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"Meet Riri Williams, and as of today, she's your new colleague. Please treat her with love," I introduced the girl, and also told her the names of her future work partners. The subsequent reaction from Lana and Hiro was far from as rosy as I'd imagined. Toyman didn't mince words and bluntly declared his dislike of the newcomer "I don't like her. I'm against..."
"Really? What's the reason?" I asked the boy, not ignoring his outburst.
"I doubt her intelligence. Is she at least eighteen? I'm not going to babysit a child," young Okomura voiced his complaint with an air of importance.
"Funny...I see someone here has a high opinion of themselves," Williams also added. "Let me clarify the situation: I'm older than you, which means you should address me as big sister. After all, no matter how you look at it, I'll still be the one looking after the child."
"You dare say that just because you're a little older than me? It's not the actual age that matters, but the mental one! My IQ is over 210, if I were you, I'd be more polite to me."
"Oh, look at you, what a smart boy! I suppose your high IQ is the only thing you can be proud of?"
"Well, at least I can be proud of something, unlike a flat board like you."
"W-what did you say?! You little brat, I'll kill you!" No longer daring to hold back her emotions, Riri pounced on the arrogant boy, wanting to give him a good beating. Unfortunately for her, the Toymaker quickly reacted to the dark-skinned girl's outburst and, activating his jetpack, soared upward.
The only thing I could do in such a situation was facepalm. Who knew these two would start bickering the moment they met. Where exactly had I gone wrong?
While they were figuring out who was right and who was wrong, and who was cooler: Batman or Iron Man...
Lana Lang, cursing under her breath, grabbed my wrist sharply and dragged me aside, after which, without ceremony, she expressed her thoughts on the children's conflict, "Mr. Reath... Alex, tell me honestly, do I look like a nanny? I came here to work, not to raise children."
"Sorry, it's not that I did it on purpose, it's just... These two are some of the best specialists in their field. I know they are a little young, but that in no way diminishes their intellectual abilities. They are real geniuses. You've already worked with Hiro and should be as aware of this as I am."
"We only worked together for a few days, and during these days he pestered me more than he was busy with work."
"Well, he's a teenager—that's typical for his age. But I believe you can handle him," I said, confident that she would be an excellent mentor.
After all, she once managed to rein in a Kryptonian himself, and that's worth a lot. As long as she leads Nidavellir, I can rest assured about the future achievements of our God's Forge.
After all, despite their brilliant minds, Riri and Hiro are still teenagers, and they need a leader capable of keeping an eye on them. And Lana is perfect for that role.
"For such difficulties and additional responsibility, you should give me a raise," the Smallville native fumed, continuing to watch the bickering between the two young talents. "Eh, the future looks bleak to me."
"Ha-ha, don't be so pessimistic. I'm sure they'll get along."
"You think so?"
To be honest it seems to me that Brainiac is more likely to become friends with Superman than those two will find a common language.
"You still haven't told me about our new colleague. Riri Williams...Where did you find her?"
"Well, how can I put it…"
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[An hour before the aforementioned events.]
"Hello, Riri," I greeted the girl who was sitting opposite my desk. "I'm glad that you were able to come to Gotham so quickly."
"Actually, your call caught me by surprise," she said, looking at me with big dark eyes. "Frankly, I didn't expect that my resume would be considered. After all, I'm just a student, and besides, I'm only fifteen."
"And yet you decided to submit an application - quite brave of you. Do you have any questions for me?"
'I was attracted by the clause in the contract, which stated that for significant results in work and good indicators the company will finance my own research. I would like to talk about it."
"Don't worry, it really is. Moreover, if your project meets the company's requirements, all the necessary conditions will be created for its successful development. But still, don't forget that Nidavellir's research comes first."
"I understand," nodded the young Williams. "But I'm still studying at MIT in Boston, and..."
"You can transfer to Gotham State University. If you wish. I will help with all legal matters."
The prestige of our educational institution is on par with MIT. Gotham University is a very old and highly respected institution, albeit with a slight sinister reputation. Bruce Wayne is the school's main trustee, and his company, Wayne Enterprise, sponsors and provides students with some of the highest scholarships in the country.
Frankly, I completely fail to understand why such an intelligent person as Riri Williams needs to attend university. She is head and shoulders above most of the professors and is unlikely to gain much from an educational institution. It seems to me that the only thing keeping her at university is the grants.
No matter how smart you are, if you don't have money, don't even think about developing your own iron suit. I'm sure she wants to join Nidvalellir so she can continue developing her version of the Stark armor.
"Riri, if you suddenly abandon your studies, I won't convince you of the need for a university education. Your skills already surpass those of most academy graduates. Instead, you can focus on your work and learn from your colleagues. Believe me, they will be able to give you a broader and deeper knowledge than simple teachers. You don't have to worry about the grant; I give you my word that you will be able to continue your research and, with the help of others, you will be able to complete your iron suit much sooner."
"W-what?! How did you find out about…" the girl said worriedly, but stopped herself in time.
"Don't worry so much. I want you to understand that your boss is not Tom-Dick-Harry, there is little that can escape me. I know about your project and have nothing against it. In fact, I can even ask Tony to send you his original MARK-1 suit so you can study it."
"You know and you can even help me… Is that why you decided to hire me? Because I'm building the Iron Man armor?"
'Tony Stark is my friend, so to speak, and I had no particular desire to replicate his technology. After all, I could have simply asked him. Of course, he wouldn't have agreed right away, but believe me, I know how to convince people. I want to say that I was interested in you not because you want to develop a suit, but because you are capable of doing it. You understand that if successful, your skills as an engineer would be in the top 10 geniuses in this world. That is precisely why I want to hire you for the company."
"You overpraise me. I am nowhere near that smart." She waved her hands in protest. "Especially since I still haven't developed the suit. It's still in the design stage."
"Believe me, you can develop it and wipe the floor with that narcissistic egotist Tony. Oh, I can just imagine the look on his face when I show him the new version of his precious armor... Riri, I believe in you!" I gave her a thumbs up.
"I'll try," she nodded with firm determination.
"Great. And if you want, in the future I can introduce you to Stark. Just know, he's a real narcissist and the first impression may not be too rosy. But you can be sure that he's a good person, albeit a little selfish."
"I would like to meet him. He's the one who inspired me to pursue science, he's my idol... And, Mr. Reath," she turned to me.
"You can just call me Alex, I don't mind."
"Alex, I would like to ask you... for an autograph. I'm a big fan of your songs."
"Really? I'm flattered," I leaned forward a little. 'In that case, I can tell you in secret that I'll soon be releasing a new album, if, of course, you're interested."
"Interesting! Oh, I completely forgot to ask. Alex, what kind of people are my future colleagues?"
"They are smart, nice and extremely friendly. They'll like you, I'm sure…"
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"Come down, if you're so brave!" Riri shouted after Hiro, who was hovering near the ceiling.
"What's the matter? Are you really so stupid that you couldn't develop your own jetpack? Oh, oh, oh well, I can teach you a little," Toyman responded sarcastically.
"Just you wait, I'll finish my iron suit, and then you won't be able to hide from me. I'll hit you over the head with repulsors until your IQ drops below fifty!"
Yeah, things didn't go quite as planned... Well, at least it won't be boring. Ha-ha, those two know how to have fun.
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Thanks for reading you all, hope you all had fun.
Btw, don't forget to vote with power stones.
You all can read extra chapters on [email protected] and help me pay my bills.
[email protected]/annihilator009
Replace @ with a