Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 1 : Bad News

Gotham City

The transition from summer to autumn brought seasonal rain, replacing the sweltering hot weather with cool and damp weather. Standing in his office at Wayne Tower Bruce looked out at the rain in silence. The autumn rain brought back memories for him, as this season bore witness to the development of his romance with his childhood friend Isabella Reagan, whom he later married across the pond in Scotland. The marriage was calm and serene but was also both loving and passionate as when he left his old relationship behind he found stability in his relationship with his childhood friend. A book fell to the ground, bringing Bruce back from his memories. 

A little girl climbed down from the sofa she was sitting on and retrieved the book, soon walking in his direction. "Daddy?" she asked, curiously. "What are you looking at?" Bruce smiled and bent down, picking the little girl up for her to sit on his arm. 

"Daddy is just looking at the rain." he smiled. The little girl looked at him in silence as she did not understand why. "Now, what did you learn from the book?" he asked. 

"Some things." she said. "When will mommy be here daddy?" 

"Give it... an hour or two Madeline, mommy cannot come here yet, because of the rain." Bruce replied. Madeline, known as May to her parents and siblings, was Bruce's second youngest daughter with his wife Isabella, as well as the youngest in the set of triplets Isabella had given birth to nearly two years ago. Bruce and Isabella had twelve children in their marriage, three singletons, three sets of twins and a set of triplets. Isabella was a caring and devoted mother to their children while Bruce was a loving but busy father due to his family ownership of Wayne Enterprises, which he had increasingly spent time in following the passing of his faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth, even after his unexpected resurrection. 

Several men in suits stood guard in the room, as quiet sentinels, while the remaining children continued with their playtime. The men are agents from the United States Secret Service, charged to protect him, Isabella and their young children from threats that endanger their lives. He might own Wayne Enterprises, but Isabella was chosen to be the most powerful woman in the country through the position of Vice President of the United States before rising to the position of acting president following the president's incapacitation, a role she had to fill for a second time. Still it does not dampen the romantic attraction Bruce and Isabella felt towards one another, as their romance fully blossomed during her first tenure as vice president, and they married a few years later. Carrying Madeline in his arms Bruce sat in the black swivel chair, carefully sliding the chair away from the computer, as well as the keyboard. Madeline also had a middle name, Martha, in honour of Bruce's late mother Martha Wayne. 

She was by no means however, the first child to have a name to honor Bruce's late parents. Madeline's older brother Alexander, was given the middle name Thomas to honor Bruce's late father Thomas Wayne. Bruce held his daughter in his arms, as she opened her book, while a Secret Service agent hurried into the room, whispering in Daniel's ear, who was the Secret Service agent in charge of Bruce's safety as the former Second and later First Gentleman of the United States. Daniel's expression soon turned into a grimace, quickly gesturing at the agent to leave the room, while he whispered something into his communication device. "Sir." he approached. "We need to move you and your children to a secure location now." 

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked, his expression switched from the warmth he showed as a father, to a grimace. Daniel was reluctant to tell him why, but Bruce can already sense what happened. 

"It's Madam President sir." he replied, after a long sigh. "She was kidnapped from her office." A chill ran down Bruce's spine as he held Madeline in his arms. "The children were unharmed, but she was taken." 

Wayne Manor 

Harald was tucked in bed, wearing his PJs as Bruce came to sit by his bedside to read him a bedtime story. "Is mommy coming home daddy?" asked the little boy. The children are accustomed to seeing their parents at home together and the absence of one often raises the thought of either of them working late. Bruce smiled a little, as he held his son's hand in his. 

"Mommy will come home Harald." he replies, holding the young boy's hand in his. "She has some things to handle." Opening the book Bruce began to read a few lines to his sleepy young son, sneaking a few looks at the boy to see if he had fallen asleep. The boy soon fell asleep, clutching a sheep plushie Isabella had made for him while she was carrying him in her swollen belly. "Sleep well." he smiled, kissing the boy on the forehead and turning off the lights in the bedroom. Closing the door he moved to the bedroom the triplets shared, his hand on the doorknob as he leaned against the door, to hear if the children were still playing. 

Pushing the door open after turning the doorknob Bruce enters the room to see that the children are indeed playing, but Madeline is already sitting in bed, dressed in her PJs and ready to sleep. "Daddy." Olivia, the eldest of the triplets, called out to him. Instinctively Bruce stepped forward, bending with one knee to meet his daughter's gaze. "Where is mummy?" she asked. 

"Olivia," Bruce began. "Mummy... mummy's away to do something important for you and your brothers and sisters, and will not be home tonight." 

"And important for daddy too?" she asked. 

"Yes, important to me as well." Bruce said. "You should go to bed, all of you." he added, telling Olivia and her siblings. Madeline climbed into bed almost immediately while Olivia and Noah slowly made their way to their beds respectively. "What's wrong Noah?" he asked, seeing his son in bed while holding a sheep plushie. 

"Will mommy be home?" he asked, as Bruce tucked him in bed. 

"Mommy will come home." Bruce replied. 

"Promise?" he asked innocently. 

"I do not know when Noah." Bruce said. "But, it's a promise." 

"Ok daddy." the boy smiled, and swiftly fell asleep in bed. 

"Goodnight Noah." Bruce whispered, kissing his son on the forehead and leaving the room after kissing the girls goodnight. Robert was already asleep when Bruce gently knocked on the door, entering a few seconds after the knock. He was holding a plushie of the planet Saturn when Bruce came to kiss him goodnight. Smiling Bruce turned off the lights and exited the bedroom, closing the door gently to avoid waking the sleeping boy.