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Golden Bat – Chapter Eight

Bruce looked up to see the roof was being torn off the car. Alfred looked back, his eyebrows rising at the terrifying scene behind him.

"Excuse me, sir," he said and he wrenched the wheel down hard to his left whilst simultaneously putting on the handbrake. The car, in a cloud of smoke, dust and debris, slammed against a lamppost shattering a window and crumpling the side.

Bruce, Bond and Selina were thrown about in the back in the car. Jaws was hurled off the car and went crashing into a dumpster, leaving a huge dent in the middle of it.

Alfred put his foot down and the limo started to crawl away. He changed down a gear. Not fast enough! Jaws got to his feet, shook his head, roared and grabbed hold of the back of the limo and tried to pull it back. The engine squealed as it continued the unequal struggle.

Alfred gunned the gears up and the revs shot up. The car shot away with Jaws holding the trunk, which was ripped from the car. Jaws threw the trunk away like a Frisbee. Bruce was amazed at his strength. This man could tear apart Bane.

"Step on it, Alfred," said Bruce, still looking back.

"No need to tell me, sir," said Alfred and went up through the gears.

Just before they went round a corner they could see Jaws wrench a passing motorcyclist from the road. With one hand he threw the hapless driver into the dumpster and with the other he held the motorbike up with one hand.

"We won't stop him that easily," said Bond. He got a cigar out of one pocket. It was slightly damp and crumpled but it didn't stop him trying to light it.

"Please don't smoke in my car, sir," said Alfred looking back at him with beady eyes.

"I'll open the window," said Bond, looking up at the sky through the ripped off roof. He lit the cigar one handed and stared at Bruce. "Now tell me why our dentally challenged friend would want to rip your head off?"

There was a huge thump sound from the side and Bruce could see Jaws tearing off the door while he was riding the motorcycle.

"He's got me mistaken for someone else."

"Oh please," said Bond. "Where are my manners?" He got out his cigar packet. "Do either of you two want a cigar?"

Another door was ripped off by Jaws. They were now driving down a darkened road towards the manor with only the occasional car providing light in front of them. In the headlights of a car approaching them Bruce could see Jaws, his teeth glinting and his face straining with the effort of tearing their car to pieces.

"I don't smoke," said Bruce.

Selina was looking at the scene with a wry smile. Alfred tried to swerve the car to stop the demented killer tearing the limo to pieces but it was no good, he could not shake the metal toothed killer.

Bond let out a puff of smoke and sighed contentedly. "The Rocky Patel vintage. I normally prefer a British cigar but it has to be said that Ecuador can certainly make a decent puff. Are you sure I can't tempt you, Selina?"

With a roaring sound Jaws grabbed the seat next to Selina and, while he was still riding his bike, ripped it from its casing and it joined a lot of the rest of the car on the road. Behind them was the detritus of a car ripped to pieces.

"You should smoke, it relaxes you." Jaws grabbed the seat next to Bond in order to rip it from the surround. Bond casually put down his hand with the lighted cigar and stubbed his cigar out on Jaws' hand. Jaws roared in pain and tried to swat at Bond, who flicked the cigar at Jaws face. With breathtaking speed he drew his gun and shot the tyre out of the big man's bike. There was a squeal of breaks and the sound of a crash as Jaws was thrown off a bridge and into a river below. The last they saw of him was the villain being carried away by the current.

"You're probably right, it is a bad habit." He looked around him in mock surprise. "It's certainly getting colder here." He took off his jacket and lent it to Selina.

She handed it back. "I'm not cold."

"Pity, I know several ways to raise the temperature."

She looked at him and raised one eyebrow. "I doubt any man could raise my temperature."

"They just haven't tried hard enough."

This badinage was annoying Bruce and he was surprised to feel a kernel of jealousy grow in his chest. "Alfred, take us home and quick."

Bond looked over at Bruce. "You still haven't explained yourself."

"There is nothing to say, I'm as much in the dark as you are." He gave Bond an appraising look.

"Well, we'll have to lighten up the situation tomorrow won't we?"

Alfred pressed a button on the dashboard of his limo and the Wayne Manor gates purred open. With a reassuringly heavy clunk they slammed shut behind them.

