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Leaving countryside was supposed to feel freeing. It meant a new beginning, new life and new opportunities.
Clark had used all his saved up money to pay rent. Life savings all gone in moving in… And one month rent. Metropolis was going to kick his ass.
He had wanted this, of course. He went to university, made his parents proud with something he had a passion for. Changing the world was a work that took time, and he was ready to work hard.
Clark had been raised in a simple way : he believed hard work always paid.
That’s why he was not intending to be late at his first interview for the Daily Planet. This had to be a proof, a way of making headlines.
“Sorry, I’m late… I am Clark Kent, for the Daily Planet… I am here for an interview with mister Wayne.”
He presented himself to the front desk of Wayne Inc., sweating. Clark was not sweating a lot, but when he did, it was too strong to ignore. He could have flyed over here, of course, but not without risking someone to see Superman in Gotham, and he was too paranoid to try. Superman was still new for Clark to handle, and even if he controlled perfectly his powers, he could not risk anything, especially for selfish purposes.
Clark tried to tidy himself in the elevator. Making sure he didn't stink, using his tie to wipe the sweat off his forehead - not the best idea, he realised it after.
The elevator tinged at the last flour. Clark sighed at his reflection one last time before leaving, taking a step in…
“Mister Kent.”
Clark gulped.
“M-mister Wayne. Hi. Sorry for being late, Gotham is… Very unknown to me,” he chuckled awkwardly, extending his hand to the CEO.
Wayne looked down at his sweaty hand, shaking it before taking a napkin.
“Please, sit down. What does the Daily Mail wants to know about me ?,” Wayne asked, sitting behind his desk.
Clark followed him, stumbling with his bag to get his phone out. The CEO threw it a weird look, more like a grimace.
“To… Record. Is that a problem ?,” Clark asked, noticing Wayne’s frown.
“You know those things could easily be pirated right ?”
“Hum… Yes. One of my colleague uses analog recorders, would you… Prefer that ?
-No. It’s your responsibility after all,” Wayne answered with an icy tone and an even more icy look.
Clark felt embarrassed. More than that, he felt mortified. Wayne was around his age… And yet he seemed so much more. He was not fumbling in his bag to get something, he was obviously knowing about technology… And he did not had any sweat on his tie. Of course Clark usually did not had any usually, it was more bad luck and context than an habit…
“I am asking again. Why does the Daily Mail wanted an interview, to the point of sending an intern ?, Wayne asked again calmly, crossing his hands on his desk.
“I am not an intern. Well, I was a few months ago but not today…” Clark protested.
Wayne did not react. They watched themselves in silence, before Clark remembered he was actually supposed to do an interview.
He rummaged another time to find his notepad.
“Can I record you with it ? Or do you have any opposition ?,” Clark asked, hand on his phone to record.
Wayne cracked a smile. Clark found it pretentious.
“No. No problem for me. But it should be one for you,
-Mr Wayne, Wayne Inc. has recently announced something that has not been mediatized at all, you are planning to release a new AI assistant in association with the state police, this will be tested on Gotham’s police first, am I right ?
-Absolutely. This is just a prototype, so nothing is ready to be released yet, but we are working on it.
-How will it help the police in its work ?
-The camera will record the policeman wearing it. This is a way of identifying offenders, and more generally, help the police do its job. It's also an help to find victims of crimes based on the recording of their faces.
-Mr Wayne, could you read this report please ?”
The audio file would not contain the face of Bruce Wayne as he read the article published by an independent journal, in a small city near Gotham.
“The Legacy has revealed in today’s paper that Gotham still has the most corrupted police in United States. Mr Wayne, do you think that giving more power to this police is the best way to end crime in Gotham ?”
Wayne did not answer. His eyes stayed fixated on the title of the article, but Clark had seen enough politics in his short career to know he was pretending.
“Mr Kent, I can not answer you, as I have not read the article yet. All that I can tell you is that we are doing our best to protect Gotham, in association to the law order,” Wayne answered with a soft, polite tone.
Clark asked a few more questions, but Wayne was as smart, as Clark was prepared.
“Thank you, mr Wayne. Have a great day,” he concluded with a smile before taking the elevator.
Bruce walked him back, nodding solemnly. He waited until the journalist was out of his vision to crash in his chair with a deep sigh, rubbing his eyes.
He had always known Gotham police was, well, far from perfect. And that was why he wanted to work with them, to change it from the inside with his technology, and from the outside with the persona he was slowly creating.
But this journalist had pulled a cart he had not seen coming, when he should have had. Bruce had spent the rest of the interview in PR mode, one part of his mind giving the most generic answers he could while the other part was carburating.
To find an answer to the corruption of the police, to this problem Bruce wanted nothing more than to fix.
And also to fix the shaking of his hands, hid under his desk, and sweating from embarrassment.