Chapter 18

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7 years ago

The clock struck midnight when Master Bruce came in with that hideous bat-suit, blood pouring out of his side.

''Alfred,'' Master Bruce said in barely a whisper, collapsing on the floor.

Alfred ran to him, picking him up as Master Bruce leaned on his shoulder.

''Ten years of training and you still can't avoid a bullet,'' Alfred sighed, as he patched up the bullets and started stitching.

After stopping the bleeding and successfully removing the bullet, Master Bruce still opted to keep fighting the following night. It wasn't the first night he'd come with life threatening injuries. There was one night where he had gotten stabbed by a mugger that got in a lucky shot, another where a bullet grazed his shoulder. It was reckless and dangerous and dishonoured everything the Wayne family stood for and on that night, Alfred had had enough.

Master Wayne had his back turned to him. A back lined with bruises and scars from just 6 months of doing whatever Master Bruce thought he was doing. He put on that shirt with that bat like symbol over his bloodied bandages and then put on his mask.

''Don't you think you've had enough?'' Alfred asked.

''What was that, Alfred?''

''All those wounds,'' Alfred said. ''All those long nights not knowing whether or not you'll see tomorrow? Don't you think you've had enough of those?''

''Where's this coming from?''

''Many years ago, I took an oath, Master Wayne,'' Alfred said. ''An oath to protect the Wayne family if it cost me my life.''

''I don't need any protection Alfred, I'm...''

Alfred raised a hand. ''Let me finish. I wasn't there...'' Alfred looked aside and closed his eyes. ''I wasn't there for your parents but I can be there for you.''

''You can be there by waiting here while I...''

''Why do you do this, Master Wayne?'' Alfred asked. ''Why do you risk your life out there when your talents can be used for the better? Your intelligence rivals that of both your mother and father and with the resources you have at your disposal you can clearly make Gotham a much better place yet you choose to... to squander those resources to make weapons in this pointless crusade. You've pushed away any chance at happiness, hurt many women who loved you and for what, Master Wayne?''

''You know why Alfred, my p...''

''Master Thomas and Madame Martha have already been avenged.'' Master Bruce was taken aback, Alfred had never raised his voice at him. The Pennyworths were never supposed to raise their voices at their masters yet here Alfred was, raising his voice and breaking a code passed down through generations. ''You've seen Joe Chill. You've seen the bastard that killed your parent grovelling at your feet begging for forgiveness. You can't keep using your parents as an excuse.''

''They loved this city-''

''I know Master Bruce,'' Alfred said. ''But that doesn't mean that they'd go around dressed up like bats beating up criminals. You're dishonouring their legacy."

"I'm dishonouring their legacy by doing nothing," Bruce snapped. Alfred was taken aback. Bruce leaned over and sighed. "Back when mum and dad were still..." Bruce looked aside like he did when he was about to cry as a little boy. "People like Falcone and the Maronies they hid in the shadows. They were scared of being caught. The people of Gotham were upright. Now they can walk around these streets without being scared, without anyone daring to challenge them. Hell, Carmine Falcone killed a man in a restaurant and the cops didn't do anything about it. No amount of money can cure the corruption in this city. Hell, it'll only make it worse. Falcone and Maroni need to know the fear that they prey on. They need to know what it's like to be helpless.''

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