As Adrian expected, Bruce was completely captivated by the owl-themed jewelry and artifacts displayed by Penguin. And being extremely wealthy, he purchased nearly the entire collection.
Adrian sat back with a calm satisfaction; he had shown his greatest superpower — being rich.
"I can smell a conspiracy brewing," Catwoman, linking her arm through his, frowned at him, seeing Bruce's unusually dewy gaze.
"About what?" Adrian asked, as Catwoman, unusually composed in this moment, regarded the scene.
"Some people become so wrapped up in the world they've built that they fail to notice the anomalies around them." Her eyes glinted brightly. "I've fallen into that trap too — when I'm fixated on jewels or men. But right now, I sense the snare Penguin has laid, and I will not lose myself like those who stare only at the gems."
She raised her intense gaze to Adrian. "And I suspect this trap may involve you."
Adrian gave her a surprised look — he had not expected this calm, clear-sighted side of Catwoman.
"Is your vigilance always this high?" he asked.
"Don't you know a cat's instinct?" She looked past the banquet crowd at the celebrities milling about. "I once dated a kid from an orphanage and he told me: 'Don't get too comfortable.'"
She paused. "Do you understand what that means?"
Before Adrian could answer, she continued, "Never trust a warm bed or a good life. It's better to tear the house down yourself before someone else does. So I won't trust a lavish banquet like this. Usually I give this sort of house a few well-placed kicks and exit early — before it collapses."
"That sounds very wise." Adrian nodded with a faint smile. "How about a date?"
"Date you?" Catwoman chuckled as she withdrew her arm from his. "Many have sought to trap the cat. I let that happen once — I won't make it easy again."
"I'm confident I could catch the Cat, but my interest lies elsewhere. Are you interested in a very profitable business?" Adrian offered proactively.
At once her eyes narrowed — like a cat whose curiosity has been caught. The sense of danger she had just spoken faded instantly.
"What?" she asked.
"I'm leaving Gotham tomorrow to return to Metropolis, but I need a contact — an agent here in Gotham. While I'm sceptical of your professional ethics, when it comes to loyalty, the Raven is famous for informing, isn't it?"
The four-day Gotham book-promotion conference ended today, and he would return to Smallville tomorrow. The core objective of his Gotham trip had been met.
He had secured a few million dollars from Penguin and, conveniently, shifted blame by revealing the secret of the Court of Owls to Batman. The ensuing war between Batman and the Court of Owls would likely drag on, and his role — the spark that lit the fuse — required only that he watch quietly from the sidelines.
Thus Catwoman became his chosen agent and informant.
"Then you must know the myth of the Raven and Mercury," she said, re-linking her arm with Adrian's, her eyes shining with mischief. "In that story, the Raven deceived both Apollo and Mercury — two gods."
"But you can trust me, temporarily. The length of that 'temporary' depends on how much you pay. If the price is high enough to satisfy me, perhaps even a date tonight I will consider."
Adrian glanced at Catwoman's striking figure and nodded. "You won't refuse. By the way, I'm also looking forward to our date tonight."
---
The next day.
Smallville — The Kent Farm.
Jonathan sat at the round table in the living room, poured a glass of water and brought it to his lips, but paused and set it down again.
"You said you went to Hamilton's place?" Martha asked her husband in surprise. "I thought you said you don't like Hamilton?"
"In theory, yes. Aside from disagreeing with his 'meteorite-environment change' theory, I also have issues with him selling plastic meteorite fragments to out-of-town tourists." Jonathan picked up the green meteorite fragment on the table. "This is not fake, Martha."
She studied the meteorite. "Are you… planning to use this on Clark?"
Martha's concern was palpable — for Clark's sake, Jonathan even set aside his issues with Hamilton.
"Adrian is coming back from Gotham this afternoon. I just spoke with him." Jonathan offered. "I don't think this is a good idea."
Jonathan put the meteorite away and gave his wife a reassuring smile. "Just as a precaution."
At that moment, Clark — who had been on both their minds — pulled up to the farm in a red convertible Ferrari. The engine's roar interrupted their conversation. They entered the yard to find Clark, donning sunglasses, putting packages into the car.
"Clark, we looked for you all last night." Martha paused, then stepped forward. "What are you planning to do?"
"Sorry, I had the most meaningful night of my life." Clark tossed a backpack into the convertible. "As for what I'm planning now? It's simple: I'm leaving here for good."
Martha glanced helplessly at Jonathan. "We want to help you, Clark."
"Help me do what? Stay here?" Clark scoffed. "Waste my life here for twenty dollars a week allowance?"
Jonathan could no longer stay silent. "Clark, I really wish you'd listen to what you're saying —"
The final word, "nonsense," choked back as Jonathan took a breath to suppress his frustration.
"Clark, you are not yourself right now. Something's wrong with your body. Pete told us you might be affected by the ring."
"Are you still blaming me for buying that ruby ring?" Clark leaned against the car door, faced his father with contempt. "You're pathetic!"
"Clark —" Jonathan started to move forward.
But Clark halted him with an extended finger. "No! You don't want to get close to me!"
It was as though if Jonathan took another step, Clark would be ready to act.
Martha's eyes widened; she could never have imagined her eldest son saying such things.
"What if I do want to?" Jonathan challenged, head tilted, resolute.
"Clark." Martha quickly intervened, seeing the escalating tension. "The ring holds a meteorite. It may have affected your mind, just as you get ill around green meteorite fragments."
"Are you saying the red meteorite changed my personality?" Clark feigned mild panic, touched the ring on his finger, then dropped the act. He chuckled. "Heh heh — you fell for it. I was faki ng the surprise. No, what I'm really lamenting is why the hell I didn't find it sooner."
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