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Driving Home
As Alfred drove him past the old streets of Gotham, Bruce looked out at the city he called home.
They had done well… Revenge had burned in his soul for twenty years but for the last decade he had been able to pursue it the correct way. Ten years ago, Bruce had been moments away from ending all hopes of peace and stability.
Gotham had still been run a motley assortment of mobsters, bankers and corrupt public officers. Upon taking the office of Commissioner, James Gordon had promised to fight corruption on all fronts, to make Gotham safe again. No one gave him a chance. Public rhetoric was cheaper than table salt and still left the bad taste of broken promises in people's mouths.
James Gordon made Bruce Wayne believe. He saw in Gordon a kindred soul, someone willing to fight for the sake of the city even if the odds were overwhelming. A man willing to do the right thing, the hard thing. He allowed the Gotham Police Department access to WayneNet surveillance satellites and other surveillance with a warrant, sometimes providing more information than they had bargained for.
Bruce himself had gone after the corrupt judges, the ones paid off by the mob, cloaked behind the mantle of too-carefully-considered human rights, tossing plaintiffs back onto the streets to disappear without a trace. Gotham's law was open to negotiation. It had been Bruce's support of Harvey Dent as District Attorney that had finally brought the hammer down on Gotham's 'bought and paid for' legal system. It was a true tragedy what it had cost Harvey in the end.
Alfred's question brought him back to the present…
"Pardon me, sir. You have that reflective look about you again. If you wish to discuss anything, this traffic is dreadfully slow."
"Just remembering, Alfred…what the city was like before… How much did you catch of the conversation this morning?"
"Any parts that I did not catch sir, Mrs. Wayne was kind enough to elucidate for me. She cares about you deeply, master Bruce."
"And I her, Alfred. I'm sorry you have to be involved in our… uncommon marriage."
"Master Bruce, I assure you, I have grown quite fond of Mrs. Wayne over the past year. I admit, in the beginning, I had expected a more conventional mate for my young charge, but you have taken the fate of humanity and Raven Wayne into your heart. You are an extraordinary man, and it is my honor and privilege to provide whatever service I can to both yourself and Mrs. Wayne."
"Alfred, I really don't know what I would have done without you. There's a dark part of my soul that demands revenge…"
"Have the nightmares returned, sir?"
"Not since Raven came into my life. I sleep well with her by me. I think she's saved me. It's like all the darkness just fades away…"
Bruce suddenly remembered their honeymoon. Raven had teleported them instantly to the Iguazu Waterfalls for breakfast, Venice for lunch and later watching the sun set against the great Pyramids of Egypt. She could travel anywhere she wished in an instant. On the second day, they traveled to another world of beautiful flowers. Nothing but plants and lakes across the entire world in alien sunlight.
He would have loved to see her home, the inter-dimensional realm of Azarath, but Raven showed no desire to return there. She would only say 'It is forbidden.'
"You know, Alfred… If I wasn't so worried about what the world would do to her, I'd have Raven bring Dick and his team in and out of Kahndaq in minutes. Just think about the military implications of teleportation. But they would just steal that power, wouldn't they? I don't think we're quite ready for inter-dimensional travel on that scale."
"Well, it would certainly alleviate this traffic congestion, sir. I'm afraid we'll be delayed for dinner."
"It does seem that way. Can you put up the privacy shields, Alfred?"
"Of course, sir. Did you also wish the privacy divider to be employed?"
"For a moment, yes." Once raised, Bruce began to answer his messages. There were 12 that needed his immediate attention and 67 that he passed off to his managers. There was one he didn't want to open…
General Johnson appeared on the halo-screen in front of Bruce.
"Ah, Wayne. Are you on a secure line?"
"Yes, General. I'm in my car with the screens in place."
"Excellent. I've given Mr. Fox the specs of what we need. I hear these suits are quite similar to your previous model."
"Yes sir, although we've made some great improvements in the stealth capabilities. They're now invisible."
"Excellent. I can't wait to see… and not see… them in action. Are you comfortable with the deadline?"
"As comfortable as I'll ever be. I hear I have a vested interest in ensuring they work."
"… I'll be frank, Wayne. Dick's the best flight-suit pilot we have. The best I've seen as a matter of fact. And he's smart. I don't know how Muhannad got his hands on this weapon, but we'll make damned sure he doesn't get another."
"Thank you, General."
"I'll keep in touch Wayne, if I hear of any developments. Over and out."
Bruce reflected for a moment in the darkness of the back seat. He felt alone, so he dropped the divider and watched Alfred wait patiently behind a mass of traffic.
But Bruce Wayne was never alone. Almost unconsciously, he projected his feelings of loneliness across the city and in a moment, she was sitting beside him. He heard Alfred give a little cough from the thick, brimstone smoke that accompanied her arrival.
After he had rubbed the smoke from his eyes, Alfred was surprised to learn he had taken on a familiar second passenger. "Mrs. Wayne, this is certainly a day full of surprises!"
"Good afternoon, Alfred. I'm afraid you're not the only one at my husband's beck and call... I thought perhaps you were thwarting another hostage situation, dearest and required my assistance once more."
Author's Challenge #2: Who made Big Blue ("Superman") disappear?
Hint #1:It was two DC characters who are in a romantic relationship.