New Earth: Batwoman

Chapter 23

"So wait, your ex-girlfriend knows that you're Batwoman and you're not concerned?" Luke asked, since last time Kate had done everything she could to prove Sophie wrong.

"It's different this time. This time she's no longer my dad's faithful lapdog. But I'm being careful, while she knows that I'm Batwoman, she doesn't know anything else." Kate said, since Helena was not here, so they could talk about the old universe.

"Kate, all I'm saying is that it's a risk." Luke said, since he had to admit he'd been pleasantly surprised by this new Sophie, but he was still cautious.

"Why do you think I hired her to run our security division? Not just so I can offer a job, but also so I can keep an eye on her until I'm sure that she can be trusted." Kate said.

"Smart." Luke said and Kate nodded.

"Anyways, I need to get back to work and so do you." Kate said.

"What, I thought I was your assistant." Luke said with a chuckle.

"If this was still just a real estate agency, it would be, but since we're rebooting this company to it's former glory, I'm putting you in charge of Kane Industries R&D division. Which should give you the resources you need to give Helena and I an upgrade." Kate said.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"If we can't find a way to disable the gun Hamilton Dynamics is developing, we need to be able to defend ourselves against it. And not just ourselves. If those weapons enter wide scale production, a lot of people get hurt. We need to provide the GCPD with a way to defend themselves against those weapons, since they're already in the wrong hands." Kate said and Luke nodded.

"I'll see what I can do. But it's gonna be tough. My dad designed the batsuit's nanites to be pretty much indestructible." Luke said.

"Try going through his notes, see if you can find anything." Kate suggested and Luke nodded.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Luke asked.

"We take down the corrupt cabal in this city before the executioner does." Kate said.

"Kate, we're talking about the same man who convicted the man who killed my father." Luke said.

"And how do we know that wasn't a setup? That Reggie Harris just wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, what about Chris the Fist and everyone else who's been wrongly imprisoned. Gotham can't just rely on the Bat and the Huntress, it does need to be able to put it's faith in legitimate law enforcement and the legal system and since as long as my dad is in charge of the Crows, we need to start clearing the GCPD and the rest of Gotham's legal system of corruption, since while this city will always look to that symbol for protection, it should also be able rely on it's duly appointed officials, since Helena and I, we can't be everywhere the city needs or wants us to be whenever they need us to be. And exposing that cabal is the first step in restoring this city's faith in its government's ability to protect them." Kate said.

"I understand that, but still, it's a tough pill to swallow." Luke said.

"Luke, if Reggie Harris was set up, then that means that your dad's real killer is still at large somewhere, avoiding the punishment for what he did." Kate said and Luke nodded.

"So, where is Helena anyways?" Luke asked.

"Running down a lead on the bastard she calls her birth father. I gave her the day off." Kate said and Luke nodded, right as Kate's phone rang and she saw it was an unknown number.

"Who is this?" Kate asked as she answered it.

"My name is Jefferson Pierce. We've never officially met, but we have some of the same friends." Jefferson said.

"Really, who?" Kate asked.

"Oliver Queen, Barry Allen and Kara Danvers. Or as the world knows them, the Green Arrow, the Flash and Supergirl. Isn't that right Batwoman?" Jefferson said.

"Okay, you know who I am and you know who they are. Why don't you tell me who you are." Kate asked.

"They call me Black Lightning." Jefferson said.

"The hero of Freeland. What can I do for you." Kate asked, since she knew that Black Lightning was a friend of the Flash, even though she'd never actually met him.

"There's a problem in Freeland that I think you can help me with." Jefferson said as he explained the ASA situation to her.

"Okay, but I'm not really seeing what you need me for? It sounds like Kara is working on exposing this ASA." Kate said.

"She is, but the lead bastard, Odell, he lives in Gotham." Jefferson said and now Kate caught on.

"You want me to keep tabs on him." Kate said.

"Anything we can get on Odell is useful. I know it's a long shot, but maybe." Jefferson said.

"Send me a pic we can use for facial recognition and then we'll see what we can come up with." Kate agreed.

"Thank you." Jefferson said as they both hung up.