Terry gets on the train and sits down in an empty seat near the news screen just as the relevant report comes up. The cheerful demeanor of the anchorwoman, her face a translucent gray ghost against the standard NewsByte background of the Gotham City skyline, is particularly annoying considering the serious nature of the information she is dealing with.
"In business news, Gotham City-based Wayne Industries is troubled by a scandal in one of its installations abroad." The scene behind her changes into a picture of a building in an unfamiliar city. But Terry can at least tell what country it's in – the sign on the building is written in both English and Japanese. A smaller picture comes up on the side of the screen opposite the anchor. It's a portrait of a lean, bespectacled middle-aged man, his blond hair going gray.
"Douglas Marshall, chief of operations on the Pacific Rim, has been charged with embezzling more than five million credits from the company. Bruce Wayne, who recently regained complete control of the company after Paxton Powers was forced to resign following his arrest and conviction for possession of stolen property and conspiracy to attempted murder, convened a press conference at Wayne Industries headquarters when he received word of Marshall's criminal activity."
The anchorwoman's face turns sideways, so she's in profile, then slides off the screen as the background changes to show the auditorium where annual stockholders' meetings are usually held. Mr. Wayne, dressed in a well-tailored black business suit and looking powerful as usual despite his age, is standing at the podium. Terry can see and hear, respectively, the white flashes and mechanical clicks of cameras. A message at the bottom of the screen indicates that this scene is a recording, not a live broadcast.
Another corporate exec in Wayne's position would have come across as somewhat angry and rather embarrassed. Mr. Wayne, though, is obviously bordering on wrathful. And you can tell that it's not the money he's worried about, or how the stock price of the company will be affected, but that someone in his company was enough of a bastard to break the law – no not just that, but the rules of basic human decency.
"I would like to assure our customers, our employees, our stockholders and all other concerned parties that I will deal with this problem – personally. Marshall and his collaborators will be punished, and everyone they stole from will be compensated. I have no tolerance for dishonesty and corruption in my company or anywhere else. If you have any questions…"
~***~
*click*
Why'd you turn it off?
I've seen enough. I know what's going to happen next.
I don't.
All right, then, I'll tell you. You remember that my father worked for Wayne Industries until that reprehensible man Powers took it over…
'Reprehensible?'
What's so funny?
I didn't think anybody actually said 'reprehensible.'
Well, I do. And you just did – twice.
Okay, fine, never mind. So, what happened back when your dad worked for Mr. Wayne?
A few years before I was born, the director of marketing was found to have lined his pockets with a million dollars of company money. Mr. Wayne was positively furious. Do you know what it means to 'make an example' of someone?
Ooh. I almost feel sorry for that Marshall guy.
Yes, that's the idea. Wayne's not a man to be crossed.
Speaking of that…when are you going to talk to Batman?
When I'm ready. I want to make sure that he won't attack Kitsune when she approaches him. And to do that, I have to make him understand that she's not a threat to him or the city.
So you want him to get used to her being around first?
Something like that. Maybe in a few days.
Actually…if you want, I could tell him you want to meet him. Sort of.
What do you mean?
I know a friend of his. Maybe I could set up a meeting.
You know 'a friend of his?'…All right, I won't pry. When the right time comes, I'll let you know. Then you can contact him yourself.
~***~
"You're going to Japan?"
"I did say that I'd deal with it personally. I'll need you to help me pack. The plane will be ready by the time we're done."
The traffic light turns green. Terry takes his foot of the brake and puts it on the accelerator. Wayne drove himself to the press conference, but only because his assistant wasn't available to do so and he couldn't wait. It's not because he's averse to driving – it's just that folks expect a person of his status to have a chauffeur, so he does. A matter of image, really.
On the one hand, Terry thinks, it's bad that Mr. Wayne has to leave when Batman has to keep an eye on both VibranTech and Kitsune. It's not going to be easy to keep up with things without him around. On the other hand, Terry's mom can't expect him to quit his job when he has to hold down the fort while the boss is away. It gives him a little more time, if not to make some kind of plan, then at least to delay the crisis. Maybe having this time off to spend with his family will make his mother feel better, and she'll calm down a bit. Whether she does or not, Terry will tell Mr. Wayne about his argument with her after he gets back to Gotham. Terry may not be able to figure out how to handle this, but the old man will probably be able to think up something. Now, though, would not be a good time to bring it up.
