Chapter 393: Barbara Gordon and Kara Zor-El (1)
The New CEO
Linda wasn't seeing Barbara Gordon for the first time. Over the past month, Barbara had come to the Tesla factory more than once, only to leave empty-handed each time.
She wondered what the relationship was between Barbara and Luke. A lover? A mistress?
She certainly wasn't the official girlfriend; the only one Luke had ever acknowledged was Carol Ferris. The thought of that woman made Linda's teeth itch.
"Hey!"
Barbara pounded on the table. "Stop spacing out! Tell me where he is right now!"
Linda snorted, raised her hand, and a wave of energy shot from her fingertip, slicing the iPad on the table clean in half.
Barbara's eyes went wide. She looked at the scattered pieces on the floor, then back at the girl in front of her.
"You..."
Linda leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, exuding a hostile aura.
"Luke Shaw doesn't even dare provoke me, let alone you. You'd better be honest, or next time it'll be your head that gets shattered."
"..."
"Anything else? If not, please leave. I have a mountain of work to deal with, and no time to waste with you."
Barbara was speechless. Linda's arrogance and assertiveness were hard to handle. Who would have thought such a sweet and lovely-looking girl could have such a rebellious side?
She paused, then lowered her voice.
"I have backups, you know. Aren't you afraid I'll leak the video?"
"Suit yourself."
Linda picked up a document, rapidly flipped through it, and replied casually, "You think the FBI doesn't know who I am? Ha!"
"They know better than anyone. And what happened? I'm still sitting here, perfectly fine in this office, dealing with this boring, tedious, frustrating, soul-crushing, endlessly repetitive work every single day."
By the end, she was practically gritting her teeth.
Barbara stared at her strangely, unable to understand her thought process. Tesla wasn't a small company; after signing a procurement contract with Gotham City, its total market value had reached $5 billion. The CEO of such a company was a dream for countless young people, yet Linda treated it like a discarded shoe.
"You... you don't want to work?"
"Only an idiot would want to work."
"Then why don't you resign?"
Linda rolled her eyes and said weakly, "If I could quit, I would have a long time ago. That scoundrel Luke! He couldn't find anyone else and just had to coerce me."
As she spoke, something occurred to her. She stared pointedly at Barbara.
"Let me ask you something: what is your relationship with Luke?"
Barbara froze. "I... we..."
"Have you slept together?"
Barbara's cheeks flushed red. She snapped, "That's none of your business!"
"I knew it!"
Linda looked thoughtful, examining her from head to toe. "Do you know he has a girlfriend?"
Before Barbara could respond, she continued,
"Carol Ferris, the executive director of Ferris Aircraft. You know, the company that builds planes."
Barbara took two steps back, looking at her warily.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Are you interested in being my secretary?"
Barbara's eyes went wide; she was completely shocked. "You're crazy! I... I'm not talking to you anymore. You're just as crazy as Luke Shaw."
She turned to leave, but a strong gust of wind blew past her face. Linda, who had been sitting in the chair, suddenly materialized right in front of the door.
Barbara's pupils constricted. The other woman's speed was too fast; she didn't even see an afterimage.
"I wasn't finished talking. How can I let you leave?"
Linda pressed closer, radiating a powerful aura. "Think about it. Come work for Tesla. If you do well, I'll even give you the CEO position. Once you're the CEO, it will be hard for Luke to avoid you."
Barbara seemed to grasp something, her expression complex and strange.
"You want me to take over just because you don't want to work?"
"That's too ridiculous! What do you take Tesla for? It's Luke Shaw's lifeblood."
"Pfft!"
Linda pouted. "What do you know? Tesla produces junk. He would never bring out the real good stuff."
Real good stuff!
Barbara's heart skipped a beat. She followed up, "Are you saying Luke Shaw has even better armor?"
"Naturally. The Phantom..."
Linda shook her head. "If you want to know, come work for the company."
Barbara was perplexed. "Why me? Can't you find anyone else?"
"Of course not," Linda replied as if it were obvious. "If anyone else makes a mistake, big or small, Luke will take it out on me. You're different. You have that connection with him. If you make a mistake, it will be your fault, not mine. I know that much."
Barbara: "..."
Is this person from Mars? What a strange thought process.
However, this might be an opportunity.
After thinking it over, Barbara spoke firmly, "I can work for you, but on one condition."
"What is it?"
"I want to use Tesla's technology to build a power armor. An armor that belongs only to me. A unique one."
Linda extended her right hand. "Pleasure working with you."
Barbara extended her own hand.
"Pleasure working with you."
The Birth of Batgirl Armor
With Barbara's help, Linda's life was finally less tedious. As they spent more time together, they found many commonalities, gradually moving from a working relationship to friends, and finally becoming close confidantes who shared everything.
Linda even used Kryptonian technology to help Barbara modify her power armor.
Through their combined efforts, a power armor with a feminine, modernist style took shape.
The dark brown armor was etched with faint orange-red stripes—Barbara's hair color—blending the two perfectly. As it was a female suit, the chest and hips required delicate design, and the helmet was also a major issue.
Barbara's hair was long, making a fully enclosed helmet inconvenient. After discussion, they decided to separate the armor and helmet, using a simple face mask instead. This saved time and effort and allowed them to add new functions.
Once the design sketch was complete, production began immediately. After consuming nearly $40 million in raw materials, the new armor was finally born.
Inside Tesla's underground base, Barbara, wearing her new "suit," stood before a mirror, striking various poses.
The armor, constructed using nanotechnology, lacked the rigid feel of traditional suits. Every plate fit snugly against her skin—tight and rounded—like a bodysuit that highlighted her figure perfectly.
After a few glances, Barbara's face flushed when she noticed the unusual definition around her chest and hips.
"Isn't this... a bit too much?"
"Too what?"
"Too exposing!"
Barbara gestured nervously. "My initial intention for building the armor was to fight crime and protect the weak, but if I go out dressed like this..." She stammered, "I might actually cause crime."
Pfft!
Linda burst out laughing. She playfully slapped Barbara on her shapely rear.
"So you know this might cause crime! I told you back then not to make it so figure-hugging, but you insisted. Now look: the crime-fighting power armor has become crime-enticing lingerie armor."
"Barbara, you're truly a genius!"
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