White Knight-Batman SI

[Drkest]

Chapter 1

Bruce Wayne

In an abandoned runway deep into the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, a private plane stood parked as a shabbily dressed man walked towards it, his clothes unsuited for the chilly air of the perilous mountains, yet the chill didn't seem to affect the man who smiled as a small set of steps dropped from the door, and a rather old and balding man stepped out of the plane.

The man gave him a smile as he spoke up.

"You look rather nice, Master Wayne," Alfred teased him as Bruce reached the bottom of the staircase. He wore shabby rags, covered by mud and grime from his journey. A journey that had led to the end of the organization of Ra's Al Ghul.

"Apart from the mud, of course," added the man with a raised brow, and he chuckled as he began to walk up the stairs.

"You made rather good time," he added as he entered the place, and the luxury and the safety felt foreign to him. He had spent the last decade chasing after criminals, trying to understand their ways.

He had seen depravity, he had seen hunger, and yet now he found himself sitting in a private jet. His private jet.

"Yes, the new jet is quite an improvement over the last one," he said, raising a brow as he took a seat as Alfred gave instructions to the crew.

"Moreover, Master Thomas sorted out the rest of the affairs rather hastily once we received your message," and Bruce stilled at that as he looked guiltily at the butler, giving him a rather icy stare.

Thomas Wayne, named after their father, was his younger brother. Born prematurely after Joe Hill shot both his parents on that fateful night, the doctors had managed to save the child growing inside the womb of Martha Wayne, and though the babe was forced to spend a year in the hospital and on many nights, it seemed as if the babe would not make it, his brother persevered.

Yet a younger Bruce had hated his brother for surviving, hated him for he had survived while neither his mother nor father had done so. And only now did he recognize how foolish he had been in his rage.

"How is he?" he questioned cautiously, and instead of answering, Alfred simply pushed forward a newspaper towards him.

Thomas Wayne had taken after neither him nor their father. He had taken after their grandfather, at least according to the various news clippings and articles he had read about him in his travel. For there had been many words written about the rising star in the business world, the young man who had expanded the Wayne empire beyond anything the world had imagined.

And there he was again, on the front page. He had grown up and was dressed in a fine suit, wearing black frameless glasses, as his photo was positioned opposite to that of a rather old blonde man, a man he recognized as well.

William Earle was the the current CEO of Wayne enterprises, and from what he could gather after a quick skim of the article his brother aimed to change that.

"Thomas wished to become CEO of Wayne Enterprises," he questioned as he looked up at Alfred who shook his head.

"No, Master Thomas has his own businesses to take care of," and wasn't that a task. Thomas Wayne was one of the biggest rising stars in the tech world, his early investment and backing of various companies, companies that had now become industry giants had seen him become one of the wealthiest individuals in the country. And that was besides the massive Wayne inheritance that remained relatively untouched.

"Master Thomas believes that Mr. Earle is unfit to run Wayne enterprises, and is moving to install one of your father's old friends, Mr. Lucius Fox as CEO," Alfred elaborated. Bruce was not aware of the man, but if Thomas had chosen him then he would trust him.

"Don't we control more than half the shares? Why is the media making it seem like Thomas is having trouble with this," both he and Thomas controlled nearly eighty percent of the company. If Thomas wanted to, he could have had Earle removed within a minute.

"I believe that is your fault, Master Bruce," Alfred said, and he frowned.

"How?" he questioned, perplexed. He hadn't done anything that would hamper Thomas. Even his shares were to go to him if anything were to happen to him.

"Your absence means that Master Thomas only has access to his part of the inheritance, and though that forty percent is significant, it is still eleven percent less than what he needs," Alfred said pointedly, and he nodded until he recalled something important.

"Didn't they try and have me declared dead?" he questioned, he had read the news clipping about his own death nearly a year ago.

"Yes, indeed. Though, Master Thomas had it put down, assuring them that though absent, Bruce Wayne was still alive," Alfred said with a smile as he passed him a folder, a folder containing his documents.

"No matter, the newspaper is wrong. Master Thomas was able to buy out a couple of other investors and has enough control to do whatever he wished even without your shares," Alfred added, and he smirked. Of course, he had. As he had said, Thomas Wayne had taken after their grandfather, and he wouldn't pick a fight he couldn't win.

"He does miss you, you know, Master Bruce," Alfred added suddenly as he saw the mountains vanish under a thick cover of white as they flew out of the mountain range, a pang of sadness passing through him at both the ending of his journey and Alfred's words.

"He doesn't mention you, but despite what others said, he was adamant that you were alive," Alfred spoke up.

"That you would come back," and Bruce looked towards Alfred and answered the hidden question.

"And he was right. It is time for me to return to Gotham," he answered.

Alfred looked at him with a complicated gaze, before he questioned.

"And what is the reason for this change of hearts?" and Bruce sighed as he leaned back in his seat.

Gotham was his home, a city that the Wayne's had lived in for more than a century now. The once prosperous city had become a haven for the crime of the worst sort. Once Bruce had wished to change the world, yet under Ra's he had realized something: how could one change the world if one fails to change his own home.

And so he would change Gotham.

"Change Alfred. Change! It is time the people in Gotham realized that their city didn't belong to the criminals and the corrupt. That there is hope," he answered and saw Alfred's eyes glint with pride before he spoke up.

"You and your brother are more alike than you think," Alfred commented, his words making him frown.

"Why do you say that?" he questioned in a cautious tone. Bruce had trained for years under the tutelage of the best fighters and assassins in the world. Thomas was younger than him, and the circumstances of his birth meant that he was often ill. And though things had improved over the years, Bruce would not like it if Thomas was engaged in physical alterations with eh scum of the city.

Alfred seemed to realize the intention behind his question and answered quickly.

"It's nothing of the sort you are imagining. Master Thomas's attempts are not as physical as yours plan to be. His approach is more surgical, I would say," Alfred said.

"It is one of the reasons he is going after Mr Earle. The man planned to cut down all the philanthropic work done by Wayne Enterprises to boost profits so he could take the company public," Alfred pointed out, and Bruce shook his head.

That would have done it.

"And though the city has not improved, though his efforts, it holds on. Gotham and its people aren't as hopeless as they were in the past," Alfred added, and Bruce smiled, pride welling up in his heart at Alfred's words.

Alfred leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"I would recommend a quick wash and a change of clothes, Master Wayne. The journey is quite long," Alfred advised him, and even Bruce could barely stand the stench coming out of his rags.

So, he stood up as he headed towards the shower before he suddenly became curious.

"Does Thomas have a girlfriend yet?" he questions, as he remembers the petite woman by his brother's side in the picture.

Alfred smiled cryptically and didn't even open his eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

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Casting is the same as Nolan, and our SI is basically Robert Pattinson. Yeah, I kind of liked him in Batman.

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime if you can. It would mean a lot to me.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Have fun reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 2

ALFRED PENNYWORTH

Alfred smiled as he saw the elder Wayne brother sitting to his right. He had showered and now wore simple trousers and a white shirt, the smell gone and replaced by a simple floral scent.

He could see his eyes taking in the surroundings as the car moved through the City slums. A route which the man had insisted on taking for his own reasons. His eyes scanned the city slums, and Alfred could see his mind racing, especially as they entered parts of the city away from the Narrows where major construction seemed to be taking place.

"What is all that construction?" he questioned her with a frown, and Alfred smiled as he proudly answered.

"That would be your brother's work, Master Bruce," he told him with no little sense of pride.

Gotham City was rotting. The death of Thomas and Martha Wayne had shaken the very foundation of the city, and the wave of fear that had followed had nearly swallowed up all that was good in this city.

The death of Thomas Wayne also brought an end to various charities run by the man, all of them shut down by the new administration of the Wayne Enterprises for profit.

"That was a school and a shelter," he told him and Master Bruce raised a brow.

"After your father's death, Mr. Earle and the management shut down most of the charities and grants offered by Wayne Enterprises, and they had remained shut until a couple of years ago when young Master Thomas took his seat on the Board and forced them to revive them all. Those two are the first of his two projects, a school for the children and a shelter for the homeless," he said, and he saw that Master Bruce was impressed.

"And what of the gangs? I don't believe they will have taken this lightly," Master Bruce inquired, and his lips thinned at that. They had not. Alfred was aware of a number of threats that the young Master had received for this and was sure that there were many more he was in the dark about.

"They have now, threats have been made against him. Thankfully, Master Thomas takes his safety rather seriously, unlike someone else in his family," he said in a pained tone.

He was aware of the years spent by Master Bruce undercover, acting as a criminal in his efforts to understand the criminal mind. Alfred could never understand the reason behind his actions, yet he had no right to stop the man.

He saw his lips thin at his words, as the car left the slums and entered the main road headed to Wayne manor.

"What do you plan to do, Master Bruce?" he questioned, already having an inkling of the man's intentions.

"Gotham is my city. It has been good to our family. It is time I do my part in saving this city from the rot that has infested it," the man answered, and though Alfred had expected so, the words and conviction in the man's tone surprised him.

"The city has fallen enough that it needs someone more than a man to save it, a symbol. An everlasting, unkillable, incorruptible symbol. Something elemental that would strike fear into the hearts of the scum of this city," he said in a cold tone as he stared into eh palm of his hand.

"And I cannot do that as Bruce Wayne," the man whispered, and Alfred realized his intentions or at least part of it. And was saddened by it, yet also proud of what the young Master had grown up to be.

"And I believe you plan to keep Master Thomas in the dark about this endeavor of yours," he questioned, and Master Bruce nodded.

"Yes, he seems interested in the running of the business. I will encourage him to take over it. He will do right by our family's legacy," Master Bruce said with a smile, and he nodded.

"That he will," and the massive black steel doors were opened as the car entered the Wayne mention, slowly moving through the winding path as they headed towards the main entrance.

His eyes narrowed as he saw a car parked outside the main entrance. A car which was often used by young Master Thomas.

"An Audi," Master Bruce spoke up as he recognized the car.

"Whose car is that?" he questioned as he looked towards him.

"Your brothers," Alfred answered and saw the man still at his answer, words as he realized just what this meant.

It was his choice. He liked the brand, though the car was anything but simple. It was bulletproof and could withstand quite some damage. Afterall he had commissioned the car for the young Master himself.

