A/N: I actually wrote this chapter right after I wrote the last one and then my computer died and I hadn't saved the file and now everything is gone. I thought about rewriting it at the time because I'd been so happy with how it had turned out but I was so frustrated that I couldn't bring myself to do it and feel like I'd rewritten it well. So here I am, three months later, finally rewriting it. When I played through the game and got to this part, I was sooooo mad. I can't believe that they not only want to kick Bruce out of the company but also who they want to replace him.

Thx!

AMM


The elevator opens to a thankfully empty room. I swiftly approach the chess table and move the pieces back in order to close up the entrance to the cave. My hand automatically moves to put the chess piece back but I hesitate, a feeling in my gut is telling me to hold onto the piece, that I'm not getting let off the hook. Something is telling me I'll be walking out of here today jobless.

"Mr. Wayne….Bruce! Open up," I startle out of my thoughts upon hearing Regina knocking on my door. I slide the chess piece in my pocket before opening the double doors to allow the Chairwoman inside.

"I thought maybe you'd left," she says as she breezes past me and into the room.

"Yeah, right," the doors close gently as I turn away from them.

Regina doesn't stop walking until she reaches the edge of my desk, moving to fold her arms over her chest and stare out the window. "Well, the board has voted," she tells me without facing me, which immediately puts me further on edge.

"And have they sent the Chairwoman to wield the axe?"

I see her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath before her arms drop to the sides and she faces me with a defeated look on her face. I know her answer before she even opens her mouth. "You're being asked to step down from your position as CEO. Effective immediately," she stares at me before adding, "At least, until this whole mess gets cleaned up."

Upon discovering what my parents, especially my father, have been up to, I doubt that will happen. She makes it out to sound like a temporary solution but I know the board has not intentions of allowing me to come back and regain my role as CEO.

"This is a temporary setback?"

"Well, that's entirely up to you, Bruce. You need to prove to the board that you can be trusted in the seat. Just lie low, don't cause a scene. It'll turn out." It takes everything in me not to collapse in the chair behind me but to sit carefully, my back ramrod straight. "I asked to slow all this down but….the press release is going out as we speak." Please, lets just keep the blows coming, why don't we? "There will be a public event in the morning where you will formally announce your resignation." And another sharp blow. "I'm sorry, Bruce. I tried to fight for you. The board believes this is the only logical course of action. I see where they're coming from."

"I appreciate you trying, Regina. Thanks," I glance down at my hands, which are clenched together. I hadn't even realized it.

"Don't mention it." She pulls out her phone and begins to scroll through it. "Our stock is tanking, the board is losing confidence….Wayne Enterprises needs a new face." Oh no, I don't like where this is going. "They already had a candidate in mind. I thought it was….I was outvoted." I try and think of who she's talking about but no one is coming to mind. "Remember, he'd only be interim CEO, just until this mess gets cleared up."

"And who would that be?" I ask right as I hear the office doors opening. I stand and turn, my gut dropping when the man closing the door turns around.

Oz stares smugly at me as he approaches. "Oswald Cobblepot." Regina sighs.

"Bruce, old boy! Good to see you again!" Oz stretches his arms out wide as if expecting a hug but I simply cross my arms and arch a brow. Oz falls short and reaches out to pat my shoulder. "What a chilly greeting."

Regina steps forward to try and disperse some of the already thick tension in the room. "As you know, Oswald's parents were….well, victims of your father's actions. This company was built on the land he stole from the Cobblepot family." Regina steps over by Oz, clearly showing where her loyalties now lie without saying a word.

"The board thought having me step in would be a good PR move."

"What better way to show Gotham that Wayne Enterprises is committed to righting the wrongs of the past?"

"Happy to help anyway I can," Oz brown noses to Regina who smiles up at him like a proud mother before Oz brushes past me and approaches the large windows behind my-his desk. "People aren't much behind the Wayne name now. And considering that your parents stole from mine, Cobblepot sits easier on the tongue."

"This is a joke, right? You're not qualified to run a company."

"No, Bruce, is that anyway to treat an old friend? I'm just trying to help," he claims innocently.

