Thomas sits in his study, staring up at the fading portrait of his once stable family. A cold glass of bourbon remains half full in his hand as the dreadful boom of thunder shakes the skies outside. A cheap digital clock stands out on a desk filled with papers and multiple laptops. It's red digits mark the hour at 11:37pm. Dropping the glass on the floor, he reaches in his pocket intent on calling Christopher with worry.
Alfred enters the dimly lit study, his aged eyes trying to adjust to the room. The muted television mixed with the fireplace and brief flashes from the showers outside provides just enough light for the older man. Standing silent, Alfred waits a moment to be recognized by Thomas; a moment that never occurs.
"Sir, a Detective Gordon from Gotham PD is on the line to speak with you. He says this is an urgent matter." Alfred clears his throat as Thomas pulls a refilled cup to his mouth. With a final chug, the remaining liquid in the glass disappears.
"Damnit I do not have time for this!" Thomas sighs heavily as he raises from the chair, leaving his mobile phone. Alfred extends the phone to Thomas who hesitates before answering.
"How can I help you Detective Gordon?" Thomas asks abruptly.
"Goodnight Mr. Wayne, we have reason to believe your life may be in danger. I don't know how else to say this but a friend of yours was murdered tonight." Thomas appears to wake up at the words shared by Detective Gordon.
"Excuse me Detective, but what? Murdered? Who?" Thomas shouts worriedly as he pictures his three accomplices within his mind.
"Sir, this will be making the news cycle soon but the Mayor has been found dead. And to make matters worst, another of your friends has gone missing." The implications in Gordon's tone causes Thomas' fist to clench.
"I appreciate the concern Gordon but understand - the Mayor and I knew each other in passing. I have very few friends in this City anymore. Do you have any suspects in this apparent murder?"
Gordon moves the phone from his mouth, making his words come through muted on Thomas' end. Thomas grabs for his phone on the chair and dials out to Christopher. As he waits for the Detective to answer him, the persistent ringing of Dent's line go unanswered.
"So get me a damn printout!" Gordon screams to someone in his vicinity. "Mr. Wayne, there are matters in this investigation I'm not at liberty to share but we have reason right now to believe former DA Christopher Dent may be involved here. A
search of his place turned up some, questionable items involving you, Mayor Hill and Cobblepot, and no one seems to know where he is at the moment." Gordon lets the news set in a bit, feeding the silence.
"I think you should come in Mr. Wayne. Just until we find Dent." As Gordon speaks, a loud roar of thunder rips through the sky, leaving the manor in darkness as it dissipates.
"Detective, I appreciate the call. But I think I'm safest here at the manor. Once this storm clears, I will make my way into Gotham and we can further discuss these questionable items. Goodnight." Before allowing any objections to ring out, Thomas ends the call. Under the deep crack of thunder, Thomas stares at Alfred, who remains silent with a solemn look across his face.
Thomas sprints over to his desk and pulls a lock box from one of its numerous drawers. Once unlocked, the case reveals a number of items that go ignored except for three.
"Alfred, Ive made a slew of bad choices, have ignored your counsel. I don't deserve your service or concern, but please know that I've always appreciated you."
"Master Wayne, what's the matter?" Alfred notices the pistol being removed from the box and into Thomas' waist.
"Take this, it will start any car on the premises. And this contains enough cash to keep you well until the bank funds clear." Thomas ignores any attempt by Alfred to understand what may be happening.
"If anything happens to me, I've left everything to you. Once I lost Bruce -" Thomas pauses to fight back a swell of tears he feel coming. "I ignored that boy after sending him away and I know you have always disagreed with that."
"Sir, you did what you felt was needed for you and the boy. The fire at the school was not your fault, you must stop blaming yourself. Now tell me what this call was about, something about Mayor Hill?" Thomas, walking hastily about the manor grabbing at several items in particular ignores the prying questions from his trusted friend.
"I need to make a trip into Gotham proper. I need to see Cobblepot, in person, right now. Old friend, if I make it through this night I promise we will pick up this conversation." Thomas offers a deep hug to Alfred, who stands perplexed at the foreign gesture. Without a word, Thomas rushes to the garage to drive into the City. As the car starts, the headlights shine out to reveal a huge hulking figure standing in his way.
Thomas presses the gas pedal, hoping the revving sound will make the familiar figure flinch. Silently from behind, a hand reaches forward to cover Thomas' mouth. The last thing Mr. Wayne feels is the injection of a needle into his neck.
