After meeting the lustrous Willow Schnee, Bruce had quickly made his way back to Wayne Manor where Alfred stood waiting by the entrance. Even though their encounter had long passed, the young Wayne couldn't get that smile off his face, which didn't go unnoticed by the butler.
"Out of all the expressions I expected from you, I never thought you'd come back with such happiness on your face". Alfred pointed out with much interest as he followed behind the Wayne son. "Perhaps something eventful happened during your visit?"
Bruce couldn't help but snort at his caretaker's sudden interest, but his own interests lie somewhere else for now. "A story for later, Alfred. Tonight, we have other matters to attend to".
The two men continued their stroll through the manor until they reached the library section of the complex. Both men stopped once they were in front of a grandfather clock. Bruce's face immediately dropped as he adjusted the hands of the clock. '10:48'. As a result, the clock and the wall behind swung itself open to reveal an elevator. The two entered and started their descent into the caverns below, or as Bruce liked to call it, 'The Batcave'.
It was years ago when Bruce first discovered the cave system under the manor. He and Summer were playing around in the garden when Bruce accidentally fell into a hole that led him into the caves. Unfortunately, he must've made too much of a ruckus because the bats that lurked within suddenly surrounded the poor boy. That event traumatized him so much that his father had to climb down and get him.
Just fairly recently did Bruce start to explore the caves. That turned out to be a good thing as he found out that the structure led to the various entrance points within different parts of the city. That reason alone made him decide to set up his own base of operations underneath Wayne Manor.
Not much was added since setting up, just the major stuff required for his crusade; A technological set-up that allowed him to listen and access records and channels from the Atlas and Mantle P.D, a rack that held his suit, a workshop that allowed him and Alfred to create and modify special items, and even a 'garage' area that held his aircraft that allowed him to traverse the cave system when heading into the Atlas or Mantle.
"Any news on our imposter?" Bruce asked, taking a seat by the terminal set-up.
"Nothing that we don't already know, sir." Alfred responded before pressing a few keys and showed what he found. On the screen were various Police reports, autopsy papers, and more. "Slit throats, all gang related, and no survivors to question. Our imposter is quite thorough with each strike."
"Any other pattern between the attacks? It can't just be gang related."
"Actually, there is." This got Bruce's attention. "Every other incident had someone of notable position. Most recent victim was a Captain for the Valestra Mob".
The Wayne butler took notice of Bruce grumbling at the mention of the Valestra Mob and decided to ask. "Something worrying you, sir?"
"Salvatore Valestra came to see William Earl this morning. Old man was spooked and wanted Earl to do something about it." Bruce responded before continuing. "He also mentioned that he was an old associate of my father"
That caught Alfred off guard. "Master Thomas associating with a crime boss? This is the first time I'm hearing of this"
"You're not the only one, Alfred." responded the Wayne son as he glared at a photo of the crime boss on screen. "Making me wonder what other skeletons are in dad's closet."
The thought of his father working with the mob sent a shiver through his bones. Unfortunately, that's an issue Bruce would have to worry about in a later time. A killer was loose on the streets. Without a second thought, Bruce immediately stood and went to get suited up.
"If we want to catch our imposter, we're gonna have to find his next victim. With the recent reports of the dead captains, the rest of them would've gone into hiding. But someone on the street must know the location of at least one of them."
"Very well, sir. I'll notify you when any notable activity surfaces" responded Alfred before taking the seat Bruce at. "Oh, and please don't overwork yourself tonight, Master Bruce. Might I remind you that you have a busy day tomorrow."
The vigilante released a heavy sigh as he adjusted his cowl on. "Yeah, yeah. I've got a meeting with the head of R&D tomorrow at Wayne Enterprises. Batman's gonna need better equipment in the future."
"Actually sir, I was referring to the Schnee Gala happening tomorrow night."
Bruce stopped mid-adjustment of his belt with a puzzled look on his face.. "The what?"
"The Schnee Gala, sir?"
The Wayne son repeatedly opened and closed his mouth, as if the memory of the event was at the tip of his tongue.
"The gala that your mother and father always attended years ago?"
Again, the event rang no bells in his head.
"The same gala that I mentioned to you every morning for the past 2 weeks?"
Seeing the still muddled face on his charge caused the Wayne butler to exhale in frustration.