"The Board has complete confidence in Mr. Cobblepot," Regina tries to assure me. "And his resume goes into great detail….his endeavors in England have been quite successful." What endeavors? His track record? His crimes? The amounts of prisons he's been thrown into for said crimes? There's no way the board would let him on as CEO if they knew of these things. He has to have changed that somehow. "Besides, the company basically runs itself at this point. The CEO is mostly a figurehead." Upon noticing my steely glare set on the back of Oz's head, Regina leans in with a gentle hand on my arm. "Don't make this harder than it has to be," she pleads quietly.

Sighing, I let my arms fall from their place across my chest. "Well then," I grit through my teeth. "I guess a congratulations is in order. It's nice to know you'll be the one trapped in this tiny office all day."

"Oh, I'm sure it's bigger then it looks," Oz smirks at me over his shoulder as Regina approaches him on the other side of the desk.

"I'm afraid we need you to leave the building immediately. We'll have your personal effects sent to you." Oz turns and stands beside Regina, both giving me intense stares before Oz slowly starts to walk back around the desk, swiping up an old stop watch Alfred gave me when I first took up the role as CEO here. It was the one my dad always wore. He'd had it cleaned and shined up before carefully preserving it in the glass box Oz is carelessly waving around.

"'Congratulations, Bruce. I couldn't be prouder of you. –Alfred" Oh, how sweet. Graduation present? Surely we could let him take this along?" Oz asks Regina who merely waves her hand and turns away. Oz goes to hand it to me before dropping it right before my fingers make contact. The box shatters to pieces on the floor at my feet. "Ah, Bruce, clumsy, clumsy. No wonder you're not trusted with nice things anymore."

Having turned at the sound of the box breaking, Regina carefully walks across the glass to us. "I'll call someone to clean that up. It'll only take a minute."

"Oh, Bruce and I can handle it. No trouble," Oz assures her but my hands clench into fists again and I zero my gaze in on Oz.

"Pick it up. Now!" I demand and pay no mind to Regina's startled look, my gaze locked solely on Oz who also seems quite shocked before nodding at Regina.

"No, no, it's alright. Bruce has been through enough today, hasn't he?" He picks up the watch, looking it over before dropping it in my hands. "Ah, looks broken I'm afraid. Not a good sign, is it?" I clench my jaw as I stare at my father's watch. I looked to that watch when I would have troubles making decisions for the company, trying to envision what my dad would do if he were still here.

"Time to go, Bruce," Regina says sadly, noticing the emotions flickering through my eyes upon looking at the destroyed timepiece.

"Yes, Bruce. Time to go. I have a little redecorating to do." Oz claims as he walks back to the windows before sitting at the desk. "Your taste is a little too….discrete for me."

"You're not getting away with this. I'll make sure of it," I threaten. I know Regina and the board only sees what Oz wants them to see but I can't let Wayne Enterprises suffer because of him. I can't let Gotham suffer because of him. He's not this impressive British business tycoon. He's a criminal mastermind with the world at his feet right now.

"Oh, ooh, is that a threat? I'm terrified." He whispers smugly, interlocking his fingers and arching a brow in a challenging way.

"I don't need to threaten you," I claim, noticing Regina begin to walk towards the door.

"This way, Bruce," she quietly calls over her shoulder as Oz waves his fingers at me. She opens the door for me as I turn to go before walking back towards Oz. "I'll have IT come set you up."

"Fantastic! Thank you so much, Regina!" The door shuts loudly behind me and I feel like the entire city hears it echo. No one looks at me now, no one dares to step anywhere near me or make eye contact. The guards place their hands on their weapons as I walk past them and out the front door, as if I'd try anything.

I'm not surprised to see Lucius standing out front waiting for me. I'm not sure if he eavesdropped or not but he can tell by the grave look on my face that it didn't go down like we'd hoped.

"It happened, didn't it?" I don't respond and he throws his hands in the air, beginning to pace in front of me. "They're out of their minds! They can't do this to you!"

"This isn't over yet, Lucius," I say in reassurance, though I'm not sure who it is I'm trying to reassure.

"The entrance-"

"I already took care of it." I show him the black knight piece.

"We can't let anyone find out what's down there. There are ways they could get in. You know that."

"Think you can keep an eye on things while I'm gone?"

"I-I don't know," he's stopped pacing but he isn't looking at me.

"Lucius, I need to know there's someone I can trust on the inside."

He suddenly spins on his heel to face me. "I'm here for you, Bruce. I've always been here for you. Not them!" He takes a deep breath. "If I stay, I'll have to stop working on our side project. That means no more tech, no more repairs if you need them. I can keep my eye on things for you, let you know what they're up to, feed what info I can. But, I can't risk Cobblepot finding out what I'm up to."

