"Watch how far the bands go" [Naomi]

[Deleted]

"Married to the money . . .  watch how far the bands go"
-- William Maxwell



The fog was coming in slowly from Gotham Bay at the dockyards as the ships settled along the water. In the distance, there was a sound of a foghorn. The flashing lights guiding in the ships cut through the fog like a sharp relief as the smell of rotting fish filled the air. An early evening rainstorm had made the streets slick and slippery, with puddles that reflected the city in grimy perfection. The reflection was broken as the Italian loafer splashed int water that was not meant for its delicate construction. A tie fluttered in the wind, the back of a raincoat trailed like a cape as the gentleman broke into a full run from the terror that chased after him. One step in front of the other, one step ahead of the next, don't look back, keep staring forward. Don't worry about what's ahead, worry about what's behind. 

The gentleman in the suit had gone to the meeting without too much trouble, the suitcase filled with cash was lost now, he'd have to go to his employer with the news that it was missing. The meeting itself had started without a hitch, a simple bribe, a simple offer and arrangement to allow the item to be delivered to Gotham Docks with no complications, and no questions. 

There'd been no questions, the money was well accepted, although the gentleman assumed that the individuals he'd made the offer to would never be happy with what the gentleman had given. They'd only been allowed to keep it for under a minute before the police came. . . before that monster came and started giving chase. 

Twisting down a corner alleyway, he knew better than to have a straight path. Best to get lost in the crowds, disappear among the crowds and regroup. Find a way to reconnect with the employer. Another footfall through a puddle, and the man kept running. 

[Deleted]

"Gotham PD! Everybody clear the building in a single file!"


The crowd did as they were told. When the dark haired Asian gave an order like that, it meant something was going on. As the crowd started to leave, she grabbed one of the men in the back.


"Except you...Jason Padlock.


The hooded man looked down gritted his teeth before stabbing the officer with a knife. Residents who hadn't left the building screamed at the horror of the scene. Jason ran for the other side of the building as Naomi pulled out the knife. She grabbed her mouser pistol and ran after the convict. The man fired a few shots at the police woman.

A small gun fight ensued but the cop was backed into a corner. Naomi shot him in the knee to prevent him from escaping.

"Robbery wire fraud industrial espionage and attempted murder of a police officer. I'd suggest you tell us who Your working for. Otherwise your looking at spending the rest of your life in blackgate."


Jason started to sob.

"You coppers don't get it. If I blab and they find out, I'm a dead man"

[Deleted]

Later: 

The Liberta del Mar had a comfortable atmosphere in the early afternoon, largely empty except for a few scattered tables with businessmen eating an Early lunch, the restaurant itself was on that weird bleeding edge where design met technology met quality. A bleeding edge integration of holographic technology mixed with hidden misters, pipes, speakers and sensors allowed for an unusual interactive experience that let the interior of the restaurant change according to theme as needed. 

For now, the restaurant had kept a theme based around the four classical elements, as established by the recent major Metropham fundraiser for which the holographic retrofit had occurred. The entry lounge remained with a cool and calm water theme with fishtanks embedded in the walls and a quiet ambient soundtrack that played in the background. Overhead what appeared to be sharks and aquatic life floated through the air between the glassy fishtank walls, projected by the modern holographic technology. It was kept on standby as a showpiece for those who entered, at least until the new owner of the restaurant, lounge and club finished developing his new experiential art piece in which gourmet cooking, specialty imported spirits, music art and technology combined into a new universal whole. 

Lex Luthor was sitting in the Fire Room, at a booth in the corner. This was the bar and lounge which was often kept open for lunches, while the dance lounge of the air room and the dinner and presentation center of the Earth room were being prepared for the club rush of the evening, where the Liberta del Mar made its major money. The plates were expensive, specially crafted and while the lunch specials were somewhat cheaper and allowed the power lunches of the movers and shakers of the business and political world to not put as significant a dent into the expense account. 

