"Bruce, get up we should go,"
"But we just got here Dom!"
"Yeah and so did they, come on," Dominic Wayne said as he,thirteen, and his younger brother, nine, ran from the coming light. Bruce held tightly on to his older
brother, his protector. He closed his eyes and saw his mother and father sitting by the large, but gentle fire. His father, reading him "Ferdinand the Bull", his
mother ruffling his hair, his favorite butler Alfred would be waiting for the perfect moment to scare the trio to ignite a roar of laughter from the hiding Dominic. A
laugh that would spread throughout the room as the story concluded; a laugh Bruce had not heard in over a year.
"I think they went this way, sir," A stern and familiar voice called out, a voice Bruce had grown to fear though he didn't know why. Dominic had always said that if
you hear that voice, that you should run and hide, but that was all. Dominic pulled out his father's favorite walking cane, one that had a secret compartment they were lead to believe contained a "very special" secret, a secret Dominic had found out to be a hidden blade.
"Careful, Maxwell, we can't allow them to get hurt," an all to familiar British accent echoed in response, "I can't bear to see them in any more pain,"
"Don't listen to what he's saying Bruce, I told you Alfred's a liar," Dominic said as he checked beyond the rusty crate that was their safe haven to see if their was
a way to quickly reach town.
"I know you say that, but Dom, mom and dad sa-,"
"I don't care what mom and dad said, they're dead, and we will...we will be too if those guys catch us. Bruce," Dom sighed seeing the despair in his little brother's
eyes, "I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."
"Okay Dom, let's just hurry up, it's getting cold,"
"It's only going to get worse for the two of you if you keep running," Maxwell yelled as he shown a light on the boys' faces, revealing worn from the chase, "You
two have been on the run long enough, come on."
"Dom!" Bruce screamed as his brother tightly grasped the cane. Maxwell Wright, head of the Wayne's family security, had took his eyes off the boys for a second
to call Alfred Pennysworth, the trusted butler of the family, only to be met with a slash to the face from the hidden blade.
"Why you little bastard," Maxwell angrily shouted as he smacked the blade out of Dominic's hand.
"Bruce we gotta run, NOW!" Dominic yelled before being grabbed by the foot, he fought it off as he begun to run. Bruce however was not fast enough to escape.
"Bruce!" Dominic was left with a difficult task, escape or attempt to free his little brother. He began to head back, but saw Alfred appear from the shadows. He
looked at Dominic, before turning his attention to Bruce. He began to mutter words Dominic could not understand as anger boild in him. Bruce fell into Alfred's
arms as the two headed to the limousine. Maxwell, cleaning blood off his face, ran towards Dominic.
"Bruce? Bruce? Bruce! No!" Dominic screamed as he ran full speed towards the town, tears tracking down his face, not even looking back. "I will come back, and I
will save you." He said as he began to disperse into the shadows, Maxwell gave up and headed back to the car, they had half-succeeded, and although he would
not be able to live with this failure, Maxwell Wright was truly grateful to have at least one Wayne boy safe at home.
"Master Bruce! Oh good heavens you are home!" Madam Carter hollered excitedly at the sight of a boy she considered her own, but soon her enjoyment turned
to disappointment, her other boy was nowhere to be scene. She looked into Alfred's tear-filled eyes as she too began to cry. She again looked at Bruce, wiped
away her tears, and smiled a half-hearted smile. "Come in, change your clothes, and go off to bed I-"
"When's Dominic coming back?" Bruce questioned as he stood, cold, tired, and obvioulsy shaken. He turned to Alfred who could not find the strength to look back
at him. Maxwell took a deep breath as he went down to one knee to look at Bruce, eye-to-eye.
"Bruce, I will do all I can, I will keep looking, but," Maxwell said as Madam Carter burst into tears," Dominic doesn't want to come back, he's not handling the
death of your parents well, and-"
"He says you guys did it," Bruce retorted, coldy and defiantly.
"What?" the three workers questioned collectively.
"Bruce, what, why would h-?" Madam Carter started before Alfred rushed back to Bruce and grabbed him vehemently.
"Master Bruce...did I ever tell you how I came to work for your father?