"Hello. I'm looking for Dr. Silas Stone. I'm his son."
Victor stood at the entrance to NASA's Metropolis Aerospace Research Center. The guard glanced at him and said, "Dr. Stone? He took the day off today. Didn't he go home?"
Victor froze slightly. Had his father just gone home, only for them to miss each other? He asked, "When did he leave?"
"He requested leave last night. He probably left this morning."
Victor frowned. If his father had left in the morning, Victor had still been home when he returned. They should not have missed each other.
Besides, the fact that he had taken leave was abnormal in itself. Victor had long known his father was a workaholic. Forget Victor's important competitions—even on holidays meant for family reunions, like Christmas, his father rarely came home. Why would he take leave now, when there was no holiday?
Victor wanted to ask more, but he deeply distrusted government agencies like NASA. He worried that asking too many questions would put them on alert and interfere with whatever his father was doing. So he waved a hand and said, "I came from Gotham. I don't know whether he went home, so I'll go check."
After saying that, he left, found an empty spot, and flew into the sky. He was soon back at his house. He carefully checked the storefront and found no signs that anyone had touched it. Once inside, he accessed the cameras and confirmed that his father had not returned.
Victor then hacked into the Research Center's cameras and those around it. He found that his father had indeed driven away, but clearly not in the direction of home. Where had he gone?
If it had been work-related, there would have been no need to take leave. Since he had