Yet he was surprised by the car as well, he had not expected him to be present for their return. They had thought young Master Thomas would have left for the Board meeting already, but it appeared as though that was not the case.

Master Bruce shifted nervously as he got out of the car and adjusted his clothes, his eyes still not fixated on the Audi parked infront of the stairs, before he looked towards him and raised a brow.

"An Audi, really?" he questioned nervously, and Alfred chuckled as he saw through his attempts to stall and replied with a small voice.

"Why don't you ask him about it yourself?" he said as he motioned for him to move. The man shook his head and, with a deep breath, began to walk up the stairs.

Alfred himself was a little nervous about the meeting between the two brothers; their relationship was a little complicated yet nothing that was unsalvageable, and in the time he had spent with young Master Thomas, he knew him to be rather reasonable and knew that the young man cared for his brother.

And as he walked up behind Master, he stopped just like the man as soon as they entered the manor, for their in the corner of the Hall on a simple sofa, sat the very man he had been thinking of.

Young Master Thomas was leaner than his elder brother. One would be hard-pressed to tell that the man sitting infront of them was only just in his twenties.

His hair was combed perfectly, and he wore a Black suit, his eyes buried in a folder as his dark eyes skimmed over its contents. And Alfred saw him glance up at Master Bruce and saw his eyes glint as he placed the folder to the side stood up, and began to move towards them.

He could tell that Master Bruce was nervous, yet he still walked toward his younger sibling, and he gave him a smile.

The two approached each other slowly, and as Master Bruce opened his arms.

"Broth…." His words were cut short as Master Thomas pulled back his arm and swung it in his face.

THUNK!

Master Bruce seemed surprised by the punch, just like him, and faltered as he raised his hand to touch his cheek.

"Ouch," he winced in pain, and as he straightened up, young Master Thomas swung again, this time from the other side. Alfred was sure that the man could have dodged the punch or even retaliated, yet the man simply let the hit land again.

"ARGH!" Master Bruce grunted in pain, and Alfred saw blood drip from his lips onto the floor.

Still, he straightened up once again, wiping the blood from his chin as the two men stared into each other's eyes before young Master Thomas said with a smile.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused me," the young Master said, and Master Bruce said nothing, as his lips simply thinned.

"No more punches?" questioned Master Bruce with a smile, and Master Thomas smiled as he shook his head.

"Nah, that was punishment enough for my wrists," said the young Master with a wince as he shook his hand, his face scrunching in pain.

The two brothers then broke into a chuckle before they moved and hugged each other.

Alfred smiled as he saw that, knowing that despite his many failures, he had done right by the boys and had raised them well.

"It is good to have you back, brother," said Master Thomas, and Alfred joined the two brothers.

"It is good to be back," added Master Bruce as the brothers separated.

Master Bruce looked towards his brother and questioned him with a frown.

"Alfred told me you had a Board Meeting at Wayne Enterprises. It seems my younger brother is colluding to usurp the illustrious Chief executive of Wayne Enterprises," he questioned, and Master Thomas raised a brow.

"So, you have heard about that already," the young Master said with a shrug yet nodded.

"Need any help with that," Master Bruce offered, and young Master Thomas shook his head as he glanced at his watch.

"Nah, I have got that covered. You should rest," said the young Master Thomas as he picked up the file and began to move towards the door before he suddenly stopped just at the entrance and called back.

"Though be ready at five," the Young Master shouted from the entrance, and Alfred frowned at that, though the young Master quickly elaborated.

"I have thrown up a little something for your return," added the Young Master as he looked towards him.

"I will send you the details, Alfred," said the man before rushing out of the manor.

"I am not in a mood for any big gathering, Alfred," Master Bruce added from the side, and Alfred assured him.

"Master Thomas is not fond of big gatherings as well. I believe it will be a simple affair with only one or two friends at most," Alfred replied. He saw Master Bruce relax as he nodded.

"That's good."

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As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. It would help me out a lot.

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Have fun reading!

 

[Drkest]

Lucius Fox

In the business world, a major storm was being forecasted as one of the biggest enterprises in the world held its Board meeting.

And so, he found himself sitting in the very Board Room he had helped build and then had been removed from, as the man who had fired him paced nervously as they waited for the main protagonist of the day.

William Earle paced nervously as the whole board sat there quietly, waiting for the young who had called this meeting to show up. However, apart from a few people, including the current CEO and his faction, which had become extremely small, the rest weren't really bothered.

"This is it. This has gone on for long enough. I will not let him make a mockery of this Board," the man shouted as he moved and sat down in the only empty seat in the room rashly, his eyes narrowing towards his side of the table.

Though not at him. But at the woman sitting beside him, dressed in a woman's suit, though Luciius had an inkling that this Selina Kyle usually wore a somewhat different dress, one which he might have even had a hand in creating.

"And who even are you, Miss Kyle, and where is that blasted boy?" he questioned in anger. Though, Lucius

"As I said earlier," the woman began slowly, her voice prim and posh, as she sat there wearing a simple black dress.

"I am his secretary, and Master Wayne is on his way. His car broke down, and he had to get it repaired," and a few beside him chuckled.

And why wouldn't they? Did Thomas Wayne lack cars?

"Is that a joke? The Wayne's have a whole fleet of cars," Earle complained, and the woman beside him had the audacity to reply with a simple smile.

"It's his lucky car," she replied, and Earle chewed his lips before he straightened up and uttered.

"That is enough. As CEO of Wayne Enterprises, I call this meeting into session," he announced, and Lucius simply raised a brow as the doors to the meeting room were closed.

Perhaps he should have been worried, but the smiling expression of the woman beside him told her that there wasn't anything to worry about. And in the time he had spent with Thomas Wayne, he had come to understand that the young man was not one to give a person like Earle any chance, especially now that next week, the young man was going to have the first launch of his own subsidiary.

And what a launch that was going to be, he thought as he looked towards the two prototypes placed there behind him.

"And for the first motion of the meeting, I call for the removal of Lucius Fox from the Board," Earle spoke up as he turned to glare at him. The man thought that it was him standing behind young Thomas Wayne.

However, it was completely the opposite.

"Do I have a second," he questioned, and his VP raised his hand, and with a nod, the motion was moved forward. He looked still and sat without moving an inch as the young woman turned to look at him with a raised brow.

Then it happened: the doors to the conference room were opened, and the young man they had all been waiting for walked into the room.

"And the motion is denied," he announced before the voting could even begin, and he saw Earle flush in rage as Thomas Wayne walked into the room.

The young man gave him a small nod as he moved towards his seat. The young woman who had been sitting there stood up, and he didn't miss the way her eyes narrowed at him, nearly chiding the young man.

She wasn't his secretary.

"And how can you say that you control only forty percent of the shares," Earle shouted, and Thomas took his seat, ignoring the man as he gave him a nod before he finally decided to speak up.

"Now, that would have been true a week ago, but I went ahead and bought another eleven percent of Wayne Enterprises using my own funds so that essentially gives me absolute power in this company," the young man said before he took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses as he added as an afterthought.

"Or is it my company now?" he shrugged as Earle paled at that, for this meant the boy now single-handedly controlled the entire company. Not that there was any doubt about that previously, yet Thomas had been willing to let Earle enjoy the power until the man had actively tried to move against the young man and tried to shut down the projects his own father had begun.

That had been crossing a line. A line that Earle had only realized too late he shouldn't have crossed, and now that was going to cost him his very job.

"Now, I believe we all know what this means," and this time, there was none of that cheer in his voice as Thomas Wayne looked at Earle with a narrowed gaze, and Fox felt as if he was looking at Patrick Wayne, the boy's grandfather the man who had taken Wayne enterprises to new heights.

Earle's eyes widened as the man realized that he had lost. Thomas could essentially remove him singlehandedly. The man flushed yet stood up and rushed out of the room.

"I believe we can take that as his resignation," Thomas commented, and the whole room quieted down as he stood up, slowly walked towards the empty seat, and spoke up once again.

"Now, Thomas Wayne, present the motion to make Lucius Fox the CEO of Wayne Enterprises," the boy said before as he looked over the Board.

"Do I have a second," he questioned, and a couple of hands went up at once. And the young man smiled as he turned to face him.

"Congratulations, Mr. Fox," the boy said, and Lucius stood up and spoke up for the first time.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Wayne," he said and shook the hands of various members as he made his way to the CEO seat. A position he had never thought would be his.

Thomas had now moved and had sat down once again. His so-called secretary sat beside him.

"Now, there will be time in the future for speeches, but today, I have the opportunity to tell you that Wayne Enterprises will be entering an entirely new segment," he said as he pointed towards Thomas.

"Technology. At the Wayne expo organized for next week, our head of Technology division shall be presenting our first products to the world," and he didn't miss how the young man boy's eyes widened.

After all, that was not the plan. It was he who was supposed to present it at the expo. Not Thomas.

"But shouldn't it be you doing it, Mr. Fox? After all, you are the CEO," the young man was quick to quip, but Fox was not going to let him get away.

"I believe we should have someone young present. After all, this is your brainchild, isn't it, Mr. Wayne," he said as he turned to face the other Board members.

"Wouldn't you agree?" he questioned. Thomas may have the shares, but he had spent years with these people. Most of them chuckled and nodded, egging him on.

"Yes, of course."
"He is right."

They all spoke, and he saw Thomas Wayne glaring at him. The young man wasn't fond of this stuff and stood up with a huff.

"Alright, but don't think its over old man. I will get you back for this," the young man complained as he came to stand by his side. Few members of the Board chuckled. Most of them were already used to his antics. Thomas Wayne was usually quite jolly, that was until the man was not.

And when he was mad, he was a menace. He would rip through you like tape. Yet the man had patience. He had given Earle a year to change his ways, and only when the man had refused to budge had he moved against him.

"Alright, gentlemen and gentlewomen, about a decade ago, IBM and Intel changed the world when they opened up new avenues, bringing the power of computing to our homes. Now, I plan to bring it to your pockets," the man said as he reached for the prototype.

"I give you the first ever true smartphone!"

And Fox smiled as the young man showed them the device, which was no larger than his palm and had no buttons. And though Fox had helped design it, Thomas himself had done most of the work.

