The Dawn of Hope

The Man in Metropolis

Gotham City, 7 years ago

Bruce 3rd POV

It had now been four years since Bruce had come back from the Himalayas. And it had been 2 years since he had taken up the cape and cowl, vowing to give up the fear he felt of the bats that stood perched on his deceased parents' portrait.

Ever since his first experimental day, the crime rate had begun to slowly drop throughout the city. However, it hadn't taken him too long to realize that just his martial arts training wouldn't be enough to stop Gotham's crime. He refused to use guns, they were against everything that he stood for. Everything that made him Batman.

Nevertheless, Bruce had begun on this quest for vengeance, and it was only now that he understood that it wasn't just vengeance that drove him to do what he did, it was drive to make sure that the fate that had befallen him would never happen to another little boy in the alleyways of Gotham.

So with his utility belt that had pretty much everything that he would ever need in a fight, Bruce set out to cleanse his city of the murk that had stained his life. He contracted Lucius Fox, a brilliant businessman at Wayne Enterprises to build him some of the finest gadgets and machines in the world. From his Batmobile down to his Batarangs, almost everything had been designed or implemented with the help of Lucius. His participation was invaluable, and he was one of the few people that Bruce trusted with his secret. 

However, all these thoughts were out of Bruce's mind as he opened the entrance to the Batcave from the grandfather clock in his study. There was work to be done tonight.

Sitting down in his chair in front of the giant monitors that dimly lit up his elaborate cave, Bruce quickly went about checking up on the recent updates around Gotham. 

There had been a prison break from Blackgate around noon, but the Gotham PD had managed to get it back under control relatively quickly.

Once he had made sure that nothing major had happened, Bruce donned his suit, getting ready for a long night of patrol throughout the city. As he made his way to the Batmobile, Alfred called to him.

"I do hope that you are not considering going out on your rounds before your dinner, Master Bruce?" the Brit asked, looking at Bruce with a disapproving eye.

"I don't have time Alfred. Plus, the last thing I need is to get cramps while swinging from rooftops."

"Then you will wait to digest your food before setting out. There will be no further debate on his matter," Alfred replied sternly, causing Bruce to huff in defeat.

There was no arguing with the man, he was the only person that could force Bruce to do anything that he wished, and it was something that Bruce found himself cursing about frequently.

However, the butler was probably the reason why Bruce had not gotten himself severely injured or killed yet. His words of caution, as well as his help from the Batcave was fundamental to his success on the streets of Gotham.

Bruce walked to a table he had in the Batcave that was pretty much reserved for times like this. Alfred served him some of his fine parmesan risotto which Bruce scarfed down quickly, realizing just how hungry he was.

Once Bruce was done, he sat down at the monitors, looking at a few case files on some known criminals and some of his security cameras around the city before he felt it was time for him to go out and prowl throughout the city. 

It was around 2 AM, the prime time for nighttime robberies or assaults. These were the most productive hours for the Batman, as he grappled from rooftop to rooftop as he watched the city below with his night vision goggles.