Piece Of Gotham

Prologue

'Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again,

Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping,

And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains

Within the sound of silence. I

n restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone,

'Neath the halo of a street lamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp.'

The Sound of Silence –Simon and Garfunkel

"Are you kidding Dad we have to go! I was so excited about seeing Cassandra in this play. She's gonna be amazing! Plus, Mom knows Cassandra wants to see her there and you! It's not the same without you." Bruce's eyes were huge looking at his dad, Thomas Wayne. His lip stuck out slightly his hair messy from his afternoon nap. His eyes shone with admiration for the man in front of him. Thomas returned it with a look of love. However, there was a hesitation in his father's eyes that Bruce didn't quite see. It was a pained hesitation, he was going to have to sacrifice something in this decision, something rather large.

"Alright son, you're right. We've had this planned for a few months and Anna will be very disappointed if we don't show. I'll make some calls. I'm sure someone will replace me." Thomas forced a smile as he looked at Bruce, there was a pained note in his voice. It was obvious something was wrong. Bruce however didn't register that fact. He was simply overjoyed to find out that his family actually was going to go out.

Thomas adjusted the long sleeves of his white button up shirt pulling them up over his elbows before grabbing Bruce under the arms and lifting him off his lap. He stood up setting him down he took a deep breath and Bruce looked up at him. His father looked at him for a long moment, Bruce noticed that there was something odd there, like his Dad's eyes were way too tired. Then Thomas ruffled Bruce's already messy hair and walked out of Bruce's room to the study.

Bruce stood behind for a moment watching the retreating vision of his father's back. He was standing smiling but the look on his dad's face gave him a weird feeling, curiosity. He snuck around the corner following his Dad going across the hall to another room and peeking out. His Dad was rubbing the bridge of his nose between two calloused fingers. He went into his study and picked up the phone on the table while Bruce peeked around the corner. His Dad's expression had grown more serious. His hands moving nervously. His index fingers tapped on the table while he held the phone against his ear with his shoulder. His eyes were closed for a moment as he took deep purposeful breaths. This was an important phone call, that much was obvious.

"There's something I need to talk to him about. I can't..." his voice dropped a second, "...take care of the job tonight. There's a family obligation in the way, it will be too suspicious if I....Yes, I'm aware of that," A long pause follows while Thomas taps his fingers a little bit faster. "Well, he's been wanting to prove himself anyway. It will be good for him. A little bit of action for Jr. Tell him I appreciate it." He set the phone down on the receiver and took a slow breath. He ran his hand through his hair and put his head on the desk for a minute. When his head rose back up he had a small smile on his face. Bruce tilted his head his eyebrows coming together in confusion. He ran down the hallway and went to tell his Mom they were going to the play still. He was so glad Dad had changed his mind.

Bruce was wearing pajamas and a black pair of socks on his feet and as he ran around the hallways he would stop and slide as he turned making his way to his Mother, Martha's room. As he slid around a corner to the hallway his Mom's room was in he ran straight into Alfred's legs who caught him by the arms carefully, but firmly.

"Slow down there Master Bruce, don't want you to sprain anything." His voice was thick with an English accent, normally Bruce would try and mimic it to make Alfred grumpy but he was too excited. Bruce chuckled and snuck around his legs running to Martha's room.

"Mom! Mom! Dad said he's going to take us to the play..." It was obvious his mother had been crying she looked up and a sigh of relief came from her lips. "What's wrong?"

"Really? That's a relief for Cassandra and I." She answered carefully dodging her son's question like only a mother could. She took a deep breath and stood up walking around to Bruce. "You talked him for me didn't you love?" Bruce nodded and smiled.

"Of course I did! I saw how sad you were and I knew I had to talk to him." His mother slid her arms around him.

"You're a sweetheart. Go get ready darlin'." Bruce hopped out of the room as Alfred walked into the room behind him.

"Madam, I believe that your evening has been saved..." Bruce was running down the hall his sock covered feet and he slid into his room.

______

"Are you ready Bruce?" Martha was at the door to the garage as he came down the stairs. He was in a little suit that basically matched his Father's. His hair was combed back with some grease. Martha smiled at the site of him in a suit, she knew by the end of the night that suit would most likely be destroyed. Bruce stopped looking at his Mother. She had a long black dress on with a fur coat over top and pearls around her neck. He smiled up at her. "Alfred and your father are waiting out in the car already." Bruce hopped down the rest of the stairs and ran passed her into the garage as she shut the door behind them.

