Epilogue: Breeding Beyond

"Mrs. and Mrs. Lane?" the secretary called out. "Mr. Fox will see you now."

Lois stood...or tried to. At twenty-four weeks, getting up once seated was a little more difficult than it had been. Blaze smiled as she grabbed her wife's arm. It still felt weird how it was all official now, the little gold band on the finger. The demon looked almost demure in her human form, in a man's business suit; Lois was in what passed for maternity wear along the same lines: knee-length skirt, a blouse that covered her swollen stomach, a jacket that couldn't be buttoned over her burgeoning breasts and belly.

Lucius Fox sat behind his desk...which wasn't a real desk at all. The whole surface of it seemed to be a sheet of glass, a giant touch-pad with digital documents and windows laid out. An older black man, thin, with glasses and a blue bowtie, his greying hair cropped close against his head. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed all the open windows.

The secretary closed the door behind them with a click, and the CEO of WayneTech Enterprises stood and gestured at the chairs opposite his own.

"Mrs. Lane...and Mrs. Lane. What can I do for you?"

The pregnant reporter felt her pulse quicken. There didn't seem to be any reason not to cut to the point.

"The dating apps Preggr and ImPreggr," Lois said. "You're behind them."

If he was at all shocked, Lucius Fox did not show it. He touched a corner of his desk, and it went blank—black as an obsidian mirror. Elbows on the table, fingers steepled together, he leaned toward Lois.

"I've temporarily cut off all signals in and out of this room. Any recording devices you have are no longer operational for the duration. The only thing you will carry out of here is your own memory, and if you print anything WayneTech will deny it." He gave an unhappy smile. "But I am sure you have many questions, Mrs. Lane, and perhaps if we can reach an understanding I can fill in a few of the blanks for you."

Lois drew in a deep breath, trying to keep calm. The doctor had said it wasn't good for the babies if her blood pressure got too high.

"Why?" She asked.

Lucius hesitated...then nodded his head. "Because the world still needs heroes. You are no doubt aware of Preggr—and of its more recent, secretive counterpart—as dating apps. Probably you suspect something fishy about how it operates, what the revenue stream is. We've offered a few choice excuses to the programmers, red herrings. The truth is rather more baroque: ImPreggr is designed to facilitate superhero pregnancies. Faster and more natural than sperm donation, with background analytics in the app working to pair up partners who are most compatible in terms of biology and psychology."

The reporter absorbed this chunk of exposition quietly. Angie tilted her head.

"You're hiding something." She said. "Protecting someone."

For the first time, Lucius turned to look at Angelica Blaze-Lane....and Lois caught a flicker of lights in his glasses.

"You're not entirely human...are you, Mrs. Lane?"

"No," the demon said simply.

"Your wife is a reporter, I can understand her presence," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Moral support," Blaze flashed him her Mona Lisa smile.

"In a way, that is what I'm here for as well." Lucius closed his eyes, suddenly tired. "A year ago, One of our corporate intelligence units brought back a government black operation codenamed Batman Beyond. The idea was that in the event of Batman's **** or incapacitation, a government program would attempt to reproduce him genetically...and the circumstances of his childhood."

Lois leaned forward. "Boys from Brazil?"

"More or less. You have to understand that Batman was created because of a very specific childhood trauma...the **** of his parents. The Batman Beyond program would have murdered each of the subject's parents. ImPreggr is designed to obviate the need for such crude measures. If there are a plethora of Batmen and Batwomen, no need for Batman Beyond."

"There's still a lot of deception involved," Lois said. "Not to mention what amounts to prostitution."

Lucius shrugged. "The fine print of the end use agreement covers many details, including WayneTech providing health care for the duration of the pregnancy, and post-partum care for mother and child. There isn't really any harm."

Lois nodded slowly. "So how many women has Batman impregnated through the app?"

"None," a new voice said. "So far."

A caped crusader stepped from the shadows. How long the dark knight had been standing there, none of the three who were in the room could say. Blaze swore, obviously shocked he'd gotten the drop on her.

"I knew you were up to something, Lucius," the Batman growled. "But I turned a blind eye. You always have your little projects. This one, though, has attracted the wrong kind of attention."

"Not necessarily," Lois said. She leaned forward, then winced as one of the twins kicked her. "I mean, as viral marketing goes, Preggr is fairly well-done. ImPregger caters to a pretty niche crowd...I'm just concerned about the possibility for ****."

Lucius rubbed his jaw. He stared at Batman.

"Perhaps what we need," the black man said slowly. "Is a third party to run the operations and make sure everything is being done ethically."

Batman inclined his head.

"Lois Lane," Lucius said, turning to the pregnant reporter. "How would you be interested in a career change?"

Lois blinked. "What?"

"How would you like to be the Chief Executive Officer of Preggr and ImPregger?" He said. "Full control of operations, six figure salary with stock options, a generous maternity leave policy...you already know so much about the end user experience, and that kind of street-level knowledge would be a tremendous asset at the corporate level. And you even already know about the superhero aspect. You're perfect."

Lois Lane's fingernails dug into the arms of her chair. "You're trying to buy me out," the pregnant woman accused.

"No," Blaze said, and for a moment her human eyes vanished. "I can read his aura. he's telling the truth. It's an honest offer."

The pregnant woman leaned back heavily. She winced as one of the twins kicked. Batman took a step forward. He loomed over her. One gloved hand came down and hovered an inch about her taut stomach.

"May I?" he growled.

Lois blinked, nodded.

Gentle as a museum curator touching a priceless porcelain vase, he laid his hand down. Almost in response, there was a kick from within. She saw his body tense, and then **** to relax, all in the same breath.

"Lois..." he said. "I don't want any child to go through what I did. If this ImPreggr offers a viable alternative..."

"I'll think about it," Lois said, at a loss for what else to say.

After all, in only a few months she would have a lot more on her plate.