"I don't feel as confident as I once did with your handling of our problem Ms Waller." The sibilant hiss was enough to set her teeth on edge but so far her will was stronger.

"Be that as it may, I don't see you have very many options Mr Donovan."

"Perhaps, however your flying rodent and the alien are on the track of Ras Al Ghul and his merry band of miscreants, explain how that is helpful." He folded pudgy hands across his stomach and stared into her dark eyes.

"You bought this on us, you and your decision that there should never be any limits in understanding the genetic code. As if one alien isn't enough I now have to kowtow to your DNaliens, the New World council and keep the whole damned thing private. If Batman wants to go after Ras then so be it, he is nothing to this and never will be, another cockroach stomped on in his personal war. This luckily coincides with all of our objectives." Amanda was up and pacing now, Dabny Donovan was not a man she enjoyed the company of, his meddling and psychotic manipulation of God's realm gave them the Joker and not a lot else. Now his precious project was a hair breath away from being discovered and he was panicking. She detested him and as she turned at the soft sound of laughter she realized detested wasn't quite strong enough.

"How long do you think it will take the wunderkid to work it out?" He chuckled softly and she felt the urge to shoot him.

"I think he already knows." Amanda took sinister delight in the discomfort that flitted across his face. "Batman is a scholar of the world and whilst you and I both know the alien and Joker are pushing the more, shall we say pedestrian element of this matter, I sincerely doubt he will. It may pay you to consider your retirement options."

He stood up so fast the chair hit the floor as she stepped behind her desk and watched him with disdain. "Now you listen to me." He punched down on her desk to lean towards her on both fists; she felt the heat of his breath and the wet spatter of spittle as she wiped her face with a tissue and glowered. "We are in this together. I will not have some Halloween freak coming after me on my own Amanda, do I make myself clear?"

"And just how, pray tell, do you intend to implicate me or the government?" she sat back down in her chair and smiled.

"I can make things very uncomfortable for you Madam."

"Not if you're not alive."

"Is that a threat?"

"No a promise, get out."

He spun on his heel and reached down for his jacket almost tottering over due to the bulk of his stomach and slammed the door. Amanda let out a sigh as she poured a scotch from the glass decanter on the table, her hand shaking.

"Ah such charming company you keep." Batman growled low as he came out from the shadows and caught the glass with lightening reflexes as it fell from her fingers. Ever the gentleman he gently squeezed her fingers as he righted the chair and sat down.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see Donovan have a little meltdown. It's time for us to chat, alone don't you think?"

"Possibly past time, rich boy."

Bruce smirked under the cowl and crossed his legs. "So I know, in fact have known for some time that Donovan is behind the Voice of God, we found his file notes amongst some interesting liberated papers."

"By we, I assume, you mean the Alien."

"Aw, come now don't be too hard on Superman, his ego is fragile you know." Batman grinned and it did nothing to alleviate the stress that Amanda was feeling.

"Hardly."

"As I was saying it seems he managed to piggy back the programme on the Stuxnet virus that is free floating out in the ether." At that Amanda did sigh and wiped her hands on her skirt and drank her scotch in one go. "Along with the work Dr Crane did for Cadmus to find a catalyst to activate the programme within the hosts. I know you know all of this, but it bears repeating since I'm not convinced you know I know."

"And Superman?"

"Correct me if I am wrong, but Barney Sutton one of the research fellows on the project had a sick wife, and borrowed extensively from the Russians and when he forfeited on his debt disappeared. "

"We assumed him dead." Amanda was beginning to regain control.

"He took the liberty of withholding pertinent pieces of the data and the correct access codes with him to his shallow grave, but not before your Russian friends made use of his knowledge."

"So he is dead, and the wife?" Amanda stood and leaned against the cool glass of the window, her previously shaky control reasserting itself.

"Pamela Sutton had Parkinson's disease and was treated at a facility in the Narrows with scopolamine for the spasms. Unfortunately she developed an allergic reaction and died shortly after her first dose. Curiously the ME reports are missing, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"No." Amanda rested her hand flat against the glass; the cold surface bought some degree of comfort as she sighed wearily. "And they are not my Russian friends. To the best of my knowledge we have no ties to the Russian mob."

"Indeed, well then. We can settle this between us for the moment. The wild goose chase you've had us, and by us I do mean the super powered alien and myself, is coming to an end. Sooner or later the others will discover what I already know."

"And that is?"

"Oh amongst other things that Cadmus and Star Labs are dirty, that Dabny Donovan was supplying scopolamine in drug form to various psychiatrists in the larger Gotham area in order to experiment on individuals including but not exclusive to Joker. I'm surprised you managed to keep it going for so long, but then the public are often necessarily secular in what they see and you, Ms Waller are aware of that."

"That's a hell of a lot to put on the table at once rich boy, you seem so very sure." Amanda scowled.

Batman's laugh was cold as he stood up silently. "The only thing I'm sure about Amanda is your involvement."

She didn't need to turn around to know he had gone; the room became icy as she pulled her jacket on and turned off her computer.

~~~)))000(((~~~~

"So B do you think she is involved?" Superman asked as he dropped into flight next to the javelin.

"As much as it pains me to admit I'm not sure. However I do have this." He held up a thumb drive and smirked.

"Why Batman, did you just jack a government computer?" Superman grinned.

"Of course."