"And you use it with your own freaking fingers!"

The boy said as the screen lit up, as a single stylized 'W' glew up, the logo for Wayne Enterprises.

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a sub if you can. It would help me out a lot.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Have fun reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 4

Rachel Dawes

Rachel Dawes walked into her office and couldn't help but lament the sheer amount of work waiting for her. And at that time, she regretted not having taken Thomas's offer of working for Wayne Enterprises.

Yet what could she do? She was the assistant DA for Gotham city, and for a city with as much crime as Gotham, there was no chance of her work lessening any time soon. And she didn't mind the work, especially these days. Things in Gotham were looking hopeful for once after a deface of near hopelessness, a darkness that had begun enveloping their city after that fateful night.

The death of Thomas and Martha Wayne had shaken Gotham to the core, for they weren't just the richest people in the city. No, they were a symbol of hope in a bleak time. The people, despite everything, held respect for them, for the whole city knew how the Waynes had nearly bankrupted themselves during the depression just to make their lives livable.

But after their death, Gotham had come crashing down. Crime had run rampant, and the situation continued to deteriorate until a couple of years ago.

And it was all because of him. The man whose picture was on the front page of Gotham Daily, for he was the young Prince of Gotham. The newest rising star in the world of business, Thomas Wayne.

He carried his father's name, and his actions showed that he carried his legacy as well. With his return to the Board of Wayne Enterprises, all the philanthropic projects that the company had shelved had been restarted, and though she was not certain she had a guess that he had also been working to keep the more corrupt elements out of the city's power circles.

Several judges, judges who were famous for being connected to the mob bosses, had suddenly resigned, and a similar trend had followed in the Police department. She was not aware how, yet she knew in her heart that it was his doing.

Even in the underworld, things had been tumultuous, and the gangs had been shrinking as more and more people got opportunities to make an honest living. The number of people under the mob's influence declined, lowering their manpower.

It was not much, mind you, yet it was a start. It was a start, and she was determined to do her part.

And so she sat down, reviewing briefs and doing research for their various cases. And as she was lost in her work, she failed to notice the setting of the Sun until a hard knock on the door to her office broke her out of her trance.

"Dawes," she looked up and found one of their colleagues at her door.

"Boss is calling you!" Bethany said. And Rachel finally looked at the time and saw that it was way past the break time, so she moved out of her room and walked to the office of the DA, her boss Micheal Finch, one of the more honest people in Gotham. He had worked tirelessly to get to his position and was amongst the few who had the courage to do the right thing.

And now with the judges not in Falcone's pocket, he was getting work done. She gave a small knock on his door and after a small affirmation from the inside entered his room.

Much like her own office, his was filled with files as well, and the man gave her a smile as she walked in.

"You called for me," she said as he smiled and raised a brow.

"Well, it seems today is our lucky day because I just received a call from Thomas Wayne," and as soon as she heard those words, she groaned, for she had a very good idea what had happened.

"Not again," she muttered as she sat down, and Finch had the audacity to laugh at her.

"You, Miss Rachel Dawes, are now free for the rest of the day," and that had become somewhat of a tradition.

Once in their weekly meetings, she had complained to him about her sheer workload and how she might not have time to come to their meetups anymore; a new tradition had started in the DA office.

Whenever he needed her, or it was the day of their meet up. A small group of associates from his own law firm would show up and take over her work so that she could leave early or have some rest.

She had complained to him, yet somehow, he had even gotten her boss to sign off on this. The associates were young graduates looking to make a name for themselves and a quick couple of thousand bucks as well, and they were happy to do it.

The DA had the audacity to chuckle at her dilemma and added.

"You should go now. Your boyfriend has sent a car already," and she glared at the man.

"He is not my boyfriend!" she corrected sharply, and the man just shook his head.

"Yeah, yeah, and I am not the DA of Gotham," he refused to listen to her, and that was the biggest side effect of this idiotic tradition.

All the DA office thought her to be his girlfriend. And that was not true. She had literally watched him grow up. He was like a brother to her. A younger, troublemaking piece of shit of a brother. But a brother nonetheless.

"I am telling the truth. He is like an obnoxious little brother to me. I have literally watched him grow up infront of me," she added as she made a disgusted face, yet Finch wasn't convinced, as she continued to give her that accusatory stare.

So, she dropped the big guns.

"And he already has a girlfriend," at this, Finch's eyes narrowed.

"You are lying," he said, and she shook her head as she leaned back.

"I am not, I have even met her a couple of times," and she had thought the truth was she wasn't actually sure if they were in a relationship yet, something both of them should have done ages ago. She had seen how he looked at her, and how she would steal glances at him when he wasn't looking.

Either both of them were idiots, which they were not, or there was something else going on.

"Then why does he do this for you? Those associates he sends every other week here must cost him quite a bit," Finch ventured, and they did.

"Problems that can be solved with money are not problems," she tried to imitate his voice as best as she could and saw Finch chuckle a bit.

"That is what he said to me. Thomas is philanthropic and likes to help the poor, but he is also a first-rate rich asshole," she said, "in his words."

She added quickly, and her boss just shrugged.

"Well, he has been quite a lot of help to our department, and so that's why I let him do this. So, be on your way. That car has been waiting for you for some time now," said Finch, and she got up and walked to her office. The associates had already settled in and had begun working.

She collected her belongings and walked out of the office, and as per tradition, a black car stood there waiting for her. A very familiar person opened the door for her.

"Alfred, this is a bit out of schedule," she said as she entered the car, and the elderly butler of the Waynes closed the car doors.

"Indeed it is, though not without cause. Today is a very special occasion, and Master Thomas insisted that you be there," Alfred remarked, and she frowned.

"Why? What happened?" she questioned.

Her guess was right. This was a rather irregular meeting.

She saw Alfred smile.

"Well, that is supposed to be a surprise," the man answered, refusing to answer, and the car raced to Wayne Manor. She sat in the car, trying to wriggle the answer out of Thomas, but he didn't reply for some reason.

The car entered the manor and circled to the garden side, and Alfred stopped and opened the car door for her.

She frowned, for this was not their usual spot. Usually, they would have a rather small family-esque meal inside the manor.

Yet she got out regardless and walked into the garden. A table was set further in, with some chairs around it, and she saw a person sitting there. A person who, upon seeing her, began to walk towards her.

"Thom…." She was about to call out but stopped when she realized that it wasn't him. There were no glasses, and this person was older, much older, about her age, and she recognized him. His face had changed quite a bit since the last time she had seen him, but even that was about ten years ago.

"Bruce!" she gasped as he slowly walked towards her Their last meeting had been less than ideal and she had ended up slapping him, and only later had realized just what she had done.

She had returned the next day to apologies to him, but by then he was long gone.

Only now did she realize, that expecting Bruce to be rational in the case of Joe Hill wasn't unreasonable, it was cruel. The man had murdered both his parents and had orphaned him and his brother.

And when she had realized that she had been livid with herself, and as she saw him, standing infront of her after all these years she was tongue tied.

"Rachel," he called her name, none of the anguish and anger apparent as he gave her a smile, a smile which she had not seen on his face since the days of the long past when his parents still lived in this manor.

"You came back," she said, and he nodded.

"I did. Thomas told me someone would be coming to meet me, but I never expected it would be you," Bruce spoke. His voice had lost all of the immaturity of the teenage years and was brisque and serious.

"Gods, it has been years!" she uttered as she rushed towards him, hugged him, and felt his hesitant arms wrap themselves around her in return.

"That it has been, but now I am here maybe permanently," he uttered, and she felt her body ease slightly at his words as they separated, and she spoke up after a bit of a think.

"I must apologize about what I said last time…" she began, and he quickly cut her off.

"You were right," he replied, much to her surprise, and he wasn't lying either.

"I was angry at the time, and bra…."

"No. No, I only later realized just how rotten this city is, and what I said was so self-righteous and crue…"

"Ohh, it seems you people started this without me!" the very obnoxious voice of the boy she thought of as a younger brother interrupted her mid-sentence as she glanced back.

And there he was, Thomas Wayne. She remembered it like yesterday when he was just a little boy, very small, very cute and very quiet. Yet the years had transformed him; his frequent visits to the hospital had ended, and now he looked just like his moniker.

The Prince of Gotham.

She smiled and ran to him, and as he opened his arms for a hug, she instead twisted his ear, making him squirm.

"When were you going to tell me that he was back? Why weren't you replying to my messages earlier?" she questioned him, and he squared and shrieked in pain animatedly.

"Ouch! Ouch. I couldn't. I was driving back from the Board meeting," he said, and she remembered what day it was.

"How did it go?" though a part of her already knew the answer to that, and the massive grin on his face confirmed it.

"Earle has been removed as CEO. Fox takes over tomorrow," he said as they all sat down. And she saw him reach into the bag he had brought, and he gave her and Bruce two wrapped packages.

"These are for you," he said, and she recognized the logo on the box and what appeared to be an invitation card.

"What is that?" Bruce questioned as she opened the invite.

"That is the exclusive invite for the Wayne expo next week and the first product I plan to present there."

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So please, have a look and consider becoming a patron. It would mean a lot to me.

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[Drkest]

Chapter 5



Selina Kyle

The first time she had seen Thomas she had thought him to be a scrawny, little spoiled kid. He was quiet and seemed rather aloof, and at first seeme nothing special.

There were many masks and faces of Thomas Wayne. There was the playful billionaire who drove fancy cars, there was the eccentric entrepreneur who was said to be the biggest rising star of the next generation, and then there was the kind-hearted philanthropist whose altruism had saved thousands of lives, much like her own and her sisters.

Yet there was another side, and it was the one he had adopted as he sat in front of her reading the latest piece of information she had just brought him. His eyes had none of his usual spark, and the ever-present smile on his face was nowhere to be seen as he read through the latest actions of the various crime families of Gotham City.

"Falcone has ordered a hit on me," he spoke with a raised brow, and she nodded.

"Yes, he has," she replied, and if it was up to her, she would have ripped the man and his whole family apart with her bare hands for this, yet she knew she couldn't. Not yet, at the very least, for Falcone was not moving alone this time. There was someone behind him, someone far more dangerous.

Yet she scanned his expression and saw no surprise or worry on his face, and her eyes narrowed.