"Lucius, I need you to stay here."

"But-"

"You're the only ally I have in this building. It's important. I need you to be my eyes and ears."

He sighs before nodding. "Alright, I can do that."

"Keep Oswald out of R&D and let me know if anything comes up."

"Keep that drive safe," Lucius says before stepping back through the doors and leaving me alone out in front. I let out a breath I didn't realize I've been holding and slowly make my way down the stairs and to the parking lot, my mind buzzing all over the place. How did everything go to shit so fast?

I rub my temples as I listen to the reporter talk of the press conference in the morning. "Bruce Wayne will speak on the issue at a press event tomorrow morning where we'll learn more about his decision to step down. More on that in a moment." Alfred approaches with a cup of coffee as I sigh and sit back in my chair. I didn't choose to have the press conference nor did I choose to step down.

"I still can't believe it," Alfred claims as he sets the coffee down.

"Which part?"

"I wish life were easier for you, Bruce. It's just one thing after another."

"That's why I'm glad I have you, Al." I tell him as he looks to me with a small smile.

"Always," he promises before clearing his throat. "Lieutenant Gordon got in touch while you were out. He said that there's nothing to be done about Oswald Cobblepot-all of his records are spotless. He needs proof to dig further."

"Penguin's slippery alright. With the Children of Arkham accessing Wayne Tech…..I have to figure out what their next move is."

I stand from the chair and approach the smart table after opening Lucius' drive. "Bring up a searchable network of all possible electronic traffic related to Wayne Enterprises. If the Children of Arkham are in our system, all of this is potentially accessible." I gesture to the brightly colored table with all of the electronic traffic highlighted throughout the entire city.

"All of this?"

"Lucius was very thorough. It means they could have eyes and ears into almost everything in Gotham-just like Batman. They had access to the GCPD we know that. The real question is what else they'd be interested in." I think for a moment. "Filter for possible targets based on known Children of Arkham activity," I request of the computer. Numerous little tabs pop up so I start going through them, starting with Arkham Asylum.

"Patients committed to Arkham, going back twenty years."

"A rather extensive list."

"With my father's signature as the transferring doctor. Security footage."

"These date back decades!"

"Alfred," that video at the debate-I had hoped and prayed it wasn't true but it is. "The video at the debate….it's real. This is how they found their evidence. Something Hill did gave them access. At least now I know the truth." I quickly shut the Arkham tab and open the next one.

The City Hall tab contains both an audio feed and records and my curiosity gets the better of me as I click on the audio feed.

"No, I-Yes, yes, I know it takes time but I-" Harvey can be heard loud and clear.

"Well, that's the understatement, considering I've got at least one of my guys in the ER." The other voice responds.

"Yes, just please let me know when it happens. The Children of Arkham aren't going to wait on us."

"Suppose I can understand the truth of that." Then the feed cuts off.

"Harvey has no idea….It's impossible to tell if the Children of Arkham have access to this, but if they do, any action he takes against them, they'll see coming." Then I notice that there's also audio feed for GCPD and I find myself selecting it to listen in.

"This is ridiculous, Gordon! Do you know how much all this equipment costs? We don't have the budget to replace it all!"

"It's a risk we have to take, Commissioner. If the Children of Arkham can hack into our systems, we're completely ineffective!" Gordon argues.

"And you think going into situations completely blind is any better?"

"Considering the alternative, yes."

"Sounds like they are removing the Wayne equipment and that it is all under control," Alfred comments.

Selecting the courthouse, I begin scanning through the records that pop up. "Gotham Courthouse-all public records pass through this place. Look at this: Oswald's public record." I look through it with wide eyes. "None of this is right!"

"His whole criminal history doesn't exist as far as the rest of the world is concerned."

"This must be what the board saw!"

"Not a blemish in sight."

"I've seen enough. I have to go warn Harvey." I approach the Batmobile after turning off the table. "Keep an eye on this, Alfred, and have Lucius look into it as well. We need to find a way to lock them out."

"Very good sir."

I hop into the Batmobile before initiating the change into my normal Ferrari.


A/N: I really do feel bad for Bruce in this chapter and unfortunately it's only going to get worse before it gets better. Way worse. But he's a strong boy, he can make it, I believe in him! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

Thx!

AMM