"Even before you were born, your mother and father would always attend the charity hosted by one Nicholas Schnee. He and your father had been long time business partners before and even helped each other build what Wayne Industries and the Schnee Dust company is today. Since Master Thomas and Miss Martha are...not present today and you too will eventually become head of the company, perhaps you should have Batman rest for one night and allow Bruce Wayne attend the gala, as did his parents before him."
Even though Alfred couldn't see past the cowl, he could obviously see the pained face that laid beneath it. Batman then moves past the Wayne butler and prepares to head out to Mantle..
Before leaving, he looked back towards Alfred. "We'll discuss this later."
With a rusty take-off, Batman flies off from the Batcave, leaving Alfred to, once again, heavily sigh.
It was the dead of night in the city of Mantle. While the flying city in the air still radiated with bright lights, the city below barely illuminated in its shadow. The constant flow of fog circulating through the city makes it hard for any of its citizens to see far.
And it's because of said fog where it made illegal arms trade easier to perform, especially at late hours. Specifically, an arms trade with a group from the Salvatore Crime Family.
With the increasing number of their men being taken down, Salvatore had upgraded all of his men to carry Atlas Military-grade weapons. Assault Rifles, grenades, and maybe even some armor. The investment may have been very costly, the price of taking down whoever is killing his men would be worth it. However, things would turn for the worse during one of the trades.
"Hey, this isn't what we ordered."
Three of Salvatore's 'grunts' were sent to collect a weapon shipment from two dealers behind in a back alley outside of their territory. However, when the men checked the goods, they found a discrepancy.
"Mr. Valestra ordered 'Military-grade' weapons from you guys. Yet, you bastards brought us some standard Mistrali peashooters instead!" said the head of the group of thugs, gesturing towards the cases that contain used Mistrali weapons such as handguns and short swords.
One of the dealers took a puff out of his cigarette before responding. "Then tell your boss this: providing such a bulk order of Atlas Military equipment takes both time and resources. It's hard enough to get the gear without anyone noticing, but with people like James Gordon constantly busting my trades, it makes my job even more impossible."
As a response was about to be made, something latched itself around the leg of one of the Salvatore goons and forced him to fall flat onto his face. The goon screamed in agony as he was dragged into the mist before suddenly being silenced.
The rest of them began to panic at the sight. The dealers immediately got into their van and drove out of the alley with their behind still open. The Valestra goons, however, weren't as lucky. Before the remaining goons could get into their car, something crashed onto the hood and made them freeze in their tracks. Laying dead on the hood was the guy that was dragged into the mist. His face showed nothing but fear as his neck was sliced open while his chest was bloodied from stab wounds.
The head goon wasted no time and ran the opposite direction, leaving the other guy behind. As he ran through the mist, his pace continued to slowly increase from adrenaline. His speed would quicken in fear as he heard the other guy scream in both pain and agony from whatever was hunting them down. Even when his legs ached and his lungs were having trouble catching air, the head goon knew that he couldn't stop because he was next on the killer's list. So, he kept running and running until something made him stop in his tracks.
Up ahead was the weapons dealer's van, crashed into a nearby lamp post. Various of their weapons were scattered on the ground alongside the two dealers who were not too far from the van. None of the scattered weapons had any munitions and his best bet was one of the swords in the back. Without many options to defend himself, he immediately went for the back of the crashed van. Getting closer, the head goon noticed that the dealers on the ground were actually still breathing.
Just as he was about to open a crate, someone behind banged his head onto the crate's cover. Same person then grabbed him by the throat and squeezed as he was then lifted into the air. At first, the goon didn't realize who the guy was until seeing the glaring white eyes and intimidating shadowy figure made him realize who it was. The Bat.
"Where're the remaining Valestra Captains?!" Batman growled, his raspy deep voice left his lips.
With Batman's tight grip on his neck, the goon barely answered. "How the hell should I know!?"
"Men like you answer to men like them. Salvatore Mob wouldn't be as organized without them."
The goon choked and coughed from the strong hold. "Ack! Why should I help you!? After what you did to my men!"
Batman glared even harder alongside his tightening hold. The goon's mind would immediately change as his vision slowly tunneled.
"Ah! Okay! Okay!" the goon mustered, causing Batman to loosen his fist. "Ever since they started dropping like flies, the rest of them began to panic. Most just left the kingdom while some of them went into our safehouses."