Lex Luthor enjoyed the meals here, but then again he'd been following the work of the chef with interest for quite some time. He also liked the owner of the restaurant and felt it was worthwhile to share the patronage with the place. The retrofits and the expanded wireless internet connection that let him do business over lunch was an added benefit, as was its location in proximity to LexCorp Gotham's temporary headquarters. It was really a quick drive from Dini Plaza, all things considered, plus it had the advantage of not being in the midst of the future Arkham City expansion, which meant that once that clusterfuck got started, he'd still be able to enjoy his meals here. 

The room itself was dark, except for the lava themes and the scattered fireplaces and sconces about the tables, Lex enjoyed the nice shadowy table in the back to do his sort of work. The scattered floating holographic displays in front of him and the visible face of the old man looking down showed that he was involved in some sort of meeting, even though he appeared to be sitting alone. The relative emptiness of the room except for a few distant businessmen at the opposite sides of the room provided whatever security he wanted, it was hard to overhear what he was saying unless one was right next to the table. Directional microphones would be useless, the baffling technology he carried would see to that, and the natural bend of the acoustics of the table and the dampeners he placed on it would prevent casual overhearing of his conversations, although anyone approaching would hear it clearly. 

He was eating a charcoal grilled Gulf Coast Cobia served over carmelized French Leeks and Persian Cucumbers in a Lemon and Parsley Emulsion, artfully sorted onto the plate, although it was only half eaten and Lex Luthor was contemplating it with an offhanded expression. He was not giving the fish the attention it deserved, and he was aware of that, but other things were of more importance, and he wanted to finish this before his next appointment in . . . oh my, it was getting close, wasn't it?

"Alexander, I don't mind telling you that the difficulty itself is not with the designs but rather the power source. Yes, it is possible, with current projected advancements in nanotechnology, to miniaturize the force fields to a mobile status. We've been able to maintain them on a fixed circuit if they are attached to one of the larger power grids. Miniaturization would allow for a smaller and more mobile field emitter, but it would still need to be connected to the power grid." 

Lex Luthor appeared irritated with this limitation "But the stabilization fields. . . if we were to move the emitters there is a clear 0.12 nanosecond delay in the movement of the kinetic ablative field. That means that anyone moving with the emitter at any sort of normal speed as a good chance to hit the field and either be crushed or vaporized, depending on the speed, Dr. Sivana." 

The old man's face smiled in the flickering holographic display. "Alexander. I said the difficulty is not with the designs. There is an easy way to compensate for the delay utilizing predictive technologies, sensor technologies and a continuing charged feedback loop. My boy, just because I am an old man doesn't mean that I don't understand the workings of basic technology, and I promise you, the new designs will not have the delay, provided the power source is adequate. You'll need a fusion battery, or a way to store enough energy to power the device. . . "

Lex Luthor raised an eyebrow "How much?" 

Dr. Sivana thought for a moment, calculating something in his head. "If you could create a portable reactor that allows for approximately 2 gigawatts of power capacity, it should be more than adequate for the miniaturization as designed." 

Lex Luthor raised an eyebrow as he said "That is a significant amount of power, Dr. Sivana. Gotham City itself uses 5 Gigawatts of energy. "

Dr. Sivana smiled as he said "I said as designed, Alexander. There are workarounds using ionized plasma, electromagnetic particles and a focused burst of extreme energy utilized at specific times, and in a self sustaining feedback loop. Once the force field is established, it can be maintained with the amount of electric energy to power an electric kettle, provided it does not require surges of energy to maintain in the face of extreme forces. Repeated exposure to those extreme forces would eventually deplete any battery of power. Honestly, Alexander. You are a genius, but at times your designs have a certain inelegance to them. You needn't maintain full power at all times, just when needed. But, even so, you need to develop a more portable power source. Something involving fusion, perhaps. I'll work on the designs you've sent me, and I'll have these idiots you call a science team work on a more elegant solution. . . It should allow for an appropriate development." 

Lex Luthor raised an eyebrow "Is that all I need to do? Develop cold fusion?"

