The blue and red hue of the dashboard illuminated Bruce's face. Matt could not believe his eyes. Mainly because he was blind, but also because he had just escaped a missile explosion in the Batmobile.
The Batmobile.
Bruce turned to Matt, "This isn't the Batmobile." Matt raised an eyebrow. Bruce continued, "It's actually a prototype developed by the Applied Sciences Division of Wayne Enterprises. It's designed to be more inconspicuous and just as effective as the Batmobile. Seeing as I don't want the public catching wind of the fact that Batman isn't dead or missing, this is a much-preferred option."
Matt shook his head in disbelief and rested the side of his face on the window beside him. He ran over the flight path of the helicopter just minutes before. He could barely think over the roar of the ten-cylinder turbocharged beast of a car that was propelling them along the road. He scratched the side of his head and realised suddenly that he had forgotten all about Foggy. He jumped up in shock and whacked his head into the ceiling of the car. Bruce looked over when he heard the thump and asked, "Are you all right there?"
"I kind of left my closest friend and my semi sidekick alone in Gotham City at night waiting for me."
"You have had a tough night, Murdock. Make sure your friend goes home safe, and he doesn't find out about you. You didn't tell him anything did you?"
"No, absolutely not. I just told him to wait. I'm sure he'll be fine."
Foggy inserted his finger up his left nostril and excavated for a few moments. He extricated a large, green booger that was glistening in the moonlight. He pondered whether or not to eat it, but he flicked it out the window.
For about the fifth time since Matt had left, he put his feet up on the dashboard. Matt, wanting to keep everything discreet, neglected to inform Foggy of most of the details of what he was up to, hiring a van in the process that had no heater. Foggy shivered slightly and cursed Matt.
"Finally, I can curse Matt without him hearing me." Foggy let out an enormous belch, dissipating any silence that was present in the vehicle. He looked to the empty passenger seat beside him and saw seven empty cans of cola. Also on the passenger seat was a half eaten pizza. Foggy eyed the pizza longingly and contemplated eating another piece. He decided against it.
Bored was an understatement. Foggy looked at his wrist and saw that the time was close to midnight.
"Knowing my luck, he probably got himself captured." Foggy let out a long sigh and pulled out his phone. He dialled Matt's number and waited a moment. He tapped his finger impatiently on the dashboard. "Come on Matt," he muttered. For about the eighth time in the last ten minutes, Matt didn't pick up. Foggy was getting very worried. Once again he sighed and resigned himself to the fact that it was going to be a long night.
Out of the blue a loud thud on the roof of the van removed Foggy from his reverie. He scrambled to grab the baseball bat in the back of the van. His fingers clumsily closed around the base of the bat and he held it to his chest like a newborn baby. The cold, firm surface of the bat comforted him slightly as he took a big breath. "Whoever it is out there, do not mess with me!" Foggy heard the stammer in his voice and stopped talking.
"This is what happens when I leave you alone? Maybe I should teach you self defence."
Matt's voice provided Foggy with exhaled relief. He slumped back into the seat and threw the bat back into the van.
"Couldn't you just have gotten back into the van like a normal person?"
"Probably," said Matt as he closed the front door and slipped into the passenger seat, chucking Foggy's discarded rubbish on the floor. He gestured to Foggy to start driving. Foggy turned the ignition and was rewarded with silence. He cursed quietly to himself. "For the love of-" the roar of the engine cut Foggy off. Matt allowed himself a smile and put his seat belt on.
"So, how did your escapade go Matt?"
"Yeah alright."
"Did you run into any trouble?"
Matt contemplated his answer. He had decided beforehand that he would not tell Foggy about his suspicions of Bruce Wayne, but at the same time he couldn't keep the truth from Foggy. Nothing had changed. He couldn't tell Foggy about Batman or his identity. Not yet at least. He wasn't even sure if Batman was his ally. He had saved both of their lives with that prototype vehicle, though he seemed like a very brooding and blunt person to deal with. He had asked him to drop him off about a block from the van so nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Foggy. Batman and Daredevil had organised to meet up at the Batcave in two days time; enough to allow Batman to look more into the location of Nightwing's whereabouts and who could've kidnapped him in the first place.
Matt decided to keep Foggy in the dark, for now. He didn't like it more than anyone else but it was necessary at this point. Matt realised he'd been thinking for a good while now with no response. "Not particularly. I figured out where Nightwing is being held."
"What about who is responsible?"
"No clue."
"I know you're not telling me something Matt, it's ok. I understand." Matt smiled gratefully at Foggy and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you Foggy." Silence resumed as Matt leant back in his chair. He realised that he had been hurt quite a bit. He had a sprained ankle only minutes before but Batman had sprayed it with a prototype healing gel for minor cuts and bruises. More than anything, Matt was mentally drained.
The Batcave was quiet except for the rhythmic pattern of Bruce typing on the Batcomputer. His fingers where a blur as he looked through the blood sample. The prototype gel he had given Matt did indeed heal cuts, bruises and sprains, but it also collected DNA samples by removing dead skin cells simultaneously. He had to be one hundred percent sure of who he was dealing with.
The recognisable sound of Alfred's footfall came towards Bruce. "Is everything in order, Master Bruce?"
"Mostly everything Alfred."
"Will Batman return?" Alfred asked this with a high brow, fully intending for Bruce to answer it.
"Maybe. After I save Dick and work out some kind of arrangement with this Murdock guy." The Batcomputer beeped and displayed a message: 'DNA sample confirmed, Matt Murdock 100% match.'
"I read about what he did as a defence lawyer in Hell's Kitchen, how he decided to become a prosecutor; what he had to do to work his way up. Fascinating story actually."
"I am well aware of his background Alfred." Bruce removed the tissue sample from the computer and placed it in a panel on the adjacent wall. He entered a code and had his hand scanned before placing the sample in a draw. Alfred placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder.
"Will you be joining me for breakfast, Master Bruce? You have been up all night after all."
"I'll be up in a moment, thanks Alfred." Alfred left Bruce alone, immersed in his own thought. Abruptly, he asked the Batcomputer, "Bring up all family records of Matt Murdock."
"Confirmed. Matthew Murdock has no living relations. The last records of any living relatives end with Jack Murdock, also known as Battlin' Jack Murdock. He was a ring boxer and Matthew Murdock's biological father. Now deceased."
Bruce closed the Batcomputer terminal and got out of his chair. He closed down the systems and walked towards the secret elevator back to Wayne Manor. As he ascended towards the house he realised that just like him, Matthew Murdock was alone. But Bruce Wayne, and Batman, had family now. Not a biological family, but one he loved unconditionally. He knew that Matt must have ones he loved. A metallic ding indicated that he was at Wayne Manor.
Bruce walked out the door, grateful for those around him.