"You expected this," she reasoned as she sat there on the bed in his private room atop the Wayne Tower, and he nodded.

"I did. After all, my charities and other efforts have affected his empire the most. I have lowered his influence in the courts and in the Police department, and with that, he is bleeding cash and losing men at an abnormally fast pace," he replied, seemingly nonchalant about the fact that the city's biggest mob boss had just made a call for his head.

"It's a ten million dollars for your head, Thomas. A lot of people will be interested in making that kind of money," she said, a bit of worry creeping into her voice.

He looked at her. The green color of his eyes appeared much more vibrant without his glasses.

"Are you interested in that kind of money?" he said with a smile, and she raised a brow.

"It is not a small amount of money," she said as she got off her bed and began to walk up to him. He still wore the suit from earlier in the day, the one he had worn to the meeting, a meeting in which she had acted as his secretary.

"Ohh, then should I be worried for my life," he joked, and she saw through the mask of non-challance and foolery. He was young, too young to fool her.

She moved forward, one-foot infront of another before she reached infront of him and sat down in his lap, straddling him in the chair. Their faces were infront of each other, and she could feel his pounding heart as she looked him in the eye.

"I could kill him, you know," and Gods did she want to. Gotham would be a much better place without men like Falcone.

He smiled forlornly as she felt his arms wrap themselves around her.

"I cannot ask you to do that," he said, and he wouldn't have to. She would do it herself in the blink of an eye. Without any remorse. Yet she wouldn't. She had promised him. After all, if it wasn't for her, she would never have been able to escape the hell she had found herself in.

"We cannot become animals, Selina, for otherwise, what would separate me from a man like Falcone," he said, and she gritted her teeth as she held his face in her hands.

"I can give you a hundred reasons right now," she said, though she already knew the answer.

Few understood the kind of power wielded by the young man sitting in front of her. The Waynes weren't just rich; they were royalty, and Thomas Wayne was the young Prince of that empire, an empire he was leading to even greater heights. The money and power he held in his hands were so substantial that he singlehandedly was forcing the whole mob to shrink, casually eating away at their resources.

When she had first met him, she had thought that he would be another rich, spoiled brat, the young Wayne heir, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Yet that misconception had been broken the first time she had glanced into his eyes and had realized how the young heir was wearing several masks. Masks just like her.

And then it had become a tradition for her, for both of her. She would often spy on him, watch him dancing away at those fancy events, giving speeches, his masks ever-changing, showing the world whatever they wanted to see.

Until tragedy struck one day, and she found herself tangled with the worst of the city, her time of crime having caught up with her. Yet she wouldn't have minded the death, yet those scum chose to target her sister and had broken half the bones in her body as a message for her. Selina had wobbled to the hospital, begging them for help, begging them to save her sister.

Yet she needed money, money she didn't have. And so, just as she had resolved herself to go back to him. A young boy had walked into the hospital, the same boy she had been stalking for the past five years at this point, and sat himself down by her side.

"I was wondering why my little stalker didn't show up for a couple of days," he had said with a smile, and for some reason, she let herself go as he wrapped his arms around her, and burst into tears.

And so had become her new life, a better life, with a promise from him and one from her.

The Cat burglar, which had the Gotham elites quaking in their homes, would never steal again. Yet she would still go out and do her own part as the boy kept his promise and tried to change the city that had become infested with crime.

And even now, as the mob had ordered a literal hit on his head, he refused to budge and shook his head as he answered her question.

"No, Selina. I will not have you bloody your hands. Falcone's days are numbered. He will have his due soon," he replied, and her lips thinned as she tore herself away from him and shook her head.

"He wants to kill you, and it's not just him. He is also got a backer," she told the idiotic young man, who didn't seem bothered by this.

"I will try to be careful," he replied, and she rolled her eyes as she pleaded to him.

"The city cannot lose you, Thomas. For the first time in my life, Gotham has some semblance of hope. Hope that had been lost ever since the death of your parents if anything were to happen to you…" and she didn't finish her sentence, and he walked up to her and held her by the shoulders. Without her heels, his head was a few inches above hers.

"I am not that easy to kill. You know that better than anyone," and she did. She had trained him herself, yet he was still flesh and blood. He could be shot or poisoned nonetheless.

"Why didn't you come to the supper? You know I wanted you to meet Alfred and Rachel," he said, and despite the warmth that spread in her body as he held her in his arms, she gulped and pushed himself out of his arms.

"I was busy," she made an excuse, and she saw that he knew she was lying. She would make the same excuse whenever he would ever invite her to meet his family, which mainly included that butler and that assistant DA.

She knew it was stupid of her to deny him. To deny herself, yet she felt that he deserved better than her. And so she clamped down in the warmth bubbling in her heart as she began to move towards the window. With the information she had given to him, she had already accomplished what she had come to do.

"Be careful, Selina, and tell Holly I said hi," he called from the back as she walked towards the window. She gave him a parting glance, not missing the way his eyes lingered on her form.

"I will," she said as she opened the window, and he chuckled.

"You do know you could always use the elevator," he said with a chuckle, and she smiled.

"But where is the fun in that, and jumped out of the window, a new plan already forming in her head as she literally crawled down the Wayne Tower using the special claws he had given to her.

Falcone was being backed by someone. Someone rather powerful. Perhaps she could look into who they were.

0000

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[Drkest]

Chapter 6

THOMAS WAYNE

Thomas Wayne stood backstage as a literal flood of people waited for him in the newly constructed auditorium as he thought of his life. Or rather, his new life, a life of opulence and unimaginable power and wealth.

The Wayne's weren't just rich. They were extremely rich, and they owed much of their wealth to the city of Gotham, a city that had become a haven for crime of all kinds. And though he had an inkling that the decadence of this city was not as natural as it seemed when he had first laid eyes on the depraved streets of the city, of his city, he knew that he had to do something.

The city needed a hero, and though one would come, a silent guardian who would prowl the city in the Dark and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful, his symbol would light up in the Dark and instill fear in the hearts of those hollowing out the foundation of this city.

Already, several massive orders for what appeared to be components for his iconic suite, he was also looking into our inventory and other things. In the end, Thomas had decided to help him and asked Fox to give him the 3d printer they had come up with years ago to help him design his suit.

Though for that, they first needed him to make an appearance, which, by the volume of his orders and pace of his workings, was going to be much sooner than later.

And so, it was time for him to move forward as well. His complicated birth had given him a constitution much weaker than the others, and he could not take on these men as his brother. No, he had a different role to play.

And so, he would do his own part, just as many others before him had done so. He had been blessed with wealth and the influence of the Wayne name, and beyond that, he was sharper and smarter than before. With the knowledge he had in his grasp, he knew he could do right by the people's suffering in his city.

"That will be all. Thank you all for coming!"

The announcer's announcement was met with frowns and murmurs as the presentation came to an end, and then the stage lights were turned off. A few among the audience began to stand up and headed towards the doors.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK

He stood up from his seat and began to make his way towards the stage. He headed to the front, and a few of the people frowned and gasped as he stood on the stage. Then, suddenly, the lights were flicked on again to a much enthused and intrigued audience.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

Thomas smiled and spoke the following words.

"I believe we still have time for one more thing!"

"YEAHHHHHH!" came the roar as the people sat back down.

Those who were at the door also rushed back to their seats, knowing that the whole event had just begun, for despite their efforts, leaks, and rumors of his projects had appeared in the media for some days now, though thankfully, the media had believed most of it to be rubbish.

Yet they could not have been more wrong.

As the crowd settled down somewhat, suddenly the stage shifted as three platforms slowly rose up behind him. Slowly as the screen behind him lit up, the massive LED screen shifted through a number of panels before it settled on a simple black background adorned with their newest logo.

His eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find the all too familiar face of Selina, yet in the end she was not there. And he clicked his tongue as he adjusted his mike and spoke up.

"Let me show you the future!" and with another click of his fingers, the lights turned off, and the screen behind him began to shift as the true presentation began.

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Bruce Wayne

The supper with Rachel had been a surprise, one which he hadn't expected how much he would like. She had apologized to him about her words, though he thought there wasn't anything there to apologize for.

A week had passed since his return, and a plan begun taking form in his head. He had thought about how he would keep the whole Batman thing secret from his brother, yet incidentally, Thomas didn't live in the manor.

"Alfred, why doesn't Thomas live in the manor?" Bruce questioned him as they both sat on the sofa, watching the Wayne expo on the massive screen in front of them. Thomas was on the stage now presenting the new device he had made, the smartphone.

"He says he doesn't like to commute, so he just ends up living in the room in Wayne Tower, though I do insist he visits the manor on weekends," Alfred answered quickly.

"And does he?" he questioned as he looked towards Alfred, who nodded.

"He visits at least once a month; it's usually when he and Miss Rachel get together for a meal," Alfred replied, and Bruce smiled.

"I believe your newfound hobby shall remain hidden as long as you avoid making too much noise during his visits," the man added, anticipating his next question and Bruce nodded. The system of caves they had discovered underneath the manor was perfect for him and delved deep into the city. Shifting his operation elsewhere would have been a hassle.

Thinking of the close relationship between Rachel and Thomas, and Alfred's words from the plane ride, he gulped as he looked toward the aged man and decided to ask him directly

"So, are Rachel and Thomas …" he questioned, and Alfred understood the unsaid question and shook his question.

"Ohh, no. They are not. Miss Rachel thinks of Thomas as a young brother. She is not romantically involved with him," Alfred replied, and for some reason, that soothed his heart.

"Then what about that girlfriend you mentioned?" he questioned again as he sipped his morning coffee. Yesterday had been one long night, working in the cave, finishing up the suit, and sifting through potential allies in the police force.

Surprisingly, he had been able to find some rather good leads. The Police had been a corrupt wreck a year ago, taking bribes from the criminals to look the other way as the city suffered infront of them. Though, some time ago, things had begun to shift, the Police were still corrupt, but someone had decided to cause a disruption, and the good officers, the honest ones who had been long denied their rightful promotions, had begun rising up the ladder.

"Ohh, I am afraid you will have to ask Master Thomas about that yourself," Alfred answered with his cryptic smile, and he shrugged and began to focus on the expo once more. It was a massive affair, and he didn't miss the sheer number of people present there. He had been invited as well, yet in the end, he had decided against turning up, believing that this was Thomas's stage.

