Batman and Spider-Man

Chapter 8

Carmine Falcone lit up a cigar. He puffed a cloud of smoke right into Bruce Wayne's face. The boy didn't even flinch. His blue eyes remained as stern as ever.

"You know why I'm here," Bruce said.

Carmine raised a hand. "Hold on. Years back, during the Long Halloween as the cops call it, I offered you and your company a deal." Carmine started twirling his fingers, staring at his fingernails. "You pretended you were better than me, that your company, the company your father built might I add was better than what we had in mind for it. And now, some freak that belongs in Arkham brings up the ugly details about your father's past and now you come rushing in here without a notice? You don't even address me with the respect I deserve, and you expect what... information?"

Brucie boy was silent. Carmine never could get a read on him, even when he was a boy.

"You know how much I could get if I told the media that Bruce Wayne son of the money laundering, tax evading Thomas Wayne came to my office for my advice just like his father before him." Carmine leaned back, flicking his cigarette. "Why I'd make a fortune. The media hounds would eat it up."

"You'd be incriminated," Bruce said.

Carmine laughed. "I've been incriminated a thousand times before, what's one more?"

Carmine set his cigar on his ashtray. "Say what you want about Thomas, but at least he knew about respect."

Bruce was silent. Carmine could see the hate in those blue eyes of his. Hate that just made him smile. Underneath all that muscle and cockiness, Bruce Wayne was still just a naïve little boy who didn't understand how the world worked.

"Fine," Brucie boy said, his voice hard. "Mr..."

"Uh uh," Carmine said.

Bruce paused, staring hard into Carmine's eyes. "Godfather Falcone."

Carmine grinned. "Yes, Bruce. How can I help you?"

"That information on my father..."

Carmine chuckled. "So, you have been watching the news. Bravo."

"I want to know everything," Bruce said. "Every transfer, every transaction. I want to know what types of deals you made. I want to know everything that happened between you and my father."

Carmine smiled. "And mother."

Bruce looked away. "And mother," he said under his breath.

"I'd love to," Carmine said and then turned to one of his guards. "You know this boy's father helped me out with a bullet once. One of Maroni's thugs got in a lucky shot. I would've died if it wasn't for his father."

Carmine turned and looked Bruce in the eye. "And you were watching, weren't you? Up from the staircase. I remember the look in your eyes."

Carmine flicked his cigar. "You don't forget a debt like that. A favour like that. I sure as hell didn't. But that's bygones. It was your father, not you that performed that life saving surgery. I'm going to need something else from you, the information I have doesn't come cheap, you know?"

Bruce did the smallest of shifts in his chair.

"What do you have in mind?" Bruce said.

"That company of yours," Carmine said. "What exactly do you keep in your warehouses?"

...

Spider-Man looked at the wall of police tape surrounding the Curt Connor's house and GCPD vehicles parked around the perimeter.

"Yep," Spider-Man said over radio. "We're not getting in."

Barbara sighed. "Dammit."

After the fallout with Bruce, despite Peter's best arguments, Barbara decided to continue with finding a cure for Batchild's condition. That meant, stupid patrols in front of Connor's house for any traces of evidence. A house that, according to Barbara, was being patrolled 24/7. Spider-Man barely managed to enter the house before the cops were on him. He was glad they hadn't managed to identify him.