Nolan fell backward onto the worn sofa with an exaggerated sigh, smiling as the old cushions dipped beneath his weight. They had long since lost whatever shape they were originally built with, leaving them soft enough to nearly swallow him whole. He folded his hands behind his head and stared lazily into the endless darkness stretching above. It was strange that a place born from his fractured mind had somehow become one of the few places he genuinely found relaxing. A contented smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Now this is the life," he murmured.
Across from him, the Beast simply glared.
The creature of a man hadn't moved since Nolan arrived. It stood with its arms folded across its chest, every muscle tense enough to look carved from stone. Hatred burned behind its eyes with such intensity that Nolan sometimes wondered if the emotion itself kept the personality alive. Even now the Beast looked ready to leap across the room and tear him apart if only the invisible restraints allowed it.
"If you aren't here to free me," the Beast growled, its voice reverberating through the darkness, "why are you here, you worm?"
Nolan merely rolled onto his side so they faced one another, resting his head against one arm as though they were discussing the weather instead of murder. "We've discussed this before."
"NO." The Beast's roar shook the room. "You discussed it! You talked and talked and talked while I listened because I had nowhere else to go!" It took several heavy steps forward before the invisible chains restraining it snapped taut with a metallic crack. The Beast strained against them, veins bulging beneath its skin as it bared its sharpened teeth. "Every single time I get close enough to wrap my hands around your throat…" It snarled, fighting against the restraints with enough force to make the darkness ripple around them. "…you disappear."
Nolan pointed an accusing finger toward him without bothering to stand. "Then stop trying to strangle me every chance you get." He let the sentence hang for a moment before smiling to himself. "Besides, you already know why I'm here. We decided a long time ago that even if I couldn't let you out, I'd still ask what you thought."
"You never listen."
"I do."
"No."
Nolan laughed quietly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I absolutely listen. The problem is your advice almost always involves mass murder, psychological torture, or setting somebody on fire. You don't exactly specialize in subtlety."
The Beast's lips peeled back into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Because my methods work." It leaned as far forward as the chains would permit, eyes gleaming with something halfway between pride and madness. "If you had simply listened to me from the beginning, you wouldn't be struggling to win over the homeless in this city. They would already be kneeling at your feet. Green Arrow would be nothing more than an unpleasant memory. Every obstacle before you would've been crushed before it ever had the chance to grow." Its smile widened. "But you refuse to live up to our potential."
"No," Nolan answered quietly. "I refuse to become something I hate."
For the first time, genuine confusion crossed the Beast's face before being swallowed once more by contempt. "You will never reach your true potential with that weak mentality. The others encourage your weakness."
"They don't." Nolan slowly sat upright, the humor leaving his expression. "They simply have different ideas than I do." He folded his hands together and looked thoughtfully at the creature before him. "If Quentin had his way we'd abandon the hotels tomorrow and pour every resource we have into expanding the Underpass. We'd spread as quickly as possible and worry about the consequences later. Kieran would do the exact opposite. We'd become nothing but businessmen. Five-star hotels, charity galas, investors, politicians—he'd happily spend the rest of his life pretending the criminal world didn't exist if it meant building something beautiful."
A genuine smile crossed Nolan's face as another thought occurred to him. "Vey would probably organize the entire Underpass like an army. Everyone would have ranks, duties, regulations, drills… we'd probably start saluting each other by the end of the month." He chuckled softly before the smile faded again. "You, on the other hand…" He shook his head. "You'd turn us into a murderous cult before breakfast."
The Beast looked almost offended. "Effective."
"Dangerous."
"Effective."
Nolan sighed. "Both."
Silence settled over the darkness for several moments before Nolan spoke again, this time far more softly than before. "And if it had been up to me…" He stared down at his own hands. "None of this would've happened."
The Beast remained silent.
"I had no ambition. No confidence. No drive. I didn't have Quentin's certainty, Kieran's optimism, Vey's discipline, or even your conviction. I was just…" He searched for the right word before quietly laughing to himself. "…broken."
His eyes lifted to meet the Beast's once more.
"If it had been entirely my choice, we'd still be homeless. We'd still be sleeping under bridges, convincing ourselves tomorrow might somehow be different while doing absolutely nothing to make it so. For everything that's happened… for everything we've built…" A sad smile crossed his face. "Thank all the gods it wasn't up to me."
The beast laughed, "You think your fixed now is it?" It was an unsettling toe curling laugh
Nolan shook his head, "No, but at least I'm aware of it now and not hiding. You ALL gave me the courage for that. And once again it is why I ask of your opinioins, you think I do not listen but that's not true."