And from the way the people in the crowd were gazing at his brother, it was one hell of a night.

Bruce examined the said device in his hand. It was ahead of the rest of the market by at least three to five years. And that was just the hardware, for according to Thomas, their true advantage lay on the software side.

"He seems to like running the business," Bruce commented, and Alfred nodded and smiled. He could tell that Thomas had a knack for running the empire, and it was good, for Bruce didn't have the time to look after his family's legacy. And though, as the eldest son, traditionally it should have been him leading the company, he didn't mind leaving it all to Thomas, who seemed to like the job, unlike him, who wasn't interested in it.

"Yes, he does. And he is very good at it as well, at least according to Mr. Fox," and Bruce recognized the name of their new CEO. He had met the man himself a few days back to procure certain objects.

"Has he delivered the machines?" Bruce questioned, and Alfred nodded.

"He has both the Kevlar suit and the memory cloth. As for your other demands, he wishes to meet you for he has an idea to help you with all your projects," Afred answered.

That was intriguing. The man was smart, and he could tell that he had an inkling of an idea of what Brice was about to undertake, and if a simple meeting could help him, then it was just better. Plus, Bruce also wished to meet the man who had mentored Thomas. So, he gave Alfred the nod.

"Tell him I will meet him," and Alfred nodded.

"I shall convey your message."

He had already mapped out the people who could aid him in his crusade. The city was healing, yet that didn't mean that the criminal element was going to give up without a fight.

And from what he had found out, there was now apparently a hit on his brother's head. A hit worth a million dollars. If someone was offering that kind of money, it meant that there was only some time until someone decided to try their chance," so it was better for Batman to make up his appearance.

"Good. And I believe you told Mr. Fox about not mentioning any of this to Thomas," Bruce said as Alfred nodded.

"The man promised he would not speak a word of it to young Master Thomas unless he asked," Alfred answered, and Bruce shrugged. That was good enough.

The man was fiercely loyal to his brother, and he didn't mind that at all. He seemed to be a good person and seemed to genuinely care for Thomas, something which he appreciated.

The presentation, which his brother had referred to as a 'keynote' ended to thundering applause, and Bruce stood up from the sofa as he cracked his neck and began to make his way out of the manor.

"Where are you going, Master Bruce?" Alfred questioned.

"It seems like my brother has his part handled. It is time I do mine," he said as he began to make his way to the hidden elevator and gave his trusted butler a simple glance.

The criminal element in the city thought of the darkness as their ally thought that darkness gave them power. It was time they learned the darkness wasn't their ally, that when the moon rises, monsters come out hunting. And it was time they became the hunted.

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Night had fallen, and he found himself against a building as he saw a couple of goons with guns eyeing the shelter. From what he had heard, they had been hired to rough up the shelters and burn them down by their bosses.

So, his guess was right. The mob bosses were growing desperate.

And as the three goons rounded the last corner, he landed behind them.

"Come on, hurry up, Greg. We gotta' end this quickly. Otherwise, that freaking cat might show up!" one of them shouted, and he frowned at that.

Cat? He would have to look into this.

And then, before the three could react, he was behind them and hit the man on the back of his head, knocking him out.

"Fuck!" the second one cursed, and just as he turned to face him, Bruce punched the guy in the face, held his extended arm, and dislocated it.

"AHHHHH!" the man fell to his knees, and Bruce kicked him in the face, knocking him out as well.

The third guy had taken out his gun and was looking at him with eyes wide with fear. The man shot again, and the bullets simply rolled off of the Kevlar armor as Bruce walked towards the third man with slow steps.

"Do you know who we work for? Do you know who you are messing with huh," the man said as he backed into the alley.

"Falcone will have your head for this. I am telling you, he will have your head," the man spoke up as his gun ran out of bullets. He continued to back off until he hit the wall off the blind alley.

"Who are you? Tell me, who are you?" the man questioned frantically as he rushed towards him.

Bruce ducked under his punch and hit him the git, making the man vomit as he kicked his leg, making him fall headfirst onto the pavement.

"AHHH!" the man screamed in pain as the fall broke his nose. He tried to crawl away, but Bruce stomped on his leg, and the man glanced back, now shaking with fear.

"What are you?" he questioned as Bruce raised his fist and spoke up.

"I am vengeance!"

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So, if possible, have a look and consider becoming a patron if you can. It would help me out a lot.

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Have fun reading!

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 7

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The night for the caped crusader would end with several such alterations, yet despite his efforts, two shelters would be damaged. Few knew that, without the protection of their new guardian, just how broad the damage would have been.

"Ouch!" Bruce screamed as bright light interrupted his sleep.

"I had a late night, Alfred. Let me sleep," he spoke as he wrested the covers to shield his eyes from the burning Sun.

"I would, but there is someone here to meet you downstairs," Alfred said, making him groan, for if it was not important, Alfred wouldn't have rustled him out of his sleep.

"Who is it?" he questioned as he tore off the blanket and rubbed his eye, politely thanking the butler for the glass of juice he handed him.

"It's Mr. Earle, the previous CEO of Wayne Enterprises."

And Wayne looked at Alfred with a raised brow and questioned.

"What is he doing here? Send him away?" Bruce said, annoyed at why the man had disturbed his sleep.

"I tried, but he is rather insistent and says that he has something he wants to share with you?"

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Carmine Falcone

The city of Gotham was changing. It was always changing. Yet for a long time, as he saw the shifting futures, he didn't see himself in that future, and that infuriated him.

He was Carmine Falcone, son of Vincent Falcone, head of Gotham's biggest criminal syndicate, the man who had owned this city a little over a year ago, walking through its streets as a king. Yet now the winds had shifted, and his own future had become uncertain.

'And it was all because of him!' He had begun this. Thomas Wayne, refusing to take any lessons from his parent's death. Wayne continued to carry out his so-called heroic deeds, throwing away his money to help the so-called needy, trying to save a city that ate out of his hands.

The boy was becoming a nuisance, young and idealistic, a dreamer. One who had refused to pay any heed to the warnings he had sent. Why couldn't he just enjoy his wealth like the rest of them? Why did the boy have to be such a revolutionary?

Yet he would learn. He would, if not directly, then through that pretty little friend at the DA's office. She had been a problem on his side for some time now as well. It was time that all of this was taken care of.

"He is very disappointed in you, Mr. Falcone?" spoke the other piece of shit, driving him mad, as he turned to face the psychiatrist from Arkham.

Jonathan Crane, and Falcone didn't miss the madness hidden in that gaze, yet it would take some kind of madness to deal with the people locked up in that hell hole. Yet Falcone wasn't bothered by the pretty little doctor. He could handle the man himself.

NO, what had him worried was the man, or rather the men who were using the man. The Falcone's were an old crime family; their roots ran deep, yet the people behind him seemed even more ancient and dangerous.

Something which the young doctor seemed rather oblivious to. A blessing for the man made a rather useful pawn, especially with his postings and qualifications.

"And why is that, huh? Your boss should appreciate what I have been doing for him, getting his shit into the city despite all the hurdles," Falcone snickered, frustrated by this whole nonsense.

"Yes, yet you have only managed to transfer half the stuff, and you failed to deliver on the container we asked you to secure for us from that ship?" Crane spoke, adjusting his glasses, and Falcone's face thinned as he sat down in his chair and looked the man in the eye.

"Now listen to me, and listen carefully. You and I both know that it has been getting hard to move stuff in recent days. Someone's been paying the cops to look at our business, and the movement's slowed down overall," he finished as he opened his drawer and took out a cigar.

The police were still corrupt, yet somehow, some of the more idealistic bastards had managed to rise up the chain and were now causing problems. Problems that had cost him millions.

"And as for that package, I am telling you. It wasn't there. Whatever machine you and your boss were looking for wasn't on that ship, and from what I found out, the package never left the Wayne Tower," he told the man, as he gritted his teeth at the sheer mention of that name.

Falcone had met the older brother, that boy had spunk. His eyes had been fearless, yet he knew that they would change with time. Yet it appeared as though the younger one had inherited the same bravado. Perhaps it was something in their blood.

"I will relay that information to him," said the good doctor with a nod.

"But that doesn't solve our initial conundrum, Mr. Falcone. We need those deliveries into Arkham," the bastard insisted, and Carmine knew that he was on a leash. If his suspicion was right, then he couldn't afford to piss him off.

"Tell him I will have that handled as well; it's time Thomas Wayne realizes that there are consequences for his actions," Falcone remarked as he lit up the cigar and put it to his mouth, and savored the virgin puff.

"Thomas Wayne is too cautious," the man replied, and Falcone shrugged as he gave the man a wild smile.

"He is, but his friend at the attorney's office is not. That should teach him a lesson," he remarked, and he saw Crane's eyes narrow as he probably realized whom he was referring to.

"Miss Rachel Dawes," the mind doctor identified her rather quickly, and his tone spoke of a rather strife relationship.

"Interesting. She is becoming quite a thorn in my side as well," added the young man with a small smile, and Falcone was aware of that. The young assistant DA was an idealist, a pretty one too, and he would have spared the girl if times had been different. But now he needed to send a message to that rich boy, and from what he had learned the boy was rather close to her.

It was time he learned that his actions had consequences.

She had filed several cases against the young doctor, asking for his removal from Arkham, something which had put the young man under quite a bit of spotlight, forcing him to put down his experimentations.

Ohh, he knew some of the things that went on in that hell hole, though that was of little concern to him.

"Speaking of that, I want you to get some of my men into Arkham," he added, remembering about the debacle that had been last night. He had sent out men, to target those blasted shelters Wayne had set up. They had been eating away at his manpower, yet somehow, half of those he had sent had been beaten to a pulp by someone and were now under police custody.

"I cannot," came the retort, annoying him further as the young man continued.

"You and I both know that Miss Dawes is rather heavily interested in me and my rulings in this regard. I believe she will only take this opportunity to further tear into my reputation and position, So, I cannot help you," the man declined.

"Pah! Didn't I tell you to not worry about this? She will soon be taken care of. I need those men, Crane. Idle hands have been getting rather scarce around here, you know," Falcone said as he leaned forward, and looked the man in the eye.

