Premise

"Mr. Wayne, your three o'clock is here."

Bruce thanked his secretary and moved out from behind his big oak desk. He didn't know why his new IT employee had arranged for this meeting, but Bruce didn't think it was blackmail, so he didn't want to intimidate the young man. Yet.

Daniel Osbourne paused in the open doorway and glanced around. He met Bruce's eyes without flinching. It intrigued Bruce and hardened his gaze just to see Osbourne's reaction. The computer guy –who was probably getting a raise after this- showed the slightest hint of humor in the twist of his lips. He stepped into Bruce's office and closed the door behind him. The tech's level of situational awareness made Bruce wonder if he had hired a Justice League member on the sly.

"Mr. Wayne," the man said quietly. Not submissively, just quietly.

"Mr. Osbourne," Bruce replied in kind.

They shook hands and Bruce motioned to the second chair in front of his desk. "What brings you out of the computer labs?" he asked.

Osbourne handed over a file without a word. Bruce accepted it and appreciated the man's straight shooting. He quickly understood the contents of the file. He debated how to play this. He had never expected anyone to find his little back door into the Wayne Enterprises' intra-net. Bruce had added it to the system at its inception and Tim Drake had updated it a few times, but he was currently busy with the Titans, and computers were constantly evolving. Osbourne had traced it back to the mansion. He had also found the link to the Justice League orbiting space station and Titan's Tower. He was a very talented young man.

"Do you want me to ignore it, secure it or remove it?" Osbourne asked. He was also wise in his approach.

Bruce knew that his lips were twisting with wry humor. "Secure it, thank you."

Osbourne nodded once and stood as if to leave. That was all he had wanted to know. Bruce appreciated his brevity.

"How would you like a promotion and a raise?" Bruce offered. He wanted to keep Osbourne close for a number of reasons. He could be a reliable ally or an insidious enemy.

Osbourne tilted his head, almost interested.

Bruce smiled –his Batman smiled, not his playboy smile- and saw that the young man didn't draw back in fear. He tapped the evidence of the space station. "This needs a programmer like yourself."

Osbourne considered the offer.

"I'll have the formalized offer written up and placed on your desk by the end of the day. There's no time limit by which you must accept it. Of course, the exact location of the … ah… promotion wouldn't be included in the written offer, but you know how these things work."

Osbourne nodded. He had most likely dealt with things of a classified nature before. Bruce would have to review the young man's résumé more carefully.

Bruce offered a hand to Osbourne. "It was very good to do business with you, Mr. Osbourne."

Osbourne shook his hand as firmly as before. "You too, Mr. Wayne."

*Brief Note – I have tweaked the timeline in the rest of the story to coincide with the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoon series. Story Begins just after Secret Origins, with the Watchtower still being in general development and the Justice League settling into their team.