Beetle of the Night

Phobia Factor

One would think that being in prison would bring out the worst anxiety and restlessness in anyone, given the fact that they are spending the majority of their life in a cell. That wasn't the case for one David Xanatos, who just laid back in bed in his own private cell, with a carefree smile on his face.

What would he have to be worried about; he knew he would be out soon. He hired the best lawyers and made the good deals in order to reduce his prison time to only six months. Actually, the more he thought about it, he could probably get that sentenced reduced even further. A well placed bribe for the right judge could work wonders.

His peaceful rest was interrupted when a guard came up to his cell doors and opened them. "You have a visitor, Mr. Xanatos." The guard informed.

This confused Xanatos a bit, as Owen was the only one who came to visit him, and he didn't have a meeting arranged today. Getting up, he made his way to the visiting room and sat down in his seat on the prison side of the glass. While he still kept a calm and stoic look on his face, who he saw at the other end of the glass did inwardly surprise him slightly. Sitting on the other side was none other than his business rival Maxwell Lord, sitting down with a smirk on his face.

Taking his seat, Xanatos spoke. "I'm a little surprised, though, in all likelihood, I should have expected this visit."

"Come on, David, you know I'd never miss the chance to visit an old friend." Maxwell said with an easygoing smile.

"Is that what we are?" Xanatos asked sarcastically. "I'd have thought differently since you failed in your last attempt to buy up my company's stocks."

"You can't blame a guy for ambition." Maxwell said with a smirk.

"Ambition's one thing, stupidity is another." Xanatos said, which made Lord's eyes narrow.

"I've gotta say, you look like you're doing pretty good for yourself." Maxwell said as he tried to smile, but his eyes still held a dangerous glint. "I hear prison can be a very...enlightening experience."

"Well, maybe you should join me then." Xanatos said with a smirk of his own. "I can make a few calls; give you the full experience."

"And risk putting an end to this little dance we've got going on between us?" Lord asked as he clicked his tongue a few times. "David, you should know by now that you can't bring me down, without taking you with me."

"True, we both have leverage." Xanatos said with a carefree shrug.

"Yes, but I am willing to let bygones-be-bygones if you could help me out with a little something." Maxwell said as he leaned in close.

"Well now, you must be getting desperate." Xanatos said as he crossed his arms with a smirk.

"More like, inquisitive about an old...houseguest of yours." Maxwell said as he reached for something in his coat, before slapping it on the dividing window.

It was three photographs of Xanatos tower, each one taken from a different distance. The first picture showed the tower from a farther distance, but one could see a blue light streak flying straight towards the top of the tower. The second picture was the same as before, but zoomed in to show a blurry image of a man flying towards the top of the tower.

When Xanatos looked at the final image, it was clear picture of Blue Beetle flying to his tower.

Instead of being put off by these images, Xanatos just chuckled. "Of course you've had my tower under surveillance."

"He came to your tower multiple times, once for several hours. You must have met him personally." Maxwell leaned in more with an intense stare. "I'll keep this short. Who is he, and where can I find him?"