Inside one of the helicopters, a man dressed in military attire reached out to a communication device and spoke into it with worry.
"Ground team, do you copy? What's the situation? Ground team?"
His attempts garnered no answer as he only received static from the other side. It was only then that the chopper circled around, and he turned his attention to the main entrance of the Markovic Tower.
There, the man spotted Arias's lone figure exiting the building, and he immediately took on a concerned expression before speaking into his device again.
"Air team, the suspect is outside the premises. No word from the ground team. Move in to intercept and—"
The man's words were cut to an abrupt halt when the helicopter suddenly shook, and alarms began to buzz from all directions.
"What's happening?" he worriedly asked the pilot, who lifted his hands from the controls while shaking his head.
"I don't know! I've lost control!" he panickedly replied.
The man then looked down and saw Arias looking up toward them casually, his hands even resting in his pockets.
Before the man could make sense of what was going on, Arias flung the chopper away from his tower in a chaotic spiral.
At that moment, the three other choppers circling the tower approached, but they too met a similar fate as their pilots found they couldn't control anything.
Arias just watched as the choppers spun out of control and hurtled toward the ground. It was then that Apeiro's voice, which he hadn't heard in a while, resounded in his mind, her tone happy.
**[Have you finally realized that lower life forms aren't worth your time, Ari?]**
Arias didn't expect to hear from her, making her yet another surprise for the day. However, he shook his head at the question.
"Not at all. I've just set a solid enough foundation. Even if they try to ruin it, after the display I put on here, they'll think twice about touching what's mine until they apprehend me..." he paused.
In that moment, one of the choppers crashed furiously near the entrance, its fiery spinning blades slicing into the marble stairs leading up to the entrance.
Soon, the entire chopper blew up furiously, sending many of its parts flying in all directions. Arias simply dusted off his suit and walked past it, finishing what he was about to say, "...and that's not happening any time soon. So my Ark Academies will retain their student population while I can turn my focus elsewhere."
Curious as to what he was planning, Apeiro inquired further.
**[And what focus is that?]**
Arias smiled, his figure walking past the main gates where a frightened guard stood speechless at what he had just witnessed.
"Talented individuals who exist on the other side of the moral scale. Those I couldn't bring to my side while posing as a saint, all while allowing the students in the Ark Academies to... marinate. Some will idolize this stance I take, while others may leave. Although not how I had initially planned to do this, think of it as filtering, to rid my foundation of weak pillars."
**[...I still feel—and will always feel—that they aren't worth your time. But perhaps I'll better understand your thoughts once I take on a physical aspect separate from you.]**
Arias paused just outside the gates and saw that no more agents or choppers were in sight, making it clear that they had underestimated him.
"You don't need to understand my thoughts and feelings—no one can. The same could be said for you. Knowing and understanding are two separate concepts, the latter being near impossible to achieve regarding certain individuals, you and I being prime examples."
He explained, his tone somewhat distant, making Apeiro cease her comments regarding humanity.
**[Part of what makes being a superior being so special is that the impossible becomes possible. I can ignore your interest in lower life forms, but I'll never stop trying to understand you, for you are all that matters in my existence.]**
With those words, Apeiro's presence faded once again, leaving Arias to digest her words.
He didn't comment on it and just focused his attention on the police sirens in the distance.
Soon, a group of police vehicles stopped near the front gate of Markovic Tower. In one of those cars, Commissioner Gordon exited with a confused expression on his face, signaling his officers to stop.
The commissioner immediately turned his attention to Arias and asked, "What the hell is going on? Is it true?"
Arias looked at the confused commissioner and took out his phone, sending him a message rather than speaking.
The commissioner's phone binged, and he saw that Arias forwarded an audio recording. Upon playing it, the conversation between Arias and the president played.
It didn't take a genius to realize that the president was threatening Arias because he was sponsoring Slade to run for president, making it immediately clear who was right and who was wrong.
Arias could see the commissioner's face turn sour and somewhat angry. He knew just how much Gordon hated corruption, and to see it come from the head of state... it brought a completely different level of anger.
