Batman Always Has a Plan

Alfred soon brought down dinner. Using a concealed elevator, he pushed the serving cart down with a full set of tablecloths, napkins, knives, and forks.

The large table in the Batcave was covered with the leftovers Su Ming and the others had finished, along with half a pot of Cindy's bizarre sweet soup. At the time, only Su Ming and Cindy had managed a few bites, relying on their enhanced bodies. The other three had turned pale after just one taste.

As Alfred cleared away the leftovers, he suddenly noticed a scorched yellow mark on the tabletop, with ash scattered beside it and on the floor as well.

His gaze instantly sharpened.

"Miss, if you intend to befriend Deathstroke, I believe we should order a batch of ashtrays for the Batcave. Natural crystal ones would be a fine choice. What do you think?"

Without turning around, Bliss continued studying the information on the screen. Indian Hill seemed vaguely familiar to her, yet its history in the intelligence files consisted of only a few brief lines. That was a problem in itself. Why had she never noticed before?

"No one would be friends with Deathstroke. I merely want to discuss a business deal with him."

Alfred tilted his head and nodded, raising his eyebrows in understanding. He calmly cleared away the clutter, spread the tablecloth, and set out fresh food.

"Oh, but I would suggest having a lawyer present when negotiating with a mercenary like Deathstroke. The contract must also be airtight."

"Barry will come with me," Bliss said flatly. She left the surveillance console and sat beside the large table. It was actually her workbench, where she usually assembled her little gadgets, and she had always been careful not to get it greasy.

But today, Deathstroke had found a new use for the workbench and dirtied it up. So she might as well eat there too.

"Huh? But I handle physical evidence. I'm sort of a forensic examiner, but contracts aren't my specialty, are they?" Barry appeared beside the table in an instant. He had already laid out his own napkin and cutlery and was simply waiting for the food.

Bliss looked at him as though asking whether he was joking. Barry was highly intelligent, perhaps the finest photophysicist and materials scientist she had ever met. But like all scientists, he seemed to be missing a screw in everyday life.

"There's no need to prepare documents. Just wear your uniform and come with me."

"Oh, that's what you meant." Barry suddenly understood, a smile appearing on his youthful face. "Got it. You're even harder to understand than Diana. Uh, Diana from my world."

"I understand. The Wonder Man here is an arrogant fanatic, selfish and treacherous. Even seeing his interviews on television makes me sick."

Bliss laid out her napkin as Alfred served the appetizer first: a plate of bright green fish salad.

"So what about your Aquaman? I mean, Aquawoman?" Barry eagerly took a bite and finally felt sensation returning to his tongue.

"She tried to create a world ruled by Atlanteans. To achieve that goal, she would let the entire world be buried with her." Bliss answered while eating, picking up food with her fork and placing it in her mouth.

Alfred, standing nearby to serve them, stared at her. Bliss was talking while chewing. He could not remember ever teaching the young lady that such behavior was acceptable.

Barry nodded, roughly understanding the situation. "No offense, Bliss, but I now think you won't become the person I remember. But if the Amazons and Atlantis break into a full-scale war, I've seen what that looks like. I saw it on a wrong Timeline. The world will be destroyed all the same."

Bliss remained calm. The darkness of the Batcave seemed to have seeped into her bones, and that cold expression never left her face.

"I can guess. If the world situation continued to deteriorate, the old me would most likely have regarded Arthur as a global threat and dealt with her. I once had a very similar plan."

"The old you were the fuse that could set off the world. I changed your mind now, but I can't make Barbatos change his. He's still carrying out his evil plan, using the power of the Dark Multiverse to drag over the Light Multiverse. If he succeeds, we're all finished."

Barry had already finished his food and was waiting for the next course. Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, he spoke of what he had said earlier.

"I've heard your theory about universal balance and reboots. Even if it's only a hypothesis that you can't prove, as long as Amazons and Atlanteans exist in this world, the threat will remain. Perhaps our world is incomplete, a world destined for destruction." Bliss put down her knife and fork, signaling Alfred to continue serving without waiting.

"That's what Barbatos wants you to believe! No world is destined to be destroyed. People can change their own fates!" Barry became serious, and the childish smile vanished from his face. "Don't let him influence you. He might appear in your dreams, spouting nothing but lies. We'll stop this war soon, and the world will endure."

Bliss glanced at him, revealing an expression whose meaning was difficult to read. "I know. We'll find Deathstroke first. There were several times when I wanted to go all out and fight him to the death. He's the person I hate most, but circumstances are special now."

"He isn't a villain in the conventional sense. He's done good things, and perhaps one day he'll turn over a new leaf, though even I find that hard to believe. I know you're powerful when you stop holding back, but not killing is a principle for both of us. I'm done eating. When do we leave?"

Lightning flashed. Barry sat beside her picking his teeth, having eaten half of every dish in an instant and changed into his red-and-yellow Flash uniform.

Bliss sighed, rose, put on her Batman helmet, and replenished her various gadgets.

"Alfred, I'll eat the rest when I get back. Barry and I are heading out."

"Of course, Miss. I'll wait for you at home."

Alfred bent slightly, wearing an elegant smile as he kindly watched a streak of red light carry Bliss away before his eyes, just as he had watched her leave to fight for justice countless times before.

Indian Hill Underground Research Facility, Level Three.

Su Ming and Cindy encountered a storm of gunfire here. They had just come down the stairs and taken only a few steps before being met with all-around firepower.

It resembled an employee dormitory area, or perhaps a place for holding ordinary people intended to become test subjects. In any case, small rooms lined both sides of the brightly lit corridor.

The instant they came under attack, Su Ming shoved the three defenseless people into one room, while Cindy darted into a small room across the corridor.

"Forty-seven personnel. Submachine Guns, Rocket Launchers, large-caliber hunting rifles, small anti-tank cannons, and some weapons I don't recognize. Your call?"

Cindy poked her head out from the doorway and memorized the situation opposite her at a glance. Amid the unbroken gunfire, she rapidly gave Su Ming a string of tactical hand signals. Vicki told Pete to start recording, but the big man's legs had gone limp as noodles. Left with no choice, Vicki had to shoulder the camera herself.

A structural diagram of this type of building immediately appeared in Su Ming's mind. It was like leaves growing symmetrically along a vine, with the rooms on both sides of the corridor arranged in the same fashion. Each room contained only a battered little stainless-steel bed and nothing else. The walls were made of soundproofing material, and although decades had passed, they still seemed to be of decent quality.

"Flashbang." Su Ming responded with tactical hand signals as well. The enemy fire blasted cement chips around the doorway, and in only a dozen seconds, it had even shaved away a section of the corridor floor.

Cindy nodded faintly from across the corridor. Countless bullets, trailing flames and turbulent air, streaked through their field of vision. The heat slightly distorted the air. This tactic suited her perfectly.