[Fic] Titans of Industry, 4/8
Title: Titans of Industry
Author: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Tim Drake, Cissie King-Jones, Conner Luthor and assorted others
Rating: Teen
Warning: Nothing explicit, but remember, this IS for au_bigbang!
Word Count: ~15,800
Summary: Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp and Queen Industries are all vying to win a high-stakes business deal and are sending in their best representatives--Tim Drake, Conner Luthor and Cissie King-Jones. While their fathers can hardly stand each other, they have managed to become friends outside the boardroom. The week before they are to face off for the deal, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries are broken into by someone dressed as Arrowette. When Conner knows too many details about Cissie's business proposal, Tim and Cissie begin to wonder if he isn't following in his father's footsteps after all. But that still doesn't explain who Arrowette is or why someone would frame Cissie.
PART 4
After the disaster that was Monday afternoon's meeting, Cissie had been too angry to do anything but head straight back to the hotel. She gave polite goodbyes to the others--except Conner, the traitor--and snagged the first cab she saw. She made a beeline for her hotel room and as soon as she was inside, she tossed her briefcase aside and gave an angry, frustrated yell. There was no way LexCorp could have countered every part of her proposal. Not without an inside source. She picked up a pillow and threw it as hard as she could against the wall. It wasn't very satisfying, so she picked up one of her notebooks and sent that flying.
It sailed toward the door, just in time for Tim to come into the room and catch it out of the air. He raised an eyebrow. "I take it you're still angry?"
She glared at him and picked up a book, hurling it at the bed. Hitting the pillows really wasn't quite good enough. "He knew, Tim! He knew everything about my bid."
"Yeah, I caught that." He set the notebook down on the table next to the coffee maker. "You okay?"
She gave him an impatient look. "Do I seem okay?"
"Not exactly. Can I do anything?"
"Bring me Conner Luthor's head on a platter?" she suggested peevishly, crossing her arms over her chest.
He took a step toward her. "I don't really think I can do that. Can I offer a backrub instead?"
Cissie sighed and let her arms drop to her sides. "Are you sure? Because I think it would be for the best of both our companies."
"I'm afraid Wayne Enterprises has a strict policy against killing our rivals," Tim said solemnly.
She scowled and stepped into his arms, dropping her head against his shoulder. "Ethics suck. Especially when Lexcorp doesn't have any."
He held her tightly. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew how he got his information."
She tensed, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Shit." She pulled back, shoving her hands into her hair. "I think I might know."
"What happened?"
"There was a break-in," she explained. She felt like such an idiot. "This week. Someone broke into my office and got into my computer. I couldn't figure out what they did, but I guess this explains it." She couldn't help the bitter edge to her voice. "I just--I didn't think Conner was like that."
Tim blinked in obvious surprise. "Wait--you too?"
Cissie frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, me too?"
"Wayne Enterprises had a break in. Whoever it was didn't get past my firewalls, but..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged. "They definitely tried."
She looked at him blankly for a moment. "Really? That... Damn it," she muttered, looking away and frowning. "I was kind of hoping I was wrong."
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty glad Bruce was wrong."
She glanced at him. "Why? What did he think?"
He rolled his eyes a little. "He thought it might be you. Ridiculous, I know."
Cissie stared, feeling a little ill. She wasn't sure if that was because of the competition between their companies or if maybe the girl dressed as Arrowette had been responsible for their break-in as well. She wasn't entirely sure which was worse. "Why would he think it was me?"
"Blond, female archer?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. "Committing corporate espionage? I mean--we both know you could have been competitive if you hadn't decided to devote your energies to QI."
She just looked at him for a moment, then sighed. She went to the bed and sat heavily. Even if they hadn't made the Arrowette connection, the damage was done. It was her reputation being screwed around with and her work being stolen. She looked up at Tim, feeling slightly desperate. "It wasn't me."
"I know," he said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "I told Bruce as much."
Cissie scrubbed at her face and leaned against him. "It can't be a coincidence," she said dully. "Both of our companies being hit in the same week by what sounds like the same person. A person who just so happens to make everyone suspicious of me. And then Conner knows everything I have up my sleeve."
"I know." Tim sighed, scrubbing at his face. "I wouldn't have believed it of him. I mean--he's a Luthor, but he doesn't generally pull underhanded moves like this."
"Unless you count the stunt he pulled yesterday," Cissie grumbled.
He made a face. "That only counts if he knew we had plans to come back here after lunch."
"I wondered, a few times."
"It was a little uncanny, wasn't it?" he asked wryly.
