SHIELD [Book 1 of Alex & Allie Save The World]

Chapter 1 Metropolis

"Alex would you care to tell me why my itinerary for the day has me touring a tower for sale?" Allie questions in annoyed confusion. She's going over the email Editor-n-Chief Aldridge sent for her Metropolis business trip.

"Oh you saw that?" Alex returns coyly and Allie rolls her eyes, though Alex can't see.

"Yes I saw that. Alex you love Gotham, I love Gotham, why would we move the Gotham City Sentinel to Metropolis?" Allie deadpans and Alex chuckles.

"Oh God no! I would never! No, Allie I'm thinking of buying out the Daily Planet and if I do I'd like to move them out of that piece of crap they call a building," Alex explains and Allie breathes a sigh of relief. "That's why I have you meeting Mr. White and some of his journalists today."

"Good. It's crazy but Gotham has become our home."

"I know. Trust me I won't have us return to live at the root of all our discontent any time soon," Alex promises, referring to their shared traumas and troubles endured in Metropolis.

"Yeah but we can both admit Metropolis is a much better place to grow up in compared to Gotham," Allie points out. "Less murder."

"True, but Gotham has its charms and speaking of Gotham's charms I have a meeting about its best newspaper," Alex remarks.

"Alright I should go through the motions of my day, love you."

"Love you too." Alex hangs up and Allie smiles, shoulders back and stature straightened.

Usually Allie is two steps behind Alex at those meetings; usually Allie is right beside Alex.
Allison Gray pockets her phone and adjusts the collar on her jacket. She feels nervous being away from Alex and dealing with business on her own but it needs to be done.

"Alright Jerry, just pull over and park whenever you can and I can walk the extra distance," Allie instructs to the driver. She hates driving and never properly learned so Alex has a personal driver on call for whenever they can't drive Allie herself.

"Of course, Ms. Gray," he responds.
A few blocks later Jerry parks the silver Mercedes on the street and Allie steps out.

"I'll be away for at least three hours, Jerry so take a paid break. If you want lunch or anything you can charge up to sixty dollars to the company," Allie instructs and he gives a grateful nod.

Allison feels a pit in her stomach as she walks alone in the direction of the building for sale. Strangely enough, Gotham is her home now and so it feels safer than Metropolis.

Less than a block away sits the vacant office tower that used to be a Wayne Foundation center until they moved up the street. It's nothing like the Gotham City Sentinel skyscraper but it's certainly more formidable than the Daily Planet's current building.

"One thing is for certain, if we come here then Wayne will have a bigger dick in Metropolis than we do," Allie grumbles to herself as she bounces up the steps to the front entrance. She reaches the doors and swings the left one open, coming face to face with two grinning realtors. One is Rick, Wayne's realtor, and the other, Dick, Aldridge's realtor. In simpler terms Dick is on her side and Rick is not.

"Rick, Dick, nice to see you both," Allie greets and politely shakes both their hands. Rick is there to make sure Allie only sees the best in the building and Dick is there to drive the price down for Allie. "Will your boss be joining us Rick?"

"Oh no, Mr. Wayne is very busy right now," Rick replies and Allie can't help but feeling a bit let down. She had been hoping to see Bruce today.

"Too busy to make a quick and polite greeting to the woman who may be buying his building? That is just poor form, isn't is Ms. Gray?" Dick comments sourly.