Damian took his time as he walked toward the executive lab, keeping his pace steady and measured. Not too fast, not too slow. Rushing would seem nervous. Moving too slowly would seem calculated. Every step had to feel natural.
His mind raced through Beth's memories, compiling every relevant piece of information about Kessler, the lab's inner workings, and the projects currently in progress. He needed to be prepared for anything.
Kessler was a master manipulator—a man who always knew more than he let on. Damian had to match him move for move without giving him a reason to doubt "Alex Smith."
As he arrived at the reinforced steel doors of the executive lab, a pair of First Sons guards stood at attention, their expressions blank, disciplined. One of them scanned him from head to toe, then pressed a control panel on the wall.
The doors hissed open.
Inside, the lab was a stark contrast to the sterile workstations Damian had been using. The lighting was dimmer, giving the room an ominous feel. Monitors lined the walls, displaying energy readings, Conduit activity reports, and surveillance feeds from various sectors of Empire City. The Ray Sphere prototype sat in the center of the room, sealed inside a reinforced containment unit.
And standing before it, hands clasped behind his back, was Kessler.
"Ah, Mr. Smith."
Kessler's voice was calm, controlled, but there was something predatory lurking beneath it. He turned slowly, his piercing pupil-less blue eyes locking onto Damian with an intensity that sent a faint ripple of unease through him. "I've been watching your work with great interest."
Damian maintained his neutral expression, offering a professional nod. "I appreciate that, sir. I take my research seriously."
Kessler smiled—a sharp, knowing smile. "Yes. That much is clear. Your work has been... rather exceptional, lately."
Damian detected the hidden weight in those words.
This wasn't a compliment. It was a test.
Kessler was waiting for a reaction, watching for the smallest shift in body language, any sign of hesitation or discomfort.
Damian forced a chuckle, scratching the back of his neck with just enough awkwardness to make it seem natural.
"Well, I've been fortunate," he said. "When the right problem presents itself, sometimes the solution just clicks."
Kessler took a step closer.
"Yes... Funny, isn't it? How sudden improvement can happen?" His gaze sharpened. "Almost as if a switch was flipped. Make you almost wonder where such inspiration has been all your life leading up to that moment."
Damian's mind processed the statement instantly. This was the real test. Kessler wasn't accusing him of anything—he was planting the idea, watching how he reacted to it.
Damian kept his posture relaxed but let a subtle frown cross his face, as if confused by Kessler's words.
"I suppose so," he said carefully. "But isn't that what research is all about sir? Finding breakthroughs? Learning from mistakes?"
Kessler didn't blink. Didn't move.
Then, suddenly, he smiled. "Indeed. We should all hope for such inspiration to hit us all."
He turned away, moving toward one of the nearby monitors. Damian exhaled internally.
Round one: passed.
But he knew the game wasn't over.
Kessler tapped a few keys on the terminal, and the screens behind him shifted to display Ray Sphere schematics.
"Tell me, Mr. Smith… What do you think of our progress?"
Damian approached the display, his eyes scanning the data. He recognized his own falsified reports mixed with actual test results. Beth's memories filled in the blanks, giving him the information he needed to answer.
"Efficiency is improving," Damian said. "But I think we can do better. The structural integrity of the components is still a weak point. As I hypothesized if we reinforce the core with Rayfield-infused materials, we can push the output closer to full activation without catastrophic failure of the device. I also believe if we use Rayfield-infused materials to replace all the components we could increase efficiency by levels we have never seen."
Kessler's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Rayfield-infused materials... An unorthodox approach. Risky. But potentially rewarding."
He took a step closer to Damian.
"Tell me, Mr. Smith… If you were given full control of this project, what would you do?"
Another trap, this wasn't just a question, but another test.
If Damian answered too ambitiously, it might seem like he was trying to seize control of something beyond his rank. If he answered too cautiously, Kessler would think he lacked vision.
So Damian chose the middle ground.
"I would refine the durability as I theorized," he said. "The current methodology is useful, but we need better simulations before moving to large-scale trials. As the last activation showed the device is unable to withstand the energy released. So we should rework the old prototype with my theory and see the result before moving on to the current Ray Sphere. No sense in rushing forward if we're going to break something we can't fix."
Kessler studied him for a long moment.
Then, to Damian's surprise…
He nodded. "Pragmatic. Cautious yet still ambitious. I respect that."
Then his expression darkened. "As you say, we'll have to be careful, after all. There are always... unexpected variables. We can never know whether they are beneficial or not."
'Another hint maybe? Does he know something or is this just how villains talk?'
Kessler still suspected something, but he wasn't sure what.
Meanwhile, in another sector of the First Sons facility, Sasha—still disguised as a high-ranking officer—entered a secure chamber.
She and her hand-picked squad dragged in the "captured" Infiltrator Sasha, who appeared beaten and unconscious, her tar reserves seemingly drained.
The guards secured the containment cell, locking the infiltrator inside with reinforced energy fields.
One of the officers turned to her.
"What's the next step, sir?"
Sasha kept her expression cold, professional. "The prisoner will be transferred to Kessler's personal research division. We don't move until I say so."
The officers nodded and returned to their posts.
As soon as they were gone, Sasha approached the containment cell.
The infiltrator stirred slightly, just enough for Sasha to reach through the bars.
Without a word, Sasha's palm shifted into an injector—a thin, bio-organic needle emerging from her skin. She pressed it against the infiltrator's arm, injecting a fresh supply of her own tar back into it.
A faint smirk crossed her lips for half a second.
Now, when Kessler tried to extract her "tar samples," there would be enough to pass inspection and weaponized into the gas in the future.
Back in the executive lab, Kessler turned away from the monitors and regarded Damian one last time.
"I'll be keeping my eye on you, Mr. Smith."
Damian met his gaze, keeping his expression calm. "I wouldn't expect anything less, sir. I hope to show you positive results."
Kessler's smile returned, but it was colder this time. "Good. Let's see if your ideas truly have merit."
The meeting was over.