You know, I didn't really ask a lot of questions about my power. What would be the point? I wasn't some genius scientist.
Places like S.T.A.R. Labs had spent millions studying metahumans, usually with little to show for it. Besides, I had a feeling I wasn't exactly a normal metahuman.
But shit like this kinda made me think maybe I should've asked a few more questions.
"Goddamn… now that is a view."
I whistled as I stared out across Gotham's skyline from my personal penthouse suite on the hundredth floor.
The Retroactive Builder's Contract had gone above and beyond.
A kickass hundred-story skyscraper had basically appeared in Gotham out of thin air, and somehow no one had even batted an eye.
As far as I could tell, everyone else thought the skyscraper had been under development for years. Whenever I asked about it, people just treated it as "that" random building they'd watched slowly going up over time.
There were even receipts, permits, and paychecks for the various construction crews who had supposedly worked on it!
Beyond that, though, despite now being damn near one of the biggest buildings in Gotham, its existence hadn't caused any other noticeable ripples in history.
Which was frankly crazy.
So rather than contemplate the terrifying implications of my powers rewriting reality, I was going to tour my personal skyscraper.
Yeah, that sounded much more fun.
Simmy flew into the room, apparently sharing my enthusiasm.
"Everything to your liking?" I chuckled.
A soft little song with a happy note touched my ears. A tablet floated beside her, and there was a small click.
Panels across the walls suddenly slid open.
Turrets popped out.
"Fabulous!" I clapped.
Simmy looked extremely satisfied with herself.
Because why stop at a boring normal building? High-tech defenses, state-of-the-art laboratories, thousands of rooms filled with top-quality furniture, and more. Honestly, the place could probably double as a supervillain fortress with all the crazy specifications Simmy had thrown in.
Why settle for a boring old skyscraper when I could have so much more?
I'd have to thank Lex properly someday. Maybe I should put a little plaque with his name in every urinal.
Oh yeah, he'd looove that.
I snorted.
With the new skyscraper serving as headquarters, I could probably accelerate a couple of my other plans. Setting up that meeting with Falcone and dealing with the mob had been a long time coming.
Hmm… maybe I'd make a spectacle out of it.
Yeah… yeah, I liked that.
The Joker's reputation had died with a boom, so why not give the mob their own little farewell?
Still, planning could come later. I had more important things to do.
I headed straight for the central atrium and stared down at the glorious achievement of modern engineering before me.
It was a slide.
A glorious slide that twisted down through floor after floor of the skyscraper.
"Fuck…" I grinned before sprinting forward and throwing myself onto it. "YEAAAAAAHH!"
—
Bruce respected Clark.
They'd had their differences over the years, but ultimately, Bruce considered him a genuine hero. Clark was an empathetic and kind man, representing some of the best that humanity had to offer, despite the irony that he was not human at all.
Which made it a rare sight to see him laughing this hard at someone else's misfortune.
Bruce wore a faint smile as he pressed play again.
They both watched in slow motion as Lex Luthor slipped backward, his belt snapped, and his urine-soaked pants dropped directly across his face.
"MAN OF PEE!" Jean Valjean screamed from somewhere off-camera.
"Pffft—" Clark's shoulders shook as he stared at the Batcomputer.
Bruce let out a chuckle of his own at the appropriation of one of Clark's more famous nicknames. If anyone deserved to be laughed at, Lex Luthor was understandably high on the list.
"I can't—I can't." Clark rubbed at his eyes as a couple of tears escaped from his laughter. "Oh, Lord… you have to send this to me, Bruce."
"I'll send you a compilation of the best angles." Bruce smiled faintly as he shook his head.
Who would've guessed his paranoia would pay off like this?
"Good thing I was in town for this." Clark finally managed to get himself under control, though another glance at the frozen image of Lex nearly ruined his composure again. "Being in that other dimension was tiring."
Bruce's amusement faded slightly as he leaned back in his chair.
"How is the situation on the other Earth?"
"Not bad." Clark's expression grew more serious. "A few of us from the League helped deal with this 'Crime Syndicate' operating there. Some of them escaped, but nothing their authorities shouldn't be able to handle."
"And their Justice League?"
Clark hesitated.
"That was… strange."
Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"They're good people," Clark clarified. "But their League developed very differently from ours. Also… it's kind of weird seeing a bunch of our villains running around doing heroic stuff." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Meeting another version of yourself is already strange enough. Working with a heroic Lex Luthor was… weird."
"Any threats?"
"Nothing immediate." Clark shook his head. "It should take care of itself. The only one who knew how to open the portal was this Owlman guy. Luckily for us, when we sent him back they discovered he had amnesia. Apparently he never shared his notes either, so hopefully that's the end of it."
"Then we'll have to wait for the portal to close on its own," Bruce grunted. "Unfortunately, some of our villains already seem to have gotten wind of it."
"You know, I could ask Lois to pick up a few interviews in Jersey just in case. Kara should have Metropolis covered if you want me to…" Clark's voice slowly petered off, no doubt expecting an immediate rebuttal.
Bruce remained silent.
He had never liked other Leaguers operating in Gotham unless necessary. Contrary to what some of his friends seemed to believe, it wasn't because he thought he owned the city.
The presence of more powerful heroes inevitably led to escalation. Corner a dog with no chance to escape and eventually the only thing it could do is bite back. The last thing Bruce wanted was Gotham's criminal underbelly panicking and lashing out because it felt cornered.
But Gotham's criminal landscape wasn't normal anymore.
Jean Valjean had essentially taken Gotham's underworld by storm, reshaping it into something almost unrecognizable from what it had once been.
Bruce stared at the Batcomputer for another moment.
"I think that would be a good idea."
Clark blinked. "Really?"
Bruce glanced toward him. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Clark raised his hands. "No, no, it's fine. I'm glad, really. I've always thought you could use a little more help around here."
Bruce grunted in acknowledgment.
An alert suddenly flashed across the Batcomputer.
JEAN VALJEAN PROTOCOL
Bruce stared at it for a moment before opening the notification.
Jean had emailed him an invitation.
Apparently Jean was holding some kind of event for the Goon Union's new headquarters.
Perhaps Clark really did have a point about helping.
Batman didn't need help, but Bruce could certainly use some.
"Clark."
"Yeah?"
"Are you serious about helping?" Bruce placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Clark tilted his head. "Of course."
"Then I think I know exactly where to start. Jean Valjean. He's a great guy. I'm sure the two of you will get along."
Clark's expression froze as his eyes flicked toward the screen.
"Uh… maybe you should handle that one."
"No, no." Bruce felt a smile spread across his face. "You wanted to help."
"Um…" A faint bead of sweat formed on Clark's forehead. "You know, work has been getting pretty busy. Chief Perry has been telling me to–"
"I've already sent a request to the Daily Planet." Bruce's smile widened. "Clark Kent will be getting an exclusive interview with the up-and-coming entrepreneur Jean Valjean."
Clark stared at him for several long seconds. "Is this payback for laughing at you…?"
"Whatever could you mean?" Bruce turned back toward the Batcomputer. "We're in this together, Clark."
***
Comments and Thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Likes are like a drug to me and boost my creative juices.
I have advanced chapters on Pa tre on/daisyberry if you wanna read ahead.