Chapter Two
A young boy screamed as he fell down a dark hole beside a luxurious mansion. The boy cowered in the shadows, quietly sobbing.
Suddenly hundreds of pairs of red eyes opened as a hoard of bats awoke to see their intruder...
Bruce Wayne awoke with a start. He looked around and sighed in relief as he realized that it was only a nightmare...
"Ah, Master Bruce... I see you are awake." greeted Alfred Pennyworth who was sitting on a chair beside the king sized bed where Bruce Wayne lay covered in bandages.
"Alfred?! What the hell happened to me?! The... The Red Hood... " started Bruce in a panic.
"Calm down, Master Bruce, you're safe now, Commissioner Gordon has ordered 24/7 Security for the Manor." replied Alfred without any trace of panic in his voice.
As he calmed down, Bruce couldn't help but be amazed by how the Butler could remain so damn calm while in a situation like this.
"Damn..." said Bruce biting his lip.
"What is bothering you?" asked Alfred.
"That son-of-a-bitch Red Hood got the briefcase with the prototype... If the idiot figures out how to use it... God knows what he will do with it... If correctly utilized it can provide a very formidable weapon. Regeneration, Flight and even firearms can be implemented! Goddamnit!! I'm such a..." Alfred cut off Bruce before he could insult himself. "Sir, it isn't your fault, At least you escaped with you life. I highly doubt many billionaire kids could've managed that Master Bruce, if anything you should be proud of yourself. But I sense that isn't what is truly bothering you, is it?"
"You read my mind Alfred. I can't get this stupid dream out of my head, I think... it really happened when I was a kid, I keep seeing myself falling down this dark cave like thing near the Manor and a hoard of bats attack me..." said Bruce, re-adjusting his pillow with his one un bandaged arm.
"Ah, sir..." said Alfred, visibly contemplating something. Finally deciding he said " Your father asked me never to reveal this to you but... have you heard the legend of the Batman?"
"Yeah, so?" asked Bruce.
"Well, the Batman... was your father, Thomas Jonathan Wayne." said Alfred, pausing to let Bruce take it in.
"Okay Alfred, that's funny, now stop wasting my time!" laughed Bruce.
"Oh, I am far from joking, sir. The cave you fell into was and is, known as … the Bat-Cave, his base of operations, it had the highest tech equipment of the time."
"Right, and now you are going to tell me that my father was centuries old like the Batman?"
"Of course not. The mantle of the Batman was passed down from father to son for several generation of the Wayne family, and the Pervellis before that. Your father hoped that he could let the Batman retire with him and have you lead a normal life, but alas, I think that fate would not allow that... but I urge you Master Bruce, do not take up the mantle of the Batman. It's nothing but trouble." explained Alfred, as if reading from a book.
"O-kay... so you aren't kidding... take me to this 'Bat-Cave'." said Bruce, his grin dampening.
"As soon as you are rested. I cannot allow you to wal...?" Bruce placed his free hand over Alfred's mouth, cutting off his doctor-ish speech.
"Please Alfred, I won't be able to rest until I know… until I see. Take me. Please…." Pleaded Bruce.
Alfred sighed and helped Bruce up to his feet. They slowly made their way down the grand staircase and stopped in front of old Grandfather clock. Alfred made Bruce hold a chair and opened the clock, and pressed on the winder, revealing a secret panel. He pressed a code their and the clock sank into the ground, revealing a dark doorway.
"Whoa..." exclaimed Bruce. Telling Bruce to wait, Alfred went down the staircase and flicked a switch, bathing the cave in a bright blue light.
He returned up and helped Bruce walk down the stairs.
"Holy ... " gasped Bruce as he marveled at the cave. It was filled with various antiques, memorabilia, computers, panels, Portraits and various other items covered in black color sheets.
A hoard of Bats also hung from the ceiling at the far end of the cave, where Bruce assumed at once was where he had fallen. Alfred made Bruce sit down on a chair in front of the biggest Computer screen and went up to a cylindrical shape covered in a sheet and pulled it off, revealing a costume, which Bruce had seen many a-time in various books and magazines as a child. The suit was totally black, with a red outline of a bat in the middle. The suit appeared to be made of some metallic substance. The gloves had blades at the elbows. Above it in the case there was a black cowl with two horns, while a cape was hanging behind it.
"This Master Bruce, is the Bat-Suit, made of a synthetic Titanium - Neonide substance, providing flexibility with strength, along with several other… enhancements."
Bruce Wayne gazed awe at the suit. Then Alfred went up to a more complex shape covered in a sheet and opened it, revealing a 1990's styled sports car, heavily modified. The car was covered in a thick layer of dust, but still looked impressive-- for a 18 year old car...
"Hmmm..." said Bruce looking at it.
"Master Bruce? I really don't like that look on your face, you are about to do something extremely fool hardy, aren't you… you are going to take up the mantle?" groaned Alfred in dismay.
"You guessed it Alfred." smiled Bruce."You guessed it."
"Damn, I'm getting too good at this…" said Alfred.
one week later.
"Is it open yet?" asked Bruce Wayne with anticipation. He smiled in triumph as the butler opened the lid of a crate. They were both standing in the Bat-Cave, or at least Bruce's re design of it. The cave was beyond recognizing. High Definition monitors had replaced the outdated Computers on the wall. The antiques and other junk in the cave had been moved into a level of the cave, which had lain unused for years below the main level of the cave. The new bat-mobile lay, covered until it was put to use. Also the control panels had been replaced with Touch-Screen ones and the walls had been coated with a metallic blue paint. Apart from that, twenty florescent lights lit up the cave instead of two tube lights.
"Oh my word!" said Alfred in surprise as he looked into see a plain black suit kept in a frozen cylinder with the words "FRAGILE" printed on it.
"Yep, a beauty ain't it? Alfred, say hello to the new Bat-Suit!" grinned Bruce Wayne entering the crate."Made of the new Wayne Industries Prototype Nano-Suit, with some added improvements by me!"
Alfred just gaped at the suit.
--
"Sorry, that this chapter didn't have that much of action, but in the next chapter the all new all improved Batman takes flight!!"