"No."
As a owner of Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne had grown rather accustomed to saying that word. On an almost daily basis, he would be presented with possible deals that would greatly affect the direction his company took, and many times he would refuse them seeing that it was a direction that Wayne Enterprises did not need to take. Many of those times, it was because the company that was making the offer was involved in one of the many, many organized crime rings that Gotham City housed. Having lost his parents to the rampant crime rate of the city, Bruce made sure to do plenty of research on those companies that made him offers, even those that had obvious benefits. He was rarely disappointed with what he found out.
And on this evening, Bruce Wayne was once again saying no to an offer, though this offer wasn't involving Wayne Enterprises. This offer involved something more directly involved with how Gotham City was run.
"Come on, Bruce," the portly man that Bruce knew as Roger Buffet, one of the many corrupt politicians that allowed the mobs to do as they pleased in the City and someone that Bruce had done years worth of research on hoping to find enough dirt to put him behind bars. Blissfully unaware of Bruce's efforts to rob him of the power he so wantonly abused, the slightly hungover Buffet put an arm around Bruce's broad shoulder and pulled him close. "I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but I really wish you'd consider it. I think you'd make a fine mayor."
Fighting the urge to gag in the grip of the hands in what had to have shaken hands with thousands of murderers and thieves, Bruce Wayne replied with the same cool-tempered smile he had put on many times before when dealing with unsavory individuals, at least in that particular setting. "My work at Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne Foundation keep me from pursuing politics, and I think the people of Gotham would have difficulty accepting me as mayor."
"Oh, don't be *hic* foolish," Buffet sputtered back as the smell of wine reeked from his breath, causing Bruce to recoil slightly as the smell reached his nostrils. A part of him worried that Buffet was so drunk that he would vomit over his suit that Alfred personally picked for the event, but at least it would give him the excuse to leave the party and go back to patrolling the streets of Gotham as the city's defender Batman. As Bruce Wayne, he was severely limited by what he could and couldn't do to men like Buffet, but as the Batman was allowed the freedom to use more effective methods of telling his kind to get lost.
After taking a deep breath, Buffet continued, "Now, I might be a little bit drunk, but I still have enough of my wits about me to recognize a good man when I see one." With his bald head shining in the lights of the ballroom, as if he were having a visual epiphany, Buffet pulled aside one of the guests and pointed at Bruce. "Young lady, wouldn't you say that Bruce Wayne would make a fine mayor? He's one of Gotham's finest and most well-known citizens! Imagine how much better this city would be if he was running things!"
"You mean he'll charm the city the same way he charms women, and then throw it away when he's had his fun?" The woman with pale skin and dark hair replied with a look of disdain of her own, even though Bruce couldn't remember the woman's name or his relation to her. Shooting a nasty glare at Bruce, the woman turned away and scoffed. "Tch! Yeah, Bruce Wayne the philandering billionaire playboy is exactly what this city DOESN'T need..."
The drunk Buffet returned the woman's glance with an angry look of his own before turning back to Bruce and quickly putting on his best phony smile, though Bruce wasn't convinced that Buffet's smile was sincere. "...well, I guess some people need a little bit more convincing to see the picture that I am seeing," he said with his smile widening before clumsily reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a card. "Bruce, I want you to spend an evening thinking about my offer. Call me in the morning and I will make all of the arrangements with the people at City Hall for you to run."
"I will consider it, but don't hold your breath waiting for my answer," Bruce said politely as he took the card from Buffet's hand and put it in his pocket.
Watching the satisfied Buffet turn around and stumble over to the aptly-named buffet table, Bruce looked at the card once more before putting it in his own coat pocket and roam around the ballroom. Despite Buffet's intoxicated state, the reason for this event was far more noble than the elite socialites of Gotham flaunting their wealth. Rather, it was a charity ball being held by Bruce's Wayne Foundation to help support the charitable efforts of the group in preventing at-risk children and teenagers. Gotham City, perhaps more than any other city in the country, was the most suspectible to young people falling in rank with the many, many gangs and crime rings that the city had to offer. Even though his alter-ego Batman cleaned up the streets of Gotham at night, it was through the Wayne Foundation that Bruce made efforts to keep the streets from becoming dirty again.
There would always be crime in Gotham City as long as free will existed, but at the very least, Bruce Wayne and Batman could do their best to make sure that the generation that comes after them do not have to suffer from the stifling corruption that plagued the city almost since its inception.
