Unsuspecting Hero (Batjokes)

Chapter 43

It was too soon, wounds still fresh for him to even consider telling Barbara about what that phone call was about. He lied as he put on his coat, reminding him of the recent bullet wounds he had poorly bandaged himself. Told her that he was fine, there was nothing to worry about, it was just an emergency.

Well it was. But a detrimental one.

He was at the docks in no time. He hated this place. No one even used it for the purpose it was build for, it was merely just a place for criminal activity. He had held a few gags here himself, back in the day, before too many people were tipped off on the location and began to use it too. He gave up fighting them off eventually. Wasn't worth it, when the docks weren't even a great place for it all.

Surprisingly, Jonathan Crane wasn't wearing his mask. Only a hoody, which Jack supposed concealed just as much. 

"Jack" He spoke, getting right to business. He handed Jack the folder with the supposed evidence. "Don't even think about destroying it. I have many more copies"

"And I would trace them all, if Batman was actually Bruce Wayne. I've seen Batsy's face, Jonny. He isn't" He played the ignorance card, not wanting to tip him off. 

"Then who, pray tell, is the supposed man in the mask?"

"None of your business, that's for sure. What I want to know, is why this? You dropped off the grid, Jonny, haven't seen you for months, and then you come back so suddenly with 'evidence' of something you would never have been interested in before. What's going on?"

"I could say the same for you, Jack. Knowing of the man behind the mask would ruin the very illusion of the fights against him that you stand for. Why the change of heart?" Jonny quipped back, and he only rolled his eyes. "Games change, ideas change, men change. Our dance changed. That's all it is"

"Interesting. Well, if you must know..." Jonny began, just as Jack began to flick through the folder. "Bruce Wayne was planning to knock Ace Chemicals down. That's my 'playground', as you so described it, so I began to dig into the man for blackmail. Though, when I found out Gotham's millionaire playboy isn't all that he seems, it became a whole lot easier."

Jack found a...pretty incriminating receipt, under a list of purchases. One to a Lucious Fox, which most wouldn't bat an eyelid at. Except the purchase was an obvious abbreviation for 'Kevlar', a material only one vigilante used. Still, he could twist that. "These are nothing, Jonny. Bruce Wayne funds Batman. Trust me, without Brucie, Bats really couldn't afford to be jumping around in those tight ass sweatpants."

"And although a compelling cover-up, what would be the incentive for Bruce Wayne to do that?"

"Protection. The deal is that Brucie funds him, and in return Bat's offers him protection. It's as easy as-" His words halted, when he skipped to the next page. Okay, maybe there was no convincing Scarecrow this was all baseless. "...that. Where did...where did you get this?"

It was a photo, an innocent photo that couldn't have incriminated them more. Dick was holding the camera, all four of the occupants pulling dorky faces. Jason, Dick, Barbara and Bruce. All there, in the suits but without the masks. 

"After my suspicions of Bruce Wayne being our masked vigilante, I did some digging into his children. They proved to be a much more revealing source"

Messages between Dick and Barbara, Jason and Bruce, Tim and Barbs. Photos, emails, bank history, everything. "...Is there no convincing you that maybe they all just reeeeaaaally like cosplay?" He nervously giggled, before clearing his throat. "Fine, Yeah, Okay. You were thorough. Really fucking thorough. So what do you want? Bruce to not take down Ace Chemicals I assume, and what? Hush money?"