"One day you're gonna end up in the circus as an acrobat with those skills." She paused for a moment as Bruce got into the car next to Thomas. "He must get it from his father."

The play was a Dracula themed play with bats flying everywhere. The girl Cassandra was playing the part of Mina. Martha guessed that the play might end up being a little too much for the younger Wayne. The thing that scared him the most were the bats. He just felt a fear towards them, a sort of phobia. He peeked out behind his father's arm for most of those scenes. He made it through the whole play to his credit though. When the play was over they went backstage to talk to Cassandra who kept giving Thomas odd looks over Bruce's head.

"Cassandra the play was scary but awesome!" Bruce was using his suit coat with his arms tied around his neck to act as a cape as he swooped around her. The women giggled and Thomas shook his head.

"That boy is just dying to fly isn't he?" Martha leaned against Thomas smiling up at him.

"Sounds like someone I know." Kissing his cheek, he grinned back at her wrapping an arm around her. Cassandra and his parents whispered while Bruce walked around the stage meeting the other actors in the play. After awhile of visiting they left planning to meet for dinner after the show.

They left out the back of the building to avoid the crowd of paparazzi and cameras. The alley was dark and quiet, the paper scuttling across the ground was constant as the dirty wind cut across the alley. Bruce gripped onto his Mother's hand and arm because he was still paranoid from the play. His father was walking a small distance in front of them his warm breath fogging the night. He had a gracefulness about him that the suit couldn't hide, an awareness.

There was a slice of sound and a man dropped in a flutter of fabric. He hit the ground in a crouch and his head was hooded and it extended down to a cape that covered down the man's back. The cape was black and everything was covered except his face. He looked up slowly at the family with determination in his eyes. Thomas jumped in front of the rest of them as his mother gasped. Her white gloved hands grabbed Bruce hard moving him behind her as her eyes narrowed. Thomas was still, silent.

"Baby, get behind me." His mother grabbed harder onto his arms. Bruce's eyes were huge as he looked at the man in front of him. His outfit looked like it was from another time. It was intricate fabric crossing over different places. In the night it was hard to see anything but the black cloak. A gun hung from his belt and he had a tattoo underneath his eye. From this distance Bruce couldn't tell what it was.

"Assassin, you believe you can call off for the night and not be found?" The man's voice was teasing but cold and determined. Bruce's father's hand rolled into fists and his legs bent, in a ready stance. The ease with which he fell into it made it appear like it was as natural as walking.

"How did you find me?" Bruce was amazed by the dark sound of his father's voice. He had gotten his Dad mad plenty of times. He had never sounded like that. He pulled on his mom's arm she pushed back at him.

"Stay quiet Bruce." He grabbed harder onto her arm peeking around it.

"You can't trust everyone you meet Wayne. That's dangerous business. A society of people who change the world through murder? Yet claim a higher consciousness? It's bullshit Wayne and the man I work for is going to change all that." The man moved faster than Bruce could follow him with his eyes, the gun was in his hand and Bruce didn't even see him reach for it. His Dad pulled away as soon as the barrel touched his forehead and dropped down sliding his leg across the other mans. The hooded figure dropped and rolled holding tight onto his gun and turning it towards Thomas who ran forward to throw a kick into the man while reaching for a knife in his pocket. The man lifted a leg and pushed his father back with a timed kick. He skidded across the alley on his feet and then rushed forward again. The man pulled a knife from his pocket tossing it and it sliced through the air sliding through Thomas' hand, who screamed and his knife dropped from his hand. He gripped his hand as the man walked forward and put the gun to his head.

"On your knees Assassin. Tell me where the piece of Eden is Wayne, or die." The man was breathing heavy as he cocked the gun. Bruce was grabbing his Mom's hand trying to run around him but his Mother grabbed him hard, her hands wrapping around his tiny arms. He had never felt her hold him so hard.

"No Bruce." her voice was stern But she was shaking. However there was no sound of surprise in her voice and a sort of acceptance, like she had been prepared for this moment. Bruce looked up at her.

"But Mom..."

"I'll never tell you. You can kill me if you want." The man's upper lip turned into a sneer. He took the gun and whipped it across Wayne's face hard and quick. His head snapped to the side and Thomas hissed at the pain as red spread across his cheek.

"Oh, I can promise either way I'll kill you. Your family is the one who you'll save." Bruce's mother jumped forward shoving Bruce back who landed on the floor of the alley. He caught himself as he landed in a puddle the cold water soaking through the suit as some of it ripped. His breath was hot and heavy in the night.