"I will see what I can do. Though the next shipment is rather important for him, I believe it would be best if you were to personally make sure nothing goes wrong with its delivery," said Crane, and Falcone didn't like that the man thought he could send commands through his henchmen, yet he would deal with him later, once he had regained his lost power.

"I will, but what about Thomas Wayne, I don't believe that it was a coincidence that your little gadget was missing from that ship," Falcone added, as the young Doctor simply stood up.

"I will convey your concerns to him and do make sure that there are no further delays. He is running out of patience," Crane said, and Falcone shrugged.

"I will see what I can do, but you need to get me my men first, doctor," Falcone remarked, and the doctor nodded.

"You will have them," and with that, the spectacled monster walked out of his office, leaving him alone.

He stood up and walked towards the massive window that showed the expansive city, facing the massive tower standing tall in the city center. A 'W' inscribed into it as the railway line passed right through it.

"Soon, boy. Soon, you shall learn what it means to pick a fight with me!"

0000

A figure in the shadow dressed in a black outfit that had him blend into the night itself stood atop a high riser looking down at the city below, a city rotten to the core, a city that they had long condemned.

"I have talked with Falcone. He says Wayne is being a nuisance. He needs to be handled if things are to go smoothly,"

And with that, the man cut off the phone, knowing already what needed to be done.

"Another Wayne, it seems your brother is also very special, huh," uttered the man as he looked up at the building that stood tall in the center of Gotham, the symbol of hop to which this city clung to.

"Thomas Wayne, it seems we must handle you first."

And with that, the man raised his hand, and several figures clad in pitch-black clothing, masking their figures, walked out of the shadows.

"Have the men make preparations. We have a target."

"Hai!" and with that, the men disappeared once again, vanishing into the night as the man looked at the first page of the newspaper he had picked up in the morning.

SHADOWY FIGURE ROUGHS UP GOONS! WHO IS THE CAPED CRUSADER TARGETTING GOTHAM'S CRIMINALS! IS HE EVEN REAL!
by Edward Newgate

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So, if you can have a look and consider becoming a patron. It would help me out a lot. Like really, a lot! 😉

www.Patreon.com/Drkest

Have fun, people!

Just for the sake of it. "ONE PIECE EXISTSSSSS!"~By Edward Newgate

 

[Drkest]

Chapter 8

Rachel Dawes

Rachel Dawes was on a war path as she walked up the steps of the Wayne manor. It had been months since Bruce's return, and things had been going well between them, and both of them had met a number of times.

Yet, for some reason, she could not bring herself to commit to anything, for whenever she was with him it felt as if a massive wall hung between both of them, and despite everything, she couldn't bridge that gap.

"Miss Dawes," Alfred, the ever-dutiful butler, frowned as he saw her striding into the manor so early in the morning, but what could she do? It was the only time she had.

"Where is he?" she asked Alfred, and before he could answer, he walked down the stairs.

"Rachel?" he uttered her name slowly, still dressed in loose pajamas and a nigh robe, as he walked down the stairs with a frown.

"What happened?" he questioned, and she raised the paper she had picked up on the way and pointed at the headline.

"Want to explain this?" she questioned pointedly as she showed him the headline covering the whole front page.

EARLE PIERCE'S NEW ALLY! RIFT BETWEEN BROTHERS! BRUCE WAYNE PLANNING TO REINSTALL EARLE PIERCE AS CEO!

"Ohh," he said as he took the paper from her hand, appearing nonchalant about the whole issue.

"Do you have any idea what this looks like and how this would affect Thomas? He is your brother. How could you do something like this to him!" she shook her head as Bruce simply raised a brow.

"Ra…" but she cut him off.

"Earle Pierce ran your empire in a way absolutely opposite to the vision of your parents! The man was a greedy piece of shit who shuttered every welfare project of Wayne Enterprises. Thomas made all that effort to remove him, and now you want to reinstall him. How could you even do this?" she uttered all that in a single sentence.

"What's going on here?" suddenly, she was interrupted by the familiar voice of Thomas from behind and turned to find the younger Wayne brother walking in.

"Thomas!" she spoke up as he walked towards her and Bruce, who still hadn't explained anything.

Thomas walked up to her and, took the paper from her hand and read the headline with a raised brow.

"So, my dear brother wants to oust me from the company," he said with a smirk as he came face to face with Bruce and there was tension in the air until suddenly, Thomas broke out into a chuckle, followed by Bruce, and she was taken aback by the spectacle.

"What is the meaning of this? Why are both of you laughing like idiots?" and she couldn't help at seeing the two of them chuckling.

"Ohh, it's nothing. I am just surprised that you took the Post seriously," Thomas replied, and she turned towards Bruce, knowing she had a better chance of getting a proper explanation from the elder brother.

Bruce stifled his laugh as he moved towards her, his arms gripping her shoulders.

"The whole thing with Earle was a setup. The man wouldn't let me sleep, so I met him. And that was it. He planted the whole article, though this also helps us learn of his plans a bit earlier," he explained.

"Though I wouldn't mind even if it was real," Thomas cut in and then suddenly smirked at Bruce, who narrowed his gaze.

"The competition has become quite dull these days,

"Are you sure you could handle me, Thomas? After all, I am the older brother," Bruce remarked, and she realized it was all for the ruse it was and ground her teeth as she rolled up the newspaper and swung it at Thomas's head.

"You idiots! You had me worried for no reason because of your silly games!" she complained as the newspaper struck Thomas, who winced mockingly as Bruce mimicked his reaction.

"Ouch! Ouch! Why are you hitting me for your mistake," Thomas complained, and she just huffed, seeing through his pretenses.

"I don't care!" she replied indignantly as Thomas just sighed, and Bruce chuckled, making her still as she felt her cheeks heat up and his gaze land on her.

Tomas then turned to Bruce and continued.

"I am telling you, she is just using us to vent her workplace frustrations," he complained, and she sighed as Alfred led them to the sofas.

"Don't even get me started on that! Someone beat up a number of Falcone's goons last night," she then turned towards Thomas.

"Speaking of that, they were vandalizing properties of Wayne Enterprises. Would your company like to pursue charges?" she questioned, and for a moment, she felt that the atmosphere in the room was rather tense as Thomas stared at Bruce with a complicated gaze while sipping his freshly made coffee.

"Yeah, why not. I will have the lawyers contact the DA office," he replied, and she was thankful for that. Though the case was not very strong, it helped them put more of Falcone's men behind bars.

Many in the city were too afraid of the Italian mob boss to move against him, yet things were beginning to change. Slowly, yet at least now, there was a semblance of hope.

And it all began with one person's efforts. Thomas.

And she felt proud of the young man she considered a younger brother.

"Do you have the new phone on you?" he suddenly asked, and she frowned as she reached into her bag pocket and took out the phone he had given her. It was a marvelous piece of technology, and she could understand why people were going crazy over it.

Several people in her own office had asked her whether she could help them get it before the early knowing of her relationship with Thomas, the man who had helped build the thing.

Thomas began to fiddle with her phone as Bruce finally spoke up.

"Speaking of that, I wanted to ask why doesn't your office go after Falcone himself," he questioned her as Alfred handed them both their own drinks.

And she shook her head, having grown frustrated by that damn question.

"The man is extremely well connected. Half the city fears him while he owns the other half, judges, policemen, and detectives. He has them all in his pocket," she complained as she sipped the smooth hot chocolate, having a sprinkle of cinnamon, just the way she liked it.

"Thank you, Alfred," she spoke to the aged butler, who gave her a warm smile.

"It was nothing, Miss Dawes," came the answer as always as she turned to face Bruce.

"Though, things are changing. The man himself probably orchestrated the attack on the shelters, I am going to push the men we arrested to confess to the fact so I could bring him in for questioning, though given he has the Judge in his pocket, it will not be easy," she added.

Bruce nodded.

"Interesting," he said as his eyes narrowed, and she frowned as she saw his expression, failing to realize what was going on in his head.

"Here," Thomas handed her back her phone as she frowned.

"What did you do?" she questioned as she examined it, yet found nothing different.

"I was just activating the SOS system," he said as he pointed toward the small power button.

"Now, whenever you feel that you are in danger, you just need to press it four times, and the phone will automatically send your location to the relevant authorities." She raised a brow, impressed by the functionality.

"Nice, that seems rather helpful," she remarked and clicked on the power button, and the screen lit up, the time highlighted right there, making her still.

"Shit!" she cursed, as she jumped to her feet as she saw that she was now late for office.

"I have to go. I am running late," she said as she hastily packed her bag.

"Let me drive you," Bruce offered, but she shook her head.

"No, I will manage. I did bring my own car," she replied as she rushed out of the manor after a brief farewell, hopping into her car as she raced away.

In her hurry, she decided to take a shortcut through the narrows, a destitute part of the city often avoided by the people because of the prevalence of crime, and as she was racing down the road right across the railway lines, she was suddenly forced to push hard on the brake paddle as a few people stepped right in her path.

SCREEEEEECH!

Her head hit the steering wheel, making her wince in pain, though thankfully she was wearing her seatbelt and she avoided anything worse.

"Ouch!" she screamed as she reached for her forehead, and realized that she had cut her skin as she felt her hand become wet.

"This must be our lucky day! This is the pretty little DA the boss asked us to handle" she heard one of the goons questions in a gruff tone, and she realized that these people were no simple beggars.

No, they were Falcone's goons. And her heart thumped as she quickly locked the car doors and reached into her bag, reaching for her phone and the taser gun.

She shakily pressed the button three times as the goons surrounded her car and began to force open the door.

"Bring me the crowbar!" one of the goons, trying to open her door, shouted as someone threw him a crowbar.

He aimed it at her window and gave her a toothy grin, showing her his crooked teeth as he swung it at her window.

THUNK!

The window cracked from the force of his attack yet didn't break. The man frowned as he pulled it back and swung it once more.

THUNK!

The cracks expanded, and she turned around and saw that the men had surrounded her car.

THUNK!

The window was struck again, and she could tell that it was on the verge of breaking, seemingly the man recognized this as well and smiled cruelly as he pulled it back and swung it once more with all his might.

CRACK!

