LXVIII
Remembering Richard

"… Welcome back to Point vs. Point! Well, it seems like the funeral is going ahead as planned. No arrests, no shots, just a large army presence and drama. Behind the stage, there's a large monument under wraps that is rumored to be the Richard Grayson memorial built by Wayne…"

"Wouldn't surprise me one bit, Lana. And frankly, it sickens me a little. I mean, this Grayson kid probably didn't even see one day of conflict in his life. Yet because he's rich, he gets a state funeral and a giant freaking statue. What's right about that? What about the soldiers who actually die in defense of our proud nation? What about the politicians killed in the terrorist attack of only yesterday? Is Wayne having statues built for them as well?"

"He may, Morrie. Wayne's always been a supporter of this city and this country. This must have come as a shock to him as well… How's the mood on the ground, Summer?"

"It's a buzz, Lana. Looks like the funeral is about to start, but the air is so thick with anticipation, people are nervous… it's just surreal. Nobody knows what to expect next! Cardinal Panessa is now climbing the stairs to the stage where an empty coffin rests. One of the questions here is where is Richard Grayson's body? No one seems to know how he died."

"Great question, Summer… Folks, we're going to switch over to our coverage of the actual funeral now, but we'll jump in if anything else happens…"

It was Jim Gordon who had pulled in a favor for Bruce to arrange Cardinal Panessa to conduct the ceremony. Gotham's preeminent patriarch ascended the stage to commence the funeral amongst a tide of murmurs. Everyone grew quiet as the old pontiff made hand motions for the crowd to rise. They all stood.

"We have come here today
to remember before God our brother, Captain Richard Grayson;
to give thanks for his life;
to commend him to God our merciful redeemer and judge;
to commit his body to be buried,
and to comfort one another in our grief."

The funeral had begun.

After prayers, the eulogies commenced, remembering Richard.

Dick's commanding officer gave a moving speech about Captain Grayson's service. His tremendous ability; the greatest young pilot of his generation, his dedication to his country, his courage, his intelligence and how he had made the ultimate sacrifice (even if there were no details as to how he died) for this great nation. This morning, the army in attendance had been there to protect the president. But now they knew they honored one of their own… A fallen brother.

General Johnson had given the eulogy.

Whatever happened after the funeral, Bruce admired the general for his own brand of courage, for acknowledging Richard. He had been willing to break the code of silence of a mission gone wrong, that Richard had died in service of his country. That he had died a soldier. In doind so, Wayne had no doubt that he had risked his career.

Alfred was up next. The old gentleman recounted his earliest memories of a young man who had emerged from great personal tragedy to become a role model of service. A young man who could have become embittered with revenge, but instead had chose to serve his country. He had risen above the darkness. When the world had taken everything from him, Richard Grayson was still willing to sacrifice himself to protect it. Was there any better definition of hero? Bruce felt these words weren't meant for Richard alone.

At his seat, Bruce took Raven's hand as she rested her head on his shoulder. He watched the tears flow freely from her eyes. As an empath this must have been incredibly difficult for her, surrounded by grief and sadness.

"Are you OK?"

"I am fine, my love. All these emotions, orchestrated by Alfred's words… They tell me about the man Richard was, and how he affected others. I have a sense of him now, what he meant to all these people, to you, to Alfred. You should be proud."

"I am, but it's still hard to say good bye."

"I know, my love."

As Alfred finished, there were many wet eyes among the crowd. Alfred had been devoted to the daily events of Richard's young life as Bruce never could be… the traditional parent. Bruce's time with young Richard had been limited by the demands of business, more of a mentor to the young man - an older, more experienced Richard. They were similar in so many ways, brothers-in-arms who had taken different paths to serve the cause of justice.

And then it was Bruce's turn to speak. He drew a deep breath. General Johnson had risked his career... Bruce was risking his life.

Bruce Wayne took the stage alone.

"I wanted to thank you all for coming today. To the members of the press, you can turn your cameras on now." There were muffled laughs among the crowd.

"One week ago, I was giving a very different speech. A speech about how far we've come from twenty years ago. Of how we've rebuilt Gotham… It doesn't seem to matter as much anymore…

Richard and I had much in common… We both lost out parents when we were twelve. For me, that was twenty years ago, for Richard it was twelve… Richard's father will always be John Grayson and his mother will always be Mary Grayson, God rest their souls and reunite them once more.

I could never replace his father. But Richard felt like a son.

I always tried to keep him safe, to protect him. To teach him what I could. And in the end, I realized that he did the same for me. I saved him…He saved me. Somehow all the tragedy in his life was never able to take his smile.

He could have had an easy life... But that wasn't Richard. He would never accept charity, or a glorified title at Wayne Industries. Trust me, I tried…" There were a few giggles from the crowd. "No, he believed in responsibility, in work. He believed in respect. He believed in good."

Bruce glanced to the rooftops to see where snipers were aiming. His coat and suit were Wayne Industries nanotextile military grade, but that wouldn't save him from a well-placed head shot… The coast was clear - for now.

"One of the accomplishments that I'm most proud of…is that I was able to provide justice for a young Richard. To make things right for a twelve-year-old boy who has lost his parents. We were able to get the bad guy so that a boy could believe in good.

My work with the Gotham City Police Department to help find the man responsible for the deaths of John and Mary Grayson has led to a ten-year partnership I carry on to this day. Without Richard, that relationship would not exist. That is one of the legacies of Captain Richard Grayson. Another was his pioneering work on the Wayne Industries flight suit. Simply put, he was the best pilot in America and showed us how good a flight suit truly could be."

Bruce Wayne gave the signal to the technician to remove the sheet from the thirty-foot bronze and stone statue behind him. It was of Captain Richard Grayson, dressed in a flight suit, holding his helmet in his right arm, smiling at Gotham. There was an audible gasp and murmuring from the crowd.

"To Gotham, I give this as my tribute to one of its greatest sons…Captain Richard Grayson. Its size represents his bravery. The bronze is a replica of the flight suit he wore on his last mission… a mission into Kahndaq. This man I was proud to call my son was sent alone to collect the rogue nuclear weapon provided to the Kahndaqi people… by Lex Luthor. He died while trying to disarm it, standing at ground zero when it exploded.

The acting president has requested to speak after me… Explain to me Luthor why my son had to die for your schemes? Why LexCorp provided a nuclear bomb to the enemies of America? Explain to the people of America how you've betrayed them. Pay your respects to a fallen soldier by answering these questions."