She nodded, making a face. "Just a little. I guess we could have handled being interrupted better, but..."
"But we had plans," he said, giving her a somewhat wry smile. "And neither one of us especially enjoys having our plans changed without notice."
She smiled back and found his hand, lacing their fingers together. "No, we don't. And they were very important plans. I was looking forward to them."
"So was I." He ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand. "Of course, there's nothing to say that we can't reschedule. Do you have anything going for the rest of the afternoon?"
She shook her head, squeezing his hand. She smiled sheepishly. "No. My plans mainly consisted of throwing a tantrum and learning voodoo so I could curse Conner."
"Can I offer you another less frustrating way to occupy your time, and help you get rid of some of that excess energy?"
Cissie gave a thoughtful hum, smirking slightly. "I could possibly be convinced."
He tugged her toward him, wrapping his arms around her. "And how might I do that?"
She smiled and put her arms around his shoulders, moving to straddle his lap. "I can think of a few things. Kissing might be a good start."
"Oh?" He settled his hands on her hips and tilted his face up toward hers. "I think I can manage that."
"Good." She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, kissing him soundly. "It's been way too long since we got to do this. Before this weekend, I mean."
"Mm," he agreed, toppling her to the bed. "Feel like making up for lost time?"
Cissie giggled and pulled him down with her. "Yes, please."
They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in bed, completely ignoring their phones and never once turning on a computer. They called room service when they got hungry and ate in bed wearing fluffy hotel bathrobes. It wasn't until later in the night while they lay tangled up together and dozing on and off in each other's arms that Cissie's mind wandered back to the meeting and the break-ins and Arrowette. She mulled things over for a while, then rolled over, propping herself up on Tim's chest. "I want to tell you something."
"Hmm?" he asked, watching her with a slight smile on his face. "You know I find you very distracting like this."
She laughed quietly and leaned in, kissing him. It would be easier to go with that and give in to more distraction, but she felt like she needed to say something, even if her stomach was in knots. "Sorry. I..." She took a deep breath, looking down at his chest instead of at his face. She traced her thumb over a scar on his collarbone and said, "I think whoever is behind the break-ins is trying to frame me."
He tilted his head slightly to give her a curious look. "Why would you think that? Aside from the obvious blond archer thing?"
Cissie frowned and dropped her head, pressing her forehead to his chest. She closed her eyes and steeled herself. She hadn't told anyone this in years. "Did you know I used to live with my mother?"
"I think I'd heard that," he said, still watching her. "And then your father got custody?"
She nodded against him, exhaling softly. "Yes. Because someone called social services on her." She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "She wanted me to be a superhero. She gave me a costume and sent me out with trick arrows. I was Arrowette."
"Oh?" he asked, and there was something a little... off about his tone, but Cissie couldn't really parse it at the moment. "That--you would have been awfully young for that sort of thing."
She smiled a little wryly. "Mom started training me when I was five. But that's what the courts thought too, so--that's how I wound up with Dad." She shrugged, reaching up to push her hair behind her ear awkwardly. "Anyway, whoever broke in--they were wearing one of my costumes."
He frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Did you check--I'm sure you have some kind of secure storage."
Cissie nodded, making a face. "Yes. And I did check. Nothing's missing. I don't know if it is one of mine or just one that looks like mine. Either way, I--really don't like it."
"I can imagine," he said dryly, running a hand lightly over her back. "I wouldn't like it either."
"I don't know who it is," she said, letting her frustration color her voice. "It's bad enough people who don't know about Arrowette think it was me, but--whoever did this knows, Tim."
He made a thoughtful noise. "Well, who do you know that knows? Anyone that might want to destroy your reputation?"
Cissie frowned, thinking. "I... no," she said slowly, shaking her head. "The only people who know are either heroes or my family, or the people involved in my case. But my records are all sealed."
He gave her a slightly wry smile. "Family doesn't always get along. I should know."
She swallowed, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. A blond girl who knew about Arrowette and wasn't her biggest fan? The list of suspects was short. And she should have thought of it sooner, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to consider it now. "Would your brothers do this kind of thing to you? Even at the expense of WE?"
"...Probably not," he admitted after a moment. "Jason and Damian don't have any problem messing with me, but they do usually stick to messing with just me. I'm pretty sure Bruce would kill them cheerfully if they compromised my work at WE to get to me."
Cissie nodded slowly, considering what was being said and what she knew. She sighed and dropped to lie flat against him, hiding her face in his collarbone. "Damn it."
