Disclaimer: All the characters used in this fic belong to DC Comics and are based on the characters in The Dark Knight. I own absolutely nothing but the plot.
Chapter 13: Just the Beginning
A/N: To be continued in Into The Abyss (part II), and Falling Into Madness (part III).
Song: Path by Apocalyptica
Several thoughts flew through Bruce's mind as he awkwardly balanced the breakfast tray as he carried it up the stairs. Under normal circumstances, Alfred would be sitting in the dining room with a cup of coffee and the morning paper, while Bruce slept in until about noon. But due to the old butler's current condition, he couldn't possibly carry anything around, much less walk up and down the stairs of Wayne Manor. After being released from the hospital four days earlier, Alfred's doctor had instructed him to avoid any strenuous activities and to stay in bed until he healed.
And so, Bruce had taken up the responsibilities that normally befell Alfred. But Alfred's body, as the doctor had said, couldn't handle any physical tasks, even something as minor as walking up the stairs to rouse Bruce from the extended stupor he called sleep. Bruce was feeling terribly uneasy, as he had been for at least two weeks. Strangely, there had been no sign of the Joker since the night he had made the attempt on Alfred's life. It wasn't exactly unusual for the lunatic to go missing for extended periods of time, but something wasn't quite right.
He turned the handle of Alfred's door, and pushed it open. Alfred was propped up on several pillows to cusion his scathed body. The television was turned on, and the old butler was watching the Channel 9 news while trying to keep his head level with the screen. Bruce set the tray on the small TV table that sat in front of Alfred, and set to cutting the eggs and sausage while watching the screen intently. Nothing major had happened in Gotham since the Joker's disappearance two weeks earlier, which seemed to set everyone, save Bruce, at ease.
He glared at the screen, half expecting the news anchor to announce that another threat had been made by the Joker. But to Bruce's shock, the announcement never came. He stood there staring at the screen in awe for around ten minutes, before he came to his senses.
Once Bruce finished preparing the breakfast, Alfred thanked him, and Bruce left the room, gently closing the door behind him. He went down the stairs two at a time, and headed to the "basement" beneath the manor. The elevator door slid open, and Bruce walked into the large concrete room that contained his Batsuit, and other utilities.
He punched a few numbers into a keypad on the wall to his right, and a large computer with several monitors slid out from behind a panel in the wall. He took a seat, staring at the blinking monitors.
What in God's name is going on? Why would he attempt to kill Alfred, and go into hiding when he failed? What is he up to? Something's not right...
Bruce had only pieced together a small part of the mystery that clouded his thoughts, but the worst was yet to come. But something deep within his consciousness told him that the real battle was yet to come.
This was just the beginning.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy the other two installments.