Interview! #246

"Mrs. Lane, good to see you," I said, nodding at the brunette reporter and smiling as I shook her hand. "And this must be the lucky Mr. Kent," I added as I turned toward the man standing next to her, extending my hand toward him.

The man was tall, but his height failed to give him the confident, imposing look common among people that most men who had to look down to address others shared because of his slouched posture.

What's more, he looked incredibly meek and soft-spoken, prompting any who didn't know better to instantly write him off as someone who would be an underachieving nerd for the rest of his life.

No wonder regular people failed to recognize him, but I knew better.

"I never understood how much a slouchy, baggy suit and a pair of thick classes could change your image..." I said, maintaining a smile as I squeezed Clark's hand with enough force to shatter rocks, causing him to frown.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Whitlock," Clark replied, sounding incredibly confused as he let go of my hand and adjusted his glasses.

"Oh, don't mind me..." I said with a chuckle as I dropped the subject. "And Grayson will do. You'll make me feel old," I added, shrugging my shoulders as I turned back to Lois Lane.

"The conference will start soon. I'll let you go first, so try and take it easy on me, will you?" I jokingly said as I looked at the brunette, crossing my arms, much to her amusement.

"I'll try, but no promises," Lois replied with a shrug.

"Well, that's better than nothing, I suppose," I said with an exasperated sigh, rolling my eyes at the journalist. "Either way, I'm running a bit late, so please excuse me," I added, nodding at the two reporters before walking away.

...

I hummed as I looked down at my expensive wristwatch to check the time, and I couldn't help but wince. Both my heart and waller still ache at the ridiculous price I had to pay for this damned thing.

Even more so at the expensive attire I wore since the watch was solid gold and full of friggen diamond while the suit was just a dumb piece of fabric.

I might be rich as fuck right now, but I'd never be able to understand the need to spend so much money on jewelry, expensive suits, cars, and what have you.

But I still needed to look like a rich asshole since people seemed to trust such people and put more weight on their words than someone who looks like your average everyday guy.

Everyone always keeps talking about how little they trusted people in suits, but at the end of the day, they'd be more prone to trust someone who looks well put together rather than some guy in baggy street clothes.

I still had every intention of holding on to my image as a regular kid from Gotham since that was, in a way, the real me, but I had to show that I could be more than that when needed.

In any case, it had been several days since I got back from my dimension hopping trip, and I'd spent most of my time working on my gravity machines as I had nothing better to do.

I had to pass the the hours until it was time to attend the various interviews I'd set up before leaving. Nothing urgent came up, so I spent my free time finalizing the gravity manipulation machine.

I've already reached a point where I could implement the technology into my larger machines, like the Sentry Titan. But I still needed more time to fashion gadgets suitable for personal use.

I won't bore you with the details, but it's only a matter of time before I'll be able to harness the full potential of gravity manipulation technology in all its forms.

As for now, I had a hoard of news-hungry journalists I had to attend to, so I'll focus on that instead.

"Here goes nothing..." I muttered, taking a deep breath as I adjusted my tie and put on a cordial smile before walking into the podium.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming here," I said, maintaining my smile as I looked down at the many journalists and reporters seated in front of the podium.

"I'm sure everyone knows why we're here, but allow me to reiterate," I said as I leaned my hands on the podium. "I have started a company, and I'm here to answer any questions you might have," I added, nodding at the journalists.

"Furthermore, I have been rather busy as of late and didn't get to address any questions regarding the late Waller's trial," I added, shaking my head with a sigh.

"I know you all must be eager to ask about it since no one has spoken about it so far, but we'll get to that later," I said as I removed my hands from the podium and straightened my back.

"So, without further ado, let's take the first question," I continued, pausing as I watched everyone raise their hands and call my name. "Mrs. Lane, what do you have for me today?" I asked, smiling as I turned to the brunette.

"First, I'd like to congratulate you on your new company and wish you success," Lois said as she cleared her throat, prompting me to smile and nod my head. "But we still don't know the name of your company nor its specialty," She added, raising an eyebrow.

"The company's name is Whitlock Technology. We will specialize in software development," I replied with a shrug, pausing as I waited for the next question.

"You say we, but my sources tell me that you're not only the founder but also the only employee in the company..." Lois said, giving me a strange look as she crossed her arms.

"Well, our only products are the apps and games I developed before even starting the company," I replied with a smile. "I'm perfectly capable of managing them on my own," I added, raising a hand to stop her before she could interrupt me.

"However, as we continue to grow, I will have to expand our roster and hire more employees sooner or later," I concluded, prompting the brunette to nod as she scribbled something in her notebook.

"Well, I've heard that you recently had dealings with former federal prosecutor Katherine Spencer," Lois said, her eyes growing sharp as she prepared to show her fangs.

"Is it safe to assume she would have a place in your company's future roster?" She asked, causing the less informed journalists to murmur among themselves in confusion.

"As of now, Mrs. Spencer remains a freelancer. I have invited her to work for my company as a legal advisor, but I've yet to receive an answer," I added, intentionally facilitating the journalist's next question.

I had nothing to hide regarding Katherine's situation, so it's better to let the world know as soon as possible, and who better to ask me about than the most vicious journalist out there?

"Regarding Mrs. Spencer's status as a freelancer, she is currently playing the devil's advocate, so to speak," Lois said, drawing a chuckle out of me as she peeked at her notebook.

"She is currently working on a case to release three specific convicted criminals on parole, Harley Quinn, Lady Vic, and Deadshot," She added, looking me straight in the eye.

"It's no secret those three testified against Waller on your behest, so I assume you were the one to hire Mrs. Spencer for the case?" She asked, giving me a blank look.

"I wouldn't say they testified on my behest, but I was the one to convince them to testify," I replied with a sigh. "And yes, I hired Mrs. Spencer to take over their cases," I added, nodding my head.

"I promised them a fresh start, a chance to do better and change their ways," I said as I leaned back on the podium. "Considering what they went through in the so-called Suicide Squad, I'd say they've more than paid for their crimes," I concluded.

"I can't deny they had suffered for their crimes. However, the judicial system doesn't just detain criminals to punish them..." Lois said, frowning as she gave me a skeptical look. "Such people are detained because they are a danger to themselves and others, mostly the innocents," She concluded.