A sigh escaped Nolan as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes lingering on the paperwork spread across his desk without actually seeing any of it. The events of the previous night kept returning to him despite his attempts to push them aside. Oswald Cobblepot had reminded him of something Nolan sometimes forgot when dealing with Gotham's criminal underworld: intelligence and ruthlessness were not mutually exclusive. Penguin had spent years grooming Ignatius Ogilvy, teaching him, elevating him, trusting him with increasingly important responsibilities, all while preparing him to become his right-hand man. And when Ignatius betrayed him, Oswald had killed him without hesitation.
There had been no negotiation, no second chance, and no sentimental excuse for what Ignatius had done. Nolan understood why. A betrayal of that magnitude changed the relationship permanently; once someone had decided they were willing to put a bullet in your back for power, there was no guarantee they wouldn't try again the moment circumstances became favorable. Still, watching Cobblepot pull the trigger had unsettled Nolan more than he cared to admit. Perhaps because, as much as he disliked the comparison, he recognized himself in Oswald.
His eyes dropped to the document in front of him, though the words remained a blur.
Did Marcy have the same capacity for betrayal? What about Naima, Dre, or Terrell? Nolan trusted them, perhaps more than he trusted almost anyone outside the walls of his own mind, but trust had always been a dangerous word. People changed when circumstances changed. Loyalty was easy when everything was going well; the real test came when someone was offered something they wanted badly enough to risk everything they already possessed.
And then there were the managers he intended to bring into the Continental's growing network. Hundreds of employees would eventually work beneath him, followed by executives, department heads, hotel managers, accountants, security chiefs, and people whose names he hadn't even learned yet. How many of them would remain loyal when presented with the right temptation? How many would sell information if the price was high enough? How many would convince themselves that they deserved more and begin looking for a way to take it?
Nolan rubbed the bridge of his nose and finally forced himself to return to the mundane paperwork sitting before him. It was almost laughable that after dealing with assassins, criminal empires, and men like Oswald Cobblepot, he could still be defeated by a stack of documents requiring his signature. He picked up the pen and began working through them, putting his name on renovation approvals, financial reports, vendor agreements, and a dozen other pieces of business concerning one of his Gotham hotels.
A knock sounded against the door.
"It's open."
The door swung inward, and Terrell Gaines stepped into the office wearing a broad grin. "Good to see you, boss."
Nolan looked up and returned the smile. "Good to see you too, Terrell. How'd everything go? Did you finish the task I gave you?"
Terrell's grin widened as he crossed the room and dropped into the chair opposite Nolan. "I did. I'll be honest, though, I still don't understand why you wanted all of this. Me and my boys got everything you asked for, but some of it took a little digging." He reached into his coat and placed a thick folder on Nolan's desk. "Everything's in there."
Nolan picked up the folder but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he looked at Terrell. "You didn't put any of this on a laptop, did you?"
Terrell shook his head. "No, sir. You specifically said not to, so I kept it offline. Though, if you're worried about somebody hacking us, doesn't Marcy have most of our information locked down anyway?"
A mysterious smile touched Nolan's lips.
"Something like that."
He finally opened the folder and glanced through the first few pages. Terrell had done exactly what he'd been asked to do, and perhaps even more. The information was organized by location, ownership, infrastructure, and potential usefulness, with handwritten notes scattered throughout the margins.
"You did good work," Nolan said, closing the folder. "Take it easy for a while. You've earned it."
Terrell stood, looking pleased with himself. "Ten-four, boss. And I'm glad you're back in town."
"So am I."
Terrell left, closing the door behind him.
Nolan waited until his footsteps disappeared down the hallway before reaching for the landline beside his desk. He pressed one of the buttons.
A voice answered almost immediately. "Go ahead, boss."
"Come to my office when you have a minute, Marcy."
"I'll be right over."
Nolan released the button and leaned back in his chair. He opened Terrell's folder again, this time studying it carefully. He had sent Terrell after this information before he'd even returned to Gotham, knowing that if everything went according to plan, he would need it almost immediately upon his arrival. The information itself was only the beginning. What mattered was what he could build from it.
It wasn't long before another knock sounded.
"Come in."
Marcy Liu entered and closed the door behind her. She glanced at Nolan before taking the chair Terrell had occupied only minutes earlier.
"What's up, boss?"
Nolan closed the folder and slid it across the desk. "Terrell just returned from the assignment I gave him. Look through this."
Marcy raised an eyebrow but picked up the folder. She began reading.
The room became quiet.
Nolan watched her eyes move across the pages, occasionally stopping to reread something before continuing. The further she went, the more her expression changed. Eventually she looked up.
"You sent him out for this before you even came back, didn't you?"
Nolan nodded.
"I thought so." Marcy looked back down at the folder and flipped through several more pages. "It could work. I think it could actually work, but…" She hesitated, tapping her finger against one of the documents. "The capital is what worries me. We're already spread pretty thin, boss. Gotham is demanding more resources than we anticipated, and Star City is still eating money."
"We'll make the capital work."
Marcy gave him a skeptical look.
Nolan smiled. "We don't need to build everything ourselves. Not yet, anyway. We need the right people in the right places, and we need to make certain the infrastructure is established before anyone realizes what we're actually building."
He leaned back, his fingers interlocking across his stomach.
"I need to return to Star City soon. When I come back, I want this completed, and I want you to have a gala prepared."
"A gala?"
"At the original Continental."
Marcy's expression became thoughtful. "I assume you want information packets prepared from everything Terrell found?"
"Exactly." Nolan tapped the folder. "Expand on everything in here. I want property histories, ownership records, financial connections, political relationships, businesses operating nearby, construction plans, zoning information, transportation routes, everything. Don't leave a stone unturned. Terrell found the skeleton; I want you to put flesh on it."
Marcy nodded slowly as she absorbed the scale of the assignment.
"Consider it done."
Nolan paused before looking toward her. "And how's the pipeline project progressing?"
Marcy's expression tightened slightly. "We're making progress."
"Slow progress?"
"Very slow progress." She sighed. "Dre being gone hasn't helped. He's usually the one who can force people to move when they decide they don't want to cooperate."
Nolan leaned back and considered that for several seconds before nodding to himself.
"I agree."
He glanced toward the folder.
"Get Rat Catcher involved."
Marcy looked up.
"Otis?"
"Yes. He'll be invaluable for this."
There was a faint amusement in Nolan's expression.
"It'll also give us an opportunity to test him."
Marcy understood immediately.
"His loyalty."
"Exactly."
Nolan opened the folder again and pointed toward several properties marked within the documents. "If everything goes the way I expect, these buildings will be instrumental to the pipeline. They're strategically located, they're close enough to existing infrastructure to make expansion practical. We just need one thing now."
He paused. His eyes moved across the information one final time.
"The right inspired minds."
Marcy smiled faintly.
He closed the folder and pushed it back toward her, "Find those people."
Marcy took it.
"I'll make it a priority."
Nolan watched her leave, and once the door closed behind her, he remained silent for several moments.
His thoughts returned briefly to Ignatius. Loyalty could never be assumed. It had to be cultivated, tested, rewarded, and, when necessary, enforced.
Nolan picked up his pen again and returned to the paperwork.
He wondered, how was Bruce going to respond to this?