"Hey," he said softly, stroking her hair. "It's natural not to want to suspect your sister of sabotaging you like that. It's okay. You'll figure it out."
She shook her head, making a distressed noise in her throat. "I know she doesn't like me at all, but I--I thought she liked Dad. I don't know why she'd do this to him, never mind me. And work with Luthor?"
"I don't know." He dropped a kiss onto the top of her head and sighed. "You could confront her about it. Ask her."
"She'll lie," she muttered grimly. "But I guess I'll have to. And--shit. Tell Dad."
"Yeah, you will," he agreed. "I'm sorry."
She lifted her head to look at him again. She felt sick, and was clenching her jaw to keep from crying. "Do you think Conner was involved? Or was he just--given the information somehow?"
He winced. "I--don't know. I'd like to think not? Just--Conn's never been that kind of underhanded."
Cissie nodded, moving to prop herself up on her elbows again. "I know. I don't want to think so either, but..." She made a face. "Maybe we should ask him. Or I should."
"Maybe." He bent his head a little to kiss her forehead. "I mean--he's always been a friend, mostly. It would be nice to know if we couldn't trust him anymore. If he is turning into his father."
She smiled slightly when he kissed her head. "Yeah," she agreed, exhaling softly. "And he did want to go to dinner. I'm not sure if that's because he's oblivious or if he's trying seem oblivious, but--he's just never been like that."
"I'm a little surprised you heard him ask," Tim said, a little wryly. "You were pretty focused on getting the Hell out of there, so I wasn't sure you had."
She shrugged, giving him a sheepish smile. "Well, I was trying to get out of there before I gave in to the urge to castrate him. I thought ignoring him was the better course of action."
"Maybe," he conceded, smiling. "I'm sure Conner appreciated your restraint."
She laughed. "If he knew that's what I was thinking, I'm sure he did. Though if it turns out he was involved, castration is go. Just so you're aware."
"No one in the world would blame you."
She leaned in to kiss him, smiling. "You're handling all this talk of castration very well."
"Well, you're not planning on castrating me, I hope."
She smirked a little. "No. I don't feel like punishing myself."
"Mm. Good." He rolled her over so that she was on her back underneath him. He braced himself on his hands, smiling. "Feel like not-punishing yourself a little more?"
"Absolutely."
Part 5
Author: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Tim Drake, Cissie King-Jones, Conner Luthor and assorted others
Rating: Teen
Warning: Nothing explicit, but remember, this IS for au_bigbang!
Word Count: ~15,800
Summary: Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp and Queen Industries are all vying to win a high-stakes business deal and are sending in their best representatives--Tim Drake, Conner Luthor and Cissie King-Jones. While their fathers can hardly stand each other, they have managed to become friends outside the boardroom. The week before they are to face off for the deal, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries are broken into by someone dressed as Arrowette. When Conner knows too many details about Cissie's business proposal, Tim and Cissie begin to wonder if he isn't following in his father's footsteps after all. But that still doesn't explain who Arrowette is or why someone would frame Cissie.
PART 4
After the disaster that was Monday afternoon's meeting, Cissie had been too angry to do anything but head straight back to the hotel. She gave polite goodbyes to the others--except Conner, the traitor--and snagged the first cab she saw. She made a beeline for her hotel room and as soon as she was inside, she tossed her briefcase aside and gave an angry, frustrated yell. There was no way LexCorp could have countered every part of her proposal. Not without an inside source. She picked up a pillow and threw it as hard as she could against the wall. It wasn't very satisfying, so she picked up one of her notebooks and sent that flying.
It sailed toward the door, just in time for Tim to come into the room and catch it out of the air. He raised an eyebrow. "I take it you're still angry?"
She glared at him and picked up a book, hurling it at the bed. Hitting the pillows really wasn't quite good enough. "He knew, Tim! He knew everything about my bid."
"Yeah, I caught that." He set the notebook down on the table next to the coffee maker. "You okay?"
She gave him an impatient look. "Do I seem okay?"
"Not exactly. Can I do anything?"
"Bring me Conner Luthor's head on a platter?" she suggested peevishly, crossing her arms over her chest.
He took a step toward her. "I don't really think I can do that. Can I offer a backrub instead?"
Cissie sighed and let her arms drop to her sides. "Are you sure? Because I think it would be for the best of both our companies."
"I'm afraid Wayne Enterprises has a strict policy against killing our rivals," Tim said solemnly.
She scowled and stepped into his arms, dropping her head against his shoulder. "Ethics suck. Especially when Lexcorp doesn't have any."
