Chapter 2: A Busy Morning
Alfred was walking down the stair well of the Bat Cave carrying a tray of coffee and the morning paper in his hands. Batman's massive vehicle sat in the center of the cave, near a cluster of power tools, boxes and work benches. Bruce was sitting at the computer desk sipping a tall glass of milk while looking at the security footage of City Hall, MCU and Arkham.
"I trust that you know that Bruce Wayne has a important meeting with the board members at ten?"
Bruce turned his head away from the screen and looked at his butler.
"I'm busy."
"You're always busy sir; you never finish your coffee or breakfast for that matter and you sleep throughout the whole day. You need to get out and experience life."
Bruce drained the glass of milk. "I don't have a life to live old friend."
"What do you mean?"
"Bruce Wayne died the night when Chill murdered my parents. Now only the Batman lives in this shell."
"I warned you about getting lost inside this creation of yours sir; it's starting to take a toll on you and those close to you."
"You're talking about Selina?"
"No. I was actually talking about myself, Fox and then Selina."
Bruce smirked.
"And speaking of Miss Kyle?" He asked. "Did you ask her about tonight?"
" What's tonight?" Bruce asked with a look of confusion.
"The children's fundraiser that you're supposed to be attending at eight, Master Wayne?"
Bruce gave his butler a dumbfounded look. "It must have slipped my mind."
"I know you all too well, sir and you never let things slip by you."
Bruce knew that he was caught.
"Fine I'll put in some quick face time, shake a few hands and then slip out with Selina unnoticed by the high class stiffs."
"Master Wayne, I hope you don't mind me asking? But are you and Miss Kyle?"
We're just good friends Alfred."
"I know it's more than a common friendship Master Wayne. You love her don't you?"
Bruce listened to the old butler's question. A part of him loved her but another part didn't trust her motives.
"I do in some ways Alfred."
"Then why don't you tell her the truth Master Wayne."
"Because I'm afraid …"
"You're afraid of what sir?"
Bruce lowered his head.
"I'm afraid that if I do tell her the truth she'll be in danger. That is a risk I can't take Alfred. My enemies know what her and Batman but if they ever found out that Batman is Bruce Wayne the billionaire playboy of Gotham and Selina is his girl they won't rest until they've got to me through her."
The billionaire sighed.
"Sir,"
"It's nothing Alfred. I'm just tired."
"Perhaps you should take a few nights off."
Bruce shook his head.
"You know I can't Alfred. If I took on night off then someone would be harmed because I wasn't there to save them. That is not a risk I 'm willing to take."
Bruce stood up and grabbed his white dress shirt neatly pressed on the workbench; he removed the rest of the armor and showed all the battle scars from the past. Knife wounds from the Joker, bullet holes from Two Face and a few scars from pieces of glass the dug into his body.
"Know that you can't keep doing this forever sir."
"Batman is an everlasting symbol Alfred. He's not flesh and blood."
"But you are sir."
"Know your limitations Master Wayne; you're not getting any younger. And the question is will she wait for you?"
."Once Gotham has no more corruption, murders and gang wars then I will hang up the cape and cowl. But until then I have a job to do."
Bruce groaned as he lifted his shoulder.
"Your body can't endure that much pain anymore. You can't fight the way like you used too."
"Thanks for summing that up."
Bruce finished buttoning up his dress suit. He looked at his watch. "I'm late," he muttered.
"Late?" The old butler asked. "Master Wayne?"
Bruce pulled on his suit jacket and hurried up the stairs. "I have appointments that I promised to keep." He yelled from the top of the stone stair well.
The cold November air blew across Gotham Harbor as Selina Kyle was standing in front of gravestone with such sadness in her hazel eyes. At the bottom on the grass covered ground was a pink rose, she down at it and then looked at the name that carved in stone.
MARIA KYLE BELOVED MOTHER
Bruce Wayne opened the driver's door of his brand new silver Lamborghini that he got three days ago at the Gotham Auto Show. He started to walk towards the entrance way of Gotham Acres the only safe graveyard in Gotham. He made a promise to Selina that he would meet her there. But of course he would be late.
Bruce looked at his Rolex and sighed.
"I'm always late for the important things." He mumbled under his breath
He was a half an hour late which means that Selina was probably already gone. As he walked on the grass hill and saw her standing there wearing a brown over coat and her hair long just the way he liked it.
"Selina," he called out as the dried leaves were sticking like gum on the soles of his tailor made shoes. She turned her head around and saw Bruce making his way past the old stone headstones wearing a black overcoat and to match the ensemble a pair of black leather gloves.
Bruce. What took you so long?" She asked with a displeasing look of sadness on her face. It looked like a complete look of despair.
