, you'd have nothing on Superman! Admit it!"

The understatement here is that Donovan is egomaniacal. That can make him dangerous. I need to shut down the Bizarro before they can use it. I see it, the tank with the Bizarro in it. It's horrific in nature, but it's different. It's hardened features look more crafted than the other one. It's still pale, looks almost chalky, and the eyes on it are huge. They are closed though, hopefully it will remain asleep. I scan for the bodyguards, knowing full well I won't find them. They must have more control over the creature than previous, which means I'm going to have to find a way to stop them before they can activate it into action. They're scientist, but there's at least eight of them, and that's going to give me some issues. They're spread out over a very large area, which means if any of them see me coming they could activate the tank to unleash the beast within. I can't wait for Superman to return either, that could cause a bigger destructive fight than either of us want. Then again, I may not be able to do this without him. Dammit! That's not what I want! I shouldn't have to rely on him, but if this K-Synth doesn't have the right amount of effect I'll be killed. The other one was panicked enough that he broke through the effects of it. Regular Kryptonite has an effect on Superman, but he's also proven that he can push past it in limited amounts. There's no way of knowing what sort of damage Bizarro will cause if I instigate a fight. Good, here's more thugs coming in. I need to get out of here now! I'm in a bad situation and I need the back up. There are too many unknown variables to act without getting several people killed in the process. I hate this…