More importantly, having so many of Gotham's "Finest" citizens gives me a chance to look for vital intel that can help me lock up those who made their money by poisioning the city, Bruce mused as he made his way through the crowd of guests that had packed Wayne Manor and towards the kitchen. Turning his head to see a large man with thinning white hair talking to a pair of younger men who were likely ignorant to the intense corruption that permeated from him behind closed doors. At these charity balls, I have access to men like Rupert Thorne over there, one of Batman's most troublesome foes. Even if it's just for an instant, as Bruce Wayne I can see what Thorne is planning in ways that he would never tell Batman.
Walking into the kitchen, Bruce Wayne quickly scanned the area until he found his faithful butler Alfred, who was putting the finishing touches on the large cake that would be carted out into the ballroom near the end of the event. Lifting his head to see Bruce walking towards him, Alfred smiled thinly as he continued decorating the cake. "I trust that you are enjoying the appetizers, Master Bruce? I used a different method in preparing the shrimp that I learned from one of your Japanese partners when he came to visit during your after-hours campaigns."
"The food is fine as always, Alfred," Bruce replied with his own smile fading fast as his "true" personality started to come through. "It's the clientele that's making my stomach curl. So many of the people here ruin the lives of the youth that they claim are protecting by going to this charity ball. It's unfortunate that I can't expose them as Bruce Wayne, and as Batman I can only do so much to bring them to justice. I can smell the corruption that reeks from their breath, and the most I can do to keep them from spreading their corruption is pay them a visit every once in a while as Batman and hope that they stay out of trouble until I find something more concrete."
"If you don't mind me saying so, sir, but if you weren't so insistent on this 'billionaire playboy' charade you put on every time you hold one of these things, perhaps the uncouth ones would be more careful at the events they decide to crash," Alfred replied nonchalantly as he put the finishing touches on the cake, designing the last rose before putting the frosting baster down and admiring his work. "I understand why you do it, but I think you were more assertive as Bruce Wayne, then that would make your other work easier."
"...what do you mean, Alfred?"
"Bruce!"
Before Alfred could continue, a vaguely familar voice tickled Bruce's ear, causing him to turn around and see what was perhaps the very opposite of the portly Buffet of the intimidating Thorne. What walked to him now was a man who appeared to be in his 30s, with dark brown hair and thin glasses wearing a dark blue suit with a maroon tie and matching leather shoes. Unlike Buffet, he was well-built, almost at Bruce's muscular level. "I've been looking all over for you, Bruce. I was hoping I'd get to meet you before you did one of your famous disappearing acts that you've become so well-known for at these charity balls."
"I just needed to talk to Alfred about the dessert," Bruce lied as he gave the man the once-over, trying to figure out where he had seen the man before. Not wanting to give the man reason for suspicion, Bruce outstretched his hand and treated him as if he were a stranger. "I don't believe we know each other well enough to call each other in a first-name basis, so we'll start with a more formal introduction. My name is Bruce Wayne, and you are...?"
"Tammany Crux," the man replied before reaching out and shaking Bruce's hand, gripping it tightly to where even the powerful Bruce took notice. What a powerful grip, Bruce thought as he put on his best smile while Crux did the same. And yet...it feels like I've shaken this hand before. Very strange, indeed...
"I am glad you were able to come to my party, Mr. Crux," Bruce said before the two broke the handshake and made their way back out to the ballroom. "I'm surprised that I've never met you before, since most of the people who come to these things are the same people who come to them every time I host. I suppose I'm not as well-versed with the names of my guests as I'd like."
"This is actually my first time coming, Bruce," Crux replied as he made his way to the serving table and picked out an apple. Biting into the apple, Crux continued speaking even as he chewed. "I've been a doctor at Gotham City General Hospital the past few years, so I haven't really had time to go to these things before now. I suppose I just didn't consider myself wealthy enough to be associated with the people you invite to these things..."
"If I had known that, I would have personally invited you long ago," Bruce added as he watched Crux finish the apple, silently assessing him to figure out why the man was so familiar to him. "Public servants like doctors and policemen are always welcome at my parties, because you're the antibodies that keep this city from becoming diseased. The policemen fight the criminal bacteria that threaten to overwhelm the arteries of the city, and the doctors repair any damage they might do. Without you, the city would fall into disarray."
