"I'd thought Gothamites were all pretty rigid," Schiller thought. But that makes it even harder to explain how they turned this city into what it is.
"Wasn't there supposed to be magic, along with the influence of the rules?" Gray Mist said. "That keeps most people from noticing the problem. Even if they do notice it, they can't change anything."
"But things are different now. Do you think we should add fuel to the fire?" Schiller thought. Things were progressing far too slowly on their end. It was hard for him to believe they were still using dial-up internet.
"I think they're on the right path, so there's no need to interfere too much. But if you step in, that may not be the case." Gray Mist was clearly pessimistic. "A train may be slow, but you can't turn its tracks into roller-coaster tracks just because it isn't moving fast enough."
Schiller thought it over and decided that was true. He was only here to work, not a shareholder in this company. Why work so hard? He had already found his entertainment, so it was time to go back and sleep.
Yet while Schiller was driving back into the city, events seemed to hit the accelerator—or rather, the long buildup had finally erupted.
Feeling bored on the drive back, Schiller turned on the car radio. He heard the host rapidly announce in the urgent tone of someone facing disaster, "We interrupt this broadcast for an urgent international report. Oliver Queen, leader of the Mexican Anti-Government Forces and a notorious terrorist, arrived in Moscow at two o'clock this afternoon. Sources from the Kremlin say the purpose of this meeting with Queen is to discuss reestablishing the Fourth International."
"Thirteen minutes ago, Washington sent a message to Moscow, demanding that it confront