Dr. Sivana smiled as he said
"We are the music makers,
 And we are the dreamers of dreams,
 Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
 And sitting by desolate streams;—
World-losers and world-forsakers,
 On whom the pale moon gleams:" 

Lex Luthor nodded as he said "Yet we are the movers and shakers, of the world for ever, it seems. I was hoping to avoid risking further investigation into the Mojave samples." an alarm went off as one of the holographic projections changed color. "If you'll excuse me, Dr. Sivana. There's much work to do." 

" You could always try to attain the Antarctic samples if you'd prefer. Or try to contact Palmer and get him to work with Irons on those damned magnets to try to create a simple ionized field generator. Don't eat with your mouth open, Alexander. You're no longer thirteen. I'll be in touch." the holographic displays disappeared except one. Lex Luthor was left alone with his meal. He ate for a moment as he reviewed the information displayed in front of him. Untouchable, the king brooding alone. 

[Deleted]

Naomi sat at a table at the other end f the hall dressing in a sparkled red dress. Hey it wasn't too often she got to dress up for herself and she felt like being a bit girly. in truth she had been investigating a corporate fraud incident, and the guy she managed to do a mind pry on dropped the name of the guy that hired him

unfortunately the investigation at that point to the point it was more if a six steps from Kevin Bacon. However her suspicions were aimed at Luthor, but the guy was too clean. not a print was missed place not a toe out of line. still she had to find a way to get him to talk. taking a deep breath, she decided to take the most direct approach. she came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

note: naomi is 5 ft 10 in

[Deleted]

He'd turned around before she had the chance to touch him, looking over his shoulder and glancing at her in the eye, shifting his seat in the booth to allow her a place to sit when she was just a few feet away. "While I admit, I normally don't mind the touch of an exotic or strange woman, I've tended to be paranoid about letting people I don't know get to close to me." He gestured for her to sit down nearby, keeping a slight distance from her. He was dressed opulently enough, the suit itself appeared to be custom, it settled on him well, although it was hard to place the material of the thing.

"I'd suggest the Coq au Vin, it's rich, but it's very satisfying. Some young women feel the need to stick with a salad, or something light. That would be a mistake here. While the salads are really quite immaculate and made with the freshest ingredients available, Gotham isn't known precisely for the freshness of its vegetables, due to interruptions in its import market. Corruption on the docks, you see. It's a shame, because local conditions really are conducive to spinach growth, bell peppers, and of course the normal New England standards of Apples, Blueberries, Cranberries, Strawberries and peaches. I suppose I'm to blame for some of it, though. Metropolis simply has better arrangements with local farmers for food import, and we're close enough to Gotham that it tends to interfere. Just more profitable to ship the produce further and into Metropolis than to let it come to Gotham. The perils of a strong local economy."

He shrugged as he said "The Coq au Vin, however, relies not on produce, but on meats and wines and more preserved ingredients. Easier to get quality in Gotham, the import and export businesses in the city are phenomenal when it comes to overseas shipping, you see. One might say that's due to organized crime, others would say they're legitimate grey market businessmen, but then again I'm not an officer of the law, so it really isn't my place to say, now is it?"

He gestures again towards him "If you prefer fish, though, the fish here is . . . really unmatched as well. Gothamites don't have as strong an appreciation for seafood as they should, seeing as it has a thriving fish trade. Too much fear, though, of toxins dropped in the waters. The locals are worried about biting into a fish, and then seeing it smiling at them."

[Deleted]

Naomi gave a smile and sat down while looking at the menu.

"Believe me Mr. Luthor, Unlike most women I do not dread over gaining a few pounds. Actually through most of human history having a fuller figure was a sign of great wealth and prosperity. It's a shame really that we as a country take our food such for granted. Especially considering there are those dying of starvation in other countries."

"Actually you can thank the quality of oversees shipping to defectors. Many who originally were a part of the mafia  seek to have a more legitimate trade.  so yes to answer your question they are  legitimate grey market businessmen."

she found herself mumbling about what she get before the waiter came.

"You know what, forget Hollywood's stupid diet rules. I'll have the Coq au Vin and the Gotham Rainbow Fish. I'll also have a glass of Crémant de Loire Brut NV."