A splash of water tosses Thomas from the most restful sleep he has had in years. Through groggy eyes, he tries to look about the room to gain his bearings, but he quickly feels the restraints around his wrists and ankles. Struggling in the chair, he quickly gives up knowing that his bounds are secure.
From behind, a series of footsteps pace back and forth, the sound of dress shoes clicking against the floor.
"Our guest awakes. Tell me Thomas, What has to be broken before you can use it?" The abrupt question from the familiar voice sends a sudden fear through Thomas. Gone was the voice of superiority he heard hours before in the cave. Now, this mysterious caned figure sounded troubled.
"Is it trust? Is it your will? Come on Thomas, what is the answer?" The caned man makes himself visible now to Thomas, his mask still broken. He taps Thomas' arm with his cane a few times with measured hesitance.
"Is it your arm?" With a heavy swing, the caned man smashes the cane's handle against Thomas' arm, causing him to scream in pure pain. Underneath his mask, the burly figure standing back in the shadows lets loose a smile.
"Answer me Thomas. What has to be broken before you -"
"When I get out of this seat, I will break you - Nygma." Hearing his name freezes the caned man in place. Nygma lets out an audible gasp, his words caught in his throat unable to be freed.
"Yea, I know your name. And I promise you I will peel that mask off your face and make you feel a pain you have never felt before." Thomas' voice grows deep with a restrained rage. Nygma takes a few moments to come back to his senses, finally remembering his accomplice screaming his name in the cave.
"Now Bane, see what you have done. You've given Thomas a taste and he looks hungry for more." He turns his attention back to Thomas in the chair. "It's no matter who I am Thomas because we have bigger problems at hand. It seems one of you have talked about our - organization and put everything at risk. And now one of you lies dead in the morgue, leaving us to blame this indiscretion on who remains."
Thomas' face softens as he takes in the Nygma's words. Puzzled, he looks back at Bane before returning his gaze to Nygma.
"Wait, what? No, we didn't talk. You mean Hill was the Court?"
"Funny Thomas. My threat was your final test and you foolish men have failed. Someone knows about the Court, and the only thing that has changed for us, is you four. Well - three now." Nygma drags a table in front of Thomas while Bane walks over and places a laptop down.
"We monitor all of our members, even the ones so high up their affiliation is only known by a handful of our elite. The elite I felt you were primed for Thomas. Trust me, bringing you in has cost me dearly." Nygma presses play on what appears to be a video feed of a bedroom.
The video displays the bed for a few moments before a man is thrown onto the made sheets. His bellows of pain play loud before a second voice orders him to be quiet. A figure, donned in a red hood walks to the bed's edge and strikes the man a few times.
"What is the Court? How are you connected to the Waynes?" the Red Hood screams at the man. The man pleads for his life while falling off of the bed trying to shield himself. Thomas catches a glimpse of the man and instantly notices him as Joe Chill, the man suspected of pulling the trigger that night years ago in that Gotham alley.
"Is that Chill -."
"Thomas, our reach is vast. But our existence is not common knowledge. Do you know who this hooded man is? He is asking about you by name." Thomas, perplexed, tries to explain to Nygma he has no idea about any of this. Frustrated, he skips the video to the end showing the Red Hood strangling Chill to death. For a brief moment, the hooded man's face comes into view but is unrecognizable. All that stands out is the white paint on his face and a red smear across his mouth.
"What the hell? exclaims Thomas. Nygma laughs, noting to himself the similar reaction he had when first watching the video.
"Apparently Joe had a fear of clowns. Guess this guy used that to his advantage." Nygma abruptly closes the laptop and paces in front of Thomas.
"A similar figure in a red hood was also caught on camera in the vicinity of Mayor Hill tonight, something Gordon and his men are discovering as we speak. So, I ask again Thomas, who is -."
Bane hurries over to Nygma with a phone. The call lasts for 30 seconds and ends with Nygma crashing the device against the floor. From inside his coat, he pulls out a sandwich bag with a fevered pace.
"Another has been hit. We must regroup." Bane accepts the order and without question approaches Thomas and places his hands around his neck. As Thomas starts to black out, he sees Nygma remove his mask to take a bite out of a what looks like a sandwich.
"An egg, Thomas -." Nygma remarks as the filling of his snack falls onto the floor. "The answer is an egg.