"I'll see you soon." Nolan smiled sadly and promptly stood from his spot, "Please think this conversation over. I want to hear your opinions." Nolan disappeared
***
Nolan cracked open his eyes as pale morning sunlight slipped through the narrow gap between the blinds, casting long golden bars across the suite. For several moments he simply lay there, listening. Beyond the glass came the distant chorus of construction—the steady whine of power tools, the metallic ring of hammers striking steel, the deep rumble of heavy machinery as another day of work began on the Continental. Most people would have found the noise irritating. Nolan found it oddly comforting. It reminded him of Gotham. The city was never truly quiet either. Somewhere, someone was always building something, repairing something, or tearing something else down. The constant noise had become a strange sort of lullaby, one he hadn't realized he would miss until he left.
With a contented groan, he stretched until several joints popped in succession before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He wandered across the suite still half asleep, rubbing at his eyes as he disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later the shower roared to life, filling the room with clouds of steam. The hot water washed over him, slowly chasing away the lingering exhaustion that had settled into his muscles over the past several weeks. He stood beneath the spray longer than he probably should have, allowing himself one of the few moments each day where nobody expected anything from him. No meetings. No reports. No decisions. Just the comforting rhythm of running water.
Eventually duty won out. Nolan stepped from the shower, drying himself before pulling on a fresh set of clothes. He brushed his teeth while absentmindedly running through the day's schedule in his head, mentally shifting meetings around and trying to find room for three conversations that absolutely refused to fit anywhere. By the time he finished, the familiar aroma of breakfast drifting in from beneath the door had stolen what little attention remained. His stomach growled in agreement, prompting an amused shake of his head.
"You can come in," he called.
The door opened almost immediately.
One of the hotel staff entered carefully, balancing an elegant silver tray topped with breakfast. Fresh toast still steamed beside eggs, fruit, bacon, and a pot of coffee that smelled strong enough to wake the dead. The young employee carried himself professionally, though the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth betrayed the familiarity shared between them.
"Your breakfast, sir."
"Thank you." Nolan returned the smile as he stepped forward, slipping a folded bundle of bills into the man's hand with practiced ease. The employee instinctively tried to refuse before thinking better of it. Nolan had long since learned that arguing over generosity only wasted everyone's time. "Any reports?"
The staff member tucked the money away before answering. "Nothing serious yet, boss. We've had a few journalists trying to get inside the construction site, but security handled them before they became a problem. Other than that it's been surprisingly quiet."
"Good." Nolan nodded approvingly before pouring himself a cup of coffee. "And the rooms?"
"Most of the important ones are finished. Housekeeping has already started preparing them, and the executive suites should be completely furnished by tomorrow." He hesitated briefly before continuing. "The medical supplies you requested hit a delay during transport. Miss Marcy got involved as soon as she heard about it, and from what I've been told the shipment should arrive within the next day or two."
Nolan smiled into his coffee.
"Of course she did."
The employee chuckled.
"I don't think the supplier enjoyed that phone call very much."
"I imagine not." Nolan took a bite of toast before extending his free hand. "The list?"
"Right here, sir."
A neatly organized folder appeared in his hand.
Nolan flipped it open while continuing his breakfast, scanning page after page with practiced efficiency. Every applicant had notes attached. Previous employment, interviews, recommendations, training evaluations, projected positions. It was impressive how quickly the hiring department had managed to assemble everything.
"This would've been easier," Nolan muttered between bites of toast, "if we hadn't needed so many people for the Gotham locations."
The employee wisely remained silent.
Years of working around Nolan had taught most of his people that silence often meant he was thinking. Interrupting those moments usually resulted in another ten minutes of reorganizing plans that had already been reorganized twice.
After several minutes, Nolan finally nodded to himself.
"Overall it's what we discussed."
He uncapped a pen and circled several names before crossing out another. A few quick notes joined the margins before he closed the folder and handed it back.
"Tell him to stick with our original candidates. These additions look good on paper, but I don't want to gamble this close to opening night." Nolan reached for his coffee again, his expression growing thoughtful. "I also want meetings scheduled with everyone taking managerial positions before the grand opening. Individually, not as a group. I want to know exactly who I'm trusting this place to."
The employee accepted the folder with a respectful nod.
"Of course, sir."
Nolan watched him head toward the door before calling out one final time.
"Oh, and tell the kitchen the bacon was excellent."
The young man laughed.
"I'll make sure the chef hears that, boss."
Only after the door clicked shut behind him did Nolan allow himself another quiet sip of coffee. The day had barely begun, and already the stack of work waiting on his desk seemed twice as large as it had the night before.
****
Groans could be heard throughout the warehouse as criminals laid strewn about. Some hung from the ceiling others laid on the floor wishing the ambulance would get there sooner.
Batman stood amongst the shadows, "This isn't them." He bit in annoyance
"My target wasn't them either"
"Were you looking for the underpass??! We hate those bastards too! Let us go and we'll help Batman I promise!" One of the criminals hanging from above pleaded
Batman's scowl intensified.