"Right away ma dame" 

[Deleted]

"An interesting choice, Ms. Yakasuma. Or should I say Detective? If we're being formal. Crémant de Loire Brut. . . not quite Champagne, but a close facsimile, cheap, tawdry, yet made with an eye to resemble a spirit with a much grander pedigree. Some might consider its workmanship to be an adequate and worthwhile addition to the corpus of wines. . . but those with experience say that there's a certain more effervescent quality to authentic Champagne. . . either way, you'll be somewhat disappointed with that pairing. An effervescent spirit like that? No, best suited for a charcuterie plate, a sampler platter. Good for a picnic, not for a lunch.  No. For Coq au Vin, you want a red wine. . . the Coq au Vin is made with a Burgundy, so you want a wine from Burgundy to match it. Otherwise they fight. The lightness of the Brut with the heaviness of the Burgundy. It doesn't complement it, it doesn't support it. It just . . . conflicts. Like a persistent itch that just . . . cannot be scratched." He smiles at the Detective for a moment. 


"It's not about price either, that's a mistake that many people have. They assume the Brut is . . . good enough, because it's cheaper, event though it lacks key qualities of the Champagne. For a Red Burgundy, we don't need Domaine de la Romanée-Conti for a good Coq au Vin, it's not a matter of pricing. No, it's a matter of understanding quality, of being able to look deeper into overlooked elements of high quality. There are many villages in Burgundy with the same soil, the same sunlight and the vines as the more predominant vineyards." He smiles as he raises a finger saying "Also bring the Mercurey. . . "

He looked at the Detective "It's known for it's Earthy reds, althoguh that's not entirely true, it's not really known for its wines at all, which is what makes finding them a connoseur's dream. It's a secret, you see, hidden from the world, and knowledge of this secret gives an advantage. Superior yet cheaper wine to create a perfect pairing.  Makes for good wine, but not $13,000 a bottle. A good match for good quality, which is important. You see, a wine isn't known for it's process alone, but known for the qualities that make it up. Understanding these qualities, the important as opposed to the unimportant bits of information, allows for production of a better product. For instance, in the wine, process is not the key to quality. Quality comes from certain key nutrients in the soils mixed with the biological processes of the roots to mingle and mix with time into a perfect combination. We understand this, and with time, we learn to recreate it. But to ignore the origins of a thing is to ignore something very core and important that leads to a final product. Mercurey is a small village, known primarily for the old forgotten temples there to Mercury, not for its wines, but rather the God of messages. A superstitious individual would say that it's a good wine for . . . clear communication, which is something that will be very important before this conversation is finished." 

He smiles as he says "And here we are. But I believe we have things that we need to talk about. You've got something on your mind, and it's really only fair, since you are my guest, to let you start. What is on your mind, Detective?"

[Deleted]

It took everything Naomi had not to give Lex Luthor the dirtiest of looks. Almost on instinct the young policewoman started listing the guys profile in her head.

"Volatile, self-obsessed, and does not play well with others. Has an ego befitting a man of high accomplishment, exceptional charismatic and strong willed. Faces an internal conflict between a man who wants to improve the human condition and a man who wants to tear down humanity to the least common denominator of the species. At times is driven to the most upward of extremes. also more likely to find a way to criticize you regardless of what you actually drink."

It reminded her of a certain someone who ostracized her deputy during one of her investigations.

"Are you dense? Are you retarded? Do you know who I am? I am Vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!

she found herself visible smirking. Yeah this guy could definitely be the Batman he had the profile the means and the tech, but then again why let him know that?

"I apologize for what appears to be my cheap taste. When you spend the last 8 years or so living off of Krispy Kreme and Dr. Pepper you tend to forget how to live like a princess."

She looked deep into the man’s eyes. They were the eyes of someone cold and calculating someone who not only step on the little people, but be willing to rip their spines out and display them as trophies. He reminded her of her ex-father in law.