He looked at Arias, determined.
"Those bastards... the Gotham PD won't let them take you."
He offered, his stance on the matter immediately made clear. This was a man who made his city safer for him and opened up new doors for his daughter. How could he allow him to be wrongfully arrested?
Arias, though, shook his head at the offer. In the next moment, the commissioner and other officers all began to hover helplessly in the air.
"That will just lead to a bloody confrontation. Worse, your daughter and the officers' families may become involved. I can't allow that. Get that recording to Vicki Vale, and when asked, say you couldn't stop me. Don't worry, it'll take more than this to stop me."
He revealed, in a somewhat righteous manner.
His plan was simple. Once the recording aired, those already loyal to him would have their faith strengthened, while the president's image would receive considerable damage.
This was Arias's solution to ensure his reputation didn't plummet but instead strengthened. Rather than accuse him, a good number of people would support him, including the majority of the student population at the Ark Academies.
With the majority having grown up with the government providing no help toward them, they would see this as a move to bring down Arias after he revealed he was a metahuman.
And that alone would not only make them grow hatred toward the government, but also see Arias as a sort of role model who refused to be held down, even with an entire world superpower against him.
Although abrupt, Arias had already foreseen many ideal consequences, with very few scenarios showing disadvantages.
The commissioner felt both touched and unwilling after hearing Arias's words. He already thought Arias was wrongfully accused of murder once and even lost his best friend. Now he was being accused again and could likely lose everything, yet he still thought of others?
To someone like the commissioner who believed in justice and righteousness, Arias truly was someone to admire, making him feel helpless that he couldn't do much to help.
The commissioner soon stopped struggling and just looked at Arias before nodding.
"I understand," he muttered, with a hint of unwillingness in his voice.
Just as he was doing so, a luxurious yet heavy-duty SUV appeared and stopped near the gate. The front door swung open, and Harley rolled out—quite literally—and raised her two pistols.
"Put 'em up! Oh."
She paused once she saw Arias holding up everyone. The front window of the vehicle slid down, and Rose, who was driving, peeped out and yelled,
"We better get going; this place will be flooded soon."
Arias gave her a nod and let the officers down before walking over and entering the vehicle.
Harley raised her hands again and did her best to look threatening, "No funny moves, or I'll blast a ton of holes in ya!"
Once Arias was in, she jumped back into the car, and they drove away. Some officers wanted to shoot at the vehicle, but the commissioner stopped them by raising his hand, his gaze fixated on his phone, which he clenched tightly.
Meanwhile, inside the car, Rose focused on driving but still asked, "My dad filled me in on the plan, but where exactly are we going?"
Harley, on the other hand, was just enjoying the chaos.
"A road trip, obviously. Let's go to Disneyland!"
Arias relaxed in the back seat, loosening his tie before taking it off completely and sighing.
"The airport. We should be able to—"
Arias's words were cut short when a loud thud resounded on top of the car, causing it to shake wildly and almost steer off course.
Harley reacted fast and was ready to shoot, but Arias stopped her.
"Wait, it's not an enemy."
Before Harley could ask, a shimmering sword tapped the car's window. Harley opened the window and saw a frowning Diana pointing her sword at her.
"What is the meaning of this, Harley of Quinn's?"
Harley pointed her gun at Diana and also frowned.
"Why're you asking me? I heard there were opps, and I tagged along. Ask the boss, not me."
Diana peeped back and saw Arias unharmed, only then did she sheathe her sword.
"I apologize for my reaction. That slender mirror device was speaking atrocious words regarding Arias, and I rushed over, only to see chaos. I assumed the worst."
Arias intervened, "Now isn't the time to talk. Diana, just ensure we aren't being followed closely."
His words received a nod from Diana, who only had one more question.
"How should I deal with them?"
Harley also looked back, curious about the answer. Arias met her gaze and replied, "Don't hesitate to kill any and all threats."
These words received agreement from Diana, who just returned to the top of the car while Harley looked very happy.
"Alright! It's blasting time!"