Forty minutes later, Sharon pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped aside to let a tall figure in.
General Lane wore a dark green uniform, the stars on his epaulets glinting coldly under the fluorescent lights.
His jaw was tight and his gaze sharp as a knife. He swept the room with his eyes before they settled on the figure lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, peeling a mandarin orange.
Yongye looked up and flashed him a grin. "General Lane, what a rare guest. You came all this way at night. Don't tell me you brought me a midnight snack?"
Lane ignored the greeting.
He sat on the Folding Chair opposite Yongye, back straight as a flagpole and hands resting on his knees. When he spoke, his voice was as heavy as an iron chain dragged up from a deep well.
"President, I'm here on behalf of the Supreme Leader's office to deliver a formal directive: until the nuclear bomb crisis in Gotham City is resolved, no Superhero may interfere in Gotham's affairs in any way, including you. This is a National Security Order of the highest level. The Supreme Leader has signed an Executive Order."
Yongye kept peeling the orange without so much as looking up. "Oh."
Lane's jaw tightened, but he continued. "There's no predicting the Joker's madness by ordinary logic. No one can guarantee he won't detonate it the moment you arrive. The Supreme Leader believes any intervention could set it off."
"The safest plan right now is to seal off Gotham and let the Joker think we're complying with his demands. Once he lets his guard down, specialists will infiltrate through the underground pipe network and deal with the detonator."
"If you charge in, you'll only disrupt the entire plan and cause irreversible consequences."
Yongye