Bruce could see that in her eyes there was disappointment imbedded into them. He knew that she was counting on him to be there when she visited her mother's grave which to him made no sense at all since he never went to the headstones of his parents , only to Crime Alley each year to remember the reason why he became the Batman.
For Selina, remembering her mother was important because like him she had witnessed the death of her mother when she was six years old in her own home. Soon after her abusive father over dose on sleeping pills mixed with vodka before he went to bed. Police found his body the next morning with Selina sitting on the couch tears rolling down her face along with a bruise on the left side of her cheek.
She was alone.
"Sorry that I'm late but I slept in." He said with a charming smile.
Selina crossed her arms.
Bruce looked at her with his hazel eyes. He could see vile of sadness on her face.
"Selina is everything alright?" He asked. "You seem to be not yourself."
"You might say so, but standing here in this graveyard alone I felt completely alone."
Bruce placed his black leather gloved hand on her cheek."You're never alone."
She pulled away.
"This there something you want to ask me, handsome?" She asked.
"There's a fundraiser that I have to attend to tonight and I was wondering if you were not doing anything tonight maybe you could come with me."
Selina rubbed her lips together.
"What time?"
"Eight."
"Alright handsome, but you owe me."
Bruce gave her a playful smirk with his inviting lips.
"Deal."
Both of them started walking towards the exit of the cemetery, Selina could tell that there was something different about Bruce. He was acting different.
"Bruce," She asked. "Are you alright?"
Bruce hated when his friends took pity onto him.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired." He walked to the parked expensive sports car. "Can I give you a lift?"
Selina shook her head.
"No thanks. I have places go and things to see. I'll be ready at seven thirty but knowing you we probably won't get there a half an hour later." She looked at him. "When are you heading?"
"Wayne Tower, I have to endure another long and boring meeting."
"Are you going to sleep through this one?"
"Maybe."
One hour later, Selina Kyle with her long brown hair in a pony tail entered the doors of the Gotham's Museum of Natural History, a smaller version than the one in the Big Apple but still full of rare treasures and history.
Jane Wishim a history teacher long time friend of Selina was standing by the gift shop annoyed. Selina could tell that her friend was displeased by her arriving late from the sour look she was getting from Jane's piercing green eyes behind the thick lens glasses.
"Sorry I'm late, Jane," Selina asked with a innocent sweet expression that she faked to anyone with charm and confidence.
Jane shook her head and did not say a word from moment. Finally she opened her small mouth and spoke. "Late, I've been waiting here almost an hour. Didn't you that the museum is giving us only a small amount of time to look at the newest items that will be displayed?" She crossed her arms. "This is the second time you've stood me up."
"Sorry I had an important meeting with a good friend this morning."
"That's just an excuse."
Selina could feel her defenses rising. Her blood was beginning to boil.
"Hey, you're the one the invited me Jane. If you want I will leave."
Jane looked at Selina and then sighed.
"No. I'm just not in the mood today. I have a ton of history tests to go over and not to mention a lesson to plan for."
She looked at Selina and was wondering why she was still wearing sunglasses in the building. "Would you mind if you could take those glasses off Selina?"
"No, the light is hard on my eyes." That was just an excuse she created knowing that her sunglasses were more than meets the eye.
"Fine," Jane huffed. "Let's get this over with."
Selina curled her lips as she followed her friend down to the Egyptian room.
"Yes."
In saying that word, she smacked her deep crimson lips together, and then she moved to a glass case and gazed at the sleek bronze statue that was in a form of a cat with a hoop earring on the left ear. A tap on the shoulder made Selina turn away from the cat and she looked at Jane, keeping her back tense as she turned her sights back to the statue. She touched the right side arm frame of her sunglasses and saw lasers surrounding the cat.
"Selina," Jane said standing behind the young 29 year old. "What are you looking at now?"
To Selina, Jane sounded like an impatient six year old child that was trapped shopping with her mother when she really wanted to go to the toy store.
"You're a history teacher, Jane," Selina said looking at the glass case seeing if there were any hidden wires to trigger an alarm.
"Yes, but I have no interest in cats."
"This is not just any ordinary cat, Jane it is a representation of the cat goddess Bastet. She is the deity of the sun and the moon in Lower Egypt. There was a cult that used to worship her as their god called the Boubastis. The name of this goddess means uncertain."
"Sort of like you, Selina." Jane commented.
There was a sound of high heels echoing from behind the two women. Selina turned and saw a black haired woman dressed in a black pant suit with a grey scarf around her neck walking towards them.
"Bastet was viewed as a protector goddess and a defender to the pharaoh. She was also called the Lady of the Flame." The woman said looking at the cat.
