"You think he's gonna show up?" Justin Longhorn asked.
"Of course. He's got two girls' fates resting on him. Believe me, he'll be here." Joint replied, smacking Justin in the head as he loaded his sniper rifle.
"Now get out there and start hunting." Joint continued, ushering Justin to go out on the back patio.
London was looking at the unconscious girls as they were tied up and in a corner at the top of the Pavilion building. He kept looking at the clock and held the pistol in his sweaty hand. He knew Wayne would be here soon. He had three minutes. London held the detonator in his other hand and looked around the top room as the clock ticked down to one minute. London admitted to himself that he didn't want to kill anybody. The others had criticized him for being soft as he had never killed anyone during their time together. He had given them the impression that killing wasn't his strong suit and he was better suited to being a supervisor. The crew thought he was a lazy asshole but as long as he didn't have to prove himself, he didn't care what they thought.
"Why are you doing this?" Francine said as she woke up from unconsciousness.
"You wouldn't understand." London whispered back.
"Are you the shooter? Are you one of them?" Francine replied.
London took a deep breath and bent down to Francine as her sister lied asleep beside her.
"We're not going to hurt you... I promise you that." he said.
"But what about Bruce? Did you kill him? Is he here?" Francine said, a few strands of bright blonde hair falling in her face as her dizzy head dipped down.
"Your boyfriend's not who you think he is. He's done some things that threaten our cause and... he needs to be dealt with." London answered.
"Your cause? How is letting innocent people die and creating fear a good thing? What do you plan to accomplish?" she said with anger in the back of her throat.
London closed his eyes and put his pistol in the back holster, taking a deep breath and shaking his head slowly. He took off his mask and let her see his face. He was a handsome man, with short black hair and a clean-shaven face. Francine could see in his eyes that he had been through pain and suffering. He let the mask fall to the ground and scratched his head as he poured out to her.
"My family relied on me for survival. I made fifteen twenty an hour. It wasn't bad work... not bad at all. I loved my job. I was a computer analyst. I worked with Suzanne Wells and a few other higher-ups. My wife had been homeless at one time and she lived in the most disgusting slums in the city. I saved her and we made a life together." London said, tearing up as he continued.
"As I kept working at Wayne Enterprises, I began to notice that something was off. Off-putting is a better word. I handled banking accounts and the total income the company brought in. Then, money began disappearing. It was being taken from an offshore account in Europe somewhere. Wayne was reportedly hanging out in Europe on a self-centered trip of happiness. Do you see where this is heading?"
"No." Francine said while shaking her head.
"Bruce isn't that kind of person. Trust me."
"How well do you really know him. You dated him for a couple days and automatically you know his entire life story? That's bullshit, Ms. Isley. Plain bullshit. People like him don't understand how the world really works, now do they? Me and you are the average-Joes... the blue-collared Americans that are the backbone of this country. Do they know without people like me and the others of my crew that those rich scum wouldn't have a dime? What gives them the right? I lost my job after Wayne Enterprises needed to make budget cuts." he continued, spitting the last two words in disgust.
"A multi-billion dollar company needed to make budget cuts? And yet, nobody was cut except the men and women that ran that company. Nobody's pay was lost and they continued on without even a glance at us. Your boyfriend is involved. He had a fancy little suit and some gadgets as he tries to fight crime like some crazy psychopath. Where do you think that money came from? Hm?" London asked.
"What does all this make you? You're not sane!" Francine said, her voice growing louder.
"Of course I'm not. How can a man whose lost everything be sane?" London said, his hands starting to shake in fury.
"You lost your job! There's always a backup!" Francine yelled, gaining the attention of the other crew members.
"I did not only lose my job! They gave me a final check of 80 dollars! 80 dollars! Nobody would hire after being fired from Wayne Enterprises. For two long, painful months... me and the others looked for jobs. I lost my daughter to starvation and my wife committed suicide! We were living on the streets! So no, I did not just lose that damn job. I lost my life..." London screamed, standing up and pulling the pistol out and pointing it to his head.
"And my innocence."
"No!" Joint yelled as London pulled the hammer back.
Francine's heart was racing and sweat fell from her head as she found herself crying.
"He will pay for what he did to me and us! He doesn't deserve to get away with this!" London yelled, crying in anger and falling to his knees, the muzzle still pressed into his temple.
London threw the gun down and screamed furiously. He ripped his mask apart and began punching the ground in fury. Bruce Wayne would pay for what he did. The entire building would be blown to bits. Whether Wayne showed up or not. It was endgame and London wouldn't stop until all of Gotham could see that selfish monster for who he really was.