So, you've donated a ton of money, you care about people's well-being and try to help them in any way you can. What's the fastest way to let the public know you're a great guy? Of course, by giving an interview to the press or appearing on television. But how can you make sure the interview goes well and your words aren't presented from the wrong angle or taken out of context? Of course, by bringing in your contact from the journalistic world.
As you know, I have just such a person. The captivating Victoria Vale is Gotham's most renowned reporter, photographer, journalist, correspondent, and leading columnist for breaking news and other media features. I asked her to help me promote my idea, and she happily agreed.
According to her, the editorial team can't wait to see my face on the cover of their newspaper. I'm currently one of Gotham's most talked-about personalities. But unlike others, I rarely appear in front of the cameras and share almost nothing about myself or my plans for the future, save for my Twitter page, where I occasionally interact with fans.
So we decided to fix that by filming a video interview. Silver St. Cloud, who, after much passionate persuasion, finally agreed to take on the role of foundation director, also appeared with me.
"Mr. Alex, how did you come up with the idea of creating a charitable foundation whose proceeds would be used to strengthen the foundation of Gotham City?" Victoria asked, getting to the main point of the conversation.
"The holidays before Christmas are the best time to stop for a moment and think about the help you can provide. As a resident of Gotham, I am endlessly grateful to the city that has given me so much. Here, being a nobody, I was able to become a person from whom people expect great achievements. And I never cease to be grateful to fate and the people who help me on this difficult path, and I hope I will never disappoint them... Many do not know, and those who do, try to ignore it, but I am forced to tell people the truth, no matter how terrible it may be... The city, literally, stands on empty space. Under the ground, there are wide tunnels, branching out along the entire perimeter of Gotham. This network of caves is the only thing that keeps the gigantic metropolis from falling into the abyss. If, God forbid, an earthquake exceeding 5 points occurs, the city could turn into ruins…"
"Is the situation really that critical? Why, in that case, don't the city authorities solve this problem?" asked Miss Vale, a question that will definitely come up in the minds of viewers.
"Here I can only guess. The fact is that strengthening the foundation of a large city like Gotham requires a large investment. And perhaps the authorities simply decided that the cost did not justify the end result, and since the city, despite all the predictions and prejudices, still stands, there is no need to do anything to fix it."
"If that's the case, then why, despite the impracticality and, as you've noted, the enormous investment required, do you still want to strengthen the foundation?"
"I don't want to feel any regrets... Yes, the likelihood of earthquakes above magnitude 5 is quite small, but it still exists. And just thinking about the scale of the disaster makes me shudder. And besides, a natural disaster isn't the only thing threatening our city. These facts have never been made public, but I feel compelled to share them... In the last ten years alone, seven attempts have been made to blow up the underground caverns beneath Gotham City! Three times, it was the mad clown known to everyone as the Joker. Once, it was the terrorist known as Bane, and twice, it was the head of a secret criminal syndicate of assassins. And each time, their plans were thwarted by Gotham's Dark Guardian, saving the city while it suspected nothing."
"How do you know such details?" Victoria asked, feigning nervousness.
"I can't say where exactly, but I can say that the information is from reliable sources and can be trusted. I want to point out that if Batman isn't around for the next attempt, or if he ultimately fails to stop the criminal, the consequences could be dire."
"Yes... If you imagine such a development, then everything truly looks quite depressing... Mister Alex, so how much money will it take to secure the city and strengthen its foundation?"
"This could require more than 10 billion dollars. Although our fund doesn't currently have such an impressive sum, I'm confident that we'll be able to accumulate enough in the near future. Right now, our funds are quite sufficient to begin work. Thank you to the good citizens of Gotham who care about the future of our hometown, as well as to the people from other cities who have agreed to help in our difficult situation," I addressed the camera, expressing my gratitude.
"Like Alex," Silver St. Cloud, sitting next to me with the proud bearing of a true aristocrat, took the floor, "I'd like to thank everyone who has shown concern for our city's problems. Our charitable foundation was founded quite recently, but with everyone's help, we've already raised over $440 million. I'd like to express my gratitude to Alex Reath, who has donated over $150 million; Bruce Wayne, who has donated $100 million to strengthen the city; and Anthony Stark, despite not being a Gotham resident, who has given $75 million to the foundation. Oswald Cobblepot for $25 million, Carmine Falcone for over $20 million, and Loreen Dodson, who donated $15 million for the city's benefit."
"I also want to express my gratitude to Silver St. Cloud, who didn't stand aside and donated $50 million to the fund," I smiled at the girl, who tactfully declined to give her name.
"Thanks to these wonderful people, our project will finally be able to begin its implementation."
Ah, this money was never worth the nerves I had to spend! While it was relatively simple with Bruce, Tony, Silver, and Loreen, well, I had to deal with those damned mafiosi. It's a good thing I already knew Oswald and had the honor of meeting Falcone's daughter, otherwise I simply wouldn't have been able to get a hundred dollars out of them as a tip.
Oh well, this won't be the last time I'll be picking their pockets. They better have their millions ready.
"And where does the work begin according to the plan?" came the next question.
Silver and I exchanged glances and answered in unison: "From Arkham Asylum." "From Arkham Asylum."
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Thank you all for reading, hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
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