Selina was listening but for some reason there was something about this woman that made a chill run down her spine. She was always considered a good judge of character when it came to people. Bruce even said once that it was her trademark. That a being a kleptomaniac.
"And you are?" Selina asked.
"Forgive me," The woman said holding out her hand. "Vedette Countess."
Jane looked at Selina.
"Selina don't be rude."
Another trademark that Selina had was not trusting any one .
"Sorry, I'm just don't like to shake hands with strangers."
Vedette nodded.
"Wise policy Miss?"
"Kyle. Selina Kyle." She said. "This is Jane Wishim. We have a meeting with the museum curator to see the new shipment of items that had just arrived from Egypt."
"Of course, Mr. Blackstone did tell me that he was expecting you."
Selina's hazel eyes looked at the golden cat head necklace around Vedette's neck.
"Beautiful piece you're wearing." She said. "Might I ask where you got it from?"
Vedette looked down at the pendent. "This old thing. It's a luck charm that my grandmother gave to me . It can make any man fall for you."
Jane smirked.
" Maybe you should try it on the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne?"
Selina gave her a cat glare.
"Bruce Wayne?"
"You must be new to Gotham. Brucie is the tenth wonder of the world for female obsessions and lust."
Vedette was considering this while looking at Selina who was starting to get jealous. "I would like to meet this Bruce Wayne."
Hearing those words Selina was feeling the cat inside starting to come out. She was ready to give this alluring stranger a scratch in the face but she remained calm. She knew Bruce more than any woman in this city. He was not that easy to seduce. Only she had that power.
"So can you show us the items that just arrived?" Selina asked changing the subject.
"Of course, Miss Kyle." Vedette replied. "Right this way."
A few minutes later all three women entered an office.
Selina could smell something foul in the air; she looked around the ground while keeping her guard up. "Where is Mr. Blackstone?" She asked.
"Mr. Blackstone is away at the moment." Vedette replied opening a crate and lifting up a statue that was similar to the one Batman broke when it slipped out of his hands.
"This is is called the cursed cat of the House of Bastet. Ancient texts state that this statue as the ability to give a person more energy. There is other version of this statue, a twin that was created by the high priestess of the House of Bastet."
"What is this statue's powers if I might ask?" Selina asked thinking about the broken pieces that Batman has stored somewhere in the cave.
Vedette looked at the sleek statue.
"Some claim that the statue is cursed by the black magic. It was used to punish evil doers into slaves for the cat goddess. Many people have died throughout the years.."
"What happens if the statue gets somehow broken?"
Jane looked at Selina and shook her head.
"Then the person who broke the statue will have a terrible cursed placed onto his or her soul."
Selina disliked the sound of that.
"Do they die?" She asked Vedette thinking about Bruce's welfare.
Vedette shook her head. "No. They don't die."
She sighed in relief.
"The curse does something else to them. But I think it's just a story to scare grave robbers away."
"What?"
"It changes their personality. Makes them become different."
Selina thought about the other night that she spent with Batman; he did seem different by his emotions and not to mention his lustful thinking towards her. She needed to investigate more into this and find out what was really happening to Bruce Wayne.
Across town, Bruce Wayne was in standing near a ceiling window of the board room with his hands behind his back, deep in thought when Fox entered.
"Let me guess another long night for you Mr. Wayne?"Bruce smiled. "Maybe next time you should bring a pillow if you planning on taking a nap."
"Sorry. I've been feeling tired."
"Those late night parties are starting to catch up?" Fox asked.
He nodded and then turned his gaze back to the cityscape.
"Anything new from the R and D department?" Bruce asked .
Fox smiled. "Why? Need another gadget for your nightly activities Mr. Wayne?"
"If you some in mind."
"I might."
A few minutes later Bruce and Fox entered the walked out of the private steel elevator doors of the large brightly lit vast spaced of the applied science division subbasement that the stock holders didn't know about. Bruce kept his hand in the pockets of his tailor suit dress pants as he followed the older gentlemen down towards a huge steel cabinet. Fox stopped and pulled opened a steel drawer revealing a remote control bat shaped device that peaked Bruce's interested. He handed the billionaire the device.
"What's this?" Bruce asked.
"I was board on night and this was the overcome. It's remote control by the radio transmitter in her cowls ear. I call it the Baterrang."Bruce flipped it open, and looked at the sharp shape in his hands. "It's completely water restraint and can withstand cold temperatures."Bruce cracked a smile. "It is designed to come up to the marked target at far distances."
"Neat."
Fox chuckled.
"I trust that you will want to test it out tonight?"
"Later on perhaps, I have a party to get ready for."
"The sick children's fundraiser?"
Bruce nodded.
"I was also invited."
"Its least I will see a friendly face." Bruce commented as he began to strut away.
Fox shook his head.