North America, New Jersey

Gotham City: Wayne Tower

3:05 p.m.

GONE TOO FAR?

SIX KILLED IN SEARCH OF "THE JOKER"

Two days ago, policemen found evidence of the Batman murdering six people, including Salvatore "Sal" Moroni, Sergeant Ralph Mayor, Detective Micheal Wuertz, and District Attorney Harvey Dent. They were apparently killed while the Batman was looking the criminal.

"We are conducting a rigorous manhunt for the the vigilante known as the "Batman". At the moment, we have no leads, but we will not let let these deaths go without justice," Commissioner James Gordon said during a press conference yesterday morning.

"Mister Wayne?" someone said as Bruce was reading that morning's paper.

"Hm?" Bruce breathed, looking up to see Lucius Fox. The dark-skinned, older man stood near the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, looking at Bruce expectantly. His eyes narrowed in confusion; Lucius had quit a few days ago. "Lucius . . . what're you doing here?" he asked.

The man smiled pleasantly before walking over, tapping the hard wood of Bruce's desk. "I told you that I wouldn't work here as long as that device is here-"

"You won't be," Bruce completed his sentence, remembering full well the conversation that took place, "But why?"

"As far as I can tell, it isn't here. So I would like my job back," Lucius answered, then let a frown crease his face, "Unless you've given my position away?"

Bruce gently tossed the newspaper upon the desk, sighing and folding his hands. "I have a couple lined up. Sorry about that," he lied with a light chuckle. In fact, he had been looking for a replacement, but none could match up to how Lucius ran Wayne Enterprises, and he was one of the few who knew his secret. Bruce ran a hand through his combed black hair, quirking an eyebrow.

Lucius wore an amused expression on his face, nodding slightly. "I see. May I go back to my office, Mister Wayne?" he asked.

"Yes you can, Mister Fox," as Lucius turned around and left the room, Bruce smiled. Things were already looking up; but, he still needed to take care of some things first.

A few minutes later, Bruce Wayne got up from his desk, straightening the black tie that completed his dark suit - still preferring the three-buttons - and left his office, passing his secretary on the way. He stopped briefly, "Miss Katherine, if Commissioner Gordon calls, tell him I'm on my way, please?" he inquired, then left the lobby to get to the elevator.

A few hours ago, Gordon had called his office, wanting to talk about something "important". A sense of dread had filled his chest, worried about the ramifications of his actions that night. Had they figured out who he was? They put two and two together? Not only would they be able to arrest him for being a vigilante, but he also took the blame for Dent's killing spree. He wasn't exactly sure on how long he would be incarcerated for, but he had an idea: "life sentence". His eyes hardened as he left the building, striding through the lobby as he ignored all others in an attempt to reach his car without interruptions.

A sigh of relief left his lips as he got in his car, leaning back to relax for a moment before he started up the car and drove off. Minutes trickled by as he went through the city, and the calm was broken - to his pleasure - as the phone beeped. It was automatically answered, and Bruce could hear the crisp, distinct English accent of Alfred, his butler.

"Master Wayne?" he chirped, and Bruce glanced down.

"Yeah, what is it?" Bruce replied.

"I wanted to speak to you about the meeting that you have with the Commissioner," said Alfred. Just minutes after finishing the call with Gordon, Bruce had called Alfred to warn him.

"What about it?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, since you made the ever-so intelligent choice of telling him that you killed those people," Bruce could have sworn he heard sarcasm in that sentence, "Perhaps he knows that you and Batman are one and the same?"

"That's what I figured. It could be nothing, though. Oh, for the record, it may not have been the smart choice, but it was the right choice. A wise man once told me that."

"With all due respect, Master Wayne, it sounds like he was off his rocker," Alfred quipped, inciting a laugh from the young billionaire.

"I, uh . . . I'll call you after. Let you know how it goes, unless they get me in chains."

"Don't worry. You'll still get your one phone call."

Bruce chuckled, ending the call. He could always rely on Alfred to make any situation a bit brighter.

Author's Note: All right, there is Chapter Two (or three, however you want to look at it)! As before, lemme know what you think. I realize that this doesn't involve much, but I wanted to set up the meeting between Bruce and Jim, and will allow me to pay full attention to the confrontation.

TeddyNoir: Thank you for the compliments and question. I had just figured out that little plot hole in this revision. I had, before, written the same chapter, but unfortunately, the file had gotten deleted and I was forced to rewrite it. As for your question: there are several sources that he had which allowed him to know who Ra's was, but I had forgotten to add that in this version of the chapter. Basically in my rendition of the prison and its inmates, a man named "Bird" - who was Bane's accomplice - had previously worked with Ra's, and thus let him know that he was possibly coming back. I will most likely edit the chapter and put that in.