Barbara disliked crowds, so she had skipped both the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Skynet Research Institute and the banquet hosted by Wayne Enterprises that evening.
Instead, she pushed open the door to the institute's front lobby early the next morning. Pietro was cleaning inside. Brad had already put away all the "little toys" displayed for visitors, leaving only the silver-white floor looking unsightly, with dusty footprints scattered across it.
Pietro, however, seemed to be enjoying himself. No longer confined by the Iron Man Armor, he felt free no matter what he did.
When Barbara arrived, Pietro dropped his mop and went to show her the way.
After Brad's renovations, even a Batgirl like Barbara would need to put in some effort to find the right route through the Skynet Research Institute.
For Pietro, though, it was effortless. No maze in the world could stump a Speedster, provided it had an exit.
"Couldn't he whip up a robot vacuum or something? Why does he make you clean by hand?"
Barbara sounded rather indignant.
"This is a form of training."
Pietro rolled up his sleeves and flexed the scant muscle on his arm.
"The water for mopping is melted snow I fetched from Antarctica, and the dust I collect has to be dumped in the Sahara Desert."
"Brad made you do that? He barely even steps outside himself."
Barbara gave Pietro a sidelong look.
The silver-haired teenager scratched his head sheepishly. "I came up with it myself. Mostly because running on the Universe Treadmill every single day gets way too boring."
Barbara rolled her eyes, but rather than mock his teenage theatrics, she changed the subject.
"I really don't understand what Brad is thinking."
"That interview was a perfect opportunity to advertise, and he completely wasted it. Sure, he was telling the