As he continued observing Crux, Bruce reminded himself of how true his words rang, especially in recent years. Not only has Gotham City endured a staggering crime rate for many years, but it had also been subject to terrorist attacks. In one instance, a lethal plague swept through Gotham and it took the combined efforts of Batman and his allies, costumed and otherwise, to eradicate the threat. In a more recent event, terrorists used a powerful eco-weapon to create massive earthquakes that temporarily turned Gotham City into a No Man's Land, and it was through the efforts of the Gotham City Police Department that the city maintained even the slightest bit of order during the chaotic times.
Obviously realizing what Bruce was referring to with his statement, Crux finished his apple and continued speaking. "I was fortunate enough to be away from the city during the quakes, but I definitely agree with you. Gotham City to me a giant patient that needs to be treated. That's why I do whatever I can with my reputation as a surgeon to heal this city and the people who live here...at least, that's what I'm planning on running with when I run for mayor."
Bruce raised an eyebrow at Crux's statement, and this did not escape Crux's notice. "What, you didn't know?" Crux balked before pulling out a button from his pocket with the phrase "Crux for Mayor" plastered over it, with a pair of scalpels crossing over each other to form the X. "I figured with the way Buffet blabs that he would have told you that I'm going to be your opponent."
"I...believe there has been some confusion, " Bruce said with a pause. "Buffet did make me an offer to run for mayor, but I told him that I would give my answer in the morning. Nothing is really set in stone yet."
"...GOOD," Crux suddenly blurted out and a look of excitement plastered onto his face. "I was worried that I was going to have to fight a losing battle with you running against me, but if you haven't decided yet then I still have a chance to become mayor!" Suddenly bursting out into laughter, Crux put the pin on his jacket and tapped it gleefully. "That means I can ask you if you want to become one of my sponsors. If I can get your support, then I'm going to be a shoo-in against whatever idiot decides to run against me."
Something about his body language is familar, Bruce thought as he watched Crux reach for another appetizer, this time a banana. It wouldn't be out of the question if this Crux was one of my enemies disguised as a civilian. Watching Crux eat the banana, Bruce racked his brain of the massive rogue's gallery he had accumulated over the years in order to figure out the man's true identity, if he had one. Who do I have that is a master of disguise. Maybe he's one of the Clayfaces...no, that can't be right. He's not particularly tense, which he'd have to be in order to maintain that form for so long. Someone different, maybe...
Though "billionaire playboy" was the title that Bruce Wayne had been given by the press that remained blissfully ignorant of his true personality, as Batman he has earned the title "the World's Greatest Detective." Even with the cape and cowl away for the time being, the mask of Bruce Wayne concealed that brilliant deductive mind that was now hard at work trying to figure out why Crux gave him such a powerful feeling of deja vu. One of the first rules of being a detective was that nothing happened by coincidence. Therefore, Bruce posed a question of his own.
"I notice a good deal of scars around your neck and collarbone, Mr. Crux," Bruce finally said as Crux finished his banana with the same fervor that he finished the apple. "Were you in some sort of accident?"
"A long time ago," Crux replied with a little bit less fervor than what he had been exhibiting up until that point. With a slight itch, Crux scratched the scars around the area Bruce pointed out and his eyes trailed downward. "When I was a kid, my parents and I were caught in a car accident, and it wasn't looking good for any of us until your father came along and put us back together the best that he could. My father didn't make it, but I guess two out of three isn't too bad, right?"
"You knew my father?"
"Are you kidding? He was the reason I became a doctor," Crux replied with another smile as he put his hands away from his scars and straightened his glasses that had become crooked from his sudden outburst earlier. Looking directly at Bruce, Crux widened his smile and seemingly beamed with pride. "Your father saved my mother's life, and I will never forget what the Wayne family did for me all those years ago..."
And thought it was only a slight instant, there was a quick spark in Crux's eyes that sent a shockwave of warning down Bruce's spine. It was the faintest glimmer that revealed something very nasty, and something that Bruce had seen many times before in his more dangerous adversaries like the Joker, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy. An overwhelming flash of murderous intent that instilled fear into anyone that could detect it, and though Crux kept it well-hidden, it was exactly the kind of reveal Bruce was waiting for. "I will pay you back for how you helped me, Bruce," Crux said with his smile still on his face, though that quick spark put Bruce on alert. "When I become mayor, I'll make sure of it."