"You know Mr. Luthor.   over 500 years ago, On the edge of the coast of Japan there was once a country called Lacora. The place was known for it's beauty. it had sparkling sees and bright indigo flowers, but what they were most known for was a little fruit called the Grapes of Midas or Midas Grapes if you will. they were golden colored grapes about the size of a typical marble and they would press the grapes into a fine syrupy juice  and serve it to nobility or in the last princess case, the entire kingdom. The syrup the Midas grapes would produce were far sweeter and richer than any wine you'd find today. Sadly when the Kingdom fell, so did the grapes. I've yet to see such fruit even be so much as attempted to be duplicated despite my searching.

she staired at a window gaze almost fading into the distance.

"Never has war been won by "Playing by the rules." it's not chess. Once upon a time when Rome ruled the earth, all enemies that resisted assimilation were either slaughtered in mass genocide or sold into slavery. When the colonist won the revolutionary war, any loyalist that disapproved of the war were exiled back to Britain. When we dropped the bomb on Japan we destroyed them. their ancient empire exist in only myths and legends now. For those who say war is a gentlemen's game, I'm sorry but they don't know what they are talking about. Chess is a gentleman's game, tennis is a gentlemen's game. not war. Sure heroes rise, but only because they have to. King Arthur established Camelot because the surrounding lands were divided among warlords and barbarians. then you have the wolves in sheep's clothing. Stalin and hitler, tearing down kigdoms that while not perfect did not leave to mass genocide all with promises of a better world. How much better off would Russia and Germany have been had the monarchies stayed in tact."  

 she found herself speaking softly. soft but still clear. Small tears started streaming down her face.

"Once upon a time,
You and all your kind lived underneath bridges,
Had ridges for ribs that dropped off into empty chests as if your hearts were all stolen treasures,
As if an excavation crew were hired to dig up and remove the part Of you that let you feel.
And while the world above you invented the wheel, you stayed put,
Knowing it would one day need to roll over top of you to get to where it's going.
You had an endlessly flowing supply line of food.
You began to brood over humanity and made meals of our hope,
As if crushing our spirits would make your mirrors cast better reflections than the ones they gave,
As if the only way you could save yourselves was to make the world ugly so no one would notice you hiding in it.
You learned to knit pain into a kind of camouflage,
Treated hope like a mirage that you could use to lure in your next meal.
You lived off of our fears, as if you could taste what we feel.
And every night, as the moon read bedtime stories to sunlight.
You took darkness as an invite to head out into the world,
You curled your hands into wrecking balls, your breath became squalls, you made rocks rumble, you made land shiver
You made boys and girls pray that someone would deliver them from you.
We told them you aren't real.
Then one day, the world changed, but you all stayed the same."

she wiped a tear off her face. "I apologize for my sudden lyrical outburst. I was just reminded of a poets words I had heard a few months named Shane Koyczan. I don't like all his poems but  that one in particular I can relate to so to speak.

It was then that the waiter came with the food.

"Dinner is served."

the smell of the food caused the detectives mouth to water. He Oni instincs began to take over as she ravaged into the food.

"Hmmm...I had forgotten how such food taste."

she then caught herself. Sure even in her ravaged state she seemed to be a little bit more high class then most, but probably not near enough for Luthor's liking. (Then again could anything impress that guy?) she then decided to save face and stop before she went full on beast eating and really made a fool of herself.

"Any way it's very interesting that we are  talking about grapes," Naomi said wiping the corners of her mouth. "You see I'm investigating a possible corporate fraud case. the man I interrogated is named Jason Padlock he claims that some guy passed on a weird case, and sadly Mr. Luthor your at the forefront of most rumors. Rumors  from the kind of people We at the GPD have learned to take very very seriously  I'd like to know if there is anything you could possibly tell me. I am sure a man of your reputation would very much prefer to maintain his good name."

[Deleted]

"Often people assume that quality is a matter of elitism, but I assure you, it's not a matter of class or style, but appreciation of details. As a detective, you must be a master of the details, noticing every element and aspect and being able to craft understanding through those things which most people miss. Tenacity is important, but so is comprehension. Understanding the details allows for appreciation of them. A connoisseur is thus someone who notices details, develops a corpus of knowledge, and uses both of these elements to find a deeper appreciation for things they sense. the only apologies you need to make for a lack of appreciation for these things is to yourself, because you've deprived yourself of joys and wonders that you have no need to avoid. What a tragedy that is." 
 
