บท 205: The Real Enemy #205
Gotham City
Gray's hideout
"Looks sci-fi-ish enough..." I muttered to no one in particular, my eyes reflecting the purple light from the elaborate machine before me as I chuckled.
It looked more like a containment unit to store the glowing purple crystal inside than anything else, but its function was to power it, hence the many caples attached to its base.
"Looks aside..." I remarked as I retrieved a random soda can from my inventory and raised it near the crystal before letting go.
Much to my satisfaction, the soda can didn't fall to the ground but remained afloat for a second before moving in a circular pattern around the crystal, orbiting it.
The crystal was just a random piece of glass I'd carved to look pleasing to the eye. The many mechanisms hidden beneath the display case inside the base were doing the heavy lifting instead, giving the crystal the purple glow and friggen orbit.
It was still a work in progress, merely an experiment to imbue a stronger gravitational pull to a small object that would not have it otherwise, but it was a success nonetheless.
Now I only need to do a few more tests and experiment on different materials, then move on to other applications such as manipulating gravity and whatnot, which I certainly knew was possible.
Gravity control was one of the best powers you could have, especially for someone with my particular skills and abilities. It would enable me to create machines of gargantuan sizes without worrying about structural integrity and other minor details that peasants would have to consider.
Even on a personal level, once I fully master the technology, it would allow me to achieve feats even someone like Superman could dream of, not to mention its practical uses such as creating super gravity training rooms and whatnot.
It's enough to make a grown man drool. Unfortunately, it would take time, which I didn't have now since I still had a trial and one cold-hearted bitch I needed to attend to before anything else.
Several days had passed since I started working on the experimental rifle. Today was finally the date of the trial, and it couldn't have come any sooner.
I'd already handed all the evidence and information I had on Waller and her task force to Deborah Tiegel and the DA. I've already greased every palm that needed greasing and went the extra mile to ensure Waller wouldn't have a chance to win or recover after her loss.
All the pieces were in place, and now I didn't have to do much other than kick back, relax, and take a stand when it was my turn to give to testify against Waller.
That said, I still needed to be there in the courtroom since I started this whole trial, and it won't look good if I didn't attend. I also needed to pay attention to ensure Waller and her people wouldn't do anything funny.
I also went out of my way to get Clay Ryme (known for being a corrupt, avid enjoyed of bribes) to reside over the case for obvious reasons since I could always bitch slap him with a stack of papers or extort him if anything went wrong.
As for the district attorney, I knew Linus Hampton would do what he needed to do without my interference since he was eager to prove himself and break the ongoing stereotype.
His predecessors were Harvey Dent (Two-Face) and Janice Porter, who had an affair with the former and was feeding him information until he later shot her dead.
It was safe to say that Hampton would do everything in his power to fly as straight as an arrow if he wanted to keep his job since there were so many eyes on him.
As for the opposition, Waller had her own team of lawyers, headed by one hotshot defense attorney from New York. But he wouldn't be able to do shit, considering how much evidence I'd accumulated against her, regardless of his competence and how fancy suites were.
I'll be watching them like a hawk and reacting to whatever scheme they might cook up without letting my guard down, but I was going to attend the trial expecting a whole-ass landslide.
I took a deep breath, shaking away any stray thoughts as I cut the power on the gravity machine. "Time to go..." I muttered, letting out a sigh as I firmed my resolve and headed for the hideout's exit.
...
Gotham City's courthouse
As she stood at the courthouse's entrance within the crowd of spectators and reporters split in half by two lines of police officers, Lois Lane had a calm expression as she watched more and more people arrive, walking through the stone stairs.
Her eyes glinted as she spotted a young man dressed in an expensive-looking black suit, accompanied by Captain Deborah Tiegel and several police officers as they slowly made their way up the courthouse stairway.
"Grayson...!" Lois exclaimed, resisting her urge to use a more formal tone as she fought and pushed her way through the crowd. The young man instantly turned to her and smiled.
The young man, Grayson, turned to Deborah and said something which Lois couldn't hear, causing the police captain to sigh as she signaled for her men to stop and nodded at him.
He returned the gesture before heading in Lois Lane's direction. "Mrs. Lane... why am I not surprised...?" Grayson jokingly remarked, raising an eyebrow as he stopped in front of the reporter.
"Gotta make a living somehow..." Lois replied, letting out a wary smile at Grayson's joking words. "And speaking of which, I have a couple of questions..." She went on, trailing at the end of her sentence as she studied the young man's expression to measure his reaction.
He nodded, gesturing for her to ask away, and she couldn't be happier to oblige. "It's no secret that you have a few stakes in this case... your reputation and credibility, among others..." Lois stated, to which Grayson remained silent, waiting for the question.
"My question is, what role will you play in the case? As in, how do you plan to win?" Lois asked after a slight pause which she used to peek at her notes before turning to face Grayson.
"I've already surrendered all evidence in my possession to the DA office and the police force..." Grayson replied, his voice losing its casual tone as he raised it a few notches for all present to hear, putting on a grave expression.
"Other than that, my only role in the case would be to take a stand and testify..." He concluded as he turned back to Lois, to which she raised an eyebrow.
"Then allow me to rephrase my question... what roles have you played so far to further your case...?" Lois asked after clearing her throat and turning to her notes as she put on a similarly grave expression.
"Everyone knows I had convinced three of Waller's victims to testify against her..." Grayson replied, shrugging his shoulders, keeping a calm expression as he'd expected such a question.
"Furthermore, under the GCPD's formal supervision and approval..." The young man continued, emphasizing the GCPD's formal support of his endeavor as he trailed off and turned to Deborah, who nodded.
"I have investigated several leads and gathered evidence linking Amanda Waller to activities that broke international and local laws..." Grayson went, trailing off as he hesitated for a second, arousing everyone's curiosity.
"Human trafficking, kidnapping, assassinations, espionage, and the most shocking of all..." Grayson remarked after he took a moment's pause, drawing a deep breath as if to steady his resolve.
"...Was Waller's involvement in Brimstone's attack on Gotham..." He said, much to everyone's shock, including Loise, as she could only stare at him, her eyes wide as saucers while everyone gasped.
"The disaster, no the terrorist attack that caused thousands of casualties, including women, children, the elderly..." Grayson said, his voice booming as it silenced the murmuring that followed the spectator's gasps.
"It was not a freak accident. It was not perpetrated by some alien invader or supervillain either..." The young man said, his tone growing more piercing and emotional as he spoke.
"It was all perpetrated by a regular woman with too much power and a lack of remorse..." Grayson went on, his tone turning calm as he lowered his voice, but everyone still heard him as silence reigned over the courthouse entrance.
"We live in a time where people who could topple cities and destroy countries exist..." Grayson said, trailing at the end of his sentence as he scanned the crowd's faces.
"We fear and vilify such people, and yet..." The young man said as he turned to Lois, staring right into her eyes. "It only took one misguided individual in a position of power to bring so much death and destruction..." He added, his calm expression turning into a grimace.
"It makes you wonder who the real enemy is, doesn't it...?"
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