Despite himself Bond was concerned. He still did not know or trust Bruce Wayne yet and now he was doing something that was suicide for most agents. He was taken away from the city he had studied and knew and taken out of that element. If Bruce Wayne was the mastermind behind all this he was in his lair and in trouble.

He looked up at the house as it loomed up in front of them from the darkness. Still it was a nice place to be. He looked over at Selina and smiled. She caught his eye and looked back. He held her gaze for a full minute before she looked away, a smile just curling her lip. Tonight could be fun anyway. He was feeling tired and exhausted after a long day, but what the hell. He would have plenty of time to sleep in his grave.

He could see Bruce glaring at him. He looked back.

"How do you know that man who was tearing my car apart?"

"In my line of work you come across people like that. I wouldn't expect a millionaire playboy like you to understand."

"You'd be surprised at the people I have to deal with in my line of work," said Bruce.

The car purred up outside the manor. Alfred leapt out to open the door and then realised the car had no doors left. He stood there grasping and ungrasping his hands as he suddenly realised he didn't have anything to do.

"It's okay, Alfred," said Bruce. "We can find our own way out of the car."

Alfred walked up the stairs of the manor ahead of them and opened the door for them.

"If you could adjourn to the drawing room, please. I'll have some coffee for you shortly. There is no smoking in the house," said Alfred looking pointedly at Bond.

"We won't bother with coffee tonight, we can talk in the morning," said Bruce. "If you could prepare the guest rooms for Mr Bond and Miss Kyle. The blue and red suites should suffice."

"But they are right at opposite ends of …" Alfred tailed off. "Certainly sir, the blue and red suites. If you two could follow me please."

"I'll take Selina to the blue suite, you take Bond to the red suite," said Bruce.

Bond saw Selina slink after Bruce and gave himself a wry smile. He followed after Alfred. "Whereabout is the blue suite, Alfred?"

"I'm sure I don't know, sir," said Alfred. "If you could follow me please. We always have a variety of guest rooms made up for unexpected guests."

Bond glanced at the walls as he passed. There were several Rembrandts and what looked like a Renoir as he passed. He couldn't be certain, he would have to study the artwork first, but these paintings were certainly from the same schools.

"Mr Wayne likes his art," said Bond as he passed the paintings. There were also several suits of armour about the house. One of them looked like the Black Prince's battle dress. He looked at Alfred thoughtfully. "That was some driving you pulled today."

"I'm sure I don't know, sir."

"What did you say your full name was?"

"I didn't, sir."

After what seemed like an interminably long and for the most part silent walk they reached another door. "This is your room, sir. Breakfast is at 8 sharp. There are some spare clothes and night attire in the wardrobe. If you leave your clothes outside the door I'll have them washed and darned for you. The house is strictly no smoking, sir."

"Thank you." He opened the door and Bond strolled in. There was a large four-poster bed. One door led to an adjoining en-suite bathroom with a whirlpool bath, and another door led to a balcony looking out on the grounds. Bond opened the doors and looked out. Against the night sky he could see several bats fluttering past. He closed the doors and looked back. Alfred had left.

He opened the wardrobe and found some silk pyjamas. He got out of his dirty and rather battered tuxedo and put on the night attire. Opening the door, he put his clothes and shoes down, minus several gadgets and his gun. He looked down the corridor. He couldn't see anyone. He closed the door. There was a clicking sound from the door. He tried it again and this time it was locked.

He chuckled to himself. No nocturnal rambles for him. So much for a fun night. Still, he needed his sleep. There was a small drinks cabinet in the corner of the room. He smiled when he saw what was in it. He added some vodka to a glass and a dash of dry vermouth. He crushed a bit of ice into the glass and was just starting to shake it to improve the flavour when he heard a seductive female voice coming from the balcony.

"Have you got enough for two?"

In the Batcave Bruce was just putting on his night attire. He might be visiting Wayne Tech tomorrow as Bruce Wayne but he thought he might visit tonight as Batman, and now that Bond was out of his way he would have a clear chance. Bond seemed to attract trouble and that was something that Bruce Wayne could well do without. Batman on the other hand was a master at finding trouble.

He slid into the Batmobile and pressed the accelerator down. The car purred up the ramp and out of the cave. Wayne Tech was going to get a visitor it hadn't planned on…