The window broke, spraying her with shards that stung her skin, as she instinctively closed her eyes as the crowbar inched towards her.

Yet the pain never came and she slowly opened her eyes and found a massive shadowy figure standing by her side, holding the crowbar, which was inches away from her face.

She saw the man's face turn ashen white as he glanced at the towering figure and spoke up with a shaky voice.

"You!"

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

And then she watched in awe as the shadowy figure made quick work of the nearly half a dozen men, and in a second, all of them were down on the ground writhing in pain, as the shadowy figure finally turned towards her.

A mask covered half his face, and his gaze was sharp and chilling enough that she felt a shiver run down her spine as the man finally spoke up.

"Falcone has called a hit on you!" he uttered, his voice grazy and mechanical.

Her eyes widened as she heard those words. And though there was animosity between her and Falcone, this was excessive.

"You have rattled his empire! Keep rattling!" the man continued, and she realized that this was the man who had beat up all those henchmen some nights ago.

"Who are you?" she questioned, and the man halted for a second before he answered.

"Someone just like you. Someone who will rattle the cages!"

And then, the whole area became covered with smoke, and the only thing she heard was the sound of men falling and screaming.

0000

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[Drkest]

Chapter 9

BRUCE WAYNE

The attack on Rachel had been a surprise for him, and it worried him that a man like Falcone had placed a bounty on her head. However, whether it was because of her role as an assistant DA or because of her closeness with Thomas, who had been targeting the man with his business ventures, was still unclear.

Though, the bigger surprise had been the SOS alert he had received on his phone when Rachel had used the SOS function on her phone, and the way Thomas's eyes had glinted towards him when he had explained it to Rachel had unsettled him.

Did he know already? And if so, what could Bruce to do?

The two brothers hadn't had the chance to talk ever since, and now, as the next day rose, Bruce found himself walking through the gates of his family's company, Wayne Enterprises.

The massive Wayne Tower, iconic to the city of Gotham stood in the center, with its high-speed rail passing right through it. The lobby seemed somewhat busy. He could see people in suits walking in and out of the building, a massive structure stood tall in the center of the lobby, it was a round screen, with a foundation around it that rose through the floors, displaying the various products of their company, including his brother's latest venture into the mobile computing industry.

The technology seemed rather interesting, but he could not let himself get distracted, and he walked towards the reception, as a rather petite brunette with her hair tied in a pony tail, chewed gum, while lazily tapping away at her keyboard.

"AKHM!" he coughed, trying to get her attention, yet the woman didn't even bother to look up as she spoke up.

"Uhuh! Yes, how may I help you," said Susan, in a disinterested tone. Her name was written on the nameplate pinned to her suit jacket.

"I believe I have an appointment," he began with a smile and leaned forward yet the young lady still didn't glance up.

"May I have your name?" she asked, again eyes focused on the computer screen.

"Bruce Wayne," he replied a bit cheekily, and the young woman stilled as soon as she heard that name, and glanced up finally, her face pale as a sheet.

"Mr. Wayn…." She said, as she rushed to stand up, though he watched as her eyes moved beyond him, as a third person cut into his fun.

"I believe I will take it from here, Miss Susan," came the thick and unhurried voice of an aged man, a rather familiar one at that. And he glanced back, and found himself staring at the man who was now the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox.

The man had a smile on his face as they shook hands, he was dressed rather casually for a CEO, though it didn't matter for even in a horde of company excecs one wouldn't miss the man. He just had that kind of presence as the man looked him over with a piercing gaze.

"Mr. Fox, it is good to finally put a face to the voice," he said, and the man nodded.

"The feeling is mutual, Mr. Wayne. Come let us take this to my office," and then the man led him to what seemed to be a private elevator, and as they entered the closed space Bruce cut in.

"How about instead of your office we take it to the department that has piqued my mind," he began and saw the man turn to face him.

"Applied Physics?" he questioned, and Bruce nodded, not surprised that the man knew of it.

He had been scrubbing through Wayne Enterprises files, searching for technology that could help him, and in that sense, he had found what he needed in Applied Physics. This interesting department had once been headed by the Lucius himself.

"Why not?" he said as he hit what appeared to be a level below the basement, and the doors to the elevator closed.

They descended quietly, only the soft hum of the elevator to keep them company until they reached the said floor, and the doors opened to reveal a massive basement filled with crates and other objects wrapped in sheets.

"Ahh! This brings back memories!" said the man as they walked in, and the lights began to turn on automatically, lighting up the whole space as both of them began to walk through the rows and rows of projects.

"I am not surprised that this department caught your eye," the man began as he gave him a pointed stare and continued.

"….especially given your unique needs," he said with a smile that told Bruce that the man had not bought his excuses.

Well, who would when you would ask for a Kevlar plated suit and military grade memory cloth for spelunking and base jumping. Though, if the man was suspicious and had a problem with this.

"Akhm, if you have a problem with thi…." And the man was quick to cut him off.

"Not at all, Mr. Wayne, all this is yours and you are free to do whatever you please with this. Though I would like it if you do not treat me like a fool," he said, and then stared at him with an ominous gaze as he said in a soft tone.

"What you do with your days…." The man began and Bruce felt himself halt, as the man continued with an intone,"…or nights is none of my concern." and Bruce stilled at that.

The man knew. Both of them stared into each other's eyes, and the man could have blackmailed him, or threatened him to use the knowledge of his secret identity. Yet he hadn't.

Bruce had researched the man of course, he was one of his father's companions, a genius, according to many, and he had mentored Thomas when he had stepped into the company. The man had little to no greed and had an integrity that few could boast of in the country.

"Duly noted," he replied after a moment of silence, and the man smiled as they reached an unsaid agreement of not making undue excuses.

Fox nodded as they reached what appeared to be a relatively new addition to the space, this object appeared as though it had been recently reeled in.

"Aha, here it is," said Mr. Fox as he moved closer to it, and began to fiddle around what was a small screen on it.

"Is this the machine you wished to show me?" he questioned, already having an idea of what it was.

"Yes," came the reply as Fox turned to face him.

"This is the perfect solution for you. The latest technology in 3-D printing, this machine helps you build and construct anything from the size of a nail to full body armor, and this time you could machine ten in a simple basement rather than order ten thousand pieces," Mr. Fox said as he gave him another small smile. He raised a brow. The man was somehow aware of the failed order from Singapore.

Just how much did the man know? He examined the machine and reached what appeared to be the control screen.

"Who designed this?" he questioned as he began to fiddle with the controls.

"Your brother did," and the answer surprised him, as he pressed the wrong button, making the machine halt as alarm sounds began to ring.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

He looked towards Fox, who stopped the noise with a push of a button.

"I do believe it comes with a manual," he replied while he still reeled from the shock of his earlier words.

"Thomas built this," he questioned, and Fox nodded.

"Indeed, your brother has varied interests. He came up with the idea weeks before your return. He had a prototype built. A rather simpler version of this is right now in use by him for his next project," the man told him, and that sent all kinds of mixed signals.

From how Rachel's location had appeared on his phone, and now this. Did Thomas already know? And if so, why hadn't he said anything?

"About the things I initially commissioned out of this, did you tell Thomas about them?" he questioned again.

The man shook his head as he replied to him.

"As I said before, I will not tell Thomas of what you are doing here Mr. Wayne. However, I will not lie to him about it if he were to ask me as well," and that had been what Alfred had told him as well.

And it was reasonable enough.

"Though, I must caution you," the man began cryptically as he stared into his eyes.

"There is little in Gotham that Thomas remains oblivious to. Your brother is a very well-informed person, so don't insult his intelligence," he warned him, and those words raised his suspicion that Thomas was already aware of his nightly crusades.

Yet why hadn't he said anything? Perhaps it was time both of them had a chat of their own?

"What is that?" he questioned, as he pointed towards the other package lying beside the printer, it appeared as if something had been dismantled and broken down deliberately.

"Let me see," said Mr. Fox, as he read the label.

"Ah! This is a microwave emitter. It was invented during the Cold War, and it could be used to vaporize an enemy's water supply. A weapon which your father refused to sell despite considerable pressure," replied Mr. Fox.

"What's it doing here?" he questioned.

"I don't know, but I will try and find out," came the reply as the man turned to face him again.

"Now that you have your printer, is there anything else you might need?" Bruce thought for a second before he answered.

"Do you have any vehicle that I could use?" he questioned and saw the man's mind race before he replied with a grin.

"I believe I have just the thing." The man then led him to an empty section of the place, where a single large vehicle stood imperiously, with its gigantic wheels and what seemed to be guns at the side.

It was as if he was looking at an unholy fusion between a tank and a sports car.

"This shall serve your adventurous needs quite well."

"What even is this?" he questioned as he looked around the gigantic vehicle.

"This was conceived as a bridging vehicle, though we could never get them to work as that, but otherwise," the man continued as he looked at the thing with with twinkling eyes.

"This is a masterpiece in itself. Let's take it out for a spin," said the man as he pressed a button, and the doors began to open, revealing the elaborate interior that seemed as if it belonged to a fighter jet rather than a car.

"Why not?" he said as he jumped in.

And minutes after driving the damn thing, Bruce only had a single question.

"Does it come in Black?"

0000

As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patreon. Your support makes it possible for me to write these stories. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a sub if you can. It would help me out a lot.

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[Drkest]

Chapter 10

SELINA KYLE

Seline Kyle found herself sitting on a beach, relaxing as the soft wind caressed her skin. The Sun illuminated her, as the rhythmic sound of waves crashing on the shore soothed her ears.

The beach was empty, or at least it was for her. For her attention was focused on the person sitting by her side, wearing simple white shorts with an unbuttoned safari shirt, his hair wet as water dribbled down his face, his blue eyes focused on her, hungering after her.

His mouth moved, yet no sound reached her.

Until a distant shout, of someone calling her name disturbed her.

"Selina!!"

She frowned as she failed to hear what he was saying, as his lips moved again.

"Selinaa!"

Someone called her name again, and she frowned getting frustrated.

"SELINAA!"

And as she turned angrily, to see who was calling her name, the world went dark.

"AGHHH!" she screamed in pain as she felt her head hit the floor.

"Gods! Are you fine? Should I call someone!" suddenly, she heard footsteps hurry towards her as a pair of arms helped her sit up. Her vision cleared up, and she watched as Helena looked at her worriedly.