Luthor was a visionary, there was passion in his eyes, a cold and calculating clinical nature that saw the world with a big picture and had the weight of an intense intellect that could contain the world. Was he toying with her? He looked like he thought he was, the relaxed and casual smirk, the deep green of the eyes, the pride and arrogance. This was a man who saw himself as the Lord of the World already, and was used to dominating any interaction he was part of. 

"And there you have it, a corpus of knowledge. The Midas Grape, the fall of Rome, Chess. Chess is such an unusual game, but you're correct. War is never won through following rules, or playing by the rules. No real interaction is. The role of the historical arsonist proves that. The individual who through force of will or strength or dynamic leadership tears a swath through the established world. Burns it to the ground so that it may be rebuilt in a new way. Rarely are arsonists the rebuilders, however." He smiled faintly as he watched her tear into her food, the smile widening slightly as he leaned back into the chair. 

"It is the nature of humanity to redefine the world they are in. Unlike other species, you see, we aren't shaped by the same evolutionary forces that have caused most other species to change and grow and transform. Some would say that is to our disadvantage, however we've developed an odd evolutionary quirk that has made us exceptionally dominant. We cheat. We look at a system, we learn the rules of that system, and then we use our knowledge to twist the rules to our advantage. The rules that can be broken are remade, the rules that remain are twisted to our advantage. When we face an unfair and deadly environment, we do not strengthen ourselves to adapt to the environment, we in our power and arrogance shift the environment until the arctic ice or the deep sea or the wide deserts are as comfortable and pleasant as a living room. We reshape the flow of the mighty river to meet our needs, and even the depths and breadths of space itself is transformed to be a comfortable sanctuary. Humanity never changes, but then again, why should it when it can so easily make everything else change instead?" 

He smiled as he drank the wine, watching her tear into her food. "Reputation is an interesting thing, though, Detective Yakasumi. It tends to follow us, regardless of a truth of a matter. I've been called many things by many people, monster, innovator, Supervillain, Operator, Illuminati, Shadow Government, overlord, arrogant . . . I'm a divisive figure, Detective, and while my reputation has grown to almost legendary levels, it is only due to the stature of my accomplishments and dreams." He puts his fingertips together, considering her as he continues his thought. Probing her, perhaps? His smell was perfectly manufactured, the perfect perfume mixed with a natural musk that was almost entirely covered up. He didn't sweat, his heartbeat was perfectly even, although speeding up slightly as if he could barely contain his joy. Arrogant, weak, overconfident. 

"But even so, I am only human, I suppose. I am blessed that I have the support of many fine and talented individuals who work with me, either out of respect for my dream, or for the promises that come from the formation of a better future. Nevertheless, when a human being reaches a certain level of stature, it is natural for others to seek his destruction. There is a glorious schadenfreude of watching the fall of the once mighty. Ozymandius turns to dust, Prometheus bound, the impetuous Icarus falls from the sky. The natural order of the world is restored, the disruptive influence is locked away, destroyed, wiped away, remaining only as a warning against the hubris of man, and a clear message of what happens to those who seek to change the world. I'm not surprised that Mr. Padlock implied me in his mad rantings. After all, . . . he is quite mad. Locked away in his mind, staring into space and in terror, as if locked away with his primal fears. . . a man lost in the labrynth to never find his way home. It's become a rather unfortunate quality of many in this city, a madness that expresses itself in those who have. . . sinned?" 

He stares at the detective now, looking into her eyes. "Perhaps I can tell you something, although it might not perhaps be what you're looking for. Still, you did come here on the first hint that I might have a weakness. The first hint that there might be something to investigate, among the twenty six names given to you, you found mine the most interesting. That doesn't surprise me, I am quite the metropolitan figure. I dare the Gods, and we all know what happens to those who dare the Gods, Detective." 