With something catching his eye, Crux's attention turned away from Bruce and instead to a woman that passed by him. "It was good talking to you, Bruce, but I'm going to, uh, mingle around a bit more," Crux said as his eyes suddenly became fixated on the woman, or more specifically her well-rounded bottom. "I'm sure you can understand where I'm coming from, being the big-time billionaire playboy, am I right!?"
"Of course, Mr. Crux. It was a pleasure meeting you," Bruce said with another fake smile as Crux walked off. As soon as Crux was far enough away, however, Bruce's smile quickly disappeared as he thought back to the instanteously spark of danger that came from Crux's eye. Not only that, the story he gave was strikingly familiar, and not in the way that made Bruce feel comfortable. Better alert Alfred and tell him to stay on guard, Bruce thought as he spotted Alfred coming towards him with the cake ready for serving. We can't have him know that we're on to him just yet, but we also can't let him do as he pleases, especially in my own-
"Look!"
A woman's sudden exclamation caused Bruce, and many others in the room, to turn to the large window that oversaw much of Gotham City, and the colorful lights and majestic structures made it quite a breathtaking view for those who were not familiar with Gotham. For those that lived in Gotham, there was always one sight that always inspired awe, even from those who had seen the sight for years. It was something that separated Gotham from all of the other major cities with similar histories and structures.
That was the fabled "Bat-Signal" that shone from police headquarters and beamed into the night sky, shining like a second moon with the insignia of the city's defender Batman in the center. It told both Batman and all those who lived in Gotham that the Dark Knight was needed to smite evil in ways that the police could not. And as the other guests gathered around the window to guess what the signal was shining for this time, Bruce used the signal as his cue to make one of his "famous exits from his charity balls" and suit up.
With Alfred turning to him and nodding his head, Bruce Wayne quickly retreated out of the ballroom and into his living room, where his secret passage to the Batcave resided. After approaching his trick grandfather clock and turning the hands to the proper time (the exact time in which his parents were shot and killed in the street to begin his strange adventure), Bruce quickly entered the passageway that revealed itself and closed the "door" behind him. As soon as it was closed, he completely shed his phony "Bruce Wayne" persona and once again let his true self emerge: now he was once again Batman, ready to defend Gotham City and solve another case.
"I'm tellin' ya, commish. I don't think we need 'im this time 'round," Harvey Bullock protested as he continued chewing on his toothpick. Lifting up the files in his hand, Bullock pleaded his case to the man that he'd follow into the depths of hell if the situation called for it. "I'm pretty sure I can figure this one out all by myself. Just give me three weeks and a couple 'a guys from forensics and we'll be good to go without needing Bat-brain's help."
"This is just a precaution, Bullock," Commissioner Gordon replied. "I want this one closed as fast as possible, and for that I want both of you to be working on this. Don't think for a second I'm shortchanging you, Bullock: you're better than that."
"Yeah, yeah," Bullock grumbled before putting his hands in his trenchcoat pockets to protect them from the sudden cold wind that blew through the late autumn night air. "Just figured I'd throw that out there for ya."
Though Harvey Bullock and Commissioner James Gordon rarely saw eye-to-eye when it came to the vigilante that they were now signaling to come to the room with their modified searchlight "Bat-signal," the large and powerful Bullock's gruff demeanor was matched only by his devotion to the law, even with the persistent rumors that he was once a dirty cop. Bullock respected Gordon more than anyone else on the police force, and while he might not have liked Gordon's trust in Batman, he was willing to put up with it because Gordon wanted the same thing he wanted: a Gotham City that wasn't struggling to breathe with crime's icy grip wrapped around its neck.
And in turn, the battle-tested commissioner trusted Bullock as much as he trusted Batman. Bullock might have been irritable and slovenly, but he was a fine police officer and one of Gotham City Police Department's most well-respected detectives, at least internally. There had been many cases in the past where Bullock was accused of police brutality, or operating outside the law to get a case done, but Bullock did his job very well. So well that Gordon now considered Bullock, at least unofficially, his second-in-command in the GCPD.
Whether the pencil-pushers at City Hall liked it or not, Bullock and Gordon would continue to raise hell for Gotham's criminal element and walk the fine line between legal and illegal in cooperation with their mysterious "consultant"...who mere seconds after Bullock suggested he take the case by himself, swooped down onto the roof with his long black cape flowing in the cold air. With Batman landing gracefully despite the somewhat the obvious modifications he had made to his once-thin costume.
