Chapter 293: The city of tomorrow

"So, Kieran, I hear you’re not only opening a Continental here in Metropolis, but you’ve also been buying property in the slums." P. Randall Jeffries Jr. carved into his steak as he spoke, his tone carrying the casual confidence of a man who had never needed to worry about whether a business venture would succeed. "Don’t tell me you’re trying to bring some life into that place. I can say from experience that it’s impossible."

Kieran glanced across the table at him, then cut another piece from his own steak. He recognized the name immediately. P. Randall Jeffries Jr. was the son of one of the most influential businessmen Metropolis had ever produced. His father had founded First Metropolitan Bank and built it into a financial institution that survived almost every economic crisis thrown at it, keeping control of the company well into the twenty-first century before his death. His son had inherited more than the family fortune. He had inherited the bank, the connections, and, apparently, his father’s appetite for expansion.

Kieran smiled pleasantly. "To tell you the truth, I don’t have any grand plans or dreams of rebuilding the slums. I wasn’t born rich, and I’ve made more than a few questionable decisions with my money. I simply enjoy taking a gamble every now and then, Preston. If the businesses I purchase down there manage to break even, I’ll consider the investment worthwhile."

"So you’re a thrill seeker?" Karen Green asked.

Her voice was smooth, but there was a slyness behind it that made Kieran look toward her. A faint smile played across her lips as she swirled her wine.

"Don’t tell me your hotels make enough money that you can afford to seek thrills by gambling on trash, Mr. Everleigh."

There were a few quiet chuckles around the table.

Kieran didn’t take the bait.

"Horizon News isn’t known for being particularly charitable, Karen. I don’t remember saying the people living there were trash."

Karen’s smile widened.

"I didn’t say you did."

"No, but you implied it."

That earned a few more laughs, including one from Karen herself.

"Fair enough."

Kieran took a sip of wine and let his gaze drift around the table. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was the evening’s subject of interest. He was the newcomer, the outsider, the man whose business had suddenly begun appearing in Metropolis with remarkable speed. Everyone wanted to know what he was planning, and everyone was being polite enough to pretend they weren’t interrogating him.

"I don’t take gambles I don’t think will eventually pay off," Kieran continued. "The slums can be a source of considerable profit, but most people won’t touch them because they’re too focused on what the neighborhood is today. I’m not arrogant enough to think I can revitalize the entire area, but I do think I can bring some life back into certain parts of it."

"And if you fail?" Jeffries asked.

"Then I lose some money."

"That’s it?"

Kieran shrugged. "Money is useful. It’s not sacred."

Franklin Hall, who had been quietly working through his steak, gave a hearty laugh.

"Now that’s something you don’t hear from most businessmen."

Karen looked toward him. "You say that as if your company has never made a bad investment."

"Of course we have." Hall’s enormous belly shook as he laughed. "Metropolis Power has made plenty. The difference is that when we make a mistake, we call it an investment in experience."

Jeffries chuckled. "That’s one way of describing it."

"It’s the only way that lets me sleep at night."

Kieran smiled. Franklin Hall was another name he’d heard frequently since arriving in Metropolis. Owner of Metropolis Power, Hall controlled an enormous portion of the city’s energy infrastructure. Banks, media, utilities, hotels. The longer Kieran looked around the table, the more obvious the pattern became.

Lex hadn’t invited random businessmen.

He had invited the people who mattered.

The people who could move money, influence public opinion, control infrastructure, provide legitimate cover, and open doors that would otherwise remain closed.

Kieran leaned back slightly.

Interesting.

Karen took another drink. "Speaking of investments, Franklin, how is the new northern grid expansion going? Horizon ran a story last month claiming your company was already behind schedule."

Franklin pointed his fork at her.

"Your newspaper ran that story because your reporter couldn’t understand the difference between construction delays and regulatory delays."

"That’s a very convenient distinction."

"It’s also an accurate one."

"And yet your stock dipped afterward."

"Temporarily."

"Still dipped."

Franklin laughed. "Karen, if you want to discuss stock prices, we can do that all night. But I’ll warn you now, you’re going to lose."

"I doubt that."

Jeffries joined the conversation. "She’s right about one thing. Investors don’t care whose fault the delay is. They care whether the project finishes."

"And it will," Franklin replied. "We’re already ahead of the revised schedule."

Kieran watched the exchange with mild amusement.

Lex had barely said a word.

He didn’t need to.

He had simply created the room and allowed everyone else to reveal themselves.

Kieran looked toward Lex. "You seem remarkably comfortable letting everyone argue."

Lex smiled.

"I find people tend to tell you more when you give them room to speak."

There was something about the answer Kieran didn’t entirely like.

Before he could respond, another guest spoke from farther down the table.