He smiles faintly tracing his finger idly on the table, staring with those intense green eyes straight into hers. "But there's the unfortunate matter of the confessions, there's some who would say that truth comes from fear, although I think that you and I know better than that. You see, many people in Gotham are stricken dumb with intense and overwhelming fear. At first. . . well, we know that there's no monopoly on those who bring fear to the citizens of Gotham City, but that level of intensity? That quiet brooding that gnaws at the mind and never lets go? It was suspicious when some of the victims of this plague lacked the tell tale traces of Dr. Crane's toxin. I am very well blessed to have the support of so many talented individuals, Detective. And of course there were unusual patterns surrounding those individuals. . . and I am only human, Detective. Humans are natural pattern seeking creatures, we find the stray edges of fact and use them to weave pictures. An interesting fact, however, emerged from this pattern. A name, a figure, a . . . faint memory in those we interviewed at Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison. . . a central perpetrator, who wasn't quite as tidy as one would hope." 

He leans forward staring Naomi Yakasuma in the eyes, "And here you are. Are you enjoying your meal, Detective?"

[Deleted]

if anything could be said about Lex Luthor, it's that reading him was like reading an animal. Was that to say he was a savage beast. Not necessarily but just like any common animal Naomi could read basic emotions and personalities  anger, disappointment, arrogance, but nothing really deep beyond that still there were little quirks that people would let off little pattern of behavior as Lex Luthor would put it. Over the years Naomi had learned how to find those little details and put the pieces together.

"You know Mr. luthor there is this common misbelief in  called a poker face in which a man can completely hide any sense of emotion and be unreadable. I think you and I both know that is a bunch of malarkey. Everyone has a quirk or something that gives them away. Not to say these things are not hard to  or else even a two year old would be able to find them. But they can be found if one is willing to look and pay attention to the smallest detail. Take me for example. If you were to look closely, you would notice that my first finger is twitching a little bit now to most nobody would even notice, but if one were observant enough, they could come to the conclusion that I'm nervous, and they would be right, It's been years sense I have stepped into a high caliber restaurant such as this when most of the time I'm used to eating Pizza Hut in a Condo that looks like a college dorm. I'm a fish out of water. You...your heartbeat...it's not irregular it's not uneven but it's sped up slightly perhaps you you think you have me. Rest assured you do not. I've been playing this game of Life for a long time Mr. Luthor a very long time. " 


She took another sip of her drink.

"Everything people do bears a little fruit to an extent, the way they move, the way they talk and how they act and while one may not be able to judge their character, one can be observant. For example what can I tell about you? Your not a person of Old Money and more than likely you started out with very humble beginnings possibly even a bit too humble more than likely considering the environment of some of Metropolis lower class areas it's more than likely you were in an abusive environment. Perhaps this is why you are obsessed with the evolution of the human condition because it's something you had to learn first hand. If this is the case, I can certainly relate. You are a man of very high intelligence again this is something I can relate to. But I think for the both of us it's both a gift and a curse. It's a gift because you and I pick out the details that no one else can. We are visionaries. Ye this is also often a curse because we take our intelligence for granted  and many times we can't understand why people can't think on the same wavelength. I think you and I have days where we get out of bed and say to ourselves everyone is an idiot except me.  As a result, we look down on other people for they think too small. They are content to live as mere men when we the people of higher intellect have the means and the ability to live like the gods that men of primitive days would bow down and worship The conquistadors, the Asgardians, The Olympians  . and it's not necessarily that we have ill will or a quarrel towards them, but rather they are small and insignificant to us they get in our way and therefore we squash them. They may ask what quarrel we may have with them and all we can do is simply respond with something like does a ant have a quarrel with a boot. "

Naomi took A bite of fish.

"But alas you probably grow tired of this mindless chit-chat. so I will simply say this. I know you know more than what you are letting on. In fact I would not be surprised if you were directly involved somehow. the fact that you dance around our conversation tells me they much. Rest assured I will find out eventually. I have my ways. Unconventional ways yes but none that are against the law in fact they are ways the law doesn't even understand. With that out of the way, I believe that will conclude my business portion of the interaction. If you want me to leave I shall, or if for some odd and strange reason you find my company pleasurable I will stay.  I can do either. as I did not come here by orders, but pleasure. as far as my co-workers are concerned, the case was closed with padlock. but I guess I could say I have a bad habit of not leaving well enough alone."