Chapter 230: Plans #230
"What if instead of throwing them into some shithole like Arkham Asylum or Black Gate, you got them genuine help?" I asked, staring straight into Katherine's eyes.
"Some might be beyond help. Even I could admit that, but what about the others?" I asked, keeping my calm. "The ones who get dealt a bad hand and do what became second nature to them because of circumstances?" I added, raising an eyebrow.
"I've long realized that violence isn't always the answer. Sometimes there are no other ways..." I said, shrugging my shoulders as I sighed. "But that's not always the case," I concluded.
"Aren't you full of compassion..." Katherine mockingly said, giving me a blank look, but I could tell she was thinking about my words, so I pressed harder.
"No. I'm just tired. I'm not like Superman or Batman," I said, chuckling as I shook my head. "I'm human. I have a breaking point, and I'm already past it," I went on, my smile turning bitter as I sighed.
"I can't sit home and twiddle my thumbs either, not with all this power..." I said, opening my balm and materializing a flaming miniature horse that galloped around us for a second before dissipating.
"And I can't keep going out every day, putting the same people into jail, only for them to break out five minutes later," I said, shaking my head with a grimace.
"I sure as hell don't want to go around killing everyone like some crazed vigilante as well," I added, firmly shaking my head. "Ultimately, there is only one way, and it isn't mindlessly beating up or killing criminals like there's no tomorrow," I concluded.
"Fine, let's hear your grand plan, then," Katherine said after pausing for almost an entire minute, seemingly thinking about my words. "Surely you don't intend to pay off every single villain out there and keep in your payroll," She asked, crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow.
"No. I may be rich, but I'm not that rich," I replied with a chuckle, rolling my eyes at Katherine's words. "But do you know who is that rich? The government," I added with a shrug.
"And not necessarily our government alone," I went on, smiling at her stupified expression. "They're already drooling over metahumans and even skilled mercenaries like Deadshot," I explained, shrugging my shoulders.
"The government would have super soldiers at their command working for them instead of robbing banks and doing grunt work for mobs," I added, my smile widening as I spoke.
"As long as someone can guarantee these former villains can get in line, follow orders, and stay clean, everyone would jump at the chance," I concluded.
"And that "someone" is supposed to be you, I presume?" Katherine asked with a frown, to which I merely nodded. "And how do you plan to become that "someone" exactly?" She asked, and I suspected she already knew the answer but asked to hear it from me.
"By giving them a valid example, of course, as in Deadshot, Lady Vic, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy," I replied, raising a finger with each name I called, much to Katherine's confusion as she waited for me to elaborate.
"The first three are some of the most notorious mercenaries. If I can keep them in check, then who's to say I can't do the same with others like them?" I asked, to which Katherine nodded.
"As for Poison Ivy, she is one of the most dangerous people on the planet because of her power and ideology," I explained. "But what if she used those powers the right way?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"What if she someday showed up in an African desert one day and turned it into a fertile forest instead of destroying a chemical plant?" I asked as I watched Katherine's expression rapidly shift.
"If someone like Poison Ivy, a human-hating terrorist, as people see her, could use their power to do good, who's to say others like her can't do the same?" I concluded, pausing as I waited for Katherine to process my words.
"I see what you mean, but that's a lot of big ifs, especially in Poison Ivy's case..." Katherine said after a short pause, shaking her head as she did not seem convinced. Yet.
"Well, you'd be happy to hear they're not ifs, then. I can make it happen," I replied with a shrug, smiling at Katherine. "I'll get Ivy on the phone for you if you want to ask her yourself," I added, chuckling at her incredulous expression.
"You're completely serious, aren't you...?" Katherine asked after a slight pause as she stared into my eyes, waiting for me to start laughing and reveal it was a joke.
"As serious as they come," I replied with a shrug. "As I've said, I intend to change this city, but that's only the beginning," I added without bothering to elaborate as she seemed to understand the meaning behind my words.
"That didn't sound as naive as when you first said it..." Katherine said as she sighed. "But you should know the people in charge aren't exactly saints," She added, shaking her head.
"At best, you'd be giving them human weapons they could use to vie for power and wage wars like they always had," She went on, her tone regretful as her expression shifted to match it. "In the end, nothing will change. The villains will keep killing, albeit under a legal guise," She concluded.
"Not necessarily," I calmly replied. "People like Deadshot and Lady Vic won't be anything special once I've had my way," I added, and Katherine only gave me a confused look, silently asking for an explanation.
"Putting the villains on a government leash is only a temporary solution, but I've shared more than I'm comfortable with already," I said, shaking my head as I gave Katherine a blank look.
"All I'll say is that I've thought about it long and hard. I will change this world on my own if need be," I said, more to myself than Katherine, despite straight into her eyes.
"It's up to you whether you want to be a part of that, though it will never be too late to jump ship if you don't like where it's heading," I added, smiling as I turned away from her and back toward the city lights.
"It all depends on if you can trust me until then or not," I concluded.
...
Cassandra's smile couldn't be wider as she headed for the theatre's exit after finishing her sandwich. She grunted and waved her hand at Patrick, who smiled and returned the gesture as he watched her leave.
She took a deep breath as she walked into the street. Her smile was still present as she pulled the hoodie over her head and walked into the alley next to the theatre.
Cassandra briefly looked up, scanning the area before jumping into the wall, bouncing off it to latch on the fire stairs. She was as quick and agile as a cat as she made her way into the roof.
She paused to look around once more before she bounced over the ledge to the next roof and continued making her way through the concrete jungle until she reached a fancy hotel in the middle of the Diamond District.
Cassandra retrieved a small watch from her pocket to check the time before nodding in satisfaction as she sat on the ledge, staring intently at the hotel's parking lot.
Her smile widened as she spotted a girl roughly her age climbing out of a limousine and making her way for the hotel's entrance. Though she seemed Cassandra's age, the two couldn't be any more different.
While the girl was wearing an expensive tight-fitting evening dress, looking like a princess, Cassandra wore baggy street clothes that made her look like a boy more than anything else.
Having returned to Gotham after weeks of fighting villains and criminals, Cassandra had developed a reputation as a skilled martial artist, and many people immediately noticed her.
The sudden attention came with offers, lucrative ones at that. Rich people offered her money in exchange for her services, and she gladly agreed as she needed the cash.
It would mostly be concerned parents hiring Cassandra to look after their children for a distance during critical moments, and she never had to do anything besides fighting off a drunkard.
Cassandra would spend most of her time observing the rich children and wondering what life would have been like for her had she not been born into the League of Assassins.
Though these stray thoughts never evolved into anything else, and her resolve never faltered, she couldn't help but wonder about the what ifs and if nots in her life.
However, Cassandra didn't get to wonder for too long this time around as she spotted a suspicious shadowed figure approaching her charge and immediately jumped into action.
...
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