Batman compressed his hand once more. "Where!?"
"GAH! I don't know where! That's all I know! I swear!"
Unfortunately, as another question was about to be asked, the goon went limp before going unconscious. Batman dropped the man next to the dealers, mentally reprimanding himself for not watching his own strength.
Before leaving, he turned towards the alleyway where both the van and the goon came from. Upon investigation, he found what remains of the crime scene. The destroyed car, the dead goon on the hood, and another leaning by a wall with words written in his blood. 'Salvatore'.
This is going to be a long night.
It was around midday when Bruce Wayne headed down to the R&D section of Wayne Enterprises. He may have been slightly tired from the previous night, but that didn't stop him.
After the whole arms deal failure, no other leads came up from the set of interrogations. While some of them kept their lips tight, most were cooperative, after breaking a couple of their bones that is. However, they all still said the same thing: 'left the city', 'went into hiding', 'one of their safehouses'. Unfortunately, finding a Salvatore safehouse in the kingdom is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Meaning, for the time being, he had no choice but to wait for a lead to pop up.
Wasn't too long before the elevator doors opened and allowed Bruce to take in the sight of R&D. The floor itself, in his opinion, was quite vast in length but compact in space. There was an odd smell of something both old and new scattered around. He could see various crates and shelves haphazardly placed around or stacked ontop of each other. And it didn't stop where Bruce was standing, the place appeared to have no end.
Bruce's thoughts of the place would come to an end when he heard approaching footsteps from his right. Turning, Bruce was greeted by a middle-aged man in a nice work suit. He had dark skin and hair with some white strands appearing by his sideburns. The man was slightly taller than Bruce and held himself very well. Seeing the millionaire caused him to smile.
"Ah, you must be Bruce. Lucius Fox, current head of R&D." said Lucius as he brought out his hand to shake..
The Wayne son smiled and shook back. "Glad to meet you, Mr. Fox. I believe Earl mentioned that I'd be hanging around Applied Science for a while."
"Ah yes, Mr. Earl did say something about 'proving the boards' or something between that line" Fox remembered as he led Bruce through the floor. "Honestly, it reminds me of what they did to keep me from making a ruckus. Back when your father was still in charge."
Bruce gave a surprised look. "You knew my father?"
"Yeah, I knew him personally. A busy man, he was. Somehow balanced managing his own company while making time for his own family. He was a good man, and an even better friend. It's a tragedy what happened to him."
The Wayne son grimaced at the topic. The memory of that night continuously echoing through his head. Better change the topic. Fortunately, Lucius already felt his discomfort and changed the topic himself.
"Well, enough about that, Mr. Wayne. I'm sure you're eager to learn more about this place and I'd happily give you the answer to the extent of my knowledge."
Bruce smiled at the opening. Time to get to work. "Well, first I'd like to be up to date on what's going on here. Any ongoing projects? Upcoming releases?"
"Unfortunately, no." was all Fox said while leading the two of them to a desk and a computer. He then took a seat and typed in a few commands before showing Bruce an entire spreadsheet of creations in R&D. "Environmental Procedures, defense projects, consumer products. All prototypes. None of them are in production on any level whatsoever."
"None?" Bruce was shocked to hear that. Looking around made him even more curious. "Why's that?"
"Ever since the reorganization of the company, various projects and programs were either dropped or were put on an indefinite hold. What's around you now are the rejects and pending prototypes that will unfortunately never see the light of day."
Fox then looked at Bruce with curiosity on his face. "So, why the interest in Applied Science, Mr. Wayne? This entire section is a ghost town, so I highly doubt you're just here to learn about the company itself."
Bruce gave him a guilty look, as if caught red-handed. He then reached into his own jacket and gave Lucius a folded paper. "I..uh...kinda want to test out some of the stuff here."
Looking at the list, Lucius raised his brow at the specifications on the paper. "I see. What sort of activities do you plan on doing with them?"
"Rock climbing"
"Rock climbing? Pretty sure a grappling hook defeats the entire purpose."
"Would make traversing hard-to-reach grapes easier."
The man still looked unconvinced at his reasoning.
"Look, I'd rather Mr. Earl didn't know about me borrowing-"
"Mr. Wayne. " Lucius chuckled before keeping the paper. "The way I see it, all this stuff is yours anyway."