"I have to agree with Kieran about Metropolis, though."

The man was older, broad around the shoulders and even broader around the waist. He laughed as he lifted his glass.

"My grandfather used to say the exact same thing when he first invested here. He thought the city was going to become the future of America."

Franklin nodded. "And he wasn’t wrong."

"No, he certainly wasn’t." The man’s smile became proud. "He put his money into Metropolis when most people thought the city was still finding its footing. Look where the family is now."

Kieran recognized him as well.

Another name from the list he’d been given.

Another piece of the city.

The conversation continued around him, moving naturally from investments to infrastructure, from infrastructure to the city’s growing population, then eventually to the problem everyone in the room had apparently been thinking about.

Opportunity.

It was almost comical.

Kieran had initially thought the dinner was about business.

Now he was beginning to suspect it was about power.

Lex finally stood.

The conversation gradually died down as he lifted his glass.

"Gentlemen, ladies. I think I’ve monopolized enough of your evening."

Karen smiled. "That’s a first."

Lex laughed, "But I should probably confess something before we continue."

Kieran set his fork down.

There it was.

The real reason for the dinner, finally.

Lex looked around the table, his expression becoming more serious.

"I invited all of you here with an ulterior motive. Metropolis is a city overflowing with possibilities. Every day, someone develops something new, builds something new, or discovers another way to improve the lives of its citizens. LexCorp has dedicated itself to that progress for years."

He paused.

"But like every person sitting around this table, I also recognize opportunity when I see it."

Kieran’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Lex continued.

"I’ve spent years working with this city from the private sector. I’ve invested in its infrastructure, its technology, its people, and its future. But I’ve come to realize that there are limitations to what a businessman can accomplish from outside the government."

Jeffries slowly lowered his glass.

Karen’s eyes widened.

Franklin leaned forward.

Lex smiled.

"So, tonight, I would like to officially announce that I intend to run for Secretary-Gen-"

BOOM.

The entire building shook.

Wine splashed across white tablecloths. Silverware rattled violently against porcelain, several glasses tipped over, and someone shouted as the floor seemed to jump beneath them. Kieran instinctively braced himself against the table, his chair scraping backward as the windows trembled.

"What the fuck was that?"

Karen looked down at the front of her blouse, now stained red.

"Damn it."

Franklin was already looking toward the windows.

Jeffries slammed his napkin onto the table.

"Damn Superman. He’s going to cause me another fortune in property damage."

Kieran stared at him, "Does this happen often?"

"More than we’d like," Lex replied.

He pressed a button beneath the table.

The walls immediately began to shift.

Sections of the interior folded away with mechanical precision, revealing enormous windows that overlooked the city. The skyline of Metropolis stretched beyond them, illuminated by thousands of lights.

And above those lights, something enormous crashed through the air.

Kieran’s eyes widened.

Superman.

The Man of Steel collided with what appeared to be a massive mechanical figure, the impact sending another shockwave across the skyline. Metal screamed as Superman caught the creature and redirected its momentum away from the tower.

Kieran stared ’Wasn’t he supposed to be dealing with that cosmic legal situation?’

He didn’t remember the details. He barely remembered where the trial was taking place or what the League had supposedly done to become involved in it.

But he remembered enough to know Superman wasn’t supposed to be here.

"Is this normal?" Kieran asked again.

Lex’s jaw tightened, "For Metropolis?"

He looked toward the battle.

"Unfortunately."

Kieran could see the irritation behind the man’s eyes. Lex was doing his best to remain composed, but this wasn’t simply annoyance over property damage. His political announcement had just been interrupted by an alien battle above his own headquarters.

Kieran almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

He dabbed at the small splash of wine that had landed on his sleeve and stood.

"I suppose that’s my cue to leave."

Lex turned toward him.

"I’d rather you stayed."

"I would love to, but I have a hotel under construction and several contractors who apparently require constant supervision. I hope whatever this is." He waved at the battle, "Hasn’t destroyed all my progress."

Kieran adjusted his jacket.

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you. I’m sure we’ll have plenty more opportunities to speak."

Karen stood as well, glancing down at her stained blouse.

"I should probably leave too. I’m sure there are articles that need approving, and I’d rather not let the Daily Planet overtake us again."

Franklin laughed, "Good luck with that."

Karen gave him an unimpressed look.

"Thank you for the encouragement."

Lex watched them both prepare to leave before looking back toward the windows.

Superman and the machine collided again in the distance.

His expression hardened,

"Then I wish you both a good evening."

Kieran smiled, "I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty more of each other, Lex."

He turned and walked toward the elevator with Brock close behind him.

As the doors closed, Kieran caught one final glimpse of Lex standing before the enormous windows, staring at the battle raging above his city.