He held her tightly. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew how he got his information."
She tensed, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Shit." She pulled back, shoving her hands into her hair. "I think I might know."
"What happened?"
"There was a break-in," she explained. She felt like such an idiot. "This week. Someone broke into my office and got into my computer. I couldn't figure out what they did, but I guess this explains it." She couldn't help the bitter edge to her voice. "I just--I didn't think Conner was like that."
Tim blinked in obvious surprise. "Wait--you too?"
Cissie frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, me too?"
"Wayne Enterprises had a break in. Whoever it was didn't get past my firewalls, but..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged. "They definitely tried."
She looked at him blankly for a moment. "Really? That... Damn it," she muttered, looking away and frowning. "I was kind of hoping I was wrong."
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty glad Bruce was wrong."
She glanced at him. "Why? What did he think?"
He rolled his eyes a little. "He thought it might be you. Ridiculous, I know."
Cissie stared, feeling a little ill. She wasn't sure if that was because of the competition between their companies or if maybe the girl dressed as Arrowette had been responsible for their break-in as well. She wasn't entirely sure which was worse. "Why would he think it was me?"
"Blond, female archer?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. "Committing corporate espionage? I mean--we both know you could have been competitive if you hadn't decided to devote your energies to QI."
She just looked at him for a moment, then sighed. She went to the bed and sat heavily. Even if they hadn't made the Arrowette connection, the damage was done. It was her reputation being screwed around with and her work being stolen. She looked up at Tim, feeling slightly desperate. "It wasn't me."
"I know," he said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "I told Bruce as much."
Cissie scrubbed at her face and leaned against him. "It can't be a coincidence," she said dully. "Both of our companies being hit in the same week by what sounds like the same person. A person who just so happens to make everyone suspicious of me. And then Conner knows everything I have up my sleeve."
"I know." Tim sighed, scrubbing at his face. "I wouldn't have believed it of him. I mean--he's a Luthor, but he doesn't generally pull underhanded moves like this."
"Unless you count the stunt he pulled yesterday," Cissie grumbled.
He made a face. "That only counts if he knew we had plans to come back here after lunch."
"I wondered, a few times."
"It was a little uncanny, wasn't it?" he asked wryly.
She nodded, making a face. "Just a little. I guess we could have handled being interrupted better, but..."
"But we had plans," he said, giving her a somewhat wry smile. "And neither one of us especially enjoys having our plans changed without notice."
She smiled back and found his hand, lacing their fingers together. "No, we don't. And they were very important plans. I was looking forward to them."
"So was I." He ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand. "Of course, there's nothing to say that we can't reschedule. Do you have anything going for the rest of the afternoon?"
She shook her head, squeezing his hand. She smiled sheepishly. "No. My plans mainly consisted of throwing a tantrum and learning voodoo so I could curse Conner."
"Can I offer you another less frustrating way to occupy your time, and help you get rid of some of that excess energy?"
Cissie gave a thoughtful hum, smirking slightly. "I could possibly be convinced."
He tugged her toward him, wrapping his arms around her. "And how might I do that?"
She smiled and put her arms around his shoulders, moving to straddle his lap. "I can think of a few things. Kissing might be a good start."
"Oh?" He settled his hands on her hips and tilted his face up toward hers. "I think I can manage that."
"Good." She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, kissing him soundly. "It's been way too long since we got to do this. Before this weekend, I mean."
"Mm," he agreed, toppling her to the bed. "Feel like making up for lost time?"
Cissie giggled and pulled him down with her. "Yes, please."
They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in bed, completely ignoring their phones and never once turning on a computer. They called room service when they got hungry and ate in bed wearing fluffy hotel bathrobes. It wasn't until later in the night while they lay tangled up together and dozing on and off in each other's arms that Cissie's mind wandered back to the meeting and the break-ins and Arrowette. She mulled things over for a while, then rolled over, propping herself up on Tim's chest. "I want to tell you something."
"Hmm?" he asked, watching her with a slight smile on his face. "You know I find you very distracting like this."
She laughed quietly and leaned in, kissing him. It would be easier to go with that and give in to more distraction, but she felt like she needed to say something, even if her stomach was in knots. "Sorry. I..." She took a deep breath, looking down at his chest instead of at his face. She traced her thumb over a scar on his collarbone and said, "I think whoever is behind the break-ins is trying to frame me."
He tilted his head slightly to give her a curious look. "Why would you think that? Aside from the obvious blond archer thing?"