When Gordon first began working with Batman, the vigilante wasn't much more than a man in dark tights with maybe a layer of kevlar underneath his suit. Now Batman's costume was more like lightweight armor, with metallic gauntlets and boots around the hands and feet, and thick bulletproof armor around the torso and fleshy areas of the body. The only part that seemed to still retain the cloth properties of Batman's first appearance was Batman's cape and cowl, though Gordon saw this as something that didn't need changing. Batman struck fear into countless adversaries with that cape and cowl, so there was little need to modify it.
With his trademark insignia quickly becoming covered by the wide cape that Batman wrapped around his body, either to keep from getting cold or out of habit from "looking good for his friends," the vigilante stood up straight and spoke. "What seems to be the problem, Jim?" the Dark Knight said calmly, causing Gordon by his first name even though Gordon didn't believe he knew Batman well enough for a first-name basis.
Maybe one day, the commissioner would learn why Batman always called him by that name, but for now, he would focus on the task at hand. "There's a case that we'd like your opinion on," Gordon answered as he and Bullock stepped forward with the files in Gordon's hand being handed to the vigilante. "Tell him what you've found out, Harvey."
"Five murders, four men and one woman. We're still investigating their common link, but it looks like they all died within the same one or two days," Bullock gave the details to Batman in an almost mechanical manner as Batman thumbed through the file until he pulled out five pictures. As soon as the pictures were visibly in his hand, Bullock walked to Batman's side and pointed at the pictures. "We didn't mess with the bodies until the pictures were taken. The first body was found in an alleyway next to Finnigan's on 45th. The second body was on 34th and Clancy. The third was on 46th, the fourth next to a dumpster at the Mickey's on 8th, and we found the fifth body four hours ago by a bum near Garnett Ave."
"...what have their autopsies revealed?" Batman asked solemnly.
"For the first four bodies, they've had certain body parts removed. We haven't looked at the fifth body yet, but all of them have had their faces removed," Bullock answered, pointing to the bandaged heads that each of the victims had in the pictures. As Batman continued thumbing through the file, Bullock continued to explain the situation. "As you can see from the reports here, these people weren't just ripped open like some of wackier yahoos you deal with. These people were operated on and then thrown out when whoever picked 'em apart was done with them."
"Hush," Batman replied solemnly.
"You think he's back?" Gordon added as he stepped forward to where Batman was standing. "He took a pretty nasty fall after what he did to Ms. Kyle."
"Wait, hold on a sec," Bullock stepped between the two and added his own input. "Who the hell is Hush?"
"Another madman with a costume," Batman answered harshly. "Dr. Thomas Elliot was a brilliant surgeon and once saved Bruce Wayne's life, but he turned to a life of crime as the master criminal Hush. He's used this M.O. with victims once before: he attacked the East End the same way as in these pictures until Catwoman attempted in intervene. Then he captured her and would have killed her if I didn't stop him."
"When I got there, Batman told me that Hush fell off of the roof of the building of Wayne Enterprises. We saw traces of his blood, but by the time the rest of us got there, he was already gone. So far every investigation of him hasn't provided anything fruitful to his whereabouts, but maybe these murders will be the thing that makes him slip up," Gordon added as Batman returned the files to him. "Bullock, I want you to continue your investigation and keep me up to date on anything new you find out. Trust me when I say that Hush is a special kind of scumbag."
"Joker-level or Killer Moth?" Bullock asked with a smirk.
"He's the kind of scumbag who operates off of a vendetta," Batman replied curtly before turning away from the two policemen and walking towards the ledge. Pulling out his grappling hook, the vigilante turned his head to face Bullock and Gordon one last time before swinging off. "I'll do research from my end and keep you informed on what I find out. If Hush really is the killer, then these aren't just random attacks. He has something much bigger planned, and we'll all need to do our part to nip this in the bud."
"Do what you gotta do, Bats," Bullock said just before Batman took off into the night. "Just know if I find 'im first, you'll have to make due with what's left of your Shush."
Tommy...
Though Batman was able to keep his emotions in check when speaking of the real name of the deranged criminal known as Hush, Bruce Wayne knew the suspect much more intimately than what he was letting on. Many years ago, long before he took up the cape and cowl, Bruce Wayne and Thomas "Tommy" Elliot were childhood friends. In fact, Bruce and Tommy were undoubtedly best friends, and to both their parents it looked as if it would be a friendship that would last the rest of their lives.
