"Alex, you've gone into oblivion again," Batgirl called out, cutting through my profound musings. "Better think about the company's future. What should we do next?"
"What do you mean? Of course, we'll start creating a new game. And also develop a sequel to Angry Birds. We have plenty to do!"
"A new game?" Gordon's brows rose in interest.
"A sequel?" Heather chuckled, a note of skepticism in her voice. "I hate to sound tedious, but at this pace, we won't even have space to move around. Apparently, we'll need to expand our staff again. The premises we're currently renting aren't big enough — and that's a problem we'll have to solve somehow."
"So, should we move?" I asked rhetorically. "In principle, it was inevitable… Do you have any options in mind?"
"None," Miss Brooks replied flatly. "I suggest we don't waste time buying an existing building, but instead commission the construction of a new one — designed and developed specifically for our company's requirements."
"What? Are you serious right now?" I shot my secretary a puzzled look. How could someone as brilliant as Heather suggest something so unreasonable? "How long would we have to wait? A year? Two — before the design is ready, and then another year or so for interior work?"
"Is there something in my words that triggers such a violent reaction?" she asked coolly, noting my expression.
Stop. Something was wrong here. Why had Barbara remained silent all this time? She seemed to agree with Heather's idea. Before I made a complete fool of myself, I decided to check something.
"Just a moment, ladies." I smiled indulgently and began typing furiously on my keyboard.
Was I the only one who didn't understand? Let's see… ah. Well. It turns out Heather's suggestion was actually quite reasonable. I was thinking like a provincial outsider from another world, ignorant of the advanced construction methods in this superhero universe. Here, things were different — drastically different. Buildings that would take a year to complete in my old world could be finished here in under a month, sometimes sooner.
Why? Because the humble construction industry had been forced to evolve. When superpowered beings constantly smashed through skyscrapers and monuments in their fights with villains, it became essential to rebuild fast. This necessity drove construction techniques to insane efficiency.
For example: when Superman fought General Zod, destroying half of Metropolis, the city's buildings were restored in six months. Six months! If that's not evolution in action, I don't know what is.
"Sorry, Heather, I didn't fully understand the situation earlier. Great idea! Hire a reliable construction company and get them started immediately."
"Any ideas for the architecture?" Barbara asked.
"How about an inverted pyramid?" I suggested.
"I don't mind," Barbara said thoughtfully.
"Original," Brooks remarked curtly. "First, we'll need to secure land and finalize the architectural design."
"There's much to do… Well then, I'm ready to run a marathon!" I cracked my knuckles. "Looks like I'll be tied up with company affairs for the next few days… By the way, Heather," I added with a sly grin, "remember our bet? The one where your kiss was the prize? You see, I made quite a pile of money. You lost, so it's time to pay your debt."
"I'm busy," she said, retreating quickly toward the door. "First, earn at least a billion — then we'll revisit it. Or better yet, let's never bring it up again." And with that, she vanished.
The new mobile game I was preparing to develop would be Fruit Ninja. Yes, at first glance there's nothing that connects fruit and ninjas, but that's not entirely true. After all, what self-respecting ninja would pass up the chance to practice swordsmanship by slicing various fruits mid-air?
That's precisely the premise of the game. Fruit Ninja would be simple, yet highly addictive. From the moment you started playing, you'd know instantly what to do — no tutorial needed. Players would swipe the touchscreen to control a sword. As fruit appeared, they'd slash their fingers across the screen to cut it in half. The goal? Slice as much fruit as possible and set a high score.
Fruits would appear endlessly, and the task would be to slice them all. Miss three fruits, and you lose. Also, bombs would occasionally be tossed up alongside the fruit — slice one of those, and it's game over instantly.
The core idea, combined with fast, satisfying gameplay, made Fruit Ninja one of the most beloved casual games in my past world. People couldn't resist the juicy satisfaction of splitting a watermelon clean in half.
Alongside that, we would begin work on a sequel to Angry Birds. With only a month until winter, the choice landed on Angry Birds Seasons — a version themed around holidays and seasonal changes. The first release, naturally, would be the Christmas edition, targeted for early December.
The catch? There were too many projects and too few hands. A joint decision was made to hire five more employees.
The office space, already cramped, now felt like a sardine can. All eyes turned longingly toward the future — our new inverted pyramid headquarters.
The construction cost me over $50 million. Apparently, in this world, speed in construction was matched by astronomical prices. Still, the company assured me the entire structure, along with a full interior fit-out, would be completed in just one month. Hard to be upset with results like that. The sooner, the better.
There's an old saying: "Cramped, but not offended." In reality? Cramped and mildly irritated. The move couldn't come soon enough.
******************************
The past few days turned into a relentless work grind. I barely had time to sleep. My focus was split between developing new games and executing a promotional strategy for our two marquee musical performers.
Just a few days ago, we released music videos of Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson performing their title tracks online — an instant popularity boost. The reaction was explosive. Both tracks shot to the top of global charts almost overnight.
Oh, how I would have loved to see Norwood's face right then — twisted with frustration — knowing he had passed up these titans of talent. But I was sure this wasn't the last we'd cross paths. Someday, personally or professionally, we'd face off — and I intended to deliver the final, decisive blow.
Meanwhile, Alison Blair wasn't idle. She launched the advertising campaign for her upcoming album — her debut under a bold new image: Dazzling. She didn't skimp on costs; this was a pivotal moment in her career, and she treated it as such.
"Alison, why so nervous? Your new album doesn't go on sale for another week," I said, trying to calm the director of our music studio.
"I'm not nervous at all!" she replied quickly. "Anyway, I have too much work to indulge in something as pointless as worrying. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do…" And off she went.
Poor thing. For someone claiming not to be nervous, she was practically buzzing with it. Perhaps I should mark the release day with her — celebrate when her songs officially hit the market. The quality, I had no doubt, would carry her even higher, making her career shine brighter than the name she'd chosen for herself.
Bzzz… Bzzz… My phone vibrated. Who was it this time?
"Alex Reath speaking," I answered.
"Mister Alex, I hope I'm not disturb" came a familiar, aristocratic voice.
"Alfred," I greeted, immediately at ease. "You could never disturb me. What's going on?"
"Do you recall me mentioning my goddaughter, Tatsu Yamashiro? I recommended her to you as a potential bodyguard."
"Of course I remember."
"She arrived in Gotham today. If you still wish to hire her services, I believe now would be an excellent time to meet her."
"This evening, at the Wayne family mansion," Alfred replied in his usual reserved manner. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
"I understand… Tatsu Yamashiro… Katana," I repeated thoughtfully once the call ended.
I wondered if she had brought along her legendary cursed blade — the Soultaker. Its reputation alone made it one of the most fascinating artifacts I could imagine seeing in person.
Something told me… it was going to be quite a night.
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