"You could, at the very least, show some interest in the Gala, sir"
Bruce heard from the back as Alfred drove towards the event. Having no new leads and his entire night free, it was decided that young billionaire Bruce Wayne would make an appearance at the Schnee Gala. It's because of the occasion that Alfred had him wear a sleek black dress suit. Although, Bruce couldn't help but have other thoughts in mind during the trip to the Gala.
"There's a killer on the loose, Alfred. Not exactly something someone should be calm about. I should be out there finding any leads on this guy."
The butler looked at him through the rear-view mirror. "You seem to forget that the police believe that 'Batman' is the one behind these murders. If Batman were to lay low, Bruce Wayne would have to make the occasional appearance. Gods know what the public would think of the Wayne name otherwise."
The Wayne son grunted in response and continued his gaze out the window. Wasn't long until they arrived at the driveway of the Schnee Manor. If there was one place that could rival or even outclass Wayne Manor, this would be the place. Besides the large foundation of the Manor itself, the exterior white and blue decorum is already a sign of the Schnee wealth with their private lots, expensive guest cars that plague the driveway, various pillars that bear the Schnee Family Crest and the large population of paparazzi by the main entrance carpet. Talk about compensating for something.
As Bruce was stepping out of the vehicle once they arrived by the front carpet, he overheard Alfred warning him something which caused him to snort.
"Try not to get into any trouble during the night, Master Bruce."
With already leaving him by the front to park the car, Bruce attempted to enter without attracting attention. Perhaps if he moved quickly, nobody would-
"Hey, that's Bruce Wayne!"
Damn it.
It, unfortunately, didn't take too long for the paparazzi to notice and hound him for any sort of comment.
"Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne! Any comments on the rumors of your position as CEO!?"
"Mr. Wayne! Would you be making a considerable donation tonight?!"
"Who are you wearing, Mr. Wayne!?"
"Any interest in the daughter of Nicholas Schnee!?"
Bruce did his best to traverse through, ignoring the flashes of different cameras and the numerous questions by the reporters. Lucky enough, he was able to get to the front door without 'accidentally' punching one of the reporters.
The foyer itself was huge; the entire space was packed with different overdressed guests and numerous waiters holding plates of different appetizers, tall and long tables for food and guests were scattered about, and the most eye-catching thing there would be the large main stairway that had enormous white suits of armor by its sides and a paned triptych of arched windows by its top.
"As I live and breathe, Bruce Wayne!"
Bruce immediately turned to his right and saw a man he didn't recognize approaching. The man was dressed in a very expensive 3-piece dress suit that matched the decorum colors. He was slightly taken back by his familiar all-natural wavy white hair and short beard. While they both have similar physiques, this man appeared to be a couple centimeters taller than him. While Bruce may not actually know this was, he had a sneaking suspicion on who he could be.
The man took Bruce's hand and firmly shook it, almost as if he was an old friend. "You probably don't recognize me, haven't seen you since you were a boy. I'm an old friend of your father, Nic-"
"Nicholas Schnee. Alfred's told you that you and my father were close when you both started your companies." quickly responded Bruce as he returned the handshake. He then plastered a smile while Nicholas laughed in pride at his recognition.
"Well it seems my reputation precedes me. Although, I haven't heard much from the Wayne family since you and your sister's disappearance from the public eye. I hope you two aren't in any sort of trouble now." worried Nicholas.
The Wayne son chuckled morbidly at the mention of trouble. "Quite the opposite Mr. Schnee. Trouble often finds me and Summer's currently applying for Beacon Academy. So.."
Nicholas looked surprised at the mention of a huntsman academy before it changed into a wide grin. "Your sister wants to be a huntress? Reminds me of my own daughter during that age! Speaking of which, you should meet her. I'm sure you both will get along-"
Their conversation would then be interrupted by someone nearby. "Well, if it isn't Bruce Wayne! Although, I really shouldn't have been surprised to see you here."
Bruce's blood went cold when hearing that voice. Turning his head, he would shockingly see one neatly dressed Salvatore Valestra, along with 2 guards behind him. What the hell was he doing here?
It would also appear that Nicholas Schnee was as well surprised to see him as a disdained look was immediately replaced. "Bruce, this is-"
"Oh, we've already met, Nicholas." spat Salvatore as he then looked around. "Although, I expected to see both Wayne children at this event."
Bruce gripped his fist at the mention of Summer, but kept his own aggression in check. "She's currently held up with school outside of the kingdom."