"Well, I guess that means I'll be on my own for a few days," Terry remarks as he pulls onto the freeway. He and Wayne both know that this isn't exactly true – Max will jump at the opportunity to be Batman's behind-the-scenes assistant, as she always does when Wayne's not available, and Terry will be glad for her help. But since Wayne does not like the fact that Max made herself part of the team without his approval, he will not acknowledge her membership in it. However, even he must admit that she's proven herself useful, so he doesn't actively discourage her from helping anymore. Where Max is concerned, he's gone from outright rejection to ambivalence to grudging respect, and Terry is sure that he'll soon realize that, flippant though she may be, Max takes Batman as seriously as Terry himself does.
For a few seconds, Wayne doesn't reply. A quick glance at the rearview mirror allows Terry to see that he's looking out the passenger window, but his expression says that he's not really paying attention to what's outside. Suddenly, he faces forward again. "I know this is a bad time for me to leave you on your own. But I need to take care of this."
Terry's surprised by the note of concern in his voice. "It's okay. I've done it before, I can handle it," he says casually. Of course it's not completely okay – as much as he wants to prove that he can manage on his own, it always makes him nervous when Wayne's not around to back him up. Having Max around helps, but it's not the same thing.
"I know you can," Wayne replies. But Terry can sense that he isn't quite telling the truth either.
~***~
By four o' clock that afternoon, Bruce Wayne is riding a small chartered aircraft to Japan. Terry goes back to the manor, walks Ace, and fills his food and water dishes. As soon as he's finished that, his cell phone rings. He answers it. "Hello?"
"Hey Terry – I hear the boss-man is off to Osaka to straighten out that dreg Marshall."
"Hi, Max. Yeah, he just left an hour ago."
"After seeing him on TV this morning…well, I'm glad I won't be around to see what happens when he gets there." She chuckles. "So, does this mean I get to look over your shoulder tonight?" She's totally psyched about it, just as Terry predicted.
"Get ready to burn the midnight oil for the next week or so," Terry replies.
"All right! When are you going out?"
Terry thinks for a few moments. It's still light out, and there's no emergency to take care of, so he can't suit up yet. Then again, if he doesn't, he'll have to go home and pick up where he left off with his mother. The prospect makes his hair stand on end. But he can't avoid it forever, and it'd be best to get it over with as soon as possible. Even if Wayne isn't here. He considers mentioning it to Max, but he doesn't think she'll be able to help him out. His decision is already made – he's going to tell his mother the truth. As soon as he can work up the courage to do it.
"At nine," he concludes. That'll be less than an hour after sunset. "I'll call you, okay?"
"Schway. Talk to you later."
"Bye," Terry says. Then he hangs up and puts his phone back in his pocket.
Ace has just finished eating his dinner. With a sigh, Terry gets down on one knee and scratches him behind the ears. The dog senses his nervousness, whimpers and gives him a questioning look.
"Well, buddy," Terry says, "I guess it's time to face the music. Wish me luck." He stands up. Ace looks at him worriedly, his ears twitching with concern. But when Terry walks to the front door, he doesn't follow. The dog knows this is a problem he can't solve.
Terry exits the mansion, locks the door behind him, and starts heading down the hill to the gate. He wishes he had his motorbike, but he had to give it up last week when the brakes failed and he almost crashed into a car. He bought it secondhand a couple of years ago, and that malfunction told him that it had gotten to the point where it was too old to be worth repairing anymore. Since he hasn't had time to shop for a replacement, he's had to get around by bus and metro and on foot (when he's not being Batman, anyway). Considering everything that's been happening lately, though, the lack of it seems like nothing.
But now it means that he'll have to spend that much longer agonizing before he can get home. That much more time to change his mind, decide not to tell his mother the secret after all. Right now, he knows that it would be better to tell her than not to, and he wants to be in that state of mind when he gets home. Who knows how long it will take to work up his nerve again if he loses it now?
Once he's gotten out of the gate, it's a mile to the nearest bus stop. Today it seems a lot longer.