Cissie frowned and dropped her head, pressing her forehead to his chest. She closed her eyes and steeled herself. She hadn't told anyone this in years. "Did you know I used to live with my mother?"
"I think I'd heard that," he said, still watching her. "And then your father got custody?"
She nodded against him, exhaling softly. "Yes. Because someone called social services on her." She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "She wanted me to be a superhero. She gave me a costume and sent me out with trick arrows. I was Arrowette."
"Oh?" he asked, and there was something a little... off about his tone, but Cissie couldn't really parse it at the moment. "That--you would have been awfully young for that sort of thing."
She smiled a little wryly. "Mom started training me when I was five. But that's what the courts thought too, so--that's how I wound up with Dad." She shrugged, reaching up to push her hair behind her ear awkwardly. "Anyway, whoever broke in--they were wearing one of my costumes."
He frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Did you check--I'm sure you have some kind of secure storage."
Cissie nodded, making a face. "Yes. And I did check. Nothing's missing. I don't know if it is one of mine or just one that looks like mine. Either way, I--really don't like it."
"I can imagine," he said dryly, running a hand lightly over her back. "I wouldn't like it either."
"I don't know who it is," she said, letting her frustration color her voice. "It's bad enough people who don't know about Arrowette think it was me, but--whoever did this knows, Tim."
He made a thoughtful noise. "Well, who do you know that knows? Anyone that might want to destroy your reputation?"
Cissie frowned, thinking. "I... no," she said slowly, shaking her head. "The only people who know are either heroes or my family, or the people involved in my case. But my records are all sealed."
He gave her a slightly wry smile. "Family doesn't always get along. I should know."
She swallowed, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. A blond girl who knew about Arrowette and wasn't her biggest fan? The list of suspects was short. And she should have thought of it sooner, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to consider it now. "Would your brothers do this kind of thing to you? Even at the expense of WE?"
"...Probably not," he admitted after a moment. "Jason and Damian don't have any problem messing with me, but they do usually stick to messing with just me. I'm pretty sure Bruce would kill them cheerfully if they compromised my work at WE to get to me."
Cissie nodded slowly, considering what was being said and what she knew. She sighed and dropped to lie flat against him, hiding her face in his collarbone. "Damn it."
"Hey," he said softly, stroking her hair. "It's natural not to want to suspect your sister of sabotaging you like that. It's okay. You'll figure it out."
She shook her head, making a distressed noise in her throat. "I know she doesn't like me at all, but I--I thought she liked Dad. I don't know why she'd do this to him, never mind me. And work with Luthor?"
"I don't know." He dropped a kiss onto the top of her head and sighed. "You could confront her about it. Ask her."
"She'll lie," she muttered grimly. "But I guess I'll have to. And--shit. Tell Dad."
"Yeah, you will," he agreed. "I'm sorry."
She lifted her head to look at him again. She felt sick, and was clenching her jaw to keep from crying. "Do you think Conner was involved? Or was he just--given the information somehow?"
He winced. "I--don't know. I'd like to think not? Just--Conn's never been that kind of underhanded."
Cissie nodded, moving to prop herself up on her elbows again. "I know. I don't want to think so either, but..." She made a face. "Maybe we should ask him. Or I should."
"Maybe." He bent his head a little to kiss her forehead. "I mean--he's always been a friend, mostly. It would be nice to know if we couldn't trust him anymore. If he is turning into his father."
She smiled slightly when he kissed her head. "Yeah," she agreed, exhaling softly. "And he did want to go to dinner. I'm not sure if that's because he's oblivious or if he's trying seem oblivious, but--he's just never been like that."
"I'm a little surprised you heard him ask," Tim said, a little wryly. "You were pretty focused on getting the Hell out of there, so I wasn't sure you had."
She shrugged, giving him a sheepish smile. "Well, I was trying to get out of there before I gave in to the urge to castrate him. I thought ignoring him was the better course of action."
"Maybe," he conceded, smiling. "I'm sure Conner appreciated your restraint."
She laughed. "If he knew that's what I was thinking, I'm sure he did. Though if it turns out he was involved, castration is go. Just so you're aware."
"No one in the world would blame you."
She leaned in to kiss him, smiling. "You're handling all this talk of castration very well."
"Well, you're not planning on castrating me, I hope."
She smirked a little. "No. I don't feel like punishing myself."
"Mm. Good." He rolled her over so that she was on her back underneath him. He braced himself on his hands, smiling. "Feel like not-punishing yourself a little more?"
"Absolutely."
Part 5