"Don't tell him honey. Our lives aren't worth the loss." A bullet shot across the alley through her forehead in a tiny circle. The bullet cut across the alley slamming into the brick of the wall, dust and snow fell from the wall as the sound echoed. Bruce's eyes went wide, disbelieving not really sure what was happening. His voice cut in a scream across the alley, his legs frozen as he watched her legs wobble then her body fall to the ground. Bruce couldn't move as his eyes watched her face, cold. She wasn't in that empty face anymore.

"Noo!" Thomas cried out his voice catching in the dark. His hand reached out and the blood coming out of it was covering his hand.

"Bruce run! Don't look back!"

"Dad I won't leave you!" His voice was shaking, he couldn't move but he wasn't going to leave his Dad here, with the man.

"That's a good kid you got there Wayne. I hope you make the right decision so he'll live. Maybe he can learn some tricks still. Make your decision or the boy dies." Another gun had been pulled out of his cloak and was facing towards Bruce while the other stayed on Wayne's head. The gun pointing at Bruce has smoke trailing up from it into the sky. The sound of him cocking the gun again was loud in the alley. Bruce pushed himself up slightly, finally able to move. He was freezing, shaking tears running down his face. Wayne's eyes searched for his son in the dark. A horrible fear in his eyes. The same look he had earlier that day where a sacrifice had to be made, and either way it was going to end badly. He was biting his lip hard and sweat was obvious across his forehead as he shook from pain. The man slapped him across the other cheek with the gun.

"Time is running out Assassin." The man grabbed Wayne by his collar pulling him up again the gun pointed at his forehead again, the cold metal right against his forehead, blood smeared on his head from his where the gun had struck him. His eyes were panicked as he thought. Then his head dropped and he spoke.

"Don't hurt him. I'll tell you where it is." His voice was defeated and he whispered to the man who leaned him down and slid a long sword from behind him after holstering the one pointed at Bruce and slid it hard into Thomas' chest, who cried out for Bruce as his hand reached then dropped to the dirt alley floor. The man rose up holstering his other gun and wiping the blade on Thomas' pants. He sheathed it on his back and knelt down again. He ran his hands over Thomas' eyes closing them as he whispered. Bruce lay in the puddle, seeing the cold look of his parent's faces. They were gone...

Bruce watched as silent, shocked tears ran down his face. The man jumped grabbing onto a window in the alley and scaling the wall quickly and soon in a flutter of fabric he was out of sight. Bruce sat for about five minutes by himself, staring at the bodies of his parents. He knew they were gone. He knew enough about death that it meant forever. He started to cry louder and he wrapped his arms around himself as he shook faster and harder his breath escaping in hisses.

The splash of footsteps was heard running, fast and hard. Bruce looked up his whole body shaking eyes filled with fear until he saw the face of the Butler. His only family left now. He stood slowly not quite able to rise by himself. Alfred froze as he caught sight of the bloody scene. He ran over to Bruce and helped him the rest of the way up pulling him into his arms.

"Bruce, what happened?" Alfred's voice was shaking, angry, hurt and sad, but again not surprised.

"Some man dropped out of the sky. He had a hood, I just...they're just gone." The police sirens started to rise up out of the leftover quiet of the night as Alfred slid his arms underneath Bruce and lifted him up. A car pulled into the alley sirens turning off but the lights still dancing down the alley as a policeman ran down to them. They lit Alfred's cold face as he looked to the man walking up.

"Is that the Waynes?" It was a policeman named Gordon. It was obvious Gordon knew Alfred. The Butler looked up from the shaking boy in his arms.

"Gordan, it is." Alfred looked back to see where the other policemen were. "They finally caught up with him." Gordon's reaction was palpable, shock was on his face. He ran a hand through dark hair and shook his head as his hand dropped to his neck.

"We'll do what we can Alfred."

"I know it's in good hands Gordon. I'll drive him to the station, so he can give a statement." the policeman nodded and moved passed them as rain started to hit the ground and their faces and shoulders.

"We need to get our business done and get the bodies out before the rain washes away our evidence." Gordon hollered and waved the policeman by him and they ran in taking pictures the flash of photography lighting up the gory scene in the alley.

Alfred carried Bruce back to the car, the young boy looking up to see the red and blue lights cutting across the Butler's sad face. Trails followed raindrops and tears down his face. Bruce felt his mind giving way as the world started to smear together. Everything started to move in slow motion, the lights going slowly, Alfred walking impossibly slow. He sword he could hear bat wings before he fell into unconsciousness.