The next day, everyone arrived at the Gotham Meteorological Station together. This facility controlled three nearby weather satellites, allowing real-time monitoring of cloud patterns.
Of course, being a capitalist metropolis, the monitoring center was no exception to corporate influence. Wayne Enterprises allocates a significant amount of research funding to the center every year. Since Bruce Wayne preferred to maintain a low profile, the coordination was handled by Lucius Fox.
Lucius had been in high spirits ever since thwarting Talia's schemes at the Wayne Industries' Board meeting. His back no longer ached, and his legs felt spry. But climbing the hundred floors of Wayne Enterprises' skyscraper was still out of the question for him, though.
With Bruce's successful return, the two had a clandestine meeting, and Lucius's demeanor had completely transformed. He walked with a newfound confidence.
Upon hearing about the plan to observe cloud formations, even though he didn't know what Thea was up to, Lucius personally intervened. In truth, there was nothing to negotiate; he simply gave the staff at the monitoring center the day off, allowing Thea and her team unrestricted access to the equipment.
Thea and Bruce, disguised as police officers, were still discussing the final plan.
Ever since hearing Thea's theory about higher crime rates on overcast days, Bruce, who had self-studied psychology to a doctoral level, couldn't help but be intrigued, and he had to admit that her theory was logical. It's just that he'd overlooked it due to his own cognitive biases.
Anyway, they needed to reduce the trace radiation in the air, so they had to fire a few shots, figuratively speaking.
"Felicity, begin dispersing the dry ice," Thea ordered from her high chair at the weather station.
This time, the team was operating a different drone compared to the small drone they used before. The current one is a civilian drone manufactured by Wayne Enterprises, but it's equipped with missile-carrying capabilities. Despite the blatant exploitation of legal loopholes, the group found it to be perfectly suited for their needs.
As the drones ascended into the cloud cover and began dispersing dry ice, Thea realized that this flight was going to cost her, as a small shareholder, a hefty sum. She felt a pang of regret, but seeing Bruce seemingly unconcerned, she decided not to dwell on it.
Felicity controlled the drone, circling Gotham's airspace twice until all the dry ice was sprayed before returning to the monitoring center.
The once-thick cloud cover now seemed even denser, with dark clouds hanging heavily in the sky.
It seemed like it was going to rain, but it was as if someone was holding it back. Ten minutes passed, and still, the anticipated rain didn't come.
The peculiar weather in Gotham was starting to unnerve Thea. In other places, such thick cloud cover would surely result in heavy rainfall.
"Commissioner, instruct your people to open fire," Thea said, rubbing her chin. Today, she was determined to stick to her plan; if the rain didn't come, she wouldn't back down.
By now, Gotham was completely shrouded in dark clouds. The lights in the monitoring center illuminated nearby buildings, casting a sparse glow.
Boom, boom. A few cannon shots rang out. Each rain-inducing shell was priced at two hundred thousand. How did Thea know? She knew that because Commissioner Gordon, next to her, was signing the invoices. The old commissioner had always upheld the motto of fairness and justice. He believed that the so-called police-civilian cooperation shouldn't rely solely on Wayne Enterprises' funding. On behalf of the Gotham government, he signed five checks in one go.
In less than ten seconds, another million dollars was spent. The original black clouds were no longer visible, replaced by a deep, empty void-like darkness. The atmosphere in the air was filled with an eerie silence, making the few people in the monitoring center nervous.
Just as Thea was about to fire five more shots, a low rumble finally echoed in the air.
At first, the sound was faint, almost inaudible if one didn't pay attention, but soon it grew louder.
"The humidity in the air has reached 179%," Felicity, who had been monitoring various data, immediately reported as she noticed a spike in the data.
"The suburban monitoring station shows that gusts have reached level five," reported a certain agent.
"The positive charge in the updraft has exceeded 450% of the normal value," said Bruce, disguised as a police officer.
With feedback from various detection data, Thea knew that it was definitely going to rain, but the clouds were still brewing. She believed that once the rain started, it would be a downpour.
"Barbara, start playing our recorded announcement and play it multiple times." Realizing that this rain wouldn't be light, Thea instructed Barbara, who was holding onto Dick tightly.
Of course, calling it a recording was just for show. In reality, Felicity had cut together a second episode of the mayor's public service announcement, urging citizens to stay indoors today. Sometimes, Thea felt that if she stayed a few more months in Gotham, the approval ratings of the mayor, despite being imprisoned, might reach new heights, and he might even be re-elected.
Initially, when they decided not to treat the mayor as an official but instead as a mouthpiece, Bruce, with his conservative nature, objected. But later, upon learning that this wasn't the first time, he reluctantly accepted it.
Rumble, rumble. The deafening thunder finally echoed over the ancient city.
Now, there was nothing more for them to do. Everything that needed to be done had been done. Thea believed that very few citizens would venture out in this weather. If there were such fools, getting struck by lightning would only prove their lack of intelligence.
The continuous thunder lasted for about ten minutes before the raindrops, the size of beans, began to fall densely upon the city. The glass windows of the monitoring center were hit by the rain, making a pattering sound.
Thea's earlier suspicions of a hidden world boss didn't come to fruition, proving that Gotham wasn't some sealed land of demons; it was just a special geographical formation that led to cumulonimbus clouds. She could confidently announce that this mission into Gotham was a complete success. Everyone shouldn't be superstitious; they should believe in science.
She stood by the window, watching the rain hit the reinforced glass. The rain left streaks on the glass, not because the cleaning staff at the monitoring center were slacking but because pollutants in the atmosphere were being washed down by the rain.
"Will Gotham be different tomorrow?" Bruce stood beside her, his gaze fixed on the distance, his tone tinged with both concern and anticipation.
"It definitely will," Thea replied without turning her head, still looking out the window. She was very certain about this. After all, they had spent millions on this, and if there were no results, that would be absurd. The city after the rain would definitely undergo changes, no matter from which perspective.