He was here, Wayne Enterprise, his company his building. This wasn't him. Bruce Wayne may have been the name he was given at birth. Been the person his parents had meant him to be, but that was before they were killed. It was before they were murdered for a few petty dollars that in the end didn't matter to anyone. He had not been shot that night, had not been cut down in cold blood but he might as well have died that night. No he wasn't Bruce Wayne. He was Batman.
Batman was who he truly was. Bruce Wayne was the real mask he wore. However Bruce was the man that all inside were expecting to see. Time to play a role and dance a dance just as he had done for all these years, something he would have to do for many more. Everyone expected him to act a certain way. To do things that were irresponsible all because he had been born rich then suffered tragedy. It frustrated him to no end.
Why couldn't some one who was young who suffered the loss of both parents grow up to be a normal healthy member of society? Was it because he was from a wealthy family, if that the case shouldn't they expected him to try and better the world as his father had. All these thoughts rushing through his head he had not even noticed that he all ready had reached his office. Standing there as usual was Lucius Fox.
Lucius cared about the business but most of all Bruce knew that he cared about him too. As much as Lucius wanted Wayne Enterprise to do well he wanted Bruce to be happy. 'One of the few,' Bruce thought to himself, "Lucius wasting no time I see."
"Do I ever Bruce?" Was the tall heavy set black mans reply, "Besides we got a busy day today. You got all those nice fun board meetings to attend." A sparkle was in the mans eye as he winked at Bruce, "Besides someone has to show you this." He held up a tape all of a sudden his voice had gone hard, upset.
"What's wrong?"
"Another break-in. This time at Wayne Tech."
"What was taken?"
"That's what makes it so damn confusing Bruce. Nothing. Just a message."
"A message?" Bruce's eyebrow raised as he looked at Lucius, "What kind of message?"
"A message for Batman, though I have no idea why they thought you could get it to him. Gordon has a copy too. Police are looking into it." Was the answer he got. "Maybe Penguin figured since Wayne Enterprise suffers so much crime you had Batman on speed dial." The last part was lost on Bruce, the cogs all ready turning in the part of his mind that was the detective.
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Using the whole break-in as a way to get out of meetings Bruce had sent Lucius to them in his place. For every practical purpose Lucius Fox was better at running the company then he was anyway. Now in his darkened office the tape played yet another time. It puzzled him as to what the Penguins true plan was. Because what this showed, what he said couldn't be true. Or could it?
Had he become so cynical and without hope that he couldn't believe what the Penguin was saying? Something told him no that wasn't the case; he just knew Cobblepot to well. He had heard these kinds of things from far to many criminals to believe him. It was always the same story to cover their master plan. So what game was this flightless bird playing this time?
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Night had finally come. Time had come to put on his true face, the face that stuck fear in the hearts of those who preyed on the fearful. What lights there were in the cave illuminated the main portion but caused shadows to dance on the perimeter. He pulled the cowl over his face. Bruce Wayne was gone and in his place now stood Batman. From behind him he heard someone cough.
"I'm going alone," was the only acknowledgement he gave before heading towards the batmobile. The sound of booted feet behind him only made him move faster. With a simple jump he was sitting in the seat with the hood retracting to close off the interior. Yet the other costumed figure kept approaching. Dick Grayson, Robin, came to a halt at the window. Slowly it rolled down.
"I said I was going alone," he kept his gaze forward never even glancing at the young man who he was addressing, "So go back inside."
"Aren't you a wonderful conversationalist," Robin quipped back at him. "You may need me. More then likely this is a trap."
"I know." With that he hit the gas leaving Robin in smoke and dust. Things were changing. That was bound to happen he knew, after all things could remain the same for ever. It was just part of getting older, to bad there wasn't an easier way. How did could he let Bruce know he wasn't losing him in the same way they both had lost their parents. He shook his head then headed back to the mansion. If Batman didn't want his help well then he wasn't going to force it on him.
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Turning down the street that would bring him to Wayne Tech Batman noticed all the street lamps were broken. Surely the city would have taken care of that by now if they had been that way when the police had investigated the break in. He made a mental note of it and continued on. The car raced down the road way as he neared his destination. Pulling up in front of the building he got out only to see Jim Gordon all ready there.
"Thought you would show up tonight," was the police commissioners welcome, "Couldn't figure out why you weren't here last night, for that matter why we weren't aware of it tell we got the tape. Or at least not tell a little while ago."
He said nothing but just looked at the man. Gordon had been one of the few that had believed in him when he started his crusade. And still he was one of the few. Something's never changed.
Seeing as he wasn't going to get a reply Gordon went on, "The security alarm was turned off."
That meant Penguin had had help from the inside. But how could that be? As Bruce Wayne he had made sure that the process for hiring was one of the strictest in the city. The amount of background checks city, state, and federal no one with any hint of criminal behavior should have gotten through. "You're sure? After all the power was out across the city."
"We thought of that," Gordon started, "But then we noticed the tape has a time in the corner. Three thirty two am. Power was back on by then."
So he had help. That was something to go on. Something he would have to look into tomorrow. Tonight however there was the building its self to look at. "Anything else?" Short and to the point he hadn't made a habit of long drawn out conversations as Batman. The more he talked the more likely someone would recognize his voice.
"That's all we got so far. Nothings missing, there was nothing tampered with, not like the Penguin," he stopped looked at the ground then looked back at Batman, "You think he could mean what he said in his message?"
"No." His voice lingered but he was gone. Gordon hated when he did that. In all the time that he had know Batman he didn't think there had ever been a proper end to a conversation. Not that he could really call what they had conversations. Running a hand through his hair he turned and headed home.
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Sitting quietly in the shadows he scanned over the area. From first glance everything looked fine. He knew the police had been over this place with a fine toothed comb but maybe there was something they missed. That is what he intended to find out. Descending from the perch he had found he began to walk the floor of the building.
Wayne Tech was a huge open building with machinery everywhere that helped in the discovery of new and better technology. In fact this was where most of the new gadgets Batman used came from. All part of being a billionaire superhero he smiled to himself. As he continued to slowly walk the floor he noticed that there was a small corner of a paper sticking out from under one of machines. Going to it he stooped down trying to lift the corner of the machine up. Quickly he pulled the corner of the paper as the machine slipped through his grasp.
He found himself holding a business card. Something he knew was left for him to find. The Grand Majestic was all it read in big bold black letters. Then it hit him. That was an old club for the rich and famous of Gothem. Many of times had he visited it as a young man but it was condemned. "The perfect hiding place for Penguin."