"Good morning, Titan City! This is WJMP News, Fox Channel 6, with the news you need at the time you need it. Trisha Williams reporting. It's seven o'clock on this beautiful morning but, as the citizens of Titan City know, this day marks something even more monumental. With that, I hand it over to my colleague, Dave Anderson. Dave?"
"Thank you Trisha. As many of you folks watching at home are aware of, construction on Bruce Wayne's $4.6 billion dollar expansion located here in the city finished up roughly one month ago, and eyes and ears having been waiting patiently for the man that Mr. Wayne will appoint as Chief Executive Officer. Well, the wait is over. A spokesman for Wayne Enterprises has announced that their decision has been made, and it looks at if the hopes and prayers of this fair city have finally been answered."
(Screen changes to outside the newly constructed building. Bruce Wayne, visibly older with graying hair, is in the middle of addressing the public) "-It brings me great pleasure to have been part of this new Golden Age of Titan City. I am well aware that this budding metropolis officially changed its' name from Jump City nearly ten ago to honor a man who has brought peace and harmony to the streets of the now-christened Titan City. For that reason, on behalf of my company, and the countless letters I've received from those who feel there can only be one man who can guide this city's hand, I hereby announce that the CEO of Wayne Enterprises' Titan City branch will be, as those of you call him, 'The New Messiah of Titan City' (loud cheers fill the air) and my friend, Dick Grayson!"
(A shot of Grayson is seen, shaking hands with Bruce Wayne, followed by a hug before playing to the crowd. The crowd falls silent as Grayson steps in front of the podium).
"Citizens of Titan City, you had the chance to make history on this day. I'm just glad it worked in my favor. (The crowd laughs.) In all seriousness, I want to thank my friend, my mentor, without whom I never would have been able to achieve this, Mr. Bruce Wayne - (Applause is heard from the crowd.) – and I want to thank all the people of this fair city for supporting me for all this years, with and without the mask. As the CEO of the company bearing my mentor's name, I promise to guide Titan City into the Promised Land. I ask of you all now, please, take my hand, and together we will walk into Paradise! (Crowed erupts into loud cheering and frantic clapping)
(Screen changes back to newsroom) "You heard it here first, folks. Dick Grayson, the leader of the legendary superhero team the Teen Titans, has been appointed CEO of Wayne Enterprises' Titan City branch. Now, we'll take a look at today's forecast for the week, and man it is going to be brutal…"
The door opened to dozens of screaming, frantic people. The sunshine poured into the limousine like the first kiss of a brand new day. Not many people could claim that they had saved an entire city from sinking into the abyss. Then again, not many people were Dick Grayson.
The middle-aged man stepped from the vehicle in his three-piece black business attire. Years of charity events and PR stunts had taught the former hero how to dress with style, fashion, and just a little bit of rebel-may-care attitude. His sleek black hair had been kept long from his days…rather, nights, prowling the streets as the hero Nightwing. Being a babyface was no longer a concern of his, so his wore a short goatee with a soul patch and just the hint of five o'clock shadow. He had been playing the bad boy rebel billionaire role for so many years, he practically had it down to a science. Though all heroes age, Grayson didn't seem to show it. His cheeks didn't sag, nor did he have that little paunch that many muscular vigilantes had acquired over the years. Not, he looked almost as if he had stepped out of a time portal back when he had first donned the black-and-blue jumpsuit, and left the days of Robin far behind.
Strolling casually up the entranceway to his first day on the job, Dick couldn't help but play to the crowd that had gathered to cheer him on. Many of them held signs, peppered with such phrases as 'Grayson 3:16', 'Hero of the Crusade' and 'Fear the Night'. Some had T-shirts that an underground artist had dreamed up. It depicted the scene from Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, only with Grayson's likeness in place of Jesus. A little over the top, he had thought at the time he first saw it, but he wasn't going to complain. They wanted a hero, and they had bagged themselves a legend.