"No! I will be fine. Just get me some ice," she replied quickly as her vision cleared up. And as Helena rushed to the fridge to get her some Ice, she forced herself and sat down on her bed once again.

And as she looked around, she sighed as she found no trace of the clear ocean, the beach, or the person sitting beside her, as she found herself back in her apartment. A two-bedroom apartment in one of Gotham's rather safe corners, or at least it had become after Wayne Enterprises had built their shelter and rehab center here.

And though crime and drugs still lingered on, in the darkness of the night, people were less driven towards a life of crime when they had a way of making an honest living. However, she did have to break a few bones to get those who had been rather unwelcoming of the change that had begun to brew in this city.

Helena entered the room once again, ice and water in hand. She took the icepack from her hand and placed it against the bruise on her forehead. The cool ice numbed the pain as she took a sip of the water.

"Are you sure you are fine Selina? I could call an ambulance or…." At this she gave him a rather scandalous stare, making her frown.

"What?" she questioned, as Helena wiggled her brows.

"Nothing but from the way you were sleeping and calling out a certain name, you know maybe I could call Thom…." That was all the liberty she would allow her, that little rascal as she replied quickly and emphatically.

"No!" she said, and as she saw that devilish smile on her face, she narrowed her gaze as she threatened her.

"And if you ever mention anything of the sort to him, I will throw you out of this house!" she threatened, but the little rascal just rolled her eyes as she huffed haughtily.

"Then I will just have Thomas take me in, after all, that's the least he could do for his future sister-in-law," Helena teased her, and Selina narrowed her eyes at her, and the teenager finally buckled under her gaze as she stood up, defeated.

"Ok. Ok. I will not say anything," said Helena with another roll of her eyes as she plopped herself down on the chair, beside her table.

"Honestly, I still cannot realize why both of you aren't together yet. It's obvious both of you like each other," Helena said, and she felt her cheeks heat up and her heart flutter. Yet she pushed down on that momentary elation, as she removed the Ice and walked into the bathroom, hoping to freshen up.

"It's complicated. You are too young to understand," she replied, and Helena looked at her with a tired expression.

"I am not a child anymore, you know. I am in high school. High school!" she shouted back as she opened the tap, and any of the leftover sleepiness left her very soul as the chilly water hit her face.

She could see that the Sun had long set, and night had fallen, and it was time for her to leave the house and finish the little crusade she had begun over a week ago.

She wiped off her face and walked out of the bathroom, and Helena was now in the kitchen, heating up something in the oven. For all her efforts, Selina couldn't cook to save herself, and so it had been decided early on in their time together that it was better she stay away from the stove lest she burn down the whole House.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Helena opened the oven, and took out a small dish, and placed it infront of her, it was lasagnia, not her favourite, but her times without any meals had made her thankful for any meal, especially for one without mould and smell.

"Thanks," she said to Helena, who gave her a smile as she began to fiddle with her phone, the one that Thomas had recently launched. She herself used a similar one, though unlike Helena, she couldn't appreciate what was so special about a phone like this.

"So, you leaving for work again?" Helena questioned her as she ate the heated Italian dish. She nodded, and though Helena was not privy to the true nature of her job, Selina knew that the young blonde knew enough that it was not as simple as she made it out to be.

On paper, she was a simple secretary, working as many others in the city for the prestigious Wayne enterprises, though that was just a cover one she had established so she could take legal custody of Helena.

"Yeah," she said as she took a sip of the water and asked a question of her own.

"Everything fine at school?" she questioned. And Helena had been admitted to Gotham High, a private school, and she knew first hand how those snobby idiots at school could behave.

"Yes, though most of my friends have been bugging me about how I got this phone so early," Helena replied with a smug smile, and Selina smiled as she saw the innocence of her sister, and it was to protect that very innocence she had agreed to taking that position on paper.

Even in moving to this apartment, one which was located in one of the safer areas of, the only reason Thomas had been able to convince her of doing so had been because of Helena.

Thomas's motto in life was simple.

'Problems that can be solved by money aren't problems at all' though if one were to be born with the wealth of the Wayne empire at his back, they would probably have a similar motto.

Yet it wasn't said condescendingly or boastfully. It was just how he tackled his life, and right now, his efforts were working. The shift in Gotham, however small it may be, was because Thomas was using his personal wealth to tackle the city's problems, to give hope to the destitute. And it was working.

Yet some people, people who had thrived in the dark, were not happy. There were grumblings against him in the underbelly of Gotham. Plots were hatched and abandoned as the criminal element of the city faced what seemed to be an existential threat to their dark enterprise.

She was aware of the usual culprits. Knew which arms to break to know of their plans, yet things had begun to shift. Someone new and much more dangerous had taken root in the city. And now, after weeks of hard work, she finally had a name for them.

Ra's al Ghul. A name she didn't recognize, yet it sounded ominous, and dangerous. And she had promised herself that she would never let anything happen to Thomas.

Both she and Helena had a small talk. This was routine was no longer a surprise for them. And so, after washing the dishes she walked out of the building, and after a simple glance to the sides, she frowned.

She could feel someone looking at her, observing her. After another look she walked into the street, walking towards the corner, and silently vanished into the blind alley.

She threw off her long coat, revealing the black suit she wore underneath, as she placed it at her usual hiding place. Picking up her mask, she placed it on her face, and then, after a small stretch she kicked off the ground.

Small claws extended out of her gloves, a gift from Thomas, and helped her grip into the wall, as she jumped off again, eventually reaching the terrace. She stepped on the roof. The soft wind blew away he hair as she looked around the city.

Gotham was a city didn't sleep. Even now, deep into the night the city was alive, with cars moving around the city, as the heinous element of the city came out with the setting of the Sun, with the cover of night providing refuge for all those who had made a deal with the devil itself.

Yet even that had begun to change, especially over the last few weeks. There were rumors of another man prowling the city at night, silent as a snake, clad in a black costume.

Batman, he was called by those who had met him.

She had yet to see him, though held a favorable view of him, for he had protected the shelters from Falcone's goons. Yet the jury was still out on that as her eyes narrowed onto the docks in the distance.

From her reports, she had come to know that this Ra's al Ghul had an important shipment coming today. This man, or organization, or whatever it was, was using Falcone's men for his business. A smart move, given the man, was perhaps the biggest of the cronies ruling Gotham's underbelly.

Yet, this also gave him an opportunity to find out who this new threat was. As for Falcone, his time will come as well.

Soon. Very soon.

And with that she broke out into a soft stride, as she jumped from one rooftop to another, heading straight for the docks.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The first thing that reached her ears as she reached near the docks was the sound of gunfire, and she frowned as she slowed down, and began to climb up the massive crane hoping to find out what was going on. The climb was pretty quick, and as she stood on the arm of the massive crane, she could watch a shadowy figure dismantling Falcone's crew singlehandedly.

He moved with purpose and intent, no hesitation or hear in his stride even as Falcone's men fired upon him. The bullets bounced off him, much to her surprise for there were few materials that could take bullets like that.

She watched, Falcone trying to get away, even as the man shot something towards his driver and the car, stopping the man's escape. And even though she was tempted to go down there and deal with the scum like Falcone herself she stopped herself, reminding herself of her true purpose.

A man like Falcone didn't deserve her attention, and it seemed he had finally met his match.

"Interesting isn't it," suddenly someone spoke from behind and she turned quickly and found herself staring at a man, as her mind raced.

How had he gotten behind her so quietly? He was dressed in rather loose clothing, something that one would often find people wearing in a dojo or in cosplays. Yet the way the man moved over the arm of the crane told of years of training.

"Who are you?" she questioned as she began to move back, growing apprehensive about the man's intentions.

"I believe you already know the answer to that," he began as she frowned moving forward.

"Afterall, you have been looking for me for some time now, Miss Kyle?" he said and she stilled.

He knew her name, her real name. Alarm bells rang in her head as she narrowed her eyes, taking the first name that came to mind.

"You are Ra's al Ghul?" she guessed, and the man smiled, yet that did little to ease her, for the man gave a dangerous aura.

"Yes," he agreed, and she gulped down and reached for her gauntlets and twisted them, and saw a small light flicker for a moment as she prayed to God above hoping that, he would hear this.

"What do you want from me?" she questioned.

And the man's expression shifted as disgust appeared on his face.

"From a criminal like you, nothing." He said in a disgusted tone as he glared at her.

She had now reached the end of the crane arm and had no more space to back up. So, she stopped as the man continued to walk towards her.

"Then why are you here?" she questioned as she glanced at the ocean below, her mind racing.

"I believe you also know the answer to that, I want nothing from you. But rather from Thomas Wayne," he added, and her fear materialized as the man continued.

"After all, the man does care quite a bit about you and that sister of you!"

And her heart twisted at the mention of Helena. And she remembered the ominous presence she had felt when she had left her home, and she growled at the man.

"Leave her out of this. She is a child!" she screamed.

"Child she may be, but even she is complicit in the rot that has taken root in this city. Yet do not worry, no harm will come to her, as long as you agree to do as I say," he said, and she gritted her teeth. Her heart raced as she worried for Helena.

She knew she had to buy time. Time, for even though there had been no signal, she knew that he would be listening. She had to trust him.

And so she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and then questioned once more.

"What do you want from Thomas?" she questioned.

"I believe you don't deserve to know that. And though I find your attempt to reform yourself, it is futile. A criminal is a criminal, and must face punishment for his actions," the man said, his voice zealous and filled with conviction.

"My sister is innocent," she argued.

And the man nodded.

"And no harm will come to her as long as you come with us," added the man, and she frowned.

"Us?" she questioned and watched as three more people literally stepped out of the man's shadow, clad in body suits with masks covering their faces. Their movements numbed and measured as they surrounded her.

She raised her hand and reached for her hair seemingly to tie them up, as she brought the gauntlet near her ear.

"Jump"

She heard, through the small speaker, and as did the four men, who immediately pounced at her.

Yet she was faster, as she took a step back and jumped down, cutting through the air, and she smirked as the crane arm blew up seconds later, as the gauntlet she had attached to the rods blew up, as her feet hit the cold water of the sea river.

SPLASH!

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