Second Chances: Batwoman

Chapter 10

"Is it too late for me to change my mind about this?" Kate asked Bruce as they prepared for the press conference that Bruce had called.

"Considering you've already signed the paperwork and the press is assembled, yeah, it is." Bruce said.

"I don't mean taking over the company. I mean all this press. Is it really necessary?" Kate asked.

"You're forgetting that this company is one of the largest businesses in Gotham. There's no way something like this happens without a press conference. I know you hate public speaking, but this is part of the job. And besides, it's not like you can do much worse than I have over the years" Bruce said.

"Yeah, I'm glad you decided to stay sober this time." Kate said, since Bruce did have a history of showing up to these events at least half drunk if not completely drunk.

"I'm saving the bender until after Selina and I leave Gotham." Bruce said and Kate smiled.

"I'm really happy that you've found something with her again Bruce. Someone worth leaving this city for." Kate said.

"I'm just grateful that you're here to pick up the mantle. Even with Selina in the picture, I don't think I could've ever fully committed to what I'm doing if there wasn't someone here to watch over Gotham in my absence, since we both know that the moment the lunatics of this city find out Batman's gone." Bruce said.

"Then they'll raze this city to the ground within an hour." Kate said knowingly, honestly amazed that the city had still been standing after Bruce had left in the old reality.

"As much as your father claims otherwise, the Crows are not equipped to fight the kind of criminals I do." Bruce said.

"I'm honestly not sure if I do, since I never actually got the chance to fight any of your big bads, which was honestly pretty annoying. Apparently none of them deemed me good enough to be worth breaking out of Arkham to fight me for." Kate said, clearly annoyed and Bruce chuckled.

"To be fair, Joker, Killer Croc and Mr. Freeze were dead and I had Poison Ivy locked up somewhere no one will ever find her. I don't know what excuse the others had." Bruce said, honestly amused that Kate wanted to fight his actual rogues gallery.

"Anyways, let's get this over with." Kate said, deciding that it was finally time to get this press conference over with so she could get back to work and Bruce nodded.

Bruce took a deep breath as he stepped out into the lobby of Wayne Tower where all the press were waiting.

"Thank you all for coming here today for this very important announcement. As you all know, my parents died on the streets of Gotham. Since that night, I have dedicated my life to helping Gotham and continuing my family's through our company Wayne Enterprises. However, due to recent events, I have decided that it's time to pass on the torch. That is why, effective immediately, I am announcing that I am stepping down as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and passing on the torch to my cousin, Kate Kane." Bruce said as Kate joined him on the podium.

"Now, before I turn this press conference over to the woman of the hour, are there any questions for me?" Bruce asked.

"Mr. Wayne, what plans do you have now that you're leaving your company?" Dana Hewitt asked, since she was the first person Bruce called on.

"I'm going to be traveling. After spending my whole life here in Gotham, I want to see what else the world has to offer, but I'm sure I'll be back here plenty of times for visits." Bruce said as he answered a few more questions before he turned the conference over to Kate.

"Thank you Bruce. Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the press. I'm sure you all have lots of questions for me as the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises. I know I'm likely not the ideal candidate for this role and I'll admit this is not exactly the life I saw for myself, since as I'm sure several of you are aware of, I was expelled from Point Rock solely due to my sexuality. And I want to assure the people of this city that I will not be discriminating against people for any reason, including sexuality and race. And I'm also committed to continuing my cousin's work of trying to help this city and my first order of business for that is announcing a new division of Wayne Enterprises that I am calling Gotham Pride Real Estate. This is a new real estate agency that I intend to use to buy small, rundown homes from areas outside the Crows' districts and turn them into affordable housing for the more impoverished areas of Gotham." Kate said to several cheers before answering more questions.

"Ms. Kane, will you be affiliating your company with your father's security agency, the Crows?" Dana Hewitt asked the big question on everyone's minds.

"No. My opinion of the Crows is the same as my cousins. I know my father had good intentions when he founded the Crows, but in my opinion, they do not send the kind of message to this city that I want associated with this company." Kate said quickly, since she'd been prepared for this question and was very quick to answer, even though she knew there would be hell to pay from her father at some point.

"Can you give us any more information about what we can expect from you as the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises?" another reporter asked.

"We're working on several new projects in the fields of transportation, energy and even defense systems." Kate answered without spoiling anything before she continued answering questions before ending the press conference.