"Hey, Grayson!" a loud voice bellowed out from the crowd. Turning to look, Dick found himself looking into the face of a grey-skinned woman wearing a long black trench coat and thigh-high boots. To be honest, it looks as if she had just walked out of The Matrix, and it seemed she had a bone to pick with him.
"Do I know you?" he asked, a smile on his face.
"I doubt that you remember" she said, her British accent thick as rock.
But Dick did. Not many people with that color skin and that accent knew him well enough to speak to him like he was a regular person.
"Argent," he said, the smile still unwavering. "It's been a while. When was the last time I saw you, anyway?"
"I'd have to say it was the day you fucked us all over," the woman said, coldly. Her mascara-painted eyes seemed full of hate. Pure, unadulterated hate.
"Oh yeah, that's right," Grayson said, a patronizing tone in this voice. His smile seemed painted onto his face, as if he was still wearing a mask after all these years. "Speaking of fucking, whose dick have you been hanging off lately?"
"I don't think that's any of your goddamn business," Argent said, but Dick knew he had struck a chord with the woman.
"I make everything my business," the man said sternly, despite the grin. "That's probably why I know that you're not hanging on anyone's dick…you goddamn lezbo."
"You're a pathetic little wanker, you know that?" Argent flinched, but she stood firm. She wasn't going to let Grayson play her this time.
"I…I just gotta know something," Dick said, chuckling. "When you're banging Pantha, do you wear the strap-on, or do you just sit back and take it like a good girl?" Grayson had learned the skill of mind games from the best in the business, and he knew just how to push Argent's buttons. His ploy worked. The woman jumped up on top of the security barricade, but was quickly apprehended by the building's task force.
"You bastard! I hope you burn in Hell for what you did!" Argent's faced was twisted in rage as security dragged her from the premises.
"You first, you goddamn carpet-muncher," Grayson said, smoothing out his suit. Expect for one little snag, this was turning out to be a beautiful day.
Dick Grayson's office was an engineering marvel. Designed from pure marble, the Executive Suite jettisoned out from the building a good twenty feet, leaving much of the CEO's workspace literally on the edge. Fitting for a hero who had walked the line between evil and justice for so many years. Just the right amount of danger for a man whose best years may have been in the past, but certainly were not about to be forgotten.
It was here that Grayson stood, staring out into the heart of Titan City. His city. The one thing time and all of his detractors could not decay. He had brought this city to the Promised Land, and he alone was capable of turning it into a beacon of hope for crime-ridden metropolises across the globe.
The man found himself jerked away from the memories of yesteryear by the sound of his door opening. Turning around, he noticed a young woman, possibly in her mid-twenties enter the room. She was wearing a casual business dress and blouse, and low heels. Her light blonde hair was wrapped up in a tight bun on the back of her head, and her blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of thin designer frames. This was Isabella Winters, Grayson's personal secretary.
"Mr. Grayson?" she asked, her voice as quiet as a mouse. "Do you have a moment?"
Dick smiled. "I've got all the time in the world, Isabelle. What is it you need?"
"Well, it's just that…" the woman began, hesitating with her words, "I've heard so much about you over the years, and I just wanted to convey to you what an absolute honor it is to work with you."
Grayson raised an eyebrow, quizzically. "Ms. Winters, if you're trying to butter me up, I'd have to say it's working," he said with a smile.
Isabelle laughed nervously. "No, it's not like that," she said. "I just…I've heard so much about what you've done for the city from so many people, but never once has anyone heard it from you."
Dick pursed his lips together, both eyebrows now raised. "You're saying you want to know how I got where I am today, aren't you?" he said, slowly.
"Absolutely," the woman said, before adding, "…if it's not too much trouble."
The CEO sighed. Meeting eyes with the woman, he smiled. "Okay," he said. "What do you want to know?"
Isabelle slowly took a seat in front of Grayson's desk as he settled into his spot behind the desk. "Do…do you remember the day that…everything changed for you?" the woman, asked, not quite sure on how to word the question.
Dick sighed again, placing his hands under his chin and resting his head upon them. "I do," he said, feeling the old feelings burn again within his heart. "I remember it like it was only yesterday…"