But like many things that became of Bruce's childhood, it was a friendship that would soon be based off of deception and vendettas. For many years, Bruce thought that the reason Tommy grew distant from Bruce was because Dr. Thomas Wayne failed to save his father after the Elliots were caught in a deadly car crash. It wasn't until Dr. Elliot returned to Bruce's life as Hush that he was made privy to the truth. Tommy grew to hate the Waynes because they saved his mother, as he was the one who orchestrated the fateful crash so that he could have access to the massive family inheritance.
And with that vendetta against the Waynes, Tommy learned that Bruce was secretly the Batman, and in turn created his own alter-ego to combat his former friend in the world of costumed heroes and villains. That alter-ego was Hush, the master criminal strategist and an expert in the ways of deception. Tommy and Bruce were always evenly matched physically, but it was the young Tommy that taught Bruce how to use strategy in combat. Batman might have been the world's greatest detective, but much of what he learned about using his mind came from his dealings with Tommy.
Even though his comrades told him that Hush was his enemy, there was always a part of Bruce that wanted to believe that somewhere beneath the bandages and trenchcoat was the boy that he befriended so many years ago. Unfortunately, it looks like my hopes of reaching that boy will need to be put aside, Batman thought as he swooped down next to the gargoyle near the massive Gotham Cathedral, perching next to the stone structure and looking out into the city. If Hush is behind these murders, then that means he's after some new scheme...and I'm sure this Tammany Crux is involved in some way.
The body language of Mr. Crux, however subtle, struck a very familiar chord with Bruce Wayne, but what sealed the deal was the backstory Crux gave Bruce about how he decided to become a doctor. His story matched the story Tommy gave when asked what inspired him to become a surgeon. And then of course there was the fatal flicker in Crux's eye that Batman had seen many times before: the flicker of murder and villainy that had become tragically commonplace in Gotham's elites. And now he's running for mayor, Batman thought before tapping onto his ear, activating the receiver in his cowl. If Crux is who I think he is, then Gotham could fall into disaster if he was the one representing the city.
"Alfred," Batman said curtly with the cold autumn air matching his voice. "Have the guests left yet?"
"They are in the process of leaving now, sir," Alfred stated through the other side of the receiver. "I also kept a close eye on that man who followed you into the kitchen. After you left, he kept his distance from the rest of the guests apart from Mr. Buffet. For someone who is about to run for office, he does not seem particularly enthusiastic about making new contacts, especially at your ball where he could be making very powerful sponsors for any campaign he might pursue."
"I think he might be Tommy Elliot in disguise," Batman answered as he continued looking out into the city, turning his head to see the majestic tower of Wayne Enterprises shining in the distance. "When we last met three months ago, Tommy fell off of the roof of Wayne Enterprises. Did you notice any sort of limping or something that would suggest he recently sustained an injury?"
"Nothing of the sort, sir," Alfred replied. "I see him leaving now. Would you like for me to have Master Tim follow him?"
"...not yet," Batman answered before turning his head towards City Hall. "If Lucius Fox is still there, please pull him aside and ask for him to arrange a press conference tomorrow morning. Bruce Wayne will be making a very important announcement about the future of Wayne Enterprises and he intends for it to be very public. It'll be something that'll shake Gotham City to its very core."
"I trust you will wish for me not to put it in those exact words, sir," Alfred deadpanned. "This city is still recovering from the last case of the shakes it endured."
"...of course, Alfred," Batman replied with a rare smile. "I'll see you in two hours at the Batcave. I'm going to finish up my patrol."
Pressing on his ear again to end the call, Batman paused for a moment before pressing his ear yet again to re-activate the receiver. "Buffet, Roger," the Dark Knight said solemnly as he stared out into City Hall. Even though Roger Buffet was far, far away from what Batman considered his inner circle, this next call was something that would set forth a chain of events that would hopefully deter Crux's chances of being voted into office as mayor. What Batman didn't realize, at least at that time, was that it would also set forth events that, if followed through, would change Gotham City in a very, very big way.
"...hello?"
"Mr. Buffet, it's Bruce Wayne," Batman said, putting on his Bruce Wayne "billionaire playboy" persona as he launched himself off of the perch and sailed through the night with the wind beneath his cape. "I just want to let you know that I've decided to accept your offer for candidacy for the upcoming mayoral election. Please arrive at Wayne Enterprises at 8 AM sharp, and we'll discuss the particulars before my official press conference."