"Ah, how unfortunate." was all Salvatore said before looking towards Nicholas. "I'm actually here on business, Nicholas."
"Then let's take this to my office then." Nicholas responded before looking towards Bruce. "Enjoy the gala, Bruce. It was nice seeing you again."
The Schnee then led Salvatore and his men down a hallway, restricted from guests and Bruce to eavesdrop. With a sigh, the Wayne son then decided to check what the gala had to offer.
It was only an hour and 30 later did Bruce begin to regret attending the Gala. He wasn't one for formal social gatherings, but knew exactly how to behave and act. It's just that he preferred to stay away from conversations about wealth or what other rich folks do in their free time. Unfortunately, his luck to avoid social interaction was poor as every other minute some young woman attempted to flirt and try to score a night with him. This was why he eventually settled himself in an isolated part of the Manor's courtyard. If one more person approached him and asked for his number, Bruce swore that, no matter what Alfred was going to yell at him, he WILL get the hell out of the party and spend the next couple hours patrolling for a lead. However, something then happened to change his mind.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Bruce Wayne, would you?"
Bruce breathed in frustration before he turned. "Sorry to break it to you, Ma'am, but-"
Standing there, whose pale white skin was hidden behind a long beautiful blue and white dress gown while her snow white hair in a long braid, was the woman he met the previous day.
"Willow?"
The woman in question playfully raised her brow and smirked. "Oh, so you're not Bruce Wayne. Shame, I thought he was a pretty cute guy. Perhaps I should find another stud I could relate to."
His cheeks quickly turned light rose which caused Willow to laugh at the sight. Bruce soon couldn't help but laugh alongside her. That is until a sudden realization hit him.
"You're Nicholas Schnee's daughter."
Once more, she couldn't help but chuckle at his sudden conclusion. "You've only noticed that now?"
"Well, I am a slow learner." said Bruce as he playfully shrugged.
Willow giggled at his response. "I can see that. Anyway, why bring you to the Gala? Here to make a donation? It's not for the ladies, that's for sure."
The Wayne son cockily raised his brow. "Hm? How are you sure?"
"Because I've been eying you for the past half hour. No sane man would deny the advances of a woman who throws herself at them, let alone 15."
"...Oh..."
The Schnee rolled her eyes at the man, but soon followed up her question. "But really, why are you? Just a second ago, you looked like you were about to leave without a word."
"Honestly?" asked Bruce as he leaned on a nearby wall. She nodded in response. "I came here because of my family's legacy. They've been supporting your father for years, so I thought I should do the same."
"So you're here out of obligation?" questioned Willow, intrigued by the Wayne son's reasoning.
"I wouldn't say obligation, per say. I understand why my parents did this-"
"No, you don't"
Bruce stopped mid-sentence. "Excuse me?"
Willow then crossed her arms then carefully looked at him. "You know the reason why your parents attend our gala, but you don't understand the why."
"I don't follow."
"Exactly. Having only met you twice, I can tell that you're a good person with a good heart. But the problem is that you don't have a single clue what exactly to do. Tell me, what do you think is your father's legacy?"
Bruce immediately responded. "His company"
Willow shook her head.
"His responsibilities?"
Shook her head again.
"Unfinished business?"
Wrong for the final time.
Before he knew it, he ran out of potential answers to give. Bruce was then left speechless for a solid 30 seconds before Willow shook her head and sighed.
"Tomorrow. You and I are going to take a little trip. I won't give you the answer right, but I will help you realize it."
With his curiosity and interest through the roof, Bruce couldn't help but both chuckle and agree with Schnee's proposition. "It's a date then."
It was now Willow's turn for her pale cheeks to turn rosy. Taking a napkin and the pen of a nearby waiter, she quickly wrote down her contact info for him.
However, simultaneously, Bruce spotted Salvatore Valestra and his goons quickly heading towards the front entrance of the Manor. At the same time, his scroll immediately buzzed itself to life from a notification. A lead popped up.
"Here is my scroll number. We'll start your self-discovery tomorrow morning, okay?"
The moment she turned around to give him the napkin, Bruce was already gone and left without a trace.
"Bruce?"
I do not own any of the characters. All characters and names used are owned by either Rooster Teeth and Detective Comics (DC)
Next update would be for Rise of the Girl Wonder.